Westover School 2016-17 Winter Magazine

WINTER 2017

A SIGNATURE SPACE FOR AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM WISE seniors Sarah Navias (left) and Meadow Wicke visit the new WISE Center during its renovation.

They are examining a potato cannon Sarah made for Projectiles class. COVER STORY PAGE 3

We have 70 Alumnae Advisors to date! Westover’s online tool for connecting alumnae, WestoverConnect ensures that productive, effective, inspirational networking will be available to every Westover graduate. Learn how it works!

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HAVE YOUR SESSION Speak to your alumna advisor via Skype, phone call, or Facetime.

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14 THEME YEAR

Westover Reaches New Heights on Mountain Day

WINTER MAGAZINE 2017

Marketing & Communications Office PUBLICATIONS STAFF

Richard J. Beebe P’10 Director of Advancement Communications Mary Albl Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Opus Design Magazine Design & Layout Michele Levy ML Brand Strategy Consulting Mara Lavitt Cover photograph and additional photography

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LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

COVER STORY

WESTOVER NEWS

ALUMNAE NEWS

Cover Story

From the Quad

We Are Westover

Investing in Westover — A Signature Space for an Innovative Program

2016 Convocation Talks Share Common Themes

Strengthening Our Connections

A Celebration of Life: Ann Pollina

One Alumna’s Reverence for the Earth

Theme Year: Reverence for the Earth

Welcoming New Board of Trustees and Alumnae Governors

Thoughts on...

Reverence Julie Faulstich, Head of School

Theodate Pope Riddle: From Hope to Action

COLORES Festival Cross Country Team Wins 11th CISAC Title

Caleb Portfolio Additional photography The Westover Magazine is a publication of the Advancement Communications Office in conjunction with the Alumnae & Development Office.

Please direct comments, corrections, and suggestions to Rich Beebe at rbeebe@ westoverschool.org.

Westover School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, or national or ethnic origin in administrations of its admissions, financial assistance, educational, or other school policies.

Every Westover student is admitted to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School.

New Faculty and Staff

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100-Year-Old Alumna Makes First Visit to Westover Since 1934 Why I Left Westover, But Why Westover Never Left Me

Celebrating Retiring Colleagues

Retiring Trustees and Alumnae Governors Alumnae Event Photos Greater Washington, DC Book Club

Students in Action Admissions Activities

32 CLASS NOTES

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

THOUGHTS ON… REVERENCE As I looked over the list of articles for this magazine, I was struck by how many of them had something to do with the concept of “reverence.” Of course there is our theme year — Reverence for the Earth — which offers the members of the Westover community many opportunities to “reflect on our relationship with the natural world, to strengthen our feeling of connectedness to it, to stimulate our appreciation of its beauty and bounty, to heighten our sense of responsibility for its well-being, and to deepen our concern for its increasingly endangered health and our commitment to act on that concern.” * As we travel through the theme year, we are also making our way through an important campus master-planning process, a process that will impact Westover for years to come. At every step of the way, we carefully balance our need to innovate and improve with our reverence for our built environment and for our shared history as members of the Westover community. That appreciation for our campus and community guides our every decision, from large to small.

Finally, there is the reverence with which we treat each other. Reverence seems a bit formal for a group of people who seem to manage to laugh together at least a few times each day. But when you consider that reverence essentially translates to “deep respect,” then it makes a bit more sense. Because it’s clear that the members of the Westover community have deep respect for each other, even when we disagree (which does happen on occasion!).

As we navigate what continue to be uncertain times for our world, I am reassured by that deep respect. I challenge each of us to let our reverence for the earth, for our institutions, and for each other be an inspiring example to the world outside our gates.

Regards,

Julie Faulstich, Head of School

*http://www.westoverschool.org/about/theme-year

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COVER STORY

Investing in Westover

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A Signature Space for an Innovative Program Memories of personal and cultural experiences over time make a place special, favorite objects that shape to your hand or body with use, songs or dances that emerge from the people of a place, special skills you develop to enjoy your area — these help to define a place and anchor you in it. Through time, shared experiences and stories (history) help to connect place and people and transmit feelings of place from generation to generation.

Dr. Thomas Woods, Making Sense of Place

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COVER STORY

The School Estate consists of homestead, meadow, and woodland. In the general character of the building the endeavor has been to combine appropriateness with beauty, so that the charm and dignity of the academic and domestic atmosphere shall be an unconscious but elevating influence endearing the place to all coming under its associations.

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From Westover’s first catalogue

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Over a century ago, two friends — a groundbreaking architect and her accomplished teacher and mentor — sought to design and build a school that would be the “ideal setting for the education of young women.” Those visionary women, Theodate Pope Riddle and Mary Robbins Hillard, successfully combined classic elements of architecture with the most up-to-date technology available to create a unique campus — a place where 200 young women could live and learn in a supportive and nurturing environment.

Their vision remains relevant to this day. Heralded as one of the most beautiful schools in America, the Westover campus continues to engage and inspire all who experience it… with our beloved main building at the heart and soul of that distinctive Westover experience.

In order to ensure that Westover can effectively meet the demands of today’s students, faculty, and staff, as well as successfully attract those of the future, we have embarked upon an exciting project to improve and enhance our beloved 100-year-old building. The project is being carefully planned

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to enrich Westover’s strong sense of place; to provide vibrant spaces where students and faculty can gather, collaborate, and reflect; and to support innovative programs that keep Westover at the forefront of girls’ education.

A signature space for The Center for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) One of those innovative programs is Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). Ann Pollina, Westover’s sixth Head of School, created WISE to encourage young women to pursue careers in math and science. Ann believed that if we expose girls to engineering and computer science while they are in high school, we increase their appreciation, literacy, and pursuit of careers in these areas of study. Ann was right — the WISE program has had a tremendous impact on Westover students and our graduates. As WISE has become an integral part of our culture, all of our students have strengthened these essential skills. However, until now Westover has not had a proper facility to support the work of the program.

“As alumnae we tend to remember the idealized school building, but just like our homes, Westover’s buildings (particularly the main building) require maintenance and upgrading. The planned updates to the main building, many of which will happen behind the scenes, will ensure that our beloved spaces provide a cozy (not damp or drafty!) home for generations of students to come.”

Cavarly Berwick Garrett '86 Executive Director, J.P. Morgan Asset Management: Global Real Assets

1. WISE seniors Sarah Navis (left) and Meadow Wicke examine a group project that Meadow worked on for an Electrical Engineering class. They created a modified version of the memory game “Simon,” assembling the circuitry and writing coding for the game.

2. During Parents’ Weekend, parents were able to attend an open house in the future home of the Women In Science and Engineering Center while it was undergoing renovations. Assistant Head of School Ben Hildebrand was on hand to offer an overview of the plans for WISE program.

3. Ellie Dunn ’20 (left) and Mickey Shi ’20 paddle the cardboard boat they constructed with teammate Mia Izzi ’20 in the 9th annual Cardboard Boat Race on Westover’s pond on November 7. The students were part of the Physical and

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Structural Engineering class this fall, the introductory course for the Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) program.

4. WISE Student Caleigh Waskowicz ’16 and Assistant Head of School Ben Hildebrand with a prototype of the machine she designed to assist patients with limited mobility 5. WISE Student Caleigh Waskowicz ’16 offers a presentation at the 2016 Alumnae Weekend about a machine she designed and built to assist patients with limited mobility to sit and to stand.

Inspired by the work of her physical therapist father, Caleigh’s Independent Senior Project for the Women In Science and Engineering Program earned her a third place award at the 2016 Connecticut Science Fair in April.

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Step one in our campus update project is to create a new Center for WISE. The new Center for WISE will feature the following: 1. A makerspace equipped with supplies and tools, to support increased collaboration and enable a variety of students to create many different things at the same time.

2. A dedicated robotics space that will enable tremendous expansion of our robotics program — a semi-permanent field, better storage, and generous counter space increase access to each robotics project.

3. Dedicated classroom space for computer science and engineering electives that will encourage a broader range of individual and group work.

Thanks to a generous lead donor, we have been able to start the project this fall. We hope you can join us for an open house in the new space at reunion this spring!

The Center for WISE is only the beginning. We have many other updates in the works to ensure that Westover remains a leader in the education of young women. We are incredibly excited about this work, and so very grateful to the many people who make it possible. You will hear much more about this in the coming months... so stay tuned!

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“As architects design schools now, we design for the same experience Theodate and Mary created over 100 years ago — that sense of full immersion in living and learning.

Thanks to those two visionary women, the campus at its core remains timeless, relevant, and flexible.”

Dawn Arthur Guarriello ’93, AIA, LEED AP BD&C Associate; Project Architect, Perkins Eastman

“Let’s face it, the idea of doing anything to Theodate Pope Riddle’s building can be a bit scary. However, she probably would have been one of the first to acknowledge that, as your program changes, you need to make your place change accordingly.”

Shawn Caldwell Alshut ‘74 RA, ASID, RID studio A2 architecture | interiors

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SARAH KRUEGER ’12: A WISE EVOLUTION

Over the past 5 years

24% of our seniors have been WISE graduates taken at least a full year of WISE coursework 30% have

40% took at least one WISE course Over

respondents to our survey of WISE majored in STEM fields in college 75% ofalumnae (compared to 29% of women nationally).

the respondents are pursuing or have graduate work in science or 45% ofcompleted engineering

6. A photograph of Westover’s façade taken from the School’s 1910 Yearbook, Westover’s first full year 7. A photograph of Westover’s façade taken in 2016

For Sarah Krueger, Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) was a real inflection point — as she describes it, a “what do I want to do with my life” experience. A general interest in computer science led her to take introductory WISE classes freshman year. Those initial classes led to deeper study (including an AP class in Computer Science sophomore year), ultimately sparking a passion that led to a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Digital Media Design from the University of Pennsylvania, and her current job as a software developer for a global technology consultancy.

Sarah’s WISE experience may have launched her career in technology, but other aspects of her Westover experience helped to define her choices and passions, as well. For instance, the drawing classes she took while at Westover helped hone her design skills and encouraged her to pursue creative job opportunities.

Westover also gave her the confidence to move into a traditionally male-dominated field. As she explains it, “attending Westover has made me think differently about potentially challenging situations. In college and in my career, I have often relied on the confidence I developed as a Westover student to reassure myself that I have the right to be in the field I have chosen. The school was an empowering force in my life.”

Her advice to current students? “If you have any interest at all in math or science, WISE is a terrific introduction to all the places those subjects can take you. My WISE experiences opened my eyes to a wide range of fields I had never considered. I feel privileged to have had that introduction to what is already an exciting and fulfilling career.”

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Theodate Pope Riddle:

From Hope to Action

“Hope is very lovely in its place but if I do not also act I shall wake some morning to find myself middle aged and sorrowing because I have not tried to make the world I touch a little better.”

So stated a young Theodate Pope Riddle in 1888, during a tour of Europe with her family. Armed with a strong will, fueled by her passion for rural life, and informed by her progressive philosophy, this self-taught architect became one of the most influential architects of the early 20th century. Over the course of her 30-year career, she designed a variety of homes, estates, and schools across New York and Connecticut — all but one of which still stand today in testimony to her enduring vision.

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Theodate’s first project, the restoration of an 18th-century cottage, was directly inspired by the architectural styles she experienced on that tour of Europe. She went on to design and build a retirement home for her parents, Hill-Stead (now Hill-Stead Museum), as well as Avon Old Farms School, Hop Brook School, and the reconstructed New York City birthplace of President Theodore Roosevelt. Westover School, one of her most extensive projects, was designed in partnership with her friend and advisor from her days at Miss Porter’s School, Mary Hillard.

In their bio of Theodate, Hill-Stead Museum refers to her as “unsinkable”... and she was, literally and figuratively. She survived the 1915 sinking of the RMS Lusitania (after having been left for dead), then, undaunted, traveled with her family to China, Japan, and Korea.

A woman of many varied interests, Theodate Pope became a member of the American Institute of Architects in 1918. She was a member of the Architectural League of New York, the Archaeological Institute of America, and the Medieval Academy of America. She was also a major figure in the American Society for Psychical Research, along with her friend William James, and an active member of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of Connecticut.

Sources: Hill-Stead Museum, Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame Theodate Pope Riddle, Westover’s architect, shown visiting the School’s construction site

Theodate Pope Riddle, Westover’s architect

WESTOVER NEWS The 2016 Convocation Speakers (from left) teacher Ali Hildebrand, Fiona Boyle ’17, and Head of School Julie Faulstich

From the Quad 2016 CONVOCATION TALKS SHARE COMMON THEMES The Westover community gathered for the 2016 Convocation Service in the School’s Chapel on September 8th to listen to student and faculty speakers offer their thoughts about the coming school year — thoughts that Head of School Julie Faulstich noted shared common themes, even though the speakers had prepared their remarks on their own.

Take a breath Fiona Boyle, Senior Class Speaker

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“Throughout this year, as you get caught up in school work, or drama, or athletics, or any of the many activities you will find yourself immersed in, step back, take a breath, reframe the moment, and take another reminder from [Max Ehrmann’s poem “Desiderata”]: ‘You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.’ ”

WESTOVER NEWS

“The world can be an overwhelming and confusing place and it takes courage to conquer fear — and with courage, all else is possible. And I believe curiosity is the first step towards courage. Curiosity helps you start with a question, opening up possibilities, rather than a shutting down of options with a judgment. So I am asking everyone this year: Be curious. Try something new and even if it doesn’t work out as you hoped, be curious about that. Push yourself a little further than you’ve ever gone in something you assume you’ve mastered. Revisit something you thought was set in stone about you. Wonder about it… it will open your mind and lead you to solutions or conclusions or even more questions you may never have considered before. But I wonder, if we all keep following our curiosity, what new and splendid things will be revealed about ourselves, our community, and our world.”

Be Curious Julie Faulstich, Head of School

“We are increasingly spending more time connected to our devices, and I am a culprit as much as anyone. As a result, we have become far less connected to the wonders of the natural world around us. I would also argue that this increased connectedness has made us far less inquisitive, creative, and empathetic. So go for a walk, stop and literally smell the roses (even just in Quad), and take time in your day to appreciate the Earth that we call home.”

Make time for you Ali Hildebrand, Art History and Humanities Teacher

Smell the roses Ben Hildebrand, Assistant Head of School

“Certainly your time at Westover may feel a bit as if you’re looking to cram in as much as you can during our short time together — classes, sports, clubs, leadership positions, the list goes on. And doing so can feel daunting and intimidating.

All of you will be making 9,000 decisions a day — choices from ‘what shall I eat for breakfast?’ to ‘what college should I attend?’ The point is to make sure some of those decisions each day are about you and what you need. The point is that you make time… for you.”

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WESTOVER NEWS

A CELEBRATION OF LIFE: ANN POLLINA More than 450 alumnae, faculty, staff, parents, and other friends of the School gathered on October 1 for a Celebration of Life for former Head of School Ann Pollina, who died May 7, 2016.

The speakers included Ann’s husband Ben Pollina, Head of School Julie Faulstich, former Headmaster Joseph L. Molder, Barrie Hogan Landry ’62, and three former presidents of the Board of Trustees — Charlotte Beyer ’65, Louisa Jones Palmer ’54, and Francene Young ’71, who offered the Benediction, drawing from an Irish prayer and the works of Abby Willowroot. In their remarks, all the speakers reflected on Ann’s life and her impact as an educator within the Westover community and beyond.

“This school as it stands today is a reflection of Ann and her inspired leadership, and her legacy lives on every day in the students of Westover.”

Julie Faulstich, Head of School

To view a Livestream recording of the Celebration, visit Westover’s website at www.westoverschool.org/alumnae/ alumnae-news/celebration-of-life-ann-pollina

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During the Celebration, the Chamber Choir, under Music Director Robert Havery, sang several selections and pianist Mihae Lee ’76 performed Franz Schubert’s Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3. The celebration concluded with Chaplain Tom Hungerford reading “Beannacht: A Blessing for the New Year,” a poem by John O’Donohue.

WESTOVER NEWS The speakers at the Celebration of Life for Ann Pollina included (from left): Head of School Julie Faulstich, Ann’s husband Ben Pollina, former Trustee Presidents Louisa Jones Palmer ’54 and Francene Young ’71, former Headmaster Joseph L. Molder, former Trustee President Charlotte Beyer ’65, and Chaplain Tom Hungerford (missing from photo: Barrie Hogan Landry ’62).

“Ann was never wrong about all the big decisions and events of our lives together. Before her death, she assured me… that the community that we had been a part of for all of our lives together would embrace and support us. And so you have…”

Ben Pollina

“The caring or compassionate human touch which so best characterizes all of Ann’s teaching and activities seems essential in creating the best learning environment at least for most students — both young women and young men.”

Joseph L. Molder

“Ann’s hope for her girls and for herself inspired hope in all of us and motivated us to strive to make a difference, to make this world a better place… now it is up to us to continue her legacy and make each day a day well-lived.”

Barrie Hogan Landry ’62

“Ann cared about the light in all our souls. She was a role model, not just for the girls, but for many of us who had the privilege of working with her … Her life has made a difference in the lives of every one of us.”

Louisa Jones Palmer ’54

“Today we are celebrating Ann’s legacy… a legacy that sometimes can feel too heavy for our frail shoulders. Then, just in time, we see Ann’s beaming smile, her loving manner, and her grace that give us strength to raise our lanterns higher.”

Charlotte Beyer ’65

“She was always busy, always working, her days were long, her spirit strong, many things always got done, by this one, if a need was found, there was always the sound of her bustling, efficient, energy, doing the job.”

Beannacht: A Blessing for the New Year

by John O’Donohue On the day when The weight deadens On your shoulders And you stumble, May the clay dance To balance you.

And when your eyes Freeze behind The grey window And the ghost of loss Gets in to you, May a flock of colours, Indigo, red, green, And azure blue, Come to awaken in you A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays In the currach of thought And a stain of ocean Blackens beneath you, May there come across the waters A path of yellow moonlight To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours, May the clarity of light be yours, May the fluency of the ocean be yours, May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow Wind work these words Of love around you, An invisible cloak To mind your life.

Francene Young ’71, quoting from the works of Abby Willowroot 13

WESTOVER NEWS

WESTOVER REACHES NEW HEIGHTS ON MOUNTAIN DAY “Reverence for the Earth” — the theme for Westover’s 20162017 academic year — was vividly brought to life on Mountain Day, when virtually the entire School community — students, faculty, and most of its staff — traveled from the Middlebury campus to Talcott Mountain State Park in Simsbury on October 13th.

There, students and adults set out in more than a dozen groups, following various trails to the 1,000-foot summit.

Along the way, the hikers had views of the surrounding Farmington Valley region awash in the colors of autumn. At the top, the community ate lunch while they rested from their hike, and then posed for a series of all-school photographs.

The most poignant moment of the day, however, came when the community paused to remember the sudden passing the day before of the School’s beloved trainer, Jim DeMeis.

A Westover Lantern was lit in Jim’s memory and placed on the summit, surrounded by photos of Jim taken during his years at Westover. Then, as the Glee Club heads led the choir in the singing of “Blessing” in celebration of Jim’s life, three bald eagles and two hawks could be seen circling overhead.

“We just got the perfect day,” said Assistant Head of School Ben Hildebrand, who was responsible for organizing the event with a team of colleagues. “Everybody was very positive about the day. When they got back to school, they may have been very tired from all the hiking and were ready to go to sleep, but we had great energy at the top of the mountain.

It was pretty spectacular.” Depending on what trails they took going up or down the mountain, the hikers walked between 2.3 and 8.1 miles that day.

The day before Mountain Day, students who are members of the School’s Environmental Action Committee gave a presentation in Morning Assembly about the earth’s resources and humanity’s diverse relationships with the forces of nature.

They noted that while the Westover community was privileged to be able to celebrate Mountain Day and enjoy the beauties of the environment, there are other communities who find themselves affected by the misuse of resources, such as the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan — or the impact of weather-related disasters, such as Hurricane Matthew that recently struck Haiti and parts of the Southeastern United States.

There was also a presentation about “Waterside Reveries,” an art installation by mixed-media artist Barbara Hocker on exhibit in the School’s Schumacher Gallery through November 15th. The exhibition drew on various representations of water in a range of media to reflect the artist’s “relationship to nature, memory, place, and the sacred.”

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English teacher Linda Pierce (left) and a group of students hike a trail up Talcott Mountain on Mountain Day.

THEME YEAR: REVERENCE FOR THE EARTH Q & A with Assistant Head of School Ben Hildebrand

Where did the idea for the 2016 theme year, Reverence for the Earth, come from?

Susan Lamphier [former Executive Assistant to the Head of School] came up with the idea. She talked about it with me.

Coming off last year’s theme, Who is My Neighbor, it seemed sort of natural building off of that. The Academic Committee absolutely loved it. We very quickly came up with ideas for classes and other programming that goes along with it.

What is Reverence for the Earth?

To revere something is to appreciate it. What we’re asking the girls and the community to do is to look at the home that we have — the earth — a little more closely. It’s not just an environmental tilt, but an appreciation for the earth itself and all of its occupants; the things that we are hopefully coexisting with.

There’s environmental, spiritual, and ethical sides to it.

What are the activities incorporated in the theme?

The big one was Mountain Day on October 13th. We just got the perfect day. Everybody was very positive about the day.

When they got back to school, they may have been very tired from all the hiking and were ready to go to sleep, but we had great energy at the top of the mountain. It was pretty spectacular. In addition, there was the October 6th performance by the vocal group, Western Wind, and an exhibition in the Schumacher Gallery called “Water Reveries” in the fall. We are also offering a water course through History and Science.

The plays being offered through the Theatre Program [Into the Woods in the fall term, Uncle Vanya in winter term, and

A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the spring term] also will touch on the theme. The Theme Year Committee meets on a regular basis to develop workshops and other activities.”

What is the message that 15-, 16-, 17-, and 18-yearold girls are getting out of this?

They are growing up in a world where some of them have not taken a walk in the woods before. They just don’t know how to interact with nature in a way that older generations had to. And so they are very isolated, in some cases. In other cases, they have had all sorts of exposure. What we’re finding is that we have to really get their hands dirty, in Biology and in other science courses, to get them into uncomfortable situations that force them to grow and appreciate the things around them.

How long has theme year been going on?

We’ve done theme year for five or six years now. Initially, we were trying to figure out a way to do crossover work, cross-curriculum. It gives the curriculum a focus as a whole, a new direction each year. It makes teachers think slightly differently about their course work, what courses they are going to offer. It gives us a focus for Chapel to some degree, or just in other assembly opportunities. It gets tied into all aspects of our programming, to a greater or lesser extent.

And, as a result, girls feel there is a greater purpose to the things we’re doing.

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WESTOVER NEWS

COLORES FESTIVAL CELEBRATES THE RICHNESS OF WESTOVER’S CULTURE Over the past two decades, the COLORES Festival has served as an annual celebration of diversity and inclusion within the Westover community, and an opportunity for a number of student clubs to promote and raise funds for their cultural, environmental, and human rights activities. (COLORES stands for the Coalition Of Leaders On Racial and Ethnic Sensitivity).

This year’s Festival drew students, parents, faculty, and staff into the Quad during a sunny afternoon on Sunday, October 16th. Nine clubs’ booths offered a range of ethnic foods and desserts, along with henna tattoos, face painting, and tie-dyed t-shirts. A bouncy castle in the corner of the Quad entertained students, their younger siblings, and faculty children throughout the afternoon.

The Festival began with a parade of students — either wearing colorful ethnic costumes or bearing flags from the 18 countries represented by students at Westover this year; the rainbow flag — representing students from across the gender spectrum — was also included in this year’s parade. Entertainment included songs in Chapel by Westover’s Gospel Choir, and performances in Quad by guest rap artist Shawn Caliber, student singers Sarah Cavallaro ’17, Grayson Beaulieu ’17, and Peggy Wang ’20, as well as student dancer Mickey Shi ’20.

The COLORES Festival was coordinated by members of WALSA (Westover African-American Latina Student Association) under the guidance of Eric Mathieu, Westover’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion.

Eric said, “The COLORES Festival celebrates the richness of culture we’re lucky to have at Westover, in our neighborhood, and around the world.” He expressed his appreciation to the students, faculty, and families who volunteered at the event, or who provided food items and other contributions to help make the day “a wonderful and vibrant celebration.”

The nine clubs that participated in this year’s Festival included WALSA, the Environmental Action Committee, Spectrum, Amnesty International, Girl Up, French Club, Dorcas, the International Student Association, and the Guitar Club.

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WESTOVER NEWS

Head of School Julie Faulstich (sixth from left) with members of the faculty and staff who have joined the Westover community since fall of 2015.

To view their full profiles, please visit Westover’s website at www.westoverschool.org/about/faculty-and-staff-directory

NEW FACULTY AND STAFF JOIN WESTOVER COMMUNITY With the start of the new school year, Westover has welcomed a number of new faces to the campus.

Carolyn Brunelle, an instructor in the History Department.

Lauren Castagnola, the Executive Assistant to the Head of School.

Kathleen Chery, the Chief Operating Officer for the School.

Christopher Childs, an instructor in the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program and a coach for Outdoor.

Jodie Ellis, R.N., a nurse in the Health Center.

CROSS COUNTRY TEAM WINS 11TH CISAC TITLE The Westover Cross Country team claimed its second straight Connecticut Independent School Athletic Conference (CISAC) crown, on October 29th, scoring an impressive 28 points.

This is Westover’s 11th CISAC title overall and fourth in the last five years. The Wildcats, co-captained by Lauren Stebbins ’17, Abby Hodson ’17, and Sophia Andrew ’18, went on to compete at the New Englands tournament on November 12th, where they finished in 7th place.

The Wildcats were led by Sophia’s fourth place finish, clocking 22 minutes, 6.83 seconds on the 5,000-meter course.

Westover placed five runners in the top 10, and 10 in the top 20 in a field of 44 runners from Watkinson, Chase Collegiate, MacDuffie, Williams, and Hamden Hall.

In addition to Sophie Andrew (4th), the following Westover Wildcats earned All-CISAC honors for finishing in the top 15: Gabby Young ’19 (5th, 22:37.73), Abby Hodson (6th, 22:47.49), Brigid Protzmann ’19 (8th, 22:48.75), Maddie-Claire Norris ’19 (10th, 23:25.59), Lydia Mahan ’18 (11th, 23:54.91), Lauren Stebbins (14th, 25:09.56), and Mira Subramanian ’18 (15th, 25:12.62).

Eleanor Jones, a dorm parent and coach for Field Hockey and Crew.

Kate Joyce, the Learning Specialist in the Office of Academic Support.

Myriam Kelly ’11, the Global Program Associate in the Rasin Center for Global Justice, coach for Varsity Squash, and Yearbook Advisor.

Megan Vojack-Weeks ’06, a dorm parent.

Zach Lytle, a French instructor in the Language Department.

Eric Mathieu, the Director of Diversity and Inclusion in the Rasin Center for Global Justice, and coach for Soccer and Lacrosse.

Sarah Michaelson, an instructor in the Science Department.

Samantha Peterson, a dorm parent and a member of the Health Center staff.

Jillian Verzino ’12, a Visual Arts instructor in the Art Department, a member of the Rasin Center for Global Justice staff promoting environmental sustainability, and assistant coach for Outdoor.

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WESTOVER NEWS

CELEBRATING RETIRING COLLEAGUES Three longtime and valued members of the Westover community retired after the end of the 2015-2016 academic year: Rachel Bashevkin, Director of Studies, who joined the faculty in 1981; Susan Lamphier, Executive Assistant to the Head of School, who began working at the School in 1991; and Stephen Ladd, who had served as the School’s Business Manager since 1997. Their contributions to Westover were celebrated in reflections by three of their colleagues.

Rachel Bashevkin “Though her commitment to Westover was always beyond question, and though her many talents made her an excellent employee and community member, what I most remember about Rachel Bashevkin is her memory. For years, I considered her the collective memory of the school. She not only had our entire calendar in her head, her institutional recall was sensational. She knew not only each rule and practice, but also the history of each rule and practice.

But more impressive than Rachel’s memory was her thoughtfulness. Her memory was strong because her thoughts were full of much that is best in people. Thus, she did not forget birthdays and important school events, and she was unerring in reminding those around her to recognize and acknowledge community members who needed help or guidance. These reminders included religious holidays in all traditions. Her commitment and consequent training in supporting our students in their varied religious backgrounds was unequaled at Westover.”

– Thomas Hungerford, Dean of Faculty, English Department Chair, and Chaplain

Susan Lamphier “The first day I interviewed at Westover, I ended up sitting in “the chair” in front of Susan Lamphier’s desk. Many, many people know the chair to which I’m referring. Susan and I started chatting. It was marvelously normal and light and I could tell she saw me as a person; that was a gift Susan brought into the Head of School’s office. Everyone felt right at ease sitting with Susan.

Another gift she had was to bring fun along with her — whether it was “decades day” during spirit week when her whole office was decorated, her impressive hat for the senior tea, or one of her many pairs of colorful cowboy boots for a Jeans Day, Susan always reminded you that laughter is an essential part of life.

Suffice it to say, Susan was an excellent and efficient executive assistant in every way, but what really made her a special person to work with was that joie de vivre. Thank you, Susan — it will never be quite the same around here without you!”

– Julie Faulstich, Head of School

Stephen Ladd “It is safe to say that there are fewer “true prep school people” who populate our schools today than there used to be.

Westover has lost one of these few with the retirement of Stephen Ladd. Working countless hours as a steward of the community doing almost any job needed, cerebral or physical, he proved every day that the school and students he truly loved came first.

one occasion Stephen did. Two come quickly to mind, once in appreciation for his direction and hard work towards the completion of the Performing Arts Center, and then when he received the Lori Kinniburg-Emily Webber School Spirit Award “in recognition of extraordinary school spirit and continued passionate support of Westover Athletics either as a participant or enthusiast.”

Being a Business Manager is often a position that separates one from the individuals you are ultimately serving, the students. Stephen made sure that never happened. He was in touch every day: when they stopped to casually say hello and receive much-deserved congratulations, or when he was coaching, attending plays, performances, or games, as well as driving for teams and special events. He found his greatest joy knowing and actively supporting the students he served. It is not often that a Business Manager receives a standing ovation from a student body, but on more than

Stephen took great pride in Westover. The halls will be a little less congratulatory, the applause a bit less enthusiastic, and the cheering a little less boisterous as we say thank you and goodbye to Stephen Ladd.”

– Tiz Mulligan, Director of Athletics

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Students in Action

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1. Students working on art projects in the Virginia House Studio

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2. Varsity Field Hockey Tri-Captain Chaylee McAdam ’18 3. Students visiting the School Store in its new location across from the Post Office

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4. Maddie Hurtgen ’18 (left) and Lauren Stebbins ’17 setting off their bottle rocket during their WISE Projectiles class

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5. Mia McClain ’17 (left) and Larissa Davidowitz ’19 in the fall musical Into the Woods 6. Visual Arts Instructor Jill Verzino ’12 (left) and Julia Hwang ’18 7. The Fall 2016 Volleyball Team

ADMISSIONS ACTIVITIES In the opening months of the 2016-2017 academic year, members of the Admission Office team (Director Sara Sykes, Associate Director Dawn Curtis P’06, Associate Director Samantha Mallette ’09, Assistant Director Cecilia Gallo, and Admission Assistant Lea Lavoie):

Visited more than 30 school fairs for prospective students and their families

Met with prospective students, families in 13 states

Visited more than 60 feeder schools

Traveled to 11 countries in Europe and Asia to meet with prospective students and their families AZERBAIJAN FINLAND GERMANY

HONG KONG JAPAN KAZAKHSTAN

RUSSIA SOUTH KOREA SINGAPORE

TAIWAN TURKEY

If you are interested in becoming an Ambassador for Admission at school fairs and other admission opportunities, please contact Director of Admission Sara Sykes at ssykes@westoverschool.org or at 203.577.4522.

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ALUMNAE NEWS

We Are Westover STRENGTHENING OUR CONNECTIONS

By Maura Tansley ’00 President, Alumnae Association Board of Governors The Alumnae Association Board of Governors is a dynamic group of women comprised of every living generation of Westover women. Our goal is to engage alumnae with each other as well as with the School and current students in order to strengthen our connections and maximize the impact of a Westover education.

This past Reunion, members of the Board of Governors under the direction of Cathy Stewart ’76, P’03, produced, filmed, and edited “We Are Westover,” a short film in which alumnae were asked such questions as “Why did you choose to come to Westover?” and “Who was your favorite teacher or what was your favorite class?” and “Did you have a favorite tradition while you were at Westover?” The result is a beautiful documentation of decades of Westover women. We look forward to continuing this project next Reunion and documenting the voices of Westover women.

When the Board of Governors is on campus, we love getting the chance to meet the smart, funny, and talented current students. Whether we are welcoming them to School at the Freshman Tea or welcoming them to the Alumnae Association at the Senior Dinner, we are constantly impressed with them and excited for what their future holds.

Mikayla Labissiere ’20 (left) and Morgan Foltz ’20 at the Board of Governors’ Freshman Tea on September 30

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WestoverConnect, our very own online networking tool exclusively for Westover alumnae, is in full swing. I encourage all alumnae to sign up and either seek an advisor or consider becoming an advisor yourself. There is nothing quite like a network of Westover women!

ALUMNAE NEWS

ONE ALUMNA’S REVERENCE FOR THE EARTH A number of Westover alumnae have pursued careers or volunteer work in fields related to the environment and the preservation of resources. Among them is Marla Stelk ’88, who works as a policy analyst for the Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM), a national, non-profit organization that promotes and enhances protection and management of wetland resources.

Marla resides in Gorham, Maine, where she serves on the Town Council. Marla is also an artist who continues to operate her own studio, MJ Stelk Designs, where she creates and sells a variety of metal sculptures.

You have always been a strong proponent for environmental protection. What was your focus in college?

I received my undergraduate degree in Environmental Issues at Colorado College in 1992. They did not have an Environmental Studies Department at that time, so I designed my own interdisciplinary degree and had a few more requirements to meet. I received my Master’s degree in Community Planning and Development with a focus on land use and the environment from the Edward S. Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine in 2013.

What are your principal duties at AWSM? I wear a lot of different hats at ASWM. My job title is Policy Analyst and I do a lot of research in that regard on current wetland policy and science issues. I facilitate interdisciplinary national expert work groups that assist us in identifying professional challenges, best practice recommendations, and implementable solutions. I also represent ASWM in various

work groups such as the Advisory Committee on Water Information — Water Resources Adaptation to Climate Change Workgroup, and the Coastal Habitat Coalition. I write reports, white papers, blogs, newsletter articles, and I moderate three different educational webinar series. I travel to professional conferences to give presentations, facilitate workshops, and network, and I travel to Washington, DC, for meetings with federal agencies. I also lead our Communications Team, which oversees our website, social media, direct emails, newsletters, membership, and webinar post-processing.

What brings you the most satisfaction from your work?

Knowing that I am making a positive difference in the world.

How did your experiences at Westover, either inside or outside the classroom, affect your lifelong interest in environmental issues?

I moved to Westover from a high school in Ohio where none of my friends were outdoorsy types. When I was a child, however, I loved to be outdoors and play in the dirt. When I went to Westover, I reconnected with my old childhood friend, Matilda [Cantwell ‘88], who was a member of Westover’s Outdoor Club.

She introduced me to her friends and we would go for hikes in the woods on weekends. I also enjoyed just spending time at the pond house, watching the ripples on the water, and listening to the sounds of the insects and birds. My time at Westover gave me an opportunity to reconnect to nature.

If you had a chance to share your experience, knowledge, and concerns about environmental matters with Westover alumnae and today’s students, what would your essential message be for both groups?

That’s a tough question, but I guess I would have to say that now more than ever, we really need to start living within the earth’s ability to replenish itself. We need to find innovative ways to work with the earth’s natural systems (not try to “conquer” nature), to become more resilient in the face of rapid climate change. We need to be better at taking the long view — the earth didn’t evolve in one day, one year, or one century. In most cases, we cannot restore it in one day, one year, or one century. But we cannot afford to wait to take action either; we learn as we go — experimentation, creativity, and adaptive management are key to success. Science has been, and should continue to be, the foundation of our environmental policies and regulations. We can collectively make a difference and restore the earth by working together, in collaboration with diverse partners and stakeholders, all of us taking actions that balance the needs of the environment and society. And each one of us can make a difference every day by making incremental changes in our lifestyles — by living a life that is more simple, in touch with nature, and full of gratitude.

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ALUMNAE NEWS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES WELCOMES 5 NEW MEMBERS The Board of Trustees has welcomed five new members for the 2016-2017 academic year. For their full profiles, please visit Westover’s website at www.westoverschool.org

Jennifer Gold ’87 | Jennifer is the Senior Director, Global Trade Shows and Event Production for Mattel. She resides in Los Angeles, California.

Robin Cruz McClearn ’83, P’18 | Robin is an attorney and owner of East Avenue Advisors, LLC, an advisory firm providing estate planning and asset management services. She resides in Summit, New Jersey.

Starr White Snead ’69 | Starr is the founder and principal of Advancement Connections, a firm dedicated to serving advancement professionals and volunteers, based in Charleston, South Carolina.

Craig Sullivan P’17 | As Co-President of the 2016-2017 Westover Parents’ Council with his wife Deborah, Craig serves as the council’s representative on the Board of Trustees for this school year. He is an attorney practicing law in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Maura Tansley ’00 | As the President of Westover’s Alumnae Association Board of Governors, Maura serves as an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees. She is a trial attorney in the Worcester County [Massachusetts] Superior Court’s Public Defenders Division.

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ALUMNAE NEWS

ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION WELCOMES 6 NEW GOVERNORS Six alumnae have been elected as new members of the Westover Alumnae Association’s Board of Governors for the 2016-2017 academic year.

For their full profiles, please visit www.westoverschool.org

Greta Atchinson ’02 | Greta is an estate planning and elder law attorney with the firm of Dennis Sullivan & Associates in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Susanne Charbonneau Carpenter ’93 Susanne is the Assistant Head of School at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts.

Constance Seely Brown Cliffe ’56, P’81 Connie is a retired registered nurse and a very active community volunteer from Old Lyme, Connecticut.

THANK YOU, RETIRING TRUSTEES AND ALUMNAE GOVERNORS We would like to acknowledge our appreciation for the strong leadership, dedicated service, and valued contributions of time and talents offered by the following members of the Westover Board of Trustees and the members of the Alumnae Association Board of Governors who retired in 2016, especially retiring Trustee President Francene Young ’71 and retiring Alumnae Association President Ann Clark Priftis ’96.

FORMER TRUSTEES Christine McIntosh Coffin ’75 Katherine Lindsay P’16 (serving as Parents’ Council Co-President)

Linda Williams Cox Heins ’61 | Linda is the owner of the design firm Portfolio2 and serves as an associate with her husband’s architectural firm, Robert Heins Architect.

She resides in Utica, New York.

Ann Clark Priftis ’96 (serving as Alumnae Association President) Cassandra White Sweeney ’76, P’12 Nicky Johnson Weaver ’63 Francene Young ’71

FORMER GOVERNORS Neil Patterson King ’88 | Neil works in human resources and training and resides in Ashburn, Virginia.

Abby Mason Browne ’61 Coila Worley Campbell ’78, P’10 Izukanne Emeagwali ’01 Karimah Gottschalck ’03 Robin Cruz McClearn ’83, P’18

Alyssa Siefert ’05 | Alyssa is an instructor and the Engineering Director at Yale University’s Center for Biomedical and Interventional Technology. She resides in New Haven, Connecticut.

Ann Clark Priftis ’96

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ALUMNAE EVENT PHOTOS

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1. Alumnae and other guests enjoyed a gathering at the Northeast Harbor, Maine home of Diana Strawbridge Wister ’57 on August 2nd. They included (from left): Nicholas Ludington, Anne Richardson Johnson ’54, Anne Corkran Nimick ’46, Joe McChristian, Ariane Yassukovich Wellin ’51, Gladys Merrick Cutler ’51, Head of School Julie Faulstich, Diana Strawbridge Wister ’57, Nancy Nicholas Hatfield ’56, Nancy Bristol Homer ’62, Cassandra Van Alen Ludington ’56, and Bill Wister.

2. Trustee Eldie Acheson ’65 hosted a September 22nd reception for Head of School Julie Faulstich in Washington, DC. Among those attending were (from left): Kelly Agnew Medvigy ’96, Director of Development Barbara Sabia, Eldie Acheson ’65, Head of School Julie Faulstich, Christina DeBartolomeo ’16, Chelsea Miller ’16, Marcia Neidley Lynch ’74, Kim Hoagland ’69, Judith LeSage Grassi ’74, Ann Mulgrew Goldsmith ’65, Gigi Stanford ’70, Alice Lloyd ’09, Amy Maisterra '85, Olivia Burns ’14, Dan Knies, Mandy Roberts ’81, Mary Katherine Kosciusko ’13, Martha Bacon Martin ’65, Hannah Acheson-Field ’11, Neil Patterson King ’88, Associate Director of Development Nancy Aordkian Pelaez ’86, Laura Nash Volovski ’83, and Katy Marsland Baytosh ’85.

3. Philanthropic Advisor Paul Sutherland (left) hosted a dinner November 14 in Chicago with a group of alumnae (from left): Jen Asteris ’91, Katherine Sredl ’92, Hailey Griffin ’07, Margot Lane ’07, Katie Aldrich ’00, Ellen Bird Reda ’02, and Taylor Southworth ’02.

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4. Three Westover alumnae — Xiania Foster ’95, Izukanne Emeagwali ’01 (from left, standing), and Caitlin Corrigan ’91 (missing from photo) took part in New York Cares Day on October 22nd, joining 4,000 other volunteers who worked in 69 New York City schools and applied 4,000 gallons of paint, planted 12,000 bulbs, and created 400 murals.

5. Trustee Carol Goldburg ’80 hosted an October 22nd tour of the Folger Museum in Washington, DC, followed by a brunch. Among those attending were (from left): front row — Cynthia Bellamy ’78, Carol Goldburg ’80; back row — Leslye Betz Rucker ’79, MJ Mitchell Hemmings ’77, Rosa Gatling Williams ’77, Robin Cruz McLearn ’83, Mandy Roberts ’81, Jennie LaMonte ’78, and Kelly Cruz McCullers ’86.

ALUMNAE NEWS

WESTOVER ALUMNAE FORM BOOK CLUB IN GREATER WASHINGTON, DC Alumnae in the greater Washington, DC area interested in literature and the opportunity to connect with other Westover graduates are welcome to join a recently formed Westover book club organized by Martha Bacon Martin ’65.

“We want it to be an opportunity for Westover women from a range of classes to come together for a relaxed, low-key, fun experience,” Martha explained. The group will meet one Tuesday each month, starting at 7 pm with “a simple supper, such as soup and a salad,” at Martha’s home in Alexandria, VA. In addition to discussing the monthly book selected, Martha said, the group will also give alumnae the opportunity to discuss and exchange other books of interest.

We want it to be an opportunity for Westover women from a range of classes to come together for a relaxed, low-key, fun experience.

The group had an organizational meeting in October, then gathered in November to discuss the 2002 novel The Last Girls by Lee Smith. The novel explores the experiences of a group of friends — alumnae from a women’s college — who reunite in June 1965 to take a trip down the Mississippi River on a homemade raft.

“We’re fortunate that so many alumnae live in the Washington area,” Martha said. So far, she has been in touch with more than a dozen alumnae who are interested in the book club. Others who might like to join the group may email Martha at mamamart@comcast.net or call her at 703.836.4915.

At least one other group of Westover alumnae have been meeting regularly as a book club in New York City for a number of years.

Alumnae who would like to form a Westover book club in their area are invited to email Carrie Loyd in the Alumnae Office at cloyd@ westoverschool.org or call her at 203.577.4539 for assistance in reaching out to alumnae in their area.

UPCOMING EVENTS The Alumnae/Development Office is organizing a series of events and gatherings in the coming months, including the following (for more details, visit Westover’s website at westoverschool.org)

JANUARY 29 A concert featuring several Westover music groups at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City after the Cathedral’s vesper service, followed by a reception at Bernheim and Schwartz with Head of School Julie Faulstich

FEBRUARY Gatherings at several locations on Florida’s east and west coasts, with dates and locations to be announced

MARCH 4-14 A tour of Asia with Head of School Julie Faulstich

SPRING 2017 Events in Boston and Portland, Maine, with dates and locations to be announced

LIVESTREAM EVENTS Westover regularly offers webcasts of various school events through Livestream, which can be viewed live or in recordings.

To view the any of these services, click on the Livestream Icon at the bottom of Westover’s homepage; you will be connected to Westover’s Livestream page, where you can select one of the events to view.

Recent Westover events offered via Livestream Convocation September 8, 2016 Celebration of Life, Ann Pollina October 1, 2016 Services of Lessons and Carols December 9, 10, and 11, 2016

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100-Year-Old Alumna Makes First Visit to Westover Since 1934 28

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It took a while — 82 years to be precise — for 100-year-old Selina “Sally” Strong Hobart to return to Westover after her 1934 graduation. But when Sally finally did come back to the School for a visit on September 14th, she thoroughly approved of what she saw.

“I had a marvelous time up there,” Sally said the next day, speaking from her home at an assisted living facility in Mystic, Connecticut. “To see the modernized Westover was refreshing.

It was just lovely. Everything looked so fresh and cheerful. To see students in their own clothes and not in uniforms was wonderful. I could relate so much more to the School now than I could then.”

Before coming to Westover in 1930, Sally had been a student at a progressive school. “It was very undisciplined and did not offer heavy courses. It had a different way of presenting an education,” she recalled. In contrast, “Westover was very struc-

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tured, very serious, and you really had to apply yourself. It took a while to get used to it. I had to learn how to study and that was something I hadn’t had in my life before.”

While her Westover experience as a whole “didn’t turn me on then,” Sally eventually adjusted to the School’s expectations.

“There were very many things I came to like about the School.

The History of Art was my favorite course. I also enjoyed English Lit a lot. And I loved the Glee Club.”

Her return to Westover revived other happy memories of her time at the School. “I certainly enjoyed seeing the art studio,” she said. “That’s where I started my interest in art that I have had my whole life.” She continues to paint to this day. Sally also credits the School with inspiring a lifelong love of learning.

Though Sally kept in touch with the Westover Alumnae Office over the years, she never felt an urge to revisit the School. “My friends that I made there I saw outside the School. I just didn’t have that great a feeling for the place. I got interested in doing other outside things.”

So, what prompted Sally’s visit more than eight decades later?

Sally and her daughter, Pamela Swan Connell, had arranged to spend a couple of days in western Connecticut with a friend, Nanny Swoyer, who is also friends with Muffie Clement Green ’65, Westover’s Archivist. As part of their get-together, Pamela and Nanny arranged to visit Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, which was originally the home of Theodate Pope Riddle, Westover’s architect. They also decided to arrange for Sally to visit Westover the following day. When they shared their plans with Sally, her reaction was, “I am going where and I am doing what?”

Left photo: Selina “Sally” Strong Hobart ’34 met two fellow Overs from the Class of 2020, Meaghan Bottino (left) and Ellie Dunn, when she visited Westover in September. Right photo: Sally joins the rest of the Class of 1934 for a class photo (from Westover’s Archives).

Despite her initial surprise, Sally said, “It was just lovely. Muffie did a wonderful job” leading her on a tour of the School, which included visits to Red Hall, the Quad, the Virginia House art studio, and Chapel. Throughout her visit, Sally shared memories of her days as a student with Muffie, Pamela, and Nanny.

Sally found the faculty and students she met during her visit to be “very welcoming. They made us feel that it was just a lovely place. And it was clear to me that Westover is now very much a part of the world.”

Asked if she planned on making a second trip to Westover, Sally replied, “Sure, I will come back again. I’m looking forward to my next visit.”

“I certainly enjoyed seeing the art studio. That’s where I started my interest in art that I have had my whole life.”

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Why I Left Westover, But Why Westover Never Left Me Fraffie Welch

This little story will only interest kids of the Dillingham era, so turn the page if you haven’t had your 40th or 50th Reunion yet. [Editor’s note: Or stay and read a very moving story.]

I arrived in Middlebury in the fall of 1952, waved my mother (Class of 1933) off, and settled into New Girl Corridor as one of eight freshmen, with Adele Ervin ’42 watching our every move and helping us to settle.

The Jane Eyre uniforms, starched collars (to change almost daily), and straight-back chairs in the dining room were all new to me, straight from a gaggle of noisy siblings.

Chapel twice a day? I had zero interest in religion, but the music grabbed me (all of it) and held on tight from Day One. Not to mention the opportunity to gaze on Charlie Ives, the Congregational minister who came once or twice a week to officiate.

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I did all the right things: fell down the Red Hall stairs rushing to dinner, avoided temptation to ring the bell rope, got “stung” by some well-meaning head of AA at least once, never ever “broke” a Please Excuse, forgot many times to sign the Walking List, daydreamed to the max in spring term study hall, never once missed cream cheese at Saturday lunch, never got above a B+, knew every alto part in the 1940 Hymnal, made every athletic team I tried out for, became a member of the Over Team until I rot, and there was a tie with chocolate soufflé and Liz Newton’s English class for fun.

In short, I was in love with Westover.

The tryst was three wonderful years long. The long road from New Girl to Hockey Corridor and the exciting climb up the stairs to Practice and a coveted window seat was filled with adventure: wins and losses for my beloved Overs, desperately trying to learn to knit for the Grenfell Mission under the critical gaze of Mrs. Childs, wallowing in Jock Schumacher’s Art Appreciation class, sticky buns and mail at the Post Office, the Glee concert with Yale freshmen (my date

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always had terrible acne), and not noticing the knell was about to sound for me.

Spring term of 1955 began when Mum dropped me off as usual and I went merrily on my way. Unknown to me, Mum shuffled off to Woodbury, stayed at Miss D.’s, I believe; the pair of them drank scotch and smoked while I was blissfully acting like a big shot Junior of the Class of 1956.

During first period study hall (a gift in itself ), I was beckoned to Miss D.’s sitting room. I sat in the corner of one of those horrid hard green sofas, trembling, and listened while Mum and Miss D. explained I would not be returning for senior year.

My grades stunk.

My heart was broken and I spent the summer dreading my senior year at my local high school. I took with me a million tunes, memories, and the Honor System, never dreaming I would return.

Following a very brief retail career and even briefer banking career, I ran away at 17 and joined the Navy. Wise Miss D. sent me a telegram after Uncle Sam discharged me honorably, inviting me to come to Westover and help raise alumnae money for the new Student Activities Building.

I hummed “Fight The Good Fight” all the way down the Mass Pike, was settled in a little room off Red Hall, near Miss Griswold’s office (it was summer), and was welcomed with open arms by the likes of Liz Newton, Polly Bartlett, Gladys Haring, Jock and Sylvia Schumacher, Patience Norman, Betty Kellogg, Julie McLintock, Emma Hibshman, Esther Millett, Adele Ervin, Miss Griswold, Miss D. (who never looked better to me), and my new boss, a really tough fundraiser, Julie Kirlin.

All but Miss D. instructed me to use first names with them, which was hard for about 10 minutes, but trips to the Curtis House in Woodbury for club sandwiches and martinis through the summer quickly put me at ease.

Miss D. beckoned again. Westover’s tennis coach had gone back to Scotland and could I please pop down for a couple of months to help out? Of course! Another VW and I sped along the Mass Pike, practicing songs and hymns and looking forward to seeing all my faculty friends.

Many changes on this tour of duty, which turned out to be three years long.

Miss D. died, Emma Hibshman took the reins, the search was on for a new Head. I was shocked into the reality that I was “faculty” and part of an “inner circle,” much of which was the same except that Esther Millett had left, leaving behind her a great library. I inherited her room (feeling like a real big shot) at the end of Hockey Corridor, near Mrs. August.

What I came to realize over this incredible back-and-forth period was that the faculty were there to “teach” not discipline.

The kids — School Heads, AA, and Execs — kept us in line with very little effort because of the Honor System, and I honestly believe that.

A very short (relatively) dark administration period followed, details not necessary, but throughout, the strength of the faculty and the students leading the show was an enormous lesson on how the foundation of Westover was indestructible, regardless of who was in the sitting room off Red Hall.

I left again.

All my faculty friends are gone, several Heads and many classmates have come and gone, and all of a sudden it has been 60 years since the end of my junior year, and that dreadful day when Mum and Miss D. passed along the bad news.

Not so bad after all, as it turned out.

I can’t shake the place and I never will!

My love affair for the old place, its values, traditions, good order, fabulous staff, the gentle coziness of the Quad, my Over Tree, and some interesting exposure to underpinnings, impossible to see as a student, brought me even closer for two years.

The funds were successfully raised and the Louise B. Dillingham Student Activities Building rose happily. A decent gym at last.

My VW and I went off for a couple of career tries: up to New Hampshire to be a radio copywriter, a year at the University of New Hampshire working on a catalog, and some backbreaking stuff picking peas and strawberries on a farm to keep my strength up and get a great set of muscles and a super tan.

Image © Marty Riskin

Fraffie Welch ’56 submitted this image to accompany her reflections on her years at Westover, as she feels it captures her personality as a writer.

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CLASS NOTES

Thank you to our Class Secretaries for submitting news to the magazine. Notes published in this magazine were received as of October 15.

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GUIDELINES FOR PHOTOGRAPH SUBMISSIONS: When submitting photographs please follow these simple guidelines: Please provide the full names of every alumnae in the photo (from left to right), the date taken (if possible), location, and occasion (i.e. graduation, wedding).

When other people are in the photograph, please let us know their relation to the alumna pictured (husband, son, grandmother, friend, classmate, and class year).

Photographs will be published as space and photo quality permit. Please send digital photographs as email attachments to npelaez@westoverschool.org.

It is preferable, for printing purposes, that photographs have a minimum dpi of 300.

We can reproduce hard copies of photographs submitted as traditional prints on photo quality paper.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing more photographs!

CLASS NOTES Passages

WEDDINGS

Alyssa Stewart ’05

Gina Riccio Bronn ’96

Johanna Cox ’94

to Alex Wruck June 2016

Benjamin Joseph Bronn May 23, 2016

Chelsea Jacques ’07

Yoon Sun Choi ’97

to Nathan Burcham July 2016

Olivia Zoe Reich August 24, 2016

Laura Littmann ’07

Katie Marages Schank ’97

to David Brenneman May 2016

Elliot Edward Schank May 21, 2016

Grace Buckles ’10

Katie Heffernan Buell ’98

to Michael Eaton July 30, 2016

Peyton Elizabeth Buell May 20, 2016

Angie Choi ’10

Lee Ann Zarrella Lovelace ’98

to Jonas Xu July 15, 2016

Nathaniel Benjamin Johnson September 19, 2016

to Stephen Quackenbush July 3, 2016

Stacie Cass ’95 to Cedric Sessoms October 9, 2016

Lilli Chang ’98 to Ben Rosenau May 28, 2016

Stephanie Girard ’98 to Jason Flowers October 7, 2016

Kelly O’Connor ’02 to Matthew Pollinski September 2015

Rachel Herrmann ’03 to Betsy Katz May 28, 2016

Amanda Newberg ’03 to Michael Thomas July 16, 2016

Sarah Depaolo ’05 to Sam Elzay August 1, 2015

Kimberly Kruge ’05 to Alexis López Alvarado April 2016

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WESTOVER SCHOOL MAGAZINE WINTER 2017

BIRTHS

Helena Riesenfeld D’Arcy ’91 Paulina D’Arcy October 2015

Peggy Morales ’92 Olivia James Crawford September 14, 2016

Madeline Cantwell Miller ’94 Dorothy Bliss Miller August 2, 2016

Melissa Erbs Landers ’95 Benjamin Luis Landers Erbs July 19, 2016

Megan Murray Dickerson ’00 Sawyer David Dickerson June 20, 2016

Sarah Cugini ’00 Emma Francesca Cohen March 20, 2016

Courtney Yadouga McDonnell ’01 Claire Margaret McDonnell November 12, 2016

Amanda Bessette Werner ’02 Lilly Lorraine Werner October 2015

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2

4

5

Mary Kelly Campbell ’02

Polly Hopkins Biddle ’38

Kate Campbell February 2016

June 28, 2016

Brent Wolcott Roehrs ’39

June 24, 2016

Collette Opsahl Fennessy ’03

August 19, 2014

JJ Fennessy adopted in 2016

Caroline Martin Larsen ’48

FRIENDS OF THE SCHOOL — DEATHS

February 21, 2015

Mildred Berendsen

Lisa Dean Moseley ’46 April 25, 2016

Trustee 2005-2011 May 25, 2016

Maryan Fox Chapin ’50

Florence Cross P’80

Mia Psorn ’03 Ellis June 7, 2016

Vanessa Li Lok Wai Hofacker ’07 Elliott Locke Hofacker June 17, 2016

July 6, 2016

Allis Eaton Bennett ’51 August 3, 2015

FACULTY AND STAFF — BIRTHS

Caleb Portfolio Photography Instructor and Julie Portfolio Jude Robin Portfolio October 7, 2016

Sara Sykes Director of Admission and Trevor Sykes Reece Riley Sykes May 20, 2016 DEATHS

Laura Rand Orthwein ’37 September 15, 2014

Daphne “Taffy” Hersey Wetmore ’52 June 15, 2016

Elizabeth “Bettina” Corning Dudley ’56 September 2016

Sara “Sally” Hastings Foehl ’56 September 30, 2016

Nancy Munro McKinley ’56 February 2, 2016

Bliss Corcoran Burg ’94 July 31, 2016

Camilla “Millie” Barrett Boyd ’95

Secretary to the Headmaster 1975-1999 July 5, 2016

Vincent “Jim” DeMeis Trainer & Coach, 2002-2016 October 12, 2016

Parker Handy P’70, ’72, ’73, ’75, ’81 Trustee 1973 July 24, 2016

This list reflects weddings, births, and deaths reported to the Alumnae Office as of November 1, 2016.

1. Westover ladies at the wedding of Amanda Newberg Thomas ’03: Liz Kveton '03, Danielle Stewart Knope '03, Lauren Brady East '03, Lindsay Bell '03, Sarah Bronko '03, Amanda Newberg Thomas '03, Sarah Welinsky '03, Emily Pomeroy Schneider '03, AnneNicole Hanus '03, Karimah Gottschalck '03, and Jessica Haggerty '03.

2. Alyssa Stewart Wruck ’05 on her wedding day, with her sister, Danielle Stewart Knope ’03.

3. Chelsea Jacques Burcham '07 and husband Nathan Burcham 4. Lucy, granddaughter of Jeannie Pearce '72, sporting her Westover tshirt!

5. Grace Louise Buckles Eaton '10 and husband Mike Eaton on their wedding day.

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33

Class Notes

1938 Jane Cheever Lyman writes, “Severe arthritis in my knees does not stop me from attending the theatre and the Boston Symphony Orchestra or from joining my family on our farm and on Cape Cod. I have 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren!”

1947 70th Reunion!

May 12th-13, 2017 From Anne Farquhar Griffin, “Had a wonderful trip to Spain and Portugal with my daughter in May and then had a not-so-wonderful stay in the hospital for pneumonia upon my return; par for the course for an 86-year-old…”

1948 From Louise Hoover Neuhoff, “I lost my son Geoffrey in 2012, my darling husband Roger in October 2015, and my best pal Felix the Cat in June 2016. Hope that’s it for a while. Best news is I am still getting around at 85; who knew we’d last that long?”

From Kathleen Craig Knight, “Trying to get along without Tom, who died in 2014. Love watching our 13 grandchildren grow and thrive. So grateful for life and friends at Westover.”

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1949

1956

SHEILA GRAINGER EDEE

FRAFFIE WELCH

mtnmom@mindspring.com

fraf@comcast.net

Gayle Nin Rosenkrantz writes, “My sweetheart of 65 years passed away on March 2, 2016, after a few months of severe weakness and no quality of life. I was grateful that he was liberated, but I do miss him dreadfully. I have to admit David and I had a wonderful life, especially after we retired, so I have a lot to be thankful for.

I went on a Road Scholar trip to Brazil in May with my daughter-in-law Janet Rosenkrantz.

We had planned the trip last fall and our daughter Valerie had agreed to come and keep David company while I was gone. After his death, we just kept going. I didn’t really begin to process the reality of my situation until I returned, and I am slowly adjusting, little by little. I am lucky to live where there is good transportation, wonderful music and arts venues, and lovely friends. Two of my formerly Arizona resident grandchildren are now living and working here in San Francisco, for which I am grateful.”

It is with great sadness that I have to report the loss of our dear classmate, Sally Hastings Foehl, who fought a battle with cancer with grace, humor, and courage.

No details were available when I had to write this sad report, but expressions of sympathy may be sent to her husband, Allen, at PO Box 7085, Cape Porpoise, ME 04014.

1953 Patience Merritt Campbell spent two weeks in June on a Tauck riverboat cruise traveling the Seine. She says it was wonderful! Patience says, “My three children, their spouses, and my six grandchildren bring joy to my life.”

Last summer, 24 hours of Westover shenanigans exploded when a half dozen of our classmates decided to make a Marblehead pilgrimage to tell me all about our 60th Reunion in person. None of these beauties seems changed much since the exit from school and conversation, stories, and giggles were non-stop. New Westover Governor Connie Seely-Brown Cliffe, Fraf Welch, Donnan Sharp, Cassandra Van Alen Ludington, Marcy Tench Crimmins (our hard-working class agent) and Caroline Elliott Williams were joined by Westover Governor Dorie Milner Pease ’57, who snapped the photo and was dubbed an honorary class member. I am happy to report pretty good behavior on behalf of all, and they have been asked back.

1957 laviniameeks@gmail.com POLLY HOFFMAN

pthoff@yahoo.com

Another year and lots of news. Many thanks to all of you who responded.

First of all, the class sends deepest sympathy to Betsy Glassmeyer Treynor on the loss of her husband Jack in May.

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“As background, George started the O’Neill Center 52 years ago and ran it for 37 years before retiring. Fortunately, we have wonderful people running it now and it is in very good shape.

Many wonderful playwrights have been nurtured here and now we also have many student programs and relationships with Russia. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, passed through the O’Neill with his first Broadway hit In The Heights.”

Congratulations to the Whites!

Alane Gerdau and Bernardo’s apartment is going co-op, but they hope to find another rental in their building. Bernardo is busy with his design business. Alane still has some items from her lovely store to sell. She has recently been dealing with cataracts. She visited

LAVINIA MEEKS

60th Reunion!

May 12-13, 2017

7

Exciting news from Betsy Darling White: “George and I have just returned from Washington and the White House, where President Obama presented The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center with the Medal of Honor for the Arts. The ceremony was September 22nd in the East Room of the White House. Our present director, Preston Whiteway, was the person to receive the award, as only one person goes up to get it, but George and I were sitting right behind him during the presentation and were photographed with Obama as well as our Chairman of the Board, Tom Viertel. It was all very exciting and we only found out about it a week before we went.

6. Members of the Class of 1956 Connie Seely-Brown Cliffe, Fraffie Welch, Donnan Sharp, Cassandra Van Alen Ludington, Marcy Tench Crimmins, and Caroline Elliott Williams together in Marblehead, MA after their 60th Reunion.

7. Gayle Nin Rosenkrantz '49 at Iguassu Falls on the southern border of Brazil across from Argentina in May 2016 8. Nancy Corbin Nelson '57 and husband Richard; members of the Civil Air Patrol

Class Notes

sister Joan in Maine, but could not get out West for sister Nancy’s 75th birthday. She heard it was a jolly occasion and that Nancy is coping well with Parkinson’s disease. Alane sends greetings to everyone.

Nancy Corbin Nelson and husband Richard are happy and busy in California. Both are very active in the Civil Air Patrol.

Their squadron meets at Camp Pendleton where Nancy is the finance officer and Richard is head Chaplain for the western states. They teach character development to cadets aged 12-14 and love it. In addition, they are busy with the Community Emergency Response Team. Their nine grandchildren are scattered about, with one in heaven.

Mary-Rose Hickey Cooney hopes to return for our 60th, but said it depends on who is President. She lives in Ireland and does a lot of traveling. Her recent trips have been to Bhutan, Tibet, and Nepal, and next year plans to return to Nepal and visit India and Burma. Her house and farm, now too big for her, are on the market. Her son Aiden and family live in the UK, and daughter Alexandra and family are in Dublin. She has three grandchildren.

Gretchen Hill Kingsley agonizes (as I’m sure most of us agree) over the appalling political times and plans a trip to NH to work for Maggie Hassan.

Lucy Noyes is busy splitting life between San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in winter, and Nyack, NY, in summer. She has been a caregiver for her husband, Dick, who has severe memory problems, and for a good friend living with them who died in March. They also have a caregiver from the Republic of Georgia living with them who is a personal trainer and is attending the Fashion Institute of New York, so Lucy has her own trainer and fashion consultant. In her spare time, she reads Mexican literature, writes for a local magazine, and works in her ever-expanding garden. She looks forward to reading classmates’ news.

Congratulations to Dorie Milner Pease on her election as Vice President of the Alumnae Association. She had spinal surgery last May and is recovering well.

She was planning an October 2016 visit to Marblehead, MA to visit her brother and was going to see Fraffie Welch ’56 and some of her classmates.

In 2018, she will be moving to Essex Meadows, a life-care community where her mother, Dorothy Soule Milner ’34, was so very happy. In the meantime, she remains active in her church and AAUW, New Canaan, as President. You will soon hear from Dorie as she writes asking for Westover Annual Fund support. She thanks all of her very generous classmates.

Mary Denny Scott Wray is happy living alone at home and loving family and friends. She hopes to attend Reunion if lots of classmates also go. She has visited all seven continents but is not traveling much anymore. One of her sons and daughter-in-law live in Richmond, another lives in NYC, and the third in Mystic/ Fishers Island.

Barbara Edwards Hicks and husband Paul have sold their charming house in Rye, which some of us have seen, and have moved to a condo closer to the water, also in Rye. She hopes to see a lot of us at our 60th.

Baba Sommerhoff Patty writes that she and Bill are “chugging along, hopefully aging gracefully.” Bill celebrated his 80th birthday in April 2016. They love still being in their manageable house and lovely property but are considering a smaller place.

THEATER CO-FOUNDED

BY BETSY DARLING WHITE ’57 HONORED The Eugene O’Neil Theater Center was presented with the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in September, and Betsy Darling White ’57 and her husband, George, were on hand to share in the honors at the award ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

The Whites founded the Eugene O’Neil Theater Center in 1964 in Waterford, CT. George White ran the theater for 37 years before he retired. The President presented the medal to Preston Whiteway, the center’s current executive director.

“George and I were sitting right behind [Whiteway] during the presentation,” Betsy shared in her entry to the Class Notes, “and were photographed with Obama as well as our Chairman of the Board, Tom Viertel. It was all very exciting. We only found out about it a week before we went.”

Betsy added, “We have wonderful people running it now and it is in very good shape. Many wonderful playwrights have been nurtured here and now we also have many student programs. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, passed through the O’Neill with his first Broadway hit, In The Heights.”

Called the “Launchpad of the American Theater,” the O’Neill is celebrated for fostering new work and new artists for the American theater. Major theater productions that first developed there include Avenue Q, House of Blue Leaves, Fences, Nine, and The Piano Lesson, as well as such award-winning writers and actors as August Wilson, Wendy Wasserstein, John Patrick Shanley, Michael Douglas, Meryl Streep, John Krasinski, Jennifer Garner, Rachel Dratch, and Elizabeth Olsen.

Sandy Lazo Washington moved back to Denver after Ed’s death from Alzheimer’s. She is happy and active in her new residential community and has started an Alzheimer’s support group for families to “pay it forward.” She and her four children, who live nearby, were planning a trip to Cuba in November 2016.

The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given by the U.S. government to artists and arts patrons who “are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.”

Lavinia Meeks does not miss NYC and loves living in the Berkshires, where she is busy in the

A former Alumnae Association Governor, Betsy and her husband reside in New York City.

WESTOVER SCHOOL MAGAZINE WINTER 2017

35

Class Notes

community. She volunteers as a docent at Ventfort Hall, sorts books for the annual library sale, coordinates coffee hour and sets up for Altar Guild at Trinity Church, and helps in the Lenox Historical Commission. She uses a cane for safety, but gets around quite well.

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10

Polly Merrill Hoffman was in Florida with sister, Jodie Merrill Eastman ‘58, and had a delightful lunch in Palm Beach with Laura Ridder Evans and Diana Strawbridge Wister; while they were eating, in walked Adrienne Leichtle Maxwell. Such fun to get together and they all looked great! More recently, Polly had dinner with Di Peabody Bell at the home of mutual friends in Kennebunk Beach, ME. Di and Tom had just returned from cleaning out and readying for winter their new condo at Bear’s Paw in Naples, FL. She said golf has taken a back seat to bridge. Polly’s three sons and families now have second homes in Kennebunkport, so lots of family around in summer and during vacations.

1958 PENNY TRASK

Ptrask3@gmail.com MARCIE MCCORMICK PORTER

mmporter@fairpoint.net

And so another year for the Class of ’58! Thanks to those of you who have replied.

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9. Selden Dunbar Illick ’58, Jodie Merrill Eastman ’58, and Brita Patten Gwinn '58 at sea 10. Emily Taylor Ambler '58 with her daughter and granddaughter

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11. Lana Richards '58 with her twin great nephew and niece 12. Rufus and Mary Brereton Frost '58 (at left) with Fritz and Penny Jackson Trask '58

WESTOVER SCHOOL MAGAZINE WINTER 2017

Grace Fletcher Brown has given up rowing herself, but fixes the shells for a local rowing club. She has also taken a break from tutoring in her public schools. Grace now has eight grands; the last two were born July 16, 2016!

Priscilla Machold Loeb plays tennis every day when not dealing with repair techs, groceries, etc. Weddings and funerals keep her busy as she goes NY-LA, LA-NY, and sees her children rearranging this new world.

Mary Brereton Frost says, “The older I grow, the luckier I recognize myself to be.” Husband Rufus had successful mitral valve repair. All grands are either in college or graduated. Penny Trask and Fritz visited late May as Brer gets too busy in summer months tending her gardens and has many visitors in town.

Jodie Merrill Eastman says the highlight of her year is being with Westover friends. See the photo of her with classmates Selden Dunbar Illick and Brita Patten Gwinn.

Betsy Patterson Lancaster has a feeling of being ancient now that five of seven grands drive! She spends summers on a great old boat on the St Lawrence River or at a family place in the Adirondacks. Bill continues as town councilman, while she volunteers at the hospital and loves to quilt.

Penny Jones Hartman has resurfaced! After 10 years working in the greenhouse at the National Cathedral in DC, she took to the road in a van to visit friends and talk in churches about the Church World Service Program for clean water in Africa. The last four years were spent in Santa Rosa, CA, as resident friend at Redwood Forest Friends Meeting, but joints and lack of water led to a move to Eugene, OR, where her condo reminds her of Westover, a “square, cream-colored donut with lots of windows!” She’s halfway between son John in WA and daughter Anne in CA. Peyton Chapman Horne says her move to Stonington, CT, was a wonderfully lucky transition into widowhood. She lives vicariously through her grands and is determined to shoot under 100!

Fall makes her think of “going off to Westover for four years, not knowing what lay ahead.”

Sally Carroll Herring writes she’s still vertical and lives in CA with her son Pen and his wife Wendy. She still does Deacon work and is fighting a bishop who locked the doors of her church.

Brita Patten Gwinn says her “dear Richard moved on to the

Class Notes

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next place.” She is in Florida and would welcome visitors.

Emily Taylor Ambler has kids in Seattle, Scottsdale, Carlsbad, Jackson, and Malaga, Spain, with seven grands aged seven to 27.

She volunteers in a small theater company and with conservation groups. She and husband Jim live in Jackson, WY, where they love to hike, bike, and kayak.

Fritz and I are either in Denver or Tucson where the doors are always open. We had a big family celebration for my 75th on Bald Head Island, NC, and a wonderful trip east in May for Fritz’s 60th Groton reunion, a fun lunch with John and Martha Allen Ross ’57, and a super visit with the Frosts over Memorial Day Weekend, where we even got to see the parade.

Sally Love Saunders writes that she lives in beautiful San

Francisco and is doing stand-up comedy, readings of her own poetry, organizing poetry festivals, and running poetry writing workshops. Google Sally, as I did, and you will find all sorts of interesting things about what she has been up to. Sally would love to see any of us who live in or visit San Francisco.

Helen Potts Palmer wrote during the summer heat wave just before escaping to Bermuda with her oldest daughter. And this year she went on a vacation by herself — a first, after being married for 50 years. She did the New England coast, visiting friends in Rhode Island and Maine at both ends of the trip.

Helen is still busy with volunteer work and her church garden, which she has been tending now for over 40 years: “All well with me here. I do get to see Betsy

Patterson Lancaster occasionally. We love our mini-reunions.”

Lana Richards claimed not to have news, she looks great, as do her two dogs, which is good news in itself. One included photo was taken with her twin great-niece (her namesake) and nephew. Lana is planning to come to our 60th, which we hope will be true for all of you.

Alex Grinnell Pozzo writes that they are having the “best weather ever this season at our summer house in Westport, MA — lots of tennis, golf, and ocean.” Westport was obviously the place to be during the hot summer of ’16! It is so good to hear from Alex after a long time.

Lucy Lisle Murray-Brown is “very much alive and well! It has been a year richly graced with seeing old friends from Westover. I recently saw Debby

French Glynn and her family at a family reunion in Annisquam, MA, which was so, so much fun!

Although for a sad reason, I had the chance to see Brita, Selden, Deborah, Joan Lee Kremer, Sue Brown Denious ’55, and Susan McInnes at Brita’s beautiful memorial service for her husband, Richard. That was all a huge gift.

“Generally speaking, life has been very kind to me this past year. I have seen all six children and 13 grands numerous times and for me that tops all. I seem always to be involved with working for some aspect of my community, which always adds great interest to my life. At present, I am working for the Board of Bar Overseers, the Police Review and Advisory Board, and The Guidance Center. I also love my neighborhood book group and bridge group, as well as the

WESTOVER SCHOOL MAGAZINE WINTER 2017

37

Class Notes

monastery where I attend services and the occasional supper with the monks. I send everyone my dearest love and a standing welcome to come visit if you ever feel like a trip to Cambridge.”

As for me, it’s been a good year, with some travel (Costa Rica, New Zealand) and happy times with family. I broke my wrist last February, just long enough before the Costa Rica trip to get the cast off. (I broke it curling, so at least it wasn’t something as mundane as falling down the stairs, though the result was the same). Steve and I managed to take care of our two granddaughters, ages eight and five, for two weeks on our own this summer; all great, but we collapsed like felled trees into bed every night. And we just welcomed our first grandson in early August, so more busy and fun times lie ahead.

And speaking of happy times, I hope that you all will make a mental note (perhaps best to write it down somewhere …) that our 60th Reunion is coming up in 2018. You can do it—just keep moving—and we will look forward to catching up in person.

So much better than these brief glimpses into our much more interesting lives.

1959 LAURIE BLAKE SAWYER

lsawyer@hawaii.rr.com

In the summer of ’16, Betsy Shirley Michel invited Kitty Murphey Pell and Phebe Thorne for lunch at her E 79th St apartment in NYC. They sat for hours chatting about politics (of course), grandchildren, Westover, and the sad loss of Ann Pollina, who was such an extraordinary teacher, leader, and person. With her family close by, Betsy is loving NYC as there is so much to see, to do, to enjoy. She has lots more visitors (Betsy Hartmann Rand has a plaque on the guest room door), and Penny Levy Peet is

38

just downtown. Betsy’s “like a kid in a candy store”! She went on a fabulous tour of Iceland with The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She says, “Life is good!”

Phebe and Neil went to Iceland a week later and they also raved about the scenery, the people, and their way of life. Summer and winter were filled with children and grandchildren in Sun Valley and July in Keene Valley, where Phebe’s house, The Uplands, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Daughter Helena and husband Newell have been running it for two years and one day hope to buy it. Phebe and Neil ski every day all winter. In the summer, they walk, hike, bike, and Phebe rides the Peruvian Passo horses she loves so much.

Two years ago Kitty Murphey Pell moved to the North End of Boston into an old loft, which friends call funky and she agrees! The most interesting places they traveled to in 2016 were Iran in April and the Orkney Islands in the north of Scotland in August with their Minneapolis family. Every fall, they go to their home in Italy to pick olives. Their grandchildren are growing up too fast. Kitty and Tony are already remembering their younger years with great nostalgia: “how fast life moves!”

After 11 years of retirement living in Paris, Betsy Hartmann Rand is happy to report that she and her husband are moving back to Tuscaloosa, AL. They have a southern house with sleeping porches and ceiling fans; an academic community where they enjoyed fruitful careers (psychiatry and English literature); a Zen meditation group; and two sons and their families flourishing in nearby Birmingham and Atlanta. They enjoy visiting their daughter and family in NYC, as well as old buddies Penny Levy Peet and Betsy Shirley Michel, to name a few. Betsy plans to continue her photography, focusing on the 166 churches in her zip code!

She is in excellent health and celebrating 50 years of marriage; her cup runneth over!

WESTOVER SCHOOL MAGAZINE WINTER 2017

Lily Russell Heiliger and Klaus had a doubleheader in June ’16: Harvard Business School’s 50th reunion and Lily’s 75th birthday party at the family farm in Jaffrey, NH. Phoebe Pier Fairburn joined the party!

Lily celebrated 20 years of Live Music Now Berlin with a concert played by the 12 cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra who donated their time. 2016 is a landmark year for Lily, as she has lived twice as long in Europe as she has in the USA. She says, “All of you are welcome to visit us in Germany.”

which brings me back to Westover days. Loving it!!!”

In the summer, Nina Truslow McKee lives in ME, near Phoebe Pier Fairburn, and SC in the winter. She misses her husband Charlie who died almost two years ago. Daughter Nina is in VA with Lily, age nine, along with 11 horses and four poodles; Nina has her own CPA firm. Charlie and Joe live in Toronto with two poodles. Charlie is a marketing executive for Micronesia Airlines, and Joe is in real estate. Their children are Nina, 23, who is biking across the country, and Aidan, 20, who is in Brazil, India, and Africa for a semester abroad from William and Mary, where he is a junior. Daughter Heidi, Jim, and Sean, age eight, live in Oxford, OH, with three horses, a blue heeler, and a cat. They are professors at Miami University of Ohio. Nina plays tennis, golf, swims, and bikes to stay healthy!

Piper Perry Morris retired in 2010, but returned to work as Director of Development at the Boys and Girls Club of Newton, MA, in 2013. She finds working for a good cause balm for the soul—plus she’s a good fundraiser! In ’15 she moved from Cambridge to a pretty house with a nice yard in Arlington.

Her kids and their kids are doing well. Edward and Susannah teach at Syracuse University and run a non-profit, The Canary Project, with university support.

They have an incredibly bright five-year-old son Theo. Daughter Sarah and Jeff still live in Cambridge with their girls, Lilly, age ten, and Cece, age seven.

The girls and Theo are the lights

MC Seymour Garfield and Michael spend time prepping their summer home on the Cape for the summer months and enjoy good fun with the whole family gathered together, and then go through the process of closing everything up in late September. MC is getting used to the drama of eight 16-24-yearolds! Both agree trying to stay in shape is a full-time job!

Although Michael is recuperating from shoulder surgery and both are always battling skin cancers, life is good!

Mimi Sammis is feeling incredibly grateful for her family and is happily doing her art. “I’m singing in the local church choir,

Libby Folk Tracey moved to Nantucket permanently to fulfill a bucket list item, and is so happy. She is working full-time at the island hospital in collaboration with MGH in Boston, a fascinating chapter! She finally finished her chaplaincy degree, which has been worthwhile here on the island. Children are all well, busy paying mortgages and having two grandchildren in college! She misses everyone and sends blessings to all.

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13. Lily Russell Heiliger '59 with her husband Klaus and their family 14. Abby Mason Browne '61, Katrina Rauch Wagner '61, Linda Williams Heins '61 and Laurie Lisle '61 at the October 1st Celebration of Ann Pollina’s life

Class Notes

of Piper’s life. Sarah runs her own company doing concept and written content for museum and business exhibits. Jeff teaches industrial design at Wentworth Institute in Boston. In July ’16, Piper traveled to Berlin and Prague to visit Sarah and family.

Jeff taught a summer course in Berlin, and then they all traveled to Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin.

This past year Christie Renchard Huffman has been recovering from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon and going to lots of physical therapy. She spent two months in Eagles Mere, PA, with various grandchildren and their parents, coming and going from late June until mid-August. Keith is almost fully retired, but remains on one committee for Skanska. Thanksgiving was at her house with daughter Heather, Chris, grands Jane and Liam, and Elizabeth’s oldest son, William, who is in his last year at GWU. Christmas was spent in England with Elizabeth, Dave and their four boys. Christie’s zoo consists of two cats, three dogs, two white Doves, and five Chinese Button Quails, which she hatched in incubators from eggs that she bought on eBay from a breeder in New Jersey.

Sue Sterling Monjauze spent three weeks in CA in August, mostly with her sister Judy visiting family. She landed in LAX and from Pasadena drove north to Inverness to visit her sister-in-law, who recently moved there. She had lunch with brother Bill in Healdsburg, drove back to Pasadena, and then spent a week at a house on the beach in Santa Barbara which she had rented with others. One day, she had lunch with Sally Wade Smith, her husband Jay, and a couple of Stanford friends. She says, “Sally doesn’t age, is great, and I simply wished the visit had been longer.” She went to London in mid-October 2015 to visit her son and family (two grands) and their new house in Cobham. In NYC, her daughter is busy with her three children and a part-time job.

Sally Wade Smith still loves Santa Barbara and desperately hopes for some rain. She continues to play golf, walk, do yoga, and enjoy life. She is planning trips to cruise the Rhine and see the castles, and to visit India. She sees her children and grandchildren in the Bay Area. Her daughter just turned 50 and her oldest granddaughter just got her driver’s license. She asks, “Where has the time gone and how did I get to be this old?”

When Nancy Jaques Lippincott and Dave celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2014, daughter Mimi married her second husband in front of 125 people… lots of tears of joy and much happiness! They live near Nancy in Colorado Springs. Nancy has eight grands, ages 16-25. Dave runs the local trolley foundation.

Nancy is still an RN, but only doing some case management for her church. In ’16, they were in Costa Rica, visited their kids, and came to Hawaii in September, and spent a night in Kailua with John and me. We had a great visit with lots of laughter and chatter about our Westover days.

John and I are fine, busy with grandchildren’s many activities, golf, tennis, beach walking, and trying to keep up with house and yard repairs! John and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on June 4th before the whole family arrived for our annual summer get together. Lots of surfing, swimming, hiking, and crazy yard games. There wasn’t time for the grands to put on their usual summer play, and there wasn’t much time spent in my art studio, but maybe next year!

Thank you all for sharing your news; it is always wonderful to be in touch!

1961 SKIPPER SKELLY

Skipper4488@hotmail.com

I got a nice response from you all this time, but I always hope to

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hear from everyone! We all think that we have nothing to report, but everyone seems to be very busy and enjoying the perks that come with our “maturity.”

Mimi Jackson Price was once again the first responder. She’s alive and well and living on Seabrook Island. She is active as always and recently ran into Lynne Vietor Parsons who has a house near Mimi’s. Lynne looks great and loves her golf.

Sibyl Fulenwider Cohane is another avid golfer, which she rounds out with book groups, travel, babysitting, volunteering for Hillary in NH, and taking a course on Thomas Jefferson at a nearby college. She also had a blast at her older son’s wedding this summer.

Ellen Thayer Vahan definitely wins the Traveler Prize. Since California is still in drought mode, she’s been inspired to visit major waterfalls and work on her “life list” of birds; 2014 found her on the Brazil/Argentina border at Iguassu Falls, and this October she was off to Zambia/ Zimbabwe to visit Victoria Falls.

Bon Voyage, Ellen, and someday I hope you’ll share a list of all the countries you have visited!

Families and grandkids feature high on most every list. Susan Russell Watson spent the summer on the family farm in New Hampshire with her children, siblings, and their families. Her sister Lily lives in Germany with her family and Susan and her daughter Claire got to visit in October. Susan still runs the community garden and clerks her Quaker meeting. Cockie Lincoln Fisher, her three children, and her seven grandchildren had their reunion in Vermont at the end of July.

Meredith Medina Murray and husband Bob celebrated their 50th anniversary this summer at Skytop in Pennsylvania with all of their children and grandchildren participating in multitudes of outdoor activities. Barb Durham Tafaro and husband Hank split their time between Casey Key, FL, and Lake Toxaway, NC, with happy side trips to visit their sons and grands in New Jersey and Kauai.

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Along with having grandchildren now in or applying to college, most of us have also had our share of aches and pains. Alice Clement Needham had a hip replacement last November, but that didn’t keep her from visiting her daughter in London in March and continuing on with them to Barcelona and Majorca, where Alice braved a Segway tour!

She’s also happily back on the tennis court.

Katie Cavanagh Maslow got yet another new hip (I think she must have gotten one of the first ones available back in the ’70’s), and Linda Williams Heins has just had a knee replacement.

Last winter I had to have my left foot practically rebuilt and spent six weeks non-weight-bearing.

What a schlepp! We all seem to bounce back nicely though.

Laurie Lisle sent news of the moving celebration of Ann Pollina’s life on October 1, which she attended with Abby Mason Browne, Linda Williams Heins, and Katrina Rauch Wagner.

Laurie is working on a memoir about becoming and being a writer, which has brought back memories of Miss Kellogg’s Creative Writing class.

Just before deadline, I got a Facetime phone call from a very happy group of ’61ers on Cape Cod for a mini-reunion. Abby Mason Browne, Sherry Melum Whitney, Merry Medina Murray, Jannie Whitcraft Mills, Katrina Rauch Wagner, and Kerry Noble were obviously enjoying each other’s company!

Before I head off to be a granny in Colorado for my newest

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granddaughter (due any day now), I want to share my favorite new thought: “I know I’m around here somewhere. I just saw myself a minute ago.” Ah, maturity!

1962 CYNTHIA AYRES

Cyn518@gmail.com SUZANNE DYER WISE

Suzanne.dyer@verizon.net

55th Reunion!

May 12-13, 2017 Okay, here we go. Dyer and I fell down on the job as class secretaries, but we have now managed to corral a few from ’62 including… wait for it…

Nancy Newhard Martin. She and husband Sandy live in McLean, VA, and have been in the DC area since 1966. They have four children (no mention of genders) and 11 grandchildren. The children live in VA, MA, and CA, and every summer the entire family gets together at the Martin Ranch in MT. Nancy comments, “I can honestly say that I remember each and every one of my classmates as clearly as if it was yesterday, so many dear friends with the best of memories.” We remember you too, Nance, with your gorgeous red hair and beautiful smile!

Margaret Hicks (known to all of us as Mopsy!) is still dividing her time between NYC and her apartment in Paris. She notes tourism in Paris tragically suffered due to the terrorist attacks.

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However, with fewer tourists, Mopsy is able to visit the Louvre after years and years of it being an “impossibility.” She streamed Ann Pollina’s memorial service and praised our classmate Barrie Hogan Landry for her wonderful tribute to our beloved Head of School.

Judy Lawrence Carmany spent the summer on LI and is now back in Boston. She was to host Penn Willets Fullerton and Pam Shepardson Coleman later in fall 2016. Penn also adds that she enjoyed meeting Head of School Julie Faulstich in San Francisco in early 2016!

Judy Carr Hutton still lives in Argentina, where she says it is “a bit chaotic.” She missed meeting up with Lecia Harbison “…who was bravely traveling the length and breadth of Argentina.

Maddening and sad not to see her.” When Judy was visiting in Chicago last May, she met up with Cynthia Titus Powers and Heath McDonell Missner for a “very, very special lunch!” in the Botanical Gardens.

Catharine “Trino” Hollister Ecton included a picture of herself, her husband Steven, and two of their seven grandchildren in Paris. She still lives in DC and occasionally lunches with Bea Frelinghuysen van Roijen. Trino has begun a wonderful new career as a Life Coach. I can think of no one I’d rather have coach me on life skills!

Carole Hayes Williams and her husband Richard, who suffers from Familial Cerebular Ataxia, have moved to a senior living

facility in Santa Rosa, which Carole refers to as “a cruise ship on land.” Her husband feels more secure there, which gives Carole more freedom. Carole, Suzanne Dyer Wise, and Penn Willets Fullerton have gotten together a few times over the years.

Cynthia Titus Powers is leading a full, busy life in Vermont promoting in-school health and dental services, plus the pre-school mandate and expanding a program for at-risk four-year-olds in eight Vermont towns. She and her husband are avid gardeners; he grows corn and potatoes, while Titus grows flowers. She also sings with the Randolph Singers and in the church choir.

Of her nine grandchildren, four are in college, which makes her feel “very old.” Not you, Titus!

Gretsie Kroll Ames reports no changes. Her husband, Bishop Roger Ames, has stepped down as Diocesan for the Great Lakes to concentrate on missionary work both here and abroad.

In fall 2016, in the mountains of West Virginia, Gretsie and her husband were doing two outreaches on Celtic Christianity with the arts and worship in healing all creation in the Gospel. She sends her fond regards to all of us.

Louise Hill Davis became a grandmother again with the birth of her youngest son’s daughter, Maeve, on July 1. So now both her sons have two daughters each. She is still working hard at her decorating business, plays lots of golf, and is President of the Dolittle Lake Club and on the board of the library. Phew!

Class Notes

Irene Sedgwick Briedis and her husband recently bought a place in Bozeman, MT, where the whole family can get together for hiking, skiing, and fishing with their three children and three, soon to be four, grandchildren.

Suzanne Dyer Wise has turned into quite the jock, first running marathons and now she is a “sprint” triathlete, swimming, biking, and running. You go, girl!

When she is not making her three yearly trips to Telluride, CO, where she has a time-share, or off to Costa Rica, Dyer is enjoying married life on Cape Cod with her husband John. Her volunteer work on the Cape is primarily in the conservation/ preservation area but her main activity is board work for Educating Every Child. “After five years, we have had 33 girls graduate from high school in Ghana.” Dyer also attended a Boston gathering hosted

by Barrie Hogan Landry to introduce Head of School Julie Faulstich to the local alums, including Judy Carmany and Irene Briedis.

is graduating this spring from the U. of AL, Roll, Tide! Her next oldest granddaughter, Lucy, got married this summer to a Navy man and will be living in VA. Twin granddaughters Lily and Sarah are seniors in HS, and her grandson Michael, the baby, is a sophomore in high school, six feet tall and a wicked good lacrosse player. If you’re ever in the Adirondacks, she’d love for you to visit!

So ladies, the Reunion is coming up in May. Who will be there?

We will keep bugging you to show up.

15. Katrina Rauch Wagner '61, Jannie Whitcraft Mills '61, Merry Medina Murray '61, Sheila Melum Whitney '61, Kerry Noble '61 and Abby Mason Browne '61 spending time together on the Cape in October 2016 16. Cocky Lincoln Fisher '61’s seven grandchildren 17. Catharine Hollister Ecton '62 in Paris with her husband Stephen and two of her grandsons

Cynthia Thorne Ayres and her husband Burge are happily retired in Keene Valley, NY where she is active in the local SPCA, volunteers weekly as “Grandma Cindy” at Little Peaks, a pre-school for three- and four-year-olds, and keeps busy making quilts and collages. Her oldest granddaughter, Jesse, 17

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18. Cynthia Titus Powers '62 and Heath McDonell Missner '62 during their visit to the Botanical Gardens with Judy Carr Hutton '62 (not pictured) 19. Suzanne Dyer Wise ’62, Barrie Hogan Landry '62, Judy Lawrence Carmany '62 and Irene Sedgwick Briedis '62 at a Westover event in Boston.

20. Muffie Clement Green '65, Steve Spongberg, Happy Clement Spongberg '64, Constance “Petie” Clement Leslie '50, Alison Leslie, and Mary “Bushie” Clement Estabrook '48

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Class Notes

1971 LISA STOCKWELL

lisabstockwell@gmail.com

I loved seeing old friends at Reunion this past May and exchanging emails with others who weren’t able to make it. The connections are special — something few others I know enjoy with friends from those formative years. The next one celebrates 50 years since we emerged into adulthood (in a manner of speaking) and I hope even more of us can make that one! And perhaps we can set up another interim one somewhere fun to celebrate our 65th birthdays!

It was a busy past month for me as I planned for both my son’s wedding on September 24, 2016, and my departure for six months in Mexico on September 28th.

21. Lyn Bremer Chivvis '63 with grandson Kiran 22. Enid Fraser Robinson '63 gardening with grandson Lochlan 23. Beth Markham Nicholson '63 and Phil with Sukie, newly adopted from Denver shelter March 2016 24. Nellie, daughter of Robin Reath Graves '63, with her late husband Nathan and their daughters 25. Martha Ferguson Buller '63 and husband Bill 26. Christie Krementz Graham '63 at son Eric’s wedding in June 2016 27. Julie Slocum Dahlgren '63 with daughter Tess building a school using recycled bottles in Guatemala, June 2016 28. Nicky Johnson Weaver '63 with her family in Cotswolds, Great Britain 29. Polly Hayward Griffith '63 with husband Jon and son Roger at her daughter Nina’s wedding 30. Avery and Owen, grandchildren of Lisa Barstow '63

With the last child launched (Natalie) — working at an interior design firm in SF and trying to decide what she really wants to do when she grows up — I’m now happily situated in San Miguel de Allende through March and am going through a similar exercise in life planning. I have set up my office with my desk facing a beautiful view of terra-cotta-colored homes and a wall of bougainvillea. I hope some of you will consider coming down for a visit! I expect to return home to another child’s wedding, Miranda’s, who is now a NICU nurse at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento (I’m a proud mama).

And since the kids want to start families ASAP, if I’m lucky, there will be grandchildren in the nottoo-distant future. I can’t wait!

While many of us have caught up by email, here is more specific news from several of our classmates. You will note that some comments are in response to others in our email thread.

If you’re on Facebook, feel free to connect there as well, look for the group, Westover Class of 1971.

Julie Bassett Aronson: “I am crazy busy so couldn’t break away in May as my business as president of our Garden Club of Somerset Hills, which is a two-year commitment, prevents it. (Who would have thunk it!!!)

Our daughter was married in March… that’s it for now!”

Katy Angstadt Rahe: “Rod and I are leaving tonight for Spain and will be walking parts of the Camino, also called the Way of St. James. We will start the walk in Roncesvalles and end in Santiago de Compostela. We are walking with an organized group so it isn’t the full Pilgrimage of 500+ miles. It will be under 100 miles through the towns, villages, and countryside. Rod and I doing the walk in celebration of our retirement this year!

Whorahe! Rod and I continue to do the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in NYC. This year’s walk is October 15-16th and it will be my 14th year participating and Rod’s ninth.”

Debbie Edmonson Drake: “Sorry to have missed our Reunion!

Eight years ago we retired to Carefree, AZ, and I have a large lemon tree, two orange trees, and two grapefruit trees! I am truly spoiled! Arizona is our 12th move—NYC, London, NYC, SF, NYC, London, NYC, Sherman, CT, Sharon, CT, Lakeville, CT, Lawrence, NY, and last Arizona.

We spend every summer in Lawrence, NY, which is the south shore of L.I. It has all been a great adventure — along with lots of travel! And we will also be celebrating our 40th in January!

The kids are great and our son is engaged, so next year will also be fun! I am still painting a lot and love it! I love San Miguel Allende! (How’s your Spanish?)

Remember Miss Streeter?” [Lisa’s note: I never learned a word of Spanish until after I crossed the border to live here the first time in 1998.]

Susan Hicks Jernigan: “Greetings all y’all, as they say in Oklahoma… We’ve had some wild rides and most of us are here to recount them, many having taken place at Westover.

Those of us who made the last Reunion had a lot of laughs about our varied recollections and experiences of some of our most pliable and impressionable years. Yikes! We’re living in San Jose del Cabo at Querencia, which was started by friends in Oklahoma City. It’s very Southern California and they seem to have hidden old Mexico. We see our kids in Vancouver a lot, where the price of a lemon is $1 and an avocado is $2.49. Glad to be in Mexico where so much is grown and a whole bag is way less and we have our own trees anyway so I just pick them. Have to say Vancouver is beautiful. Our son, Philip, has a daughter who turned one on September 19. As I write this, we’re in Vancouver and she’s walking 11 or so steps at a time and clapping her hands at her achievement. What fun it is to be a part of! Our daughter Marnie had a career in fashion and is now on to a degree in health care. My husband and I are great and grateful. Love

to hear about all you all. Ups and downs for all for sure and friendships and relationships are the cure.”

Karen Kjorlien Phillips: “We are all blessed in the various phases of our lives. And by the way, lemons in Florida are $1 apiece too! Truly crazy and I love lemon in my water! So I spend lots on lemons. Way cheaper to drink Coke, and therein lies our society! I, too, have lots to be happy for! I have a gainfully employed son — benefits and all! — who actually likes to see me! Amazing. Of course, it could be he likes the warm weather in the winter and the beach in the summer, but who cares! I’m retired and spending time doing whatever I feel like. How bad is that? And most important, I have great friends and I’m reminded at every Reunion that I count my Westover classmates among them. Even the ones I didn’t know very well while at Westover; I now realize how much I missed not getting to know them sooner, because everyone is so dynamic with lots to contribute.”

Hilary Higgins Parker: “So, it’s been a big year for we three Parkers. My husband of almost 40 years, Tom, retired in June following 40 years in education, 36 of them at Woodberry Forest School. We’ve bought a house in Keswick, VA, just outside the city limits of Charlottesville, where we will live for half the year. The other half will be spent in what I call the Promised Land, our home on Cape Cod (Chatham, MA). While Tom has fully retired from secondary education, I have not, having chosen to keep part of my job at Woodberry Forest helping to put on the academic events like parents’ weekends and graduation until the last of our advisees graduates in 2019. So, three more years for me, and when I’m not doing that I will be once again involved with our local hospice as a patient care volunteer. At least that is the plan. As if that wasn’t enough of a transition, our son Warren announced his engagement to the lovely and accomplished

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Katherine Breckinridge. They will marry in January 2017, and happily both live and work in Charlottesville; he in the music industry in concert production and newly as the tour manager for a major indie country folk/ rock band; she for a major architecture firm. We feel so fortunate to have them living nearby, at least when Warren isn’t on the road.

“I had my annual get together with Martha Dailey Iacovelli (junior year roommate), which is always special and fun and not long enough. And in the small world department, Tom and I hosted a small dinner party for some of his school friends a couple weeks ago on Cape Cod, one of whom brought their cousin, none other than Lisa McClanahan! I hadn’t seen Lisa since our graduation, but when she walked in the door, I said, “ I know you. Where did you go to camp?” She looked just the same! We were cabin mates at Teton Valley Ranch Camp outside of Jackson prior to Westover. I didn’t even focus on having been Westover classmates at first!

Lisa is currently living in Wellfleet, MA, and is the mother of three grown children. Talk about a fabulous blast from the past. It was just wonderful to reconnect with her. And then there was the out-of-the blue email and phone call from Francene Young asking for a recommendation for someone who used to work at Woodberry who was applying for a job. I loved getting to catch up

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with her, and our chat made me wish I had been able to attend Reunion. Hopefully I’ll be able to be at the next one. You all look like you had a marvelous time.”

Nancy Reighley Cavanaugh: “I had lunch with Audrey Smith Abbott on Memorial Day in the midst of Hurricane Hermine—we got a little wet but had a nice time catching up. Lots of family weddings in 2016: one nephew in VT, a cousin in WY, and my daughter’s in October (which Karen Kjorlien Phillips attended).

My oldest daughter, Jen, had her second child in June, so I now have one granddaughter, 19 months, and a grandson, three months. They were with us all summer in Nantucket, which was ever so fun, but busy busy!”

Shelley Sagar Payer: “We added a grandchild in 2016. She was born on March 18 and is named Erica Grace. She joins her threeyear-old big sister, Emma Juliet.

We love them to death. We are spending September in Newport, RI, and thoroughly enjoying the cool weather! It is still stinking hot in Florida. Reunion was great. Glad I didn’t wait until the 50th. It was so wonderful to see everyone and catch up on all of our memories and friends made so long ago. What a great class we had and have and what a terrific group of accomplished women we have all become.

Cheers to you all.”

Louise Bentley O’Dea: Sorry I didn’t make it to Reunion. We spend most of the year traveling,

WESTOVER SCHOOL MAGAZINE WINTER 2017

and were on a two-month trip to Eastern Europe at the time.

We were also in San Miguel de Allende last April for a visit from Guanajuato, MX. Learned a lot of Mexican history there. Aside from traveling, we sail in SF Bay and parts beyond, and visit with our four grandchildren. We are expecting our fifth in Scottsdale, AZ, in early December 2016, our son’s first child.

Audrey Smith Abbott: Sorry to have canceled out on our 45th at the last minute, but we raised big money for my non-profit focus, Gallop NYC, that weekend.

My son Geoff is the first of my three to become engaged. He will be married near Camden, ME, in July 2017. Loved catching up about our 45th, thanks to Nancy Cavanaugh, at a lovely lunch she treated me to at the Nantucket Yacht Club during the tropical storm on Labor Day 2016. I hope you all are enjoying our 60’s as much as I am. My entire family (I’m one of seven siblings) is healthy with wonderful children (23, yikes!).

And everyone is productively engaged in our various communities. So much to give back for all the blessings we have enjoyed!

In case anyone wonders, I do exchange emails with Crash a few times each year. He lives in the

Northwest, turned 80 in March, and has been married to a lovely lady, Jill, for over 30 years. He still kayaks rapids in Alaska. I guess adventure still calls.”

Be safe and carry on toward our 50th!! I will not miss it.

1972 ROBIN TILGHMAN STEVENS Ladyhawke.stevens@gmail.com

45th Reunion!

May 12-13, 2017 Thank you to all of you who wrote to me. If you didn’t receive my emails, it was because either I don’t have your email or the one I have is incorrect. Please contact the Westover Alumnae Office and update their records, and then you will receive all my emails. I love reaching out to all of you and catching up.

Life for the Tilghman/Stevens family is full of changes. We now have a black Labrador, Autumn Skye, who is a rescue from Canada and truly the daughter I never had. My work as a therapeutic riding instructor blossoms as I work in Bristol, CT, at Shepard Meadows Therapeu-

31. Nancy Reighly Cavanaugh '71, Lisa Stockwell '71, Jane Watson Stetson '71, Katy Angstadt Rahe '71 32. Deb Lippincott '72 with sons Oscar, Nils, and Thomas and dogs Bentley and Hopper.

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tic Riding Center. We are starting a veteran program as well as our usual program, and it is a dream come true. I am also now the proud owner (supporter steward) of two Icelandic horses that I brought to the farm. They are transitioning beautifully and love helping people. (If anyone is in the area, please come see us, our door is always open, and come for a ride or just to meet the horses.)

Byam retired from the Chester Theatre Company last year, but no moss under his feet. He will still take patrons to London, is writing a book, teaching at American Ballet Theatre, and working on the “Money Pit.” Sam graduated from Washington College in Maryland last May and is figuring out his next move … a joy to have him home after much compromising and transitioning.

I have a note from Anne Spalding who lives in Carona, Switzerland. Anne continues to thrive there with her children and five grandchildren, not to mention her being extremely successful in work. She does get back to the States once a year and will be back for Reunion in May. She sends big hellos to all!

Candace McDonnell Hanau wrote in October, “Had to

evacuate from Beaufort due to Hurricane Matthew and we took a direct hit! It was a massive storm. So grateful to have been able to get out of harm’s way.

Not sure when we will be able to get back so we are going ahead with an Erie Canal cruise as planned without knowing the fate of a beloved little beach condo we have… but we know it’s still standing, at least. Others have fared far worse and our main house escaped unscathed, thank God. Everyone we know who stayed behind is safe, too.”

Deb Lippincott has been working at Tailored Transitions as a move manager for the past three-plus years. Most of her clients are seniors moving to retirement communities. Deb says, “We settle them in their new home and get grateful hugs when we leave. It is the most rewarding work I have ever done.” Deb also shares that son Thomas is set to marry in July 2017!

Polly Whittaker writes that she is working hard, playing hard, and wouldn’t change a thing! She is excited to see all at Reunion.

Annie DiSesa McHugh wrote to let all know that she had a great summer on the shore and was

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enjoying the fall and lots of hikes with her Golden Retriever!

Jeannie Pearce reports that all is great in the Pearce-Gibson household in Philadelphia.

After 30 years, she decided to retire from teaching, but is still doing photography and many other projects. Eric retired from Nemours and is exploring new ideas. Both daughters are in town — Allie, 28, is starting another grad degree in Public Health, and Chelsea, 35, has a store, Moon and Arrow, which the family helps out with in many ways. Jeannie also shares, “We are happy to introduce Lucy

Klaus, born May 13, 2016, to Chelsea and Justin. Needless to say, we are all thrilled and lucky to be together every week.

We still spend as much time as possible during the summer in Wolfeboro, NH. Hope all are well and look forward to seeing you at the 45th Reunion in May!” I hope you all will consider coming back for Reunion. I believe Anne Spalding will come from the farthest place. It is a big one and I encourage everyone to try and make it back!

I send warmth and love to all.

Happy Trails, Robin

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Class Notes

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Kate Bedell Weitzell loves teaching math and science to 7th and 8th grade special education students. Tony still works at KTLA, but the 1½- to 2-hour drive home is starting to wear on him. Kate’s son Spencer is playing the part of Salieri in a community theater production of Amadeus. Her son Drew is leading treks and kayak expeditions in the warmer months near his home in Eureka, CA. Since neither son is ready to marry, their only grandchild is a Golden Lab/ Husky mix puppy named Aeyla that Drew adopted last February.

He has learned what it’s like to raise a baby in condensed time!

A highlight of my summer trip to the West Coast was visiting my dear friend Kate Bedell and her wonderful husband, Tony. Bill and I continue to enjoy living and working in New York City. Our son Billy is an associate at Ramboll Environ and our daughter Sarah is in her second year at Fordham Law School.

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1977 ANNE SPENCER HOLM

Aholm_us@yahoo.com

40th Reunion!

May 12-13, 2017 Helene Keo and her husband Robert took a family vacation to Vienna and Budapest this summer. In Budapest, Helene was introduced to the finer points of vintage clothes “thrifting” by her daughter Mathilda! Helene reports that her son is enjoying being a student at Binghamton University, where he is learning to cook for himself and his suitemates.

Lori Puccio is enjoying walking and biking in sunny, hot Florida.

She lost her sweet dog Marnie in April, but quickly found another Papillion who needed a good home. His name is Enzo.

Enzo is one and a half and is a

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wonderful companion for her other dog, Gabriel, who will be 16 in January.

Beth Gilbert’s daughter Kate just started her junior year in high school and worked lots of hours scooping ice cream this past summer at Izzy’s, Beth’s ice cream parlor. Kate and Beth loved working together.

Beth says that she sees Amy Tauchert regularly for lunch and reports that Amy is always doing fun things with her friend Peter.

M.J. Mitchell Hemmings and her husband, Greg, celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary in September. It has been five years since they opened their Fish Window Cleaning franchise and they still enjoy working together everyday. Both of their daughters are doing well. M.J. and Greg love to spend time with their six-year-old grandson.

M.J. looks forward to seeing everyone at our 40th Reunion in the spring of 2017!

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1978 SHOTSIE BISSELL WILSON

shotsiew@yahoo.com

Lucy Thackara Kennedy reports that her son Patrick, almost 24, got a really good job as a data analyst at a company in Stamford, CT, only 15 minutes from Greenwich. He’s living at home and commuting to save his money for now. His longtime girlfriend is moving to Stamford to find a job as an occupational therapist. So, Patrick is a happy lad. Lucy’s daughter Claire, almost 26, is actually in an accelerated nursing program and will graduate the program in one year in December 2017. She’s doing really well academically.

Lucy is really proud of her. Despite some personal obstacles, Lucy is doing her best and is very grateful for what she has, which is so much.

Christine Gamble Brooks was in NYC in April and saw Robin

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Curry and Lauren Caldwell ’76.

Nancy Hoft Harvey ’79 was passing through Flagstaff and they caught up and had dinner with their husbands. It was nice to meet Chuck.

Davina Tucker Dickinson had Diana Cox and Carrie Swan Buccowich visit in Easton, CT, and they all had a great Skype phone call with Christine. Carrie said it was like being back at Westover again. There was lots of laughter among friends who have not been together since graduation. Christine still keeps up with Janey Boardman Romney ’79. Christine has such fond memories of Westover and all of us. She can’t really believe Ann Pollina is gone; such a great loss. Carrie reports that her twins are in their first year of college and her youngest is now driving.

Another sad note is from Emily Renz Barron. She wants to inform everyone of the passing of her beloved husband and best friend, Walter, on April 6, 2016.

Emily is doing okay. She wants to thank her “Westover family” for all their love and support. If anyone wants to reach Emily, her phone number is 508.333.1483 and her email address is wq.ed. barron@comcast.net.

Teddy Burr Zeleznik writes, “This year, as usual for many of us, has flown by. As a traveling diplomatic courier, travel seems to be all I have done, weekends and holidays included (in fact, since January 2016, I think I’ve driven my car only two or three times!).

Still, interesting places and times everywhere ... When I next

Class Notes

write, I’ll be heading to Bangkok or Seoul for the next three-year assignment. I trust and hope that all classmates are doing well. Until next time, Teddy” CeCe Worley Campbell has a request to the class. Would anyone be willing to serve for awhile as class agent? We are without one at the moment. It basically consists of sending notes/letters once or twice a year about the Westover Fund.

Please let her know if you are interested, and more than one person can be involved and share the responsibilities.

Tibbie Uhl says Step got a new hip three weeks ago! Life changing! Otherwise, all is well at their end.

As for me, this has been a year of transformation for me, as a lot of you have seen on Facebook.

I have lost close to 100 pounds now. Besides celebrating 16 years with General Mills, I am coaching runners for a local running store; competing in running races of various distances which I have publicized, and cycling… let me not forget volleyball, too, of course. I know this class has felt the tremendous loss of Ann Pollina. For me, she was my advisor freshman year and became my friend and mentor, too. She always visited with my Mom when she was in Princeton and would write me a note afterwards. She made me believe in myself long before I ever did and pushed me to heights I never thought I would reach.

Before coming to Westover, I severely struggled with math.

To complete five years of math in my four years at Westover was something I would never have dreamed of. That passion transferred to college, where I began as a math major. Eventually it was my love for children and people that took my major in another direction, but Ann was still my inspiration.

Stay Strong ’78!

Until Next Time, Shotsie

1981 SONJA LINDGREN

Sblindgren@msn.com

Amanda Roberts writes, “There is a lot of sadness in my heart this year with the passing of my youngest sister, Marlo. I am grateful for any and all continuum in life like Westover Reunion in May 2016 and community service. What better place than DC to reach out to others in need through online Community Solutions, fundraising and awareness building with organizations such as AFSP. Facebook has been a great source of kindness.

These pillars of strength forge new relationships and ways of life for me. Looking forward to meeting with the DC Westover Alumnae Book Club in 2017.”

Heidi Luquer is still working for Global Grassroots, a non-profit working with women facilitating entrepreneurship skills for social good in Uganda and Rwanda. She spent four of the last 12 months in Uganda and Rwanda and will see how the work will be applicable in small communities here in the states. Go, Heidi!

En route back from Uganda last August, Heidi reunited with Lilla Mathesson Ohrstrom ’83 in France to bike (and giggle) after not having spoken or seen each other in many years. Heidi also met up with Anne Downey in Hanover, NH. Annette Amirin Kazangian lives in Southern California, where she has been teaching beginning accounting and basic math at her local junior college, Glendale Community College, for the past 15 years. Annette is married and has three children (who, she adds, aren’t really children anymore!). One of them has just begun college, while the others are in pharmacy school and applying to medical school.

Annette loves Zumba and dance, which she does as often as six times a week.

Speaking of Zumba, Laurian Pratt Fasano received her Zumba instructor training in March of this year and started teaching in May. She has since taken Zumba Gold, which is for 55 and older, since she hopes to get there and to teach Zumba Gold. She teaches three times a week and loves it.

Jeanne Anderson Christie writes that they had a rough summer with the horrible floods in West Virginia, where whole towns were wiped out. Jeanne and her family were fortunately untouched, but helped to overhaul homes and clean out houses. She and Michael sound extremely busy — but happily so — with Jacob and Samuel’s last year of high school and with their rental properties and construction business. Jeanne’s mother, June Anderson, also lives with them since Jeanne’s father passed away a couple of years ago. Jacob is in the culinary program at the local high school, and Samuel is sailing and singing at Christchurch School in Virginia. Cate, their adopted niece/daughter, is married, finished her Master’s in Psychology, and is working as a counselor in her four-year-old daughter’s school. “Yes, we have a granddaughter!!” When she wrote, Jeanne was looking forward to the lovely West Virginia fall with the mountains and all of the beautiful colors and festivals.

Linda Cook still works in the family business with her brother and is taking care of her mother, who suffered a stroke two years ago and a seizure last year. Linda’s daughter Lauren, 19, is home and keeps her busy too. Linda reports that she had a blast at our Reunion in May. I’ll add that she hasn’t missed a Reunion yet, and that she lives in Ohio, so she has to fly!

She has been enjoying recent communication with Morette Robarge Orth.

Anne Roberts says that things are just fine in Columbus, IN. She does have to explain that boarding school is not “juvie,” when she tells people about her high school years. She got to

Martha’s Vineyard twice this year to see her sister and mother; she had not been to the island in 15 years, so it was a treat for her to get back. She still likes her job and her co-workers and she enjoyed running the Indianapolis Colts 5K, an event that included walking through the players’ tunnel onto the field.

Liz Hausman Lycke and her family are doing very well. They still live in Montauk, Long Island (and for all you fans of The Affair, they film in Montauk!). Liz’s son Jack is 19 and a sophomore at Seattle University. He loves Seattle, and they love having a great city to visit. Liz is a real estate agent with Corcoran, and she and her husband John run a house-watching business. She thinks often of Westover and her time there — “What a great time that was, with great people.”

Jody Bates Bliss is in year 24 at Indian Mountain School, where she continues to head the Middle School and her husband Dan teaches, coaches, and serves as a dorm parent.

They are adjusting to the empty nest with daughter Courtney (Westover ’14) and son Will both away at St. Lawrence University.

Jody enjoyed a visit with Sonja Lindgren in July and Meg McClellan in August. She reports that it is always nice to catch up with Westover “sisters.”

I continue to work in my own psychotherapy practice and to mentor graduate students of social work. My older son, Hayden, is a junior at Tufts, and

33. Ellen Greulich Coco '72 and Middy Benedict McCarthy '73 34. Members of the Class of 1976 gathered at Ann Pollina’s memorial: Deirdre Sullivan, Cassandra White Sweeney, Kate Montgomery, Catherine Stewart, Lauren Caldwell, Susan Dubin, Marianne Barbino Dubuque, and Mihae Lee 35. Carrie Swan Buccowich '78, Davina Tucker Davidson '78 and Diana Cox '78 together in July 2016

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Class Notes

36. Susie Amador Dassum '83 and Susan Logan Whitman '68 after meeting on a ferry headed to Cinque Terre 37. Perri Mertens ’91 and Kris Fullerton Stephens ’91 38. Kris Fullerton Stephens '91, husband Eric and Perri Mertens '91

bor?” In May, I got back for our 35th Reunion. Our reunion group was small, but we had a great time reconnecting. One highlight was getting to know Jody Bates Bliss, really for the first time, and finding we had much in common. Every visit to Westover reminds me of how this special place nurtured me as a student and a person… and still does.

1987 36

JENNIFER BURLINGTON HAGUE

jrbhague@gmail.com

30th Reunion!

May 12-13, 2017

37

Keiley Gaston Fuller writes, “Hello, Westover Friends! Life is busy per usual. Our oldest, Teddy, is a senior at Darien High School. Charlie is a sophomore and loves football. Copey is in 8th grade, rides horses as much as possible, and plays field hockey and lacrosse. My job as a real estate agent is going great, and Ted continues to work for eBay. Looking forward to seeing everyone at our 30th Reunion!”

1991 LIZ KOSTOJOHN

e.kostojohn@gmail.com 38

my younger son Julien is playing soccer and working toward getting his driver’s license. As I write this, I am recalling Ann Pollina’s memorial service, which I attended October 1. It was a beautiful event, worthy of Ann. Mandy Roberts and Lauri Lynn were present, as well as friends from other classes and teachers from our era. It was my third time back at Westover this year. In February, I was there to do a presentation as part of the Rasin Center for Social Justice’s program on the theme of “Who Is My Neigh-

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2016 was a Reunion year for the Class of ’91, and it was wonderful to see so many of us at Westover in May! We hung out in Red Hall, went to Chapel with Tom, heard an amazing concert in the LBD, and caught up on all the things that we’ve been up to since we were last here. It was also memorable to talk and think about Ann Pollina, and to celebrate all that she did for our class and the school. We missed those who couldn’t make the Reunion.

Susanne Dericks Zoch tells us that things are “toasty” in Texas.

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She is starting her 20th year of teaching and notes how quickly time flies. Suzanne started out teaching middle school English.

She says, “I loved middle schoolers! No joke!” Now, she is entering her eighth year of teaching elementary music, and it is a totally different experience, which she also loves. Suzanne’s daughters are growing as well. Sydney will graduate in May and is looking at studying occupational therapy.

She is ready to get out of Texas and is applying to colleges in Colorado, New York, and Oregon. Kira is now a sophomore and a singer “like her momma.” She hopes to be an educator when she grows up. Suzanne hopes that all is well with everyone!

Katherine Sredl says that being with all of us at Reunion was the highlight of 2016. She’s really proud of our loyalty to each other and to the school. Katherine says that we had a great turnout, and we made a generous gift.

Katherine thanks those who came and those who couldn’t come, but still participated long-distance. #91forevermore!

Katherine feels that life seems to happen too slowly and too subtly to put into notes. She is enjoying her second year of living in Chicago and teaching Marketing at Loyola. Katherine has enjoyed seeing other Chicago alumnae like Maria Petrone, Jen Asteris ’92, and Courtney Guditis Pitt. Katherine is playing tennis this summer on the local parks team and is swimming. Winston and Katherine volunteer as a therapy dog-handler team at a local hospital through Canine Therapy Corps. Katherine goes to museums when she can, and thanks Sonja Osborne for her Art History lessons. She says best wishes and love to all.

Marieke Bosch Larose says that she absolutely loved seeing everyone at Reunion weekend in May. She noted how it’s incredible how much time has passed, and yet how easily we can all slip back into old friendships again. She says that her heart felt very full. Marieke tells us

that there are no big changes in her life for now. She is still doing her best to “live the dream” by working for herself as a life coach to soul-searching moms seeking direction, confidence, and a strong sense of self. She feels so lucky to have found this work and to have honored her deep need to help people this way. You can check out Marieke’s site at www.yournovellife.com.

Marieke’s children, Lhasa, 11, and Fira, six, are growing bigger every minute. They have one more year together in primary school, and then Lhasa heads off to high school. As for the two males in her family, Francois and Kola rock! Francois, her husband, is still a busy entrepreneur with independent cafes all over Montreal. Marieke says that they drink too much wine thanks to his organic wine importing business, called Soif. Kola, the puppy, brings her family so much love and silliness… and tangled hair, as he has a lot of it. She says that she is feeling blessed, and sends her love to all.

Courtney Guditis Pitt says that her girls started 4th and 8th grade. Courtney is trying to talk her 8th grader into attending Westover, but she wants to go to school in downtown Chicago.

Courtney thinks that she’s crazy, but seems determined. She’ll keep us posted on her progress!

Heather Manella Nuzzo says that she is still working at Westover, and notes that this is her 21st year teaching here.

Heather says, “How did that happen?” This year she is “just” teaching Physics and a new course in Human Biology. Her daughter is doing well, and just started pre-kindergarten at Chase Collegiate, which we all knew as St. Margaret’s McTernan School. Heather and her family still live down the street from campus, which makes for a nice commute to work. This summer, she and her family spend time in New Hampshire and Florida. Heather is happy and when she wrote was just starting to chug through the start of another school year.

Class Notes

Kris Fullerton Stephens says that she loved seeing everyone at our Reunion in May. She notes that our level of participation and admiration for each other is truly awesome. Kris and her family had a great summer, which included some time at the beach, relaxing family travels to Antigua, a few camps for the kids, and time with friends.

In mid-August, Perri Mertens came to visit and went to the Hot August Blues Music Festival with Kris and her husband, Eric. Kris says that the concert was great fun, and that her kids adore Perri. Kris gets to see former faculty member Amy Newell fairly regularly, as their busy lives and schedules permit. Most recently, Kris saw Amy at the Capital Cup Soccer Tournament championship games, in which Kris’ son, Spencer, and his team won, and Amy’s son, Jack, and his team won as well! Thankfully, the boys are in different birth years and didn’t have to play one another. Kris hopes to have many opportunities to continue seeing friends from Westover on a more frequent basis.

Allie Conway Marks says that things are good with her and her family. Her kids started school recently. They are in 4th grade, 1st grade, and pre-kindergarten.

She doesn’t have much news, other than that she will be stepping down from asking our class for donations, but Maria Petrone will forge on. Thank you for all of your hard work, Allie!

Helena Riesenfeld D’Arcy jokes that she continues to aim for the Westover record in terms of number of children. In October 2015, Helena and her family welcomed Paulina, her sixth child.

Helena says that her life is a funny mixture of teenage problems with her three boys, ages 12, 14, and 16, “tweenie” problems with her 10-year-old daughter, and little children’s problems with her two youngest. She says, problems aside, life is great and flying by.

Helena sends her love to all.

I definitely loved seeing everyone at Reunion. It was so fantastic to catch up with people

that I haven’t seen in years. It is always a little strange to be back at Westover. It was so long ago that it sometimes seems like a bizarre dream. Those were four significant years that I cherish, even though they were filled with both suffering and joy. I think of field hockey sports camp, for example, as one of those periods of suffering. Other than my visit to Westover, my family and I went to Puerto Rico in the spring and Cape Cod in the summer. My son is in 3rd grade, and he continues to make me laugh and sometimes cry. I am still obsessed with ice hockey, the most fun sport ever, and the only thing that keeps me both sane and remotely healthy.

Thank you again to those who provided some news to share!

1994 TRICIA CARLSON

Tacarlson0315@gmail.com JOHANNA CATHERINE COX Johannacoxlitttrell@yahoo.com

Hello everyone! These will be short but sweet, as I think we do a great job of keeping up with each other on Facebook. Victoria Campbell had her film Monsieur le President screened at the wellknown IFC in NYC, with journalist Amy Wilentz introducing it. The film has been picked up for distribution by Virgil Films. Tori graduated with her second master’s degree in teaching and education from Bard College (her first MFA is in film/documentary). She now teaches 7th grade literature and arts in a South Bronx charter school and has moved there to an old brownstone built in 1890.

She welcomed students with some Westover Latin — “Cogitare, Agere, Esse!” She thanks Westover for giving her the tools to write and to think deeply and hopes to impart these skills to her students. She has advice for her fellow artists: “Teaching is the best way to go to support a life in the arts.”

RACHEL MINARD ’87: REINVENTING THE INVESTMENT CONFERENCE Rachel Minard ’87, the Founder and CEO of Minard Capital LLC, in partnership with Pensions & Investments, organized EPIC Returns 2016, a conference that drew 140 investors representing $200 billion, from April 27th to 29th at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California.

EPIC, Rachel said, “stands for Exclusive, Private, Intimate Conversations. That’s exactly what we were striving to achieve. The focus of the event was to remove standard industry conference trappings — vendors, service providers, media, social media, tchotchkes, ‘rubber chicken’ lunches, Powerpoint presentations, and awkward introductions frequent at these shindigs — and design a truly unique experience. EPIC Returns sent dossiers of each investor and manager attending in advance — their interests, allocations, preferences — so each could come prepared for a more targeted discussion. The focus was to ensure there were no ‘strangers’ by conducting pre-emptive research and constructing intimate salon-style rooms that lent themselves to a more intimate exchange.”

Those who attended praised the event, offering such observations as: • “The candor and conversations I had there were fantastic.”

• “You brought a tremendous amount of creativity and great new concepts into the conference.”

• “… the most incredible and inspiring conference that I’ve ever attended (and I’ve been in the business a long time).”

“Given the incredibly positive feedback,” Rachel said, “Minard Capital has decided to take the ‘best ideas’ from EPIC and bring them to a salon-style venue called The Minard Guild. We’re looking to host our first Minard Guild Event in 2018.”

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39. Tricia Carlson '94, Stacy Tattar '94, Bridgot Souilliard-Basile '94, Sarita Bhandarkar '94, Sonya Kim Heil '94, Baylah Tessier-Sherman '94 together in October 2016 40. Emma Beaulieu '14, Grayson Beaulieu '17, Erika MalapadTrentalange '14, Lexi Fielding '14 and faculty member Jill Verzino '12 volunteering with Simply Smiles in La Plant, South Dakota.

41. Sarah Cugini ’00 and Michael Cohen with their daughter, Emma Francesca Cohen, at her Hebrew baby naming ceremony.

Madeline Cantwell Miller and her husband Will announce the birth of their daughter, Dorothy Bliss, on August 2, 2016. The baby’s middle name is in tribute to our fellow classmate, Bliss Corcoran Burg, who sadly passed away on July 31. Madeline thanks everyone for the kind wishes and condolences she received and says they helped a great deal. She and Baylah Tessier-Sherman had a brief but wonderful visit after the baby was born.

Sarita Bhandarkar is excited to be her own boss as she recently went into a small partnership with a couple of other attorneys in the Hudson Valley. Jennifer Kelly writes that her maternity

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leave ended after having Aaron in August 2015 and she is back at University College Dublin in the Connected Health Research department as research network administrator. Jen and Fergus brought Aaron to the States in April 2016 for his first transatlantic trip.

It was wonderful to see so many of you at Ann Pollina’s memorial at Westover. Every time I am at the school, I am always struck by how fortunate I was to have the teachers and classmates I had at such a formative time in my life. In personal news, Chris and I are adjusting to having Allison away at college at Fairfield University. It is definitely a change, but I am grateful she is close enough to visit often.

We were happy to see Jen and her family when they were here in April. Aaron is completely adorable! I hope everyone is well and that I will see you all again soon. — Trish

1996 KELLY MEDVIGY

kmedvigy@gmail.com

Greeting class of ’96! It was great to catch up with those that were

WESTOVER SCHOOL MAGAZINE WINTER 2017

able to make it back to campus for our 20th Reunion! Here’s what’s going on with our friends.

Ann Clark Priftis writes, “In June I transitioned to a Senior BD position with the Amazon Campus team; still based in Seattle but traveling weekly to such glamorous destinations as the Universities of Michigan, Minnesota, and Kansas. In August, I completed the CORe program through Harvard Business School and have a new appreciation for teachers of crotchety old students like me.

Loved seeing my classmates in the spring for our 20th Reunion.

Harlan, my three and a half-yearold with my long-suffering life partner, Jon, is loving life at Pike’s Market School and all things soccer- and trucks-related.”

Morgan Barry writes, “Still working in the telecom industry at Intelisys in Southbury; the company has really grown in the last year and a half and it’s been exciting to be part of it. I see Candy Achenbach and her family frequently. Candy and I ran into Dana Moretti Coe in Litchfield a few weeks ago and it was great to catch up. I had a great time catching up with everyone at Reunion! Can’t believe how much time has passed!”

Katia Allexi Passari writes, “I got married in Sicily last year

with lots of family from all over the world. It was great to have everybody around for at least a week and to show them the home country of my husband.

We recently managed to go on our honeymoon in Mexico, where we spent three weeks traveling around, mostly by car. It was such a great time with lots of nice people, good food, great nature, and amazing pyramids.”

Stacey Dallas Zinn writes, “We have had an exciting year with the addition of twin baby girls this February, Madison and Morgan. Russell and William love being big brothers. I’m still working as a small animal vet and loving it. I enjoyed catching up with everyone who attended our Reunion this year; so much fun to reminisce about the old Westover days. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time!”

I’m still teaching but I have moved up in the world and am now enjoying 5th graders daily!

Owen and Grayson are hilarious and enjoy coming to school with me. I stay connected to Westover through school fairs and I was lucky enough to be on campus in late September for my Governors’ meeting and the memorial service for Ann Pollina. It was a beautiful time that afforded me the ability

40

to catch up with friends and faculty as well as hear about all of the exciting things going on around campus! There are several new initiatives underway that will provide exciting opportunities for students for many years to come!

2002 GRETA ATCHINSON

Greta.atchinson@gmail.com AIMEE GOUGH

gough@post.harvard.edu ASHLEY KALAUS MARIANO

akalaus@gmail.com CAITLIN REYNOLDS MARIAN

Caitlin.reynolds@gmail.com

15th Reunion!

May 12-13, 2017 From Greta Atchinson: It’s hard to believe that the Class of 2002 will be celebrating our 15th Reunion in May. I can’t wait to see everyone and catch up, but until then, I was able to connect with a few classmates to collect some notes.

There have been delightful arrivals of future Wests: Lailah Lavery born on August 18, 2015, to Shanell Littlejohn Lavery and

her wife Kristen; Kate Campbell, born in February 2016 to Mary Kelly Campbell and her husband Rob; and Lilly Lorraine Warner to Amanda Bessette Werner in October 2015.

Megan Mann Burlington reports: “The Burlingtons are enjoying life on the Trinity-Pawling campus and I’m finally putting my MLS to good use as a Library Media Specialist. I did have the pleasure of chatting with Beth Gilbert ’77 at her shop, Izzy’s Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream, this summer in Portsmouth, NH. JP and I also attended the wedding of former Westover Spanish teacher Lori Mele to Matthew Hawke on April 8, 2016.”

Amanda Bessette Werner is teaching 4th grade and keeping up with her two kids. Beau, who started pre-K this fall, and Lilly Lorraine (a future West), who turned one in October 2016, keep her and her husband busy.

Kelly O’Connor Polinski married Matthew Polinski on Sept.

26, 2015, and made everyone jealous with her Instagram and Facebook photos of her honeymoon to Hawaii in spring of 2016. Kelly is currently the Wellness Director at Fred C. Church Insurance and lives in Northbridge, MA. She works with clients on population interven-

41

tions to improve the health and well-being of employees.

Evelyn Mervine was offered early admission to the Carbon Management MS program at the University of Edinburgh, to begin in fall of ’17. She will study remotely and will continue to work full-time at De Beers while focusing her studies on ways to reduce and/or offset carbon emissions at mine sites. Evelyn and her husband Jackie spent part of the summer in New Hampshire and were able to visit with Westover friends Shanell Littlejohn Lavery and her wife Kristen, and Taylor Southworth and her fiancé Joel Timm.

Flannery Carey McDermott and her husband Barry just bought a house in Woodstock, NY. Their son Oisín started kindergarten this year and so far he likes it! I got to see Flan recently when our book club met up and toured the Mark Twain House in Hartford and had lunch to discuss A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Jaime Feinman and Serena Mulready Lillie and her husband Brendan always make for a rousing book club discussion!

Over the summer, Flan and I found that the Berkshires are halfway between us, so we met up with our respective partners

and saw Mavis Staples and Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan in the Shed at Tanglewood. It’s always fantastic to spot members of the Westover community in the wild.

I saw Mr. G in the dance tent at the Lowell Folk Festival this summer and we got to catch up over Cajun music.

I got to see Makenzi Hurtado in June when she stayed with me for a work conference in Boston. Her son Izel started pre-school in West Hartford, where he gets to go to school with his cousin Aria, daughter of Chantal Hurtado ’05.

This fall, my partner Jay and I took a weekend trip to Chicago and we got to catch up with Taylor Southworth and her fiancé Joel Timm and see some fantastic live blues. Taylor is working as a law librarian for a firm in Chicago, where she sees Ellen Bird Reda and Katie Aldrich ’00.

It was bittersweet to see classmates Megan Mann Burlington, Mary Kelly Campbell, Jessica Lillian, Anne Nicole Hanus, and Ashley Kalaus Mariano at the celebration of life for Ann Pollina on October 1. It was a sad and wonderful event to celebrate a woman who meant so much to us all.

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Class Notes

42

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2003 DANIELLE STEWART KNOPE

danielle.s.knope@gmail.com KARIMAH GOTTSCHALCK

karimah2@hottschalck.com

Danielle Stewart Knope and her husband Zach still live in Orlando, FL, where Danielle works for Darden Restaurants, currently as a Manager of Operations Analysis for LongHorn Steakhouse. They enjoyed quite a bit of travel this summer for weddings in Connecticut, Long Island, Atlanta, and Playa del Carmen. In June, she was the matron of honor at the wedding of her sister, Alyssa Stewart Wruck ’05 to Alex Wruck.

Karimah Gottschalck started a new career as an advertising

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copywriter. She saw Sue Mills in Santa Fe, NM, while on a road trip through the state.

Amanda Newberg Thomas married Michael Thomas on July 16, 2016, in Westport, CT. They enjoyed having a great group of Westover alumnae there to celebrate.

Emily Overholser Gruber and her family built a new home on 10 acres in Florida and they love it!

Colette Opsahl Fennessy and her wife Sarah were chosen as Foster Parents of the Year by CAFAP (the Connecticut Association of Foster and Adoptive Families). Colette and Sarah recently finalized the adoption of their second child, JJ Fennessy.

Angelique Carvalho has been living in Washington, DC, since returning from her gap year in Perth Australia 12 years ago.

She is currently a manager at

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Fado Irish Pub, where she has been for just over a year. She has had the opportunity to join other Westover alumnae at recent gatherings in the DC area, and has been to some baseball games with Jacinta “Punky” Alves ’01. She reports being healthy and happy, and is doing her best to travel internationally as often as possible, most recently to Spain and Ukraine, with plans for a trip to Panama in 2017.

Lauren Brady East still works in banking in Fort Worth, TX, where she lives with her husband, Joel, and son, James (who was six months old when she wrote in this fall).

Sarah Bronko is living in rural Hartland, VT, with her boyfriend, Ben, and recently adopted a cat, Cubby. She enjoys her job as a small animal veterinarian.

Mia Psorn and her husband, Sam, welcomed a son, Ellis, on June 7. The family moved from Miami to Long Island, where Mia started a new job at the beginning of September. During their road trip from Florida to New York, they made a stop to visit Nicole Dilport Blanchard and her family in Maryland.

2005 JENNIFER HART

jenniferhart87@gmail.com CHRISTIANNE DAWIS

crizzy.dawis@gmail.com IRIS CASTRO RIGOR

castro.iris15@gmail.com

Gladys Chua moved back to Perth after ten years in Melbourne to take up a new job at a private girls’ school as the piano accompanist. In this role, she plays for seven choirs a week, chapel services and assemblies, and for girls undertaking solo performances. She’s had some great opportunities since relocating, with lots of freelance work as a pianist, including appearing in the Perth International Arts Festival and as a member of Ensemble Vagabond, who serve as the ensemble-in-residence at The University of Western Australia.

Audra Coulombe is the marketing manager for a special effects company called The Molecule.

She loves playing roller derby, yoga, and seeing Jenn Hart whenever possible.

Class Notes

Emily Noonan is living in Glastonbury, CT, and works at the corporate headquarters of Edible Arrangements, where she is in charge of video marketing and working on corporate communications (Thank you, Warriner’s!). At the end of July, Emily became engaged to marry Josh Reardon in July 2017. Alyssa Siefert will be a bridesmaid in the wedding.

Sarah Depaolo Elzay got her MS in Zoology from the University of Wyoming on August 15, 2015, and married Sam Elzay on August 1, 2015. Alyssa Siefert was her maid of honor! She and her husband are moving to Oklahoma so she can start her PhD in Ecology at Oklahoma State in January.

Murphi Cook lives in Saint Petersburg, FL. She’s spent the last few years making multimedia puppet shows for adults. She just got engaged to her partner Zach, and she will join him in Tokyo in the spring. Hopefully Annie Peterson will watch their dog Hugo for them. Murphi decided to blow Annie’s cover in order to tell everyone that Annie is a rock-star preservation librarian — she gets awards for her work all the time, and she wears lots of colorful pencil skirts. She is currently fostering a kitten named Peanut, which she will probably adopt, despite being allergic to cats.

Chantal Hurtado recently sent her beautiful daughter Aria off to kindergarten. She recently thought about her Westover ladies as she watched her boyfriend clean her grandmother’s pool and realized she finally made her yearbook superlative come true.

Liza Norment is currently working as a biologist at a large environmental consulting company and looking forward to a trip to Ireland this fall. She recently spent time in Pittsburgh, where she had a quick visit with Di-ay Battad.

Abby Calhoun has been living in New York City for five years, where she works at Parsons School of Design; she is in her

last year of graduate school for Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management.

She’s thrilled to have the West to her Over, Crystal Marsh, living in New York City. Crystal relocated from Los Angeles to New York in May 2016. She stopped practicing law and started her own career-coaching business.

Laura Littmann Brenneman got married in May 2016 and has moved to Florida, where she is working as a pediatric cardiac ICU nurse. Laura’s sister, Marisa Littmann ’14, was recently accepted to a study abroad program in Australia and Laura is looking forward to planning a trip back!

Kimberly Kruge lives in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she writes poetry and translates. Her poems and translations have appeared in literary journals in the US, Europe, and Mexico.

She recently completed her first manuscript of poems, which she seeks to publish as her first book. She has also begun work on her second. She is co-founding a translation company that will focus on creative translations — literature, journalism, subtitling for art films, etc. In April, Kimberly got married in a big, lively wedding, complete with a 12-piece mariachi band, taco bar, and tireless guests who kept the party going from 6 pm to 5 in the morning! Jenn Hart and Christianne Dawis were in attendance. Kimberly enjoys traveling with her husband and helping design their new home and workspace. Kimberly still runs; she finished a half-marathon recently and is training for another. She made sure to dedicate one of the kilometers to that inaugural Westover Cross Country team!

Cheslea Jacques Burcham married Nathan Burcham in July.

Mary Cutrali and Jennifer Agius Martinez were bridesmaids and Laura Littmann Brenneman and Mr. and Mrs. Cutrali P’07 were in attendance as well!

Jenn Hart still lives and works in Washington Heights in New York City. As a kindergarten teacher, she absolutely loves watching her kids learn to read and write!

Lauren Borkowski is working at a tech company and is a frequent houseguest of Mary Cutrali. Mary has been working at HashiCorp as a software engineer since June and has been busy with lots of travel for work.

In addition to seeing Chelsea, Jenn, and Lauren, Mary also regularly sees Nora Lovotti and Cristina Tafuri in the city.

Vanessa Li Lok Wai Hofacker welcomed son Elliot on June 17, 2016. Elliot was 7 lbs., 15 oz. and 21 inches long at birth.

Congrats, Vanessa!

Cydni Carter recently relocated to Bellingham, WA, with her partner Antonio. She is working on being an artist full-time and has a studio space called Lightburn Studios.

She welcomes visitors! Cydni recently saw Kristen Kelly as well!

Tatiana Fonseca DaSilva graduated from Quinnipiac Law Summa cum Laude in May 2016 and passed the Connecticut

Bar Exam. She is now a judicial law clerk at the Connecticut Appellate Court. Erin Garrity graduated from BC Law in spring 2016 and is working at Wilmer Hale LLP in Boston.

Hailey Griffin has lived in Chicago for the past three years and graduated from DePaul University with her Master’s of Education.

She is now in her second year of teaching at a Chicago public school in Wicker Park.

Margot Lane also lives in Chicago and is working in the Merchandising Department for the textiles buying team at Crate and Barrel. She will be getting married in April 2017!

Hannah Keklak has been a zookeeper in Boston at the Franklin Park Zoo for over a year.

Kristin Kelly became a dive master and worked in Thailand for six months as a dive guide.

Nora Lovotti is living in Brooklyn and enjoys working in marketing at a fashion startup.

42. Collette Opsahl Fennessey ’03 (at right), her wife Sarah and their children 43. Jessica Garassino Vargas ’03, Brittany Perrone Enemark ’03, Collete Opsahl Fennessy ’03, and their children having a great time together, Spring 2016.

44. Laura Littmann Brenneman '07, Mary Cutrali '07, Chelsea Jacques Burcham '07 and Jenn Agius Martinez '07 at Chelsea’s wedding

2007 JACQUELINE SIEFERT

Jacqueline.siefert@gmail.com CARMEN BARNES

barnes.carmen@gmail.com

10th Reunion!

May 12-13, 2017 Lots of exciting news from the Class of 2007!

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Class Notes

Enkhchimeg Oyunsuren-Jima graduated from University of Tokyo, where she majored in Development Economics, and then joined Draper Capital, a UK-based private equity fund, as a project manager. Her job has allowed her to live in Mongolia, Myanmar, and now Singapore. She is enjoying the travel and cultural exposure and is trying to gain as much from the experience as possible.

Elizabeth Reznikoff is at the University of Pittsburgh doing a double master’s degree in Social Work and Public Health.

Jacqueline Siefert writes, “I’m living in Newport, RI, and designing for a Palm Beachbased apparel line named Charlotte Kellogg. Alyssa Siefert ’05, Angie Siefert ’08 and I are working on a project called Science Pants with the goal to spread scientific understanding and make learning more accessible through approachable means. We are working on an athleticwear line and some other iterations of this prompt (www.sciencepants.com). I participated in Newport Art Museum’s ‘Wet Paint,’ am working on commissioned paintings, and I am playing court tennis.”

Morgan Siller is working for a broadcast media company in the city and celebrated her 27th birthday with Bailey Briggs, Chelsea Werner Burcham, and Charlotte Radcliff ’08!

And rounding out the news from the Class of 2007, Katherine Wernick recently bought a home!

2012 EMILY CROCCO

emilyncrocco@gmail.com KEELIN SWEENEY

keelinmsweeney@gmail.com

5th Reunion!

May 12-13, 2017 Hayley Keller reports, “I graduated from Northeastern University with a BS in Biology and minor in Psychology in May 2016.

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I have just begun my first year at University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine as a member of the Class of 2020 and I plan to become a small animal or exotics veterinarian after graduation.”

Emeline Carlisle writes that after graduating from the College of Charleston in May, she “then spent her summer working with elephants on a sanctuary in Surin, Thailand.” She recently moved to Washington, DC, after accepting a position as the Special Programming Intern at the Kennedy Center.

Melissa Hall graduated from Stonehill College in May with a BS in Biology and a minor in Environmental Studies. In late September she moved to Thailand to earn her Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certification and will spend the following five months teaching in a local school.

Hannah Clark earned her degree in Winter 2016 from the Tufts University School of Engineering and has since moved to Waltham, MA, to work as a software engineer at Vistaprint, where, she reports, “I am also an active member of the Women in Technology group within the company. I hope to continue working there for several more years, at the very least.”

Cristina Pretto writes, “For the last four years I’ve mostly been focusing on rowing. I was lucky enough to win two NCAA Championships at Trinity. I also was awarded an All-American, broke Trinity’s record, and was an alternate for the US National Team. I graduated in 2016 with an English degree, with minors in Environmental Science and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. This year I’m moving to Boston to start a career in banking in a sales position for Webster Bank. It’s been a crazy, fun ride.”

Charlotte Forcht has been a teacher and director at Plano Children’s Theatre in Plano, TX, since 2013. She was the assistant director of two pro-

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ductions and has directed two productions while taking classes part-time at Collin College and the University of Texas at Dallas. She was looking forward to directing her third show in November 2016. In addition, she is currently studying music at UT Dallas. She plans to get her teaching certification in theatre after graduation so she can continue teaching and performing in the Dallas area.

Katie Hedberg received her bachelor’s in Civil Engineering with a minor in Architectural Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and now works at Tighe & Bond, focusing on Site Design, Traffic, and Transportation projects. She is actively involved in the Women’s Transportation Seminar and Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers. She got engaged to college sweetheart, Alexander Klose, in August 2016.

Keelin Sweeney graduated from the Distinguished Majors Program in Sociology at the University of Virginia in May 2016 and has since moved to New Haven, CT, to begin at the Yale School of Nursing to become an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.

45. Katie Hedberg '12 and fiance Alex Klose after their graduation

Valeria St. Laurent graduated from Rice University and resides in Houston, TX. She is the National Programs Coordinator for the National Diversity Council, and plans to attend nursing school next year.

Amanda Trabulsi graduated from Wellesley College and currently works in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, after receiving a Fulbright grant to teach English at a local university, and reports, “I studied abroad here two years ago and missed it so dearly that I decided to return.” Her future plans involve working in international development throughout the post-Soviet region.

Ginelle Van Tartwijk has been working at William Raveis Real Estate and the Benedict Silverman Foundation and is currently applying to graduate school to pursue a career in non-profit and foundation management.

Sarah Boyadjian graduated from the University of Connecticut in May 2016 and is currently working as a registered nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital.

My time at Westover instilled in me certain humanitarian values, some of which have become lifelong passions.

“People in Kyrgyzstan are probably some of the most hospitable people in the world,” Amanda said. “They will go out of their way to help anyone in need. Being away from this beautiful country was difficult, so I’m very thankful to be back.”

Amanda praised “the level of trust that people have with each other here. I was trying to buy a cup of coffee and realized that I didn’t have enough change. The vendor still gave it to me and said to return her the rest of the money the next time I visit the store. I was so shocked, but it really says something about the culture. It’s absolutely beautiful.

AMANDA TRABULSI ’12: ADVENTURES IN KYRGYZSTAN Most of us probably could not find Kyrgyzstan on the map, but Amanda Trabulsi ’12 is currently on her third extended visit to the central Asian republic, this time as an English teaching assistant under the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

“I interned here with DAI [Development Alternatives Incorporated], a for-profit development agency in the summer of 2014 for two months,” Amanda said. “I then returned for the fall semester of 2014 and studied at the American University of Central Asia for four months.”

Amanda returned to Kyrgyzstan in late August, following her graduation from Wellesley College, Cum Laude, with a major in Russian Area Studies and a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. “I decided to return because I missed my friends and the culture of the region so much,” Amanda explained. “So now I am teaching English language at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University in Bishkek, and also volunteering at the American Corner here in Bishkek, which is a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. I basically conduct conversation clubs there and discuss American culture and history.”

At the university, Amanda said, “I have several students at the university level. However, the students that come to the American Corner range in age. Some of them are in high school, some are over 30.”

“Two weekends ago I traveled south to a city called Osh,” Amanda added. “It is, by far, my favorite city in Kyrgyzstan as it’s located in the Ferghana Valley, the heart of Central Asia. It’s where all the cultures of Central Asia meet. Many people there assume I’m just a local Uzbek girl due to my complexion, which is pretty cool. I went to the local market in Osh and was bargaining to buy some Kyrgyz traditional clothing. The lady was so impressed with my Kyrgyz language skills that she ended up giving me two apples and proceeded to show me pictures of her family even though she had other customers waiting. It was so lovely. People here are just so genuine.”

Amanda credits her Westover years with helping to set the stage for her experiences in Kyrgyzstan. “My time at Westover definitely shaped and prepared me for my current course of work in Central Asia,” she explained. “It instilled in me certain humanitarian values, some of which have become lifelong passions. Westover taught me how to critically think and analyze particular global issues, and helped me develop a perspective that is concerned with the various social justice issues of the world.”

Though her Fulbright teaching grant ends in June, Amanda intends to extend her stay in Kyrgyzstan beyond that date.

“I’m currently applying for graduate school programs in International Development so that I can continue to work in the region.” But even if she is not accepted into a graduate program, Amanda will look for other opportunities within the country.

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Class Notes

46. Julianne Brown '16 and Adeline Visscher '17 47. Joscie Norris '16 rock climbing during Summer 2016

screenwriting. My younger brother has also decided to attend Ithaca College and I’m excited to share my college experience with him!”

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Amber Chausse graduated from Elizabethtown College in May 2016 with a degree in Environmental Science and moved back to Connecticut. She is now working full-time at Loureiro Engineering Associates in Plainville, CT, as an environmental health and safety scientist.

Chesley McCarty reports, “I am currently completing my fifth year of the five-year Master’s of Architecture program at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Along with working on a thesis project all year, which will study the intersection of gastronomy, agriculture, and architecture, I also work as an admissions intern and serve as the Vice President for Academic Affairs in the Undergraduate Student Government. I’m hoping that the next step next year takes me somewhere out on the West Coast, where I can pursue a design career surrounded by mountains and great coffee!”

2014 STEPHANIE CRUDELE

Stephanie.crudele@gmail.com CAILEE TALLON

Ctallon1@fordham.edu

Chloe Anello writes, “I was a digital editorial intern for Cosmopolitan and a digital editorial intern for NYLON; and I’m

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currently a digital editorial intern for New York magazine, which I will be at this fall when I spend a semester ‘abroad’ in NYC instead of at Syracuse University.”

Maddie Gelfand is studying Computer Science and Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and loves living in Philadelphia. She is very involved in the Hillel and Jewish/ religious life on campus. She spent her summer in Israel, and then worked at a camp as a counselor for 16-year-olds.

Lexi Fielding writes, “I was hired by my ‘externship’ at the New England Equine Clinic for the summer, and I worked there as a veterinary technician. I also leased a horse from my college in Virginia to get ready for my season on the Equestrian Team at William and Mary, where I will be serving as Team Captain for the 2016-2017 show season!”

Liv Burns spent the summer working in creative design for Chief Executive magazine and she was excited to see her name in the masthead for the September/October issue!

Additionally, she’s been staying busy with her photo business.

Liv is pursuing a double major in French and Journalism at George Washington University.

Erika Malapad-Trentalange writes, “I received gold medals with my partner Meredith in the 5K Unified Cycling during the Special Olympics Summer

WESTOVER SCHOOL MAGAZINE WINTER 2017

Games this year and I’m working to become a certified coach with the Oxford Special Olympics.”

After having spent the summer teaching English in northern Italy, Hannah Hudson is thrilled to be returning to Europe to spend her junior year abroad.

She studied first in Bordeaux, France during the fall, and then will study in Ferrara, Italy in the spring. To all her Westover ladies in Europe — let’s meet for a croissant en France or a cappuccino in Italia!

Stephanie Crudele spent her summer working as a product management intern for Stanley Black & Decker, focusing on productivity for the company’s industrial automotive lines. In addition, she was lucky enough to attend the 77th Biennial Convention of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority in Atlanta, GA, where she was able to meet sisters from all over the world and participate in parliamentary processes. As of now, she is in the swing of her junior year at Bentley University, where she is majoring in Finance with a minor in Politics.

Emma McGovern writes, “I’m studying in Los Angeles for a semester through Ithaca College’s Los Angeles Program where I not only take classes, but also complete a part-time internship in the industry. I am currently interning at Titmouse Animation as an animation production intern, and taking classes in film theory and

Emma Beaulieu, Erika Malapad-Trentalange, and Lexi Fielding all went to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota to volunteer in a town called La Plant with a group named Simply Smiles.

“We worked on building new homes and running a summer camp for the kids,” she said.

They were joined by Grayson Beaulieu ’17 and also ran into Jill Verzino ’12 while there.

2016 JULIANNE BROWN juliannesarahbrown@gmail.com

In true Julianne Brown fashion, I spent my first free college Saturday with friends in Dickinson’s Trout Gallery at the opening of an art show. While adjusting to college life has been challenging, I am more grateful every day for the foundation Westover set for me.

Luckily I’m able to stay connected to the “yellow nunnery” by acting as Class Secretary and by having my sisters visit me in Carlisle!

After the 2016 graduation, Sophie McLaughlin ’17, Brianna Bergen ’17, Nina Wernick and Joscie Norris spent four days backpacking alone around Mount Greylock in Massachusetts.

Joscie also worked at the Westover Summer camp, counseling photography with Erin Bottino, finishing the Westover woods hiking-trails map, and working at a local farm. She is having an amazing experience at UVM this fall, and was accepted into their rock climbing leadership program, which involves many thrilling classes in the Vermont and Adirondack fall landscape.

Since its founding in 1909, Westover has stood witness to many changes on campus and around the world. Throughout it all, one thing has remained constant:

Westover is home.

GIVE When you give to the Westover Fund, you sustain that vision. You support the people, programs, and place that make Westover home for smart, motivated girls who grow to become conďŹ dent, connected women — today, and for generations to come.

WENDY RHODES Associate Director of the Westover Fund wrhodes@westoverschool.org | 203.577.4540 alumnae-westoverschool.org/giving

Non-profit Org U.S. Postage PAID New Britain, CT Permit No.5

1237 Whittemore Road | P.O. Box 847 Middlebury, CT 06762-0847 203.758.2423 | westoverschool.org

Save the date!

May 12-13, 2017 Westover Reunion Weekend Come celebrate Westover

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS FRIDAY Tour of Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut On-campus workshops hosted by alumnae Class visits

We Are Westover filming sessions Meet and Greet Reception

• Classes ending in 2 and 7 celebrate their milestone reunions

Glee Concert

• Hotel reservations now being accepted

Bonfire at Seven Sisters

• Westover has arranged a room block at the Southbury Plaza (formerly Crowne Plaza). For reservations, call 203.598.7600 and reference Westover School for a discounted rate.

SATURDAY

• Saturday, May 13th is Alumnae Day! • Mark your calendar! Registration for Alumnae Day opens the same time as registration for Reunion.

Chapel Service Alumnae Association Meeting and Awards Presentation Cookout WISE Center Open House

For more details, visit www.westoverschool.org/reunion

Panel: Diversity at Westover through the years Poetry Reading with Bruce Coffin Printing Press demonstrations

We Are Westover filming sessions Campus Tours and Trail Walks

COGITARE, AGERE, ESSE — TO THINK, TO DO, TO BE

Class Dinners