Groton School Quarterly, Winter 2011

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Groton School Quarterly

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Groton School Quarterly Winter 2011 | Vol. LXXIII, No. 1

Winter 2011 • Vol. LXXIII, No. 1

First snow of 2011 covers Brooks House.

Lessons & Carols 2010 Parents Weekend • Fall Performances • STEM Symposium • The 10X10 Project

7- 0 (25 Years later) The 1985 Varsity Football team returned to the Circle for St. Mark’s Weekend in November to celebrate and remember their undefeated season.

Winter 2011 | Vol. LXXIII, No. 1

Contents Circiter | Featured on Campus

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Parents Weekend

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Chip McDonald and Huao Hwang

Exhibits change at the de Menil and Brodigan Galleries

NEASC Visit and Report

By John M. Niles, Faculty, P’02

Former St. Mark’s coach Henry Large, retired Groton faculty and head football coach Jake Congelton, and Tom Gardner ’86 captain of the undefeated ’85 football team.

12 STEM Symposium

Gallery News

By Craig N. Gemmell, Faculty

16 Performing Arts

A Raisin in the Sun

Much Ado About Nothing

InFusion Dance

Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

23 Preparation Meets Opportunity

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Sean Dooley ’87 and Jake Congleton

A Chapel Talk by Orme W. Thompson ’11

25 Risk and the Black Swan

A Chapel Talk by Zoë M. Silverman ’11

27 Three Pranks and a Passion

A Chapel Talk by James A. Bundy ’77, P’09, ’12, Trustee

Front Row: Chip McDonald, Tom Gardner, Jake Congleton, John Jacobsson, Huao Hwang, Dave Tosatti. Back Row: Gat Caperton, Sean Dooley, Sean Delaney, Charlie Forbes, Brendan O’Malley. Missing: Charlie Alexander and Jon Choate

25 Front Cover: 2010 Lessons and Carols service in St. John’s Chapel.

Photo by Vaughn Winchell, Insight Studios.

Photos: Sarah Forbes ’86 and Kristen Dooley

Groton School Quarterly Extra Muros | Beyond the Circle

30 The 10 x 10 Project

by Cullen A. Coleman ’12

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Grotoniana | All Things Groton

36 Fall Sports

40 Alumni News

GWN / GSAA

In Memoriam | As We Remember

42 Roger F. Hooper ’35

43 Daniel P. Davison ’43

46 David H. Fairburn ’55

Notabilia | New & Noteworthy

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43

47 Form Notes 90 Marriages, New Arrivals, Deaths

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Groton School Quarterly

FROM THE EDITOR:

Winter 2011 | Vol. LXXIII, No. 1

Warm greetings and best wishes from Groton for 2011.

I

Vaughn Winchell

f you are a regular Quarterly reader, you will remember that in recent years the winter issue has reported on our student and faculty summer service learning trips. Three such trips took place in 2010, one to Peru, one to Kenya, and one to Tanzania, and although that program continues and programs in community service and global education are evolving here at Groton, in this winter issue we feature more campus-centered news and activity. Specifically, articles on the 10-year accreditation process and on curriculum research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (codeword: STEM), describe important developments that show where we are as a school and where we are headed in teaching and learning.

One responsibility I have had as communications director is fielding the requests from those of you interested in Groton’s archives. These requests have always led me to conversations with Doug Brown ’57, our School archivist, who has assisted me in responding, but often only after a wonderful meandering journey back in time, back into the history of Groton, its past students, faculty, and leadership.

Our conversations have broadened my appreciation of the School’s character, and helped my understanding of when important changes occurred and what drove them. This issue of the Quarterly marks an important time for the School as it plans strategically for its future, guided by its yearlong self-evaluation and the recommendations of the NEASC accrediting body, and as it begins to consider the new ideas for teaching and learning generated by the STEM research.

This winter issue of the Quarterly captures as many of the colorful fall events and activities held on campus as space would allow, and we highlight as well the significant accomplishments of both students and faculty. It also begins my fourth and final publishing cycle as editor. After 21 years wearing the hat of teacher, coach, advisor, admission director, and most recently communications director, I begin this July a sabbatical year, after which I will leave Groton. I shall continue in the field of education, advising independent schools on enrollment, admissions, and marketing strategies.

In the meantime, I look forward to the Quarterly issues we will publish this spring and summer, and I encourage our readership to continue submitting news as Form Notes or through reports, reviews, or articles of alumni activity beyond the Circle.

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John M. Niles, Editor Quarterly@Groton.org

Editor John M. Niles Graphic Design Jeanne Abboud Contributing Editors Julia B. Alling Elizabeth Wray Lawrence ’82 John D. MacEachern Andrew M. Millikin Melissa J. Ribaudo Amybeth Babeu Sim Photography All photography by Vaughn Winchell, Insight Studios 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.

Circiter | Featured on Campus

PARENTS WEEKEND Over the 2010 Parents Weekend, we enjoyed spectacular weather and a wonderful turnout of parents, as all but 12 families were able to make the trip to the Circle this past October. The weekend’s special programming included conferences for day parents on Thursday afternoon, Saturday meetings for international parents and the second annual meeting on college admission for fifth form parents. Approximately 2,300 parent-teacher conferences consumed the bulk of the morning hours both Friday and Saturday with athletic contests and arts performances filling the afternoon and evening on Saturday.

Parents WEEKEND 2010

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Clockwise from top left: Alison Clarkson and Oliver Goodenough ’71, P’08, ’12 enjoy Parents Weekend weather. Karen Hansen and Andrew Bundy ’71, P’07 stand with their son Evan ’12. Snapping a shot in the hall. Stephanie Cabot and Marcus Lovell-Smith, P’09, ’13 conference with English instructor, Sravani Sen-Das. Two families gather. From L to R: Allie Banwell with mother Carrie stand with Starling Irving ’13, Mr. and Mrs. Irving, and Rein ’15. Hannah Gain ’14 stands with her parents Mr. and Mrs. William Gain.

Fall color along the walk to the Dining Hall. Mark and Leslie Godridge P’15 discover Nicholas’ Schoolroom desk.

Parents Weekend photography by Tim Morse.

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Parents Weekend

Clockwise from top: Groton Zebras on a scoring drive versus BB&N. ChongSeong and SeonJeong Lee stand with their son Edward ’13. Kurt and Susanne Strater stand with their daughter, Christina ’12 and friend Molly Lyons ’12. Henri and Josaine Desir pose with their daughter Kriska ’15. Carolina Gallo and Erik Richer La Fleche stand with daughter Morgane ’11. Nicole Fronsdahl ’12 stands with her parents, Linda and Dwight Fronsdahl. The Hardej family L to R: Beth, Rachel ’15, Adam, and Adam ’13. Phipps and Daryln Hoffstot P’09, ’13 stand with daughter Maeve ’ 13 and friend.

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Circiter | Featured on Campus

Gallery News The de Menil Gallery WINTER

E xhibit

The Native American Story: The Photographs of Edward Curtis December 1-17, 2010 Curated by Meghan M. Burke ’11

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n 1899, the photographer Edward Curtis set out to document the culture of the North American Indian, which he believed to be perilously close to extinction. The project became his life’s work, extending over 40 years, during which he visited 80 Native American tribes living west of the Missouri while taking nearly 2,000 images. Beginning in 1907, the first volume of his 20-volume series began to appear.

Each volume was accompanied by a portfolio of sepia-toned photogravures.

The financier J. P. Morgan bankrolled Curtis’ endeavor. In exchange for his initial investment of $75,000 Morgan received 25 sets of the books and photogravures. Only 220 were ever printed. An early member of Groton School’s Board of Trustees, Morgan gave one set to the School library where it has resided ever since.

For this special exhibition, Groton senior Meghan Burke has selected over 50 of the photogravures, highlighting certain aspects of the overall collection (environment, dwellings, clothing, art and industries, religious ceremonies, etc.) and written the captions describing the subject of each image.

Curtis’ work has always been highly controversial. Even during his lifetime, he was criticized for posing Native American chiefs in anachronistic headdresses or posing his models in highly romanticized settings.

Curtis wanted to project an image of Native American life free from any taint of the dominant culture. Despite his benign intentions, Curtis was a major contributor to the myth that Native Americans had vanished from the North American continent, whereas many tribes continue to maintain a vibrant cultural life.

All shows at the de Menil Gallery are free and open to the public. “The Native American Story” was the exhibition at the de Menil Gallery from December 1-17. The gallery is open from 9 to 3 on weekdays (except Wednesdays) and 11 to 4 on weekends (except holiday weekends.)

The de Menil Gallery is located in the Dillon Art Center at Groton School a mile-and-a-half south of Groton Center on Rte. 111.

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Gallery News

Christopher Carey Brodigan Gallery WINTER

E xhibit

The Art of Peter Madden January 6 – February 26, 2011

Something in Everything: String, Staples, Stickers and Scraps; an interactive, site-specific installation of prints, books, and collections inspired by and fashioned from the detritus of everyday life.

Artist’s Statement:

M

y work is an ongoing, visual journal of everyday reflections, musings, obsessions, and memories. I don’t really see myself as an artist, but more as a diarist, inventor, biographer, exhibitionist, archivist, narrator, antenna.

Much of the content of my projects evolves from a desire to relate stories: histories, memories, dreams, and biographies. I tell these on a small scale appropriate to the intimate subject matter and the detail of the work. Even my larger constructions are composed of several smaller, individual components.

I work with the least promising materials: rusted metal, brown paper bags, rubbings, weathered wood, ash, old flowers. I’ve found that commonplace materials with a past life enrich my work with the mysteries they inherently carry. I enjoy the challenge of taking what we see everyday and reorganizing, transforming, and re-presenting it in a new light, in a manner that poetically charges it.

I often use the book format because it allows me to incorporate my interests in collage/assemblage, writing, photography, and moving pictures. Generated by a desire to reminisce, teach, preserve, and collect, most of my books fall into one of three basic categories: biographies, travel logs, and scrapbooks. For me they are a means of expressing admiration and postponing loss, whether of places, events, or individuals.

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

NEASC Visitation and Final Report

By John M. Niles, Director of Communications

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NEASC self-study coordinator John Conner

Put simply, if the process allowed an opportunity to see what might be done better, it also served to affirm all that was being done well.

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very 10 years, private schools and colleges in six geographical regions around the country undergo an accreditation process overseen by regional authorities. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) is the oldest of these six accrediting agencies in the United States, having been founded in 1885.

According to NEASC, “the evaluation program that the schools undergo is a threefold process: the self-study conducted by the school, the evaluation by the visiting committee, and the follow-up program carried out by the school to implement the findings of its own self-study (Self-Study Part II) and the valid recommendations of the visiting committee. The Commission on Independent Schools oversees the entire process.”

During the accreditation process, “each school is evaluated in terms of its compliance with the 15 Standards for Accreditation, the quality of its own self-study, and finally on how well it is serving the needs of students. Because each school is different, the base that under-girds the evaluation is the school’s own statement of mission and core values.”

The members of the Visiting Committee from The New England Association of Schools and Colleges arrived on campus Sunday, October 3 and were at work here through Wednesday, October 6. The NEASC report stated that, having received the School’s self-study and many other documents from Groton, “Committee members made a concerted effort to attend all aspects of school life: meals, Chapel, Roll Call, classes, meetings, athletic practices, dormitory study hall, etc. The committee also set as a goal contacting as many members of the adult community—faculty, administration and staff—as possible in a tight and busy visit. The committee remarked countless times how friendly, gracious, informal, and warm the community was—even as it was abundantly clear that Groton was a school of the highest standards of serious and high scholarship.”

The Committee’s final report goes into great detail reviewing the School’s self-study in each of 15 areas or standards, and it gives commendations and recommendations in each of the standards for the School to consider as it moves forward. Although space does not permit listing all their commenting, we include below analysis from the introduction and conclusion of the report.

NEASC From the introduction of the NEASC Committee Report: The visiting committee was deeply grateful to the entire Groton community, which welcomed each member with warmth and hospitality. The School was well prepared for the visit, every detail was considered, and faculty, staff, and students were wonderfully willing to give of their time.

The self-study process followed by Groton was a remarkably successful one, primarily because the Headmaster encouraged rigorous, comprehensive and honest questioning but also because the self-study coordinator [John Conner] led with great humor, persistence, and energy. Indeed, while Groton followed the typical “template” that has worked well for all schools, it also added pieces unique to the School: the metaphor of a tree of “Seven Branches,” empowering leaders as “Standard Bearers,” and a final section which included “Dreams.”

As an objective visiting body, the committee noted three points about the process and visit. First, the committee felt that Groton was an extraordinarily successful school, and like others of its ilk, it holds itself to the highest standards and was quite “tough on itself” in identifying shortcomings. Second, the process seemed to offer a kind of template for institutional dialogue on many matters: that is, the committee noted that the kind of carefully constructed inquiry, rigorous and respectful debate, and creative problem solving that occurred during the process could be extended into the future.

Third, the committee came away with the conviction that this was an extraordinary educational institution, with a strong and supportive board, an experienced and passionate Headmaster, an important and vital mission, a committed and caring faculty, talented and happy students, a beautiful and historic campus, and ample and well allocated resources. Put simply, if the process allowed an opportunity to see what might be done better, it also served to affirm all that was being done well. *** Borrowing a title from the final section of Groton’s self-study entitled “Reflection, Recommendations, and Issues for Further Discussion,” the visiting committee in concluding made the following remarks in part:

The members of the Visiting Committee: Willy MacMullen, Chair Headmaster The Taft School Watertown, CT Bill Philip, Assistant Chair Headmaster Westminster School Simsbury, CT John Gifford Assistant Head of School/ Middle School Head Noble and Greenough School Dedham, MA Shelley Nason Director of IT Phillips Exeter Academy Exeter, NH J. Thomas Woelper Assistant Head of School/ Dean of Studies Hotchkiss School Lakeville, CT Michael Wirtz Assistant Head of School/ Dean of Faculty St. Mark’s School Southborough, MA Constance Pierce French Teacher Tabor Academy Marion, MA Molly Pond History Teacher Loomis Chaffee School Windsor, CT Nancy Spencer Assistant Head Westminster School Simsbury, CT Jennifer Zaccara English Department Chair The Taft School Watertown, CT

2010-2011 faculty intern in history, Christopher Labosky.

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

During the accreditation process, “each school is evaluated in terms of its compliance with the 15 Standards for Accreditation, the quality of its own selfstudy, and finally on how well it is serving the needs of students.”

New Chaplain and Religion Department instructor, M. Beth Humphrey

Joining the Admission Office, Assistant Director of Admission, Jamison P. Hagerman

Observations/Conclusions

Moving from staff to faculty position in the Dean’s Office, Libby Petrosky P’12.

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If a self-study is successful, at the close of the process, school members will feel a mix of pride, fatigue, inspiration, and challenge; and visiting committee members clearly observed all this in the School. Groton undertook the self-study with enormous energy, courage, and persistence. It noted its many strengths, but it was even quicker to identify weaknesses and areas in need of improvement. At the time of this writing, the School did not have a specific action plan or rigid timetable, but this was seen as entirely appropriate, as preliminary thinking has already gone into a multi-year plan and in fact numerous steps have already been taken on issues raised in the self-study. There is work to be done, energy to accomplish it, and optimism about the future.

As it reads in the summary, “We are well-poised for growth and improvement in the years ahead.” The visiting committee left assured that the self-study had been a very productive exercise, hopeful that its own observations, commendations, and recommendations would be helpful in school improvement, and confident that the months and years ahead would see Groton seeking ways to become an even stronger school as it acted on its reflection, the various recommendations, and issues for further discussion.

Importantly, the visiting committee truly found itself affirming the self-study; the team saw areas where the School could grow and improve, but in every case, Groton has already noted these and in many, steps were already being taken. There were, in short, no surprises. Even as many of the issues were inevitably those that were the most complex—and indeed the ones with which all good schools are wrestling—the committee applauded the board and especially headmaster for creating a culture where dialogue, collaboration, and change were encouraged. If one recommendation from the self-study was that Groton “Keep the good spirit from this evaluation process alive in subsequent years,” the committee saw no reason to doubt that this could be the case. The rare combination of strong and experienced leadership, talented and passionate faculty, bright and gifted students, a lovely campus with first-rate facilities, ample resources, and most importantly a spirit of pride in the School bode well for Groton’s future.

NEASC Major Commendations 1. The visiting committee commends Groton School for the outstanding manner with which it approached the evaluation process, in a spirit of rigorous and honest institutional analysis made possible by the board, the Headmaster, and the coordinator, and undertaken with enormous commitment by the faculty, administration, and staff.

2. The visiting committee commends Groton School for the inspiring scholarship, compassion, and commitment of its faculty, administration and staff—in short, for the personal and professional quality of the adults who shape the community and culture.

3. The visiting committee commends Groton School for the entire student experience, beginning with the Chapel service each morning to the handshake at night, and all that happens in between.

4. The visiting committee commends Groton School for the Board’s governance philosophy, in particular its delegation of operations to the School’s leadership, its strategic planning and stewardship, and its supportive fiduciary role.

Joining the Dean’s Office in 2010-2011 as Associate Dean of Students, Stacey W. Low

Major Recommendations 1. The visiting committee recommends that Groton School vigorously continue its efforts to improve and implement a comprehensive, efficient, and practical faculty and administrative evaluation and professional development process that provides clear, regular, and timely feedback.

2. The visiting committee recommends that Groton School continue its efforts to examine and clarify administrative decision making and broaden the avenues of communication throughout the School.

3. The visiting committee recommends that Groton School seek ways to build on the momentum of the self-study and find ways to create and sustain a deep and nuanced institutional discussion on pedagogy, leveraging the collective experience within the gates as well as expertise outside.

2010 -2011 faculty intern in history, Rachelle D. Sam

Amy Martin Nelson joins the Classics Department in 2010-2011

Joining the Religion Department in 2010- 2011, Jonathan C. Page

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Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics at Groton

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by Craig N. Gemmell Science Instructor, Director of College Counseling

T

he past eight months have been particularly exciting for some on the Circle and beyond because we have been giving much attention to the present and future of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics— referred to collectively as STEM subjects.

This consideration has resulted in a great deal of work by an engaged group of students, faculty members, trustees, alumni, parents, and experts in the field.

Our work has been guided by Groton’s mission, which states that “Groton School is a diverse and intimate community devoted to inspiring lives of character, learning, leadership, and service,” and it has been clear to all involved that a solid grounding in STEM subjects has the capacity to shape powerfully the trajectory of all graduates.

Aspiring to integrate an emergent STEM program with the School’s broader mission, our STEM committee crafted a mission statement specifically to help direct current and future efforts. It reads: Groton endeavors to teach all students the scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematical skills, content, and habits of mind necessary to fulfill Groton’s mission in the 21st century. Groton also endeavors to inspire and prepare a subset of students for lives of leadership, teaching, and service within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.

Craig Gemmell

To act on this statement, we developed a methodology that leverages the talent in the entire Groton community as well as participates in the discourse of STEM education beyond the Circle.

Two focal meetings—the first in Groton and the second in New York City— occurred last spring and brought together enthusiastic groups of the broader Groton family to present progress and lay plans. Faculty members emerged from those meetings with clarity about the sort of questions to pursue, and five faculty teams took on five critical questions during the summer and early fall: 1. What are current STEM practices in high schools?

2. What are current STEM practices in colleges/universities?

3. What is the current thinking in cognitive science and pedagogy we need to consider in our study and program development?

4. What role do STEM subjects currently play in the lives of graduates?

5. What are the potential directions of STEM education?

Findings were presented at a well-attended STEM symposium in early November and were framed by a keynote speech by Dr. Jean Moon, senior scholar for education strategy and planning for the National Academy of Science. The voluble audience offered great insight into critical issues that we will face as we advance this effort in the coming months and years.

Through the course of our work, some tentative but nonetheless resonant truths have emerged, and these truths have shown us a way forward. First, working together, collaborating, quite literally laboring alongside one and another on complex subjects, Quarterly Winter 2011

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

And as we answer these questions thoughtfully and in keeping with the broader purpose of a Groton School education, we could be laying some of the groundwork for what a neoclassical education might look like in the 21st century.

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can be enjoyable and yield results quickly. Second, there is urgency to this work: the world needs more bright, compassionate, well-trained problem solvers, and a well-conceived and well-executed STEM program has the capacity to produce such adults. (Perhaps paradoxically, however, we need to take our time to ensure that we build this program correctly.) Third, Groton School has the capacity to play a disproportionately large role in imagining the future of STEM education nationally and internationally; and thus, this work is a means by which Groton can act powerfully on its own mission—leading and serving the wider educational community. Finally, and this last point is worth dwelling on for a moment, as we have met others who are asking similar questions about the future of STEM—people at high schools and colleges and people in internationally known foundations—it is clear that we are very much a part of a growing conversation, and many are quite interested in how Groton will answer these questions. And as we answer these questions thoughtfully and in keeping with the broader purpose of a Groton School education, we could be laying some of the groundwork for what a neoclassical education might look like in the 21st century.

If you have read Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point, you might be imagining that we could be poised at one of those rare tipping points here. There is much conversation to be had and much work to do in order to create the sort of program we need and want. And there is a role to play for all who are interested in this endeavor. As Gladwell reminds us at the close of his book: If there is difficulty and volatility in the world of the Tipping Point, there is a large measure of hopefulness as well. Merely by manipulating the size of a group, we can dramatically improve its receptivity to new ideas. By tinkering with the presentation of information, we can significantly improve its stickiness. Simply by finding and reaching those few special people who hold so much social power, we can shape the course of social epidemics. In the end, Tipping Points are a reaffirmation of the potential for change and the power of intelligent action.

Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place.

With the slightest push—in just the right place—it can be tipped.

STEM

Sandra Kelly, Ph.D., in the chemistry lab.

The list of social epidemics needing to be addressed is both long and troubling.

Visionary STEM education is a partial solution to these challenges. Groton is a place where students can be trained and compelled even more powerfully to work on behalf of others, and our task, thus far and moving forward, is to gain insight into what intelligent action we are to take to tip the balance.

To date, we have leveraged the curiosity and talents of a host of people here and elsewhere, and the calls and visits and conversations and emails have yielded an abundance of abstract insight about what right action looks like regarding the hydraheaded question of STEM at Groton. What to teach? Why? How? To whom? To what end? How do we measure progress? How do we understand broad trends? How do we contribute to the broader discourse? How can this small school effect a large change in underlying conditions for others, for the world?

As we move forward, we must continue our thinking in the abstract and also start decreasing our altitude from the stratosphere slowly down to ground level. To this end, we are in the process of populating seven new key research teams. Each will be considering one of seven interrelated questions:

What to teach? Why? How? To whom? To what end? How do we measure progress? How do we understand broad trends?

How do we contribute to the broader discourse?

How can this small school effect a large change in underlying conditions for others, for the world?

1. What developments in teaching and learning do we need to incorporate into our curricular design?

2. What will our requirements and thus our core courses look like?

3. What will our advanced courses look like?

4. How will our work in STEM integrate with the broader academic and nonacademic program at Groton?

5. How can we reach out to the broader world for grant money and further engage in partnerships and outreach?

6. What will an ideal facility to support this program look like?

7. How can we establish goals and measure progress as we develop and oversee the evolution of this emerging program?

The plan moving forward will be for pairs of team leaders to build “dream teams� of faculty, alumni, parents, trustees, and outside experts to answer these key questions from now at least until June 2011, when we hope to host another focal meeting. You can follow our progress at www.groton.org/stem, and please do contact me if you’d like to discuss our work to date or join in our efforts moving forward.

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Circiter | Featured on Campus

A

Raisin in the Sun

T

he theater program was extremely busy this fall with two fully produced performance weekends in the Robert and Charlotte Asen Theater. On November 5 and 6, Groton proudly presented A Raisin in the Sun, the critically acclaimed 1950s drama by AfricanAmerican playwright Lorraine Hansberry. The cast was led by theater program veterans Zach Nicol ’11 and Nya Holder ’12 (the dynamic duo at the center of last fall’s Pippin), Denia Viera ’12, and Malcolm Johnson ’12, and rounded out by several newcomers to the Groton stage, Ysis Tarter ’11, Michael Corkrum ’11, Andrew Ryu ’11, and Alexis Ciambotti ’14.

This was the first production of A Raisin in the Sun in Groton’s history, and it marks the School’s growing dedication to expanding cultural perspectives on campus. Director Laurie Sales confessed, “This was undoubtedly the most important piece of theater I have worked on in my entire career as an educator,” and she credits the students with “remarkable courage and drive to bring the words on the page to life.” Audiences received the gritty work of these fine young actors with instantaneous standing ovations at both performances.

Inset: Ruth Younger played by Ysis Tarter ‘11 talks with her son Travis, played by Jaden Cheeks.

Below: Ms Lidner played by Alexis Ciambotti ‘14 explains the Clybourne Park Improvement Association to Walter Lee Younger (Zach Nicol ‘11), Ruth Younger (Ysis Tarter ‘11), and Beneatha Younger (Denia Viera ‘12).

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A Raisin in the Sun

Clockwise from top left: Ysis Tater ‘11 as Ruth. Nya Holder ‘11 as Mama. Zach Nicol ‘11 as Walter with Mama and Travis in the foreground. Mama and Walter with Beneatha looking on. Beneatha and George Murchison, played by Malcolm Johnson ‘12.

Joseph Asagai, played by Mike Corkrum ‘11. Walter and Beneatha in the kitchen. Walter argues with Bobo, played by Andrew Ryu ‘11. Walter contends with Mama in the kitchen.

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Circiter | Featured on Campus

Much Ado About Nothing

W

ith Sarah Sullivan directing, Groton theater students also performed the classic Shakespeare comedy Much Ado About Nothing this fall.

In beautiful costumes that were designed and constructed by Zoë Silverman ’11, Marianna Gailus ’13 and Dan Rodriguez ’11 were delightful as Beatrice and Benedict, the witty couple who are almost too proud for their own good. George Prugh ’12 and Becca Gracey ’14 portrayed Claudio and Hero, the young lovers whose happiness is nearly ruined by the diabolical Don John (Cher Lei ’13) and his henchmen Borrachio (Andrew Ryu ’11) and Conrad (Alice Stites ’13, who put in overtime by playing five more roles: Balthasar, Friar, Watchman, Boy, and Messenger). Under the guidance of Leonato (Benjamin Ames ’12), nobleman Don Pedro (Taehoon Lee ’13) was able to right all wrongs. Also excellent in supporting roles were Brittani Taylor ’14 (Antonio), Starling Irving ’13 (Ursula), and Eliza Fairbrother ’12 (Margaret), who also served as assistant director. Leading the comic relief and making even the scene changes funny were Indira Cabrera ’12 (Dogberry), Malcolm Johnson ’12 (Verges), and Molly Belsky ’12, Ally Dick ’14, and Layla Varkey ’15, who played the absurd and beleaguered Watch.

Inset: Verges inspects The Watch. Bottom: “This looks not like a nuptual!”

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Much Ado About Nothing

Clockwise from top left: “Let him answer me.” Antonio challenges Claudio. (Don Pedro in background). Beatrice and Benedict at the masked dance. Dogberry—“I am a wise fellow...”. Leonato, Don Pedro, Claudio plotting against Benedict’s bachelorhood. Beatrice overhears Margaret, Hero and Ursula tell of Benedict’s affection.

Borachio tells Don John and Conrad his plan. “The Hand”.

(Emma Thomasch ’12). “Peace! I will stop your mouth.” Beatrice and Benedict kiss. “Tell me for which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?” –Benedict and Beatrice.

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Circiter | Featured on Campus

inFUSION A Fall Dance Performance Jodi Leigh Allen, Dance Director

inFUSION, A Fall Dance Performance was Groton Dance Program’s first full-length fall dance venue since its reestablishment in 2008. Again, using the intimate setting of The Hall Auditorium in the Schoolhouse, the one night only performance packed the auditorium with Groton community members, parents, friends, and outside fans of dance. The fall dance ensemble consisted of 18 lower and upper form students with an array of different technical abilities and talents.

This assortment of different talents and cultures made for a very high energy and uniquely different showcase, featuring three selected student choreographers: Elizabeth MeLampy ’12 premiering a new modern jazz piece entitled No Man, Rushi Thaker ’11 premiering his new Bhangra inspired dance piece entitled Clash Of Two Worlds, and Margaret Zhang ’11 featuring her first choreographic piece, Turn It On, a hip-hop infused jazz piece. Along with these Groton student choreographers, the performance bill also featured guest dance artist Tony Guglietti premiering a new piece entitled Group Beginnings, as well as three works choreographed by dance director Jodi Leigh Allen. The fall dance performance produced an array of emotions ranging from utter jubilation to the recognition and excitement about the Groton Dance Program’s development in such a short amount of time. The night was a terrific success.

Please look for updated information regarding the Groton Dance Program as well as information regarding our Spring Dance Performance in May of 2011 on the Groton website.

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In Fusion Dance

Top: Turn It On Choreographed by: Margaret Zhang ’11.

Dancers: Carolina Mejia ’12, Monifa Foluke ’13, Reed Redman ’14, Shalini Trivedi ’11.

Middle L to R: Clash of Two Worlds Choreographed by: Rushi Thaker. Dancers: Carolina Mejia , James Cottone ’11.

No Man Choreographed by: Elizabeth MeLampy ’12.

Dancers: Naomi Wright ’13, Lucy Chou ’12, Reed Redman, Alice Gauvin ’11, Sofi LLanso ’14. Clash of Two Worlds Dancer: Carolina Mejia.

Bottom: B-Side Choreographed by: Jodi Leigh Allen.

Dancers: Carolina Mejia, Ross Julian ’11, Reed Redman.

Opposite page: Top Row L to R: Clash of Two Worlds Choreographed by: Rushi Thaker ’11 Dancers: Reed Redman ’14 and Ross Julian ’11. Clash of Two Worlds Dancers: Rushi Thaker, background: Reed Redman.

Middle: Turn It On Choreographed by: Margaret Zhang ’11 Dancers: Alice Gauvin ’11, Reed Redman, Amy (Zhihao) Zhang ’ 14, Elizabeth MeLampy ’12, Desiree Jones ’14, Naomi Wright ’13, Lucy Chou ’12.

Bottom L to R: Clash of Two Worlds Choreographed by: Rushi Thaker.

Dancers: Sofi LLanso ’14, Rushi Thaker. excuse me Choreographed by: Jodi Leigh Allen Dancers: Sofi LLanso, Ross Julian

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

Some 30 years ago, weekday Chapel Talks became regular occurrences at Groton. Now an ingrained tradition at the School, parents, trustees, alumni, faculty, and students continue to address the School four times a week in Chapel. The talks have become the centerpieces 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 a sampling of three Chapel Talks from the fall term here.

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P reparation meets Opportunity A Chapel Talk by Orme W. Thompson ’11 October 17, 2010

Orme Thompson ’11 on the varsity courts, spring 2010.

Facing page: photo by Jack Cohen ’11

M

s. Blake began the first class of the spring term in our Second Form English class with the following words: “So, the novel we are going to read is a bildungsroman. Do any of you know what a bildungsroman is?”

I certainly didn’t chime in with an answer because I didn’t want to sound like an idiot mentioning construction workers in ancient Rome. In retrospect I guess one of the first steps in my own bildungsroman at Groton was learning what the word meant.

No one spoke up, so she went ahead: “A bildungsroman is a novel that tracks the principal character’s development from a young age until adulthood, showcasing that character’s changes and collective growth over a period of time.” She continued on: “Charles Dickens is famous for his bildungsroman novels. David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, and what we are going to read, Great Expectations, are all examples of this style.” At the time I recognized that the book was an exciting tale of a child’s development under extraordinary circumstances. What I did not realize until last year were the profound similarities between Great Expectations and the Groton experience, with a few notable exceptions. It is fitting and symbolic that the second formers used to read it every year because the core theme of the novel runs parallel to what they are so fortunate to experience over the course of five years. And that is the key word: fortunate. First, let me give you a brief summary of the plot if you have not read it. Second formers, make sure you are not listening. I’ll give you a copy of this at the end of the year if your teachers choose to bring back the tradition.

The novel begins with an introduction to the protagonist Pip, or so he is called. One night in the marshes of his native Kent, England, he is confronted by an escaped convict who demands that he get him a file for his shackles or he will kill him. Pip obeys, and the convict is set free, only to be captured shortly after by the authorities. One day Pip goes to the house of the mysterious old woman named Miss Havisham who lives only with her adopted child Estella, with whom Pip immediately falls in love despite her visible lack of affection for him. With Miss Havisham’s help, Pip becomes an apprentice with the local blacksmith, where he unhappily works until he is confronted by a London lawyer named Mr. Jaggers. Mr. Jaggers informs Pip that he has been given a large fortune by an unknown benefactor, and that he must come to London to begin his life as a gentleman. There is more to the story after that, but I will get to it later.

When we arrive on the Groton campus as new students, immediately we are amazed by the numerous opportunities that surround us, particularly brought out in the physical appearance of the place. As you unload your bags from the car, you look up at the Chapel and say, “Wow, and they use it every day.” Once you meet a few new friends, you head down to the Athletic Center, and you take a look around. Huge gym. Two rinks. Twelve squash courts. Geez. I better step up my game now that I’m here, you might think. Then you go to the first few classes. Wow. Wood paneled classrooms. Teachers that have more confidence than God. Then you might think back to the moment you were accepted.

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

Orme in Sixth Form English class.

Luck is something that comes later on in our academic careers that embodies the successful combination of our opportunities and our preparation. But when we first arrive on campus, we are fortunate, not lucky, because we have been given everything and have not yet had the chance to make something of it.

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You are Pip, Mr. Gracey and Mr. Commons are Mr. Jaggers, and instead of chasing the lifestyle of a gentleman, you are chasing excellence in whichever field you desire.

One might say that as Groton students we are lucky—lucky to be here, lucky to receive such a fine education, lucky to be around such bright individuals.

But by describing ourselves as lucky, we ignore the real definition of “luck” defined by the ideals of our institution. According to my fellow Charlottesvillian Thomas Jefferson, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

And that is an accurate way of describing it. To make luck for ourselves, we must synthesize the opportunities we have been given with preparation through work. At Groton we are surrounded by these opportunities, but before we arrive, we have not prepared anything other than our acceptance essays. Luck is something that comes later on in our academic careers that embodies the successful combination of our opportunities and our preparation. But when we first arrive on campus, we are fortunate, not lucky, because we have been given everything and have not yet had the chance to make something of it.

So we are all Pip the moment we arrive at Groton. If we are Pip, then who gave us the Chapel, who gave us the athletic facilities, who built the classrooms? Who is the benefactor? That is a mystery for a while in the novel, and in some ways, it is a mystery to us. Of course, every day we see some of our benefactors, such as our teachers and coaches who spend their time and effort working to bring out the best in us. Also, of course, our parents have invested so much in us, hoping for our success. But behind the curtain of the School, there have been thousands of people willing to help us. Not only have they given us the beautiful buildings; they have also supported the students because even Groton’s full tuition price only covers half the cost of our education. These people are the history of the School; the alumni and friends who believe in our potential and are willing to place a bet on it. They make the bargain that while their money may not come back to them in its original form, it had better come back in the form of Grotties making an impact on the world.

When I began thinking about this subject for a Chapel Talk, my memory of Great Expectations was a bit hazy, and I thought I remembered the novel as an account of Pip’s good fortune and the great life he led afterwards. In fact, the second half of the novel is quite negative, and shows Pip’s deterioration morally under the burden of his wealth, overspending, and subsequent debt. When Pip learns that his benefactor is actually the man he released from shackles in the marshes as a child, he becomes humiliated, unable to accept that he has been living off a criminal. Although Pip actually creates a friendship with the ex-convict, Magwitch, his life is still a grand squandering of his fortune and opportunity to give back. The novel ends with Pip reaching some reconciliation but remains somber. When I relearned this dark side to the plot, I was disappointed that this seemingly perfect parallel of the Groton life was not so. Then I realized that the novel only differs from our lives as students when Pip begins to go down a bad road.

With all that we have been given, it is important to keep in mind what is expected from us, and deep down, what we really expect from ourselves. At Groton, it is easy to stray from the right path—I certainly have at times—and it is difficult to keep a continuous view of our mission here. But as we each write the pages in our own bildungsroman, we must seize the opportunities that Groton’s fortune allows us. I admit that when I did my homework or played tennis matches as a lower schooler, I was never motivated by the concept of honoring my benefactors. Instead, it was something I learned by looking my parents in the eyes during many Parents Weekends, and by staring in awe at the light shining through the stained glass windows of the Chapel.

In the beginning we are Pip, filling out our applications hoping to come to Groton, a place with more opportunity. We all made it. Now that we are endowed with these great gifts from so many benefactors, it’s time to honor them. It’s time to make our own luck.

Risk and the Black Swan A Chapel Talk by Zoë M. Silverman ’11 October 22, 2010

But risk is not always financial. Sometimes we do things for the thrill of it. For example, when I was 8 years old, I knew nothing of probability. Disagreeable outcomes didn’t occur to me.

I

turned 18 a few weeks ago. Now I can vote, buy cigarettes, and get a tattoo. I only intend to do one of those. I must admit though, the most intriguing perk of turning 18 is this newfound capacity to buy lottery tickets.

On my birthday, I drove to the local 7-Eleven in order to purchase five lottery tickets. As luck would have it, I won $15. Driving to my next destination, the town hall, to register as an American voter, I couldn’t rationalize what had compelled me to buy the “Good Luck,” “License for Luck,” and—my personal favorite— “Cash Money” lottery tickets.

It may be a coming-of-age vice— greed at the prospect of instantly winning an elegant, red Ferrari from simply scratching a penny against a piece of cardboard. Or perhaps it is something else, something less obvious, something I struggle to understand every day—the allure of risk.

Statistics suggest that getting struck by lightning is more likely than winning the lottery. If this is indeed true, why spend the pocket change? Why buy into an almost inevitable loss? There must be some human nature in it: our desire for financial gain transcends the unfavorable statistics. In other words, the red Ferrari is ever so tempting.

But risk is not always financial.

Sometimes we do things for the thrill of it. For example, when I was 8 years Zoë Silverman ’11 in English class. old, I knew nothing of probability.

Disagreeable outcomes didn’t occur to me.

I was at a sleepover. My friend and I were filling time before my mother came to pick me up. We made up our own game as children do. We would each take turns standing on her grandfather’s rocking chair and jump—Superman dive actually—onto a pullout bed a few feet back. With every successful jump, we moved the chair a bit further. Eventually, the chair was maybe six feet away. Such a far jump required a bend of the knees, a momentum to propel me the distance.

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Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

Photo by Jack Cohen ’11

It is a bizarre thing to think about, I know. Instead of asking ourselves the typical question, “What am I doing?”, we need to ask ourselves quite the reverse —“What am I not doing?”

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I bent my knees, clenched my fists like a ski jumper, and didn’t reach the bed. Instead, my face landed on the hinge where the bed folded back up, back into a couch. And a long nail stuck out. Today, below my nose and above my lip is a scar.

At the time, returning from the emergency room, I delighted in the get well cards, ice cream, and television that my parents wouldn’t allow me to watch otherwise. It was an 8-year-old’s paradise. A few days later, my friends came over to visit: they gasped at the sight of me—Zoë with the swollen lips of Angelina Jolie and black stitches in a Hitler mustache. This was all the more startling because I’m Jewish.

I thought the scar distinguished me as the coolest, most adventurous person of my second-grade class. Apparently, I was wrong. Not only that, my scar ended my athletic career when nobody would play kickball with me. Oh, how the times have changed.

I’m telling you this as a story of luck, statistics, and life’s randomness. No one grasps this as an 8-year-old. When the stakes become too high, through human instinct we can usually stop ourselves from going too far. I didn’t.

I often wonder: what if there were a special algorithm? An algorithm assessing the amount of risk that exists in a situation and the possible gratification that may come out? In life, would the young people of America start voting if they understood the risk they take through not voting? Or would lottery tickets lose their appeal if people stopped buying and the jackpot diminished?

Even at Groton, would students take academic risk? For example, would a kid write a risky English paper that broke form and disturbed the teacher if the possible outcome were either an A or an F? Unfortunately for me such an algorithm is impossible to create. Risk is conditional: it changes with the circumstances. Therefore, many young Americans will continue their indifference toward the ballot box, lottery tickets will continue to flourish, and lastly—the most upsetting in my opinion—Groton School students will not take academic risk. The stakes, the critical GPA, are just too high.

The statisticians can and do assign odds to everything I’ve just described. But life is not just a series of statistics. The Black Swan, the 2007 book by Nicholas Nassim Taleb, explores the notion that people make important decisions based on factors that they know, but ignore the possibility that there are things that they don’t know.

The basic principle is: how can we fathom the black swan if we have only known and seen the white? That’s the beauty of it. Black swans actually do exist in nature.

Metaphorically, they are only discovered when we broaden our focus and allow ourselves to see the typically unseen. I have yet to catch the black swan. But I have certainly seen glimpses of it in my peripheral vision.

It is a bizarre thing to think about, I know. Instead of asking ourselves the typical question, “What am I doing?”, we need to ask ourselves quite the reverse—“What am I not doing?”

Ten years ago, I was an 8-year-old who took a thrill seeker’s risk and didn’t understand the consequences. Today, I am older and wiser in part. So I can tell you this: The consequences of the risks not taken are oftentimes greater than the consequences of the risks that we do take.

Risk is an ever-present power, moving through time, always existent. Education teaches us probabilities based on past experience, yes. But we’ll never take a final exam in risk!

Understand that education is also a rocking chair of sorts: we bend our knees writing that risky paper and launch. Maybe you fall, maybe you end up in the E.R. of education, the infamous “see-me-after-class” meeting. But maybe you don’t fall. Maybe you succeed.

How sad it would be to live life comfortably, wondering what might have been. To the class of 2011, I applaud us for the risks we’ve taken already. To the community at large, I applaud you for the risks that you will take, and the potential for extraordinary outcomes.

Three Pranks and a Passion A Chapel Talk by James A. Bundy ’77, P’09, ’12, Trustee November 5, 2010

The Bundy Family, James ’77, Mary ’12, Nora ’09, and Anne.

I

am particularly excited and grateful to be here for Trustees Weekend. My work here as a trustee has transformed me from being a student at Groton to being a student of Groton, and it has also given me remarkable chances to participate in the life of the School, such as Mr. Commons’s kind invitation to talk to you today.

Moreover, tonight we trustees get to join you at Groton’s first-ever production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. It’s a play I love—and although I’ve never directed it, I did get to produce it once in Cleveland, so I have seen it more than 10 times, and I’m thrilled to revisit it with many of you this evening.

After hearing from Mr. Commons, I sought counsel about Chapel Talks from two of my three closest advisors, Nora and Mary Bundy. They both immediately—and perhaps obviously, to many of you—suggested that I should tell the story of one or more of the really cool pranks that I had perpetrated when I was a student at Groton. My heart sank as each of them, in separate conversations, delivered the exact same and clearly excellent advice. Sadly, I had to admit this to them: aside from short-sheeted beds (which are to pranks what puns are to jokes), I could not remember a single quality prank in my five years at Groton. It wasn’t just that I couldn’t remember being a perpetrator. I literally could not remember any pranks of consequence. There are six other current Groton trustees who attended the School in at least one of those years between fall 1972 and spring 1977, and any one of them may have a better memory than I do. But my own recollection is that that era was virtually prankless, at least when compared to the colorful vista of early 21st century Groton (which you can read about, as I did, in the School’s Wikipedia entry, much of it apparently written by someone from the Form of 2009).

Don’t get me wrong, I loved Groton then, but the School wasn’t long on looseness or spontaneous creativity, and one of the great joys of watching Groton through the decades has been to see how much more creative a place it has become. As for my own pranking experience, because I now work at Yale’s theater school and professional theater simultaneously, I find myself in the midst of pranksters all the time, so I am up close and personal with contemporary prank culture—albeit exclusively as a prankee. While no one of the pranks I’ll describe today compares favorably to the best Groton escapades of which I am now aware—like the Sixth Form’s recent “re-direction” of a morning Chapel service—perhaps they may help to establish my prank cred up front, at least on the receiving end.

In 2002, on our first Halloween in New Haven, my family and I awoke to find, blocking our driveway, a full-sized pumpkin-shaped wooden wheeled carriage as big as a Hummer, borrowed from a recent production of Cinderella at Yale Repertory Theatre, and complete with a pumpkin-headed coachman engraved with an exact photographic likeness of my face. (I should note that our driveway is three-and-a-half miles from the theater.) Later, a Yale Rep production featured a 10-foot high, 10-foot wide pre-Columbian statue of a man’s Quarterly Winter 2011

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Circiter | Featured on Campus

In all of these pranks, I knew somebody cared enough about me to go out of their way both to annoy and please me, to take the chance that I would ultimately be delighted.

They were small events, but they were transformational.

A Raisin in the Sun

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head carved out of Styrofoam to look like granite. That 10x10 foot head mysteriously ended up installed in my office at 7 a.m. the morning after the show closed. It had been retrofitted with a foot-long pink tongue that was sticking out at me as I entered. I could just barely open the door to get in and find it, but I couldn’t do any more work that day until the foam statue was removed. And I later discovered that the faculty member whom I politely asked to supervise the removal of the giant Styrofoam head was also, predictably, the man who had overseen its installation in my office the night before.

A third prank resulted in my highly-prized reserved parking space becoming home to another stage prop, in this case, a life-sized golden statue of Edward, the Black Prince of Wales (1330-1376), reclining on a funeral bier in a Plexiglas coffin, which hung suspended on steel tension wires from a pick point five stories in the air. This, perhaps, is a prank that only a double major in history and engineering could love, but trust me when I say that it was truly impressive in its playfulness and metaphorical reach.

In all of these pranks, I knew somebody cared enough about me to go out of their way both to annoy and please me, to take the chance that I would ultimately be delighted.

They were small events, but they were transformational. So I count myself lucky to work at Yale, in a place that has so many creative pranksters, and I also count myself lucky still to be a part of a community like Groton, which occasionally also witnesses such artistry as a source of energy and renewal.

Because what is a prank but a small work of theater: it may combine character (the prankster and the prankee, say), spectacle (the visual component), language, a theme (there’s a point, after all), music (even silence has a contour), and something that happens, or a plot. These are all the classic elements of the theater. And a Groton that is looser than it was when I was a student, comfortable and trusting enough to allow—I do not say encourage—an occasional prank, orchestrated with due care and concern for all parties, strikes me as a better and more spontaneously creative Groton than the one I attended three decades ago.

It is also a much more diverse Groton, as shown, in part, by our good fortune in seeing A Raisin in the Sun here. Without exaggeration, this is one of the five most influential plays in the history of the American theater, produced literally thousands of times all over the world since its premiere in 1959 but never, until now, at Groton. Its author, Lorraine Hansberry, was the first African-American woman to have a play produced on Broadway. She was 29. For seven years, until her untimely death from cancer at the age of just 36, she was one of the most visible and revered artists in the world. A Raisin in the Sun ran for more than a year, and virtually desegregated the commercial theater, opening up careers at the center of art and entertainment for thousands of American writers, directors, actors, and designers of color in the decades since. It’s an important play for Groton to experience because of its transforming power.

This play is a masterpiece, in part because it works on two levels—on one level it tells the story of a family like many other families including, perhaps, yours and mine; on another level, because the family is African-American, it depicts parts of the often-painful racial history of our nation that only African-Americans have experienced. On the one hand, it is a work of human metaphor—because the Younger family’s love and strife may stand for our families’ love and strife; and on the other hand, it is a work of political specificity—because there are so many strains of the history of African-Americans and Africans in this country that are particular to their experience, from slavery through emancipation to the battle for civil rights, including voting rights, and beyond.

Because it’s both personal and political—not to say, partisan—A Raisin in the Sun is a truly complicated and majestic work of art. Great plays, like good pranks, are subversive and paradoxical—they can make us glad and uncomfortable, and at their best, they can bring our differences into sharper focus while making us feel more a part of the same community. While pranks are, at their best, low on emotional risk, and often all too real, the events of great plays almost always depict what Hamlet might call “enterprises of great pitch and moment,” and everyone agrees up front to suspend disbelief: that is,

Pranks and Plays to pretend. We pretend a little differently if we sense that the events of the play are grounded in everyday reality; but it isn’t important that we all agree about the meaning of the play—it’s important that we all take the imaginary and transformational ride.

And the ride, in a good play, is often bumpy. Both plays and pranks must, in some sense, put their worst foot forward—if things are too comfortable, there’s no fun, and nothing changes. All great stories, from Hamlet to Death of a Salesman to Romeo and Juliet to Harry Potter, to name just a few, are about characters who are imperfect, arguably really badly behaved—and those are the heroes and heroines. A leading character composed only of patience, insight, talent, and loving kindness is mighty boring company—imagine Harry Potter without a quick temper, Ron Weasley without a jealous bone in his body, or Hermione Granger with a thick skin.

What truly separates a great play from a prank is that you can spend hours and weeks and even years engaged with a monumental work of art and its complications.

A prank, though it can be elaborate, works best when it comes to pass quickly, and most of us, including the perpetrators, are relieved when the practical joke is over— the pranksters really want all the prankees to be in on the joke pretty quickly.

Great plays, on the other hand, invite us to experience them, to reflect on them, and to spend significant time working on them. You can get something new and miraculous out of a play that you have seen many times before: trust me, it happens to me all the time. And an actor’s performance grows through hours and hours of exploration and repetition in rehearsal—a truly epic commitment of physical, mental, and spiritual resources. The heart rate of an actor about to go onstage for a performance is comparable to that of a lion tamer about to go into the cage, which may not be surprising when you consider that surveys show that people are likely to say they are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death, or terrorism. So an actor is an athlete of the soul, returning to the script every night, transforming himself or herself into the heroic, imperfect characters and retelling the story every time, led by a director and supported by designers, a stage manager, a production staff, and a crew.

What also makes a play great is a great audience—and having been to the theater here a lot in the last 38 years, I can tell you Groton audiences are terrific. We’re steeped in ritual, language, music, ideas, and metaphor; and we’re all especially happy, every once in a while, to be in the presence of a metaphor that is literally and figuratively beyond the Circle. We don’t call it a “play” for nothing; and if the recent history of pranks here at Groton is any evidence, we increasingly know what a gift it is to “play.” When we take our seats tonight and tomorrow, when we suspend our disbelief, when we support the transformation of the artists among us and open ourselves to this journey beyond the Circle, we both give witness to and create a community transformed from who we are this morning. We participate in changing the world, a few hundred people at a time.

Today, I celebrate with you that the power of the theater, whether in prank or play, is part of the power of Groton, as it grows in diversity and creativity—capturing our attention, changing the course of our lives, and conjuring the image—as well as the goal—of a more just, inclusive, and joyous world.

To that, let all the people say, “Amen.”

James A. Bundy ’77 has served as a trustee of Groton since 2003.

He is Dean of the Yale School of Drama and Artistic Director of Yale Repertory Theatre, and lives in New Haven, Connecticut, with his wife of 22 years, Anne Tofflemire: they are the parents of Nora Bundy ’09 and Mary Bundy ’12.

A Raisin in the Sun

Because it’s both personal and political—not to say, partisan—A Raisin in the Sun is a truly complicated and majestic work of art.

Great plays, like good pranks, are subversive and paradoxical—they can make us glad and uncomfortable, and at their best, they can bring our differences into sharper focus while making us feel more a part of the same community.

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Extra Muros Muros | Beyond Extra Beyondthe theCircle Circle

Circiter | Featured on Campus

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Groton Service Beyond the Circle: The

10Project x 10

I

A class for girls at Angkor Chum High School, Siem Reap province, Cambodia Photo by Martha Adams, Producer 10x10

by Cullen A. Coleman ’12

n early spring 2007 my mother and I took a trip to Afghanistan. She specializes in women’s issues and U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and was doing research there for a book. I was tagging along and taking advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime. As the plane hit the tarmac and screeched to a halt, I looked out of the ice-covered window and the idea of what I was doing finally hit me. The doors opened, and I stepped out into the dusty cool air of Kabul.

When the dust cloud around the plane eventually settled, I got a view of the country I had read so much about but knew so little of. It was beautiful—the light beige desert stretched for what seemed an eternity. In the distance, when the light was just right, I could see the razor-sharp tips of the Hindu-Kush glistening from a covering of snow and ice. The contrast of ice and desert was a stunning backdrop for the culture that was to come into view.

I was in Afghanistan for six days, and each was more interesting then the one before. I spent much of the time in the parliament building, sitting in on my mom’s meetings with female politicians and influential activists. I saw the infamous mujahedin leader Abdul Sayyaf, now a politicial, strolling down the main hallway not five feet from me. We travelled in a Toyota Land Cruiser with two armed guards at all times. We did very little sightseeing and ventured out of Kabul only once to visit a women’s health clinic.

The most fun I had was visiting a preschool when this little girl of 6 stood up and right out of the blue, in perfect English, sang the song “B-I-N-G-O.” When she sat down there was a moment of silence, and then everyone erupted into laughter.

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Extra Muros | Beyond the Circle

Holly Green Gordon ’89

The data show that when girls are educated, HIV rates go down, crop yields go up, economies grow, and everyone benefits.

Leaving school at Nokor Pheas Lower Secondary School, Siem Reap province, Cambodia.

Photo by Martha Adams, Producer 10x10

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At night, falling asleep, I could occasionally hear the sound of automatic weapon fire. Whether it was a heavy firefight or just an Afghan wedding I could never tell. The trip ended all too fast for me. But the end could not have come sooner for my mom, who was worried sick the entire time. Only now, when I look back and realize that I spent nearly a week at the edge of a war zone, do I appreciate how truly incredible the experience was. In the blink of an eye, I was on a plane heading to Lahore in Pakistan, still trying to process what I had just experienced.

The trip sparked a real interest for me in the region. During the fall of my Fourth Form year, I took up Arabic for a term with a teacher who was willing to spend a few minutes during lunch each day to help me get the basics down. As my mother finished her book, she and I continued to talk about the critical role that girls and women play in global change and the challenges they face particularly in strict, patriarchal Islamic societies like Afghanistan.

Fast forward to this past summer, when I interned at The Documentary Group (TDG), a New York production company that is the legacy of legendary broadcaster Peter Jennings. His veteran team of producers and directors, led by the company president, Tom Yellin, has dedicated themselves to continuing the tradition of smart, important, and innovative filmmaking.

My journey to TDG started a few years ago when Tom approached my mom for advice on a project called 10x10, which he is running along with 1989 Groton alumna, Holly Green Gordon. 10x10 began as a research project. A client approached TDG about developing a concept for a film that tackles the alleviation of global poverty.

When the team talked to experts in every field, from water to HIV/AIDS, trafficking to economics, and terrorism to governance, all of them said the same thing: you have to educate and empower girls. They are the keys to stability and prosperity because they hold communities together. The data show that when girls are educated, HIV rates go down, crop yields go up, economies grow, and everyone benefits. Despite growing evidence that girls are critical to the long-term success, prosperity, and stability of the world, Tom and his team discovered that very few resources are devoted directly to girls and the programs that serve them.

As a journalist, Tom felt that he had hit upon the story of a lifetime. The gulf between the reality and public awareness was so huge that he knew he had to tell the story. It was big news! That’s when he sat down with Holly. “Tom’s passion and enthusiasm for the subject and the creative opportunity were infectious,” Holly remembers. “What became

The 10X10 Project even more exciting, though, as we began to develop the project further, was this idea that we had an opportunity to do something truly innovative and powerful.”

And so they decided together that they couldn’t just make a film and hope something happened. They had to make it happen and guarantee that it would have impact—it would lead to real girls living better lives and policymakers enacting real change.

Holly continues: “As journalists in a modern world, with global connectivity and the power of social media, we felt we truly had an opportunity to go from journalism to activism, to build a coalition of support for this important idea, generate powerful partnerships, and enlist the help of Hollywood, corporate America, and the best non-profit organizations to drive attention and resources toward girls education. We stopped thinking of the film as a final product. Instead, it has become a powerful tool at the center of a bigger campaign.”

THE 10X10 FILM tells the stories of 10 girls, ages 8-17, from 10 countries around the world. Each girl’s story—the obstacles she faces, the courage she exhibits, the strength of spirit she shows—will be written by an acclaimed woman writer from her country. And each story will be narrated by a globally recognized actress. Director Richard Robbins, whose last film was nominated for an Academy Award, will pull all of these stories together into a feature film that tells the narrative arc of adolescence, the story of what it means to grow up female in the developing world.

The goal of 10x10 became to change the world, and that process began by building partnerships with non-profit organizations serving girls around the world.

Early in 2010, Holly and Tom were introduced to an organization called Room to Read, an amazing global non-profit organization founded 10 years ago by a former Microsoft executive named John Wood. Room to Read’s programs focus on gender equality in education and literacy in nine countries across Asia and Africa. Room to Read’s unique girls education program is a holistic and community-based approach to provide girls in the developing world with the academic support, life skills training, and mentoring needed to complete secondary school. Worldwide, girls make up a disproportionately low number of students enrolled in and completing secondary school. Yet research has proven that when girls learn, their families, communities, and societies all benefit. By the end of 2012, Room to Read aims to have nearly 17,000 girls enrolled in its girls’ education program. Room to Read also focuses on literacy with strong scalable programs that build libraries and schools and publish local-language children’s books. By way of chance and happy coincidence, one of Room to Read’s board members is Kim Anstatt Morton, Groton Form of 1987.

Kim came to Groton as a second former, and looks back fondly at her time here: “My five years at Groton laid the foundation for who I am today and very much influenced where I have chosen for my son to go to school. I want to replicate for him my experience at Groton.” Holly and Kim knew each other at Groton where they overlapped for a year on the lacrosse team, but had not seen each other until the 10x10 team went out to San Francisco to meet with Room to Read.

About 10 years ago, Kim had just concluded a stint on Wall Street as an equity analyst. She was looking for something more meaningful to contribute her time to, but was repeatedly disappointed by the lack of efficiency and effectiveness in many of the non-profits she was working with. When Kim heard Room to Read’s story in 2000, she knew she had found what she was looking for—a non-profit that ran like a real business. Room to Read’s focus on literacy and gender equality in education in the developing world struck a cord, but it was the organization’s effectiveness, its ability to move across countries, collaborate with communities, and make real change happen that has held Kim’s interest for a decade now.

Cullen A. Coleman ’12 in math class.

The goal of 10 x 10 became to change the world, and that process began by building partnerships with non-profit organizations serving girls around the world.

Kim Anstatt Morton ’87 with Room to Read students.

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Extra Muros | Beyond the Circle

The 10x10 team sees the opportunity to use storytelling to change the world. At its heart, 10x10 is about collaboration—individuals (the girls, the writers, the actresses, the philanthropists who are supporting the film) and organizations (nonprofits and corporations) coming together around an issue of generational importance.

Nokor Pheas Lower Secondary School, Siem Reap province, Cambodia.

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The way that 10x10 works is that the content the team creates—the film itself, photographs, written accounts, and the stories of hundreds of girls whom the team meets while scouting and filming—will be packaged and used by partners like Room to Read to raise awareness about their programs and the necessity of girls education, to drive money to their programs that are proven models of change for girls, and to encourage and provide a portal to engaged volunteerism. Room to Read is 10x10’s first official partner, and has been invaluable in the guidance, expertise, and support it has offered 10x10 already on the ground in Cambodia during the film team’s scouting.

CARE, World Vision, the U.N. Foundation, and Women for Women International are some of the other non-profit organizations that are partnering with 10x10 to build awareness about the importance of girls. They have also partnered with Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, one of the world’s most visible and powerful advocates for girls.

And just this past September, at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York, 10x10 announced that it has partnered with Intel to spread the message even further. According to Holly, the value of the partnership “goes way beyond money.

Intel realizes that successful companies are also good corporate citizens, that investing in the world is good for business. And Intel is developing ways to integrate 10x10 across its entire business, from the corporate affairs team injecting 10x10 into the company’s DNA, human resources mobilizing the company’s 83,000 employees, and the marketing team using 10x10 stories as a core part of its messaging. What’s so exciting is that when businesses get on board, so do their customers. And Intel is the first of what we hope will be a small group of dedicated, powerful, visionary corporations.”

And because at its heart the 10x10 team is a group of storytellers, nothing hit home quite like Director Richard Robbins’ trip to Cambodia in August, where he worked with Room to Read and other organizations to find girls with compelling stories. What they came back with was nothing short of breathtaking—girls who have overcome obstacles too daunting to imagine, who have been orphaned or abused but who retain an incredible strength of spirit and are achieving extraordinary goals.

The 10x10 team sees the opportunity to use storytelling to change the world. At its heart, 10x10 is about collaboration—individuals (the girls, the writers, the actresses, the philanthropists who are supporting the film) and organizations (non-profits and corporations) coming together around an issue of generational importance. 10x10 is about harnessing the power of many to spur generational change.

And for Holly and Kim, it is a perfect circle given that Groton’s emphasis on service is ultimately what brought them back into each other’s lives. And as a Groton student, I feel lucky to have been part of it. Cui Survive Est Regnare!

Grotoniana | All Things Groton A fall Spirit Week announcement

Grotoniana | All Things Groton

FALL SPORTS Boys Cross Country | 17 – 1

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he boys cross country team was second at the ISL Championships, losing a close race to champions Belmont Hill. Groton came back the next weekend to capture its fourth consecutive New England Division III championship at Governor’s Academy. Groton enjoyed another successful season, posting a 17-1 dual meet record.

Led by All-ISL runners and co-captains Ted Leonhardt ’11 and Josh Imhoff ’11, the team ran well all season long. The guys returned in terrific shape, and from pre-season practices right through to the New England championships, this year’s edition of Groton runners was committed and hard-working. Groton defeated perennial powerhouse St. Paul’s for the second consecutive season, and prevailed over St. Mark’s in a dual meet as well as at the ISL and New England competitions. Other key contributors to the team’s success were varsity runners Zander McClelland ’11, Eric Smyth ’11, Harry Pearson ’12, and James Wildasin ’11. Also making key contributions at the varsity level were new Fourth Former Chris King and new Third Former Jamie Thorndike.

Hans Trautlein, a key contributor to the 2009 ISL Championship team, dealt with injuries throughout the season and was only able to run in a few races.

Josh Imhoff, Ted Leonhardt, and Zander McClelland were elected by opposing ISL coaches to the All-ISL team. By virtue of their top 15 finishes at the New England championships, Josh Imhoff, Ted Leonhardt, Zander McClelland, and Eric Smyth were named to the All-New England team. Co-captains for 2011 are Harry Pearson ’12 and Chris King ’13.

Close of season awards: Most Valuable Player: Josh Imhoff ’11 Most Improved Player: Eric Smyth ’11 Coaches Award: Matt Clarida ’12

2010 New England Champion, Boys Cross Country in the early moments of the Deerfield Invitational.

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2010 New England Champion, Girls Cross Country in the early moments of the Deerfield Invitational.

Girls Cross Country | 12 – 1 Third Place in the ISL First Place in New England Division III

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his was a wonderful and highly successful season for Girls Cross Country. A capstone of the season was winning the Division III New England Championships!

There is no sport that better embodies the Groton spirit than cross country—to get up every day and do something hard that hurts and then get up the next day and do it again.

Student leadership was critical to the success this season. Sixth Formers Rebecca Brown, Julia Metzger, and Faith Richardson were, without a doubt, one of the most extraordinary sets of tricaptains the coaches have ever dealt with. The captains were able to lead the team with consistency and relentless energy.

The leadership did not stop there. The team experienced the pleasure of having a tremendous depth in leadership beyond the captains—other sixth formers on the team who will be greatly missed next season: Hannah Kessler, Adriana Sclafani, Janet Adeola, Charlotte Bullard-Davies, and Kirsten Craddock.

Faith Richardson, in her third year on the squad, emerged once again as one of the strongest runners in the ISL and perhaps all of New England during the course of the season, placing third at the ISL championships and first in the Division III New England Championships. Faith Richardson, Hannah Kessler, and new student Addie Ewald ’14 were all honored by the league this season for their fall accomplishments. Both Faith and Hannah were selected to the All-League team and Addie was recognized as All-League Honorable Mention.

At the end of the season, the team finished third at the ISL championships and went on to finish first at the New England championships in an excellent performance on the Governor’s Academy course. The team is already looking ahead to success under the leadership of newly elected senior tri-Captains Molly Lyons, Magdelena Horvath, and Anita Xu ’13.

Close of season awards: All-League ISL: Faith Richardson ’11 and Hannah Kessler ’11 All-League Honorable Mention: Addie Ewald ’14.

Fall Sports

Boys Varsity Soccer | 5 – 9 – 2

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fter a highly successful preseason schedule and strong showings against St. George’s and Belmont Hill, it was evident that the 2010 season would be one of challenges and streaks, of tremendously gratifying highs and gut-wrenching lows. Three games into the season, the Zebras were staring down a schedule of five matches, four of which would be played on the road, against some of league’s top talent.

It was a difficult stretch with regard to wins and losses, but it was invaluable when one considers the larger life lessons that sports aim to teach. Certainly the match against Thayer will remain in our memories for years to come, for after an emotional week and a poignant Chapel service, the boys played at the absolute zenith of their ability, working the ball around the park beautifully against an excellent opponent and creating a number of premium chances. None found the back of the net, however, and the boys were left with yet another example of a beautiful game’s disregard for fairness and justice. A similar storyline played out at Nobles, where the Zebras put together 90 minutes of hard-nosed and artful play against the eventual Gummere Cup winners.

The second phase of the season kicked off in Concord, New Hampshire, where Groton began a four-game stint of away matches with a well-earned victory against St. Paul’s. This win would turn out to be the first of a five-game winning streak, which included a well-earned draw against St. Sebastian’s that, with a more concerted finishing touch, could have been another victory, and the team’s most thrilling and complete victory against Middlesex, which involved taking the lead with only four minutes left in the match. The season ended with yet another hard-fought match against St. Mark’s—a match that in so many ways encapsulated the season writ large. Groton played 90 minutes of high tempo, dedicated, and intelligent soccer and had twice as many shots at goal than its rival. St. Mark’s scored on a breakaway against the run of play and then again with time running out. Groton remained relentless right up until the final whistle, scoring in the waning minutes and nearly knotting the match at the bitter end.

In all, this was a tremendously successful season for boys varsity soccer. The final record belies the depth of the commitment, cohesion, and character of this team. “If we define success not by wins, losses, and ties, but by the degree to which a group of players becomes a team that works, fights, and plays for each other,” reflects Coach Quagliaroli, “then this year’s squad ranks among the best I have ever coached. I couldn’t be more proud of their Co-captain and 2010 MVP collective effort.”

Matthew Hennrikus

Co-captain Nils Martin ’11 vs Brooks School.

Close of season awards: Captains for 2011: Jack Kessler ’12 and Charlie Terris ’12 MVP 2010: Matt Hennrikus ’11 MIP 2010: Sam Watson ’12 Coaches Award 2010: Remy Knight ’11 All-ISL First Team: Matt Hennrikus ’11 All-ISL Second Team: Sam Watson ’12

Girls Varsity Soccer | 14 – 2 – 2 NEPSAC Class C Champions

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fter an intense week of preseason, the girls’ varsity soccer team came together for their first official meeting to discuss their goals for the season. The response was unanimous – win the New England Class C tournament. And with that declaration, the team was off and running. The Zebras jumped out to a convincing 5-0-1 record through the first six games, before losing two in a row to Nobles and BB&N. By the end of the season, only those two teams stood above Groton in the standings as the Zebras finished in third place in the ISL. Highlights of the ISL season included the first win over Brooks School in recent history, as well as a second straight win over rival Middlesex. This squad proved to be more than just

All-ISL Honorable Mention Christina Napolitano ’13 vs Cushing Academy.

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Grotoniana | All Things Groton Field Hockey | 4 – 7 – 4

I Hope Cutler ’12 vs Cushing Academy.

technically strong as the league honored Groton (and Lawrence Academy) with the Sportsmanship Award.

Seniors Michela Mastrullo and Adrianna Pulford, members of the team since second form, captained the squad while formmates Julia Haney, Jocelyn Hickcox, and Kate Lapres contributed both on and off the field with their talent and leadership. Newcomers Christina Strater ’12, Baheya Malaty ’13, Catherine WalkerJacks ’13, Ellee Watson ’13, Breezy Thomas ’14 and Dorrie VarleyBarrett ’15 joined returners Christina Napolitano ’13, and a strong form of 2012: Jacqueline Anton, Tilly Barnett, Hope Cutler, Nicole Fronsdahl, Chloe Fross, Abby Morss, and Kaitlyn Peterson.

French teacher and assistant coach Fred Cadeau brought to the mix a tremendous amount of technical and tactical knowledge as well as his own passion for the sport.

For the second year in a row, Groton was awarded the number one seed in the NEPSAC Class C tournament, and a coveted home game against Newton Country Day School. The Circle field provided a stunning backdrop and our students gave us a spirited atmosphere that carried the team to a 2-0 victory. A 3-0 victory in the semi-finals vs. Greens Farms Academy sent the team back to the championship game for the second year in a row. Having been knocked out of the tournament three straight times by Brewster Academy, the girls had to refocus a bit when they learned that the Wheeler School (RI) had defeated Brewster in the other semifinal. But the Zebras showed up ready to play and after a few testy opening minutes, figured out the turf, settled the nerves and dominated the play. Groton played technically sound, possessive soccer for 80 minutes, perhaps their best soccer of the season, and were finally able to earn the Class C championship after four straight post-season appearances.

It was a magical season for this group that grew out of hard work, teamwork, and a love of soccer. Our seniors will be missed tremendously, but we also know that they have been an integral part in the growth of Groton Soccer and leave the team wellpositioned for future success.

Close of season awards: All-ISL: Adrianna Pulford ’11 All-ISL Honorable Mention: Michela Mastrullo ’11, Abby Morss ’12, Christina Napolitano ’13

38 | Quarterly Winter 2011

f you had watched the varsity field hockey team play this fall, you would have seen a band of highly skilled, wellconditioned athletes competing with great intensity and poise in every contest. The final record of 4-7-4 doesn’t do justice to their story. These young women worked hard and truly came together during this fall. Highlights of the season included wins over Holderness and St. George’s at home, a win on the road over St. Paul’s, a victory at Governor’s in OT (one of five OT games this fall) on their turf, and a hard fought tie at Middlesex, again on turf.

With the leadership of the five seniors on the team (co-captains Whitney Hartmeyer and KC Hambleton, and starters Haley Ladd-Luthringshauser, Gracie Villa, and Brooke Moore), the team demonstrated an excellent knowledge of the game and a desire to push themselves through every minute of play. While there were some tough losses (four by one goal, including to league champ Thayer), to see this team’s belief in itself was inspirational. We had a shot at qualifying for the tournament, but fell short at season’s end. We frequently talk about how field hockey is invaluable for

All-ISL player, Maeve McMahon ’13 vs Rivers School.

All-League Honorable Mention, Ashlin Dolan ’12 vs Rivers School.

Fall Sports teaching life’s lessons, and certainly this fall has shown Groton that these young women are the kind of people who do not fold under pressure, who make up for their mistakes, and who pull together under the toughest of circumstances. We will miss our sixth formers tremendously but count our blessings to have a great core of talented players returning, including ISL All-League player Maeve McMahon ’13 and Honorable Mention recipient Ashlin Dolan ’12. (Haley was also named to the Honorable Mention list.) Special thanks to coaches Maggie Florence, Nishad Das, and Kathy Leggat for their dedication and enthusiasm.

Close of season awards: Most Improved: Maeve Hoffstot ’13 MVP: Gracie Villa ’11 Coaches Award: KC Hambleton ’11

Varsity Football | 2 – 6

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his year a very young and inexperienced Groton School varsity football team finished with a record of two wins and six losses. Despite the record, the team was very competitive, losing four games by a touchdown or less in the final minutes of each game, including back-to-back narrow, last minutes defeats to ISL co-champions Rivers School and Buckingham, Brown & Nichols School. Other nail-biting losses to St. Paul’s, Middlesex, and St. George’s established the team’s fiercely competitive reputation around the league. The team finished the season with a big win at home against archrival St. Mark’s, 21-8. It was the fourth year in a row that Groton has defeated St. Mark’s.

A Groton time out in the BB&N game on Parents Weekend.

The team was also fortunate to play an unprecedented three night games, including tilts against Brooks School at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA, at St. Paul’s School and at a neutral site in Littleton, MA against Middlesex School. All three games were very competitive and wildly exciting. The team’s chemistry helped forge its competitive identity, and was very ably lead by cocaptains Ward “Bubba” Scott (Sr. running back/defensive tackle, Plymouth, NH) and Alex Machikas, (Sr. receiver/linebacker, Cary, NC), the team’s only seniors. Throughout the season they had their teammates on the same page, selflessly working toward the same goals. In particular, the defense excelled. A unit that allowed a generous 25 points per game in 2009 became a hard-hitting, stingy group that yielded just 15 points per game in 2010. With all but two starters returning for next year’s campaign, the team hopes to build on the foundation established this year.

At the end of the season, two-way lineman Peter Laboy (Jr., Lawrence, MA) was selected as the team’s Most Improved Player.

Receiver/linebacker Joe MacDonald (Jr., Pepperell, MA) was named Most Valuable Player and Ward Scott, a running back and defensive tackle, earned the Charles C. Alexander Football Award. In addition, receiver/defensive back Adam Lamont (Jr, Groton, MA) and MacDonald were named to the All-ISL team, with quarterback Pat Florence (Jr., Lowell, MA), guard/linebacker Trevor Bossi (Jr., Chelmsford, MA) and Ward Scott receiving honorable mention recognition. Finally, captains for 2011 will be Adam Lamont, Pat Florence, Joe MacDonald, Trevor Bossi, and center/defensive end Zachary Baharozian (Jr., Westford, MA).

David Caldwell ’13 cuts back as #73 Peter Laboy ’12 seeks a block.

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Grotoniana | All Things Groton

ALUMNI NEWS GWN

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he Groton Women’s Network launched into the new academic year with a full slate of events offered to the extended Groton community.

One of the GWN’s goals is to provide engaging and educational activities to help foster new friendships and reconnect past friends. Thanks to GWN Chair Merrill Stubbs Dorman ’95 and Vice-chair Julie Weil Futch ’84 and the regional city chairs, the events were varied, interesting, and most of all fun for all who participated.

Los Angeles, Boston, and San Francisco hosted community service events, all well attended by alumni and parents, past and current. The Boston team hosted a repeat service opportunity with On The Rise, and attendees helped with yard work and interior cleanup, and did some advance cooking for residents to enjoy post the

service day. Venice Beach in southern California is a cleaner beach thanks to the hard work of alumni from the 1990s, and at San Francisco’s Glide Memorial United Methodist Church a group of 20 enthusiastic Grotties made meals for the homeless in advance of the winter holidays.

SF City Chair Teebie Bunn Saunders ’94 was thrilled with the response in this firsttime event and hopes to repeat it next December.

Thanks to the efforts of Boston Cochairs Mary Murphy ’95, Christine Baharozian P’10, ’12, and Sarah DiMare Atwood ’93, the team offered a hike up Mt. Monadnock. This event was particularly popular with moms of current students because it concluded prior to the start of Groton athletic contests so that attendees could cheer on the students playing against

Alumnus Miles Morgan ’46 with the GWN guests at the Morgan Library

40 | Quarterly Winter 2011

St. George’s after a rigorous workout of their own. San Francisco residents were offered select seats at a New Century Chamber Orchestra performance courtesy of Parker Monroe ’77. Another alumnus, Miles Morgan ’46, recommended a New York event at the Morgan Library to tour the exhibit Anne Morgan’s War: Rebuilding Devastated France. Seventeen alumnae and parents gathered for this guided tour followed by tea at the library’s café.

Social events are always popular, and two cities offered cocktail gatherings to bring people together. D.C. city Co-chairs and 1999 formmates Lauren Huntley and Katherine Trainor chose a restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland, for a “back to school” event. The turnout was strong with alumni and parents, past and present, coming from the greater D.C. area as well as those

School News more local. Enjoying warm weather, Los Angeles young alumni gathered at Rock Sugar Pan Asian Kitchen prior to the Thanksgiving holiday to toast the season and Groton School.

The city groups are working on events for this spring. If you have an idea for a gathering or want to get involved with the GWN, please contact Betsy Lawrence ’82 in the Alumni and Development Office at blawrence@groton.org or at 978-448-7587.

GSAA

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he Boston reception this November took place at the Downtown Harvard Club. In addition to brilliant views of the city and excellent company, attendees were treated to an update from the Circle presented by four current faculty members. Cathy Lincoln, Dave Prockup, Nancy Hughes, and Andy Anderson answered questions from a standing room only crowd for an hour prior to the evening of cocktails, hors d’eurves, and conversations. A similar format was repeated at the New York reception when over 100 attendees heard Jon Choate ’60, Beth van Gelder, Peter Fry, and Tom Lamont give an update about the happenings at the School, both in the classroom and beyond. Headmaster Rick Commons served as moderator for both panel discussions and the audience participation was lively. Questions ranged from how Groton faculty uses technology in the classroom, the work the School is doing to develop its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) curriculum (see article on pages 12-15 in this issue), and the overall health of the School and its students. The response to these panels was exceptional with overflow crowds at Boston and New York. Given their popularity, plans are in the works to invite a group of faculty to the Washington, D.C. reception on April 6.

These two events are one way in which the GSAA is extending the Circle to gather alumni in a creative and meaningful way.

Continuing in this mode, by the time

Boston area mothers during the GWN hike up Mt. Monadnock

this issue hits mailboxes the GSAA will have hosted its first career networking gathering in recent memory. The event, held at the Harvard Club of New York City, consists of five Groton alumni as panelists offering tips and insight into their own professional fields and how a Groton education helped them to get where they are today. Ample time for

networking has been worked into the evening’s agenda as well.

Finally on February 20, the GSAA will host the Groton School Jazz Band at Ryles in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The event is free, open to all, and a great opportunity to hear Groton’s talented students in a unique venue. For more information and directions, visit www.rylesjazz.com.

New release Alexander T. Southmayd ’11

Brain Snacks for Teens on the Go! 50 smart ideas to turbo-charge your life (As seen on Amazon.com)

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ritten for teens by a teen, Sixth Former Alex Southmayd has taken a blog he was writing on line and transformed it into a hot selling paperback that has been getting rave reviews and substantial sales since its publication on November 18, 2010.

What are Brain Snacks? Sean Covey, best selling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens calls them “bite-sized pieces of wisdom and humor” collected in a “fantastic book, perfect for teens...”

Quarterly Winter 2011

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In Memoriam | As We Remember I N

M E M O R I A M

ROGER FELLOWES HOOPER, JR. ’35

1 August 18, 1917 – September 12, 2010

by John W. Cobb ’62, P’90

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oger Fellowes Hooper, Jr. (or “Uncle Rah Rah” as he was to be affectionately named by the eldest of the next generation, his niece, my wife, Bayard Hooper Cobb) was born as the eldest son into a Bostonian and Groton family on August 18, 1917. As Roger said in his biography, “A Full Life,” his father Roger Sr., “… was a Bostonian who didn’t see the point in any place else.”

His father had attended Groton (1907), and Roger Jr. attended in his turn, entering the First Form at the age of 12 in September of the soon to be infamous fall of 1929. He recalled how mortified he was when the many New Yorkers in his Form arrived in “fancy new” Cadillacs and Rolls Royces while his father (known for his Bostonian “thrift”) delivered young Roger to Groton “in an ancient Lincoln touring car with Isinglass windows, no glass.

My father had painted the car himself to save money. It looked like it had been painted by hand with a brush—it was all mottled and had all these pockets and protuberations. I was so embarrassed. It didn’t bother my father one bit.”

This incident, among others, apparently led to somewhat of a cold period between the “Bostonians” (of whom there were, surprisingly, only three) and the “New Yorkers” (the rest of the Form). After a while (two or three years), relations began to thaw and many of the New Yorkers, including specifically Bobby Brown and John Brooks, became Roger’s loyal lifelong friends.

Despite the Rector’s inspiration to lead young boys into men through a “muscular Christian education,” Roger reflected that he was not a good fit as he was “neither muscular nor particularly religious.” Nevertheless, he persevered through cold showers, cubicle life (with open windows greeting preglobal warming blizzards), choir (“despite the fact that all the Hoopers are tone deaf”), and a broken ankle during football season, which he later recalled, with his characteristic dry humor, was a mixed blessing. “The School mixed up the x-rays and they treated me for something different, so the bone didn’t heal right. When my father was informed, he raised hell about it

42 | Quarterly Winter 2011

and took me to see a specialist in Boston, Dr. Thorndike, who was the doctor for the Harvard football team and a friend of my father’s. Every Saturday I would go down to Cambridge to see the Harvard football game and then go to see Dr. Thorndike, who would fool around with my ankle.”

Any successful scheme to escape the School confines in the ’30s was memorable, as free time was limited to School grounds and Sunday afternoons.

The Nashua must have beckoned because, as the yearbook for the Form recounts: “Almost any Sunday, Hooper could be seen astraddle an upturned canoe.” Following in Roger’s footsteps was his brother Robert C. Hooper ’37 and, much later, the youngest, Bayard Hooper ’46. Roger’s sister, Nita, was probably in his father’s view to do the next best thing available to her at that time, which was to marry a Grotonian, Roger Milliken ’33.

Roger graduated Groton with honors and attended Harvard Class of ’39. He then made two significant life decisions, each of which “rebelled” against family tradition. The first was to attend architectural school at Harvard (then under the leadership of Walter Gropius), which he completed successfully in 1947 (interrupted by his wartime naval service). The second was to marry Patricia Bentley, whom he had met during the war. She was from California, and together they decided, much to the dismay of his father, to make their life in California.

Roger pursued an architectural career in San Francisco, eventually settling in an award-winning Hooper-designed house in Ross in Marin County. There they were to raise three children: Judy, Rachel, and Roger III. Forever labeled “the Hooper who went west,” they together served as a beacon to the extended family that there can be “life after Boston.” In Ross and at their cottage in Inverness, they warmly welcomed a host of two generations of nieces, nephews, and cousins who ventured (and some who settled) westward. This influence was not merely geographic but personal, in that Roger was a “transformative uncle,” as his niece Nancy Milliken aptly described him at the recent memorial service.

In Memoriam I N

M E M O R I A M

Sailing, as it was for generations in his family, remained a passion—although transferred from Manchester and Marblehead to the Pacific—racing out of Inverness Yacht Club with such crew as he could shanghai, or cruising the San Juan’s with family and friends. “If it wasn’t possible to be on the water, the next best place was the tennis court.” Thus tennis became the primary focus on land, with mixed doubles tournaments with Pat and relentless “family” tennis over the course of his long career during which his children dubbed him “the fox” due to his “crafty” style of play. Tennis was punctuated by heart “episodes” and major surgery, through which Roger managed not only to survive but prosper, soon returning to the sea, the tennis courts, and to his profession.

In the latter he also prospered, winning AIA awards, not only for his own but for other private residences. He engaged in notable larger projects, such as the Katherine Branson School and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Through all of the above, Roger managed to find time to pursue in depth a fascination with photography and learning language, putting

them both to good use in traveling widely. He became active in environmental conservation, the population of Marin County having almost tripled from 1940 to 1960. Roger served as a trustee, and then president of the board of The Marin Conservation League during the late 1980s and was zealous in promoting the conservation of the rapidly disappearing natural beauty of Marin County.

While his accomplishments were many, the most important aspect of Roger, for me, was his character. When you walked into a room with him, you knew things would not be ordinary.

No matter what the subject or occasion, Roger’s abiding sense of humor was magnetizing and infectious. He had the capacity for intelligent and non-dogmatic repartee that rarely ended the conversation but stimulated it. Only occasionally was this talent wielded in a cutting manner, and then generally reserved for episodes of nautical chaos! Roger’s breadth of keen observation and genuine curiosity for others’ interests or dilemmas will be, for me and many others, not merely a pleasure to be around, but a continuing inspiration.

Daniel POMEROY Davison ’43, P’72, ’75, ’80, GP’02, ’03, ’06, Former Trustee

1 January 30, 1925 – August 25, 2010

by Henry P. Davison II ’80

M

y father arrived at Groton School as a first former in the fall of 1937, but even he could not be prepared for the changes that would affect his adolescence or, indeed, the world, by the time he made it to Prize Day in the middle of the Second World War. It is probably fair to say that Danny Davison was the only one in his Form who was truly in his element when the last of the parents of the other new boys had finally departed. After all, both his father and his favorite uncle had been senior prefects in their respective Sixth Form years. His beloved aunts Betsy and Margery Peabody were teachers at the

School. And his grandfather Endicott Peabody was still Headmaster. Nevertheless, like each of his formmates and legions of students over the years, Danny’s experience at Groton School fundamentally shaped his character and very much made him the man he was throughout his life up until and including the day that he died.

Despite all his advantages in life, he learned an important lesson at Groton when he discovered he wasn’t perfect. In Second Form he wrote his father asking for permission to work in the carpentry shop. The response, which my father kept as a reminder of the need for constant self-improvement, was an immediate and emphatic “no.”

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“Danny is not to be allowed to work in the carpentry shop under any circumstances,” Trubee Davison wrote to then faculty member Almon Call. “If you put Danny all alone in a field with nothing else around him, he would still find a way to hurt himself. The thought of him wielding a chainsaw is more than I can bear to imagine—let alone permit.”

Over the years he liked to share other life lessons with his children. When I lamented the injustices wrought upon me by family life as the youngest of three boys, or when I confided in him about some despicable boss, he liked to tell me the story of the night he was seated for dinner at the right hand of an elderly Groton Master. Midway through dinner the Master accidentally tipped over his own glass, spilling water across the table. “Danny Davison,” he barked loudly—so loudly in fact that the whole dining room fell silent. “What a stupid and clumsy mistake. Clean up that mess immediately!”

Stunned, and somewhat bewildered by the outburst, he sheepishly crossed the hall with the eyes of the School on him to retrieve a rag from the kitchen. After he had cleaned up the spill he returned to his place. The chatter in the Dining Hall resumed until the din returned to its normal schoolboy pitch.

Danny remained rigid in his seat at the Master’s right hand, glaring at his plate as if it were piled high with brussells sprouts (the only vegetable I knew he ever disliked).

“Sir,” he protested. “Sir, you know I didn’t knock over that glass of water. You know that you knocked it over yourself,” he added in a plaintive voice.

“Yes, Danny,” the Master replied while trying to stifle a smile that was working at the corners of his mouth. “And now you know there is no justice in this world.”

There would be no escaping the fact that Danny was a son of privilege in his day. He was the product of elite New England educational institutions, including Yale (undergrad) and Harvard (Law). In his Sixth Form year he was even the last Grotonian to have a maid clean his cubicle and make his bed for him each morning. According to my mother, he never made his bed for the rest of his life either. Nevertheless, he managed to find a perfect balance between the good fortune of his birthright and service to others as well as to his God. He understood better than many of us that to whom much is given, much is expected.

By the time Prize Day arrived Danny had already decided to enlist in the Army, and in the afternoon following the close of ceremonies he departed immediately for nearby Fort Devens, becoming the youngest man in the country to join up by that point in the war. One could easily assume that he was just following the example set by his uncle, who had won the Navy’s highest honor in World War One, or that of his father who had already served in a sub-cabinet level position for two presidents and would be an Army general before the conflict would come to an end. It was not simply some sense of noblesse oblige that guided him, however, it just wouldn’t have occurred to him to do anything else. He was a product of a set of values, instilled in him from adolescence, that were part of what he liked to describe as the Rector’s ethos of muscular Christianity.

Despite his patrician background he was by nature a selfdeprecating man who was always understated about his abilities and humble about his family, which made him an exceedingly gracious person and a very good listener. People knew that they could always find an understanding if not sympathetic ear with him. His children, and any friends who were extended members of the Groton family, could use the example of his life as a standard of measurement against the ideal expressed in the School’s motto, cui servire est regnare.

Danny valued his family above all else, and believed it was a more durable and lasting legacy of accomplishment than the laurels that are typically bestowed on successful businessmen and generous philanthropists. As the family gathered in late summer and took turns through the days and nights to care for the man we called either husband, friend, or father, he made use of one last opportunity to share another life lesson with a final showing of his strength of faith. In waning health he accepted the end of his days in the company of the people he loved with equanimity and a sense of peace that came from his belief as a Christian in the firm promise that there was an even better life ahead, with no end, in the company of the Lord. Though the certainty of that promise is extraordinary and a wonderful help to those who might share in that belief, it does not mean that we cannot or should not grieve the loss of someone like Danny Davison, whom we loved.

Memories from Danny’s surviving formmates

N

one of Danny’s 11 remaining formmates was surprised by the newspaper listings of his impressive career accomplishments. He was a leader the day he arrived at Groton in September 1937, was elected our top officer for five years and, unsurprisingly, senior prefect. Along the way, he was a bell ringer, chorister, president of the Junior and Senior Debating Societies, librarian, member of the Missionary Society, of the football and hockey teams, the Second Form Chronicle and Third Form Weekly.

We have stayed in touch over the years and want now to add our recollections as we knew him for three score years and 13.

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1 “One thing the newspaper accounts about Danny missed was his extraordinary sense of service to his fellow human beings and that his generosity was an admirable outcome of his marvelous family background and his strong base in the traditions of Groton School. We all recognized Danny’s precious personal qualities and strength of character even if the newspapers didn’t.” —Dr. Paul Russell 1 “I was first exposed to Danny as a second former in the choir with him as a second soprano. That fall he took me for a walk down to the river. I learned several things from that walk. It was made firmly and politely clear to me that it was not good form to yawn during a Chapel service. The Rector, seated diagonally opposite the second sopranos, apparently felt strongly on the matter. Danny also confided in me that his goal was to become president of the United States. I was very impressed and felt he had a good chance of achieving his goal.

Above all, I learned that here was a thoroughly decent person, a born leader with a good sense of humor, worthy of one’s allegiance, a rare bird indeed. I would follow him anywhere, for now. And forever.” —Frank Cabot 1 “I shared a room with Danny Third Form year. As the Rector’s grandson and senior prefect, he represented a Groton ideal to me. He turned up unexpectedly and to my delight seven years ago at an event in my mother’s memory at Christie’s in New York. I shall always think very fondly of Danny Davison.” —Tim Vreeland 1 “The Second Monadnocks of 1938 had blue jerseys while the Second Wachusetts wore crimson. That got Danny thinking about the Yale football team, so he somehow acquired a can of white paint and conned the rest of us 2Ms into painting our helmets white. That gave us our second psychological advantage over our bitter enemies, the first being Fairfield Coogan as our running back. At the kickoff of our first game, the 2M team looked magnificent until we began tackling the 2Ws and smearing white paint all over their crimson jerseys.

The 2W coach was outraged, but the umpire allowed the game to proceed to our victory. Danny was unanimously elected our captain.” —Bill Hoyt 1 “The characteristic that most impressed me about Danny, not only at Groton but throughout his life, was his ability to balance and effectively work on several important responsibilities concurrently, in education, business, and pro bono, at the same time nourishing all his old friendships. “ —Nick Witte

1 “I always held Danny in high regard, and was well aware of his many accomplishments. Danny’s father was the successor to my grandfather, H.F. Osborne, as president of the American Museum of Natural History in 1933. I first met the Rector at my grandfather’s funeral in 1935.” —Fairfield Coogan 1 “Danny was a profound leader in our six years together. He was courageous, patient, and dedicated. We were blessed to have him as formmate and friend.” —Major General Arthur Poillon 1 “His was such a solid presence. As senior prefect, he ran the School at times, making difficult decisions, often well beyond his years. From his Hundred House podium there emanated a sense of good, of service. What an example for Groton to present to the world!” —Dr. Bill Crocker 1 “As a Third Form new boy, an outsider, I soon discovered how decent and fair-minded he was (he hated bullies). And fun. Made up absurd nicknames for me, but they never felt distancing or unkind. A genuine conservative in the finest Stimson/Lovett sense, persistent but always reasonable in argument, Danny taught me a lot about American politics.

‘The trick is to grow old gracefully,’ he said during our last long talk before he became ill. He did a lot better than that! I miss him.” —Professor Frank Bator 1 “At the service in thanksgiving for the life of Daniel Pomeroy Davison, Marshall Schwarz, Danny’s successor at U. S. Trust, spoke of his courage, patience, and dedication to anything and everything in which he was involved. Mr. Schwarz paused as he then said, ‘I believe he had one great strength above all his others. And that was his modesty.’”

“True, and his remarkable wife, mentor, critic, coach, defender, cheerleader, and mother of their three Grotonians— Danny, George and Harry—was always at his side, or a step ahead. Katusha’s support during their 57 years together meant everything to him. As it did to all of us whom she warmly greeted at that wonderful service.

“Danny Davison would have excelled in whatever arena he chose. And, of course, he did.” —Dave Howe 1 “I remember him as the quintessential (he taught me that adjective at Groton) unassuming ‘old shoe,’ while leading an extraordinarily successful life in every sense of the word.”

—Wyck Gould

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David HADDEN Fairburn ’55

1 April 21, 1937 – October 23, 2010

by Francis L. (Peter) Higginson ’55

I

n recollecting David in the context of our talented (present writer excepted, of course) but terribly fissiparated Form, two things astonish me today. The first is that David’s prominence in some of the School’s most high-profile activities—sports, the Choir and Glee Club, the Band—seemed no less a fact of nature than the rain in Ireland: he never ran on a ticket of greatness, he just embodied it. He wasn’t “fired up, ready to go.” He was just, well, Fairburn.

• Of course he was Captain, just look at him; • Of course, as bass in the choir, tall and with a resonant voice, he was honored with either the carrying of the cross at the head of the processional or, equally admired, the last to come down the aisle, thundering “A mighty fortress is our God,” competing with Satterthwaite, no small feat; • Of course a laugh from him in a group discussion about anything was the equivalent of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

To be candid, I don’t think anyone thought about it much: the fact is that he was the de facto unchallenged leader in the areas that counted most, both intra- and inter-Form. And not incidentally, he assumed those honors without a trace of either surprise or arrogance.

He wore his many honors like a bespoke Bond Street suit of clothes. The fit was perfect.

But there was another side of David that, in my view, also deserves recognition. He had a remarkable capacity to move about freely between les purs et durs et les murs et surs, between the searching and the solitary, between the lost and the waiting-to-be-discovered. If he did so out of any altruism, he certainly never betrayed such a motive. My take is that because he was so ineluctably at peace with himself, he traveled on a sort of school boy UN Laissez-Passer: he could go anywhere and expect to be welcome. As indeed he did and was.

David never had a message let alone an agenda, yet more than any other he helped knit the knittable parts of our Form together and, for those who couldn’t or wouldn’t be rescued, he helped them to feel less alone.

When David showed up in a gathering, large or small, his unexpected appearance unfailingly flattered. “Flattered” as in “Wow, if Fairburn wants to join us, he must think we are athletes/musicians/funny/insightful/ power brokers...whatever. The wind beneath our small wings....It always felt great.

The only time I ever saw David act like the kid the rest of us were was in the final seconds of the GrotonSt. Mark’s game. He and the St. Mark’s captain were in a private confab with the referees, just beyond my straining ears. Emerging from the ref’s huddle, he came near me, and with an ear-to-ear grin adorning his big friendly face, he croaked: “WE WON.” So yes, that’s the only time I ever saw him behave like, um, me.

The last time I saw him was aboard his large cruising boat when he came for a visit to my then house in Islesboro, Maine. He seemed subdued and gentle but eager to please. We had a particularly toothsome lunch on board (he was tied up to my mooring) and guessing my addiction to the plate and the glass, he gilded the lily of my fond memories of him by opening a bottle of 1990 Santenay, a wine I happen to like. Since I have some of my own, I plan to open one this evening. My glass thus replenished, I plan to salute his memory.

46 | Quarterly Winter 2011

Notabilia | New & Noteworthy

MARRIAGES

Meghan McGee Greenberg ’01

s

August 14, 2010

and Charles Evans Lockwood

Richard Preston Bradley ’82

Zahra G. Valimahomed ’01

and Sarah Bridget Lash

and Anand Ramesh Mehta

October 2, 2010

September 4, 2010

Daniel Oliver, Jr. ’91

Vaughan A. Leatherman ’04

and Kristin M. Wilson

and Joe Michael Stewart

September 11, 2010

October 16, 2010

A. Merrill Stubbs ’95 and Jonathan Isaac Dorman August 21, 2010 Samantha A. Goldstein ’96 and Jeremy Todd Kamras August 1, 2010 Erin Snow Pennington ’96 and Andrew Wood August 12, 2010 Andrew K. Ferrer ’98 and Sophie Elizabeth Lippincott July 24, 2010 John A. Roberts ’98 and Katherine MacKay Smith September 18, 2010

NEW ARRIVALS

s Jane Leibowitz Moggio ’85 and Philippe Moggio a daughter, Tatiana Evangeline Moggio July 8, 2009 and a son, Joaquin Alexander Moggio April 10, 2008 DeSales Harrison ’86 and Laura Baudot a daughter, Phoebe Augustine Harrison November 22, 2010 Thomas L. Piper IV ’87 and Gisela Piper twin boys, Otto and Frederico Piper October 27, 2010

Andrew P. Rusczek ’98 and Naomi Ruth Krakow July 17, 2010 Valentine B. Edgar ’99 and Eric Andrew Schewe August 7, 2010 Rebecca P. Lynch ’00 and Guy Christopher Rutherfurd October 30, 2010

90 | Quarterly Winter 2011

Cecilia L. Kemble ’91 and Boykin Curry a son, William Tyson Kemble-Curry October 8, 2010 Abigail Gurall White ’92 and Tim White a daughter, Cadence Anne White February 14, 2010

Sarah DiMare Atwood ’93 and Peter Atwood a son, Peter Moore Atwood III July 21, 2010 Christian J. Dawson ’94 and Sarah B. Fox a daughter, Rowan Katherine Dawson March 1, 2010 Catherine Tynan O’Dwyer ’94 and Brendan O’Dwyer a son, Patrick Trescott O’Dwyer July 22, 2010 Matthew D. Boucher ’95 and Chastity J. Boucher a son, Sebastian Coyle Boucher July 25, 2010 Antonio J. Perez-Marques ’95 and Jessica Romm Perez a daughter, Emilia Gabriela Perez August 27, 2010 Richard S. Scott III ’96 and Molly Scott a son, Henry Bowman Scott July 8, 2010 Aditya Margaret Dorrance Norris Duriez ’97 and Franck Duriez twin boys, Lucien Advaya and Hugo Gayan Duriez October 27, 2010 Laura Marshall Worth Ingle ’97 and Phillip Ingle a daughter, Alexandra Braxton Ingle July 28, 2010

Form Notes Groton School Board of Trustees Srdjan Tanjga ’97 and Deborah Grant a son, Marko Grant Tanjga March 17, 2010 Jotham W. Burnett ’98 and Yuki Burnett a son, Rio Burnett October 21, 2010 Richard B. Commons, Headmaster and Lindsay McNeil Commons a daughter, Clara Robertson Commons June 11, 2010 Albert L. Hall, Faculty and Marci Hall a daughter, Isabelle Titus Hall August 27, 2010 William J. Riley, Faculty and Lara Riley a daughter, Judith Spear Riley September 23, 2010

DEATHS

s Roger F. Hooper ’35 September 12, 2010 Samuel P. Shaw ’35, P’62 November 12, 2010 David Hadden, Sr. ’38 July 30, 2010 George K. McClelland ’38, GP’11 October 3, 2010 Huntington Lyman ’42 November 17, 2010

Daniel P. Davison ’43, P’72, ’75, ’80, GP’02, ’03, ’06, Former Trustee August 25, 2010 David S. Biddle ’44, P’70 November 10, 2010 Samuel D. Robins, Jr. ’46 September 9, 2010 William B. Warren ’52 October 8, 2010 David H. Fairburn ’55 October 23, 2010 Daniel H. Pierson ’57 August 20, 2010 Thomas Motley, Jr. ’59, P’95 November 30, 2010 Peter T. Booty ’73 July 20, 2010 Zachary L. Sulkowski ’05 September 3, 2010 Walter T. Perkins IV ’13 October 12, 2010 Priscilla Kunhardt W’16 October 15, 2010 Josephine B. Pierce W’35, P’64, GP’00 September 24, 2010 Eleanor Dwight W’42, P’82, ’87 November 16, 2010 Paul Coste, Former Faculty August 10, 2010 Michael Charron, Former Staff September 4, 2010

James Henry Higgins III, P’02, ’06, President Morristown, New Jersey Auguste Johns Bannard, P’01, ’03, Vice President Richmond, Virginia Lori Diane Hill ’88, Secretary Ann Arbor, Michigan Brian Tilton Bristol, P’02, ’06 Treasurer New York, New York Richard burch Commons, Headmaster Groton, Massachusetts Charles Arthur Anton ’75, P’10, ’12 Winchester, Massachusetts James Abbott Bundy ’77, P’09, ’12 New Haven, Connecticut Diana Vess Chigas ’79 Belmont, Massachusetts Mark McCampbell Collins, Jr. ’75 Glyndon, Maryland Franz Ferdinand Colloredo-Mansfeld ’81, P’09, ’13 ’15 South Hamilton, Massachusetts Henry Patterson Davis ’84 New York, New York Dwight Daniel Willard Gardiner, Jr. ’82 London, England Grant Ambler Gund ’86 Weston, Massachusetts Stephen Grant Hill ’80 New York, New York John Robert Stephen Jacobsson ’86 New York, New York Thomas Llewellyn Kalaris, P’05, ’07, ’12 London, England Jonathan David Klein, P’08, ’11 New York, New York Andrew Sanford Paul, P’11 New York, New York Benjamin Nicoll Pyne ’77, P’12 New York, New York Pauline Cross Reeve ’78, P’07, ’09, ’11 Concord, Massachusetts Richard Roland Reynolds ’89 Alexandria, Virginia Jennifer Ayer Sandell ’82 Menlo Park, California William Nicholas Thorndike, Jr. ’82 Westwood, Massachusetts James Hazen Ripley Windels ’82 New York, New York Ann Bakewell Woodward ’86 Bedford Corners, New York Richard Griswold Woolworth, Jr. ’70, P’01, ’04, ’06 Greenwich, Connecticut

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Three Varsity Teams Earn

New England Championships Girls Soccer defeated Wheeler School 1-0 to capture their first ever NEPSAC Division C Championship in November.

Groton, the number one seed in the tournament, defeated Newton Country Day School 2-0 and Greens Farms Academy 3-0 in the quarter and semifinal rounds of post season tournament play.

Boys Cross-country captured their fourth consecutive New England championship, finishing first at the Division III NEPSTA championships held at Buckingham Browne and Nichols School.

Girls Cross-country earned their second New England championship in four years, finishing first at the division III NEPSTA Championships held at Governors Academy.

92 | Quarterly Winter 2011

7- 0 (25 Years later) The 1985 Varsity Football team returned to the Circle for St. Mark’s Weekend in November to celebrate and remember their undefeated season.

Winter 2011 | Vol. LXXIII, No. 1

Contents Circiter | Featured on Campus

3

Parents Weekend

6

8

6

Chip McDonald and Huao Hwang

Exhibits change at the de Menil and Brodigan Galleries

NEASC Visit and Report

By John M. Niles, Faculty, P’02

Former St. Mark’s coach Henry Large, retired Groton faculty and head football coach Jake Congelton, and Tom Gardner ’86 captain of the undefeated ’85 football team.

12 STEM Symposium

Gallery News

By Craig N. Gemmell, Faculty

16 Performing Arts

A Raisin in the Sun

Much Ado About Nothing

InFusion Dance

Per Circulum Locuti Sunt | Voices on the Circle

23 Preparation Meets Opportunity

20

Sean Dooley ’87 and Jake Congleton

A Chapel Talk by Orme W. Thompson ’11

25 Risk and the Black Swan

A Chapel Talk by Zoë M. Silverman ’11

27 Three Pranks and a Passion

A Chapel Talk by James A. Bundy ’77, P’09, ’12, Trustee

Front Row: Chip McDonald, Tom Gardner, Jake Congleton, John Jacobsson, Huao Hwang, Dave Tosatti. Back Row: Gat Caperton, Sean Dooley, Sean Delaney, Charlie Forbes, Brendan O’Malley. Missing: Charlie Alexander and Jon Choate

25 Front Cover: 2010 Lessons and Carols service in St. John’s Chapel.

Photo by Vaughn Winchell, Insight Studios.

Photos: Sarah Forbes ’86 and Kristen Dooley

P.O. Box 991 Groton, Massachusetts 01450-0991

Change Service Requested

Groton School Quarterly

Groton School

Groton School Quarterly Winter 2011 | Vol. LXXIII, No. 1

Winter 2011 • Vol. LXXIII, No. 1

First snow of 2011 covers Brooks House.

Lessons & Carols 2010 Parents Weekend • Fall Performances • STEM Symposium • The 10X10 Project

Form notes

R Form Notes are now password-protected.

Members of the Groton community may read them online by signing in at www.groton.org/myGroton.