a look back
Of Centennials by Mark Macrides
ecently, former teacher Topsy Post ’66 and I took a trip up to Bedford, Massachusetts, to visit Nanny Howland just prior to her 100th birthday. Ms. Howland was hired in 1959 by Henry Welles to assist in the Lower School Library. Later, she served as Director of Admissions, touring prospective families around the campus and convincing them that Country School was indeed the best place to send their children. The main purpose of our trip was to interview Ms. Howland as we begin to gather material in preparation for the school’s 100th birthday next year. What we came away with were some wonderful moments in time: Nanny escorting Miss Cline’s first grade down the fire escape on the east end of the Main Building after a visit to the Lower School Library, her memory of the special hat that Topsy’s younger daughter was always wearing when Ms. Howland would stop in to read stories to the Lower School children, and dropping prospective parents off at George Stevens’ office after she had finished her tour with them. These moments helped shape her Country School experience. After we returned to New Canaan, I began to ponder the meaning of these
80
NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL BULLETIN // Summer 2015
two centennials: one about a woman who had given so much of her life and spirit to New Canaan Country School, and the other about a school that had so richly impacted the lives of countless individuals. Centennials, I decided, are collections of moments in time that have piled up neatly over the years to become, when embraced as a whole, worthy of great reflection and celebration. As Ms. Howland’s family and friends prepared for her centennial celebration, I could only imagine the wonderful and powerful moments they would choose for reflection. I wondered what all of us at Country School would choose to reflect upon during our centennial celebration. Our moments in time span decades, constituents, locations, curricula, philosophies and mind-sets. As we dig deeper into the archives, interview alumni and pay closer attention to every activity on campus, we are uncovering daily, wonderful moments in time that are indeed piling up neatly—the Class of 1965’s recollections of the Hiroshima women who visited the campus in 1957; the football from the 1985 JV team’s
undefeated season, signed by all the players; and the stone wall on the west side of campus carefully being restored by Peter O’Neill and the Class of 2015. These memories, objects and experiences, combined with an infinite number of others, equally relevant, will provide the moments in time that will shape our centennial in the coming year. “Moments” that belong to all of us, whether it be Kip Farrell from the Class of 1947, recently back to assist with identifying photographs in the archives, or Sue Friborg, the senior member of the faculty retiring after 37 years of teaching and coaching, or Brenda Friedman, completing her first year as an administrative assistant in Placement and Middle School. All of us, no matter how long or short our Country School experience, have moments to offer that are worthy of great reflection and celebration. As we stand on the precipice of our 100th year, we ask you to ponder your own special moments and consider sharing them. Only together, will we create a centennial that will appropriately honor all that was, is and will be New Canaan Country School.