SCHool Magazine Winter 2020

schoo ol the magazine of springside chestnut hill academy

alumni award winners Celebrating the Alumni Associations’ Honorees | PAGE 10

creative teaching in the time of covid SCH Faculty Find Creative Ways to Keep Their Students Engaged, Bonded, and Feeling Positive Despite This Year’s Unprecedented Constraints | PAGE 12

alumni faculty: bringing it home 15 Alumni Bring Their Teaching Talents and Dedication Home to SCH | PAGE 18

WINTER

2020

MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

The past 10 years have seen a lot of challenge and change at SCH, beginning with the merger of the two schools in 2010, revamping of the curriculum, introduction of the CEL program, renovation of the playing fields, construction of a new Lower School, and relocation of four of our five divisions.

But these institutional challenges pale in comparison to those of the last few months—from the school’s COVID shutdown in March and the shift almost overnight to distance learning to the disruption of our traditional end-of-year events, including Alumni Weekend and Commencement.

Steve Druggan Head of School

Yet, despite the ruptures in our plans, I was heartened to see how our school community leaned into the challenges, determined to make the best of it and to salvage what we could. While we made the decision to postpone our annual alumni gathering until next spring, we did move forward with a “reimagined” Commencement.

On July 25, the Upper School leadership team and I spent the day in the Courtyard celebrating our graduating seniors—one small group at a time—as they came in and sat at appropriately distanced tables with their immediate families. The entire event was live-streamed so that others could join in remotely at the scheduled time. And while it was a more subdued event than we all would have wished for, I believe we were able to provide them with an acceptable closure to their high school years and accord them the honor and kudos they deserved.

But that was just our end-of-year challenges. We spent the spring and summer preparing for an unknown fall, fleshing out various scenarios—in school, out of school, and somewhere in between—while ensuring that our classrooms and other spaces could safely accommodate all our students under the current social-distancing guidelines.

Our faculty and administrators devoted much of their traditional summer break to educating themselves on a variety of new online learning platforms that would enable us to continue our robust teaching in a virtual space. While our hope and our goal was to reopen in person, we also had to be fully prepared for other options.

Of equal institutional urgency was the need to respond to the racial and social justice issues that have consumed national attention. As a school, we are committed to ensuring that we have a diverse population of students and faculty and that all members of the community feel appreciated and welcome. Indeed, one of the five values of the school is diversity. But clearly, based on responses and input from our alumni and current students, we have more work to do.

Over the past few months, our trustees and faculty have been working hard to create a better environment for our students of color and to fully live into our value of diversity. Board task forces were formed to learn more about the impact of the curriculum, school culture, and faculty hiring on our students of color. A Black Alumni Group was organized to provide us with an outside-inside perspective. And our entire faculty has been participating in weekly readings and discussions around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I have every hope that we will continue to learn and grow toward our mission of being a truly inclusive environment.

COVER PHOTO After studying about the children’s book author and illustrator, Eric Carle, and reading his book, The Very Lonely Firefly, Kindergarten girls made their own firefly wings and took them out for a test flight.

It has been my distinct honor, though not, of course, my original plan, to lead SCH through the unchartered waters of a global pandemic and a national awakening about the systems and attitudes that have hurt so many for so long. The values we hold ourselves to as a school community have enabled us to meet these challenges with positivity, creativity, thoughtfulness, and courage. I have no doubt that these same characteristics will carry us forward with strength and resilience into the new year and beyond—whatever it may bring.

Warmly,

Stephen L. Druggan Head of School

contents

SCHOOL

WINTER 2020

the magazine of springside chestnut hill academy

Stephen L. Druggan, Ed.D. Head of School

ifc message from head of school

2 campus news

Communications Office Kayla Farrer Communications Specialist Deidra Lyngard h’18, P’89, P’97, GP’21 Director of Publications and Video Editor, SCHool Magazine Julia MacMullan P’35 Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Karen Tracy ha, P’10, P’14, P’23 Director of Communications

Office of Advancement Jenny James McHugh ’84, P’15, P’19 Director of Development Melissa Blue Brown ‘87, P’16, P’20, P’21 Director of of Alumni Relations Katy Friedland P’25, P’29, P’32, P’32 Associate Director of Admissions and Community Relations

2

Highlights of Recent School Events

10 alumni award winners 10

Celebrating the Alumni Associations’

Honorees

12 creative teaching in the time

of covid

SCH Faculty Find Creative Ways to Keep Their Students Engaged, Bonded, and Feeling Positive Despite This Year’s Unprecedented Constraints

12

18 alumni faculty: bringing it home

15 Alumni Faculty Bring Their Teaching Talents and Dedication Home to SCH

18

37 class notes

Paul Hines h’03, P’06 Special Projects Leslie Connor Newbold ’86, P’17, P’21, P’24 Director of Parent Relations and Community Engagement

40 mystery photos

Brooke Mattingly P’36 Director of the SCH Fund

ibc through the lens

40

SCH Spirit Caught on Camera

Kristin Norton P’20, P’22 Associate Director of Development Pepper Johnson Rexford ’92, P’21, P’23 Assistant Director of Alumni Relations James Talbot II h’81, P’86, P’90, GP’26, GP’28, GP’30 Senior Gift Officer Susan C. Toomey h’15, P’99, P’02 Administrative Assistant

Has It Clicked? SCH’s Redesigned Website Features a Robust Alumni Section The homepage has standout, animated features such as a scrolling cinemagraph, animated map graphic, and scrolling text that speak to our unique campus features and a news feed of stories that will make you proud of your alma mater.

The alumni section was built to call attention to alumni events, our award winners, featured professional spotlights of alumni (where are they now?), as well as stories from the SCHool magazine—bringing this print magazine to the digital platform.

The website’s new navigation was also intentionally created to provide a clean, simple menu bar with an easy-to-use search bar to find specifically searched pages. The website’s whole rebrand focused on three words: clean, innovative, and chic. Happy scrolling!

sch.org sch.org/school/alumni sch.org/school/alumni/stories

P=Parent GP=Grandparent

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school magazine winter

2020

CAMPUSNEWS sch’s peter randall recognized as a phillies teacher of the year Peter Randall ‘69, SCH Engineering and Robotics chair, was honored this spring as one of the Top 10 Phillies All-Star Teachers in 2020. Randall was selected from a pool of 400+ entries (the SCH entry was written and submitted by SCH parent Donna Schapiro), and was celebrated with a surprise drive-by parade of cheering honking cars filled with students, alumni, and parents honoring one of their favorite teachers. The parade was led by the Phillies baseball team’s beloved mascot, the Phillie Phanatic.

students form group to address racial equity and inclusion in their schools With the goal of advancing equity and racial justice in their respective schools, an ambitious group of 21 student diversity leaders from area independent and Catholic schools convened online in mid-August for an initial threehour conversation and to officially launch the student collective called Action Independent. The group agreed to meet as needed to talk about specific issues and to help create structures that hold prejudiced actions and people accountable, while ensuring that all voices within their school communities are heard.

The brainchild of Morgan Ellison-Jones ’21, co-head of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy’s student-led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEI) and her DEI co-head, Finn Seifert ’21, Action Independent (AI) defines its mission as “bringing our predominantly white institutions together to talk about how we can combat inequality and inequity within our school communities.”

Finn Seifert (pictured left) and Morgan Ellison-Jones (right) are coheads of the student-led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEI) at SCH.

“I was

“I attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Seattle last December, and it was there that I realized how much students can learn from each other,” explains Ellison-Jones. “I was able to create bonds with students from across the country who shared the goal of creating change in our communities. I figured if the students at the conference could learn and create action, why couldn't we do the same in Philadelphia? So, after much time brainstorming able to create with Finn, Action Independent was born.”

bonds with students from across the country who shared the goal of creating change in our communities.”

On their first conference call, the AI students spent time discussing what’s working well in their school communities, what needs to work better, and strategies for tackling some of the challenges.

These included building connection and communication with administrators and board members, shaping student accountability in order to shift a "subtle culture of racism," developing mentorship programs for students, revamping problematic aspects of the curriculum, and learning about socioeconomic differences in ways that create authentic partnerships with other communities and foster understanding of people's lived experiences.

A clear theme of the meeting was accountability. The students organized themselves into "accountability partnerships" to motivate each other to stay on track with their goals and action plans. And they are clearly poised to keep their schools accountable, citing the spate of posts on various Instagram accounts calling on the area’s predominantly white independent schools to examine and improve their cultures and practices.

Despite the virtual setting of the collective’s first meeting, the positive energy and desire to take action was palpable among the students says Seifert. “Morgan and I are thrilled that so many students came focused and energized for change. Like our fellow Action Independent members, we have a lot of hope for what is to come this year.“

school magazine winter

2020

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Photo by Nancy Cool

sch teachers put their entrepreneurial spirit to work during covid This past spring, while most of us looked for ways to fill the hours while sequestered at home, two enterprising SCH faculty, Peter Randall and David Cool, stayed productive by helping the area medical community with an urgent need.

After SCH cut short its spring semester and closed down in March, Randall, chair of Engineering and Robotics, and Cool, new media and robotics instructor, requisitioned the school’s 3D printers and brought them home where they put them to work 24/7 producing thousands of plastic frames for face shields. The two also supplied the face shields for the frames, although Cool noted that “It became very hard to find the right materials as supplies quickly dried up” requiring him to go through “many iterations trying different materials.”

Funds and supplies to support their efforts came from multiple sources, including Laird Plastics (a robotics team sponsor), SCH, the SCH Robotics Team, and a funding initiative on Facebook launched by Cool.

In the spirit of “think globally, act locally,” the SCH teachers’ home-based manufacturing efforts were part of a worldwide initiative led by thousands of private citizens and organizations to fill a critical shortfall in the world’s David Cool displays some of the mask frames medical supply chains. This supply crisis shed light on the potential future printed on the school’s 3D printers for the medical of manufacturing and underscored the real power and importance of community. collaboration. “The key to our response was our ability to begin 3D printing production in a matter of hours,” explains Randall. “Working with SCH alumnus Evan Weinstein ’15, now in Penn’s venture accelerator program, Pennovation, we were able to join with production teams from Penn, other independent schools, and area robotics teams. Pennovation supported the gathering, packaging, and distribution of the supplies.”

Cool worked through his networks including the Facebook-based PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) Fab Crew, which coordinated delivery of supplies to area hospitals, nursing homes, ambulance drivers, and other groups.

“Through generous financial support from individuals and organizations like SCH, makers all over the world were able to step up and meet the needs of their local communities in the most critical of times.”

Cool, who is a member of MIT’s international Fab Lab Network, drew inspiration and production tips from Fab Lab members around the world. “During the video conferences you could see what many other individuals, groups, and organizations were doing and how they approached the problem. You could also see perspectives from other countries, which was really insightful. I think the pandemic exposed how the largest governmental organizations and traditional manufacturing supply chains quickly ran into bottlenecks and ultimately failed to deliver at critical moments,” Cool says.

“This is where digital fabrication stepped in and really shined. Individuals and small groups collaborated and shared both designs, resources, knowledge, and time in the truest sense of the Open Source community. Through generous financial support from individuals and organizations like SCH, makers all over the world were able to step up and meet the needs of their local communities in the most critical of times. I think this clearly demonstrates not just the power of distributed manufacturing and design, but gave real clarity around the importance of teaching our students this mindset and these skills so they can positively transform their futures and the futures of us all.”

Note: As a result of his COVID 3D production experience, Cool and over 100 like-minded individuals from many countries were signatories to an open letter, published on October 1 in the internationally prominent La Monde newspaper in France advocating for policy changes to support the development of distributed manufacturing.

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school magazine winter

2020

CAMPUSNEWS sch student’s message in a bottle takes a 6,000+ mile ride on the north atlantic ocean gyre Every year, students in the Upper School Oceanography class sit down with a piece of official school stationery and write a message that begins: “Dear Bottle Finder...” The students’ letters, photocopied by their teacher, Dr. Wang, are then tightly rolled up, wrapped with string, and inserted into a glass bottle. The bottles are then carefully sealed with hot wax and thrown into coastal waters—anywhere from Long Island to Maine depending on available transportation—with fingers crossed that they will turn up intact on a distant shore.

In addition to providing a thrill for the bottle finders, the students’ message bottles serve as a drift meter, mapping the location and speed of surface ocean currents. Major surface currents in the ocean move in large circles called gyres. The bottles launched by SCH Oceanography students have the potential to be swept into the North Atlantic Gyre by hitching a ride on one of the most famous warm-water ocean currents in the world, the Gulf Stream. And that is exactly what happened to one special bottle!

The bottle finders, Sylvie and Martin, from Canada, shared their discovery—and photos—with the school and received some SCH swag to commemorate their discovery. They are pictured here with the bottle that took an epic 6,000-mile ride and defied all odds.

This winter, after a 4 1/2-year journey circling the entire North Atlantic Ocean, one of the Class of 2015 bottles, tossed off the coast of Portland, Maine, was discovered by a Canadian couple while on vacation in Cuba.

It was early in the new year when Dr. Wang received an email from Sylvie and Martin, native French speakers, which read:

“My partner and I were on vacation in Cayo Cruz, Cuba, we were taking a long walk and the tide was high and that forced us to walk very close to the shore of the beach. My partner stopped to look at where some plastic content came from (most of it came from Haiti or the Dominican Republic) and at that time my gaze was drawn to this famous glass bottle! I picked it up and to my delight, I really realized that we had just discovered a famous bottle thrown into the sea which we talked about so often without ever thinking that it would really happen to us one day. So we went back to the hotel and opened it at the beach bar in front of several witnesses as amazed as we were.”

Of course, one can’t know the exact distance the bottle traveled, but armed with a solid understanding of the clockwise movement of currents, Dr. Wang suggests the bottle could have been swept as many as 6,000 miles or more over 1,600 days before washing ashore in Cuba.

Surprisingly, the photo that was sent by Sylvie and Martin to document the discovery revealed a mostly intact letter. It was written by Chase Haegley, a senior Oceanography student in 2015. When SCH reached out to Chase to let him know about the discovery, he wrote back:

“I have to say that this is one of the cooler and more improbable stories that anyone could hope

to be a part “I have to say that this is one of the cooler and more improbable stories that anyone could hope to be a part of. I would be lying if I said that it didn’t take me more than a couple of minutes to even remember writing the letter, but I want to express my gratitude to all of my SCH teachers and Ms. Eaton, specifically, for coming up with lessons and projects like this one that stick with you—even if it takes five years for the punchline to land, and I can definitely promise that I’ll never have any problems remembering how the Atlantic Ocean Gyre flows! ... Based on the message I saw from the couple who found the bottle, it seems that the bottle fulfilled its primary purpose of brightening the day of the finder and for that, I am also grateful.”

school magazine winter

2020

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of.”

cel social entrepreneurship class featured in book on student global citizenship The Amazon.com write up for the teen-focused book, Global Citizenship: Engage in the Politics of a Changing World by Julie Knutson, says it contains “the resources and information they need to learn about issues of global concern and strategies for taking informed action.”

Among the resources and information in the book is a profile of SCH Academy’s popular 6th grade Social Entrepreneurship class, part of the CEL curriculum, in which students raise funds to help support small entrepreneurial ventures in developing countries.

The author came across the SCH class while researching for the book. “Julie found out about our program from my course blog, which has been growing a U.S. and international audience (now more than 2,300 visitors),” explains Rene deBerardinis, SCH director of library services and the class’s teacher. According to deBerardinis, the Social Entrepreneurship class provides an empowering experience for SCH students, enabling them to see how their small actions can make a real difference in the world. The students use the KIVA website to find ventures to “Need inspiration for how kids invest in, says deBerardinis. “Kiva’s website provides compelling borrower profiles where students learn about how people in under-resourced areas of the world live, can be changemakers? how smart and hardworking these people are, and how they can help by making microloans to build their small businesses.”

Check out Philadelphia’s Springside Chestnut Hill

INFORMED ACTION As children around the world demonstrate, there are countless ways to correct economic injustice and address related social, political, and environmental

Academy. Since 2016, the school has offered a 6th-

challenges.

At Home

Educate yourself and others in your household about economic justice and poverty. Challenge people who blame poverty on the poor. As Muhammad Yunus and other economists point out, poverty has nothing to do with an unwillingness to work or some type of character flaw. Instead, poverty stems from low wages, lack of opportunity, and larger economic systems that deny people who have little the chance Look for fair trade logos on the products you buy!

grade course on social

TRUTH TOLD In May 2020, experts at the Brookings Institute estimated that the number of people living in extreme poverty would grow by about 50 million due to the effects of COVID-19.

entrepreneurship.”

to get ahead.

When you buy things, choose products that don’t do damage. These products guarantee workers adequate wages in fair working conditions. Don’t hesitate to investigate where your clothes and food come from, how they are produced, and who produces them.

Do you have questions about their origins? Email the company. Responsible corporations will share information about their supply chains—the processes and resources involved in the production and distribution of their goods.

At School Need inspiration for how kids can be changemakers?

Check out Philadelphia’s Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. Since 2016, the school has offered a fifth-grade course on social entrepreneurship.

Students research world regions where poverty is common and investigate its root causes. They model microfinancing within their school, making loans and tracking investments to see how their lending

To finance their loans, students fundraise at book fairs and back-to-school nights, selling everything from homemade slime to headbands. These fifth-graders learn and work together to make a difference in the world.

You can also promote global economic justice within your learning community by investigating the origins of products and services used within the school.

Where were your basketball teams’ uniforms made?

Who made them? Were these goods produced in a fair, humane, and earth-friendly way? Where did the food served in your cafeteria come from and how was it processed? What energy sources does your school use to power the lights or heat the building?

How can we make manufacturing sustainable? You can learn about some interesting ideas in this video. social entrepreneurship small loan

Use this information to encourage school leaders to vote with their dollars for a planet that is more economically and environmentally healthy.

Locally Poverty, hunger, and inequality touch nearly every community on the planet.

In many growing cities, affordable housing is limited, forcing people to live on the streets. On any given night in the United States, more than 500,000 people experience homelessness.

Food insecurity, or lack of consistent access to food, is another major issue—one in eight people in the United States is food insecure.

improves lives.

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ProMoting eConoMiC JustiCe

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP | CHAPTER THREE

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sch national merit scholar announced In May, Marco Goldberg ’20 learned that he had been selected as one of only five Philadelphia-area high school students to receive a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship. National Merit Scholar recipients are judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. In 2020, 1,500 scholars were named nationally from a group of 15,000 finalists.

An SCH lifer, Marco was accepted to both Penn State’s Eberly College of Science and the Sydney Kimmel School of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. He is attending Penn State in a joint program with automatic acceptance to the medical school.

In September, Roger Wang ’21 was notified that he was a National merit semifinalist. Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to be considered in the finalist round. These include completing an application, having a consistently very high academic record, writing an essay, and being recommended by a school official.

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school magazine winter

2020

CAMPUSNEWS sch seniors take 3rd place in the world’s largest online business case study competition for high school students Each team had only 10 minutes to explain its concept. At the closing of the Zoom presentations, the top two finalists were announced and the SCH team was off to Globals representing North America.

In the final round the team was tasked with developing alternative revenue sources for Sony’s Playstation 5. The SCH team’s concept focused on the creation of two new social platforms—PS Inspire for the educational market and PS Flex for fitness.

After turning in their slide deck laying out their strategy, the seniors spent the next 13 hours working on their live presentation. “We got the final case at 11 AM on Thursday and had to deliver it by 11 AM on Saturday,” explains Keith.

“It was a crazy 72 hours eating, working, and sleeping with the team at my house. And a lot of espresso.“ “We probably practiced our narrative over 20 times, working on adding variation to our voices and speaking with confidence,” says Keith.

Proudly displaying a “3” representing their third-place victory in the final round of the international Tiger Global Case Competition (l to r) are seniors Andrew Lauerman, Ed Gu, Joe Falcone, and Keith MacMahon.

An enterprising team of four seniors—Keith MacMahon, Joe Falcone, Andrew Lauerman, and Ed Gu—placed 3rd in the Tiger Global Case Competition (TGCC). TGCC is a high school-level competition involving business analysis and consulting strategy. This year’s competition drew over 800 teams from around the world.

In their final presentation, the team had only 10 minutes to wow the judges and 7 more to answer questions. The team members each took on specific roles: Andrew was the market analyst, Keith was the financial analyst, Joe worked on key performance indicators and served as the competitor analyst, and Ed worked on acquisitions and mergers.

Keith MacMahon, the chief architect of the SCH team, saw an opportunity to apply for the TGCC and seized the opportunity to stretch the entrepreneurial muscles he’s been building in the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL).

To complete his cohort, Keith reached out to three fellow SCH entrepreneurs.

Six judges representing global leaders in the investment and financial services, and venture capital industries determined the fate of the 12 finalists. Teams were evaluated on diagnosis and analysis of issues, scope of innovation in recommendations, engaging speaking and teamwork, and Q & A performance. The feedback from the panel indicated that the SCH foursome, who were awarded 3rd place, demonstrated “impressive delivery and, most notably, great teamwork and effective SWOT analysis.”

In order to earn the right to compete at the TGCC “Globals,” the team had to make it through two qualifying rounds.

In the first round, teams were tasked with providing a global expansion plan for the Japanese drone company, ACSL. The boys had seven days to submit their plan. The SCH team chose to expand to the Philippines because of their under-developed drone market, deregulation of drone “Keith, Joe, Andrew, laws, and a push for agricultural and Ed are resourceful based drones. Their out-of-the box concept earned them the and creative students, respect of the judges and the opportunity to move forward in true examples of the the competition.

entrepreneurial mindset that we seek to teach our students in the CEL program.”

Ed Glassman, CEL’s executive director, has worked with members of the team through the school’s Capstone and Venture Accelerator programs. “Keith, Joe, Andrew, and Ed are resourceful and creative students,” says Glassman, “true examples of the entrepreneurial mindset that we seek to teach our students in the CEL program.”

With the 3rd place title comes a $500 cash prize for the team, a mentorship opportunity with Jamie Beaton, founder and CEO of the US/UK college consulting company Crimson Education, and $1,000 of personalized Crimson consulting on the college process—a timely benefit for this senior team poised to submit their college applications in the next few months!

The second round consisted of a Zoom call in which each team pitched its ACSL strategy to a panel of three judges, experts in the field of technology and former investment bankers.

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history teacher has article published in the washington post SCH Upper School history teacher Dr. Thomas Richards Jr. had an article published in both the Washington Post and Stamford Advocate this summer. The article examines how history is shaped by contingent events whether historians are able to acknowledge it or not.

Using examples leading up to the 1840s territorial expansion of the United States and the 2016 presidential election, Richards conveys how futile it would be to try to predict the outcomes of the upcoming election in November. He writes: “Whim. Chance. Contingency. Randomness. Call it what you will, but this type of unexpected phenomena drives U.S. political history just as much as the decisions by candidates and their teams, and in turn the decisions of the voters.”

Earlier this year, Richards’ book, Breakaway Americas: The Unmanifest Future of the Jacksonian United States, was published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Dr. Richards communicates his passion for his subject to his history class.

athletic program achievements Abbie Rorke ’20 and Jared Sprague-Lott ’20 were awarded SCH’s Inter-Ac Athletic Directors’ Award in May in a virtual ceremony.

The award is presented annually to a senior(s) who has been a multi-sport varsity athlete; exemplifies dedication to their team and school, leadership, and sportsmanship; and is an outstanding representative of the Inter-Ac League.

Abbie, who is attending the University of Pennsylvania and was recruited to compete on the squash team, was a threesport athlete. She won a PAISAA and Inter-Ac Championship on the soccer field, was captain of the squash team, and captain of the lacrosse team.

Jared, who is attending the University of Richmond and was recruited to compete on the baseball team, was a two-sport athlete, captain of the basketball and baseball teams, and helped the team to an Inter-Ac Baseball Championship.

Seniors Jojo McShane ’21 and Connor Koschineg ’21 were named to the BIMBO High School All-American Watchlist for soccer and will play in the All-American game to be held in St. Louis in May 2021. They were both also named to the Top Drawer Soccer All-State team over the summer.

Alumna Meghan McCool ‘15 made her professional soccer debut with the Washington Spirit on September 5 and earned Player of the Match honors!

college sports commitments (as of Nov. 11) Class of 2021

Fitz McLaughlin - Lacrosse - The Catholic University of America

Jon Bautista - Baseball - University of Pittsburgh

JoJo McShane - Soccer - University of Richmond

Brian Finn - Baseball - Kutztown University

Brooke Prochniak - Lacrosse - Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Maya Gerlach - Volleyball - Howard University

Colton Roberts - Baseball - Washington College

Tyler Guzik - Lacrosse - High Point University Ben Hayes - Soccer - Washington College

Class of 2022

Conor Kilfeather - Lacrosse - Hampden-Sydney College

Lucy Pearson - Lacrosse - Stanford University

Connor Koschenig - Soccer - Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Cece Reilly - Lacrosse - University of Louisville

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school magazine spring

2020

CAMPUSNEWS sch and woodmere art museum celebrate the work and inspirational teaching of sam feinstein

Sam Feinstein teaching at his studio in Philadelphia.

Sam Feinstein: The Early Years, opened in SCH Academy’s Barbara Crawford Gallery on September 26 featuring early works by the artist including watercolors, oil paintings, and illustrations. Feinstein was a protegé and then close colleague of Hans Hoffmann, considered the leader of America’s abstract expressionist movement. Feinstein briefly headed the CHA Art Department in the late 30s prior to the war. He married fellow artist Barbara Crawford who succeeded him as Art Department head. His connection to the school continued for many years, with many of Crawford’s CHA students, as well as students from Springside School, traveling to his Center City studio to work with him. A catalog available at the SCH exhibition includes essays by some of these students.

The SCH show, running through January 2021, is complemented by two simultaneous shows at the Woodmere Art Museum featuring Feinstein’s later works—Sam Feinstein: Immersive Abstraction and Group ‘55 and Midcentury Abstraction in Philadelphia. Feinstein was the founder and leader of Group ‘55, a group of artists, including architect Louis Kahn and painter Sam Maitin, who set out to elevate the level of public dialogue about art and culture in Philadelphia.

The journey that led to these exhibitions began in the fall of 2018, when Patricia Stark Feinstein, wife of the artist and curator of his estate, approached SCH and generously offered to loan the school a canvas by her late husband. Representatives from the school—including Pia Druggan and Melissa Maddonni Haims, co-curators of the SCH exhibit—were invited to an art storage facility in New York to view the collection. On that fortuitous day, a team from the Woodmere Art Museum, led by Director William Valerio, was also present, and the idea of mounting shows jointly was born.

“Collaborating with our partners at the Woodmere to tell the story of Philadelphia’s art and artists has been wonderful,” says Head of School Steve Druggan. “We both treasure and believe in furthering the arts in Chestnut Hill.”

Feinstein and Barbara Crawford

To learn more about the exhibition or to sign up to visit the show, go to sch.org/feinstein.

school magazine winter

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St. Rose of Lima by Dolci 1616-1686 ~ Aatrox Wang ’20

Portrait of Vivaldi by Unknown c. 1723 ~ Ben Fu ’20

The Lacemaker by Vermeer c. 1669 ~ Abigail Li ’20

The Kitchen Maid by Rembrandt c. 1651 ~ Sabrina Wang ’20

Young Woman with Unicorn by Raphael c. 1505-06 ~ Corinne Motl ’20

Self-Portrait as the Alleghory of Painting by Gentileschi c. 1638-39 ~ Katherine Huggett ’20

The Kitchen Maid by Rembrandt c. 1651 ~ Alena Wang ’20

Portrait of a Man with a Quilted Sleeve by Titian c. 1509-10 ~ Jack Kollmar ’20

sch art history students get creative during covid

“My students put a lot of thought into staging their portraits,” says James Spagnoletti, the SCH Upper School history teacher who gave them the assignment. “I think the extra time at home during COVID is what really enabled them to produce great work. Our project ended up coinciding with major museums, such as the Getty and the Met, asking people to recreate famous paintings in their collections and post them online during the quarantine.” Spagnoletti confesses that he possesses no artistic talent but that he wanted his students to engage with the creative process “to better understand and reflect on the choices that artists make as part of the artistic process.”

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Photo by Martin Toft

While they were working from home during COVID, Upper School AP Art History students were assigned the task of recreating a famous portrait from the Renaissance or Baroque period, known as tableaux vivants or “living pictures.” This was a popular art form during the Victorian period when groups would recreate the compositions of famous paintings and be photographed or stage a scene in public. The art form is still employed today by photographers such as Cindy Sherman and Laurie Simmons.

Victorian and contemporary examples of tableaux vivants.

school magazine winter

2020

ALUMNI AWARDS 2020 chestnut hill academy alumni association awards

ROLL OF FAME AWARD

ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR AWARD

Dr. Sydney L. Lea Jr. ’60

Robert M. Peck ’70

The Roll of Fame recognizes an alumnus who has made significant contributions to society and who is widely respected by peers in his field.

The Alumnus of the Year Award recognizes an alumnus for outstanding service to the Alumni Association or to Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.

THE FRANCIS P. STEEL JR. ’77 AWARD Charles B. Landreth ’66 The Steel Award, named for former head of school Frank Steel, recognizes an alumnus who, over the course of many years, has made unique contributions and shown an outstanding and extraordinary devotion to the school.

YOUNG ALUMNUS AWARD John D. Cella ’04 The Young Alumnus Award recognizes the achievements of an alumnus who has graduated within the past 20 years. It honors his excellence in his career or in service to the school.

springside school alumnae association awards

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AWARD

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNA AWARD

Allison Scott ’74

Nadine Badger Stevenson ’90

Anne Eisenhower Turnbull ’05

The Distinguished Alumna Award is given to an alumna who has made a significant contribution in her field of interest and whose accomplishments have had an effect on the larger community.

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes an alumna or volunteer who, through her or his unselfish devotion to SCH Academy, has made an outstanding contribution to the school community.

The Outstanding Young Alumna Award recognizes the achievements of alumnae who have graduated within the past 20 years and reflect a demonstrated excellence in a career or service to the community.

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ALUMNI AWARDS 2020 springside chestnut hill academy honorary alumni

Aimee Keough, Assistant Director of Athletics

Brian Walter, Director of College Counseling

Maria McNichols, Assistant to the Head of School

Joyce Seiferth, Administrative Assistant, Early Childhood Center

players awards These new awards were established in 2019 to honor the work, dedication, and impact of our Players alumni in the greater community and arts world.

SPECIAL SERVICE TO PLAYERS AWARD

PLAYERS HALL OF FAME AWARD Lesley Wolff ’89

Leland L. Smith h ’03†

Awarded to a Players Alumnus/a who is significantly contributing Special Service to Players to the arts world and greater Award is awarded to any community as an administrator, parent, faculty member, writer, creator, director, technical adult leader, director or volunteer who has exhibited director, performer, educator or arts professional in any area of longstanding commitment theater, theater education, new and dedication to the media or film.

Players program through contributions of their time, energy, passion and creativity.

For complete profiles of alumni award recipients, visit sch.org/alummi/awards.

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Creative Teaching

Getting a Read on your Students

by Misty Palmer, Upper School Math In the beginning of the year, when the Upper School started virtually, I was trying to think of a way to get my Honors Calculus students, mostly seniors and a few juniors, to engage with the homepage for the course, which was going to be online for the first couple of weeks. I asked them to post a picture of their favorite childhood book and share why they liked it.

To get things started, I posted about two books I loved—the Berenstain Bears series and Cinderella. I used to stare at the pictures in Cinderella for what felt to my six-year-old self like hours. I didn’t want her dress; I needed her dress. I didn’t really care about the prince part, but a fairy godmother who could magically make ball gowns—awesome!

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Initially, I just thought it would be a fun way to get the kids to start sharing with each other and to build a little class camaraderie, but then I kept finding myself going back to that welcome page and thinking that what they shared was so meaningful and lovely.

And because I read aloud to my own young children, I got the idea to read one of the books that the students shared, Where the Wild Things Are. Then I decided that over the course of the year, at the end of class on Fridays, I would read one of the students’ books, or an excerpt from one if it was longer, to close out class. Hopefully, over the course of the year, I will get to everybody.

Not all books are children’s books. I read an excerpt from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, which falls into the middle school level. In the Time of Butterflies is another one, which is really young adult. Several students mentioned

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in the Time of COVID

with all the new covid policies and protocols to follow and the challenges to develop hybrid curricula that will work virtually as well as in person, there would seem to be little time for sch teachers to be creative. But they’re a nimble, innovative bunch and have found ways ways to keep their students engaged, bonded, and feeling positive despite this year’s unprecedented constraints. following are just a few examples of our faculty’s creative minds in action.

Misty Palmer hangs out with Max and friends from Where the Wild Things Are, one of the books her Honors Calculus students remember from their childhood.

Harry Potter so I will be reading some excerpts from that series.

“As a senior, the only thing on my mind is

It will take a little bit of back work on my part to get it done, to gather the books, but I hope to send the students a message that I really valued their sharing, that I really read what they wrote and it meant something to me.

school and colleges, so to have just five

The second message I hope to send to my students is that taking the time for this small, celebratory moment of us being together is worth doing. The timeless lessons of these books are worth revisiting, such as the best place to be can be home where you are loved, even if you can be king of the Wild Things somewhere else!

you’re not worrying about a paper that’s due

We have been doing storytime every Friday, and in each of my recent calculus classes, the first question I was asked was if there would be a story today!

that I had lost.”

minutes to listen to Mrs. Palmer read a story provides an escape from that pressure. In those five minutes nothing is expected of you—

or a test tomorrow you haven’t studied for. for. You can just just enjoy the story. It was also a chance to reconnect with m yself as a little girl and reclaim t hat part of me

~ Katya huzau ’21

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Creative Teaching in the Time of COVID performance, pandemic style

Imagine conducting a choir you never see whose performers are singing by themselves in their living rooms and bedrooms. Then, imagine putting all these individual parts together to create a choral performance ... entirely virtual.

What the pandemic has made impossible—our ability to sing together—technology has made possible. Thanks to a creative piece of app technology and the sophisticated capabilities of today’s video and audio editing software, SCH Upper School singers will be able to enjoy a choral experience while observing all the rules of social distancing.

Over the past few months you may have seen virtual choral performances on YouTube—50 or more squares of animated faces singing together, each from their own isolated location.

Such technological productions are not as straightforward as they appear “How do you create a explains Dr. Ellen Fishman, director choral experience for of SCH’s Arts and New Media “You can’t just tell 50 students when no one Department. people to log onto Zoom or some other app and start singing together, can be within 12-24 she says. “The technology does not feet of each other”? allow for synchronized sound. There are time delays.”

Finding a way to continue the school’s choral classes while overcoming technological hurdles and observing COVID protocols presented an unprecedented challenge. “To start, I had to get my head around all the pieces required to make it happen. How do you create a choral experience for students when no one can be within 12-24 feet of each other”?

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The school’s recent successful experiences with remote learning, combined with Fishman’s extensive knowledge of new media, opened a door to how it could be done. After consulting with audio experts to establish the feasibility of her idea and finding a partner chorus from Northeast High School to join her in the project, Fishman pitched her idea to one of the area’s premier conductors, Donald Nally, and his grammy-winning choral group, The Crossing. Fishman asked if they would be willing to help her produce a video that would serve as a model for how to provide a true choral learning experience, even if the singers can’t be in the same room singing. Nally enthusiastically agreed and Fishman’s project, Choir Forward, was officially born.

CROSSING INTO NEW TERRITORY

On a warm sunny day in early October, Fishman gathered with master choral director Nally, SCH music teacher and pianist Roland Woehr, an audio engineer and cameraman, and four members of The Crossing in the school’s spacious performing arts center. Surrounded by the theater’s high black walls and an assortment of production props, Nally raised his baton to lead his singers in what would become the first of 24 tracks recorded that day.

The singers—a soprano, alto, tenor, and bass—stood in the four corners of the theater, with 30 feet between them and sang their parts for a piece composed by Northeast

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HIgh’s choral director Jay Fluellen. Over the course of the afternoon, other members of the choir, in similar groups of four, would arrive to record their parts. But instead of following the “live” maestro, the singers followed a video of Nally, quickly processed on site, conducting the first group of singers. This was to ensure that each group followed the exact same conducting directions.

SCH PLAYERS GO VIRTUAL

Once the recording of the singers was complete, the audio engineer laid down the 24 audio tracks, one over the other, to create the resonant sounds of a full choir.

While the production complexity of this recording event was impressive enough, the most exciting part of the day for Fishman was being able to watch a virtuoso conductor in action. “For me, it was witnessing the magic of Donald Nally.

He’s a master conductor, and his gestures shaped the choir in ways that were truly a sight to be seen.”

A scene from Zombies featuring (clockwise from top left) Carson Kaucher ’22, Sarah Shoff ’23, Lia Jones ’21, Gaby Leon-Palfrey ’22, Sam Halfpenny ’22, Hannah Lexer ’22, and Agharese Olagunju McWilliams ’24.

VIRTUAL MEETS LIVE

Now that Fishman had her musical guide tracks, she needed a way to enable the students to record their parts and synch them with the video of Nally conducting.

Enter Virtual Chorister, a phone app designed by SCH trustee and parent Dr. Youngmoo Kim. A musician himself, Kim is director of Drexel University’s ExCITe Center—a crossdisciplinary creative hub that brings together innovators in design, technology, and entrepreneurship. Kim’s app enables singers to record their part while following a video of a conductor or choir. In the finished recording, only the image and voice of the singer are captured. With this unique technology literally at the students’ fingertips, they will be able to record their parts anytime anywhere while ensuring they are following the exact tempo, dynamic, and phrasing established by Nally.

Not to be deterred by the inability to perform on stage for a live audience, the SCH Players offered their fall production via live stream.

Timed to coincide with Halloween, the troupe put on the one-act comedy, All I Really Need to Know, I Learned from Being a Zombie by Jason Pizzarello.

Players director Meghan Curry Rogers ’03 describes the play as a deeply rich text that is intimate, humorous, and epic in its commentary about the human condition and experience.

“Playing on the idea of being an outsider or an ‘other,’ the show takes a deep dive into identity, gender, bias, race, stereotypes, family dynamics, searching for community, and zombies as a misunderstood race, but in an accessible and relatable manner. It is a real discussion of a path forward towards diversity and acceptance for all types of people and is incredibly relevant and important today.”

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Once the students have recorded their parts, Fishman’s plan is to assemble the individual recordings into a single video looking much like the grid view of a Zoom conference call.

The finished product will include the faces and voices of the student singers accompanied by the two schools’ jazz bands.

“There were a number of hurdles to be overcome because of COVID-19,” says Fishman, including cancellation of the original recording studio space, sickness, and finding room within The Crossing’s busy schedule, “but one thing is really clear—what has made this project possible is that everyone is committed to creating this unique opportunity for students to continue to enjoy the experience of making music together.”

Preparing for a virtual production required major shifts in mindset and practice.

Rehearsals were held virtually through Google Meet or Zoom. Students worked on script and character development, exploration of space within the frame of the screen, and the physicality of getting into their “zombie bodies.” Each actor was in charge of prepping their performance space with

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Creative Teaching in the Time of COVID SCH PLAYERS GO VIRTUAL, cont’d

shining a light on gratitude

their props, microphone, camera and lighting, and doing their own hair and makeup.

“Bringing the technical elements of theatre to a virtual production meant revamping our whole approach,” says Players Technical Director Daria Maidenbaum. “Our crew calls occurred via Zoom, where I’d split groups of students into breakout rooms depending on what they were working on. On any given night, our makeup crew might have been discussing what we’d need to create individual zombie makeup kits for the actors or testing how to make video tutorials for each look, while the students focusing on streaming and communication might have been exploring different programs and add-ons for the production.”

Rather than just using Zoom or connecting via Google Meet to a streaming platform, Maidenbaum used a program called Streamlabs OBS to produce the show. “This essentially turned my computer into the control room of a tv broadcast—so we could put different things on the screen, add backgrounds or text, and create a stream that doesn’t just look like a Zoom meeting. It was an interesting and challenging pivot to explore how to bring our typical student involvement in the tech process and our expected production quality to this digital and remote realm.”

For the past several years, Players have tackled the issues presented in their productions through an educational outreach program called Outside the Rec. Madeline Mahoney ’22, Outside the Rec’s coordinator, said, “I tied the contents of the play, specifically underlying messages of identity, stereotypes, etc., back to the SCH community.” As part of her outreach, Mahoney made presentations on the show to the school’s various Upper School diversity clubs as well as to the Players group as a whole, which prompted substantive discussions.

Madalyn Wilbekaitis ’29 and Mia Kosmin ’29 put their gratitude slips into the lantern.

by Peggy Grady, 4th Grade Girls I brought in an empty lantern from IKEA and we use it as a gratitude lantern. The project began with thinking about how thankful and grateful we were to all be back in the physical classroom this year. I read a wonderful picture book called Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and another called Look and Be Grateful by Tomie DePaola. We began to think about everything we have to be grateful for, especially little everyday things. The kids thought it would be a good idea to write down their expressions of gratitude and share it with classmates through anonymous notes they put in the lantern. At the end of the week, I read them to the class. The gratitude notes go from the simple to the heartfelt.

We also, through the Racial Equity curriculum, have been talking about kindness and acceptance. Reading and learning about Gandhi, through the book his grandson wrote about him, gave us a great quote that goes hand and hand with the values we are trying to impart and to have the students own them, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

“One concept we dove into in particular was stereotypes,” says Mahoney. “Every human within the show serves as an extreme stereotype, often one that displays bias. Within the show, zombies, this misunderstood race, actively work to both break those stereotypes and bring humor.”

Players co-president, Lia Jones, praised the show as a perfect jumping off point for the difficult conversations that have been happening all over the country.

“I really think this show is a dark horse in terms of both comedy and social relevance, and I think the community was able to see how astutely a play about zombies can address issues facing all of us these days.”

Student quotes excerpted from an article by Chandler Fattah ’22.

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student-led learning Flipgrid is a video-based online learning app designed for asynchronous communication among participants, enabling groups to share information and learning and provide feedback to each other.

by Kim Eberle-Wang, Upper School Science I’m finding that some of the new ways that we are connecting because of the pandemic may also be key in providing fun, alternative ways for students to communicate what they have learned. When I first heard about the FlipGrid website. I was not too interested because it seemed at first like it was for young kids to say hi to each other and their teacher. However, I soon realized that Flipgrid is very powerful. Not only can you interact asynchronously in a virtual classroom environment but you can do so with short videos that allow among other things screencasting. This semester, I have been using FlipGrid in my Pharmacology and Oceanography classes. Earlier this semester, I gave my students prompts to tell each other about stories in the news related to new COVID vaccine research and plastic ocean pollution.

In my current Pharmacology unit, we are using Flipgrid for an asynchronous mentoring lesson with my sister, Kristen Anucha, RN, and her husband, Dr Chibuike Anucha. In this assignment, called the “Maternity Medicine Challenge,” my students were asked to research the pharmacology of one important medicine used in the field of ObGyn. Students will present their findings via a FlipGrid video and ask the experts one question about their medication in the practice of ObGyn medicine. Kristen and Chi will post videos answering the students’ questions. This learning tool makes it possible for students and mentors to interact in a meaningful way, even when the parties are on opposite sides of the country!

“Flipgrid gives us a glimpse into the future of the digital classroom, and the potential for its widespread effectiveness in education. The ability to view, reply, and comment on other’s work makes you feel more connected to the class environment in a time when it’s difficult to work closely. It really challenged my skills to effectively present my work in new and streamlined ways.” ~ Will McLaughlin’21

Students sharing their feedback on Will McLaughlin’s ’21 research article, from the top: Dylan Suplick ’21, Victor Kasian ’22, and Ava Roberts ’21.

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ALUMNI FACULT Y

e m ho bringing it

At SCH, we are fortunate to have 15 Springside and CHA alumni teaching at our school. Because of the school’s role in their own education, they bring a special sense of purpose and connection to their teaching here and a unique perspective that‘s both historical and personal. While the school may have changed in many ways from the time they were students, it remains committed to its mission of quality teaching and the empowerment of each child. We thank our alumni for bringing their teaching talents and dedication home to SCH and for helping our students grow into into the unique people they are meant to be.

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Debra Gress Jansen ’87 h ’16* Flex Lead Teacher for Lower School Students Pre-K–4 | Director of Middle School Drama

Do you have a favorite teaching story or moment?

I’m not sure I can pinpoint one moment, but rather a series of moments. My favorite teaching moment can be found in that harmoniously boisterous click and clatter of voices, eager to share their answers or opinions. It can be found in the unexpected picture that a student creates in response to something I’ve read to them. It can be found in a question posed that I might never have thought of, leading the class on an unexpected adventure with an outcome that is so much greater than what was planned. It’s all of those things and more that are my favorite teaching moment.

Is there some object in your office or on your desk that has special significance to you?

Started teaching at SCH in 2000.

What attracted you to teach at SCH? In all sincerity, it was all I ever wanted to do—well, other than to become an actress! But I digress. When I graduated from Springside, I vowed that one day I would come back to teach at CHA. While I treasured my experience at Springside, there was always something about teaching boys that really spoke to me. When Springside’s Lower School head, Ms. Page, started an elementary education program during my junior and senior year, I was able to work with two legends, Ann Dimond and Janet Giovinazzo. After that experience, I knew I had to come back and have my own classroom without a doubt. I remain, even to this day, perpetually grateful for all that I was able to achieve while I was at Springside, and, as a lifer, and going through all the stages of my education, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I also knew that when the time came, I would want my children to attend Springside or CHA, too.

There is a wonderful piece that sits upon my desk. It’s a prop, really, from my very first show as director of Players. The show was Wind in the Willows, and the piece is a toad seated atop a beautiful gold piece of wood. This lovely statue was created to serve as a hood ornament for the toad’s car. The show was an enormous undertaking, for many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that I was succeeding two magnanimous names in Players’ history, let alone two mentors of mine. Lee Smith and Court van Rooten had done so much for Players, and all I wanted to do was keep their extraordinary legacy alive. The toad was given to me by the cast on closing night, and it has been with me ever since. It has come to represent what it means to have a dream and see it come to fruition. I am so grateful to have had that experience and even more to have a symbol of that dream greet me each day and serve as a reminder that dedication, gumption, and resilience can truly make dreams come true.

My favorite teaching mome nt can be found in that harmoniously boistero us click and clatter of voices, eager to share their answers or opinions.

It can be found in the unex pected picture that a student creates in respons e to something I’ve read to them. It can be found in a question posed that I might never have thought of, leading the class on an unexpected adventure with an outcome that is so much greater than what was planned.

~ Debbie Jansen

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

The joy of learning can be found in daily surprises, and after all, isn’t that what teaching is all about? Those daily unexpected blips never fail to bring a smile to my heart.

When you first walk into your classroom, you truly can’t know what you will encounter. Yes, you can prepare and feel ready to take on whatever comes your way, but the moment things go off course, that is when you begin experiencing what teaching is all about. It’s being in the moment and reaping the tremendous benefits of keeping an open mind and an open heart and being able to listen and experience the joy of learning.

*Faculty are listed in the order they started teaching at SCH.

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Peter Randall ’69

Engineering and Robotics Chair

favorite engineering projects was more fun than beating up computers and networks. So, when CHA and SS merged into SCH, I jumped at the opportunity to start a new academic department for engineering and robotics and began teaching full time. Over the years, we have expanded the program into Middle and Lower Schools, added several teachers and coaches, and broadened the curriculum to include several courses in the CEL program that every student takes as well some truly unique elective classes in advanced programming and aeronautical engineering.

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

Started teaching at SCH in 2001.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I actually became a teacher almost by accident. After years of working in high-tech companies both big and small and serving for many years on the CHA Board of Trustees, I joined CHA full time as the director of technology in 2001, responsible for all things geek. While serving in this role, I had the opportunity to teach AP Computer Sciences and started a course in Robotics and Engineering. Along with Rob Ervin, I helped to start the SCH Robotics team. I discovered that working with CHA and SS students at all levels on their

Because my classes are electives and all project based, using projects of the student’s own choosing, my students are highly motivated and engaged. I mostly just try to hang on as they research problems or opportunities, imagine solutions, design, fabricate, assemble, and program their solutions.

Best of all I get to see the product of all this hard work.

The students grow in their ability to tackle complex issues, they get to attend many of the most competitive colleges and universities, and then they head out into the world as engineers, doctors, and entrepreneurs ready to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.

What question has a student asked you that really surprised you or made you think?

In 2015, two students asked if they could build an airplane as their Honors Engineering project. The girls were not talking about a model airplane, but rather a full-sized, four-passenger single engine airplane that they could use

Debbie Jansen with Pre-K science class.

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to learn to fly. After reviewing the obstacles that such a project presents, it became obvious that this pair would not be deterred. So I sent them on a mission to find an airplane kit that someone would be willing to donate to the school.

Most airplane-building projects stall out after a number of years and sooner or later the spouse wants their garage back and orders the disposal of the partially built kit. After almost 200 phone calls to everyone trying to sell their kit, the girls had the brilliant idea to go directly to the kit manufacturers and found the Bede Foundation that was willing to donate a brand new kit to SCH. We have been working on the airplane ever since. What is unique about this project is that the students knew from the very beginning that they would graduate long before the plane was completed. They devised a plan to pass the project on to the next generation of would-be pilots. The girls are now in their senior year of college studying engineering and one has already earned her private pilot’s license.

Rick Knox ’92

Upper School History and Admissions Athletics Liaison | Upper School Varsity Football Coach

Do you have a favorite teaching story or moment?

Undoubtedly, my favorite moment at SCH was April 27, 2019, when the SCH Robotics team stood on top of the world as a member of the winning alliance in the FIRST Robotics World Championship in Detroit, Michigan. Beating out over 7,000 teams from throughout the world, the SCH team demonstrated tenacity, perseverance, and resourcefulness to claw their way to the top. SCH had come close before, finishing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in previous seasons, but nothing compares to standing at the center of the Ford Stadium (home of the Detroit Lions) in front of 38,000 screaming fans as the announcer reads out the final score of the third of the best of three matches declaring that we had won by a single point: 91-90. Years of late nights and hard work by students, parents, mentors, and supporters paid off in a single rush of adrenaline. I am so proud of our students.

Is there some object in your office or on your desk that has special significance to you?

I have two momentos of my career at CHA and SCH. The first, and most obvious is the bright blue FIRST Robotics World Championship Winner banner hanging at the front of my classroom. It reminds me every day of how far you can go with grit and hard work. The second is my class of ‘69 patch that reminds me of my heritage at CHA. The five stripes and Light Blue color run deep in my soul and remind me every day how to meet the challenges before me.

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Started teaching at SCH in 2005.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

During my junior year at Penn, I had a looming deadline of declaring my major. There was no question in my mind that I was a history major, but this deadline made me think about why I wanted to be a history major. In short, what did this major mean for the rest of my life?

There was a compelling argument that I should become a lawyer. My dad was a lawyer, my uncle was a lawyer, and my grandfather was a lawyer. Teddy Roosevelt’s attorney general was even a distant relative named Philander Knox.

The cards were stacked for me to become a lawyer.

So what then swung the pendulum for me to bypass my bloodlines and become a teacher? There were two key factors that all started at CHA. First, the experience that I had at CHA, including being taught, coached, and mentored by dedicated educators, inspired me to follow the same path and give back in the manner that they did. Second, the passion that I developed for history and football at CHA and then Penn was powerful. I could not see myself being separated from the study of history and the game of football.

This led to a realization one day on Locust walk in the heart of Penn’s campus that I wanted to teach history and coach football in a vibrant community like the one in which I had spent my formative years. Looking back, this was one of the most important days in my life, and the past 25 years are evidence of that fact.

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What attracted you to teach at SCH? After college, I was fortunate enough to get a job at Episcopal Academy and flourish as a professional at that institution for nine years. At Episcopal, I had an opportunity to work with some amazing professional educators, teach and coach many outstanding young people, and develop my skills in the classroom and on the field as a coach. I have memories and friends from Episcopal that will last a lifetime, and I owe that institution a great deal of gratitude for giving me the opportunity that I was given.

It would have been easy to stay at Episcopal for a long time. I was becoming a skilled teacher. I was given an administrative position in the Athletic Department. I was honored to bring an Inter-Ac football championship back to the school for the first time in 20 years. However, there was a motivating thought in the back of my mind that actually had been there since high school.

As you may know, CHA’s football team was not a member of the Inter-Ac for over 30 years from 1973 until 2006. During that period, CHA had some outstanding football teams that could easily have competed in the Inter-Ac and in fact beat Inter-Ac teams. When I was in high school this ate at me and many of my teammates. We were very proud of our program and the success that we worked so hard to earn.

The fact that every team at all six Inter-Ac schools played in the league, except for our football team, felt like a punch in the gut. We felt slighted in Southeastern PA’s rich football tradition. As a result, when I became a successful head coach at Episcopal, who brought a struggling program back to prominence, I was determined to do the same for my alma mater. I wanted to bring CHA back into the Inter-Ac and win the school’s first football championship. I believe that things in life happen for a reason, and not long after I started to think about this possibility, Jack Plunkett and Frank Steel approached me with an offer to return to CHA. All I can say is that I was humbled by the opportunity and honored to take them up on their offer.

children who have attended here—for a combined total of 48 years—the level of respect and acceptance amongst members of this community is an example that others should follow.

Is there some object in your office or on your desk that has special significance to you?

What is most important to me in my office are the pictures of former football teams that I have coached. Each team comprises outstanding people with whom I was fortunate to work and toil towards a common goal together. Each team set lofty goals and did everything in their power to reach them. Some of these teams were more successful than others in that process, but to me that doesn’t matter. What matters most is that each team has a lasting connection and every player is a better person today for being part of that team. Wins and losses are important but character is more important. I know this has been the goal of the Blue Devils football program since Jack Plunkett guided the team for decades and a tradition that I am honored to continue. Each team picture in my office reminds me of those teams and the fact that all of our lives were collectively enriched and continue to be enriched by being members of the Blue Devils football family.

Today our mission states “W e are an inclusive community.” That statemen t is something that the institution has worked towards since I went to school here. This is what ma kes SCH a special place.

We are a diverse community that mirrors the city where our institution lives.

While no community is perfect ... the level of res pect and acceptance amongst members of this co mmunity is an example that others should follow. ~ Rick Knox

What part of SCH’s mission or values is most meaningful to you as a teacher?

Since my time at this institution, CHA now SCH has always been a tight-knit community that strives to be welcoming to students and people from all walks of life. When I came here as a neighborhood kid from Olney, I was accepted for who I was and given a great opportunity. Today our mission states “We are an inclusive community.” That statement is something that the institution has worked towards since I went to school here. This is what makes SCH a special place. We are a diverse community that mirrors the city where our institution lives. While no community is perfect, I know from my own experience at CHA/SCH, and the experience of my three

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Ellen Pearson Ward ’88

Jersey Stripes to not only the social and emotional parts of our students but the academic pieces as well. Courage, resilience, thoughtfulness, diversity, and integrity are at the heart of what we do each and every day, for each and every boy.

Lower School for Boys, 2nd Grade

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

The best part of my day is the moment each student walks through my door. They have a smile on their face, they say good morning to me and their classmates, and get started on their morning work. As a teacher, when students come into a classroom and can show the independence and confidence we have instilled in them from an early age, I know we have done our job.

Is there some object in your office or on your desk that has special significance to you?

Started teaching at SCH in 2005.

What attracted you to teach at SCH? Teaching has always been my passion. During college I was strongly encouraged by my family to go into business. So I went into business consulting and spent 15 years teaching adults in many different capacities. I taught adults how to use the computer software essential for running their businesses, I analyzed their training needs, and both wrote and delivered training materials. I feel like I got around the “push” to go into business by going into the training field. Over time I realized my real love was training and teaching rather than the world of business. I also realized I felt a greater sense of fulfillment teaching children than adults. I believe if you can find a job that you are passionate about, then you will love waking up each and every day. I changed careers and went back to get my master’s in education and started teaching at SCH in Pre-Kindergarten. It was the best decision I ever made.

I love being back at my alma mater where I get the pleasure of teaching boys each day. I started working at SCH the same year my son Andy (‘19) started in Kindergarten. It was a first for the both of us. Andy is the fourth generation of Pearson men to attend CHA. Boy, would my father (Corning Pearson Jr. ‘59) and grandfather (Corning Pearson ‘30) be thrilled that the generations continue to attend and work at CHA/SCH.

What part of SCH’s mission or values is most meaningful to you as a teacher?

Lower School for Boys has been teaching about the Jersey Stripes for as long as I can remember. Those five stripes, now incorporated into our school values, have been the focus of our social and emotional curriculum for years. These stripes keep the focus of education on the most important part of our day as teachers­—the teachable moments. We apply the

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I have many objects in my classroom that make me feel good and keep me centered. I have Groot and Slinky Dog due to my Marvel and Disney love, gifts from students and artwork done by my daughter. But the one that is most relevant to school is an award that the Lower School for Boys achieved from Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry.

I am most proud of Lower School for Boys for the level of commitment, teamwork, and overall compassion shown to help our local community and cupboard. These boys are passionate about collecting cans of food and feeding their neighbors. Watching them organize our shelves of food, bag up the food, and carry the bags into waiting cars is a most wonderful sight for everyone in our community. The thoughtfulness and resilience these boys show is astounding.

They love hearing “Neighbors helping neighbors.” Having them understand that there are hungry people all over the world and that they can make a difference is something that we strive to teach to all our students each and every day.

I am most proud of Lower Sc hool for Boys for the level of commitment, tea mwork, and overall compassion shown to help our local community and cupboard. These boys are passionate about collecting cans of food and feeding their neighbors.

Watching them organize ou r shelves of food, bag up the food, and carry the bags into waiting cars is a most wonderful sight for everyone in our community. ~ Ellen Ward

Jennifer Parker Stutzmann ’01 h’17 Lower School for Boys, Pre-K

Started teaching at SCH in 2006.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I always knew that I wanted to work with children in some capacity. I started babysitting at age 12 and have always enjoyed being around children, helping them learn and grow.

As the daughter of two educators, teaching was in my blood.

My mother, Hope Parker, was the director of a childcare center for over 15 years before coming to work in the dining hall at Springside. And my father, Stan Parker, was a teacher at CHA, then SCH, for 44 years. Following in their footsteps, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher as well!

What attracted you to teach at SCH? SCH has always been a second home and a second family to me. As a third-generation alumna, and second-generation teacher, my family has deep-rooted ties to the school and the community. I remember running the halls of the Inn as a small child, playing hide and seek with my brother, Bill Parker ’97, in the old Junior Corner with the high-walled benches.

I remember running laps on the raised track in the old gymnasium, spinning the wheel and playing on the wooden firetruck on the old CHA playground—all before I was even old enough to attend school! As a student, I remember the care and concern that faculty shared for me. I remember the school traditions of Blue and Gold Day, decked out in gold spirit wear, Homecoming with senior dads singing “Who Let the Dads Out?” to the tune of “Who Let the Dogs Out?” and Song Night. I remember the athletics, the friends, and the growth I made throughout each season. Some of the teachers I had as a student who made such a difference in my life are still here at SCH, making differences in the lives of the next generation. I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to be a part of the memories and life-changing growth and learning for the next generation. And who knows… maybe some day one of my students will decide to be a teacher like me!

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

What I enjoy most about teaching is knowing that I am affecting children’s lives, for the long term. While the academics that we teach in Pre-K are important, the life lessons that happen are invaluable. Teaching the boys to be

Jennifer Stutzman reviewing the alphabet with her Pre-K boys’ class.

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kind friends, problem solvers, classroom citizens, community members, innovators, thinkers, challengers— these are the lessons and skills that are going to stick with them forever and lead them to be successful human beings. Being a Pre-K teacher, I get the pleasure of watching these children grow, not only during the time they are in my classroom, but for the six years they are in Lower School, and beyond. My first Pre-K class graduated in 2019 and I was so incredibly proud of the young men those sweet four-year-old boys grew into.

From here on out, I will have taught at least one graduating senior in each class, and will get the pleasure of seeing the young men they have grown to be!

James Martin ’99

Upper School Physics and Engineering | Middle School Robotics

Is there some object in your office or on your desk that has special significance to you?

On my desk, hidden in the corner, is a framed card from my Dad. It has a special personal note written inside that I cherish deeply. On top of that is a small two-inch by twoinch card from Bridget Blake, former Parents’ Association president, and her son Bryce ’29. Bryce delivered that card, along with a bouquet of flowers, on the first day of school the fall after my father passed away. Inscribed in that card are the words, “He is with you today and every day.” The yearly flower delivery from the Blake family is a reminder that what we do as teachers and our interactions with students are so important. They impact these children for a lifetime, well beyond the nine months they are in our classroom. The two cards on my desk are a constant reminder of why I began this journey... following in my father’s footsteps and hoping each day to make him proud, and become half the teacher he was.

While the academics that we teach in Pre-K are important, the life lesso ns that happen are invaluable. Teaching the bo ys to be kind friends, problem solvers, classroom citizens, community members, innovators, think ers, challengers—these are the lessons and skills tha t are going to stick with them forever and lead them to be successful human beings.

~ Jennifer Stutzman

Started teaching at SCH in 2009.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

It's cliché but it’s this quote from Carl Sagan: “We have arranged a global civilization in which the most crucial elements—transportation, communications, agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, protecting the environment, and even the key democratic institution of voting—profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that a very small percentage of the planet’s population understands science and technology.

This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.” ~ Carl Sagan, Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark.

What attracted you to teach at SCH? My experience as a student at CHA was very transformative for me; it came at the right time in my childhood and my maturity level to impact me dramatically. I know that our current SCH students are receiving similar growth and maturation, and I am proud to be a part of that. SCH is an excellent institution, exposing its students to the cutting edge of technology, the challenges of the modern world, and the joys of friendship, compassion, and kindness.

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

The relationships that I build with students are of great satisfaction to me. I also get great satisfaction from my colleagues; it is very inspiring to be around such intelligent people all day long. I am constantly challenged to perform outside my comfort zone, and for this I am grateful.

Ed Glassman, director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, records a student in the Capstone program as he presents his project.

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I’m obsessed with the future; I’d like it to be here, now. I hope for a bright future for the species and the planet, but I believe that future will require tremendous advancement in science and technology. This bright future, with its new technology, new medicines, and new problems, will come from young minds educated in math and science. It will be their curiosities that get explored, their inventions that get funded, and their challenges that get met. I can only hope that I am inspiring my students to be critical thinkers who are aware of the universe around them and the limitless capability of the human species. It gives me satisfaction to know that I am introducing students to the principles of the universe, principles of technology, and the changes that will surely occur in all our futures.

What question has a student asked you that really surprised you or made you think?

Students from all ages want to know about the universe; they want to know about the past, the present, and the future of the universe. They want to know about the human's place in the universe. It's always a fascinating discussion to have because it exposes the participants to so many different perspectives and new ideas. We are forced to realize that while we may be a very small part of the universe, we are an integral part of it; we are quite literally made of "star stuff."

Do you have a favorite teaching story or moment?

2019 in Detroit, MI, on the floor of Ford Field, with 38,000 people watching in the stands, and witnessing the SCH robotics team's World Championship 1-point victory, was truly memorable. The hard work of the past 11 years, all those hours, all those robots, all that pizza, with so many students, it all really coalesced in that one moment.

Is there some object in your office or on your desk that has special significance to you?

I've made a lot of stringed musical instruments with my engineering students using CNC machines and 3D printers over the past several years: guitars, basses, ukuleles, and violas. I've even made a few for myself. Those are some of my favorite items.

James Martin strategizes with one of the captains of the robotics team and the driver of the Team 1218 robot.

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Laura Breen Cortes ’06

Embrace All Through Hope and Equality)­—whose goal is to assist faculty in having challenging conversations around Summer Programs Director | Auxiliary Programs Coordinator diversity, equity, and inclusion when situations arise in the classroom that require discussion and understanding. When I first started to develop BREATHE, I was encouraged by SCH to continue my work in this area, and I was also embraced by my peers who joined me in developing this program into what it is today. If it wasn’t for this community and the support of SCH leadership, this program would not be up and running successfully right now.

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

Started teaching at SCH in 2010.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

My love of helping children discover who they are is what inspired me to become a teacher. Children’s joy and excitement when they have learned something new is truly heartwarming. I have worked with children most of my life, from a babysitter to a camp counselor to where I am today at SCH. Children are our future and being a part of their learning is incredibly special.

My position at the school enables me to interact with grades PK-8 and it is so great to watch students grow and turn into such amazing humans. I enjoy being a part of their growth and helping them discover who they are by creating unique activities and programs that pique their interests. Right now, in After Care, we are working on creating a movie. I have students writing the script, trying out for parts, making the background and props, and filming. This idea was created by students and will be facilitated and carried out by students and that is such a cool thing to be a part of. If I can support their dream, I will.

Ashley Vandegrift ’92

Middle School Girls Math | Varsity Tennis Coach

What attracted you to teach at SCH? To be honest, I came back to SCH to do my teaching observations for my education degree because it was convenient and I had a connection from having attended previously. But once I came back on campus I immediately felt welcomed and like I was right where I was supposed to be. I watched teachers who were dedicated to our youth and looking to create strong independent children and I wanted to be a part of that. The sense of community that I encountered was also a huge reason I wanted to pursue working at SCH. I saw that SCH was looking to grow while keeping its past traditions, which are important to alumni.

Over the past 10 years, I have seen so much growth within SCH. I am proud to be a part of this community and excited to see my children attend my and my husband’s alma mater!

What part of SCH’s mission or values is most meaningful to you as a teacher?

For me, the most meaningful value is SCH’s dedication to continued growth and learning in the area of diversity and how to better support our students and families. Due to the ongoing issues this country is facing, I feel that SCH has taken on this call to action and is working hard with the faculty and staff to do better. Over the past two years, I have been working on a program—BREATHE (Be Ready to

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Started teaching at SCH in 2010.

What attracted you to teach at SCH? When I heard that there was a teaching opening at SCH (Springside to me), I was struck by an immediate feeling of warmth. I lived out of state at the time and quickly understood it was an opportunity not to be passed up. Not only would I have a reason to move back to Philadelphia, but I could teach in a school which held so many memories.

Aside from the smiles when seeing Mr. Stein, Mrs. Lower, and Ms. Fish during my visit, I also realized just how important it

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is to connect girls with math. I’ve always loved the dynamic in a coed classroom, but encouraging girls to love math added a new layer of significance to my teaching.

Ed Glassman ’03

Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Executive Director

What part of SCH’s mission or values is most meaningful to you as a teacher?

The importance of nurturing students’ knowledge of themselves and the world is critical in Middle School. As I was growing up, it was those moments when I discovered something new about who I was as an individual and how that fit into the broader world that inspired my confidence.

Day-to-day life as an adolescent can often feel like a mixedup pile of puzzle pieces and if, as a teacher, I can help a student fit a few of those pieces together, I have happily accomplished what I strive to do each day.

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

Teaching, for me, is an exciting mix of surprise, challenge, and gratification. I go into each class with clear academic goals, but because the classroom is really an undiscovered world of knowledge and curiosity, my students invariably drive our direction. Middle schoolers are beginning to seek and declare their independence and I love being a positive support through what is often a drama-filled journey.

Do you have a favorite teaching story or moment?

It may sound cliché, but any moment that brings a true smile of pride and accomplishment to one of my students is a favorite moment. I am thrilled for the student, happy that we found a way to connect, and triumphant that I did my job well. It could be about a math skill that finally clicked, an improved quiz score, a mathematical idea that inspired wonder, or the fifth day in a row that a reluctant student completed their homework. A shared smile says a thousand words, so I treasure any moment that I share a smile with one of my students.

Started teaching at SCH in 2014.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I don’t think there is anything more inspiring than seeing a young person broaden their perspectives and grow their abilities over time. I sought out teaching because it gives me the opportunity to play a role, however small, in that growth.

This is especially true at a Pre-K–12 school like SCH, and I’m in a really cool and unique position in that the CEL program enables me to teach across all three divisions.

What attracted you to teach at SCH? I joined SCH academy only a couple of years post-merger.

I saw it as an opportunity to create a new culture, one that honored the traditions of two incredible institutions while being fresh and new. I was also drawn, of course, to Priscilla Sands’ (former head of school) and Dick Hayne’s (former board chair) vision for the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. I had learned through personal experience the power of entrepreneurship and I knew that rooting a

Ed Glassman records a student in the Capstone program as he presents his project.

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K-12 academic program in those principles of resilience, resourcefulness, and creativity would be truly unique. I was just excited to be a part of that.

Dana Brown Stieffenhofer ’05 Lower School for Boys, 3rd Grade

What part of SCH’s mission or values is most meaningful to you as a teacher?

For me, it’s the idea that our learning environment expands far beyond the classroom. Our students are working out in the “real world” launching their ideas for businesses, nonprofit organizations, apps, inventions, and environmental initiatives in truly impactful ways. I love that the school has given us the freedom and flexibility to develop a program that puts aside grades and traditional notions of evaluation in favor of giving the kids a chance to take risks and try things without fear of failure.

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

It’s really wonderful to spend each day in an environment where you can feel deeply and authentically good about everything you do. My colleagues and I are working so hard to create moments of authentic learning and fun for the SCH students. There are, of course, moments of stress (especially this year!) but at the end of the day we are all working together to better ourselves and better the world. It makes for a really uplifting work experience.

Do you have a favorite teaching story or moment?

Alysa Akins (‘19) was one of the students on a trip with me to Cambodia. We spent a few days living in a weaving village in Kampot, one that is rooted in sustainable agriculture, fair trade manufacturing, and children’s education initiatives.

Alysa was clearly moved by the visit, as were so many of our students. But she really put her entrepreneurial mindset to work, forming the first US partnership with the village. Over the course of her senior year, Alysa formed a team of SCH students, sourced scarves and wraps, and sold hundreds of products, donating 100% of the proceeds back to the women in the village. It was such a success that the work has been carried on by her friend Mia Costonis (‘20) and Meena Padhye (‘21). This is such a great example of how to become a role model for other aspiring young leaders who want to “be the change.”

Is there some object in your office or on your desk that has special significance to you?

The CEL space is full of amazing artifacts of learning— designs, prototypes, survey results, and sketches. It’s impossible to pick one, and they change every year as we take on hundreds of new projects and ideas. It’s why it’s such an awesome place to work!

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Started teaching at SCH in 2014.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

Growing up, I gravitated towards jobs and activities that involved working with other people and oftentimes people who were younger than me. I started babysitting at a young age and worked as a camp counselor for many years. Every day was unique, exciting, and interactive, which I cherished.

In these environments I discovered that I had a natural ability to teach others. It was at this young age and through these personal experiences that I determined my calling in life was to teach. I was inspired by the idea that I would be able to encourage youth to find their passions, share important values, and have fun while teaching and learning from my students at the same time.

What attracted you to teach at SCH? As a Springside alumna I already knew many of the wonderful opportunities offered to the students at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. During my eight years as a student at Springside I learned a ton, was empowered as a young woman, developed greater independence, and formed bonds with teachers and classmates that are still strong today. My attraction to Springside as a student is equaled by my attraction to SCH as an educator. We are all learning and growing in a community where we can be surrounded and immersed in nature, engage with a variety of arts, try new sports, all while discovering oneself, the world around us, and how to be part of it all!

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

There are many things that I enjoy about teaching. The most powerful is the connections I get to make year after year. I love getting to know students on a personal level, conversing with them and their families, sharing small moments of victory, and helping each other through times of challenge.

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Making meaningful connections with the young humans that I spend so much of my time with creates an environment full of trust, empathy, fun, and excitement, which all leads to a more productive place of learning and growth. I also appreciate the connections between my colleagues and myself. Being able to collaborate with my fellow Lower School for Boys teachers is irreplaceable. This past year has furthered my desire and commitment to create and develop personal relationships.

Is there some object in your office or on your desk that has special significance to you?

My classroom is my second home as I spend much of my time here. (I am in my classroom after school hours typing this now!) I strive to create a comfortable and inviting space for both my students and myself. Springside and CHA were a big part of my life before teaching, so it is not a surprise that I have a lot of memorabilia throughout our space. I have a brick from the Woodward gym, a stadium cushion, license plates, pennants, and so much more to show all of my SCH pride. The most meaningful, and closest to my heart is my Springside graduation photo, Class of 2005, still in the engraved silver frame. It is right above my desk reminding me of the incredible journey we took together and feeling like it was just yesterday that we were laughing together in the halls.

Meghan Rogers reviewing production notes with the cast.

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Meghan Curry Rogers ’03 Director of Players, Upper School Theater | Director of Laurelei and Middle School Girl Choirs, 6-8

Started teaching at SCH in 2015.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I was initially inspired to teach in college when I was a graduate assistant at the University of Delaware studying classical voice and opera. The faculty there pushed and challenged me to dig deep into my exploration of song literature, opera roles, and voice pedagogy. Not only did I become a better musician, but I was provided the opportunity to direct opera scenes for the undergraduates as well as teach a large studio of voice students. When I delved into teaching and directing those students, it revealed a part of myself that I didn’t know existed. I found my voice as an educator and discovered so much joy and fulfillment as a voice teacher and director. I thrived in the magic moments when students discovered focus, strength, and passion through the performance of music onstage.

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

There is something truly magical and unmatched in working with students—especially guiding them to expand their thinking, digging into the process, pushing the boundary of what they believe they can do, and seeing and understanding their progress. Finally, they share their creativity and passion with the world. It could be by working through a challenging monologue and performing and identifying as a character incredibly different from them, or by singing a powerful, dissonant, and rhythmically complex Bulgarian folk song. I teach for those moments of breakthrough when a student becomes lost in a character or the music or the intention behind a text. I believe that aiding, supporting, and leading students to create performance art through choral music and on the stage is one of the most important experiences that they will have in school.

Do you have a favorite teaching story or moment?

One of my favorite teaching moments was two years ago at the SCH A Cappella Fest, when Laurelei performed an incredible traditional folk song called Cikala le pong pong from Indonesia at St. Martins-in-the-Field. The students had been working for months perfecting the dissonant harmonies, driving rhythmic texture, fast-moving text, and demanding body percussion. They performed with poise, confidence, accuracy, and fully engaged voices and hearts.

As the piece gained momentum and picked up in tempo towards the amazing finish, their stomp claps and voices rang through the church, resonating with such power that the audience erupted after the final chord. I was incredibly proud of their musicianship, connection with one another, and the beautiful, musical moment in time that they created.

What part of SCH’s mission or values is most meaningful to you as a teacher?

In the context of SCH’s mission, one of the goals of Players is to challenge our students with productions that stretch our abilities and thinking by exploring issues of diversity, identity, social justice, and history. In addition to guiding our students to build a strong foundation in theatre as they develop skills in acting, singing, performance, and technical aspects of productions, we also work to promote inclusiveness and establish a sense of community where all are welcome and accepted. It is my hope that each student leaves the program with a lifelong appreciation for theatre and the arts, but also that they leave the program contributing thoughtfulness and showing resilience and courage in their creation of art and music.

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The point of the st ory is that you neve r know what small things you sa y or do as a teache r may inspire or affect young peop le and how importan t it is to care for and encour age them, because one act of kindness can go a lo ng way.

~ Jeanine Braak

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Jeanine Brotherston Braak ’97 Upper School Mathematics

What question has a student asked you that really surprised you or made you think?

I think something that surprised me was a time when a student approached me as a senior and thanked me for something I said to her in her freshman year. I didn’t even remember saying it, but the instance she recounted made me reflect on the impact that teachers have on their students.

Started teaching at SCH in 2016.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

One of the most rewarding things about being a teacher is being able to encourage young people to pursue their interests and dreams. In mathematics my goal is to help students make connections, see the world in a different way, and find ways to challenge themselves while solving problems. I enjoy helping students who might struggle to find strategies to overcome obstacles in their way, whether it be with math or in some other aspect of their growth as an individual. Being a mentor to students is probably one of the most rewarding parts of being a teacher.

I used to direct the the high school plays and run the drama club at my former high school. At the first meeting after this student introduced herself, I said something as simple as “We are so glad you are here.“ This simple welcoming gesture made a lasting impression on her and made her feel a part of the group. She told me that she always had trouble fitting in, especially in middle school, and saying this simple thing to her when she was feeling vulnerable made a lasting impression. It made her feel safe and accepted. She went on throughout her high school career to be heavily involved in our theater program. The theater group was like her family.

The point of the story is that you never know what small things you say or do as a teacher may inspire or affect young people and how important it is to care for and encourage them, because one act of kindness can go a long way.

What attracted you to teach at SCH? My experience as a child at Springside School was the main motivator for seeking a job here at SCH. I always felt loved, cared for, and challenged intellectually as a student. My teachers and the community were, and still are, special, and this made a very lasting impression on me. Those who inspired me as a young person made me love learning, and I hope I can do the same for my students.

What part of SCH’s mission or values is most meaningful to you as a teacher?

Diversity, inclusivity, and our mission to inspire unbounded curiosity make SCH a unique and special place. Our community is supportive and strives to continue to learn and grow. I find this all very important and inspiring.

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

One of the most rewarding things about teaching is making connections with students, helping them find their inspiration, and guiding them in their quest for knowledge and growth.

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Julian McFadden ’06 Middle School Learning Support Services | US Boys Varsity Basketball Coach

Started teaching at SCH in 2018.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

As a young adult, I longed for a teacher who not only could cultivate my young mind, but who "looked like me." With the lack of black male classroom leadership throughout our Philadelphia area at the time, I was quickly drawn to the profession.

What attracted you to teach at SCH? The past brought me to my present. My experience at SCH, though unique, was extremely valuable in my maturation into all elements of my "right now." The impact of former teachers and coaches, some of whom are still current mentors (Ed Aversa, Paul Hines) really pulled me to continue that tradition for our upcoming students.

What part of SCH's mission or values is most meaningful to you as a teacher?

There are two parts of our mission that truly embody my hoped-for impact as a teacher. First, our dedication to inclusivity, both as a community and as a thought-provoking institution. Secondly, the nurturing of student selfknowledge and of the current world in which we live.

Is there some object in your office or on your desk that has special significance to you?

My room has become a memorabilia and positive affirmation landscape over time. From my first-ever CHA hooded sweatshirt to my team captain sweater, there are multiple reminders to both myself and my students of the evolution of Mr. McFadden. Positive affirmation posters serve as a reminder of inner greatness and self-fulfilling prophecy!

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ECC children follow along as Whitney Manly-Power reads them a story.

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Whitney Manly-Power ’06 Early Childhood Center

have been struggling with, discover a new talent, open a new part of their brain. It’s so special to be a part of that moment and encourage them to keep reaching for more of that success.

Do you have a favorite teaching story or moment?

I have a note that I carry with me in my bag everyday. It’s a note from a mom of a student who had been struggling with school ever since her son started. She was burnt out, and the student was frustrated. The student entered my class and we had a wonderful year of milestones and finding tools that worked for this child to feel proud and successful. The note says, “Thank you for giving my child a chance.” That has become a daily mantra for me and my “why.” Some kids just need the chance. I am happy to be able to give that to them.

Started teaching at SCH in 2020.

Frank Jackson ’14 Upper School Spanish

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I have been in childcare for most of my working life, even back to high school, babysitting on the weekends. Camp counselor in the summers. When I came home from college I landed a really great nanny position with a wonderful family that was supposed to be a transition job. Six years later I realized how much I really loved being around kids, and decided to go back to school for it. I’m three years into teaching now and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

What attracted you to teach at SCH? When I heard that the ECC was coming to life I wanted to very much be a part of it. The team, the families—it is an absolute honor to be in this community.

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

Started teaching at SCH in 2020.

The best part of every day is being able to watch my small friends overcome big obstacles­­—achieve something they

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I have a note that I ca rry with me in my ba g everyday. ... The note says, “Thank you for giving my child a chance.”

That has become a da ily mantra for me and m y “why.” Some kids ju st need the chance. I am happ y to be able to give that to them.

~ Whitney Manly-Pow er

I think being a teacher has always been in the back of my mind. My father was a special education teacher for high school students for over 30 years. My mom was a professor, though I never got to see that side of her. Despite that upbringing, I vowed I’d never “settle” and become a teacher like my parents. However, when I was presented with the opportunity to serve as a teacher, I discovered that the mission of a teacher matched perfectly with who I am and who I want to become. The opportunity to serve kids, sharpen their minds, and challenge myself daily is incredible. I am especially drawn toward students of color who almost never see a black male as a teacher, but benefit tremendously when they do. With two educators as parents, it is as inevitable as it is a mission to pave it forward as they did for me.

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school magazine spring

2020

What attracted you to teach at SCH? SCH specifically attracted me because of the opportunity to help students who I see myself in with the freedom and support of a school that believes in students’ potential.

Personally, I can relate to the deep feeling of isolation, awkwardness, and even anger that a white-dominant space can create for young black students who are just now grappling with their own identity. I remember questioning if I belonged, overcompensating to fit in, and losing myself in the process. It’s a tough tug of war that happens internally for students of color, and the only solidarity available are the few other classmates whom you see in the moments before, after and between classes. I want to be a welcoming face, a home base, and a familiar perspective for those students who simply just want to exist unapologetically and safely. This school has its flaws still in making the school a community for those students. I wanted to be apart of the change to shake things up so they don’t feel as I and countless others did.

couldn’t over and over. Soon I made her laugh and for maybe 30 minutes I periodically told her she could, that she was capable. As she walked out of class, she whispered, “I can do it.”

She later wrote me a letter and thanked me for believing in her. That moment and that letter have stuck with me and remind me of the power we have as teachers to shift perspectives and give hope.

What part of SCH’s mission or values is most meaningful to you as a teacher?

I am here with a commitment to improve diversity and inclusive actions for our students of color who may feel on the outside at times. The opportunity to lead in that way with SCH’s new commitment to improve is what I find most meaningful. I have failed if we do not move closer to being an inclusive, anti-racist community. It is that part of the mission that drives my purpose.

What do you enjoy most about teaching and why?

I enjoy expanding students’ minds on the world they are most familiar with, pushing them outside of their comfort zones to new perspectives. When the lightbulb switches on, I feel a part of something much greater than myself.

What question has a student asked you that really surprised you or made you think?

How did your experience at CHA as a black male shape you?

It made me reflect on the positives and negatives about my experience and how grateful I am for both. It brought me right to where I am now with a perspective I wouldn’t trade for the world. I met my best friend here, traveled abroad, and learned resilience and the power of being genuinely myself.

Do you have a favorite teaching story or moment?

My favorite teaching story occurred at my previous school.

I taught at an under-resourced public high school in Dallas, Texas. A student of mine who I still keep in touch with today was quite a mouse. She struggled with eye contact and the motivation to complete any work. One day in class, I went over to help her through an assignment. She stared down at her paper and said, “I can’t do it.” Having heard this from her before, I told her to put her pencil down and to simply look at me and say I can do it. She refused, repeating that she

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Frank Jackson teaching about Spanish verbs.

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C L A S S NOTE S NEWS FROM OUR ALUMNI NEAR AND FAR

1960s

1970s

1960

1970

Caren Wilcox started a new organization in December.

She is the executive director of the U.S. Hemp Growers Association. In 2018, hemp was separated from marijuana, exempted from the U.S. government drug list, and made legal. Caren is working with growers across the country to be sure that they get good information about how to grow this new crop, connecting them with processors to make products, and, when necessary, providing information about regulatory and legislative issues.

at Pennsylvania Trust who were voted Number 1 in Trust Administration and a Top Wealth Manager by The Legal Intelligencer for the second consecutive year.

1990s 1995

Jay Emlen, Bob Peck and Andrew Ross gathered for a mini Class of ‘70 “reunion” in August on Mount Desert Island.

1977

1968

Katie Warwick Schreiner is the new president of the Springside Alumnae Association.

2000s 2000

proud of our team and the product that has made a difference for our nonprofit clients to better engage participants and track their progress. Our work has led to more impact happening more efficiently— something the philanthropy sector needs now more than ever.”

Sean Plunkett and his wife, Christine, welcomed twins Emma Lena and Patrick Leo in April.

Rebecca Morley is the new vice-president of the Springside Alumnae Association.

Lucy Ross Werntz and her husband welcomed their new daughter, Susannah Meacham Werntz, on October 14.

2001

2006

Alex Drinker was named the global head of retail at Salesforce.

2004 Thomas Greenwood Jr. ’68, Field Salmon SCH ’33, and Steve Garnett ’45 looking out over Narragansett Bay, RI, this summer.

Judy McCabe Jarvis shared her newest work from Martha’s Vineyard.

1980s 1983 Congratulations to Leslie Gillin Bohner and her team

Morgan Berman reports, “7 years ago I “birthed” my first baby, MilkCrate. Since then we’ve gone through the joys and growing pains of our company. Along the way we’ve found our purpose. As I write this, I’m just weeks from birthing my first (human) baby and full of hope for the next journey. I am incredibly

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Elspeth Lodge recently wrote a children’s book called The Garden Ducklings, with illustrations by her grandmother, Roberta

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Melman. The story is based on true events and took place when she was attending Springside.

2008 Daylan Bakes writes, “I teach at E.M. Stanton Elementary School in the School District of Philadelphia, in the graduate hospital neighborhood. I’m currently working towards my administrative certification.

I got engaged earlier this summer to Christopher (Cody) Heaslip. My father, Seth Andrew Bakes, passed away on August 7.” SCH extends its condolences to Daylan, Seth ’13, and Riley ’16 on the loss of their father.

Lucy Rice Culp reports that she and her husband, Chip CHA ’08, are doing well.

“We just bought our first house in Chicago (much to my mother's dismay since it's so far from Philly) And it happened about five years sooner than we were expecting, but it will be great as we're spending a lot more time at home these days.”

Jr. were married at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church followed by a reception at her parent’s house. In attendance was her sister, Riley Jacoby Halloran '05, brother in law, Gardner Crossan Halloran '05, and nephew, Will, who started at the SCH Early Childhood Center this fall.

2010s

Virginia Kelly is the chair of the Young Alumnae Group for the Springside Alumnae Association! Reach out to her if you’re interested in joining the committee.

2013 Alexis Berry is doing a fellowship at NIH in DC and loving it. She’s in Dr. Fauci’s National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Disease.

2014

2011

On August 15, Leslie Jacoby and Walter (“Walt”) E. Hack,

Congratulations to Matt Rubin who recently passed his Certified Enterprise Account Practitioner certificate exam. Matt lives in Boston and works for LeanIX GmbH as an EA executive.

2012 Cole Brown is the author of the recently published Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World. It is an honest and courageous examination of what it means to navigate the inbetween.

In-vail-uble Friendships

Congratulations to Emily Dafilou! She and Joe Selvaggio from Scarsdale, NY, were married on October 10 at Cowfish Restaurant in Hampton Bays, NY.

Frank Jackson joined SCH to teach Upper School Spanish.

Frank recently finished a two-year stint in Teach For America and is currently pursuing his master’s in positive psychology at Penn this fall.

Jack Grasso writes that pre-COVID he was living in New York City with Mason Blake and Philip Kelly. All three are now living and working remotely. “My job title is senior client solutions associate at Flexport.” Jack (top row, second from right) and his friends are pictured in Vail, CO. in memoriam (as of october 27, 2020) ALUMNI

Lawrence D. Brownell ‘50

Edwin E. McCook ‘61

FORMER FACULTY

Mary Dickey Lindsay ‘38

Cornelia Parsly Walton ‘50

Paul A. Pearson ‘61

Jane D’Angelo ha

Gertrude Perkins Godshalk ‘39

Sidney Keith Jr. ‘51

Joseph T. Thayer III ‘67

Christopher Lowell

Gloria Klein McCawley ‘41

Anne Phillips Nott ‘51

Dale Kinley ‘69

Ethel Benson Nalle Wetherill ‘42

Quita Woodward Horan ‘52

John S. Lloyd ‘69

FORMER TRUSTEES

A. Mirkil Gardner ‘44

Charles E. Mather III ‘52

Meredith Marando-Blanck ‘76

John M. Walton III ‘46

Elaine Fowler Pierce ‘54

Julia Cairo ‘95

Karl H. Spaeth Thomas B. Morris

Constance Darrow Bommer ‘47

W. Anthony Hitschler ‘56

David A. Chyatte ‘03

Rebecca Altemus Barnes ‘48

Alexandra Brewer Calves ’58

Molly Keith Hill ‘48

William M. Swain Jr. ‘58

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2015 Elyas Tecle, a Cloud Platform sales leader at IBM, shared that he just completed his first video for the company’s Cloud Platform Video Series in which he discusses IBM's Financial Services Cloud, how IBM partnered with Bank of America to develop this environment, and what value its clients can expect from this most recent announcement.

2016 Megan McCool signed a contract to play professionally for the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League, the premier women’s pro league in the United States. At the University of Virginia, Megan served as a team captain as a senior in 2019. She was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team last fall. “I’m super excited, and it’s fun so far. I decided I wanted to stay kind of local, and this was the best opportunity for me. I had been training with them [the Spirit] for a while, and when the [COVID-19] quarantine lifted, they offered me a contract.”

Hyson Ties the Knot Robert Hyson ’07 married Alexis Conticello on August 1, 2020, at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Front Row: Steven Hyson h’04, Alexis and Robert Hyson, Edward Hyson ‘05, Anthony Cafagna ‘07. Back Row: Tyler Ahrenhold ‘07, Donald Houck ‘07, Eric Dziengelski ‘07.

Bakari Porter is pursuing his law degree at Temple Law School.

2017 Congratulations to Destiny Curry who has created an athletic apparel line and launched a business called Train Dirti. Find out more on Instagram or Facebook.

KEEP IN TOUCH Wedding bells? New baby?

Career change?

Share your news at

alumni@sch.org

Plunkett Family Visits New CHA Athletic Hall of Fame The Plunkett family—Sean ’04, Sheila, Jackie, Sue, Kevin and Brendan ’10—stopped by the Athletic Complex to view the newly refurbished Chestnut Hill Academy Athletic Hall of Fame named in honor of dad/husband John J. Plunkett h’92. The Hall of Fame has been relocated to the wall outside of the Woodward Gym. The hallway has been painted, the plaques have been updated, and new lettering has been installed.

Re t u rn SAVE THE DATE R E con n ect ALUMNI WEEKEND Reminisce REdis c o ver JUNE 11 & 12, 2021 39

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DO YOU KNOW THEM?

BE THE FIRST TO SUBMIT YOUR ANSWER AND WIN AN ALUMNA/ALUMNUS GIFT! 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, SCHool editor, at dlyngard@sch.org or call 215-754-1616 and we’ll publish your reminiscences in our next issue.

Still hoping for someone to identify these photos from the spring 2020 issue.

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through the lens

school the magazine of springside chestnut hill academy

SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY

500 West Willow Grove Avenue • Philadelphia, PA 19118-4198 • 215-247-4700/7200

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