Patriot Magazine - Winter 2019

PATRIOT THE

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

MAGAZINE Winter 2019

Living the Mission!

The newly launched Alumni CSO group is Compassionate in Spirit

By The Numbers

MIDDLE SCHOOL CELEBRATES FOUNDER’S DAY

276

In 2016, Head of School Rich Schellhas implemented special days of celebration in each division for students to appreciate the importance of our great GA legacy. The Upper School celebrates our German heritage with a birch beer Oktoberfest and Lower School celebrates one of our first headmasters, Hilarius Becker, on his birthday. Middle School students honor the school’s founding each year by singing a rousing rendition of the alma mater, gathering outside to form the number of years the school has been open, and finishing with red, black, and blue cupcakes!

51

45

Middle School students posed for the overhead drone photo

The number of different cities and towns that our Middle School students hail from

118

Students play an instrument in Middle School. They participate in concert band, jazz band, or orchestra.

faculty teach in the Middle School

75

%

of Middle School students played a sport in the fall

Dear Friends,

Nearly ten years ago, Germantown Academy took the bold step to revisit our mission with the goal of achieving a statement that would both encapsulate our essence and make our core beliefs ‘internalizable’ by every constituency within our community. A decade later, kindergarteners easily riff about being ‘Collaborative in Action’ while Upper Schoolers complete every assessment by proclaiming it to be ‘Honorable in Deed’ with their signature. In 2013, we added the now highly coveted Mission Awards to our end-of-year honors for faculty and staff, choosing to reaffirm our commitment to our Mission each year by lifting up colleagues whose actions and character embody one or more of its tenets.

In this issue of The Patriot, we proudly introduce the Alumni Mission Award (on page 24), an opportunity to recognize our graduates who have made their mark by distinctly living the mission of their alma mater. I invite you to nominate a fellow Patriot whose achievements great or small demonstrate an uncompromising commitment to any of these five virtuous traits and who serve as an ambassador for the Academy and what we stand for in the world.

To all who have come home to GA this school year, know how meaningful it is for me and the faculty to have a chance to reconnect and learn more about your journeys. Whether for GA/PC Day, Reunion Weekend, Alumni Trivia Night, our Philadelphia Regional Alumni Event, as a guest speaker, or even just a spontaneous visit to campus, we love to see you, share stories, and catch up on life in Fort Washington. While we take great pride in our traditions, we also want our alumni/ae to hear about the latest and greatest on campus, and to understand that each of your experiences at GA served as a building block and inspiration for where we are today and what we look forward to tomorrow.

Please be in touch, come visit, and join me in striving each day not just to live, but also to live up to our mighty mission.

Best,

Rich Schellhas Head of School

2 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

More than 100 alumni and faculty attended the first GA Alumni Trivia Night.

PATRIOT

THE

MAGAZINE

WINTER 2019 HEAD OF SCHOOL Rich Schellhas

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Bradley J. Korman ’83, President

Tynetta Alston Heather R. Badami ’88 Scott M. Badami Bela D. Bagga Kristen Lueckel Buckler ’00 Judy Chang Cody Brian R. DiDonato Anthony DiSandro, Jr. Thomas E. Durkin ’89 Alison Korman Feldman ’78 Judy A. Felgoise John M. Galloway Judi J. Goodman 1760 Lori R. Griswold 1760 Janet Haugen John P. Korman ’76 Joel D. Magerman ’78 Carol Momjian Salvatore J. Paone, Jr. ’95 Carl D. Rapp George M. Riter ’76 Cheryl Ross Andrew D. Sandifer Jeffrey T. Sultanik ’72 Kathy Wyszomierski 1760 CHARTER TRUSTEES Berton E. Korman 1760 John W. Rex ’63

EDITOR Carla Zighelboim Director of Communications & Marketing czighel@germantownacademy.org DESIGN Dina Katz Associate Director of Communications & Marketing

FEATURED WRITERS Thomas McGlinchey, Adam McGrath, Heather Durkin 1760, Melissa Fikioris, Rich Schellhas EDITORIAL STAFF Audrey Schnur, Martin Dean, Thomas McGlinchey, Adam McGrath, Heather Durkin 1760, Melissa Fikioris, Kelli Kaput, Christine Passaglia, Jess Holl, Joseph Cicchino PHOTOGRAPHY Dina Katz, Thomas McGlinchey, Adam McGrath, Heather Durkin 1760, Joseph Cicchino COVER PHOTO Heather Durkin 1760

TABLE OF CONTENTS GA/PC DAY & REUNION WEEKEND 4 The blustery weather did not deter GA alumni

from celebrating their alma mater! Classes ending in 3s and 8s created new memories while cheering on our current student-athletes.

IN THE WORLD IS...

9 WHERE Tony Garvan 1760! See what one of GA’s

13

14

18

24

25

beloved teachers has been up to.

NEW LOWER SCHOOL LIBRARY AND LEARNING COMMONS Imagined through the eyes of students and faculty, GA is looking toward the future with a bold, flexible design.

COUNSELING AT GA Student support is right around the corner in every division.

4 13

THE GA MISSION Students and faculty live the school’s mission every day.

ALUMNI MISSION AWARD Do you know of an Alum living the GA Mission?

We want your nominations!

ALUMNI NOTES Keep up with the careers, weddings, families and milestones of Patriot alumni.

18

KARLA BALLARD WILLIAMS ’90 26 Her new skill sharing app,YING, capitalizes on the

30

idea of social currency.

MICHAEL MANDEL ’00 The musician turned scientist earned a grant to… listen.

26

Keep up to date by visiting our website!

www.germantownacademy.net GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 3

GA/PC

DAY AND REUNION

WEEKEND A cold, blustery day did not deter fans from coming out in droves for the 132nd GA/PC Day. While the tradition spans generations, the rivalry remains fresh. In 2018, the Quakers won the day, 7.5-2.5, and earned the coveted Competition Cup.

THE SCORES Boys Cross Country: PC 28, GA 28 (tiebreaker to PC) MVP: Robert DiDonato ’21 Girls Cross Country: PC 19, GA 44 Field Hockey: GA 7, PC 0 MVP: Sammy Popper ’19 Football: PC 41, GA 14 Golf: PC 4.5, GA 3.5 Boys Soccer: PC 3, GA 1 Girls Soccer: PC 1, GA 1 MVP: Riley Axenroth ’19 Girls Tennis: PC 4, GA 3 Boys Water Polo: GA 15, PC 5 MVP: Walker Butler ’20 Girls Water Polo: PC 11, GA 6

2018

REUNION WEEKEND

Hundreds of alumni returned to campus to celebrate their quinqennial (every 5 years) reunion and support our Patriots at the 132nd GA/PC Day! The festivities began on Friday, November 9 with the annual Reunion Kickoff Happy Hour where members from the classes ending in 3 or 8 gathered to catch up with friends from years past. At the same time, the honorary Class of 1760 celebrated the induction of its three newest members, Kristen Donches, Diane Goldstein, and Jason Straub.

On Saturday, November 10, GA/PC Day was held at home and parents, alumni, students and friends came out to cheer on our teams as they took on the Quakers. Reunion alumni were invited to a special access area to watch the game (Reunion HQ) and receive their commemorative gift while our Old Guard alums enjoyed lunch as they watched the football game. The day concluded with the annual post-game festivities at MaGerk’s followed by individual class reunions held at various locations throughout the area.

THANK YOU to our reunion committees for all of their hard work in planning outstanding reunion celebrations. It was a fantastic weekend filled with new memories, camaraderie and pure Patriot Pride!

REUNION COMMITTEES 1958 Dee Nason

1963 George Bihn

1968 Bill Doerr Pat Hitschler Hirsekorn Joe Kaminski Barbara Hitschler Serrill Holly Hoofnagle Weise Bob Williams 1973 Scott Conti Philip Deming Susan Brenner Flanagan

Susan Garrett Craig Henkels Chappy Hopkins Laura Dudley Ricci Chuck Riter Willie Schorsch

1978 Sue Montgomery Burrows Mark DiGiacomo Ellen Glick Carla Morris Greene Joel Magerman Alex Talmadge

1983 Bob Brody Bert Hitschler Howlin Susan Tetzlaff Jordan Jon Miller

Becky Shoulberg John Smart Jim Turner Lisa Robertson Turner Ben Wurts 1988 Lori Dougherty Andress Rebecca Bown Harobin Heather Harper Irons Samantha MacGregor Jordan Schuy Wood Nunn Julie Girone Rink Mark Steffens Wendie Loughran Steffens Alan Werther Kurt Wetzel

Jeff Whittaker

1993 Pat FitzGerald Janine Foeller Nonie Gadsden Ron Gonen Amy Horner Hanley Amanda Kriebel Lauren Cimmet Lerner Courtney Diesel O’Donnell Daryl MacGregor Peightal Deborah Landes Schillinger

1998 Lauren Fox Nina Markey

*The Class of 2013 celebrated its reunion on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Carolyn Bedrosian Nagy Anne Nelson Adam Rubinfield Dennis Suh

2003 Chrysten Pappas Chadwick Clare Guinn Hyams Ryan Ott Erica Towey Player Diana Rodgers Will Weihenmayer

2008 Brittany Bell Charlie Devita Amanda Jones Jake Magerman Reed Marko

Annie Marshall Katie Martin Eliza McDevitt Mary Haynie Reardon Cheyney Robertson Victoria Rodgers Grant Silow *2013 Ken Anderson Caroline Haynie Buckley Lauren Budinsky Cameron Clarke Laura Conn Robert Gorman Michael Hanamirian Carney Judge Bridie Lawlor Jordan Sciascia

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 7

Introducing GA’s New Athletic Logo

The GA Athletic Department is proud to share our new logo! As you may know, the school held a contest last spring that received more than 150 creative entries from all parts of our community. A six-person committee was formed to comb through the proposals, and the winning entry was submitted by Michael Spillane, a graphic designer based out of Bucks County and a friend of GA (Spillane was the best man in fifth grade teacher and GA 1988 grad Kurt Wetzel’s wedding!).

Using his entry as a basis, modifications were made over the course of several months to incorporate timeless elements into the final logo that reflect GA’s history –our school’s founding year of 1759, our school colors, and of course, the iconic tri-corner hat.

Apparel with the new logo and wordmark are available on the online GA Fan Store: www.germantownacademy.net/fanstore

Chair for Excellence in Teaching of Science Named Head of School Rich Schellhas is pleased to announce that a new Chair for Excellence in the Teaching of Science was funded by an anonymous donor and named in honor of Upper School science Teacher Diane Goldstein 1760. The Chair, like the five other academic chairs at the school, carries with it a stipend during the three-year tenure, as well as professional development funds for the applicable department, and of course, great honor.

“I’m extremely proud to announce that the naming of the Chair for Excellence in the Teaching of Science is a GA first – the first to be named in honor of a female member of our faculty. Diane Goldstein 1760 has been teaching here since 1995

Taking the Stage

and has taken her very practical experience as an engineer and parlayed it into outstanding, hands-on teaching in the fields of physics, robotics, rocketry, and engineering at GA. She has literally and figuratively run the distance at our school, serving also as a great coach, a superb advisor, and a multitalented teacher to learners of all levels,” said Head of School Rich Schellhas.

The first Diane Goldstein 1760 Chair for Excellence in the Teaching of Science will be bestowed in June 2019.

Two Middle School Plays in One

Chess Has All the Right Moves

The Middle School Drama club performed two one-act plays called Hoodie and ths phne 2.0:The Next Generation. Hoodie brought up the age-old Middle School questions: What do I wear? What if I wear the wrong thing? What do I look like? Stop looking at me! And in the play ths phne 2.0: the actors explored how “face-to-face is so yesterday.”

It wasn’t that long ago when the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in the Cold War. Chess, performed by the Upper School Belfry Club, acts as a story where both sides could compete safely in the game of chess. Filled with excitement, competition, defection, love and spies, the production of Chess had it all.

8 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

?

Where in the World is...

TONY GARVAN 1760

Anthony N.B. Garvan 1760 roamed the halls of GA for quite some time. First as an English teacher in 1978, then as the Head of Upper School, then back to English teacher, and college counselor.After he retired in 2009, we asked him to quickly return because GA once again needed his gentle demeanor and expertise.The second time he retired, in 2016, we finally let go.Today we find him in Maine among his favorite trees trying to live a life full of, well, life.

“Since my GA days, I have been doing scarily little. Life these days is more about ‘being’ than about ‘doing,’ but I believe that if I really apply myself fulltime for a few more years, I’ll be perfect doing nothing. My wife Joan and I retired to the woods of central Maine, near two grandgirls, age 4 (going on 17) and 7 (going on a lot smarter than I am). Although the winter climate up here gives one a keen sense of living too near to the wrong side of natural selection, I love it, especially the way it fills a person with self-satisfaction to survive each day—just like living in NYC.” “If I hadn’t been a teacher, I would have been a philosopher king. But seriously, I would have

GA Named Confucius Classroom of the Year

could be told from the high-voltage buzz before and after the meeting, fun; and coming back happy with tiredness from sports on the fields across the Wissahickon bridge at twilight.”

felt good pursuing public service, and I still feel guilty for not having asked myself to do more for my country.”

“Tied for my ‘most missed part of the school day’ are: Break- because it combined the fun of eating, gossip, friendship, the endorphin high of just having learned or taught something, and more gossip; second periodbecause by that time students were awake enough to be curious but not yet worn down by the real hard work that learning is; any ‘free’ where students dropped by just to talk for fun; morning meeting–because the emotional excitement of assembling the Upper School to hear its news was always, as

For the second time since the program’s inception in 2011, Germantown Academy has been recognized as the Confucius Classroom of the Year by Hanban, the Office of Chinese Language Council International. Only five schools out of more than 1,000 worldwide receive this honor each year. The award acknowledges the work done by GA teachers to promote Chinese language and culture in the classroom and through community programs. Susan Xuan Amorosi, Director of Community Chinese Programs, presented a plaque to Head of School Rich Schellhas during the school’s Chinese New Year celebration on February 9.

“I loved GA/PC Day for its campy outfits, heart-challenging rallies, heroic athleticism, and many happy returns (reunions of friends); I loved the Prom because getting to watch so many of the young people whom I’d known as deer-in-the-headlights frosh emerge as splendid young adults who, regardless of romantic success or lack thereof, danced joyously about how far they had come in life; I loved arts openings and performances because they always channeled joie de vivre so movingly, but I most loved Commencement because that ritual allowed students and faculty to best feel that our school was what we did together and what we did together was real and good.”

“I hope I made obvious every day that every student was almost my favorite but that I didn’t play favorites; however, for those many, many whom I learned much from, the best lesson was that by persevering ye shall see the fruits. Seriously.”

Award-winning Author Erica Armstrong Dunbar Visits GA

February 5 was a busy day for National Book Award finalist and Frederick Douglass Book Prize-winning author Erica Armstrong Dunbar. In addition to a well-attended public presentation of her book, Never Caught:TheWashingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, as part of the Head of School Distinguished Speaker Series, Ms. Dunbar also spent the day in discussion with GA students and faculty about the complex topics unearthed in her research. From assemblies to classroom visits to small group discussions, Ms. Dunbar engaged the community on questions of race, slavery, and gender within the context of our nation’s founding. Ms. Dunbar’s visit was a welcome opportunity to bring history into focus through a modern lens.

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 9

A Magical Season for Varsity Girls Basketball

The 2018-19 Patriots made it look easy at times as they absolutely dominated their opponents en route to winning their fifth-straight Inter-Ac League title and first PAISAA title since 2010-11. Overall, the Patriots went 30-1 and finished 12-0 in league play. Their lone loss came against No. 2 nationally-ranked Miami Country Day. Head Coach Sherri Retif recorded her 700th career victory on Feb. 5.

Field Hockey Sticks Inter-Ac Championship

Ice Hockey Repeats as IHL Champs

The Patriots capped a perfect season (12-0) with a secondstraight Independence Hockey League title by defeating Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 7-3. The Patriots, led by senior Jake Landmesser ’19 and first-year goalie Jamie Werther ’19, outscored their opponents this season, 73-19.

INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES

Issy Goldstein ’20 won the PAISAA* Cross Country title and finished second at the Inter-Ac League Cross Country Championship.

Robert DiDonato ’21 won the individual boys Inter-Ac League race and the PAISAA Cross Country Championship after going undefeated in dual meets.

During this year’s PAISAA award presentations, Girls Cross Country Head Coach Judy Krouse 1760 was named Girls Coach of the Year from the 2017 season.

Chris Kim ’20 lead the team of five qualifiers at the National Preps Wrestling Tournament with a fourth place finish at 120lbs. Kim was the Inter-Ac Champion at that weight and finished third at PAISAA.

Crushing Penn Charter, 7-0, on GA/PC Day helped the Patriots clinch their first Inter-Ac League field hockey crown since 2006.

Co-captain Sammy Popper ’19 led the Patriots with four goals (179 career goals leads the program) and was named MVP. The Patriots fell in the championship game of the 2018 PAISAA Tournament to Episcopal Academy, 2-1, in overtime. Coach Jackie Connard’s (GA ’06) team finished 15-5-1 overall and 8-1-1 in the Inter-Ac League.

10 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

Caleb Johnson ’19 won the pole vault title at the Pennsylvania Track & Field Coaches Association Indoor State Championship when he cleared 15' 6.

Emma Atkinson ’20 was named the Outstanding Female Athlete of the Meet at the 2019 Easterns Interscholastic Swimming & Diving Championship. Atkinson won and set meet records in both the 100 backstroke (52.80) and the 200 freestyle (1:46.59). She also set pool records (Franklin & Marshall College) in both events. *PAISAA - Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (aka States)

Why We Give

“It means the world to us to know that Theo ’17 and Michael ’20 have had the same great educational experiences and will forever share their alma mater with their dad and aunt. Our family’s GA journey has been so very meaningful.We hope our legacy will be one of great pride for doing our part to provide others with that same experience.”

Ted Wood ’85 P’17 ’20, Michelle Wood P’17 ’20, Ted and Schuy Wood P’85,’88, GP’17 ’20 GA’s nearly 260-year legacy is built upon members of our community who have taken it upon themselves to assure our stability and growth from one year to the next. Along the way, many have risen to the call to lead in so many ways. These proud Patriots have directly impacted generations of students and continue to ensure the school’s success.

The Patriots Society represents our philanthropic leadership who contribute $1,759 or more to the GA Annual Fund. These generous gifts, and their yearly renewal, allow us to budget consistently to address operational needs of our faculty in order to provide the most impactful and engaging learning opportunities for students.

For more information on joining the Patriots Society, contact Kelli Toland at 267-405-7314 or visit www.germantownacademy.net/patriotssociety

Since the ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 12, 2018, GA’s new Lower School Tinker Lab has easily become the “go-to” space for PreK-5th grade students to work, collaborate, and build.

Much like the Beard Center for Innovation within the Roberts Family Library and Technology Center, the Tinker Lab was created to give students a space within the Lower School to explore, create, collaborate, and use their imagination.

Lower School Math Specialist Sue McHugh says that the Tinker Lab is the perfect opportunity to join innovation with coding and computer science. Teachers are introducing robotics and some engineering and circuitry work during their time in the Tinker Lab.

“Watching the kids’ joy of learning is truly exciting.”

Sue McHugh Lower School Math Specialist

The kind of 21st Century work that happens in the Tinker Lab often relates to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). Aided by hammers, saws, drills, 3D printers, laser engravers, and a myriad of other resources, students have the opportunity to practice problem solving skills, learn perseverance, and bring their ideas to life.

On Your Mark...Get Set...Cardboard Cup Race!

There are many competitions throughout the school year here on GA’s campus, but perhaps none as intense as the annual Cardboard Cup Speedwalking Race. Each year, students in Sara Krupnick-Ritz’s Introduction to 3D Design class build functional shoes out of cardboard that need to be a minimum of six inches off the ground. Students take their finished products out to Carey Stadium for the annual "race walk" where they test the creative and structural designs of their footwear. The results are always filled with giggles, often surprise, and someone walks away with the coveted Cardboard Cup, which went to Brett Rabbiner ’22 and Joey Delello ’22 this year.

12 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

New Lower School Library and Learning Commons Imagined

In 2018, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the administrations’ recommendation to update the Lower School facilities through a multi-phased plan. We shared the completion of Phase I in our Summer 2018 edition of The Patriot, and our desire to focus next on Phase II: a new Lower School Library and Learning Commons. To begin, Lower School faculty and students were asked to imagine a design to nurture the love for reading, inspire creativity, encourage collaboration and instill the spirit of innovation.

“While we weren’t able to accommodate student requests for a ball pit, a treehouse or sharks that return books, the new Library and Learning Commons will reflect their desire for colorful, comfortable and bright open space where they can read books, collaborate with classmates and ignite their creativity.” said Sue Szczepkowski Head of Lower School.

Topping their lists were: • More open, bright and flexible space to accommodate multiple classes • Student performance area and public exhibition of work • Dedicated media studio • Community hub to serve students, faculty and families • Quiet, colorful, and comfortable spaces to fall in love with reading

“Since introducing these plans in January, we are pleased to share that we have received $1,300,000 in commitments toward our $1,500,000 goal. This quick and generous response is an amazing reflection of our community’s excitement about the vision and belief in the need for this updated space for

our youngest students. Our hope is to raise the balance of the funds soon, so that we can proceed with the construction this summer!” said Rich Schellhas Head of School.

For information and/or to offer support, contact Audrey Schnur, Director of Institutional Advancement, at 267-405-7212 or aschnur@germantownacademy.org.

Honorees Inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame

Individual Inductees: Front Row (l to r):Teresa Crippen ’08, Caitlin McGovern-Olcese ’06, Caitlin DeFusco ’07, Caroline Doty ’08. Back Row (l to r): Art Sweeney ’69, Patrick David 1760, Steven Holmes ’01.

Missing: Cameron Ayers ’10, Maggie Lucas ’10

GA inducted eight former student-athletes, one former coach, and two teams into its Athletic Hall of Fame during a special dinner and induction ceremony on November 8, 2018.

The newest class included: Maggie Lucas ’10 (Al Lucas accepted; Sherri Retif presented) Cameron Ayers ’10 (Noah Kennedy ’10 presented) Teresa Crippen ’08 (Maddie Crippen Plankey ’98 and Claire Crippen ’07 presented) Patrick David 1760 (Scott Carbaugh presented) Caitlin McGovern-Olcese ’06 (Ginny Hofmann 1760 presented) Art Sweeney ’69 (Lily Richards ’19 presented) Caitlin DeFusco ’07 (Judy Krouse 1760 presented) Steven Holmes ’01 (Brendan Kelly ’01 presented) Caroline Doty ’08 (Kevin Doty ’08 presented) The 2004 Boys Water Polo Team (Peggy Bradley presented) The 2000-01 Girls Basketball Team (Sherri Retif presented).

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 13

CHECKING

IN

Counseling Services Support Our Students

At Germantown Academy, counseling services are an integral part of a student’s education. Social and emotional learning are just as important as academics, arts, and athletics. GA has built a robust and vital school-wide counseling department.

Five full-time psychologists and counselors have developed a practice that goes beyond crisis management by focusing on prevention, health and wellness, and resiliency.

“Is life harder for kids today?” asks Janet Maurer, Ph.D. 1760, who has been Director of Counseling Services at GA for nearly 20 years. “I think it absolutely is. The pressure to get into college has increased dramatically, and of course, kids have the reality of school shootings right in front of them.”

It’s not just high schoolers who are exposed to these types of stressors. Pre-teens struggle to establish their identity through

14 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

the lens of the latest social media “Anxiety and depression are everywhere, craze, which can at all schools, not just GA. They do not lead to difficult discriminate. There’s an explosion of these interactions with their peers. Even issues, particularly anxiety. School is a tense the youngest place. There can be a lot of pressure.” students need Dr. Janet Maurer, PhD., guidance on how to handle their Director of Counseling Services emotions in a healthy way. It’s no gives students the tools necessary to surprise then that the most common issues successfully navigate their emotional lives. school counselors deal with are anxiety and depression.

Fortunately, Germantown Academy’s While counselors at GA work with students in one-on-one sessions, much of their work is proactive, to teach students techniques that build resilience. Whether that is practicing mindfulness before a big exam or trying to empathize with someone who is having a tough time, counseling

counseling services have grown into a model program thanks to intentional investments of time, talent, and resources over the past two decades. Dr. Maurer started at GA in 1998 as a part-time consulting psychologist. The school had been bringing psychologists to campus since the ’70s, and the GA Intervention Network (GAIN) was founded in the

Upper School in 1992 as a way for faculty and administrators to offer student assistance. GAIN can now be found in the Middle School as well, and these regular check-ins have proven very useful in identifying students’ issues in their early stages.

“Teachers can observe things in situ that counselors may not,” says Maurer, “and then in our GAIN meetings, [which occur twice a rotation] teachers can share what they have observed in the hallway, in the classroom, etc. We talk about the individual issues and if we need to intervene.

Sometimes it’s wait and watch, sometimes

been part of the expansion of counseling services throughout all divisions of the school.

Part of the reason for the GA counseling team’s success is how visible they are. In addition to holding a freshman seminar in which all 9th graders are introduced to the counseling program, counselors like Jim Wade and Chrissie Baumann in the Upper School take part in the House System and lead advisories. Dr. Kurtz’s office in the Middle School is one of the busiest hubs of the building, with kids piling in at lunch to chat about the issues of the day.

“It’s not just about what’s going wrong,” Maurer explains, “But how do you maximize what’s going right? We encourage students to lead with that as part of their daily routine.”

As much as counseling has become a normal part of school life, privacy and confidentiality are still paramount. GA’s counselors have been leaders in this aspect of their practice, working with their counterparts at peer schools to develop policies that largely didn’t exist within independent schools when the department was first founded.

“Our view is,” Maurer notes, “That especially for teenagers, talking to some adult is better than talking to no adult.”

That being said, counselors always encourage students to talk with their parents, and vice versa. Parents often reach out, either to ask for advice on how to broach a topic with their child, or just to keep counselors in the loop about individual situations.

The partnership is expanded even more when the counseling department and the Parents’ Committee bring in speakers on relevant topics to families with children of all ages. Discussions of teenage brain function, drug and alcohol prevention, social media, and anxiety are helpful ways that parents can hear from experts in those fields and also find solace in each other.

it’s about who has a relationship with that student and can check in with them, or should it be a counselor that reaches out to the student or their parents. Each situation is different, and because our teachers really know their students, they want to be on the lookout for anything that is bothering them.”

Dr. Maurer’s role quickly expanded when, in her first year, the community suffered the loss of a teacher, a parent, and a student in quick succession. The need for a steady presence of counseling at GA quickly accelerated in the wake of these tragedies.

The next year, Andrea Kurtz, Psy.D., was hired to provide counseling, consultation, and referral services in the Middle School.

Since then, Drs. Maurer and Kurtz have

Psychologist Angela Jones, Ph.D. meets with students and parents in the Lower School to coordinate learning support, which is especially important at that age given the wide developmental range in young children. She also supports health and wellness prevention programming geared to every grade level in the Lower Being so naturally integrated into school life has helped normalize the role of counseling services

School. In addition to being in the academic rotation, Jones is a constant presence in the lunchroom or out on the playground. Being so naturally integrated into school life has helped normalize the role of counseling services, and minimizes any stigma that may have once existed.

Health and wellness, learning support, conflict resolution, and emotional support are all areas covered by the counseling team across the school. GA counselors also facilitate connections with outside physicians and clinicians when necessary, and have built a network of professionals they trust. Ultimately, of course, it’s up to each family to determine the right fit for their situation.

“Our counseling program is all about getting to know yourself and learning to ask for help when you need it,” Maurer concludes. “Knowledge is power, and the more knowledge you have about yourself, the better. That is the sign of a healthy, well-balanced, resilient human being.”

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 15

Cum Laude Alumni Recognized

Head of School Rich Schellhas was pleased to welcome back members of GA’s Cum Laude Society this past November to celebrate the dedication of a beautiful new display in honor of alumni who have achieved this scholarly distinction.

“This display represents our Academic Hall of Fame,” Schellhas noted, “And we are thrilled to acknowledge your commitment and hard work. We know that not all of our members were able to be here tonight, and look forward to finding more opportunities in the future for our alumni to see their names on this wall!”

Memorial Wall Dedicated

The Nunes Family made a generous donation to construct a memorial purposefully placed in the visible heart of campus.

Dedicated in June 2018, the Alumni Memorial provides an opportunity for all, on any school day, to reflect upon the lives of alumni lost in our community, most notably in remembrance of recently deceased students Peter Geraldino ’00, Cole Ballay ’09, Christopher Nunes ’14, and Bobby Taggart ’16. The school offers the wall as an opportunity to permanently recognize deceased alumni by adding a plaque with their name and graduation year. Recently, members of the Classes of 2008 and 2013 added a plaque for a classmate lost in each class.

Plaques are added with a contribution of $1 for every year our school has been in existence. Next December will mark GA’s 260th anniversary.

16 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

GA is extremely grateful for the generous funding for this display, which was made possible by the estate of the late George C. Jenkins ’38 known to his classmates as “Chappy” who was a member of the Cum Laude Society and cherished his years at Germantown Academy.

Germantown Academy established its Cum Laude Society chapter in 1921 under the headship of Dr. Samuel E. Osbourn. A true admirer of academics and scholarly activity, Dr. Osbourn’s proactive decision makes our chapter the eighth oldest in the nation and the second oldest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Students are inducted who embody the Cum Laude motto of areté, diké, and timé, or excellence, justice, and honor.

Estate Planning Made Easy

Have you thought about including GA in your estate plans? We hope our new Estate Planning pages on GA’s website (www.germantown academy.net/estate planning) will serve as a great resource with Bequest Language Samples, a new Life Stage Gift Planner interactive tool, as well as up-to-date information about the most recent tax changes and planned giving advantages. We invite you to consider joining the more than 60 members of The Samuel E. Osbourn Society who desire to support GA through bequests or other estate plans.

Jim Bricker ’66, a member of the Samuel E. Osbourn Society, enjoyed his 50th Reunion Day on Campus, highlighted by meeting his 2nd grade pen pal Skylar Saldutti ’26

McVeigh CSO Director Named

Upper School Modern Language Teacher Yvette Marquez-Pribitkin was named the inaugural Peter C. McVeigh 1760 Upper School Director of Community Service.

In 2018, The Peter C. McVeigh 1760 Upper School Director of Community Service was established in McVeigh’s honor to ensure that his work to inspire lives of service to others continues to grow and that his legacy is remembered by future generations. This position upholds our commitment to teach students the importance of community service, to create opportunities for them to know and serve others, and to work to extend McVeigh’s legacy at GA.

NETW ’S

O

RK ING

W OMEN

Last year, a dedicated group of alumni and parents of alumni came together to ensure that McVeigh’s legacy at GA lives on in perpetuity. With an initial goal of raising $100,000 in just over a month to endow the position and to support an annual day of service, the committee found itself quickly overwhelmed by the level of participation across our community, and ultimately raised $180,000 in McVeigh’s honor. The 2019 Day of Service will take place on April 13 – look for more information via email soon.

GR

OUP

Open to ALL women in the GA community!

The GA Women’s Networking Group is a welcoming place for women connected to GA to learn, make a transition, or simply network with each other. We build relationships. We build support. We enjoy learning together and pushing one another towards success. Check us out at our next meeting!

Visit www.germantownacademy.net/wng for more information and our meeting schedule!

Student Research Published

Ask junior Alexander Tang ’20 about food pathogens and his face will surely light up. Tang spent a significant amount of his weekends over the last year researching food pathogens, a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host, for Dr. Zuyi (Jacky) Huang. A professor in Villanova University’s Chemical Engineering Department, Huang recently published Tang’s research, along with the research of other high school students, in a scholarly paper entitled Data-Driven Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance of Foodborne Pathogens in Six States of USA. The paper was formally accepted by the 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineering conference in Pittsburgh. It’s also been submitted to the American Journal of Food Science and Technology.

In their work, Tang and his colleagues performed the first multivariate statistical analysis of antimicrobial-resistant gene data provided in NCBI Pathogen Detection Isolates Browser (NPDIB) database for six states that are geographically either in close proximity to one another (e.g., PA, MD, and NY) or far (e.g., NM, MN, and CA). Hundreds of multidimensional data points were projected onto a twodimensional space that was specified by the first and second principal components, which were then categorized by the hierarchical clustering approach.

The focus was on why the resistance to antimicrobials in some pathogens in food has increased. The team tried to locate the genes in the pathogens to find out the resistance. Tang was assigned New Mexico, and using large public government databases of genes found in pathogens in the southeastern state, he “plugged in” code to see and detect which genes are consistently not affected by antimicrobials.

Reporting that there are only a handful that are causing a resistance, Tang and his peers used algorithms and R, a programming language and free software environment for statistical computing and graphics supported by the R Foundation for Statistical Computing, to navigate and make sense of the information provided to them in the massive government databases.

Overall, Tang was surprised that his work yielded such impactful results. While the code does most of the work, he admitted that you have to know what to put into it in order to understand the method of analysis and, ultimately, the interpretation of those results.

“Using a really abstract and complicated technique actually worked,” said Tang. “It’s nice to see that something I put a lot of time into could actually get published and mean something. I spent many Friday nights with this professor trying to code this program. It was nice to see it actually had an effect.”

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 17

LIVING THE

MISSION

GA’s Mission Statement Celebrates 10 Years While written and implemented in fall 2009, the core of GA’s Mission Statement is a reflection of the desires of the concerned citizens of Germantown who founded the school back on December 6, 1759 at the Green Tree Inn. Over the years, the GA Mission or Mission Statements have taken many forms. There was an overview of the school in 1914, a statement in the 1927 Student Handbook, as well as, a letter from the President of the Board of Trustees entitled, “The Aim of Germantown Academy is to Educate Head, Heart and Body,” which emphasized the importance of nurturing the intellectual, physical, and moral development of the students.

The Academy then wrote a “Statement of Philosophy,” which was published in the 1991-92 Red Book. This “Statement” was used until the current title of “Mission Statement” in the 18 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

1997-98 Student Handbook appeared. Its current form, “Germantown Academy inspires students to be Independent in Thought, Confident in Expression, Compassionate in Spirit, Collaborative in Action, and Honorable in Deed” has been fully embraced by our faculty and student body and has served as a guide for our daily interactions within curriculum, sportsmanship, and interpersonal relationships.

As we launch our inaugural Alumni Mission Awards (see page 24), we thought it would be helpful to highlight some of our current students living GA’s mission told by faculty members. Information on how to nominate someone you know for an Alumni Mission Award is on the last page of this section.

INDEPENDENT IN THOUGHT WRITTEN BY

ACADEMY SCHOLARS ADVISOR/MIDDLE SCHOOL, UPPER SCHOOL LIBRARY DEPARTMENT HEAD

Mary Fraser

Awareness, understanding, and critical thinking are three important aspects of being Independent in Thought. Olivia Negro ’19 recognized that the world is a changing place and becoming more complicated by the day. World issues, with our up-to-the-minute 24-7 news cycle, can sometimes be overwhelming and difficult to understand and navigate. To help tweens and teens better understand current events, Olivia engineered a self-created podcast entitled PopGlobe for her multi-year Academy Scholars project.

As an active member of several groups on campus, including the annual History Debate Assembly Team, Model United Nations, and Citizenship Club, Olivia envisioned that this podcast could explain complicated issues in a way so that other students, especially those in Middle School, could understand and dive in. It’s truly a noble concept to seek to help one’s peers so that they can further understand and engage with information to lead productive discussions.

Throughout the process, which often required a fair amount of grit and perseverance, Olivia created several episode prototypes. The final episodes run between 6-10 minutes and deliver meaningful information quickly.

Her episodes tackle some of the world’s biggest names and organizations, hot-button topics, and ongoing issues, including: the American Civil Liberties Union, Elon Musk, U.S.-China trade war, the opioid epidemic, and the Syrian Civil War.

The beauty of this project lies in the realization that podcasting is a pretty effective way of sharing information, and in Olivia’s strong belief in the power of hearing a human voice for better comprehension, rather than the use of visuals which can distract you from hearing what is being said. Olivia’s project, which started as a kernel of interest and grew into a passion, is a wonderful example of the benefit of the Academy Scholars program and GA’s support of a student’s commitment to an independent thought.

CONFIDENT IN EXPRESSION WRITTEN BY MIDDLE SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT HEAD, MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR

Chris Horner

Eighth grader Yash Chadda ’23 has been our first chair violin for the last two years. He plays with authority and leads the group under the bright lights of the Arts Center Auditorium. Last spring,Yash had the opportunity to do something he’s never done before. He, along with his classmates, walked out onto the stage and wowed the audience with ‘Power,’ a song he wrote all on his own.

After writing and playing the piece on the piano, he enthusiastically translated the work for the Middle School String Ensemble to play.

Yash is a true student of music who studies the pieces we’re playing, understands their complexities, and what needs to be done to complete a score.

It’s very rare for a student to compose his or her own songs. Creating, writing a piece of music is very painstaking. It requires developing a tune, considering how it will be accompanied, and with which instruments. Finally, is it in the right key? Though,Yash’s inner drive and love for playing the violin certainly gives him a leg up when writing music for strings. In the end, it was incredibly rewarding to see how psyched his peers were to play his song. They liked the piece, but more importantly, they wanted to be proud of their performance.

After all, it’s not every day that you are able to bring your classmate’s work to life!

20 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

COMPASSIONATE IN SPIRIT

WRITTEN BY MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH TEACHER, DIRECTOR OF GA COMMUNITY SERVICE

Anthony Commale

The Germantown Academy community genuinely cares about others. From small outreaches on weekends to all-school events like the MLK Day of Service, our three Community Service Organizations are consistently instrumental in giving students a platform to serve the greater Philadelphia area with empathy and kindness. My favorite event of the year is when we gather as a school for the CSO Holiday Program, which is led by the senior leaders of CSO and now takes place in the Field House. Other than Flag Raising, it’s the only event where all of us – more than 1,400! – are in the same space and taking the time out of our busy schedules to honor service by gathering holiday gifts for those less fortunate. Forgetting the rush of the world and the school day and saying this is important to our community—that’s a powerful statement.

CSO is proud to suppor t: St. Chr istopher’s Hospital for Children•Car son Valley Children’s Aid•Silver Spr ings Mar tin Luther Sc hool•Mattie Dixon Cupboard•Alex’s Lemonade Stand•Face to Face•St. John’s Hospice•Make-A-Wish•The Breathing Room Foundation•Home at Last Dog Rescue•PAWS•Cats Br idge to Rescue•Steven Kline Wellness Center•Manna on Main•Cradles to Crayons•Baby Bureau

COLLABORATIVE IN ACTION WRITTEN BY 5TH GRADE TEACHER, PREK-12 DESIGN THINKING COORDINATOR

Lauren Vanin

The design thinking process taps into student curiosity and allows them to create, test and re-create until they eventually share what they’ve made to a real audience. Our 5th Grade and Kindergarten STEAM buddy program is guided by this collaborative framework and is designed to establish meaningful relationships between our older students and our younger GA students , while also modeling and applying the design thinking process to solve real-life problems. First, the Class of 2026 observed how their younger buddies worked in the Tinker Lab. The 5th graders then created a set of questions to engage their buddies in conversations to understand their needs and record successes and challenges using certain maker materials.

The STEAM buddy program inspires the students to be collaborative in action by encouraging them to build trust so that they can initiate new ideas in a cooperative setting.

Through this collaboration, all of the students raise their problem-solving and innovative skills, while the older students build empathy skills for their younger peers. It is so rewarding to see STEAM buddies outside of the program.

The 5th graders now choose to play with the Kindergarteners at recess, create together during Design Days, and go out of their way to give hugs in the hallway. As a result of this program, the 5th graders now have a different view of their younger classmates. They value their input as meaningful, and respect them as an important part of their community.

22 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

HONORABLE IN DEED WRITTEN BY HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

Jonas Jeswald While the Middle School Civility Pledge is not entirely new to our division, I hope the way we went about publicly signing and displaying it this year will turn into a new tradition. Specific, Middle School-appropriate language clearly defines what students and faculty will do and won’t do. Being a part of the GA Middle School community means upholding and living the entire mission, with the two tenets of compassion and honor at the core, and the very act of taking the pledge in front of your peers seems even more important to the way they can live their every day.

It’s hard for adolescents to live by every standard; I mean, it’s hard for adults too. The students take it seriously; sometimes after the eye roll, it really does make a difference to have something to point to. Committing to the pledge in a public way helps us process moments when we ‘miss.’ It’s easier to have a conversation about what happened, what went wrong, what was being thought about at the time, who was affected, what is needed to make things right when you can point to something on the wall that everyone passes every day.

MIDDLE SCHOOL CIVILITY PLEDGE All Middle School students and faculty/ staff agree to adhere to the standards embedded in the Civility Pledge and Mission Statement by annually signing the following Middle School version of the Civility Pledge.

By signing below, I am pledging, during interactions both on and off campus that:

• I will be kind.

• I will be respectful.

• I will be courteous.

• I will be inclusive.

• I will honor difference.

By signing below, I am pledging, during interactions both on and off campus that:

• I will not use language or behave in a way that targets a person’s race.

• I will not use language or behave in a way that targets a person’s gender or sexuality.

• I will not use language or behave in a way that targets a person’s beliefs or religion.

• I will not use language or behave in a way that targets any other aspect of a person’s identity.

THE ALUMNI MISSION

AWARD The Alumni Society Board is excited to open nominations for the newly created Alumni Mission Award! This award is designed to recognize those graduates from the Academy who are living the GA mission. Any member (student, faculty, parent, former parent, alum) of the Germantown Academy community may submit a nomination.

Criteria: Any graduate of Germantown Academy, at least 10 years out (up to and including the Class of 2009), who through their personal or professional lives, is an example of one or more of the five tenets of our mission: Independent in Thought, Confident in Expression, Compassionate in Spirit, Collaborative in Action, and Honorable in Deed, is eligible for this award. The award is reserved for graduates.

Process: Nominations must be submitted in writing, either through the online form or in a letter. If writing a letter, please state in a paragraph or two the reasons for the nomination. A committee of Alumni Society Board members will review all nominations and select the award recipients. Nominees are not to be judged by the number of letters of recommendation, but by whether they are clear examples of our mission in action.

The nomination period will close on May 31, 2019 and the inaugural awards will be given during Alumni Weekend & GA/PC Day on November 8-9, 2019.

Please contact Melissa Fikioris at either 267-405-7207 or Melissa.fikioris@ germantownacademy.org if you have any questions.

If you’d like to mail in a nomination, please send it to:

Germantown Academy Att: Alumni Mission Award 340 Morris Road Fort Washington, PA 19034

24 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

MISSION STATEMENT

Our core GA Mission consists of 15 simple but profound words, 15 words that guide our actions and activities each day and every year.

INDEPENDENT IN THOUGHT A leadership mindset begins with having the independence of thought necessary to seek and find the truth in all that he or she reads, sees, and hears.

CONFIDENT IN EXPRESSION Independent thinkers become self-confident individuals. Teachers and staff members hear expressed time and time again how confidently GA students comport themselves. Alumni visits around the country remind us that the core of confidence built during GA years holds firm throughout adulthood.

COMPASSIONATE IN SPIRIT Effective leadership also involves the ability to care about others, to realize that everyone we meet can teach us something valuable and, in turn, can learn something of value from us. True compassion: empathy that enables independent-minded, confident people to recognize that vulnerability is the connecting spirit within us all.

COLLABORATIVE IN ACTION Collaborative action moves a group forward whether a community, a team, a company, etc... Active "followership" plays a significant role in a meaningful education. Well-educated people have learned when and how to dedicate themselves to the support of the whole.

HONORABLE IN DEED The Mission Statement recognizes that without personal honor, curious, confident, compassionate people will not engender the trust needed to be effective leaders or followers. GA strives to teach students to hold themselves to the highest personal standards. To achieve this goal, adults in our community must be role models of trustworthy behavior.

Please visit www.germantownacademy.net/alumnimission to submit your nomination online.

ALUMNI NOTES

1950s

Paul Rafferty ’50 recently returned from the National Veterans Golden Age Games in Albuquerque where he competed in the 50-yard breaststroke, the 25 and 50yard freestyle events, and the 1600-meter power walk. Paul came away with four gold medals, which he plans to defend at the 2019 games in Anchorage.

Robert B. Asher ’55 recently enjoyed dinner with Bob McNeil ’55 and Ed Hines. Robert wrote, “Lots of old memories about Germantown Academy. Bob and I went from kindergarten to senior year together.”

1960s

John Leopold ’60 was appointed to a three-year term on the Anne Arundel County (Maryland) Commission on Disabilities. He is a former member of the National Council on Disability (appointed by

President George H.W. Bush) and the Federal Interagency Council for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, Clinton Administration).

Children’s author Mifflin Lowe ’66 has three picture books and a short documentary in the works, including The Cuddle Book, My Dad:The Man, The Myth,The Legend, and Cowboys and Cowgirls:They Came in Every Color.

David Brown ’69 just celebrated 30 years of political consulting in southern Florida. In 2018, he won five of the six campaigns he managed. His 30year percentage is 83 percent for over 130 campaigns for state senators, state representatives, judges, school board members, and mayors. David is often quoted on election issues. His company, Campaign Associates, also sells promotional products to corporations just as he sold threecorner Patriot hats and rally buttons at GA football games.

IN MEMORIAM Elbert Gerbron ’40 Theodore Heidenreich ’41 Henry Johnson ’42 Vincent LePore ’42 Richard Wainwright ’44 Virgil LaPenta ’47 Don Kinnaman ’47 David Kee ’50 Frank Roma ’50 George Tattersfield ’57 Robert Soley ’68 Elizabeth Hopkinson ’85 Dennis Ledwith ’89 Danielle Petersen ’07 Nolan Farrell ’09 Andrew Gill ’12 Daniel Chen ’13

Remembering Long Time Teacher, Jack Reydel students and had fun staying in touch via email with several."

J.J. and Amy shared that a memorial Mass will be held at St. John the Evangelist Church in Wellesley, Massachusetts on April 6, 2019.

Former longtime faculty member John “Jack” Reydel passed away on Dec. 20, 2018 at the age of 89.

Mr. Reydel taught Upper School history courses at GA from 1979 until 1997. He was the proud father of alumni, J.J. Reydel ’83 and Amy Reydel Fuchs ’87. He is also survived by his wife, Jill Gerald Reydel.

As his daughter, Amy, shared, "The best part of GA for my dad was being able to see us every day and watch us grow up in the GA community. He enjoyed all of his

A native of New Jersey, Mr. Reydel received his undergraduate degree at Princeton University in 1951 and then served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. He then worked for 17 years at The Lawrenceville School, where he was a housemaster, head coach of varsity football, and chairman of the history department, before becoming the headmaster at the Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut from 1973-1978. He then left Canterbury for GA because he had the desire to teach again.

“I really developed a love of history, because he had such enthusiasm for his subject and made American history come alive for me,”

said Tyler Kepner ’93, who is the national baseball writer for The NewYork Times. “My favorite topic is baseball history, and I learned about how to research and write from him…He was a great example of doing what you love and what you are passionate about.”

Remembering Mr. Reydel: The family asks that alumni wishing to share memories and stories of Mr. Reydel for a memory book, to please email them to J.J. at john.reydel@taboracademy.org or Amy at amyrfuchs@gmail.com.

Gifts can be made in Reydel’s memory to the E.R. Kast Fund for Faculty at Germantown Academy. Funds will be earmarked to provide professional development opportunities for GA’s teachers of History. Gifts made payable to Germantown Academy can be mailed to Martin Dean (267-405-7458), Office of Institutional Advancement, 340 Morris Rd., Ft. Washington, PA 19034.

CLASS OF 1990

Karla Ballard Williams Develops New Skill Sharing App By all accounts, one could say that YING, a skill sharing platform for friends, colleagues and communities, was inevitable for its co-founder & CEO, Karla Ballard Williams ’90. Beginning her career in banking, Ballard Williams saw early on how currency had a huge role in shaping society.

“In my first job at a bank in Delaware I saw how currency was at the core of whether we were happy or not, at the core of who was part of what social networks or not, and at the core of what people had access to or not. Currency was how people saw culture,” Ballard Williams explained to the students in the Upper School during an assembly on February 25.

Jump forward a couple of years and, alarmed by a rash of juvenile delinquency in 1995, Ballard Williams took a leap of faith and left her job to begin community service work. At the time she started a chapter in Delaware of the Urban League, an organization aimed at “empowering people of color to achieve economic selfreliance, parity, power, and civil rights” (mwul.org). After meeting two of her mentors, James Gilliam, Sr. and Dr. Edgar Cahn, who is known as the founder of time banking, Ballard Williams knew that there was going to be a collision between her experience in the private sector and her work in social impact. That exact collision happened in June 2015. While reading an article about a sharing economy, Ballard Williams saw that on one end of the timeline was Cahn and on the other end were the founders of Uber.

“The lightbulb went off. This was the time to modernize banking and scale it so that it was accessible. I realized that we needed balance in our economic system between traditional currency and community currency. That’s the ‘yin’ and the ‘yang’, which is how we got YING,” said Ballard Williams.

Designed for both single and group use, but primarily used by groups,YING is a mobile app that “enables you to introduce the concept of skill-sharing within your organization or community. Whether your organization facilitates volunteerism, participates in a group activity or wants to help a friend/colleague move, the time spent doing those activities is worth time credits. Members bank time, help each other, and can spend the earned credits with others in the community for business resources, help at home, or any other task you may need.” (www.yingme.com)

“This is our way of creating a social capital bank and really bring back an understanding that we all have more assets and value in our own backyard than we can imagine. This is the physical way to unveil our value,” she explained.

To utilize YING, a user creates a profile and selects his/her skill offerings, such as community clean up, software development, and translation services, to name but a few. One hour of skill sharing equals one credit which can then be spent by requesting the skills of other YING users in the community. “The reason we created YING for groups is because there is already a sense of trust amongst members, and it’s more natural and comfortable to skill share with people you already know,” said Ballard Williams.

Similar to another large well-known currency app,Venmo, whose founder is an investor inYING, the app is taking off. Currently working with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD),YING is launching in 17 cities across the United States.

“The first year we really worked on building partnerships for this application,” explained Ballard Williams. “We have three vertical spaces that we are targeting: Impact (organizations like HUD and local housing commissions), Enterprise (large corporations that want to save money and measure community impact by having their employee’s skill share), and Creative (musicians and artists who have always been at the forefront of trading. A collaboration with a large telecom company is also on the horizon.”

“I guess you could say that I was always an activist,” Ballard Williams remembers. “My mom was a social worker and an administrator for a hospital. I saw the raw aspect of humankind….a lot of people who were not lucky in life and deserved to be cared for and respected. My dad was an entrepreneur who had a great business mind and chose to go into motivational speaking, health and wellness. I come from a long line of civil servants, and GA had an enormous impact. As a little girl, I witnessed and felt the internal love that we all showed each other. Then we took that love and did the work in outside communities. I began to understand the intentionality about caring for others outside of your family.”

26 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

Several members of the class of 1969 took a trip to Sedona in October 2018, including from left to right Beth Bower ’69, Gwen Borowsky ’69, Barbara Pflaumer ’69 and Jane Howard ’69.

1970s

Janet Budd McGee ’73 wrote, “After almost eight years of Parkinson's disease, I’m celebrating my first year of no tremors since deep brain stimulation surgery! I should have paid more attention in science and biology! I talk all the time with former choir members Betsy Ritter ’73, Bill Davis ’73, Betsy Whiteman Mueller ’73, and Rob Meyer ’73. I’m getting ready to retire from medical accounting which I have been doing for the last 20 years.

Anyone have any good suggestions? We’re also enjoying our new puppy, Tank, who is part mastiff, pit bull and coon hound– we think!”

Radnor-based wealth management firm, Pennsylvania Trust, announced that Senior Vice President Charles ‘Chip’ Sheppard II ’75 has been appointed as Director of Equity Research and Strategy. He will remain as senior vice president and will also continue to serve on the Investment Policy Committee.

Outside of work, Chip founded the Whitemarsh Township Residents Association and serves on multiple non-profit boards and committees.

Randy Alexander ’76, president of Randex Communications public relations firm, has partnered with Franke Previte, the Academy Award-winning songwriter of Dirty Dancing, and world-renowned live show specialist Michael LaFleur (Disney, Universal, Celine Dion) to

premiere an uplifting, all-new jukebox musical called Calling All Divas, which held its world premiere at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside on Saturday, March 2.

Kent Griswold ’76 has launched the pilot episode of his new television show, BizzShow, on YouTube (search "BizzShow").The first season will feature two companies in each episode competing for a co-investment from a group of investors from the Greater Philadelphia region called the Wolf PAC (Presidents Advisory Council). Each episode also includes an educational component called "99 Seconds with Professor X" and a charitable component called "A Minute for Mission.” He hopes to be picked up by Netflix and expand to other regions of the country.

Hillary Hickmott Baker ’79 reports that GA and Abington Memorial Hospital seem to be very well connected. “I met Gerry Rankin ’76 at Abington during the holidays. Gerry was my brother’s nurse. The nurse manager in the CCU was Eric Hiltebeitel’s ’76 sister Heidi who introduced herself. And the infectious disease doctor’s daughter teaches first and second grade at GA (Lower School 1/2 teacher Sara Braun Fridirici). Thank you to Gerry, Heidi, and the kind people at Abington for taking amazing care of my brother. Small world.”

1980s

Carolyn Korman Jacobs ’80 and her husband, Michael, are now the proud parents of two beautiful English Mastiff pups, Peanut and Pudge. They weighed in at 25 pounds in just under nine weeks, but will soon top the scales at over 200 pounds (their mom weighs 220 pounds!). “YES, that will certainly be a lot to LOVE,” wrote Carolyn, “But we feel that we’re up for the challenge (GA prepared me well)!”

Upcoming Alumni Events

Peter McVeigh 1760 Day of Service – Saturday, April 13 Class of 1969 Day on Campus – Friday, May 17 Old Guard Dinner – Friday, May 17 Academy Club Induction Ceremony and Dinner – Tuesday, June 11

Oh baby! Rebecca C. Garrett-Brown ’82 recently completed her 2,500th delivery as a Certified Nurse-Midwife at Jacobs Medical Center at University of California San Diego Health in La Jolla.

Rebecca also wrote that “it has been fun reconnecting with Beth Anderson Califano ’82 and Kelly Greenleaf ’82 as they both live in La Jolla now. My husband, Arthur, and I have a son, Alex, who just turned 18 and is starting to get some college acceptance letters. It is an exciting time and 2019 should prove to be very eventful with Alex’s high school graduation and our 25th wedding anniversary.”

Kevin Palmer ’88, CEO of Palmer International, Inc., a leading innovator in sustainable chemistries using cashew nutshell liquid, signed a limited liability partnership agreement with Novosis Green Technologies to jointly promote and distribute cashew-based derivatives in India and globally.

Members of the Class of 1989 had a wonderful time celebrating together at Jamie Schermer Adler Bleznak’s ’89 wedding in September 2018 at Bluestone Country Club. From left to right, Dara Gordon Martinez ’89, Denise Cattie Smith ’89, Melissa Stonberg ’89, Ali Hill ’89, Jamie (bride), Julia Mignatti-Deye ‘89 were all present.

1990s

Michael Turner ’91 was named Head of The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr on October 29, 2018. Turner will begin his new position in July 2019.

In September, the Connelly Foundation of West Conshohocken announced the appointment of Tim Durkin ’93 P’24 ’26, as Vice President for Grantmaking. Following 17 years at The Pew Charitable Trusts, Durkin will oversee the foundation’s program planning and strategy implementation. Founded in 1955, the Connelly Foundation, with $260 million in assets, supports nonprofits in the Philadelphia region devoted to Catholic education, health and human services, civic and cultural opportunity.

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 27

CLASS OF 1956

6 Things with Tony Macklin

A decades-long film critic,Tony Macklin ’56 took his surprise love for writing and GA-learned mastery of critical thinking toVillanova University for undergrad and grad work, University of Dayton for an almost 40-year teaching career, and Las Vegas for retirement. He published a book,Voices from the Set:The Film Heritage Interviews (2000), based on his 12-year run as a magazine writer and celebrity interviewer, and today is a member of the LasVegas Film Critics Society. Here Macklin describes how his passion for literature and film continues today.

1 2 3 4 5 6

“I think I was Holden Caulfield before I even knew who Holden Caulfield was. We are simpatico.You can read 10 sociological studies about a teenager – angst, alienation – or you can read Catcher in the Rye. There is truth, artistry, perception in Holden Caulfield. I love the symbolism and myth and representation.

Before my time, I would have been an outlier.

“My claim to fame at GA is arranging to have Bill Haley and the Comets play our prom. I totally don’t remember doing that, but it is my identity to GA by my classmates.

“I once wrote a story about a soldier and his son (it didn’t win the GA Story of the Week) - a story about Chaley.

The teacher wanted to correct it to Charley, but I didn’t want to call him that. I definitely picked up my voice at GA. After everything that happened to finally lead me to GA (he spent his formative years at the ‘other’ school in Germantown), I embraced the opportunity and the challenge; I could either go for it or avoid it. I always went for it. Not always quietly and with belief.

“I came along at the perfect time for films, the 1970s. It was the golden age of cinema. Frank Capra, Francis Ford Coppola, Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman… those creators helped the beginning of film be recognized as an art form. The film departments in college were considered escapism, and I loved teaching students about literature and film. When I started the Film Heritage, I was able to talk to so many people in their own place – John Wayne’s home, the set of Hitchcock’s last film. Shirley MacLaine spilled coffee on me. I was smitten with Ava Gardner when she stood next to me, and oh, Stockard Channing.

“What seemed to set me apart as an interviewer was that I was a good listener. I knew their work going in and people responded to that. When I met John Wayne, I talked about him changing his accent. While everyone else wanted to talk to him about fighting in bars, I went after a piece of acting ‘business’ and we became equals in the conversation. Oh, and Clint Eastwood! I taught a course at Dayton about him (first ever). He has certainly proven himself a central figure in modern film in American cinema.

“A reviewer tells what the audience thinks. A critic tells what he thinks. When I write things I want it to be my best every time. It keeps me vital and perceptive.You can usually see that my reviews have something that ONLY is in my review. It’s very seldom that I get surprised by a storyline, or an ending, although I was anxiously waiting to see if Bradley Cooper (GA Class of 1993) was going to stay true to the ending of A Star is Born. I enjoy bringing awareness and knowledge to the experience when people go to movies. The best movie I have seen this year (2018) was Leave No Trace. I always ask, ‘Is it truly told? Not, is it a true story.’ Most are true stories.” Visit tonymacklin.net for more.”

28 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

Lauren Davis ’98 is happy to announce the birth of her second child this past summer. Carter Davis-Terrell was born on June 30, 2018. He joins older brother Kai, who is now four and a half.

A picture of Katey Ferguson Dyck ’98, who attended a July 2018 protest of Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Philadelphia dressed as a handmaid, was included in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s “Year in Pictures” special edition in December 2018.

Maddy Crippen Plankey ’98 is one of Villanova University’s Class of 2018 Varsity Club Hall of Fame inductees. “Maddy Crippen is one of the most accomplished swimmers in the history of the Villanova program,” the announcement said. Maddy is the current Villanova record holder in the 400 IM and is the school’s first swimmer to compete on the U.S. Olympic team. She and the other inductees were honored in February at the 43rd Annual Villanova Hall of Fame dinner.

nominated for both a Tony and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance as Barry Mann in Beautiful:The Carole King Musical. He made his Broadway debut as Gavroche in the original production of Les Misérables and went on to play a record-breaking 1,500 performances as Frankie Valli in "Jersey Boys" on Broadway.

2000s

Jon Pulli ’00 P’29 ’31 is currently the CEO of Turn 14 Distributions, Inc., a performance warehouse distributor with distribution centers located in Souderton, Arlington, and Reno.

While a student at Franklin & Marshall College, Jon and his roommate started an online aftermarket car parts business called JSC Speed, Inc. After college, they opened a warehouse. They soon sold that retail operation and founded Turn 14, which employs hundreds of people, sponsors race cars, donates to charity, and is doing well.

Jon balances his time between work and his wife, Samantha, and his three daughters. Two of his daughters are now attending GA!

Jarrod Spector ’99, who currently plays Sonny Bono in The Cher Show, was featured in a January 3, 2019 article in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Prior to this role, Spector was

Laura Kraya and Seth Gershenson ’00 welcomed Aiden Gershenson on November 9, 2018.

Nathan and Jen Ramirez Miller ’00 welcomed their son, Andrew, on October 29, 2018. Older siblings Caroline, Matthew, and Luke are thrilled to have a new baby brother.

EACH ATTENDEE ATTENDS TWO OF THE FOLLOWING 60-MINUTE CLASSES 1. Adventures in German: Rich Schellhas Fun, stress-free world of conversational German for beginners.

2. Great Moments in Cinema: Dwight Peterson 1760 Time travel with GA’s movie maven as you visit iconic moments from the last 50 years of motion pictures.

3. The Science of Effective Collaboration: Diane Goldstein 1760 Take the Marshmallow Challenge and learn insights into leadership, teamwork, and creativity in just one hour!

4. How Art Moves Us: Sara Krupnick-Ritz Exploring what makes an object beautiful to the eye, and more.

SPOTS ARE LIMITED! REGISTER AT

www.germantownacademy.net/1dayacademy

Allison Bedrosian Gatter ’01 and her husband, Bill, are excited to announce the arrival of their first child, Olivia Ann Gatter, born December 4, 2018.

Cookie art guru Stephanie White Kappel ’01 appeared on Food Network’s ultra-competitive Holiday Gingerbread Showdown in December 2018.

Kappel won her semifinal round allowing her to advance to the grand finale. Kappel was approached by a casting company, who took note of the popular gingerbread house class she offers on Bluprint (formerly Craftsy). Kappel also owns The Hungry Hippopotamus, a cookie art company that she launched in 2009.

Rachel Treffeisen Liang ’01 and Dr. Jeffrey Liang celebrated the arrival of their first child, Ivy Eowyn, on August 20, 2018. Rachel works for the Department of Homeland Security as Chief of the Nuclear SectorSpecific Agency. In her spare time, she skates with NOVA Roller Derby, where her husband referees and serves as President. Jeff is a Senior Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin, as well as a Major in the Maryland Air National Guard.

Former Belfry Club standout Geoffrey Goldberg ’02 has been busy in both Philadelphia and New York City. The Philadelphia Inquirer chose The Media Theater’s “Next To Normal”, with Goldberg as the director, as one of the best shows of 2018. He was nominated for Best Director of a Musical for his work in both that show and in Newsies at the Media Theater.

In the Big Apple, Geoffrey and his partner, Evan Horowitz, made their own sort of Broadway debut via their new company, Movers + Shakers, which combines Evan’s marketing expertise with Geoffrey’s Broadway choreography and performance experience for upbeat ads. With one of their first clients, Geoffrey and Evan directed and choreographed a video advertisement that aired on a 1,600 square foot screen in Times Square.

Blake Mattern ’02 and his wife, Jess, are the proud parents of their first baby, Shay Jessa Mattern.

Congratulations to Blake, Jess, and grandparents Maria & Kendall Mattern 1760!

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 29

CLASS OF 2000

Michael Mandel: Listening & Learning From a Thousand Miles Away As a student at GA, Michael Mandel ’00 was heavily involved in the Upper School’s active music scene. In fact, it was here where the former jazz and concert band star wrote his first computer program, which handily transcribed audio of saxophone solos into musical notes. He fondly remembers being taught and mentored by the likes of Ruth Carver, Chris Horner, Joe Rozak 1760, Joseph Scherrer 1760, Mark Stephens 1760, and Pete Schaefer. That was almost 20 years ago, and not much has changed for the GA lifer since he graduated. Just scan through his impressive CV and it’s obvious that Mandel has successfully married his love for music and sound with his passion for computer science.

And now, he is preparing for a different sort of listening exercise, one that includes thousands upon thousands of hours of raw recordings of northern Alaska wildlife.

Mandel, an associate professor in the Computer Information Science Department at The City University of NewYork - Brooklyn College, was recently awarded a five-year collaborative grant from the National Science Foundation to analyze audio recordings from the Alaskan wilderness.

This analysis will allow Mandel and his colleagues to better understand the migration patterns of animals like songbirds, including white-crowned sparrows and Lapland longspurs, waterfowl, and caribou and assess how they are affected by climate change and noises generated by human activity. For example, Mandel noted that one village in northern Alaska of around 450 people was found to have the noise population of a city 900 times its size due to the local oil and gas industry.

“We’re anticipating we will collect 100,000 to 125,000 hours of recordings,” said Mandel.

“It would be prohibitive for humans to listen to that much audio, but by using computers, we can do it a lot of faster. The goal is to study effects of climate change and human generated noise on the northern most part of Alaska.”

30 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

Mandel will serve as the audio expert on the four-person team, a role he has been building up to throughout the course of his career. After GA, Mandel went on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he also minored in music. He continued on his academic path at Columbia University where he earned a Master of Science degree and doctorate degree with distinction in Electrical Engineering as a Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Presidential Scholar. From 2009 to 2010, he was a Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FQRNT) Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the machine learning laboratory at the Université de Montréal. For two years he was an algorithm developer at Audience Inc., a company that has shipped over 350 million noise suppression chips for cell phones before becoming a research scientist in computer science and engineering at Ohio State University. Over the years, his projects have been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and Google, Inc. Mandel, who is an expert in machine listening, which combines the fields of machine learning, signal processing, and psychoacoustics to create systems that can understand sound, has already worked on a number of projects that focus on human speech.

“Basically, I am trying to make computers better able to process speech in terms of noise,” said Mandel, who was awarded a

different grant last June from the National Science Foundation which will focus on integrating perceptual models of auditory importance into deep learning-based noiserobust speech recognition. “That has sort of been the core of my research. In the past, I’ve done this work on music, and I have always wanted to get into the environmental sounds world and this is a good opportunity to do it.”

Now that his wish has been granted, Mandel and his colleagues are currently preparing to place hundreds of animal and weather-proof boxes all over northern Alaska this spring.

Each box will feature a large microphone, memory card, battery, and will be programmed to record for five minutes each hour or two. Those boxes will then be picked up in the fall so Mandel can analyze the audio using audio processing algorithms and practices of deep machine learning with the hope of drilling down data to the point where his program can distinguish between, say, sparrows and longspurs, as well as other species.

If Mandel’s Arctic sound analysis is successful, this could open the door for more researchers to explore other problems in nature.

Fran Crippen Scholarship Established

Germantown Academy is honored to announce the establishment of the Fran Crippen Scholarship, named in memory of Francis E. Crippen ’02. The new fund will enable GA to assist a student who qualifies for financial aid and actively participates on the Germantown Academy Swim Team during his or her fourth year of Upper School at the Academy.

The Crippen Scholarship was made possible due to the generosity of the Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation, the Crippen family and friends.

“We wanted Fran’s story, mission and spirit to be remembered for years by not only those who knew him, but also by those who have yet to learn about him and what he stood for. Fran loved GA, and we hope this scholarship will pick up where he left off, by supporting others, giving back and helping swimmers pursue their dreams.”

–The Crippen Family GA Upper School students had the tremendous opportunity to hear from Philadelphia Eagles beat reporter Zach Berman ’04 on November 2, 2018.

Zach returned to campus where he talked to students about his book, Underdogs:The Philadelphia Eagles’ Emotional Road to Super Bowl Victory, and his career as a sports reporter. In his book, Zach takes fans on a journey through the actionpacked 2017-18 season that ended with the Eagles winning Super Bowl LII. Abby Duffine Gilman ’04 received her PhD in nutrition sciences from Drexel University on September 7, 2018. She received her Master’s degree there, as well, and is a registered dietitian. Her parents and her husband, Eli Gilman, were invited to listen to her defense of her thesis. She celebrated later with her daughter, Evelyn Mira (born in June 2017).

Alexa Haines Strube ’04 and husband, Adam, are thrilled to announce the birth of their son, Erik Adam Strube, on August 12, 2018.

He joins big sister, Vivienne.

Everyone is happy and healthy!

Danielle and Andrew Sherlock ’04 celebrated the birth of Avaline Jane Sherlock on November 14, 2018. Andrew wrote, “She was born at Lankenau Hospital. She is a happy and healthy little girl. We feel incredibly blessed.”

Tim Stoutzenberger ’04 married Alison Harding on October 6, 2018 in Massachusetts.

His brother, Patrick FitzGerald ’93, officiated the ceremony.

Kimberly Petrelis and Bradley Test ’04 were married on August 12, 2018 in Woodstock, Vermont. Taylor Test ’06 and Lyssa Test ’12 were bridesmaids, Mike Carroll ’04 was a groomsman, and Reece Chandler ’07 was the best man.They will honeymoon in New Zealand.

Pete Vernon ’04 returned to campus on September 20, 2018 where he spoke to both Middle and Upper School students about his career in journalism and the current state of media in the United States. Vernon is currently a staff writer for the Columbia Journalism Review, a niche magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961.

Kathryn Barba ’06, recently became engaged to Max Fagelson. They met at a party held at the W Hotel in Washington in 2017 and were engaged on their one year anniversary. Kathryn is

currently a senior specialist in research with Gartner, and Max is a strategy manager at Capital One. Kathryn also recently started her own beekeeping company, Boleyn Bees LLC., which provides honey and bee-related research throughout Virginia and Washington D.C.

Joe Mirabile ’06 and Sarah Brant (Hill School, ’06) were married at Ursinus College on December 8, 2018. They were joined by many fellow alumni, parents, teachers, and Class of 1760 members.

Joe Zubkoff ’07 and Kacie Kergides ’10 were engaged in September 2018.

Although they were familiar with each other at GA, the two got reacquainted after attending a GA alumni event in New York City.

The couple has since moved back to Philadelphia where Kacie will work at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads after completing her law degree from Villanova this spring and Joe is a Director in the marketing practice at Gartner. They are planning a June 2020 wedding.

Kevin Doty ’08 was promoted to Florida Regional Sales Manager at Victaulic and has relocated, along with his fiancée, Rachel, from Boston to Tampa.

Andrew Lorraine ’08 and his wife, Olga, currently live in Slovakia where he runs his successful Tatran Editing business while also being employed at Bratislava-based Resco.

Michele Markovitz ’08 married Dylan Solarte on August 4, 2018 in Vail, Colorado Michele is a second-year ophthalmology resident at Wills Eye Hospital and Dylan is a vice president of human resources at BlackRock. They currently reside in Media. GA alumni celebrating included Madeline Lamm Specter ’79, Rachael Specter ’08, Katie Martin ’08, Emily Kunkel ’08, Annie Marshall ’08, Mary Reardon ’08, Moira Schafle ’08, and Mike Markovitz ’11.

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 31

Heather Rittenhouse ’08 married Bob Rafferty, Jr. on September 28, 2018. The story of the couple’s meeting, engagement, and wedding day details were featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer on December 14.

Jen Hoy ’09 recently launched Thrive Health Consulting (www.thrivehealthconsulting.com) where she is providing holistic health coaching services. Hoy, who earned her certification to be an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, is also a member of Sky Blue FC (New Jersey) of the National Women’s Soccer League.

2010s

Brighten Labs, a start-up co-led by Austin Kevitch ’10 and Alec Lorraine ’10, has released its latest app called Moodboost. It delivers a daily boost of positivity to your phone each morning in the form of new stories.

Montreal Impact defender Daniel Lovitz '10 made his United States Men's Soccer National Team debut on Jan. 27. Lovitz played a key role in helping the U.S. defeat Panama, 3-0, and Costa Rica, 2-0, a few days later, on Feb. 2.

Sarah Armstrong ’12 wrote an op-ed entitled “Our Service Members Are Not Pawns for the President”, which was published in The Washington Post on December 20, 2018. Armstrong is currently an operations associate at Protect Democracy, a non-partisan non-profit organization. Before joining Protect Democracy, Sarah served as a Naval Intelligence Officer in

Norfolk, Virginia. While in the Navy, she had an array of assignments in operations, training, organization and reconnaissance, including posts at the Pentagon and the State Department. She received her Bachelor of Science in political science and English from the United States Naval Academy, graduating with honors.

Allison Lorraine ’14 graduated with Distinguished Honors from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, a small interdisciplinary college within New York University in the spring of 2018. Alli is currently working as a fashion copywriter for The RealReal and also serves as a buyer for vintage clothing and a social media specialist.

Marley Sternberg ’14 graduated from Vanderbilt University in spring 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Studies. Marley was a member of the Commodores’ women’s lacrosse team and just last season earned a number of awards, including the Dr. Jerry Reves Award (Highest Student-Athlete GPA) and the 2017-18 Academic Excellence Award.

Sternberg, who is now a career analyst at Mercer in Chicago, was also named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association’s 2018 Zag Sports Division I Academic Honor Roll.

Olivia Gorman ’15 Wesleyan University guard Olivia Gorman '15 scored her 1,000th career point on February 9, 2019 during the Cardinals' 92-75 loss to Bowdoin College. In doing so, Gorman, a senior co-captain, became the 12th Cardinal all-time to score 1,000 points.

Gorman, who also plays soccer and softball at Wesleyan, scored 1,108 points during her GA basketball career.

Sophie Hearn ’15 recently graduated from Mason Gross School for the Arts at Rutgers University. She is currently starring in Life After at The Old Globe theater in San Diego.

The show will run from March 22-April 28, 2019.

Bucknell University released the Dean’s List for outstanding academic achievement (a grade point average of 3.5 or higher) during the fall semester of the 2018-19 academic year, which included the following five GA alumni: Maddy Hackley ’15 (Neuroscience major), Hunter Kessell ’15 (Interdepartmental major in Media, Markets & the Environment; Economics minor), Matt Perricone ’15 (Accounting & Financial Management major), Kate Powers ’17 (Mathematical Economics major) and Katie Westrum ’15 (Markets, Innovation & Design major).

For the second year in a row, Kwasi Ampomah ’16, a junior outside linebacker for Muhlenberg College, was named to the AllCentennial Conference second team. His strong performance this year included 37 tackles (14 solo) with seven for a loss, and four sacks (second highest on the team).

Exit 0, a feature film that Gregory Voigt ’16 wrote and co-produced, held its private screening on March 12 in New York City. The film stars Gabe Fazio (A Star is Born,The Place Beyond the Pines, Homeland) and was directed by E.B. Hughes.

During the Penn State-Ohio State football game, Jake Schell ’18 was interviewed by Chris Fowler during ESPN’s national coverage of the game. Jake, who served on GA football’s coaching staff, helps crunch numbers and stats for PSU’s football coaches.

Welcome to Alumni Weekend!

November 8 and 9, 2019

Highlights include: GA/PC Day games – at PC this year GA Alumni Party at MaGerk’s with more food and more space!

First-ever Alumni Mission Awards Belfry 125th Celebration Individual reunions for 4s & 9s

2019

All alumni are invited to join in the fun of GA/PC Day and Alumni Weekend, with expanded programming.

GA/PC DAYAND

ALUMNI

WEEKEND

NOVEMBER 8-9

Jinny Day 1760, 1963-1994 Dean of Girls

Jay Wright, 2013-Present

Middle School Health & Wellness Dept.

Head, 8th Grade Head Advisor

For 259 years, the faculty have been at the heart of the GA experience.

Your gift to the Annual Fund supports our teachers as they continue to fulfill the mission and inspire current Patriots every day.

Support GA today!

Gift envelope enclosed or go to www.germantownacademy.net/giveonline

Betsy Duryea ’76, 1979-Present Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

Richard House 1760, 1971-2010 Head of Middle School

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 340 MORRIS ROAD FORT WASHINGTON, PA 19034

NON-PROFIT PRESORT U.S. POSTAGE PAID FORT WASHINGTON, PA PERMIT #20

Connect with the GA Community!

From your laptop or from your phone, the network of GA community members is at your fingertips. Join PatriotConnect.net to network, make connections and help others in the community – from wherever you are.