GCDS News, January 2024

JANUARY 2024

GREENWICH COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

Alumni of Color Panel Athletic Training A Culture of ACADEMIC COLLABORATION

MATH

HOMECOMING, WALKATHON, & REUNIONS!

Prioritizing Deep Understanding

in Grades K–5

Spirit Week in Ms. Carter’s Grade 4 Class FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL It has been an exciting and inspirational first half of the school year!

As you read through the stories in this issue of GCDS News, I hope you will feel, as I have, the depth of care for, collaboration with, and connection to our students as they discover and develop their interests and ideas.

From the leadership speaker series, multi-school computer science coding competition, and student newspaper/course to the newly published GCDS Cookbook, our students, working with faculty and staff, are taking their thoughts, ideas, and interests and turning them into projects and programs that benefit an authentic audience.

In the alignment of our N–12 math curriculum, or the teamtaught courses at the Upper School and beyond, our faculty are collaborating not only with each other but also with students to create a dynamic learning environment—one that generates greater opportunities for debating a topic, listening to new ideas, challenging a conclusion, and mapping their thoughts—pushing students to explore and analyze multiple dimensions of a given subject.

Whether as part of the Alumni Panel of Color, an Engineer Officer and Rhodes Scholar Alumna, faculty authors publishing

books and articles in national publications, speakers on a myriad of topics, or through donations that support our programs, the adults in our broader community are connected even beyond graduation, inspiring our students with a window into their expertise, experience, and generosity.

Finally, in this issue, as always, we celebrate community. From the annual honoring of our Distinguished Faculty and Staff, to our Homecoming, Walkathon and Reunion weekend; from our amazing production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to cheering on our athletic teams in tournament playoffs, our school community was

out in full Tiger Pride force to support one another. Even our new Upper School no cell phone policy is contributing to a more connected community!

Enjoy!

Adam C. Rohdie

44 ATHLETICS JANUARY 2024 Greenwich Country Day School P.O. Box 623, Old Church Road Greenwich, CT 06836-0623 www.gcds.net HEAD OF SCHOOL Adam Rohdie DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS Kim Eves EDITOR Moina Noor PHOTOGRAPHY ChiChi Ubiña, Ariana Lubelli-Brown, Greg Horowitz, Jon Lopez, Cate Auerswald ’26, Will Ragozzino MAGAZINE DESIGN Foogoo Communications Design MARKETING GRAPHICS Kirsten Bitzonis WEBSITE Kate Flanagan

Please share your comments, address changes, and inquiries GCDSNews@gcds.net Send Alumni News and Photos Liz Orum Duffy ’98 Director of Alumni Relations liz.duffy@gcds.net GCDS News is published three times each year and is distributed to alumni, GCDS parents and grandparents, faculty and staff, and friends of the school. All rights reserved.

Girls Varsity Volleyball Reached the NEPSAC Semifinals

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Greenwich Country Day School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin or any other category prohibited by law, in admission policies, scholarship programs, athletic and other school administered programs.

On the Cover: Devon Fineman, First Grade Teacher, with students Gavin Grant and Héloïse Patel Cover Photo: Ariana Lubelli-Brown

This magazine is printed with organic inks in a facility using wind power energy.

Andrew Niblock, Faculty Author

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K–5 Math Curriculum Prioritizes Deep Understanding

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Community Celebrates Andrew Niblock’s New Book

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What are You Working On? Students Launch New Initiatives

12 Teacher Profile: Coleman Hall, US Math Lead

14 New LES Nature’s Playspace 16 A Culture of Academic Collaboration 19 New Phone-Free Policy in Upper School 22 Annual Head of School Address 24 Distinguished Faculty & Staff 28 Homecoming & Walkathon

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31 Offit Fields Dedication & Ribbon Cutting 36 Distinguished Alumni 2023 Alisha Davis ’88, Good Morning America Writer & Producer

38 Historic Alumni of Color Panel 51 Excellence & Care in Athletic Training 57 Faculty & Staff News 60 Alumni Reunion Weekend

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70 NYC & College-Age Reunions 72 Alumni News & Notes

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HOMECOMING & WALKATHON

Doing Math, Talking Math, Understanding Math Kindergarten–Grade 5

Math Curriculum Prioritizes Deep Understanding “

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ell me how your brain is solving this math problem,” Jacey Hanson, a third grade teacher, says to her class as the students subtract numbers in their heads for the morning lesson.

Several thumbs go up (her classroom version of raising hands).

One student explains that 200 minus 98 is 102 because she knows that 100 minus 98 is 2 and then she adds 100 more.

Another student explains that he knows that 200 minus 100 is 100 and then he adds a 2.

Hanson, a longtime teacher but only in her second year at GCDS, has never seen students do mental math as well as her current students. “They have such a strong sense of numbers and know multiple strategies to mentally solve multiple digit addition,” she says. “And the best part is that they are able to explain their thinking. I’ve been so impressed that I’ve asked to see how they are teaching in the lower grades.”

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The GCDS math team is working across all grades to facilitate mathematical proficiency that is built upon conceptual understanding. This powerful approach promotes longerterm retention in students and lays the groundwork for the study of advanced mathematics in higher grades and beyond.

Beginning in the earliest years, the goal is to create a learning environment that is rich in problem-solving, collaboration, and communication.

“Our mathematics program is constantly evolving to reflect the most current and research-supported practices and resources in our field,” says Trish Kepler, GCDS Director of Mathematics, Nursery–Grade 5.

“Many of us have achieved procedural fluency in a vacuum, in which fast and accurate were valued over understanding,” says Kepler. “When procedural fluency develops at the service of deep understanding, the learning is stickier, and students can use this as a lever to apply their knowledge to novel and complex problems.”

“In many K–5 programs, heavy emphasis is placed on arithmetic using big numbers fast, typically using a more algorithmic approach. This focus is short-sighted. In fact, computing with whole numbers is such a narrow component of mathematics, and students who lean so heavily on more traditional algorithms often develop gaps in number sense and understanding of operations that negatively impact their future achievement in mathematics.”

For the past two years, classes at GCDS from Kindergarten through Grade 5 have been using a curriculum called Illustrative Mathematics (IM), a problem-based curriculum that cultivates an understanding of mathematical concepts through a repeated

JANUARY 2024

THE PROGRESSION OF MULTIPLICATION Here is a logical sequence of how students evolve in their understanding of multiplication, transitioning from concrete manipulatives to more abstract concepts as they advance through different grade levels.

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1 Second graders begin the study of multiplication with the use of 1-inch tiles to construct rectangles composed of rows and columns containing equal numbers of tiles.

Building rectangles helps students to see “area” as the number of square units to cover a space and provides an organic conduit to multiplication.

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2 In the next stage of this progression, students calculate the area of gridded rectangles. Here they lean on the structure of the rows and columns to generate and solve multiplication expressions.

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3 Some students make connections to addition and some students discover the distributive property of multiplication by finding the total area of multiple parts.

As students move towards work with larger numbers, gridded models become impractical. The rectangular model, now without grid lines, where only the side lengths are labeled, still provides a visual reference to support different partial product strategies.

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4 A s fifth graders, students leverage their understanding of area and the area model to make sense of multiplication with fractions. Over the course of the progression, students engage in a repeated cycle of sense-making about representations while deepening their conceptual understanding of multiplication, enhancing their flexibility, and therefore their computational fluency.

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2 3×4

1

20

3×4

4 5 4

3 4

15 × 24

5

4 15 × 24

3 4 4× 3 4 4× 3 4

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4

10

5 10

3×4

3 4

4

20

3

4× 3 4 5

cycle of doing math problems and explaining in a group discussion how it was solved.

Kepler believes that the philosophy at the heart of the IM program positions GCDS students for success in their later study of math as well as contributes to a skill set that transcends into other subject areas and aspects of life.

“Discovering patterns and finding relationships makes learning math an opportunity for discovery and curiosity rather than a subject of rote memorization,” says Steph Lehn, a fourth grade teacher. “Yes, there are procedures and shortcuts all students will leave fifth grade having been taught, but the way we get there is much more engaging and thought-provoking than how most of us adults experienced math.”

When students are introduced to the more traditional algorithm that is more familiar to adults, they understand how and why it works because it is a natural extension of the strategies that they already understand.

A typical math lesson for K–5 begins with a warm-up routine that previews the lesson. During the warm-up routine, all students are encouraged to share their ideas, ask questions, and respond to the thinking of other members of their math community. The warm-up routine provides a daily opportunity to strengthen number sense and build procedural fluency.

Afterward, students enter a cycle of doing math and synthesizing ideas. Here, teachers facilitate discussions and encourage students to articulate their reasoning and share their perspectives. These carefully curated daily discoveries contribute to big-picture understanding over the course of each unit.

Regularly administered “cool-downs” and “checkpoints” help teachers to measure learning and make decisions about instructional next steps.

This consistent, disciplined routine, plays out daily, annually, and over the course of many years building upon and increasing students’ conceptual understanding of critical math content through realistic contexts.

“I like how every time we start math we start with a warm-up so lots of people get a chance to share,” says Siena, a fourth grade

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Discovering patterns and finding relationships makes learning math an opportunity for discovery and curiosity rather than a subject of rote memorization.”

—Steph Lehn, Grade 4 Teacher

student. “During our cool-downs and checkpoints, we have to explain our thinking, which helps me to really learn the math.”

Strategically sequenced routines and tasks put student thinking at the center of the learning experience. “This approach elicits understanding from students that teachers can leverage to drive learning,” says Ms. Kepler.

For Luke Laubscher, a fourth grade teacher, this approach shifts the dynamic of learning markedly in the classroom.

“Historically, math was the teacher in front of the room, holding the knowledge as an expert and disseminating it throughout the lesson while the children listened. Through the careful use of conversations and syntheses at the end of each activity, responsibility of knowledge becomes communal. The shift, during which students drive the learning and I am a guide, is profound and helps the students build important growth mindset mentalities.

They see themselves and others in the room as integral to their collective success.”

Ms. Hanson loves the energy and excitement that math creates in her classroom. “At times, our classroom feels and sounds like we’re in the mission control room at NASA, tapping into everyone’s capacities to solve the problem at hand. There have been so many aha moments.”

SEE PAGE 12: Q & A with Coleman Hall, Upper School Math Teacher & Program Lead

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PARENTS ASSOCIATION

SPEAKER SERIES Community Celebrates Andrew Niblock’s New Book Andrew Niblock wears many hats at GCDS—Director of Schoolwide Initiatives, “Consigliere” to the Head of School, proud parent, basketball coach, general troublemaker, hallway battering-ram, and most recently, author. On Sept. 28, Mr. Niblock took the stage to discuss his recently published book, The Art of Marrying Well, A Collection of Notes, Poetry, and a Little Something Extra, with the GCDS community.

“How wonderful that tonight with this wonderful turnout, we are showing, as a community, how very much Andrew Niblock and his family matter to us,” said Sarah Overbay, who along with Ariella Feldman, co-chairs the Parents Association Speaker Series.

Mr. Niblock began his presentation explaining why he wrote a book. “It is a collection of poetry, essays, and notes that are meant to kindle conversations, spark questions, and get the reader wondering. It’s not a book about ALS, though I wrote every word with my eyes and my disease is a constant companion. It’s not a book about our school, though, the GCDS community is home. It’s a

Purchase the book

“ In the absence of the facility to throw an avalanche of prose in service of every idea, I have grown an increased appreciation of the power of each word, short sentences, and the structure of paragraphs. I discovered a love of the tempo and form of poetry.”

—Andrew Niblock

Head of School Adam Rohdie asks Andrew Niblock questions from the GCDS community.

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An excerpt from The Art of Marrying Well

CHOOSE JOY Oct. 2018 I heard an interview with Yo-Yo Ma during which he was asked about his outward demeanor when performing. He is one of the great musicians of our time, of no doubt a very serious cellist, yet on stage he is joyful.

He was asked, Why? “It’s a choice . . . I choose joy.”

I choose joy.

Is it that simple?

The story we tell is more than the words we use or the notes we play. How we say them or play them makes an impact.

When we choose with another in mind, to comfort, or counsel, or inspire, we are exercising our empathy. When Yo-Yo Ma chooses to show his audience just how much fun he is having, he is doing so because he wants his music to be about more than the notes. He wants them to share his joy.

It doesn’t need to be a packed concert hall. It can be a family dinner or a shared walk. Making a conversation about more than the words is something we do all the time.

“Frankly, I always found poetry a bit of a cop-out. I believed it lacked the dance of a fully formed idea, the story that prose allows, and good prose demands.

Poetry left too much to the reader. Poetry ran the risk of not getting the point across, not telling the whole story. I was wrong. Poetry allows for the efficiency of less and the utility of structure.”

—Andrew Niblock

book about hope, gratitude, and family, mine and yours. I hope you find something in its pages that speaks to you.”

Mr. Niblock then asked two friends, Upper School English Teacher Lauren Waller and GCDS parent Catie Salyer, to read two of his poems, “Stained Glass Windows Should Open” and “Choose Joy,” respectively.

During his Q&A session with Head of School Adam Rohdie, Mr. Niblock explained why he writes poetry: “Poetry allows for the efficiency of less and the utility of structure. My acknowledgement of the power of poetry is my way of giving myself permission to write differently. To offer the reader more responsibility, more opportunity in my writing.”

Mr. Niblock also described his writing process, which is completely reliant on technology. “I gaze into a camera that follows my pupils, sends the selection to my tablet, which uses text-tospeech software to send my words through a speaker to you.

All of it is pretty complicated. And if there is a glitch anywhere along the way, it doesn’t work. It can be enormously frustrating and mind-numbingly slow. It is also a game changer.”

As for the title of the book, “It is pretty self-explanatory. I married extraordinarily well. My wife, Eliza, is a remarkable person, a caring mother, and a generous friend. I won the lottery. This book is for her.”

How often are we intentional and thoughtful about it?

How often do we choose joy?

Our children do it all the time. Maybe irrepressible giggles aren’t lousy table manners. Maybe they’re an invitation. We just need to be aware enough to follow.

Our children are predisposed to discover and choose joy. They are loaded with curiosity and hopefulness, two traits that are essential for those tasks, and, according to a joint study from Harvard and Duke, are protective against hypertension, diabetes, and upper respiratory infection.

Next time you hear singing in the next room, investigate, and, if they’ll let you, join in.

It’s good for your health.

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Andrew Niblock with his parents, Tom and Judy Niblock, his aunt Debby Wells, his wife Eliza, and their children, McCrory and Townsend

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What are you

working on?

In this series, we highlight students as they are deeply engaged in the process of learning, taking responsibility for extending their knowledge and skills, and constructing opportunities for real-world application. In this issue, we highlight students who are taking initiative based on their passions. They are using their knowledge and skills to create meaningful impact in their communities.

Upper School Student Launches “Lunch & Learn” New Speaker Series Opens with Music Festival Producer Sophomore Lily Breitfelder interviewed Jordan Wolowitz, GCDS Class of ’99, for the inaugural Lunch & Learn Speaker Series on Nov. 14. Mr. Wolowitz is the founder and executive producer of two highly popular local music festivals, Gov Ball and Sound On Sound.

During the event, Jordan explained to students and faculty what a typical day is like for him and shared insights on entrepreneurship, innovation, and the importance of hard work and passion. Mr. Wolowitz has been recognized as a top leader in his field, including being listed on Billboard’s “40 Under 40: Music’s Top Young Power Players” and in Variety magazine’s “New Power of New York.”

“It was so interesting to learn how Jordan used his GCDS education to help reshape his industry. He was incredibly generous with his time and answered a ton of great questions from students and faculty,” said Lily.

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Lily Breitfelder ’26 moderates a discussion with alum Jordan Wolowitz ’99.

Events like this make us really appreciate our GCDS community. There are so many inspiring leaders connected to our school and it’s incredible how willing they are to visit and share lessons learned with us.

We can’t wait for the next one!”

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Andy Pauley ’24, Harrison Servedio ’25, Abe Milgram ’25, Imran Iftikar ’25

Computer Science Students Create “Tiger Hacks” New Coding Competition Builds Community in Area Schools Students Imran Iftikar ’25, Abe Milgram ’25, Andy Pauley ’24, and Harrison Servedio ’25 organized the inaugural competition on Nov. 11. Here’s their report of the day: Culture and community are likely not the first words one thinks of when the topic of computer science is brought up—it probably conjures up preconceived images of solitary engineers hunched over keyboards instead. Yet, culture and community are exactly what we have found as a computer science team. Having been fortunate enough to participate in coding competitions and events both locally and on an international level, we found ourselves interacting with code not in solitude, but as a part of a community. However, we noticed that one thing was sadly missing: local schools and local students. As far as we could tell, there existed no platform for our local schools to engage in computer science as a community. So, we decided to build one ourselves.

The seeds of our Tiger Hacks Coding Competition were thus sown. We envisioned a competition inspired by the ones we had competed in, where a diverse group of students from multiple schools could converge to celebrate innovation, problem-solving, and demonstrate their creativity. Crucially, we wanted our competition to be open to students of all skill levels, fostering a culture where every participant, regardless of skill, felt simultaneously challenged yet welcomed. We built the questions ourselves, and

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decided that the competition would be cooking themed. After much planning, we launched the inaugural Tiger Hacks on Nov. 11, 2023.

Roughly 40 students from 8 schools from the local area excitedly arrived at our Stanwich Campus that morning. After a brief welcome presentation, the teams were off to the races. They were tasked with solving up to eight questions in three hours, ranging from extremely simple addition to more complex optimization questions. At the end of the contest, the Rye Country Day School Team of Jayming Ding, Katia Ohmacht, and Xindi Liu took first place. Brunswick School came second, and Half Hollow High School East placed third.

Regardless of the results, though, the sense of community that everyone experienced throughout the competition was nothing short of amazing. As the competition’s award ceremony concluded, the computer science students from the various attending schools engaged with one another, and our ultimate goal was realized. More than strictly competition, we aimed to promote a culture; more than rivalry, we aimed to foster a community.

In our modest ambitions, we succeeded.

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As far as we could tell, there existed no platform for our local schools to engage in computer science as a community. So, we decided to build one ourselves.”

JANUARY 2024

Middle School Students Publish Student-Run Newspaper Breaking News! The latest edition of Paw Prints, the Middle School newspaper, is making its mark and being read throughout the division.

Printed in late November, this issue is brimming with articles covering national and international news, school events, pop culture, and sports.

Ben Gaspar’s passion for news found a home in Middle School when, as a seventh grader last year, he initiated and served as the editor of Paw Prints. When he approached his advisor and the administration with his idea, he was taken seriously. “Everyone listened to me and the community in the Middle School has been so supportive,” he said.

The newspaper has evolved from a club last year with meetings during recess into an elective course this year with Ethan Parsons, MS Health & Wellness Teacher, as a dedicated advisor. Ben now has a co-editor Lyla Rose Sheedy and each section has its own editor. The class is structured as a round table discussion where students plan and discuss article ideas and the production process.

“The outstanding team behind Paw Prints has put tremendous effort into creating yet another exceptional edition, despite the new time constraints,” wrote Lyla in her editor’s letter about the 17-member team. “Each team member has focused on their own areas of interest, infusing their passion and enthusiasm into every article,” “My main priority as founder and co-editor of Paw Prints is to ensure that there is a space where students can write about a topic that both interests and impacts them,” wrote Ben in his letter. “With each edition that we release, Paw Prints

National Merit Scholar Semifinalists Congratulations to Ainsley Carella and Harley Goodner, both seniors, for being selected as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. They represent less than 1% of the nation’s high school graduating seniors. Semifinalists, who are screened by their PSAT/NMSQT scores, will have an opportunity to advance in the competition for Merit Scholarship® awards.

Harley Goodner, Ainsley Carella

Riya Sharma, Ben Gaspar, Lyla Sheedy, Gisele Putka

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It has been such a pleasure to work with such dedicated and ambitious students on this project. They consistently bring a level of integrity and care into creating a publication that is not only a showcase of our school but a space to voice their thoughts on important social and global issues.”

—Ethan Parsons, Faculty Editor to Paw Prints

strives to improve the quality of the articles and publications.

This year, for example, we are able to print each edition—an idea that at this time last year seemed almost impossible.”

Though the newspaper is student-run, they have supportive faculty advisors, Mr. Parsons and El Gagnon, MS Humanities Teacher, who have guided them from day one. The advisors have been equally grateful and impressed with the students.

“It has been such a pleasure to work with such dedicated and ambitious students on this project. They consistently bring a level of integrity and care into creating a publication that is not only a showcase of our school but a space to voice their thoughts on important social and global issues. All the contributors have been patient and diligent in working on their stories in addition to all their other academic work, and the editing team has been instrumental in the capacity to bring it all together,” says Ethan Parsons, faculty editor to Paw Prints.

With each new edition, Paw Prints encourages new writers and photographers to join the growing team, says Lyla “As eighth graders, we are going to work to bring on younger students. We want this to stay an ongoing activity in the Middle School after we leave,” said Ben.

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TEACHER

profile:

COLEMAN HALL Upper School Math Teacher & Mathematics Program Lead Uses Math to Understand the Universe

BY ANDREW NIBLOCK Director of Schoolwide Initiatives

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alking with Coleman Hall about numbers is like getting to talk with Indiana Jones about the lost ark. Coleman believes in the adventure of mathematics, and he is determined to bring the students of our Upper School with him. He invites his students to unravel the mysteries of math, connect their lessons to the world, and fall in love with numbers.

It is said that math is a universal language, one through which we might be better able to communicate with our universe, and Coleman wants our students to “hear her whispers.”

How do you hope students enter your classroom?

In the words of Mr. Rohdie, I hope my students enter the classroom with kindness towards their peers, myself, and themselves.

Math is a vulnerable subject. You will make mistakes and find misunderstandings and confusions along the journey. Being honest about one’s understanding helps me and the individual navigate that problem together. I hope my students come in optimistic and ready to learn. Having a great sense of humor helps make some dry topics go by more enjoyably, too.

How do you hope students leave your classroom?

When did you fall in love with numbers?

I remember my first fascination with them while grocery shopping with my grandmother during the summer months. She would always keep me busy adding up the running total to predict the final cost. I learned quite a bit of “number sense” and started to develop the little tricks to add or subtract more efficiently. My love for understanding how these little creatures behaved continues to grow, and I remember those moments with my Gran fondly, for many different reasons now.

I hope they leave feeling confident in their math ability, and if they don’t know an answer, I want them to have the tools to find and interpret the answer from their research. I hope they feel seen, supported, and brave leaving our classroom space.

Most importantly to me, I hope that they understand that numbers can represent ideas and humanity in a distant way, so when they encounter a stat or result, I want them to think about what story the number is telling. Finding the humanity within these complex systems that are described by numbers is something I pontificate about often.

What about math inspires you?

If we operate under the assumption that math is the “language with which the universe speaks,” then I find it incredibly inspirational that this language allows me to understand the world around me better. I love the problem-solving aspects of math.

Although most people would think of math as incredibly concrete, there are a myriad of mysteries yet to be solved. I feel a pioneering spirit when thinking about math, and although I don’t get to chart undiscovered waters or planets, I get to live with these complex ideas for discovery in the comfort of my own home sitting on a couch while knitting. That’s really cool to me.

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What is something we all should learn, or unlearn, about mathematics?

“I am not a math person.” “I hated math in school.” “I love math because it has a definite answer, and I can know when I am right.” These are some quotes I wish people wouldn’t use. It influences children, from my experiences. These students look up to their families. You can be honest about not being the best at math, but it goes a long way to encourage children to persist through the setbacks. People don’t brag about “hating reading” or make comments to the idea of “Shakespeare, when is this

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applicable in my life? Who needs that?” Math is more than numbers and operations. It’s hard, and it takes time to develop the skills and mental dexterity to be decent at it. Folks are on their own unique journey in math. Don’t compare your journey to someone else’s. You will get there if you put in the work.

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I hope that they (students) understand that numbers can represent ideas and humanity in a distant way, so when they encounter a stat or result, I want them to think about what story the number is telling.”

Why is math important for kids?

Biologically, math helps develop both deductive and inductive reasoning. It develops language processing skills, especially when we need to translate words into math language. Having students explain their reasoning to each other and to their teachers prepares them for defending their stances in their futures. The transference of skills that math teaches reaches far beyond the quadratic formula.

What is the journey like for GCDS mathematicians? What makes it amazing?

Your child will be known and seen in our program. We don’t make predictions about your child’s ability in early grades and set them on pathways. There are many opportunities for students to work and achieve their goals in math. By the time they graduate, we hope that every student has a visceral connection to the importance of math, and also a solid foundation for their college preparation. Instead of following the traditional lecture/worksheet/assess . . . repeat model, we like to create opportunities for students to explore concepts at deeper levels, often self-directed. Ms. Iversen has a delightful project on conic sections in Honors Precalculus. We had students connect the mathematical ideas to medical imaging and kidney stone removal devices and also to hyperbolic gears for conveyor belts and sorting factories. These explorations allow the students to see the language of our universe in action. After all, we want our students to be able to hear her whispers.

What does GCDS math look like at the highest levels?

We offer some advanced courses that go beyond a typical curriculum. We have offered the math of sustainability. We have an advanced statistics and a statistics elective. We have had some students pursue math topics for their junior thesis. One student wrote about Fractional Calculus. Another wrote about Differential Equations and their applications to real-world phenomena. If a student exhausts the curriculum, we have some Advanced Seminar topics where they work with myself or another teacher on a deep dive into mathematical theory in branches beyond calculus. Such courses include Linear Algebra, Number Theory, Proof Writing, Combinatorics, and others.

Why is math the subject of angst in so many school communities? Should it be?

Unfortunately, and rightfully so, math has been branded as a gatekeeping subject, especially for the college process. That’s the perception I hear all of the time. I wish I could say that

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this 100% isn’t the case. I wholeheartedly desire for math to be seen as more than this. With this added pressure, I would argue that many of our students don’t see or appreciate the full scope of what math has to offer to their lives because they are worried about the grade. This also creates a false perception of one being a “math person or not.” I think anyone can learn this math with time, patience, and practice. Sadly, we don’t have enough time in a day with all of the other activities that fill our lives from other subjects, to service work, to athletics, etc. . . . Families have their own perceptions and realities about their math experiences. I find that these often pass into the child by transference. If I go to a doctor, dentist, or any other professional who has had to intersect with math, and when I tell them that I teach math, I ALWAYS have the privilege of hearing one of their many horror stories about how their math teacher scarred them in school. I wish this wasn’t the case, and it certainly isn’t who we are as math educators here.

GCDS really found a wonderful group of engaging and creative math teachers. We want our students to experience success to the highest degree possible while they are with us.

I obsess about the day that our students take their first college math test. We want them ready and prepared. In as much, Honors math may not be appropriate for them yet, but it can be some day. I know this causes some angst in folks. That angst can cause some folks to be defensive, and I wish it were not the case. Ultimately, we want to create the experience and pathway towards mathematical understanding. I was not an Honors math student, yet I have advanced degrees in theoretical mathematics. I got there eventually. I hope that parents will give children patience and space to grow.

Why do you teach?

This has changed for me throughout my years teaching and as I have aged. At the end of the day, I love it, and it is so wild for me to think that I get to wake up each morning and talk about a subject I love with some incredibly awesome students and people. What a great way to spend the day!

I wish teaching were this simple . . . I am patient. I am gentle. I am not afraid to sit in silence while someone thinks. I give compliments often, but I am also quick to pull someone back towards the direction of best growth. I find joy and purpose in helping students navigate a tough subject during some incredibly tough years of their lives.

The students often ask me what I would do if I didn’t teach. I can honestly say that there is nothing else I would rather do.

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Nature’s

Playspace

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Nurturing

Imagination & Wonder There’s a new outdoor playspace for GCDS Nursery and Pre-K students. Located at the circle in front of the Lower Elementary School, this flat, grassy circle transformed over the summer into a space that celebrates natural play, encouraging imaginative and physical engagement.

There are purposely no stationary play structures in the space— no jungle gym or monkey bars. Instead, the children climb boulders, roll down the newly formed hill, balance on logs, and play with leaves.

Pre-K teacher Merritt Merritt describes Nature’s Playspace as versatile. “The pieces in the playspace are fluid. They can be moved by the children to create many different scenarios. Wooden boxes can be a stage, part of a train, cars, wooden planks propped on wood for bridges. The sand table can be used for collecting, the children like to pretend it’s the kitchen where they fill bowls and cook stew. The hill is a favorite spot—they love to sit up there and roll down.”

For Ms. Merritt, the playspace supports learning goals as an outdoor classroom where children can investigate and apply early mathematics, literacy, and science topics in the real world.

They engage in open-ended, collaborative play and sensory exploration. “Children develop a sense of wonder and connect with the natural world through exploration.”

NATURE’S PLAYSPACE was created with a generous donation from the Sanders family, a multi-generational GCDS family: parents Pamela and Art, and children Jordan Sanders ’01, Remy Sanders Dowd ’03, and Erin Sanders ’05.

Their collaboration with the school’s Lower Elementary leadership ensured the space met safety standards while nurturing imaginative play. The space reflects the family’s commitment to maintaining the essence of childhood within the school’s community-oriented ethos.

“As a family, our goal was to enhance this space for the youngest students at the school by creating a unique, natural, and versatile area,” says Jordan Sanders. “When we attended GCDS, our parents were extremely involved in the school, and we are continuing that legacy with the Nature’s Playspace. GCDS has been, and continues to be, an important part of our family and we are very happy to support the school.”

Bottom photo: Jordan Sanders ’01, Remy Sanders Dowd ’03, Erin Sanders ’05, Pam and Art Sanders, Jack Sanders ’36

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A CULTURE OF

BY DR. ANDREW RUOSS

ACADEMIC COLLABORATION

UPPER SCHOOL ACADEMIC DEAN

IN THE UPPER SCHOOL

As we focus on the acquisition of crucial, college-preparatory skills and knowledge, we also aim to prepare our students to engage with a rapidly changing world and with increasingly complex problems. Collaboration—an essential element of leading university programs and professional fields—is core to these efforts. Over the past two years, we have developed a team-teaching model that demonstrates the real power of our academic culture. It has become a key to how our faculty and students learn, together.

TEAM TEACHING & STUDENT PARTNERSHIP Step into room 215 and you will enter the world of Word and Image.

This team-taught 11th and 12th grade course is cross-listed between our Arts, English, and History departments. Class opens with an animated debate among the three teachers about the meaning of Pip’s ascendance within British society in the Dickens novel Great Expectations. Dr. Louise Wales, Head of the Arts Department and a former professor at Savannah College of Art and Design, focuses on the physical world that defines the character. Dr. Jim Cullen, a prolific historian of American culture, challenges Wales to examine the politics of position. However, their students are not in class only to watch the intellectual exchange of the teachers. Just as Dr. Gregory Grene, an English teacher and a former professor at Columbia Teachers College, prepares to jump in, a student interjects: “but there’s a passage here that works against both of your thoughts. . . .”

Three more students dive into the fray, engaging their teachers in the analysis.

Word and Image is one of an array of team-taught courses launched over the past two years in an effort to focus on depth, interdisciplinarity, and application in the Upper School curriculum. We have developed a team-teaching model that demonstrates the real power of our academic culture: faculty and students debating a topic, listening to new ideas, challenging a conclusion, and mapping their thoughts. This culture has an intangible energy, but it has also been built with intention.

In the Upper School, partnership between students and faculty means analyzing ideas, wrestling with contradiction, and navigating disagreement. The three teachers, each an expert in a different discipline, push the students to analyze artifacts, works of literature, and historical patterns from multiple dimensions.

“This approach implicitly encourages students to think from a more interdisciplinary perspective,” argues Dr. Cullen.

With an Upper School faculty recruited from universities, the professional world, and leading independent schools across the country, students witness their teach-

ers model intellectual exchange around complex problems.

“They see us disagree and negotiate with each other, complement each other, and learn from each other,” Dr. Wales adds.

The key, however, is that the students also actively engage in the conversation.

Students and teachers then start to push each other toward new ways of thinking.

CSX is one of several engineering courses taught across the Computer Science, Physics, and Math programs and another example of a teamtaught class. In a recent CSX project, students and teachers sought to model the orbital path of different satellites.

Through this project, the faculty team demonstrated how they partner with their students. The teachers led instruction of core skills, but they also guided the class into new territory of complex modeling. This is only possible because each of the three faculty members serves as a practitioner of their branch of engineering, and each teacher comes to the table to learn—from their colleagues and from their students.

In the spring, another team-taught course, Money, Morals, and Mobility, taught by faculty from History, Economics, and English, will be offered as an elective.

This approach represents the Upper School’s broader collaborative faculty culture. “We’re here because we’re learners,” explains Gordie Campbell, Head of the Computer Science Department and member of the CSX teaching team. “I’m

“I AM LEARNING HOW TO NAVIGATE BETWEEN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES IN ORDER TO BUILD MY PROJECT, AND I AM LEARNING TO SEE HOW DIFFERENT MINDS WORK ON THE SAME QUESTION.” — IMRAN IFTIKAR, JUNIOR

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“I’VE NOW FRAMED MY COLLEGE SEARCH, THINKING ABOUT WHERE I MIGHT BE ABLE TO BUILD REAL INTELLECTUAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH PROFESSORS. I KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE I’VE EXPERIENCED IT.” — RUBY COSGROVE, SENIOR

constantly auditing the other teachers’ pedagogy—how do they structure questions, respond to student ideas, and manage a project team? It makes me a much better teacher.”

COLLABORATIVE CULTURE IN ACTION: SIGNATURE PROGRAMS Beyond individual classrooms, this collaborative academic culture also animates the Signature Programs that serve as pathways across the Upper School’s diverse and expansive curriculum.

Every Friday morning, an interdisciplinary team of faculty meets to coordinate our Junior Thesis Program. Through this program, each junior engages in a yearlong mentored research project. The Thesis teachers expose their students to researchbased writing and presentation from different academic fields. That teaching team then coordinates the entire Upper School faculty to advise the juniors’ projects. This faculty collaboration has an enormous impact on our students’ skill development.

Understanding that an engineer, an artist, and an historian will approach the same

question differently, juniors learn how to clearly frame their research.

“I am learning how to navigate between different perspectives in order to build my project,” reflects Junior Imran Iftikar, “and I am learning to see how different minds work on the same question.”

Similarly, our Specialized Diploma Programs require students to pursue research questions across their academic classes and to work with an interdisciplinary team of teachers. Dr. Nikki Barratt, an environmental engineer who coordinates our Sustainability Diploma Program, highlights this approach: “All current problems that these students will need to solve are at the intersection of disciplines.” In order to wrestle with this complexity, it is crucial that students have the opportunity to learn with faculty members from different departments.

Barratt continues, “approaching realworld problems requires an understanding of data, as well as of the economic, social, artistic, and political implications of potential solutions.” Our Signature Programs guide students to recognize that working with experienced adults to learn

how to think across disciplines is, itself, an essential skill.

LOOKING FORWARD This kind of interdisciplinary, applied learning is also designed to resemble exciting opportunities emerging on college and university campuses. Upper School faculty members focus on preparing students to take advantage of these opportunities.

How do you identify what you need to know to solve a problem? How do you learn to work with someone who brings different expertise or a different perspective to a challenge?

Learning within a collaborative academic culture has a profound effect as each senior shapes their vision of the next step in their education journey. Working with the College Office, our seniors are prepared to evaluate the nature of mentorship, teaching, and research offered by different college communities. “I’ve now framed my college search, thinking about where I might be able to build real intellectual relationships with professors,” explains Ruby Cosgrove, a senior in the Word and Image class. “I know what that looks like because I’ve experienced it.”

Dr. Gregory Grene and Dr. Louise Wales discuss a quotation from Edith Wharton’s Age of Innocence with students Leo Dubner and Arianna Netter.

Look out for an article about ninth- and tenth-grade academic collaboration in GCDS News, June 2024

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Technology Is Designed to Be Addictive & Distracting As both an industry expert and an award-winning artist and storyteller, Max Stossel is able to straddle both his adult and teen audiences with his engaging non-judgmental style.

Young people are tired of the fingerwagging from parents and teachers who “just don’t get it,” says Max Stossel, CEO of Social Awakening.

On Oct. 17, he visited GCDS to speak to Middle and Upper School students during the day and parents during a Parents’ Association Speaker Series event in the evening.

“We have these magical devices in our pockets,” said Stossel during his remarks to parents. “So why are we also seeing the stark increase in mental health challenges, an increase in chaos, depression, anxiety, suicide?

We have something so awesome that is also making such a mess, as 45% of teens say they’re on the internet almost constantly.”

STOSSEL COMPARES PHONES TO SLOT MACHINES Stossel illustrated specific ways that technology is designed to be addictive and distracting. “There’s a whole industry that makes this very, very difficult,” said Stossel, drawing on his own

work experiences in the social media industry.

“Our phones are designed like these slot machines. With a phone, every time we get one of those little red icons, we’re playing a slot machine of: How many likes did I get this time?

Did the one person I really wanted to see my story see it? This just keeps us checking and checking and scrolling and scrolling,” said Stossel.

WE NEED TO DEAL WITH REAL LIFE Stossel is concerned that social media is making young people incapable of dealing with real life. “It’s never been easier to run away from ourselves. And we know as adults that most meaning in life comes from facing hard things and overcoming them. And I’m hearing all over the country that teenagers are not facing hard problems as they used to. They’re not sticking with things, they’re giving up much more easily. I’m really afraid this generation is not going to have the ability to be bored, to be lonely, and face what is inside of us. Creating more spaces where we have to learn how to deal

with each other in groups, face to face, is really, really important and critical in my opinion.”

ALGORITHMS PUSH US TO EXTREMES Stossel talked about YouTube and TikTok videos that are fed to people based on their interests and inclinations. These platforms use algorithms that tend to push us towards the most extreme version of whatever a person is already likely to believe. “You’re never hardcore enough for YouTube.

What does our country look like when 360 million people are pushed towards the most extreme versions of what they are most likely to believe? What does our world look like? I think we’re living inside of that right now.”

QUESTION: HOW DOES THE APP OR GAME MAKE YOU FEEL? “Technology is so persuasive, it’s helpful to ask ourselves: ‘Am I using technology or is technology using me? Am I doing this on purpose? Am I entering this app with intention or am I just kind of getting caught in the loop?’ One helpful (continued on page 20)

Max Stossel, CEO of Social Awakening

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Students enjoy socializing without their phones.

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A Phone-Free Upper School The Head of Upper School, Dean of Students, and Students Reflect on the New School Policy

BY CHRIS WINTERS, HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL

For the past few years, the Upper School has adjusted technology policies to help students find balance with their cell phones. After lackluster results, we came to the conclusion that our policies were having minimal impact on student phone use.

This year, we took a more determined stance. Now, students in the Upper School leave their cell phones with their advisor for the duration of the academic day with access limited to urgent communication, occasional two-step verification, and various teacher-approved school projects.

No doubt, the addictive power of phones is hard to compete with, but during the school day, at least, we are seeing a positive change in student behavior.

Why did the Upper School institute this policy?

Research on the impact of excessive cell phone use among adolescents affirms the trends that we educators see in the day-to-day functioning of school. Left unchecked, students pay far more attention to what is on their phones than who they are with and what is around them. Student after student relates their shortened attention span, the frequent distractions, and the angst that their phone use has conditioned them for.

For an excellent resource on the effects of phones on adolescents, I direct you to an essay in The Atlantic by Jonathan Haidt, “Get Phones Out of Schools Now,” published June 6, 2023. Haidt argues that phones impede learning, stunt relationships, and lessen belonging. He describes research that correlates the distractions and loneliness besetting teenagers with their increased use of phones. In addition, the associated anxiety and depression have led Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to issue an advisory warning about social media: “We cannot conclude social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents.”

How have students and teachers reacted?

We announced the policy in the spring of the 2022–23 school year and reminded students and families of the new policy throughout the summer. It’s not an exaggeration to say that none of the students were in favor and even a few parents expressed their disagreement. When school started and the students deposited their phones in the phone caddies, I anticipated a mini-riot. That didn’t happen. The Upper School students begrudgingly accepted our new policy. A couple of months in, I now have many students confiding that they “don’t mind” not having their phones and just as many telling me they “like the change.” During the academic day, the

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building is noisier with student talk and far more students than last year are using free time to meet with teachers and work on assignments. If I were to call this policy an experiment, we have compelling evidence to keep it going.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING . . .

Stephanie McDonald, Dean of Students Since we’ve piloted this program to be cell phonefree during the school day, we’ve noticed a difference in students’ ability to get their work done, how they are performing on tests and quizzes, and most importantly, in their interactions with each other.

Almost every day, I hear from a student who really loves not having it. They can unplug from this 24/7 online narrative that is really important to their social existence. It allows them to take a break from it and they’re allowed to focus at school, be really present.

Kids are interacting with each other. They’re talking about whatever they’re working on and doing work together. They’re just engaged in meaningful conversation and making connections. It’s loud and exciting and it feels like what a high school should be. It’s all about what is happening in the building right now.

Paloma Snisky ’24 At the start of the year I was hesitant to not have my phone during the school day, but as the year progressed, I felt so much more present and engaged with the people around me. I don’t believe that would have happened if I was constantly looking at my phone.

Avery Sleeper ’23 Not having a phone during the school day gives me the opportunity to utilize all of the facilities GCDS has to offer during break times. Whether it is using the math or writing lab or just socializing with my peers, I appreciate the fact that I can be fully present.

As it is my last year at GCDS, I am trying to soak up and enjoy every aspect of my day-to-day school life, and not having a phone makes this easier.

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(continued from page 18)

way of thinking about that is the question: ‘Which apps or games make me feel good both during and afterwards?

Which ones make me feel not good during and afterwards,’” said Stossel.

STOSSEL RECOMMENDS: • Delay social media until Grade 8 • Get your kids phones with limited

internet functionality, not smartphones that are supercomputers with access to everything on the internet • Create phone-free zones at home,

device-free dinners, for example, and at school

• Parents should lead by example

THINK BEYOND THE SCREENS

• Turn off non-essential notifications

Stossel stresses the importance of thinking about kids holistically as they try to find the right balance of technology in their lives. “Remember, being a safe space for our kids to be able to talk about anything is one of the most helpful things we can do, and that means not guilting or shaming when they’ve made mistakes.”

• Use an old-fashioned alarm clock

instead of the alarm on the phone • Consider deleting toxic apps and

evaluate how each app makes you feel • Unfollow accounts that have a nega-

tive impact on you • Consider using the One Sec, an app

that makes the user stop and take a breath before being able to open a social media app • Include young people in creating

rules around technology use

VETERANS DAY

“AS I THINK BACK NOW ON WHAT HAS

Alumna, West Point Grad and Rhodes Scholar, Presents to Upper School

STUDENTS, STAND OUT AS SOME

SECOND LIEUTENANT MARGARET WILLIAMS ’16 joined the Upper School Nov. 13 via Zoom to share her personal journey to the military and the importance of Veterans Day. An Engineer Officer in the US Army, she was born and raised in Greenwich, CT, and spent 12 years as a student at GCDS. She

Lieutenant Williams shared her appreciation for her time at GCDS as a place that challenges you in a way that is practical and supportive.

For Williams, Veterans Day is not just about thanking those who have served, it’s about the importance of service in general. She asked the students: “How will you use the privilege that is GCDS to find your own way to serve? I urge you to be aggressively curious in this pursuit to stay open and unafraid of the opportunities that come your way. I’m just one small example of the way in which you never know when or where you will find your calling to service. I never expected to join the Army, but I’m eternally grateful that GCDS gave me the courage to try. I don’t think words will ever capture the magnitude of my appreciation for the privileges GCDS and the Army have afforded me.”

graduated from West Point last year.

Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Philosophy in International Relations at the University of Oxford as one of 32 American Rhodes Scholars.

Organized by Upper School student and President of the Veterans Appreciation Club Jack Sipple, Second

MOST SHAPED ME, MY EXPERIENCES AT GCDS, WITH ITS FACULTY AND OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL.”

Jack Sipple and Head of School Adam Rohdie introduce 2nd Lt. Margaret Williams ’16.

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Fall Traditions

Farm Switch & Pumpkin Hunt in the Lower Elementary School Pre-K students explored farm life at the annual “Farm Switch” event, part of a unit during which students learn about growing food and caring for animals. Special thanks to Farmer Rohdie for helping the young farmers hop onto a real tractor.

During another cherished Lower School fall tradition, Head of School Adam Rohdie gets ready to hand out pumpkins to Kindergarten students, until . . . everyone realizes the pumpkins have mysteriously disappeared! This leads to a dash around the fields looking for little bits of orange! The joy on their faces as they each find a hidden pumpkin is the best Halloween treat!

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ANNUAL ADDRESS AND CELEBRATION OF DISTINGUISHED FACULTY & STAFF

“The greatest schools can do something special and something rare—they can create a safe learning environment, where students are known, loved, valued, and respected by caring faculty and staff.”

This year’s annual Head of School address commenced with the Tiger Tones’ captivating rendition of Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic hit song, “September”: “Do you remember the 21st night of September? Love was changin’ the minds of pretenders, While chasin’ the clouds away.”

T

he Annual Head of School address, held in the Alumni Gym on, yes, September 21, began with remarks from Board of Trustees President Vicki Craver.

Craver underscored the pivotal role of the board and emphasized the importance of community support through volunteerism, the Annual Fund, and the Capital Campaign, which has already raised $118 million of its $135 million goal. “As someone whose first child came to this school in 2006, I have seen first-hand how every building on this campus is the result of those who came before. My children have benefitted from the gifts of others who had the foresight and willingness to create this amazing place—it is this ‘pay it forward’ model that is Tiger Pride.”

Always a highlight of the Annual Meeting, this year’s Distinguished Faculty & Staff, Nina Basinet, Michele Ross, and Sarah Sepot, were honored for 25 years of service (see page 24).

Head of School Adam Rohdie then took the podium to address the school about Country Day’s mission and its

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vital importance for today’s children. He shared vignettes of students engaged in deep and joyful learning throughout the campus.

“The greatest schools can do something special and something rare—they can create a safe learning environment, where students are known, loved, valued, and respected by caring faculty and staff.

If they are able to do this, the children at their school will undoubtedly discover and share their voice, develop the confidence and determination to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned to any given situation, have patience, think critically, and pursue meaningful questions to solve complex problems, express gratitude and build integrity, be empathetic and kind, and feel a true sense of belonging.”

“In short, they will grow into young adults who will have the skills and attributes to go out and shape the world for the better.”

Mr. Rohdie asked, “What is our purpose here at GCDS and perhaps, most importantly, are we fulfilling our purpose?” He spoke about how GCDS is succeeding in traditional metrics of enrollment, facilities, parent engagement, college list, and sports and artistic championships. Yet Mr. Rohdie expressed concern about the culture in which children are being raised.

He cited an article by David Brooks in The Atlantic, “How America Got Mean.”

In the article, Brooks points to a statistic that the percentage of high school

students who report “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” shot up from 26 percent in 2009 to 44 percent in 2021. Brooks provides four narratives to explain how we find ourselves in this environment: the isolation caused by technology; the decline of participation in community, civic, and religious organizations; demographic shifts that cause dislocation; high levels of economic inequality and insecurity. Mr. Rohdie had another explanation.

“Schools across our country have abdicated or have been kept from their role in educating children to be moral and ethical young adults, to have growth mindsets, to acquire a set of skills that allow them to become mature, lifelong learners.”

“GCDS finds itself with the challenge and the responsibility to create an environment in which continuous, effervescent, immeasurable growth can happen.

My challenge to the faculty in August was to create an environment where every day students will wrestle with wrong and right, will debate vexing dilemmas, will want to learn for learning’s sake, will work collaboratively, will speak in public about what they believe, will care for their friends, their family, their community, and their planet.”

“I can say that what gets me out of bed every morning, what lights my fire, and why I know this school is such a special place, is every day I get the chance to work with the greatest faculty and staff anywhere. Our faculty create

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My children have benefitted from the gifts of others who had the foresight and willingness to create this amazing place—it is this ‘pay it forward’ model that is Tiger Pride.”

— Vicki Craver, Board of Trustees President

Adam Rohdie, Head of School

opportunities for growth every single day. They live this job and despite the numerous challenges—they consistently churn out deep and joyful learning experiences. They create relationships with their students who end each year knowing that they have been held closely by a teacher who loves them.”

For Mr. Rohdie, these relationships are a lifeline for students. “Our children are far more likely to make the tough choices, to weather the storms and sail out the other side a little wiser, knowing there is an adult in their corner who values them and cares about them. Watching our faculty and staff do what they do best, helps me to remain optimistic.”

Performance by the Tiger Tones

Vicki Craver, Board of Trustees President

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Distinguished

Faculty & Staff Celebrating 25 Years of Service Nina Basinet

Head of Upper Elementary School Nina Basinet embodies the GCDS Mission, not only for the students in her care, but for her colleagues as well—she sets a shining example of what it means to be kind, to be enthusiastic, and to be caring, thus making sure everyone in her orbit can discover and develop what is finest in themselves.

Nina came to GCDS as a Grade 6 humanities teacher, and almost immediately and organically fell into the role of peer coach, leading faculty workshops on new technology and best practices in teaching and learning.

As an educator, Nina’s singular focus is on providing the best possible learning experience for students, whether she is planning a classroom lesson, coaching colleagues, or as Head of the Upper Elementary School. Her colleagues describe her as having a true kind of grace in working with children, an ability to use her intellect and vision to help others be the best they can be, and the compassion and humility to be an accessible leader

and formidable change maker. She creates an atmosphere where people are eager to both share ideas and reflect on how they could approach the work differently, all in an effort to forge a deeper sense of community and a shared love for the pedagogy.

Nina shares that it is her colleagues that are her champions— that push her to share her expertise, support her ideas, and to realize her dreams. She is beyond grateful for the Country Day community, as they have quite literally been an extended family. GCDS has been the place where she and her husband Matt (Middle School math teacher) have raised their two children— Jack and Anna—as true GCDS lifers, from the Carriage House to graduation.

The Country Day community is grateful for Nina’s strength of character, her compassion, openness, and good humor, and her unwavering commitment to our school.

Michele Ross

Assistant Director of Carriage House For 25 years, Michele Ross has been Assistant Director for the Carriage House, caring for our youngest Tigers, the children of our faculty and staff ages eight weeks to three years old. She came to GCDS with the experience and expertise of an early childhood educator and has helped to expand the program as the school has grown. She has been instrumental in creating the program’s theme-based activities to support development in socialization, sensory, self-help, and motor skills. In 2018, she took on the additional role of the Director of Beansprouts, the afterschool program for faculty and staff children in Nursery through Grade 2.

Her colleagues note that Michele is a natural educator and caregiver for the children in her programs, with an innate ability to assess where a child is developmentally and then plan appropriate activities. They share that Michele has a song for

“I have enjoyed a quarter of a century greeting students first thing in the morning with a handshake, high five, or hug, as they walk into school. It’s my favorite time of the day . . . I’ve learned that relationships—with our students, with our teachers, with our families—are at the heart of everything.” — Nina Basinet

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“Greenwich Country Day is more than a place to work —it’s a place where you live, raise your family, and lean on each other in good times and in bad. . . . Thank you Greenwich Country Day School for allowing me to have 25 great years! ‘And if the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. . . . ’” — Michele Ross

every occasion or situation, a soothing and joyful enhancement to the warm and nurturing environment. Her ability to smile in the face of challenge and bounce back with a sense of humor and quick wit is inspiring and infectious. She is empathetic, caring, and thoughtful as she guides the children in her care and new parents as well. Faculty and staff are grateful for Michele and her colleagues, since knowing their own children are so well loved and taken care of allows them to be fully present during the school day for GCDS students.

Michele loves witnessing and celebrating each of the many milestones that happen in the earliest years of infancy and childhood. She experiences each moment with the joy she felt when watching her own daughter Mackenzie—a GCDS lifer, Class of 2022—achieve each developmental feat. What stands out most for Michele is the deep love and support she feels from the GCDS community. As she has faced the ups and downs of life, her GCDS friends have been there supporting her through it all.

ful for the opportunity to watch their children grow and thrive under Sarah’s guidance. She relates to her students on their level and as individuals, adjusting her approach and instruction to each child’s background, personality, and interests, meeting them where they are rather than trying to make them fit or conform.

Sarah enjoys the opportunity to watch her students grow, not only in the time spent in her classroom, but in each successive year at Country Day. She recalls one student who wouldn’t leave her lap for the Nursery performance take incremental steps each year until they had a solo in the Grade 3 musical. Knowing and loving each student so they feel safe to take risks in their learning begins in Nursery, and Sarah provides her students with that sense of comfort and belonging.

Her colleagues describe Sarah as someone who values tradition, while also embracing positive progress, and going the extra mile to advocate for her students and her team. They value her creative brilliance, her mischievous sense of humor, and her collaborative, team-building approach to everything she does. As a coach for lacrosse and many other sports over the years, Sarah embraces working as a member of a team to achieve a goal.

Sarah is grateful for the Country Day community, where her own children were educated and cared for as if they were part of a large family.

“I always knew that I wanted to work with young children. Few experiences compare to witnessing the pure delight and excitement on the face of a child as they uncover their own newfound abilities . . . I am beyond grateful over these past two decades to be part of a faculty, a family, that has had each other’s backs.” — Sarah Sepot

Sarah Sepot Nursery Teacher

Picture the Greenwich Country Day School logo—children joyfully running to school—and know that any one of Sarah Sepot’s students could have been the model for that vision.

By all accounts, Sarah creates a loving, nurturing, and joyful learning environment, one that her students are eager to get to every day. As a Nursery teacher in the Lower Elementary School, she turned the “fishbowl” into a welcoming, magical spot, bringing creativity and humor each and every day to our youngest students. Many of her students have been the children of our own administrators, faculty, and staff, who are grate-

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HOMECOMING

& WALKATHON 2023

A Little Rain Was No Match for Tiger Pride!

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THANK YOU! Hundreds of members of the GCDS community walked in support of diverse mobility needs and raised $63,000.

This year’s proceeds went to: WALKABOUT FOUNDATION, which provides wheelchairs for clients around the world; PATRIOTIC KENNY FOUNDATION, which gifts mobility scooters to US vets; and ROBBIE’S RIDERS, which donates adaptive bicycles to children.

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SPIRIT WEEK: Tiger Pride was on full display across both campuses and all divisions!

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OFFIT FIELDS

Ben Offit ’22, Stephanie Offit, Evie Offit ’23

DEDICATION & RIBBON CUTTING On Friday, Oct. 21 students, alumni, families and friends joined GCDS in the dedication of Offit Fields named in memory of Daniel W. Offit P ’22, ’23.

Family members in attendance included Dan’s children Ben ’22 and Evie ’23, his wife Stefanie, his parents Morris and Nancy, and his brother Ned, Amanda (Ned’s wife), and Nate ’27. The newly named multi-sport fields include an NCAA turf multipurpose field for soccer, lacrosse, and football, and a no-infill turf field for field hockey and softball.

A special ribbon cutting ceremony took place during halftime of the GCDS Boys Soccer game versus Hamden Hall Country Day School.

During a pre-game reception attended by friends, family, and supporters of Country Day, Head of School Adam Rohdie remarked: “I’ve shared this Jackie Robinson quote many times: ‘A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives’. Dan’s was a life that impacted many people.”

From the plaque: Through the generosity of his loving family and friends, we honor Daniel W. Offit’s commitment to GCDS with the dedication of Offit Athletic Fields.

Dan served as the President of the Board of Trustees from 2015–2019 and then chaired the school’s largest fundraising campaign from 2019–2021. His tireless work leaves an indelible mark on GCDS, as he led the expansion to an N–12 school with the addition of the Stanwich Campus. Dan’s legacy will be felt for generations through his efforts to build the high school and build a sustainable future for GCDS.

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Our fabulous GCDS DANCERS kicked off the Walkathon inside the Alumni Gym. 32

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TIGER TONES kept spirits high during the Walkathon!

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Middle & Upper School ATHLETES competed in soccer, field hockey, football, volleyball, and cross country!

Pie in the face at a spirited Homecoming pep rally!

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PEP RALLIES in the Upper and Middle Schools pumped up students before a weekend of games!

2023 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA

Alisha Davis ’88

Making Her Mark at Good Morning America “There was such a focus on learning how to learn. Curiosity and critical thinking were encouraged, and we always had to analyze. We were never fed an answer.”

Alisha Davis ’88 reported on Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s wedding for Newsweek magazine more than 20 years ago. At the time, Ms. Davis was invited by CNN to talk about the celebrity wedding as a guest commentator. She was accidentally four hours early for the interview and ended up chatting with everyone on the set. She clearly left an impression.

“The next day, I got a call from a CNN executive.

They were re-launching their sister network called CNN Headline News at the time and asked if I would consider being the entertainment anchor,” she said in an interview.

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n Oct. 20, Ms. Davis returned to GCDS to receive the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award, which is voted upon annually by the Alumni Advisory Council, and to talk about her extensive background in print and broadcast television. A five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, Ms. Davis’ reporting has spanned the globe. Instead of a “live” speech, Ms. Davis pre-recorded a Good Morning America style interview with Head of School Adam Rohdie, during which the tables were turned, and Ms. Davis was the subject of the interview. The interview was shown throughout the Middle and Upper Schools.

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Already a successful entertainment magazine reporter, her new gig with CNN launched her career to the next level as a broadcaster and TV host.

For several years, Ms. Davis was the prime-time entertainment anchor for CNN Headline News. She also had co-hosting and editorial stints at MTV, E! News Live, Court TV, and Caribbean Times News.

As the entertainment industry became dominated by reality television, Ms. Davis shifted her attention to national and international news and for the past 17 years, she has worked for ABC News. Currently, she is a producer and writer for Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, and Michael Strahan.

Her ABC News career highlights include interviewing Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Barbara Walters—“a legend”—and traveling to Haiti in 2015, five years after the earthquake to report on recovery efforts. More recently, she produced a segment on USA gymnast Leanne Wong, talking about her history-making win at the world championship and has been producing segments about the Israel-Gaza war among others.

She appreciates being behind the camera at this time in her life while she focuses on her family. “I’ve gone from being an anchor to writing for an anchor now. And those are two very similar things. I don’t travel as much now, though,” she said.

“You are an inspiration to all Tigers,” said Mr. Rohdie. “You pursued a passion and have had a significant impact in the world and our community by creating a more informed and engaged society.”

Ms. Davis didn’t always think she was going to be a journalist. After Country Day, Ms. Davis attended Hotchkiss School and Harvard University, where she majored in African American Studies. During college, Ms. Davis thought she was going to pursue academia because of her interest in culture and society.

However, it was an internship at VIBE, a groundbreaking hip hop magazine founded by record producer Quincy Jones, that made her rethink her path.

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STORIES AMONG US

A single story is powerful when combined with the stories of others; these interviews sparked meaningful conversations and fostered a sense of unity, as students recognized the shared experiences that bond us as a community.

BY JACKIE WOOD, GRADE 9 TEACHER

In a world brimming with stories, each individual has a unique narrative to tell, and the ninth-grade unit on Migration challenged students to have genuine conversations, many with individuals whom they have never met.

This ninth-grade history project titled “Stories Among Us” celebrates the diversity of human experience and the stories that shape the GCDS community. History, as it is commonly taught, often focuses on well-known figures and major events.

Through this project, students embarked on a journey to discover the everyday stories of people close to us.

Inspired by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” students worked in pairs to explore stories among us in an effort to understand why people move, and what factors drive human migration.

It began when the ninth-grade history team, Pat Scanlon, and Morgan Carney and I, sent out a request to community members, including all families in

grades N–12, to ask for volunteers to share their story of migration. Interviews turned into multimedia deliverables (such as podcasts), and outside research turned into infographics; and while the hard skills developed in this project are vital and enduring, what we are most proud of is the cultivation of empathy and understanding among students.

“I’ve always thought across disciplines. I want to understand culture, history, and sociology in terms of what was happening now, in the present. So I shifted to journalism,” she says. After VIBE, she moved to Newsweek.

Ms. Davis considers herself fortunate to have survived the consolidation of traditional media. Many of her colleagues have left the profession. Nonetheless, she does believe there remains a vital role for trusted news sources like ABC News. “Amid the flood of information and misinformation in the digital age, people are asking themselves: What sources do we trust?” she said.

Ms. Davis credits her GCDS education for building the mindset that has led to her success as a journalist. “There was such a focus on learning how to learn. Curiosity and critical thinking were encouraged, and we always had to analyze. We were never fed an answer.”

She was exposed to so many incredible teachers, adults who are leaders in every field. “As you meet them you realize, I can do this. I developed confidence here because everything seemed possible for me.”

In addition to pursuing academics seriously, Ms. Davis was

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By learning about the achievements, struggles, and obstacles individuals faced, students came to appreciate the inherent humanity in history while also learning valuable skills such as critical thinking and effective communication.

Through these stories, students realized that migration wasn’t just a historical event but a living, breathing chapter of our community’s collective history.

a three-season athlete—soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. She went on to play Varsity Ice Hockey at Hotchkiss.

During her GCDS visit, Ms. Davis was able to sit in on several Upper School classes, Watch the including International Relations. “I was so Alisha Davis interview with impressed by the depth of the discussions in Mr. Rohdie the class which focused on complex issues like Israel and Gaza. As someone who is working on that issue now, the discussions rivaled discussions that I’ve heard. I’m blown away by what I’ve seen this morning,” she said.

Ms. Davis also met with the Students of Color affinity group.

“Back when I graduated, I was just about the only Black student in my class. It was so gratifying to know that there are now more students of color. I can see evolution and growth at the school in terms of inclusivity.” At the end of the interview, Mr. Rohdie asked her what other career she wished she could have pursued.

“Honestly, I can’t imagine a career aside from being a journalist.

Every day I get to learn,” she said with satisfaction.

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Andrew Ledee, Monique Lee Bahadur, Alisha Davis, and David Waddell

Historic Alumni of Color Panel Monique Lee Bahadur ’73, Alisha Davis ’88, and David Waddell ’73 “ You are witnessing a moment in Country Day history right now,” said Andrew Ledee, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to an audience of Middle School students in the Debbie Kerrick Theatre on Oct. 20.

Mr. Ledee referred to the panelists on the stage, Monique Lee Bahadur ‘73 and David Waddell ‘73 who had returned to campus for their 50th reunion. They were the first Black students to graduate from Country Day in the school’s history. Joining them was Alisha Davis ‘88, the first Black Distinguished Alum to be selected for the honor by the Alumni Advisory Council.

Ms. Bahadur, who now lives in London, remembers GCDS as being like no place she had ever been. “It opened my eyes to a whole new world. Living outside the US now, I know that my Country Day connections go deep in the world. I have friendships that I’ve kept throughout my life.” Ms. Bahadur started a marketing firm in London and currently sits on several volunteer boards.

Mr. Waddell, who works in fundraising for first-generation college students, is a GCDS Class Representative and is also still in touch with many of his former classmates. “Anything that I’ve accomplished in life from learning how to be disciplined, committed, and love what I do started here.”

Ms. Bahadur also remembers the challenges. Her family came from the segregated South and moved North when she was young. “I was born in a segregated hospital. I went to a segregated school when I was little. Things were better in the North, but of course there were challenges. It was the seventies. For example, I wasn’t able to go to parties at private clubs because they didn’t allow black children there.”

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“ Sometimes, looking at our past can be difficult, but we believe as a community we need to have hard conversations in order to grow.”

—Andrew Ledee, DEI Director For Ms. Bahadur, the biggest adjustment was socioeconomic. “I’d never seen such wealth and privilege. Being here just opened my eyes to a whole new world, and I had to learn how to be a part of this world.”

It was very important to Ms. Bahadur’s family, especially her father who was a teacher, that she was reaching her potential.

“My dad was always meeting with the GCDS teachers making sure that I was on top of my academics. I had really strong parents who just kept me walking the straight line.”

Along with his brother and sister, Mr. Waddell and his siblings were the first students to integrate the school. “My mother was determined to have her kids get a GCDS education. That, plus it was a time when the school knew that integration was the right thing.”

There were challenges for Mr. Waddell as well. “I was looking for acceptance and spent a whole lot of time thinking that I was not good enough for this reason or that.”

Over the years, he has reconnected with classmates who were struggling with other forms of acceptance and adversity.

“I’m so grateful for these friendships.”

Distinguished Alumna Alisha Davis, graduated 15 years after her two co-panelists and is currently a producer and writer for Good Morning America (see page 36). She told the students that she uses the skills she learned at GCDS every day in her job. “I learned how to think, how to analyze, look at the world, and put my thoughts together. GCDS taught me to be curious and thoughtful.”

As the only Black student in her class, Ms. Davis said that the current students are fortunate to have a DEI department. All three panelists expressed enduring gratitude for their teachers. “I had deep connections with not just fellow students, but a lot of teachers were very supportive.”

In her parting words, Ms. Bahadur said that students should take advantage of their opportunity to attend GCDS. “Strive for excellence in academics. I was somewhat ambitious before coming to GCDS, but my hunger for learning grew here.”

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The Care

and Feeding of a Tiger

Graphic Design Students Create GCDS Cookbook “One of the pillars of the GCDS academic experience is project-based learning, which is at the core of the visual arts program. Having an authentic client and audience while being able to celebrate our community brings greater purpose, meaning, and impact to student learning,” says Hailey Kim, Upper School Art Teacher, who spearheaded the project.

In Spring 2023, Upper School’s Graphic Design 1 class designed a cookbook featuring recipes served on Stanwich Road Campus.

Working in small groups, they produced layout proposals and presented them to members of the Dining Team. The class collaborated on using the winning proposal as a template for laying out the entire book, creating a coherent yet dynamic aesthetic from cover to cover.

Titled “A Country Day Kitchen: How to Feed a Tiger,” this 72-page, hardcover book includes dozens of recipes from around the world, adjusted for home kitchens and accompanied by full-color photographs. Peppered throughout the publication are stories of the Dining Hall staff as well as quotes from faculty and students, celebrating the passion and creativity infused in the delicious food prepared daily in the kitchen.

Proceeds from the sale benefit Filling in the Blanks in Norwalk, CT, a non-profit organization that fights childhood hunger by providing needy children with meals on the weekends.

To purchase a cookbook, contact: hailey.kim@gcds.net

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It was love at first sight with Shakespeare’s most magical and romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Performed by Upper School drama students, audiences enjoyed this romp through the forest with a delightful cast of characters, as they reminded us that the course of true love never runs smooth! Performances were held Oct. 12–14.

Opposite: Avery Sleeper, Zach Bostock 1 Kristina Estock, Charlotte Morningstar, Sawyer Young, Charlotte Best, Kit Knapp 2 Ruby Cosgrove, Sol Hochman 3 Celeste Escobar 4 Stella Melucci

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A midsummEr ~i6ht’s DrEam

BETSY DURNING Upper School Theatre Director

ERIK JOHNKE Set Designer

JACK DODD Technical Director

PATRICIA MORAN Costume Designer

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1 Dylan Ever 2 Shep O’Keefe, Sawyer Young, Nate Smith, Marli Young, Linnea ShahGustafsson 3 Andy Pauley, Daphne Hentsch-Cowles, Harry Molony, Celeste Escobar 4 Danna Justiniano 5 Linnea Shah-Gustafsson 42

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1 Harry Moloney 2 Zach Bostock 3 Kristina Estock, Charlotte Morningstar, Avery Sleeper, Charlotte Best, Kit Knapp

Front: Shep O’Keefe, Linnea Shah-Gustafsson, Nate Smith, Danna Justiniano, Charlotte Best, Kristina Estock, Kit Knapp, Charlotte Morningstar, Daphne Hentsch-Cowles, Dylan Ever, Ruby Cosgrove, Sol Hochman Back: Marli Young, Sawyer Young, Celeste Escobar, Avery Sleeper, Stella Melucci, Zach Bostock, Harry Moloney, Andy Pauley

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Athletics The GCDS Tigers showcased exceptional form during this fall season, qualifying for FAA postseason tournaments across all sports.

The Varsity Volleyball team, only in its second year as a Varsity team, impressively reached the NEPSAC semifinals but unfortunately fell to King School, the four-time consecutive championship winners. The Varsity Volleyball team also advanced to the semifinals of the FAA. The JV Volleyball team secured victory, clinching the FAA JV Volleyball Tournament Championship, signaling a promising future for GCDS Volleyball.

The Boys Varsity Soccer team, as the incumbent FAA Champions, once again made it to the FAA Final for the second consecutive year. Although they fought fiercely, they narrowly lost in penalty kicks to St. Luke’s, ending with a score of 2-1. This marks their second consecutive year reaching the finals.

The Water Polo team claimed fourth place in New England, concluding their journey in the quarterfinals of the NEPSAC tournament. The Football team wrapped up their season with a 6-4 record, while the Girls Varsity Soccer team hosted the first FAA round against Greenwich Academy.

Notably, GCDS held a Cross Country meet for the first time on the Stanwich campus during Homecoming weekend. At the FAA Tournament Race, four boys and three girls received All-League Honors. Additionally, the Middle School Cross Country team hosted its inaugural meet at Offit Fields.

Congratulations!

Girls Varsity Volleyball Reached the NEPSAC Semifinals

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Congratulations!

Boy’s Varsity Soccer Competed in the FAA Semifinals

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UPPER SCHOOL

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UPPER SCHOOL

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

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EXCELLENCE & CARE Athletic Training at GCDS Director of Sports Medicine Patrick Curry joined Country Day 11 years ago. Over the years, as the school’s athletic program expanded, his role transformed from a part-timer to managing a team that offers a wide array of medical services.

“My role and the scope of the practice have gradually advanced to the point where we now have two other athletic trainers on the team. We cover numerous sports across two campuses and multiple local locations,” says Curry, who works alongside Abigael Green-Yotts and Sarah Quatela. “We are fortunate to have an Athletic Trainer present at practices, home games and many away games as well.”

GCDS recently received the designation of being a “Certified Safe Sports School” by the National Athletic Training Association (NATA). This important recognition underlines the school’s adherence to high standards in athlete care. “The certification pertains to athlete-to-athletic trainer ratio, comprehensive emergency action plans, and essential protocols, including concussion management and CPR training for coaches,” explains Curry.

The athletic training program at GCDS is multifaceted, focusing on prevention, emergency care, orthopedic evaluation, and rehabilitation. Athletic trainers must graduate from an accredited program, hold the Board of Certification credential, and be licensed in their state of CT. “We see ourselves as jacks of all trades,” says Curry.

As part of the pre-screening process, student athletes undergo optional heart screenings. On a couple of occasions, students were diagnosed with heart irregularities that had not

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“ The foundation of any athletic program is making sure the student-athletes are prepared in the safest manner possible. Our Athletic Training Staff does an uncanny job at this. They work with our athletes from sun up to sun down, using preventative measures and rehabilitation techniques to make sure our Tigers perform at their highest level. Their knowledge, understanding, and communication are second to none. I am truly grateful to have Patrick, Abby, and Sarah looking after all our student-athletes. I credit a great deal of our success to their passion and care.”

—Tim Helstein, Director of Athletics

Abby Green-Yotts, Pat Curry, Sarah Quatela

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GCDS recently received the designation of being a “Certified Safe Sports School” by the National Athletic Training Association (NATA). This important recognition underlines the school’s adherence to high standards in athlete care.

been detected previously and were subsequently referred for cardiological care.

Curry emphasizes the importance of prevention: “We practice preventative medicine, including dynamic warm-ups and monitoring pre-participation physicals.” Such proactive measures are crucial in a setting where young athletes are developing.

In the case of injuries, Curry notes that athletic trainers often act as gatekeepers for orthopedic injuries. They work closely with doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery, a renowned institution with a facility in Stamford. This collaboration extends beyond medical care and advice to educational training. “They’re an amazing resource,” he says.

For instance, if a student rolls their ankle, Curry asks, “Does this require an X-ray? Can we manage it in-house or not? We handle the bracing and management of the injury and the return-to-play process. During recovery, we provide a lot of rehabilitation here, supplementing with outside Physical Therapy if necessary.”

Curry and the team take pride in offering personalized care to each student. “We are here to figure out what is the best option for the athlete, whether that be making orthotics to help a dancer experiencing shin splints, or managing a soccer player’s return to academics and athletics after a concussion,” he says about their inclusive approach around diverse sports at GCDS. Curry acknowledges that the decision to play or not is often challenging. Understanding the importance of sports in students’ lives, he aims to keep them engaged, even during recovery. “Sometimes, we need to hold students back to avoid worsening their condition. Other times, we can help support them with taping, bracing and treatments so they can participate, even if just partially to keep them as part of the team, ensuring they have that athletic experience. Either way, we need to advocate for them.”

It’s crucial to Curry that students see the athletic trainers as individuals who genuinely care about them. “We’re simply

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here to help. We build relationships with them so they see us as trustworthy. Kids visit us frequently. We aim to create an environment where people want to come in, hang out, and know that we’re always in their corner.”

To learn more about the Athletics Training Program, visit: www.gcds.net/athletics

Commentator for Ivy League Tournament Morgan Withrow, MS Science Teacher and Varsity Volleyball Coach, was invited to be a commentator at the Ivy League Women’s Volleyball Tournament at Yale University on Nov. 14 and 15. To her delight, her former student, Audrey Leak who plays for Yale, was designated MVP for the tournament. “It was a huge honor to be there,” said Withrow.

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Winter Athletics

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The basketball courts, swimming pools, ice rinks, squash courts, and wrestling mats are full press as student athletes compete this winter season. Learn more about our new Wrestling and Girls Varsity Ice Hockey coaches on page 55.

We look forward to a season full of great competition and, of course, Tiger Pride!

1 Congratulations to Brianna ‘Bri’ McDermott ’25, who made GCDS history by becoming the first-ever Tiger to score 1,000 career points in high school! 2 & 3 GCDS hosted the third annual Andrew Niblock ALS Middle School Basketball Challenge on Dec. 11 & 12 to raise awareness and find treatments and a cure for ALS. 4 Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Hoosac School 2

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Boys Varsity Hockey Boys Varsity Basketball

Girls Varsity Squash

JACK JEPSON Honored Posthumously at “History in the Making” Awards Dinner Jack Jepson, former history teacher and wrestling and football coach, received the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously at the Greenwich Historical Society’s “History in the Making” Awards Dinner that celebrated the vibrant history of local sports, athletes and coaches who have impacted our past and future. Donna deVarona, Olympic gold medalist swimmer, presented the award to Damien Vishno, Jack Jepson’s step-grandson at the Oct. 12 event.

“Jack was a larger-than-life figure on the football field and wrestling mat,” said Tim Helstein, Director of Athletics. “Until they got to know him, some students were intimidated by his intellect, his energy, his personal and athletic standards. It did not take long, however, for all of them to revere him. He was a proverbial font of knowledge, humor, and devotion. He challenged athletes to find what was finest in themselves and to strive for greatness.”

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Damien Vishno, Jack Jepson’s step-grandson, and Donna deVarona

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MEET OUR COACHES The following profiles showcase the depth of talent, experience, and expertise of our coaches in their respective sport and how they inspire our student athletes.

MADISON PACKER GIRLS VARSITY HOCKEY TEAM HEAD COACH “I am passionate about giving back to a sport that has given so much to me, and I think it is crucial that kids have role models they can relate to and look up to with whom they are able to interact on a daily basis. If kids enjoy what they are doing everyday, feel safe and accepted in their environment, and feel a part of something they take pride in, they will be successful.”

We don’t focus solely on the ultimate goal of winning. We focus on getting every rep in a drill right, so we can advance to the next progression and establish good habits we can carry over to the games.”

Bio: Madison won the NCAA National Championship her freshman year playing for University of Wisconsin-Madison.

During her eight seasons with the Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation, formerly known as the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL), Packer was a 7-year captain, 6-time All Star, and consistently ranked among the top scorers in the league.

“Tiger Pride is founded on respect and community. Respect for the school and respect for one another, along with taking pride in the community we represent.

It is a privilege to represent GCDS in practice and competition. Having pride in this community is one of the most important components we are building upon on the team.”

Her favorite quote is “To be nobody— but yourself—in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else—means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”

— E.E. Cummings

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“Our biggest job in life is to make a difference in the lives of others, and the simplest way to do that is to be authentically you and to be kind. The world can be a scary place, but it’s also pretty incredible. To have the courage to be yourself in a world that often wants us to conform to norms established by others is a pretty beautiful thing, and is essential to humanity,” said Packer.

“Wrestling is a tough sport, but life can be tough at times and this amazing sport prepares individuals to face any and all issues that life could throw at them. I have had quite literally thousands of student athletes over the past 15 years tell me that choosing to wrestle was the best decision they had made in their entire life.”

KEVIN KING VARSITY & MIDDLE SCHOOL WRESTLING HEAD COACH “Results vary based on a multitude of dynamic variables. Natural ability, injury, illness, and the opponents’ skill level are all factors that are out of our control. What we can control is our work ethic and effort. That is what sticks out to me in any athlete. Not the results. The irony is that when we work hard, the results typically end up in our favor.”

Madison Packer

Bio: As a coach at Scituate High School in Massachusetts, as well as the club program Riptide, Kevin has developed multiple national champions, dozens of All-Americans, and more than 100 State Champions. He attended Bridgewater State University.

“Tiger Pride is synonymous with the word ‘values’ and what those values represent. The value of hard work and the expectation to give it your best on the mat, field, rink, track, or court. The value of friendship and comradery amongst teammates. The value of sportsmanship and humility. The value of representing your family, team, school, and community in a positive and noble way. That is Tiger Pride”

Kevin King

His favorite quote is: “After wrestling, everything else in life is easy.”

— Dan Gable, three-time NCAA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist

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Student Athletes

Commit to Division 1 Universities On Nov. 8, three Tigers signed their Division I commitment letters, known as their National Letter of Intent (NLI): Ella Davis ’23 is headed to Boston College for rowing.

Harley Goodner ’23 is attending Duke University for baseball.

Chris Takita ’23 is going to Stonehill College for baseball.

“This is an extremely special day for GCDS and each of these families,” said Tim Helstein, Director of Athletics. “The commitment, devotion, and hard work that each of these athletes put into their sport and training has paid off as they go on to represent Tiger Pride at their respective colleges and universities. We could not be more proud of all they have accomplished and look forward to watching them, and all our college-bound student athletes, continue their success at the next level.”

Construction Underway for The DON Construction of The Determination Over Negativity (DON) Mitchell Family Athletic Center (named for NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell, Class of 2012) began this fall with the demolition of the former South Gym. It is expected to be completed in time for the opening of the 2024–25 basketball season and will be the centerpiece

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of our athletic facility. The building will house a full-size NCAA basketball court that can divide into half to create two full courts running perpendicular. The entire GCDS community, Nursery–Grade 9, will also be able to gather in the DON for events and assemblies.

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NEWS

2023

FACULTY & STAFF

1 With the generous gift of the GCDS

2 Stacy Cochran, Staff Accountant, is thrilled

Sabbatical Grant, Nicole Boruchin, LES Creativity Lab Teacher, returned to Japan after 29 years. She brought her son, Teo, and together they enjoyed three weeks exploring and revisiting her favorite places including Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, and Miyajima.

They shared time with Nicole’s childhood friend Yuki, who introduced her to the culture and was the inspiration for her studying Japanese and living abroad in college. Days spent with her host family were truly the highlight and an amazing culmination of her language practice.

to announce the birth of her son, Alden Cochran Gatt, born April 13, 2023.

3 Andy Copelan, Boys Varsity Lacrosse Coach and Major Gifts Officer, ran the NYC Marathon on Nov. 5, 2023.

4 Kati Eggert, Upper School Associate Athletic Director, and Jeff Spadaccini got engaged on Easter, April 9, 2023.

Tim Donoghue, Upper School English Teacher, wrote a guest essay in the New York Times, “If Everyone Gets an A, No One Gets an A,” on Oct. 23, 2023 and a guest essay in the Wall Street Journal, “What High Schoolers Need to Start the Year: SeinfeldStyle Griping,” on Aug. 25, 2023.

5 Kim Eves, Director of Strategic Communications, is delighted to announce the birth of her granddaughter, Remy Vaughan McCrary, born Jan. 14, 2023.

6 Devon Fineman (née Brown), First Grade Teacher, married Carlos Fineman on July 15, 2023 in Nashville, TN. They met at Hamilton College.

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7 Abby Green-Yotts, Athletic Trainer and UE

11 Courtney Kipp, Assistant Director of

15 Christina Renzullo, Accounts Receivable

Physical Education Teacher, and wife, Misha, are the proud parents of Andie Joyce GreenYotts born Aug. 19, 2023.

College Counseling, got engaged to Danny Nardo on July 30, 2023.

Manager, husband Emilio and big sister Marina (Class of ‘38) are proud to announce the birth of Elia Grace Renzullo on March 28, 2023.

8 Brittany Fitzgerald, Grade 4 Teacher,

Teacher, embarked on her master’s degree in English from Middlebury’s Bread Loaf School of English. She finished her first summer at the Vermont campus and looks forward to completing her degree.

married Neal Chambers in August. In attendance were fellow teachers Stephanie Lehn, Maddie Roberts, and dog Roo.

9 Randy Hall, Grade 5 Teacher, ran the

12 Sarah Lucente, Middle School English

13 Security Officer Jim Matheny ran the

NYC Marathon on Nov. 5, 2023.

Boston Marathon in April 2023 and the Hamptons Marathon in Sept. 2023. “Both during storms! Both awesome!”

10 Jenny and Ryan Harrity, Middle School Math Teacher, welcomed their son John “Jack” Michael Harrity, born July 3, 2023.

14 Lesley McTague, US Maker Teacher, husband, Alex, and brother Yannik are happy to announce the birth of a baby boy on Nov. 15.

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16 Denise Meza Reyes, LES Visual Arts Teacher, got engaged to Ricky Camhi on Aug. 27, 2023, at a vineyard on Long Island.

17 Josh Smaller-Swift, Upper School Maker Teacher, and his wife, Carla, are proud to announce the birth of their twins, Rhea Simone and Jayden Yves Swift, born Sept. 27, 2023.

18 Stefanie Valenti, Upper School Kitchen Staff, announced the birth of Zachary Aronberg, born Nov. 15, 2022. Big brother, Jacob, is thrilled.

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FACULTY AUTHOR

Congratulations to Upper School History Teacher JIM CULLEN, who published his 20th book, Bridge & Tunnel Boys: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and the Metropolitan Sound of the American Century, in Oct. 2023.

The book has received excellent reviews and has been written up in the New York Times, “What the Suburbs Did for Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen,” and Time Magazine, “How the American Suburbs Created Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel.”

Next spring, Jim’s 1997 book “Born in the USA: Bruce Springsteen and the

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American Tradition,” will be reissued in a third, updated and revised edition.

“Historian Cullen tracks in this meticulous study how Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel ascended to fame . . .

[T]his is an engrossing take on two music legends who documented the glory and melancholy of ‘ordinary American life.’” —Publishers Weekly

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20 GCDS Faculty & Staff Veterans were honored on Veterans Day. Thank you for your service. (Pictured L to R) Henri Castleberry, Middle School World Languages Chair and Spanish Teacher –US Navy

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David Krumlauf, GCDS Director of Facilities –US Navy Richard Byxbee, GCDS Security Officer –US Navy David H. Griswold, Faculty Mentor –USAF (Not pictured)

Bob Ambrogio, GCDS Security Officer –Marine Corp

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Alumni Reunion Weekend

GCDS was thrilled to welcome more than 75 alumni to campus on Oct. 20–22 for Reunion Weekend. From the Class of 2013 celebrating their first GCDS reunion to the Class of 1958 celebrating their 65th, graduating classes ending in years with ’3 and ’8 reminisced fondly about experiences at GCDS and the lifelong friendships they made here.

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On Friday, Distinguished Alumna Alisha Davis ’88, a five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, writer, and producer on Good Morning America, joined David Waddell ’73 and Monique Lee Bahadur ’73—the first two Black students to graduate from GCDS—in a panel discussion led by Andrew Ledee, GCDS Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, for Middle School students (see page 38). Ms. Davis also sat in on classes in the Upper School.

On Friday night, despite the rain, alums gathered to kick off reunion weekend and to cheer on the Boys Varsity Soccer game against Hamden Hall (we won!). During half-time, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place for the newly constructed Offit Fields (see page 31).

Saturday morning began with “Student for the Morning,” where the Upper School teachers gave alumni a taste of the classes they teach. Lunch was held back at Old Church Road, followed by campus tours and an afternoon of athletic games. Later that evening, reunion classes gathered in the Dining Hall with classmates, fellow alums, and faculty for class dinners. The weekend capped off with a Sunday morning tour of French Farm.

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Thank you to the many volunteers who made the weekend special and to each and every alum who came back to campus!

Friday Night Tailgate Kickoff: 1 Jenna Finkelstein ’13, Elsa Mark ’13, Liza Daniels ’13 2 Rachel Fludd ’13, Greer Antell ’13 3 Johnny Rose ’13, Katherine Morena ’13, Chris Gendell ’13 4 Isabel Getz ’13, Naja Brooks ’13 5 Matt Basinet, Lane Earnest McKee, Parker McKee ’03 6 Chris Victory, Christine Arzeno Victory ’98, Sara Simmons Bartow ’98, Jeremy Hellinger ’97, Liz Orum Duffy ’98 7 Katrina Ladd, Willard Ladd ’73, Matt Basinet 8 Sarah Mathes ’13, Jen Donnalley, Brecky Huth ’03

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Tom and Brooke Melly hosted the Class of 1973 and guests.

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“

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We were especially impressed with

the physical plant, breadth of course

offerings and high enthusiasm of the students and faculty. We came away

thinking the school seems stronger than

ever, with laudable values.”

— Walter Hinton ’63 & Sheila Blair ’63

1963

The Class of 1963 held their reunion on Oct. 4–5, separate from the School’s reunion, attracting their largest turnout to date—21 classmates. Alumni toured Old Church Road, had lunch at French Farm, and explored the Upper School.

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“

The Tiger spirit is alive and well and the joy of learning emanates throughout the entire school.”

— Rande Coleman ’68 & Tom Rawson ’68

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1 Peter Hoffman ’71, Lindsey Murkland Hoffman 2 Kody Greenhalgh ’13, Paige Rabb ’13, Cameron Kinder ’13 3 Red Jahncke ’65, Tony Terrell ’58 Class of 1963, Front: Taffy Fisher Field, Margo Chisholm, Whit Knapp, Irene Malozemoff Weigel, Sheila Blair Middle: Susie Fisher Thorness; Ray Hornblower, Craig Duncan, Susan Symmers Bradford Back: Ward Davol, Connie Fisher, Guy Lawrence, Jim Kitendaugh, Walter Hinton, Helen Hubbard Marr 4 Lexie Hearn Merrill ’03, Lily Rogath ’03, Remy Sanders Dowd ’03 5 Seth Woodberry ’73, Tom Melly ’73, Stan Forkner ’73 Class of 1968: Ted Walworth, Helen Haskell MacCallum, Peter Van Buren, Jennifer Clark, Christopher Whipple, Rande Coleman, Tom Rawson

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1968

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Class of 1973: Andree Isbrandtsen Pruett, Sarah Storch, Kim Bancroft, Jane Musser Nelson, Lisa Palache Carey, Monique Lee Bahadur, Willard Ladd, David Waddell, Tom Melly, Catherine Smith Doyle, Chris Willis, Jennifer Stone, Ellen Remsen Webb, Marcia Murray McGowen Class of 1988: Nicole Sanderson, Tamara Busch, Distinguished Alumna Alisha Davis Class of 1993: Clay Floren, Lindsay Vasey Barth, Jeff Crumbine, Macs Suthers, Ashley Mendel Fox Class of 1998: Laura Smith, Liz Orum Duffy, Christine Arzeno Victory, Brooke Fitzgerald, Tommy Gregorio, Toby Pratt, Augusta Perrin, Sara Simmons Bartow, Todd Portier

1988

1998

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Class of 2003: Alexa Hakim Moinian, Sarah Coffin Young, Emily Lessen, Lily Rogath, Lexie Hearn Merrill, Remy Sanders Dowd, Sophie Nitkin, Liz Horowitz Class of 2013, Front: Lena Mersereau, Darren Drittel, Brecky Huth, Jenna Finkelstein, Gabby Finkelstein, Katie Morena, Greer Antell, Christian Caliboso Middle: Zoe Pottow, Johnny Rose, Charlie Johnson, Wills Danielsen, Alex Gibbons, Liza Daniels (in front of Alex), Sarah Mathes, Sara Maybury, Elsa Mark, Paige Rabb, Rachel Fludd Back: Cameron Kinder, Naja Brooks, Sean New, Isabel Getz, Alexander Buffone (behind), Luke Holey, McKinley Frantz, Hanley Frantz, Ian Edwards

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Even with the changes to the campus over the past ten years, it’s refreshing to return to a GCDS that still feels so familiar.”

— Gabby Finkelstein ’13

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THE ALUMNI ADVISORY COUNCIL

WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS On Oct. 4, the Alumni Advisory Council (AAC) kicked off the year with a full council meeting. As part of the kick-off meeting, we welcomed our new co-chairs, Remy Sanders Dowd ’03 and Connor Keeshan ’01, and new members. The AAC is the leadership body of our alumni community dedicated to engaging our alumni and extending the value of GCDS beyond graduation.

CO-CHAIRS CONNOR KEESHAN ’01 Connor is a GCDS lifer, having attended the school from Nursery through Ninth Grade. After GCDS, he attended the Lawrenceville School (’04) and Middlebury College (’08). Connor has spent his career at advertising agencies as a business leader with experience creating awardwinning brand strategies, through-theline campaigns, and experiences across a range of iconic brands. He is currently the Head of Account Management at the creative agency Johannes Leonardo. His wife, Maggie, teaches Fourth Grade at GCDS and their two kids—Brooks (Kindergarten) and Lily (Nursery) are also at Country Day. Connor has been on the AAC for many years and is excited to be Co-Chairing this year with Remy Dowd.

REMY SANDERS DOWD ’03 Remy is a GCDS lifer, having attended Country Day from Nursery through Ninth Grade (’03). She graduated from Greenwich High School (’06), and the University of Pennsylvania (’10), as well as received her Masters in Social Work from Columbia University. She has spent her career in mental health services working as a psychotherapist in various settings such as public schools, outpatient clinics, homeless

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shelters and private practice. Remy is the Founder and Clinical Director of Therapy and Coaching Collaborative, a group private practice that specializes in clinical psychotherapy for individuals and couples, as well as executive function coaching. Remy and her husband, Craig, have two daughters— Charley (4) who’s in Nursery at GCDS, and Zoe (2)—with a baby boy due in January. Remy has been on the AAC for many years and is enjoying serving as Co-Chair with Connor this year.

NEW MEMBERS CLAY FLOREN ’93 Clay Floren was raised in Greenwich, having attended GCDS from Kindergarten through Ninth Grade and then Greenwich High School, prior to receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees at Stanford University. Clay is president and co-founder of Floren Shieh Productions, a company combining independent film production and literary consulting for a far-reaching roster of studio and production company clients. Clay and his husband, Andrew, relocated to Greenwich in 2020 and have two young children, son Gustav (3) and daughter Griffin (1). Gustav (“Goose”)

will be joining GCDS Nursery in the fall and his dads could not be more excited!

LEXIE HEARN MERRILL ’03 Lexie attended GCDS from first grade through eighth grade. She graduated from Greenwich High School in ’06 and then Gettysburg College in ’10 where she earned a double major in Political Science and International Affairs. Lexie played four years of field hockey and lacrosse at Gettysburg, serving as a captain on both teams. Lexie started her career at Bridgewater Associates before moving to Megalith Capital Management, a real estate private equity fund in New York City where she spent the majority of her career. Most recently, Lexie served as the Strategy Operations Director at Customers Bank. Lexie lives in Old Greenwich with her husband and three young boys, and stays in close touch with many of her GCDS classmates. She is excited to be coming back to the AAC after a year off and looks forward to reconnecting with the broader GCDS community.

LILY ROGATH ’03 Lily was raised in Greenwich, attending GCDS from Pre-Kindergarten through Ninth Grade. Some of her dearest friends are her friends from GCDS. After GCDS, Lily attended Rye Country

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Day School (’06) and then received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. Lily spent the beginning of her career in Paris working in the art world and then moved to London where she started a cold-pressed juice business.

After exiting that business, Lily received her MBA from the Wharton School and her MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute at UPenn. Lily currently works with early stage startups and venture capital firms.

KENDRICK LUSE ’01 Kendrick is a Portfolio Manager at Point72, a global hedge fund headquartered in Stamford, CT, where he runs a billion-dollar healthcare focused long/ short equity portfolio and has been covering biotech and medical device companies for more than a decade.

Prior to joining Point72, Kendrick was an Analyst and Associate in JPMorgan’s Healthcare Investment Banking group.

He began his career at Cowen in their Equity Capital Markets group. Kendrick graduated from Bucknell with a BSBA in Accounting and Finance. Kendrick lives

in Greenwich with his wife, Rebecca, and three children, and is an avid gardener and motor sport fan.

LIZ LEVISON ’05 Liz was born and raised in Greenwich, CT, where she attended GCDS from Pre-Kindergarten through Ninth Grade.

Following GCDS, Liz went to high school at St. George’s School in Newport, RI, and graduated from Wake Forest University in 2012. For nearly a decade, Liz has worked in residential real estate as a trusted partner to buyers, sellers, and developers alike. Having started her real estate career in New York City, Liz is thrilled to be back in Greenwich, with her husband Nick, where she works as one of COMPASS’ leading real estate agents.

Liz loves using her deeply rooted knowledge of the Greenwich market to help her clients find their perfect properties.

Front: Lily Rogath ’03, Kenny Luse ’01, Amanda Fisher Doneger ’01, Remy Sanders Dowd ’03, Nathalie Weiss Rhone ’05, Doug Friedman ’03, Connor Keeshan ’01 Back: Cam Sterling ’91, Julie Galluzzo Karish ’92, Karena Bullock Bailey ’92, Deborah Ossorio Mertz ’80, Jessica Rogers Baker ’05, Colin Daddino ’04, Field Failing ’97, Liz Levison ’05

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2023–24 Alumni Advisory Council Karena Bullock Bailey ’92 Jessica Rogers Baker ’05 Sara Simmons Bartow ’98 Matthew Padien-Berdoff ’05 Peter Burns ’01 Colin Daddino ’04 Amanda Fisher Doneger ’01 Remy Sanders Dowd ’03 Briggs Elwell ’02 Field Failing ’97 Clay Floren ’93 Ashley Mendel Fox ’93 Doug Friedman ’03 Wendy Jeffery Hubbell ’73 Julie Galluzzo Karish ’92 Connor Keeshan ’01 Rachel Stockman Koven ’00 Liz Levison ’05 Kendrick Luse ’01 Tommy Melly ’04 Lexie Hearn Merrill ’03 Debbie Ossorio Mertz ’80 Olivia Mosley ’10 Charlie Payton ’06 David Platter ’03 Nathalie Weiss Rhone ’05 Lily Rogath ’03 Nicole Rogers ’10 Jake Shulman ’06 Cam Sterling ’91 Michael Tai ’97 Jordan Wolowitz ’99 Laura Sanders Wyatt ’97

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ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

NYC Reunion On Thursday, Nov. 30, the Alumni Office hosted our annual Harvard Club Reunion. It was a wonderful evening of reconnecting with alumni, current and past faculty and staff, filled with great conversations and laughter. We’re grateful for our alumni family and look forward to seeing you all again soon!

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1 Kate Warren ’15, Aly Cowin ’15, Lucie Kane ’15, Gabbie Coffy ’15 , Emmeline Kelley ’15 2 Katie Knepper, Cullen B. Murphy ’19, Adam Rohdie, Jackie Lubarsky ’20 3 William DeTeso ’14, Aaron Sinay 4 Cameron Smith ’16, Julian Martelly ’16 5 Boo Fuscone ’09, Debbie Kerrick 6 Tyler Winkelvoss ’97, Martha Sugrue, Taylor Glasebrook ’97, Hope Wittrock, Cameron Winkelvoss ’97 7 John Cannon ’12, Stina Ladd ’12, Francis Yalda ’12, Philip Glasser ’12 8 Scott Coby ’94, Anne-Laure Coby, Red Jahncke ’65 9 Blair Holey ’16, Kate Brush ’16, Aisling Sullivan ’16 10 Izzy Mann ’11, Jessie Stuart ’07

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College-Age Reunion On Tuesday, Nov. 21, the Alumni Office gathered our college age alumni at the Gingerman for an evening to reconnect with each other and teachers. It was great to see so many alums, and we look forward to making it an annual Thanksgiving break tradition!

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1 Jolie Karen ’23, Owen Collins ’23, Carolina Deus ’23, Andrew Ruoss, Oliver Stern ’23, Andrew Dutcher 2 Preston Merritt ’19, Adam Rohdie, Madison Rabb ’19 3 Jack Sullivan ’23, Harrison Cole ’22, James Fiore ’22, Edward Weld ’21 4 Rory Ashmeade ’19/22, Janet Orozco ’22, Erik Nystedt ’19 5 Teddy Minchin ’23, Liam Flynn ’19, Gabe Feurtado ’19, Charlie Benincasa ’23 6 Sofia Urbina ’21, Jordyn Sesler ’23, Riya Punjabi ’23, David Jared Mathews ’21 7 Chris Benincasa ’21, Dylan McCormick ’20 8 Michael Hisler ’23, Ella Moore ’19 9 Matt Kilmurray ’17, Andrew Ledee, Will Sternberg ’17, William Dawson ’17, John Fiore ’17 10 Adam Nedzamar ’23, Calder Perry ’23 11 Jack Linardos ’21, William McCall ’18, Jeb Bechtel ’18

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MILESTONES Births & Adoptions Lilia Katharina to Nicholas Papanicolaou ’94 and his wife, Corina, on October 16, 2023 Carolina Anne to Veronica Arzeno Chiavaroli ’96 and her husband, Matt, on August 23, 2023 Charlotte Isabelle to Sophie Guité de Seynes ’97 and husband Amaury on September 26, 2023

Marriages Bruce Hager ’69 married Florence Buchanan on September 15, 2023 in Manhattan Sydney Shope ’06 married James Tannahill on June 10, 2023 in Hudson, NY

Deaths Susan Kimball Sugar ’47 on November 7, 2023 Betty “Buffy” Parker ’58 on September 23, 2023 Patricia “Puddy” Knight Cluett ’59 on April 10, 2023

Kim had Professor Neale in 1944–45, Nancy had him 1946–47, and Sarah was in the last class before Mr. Neale retired, 1971–72.

1958 The Alumni Office is sad to inform you that Betty “Buffy” Parker passed away on Sept. 23, 2023.

1959 The Alumni Office is sad to inform you that Patricia “Puddy” Knight Cluett passed away on April 10, 2023. Please see In Memoriam for her obituary.

1961 Curt Tobey writes: I continue to be active in the investment front overseeing a family office, and I am also involved with several non-profit entities such as Save the Children, the worldwide humanitarian organization. I have had the privilege to see SAVE’s great work on the ground in the Middle East including a visit to Za’atari . . . the refugee camp on the Jordan-Syria Border as well as visiting Israel and Gaza. We also went on trips to Nicaragua, Bolivia, Peru, and the Central Valley in CA. I have four great children, Celine, Ben, Caroline, and Lorin, and I am blessed to have five wonderful grands . . . Annie, Ellie, Jake, Blake, and Charlie. I say hi to all, and send a special remembrance of love for our class leader Rosalie Hornblower, who is the best of the best.

Cheers!

1962 Nancy Hoffman writes: I retired just over a year ago, having been an RN for 47 years!

My sweet Tibetan Spaniel of 15½ years had advanced Alzheimer’s and had to be put down in April. Just broke my heart, so now I have a year-old Tibetan Spaniel that is keeping me on my toes and making me walk A LOT. Seattle has changed a lot, as has the world, but I love my neighborhood and my neighbors. We have a very strong community here that I love. Here’s to a peaceful new year ahead!

1963 Class reps Walter Hinton and Sheila Blair write: Our class’s 60th reunion attracted what probably is our largest turnout to date—21 classmates along with 12 spouses. In May, a small planning committee met in Old Saybrook to exchange ideas for the event. Over the months, many more classmates joined Zoom meetings to discuss plans. In order to create a more intimate environment, we scheduled the event for Oct. 4–5, separate from the School’s homecoming, the weekend of Oct. 20–22, when other classes ending in 3 and 8 returned.

The School was most accommodating of the schedule and agreed to arrange campus tours just for us. Liz (Orum) Duffy ’98, Director of Alumni Relations, also set up a web tool for classmates to submit their thoughts, observations, and biographical information through which the Alumni Office collected and reproduced a memento book. The gathering kicked off with a cocktail hour and full dinner on Oct. 4, graciously hosted by Nobie and Maribeth Smith at their home in Greenwich. Attending were Sheila Blair and Jonathan

Jonathan Hencken ’67 on September 17, 2023 Mary Goehring McClung ’69 on September 17, 2023 Hamilton Wallace Bullard ’81 on September 1, 2023 Bart Jennings ’92 on August 12, 2023

1947 The Alumni Office is sad to inform you that Susan Kimball Sugar passed away on Nov. 7, 2023. Please see In Memoriam for her obituary.

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Kim Townsend, Nancy Donnelly Bliss ’50, and Sarah Bliss Seamans ’76 met with Judy Neale Alliprandine, Professor Walter G. Neale’s daughter, in Bath, ME, and had a wonderful time going down memory lane.

Professor Walter Neale taught fifth grade.

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Kim Townsend ’48, Nancy Donnelly Bliss ’50, and Sarah Bliss Seamans ’76 met with former GCDS Teacher Walter G. Neale and his daughter Judy Neale Alliprandine.

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CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

1979 Nathan Allen

1942 Peter Harrison

1980 Traci Reed Fiore Nancy “Quinn” Keeler

1947 Margaret Hart-Rogers 1948 Kim Townsend

1981 Suzanne Jack

1949 Joel Mitchell, Jr.

1982 Christine Corcoran Thomas Crystal

1950 Carolyn (Carly) Rogers

1983 Jim Israel, Trevor Fearon

1955 David Corbin

1984 Heather Lane Spehr

1956 Margaret Erickson Ellsworth

1985 William Sterling Elizabeth Terrell

1957 David S. Edson

1986 Katherine Anderson Gray Christopher Lane

1958 Lee Ingram 1959 Jon Dixon James W. Riley III 1960 Benjamin B. Wellington 1962 Alice Fisher, Peter McCabe 1963 Sheila Blair, Walter Hinton 1965 Michael Sandifer Red Jahncke * 1967 Cathy Shraga 1968 Bertrande Coleman Tom Rawson 1969 Mary Alice Fisher Carmichael 1970 David Bull, Amie Knox

What’s happening in your life?

Did you make a career change? Have you been recognized by your community? Did you have a GCDS reunion? Please share your news!

Send news and photos to alumni@gcds.net (Submit by April 8 to appear in the June issue.)

1987 Jennifer Foulke Meyers 1988 Melissa Floren Filippone 1989 Elizabeth Shaio Archibald Tracy Keim Ward 1990 Leila Jones Shields Emily Hoffman Stern 1991 Adrian Gray Martha Payne Friso Van Reesema 1992 Jason Vintiadis 1993 Clay Floren Jennifer Sanders Prince 1994 Meaghan Nolan Van Reesema

2003 John Badman Jonathan Delikat Meagan Fisher Sophie Nitkin Gregory Weisbrod

Phebe Huth Allie Keigher

2004 Catherine Anne Lowden Kelsey Vanderlip 2005 David Hakim Spencer Slocum Robert Swindell Christina Lawrence 2006 Peter Desrosier

2017 Carolyn Jeffery Jamie Jeffery Olivia Marshall Maggie Sandler

1996 Veronica Arzeno Chiavaroli

1972 Bradford Bancroft

2008 Nicole Black Liz Arenz-Hosbein *

1997 Jay Helmer Chapin Kelly Blair Gallagher Sheehan

2009 Olivia E. Marcus Charles Pasciucco

1998 Christopher King

2010 Tessa L. Fox Charles Januszewski

1975 Blaine W. Parker, Jr.

1999 Ashley Flight, Lillian Nigro

1976 Ashley King Goddard Bradley Palmer

2000 Curtis Browning

1977 Robert Getz

2001 Katharine Yeskey Singh Kendrick Luse

2011 Zach Berzolla Parker Holbrook Eliot Johnson Posey Memishian

1978 Elise Hillman Green Wendy Waddell

2002 Paige Corbin Kyle Ginger Northrop Ruff

2012 Caitlin Brady Michael Harteveldt

Bloom, Susan (Symmers) and Peter Bradford, Miggie Chisholm, Ward and Diane Davol, Craig and Pam Duncan, Taffy (Fisher) Field, Connie Fisher, Parker and Sally Hansel, Walter Hinton, Ray and Cynthia Hornblower, Jim Kitendaugh and Lynne Cavanaugh, Whit and Downey Knapp, Guy Lawrence and Ken Kraus, Helen (Hubbard) Marr, Sam Martin, Pat Thatcher, Susie (Fisher) and Bill Thorness, Teri Towe, Irene (Malozemoff) Weigel, and Henry

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2015 Gabbie Coffy Kate Epifanio Ryan Morris 2016 Julian Martelly Grace Mullen

1995 Paul Mello

1974 Geoffrey Bermingham William Schlosser

2014 Chrissy Roca Bridget Slocum Ben Zabin Isabella Tarbell-Arnaboldi

2007 Cindy Ruiz, Brooke Pinto, Lizzy Berdoff

1971 Harriet Staub Huston Preston Goddard 1973 Tom Melly, David Waddell

2013 Gabrielle Finkelstein Sarah Mathes Charlie Reimers Charlie Weld

and Zhi Ziegler. The informal dinner allowed classmates to mix, renew acquaintances, and catch up with one another and news of their families. The following day, Liz and her highly efficient team including new Alumni Communications Associate Allyse Jacobowitz, welcomed us for guided tours of the Lower and Middle Schools in the morning, the French Farm agricultural facility at midday, and the Upper School (grades 9–12) in the afternoon. The Lower School was much as remembered, except

2018 Lulu Forrest 2021 Jack Linardos 2019/2022 Caroline Hart Mackenzie Ross Kayla Richards * New Class Representative

for innovations like the “smartboards” in place of blackboards. We learned the basis for the acronym TIGER PRIDE and sat in on an hour of Upper School classes. At the French Farm, the director, Aaron Sinay, showed us the grounds where Lower and Middle School students churn butter, dip candles, grow vegetables, hatch chicks, and keep bees. The School even supplied a box lunch there. In the Upper School, on the site of the former Stanwich School, students guided us. We were especially impressed

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IN MEMORIAM SUSAN BOWEN KIMBALL ’47 passed away on Nov. 7, 2023. She was born in New York City on July 31, 1933, the daughter of Charles Kimball Jr. and Louise Van Vorhees. Her father died when she was five years old. She grew up in Greenwich, CT, attending Greenwich Country Day School and Abbot Academy in Andover, MA. She graduated from Vassar College, NY, in 1955, where she gained a BA degree in musicology. She married Keith Wheelock, son of Ward Wheelock, a Philadelphia-based advertiser, in 1956. They had two children: a daughter, Helen, and a son, Jamie. Keith was a Foreign Service officer, and they were posted to the Belgian Congo for three years and, later, for another three years to Santiago, Chile. They returned to the States and lived in Lincoln, MA, and Greenwich, CT. Susan was divorced in 1975 and moved to Lincoln in that year. She re-married in 1985 to Peter C. Sugar, a Hungarian-born architect of Lincoln. It was the second marriage for both of them. Susan was a singer (a soprano) and member of the semiprofessional Chorus Pro Musica of Boston for several years and the choir of the First Parish Church Lincoln. She had many interests besides being an athlete and an excellent tennis player, winning several town tournaments with various partners. She worked as a research librarian for the advertising firm of Temple, Barker, and Sloane in Lexington, MA, and then as a librarian for the Lincoln Public Library. She retired from the latter after 15 years to concentrate on her lifelong hobbies of gardening and birdwatching. Susan is survived by her daughter, Helen Wheelock; her son, Jamie Wheelock (and his family of wife Brenda and children Kay and Ian); her half-sister, Betty Bullard (and her family of husband Ben, children Ashley, Lucy, and Travis and their families; Susan’s other siblings, brother Charles ’44 and sister Louise predeceased her), and her loving husband, Peter (with children: Susan Sugar Halstead, Alex Sugar, Tobias Sugar and their families). We all miss her, especially her warm personality, ready smile, good humor, and willingness to join any group or activity to help others.

PATRICIA “PUDDY” KNIGHT CLUETT ’59, 78, of Allentown, passed away April 10, 2023 in the care of ProMedica, West Allen, PA. She was the beloved wife of Richard “Rick” I. Cluett with whom she shared over 54 years of loving marriage. Born on June 24, 1944 in Langley Field, VA, she was the daughter of Robert H. and Alice I. (Valle) Cluett.

Patricia was a loving and caring homemaker always putting her family first. She was a member of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, PA. Patricia was an active member of her community, volunteering with several different organizations.

Patricia will be lovingly remembered by her husband, Rick; sons, Tyler J. Cluett and Samuel K. Cluett, and his wife, Marlene; daughter, Haley E. Cluett; grandchildren, Seihara, Tayvon, and Grace; brother, Eli W. Knight ’67; and sister, Jessie Knight ’58.

MARY MCCLUNG ’69 passed away on Sept. 17, 2023, at her home surrounded by her family and friends. She was born March 16, 1954, in New York City, the daughter of Richard G. and Jean B. (Coffin) McClung.

Mary graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT, in 1972

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and Hampshire College, Amherst, MA in 1976. She worked as a systems analyst and for many years as a Certified Professional Organizer®. She loved nature, going for walks and working in her garden. Best of all, Mary loved her many friends—talking, laughing, and playing games.

Mary is survived by her devoted partner, Beth Pomroy; sisters, Jean Nye ’68 and husband Chris, Priscilla Jelliffe ’71 and husband John; nephews, Sam, John Michael, and Jeremy Jelliffe; niece, Emma Jelliffe; and her wonderful cats, Honey and Minnie.

HAMILTON WALLACE BULLARD ’81 It is with deep love that we mourn the loss of Hamilton. Ham died Sept. 1, 2023, after fighting a valiant battle with the physical ravages of alcohol. He is survived by his beloved wife of 25 years, Whitney Pickering Bullard, and his two adored children, Winslow Butterfield Bullard and Taggart Pickering Bullard. He is survived also by his father, Roger Clifton Bullard, and his five siblings: Stapley Russell (Chris), Josephine, Gray, Charles, and John Bullard.

Ham is predeceased by his mother, Josephine Edwards Bullard.

Ham was a kind, caring, and sensitive soul. After college, Ham embarked on a career in corporate banking, which he pursued for 13 years before becoming a “stay-at-home dad.” His wife and children were the lights of his life and his singular focus and dedication. For years he coached Little League baseball. Each year, he looked forward to their happy summers at the family cottage overlooking the wide expanse and sunsets on Lake Ontario. On the very morning of his last day, he made coffee for his wife, as was his habit every day of their long marriage.

Ham was born and raised in Greenwich, CT. He attended Greenwich Country Day School, the Fessenden School, and Groton School, Class of 1985. While at Groton, he discovered his talent in fine woodworking, for which he received recognition for his block front desk and highboy.

Ham graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1989 with a degree in Economics, cum laude, where he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.

His summers included working at the Champion International paper mill in Montana and as a jackaroo, mustering sheep and cattle on his cousin’s station in New South Wales, Australia. His banking career included stints at Manufacturers Hanover Trust, UBS, and National Australia Bank.

His remains are to be interred next to his mother, Josephine, in the Bullard family plot at St. Barnabas Church, Greenwich, CT, at a later date. A bench will be installed in Ham’s memory in Crawford Park where he spent many happy years taking the kids to the playground, walking the paths or just sitting, enjoying the peace of the park.

BART JENNINGS ’92 It is with great sadness that we inform you that our beloved son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend, Bart Jennings, passed away Aug. 12, 2023. He had an ongoing infection in his legs that resulted in organ failure. He took his last breaths surrounded by loved ones who were holding his hands and singing one of his favorite songs, “The Gambler.”

Bart adored his family, especially his young nieces and nephews, Cape Cod, grilling and cooking, laughter and pranks, his friends near and far, and sports, sports, sports! He was greeted in heaven by his father Todd, his grandparents, and his best boy Seamus.

We ask that you think of your favorite memory of Bart, and then tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. And take care of yourselves. We love you, Bartie. Thanks for being you.

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with the physical plant, breadth of course offerings, and high enthusiasm of the students and faculty. We came away thinking the School seems stronger than ever, with laudable values. For example, a dance studio in the old gym sports the sayings “Don’t wish for it, work for it,” and “Can’t at your own risk.” On the final evening, our remaining number gathered for a final dinner at Lugano Wine Bar, an Old Greenwich watering hole. The general thinking appears to be that, rather than wait 10 more years, the class should try to meet in person again in about five years. In the overall endeavor, special mention is due to Liz Duffy for the in-person tours and “bio book” production, Jim Kitendaugh as the organizer of Zoom meetings open to all, and Henry Ziegler for his unquenchable drive in structuring the bio book queries. Special thanks go to Taffy Field whose devotion and enthusiasm for the event inspired us all, beginning with her hosting of the first committee gathering over lunch at her home in 2022.

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Ted Bretschger writes: “After 45 years on various R&D teams, 2018 marked the year that I decided to retire. Currently, Nancy and I are enjoying life during the warmer months in Warwick, RI, while the winter months find us down in Naples. Most importantly, we are fortunate to have all of our children and eight grandchildren living on the same coast in New Canaan, CT. I love receiving GCDS Alumni News, and am so impressed with how the school has grown and is thriving.”

1967 The Alumni Office is sad to inform you that Jonathan Hencken passed away on Sept.

17, 2023. He will be missed by his family and friends. Leslie Brooks has published three new books: The Magic Willow (her second fantasy), The Christmas Santa Fell Asleep (for ages 8 and up), and The Moon Has Fallen, a picture book for young children). She’s also been creating encaustic wax mixed media paintings with poems that came out of them. Her artist website is www. lesliebrooksart.com. Divya Symmers ran

Artwork by Leslie Brooks ’67

JANUARY 2024

Ted Bretschger ’64, wife Nancy, and eight grandchildren into acclaimed author Chris Whipple ’68 last August at the 25th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing. Chris was signing copies of his latest bestseller, The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House. Divya is a longtime volunteer for the event, which benefits the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, CT, where she’s lived for more than 20 years. She was especially thrilled to meet Chris, since they were both students of the “late, great English teacher extraordinaire” William (Bill) Merriss. After the signing, Divya went to one of the author dinners given for the event and sat with local literary agent Farley Chase. Suzie Petersen has been doing a lot of house renovation recently—PV, reroofing, painting—but on a more exciting note she took a fantastic cruise in late summer from Barcelona to Istanbul, with stops in Spain, Corsica, France, Italy, Sicily, Greece, and finally Turkey. Other passengers on the cruise included a group of pickleball players from Hawaii who were going to play at the University of Barcelona, as well as the head chef from the Pacific Club in Hawaii, where Suzie is a member. Chef Eric “was mostly about French truffles and was planning to lead us through fields with dogs in Marseille to hunt for them.” However, soon before their ship was to come into that port, riots erupted with about 35,000 police being deployed from Paris to Marseille. “So of course we detoured and spent that time in Corsica, which was off our itinerary but a nice place to visit.” Suzie says Istanbul and Cappadocia, Turkey, were her favorite ports. “I declined the hot air ballooning,

Divya Symmers ’67 with local literary agent Farley Chase at the 25th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing.

Whit Knight ’67 works at the Sharlot Hall Museum, one of Arizona’s premier history museums.

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Tom Coyle ’69 and his wife, Cathy, overlooking the Marine Corps Base at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Bruce Hager ’69 and Florence Buchanan were recently married. but returned home with a magic carpet from Cappadocia.” Whit Knight wrote that in mid-September he returned once again to his alma mater, the Orme School, located on a working ranch in Mayer, AZ, for Community Action Day. He joined other alumni, students, staff/faculty, and parents there to work on a variety of projects, and he helped rebuild several garden beds/boxes. The next day he attended the second day of the 25th Annual Prescott Indian Art Market at the Sharlot Hall Museum, one of Arizona’s premier history museums where he works.

Native artists, artisans, and performers from the Southwest displayed their talents and sold their work. Duncan Ewald, Charley Griswold, Tom Cleveland, and Phil Nelson went camping this October at the Promised Land Campground in Pennsylvania.

“We had a great time, and then went to NYC on a photography adventure.”

1968 Jenny Clark, Rande Coleman, Helen Haskell MacCallum, Tom Rawson,

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Peter Van Buren, Ted Walworth, and Chris Whipple and his wife, Cary, all convened in Greenwich on Oct. 22 for their 55th reunion. Rande and Tom write: We all had a ball and it was as if no time had passed! We picked up right where we left off.

Our years at GCDS were truly special. As one classmate said—‘what a gift our parents gave us!’ We began the day on Saturday morning in “Student for a Morning” sessions at the new GCDS high school on Stanwich Road. It was my first visit to the new high school and to say that I was impressed would be a serious understatement. Beyond all the state-of-the-art classrooms and facilities, the hallways are alive with inspiring student projects and artwork. For the “Student for a Morning” sessions, alumni were offered three classes. I attended “Life and Times in Song” with history teacher Jim Cullen. Jim gave a great demo on how he gets his juniors and seniors interested in the subject. He played us three videos of “The Star Spangled Banner”: Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock 1969, Whitney Houston at the Super Bowl 1991, and Lady Gaga at the presidential inauguration 2021. What were the historical events happening those years? How did each performance of the song tell the story of its era?

We had a great discussion pondering these questions a half century removed from our school days and no doubt the current students at GCDS are similarly engaged in Jim Cullen’s class. I couldn’t leave the session without informing Jim that several members of the GCDS Class of 1968 had actually been at Woodstock. Maybe he’d like a guest lecturer? Well, maybe not. As Arlo Guthrie says, ‘if you can remember the 60s, you weren’t there.’ Saturday evening was the main event with a reception for all reunion classes in the Dining Hall at the Old Church Road campus. A very nice gentleman Tony Terrell from the Class of 1958 stopped by to chat and comment on our youthful ways.

Liz Duffy and her team did a fantastic job of

welcoming us back and giving us a tour of the Old Church Road campus as well. The Tiger spirit is alive and well and the joy of learning emanates throughout the entire school. We had Sunday morning brunch at Versailles on Greenwich Avenue before we all went our separate ways. We all agreed that we should get together more than once every five years. Plans are afoot for an interim gathering. Stay tuned and we really hope many other classmates can join us! We missed those of you who couldn’t be with us. How lucky we are to have attended GCDS and many of us wish we could re-enroll.

Helen Haskell MacCallum writes: “We had a blast at our 55th reunion. It was not long after getting settled into my new abode in Providence, RI, for a new position and to be closer to my daughters Katie MacCallum, M.D. ’99 and Elizabeth, and her family in Dorchester, MA. Life is good!”

1969 The Alumni Office is sad to inform you that Mary McClung passed away Sept. 17, 2023 after a long and extremely difficult battle with lung cancer. During the past 6+ months, she received medical information and support from retired RN and hospice volunteer Hope Stevens Neikirk, radiologist Art Zerbey, and retired doctor Joel Guiterman. Close friend Lisa Greene McCall says Mary would like us to know that she had a happy life on two coasts, (San Francisco and Maine). “She treasured the special friendships begun at GCDS and sustained over a lifetime. Mary had an incredible gift for friendship and offered a rare mix of unconditional love and wisdom. She will be very dearly missed.” Nancy Staub Laughlin is an accomplished artist who has established herself as a presence on the East Coast art scene. Combining pastels with photography, she calls her works “Assemblages: Pastels/Photography.” One of her art reviewers writes: “With each stroke of her pastel and

Duncan Ewald, Charley Griswold, Tom Cleveland, and Phil Nelson, all Class of 1967, camping in Pennsylvania.

JANUARY 2024

1972 Ken Ingles welcomed a new grandson, Bryce. He spent last summer touring Northern California with his band, Warehouse 21, playing all the music fairs. He wishes his classmates happy holidays and a happy New Year.

1973

Ken Ingles ’72 touring with his band. Left: Ken welcomes a new grandson, Bryce.

each composition she unveils, Laughlin leaves an indelible mark on the canvas of modern art, a mark that speaks of beauty, individuality, and an enduring passion for creation.” See www.nancystaublaughlin.com. Tom Coyle and his wife, Cathy, had a tough and very frightening springtime this year at home in Virginia. The last day of March, Tom suffered a massive heart attack—his primary artery was 100% occluded (a ‘widow maker’).

NO symptoms, NO signs. He went to bed that evening and around 1 a.m. when Cathy heard very labored breathing, she started CPR and called 911. The A-team of volunteer and career firefighters and medics arrived within minutes and did high performance CPR for 45 minutes, while applying seven different shocks. He was transported to the UVA in Manassas, VA, where during his 11-day stay he was “brought back” with an 18-hour Impella heart pump and a stent in the offending artery. “I ascribe my survival to the good Lord, a loving and attentive spouse of 44 years of wedded bliss, a great EMS response, and an A++ hospital. I have a second chance and am embracing every single day, as tomorrow is not promised. Take it from me.” Bruce Hager and Florence Buchanan were married on Sept. 15 in Manhattan. The next day they celebrated their marriage by taking a tugboat with their kids from Staten Island to a wedding gathering near North Cove Marina on the west side of Manhattan. Following is a beautiful article about Bruce and Florence and how they came together. “We thank our mothers for the gift of each other and credit them for bringing us together.” https://www. nytimes.com/2023/09/29/style/bruce-hagerflorence-buchanan-wedding.html

JANUARY 2024

Sharon Douglas McGinty writes: Living and working in Sun City in Georgetown, TX, teaching fitness classes and personal training clients in my home business. Playing in pickleball tournaments and traveling. I love dancing, hiking, and parties too! Wendie Harris Demuth writes: Dear Class of 1973, To say it was great to see so many of my classmates to celebrate our 50th reunion would be a serious understatement. It was unbelievable to see over half our class at a get-together, hosted kindly by Tom Melly and his wife Brooks, who were wonderful to lend us their beautiful house for the event. And I truly believe the main reason so many of us returned to Greenwich from far and wide was due to the epic efforts of our de facto Ambassador, David “Moochie” Waddell. He literally reached out to each of us personally, and as I’m sure everyone would agree, it’s impossible to say “no” to that guy! Sincere thanks Mooch, Tom, and Brooks, and everyone who made the effort to show up! David “Moochie” Waddell writes: The specialness of Tiger Pride and the 50th reunion of the Class of 1973 was on full display during Alumni Weekend. Just over half of our class showed up at the school for the weekend festivities and in the evening, we met for an intimate class gathering at the beautiful home of our Class Representative, Tom Melly, and his lovely wife Brooks. We could not have asked for better hosts and the hospitality was awesome. Heartfelt thanks to my classmates because every time the fictitious Reunion Law Firm of Melly, Battey, and paralegal Waddell needed something during the planning stages, you answered the call.

David Waddell and Scot Weicker, both Class of 1973

Wendie Harris Demuth and Abby Spizzirri Kamen, both Class of 1973 We missed the classmates that were unable to attend but loved the special messages and phone calls that we received during the weekend to let us know that they were there in spirit. Several of our classmates are no longer with us physically but their spirits are forever ingrained in our souls. Amy, Betsy, Chip, Andy, Lisa, and Melissa, you will always be remembered as wonderful classmates and will remain in our hearts. On behalf of the Class of 1973, we want to thank GCDS for showing us a wonderful weekend and we are truly grateful for the awesome welcome address to the class by Mr. Rohdie, Head of School. To my classmates, Thank you so much! I ain’t got nuttin’ but love for ya—so grateful and blessed.

Alessandra Ziluca Piro and husband,

Left: Steve and Alessandra Ziluca Piro ’73. Right: Wyatt Piro, Steve Piro, Rachel O’Flaherty Piro, William Piro, Alessandra Ziluca Piro, Skylar Piro

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Delaware coast and plan to make it my primary residence in 2024. I have lost touch with so many GCDS friends during the years I’ve lived overseas and hope that I will be able to reconnect with many of you over the coming months.

1979 Mike Weihman retired in August after 35 years of both volunteer and full-time work with the Rancho Adobe Fire District in Sonoma County, CA, most recently as a Battalion Chief working on both local and statewide incidents. “After retirement, my next job is raising two puppies that we have adopted as my trail hiking companions in all the parks I can find,” he wrote. “Together with parent care and several volunteer gigs, I don’t expect to be bored at all in the near future. Ring me up if you’re passing through the wine country!”

1981 Jeff Crumbine ’93 is a professional firefighter for the Greenwich Fire Department.

Steve, celebrated the wedding of their son, William, on Kauai in 2022. She attended the 50th reunion: “Hats off to Moochie and Tom for wrangling our class and making our 50th reunion a memorable one. It was very special to reconnect with so many.”

1974

Bonnie Hutchinson Zellerbach writes: After 30+ years of living in Thailand, I have just recently purchased a beach home on the

Hamilton Wallace Bullard passed away on September 1, 2023. Please see In Memoriam for his obituary. Suzy Jack remembers: “Sitting on the floor of Ms. Molinari’s class in Lower School with Hammie. She was strict and suffered no fools. John Colyer, Hammie, and I were caught whispering and giggling and warned to be quiet. No doubt Ham and I were enthralled with John’s antics. Ham was a boy with an incessant gentle smile and calm demeanor. Rest in peace, Hammie.”

1983 Trevor Fearon writes: The Friday night of our 40th GCDS reunion, the Class of 1983

Nicholas Papanicolaou ’94 welcomed daughter, Lilia Katharina, on Oct. 16.

Pictured with big sister, Sophia, 2. enjoyed a great evening hosted by Jim Israel at The Innis Arden Club. In attendance were Amy Butler, Brooke Reid Roberts, Lauren Matteis Muse, Deedee Hoffman, Tim Reed, Andrew Douglas, Steve Mark, George Getz, Cliff Yonce, Avery Bourke, Jack Kingsley, Mona Amer, Tim Williams, Malcolm Miller, and Trevor Fearon. For those classmates that were unable to make the reunion, you truly missed a fun evening of retelling childhood stories and reminiscing about GCDS. Laughs were heard throughout the Paddle Hut and reflections were made on the impact that GCDS has had on us all. The only downside to the entire night was the limited amount of time we had together and our missing classmates.

Thanks again to Jim Israel for hosting and to all those classmates who made the effort to come back for the reunion. It truly was a memorable and fun night!

Celebrating Reunions!

Members of the Class of 1963 visited Betsy Warren and Jenna Walter’s Grade 2 classroom.

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JANUARY 2024

1992 The Alumni Office is sad to inform you that Bart Jennings passed away on August 12, 2023. Please see In Memoriam for his obituary.

Grant Silver lives in New Canaan with his wife, Lisa, and kids, Jacob (14) and Lily (11).

Grant heads up CBRE’s commercial real estate management division for Fairfield County, Westchester County, and Long Island. He’s still playing the drums at the School of Rock New Canaan and still loves playing golf.

1993 Clay Floren writes: The Class of 1993 had a blast catching up with some old(er) and familiar faces. Attendees included Jennie (Sanders) Prince, Ashley (Mendel) Fox, Lindsay (Vasey) Barth, Jeff Crumbine, Macs Suthers, and Clay Floren. Of those, Ashley, Lindsay, Jeff, and Clay currently have children enrolled at GCDS, with kids ranging from Nursery to 8th! It was fun reminiscing about our days as Tigers, and sharing a bit about our respective experiences as Tiger parents! Jeff Crumbine has entered his 12th year as a professional Firefighter for the Greenwich Fire Department, and still looks forward to going to work every shift.

Jeff makes time for GCDS as a 4th Grade Class Parent, Lunch Volunteer, and Tiger Bash Committee Chair. He and his two

Bo Swindell ’05, Colter, Cabell, Lauren Platter, and Brian Platter ’05 in Denver, CO. boys, Hunter, 10, (GCDS ’32) and Chase, 7, (GCDS ’35) have moved to Lancer Rd. in Riverside, across the street from the picturesque Dogwood Park pond. All three Crumbine boys are healthy, happy, and loving their strong connection with GCDS! Go Tigers!

1994

Nicholas Papanicolaou and his wife, Corina, welcomed their second daughter, Lilia

Katharina Papanicolaou, on Oct. 16. Pictured opposite with big sister, Sophia, age 2.

1996

Oakley Ogden writes about his reunion last year: “I came to my 25th reunion— prompted by the best class secretary ever (Veronica Arenzo Chiavaroli)—only to find that Conor Flynn was going to the symphony and Lee Oxman to a casino for a

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birthday party. I really missed seeing a few friends and am looking forward to the next one, but other than that I am SO happy to be back on the East Coast and am settling into Vermont while looking forward to more time with VV (Veronica Arzeno Chiavaroli) and her new baby girl soon. And still waiting for Conor and Lee to make better choices.” Veronica Arzeno Chiavaroli and her husband, Matt, are the proud parents of Carolina Anne born Aug. 23, 2023.

Veronica Arzeno Chiavaroli ’96 and her husband, Matt, are the proud parents of Carolina Anne.

1997 Sophie Guité de Seynes and husband Amaury are the proud parents of Charlotte Isabelle born on Sept. 26, 2023.

2003 On October 21, we celebrated our 20th reunion with a reception in the dining hall!

Alexa Hakim, Lily Rogath, Liz Horowitz, Emily Lessen, Lexie Hearn, and Sophie Nitkin joined GCDS classmates and current parents Remy Sanders Dowd, Sarah Coffin Young, and Doug Friedman. The group loved surprising Jen Donnalley with a special birthday celebration!

2005 Robert “Bo” Swindell and his family, Cabell and Colter, hosted a breakfast at their home in Denver, CO, with fellow alumni Brian Platter and wife, Lauren. Brian also caught up with Kent Northrop while in Colorado.

Brooke Pinto ’07 serves as the Council Member representing Ward 2 in Washington, DC.

2006 Sydney Shope married James Tannahill on June 10, 2023 in Hudson, NY, at her parents’

house. Her sisters, Elizabeth Shope ’02 and Claire Shope, were in attendance.

2007

Brooke Pinto is currently serving as the Council Member representing Ward 2 in Washington, DC, on the DC Council, the District of Columbia’s legislature. She is running for re-election in 2024 for another fouryear term and is focused on improving public safety and creating a thriving and resilient downtown. Brooke represents 100,000 residents in the neighborhoods of Downtown DC, Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, Kalorama, Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, and Shaw.

2008

Thank you to Elizabeth Arenz-Hosbein for joining as a class rep. Classmates, please stay on the lookout for outreach from Elizabeth and Nicole Black moving forward.

2013 For the Class of 2013, our 10-year reunion was an incredible weekend with equal exclamations of “It’s been too long!” and “It feels like it was yesterday!” We started the weekend together at the Greenwich Skating Club, reminiscing on our gym time spent skating in third grade. The following day, we rejoined for lunch in the Upper Elementary School and toured both new and existing buildings. Even with the changes to the campus over the past 10 years, it’s refreshing to return to a GCDS that still feels so familiar.

That evening during the reception, our class enjoyed reconnecting with the beloved faculty. This included recalling tears shed over Mr. Lehn’s infamous ninth-grade zucchini lab, bonding with Mr. Kelly over the musical, sneaking to the back of the kitchen for hugs and mac and cheese, and finally sharing a drink with Mr. Rohdie. Returning together as a class after a decade was surreal but comforting as we recognized the tight-knit bond we all still share. Thank you GCDS for hosting us and facilitating such a wonderful reunion! )

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Sydney Shope ’06 married James Tannahill on June 10, 2023 in Hudson, NY at her parents’ house. Her sisters Elizabeth Shope ’02 and Claire Shope posed with their hawk ring bearers.

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JANUARY 2024

50,000 MEALS

Packed by Faculty & Staff On Friday, Nov. 17, GCDS faculty and staff came together for an afternoon of service and packed more than 50,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger, an international hunger relief organization that coordinates the packing and distribution of meals to communities across the globe.

The Annual Fund is a community effort, making each day exceptional at GCDS. Support Country Day today!

The Annual Fund is a community effort, making each day exceptional at GCDS. Support Country Day today!

WE ARE

GCDS WE ARE gcds.net/give GCDS ANNUAL FUND

ANNUAL FUND gcds.net/give

Greenwich Country Day School P.O. Box 623, Old Church Road Greenwich, CT 06836-0623

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Providence, RI Permit No. 712

Return Service Requested

Save the Date: Friday, May 10, 2024 Grandparents and Special Friends Day on Old Church Road

Head of Middle School Marshall Spooner with students on the first day of school.