Cushing Today Magazine Spring 2023

Today

Cushing SPRING

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Cushing Academy Magazine

The Journey Edition

THE MANY PATHS TO SUCCESS AT CUSHING ACADEMY

Contents TA B L E O F

26 Journeys Through Cushing and Beyond Every Penguin has a unique story of their time at Cushing and beyond. Three alumni — Ned Sullivan ’01, Judge David Sacks ’67, and MaryCate Farwell ’10 — and one current staff member, Brandon Monat, share their Journeys.

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Today

Cushing

Cushing Academy exists for students and develops curious, creative, and confident learners and leaders.

Cushing Today is a publication of Cushing Academy’s Office of Marketing + Communications.

Head of School Dr. Randy R. Bertin P’21, ’22, ’24, ’25 Associate Head of School Catherine Pollock Director of Marketing + Communications Christian Housh Director of Advancement Greg Pollard Magazine Design Good Design, LLC gooddesignusa.com

2 From the Head of School 4 On School Street

STAY CONNECTED TO CUSHING! CushingAcademyFans groups/CushingAcademyParents groups/CAPenguinNation

38 Penguin Nation 38 Then + Now 42 Class Notes 46 In Memoriam 48 On the Desk of

@CushingAcademy @cushingacademy Cushing Academy Alumni Network youtube.com/cushingacademy flickr.com/cushingacademy

Contributing Writers + Editors Dr. Randy R. Bertin P’21, ’22, ’24, ’25 Christian Housh Amy Logan Christine Foster Photography Philip Wexler P’19 Ed Collier Tom Kates Cushing Today welcomes your class notes, photography, story ideas, and comments. Please send them to communications@cushing.org, call (978) 827-7000, or mail to: Communications Office Cushing Academy 39 School Street Ashburnham, MA 01430

ON THE COVER Zachary Becker ’23 summits Mount Monadnock on Mountain Day.

Certain parts of this magazine link to extra content including photos, videos, and our website. Look for QR codes and links to explore more.

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

EMBRACING

The Journey T

he Cushing Portrait of a Graduate is at the heart of all aspects of Academy life. It is the framework through which we build our academic and social curriculum, and is the language we share with our students to help guide them in their time at Cushing and beyond.

What is interesting about our Portrait is that it is not static. It is made up of four intertwined Journeys — Personal, Ethical, Intellectual, and Community — each with various waypoints that help frame and guide the experience of becoming a curious, creative, and confident learner and leader.

The Journeys that make up our Portrait of a Graduate do not begin and end with our students’ time at Cushing. Instead, they are a foundation that our graduates build upon for the ultimate journey of life, which is what a Cushing education is all about.

You’ll see that in the feature articles in this issue of Cushing Today.

From the Personal Journey of Ned Sullivan ’01, who has reimagined independence after a catastrophic car accident left him a quadriplegic, to the Ethical Journey of David Sacks ’67, a Massachusetts Probate and Family Court judge whose interest in civil rights was sparked at Cushing, to the Intellectual Journey of MaryCate Farwell ’10, whose curiosity and perseverance has led her to a career in emergency medicine, to the Community Journey of Brandon Monat, Cushing’s manager of facilities operations, who has helped connect Facilities with the greater Cushing community.

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In all of these cases, our Journeys are helpful lenses through which we examine ourselves and our work — and make sure we are on the right path.

On Mountain Day, each student climbs Mount Monadnock on their own — and with the support and encouragement of faculty and peers, students often reach a summit they didn’t know was possible.

And so it is with the Journeys in our Portrait of a Graduate: we take these Journeys on our own, and with the backing of Penguin Nation we find our way and build and climb to new heights.

Here’s to continuing our Journeys!

SCAN ME!

Randy R. Bertin, Ed.D. Head of School

See Jamie Ryan ’23 deliver a Journey Reflection speech at a Cushing Assembly.

PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE A Cushing graduate learns, lives, and leads by these ideals: In my Personal Journey, I:

In my Intellectual Journey, I:

> strive to be self-aware, self-disciplined,

> think critically, creatively, and reflectively. > listen and communicate actively,

and self-controlled. > take initiative, adapt, and persevere. > live with optimism, passion, a sense of humor,

and humility. > make informed choices for a healthy, balanced life. > advocate for myself. > pursue excellence in all areas of my life.

In my Community Journey, I: > respect, support, and show gratitude. > value, engage fully in, and contribute to

the diversity of my communities. collaborate with others. > understand social systems. > serve others as an active citizen. >

thoughtfully, and effectively. > take risks and grow through challenges. > approach lifelong learning with

openness and curiosity.

In my Ethical Journey, I: > act with empathy and compassion. > act with integrity. > act with personal and social responsibility. > act with courage on behalf of

others and myself.

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Cushing Moments On his way to the top: Wynn Warren ’24 scales the climbing wall at Cushing’s recently renovated ropes course.

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Cushing Initiative Calls for Kindness #DIGNITYANDRESPECT INSTILLS MISSION IN STUDENTS

E

ddie Buggie wanted to start the year out right.

So, beginning the very first day of school, Cushing’s director of Inclusion and Community Life launched a campaign for #DignityAndRespect that was both simple and brilliant.

Each day, everyone in the community got an email with a Cushing-purple graphic and slogan. The first one said, “Start with you: Reflect on how you see others, and how others see you.” Another one urged Penguins to

Eddie Buggie, Director of Inclusion and Community Life

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“Say ‘Thank you’: Gratitude is a gift that is never too small to give.”

The idea was to gently remind students of the Academy’s mission, vision, values, and the Portrait of a Graduate, which encompasses the Personal, Community, Intellectual, and Ethical Journeys that make up the Cushing experience.

At the end of the first week, Buggie shared the first five prompts during Cushing’s community assembly and asked students to reflect on the messages.

After that, Stone Evans ’24, a standout lacrosse player who has committed to attend the United States Air Force Academy, stepped forward to be part of the effort. He dropped by Buggie’s office and offered to lead reflection on the #DignityAndRespect campaign in assembly over the coming weeks, and even recruited other students to help.

“I think Stone was moved by it, honestly,” says Buggie, who was thrilled to pass the reins. “It comes so much better from students than it does from me.”

The messages were intended to speak for anyone and everyone at Cushing.

“When you’re in the world of inclusion, sometimes it feels like [the work is] targeted at certain groups. I really wanted people to feel as if, ‘This can touch me in a way that hits on who I am, my identity, but also who we want to be as a community,’” says Buggie. “And so that was really the big, big, big thing.”

Some of the messages are intentionally counterintuitive. For example, one encourages students to “Sweat the small stuff: It’s often the small things, such as being kind and courteous, that make a difference.”

Another plays off the Golden Rule, which focuses on treating others as you would want to be treated.

The campaign’s version tweaks that message: “Treat others the way

they want to be treated: Find out what respect means to others.”

“I think that resonated with people because we’re used to ‘do unto others as you would have others do unto you,’ but how hard is it for us to do something that someone else wants us to do? For example, really recognizing that something as simple as how we want to be addressed,” says Buggie.

“It doesn’t take away from anything.

We feel it’s just like, ‘Oh, OK, I’m gonna meet you where you are at.’”

The campaign culminated in the middle of the fall term with a guest performance by slam poet Andre Bradford, who reinforced the messages. Buggie thinks the campaign succeeded in starting the year off on a positive note: “I got lots of responses back with people saying, ‘Oh, this really resonated with me.’”

I really wanted people to feel as if, ‘This can touch me in a way that hits on who I am, my identity, but also who we want to be as a community.’”

—EDDIE BUGGIE, DIRECTOR OF INCLUSION AND COMMUNITY LIFE

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Cushing Moments Students and faculty begin and end each school year with the All-School Handshake, a Penguin tradition that brings the community together to greet and welcome each other.

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Connecting Through Books COMMUNITY READ LAUNCHES THE YEAR RIGHT

O

ne of the first things students do when they return to Cushing in the fall is hit the books.

But the first book-related event isn’t class. It’s called “Community Read,” and it is as much about building connections — both internal and external — as anything else. Cushing’s approach to this shared reading project is unique because it is centered on student choice. Anyone can nominate a book they are interested in and invite others to discuss it with them.

Last spring students and faculty nominated 21 books, including mysteries, award-winning nonfiction, memoirs, young adult novels, and older classics. Over the summer, students picked a book to read, and during orientation met with other students and faculty who also read their book.

“Any time we can get folks reading — and particularly get folks reading something that they

feel interested in and excited about — that’s a huge win,” says Dr. Jennifer Willis, director of teaching and learning.

The framework for conversation seizes on concepts students will see throughout their Cushing experience.

Students are asked to discuss how their chosen book might be a mirror — a reflection of their own experience — or a window — a place to see the lives of others. Or both! Readers are also encouraged to consider Cushing’s Portrait of a Graduate, and what kind of Journey they envision for themselves based on themes in their book.

Willis knew the project hit the mark when she was on dorm duty early in the school year and asked two girls — now fast friends — how they met. They were in the same reading group. Community Read connection unlocked!

2022 COMMUNITY READ SELECTIONS > Senna Versus Prost

by Malcolm Folley > I Heard You Paint Houses

by Charles Brandt > The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart > 1984 by George Orwell > Born a Crime by Trevor Noah > Mysterious Affair at Styles

by Agatha Christie > Das Kapital by Karl Marx > Bewilderment by Richard Powers > I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys > Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the World

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz > Take My Hand

by Dolen Perkins-Valdez > Ignition! by John D. Clark > The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins > And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie > What If ? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe > Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury > All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir > It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover > Anxious People by Fredrik Backman > Circe by Madeline Miller > The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee

CONVOCATION ADDRESS URGES STUDENTS TO BE PRESENT, LOOK TO OTHERS, AND CREATE COMMUNITY

Lessons from the Basketball Court S

how up. Look up. Stand up.

Last September, Emily Roller launched Cushing’s school year with a Convocation address on these three powerful lessons drawn from a lifetime playing and coaching basketball. She began with a historical connection: none of her experiences would have been possible without Title IX, passed 50 years ago, which blew open education options — and especially athletics for women.

“I have spent a fair amount of time lately thinking about who I would — or more likely would not — be if it weren’t for the passage of Title IX,” said Roller, Cushing’s director of college counseling.

“From the time I could walk I have loved being an athlete and specifically a basketball player. I am grateful for the world of competitive sports and more importantly for the lessons I have learned through my athletic experience that far transcend the hardwood.”

“The ideas I would like to share with you this morning are neither gender-specific nor limited to the world of sports,” Roller told the gathered students and faculty.

SCAN ME! Watch the 2022 Convocation, including Emily Roller’s speech and Dr. Bertin’s opening remarks.

“Rather, I would like to use Title IX and the opportunities it has afforded me as a metaphor for the possibilities available to each of us as members of the Cushing community to make the upcoming year one of the best in our already exceptional history.”

LESSON ONE:

SHOW UP

Showing up starts with being physically present, Roller said. And it extends to being emotionally present in your relationships and; remembering that words matter, assumptions are dangerous, and listening is powerful.

“If you know you’ve wronged somebody, apologize,” Roller said. “If you don’t know something about a person’s culture, a holiday, or ritual, ask questions and learn. Accountability creates trust.

Trust leads to safety, and it’s safety that allows each of us to show up as the most authentic version of ourselves.”

LESSON TWO:

LOOK UP

For the second lesson, Roller drew on her years as a point guard, scanning the court, looking at the bigger picture and how to adjust the game plan when necessary. Roller shared one cautionary note: “We all have role models we look up to, successful people whose qualities we wish to emulate.

Looking up to them is not the same as wishing to be them,” she said. “Make

sure that in emulating others you do not lose your own sense of self. Look up, but also look in. Trust in who you are even as you look for opportunities to discover who you may become.”

LESSON THREE:

STAND UP

For her third lesson, Roller called on the audience to stand up, both figuratively and literally. “Be willing to try again,” she said. “When you are down, don’t be afraid to seek support. It’s okay to be vulnerable…

Cushing is replete with people who want nothing more than to stand with you and help you succeed. If there are moments when the load is too heavy to carry on your own, let others take some of the weight for a while.”

The speech ended with a powerful call to action. “I am grateful to stand on the shoulders of the pioneers that paved the way for me, and I remain mindful of how recent much of this history is,” Roller said.

“As you begin your journey this year, I hope you will keep Title IX in mind…as you keep equity for all groups always at the forefront of your thoughts and actions. I hope you will commit to the hard work involved to make Cushing a school where everyone, regardless of what you look like, where you’re from, who you love, how much money you have, or how you identify, has a seat at the table.”

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Volleyball Reaches the Summit WINS NEPSAC CLASS C CHAMPIONSHIP

I

n just two years, Coach Courtney Collins has led the Cushing volleyball team on a journey from struggle to success.

Collins remembers with a chuckle the first scrimmage after she joined the program. “It was eye-opening… there were lots of lessons to be learned,” says Collins. But the team had the right attitude to do good work. “I was welcomed with smiling faces,” she remembers.

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“It was one of the best experiences coming into an all-girls program that I’ve ever had. They were all very motivated. They were ready to go.”

After finishing the fall 2021 season with a loss in the semifinals, this year Cushing volleyball took things to a new level. A roster of talented players, including All-NEPSAC Class C Volleyball Player of the Year Akadia Ndur ’23, gelled and helped the Penguins dominate. The season ended

with the girls going 15–4 and winning the NEPSAC Class C Championship.

They entered the Class C tournament ranked #1 and beat Portsmouth Abbey School 3–1 to clinch the title.

In addition to Ndur, who along with Skyla Grenier ’23 was picked for the All-NEPSAC team, the team relied on the talents of many players including Aryhanna Vasquez ’25 and Josie McFadden ’24, who were picked for NEPSAC honorable mentions.

They were all very motivated.

They were ready to go.”

—COACH COURTNEY COLLINS

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SCAN ME! See highlights from the Penguin Madness event.

Cushing Moments Adrian Uchidiuno ’23 delivers a signature dunk during the inaugural “Penguin Madness” celebration to kick off the boys’ and girls’ basketball season.

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Our Social Semester FOLLOW US TO SEE THE YEAR’S HIGHLIGHTS ON CUSHING’S SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS.

SEPTEMBER 5: Maybe it *was* raining on the first day of classes... But a little rain can’t stop these Penguins from showing their enthusiasm for their first day at Cushing! #PoweredByConfidence #PoweredByCushing

SEPTEMBER 11: On the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Cushing pauses to honor and remember those who died that day, including alums Mark Bavis ’89 and Michael Uliano ’79. At 8:46 am, the moment of impact on the first World Trade Center tower, Student Body Co-Presidents Edison Chen and Marvin Musiime-Kamali take turns in assisting in the tolling of the Main Building bell.

OCTOBER 24: More than 300 students made it to the summit of Mount Monadnock during Cushing’s annual Mountain Day last month #MondayMotivation #CAMountainDay

OCTOBER 26: Experts Clover Stieve, Katherine Kahrs, and June Ballinger teach storytelling through the lenses of songwriting, acting, and theatrical production at the Girls in Arts Leadership Summit. #LeadersAndLearnersSummit

NOVEMBER 15: Thanksgiving break is on the horizon, but campus life is not slowing down! #ThePowerOfCushing

NOVEMBER 15: PEP RALLY #SpiritWeek continues as students and faculty face off in a series of individual and team challenges!

CushingAcademyFans groups/CushingAcademyParents groups/CAPenguinNation @CushingAcademy @cushingacademy Cushing Academy Alumni Network youtube.com/cushingacademy flickr.com/cushingacademy

NOVEMBER 9: A huge moment of #PenguinPride as nine Cushing athletes officially commit to colleges at Fall Signing Day! #PoweredByCushing

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#ThePowerOfCushing

SEPTEMBER 16: Cushing students snap a selfie with their Advisory Groups. Which is your favorite? #PoweredByCommunity

OCTOBER 6: “I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.” AP Literature + Composition students read Macbeth as if they were on stage performing. #CushingAcademy #PoweredByPeople

OCTOBER 21: Austin-based slam poet @scsays delivers a powerful message of empathy to the Cushing student body during a special All School Assembly. #CushingAcademy #ThePowerOfCushing

OCTOBER 26: Wednesday home games #CushingAthletics #RollPens

OCTOBER 27: Biology II students learn to identify various trees and plants by their leaves, bark, and environment. bit.ly/3g0UTAi #ThePowerOfCushing

NOVEMBER 7: The Basketball and Hockey seasons are just around the corner and these Penguins are ready! #RollPens #MondayMotivation

DECEMBER 6: Kicking off the basketball season with some Penguin Madness. #CushingAthletics #RollPens

DECEMBER 9: Around Campus #ThePowerOfCushing

DECEMBER 28: Huge Congratulations to @cushingghockey Varsity team for their E.G. Watkins Tournament victory last weekend! #RollPens

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CUSHING CUTS ENERGY USE BY 30 PERCENT

Penguins Protecting the Planet E

d Kirk, Cushing’s director of master planning and engineering, has a white board in his office that he uses to track campus energy use. His enemy is energy waste, and Cushing is winning on a huge scale. Since the baseline set in fiscal year 2019, the school’s energy use is down by 33 percent.

After a detailed review of existing and new facilities, reduction strategies

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were developed. Boilers, HVAC equipment, and their controls have been adjusted — cutting propane use by 23 percent. In all cases, these changes have been made without affecting the needs of those who use and live in the facilities.

In Cushing’s central steam plant, Kirk and the facilities team found ways to cut oil consumption by 50 percent by

throttling back during student breaks and by shutting down unnecessary operations during the non-heating season. “We got things to run only when they were needed,” Kirk says.

And beyond the important goal of using less energy, these changes are saving Cushing money.

There’s a belief set for the players that were on the team this year. There’s an expectation that we’re going to do well.”

—COACH ANDREW CORBIN

Unexpected Building Blocks for a Terrific Team GIRLS’ SOCCER MAKES THE PLAYOFFS

W

hat does a season look like when you pair a new coach with junior and senior athletes who have most of their experience in other sports, and seasoned players who are just getting their high school feet under them?

If you are Cushing girls’ soccer, it looks like success.

The team made it to the playoffs for the first time since 1999, ending the run with a loss to The Pingree School, the eventual league champion, in a firstround game. Their overall record was 10 wins, 5 losses, and 4 ties. In addition, two players were named to the All-NEPSAC team, midfielder Caroline Lilley ’23 and defender Emily Archuleta ’24. Two others, midfielder Emma Madden ’25 and forward Wadee Hall ’24, were picked for an honorable mention.

Head Coach Andrew Corbin inherited a team where several of the strongest older players were stars in hockey and lacrosse. “We didn’t have a lot of ‘soccer first’ athletes on the team,” says

Corbin, who has four decades of playing, coaching, and managing soccer teams.

While some of the younger players had played on club teams across the country and in Europe, the core of the team wasn’t as experienced at deploying their athletic gifts in a soccer context.

“It was a learning curve for everyone.

It was quite an interesting journey to figure out using soccer language as well as hockey language,” he added.

This season sets the stage for success next year, Corbin predicts.

“There’s a belief set for the players that were on the team this year.

There’s an expectation that we’re going to do well. There’s an expectation we’re going to make it to the playoffs,” he says. “Some of the upperclass players have put the burden on themselves. They said, ‘We’re going to get to the finals next year.’”

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Cushing Moments ALL SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

Led by co-student body presidents Edison Chen ’23 (inset circle), who is headed to Duke University, and Marvin Musiime-Kamali ’23 (right), who is committed to the University of Akron, where he’ll play Division I hoops, Cushing students are taking a familiar tradition — assemblies — and making it their own. From silly “minuteto-win-it” competitions to Journey Speeches by seniors that chronicle their growth at Cushing to student “shout outs,” the weekly gatherings help build community and celebrate Penguin Pride.

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Q+A WITH SARAH CATLIN

Embracing the Journey to Community S

arah Catlin, who took on a new role in the fall as the director of Student Affairs, following stints in college counseling and admissions, loves guiding Penguins through their time at Cushing. Catlin has been at Cushing since 2017 and lives on campus with her wife, Director of Teaching and Learning Dr. Jennifer Willis, and their two kids. She took a few minutes to share more about how the concept of Journey informs her work.

Why has Cushing leaned into this idea of the Portrait of a Graduate?

Growing up, my dad always would say, “The road is the goal.” There’s not an endpoint, and it really is about how you conduct yourself day in and day out. If you think you’re going to get to this pinnacle, this endpoint, you’ve missed the point. I think Journeys capture the fact that it’s about growth.

The four Journeys in our Portrait of a Graduate — Personal, Community, Intellectual, and Ethical — frame the various paths we take in becoming the best versions of ourselves. Being able to name those Journeys, and the struggles and challenges that go with them along the way… it’s really valuable in helping students understand and reflect on their own process of growth and transformation.

It’s a metaphor that helps dialog in all phases of student life.

And it doesn’t begin and end with Cushing. The Journeys in our Portrait of a Graduate continue throughout life. It’s a great framework for our students to build upon.

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Is there a Journey that’s been most important to you during your time at Cushing?

High school students are naturally focused on themselves — on their identity, on who they want to be and how they want to be perceived.

Ironically, a big part of the learning process in that Personal Journey involves interacting with your community — socializing, making connections, collaborating with others, and understanding and navigating social structures. And so the Community Journey has been the big focus of our office this year.

During the isolation of COVID, I think we all withdrew a little bit.

It felt more like survival. Many of us thought, How do I take care of myself? How am I going to get through this? That isolation stunted some of our community growth. During

COVID, students didn’t have as many opportunities to come up with creative ideas, to run cool events, or to lead each other in various pursuits.

So this year we’ve really been pushing to see more student ownership and student initiative. Students run our assemblies. Our SWAT [Student Weekend Activities Team] team is back planning events and starting new initiatives like a flag football league and a songwriting club. And we’ve helped student government have a bigger voice.

I want those doors to continue to open so students have more opportunity, more initiative, more leadership, and more control over their own community.

What’s the best story you’ve heard so far that has come out of this increased conversation about Journeys?

Mountain Day has always been a really fun day at Cushing. There is always a group that sprints to the top to be the fastest, and then everybody else is sort of like, ‘Oh, I hope to make it up there for the picture.’ And then there’s a group that’s like, ‘Well, I know I won’t make it in time for the photo, so I’m not going to bother pushing myself.’

For Mountain Day this year, there was a group of seniors who hadn’t been able to make the summit before, who took a different approach to that same journey. One of our faculty members, Brian Jurek, who’s a big outdoors guy, said, ‘If there are some seniors who have wanted to be able to make the summit and haven’t been able to do it, we’ll leave two hours early.’ These seniors said, ‘Yeah! I want to do this. And for me — for my journey — I’ve got to go two hours earlier.’ And they had a great time.

This idea that there are many ways to go about your journey and you have to figure out what works for you, is really rewarding to watch.

I want those doors to continue to open so students have more opportunity, more initiative, more leadership, and more control over their own community.”

—SARAH CATLIN, DIRECTOR OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

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Cushing Moments Mingrou “Remy” Dai ’23 works on a self-portrait for her Advanced Art Portfolio. Remy’s portfolio received 2 Gold Keys, 1 Silver Key, and 1 honorable mention in the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

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JOURNEYS THROUGH CUSHING AND BEYOND At Cushing, our students regularly engage with the four Journeys that make up our Portrait of a Graduate. These Journeys — Personal, Ethical, Intellectual,and Community — help shape the student experience and provide a road map for a lifetime of discovery, reflection, and growth.

Cushing alumni and faculty live out these Journeys every day of their lives. The stories of three alumni — NED SULLIVAN ’01, JUDGE DAVID SACKS ’67, and MARYCATE FARWELL ’10 — and one staff member, BRANDON MONAT, show how our Penguins internalize these lessons and continue their Journeys into the greater world.

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LIFE WITH A MONKEY

BY HIS SIDE Ned Sullivan ’01 Makes a New Journey His Own 28

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PERSONAL JOURNEY

F

or NED SULLIVAN ’01, as for so many others, one of the most important parts of his Cushing Academy journey was learning to do things for himself.

Living away from home. Juggling academics and athletics.

Negotiating with roommates. Navigating friendships.

“Things are so structured [at Cushing], but you feel so independent,” Sullivan says.

For this Penguin, however, that skill was threatened when a catastrophic car accident left him a quadriplegic. The crash severed everything that connected his skull to his spine. “There can be no expectation of functional recovery with a devastating injury like this,” his mother, Ellen Rogers, told USA Today in 2013.

But today Sullivan has more independence than he and his family ever could have dreamed. He navigates the world in a high-tech wheelchair, eats independently, and has developed into an accomplished painter. More than anything, he smiles, laughs, and engages with the world. He traded the despair of those early days for a life with meaning and value.

Much of this is thanks to the efforts of a small, furry friend. Just a year after the accident, Sullivan met Kasey, a capuchin companion who has been pivotal in his recovery.

Sullivan and Kasey’s story made it to the big screen last year; Gigi & Nate, a loose adaptation of Sullivan’s story, focused on a young man who is paralyzed and his life-changing bond with a monkey helper.

communications and planned on a career in sports marketing.

“It’s a big school,” he says. “Had I not gone to Cushing, I think I would have had nothing really to stand on.”

Sullivan’s last memories before the 2005 crash that changed everything are of walking to his car in a parking garage. Sullivan had been diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager, but it had been well controlled with medication.

Something went wrong and Sullivan had a seizure before crashing into a brick wall.

His family had faced tragedy before. Sullivan’s father died of cancer when he was a toddler. Then he lost his stepsister to melanoma when she was just 23. Still, the crash was devastating, both physically and emotionally. Sullivan’s mother worked to get him the best care and bring her charming son back to life.

“They diagnosed me as a quadriplegic with a brain injury… that didn’t have a lot of hope,” says Sullivan, whose speech remains slow and deliberate.

Then came a hint for a brighter future. In the early days of Sullivan’s recovery, his mother, read an email from her younger daughters’ school: “Dear Parents, You are invited to Friday’s assembly where Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled will be visiting.”

Rogers would eventually write about the journey in Kasey to the Rescue: The Remarkable Story of a Monkey and a Miracle. “I’m a pragmatist,” she wrote. “But I couldn’t help thinking this might be a sign.”

LIFE BEFORE KASEY

OPENING ILLUSTRATION©SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/SYLVERARTS VECTORS

Back in his days at Cushing, the idea that Sullivan would someday depend on a 5-pound animal would have been stunning. He was an athlete — strong, fit, and driven. Sullivan arrived at Cushing as a sophomore in 1998, drawn from his hometown in Concord, Massachusetts, by robust sports opportunities and smaller class sizes. “We went there to interview for it and we saw how it was more of an intimate feeling. And it was just very appealing,” he recalls.

He threw himself into football, as an offensive lineman, and baseball, playing third base and catcher. Sullivan even tried hockey. “As you know, Cushing is a big hockey school. And I never played hockey before,” he says. “They had JV hockey, and I decided, Oh, I’ll go and try that. You didn’t need any skates or equipment. They had them for you. That was great.

They had cuts and I made the team. It was a really great time.

I actually learned a lot.”

Some of his favorite Cushing memories involve just hanging out with the other students. “It was just great being around the other guys,” Sullivan says.

The independence of boarding school life equipped him well for the University of Arizona, where he studied

SCAN ME! Check out Kasey to the Rescue: The Remarkable Story of a Monkey and a Miracle, the book

by Ned’s mom, Ellen Rogers.

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PERSONAL JOURNEY

“Maddie and Anna, they were telling my mom, ‘Mom, this was unbelievable! This would actually be perfect for Ned,’” Sullivan recalls.

A year later, Sullivan was matched with a specially trained, 21-year-old capuchin companion. Kasey accelerated Sullivan’s journey of recovery. For almost two decades, the little monkey has helped him with all kinds of tasks, such as moving his hand to the wheelchair controller or his foot back onto the footrest, especially in the beginning when Sullivan couldn’t move much at all. Now she might bring him a dropped iPhone or a remote control. Kasey also soothes Sullivan when he is in pain, scratches his head, and is a source of endless amusement. “We have such a bond,” Sullivan says, fondly.

“She definitely puts a smile on my face.”

PUSHING TOWARD MORE INDEPENDENCE Kasey’s help inspired Sullivan to regain physical skills beyond anything initially predicted. What is different now?

“Oh my God,” says Sullivan, overwhelmed by how far he has come. “I move both my arms. Move my head, in a way.

Have a conversation like this. Be somewhat independent and eat by myself.”

He has also learned to paint, switching to his previously non-dominant left hand, which now has more function.

His work includes landscapes of autumn leaves, a highway leading into the distance, and a beautiful sunset.

Eventually Sullivan’s story came to the attention of the broader world. O, The Oprah Magazine featured an excerpt from his mother’s book in 2010. Then a version of his story

30 C U S H I N G T O D A Y

made it to theaters. In Gigi & Nate, the main character has a somewhat different path, becoming paralyzed from bacterial meningitis contracted after diving into a lake. The movie touches correctly on one of the challenges with companion monkeys — public pushback. Some animal rights activists call it exploitative, while others worry about how sanitary it is to allow monkeys in public settings. In one scene in the movie, a video of the capuchin drinking alcohol at a house party goes viral, stoking public outrage.

Sullivan laughs at this fictional depiction and says that sometimes the journey doesn’t look exactly the way Hollywood shows it. “My monkey didn’t, doesn’t, and has never gone to a party,” he says emphatically.

The movie does get right the chaos monkey companions can bring. “She has a lot of energy,” he says. Kasey likes to poke into the pockets of visitors, hoping to find a yummy treat, and she is disdainful of the family dogs.

Still, even monkeys slow with age. Kasey is a little old lady now. She is 38, and the typical lifespan of a capuchin is 35 to 40 years. She isn’t as quick as she once was, but “she’s a big part of my life, of all our lives,” says Sullivan, who lives with his mother in Concord, just down the road from two sisters.

“She’s a big part of my day.”

Sullivan knows he will outlive Kasey, and the nonprofit that matched them stopped pairing monkeys with people with disabilities because of regulatory, market, and technology changes. Sullivan says spinal cord injuries are down, and the technology of wheelchairs and other devices, such as iPhones, has improved since he became paralyzed. He expects that his next service animal will be a dog.

Even though the journey has looked different, Sullivan still says the Cushing years made a big difference. “Those years made me who I am,” he says. “I would have a sense of independence, but it wouldn’t be as strong. That really was part of the foundation. When the accident came — from then on to here — I’m using that independence.”

SCAN ME! See the trailer for Gigi & Nate, a loose movie adaptation of Sullivan’s story.

“Those years made me who I am.

I would have a sense of independence, but it wouldn’t be as strong. That really was part of the foundation. When the accident came — from then on to here — I’m using that independence.”

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LIVING A LIFE COMMITTED TO JUSTICE Judge David Sacks ’67 From the Bench and Through the World

As an operative in politics and campaigns and working in a congressional office, I have had plenty of opportunities to do public speaking, do presentations, continuing education, and judicial education.

Those areas all came with me out of Cushing.”

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C U S H I N G TO D AY

A

s a young man, DAVID SACKS ’67 watched the world in turmoil and felt he was just a few years too young to help.

Reading the newspaper and watching television, first from Holyoke, Massachusetts, and then for his final two years of high school at Cushing Academy, Sacks saw college students — only a bit older than he — making a difference. They volunteered to register voters and stood by Martin Luther King, Jr. and future Congressman John Lewis at the Edmund Pettus Bridge on “Bloody Sunday.” He heard from his Cushing dorm mate, John Nixon ’68, about his father’s work as an NAACP leader in Birmingham, Alabama. Sacks wished he could be playing a part.

Since graduating, Sacks has taken his own Ethical Journey — working to end injustice in his corner of the world. He has done it in his work life, as a Massachusetts Probate and Family Court judge for over 33 years. And he has helped to fight

ETHICAL JOURNEY

discrimination as a community leader, working to integrate schools in his city and state. In 2021, he was recognized for these efforts with the Gideon’s Trumpet award from the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association. The award honors the outstanding work of attorneys striving to provide access to justice in civil matters.

STARTING THE JOURNEY AT CUSHING This passion existed in Sacks before he arrived in Ashburnham, but Cushing affirmed his desire to use the law and public institutions to help others. “I always liked current events and politics and history, and I remember Mr. Tierney was my history teacher,” he says.

Sacks was encouraged when he won an award for excellence in oral English and debate. Public speaking has been a piece of his career and volunteer work ever since. “As an operative in politics and campaigns and working in a congressional office, I have had plenty of opportunities to do public speaking, do presentations, continuing education, and judicial education.

Those areas all came with me out of Cushing.”

After graduating, Sacks went on to attend American University and Suffolk University Law School. He headed home to Holyoke, where he worked in private practice before joining the bench in 1986. Over his years as a judge, Sacks did a stint as a member of the Trial Court’s Racial and Ethnic Bias Advisory Committee and the Gender Equality Committee.

DEALING WITH JUSTICE ON THE BENCH Family court judges see some of the hardest, most emotionally taxing cases. Sacks oversaw probate matters, including execution of wills and trusts, but also decided divorce cases, dealt with custody disputes, decided division of property, and tackled the aftermath of devastating substance abuse and domestic violence. “It could be 60 or 70 cases in a day. Very, very busy. Very emotional,” Sacks says.

He regularly faced his own ethical dilemmas, working in a small, tight-knit community where cases frequently popped up on the docket involving people he knew. “I think I have a pretty good ethical compass,” Sacks says. “If it was someone coming into court that I knew, I would just think for a second, ‘Do I know them well enough that I can’t hear the case?’ If so, I would just say, ‘Sorry, I need to disqualify myself.’”

One of the biggest ways Sacks worked against discrimination was as a leader of the Holyoke School Committee. During his tenure, the schools were engaged in a struggle with the state over de-isolation (the term used there instead of desegregation) of the large Hispanic population in Holyoke. “I got involved in that, trying to get us to be more cooperative with the state and with the federal and state laws on it,” recalls Sacks. “That went on for several years, with a lot of controversy in the city.

We got a good racial de-isolation plan out of it. I remember having meetings three and four nights a week over the course of several years. I think it made a difference for the better.”

After his work with the Holyoke School Committee, Sacks became the chair of the Hampden-Hampshire Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

A JOURNEY FINALLY COMPLETED Sacks did, finally, make his way to the South where the events of the 1960s had inspired his work. In 2014, he and his wife, Deborah Leopold, planned a journey to Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama. Before they left, he reached out to John Nixon. The men had last seen each other as teenagers, in 1967, when Sacks graduated from Cushing. But he remembered talking with his dorm mate about the work the elder Nixon did as an NAACP leader at the local, state, and regional level in the 1960s. Sacks left a phone message for Nixon and got a message back inviting him to lunch.

When the old friends met, Nixon had a surprise: he had arranged for them to connect with Doris Dozier Crenshaw, who worked alongside Dr. King. She showed them around the Bricklayer’s Hall, which was Dr. King’s headquarters during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. “We just thought we were going to some major sites, and then he pulled out of the air this woman, and she gave us a tour and she had been directly involved in it,” Sacks recalls.

“My wife and I have this really great interest and love of history,” says Sacks. “To get to places that you’ve read about your whole life…part of it was just trying to fill in some of the gaps.” Call it a journey that has come full circle.

SCAN ME! Judge David Sacks ’67 shared more details about his visit with John Nixon ’68 in a Fall 2014 story in Cushing Today.

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CURIOSITY, PEOPLE, AND PERSISTENCE

MaryCate Farwell ’10 Makes Her Way in Medicine

S

ome journeys are smooth and seamless, laid out in advance, executed one step at a time. Others come in fits and starts. Doors are slammed shut and then unexpectedly opened.

The Intellectual Journey of MARYCATE FARWELL ’10 looks more like the latter. Today she is an emergency room doctor, finishing her residency in a busy Hartford hospital. But her road has had twists and turns. Weaving through it all are the threads of curiosity, persistence, and a focus on people that were nurtured at Cushing.

Farwell grew up just over the border in New Hampshire.

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She was a strong student and her parents thought something more than her local public or parochial schools might serve her better. The diversity in all realms shaped her and continues to influence her as she works in a hospital with all kinds of people today. “I grew up in a pretty white majority area in New Hampshire and I had never really met anybody from anywhere else,” Farwell recalls. “Cushing is certainly more diverse than what I had been used to. It broadened my horizons.”

One particular moment stands out in Farwell’s memories.

“I remember when there was a major court ruling on samesex marriage, our headmaster, James Tracy, spent the whole

INTELLECTUAL JOURNEY

assembly talking about how important the ruling was,” Farwell says. “I remember him just speaking very emphatically and also compassionately about what it would be like for people to not be treated the same. It was a turning point in my teenage years in terms of how I view people who I didn’t necessarily relate to. It mattered what their life experience was, even though it didn’t affect me personally.”

INSPIRED BY A CUSHING TEACHER Farwell was the kid who always had a book in her hand and was interested in learning. Becoming a doctor always lingered in her mind, but she explored other paths, too. She took lots of science, and also AP English with Raja Bala, whom Farwell calls “one of my favorite people in the world.”

Getting into Bala’s class was a moment that required persistence, Farwell recalls. An earlier teacher was not sure Farwell was ready and wasn’t going to recommend her. Farwell went to Bala directly, promising to work hard. He admitted her and they remain connected today.

Some of the texts from his class, like Everything Is Illuminated, are still on her bookshelf. “They’re very adult books to read with teenagers, to convey nuance,” Farwell says.

“That skill went a long way in terms of not just being strong academically and being able to read thoroughly, but also just to be able to see layers of things in general, to understand that not everything is what it seems like on the surface. It gave things a bigger meaning.”

Farwell took those lessons into college. She toyed with law, or even teaching English, like her mentor, Bala. Still, at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, she completed the pre-med requirements, leaving that door open. But her first round of applications brought disappointment. She took the medical school entrance exam, applied, and got waitlisted or rejected everywhere.

Ready to regroup, Farwell decided on a new journey.

She took a job as a clinical research technologist in Seattle.

In the meantime, she threw her hat back in the ring, reapplying to three medical schools that had waitlisted her.

Even though the only change to her package was the job, she was accepted to New York Medical College. A surprise door opened.

A CONTINUING LESSON — CARE FOR PEOPLE FIRST In med school, Farwell learned the science, but also heard a message that people matter — echoing that assembly speech by Headmaster Tracy. “My med school just really emphasized the humanity of medicine and how to interact with people,” she says. “I feel like I got a really wonderful education there.”

Finding a specialty was another journey. Farwell had considered oncology — “I had known a lot of people in my life with cancer or who have had cancer” — but found it to be a lot of making chemo plans and not a lot of doing. Another possibility was emergency medicine. Farwell had just started that rotation in March 2020 when COVID-19 pounced. Medical students were kicked out of hospitals for months. When she finally got back into rotations, she circled back to the ER and found her home. It was a great fit for a curious student who always loved to learn new things. “I got to do procedures.

I got to see all the things that I have liked about the other specialties, which turns out had been all the acute things.

And you need to know everything,” she says.

Farwell is finishing her second year of a three-year residency in emergency medicine at the University of Connecticut. She loves that she can change someone’s day or even their life. “People come to the ER often thinking that there is something seriously wrong. Most of the time, people aren’t actually that sick, so you have the opportunity to reassure them. That is very gratifying. Or they come in on the cusp of something and you can bring them back, and then they can go back, in time, pretty much to their baseline.”

Farwell’s other focus is looking for ways to change the health care system. “For a lot of people, good care and treatment is not accessible, and that gap is widening,” she says. “Medicine has moved from just a science job to being a voice for people who don’t have a voice for themselves.

You need to use that to be an agent for change.” Sounds like someone was listening in assembly all those years ago.

Medicine has moved from just a science job to being a voice for people who don’t have a voice for themselves.

You need to use that to be an agent for change.”

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BUILDING A FACILITIES OPERATIONS COMMUNITY

Under Brandon Monat’s Guidance, a Department Shines 36

C U S H I N G TO D AY

Folks know us by name.

They see us out here and acknowledge and respect what we do.

And from that, we take a lot of pride in making the campus hum.”

COMMUNITY JOURNEY

T

hough often a behind-the-scenes force, the men and women who make sure that paths are plowed, lamps light up, faucets flow, and facilities are kept clean and welcoming are at the heart of a grateful community.

Under the leadership of Manager of Facilities Operations BRANDON MONAT, the staff includes 25 tradespeople such as carpenters, electricians, HVAC experts, plumbers, a locksmith, general maintenance staff, groundskeepers, mechanics, housekeepers, and a service support coordinator. They interact with every department at Cushing, from dining and academic affairs to advancement and student affairs. Twelve members of the facility team have been hired by Monat in the past two years with a particular eye toward fitting in well with the community.

“Everybody has their own individual skills, but everybody’s also ready to jump on board with anything that’s asked or anything that’s needed,” Monat says. “It’s really cool to watch.”

Shout-outs from faculty, staff, and students add to the satisfaction of a job well done. A recent email to the community from Performing Arts Department Chair Julia Ohm praised the staff for their work after pipes froze during a historic cold snap: “Just a shout-out to the facilities staff who are working tirelessly with all the detritus and water damage from this recent weather drop in temperatures…Brandon and his crew deserve much appreciation…If you see them, give them some love…or donuts… or maybe a standing ovation.”

LEARNING TO LEAD FROM THE START Monat, whose easy smile makes people feel at home, was hired as manager of facilities operations in the spring of 2021. He started his career as a licensed plumber 20 years ago, working for himself and for companies large and small, commercial and residential. He started working as a plumber at Cushing in 2019.

After seeing Monat in that role, Director of Master Planning and Engineering Ed Kirk encouraged him to apply for the management post. “I’m grateful to Cushing for the opportunity that I’ve been placed in,” Monat says. “It’s an intense position and it’s a challenging position, but the support from the community and the school that I’ve received has been overwhelming.”

When Monat began as manager, the pandemic was still top of mind. Hosting an event such as a STEAM conference that brought in girls from schools across the region meant making sure social distancing was observed in setting up tables and chairs, and that sanitizer and masks were readily available.

Today, the easing of these practices allows the staff to focus more on improving other areas of their work.

BUILDING A MINI-COMMUNITY WITHIN CUSHING Monat began developing as a community builder early in his career, when he was asked to supervise other plumbers on larger jobs. He learned to schedule jobs efficiently to avoid unnecessary downtime. He also honed interpersonal skills by reassuring homeowners facing flooded basements or a broken heater on the coldest day of the year. Today he uses those skills to motivate his crew. “My door is always open,” he says.

“I am one of the crew.”

A key piece to Monat’s approach is inviting feedback from his staff. He encourages them to speak up if they see a way that things can be set up better to improve flow and function.

Some routines have shifted over time in ways that reflect the increased camaraderie among the staff. Snow removal, for example, is a huge job. Cushing’s campus is 180 acres, and Ashburnham is the snowiest town in the state, averaging 73 inches a year. When Monat started, the practice was for staffers to call out on the radio when they had cleared a particular section of campus. “We’ve kind of morphed — and it’s such a small thing — but we’re not even saying anything over the radio,” Monat says. “We all know what needs to be done, and we all trust each other to get it done.”

On Fridays, the housekeeping, custodial, and grounds crews meet in facilities headquarters for a team-building tradition: the spinning of the facilities prize wheel. “It’s a morale booster. Everyone’s name is on the wheel. It’s fun little things, like a preferred parking spot for a week or first dibs on an assignment. In the summer, ‘No Trash for a Month’ is a pretty popular prize.” “[The prize wheel] is just another way to help build community,” says Monat. “It’s a way for me to give back to my teams and acknowledge all the hard work they put in throughout the week.”

Both inside the facilities department and throughout the Academy, building community is a big part of Monat’s mission. “Folks know us by name. They see us out here and acknowledge and respect what we do. And from that, we take a lot of pride in making the campus hum.”

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PENGUIN

1931

Nation

2005 1990’s 1931

1931

THEN + NOW

Mountain Day

2022

1985

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Generations of Penguins have challenged themselves with a journey to the summit of Mount Monadnock. But many do not know the origins of this beloved Cushing tradition.

According to a history prepared by volunteer archivist Carolyn Marr ’58, Mountain Day was established to honor Dr. Hervey Cowell, who served as principal of Cushing Academy beginning in 1887. Cowell, a mountain climbing aficionado who particularly enjoyed Monadnock, resigned after falling ill in 1926.

The new principal, James W. Vose, felt the Academy should honor the leadership Cowell showed, especially overseeing Cushing’s recovery after the destruction of the Main Building by fire in 1892. The inaugural Mountain Day was held on October 7, 1926 (a date chosen for its proximity to Dr. Cowell’s birthday on October 10), and nearly every year since then, students and faculty have summited the peak in the fall, bringing new stories and memories to this iconic tradition.

1920’s

1999

1966

2000’s

1982

1928 SPRING 2023

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PENGUIN N AT I O N

WHY I GIVE

Developing a Worldly View at Cushing STEPHEN CHEN ’87 GIVES BACK WITH GRATITUDE

W

hen Stephen Chen ’87 thinks about the impact Cushing Academy had on his life, he reflects on his career path, working as a management consultant, advising clients in varied industries and locations.

“When you do consulting, you work with different companies sometimes even within the same month and you solve different problems. You work with people from all over the world,” Chen says. “That was more attractive for me professionally, and I think it was vastly influenced by how I grew up at Cushing.

“I look back at some of my junior high friends — still in Texas — and they may go overseas, but just for fun,” Chen continues. “They’ve never really had friends from Nigeria or the UK or Australia or Japan. At Cushing, they are actually real friends because you lived with them. You went to the same classes. You ate with them. You went to the movies with them. It’s a different level of friendship, and it really makes you more worldly as a person.”

Chen’s Cushing journey began when his father, who worked in the oil and gas industry, took an assignment in China. The world was different then, in the 1980s.

There were no cell phones. Expensive long-distance calls with parents were scheduled once a month. China was still so closed to Westerners that the American Embassy didn’t even offer a school for high schoolage students yet. “My parents talked to some of their colleagues who also had kids in boarding schools, and that’s how I landed at Cushing,” Chen recalls.

The Academy provided the right balance of boundaries and freedom. “You had house mothers and you had teachers that actually cared for you. Because it’s a boarding school, you see them all the time, so they became more than a teacher. They’re more counselors and coaches to guide you along,” Chen says. “I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but I grew up a lot as well. And I think I became a better person when I was leaving there than a lot of my peers of the same age.”

40 C U S H I N G T O D A Y

Stephen Chen ’87 (second from left), with his family.

“At Cushing, they are actually real friends because you lived with them.

You went to the same classes. You ate with them. You went to the movies with them. It’s a different level of friendship, and it really makes you more worldly as a person.” —S T E P H E N C H E N ’ 87 He remembers fun, too. As a kid from Texas, Chen arrived at Cushing having not yet experienced snow. His introduction to sledding was riding a lunch tray down the hill behind Ashburnham House. “It was not exactly the most approved activity but it was something really fun that I remember even today,” Chen says, laughing.

The desire to give to Cushing developed after Chen graduated and looked back on what others had made possible for him. “I started appreciating what I got out of it,” he says.

“You get to a point where you mature and you start thinking, I got a lot out of it and I need to pay it forward. It’s time to assist the next wave to go through and I want to make sure that they have the same opportunities that I did.”

Discover the

power

of Cushing Academy

this summer

3-week Session:

July 2–July 22

5-week Session:

July 2–August 4 Grades 6–12 Academic + Enrichment Programs Boarding and Day Options Available

cushing.org/summer

Be a part of the change.

Cushing Academy students are following in the footsteps of graduates from years past and actively preparing to transform the world through academic studies, community service, and the teamwork of athletics and the arts.

Your donation goes directly to equip students to change the world, both now and in the future.

Be a part of the change. Support the Cushing Academy Annual Fund.

Give to Cushing Academy Today.

W W W.C U S H I N G .O R G / G I V E

SPRING 2023

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PENGUIN N AT I O N

Notes

CLASS

SHARE YOUR Mountain Day Stories The 100th anniversary of Cushing Academy’s first Mountain Day is coming in 2026. As we plan our celebration, we’re hoping to hear your thoughts, reflections, and stories on the tradition. Please send your favorite Mountain Day memories (and photos) to advancement@cushing.org.

1947 Robert Hochstetler writes, “All is well on Spring Island, SC, but I really miss New England and plan to attend Reunion 2023.

We will see!”

1951 Ray Freeman writes, “Mary and I enjoyed 22 days of skiing in 2022 at Mammoth, Vail, and Steamboat Springs. Still having fun on some black diamonds.

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Just came back from three weeks in Norway and Germany, where the citizens have declared COVID over — no one wore a mask.”

1957 Christina (Canon) Craighead is a widow with seven children and 10 grandchildren. She spends her winters in Vero Beach, FL, and her summers on Nantucket, MA.

Mountain Day, 1982

Holly McAuliffe writes, “I celebrated 60 years of marriage on December 22, 2022, and grandchild #22 arrived in October.”

1958 Bob and Carol (Garland) Gorman write, “We celebrated 64 years of marriage in 2022 and are looking forward to 65. We now have nine great-grandchildren and look forward to more. We sold our summer home in Prescott, AZ, a year ago due to health conditions and really miss the cooler climate.”

Kenneth Wheeler writes, “I just finished building and moving into a new house in The Villages, FL. I am still healthy enough to play softball and pickleball.

However, I am in the age of repair-and-replace-injuredor-worn-out parts.”

1964 Sally (Herzog) Hogan writes, “I am enjoying retirement. I have 10 grandkids — three in college already and the youngest is one year old! I have fond memories of Cushing.”

1967 Kirsten Hartman writes, “My retirement days are filled with volunteer work in senior agencies, church, book groups, and exercise! I am happy that my daughter lives nearby.”

SEND US YOUR

News!

Please send your news, notes, and photos to be included in the next issue of Cushing Today.

Professional milestones, family news, fun facts, mini CA reunions — let your fellow Penguins know what you’ve been up to!

Email your submissions to advancement@cushing.org. Be sure to include your full name and class year!

Join the Penguin Nation Facebook group by searching for “Cushing Academy Penguin Nation” or visiting facebook.com/groups/CAPenguinNation. Request to join, a member of our Advancement Team will approve, and you’ll be in touch with almost 3,000 other members of Penguin Nation.

▲ Kerby Saunders published his first children’s book, The Grace Ride, in November 2022. His daughter, Leah Saunders ’05, served as editor as well as advisor to the illustrator. Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other book retailers, the book is about faith, family, and sharing joy with friends.

1968 Diane (Steere) Nobles writes, “I was reelected to my ninth term on the Narragansett (RI) School Board in November 2022. I just completed a lifelong goal of visiting all 50 states and all seven continents.”

1973 ▶ Alastair Browne writes that his book, Cosmic Careers: Exploring the Universe of Opportunities in the Space Industries, cowritten with Maryann Karinch and published in 2021, has been translated into Mandarin.

▶ Chuck Wilson continues to compose, record, and produce music for video, film, and private label projects as well as his own music. Teaching about the therapeutic uses of sound has always been a big part of his life, especially after retiring from management consulting.

His original music is on Bandcamp and all the streaming platforms and his own website (wavecaster.com), where you can see his custom-built guitars.

1975 Russell Fig has begun a job as a therapist at the Massachusetts Teen Challenge Clinical Group in Brockton, MA.

1988

1995

Alita (Haytayan) Guillen, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, has launched a monthly newsletter titled “Communicate Fearlessly,” where she shares communication and travel tips, favorite recipes, and lifestyle recommendations, to name a few. To learn more about Alita, subscribe to her newsletter, or listen to her podcast “10 Seconds to Air,” please visit her website at alitaguillen.com.

▲ Jason Harrington writes, “I am no longer teaching art and theater at Tilton School but am celebrating the third year of my brewery, Vulgar Brewing Company, in Franklin, NH. If you are enjoying the outdoors of New Hampshire or Franklin’s newly opened whitewater park, stop in for a brew, a pizza, and catch up with a fellow Penguin.”

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PENGUIN N AT I O N

ECAC championship pentathlons as well as being voted the CAA Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.

2013 ▶ Performing Arts Department Head Julia Ohm and Director of Music Desh Hindle enjoyed watching Aaron Yang ’13, also known as Leo Son, and his band, The Q-Tip Bandits (www.theqtipbandits.com), perform in Northampton, MA. The band was nominated for “Best New Artist” by the Boston Music Awards in 2022.

2016 Ben Barton is a “geographic” worker; he works at John Henry Foster in St. Louis, MO, from April to June and from August to November and deep-sea fishes out of Kodiak, AK, from June to August. A former captain of the Cushing varsity boys’ hockey team, Ben resides in Ketchum, ID,

where he skis and plays for the Sun Valley Suns of the Double Black Diamond League from November to March.

2019

Notes

CLASS

2021 + 2022 ▶ Cooper Caiozzo ’21 (Bentley) and Ben Stone ’22 (Holy Cross), both four-year track athletes at Cushing, competed in the 200 meters at the TRACK at New Balance in Boston in January 2023 for their respective schools.

▶ Nationally ranked in the top 10 in the country in the pentathlon, Dominique Biron ’19 (Northeastern) broke her own school record with a score of 4,113 at the Hokie Invitational in January 2023. She is also a top 10 history maker at Northeastern in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.79. Dominique ended the season winning both the CAA and

Events UPCOMING

The coming year brings more remarkable opportunities for Penguin Nation to gather together. Keep up to date on all Cushing events at cushing.org/events. > May 27 148th Commencement We are excited to celebrate the graduating Class of 2023.

This year’s commencement speaker will be Maya Rogers ’96, President and CEO of Tetris. > June 9–11 Reunion While we are especially celebrating class years ending in 3 and 8, all alumni are welcome!

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> July 17 Golf Tournament Our 10th Annual Cushing Academy Golf Tournament will once again be held at the beautiful Ridge Club in Sandwich, Massachusetts. For additional information, including sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Advancement Office at (978) 827-7400.

WHY I GIVE

With Love to Cushing from Africa ELMA SHAW ’86 KEEPS CLOSE TO THE ACADEMY

T

he memories that Elma Shaw ’86 shares about Cushing feel like a movie about the magic of boarding school.

Warm and loving dorm parents. Living side by side with your best friends. A chance to try all kinds of activities, including track and field, gymnastics, dance, and theatre.

“It was beautiful,” recalls Shaw, who began in 10th grade and had cousins who attended Cushing before her. “I really loved the family-like environment. Academics were very personalized, and teachers really cared about us as individuals.”

While Shaw was at Cushing, the Academy began a semester-long study abroad program in France and she was one of four students selected to go. “It was a highlight of my life, and I continued to study French in college,” Shaw says.

But while Shaw was in college, her experiences were shaped dramatically by war. Shaw grew up in Liberia, a West African country founded in 1822 by free Blacks who wanted to leave the United States, and both American and African abolitionists. In 1989, while Shaw was attending American University, a civil war began in Liberia that continued for 14 years. “Normally, I would have gone back home after college to contribute to the development of our nation,” she says. “But I ended up staying in the States.”

After finishing a graduate degree in film, Shaw eventually headed home and made award-winning documentaries about the war in Liberia. She married an American who was in humanitarian work, and together they lived and worked in several African countries.

Shaw also worked in education and became an author.

Today, through her writing and publishing business, she promotes books by Africa’s changemakers. “I believe we can learn a lot from Africa’s entrepreneurs and servant leaders, and they have great stories to tell,” Shaw says. “My passion is to help them get those stories out so that we hear from them and so that our children learn from them as well.

Throughout all of this, Cushing friends have been by her side, even if mostly from afar.

“I made such good friends there and was just very grateful for the experience of Cushing. After graduation, we were always contacted for various reasons to participate

“I got so much out of it. I know that to continue offering that, it takes support from the alumni, and so it’s just a natural thing for me to want to give back because I got so much.”

— E L M A S H AW ’8 6 in different things,” she says. “All those things really meant a lot to me. The school kept on reaching out to us, and it was really beautiful. I am interested in the growth of the school and seeing Cushing continue to do what it did for me, for other people as well.”

For Shaw that includes giving back financially.

“I want to see other young people have that kind of opportunity,” Shaw says. “I know that Cushing does a lot of very generous things for kids — there are scholarships, there’s the development of the property, of the different kinds of academic courses that are offered, the extracurricular activities. I got so much out of it. I know that to continue offering that, it takes support from the alumni, and so it’s just a natural thing for me to want to give back because I got so much.”

Shaw attended Cushing’s reunion last year and says that every connection strengthens her commitment. “I was there and had the best time with friends. I met a lot of new people as well from classes before me and after me,” she says. “Everyone’s doing something different, but we have this bond, this thing in common, SCAN ME! and really care about Check out each other and about the Elma Shaw’s school, and I always want award-winning to be a part of that.” novel Redemption Road.

PENGUIN N AT I O N

Remembering Trustee Emeritus Dr. Theodore L. Iorio P’95 We are saddened to share news of the recent passing of trustee emeritus Dr. Theodore L. Iorio P’95 on March 23, 2023, at the age of 84. Our community extends our deepest condolences to Ted’s wife, Dorothy, their children, Ted ’95, Adrienne, Matthew, Beth, and Laura, and their families.

Elected to the Cushing Academy Board of Trustees in 1994, Dr. Iorio served with great dedication and distinction for more than two decades until 2015, when he was elected as a trustee emeritus in recognition of his extraordinary service.

A devoted father and grandfather, Dr. Iorio was a brilliant academic and pioneer in the field of pharmaceuticals.

He received a BS and DSc. from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Services, an MS from Northeastern University, and an MBA from Seton Hall University.

Noting his tremendous impact on Cushing, Head of School Dr. Randy

Bertin said, “For every member of our community, the Theodore Iorio Arena stands as a visible testament to Ted’s legacy of visionary leadership as well as to the transformative generosity of Ted, Dot, and his family. Equally true to his vision was his creative support for the visual arts at Cushing — support which led to the creation of the nowiconic School Girl Statue. He was deeply passionate about Cushing and about making Cushing the best school it could be, in every way. A brilliant scientist and far-sighted leader in the pharmaceutical industry as a founder of Copley Pharmaceuticals and Tedor Pharma, Ted’s influence carries on as well in all that he made possible at Cushing, at his alma mater the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and at many institutions beyond.”

Dr. Iorio also supported the U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team through his building of a training facility at the Iorio Arena in Walpole, Massachusetts.

We remember with gratitude

Emily Fisher Landau P’69 and Betina Sommers P’71, ’74 & ’75, GP’07 & ’11, both with long-standing ties to the community and to the Board of Trustees. Our thoughts are with their extended families.

Emily Fisher Landau, mother of the late longtime Cushing trustee, board chair, and transformational benefactor M. Anthony Fisher ’69, passed away on March 27, 2023, at the age of 102. The Emily Fisher Landau Center for the Visual Arts was named in her honor in 1998.

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C U S H I N G TO D AY

Betina “Bette” Sommers passed away on January 6, 2023. Bette was the mother of Heather Sommers Perry ’71, the late John Sommers ’74, and the late Gerry Sommers ’75, and grandmother of Rachel Sommers Ash ’07 and Matthew Sommers ’11. Her late husband, John Sommers, Sr., and John ’74 were dedicated members of Cushing’s Board of Trustees and devoted benefactors.

In Memoriam

Here we include the names of those whose passing we have learned of as of April 3, 2023.

We extend our deepest sympathies to their families, classmates, and friends.

Richard G. Fuller Anne C. Hale William L. LeGay

1975

1959

1977

Brian K. Sinclair Stephen A. Wallace

Steven N. Lemieux

1938

1951

Geneva B. Benner

Irving E. Gray Virginia Montuori Murray

Joseph S. Fleming Carl T. Fritzsche S. Bradford Kempton Victoria Milton Loomis Winifred Roy Maillet Donald R. Mitchell

1941

1952

1960

Lorraine McPherson Owen

Chester G. Dalzell

1945

1953

Barbara Harvey Casacca Alma Luyties McKinney Richard S. Sanderson, Jr.

Mary Jean Cunningham Jackson Margaret Ohrt Packard

Kurt T. Austermann Arnold J. Hayes

1940

1954

Stuart M. Arvedon Edward F. Barry, Jr. Dorothy Clothey Gransee Jeanette King Healy Nancy Cushing Howe Marian Lucas Loiselle

John A. Liljestrand Martha Rubino Rowe, P’79 Elliot A. Ryan Leonides H. Xarras, P’82 & ’89

1948

1962

ILLUSTRATION©SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ELENA.EFREMOVA

Philip H. Brockington Felix J. D’Olimpio, Jr., P’78 Barbara Lloyd Greer George H. Howe Caroline Armour Longeway Ruth Gilbert Young

1950 George J. Butler Elizabeth Koski Gardner Judith Elmer Love Andrew J. Morgo

Elizabeth Leary Yager

1985 1988 Emily Coviello McMahon

1963 Peter H. Moulton John R. Ursone

1998 Brent M. Kostanski

1964

2011 Cody Wenning (Hon.)

Betsy Ross Fleming Arthur H. Liljegren

Esmonde J. Bushey, Jr. Francis L. LaMagdelaine Robert G. Lincoln

1956

1965

Stephen R. Collins Ward L. Hopkins Richard M. Padeni

James K. Langan Riford R. Tuttle, Jr.

1955

Thomas B. Hunter III

1949

1978

Theodore J. Kuzmeskas

Norman L. Benoit, Jr.

1947

Donald W. Lemieux

1957 William R. Ethier Bettina Lynn Mulle Dennis F. Murphy, Jr.

2016 Ryan K. Marsan

Trustee Emeriti Theodore L. Iorio, P’95

1966 Milton E. Baldwin III

Former Faculty

1968

R. Michael Fosburg Craig W. Low Helen F. Maxson

John D. Osley III

1958 Mary Owler Ball Rowland A. Bonner Steven D. Delaney

1970 Charles W. Gould

Friends Emily Fisher Landau, P’69 Betina M. Sommers, P’71, ’74 & ’75, GP’07 & ’11

SPRING 2023

47

ON THE DESK OF

ON THE DESK OF DEBORAH GUSTAFSON

Penguins Collected from Near and Far

Deb Gustafson’s almost three decades of admissions work at Cushing Academy has taken her to spots around the world in search of perfect Penguins — new students to add to the Cushing community. Along the way, Gustafson started collecting smaller penguins, too. Around a dozen collectibles now dot her desk and bookshelf, each made of different materials and each with their own story. Some she bought. Others were given to her as gifts. “They are great conversation pieces for admission families when they come in for their visit and interview,” Gustafson says. “Particularly the prospective students, they just warm right up and smile when they see penguins.” Each of Gustafson’s penguins has its own unique backstory. Here are a few of them:

◀ “This is one of my first penguins that was gifted to me by a friend. He’s made of goat fur actually, somewhat unusual. He looks confident and proud, and maybe has a little bit of attitude. I really like his style.”

▶ “This one is quite meaningful. This

was given to me by Allison Young ’08, one of our students from the Navajo Nation. It may represent one of the Pueblos in New Mexico where there is a rich tradition of ceramics. Allie went from Cushing to Dartmouth. She has worked in film and been a strong advocate for the Navajo people. She’s a fascinating young lady. It’s very special to me.”

▶

“In the little bookcase, there is a glass penguin plate that was made for me by one of my advisees, Anny Nguyen ’13, who is from Vietnam. She took a class in fused glass during her senior year, came into my office before graduation with this and said she made it for me. I treasure it. You can see her creativity and artistic talent, and it reminds me of her every day. I love it!”

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▶ “I have been fortunate to travel extensively for Cushing in my role with admissions over the years. I remember being in Moscow on a bitterly cold, 10-below-zero day. While hoping to stay warm before walking to my next appointment, I slipped into a little gift shop right near Red Square.

It was comforting and a nice surprise to see this little penguin family sitting on a shelf along with all the other beautiful blue and white ceramics. As I recall, it was not inexpensive, but it just meant something to me that day. So this one came home with me.”

◀ “This penguin is carved out of lapis

lazuli and I forget where I was when I saw this. Maybe Asia? I definitely did pick it up on a trip for Cushing. I often share with prospective families how penguin communities are so family oriented, how penguins take care of each other and watch out for each other, how they travel long distances but they always come home again. They endure hardships.

They’re resilient. We talk about how those values are woven into the Cushing nature and how perfect the penguin mascot is for Cushing.”

Add your legacy to the

Cushing Story

Thomas Parkman Cushing created his legacy when he founded Cushing Academy over 150 ago. Through his last will and testament, he expressed his desire to establish a school for “rising and future generations.” Because of that gesture, his story lives on in the generations of students that followed, their lives transformed by their education at Cushing.

When you include Cushing Academy in your long-term plans, you add to that story and create your own legacy.

Be a part of our story.

For inquiries and details please contact Greg Pollard, Director of Advancement, at grpollard@cushing.org or (978) 827-7400.

CUSHING ACADEMY

39 School Street Ashburnham, MA 01430 www.cushing.org

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Summit Photo from Mountain Day, 2022

Mountain Day, 1982

You are part of our Journey — from Mountain Day to Commencement and beyond.

Come Back to Cushing!

While we are especially celebrating class years ending in 3 and 8, all alumni are welcome.

Plan your visit and learn more:

WWW.CUSHING.ORG/REUNION

June 9–11 Reunion 2023