SCH, Spring 2015

the magazine of springside chestnut hill academy

the school

thinking and making in 3d Developing Students’ Spatial Intelligence | page 3

getting into the flow Students Apply What They’ve Learned about Water and Electricity to Solving Real-World Challenges | page 6

making magic Students Master the Hidden World Behind Technology through New Programming Curriculum | page 18

SPRING

2015

THE SCHOOL

Dear SCH Community, Being part of a community like SCH Academy means that you are continually reminded of the power of possibility. Not a day goes by that I’m not amazed by the creativity of our faculty and students. This is a place where “no” and “can’t” are forgotten parts of the vocabulary. The work we’ve done to create a culture of “can do” and “what if” has truly taken hold, and our students and faculty are enthusiastically pushing the envelope every day.

SPRING 2015

The SCHool is a triannual publication of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy’s Office of Advancement.

President Dr. Priscilla G. Sands ha OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT Chief Advancement Officer Melissa R. Calvert Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Caroline Colantuno Director of Alumni Relations Melissa Fikioris Associate Director of Alumni Programs Melissa Brown ’87 Director of Publications and Video Deidra A. Lyngard Director of Digital Communications Karen Tracy ha Associate Director of Communications Melissa Fisher Editor at Large Elizabeth Sanders ha

Cover Photo Seventh Graders Steven Majewski, foreground, Christopher Yarish (l) and Gordon Harrop work on their 3D designs using SketchUp. The designs will later be printed on a 3D printer.

In the following pages you’ll see examples of this creativity and entrepreneurial spirit in action, from 3rd graders designing their own stormwater management systems to a 12th grader creating a working model of a 3D chocolate printer. Part of the reason for this explosion in innovation is, I believe, that we give our students plenty of room to imagine, explore, and test their ideas, to fail at times, but always to try again. Failing forward is an important concept guiding all of our teaching here at SCH. It is central to our learning process and, of course, to building those all-important qualities of grit and resilience. The students designing stormwater systems and electronic board games, creating 3D computer models of life-size robots, and programming in Java and LabVIEW are working, learning, and producing at ever more rigorous and sophisticated levels. They are already mastering subjects and technologies that once were the exclusive domain of higher education. Watch them in action and you, like me, will be confident that the future is in good hands.

My own 19-year journey of learning, at Springside and now at SCH, will come to a close at the end of this school year. It has been a glorious journey, full of challenges, opportunities, and yes, the occasional need for a restart or rethink. I am particularly proud of what we have become in the past three years since we combined forces—a truly forward-thinking, innovative learning environment where our students and faculty thrive. I am so enormously grateful to all those with whom I‘ve had the pleasure to work and who have contributed in so many talented ways to the collective vision of who we are and want to be.

While my own path takes me on to new challenges and opportunities, SCH will continue to grow and thrive under the able, farsighted leadership of its trustees, caring faculty and staff, and dedicated community of parents and alumni. It truly takes a village to make a school. But it takes a village of innovators and bold thinkers to make a school like SCH Academy.

Warmly,

Dr. Priscilla G. Sands President

table of contents

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thinking and making in 3d Developing Students’ Spatial Intelligence

6

10

14

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getting into the flow Students Apply What They’ve Learned about Water and Electricity to Solving Real World Challenges

schoolyard New from around Campus

scoreboard Athletic News | Fall 2015

sch portfolio Betty Ann Fish, Chair, Department of Physical Education

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making magic Students Master the Hidden World Behind Technology through New Programming Curriculum

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legacy photos 2014 Graduates and their SCH and Alumni Family Members

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future ready: student voices Telling Stories at SCH by Samira Baird ’16

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28 34 38 39 40

alumni profiles: pursuing excellence Megan Wittorff Crawford ’90 and Evan Lodge ’04

class photos: reunion classes 2014 class notes sch on the road: alumni gatherings in memoriam mystery photos

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Walk the halls of SCH Academy and you’ll see an exciting display of three-dimensional work created by students in their art, new media, and engineering classes.

Light-capturing geometric designs made from cut and folded paper; life-size words constructed of cardboard, paper cups, and papier-mâché; architectural models made from cardboard and Styrofoam, and an array of objects designed on computers and printed on 3D printers.

The advent of increasingly sophisticated graphic imaging software in science, medicine, engineering, and design, and the trend toward creating virtual reality environments have only increased the opportunities and demand for people who excel in this area.

All of these projects represent SCH Academy’s work in developing students’ spatial intelligence, defined as spatial judgment and the ability to visualize with the mind’s eye. One of the nine intelligences identified by educator Howard Gardner, spatial thinking is closely correlated with the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). A longitudinal study of young adolescents followed for 30 years found that those students who pursued degrees in the science and engineering fields had especially strong spatial abilities compared to the rest of the survey sample. 1

The ability to think spatially and create objects in three dimensions also hones one’s problem-solving skills, explains Juliet Fajardo, who teaches digital arts, new media, and 3D animation in the Upper School. While there are plenty of challenges to designing in two dimensions, adding the dimension of depth creates a host of new challenges, possibilities, and relationships, requiring even more sophisticated analytical and abstract thinking.

“We want our students to experience creating and problem solving under a variety of conditions and in different environments, from real to virtual,”

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“Onomatopoeia” Project: 3D constructions of words that look like they sound.

Building the Foundations

explains Dr. Ellen Fishman-Johnson, director of the Arts and New Media Department chair. “So much of computer-based entertainment today exists in 3D, our students want to be able to create in this environment as well. It’s great preparation for the careers of the future and helps build many of the skills we value and teach here at SCH.”

After learning the fundamentals of 2D design and composition—line, shape, color, balance, perspective—students are challenged to apply these principles in 3D space. Classes in ceramics, sculpture, and woodworking, as well as non-art classes that include a design-and-build component, provide students with their first exposure to thinking and working in 3D. Lower School students regularly visit the Imagineering Lab (boys) and Maker Spot (girls) where they can tinker, design, and work collaboratively on projects.

These activities help them develop body awareness while exposing them to the characteristics of a variety of building materials.

Over the past few years, SCH Academy has expanded its course selections to include the instruction of 3D modeling and fabrication in addition to the traditional studies in ceramics, woodworking, and sculpture. Students now learn to create and build in both real and virtual worlds using a wide array of materials from cardboard and masking tape to highly sophisticated computer-aided design software.

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student with a serious sweet tooth has CAD designed and built his own 3D printer, using 3D-printed parts, that will print objects in chocolate.

Bridget Farnack, who teaches 3D art and ceramics in Upper School, says that today’s students are so computer oriented that some have trouble figuring out how to create an object in real space. “I do a lot of hand-overhand teaching,” she says, “showing them how to physically engage with and manipulate their materials.” In her 3D Art and Design class, Farnack has her students design a font in 2D that simulates the meaning of a word (e.g., splat, drip, zip) and then construct the word in 3D using cardboard, paper cups, and other commonly available materials. In Colleen Joy’s 7th grade Vector Graphics class, students are given the challenge to design a floor plan for an ideal home, then asked to build the structure on top of the plan using foam core and other materials. In another project, students make cuts in a flat sheet of paper and fold out the cut sections to create beautifully patterned sculptural surfaces incorporating light and shadow.

One of the first projects assigned to Upper School students in Juliet Fajardo’s New Media 2 class is to create a flat 2” x 2” shape out of chipboard, cut out multiples of this shape, then assemble the components into a 3D structure using no tape or glue. The process helps students understand what makes a good building unit—one which, multiplied, makes a stable and interesting structure.

“Students at SCH are encouraged to be makers and designers, and more and more that will mean that they need to be able to manipulate their designs in the computer in a 3D program for printing,” says Fishman-Johnson. “We help students develop their ability to visualize from an early age through their art classes and now we have the means to extend this to include new technologies that are changing the world.”

“Recognizing Spatial Intelligence” by Gregory Park, David Lubinski and Camilla P. Benbow Scientific American, November 2, 2010 1

Helping students transition from two to three dimensions in physical space provides an essential foundation for their move to computer-aided design (CAD) in which they must learn to think in reverse—designing 3D objects in 2D space. This process begins in Middle School when 7th grade students are introduced to a 3D modeling software called SketchUp. Through SketchUp, students learn the rudiments of creating and manipulating objects in three dimensions. In Upper School, they can go more deeply into CAD design through elective courses that utilize specialized 3D modeling software, including Maya, for animation; Rhinocerous, for architectural structures; and Inventor, for engineering.

In the Engineering and Robotics program, students are using CAD and 3D printers to make their own parts for robots and other projects. Students in all divisions with Venture Incubator projects are availing themselves of these printers to create prototypes of their ideas to show at Demo Day. Tenth graders can elect to take a CEL course in Product Design and Prototyping where they can 3D print their CAD creations designed to address a real-world problem. One ingenious engineering

From their first attempts in SketchUp to their highly sophisticated renderings in Auto Cad Inventor, SCH students have access to an array of tools to help them master the challenges of computer-aided 3D design.

Three-dimensional star assembled from multiples of the same shape.

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2D to 3D: Cut paper folded to create 3D patterns.

the maker revolution Imagine it. Design it. Print it.

What the Internet has done to distribute knowledge and put mass communication into the hands of the individual, the 3D printer is doing to bring the power of production to people’s desktops.

Over the past 30 years, 3D printing has been gaining a steady foothold as various industries, the science and education communities, and now an enthusiastic consumer market have discovered its potential. 3D printing is a somewhat misleading term; in fact, it is a new mode of fabricating centered around an additive rather than subtractive process. Objects are built up on a printer bed in successive layers following the commands of a computer, which has segmented the design of a three-dimensional object into thin cross sections.

3D printing has recently become affordable, opening its potential to consumers and putting the power of design and fabrication into the hands of the individual.

The days of mass production may be on the wane and the days of highly customized, on-demand production on the rise with designs readily shared and downloaded via the web.

rials we want to use. 3D printers are now producing everything from garments to jewelry, from bionic body parts to engine components. Google’s head of engineering, Ray Kurzweil, foresees a day in the near future when people will be able to search for clothing online, download the design instructions, and print out a new sweater or pair of pants on their 3D home printer.

3D printing’s applications are limited only by our imagination and the characteristics of the mate-

3D printing has also entered the world of education, enabling

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Klein bottle designed and 3D printed by Gib Randall ’16.

students to bring their computer-created designs to life and teachers to produce visual aids for the classroom that are otherwise protected behind museum glass, inside our bodies, or too small to be seen by the naked eye.

SCH Academy now has 3D printers installed in the Robotics Lab and New Media classroom, with plans to expand their availability to the Lower and Middle School divisions.

Students are using the printers to manufacturer components for robots, make prototypes for their Venture Incubator projects, and create artwork.

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Students Apply What They’ve Learned about Water and Electricity to Solving Real-World Challenges

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Recently, 3rd and 9th grade students at SCH participated in science projects that challenged them to design and build prototype solutions to physics problems involving stormwater and electricity.

t used to be that the most active thing you could expect to do in science class was dissect a frog or make an exploding mass of bubbles by mixing hydrogen peroxide and potassium iodide in a test tube. No more.

While dissections and “recipe” labs are still useful teaching methodologies, the action ante has been raised—in science and the other disciplines—with the new emphasis on project-based learning that is self-directed and real-world focused.

Rain Rain Go Away As part of their half-year unit on water, 3rd grade girls learned about the impacts of stormwater run-off and the many creative ways they can reduce it.

Scott Stein, chair of SCH Academy’s Science Department, says the project-based approach offers a natural tie-in with the scientific method and is frequently used to bring home science concepts and principles. “It requires students to synthesize what they’ve learned, ask questions, create and test their own solutions, and analyze the results,” says Stein. “These kinds of projects are longer and more complex and open-ended than the traditional lab experiment, and like real scientific inquiry, the outcome is unknown.”

After doing research online, they visited various places around campus to study the different stormwater control systems used by the school, including the gravel pits under the athletic fields and the Rorer Center’s rain gardens, grey water system, and pervious parking lot. They also met with engineers from Meliora Design, the civil engineering firm involved in the design of the new Lower School, who told them about their plans to control stormwater in the new construction. They studied about interactive systems, such as rain barrels and rain gardens, and public art solutions,

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into the classroom for an indoor stream.”

At the end of the project they presented their prototypes to an audience of classmates, faculty, administrators, and one of the Meliora engineers. For part of their presentation, they were asked to reflect on what went well, what they would change, and how their design helps teach people about the stormwater problem.

“I want students to hone their problem-solving skills through project-based learning,” explains Maloy. “I think it’s powerful learning for them to take a real-world problem, apply their skills to it, and present their solution to an authentic audience. It gives so much more meaning to their work.”

One inventive team of 3rd graders envisioned a rooftop garden that would collect and filter rainwater, then send it down a rain pipe to a rain barrel, which would water ground-level gardens.

such as the wonderful zigzag downspout sculpture on the side of the Cherokee Campus building installed by environmental artist Stacy Levy.

After learning the many creative options available, the girls were then asked to design and build their own system for both reducing and creating cleaner stormwater.

Working in teams, they first wrote about their concept and its special features and explained why it would be a good idea for the school. Next they drew a schematic of their idea.

Then, working in the Physics Lab, using recycled and natural materials, such as soil, gravel, plastic

Board Play

containers, foam, and cardboard tubing, they built their prototypes.

You’ve got three weeks to create the next bestselling electronic board game and sell it to the nation’s biggest toy manufacturer. But first you have to figure out how to make the

Their biggest challenge was dealing with the not-surprising problem of leakage. “Keep on taping” became the motto of more than one group, who used duct tape liberally on their prototypes to staunch the unruly flow of water. “It was frustrating at times,” admits Madison Freeman, “but when it was accomplished it was exciting.”

Students present their prototype stormwater management systems to classmates, faculty, and Meliora Design representatives.

Teacher Marianne Maloy said their efforts were creative and inspiring.

“The girls imagined rain gardens, rain barrels, and cisterns. They even imagined water wheels to slow down the flow of water and a science room with a downspout

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game work. That was the scenario given to three 9th grade physics classes this fall that had just finished learning about electricity and electrical circuits.

“A traditional high-school curriculum spends a lot of time talking about how the world works,” explains Upper School physics teacher Alissa Sperling. “What makes this physics course special is that we don’t just talk about physics, we do it!”

Using a set of supplied circuit components, the resources of the Physics Lab, and a large collection of unused pizza boxes (as the game board/circuitry container), the student teams went to work, applying what they had learned to creating an interactive board game that would buzz, beep, light up, shake, and otherwise offer satisfying electrical reactions to board play.

At the end of three weeks, the students had created an impressive array of themed games. “They ranged from travel-themed games

with motorized suitcases and sports-themed games with light-up goal posts to creative table games that buzzed when two contacts touched,” details Sperling. “There were some tough times for students working late after school when they were sure their game would never amount to anything, but they got through it, and hopefully this will be an experience they won’t forget.”

Coming up with a concept and building the circuitry for the game was only part of the project challenge. They had to first write a

The students did face a lot of challenges, agrees Ellen Kruger, one of the 9th grade physics teachers.

“Most of them had never worked with circuitry before; they’d never had to solder wires together.”

Circuits often didn’t work at first the way they were expected to.

Sometimes it was just a matter of reversing connections in an LED light. Sometimes students had to restructure everything they’d thought about. “Whatever the problem,” says Kruger, “they had to own it and work it through themselves.”

poster explaining why their game was the next bestseller and to whom it was targeted. It also had to include detailed instructions for play, a labeled circuit diagram, and a written description of how the circuit worked. After their presentations, they were asked to reflect on their project experience: what went well, what they would do differently, what was most rewarding, what was most frustrating.

“It really helped me understand the material that we were learning in class in a fun, innovative way,”

“Giving them a real sense of how circuits work and showing the relevance of even the simplest electronic functions was our primary goal,” adds Becca Budde, the third physics teacher involved in the project. “But in the process they learned so much more: planning, patience, getting beyond failure, and problem solving as a team. Learning was definitely happening on multiple levels. And best of all, they had fun despite the hard work.”

The travel game invented by (l to r) Sophia Boyd, Caryle Zeringue, and Justin Anderson included a motorized board piece shaped like a suitcase.

proposal outlining their concept and the list of materials they thought they would need. If they didn’t estimate correctly, they had to work with what they ordered. Then, once the game was constructed, they had to make a pitch to a fictional toy company to buy their game idea. The pitch had to include a

says freshman Rachel Kazlauskas.

“We were put out of our comfort zones and forced to start thinking in a more creative way. Although it was challenging in the sense that it was quite time-demanding and stressful, seeing the finished project brought me an indescribable sense of accomplishment and relief.

I really enjoyed this project.”

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A pizza box serves as both a game board and container for game circuitry.

News from Around Campus

schoolyard

Seniors Help Battle Food Insecurities in Philadelphia The Literature and Cultural Politics of Food, a course taught at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy by English teacher Michael Ferrier, was designed to bring students closer to food and to show how novelists, food critics, historians, and chefs have seized upon some of its variant meanings. What became of this course was something greater: a group of students who were concerned by the proximity of food deserts—urban areas where fresh, affordable, good quality food is virtually unavailable—and wanted to do something about it. The students’ concern with food deserts inspired them to take a service trip to Sunday Suppers, an organization dedicated to battling food deserts in Philadelphia.

“The idea came to the students very organically,” said Ferrier. “They started to map out how close food deserts are to school and organizations in Philadelphia that are dedicated to combating food insecurity.”

The overall goal of Sunday Suppers is to provide families with the tools

to have physically and emotionally healthier lives. While they were there, the students helped in various capacities. Their responsibilities included setting tables, preparing the food, serving the food, organizing storage closets, drying and putting away dishes, and learning hands on exactly what the organization does. They also got to interact and spend time with the families—an experience that brought a lot of meaning to the students.

Exposing the students to real-world experiences is part of an everyday practice at SCH Academy. The students are frequently put in situations that teach them about issues in the community and require them to think about how they can make a difference.

Choreographer Gives Students Lesson in Character-Revealing Aspects of Stage Combat Mike Cosenza, an expert on Shakespearean stage combat and choreographer for the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, came to SCH in February to provide an in-class workshop on stage combat in Hamlet. The juniors in English teacher Michael Ferrier’s class had recently finished studying the play and discussing how stage combat can provide an opportunity to reveal characters’ motivations and intentions.

One of the central goals of the unit was to look at Shakespeare’s play as a script intended to be performed. The demonstration on stage combat provided the students with additional insight into the relationship between characterization and movement. With a focus on close textual analysis lightened by his characteristic wit, Cosenza

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led the students through the duel between Hamlet and Laertes at the end of the play. Through the staging of the scene, the students were able to tease out subtleties in the characters that they might otherwise have missed.

“It was fascinating,” says Ferrier.

“Lessons like these make Shakespeare come alive for the students.

It was an illuminating and enjoyable experience for all involved.”

The lesson proved invaluable in students’ preparation for their “popup” performances of Shakespearean scenes around campus during the month of March and their field trip to see the Wilma Theater’s production of Hamlet in April. The students had to incorporate technology into their “pop-up” performances in some way–from recording a video of the performance to utilizing Google Glass. The goal was to bridge the 16th and 21st centuries through their performances. .

SCH Students and Faculty Attend Diversity Conferences Six SCH students and three SCH faculty members traveled to Indianapolis for the yearly NAIS-sponsored Student Diversity Leadership Conference and the People of Color Conference, concurrent conferences during which participants confronted sticky diversity issues with open minds and open hearts.

Against the backdrop of the Ferguson and Staten Island grand jury verdicts, keynote speaker Eric Michael Dyson addressed students and faculty together on the first morning of the conference, exhorting the audience to lean into the work that still needs to be done to eradicate prejudice and dismantle racism in America.

“We are privileged to have an extremely diverse student population at SCH and especially lucky to have

such bright minds thinking about how to continue strengthening our diverse community,” said Polly Kimberly, college counselor at SCH, who attended the conference. “As usual, we came away from the conference excited to bring new energy to the diversity work we do here at school.”

While students spent two days together learning about and discussing various cultural identifiers that comprise diversity, adults attended diversity workshops and had the honor of hearing speakers such as Maysoon Zayid, who addressed the issue of authentic inclusion of the physically disabled, and Jose Antonio Vargas, who recounted his story of growing up as an undocumented immigrant, a story that opened many people’s eyes to the challenges and injustices faced by immigrants in America, both documented and undocumented. On the final morning of the conference, students and their faculty chaperones came back together to talk about their own school communities’ diversity issues.

SCH Student Invited to Speak at Solebury School’s TEDx Sophomore Rekha Dhillon-Richardson was selected to be a speaker at TEDxSoleburySchool on Sunday, May 17, 2015. TEDxSoleburySchool is a one-day event featuring inspirational students who share their passions and ideas regarding key components of change and innovation. Rekha’s interest and passion for educating youth about climate change landed her a spot on their speaker series.

“I came up with the idea of hosting a Girls Climate Change Summit out of a love for nature that I’ve had for as long as I can remember,” said Rekha. “I think it is so important to value the environment we have been given.”

As part of her project through the CEL Venture Incubator, Rekha will be hosting a summit on April

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25, 2015 that will include workshops, speakers, presentations, team-building activities, and thought-provoking conversations.

The purpose of the summit is to raise awareness about climate change, promote youth advocacy, and spark local change in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Rekha is hoping to partner with local schools and organizations for the summit.

Fortunately, Rekha has some experience going into the TEDx event.

She interned at the David Suzuki Foundation and Justice for Girls in the summer of 2012, presented at the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (regarding climate issues) in the fall of 2012, and went to Toronto in the spring of 2013 to speak to youth about climate issues.

This is Rekha’s second year in the CEL Venture Incubator. At the end of her first year, she received a $400 grant from GRinCH (Green in Chestnut Hill), a group that is interested in furthering sustainable practices, for her work with climate change.

sports, which is fitting for Olivia, considering her passion for sports.

SCH Student Chosen as SI Kids “Kids Reporter” Seventh grader Olivia D’Angelo was selected to be a Sports Illustrated Kids “Kids Reporter” for 2015, making her the second SCH student, after Mo’ne Davis, to receive an honor from the magazine this year. Out of hundreds of entries, Olivia was one of 12 students selected.

In order to be considered, Olivia had to submit an application to Sport Illustrated Kids that included an article she had written as well as a short piece about why she wanted to become a Kids Reporter.

Olivia has always had a passion for writing and this sparked her interest in journalism. When she came to SCH in 6th grade, she started the Middle School newspaper “The SCH Times,” which is distributed once a month. One of the topics covered by the newspaper is Middle School

“My family is a big sports family, and I’ve grown up watching a lot of baseball, football, basketball, and soccer, and playing sports,” says Olivia. “When I learned about the Kids Reporter opportunity, it was the best of both worlds for me because it combined two of my passions—sports and journalism.”

Over the course of this year, she will be writing articles about sports in and around the Philadelphia area.

Her blog will live on the Sports Illustrated Kids website. For her first story, she wrote about Reece Whitley, a freshman at Penn Charter, who is one of the fastest swimmers of his age in the country.

SCH Student Receives the John Izzard Award SCH senior Matt Miller was the recipient of the John Izzard Award, which recognizes a deserving junior rower for outstanding athleticism, service, and achievement. Matt was nominated last year as a junior.

Every school represented on the river, encompassing about 3,000 students, was allowed to nominate one junior boy and one junior girl.

The nominees had to complete an application, a series of short essays, and submit an academic transcript. The coaches also had to complete an application on the nominee. As a finalist, Matt had to interview with the head of the awards committee.

Matt was presented with a plaque at the Undine Boathouse Captain’s Dinner in November and a trophy at this year’s annual Schuylkill Navy Dinner. The plaque is on display at SCH for the year. A special gift invitation by John Izzard was also extended to Matt for participation in Undine Barge Club’s Summer Junior Rowing program.

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This annual award was created to honor John Izzard Jr., the current vice president of the Undine Barge Club and to credit a student who exemplifies the same outstanding characteristics as Izzard who has been an outstanding athlete and a man of service, and attained significant academic achievement.

30 Students Attend Model UN Conference at Penn In January, 30 Upper School students attended the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference (ILMUNC) hosted by the International Affairs Association at the University of Pennsylvania. The weekend consisted of stimulating debate, hands-on learning, and other activities on Penn’s campus. The annual conference attracts more than 3,000 students from around the world.

SCH students had the opportunity to participate on special committees examining different aspects of this year’s issues, such as health, defense, and economics.

“In previous years, while negotiating resolutions to civil unrest and Internet censoring, I built relationships with people from all over the country,” said SCH junior Anab Aidid, who attended the conference for her third time this year. “In certain instances, I worked with people hailing from places like India and Puerto Rico.”

by holding a smaller Model UN conference of their own involving other local schools. The time spent preparing for and attending the event brought the students closer together, which brought more meaning to the experience.

“This year, I ended up spending more time with the SCH Model UN team,” said Aidid. “I learned about the underclassmen and bonding with upperclassmen I didn’t know well, which made this year’s ILMUNC particularly special to me.”

Junior Receives Grant from Keds Junior Samira Baird was a recipient of a “Change Community, Change Your World” grant through Keds’ Brave Life Project.

This award is intended to inspire girls to follow their dreams and acknowledges that success takes moxie and a willingness to take risks. The grant is designed to help support the costs for girls to achieve their brave goals—whether big or small—and to change the world by changing communities.

Samira is currently working with Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership’s Venture Incubator (CELVI). She submitted her CELVI project—a multimedia blog featuring political, fashion, and entertainment posts—for the grant. In building out “The Samira Show,” she is hoping to be able to connect the school and create a digital space for personal expression.

For months, SCH’s Model UN club prepared for the event by fundraising—to cover all costs—and

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Samira plans to use the grant money to help market the website and purchase any related equipment/ software; a GoPro camera is on her wish list.

Launched in partnership with the Girls Leadership Institute, the Keds Brave Life Project provides girls with opportunities to take positive risks, develop the confidence to be true to themselves, and help their goals of changing the world.

BOYS’ FALL VARSITY SPORTS

Athletic News

scoreboard

Cross Country

Finished 0-5. Sophomore Noah Chandler earned All-Inter-Ac honors by placing in the top 15 of the league championships. One week later, junior Will Concannon and Chandler placed in the top 20 of the Independant School Championships held at Belmont Plateau.

Football Finished 8-2. The varsity team ended the season with a 3rd place finish in the Inter-Ac. The senior duo of quarterback Paul Dooley and wide receiver Dylan Parsons rewrote the Inter-Ac record book as they led the Blue Devils throughout the season.

Golf The varsity team, led by seniors Brian Hamilton and Matt Giegerich, were competitive this season. The JV squad went 7-1 and will be competing with the returning varsity golfers for the open spots on the roster.

Soccer Finished 14-6-2. The varsity team placed 3rd in the league with a highlight 1-0 victory at home over Haverford, the number one team in the state in 2014.

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GIRLS’ FALL VARSITY SPORTS

Cross Country

Finished 5-1 in dual meets and 4th in the Inter-Ac. The team placed 4th in an amazing league championship meet in which there was only a 10-point margin between 1st and 4th place. Sophomore Terri Turner came back the following week and won the PA State Independent School individual championship. Terri was the first individual state champion in the history of the girls’ cross country program.

Field Hockey

Finished 10-13 overall. Although they struggled in league play, the team was much improved over last season.

Soccer

Finished 11-10 overall. The team improved tremendously, playing well against very strong Inter-Ac opponents.

With a new head coach, led by one of the strongest high school players in the nation, and along with strong young talent, this program is on track to be very good in the near future.

Tennis

Finished 2-10. We are young and look to improve with our returning players along with good MS players moving up next season.

Volleyball

Finished 11-9. Consistently competitive throughout recent years, the team held their own in the Inter-Ac as well as against very strong nonleague opponents.

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Faculty / Staff Profile

sch portfolio

age group. Having fun while teaching is important, and teaching in the Lower School allows me to do just that and stay young at heart.

Betty Ann Fish In March, Betty Ann Fish was recognized as the National Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year by SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators).

What do you do at SCH? I am the department chair of physical education at SCH and I teach primarily in the Lower School for Girls. I currently coach field hockey and softball in the Middle School and have also coached in the Upper School. My goal when teaching is to instill an appreciation for physical activity and help students to understand the importance and benefits of leading a healthy life style. I create classes that are fun and motivating, ultimately encouraging students to be physically active outside of school. At SCH, I strive to include technology in the physical education program.

What brought you to teaching PE? I became a physical education teacher because I love physical activity and sharing my enthusiasm with others. I love to be moving and was never one to sit still. I wanted to be outside or on a court playing any sport. My parents’ encouragement and support made it possible for me to follow my dream. In middle school I had two female physical educators who encouraged me to pursue my passion and recognized the joy I found when playing on a team. In college I had a supervising professor that set the bar high and encouraged me not to take the easy road, paving the way for my career. ​ hat do you like about teaching W young children?

I love the Lower School students’ enthusiasm, energy, and excitement. No two days are the same.

When working with young students, you always have to be “on” and that keeps me “on” my toes. Young children are eager to learn and are not afraid to try a new activity. It is that inquisitive and explorative nature that makes it a joy to work with this

You have been recognized for the inclusion of technology in your teaching. What inspired you to go down this path and how has technology added value to your program?

As Springside began incorporating more and more technology throughout the school, I wanted physical education to be included in the initiative. I began searching the Internet for ways to use technology in PE. During my search, I found that the only information was for heartrate monitors. This was not going to work for my young students. I realized I would have to develop ways to incorporate technology into physical education with Lower School students on my own. I am fortunate to work with a supportive Technology Department who, no matter how crazy my idea might be, will say, “Sure, we can help you do that.” Through their assistance I gained knowledge and confidence and began to be recognized in the physical education world for how I was using technology. I started using a camera and recording student voices on an iPod and making them into short movies. Students loved watching and hearing themselves, and parents appreciated seeing what their child was doing in PE class. This inspired me to continually create and develop lessons that

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would enhance student learning.

Fast forward to 2015 when technology is fully integrated into the physical education program. By designing lessons that incorporate technology, I am able to share with parents what their child is doing and to help students evaluate their performance and be inspired to do their best. ​ ow do you stay current with H trends in your field? And what are some of the more important trends?

On a recent snowy day, here is how my day went. I started the day attending a virtual physical education summit. I was able to select from 10 different sessions and hear top speakers in the world of physical education present on a wide range of topics. Then I was part of a roundtable discussion on elementary assessment. Later in the day, I was able to collaborate with some of those same teachers on Voxer as we continued the discussion and shared ideas from our practices. Never has there been a point in time when this instantaneous sharing of information has been so readily available. The next day I participated in a Google hangout with colleagues from South Africa, Hawaii, Wisconsin, and California. I am also a board member of PSAHPERD (Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance). Currently, I am the early childhood representative, and in the past I served as the vice president of physical education.

As a board member, I have devel-

oped many professional connections. Through these relationships, I am able to learn new ideas and new trends and developments in physical education. I present at the state, district, and national level at both physical education and educational conferences. This is another way for me to constantly learn and exchange ideas. With the increase of type 2 diabetes and obesity in our country, an important trend in physical education is the advocacy for daily, quality physical education.

Educating children about physical activity and healthy habits can help with both of these conditions.

Another trend is moving away from the traditional team sports model to one that includes more lifelong physical activities and developing physical literacy in children.

What do you hope your students will take away from their PE experience?

I hope that my students will understand and appreciate the benefits of being physically active throughout life. I want students to experience a variety of activities with the intention that they will find one they can participate in for a long time. Experiencing success and having fun while being physically active are key components to my classes. I always say I will not know if I have been a successful teacher until my students are still physically active when they are out of school. Helping young students to develop healthy habits for a lifetime is very rewarding.

​What is the most fulfilling aspect of your teaching?

The most fulfilling aspect of my teaching occurs a number of years after I have taught a student. It is the moment when a student calls to tell me she is now coaching or is opening a yoga studio, or to let me know she just ran her third marathon. When I hear those stories, I then know that they had a positive experience in physical education.

Former students choosing to be physically active on their own after they have graduated from SCH is a highlight. Seeing current students make healthy choices at school and hearing about their physical activities outside of school are the day-to-day highlights of teaching.

Being greeted in the hall during a snowstorm by “I got my pedometer over the weekend and I made it to 13,000 steps,” is what it’s all about.

When I see the excitement in students’ eyes, then yes, I know I am doing something right.

What do you like about teaching at SCH? After 28 years at Springside and SCH, what I love about teaching here is the community. It is supportive, creative, and collaborative. I appreciate the support SCH has provided me to continually grow as an educator through professional development. The partnerships formed between faculty, students, and families is truly one of a kind. The culture of “everyone is a learner,” not just the students, is stimulating.

How do you stay in shape? ​ After 10 knee surgeries, I have found walking, bike riding, and exercising on the elliptical to be the best ways for me to stay in shape. Every day I have a goal of taking 10,000 steps and my average day at SCH is over 20,000 steps (that definitely helps to keep me in shape). As I say to my students, “Ms. Fish loves a challenge,” so here is one you might not know: Over the summer, I Zip lined upside down and backwards while doing a service project in Honduras.

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Ms. Fish leads last year’s annual JAM (Just a Minute) World Record event, when Lower School boys and girls joined childen around the nation in doing jumping jacks and other physical exercises for one minute to promote awareness about the importance of staying in shape.

Students Master the Hidden World Behind Technology through New Programming Curriculum

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In the mornings we wake up to pre-set alarms chirping like birds or schussing like rain. We grab our poured coffee from our programmed coffee maker, check our phones for appointments and messages. At the office we turn on our computers and work on spreadsheets and word documents, read email, create pictures and videos.

If you’re like most of us, at no time during the day do you think about what drives the myriad technologies on which our lives now depend.

WHICH IS ALL WELL AND GOOD for those of us who have jobs that don’t require a knowledge of programming. But it’s a good bet that many of the jobs of the future—the ones today’s students will be filling—will require at least a basic understanding of the languages and processes that drive our technologies.

A poster in a classroom at school offers this projection from the advocacy organization Coding.org: “In 10 years there will be 1.4 million jobs in computer science and only 400,000 qualified college graduates to fill them.”

Another poster tidbit: “Computer programming jobs are growing at 2x the national average.” Even President Obama has jumped on the programming bandwagon: for last year’s national Hour of Coding event, he created a video calling on students to learn these skills for “our country’s future.”

Programming is everywhere—the invisible set of instructions governing the behavior of nearly everything electronic, from your car to your coffee maker. But, according to Peter Randall, chair of the Engineering and Robotics Department, 99% of high school grads have never touched electronics, and very few schools offer programming as part of the mandatory curriculum.

At SCH, it’s different story. Over the past five years, programming instruction has grown from a single after-school activity to a comprehensive and still growing curriculum available to students in every division. Classes are offered across multiple departments—Arts and New Media, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL), Engineering, and Science. Faculty in these departments have been working together to develop a curricu-

lar sequence that will provide students with a broad-based foundation in coding and exposure to its diverse applications, from art to product design to robotics.

Scratch Test In 2010, Karen Kolkka, K-6 program director for Computer Sciences and Interactive Technologies in the New Media Department, introduced Scratch in the After School program for interested students. Scratch is a user-friendly programming software based on script blocks that contain discrete bits of precoded instructions. These blocks can be assembled into larger groups of code to tell stories and create games and animations. Scratch is currently used at universities such as Harvard, Berkeley, and Stanford in their introductory computer science courses. At SCH, it is now part of the Lower School curriculum. In 5th grade, students continue with Scratch and are also introduced to Blockly, another script-block program that shows students the coding behind the script so they can become familiar with what it looks like.

Mindstorms Robot built and programmed by 4th grade girls.

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Programming has always been an integral part of the school’s robotics activities, now available to students ages 6 to 18. From the icon-based script used to instruct the LEGO tabletop robots to the highly sophisticated LabVIEW software used to govern TEAM 1218’s lifesize bots, these activities provide a real-world proving ground for students testing their programming acumen.

Sixth grade students in Middle School can now take courses in robotics, introductory computer science, and C programming. Upper School students can choose elective courses in Real Time Programming and Coding I and II. Today, SCH students have the opportunity to participate in some kind of programming activity in every division and grade, from Scratch lessons in Kindergarten to a university-level Mechatronics course in Upper School.

Currently, if students want real-world programming experience, they migrate to engineering and robotics, where it’s in the air they breathe and where there are plenty of gadgets to test their coding mettle, from SparkFun Inventor’s kits to LabView system design software.

The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership’s Venture Incubator (CELVI) is also a growing test lab for programming. “The more students are exposed to the power and possibilities of programming, the more they begin to imagine solutions that incorporate it,” says Ed Glassman, director of strategic initiatives. One young Middle School girl is programming an Arduino circuit board as part of her Venture Incubator product, which will help acclimatize new fish to a fish tank by slowly mixing old and new water environments.

The Power of Programming Besides the obvious career opportunities, there are other important reasons to teach students how to code. “Being literate in the future means being literate in programming,” says Joe Sweeney, associate head of school.

“It’s not about everyone becoming software engineers and creating the new infrastructure of modern life or establishing the next breakout Internet business; it’s about students being able to ‘read’ their world. Computational thinking is important for simply understanding the structure and design of modern life.”

Science fiction writer and inventor Arthur C. Clarke said that any advanced technology, if not understood, is seen as magic. For many of us, programming may seem like wizardry, as writing must have seemed 6,000 years ago. “We want our kids to be making the magic, not sitting mystified in the audience,” says Randall.

“We want our kids to be making the magic, not sitting mystified in the audience.”

Learning the tools that put the power of doing and making into the hands of our students is a goal of the Arts program according to Director of the Arts Dr. Ellen Fishman-Johnson. “Programming is the new creative tool,” she says. “Tomorrow’s innovators and designers will be as familiar with Javascript as they are today with paintbrushes, power tools, and Photoshop.” Fifth grader Zach Shapiro would agree. He’s currently working with a faculty member on an independent project to develop a virtual smart phone using Code HS, a Javascript-like program. His phone has multiple features such as contacts, reminders, notes, and wallpaper—all of which he has individually programmed. “I like being able to create whatever I want,” says Zach, who has been working with code since he was eight years old.

Besides offering another pathway for creativity and innovation, programming is also a great workout for the brain. “There’s an incredible amount of testing, failing, and retesting that goes on when you’re developing code, as well as design, computational, critical, and logical thinking,” says Vincent Day, program director for Computer Science and Interactive Technologies in the New Media Department. “It’s the kind of activity that supports student development across an array of cognitive and non-cognitive areas.”

Antonio Fiol-Mahon, chief programmer for Team 1218’s robot, refines his code.

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Programming Curriculum 2015-2016

Sixth grader Victoria Cohen works with her Venture Incubator mentor, Engineering and Robotics Department Chair Peter Randall, to program an Arduino board controlling water flow in an aquarium tank.

What’s Next The programming curriculum at SCH is still in evolution, with plans for more offerings next year. “The majority of our classes to date are focused on exposing students to different coding languages and helping them master the fundamentals of design,” explains Glassman. “For most or our students, the programming they do goes no further than their computer.

Next year we’ll be introducing two advanced classes in app and website design so that more students can have the opportunity to put their coding knowledge to work on real-world projects.” In these classes, students will study other issues integral to coding apps and websites, such as clarity of design and how to optimize the user experience.

Science

Pre-K–K

Daisy Dinosaur, Hopscotch, ScratchJr

New Media

K–3rd

ScratchJr and Scratch

Science

1st

LEGO WeDo, Code.org Beginner Courses 1 & 2

Science

2nd – 3rd

LEGO WeDo

New Media

4th

Scratch

Science

4th

LEGO Mindstorms Robots

New Media

5th

Scratch

Robotics/Engineering

6th

Introduction to LEGO Robotics and Programming

New Media

7th

Introduction to Computational Thinking

Robotics/Engineering

8th

C Programming and Electronics

New Media

9th

Web Design, Intro to HTML and Javascript

Robotics/Engineering

10th–12th

Real Time Programming

New Media

10th–12th

Coding 1

New Media

10th–12th

Coding II

New Media

10th–12th

Coding III

As SCH students are finding out, programming opens limitless avenues of creativity across many fields, from art to science to game design. It offers many challenges but also many rewards for those willing to persevere. Its greatest gift, however, may be the change in perspective and the sense of empowerment and possibility that comes with this knowledge. “I like to know how things work,” explains sophomore Kira Godshall. “I’ve always been fascinated by puzzles and logic.” Senior Antonio Fiol-Mahon, chief programmer on this year’s FIRST Robotics competition robot, sees programming more like the secret behind the magic trick: “It’s kind of nice to be on the inside.”

Screenshot of Scratch, the script-based programming software used by Lower School students.

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Graduating Students and Alumni Relatives

legacy photos

Frank Aloise (staff), Zoe ’14, Paige ’18

Julia Barrist ’21, Karah ’14, Kenneth ’19

Leah Beight ’14, Melissa ’11

Samantha Blake ’12, Mason ’14, Finley ’18

Callum Brazier ’16, Hannah ’14

Sam Brenman ’10, David ’17, Ali ’14, Matthew ’11

Caroline Canning ’14, John ’10, Maddy ’14

Samantha Charlton ’14, Jackie ’10

Andrea Dragani ’14, Mira ’18, Luca ’12

Nicole Giegerich ’21, Brian ’14, Matthew ’15

Noelle Goudy ’18, Finola ’14, Rowan ’20

Deidra McRae (faculty), Jordon ’14

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Brian Hamilton’15, Courtney ’14, Justin ’20

Emma McClafferty ’07, Lizzie’14

Addison Jansen ’20, Hannah ’14

Virginia Kelly ’12, Philip ’14, Ann ’82

Grace Kuo ’16, Anna ’14

Corinne Leard ’14, Brian ’16

Will McCool ’14, Meghan ’16

Leah Middleburg ’18, Alex ’14

Lee Nagy ’14, Summer ’11

Ellen Nalle Hass ’77 (staff), Ethel Benson Nalle Wetherill ’42, Nina Nalle ’14, Zandy Nalle ’79

Alana Noble ’14, Larissa ’17

Emily Miller-McGlone ’14, Julia ’18

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Mercedes Reichner ’16, Fraser ’14, Robin Reichner Franklin ’72

Marissa Rohner ’10 & Natalie ’14

Amy Saunders ’89, Weatherly ’14

Erica Schneer ’12, Morgan ’14

Matthew Schreffler ’10, Sarrah ’14, Allison ’12

Addison Schwarz ’18, Nora ’78, Nathaniel ’14

Monica Siltman (staff), Mary ’14, Brendan ’08

Allison Smith’14, Natalie ’10

Sofia Soto Reyes ’11, Mariel ’14

Karen Tracy ha (staff), Dylan ’10, Harrison ’14, Winslow ’23

Nicole Wargo ’16, Larry ’14

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Telling Stories at SCH

Student Voices

future ready

by Samira Baird ’16 On December 15, 2014, Lee Keylock and Lisa Consiglio, leaders of the organization Narrative 4, came to SCH to lead 43 students and eight faculty advisors in a story exchange. The daylong program was to prepare students to be facilitators of the SCH Day of Understanding, which took place in February. The story exchange is Narrative 4’s trademark idea. Two people are partnered, and each tells a story from their life. It can be any type of story—tragic, joyful, eventful, non-eventful, or anything in between. After the partners exchange stories, they become part of a larger group of about 20 people. In the larger group, each person takes on the persona of their partner, telling their partner’s story from their partner’s shoes.

Lee Keylock, the director of global programming at Narrative 4, taught English at Newtown High School in Newtown, CT, for 13 years.

When he visited our school, I got to talk to him over our lunch break. He talked about his experience in Newtown, CT. Newtown was the town where the elementary school shooting occurred in 2012. Lee helped me understand that when something like the Sandy Hook massacre occurs, the only thing a community has left is the stories they tell. Lee and I talked about this after I did the story exchange, and I knew exactly what he meant. When you take on someone else’s persona, you are forced to be empathetic with them. It was then that I realized the true power of a story exchange. What if you made John Boehner and Barack Obama do a story exchange? Wouldn’t it be powerful to force them to inhabit each other’s thoughts and feelings, even if only for one story’s worth of time? Understanding one another is powerful.

I took this idea with me when I went to a hip artists space in Brooklyn with SCH classmates and faculty to do another story exchange with Narrative 4. This time, we were joined by students from Belfast, Ireland; Newtown, CT; New Haven, CT; Manhattan; and the Bronx. My partner, a girl from Belfast, told a story about her family, and then talked about the divide between Northern and Southern Ireland. I had known about this North/South and Protestant/Catholic conflict from watching the news, but my partner told a story that was a much more powerful way of understanding the political situation. When I told her story, I gained a personal understanding of the conflict. Once again, I understood the power of the story exchange. The world was becoming easier to understand, one story at a time.

On SCH’s Day of Understanding, Upper School students and teachers were split up into groups of 12-20, and then partnered up within those groups. There were groups of two students, and also groups of one student and one teacher.

Walking down the hallway, it was great to see things like a senior boy sharing a story with a freshman girl, or a junior girl sharing a story with a math teacher. Everyone was able to make a connection, whether large or small, that may not have existed before. After the story exchange, multiple people approached me with little things that they appreciated from the day. As I had seen twice before, the story exchange at SCH forged a level of understanding among our student body.

Thanks to Ms. Polly Kimberly and the rest of the faculty advisors, and thanks to the senior leaders of community council, Ayana Rhym and James Schweitzer, for bringing the story exchange to SCH. As I’ve learned from Narrative 4 and Lee Keylock, it is so very important to tell stories.

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Top two photos: Students from SCH share stories with students from other schools at the Narrative 4 program in New York City.

Bottom two photos: SCH students participate in story telling at the student-run Day of Understanding.

MEGAN WITTORFF CRAWFORD ’90

Pursuing Excellence

alumni profiles

EXECUTIVE, MOTION PICTURE MARKETING, CREATIVE ARTISTS AGENCY, LLC

An executive in the Motion Pictures Marketing Department at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) since 2003, Megan Crawford ’90 provides clients with insight and guidance in all areas of marketing, including domestic and international release strategies and media plans and awards campaigns. Prior to joining CAA, Megan was vice president of marketing strategy at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), where she headed the theatrical research group and created online marketing strategies. Megan has won several awards for her online-based creative executions and strategies. She graduated from Whittier College with a B.A. in political science.

Megan Crawford didn’t have her sights set on Hollywood, but a longstanding interest in film and a lucky connection landed her an internship at MGM where she served in various capacities for 10 years before moving to CAA. While at MGM, she won a few Hollywood awards of her own for her marketing ingenuity, including Key Art Awards for her role in the creation of the first-ever movie website (Stargate) and the James Bond website, still the destination site for anything having to do with the Bond franchise.

Based in L.A., Crawford is the goto person at CAA for clients who want help with the marketing and distribution of their movies. She works mainly with directors and producers and actor-directors/ producers. Asked what kind of movies she enjoys working on most, she said she gravitates toward the smaller films. “They’re more my sensibility,” she says, “and they’re a bit more challenging. They take a lot more strategy and thoughtfulness and tend to be more interesting.”

Some of the movies she’s worked

on recently include Silver Linings Playbook, Hurt Locker, Wild, American Hustle, and Her. Since she’s been in the business, Crawford says the way she markets movies has changed dramatically. She refers to it as a paradigm shift. “The big difference is that we, movies, have a lot more competition in the world now. It used to be an argument of ‘please see my movie versus that guy’s movie,’ but now it’s ‘please see my movie versus all of the other things you could do this weekend.’ You have to create a little bit more urgency, i.e., why this movie, why now? You have to be a little more clever about choosing release dates. The digital thing is a big part as well.”

There are a thousand details to marketing movies, and Crawford clearly is an old hand at juggling them. But that’s just part of her key to success. Certain qualities are important to have in this business, she explains, like “curiosity, honesty, entrepreneurial spirit, hard work, and being present.”

Asked about her years at Springside, Crawford speaks fondly of her time with Players, of Players director Lee Smith, of Ralph Flood and Tish Matlack. Though she studied a little bit of film in college, Players is the real connection between her Springside years and what she does today. She admits, unabashedly, that she wasn’t a star on the academic side, but she knows “every inch of the Rec!” Crawford’s experience at Springside has made her a big proponent of single-sex education. When she previews movies and invites groups of teen girls in, she can tell right away which girls come from L.A.’s private girls’ schools—“Because they talk.” Crawford says she’s naturally extroverted, but Springside made her confident—unafraid to stick her neck out and take risks.

“I don’t wallow in a corner.”

When asked what advice she’d pass along to students graduating from SCH today, she offered the following: “You need to be not afraid of failure. That kind of goes with the

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Megan Crawford at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

entrepreneurial thing. You need to be prepared. And personable. That’s probably the most important thing I look for when hiring people. You may be able to knock out an Excel spreadsheet, but if I can’t sit down and relax around you, it’s not going to happen. It’s all about being present with others. Not on Tumblr, not texting people. You have to turn the volume off.”

But please don’t do that to one of her movies!

EVAN LODGE ’04 CO-FOUNDER, HIGHERME

Evan Lodge ’04 is co-founder and head of product at HigherMe, a start-up that helps retail and service employers find and screen employees. The company is backed by Y Combinator, the premier Silicon Valley incubator that helped start companies like Dropbox and AirBnB. Prior to founding HigherMe, Evan was a product manager for The Enthusiast Network—the company that publishes Motor Trend Magazine. He holds an MBA from Babson College and a computer science degree from Wesleyan University.

Searching for a customer-oriented employee who’s available the hours you need? There’s this great website that will do all the search work for you and come up with a perfect match.

At least that’s what Evan Lodge ’04, cofounder of the online employment resource company HigherMe, hopes people will be telling each other a few years from now. With three impressive seed money awards under their belt (Startup Rounds, Babson Beta, and Y Combinator), Lodge and his partners at HigherMe are readying their business for launch this spring.

The company is geared toward the retail/service/hospitality industries, which have a lot of low-wage but high-customer-touch jobs to fill. Often, the people looking for these jobs are not able to convey their best qualities via a standard resume. “HigherMe helps job applicants present themselves in a way that matches employers’ search criteria,” says Lodge. At first the business concept was to have applicants produce short videos about themselves that could

be shared with prospective employers, but it turns out there are a lot of camera-shy job seekers. So, the partners expanded the concept, drawing inspiration from dating websites. “Now both parties fill out a highly granular multi-question survey that teases out exactly what they’re looking for. Then we run the data and find the matches.” Lodge says the system is still in development, but that ultimately it will be “completely self-serve.”

With the support of the prestigious venture investment firm Y Combinator (YC), Lodge and his partners are currently ensconced in a Silicon Valley house where, for the past two months, they’ve been living, eating, and dreaming the details of their start up. “Y Combinator is an amazing phenomenon,” says Lodge. “Venture incubators have been popping up everywhere but YC was the first and it’s in a league of its own.”

When YC sponsors a start-up, it takes equity in the company and provides hands-on support, literally. It asks the start-up owners to move to Silicon Valley where

Evan Lodge in front of the Y Combinator offices in California.

they can work intensively on their businesses under YC’s guiding hands. The young companies meet regularly with YC staffers and mentors, attend dinners and lectures with Silicon Valley elite, and connect with other entrepreneurs in YC’s fast-growing network of more than 700 young businesses that it has supported.

At the end of the three months, the young firms present their business ideas to a select group of angel investors and venture capital firms invited in by YC. “The goal,” says Lodge, “is to attract some serious venture capital and get your idea off the ground.” HigherMe is scheduled to present their idea in late March.

The entrepreneurial bug didn’t bite Lodge until after he graduated from college when he went to work for a tech start-up in the media industry.

“It was exciting,” says Lodge. “I liked being part of something in its nascent stage.”

Although he majored in computer science at Wesleyan, Lodge says he wishes he’d been more invested in it than he was. “Nowadays every

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business needs tech jobs. There’s a huge supply-demand imbalance and companies are literally at war with each other to get good engineers.”

He got the idea for his major from his experience at CHA, with what was then a young robotics program.

“I was one of three lead students, and we literally worked out of a closet. That was when we came in 2nd at the international FIRST competition with a robot that was made half out of wood.” That was also the time, he recalls, when it started being “cool to be a nerd.”

Asked what advice he’d give to young entrepreneurs, he says, “Practice pitching and talking in front of groups. Success is 100% about execution.” He can’t remember how many times he’s seen a mediocre but skillfully pitched idea win out over a better one. “Don’t worry about someone stealing your concept. Get comfortable talking to people about your idea. It will help refine your thinking. Since entrepreneurs need help, the worst thing you could do is not present your venture as well as you can.”

Reunion Weekend 2014

class photos Class of 2009

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29

30

Class of 1979

Class of 1979

Class of 1974

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Class of 1969

Class of 1964

Class of 1964

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Class of 1959

Class of 1959

Class of 1954

Class of 1944

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1930s

VISIT BY OLDEST CHA ALUM

class notes

1933 Winston Sheppard, CHA’s oldest living alumnus, turned 100 on January 25th. Winston visited the school earlier this year to spend time with 4th and 5th grade boys. He shared some words of wisdom with them: “Be faithful, patriotic, honest, and a good citizen.” He also shared that he was on the Dark Blue team. President Obama, on being informed of his birthday, sent an official proclamation honoring him.

1950s

1962 Emily Lloyd was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on February 18, 2014. Prior to her appointment, she served as administrator of Prospect Park and president of the Prospect Park Alliance, a dual public/nonprofit role, since 2011.

1953

1969

Mary Stone Phipps won the Distinguished Service Medal from the Garden Club of America for her longtime stewardship of Old Westbury Gardens in Westbury, NY. The award cites her contributions “as being of inestimable benefit for present and future generations who now enjoy Old Westbury Gardens as a publicly accessible house and landscape, a place to learn about gardening, plants, architecture and the decorative arts.”

Burke McLemore was presented with the Irvin Stander Memorial Award by The Pennsylvania Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Law Section. The award is named in honor of the late Judge Irvin Stander and is presented to an attorney whose dedication to the administration of workers’ compensation law and whose professionalism and regard for clients and colleagues serves as an example to others. McLemore is a partner and chair of the workers’ compensation section at Thomas, Thomas & Hafer LLP in Harrisburg.

McLemore is also the current chair of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

1960s 1960 Philadelphia Flyers Stanley Cup Winners Bob “The Hound” Kelly and Bernie Parent at the Wells Fargo Press Box on February 20th with Clark Groome. (See photo at top of next column.)

Winston Sheppard ’33, the oldest CHA living alumnus, visited a group of 4th and 5th grade boys in the Henry Library earlier this year to chat about school life “back in the day” and share pictures. Joining him was one of his sons, Cartwright Sheppard ’70, far right.

1970s 1970

Mariners vs. Phillies game in August with classmates Larry Haas ’71, Mark Stout ’71, Bill Levy ’71, and Ray Console ‘71.

Lexa Woods Logue reports that she has published the 4th edition of her book, The Psychology of Eating and Drinking. The edition is “much updated since the 3rd edition, and I’m regularly tweeting interesting items from the book (@LexaLogue).”

1971 David Kleinfelder has been awarded the 2014 Move Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater Carolinas Chapter for promoting awareness of those living with MS. Dave Sims (photo center), an announcer for the Seattle Mariners, enjoyed a day at Citizens Park at the

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1975 Leslie Blankin Lane was inducted into the Eastern PA Chapter of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame in February 2015. She was a member of the very first U.S. World Cup Championship team in 1982 that scored the tying goal which sent the final game

against England into overtime. They eventually won and Leslie was named to the All-World tournament team for her outstanding play.

Leslie coached both varsity and Middle School teams at Springside, and led them to their first undefeated season. Leslie is pictured below, front row, second from right, with the other inductees.

Megan Thomas married Thomas Bodenberg in September 2014 in Princeton, NJ. Megan is currently serving as priest-in-charge at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Ewing, NJ. 1978 Members of the Class of 1978 gathered in front of the Class of ’78 Snack SCHack in Maguire Stadium during the Homecoming football game. Homecoming Halftime Specialty? Lisa Maguire’s trademarked Groothie, which outsold hotdogs 2 to 1! L to r: Tom Watkins, John Manly-Power, Jamie Maguire, Linda Dudley Mutch, Bruce Glendinning, and Louisa Borie Randall.

1980s 1984 Leslie Clements Haddow opened a new jewelry store, Chestnut Hill Jewelers.

Pem Hutchinson ’79, Roger Hall ’82, Charlie Hutchinson ’84, and Miles Smith ’83 at Charlie’s 50th in Los Angeles in February.

1986 Sean Ryan is Facebook’s director of games partnerships. He is charged with making sure that third-party developers make Facebook a part of their gaming strategy.

Emery Maine ’06 and Thomas Greenwood ’01 tied the knot on June 7, 2014. Joining them in the celebration was a host of CHA and SS alums whom we have identified to the best of our ability: Row 1: Jono Frank ’69, Christian Bullitt ’90, Jordie Maine ’79, Tim Greenwood ’68, Betsy O’Neil Smith ’85, Kathy Byers Smilow ’79. Row 2: Janie Gray ’06, Lizzie McCausland Salata ’02, Maggie Kyle ’06, Alison Curry ’06, Sarah Greenwood Salmon ’97, Jenny Spann ’06, Sarah Stapleton ’06, Leahanne Marino ’05, Gia Palermo ’06, Richard Smith ’78, Betsy Flint Steel ’78, Ruthie D. Strong Ferraro ’79, Frank Steel ’77. Row 3: Holly Cribbins ’06, Andrew McLean ’04, Liz Frank ’00, Gail Clements Redpath ’81, Ali Pearson ’03, Thomas Greewood ’01, Emery Maine Greenwood ’06, Peyton Gray ’01, Emily Studdiford Vandegrift ’00, Libbie Maine ’12, Eric Pearson ’99, Jay Boothby ’02, Jack Maine ’11, Nick Pearson ’06. Row 4: Laura Maine ’82, Pam von Seldeneck Harris ’81, Bunny O’Reilly ’05, John Talbot ’90, Sarah Boothby ’07, Janet Studdiford Malcom ’00. Row 5: Reid Halloran ’02, Bob McLean ’01, Booth Halloran ’01, Edson Greenwood ’99

1987 Allie Humenuk reports on the progress of her film, The Guys Next Door, about two gay dads, their daughters, the surrogate, and her husband and children: “We’ve been able to finish shooting the film, and have started to assemble an early rough cut. As we begin 2015, we are continuing our fundraising efforts so we can complete the next edit. In September, we were invited to New York City to pitch the film at IFP’s Independent Film Week, a prestigious event that brings the industry together to promote and support new and exciting work. Several

broadcasters, distributors, and festival programmers were very interested in our film and asked to look at the next cut!” (Photo: The dads and surrogate family.)

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1989 Lesley Wolff and Anthony Gore welcomed a baby girl, Abigail Wolff Gore, on December 1, 2014.

1990s 1992 Kate Butler Kerr, her husband, Matt, and big sister, Conley, welcomed their son, Phelan Corey, on August 1, 2014.

1996 Megan Cornely married Brian Herlihy on Elbow Beach in Bermuda on April 11, 2014.

Jacoby-Halloran Wedding: Bottom Row kneeling (l to r): Andrew Noonan ’04, Bill Agate ’05, Natalie Browne-Holmes ’08, Mary Beth Dougherty ’08, Nina Testa ’08, Anne Wirts Wehler ’05, Emery Holton ’07, Lucy Rice ’08, Courtney Jones ’10. Middle Row: JeanAnne Gallagher ’08, Leslie Jacoby ’08, Laine Jacoby, Elizabeth Kozemchak ’05, Jason Greenspon ’05, Leahanne Marino ’05, Bobby Dickey ’05, Riley Jacoby Halloran ’05, Kris Kimball ’05, Ariane Lee ’05, Alison Mainka Noel ’05, Ryan Hoyes ’05, Maura Cheeks ’05, Brendon Ardieta ’05, Sam Franklin ’08, Taylor Agate ’08. Top Row: Roger Jones ’76, Jennifer Robertson ’04, Janie Grace Robertson ’12, Andrew McLean ’04, Sam Greenwood ’05, Tim Martz ’05, Adam Klotz ’05, Taylor Rooke ’06, Booth Halloran ’01, Gardner Halloran ’05, David Claghorn ’05, Sam Miller ’05, Reid Halloran ’02, Maurice McCarthy ’02, Kreamer Rooke ’02, Dillon Halloran ’13, Eric Jones ’07, Chip Culp ’08, Ryan Peirce ’08

2000s 1997 Sarah Spangler married Robert Shaak on April 27, 2013, at the Valley Green Inn. Alexandra Kurowski DiFilippo ’97 was in attendance as a bridesmaid.

2000 Ella Studdiford Cary and her husband, William, welcomed their son, George Sheffer Cary, on October 26, 2014.

Gregory Muller was promoted to chief operating officer and partner at SSH Real Estate. Since joining the company in December 2003, Muller has grown into a leadership role with direct, daily involvement in the brokerage, management, and investment divisions of SSH, one of the largest commercial real estate companies in the Philadelphia region.

Sara Cribbins Smith married Adam Smith at Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington, NC, on June 1, 2013.

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2015 Reunion Teams

Emily Studdiford Vandegrift, Wade Vandegrift ’98, and big sister, Avery, welcomed Jay Charles Vandegrift “Charlie” on March 26, 2014.

CHA

SPRINGSIDE SCHOOL

CLASS OF 1960 Peter Stanley Tom White

CLASS OF 1955 Nell Stier Mecray Emmy Churchman Starr

CLASS OF 1965 Perry Benson John Fruncillo 2003

2005

Edward Glassman married Lindsay Wood on May 31, 2014, in Philadelphia. Ed is currently the director of strategic initiatives at SCH.

Riley Jacoby Halloran and Gardner Halloran were married on November 8, 2014. The reception was held at Sunnybrook in Plymouth Meeting, PA. (See photo on page 36.)

CLASS OF 1970 Bill Hall Bruce Morgan Barry Shannon CLASS OF 1975 Peter Clay Robin Kingsley Bill McDowell

In July 2014, Julia Rorer took a position as the assistant women’s rowing coach at Rutgers University. She was previously the head rowing coach at SCH for two years.

CLASS OF 1985 Graham Tasman CLASS OF 1990 John Talbot

2006 2004 James Fitzpatrick married Meagan Iosca in Philadelphia on October 25, 2014. The reception was held at the Ballroom at the Ben. Many CHA alumni were in attendance. Front: Brian Miglionico ‘04, Meagan Iosca Fitzpatrick, James Fitzpatrick ’04, Sean Fitzpatrick ’07, Chris McInerney ’04, John David Cella ’04. Back: David Rhoda ’74, Will Rhoda ’07, Ryan Bateman ’04, Tripper Sivick ’04, Sean Plunkett ’04, Michael Braverman ’04. (See photo at top of next column.)

CLASS OF 1995 Bayard Fleitas

Holly Cribbins completed the Philadelphia Marathon.

CLASS OF 2010 John Canning Dylan Tracy

CLASS OF 1965 Karen Quinn Doman Polly Lame Dunn Marjie McNeil Findlay Polly Price Gable Lynn Hoeffel Gadsden Betsy Hord Jameson Pat Nesbitt Melor Angie Jaekle Rapalyea Kathy Schultz Shelton Nina Sinkler Talbot CLASS OF 1970 Becky Borie Walsh CLASS OF 1975 Patty McGill Billock Sarah McGehee Komisin Vicki Mason-Ailey Gretchen Kurtz Mertz Stacy Perper Methvin

CLASS OF 1985 Tracey Wolfson CLASS OF 1990 Carey Voigt Learnard Nancy DeCamara Maglio Nadine Badger Stevenson CLASS OF 1995 Sarah Culp Massari Katie Warwick Schreiner CLASS OF 2000 Kate Boothby Rebecca Morley Maya Holt-Brockenbrough Shih Caroline Zawila CLASS OF 2005 Annie Eisenhower Ariane Lee Ali Mainka Noel CLASS OF 2010 Allie Colina Kingsley Delacato Rebecca James

CLASS OF 1980 Carla Canuso Sarita Smith Hanley Lisa Terhanian Heaton Jenny Meigs Valerie Nagy

SAVE THE DATES! Reunions

Friday & Saturday, May 8 & 9, 2015

Alumni Boys Lacrosse @ SCH

Saturday, May 30, 10 am 37

San Francisco October 2014

sch on the road

Home of Amy Banse ’77 and her husband, Joe Dworetzky

Left (l to r): Alex Drinker ’01, Peter MacBride ’00, Ed Glassman ’03, Ali Pearson ’03, Caroline Snite, Nick O’Neill ’03

Alumni Gatherings

Right (l to r): Tyler Stout ’07, Tracy Welsh ’88, Bobby Davidorf, Suzane DiNubile ’86, Joe Dworetzky

Los Angeles October 2014 Los Angeles Tennis Club

Left (l to r): Host Charlie Hutchinson ’84, Lia Wallace ’80, Rebecca Hutchinson Right (l to r): Joe Castle ’79, left, Ed Glassman ’03

Boston November 2014 Chilton Club

Left (l to r): Robin Reath Graves ’62, Gretchen Gessler Schuler ’64, Marilyn Plumb Cheney ’67 Right l to r): Alison Noel ’05, Brian Maglionico ’04, André Dixon ’94, Mira Treatman ’08, Allison Harrison ’03, Sarah Patches ’07, Ian Miller ’11

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in memoriam 1933

1951

1978

Julius M. Vaiano

Alice Potts Wallis

James T. Bell

1939

1952

1985

Ann Thornley Metcalfe

Mary L. Lee

Edward W. Foulks

1941

1954

1986

William S. Pilling II

Phoebe Bole Walker

Jennifer Christy MacNeill

1942

1959

1993

A. Daniel Barton Jr.

Frederic L. Ballard Jr.

Moira Coll

Natalie Lorenz Raymond

2011

1960

Richard D. Bilger

1943 Francis Ballard 1945 Henry R. Blynn John C. DuBois 1946 Kathie Vischer Hendrickson Margaret Jennings Saunders 1947 William W. McDowell Jr.

Alexandra B. Brock S. Peter Nyce

Former Faculty

Anthony T. Wallace

Thomas S. Ambler

1962 Lucretia Irwin Roberts 1964 Margery K. Miller Mary Lou Roberts

Steven Dafilou ha Ralph Flood h’01 Sara Scattergood Former Trustees Willard S. Boothby Jr.

1968

P. Randolph Gray

Anne Ritchie Holum

G. Clayton Kyle

1971

Shaun F. O’Malley

Alis Lovering Fern

Ellen L. Farnum

Dr. Peter Randall

J. Wayne Lee

1973

Mary Anne Starr Ritchie 1950 Catherine Dickey Brown

Murray Earle II

39

Former CHA Head of School Nathaniel Saltonstall Nathaniel Saltonstall of Scarborough, ME, died on February 27, 2015. He spent his childhood school years in the Hawaiian Islands and moved to the mainland to attend Yale University, graduating in 1950. He earned an MALS degree from Wesleyan University in 1956.

Nat began his career in independent school education by teaching and serving in increasingly important administrative positions at schools in Connecticut and in Lancaster, PA. He served as headmaster of Chestnut Hill Academy from 1965 to 1972, moving on to one other school after CHA and then working for Independent Educational Services in Princeton, NJ, as a senior consultant.

During his retirement years, Nat gave his time to many nonprofit organizations from the United Way Foundation to Habitat for Humanity. He was an avid fisherman and traveled extensively with his wife, Betsy.

Nat will be remembered for his generosity, commitment to others, and loving heart.

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DO YOU KNOW THEM? BE THE FIRST TO SUBMIT YOUR ANSWER!

Here’s what we need to know: Who’s in it? What are they doing? When did it happen? Send your responses to Deidra Lyngard at dlyngard@sch.org or call 215-754-1616 and we’ll publish your reminiscences in our next issue.

Previous Mystery Photos From the “invisible” Charlton Gronlund ’88: “I just received my School in Chicago this week and couldn’t help notice the Mystery Photo, of which I’m cut out! The photo is a Hilltones-sung national anthem from Veterans Stadium, prior to a Phillies game. The timing was most likely ’87 as the picture includes both members from the Classes of ’87 and ’88. Also, this was from late in the season and, as you can see from the crowd, the Phils were not in contention for the postseason. Fortunately, none of the Hilltones required reconstructive knee surgery as a result of singing on the old Vet turf. I think Kate Smith, Lauren Hart, and Audra MacDonald were all unavailable that evening, so the Hilltones were the obvious fourth choice. From left to right: the late Dave Aguirre ’87, Unknown ’87, Mikey Malabuyo ’88, Jim Francis ’88, Sunil Kumar ’88, Locke Woodfin ’88, JC Wanck ’88, Unknown ’87. Chris Simmons, the Hilltones director, is mostly cut off on the right. Regrettably, completely cut off from the far left is me, Charlton Gronlund ’88.

No one came forward to explain the Springside newspaper costumes.

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THE SCH FUND SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY’S ANNUAL FUND

$100,000 challenge grant Springside Chestnut Hill Academy has an incredible opportunity from an anonymous donor. We have been challenged to obtain 350 new or increased gifts by June 30, 2015.

BECAUSE OF YOU our students are building a better future

All gifts from new donors—or donors who didn’t give last year—and all increased gifts from current donors count towards our goal.

Help us reach our goal. Make your gift today!

“At SCH, we are not defined by stereotypes. We have athletes, thespians, and artists, but everyone is involved in more than one activity or field. SCH has taught me that I can be anything and anyone I want.” Avery Nunn, Student Body Co-President “SCH has aided me in becoming the well-rounded person that the modern world demands. It has augmented my love for singing, acting, and athletics, and helped me discover my interest in international affairs.” Desmond Johnson, Student Body Co-President

EVERY GIFT COUNTS.

THE SCHOOL

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID LANGHORNE, PA PERMIT NO. 118

THE MAGAZINE OF SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY

FOR YOUR CALENDAR Reunions Friday & Saturday, May 8 & 9, 2015 Coming to your mailbox later this spring: A special tribute to Dr. Sands and her leadership of Springside School and SCH Academy.

Alumni Boys Lacrosse Saturday, May 30, 10 am

SAVE THE DATE: Community Party Honoring Dr. Priscilla Sands Sunday, May 31, 3-5 pm, Willow Grove Campus Courtyard As one of our ways to say goodbye to Dr. Sands, we will be hosting an ice cream party for SCH families, alumni, faculty, and staff with a Dr. Seuss theme. Your admission ticket will be a book in good condition appropriate for a school-age child. Books will be donated in honor of Dr. Sands to three local schools with which she has had longstanding relationships.

500 West Willow Grove Avenue • Philadelphia, PA 19118-4198

sch.org