Genevieve has already arrived and will sing at NMH’s Sacred Concert next May. • After 10 years in New York City, Sarah Grey moved to rural West Virginia. She welcomed a baby girl, Frances, this past winter and is very fond of motherhood. • Nick Meyer is starting a photobook project. Search for Nick on Kickstarter. com to learn more.
A C L O S E R LO O K
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Bryan Cheng ’02 commemorates a special moment with wife Serene at their wedding in January.
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Northfield Mount Hermon Rose Jackman Spurgin rosejackmanlynch@gmail.com
I’ve had an eventful year and a record amount of submissions from you all this time around! I married Will Spurgin on 3/31/16 in a small ceremony performed by our mayor in the presence of my three sons. We remain in western Massachusetts and have adopted a rescue dog named Owen. • I am in touch with Jess Scherm-Martin Corwin, Claire Morenon, and Thalia Ghazey often. I also bump into Becky Hawes-Sivitz Tew, Nick Meyer, Jason Brown, Kiley Brouillet, Jarad Weeks ’08, and other NMHers. I talk to my siblings, Martha Compton ’08 and Henry Compton ’05, as much as I can. Martha got married at the Mt. Hermon Chapel in July! • Ti Chesley married Melissa Mackie (8/8/15) at Forrester “Woody” Hambrecht’s family’s vineyard in Sonoma County. Guests included lots of NMHers. • In a similar vein, Alyssa Cutler lives in Boston with her fiancé, Aaron, and their bulldog, Franny; Alyssa is working in marketing communications for a large law firm. She loves the NMH alumni community in Boston and has enjoyed seeing Nick Popoli ’01, Corey Swiniarski, Jabe Bergeron, Malcolm Constable ’99, and Emily Anderson ’99. Alyssa remains close with Matt Glode and Jim Henderer. She also misses her South Crossley girls: Rose Jackman Spurgin, Annah Kinsler, Chloe Porter, and Kaitlin Bennett. • Caitlin Casey and her wife, Noni, started a nonprofit last year, Shasta Riding Club, in Siskiyou County, Calif. They give riding lessons, offering day and summer camps for kids and adults, and accept students regardless of finances. Shasta’s programs teach kids how to ride and care for rescued and donated horses while Caitlin and Noni facilitate the development of important life skills. You can learn more about their work at shastaridingclub.org. • Jessica Scherm-Martin Corwin received an Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation in April. The award is a peer-nominated recognition of Jess’s elementary music teaching in Hatfield (Mass.) public schools. • Genevieve Bergeret writes, “After 12 years as an expat, I’m moving back to New York City!” As you’re reading this,
Northfield Mount Hermon Josh Grubman joshuagrubman@gmail.com • Christopher A Zissi christopher.zissi@gmail.com
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Northfield Mount Hermon Danielle Henry Beale dhbeale@gmail.com
I’m excited to see all of you at our 15-year reunion! Please join me on the journey back to the hills of western Massachusetts to reflect sagely on (or relive) our youthful indiscretions. • Justin Eli is a manager at Deloitte. He married Rona Yang, a Boston attorney, in October. • Nefertiti Tyehemba Nakawe completed a master’s degree at SUNY Upstate Medical University and is continuing on in their doctor of medicine program. • Greg Harris co-founded Skylark Editions, a photo-book press. Their first book, National Trust by Jay Seawell, was released in October. • Heather King Frechette and husband Henry welcomed a son, Arthur Henry, on 7/19/15. • Chris Russell and wife Chelsea welcomed a daughter, Lillian “Lily” Belle, on 6/13/16. • Bryan Cheng married Serene Chen on 1/3/16. NMH alumni in attendance were Vicki Wong and husband Teddy Cheng ’00, Benjamin Tse, Bosco Cheng, Jeanie Kwok ’01, Charis Law ’03, Jason Ho ’03, Samson Cheng ’03, Josephine Sun ’03, Derrick Lui ’03, and Leon Yao ’04.
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Northfield Mount Hermon Dee Guo deedith@gmail.com • Mira Sharma mira.sharma.mcgill@gmail.com
Harry Potter and the Inquisitive Librarian Do you know Muggles from Mudbloods? Hufflepuff from Hogwarts? If not, then Tolonda Henderson ’95, a George Washington University instructional librarian and Harry Potter scholar, can set you straight. In addition to writing and co-authoring academic papers such as “More Than Moving Images: The Visual Culture of Harry Potter,” Henderson teaches students how to use J.K. Rowling’s internationally acclaimed series in their coursework. “I first started studying Harry Potter because I wanted to know why the character of Madam Pince, the Hogwarts librarian, was so useless,” says Henderson. “She doesn’t teach the students anything. So my first papers were about the library at Hogwarts and teaching methods in the castle.” Since 1999, numerous attempts have been made to ban Harry Potter books from libraries because of their “supernatural” content. In honor of Banned Book Week in September 2016, Henderson delivered a lecture titled “Uncensored: Harry Potter, Profanity, and the Banned Book” at Martin Luther King Memorial Library in Washington, D.C.
Heaver Sommers Estes ’03 begins her new life with husband Conrad Estes.
P HO TO: WILLIAM ATKINS/G E O R G E WASH IN G T O N U N IVE R SIT Y
Henderson is currently working toward a master’s degree in English. To date, she has read all seven volumes of Harry Potter at least 20 times.
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