Acorn – Spring 2020

North Shore Country Day School

· Spring 2020

Searching for NSCDS Memorabilia AN ODE TO TWO YEARBOOKS Comb your closets, Search your attics, Finding these treasures Would make us ecstatic!

Look high, look low.

Open every box and trunk.

These copies of The Mirror Cannot be junk.

1920 and 1921 are years We desperately need.

They’re tattered and worn— Please hear our plea!

In case you’re wondering There is a prize.

For any new copies We have a surprise!

If you have one or both of these books or know someone who might, please contact our School Archivist Siera Erazo at serazo@nscds.org or 847.881.8844 or Director of Alumni Relations Nancy Green Whiteman ’71 at nwhiteman@nscds.org or 847.881.8848. Thank you.

in this issue

a c o r n · Spring 2020

features 4 Pirates of Penzance 6 One Boy’s Education—Part 3 8 Price Deratzian Arana ’81

depa r t men t s 2 10

EVENTS

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H O M E C O M I N G S AV E T H E D AT E

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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DISTINGUISHED GUESTS

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SPRING 2020 The Acorn is published by the Marketing and Communications Department of North Shore Country Day School three times a year for alumni, parents, grandparents and friends. Its goal is to connect our School community, celebrate recent accomplishments and capture the essence of life and learning at North Shore.

North Shore Country Day School 310 Green Bay Road Winnetka, Illinois 60093 847.446.0674

Tom Flemma Head of School Tura Cottingham Director of Marketing & Communications, Co-Editor tcottingham@ nscds.org Christine Wachter Communications Associate, Co-Editor cwachter@nscds.org Jay Young

Communications Associate jyoung@nscds.org

HEAD’S LETTER

BOOK REVIEWS

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FA C U LT Y

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LIVE AND SERVE

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VISUAL ARTS

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PERFORMING ARTS

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AT H L E T I C S

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P H O T O S F R O M O U R PA S T

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ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

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CLASS NOTES

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ALUMNI REFLECTION

Molly Ingram McDowell ’80 Director of Development mmcdowell@ nscds.org Tracie Frederick

Senior Associate Director of Development tfrederick@nscds.org Nancy Green Whiteman ’71 Director of Alumni Relations nwhiteman@ nscds.org Photographers Jay Young Tura Cottingham Christine Wachter

Margaret Ringia Hart Design, www.mermadeart.com Graphic Arts Studio Printing, www.gasink.net

On the front cover Charlie Ver Eecke ’25 as Samuel and Gerald Leesch ’20 as the Pirate King in the Centennial production of The Pirates of Penzance On the back cover The Pirates of Penzance, 1934.

If you have additional information about this photo, contact Director of Alumni Relations Nancy Green Whiteman ’71 at 847.881.8848, or nwhiteman@nscds.org

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h e a d’s l e t t e r

Our Campus Is Closed But Learning Continues All of us at School hope you and your loved ones are safe and sound. We will emerge, when we emerge, into a changed world. Let’s hope it will be a world that is a little more kind, a little more connected and a little more generous of spirit. It can start with us.

Traditionally, I use this letter as a chance to connect the feature stories, news articles and other items in the Acorn together, to find the through lines and share a coherent report about another exciting three months of the school year. But as we have all learned over these last few weeks and months, the best laid plans must often yield to the exigencies of the moment. Coherent narratives are elusive these days; and what a moment we are all living through!

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended North Shore Country Day just as it has almost every other institution on the planet. I have been awed at the herculean efforts our faculty, staff and administrators have been exerting to pivot, almost seamlessly, to remote learning. Their talents have been on full display. Early reports have confirmed that dynamic teaching and learning continues online and off, using technology tools like Zoom and Google Docs, as well as good old-fashioned pencils, paper, paperbacks and textbooks. The tools change, but the elements of good teaching do not, and we will be successful because our teachers are the best in the business.

I write this in mid-April, not knowing when, or if, we will return to campus this spring. I know that classes will continue and that learning will continue; I know little else. At risk if we stay closed are such 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Junior Kindergarten Morning Meeting Virtual Take 10! Play Festival Lower School Music Middle School Art Corner Sign Upper School Engineering Project Physical Education 4th Grade Zoom 3rd Grade Social Studies Project

hallowed traditions as closing Morning Ex, final concerts, graduations for 5th, 8th, and 12th grades, prom and many, many more. If necessary, we will exert every effort to “replace” these in-person events with creative and connective alternatives to recognize our students. That said, there will be a loss for all of us, but particularly our students, if we lose these fun and familiar and important rituals, these meaningful opportunities for closure and celebration. There is tragedy all around us, and we know these are comparatively small things, but right now, in the lives of these students, these are large things, and it is important to name them as such.

So much of this is new and unfamiliar.

And yet, as I read these Acorn articles and ref lect on the change that is happening across all of the grades at North Shore and across the world, I am heartened and comforted by those things that have stayed steady, even as our ways of delivering learning morph and our social fabric is tested by social distancing, isolation and hardship. I am heartened and comforted by those elements of North Shore that have endured:

giving their all and risking themselves to help others. “Live and Serve” is alive and well even in a socially distanced world!

• T he arts continuing to thrive virtually: last week Upper School students produced their Take 10! Play Festival virtually while friends, parents, teachers and alumni logged in to watch. Music and chorus students are singing and playing together virtually, and they sound great!

North Shore Country Day has weathered any number of storms in its first century. In each crisis, we have looked to help, looked to learn and done what needed to be done, together. We have stayed the course and held onto the core values that define us. Here is another chance to show the true heart of this place and its people.

By the time this Acorn reaches your mailbox, we will almost certainly still be under some type of restrictions here in Winnetka. Chances are, you will be, too.

We opened our doors in the aftermath of a global pandemic, and we close our Centennial celebration in the midst of another. It has been a triumphant celebra• Dedicated, talented teachers giving tion no matter how it ends in the next their very best to ensure that our few weeks, and it has been a true joy to students continue to learn, grow and feel connect with friends and alumni across safe using creative methods. the country and the globe this year, • O ur School community rallying to help: celebrating all that makes this such a special school. from alumni writing in with offers to All of us at School hope you and your help, to parents creating new structures loved ones are safe and sound. We will of communication, to teachers prioritizing ways for students to connect, emerge, when we emerge, into a changed world. Let’s hope it will be a world that is a to students making it clear that they yearn for that connection and will bring little more kind, a little more connected and a little more generous of spirit. It can their best selves to the process. start with us.

• Members of the extended North Shore —Tom Flemma, Head of School family, all over the world, pitching in to help. We have Raiders on the front lines of the health profession, for instance,

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THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE The Pirates of Penzance was the first operetta performed at NSCDS in 1924, so it’s only appropriate that it was selected as the Gilbert and Sullivan show for the spring musical during the School’s Centennial year.

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feature

1924

The Pirates of Penzance was the first operetta performed at NSCDS in 1924, so it’s only appropriate that it was selected as the Gilbert and Sullivan show for the spring musical during the School’s Centennial year.

The hilarious, hopeful farce follows young Frederic, an orphan who has mistakenly been apprenticed to an ineffectual but raucous band of pirates. He disavows the pirates’ way of life and falls for the beautiful Mabel. Frederic’s melodious tones win over the heart of Major General Stanley’s songbird daughter, but when the Pirate King discovers that General Stanley has lied about being an orphan to keep the pirates from stealing all of his belongings and carrying off his bevy of beautiful daughters, an “ingenious paradox” may prevent the budding romance and lead to the death of “the very model of a modern major general.”

Upper and Middle School Theater Teacher and Performing Arts Department Head Julia Macholl said that in addition to the nostalgia Pirates brings to the NSCDS community, the show’s comedic elements were one of the big draws. “It allowed for the topsy-turvy nature to be taken over the top, which is what Gilbert and Sullivan were aiming for in their time,” she said.

“Pirates also demanded a bit of modernization and artistic openness when viewing it through a directorial lens, and that paired beautifully with our transition from the Centennial, looking forward.”

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This was the 15th time since 1924 the School has put on this particular show, and it’s one of 11 operettas by dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan performed over the years. The tradition of performing a Gilbert and Sullivan production every year began in 1924 and continued annually until 1989 (with the exception of 1931 and 1947).

Today, a Gilbert and Sullivan show is performed once every four years to expose students to a wider variety of theater while still keeping the tradition.

In the early days, the entire Upper School participated. The show was performed on the stage of the old Girton gymnasium for the first several years until construction of the Auditorium was completed in 1927. Former faculty member Lew Taylor, who came to North Shore Country Day in 1925 and taught math at the School for four decades, said the operas were an important stepping stone in students’ development. “What with the staging, costuming, make-up, business management, tickets, programs, ushering, as well as the singing and acting on stage—the Gilbert and Sullivan opera was expected to be, and it was, a full high school production,” he explained in North Shore Country Day School: Seventy Years of a Community of Learning.

“Every kid in the high school had to do something for the opera,” recalled Don Palmer ’47, who was also interviewed for the 70th anniversary book. “If you were tone deaf and couldn’t sing at all, you worked backstage.”

While NSCDS still has a theater requirement today, students can now choose which shows they want to audition for. Over the four years of Upper School, students are required to appear onstage in at least one production, and can choose to participate on or offstage in a second.

This year’s spring musical cast featured 10 principal actors and 16 ensemble members—a mix of Upper and Middle School students. Nine additional students worked on the production team.

The Pirates of Penzance is considered an operetta, a smaller-scale opera that bridges the gap between traditional opera and musical theater, explained Upper and Middle School Choral Director and Music Teacher Timothy Mah, who was also the music director for the show. Gilbert and Sullivan were pioneers in the genre, creating works that were not purely opera, but included dialogue and other theatrical elements.

“Getting kids to sing opera or operetta can be a daunting task,” he said.

“It requires a very specific type of voice and most people are not ready to sing opera until they are well into their 30s because the voice doesn’t fully mature until that point. So the fact that we had 12- to 18-year-olds singing an operetta is worthy of a big tip of the hat to our students. It is extremely challenging.

They did a really wonderful job disappearing into their roles.”

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ONE BOY’S EDUCATION: A REMEMBRANCE OF NSCDS, 1919-1931 (Part 3)

BY CHUCK HAAS ’31 Editor’s Note: This memoir by Chuck Haas ’31, one of the School’s first group of Lifers, was originally published in the Spring 1990 and Fall 1990 editions of the North Shore Country Day School Bulletin. This is the final installment. After graduating from Harvard in 1935 with a degree in English, Chuck began a career in film, first as a writer/producer then as a director. Among his movie credits are The Modesto Case (a labor documentary) and eleven feature films, including Moonrise, which he also wrote and produced. For TV he directed seven productions for the acclaimed General Electric Theater, as well as some 300 other productions for a variety of well-known shows of the 1950s and early ’60s. According to Bill Hinchliff ’64, who was the Alumni Editor of the Bulletin in 1990, Chuck once spent an entire evening reciting Gilbert and Sullivan opera songs from memory, in the company of another G&S addict by the name of Groucho Marx, thereby persuading Groucho to make a rare appearance in a TV drama.

Headmaster Perry Dunlap Smith

Upper School Teacher Julia Childs

Student Government Photo from 1931 Mirror

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Upper School Teacher Howard Jones

feature CHAPTER 3: HIGH SCHOOL This now becomes the story of those teachers and fellow-students who most helped us to learn.

Mrs. Childs, who taught advanced Latin, also taught ancient history.

The text was Breasted’s Conquest of Civilization which I still have and still read. She made the long dawn of history vivid and memorable.

Mr. Jones was an excellent physics teacher who fixed many facts, processes and procedures in our minds. His class was an effective and enduring entrance into the age of electrons. But I probably remember him best for a course in psychology he was talked into teaching.

Let me brief ly tell this story.

My friend and classmate, Francis Moore, said to me one day that we ought to have a course in psychology. I agreed.

So we went to Mr. Smith. He assigned Mr. Jones to teach psychology to the two of us. Unfortunately, Mr. Jones chose a University of Chicago text which dealt entirely with experimental psychology, and in which he kept a chapter ahead of us; we were looking for dynamic psychology—Freud, Adler, Gestalt— so learning which part of the brain was involved in vision did not fulfill our hopes. (It is not a putdown of Mr. Jones to note here that the friendship of the brilliant and talented Francis Moore in the long run contributed as much or more to my education.)

Mention should be made of Madame Stoughton who taught French. I was one of the few who actually learned to read and speak with some f luency; in later life I lived and worked in France and became essentially bilingual. Mrs. Stoughton was so touched to have at least one student who clearly loved French that I suppose she could not bear the thought of my roasting in Hell for all eternity with my co-religionists. One day, with a tender look, she handed me a little green book: the Douai French translation of the New Testament. I still have it. At our 50th reunion, my classmates were amused to hear that story for the first time.

Fellow students also contributed much to my education, and I would like to illustrate this with an episode about student government. In the fall of 1929, I became friendly with a boy named Gordon Adamson, Class of 1932, a year behind us. Gordon’s somewhat clumsy, thick, ponderous body, voice and manner

concealed an inquiring mind with two ruling passions: naval history and the British parliamentary system.

I suppose because I listened to him, he sought me out, much to the dismay of my mother who would sit in the living room reading while upstairs Gordon and I discussed the Battle of Jutland, Gordon pacing up and down over Mother’s head— clump, clump, clump—hour after hour.

I couldn’t do anything about Jutland, but after he bent my ear for days on the British parliamentary system, I said, “Why don’t we try it at school?” He was enraptured.

We devised a new constitution (written, so not very British), and my eloquence (I pretended to be the younger Pitt) and amused friends bulldozed it through the Town Meeting. I became the first Prime Minister of The North Shore Country Day School.

Perry Smith imprinted us with a resistance to lying or cheating or being less than courteous and considerate to people of all stations of life.

That year, after Christmas vacation, I got an infection, became quite ill [and] was sent to a warm climate until the end of March or early April. When I returned, having missed the better part of a junior year semester, some serious cramming was needed for College Boards (three hours each). By the time I finally came up for air and looked around, the student government had reverted to its former structure. By then I was deep into a passionate (on my side) romance which left me no time for parliamentary maneuvers or Gordon Adamson.

CHAPTER 4: FINAL THOUGHTS To a student, Perry Smith was larger than life and a little remote. His impact lay in his devotion to the education of young people and in his emphasis on the need to choose a moral conduct of life, as individuals and as members of various

communities, small and large. In his class (Sex IV) for seniors, we sometimes smiled at his guidelines for proper conduct. After all, he began as an Edwardian, while our generation grew up with “f laming youth,” prohibition and Sigmund Freud.

However, we did not smile at his basic assumptions about honor, honesty, service and the underlying qualities of character implied by the word “gentleman.” Of course, our families stood for much in this—they were splendid people— but Perry Smith imprinted us with a resistance to lying or cheating or being less than courteous and considerate to people of all stations of life—not just with the politeness of manners in current fashion, but with the courtesy which springs from the heart, from the recognition of a shared humanity.

A last thought to summarize these fragments of a long-ago education. I have written of those days with affection but not with nostalgia. Life is now. Perhaps the greatest virtue North Shore Country Day School offered was not to be primarily a preparation for anything. Our families and economics were such that we assumed we would go to college, but that was not the business of North Shore Country Day School, at least not its primary business.

We live only in a f leeting present and we only have one chance at it. So no matter what plans we cherish we need to concentrate on intensely living each moment as it arrives and as it passes.

It will never come again.

The School’s business was to make rich, creative days and hours for youngsters from 5 to 17 years of age. And truly we had days and hours which, as Dryden says, “danced away with down upon their feet.” It is to the School’s credit that I came with pleasure, I stayed with enjoyment and profit, and at graduation I was ready and glad to move on. What I took away with me was my mind and body, in other words, the house I live in. North Shore, and especially Perry Smith … helped me in richly furnishing a number of rooms in that house. Since then, the house has grown and offers many rooms of other provenance, but I still spend much of my time in those comfortable and stimulating North Shore rooms, rich with objects of price to learn from, then, and now, and in the future.

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PRICE DERATZIAN ARANA ’81

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hen Price Deratzian Arana ’81 graduated from Cornell University in 1987, she landed her dream job right out of college. She worked as a freelance photographer, traveling around the world shooting for such high-profile clients like Sports Illustrated, Rolex and Swissair.

“Honestly, I don’t think I was more talented than anyone else, but I was not afraid to knock on doors and ask people to look at my work,” she said. “And that’s how I made things happen.”

Although Price primarily focused on painting while studying at Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, her father was a photographer, and she had studied photography under longtime NSCDS art teacher John Almquist, so photography was instinctive. “The way he taught was innovative, fun and creative,” she said. “It inspired me to pursue art studies.”

While still in college, a friend was competing in the America’s Cup in Perth, Australia. Price wanted to join as well, so she sent Kodak an advertising campaign concept utilizing her own photos. Soon after, she received a call from one of the

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vice presidents at J. Walter Thompson— at the time, one of the biggest advertising agencies in the world. Kodak had forwarded her images and they asked her to shoot Kodak’s new film for them in Australia.

“The adventure and my career started there,” she said. “With my Kodak press pass, I would submit my photos to Sports Illustrated and other publications and ask them to look at my work, which they often ended up publishing.”

Price credits North Shore for giving her the courage to find her voice at such a young age.

“At North Shore, we participated in everything,” she explained. “One of the great things about that is when you venture out into the world, it makes you fearless. You’ve dipped your toe in everything, and when you’re in a small, intimate classroom and have one-on-one relationships with your teachers, you’re not afraid to ask anything. Everyone participates. It gives you great confidence.

You know you can knock on any door.”

Price grew up not far from North Shore Country Day, in Northbrook. After

attending public elementary school and junior high, her parents thought it would be a good idea to go to a college prep school, and arranged for her to tour the campus.

“I remember knowing it was special,” she said. “It was small and personable, with a sense of community. I was excited to go, and it was fun to be on the same campus with the young children as well as seniors.”

During her four years at North Shore, Price felt most at home in the art department. “I blossomed creatively because there were such great teachers,” she said.

“John Almquist was on par with no one else. He studied under Josef Albers at Yale and I think he was teaching us at a college level. I remember making a pinhole camera. I remember a project where we had to recreate a masterwork with little pieces of paper and glue. I remember printmaking with Jackie Melissas. We had fun in the classroom and it enhanced my curiosity.”

As Price went on to Cornell and her freelance career, that curiosity and desire to always keep learning and growing

feature

At North Shore, we participated in everything. One of the great things about that is when you venture out into the world, it makes you fearless.

stayed with her. While her photography brought her all over the world to shoot, it also afforded her a lot of downtime at home. When she wasn’t traveling, she started working part time at an ad agency.

“It was intriguing and I loved advertising,” she said.

After a few years, she decided it was time to move on. So with no real plan in place, she gave her notice and embarked on a weeklong retreat at The Ashram in Calabasas, California. Upon her return, she received a phone call from one of her former clients, wanting to know where she was and whether she was going to start her own company.

“I had a moment to answer,” she said.

“They said, ‘If you’re starting your own company, we’ll go with you.” So I said, ‘Yes.’ And that was how my company was born—it was an accidental agency.”

With her company up and running, The Press Cabinet—recently rebranded as Now—started to take on clients. A friend had started a little cosmetics company called Stila, and wanted to get it off the ground. At the time, most cosmetic

Blessings in a Backpack, helping children companies were using supermodels to with food insecurity who might otherwise advertise their products, so to make Stila go hungry on the weekends. She sits on stand out from the competition, Price the board of the nonprofit Visionary decided to use whimsical illustrations.

“We love to think outside the box,” Price Women and was a founding member of The Exodus Institute, dedicated to helping explained. “Right now, illustrations in a campaign might not sound innovative, but find solutions to the refugee crisis around the world. She recently made her directoit was at the time. We’ve always tried to rial debut with An Undeniable Voice, a find a way to set our clients apart. We’re short documentary on Holocaust survivor disruptors. We always have been.” and New Trier graduate Sam Harris, who Since opening her agency in 1998, was one of the driving forces behind the Price has launched multiple brands and Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education her clients include Montage Hotels, Center in Skokie. Thus far it has won JetSuite, St. Regis, South Street Seaport, Nolet’s Gin, Pendry Residences and others. awards at 13 film festivals worldwide.

“I am thrilled that I have the opportuShe collaborated with Assouline to publish nity to give back—it makes everything The Ashram Cookbook, featuring recipes more meaningful,” she said. Price from the famed wellness retreat. She has spearheaded several nonprofit campaigns, explained that the School’s motto of including one that brought attention to the “Live and Serve” was something her family instilled in her even before coming to plight of victims of sex trafficking. More North Shore Country Day, but spending pro bono advertising campaigns followed her formative high school years in a for the Christopher & Dana Reeve community that actually did that certainly Foundation and Shoe4Africa, the latter reinforced the idea. “It shows you that of which resulted in the construction change is possible and that you can of one of the first children’s hospitals in make a difference.” sub-Saharan Africa. Most recently she created the TV and radio spots for

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events

Mike Moreau ’04 and Ted Heinz ’00

Alex Moffatt ’00

Bong and Jessica Shinn

Rocky Wirtz ’71, Nina Yoo, Chase Stevenson, Tom Flemma, Betty Fisher Wiggins ’93, and Michael Reinsdorf ’85

The Centennial Benefit 2020 This year, the School’s annual Benefit took on a different look and feel in honor of its 100th birthday and it was a rousing success, bringing in more than $440,000 for student experiences. Hosted at the Atrium at the United Center on February 27, the “Party of the Century” was a celebration welcoming parents, alumni, parents of alumni, and former and current faculty and staff. The event was led by current parents and Chairs Chase Stevenson, Nina Yoo and Betty Fisher Wiggins ’93, and Honorary Chairs Michael Reinsdorf ’85 and Rocky Wirtz ’71.

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More than 450 people attended or supported the event, which included food stations and cocktails, a program and live music. During the program, Head of School Tom Flemma talked about the impact of the School’s supporters on current students, Rocky and Michael made remarks on what NSCDS means to them, and “Saturday Night Live” cast member Alex Moffat ’00 made a special video appearance. The program culminated in a paddle raise and live auction, where 12th grade volunteers helped spot the crowd. After the formal program ended, Mark Bransfield ’86 and Liam Davis ’86 closed out the evening with a performance from their band Soft Opening.

Chairs Chase, Nina and Betty worked tirelessly over the past year to host a memorable party in celebration of the School’s Centennial—not only to ensure the community felt connected and had fun, but also to raise important funds for student experiences.

“To be able to bring together the community past and present was incredible,” they said. “We are so grateful for everyone who made it special—for the people who attended, raised their paddles, sponsored or sent in donations in lieu of attendance, and for those who spread the word about this ‘Party of the Century.’ We felt the love for ‘Raider Nation.’ Thank you and Go Raiders!”

Susan Schinleber, and Alesia and Derek Wall

Drew and Eileen Bishop, Kathleen Johnson-Browning ’70 and Paul Browning

Senior volunteers: Grace Bartell, Xas Morgan, Gabbie Kaplinsky, Julia Fortier, Caroline Segal, Allie Charnas and Edith Edwards-Mizel

Carole and Bob Kopple ’61, and Molly Shotwell Oelerich ’87

Ari and Judy Golson, Bela Lopes and Nina Gallin

Chase Stevenson and Byron Trott

Brooke and Jim Sabia, and Susan and Rich Gallun

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Noreen Potempa, Louise Flickinger and Ryan Paulson

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events

Front: Jack Viellieu ’09, Taylor Appelbaum ’08, Caroline McCarthy ’09, Madelaine Kukanza ’08, Blair Hunt Bobier ’09, Melissa Jesser ’09, Grace Flickinger ’12, Blair Franke ’12, Morgan Peters ’11 and Emily Finlay Vertrees ’07 Back: Carlos Angeles ’12, Chris White ’09, Jack Kelly ’12, Leigh Kukanza ’11, Firouz Niazi ’17, Emily Gavin ’09, Jonah Levi-Paesky ’13, Jeannie Peters ’12, John Elam ’07, Scott Nicholson ’07, Tim Callahan ’04, Lisa Doi ’09 and Alex Vertrees ’07

Dana and Jacob Ringer ’04, Tim Callahan ’04, Mullery Doar ’06, Tiara Miles ’07 and John Elam ’07

Kelly and Cleveland Tyson

“What pride all of us connected with the School can take at being a part of this bold educational experiment in its first 100 years, trusting that the second 100 will continue its bold trajectory.”

N A N C Y G E Y E R C H R I S T O P H E R , Former Faculty

Mary Ann Finlay, Nancy Kelly Jarchow, Bruce Jarchow ’66 and Rory Finlay

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Amy Deuble, Hillary Wirtz ’97, Dan Sweeney and Noreen Potempa

Patty Washburn, Nancy Reinsdorf, Michael Reinsdorf ’85 and Claire Washburn-Berkoff

Susanna Ver Eecke, Vann Avedisian, Amy Brock and Heidi Avedisian

Art Jessen ’70, Gwen Jessen ’76, Chris Avery ’87 and Rocky Wirtz ’71

“The Centennial Benefit celebration was a huge hit!

It was such a treat to get to celebrate North Shore with all of the people who have made it such a special place.”

GRACE FLICKINGER ’12

J.P. and Krista Gallagher, and Bill Bach ’87

Rachel Sun, Sarah Walsh, Christine Ritchey, Marcy Giesler, Sharon Lieberman, Debbie Youderian and Jordan Holod

Liz Kohler, Mouse Doar and Susan Bondurant

Julie Anderson, Tony Kramer ’58, Blas Puzon and Jenny Bullock

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Anne Hines Young ’77, Tom Formolo, David Hines ’81 and Bert Getz Jr.

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Gabriel Sissel ’33, Layla Lewis ’32, Clark Gilmour ’33 and Hattie Mercer ’33

Connectathon: Larry Williams ’87, Scott Olson ’79 and Katie Todd ’96

100-Day Parade

Spring Connectathon

On February 7, the junior and senior kindergartners celebrated the 100th day of North Shore Country Day’s Centennial year. The students had been counting down the days (literally) to this important milestone since the first day of school.

In JK, the child assigned each day to the “counter” job had been adding a penny to a special jar and moving the marker on the number line. In SK, they had a number chart.

The 100-day celebration is more than just a fun activity for students.

As with most things in the early childhood classrooms, students are learning important lessons through play: in this case, math, literacy, art, music and—of course—teamwork. As the day approached, SK students painted, numbered and sorted paper towel rolls, which they then strung together to make a 92-foot long snake, and JK students listened to the book Ready, Set, 100th Day!

by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. They also practiced their “snake chant” and learned a special song.

When the big day finally came, students received cardboard crowns and then the junior and senior kindergartners traveled with their snake through the Lower School to the Hall Library, singing and chanting while their senior buddies cheered them on. They continued the celebration with a special 100-day snack (a pretzel stick and two Ritz crackers).

The first half of March was active for those who participated in this year’s Alumni Connectathon. Volunteers gathered on campus and at home to reach out to classmates with School updates, to request class notes and help raise important general operating funds for today’s students. More than 200 connections were made. Special thanks to a grateful alum who matched eligible Annual Giving gifts from new or lapsed alumni donors up to $10,000!

The generous support from the North Shore community is greatly appreciated, and Annual Giving contributions for the Centennial year are welcome through June 30. Your support continues the Raider legacy and helps create new memories for today’s students.

SNAKE CHANT

10, 20, 30, 40, 50 (clap) We’re halfway there!

60, 70, 80, 90 ONE HUNDRED! 1 0 0 D AY S O F S C H O O L

(to the tune of A-Hunting We Will Go) 100 Days of School, 100 Days of School, We’ve learned a lot, Good friends we’ve got, 100 Days of School!

100 REASONS TO GIVE

In the spirit of the Centennial year, some of our Alumni donors shared their reasons for giving: “ NSCDS was a foundational springboard for me academically, professionally, personally and socially.”

—jeff foreman ’80, Trustee “ I serve on the Alumni Board, volunteer at Connectathons and donate because I’m grateful for the good education I received from NSCDS.” —larry williams ’87 “ North Shore holds an incredibly special place in my heart— it is where I learned to lead, to give back, and to give my whole self to my endeavors.”

— caroline mccarthy ’09 Thank you to our dedicated volunteers: Annie Aggens ’88 Ches Manly ’89 Carlos Angeles ’12 Suzanne Folds McCullagh ’69 Chris Avery ’87 Ciara McDonagh ’90 Jay Bach Firouz Niazi ’17 Cathy Bell Bartholomay ’79 Ted Notz ’53 Phyllis Beattie ’72 Scott Olson ’79 Benjy Blenner ’02 Nora Philbin ’11 Jim Davis ’64 Sarah Geist Rosen ’86 Lisa Doi ’09 Jeannie Lea Scully ’63 Jeff Foreman ’80 Todd Searle ’05 Bob Geraghty ’65 Alex Silets ’87 Tom Geraghty ’62 George Smith ’81 Naomi Hattori ’02 Katie Todd ’96 Hall Healy ’59 Larry Williams ’87 Betsy Perkins Hill ’70 Andrew Wood ’90 Sophie Hiland ’18 Anne Hines Young ’77 Elizabeth Ingram ’82 Suki Lipman ’70

SAVE THE DATE

2020 Homecoming October 2-3 EVERYONE IS INVITED! All alumni, families, parents of alumni, faculty and friends The weekend will feature special events, programs, family activities and cheering on the Raider teams at their games.

REUNION CLASSES: 1945, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015

accomplishmen t s

Colin Wiercinski ’27, Elizabeth Laabs ’27, Dash Oke ’27 and Wyatt Giffen ’27

Stribling Koster ’27, Emily Ver Eecke ’27, Camilla Sheftel ’27 and Emmett Cotter ’27

Destination Imagination Destination Imagination actually grew out Twenty-five Lower School students of a program called Odyssey of the Mind, competed in a regional Destination Imagination (DI) tournament February 8, which I had done for years as a child.”

To start, the students were divided into and one of the teams qualified to move five teams. Annie served as the team manon to the state competition, scheduled for April. Sadly, the state tournament was ager for the three 5th grade teams and parent Maggie Storino (Sadie ’30 and canceled because of travel restrictions related to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pan- Sophia ’29) was the team manager for the two 2nd grade teams. Third and 4th Grade demic. There will still be a global tournament later this year, but it will be virtual. Assistant Maggie McMahon also helped.

For lower elementary grades (K-2nd) there Destination Imagination is a global educational nonprofit dedicated to inspir- was one global challenge. The older students had their choice of a challenge in ing the next generation of innovators, one of six categories: technical, scientific, leaders and creative problem-solvers. engineering, fine arts, improvisational Globally, the program is open to students in kindergarten through college, and any- and service learning. In this first year, North Shore fielded engineering, technione can start a team. North Shore piloted cal and improv teams. the program in the fall and winter, and Every challenge, regardless of the for the first year, limited it to 10 students category, includes solving a problem, in 2nd grade and 15 students in 5th grade writing and performing a skit relating to as a Later Raiders enrichment class. DI the theme of the problem, and creating a participants complete project-based chaldisplay. Leading up to the regional compelenges following the No. 1 rule: Growntition, the engineering team was tasked ups cannot intervene. with building the parts to a bridge, made According to the company’s website, entirely out of playing cards and duct tape.

“At Destination Imagination, we believe Once they arrived, they had to assemble that when an educational experience is hands-on, collaborative and fun, students it and move weights across it. For the skit, the theme was unexpected connections, are empowered to take their learning so they wrote about a chicken wandering to the next level and are excited to do so.” around looking for a friend, and out Science Department Head and Lower popped a dinosaur, because chickens School Science Teacher Annie Collins evolved from pterodactyls. They had to decided to start the program at North come up with a backdrop and props and Shore after a parent brought it to her costumes, all while staying within a $150 attention. “I had never heard of DI,” Annie said. “But when I went to a training budget. So instead of trying to construct a backdrop, they decided to build a DIY in February to be an appraiser, which is overhead projector using a lightbulb and what they call the judges, I found out a magnifying glass. They used the laser 16 cutter in the Live+Serve Lab to fashion

their miniature set and projected it onto an old sheet. And since their teachers were not allowed to help in any way, they taught themselves how to do it by watching YouTube videos.

The technical team was tasked with inventing something that solved a realworld problem, which they then had to build and demonstrate for the appraisers.

At first they tossed around the idea of building a water filter, but after realizing they probably couldn’t solve the water crisis in developing nations in a matter of hours, they decided to create an untied shoelace alert system using electrical circuits to let younger students know when their shoes were untied. And while they didn’t place, the team won a special Renaissance Award for a school bell they made for their skit, which combined electrical circuits with a bicycle bell they had taken apart.

The improv team—which ended up qualifying for State—had to research super powers found in movies, comic books and other literature, and pick their top eight. On the day of the competition, they were assigned a super power for their villain (super speed) and a conundrum they had to solve (the sunscreen wouldn’t come out of the bottle). They had two minutes to plan and five minutes to perform, and right before they went onstage, their superhero’s underwhelming power (snail speed) was revealed. No costumes or props were allowed, and all they could bring with them was a box of materials to create sound effects, which had to cost less than $40 total.

Hannah Gallin ’20, Ashley Zabel ’22, Lola Adebiyi ’21 and Claire Umpleby ’20

“The Last Polar Bear” by Vivian Zhang ’24

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Anita Rao ’21

Louder Than a Bomb

Louder Than a Bomb “This program has just solidified that kids can do amazing things if we let them,” Annie said. “There’s a lot of pressure— and I know this as a mom—to do things for our kids, but they can do it themselves if given the space and the freedom, and this was proof of that.”

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Two Upper School students and one Middle School student were recognized with 2020 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards at the regional level, and two of them received national recognition as well.

Emmy Cho ’20 received two gold keys, including one American Voices nomination, two silver keys and two honorable mentions in the poetry, personal essay/ memoir and short story categories. Izzy Cho ’20 received four gold keys, including one American Voices nomination, three silver keys and one honorable mention in the poetry, personal essay/memoir, short story and portfolio categories.

Vivian Zhang ’24 received two gold keys for painting.

Gold key winners automatically advance to the national level. Emmy was awarded one gold medal, one American Voices medal and one silver medal for her writing, and Izzy received two gold medals for hers. Izzy was also one of eight writers nationwide presented with a Gold Medal Portfolio Award, which comes with a $10,000 scholarship.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program is the nation’s longest-running,

largest and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Over the past 95 years, the awards have recognized and encouraged artists and writers such as Sylvia Plath, Andy Warhol, Truman Capote and Robert Redford, among others.

North Shore’s Louder Than a Bomb team had a knock-out season before the coronavirus pandemic cut it short. Louder Than a Bomb, held in various locations throughout downtown Chicago, is the largest youth poetry festival in the world.

Students compete individually and in teams, and this year, the North Shore Mikva Challenge poets included Lola Adebiyi ’21, Emmy Anita Rao ’21 and Niabelle Comeau ’23 Cho ’20, Hannah Gallin ’22, Anita Rao ’21, joined more than 100 high school students Raven Rumbolt-Lemond ’21, Claire from across the country in Iowa where Umpleby ’20 and Ashley Zabel ’22. Upper they spent three days in January camSchool English Teacher Christina Baik paigning for presidential candidates in the served as the faculty advisor. lead-up to the Iowa Caucuses. The weekThe team competed in two preliminary end was organized by the Mikva Challenge, rounds, placing first and second respecan organization that helps young people tively. They qualified for the quarterfinals get involved in the political process. “The and were planning to compete March 12, Iowa trip exceeded my expectations in but the School closed a day early for spring every way,” Niabelle said. break and the local government advised When they applied for the program, against large public meetings, so most of Anita and Niabelle had to rank their top the students decided to stay home, essenfour choices for campaign assignments. tially forfeiting.

Anita and Niabelle were both matched “I am so proud of our poets and grateful with Elizabeth Warren’s campaign. They to those who came and supported us durspent the first day making phone calls ing the preliminary bouts,” Christina said. and canvassing the neighborhoods, knock- “One by one, our individual poets went up ing on doors and passing out campaign on stage and wowed everyone in the room. literature. Niabelle also attended a Joe Their words resonated and their perforBiden rally, while Anita attended a Warren mances were impassioned and thoughtful. event in collaboration with the NAACP. Our group poets also impressed the audi“[Elizabeth Warren] took the time to ence with their honest portrayal of high speak to us individually after the event, school in their piece.” answered questions and wished us luck on the rest of our weekend,” Anita said.

“The chance to hear a candidate speak about her platform in an intimate environment and to personally communicate with her was fascinating.” a c o r n · Spring 2020 17

dis t inguished gues t s

Melissa Isaacson (center) with Upper School students and Girls Basketball Coach Bruce Blair ’69 (far right)

Alistair McCulloch with 2nd-8th graders

Alistair McCulloch

Melissa Isaacson The girls basketball team invited awardwinning author, sportswriter and ESPN commentator Melissa Isaacson to speak to Upper School students in the V on February 7. A nationally recognized trailblazer for female sports writers and commentators, Melissa was a reporter and featured columnist for the Chicago Tribune for 19 years, covering the Bears and the Bulls during the Michael Jordan years. She then spent six years as a commentator on ESPN’s television and radio networks as well as ESPN.com, and now teaches at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.

In her new book State—about her 1979 state champion Niles West girls basketball team—she explores the dynamics of a state champion team while providing insight into the obstacles facing female athletes at the time. Illinois was among the last four states to sanction girls high 18

school sports. For years, the antiquated rule kept schools like North Shore Country Day out of the Illinois High School Association because they had girls teams that competed in interschool play. In fact, longtime NSCDS Athletic Director Mac McCarty even appeared before the state General Assembly to pressure them to change the rule— regarded as a key moment in eventually moving the IHSA forward.

Chicago Scots and the Gregg Violin Illinois’ oldest nonprofit organization, the Chicago Scots, paid a special visit to North Shore, bringing one of Scotland’s national treasures to the School for a unique musical tribute to renowned Scottish poet, Robert Burns. They brought with them a 267-year old instrument known as the “Gregg Violin.”

When Robert Burns was a teenager in 1779, he started taking dancing lessons.

He hoped these new skills would ‘give my manners a brush,’ but it was most likely an act of rebellion because his father did not approve of such behavior. His dance teacher, William Gregg, is believed to have played the fiddle while the young poet learned the steps.

In January, Lower and Middle School students from 2nd-8th grades had the privilege to hear the musical talents of one of Scotland’s most sought-after fiddlers, Alistair McCulloch—the only person in the world permitted to play the Gregg Violin.

This special concert was one of just a few stops that Alistair and the violin made in the Chicago area as part of a national tour. It was the first time the almost 300-year-old instrument had visited the city.

Kenna Sullivan Johnson ’09

Andy Duran

John Duffy

Kenna Sullivan Johnson ’09: Andy Duran: Total Sona Fitness Marijuana Legalization Parents were invited to workout with Kenna Sullivan Johnson ’09, co-founder of Total Sona Fitness, on February 5 in the Mac Gym, thanks to the PA’s Parent Education program. Kenna led parents through a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout followed by a yoga cooldown and healthy snacks from Wilmette’s own Chia Leah.

Kenna and her husband Dylan started Total Sona Fitness after being inspired by the psychological benefits of exercise.

Sona, which is Gaelic for prosperity and happiness, embodied the ethos of the company’s mission. In a fast-paced and high-stress world, they wanted to create a convenient and accessible way to workout to help reduce stress and to improve the overall health of their community. Equally important was developing a program that could fit every schedule and every budget.

Along with her NASM Personal Trainer Certification, Kenna holds specialties in nutrition, performance enhancement, and senior fitness. She oversees all aspects of training and program development for Total Sona Fitness.

A program on marijuana legalization sponsored by the NSCDS Parent Education committee on January 23 was well attended. Andy Duran, executive director of Linking Efforts Against Drugs (LEAD) spoke with parents and shared helpful information about the impact on teens, common misconceptions and some strategies for how to talk with their children about marijuana.

He also met separately with Middle and Upper School students, encouraging them to focus on healthy decision-making and reassuring them they are in the majority by deciding not to use marijuana. These conversations were a great start to a rich dialogue between faculty and students.

Andy’s number-one tip for parents was, “Talk to your kids today, let them know your thoughts about it, and that you are educated and open to having conversations.”

John Duffy: Parenting North Shore Country Day hosted a local Family Action Network (FAN) event on January 16, 2020, featuring Clinical Psychologist and Author John Duffy,

Psy.D., who discussed his latest book, Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety.

His book offers guidance on navigating the terrain of contemporary adolescence.

The “new teen” has unlimited digital access and unprecedented levels of academic, social and family stressors. Young teens are constantly confronted with how they measure up to their peers, their status relative to others, their physical and emotional struggles.

For vulnerable children and teens, these non-stop assessments, delivered via electronic media, are overwhelming.

With rising rates of teen anxiety, depression, and substance use, parents are seeking to understand how to best support and connect with their children.

John is a highly sought-after clinical psychologist, bestselling author, podcaster, and parenting and relationship expert.

He has been working in his clinical practice with individuals, couples, teens and families for nearly 25 years. Along with his clinical work and his new book, John is also the author of the number-one bestselling The Available Parent.

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book re v ie ws Greeks Bearing Gifts by Philip Kerr PUBLISHED 2018 PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

Set in 1957 in Munich, Athens, and some smaller towns and islands off the Peloponnese coast, Greeks Bearing Gifts

by Philip Kerr tells the story of former police detective Bernie Gunther who now carries a passport in the name of Christoph Ganz. He carries a lot of guilt over the fact he is German and once worked (out of necessity) for the SS, and he believes the whole of Germany should make reparations for the war.

While working a menial job in Berlin, he is recognized by an old acquaintance, who gets him a job as a claims adjuster at a major insurance firm. Christoph, as he is now known, quickly distinguishes himself when he investigates a break-in at a museum, thus saving his employer a lot of money. In short order, he is sent to Athens to investigate a different claim and gets caught up in the case of a Greek vessel (the Doris) illegally obtained by the Nazis and somehow involved in the theft and appropriation of gold from the Jewish community—gold which is subsequently lost at sea (or so we are led to believe).

With lots of bestial crimes, an appearance by the Mossad, a stunningly beautiful woman or two and Christoph’s (Bernie’s) wish to atone and do good, this is another compelling read.

Bernie’s crazy sense of humor and the connection with WW2 Germany make him one of my favorites—and need I add, Philip Kerr is (or was) British.

Susan Schinleber Middle School English and Public Speaking Teacher

Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave by Ona Judge PUBLISHED 2017 SIMON & SCHUSTER

Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar provides a captivating insight into the life of Ona Judge, one of George and Martha Washington’s most valued slaves. Beginning in 1789, Ona left Mount Vernon to serve the Washingtons on their presidential journey across the northeast, as the first capitals of the United States were in New York City and Philadelphia.

Although the Washingtons attempted to shield their slaves from the newly established abolitionist movements in the North, Ona and many other slaves learned of the freedoms the North had to offer. After much contemplation, Ona manufactured a plan for her escape in Philadelphia. Shortly after she escaped and settled into her new life in New Hampshire, Washington took advantage of his political connections and began his discreet search for his runaway slave.

In Never Caught, the author uses a variety of sources to support claims made in the text, but is limited in her ability to speak directly to Ona’s direct experiences because of a lack of primary sources. Instead, the text focuses more on the physical, mental and social struggles present in the early abolition movement, and suggests how Ona might have responded. This is an essential book to read when learning about George Washington and how the social and political climate surrounding slavery shifted in early America.

Caroline Hagerty ’21 20

facult y Professional Development and Upper School Counselor Terri Webb attended the Independent Schools Association of the Central States’ (ISACS) workshop for Leaders and Emerging Leaders of Color in Chicago.

Christina Baik, Upper School Spanish Teacher Maria Elena Centomo, and Upper School English Teacher and Live+Serve Lab Director Drea Gallaga attended a workshop entitled “Global Migration in History and Today,” provided by Facing History and Ourselves.

Development Associate Kim Baker, Director of Alumni Relations Nancy Green Whiteman ’71 and Development Associate Maureen Wilde attended the CASE-NAIS Independent Schools Conference in Atlanta in January Kim Baker, Director of Marketing and Communications Tura Cottingham, As a part of the School’s ongoing equity, and Communications Associate Jay Young diversity, and inclusion professional attended Finalsite University, a digital development work, the faculty and staff marketing conference in Orlando, FL. participated in conversations on class and Middle School Flag Football Coach race with facilitators from the National Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity and Middle School Track and Field Coach Tim Barfield attended the Track (SEED) Project. Later, after reading Jerry and Football Consortium at Elmhurst Craft’s graphic novel New Kid, which explores the experience of a new student of College to learn about speed development.

Middle School Science and color at Riverdale Country School, two Mathematics Teacher Lee Block, Middle additional sessions focused on a discusSchool Counselor Laura Cooper, sion of the book.

Instrumental Music Director and Middle During regular meetings and and Upper School Music Teacher Ann In-Service Day programming, members , Middle School Science and Goodrich of the faculty and staff participated in Humanities Teacher David Kubacki , Middle both a diabetes education workshop School Learning Specialist Christine provided by staff from the Northwestern Ritchey, Middle School Mathematics University Healthsystem as well as a Teacher Graham Rosby, and Middle and sexual abuse prevention education trainUpper School Social Studies Teacher Dana ing conducted by staff from the Chicago attended the ISACS workshop in Specht Children’s Advocacy Center.

Chicago entitled “Leading Change When The Lower School Faculty worked You’re Not the Boss: For Deans, with trainers from Lurie Children Department Chairs & Other Leaders.”

Hospital’s Potocsnak Family Division Middle School Mandarin Teacher Yunof Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine and Middle School French Chu Chen on best practices in gender inclusion Teacher Anne-Marie Dall’Agata attended within Lower Schools. the Bureau of Education & Research First Grade Teacher Cristy Athas, workshop in Chicago on “Comprehensive Lower School Reading Specialist Sharon Input in the Target Language.”

Lieberman, and Lower School Learning Head of Middle School Barrington Specialist Tobye Ostrow attended the Fulton Jr. attended ISACS’s Academy for Association of Educational Therapists’ Division Heads in Chicago. workshop entitled “Writing: From By invitation, 3rd Grade Teacher David Encoding to Empowerment” in Chicago. participated in the Educational Green Upper School English Teacher Christina Testing Service’s Advisory Meeting to Baik, Upper School Mathematics Teacher develop a new K-12 Listening and Speaking Fatema Burhani, Upper School Visual Art Assessment in Princeton, New Jersey.

Teacher Laura Hsieh, 2nd Grade Teacher Upper School Science Teacher and Sara Pyne, and Director of Counseling

University of Pennsylvania Teaching Fellow Nora Hefner attended the ISACS Workshop entitled “White Women Who Teach Black Boys.”

Lower School Spanish Teacher Winder Holeman attended a Qualified Administrator Trainer Workshop for the Intercultural Development Inventory in Dallas.

Director of Operations and Director of Summer Programs Cindy Hooper attended the Summer Programs Auxiliary Revenue Conference in Scottsdale, AZ. Senior Kindergarten Teacher Jordan Holod, Director of Early Childhood Programs Kathy Irvin, Lower School Reading Specialist Sharon Lieberman, Junior Kindergarten Associate Teacher Janet Lord, Sara Pyne, Junior and Senior Kindergarten Teacher and JK/SK Spanish Teacher Rebecca Reátegui, and Senior Kindergarten Teacher Amy Shuldiner attended a Handwriting Without Tears Conference to learn about and implement the handwriting curriculum.

Middle School Spanish Teacher Alejandra Mendoza attended the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages conference entitled “Languages for All: Envisioning Language Learning Opportunities for Every Learner” in New York City.

Fifth Grade Teacher Ellen Rasmussen attended IXL Live, a one-day session to introduce IXL’s programs to educators in Chicago.

Middle School English Teacher Susan Schinleber attended two Page to Stage Teaching Shakespeare Workshops at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.

Fifth Grade Assistant Teacher Christina Timbers attended Rush Neurobehavioral Center’s Executive Function Teacher Workshop.

Lower School Counselor Debbie Youderian attended several local workshops and presentations, including “Legal Cannabis: What Does it Mean in Our Community” and “Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse: Fundamentals and Beyond” both held at The Center for Practice Excellence at JCFS Chicago, “Complex Healing: Guiding Children and Adolescent Patients Through Mood, Anxiety and Eating Disorders” at the Eating Recovery Center and Dr. Christoper Willard’s “Making Mindfulness Stick with Kids and Teens.”

a c o r n · Spring 2020

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facult y Faculty Profile: Timothy Mah UPPER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL CHORAL DIRECTOR AND MUSIC TEACHER Q . How did you first get into music?

A. It was strictly by accident. When I

was 8 years old, it became apparent that I was not the athletic type and ball sports were not for me. So one day, we were at Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills and the Baldwin piano store had a promotion that with the purchase or rental of an upright piano, you got 12 weeks of free private lessons. My parents thought, why not? After the 12 weeks were up, my teacher said, “Hey, he’s doing pretty well with it. This is something he should keep up.” And so I did, and slowly but surely, I got better at it.

I started violin lessons when I was 9 with the school orchestra in 4th grade.

And then my four younger siblings all followed in my footsteps. Before we knew it, we had five kids in the family who all played piano and a string instrument.

And so it was a very loud, very musical household. Ironically, neither of my parents knows a thing about music. Their saying was, “We pay, we don’t play.”

Q . Did you know back then you

Timothy Mah

wanted to be a music teacher?

A. When it was time to decide what I

want to pursue in college, I realized I didn’t want to sit and listen to lectures.

I didn’t want to write papers or read journals. I wanted to do. I was the type of person who was going to learn best by doing, and for me, piano was doing, making music was doing. I never had any aspirations of becoming a concert musician but by process of elimination, knowing I didn’t want to study math or English or social studies, I got both my graduate and undergraduate degrees in music performance. It was only after college that I discovered my passion for teaching, for working with kids, and being goofy and unorthodox. I discovered it was something I did well and that I really felt like I was myself when I was doing it.

rapidly discovered a joy for it, a passion for it. I woke up with a certain amount of energy every day.

Q. What do you love the most about teaching?

A. A big part of the draw for me was

working with teenagers. You never know what they’re going to do or say, and I find that to be invigorating. It makes me feel really alive and gives me a sense of purpose that I am sharing what many teachers had shared with me—their gift of life lessons through music. I’ve had a number of professors in college and beyond, musical mentors who have really shaped the way I operate in terms of my moral compass and how I treat other people. So I take the responsibility very seriously to have young people under my watch every day. Whether or not I realize it in the moment, I am teaching by example, for better or for worse. I take that responsibility seriously and I think it’s wonderful.

A. A few years ago, Oliver got to the point

in cello where he could play legit chamber music. And so I would take out my violin, and with Oliver on cello and my wife on piano, we would play trios as a family.

We’ve actually given a couple of concerts and performances and it’s incredibly gratifying as a parent to share what you love doing with your child. The first time we sat down and played music as a trio was pretty magical—doing what you love with the people you love.

Q. I would imagine as a pianist and violinist, you listen to a lot of classical music. What else is on your playlist that might be surprising?

A. I’m a huge Metallica fan. I’ve seen

them live in concert probably half a dozen times. When people meet me, they don’t usually peg me as a heavy metal fan, but I actually find Metallica’s music to be Q . So what was your first teaching job? incredibly complex and rich. I listen to it A. My first teaching job after I got my from a classical musician’s perspective— master’s degree was an assistant orchestra conducting along with the album as I’m director and a choral department accompa- Q. You mentioned you come from a musical driving and analyzing chord progressions. nist at Glenbrook North and South high family. Your wife is also a musician, and your My wife thinks it is really weird, but I schools. It was the first time I got to son Oliver ’27 started taking cello lessons embrace that. Good music is good music. work with kids every single day and I very when he was 4. What’s it like when you go home? Do you play together?

22

live and serve

Dunk Alzheimer’s Basketball Bash

Caroline Segal ’20

Mason Meyers ’22

Trevor Hayward ’20

Dunk Alzheimer’s North Shore Country Day held its annual Dunk Alzheimer’s Basketball Bash fundraiser January 18, raising a record $18,500 to support Alzheimer’s research— more than double last year’s total. This is the eighth year students have partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to raise money and awareness for the disease, which affects 5.8 million Americans and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

Dunk Alzheimer’s was started by Jonathan Segal ’15, and has been carried on by several other students over the years, including his younger sister Caroline Segal ’20. Their grandmother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at age 60.

“It almost feels like a dream that we raised so much money for the Alzheimer’s Association this year,” Caroline said. “The Dunk Alz committee and I spent so much time planning to make the event as successful as possible and we really feel rewarded by this incredible outcome. We also worked hard to spread awareness of the disease itself and share stories within the School community. It is so meaning-

ful to know that the money we raised will support the Alzheimer’s Association in their research and care for Alzheimer’s patients.”

At this time, there is no treatment to cure, delay or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and federal funding for research is at risk of being cut, so fundraisers like this one are needed now more than ever. Since 2013, the NSCDS community has raised more than $60,000 for Alzheimer’s research.

Assistant Athletic Director Rebekah Kauffman says Dunk Alzheimer’s is one of the highlights of the winter sports season that players, students and members of the local community look forward to each year. “In athletics, we talk a lot about how much more we can accomplish when we all work together toward the same goal— this is a perfect example of that,” she explained. “Dunk Alz has made a tremendous impact on our School. The awareness generated along with the money raised is ‘Live and Serve’ in action.”

The event offered a little something for everyone and the entire School community was encouraged to attend. In addition to a

full schedule of basketball games from Middle School to varsity, there was also a Hoops4Health basketball clinic for Lower and Middle School students, a raff le and a silent auction, featuring a Blackhawks suite and an autographed Cubs photo.

Leading up to the event, students sold Dunk Alz t-shirts and sweatpants.

“Dunk Alz has become an extremely important tradition within the North Shore community and it is an incredible way for all three divisions to support our basketball teams while also raising awareness for Alzheimer’s disease,” Caroline explained. And although she graduates this year, she has no doubt that the work her brother started will continue. “We have a fantastic committee that will continue to plan the event in the coming years.

The three rising seniors who will take charge next year are all confident, smart individuals who know the ropes and will plan a fantastic event. I know that Dunk Alz will carry on even after I graduate because of the unbelievable support from them and the entire School.”

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live and serve

Elizabeth Savin ’21

Eva Smith ’31

Robbie Black ’23

What’s New in the Live+Serve Lab Since the Live+Serve Lab opened in October of 2019, teachers and students have been eager to use the space to lift up North Shore’s mission and to engage in a variety of service-oriented projects.

Students have learned, listened, experimented, developed empathy and created in the Lab in just a few short months. This small selection highlights just a few of the incredible projects in the Lab so far this year.

Edwin Binney, who invented the Crayola company, and they asked about a problem they had observed at school: “What happens to all the used Crayola markers we throw out?” When they learned that Crayola will take donated markers and recycle them, they extended their classroom work to create an all-school service project, helping the whole School community collect markers for Crayola’s ColorCycle recycling program.

French—demonstrating their readiness to do service work with non Englishspeaking communities.

ENGLISH 9 ADVOCACY PROJECTS

As part of their English curriculum, 9th graders wrote a research paper and created a poster about someone who changed the world but who was unrecognized in their own lifetime. After learning about these changemakers, they wrote an advocacy letter to an individual in government or in another sector, presenting an argument 1ST GRADE PROBLEM-SOLVERS AP FRENCH INTERNSHIP INTERVIEWS for change on an issue of the student’s As part of their inventions unit, 1st graders As part of their Advanced Placement choosing. Students presented their initially came to the Live+Serve Lab for a curriculum, French students learned posters and their advocacy letters in read-aloud of The Most Magnificent Thing, about a variety of Francophone Nonthe Lab, demonstrating their own a picture book about a girl who must Governmental Organizations (NGOs) persevere through a lot of failures on the working in international aid and practiced learning and skills. way to making her awesome invention. the needed vocabulary to talk about their UPPER SCHOOL INTERIM The students brainstormed about the work and the needs they saw in the world.

‘THE ART OF FIBER’ qualities a person needs to bring to As an assignment, students made During Upper School Interim Week last problem-solving and discussed how brochures for their NGOs, and then November, 14 students spent the week in working on a challenge can sometimes be applied for an (imaginary) internship the Lab learning fiber crafting skills frustrating. Using their best persistence, using their French skills. As a final step of including knitting, crocheting, students then worked to build a perch for the process, students met in the needlepoint, and hand and machine a small toy in their classroom, helping the Live+Serve Lab for an interview with a sewing. With the objective of creating toy to “see” from more angles than it panel of teachers and other students “usable art,” students created warm winter would have before. Even though the acting as representatives of the agencies. hats, scarves and mittens. They researched situation was imaginary, 1st graders drew Students were required to speak local organizations that would have a need on their empathy to design a device that spontaneously about the work of for warm winter items and ultimately would work for another creature, testing international aid organizations and answer chose to donate their items to Connections their contraptions in the Lab. Finally, they difficult questions about their beliefs and for the Homeless in Evanston, an learned about another problem-solver, their previous service experiences—all in 24

Heritage Society Spotlight: Courtney Kling Luddecke ’67 Individuals who have made provisions in their wills or estate plans to benefit NSCDS are recognized in the Heritage Society. Courtney Kling Luddecke ’67 has been supportive as an alumna of NSCDS, contributing regularly to Annual Giving for more than 20 years. She ref lects on her experience at North Shore Country Day and its lifelong impact.

What compelled you to make a planned gift to North Shore Country Day School?

Walter Luglio ’23

Junnah Quraishi ’23 and Drea Gallaga

organization North Shore has partnered with for more than a decade. In addition, they went off campus to Loom Studio, a workshop in Chicago that provides weekly opportunities to refugee women to craft and build community together. The women welcomed the students in and taught them new fiber arts skills that the students were able to continue practicing back in the Lab. MIDDLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY SERVICE CLUB

New this year, the Middle School Community Service Club meets during lunch and recess once per seven-day cycle.

Students come to the Lab to work on drop-in projects, either alone or in small groups. So far this year, students have made no-sew blankets, created pet toys and beds for The Anti-Cruelty Society, wrote letters of encouragement to people serving in the armed forces and harvested seeds for North Shore’s farm-to-table program. Community Service is a fun and social time where students can learn new skills and help others at the same time.

Upper School students are also welcome to work on these drop-in projects during free periods.

Back in 2013, my husband Chip and I had a “wake up” call. We had just lost his mother and in the process of sorting out estate documents, we quickly realized that our own planning was woefully inadequate.

Additionally, not having any children added to our sense of urgency to get our affairs sorted out in an official capacity. We needed to define our plans, our bequests and produce the legal documents to carry out our wishes. Our lawyer asked us to consider our desired legacy—what was important to us? We both immediately replied that our high schools were at the top of the list. It was definitely time to give back to NSCDS in a meaningful way and to recognize just how significant the School had been in my formative years. Also, living dually on the East Coast (Shelter Island, NY) and mountains of the West (Park City, UT) for so many years, while still working and traveling a lot, made it impossible to attend class reunions and other special events. (I was especially sorry to miss the Centennial!) The establishment of a planned gift is a perfect vehicle to connect with the School in a supportive way. Now that we are retired and living in Ponte Vedra, FL, we can refocus our attention on our high schools, thank them for our wonderful experiences and know that our estate documents will provide for the planned gift.

What part of your NSCDS experience has remained with you in your life?

NSCDS definitely prepared me for the future. As I ref lect on my four years, the energy of the School, the vibrancy and the tools for learning produced a curiosity and independence I still carry with me. NSCDS encourages students to think for themselves while providing a nurturing environment. I have very fond memories of the friendships, the classrooms, the team sports (go women’s field hockey!) and the wonderful, creative Morning Ex hours. The teachers opened our eyes to new ways of study, to inspire new skills and to be inquisitive while they continued to teach and embody the tradition of excellence. I am convinced that the great academic experiences, the educational pathways and the “Live and Serve” indoctrination of helping others provided the foundation for my long career with TIAA-CREF. What do you hope your planned gift will accomplish for the School?

The world today is so volatile—it makes strategic planning more complicated. I hope this gift will provide the funds for whatever is necessary! Whether it be for student scholarships (to give others the same wonderful experiences and growth opportunities) or to facilitate infrastructure needs (current or future master plans or just refurbishing—for example, the Hall Library after the f lood or creating the Live+Serve Laboratory) or for the tools to learn in a digital world (remember our first computers?). Teacher support is also critical (very impressive to read about the professional development of the faculty).

Change is constant and I hope this gift will allow, in some small or meaningful way, the model of learning, living and serving to endure for many more years. We need to celebrate the vibrancy of the School and its academic accomplishments. With alumni participation in the Heritage Society, we can continue to reinforce our founding ideals. We need to give back so that NSCDS can celebrate another 100 years!

— D rea Gallaga, Director of Live+Serve Lab; Upper School English and Social Studies Teacher

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v isua l a rt s

Sadie Storino ’30

Blythe Brock ’25

Cooper Larsen ’27 Sydney Kalainov ’23

Ethan Levin ’21 Henry Echt ’20

Izzy Henry ’25

Joy Zhou ’20

Simon Ugarte ’24

Morgan Sander ’27

Adair Connor ’23 Morgan Thompson ’29

Felix Ricketts ’24

perfor ming a rt s Middle School Performing Arts Showcase In January, Middle School students demonstrated their acting, dancing and musical ability at the annual Performing Arts Winter Showcase, while visual art and design students displayed some of their work.

Students enrolled in acting, dance, technical theater, ArtLab, and digital media and design, as well as a select group of instrumental ensemble and chorus members, took the audience on a journey, sharing what they learned during the first semester.

New this year, digital media and design students created four games: Escape House, Pago, Cyfinair and How Much Do You Know? Students, parents and guests were then invited to vote on their favorite. ArtLab students presented “Arc/Hive”—an in-progress artwork installation, video and presentation.

Acting students performed three short story adaptations rather than putting on a longer production with full costumes and an elaborate set.

“For the majority of our students, this was their first time performing onstage,” explained Upper and Middle School Theater Teacher and Performing Arts Department Head Julia Macholl. “Story adaptations allow students to work as a true ensemble, push creativity and showcase the skills learned in the first semester.”

Danny Sundt ’26

Dance students performed a jazz/funk piece to “You Remind Me” by Gryffin, as well as a musical theater piece to “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from the musical Hairspray. And during the transitions, a member of the instrumental ensemble played a selection on the piano, and three members of the Middle School chorus sang solos. Technical theater students ran the sound and light boards, worked the stage crew and handled costumes.

Before and after the performances, audience members were invited to view selected works in progress from “Arc/Hive,” on display in the Auditorium lobby.

Instrumental Ensemble Concert The instrumental ensembles from all three divisions celebrated their hard work over the first half of the year during the annual winter concert on February 6. The beginning band students in the Lower School focused primarily on American and British folk songs, and also experimented with an adaptation of a Mozart melody. The Middle School ensemble played three selections: The James Bond theme song, “Riders on the Storm” by the Doors and “Louie, Louie” by Richard Berry. The Upper School ensemble played a range of music, from Earth, Wind and Fire to Gershwin to a suite of John Williams movie scores. Soloists throughout the evening included Sam Rosen ’26, Ian Bogan ’25, Mason Cotter ’25, Nolan Darnieder ’25, Sami Awada ’24, Pranshu Rao ’24, Ella Capozzi ’23, Niabelle Comeau ’23, Hugo Hourihane ’23, Tyler Doornweerd ’20 and Gerald Leesch ’20.

Spring Musical: The Pirates of Penzance Upper and Middle School students performed Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance March 5-7. The hilarious, hopeful farce follows young Frederic, an orphan who has mistakenly been apprenticed to an ineffectual but raucous band of pirates. He disavows the pirates’ way of life and falls for the beautiful Mabel. Frederic’s melodious tones win over the heart of Major General Stanley’s songbird daughter, but when the Pirate King discovers that General Stanley has lied about being an orphan to keep the pirates from stealing all of his belongings and carrying off his bevy of beautiful daughters, an “ingenious paradox” may prevent the budding romance and lead to the death of “the very model of a modern major general.” See story on page 4.

Jesse LeSage ’25 Nolan Howard ’27 and Adam Kalil ’27

Tessa Adamson-Tate ’24, Sidnie Bar ’26, Philip Preston ’25, Izzy Morgan ’24 and Kyndi Wilcher ’26

Toby Nelson ’24 Sofia Green ’26 and Dixie Oelerich ’26

Anneliese Conine ’25, Matilda Pinner ’26 and Mariel Flickinger ’24

Cole Sabia ’23 Avalon Felty ’26, Lexi Shultz ’26, Annie Ford ’26, Alex Carrigan ’20, Phoebe Casey ’20, Abby Kaplan ’21 and Lola Adebiyi ’21

at hle t ics Winter 2020 Conference and State Honors

Boys Basketball

B OY S B A S K E T B A L L : All-Conference Honorable Mention Alex Freiberger ’21 and Trevor Hayward ’20

The varsity boys basketball team finished with a 14-13 overall record and took fifth place in the conference, losing to Chicago powerhouse Uplift Community High in the Class 1A regional final at Westminster Christian in February. Alex Freiberger ’21 and Trevor Hayward ’20 garnered all-conference honors.

A number of players stood out throughout the season. Nick Potter ’22 had three 20-plus point games as a sophomore and led the team with the most three-pointers. Imaad Vohra ’20 led the team in charges taken and assist-to-turnover ratio. He collected seven charges in one contest— something that hasn’t been done at the School for at least 15 years. He also had a six-game stretch in the regular season where he quarterbacked the team to a 5-1 record. Trevor led the team in steals and matched up with the opposing team’s best players on a nightly basis. Sam Roszak ’21 led the team in blocks and played tremendous defense, becoming a go-to scorer late in the season. John Sprenger ’21 was a doubledigit scorer with an average of 10 points per game from the combo guard spot. Patrick Fitzgerald ’21 was the leading rebounder, tallying a career high of 16 points on two occasions and scoring double digits in eight games.

The team will miss the energy of the three reserves—Riley Jones ’20, Demonte Collins ’20 and Luke Atia ’20. Their major moment came in a come-from-behind win at Ida Crown when the boys sparked a six-point turnaround in the third quarter with unselfish play and hardnose defense. The trio also brought their A-game on senior night when they held their own against U High’s starting five and played them to a draw.

This roster boasted four games where 10 players scored a basket. The Raiders look forward to building on that teamwork next season, and will rely heavily on Nick, Sam, John, Alex, Patrick and Augie Gallun ’21.

G I R L S B A S K E T B A L L : ISL Sportsmanship Award; All-Conference

First Team Caroline Segal ’20; All-Conference Second Team Edith Edwards-Mizel ’20; All-Conference Honorable Mention Ally McKeown ’20 and Rachel Olatunji ’21; ISL Player of the Year Caroline Segal; All-State Special Mention Caroline Segal O T H E R H O N O R S : IHSA All-State Academic Team Edith Edwards-Mizel;

U18 National Field Hockey Team and All-American Team Xas Morgan ’20

Tae Won Lillig ’23

Nick Potter ’22

Patrick Fitzgerald ’21, John Sprenger ’21, Trevor Hayward ’20 and Alex Freiburger ’21

Claudette Kankindi ’20, Ally McKeown ’20, Kate Black ’20, Caroline Segal ’20 and Edith Edwards-Mizel ’20

Girls Basketball The girls basketball season had many highlights, none bigger than the team’s positive attitude and approach while adjusting to an unprecedented number of game and practice absences from injuries and illnesses. Despite missing between one and three of their top scorers in 14 games, the team finished second in the ISL with an overall record of 18-6.

“We’d never experienced anything like this,” explained Head Coach Bruce Blair ’69. “But the girls were able to show great resilience and effort and achieve success despite the limitations they faced.”

Caroline Segal ’20 capped her four-year varsity career by exceeding 1,200 career points, making her one of only three Raiders to ever

score 1,000 points. She went out with a bang, scoring 36 points against Hope Academy, the 7th ranked team in the state, in the regional championship game.

Despite some health challenges, including a knee injury that kept her off the court for her entire junior year and an ankle injury that forced her to sit out four league games this season, Ally McKeown ’20 gave it her all.

“Another highlight was seeing Ally back on the court at full strength at the start of the year,” Bruce said. “She was playing at an allconference level this season until an ankle injury sidelined her in mid-January, but she ended the year on a well-deserved positive note by qualifying for the finals of the state’s 3-point shooting contest.”

While the team was eliminated in the regional championship, the girls received the ISL Sportsmanship Award for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season.

Natalie Duquette ’21

Edith Edwards-Mizel ’20

Track and Field The winter track season was one of the best ever. Track and field is divided into four groups: sprints, jumps, throws and middistance. In each of these areas, NSCDS had great success.

In the sprints, the School’s all-time top 10 list in indoor dashes on the boys side was rewritten. Five boys ran top-10 times in the 60-meter dash: Sebastian Isasi ’20, Kai Barrett-Bennett ’21, Nathan Keyt ’21, Cole Connolly ’22 and Andrew Xing ’22. Kai, Nathan, Cole and Andrew also ran top-10 times in the 200-meter. In the jumps, Sam Roszak ’21 broke the 6.45-meter (21 feet, 2 inches) long jump record set by Seong Hoon Kim ’01 in 2000. And Andrew had the School’s second-best mark ever in the indoor triple jump (38 feet, 9.5 inches). In the throws, Gavin Schneider ’21 had the School’s third-best mark in the shot put (37 feet, 10 inches). In the middle distance events, North Shore had two sub-6 minute marks in the mile by Caroline Hagerty ’21 and Jordan Humphrey ’21.

The most impressive relay mark of the winter was set by the relay team of Nathan, Sam, Kai and Andrew who ran 1:38.56 for 4x200meter relay—breaking the record set in 2000

by Teddy Heinz ’00, Wes Donohoe ’00, Seong Hoon Kim ’01 and Henry Gaud ’03. It was also the sixth-fastest time run in Class 1A in the state this winter.

Winter track is usually used as a springboard into the spring season. The team was prepared to do even more incredible things this spring but is now on hold.

Back: Jordan Humphrey ’21, Maura Markowitz ’20, Caroline Hagerty ’21 and Zinzi Steele ’21; Front: Liliana Green ’22 and MK Caestecker ’21

Liliana Green ’22, Andrew Xing ’22, Ian George ’21, Jordan Humphrey ’21, Robert Hansell ’22, Caroline Hagerty ’21

Cole Connolly ’22, Andrew Xing ’22, Nathan Keyt ’21, Kai Barrett-Bennett ’21, Sam Roszak ’21 and Ethan Levin ’21

pho t os from our pa s t “A picture is worth a thousand words” and tells an important and interesting story. If you can identify any of these photos or tell us a story about them, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Nancy Green Whiteman ’71, 310 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, IL 60093, nwhiteman@nscds.org or call her at 847.881.8848.

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a lumni connec t ions Young Alumni Events Young alumni returned to campus for two gatherings in December.

The evening of December 19, faculty and staff, along with members of the classes of 2009, 2011 and 2013, were joined by former faculty member Frank Dachille for an evening of food and drinks. The next morning, NSCDS hosted the annual young alumni breakfast for classes 2016-2019, where a number of recent alumni came back to see their former teachers and take part in the annual Winter Celebration. The event concluded with an alumni and faculty singalong of Winter Wonderland in the Mac Gym.

Gilbert and Sullivan Dinner

Young Alum Breakfast: Firouz Niazi ’17, Annika Weinberg ’17, Dylan Bercu ’17 and Rachel Block ’19

Alumni, parents of alumni, former and current faculty, and friends returned for the Gilbert and Sullivan musical dinner March 7. This special Centennial year, students performed The Pirates of Penzance, which was the first Gilbert and Sullivan operetta performed at NSCDS in 1924. Dinner featured a special welcome and program by Tom Flemma, a Centennial Gilbert and Sullivan archives slideshow, a meet-and-greet with the cast and performing arts faculty, and a singalong before the performance. It was a walk down memory lane for all in attendance, and following the dinner, everyone enjoyed the impressive performance given by this year’s talented cast.

Regional Gatherings North Shore was on the road with Centennial gatherings in February and March in Florida and Arizona. Alumni and friends attended a luncheon in Fort Lauderdale and a cocktail reception in Naples, hosted by current grandparent Kathryn Rieger (Caroline Frezados ’31 and Lilly Frezados ’31).

Then on March 1, Sherry and Brian Dole ’88 hosted a gathering in their home in Scottsdale, AZ. Tom Flemma talked about North Shore’s Centennial and shared the documentary Pioneers Along the Road.

Karen Stone Kaplan ’75 and Claire Umpleby ’20

Fort Lauderdale guests included George Dern ’68, Price Patton ’68, Sally Green Handley ’68, Scott Smith ’74, Barbie Wells ’66, Tiara Miles ’07 and Jake Howe ’68.

Naples guests included Jack Burnell and Diane Fraser, Alice Graff Childs ’37, Dan and Pam Winston Christensen ’61, Jeff Foreman ’80, Peter and Virginia Foreman, Tad Meyer ’67 and Ann Stevenson, Kathryn and Charles Rieger, Chip ’61 and Lynne Wavering Shotwell ’60, Andy Sullivan ’79, Michael Wallace ’53 and Harriet Fitzsimmons.

Scottsdale guests included Carol Marshall Allen ’74, Fredrik Andersson ’89, Gunnar Andersson, Phil and Sue Clement, Mila Watkins Delaware ’70, Sherry and Brian Dole ’88, Tracy and Bucky Marshall ’71, Polly and Bob Turpin ’59 and Alice Marshall Vogler ’69.

Emmy Cho ’20 and Lisa McClung ’87

Gilbert and Sullivan Dinner

Winter Celebration: Molly Ingram McDowell ’80, Molly Shotwell Oelerich ’87, Lisa McClung ’87, Cy Oelerich ’89, Bruce Blair ’69, Chris Charnas ’83, Eli Kraus ’18, Jim Deuble ’76, Flynn Hersh ’18, Annika Weinberg ’17, Tori Blair ’19, Chase Hudson ’19, Jonah Levi-Paesky ’13, Max Marshall ’19, Rachel Block ’19, Mullery Doar ’06, Firouz Niazi ’17 and Abby Renaud ’19

Young Alum Dinner: Kristen Kaczynski, Drea Gallaga, Rebecca Dachille ’09, Frank Dachille, Max Fink ’11, Lynsey Wollin-Casey and Jonah Levi-Paesky ’13

Phoenix Regional: Phil Clement, Sue Clement, Carol Marshall Allen ’74, Polly Turpin, Bob Turpin ’59, Mila Watkins Delaware ’70, Fredrik Andersson ’89, Gunnar Andersson, Sherry Dole, Tom Flemma, Brian Dole ’88, Bucky Marshall ’71, Alice Marshall Vogler ’69 and Tracy Marshall

Fort Lauderdale Regional: George Dern ’68, Price Patton ’68, Sally Green Handley ’68, Scott Smith ’74, Barbie Wells ’66, Tom Flemma, Tiara Miles ’07 and Jake Howe ’68

Naples Regional: Pam Winston Christensen ’61, Alice Graff Childs ’37 and Lynne Wavering Shotwell ’60

Naples Regional: Jack Burnell, Chip Shotwell ’61, Diane Fraser, and Kathryn and Charles Rieger

cl a ss notes

1940s world. I was attracted to Agora first by its founder, Chris Mitic, who is both a vastly experienced technology leader and a visionary in the AI Avatar space. I was drawn to the technology because of its substantial growth potential to innovate and disrupt in an endless number of industry verticals. The technology comBud Wilson ’43 shared, “We’re keeping bines artificial intelligence, art, face and busy out in the wilderness, cutting voice recognition, natural language proBill Jefferson ’65 attended the December wood in the mountains to keep warm cessing (NLP) and smart analytics. The AI Seattle regional gathering and emailed; and digging out of the snow. I give Avatars are fully interactive, multi-lingual “We enjoyed meeting Tom, and feel certain everybody my best.” and platform agnostic. Agora is building that NSCDS is in capable hands for the on its great team and technology foundaforeseeable future. Always nice, too, to tion and the company is poised for rapid meet new people in our new home state— expansion.

I look forward to being part of especially those who share history.”

Judith (Judy) Dayton McGrath ’54 died this innovative company.”

Dec. 5, 2019, in Guilford, CT, surrounded Ellary Eddy ’68 has just published her by family. Judy studied economics and book of essays—Her Argument: Epiphanies, Charlie Ingram ’75 shared he “ran into Rich DeLong ’75 in a Phoenix hotel lobby. education at Smith College and was an Theories, Confessions. Approaching life We had not seen each other since All-Smith athlete in basketball. In 1957, through the lens of an artist, Her graduation 45 years ago!” she married Dr. Brian McGrath; they Argument is one part memoir, 10 parts settled in Guilford. A devoted mother inspiration and exploration. Stylistically, Aurelia Nichols ’71 gave a talk entitled, of seven, Judy was the matriarch of the book veers from the acerbic and “Life Cycle Lore: The Beauty and Bounty of her large brood. She dedicated her time amusing, to the thoughtful and poetic, Bees” at the Lake County Audubon Society, volunteering in the community: mentorto the intimately conversational as it which is described in more detail on their ing youth, singing in her church choir, dives into a wide range of topics; art, events page: lakecountyaudubon.org/ aiding Alzheimer’s patients and delivering style, identity, philosophy, play, singlehood, program-schedule. meals to the elderly. She enjoyed tennis, aging, and the good life are wound kayaking and gardening, and was a master together with humor and insight. Her bridge player. Judy is survived by her Argument builds a provocative case for the husband, seven children, six grandchilvalues of self-inquiry, authenticity and Benjy Blenner ’02 and his wife Courtney dren and one great-grandchild. deep appreciation for the marvel of exis“welcomed their second daughter, tence. It is now available on Amazon.

Beatrice, on February 12. Her big sister Elizabeth Washburn Borozan ’57 is Blake is adjusting to life and happy to “loving life in and with the desert! try and explain the world to her new Children and grandchildren are near, minion, Baby Bea.” still showing my fabulous golden Polly Ross ’70 visited with retrievers, doing watercolor painting Andrew Hill ’03 was promoted to Senior Alex Moffat ’00 following his comedy and photography, cruising our oceans— Director of Media at Wiley Education performance with Mikey Day in Aspen so much to do on that bucket list!”

Services in Florida. in February. Alex also performed at a Elizabeth “Betsy” Loomis Norton ’59 comedy club in Madison, WI, and caught passed away peacefully at home in Lake a visit with Andrew Rice ’14.

Forest on February 28, 2020. She was Stuart Rogers ’74 is “joining the team born in 1941 in Kansas City, Mo. to Rachel Cantor ’16 was the Co-Chair of at Agora Brands Group as the company’s Wesley H. Loomis III and Mary Paine Northwestern University Dance Marathon, new CEO and as a member of Agora’s Loomis. Betsy attended Sunset Hill one of the largest student-run philanthroBoard.

The company is headquartered School and then, at age 16, moved with pies in the nation. She says, “Since her family to Kenilworth, IL and attended just south of Nashville and 25 minutes graduating, North Shore’s motto Live from the house that I just built. Agora North Shore Country Day School. and Serve has stayed close to my heart. creates AI Interactive Avatars to enhance She was a graduate of Finch College in I’ve been involved in Dance Marathon New York, (B.A. ’63). She married Richard the customer experience and to simplify all four years.” Editor’s Note: Northwestern’s and expedite processes. AI Interactive M. Norton ’58 in 1967 and they were hapDance Marathon was canceled this year Avatars are going to revolutionize the way pily married for 52 years. She was an because of the situation with the coronavirus/ businesses interact with their customers active member of the National Society of COVID-19. by creating stunning, intuitive AI Avatars Colonial Dames (IL chapter), Mayf lower to improve the quality of life around the Louise Knosberg Noll ’40 writes, “I celebrated my 97th birthday in November and most of my family was there to celebrate with me. I am still in my apartment at Winchester Gardens. My oldest grandson and his wife (and three daughters) bought my house so they are nearby.”

Society, Antiquarian Society, the Alliance Francaise and the Lake Forest Garden Club. She served as a trustee of Brooks School in North Andover, MA and as a Regent for Gunston Hall in Mason Neck, VA.

1960s

1950s

2000s

1970s

2010s

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Judith Dayton McGrath ’54

Buzz Norton ’58, Susan Palm Waltrip ’59, Betsy Loomis Norton ’59 and Margot Walk ’59

Her Argument by Ellary Eddy ’68

Alex Moffat ’00 and Polly Ross ’70

Richard DeLong ’75 and Charlie Ingram ’75

Camden Christopher Yates

Meredith Price ’07 and Rachel Block ’19

Ethan Widlansky ’18 is a sophomore at Pomona College in California where this fall he led the Pomona-Pitzer Cross Country team to their first-ever NCAA D3 National Championship and won the NCAA D3 West Regionals. He also was named NCAA D3 West Cross-Country Athlete of the Year and NCAA AllAmerican for Cross Country.

Rachel Block ’19, in her freshman year

Charlie Parker Elam

charlie parker elam February 5, 2020 Jeni and John Elam ’07

judith “judy” dayton mcgrath ’54 December 5, 2019

camden christopher yates

terry hunt

March 14, 2020

January 30, 2020 Wife of Lewis Hunt ’76

Emily Yates ’02 and Kendra Lindahl Yates

In Memoriam jon gregory tilsch

clinton e. frank, jr.

February 16, 2020 Father of Clinton E. Frank III ’91 and Carter Frank Magnell ’92

at Denison University, had a recent visit with her NSCDS senior buddy Meredith Price ’07 in Columbus, OH.

June 21, 2019 Husband of Susan Eastman Tilsch ’66 Brother-in-law of Anne Eastman

Former Faculty

and the late John Eastman ’64

February 17, 2020 Mother of Linda Breuer ’69, Christopher Breuer ’72 and

diane bingham pope ’49

Elizabeth Breuer ’75

October 17, 2019 Sister of the late Gwenyth Bingham

waldo cory melrose johnston iii

Jackie Melissas emailed, “This second

career moves along well. Busy with gallery shows and a beautiful life in Maine!”

Yeomans ’59, Dwight Eastman ’61

Wharton ’43

blake flint

Engagements Molly McKeon to Jack Viellieu ’09

Births beatrice roberta blenner February 12, 2020 Courtney Slovin and Benjy Blenner ’02

October 26, 2019 Father of Diane Flint Jessen ’70 and Barbara Flint Krier ’72 Father-in-law of Art Jessen ’70 Grandfather of Chris Jessen ’00, Brian Jessen ’02, Kelly Krier ’06, and Jill Krier Desch ’08

barbara chapman ’46 November 10, 2019

susan r. breuer

February 25, 2020 Son of Candy Dern Johnston ’64 Nephew of the late Jim Dern ’61, George Dern ’68 and Mary Dern ’72

elizabeth “betsy” loomis norton ’59 February 28, 2020 Wife of Richard “Buzz” Norton ’58 Sister of Frederick Loomis ’69 Mother-in-law of Christine Griffin Norton ’87 Grandmother of Griffin Norton ’18, Colin Norton ’20 and Charlotte Norton ’24

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William (Bill) C. Bartholomay ’46 William (Bill) C. Bartholomay ’46 died peacefully on March 25, 2020, in New York City, following a brief illness. Bill was an international icon in the insurance industry, a trailblazer in major league baseball, a respected civic leader, a loyal philanthropist and a treasured patriarch. He was born in Evanston on August 11, 1928, and raised in nearby Winnetka, spending summers at the family home in Lake Geneva, WI. He attended high school at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, where he was president of his class and captain of the basketball team. Bill went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from Lake Forest College in 1955, which later honored him with a Doctor of Laws.

He also served in the United States Navy Reserve. Bill was proud to be a Raider and part of an extensive family connection to North Shore.

After launching a chain of toy stores and a candy company—which later became Candygram—Bill joined the family insurance brokerage firm, Bartholomay and Clarkson, beginning a 60-plus year career in the insurance industry. At the time of his death, Bill was the Legacy Vice Chairman and Senior Consultant of Willis Group Holdings. Willis Chairman Joe Plumeri described him as “a man of unquestionable integrity and forthright leadership.”

While insurance was Bill’s profession, baseball was his passion, ignited at the age of 4 when he attended his first Major League ballgame with his parents and Lake Geneva neighbor, Chicago Cubs owner Phil Wrigley. In 1961, Bill became a director and

shareholder of the Chicago White Sox. The following year, Bill and his partners purchased the Milwaukee Braves. In 1966, amid great controversy, they moved the Braves to Atlanta—bringing the first major league sport of any kind to the Southeast. That move is widely considered a catalyst for Atlanta’s multifaceted development. Bill continued to use baseball as a conduit to successfully build bridges, both professionally and personally. Bill is believed to be the only man in baseball who met every MLB Commissioner dating back to the first— Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Other highlights include welcoming future Hall of Famer Hank Aaron as he crossed home plate, breaking Babe Ruth’s “unbreakable” home run record in 1974, and his 1968 signing of 62-year old Negro League and Major League pitching great Satchel Paige, solely to ensure he qualified for a MLB pension after 19 other teams turned him down.”Going to a ballgame with our dad was always an adventure,” says his son Bill. “No matter the park, he seemed to know everyone by name, from fellow owners to ushers and they all knew him.”

His numerous honors during his 68 years in baseball include the AntiDefamation League of Atlanta’s Human Rights Award (1968); The Braves 400 Club’s Ivan Allen, Jr. “Mr. Baseball” Award (1994); induction into the Braves Hall of Fame (2002); recognition for his 50 years in baseball at the Civil Rights Game (2011); and the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award (2019).

Bill was devoted to his community and strongly believed in giving back. He served as a director, trustee or member of many civic, business and educational institutions including: The Chicago Park District (serving under four mayors over 22 years), Chicago Public Building Commission, Illinois Institute of Technology, Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium, Lincoln Park Zoo and Lake Forest College, where he established two scholarships benefiting minorities and women.

When asked on his 90th birthday what the single most memorable moment of his life was, Bill quickly responded, “I’m still waiting for it.”

A treasured patriarch, Bill was the epicenter of his large family’s universe and a loyal North Shore alumnus.

For more, see the In Memoriam listing to the right.

winifred pawliger gailen March 16, 2020 Grandmother of Hannah Gailen ’18

cynthia woodward king ’56 March 17, 2020 Daughter of the late Herbert Woodward ’29 and the late Nancy Thomas Woodward ’32

Sister of Deborah Woodward Leach ’68

william c. bartholomay ’46 March 25 2020 Brother of the late Henry Bartholomay ’41 Brother-in-law of Julia Adams Bartholomay ’41

Uncle of the late Henry Bartholomay ’63, Charles Bartholomay ’66, Lucy Bartholomay ’69 and Julie Bartholomay Geer ’71

Father of William T. Bartholomay Father-in-law of Cathy Bell Bartholomay ’79

Grandfather of Ashley Whipple Robinson ’01, Joey Bell and Charley Bell ’21

nancy brown jones ’33 March 30, 2020

Nancy Brown Jones ’33, the oldest alumna of the School, was a remarkable woman who stayed connected to NSCDS throughout her very long life and often returned to campus for Homecoming/Reunion weekend. Read more about Nancy in the next Acorn.

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T H E D E A D L I N E F O R T H E FA L L A C O R N I S J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 2 0 .

Email nwhiteman @ nscds.org or call Nancy at 847.881.8848 .

a lumni r efl ec t ion charlie ingram ’75

Charlie Ingram ’75

Vin Allison, Charlie Ingram ’75, Jack Ingram, Warren Kaplan ’76 and Susan Marshall ’76 (seated)

my own belief in what I could do; Bill Freisem, after a blue book history exam, showing me a better way to outline an Where else could a essay than simply beginning to write— student participate in all a technique I still use today; Carol Radloff pushing me to be more expressive on of these opportunities stage, which has translated to better public with so many activities speaking; Jay Bach spending hours with me after basketball practice to learn a going on simultaneously? sport I had never played (no comments from my former teammates as to Jay’s level of success in that endeavor!); Doug Day, through his perseverance with this ver the years, reading the alumni particular student in his writing workshop, ref lections and other articles from or helping me to broaden my communication about North Shore Country Day School skills; and just plain sitting around in alums, I’ve been struck by the similarities Mac McCarty’s office talking about so of everyone’s experiences and rememmuch more than sports. And did anyone brances of our beloved School. Regardless ever see George Mitchell without a smile of our graduation year, we share common on his face? Mr. Mitchell brightened warmth, respect and appreciation for everybody’s day!

North Shore Country Day. We all have Morning Ex was always a favorite fond memories of teachers, administrators of mine, with its concerts, interesting and friends from our years there. North speakers, singalongs, alumni visits and Shore has a soul that has remained coninteraction among the whole K–12 family. stant and bright throughout its 100 years.

Vaudeville night was an incredible showWhen asked to ref lect on my relationcase of talent from the entire North Shore ship with the School, I, like many of you community—and was just plain fun! no doubt, immediately thought of the Work Day was almost a misnomer given many learning experiences that contribthe camaraderie, shared purpose and uted to my personal growth. See if you school community involvement for that can’t insert your own teachers’ names into NSCDS tradition. Athletics were an intesimilar situations: I recall Vin Allison gral part of my North Shore days, as they encouraging me to audition for a part in have been for a great many students. I’m Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe far beyond an Iron Raider and darn proud of it!

O

Where else could a student participate in all of these opportunities with so many activities going on simultaneously? North Shore made allowances so we students could try new things, dive deeper into our passions, and become more dynamic and empathetic persons.

For the Ingram family, North Shore is indeed a family affair. Sisters Molly Ingram McDowell ’80 and Elizabeth Ingram ’82, nephew Thomas McDowell ’18 (a lifer!), mother Caroline Ingram McCarty (2nd grade teacher) and father Jack Ingram, who taught history for 20 years, each have a special bond with all things purple and white.

The lifelong friendships have been wonderful, too, with weddings, reunions, vacations and breaking bread together among the highlights. Our stories recounted from student days seem to get better each time we tell them!

So, what’s your fondest North Shore memory? Who was your favorite teacher?

What single event during your days at NSCDS encompasses everything about the School? If you’re like me, there is no single answer to any of those questions.

It’s the way service, academics, athletics and personal relationships intersect that make a North Shore education. We absorbed everything the School offered, which in turn helped make us who we have become. Hey, can I re-enroll?

a c o r n · Spring 2020

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