FENN Magazine: A Look Back at Fenn's 90th Year (Winter 2020)

Winter 2020

Anniversary Edition

A Look Back at Fenn’s 90 Year th

New Campus Center is Open, Learning Landscape Evolves

F R O M T HE H E A D M A S T ER

Dear Fenn Community, As Fenn’s 90th year has officially come to a close after its founding by Roger and Eleanor Fenn in 1929, I am pleased to share an edition of the FENN magazine that highlights the myriad events and celebrations that took place on and off campus during our milestone 2018-2019 school year.

A monumental moment in the fall of our last school year was surely the opening of our new Campus Center, heralding a brand new Innovation Lab (or iLab, as it’s now known), an upgraded Samoylenko Wood Shop, a renovated and expanded kitchen, servery, and dining area in the Connolly Dining Hall, classrooms and meeting spaces in the new Moriarty Learning Commons, and the Gallant Seating Area that overlooks the student drop-off circle and provides a comfortable spot for boys to sit for a moment, relax and regroup, and catch up with one another or their studies.

We are grateful for the community generosity that made this Center possible for our current students, faculty, and staff, and for the many future generations that will enjoy it. The coming pages of this edition of FENN will provide a snapshot of these new spaces and the endless possibilities that they provide for 21st century learning and community-building. We welcome you to campus for a visit to see the spaces in action, if you have not already. Expect to be inspired!

The decades since our School’s founding have certainly brought change, and change is necessary for an institution to continue to grow and thrive as Fenn has. However, a strong Fenn foundation has remained ever present amidst it. We continue to be guided by our core values of honesty, respect, empathy, and courage, and by the spirit of Sua Sponte, and the passion for the blue-and-gold is a mainstay across Fenn generations.

At this milestone in our School’s history, we celebrate the vision of Roger and Eleanor Fenn in imagining and establishing our Fenn School, the faculty and staff who have carried out this vision with passion and dedication, the families who have embraced the promise of Fenn and the innumerable ways it could inspire and support their sons during formative elementary and middle school years, and certainly the boys whose curiosity, enthusiasm, and energy are the lifeblood of a School that I am so incredibly fortunate to lead.

Enjoy this edition and the new year that is upon us!

Warm regards,

Derek R. Boonisar Headmaster

VOLUME 88, NO. 1, WINTER 2020

COMMUNITY NEWS

30 Around Campus 42 Sports Report F E AT U R E S

54 Graduation

3 Learning Landscape at Fenn

66 Alumni News

EDITOR AND WRITER Jennifer Everett SPORTS WRITER Brenda Dupont MAGAZINE DESIGN Dan Beard PHOTOGRAPHY Alycia Braga Jennifer Everett Ellen Harasimowicz Jordan Hill Anne Jones Tim Llewellyn Tony Santos Joshua Touster Faculty, staff, and parents COVER PHOTO Jordan Hill EDITORIAL BOARD Derek Boonisar Anne Ames Boudreau Jennifer Everett Verรณnica Jorge-Curtis David Platt John Sharon

Expands in 90th Year

10 A Welcome Facelift for

Fenn Dining Hall

74 Class Notes 91 Faculty and Staff News 92 In Memoriam

12 The Wood Shop Renewed 16 Birth of the Innovation Lab 22 A Caring Community

of Fenn Stewards

FENN is published for alumni, parents, and friends of the School. Letters and comments are welcomed and can be sent to the attention of the FENN Editorial Board, The Fenn School, 516 Monument Street, Concord, MA 01742, alumni@fenn.org, 978-318-3534.

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magazine

Learning Landscape at Fenn Expands in 90 Year th

New Campus Center is Open N INETY YEARS AG O,

Roger Fenn opened the doors

to what he envisioned as a “small, personalized school” with a philosophic and geographic tie-in with the Minuteman at the North Bridge and the motto Sua Sponte, “on his own responsibility.”

Two-and-a-half buildings comprised The Fenn School in its earliest days — “the Farmhouse in front with four bedrooms and a bath built into the attic and the stable, enlarged by two wings, north

Early days of Thompson Hall

and south. The central building of the stable, now Thompson Hall (home of the Lower School), had four classrooms on the first floor and three boarders’ bedrooms with a bath where the hay loft was.”

The north wing was the Shop, and the south wing housed K-3 classes and served as the assembly hall for the whole school.

The “half building” referred to a red shell of a hay barn or boat house gifted to Fenn

by Mrs. Russell Robb from her land farther out Monument Street. In 1931, that same hay barn would be enlarged by adding a kitchen, renovated throughout, and named the Dining Hall. This is the vivid picture Roger paints in Roger Remembers, a printing of his memories of Fenn.

From these meager two-and-a-half buildings to Fenn’s expanded campus and state-of-the-art new Campus Center, the Fenn of yesteryear has evolved. While the foundation of The Fenn School remains steadfast with a community that is flourishing and ever guided by the spirit of Sua Sponte and four core values of honesty, respect, empathy, and courage, the landscape within which boys learn from Fenn’s passionate and invested faculty has surely advanced with the times. w i nter 2 0 2 0

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Thoughtful Process Identifies Need for Campus Center A testament to this progress, the new Campus Center was a product of a lengthy and detailed review of the Campus Master Plan that thoughtfully guides campus improvements and of valued perspectives from members of Fenn’s Board of Trustees and Board of Visitors, faculty, alumni, and parents.

A Dining Hall expansion and kitchen renovation was one campus need around which all groups coalesced when considering the next priority building project for the school. The kitchen, especially, was in desperate need of renovation. It was “enjoying” its 70th year without an upgrade, and the Dining Hall had last

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been expanded in 1997 thanks to the generosity of the Connolly family, after which it is named. The size of the Dining Hall was also influencing how Fenn could enroll the School.

“Lower and Upper School lunches weren’t the issue,” shared David Platt, Assistant Headmaster for Finance and Operations. “However, the Dining Hall was stretched thin during Middle School lunch, which wasn’t the experience that we wanted to give our boys. With that as a driver, we imagined a space that would enable us to add even more boys to the Middle School. While our board is committed to maintaining Fenn’s current number of students and grades, an expanded Dining Hall would give us the

flexibility to enroll every grade as needed with mission-appropriate boys.”

At the same time, the then-nascent and developing makers program at Fenn was greatly hurting for space. Fenn’s previous librarian, Sue Fisher, initially launched the program and was joined by former faculty member Pauline MacLellan, who advanced it in more recent years until her departure in 2018.

In the early days, the makers program ran out of boxes before moving into tight classroom space, jerry-rigged into a lab.

It was quickly apparent to the Board of Trustees that if a Dining Hall renovation could be paired with a makerspace to support a burgeoning

“We asked what our teachers would need to do their best work with our boys, and those conversations influenced the design [of the Campus Center].”

– David Platt, Assistant Headmaster for Finance and Operations

makers program, the next priority project on the campus was obvious.

“During the early discussions [about Campus Center design], we were focused on a single story project,” shared Jeff Adams, longtime Fenn trustee and chair of the Board’s Buildings and Grounds Committee, as well as father of five Fenn alumni. “We then reviewed a ten-years-old Buildings and Grounds task group study led by Charlie Denault ’70, P’96, P’04 that concluded that if we substantially renovated the Dining Hall and Wood Shop, we should consider a two-story project. This recommendation fed nicely into a planned future redesign of the School House (home of the Upper School) that would create larger classrooms, but result in a loss of four teaching spaces that would need to be built before work could begin.

Presto! Our answer was to design the replacement classrooms on a second floor over the kitchen.”

As with many campus projects before it, Malcolm Kent P’99, former Fenn trustee and Fenn’s lead architect from the firm Imai Keller Moore, was again charged with creating designs for a Campus Center that accomplished this priority while capturing any other space that could be put to good use.

“The [design] process, as has been the pattern at Fenn, involved extensive discussions with administration, faculty, and trustees to refine the elements of the building program to achieve the right balance for the curriculum and the site,” shared Malcolm.

Dave Platt added, “We asked what our teachers would need to do their best work with our boys, and those conversations influenced the design [of the Campus Center].” Wood Shop teacher Paul Heinze, for one, was able to envision a renovated space that would advance the foundational wood shop program at Fenn, and Pauline MacLellan designed the new Innovation Lab (or iLab) as she would have wanted it.

Current Director of Innovation David Saunders also had an opportunity to review plans for the space as he readied himself to take the baton from Pauline.

“When I walked into the Innovation Lab when it was still a construction zone, it was clear that Fenn didn’t just say that we have a little extra space, and we’re going to make it into a makerspace,” David remarked.

“Instead, they thought, ‘What’s the best use of this space given what we have?’ I was a lucky inheritor of the design of the space.”

Malcolm also called on the expertise of Dan Dorsch, a mechanical engineering Ph.D. candidate from MIT who had previously worked with his firm on the design of MIT makerspaces.

Proving indispensable was Dan’s deep knowledge of the technology and need for flexibility in the design of spaces that have to accommodate continuously changing equipment and projects.

“Our goal was to provide a sustainable and accessible building,

supporting multiple program elements that would benefit from adjacency to each other but also be able to function independently,” Malcolm shared. “We also had to interweave these elements using every square inch of available space in a structure scaled to fit the Fenn

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F EAN C MN P UFSE AT C EN U RTEESR

“Our goal was to provide a sustainable and accessible building, supporting multiple program elements that would benefit from adjacency to each other but also be able to function independently.”

– Malcolm Kent, Fenn’s lead architect

campus. The design works within the existing campus aesthetic not only by using the Fenn vocabulary of materials, but also by empowering the additive approach to building where buildings flow and meld together. The exceptions are iconic structures like Thompson Hall and Ward Hall, which stand alone and act as anchors for the campus.”

After a number of iterations, Malcolm crafted a design with a new kitchen and Dining Hall renovation, a stunning iLab on the ground floor, four classrooms and a seminar room on a second floor, and a renovated Samoylenko Wood Shop that would return to its previous location at the

center of campus. And while the square footage of the Wood Shop would not change, upwards of 500 more square feet would be devoted to the program with more open space.

“We established a network of possible connections,” added Malcolm.

“The enlarged Dining Hall and kitchen enhanced the potential for learning, both formal and informal, with the upper floor of academic classrooms fitting well with opportunities for lunchtime seminars and more casual teaching moments where a teacher might meet with boys with food as a catalyst. The iLab was developed around the potential relationship with the Wood Shop, so the Fenn tradition of woodworking could easily expand to include the technology of the iLab. This, in turn, was connected by stair and elevator to the classrooms upstairs and also outside by the paved apron to the scene shop in Ward Hall so a broad range of academic and technical activities could be harnessed and explored.”

Community Generosity Ensures Center’s Groundbreaking Once it was clear what the Campus Center building could look like and provide, it became a part of the In Our Hands capital campaign, coupled with fundraising for expanded financial aid and professional development for faculty.

“The Board determined that we would have to raise in pledges 100 percent of the money that was needed to

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build the building, with 50 percent of it in cash, before we would put a shovel in the ground,” shared Dave Platt. “We also committed to raising at least 50 percent of the endowment funds needed before proceeding. Both were impressive goals, but we had a lot of people step up and help us achieve them by giving to both or whatever we needed to get there.”

Director of Advancement Verónica Jorge-Curtis added, “The Board was very clear about when and how they would go about building this building, and I think that really made a difference [for the fundraising]. The community, always so supportive of Fenn, was willing to stand by the Board’s decision, and they rose to the challenge.” The In Our Hands campaign ultimately raised $20 million in just 20 months from Fenn’s generous community of donors.

Design Plans Become Reality Erland Construction, Inc., headed by former Fenn parent Steve McDonald (see story on p. 9), was responsible for bringing the design plans to life on campus. The first phase of the 16,000 square foot building project involved the demolition and reconstruction of half of an existing building, including the addition of the new classrooms on the second floor, while the Dining Hall and a temporary kitchen remained fully operational to serve the Fenn community.

Meanwhile, wood framing, roofing, and other upgrades were tackled on the other

side of a shared wall. The second phase of the project expanded the Dining Hall, servery, and kitchen, and added new bathrooms with updated services. After 13 months of construction, the Campus Center opened to the community in late October 2018.

Walk in the front entrance, and an image of a large lighted candle stretches out on the floor below you, akin to the candle gracing Roger Fenn’s original Fenn School sign. Turn right, and the renovated Connolly Dining Hall beckons you with its expanded footprint, state-of-the-art kitchen, servery of gleaming white and blue, and glass display case showcasing

student work from the nearby Wood Shop and iLab. Turn left, and you see a bank of bathrooms and an elevator, the first in Massachusetts to use the “green” alternative of cross-laminated timber for its shaft walls, reducing installation time, cost, and environmental impact while ensuring appropriate fire safety.

Walk up the vibrant yellow staircase in the entry foyer, and you first encounter the Gallant Seating Area to the left with its welcoming bay window of seating overlooking the campus green.

Down the hallway stretching out from this new vantage point of campus sits the Moriarty Learning Commons, complete

with a seminar room that has become popular for student diversity committee lunches, Board of Trustee meetings, and music lessons, and the four spacious classrooms that boast stunning views of campus (and the Concord River from two of them).

Veteran faculty member Elise Mott, Social Studies teacher in the Campus Center, found the new space a (welcome) adjustment. “Compared to the hustle and bustle of the School House (home of the Upper School), this felt quiet and even peaceful. The view overlooking the sparkling Concord River in the morning is delightful, and the boys seem to be in a

Leadership Celebration A celebration in the new Campus Center on October 27, 2018 applauded the generosity of leadership donors for the In Our Hands campaign, the dedication of campaign co-chairs Carol Moriarty and Andy Ory, and the unwavering support of Fenn headmasters, Jerry Ward H’18 and Derek Boonisar. The trio of lead project stewards—David Platt, Jeff Adams, and Malcolm Kent—were also praised for their extraordinary commitment to the project.

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“It’s refreshing to see the blending of the foundational elements that Roger established for Fenn with these 21st century spaces for learning and growth.”

– Derek Boonisar, Headmaster

more Zen space when they see that!

“The eighth graders also love hanging out in the bay window or using the seminar room. I think all of the spaces improve the teaching and learning experiences because there are fewer distractions and boys have space to spread out.”

John Sharon, Director of the Academic Program, agrees. “The large rooms have allowed much greater flexibility for teaching and learning, and the whiteboards have encouraged more student engagement as they work together to solve problems or brainstorm ideas in small groups. The flexible furniture has also enabled us to do large-group, Harkness Table-style seminars and discussions and just as easily reconfigure the tables to accommodate small-group work, individual work, and everything in between. Teachers are constantly getting creative in how they change up a room to maximize student engagement. This is making us more agile and innovative

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with our lesson planning.”

Integration with the new technology in the Campus Center has also been seamless, according to Director of Technology Jeff LaPlante, as it is consistent with technology elsewhere on campus. “Each classroom has a projector, Apple TV, and audio, and faculty use the technology almost daily to supplement their instruction. English and Social Studies teachers use the audio/ visual systems to Skype with experts and authors, for one, and the technology allows students to project their iPads to the classroom system in seconds to display projects for the class.”

The building’s energy efficiency is another boon to the project. “The building has doubled in size yet the energy costs to keep it operational have remained the same,” remarked David DiPersio, Director of Facilities. Energy modeling of the building by a third party helped to identify the best and most efficient systems for the Center and its expected energy use.

These include ductless, wall-mounted split systems for heating and cooling and a gas-fired condensing boiler that provides fast and efficient hot water for heat.

Rounding out the new Campus Center are the iLab, just a walk downstairs from the welcoming lobby, and the Wood Shop,

accessed through the Innovation Lab or by a walk across the deck at the side entrance to the Dining Hall.

And these two spaces have truly come alive at the hands of the faculty enjoying them and the students who are embracing the studies that bring them there and the passions that motivate them to steal away before school, during recess, or after school to explore, create, and advance projects that were simply seeds of their vivid imaginations.

“It’s been invigorating to see the community embrace the new Campus Center,” remarked Headmaster Derek Boonisar. “The new Dining Hall, kitchen, and servery not only allow for an expansion of menu options at Fenn and a smoother flow to the lunchtime experience, but they also provide a space where community connections can deepen over shared meals in a more comfortable setting. I also continue to be amazed by the creative projects that the new iLab inspires and the imagination of our faculty in their use of the new teaching spaces. And it’s only fitting that the Samoylenko Wood Shop returns to its original location at the center of campus, celebrating the handson learning happening there and harkening back to Roger’s commitment to this same instruction in Fenn’s earliest days.

It’s refreshing to see the blending of the foundational elements that Roger established for Fenn with these 21st century spaces for learning and growth.”

Member of Fenn Community Helps Guide Campus Transformation Steve McDonald isn’t solely the president of Erland Construction, the Burlington-based open shop construction management and general contracting firm that recently brought Fenn’s Campus Center to life from designs by architect Malcolm Kent.

He is also a former Fenn trustee and father to three alumni — Steven ’03, Sean ’05, and Ryan ’09. That has made his hand in the completion of the Campus Center project particularly rewarding. He and his firm were also responsible for construction of Ward Hall in 2011 and a

new library and science center in 2013.

“Having the opportunity to give back to the School that had such a huge impact on the development of my three boys has been a source of great joy for me,” shared Steve. “It’s always nice to see a completed building that we had a part in constructing, but what really excites me is seeing a new generation of Fenn students using the new buildings and knowing how those buildings can impact their growth.”

One of the most challenging, yet gratifying, parts of the Campus Center project, according to Steve, was con-

structing the building while also allowing students, faculty, staff, and the dining services team to safely occupy the space.

Doing so minimized the impact of the construction on the daily life of Fenn.

“Having someone who cares so deeply about Fenn at the helm of this construction project ensured that it was tackled with great care and attention,” shared Assistant Headmaster for Finance and Operations David Platt. “We are grateful to Steve — and certainly Malcolm Kent and many others who were crucial to the project — for bringing a vision to life on the campus for the immediate benefit of our current boys, faculty, and staff, and for future generations.”

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D IN IN G H A L L

A Welcome Facelift for Fenn Dining Hall Renovation Enhances Menus and Use of Space CHEF MANAGER D A V ID A YOTTE vividly remembers his surprise when arriving at Fenn more than five years ago after his employer, FLIK Hospitality Group, won the contract for Fenn’s dining services.

An old, undersized, and underequipped kitchen awaited him, requiring use of the same small space for food preparation, service, and storage. To make the predicament even more interesting, every single member of the Fenn community had to walk through the compact kitchen to be served the lunch choices of the day.

“At 10:30 a.m. each day, our FLIK team had to stop every activity in the kitchen to clear off the main table we were using, set up four chafing dishes with Sterno, and be ready to serve lunch,” David recalled. Now the team enjoys the luxury of distinct preparation, service, and storage spaces, and a food line that steers clear of its well-choreographed, now behind-the scenes, lunch operation.

“It’s one thing to have a small kitchen, but it’s another thing entirely to have a small kitchen where you can’t prep for the next day so you’re constantly grabbing and going,” added David. “Food comes in the door, you prep it, and out it needs to go. Now we can make stocks, sauces, and other items and add those to the next day and the day after and not just have to run through the food we have in-hand.”

The new space also provides room for equipment that the team long dreamed about using. Dining menus and flavor profiles are enhanced by two new

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ovens, a charbroiler, a tilt skillet, a small griddle, and a steamer, which can ready in five minutes 20 lbs. of broccoli or enough pasta for an entire Summer Fenn camper group.

“The new Dining Hall space offers variety and efficiency and sets a new standard for camp lunches,” remarked Summer Fenn and Auxiliary Programs Director Maggie Magner. “Many families have emailed to tell me that their kids rave about the food. When lunch is stress-free and delicious, the whole day goes better!”

Additional refrigeration space is also a boon to a food operation like FLIK’s, which promotes made-from-scratch cooking and the use of fresh foods that the team sources through a Farm-to-Table program with nearby Verrill Farms that began with FLIK’s arrival at Fenn. A dry storage area on the ground floor of the Campus Center also provides additional usable space.

“It’s a lot easier to come up with a menu now because we have greater options for how we can prepare and cook food,” David shared. “Before, everything had to go through the oven. Now we have 18 different pieces of equipment that are large enough to handle batch cooking.”

The soup, salad, and deli bar, manned by Cesar Acosta, a nine-year employee who was hired from previous food service vendor, Sodexo, also benefitted from expansion. “With two salad bars now, we can present more healthy-food options like different varieties of salads and grains,” he shared. Improved storage

at the salad and deli bars has also enabled FLIK to eliminate individually-wrapped items such as butter pats and cream cheese cups.

Availability of expanded composting in the Dining Hall further addresses waste.

“Because we don’t use disposable plates or cutlery during student lunches, we now only generate food waste,” shared Fenn Director of Sustainability and faculty member Cameren Cousins.

“This allowed us to engage with a commercial composting company with the facilities and techniques to handle meat, dairy, and grain food waste, in addition to veggie matter.”

Many single-use items, such as the brown napkins, coffee cups, and “bioplastic” cups and utensils periodically used in the Dining Hall, can also now be placed in Fenn’s compost bins. White paper towels, wax paper cups, and coffee cups from outside shops must continue to make their way into the trash.

Twice a week during the school year, Black Earth Composting of Gloucester,

“It’s a lot easier to come up with a menu now because we have greater options for how we can prepare and cook food.”

– Chef Manager David Ayotte

Mass. arrives to take away the bounty that has accumulated from Fenn composting.

Beyond pleasing the appetites of the school-day community and summertime campers and counselors, the new kitchen and dining space also allows for more robust catering for special events. It continues to serve as a stunning canvas for school events, including Alumni Dinners during Homecoming Weekends and Graduation celebrations, and as a rental space for outside groups.

“The Dining Hall received a significant audio/visual upgrade during the renovation so the space can now be used for guest speakers and school events that require technology,” added Jeff LaPlante, Fenn’s Director of Technology. “We have a large screen, projector, and audio

system, along with electronic shades that darken the room and enhance the audio/ visual experience.”

During the last school year, the Dining Hall hosted takeovers of the space by the Parents Association for faculty and staff appreciation events and themed lunches ranging from the welcoming Fenn Ski Lodge, complete with a towering image of a menacing grizzly bear hovering behind Chef Ayotte as he served slopeside fare, to a celebration of the Chinese New Year that adorned the space with stunning red and gold décor and entertained lunchtime crowds with lessons on the art of rolling Chinese dumplings. All punctuated the school day beautifully.

A glance at the comment board

hanging in the servery shows proof that the space offers a welcome variety of tasty offerings in a comfortable setting that encourages even greater community-building.

And as Assistant Headmaster for Finance and Operations David Platt jokes, the space also masterfully addressed a running joke among the Fenn community.

The boy’s bathroom no longer opens onto the salad bar, as it did for years within the old layout. The new Campus Center building brought a tripling of bathrooms… in far more suitable locations.

And, with that, the community’s Dining Hall needs were met… except for an occasional call from the boys for more ice cream, but who can blame them for that?! w i nter 2 0 2 0

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W O O D S H OP

The Wood Shop Renewed

A Marriage of Fenn’s Woodworking Foundation and New Technology FENN’ S WOOD SHOP HA S R ETU R N ED

to prominence in the same two-level footprint that it occupied for genera-

tions. However, the inner workings of today’s Shop have been reimagined and laid out anew to allow for greater functionality by someone superbly suited for the task.

“We gave Wood Shop (and Latin) teacher, Paul Heinze, the shell of the space in the new Campus Center, and he created the new Shop,” shared David Platt, Assistant Headmaster for Finance and Operations. “He thought about it, designed it, and said this is what I need because this is what I teach. Then, he built everything in there, except the walls, ceil-

ing, floor, and duct work. So much care and thought went into how it all came together.” One unique touch that is a clear testament to this is Paul’s use of reclaimed old Dining Hall tables to form the countertop in the Shop’s lower level.

Paul’s vision for the Wood Shop was crystal clear. “I wanted it to be a Wood Shop that felt like a Wood Shop, where

Student crew who helped to build new Wood Shop work benches

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you could see the tools. I didn’t want it to be sterile with a lot of melamine benches.

A Wood Shop should be warm and comfortable with an organic feel to it.” Hand planes, and measurement, layout, and carving tools are, in fact, on display on the upper level.

Also gracing the same space are six 3 x 7 Moravian-style work benches, the result of a collaborative effort between Paul and his seventh grade class during the spring 2018 term. Paul tackled the creation of the rock maple tops of 500 pounds each, while students constructed the bottoms before all were glued and assembled into their finished states.

Each student now enjoys ample bench space. “We used to have four boys at a 4 x 4 table — now it’s two boys at a 3 x 7 table,” Paul remarked. “They have all the room and equipment they need, and they’re set up for success. Everything is more organized and efficient now; plus, we can make anything we want, which is really exciting.”

In the previous iteration of the Shop, only one-third of the space on the upper

“The new Wood Shop is really great.

There is a lot more work space, and there are more tools. Everyone can work a lot more efficiently.”

– Aiden LaCamera, seventh grade

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W O O D S H OP

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“The boys have all the room and equipment they need, and they’re set up for success. Everything is more organized and efficient now; plus, we can make anything we want, which is really exciting.”

– Paul Heinze, Wood Shop Teacher

level was usable. Now there is room to move — and room to house a large cabinet for storing projects outside class time.

“Boys are no longer losing or breaking things. Everything has its space. In every way imaginable, it’s night and day in terms of the teaching and working space,” added Paul.

Occupying the lower level of the Shop is impressive machinery, including a new 16-inch radial arm saw, 24-inch band saw, and thickness sander, and new sanding, shaping, and milling machines located adjacent to large doors to the outside through which materials and projects can be easily carried after boys have enjoyed outdoor woodworking. While the mantra of the Wood Shop program suggests that whatever the boys can do, they should do, much of the machinery is operated

by Heinze and fellow Wood Shop teacher Jonathan Wachs, who has been instructing the fifth grade, with boys looking on from a safe distance. The design of the Shop allows them to peer down from open railings on the upper level, if they decide not to be closer to the action.

A state-of-the-art ventilation system was also introduced in the new space.

Each machine bears a sensor that automatically turns the system on and off when the machines are in use or idle, ensuring superior air quality within which to work and learn.

The new Wood Shop is thus a marriage of the foundational woodworking that graced Fenn’s earliest days with technology that signals the passing of time. “It

was important to Roger Fenn that boys learn to work with their hands,” remarked David Platt. “That’s one of the reasons Fenn had a Wood Shop in the first place, and we don’t want the advanced technology of the Wood Shop to take the place of that. It’s still important that boys learn how to plane, file, and rasp, but now they’re also learning which pieces of equipment help them do that even more efficiently.”

The existence of the iLab and its wealth of materials and equipment a floor below the Wood Shop has also enhanced the projects that boys can tackle. Sixth graders, for one, continue to make shaker boxes as their class project, yet these can now be enhanced with personalization that is made possible by the iLab’s laser cutter and a helping hand from Director of Innovation David Saunders.

Aiden LaCamera, a current seventh grader, was one student who reaped rewards from the close proximity of the Wood Shop and iLab. Aiden won top honors for woodworking in the 2019 Small Independent School Art League’s annual competition for his shaker box.

A wood steamer created its oval shape and a laser cutter etched his name and a custom design onto its top.

“It’s really helpful to have the iLab downstairs from the Wood Shop for our projects,” Aiden remarked. “And the new Wood Shop (itself) is really great. There is a lot more work space, and there are more tools. Everyone can work a lot more efficiently.”

The Upper School design-your-ownskateboard project was one of the many successful collaborations. Boys asked if they could build skateboards as part of Upper School Wood Shop class, and the answer was a resounding YES. The woodworking and assembly of the boards started in the Wood Shop, and customization with personalized designs came to life again with the prized laser cutter in the iLab. “David Saunders is so easy to imagine with and work with,” shared Paul Heinze. “The iLab and Wood Shop are working comfortably side by side, and it will be exciting to see where it all goes.”

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IN N O VAT I O N L A B

Birth of the Innovation Lab Design Thinking Incubator Empowers Limitless Creativity IT’S 7 :3 0 A . M . ,

and upwards of 25 Fenn boys are flooding into the iLab to

explore new ideas or advance prized creations before advisor period begins at 8:15. This is what has greeted Director of Innovation David Saunders each morning since the opening of Fenn’s much-anticipated iLab. “I like how you can come here in the morning and make anything you want with your own creativity,” exclaimed fifth grader Owen Beauvais when asked why he is one of the frequent visitors. Eighth grader Niko Weaver is equally a fan. “I like how big the space is. A lot of people can come in here,

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and it has just about anything you’d want to be able to make stuff,” he added. “Plus, Mr. Saunders is really nice, and he can always help you.”

During recesses and after school, boys hustle in as well — confirmation that Owen and Niko aren’t alone in their excitement about the endless possibilities that the new makerspace bestows upon Fenn’s community of students and educators alike.

There is a tangible energy within the walls of the 3,300 sq. ft. lab with its industrial vibe of open ceilings revealing a labyrinth of ventilation ducts and wiring and open shelving displaying tools and materials that bring ideas and class projects to life. Sturdy work benches

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IN N O VAT I O N L A B

resting atop concrete flooring are the

Sphero and EV3 LEGO robotics kits,

primary workspaces, complemented

drones, and virtual reality headsets.

by a cluster of couches tucked off to

Seeking out green screen technology

of the trusty green screen, it sure did.

The possibilities for learning and creating in the iLab are limitless. “We

the side and thousands of LEGO bricks

to swap the real background of a video

tried to create a really great open, flexible

presented in the unlikeliest of receptacles

with a more compelling digital one? That’s

space that would allow for evolution in

— a child’s plastic swimming pool. A

available too in a bright and engaging

our program and in the equipment and

nearby equipment room also beckons,

classroom at one end of the iLab, not

materials we could bring into the space,”

humming with popular 3D printing and

far from that tempting sea of LEGOs.

shared David Platt, Assistant Headmaster

carving machines, a CAD (Computer

Photography and videography assign-

for Finance and Operations. “The equip-

Aided Design) mill, and more. A robust

ments at Fenn now benefit from the abil-

ment room has an air filtration system

collection of hand tools is also at the ready

ity to showcase faraway or unimaginable

that works for the laser engraver now,

— chisels, hammers, hack saws, drills,

places from the comfort of Monument

for example, but it will have other future

wrenches, pliers, soldering equipment,

Street. Last year, seventh grade science

uses too. We also put a sink in the room

vinyl cutters, wire benders, and more — as

students put this technology to good use

because iLab equipment that we may want

are the glue guns, craft sticks, cardboard

during a project that required them to

to purchase in the future is water-based.”

stacks, duct tape, rope, etc. that any

design and advertise a new wet cell bat-

reputable makerspace offers. And these

tery. One savvy pair decided that “climb-

Aims for the Space

mainstay supplies co-exist with their

ing into” the inside of their battery to

With the new iLab, there was an explicit

technological counterparts of MacBooks,

point out its key features would make for

desire to integrate design thinking and the

iMacs, iPads, and desktop computers,

compelling advertising. And with the help

new space with an evolving curriculum,

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according to David Saunders. “The aim was for every boy to experience and move through a multi-phase design thinking process within the context of the curriculum,” he shared.

John Sharon, Director of the Academic Program, agrees. “Short term, the goal is to have all classes using the iLab in different ways so it will have a meaningful impact on developing and enhancing curriculum and also teach our boys to more effectively solve problems.

Longer term, the iLab will be a vehicle and a space for enhancing academic skills at every level.

“I’ve seen a lot of schools use a makerspace as a marketing tool, and that’s not what we’re after. We want it to be a training ground for solving real world problems. At the same time, it’s really cool and fun and allows for some free and unstructured play that research suggests kids need in order to acquire new skills.”

The “Create a Colony” project that has been a part of Fenn’s Middle School social studies experience for years was one of the projects enhanced this past school year through a partnership with David and the iLab program. For years, boys learned about the foundational elements of society and were tasked with building representations of colonies that they imagined with glue, popsicle sticks, cardboard, and other found material. This past year, they learned or called on existing

Adobe Illustrator skills to design colony seals that featured their colony name, motto, and symbols reflecting its history and values. Boys then saw their unique designs materialize with the iLab’s laser cutter.

“With the colony seals, the boys didn’t have any concept of what would come out of the machine until they did it,” remarked David Saunders. “When they saw it, they were able to decide what they liked and didn’t like and how they could improve on it to make it more interesting. They were experiencing how to approach a project more than once and how to think critically about improvements and about the tools at their disposal. Most importantly, they were developing skills of resilience.”

When students learned that they would also have to create a model of their colony to scale, they lobbied Tricia McCarthy, Head of the Middle School and social studies teacher, to let them utilize action-adventure game Minecraft to design their virtual colonies.

“I thought that was perfect for a virtual representation of their colony and its dwellings, civic and religious buildings, natural resources, defense systems, agriculture, proximity to a river or port, etc.,” shared Tricia. “They were able to take the class on a ‘walking tour’ of their colonies, projected onto the white board in front of the class.

“Combining the laser cut seals and Minecraft experience enhanced the boys’ understanding of the critical elements of a successful colony. They took the intellectual process seriously and applied their

“Short term, our goal is to have all classes using the iLab in different ways so it has a meaningful impact on developing and enhancing the curriculum. Longer term, the iLab can help shape how our boys think about solving problems.”

– John Sharon, Director of the Academic Program

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“We have an opportunity here to build lifelong habits of mind in our Fenn boys that will enable them to be resilient and nimble in a changing landscape.”

– David Saunders, Director of Innovation

knowledge in hands-on ways using varied types of technology. It was a very successful project.”

David Saunders agreed. “Most of the class was happy to keep digging into the project,” he shared. “I’m generally trying to build a framework where boys can’t hit the fire escape too soon. They have to go through the process of designing, reflecting on the design, getting feedback, and iterating on it.”

The challenge moving forward is building what can be a lengthy iteration process into class projects when extra time is in short supply. But the successes of year one show great promise for continued implementation of design thinking across the academic program at Fenn.

A Successful First Year “At the beginning of last year, we identified foot traffic as one indicator of success

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for year one in the new iLab,” shared David Saunders. “And did we get people into the space? Yes! At the end of last year, we were able to say that we had every fourth through eighth grader, and almost every ninth grader, in the iLab for a classroom project at least once, but more often two or three times.”

Faculty and staff also benefited from group professional development sessions in the space to do their own tinkering and to partner on various design challenges teed up by the iLab team. These sessions enhanced faculty understanding of the tools and possibilities that the iLab offers and helped them to imagine the various ways that they could collaborate with the iLab on curriculum and class projects.

Building on this momentum in years two and three, with an even greater focus on the quality of projects as opposed to quantity, is the aim.

Equally so is developing an even richer understanding of what an iLab is and can be.

“There are common misperceptions about the iLab — people immediately think coding, robotics, and high tech,” remarked David Saunders. “If you were to observe a typical class in the iLab, I think you’d see that there is a marriage of low and high tech here. I’ve always been intrigued by the high and low tech applications for the space, and I love when they come together in authentic ways.” Åsa Ewing, Innovation Lab (and science) teacher and David Saunders’ faculty partner in the space, feels similarly.

“Simple projects can be done here,” she shared. “We can cut, and we can glue, and it’s a space that we want to be messy.

Teachers can use the iLab instead of messing up their classrooms.”

She continued, “It’s not just technology here — it’s a combination of tools, technology, low-level building, and high-level design. You can bring all of these pieces together in this one space.”

A fourth grade library project that had the boys studying ancient civilizations, and specifically chariots, offers one example of the blended experience Åsa describes. Boys were tasked

with designing and building their own chariots with found materials in the iLab — a simple task at first glance.

However, these same chariots needed to be built in such a way that they could be pulled by a programmable spherical robot and navigate various obstacles.

Judging by the wide smiles and enthusiasm of the boys during this design challenge, this blend of hands-on creating and programming was a sure winner.

“I try not to think of school as simply workplace training, but practically speaking, students are learning programming, robotics, digital fabrica-

tion, etc. within the iLab,” David Saunders remarked.

“Knowing that the programming field is always evolving, it’s important that we’re also always thinking about the things we can create that are uniquely human and how we can partner with machines to bring these to life.

“At the end of the day, the act of learning is valuable in and of itself, and we have an opportunity here to build lifelong habits

of mind in our Fenn boys that will enable them to be resilient and nimble in a changing landscape.”

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A Caring Community of Fenn Stewards AS THE L EARNING LA N D S CA PE HA S EV OLV ED

across Fenn’s 90 years, there has remained one true constant —

community. A community of educators who dedicate themselves to knowing and understanding each of the unique boys they teach and guide, of colleagues who support and challenge one another and deeply enjoy partnering with each other to shape and deliver an incomparable elementary and middle school experience, and of trustees who believe deeply in the mission and promise of Fenn and offer their unwavering support.

This is Fenn … now and in decades prior. Here are the stories of the new names and faces who joined the Fenn mosaic in our 90th year, faculty who assumed new roles, and colleagues who concluded their Fenn journeys for retirement or new adventures.

Maureen Barry is Fenn’s new Payroll and Benefits Administrator. An experienced professional in the field with an Associate of Arts degree from Cape Cod Community College, Maureen was employed most recently at Northland Investment Corporation in Newton and at CW Capital LLC in Needham. She was drawn to Fenn through a relationship with her friend’s son, a Fenn alumnus whom, she believes, models the values of honesty, respect, empathy, and courage.

Maureen welcomes the opportunity to follow his lead and be a positive resource for the community.

In November 2018, Fenn welcomed Haili Elwood as the new Summer Fenn and Auxiliary Programs Assistant after previously serving as a leadership team member for Summer Fenn Day Camp from June 2013 through August 2016. Haili also assumed the role of Transportation Coordinator for the School. Outside Fenn, she has enjoyed positions as a fourth grade teacher at St. Peter School in Cambridge and fifth 22 ffenn enn

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and sixth grade teacher at The Hillside School in Marlborough. More recently, she was a Coaching and Training Services Associate at athenaHealth before rejoining Fenn.

Maria Gupta is thoroughly enjoying teaching sections of Spanish to linguists in the Middle and Upper Schools, along with advising and coaching. A graduate of University of Southern California and a native speaker, Maria taught for 13 years at Brimmer and May School in Chestnut Hill and for four years at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York City, as well as in the Dover and Needham public schools.

After five years working for Summer Fenn Day Camp, Jordan Hill became the new Marketing and Communications Associate for the School last January. A graduate of Salem State University with a degree in Communications, Jordan is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and a Commonwealth Honors Scholar. He has served as an

amateur journalist for the Independent Newspaper Group’s Lynn Journal and as a contracted writer of a chapter on the Harlem Renaissance for a volume of 50 That Shaped African American History.

Outside work, he can be found playing sports, reading in coffee shops, or practicing his photography.

Megan Wu Macomber currently serves as Fenn’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Associate and a Middle School social studies teacher and coach. Megan is a graduate of Northfield Mount Hermon School and Skidmore College, where she majored in gender studies, and she was a teaching intern most recently at The Chestnut Hill School. She enjoys running and loves ultimate frisbee.

Jimmy Manyuru follows in the footsteps of Tete Cobblah as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, as well as social studies teacher, Middle School advisor, and coach. Hailing from Kenya, Jimmy holds an undergraduate degree from Middlebury College, an M.A.T. from

Maureen Barry

Jordan Hill

Megan Wu Macomber

Haili Elwood

Maria Gupta

Jimmy Manyuru

“I like that Fenn knows its values and identity yet reflects on who it is and how to better that … I see my job as making sure everyone feels included and welcomed at Fenn.”

– Jimmy Manyuru, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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Manhattanville College, and a master’s degree in education from Columbia University. Prior to Fenn, he served for two years as Associate Director of Student Life at Waynflete School in Portland, ME, and in various teaching and administrative positions across nine years at Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT. Amy Menkin brings a wealth of experience to her role as Drama Coordinator and teacher. With a B.A. from Smith College and an M.A. from Emerson College, Amy has served as the Director of Education at the Merrimack Repertory Theater in Lowell and as a teacher and director at Tufts Children’s Theater in Medford. She has also taught in Andover and Reading, as well as at theater companies in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Chris Ryan ’10 returned home to Fenn, so to speak, after graduating from St. Lawrence University. In his role as Assistant Athletic Director, Chris supports the day-to-day operations of the Athletic Department and coaches in all three divisions, and currently serves as a part-time science teacher for the sixth grade.

David Saunders eagerly joined Fenn as the new Director of Innovation. A Gordon College graduate with a master’s degree from Lesley University, David has extensive experience in teaching, curriculum development, technology implementation, and innovation, and taught at Greenwich Country Day School in CT and at Brookwood School in Manchester-By-The-Sea. He is committed to supporting and inspiring a new generation of innovative thinkers and makers and is passionate about the power of community to bring about social change. David is a TED-Ed Innovative Educator; Google Certified Innovator, Trainer, and Administrator; Google Earth Education Advisor; Apple Teacher; Raspberry Pi Certified Educator; CUE Rockstar faculty member; and CUE Lead Learner.

Jonathan Wachs joined sons Jake and Oliver at Fenn as a Studio Art and Wood Shop Teacher and Coordinator of the Kane Gallery. An undergraduate alumnus of the University of Massachusetts with an M.A.T. from Tufts University, Jonathan has expe-

rience in cabinet and furniture design and photography. For 16 years, he taught in the Andover public school system before opting to pursue his art and further his education at North Bennet Street School’s Cabinet and Furniture Making Program in Boston.

A Concord resident, Jonathan owns his own design and woodworking company.

Kate Wade came to Fenn from The Rivers School to serve as Chair of the English Department and an English teacher, advisor, and coach. At Rivers, Kate served as Dean of Students, Admissions Officer, and Academic Counselor, and co-founded the girl’s hockey team. She holds an undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Natick with husband Ken and children Emily, 9, and Thomas, 4. Kate is also the Executive Editor of a blog on the pedagogy of leadership and loves karaoke, building forts, and learning new slow-cooker recipes.

“I was drawn to Fenn’s emphasis on the importance of academics, arts, and athletics in creating a wellrounded boy … One of my goals here is to explore even more ways for students to express their ideas, define their unique voices, and build community through theater creation.”

– Amy Menkin, Drama Coordinator and Teacher

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“Fenn’s electrified air hooked me. The School House vibrated with the indescribable energy and curiosity of the boys, and I wanted to be a part of it … Fenn really is a unique and special place.”

– Kate Wade, English Department Chair

Amy Menkin

Jonathan Wachs

Chris Ryan

Kate Wade

David Saunders

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Administrative and Teaching Appointments Nat Carr ’97 and John Sharon served as Interim Co-Directors of the Academic Program during the last academic year, with Nat coordinating hiring and faculty evaluations and John overseeing curriculum implementation and innovation. At the conclusion of the year, Nat was appointed Director of Faculty and Professional Development to supplement his key work as Head of the Lower School, and John became Director of the Academic Program in addition to his continuing role as Social Studies Department Chair.

Dave Irwin was named Head of the Upper School while retaining his role as Director of Secondary School Counseling.

Amy Stiga joined Dave in the Secondary School Counseling Office as Assistant Director, while continuing to teach, advise, and coach in the Middle School.

PJ Libby served as Interim Language Department Chair during the last academic year before being named Chair of Fenn’s Foreign Language Department beginning in the 2019-20 school year. Freemon Romero ’04 also served as Interim Spanish

Department Coordinator last year.

Liz Wei joined Jimmy Manyuru in Fenn’s newly-named Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department as its Assistant Director, while continuing to teach and advise in the fifth grade.

Matt Ward ’00 also welcomed a new role as Student Government Coordinator last year, adding to his teaching, advising, and coaching responsibilities. And lastly, Jennifer Youk See was named the next Chair of Fenn’s Mathematics Department, succeeding colleague Ralph Giles.

New Trustees Join in Milestone 90th Year H. Chandler Manly ’06, or more commonly known in the Fenn community as “Scooter,” is a proud alumnus and member of the Board of Visitors. After graduating from Wheaton College (Mass.), Chandler returned to his alma mater, Lawrence Academy, as a Teacher and Development Intern.

During this year-long appointment, Chandler gained invaluable experience fundraising for the annual fund, teaching Spanish, coaching for three seasons, and assisting in the residential life program.

In 2014, Chandler joined an independent registered investment advisory firm with $1.6 billion in assets under management. As the firm’s Head Trader and Investment Associate, he oversaw all trading for the firm and managed the firm’s model implementation. As a member of the investment team, he played a key part in the investment decision making process for the asset allocation models and equity portfolios.

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now works for a boutique wine shop in Newton where he actively engages with clients, advises on bottle selection, and contributes to the e-commerce channel.

He lives in Brighton, Mass. with his wife-to-be, Cynthia, enjoys spending spare time with his family, and supports Arsenal F.C. of the English Premier League.

Taragh T. Mulvany ’87 is one of three brothers to attend Fenn in the 1980s and 1990s. He also is currently a parent to Fenn fourth grader Ryan and fifth grader John. Taragh grew up in Concord and resides there today with his wife, Babbie, their two boys, and their five-year-old daughter, Caitlin.

Among his greatest joys are coaching his kids in soccer and lacrosse, and traveling, golfing, and skiing.

Taragh is a Managing Director at UBS in Boston, where he has worked for 18 years. He runs the Middle Market Institutional Equity Group for the Americas. Prior to UBS, Taragh spent eight years working for Thomas Weisel Partners, Alex Brown & Sons, and PaineWebber.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from St. Lawrence University.

Lisa M. Scopa graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Finance.

Upon graduation, she went to work in New York City as a financial analyst for Sterling Winthrop, a pharmaceutical and consumer goods company.

After Sterling, she joined Hearst Magazines in their Trademark Licensing division as a Business Manager while pursuing her M.B.A. at the Stern School of Business at NYU. Post NYU, Lisa moved to Chicago to work in finance for IBM until 1999, when she moved to Boston with IBM to work in Corporate Development.

She left briefly to work for a dotcom in Philadelphia as a Strategy Director before joining Staples’ corporate finance team in 2001.

Lisa spent 17 years at Staples, working in corporate finance for almost nine years before becoming Treasurer, with responsibility for capital structure,

insurance, and corporate development, in 2010. Eager to get closer to business operations, Lisa left finance to manage some of Staples’ international businesses in China, Taiwan, Argentina, and Brazil. After two years and improvements in their businesses, she was promoted to Senior Vice President and, in January of 2016, took on the role of managing the Print & Marketing Services business for Staples U.S. across Retail and Online. She remained in this position for two years before joining Cengage, an education and technology company, as Senior Vice President for Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis in March 2019. At Cengage, she leads company-wide financial forecasting, planning and budgeting processes, including investor relations materials and financial systems management, and is currently working on a planned merger with McGraw-Hill.

Lisa lives in Acton with her husband, Matt, and two children, Addie (13) and Ethan (16), who graduated from Fenn in 2018.

Hilary N. Steinert graduated from The Hockaday School in 1981 in Dallas, Texas, and received a B.S. from Vanderbilt University in 1985 and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1993. Most recently, Hilary has been doing freelance marketing and brand strategy for a variety of corporate and non-profit clients. Previously, Hilary worked for Reebok International as General Manager, Women’s Fitness and Walking Footwear, with global responsibility for design, development, and marketing.

Formerly, Hilary worked for Trammell Crow Company in project finance for commercial development projects in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region.

Hilary recently joined the Board

of Directors of The Steppingstone Foundation and the Celiac Research Advisory Board at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is also a Corporator at Emerson Hospital and recently completed her last year as Trustee of Nashoba Brooks School, where she chaired the Communications Committee and served on the Strategic Planning and Governance Committees.

Previously, she served on the Board of Governors of the Concord Museum, where she chaired the Marketing Committee. Hilary has also done allocations work for the Concord-Carlisle Community Chest and chaired fundraising events and the Admissions Committee at Milldam Nursery School.

At Fenn, Hilary has served as a member of the Board of Visitors for many years and as Parents Association Vice President-Student Life from 201416, among other roles.

Hilary and her husband, Langley, live in Concord and have three children — Nicholas ’15, a student at Washington and Lee University, and Max ’16 and Lexie NBS ’17, who both attend The Groton School.

Sarah T. Khetani (term completed) served as Fenn’s Parents Association President during the 2018-19 school year, so recently completed a corresponding one-year stint as trustee. Now Nashoba Brooks School counts her among its newest trustees.

Sarah deeply enjoys being a mother of three to Fenn ninth grader Kimball, Corwin-Russell School tenth grader Alexander, and Nashoba Brooks sixth grader Avery, and, for the past decade, has dedicated a large portion of her time to raising, educating, and advocating for her eldest son, who is on the Autism Spectrum. She has served as a

parent volunteer at all of her children’s schools, taught Sunday school at Trinity Episcopal Church, coached sports, counseled local educational nonprofits on curriculum, and organized neighborhood events. She loves community organizing and connecting people. During recent years at Fenn, she piloted and led discussion groups with parents on topics concerning raising adolescent boys.

During her own school and college years, Sarah developed a strong commitment to serving her community and the common good. She graduated from Bowdoin College with a B.A. in History, was class president, and later served on the alumni council.

Sarah’s career began with Teach For America (TFA), teaching inner city fourth graders in New Orleans and third graders in Baltimore, then serving as TFA’s first Congressional liaison in Washington, D.C. During the Clinton Administration, she helped TFA secure AmeriCorps funding and became passionate about K-12 school reform and school leadership.

This passion led Sarah to pioneer the first-ever concurrent degree program at Harvard University between its Business School and School of Education, earning a Ed.M. and M.B.A. After graduating, she was hired by HBS to develop case studies featuring female executives, which led to a role as Director of Program Innovation at Harvard Business School Interactive.

There, she collaborated with faculty and executives to design and facilitate executive leadership programs in the areas of leadership, change management, strategy, marketing, customer service, and social enterprise.

Sarah resides in Concord with her husband, Jay, and their kids and black Lab. She loves Maine, sailing, the ocean, and outdoors, Jay’s good cooking, trying to keep up with the kids on skis, reading, and having fun with family and friends.

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Gratitude for Your Service AS FENN’ S 90TH S CHOOL YEA R CON CLU D ED ,

the community shared a collective thank you and goodbye to

beloved colleagues and friends who were departing their Monument Street home. Their contributions to Fenn — some spanning decades — are deeply appreciated, and they will forever remain a part of the fabric of Fenn.

We wished a happy retirement to:

Jon and Marilyn Schmalenberger, dynamic husband-and-wife duo! In 1980, Jon became Fenn’s Wood Shop instructor, remaining at the post for six years until he left to begin creating custom furniture out of a Concord studio. Jon returned to Fenn five years ago as a member of the maintenance crew. Thirty-two years ago in the fall of 1987, Marilyn began her stint at Fenn in the roles of school receptionist, Admissions Assistant for Jim Carter ’54 (then Admissions Director), and school nurse. Marilyn next moved to the Business Office for 16 years, tackling Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable, payroll, student billing, and human resources, before returning to Admissions and the front office receptionist position. She also put her artistic prowess to good use while at Fenn as a teacher of cartooning in the Upper School for eleven years. Jon and Marilyn’s kind hearts, quirky senses of humor, and deep love for the Fenn community will be sorely missed.

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Ellen O’Neil, who retired from her position as the School’s Office Manager for 21 years. Ellen most loved that every one of her Fenn days was different (and never boring!). One accomplishment of which Ellen is particularly proud, and Fenn is ever grateful, is her establishment of the School’s Breast Cancer Awareness Day, which resulted in donations of about $37,000 to the cause.

The Fenn community will miss Ellen’s friendship and good cheer and look forward to her tales of the time she spends going back to school, volunteering, and enjoying her new Cape Cod home and time with family and friends.

Also departing for new adventures were: Robin Abel, who served Fenn last year as a part-time fourth grade math teacher and learning specialist after previously tutoring Fenn boys. Robin was appointed Head of School of Fusion Academy in Burlington. The Fenn community was thrilled for her return to a head of school role after previously serving in this capacity at The Institute for Learning and Development in Lexington.

Olivia Boger, who first joined Fenn in 2004 as an apprentice to Lorraine Ward.

She also taught social studies and student life, coached varsity lacrosse and ice hockey, and assisted former Arts Department Chair Kirsten Gould with staging of the musical Oklahoma during the year-long stint. Olivia returned to Fenn in 2011 to teach English and work on marketing and special projects for the Admissions Office.

She served as Director and Assistant Director of Marketing from 2012 through 2018 before returning to teach English and coach in her final year. She is now fulltime CEO of Runway for Recovery, the organization she founded in honor of her mother to support families impacted by the loss of a loved one from breast cancer.

Isabel Dau, who served as Fenn’s Advancement Assistant and Events Coordinator for nearly four years, bringing-to-life wonderful Fenn events that spanned Homecomings, Reunions, Founders’ Nights, Grandparents’ Days, and more. With valuable Fenn experience and guidance, training, and mentoring from her Advancement Team colleagues under her belt, Isabel is now thriving as Parent Engagement and Events Coordinator at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge.

Ralph Giles, esteemed former Math Department Chair and teacher, who departed Fenn after 16 years guiding and enhancing the math curriculum and supporting faculty in their teachings and students in their understanding of concepts from fourth grade arithmetic through calculus. Ralph’s impact on Fenn’s math program will be lasting. Among many notable contributions, he created an entirely new Singapore Math curricula for the fourth and fifth grades and multiple Middle and Upper School courses, as well as authoring an online textbook for seventh grade pre-algebra. Ralph’s wife, Kathy, was appointed Rector at St. Paul’s School so the family has relocated to Concord, NH. Tina Gorski-Strong, who after three years as Senior Advancement Officer at Fenn and key strategist and contributor to the highly successful In Our Hands capital campaign now serves as Chief Advancement Officer at Bancroft School in Worcester. Tina’s daughter is now a ninth grader at Bancroft so she is thrilled to embrace this new professional challenge and the special time together that it will provide mother and daughter.

Liza Halley, who relished her two years as part-time Fenn librarian and library teacher in partnership with Library Director Sam Kane. Realizing that her long-term goals were best served in the role of elementary school librarian, Liza is now enjoying a position as library teacher at the Plympton School in Waltham, MA.

Suzanne Kelley, who departed from the Business Office team after serving as Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable Administrator and managing student billing since 2008. Fenn is grateful for Suzanne’s work streamlining many of its AP/AR processes and enhancing the information and communication to families from the Business Office, and certainly for her generous support and helpfulness to Fenn families, faculty, and staff alike.

David Mountcastle, who left his position as Fenn’s Alumni Giving and Engagement Officer to become Director of Secondary School Placement at Hillside School in Needham. In David’s new hybrid position, he will enjoy working more closely with students and on Admissions efforts, which he did for 16 years at The Cambridge School of Weston before joining Fenn.

Caroline Partridge RN and Jennifer Geller ATC, the Health Office’s afternoon dynamic duo. Caroline delivered excellent care and treatment to Fenn boys since 2016, and Jennifer skillfully directed care for the acute and chronic injuries experienced by Fenn athletes. The kindness and grace under pressure that both women exuded will be missed.

Tutors Margery Condon, at Fenn since 2017, Carolyn Milligan, a previous Fenn teacher and tutor since 1998, and Jane Potsaid, a tutor since 2005, have also departed Fenn after many valuable years helping Fenn boys successfully navigate their studies in partnership with faculty.

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A R O U N D CA M P U S

All School Meeting. It has served as an important community gathering

moment across decades. Now in Ward Hall (following years in revered Robb Hall), each “ASM� exudes palpable energy in its first moments as boys, faculty, staff, and visitors flood into the space before moments of quiet reflection and song center the community. Presentations and announcements follow, highlighting student, class, and team achievements in academics, arts, and athletics; service projects and community giving; events that enrich the Fenn experience, from Cultural Arts Festivals celebrating community diversity to Field Days of spirited blue-and-gold competition; favorite offerings from student government (Hi-Chew sales among them!); and news of occasional lost sweatshirts, footballs or backpacks. Enjoy this section for but a snapshot of some of the moments Fenn celebrated at ASM during the 90th school year.

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ND D CA C AM MPPUUSS A RROU OUN

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North Campus Inspiration Crosses Disciplines Engaged, excited, happy, and relaxed…

Fenn boys have used these and other adjectives to describe how they felt when their instruction and learning moved from classrooms to Fenn’s North Campus. The fresh air, rolling open fields, lush greenery, and glimmering Concord River have provided stunning subject matter for art and photography students, inspiration for language arts and English classes tasked with putting pen to paper amidst the serene surroundings, and a bevy of flora and fauna for budding scientists to observe within their natural habitats.

Accompanying many classes on their treks were smart notebooks and other

ready-to-go materials created by Fenn’s library team to make it simpler for teachers to take their classes into nature.

“We created bags filled with a clipboard, a smart notebook and pens, and guidelines for leaving the land how it was found,” shared Library Director Sam Kane. “With smart pens, students could jot down their thoughts and scientific observations, draw maps, write poems or anything else they might be doing on the land. Upon their return, they could then upload their notes with the click of an app button, wipe their notebook clean, and leave it ready for the next student. And since boys weren’t taking traditional paper with these notebooks, there was an added

benefit of reducing the opportunity for stray litter in such a beautiful place.”

And to this beautiful place, boys and their teachers would also occasionally travel unencumbered to enjoy age-old gems like Capture-the-Flag for that perfect release of elementary and middle school energy during the school day!

712 Monument Street Home for Sale Perched above the sprawling fields of the North Campus sits the much-admired home at 712 Monument Street that Fenn is offering for sale as part of recent real estate transactions to expand the campus. Built by famed Concord architect Harry B. Little, the home is available on the public market for the first time in decades.

Interested Fenn community members are urged to contact our real estate partner, LandVest, to learn more about this unique property.

Join The Neighborhood!

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Abby Gurall White awhite@landvest.com | 617-851-0195

New Auxiliary Programs Provide After School Enrichment Rockets were built, customized, and launched from North Campus, floor hockey pucks and dodgeballs flew across the Old Gym, and STEAM activities were plentiful in the iLab… this is how Fenn’s new Auxiliary Programming first came to life for Fenn boys. Last February, Fenn launched a new, fee-based Auxiliary Program of after school enrichment activities managed by the newly-expanded Summer Fenn and Auxiliary Programs office headed by Director Maggie Magner and Assistant Director Friddo Gianfriddo.

“Our Summer Fenn [Day Camp] team has deep experience building programs that resonate with the ages of Fenn boys,” remarked Maggie. “It’s exciting to now apply that to the creation of auxiliary programming during the school year. We also asked Fenn families to respond to a survey that confirmed the types of offerings the boys would find most interesting to round out their school day. Not surprisingly, they were eager for more STEAM, organized active play, and club activities such as Dungeons + Dragons. This knowledge has helped us land on the courses we have offered.”

February-April courses ranged from an Introduction to AI and Smart Robots for sixth and seventh graders who got to experiment with facial recognition, object manipulation, navigation, and speech recognition with robot friend, Cosmo, to an Introduction to Coding for Lower Schoolers, to Floor Hockey that was equal parts skills development

and play time, to a STEAM Sampler that had boys working with iLab tools.

The April-May program roster delivered even more STEAM sampling (flying drones, wiring electronics, you name it!), Dodgeball Variations that culminated in a glow-in-the-dark dodgeball event, an Introduction to Raspberry Pi for Middle Schoolers who built a simple computer and tackled programming challenges, and Rocketry for Lower Schoolers that had them building, customizing, and launching the rockets that soared above North Campus.

Courses were led by Fenn faculty and iLab stewards, David Saunders and Åsa Ewing; Zach Marquis, a beloved Summer Fenn counselor and part of Fenn’s Extended Day and March Vacation Camp teams; and Terrance Wong, another Summer Fenn favorite who has led several specialty camps.

Wong also currently teaches welding, art, and makerspace at the Boston Day and Evening Academy in Roxbury and has been featured on NPR for the creativity he inspires in his students.

“I enjoy being part of the Fenn community year-round now,” shared

Terrance. “One of the boys from my auxiliary program course this past spring was in my camp course this past summer and frequently brought up things we did during the school year. It’s nice to have that continuity in different contexts. This past year’s Summer Fenn electives and Specialty curricula also benefited greatly from my time in the iLab field-testing novel and fun but educational experiences, and everything I learned this past summer will enrich my programming across the school year.”

The 2019-2020 school year is delivering a wealth of new programming and repeat favorites that align with the passions of some Fenn boys and offer new activities for other boys to try. With Fenn’s amazing indoor and outdoor facilities like the ropes course and North Campus, the programming possibilities are endless!

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Helping Hearts and Hands A commitment to service has many tentacles at Fenn. It’s a 20+ year partnership supporting Open Table food pantry, it’s digging into the soil to help harvest crops in Gaining Ground’s garden, it’s a Youth in Philanthropy program that empowers boys to study and fund area non-profits with missions that resonate, it’s making blankets for the Buddy Dog animal shelter, it’s raising awareness and donations for the Susan G. Komen Foundation during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it’s furnishing homes for previously homeless families and welcoming them to their new chapter, it’s helping our own as a “Dream Team” that descends on homes of former faculty to tackle fall clean-up, and it’s so much more. It’s a community ever inspired by Fenn’s core value of empathy!

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Nature’s Playground Last winter, “Wilderness Wednesdays” was born in the Lower School. One day each week during the winter months, fourth graders donned their cold weather gear and ventured outside onto main campus or North Campus for their hour-long sports block to reap the benefits of outdoor play in the crisp winter air. Judging by the smiles on the boys’ faces between rosy cheeks as they built snowmen or forts or bounded across fields or snowbanks to the tune of swishing snow pants, the new program was a surefire hit!

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Commanding the Spotlight Courage. It’s a value that has guided generations of Fenn boys. In December and March of the last school year, it was on full display as the most recent slates of skilled student orators took the Ward Hall stage for two speaking contests that have awakened a love of public speaking in many alumni who once filled similar shoes before an assembly of their peers.

In its 88th year, Extemp Speaking Contest finalists and judges the Hector J. Hughes Then seventh grader Max LibbyExtemporaneous Speaking Contest took Grantham and eighth grader Michael the stage first on December 12, 2018 Mariani scored honorable mention featuring 12 Middle and Upper School awards for Libby’s vivid description of the students sharing two-minute speeches devastation that would come “If Squirrels on topics they received moments before Took Over The World” and for Mariani’s climbing into the spotlight. Securing the sales pitch for a children’s book he had top prize was then eighth grader Denny seemingly authored — the gripping Morgan for his animated musings on “Brief History of Montana.” Headmaster the topic “Week 3 and The Humans Still Emeritus Jerry Ward and former faculThink I’m One of Them.” ty members Tete Cobblah and Gisela

Extemp Winner Denny Morgan

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W.W. Fenn Public Speaking Contest Finalists

Hernandez-Skayne returned to judge.

The prestigious W.W. Fenn Public Speaking Contest followed on March 5, 2019 in its 73rd year, featuring finalists who were eager to declaim a memorized poem, speech or excerpt from a novel or play in the nail-biting finals showdown. Impressing the judges with his interpretation, expression, poise, and projection was winner and then eighth grader Liam Brown for his dynamic rendition of “Audiobook”

by Neil Hilborn. Honorable mention winner AliJah Clark (then ninth grade) also commanded the audience’s attention with a powerful excerpt from “Message to the Grassroots” by Malcolm X, while fellow honorable mention honoree Colin Soukup (then seventh grade) captivated the hall with a theatrical rendition of Snoopy’s Red Baron Monologue.

Leaders Multiplying Good A new banner hangs on the side of Ward Hall, proclaiming Fenn a “2019 Silver Leadership School” for its exemplary participation in the Students in Action (SIA) youth service, leadership, and recognition program. Spearheaded by the non-profit organization Multiplying Good, SIA supports, trains, and empowers youth to be leaders, problem solvers, entrepreneurs, and impactful global citizens.

Fenn’s 2018-2019 team of SIA seniors included Andy Barton, Harry Bertos, AliJah Clark, Joe Doherty, Andrew Heinze, Michael Lando, Matthew Nicholas, Oscar Patton, Andrew Pesce, Timmy Smith, and Tucker Winstanley, who were challenged as part of a yearlong program to create a service project that would engage the school community and

impact the greater good.

This took the shape of the Fenn boys and Malden Catholic High School peers joining forces to build and host “Kickball for All,” a lively event of kickball, soccer, crafts, face painting, parachute play, and more, for area children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

“We wanted an activity that provided one-on-one connections with people, as the best multiplier of good,” shared Michael Lando. And that it did!

In April, five of the boys traveled to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston with Service Learning Coordinator Elise Mott to present the project to

a panel of judges. As the boys described their process for building the event, glowing feedback from families who attended, and the powerful impact of the experience on them, it was clear that leaders had been born—student leaders so worthy of the recognition ultimately bestowed upon them for their service.

Students in Action representatives Joe Doherty, Michael Lando, AliJah Clark, Andrew Heinze, and Timmy Smith with faculty member Elise Mott

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Sports Report Fenn’s 90th year was a history-making one for Fenn sports. The fall season saw Fenn’s largest ever cross country team of 29 runners inaugurate a new cross country course on the North Campus after decades of Fenn athletes traversing the tried-and-true Monument Street course. At the conclusion of the winter season, the varsity hockey team took its rightful place in the Fenn record books with one of the best seasons in the School’s hockey history. The team’s enviable 13-0-1 record marked only the third undefeated hockey season in 24 years. Records aside, remarkable teamwork, spirit, sportsmanship, and leadership by team captains were hallmarks of all Fenn teams across all three seasons, as were outstanding individual accomplishments.

FA LL 201 8 S POR T S Varsity Soccer A six-game midseason winning streak propelled Fenn’s varsity soccer team to a respectable 8-2-1 Fall record.

Coached by Bob Starensier, Jason Rude, and Freemon Romero ’04, the varsity team opened the season with a pair of shutouts against Xaverian Brothers High School and St. John’s Prep before a loss to archrival Fay School. Fenn then went on the six-game tear, scoring convincing victories over St. Sebastian’s Country Day School, Boston College High School, Park School, Buckingham, Browne & Nichols, Shore Country Day,

and Rectory School.

“The team grew as a unit and played some truly outstanding soccer this season,” said coach Bob Starensier.

Individual offensive performances also stole headlines with ninth grader Harry Bertos, along with eighth graders Edoardo Takacs and Luke Swaim, consistently leading the scoring barrage. Fenn outscored opponents 22-3 during their six-game surge.

The team registered a loss and a tie in the closing games of the season, but the much-anticipated Eaglebrook

Tourney, always a season-ending highlight, was cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

“It was a big disappointment as we were playing some of our best soccer of the season,” said Starensier.

Through all of the goals, saves, wins, and losses, the highlight of the season may have been the October 12 Fall Sports “Pink Out,” when players from all Fenn sports teams wore pink to raise awareness, support, and funds for the fight against breast cancer. Breast cancer has impacted the lives of many coaches, players, and administrators at Fenn.

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Junior Varsity Soccer Two dozen fast, fit, athletic boys represented Fenn with spirited, sporting, spunky soccer throughout the Fall JV soccer season. The team depended on tenacious defending from Sam Dean, John Donovan, and Garrett MacKenzie to contain a number of opponents with more-experienced lineups. Their competitive leadership, positional smarts, and ball-handling savvy anchored the back line, in front of sure-handed goalkeepers Hayden Shen and Niko Weaver. Midfield engineers Michael Mariani, Jack Moskow, and Johnny Drapeau were the principal links in the central third of the field. With calm first touches and the ability to deliver accurate service to strikers, they generated many of the blue-and-gold’s offensive opportunities. Up top, Ben Cook and Liam Mulcahy provided the classic attributes of a threatening attacking tandem – great pace, strong finishing instinct, and determined pursuit of lost possession.

Coaches Rob Morrison, David Sanborn, and Derek Cribb guided the JV team to a 6-8 record, registering victories over Lexington Christian Academy, Shore Country Day School, Fessenden School, Hillside School, The Learning

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Center, and Carroll School.

“The most memorable matches this season were actually the gritty, closer-than-expected losses to arch rivals and perennial power teams, Fessenden and Fay,” recalled coach Sanborn. “These well-trained opponents played with the same possession-driven methods to which Fenn’s JV side always aspires, and the strong competition they provided this fall brought out the absolute best in our boys – closely contested matches packed with sustained hustle, grim camaraderie, defensive urgency, fiery sportsmanship, and a persistent appetite for one more crack at goal, regardless of the score.”

Fenn team captains were eighth graders Jimmy Mawn, Liam Mulcahy, and Jack Moscow.

Football Impressive wins over Fay School and Dexter Southfield School served as bookends in opening and closing Fenn’s 2018 football season.

In front of the fiery Homecoming crowd on September 22, Fenn showcased an exciting 28-12 win against archrival Fay School at Reynolds Field.

With the Homecoming win in the

rear view mirror, four losses littered the road ahead, but the team showed resilience in the last week of the season.

On November 2, Fenn posted its second win of the season against Fay, this time a 22-14 decision on the archrival’s home turf in Southborough. Five days later, Fenn squeaked by Dexter Southfield to close the season with an 8-6 road win, which was a win for the highlight reel.

“Winning the final game of the season against Dexter was the highlight,” said coach Matt Ward ’00. “We were at 4th down and goal and scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion as time expired.”

In that game, with the ball at fourth and inches, ninth grader Fru Nkimbeng rushed the ball into the end zone untouched as time expired to knot the game, 6-6. Buck Lewis, also playing in his final game in a Fenn uniform, plowed through for the two-point conversion and the Fenn win. The victory gave the boys in blue-and-gold a final season record of 3-4.

Christopher Ryan ’10 and Rob Wasielewski assisted Coach Ward in calling the shots from the sidelines.

Team captains were ninth grader AliJah Clark and eighth grader Ben Lisa.

Cross-Country It was a special moment in Fenn history on October 1, 2018 as the School inaugurated a new cross country course on the North Campus, marking a new beginning for a team that has seen many successes over the years on the old Monument Street course. Fenn beat Shady Hill School and Carroll School in the first meet on the North Campus, with Connor Soukup’s name written in the history books as the first boy to cross the new finish line.

Another run into the record books

was the fact that this year’s team was the largest cross-country team in Fenn history, with 29 runners suiting up for the blue-and-gold. But the historical notes of a new course and largest team in history proved to be just two of the highlights of the Fall 2018 season.

“Fenn trained hard and succeeded as a team,” said coach David Duane.

Evidence of that success was Fenn’s final season record of 19 wins against just six losses.

The boys took that great team approach into competitions and placed

eighth out of 33 teams at the October 25 Jim Munn Invitational. At the November 7 Roxbury Latin Jamboree, despite sickness and injury wreaking havoc on Fenn’s lineup, the boys managed to take fifth place in the field of 17.

“The boys also set individual goals and worked hard to achieve them,” said Duane, who worked with John Fitzsimmons to handle all coaching duties.

Team captains were ninth grader Andrew Pesce, along with eighth graders Connor Soukup, Theo Randall, and Sam Lyons.

W IN TER 2 0 1 9 S POR T S Varsity Hockey When Jeff LaPlante took over the head coaching duties of the varsity hockey team from Derek Boonisar at the start of the season, he could not have imagined that he, along with assistant coach Ryan Miklusak, was about to guide Fenn to one of the best seasons in the school’s hockey history. Yet as the season progressed and the team racked up one win after another, the possibility became reality.

Undefeated at 13-0-1.

With so many shining moments, it is difficult to select only a few highlights, but coach LaPlante recalls two pivotal games.

“Fay was a tough game in their barn,” said LaPlante, when recalling the 4-3 win over Fenn’s archrival on January 18. “It’s always tough playing on the road against a rival, and we battled from behind the entire game.”

With three minutes remaining in the game and the score tied at 3-3, Teddy

Stiga forced a turnover at center ice and rocketed down the left side, around the defenseman, and went short side and bar down over the Fay goalie’s shoulder for the 4-3 win.

“I knew after that game,” explained LaPlante, “we would have confidence going into a difficult week ahead with Belmont Hill and St. Sebastian’s on the schedule.”

After ticking off wins over BH (4-3) and St. Seb’s (6-2), as well as a pair

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of wins over Fessenden School (8-3, 6-0) and another against Fay (6-2), Fenn faced off on February 13 against Roxbury Latin in a bigger rink.

“There was a lot of adversity in this RL game with the officials calling a lot of penalties on Fenn,” noted LaPlante.

“It was frustrating because we were very disciplined in previous games, rarely getting penalties.”

Fenn was whistled for seven penalties, in fact, including a misconduct call on Luke Swaim. RL was tagged with only two penalties.

Andrew Heinze, Ben Cook, and Conor MacLean showed great leadership to calm the storm, and the coaches called a timeout to regroup. With 2:49 remaining in regulation, MacLean pounced on a rebound and pushed it over the goal line to tie it at 2-2. When the buzzer sounded, Fenn players were prepared for overtime, but the RL players lined up for the traditional handshake.

“Our players were not satisfied with the tie at all,” recalled LaPlante. “It was bittersweet, but the streak was still alive heading into the final three games.”

Fenn went on to finish the season with convincing wins over Rivers School

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(6-2), Rectory School (3-1), and Dexter Southfield School (4-1).

“This group really operated like a team. They knew their roles. They were tough to play against every game,” said LaPlante. “They got along well and supported each other. They teased each other a bit, but all in good fun. They laughed a lot.”

Of course there was plenty of reason to smile. Ninth grade captain Conor MacLean was Fenn’s hot hand, scoring a team-high 26 goals, including six hat-tricks within eight games. He also contributed 11 assists. Joining MacLean as an offensive threat were ninth grader Andrew Pesce, also a captain, who scored nine goals with seven assists, and eighth grader Luke Swaim, who had nine goals and five assists. MacLean, Pesce, and Swaim were supported by Andy Barton, who registered five goals and 11 assists.

The multi-talented Swaim, who was an alternate captain, played a significant role back on the blueline in some games, as well. Another element of the team’s success was the stellar play of Fenn’s #1 defenseman Ben Cook, who took on opponents’ best players and shut them

down shift after shift.

In goal, Andrew Heinze, also an alternate captain, was phenomenal. The ninth grader played in every game. The stronger the opponent, the better Heinze played. Heinze, along with fellow netminder CJ Bailey, allowed just 23 goals in 14 games, while the team’s offense scored 66 goals.

LaPlante, always quick to credit others, praised Miklusak as well. “Ryan was a great listener with solid hockey knowledge. He kept me sane every week as the pressure mounted with the win streak.”

The undefeated season is the third in 24 years for Fenn. The last time Fenn went undefeated was in 2008, when LaPlante was an assistant to Boonisar.

“Boonie was a great role model for me,” said LaPlante, who was Boonisar’s assistant for eleven years before Boonisar retired from the rink and assumed the headmaster’s seat.

And the future looks bright for the varsity hockey program, as Teddy Stiga (7g, 7a), Liam Teto (2g, 2a), Ben Cook (2g, 8a), and goaltender CJ Bailey return for the 2019-2020 season.

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Junior Varsity Hockey The JV hockey team outscored opponents, 25-20, in its six games last season, proving it possessed an offensive arsenal equal to any team in the JV ranks.

Fenn’s first win of the season was a 7-1 outburst against Park School on February 1. The team’s best game was its season-ender, a 9-1 thrashing of Rectory School on February 21. Those two victories dotted a season that also saw one tie and three losses.

“We are very proud of the progress that the team made over the course of the year,” said coach Jason Rude, who worked the bench with coaches Kate Wade, Olivia Boger, and Paul Heinze.

“We are confident that several players from this year’s squad will go on to contribute at the varsity level next year.”

The JV captains were ninth grader Joe Doherty and seventh graders Jamie Book and Oliver Ali. Varsity Basketball The 2019 varsity basketball team could be called the Comeback Kids. The defining moments of their season involved impressive rallies to come from behind.

Against Boston College High School

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on January 23, Fenn fell behind by 12 points with just two minutes remaining on the clock, but the boys in blue-andgold flew back to defeat the Eagles, 58-55.

Another stunning comeback took place on February 6 at St. John’s Prep.

Fenn was down by 22 points, but rallied to force double overtime before losing, 68-61.

“I was pleased with how the boys developed,” said coach Peter Bradley.

“They started the season as 11 individuals and worked hard at becoming one team.

The more they became a team, playing for each other, the better basketball they played.”

Bradley has coached Fenn’s varsity basketball team for 27 years. Coach Tony Santos worked with Bradley on the sidelines this season.

Fenn won the season opener on January 9 at Rivers School, 56-49. After a loss to Fay School, the varsity team put together a three-game streak with victories over Xaverian Brothers High School, Groton School, and BC High. After another stumble against Fay, Fenn won two straight, defeating Shore Country Day School and Carroll School. Fenn concluded the season with three straight

victories over Buckingham Browne & Nichols, St. Sebastian’s Country Day School, and Lawrence Academy, finishing the season with a 10-6 record.

The team took second place in the Fenn Basketball Tournament after losing to Fay in the finals.

The varsity captains were ninth graders Timmy Smith and Fru Nkimbeng.

Junior Varsity Basketball The JV basketball team earned big backto-back victories over Fay School to start the season. Interspersed with a sprinkle of losses, Fenn also beat Xaverian Brothers High School at home (January 18, 33-24) and on the road (February 13, 57-44). Wins over Shady Hill School (January 24, 35-28) and Lexington Christian Academy (February 21, 35-31) also highlighted the season, as the team finished with a 6-7 record.

“Our team had a tough schedule, facing numerous middle school varsity teams,” said coach Chris Ryan ’10. “But we always battled hard against every opponent.”

Ryan, in his first year of coaching the JV team, worked the bench with coach Freemon Romero ’04.

Ninth graders Ryan Lewis and McCliff Metellus showed exemplary leadership as Fenn JV captains. Four seventh graders played important roles on the JV team, which bodes well for the future of the basketball program.

Thirds Basketball Gold Buoyed by brilliant shooting ability, the Thirds Gold team earned a 4-3 record this season.

The offense was golden on January 23, when Fenn hit 13 three-pointers in an impressive 42-20 win over Park School.

In fact, the Gold team won both of its games over Park School. The other victories came against Belmont Day School and Rivers School.

“The players were very supportive of one another throughout the season,” said first-year coach Megan Macomber. “They had great spirit going into every game, even in games that we lost badly.”

Thirds Basketball White The White team was defined by resiliency and inclusivity, with every athlete playing an important role on the team.

In a season with several wins by margins of more than 15 points, the White

team’s most impressive game was a 36-34 loss at Carroll School on February 6.

“Even though we lost, our team showed impressive resiliency in battling back,” reflected coach Rob Wasielewski.

“Despite trailing for all of regulation, our team did not give up, continued to stay within reach of our opponent, and made some fantastic plays down the stretch to tie it up and send the game to overtime.”

The team finished with a 3-4 record with victories over Pike School, Xaverian Brothers High School, and Rivers School.

The White team also won bragging rights in the Thirds Classic, a fun-filled intramural game to end the season.

Thirds Basketball Blue The Thirds Blue team, showing strong team camaraderie, got off to a rocky start but finished the season with smooth sailing.

Saving the best for last, the Blue team was its sharpest on February 15 when it hosted Buckingham Browne & Nichols. With less than 30 seconds to play and Fenn up by just one point, Jake Athanasoulas drained a three-pointer from a tough angle with a defender draped all over him. The three-pointer

gave the Blue a 23-19 victory over BB&N, closing the season on a high note.

“The players always showed an upbeat approach to every game and showed the ability to check in with each other on good plays, as well as any mistakes made,” said first-year head coach Jimmy Manyuru.

“Every player was willing to come off the bench and play in any role assigned. It was a true ‘team first’ mindset.”

The Blue team’s other win of the season came on February 8, a 31-14 win over Fay School, to finish the season with a 2-5 record.

Wrestling The 2019 Fenn wrestling team had another successful season, finishing the year with five wrestlers ranked in the top four in the New England Junior Prep League. Eighth grader Colby Bloch won the New England Championship in the 145-pound weight class.

Coaches John Fitzsimmons, Steve Gasper, and Derek Cribb were pleased with the tremendous efforts of all of the boys in the Fenn School wrestling program.

The 2020 season looks promising, too, with a number of varsity wrestlers returning to the team.

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SP RING 2 0 1 9 S POR T S Varsity Lacrosse The varsity lacrosse team roared out of the gate last spring, winning its first four games against Dexter Southfield School (April 10, 6-3), Carroll School (April 11, 8-4), Pike School (April 17, 10-4), and Shore Country Day School (April 18, 9-3). Its first loss of the season came on April 24, and it was a heartbreaker against archrival Fay School in Southborough.

While Fay dominated on face-offs and possession time, Fenn kept it close all the way before surrendering the go-ahead goal with just two minutes remaining.

After the loss at Fay, Fenn bounced back with two road wins: a 14-0 shutout of Worcester Academy in a mismatch

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on April 29 and a win over Carroll School, 6-5, on May 2.

Despite losing only once in those first seven contests, Fenn finished the season with a 6-6 record outside of tournament play.

“While we didn’t get as many wins as we would have hoped for, we had a number of close games that ended in tough losses,” said coach Matt Ward ’00.

“Despite the disappointing losses, our team stayed positive and continued to compete into the final stretch.”

In the Fenn Junior School Lacrosse Tournament on May 18, the boys in blue-and-gold finished fifth out of six teams.

Offensively throughout the season, the team relied on the sharp skills of Teddy Stiga, Luke LoPresti, Ryan Winters, Ben Cook, Andy Heinze, and Andy Barton. Defenders Andrew Pesce and Luke Swaim were key in shutting down opponents’ top scorers. Kal Lonergan, a seventh grader, was stellar in goal throughout the season.

“This 2019 Fenn lacrosse team can be defined by their fun-loving attitude and ability to compete with any team,” said Ward, who was assisted by Chris Ryan ’10 and parent Michael Lonergan.

Captains for the year were Andy Heinze, Ryan Winters, and Ben Cook.

Varsity Baseball Continuous improvement was the theme that wrapped around the Fenn varsity baseball season, manifested in the most meaningful way by the team saving its best baseball for the end of the season.

“I wish the season could’ve gone on longer,” said coach Bob Starensier. “The boys were really hitting their stride at the end.”

Starensier, along with assistant coaches Jeff LaPlante and Ryan Miklusak, guided the team to a 4-5-1 record.

Wins over St. John’s Prep (April 10, 7-6) and Dexter Southfield School (April 24, 6-5) were early bright spots in the season, but the climax came on May 8 at Hillside School in Marlborough. Fenn pounded out 12 hits in the 6-2 road victory, chipping away with a pair of runs in the second, another in the fourth, two more in the sixth, and another in the seventh. Conor MacLean, in his final year in a Fenn uniform, stood tall on the mound through six innings, striking out eight.

In the next game on May 15, Fenn notched 11 hits through just four innings, but the result was a crushing 8-7 loss at Fay School in Southborough.

When Fenn hosted the Junior School Baseball Tournament on May 18, the team employed a combination of excellent pitching, strong defense, timely hitting, and the safety squeeze to defeat Fessenden, 3-2, in the first round. In the championship game, despite a fifth inning rally against Rectory School, Fenn was edged, 3-2, to force the team to settle for second place in the tourney.

“The boys were incredibly supportive of their teammates and made every day fun, whether it was in the constant rain or bitter cold,” Starensier said. “They brought positive spirit to each game and practice.”

Conor MacLean and Timmy Smith were varsity baseball captains.

Junior Varsity Baseball The JV baseball season was a resounding success. Fenn compiled a record of 9-31, which was the result of a total team effort.

“Every single player made important contributions over the season,” said coach Tony Santos. “Whether it be a clutch hit, a sparkling pitching performance, or brilliant defensive play, the boys rose to the occasion.”

The team demonstrated its resilience time-and-again this season, coming back from significant deficits in several games. On May 22 against Dexter Southfield School, Fenn was down 7-2 heading into the final at bat but rallied for seven runs to squeak away with a 9-7 lead. AliJah Clark pitched the complete game and shut down Dexter in the last at bat to secure the win.

“All of the coaches really enjoyed working with these boys,” said Santos, who guided the team with Dave Irwin, Paul Heinze, and Rob Wasielewski. “We are so proud of their accomplishments.”

Varsity Tennis Fenn’s varsity tennis team picked up season-opening victories over St. John’s Prep (April 10, 6-0) and Milton Academy (April 18, 7-3) to get off to a solid start, but was forced to play in between the rain drops for the rest of the wet spring season. As rainouts began to dot the schedule, Fenn stitched together a three-game home win streak with victories over Shady Hill School (May 6, 4-3), Boston College High School (May 8, 6-2), and St. Sebastian’s School (May 10, 4-2).

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S P O R T S R EP OR T

“This was a senior-laden team,” said coach Rob Morrison. “We had terrific leadership from Peter Scheibe and #1 Singles player Tucker Winstanley.”

Fenn finished in fifth place in the Fessenden Junior School Tennis Tournament on May 18 in Newton.

Tournament highlights included a first round win for Scheibe, as well as two opening round victories by Winstanley before he was defeated in the semifinals of the consolation round.

Overall, the varsity tennis team compiled a 6-5 record outside of tournament play.

Scheibe was the captain of the varsity team.

Junior Varsity Tennis Fenn’s JV tennis team picked up wins over Dedham Country Day School (April 17, 6-2) and Fessenden School (May 16, 6-2) to highlight a challenging season that included two wins against six losses and two ties. Facing tough opponents and raindrops in many games, the boys in blue-and-gold needed to keep it upbeat through some soggy times.

The performance of captain Theo Randall throughout the season earned

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the praise of coach Dave Sanborn.

“Theo Randall’s competitive persistence, exemplary sportsmanship, and enthusiastic team leadership guided the JV tennis team to an upbeat spring season,” said Sanborn. “Playing both singles and doubles in every match, he relied on fitness, sound court positioning, and steady ground strokes to compete with spirited focus throughout the season.”

Sanborn was assisted in the coaching duties by Derek Cribb.

Track and Field Fenn’s track and field team raced to another successful season under head coach David Duane, mixing new track talent with some veterans. Ninth graders Fru Nkimbeng and Harry Bertos turned in consistently solid performances, as did eighth graders Edoardo Takacs and Peter Favero, among many others.

Fenn placed second out of seven teams in the annual Fenn Relays on May 22. The team of Rain Yang, Takacs, and Nkimbeng finished first in the long jump relay. The medley relay team, which consisted of Yang, Takacs, Bertos, and Aidan O’Connell, also took the top honors in its event. Third place went to

Fenn’s shot put, high jump, shuttle hurdle, and 4x100 relay teams.

On May 18, Fenn competed in the Hillside Jamboree and finished fifth out of ten teams. Yang scored for Fenn in the long jump, Peter Favero placed in the mile, and the 4x100 relay team of Nkimbeng, Hayden Shen, Yang, and Favero also put up points for Fenn.

Although rain played havoc with the schedule, Fenn picked up early season wins over Milton Academy (April 10), Dexter Southfield School (April 17), and Applewild School (April 18). In the meet against Dexter, the history books recorded the first-ever turbo javelin competition at The Fenn School.

While some rain dotted the rest of the schedule, Fenn put together two straight road wins over Carroll School (April 29) and Belmont Day School (May 1). Fenn finished fourth of six teams in a meet at St. John’s Prep on May 8, then beat Boston College High School and The Learning Center on May 10. Victories over TLC and Carroll School (May 13) and Landmark, Glen Urquhart, and Covenant Christian (all May 15) finished off the season before the Hillside Jamboree and Fenn Relays.

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Feature G R AD U AT ION

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Feature

Ninety years ago, Roger Fenn opened a boy’s school that promised a

commitment to “a human understanding of the individual child.” Each boy would be deeply known, inspired to explore and fulfill his unique potential, and appreciated for his distinctive talents and contributions. For decades since Fenn’s founding, the Graduation Ceremony has been a display of the accomplishments of these boys of blue-and-gold, but also of the depth of relationships that form between faculty, staff, and students when a community is unreservedly invested in each of its boys. Read on for a snapshot of last year’s ceremony and the special way that our Fenn graduates continue to be honored for their individuality and for images that bring-to-life the strong connections that are intricately woven together across a Fenn tenure.

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WI TH EXCI TE M EN T A N D A N TICIP A T IO N blanketing campus, Fenn Headmaster Derek Boonisar

proudly led his first graduation procession of 38 eighth graders and 25 ninth graders out of the towering green doors of Ward Hall, across the sundrenched green, and toward the New Gym to celebrate the School’s 90th Graduation Ceremony on Friday, June 7.

Mere minutes into the ceremony, graduating eighth graders were beckoned to the stage to receive diplomas from Chairman of Fenn’s Board of Trustees Jim Kitendaugh and a hearty handshake from Headmaster Boonisar.

Days prior, a “Celebration of the Class of 2020” featured heartfelt headmaster reflections honoring each graduating eighth grader’s unique qualities and contributions to Fenn.

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A thank you and farewell to departing faculty and staff members followed (see tributes on pages 28-29) before Director of Instrumental Music Virginia Morales guided Fenn musicians through a spirited rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody”

by British rock band Queen. The awarding of student prizes followed, supplementing others bestowed upon graduates on Prize Day two days earlier

and including the first annual Tete Cobblah Prize for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, named after Fenn’s now retired, 33-year veteran art teacher and first Director of Diversity.

Graduating ninth graders then stole their due spotlight, as Headmaster Boonisar gifted each with highlights of his personal Fenn journey before Jim Kitendaugh awarded each his diploma. Fenn’s Treble Chorus, under the

Feature

direction of Arts Department Chair and Choral Director Mike Salvatore, provided an engaging musical pause with Zambian folk song “Bonse Aba” amidst the 25 personalized headmaster tributes.

The 90th Fenn graduation ceremony wound down to its conclusion with the passing of leadership torches from departing Student Body President and Vice President, Buck Lewis and Timmy Smith, to incoming President and Vice President, Jack Moskow and Tom Murdough, and a presentation by ninth graders Conor Kennealy and Fru Nkimbeng of the Class of 2019 gift of three canoes destined to travel the Concord River from Fenn’s North Campus access.

Theo Randall and AliJah Clark receive first annual Tete Cobblah Award

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Feature G R A D U AT I O N

As Buck reflected on his six years at Fenn, he was quick to acknowledge the cadre of teachers who had supported him – from fifth grade advisor, Mr. Byrd, who taught him about leadership and the value of pushing outside one’s comfort zone, to Ms. Duval and Mr. Fitzsimmons, who instilled in him a love for English, reading, and writing, to Mr. Starensier who shared valuable life lessons, and to Ms. Libby who helped him

to overcome academic challenges (most notably with math and science).

“Fenn is filled with so many teachers who care – teachers willing to spend their own time to help students,” he shared. “Trust me, I know.”

He later reflected on the most important gift Fenn had given him.

“A truly outstanding school like Fenn will teach you more than math and science. It will teach you about

“A truly outstanding school like Fenn will teach you more than math and science. It will teach you about yourself … and there is nothing more important than that.” – Buck Lewis, Outgoing Student Body President 58

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“Teachers at Fenn really do care about boys … All of them go out of their way to make our time at Fenn socially and academically better.” – Timmy Smith, Outgoing Student Body Vice President yourself … and there is nothing more important than that.”

Timmy Smith expressed equal appreciation for the faculty who inspired him during his Fenn journey, which began at two years old during visits to Dad Ben Smith’s Lower School classroom. “Teachers at Fenn really do care about boys,” he echoed. “All of them go out of their way to make our time at Fenn socially and academically

better … And the coaches help us improve in athletics, but also as people.”

Timmy found his classmates to be most influential across his Fenn years, as they shared “times of joy and fun and stress and sorrow” and made countless unforgettable memories during class trips spanning Merrowvista in fifth grade, Washington, D.C. in seventh grade, and a final ninth grade bonding

getaway to New Hampshire’s Camp Belknap in the fall.

With the pomp and circumstance of the ceremony complete, Fenn’s newest graduates marched from the New Gym to the tune of “Raiders March” by John Williams toward a path of awaiting faculty and staff who were excited to share embraces with the boys who had made an equally profound imprint on their lives.

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Headmaster Reflections SINCE THE DAYS OF R OG ER F ENN ,

proud graduates have received the

parting gift of a personal tribute from the headmaster. From Roger’s few brief sentences, to Walter Birge’s eloquent portraits, and more recently to Jerry Ward’s thoughtful and substantive musings, these send-offs may have offered a snapshot of an apprehensive young boy first arriving at Fenn, the self-assured young man he became during his Upper School years, or the personal talents and personality he brought with him to Fenn or saw blossom under the watchful eye of faculty, staff, and peers.

Graduates may have taken their feet nervously when their name was called, uncertain what would be revealed before the graduation gathering. Others may have been eager for a brief escort down a personal blue-and-gold laced memory lane. All were undoubtedly curious about the finished product that was crafted by the headmaster perhaps from his own history with each boy, from anecdotes shared by faculty, or from the boys themselves, who are now asked how they would like to be remembered.

It’s a patchwork of sorts — in Derek Boonisar’s case of approximately 225 words delivered in a brief 90 seconds to

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tackle the weighty task of summarizing a potentially life-changing path through elementary and middle school years.

“It was an honor and privilege to continue this longstanding, unique Fenn tradition this year,” shared Derek.

“It’s yet another example of the caring, personal community at Fenn that I have long known and admired.

“My goal was to capture the individuality and true essence of each graduating boy and to share the breadth and depth of his accomplishments and engagement with school life. I wrote them myself and enjoyed it immensely, although I won’t admit how long they took even though many have asked. What matters most [with the reflections] is that each boy feels

known and appreciated. That’s the true purpose of the tradition and what each graduating boy deserves as he concludes his Fenn years.”

During the “Celebration of the Class of 2020” earlier during graduation week, eighth grade headmaster reflections celebrated Bobby Brady’s “twinkle in his eye and playful sense of humor” and Johnny Drapeau’s “impossibly big smile and unsinkable

“What matters most [with the reflections] is that each boy feels known and appreciated. That’s the true purpose of the tradition and what each graduating boy deserves as he concludes his Fenn years.”

– Headmaster Derek Boonisar

disposition.” And there was a nod to “compassionate, loyal, and everpresent” Forrest Feist and to Jimmy Mawn’s “thoughtfulness and humor that solidified strong-as-oak friendships with peers and powerful connections with teachers.” And not to be forgotten was acknowledgement of Teddy McKeown’s “immense kindness, roaring sense of humor, and unflinching loyalty,” Edoardo Takacs’ “brave, giving, loving, and wanderlust spirit,” and Ryan Winters’ “sparkling character that made him a model citizen and sought-after leader.” Equally memorable was the depiction of Theo Randall as “impossibly happy and utterly synergistic with Fenn’s philosophy and program.” And those formed but a fraction of that evening’s 38 reflections.

Ninth grader Michael Alpers rose first to receive a graduation-day reflection, kindly described by Derek as “the embodiment of Sua Sponte.”

Twenty-four other tributes followed,

celebrating Andy Barton’s “mind on fire and easy going, affable personality and charisma that draw people to him”; Timothy Hibben’s “eternal optimism with a smile on his face, shoulder to lean on, and good story to tell”; and Fru Nkimbeng’s “booming voice, boundless energy, and zest for fun that reminds us to pause and appreciate

life.” Also applauded was Ryan Lewis, “the ideal citizen in every way, self-effacing and purposeful with a unique grace and humility,” and Michael Lando’s “dedication to giving back that left us indelibly imprinted with his decency and forever indebted to his selflessness.” Recognized as the reflections drew to a close was the “palpable goodness” that Peter Scheibe “carried with grace,” Tucker Winstanley’s embodiment of “the ethos and values of Fenn,” and Rain Yang’s “intellect and deep soul.”

While varied, each reflection was a tribute to the unique boy receiving it, recognizing him for all that he is and became during his Fenn chapter and for the lasting legacy he leaves behind on Monument Street.

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G R AD U AT ION

Awards and Prizes EXCEPTIONAL CHA R A CTER , EF F OR T, G R OWTH, S P I RI T , A N D C O M M I T M E N T :

these are the characteristics at the

heart of these eight prestigious awards and prizes that were earned by an impressive collection of ninth and eighth grade graduates. All are awarded annually on the basis of recommendations and votes of The Fenn School faculty.

Faculty Prize (Fenn’s highest honor, recognizing ninth graders whose quality, consistency, and breadth of involvement in school life best exemplified the faculty’s ideals for all students): AliJah Anthony Clark, Joseph Daniel Doherty, Michael Peter Lando, Timothy Jarvis Smith

Dr. Samuel C. Fleming Memorial Prize (established by the class of 1965 in memory of their classmate and friend, recognizing students who persevered in meeting academic challenges): Michael Peter Alpers, Rylan Willis Chandler, Aidan John O’Connell, Forrest Peregrine Feist

Lovejoy Prize (created in 1998 by Trustee Emeritus Frederick H. Lovejoy, Jr. ’51, recognizing eighth graders for exceptional character, effort, and achievement that enriched the life of the school): Liam Scott Brown, Benjamin Joseph Doty II, Samuel Michael Lyons, Theodore Raymond Randall

P.G. Lee Memorial Prize (recognizing a graduate’s determination, hard work, positive spirit, and cheerfulness to his athletic teams): Timothy Jarvis Smith, Timothy Edward Hibben, Fru Akongneh Nkimbeng, Jr.

Philip S. Burbank ’36 Prize (awarded by teacher-coaches to a graduate with a generous and unselfish spirit who helped to foster the success, happiness, and self-esteem of teammates): Joseph Daniel Doherty

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Mark Biscoe Award (named for retired master teacher, advisor, and coach Mark Biscoe H’95, P’74, ’79, recognizing ninth graders for noteworthy personal growth and citizenship): Andrew John Heinze, Timothy Edward Hibben, Ryan Harrington Lewis, Fru Akongneh Nkimbeng, Jr.

Walter W. Birge III Prize for Philanthropy and Support of the Fenn Community (named for Fenn’s fifth headmaster, recognizing ninth graders for exceptional community service, helpfulness to teachers, and support of peers): Joseph Daniel Doherty, Michael Peter Lando, Tucker Thomas Winstanley Tete Cobblah Prize for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (named for retired 33-year teaching veteran and Fenn’s first Director of Diversity, recognizing graduates who worked tirelessly to realize Fenn’s mission to honor diversity, embrace the ideals of equity, justice, and inclusion, and embody Fenn’s four foundational values): AliJah Anthony Clark, Theodore Raymond Randall

Academic and arts achievements are equally celebrated with the following awards and prizes, as are displays of impressive citizenship by Fenn boys across the Lower, Middle, and Upper School communities.

Eleanor B. Fenn Modern Language Prize: Liam Scott Brown, Edoardo Giovanni Takacs Alan S. Moats Mathematics Prize: Timothy Jarvis Smith, Peter Marcus Favero Lennox Lindsay Latin Prize: Rylan Willis Chandler, Timothy Jarvis Smith, Samuel Michael Lyons, Theodore Raymond Randall Austen Fox Riggs Award: (given in memory of Austen, a Fenn student from the class of 1955, to Lower School students who most resemble “Autie” in their helpful effort contributed in work and play): Samuel Farley Griswold, Theodore Vincent Lorusso, Tyler Brian Wells Kirsten Gould Arts Awards: Michael Peter Alpers (music), Liam Scott Brown (visual arts), Joseph Daniel Doherty (drama) Millar Brainard Science Prize: Timothy Jarvis Smith

James R. Carter III ’54 Prize for History and Social Studies: Timothy Jarvis Smith, Liam Scott Brown, Theodore Raymond Randall, Edoardo Giovanni Takacs David S. Huston Band Award: Michael Peter Lando, Liam Scott Brown, Evan Max Lanzendorf, Aidan John O’Connell William O. Travers Writing Contest: (Lower School) Evan Michael Beetham (fiction), Kenji Charles Ma (personal narrative), and Owen Hayes Rapaport Goldstein (poetry); (Middle School) Timothy Matthew Smith (fiction), Luca Steven Raffa (personal narrative), and Maxwell Richards Libby-Grantham (poetry); (Upper School) Samuel Michael Lyons (fiction), Marcos Jose Braceras (personal narrative), and John Buckner Lewis and Chengyuan Yang (poetry) Joseph A. Hindle, Jr. Science Recognition Award: Tucker Thomas Winstanley, Samuel Michael Lyons, Aidan John O’Connell, Benjamin Joseph Doty II

Citizenship Prizes: (Fourth Grade) Jonas Rein Ahlgren, Owen Michael Beauvais, Cole Patrick Brennan, Colin George Fitzgerald, Jacob Taylor Jones, William Rhys McCarthy, Declan Power Sunstein, and Liam McGovern Riley; (Fifth Grade) Jamesley Cazel Anderson, Lachlan Thorne McCaghren, and Nicholas Alfio Tahn; (Sixth Grade) Thomas Jae Donahue, John Paul Doty, Ian Hays Gardiner, William Glynn Ostrow, Tal Nguyen Richmond, Timothy Matthew Smith, and Luke Michael Waldeck; (Seventh Grade) Oliver Omar Ali, Corydon James Bailey, Ryan Scott Bettenhauser, Jayden Rene Guadalupe Guzman, Luca Steven Raffa, Panharith Keo Sam, and Zixuan Zhang; (Eighth Grade) Owen Alexis O’Malley, Samvidh Aamod Modur, Charles Greene Kessler, and Jakob William Cohen; (Ninth Grade) McCliff Metellus and Matthew Shannon Nicholas

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O F

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Michael Peter Alpers

Daniel Wood Haines II

Conor James MacLean

Timothy Jarvis Smith

Andrew Folwell Barton

Andrew John Heinze

McCliff Metellus

Tucker Thomas Winstanley

Harrison Anderson Bertos

Timothy Edward Hibben

Matthew Shannon Nicholas

Chengyuan Yang

Rylan Willis Chandler

Conor Wynn Kennealy

Fru Akongneh Nkimbeng, Jr.

Boran Zhang

AliJah Anthony Clark

Michael Peter Lando

Oscar Bolling Patton

Joseph Daniel Doherty

John Buckner Lewis

Andrew Joseph Pesce

Lucas Matthew First

Ryan Harrington Lewis

Peter Sawyer Scheibe

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F E N N

G R A D U A T E S

O F

T H E

C L A S S

O F

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James Joseph Athanasoulas

Peter Marcus Favero

Luke Joshua LoPresti

Parker Joseph Nagtegaal

Kevin James Bertocci

Avery Lucian Feather

Samuel Michael Lyons

Aidan John O’Connell

Andrew Chadwick Blau

Forrest Peregrine Feist

Benjamin Ma

Theodore Raymond Randall

Nathaniel Lawson Blunt

Brian Girard Fortin

Michael William Mariani

Boden Ellsworth Rice

Marcos José Braceras

Liam Richard Kelleher

James Joseph Mawn

Luke Andrew Swaim

Robert Allen Brady III

Charles Greene Kessler

Michael Theodore McKeown

Timothey Paul Félix Szczepanski

Liam Scott Brown

Vehaan Narayan Keswani

Samvidh Aamod Modur

Edoardo Giovanni Takacs

Benjamin Joseph Doty II

John Quinn Kielar

Dennis Tod Morgan III

Ryan Joseph Winters

John James Drapeau II

Evan Max Lanzendorf

Liam George Matthew Mulcahy

Byron Ewart Woodman IV

Jeremiah Robert Engermann

Benjamin Matthew Lisa

Maxwell Glendon Murphy

Schools This Year’s Fenn Graduates Are Attending Arlington Catholic High School 1

Groton School 1

Pingree School 2

Belmont Hill School 1

International School of Boston 1

Rivers School 3

Brooks School 4

Lawrence Academy 4

St. George’s School 2

Buckingham Browne & Nichols School 3

Lincoln-Sudbury High School 2

St. Mark’s School 3

Carroll School 1

Middlesex School 5

St. Sebastian’s School 1

Concord Academy 3

Noble and Greenough School 2

Westford Academy 1

Concord-Carlisle High School 15

Phillips Academy, Andover 2

Winchester High School 2

Deerfield Academy 1

Phillips Exeter Academy 3

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A L U M NI N EW S

Across Fenn’s 90 years, generations of boys with differing talents and passions

have been influenced and inspired by their Monument Street years. There is a powerful shared experience that unites all who have worn the blue-and-gold, and this is never more evident than when our Fenn community of alumni and current students, their families, and faculty and staff gather to celebrate Homecoming and Reunion festivities. On the following pages, enjoy memories made at these festivities during the fall of 2018 as Fenn’s 90 th school year enjoyed its first community-wide celebration. This included awarding of Fenn’s Distinguished Alumnus Award to Bill Lawrence ’78 (see story on page 72). A wealth of Class Notes also follow, along with an engaging snapshot on page 80 of Alex Rivest ’94 and his journey to change the perception of science and the fearless individuals who advance it around the world each day.

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A L U M NI N EW S

5TH ANNUAL HOMECOMING For the first time, Fenn’s North Campus hosted the customary kick-off to the family-friendly Homecoming festivities on Saturday, September 22, 2018. More than 60 runners, including Fenn’s fearless headmaster, traversed a course to, from, and around its open fields as part of the annual Kevin White ’93 Memorial Run. Excelling on the course were top finishers Tyler McGarry ’19, Ted Gillick P’23, and Mandy Gardiner P’22. A second contest followed as Varsity Football battled The Fay School, buoyed by an animated home crowd and by performances from the Treble Chorus and Marching Band. A 50-yard touchdown by ninth grade captain AliJah Clark on the first drive of the game set the stage for what would be a convincing 28-12 victory. Guests also enjoyed the Parents Association’s logo wear sale, Summer Fenn Kid’s Corner with inflatables, crafts, and face painting, tailgate for alumni and alumni parents, and tasty picnic lunch. From start to finish, it was a banner Fenn day.

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REUNION 2018 Generations of alumni, faculty, staff, and guests hailing from as far as Germany descended on the Fenn campus on Friday, September 21, 2018 for a cocktail reception and dinner that celebrated reunion classes. The evening began with an intimate “State of the School” conversation with Derek Boonisar before guests shared laughter and blue-and-gold memories under a stunning moonlit sky as a precursor to a spirited alumni dinner in the Connolly Dining Hall. Honored at the festivities was Fenn’s 2018 Distinguished Alumnus, Dr. William A. Lawrence ’78 (see Bill’s story on page 72).

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A L U M NI N EW S

Broadcasting from Fenn Dr. William A. Lawrence ’78 Named 2018 Distinguished Alumnus I T’S NOT EVERY D A Y

that Fenn’s Advancement Office transforms into a remote news studio for France 24, the

international news and current affairs television network based in Paris and broadcasting to millions of viewers worldwide in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish. On the afternoon of Friday, September 21, 2018, this was a sure sign that Dr. William A. Lawrence ’78 was on campus.

With a Fenn School banner visible on the wall behind him, Lawrence shared with France 24 viewers his expert perspective on French President Macron’s recognition of the contributions to the French nation of the Harkis, Algerian soldiers and citizens who collaborated with French colonists, and recent acknowledgment of their torture during the Algerian war of liberation.

At the Alumni Dinner that kicked off Homecoming weekend that evening, Lawrence received Fenn’s annual Distinguished Alumnus Award from Headmaster Derek Boonisar and Alumni Association President A.J. Sohn ’84 for his more than three decades implementing programs and researching and analyzing issues related to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and wider Muslim world.

Lawrence currently serves on the faculty at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and has lived in seven Muslim-majority countries and taught or lectured at more than 100 universities worldwide.

Since 2011, Lawrence has also served successively as the International Crisis Group’s North Africa Project Director, the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy’s Middle East and North Africa Program Director, and Control Risk’s Middle East and North Africa Associate Director. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor for Global 72 fenn f e n n mmaaggaazziinnee

Engagement in the U.S. Department of

from violence-prone areas together on

State, where he advised the White House

a tall ship off the New Bedford coast for

on outreach to the Muslim world.

several weeks to work on collaborative

During this period, he helped create

problem solving. He also worked closely

and implement the Fairhaven project,

with the governor’s office on expanding

bringing Israeli and Palestinian youth

and deepening Massachusetts’ economic

and technological trade and cooperation with Africa.

The author of three books and dozens of analytical and consulting reports, Lawrence appears regularly before Congress and on global news outlets.

He has also co-created six documentary films on MENA topics and fourteen albums of North African music, several with Cambridge-headquartered Rounder Records. This exemplary work has earned him six merit awards from the U.S. Department of State, two medals from the Egyptian government, and an alumni achievement award from Duke University, his undergraduate alma mater. After graduating from Fenn, Lawrence attended Phillips Academy, received a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and assisted with the creation of the first Islamic legal studies program in the United States at Harvard University.

During Lawrence’s September 2018 visit to Fenn, his remarkable accomplishments were also honored during an All School Assembly. Lawrence shared a compelling snapshot of his most pro-

Bill in Fenn art class (to the left)

found Fenn memories and important advice for his rapt audience of students, faculty, staff, and guests.

“Learn about, empathize with, and build connections with others who are different from you,” he urged. “And learn languages, guys. Languages are not only a skill, but also a window into other cultures.”

Proof that this message was taken to heart came in the form of an Upper School student who approached Lawrence after the meeting to speak to him in French. “Former Fenn French teacher Mme. Edes and her conjugates were clearly there in spirit,” Lawrence remarked.

As he reminisced about the impact and value of his Fenn days, Lawrence most remembered the “community and its sense of values and that you could do anything if you put your mind to it … but it was your responsibility.”

He added, “Fenn helped to build character and confidence and to develop speaking skills that allow me to go fearless into speeches, congressional testimony, and international news interviews.”

Days after his visit, Bill would reach out to share another thank-you and lingering thoughts about Fenn’s Homecoming and his prestigious award. “I feel like the entire experience was a moving tribute to Roger Fenn, his vision, and what it wrought, which includes the important things you all are doing to prepare the next generation for new challenges.”

Roger Fenn would surely applaud the achievements of this former Fenn boy and the School’s role in building a foundation that would inspire him.

Congratulations, Dr. Lawrence!

“Fenn helped to build character and confidence and to develop speaking skills that allow me to go fearless into speeches, congressional testimony, and international news interviews.” – Dr. William A. Lawrence ’78 w i nter 2 0 2 0

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Here, John Spring ’62 (left) and David Tew ’66 (right) enjoy a friendly chat with the W.W. Fenn Administration building looming behind them and classmates perched on its front steps. Read on for life updates from myriad alumni in this collection of Class Notes that Fenn received during the 2018-19 school year.

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Class Notes 1954 Tom Jackson reported last February, “My wife, Robin, and I are living in Fox Hill Village in Westwood after having lived in Weston for 45 years. I’m retired but involved in several non-profit organizations. We have two children, Todd, who lives in Andover, and Wendy, who lives in Tampa, FL. They have produced five beautiful grandchildren, the oldest of whom graduated last spring from Dartmouth, while the youngest graduated from Phillips Academy Andover.”

Happens When We Die.’ Between that and grandchild visits, Lee and I are fully engaged and extremely grateful that our health so far allows us such pleasures.”

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at www.fenn.org/classnotes.

Nat Welch reported in February 2019 that the Class of 1968’s 50th reunion was a lot of fun, even if everyone couldn’t make it back to Fenn. He noted, “We didn’t look too bad for our mid-60s.” Following the reunion, Nat embarked on a marathon bike ride from Washington, DC, to Pittsburgh, PA, via the C&O [Chesapeake & Ohio] Canal Historic Towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage. His week-long trip covered 335 miles. See photos below.

1955 REUNION

1965 REUNION

1969

We’d love to hear from you! Please email

We’d love to hear from you! Please email

news to alumni@fenn.org or enter it online

news to alumni@fenn.org or enter it online

at www.fenn.org/classnotes.

at www.fenn.org/classnotes.

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Ben Riggs wrote in December 2018, “Briefly as possibly, here’s what I am up to. When not out sailing on my boat in Newport, I am occupied with other activities. I continue as president of the Newport Circle of Scholars (formerly Salve Regina University Circle of Scholars) and teach courses in International Relations and The Global Environment, and also run the Rhode Island chapter of the International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS.org). I was also asked by the Osher Foundation to teach a course at the University of Rhode Island on ‘What

Tim Reynolds sent along a simple, straightforward message for his classmates last February: “Alcudia, Mallorca, June 2018. Go there.” See photo below.

Tim Reynolds ’67 in Alcudia, Mallorca

Nat Welch ’68, along the Potomoc River in Washington, DC, embarks on his 335-mile ride.

1960 REUNION Reunion Committee Jon Wilbor, jwilbor2175@aol.com We’d love to hear from you! Please email news to alumni@fenn.org or enter it online

Harald Hovind lives in Norway, where he is an orthopedic surgeon. He reports that he got married in 1984, the same year he received his M.D. degree. Harald and his wife have three sons, born in 1985, 1990, and 1992.

1970 REUNION Reunion Committee Charlie Denault, cadenault@gmail.com Gibbs Roddy, groddy@lwcotrust.com We’d love to hear from you! Please email news to alumni@fenn.org or enter it online at www.fenn.org/classnotes.

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1971 Alumni Class Senator

grandly in my literature and rhetoric classes!”

See photo below.

Jamie Jones, jbjones@seamanpaper.com

1973 1972 Fritz Folts was elected chair of the Connecticut College Board of Trustees for a three-year term that began July 1, 2018. Previously, he served as a vice chair of the board, member of the executive committee and investment subcommittee for the college’s endowment, and chair of the finance committee. Fritz joined the Connecticut College board in 2012. Nick Wallerstein is in his 23rd year as professor of English at Black Hills State University in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. He noted that he appreciates all the Latin that was drilled into him at Fenn. “It has paid off

David Ratcliff is still with American Airlines, flying domestically and internationally as a captain on the Airbus 320. He lives in Florida. See photo below.

1975 REUNION Reunion Committee Steve Arnold, arnoldfam61@comcast.net George Janes, gwjanes@msn.com Blair Lyne, blairlyne@gmail.com We’d love to hear from you! Please email news to alumni@fenn.org or enter it online at www.fenn.org/classnotes.

1977 John Sheehan works as a part-time consultant to the U.S. State Department via US-AID, FSVC, and the Middle East Partnership Initiative to assist U.S. MENA allies and partners develop their economies, political institutions, and national security policies. These conferences are organized with a view to further stabilize these countries and bring them more tightly into the U.S. orbit. John suggests Googling “Dry-Port, Kingdom of Jordan” for the largest of these projects. He noted in February 2019, “My co-instructor and I worked with the JCI to create this infrastructure project to resolve Jordan’s economic development and trade dilemmas and to enhance the kingdom’s domestic economic development. The King and Parliament set aside the land, and the funding will come from the U.S., the World Bank, and other international investor-partners.” As a member of Harvard’s Asia Center, John also maintains a friendly and informal correspondence with Lord Michael Dobbs on the United Kingdom’s trade initiative with China, albeit from differing points of view. John explains that Michael is a former Concord resident, although their friendship began with Dobbs’ “House of Cards” trilogy, starring Ian Richardson. John is also working on three books: one on U.S. politics, the second on economics, and the third on U.S. national security strategy. See photos below.

David Ratcliff ’73 and his wife, Laura, enjoy living in Florida

Nick Wallerstein ’72

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John Sheehan ’77 at the Dead Sea

John Sheehan ’77, sporting his Blue and Gold

1978 Last February, Ben Williams wrote, “It has been a tamer year on the West Coast so far.

No fires or floods have driven us from our home. Joan Didion called the weather of California ‘the weather of catastrophe.’ In 2018, we learned what she meant. Still life goes on. My daughter, Grace, was married in September 2018 to a great guy. My youngest son, Carson, finished up his senior year at Cate and headed to Middlebury this fall. And I am in my 22nd year as a headmaster. Where does the time go?

I am officially a writer as well, since the school published Words Matter, a collection of my work, in 2018. Not a bad reminder, especially in these somewhat turbulent times. Wish I could get back to Fenn more often, but the school remains very much with me despite the distance. Worthy memories all.”

1980 REUNION Reunion Committee Jon Cappetta, jcappetta@concordps.org

How Did Fenn Influence YOUR Life?

Six alumni from across Fenn generations answered this question in an Alumni Reflections video series that supported the 2018-19 Annual Fund.

While the experiences of these alumni differed in many ways, there are common threads of Fenn influence and impact that each hold dear. Visit www.fenn.org/alumnireflections to hear their stories, and we welcome hearing your own too at alumni@fenn.org!

Ben Kitendaugh ’05 Senior Associate Nextlaw Ventures

Bill Janes ’68 Managing Partner Iron Point Partners LLC

Hunter Groninger ’90 Director, Palliative Care MedStar Washington Hospital Center

Jay Beaulieu ’06 Investment Management Associate BlackRock

Tom Porter ’65 Senior VP, Production Pixar Animation Studios

Xander Manshel ’02 Assistant Professor, English McGill University

Tom Mottur, tom_mottur@yahoo.com We’d love to hear from you! Please email news to alumni@fenn.org or enter it online at www.fenn.org/classnotes.

1983 Alumni Class Senators Andy Majewski, amajewsk@fas.harvard.edu Scott Van Houten, smvccc01@gmail.com

Andy Majewski and his wife, Myra Garza, welcomed the arrival of their first child, son Hunter Rock Majewski, on December 6, 2018, at 2:59 p.m. See photos on p. 78.

1984 Chip Dinsmore joined the medical cannabis fund LeafCann, based in Los Angeles.

1985 REUNION Reunion Committee Archer des Cognets, archerlimited@gmail.com

Jon Spooner married Leah Wichler on October 6, 2018, in New York, NY.

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1987 Billy Hackett wrote last March, “During this last year-and-a-half, I have been working remotely out of my apartment for a friend from graduate school who started an educational software business, developing training programs used in virtual and augmented reality hardware in manufacturing, healthcare, and some traditional educational settings such as virtual laboratories for universities.

It can sound exciting, although it is so different working through email and occasional phone conversations, rather than in person directly with students. I’m learning and growing in new ways, and these experiences will enrich my future teaching and coaching. In fact, I’ve had the pleasure of working with an adaptive

sports program over the past few years, an awe-inspiring experience to feel the gratitude for life from the participants, young and old, and their families.”

1988 In 2018, Evan Zall was named a Paul Harris Fellow recipient by the Concord Rotary Club. The honor recognizes those who seek to give back to the community and support others in the pursuit of kindness and caring.

1989 Alumni Class Senators Matt Boger, mattboger@yahoo.com Brian Davidson, bw_davidson@yahoo.com

1990 REUNION Reunion Committee Hunter Groninger, hgroninger@gmail.com Alex Zavorski, zavorski@gmail.com We’d love to hear from you! Please email news to alumni@fenn.org or enter it online at www.fenn.org/classnotes.

of Emergency Physicians. He wrote, “As my son turns nine, I start to wish I was living near Concord. When I turned forty in 2018, Deb and I celebrated by taking an amazing two-week ski trip to Hokkaido, Japan. The snow and the ramen were both amazing!” Alec Duncan and his wife, Megan, welcomed a second daughter to their family in 2018. Louisa Joy Duncan was born on December 12, joining her almost two-year-old sister, Alice. Matt Hershberger is the associate director of federal programs and system coordinator in the financial aid office of Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. He and his wife, Margaret Bomba, have two sons. Eren Tasar, assistant professor of history at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, had his book Soviet and Muslim: The Institutionalization of Islam in Central Asia published in December 2017. He plans to have his graduate students read it, but feels his undergraduates would revolt if he assigned it to them. In a nod to Jim Carter ’54, Eren always includes in his lectures some of the stories he heard in Fenn’s ninth grade Russian History class.

1995 REUNION Reunion Committee

1991

Andy Majewski ’83 with son Hunter Rock Majewski

During the summer of 2018, Aaron Joncas took over the role of athletic director for Concord-Carlisle High School. In addition to having previously served for nine years as the METCO director for Concord Public Schools and Concord-Carlisle High School, Aaron was an assistant coach of the high school’s boys’ basketball program for ten seasons and also coached in the boys’ soccer and tennis programs.

1994

Rich Mucci, rmmucci@hotmail.com

Andy Schannen and his wife, Jennifer Bishop, welcomed the arrival of their baby daughter Avery Schannen on November 2, 2018.

1996 Luke Colby is still living in Cambridge and running his engineering design, consulting, and prototyping firm. Colin O’Neill and his wife, Zora, are the proud parents of twin girls.

Isla and Iona O’Neill were born on November 30, 2018. At the time of his February 2019 note to Fenn, he was a stay-at-home dad.

Alumni Class Senator Breman Thuraisingham, breman_t@yahoo.com

Hunter Rock Majewski, son of Andy Majewski ’83

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Garreth Debiegun continues to live and work as an emergency physician at Maine Medical Center and, in March 2019, started his tenure as president for the Maine Chapter of the American College

1997 Alumni Class Senator Nat Carr, ncarr@fenn.org

Donny Belle and his wife, Rachel Schott Belle, welcomed a second daughter to their

family on February 19, 2019. Born at 12:42 p.m., Ella Rae weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20 inches long. She joins her sister Elizabeth in the Belle family. Jon Gilboy married his wife, Ashley Blais, in December 2017, and they traveled to South Africa in November 2018 for their honeymoon.

1998 Alumni Class Senator Patrick Jones, patrick.jones.p@gmail.com

Christian Arcand, a sports radio personality on The Sports Hub (98.5 FM), visited All School Meeting in May

to talk about his career choice and Fenn memories. He also let the boys (and Mr. Boonisar!) try their hands at delivering radio scripts. Alex Berlin and his wife, Maureen, celebrated the arrival of their first child on April 30, 2019. Evie Margaret Sarna Berlin was born at 1:34 a.m., weighing 7 lbs. 6 oz. and measuring 20 inches. See photo below. On June 6, 2019, Adam Kolloff and his wife, Mary, welcomed son Taylor Adams Kolloff to their family. Josh Meyer is a thirdyear resident at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in The Bronx, NY. Brendan McGuire and his wife, Ann, celebrated the arrival of son Chase William McGuire

on November 16, 2018. He joined big sister Brynn in the McGuire family.

Andrew Redmond and his wife, Julienne, welcomed a new baby, Lillian Redmond, to their family on July 21, 2018. Lillian joined her brother, Jack. Edward “Evan” Welles and his wife, Kate, are the parents of a third son, Sullivan Edward Welles, who was born on September 14, 2018.

1999 Alumni Class Senators Ryan Connolly, ryan.connolly@ms.com Sam Takvorian, stakvorian@gmail.com

Ryan Connolly’s wife, Kerryn, gave birth to their daughter, Isla Shea Connolly, on March 2, 2019.

2000 REUNION Reunion Committee George Carr, gcarr4@gmail.com John McCormack, john.william.mccormack.jr@gmail.com

Evie Margaret Sarna Berlin, daughter of Alex Berlin ’98

Lance Stratton ’00 (center) with Max Steinert ’16 and Nick Steinert ’15 on the slopes in Montana

Carter Hedstrom, son of Matt ’00, loves his Fenn onesie!

Brian Brew ’00 with his bride, Caroline Gibbs

Brian Brew married Caroline Gibbs on August 25, 2018, at the Wychmere Beach Club in Harwich Port, MA. See photo to the left. The happy couple lives in Brooklyn with their miniature longhaired dachshunds, Obi and Penny. Brian is an account executive with Computacenter.

Check out the photo at left of Matt Hedstrom’s son, Carter. Fenn would like to see more photos of alumni babies in their Fenn onesies! Josh Parker and his wife, Rachel Warner, welcomed the arrival of son Joseph Alexander Parker on September 16, 2018. Last March, Joe Robbins started working as a litigation counsel, defending and advising the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on mortgage and housing program issues.

He was doing similar work in private practice. His daughter, Gabby, turned 3 in December. Ski Patroller Lance Stratton met brothers Max Steinert ’16 and Nick Steinert ’15 by chance in Montana during Fenn’s 2018 winter break, and they enjoyed exchanging memories of their favorite teachers. See photo to the left.

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Scientist Turned Storyteller Documentaries by Alex Rivest ’94 Feature Groundbreaking Scientists DU R ING H IS F E N N Y E A R S , Alex Rivest was a self-described “outdoorsy, curious kid” who loved to explore and ask questions. School was something to engage with, and he adored the challenge of learning.

He vividly remembers one presentation in an all-school assembly by a man who had climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.

“Here was a real person telling his story in a way that was beautiful, foreign, and different than anything else that was being presented to me in school,” Alex recalls. “Fenn presented a wide range of inspiration points, and this one grabbed me. You have to throw a lot of stuff at the wall to find what will resonate. It’s important to present that diversity.” Alex has since climbed Kilimanjaro twice.

After Fenn, Alex went on to Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School, where he continued to excel at basketball after similar triumphs at Fenn playing

Tanner Davis, son of Katie and Brendon Davis ’98

for coaches Mark Biscoe H’95 and Peter Bradley, both equally inspiring faculty members during his years on Monument Street. Among other accolades, Alex credits Biscoe with helping him understand the true meaning of respect and Bradley with instilling his excitement for math. Then there was Tete Cobblah and the mood he created with music to motivate the artistic endeavors of Alex and his peers. Alex relies on music for inspiration to this day.

During his college and postgraduate years, science would inspire Alex—most notably, neuroscience.

He would ultimately gain a Ph.D. in neuroscience from MIT, focusing on how to study the brain and specifically the entorhinal cortex, one of the first brain regions attacked at the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. During his MIT years, Alex would also meet his wife, with whom he would partner to establish

Lochlain Sayles with his new sister, Jade Alia Sayles, daughter of Brigette and Iain Sayles ’00

the non-profit, Blue Kitabu, which was dedicated to sustainable educational development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Before disbanding the organization, the two of them built a primary school in Central Ghana for over 120 kids who otherwise may not have had access to formal education.

Alex’s love affair with science would ultimately lead him to an important revelation: Science is a human endeavor, building upon itself over years and decades. And, according to Alex, “In order to truly understand science, you have to understand the people who are doing it.

Scientists are the modern day explorers.

They go to places that are difficult, and I wanted to see what it felt like to be in those places where they’re tested externally and pushed to understand who they are and why they do what they do.” And thus began his most recent adventures in science storytelling.

Channeling his passion for travel and photography, Alex joined forces with Boardwalk Pictures and the producers of the Emmy-nominated Netflix docuseries, Chef’s Table, to develop a docuseries about the most compelling science stories from around the world. Armed with a development grant from the Alfred

“…To truly understand science, you have to understand the people who are doing it. Scientists are the modern day explorers. They go to places that are really difficult, and I wanted to see what it felt like to be in those places…” – Alex Rivest ’94 80

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“The film CANARY can change the way that people see climate change. Instead of speaking to the head, it speaks to the heart, helping audiences of many different backgrounds see climate change by way of an epic adventure, rather than a lesson.”

P. Sloan Foundation, Alex trekked to Belize to film a cave archaeologist with a previous life as an off-Broadway producer, to Kenya to meet a top lion biologist who had exposed corruption in the lion hunting happening there, to Bali to explore the inspiration of a snake venom scientist with the world’s largest collection of venom, and to the Sahara Desert to interview young female Middle Eastern paleontologists whose work was deemed unacceptable in their home country yet is now published and attracting international recognition. “These are the heroes, armed with passion, who show us what is possible,” Alex shared.

An equal labor of love that Alex is still working on, again with Boardwalk Pictures, is a feature-length documentary film called CANARY about a climate scientist from coal country West Virginia who became one of the first people to witness climate change firsthand in the remote mountains of Peru. It is an emotional, character-driven story that takes the audiences up over 18,000

feet, and Alex is aiming to have the film released in 2020.

“This film can change the way that people see climate change,” proclaimed Alex. “Instead of speaking to the head, CANARY speaks to the heart, helping audiences of many different backgrounds see climate change by way of an epic adventure, rather than a lesson.

“The film has already changed me. While filming last year, I spent 10 days on the largest tropical glacier in the world, which provides all the water and hydroelectric power for millions of people. By the time my daughter is my age, this glacier will be completely gone.

I have trouble accepting the chaos my kids will inherit, and for me, I need to tell this story because it is the best way I can fight for my kids.”

It is clear that Alex has found his calling. “I am constantly inspired by so many of these scientists,” he shared.

“I’m humbled to tell their stories, and I feel like I’ve tapped into something that will change the way that people see

scientists and the field of science.” He continued, “but you would be surprised, given the gravity of the challenge we face and the importance of scientists to help fix the climate crisis, how much of an uphill battle it is to find people willing to fund science programming.”

The path to finding Alex’s calling may well have begun on Monument Street.

“Finding out who you are is a lifelong journey,” he remarked. “For me, some of the right seeds of learning to think in different ways through exposure to different experiences and inspirational people were planted for me at Fenn.

That, to me, is a huge takeaway from my experience there.”

Now the Fenn community will watch intently to see when and how the fruits of Alex’s storytelling labors reach a broad audience to help change the perception of science and the entertaining and inspiring individuals who advance it around the world each and every day.

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Bob McElwain and Anoff Cobblah ’01

Anoff Cobblah ’01 and son, Kofi, welcome new arrival Roman (also at right)

Elizabeth Cobblah with grandsons Roman and Kofi

Roman Kwesi Ellis Cobblah

Family and guests at the Ghanaian naming ceremony for Roman Kwesi Ellis Cobblah, son of Anoff Cobblah ’01, include (l to r) former French teacher Bob McElwain, Mary Lou McElwain, Elizabeth Updike Cobblah, Kwame Cobblah ’03, Jerry Ward H’18, Anoff with Roman, former art teacher and Director of Diversity Tete Cobblah, and Dan Welch, also a former French teacher at Fenn.

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Tete Cobblah raises grandson Roman toward the direction of the rising sun in blessing.

2001 Alumni Class Senator Jimmy Hall, jkhall4@gmail.com

Bobby Atkins married Sally Brame on May 19, 2018, in Memphis. Anoff Cobblah and his wife, Jamie, welcomed a second son, Roman Kwesi Ellis Cobblah, to their family on December 30, 2018. Because he was born on a Sunday, he received the middle name Kwesi, which is one of the Ghanaian “day names” for boys. See photos on p. 82. Tim Wilson married Melanie Norian on July 14, 2018. The wedding took place at the First Armenian Church in Belmont, followed by a reception at the Four Seasons in Boston.

2002 Aaron Colby went on a transatlantic cruise with his family, bought a two-family house in Watertown, and became engaged to his fiancée, Elyse, last year. Together with his brother, Luke Colby ’96, and friends, they are renovating the house during the evenings and weekends. During the day, Aaron is pushing forward his three biotechnology startup companies. The technologies include a lung cancer therapy, a novel bandage for burn victims, and a new antioxidant important to healthy aging, and are expected to begin clinical trials in 2020 or 2021. Aaron still enjoys dancing, and he and Elyse attended holiday-themed West Coast Swing events the past two Decembers (see photo below)!

Will Howerton married Caroline Le Goff on June 29, 2019, in Dinard, France, a coastal town in Brittany where Caroline’s mother’s family has roots dating back generations.

Aaron Colby ’02 and fiancée, Elyse, pose with Santa

Family and friends were able to congratulate the bride and groom at a reception last August hosted by Will’s parents. Caroline and Will met about 12 years ago when Will spent his junior year of college in Paris at Sciences Po, but only reconnected about 3½ years ago. She works for Roche in South San Francisco. Last March, Xander Manshel was appointed assistant professor in the English department at McGill University in Montreal. He began teaching twentieth-century and contemporary American literature in September. The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle announced its 2018-2019 officers in November 2018, with Travis Minor now serving as assistant chair of the organization’s board of trustees. After 8½ years at Progress Partners working on technology mergers and acquisitions advisory and venture capital, last February Davis Rosborough joined Amobee, a marketing technology firm owned by Singtel, a Singapore-based telecommunications company.

Based out of New York, he serves as global chief of staff to the chief executive officer and chief operating officer. David Rubin wrote in December 2018, “I was inclined to share an update in the bulletin after bumping into Mr. and Mrs. Boonisar at Logan Airport. I was lucky enough to convince my beautiful wife, Maria, to marry me in October 2018!

We had 49 of our closest friends and family at The Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington (see photo below). It was awesome. We’re doing great living in Delray Beach in South Florida, but have aspirations of moving back to Massachusetts in the next few years. I’m working as a strategic account executive at Salesforce, and Maria is a manufacturing strategy consultant at Accenture. Life is good.”

2003 Alumni Class Senators Jack Carroll, je.carroll10@gmail.com Bronson Kussin, bronson.kussin@gmail.com Christian Manchester, christian.d.manchester@gmail.com

Mike Spiak, mspiak06@gmail.com

Wai Lee Chin Feman married Amelia Hay on November 2, 2019. Congratulations, Wai Lee! In September 2018, Kwame Cobblah joined the faculty of the Carroll School in Lincoln, MA, as dean of students.

Sajeev Popat received his M.B.A. from Dartmouth’s Tuck School in 2019 and will earn his master of public administration degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government this spring. Pete Stone married Jill Gramolini in the Boston Public Library on September 8, 2018.

2004 David Abadian-Heifetz lives in Washington, D.C., and is the director of communications for New Politics, a non-profit organization that seeks to change the political landscape by bringing fresh, service-oriented leaders to politics by recruiting, developing, mentoring, and electing servant leaders who exemplify courage, integrity, and empathy. On September 21, 2019, KC McCarthy married Samantha Morris in Harwich Port, MA.

2005 REUNION Reunion Committee Ben Kitendaugh, bkitendaugh@gmail.com Spencer Lovejoy, slovejoy424@gmail.com Will Stone, william.l.stone12@gmail.com

David Rubin ’02 and his bride, Maria Ferreira-Cesar (Gina Brocker Photography)

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Ben Kitendaugh married Heather McAuliffe on January 26, 2019. A reception at Artists for Humanity in Boston followed the service.

On April 25, Patrick Mara will marry Katie Williams. Trip Smith received his M.B.A. in May 2019 from Washington University in St. Louis.

2006 Alumni Class Senator Tyler Davis, davist.boston@gmail.com

The class of 2006 mourns the loss of their classmate and friend Luke Rogers on December 27, 2019.

Malin Adams married Dasha Godunova on June 23, 2018, in Sun Valley, ID. Tyler Davis, JB Henderson, and Luke Rogers attended the ceremony. See photos to the right. Those summer months were busy for the class of 2006, as Luke Eddy shared news of his engagement to Megan Evangelista and Beau Henderson met up with Jerry Ward H’18. See photo below.

Wedding guests celebrated with Malin Adams ’06 and Dasha Godunova in Sun Valley, ID, with Bald Mountain in the background.

2007 Alumni Class Senator Will Joumas, wbjoumas@gmail.com

Coral O’Connor received his J.D. from the University of Michigan’s law school in 2019 and is currently an associate with Milbank LLP in New York City. During this first year, he is rotating through the firm’s transportation & space, leveraged finance, and project finance practices.

Dasha Godunova joined the ranks of the Class of 2006 with (l to r) JB Henderson, Luke Rogers, husband Malin Adams, and Tyler Davis in a showing of Blue and Gold pride.

2008 In 2018, Winston Pingeon achieved the rank of Private First Class after thirty months of service as a police officer with the U.S. Capitol Police. See photo to the right.

2009 Alumni Class Senators Sam Doran, saminthenewsroom@gmail.com Thacher Hoch, thachmo94@comcast.net Beau Henderson ’06 and Jerry Ward H’18

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Winston Pingeon ’08

Middlesex classmates AJ Lucchese and Billy Olson are sharing an apartment in New York City. Both are investment banking analysts; AJ is at Barclays Investment Bank while Billy works at Lazard in their Middle Market Advisory group.

2010 REUNION Reunion Committee Gabe Arnold, gabriel.arn33@gmail.com Drew Coash, drewtcoash@gmail.com Will Crowley, crowleywi@gmail.com Chris Ryan, cryan@fenn.org

Julian Baeza Hochmuth graced the pages of Vogue last winter, in a photo taken while modeling during New York Fashion Week.

2011 Alumni Class Senators Matt Boudreau, m.boudreau@ymail.com Nate Sintros, nathaniel1756@gmail.com

Hunter Arnold is working for Holder Construction as a safety coordinator in Ashburn, VA, and living in Arlington.

He encourages anyone in the area to look him up. Hunter graduated from Keene State College having played four years of varsity lacrosse and going to the NCAA D3 playoffs each year. A four-time First Team All-Conference honoree, he was selected as Offensive Player of the Year by Keene State in May 2018. Hunter writes, “I miss school and lacrosse, but I’m happy to be working in my field and exploring D.C. and Virginia.” Jack Bierwagen is living in New York City, where he works as a finance analyst for the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation in Jersey City. He’s excited about connecting with Fenn alumni in the New York City area. Matt Boudreau graduated from George Washington University’s School of International Affairs last May with a double major in international affairs and economics and a minor in history. After interning in Fenn’s Advancement Office for the summer, Matt departed for England and the London School of Economics, where he’s pursuing a master’s degree in the history of international affairs. Zack Burling graduated from Providence College with a B.S. in finance in 2018 and is working as a market analyst for Crayon, a provider of market and competitive intelligence tools for businesses.

2012 Mark Gallant ’15 (r) playing for the Langley Rivermen in the British Columbia Hockey League

Matt Richman ’12 named Maine’s National Football Foundation College Scholar-Athlete in May

Gates Dupont began a Ph.D. program at UMass Amherst in September. He’s working with Dr. Christopher Sutherland on statistical modeling of the first range wide density and population estimates of snow leopards. He wrote, “It’s going to be a fantastic opportunity to further develop my quantitative skill set and start my first venture into the field of international conservation. I spent the summer as a research fellow at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research working on a similar project with jaguars, which I intend to also incorporate into my graduate studies. Nevertheless, birds will always have a special place in my heart.”

Austin Galusza graduated from Emerson College in June with a bachelor’s degree in visual & media arts. Adrian Huertas graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a B.A. in psychology. He also minored in Latin American studies and management and business. Just prior to his graduation from Colby College in May 2019, Matt Richman received a well-deserved honor. He was named the National Football Foundation College Scholar-Athlete for the state of Maine.

Matt was the only college player honored in the state and will get his name in the College Football Hall of Fame. He played all four years at Colby and was a threeyear starter. Along with NESCAC AllAcademic and Sportsmanship awards, Matt graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in economics and mathematics, earning the Faculty Prize in Economics. He is now working in Boston as an analyst at Analysis Group, a firm specializing in economic and strategy consulting. Andreas Sheikh also graduated from Colby College last May, having majored in philosophy, political science, and literature.

2013 This past school year, Jackson Boyle enjoyed a year abroad from Middlebury College studying in Berlin. Gordon Hargraves was named a 2018-2019 community liaison for the Manic Optimists, a student a cappella group at Bates College, where he is now a senior.

2014 Alumni Class Senator Chad Arle, chad.w.arle@gmail.com

Kamran Zolfonoon is in his third year at UMass Amherst, majoring in computer science in their Commonwealth honors program. He stays in touch with friends from Fenn and likes spending his spare time rock climbing, playing ultimate Frisbee, and pursuing world travel (on a youth hostel budget). Malcolm Zuckerman is a sophomore at Tufts University.

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2016 alumni (l to r) Matt Kirkman and Matt Sanders following a 4-4 ISL game between Nobles and BB&N in 2018

2017 classmates (l to r) Nico Bowden and Ian Moore in May 2019

Tyler Arle ’16 in his class picture from Concord-Carlisle High School

Fenn alumni at the 2019 Concord Academy graduation: (l to r) Max Boyle ’16, Ali Sheikh ’15, Jake Pine ’16, Owen Elton ’16, Lucas Ewing ’15, Sam Breault ’16, Colin Regenauer ’16, and Kadin Ali ’16. (Not pictured: Erik Abele ’16)

Fenn 2016 classmates meeting up after the September 29, 2018 Middlesex-Rivers football game are (l to r) Abe Dekin, Lucas Lisman, Colin Cunningham, and Callan Fries.

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Patrick Lessard ’16 playing lacrosse for the N.H. Tomahawks.

Enjoying a St. Mark’s win over Groton last May were (l to r) Ian Moore ’17, Brendan Peters ’18, Ben Winters ’16, Boyd Hall ’15, and Henry Peters ’17.

2015 REUNION Alumni Class Senators Walker Davey, daveybolts28@gmail.com Ben Zide, benjaminzide@gmail.com

Christian DiPietrantonio graduated from Noble and Greenough School last May and is now attending Union College. Jack Eames began his undergraduate studies at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, this past fall. Patrick Ryan is attending the United States Naval Academy, after graduating cum laude from Groton School.

Ali Sheikh graduated from Concord Academy and matriculated at Bates College in Lewiston, ME. As seniors last year, three members of the Class of 2015 served in leadership roles at their respective schools.

At Lawrence Academy, Mickey Feeney was president of the student body. He reports that he continues to play drums and various other musical instruments and planned to travel during a gap semester before starting at Middlebury College this winter.

Matt Hart served as school president at St. Mark’s School, while Alex Hill displayed his leadership skills as school president at Dexter Southfield School last year. Rob Brower is a sophomore at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where he is studying mechanical engineering. Also making the move to Illinois was Alan Zhang who is in his second year at the University of Chicago. Jake Dudley also joined them in the Midwest, where he’s enrolled at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Lucas Ewing graduated from Concord Academy last spring and now represents Fenn on the West Coast while studying at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA. Mark Gallant graduated from Malden Catholic High School in May 2018 and played hockey with the Langley Rivermen in the British

Columbia Hockey League (see photo on p. 85). Mark played in 56 of 58 games, tied for the team’s highest, and was the top 4 scorer for the second half of the season. In the March 2019 playoffs, Mark played first line center. Dartmouth College asked Mark to enroll in September 2019 to be available for this winter’s hockey season. He is the youngest player on the team and the only 2000 birth year. Mark is 19, while the team average is 23. Cam Parker is attending Dartmouth College, and fellow Ivy Leaguer Jalen Winstanley is enrolled at Cornell University. Ted Pyne finished his senior year at Middlesex School in May 2018 as an ISL All-Star in wrestling and is currently a sophomore at Harvard College. In July 2018, Charlie Hibben traveled to Corpus Christi, TX, to participate in the Youth Sailing World Championships. He is hoping to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. Charlie is now enrolled at Tufts University. In April 2018, Zander Kessler was named a Dual County All-Star for his performance on the Concord-Carlisle High School varsity track team and now runs cross country and track for Middlebury College. Patrick McGann attends Kenyon College and is joined in Ohio by Sid Modur, who attends Oberlin College. Sid graduated in June 2018 from the Cambridge School of Weston, where he was awarded the Presidential Merit Scholarship. David Nerrow graduated from Boston College High School in the spring of 2018, winning a Concert/Chamber Choir Award at a senior assembly. He is now at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Farther west, Elliot Stevenson is a sophomore at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. Elliot’s years at Kimball Union Academy were busy ones. During his junior and senior years, he served as a dorm proctor and captained the rugby team. Elliot graduated as a Global Scholar, having spent two years studying

global/international issues. His academic work culminated in a capstone project, which included a paper on conservation photography and a gallery exhibit of his own wildlife photographs. Additionally, Elliot won the Senior Environmental Science Award at Prize Day, and at graduation received the Royal Burnham Townsend Award, which is presented to “the senior who is most deserving because of courtesy of conduct and cleanliness of life.” Willie Swift graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 2018 and now attends Boston University. Clem Tarpey also remains on the East Coast, where he is a sophomore studying at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

2016 Alumni Class Senators William Locke, wlocke2000@comcast.net Tad Scheibe, scheibetm@gmail.com

Kadin Ali began his tenure at the College of the Holy Cross last fall. Tyler Arle graduated from Concord-Carlisle High School in January 2019 after the end of the first semester and spent the spring working with Berklee College of Music professor Rene Pfister and Berklee alumnus Chris Cho. In addition, Tyler had a music directing job at the Concord Youth Theatre. He is now attending New York University Steinhardt, majoring in music composition, with a concentration in contemporary songwriting and production. See Tyler’s senior picture on p. 86. James Bernene is a freshman at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. Ethan Bondick is a senior at Noble and Greenough School, where he has been a member of their varsity alpine skiing team. He was honored as an ISL AllStar in 2017. Owen Elton served as school

Want to show your Blue-and-Gold pride and connect with other Fenn alumni?

If you use LinkedIn, add Fenn as your independent school alma mater! If you did this in the past, make sure the Fenn logo is visible in your profile. We updated our School page (www.linkedin.com/school/fennschool) so you may need to deselect and reselect Fenn to have the logo appear and connect you to the community.

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Celebrating 90!

Founding Festivities Honor Fenn’s Rich History Founder’s Night 2019 90. A milestone in Fenn’s history, celebrated with a Founder’s Night gathering of more than 150 alumni, alumni parents, and current and former faculty and staff at Boston’s InterContinental Hotel on April 11 and a Founder’s Day celebration on-campus the next morning. Smiles, laughter, and reminiscing were abundant at the InterContinental that Thursday evening, and guests enjoyed greetings from Headmaster Derek Boonisar and Harris Rosenheim ’02, Alumni Association member and co-chair of the 2019 Founder’s Night Outreach Committee; a presentation by faculty member Liz Wei, mother to Harrison ’20 and Alec ’22, on her 20+ year Fenn journey; and a re-enactment by Liam Brown ’20 of his winning W.W. Fenn Public Speaking Contest recitation of “Audiobook” by Neil Hilborn. Board of Visitors member and close friend of the School, Ethan Fenn, was also in attendance as a special guest representing the Fenn family.

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Founder’s Day Fenn icon Mark Biscoe H’95, faculty member from 1958-1995, kicked off the Founder’s Day program on Friday with a presentation of Fenn history in Ward Hall, punctuated by piano accompaniment from wife Jane. Fenn’s Marching Band then took the musical reins as they wound their way through campus to the headmaster’s house, proudly clutching Fenn banners, flags, and instruments and sharing their musical and marching talents as a rehearsal for Concord’s Patriots’ Day parade. Faculty and staff members Ralph Giles, Ellen O’Neil, and Jon and Marilyn Schmalenberger were parade honorees as they prepared for retirements and departures from Fenn. Founder’s Day festivities aptly concluded with trays of blue and gold cupcakes!

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Alumni classes from 2014 through 2019 returned to campus on June 10, 2019 for a Young Alumni Summer BBQ and games on the green.

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vice president during his senior year at Concord Academy and matriculated at Colby College this past fall. Matt Kleiman attends Johns Hopkins University, where he competes as a member of their cross country and track and field teams. A 2019 graduate of Concord-Carlisle High School, Matt was named a Dual County League All-Star in track and field three times.

Patrick Lessard is a senior at Holderness School. Last winter, he wrote that he “is (still) happiest when playing sports, including varsity football, snowboarding, and lacrosse at Holderness, as well as wake surfing and lacrosse with the New Hampshire Tomahawks in the summer.”

See photo on p. 86.

2017 Alumni Class Senator Nico Bowden, nicobowden@gmail.com

Last winter, as a sophomore at St. Mark’s School, Ian Moore, enjoyed a 16-goal, 20-assist season and committed to Harvard University for hockey. Cole Pascucci served as a captain of the Concord-Carlisle High School varsity football team as both a junior and a senior. A running back and linebacker, Cole was unable to compete either year due to a pair of devastating ACL injuries.

2018 Alumni Class Senators Sammy Agrawal, sagrawal21@groton.org Sam Remondi, slremondi@gmail.com

As a freshman last year, Carter McCray was honored as an ISL All-Star as a member of the Middlesex School varsity alpine skiing team. This fall, he competed for Middlesex on the varsity football team. Carter is again skiing for their alpine team and will row on Middlesex’s varsity crew this spring.

Faculty and Staff News Chris and Cri-Cri Gorycki shared the following family update, writing, “In July of 2018, Chris was appointed Interim Head of School at Gould Academy. It’s a two-year commitment, which means that we will be making a move again shortly, but, in the meantime, we are taking advantage of all that this beautiful area in Maine offers us.

One of the nicest things about being here is that we were able to meet up with Mark and Jane Biscoe for lunch in Freeport last year! As for our kids, Taylor graduated from Hobart & William Smith Colleges in May of 2018, then set off to Bra, Italy to pursue a Masters in Gastronomic Sciences.

She enrolled at the University of Pollenzo, where the ‘slow food movement’ started, and, after an internship at a local farm here in Maine, she returned to Italy to defend her thesis and graduate. We are excited to see where her studies and passions take her next. Chris Jr. was a rising junior at High Point University in North Carolina when we moved to Bethel. It didn’t take much to convince him to take a gap year to explore and enjoy the great outdoors, both here in New England and across the pond in Europe where he travelled extensively for a couple of months. We think back on our days at Fenn with great fondness and would love to hear from any students or faculty and staff who wish

Hayes Ann Irwin

to reconnect!” Former Assistant Director of Admissions Dave Rouse and his wife, Hilary, welcomed the arrival of Charles Scott Rouse, who was born on September 10, 2018, at 8:23 p.m. Charlie weighed 7 lbs.

3 oz. and measured 19 inches. Ann Marie Maguire, who chaired Fenn’s social studies department from 1986 to 1990, lives on Swan’s Island in Maine. She writes, “I keep busy with the historical society, Lobster and Marine Museum, as an editor of the Island Reader, and writing, among other things.

I am currently working on a book based on the diary of a 15-year-old Maine farm boy in 1888 that I found at a yard sale. It is somewhat reminiscent of a book I used with my 6th graders at Fenn. My son, John ’90, and I also published the biography of Helen Nicolay, daughter of Lincoln’s private secretary, John Nicolay. Island life is good, and I am quite content here. Below is a picture of my view, and off to the right would be the inner harbor with all the lobster boats. We fortunately still have a strong working waterfront, even though we have yachts and schooners in the summer.” David Irwin, Upper School Head and Director of Secondary School Counseling, welcomed daughter Hayes Ann Irwin on March 13, 2019.

Congratulations to Dave, wife Mandy, and big sister Willa!

2019 Alumni Class Senators Adam Ewing, adamrewing@comcast.net Noah Lippa, njlippa@gmail.com Ishan Narra, ishannarra@yahoo.com Surya Rajamani, suryabrajamani@gmail.com

Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse, Swans Island, ME

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in memoriam

We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the families of these Fenn graduates, former faculty and staff, relatives, and friends.

David R. Andrysiak ’16 March 13, 2019 John S. Arnold ’54 July 17, 2018 Robert G. Ayres April 30, 2019 Father of Eliot Ayres ’99 Beatrice “Brownie” Borden March 25, 2019 Fenn trustee 1966-1967 Mother of Spencer Borden ’55, Michael Sweney ’67, John Sweney ’71, and former Fenn trustee Elizabeth Carlson; Grandmother of Chris Badger ’73, Nick Chermayeff ’85, and Andrew Borden ’04 Charles C. Bovey ’73 January 16, 2019 Son of Martin K. Bovey ’42 Brother of Hilary Bovey Uncle of Henry Steers ’14 Cousin of Ted Bovey ’86 Marion “Ann” Brace November 12, 2019 Mother of Peter Brace ’78 Richard Brooker May 29, 2019 Father of Niccolo Brooker ’82

Augustina Cobblah January 31, 2019 Mother of Tete Cobblah Grandmother of Anoff Cobblah ’01 and Kwame Cobblah ’03 Great Aunt of Nana Tabiri, 6th grade Bruce P. Comjean June 18, 2019 Father of Evan Comjean ’90 Brewster Conant March 18, 2018 Father of Brewster Conant, Jr. ’77 and Phoebe M. Conant Grandfather of Ted Pyne ’15 Thomas H. Conway November 4, 2018 Father of Tom Conway ’79, Matt Conway ’82, Rick Conway ’83, and Mike Conway ’85 Chantal D’Arleville January 5, 2020 Mother of Travis Britton ’03 Russell des Cognets II ’73 July 10, 2019 Brother of Archer des Cognets ’85 W. K. “Read” Dickinson ’54 December 4, 2018

Donald B. Bruck September 16, 2018 Father of Michael Bruck ’85

Caroline C. Dinsmore January 2019 Mother of Chip Dinsmore ’84

Jane Burke January 20, 2019 Fenn Staff 1995-2007

Deborah W. Edgar March 15, 2019 Mother of Anne Edgar Former wife of David L. R. Edgar, Fenn Headmaster 1960-1971

Pamela S. Campolieto July 5, 2018 Mother of Paul Campolieto ’90 Christopher N. Capo ’84 April 4, 2019 Brother of Tony Capo ’81

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John S. Everdell ’62 May 25, 2018 Mary “Burch” Ford October 2, 2019 Mother of Win Ford ’88

Marianne J. Geary June 29, 2019 Fenn Learning Specialist 1993-2012 Brigitte Graneau August 13, 2018 Mother of Neal Graneau ’77 Teresa D. Hale November 7, 2018 Mother of Rob Hale ’00 and Tyler Hale ’07 Johanna “Nan” Harris January 27, 2019 Mother of Jon Harris ’73 John J. Havlicek April 25, 2019 Father of Chris Havlicek ’85 Frederick C. Holland, M.D. October 2, 2018 Father of Dan Holland ’72 and David Holland ’74 Henry S. Julier, Jr. September 15, 2018 Father of Sam Julier ’70

John “Jack” W. Nestor Jr. June 2, 2019 Father of John Nestor ’87 Steven C. Perry ’68 June 2018 Dorothy G. Pesek May 27, 2019 Mother of Stephen Pesek ’73 and Andrew Pesek ’78 Ann Soule Truesdale Reed November 14, 2019 Mother of Bill Truesdale ’71 Lucian “Luke” J. Rogers ’06 December 27, 2019 S. Buford Scott September 2, 2019 Father of teacher George Scott Grandfather of Reily Scott ’18 Susan Underwood Seward October 19, 2018 Mother of Rob Seward ’95 Nathan Alexander Soukup ’17 April 14, 2019

Gerald “Cub” Lauderdale February 12, 2019 Father of Gerry Lauderdale ’70 and Randy Lauderdale ’72

Elizabeth Nye Suter May 26, 2019 Mother of Phil Suter ’67 and Brad Suter ’70

Susan P. Maxfield May 22, 2019 Mother of Jamie Maxfield ’85 and Peter Maxfield ’89

Edward W. Takacs March 24, 2019 Father of Edoardo Takacs ’20

Robert J. McBridge April 30, 2019 Fenn Math Teacher 1958-1959 Phoebe Dare Anderson McCarthy December 13, 2017 Mother of Stephen McCarthy ’03

Katherine M. Vaillancourt January 24, 2019 Mother of Peter Vaillancourt ’87 Patrick J. Walsh ’07 September 1, 2019 Dr. Charles L. Ward ’41 July 22, 2018

Congratulations to Fenn’s 2019 Distinguished Alumnus!

Concord resident Ned Perry ’60 received Fenn’s prestigious Distinguished Alumnus Award at the Alumni Dinner during Homecoming weekend this past September. Ned was honored for a successful law career that included handling appeals up through the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and United States Supreme Court, as well as for strong Concord roots that saw he and his wife, Cynthia Wood, recognized as Concord’s Honored Citizens in 2013 for outstanding efforts and dedication to the town. Concord benefited from Ned’s service in a variety of positions, including as Town Moderator from 2000 to 2010.

Watch for the next issue of FENN magazine for more details about Ned’s award and his visit to Fenn to receive it!

Interested in Nominating a Candidate for the Distinguished Alumnus Award?

The Fenn Alumni Association invites nominations of alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their fields and to those around them.

Do you know of an alumnus with extraordinary professional history, philanthropic activity, community involvement, and/or personal achievements (perhaps in the face of obstacles)?

We would love to hear about these alumni!

Contact alumni@fenn.org or visit the Alumni section of the Fenn website to reach the Distinguished Alumnus page and an online nomination form.

Thank you for your contributions!

The Fenn School 516 Monument Street Concord, Massachusetts 01742-1894

Parents of Alumni If this publication is addressed to your son, and he no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the alumni office of his new mailing address (978-318-3525 or aboudreau@fenn.org).

Thank you!

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEWBURYPORT MA PERMIT NO. 112