Crimson Magazine-Spring 2021 Issue_Morristown-Beard School

Contents Remarks from the Head of School...............................2 Head of School Transition Update..............................................5 2021-2026 Strategic Plan.............6 MBS Moments............................ 14 Show of Courage......................... 24 A Decade of Leadership: Peter J. Caldwell Retires........... 28

Q & A Ryan Liese....................... 38 Q & A Klarissa Karosen............ 40 Experiential Learning................ 42 Teaching in the Time of COVID........................................ 44 Charting a Path to Success in Math.............................................. 48 Stories of Excellence in Teaching & Learning................................... 50

Beyond the Classroom.............. 54 Crimson Corner......................... 58 Powerfully Prepared................... 62 Alumni Moments....................... 66 Class Notes.................................. 72 In Memoriam.............................. 78

The Math & Science Center became the “fourth wall” of our quad area and transformed our campus after it’s completion in 2017.

Today, this state-of-the-art facility continues to enrich the academic experience of our students.

New Math & Science Center

Crimson Spring 2021

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REMARKS FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dear MBS Family & Friends, Ten years ago, I wrote my first letter to the community as Head of School in this Crimson magazine. In that article, I noted the opening of Wilkie Hall and announced that our “new” iPad program was thriving. A leader in the creative use of technology, MBS has benefitted from years of experience as we navigate through this unprecedented pandemic. Who would have thought, 10 years ago, that we would be preparing for this outcome! As you will read in this magazine, we have managed a full program despite the masks, social distancing and an occasional pivot to distance learning.

While running a school during this time has been a challenge, I have been heartened by the response of the faculty and staff as well as our amazing students. I entered this profession because of the opportunity to work with, and hopefully inspire, young people. I must say that the last 10 years have been by far my most rewarding of my long and varied career as an educator. It has been a privilege to serve as the Head of School of MBS, and, while this year will be my last, I will carry MBS in my heart and follow the progress of the School with great interest and delight for years to come.

At the beginning of every school year, I tell the seniors that their goal should be to leave MBS even stronger than it was when they entered the School. That has certainly been my goal for myself. With the tireless help of colleagues, and with the support of the Board, much has been accomplished over the last 10 years. I am proud that the curricular innovation and programmatic vision for MBS drove the development and improvement of the buildings and grounds, including the Math & Science Center, the Center for Innovation & Design, and renovations to the Simon Athletic Center and track and field. I am also grateful for the generous support of our entire community whose collective efforts and financial support have enabled us to fully fund and complete these capital projects.

The initiatives most meaningful to me have been ones that enhance the daily experience of students, teachers, and staff, including significant and thoughtful work in DEI to ensure all members of the community feel that they belong. This allows an exceptional school to be a relevant voice in a contemporary, national dialogue on educational best practices; and that ensures the School’s continued fiscal strength and lasting sustainability.

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MBS is a thriving, extraordinary school, well poised for its own next chapter. The new Interdisciplinary Concentration Program that we are rolling out this spring will be one such program, and, it plays to the strengths of the School.

I have to admit that there is much that Darcy and I will miss when we leave this incredible community. Most poignant will be our relationship with the remarkable students who have passed through our doors. It gives us unending delight to watch how so many students have flourished and been transformed under the watchful eye of a loving and brilliant faculty and staff. Simply put, MBS is a joyful community because of the people.

Please know that I am working carefully with Liz Morrison, the next Head of School, as we chart a smooth and seamless transition. I am very excited about her appointment, and I am confident that she will continue to develop and refine the work that we have started and successfully execute the new Strategic Plan we finalized this year.

I am forever inspired by the professionalism and deep care shown to Darcy and me by the MBS Board and community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and their families.

Thank you for your support, and for your friendship, both professional and personal. Thank you for the honor and joy of serving MBS. With all the best wishes from campus,

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I entered this profession because of the opportunity to work with, and hopefully inspire, young people. I must say that the last 10 years have been by far my most rewarding of my long and varied career as an educator.

Please save the date for a community-wide celebration and toast for Peter J. Caldwell Thursday, June 17, 2021 6:30 PM Our hope is to gather on the campus of Morristown-Beard School, but due to the ever-changing COVID restrictions, the details of the celebration will be shared closer to the event date.

Peter J. Caldwell Head of School Crimson Spring 2021

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Proudly Announcing the

Peter J. Caldwell Scholarship Endowment Fund Established in 2021 by the Board of Trustees in honor of Peter J. Caldwell for his dedicated service and leadership as Head of School from 2011-2021, this fund supports the lofty and ambitious goal of providing an MBS education to any deserving candidate regardless of their financial means.

“The son of boarding school teachers, Peter Caldwell has been deeply immersed in the life of an independent school community since childhood and his professional career reflects this fundamental truth: he is a life-long educator. We are extremely appreciative of Peter’s transformative leadership and his commitment and caring for our School, our students, and our community. We are immensely proud of the legacy he will leave at MBS.”

—John F. Fay

President, Board of Trustees P ’11, ’14, ’20 “As the cost of education continues to increase, it is more important than ever that an MBS education be accessible to all deserving candidates regardless of their ability to pay. As lifelong educators, Darcy and I both agree there is no greater gift one can give a child—the gift of an education.”

—Peter J. Caldwell

Head of School

To make a gift to the Peter J. Caldwell Scholarship Endowment Fund in honor of Peter, please scan the QR code with your phone’s camera, visit www.mbs.net/support, or contact Betsy Patterson, Director of Advancement, at 973-532-7524 or bpatterson@mbs.net.

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HEAD OF SCHOOL TRANSITION UPDATE With the announcement in the fall of the unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees to appoint Elizabeth “Liz” Morrison as the next Head of School, effective July 1, 2021, a Transition Committee was formed to ensure a seamless transition process. The committee is responsible for the comprehensive oversight of both a smooth departure and arrival in a carefully balanced manner. The transition actually began in January with weekly Zoom meetings between Peter and Liz. Celebrations have already begun for Head of School Peter J. Caldwell, as several virtual celebrations and farewell toasts have been held in the tristate area and Florida, and are planned for Boston and Washington D.C. for alumni and friends. In addition to honoring Peter by publishing a selection of his beloved “Bench Talks” that he would deliver monthly to the students, members of the MBS community have been asked to send in “Notes to Peter” that will be collected and presented to him in June.

Plans are also underway for a community-wide celebration for Peter to be held on the MBS campus Thursday, June 17. Due to COVID restrictions that can change weekly, details for the celebration will be shared closer to the date. “We are thrilled to celebrate and honor Peter and his legacy,” states Transition Committee Co-chair and Trustee Lissa Jean Ferrell P ’22. “Peter is leaving MBS as he would have wanted to inherit it when he was incoming Head. Our role in sending Peter off is made easy since the entire MBS community stands with our committee as we say a bittersweet farewell to our beloved Head of School.”

The committee will also assist in Liz Morrison’s onboarding and successful integration with all MBS constituencies. “We are committed to celebrating Liz’s arrival with warmth and enthusiasm, supporting her prime interest in meeting and engaging the students early, particularly getting to know the rising seniors,” says Transition Committee Co-Chair and Trustee Scott Tannen ’95, P ’22, ’25, ’25. Making sure that Liz and her family settle into New Jersey comfortably is important. “We are both bridge-building and acting as concierge, making sure Liz joins our community with joy and positive anticipation,” said Ferrell.

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Transition Committee Members Lissa Jean Ferrell - Trustee, Transition Committee Co-Chair, P ’22 Scott Tannen ’95 - Trustee, Transition Committee Co-Chair, P ’22, ’25, ’25 Darren Burns - Associate Head of School, P ’19, ’22 Amy D’Andrea - Parents Association, Upper School Coordinator, P ’21, ’23, ’24 Abbie Shine Giordano - Trustee, P ’12, ’15, ’17 Boni Luna - Director of Curriculum & Professional Development, Head of Middle School Linda Magnotta - Parents Association, Vice President, P ’21, ’25 Betsy Patterson - Director of Advancement, P ’14, ’16 Lee Kellogg Sadrian ’89 - Trustee, P ’26 Caroline Turben ’87 - P ’24 Crimson Spring 2021

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Strategic Plan 2021 –2026

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Dear MBS Community, We are excited to announce the Morristown-Beard School 2021-2026 Strategic Plan—a culmination of over a year of asking questions, listening to the community, and finding common ground and purpose as we look to the future. The Steering Committee drew on the perspectives of alumni, parents, faculty, administrators, staff, consultants, and current students in order to articulate objectives that will guide our decisions over the next five years.

The 2021-2026 Strategic Plan indicates several directions of growth. At the same time, it is unified by ideals and aspirations that give it an individual character. In all of its pillars, the new Strategic Plan gives strong emphasis to an MBS education as an experience that lives on beyond the confines of any classroom and beyond a student’s time in the Middle and Upper School.

This Strategic Plan was finalized in a year that set before us challenges like none other in the School’s history. As we commenced the drafting of the Plan, we could not have known what emerged would speak so clearly of what we have very much needed in the past year: mutual understanding, the capacity to reflect upon our own well-being and the well-being of those around us, and a sharp sense of the daunting complexities of the century in which we live. We hope, however, that the Plan also speaks to the promise of the world we have built and the potential for our students to continue to shape that world for the better.

We look forward to leading the implementation of this ambitious new Plan over the next five years.

Respectfully, Darren Burns, P ’19, ’22 Associate Head of School

Gerald Scully P ’20, ’22 Co-Chair, Trustee

Carisa Strauss P ’20, ’22, ’24 Co-Chair, Trustee

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Academic Program Objective: Develop academic programs to empower intellectually curious learners to ethically and responsibly meet the challenges of a world undergoing a technological revolution Implementation:

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Enhance the academic programs through ongoing appraisal of curricular initiatives, grading and assessment practices, and essential skills Create and fund professional development that supports curricular initiatives, fosters faculty growth, and enhances each student’s experience Audit and revise the curriculum for all grades to incorporate more diverse, equitable, and inclusive perspectives Cultivate the habits of mind and skills students will need to face the challenges of an increasingly complex world

Crimson Spring 2021

Wellness Objective: Expand the range and reach of our initiatives to support the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of all members of the MBS community Implementation: Revise the wellness curriculum and rethink the place of wellness throughout the curriculum in light of the widening understanding of what constitutes “health” and “wellness” Build a professional development program for faculty and staff to learn about the latest research in mental health, inclusivity, self-care, and social-emotional learning and how it pertains to the learning of students

Update and expand the MBS facilities to meet the demands of a robust cross-community commitment to wellness Establish clearer, and more, lines of communication between student-led wellness initiatives, the administration and faculty, and parents Update the MBS crisis plan in light of the recent national and regional pandemic

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Objective:

Cultivate an anti-racist culture and an intentionally inclusive school community Implementation: Boldly invest the resources needed to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion Ensure the school environment and policies are respectful, free of bias, safe, and empowering for every student Strengthen the connection to BIPOC* parents and alumni by creating opportunities for them to engage with each other and the school community Expand cultural competency training for all faculty and staff while also providing educational opportunities for the entire MBS community Prioritize and broaden our recruitment and retention strategies to increase the number of BIPOC faculty/staff *Black, Indigenous, People of Color

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Experiential Learning Objective:

Engage our community in meaningful, hands-on challenges to foster empathy, resilience, and the courage to reconsider what is possible Implementation: Make the distinct strengths of Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and Design Studies reasons to come to MBS

Map out clearer pathways for students committed to the Arts at MBS Expand the force and scope of “Global Studies” at MBS Challenge the MBS community to recognize and confront global and local interconnectedness with humility, respect, and a sense of responsibility Guide and support the MBS community in meaningful service opportunities Extend the reach of academic programs into communities of real-world professionals

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Enrollment Management Objective:

Expand MBS’s reputation as a school of choice that focuses on each student’s individual educational experience Implementation: Increase alignment of the admission process and strategies with the School’s curricular philosophy through more sophisticated use of data

Implement new recruitment efforts to expand applicant pool with a concentration on key entry points Maximize accessibility for all students who seek the MBS experience Ensure long-term sustainability of the School to support these initiatives, including growth of the endowment

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Continue to provide opportunities that make the MBS experience exceptional

Morristown-Beard School

OUR MISSION Within a culture of support and collaboration, Morristown-Beard School students discover and develop their individual pathways to academic success and personal fulfillment while becoming enlightened, morally responsible citizens of the world.

OUR VALUES PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY Personal responsibility is the foundation of character. It requires integrity, personal accountability, and the highest moral standards in all communication, decision-making, and actions.

AWARENESS OF DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES Awareness of Diverse Perspectives enhances all aspects of learning. The more students encounter, understand, and respect other points of view, the more deeply engaged they become, both academically and socially. Empathy is a powerful force in creating positive interactions.

ENGAGEMENT Engagement in all aspects of school life encourages risk-taking, creates a more fulfilling educational experience, and enhances personal growth.

TENACITY Tenacity is essential in overcoming obstacles as it redefines failures as necessary steps of the learning process.

INDEPENDENCE OF MIND Independence of Mind allows us to question trendy or conformist thinking, and helps us as individuals to examine critically our decisions and assumptions.

HUMOR AND HUMILITY Humor and humility are central components of the resilience required to meet the inevitable challenges we encounter not only in school, but also in life. At MBS, we value the ability not to take ourselves too seriously, even when we are engaged in the most serious of endeavors.

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MBS MOMENTS

Quiz Bowl Team Enjoys Success in Tournaments At the Maroon Bowl hosted by Ridgewood High School in January, the “A” team went 5-0 in the playoff matches and finished 13th out of 36 teams; the “B” team finished 23rd out of 36 teams. In February, at a tournament hosted by Johns Hopkins University, the “A” team went 5-0 in the playoff matches, finished 7th overall as a team, and qualified for the national tournament. In a third tournament, the “A” team placed 11th in a very competitive field.

Maya Bhide ’23 Wins Morristown ONSTAGE; Zac Taylor ’22 Named a Finalist Congratulations to MBS sophomore singer Maya Bhide ’23, who won the 18 and Under category of the 14th annual talent show, Morristown ONSTAGE on March 10. For the finals, Bhide sang a stunning version of the Mariah Carey song “Hero.”

MBS was also represented in the finals by talented junior Zac Taylor ’22, who sang “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar.

To watch their performances, scan QR code with your phone’s camera.

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In addition to winning $1,000, Bhide will have the opportunity to perform at Mayo Performing Arts Center when Morristown ONSTAGE returns in-person in 2022. She was also awarded the New York Jets Take Flight award and will have the chance to sing the National Anthem at MetLife Stadium.

Community Celebrates Campaign Success with Virtual Event Members of the MBS community gathered online on November 29 to celebrate the successful completion of the five-year, $20 million Transforming Our Future campaign.

Thanks to the generosity of nearly 2,000 donors, the campaign surpassed the goal of $20 million by 2020. This community-wide effort raised more than $26 million, allowing the School to transform the campus, provide increased financial aid, and enhance the student experience. The School was able to fully fund the construction of the $12.6 million Math & Science Center, the 8,000-square foot Center for Innovation & Design, renovations to the Simon Athletic Center and Rooke Pool, the re-turfing of Burke Field, and the addition of Science On a Sphere® in Wilkie Hall.

To watch a replay of the video celebration, scan QR code with your phone’s camera.

Kailyn Williams ’21 Wins State Music Composition Competition Kailyn Williams ’21 won this year’s New Jersey Music Teachers National Association (NJMTNA) Student Composition Competition with her original string quartet piece “Silver Bells & Golden Sand” and will advance to the regional and national competitions. Judges praised Williams’ composition for its “youthful energy and the inviting accessibility of the music—a good deal of humorous and lyrical writing, memorable thematic material and virtuosic handling of the string parts.” Kailyn is looking forward to recording her original composition as part of her Advanced Strings class with MBS Performing Arts Department Chair David Gold.

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MBS MOMENTS

Students Learn about Psychology of Courage and Inaction Professor Catherine Sanderson of Amherst College delivered a Zoom presentation to Upper School students called “Merely Bystanders: The Psychology of Courage and Inaction” in February.

Ms. Sanderson’s presentation focused on why people stay silent in the face of bad behavior, and how understanding the psychology of this behavior will help people speak up. She speaks regularly for public and corporate audiences on topics such as the science of happiness, the power of emotional intelligence, and the psychology of courage and inaction. She is the author of Why We Act: Turning Bystanders into Moral Rebels (Harvard University Press) and The Bystander Effect: The Psychology of Courage and Inaction (HarperCollins) Professor Sanderson spoke to parents about the same subject in a program co-hosted by Morristown-Beard School and Common Ground Speaks, a consortium of parents associations of local independent schools.

Colette Gentile ’25 Honored in Photography Contest Eight-grader Colette Gentile ’25 was named first runner-up in the New Jersey Monthly photography contest for her photograph of her brother riding a carousel swing at the Jersey shore titled “Little Brother, Big Swing.” Her photo, taken using an iPhone 11, was selected from more than 1,300 entrants.

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Performing Arts Department Stages Virtual Winter Dance Concert This year’s virtual dance concert, choreographed by dance teacher Andrea Deventer, featured performances by the Upper School Dance Ensemble, Advanced Dance, Intermediate Dance, Intro to Dance, and Middle School Dance classes as well as an Independent Study presentation and performance by Meera Iyer ’25. Performances were recorded live in Founders Hall between November 2020 and January 2021.

To watch the concert, scan QR code with your phone’s camera.

30-Day Challenge and Day of Giving The MB Fund, our School’s annual fund, supports every aspect of the MBS experience. Two initiatives that help raise yearly participation for The MB Fund are the #Thanks2MBS 24-Hour Day of Giving in November and the 30-Day Class Challenge in February. This year, #Thanks2MBS had a record-breaking 626 donors, a 46% increase from the 429 donors last year.

The main goal of the 30-Day Class Challenge is to increase current parent participation in The MB Fund. At the beginning of the Challenge, the overall current parent participation was 56% and throughout the month of February it increased to 77%—what a tremendous accomplishment!

Thank you to everyone who participated in #Thanks2MBS 24-Hour Day of Giving and the 30-Day Class Challenge!

To learn more about The MB Fund, scan QR code with your phone’s camera or visit www.mbs.net/support.

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MBS MOMENTS

Songwriter/Dramatist Rupert Holmes Speaks to Upper School Chorus The Upper School Chorus participated in a Zoom call with singer/ songwriter, dramatist, and author Rupert Holmes, who is widely known for the hit singles “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” and “Him.” He is also well-known for his Tony Award winning musicals, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Curtains, in which he collaborated with John Kander and Fred Ebb. Mr. Holmes discussed his career, including working with Barbra Streisand and his collaboration with Kander and Ebb. MBS Choral Director Ben Krauss co-orchestrated the 2012 Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood and subsequently worked as Mr. Holmes’ music assistant.

MBS Summer Institute to Offer Credit and Enrichment Courses This year, the MBS Summer Institute is introducing four 3-week-long academic credit courses from July 19 to August 6, an online college essay class from July 12 to 16, and a suite of enrichment classes from July 19 to 30 for Middle School (rising 6th – 8th Grade) and Upper School (rising 9th – 12th Grade) students.

Upper School academic credit courses being offered include: Electronic Music Immersion, Environmental Economics, Organizations and Leadership, and Constitutional Debates. Upper School students may also take enrichment courses in Math Foundations, Wordsmithing, and The College Essay. This year’s Middle School enrichment courses are: Math Madness, Wordsmithing, Strategy Gaming, and Digital Sketching Bootcamp.

Please contact Amanda Gregory, Director of the Summer Institute at summerinstitute@mbs.net with any questions you might have.

Registration is now open!

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For full course descriptions and more information scan QR code with your phone’s camera.

Keeping The MBS Community Safe As part of ongoing efforts to protect the MBS community and keep our campus open, Morristown-Beard School started weekly COVID-19 saliva-based testing in December. The School takes in around 700 samples each week for testing, and results are reported by the end of the weekend and posted on our website.

Under the direction of Darren Burns, Associate Head of School, the test sample collection process has been a real community effort as various departments, including Technology, Buildings & Grounds, Security, Nursing, and other staff members have gone above and beyond to make this a successful endeavor.

MBS continues to add and adopt new protocols and procedures to keep our community safe and connected on campus.

Morristown-Beard School Launches Mobile App For quick and convenient access to › Directories › News Stories › Calendars › Athletic schedules › School events and more!

Download the MBS App today!

Apple App Store

Google Play

Log into the app using the same credentials you use to log into the portal on mbs.net Crimson Spring 2021 19

MBS MOMENTS

Students Watch “The Danger of a Single Story” As part of a virtual All-School Meeting, students watched “The Danger of a Single Story,” a TED Talk by Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie, which describes the dangers of stereotyping and making sweeping generalizations when you know only a limited amount of information about a person or group.

In her talk, Adichie describes how our lives and our cultures are composed of many overlapping stories. She describes how she found her authentic cultural voice—and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete.

They make one story become the only story,” she says.

*Posed pictures-social distancing guidelines followed

Middle School Students Learn about Clubs and Interest Groups The Middle School held an open house to introduce students to various clubs and groups they could join. Students learned about the focus of each group and heard from their Upper School counterparts, who were able to answer questions and generate excitement.

The groups included: GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Members of GLOW hold discussions, facilitate gender workshops, and offer forums to increase awareness on topics such as domestic violence, the influence of social media, and women in the workforce.

Kaleidoscope Kaleidoscope is a multi-cultural diversity club that promotes awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of diverse cultures on campus. Students gather to discuss topics surrounding socioeconomics and cultural identity.

To watch the TED Talk, scan QR code with your phone’s camera.

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Mental Health Matters Mental Health Matters is designed to increase awareness of and reduce stigma around mental health. Mindfulness is an integral component of our educational philosophy and students are encouraged to practice mindfulness techniques to promote balance, an increased sense of calm, and reduce anxiety.

Spectrum Spectrum is a gay-straight alliance club that meets regularly to discuss LGBTQIA+ topics and organize school-wide events to raise awareness and celebrate the community.

Kaleidoscope Club Discusses Asian American Representation in the Media Members of Kaleidoscope met to discuss the importance of authentic Asian American representation in the media and their exclusion from many conversations pertaining to people of color. The students explored lyrics

by Korean rapper Dumbfoundead and identified common stereotypes perpetuated about Asian communities. This topic led members to reflect on their own experiences and the intersectionality of identity. Kaleidoscope leaders hope to continue elevating conversations about different cultures present at MBS to raise awareness and promote solidarity.

Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam Discuss Novel MBS families listened to a conversation between award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Dr. Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five, who collaborated on Punching the Air, a powerful novel about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated.

The event was part of the Crimson Conversations series as well as the annual MBS Book Fair. In addition, Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam spoke to MBS students focusing on creative writing and the justice system.

The book tells a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth in a system designed to strip him of both. In their conversation, Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam spoke about their artistic collaboration, placed the “Central Park jogger” case in an historical context, addressed the racial injustice that exists today, and discussed whether they see signs of hope for the future.

Ibi Zoboi underscored the importance of reaching today’s young people and said that she hopes Punching the Air will help “start the shift—one child, one book, one conversation at a time.”

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MBS MOMENTS

Middle School Diversity and Leadership Workshops Middle School students participated in diversity and leadership workshops designed to help them gain selfawareness, understand how their identities intersect, build empathy, and become change agents within the community.

The workshops were organized

by Middle School Coordinator of DEI Initiatives Michael McGrann and included team building exercises and a special presentation from MBS alumnus Ian Elmore-Moore ’09. The video presentation addressed different leadership styles and identified areas for cultural improvement on campus.

MBS Community Participates in Diversity Conference Members of the Morristown-Beard School community attended the virtual Far Brook School Diversity Conference—Widening the Lens 2020—which centered on the theme “Lift Every Voice: Centering the Student Experience in Building Anti-Racist Communities.” The keynote speaker at the event was Zerlina Maxwell, a cable television host, political analyst, commentator, speaker, and writer. Parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and students gathered in small breakout groups to advance the diversity discussion at their school and share challenges, experiences, and best practices with colleagues from peer schools.

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Parent Community Continues Activities Virtually During the Pandemic Trivia Night

Senior parents enjoyed a fast-paced game of virtual trivia hosted

by Teambuilding.com. The 60-minute game combined wildly smart clues, unique game mechanics, and fun challenges as a way to create a memorable experience for MBS parents.

Parents Association Book Club

Members gathered on Zoom in January and enjoyed a discussion of the themes in Ralph Ellison’s epic novel The Invisible Man. Originally published in 1952, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks and won the National Book Award for fiction.

Parents Association Hosts Common Ground Speaks

The MBS Parents Association co-sponsored this year’s Common Ground speaks program in January which included a presentation

by Professor Catherine Sanderson, Chair of Psychology at Amherst College, entitled: Merely Bystanders: The Psychology of Courage and Inaction.

LGBTQIA+ Workshop As part of the MBS Crimson Conversations series for parents, Ashley Riker, Safe Schools and Community Education Manager of Garden State Equality, led a workshop entitled, “Parents as Allies: How to Talk to Your Children about LGBTQ Topics.”

Ms. Riker spoke about the benefits of LGBTQ inclusion in schools and reviewed terminology and language, which included the meaning of LGBTQQIAAP. She also underscored the need for LGBTQ allies and how important it is to a child’s mental health to show that you care.

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conversations

Common Ground Speaks is a consortium of parents associations of independent schools in the Central/Northern New Jersey area.

Incoming Head of School Liz Morrison Speaks to Parents MBS parents got to learn a little bit more about incoming Head of School Elizabeth “Liz” Morrison, who spoke as part of the virtual Parents Association General Meeting in February.

Liz shared a little about her career as Head of School at the Antilles School in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and how she began her career in education. She also shared information about her family, vacationing, and pastime interests.

Liz is excited to be a part of our “amazing school community,” and looks forward to “continue to build on the incredible work that Peter (Caldwell) has done.”

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SHOW OF COURAGE Saturday, November 7 was supposed to be the second

By Darcy Caldwell and

Dr. Owen Boynton English Department

of a two-night run of Mother Courage at Morristown-Beard School. Instead, the cast, crew, and director found themselves lucky to be on campus at all, rehearsing on location: a repurposed Senior Circle, which would serve as the stage for the performance. Over a week earlier, the campus had shut down for the first time since the start of the year. The two-week stretch of remote learning meant at the very least that opening night would be postponed. Some in the cast and crew worried that the show would not be performed before a live audience at all.

The cast rehearsed from noon until dark set in, around 5:30. The plan for the day was to run through the entire show, with special attention given to

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the final four scenes, which the cast had never run through in person.

That plan, too, was disrupted. The show’s director, Nick Corley turned to the show’s producer and musical director, MBS chorus teacher, Ben Krauss: “They’ve forgotten all of the blocking.” The two weeks of rehearsing exclusively on Zoom had cleared away whatever precarious foundations had been established during the six in-person rehearsals they had managed, never doing more than a couple of scenes, up until then. Corley made the call: “We’re going to start over.”

The postponed date for opening night was six days away.

On Saturday, however, there wasn’t enough natural light in the outdoor space to stage more than a third of the show. On Monday, November 9, they had just enough time to unload tech and “mess around on the space,” Technical Director Nik Marmo recalls.

Tuesday’s rehearsal provided enough time to get through the first half of the show, but Wednesday’s rehearsal was rained out, and on Thursday, the hour and a half available for rehearsal had to be dedicated to setting up sound and lights, an especially complex task for Nik Marmo and his crew, given the space itself: a wide oval of grass, set away from buildings, and open to the elements.

Mother Courage opened on November 13, a Friday. It was the first time the cast had run through the entire show, together, in person.

The final four scenes had never been performed live. The weather had been balmy a week earlier, but a gnawing cold had set in during the week. Members of the audience sat beneath blankets, in hats, gloves, and heavy winter coats, spread around a floodlit Senior Circle.

Actors were dressed in costumes that left them exposed to the cold.

The singers struggled. “I could feel like I wasn’t taking a deep enough breath for what needed to be done,” says Evie Mitchell, class of 2021, who was one of a trio singing between scenes. In some ways, it very much felt like a Friday the 13th.

Ben Krauss explains the choice of show: “Nick Corley proposed Mother Courage since it is a play about ideas. At the start of every scene, the narrators say, ‘here is what is about to happen in the scene,’ so you know what you’re watching. Nick said that with Mother Courage, we could do it on Senior Circle and film it, we could do it over Zoom, or we could do it live. I asked him to write an explanation because I didn’t want everyone to ask why we were doing this war piece where everyone dies. We had a heavy theater season last school year. We had wanted a lighter year, perhaps opening the school year with a comedy. But, as with so much of this year, our choices were dictated by finding pieces of theater that would work outdoors.”

In recent years it’s become something of a truism that creativity is set alight by constraints. Like most truisms, this one has limits. At extremes, constraints stifle creativity. Nowhere has this been felt more keenly than in the world of theater over the past year. As if limiting audience capacity indoors wasn’t enough, the pandemic made it difficult for actors to rehearse and share space. With nowhere to perform and few ways to rehearse, how could shows go on? Many schools followed Broadway’s lead and decided that 2020-2021 would have to be a year without theatrical productions.

At MBS, as audiences saw during the two-night run of Mother Courage, something else happened: genuine, live theater. Watching the show served as a reminder that, as Brecht understood, theater can be an act of resilience and resistance. It also served as a reminder of how much creativity, ingenuity, and imagination it takes to conceive and execute the performance of a play.

In a sense, Mother Courage is a horror show: through macabre humor, grotesque characters, impassioned rhetoric, abrupt violence, and startlingly catchy musical interludes it confronts the audience with the horrors of war. Rather than purge feelings in a cathartic experience, Brecht’s “Epic Theater” wants to stir us to break free from the recurrent movement towards war. It’s a work of idealism that refuses to idealize the world. Set among the German states during the Thirty Years War, it speaks to history more generally, recognizing that too much of the past has been given to wanton cruelty and coordinated destruction of life, and imploring us to see that the future might be the same if nothing changes. It is one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century theater.

Crimson Spring 2021 25

Krauss does not think MBS could have managed a show at all had it not been for Nick Corley, a director with a long list of Broadway credentials. “The students can’t really appreciate this, but they could have a life working in theater and never work with a director as good as Nick Corley again. There are not a lot of directors that are excellent. A lot are what are called traffic cops: they say you go here, you go there. Real directors are hard to find.

Jim Ruttman has worked in professional theater for 35 years and says he hasn’t worked with a lot of great directors. Nick Corley is a great director.”

But pulling off the production placed enormous demands on everyone involved. Since many of the rehearsals happened on Zoom, the cast, usually forming a special bond over the rehearsal process, felt distant from one another. “I didn’t get as much interaction with the younger grades as I would have liked to,” Mitchell ’21 says.

Because rehearsal had been so patchy and rushed, the actors were prepared to improvise and change directions, not having run through the show enough to feel their usual confidence that things would most likely go as planned and scripted. Mitchell recalls: “We were going to have a safeword for the show, so if anything

26 Crimson Spring 2021

bad happened, Kailyn [Williams, class of 2021] who played Mother Courage would have this word that would signal the shift of an entire scene into the next one.” It never came to that.

Glitches did happen, and adjustments were made. “The hardest moments were the ones with physical cues and physical props because we had a lot of time to rehearse with Zoom, but in terms of when we were getting something, that was always difficult, or just something that needed an action beside it,” says Williams ’21. One moment stands out. “There was this one scene where I was hanging clothes on the clothing line and there were supposed to be socks there and I was supposed to give them to my ‘son,’ Swiss Cheese. They weren’t there and I just continued on and was like “make sure you find your socks” and then Sam [Kasmin], who was playing Swiss Cheese, just went on with it, ‘I’ll make sure I find them.’”

At one point on opening night, when the giant wagon fabricated in the scene shop by MBS’ Jim Ruttman became stuck in the mud, Corley ran onto Senior Circle to help push it free. It somehow felt fitting: true to the spirit of Brecht, who shattered the fourth wall between actors and audience, and true also to the spirit of the entire production, which was from inception to strike a sustained exercise in improvisation and grit.

Morale was low among cast and crew in the hours before the show opened.

The adults attempted to bring perspective. “We tried to impress on them that when they come back for the five, ten, fifteen year reunion, we are going to talk about that time they went out and came on Senior Circle and did a show,” said Nik Marmo. “We stressed that their performance on the stage should be not only about doing this show, but about taking a moment for themselves to do something that they love, and also a moment for every other kid across New Jersey and across the country who wants to be performing but can’t because their school is shut down, or their school is in person but there’s just no safe way to do this.”

lyrics, including the lullaby and recurring main theme. Corley also wanted to feature Kate Bush’s “Army Dreamers”. Mother Courage invites warring theatrical elements, and then demands that they be reconciled into a unified vision. The surest way for a production to fail is for a director, cast, and crew to shy away from risks. In the midst of a pandemic, though, the temptation to play it safe would be entirely understandable. Why not, for instance, re-imagine the play as a radio drama?

But here, on the Saturday night, when everything was locked into place, and the performance went off without a hitch, was actor Will Srere, class of 2021, picking up an electric guitar mid-scene and riffing as Mother Courage, sustained by Kailyn William’s expert skill, held a violin and played a haunting melody. It was so cold that Williams could not feel her fingertips. The audience, despite the cold, could not see their breath.

Even before the pandemic, a high school deciding to put on Mother Courage might be thought audacious. The original show runs to over three hours. Corley received permission from the Brecht estate to abridge it to one and a half hours. The play’s stylized mixture of farce and tragedy presents actors with challenges of characterization, which are compounded by Brecht’s designing a play to alienate the audience, rather than elicit empathy. Nobody is supposed to weep along with anyone on the stage. Beyond the actors, the play requires its own soundscape, including thundering explosions, gunfire, and musical interludes. In the Morristown-Beard production, Ben Krauss adapted one 90’s folk-rock song for the show, and then wrote original music for the rest of Brecht’s

Crimson Spring 2021 27

A Decade of Leadership:

Peter J. Caldwell T

en years ago as part of his installation speech in Founders Hall, Head of School Peter J. Caldwell spoke of the sense of place, where it comes from, and its importance in making us who we are. He noted that most of us probably come from more than one place, and we always take part of our past with us when we leave.

Mr. Caldwell shared with the students what he hoped they would take with them when they remembered their time at MBS; a clear sense of self, commitment to family, community, or a cause, the appreciation and value of hard work, a passion for giving to the greater good, and the ability to cherish the present.

Throughout his 10 years at MBS, Mr. Caldwell led by example, modeling the same values that he lauded in that speech, and working tirelessly to enhance the MBS experience for students, faculty and staff, alumni, parents, and friends. With the Strategic Plan as his map, Mr. Caldwell’s dedication to the MorristownBeard School community has been unwavering.

In February of 2020, when MBS Head of School Peter J. Caldwell announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2021 academic year, the moment was emotional, but also deliberate and 28 Crimson Spring 2021

Retires

By Steve Patchett

Crimson 2012

thoughtful, as warm and reassuring as any other Bench Talk or decision in his tenure. He spoke about the process that led up to his decision, the importance of family, the intentional way that the Board of Trustees would have ample time to conduct a thorough national search for his successor, and his deep bonds with the MBS community that can never be erased by retirement.

Board of Trustees President John F. Fay. “Peter has led our School in the execution of our student-centric strategy, and as a result, MorristownBeard School is in a very strong position with a modern and leading academic program, a strong and committed faculty and administration, top of the line facilities, and most importantly, happy and engaged students.”

Mr. Caldwell and his wife Darcy, a member of the MBS English Department, joined the Morristown-Beard School community in July, 2011. They were both raised in families of educators and arrived at MBS having more than 60 years of experience between them at nine different schools. Before coming to MBS, Mr. Caldwell served as Assistant Headmaster at St. Andrew’s School, a coed preparatory boarding school in Middletown, Delaware.

Mr. Caldwell’s accomplishments at MBS include programmatic initiatives designed to encourage the life-long skills of curiosity, risk-taking, and self-advocacy in its students. During his tenure at MBS, he introduced a humanities curriculum, an earned honors program, and a focus on writing and critical thinking. He also expanded the math and sciences curriculum as well as the School’s experiential-design learning programs. He has also been a champion of diversity and inclusion, encouraging dialogue and understanding across the campus.

He received his undergraduate degree in History and Music from Bowdoin College and his master’s degree in Education from Harvard University. He taught, coached soccer, skiing, and lacrosse and served as corridor parent at Vermont Academy, where he was appointed Dean of Students at the age of 26. Subsequently, he served as Director of Admission and Financial Aid at Riverdale Country School in Manhattan before joining St. Andrew’s in 1991. During his 20-year tenure at St. Andrew’s, Mr. Caldwell was involved in all facets of the school: serving as a history teacher; academic advisor; soccer coach; cello instructor; Director of Admission and Financial Aid; and finally, Assistant Headmaster.

To support these programmatic initiatives, Mr. Caldwell led the largest capital campaign in Morristown-Beard School’s history, Transforming

Darcy Caldwell joined the MBS faculty in 2015 as a member of the Upper School English Department. A life-long educator, she has taught at Northfield-Hermon, Choate, St. Andrew’s, and the Peck School.

She earned a B.A. from Brown University and an Ed.M. from Harvard University. Throughout her career, she has always maintained that what her students teach her is as important as what she teaches them.

As he retires from MBS, Mr. Caldwell’s legacy is unmistakable.

“Peter Caldwell embodies Morristown-Beard School’s mission and core values, and he has worked energetically on behalf of our students and community since he and his wife Darcy Caldwell first joined us,” said Crimson Spring 2021 29

A Decade of Leadership: Peter J. Caldwell Retires

Our Future—$20 million by 2020. Results of this campaign include the School’s new Math & Science Center, the Center for Innovation & Design, enhanced and remodeled athletic facilities, and additional financial aid via an expanded endowment. Mr. Caldwell also guided Morristown-Beard School’s next five-year strategic plan which will deepen the School’s focus and commitment to its students’ well-being, academic success, and extracurricular activities.

“Most importantly, Peter has been a role model, mentor, and teacher to our students,” said Mr. Fay. “Whether it is the life lessons in his monthly Bench Talks, greeting students in front of School, his passion at athletic and performing arts events, teaching a class on leadership, or knowing the name of every student, Peter is a positive presence on campus.”

“The initiatives most meaningful to me have been ones that enhance the daily experience of students, teachers and staff; that allow an exceptional school to be a relevant voice in a contemporary, national dialogue on educational best practices; and that ensure the School’s continued fiscal strength and lasting sustainability,” said Mr. Caldwell. “MBS is a thriving, extraordinary school, well poised for its own next chapter.”

30 Crimson Spring 2021

As he looks back on his time at MBS, Mr. Caldwell said that he will always cherish the personal relationships he has made at the School, and is grateful to have played a part in each student’s journey.

“There is much that Darcy and I will miss when we leave this incredible community,” said Mr. Caldwell. “Most poignant will be our relationship with the remarkable students who have passed through our doors. It gives us unending delight to watch how so many students have flourished and have been transformed under the watchful eye of a loving and brilliant faculty and staff. Simply put, MBS is a joyful community because of the people.”

Crimson Spring 2021 31

32 Crimson Spring 2021

A Decade of Leadership: Peter J. Caldwell Retires

R EFLECT IONS FROM T HE COMMUNIT Y

“From his first day on campus, Peter has been a role model, mentor, and teacher for our entire community. Throughout his tenure at MBS, he has touched on many important life lessons and values that are at the heart of a Morristown-Beard School education—personal responsibility, awareness of diverse perspectives, engagement, tenacity, leadership, humor, independence of mind, and ultimately, the importance of building a strong community. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, it is with great appreciation and gratitude that I thank Peter for his decade of service and the immeasurable, positive impact he has had on Morristown-Beard School.”

— John F. Fay President, Board of Trustees P ’11, ’14, ’20

“Having known six Heads of School since 1952 quite well, I am absolutely certain each and every one of them would be awed by Peter’s performance and results.”

“I have enjoyed working with Peter these past 10 years because he brings qualities that teachers really want to see in a Head of School: he is student-centered, energetic, and continually optimistic.

Even more than that, I will miss his sense of humor. For example, I appreciate how much he has enjoyed our holiday party “dog-andpony shows.” The fact that he can chuckle at jokes about himself shows that he is far from arrogant and understands the importance of laughter. His upbeat attitude has helped to make these challenging COVID times seem less daunting, and he will be missed.”

— Dr. Patrick Horan, English Teacher

“I met with Peter weekly for 10 years and without fail each week we would spend time talking about our families and life beyond School. As I reflect on those conversations, I truly appreciate the human moments, the deep family connection, and the perspective it allowed us to have about the work we have accomplished. I will miss those conversations.”

— DARREN BURNS P ’19, ’22, Associate Head of School

— Bruce “Sandy” Adam ’57

“It has been an honor and a pleasure to work for and with Peter for the past nine years. The extraordinary success of the “Transforming Our Future” campaign was a testament to the trust and confidence our community had in Peter’s transformative vision for the School and his leadership.

His kind and caring spirit, along with his welcoming smile and hearty laugh will be greatly missed.”

— BETSY PATTERSON P ’14, ’16, Director of Advancement

“Peter Caldwell has done a tremendous job leading the MBS community. From day one he showed that he wasn’t hesitant to communicate, teach, and inspire all the students at MBS. From his monthly Bench Talks to having meaningful one-on-one

“My favorite memory of Mr. Caldwell is also my first one of him. I visited campus over Thanksgiving break, and after wandering around the empty buildings on my tour, we reached Mr. Caldwell's office. Mr. Williams, my admissions officer, peeked his head in, and before I knew it, I was ushered into the room by a smiling Mr. Caldwell. I was so nervous that I forgot what we talked about, but I remember leaving the room knowing that I wanted to go to MBS. His support never wavered throughout my entire time at Morristown-Beard, ready to greet me after every big game, concert, and musical. I am so lucky to have been at MBS under Mr. Caldwell’s leadership.”

conversations in the hallways, I always knew he was someone who truly cared about the students and wanted to not only see them do well, but also motivate them to do well. He’s someone I always will stay in touch with, and wish him nothing but the best!”

— TREVOR BAPTISTE ’14

— WHITNEY MCDONNELL ’20

Crimson Spring 2021 33

A Decade of Leadership: Peter J. Caldwell Retires R EFLECT I ONS FROM T HE COMMUNIT Y “The impact of Peter’s leadership

“When I think of Peter, several thoughts of appreciation come to mind: Getting a big hug (preCOVID) every time we ran into each other, seeing him sitting in the middle of the audience at every dance concert, waiting in the crowds at the end of the concert so that he could congratulate the dancers on a job well done, finding a handwritten note in my mailbox congratulating me on a job well done.

During community service trips when I emailed the administration snippets of our daily adventures, Peter would say thanks for sharing but always ended by telling me “don’t forget to take care of yourself, not just the students.’

He made me feel as though I mattered. (Isn’t that what we are all seeking in life? That we matter?)”

— Andrea Deventer, Director of Community Service, Dance Teacher

at MBS is evident. The evolution of our School during his tenure,

Head of School. We had just retained a search consultant to assist us

from program to facility, speaks

and the consultant told me he had the perfect candidate in mind for

volumes. However, I believe

the MBS position. Coincidentally that person, Peter Caldwell, who

Peter’s legacy truly resides with the people, with us, the students,

was on sabbatical from St. Andrews, would be traveling through New

faculty, administrators, parents

Jersey in a few days. I offered to meet Peter and give him a tour of

and Board members. Leadership

MBS, which I did and met Darcy as well. After the tour and a beer in

is a human endeavor, and Peter understood the importance of

Morristown, I was confident we had found our next Head. Ten years

building relationships. Personally,

later I could not have expected anything better for MBS than a decade

I am grateful for his guidance.

of Peter and Darcy’s leadership! What a team!”

Peter challenged me to be the best version of myself as an

— MIKE RANGER P ’10, ’13, Former Board Chair

administrator and educator. He also listened. He valued my perspectives and insights. I will miss his laugh and the tread from pacing back and forth during admission season.

I will also miss his wise counsel.

Thank you, Peter, for giving your all to MBS!” — ROBERT L. MITCHELL II P ’15, ’20, ’23, Director of Enrollment Management

“One of my favorite memories with Mr. Caldwell was his first time visiting MBS. I was one of the lucky kids chosen to tour him around school as a 6th grader and meet with him at lunch. MBS made me feel so important in choosing the new Head of School that I honestly felt the decision was in my strong little 12-year-old hands.

Before Morning Meeting, Mr. Caldwell and I had to part ways for him to head onstage and introduce himself to the entire student body. I’ll never forget giving him a motivational talk—I really wanted him to get the job, to continue on through Middle and Upper School together! I wished him luck, told him he’d be great, and felt proud to have been one of the lucky ones to get to know him.

Throughout our following years together, Mr. Caldwell would greet me every morning, and wave to my parents, who were in the car screaming their greetings. (Embarrassing, mom!)

As the founder of a digital marketing agency now, I credit a lot of my success and confidence to MBS and Mr. Caldwell for pushing me to start clubs, try new things, and greet others with a smile and wave wherever I choose to go.”

— LIZ SCHREIBER ’15

34 Crimson Spring 2021

“In December 2010 I was chairing the search committee to find a new

“When I think back on my seven years attending MBS, I always reflect on being dropped off in front of Senior Circle each morning and seeing Mr. Caldwell greeting every student who arrives. The simple act of Mr. Caldwell being present each morning in front of Beard Hall smiling and welcoming students to school is the epitome of what the Morristown-Beard community is about—being present, positive, and supportive to students on an individual level. He always knew everyone’s name and would engage you in conversation in a way that helped you start your day off right. His approachable and friendly presence allowed him to be an effective leader that everyone will miss, but will be extremely grateful for.”

— RYAN WATERS ’17

“I think Peter and I connected being men of a certain age; actually we are both 64. Lots of things we talked about, others—especially the younger faculty—didn’t get. But the most important thing he did for me was right after my diagnosis with advanced lung cancer four years ago. He rallied the key troops and we met and talked about how he and the community would both support me in finding others who would pick up a number of jobs I had, but at the same time, make sure that I still had a place as an active member of this community. That’s a tough tightrope to walk and he did it exceptionally well. The funny part was that he and Darren (Burns) took over the position of deciding whether or not we should have school on inclement weather days and during today’s early dismissal he came by my office and said, ‘I liked it better when you were making this call!’ I think the Jersey microclimates got under his skin a bit.”

— EDDIE FRANZ, Guidance Director, History Teacher

Crimson Spring 2021 35

A Decade of Leadership: Peter J. Caldwell Retires “I was on the MBS Board of Trustees when we vetted new candidates to fill the position of Head of School.

Though many qualified candidates were interviewed, Peter stood out and the Board of Trustees voted unanimously for him to become Head of School. After 10 years of being at the helm of MBS, Peter Caldwell has shown that the Board of Trustees made the perfect decision. Peter has been a true leader of the School.

His kindness and love for the community and the School have been demonstrated in so many tangible ways—knowing every student’s name and greeting the students every morning at the front of the school; his monthly "Bench Talks" where he imparts life lessons to the students, and his leadership of the highly successful Transforming Our Future—$20 Million by 2020 fundraising campaign. These are just a few examples of what Peter Caldwell has done for the School. He will be missed, but his positive spirit and innovative programs, such as the development of learning centers which focus on the cross collaboration of teachers and students, will continue to thrive and leave a permanent imprint on MBS for future generations. Thank you Peter for all you have done for MBS and I wish you and your wife, Darcy, a wonderful adventure-filled retirement which you both so richly deserve.”

— SIOBHAN A. TEARE ’77

“Peter’s personality and good cheer set a positive tone in administrative meetings that will be missed. Someone would say something funny and Peter would burst out in loud laughter filling the room. This year, above others, those moments of laughter helped us get through very challenging times!”

— BONI LUNA Head of Middle School and Director of Curriculum & Professional Development

“When Peter first came to the School we discovered that we are the same age which naturally gave us a lot to talk about on a personal level.

Family was a recurring topic and many times that led to exchanging stories about our moms, both of whom were special to us and were dealing with some health issues. I will always remember the genuine interest Peter showed during those talks and the incredible, genuine empathy and kindness he extended when my mom passed. I will always be so grateful for his compassion - it is something I will never forget.”

— LAURIE HARTMAN Visual Arts Teacher

“Working with Peter Caldwell the past 10 years has been an absolute pleasure. I began as the Director of Upper School Athletics the same year that Peter started as our new Head of School. Peter has been extremely supportive of my position and the overall role that Athletics play in the MBS community. You often see Peter on the sidelines of our practices and games out of his true love and respect for our coaches and student-athletes.

My favorite memory (or perhaps not favorite) would be the summer prior to Peter’s first year at MBS when he and his daughter were throwing a lacrosse ball around on one of our fields. At that time I served as the Director of the Summer Camp and we had a strict policy of no outside visitors on campus while the summer camp was in session. I promptly walked up to Peter and his daughter (not knowing who they were) and very firmly told them that no visitors were allowed on campus and they would have to leave.

Peter very politely introduced himself and his daughter and, after a moment of embarrassment, we quickly laughed about this first very awkward introduction and knew it would be a moment we wouldn’t forget.

I am saddened to see Peter and his family leave the MBS community. His bright smile, ability to connect with our students, and overall support of all that our students participate in will be missed. I wish them well and know that the next chapter of their lives will be filled with many adventures and new experiences.”

— JOANNE DZAMA Director of Upper School Athletics

“Mr. Caldwell was a leader like none other. I looked up to him, and perhaps imitated some of his leadership skills. He was always looking to unify and empower our community. Through Bench Talks, or maybe just casual conversations in the hallway, something about the way that Mr. Caldwell carries himself is inspiring. Despite all the craziness going on this year, he still continues to lead from the front, and to me, that has made all the difference. I want to be a leader who can empower his peers, and carry himself in a dignified way no matter what circumstances, just like I feel that he has.”

— MIKAIL PATANKAR ’21

36 Crimson Spring 2021

Passionate Teacher, Mentor, and Friend Darcy Caldwell “Darcy and I joined the MBS faculty together, so I really can’t imagine an MBS without her. She is the consummate master teacher, but that term alone doesn’t capture it: simply put, Darcy leaves an indelible imprint on those students and faculty whose lives she’s touched. I cannot count how many times students’ faces have brightened when her name is mentioned, or how often they’ve said, “Mrs. Caldwell is my favorite teacher!” Her expertise, her spirit, her capacity to care so deeply for students and colleagues alike are only some of the gifts Darcy has shared with us.

Personally, I will miss my dear friend, with whom I unpacked boxes and shared stories six years ago. How lucky we’ve been to have her!”

— NIKOLIN EYRICH English Chair

“Since I’ve known Darcy Caldwell, I’ve been in awe of her capacity to care—about colleagues, about students, about why we teach. That care is sometimes felt as support and encouragement when things are tough, when a class goes badly or motivation is low. But it is also, and more frequently, evident in Darcy’s fiery spirit, her passion for asking difficult questions, for providing honest feedback, and for supporting her colleagues when they strike out in new, uncertain directions. I’ll miss the blaze she brings to every conversation.”

energy to every class. She inspires students to form a deep analysis of readings and helps expand our imagination.”

—DASIA JOHNSON, ’21

“Mrs. Caldwell has the amazing ability to inspire you to reach deep inside yourself to be the best writer you can possibly be.”

— SAMANTHA SCHORNSTEIN, ’21

“Mrs. Caldwell’s approachability and passion for teaching creates a unique learning environment that is incredibly successful. Mrs. Caldwell has challenged me both as a student and also as a person. I would not be remotely as successful as I am today without her freshman year class.”

—JARED PINE, ’21

“Our department knows how lucky we have been to count Darcy among us. She brought her remarkable depth of experience and teaching skill to her students at MBS, but to her colleagues in the department she also brought an eagerness to learn and collaborate that one usually finds in only a brand new teacher. I’m not sure I’ve known a colleague who works so hard. She’s indefatigable.”

—DARREN LOVELOCK English Teacher

“Darcy’s mentorship during my first year teaching at MBS has been exceptionally helpful and caring.

I couldn’t have asked for a better colleague—and friend—in my first year here.”

— RAPHAEL DAGOLD English Teacher

—JASON ZUCK English Teacher

—Owen Boynton

Associate Director of Curriculum & Professional Development, Director of the Center for Innovation & Design, English Teacher

“Mrs. Caldwell brings an energetic

“Best office roommate ever. Darcy is genuine, compassionate, and thoughtful. Her passion for teaching is inspiring and she will be greatly missed.”

“I will truly miss Darcy. She is not only a talented educator, but also a caring and supportive colleague. Her love of teaching is obvious, and her ability to connect on a deep level with students is inspiring. Whenever they talk about her, they break out in a huge smile...and so do I. Darcy, enjoy a well deserved break and please keep in touch.”

—PATRICK HORAN

English Teacher “Mrs. Caldwell is a teacher who always brings the best out of her students. She is a teacher that helps you to think and write critically on any assignment. She opens people's minds to different points of view no matter the topic. She has helped me personally to become a better writer, but more importantly, she taught me to be open minded to new possibilities and different points of view. She is a teacher I will never forget and will always have a special place in my heart. I was very fortunate to receive her amazing gift of teaching.”

—JACKSON SHEPPARD, ’21

“Darcy always made me feel she believed in me as a teacher—that new approaches I was considering were worth trying, that the work I was doing mattered to the students on a personal level. She has a truly Socratic, humble, ‘life-long beginner’ attitude that I can only hope to cultivate. After every conversation we had about the craft of teaching, I’d come away more confident, with new ideas or insights—but she'd be the one thanking me!”

—PETER DONAHUE Art and Design Chair, English Teacher

Crimson Spring 2021 37

Q&A

Crimson Interview:

Head of Upper School Ryan Liese joined the MBS community last fall as Head of Upper School. He comes to MBS from Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama, where he served as Head of Upper School.

By Steve Patchett

Q: What attracted you to Morristown-Beard School?

A: I was looking for a school that was committed to people and

relationships. Whether it was the work between students and faculty, faculty and administrators, or the School with its families, I knew that I wanted to be part of a community that invested in and valued the people who made it great. The strategic approach to developing a progressive educational experience certainly spoke to my professional interests, but the focus on people was what caught my eye immediately.

Q: What’s been the biggest adjustment in coming to MBS from Alabama?

A: Having grown up and spent the majority of my life in Connecticut, New Jersey feels, in some ways, like a return home for me. I will admit 38 Crimson Spring 2021

that digging my car out from two feet of snow for the first time in over a decade was a rude awakening, but the adjustment has not been as dramatic as one might think. I will say that the number of amazing delis to choose from has been one of the most enjoyable adjustments.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?

A: It’s perhaps the most cliché answer you will hear from any school

administrator, but anytime I can spend time with and work with students, I consider that a good day. This year, perhaps more than any, has made forming those connections even more challenging, but it’s still the highlight of my work. On a more broad scale, I love to collaborate, and MBS has an amazing team of administrators who support me and push me to be at my best to make sure the experience of our students is as strong as possible.

Q: What have you found surprising about your experience at MBS?

A: Towards the end of my interview days last February, I remember

telling Mr. Caldwell that the school was exactly what it said it was. “It’s not fake,” were my exact words, because I had heard about the strength of the community, but seeing it in person allowed me to recognize how genuine that truly was.

Flash forward to the start of the school year, and we’re in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, I can’t really get to know people in the way I had hoped I would when I accepted the job, and I was about to ask our faculty and staff, along with our students, to do school in a way that it had never been done, with less freedom, more restrictions, and without any of them really knowing who I was.

But the community, the teachers, the students, and everyone else I’ve worked with, have been so welcoming and so willing to make the sacrifices that we’ve needed to make this year. Based on my initial experiences during my interview, I suppose it wasn’t a surprise, but it’s still something I reflect upon with immense gratitude—particularly for our seniors. I can’t say enough about how they’ve handled everything. The Class of 2021 will be a special group for me when I think back on my career.

Q: What’s the most important thing you want someone to know about MBS?

A: I suppose that same piece of information I told Mr. Caldwell at

my interview: It’s not fake! It truly is about the student experience and creating an environment in which every one of our students can grow and thrive within a community that values them and their contributions.

Q: If you were an MBS student, what would be your favorite classes to take and why?

A: I was always the student that liked to know how I could apply what

I was learning to the world I lived in, but not necessarily in a tangible way.

I was more interested in understanding people, and the various factors which created the world in which we lived. Any class which connects the content to the human condition would appeal to me.

Q: What’s been the most challenging part about doing your job during the pandemic?

A: It’s probably the same thing we’re all feeling in our lives—that

sense of being disconnected from people. I think we all took for granted how easily we could interact with each other before this, and forming relationships has always been something which has helped me do my best work. Given all of the other responsibilities we have to juggle this year, I’ve had to be even more purposeful to find ways to connect with people.

Q: What do you hope students learn from you?

A: I hope they learn how rewarding it is to invest in someone else’s

success. People often talk about education, and teaching more specifically, as being a selfless profession, and while we certainly make sacrifices as educators, we also know that there’s no better feeling than working with our students and helping them be the best versions of themselves.

Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of? Why? A: It’s not a singular event or accomplishment, but I’m most proud

of the work I did and the connections I formed while completing my master’s program at Vanderbilt. I spent two summers and countless hours during the school year working alongside an incredibly talented group of educators in the Independent School Leadership Program. I consider them amongst my most trusted colleagues and dearest friends. The work we did together has made me an infinitely better educator, but it has also impacted me on a very personal level. It was a truly transformative experience.

Q: Who’s your hero? Why? A: I was asked this question a little over a year ago, and at the time I

said my hero was my grandfather, and that will probably always be true.

My grandfather always made me feel like I was the most special kid in the world, so it’s no wonder I wound up loving all the same things he did.

But I think I also have to say that my mom is my hero. Having a family of my own has certainly given me a different perspective on all the sacrifices that my mom made for my sister and me growing up. She almost always had two jobs to make sure that we had everything we needed, and she always pushed us to be our best, not just in school, but as people. My mom passed away very recently, and it’s given me the opportunity to look back at my relationship with her growing up and then as an adult. I hope that I’m able to demonstrate the kind of selflessness she showed throughout her life.

Q: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A: I love to cook. I worked in restaurants throughout high school and

college, but I remember having an interest in cooking even when I was younger. I picked up a lot of useful skills in those kitchens, and now it’s something I enjoy doing to decompress after a long day, or just to provide something comforting to my family. When the weather is nice, my family and I love to hike or explore places we’ve never been, and we can’t wait to try all of the great restaurants in the area. I love watching sports, and my interests are pretty varied, so I’m always happy to sit down and watch a good game.

Crimson Spring 2021 39

Q Klarissa &A Crimson Interview:

Karosen

Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

By Steve Patchett

Klarissa Karosen, MBS Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), was recently appointed a member of the School’s Senior Administration. She first joined the MBS community in 2016 as the Director of DEI and a History Department faculty member.

Q: How has your role changed since you

became a member of the Senior Administration this year?

A: Sitting on Senior Team increases my collaboration with

administrators across the School and allows me to participate in the decision-making process. That shifts the nature of DEI work at MBS: rather than being responsive and reactive, it’s proactive. This year, in particular, I’ve worked a lot more closely with Admission and the faculty hiring process.

Q: How have the School’s DEI initiatives

evolved since you first started as Director of Diversity?

A: The initiatives have evolved as priorities have evolved.

When I arrived at MBS, my most pressing task was identifying students who needed additional support and helping them right away. I wanted to establish myself quickly as a dependable resource that students, parents, and faculty could turn to. We also held our first retreat. That was a big deal because it represented the sort of deep experiential investment in DEI work that I want to do more of going forward.

During my second year I built on that work, focusing on clubs and student activities, and then by year three, feeling like 40 Crimson Spring 2021

student leaders and student momentum had emerged, I turned to work more with faculty and curriculum. I invited a student panel to speak at a faculty meeting and that really resonated with teachers. We started to have more conversations about creating culturally-responsive curriculum and inclusive classrooms. Last year, we also had the first MLK assembly that brought together the community and challenged it. It was more than a performance; the students on the stage were establishing that their cultures were an essential piece of the MBS community. The students stepped up as leaders and it felt like the work had taken on a life of its own.

all over, our students might encounter peers who are different from them in pretty substantial ways, especially culturally and economically. The question we have to ask is, “What do we make of that situation?” Is it just a challenge to overcome or is it an opportunity? I want for everyone here to see it as an opportunity: we can only build a community if we are willing and able to learn from each other. That extends to our faculty and staff, too. Everyone here has a different and uniquely valuable lived experience.

This year has been challenging because of COVID, but also because national politics and events made it the case this year. More than ever, we needed to be able to come together as a community to talk and listen. We’ve made efforts to do that despite pandemic guidelines and restrictions, and we have some modified retreats planned, but it’s been hard. I’m really proud of how our students have handled the year since September, leaning into difficult conversations and supporting each other. Engaging in self reflection and understanding others’ narratives is important, but doesn't automatically create an equitable institution.

Students’ experiences are influenced by our policies and ability to access resources. More than anything, the year has been about institutional level changes. That’s why my work across all departments of the school has been crucial. We have always been committed to the idea of giving every student that attends MBS the full experience, but the reality hasn’t always lived up to the ideal. We’ve been asking what we need to do so that it can.

know about MBS?

Q: Tell me about the CCEL program you launched this year.

A: Our Cultural Competency and Ethical Leadership program was

launched in the summer of 2020. As students become more aware of their own world view, we hope they will become increasingly respectful and open to different cultural perspectives. Mutual respect and understanding will strengthen the bonds throughout our community. Ultimately, we want every MBS graduate to lead by example and to understand the ethical implications of being part of a community. We will equip students with the tools and skills to help them thrive as enlightened, morally responsible citizens of the world, as the mission states.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?

A: Easy. Working directly with the students, spending time with them,

and seeing them grow and form relationships with each other. I love getting to see students become agents of change in the community. There’s nothing more rewarding than having a student come to me with the spark of an idea, and knowing that all they need is encouragement and support.

I can provide those.

Q: Why is it so important for the MBS community to engage in DEI work?

A: As an independent school, we have students from different

Q: What’s the most important thing you want someone to A:

We are truly committed to ensuring that every single student has a positive learning experience. Part of our whole-child educational philosophy includes promoting self-awareness and the confidence to engage in difficult conversations when they arise. We want our students to become active and engaged citizens in our nation. Just like our country is navigating these conversations, our school is leaning into continually evaluating our policies and articulating our values and the way we function as a school. Our parents, alumni, faculty and students are all empowered to be part of this process.

Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of? Why? A: I’m proudest of something that isn’t really my accomplishment, but

that belongs to the community as a whole, and that’s the formation of the Racial Justice Task Force. It came together last summer and brought parents, faculty, alumni, administrators, and students into conversation, and some of those conversations were difficult. But it showed the conversations were possible and necessary. The Racial Justice Task Force helped us boldly imagine a school that would be open and inclusive for everyone who steps on campus. As we look at the School’s next strategic plan, we are looking broadly at equity and inclusion across all aspects of the community (Admission, Advancement, College Counseling, faculty hiring/retention, etc), and that work is really driven by the Task Force and the entire community that stands behind it.

Q: How has the MBS community supported you in your work?

A:

The support has been fantastic. Most of all, I think the parent and alumni support has been especially reassuring. They’ve asked questions and volunteered their evenings and time. More than all of that, I’ve felt their emotional support. They believe in the work we are trying to do because they understand it’s good for all of their children. The Board of Trustees has also been a huge champion of the work, stepping up and showing that DEI is a priority, with a focus where it should be: on student experience.

Last but not least, the faculty are putting in time to train, learn, and improve their curricula, and this year they’ve been doing it while teaching in a pandemic. They’ve been resilient because they understand how urgent the work is. Across the board, the community supports the work because they trust the School and each other.

backgrounds, from a pretty wide geographic area. Because they come from Crimson Spring 2021 41

Experiential Learning

By Dr. Owen Boynton

Associate Director of Curriculum & Professional Development, Director of the Center for Innovation & Design and

Kate Muttick ’97

Director of Experiential Learning

The Key to Preparing Students for the Real World and that inspired others to ambitious visions of what a school could do.

Encompassing the arts, global studies, service learning, and a commitment to deepening student outreach into networks of experts and professionals, experiential learning represents many of the aspects of school that students find most compelling, but that are located outside of the core academic classrooms, on what is sometimes called “the periphery” of school life.

What brings together the “periphery” of schools is a sense that it is where many students most strongly express their identities, discover their passions, and participate in activities that seem especially meaningful and “real.” As anyone who saw the MBS production of Cabaret last spring will know, a high school musical is very much a real musical, just as a painting by a student in high school is a real painting, and a dedication to serving one’s community, and to learning from others in that community, is not inherently different for a sixteen year old than it is for a thirty year old.

Spring 2019 Habitat For Humanity

On the afternoon of March 10, 2020, the MBS Strategic Plan Steering Committee held its last meeting in order to finalize the plan’s language and action items. The Committee convened, as usual, in Kirby Chapel, in high spirits, proud of the work accomplished and energized by the vision that the School community had generated in the preceding months. The final stage of the process, a Strategy Cafe on February 29, 2020, brought together well over a hundred parents, faculty, administrators, alumni, and students to ask questions, make suggestions, and refine the pillars of the plan, huddling and shuffling between tables in the Math & Science Center and Board Room.

Among the pillars of the plan was one item, “Experiential Learning,” that some had heard mentioned in educational circles, that left others baffled, 42 Crimson Spring 2021

On the one hand, experiential learning requires students to draw on and build crucial skills and deploy specialized techniques. On the other hand, it is open to anyone, at any age and any level, so long as they care enough to commit themselves and grow. When it comes to the arts, or empathetic service, or global studies, personal growth does not follow from sitting at a desk and repeating, but from joining a community, embracing an identity, and deepening one’s mastery under the guidance of peers and experts. In such a community, everyone is potentially both master and apprentice, with something to learn and something to teach.

In part, “Experiential Learning” is a pillar of the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan because the so-called “peripheral” areas of school life deserve institutional support and recognition and opportunities for growth. But there is a more important reason for “Experiential Learning” to be central to the vision of what Morristown-Beard School aims to become: the defining characteristics of experiential learning ought to thrive in every classroom and every space on campus. The strengths of the periphery need to become the strengths of the core. Already committed to student-centered learning, student creativity, and educational strategies that foreground problemsolving and inquiry, MBS aims to take bolder steps towards making each classroom a community of shared learning, where students embrace their

identities and grow as both masters and apprentices in common pursuits of creativity and socially-meaningful discovery.

The social bonds and shared energy that underlies all education was placed in stark relief only days after the final meeting of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. On March 12, on-campus activities were cancelled and the faculty convened together in Founders Hall to hear the announcement that we would be entering a period of remote learning, following Spring Break. The buzzing hive of the Strategy Cafe and the packed table in Kirby Chapel seemed, within hours, to be at a distance of months; the world became strange overnight. As they returned to classes, teachers were confronted with the initial reality of online teaching: occasionally glitchy Zoom connections, students through screens, and an overwhelming sense of all that could not be easily replicated when learning virtually.

Since then, teachers at MBS have adapted with remarkable alacrity, and also been given the chance to reflect on how much learning depends on students and teachers feeling themselves to be together, undertaking shared enterprises, with open communication and opportunities for collaboration, whether in person or at a distance. As a school, MBS has learned both why the principles of Experiential Learning matter as intensely as they do, and teachers have become more determined and intentional in how they respect and realize those principles in their daily lives as educators. Taking inspiration from the challenges the community has faced over the past year, and still faces, MBS has already begun to deepen the reach and impact of experiential learning in our community over the next years.

Most immediately, in April 2021, current freshmen will be able to apply for the new Interdisciplinary Concentrations Program. Overseeing the program, and taking on a new role as Director of Experiential Learning, will be Kate Muttick ’97. Muttick’s vision for the potential of experiential education at MBS will draw on the resources of the entire community in order to enrich how, what, and why all of our students learn. You can read about Muttick’s ambitions for MBS below:

The Interdisciplinary Concentrations Program offers pathways for students eager to explore an aspect of the world that transcends single classes, disciplines, and extracurricular pursuits. Students may apply for any one of three Concentration pathways at the end of their Freshman years: “Arts and Innovation,” “Global Citizenship,” and “Ethics, Leadership, Justice.” Working weekly with a Concentration advisor and cohort of peers, students will progress through sophomore, junior, and senior year committing to community service opportunities, electives, discussions, retreats, and independent projects that further their journey down a Concentration pathway into the complexities of our twenty-first-century world.

DNA Lab Math & Science Center Fall 2017

The Interdisciplinary Concentrations Program will formalize the longstanding MBS tradition of students pursuing passions and making connections that extend beyond the classroom. To illustrate the possibilities, imagine a student participating in the Ethics, Leadership and Justice cohort. In her English Humanities class she reads the novel Never Let Me Go, which wrestles with the moral implications of cloning. This sparks an interest in bioethics and she registers for the electives Genetics and Public Health in the US. Over Spring Break, the concentration cohort visits the Gene Editing Lab at MIT. Later that spring she’s on a Zoom with a researcher from Pfizer learning how different demographic groups were enrolled in the COVID vaccine clinical trials. Ultimately, she finds herself extremely interested in mental and physical health systems that address pervasive health inequalities by providing ethical care for all. While these opportunities exist independently, the cohort advisors will intentionally piece together the puzzle and craft a cohesive pathway that allows students to experience learning by doing and making, designing and creating.

Crimson Spring 2021 43

Teaching in the Time of COVID

THE PANDEMIC

By Kate Muttick ’97 Director of Experiential Learning

44 Crimson Spring 2021

V I P

T O

I

n any given year, MBS faculty will tout the School’s flexible curriculum, which leaves room for creative thinking and novel approaches to learning. Yet a global pandemic demands that sort of experimentation. Across the curriculum, across the campus, faculty have innovated this year in order to create a sense of continuity for students and build critical relationships amid the constraints of COVID. For 9th grade English Humanities instructor Andrew Holbrook, there have been some unexpected benefits to pivoting between campus and distance learning. Holbrook admits, “For a course that is traditionally discussion-driven, conversations are harder with plexiglass and masks and the lack of facial expressions.” To combat these challenges, he’s been using shared Google docs to create reading guides. Much like a conversation in class, students build off of each other’s knowledge through technology. In past years, students would go up to the board. Yet with social distancing, a shared document allows for information collection and retainment. In recent weeks, Holbrook’s 9th graders have been reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Different students were assigned one of the five W’s (who/what/when/where/why) and asked to populate the document with plot points, characterization, and analysis. Rather than repeat what a peer wrote, students would have to think critically about the text and add new insights. Though a conversation may get lost into the ether, in this case a record exists of important quotes and ideas, which could then be borrowed from for an analytical writing assignment.

This spring, as students are studying Middle Eastern literature, Holbrook has modified a past project to encourage design thinking within the

parameters of the pandemic. With the goal of practicing project-based, experiential learning, students are exploring Islamic architecture before designing their own library, mosque, temple or museum. After reading excerpts from the Qur’an, Arabian Nights, and a selection of Persian poetry and music, students will design physical spaces that are enhanced by cultural references. Holbrook notes, “Islamic architecture inscriptions are seamlessly integrated into the decoration of historic buildings.

There’s a lot of geometrical pattern and also inscriptions that become the decoration both inside and outside”. Rather than build 3D models, students are using Minecraft. Thus even students who are learning virtually are fully engaged rather than concerned about supplies and instructions.

Once they’ve designed their space in the app, students video record a guided tour, adding a personalized approach to the project that enhances the technology. Holbrook notes this adds a level of metacognition to the project, as students are able to reflect on, and articulate, their decisionmaking process. While the pandemic has forced flexibility, Holbrook finds students to be diligent and task-oriented. He says, “All small tasks add up to progress”. Though his lessons may appear less fluid than in the past, students are still learning to think independently and find logical connections between concepts, events, and themes.

Across campus in the Math & Science Center, AP Stats teacher Laura Kirschenbaum started with just one student learning remotely at the beginning of the year before half of her class was quarantined.

Crimson Spring 2021 45

With a focus on engagement and equity, she quickly pivoted to the learning platform Desmos. With an online community of teachers and an option to build activities that incorporate both numeric and text answers, Kirschenbaum found a useful way to aggregate data and offer individualized instruction. Her primary goal was to make student thinking visible. With the “explore first, formalize later” pedagogical approach in mind, Kirschenbaum began introducing all activities through an experiential learning approach. Students start classes with real world data sets (such as vaccination rates for COVID) and manipulate that data based on their concepts of study. Students are self-paced and Kirschenbaum can discreetly give feedback through a chat feature.

Likewise, she can pause the class and post anonymous examples (either as an exemplary model or as an example of one that needs refining).

Going beyond traditional math tasks, she also incorporates low-stakes writing assessments into each class. Students love the instant feedback and validation of seeing what they’re doing right (or wrong). One assignment that resonated with senior Tim Schietroma was a look at polling data prior to November’s presidential election. With his passion for politics,

Schietroma noted, “We looked at the race by talking about margin of error. Even if polling isn’t completely accurate, the margin of error is still solid. Going forward, when I look at poll results on FiveThirtyEight or in The New York Times, I’ll know how to analyze their data at a deeper level”. Schietroma articulates Kirschenbaum’s goals clearly. She says, “I don’t want students to only focus on the AP test, but to think about how data and stats apply to their future studies and to the world around them. I want to get them interested in new math and data literacy.”

In a year where she can’t set up scavenger hunts, task cards, or other manipulatives around the room, Kirschenbaum can vary tasks electronically. Whether working independently or collaboratively, students can share their screen or join a partner in a breakout room.

There’s a sense of continuity whether you’re on campus or not. For senior Sarah Karbachinsky, spending a few days learning virtually didn’t mean feeling excluded. “When I was home and everyone else was in person, Ms. Kirschenbaum could message me directly or I could let her know I was confused without having to stop the whole class. A lot of class time can be spent asking if you have the right solution to a problem. This program tells you automatically and helps you understand where you made an error.” She even notes cross-curricular connections. In a recent environmental science class, Karbachinsky studied ocean degradation and the concern over bleached coral. Walking into Stats class a few days later, she found herself studying climate data and understanding “statistics are unreliable so mathematicians have to be really specific about our word choice and how we interpret the numbers.”

11th grade History Humanities instructor Dr. Jordan Reed knew there was a way to make turn-of-the-century immigration a topic that felt modern, and he collaborated with teacher Matt Martino in the Center for Innovation & Design to provoke intentional design thinking. Like other faculty on campus, Reed thought a lot about equity and accessibility, wanting to create a project that students both on campus and at home could fully participate in.

Students began by reading demographic data from a bicentennial survey. Small groups had to evaluate different sets of census data, broken down by race, gender, and rural/urban occupancy. Reed posed the question: What is the lived experience of the people in this data? This sparked larger conversations about how to incorporate a human element into historical statistics and studies.

Ultimately, the project became hands-on for students in the studio and a digital, iPad based project for those who were not. A primary challenge for both teachers was to model the project to fit individual student needs. Reed and Martino quickly identified two goals: 1) Tell stories 2) Have visual elements that made the readings a more immersive experience.

Using primary sources from the Tenement Museum in New York City and excerpts from Jacob Riis’ How the Other Half Lives, students looked at actual floor plans, images, and historical documents. Reed says, “Everything was rooted in fact, including the

46 Crimson Spring 2021

case studies of both an Irish family and a Jewish family from Lithuania.” Students were asked to populate a floor plan from a real building, and needed to communicate the relationship between scale and space (including the historically accurate 10 persons per bathroom). As they populated the spaces, students considered relationships between tenants and intergenerational connections, not dissimilar from the way some families and pods have convened throughout the pandemic.

“With COVID, we wanted to add the complexity of

storytelling, yet simplify the building aspect. By using real buildings and floor plans, we were able to leverage the real world and increase the assignment’s

”

authenticity.

—DR. REED

Testimonial from current parent: Dear Mr. Caldwell, I am writing you as a “new” parent. My daughter is in the class of 2022 and my son the

Students in the studio were given hard copies of floor plans and those at home manipulated their documents on an iPad. All groups were encouraged to come up with stories and think about how current day descendants of these immigrants are finally realizing the American dream. As Martino explained, “Crafting narratives helped build empathy while also helping the historical data stick”. At its best, design thinking is human-centered. Students had to understand the experiences, motivations, and physical environment faced by American immigrants at the turn of the century in order to gain a deeper understanding of the issues involved.

class of 2024. I feel compelled

By contrast, last year’s class created 3D models which considered space and living conditions. Dr. Reed explained, “With COVID, we wanted to add the complexity of storytelling, yet simplify the building aspect. By using real buildings and floor plans, we were able to leverage the real world and increase the assignment’s authenticity.”

all completely accurate. Be it

All across campus, faculty continue to align lessons with reality, finding student engagement rises when we can connect studies to personal experiences. In a year when many students are still learning from home, there is a sense of both comfort and curiosity that comes from gathering together in the classroom.

to let you know that the MBS “experience” has absolutely exceeded our expectations.

Having come from another private school, we had always heard exceptional things about Morristown-Beard School, and are now realizing that they are coaches, teachers or advisors, the communication has been above and beyond. Many teachers have called me on weekends and evenings, making us feel as if our children are their top priority.

This year has been difficult for everyone, and I am continually impressed by how engaged and insightful the faculty has been, even when the children are a “screen away”.

Thank you so much for fostering a community that is so “student-centric”. We are grateful that our children are able to flourish and grow, even during these difficult days at MBS. -LETTER FROM UPPER SCHOOL PARENT

Crimson Spring 2021 47

y

CHARTING x

A PATH TO SUCCESS IN

MATH

By Dr. Owen Boynton

Associate Director of Curriculum & Professional Development, Director of the Center for Innovation & Design

48 Crimson Spring 2021

“Wouldn’t the graph of the function grow steeper?”

Though it was no surprise when the teacher told me that the function would not do so, I was surprised to find myself volunteering answers in a high school math class. It has been over 18 years since I’ve been in one, and when I asked Natalie Marone if I could sit in on her Mathematical Analysis class, I did so in order to get a better sense of what math at MBS felt like on the ground, in the seats usually occupied by students. My surprise, however, had little to do with my being in that seat and much more to do with looking up to find my hand raised and finding myself eager to think through the problem.

A day later, something similar happened in an Integrated Math 3 class taught by Carolann Zavorskas. Once again, I volunteered an answer; once again I was wrong. To my credit—and a source of no small pride—I did see a way forward on a few occasions, spotting a shortcut in Natalie Marone’s class and stumbling eventually into a morass of “completing the square” in Carolann Zavorskas’ class. I don’t recall feeling anything like the same persistent itch and eagerness to press forward in my own high school math classes; but in the classes I sat in on at MBS, the motivation to join in the process of working through a problem was inescapable.

Even though MBS has math classes at both the honors and non-honors level, teachers in the department bristle at the notion of “tracking.” Tracks are for trains, not students. Granted, they point in a clear direction, but they are designed to hold something in place, rather than allow it room to move as it sees fit, or explore. Instead of tracks, the MBS Math Department presents students with multiple pathways, along which teachers guide students.

There are several advantages to thinking in terms of pathways rather than tracks when it comes to math. One is that it acknowledges that students can move from a standard class one year to an honors class the next, when they show the requisite grit, commitment, and growth. Natalie Marone explains that because MBS teachers have written and continually refine and update—on their own, over summer break—their own math textbooks for Integrated Math 1 to Integrated Math 3, and because those textbooks are shared by students in honors and standard classes, when students transition from standard to honors, they are not faced with a gap in their knowledge. Natalie Marone explains: “If a student at the standard level is demonstrating readiness for honors, making the switch is manageable, and there are virtually no barriers to entry if the student is truly ready.”

Math teacher Dr. Lisa Ievers believes it’s the “experience first, formalize later” approach that sets the department apart (that phrase was popularized by the math education site, “Stats Medic”). “The single most important thing the MBS Math Department does well is having the kids poke around and ‘discover’ something before actually formally teaching it to them,” Ievers says. Of course, poking around and discovering amidst variables and equations can be intellectually daunting and frustrating in turn. But that’s the point. Students need to face challenges if the experience of discovery is to be meaningful and impactful. “We let them struggle,” says teacher Kelly Mauger, “but we also provide them enough support not to let them drown.”

That support extends beyond class time. “Every member of the department puts in a great deal of one-on-one time with their students,” explains Natalie Marone. “During free periods, collaborative, lunch periods, and after school, you will always find multiple teachers giving extra help.” Mauger agrees. “If you walk down our hallway during Collab or lunch, it’s guaranteed our rooms are filled with properly socially distanced kids,” she says.

Even the office shared by Math Department Chair Miklos Jalics and Science Department Chair Dr. Chris Payette is a hub of student-teacher collaboration: the windows into the hallway are obscured by equations and student work. It’s not unusual to find senior Ari Bersch at their office whiteboard, several lines into a complex problem, while Dr. Yah (as the students, following phonetics, call Jalics) or Dr. Pi (as they call Payette) offer guidance from across the room, as they multitask behind their desks.

It’s no less uncommon to find a couple of teachers just outside the office exchanging anecdotes with one another: what happened when they changed up an example problem, what unexpected solution a student found, or how they need to revise the textbook to make things more difficult the next time around. From one perspective, it’s the shoptalk of all professionals. From another, it’s the sound of travelers making their way together on a pathway of their own finding, eager to share what they see around them.

The language of pathways is also pertinent to how math is taught at MBS. What separates math at MBS is not just the fact that algebra, geometry, and trigonometry are integrated into a three-year sequence (Integrated Math is the norm in much of the world and other parts of the US!), but how math is taught throughout the department. Math at MBS is about discovery. As I experienced first-hand, at MBS math problems are like orienteering challenges, with techniques the tools and compasses to see students through. Learning math at MBS means doing math, and doing math means seeing a route through a problem, rather than simply finding a straight line to a solution.

Crimson Spring 2021 49

Stories of Excellence

Teaching& Learning in

Oceanography Class Uses Science On a Sphere® Brad Turner’s Oceanography students gained new insights into the physical and biological aspects of the ocean by using Science On a Sphere. The students explored a number of concepts including continental drift, plate tectonics, seafloor spreading, and subduction zones. Using data sets on the Sphere, Mr. Turner illustrated how earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in regular patterns and how the movement of plates causes these features to occur. With another data set, he showed where deep sea vents form on the ocean floor— often where new oceanic crust is being formed.

In addition to providing insights into the physical processes in the oceans and atmosphere, the goal of the course is to present science in a social context and to give students the foundation needed to be intelligent participants in important societal discussions that involve environmental issues touching on oceans, weather, climate, and coastal zones.

50 Crimson Spring 2021

Acclaimed Composer Kenji Bunch Speaks to Music Class Kenji Bunch spoke to David Gold’s 20th Century Music History class in January about his career in the music industry.

Hailed as “one of America’s most engaging, influential, and prolific composers,” Kenji Bunch’s work for chamber ensembles, orchestra, and ballet often incorporates elements of hip hop, jazz, bluegrass, and funk.

Forensic Science Students Learn How to Reveal Fingerprints In Dr. Elena Fiorica-Howells’ Forensics course, students discovered how to reveal latent fingerprints by using iodine fuming and a 3% silver nitrate solution. The class touches on many different aspects of forensic science—the laws that regulate it, the types of evidence, and the procedures carried out at a crime scene. In this heavily lab-based course, the emphasis is on problem-solving and using scientific methods to solve a crime.

Physics Students Wire “Houses” In the past, students worked in teams on the wired houses, building elaborate structures that were furnished with 3D objects. This year, students worked individually at their own desks with their own materials, and the challenge was to design the circuitry in a much smaller environment—a shoebox. The project may have been scaled down due to COVID protocols, but the assignment still allowed these 9th grade students to show off their creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills as they tinkered with circuitry that included wiring lights, on/off switches, three-way switches, and door alarms.

Crimson Spring 2021 51

IN THE CLASSROOM

MBS Parent Rick Sheppard Talks to Economics Class Rick Sheppard, Head of Global Wellness for GSK Consumer Healthcare, spoke to students in Ricky Kamil’s Economics class about his career journey, his current work, and how COVID-19 has impacted his business.

He also discussed price elasticity and inelasticity, and compared cosmetics, vitamins, and deodorant and how demand for these goods changes when price or income changes. He finished his presentation with a “real world” economic case study about the current hyperinflation crisis in Argentina that began in 2018.

Cake Boss Speaks to Business Analysis Class MBS parent Buddy Valastro spoke via Zoom to Philicia Levinson’s Quantitative Business Analysis class about his personal story and successful business strategies, and discussed the meteoric rise of the show Cake Boss and how it transformed his daily business. Valastro also talked about how he is always working on how to make production more efficient and creative ways to expand his business. He emphasized the importance of having good business sense, how to be smart with debt, and knowing when to walk away from a business. He also spoke about the impact of COVID, and even though in-store sales dropped, online sales increased dramatically, opening up new opportunities.

The Independent Study program encourages MBS students to explore areas of interest that fall outside the traditional course catalog. Under the guidance of selected faculty members with a special expertise or interest in the field, students will work to develop a scope and sequence curriculum, create authentic class-specific content, and design original assessments.

Matthew Genua ’22 Electronic Dance Music

Tim Schietroma ’21 Economics of U.S. Soccer

Ari Bersch ’21 Sports Scheduling Theory

Working closely with Upper School history teacher Roger Richard, Tim examined U.S. soccer’s lack of competitiveness on the global stage, both in club and international competition, and considered the economic reasons and consequences behind it. This included the prospect of promotion and relegation—the process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions.

Working with math teacher Dr. Lisa Ievers, Ari explored how the Major League Baseball schedule gets crafted each year and how scheduling tools progressed over the years.

He created his own 2021 Major League Baseball schedule spreadsheet and also examined how streaming and apps like MLB Film Room could impact scheduling and the future of the sport.

52 Crimson Spring 2021

Using the state-of-the-art facilities in the Center for Innovation & Design (CID), Matthew completed an independent study with Dr. John Girvin on “Sound Design of Modern Electronic Dance Music.” For his final project, Matthew crafted a pair of intricately woven pieces using electronic textures, samples, and synthesizers.

To hear a clip of one of Matthew’s songs, scan this QR code with your phone’s camera.

String Ensemble Records in CID Members of the Upper School String Ensemble recorded an arrangement of the traditional American folk song “Shenandoah” in the School’s Center for Innovation & Design (CID) recording studio where they have access to audio studios that rival the finest facilities in the music industry. The expansive studio is equipped to record everything from individual student voice-overs to large performance groups.

Astronomy Class uses Science On a Sphere® to Explore Universe Dr. Jack Bartholomew’s Astronomy students gained new insights into the mysteries of the universe by exploring a variety of data sets using Science On a Sphere, our extraordinary display system located in Wilkie Hall that uses computers and video projectors to display planetary data onto a sixfoot diameter sphere.

The students looked at dramatic views taken by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, which measured temperature differences across the sky in the cosmic microwave background—the radiant heat remaining from the Big Bang. Other data sets revealed panoramas of the Milky Way galaxy as well as planets that are found outside the solar system. The students also viewed images from TRAPPIST, a robot telescope used specifically for targeting ultra-cool dwarf stars.

Crimson Spring 2021 53

Beyond the

Classroom THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE A SUCCESS! MBS students, faculty and staff got a true taste of the holiday spirit by participating in a Thanksgiving Food Drive. MBS collected donations of more than $1,700 for the purchase of turkeys and provided meals that will be distributed through The Salvation Army.

The effort was organized by faculty and staff members Andrea Deventer, Laurie Hartman, Jennifer Dubeck, Rachel Platt, Laura Kirschenbaum, and Denise Elliott. Members of the MBS Community Service Club assisted by helping to load the truck.

SHAH ’24 AND SHAH ’23 COMPLETE SUCCESSFUL FOOD DRIVE To help their community during the pandemic, Yash and Ria Shah completed a food drive in December to benefit the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. With help from the community, the students collected and delivered more than 1,400 pounds of food. *Posed pictures-social distancing guidelines followed

54 Crimson Spring 2021

CAROLINE HEPP ’22 COMPLETES SEMESTER AT SCHOOL FOR ETHICS AND GLOBAL LEADERSHIP Caroline Hepp ’22 spent the fall semester in Washington, D.C., where she participated in the highly-selective School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL) program.

In addition to her core classes, Caroline studied a variety of topics that included the response to the death of George Floyd, climate change, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She also visited the memorials and presented a capstone project at the Mexican Embassy about drug cartels.

*Posed pictures-social distancing guidelines followed

TOY DRIVE BRIGHTENS THE HOLIDAYS FOR LOCAL CHILDREN The MBS community collected a truckload of toys that were delivered to various churches, welfare organizations, and hospitals by the Morris County Park Police and distributed to underprivileged and sick children in Morris County. The police have said that MorristownBeard School is always one of the main contributors to their drive, and that the amount of toys that MBS collected is truly inspiring.

ETHAN CHESTNUT-STEIN ’22 HOLDS SOCCER EQUIPMENT DRIVE Ethan Chestnut-Stein ’22 and his sister Haley spearheaded a community service project called “Kicking for Belize” to collect soccer equipment for Garifuna children in the town of Dangriga, Belize. The first 75-gallon shipping container included more than 100 pairs of gently used and new cleats.

A subsequent shipment will include shin guards, socks, shirts, and game accessories.

Ethan and Haley teamed up with Lt. Robert Mariano of Dangriga and the SFL Soccer Club for the collection and distribution of the equipment.

Crimson Spring 2021 55

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

*Posed pictures-social distancing guidelines followed

BRIDGES CLUB MAKES SANDWICHES TO FEED THE HOMELESS Upper School students gathered in the Dining Hall where they made and packed more than 100 sandwiches that were donated to Bridges Outreach to help feed homeless people in New York City.

Due to COVID restrictions, the students weren’t able to travel to New York City to hand out the sandwiches, but club advisor Rachel Platt was able to deliver the lunches to the organization so they could be distributed.

TYLER ZAKHARY ’22 ORGANIZES CARD DRIVE FOR TROOPS AND FIRST RESPONDERS Tyler Zakhary ’22 organized a drive to collect cards for troops deployed overseas as well as the brave men and women who are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. With help from the MBS community, Tyler collected nearly 200 cards that were distributed as part of “Operation Valentine’s Day.” Tyler and other MBS students contributed to the effort by making handmade letters, notes, and cards to thank these heroes for all that they do.

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“COZY KIDS” SERVICE PROJECT MBS 7th graders will continue their partnership with The Neighborhood House in Morristown this year by donating hats, mittens, gloves, books, and boxes of hot chocolate as part of their “Cozy Kids” service project. Thanks to the generosity of the 7th grade families, many items were collected and bagged by student volunteers and then delivered to the preschoolers for Valentine’s Day. The 7th grade also participates in the “Change for Change” effort by bringing in change to be collected for the Interfaith Food Pantry.

Other Middle School initiatives include:

The 6th grade class donates dog treats to the Interfaith Food Pantry and continues its “Pennies for Puppies” initiative which benefits the Seeing Eye of Morristown.

The “Free Rice” challenge—an online quiz game to earn rice for those with food insecurity through the World Food Programme and the United Nations.

The 8th grade class also participates in the “Change for Change” initiative and donates cereal and boxed milk to the Interfaith Food Pantry.

LET IT SNOW! MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ENJOY THE OUTDOORS Middle School students enjoyed the wintry weather by dividing into teams and participating in snow building competitions. They were grouped by sports teams and worked together on the football field to build an impressive array of snow people, forts, and igloos.

Crimson Spring 2021 57

CRIMSON CORNER

FALL AND WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS Football Team Finishes Abbreviated Season Undefeated The MBS football team defeated Montclair Kimberley, 32-14, on November 21 to cap this year’s abbreviated season with a perfect 4-0 record.

Major Jones ’21, Dante Marinello ’22, James Marinello ’22, and Aaron Skolnik ’21 all scored touchdowns for the Crimson, who led 12-7 at halftime.

This was the second time the Crimson defeated MKA this season.

The team also posted wins over Pingry and Newark Academy.

Field Hockey Team Wins NJSIAA Northwest B Title With a core group of seniors leading the way, the MBS field hockey team captured the NJSIAA Northwest B Championship on November 21 with a 3-1 road win over previously-unbeaten Vernon.

After a scoreless first half, the Crimson (7-1) erupted for two goals in the third period with freshman Ryland McDonald ’24 getting MBS on the scoreboard. Minutes later, senior Joele Russomanno ’21 scored what proved to be the game-winning goal.

“We just all came together and we’re very close. That’s what makes this team special,” said Russomanno.

Senior Kaitlyn Tartaglione’s goal with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter put the contest out of reach while MBS goalie Josie Ashton ’22 turned away seven shots to secure the victory.

“We have a pretty strong defense with Jesslyn Patricia and Sydney Strollo and Talie Hess,” Ashton said. “We all worked together and have grown together throughout the past couple years.”

58 Crimson Spring 2021

Boys Basketball Rebounds to Win NJAC Bracket D Title The MBS boys basketball team rebounded from an 0-6 start to win six straight games and a championship title. The Crimson (6-6) won the NJAC Bracket D Tournament in overtime with a thrilling 52-48 win over Kinnelon on March 6.

MBS was led by seniors Andrew Wohlbruck ’21, who had 14 points and six rebounds, and Justin Axelrad ’21, who finished with 13 points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals.

The Crimson trailed, 20-16, at halftime but rallied to knot the score in the second half. In overtime, MBS ended with a 10-6 run to win the game.

Girls Basketball Coach Mike Sturgeon Picks Up 300th Career Win Congratulations to MBS girls basketball coach Mike Sturgeon, who picked up his 300th win on February 25 as the Crimson defeated Villa Walsh, 41-23, on the road. With the win, the girls basketball team clinched a share of the NJAC division title.

This year, Mike Sturgeon has led the Crimson to a stellar (13-2) record, and the team also posted an impressive 46-41 win over previously unbeaten Morris Catholic to help Coach Sturgeon reach the milestone.

“The big thing today was that we were able to clinch the title,” said Coach Sturgeon. “That was the main goal heading in. It’s nice, though, to get 300 wins and to do it at the same place with the same program, and be able to look back at all the great players that came through. I think that’s the biggest takeaway from it. When these milestones come, I don’t really worry about myself. But when I look back at the kids I got to coach, I think that’s a big part of it. I had so many great kids come through this program.”

Mike Sturgeon has been coaching at MBS since 2001. He has served as the head coach of the varsity girls basketball program from 2001 to 2010 and again from 2011 to the present.

In 2019, Sturgeon guided the girls basketball team its first-ever Morris County Championship as the Crimson defeated defending champion Chatham, 33-32, on a buzzer-beating shot.

Under Coach Sturgeon's leadership, the MBS girls varsity basketball team captured its first Prep Championship in 2015. In 2014, Coach Sturgeon was named the Daily Record Coach of the Season following a stellar 18-7 record and a remarkable turnaround. The Crimson went undefeated in the Liberty Division in 2014 and also won the conference title for the first time in School history.

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CRIMSON CORNER

Boys Ice Hockey Wins Back-to-Back Mennen Cups In a tough defensive battle, the MBS boys ice hockey team won its second consecutive Mennen Cup championship, beating Morris Knolls, 3-1, on March 4 for the 13th title in program history.

For the first time in School history, the MBS boys ice hockey team (9-1-1) finished the season undefeated in the Mennen Division with a 6-0 record.

MBS sophomore defenseman Roman Berger ’23 picked the perfect time to notch the first two-goal game of his career. He got the scoring started halfway through the first period after taking a pass from Tristan Long. The Crimson clung to a 1-0 lead until the third period when Berger found a loose puck and shot it past the Morris Knolls goalie for a two-goal lead.

Morris Knolls was able to pull the score to 2-1 with 11 minutes to play, but the MBS defense kept the pressure on, and an empty net goal from Cam Fernandez ’21 sealed the victory.

Ski Team Excels in State Championship The MBS ski team finished fourth in both the slalom and giant slalom events at the NJISRA team racing championships.

In slalom, MBS was second among private schools and fourth overall. Branden Hawks ’21 finished sixth followed by Peter Kearney ’21 in 15th.

In giant slalom, MBS finished third among private schools.

Hawks ’21 was first followed by Kearney ’21 in 12th.

MBS qualifiers for the Race of Champions included Peter Kearney ’21, Thomas Wohlbruck ’21, and Nick Johnson ’22.

60 Crimson Spring 2021

Girls Ice Hockey Finishes Season Ranked #1 in the State

Erin Martin ’21 Grabs 1,000th Rebound to Make History

The MBS girls ice hockey team finished the season ranked #1 in the state with a perfect 6-0 record. The Crimson skated into the New Jersey Interscholastic Girls Ice Hockey League (NJIGIHL) Cup championship game after defeating Chatham, 6-1, in the semifinals on March 2, but unfortunately the game has been cancelled due to the pandemic.

Senior Erin Martin ’21 made history by pulling down her 1,000th career rebound on March 1 as the MBS girls basketball team defeated Central Regional, 45-37, on the road.

In the semifinal game, Leah Stecker ’22 had a hat trick, Lilli Warnock ’23 tallied two goals, and Logan Sutera ’22 also scored for MBS. Brooklyn Chen ’24 assisted on two of the goals while goalie Gracie Meyers ’23 turned away 11 shots for the victory.

Martin finished her career with 1,019 career rebounds—tied for first overall in MBS girls basketball history with Morgan Bartner ’15.

In their six games this season, the MBS girls ice hockey team outscored their opponents 50 to 3.

She reached the milestone after grabbing 10 rebounds during the victory over Central Regional. In her final game, she pulled down 16 rebounds against Summit.

Senior Athletes Commit to Division I Universities Ella Singer ’21 to Play Field Hockey at Cornell University

Kaitlyn Tartaglione ’21 Signs with University of Connecticut

Ella Singer ’21 signed a Letter of Intent on December 10 to play field hockey for Cornell University next fall.

Kaitlyn Tartaglione ’21 signed a Letter of Intent on November 11 to play lacrosse for the University of Connecticut next year.

In her two seasons at MBS, Ella tallied 18 goals and 11 assists. She was named to the All-State Non-Public First Team, All-Morris County First Team, All-Conference First Team, and Non-Public B First Team.

Although her junior year was cancelled due to the pandemic, she had 78 goals and 25 assists as a sophomore, eclipsing the 100-career goal mark and setting the School record for most points in a season.

Crimson Spring 2021 61

POWERFULLY PREPARED

The alumni in this issue recently participated in our “At the Helm” alumni panel (see page 69) and demonstrate that our graduates are exceedingly well prepared for college, careers, and beyond. Passionate and hardworking, these alumni are making meaningful contributions, and we are proud to be part of their journey.

By Steve Patchett

LINDSAY EILER ROOS ’02

Building Connections For Lindsay Eiler Roos ’02, a Managing Director at Bowring Marsh Bermuda, building personal connections has been a key to her success.

“I made important connections and a strong network at MorristownBeard School which helped shape my career path and personal life,” said Roos, who played field hockey and basketball in high school.

In addition to meeting her husband, Brian Roos ’02, at Morristown-Beard School, she also secured a college internship at Marsh—a global insurance and risk management firm—thanks to a family friend and a connection from MBS. “I enjoyed my internship experience and then was offered a full-time position after graduating from Gettysburg College,” said Roos, whose father was also in the insurance industry.

She began her career as a Risk Analyst before becoming a Broker in the firm’s Morristown office. In the summer of 2013, she got an exciting opportunity to move overseas and join the firm’s Bermuda office.

“At first it was scary to pick up and move to a new country where we knew no one. However, we pushed ourselves to take on this new challenge and eight years later it has proven to be one of the best decisions,” said Roos.

“We love living and working in Bermuda. While it is hard being away from our family, we have created a great network of close friends here that act as our Bermuda family.”

across the U.S. who were frontline in helping people during the pandemic.

They wouldn’t be able to operate their businesses without insurance, and it has been inspiring to be able to help them find solutions.”

Roos considers building a successful career and raising a family to be her greatest accomplishments. She is also proud to have been recognized as a mentor by several colleagues throughout her career.

Roos says the island is a great place to work and raise a family, and you can’t beat the commute—a 10-minute scooter ride!

While she will move back to the U.S. some day, she said that she and her family are enjoying all that Bermuda has to offer.

In her role as Managing Director at Bowring Marsh, Roos provides corporate clients with insurance and risk management solutions needed for them to operate their businesses. “People and negotiation skills are key,” said Roos.

“We plan to stay here a while longer,” she said. “We will eventually move back to the U.S., but aren’t sure where and look forward to our next journey.”

She said that her favorite part of her job is building relationships with clients and colleagues. “I am lucky to work with some incredible clients who are making real change,” she said. “This was highlighted during COVID as I worked with people from some of the top hospital systems 62 Crimson Spring 2021

She also cherishes her ties to New Jersey and Morristown-Beard School, which has been home for two of her nieces—Kaitlyn Bednarski ’19 and Kristin Bednarski ’22.

“MBS has been a family tradition which we hope will continue,” she said.

CHAD EASTERLING ’05

Multicultural Marketing Chad Easterling ’05 is a marketing rock star. After spending more than a decade at Nike where he was the Jordan Brand Director for the East Coast, he launched Obsidianworks Creative, a culture-powered marketing agency that he co-founded with business partner Michael B. Jordan. Built around a commitment to diversity and culturally resonant campaigns, Obsidian’s roster of clients includes Coach, Amazon, Piaget, Warner Brothers, AMPAS, and others.

Easterling says the keys to his success—taking calculated risks, positioning and preparing himself, and soaking up knowledge from everyone around him—can be traced back to his days as an MBS student.

“Coming from Newark, I would say that MBS broadened my horizons and exposed me to people and experiences that I may not have had otherwise. It opened up my mind in a way that I never knew was possible,” said Easterling, who credits teachers Eddie Franz, Vaughan Leigh, Dr. John Mascaro and Bisa Washington with being extremely influential.

“Bisa Washington was both an anchor and compass for me and all the other students who looked like me and attended MBS over the years,” he said.

Outside of class, Easterling recalls serving as a Peer Group leader and participating in sports, especially basketball under Coach Eddie Franz.

“I’m sure for every year I played under Franz, I added two to four years of stress on him,” he laughed. “I would say the biggest takeaway was to give 100 percent at all times.”

After graduating from MBS, Easterling enrolled at Hampton University, where he played basketball and majored in Sport Management. “I was part of our conference’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and I found out that Nike selects one student athlete from our conference to intern at their world headquarters. I applied that year and was selected.”

The internship became Easterling’s passion, and he graduated from college in three years to continue working at Nike. “Choosing between staying at Nike or doing a fourth year of college was a tough one for me, and while there have been a number of other sacrifices and risks that I took through the years, I still think about that one, and how pivotal it turned out to be for me,” he said.

for athletes including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, and Zion Williamson. “Working with athletes was pretty amazing,” he said. “Interacting with them on a consistent basis was a once in a lifetime experience.”

Although he enjoyed his role at Nike, Easterling also had a desire to start his own company. “While at Nike, I was able to identify the white space in areas where I knew I was strong and could offer something unique,” he said. “I saw that as an opportunity to start Obsidianworks with my long-time friend Michael B. Jordan. We specialize in cultural connectivity through brand strategy, and our company is built to reflect the diverse communities we are a part of.”

Easterling says that the biggest challenge right now is also his favorite part of the job—being an entrepreneur. “There are so many highs and lows that come with trying to build a company,” he said. “It’s a learning experience.”

While he has enjoyed a stellar career so far, Easterling is quick to say that his greatest accomplishment has nothing to do with work. “Raising my son, Crosby, who is now 2 ½ years old and watching him grow is my biggest accomplishment and what I’m most proud of,” he said.

At Nike, Easterling rose from North America Nike Basketball intern to the Jordan Brand Director, spearheading events and campaigns including the World Basketball Festival, All-Star Weekends, and building strategies Crimson Spring 2021 63

POWERFULLY PREPARED

BILL CAMPBELL ’84

Going Barefoot Bill Campbell ’84 knows that career success often means forging your own path and combining several passions. Today, he is the founder of Barefoot Media LLC, a consulting firm focused on assisting start-up companies with funding, business and financial modeling, licensing, and negotiations. His clients span a range of fields including digital music, streaming video, media, beauty and fragrance, packaged food products, clean energy, and film and TV. “Morristown-Beard was instrumental in helping me think about multiple industries for a potential career rather than the more traditional paths of finance, law, and medicine,” he said. “My time in high school instilled in me the sense that when one is passionate about what they do, the job feels less like work and is more about facing challenges and overcoming them, which in return gives one a sense of pride and ownership in the role.”

At Morristown-Beard School, Campbell appreciated the small class size, which allowed him to participate in discussions and form a more direct connection with his classmates and teachers.

“Clark Daggett became a mentor to me from the first day I met him during my interview at Morristown-Beard,” said Campbell. “His love for history was infectious and was the main reason I chose it as a major in college. Ultimately, it was also a big part of my decision to attend law school.”

After earning a B.A. in history from the University of Richmond, Campbell performed with a number of bands in the area, looking to pursue a career as a musician. He and his bandmates later moved to New York City, where they played at various venues including The Bitter End, Wetlands, Irving Plaza, and the Hammerstein Ballroom. “I felt that in order to make sure I could pay my rent that I needed a job in addition to performing,” said Campbell, who landed a job in the mailroom of a record company called SBK. “That job gave me the opportunity to understand all areas of the music business from record labels to music publishing to performing rights societies.”

Campbell later earned a law degree from Seton Hall Law School and spent most of his career working at large music companies including EMI Music Publishing, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group. He rose through the ranks, ultimately running the Global Digital Business groups as Senior Vice President at both Sony and Universal.

“I was intrigued, however, with how technology was transforming the music industry and its business models, and loved meeting with various tech companies such as YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and all of the young 64 Crimson Spring 2021

start-ups who were interested in licensing music,” he said. “I decided to start my own consulting firm—Barefoot Media—to help represent them in getting those agreements in place, and to help them with strategy, funding and growth.”

These days, Campbell advises clients on their go-to-market strategies, and assists them with fundraising, content licensing, and strategic partnerships. “Having a law degree is very beneficial to what I do, as is a deep understanding of technology and the music industry. I’m also fortunate to have a strong network of people within the industry that it has taken me more than 35 years to develop.”

Campbell says he enjoys exploring new technologies and learning from the founders and CEOs that he works with every day.

“I have been doing this for seven years now and have turned down roles running divisions at some of the most valuable companies in the world because I want to control my own destiny and continue to grow Barefoot,” he said. “It is my dream job and I created it.”

BRETTE BRIER ’13

Social Media Security Brette Brier ’13 may not have predicted that one day she would be enjoying a career as a Protective Intelligence Analyst with Facebook, but she said that MBS definitely helped position her for success.

“MBS allowed me to explore various academic paths, resulting in me knowing that I wanted to work in a field that required strong critical thinking, teamwork, and problem solving,” she said. “While I did not know it at the time, MBS definitely shaped my security mindset by supporting those skills and interests.”

At MBS, she also immersed herself in a host of extracurricular activities including student government, the yearbook, the student newspaper, and athletics. As a member of the girls ice hockey team, she led the Crimson to four straight league titles and was the program’s all-time leading scorer when she graduated.

“Being a member of the girls ice hockey team was a significant part of my MBS experience,” she said. “I am honored to have been able to play for the team and make such good friends along the way.”

Brier credits ice hockey coach Bruce Driver as well as faculty members Kim Babbitt, Dr. Corey Abate, Aline De la Torre, and Rob Mead with being particularly influential.

“I am beyond grateful for all of my teachers at MBS as they were all fantastic,” she said. “One teacher in particular, Mrs. (Holly) Darby, was the first person I knew who previously worked in the intelligence sector. Her experience and career path showed me how vast the intelligence realm is, and that it is open to people from various backgrounds.”

After MBS, she attended Connecticut College, where she played ice hockey, served on the student government, and continued to follow her passion for history and the humanities by triple majoring in Government, History, and American Studies. She said she did not have a set career plan when she graduated from college. “I figured I would work in finance, PR, consulting, or marketing. On college graduation day, I was set to work at a bank in Boston. However, during the job search process, I played around with various search terms to find new or interesting roles. Within a few months of sending out applications, I moved to San Francisco to start a job in an industry that was completely new to me,” she said. “When I told some friends my plans, they thought it was a bit crazy, but I am happy that

I seized a unique opportunity.”

Brier began her career as an Intelligence/GSCO (Global Security Operations Center) Analyst for a technology company in the Bay Area before joining Facebook in 2018. “One thing that I love about my job is that there really is no ‘typical day,’ which makes everything exciting.

Intelligence analysts work to support decision makers and stakeholders, so if a new situation arises, we pivot quickly to address new needs,” she said.

“I also love the people. I have a fantastic team at an amazing company.”

To keep growing in her field, Brier is currently working towards her master’s degree in Applied Intelligence from Mercyhurst University and is the social media coordinator for Women in International Security (WIIS) New York.

“I hope to stay at Facebook for the foreseeable future,” she said. “I really admire the company’s mission and everything it does. There are so many interesting and impactful opportunities here.”

Crimson Spring 2021 65

ALUMNI MOMENTS

Young Alumni Stay Connected In early January, young alumni from the classes of 2017-2020 gathered on Zoom for a virtual morning back at MBS. The morning began with a quick welcome from Head of School Peter J. Caldwell and then the alumni went off to a class of their choice.

Anika Buch ’20, one of the participants and a freshman at Princeton University stated, “I chose to participate because my academic and co-curricular experiences during my time at MBS have shaped who I am. I’m a firm believer in not forgetting those who have helped you along the way. Being there this morning was an opportunity to return—albeit virtually—to a place filled with teachers who have played an instrumental role in shaping my academic path.”

The alumni chose from a variety of classes including: Constitutional Law with Eddie Franz, Film Scoring with Dr. John Girvin, Introductory Latin with Dr. Amanda Gregory, English 11 Honors with Darren Lovelock, and Mathematical Analysis with Natalie Marone.

After class, the young alumni received a “behind the scenes” look at how All-School Meeting is working virtually this year thanks to faculty members Ben Krauss and Nik Marmo.

“MBS, to me, means community,” Buch continued. “Even though we’re all squares on a screen right now, we are and will always be, held together by empathy and a sense of community. And, to me, that transcends any screen.”

Later in January, a Young Alumni College Panel was held via Zoom, exclusively tailored for the Class of 2021. The panelists discussed their college experiences thus far outside of the pandemic and answered questions submitted by the senior class.

The four panelists were Kaity Bednarski ’19, Sarah Bregna ’18, Ethan Kim ’19, and Tahj Valentine ’18.

All the panelists were extremely well-spoken, insightful, and informative. They all offered different pieces of advice and perspectives into college life from how they picked their majors and got involved in activities, to balancing college athletics and academics, the transition from high school to college, what they felt prepared for, and much more. The panelists all attributed MBS to significantly helping their transition from high school to college along with feeling prepared for college academically and socially.

Sarah found she was extremely prepared for “any writing class in particular,” and she added, “I owe that all to Morristown-Beard. You forget how important writing is, having a professional manner, good grammar, and editing. I could see that in my close friends. They never had any type of English structure in their writing like I had at MBS.” Ethan echoed Sarah’s words by saying, “There was an intro writing course that is notoriously hated by Columbia students, and I found that class to be pretty straightforward for me because all the essays I prepared in high school were this style. MBS expected us to have

66 Crimson Spring 2021

known this before college and a lot of my classmates did not have that same experience; they struggled a lot with that class.”

Tahj praised MBS for helping him balance playing college football, joining various activities, and academics. “As for balancing classes and organizing, that was not hard at all coming from MorristownBeard. MBS is amazing with time management and organization because we have the ability to choose our classes. We have free periods where you can choose to work or relax, and that is exactly how it is in college.”

Kaity discussed the strong MBS network and reminded students to take advantage of their teachers, alumni, and peers. “MorristownBeard gives you a really great network when you graduate and while you are on campus. Absolutely utilize that and make the connections.

Teachers are here to help you with anything you need and not a lot of other high school’s offer that, so make sure you are taking advantage of that.” Ethan added, “MBS provides one of the strongest support systems that I still rely on to this day. Reach out to your peers if you need help. Even if you are going to college in the summer, find an alum that might go to your school. I found an alum at Columbia and she showed me the ropes.”

The panelists ended with advice for the senior class. They reminded them to live in the moment as much as they can and to try not to get bogged down by college applications and what other people are doing. Even though the Class of 2021’s senior year looks different than their own, all participants stressed the importance of cherishing the memories you make during senior year and to do what makes you happy while still focusing on doing your best academically—you are only a senior once.

Young Alumni College Panelists Kaity Bednarski ’19 Bucknell University, Freeman College of Management, Class of 2023 Major: Markets, Innovation, and Design Extracurriculars: Director of Marketing & PR for the sheTribe Bucknell, member of the Bucknell Concert Committee, and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sarah Bregna ’18 Rutgers University, Class of 2022 Major: Psychology, with a minor in Latino and Caribbean studies, Class of 2022 Athletics/Extracurriculars: Women’s soccer club team; serves as secretary on the executive board of the team

Ethan Kim ’19 Columbia University, Class of 2023 Major: Double major in Economics and Film and Media Studies Extracurriculars: Producer for the Columbia University Sketch Show; CÖOP Leader and a proud brother of Sigma Nu; sails with the Columbia Sailing Team and teaches financial literacy to FGLI high school students

Eriqah Vincent ’06 Speaks to GLOW Club MBS alumna Eriqah (Foreman-Williams) Vincent ’06, a tireless advocate for environmental and social justice, spoke with members of the GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Club on February 25 to kick off a speaker series focused on empowering women.

An MBS graduate and native of Newark, Eriqah has dedicated her career and her volunteer outreach to making the environmental conversation in America become more inclusive and equitable at all levels. She currently serves as Network Engagement Director for Power Shift Network—a nonprofit made up of a network of youth-led social and environmental justice organizations working together to build the youth clean energy and climate movement.

Vincent said that her environmental and social justice work with the Power Shift Network “really fuels my spirit. It’s very proud work for me.” She also gives back by serving on the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Green Fund as well as the MorristownBeard School Alumni Board and the Black Alumni Alliance.

Eriqah also spoke about the challenges that she has faced in life as a Black woman and the mentors who have helped guide her along the way.

Tahj Valentine ’18 Stonehill College, Class of 2022 Major: Business Management with a minor in Sociology and Sports Commerce Athletics/Extracurriculars: Varsity football team; student representative on a Diversity & Inclusion focused executive board and sits in on the Board of Trustees; founder and a leader of Students in Action, which is a student led group working to create equality and inclusion on campus; founder and president of the first Gospel Choir at Stonehill; Resident Assistant, Teacher’s Assistant, and Business Management ambassador

Crimson Spring 2021 67

Alumni Association

Morristown-Beard School

NION U E R 021 2

SAVE THE DATE Saturday, June 5, 2021 Mo r

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REUNION June 5, 2021

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Hopefully, we will be able to welcome you back to campus in person. If not, we will hold Reunion virtually!

Join us as we celebrate the class years ending in 0,1, 5, and 6 Visit mbsconnect.net/events for up to date details or scan this QR code with your phone’s camera Contact Monya Taylor Davis ’88, Associate Director of Alumni Relations at mtaylor@mbs.net or 973-532-7578.

REUNION IS FOR EVERYONE— DON’T MISS OUT!

68 Crimson Spring 2021

Alumni and Friends Gather Online to Toast Peter J. Caldwell’s 10 Years of Service On Thursday night, January 28th, more than 30 alumni from the tri-state area gathered on Zoom for a virtual celebration and farewell toast for Head of School Peter J. Caldwell, who is retiring in June after 10 years at MBS. Alumni in attendance spanned more than 70 years—with participants from the Class of 1948 to the Class of 2020. People expressed their gratitude for all that Peter has done for the School, from the construction of the Math & Science Center and the success of the Transforming Our Future campaign to his daily support for the community and the warm way he greets students every morning.

A number of speakers delivered reflections about Peter, including alumna and former trustee Siobhan Teare ’77; alumnus, trustee and former parent Paul Hawkins ’85, P ’18, ’20; President of the Board of Trustees John Fay P ’11, ’14, ’20, Director of Advancement Betsy Patterson P ’14, ’16, and Associate Director of Alumni Relations Monya Taylor Davis ’88.

Similar virtual celebrations were held for Florida, and planned for Boston, MA, and Washington, DC.

ALUMNI MOMENTS

MBS Alumni 2021 Industry Panel MBS held a lively and dynamic alumni industry panel, “At the Helm,” on February 24 featuring Brette Brier ’13, Protective Intelligence Analyst at Facebook; Bill Campbell ’84, founder and CEO of Barefoot Media; Chad Easterling ’05, co-founder and CEO of ObsidianWorks; and Lindsay Eiler Roos ’02, Managing Director of Bowring Marsh Bermuda.

Moderator Todd McConnell ’02

The webinar, moderated by Alumni Board member Todd McConnell ’02, was attended by more than 30 alumni, whose graduation years spanned nearly 50 years, from the 1970s to the present.

Panelists discussed their career paths, experiences, and industry projections, and offered advice to those seeking a career in their field.

They also shared their favorite memories about Morristown-Beard School and reflected on how important it is to give back and serve as a mentor to others.

Bill Campbell ’84

Brette Brier ’13

For those who missed the event, a recording can be found on the MBS Alumni Networking Portal, MBS Connect.

Read more about these alumni in “Powerfully Prepared” on pages 62-65.

Chad Easterling ’05

Lindsay Eiler Roos ’02

MBS Black Alumni Connect on Zoom Morristown-Beard School Black Alumni met in December and discussed a range of topics including how everyone was faring in this unprecedented year and how MBS has prepared them for the “real world.” There were 21 alumni in attendance that ranged from recent graduates (Class of 2019) to those who graduated more than 30 years ago (Classes of 1988 and 1989).

The conversation was lively and upbeat, with participants describing 2020 with words such as “intentional,” “blessed,” “transformational,” “exhausting,” “purposeful,” “chaotic,” and “grateful.” Many agreed that their MBS experience had prepared them well for college and beyond.

Eriqah Williams Vincent ’06, Afi Daitey ’05, and

Aja Moore-Ramos ’06—representatives from the recently formed Black Alumni Alliance—shared the group’s mission and encouraged attendees to get involved. Working in partnership with the Director of DEI and the Associate Director of Alumni Relations, the goal of the MBS Black Alumni Alliance is “to create a community that addresses the needs and concerns of all MBS students and alumni who identify as members of the African diaspora. The group is committed to building relationships that foster collaboration and a sense of belonging for Black students and alumni.”

Be sure to stay connected on the MBS alumni networking portal, www.mbsconnect.net, for details about future MBS Black Alumni events.

Monya Taylor Davis ’88 Associate Director of Alumni Relations, Faculty/Staff Giving, and Black Alumni Alliance Liason

Crimson Spring 2021 69

Want to read inspiring news?

Scroll through Crimson Magazines and Alumni News’ Articles in our Resource section.

Remember when?

Reconnect with classmates through our Online Directory!

Give the gift of knowledge!

Volunteer to help our students and alumni with your knowledge and time in our Mentoring/Help section.

Looking to start or join an interest group?

Visit our Group section and make a request to start your own group!

Need exposure for a business or service?

Post an ad in our Business Directory for FREE!

Looking for industry advice?

Search for alumni who are “Willing to Help”—338 members are!

Hiring?

Post jobs on our Job Board which is accessible to everyone in the MBS Community!

Join MBS Connect today by going to: www.mbsconnect.net or Scan QR code

Questions? Please contact Melissa Hedley ’90, Project Manager Alumni Relations, by email: mhedley@mbs.net or by phone: 973-532-7581.

MBS Connect - Over 940 Members Strong and GROWING. 70 Crimson Spring 2021

Alumni Association Reunion 2021

MILESTONE CLASS AGENTS* Class Agents are imperative to our alumni community by keeping their classmates connected to MBS. Milestone Class Agents have a primary role in encouraging their classmates to attend their Milestone Reunion.

This year’s classes celebrating Milestone Reunions are all classes ending in 0’s, 1’s, 5’s and 6’s. We have combined Reunion 2020 with Reunion 2021.

Carolyn Clarkson Markham ’50

Herman Kurz ’86 hkurz@setonco.com

anjali.ramchandani@outlook.com

**Fred Greenberg ’55

Melissa M. Hedley ’90

**Eriqah Williams Vincent ’06

Bettie Francis-Lajara LaVallee ’55

Suzanne Tregenza Moore ’90

Richard L. Stinson ’56

Stephanie Gowski Bush ’91 stephaniejbush@me.com

lerner.rebecca@gmail.com

Hope Phillips Hazen ’60

**Kelly MacMahon Ewing ’91

Emily Martuscello ’10

Pamela Norman Apito ’65

Sallie Oakes O’Connor ’91

cmredfox3@gmail.com fgwindswept@aol.com

manjimger@gmail.com kb3kbc@gmail.com

hopehazen@aol.com

pnorman.bes@gmail.com

Martha Root Brody ’65

mhedley@mbs.net

suzannetmoore@gmail.com

ewing517@aol.com

oakessal@yahoo.com

Chip Rollinson ’91

marwdhnd@stny.rr.com

chip.rollinson@gmail.com

Paul Koepff ’65

Dr. Christina Toth Breen ’95

paul.koepff@clydeco.us

Michaele Espositio ’66 Meme105@yahoo.com

Delevan Barrett ’70

del_barrett@yahoo.com

Cathy Fischer ’70

cathyfischer@icloud.com

Shaun Wentworth ’75 sjjnj13@gmail.com

Kristin Monsen Petry ’80

cnt1978@gmail.com

**Ryan Carr ’95

ryancarr4@yahoo.com

Darnell Park ’00

darnell.t.parker@gmail.com

**Tashia Martin ’01

tashiam.martin@gmail.com

Tyler Mulvihill ’05

tyler.g.mulvihill@gmail.com

Greg Williams ’05

Anjali Ramchandani ’06 eforeman817@gmail.com

Zach Borker ’10

zborker@gmail.com

Rebecca Lerner ’10

emar2cello@gmail.com

Maggie Ranger ’10

maggie.ranger1@gmail.com

Sam Taggart ’10

staggart19@gmail.com

Anna Balliet ’11

annaballiet@gmail.com

Lauren Capo ’11

Lcapo93@gmail.com

Alix Shulman ’11

alixshulman1@gmail.com

John McDonald ’15

jdmcdonald19@gmail.com

Maddie Carroll ’16

maddiecarroll@icloud.com

Nicole Robertson ’16

kristinpetry@gmail.com

gregory.williams86@gmail.com

nrobertson707@gmail.com

David Moretti ’85

Lee Grant Bogaert ’06

Whitney McDonnell ’20

proskomedia@gmail.com

William “Bill” Trimble ’85 billtrimble901@gmail.com

lee.bogaert@gmail.com

wamcdonnell1@gmail.com

Jennifer Conway ’06

jennifer.lynn.conway@gmail.com

Gail Kaltenbacher Kurz ’86 gail@setonco.com

* For a full list of MBS Class Agents, please go to the alumni section of our website: www.mbs.net/alumni-association/class-agents ** Denotes Alumni Board Member

Crimson Spring 2021 71

CLASS NOTES

Updates From the

Alumni Board Dear Alumnae, Alumni and Friends, Greetings to each of you. I hope this message finds you safe and healthy. It is hard to believe that we are reaching the end of the academic year. This past year has been filled with challenges and uncertainty as we have all tried to adjust to the world as we know it today.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of life, and my thoughts have been with not only our students, faculty, and staff, but with our alumnae and alumni as well. Please know that your family here at MBS is ready to support you in any way that we can. I encourage you to reach out to us, participate in the many virtual engagement opportunities we are providing for our alumni and continue to stay connected.

We have had several successful virtual gatherings this past winter. The MBS Black Alumni connected on Zoom in early December. The group discussed a range of topics including how MBS prepared them well for college and beyond. Some of those in attendance are members of the newly formed MBS Black Alumni Alliance. The Black Alumni Alliance “is committed to building relationships that foster collaboration and a sense of belonging for Black students and alumni.”

MBS Alumni Relations hosted its first Young Alumni Day in early January 2021. Young alumni from the classes of 2017-2020 gathered online for a virtual morning back at MBS. The young alumni got a behind the scenes look at how All-School Meeting is working virtually this year, and they had the opportunity to meet with our retiring Head of School, Peter Caldwell. They even attended a class.

MBS Tri-State Alumni enjoyed a virtual celebration and farewell toast for Peter Caldwell.

Many of those in attendance shared memories as well as words of gratitude during the late January event. I am so grateful for all Peter has done for the Alumni Association and the MBS community at large.

As we close out this academic year and enter the summer months, I could not be prouder of our faculty members for their hard work and ingenuity; our staff members for their commitment and resourcefulness; our students for their positive attitudes and resilience; and our alumnae and alumni for their steadfast support. COVID-19 has seemed to shake the very foundation of our society, however it has not touched the spirit that makes our community a family. This warms my heart and gives me optimism for the future. This is an incredible place during normal times and even more so during challenging ones. I am proud to call MBS home.

Best,

Need volunteer or event information?

Amy Chaiken Wolffe ’78 President, MBS Alumni Board

72 Crimson Spring 2021

Please visit www.mbsconnect.net or email alumni@mbs.net

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Class agent Bettie Francis Comas LaVallee shared the following news and updates on behalf of her and her classmates.

“Congratulations to Mary Foster Orben and her husband Robert on celebrating 60 years of marriage!” David Sigel, husband of the late Marilyn Klass Sigel, sent Bettie a thank you letter and note for the perpetual mass card that Bettie sent him. Marilyn and David were married for over 60 years when Marilyn passed and David misses her very much. He invites all of Marilyn’s Beard School classmates to come to his farm and have a class reunion there like Marilyn wanted to have. Bettie and her husband Ron are doing well and happy to have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Bettie enjoys meeting with her book club via Zoom. They recently read The Island of Sea Women by Lisa Lee. “Have a nice spring!”

1958

Belinda Rinker Phillips writes, “I just moved from a wonderful Continuing Care Retirement Community in Concord, New Hampshire, to Dorchester, Massachusetts, next door to my daughter Tania and her family. It wasn’t easy leaving good friends, but being closer to family, including my exhusband Ken Phillips and his wife Rebecca trumped anything else. My wonder dog Solace and I are adjusting pretty well to urban life.

Yes, it’s pandemic-quiet, but we’re getting happily acquainted with some cool beaches, parks and woodsy trails. I still teach yoga via Zoom twice a week and attend several fitness and discussion classes.”

“2020 is best thought of by looking in the rearview mirror ... bye bye! A year of civil unrest, COVID pandemic, recession and turbulent politics. It’s 1968 all over again,” shares Doug Mockett. “Rita and I survived hunkered down at home as virtually everything we were going to do was cancelled.

On the plus side we, our kids and grandkids are all thriving and in great health. We are looking forward to a terrific 2021. Hope to connect with fellow classmates.”

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Jill Russell Benedict and some of her classmates “have been Zooming every three weeks.” The group includes Jill Constantine Carroll, Nancy Coppedge Lynn, Nancy Leavens, Joan Blanchard McNulty and sometimes Kathy Kimmerle Keating.

REUNION June 5, 2021

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“We mourned the loss of Cary Wiedenmayer Smallhorn about one year ago,” writes Sally Brooks Smith. “Cary was skiing in Lech, Austria with several women friends when she suffered an aortal rupture. Her husband Christopher as well as her son, daughter, grandchildren and many friends miss her terribly.” Classmates Lisa Carter BlauveltWeil, Emmy Lou Lehman Smith, Sally and Cary all had dinner together in Connecticut just weeks before Cary’s sudden passing.

1959

“On February 1, Judy Baldwin Martin, Linda Blanchard Chapman, and yours truly— Evelyn Swanson Prather joined a Zoom Reunion of 10 of our 6th grade friends, boys and girls, who all grew up in South Orange, New Jersey. Of course, our Beard School days were mentioned often. Judy and Linda attended the same school—nursery school, elementary school (Montrose), Beard and Skidmore. That must be some kind of record!

We all shared memories, and had lots of

laughs. Most of all we were all grateful for the time we grew up in, the town we grew up in and the schools we attended. We were so lucky!”

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Joyce Christian Bodig writes, “After 37 exciting and challenging years running the concert series at the wonderful Frick Collection, I retired in November. Working remotely since March 2020 prepared me for being at home all the time. I’m working parttime with an early music series which, for the time being, is all virtual. New things to learn.

FaceTime, Zoom, Teams, and webinars with sons and friends keeps me visually connected.

I’m in contact with Mary Anne Meyers Anderson and Sue Brewer Williams. Miss my dear buddy Mimi Hamilton Kugushev.”

1957

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“Here is hoping all our classmates and their families are well and in the queue for the COVID-19 vaccinations,” writes Bob Schechner. “Carla and I have had both here in Raleigh, North Carolina. We celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary on February 18 and we are still making goo-goo eyes at each other. We are planning to attend MBS 60th Reunion in June. If you have the time and feel so inclined, I’d love to hear from you rschechner@msn.com. Be well!”

1962

Charles “Ted” Lawson is enjoying life. “Liz and I are splitting our time between our homes in Buck Hill Falls, Pennsylvania and Vero Beach, Florida. Playing golf, bridge, reading, walking, and sitting by the pool or on the beach. Life is good and we have avoided the coronavirus.”

1964

Sharon “Sherry” Grady sent in a photo of her artwork with the following note. “Since retiring from a career as a neuroscience researcher and moving with my husband, Mike Crimson Spring 2021 73

CLASS NOTES deep into poster art via the Poster House Museum and filling notebooks on the Arts and Crafts movement from The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms lectures. Also, on my agenda are history topics and Zoom performances from The Theater Project. I have been ‘found’ by beloved former students and two long lost old friends. One heard ‘Carol Selman’ read over the airwaves when, channeling my inner Dorothy Parker, I had submitted entries to a monthly topical word play contest on a New York City radio program. That friend, another and I entered subsequent challenges. We hit the Trifecta; one week each of us was named.

The prize is bragging rights and I guess I am bragging a bit now. Laughter is a wonderful thing and nothing like old friends from different stages of our lives but especially from our Beard days.”

Carol Selman writes, “In the early 1960s, none of my classmates nor I imagined podcasts, computers, email, Zoom, webinars and websites.

We each left for college with a portable manual typewriter and a small radio/alarm clock. Now, with varying levels of skill and enthusiasm, we use 21st Century technology. Scattered across the continent, we miss the face-to-face conversations and easy camaraderie of our girlhoods. But we’ve been virtually rounding up the usual suspects—Nancy Quad Cochran, Julie Glover, Sharon Grady Marks, Fredi Pearlmutter, Caroline “Lindy” Orchard Smallwood, Holly Berdan Sweetow, Sandy Paine Stewart and myself—for monthly Zoom heart to hearts. We are also auditing college courses, parenting grandchildren during the day or screen talking with family at night. We are exploring new interests and reviving old ones.

Stacks of books, art, writing and music projects fill our isolation. I have become a woman of many webinars, especially enjoying small participatory discussions of masterworks from the Frick and the Morgan Museums, digging

74 Crimson Spring 2021

As for his own news, Del is pleased to announce that he has been awarded technical assistance from the Commission for the Blind so that he may pursue his work on three inventions for those that are visually impaired.

Del had been excited about the participation he was expecting among his classmates for their 50th Reunion last year, which was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are a member of the Morristown School Class of 1970 and have not been contacted by Del, please contact him directly at delbarret@gmail.com.

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Marks, to Portland, Oregon, I’ve had time to pursue a long interest in art. My inspiration is the great outdoors from a lifetime of hiking.

I’m in awe of the enormous botanical variety that exists everywhere. I use a folk-art fabric collage and quilting method. Pictured here is my most recent work entitled “Memories of the Flatirons” (36” x 27”), depicting the iconic mountains just west of Boulder, Colorado, where we lived for 36 years.”

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Class Agent Delevan Barrett contacted classmates and shares the following news.

After living in New Jersey his entire life, Jeff Smith and his wife gave up their empty nest house in Montclair in 2017 and their interim apartment they had rented for several years in Verona to keep a toe hold in familiar New Jersey territory. The couple plans to enjoy their summers in Vermont as they have since 1986 and winters in Florida, although this past winter they remained in Vermont waiting to get their COVID vaccinations.

Del had a great conversation with Ken Taylor who volunteers for the Georgia State Golf Association and their adaptive golf program. Ken helps many people with cognitive disabilities play golf or get back into the game of golf. Ken is an amputee after suffering long term leg problems since an injury he sustained while at The Prep in his junior year.

1974

“My art appraisal firm is located in the Mana Contemporary arts campus in Jersey City, New Jersey,” writes Jane St. Lifer. “I am living in and loving Manhattan since 1986. The museums and galleries are open and soon the diverse performing arts and cuisines will re-emerge in the Big ‘Delicious’ Apple.”

1978

Sharing some school history, Fred Schector was at a local Encino, California flea market in the fall and “ran across this postcard. It appears to be from the mid-1940s.” The postcard is of the Morristown School and the caption on the postcard reads, “The Morristown School—An exclusive private preparatory school for boys.”

“Greetings from the Class of ’82! It’s not often you hear from any of us, so I thought I would change the trend! My parents, God bless them—Dad, 91 years old, and Mom at 83, were cleaning out some old photos, and they came up with the following graduation picture and my prom picture with Paula Finn ’83” shares Bill Cunningham. “Where is Dudley Devine? Last I heard working on Wall Street. They also found a picture of my buddy, Brian Blake. I called and spoke with Brian…same Brian, fun loving guy!

I posted pictures on the MBS Facebook page, which received some good bantering! If anyone is not on the page….join in, it’s fun to reflect and plug back into friends from school! “The MBS Alumni Networking Portal, MBS Connect, www.mbsconnect.net is another safe and secure way to connect with classmates and alumni.”

Lastly, I included pictures of my two boys and their mom, at James’ MBS Class of 2019 graduation. James made all of us proud when he received the Philip L. Anderson prize and the Arthur Lee James award. The Philip L. Anderson prize is presented to a senior whose enthusiasm, energy, and interest in the welfare of fellow students has served to promote School spirit and the sense of community at MBS. The Arthur Lee James award is given to the young man judged by his peers to best exemplify the qualities of integrity, responsibility, cooperation, and School

spirit….thank God he was heavily influenced by his older brother Billy III. Billy graduated from Providence College Class of 2019 and is at NYU Graduate School. He is pursuing his MBA in Sports Marketing/Management and has a job with Madison Square Garden for a summer internship. Anyone in this vertical?

He’s a great young man! As for me, it’s all good, (I’m) blessed to have my parents, great relationships with my boys and Marian. Work is work - pays most of the bills. I would love to hear from the class….email or call me… and we’re coming up on 40 years people… can anyone believe that? Stay in touch.” Bill Cunningham wtcunningham63@gmail.com.

1987

Caroline Elias Turben shared the following good news. “I’m sending this on behalf of Sandi Appet Pesso who would be too embarrassed to send it herself. Sandi started a candle company during quarantine and it’s taking off. The concept was recycling/up cycling used wine bottles. Her fragrances are crazy yummy! (I’m) Super proud of her! The name of the company is Uncorked Candle Company. Hope everyone is doing well! Miss seeing you all!”

1984

Daniel Timlen was recognized as an Everyday Hero for his work as a Transition Teacher with the New Mexico School of the Deaf. Dan has worked for the School for 15 years, teaching middle and high school level classes in Career Awareness, Career Exploration and Work Experience.

1988

Greg Bendelius “started a new job in June 2020 at Realogy Corporation as the Senior Director of IT Internal Audit. It has been a virtual start—I have actually never worked in the office!” ol ho

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In June 2020, Bo Bigelow was named Executive Director of the Minnesota Ski Areas Association and is responsible for advocating on behalf of the Minnesota ski industry on both the state and federal level. He also oversees a statewide public awareness campaign promoting skiing and snowboarding. Bo was presented with the

Crimson Spring 2021 75

CLASS NOTES Keystone Award by the US Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association where he serves on the Board of Directors for his work navigating the impacts of COVID-19 on collegiate and snow sports.

2002

Todd McConnell and his wife Rachel welcomed their daughter Georgia Marguerite McConnell on December 10, 2020 at Morristown Memorial Hospital.

Julie Guempel Rosania got married on October 10, 2020 to Jay Rosania. In July 2020, Julie and Jay bought a house in Florham Park, New Jersey and they are parents to a Bernedoodle puppy named Barkley Matsui Rosania. Julie received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University in 2018 and is currently a practicing clinician in an outpatient orthopedic setting.

2014

“I’m really enjoying my time here at Yale studying public health during the pandemic! Talk about being in the right place at the right time,” writes Patrick Dempsey who is in a 2-year Master of Public Health program concentrating in Health Care Management. “I’m interested in all things health care finance, policy, and economics, and I’m looking to be involved in pulling on all of the levers I can to build the most accessible and highest quality behavioral health delivery system possible.”

2017

2009

New father Brandon Jefferson writes, “2021 brought the birth of my wife’s and my first child, Ashton. I also earned my master’s degree in Special Education and have since returned to the MBS community as a Learning Specialist in the Center for Teaching and Learning.” Welcome back, Brandon!

City, as a Security and Privacy Analyst. I have been absolutely loving the process.

Working with some of the most talented people in the technology industry has been extremely rewarding. I can’t thank Morristown-Beard enough for supplying me with the fundamental tools for success and I look forward to visiting campus soon!”

2013

Leah Seldin was accepted into Wesleyan University’s Master’s Program for Psychology. She will be staying at Wesleyan for an extra year to conduct her own research on student attributions of the college admissions process. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree upon completion of the program.

“I recently completed my master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Cybersecurity at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island,” shares Cory Betz. “I also began a new position with Google in New York

Stay in Touch with MBS! Keep the MBS community updated on your latest personal, professional, and civic achievements.

Please email alumni@mbs.net by August 3, 2021 to be included in the next issue of Crimson.

76 Crimson Spring 2021

Alumni Association

Morristown-Beard School

Complete the MBS Alumni Survey Today!

Alumni Association

Morristown-Beard School

Meet the Alumni Board!

The Alumni Board maintains and cultivates relationships with alumni in various forums, while keeping them connected with MBS. It also represents the voices of their alumni constituents, while helping to build a strong commitment that will help to sustain annual giving and capital campaigns.

In order to provide meaningful events, programs and networking opportunities that meet your needs, and news and updates that reach you, we need your input!

Alumni Board Executive Committee Amy Chaiken Wolffe ’78, President Matthew Engel ’07, Vice President KC Hnat Joubran ’84, Secretary David Kramer ’69, Treasurer

If you have completed the MBS alumnae/ alumni questionnaire already—thank you!

If you have not, please scan the QR code below or visit https://www.surveymonkey. com/r/MBSAlumni2021 to fill out the on-line version.

The 2020-2021 Alumni Board Members

Gregory Bendelius ’88 Nancy “Taz” Tasman Brower ’47 Jerome Brown ’08 John Capo III ’08 Ryan Carr ’95 Sue Driscoll ’02 Kelly MacMahon Ewing ’91 Michele Cestone Fusco ’83

It won’t take long, and your feedback is important to us.

Frederick Greenberg ’55 Jillian Griffith ’14 Tashia Martin ’01 Todd McConnell ’02 Robert “Bob” Namar ’74 BeLara Bryant Palmer ’98 Eriqah Williams Vincent ’06

And don’t forget to update your contact information on the survey so we can continue to connect!

Complete your survey by May 31 to be entered into a drawing for a $100 Visa gift card.

If you have any questions, please contact Monya Taylor Davis ’88, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, at mtaylor@mbs.net or 973-532-7578.

Scan this QR code

Join the Alumni Board!

They are looked upon for their engagement, dedication and leadership within the MBS alumni community. Term limits are three years with possible extension.

If you are interested in serving on the Alumni Board, please visit the

sociation Alumni As ool -Beard Sch Morristown

Resources section of our Alumni Networking Portal, MBS Connect— www.mbsconnect.net or contact Monya Taylor Davis ’88, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, at mtaylor@mbs.net or 973-532-7578.

with your phone’s camera.

Thank you for your continued dedication and support.

We look forward to your feedback.

Alumni Board Members meet four times throughout the school year.

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Crimson Spring 2021 77

IN MEMORIAM John “Jack” F. Regan ’42, October 19, 2020, age 97. A lifelong Wharton, New Jersey resident, World War Two interrupted Jack’s college years at Notre Dame University.

He enlisted in the Marine Corp serving in the Philippines. After his return and 1948 graduation from Notre Dame, he joined McGregor-Doniger, Inc., the nation’s largest sportswear company. With his signature energy, determination and gregarious nature, Jack became vice president of manufacturing there.

Jack married in 1949. The couple’s two sons, nieces, nephews and cousins survive him. His wife Elizabeth and brother William Owen Regan, ’38 predeceased him. Jack was loyal, generous and made it his personal article of faith to find the best in everyone. Jack had been the oldest parishioner at St. Mary’s Church in Dover, New Jersey. His family line dated back to the church’s founding. A member of the Wharton Planning Board when the area was expanding, Jack argued successfully for less dense development and developer-funded parks and open spaces. He loved sports, competing locally in tennis and golf. He retired his golf clubs at age 94.

Honorable Robert “Bob” Henry Conn, Sr. ’43, August 4, 2020, age 95. Robert is among

78 Crimson Spring 2021

Morristown School’s most notable alumni.

He served high in the Reagan administration and was honored for his service there. At the time of his death, he lived in Boothbay, Maine with Meredith P. Mitchell, his second wife. They were married on Valentine’s Day, 2013. Meredith survives Robert as do his five children, their spouses, ten grandchildren and many great grandchildren from his 65year marriage to Virginia Inness-Brown, a writer and journalist, who predeceased him in 2011. Born in Boonton, New Jersey, in a 2008 interview for a Crimson Magazine feature on Student Government, Bob spoke of his fondness for Morristown School and recalled the wartime challenges faced by the School. “Many of the School’s masters were serving in World War Two. We prefects were called to take on more responsibility in the day-to-day running of student life, and we were proud to meet this challenge,” Bob said.

(Morristown School followed the British system of teachers being masters and student government officers being prefects.) After graduation, Bob immediately enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Upon completing extensive flight training in 1946, he was designated Naval Aviator. He then flew seaplanes, land-based patrol bombers and carrier-based fighter and attack aircraft. He later was a naval flight instructor based in Pensacola, Florida. Bob next addressed the formal education he had put on hold for naval service. Between 1954 and 1966, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mississippi, a Master of Science from the University of Rochester, graduated from the Naval War College and earned his Ph.D. in Management and Economics from Indiana University. In 1967 he became Assistant Director of the Navy’s Budget Office, soon assigned as Director of Fleet Resources, for which he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. Bob next was promoted to captain and named the Navy Comptroller’s Assistant Director of Budget and Reports, earning the Legion of Merit. Bob was a valued authority on defense budgeting, conducting seminars at

the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, the Naval War College and the National War College. He also served on the Curricula Advisory Committee for the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Bob retired from the Navy in 1972 and joined Arthur Andersen (now Accenture) as manager of the Federal Liaison Division. Bob was a valued financial consultant to numerous executive agencies and congressional committees. He was an expert on federal election campaign law, managing the audit review process for the Federal Election Commission. In 1981 Bob was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to be Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management. He subsequently was appointed by Reagan as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management, serving through 1988. Bob was awarded both the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal for his government service. An important member of the Maine community, he was treasurer for St. Andrews Hospital and a member of the Maine Health Audit Committee. He enjoyed golf at the Boothbay Harbor Country Club, but always the navy man, his love was the ocean. Bob was a longtime member of the New York Yacht Club and relished cruising the Atlantic coast and Chesapeake Bay under both sail and power.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Carter Billington, ’49, April, 2020, age 88. After Beard, Elizabeth graduated from Bennet Junior College and married E. Louis Billington, who predeceased her in 2017 after 57 years of marriage. Her daughter Cathy Smitley, son Edward, their spouses and four granddaughters survive her.

The couple raised their son and daughter in Green Village, New Jersey. Elizabeth kept in touch with her Beard classmates, attending reunions on campus. She loved gardening and, earlier in life, volunteered in local hospitals.

Penelope “Penny” Probert Boorman ’51, Former Trustee and Alumni Board President, November 16, 2020, age 87. Penny grew up in South Orange, New Jersey and was all about determination, commitment and giving. After Beard, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Hood College and a Master of Science in Bio-Medical Science and RN from

the University of Colorado. She practiced nursing in the Denver area before marrying Dean Boorman, an architectural planner and an authority on arms and armor. The couple were devoted to the end, dying within two weeks of one another at their home in LaJolla, California. But it was in Montclair, New Jersey where Penny made her mark. Her gracious home burst with the Boormans’ many interests and projects. And, there was always a tailwagging dog greeting you at the door. She and Dean opened their home for meetings and events, including a reception for her Class of 1951 50th Beard Reunion. (Penny was one of the three chairs of the event.) A few years ago, the couple downsized to a nearby condo until health issues led to the move to California to be near family there. Two sons James and Robert and daughter Sally Boorman Wislar and her two children survive them, as do Penny’s younger brother Edward (Ted) Probert and sister-in-law Ann Linen Probert ’56 and their family. An accomplished public speaker, Penny presented many an address on behalf of the many volunteer groups she led. She credited her Beard years for her ease at the lectern.

“My favorite single Beard memory was my ‘icebreaker’ Chapel talk, a ‘springboard’ for my future public speaking duties,” Penny said in an interview. Among her many substantial volunteer activities were board chair at the

Montclair YMCA, Junior League, National Red Cross, United Way, the Senior Care & Activities Center of Montclair, and board vice chair at Hood College. She was instrumental in attaining town support and donations for the building of the Senior Center. In 2014, The YMCA honored Penny for 46 years of extraordinary service and leadership as trustee and, then, first woman chair. Ted and Ann Linen Probert ’56, lifelong friend Nancy “Taz” Tasman Brower ’47, MBS Head of School Peter Caldwell and his wife, MBS English teacher Darcy Caldwell, Director of Advancement Betsy Patterson and many other MBS staff members and alumni joined in the celebration. At the gala, Penny shared her guiding principle: “The three things we crave most in life, happiness, freedom and peace of mind, are achieved by giving them to someone else.” Beginning with her serving as 50th reunion class co-chair, in 2000 Penny started rolling up her sleeves for the School she loved.

She was a member of the MBS 1891 Society, and joined the then newly reestablished MBS Alumni Board, serving from 2006 to 2016 as a member and 2009-2012 as president. She was also a valued trustee from 2006-2012.

A competitive equestrian in her youth—she competed in Madison Square Garden, Penny was inducted into the MBS Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 for her many accomplishments in swimming. Penny was not only a force in the board room, she was also a force in the swimming pool. She became a competitive and synchronized swimmer at age 14. In 1959 Penny earned three Pan American Games medals: gold in the 100-meter butterfly and silver in both the 200-meter backstroke and 400-meter relay. Until late in life, she competed in the US Masters Swimming program. “The beauty of the Masters is that as you age, you move every five years into an older age category,” she said in an earlier conversation.

She was a past YMCA Ripples synchronized swimmer and took pride in the hundreds of YMCA swimmers of all ages who earned their water wings under her guidance. Affectionately dubbed the “Iron Maiden Drill Sergeant,” Penny was a longtime YMCA volunteer instructor in swimming, CPR, lifesaving, water safety and scuba. She made sure her children were active swimmers, too. Penny and Taz were

featured in “Mother Athletes”, an interview segment in 125 Septembers: The Life of the Schools by another “mother athlete,” Darcy Caldwell. In her address, when honored at the Montclair YMCA, Penny thanked Dean and their three children for the freedom to be both a fulltime mom and an active volunteer. It was years of “Dinner is in the top oven, guys. I will be back in time to get you to swim practice after my meeting,” Penny said.

Charles “Charlie” Henry Sills ’57, November 1, 2020, age 81. Born February 4, 1939 in London, England, the following year, Charlie was the youngest passenger onboard the S.S. Samaria to the United States. He grew up in Short Hills, New Jersey. After Morristown Prep, Charlie attended Hobart College, leaving to join the U.S. Navy in 1958. He was stationed in San Diego, California and did a tour of the South Pacific as an electronics technician aboard the USS Hamner. Charlie continued to serve his country in the U.S. Navy Reserves until 1968. Married in 1961, he and former wife Judith reared their three daughters and one son in Newton, New Jersey. Charlie is survived by Judith, two daughters, one son, six grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, his brother Dennis Sills ’65, two sisters, another brother and many other family members. A daughter and another sister predeceased him. Throughout his life, Charlie shared his love of his six years at Morristown Prep with his family and School friends, including 11th and 12th grade roommate and lifelong friend John Rearick ’57. Charlie was especially happy to be part of his Morristown School Class of 1957 50th Reunion. Family and friends remember him as “the most kind and generous man, giving of both his time and assets.”

Charlie loved spending time with his children and grandchildren. He lived the last years of his life in care facilities in New York state where he had long spent happy summers in the Lake George area with his best friend John and their families and his many beloved pets. Charlie loved boats and tinkering with clocks, always managing to fix them. He also loved trains, especially steam trains and older cars which he avidly restored.

Charlie worked for IBM for 35 years until retirement and he was a dedicated member of the Living Hope AG Church of Camden, New York.

Crimson Spring 2021 79

professional development $50,000

COVID-19 emergency aid $150,000

• MBS summer educator series

• Additional aid for those affected by the pandemic

• Technology training workshops • Google classroom training

every gift matters The MB Fund

health & wellness $170,000 • New 1,300 square foot nurse’s office • Temperature scanners • Air purification system

80 Crimson Spring 2021

The Morristown-Beard Fund The MB Fund—our School’s annual fund— supports every aspect of MBS and pays for those tools and resources that our operating budget does not. In addition to covering the many costs associated with COVID-19, it also ensures that all students have the resources they need to succeed in all facets of campus life.

Please make your gift today!

To make a gift to The MB Fund, scan QR code with your phone’s camera or visit www.mbs.net/support.

� Morristown-Beard � School Office ofAdvancement 70 Whippany Road Morristown, NJ 07960 www.mbs.net ADDRESS CORRECTION REQYESTED