Groton School Quarterly, Winter 2010

Groton School Quarterly Winter 2010 | Vol. LXXII, No. 1

In this issue: 2009 Parents Weekend Fall Performance of PIPPIN Chapel Talks Global Education and Service Learning China’s Influence in Pakistan

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Winter 2010 | Vol. LXXII, No. 1

Contents Circiter | Featured on Campus 3

Parents Weekend Headmaster’s address

10

Pippin Fall production in the Campbell Performing Arts Center

13

14

Gallery News Exhibits change at the de Menil and Brodigan Galleries

Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle 17

The Red Scarf A Chapel Talk by Emily Caldwell ’10 September 29, 2009

20

Finding Community A Chapel Talk by Michael Hotz ’10 October 20, 2009

24

17

Doc, Leroy and A 1000 Chips A Chapel Talk by Richard G. Woolworth Jr. ’70 P ’01, ’04, ’06 November 13, 2009

Extra Muros | Beyond the Circle 29

Service Learning Trips Students and alumni report on summer travel

38

The China Factor An account of China’s influence on Pakistan

35

Ziad Haider ’99

Front Cover: Sterling Brinkley ’10 in a solo performance given at Zhong He Primary School, Zhong He Village, Anhui Province. Photo taken by Christopher Borg, director of instrumental music at Groton.

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Groton School Quarterly Grotoniana | All Things Groton 45

Groton Turns 125!

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New Faculty

56

Fall Sports

61

New Releases

63

Alumni Announcements

45

Annual Fund, Stay Connected

64

Alumni News GWN / GSSA

In Memoriam | As We Remember 66

Frank White ’51

69

George Zink,

57

Former Faculty Member

71

John B. Fisher ’59

Notabilia | New & Noteworthy 73

Form Notes

109 Marriages, New Arrivals, Deaths

61

As part of the fall 2009 125th School birthday, celebrations were held in several cities around the country. San Francisco area alumni enjoyed their gathering and this birthday cake! (See page 65.)

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FROM THE EDITOR:

Groton School Quarterly Winter 2010 | Vol. LXXII, No. 1

Diversity and Global Citizenship in our 125th year

C

Vaughn Winchell

onsider this list of countries: Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United States of America.

What do they have in common?

With the conclusion of the qualifying games for World Cup soccer, one possible answer might be these are countries recognized by FIFA, the soccer world’s governing body, and that they could be World Cup participants.

Another answer could be that these countries are all members of the United Nations and that several of them will have important ties to our country as we work through today’s global financial difficulties.

The best answer and the most accurate one, however, is that these countries comprise the home countries of current Groton students. As such, they are emblematic of how the world continues to be represented at Groton, not only by the ideas considered in class, but increasingly in the School’s diverse citizenship. Members of the faculty come from outside the United States as well, namely in 2009-2010 from France, Peru, Taiwan and India.

By no means is Groton with its small size capable of broad global representation.

But more and more, experiencing our own diversity, learning and living together, and coming to understand different ethnic, religious, political, and social backgrounds are common educational experiences here. Some of the results of Groton’s deliberate approach to experiencing diversity through community are expressed in articles in this edition of the Quarterly. The Chapel Talks and articles included here discuss summer programs that have enabled Groton students to travel the world, experience different cultures, and be of service to others.

Over the last two summers, service learning trips to Peru, Kenya, and China have given more than 90 students, faculty, and alumni the opportunity for service projects and cultural experiences that go far beyond the Circle. Cindy and Dean of Students Fred Beams, as well as Christopher Borg, director of instrumental music, Nichi Shih, instructor in Chinese, and Brantley Turner ’94 have organized and led these trips, and more are planned for summer 2010.

This exposure to the world beyond the Circle is an exciting addition to our students' experience of diversity on campus. Giving these trips a service component focuses our students’ experiences in meaningful ways. Much as we continue to seek alumni input to the Quarterly, we also would like to encourage our alumni to partner with the School in designing these kinds of trips. It is a way alumni can help Groton students reach out into the international community.

I hope you enjoy this the winter issue of the Quarterly and, as always, I look forward to your questions and/or submissions.

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John M. Niles, Editor Quarterly@Groton.org

Editor John M. Niles Graphic Design Jeanne Abboud Contributing Editors Julia B. Alling Amybeth Babeu Elizabeth Wray Lawrence ’82 John D. MacEachern Andrew M. Millikin Melissa J. Ribaudo Rachel S. Silver Photography All photography by Arthur Durity unless otherwise noted.

Editorial Offices The Schoolhouse Groton School Groton, MA 01450 Phone: 978-448-7506 E-mail: quarterly@groton.org

Other School Offices Alumni Office 978-448-7520 Admission Office 978- 448-7510 The views presented are not necessarily those of the editors or the official policies of the School.

Groton School of Groton, Massachusetts 01450 publishes the Groton School Quarterly three times a year in late summer, winter, and spring, and the Annual Report once a year in the fall.

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PARENTS WEEKEND In the fall of our 125th year, Parents Weekend went off beautifully on the last weekend in October. Over ninety percent of Groton parents were able to attend the events which began with teacher conferences on Friday and Saturday and continued with special scheduling for international parents and parents of fifth formers on Saturday. Saturday afternoon and evening were filled with athletic contests and performing arts presentations.

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Parents Weekend Address October 31, 2009 Richard B. Commons, Headmaster

O

ne recent morning, as I walked along the road between the Headmaster’s House and the Schoolhouse, marveling at how the bright October sun had melted the frost on the Circle everywhere but in the shadow of the Chapel, leaving a frozen silhouette on the canvas of glistening green, a day-student parent drove by and rolled down her window. “Tough commute,” she said. In my own home, I have been accused of listening to AM radio solely in order to hear of traffic jams on the bridges and highways around Boston and then gloating during my morning walk to Chapel. Not true. I might rejoice or revel, but I don’t gloat.

What I revel in is not only the beauty of the panorama from the western hills to the gothic spires. It is also watching the Chapel prefects take their places on either side of the doorway; recognizing from across the Circle the shuffle, bounce, or lope in an advisee’s gait; knowing the time by the Second Form’s emergence from the dining hall (always at 7:55 and always in a pack); and gauging the “real feel” temperature by whether Fred Beams is wearing a sweater, which he will do only when it’s too cold for a polar bear to go out in a golf shirt.

But my commute got more complicated the other day. I was a good hundred yards on my way when I heard a voice behind me: “I’m going to school with you, Daddy!” There was two-year old Matthew, marching purposefully down the middle of the road in

Parents Association head, Polly Reeve ’78, P ’07, ’09, ’11 (left) speaks with fifth form parents at the special meeting on college admission in the McCormick Library.

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Mr. Commons addresses parents in the Hall.

his footy pajamas. I needed to hurry to beat the 8 o’clock bell and the closing of the Chapel doors, so I looked back toward home for assistance and saw my wife, Lindsay, peering out from behind the door, also in her pajamas. Even from that distance, the look on her face was unmistakable: it said, “If I have to come out and retrieve Matthew on the Circle in my pajamas….” Well, let’s put it this way: I would have received more than the usual number of demerits.

A line of cars, driven by day-student parents who had just dropped off their children, was circling slowly around toward the exit by the theater. They paused when they saw Matthew in his pajamas, me gesticulating at the Chapel, the child, and my watch, and Lindsay glaring meaningfully from behind the front door.

Poetic justice—my own private traffic jam. The parent in the front car gave me an amused and empathetic smile. “Don’t worry,” her eyes said, “we’ve all been there.”

Two minutes later, Matthew was in the house, and I was in my seat in Chapel, pain in my lungs and in my left knee. I had joined the students who live on the rounded edge of Groton time, leaving Hundred House on the first toll of the bell and arriving at the Chapel before the eighth one is gone. In the silence—that remarkable period of quiet between the organ prelude and the prayer, disturbed only by the very heavy breathing of the headmaster—I gave thanks for that kind parent’s smile and the assurance of partnership in the challenges and joys of bringing up children.

I’d like to focus this morning on that partnership as it applies to your children. Whether this is your first Parents Weekend at Groton or your fifth, at this point in the course of events you are

Parents Weekend probably feeling a little like I was that morning in Chapel: breathless from trying to be too many places at once, overwhelmed by what seems to be at stake in all of them, and grateful (I hope) for the partnership of other adults who care for your children.

It’s a partnership that is designed to be transformative, and the fundamental purpose of Parents Weekend is to make sure that it’s working—that we are seeking the same things for your child, that our purposes and priorities are closely aligned with yours.

Allow me to illustrate the idea with another, heavier anecdote.

Just as school was ending last year, one of our fifth formers made a mistake. That’s not noteworthy in itself. We all make mistakes, children and parents alike. But this mistake clearly violated a major School rule, and so I became involved and needed to discuss the situation with the boy’s parents. Nothing tests the partnership between School and parents like a disciplinary case, so I dialed the home number with my guard up. I dreaded talking about college applications, but that’s the usual destination of disciplinary conversations, particularly with parents of fifth and sixth formers.

I reached the father, and the conversation went surprisingly well. He did not dispute his son’s guilt, fully acknowledged that the School would have to assign painful consequences, and thanked me for my approach to the issue. Toward the end of our conversation, he asked me a question I didn’t expect, “Do you have any advice for me?”

I replied with what I thought would speak most directly to his underlying concerns: “Hard as it is to say, I wonder whether you should keep your son at Groton. He’ll return next fall on probation, which means he and the School will have to explain what happened on his college applications, and that won’t be easy in this case. If, on the other hand, he finishes high school at home, it will be up to you what you say about his Groton experience and why he left.” The father sighed heavily. “Thank you,” he said. “How about I sleep on this and confirm things with you in the morning?” I agreed.

Peter and Suzie White P’11 await the presentations from college admission personnel given in the McCormick library.

Stewart Cutler (left) ’75, P ’07, ’09, ’12 and Henry Hoffstot P ’09, ’13 converse during weekend registration.

But then a strange thing happened. The father called me back.

He said that he and his wife had discussed the matter and didn’t need to sleep on it. They had chosen Groton School for their son, he said, because of what they felt the experience could do for him as a person, not for what it might do for his college prospects. They believed in the School’s commitment to developing character, and they had seen it work on their son already, notwithstanding this most recent aberration. He’d spent a portion of his career as a school chaplain, the father said, and he felt that when it came to values, no school had it righter than Groton.

Then he said this: “If he goes to another school, he’ll be with lesser teachers and lesser peers at a place with a lesser commitment to character. He’ll lose far more than he’d gain by not having to explain his mistake on his college applications. Particularly in the present circumstances, we believe Groton is the best place for our son. If it means he doesn’t get into a particular college, well, perhaps that’s part of the learning process.” That’s a direct quote— from someone in this audience. I was stunned. And humbled.

Frankly, I’m just not used to hearing parents talk this way. Yet isn’t this how parents and headmasters should talk? Somehow in the Quarterly Winter 2010

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From the starting line on the Circle, girls varsity cross country begins its race against Milton Academy and St. Mark's.

difficulty of those circumstances, the father of a boy in trouble saw the primary purpose of our partnership more clearly than I did.

I don’t mean to suggest that where students go to college is of no concern to Groton School. It is certainly a part of our purpose, as fifth form parents know from yesterday’s presentation and

Co Chair of the Groton Annual Fund, Clare Brinkley P ’10, addresses parents at their meeting in the Hall.

6 | Quarterly Winter 2010

discussions. I recently came across a simple exercise, created at the Stanford School of Education, in which parents are asked to identify a dozen or so key elements of success for their children— high grades, kindness to others, selective college admission, sense of humor, etc. Having identified the elements, parents are asked to divide 100 points among them. So each element gets a point value, and the sum of all the point values is 100. The exercise forces parents to identify the relative importance of the elements that matter to them and to think about whether their behavior matches their beliefs.

I tried it, and my point values made me re-think my regular lunch conversations with my advisees. I realized that I tend to begin with small talk and then dive into what seems to be the meat and potatoes: grades in each class, academic goals, and study habits. I might let the conversation meander from there to sports or drama, and we’ve had dessert by the time I ask about social issues or the dance on Saturday. We’ve usually said goodbye before I think to ask a question like, “Which sixth former do you most admire? Why?” Or, “What would you talk about if you had to give a Chapel talk tomorrow?” And yet the point values I assigned in the exercise beg for such questions to be asked first.

So I had the idea of creating a similar exercise, one for students to complete. I tested it on my sixth form Exposition class and on my advisees and the friends they brought over to our house for pumpkin-carving the other night. Here’s what I had them do: Divide 10 points among three categories according to the level of interest your parents have in these aspects of your life at Groton.

Parents Weekend  Intellectual

Curiosity/Development of Passion

 Character/Leadership/Service  Grades/Achievements/College

Admission

Complete the same exercise according to the level of interest your teachers have in these aspects of your life at Groton.  Intellectual

Curiosity/Development of Passion

 Character/Leadership/Service  Grades/Achievements/College

Admission

Complete the same exercise according to the level of interest you have in these aspects of your life at Groton.  Intellectual

Curiosity/Development of Passion

 Character/Leadership/Service  Grades/Achievements/College

Admission

Even though I had only twenty students complete the exercise, I learned some fascinating things: 1. The older the students are, the more grades, achievements, and college admission seem to matter to parents, teachers, and students. Predictable, right? But character, leadership, and service seem to matter more too. What seems to decline for the older student in this zero-sum game is an interest from all of us in category one: intellectual curiosity and development of passion.

2. Teachers’ interest in grades, achievements, and college admission does not seem to students to be appreciably less than that of their parents. You all thought my little exercise was going to indict the parents, didn’t you? Teachers preach character and parents preach college, right? Not according to these twenty kids. Some had it the other way around.

3. The most interesting thing I discovered from my exercise, the thing to remember, I think, was this: students’ own point values were widely variable (some had character as their leading interest, some had curiosity, some had college), but the correlation between what each student valued and what his or her parents seem to value was exact. If a student indicated that character was most important to her parents, she indicated that character was most important to her. If curiosity, curiosity. If college, college.

Remarkable, isn’t it? Your children are listening to you! And, while my small sampling doesn’t confirm this, I am confident that when the message from home is different from the message at School, it causes confusion for the student about what really does matter. Adolescence is confusing enough. I hope your meetings this weekend have helped to ensure that the messages from you and us are complimentary; and, if they’re not, for your child’s sake, let’s keep working at it.

I will conclude by recalling that the last time I saw most of you was on drop-off day, when I gave the advice to parents of new students as you exited the gates of the School to think twice

Fifth form parents begin their meeting on college admissions sponsored by the college advising office in the McCormick Library.

before calling your children on the cell phone. Think twice, I advised, before sending an email: “Is this for my child’s benefit, or for mine?” My advice isn’t always right; I’ve just admitted that to you. But I think this piece, the “think twice” mantra, holds up long after drop-off day.

What you say, how you say it, and how often you repeat it makes a difference. The reason to think twice when you communicate about the things that matter to the well-being of your children is, once again, that they’re listening. Twenty out of twenty students I asked said what matters most to you, matters most to them.

Nowadays, when I leave the house in the morning, Matthew and I have a new deal. He doesn’t follow me, but he is allowed to watch me from the window, and I’ll always turn around and wave.

I like that the next thing he sees me do is fall into stride with one of your children, ask a question, and listen as we make our way together toward the Chapel.

Thank you for your partnership. Have a wonderful afternoon.

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Parents WEEKEND 2009

Top to bottom:

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1. Evan Hansen-Bundy’12 attempts point after touchdown as Bret Frongillo ’10 holds.

2. Adam Lamont ’12 stretches for a reception versus St. Paul’s.

3. Peter Fry, English department head, speaks to parents of Jonathan Terry ’13, in Parents Weekend conference.

4. Tom Lamont, history teacher, conferences with Lori Mullins P’10.

5. Congressman James Cooper ’72, P’08, ’13 and wife, Martha, speak with parent volunteers at registration.

Parents Weekend

Clockwise from top left: 1. International parents enjoy brunch at the Headmaster’s House on Saturday of Parents Weekend.

2. Mr. and Mrs. Jun Kim P’13 listen to remarks from Mr. Commons at the brunch.

3. Lee Coffin, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Tufts University, leads a hands-on admission committee session with Groton parents.

4. Parents Association head, Polly Reeve ’78, P’07, ’09, ’11, addresses parents at their Saturday meeting in the Hall.

5. Sandra Kelly, chemistry teacher, meets in conference with Elsie and Mac Thompson P’01, ’02, ’11.

6. Mrs Hyun Soo Lee P’12 speaks with other parents at the brunch for international families held at the Headmaster’s House.

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P

IPPIN T dazzling production his Fall, the Groton Theatre Program mounted a

of Stephen Schwartz’s hit musical, Pippin. In the spirit of the opening number, “Magic To Do”, the Groton production created its own magic onstage and off with over 30 students contributing to the final product. Sixth former Conor Robinson made his onstage debut as Pippin, showing off his beautiful tenor voice in numbers including “Corner Of The Sky” and “Morning Glow”. In addition to focusing on character work and vocal preparation, the entire cast spent extra hours training with choreographer, Jodi Leigh Allen, to bring to the stage a new imagining of Bob Fosse’s original choreographic style and technique. The result was a spectacle on all levels!

All photos of Pippin by Vaughn Winchell, Insight Studios

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Circiter | Featured on Campus

Clockwise from top: Dual Leading Players, Zach Nicol ’11 and Nya Holder ’12, open the show.

Pippin’s step-mother, Fastrada, (Eliza Fairbrother ’12) sings “Spread a Little Sunshine."

Leading Players and chorus have “Magic to Do”.

King Charles (Dale Adams ’10) instructs Pippin (Connor Robinson ’11) in what constitutes a meaningful life.

Center: Pippin falls for the good widow, Catherine (Sage Redman ’11.)

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Pippin

Clockwise from top: King Charles becomes the victim of Fastrada and Pippin’s plot. The good widow Catherine wonders as to what “Kind of Woman” she may be. The Lead Players conspire to influence Pippin. Pippin searches for his “Corner of the Sky.” The chorus suggests a pastime in which Pippin could immerse himself­—sexuality.

Lewis, (George Prugh ’12), Pippin’s step-brother, hopes to figure courageously in battle.

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Circiter | Featured on Campus

Gallery News Christopher Carey Brodigan Gallery WINTER

E x h ibit

Far January 11, 2010 to February 26, 2010

Monpa village children

V

ery few outsiders have ever visited the Himalayan towns and villages in Arunachal Pradesh, the eastern-most state of India that is located in the remote mountain peaks between Bhutan and Chineseruled Tibet. Its inhabitants are people of the Monpa tribes, direct descendants of the nomadic Tibetans who roamed this land with their herds before the Chinese overtook their lands.

As a result of this isolation, modern civilization has barely made a mark in this area; and traditional Monpa culture flourishes, as the men and women, wearing colorful clothing, including spider-like yak hair hats, raise their families, keep animals, and farm the Himalayan slopes.

Traveling around India, photographer Monika Andersson, an instructor in the Arts Department at Groton, has captured some spectacular and informative images of the Monpa, photographs that span her trips from a Tibetan refugee colony in New Delhi to the most remote Arunachal Pradesh villages. Now, in “Far,” the Christopher Brodigan Gallery’s winter exhibit, her superb photography is on view.

Arunachal Pradesh is contested territory, with both India and China claiming ownership; and the Chinese closing of the border between India and Tibet has cut off the Monpa living there from their nomadic lifestyle and from other Tibetan tribes. As a result, they face many threats, such as a lack of access to health care, education, good nutrition, and clean water; and the loss of land to the encroachments of the Indian military. Still, their beautiful culture survives, and Anderssons’s photographs show the Monpa striving to protect it.

Monks watching TV—On Sunday afternoon at Bomdila Monastery, the young monks are allowed to watch TV. Pilgrim—On the streets of Majnu-ka-Tilla, the Tibetan refugee colony in New Delhi, a pilgrim pauses.

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Gallery News

The de Menil Gallery WINTER

E x h i b it

A Primer of Empire January 12, 2010 - March 2, 2010

O

n display from January 12 through March 2, 2010, the de Menil winter show, “A Primer of Empire,” features work by New York artist Esteban Chavez. Large-scale prints and artist books explore ideas of living in a global empire in a dark and decadent age, where the underlying hope is that young people can change the world. Below is a brief autobiography of the artist:

I have always been interested in books and libraries and civilization and human history. The contradiction of being a light-skinned Mexican, part European and part indigenous, shapes my worldview. Most of humanity is mixed race. I am from pre-America and post-America. I do not really want to fit in.

I grew up in the suburbs of North Denver. The Anglos said we didn’t belong in Colorado, but we were there 400 years before them. We were descendants of the first Spanish conquistadors, dirt poor but smart enough to know that the land we stole from the first people was now taken from us.

There was a contradiction in my life; I hated Gringos, and I did not speak Spanish. Growing up we were referred to as “dirty Mexican.” My father was a construction worker. He hated it. Worse he hated supporting eight children. He was passionate about great art. He drew a lot of animals in the style of the French Romantics. My mother said if I liked to read, I should do that. So she bought me a set of encyclopedias, and I read them at the age of six.

I went to a Catholic boarding school in Southern Colorado on scholarship. Prep school really set up my worldview. It was 1969-72. America was in turmoil. I had the run of the art building, and I ended up at Stanford as a Chicano artist-in-residence at the ripe age of 21.

I spend a lot of time making artist books, convinced that there is a cultural resistance to all the superficial nonsense that is considered culture and civilization. That is why I spend my time in a creative space. Great art changes the quality of human existence, and it is always open for discussion. I would say I am an intellectual who makes art. I share the view that a better world is possible (if we just can get through today).

Orange Sky

Esteban Chavez has lived in New York City since graduating from the Yale University School of Art in 1985.

He is deeply affected by injustices, corruption and greed. For more than thirty years, he has poured his life energy into art making. He is a master printmaker, artist bookbinder, bronze and wood sculptor, and realist oil painter.

He believes in the transformative power of art. In 1993, Mr. Chavez won the grand prize at the International Printmaking Biennale in Wakayama, Japan. He also has works in the Smithsonian Collection, the Library of Congress, El Museo del Barrio in New York City, and the Schomburg Center in the New York Public Library.

Artist with sculpture “Ancestor” in hand.

Books

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

Some 30 years ago, weekday Chapel Talks became regular occurrences at Groton. They are now an ingrained tradition at the School, and parents, trustees, alumni, faculty, and students continue to address the School four times a week in Chapel. The talks have become the centerpiece of services that enrich the Groton experience by virtue of the points of view, ideas, experiences, and opinions expressed in this more formal setting. Over 100 speakers present at Chapel each academic year, adding to the voices on the Circle. We offer three examples from the fall term here.

THE RED SCARF A Chapel Talk by Emily Caldwell ’10 September 29, 2009

A young student at Zhong He Primary School, Zhong He Village, Anhui Province.

I

f I were thinking about standing up here and talking about every detail of my summer, we would all be sitting here for a very long time, and you might all get very bored. So I won’t talk about all of the things that I did this summer, all the places I went or the people I met; but I will tell you that all of them provided ample topics for potential Chapel Talks. I spent plenty of time thinking about whether I should write about something that I did in Ireland, something that happened during my short stint at home, or maybe about China or going to Youth Rowing Nationals in June.

I finally settled on what might seem like a very small moment. However, this small moment provoked a lot of thought on my part. The moment passed during the China trip in June with the Chamber Orchestra. I guess that most of the School knows that we went to China to perform and promote music as a “universal language.” We traveled from Beijing to Shanghai as we saw the sites and performed. It was a perfect trip. I got to see people and places with a culture I had not been exposed to (unless you count history class). I was able to perform with a group of wonderful and talented peers for groups of people who hadn’t heard an orchestra perform before.

At one point in the middle of the trip, our group traveled out into Anhui province to the very back of beyond to perform at the Zhong He Primary School. The school was so poor that some of the windows didn’t have glass, and there was no air conditioning to provide a break from the oppressive heat. The students themselves could not afford real uniforms, so they used a red scarf instead. This was where I found my Chapel Talk.

Before I continue, I should let you know that there is a tradition in China where the guests and the hosts exchange gifts. To keep with this practice, we brought gifts for the school as a whole and for the individual children. We brought things such as school supplies for individuals as well as items such as badminton sets for the school. In return, each of us received our own gift: a red scarf.

The red scarf provoked thoughts of my seventh grade English class. We read a book called Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Liang. It is a biographical account of the author’s experiences as a young girl during the Cultural Revolution. I suppose that book was my first exposure to that piece of history. In the book, she relates all of the horrible things that happened to her and her family during the Cultural Revolution, as well as her own struggle between wanting to be loyal to Chairman Mao and a desire to protect her family, which suffered at the hands of bands of citizens bent on destroying any threat to Mao’s regime. The only reason that her family underwent such hardships: they were accused of being “bourgeoisie.”

Later, I learned about the Cultural Revolution in more detail. I learned that students in university and secondary schools in China formed groups called the Red Guard, identifiable by a red scarf worn as an arm band. The Red Guard sought to destroy the four “Olds”: old ideas, old culture, old habits, and old customs. Moderate political leaders were persecuted; teachers, writers, artists, intellectuals, and anyone with a foreign connection were victimized.

In the course of the Cultural Revolution, between two and seven million people died; and many more suffered horrible injustices.

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

Emily Caldwell ’10 receives her red scarf at Zhong He Primary School, Zhong He Village, Anhui Province.

The word I thought of first was: Wait! I felt an aversion to the symbol of the red scarf and an incredible repugnance to the idea of wearing it.

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But back to the red scarf. I said that we exchanged gifts with the students at the Zhong He Primary School before performing. We each received a scarf, and not only were we going to accept it, but we were going to wear it. You know that game, where someone says a word, and you say the first thing that pops into your head? Well, I started playing a modified version when I saw the red scarf. All of the things that I had learned in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade history about the Cultural Revolution came flooding into my head. The word I thought of first was: Wait! I felt an aversion to the symbol of the red scarf and an incredible repugnance to the idea of wearing it.

I took myself aside and made excuses for the gift. Maybe they didn’t know what we would associate the scarf with. Perhaps they saw the gift as an honor, since they were giving us their equivalent of a uniform. Maybe they were making us honorary students. The “perhaps” and the “maybe,” the operative words in these excuses, imply doubt. Each of these possibilities could be a reality, but it could also just be me making excuses.

I was faced with a choice: to wear the scarf, or not. Each option presented a conflict to me. To wear the scarf implied that I knew nothing of the Cultural Revolution, or that I was somehow indifferent or even approving of the events of that turbulent era. To not wear the scarf would mean offending the group of young children working just as hard as I was to accomplish essentially the same things, but without the advantages that I am fortunate enough to enjoy.

I think that I can safely say that most of you have been confronted at some point in your life with a decision that is difficult for you to reach. You had to choose between what you felt was right and what others expected of you. Maybe you came to a conclusion that you are happy with. Maybe you weren’t happy with the decision, but it was the right one, and you look back on it as well made.

The Red Scarf Well, this red scarf presented one of the most thought-provoking situations of my short existence. Running through my head were any number of reasons why I should not wear the scarf, and for each one of those, there was an opposing reason to let the small girl in front of me tie the offending piece of cheap red cloth around my neck.

In the end, I wore the scarf. I wore it for the duration of our visit to the school. I didn’t like it; it felt unnatural against my skin. And I felt awkward and slightly ashamed with the scarf around my neck. I found myself unable to offend these children by removing the scarf, no matter how repugnant the symbols and events surrounding the red scarf are to me. Upon later reflection, I did not get the satisfaction of thinking that I had made the right decision. I made the best choice; the appropriate decision.

But right and appropriate are not the same.

I actually don’t know what the right decision was, and I still don’t. I think that if I had made the right decision, I would look back on the experience with less discomfort.

Maybe the right decision for me personally was the utterly wrong decision for the situation. So I made the best decision I could, the decision that was best for the situation: the appropriate decision.

When I look back, I realize that I wasn’t prepared for the moment. I was taken aback and, for a minute, had no clue how to handle the situation. It was, I think, the type of situation that you really can’t be prepared for. Whether we realize it or not, we are all here to prepare ourselves for the future and its challenges. No matter how well we feel we are prepared, there will be small moments where we won’t know exactly what to do. I urge you to try to think through your options and make the best choice. Maybe that means the right choice, or perhaps it means the appropriate one. I don’t know.

Upon later reflection, I did not get the satisfaction of thinking that I had made the right decision. I made the best choice; the appropriate decision. But right and appropriate are not the same.

The Groton Orchestra performs as students and townspeople look on at Zhong He Primary School.

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

Finding

C ommunity A Chapel Talk by Michael Hotz ’10 October 20, 2009

Sixth former, Michael Hotz

20 | Quarterly Winter 2010

Y

ou all terrify me.

You scared me the first day I got here, and you still do. Even the second formers make me feel uncomfortable.

Why? Because you are all so different from me, and you are all so different from each other. Each of you has your own tastes, opinions, and personality. I am afraid that you won’t like me for my differences. I don’t know how you handle it. Maybe you don’t. I know many of you have learned how to find your place, but maybe some of you haven’t yet. With so many different types of people, how do you step out of yourself to become part of a new community? Why would we take the risk of rejection? It is so much easier to huddle together with people who are just like us—or to be alone.

To find others like us, some of us wear special T-shirts, uniforms, or jerseys to send up a recognizable signal. Others join sports teams to find fellow football, basketball, or baseball players. A fortunate few are able to walk up to total strangers and have the courage to introduce themselves. When people like that introduce themselves to me, I find it unnerving. They have taken the important first step that I often find hard to take. They have taken the risk of starting a relationship. They have taken a step towards forming a community Part of what makes Groton special is that it is built around a circle, and Groton offers us many different ways to join the community of that circle. Whether it is the soccer team or the play; everyone is given the opportunity to do something. The idea is that all of us will find our place within the School. The flaw with this idea, though, is that it assumes that you are willing to take the risk to make friends. You have to be willing to say, “I have no idea who you are or what sort of person you may be, but, hey, you’re bad at soccer, I’m bad at soccer, let’s go from there.” I, personally, have had a hard time doing that.

Ever since I can remember, I have had a strong desire to maintain my individuality.

I have always said, “I am who I am, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” The result of my staunch individuality was that I limited who my friends were. Why? I believed that if I opened up to you, I would lose a part of me. And that is one reason why I find you unsettling.

I have felt this way since I was a kid. I grew up in Southern California, but in fourth grade, my family moved to New Haven for a year. It didn’t go so well. For the rest of my life, I will remember New Haven as a place of small town, small-minded, vindictive children who didn’t like me. While I still feel this way about New Haven, I have been told that actually they tried very hard to be my friends. They wanted to bring me into their community. They did their best, but in an attempt to stay me, I refused to do anything I wouldn’t have done before. As New Haven is not and never will be Southern California, this meant I did nothing. I was shy, I was scared by a new place in a new

Finding Community

part of the country, and I was afraid that if I joined this new community, I would lose the one I already had.

When I came to Groton, I faced the same problem. I was in a new place with new people, and I didn’t want to change. If the people in my dorm did not want to do something I enjoyed, then I went and did it by myself. Even if I did decide to change myself, would they like me? How do you go about reinventing yourself? Everyone else already seemed to have friends. They seemed to fit in comfortably. They didn’t seem fazed by the fact they were now in a new school, in a new state, with new people. I was scared. I had nowhere familiar to go to, and I was in a school much more demanding than the one I had just left. I decided that while at Groton, I would attend classes, go to sports, do my homework, and sleep. I would learn to be a good student, get adjusted to the workload, and wait to enjoy myself during vacation.

I decided to be comfortably numb.

Trying to join the community was unnerving. So I didn’t. I spent the Saturdays of my Third Form year in my room watching movies. If someone else wanted to watch with me, then I spent that Saturday in my room with someone else watching movies.

There is no such thing as comfortably numb. I worked hard, but because I would not step outside myself, I wasn’t learning. Because I wasn’t learning, I wasn’t doing well in school. And when it came to athletics, I was content to sit on the bench. I had protected myself. No part of me was getting lost in Groton. I had kept myself safely outside the Circle. I was safe and miserable.

Third formers, Bridget Bousa, Nimesha Gerlus and Suzanna Hamer await St. Mark’s Day Roll Call.

I decided to be comfortably numb...

There is no such thing as comfortably numb.

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

Third formers enjoy a game of Boggle at break.

As time went on, I discovered that no matter how fun the activity, being with other people is better.

Not only that, but that I didn’t have to compromise who I was in order to be friends with them.

I lost nothing of myself.

I only gained.

22 | Quarterly Winter 2010

Then in the spring, something happened. I found something I liked. Despite my best efforts to stay safe, I had stumbled upon something I enjoyed—crew. I was bad at it. I didn’t know what I was doing. I had not really tried a sport since third grade. But I enjoyed it, and it forced me to interact with those around me. It is impossible to hide in a boat of four people. There is no bench. There is no point where I could watch the game unfold around me. I had found a group of people whom I liked being with for no other reason than that we belonged to the same boat. We were in it together.

I joined the community of my boat. That was my first step towards becoming part of the Circle and joining the community of Groton. The next fall, while I still was a varsity benchwarmer of thirds soccer, I had - good time. I had become athletic while rowing and was enjoying my new found ability to run. Even though I was on the bench, I felt like I was a part of the team. I felt that during my brief escapades on the field, I was able to contribute. I started to look forward to practice. While I still watched movies and spent most of my time in my room, I started to look forward to athletics.

I took my next step into the Circle in my Fourth Form spring. At lunch, a group of us were talking about things we did when we were kids. Pokémon, Yu-gi-oh, Nintendo 64. Then someone said that they still played Magic the Gathering. As sad as it is to say, I do too. I learned how to play in fourth grade, and I never felt there was any reason to stop. Here, in the midst of Groton, was someone else who felt the same way. We had been going to school together for two years, and yet I had no idea he existed. From there, I found a group of people to play my card game with. However, while I would play games with them, that was it. As time went on, I discovered that no matter how fun the activity, being with other people is better. Not only that, but that I didn’t have to compromise who I was in order to be friends with them. I lost nothing of myself. I only gained.

I had taken another step towards joining the Circle. I had joined the community of my boat. Now I had joined a community of friends.

I took my final step when I tried to make a varsity boat in my Fourth Form spring.

On thirds soccer, I had not allowed myself to want to play. That would only lead to disappointment. By being indifferent, I could stay safe. Now I truly wanted to make varsity. For the first time, I cared. That made it hurt even more when I failed. I hadn’t worked hard enough. Unlike everyone else who had trained or done another serious sport the rest of the year, I had not. At the end of my first practice, the coach pulled me aside and asked what I had been doing with my life—because that was some of the worst rowing he had ever seen. After a few weeks, he sent me down to JV. I thought he was done with me. I was wrong. Every day, whenever I rowed past him, he would shout out across the water things I was doing wrong. I was, according to him, a “squirrel cage of problems.” Wanting to prove someone wrong is very powerful motivation.

I did not make varsity that year, but I did my best to prove to him that I deserved it.

I had gone from not wanting to join anything lest I disturb my sense of self, to trying my best to become a part of a sport and part of the School. I wanted to join the Groton community.

Now not all of you have had this experience. Some of you found your community through a sport you have played for as long as you can remember. Others of you became members of the debate team or jazz band. And there will always be those of you who befriended others simply because they were there. Most of us fall into one of these categories. Most of us have found our place at Groton and at home and probably think that the story of a reclusive senior doesn’t apply to you.

Those of you who feel that way are wrong. Why do you think some seniors decide not to give Chapel Talks? Are those people simply so bland and uninteresting that they have learned nothing important enough to share? Giving a Chapel Talk is nerve-wracking.

I am standing here in front of the entire School condensing and distilling my life into something I hope is meaningful. When faced with something unknown or something that makes us uncomfortable, the first instinct of many of us is to retreat to safety. It is

Finding Community so much easier to run from our fears than to face them. While not everyone had my experience coming to Groton, everyone has had a moment in their life where, rather than take a risk and make a friend, they hold back. Whether it is on a club team, at summer camp, or at school, everyone has experienced that at least once.

Today I stand here giving my Chapel Talk instead of staying in my room. By joining the community, I didn’t lose a part of myself. I gained a greater sense of self. You all still scare me. I may go through life being wary of meeting new people, but what scares me more than meeting new people is losing the sense of community I have worked so hard to gain. At the end of this year, I am going to leave the Circle for the last time and try and join a new community. The idea of starting over frightens me, but I have learned from the mistakes I made during my first few years at Groton. I have learned that rather than losing a part of myself by joining a community, I find a better part of me. Through the community of my boat, my friends, and my school, I have had the chance to grow into something more than myself.

To quote John Donne:

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less … Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.

When I came to Groton, I felt like I was an island, that the experience would erode me. Instead, I discovered through this school that I am connected to so many others.

I am part of a Circle that encompasses all of us. I am involved in you. And in you I discover so much of what makes me better.

Michael Hotz follows the presentation in physics class.

A study session in the McCormick Library.

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

Doc, Leroy and 1,000 Chips A Chapel Talk by Richard G. Woolworth Jr. ’70 P ’01, ’04, ’06 November 13, 2009

“Hey, sometimes you are the bug, and sometimes you are the windshield.”

I was the bug my Third Form year.

24 | Quarterly Winter 2010

I

am up here in the Groton pulpit for the first time, as it was not the custom during my years for sixth formers to climb these stairs. There is some irony for me as my three daughters preceded me giving their talks three, six and eight years ago.

The fact that I came to Groton was thanks to a man I first met when I was 11 at a summer camp in New Hampshire. Besides being a counselor, Dick Irons was a Groton teacher and head of the History Department. His nickname was “Doc” Irons, but to this day, I still only feel comfortable calling him “Mr. Irons.” At camp, Mr. Irons started me playing tennis, and in a short period of time, I shared his passion for the sport. At the end of my second year, he heard that my parents and I were beginning to look at prep schools. Being from Central Pennsylvania, I had never heard of Groton, but with his urging, we visited the School in the fall. His phone call one night after I had been accepted, encouraging me to come to Groton, tipped the balance over a peer school.

One of the highlights of my four years at Groton was playing tennis for Mr. Irons and listening to him regale us with stories about the great players of his age. I can still hear him tell stories about Don Budge’s deadly backhand or about Ellsworth Vines ripping his forehand down the line. Thanks in many ways to his tutelage and encouragement, Mr. Irons helped set me on a path of playing tennis and squash in college and enjoying a lifelong love of actively competing in sports.

I wish I could tell you that, thanks to Mr. Irons and other faculty members and coaches, I spent four blissful years at Groton. Not the case. When I arrived in the Third Form after staying back a year because of my age, I was a strapping 5 foot 2 inches and 115 pounds. To say I was a late grower would be an understatement. My 12-year molars emerged at the same time I got my driver’s license. I had Osgood-Schlatter disease in my knees, so I was unable to play football or soccer, which did not help as I tried to integrate into the social fabric of my Form. I loved playing JV basketball during my Third Form year, even though I could not touch the net with a running jump. It got worse when I broke my foot just before spring term and could not play tennis, the only sport I was actually decent at.

Just in time to boost my confidence, the all-boys choir desperately needed sopranos and recruited yours truly as a soprano to hit those high A’s in the “Halleluiah Chorus.”

This was difficult to take when one of my formmates before a Saturday dance looked in the mirror, scratched his stubble, and asked me whether I thought he needed to shave again. My parents reminded me not long ago that I asked them during spring vacation if I could return to my prior school. I felt at that time a little like Todd Jones, a relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers who, after an unfortunate loss to the Red Sox, was quoted as saying, “Hey, sometimes you are the bug, and sometimes you are the windshield.” I was the bug my Third Form year.

Doc, Leroy and 1,000 Chips

From left to right—Rick Woolworth ’70, wife Jill, Virginia ’04, Helen ’06, Jocelyn ’01 and her husband Brian Mason.

One classmate stands out who helped me get through the disappointments and growing pains of that difficult first year. Leroy was from Queens. He loved basketball as much as I did, the one difference being that he had natural talent and could almost touch the rim, not just the net. After graduation, he went on to play at Yale, while my basketball career abruptly terminated. Leroy had a big smile and a relaxed way about him, and always had time to talk or hang out. On the basketball court, he was an encourager, not someone who intimidated to fortify his ego. Although he never said anything explicitly, I had a sense that Leroy cared about me at a time when I often felt three feet tall, instead of my towering 5´2˝.

The rest of my Groton experience is now a kaleidoscope of challenging classes, coats and ties to classes, and meals (including white shirts required for dinner), stickball, and everybody’s favorite back then—bacon, rice, and cheese casserole.

A more recent Groton experience relates to my youngest daughter, Helen, during her time at Groton. Like most students when they arrive, Helen (who is now a college senior) had her days of feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. Nonetheless, she will never forget one unexpected person who made an effort to help her feel at home. At almost every lunch beginning her Third Form year, Helen would get in line and order a sandwich. A key part of this ritual was her brief conversation with Chuck Grimm, the sandwich maker. Chuck was a friendly face, and in his 60 or so seconds making her sandwich, would often ask how she was doing and gave her an encouraging word.

Helen always ordered the same sandwich: turkey, cheddar cheese, lettuce, a thick layer of potato chips, and honey mustard on wheat bread. Taking his cue from Greek history, Chuck eventually gave the sandwich a name: “The Helen Woolworth—the sandwich that launched a thousand chips.” There were advisors, teachers, coaches, and dorm heads who made their mark on Helen, but so did Chuck in just one minute a few days each week.

So why did I choose to tell you about Mr. Irons, Leroy, and Chuck? Because each personifies a simple truth. In every interaction we have with another person, we are making either a deposit or a withdrawal. Whether you spend years with someone or have a brief interchange in a matter of seconds, there is a transaction taking place where you invest in that person or you take something away. It is a fact of human biology that

Helen always ordered the same sandwich: turkey, cheddar cheese, lettuce, a thick layer of potato chips, and honey mustard on wheat bread. Taking his cue from Greek history, Chuck eventually gave the sandwich a name: “The Helen Woolworth—the sandwich that launched a thousand chips.”

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle Like people everywhere, students, faculty, staff, even parents walk with some form of limp. It may not be a physical one, but everyone is carrying a burden or fighting a private battle.

The statue of Endicott Peabody in the Schoolhouse donned the ceremonial fur coat this November, emblematic of Groton’s superior tally of victories over St. Mark's. With the exception of boys soccer, all boys and girls varsity teams won their contests.

Endicott Peabody is flanked by William Amory Gardner and Sherrard Billings, the original faculty at Groton.

26 | Quarterly Winter 2010

I have, at most, another 40 years to make either deposits or withdrawals. I hope to do all I can to be the “Mr. Irons,” the “Leroy,” the “Chuck” in other people’s lives.

This past weekend, I was in Florida for my Dad’s 80th birthday, which featured a wonderful party celebrating him with family and friends. I could not help but notice that many of my parents’ friends walk with a limp or have some other evident physical challenge. There were also a number of widows and widowers who now live alone. What impressed me was their genuine care and sense of community—a palpable undercurrent of people who are investing in others, whether close friends or mere acquaintances.

Plato once said, “Be kind, for everyone you know is fighting a great battle.” Groton has changed in many ways since I was here. In one way, however, it is the same. Like people everywhere, students, faculty, staff, even parents walk with some form of limp.

It may not be a physical one, but everyone is carrying a burden or fighting a private battle.

We all have many obstacles to investing in others. As a Groton student, the pressures of getting grades, meeting deadlines, making teams, getting into college—to name just a few—are always upon you. I can guarantee you this: pressure does not change when you attend college, pursue your career, raise a family. Nothing changes—just your circumstances. From first hand experience, I know how easy it is to become self-absorbed and locked in on my own goals and needs. I have also learned that this self–absorption comes with a significant cost—to me, as well as to my family, friends, and others. I lose—everyone around me loses. A modern day proverb captures this succinctly, “At the feast of ego, everyone goes hungry.”

Most of you have heard of Phillips Brooks who wrote O Little Town of Bethlehem and, of course, the Groton School hymn. What you may not know is that he was also a famous preacher in Boston who had many demands on his time. Yet he made a decision to invest deeply in a young man named Endicott Peabody, who was only 27 when he founded Groton. For all we know, we might not be in this chapel this morning were it not for Phillips Brooks.

Doc, Leroy and 1,000 Chips Phillips Brooks wrote: “Greatness, in spite of its name, appears to be not so much a certain size as a certain quality in human lives. It may be present in lives whose range is very small.” I believe the quality he was referring to is this same serving and investing in others.

I calculate that the average Groton student will listen to roughly 350 chapel talks during his or her time at the School. This one will be a faint memory before long.

But perhaps when you get in the sandwich line or you crawl into bed and reflect on the day, you might do a quick mental check: “Did I make a small investment in someone today?” If you are an upper classman, did you give an encouraging word to a second or third former? Did you reach out to that friend who is struggling with math or Latin or a family issue at home? Did you include someone who is different from you? It could be as simple as a smile, a hug, a hand on the shoulder, or a simple compliment.

There is little of which I can assure you about your life for your next forty years, but I can assure you that a life built on investing in others will be a life worth living. 





Rick Woolworth graduated cum laude from Groton in 1970. While a student here he was a member of Upward Bound, Bell Ringing, and Choir, and played soccer, basketball, squash, and was captain of the tennis team.

Rick graduated from Dartmouth College in 1974, magna cum laude, where he was the recipient of the K. Archibald Award in athletics and captain of the squash team. He went on to receive an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1977, and is currently a partner in an independent investment firm.

In addition to being a Groton parent of three daughters—Jocelyn ’01, Virginia ’04, and Helen ’06—Rick has served Groton as a Career Advisor, an Admission Volunteer, a member of the Parent Association Board, and a Parent Agent. In his current role of Trustee he is a member of the Investment Committee, the Finance and Budget Committee, and the Educational and Residential Life Committee. He also serves as a trustee at Trinity Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, and resides in Greenwich with his wife, Jill.

I calculate that the average Groton student will listen to roughly 350 chapel talks during his or her time at the School. This one will be a faint memory before long.

But perhaps when you get in the sandwich line or you crawl into bed and reflect on the day, you might do a quick mental check: “Did I make a small investment in someone today?”

Two generations, Groton Grads all: Jocelyn ’01, Helen ‘06, Rick ’70 and Virginia ’04.

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Extra Muros | Beyond the Circle

28 | Quarterly Winter 2010

Service

Learning Trips Students and alumni report on summer travel

T

wo years ago, through the efforts of Dean Beams, his wife Cindy and several faculty members at Groton, the School began a collaboration with the World Leadership School and Ross Wehner to provide access to service learning opportunities abroad.

Summer travel for Groton students is not new, as school sponsored trips, particularly those connected to language or music study have been offered for many years. This past summer, three such trips transpired; two through the auspices of the World Leadership School and one through a collaboration between Christopher Borg, director of instrumental music at Groton and Naichi Shih, Chinese instructor at Groton, and China Prep, an educational travel firm founded by Groton alumna, Brantley Turner Bradley '94. Although each of these trips differed one from the other, they all combined foreign travel with the elements of experiential learning and service to others through targeted projects and performances. In this "Beyond the Circle" section of the Quarterly, students and alumni report on their experiences.

For web-based presentations featuring Groton students in China, Kenya and Peru check out: http://www.worldleadershipschool.com/ss_peru_andes_education_1.htm http://www.worldleadershipschool.com/ss_kenya_climate_change_2.htm http://www.chinaprep.com/china-blog.html

All photos of Kenya trip provided by Cindy Beams.

Quarterly Winter 2010

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Extra Muros | Beyond the Circle

The Kenya Experience seven views Presented in a collaborative Chapel Talk November 23, 2009t

Our guide Shani—a Maasai man—did not attend the meeting. He had declined the request to speak formally to our group because, in his words, “it is very unbecoming of a Maasai man to cry in front of other people.” However, he was able to relate a brief story that told us everything.

Jamie Norton ’10

L

ast summer, a group of Groton students traveled with Mr. and Mrs. Beams and Ms. Sales to the small Maasai village of Oloika, in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. The people you are about to hear from and I are here today to share our experiences.

The Maasai are an indigenous African ethnic group who live throughout Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Their culture is built around livestock: they raise cattle, sheep, and goats, which serve as a form of currency and a sign of wealth.

In recent years, the normal weather patterns in the Rift Valley have been severely disrupted, and for the past four years the annual rainy season has ceased to exist.

This drought is wiping out all of the grassland. Without grazing land and water, it is impossible to raise livestock. A few days into our trip, we had a meeting with our group leaders to discuss climate change and how it is affecting the Maasai people. Our guide Shani—a Maasai man—did not attend the meeting. He had declined the request to speak formally to our group because, in his words, “it is very unbecoming of a Maasai man to cry in front of other people.” However, he was able to relate a brief story that told us everything.

A man that he knew had been struggling greatly with the drought. His cattle were dying, and he had no way to support his family. His faith in a better future was diminishing faster than the grass. One day he bought a can of pesticide with what little money he had left. He drank the whole can, and left himself to die on the side of the road. This is not an isolated incident. Currently 3.5 million Kenyans rely on international aid for food in order to survive. As food and water supplies dwindle across the country, so does hope.

Eugene Chong ’10

I

first heard about the trip last September from Connor Baharozian ’10, who insisted fervently that I go with him to Kenya the following summer. I signed up, admittedly, with little idea of why we were actually going. While the description of the trip made me wonder initially whether I had signed up for another ineffectual community service project, Connor’s constant praise of his time in Peru assured me that Kenya would be a fun and satisfying three weeks of my summer.

30 | Quarterly Winter 2010

After hearing more about the trip, though, I became apprehensive. According to Ross, the trip leader, and Mr. Beams, we would be in a village in Kenya building a dining hall for a school meant to improve women’s education and consequently help them find ways to overcome the climate change that was ravaging their way of life. We would be staying in a dorm in the village, without access to running water, electricity, or clean clothes for days at a time. The idea of living without these comforts didn’t concern me as much as the thought of bringing twenty unskilled workers from the United States to a construction site in Kenya. While I know service trips like this one are meant as much for the people on the trip as the people they are helping, I got the feeling that by going over there as a group, we were cheating the village of money for our transportation, food, and board that they could use to hire stronger, more efficient skilled construction workers. This feeling was only reinforced when we arrived on the worksite, and despite our best efforts to shovel and lay bricks, we were always outmatched by the workers on the site.

Shani, our guide, told us the story of the man who had killed himself as the reason for our going there. Service trips for me had always seemed like misguided, naïve efforts that try to overcome too many problems with too few resources. I felt apprehensive about going to Kenya because I knew that twenty high school students building a dining hall for three weeks would not stop climate change, and to me at the time, our being there seemed like a waste of the money that could have helped the Maasai in other ways.

A man killing himself with pesticide, as Jamie said, was becoming a more common occurrence. The hope that the Maasai had for the future was disappearing, and contagious pessimism was taking its place. While sending our money to the village might have completed the project more quickly and inexpensively, it would not have

Groton students Hannah Kessler ’11 and Virginia Walsh ’10 tutor Maasai students in Oloika who were preparing for the national exams.

Service trips for me had always seemed like misguided, naïve efforts that try to overcome too many problems with too few resources.

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Extra Muros | Beyond the Circle

When we finally arrived at our home stay, we saw a huge wall about six feet wide and four feet deep made of thorns. This was a wealthy boma: the walls were thick.

Eugene Chong ’10 mixes cement with Maasai workmen at the construction site.

had the same effect on the villagers. By being there, we showed them firsthand that other people are willing to help, and that though the future would be difficult, they should remain optimistic and work to adapt to their problems.

Paige McDonald ’10 and Thea Fisher ’10

P

AIGE: We drove for forty-five minutes in the pitch-blackness to get to our home stay. Even in the darkness, we could see clouds of dust billow up around the car.

The ride was bumpy, and the termite mounds rose up like death eaters from the ground. When we finally arrived at our home stay, we saw a huge wall about six feet wide and four feet deep made of thorns. This was a wealthy boma: the walls were thick.

THEA: Within the boma were dark objects, at night indistinguishable from each other, but during the day recognizable as dung and stick structures with beds of sticks attached to the outside. These individual homes are called enkaje. Inside are a fireplace and a flat, raised area where multiple people can sleep.

PAIGE: We spent most of the night with Shani, our guide, and William, our translator, sitting on our outside bed eating rice and drinking the sweet, milky chai so favored by the Maasai. The whole family came out to see us—the wife, Nasecoo, taking care of us, the husband, his mother, his other wife, another wife, and many, many children. Nasecoo had just had a baby, who peed on Thea several times.

THEA: Around midnight we went to bed.

The bright blue mosquito net was drawn tightly across the stick wall that came up from the side of the bed, and we slept on animal hides. Around one o’clock, the air became cooler and crisper. Huddling as close to Paige as I could, I realized … nature called. “Paige” I hissed, “Paige, I need to go to the loo.”

PAIGE: “Okay, I’ll go with you,” I responded.

I sat up, and noticed a menacing figure curled around the bottom of the bed. “THEA! There’s a panther at the foot of the bed!”

THEA: There was no conceivable way there was a panther there. The walls were made of thorns and four feet thick and six feet tall.

“Paige, you are being ridiculous!” I told her.

PAIGE: I was convinced there was a panther.

I was also convinced that this panther would eat me if I unhooked the mosquito net and put my foot on the ground. “Make sure it isn’t. Touch it!” I told her.

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Service Learning Trips | Kenya THEA: I knew, being logical and superior, that there was no panther. However, as I sat up and crawled to the foot of the bed, I began to have second thoughts. Now that I looked at it, that shadow did look uncomfortably like the leg of a large feline … but was it a shadow at all? It was very solid … Turning to Paige with my most supercilious sneer, I tossed my hair. “Paige, you’re ridiculous.” I said. I unhooked the net and slid my feet into my Keds (to avoid scorpions) and onto the ground. Once out, I took the step forward towards the entrance to the enkaje, where the rest of the family slept, and stepped onto the panther. “See, Paige, I told you so.” I breathed a sigh of relief.

PAIGE: “Are you sure? Kick it again!!” I commanded. I was not going to be tricked into being eaten by a panther by Thea.

THEA: Of course, there was no panther. The entire home stay was perfectly safe.

Throughout our three-day home stay with our host family, we had countless such moments. Being so involved in the culture exposed us to many new and unexpected things. Clearly we lost all sense of logic at certain points because we were so unfamiliar with our environment and the culture we were immersed in. The home stay was one of the most challenging and emotionally taxing parts of the trip, but it was perhaps the most successful. During this portion, we learned firsthand what it is like to live in the Kenyan desert. By submerging ourselves in such a different culture and opening our minds, we were able to fully experience the home stay.

Hugo Spaulding ’10 and friend take a break from their labors.

Hugo Spaulding ’10

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“

chool trip to Africa?! Of course I’m going. It’s not every day you get to see a lion in the wild, or an elephant! or a cheetah! Oh, it’s one of those service trips? Even better, now I should have no trouble convincing my mom to let me go.”

Sadly, that’s exactly what I was thinking when Mr. Beams first told me about his Kenya project. I wanted to go halfway across the world to see a herd of animals. Of course I knew the game drive was only a small part of the trip, and that the manual labor would be tough, but I told myself that all the hard work would be made worthwhile.

After two weeks in Oloika, our time on the construction site was coming to a close.

We said our goodbyes to the masons and the students and were on our way. An 11-hour trip broken up over two days was all it took to get us to Maasai Mara National Reserve.

We were all okay with the long hours in the car because we knew what lay in store. This was fun time, the time where we could relax and take in the majestic savannah after our sweaty days laying bricks and mixing cement. It was the time that I had spent the greater part of a year anticipating.

Indeed the safari did turn out to be the most important part of the trip, only not in the way I expected. Although the lions and the elephants that filled my childhood perceptions of Africa were no less fascinating than the ones I had imagined, I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the animals on the game drive because they were just that, animals. For some reason after spending so many hours working alongside real people on the construction site, seeing a lion off in the distance swat a flea from his eye meant very little. Yes, the lazy cat was a joy to behold, but after only a week or so in the country, I realized then that its true beauty was in the people we worked with and the connections we forged.

This summer when I return to the Kenyan village of Oloika, I will be going for very different reasons. As cheesy as it sounds, I plan to go halfway across the world in search of a friendly hug of remembrance, and I can assure that this time, I will not be looking for one from a lion.

Yes, the lazy cat was a joy to behold, but after only a week or so in the country, I realized then that its true beauty was in the people we worked with and the connections we forged.

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Ikechukwu Okorafor ’10 I watered the bricks, put mortar on the level below where I was laying the bricks, and finally laid the bricks. I recall taking a water break and seeing our group helping to build this dining hall. We were making a difference I thought. I mean, we were 20 people doing our jobs, making the world a better place, one person at a time.

D

uring the first few days of our trip to Kenya, we stayed at the Maasai Lodge—a homey place that had a swimming pool, nice rooms, and good food. During our stay at the lodge, the Kenya group bonded and learned more about what we would be doing the next week. After we left the lodge, we traveled to a small village called Oloika, where we would be helping the people build a dining hall. When we arrived, it was incredible to see the huge smiles of the people as they saw us. We dropped off our bags at the dormitory where we would be staying for about a week and a half, and the boys in the group began to play soccer with the kids in the village. The girls came out of the dormitory later and bonded with the girls in Oloika.

We had a lot of fun that day. The next day, we began to work on the site. We were told that the optimum hours of working were before 1 p.m., and from 3 to 5 p.m.

I remember being allowed by the masons to lay bricks. I thought it was really cool because I could clearly contribute to the progress being made. I watered the bricks, put mortar on the level below where I was laying the bricks, and finally laid the bricks.

I recall taking a water break and seeing our group helping to build this dining hall.

We were making a difference I thought. I mean, we were 20 people doing our jobs, making the world a better place, one person at a time. When we left Oloika, we had finished almost everything except the roof. Building the dining hall was great, but the most significant job that we did in Oloika was building relationships with the people living there.

Hannah Kessler ’10

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fter Coco Minot and I had been walking for forty-five minutes through the barren expanse of gravel with our translator Mapanae, we stumbled upon a rudimentary building with tin walls and a simple roof made from wooden slats.

As we approached, we began to hear beautiful young voices coming from around the building. We rounded the corner and saw about twenty children crowded around one boy who guarded a packet of Nesquik hot chocolate mix. Taking turns eagerly sticking their fingers into the packet, they sang beautiful Maasai chants while licking the chocolate from their hands. After a few seconds, one of the children noticed us standing outside of the building, and all of them rushed to the window, reaching out their arms towards us to hold their chocolate-covered hands. For a few moments Coco and I both hesitated, and then put our arms out to shake their hands. They invited us inside, and we learned that this was their school. It was one room, with a blackboard at the front and rows of desks filling the rest of the room. Posters were hung on the walls with English words for foods, animals, and other common vocabulary. We decided to teach them a song, and eventually everyone was singing and dancing to the Hokey Pokey. Then, they tried to teach us one of their traditional Maasai songs, but because of the foreign sounds in their language, to their amusement we sounded nothing like them.

Later I wandered to the back of the classroom. Sitting on a desk was an open shipment box filled with pre-packaged sustainable foods like the hot chocolate mix and other basics like oats and rice. I examined the box and found the billing address: it was from the non-profit organization “Feed My Starving Children” of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was shocked when I saw this—as I had volunteered there a few times while in elementary school making pre-packaged meals, with no knowledge of where or even if the meals were making an impact someplace in the world. Before this moment, like many of you, I had never believed much in the effectiveness of volunteer organizations and doubted the kind of impact it was possible for them to have. Now, years later,

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Service Learning Trips | Kenya seeing in this particular schoolhouse in a remote Maasai village the contributions from an organization based close to my home made me realize that international service, though seemingly insignificant from our limited perspective, actually makes a difference.

To all of you who have the same preconceptions that I did before going to Kenya, I understand how helping one school seems insignificant in the grand scheme of problems Africa faces. But what I learned from the trip that day is that our work is not insignificant. Education is Africa’s number-one need for solving any of the problems that it faces. Many of us probably assume the goal of international service is to find solutions, but in fact that isn’t what these countries need. What they need is the education to solve their own problems and become independent. As a goal, this sounds far too vast to be feasible, but it can be accomplished bit by bit through projects like the Kenya trip.

For me, our service was not in our construction project, because we recognize that it is impractical to try to urbanize Kenya with our bare hands. But rather our impact lay in the relationships that we built with the children and people of Oloika. Through these, we were able to encourage them to pursue education and to believe that their goals are not unreachable. Everyone who went on the Kenya trip is graduating this year with the exception of Zach, Coco, and me. We encourage everyone to take the initiative and consider coming to Kenya or Tanzania this summer. The trip will open up your eyes and show you that your service can make an impact.

For me, our service was not in our construction project, because we recognize that it is impractical to try to urbanize Kenya with our bare hands.

But rather our impact lay in the relationships that we built with the children and people of Oloika. Through these, we were able to encourage them to pursue education and to believe that their goals are not unreachable.

Formmates Zachary Nicol ’11 and Hannah Kessler lay bricks at the site.

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Service Learning Trips | Peru

Reflections on a second visit to

PERU

Jane Bang ’10

Every aspect of the trip was new to me. I found myself in the Sacred Valley surrounded by the Andes mountains, and the landscape enchanted me completely. I lived with a home stay family with whom I shared neither a common language nor a similar lifestyle.

W

hen I sat at my computer reading about the service project, or when I began to pack in the middle of the summer, or even when I set foot in Ollantaytambo for the first time, there was no way I could have known how the Peru trip would end up. The only way for me to find out was to experience it.

I first went to Peru during the summer before Fifth Form. Every aspect of the trip was new to me. I found myself in the Sacred Valley surrounded by the Andes mountains, and the landscape enchanted me completely. I lived with a home stay family with whom I shared neither a common language nor a similar lifestyle. Senora Panchita, my home stay mother, taught me how to make bread in the oven built into her home and helped me hand wash my clothes and laughed kindly whenever I attempted to speak Spanish. Last but definitely not least, I had never before worked on a service project like the Tierra de Niños.

Not only was it very demanding physically (we shoveled, pick-axed, lifted, etc.), but it gave me the feeling that I was really making a contribution to the community of Ollantaytambo, which I had grown to love.

We built the Children’s Land to help empower the town’s younger generation.

By giving local children responsibility over the land, the park would help them bring positive changes to their own community. Immersing ourselves in the service was the best way for us to start thinking globally.

This past summer, I decided to return to Peru. I missed Ollantaytambo, and I wanted to help continue and solidify the project that we had begun the year before. Even though I stayed with a new home stay family when I returned, Senora Pancita still remembered who I was, and she still introduced me to her friends around town as her daughter. The little kids at the school where we worked recognized me and screamed “Juanita!” as they climbed all over me. It made me feel like I was able to make a lasting impact on the community, no matter how small. I hope that I was able to give a little bit back to everyone there, because they gave so much to me.

Opposite: Jane Bang ’10 receives construction materials from Hannah Reeve ’11, as they work to refurbish a school garden in the village of Ollantaytambo, Peru. Photo by Cindy Beams

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CHINA

an introduction through music, language and service.

Brantley Turner-Bradley ’94

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Walter Hawes '10 (wearing the cap) and Brian Uhm '10 are greeted by students at The Dandelion School, Daxing District, Beijing.

Shalini Trivedi '11 (left), Emily Caldwell '10, and KC Hambleton ’11 (right) perform at Zhong He Primary School, Anhui Province.

The Groton Orchestra performs at The Shanghai Children's Palace, Luwan District, Shanghai. Proceeds from the performance benefited Zhong He Primary School, Zhong He Village, Anhui Province.

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his past June, I had the extraordinary opportunity to combine two of my greatest passions, China and Groton, on a trip for a group composed of the chamber orchestra, a jazz combo, soloists, and students studying Mandarin. Organized in partnership with Christopher Borg, director of instrumental music, and Naichi Shih, Chinese instructor, the trip’s itinerary was designed around the theme “music as a universal language” and realized through music-based service learning projects in both urban and rural performance settings.

Through musical activities and sightseeing, Groton students engaged directly with the people and places they encountered on China’s main streets and back roads. Groton’s Mandarin students had the opportunity to use their Chinese as project facilitators and to serve as liaisons between the musicians and the local communities. The experience challenged students to think critically as they began to form their impressions of China and define their responsibilities as engaged and informed global citizens.

As a Groton alumna, I had a rare and wonderful opportunity to connect with current students and get to know Groton from their perspective, 15 years after my own graduation. I was impressed by their poise, maturity, and intelligence. As a school, Groton has evolved considerably since my time as a student. I never imagined I would someday lead a trip to China or hear a student orchestra from Groton perform.

Watching the trip participants share their music and use their Mandarin to interact with the people we met, I was proud of them and proud to share an alma mater.

I was also impressed by the way students handled difficult cultural situations as opportunities to reflect and redefine their own values. Current Sixth Former Emily Caldwell gave a Chapel Talk detailing a decision she faced during our visit to Zhong He Primary School when a Chinese student presented her with a red scarf as a gift. The scarf, worn today in schools in lieu of a school uniform, historically represented the red pioneers responsible for destruction during the Cultural Revolution. Emily struggled to decide whether or not to accept the gift: “In the end, I wore the scarf. … I was taken aback and, for a minute, had no clue how to handle the situation. It was, I think, the type of situation for which you really can’t be prepared. Whether we realize it or not, we are all here to prepare ourselves for the future and its challenges.” Her thought process highlighted a central goal of the trip: to create a safe environment in which experiences can challenge students’ beliefs and increase their ability to navigate culturally unfamiliar situations.

As the trip demonstrated, experiencing another culture is one of the most powerful ways to learn more, not only about people different from you, but also about yourself.

Learning what other people take for granted and consider important lets you step outside of your own experience and see your cultural values and identity in a new

Service Learning Trips | China light. It was with these ideas in mind that I founded the educational travel business, China Prep, four years ago. I believed then, as I do now, that it is vitally important for people to be exposed to China now, and that our common interest in the future makes deeper understanding and respect between Americans and Chinese critical to our mutual success.

When choosing how best to prepare a young adult for the world, we can continue to refine curriculum, pedagogy, and school environment. These things go a long way toward giving our students the tools they need to succeed. But at the end of the day, there is no substitute for leaving the classroom behind and experiencing first-hand what it is like to live in a different culture. In moving forward to achieve the goal of integrating global issues, service, and leadership into Groton’s curriculum and culture, Groton’s embrace of study abroad provides that opportunity at a crucial time in an adolescent’s development. Offering a service component adds another dimension to this transformative experience by allowing students to engage with a community at a level beyond that of an observing tourist. With the speed of access to information increasing daily, it is important to go out into the world and qualify the information at our fingertips. As alumni, we should continue to be supportive of Groton’s efforts to expand these opportunities for all students. 





To view trip blog and pictures log on to http://www.chinaprep.com/grotonschoolblog/

In order to make the trip participation need-blind for eligible students, China Prep matched the percentage of financial aid for all students that currently received aid from Groton and made additional funds available for families that requested assistance.

The Groton group posed with Students from Zhong He Primary School, outside the school in Zhong He Village, Anhui Province.

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The China Factor in Pakistan

By Ziad Haider ’99 Reprinted from The Far Eastern Economic Review ©2009 Review Publishing Company Limited.

All rights reserved.

P

akistan today confronts two key security challenges: a lethal Taliban insurgency and volatile nuclear relations with India. Although international attention has focused on the Obama administration’s policies to address these challenges, the limits of American resources and influence in Pakistan require other states to collaboratively play a larger role. As Pakistan’s “all-weather” friend and neighbor, China has historically enjoyed widespread credibility in Pakistan and has vital interests at stake there. Both factors could enable it to advance stability in Pakistan.

Sino-Pakistan relations naturally split into four phases. The first spans the establishment of diplomatic ties from 1951 to the middle of the decade. Pakistan was the third non-Communist state and first Muslim state to recognize the isolated People’s Republic.

Relations cooled in the late 1950s, as Pakistan repeatedly voted with the United States to postpone a vote on seating China in the United Nations. The 1962 Sino-India border war proved the turning point. The following year, Pakistan signed a landmark boundary agreement with China recognizing Chinese control over portions of the disputed Kashmir territory. The fourth phase of relations began in the 1990s. Since then, the militant backlash in China following the Soviet-Afghan war, particularly in the Xinjiang region, together with the post-Cold War thaw in Beijing’s relations with New Delhi, have tested the economically weak yet politically robust Sino-Pakistan relationship.

The Uighur Factor

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hina’s counterterrorism concerns stem from its restive western Xinjiang region bordering northwest Pakistan. Xinjiang is home to nearly 9 million Uighurs, a Muslim people of Turkic origin, among whom separatist sentiment has historically run high. In the 1980s, hundreds of Uighurs crossed into Pakistan, enrolled in radical madrassas, or religious schools, and fought the Soviets in Afghanistan. Upon returning to Xinjiang via Pakistan, they joined violent Uighur nationalist groups, even as the majority of Uighurs agitated peacefully. Although there is no evidence that Islamabad supported these groups, Uighur fighters benefited from the militant infrastructure established on Pakistani soil. The ensuing strain was clear: China halted renewal of land-based trade agreements, periodically closed down the symbolic Karakoram Highway that links the countries, and lodged strong protests with Pakistan’s Interior Ministry. China’s fears were compounded with the rise of the Taliban in the mid-1990s.

The Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan recruited Uighurs from Pakistani madrassas. Chinese authorities have claimed more than 1,000 Uighurs fought in Afghanistan with the Taliban and al Qaeda. In 2002, Pakistan handed over 22 Uighurs

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The China Factor in Pakistan to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Yet the acquittal of all 22 Uighurs from Guantanamo Bay has underscored human rights concerns over their repatriation to China (five have been resettled in Albania and four in Bermuda, with talks underway to settle up to nine of the remaining thirteen in Palau). Post 9/11, these concerns seem to be wellfounded. For China has capitalized on the “global war on terror” rubric to launch a “strike hard” campaign in Xinjiang with mass arrests, summary sentencing and executions. These actions have led experts to claim that China has inflated the Uighur threat to consolidate control in Xinjiang. Nonetheless, Pakistani cooperation has remained forthcoming, with Pakistani authorities closing down Uighur settlements, handing over Uighurs to their Chinese counterparts, and expressing public support for Chinese policies in Xinjiang, most recently following the clashes in Urumqi in July, 2009.

Today, the Sino-Pakistan counterterrorism challenge has an internal and external dimension. Internally, China has identified the Uighur East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) as its principal terrorist threat. The U.S. claims ETIM has links to al Qaeda and the U.N. has labeled it a terrorist organization. While Pakistani forces killed ETIM founder, Hasan Mahsum, in 2003 in South Waziristan, ETIM continues to plot and conduct attacks such as the alleged killing of 16 Chinese border police four days before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, ETIM’s new head, Memetiming Memeti, is a member of al Qaeda’s Shura Council.

The external dimension of the counterterrorism challenge relates to the safety of the over 10,000 Chinese workers in Pakistan who staff 60 different companies and contribute to 122 major development projects. From the Gwadar Port in Baluchistan in 2004 and the Gomal Zam Dam in South Waziristan in 2006 to the Swat Valley in 2007, Chinese workers have been targeted and even killed. There is little evidence that ETIM has conducted these attacks. A more plausible explanation is ethnic Baluch or Taliban retaliation against the government for perceived historical injustices and military offensives. In May 2009, the Pakistani government, keen to assuage Chinese concerns, established a high-level committee headed by the National Crisis Management Cell Director-General to ensure enhanced security for Chinese workers.

China remains alarmed by the ETIM-related threat emanating from Pakistan even though the roots of its “Uighur problem” lie in its repressive policies. Sino-Pakistan counterterrorism cooperation has continued through the signing of agreements, information sharing, joint drills such as the Friendship 2006 exercise and the handing over of militants. For the moment, China will quietly apply pressure on Pakistan to act while maintaining public solidarity but this discretion may depend on whether attacks in China remain small-scale and whether steps are taken to protect Chinese citizens and prevent the use of Pakistani soil by alleged Uighur militants.

Ziad Haider '99 has served as a foreign policy advisor to U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd; and during the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns, he was on the South Asia advisory teams of Senator John Kerry and Senator Barack Obama.

The India Factor

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ndia has long underpinned strong Sino-Pakistan relations. This was not always the case and has arguably diminished since the end of the Cold War. The evolution of China’s position on the Kashmir dispute since the 1950s reflects its changing relations with India, its views on regional stability and its global posture.

During the 1950s, China’s Asian solidarity rhetoric and India’s “Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai (“India and China are brothers”) slogan led China to condemn the imperial powers responsible for the Kashmir dispute and to call for its settlement outside the “U.S.-controlled UN.” However, as Sino-India ties deteriorated, the 1960s and 1970s marked a radical tilt in Chinese policy. China’s explicit ultimatums to India during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war are telling reflections of this shift. Through its statements, the Chinese linked the Sino-Indian and Sino-Pakistan border issues. By invoking the specter of intervention, China was perceived to have helped bring about a cease-fire, generating enduring Quarterly Winter 2010

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... despite China’s increasing political neutrality, military sales to Pakistan for regional balance of power and commercial purposes will strain Sino-Indian relations ...

public goodwill in Pakistan. China’s gradual opening and modernization in the 1980s led to a new phase of pragmatism and passive neutrality. A brief disruption in this relative harmony followed India’s 1998 nuclear tests and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s claim, in a letter to U.S. President Bill Clinton, that China was the reason for India’s testing. Nonetheless, progress was made in creating a mechanism to address the border dispute and in deepening economic relations. Perhaps most indicative of the change in tone was China’s advising Pakistan to de-escalate during the Kargil crisis in 1999, in contrast to its aggressive support in prior crises.

Today, the relationship has entered yet another phase in which China is arguably “actively neutral” on the Kashmir dispute. The most compelling evidence of this emerges from its response to the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. China not only refrained from blocking the UN blacklisting of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (Lashkar-e-Taiba’s current incarnation) but its vice foreign minister also engaged in unprecedented shuttle diplomacy to defuse tensions following the attacks. Indeed, China’s success in recasting its role as a neutral intermediary has been reflected in official statements by both India and Pakistan. Its more calibrated position, as articulated by Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei, was to “encourage both sides to find a way out through dialogue and consultation.”

A host of factors may account for China’s emerging active neutrality. China wants to preserve stability in a volatile region so it can pursue its own economic growth. With the Sino-Indian trade volume seven times that between China and Pakistan, China has clear economic interests in a Sino-Indian rapprochement. In addition, China’s counterterrorism concerns are linked to the broader militancy infrastructure in Pakistan that has partly flowed from its policy of using militant proxies against India in Kashmir. As one senior Pakistani military official privately stated, China has never been in favor of Pakistan’s “military adventurism” in Kashmir. Moreover, China also desires to be seen as a responsible global power, shouldering its share of the diplomatic burden as part of its peaceful rise.

Looking ahead, China seems likely to remain politically neutral on Indo-Pakistan relations. It may actively intervene diplomatically during crises but will continue to call for a bilateral resolution to the Kashmir dispute. Pakistan will thus have to recalibrate its expectations of China and understand that, consistent with its changing regional and global role, China’s position on Kashmir will be less one-sided. China is, however, unlikely to expend much political capital on pressuring Pakistan to cut off Kashmir and India-oriented militant groups, as they do not in themselves threaten the Chinese.

As such, Sino-Pakistan ties will irk India as India perceives Chinese “tolerance” of antiIndian militancy from Pakistani soil. Moreover, despite China’s increasing political neutrality, military sales to Pakistan for regional balance of power and commercial purposes will strain Sino-Indian relations, as will the longstanding Sino-Indian border dispute that has flared up in recent weeks.

The China Factor Evening study in the McCormick Library.

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I

n order to evaluate China’s potential role in tackling Pakistan’s counterterrorism challenge and stabilizing Indo-Pak relations, it is important to first examine the nature of Chinese “leverage” in Pakistan. According to the 2009 Pew Global Attitudes Survey, 80% of Pakistanis view China as a partner (only 9% view the U.S. similarly). China’s clout stems from its historic support for Pakistan vis-à-vis India and the perception that it is a non- intrusive and non-exploitative ally. The latter is linked not just to China’s softer diplomatic rhetoric but also its aid strategy. Although Chinese assistance to Pakistan over the years has paled in comparison to U.S. aid, it has made more of an impact with few strings attached. It has focused on long-term financing and large infrastructure projects instead of direct economic aid that is often squandered by

The China Factor in Pakistan the leadership or on the ground. Just last month, both countries signed a $1 billion accord to construct twelve dams in Pakistan. From power plants to highways, Chinese aid has built lasting symbols of friendship with clear public dividend. As such, there is an increasing recognition within the international community that China can significantly contribute to the global effort to stabilize Pakistan. This was evident in April when Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, visited China “to share views on the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

Turning to the counterterrorism challenge, militant safe havens in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) pose a lethal threat to Pakistan and, transitively, to China.

“We will contribute to [Pakistan’s] stabilization,” said Hu Shisheng, a South Asia expert at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations. “A stable Pakistan is essential for building a stable Xinjiang. A disintegrated or dismantled Pakistan will be a disaster for us.”

China has the unique opportunity to leverage its goodwill across the Pakistani political spectrum to generate support for a robust counterterrorism policy. One way in which China can bolster Pakistan’s capacity to combat domestic militancy is through its economic policies in the tribal belt. China could, for example, increase investment in development and energy projects in FATA as a means to undercut Taliban recruitment of impoverished and uneducated youth. Security concerns, however, pose a major challenge to such endeavors, as reflected by China’s recent decision to suspend construction of Pakistan’s largest oil refinery in Baluchistan.

China also has an effective track record in overseas civilian policing. Using its experience in Haiti and East Timor, it could increase training programs for Pakistani police and counterinsurgency units to complement the $280 million in scanning equipment for law enforcement agencies already pledged. At a diplomatic level, China could host a Friends of Pakistan meeting, demonstrating its regional leadership and commitment to Pakistan’s long-term stability.

Any such endeavor, however, faces a number of obstacles. First, China’s primary concern is the ETIM, not the broader array of militant groups operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It may not be willing to push a broader set of targets, squander its political capital, and risk retaliation. Making such a distinction, however, would be shortsighted because the geographical focus of regional groups has the marked capacity to evolve. The evolution of Lashkar-e-Taiba is a good example of this, as seen in the targets and tactics of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Indeed, a noted Lashkar publication entitled, “Why Are We Waging Jihad?” specifically references the plight of Muslims in China. A second obstacle is China’s wariness of American presence in the region. On May 8, Lou Zhaohui, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, publicly stated that China was “concerned over increasing U.S. influence in the region” and that, “[U.S.] policies and the high number of foreign forces were “issues of serious concern for China.” In terms of the Indo-Pakistan dynamic that shapes Pakistan’s counterterrorism and force posture, Sino-American collaboration may be an important part of the solution for stabilizing South Asia. Building on its shuttle diplomacy after the Mumbai attacks, China and the U.S. could jointly engage in regional crisis management, as recently noted by former U.S. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. The coordinated Sino-American response to Pakistani requests for aid last year, diverting it to the IMF, is a potential precedent for such collaboration. China could also use its political capital to help refocus the Pakistani army away from India and towards combating extremism.

On Kashmir, however, China will likely avoid playing an overt or active role in terms of facilitating a settlement. Ideologically, China’s policy of non-intrusion, particularly in light of its “separatist” concerns in Tibet and Xinjiang, precludes such engagement. Moreover, Indian sensitivities regarding China’s possession of disputed portions of the Kashmir territory will further limit Chinese engagement. Nonetheless, tackling

Fifth Formers Michael Cho, Dale Adams and Connor Robinson sing “Blue Bottles” at 2008 School birthday dinner.

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China remains on the sidelines with little clarity as to what concrete role it might play in the region.

the Indo-Pakistan dynamic is crucial. Attempts will continually be made to disrupt the relationship through terrorism. This will place intense pressure on New Delhi to react militarily, even if only symbolically, with dire regional consequences. The conclusion of the Indian election paves the way for resuming back-channel talks on Kashmir that made great strides under the Musharraf regime but that have been on hold since his resignation and the Mumbai attacks. Their resumption may well be helped by thirdparty encouragement including from China.

To tackle such sensitive yet critical issues, China may want to operate within a larger diplomatic consensus. President Barack Obama called for creating just such a consensus in a speech on March 28, 2009 that unveiled his administration’s new “AfPak” strategy: “Together with the U.N., we will forge a new Contact Group for Afghanistan and Pakistan that brings together all who should have a stake in the security of the region—our NATO allies and other partners, but also the Central Asian states, the Gulf nations and Iran, Russia, India and China.” Such a Contact Group may help facilitate meaningful Chinese involvement in the region. In light of existing envoys to the region from the U.S, the U.K., France, Japan and Germany among others, China’s appointment of a Special Envoy for Pakistan, Zhou Gang, is a welcome step in enhancing policy visibility and coordination.

Since establishing diplomatic relations 59 years ago, Sino-Pakistan ties remain firm despite China’s evolving relations with India and counterterrorism concerns. Yet, as Pakistan confronts its twin challenges, China remains on the sidelines with little clarity as to what concrete role it might play in the region. Indicative of this is a February 23, 2009 op-ed in the China Daily by President Asif Ali Zardari: “As Pakistan grapples with the threat of terrorism, China can help in this area too…

Indeed terrorists have specifically targeted some of our Chinese friends who were working in Pakistan to drive a wedge between the two countries and peoples. The sacrifice of these Chinese citizens for Pakistan’s cause is an abiding reminder to us Pakistanis of China’s friendship with our country.”

The op-ed fails to mention the specific role China may play in helping Pakistan address its security challenges. It sharply contrasts with the myriad appeals for aid, equipment and diplomatic support to Washington made by President Zardari in U.S. media outlets. Despite this, China can and must do more in bolstering Pakistani will and capacity on the counterterrorism front and in advancing regional stability. China’s all-weather friendship demands it, as does its national interests. 





Ziad Haider ’99 is a candidate for a master’s of public administration and doctorate of law at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and the Georgetown University Law Center. As a research analyst at the Henry L. Stimson Center’s South Asia Program, he worked on nuclear risk reduction and counter-terrorism efforts. Ziad has published extensively on South Asia security issues, his works appearing in Asian Survey, The Far Eastern Economic Review, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, YaleGlobal Online Magazine, Daily Times (Lahore), and Indian Express (New Delhi).

Opposite: The Circle in wheat, the student body moves to the Schoolhouse after chapel c. 1915.

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Grotoniana | All Things Groton

Happy 125th Birthday Groton S cho o l

Grotoniana | All Things Groton

John P. Nagler ’03 125th Birthday Address

St. John’s Chapel 15 October 2009

Lindsay Commons, John Conner and Rebecca Stanton walk to the School’s birthday dinner.

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hank you, Mr. Commons, for that wonderful introduction. It is an honor to speak at Groton, especially on the School’s 125th birthday.

When you think about what sets Groton apart from other schools, it is easy to point to our long distinguished history, our illustrious graduates, and our high-minded ideals. But we are hardly the only school that has been around for more than a century, or can count presidents among its alumni, or alludes to service and character in its Latin motto. It is not that we shouldn’t be proud of those things; rather, I don’t think those characteristics best distinguish a Groton education.

I’ve been lucky enough to know Groton as a student, as the brother of students, as a graduate, as an amateur historian of the School, and as a faculty intern. What I’ve learned by wearing so many Groton hats is that our School’s old-fashioned values make it strong. It is not that we are out of date; old-fashioned means that we have long valued a few basic principles more common yesterday than today. Remarkably, the same was true when Groton opened its doors in 1884. Imagine that: Groton, the infant School, old-fashioned in 1884.

I think that is what gave Groton immediate appeal from the start, in spite of the fact that Endicott Peabody, the School’s 26-year-old founder, had almost no experience as a school teacher and none as a school administrator. Parents instinctively trusted Peabody’s school with their children for the same reasons your parents trust Groton with you. I would like to share a few anecdotes in an effort to identify those reasons, those founding, old-fashioned values. I think you will find them easier to grasp than our lofty ideals. I think you will find them more common in your everyday experience. You may even recognize them as the reasons why you chose to attend Groton. And I think you will agree they fundamentally define your education as they have for generations of Grotonians.

Though far bigger than it once was, Groton remains a small, family-oriented school.

No different from 1884, we are expected to do everything together: eat, pray, sing, think, eat, exercise, eat, study and sleep. Breaking from the rigid customs of his contemporaries, Peabody stressed intimacy between masters and students. “The old idea that the master is the enemy of the boy instead of the friend … I hope is no longer in our minds,” said the Rector in 1884. Like our current headmaster, faculty, and their families, Peabody and his wife, Fannie, became the surrogate parents to all of their students.

The headmaster and his wife knew every boy by name, knew a great deal about each lad, his family and his activities, and bid goodnight to every student, every night. How little has changed, and yet, how unique an experience, especially today.

Just think how well your teachers know you as a whole person, and have helped make you whole. Mr. Brown showed me the ways of cabinetmakers and piqued my interest in school history; Mr. Tulp taught me far more than just Latin; Madame Myers taught me to sew and act; Mr. Crowley tried to teach me how to sing; Mr. Lyons taught me to skate backwards and a thing or two about history; Mrs. Sen-Das read my poetry, Mr. Black advised and fed me—I could go on for days. Is this communal life not old-fashioned?

How many of your pals eat a sit-down meal together and converse with their families each week, if they have dinner together at all? Do their parents even know them as well as your teachers know you? Communal life was a luxury for many families in 1884, and it remains a luxury today.

Happy 125th Birthday The idea that teachers and students should be friends fundamentally defines relations on this campus. Not always, but with great frequency. Our continuous and close interaction with Groton’s adults fosters a unique sense of responsibility. I used to shake my head at Groton’s idea of responsibility since my day-school friends seemed to have so much more freedom. They could drive, they were free on weekends, they seemed to have everything we could only dream of during ten to twelve. Freedom and responsibility are two different things, however, and my Groton friends and I were held accountable in ways that most of my friends from home were not. When you have to look teachers in the eyes on your way to Chapel, in class, at lunch, on the playing fields and before you go to bed, no actions or words are insignificant.

Accountability has defined the relationship between Groton students and teachers since the School’s earliest days. In an environment this small, it is unavoidable. Here’s Ellery Sedgwick, Form of 1890 and later editor of The Atlantic Monthly for 30 years, describing personal accountability during Peabody’s era: “I do not believe any boy, however crooked his tongue, however deep his sins below the surface, ever lied face to face with the Rector. There was instinctive comprehensive understanding about him.

He never spied, but he always knew, and you knew he knew.”

The burden of trust, of telling the truth, of showing up on time, in short, the burden of accountability because your teachers know who you are and you know who they are, is a blessing in disguise. For when you can be trusted with little matters, you will be trusted with great responsibility.

Members of the Fifth Form sing “Blue Bottles” led by faculty member Betsy Lawrence ’82.

AP Latin students bring a toga theme to the birthday dinner celebrations.

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Grotoniana | All Things Groton

Brooks House and drive in the early 1920’s.

Consider what a mockery our digital age has made of old-fashioned human interaction, exactly the type of interaction that fosters a sense of personal responsibility. Is it not paradoxical that we’ve never been more accessible yet never harder to reach? In our age, where bunkmates IM each other to turn out the lights, where kids would rather play Wii golf with Tiger Woods than ride bikes with each other, where last minute text-message excuses are standard, Groton asks for something more. Groton asks for simple courage and commitment. Take my dad’s favorite Peabody tale as an example, taken from the 1888 Grotonian he set aside for me last week in the Gardner Room.

Endicott Peabody stands with wife Fannie in front of their campus home c. 1941.

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At the beginning of this term the Debating Society gave promise of great success, the fellows took hold with a will and seemed interested and enthusiastic, but each boy’s enthusiasm and interest gradually gave way as his turn to speak came round, and a good many fellows resigned. The result was that the Debating Society was left with only eight members, and most of these were discouraged and disappointed.

So Mr. Peabody told the School that, as being able to stand on one’s feet and speak, was such an important part of one’s education, every boy in the upper forms, who did not belong to the Debating Society, would have to declaim once every three weeks before the whole School This had a magical effect, and immediately every one was only too anxious to join.

Happy 125th Birthday

Above: Aerial view of the Groton Circle around 1919. Below: The Groton Circle in 2008.

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The School, faculty and students, in the fall of 1884.

Chapel construction with incomplete tower c 1899.

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The simple lesson is taking responsibility for your actions. That is the whole point of living in close quarters with your entire high school, including faculty. Not so you can hide behind an email or iPhone, but so you can engage one another. In this digital day and age, the boarding school proposition is crazy and yet so wonderful.

The best thing about writing my senior thesis on Peabody and Groton was getting to engage with some of the School’s oldest graduates who had actually been Peabody’s students. It was the most tangible way to touch a bygone era without being at Groton.

John Lawrence, Form of 1927 and longtime head of the Board of Trustees, regaled me with story after story of life at Groton under Peabody. Plenty had changed since the twenties.

“So, where do you go to school?” he asked.

“Brown University,” I replied.

“Oh, Brown, that is a fine school. But in my day nobody went to Brown. Everybody went to Harvard and Yale. Why, if you sent a boy to Princeton, you’d break his mother’s hearrrrrt.”

As we continued to talk, I realized that while college admissions may have changed, the most important qualities of a Groton education remained the same. Consider this illustrative Peabody vignette.

After graduating from Harvard and spending a year living in Europe in the early 1930s, Lawrence returned to Groton for a visit. After Chapel, Peabody cornered him on the stairs. “Well, Lawrence,” the old headmaster demanded, “what of your time in Europe?” Lawrence recalled mumbling something about the economic depression and political turbulence. At the mention of Hitler, Peabody cut him off. “I’ve heard of this Hitler. He sounds like a dictator. And let me tell you something, Mr. Lawrence. I thoroughly disapprove of dictators except at Groton School!” Peabody promptly turned, clicked his heels, and left Lawrence wondering what he had meant.

If Peabody was a dictator, he was a benevolent dictator with a sense of humor.

Another better-known story proves my point.

Happy 125th Birthday At some point during Peabody’s tenure—you will have to ask Mr. Brown exactly when—a group of sixth formers approached Mr. Peabody and asked if they could have a Saturday night dance with girls. A double-whammy.

“A dance? With girls?” You can imagine Peabody’s disgust.

“Yes, sir,” the boys replied.

The headmaster sent them away for a spell so he could think their request over When they returned, he had an answer.

“You may have your dance all right,” he said, “but no girls!”

I have to believe Peabody grinned in satisfaction as they dragged their feet out of his office.

One of the best descriptions of Peabody’s sense of humor may be Henry Howe Richards’s, five years a schoolboy and forty-three an active master under Peabody. “I have never known a more tenderhearted man or one with a greater fund of natural sympathy,” summarized Richards. “And he had a keen sense of humor and a ready wit. … Altogether a most terrifying and lovable person. I loved him as I have loved few men, but I was always a little afraid of him, as were practically all masters and boys.”

As a student, I had a similar experience with Mr. Polk. After making a particularly asinine announcement at Roll Call, Mr. Polk pulled me aside from behind the arm with his infamous iron grip, reminding me to “go for the good laugh, not the cheap laugh.”

Notably, he didn’t ban laughing. Like Peabody, Mr. Polk understood how essential humor was to adolescence and education. As for Mr. Commons: well, I’ve heard that my youngest brother did a pretty mean imitation of the headmaster at Roll Call, and look, Tom’s still here, so you can be sure our current head also endorses the good laugh.

Turn on the boob-tube, however, and you will quickly see that wit is out and vulgarity is in. Thank goodness Groton hasn’t lost its way.

A sense of family, a sense of integrity, a sense of humor: these are Groton’s founding ideals. These old-fashioned values bond Groton students and faculty in the simplest yet most fulfilling ways. Of course, we are not the only school that honors these values—we just do a darn good job of it, and have for 125 years. And as long as we stay small, stand by our word, and look each other in the eye, we’ll be all right for another 125.

Thank you.

The dining room in Hundred House c 1895.

The School at full enrollment in the spring of 1885.

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Clockwise from top left: Two views of Brooks House, the original school building, c 1920’s.

The original Nine, Groton’s first varsity baseball team which included the Rector (in striped coat) at their 25th reunion. A Hundred House dorm in early 1900’s. 125th Birthday address author, John Nagler ’03, stands between former faculty Micheline and Warren Myers in photo taken in June of 2008. Endicott Peabody and wife Fannie in a photo taken in 1885.

Opposite page: Two newspaper clippings covering the visit of President Theodore Roosevelt to Groton Prize Day in May 1904. March 1942 photograph of Endicott Peabody taken while visiting President Franklin Roosevelt ’00 in Washington.

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Happy 125th Birthday

Grotoniana | All Things Groton

New FACULTY 2009–2010 The Quarterly asked the new faculty “What has surprised you or what have you enjoyed most in your early months at Groton?” Their responses follow below.

Drew Millikin

Frederic Cadeau

B.S., St. Michael’s College Director of Recent Graduate Relations

Licence LLCE, Matrise LLCE, Universite Catholique de l’Ouest Modern Languages Coming to Groton all the way from France has been a very exciting and enriching experience for me. I have discovered a new teaching environment where the school spirit is very strong and where the students show great interest and curiosity in whatever they are involved. The atmosphere is refreshing, and I really enjoy being part of it.

Matt Westman

B.A., Middlebury College French Intern In my short time at Groton, I have been struck by the community of the School.

Speaking with young alumni, they share with me that the friendships formed here on the Circle are friendships that last forever.

These special bonds, developed between students and each other and between students and faculty, are special and have confirmed for me that I made the right decision to come and work at Groton.

I enjoy sharing my passion for the French language and francophone culture with students every day. This fall, I have helped coach the girls varsity soccer team (who had a great season), and I look forward to working as the boys varsity basketball assistant coach in the winter.”

Katie Simon

B.A., Syracuse University, M.A. St. Bonaventure University English Intern I haves embraced the notion of being fully involved in life at Groton. I have such eager students who challenge me to teach to the best of my ability everyday, while the athletes I coach inspire me with their enthusiasm.

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All photos of new faculty are by Vaughn Winchell, Insight Studios except that of Mr. Millikin taken by Arthur Durity.

New Faculty

Carol Santos

B.S., University of Pennsylvania; M.Ed., Columbia University Assistant Head, Mathematics

I have been blown away by the maturity level and thoughtfulness of the students here at Groton. They are supportive of each other and seem genuinely happy.

My work in the admissions office has been very rewarding thus far. The families that visit Groton have been fascinating to speak with. I am really looking forward to working with the boys varsity hockey team this winter. I have enjoyed getting to know many of the players during the fall, and we are excited to hit the ice.

Danny Silverman B.S., Yale University Physics Intern

Fanny Vera de Viacava

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega University, B.A. Spanish On June 30th when I moved to Groton, my anticipation about actually working and living in this community was riddled with anxiety. Now my anticipation about what’s to come is filled with excitement as I collaborate with the faculty to realize the possibilities illuminated by the NEASC accreditation report and the School’s strategic plan.

Bill Riley

B.A., Colby College Assistant Director of Admission

I have most enjoyed getting to know the students and the ways they challenge me to be a better teacher. The students demand rigor and are not intimated to question the material, which often times leads to engaging classroom discussions, playing with and stretching concepts to the limit. In order to understand terminal velocity for example, I went skydiving because I felt that I needed to experience gravity and free fall, to really understand it and be able to teach the concepts. I’m glad I did it, but I probably won’t be doing it again.

We are very fortunate to live in a wonderful community here at Groton where we have found people who are really appreciative and interested to share their culture and learn about Peruvian heritage as well. I am learning a lot from everyone here.

I have an excellent department and my students are always willing to improve their performance in each class, making me grow and be better prepared.

Andrew Sheppe

B.A., Georgetown University Dorm Head I came to Groton after two years teaching and coaching in Virginia. It has been great getting to know the boys in the best dorm on campus. I am particularly encouraged by the students’ ability to remain current on world events, despite the Groton workload.

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FALL SPORTS Boys Cross Country | 13 – 3 ISL Champions, New England Division III Champions

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he boys cross country team finished another successful season with victories at the ISL and New England Division III Championships. At the ISL’s, the Groton boys edged out a powerful Belmont Hill team, whom we had lost to in a quad meet the first week of the season. The following week, Groton hosted the New England Championships, and in a driving rain, took home the first place plaque for the third consecutive season. Leading up to the championship races, Groton posted a dual meet record of 13 wins and 3 losses, its 13th consecutive winning season. Since 1997 the boy’s team has a combined dual meet record of 179 wins and 26 losses.

Led by All ISL senior co-captain Jamie Norton and All ISL runner Ted Leonhardt, the team enjoyed a strong dual meet season; among the highlights was a 23-34 win over perennial power, St. Paul’s. A strong group of returning runners reported in great shape, ready to work hard and improve upon a successful 2008 season.

Other key contributors to the team’s success were returning Fifth Formers, Josh Imhoff, Zander McClelland, Eric Smyth, Hans Trautlein, and James Wildasin along with new Fourth Former Harry Pearson. Sixth Form co-captain Austin Anton dealt with injuries most of the year, but remained a strong presence and a leader on the team.

Ted Leonhardt and Jamie Norton earned All ISL honors, and Josh Imhoff received honorable mention. By virtue of their top 15 finishes at the New England Championships Ted Leonhardt, Jamie Norton, Josh Imhoff, and Zander McClelland were named to the All New England team.

At the end of season banquet, the awards for Most Valuable and Most Improved went to Jamie Norton and Hans Trautlein, with the Coaches Award going to Mike Storace.

Co-captains for 2009 are: Josh Imhoff and Ted Leonhardt.

2009 All ISL runners co captain Jamie Norton ’10 and co captain elect Ted Leonhardt ’11 in the lead midway through the race versus Middlesex.

Girls Cross Country | 9 – 4 5th Place in ISL, 3rd Place in New England Division III

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Varsity boys cross country begin their race against Middlesex.

his was a wonderful and interesting season. Given that the squad graduated a number of committed and talented Sixth Formers last June, the coaching staff imagined that this would be the quintessential “building year” during which a young team would struggle against a host of very strong ISL competitors. Now that the dust has settled on the season, it is stunning to look back and realize how this young team built at an increasingly rapid rate to become one of the strongest teams in the ISL and New England despite a modest start.

Student leadership was critical to the success. Jane Bang ’10 was, without a doubt, one of the most extraordinary captains the coaches have ever dealt with. She was able to lead the team with consistency and relentless energy even though she was not among the fastest runners—because she was clear and consistent in her expectation that what all kids did every day mattered deeply to the broader endeavor of which we all were a part.

The leadership didn’t stop there. In a sport where many Sixth Formers fade away when they are not finishing near the top, Georgie Brinkley, Emily Caldwell, Darden Calloway, Eliz Small, Anna Purcell, Julia Nestler, and Julia May were committed fully to being fully a part of this program, and their determined involvement was a critical example for the raft of underformers.

Faith Richardson ’11, in her second year on the squad, emerged as the strongest runner in the ISL and perhaps all of New England during the course of the season and posted an extraordinary 18:30 for 3.1 miles en route to winning individual honors at the ISL Championships. She was accompanied by an extraordinarily committed group of experienced underformers, including Julia Metzger, Charlotte Bullard-Davies, Janet Adeola, Rebecca Brown, Lena Horvath, Yoon Ahn, Diana Chen, Sonaali Aggarwal, India Dial. Joining them was an equally impressive group of new

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Fall sports photos taken by Vaughn Winchell, Insight Studios.

Fall Sports runners to the program, including Bridget Bousa, Sarah Brooks, CeCe Ho, AJ Jeon, Hannah Kessler, Molly Lyons, Emma Paine, and Ranfei Xu. At the end of the season, when the team finished 5th (and quite close to 3rd) at the ISL Championships and went on to finish 3rd at the New England Championships in an excellent performance on our home course, the top twelve runners were all underformers.

Such a strong showing by such a spirited group of underformers surely bodes well for even greater success in the future.

First Team All ISL Will Stankiewicz controls possession in Brooks game as Jack Rhinelander (#3) follows the play.

Varsity girls cross country starts out its race against St. Mark's and Milton on Parents Weekend.

Boys Varsity Soccer | 5 – 5 - 5

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hile the goal at the outset of the season for the Boys Varsity Soccer Program is always to finish well in the ISL and to qualify for post-season play, there were a number of aspects of this season that were particularly successful and noteworthy even though the team missed the aforementioned marks. The realignment of the schedule due do to the football schedule made for a challenging start to the season (away to St. George’s and Belmont Hill, and opening at home with Brooks), but the Zebras did well to remain competitive and were in the hunt after notching three ties against some of the most competitive teams in the league. An away loss to Rivers took a bit of the wind out of the sails, but the team soon righted the ship, posting an impressive win over Thayer and ties against both Middlesex and Nobles. After nine games, the team found itself with an odd 2-2-5 record, but still with a berth in the playoffs within its sights. The team went 3-3-0 over the remainder of the season, however, (including both disappointing efforts and exciting victories)—and while out of the playoff picture, the Zebras did retain a spot in the top half of the league table.

Perhaps the most interesting and telling aspect of this year’s squad is the fact that it played its most impressive and complete soccer against the top teams in the league. The squad’s record against the four teams who eventually qualified for post-season play was 2-1-1, and the coaches would quickly add that the team’s two best performances came in their away matches against Gummere Cup and Founder’s Bowl recipients BB&N and Roxbury Latin (first and second place, respectively), demonstrating that this year’s squad had the capacity to compete with the league’s finest teams.

Lastly, this year’s team earned the prestigious Blood Trophy, which was established in memory of a longtime stalwart member of the ISL coaching body, Marc Blood of Groton. This trophy is awarded to the team that, “in the opinion of the other ISL teams, best exemplified the spirit of the game of soccer through its enthusiasm, effort, sportsmanship, dignity, and competitiveness... a team that both earned your respect and was an enjoyable opponent.” We were awarded the Blood Trophy in 2003 and 2004, and it was a thrill to win it back then because we had turned a corner in our program and were beginning to establish ourselves in the league. This year feels very special as well because even though our record was not what we would have hoped at the outset of the season, I am very proud of the boys for competing with such class. Receiving this honor is a tremendous complement to our team and the mission of athletics at our school.

Next year’s Captains will be Matthew Hennrikus and Nils Martin All-ISL Nominations:

First team—Will Stankiewicz Second Team—Dan McCarthy and Jordan Washam Coaches Awards:

Most Valuable Player—Will Stankiewicz Most Improved Player Award—Jack Rhinelander Coaches’ Award—Scott Fronsdahl

2010 co captain elect Matthew Hennrikus ’11 executes a header while teammates Jordan ’10 Washam and Connor Mackenzie ’10 support the play.

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Grotoniana | All Things Groton Girls Varsity Soccer | 13-5-2 NEPSAC Class C Finalist

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fter an intense preseason week, the nineteen-member girls varsity soccer team came together for its first official meeting to discuss its goals for the season. The response was unanimous—advance past the first round of the NEPSAC tournament. And with that declaration, the team was off and running. The Zebras jumped out to a convincing 5-0 record through the first two weeks, which gave them a great deal of confidence as they entered ISL play. In one of the toughest leagues for girls soccer in New England, Groton went 6-4-2 against league opponents. This record included a huge win over Middlesex and the first win in recent memory over Governor’s. When the St. Mark’s game was rained out, the girls got up early Sunday morning to play the game and came away with a 2-0 win.

Within hours of this victory, the team found out it had been awarded the number one seed in the NEPSAC Class C tournament. Groton faced Rye Country Day School in the first round and posted a convincing 3-1 win. With that victory, the team accomplished the season’s primary goal. It had advanced further than any other Groton girls soccer team. Up next was St. Luke’s from New Canaan, Connecticut. Groton travelled to Worcester for this game and with the spirited support of students and faculty, came away with a 2-0 victory and the first ever appearance in the NEPSAC tournament finals. The next day, Groton faced what has become a post-season rival of sorts—Brewster Academy.

Having lost to Brewster in the first round of the tournament two years in a row, the Zebras were excited to finally face this team in the championship game. The first forty minutes were a backand forth-affair, with both teams finding good scoring chances.

Groton scored to open the second half, but the Brewster squad fought back and came away with a 2-1 win. Though disappointed, the girls were proud of their second place finish, which marked the best girls soccer season in Groton history. And they were equally proud of the two busloads of students who came to cheer them on during exam week.

Defender Madeleine Hicks ’10 clears ball in NEPSAC semifinal game as teammate Nicole Fronsdahl ’13 looks on.

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Kaitlyn Peterson ’12 scores in NEPSAC semifinal game as Michela Mastrullo ’11 assists.

Led by six sixth formers, including Captains Amelia Barnett, Abigail Lincoln and Paige McDonald, this team was one of the most hard-working, spirited groups that Groton soccer has ever seen. Though our sixth formers will be missed, Amelia, Abigail, Paige, Courtney Fogarty, Madeline Hicks, and Margo White have helped lay a foundation of success that we look to build upon next year.

All-ISL: Adrianna Pulford ’10 All ISL Honorable Mention: Amelia Barnett ’09, Michela

Mastrullo ’10, Nicole Fronsdahl ’11

Groton Varsity Field Hockey 2009 | 5 - 11 - 1 “In the end, there is a beginning.”

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hat will always be remembered by every player, coach, and fan connected to this team is the memorable finish to our season at our St. Mark’s Day contest. Because of monsoonlike conditions, the game was played at 9/11 Memorial Park in Southborough on a turf field. Our girls rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the second half (definitely buoyed by the arrival of the fans from the football game) to score two goals and tie the game at the end of regulation. As darkness enveloped the field, we played one 10 minute, 7 v. 7 overtime. It looked like St. Mark’s might score on a penalty stroke, but our goalie, Kaly Spilhaus stood strong.

We moved the ball into our attacking end of the field, and on the stick of Third Former, Maeve McMahon, scored the winning goal. The fans rushed the field, and the team celebrated an electric victory. Every member of the team played that day; everyone played to her maximum capacity; everyone wanted to win for the love of the game. In that ending, of heart, desire, effort, and

Fall Sports belief is a great foundation to build upon for next season. While we graduate six seniors, we will return an experienced, athletic nucleus of underclassmen, especially returning starters Haley LaddLuthringshauser, Ashlin Dolan, Maeve McMahon, Talia Simon, Gracie Villa, K.C. Hambleton, Olivia Bono, and Kaly Spilhaus.

Rounding out the group will be returning players Thea Johnson, Katherine Gracey, Whitney Hartmeyer, and Brooke Moore.

We had terrific leadership and inspiration from our senior captains this fall, Grace Bukawyn, Bryn Garrity, and Jennessa Battaini. So fitting that on her final game on our home field Grace scored what proved to be the game winning goal in a 3-2 contest versus then unbeaten Southfield! The rest of the senior class, Coco Minot, Beth McKie, and Liza MacEachern brought good energy, enthusiasm, and fun to our practices and games. They will be missed! We were fortunate to receive excellent help on the sidelines from Maggie Florence, who came to Groton on her days off to lend her expertise and love of the game to the team.

This team improved tremendously in terms of their stick skills and knowledge of the game. We loved our chances to play on turf—that surface makes all the difference in this sport. We competed as intensely and passionately as any other team in the ISL, and lost some hard fought battles in close contests to teams at the top of the league. Testimony to our love of the game and pride in representing Groton School is our receipt of the Dolly Howard Sportsmanship Award, the ISL Sportsmanship Award voted by ISL coaches each Fall.

Other end of season honors: Most Improved: K.C. Hambleton Coaches’ Award: Gracie Villa Most Valuable Player: Maeve McMahon ISL All League First Team: Maeve McMahon Co-Captains Elect: K. C. Hambleton and Whitney Hartmeyer

Whitney Hartmeyer ’11 drives as Olivia Bono ’13 backs her up in the Nobles game.

Maeve McMahon ’13 advances the ball in the Nobles game.

Varsity Football 2009 | 3 - 5

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he 2009 Groton Varsity Football team finished the season with a record of 3-5 for the third year in a row. This year saw a change in the schedule that created more parity throughout the ISL and allowed for a better balance in the league. Groton played its most competitive schedule in recent years, and despite low numbers and several key injuries during the season, this year’s team found considerable success on the field.

The successes were built on a strong sense of teamwork and camaraderie, with players supporting each other on and off the field, and successfully finding an effective balance between hard work and fun. Once again, the team began the season with a contest against archrival St. George’s and played with a level of discipline that underscored the confidence that they had in each other. From the first offensive snap, it was clear that they had the determination and talent to achieve much. The 34-16 win returned the Clark-Congleton cup to Groton for the first time since 2005. The cup honors long-time coaches Porky Clark at St. George’s and Jake Congleton from Groton, who epitomized the role of coaches as mentors and leaders.

Team confidence soared during that first game, and our boys knew they could compete with any team in the ISL. Over the course of the season Groton put up strong statistics: the defense had 4 interceptions, a fumble recovery and 810 team tackles for the year, allowing the fewest points scored in the last several seasons. The interceptions were shared by: Tanner Keefe ’10, Alex Machikas ’11, Adam Lamont ’12 and Joe Macdonald ’12. Will Stemberg ’10 was the leading tackler on the team with an impressive 109 total tackles for the season. Mike Cassidy ’10, Drew Daigneault ’10 and Trevor Bossi ’12 also played outstanding defense this season combining for over 170 tackles. Our improved ’09 defense made Groton more competitive throughout the season.

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Grotoniana | All Things Groton quarter. St. Mark’s, however, refused to give in and responded, scoring midway through the 4th quarter to narrow the score to 21-20. The final minutes of this game came down to outstanding defensive play, forcing the Lions to turn the ball over on downs with only two minutes to play, which allowed Groton to run out the clock and secure the victory.

The excitement surrounding the Groton / St. Mark’s game was unbelievable, with the student bodies and fans from both schools enduring the horrible weather conditions much of the day, watching and cheering loudly for their teams. Both teams played hard and gave the Groton fans what they wanted to see: an exciting game on a rainy fall day with the Groton Zebras prevailing in a hard fought battle. This was a game that the sixth form players will never forget, and it will inspire the younger players for years to come.

Relying on Sixth Form players who have played together since their Third Form year, working in a talented group of Fourth and Fifth formers, the 2009 team embraced the spirit of Groton Football. They played for each other, trusted their teammates and pushed themselves to achieve more.

Quarterback Bret Frongillo ’10 cuts back versus St. Paul’s.

First Team All-ISL: Drew Daigneault ’10, Brett Frongillo ’10 and

Tanner Keefe ’10 On offense, Groton was one of the most productive teams in the ISL. The team’s total offensive production was 2,711 yards, 1496 yards from passing and 1215 yards from rushing. Third year starting quarterback Brett Frongillo ’10 had an outstanding year throwing for 1334 yards on 99 completions, while rushing for a team-leading 765 yards on 104 carries. Brett threw ten touchdown passes and rushed for eight touchdowns. Bubba Scott ’11 rushed for three touchdowns and carried the ball for 260 yards. Tanner Keefe ’10 caught 52 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns, Drew Daigneault caught 37 passes for 651 yards and three touchdowns.

All four were among the leaders in the league statistically.

The heart and soul of the Groton offense were the FOOL’s (Fraternal Order of Offensive Linemen) whose solid play all season enabled Groton to be competitive and put up the outstanding numbers which characterized the team. Center Robert Black ’10, guards Jonathon Rodriquez ’10 and Alex Gregoire ’10 and tackles Tom Nagler ’10 and Charles Boutet ’10 provided Brett with the protection he needed for the passing game and created the openings in the line so important for the running attack.

The season ended with a hard fought battle against rival St. Mark’s, played after torrential rains had left the field a quagmire.

The atmosphere surrounding this game was electric, with our fans making a day of it, despite the rain which fell for most of the afternoon. Ankle-deep mud on the field made the play of the defense critical to our success. St. Marks established their strength early, taking advantage of Groton mistakes and leaving the Zebras trailing at the end of the first quarter 12-0. The Groton team refused to give any ground and responded with a second quarter touchdown, which left the score 12 – 7 at half time. The Groton captains exhorted their team during the brief halftime and Groton quickly added two more touchdowns to take the lead in the third

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Honorable Mention All-ISL: Charles-Eric Boutet ’10, Jonathon Rodriguez ’10 and Will Stemberg ’10 Team Awards:

Charles Alexander Award—Will Stemberg ’10 Most Improved Player—Alex Machikas ’11 Coach’s Choice Award—Charles-Eric Boutet ’10 Most Valuable Player—Brett Frongillo ’10 Captains Elect for 2010: Alex Machikas ’11, Ward “Bubba” Scott ’11, Patrick Florence ’12, and Adam Lamont ’12

Tanner Keefe ’10 receives one of his seven passes in the St. Paul’s game.

New Releases

New releases Andrew Piper ’91

Dreaming in Books The Making of the Bibliographic Imagination in the Romantic Age August 2009 University of Chicago Press

A

ndrew Piper’s exploration of the bibliographic imaginary deftly interweaves book history, media theory, visual studies, and textual interpretation. His critical voice is at once erudite and enthusiastic, his method both descriptive and allegorical. With remarkable intellectual agility, he moves from the center to the periphery of the canon, from literature (in the inherited sense of the term) to science to scholarship, and from past to present.

—David E. Wellbery, University of Chicago

Hunter Lewis ’65

Where Keynes Went Wrong And Why World Governments Keep Creating Inflation, Bubbles and Busts September 2009 Axios Press

W

hen the world financial system failed in 2008, world governments used a playbook devised by famed British economist John Maynard Keynes. But should we be relying so completely on Keynes? If Keynes is wrong, then so are the economic policies of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and virtually all world governments today. Where Keynes Went Wrong addresses critical questions in a lively, stimulating, and transparently clear style.

—National Review, December 2009

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Grotoniana | All Things Groton Melissa Galt ’79

Celebrate Your Life!

The Art of Celebrating Every Day January 2008

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his is a powerful guidebook of great ways to celebrate your life and start on the path to achieving your dreams. Celebrate Your Life is all about living your dreams today, not just wishing for them in the future.

Melissa and I share this teaching and belief in the power of dreams and that it is up to each of us to make them come true.

—Marcia Wieder, America’s Dream Coach, San Francisco, CA

Stephen W. McNamee ’96

The Ostrich: A Tale of Flightless Adventure October 2009 From the author's web site. he most hilarious humble narrator ever! “The Ostrich” is a unique, expertly executed, storytelling experience that will make the Qistone Trilogy a favorite for all-ages. I mean, I’m a 31 year old man, and I just read an entire book about a 12-year old girl, and I enjoyed it, ALOT. “The Ostrich” has the most hilarious narrator ever. His ever witty tangents, and non-sequiturs keep the laughs flowing as you follow the well constructed tale of pre-adolescent adventure, danger and intrigue. I look forward to seeing the remaining pieces of this trilogy. What’s more, I look forward to seeing the big screen special effects that will allow an Ostrich to travel at over 200 miles per hour with a love-struck tween on his back. Give this one a whirl, Mr. McNamee is at the precipice of a literary dynasty. J.K., watch your back!

—Tony Ducret ’96

T

John Sedgwick ’72

Sex, Love and Money Revenge and Ruin in the World of High-Stakes Divorce Gerald Nissenbaum, J.D., with John Sedgwick February 2010

C

rackling with hardboiled patter and insider goods, Sex, Love and Money transforms the business of divorce into the stuff of pulp fiction, low farce and grand tragedy. A detective, legal wonk and father confessor, Gerald Nissenbaum, along with co-author John Sedgwick, offers an exuberant expose that shuns cynicism in favor of bemusement, empathy and a giddy celebration of man's tenacity and capacity for folly.

—Molly Abott, Edgar Award-winning author of Queenpin and Bury Me Deep.

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Groton School 2009–2010 Annual Fund

cui servire est regnare

“We want Blue Bottles,” chanted the Form of 2010 on October 15, 2009

In honor of Groton's 125th birthday, please consider a gift to the Annual Fund.

All gifts help the School to continue the tradition of providing an outstanding education to its students.

On May 14 and 15, 2010, come help Groton celebrate this milestone event, its 125th year.

To make a gift or complete a pledge, please go to www.groton.org and click on Giving to Groton; send a check to the Annual Fund, Groton School, P.O. Box 991, Groton, MA 01450; or call the Development Office at 800-396-6866 to make a gift of securities.

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Grotoniana | All Things Groton

ALUMNI NEWS GWN

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he Groton Women’s Network continues its tradition of offering a varied slate of events to Groton community members. City chairs throughout the country have hosted and helped with community service, celebratory, and social gatherings, bringing together more than 150 alumnae, parents, grandparents, and friends to connect and re-connect with each other.

In honor of the School’s 125th birthday, many GWN city chairs helped GSAA representatives plan and co-host the city celebrations with tasks such as finding a location, relearning the words and the tune to Blue Bottles, and joining in the fun on October 15. Since then, the GWN has hosted several other social events, including the first-ever Fairfield-Westchester region cocktail party. Ann Bakewell Woodward ’86 and Sarah Stillman Fitzgerald ’95, city chairs of this new GWN area, decided that a festive holiday gathering would be a great way to introduce themselves and the GWN to alumnae and to

mothers and grandmothers of current and past students. One of the hostesses’ goals was to garner interest for possible events such as a cooking class at a local restaurant and ideas for a community service outing.

Merrill Stubbs ’95 is thrilled with the energy Ann and Sarah are bringing to this new GWN area. “For some time, Fairfield/ Westchester has been an enthusiastic satellite of the New York GWN, so it’s great that they’re finally having their own local events,” she says. “We’re looking forward to the perspectives that Ann and Sarah will bring to the group.”

Events focused on an activity were chosen by both the Boston and New York city chairs. Boston representatives Sarah DiMare Atwood ’93, Mary Murphy ’95, and Christine Baharozian P’10, ’12, planned an early October Mt. Monadnock hike for a Saturday morning.

Unfortunately, with torrential downpours the day of the hike, the weather did not cooperate, so the city chairs had to cancel.

“Enthusiasm for this athletic outing was

GWN Fairfield–Westchester county holiday cheer event brought alumnae, mothers and grandmothers of current students together.

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so great, and we were sad to cancel it. We are definitely planning this event for next fall,” said Christine, who noted that both alumnae and mothers of current students were eager to enjoy nature, some exercise, and each other’s company, and then return to the Circle to watch Groton teams play Brooks School. The New York team of Brooke McFerran Bancroft ’96, Jennifer Field ’97, and Christy Connor-Tanner ’87 opted to offer a children’s story-telling event in early December, hosted by Barefoot Books, an independent bookseller.

The stories were selected with young children in mind, but all were welcome to listen, do some holiday shopping, and spend time together, all within the warmth of FAO Schwarz.

Washington, D.C., City Chairs Katherine Trainor ’99 and Lauren Midon Huntley ’99 were excited by the turnout of fellow Grotties at the 125th and planned another opportunity to gather, this time for an early December community service event stuffing food baskets at Bread for the City, a homeless shelter that offers lowincome D.C. residents a holiday turkey with all the trimmings. In Boston, the city chairs hosted a community service gathering at On The Rise, a non-profit organization that helps women who are homeless or in crisis. This annual event is usually held before the holidays, but this year, recognizing the usual frantic pace of November and December, the city chairs moved it to February to allow more people the opportunity to join the group for a half day of work supporting the center.

More GWN events are in the works, including community service projects in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco; and other educational and social gatherings are slated for all of the GWN cities. To make sure you receive GWN event announcements or to learn how to get involved with GWN event planning in your own community, please contact Betsy Lawrence ’82 at blawrence@groton.org.

All Things Groton

GSAA

BREAD FOR THE CITY EVENT

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Washington, D.C. community service event coordinated by the GWN

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

F

acebook and Twitter were media buzzwords in 2009, and they were on the Circle as well as Groton went live with the Groton School Facebook fanpage and Twitterfeed.

In August, we created a fanpage on Facebook for Groton School, and in less than three months Groton’s fanpage had almost 1,000 fans. At Groton’s fanpage, you will find links to Groton specific events, news related to the School, its students, faculty and alumni.

Groton is also on Twitter now at http://www.twitter.com/GrotonSchool. Be sure to follow Groton School’s Twitterfeed for trivia, updates from the Circle, and photos of Groton’s students in action.

Not on Facebook or Twitter? You can still view all of the information that users of these two social media sites are able to see. To become a fan of Groton School, or if you just want to see what’s happening on campus, direct your web browser to http://www.facebook.com/GrotonSchool. Visit our Twitterfeed as well at http://www.twitter.com/GrotonSchool, and check back often for updates from the Circle!

TM

he GSAA had Groton on its mind as alumni around the country celebrated the School’s 125th birthday.

At Clerys in Boston, the mother-son duo of Elisa Anderson ’79, P ’04, ’06, ’08, ’10 and Sam Anderson ’04 led Groton alumni from the Form of 1962 all the way up to the Form of 2004 in the birthday celebration. The group shared many stories and memories of their time on the Circle.

In New York City, Brooke Bancroft ’96 chose the perfect venue at The Perfect Pint. Corey Binns ’95 welcomed the strong alumni turnout. The mood was festive with a number of zebra ties, birthday hats, party favors, and a raucous singing of Blue Bottles. No word if anyone had a carving knife.

On a dark, windy, rainy night in Washington D.C., Will Houston ’87, Lauren Huntley ’99 and Katherine Trainor ’99 welcomed alumni in from the weather at Veritas Wine Bar. The group enjoyed conversation and camaraderie and shared hopes of holding more events in the area.

Alumni on the West Coast celebrated Groton’s 125 years as well. In San Francisco, Teebie Bunn Saunders ’94 secured the festive Bubble Lounge for the occasion, and Amy Atkinson ’79 led more than 20 alumni in a champagne toast, accompanied by a delicious birthday cake (see table of contents center photo.) Further south in L.A., another dozen or so alumni gathered. Among them were Whitney Gosden ’99, Sarah Clark ’99, and Ben Pyne ’77, who was in town on business. Together they raised their glasses to the School, wishing it a pleasant 125th birthday and many more.

Plans are in the works for more GSAA events in 2010. Look for a professional networking event this winter as well as a golf outing this spring. More details will follow.

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FRANK H. WHITE ’51

1 August 29, 1932 – September 6, 2009 A Remembrance by William E. Chauncey ’51

M

y first encounter with Frank White was on a beautiful September afternoon in the fall of 1946. My parents had just dropped me off at Groton School for the beginning of my first fall term. I joined a few boys who were playing touch football just outside Hundred House. Frank was the best player in this little group of footballers.

He was quick, fast, and played the game with intensity, but what impressed me most was how he could run. In the years that followed both at Groton and at Harvard, where we roomed together for four years, I saw Frank run quite a lot. Frank loved running. He ran on roads, he ran through the woods, and I think he would have run between his classes at Harvard had it not been for his briefcase bulging with books and papers.

Junie O’Brien told me that when he and Frank worked together summers at Camp Keewadin, Frank would carry a canoe from one lake to another and then run back to get another one. Running for Frank was a way of challenging himself, and Frank loved challenges.

Being prepared was always important to Frank, and he led by example. As football captain in our senior year at Groton, he set the bar high. What he could do, many of us could not. I have a vivid memory of the pre-season football camp he arranged for just 12 of us. Frank arrived at this camp in superb condition. During morning and afternoon sessions, we did calisthenics and more calisthenics. And, of course, we ran and we ran and we ran. Our team had very little depth and nearly all of us were destined to play both offense and defense.

His plan was simple. This team was going to be in shape and prepared when we returned to school. And we were!

Frank had a passion for football, and he captained the undefeated, untied Groton team of 1950. He was the guts and inspiration of our team. Football is a team game, but individuals like Frank can make a huge difference. He was a

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quiet leader, but his work ethic, his fierce determination, and the way he played the game inspired us. He ran with power and with speed. His quickness and sure tackling made him a bulwark of our defense. The team broke three Groton records at that time. It scored the most points in a seven-game season; it scored at least four touchdowns a game; and it averaged 32 points a game. Larry Noble placed Frank on his “All Noble” team of the best players he coached in his 20 years at Groton.

Frank’s success wasn’t limited to the playing field, where he was a starter in three sports. He was elected Senior Prefect of our class. (Frank’s two brothers were also Senior Prefects, Peter in 1948 and Donald in 1953.) We were fortunate to have an able and caring formmate like Frank lead us as sixth formers. Frank was also among the top scholars of the class, graduating with honors and winning prizes in English and Art. At Harvard, Frank continued to be an outstanding student and athlete. He graduated magna cum laude, won a scholarship to study in Cambridge, England, for a year, and was elected one of the three marshals for the Class of 1955. He played football all four years, and threw a sensational pass in the waning minutes of the 1954 Yale game, which climaxed in a come-from-behind win for Harvard. In the year he studied at Cambridge University in England, he became an outstanding rugby player.

Throughout his life, Frank sought challenging job opportunities. In 1959, he chose to begin his teaching career in rural Vermont, teaching English to every student in the two schools in which he taught. He soon found the challenge was not just to teach but to inspire his students, many of whom had yet to experience a love for learning. This was exhausting work. He had an additional duty as the drama director, and one year he chose to put on a play based on Carnival of the Animals. This was a breakthrough. The play galvanized the students, who now saw learning could be fun.

In Memoriam I N

M E M O R I A M

The Groton eleven in 1950.

Frank White #45 is pictured at far left in back row.

Frank highly valued his years as a student at Groton, particularly for the disciplined environment and moral education. In 1963, Frank returned to Groton to teach English and to coach. He admired Jack and Mary Crocker and several faculty members who had been important to his personal growth and intellectual development, specifically Doc Irons, Junie O’Brien, and Jim Waugh.

Having returned to Groton, the real challenge came a few years later, when the Headmaster asked Frank to found and direct one of the first Upward Bound programs hosted by an independent school. Upward Bound was a governmentfunded program designed to help promising students of low income to attain a college education by giving them six-week residential sessions at Groton over the summer, followed by tutoring during the school year. Frank spent much of his time in the city of Lowell school system and housing projects interviewing and counseling students for the program. The challenges in this undertaking were curriculum development and teacher training, which involved Groton and Lowell teachers, as well as Groton faculty wives and students. Also, managing and motivating the students from Lowell while on the Groton campus proved more difficult than expected.

The positive impact of Upward Bound was to enable the Groton family to become more aware of poverty. It challenged teachers to examine their own teaching styles. It brought the first full-time black teachers to Groton, and brought urban students from a disadvantaged area into the school. After several years, Groton’s interest in Upward Bound began to wane. Frank then wrote a paper entitled, “The Courtyard or the Cloister,” advocating that Groton continue Upward Bound, which he believed exemplified the school’s motto, Cui Servire Est Regnare. Despite the success Upward Bound

was showing in helping its students attain a college education, Groton decided to end the program. In 1972, Frank decided to leave Groton.

Thompson Academy, a school located on Thompson’s Island in Boston Harbor, suffered a disastrous fire to its main school building in 1971. It was an old school that dated back to the days after the war of 1812, when it was established to educate orphans of the war. Throughout its history, it had helped the disadvantaged. In 1973, Frank was hired by the Trustees of Thompson Academy to find a new use for the school. Frank founded and directed the Thompson Island Educational Center. Its mission was to bring black and white students and their teachers from the city of Boston’s public middle and high schools together on Thompson Island for short-term programs in environmental studies, English classes, and an Outward Bound experience. Again, in this venture Frank encountered

Frank and Jean White at Holly Hill Farm.

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many challenges just as he had in establishing Upward Bound at Groton. These included establishing trust between the racially divided groups coming onto the island, developing curriculum, and raising money to keep the institution afloat.

Another significant challenge was how to operate the program on an island, accessed only by a ferry ride from South Boston, the very center for racial unrest in the city at this time. Under Frank’s leadership, the Thompson Island Educational Center succeeded in serving the Boston community and the public school system during troubled times. Hundreds of students and teachers had positive experiences working together and

learning more about the environment, developing trust and confidence from Outward Bound exercises, and from some of the activities of Groton’s Upward Bound, which Frank incorporated into the program. It was at this time that Frank identified, “…a career theme… that I was to cultivate and follow until I left the world of formal education in 1993.”

From hereon, Frank’s focus was on how adaptations of private school and “alternative” education models could best serve, not replace, public education. After 13 years, Frank left Thompson Island, but he continued to be involved in education for the next 10 years as the director of the Cambridge School Volunteers, where he helped to recruit, train, and support tutors for every public school in Cambridge.

In 1998, Frank and his wife, Jean, returned to Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset, where he had been born. There he and Jean

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took on the monumental task of creating an organic farm. In this setting Frank could combine his love of nature, animals, and the farm with his experiences in education. Jean and Frank raised vegetables, herbs, and flowers, which they sold at their own farm stand and at the Cohasset Farmers’ Market.

They created The Friends of Holly Hill Farm, a non-profit organization, to include an educational dimension in their work. Local school children were brought to Holly Hill Farm, where they learned about the living resources in the area and could see the farm, its barns, animals, machines, and equipment firsthand. Also, they could plant, harvest, and taste what they grew. Follow-up meetings of small groups of children allowed them to think more about what they had seen at the farm and what they had learned.

In addition, Frank and Jean worked with local school teachers to help them develop curricula for their schools. Some schools developed their own garden plots, and class work was made more meaningful by letting the students cook and eat what they had grown.

Frank found the work at Holly Hill Farm particularly satisfying, for it allowed him to work with Jean and his children and see other children learning about the living resources of the farm. Jean worked tirelessly with him. Their children, Jenny, Justin, and Emily, in spite of busy lives, added their labor to raising produce, clearing trails, erecting buildings, and managing computers to enable Holly Hill Farm to fulfill Frank’s and Jean’s dream of providing their community in the Cohasset area with resources for education and recreation.

Frank’s life was not all work. Frank said that the one constant in his life was the house he and Jean had built in Vermont many years ago. This was a special place for him and his family, and they traveled there as often as they could to enjoy times together. Frank also had a great interest in painting. His father was a gifted sculptor of animals, particularly of horses. While Frank was teaching at Groton, his colleague Jack Murray encouraged him to spend more time painting. Frank took his advice. In my visits to Cohasset, I have seen and admired his lovely watercolor landscapes.

Frank’s life was one of service to the less fortunate in our society; and like “the Good Samaritan,” he often extended his hand to individuals in desperate need. Frank’s sharp, quick mind always focused on what was right and just. Frank had many talents, and his life was the fulfillment of the saying, “unto whom much is given, much will be expected.” Frank shunned the limelight. What he did in life rarely received great publicity. He was a private person who lived life with dignity, love, and kindness.

In the recent movie Australia, there is a line which says, “In the end all you have is your own story.” Frank White’s life is a great story.

In Memoriam I N

M E M O R I A M

George E. Zink

1 A Remembrance

by Joseph C. Broyles, Science Faculty 1966-1977

G

eorge Zink hired me to teach biology in 1966, making him my “boss,” but he was also mentor and father figure; a philosopher, theologian, instigator or co-conspirator (some would, I am sure, add “gadfly”), nurturer, professional role model, exemplar of the examined life, and friend. I quickly came to view him as a Renaissance man, pursuing excellence in a range of interests that enriched his teaching, his colleagues, the School, his family, and his communities.

His interests were too many to list here, but the variety is revealing, ranging from fishing to photography to chemistry research (non-stoichiometry in metal hydrides). George was a mensch; a person of principle, high standards, boundless energy, talent, creativity, organization, and commitment to service.

He served Groton in numerous, significant ways including: Developing an outstanding science department, professional, convivial and cohesive; complete with our own informal “uniform”: Tyrolean work boots.

Increasing understanding of science. George wanted students to appreciate science not only as facts but also as process, by which those facts are won. In his open-ended laboratory unit “Get the red out of red cabbage,” nearly all would find more than one “right” way, while experiencing adventure and “failure”; and discovering concepts such as “acid” and “base.” Thus initiated, students were better prepared to engage with the Department’s more advanced courses that were second to none in academic rigor and content.

Broadening the curriculum to include geology; special topics such as ecology; and independent study projects.

Planning for and realizing a superb new science facility.

Initiating “capstone” courses: multi-departmental offerings for sixth formers, built around real-world issues such as food and land use planning.

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Establishing the Groton School Outdoor Club, some of whose outings visited what would become the Sandwich Range Wilderness in New Hampshire; and of which George Zink is the officially recognized Father.

Encouraging faculty to continue their education and to work on curriculum development.

For me, this latter was particularly important. With funding from the School, I took a year off to earn a master’s degree.

It was in many ways one of the most transformative years in my life. Upon returning to Groton, I changed how and what I taught. Eventually I headed a science department at a school in California. Its science curriculum soon resembled Groton’s, and its new science facility reflects its Groton ancestry!

George Zink typically nurtured other people or fostered causes while avoiding the limelight himself. He was a wellspring of ideas and a canny recruiter. For example, George organized the 1970-71 “Eco­-graphy” lecture series that featured such luminaries as landscape architect Ian McHarg, naturalist/ philosopher Euell Gibbons and anthropologist Margaret Mead.

Then, claiming I was more “plausible,” George ordained me host for the school lectures.

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Because he nurtured the higher instincts in so many others, George’s legacy of service will long continue to bear fruit. In the words of the old Christian hymn “Ora Labora” (Come Labor On): “Servant, …well done!”

In Memoriam I N

M E M O R I A M

John B. Fisher ’59, P’90,’92

1 September 27, 1940 – September 1, 2009

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his past September John Fisher, member of the Form of 1959, died after a long illness. Two members of his Form have written accounts of the services, one held on High Island near Guilford, Connecticut, and the other in Buffalo, New York. We include these accounts by Phil Tilney and Todd Sullivan in memory of their formmate, John.

John's family believes that his extraordinary commitment to serving others was rooted in his Groton experience and the School motto cui servire est regnare.

From Phil Tilney: On Saturday and Sunday [of Labor Day Weekend] there was the most delightful, impromptu memorial for John at his longtime summer hangout near Guilford, Connecticut. The “official” memorial [was held] in Buffalo on September 15.

In between New Haven and New London are The Thimble Islands, 25 inhabited pink granite islands poking out into Long Island Sound. They protect some lovely waters and it is a kayaker’s paradise. John sailed here since childhood, and in later years sailed and rowed his shell widely. His grandmother acquired the first of several family cottages, and a few years ago, John and Judy bought their own on the same island.

Last Friday afternoon, the same week John died, Judy Fisher and her kids, Will and Suzanne, and myriad relatives, were able to put together a memorial at the original cottage.

The first plan was to have a “few” people, relatives only, but word got out and soon there were dozens who volunteered food, drink, and solace. I was able to drive down from Maine and catch the 3 o’clock ferry to High Island—a small boat holding about a dozen people. One of John’s old friends from Buffalo is now a minister in New York. On the porch with a superb view, he said a few prayers, and gave a very short and moving homily, touching on the fact that for John, this had been a truly holy place and thus we were part of a holy family on this occasion. Perfect weather and a perfect sunset made the whole thing quite magical.

The next morning, many of the same group were able to gather on a Thimble Islands tour boat called the Sea Mist.

Judy provided a light breakfast for all and on the sunny upper deck, John’s son Will (an Episcopal minister) celebrated Holy Communion in a quiet cove John always aimed for when he rowed his shell among the islands. We cruised his favorite waters for about two hours, remembering John in our own

ways. Of course, the final irony occurred to everyone: of all of us, John would have loved it most. As the boat docked, a lone osprey swooped in front of us with a fish in its talons. The symbolism was delicious.

Great memories of John flowed over the two days. Although we had bumped into one another irregularly over the years (our kids went to Groton at roughly the same times), I was unaware of many of John’s accomplishments. John had a very tough time in the last five years, battling—and I use the word advisedly—a variety of serious physical challenges. But he fought back from them all, only giving in to his last serious decline. Miraculously, however, he was lucid enough at the last to make his own decision to let go. Throughout, of course, his wife, Judy, was an amazing tower of strength. I will miss him.

– Fig

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M E M O R I A M

Suzanne Fisher Fox '92 and William A. Fisher '90 with John and Judy.

From Todd Sullivan: I attended John Fisher’s memorial service at Trinity Church, Buffalo, on September 15. I was close enough geographically to go, and I was intrigued by the activities and accomplishments listed in John’s obituary. John was involved in many more things than we knew about, most of them connected with public service. While John’s obituary informed me of the things that John did, this memorial service (“A Celebration of John Fisher’s Life”) informed me of John’s character.

The memorial service was held in Trinity Church, a brownstone Episcopal Church in downtown Buffalo only a few blocks from Buffalo’s commercial center. Inside, its stained glass windows and dark woodwork reminded me of Groton’s Chapel. It was John’s spiritual home. I arrived early, was greeted warmly, and found just a few people inside. As the church gradually filled with John’s family, friends, and acquaintances, people greeted one another, shook hands, hugged, and talked in hushed voices—it was a different kind of reunion.

The service was a combination of music, singing, prayers, readings, poetry, and recollections, all woven through familiar elements of an Episcopal service, including communion. While all the elements of the service were carefully chosen, it was the personal testimonies and recollections of friends and family that illuminated John’s character most. Daughter Suzanne read her poem “Winter Hunt” about an unsuccessful but satisfying winter grouse hunt John had. Sylvia Nadler spoke about John’s involvement with Compass House, an emergency and resource center for homeless and runaway youth, and how John quietly removed the plaque honoring him that they insisted on hanging in a meeting room. His friend Fred Cohen talked about

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canoe trips to the Arctic, pick-up hockey games on bad ice and sailboat racing adventures and misadventures, including getting hung up by the shrouds on the outer buoy during a very windy race, and how John many times made the difference between success and failure, and never complained about the conditions.

Their anecdotes showed John to be multifaceted: a hockey player, sailboat racer, oarsman and crew coach, outdoorsman, hunter, canoeist and adventurer, a capella singer, husband, father, churchman, handyman. John’s character was most characterized by integrity and humility. He was a facilitator, a bridger of people and ideas who respected all people and heard out their opinions, had a preference for action, often led by example, tended to be long on thought and short on words, took reality in his stride and never complained.

Reverend Cameron Miller gave a homily that could have been titled “Reverence,” and ended it with thoughts about John’s influence—not his public influence, but all the things he did privately that we never saw—and reflected that the ripples from these things would affect the communities John touched for years and probably decades to come.

John was a good and consistent friend while I was at Groton. After we graduated, he went home to Buffalo and I to Portland, Oregon. I spoke with him at our 35th Reunion, and again at our 50th, both briefly. Now, I wish I had gotten to know him better, although I’m convinced that John never would have talked much about what he was doing. In the end, John’s life and character have inspired me, and I hope to use his life as a reminder and motivator to do a better job in mine.

– Todd

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Inaugural Groton School alumni voyage

Join retired faculty member Jake Congleton as well as fellow alumni on an expedition to the Galapagos October 15-24, 2010. Contact Drew Millikin at 978.448.7588 or dmillikin@groton.org for more information.

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After a 13-5-2 season, the varsity girls soccer team earned a number 1 seed in the class C flight of the New England Prep School Athletic Conference soccer tournament. The Groton girls advanced through three rounds, reaching the finals where they suffered a 2-1 loss to Brewster Academy.

After a 13-3 2009 season, its 13th consecutive winning season, the boys varsity cross country team went on to win both the Independent School League Championship and the New England Division III Cross Country Championships.

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