Spring 2017 Alumni Connection by Gordon School

Gordon

alumni connection

Spring 2017

Dear Gordon Friends, This year, Middle School is continuing its theme of “A Place to Belong.” Throughout the year, teachers and students have taken many opportunities to weave this theme into their curricula and daily practice. Our students describe this sense of belonging in a number of ways; how it feels, sounds and looks. At the start of the school year, Middle School students were encouraged to share what “A Place to Belong” should be: “It feels like a second home.” “People greet you and smile at you in the halls.” “Everyone is kind and accepting.” “You are comfortable wherever you are in the school.” “It is a safe place where people are accepted.” “A place where everyone listens to each other.” In this issue of the Alumni Connection, we build upon this theme. Parents, alumni and students share their own thoughts on how Gordon is a community where they feel they belong. We explore our evolving curricula in both immigration and the Civil Rights Movement. Finally, we see how alumni are creating their own places to belong beyond the walls of Gordon in Class Notes. Gordon has evolved as a school community in many ways over the past 107 years, but through this evolution we continue to focus on our students and creating a school environment where they all have a sense of place. I encourage to you to share your own stories on how Gordon was a place where you belonged by emailing me at ljordan@gordonschool.org. All the best,

Lauren Jordan, Associate Development Director

Welcome back We were delighted that Sulie Heins Potter ’56 and Penny Morgan Aubin ’54 visited Gordon this fall. Sulie and Penny attended Gordon when it was located on the East Side of Providence. During their time on campus, they met librarian Frances Martindale. Frances invited them to share with her Kindergarten students about their time at Gordon and their favorite books.

Campus Notes

Ralph Wales to step down in June 2018 In January, Ralph Wales announced his intention to step down from the position of Gordon’s Head of School at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. As Board Chair George Matouk explained in a letter to the Gordon community: “For many of us, it is difficult to imagine Gordon without Ralph. I say this not because of his historic record of achievement as our head, although the evidence of that is all around us. I say this because Ralph is a man of extraordinary spirit, soul and heart who has profoundly changed the lives of so many of the children and adults with whom he has come into contact as Head of School since 1994. Ralph will leave the institution of Gordon in a position of enviable strength and vitality. Gordon is driven by a compelling mission that blends academic excellence with diversity and inclusion. The Gordon model is a national beacon for how independent elementary and middle schools can and should function in our fast-moving, multicultural, globally connected twenty-first century society.” The Board has begun the process of hiring the next Head of School and there will be opportunities for the community to honor Ralph in the coming months. Updates on the search will be posted at www.gordonschool.org/head as they are available.

Alumnus, faculty celebrate Middle School performing arts Trevor Dorman ’11 returned to the Gordon stage on Friday, December 9th performing for the Middle School with Dartmouth College’s a cappella group the Dartmouth Aires. Trevor spoke at length about the experience of discovering his own voice during his years at Gordon, and encouraged students to pursue their passions. Trevor was part of Gordon’s a cappella group, the G-Notes, Middle School band, percussion ensemble, and handbell ensemble, but he might be best remembered for his performances in the Middle School musicals. In honor of his star turn as the Beast in 2010’s Beauty and the Beast, Ms. Hodgin and Ms. Romanzi presented him with the mask he wore in that production. In keeping with the irreverent dress code of the Dartmouth Aires, Dorman immediately donned the mask and wore it for several songs. Trevor had a surprise for Ms. Romanzi, as well; the Dartmouth Aires performed a tribute specifically written just for her.

College Visits The Gordon alumni office visited Brown University in December to catch up with our alumni! Thanks to Kali Ridley ’09 and Joe McNamara ’12 for taking time before exams to stop by.

Annual Art Show The annual art show was on display throughout the Beckwith Buonanno Arts Center in January, with works from students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Pieces incorporated a number of mediums and included nature studies, clay sculptures, color wheels and still lifes. The Gordon community, as well as prospective families, were invited to enjoy the multimedia spectacular.

Finding mentors through the performing arts Gordon students find many mentors through the performing arts. Some they might meet only once. Others might stay in their lives throughout their time at Gordon. In December, the students in the seventh and eighth grade playwriting elective hosted visitors from the Brown University and Trinity Rep Master of Fine Arts program. Instructors, graduate students and Trinity Rep performers gave a staged reading of the Gordon students’ work, and Trinity’s playwright-in-residence offered feedback in a warm and affirming dialogue. It’s one of a number of times that Gordon students will work with the Brown / Trinity Rep program this year. MFA students spend a day with Gordon eighth graders each fall, coaching them on their Shakespeare monologues, and Trinity resident artists lead workshops during Gordon Summer Theater camp every June. The most recent third and fourth grade musical was written by one of last year’s MFA students, who was on campus working with the cast throughout the rehearsal process. During this year’s Middle School winter concert, the seventh and eighth grade choral ensemble performed the Syrian-Iraqi song Fog Elna Khel. The piece was arranged by Salim Bali of Aleppo, Syria. Ms. Barsom-Morcos, one of Gordon’s Nursery teachers, coached the ensemble on the Arabic pronunciation. Many of the singers have known Ms. Barsom-Morcos, who was born, raised and educated in Syria, since they were young. At November’s Independent School Choral Festival, they got to perform this piece for scholar Andre de Quadros, who had included it in his anthology Choral Music of the Muslim World.

Campus Notes

Welcoming the tenth annual Karla Harry Visiting Authors It was too rainy for outdoor recess so first graders stayed inside and built creatures. Clumps of LEGOs were forged into horses and “echolocation robots.” In one corner, an aspiring author wrote a book about the platypus and the octopus. Animals were on their minds, for very good reason. They had just spent an hour hearing from Robin Page and Steve Jenkins, authors and illustrators who have collaborated on sixteen children’s books. They were Gordon’s tenth annual Karla Harry Visiting Authors, who were on campus in November working with students for a week. Natural science was the focus of much of their work, with lively (and often life-sized) depictions of the animal world. Students had worked hard preparing for the visit. Third graders drew on Jenkins and Page’s subject matter to make animal mobiles. Fifth graders borrowed one of their narrative strategies for “How to be a fifth grader.”

Students in the after school programs used their cut-paper techniques and created a welcome sign. During the visit, the second grade class got a hands-on master class with Page and Jenkins. The authors walked them through the process of creating a page in one of their books. Their cut-paper technique looks effortless but students learned it takes a lot of planning and repetition to make it look that way. And the hardest part is the first part: researching the facts and choosing the source materials. In preparation, the second graders had been working on books of their own. Each had researched an animal and its habitat, and chosen one feature of the animal to highlight. (The assignment was an echo of Jenkins’ book What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?). After Jenkins and Page had presented their work, the students talked about theirs. Each presented their work to all of the adults in the room. For the librarians, it was an opportunity to see their work come to life in the art studio.

For the classroom teacher, it was a chance to see the students explain their work to fresh faces. And for the students, it was an affirmation of what they were learning in Gordon’s classrooms. The tools and techniques they were using, it turned out, were the same ones that career professionals used. What’s more, these professionals were taking them seriously, as fellow scientists, authors, and artists. The Visiting Author Program is supported by the Karla Harry Visiting Author Fund.

Thank you NYC alumni! Over a dozen Gordon alumni joined Head of School Ralph L. Wales and members of the alumni office for a reception in New York City. Thank you to all of those who attended! Please be on the lookout for alumni regional events in your area. If you would like to help plan or host an alumni event, contact Lauren Jordan at ljordan@gordonschool.org.

First place in the Rhode Island FIRST LEGO League Invitational tournament This January, one of Gordon’s competitive robotics teams took first place at the Rhode Island FIRST LEGO League Invitational tournament. Gordon has become a leader in Rhode Island competitive robotics since the Middle School team formed in 2002, and on June 3rd, Gordon will host Rhode Island’s first expo for aspiring robot engineers age six to ten. The Gordon team that took first place at January’s tournament included members of the team that won last year’s qualifying tournament. This fall, for the third year, one of the league’s qualifying tournaments was held at Gordon. Ten teams from local independent, public and parochial schools gave their presentations to league judges. The presentations were all based on this year’s theme, the interdependence of animals and humans. Each team had to research and design an innovative way that human technology could address a need of an animal population.

Alumnus helps school honor Chrys Alam At the winter all-school assembly, Aiden Herlihy ’11 returned to help pay tribute to retired music teacher, Chrys Alam. In 2004, Ms. Alam began a tradition of first and second graders singing the song Just One Candle. Aiden, then in second grade, was the soloist on the first verse. “Just One Candle” became a signature song for Chrys. When the school reprised it one last time at the assembly, Aiden once again stood in front of the school for his solo. During Chrys’s more-than-thirty years at Gordon, the all-school assemblies grew into showcases for Gordon’s performing arts program. It was fitting, then, that her colleagues and students honored her work, just once more, with this spotlight moment.

Young Men’s Choral Festival at Rhode Island College In January, four eighth graders participated in the Young Men’s Choral Festival at Rhode Island College. The annual event, “a choral workshop and concert designed especially for young men of high school age and mature junior high students,” is organized by the Providence Singers especially to encourage young singers who identify as male. The eighth graders are all members of the G-Notes, Gordon’s Middle School a cappella group.

Gordon alumni return to campus Before winter break, Gordon alumni returned for an Alumni Gathering and the annual High School Alumni breakfast. They had the opportunity to attend the Middle School concert and the Winter Assembly, while also catching up with members of the Gordon community! During another visit, alumni were invited to participate in reading Shakespeare in Mr. Burnstein’s class.

Campus Notes

Parents come together for the first of two cross-racial dialogues On Wednesday, November 16th, Gordon parents convened for one of two cross-racial dialogues planned for this year. Assistant Head of School Dr. Kim Ridley reported: The Parents of Students of Color and the Antiracism Working Group for White Parents are in their second year of working together to intentionally build a more culturally responsive and connected parent community within Gordon School. Maureen Kelly, the Early Childhood Director, and I serve as administrative liaisons to both groups. We worked in collaboration with the parent co-leaders to plan two cross-racial dialogues for this year, hoping these dialogues would be as successful as last year’s experience. The November meeting agenda was inspired by the Code Switch podcast entitled “Apocalypse or Racial Kumbaya?” This podcast came out

in the days before the election, attempting to clarify the reactions to the campaign: namely, how race influences what we perceive about people’s reactions and decision-making processes. The hosts, Gene Demby and Shereen Marisol Meraji, talked with Carol Anderson, historian and author, and Whitney Dow, creator of the Whiteness Project, to help us to explore how race has always been, and continues to be, a significant influence on how we see the world. Over seventy-five parents participated in the dialogue that took place in Gordon’s Britt Nelson Dining Hall. As parents were served a light dinner, a question was posed on the table: “What are you hoping to get out of the meeting today?” Parents were arranged in groups of eight or nine around tables and listened to the thirty-minute podcast in fifteen-minute segments. After each segment, they answered questions in small and large groups.

The sentiments expressed felt authentic and honest, and it was apparent that the struggle with race is something that is felt throughout the school community. The November evening kicked off a series of cross-racial dialogues within the community. On Monday April 24th Gordon screened the acclaimed documentary I Am Not Your Negro, based on an unpublished work by James Baldwin. A facilitated conversation followed and the event was open to the public. We had over a hundred participants, including faculty and staff from local independent schools. These events are being organized and co-sponsored by Parents of Students of Color and the Antiracism Working Group for White Parents.

Telling Th e ir Sto rie s The immigration social studies unit at Gordon is The curricula then moves to include migration in general, specifically the Great Migration in taught in fourth grade. the United States, which explored the movement of five million African-Americans out of the The three fourth grade teachers Pat Jennings, rural Southern United States to the urban NorthMimi Roterman and Rebecca Zakin have east, Midwest, and West from 1910 to 1970. spent years creating a curriculum that teaches immigration from varied perspectives. “The goal of the unit is to bring in many What started as a unit that taught students about different stories and perspectives,” said Rebecca. the Ellis Island experience has evolved into a Through a combination of fiction and noncurriculum that incorporates a more complete fiction readings, students are able to examine: look at both immigration and migration. • Why people move Years ago, the social studies unit examined • Why they choose where they move Russian immigration during the early 1900s • What are the similarities when they get there to 1954 through Ellis Island. • What clubs, organization, and societies helped them settle into new areas “As our student population became more • How did migration and immigration cause diverse, it evolved to include studying Angel a mix of cultures Island,” Pat shared. Students were once asked to journal as an This allowed fourth grade students to compare immigrant coming through Ellis Island. Now and contrast experiences of immigrants through all students are given the task of journaling Ellis Island and Angel Island. Angel Island is an as an immigrant through Angel Island. island in San Francisco Bay. Immigrants who came through Angel Island were from Australia “This change allowed for more empathy for and New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Central and different experiences and encouraged them South America, Russia, and in particular, Asia. to lean into discomfort,” Mimi explained. Between 1910 and 1940 they were met with Empathy came when they were able to replace a reception unlike that given to European characters with people they know or imagine immigrants on the East Coast. Many immigrants themselves in those very same situations. were quarantined and spent years on the island waiting for entry.

This year the social studies unit started with three essential questions: 1. 2. 3.

How does one’s race and/or culture shape a person’s experience in the United States? How has the history of immigration had an impact on the United States we live in today? What does it mean to be an American?

The unit explores documents like the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, challenging students to dig deeper into questions like, ‘What does a better life mean?’ and ‘What does it mean to have freedom?’ It also allowed for conversation around how migration and immigration have created this country and how they impact the United States. Also new this year, is a focus to bring more parent speakers into the process to further enhance the broad spectrum of people and stories and cultural learning. In April, a parent shared her journey from Cape Verde to Portugal and then eventually to the United States. She shared about the challenges of learning a new language, eating new foods and assimilating into a country while still holding on to her traditions and sense of identity. Everyone has their own personal story to tell.

Faculty Update

Not The Way We Learned It At November’s annual AISNE Diversity Conference, Literacy Specialist Minna Ham and eighth grade teacher Gabe Burnstein presented on “Assessing Your Multicultural Curriculum.” They were asked to speak about how Gordon’s curriculum has evolved over the years. Their presentation focused on the changes to the fourth grade social studies immigration unit and the eighth grade Civil Rights unit. Minna and Gabe had presented about diversity programs for two year at the New England New Teachers Seminar in Connecticut and were asked to bring a variation of this to the conference. They started by encouraging attendees from other schools to look past embellishments and change the essential question. “When you change the essential question you can change the curriculum,” Minna shared. “Gordon changed from top to bottom. The Board and the Administrators need to be in on the mission to make changes,” Minna continued. Minna and Gabe presented a packed room of attendees with strategies, timelines and case studies outlining how other schools could follow suit. “We encouraged teachers to think past the way they learned the material. Their beliefs show

through their teaching by what they choose to share with their students,” Minna asked.

Gabe discussed how he moved the curriculum forward to address this.

He first provided his students more historical context for present day issues. A research paper is one project long associated with the Civil Rights Trip. What was once a paper researching a person or movement from the past has Minna presented on the immigration unit in evolved into students exploring current issues fourth grade. By changing the immigration of racial injustice. Some students more deeply perspective from just those who traveled through Ellis Island, to include immigrants from explored topics that caught their attention at the Equal Justice Initiative or the Southern Poverty Angel Island and the Great Migration, students Law Center on the Civil Rights Trip. Topics were able to see varied perspectives and now include the school to prison pipeline, the experiences. This allowed for a discussion rise in hate groups, or voter disenfranchisement. about migration and immigration as a whole. Other students look at how issues of race and equity impact something they love, such as The fourth grade teachers now ask students, comic books, ballet, and the Food Network, “How does your race affect your experience allowing them to look at the things they love in the US?” in a new way. Gabe shared the changes to the Civil Rights unit One student wrote, “I want to open a ballet over the years. “I was challenged to make the annual Civil Rights Trip and unit more relevant studio. But I’m going to be intentional about making sure my studio is diverse.” to today,” Gabe said. “The more I studied the past, the more the present made sense. The Both units are ever-evolving and changing more I filled in the holes between 1865 and to continue to incorporate new voices and 1965, the more I understood today.” perspectives. Gordon’s multicultural curriculum continues to be an example to other schools, as “For lots of our students of color, while the our teachers encourage others to look at things unit does provide positive mirrors that defy critically and change the essential questions. stereotypes, it does not make an explicit connection between the past and the present. To learn more about the evolving fourth grade It does not explain anything relating to any immigration unit, please see page 7. current conversations about race in America.” Participants were challenged to dive deeper into curricula that may have previously only scratched the surface.

2017 Civil Rights Trip

veteran civil rights lawyer who met with Gordon in Montgomery in 2016 and again this year. This year, Joanne Bland was Gordon’s host in Selma, Alabama. As a child, she participated in the Bloody Sunday confrontation on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, in the run-up to the successful Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery. This year’s eighth grade warmed quickly to her blunt and often witty analysis. All of it was backed up by her obvious love of her hometown. She knows Selma inside and out, and read the city like a book as the bus drove through.

This was the sixteenth year of the Civil Rights Trip

Gordon’s eighth grade has been making the same journey since 2002, but every year’s trip is different from the ones before it. The students are new each year. The context of current events shifts. And, sometimes through serendipity and sometimes by design, the itinerary always changes. The 2017 trip contained many of the highlights of the year before, including stops at the Southern Poverty Law Center, Odessa’s Blessing restaurant, Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative, and Atlanta’s Center for Civil and Human Rights. New this year was an afternoon in Tuskegee, added to the trip on the strong recommendation of Fred Gray, the 9

The Southern Poverty Law Center consistently gives Gordon a set of speakers who are young and smart, with varied backgrounds and different stories about how they were drawn into social justice work. This year was no different, with a lawyer who advocates for LGBT youth, a young man studying how hate groups use social media, and another lawyer working on a landmark case establishing the rights of the mentally ill in prisons. During their afternoon in Tuskegee, students visited with Fred Gray and toured Tuskegee University, learning more about the history of a key site in African American history. To learn more about the Civil Rights Trip, visit www.gordonschool.org/civilrights

A Place to Belong Luke Anderson, seventh and eighth grade humanities teacher and parent: “Gordon is a place where kids are allowed to be kids. When you watch the seventh and eighth graders at recess you see how this school allows them to hold on to their childhood as they grow and develop as people. When I talk to my students about diversity and inclusion they talk about how unique this place is. They feel like they are allowed to be who they are without fear of judgment or rejection. They feel grateful to be here and intuitively understand how special their education is.” Mimi Coleman, Director of After School and Summer Programs: “I believe Gordon’s community creates among the students a sense of belonging. The interactions that stem from the buddy program foster relationships across all grade levels. One of my favorite examples of this in the after school program is when the young Gators get so excited to make signs and cheer on the basketball teams. They have learned many of the middle schoolers names by being active and enthusiastic fans and greet them in the hallway to which the players respond “Thanks for coming to our game” or “Are you coming to our game today?” Carlin O’Donnell ’03, law clerk, NFL: “I started at Gordon in fifth grade—the only new student in my class that year. But I never once felt out of place. I was never an outsider. I was never the “new kid.” My classmates embraced me from day one. I immediately belonged at Gordon.”

Janie Lupica ’07, Boston elementary school teacher: “The Gordon School is a garden of wildflowers and, like the rest of the community, I have sunk my roots deeply into its soil. These roots are an unshakable foundation from which I have grown into a critical thinker, a passionate learner and a fiercely dedicated teacher. Gordon showed me that I belong in a community of diverse perspectives and that an open mind is the key to helping all flowers grow.”

Greg Carson, fifth grade teacher and parent: “My kids and I both feel a deep sense of belonging at Gordon. There are many reasons for this, including the relational nature of the people here, and the trust and safety my kids and I feel in taking risks. However, one more tangible way that makes Gordon a place to belong is that people greet each other by name. Using someone’s name is a meaningful way to show someone that you know them and understand them. This is true for students, faculty, parents, staff—we all greet each other by name when we encounter one another. This leaves a lasting impact on me as a teacher at Gordon, and certainly contributes to the strong sense of belonging and community my own children get from their Gordon experience.”

Afiya Samuel, third grade teacher: “Gordon is a place where we can all feel safe, included, and comfortable making mistakes and knowing that we won’t be judged, where we can be ourselves and where we can work at our own pace.” Amy Lupica, first grade teacher and parent of alumni: “Gordon School has provided an important place to belong for my family for many years. As a parent I watched the amazing Gordon faculty discover and nurture the special gifts in each of my children. They also taught my children how to consider the source of information, think about whose voice is not being represented, and how to look at issues from multiple perspectives. As my children navigate their young adult years, this Gordon foundation continues to guide them in their work and play. I am so grateful to Gordon for helping to shape who they have become! When I joined Gordon as a faculty member, I was excited to belong to a professional community I so admired. As a teacher I have been given the resources to continually grow in my practice. The ability to have profound conversations about our teaching with dedicated, insightful colleagues within the framework of delivering the best multicultural education inspires me every day. It gives me great joy to witness the impact of a Gordon education on the next generation of children.”

Lauren Rosalanko ’07, Analyst, USB: “Gordon supported a safe setting for students that welcomed everyone to share their individual thoughts and opinions, even if they might differ. Attending Gordon made me feel like I belonged and has provided lifelong friends who continue to epitomize the same sense of community well beyond my years at Gordon.”

Kim Mongeon, Middle School assistant and parent of alumna: “My office is my place to belong at Gordon. I have been in this space for about thirteen years. It is filled with sticky notes from students who stop by to say hi when I am not here. Alumni leave me notes on my whiteboard letting me know they were here. There are many thank you notes from parents, faculty, staff and students over the years.

Cenhdi Arias, second grade teacher and parent: “Gordon’s sense of community envelops you and allows you to be yourself. It has been a place where I have felt supported in my teaching practice. I have also felt discomfort and have been given the space to learn and grow. Professionally I have grown in my practice and have gained so many tools to enhance my teaching and work with families and students. As a parent it is a privilege to be able to give my child the opportunity to experience such a rich and culturally responsive education.”

My daughter’s art work from Nursery and Preschool still line my bulletin boards. Pictures of her from nursery through eighth grade are all over the walls. That went by fast! I keep special snacks for faculty to stop by for a sweet treat as needed, which may lead to a quick conversation that may not have happened otherwise. My office is just a really welcoming space that I enjoy being in. I belong here. So does everyone else.”

Nick Terry, Preschool teacher: “Gordon makes me feel like I belong because it has always supported me in teaching in a way that is not only engaging and enriching to my students, but also elicits my own love of learning and teaching.”

Empowering young minds

GORDON Fund . . . . . . 30% .! . . . . . of Gordon’s donors are alumni.

Join the more than

200 alumni who have supported Gordon this year

Gordon alumni, from the 1930s to 2016, make annual gifts to the Gordon Fund.

“

Alumni support is particularly meaningful because you know the value of a Gordon education firsthand. Help us provide today’s young learners with a comprehensive academic experience in nursery through eighth grade. “I am giving BACK to Gordon for all that Gordon gave to me. It was such a transformative place for me that I give with the hope that it continues to be that for the children in the RI community!”—class of ’90 “It was a wonderful school 70 years ago and it’s an even more wonderful school now.”—class of ’46 “When I think about my education and where I felt most connected as a learner, I always think of Gordon. Lessons at Gordon take you beyond the walls of the classroom and truly prepare learners to navigate the world.” —class of ’01

www.gordonschool.org/alumnigiving

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1930s-1950s

30%

1960s

10% 13, 2 017

1970s

NI ON F U ND ALU M

RI L

10%

1990s

23%

1980s

2000s

.....

13%

2010s

O ON

Love What You Do

St u d e nt s w e r e i n v it e d to s h a r e w h at t h e y lov e a b o u t G o r d o n , a s pa rt o f a d i s p l ay i n t h e C HA C E SALTONS TALL C o m m o n s . T h e s i x t h g r a d e r s h a d p h oto g r a p h e d w h at t h e y lo v e d a b o u t G o r d o n .

by Head of School Ralph L. Wales

I was in a meeting in the conference room two Tuesdays ago when I was distracted by gentle tapping on the filtered glass wall that faces towards the Commons. I saw the silhouettes of children and small square shadows. There were also muffled giggles which—when I think about it now— seemed more like the expression of joy rather than the chuckle that follows a joke well told. I was about to get up to stop whatever was going on so that the committee could keep its concentration when I remembered that the sixth grade faculty had posted a sign on the wall the day before with the question, “What do you love about Gordon School?” Post-it notes and pens lay on a small nearby table so that passersby could write down and stick up their responses. These children weren’t misbehaving. They were just following the directions. By late Friday afternoon that week, a fair smattering of reflections dotted the wall. With virtually everyone gone for the weekend, I pulled up a chair right in the middle of Main Street and sat down to a good read. The comments were, without question, joyful. As evidence, I noted the frequent use of the 27th

letter in an elementary school child’s alphabet: the exclamation point! “Teachers!!!!” “Library!!” “I love ART!” But what was most distinct was the transparent presentation and uncomplicated wisdom of the notes’ authors. And for that reason, I was moved by what their thoughts taught me about our school. These children love their school because, among other things, “Everybody is kind,” “All voices get to be together, “You can express your thoughts freely,” and “When I have a fight with a friend, I always sort it out.”

In my digestive state, I appreciated the fact that in central corridor of our schoolhouse, the thoroughfare we call Main Street, we had placed this stop sign, and gently requested a reflection on love. And then I recognized that those who did most of the stopping and loving were—if my detective skills were right—eight, nine and ten years old, the people who do childhood really well. On this wall was their philosophy of good living and good schooling. Be yourself. Say what you think and how you feel! (Don’t forget that 27th letter of the alphabet.) When necessary, “sort things out.”

Some ideas edged along the boundaries of a Lower School vocabulary. My favorite version of this was the note stating that the most loved feature of our school was its “indivisionableality.” I agreed, and then found myself wishing the world could possess a touch more of this. When I had finished reading all the offerings, I was in no hurry to go. As I pushed back my chair, I had the sensation of having had the very best meal, a good moment for reverie. 14

Seek “indivisionable-ality.” And, most of all, love what you do and the people you do it with. As I got up and walked out to my car, my head was clear and my heart was full. That’s what I love about Gordon School.

Welcome to the sixties!

The Middle School musical, Hairspray, was performed in February. The irreverent musical, based on the John Waters film of the same name, is an energetic dancefilled extravaganza with issues of race, gender, and 1960s US history at its core. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a show about resistance in a racially segregated city. Middle School students were cast across gender and race boundaries in a story that kicks up issues of class and body image against a backdrop of emerging adolescence. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fitting last Gordon production for the eighth graders, who travelled to Georgia and Alabama the following week as part of their study of the 1960s Civil Rights movement. A record number of fifty-four students were in the cast. Adding in the crew, and the students in the set design elective, over half of the Middle School had a hand in bringing this production to life. 15

class notes s p r i n g

2 0 1 7

3Os

4Os

Martha “Martie” Livingston ’36, dedicated

Maybury Viall Fraser ’40 passed away April

alumna and supporter, passed away in January. Mrs. Livingston created an amazing legacy across generations here at Gordon School. Martie and Stanley Livingston’s five children, Frederick ’58, Magrieta ’60, Mary ’64, Stanley ’67 and John ’70 all attended Gordon, as well as Martie’s brother, three grandchildren and nieces and nephews. During her children’s time at Gordon, she served as a member of the Gordon Board of Trustees and was the Board Chair from 1963-1964.

of last year in Providence. A longtime supporter, development office volunteer and dedicated alumna of the school, Maybury returned to Gordon for its Centennial in 2010 with her son, Nathaniel Tingley, Jr. ’68. Her brother, and Gordon alumnus, William A. Viall, II ’37 also passed away a month prior to his sister. photo 3

Mrs. Livingston returned to visit Gordon last year and shared her memories with Head of School Ralph Wales, her granddaughter and current parent Sayles Livingston, and Sayles’ daughter, Martha, who is currently a seventh grader at Gordon. photo 1 Nancy Mattis ’36, loyal Gordon alumna and

2 6

supporter, passed away in October at the age of 95. Mrs. Mattis was also graduate of Lincoln School and Wheaton College. An active member of the Barrington community and lifelong Rhode Islander, she was an avid boater. John Spicer ’38 writes: “I was below on the

trail taking this shot of my family celebrating my 90th, the windy day after our celebrations. High winds were cracking the trees above us. This one apparently went down that afternoon. After several centuries of growth the old giant finally bought it, to help us celebrate!” photo 2

5 16

6Os

Roz Rustigian ’65 writes: “I am in one of the

more diverse industries one can imagine… right in step with Gordon! The rug business is replete with amazingly creative and gifted people from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and a host of other countries. What an experience!”

7Os

John Ravenal ’73 “Though I’m now fully

ensconced as Director of deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in the Boston area, I’m excited about a recent independent curatorial project that brings together the work of Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch. The exhibition opened at the Munch Museum in Oslo in June 2016 and at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond in November 2016. The catalog was co-published by Yale University Press.”

8Os

Amy Barrett ’84 writes: “Attached is a photo of Wils (15), Riley (17), Margot (5) and Ian (12) with Fern from this year’s holiday card.” photo 4

9Os Helen Buckley Cappetta ’94 and her husband

Dan welcomed a baby girl, Abigail Marie, on September 10th. Christine Isidoro ’94 welcomed a baby girl,

Addison, in August. photo 5 Andrea Weisman Russell ’97 and her husband

Ben welcomed their daughter, Eliana Rose Russell, into the world on May 26 of last year. She was born weighing 8 lbs 11 oz and is doing great. Her big brother Steven is in love, as are their parents. photo 6 Damian Ewens ’90 was named a recipient of

the 2016 Tech10 Award (Workforce Champion). Damian was recognized for his roles as Project Director, Opportunity at Work and Director of TechHire Rhode Island. Providence Monthly named Damian one of the Ten to Watch in 2017. photo 7

Newport, RI. Rob and Emily have remained close friends since she left Gordon in Kindergarten, and recently traveled to Greece together and took this photo atop the Acropolis of Athens. photo 8 Todd Buffam ’99 and his wife Tara welcomed their first child, Cameron, on Thanksgiving Day.

OOs

Courtney Spellman DeStefano ’01 is currently

the Head of the Prefect Program and the Head Varsity Lacrosse Coach at Choate Rosemary Hall. Most recently, she served as a Dean at the Cambridge Tradition with Oxbridge Academic Programs in Cambridge, England.

On the Book shelf Georgia A. Hunter Farinholt ‘92 released her first novel, We Were the Lucky Ones, in February. The historical fiction follows the journeys of her Polish Jewish family during the Holocaust and is based on a true family story, extensively researched by

John Harwood ’01 stopped by Gordon in

December and visited with his former teacher, Eric Kravitz. John is the Hockey Operations Coordinator at Brown University. photo 9

Georgia. As part of her book tour, she visited Gordon in March to talk about the process of novel writing,

Georgia Hunter (Farinholt) ’92 released her novel, a fictionalized account of her family’s World War II survival on February 14th. (see sidebar)

Ethan Wolston ’01 was married in October in

her inspiration, and to share pieces of her family

Bend, Oregon. Ben Freedman ’01 was part of the celebrations. photo 10

story. She described her novel as story of hope and courage. Students read passages and asked

Noah Davis ’97 recently went on a dinosaur

Carlin O’Donnell ’03 writes: “I am in my final

extensive travel and years of research. The eighth

dig in Utah for work, providing further confirmation that the life plan he concocted in fourth grade is going smoothly. On November 5th, Rob Glancy ’97 was honored to join former classmate Emily Wilson ’97 and her husband Bhavesh Dayalji in celebrating their wedding at the Hotel Viking in

year at Harvard Law School, graduating in May. On March 7th, on behalf of the studentrun Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law, I directed a public symposium at the Law School entitled “Legal and Ethical Issues Affecting Football Player Health.” Over the last three years I have had the opportunity to work for the Kraft Group, Centerbridge 17

Georgia questions about her family discovery, grade studied a unit on the Holocaust, with emphasis on stories from survivors. For additional information about Georgia’s novel and book tour events, visit www.wewerethelucky ones.com. If you have a book or article published that you would like to share, please email Lauren Jordan at ljordan@gordonschool.org.

Partners, and the National Football League. I will be joining the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges this fall as an associate in the Private Funds group, which is part of the firm’s broader Private Equity practice.” Bethany Pine ’03 writes, “Yesterday the half

marathon that I had been training for since March was cancelled due to lightning. I made the decision to do something I never thought I could do, run a marathon. Today I did just that! It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! Thank you to everyone who supported me, JDRF, and #teamanna.” In January Bethany ran to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in support of Anna Carson, Greg Carson’s daughter, and raised $2,485. photo 1

Liam Miner ’05 wrote: “I am still living in

Sarah Fraza ’06 married Erik Edwards in

Amsterdam and working as a Senior Consultant for a software company specializing in big data customer experience analytics. In my spare time I love to bike around the Netherlands, see live music, and travel around Europe.”

January at the Hale Koa Phineas Estate in Oahu, Hawaii. photo 3

Coby Unger ’05’s work with Maker’s Asylum

cuisine of Red Stripe in East Greenwich, RI.

in Mumbai was featured in the Huffington Post article, “Meet Coby Unger, Who Turned An Autorickshaw Into A Design Lab.” Coby said: “After spending a year and a half in India working on a few design and building projects and exploring the beautiful country, I am back in the US. I just recently moved to Somerville, MA and started a job at the MIT Hobby Shop. In short my job is to help students, faculty, staff and alums with their projects in our wood and metal shop. I’m learning a lot and really enjoying having access to a full prototyping shop again.”

Nate Ardente ’05 is living and working in

Tavie Abell ’06, Director of Strategy for the RI

Boston. He is an Analyst at Redgate Capital Partners.

Office of Innovation, spoke in November with sixth graders about her experience in government and politics as well as the recent Presidential election. Before her current position, Tavie worked for Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu on her 2014 campaign, then returned to RI to join Governor Raimondo’s policy team. photo 2

Jon Shumate ’03 was promoted to chef de

Parker Barry ’05 recently moved back to Rhode

Island to work as a house parent and coach at Portsmouth Abbey School. Allie McCahan ’05 is living in New York and works for LinkedIn as a Financial Services Relationship Manager.

Michael-James Spellman DeStefano ’06 is

an RN at Charlton Memorial Hospital in the Critical Care Unit.

Sam Adrain ’07 writes: “I am the Co-Founder

and Artistic Director of What Will The Neighbors Say? a new theater company in NYC provoking questions through untold stories. We have a full season of events and performances lined up for 2017 so check out www.wwtns.org for more info! photo 4 Janie Lupica ’07 will graduate this May from

Tufts University with her MAT in Child Studies and Development. She is in the second year of her teaching placement at a public elementary school in Somerville, MA teaching first grade. Caroline Miller ’07 returned to Gordon this fall as the assistant coach for field hockey. She is pictured after practice with field hockey B coach, Afiya Samuel. photo 5 Katie Sgarro ’07 is a MS candidate at Kellogg

School of Management and co-founder and president of AsylumConnect, an incorporated nonprofit startup providing the first online, centralized database of service providers for LGBTQ asylum seekers in the U.S. She is also a Huffington Post blogger and co-founder and advisor of BelieveAchieve, an ed-tech initiative seeking to provide free, online, and on-demand educational and guidance services to disadvantaged high school students.

1Os

Will Lupica ’10 performed last summer in the

Fringe Festival in New York City. The play he was in received a review in the New York Times. Jared Donaldson ’11 played in the second

round of last year’s US Open in Queens, New York. Although defeated in the third round, he left New York with his best Grand Slam tournament result and broke into the top ranking 100 in the world released after the US Open. photo 6 Jamie Pine ’11 writes: “Annabelle Fischer ’12

is a freshman at Colby and just got back from a semester abroad in Salamanca, Spain. Colby has Outdoor Orientation Trips (COOT) for the incoming freshmen, and I serve as a COOT leader, and coincidentally lead Annabelle’s trip! We went ice fishing for the weekend and this picture is from one of our hikes in Rome, Maine.” photo 7 Natasha Markov-Riss ’12 writes: “Over

winter break, I went on a study trip to Israel and Palestine to study the conflict. I am about to go to Cambodia for a week long externship with VisionFund, a microfinance organization. I’ll be helping impoverished women build small businesses!” Madison Kelly ’13 was named as a semifinalist in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship competition.

Natalie Landau ’13 was named to the Boston

Kinara Mongia Gasper ’15 won the MVP

Globe Prep All-Star team on behalf of the New England Preparatory School Women’s Soccer Association coaches.

award of the Moses Brown varsity tennis team. Jacqueline Faulise ’16 made the varsity soccer

Xilian Sansoucy ’13 received the 2016 Award

team at Wheeler this fall as a freshman and scored the team’s first goal of the season!

for Philanthropists from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) RI Chapter. Although this award is usually given to adults already involved in their career, Xilian was nominated for her work with Young Voices, a Providence nonprofit.

Class Agents 1987 Sarah Funke Butler

Lauren Bendheim ’14 was named Honorable

1997

Mention in the Rhode Island Field Hockey Division II All Team.

Rob Glancy

1998

Merebea Danforth

Sara Remmler ’14 was named 2016 All League

player in soccer by the Southeastern New England Independent Schools Athletic Association.

1999

Georgia Mischak Nick Wall

2000

Isaiah Osofisan

2001

Rebecca Nelson

Ella Arms ’15 won the MVP award of the

2003

Moses Brown JV tennis team.

Carlin O’Donnell

2004

Brian Donahue ’15 was named to the Class B

Maggie Moran

2005

Second Team in the All State Teams for cross country.

Liam Miner

2010

Emma Keene-Reinhard ’15 was named to the

Rhode Island Field Hockey Division II All-Tournament Team.

Emma Ruhl Charlotte Whalen Interested in becoming a class agent and managing updates for your class? Call Lauren Jordan at 401-434-3833 x119 for more information.

Happy Birthday! f orm er facult y

Former Gordon teacher, Beverly Ann Gardiner Shippee

turned 90 this fall!

Remembering Frances Bidwell, former Kindergarten teacher Gordon School was saddened to hear about the recent passing of former Kindergarten teacher, Frances Gifford Bidwell. She was 88 years old. Mrs. Bidwell was born in Birmingham, Alabama and found her way back to Montgomery in 1965 as the marchers arrived from Selma. Indeed, she was active in many social justice causes throughout her life. When her children were young, Mrs. Bidwell drove a bus for Gordon, where she also worked briefly as a Nursery teacher. In 1960, she shifted to Kindergarten teaching, inspiring and entertaining young children for the next

thirty-four energetic years. In 1979 she married Richard Bidwell, with a reception held at Gordon and her students as attendants. The Gordon community dedicated the Children’s Garden to her and Evelyn Czepiel when they retired in 1994. Mrs. Bidwell was an active member of Providence’s First Unitarian Women’s Alliance and a longtime Religious Education teacher. Never hesitating to give support to any causes she championed, she also worked with the Fox Point Neighborhood Association and the Gray Panthers (now Senior Agenda Coalition).

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Alumni in the news CJ Buckley Experiential Learning Night Janie Lupica ’07 to speak on Thursday, June 1st at 5:30pm Janie Lupica ’07 will be the featured speaker at this year’s CJ Buckley ’00 Experiential Learning Night, Thursday, June 1st at 5:30pm. This annual event is an opportunity for friends and family to honor CJ Buckley ’00 and hear the current eighth grade present what they learned during their service learning unit. A member of the class of 2007, Janie credits her time at Mount Hope Day Care, through Gordon’s service learning unit, as a catalyst to her career today. Janie is a graduate of Tufts University and is currently enrolled in their Master of Art in Teaching program. She is in year two of a teacher placement and works with lower school students in Somerville, MA. She has studied abroad in Uruguay and is fluent in Spanish. Janie’s focus is on child development and hopes to use her role as a public school teacher to bring about systemic change in education. The CJ Buckley Fund for Experiential Learning was established at the Gordon School in 2005 by friends of the Buckley family in loving memory of their son, Carter Joseph (CJ) Buckley, class of 2000. For more information on CJ Buckley and the event, visit https://www. gordonschool.org/cjbuckleyrsvp

Recent alumni publications Ted Widmer ’76 is a contributor for The New Yorker Ted Widmer ’76 has recently become a contributor for the weekly magazine, The New Yorker. He is the director of the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress. He has taught history at Washington College and Brown University, and was a historical adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2012. His next book, Lincoln on the Verge: An Odyssey by Rail, will be published by Simon and Schuster. In the fall, Ted spoke with Middle School students via Skype during the lead-up to the Presidential election. Alumna and Head’s Advisory Council member honored Octavia Abell ’06 named to Top Women in Technology for 2017 Octavia Abell, member of the class of 2006 and the Head’s Advisory Council, was named to StateScoop’s inaugural list of the Top Women in Technology for 2017—an elite group of the women across the state and local government community who are infrequently recognized, but constantly working to improve government and the lives of those governed.

2017 Emerging Leader Award Xilian Sansoucy ’13 honored by Leadership Rhode Island Congratulations to Xilian Sansoucy ’13 for receiving the Emerging Leader Award at the Leadership Rhode Island Inspiring Leaders Awards luncheon held on March 16th. Each year, Leadership Rhode Island brings together graduates from the Core Program and College Leadership Rhode Island Program, and members of the greater Rhode Island community, to honor the state’s most inspiring leaders at the annual Inspiring Leaders Awards Luncheon. “It’s hard to believe that someone has led people to accomplish so much while still in high school,” said Xilian’s nominator, Karen Feldman (LRI ’01), Executive Director of Young Voices. “Xilian just has this unusual combination of commitment, determination, enthusiasm, poise, and charisma—and she puts it to good use to make measurable, significant social change.” Xilian is a senior at Classical High School and Youth Board co-chair of Young Voices.

In Tavie’s role as Director of Strategy, Office of Innovation for the State of Rhode Island, she leads the office’s efforts to build strategic relationships, advance organizational effectiveness and catalyze the idea of innovation across state government. Tavie returned to Gordon in November to speak with sixth graders about her experience in government and politics as well as the recent Presidential election.

Alumni Flashback: The class of 1992 celebrates their 25th reunion this year!

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Join us! CJ Buckley Experiential Learning Night Thursday, June 1st 5:30pm Young Alumni Reunion Saturday, June 3rd 5:00pm Commencement Wednesday, June 7th 5:30pm

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