Acorn Spring / Summer 2009

ACORN North Shore Country Day School • Spring/Summer 2009

ALL THE SCHOOL’S A STAGE

SPRING/SUMMER 2009

In this Issue

Upcoming Events

MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL.... 2

ALUMNI/HOMECOMING WEEKEND September 25–26 (complete schedule on page 34)

SPOTLIGHT..................................... 4

All the School’s A Stage

NEW PARENT GATHERING

PROFILES.. ................................... 10

October 14

COMMENCEMENT.......................... 14

PARENTS OF ALUMNI COFFEE

ON CAMPUS................................. 20

WITH TOM DOAR AND BOOK FAIR October 21, Cafeteria

Auction Sets the Stage for Fundraising A Record Year for Athletics

ANNUAL GIVING/HANNAFORD

Grandparents Day 2009

RECOGNITION EVENT October 22

Franke Family Fund Inspires Faculty Students Collecting Stories The King and I The Princess and the Pea Almquist Gallery Exhibits Science Olympiad Juniors Visit Colleges and Boot Camp Lower School Theme Week 2009 Harold Hines Fellow School Joins the Green Cup Challenge Service DEVELOPMENT.. ............................ 29

ANNUAL GIVING PHONATHONS November 10 & 11 LUNCH IN THE LOOP Union League Club, Chicago November 18

COLLEGE-AGE ALUMNI & FACULTY

Editor Tura Cottingham

BREAKFAST & HOLIDAY CELEBRATION December 18, Laird Bell Room

Class Rep Profile: Courtney Williams ’88

FACULTY GATHERING Tommy Nevins Pub, Evanston December 18

Baseball Game

PARENTS ASSOCIATION & PARENTS OF

Bronzeville and “Obamaland” Trip

ALUMNI COFFEE Apple A Day, Glencoe

Seniors Welcomed into Alumni Association

December 18

Lunch in the Loop Spring Musical Dinner North Shore Names: Past Meets Present Western Regional Gatherings Florida Regional Gatherings Annual Basketball Tournament IN MEMORIAM.............................. 36

Vincent B. Allison, William F. Freisem and John D. Ingram CLASS NOTES............................... 38

On the back cover Lower School students practice playing recorders. If you know more about this picture or can identify the people in it, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Nancy Green Whiteman ’71, 847.881.8848.

CHICAGO HOLIDAY LIGHTS TOUR Alumni (’30-’65) & Parents of Alumni December 10

YOUNG ALUMNI (’94-’06) &

Annual Golf Outing

Opposite Graduates Ama Kittoe ’09 and Ashley Richardson ’09 at Commencement.

Published by The Marketing and Communications Department 847.441.3337

A Heartfelt Thank You

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS.................. 30

On the front cover David Thomas ’09 and Sarah Traisman ’10 performed in this year’s spring musical The King and I.

MEN’S ALUMNI & FACULTY BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT December 26, Mac Gym NORTH SHORE TODAY PROGRAM Alumni (’30-’65), Parents of Alumni, Grandparents & Former Faculty January 14, 2010, Indian Hill Club

Photography Tura Cottingham Art Jessen ’70 Read Powel Nancy Green Whiteman ’71 Copyright © 2009

North Shore Country Day School is a coeducational, collegepreparatory school of 490 students in grades JK through 12 in Winnetka, Illinois. North Shore does not discriminate on the basis of race, nationality, ethnic origin or gender in any of its policies or practices.

ANNUAL BENEFIT BOARD AUCTION PARTY February 27, 2010 REGIONAL GATHERINGS: New York City - January 25, 2010 Boston - January 27, 2010 Seattle, Washington - February 23, 2010 San Francisco - February 25, 2010 Information on these events will be mailed and can be found by logging onto the School’s portal at www.nscds.org

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Message from the Head of School The adjectives come easily when thinking about Vin, Bill and Jack: passionate and inspiring, thoughtful and aware, committed and focused. Vin, who is beloved by so many North Shore graduates, instilled the love of music into several generations of North Shore students. His booming voice, belief in the power of the arts, and true faith in all his students, characterized his long association with the School. Bill, a life-long learner and wise mentor to so many, functioned with a level of kindness and warmth that touched us all. Finally, Jack who loved the law—but his students more—engaged his students so personally that he remained an important mentor and guide to them long after they left his class.

North Shore has many very compelling factors that enable it to serve students well. When prospective families initiate the admissions process, we introduce them to our school’s key fundamental hallmarks: Small by design Rigorous, relevant academics Participation is required Students are known Beyond these four basic elements are many others that contribute to North Shore’s character.

Of those, two are particularly meaningful and relevant to this issue of the Acorn: Our respect for the past Our commitment to the inspiration of those who have come before us In the last six months, our school community has felt the loss of three stalwarts – individuals whose presence on campus epitomized the best qualities of North Shore and of masterful teaching. Vin Allison, Bill Freisem and Jack Ingram all loved teaching and loved North Shore. (See story on page 36) Each impacted their students and the School in remarkable and very personal ways. As a colleague said to me a few weeks ago, “if there was a Mt. Rushmore for North Shore, Vin, Bill and Jack would be very prominently featured.”

These three men loved North Shore and cared for the School deeply. Those of us on campus today continue to benefit from their fine work and example.

This issue of the Acorn also provides a glimpse into the second half of a productive and bountiful year. The feature story focuses on our Performing Arts department. Our School’s founder Perry Dunlap Smith recognized the value of a progressive education and the skills students learn by taking the stage.

The benefits of participating in a play, musical, band or chorus are in the process. The actors, musicians and singers learn a range of things including the mechanics of putting on a production, patience in practicing, discipline in memorizing lines and stanzas, confidence and group dynamics. The result is multi-faceted, individual growth.

We also salute the graduates of the Class of 2009, and many other activities that were a part of this past school year. As you read about our current program and immediate past, know that any successes we have are built on a foundation created by so many who have come before—including Vin, Bill and Jack.

Tom Doar III Head of School

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Left: Tom Doar and Denis Healy who attended Grandparents’ Day. 1) Diana Granger ’11 practices Chinese calligraphy during a Diversity Day workshop.

2) Accompanist Kuang-Hau Huang, Susan Marshall Concert performer cellist Cheng-Hou Lee and Barbara Favill Marshall ’46.

3) Peter Weiser ’17, Gabriel Rogers ’21 and Cooper Bluhm ’18 join other Lower Schoolers in a tug of war on Field Day. 4) The Theodosakis children John, Alexandra ’14, Olivia ’21, and Antonia ’16 with their grandmothers (left) Helen Theodosakis and (right) Lorraine Clark.

5) Julie and Parker Hall with Pam Whalley, head of Lower School, at Grandparents’ Day. 6) Darling Kittoe ’13, Katherine Chandler ’13 and Alissa Nolan ’13 at 8th grade graduation.

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Spotlight

ALL THE SCHOOL’S A STAGE Editor’s note: In the winter 2007 Acorn, the visual-arts program and faculty were profiled.

We now present the other half of the North Shore arts experience by featuring the performing-arts program and faculty.

Walk the halls at North Shore Country Day School on any day and you will hear students practicing instruments, singing chorus or rehearsing plays throughout. From 4-yearolds to 18-year-olds, from arias to xylophones, every grade and every division perform in the classroom daily and on stage at least once during the year. Year after year, our 90-yearold School continues to carry on a performingarts tradition that involves every student, building a portfolio of accomplishments for each.

Why is it important? Because an education is not complete without learning to appreciate the arts. North Shore so strongly believes in the benefits of performing arts that it requires students to participate.

At North Shore, Diller Street Theater is the main venue for community gatherings and performances. It sits at the heart of the School—right in the center of campus. Built in 1927, the Theater also finds a place in the hearts of those who have attended school here as they fondly remember the roles they played in musicals, plays and concerts.

LEARNING TO SING

“In Lower School, all students have music.

It’s a part of what we do every day,” says Lower School Music Teacher Linda Kiracibasi. “In the music room, classroom and at community time, music is not done in isolation. Children sing songs that relate to a subject or curriculum they are studying.”

The Lower School music program is based on the philosophy of Orff-Schulwerk: children learn by doing. Starting in junior kindergarten, students experience lots of music. By the time the Holiday Program arrives in December, they are ready to perform onstage for the entire school and their families.

As the School has grown, so has the music program. Several years ago the Lower School boys saw the Upper School boys perform in an a cappella group and wanted to start one too. They did. And now there is a girls’ a cappella group.

Kayla Robinson ’15 in middle school band.

Linda explains that “The goal is for children to learn musical skills, love music and make it a part of their lives. Music does not belong only in the classroom. I love to hear from parents that their children were singing on a ski lift or singing in the car for hours.”

Connections with local organizations and internationally-known artists round out the Lower School music program. For the past 20 years, the 4th grade has participated in Opera in the Classroom. Sponsored by the Lyric Opera Education Department, the program culminates with a video-taped “production” of an opera including costumes and props with the 4th graders pantomiming to recordings of professional opera singers.

Jim Papoulis, a composer and conductor, has visited the School four times since 2002.

Funded by a few parents and grandparents, his song-writing workshop “has been a truly amazing experience with a real composer,” says Linda. This year, the Lower School sold a CD with the four songs chorus students have composed and recorded with Jim over the years to benefit the Heifer Project.

Linda believes the School is at its very best when all three divisions pull together like they did this year in producing The King and I with a cast of 74 students representing all three divisions. “Having a multi-division school also enriches the experience. Students in one division are exposed to new things— new instruments, styles of singing, genres of music, performance—and it is wonderful,” she adds.

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Spotlight

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2 TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL 1) Eric Anderson ’11 2) Susan Marshall Concert guest performer, Cellist Cheng-Hou Lee 3) Middle School band members Erika ’15 and Adrianna Carter ’15 and Ryan Corboy ’15 4) Samantha Jaffe ’19, Max Marshall ’19 and Rachel Block ’19 in the 2nd grade play, Welcome to the Jungle 5) Meaghan Lanctot ’17, teacher John Foley, Samantha Weinberg ’17 and Lexy Cook ’17 in the 4th and 5th grade musical Oliver.

6) Blair Hunt ’09 in The Princess and the Pea.

New for fall 2009, a Theater Arts program has been developed as an elective for 7th and 8th grade students to expose them to all aspects of preparing for and presenting a theatrical production. According to Jim Leesch, drama teacher, “The new curriculum is much more comprehensive and gives students direct involvement in the components of acting, technical and design.” Students rotate among the three: learning from the actor’s perspective; the technical elements of lighting, sound and set construction; and the design components involving costume and set design, and marketing. At the end of each trimester, the class performs a play.

Full-year band and chorus are open to all Middle School students, and some even elect to participate in both. According to Band Teacher Tom Kowalczyk, “music can enrich every person’s life in powerful and unique ways. Our goal is to develop a lifelong relationship with music, facilitate students’ intrapersonal and interpersonal skills through teamwork essential in all facets of the band program, and encourage personal growth. We also aspire to increase confidence, self discipline, organization and individual performance.”

Music is a required course for 6th and 7th grades. Students listen, sing, play, analyze, conduct and compose music, and are exposed to a variety of musical literature. Michael

3 Querio, head of the music department and chorus director for Middle and Upper School, explains that the program is a progression that begins by focusing on building blocks of music, exploring rhythm, pitch and different instruments through singing and playing.

“That basic knowledge is followed using musical composition as the main creative activity and exploring the world of new technology in music. Music in 8th grade centers on a survey of music history covering 1,000 years.”

HAVING FUN WHILE EXCELLING

Performing Arts in the Upper School rival those of any school – large or small. “For a small school, we put on a huge number of productions, some of them very ambitious, many with amazing results,” says Michael.

“Our theater department has tackled big numbers like The Pirates of Penzance and small annual Shakespeare plays. Our chorus sings popular jazz numbers and complex a cappella harmony. We emphasize participation and excellence.”

At North Shore, it’s about the process and the value of the experience in educating students.

Teachers show students that it takes collaboration, discipline and commitment. The result is more than an appreciation for the performing arts. It builds community among students, teachers and parents.

“We have highly committed kids—time is short, rehearsals are limited and that demands focus and commitment. And every time we get it from our students.” Upper School Drama Teacher Lynn Kelso 6 Acorn Spring/Summer 2009

4 Upper School Drama Teacher Lynn Kelso explains, “Several years ago, we put on West Side Story. The kids were really committed to producing a high-quality piece and investing in the tragic story. We had quality in every element – professional dance instruction, directing and talent. The kids were expected to perform to the highest professional level.

And even better, the professionalism was peer driven.

Michael adds, “And because we are a small school, the students get much more personalized attention. On top of it, our faculty is among the best anywhere. All are practicing artists directing summer theater, playing in bands, building sets for community theater and performing on stage.”

There have also been opportunities to merge curriculum with performing arts. Several years ago, Michael and History Teacher Kevin Randolph collaborated to create an Interim experience for students taking chorus and studying the Holocaust in 12th grade to travel to Germany to present a program that asks the question, “What does the Holocaust mean for this generation?” Working from the premise, “Never Again,” embedded in all Holocaust education, the group performed A Still Small Voice, which integrates multiple musical genres, text from Holocaust survivors, poetry and prose, and is intended as a meditation on the Holocaust and its meaning.

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5 “It was more than studying music and history of the Holocaust,” explains Kevin. “It was about understanding how people survive in the face of unspeakable atrocity and go forward to live a life that is not centered on hatred.”

According to Michael, “The objective of the project was to research, design and perform a multimedia piece that focused on the themes of the Holocaust and encouraged students to have a richer understanding of the historic event and its implications on our 21st century world. The project also allowed for interdisciplinary cooperation between chorus and Holocaust class students, and positioned them as ambassadors of knowledge during our week in Germany.”

Rounding out performing arts is the band program, which has grown over the last 10 years. Tom Kowalczyk also directs the Upper School band. Most recently, the spring 2009 instrumental concert took on a jazz club theme that included a wide range of music from old jazz standards to more recent popular favorites.

Tom says that, “For students whose passion includes playing an instrument, we give them a venue for playing with a group and feature them as soloists. The dynamics of the group are great and I enjoy watching my students’ musical talents mature.”

While it would be impossible to list every single day that students were engaged in Performing Arts at North Shore, here is just a sampling from 2008–2009.

May 23–24 Annual Shakespeare play, The Merry Wives of Windsor Texas May 11 Annual Susan Marshall Concert featuring Cheng-Hou Lee, cellist May 7–15 Musical Instrument Drive for the People’s Music School in Chicago May 7 Lower & Middle School Chorus & Band Concert April 30 Instrumental Ensemble Spring Concert – Jazz Night March 12–14 Annual Spring Musical, The King and I February 26 Annual 4th & 5th Grade Musical, Oliver February 5 All School Chorus & Band Concert January 16–17 Winter Play, The Princess and the Pea December 11 Winter Choral Concert November 21 Middle School Play, Sherlock Holmes & The West End Horror November 20 Composer in Residence Jim Papoulis, Lower School Concert October 24–25 Upper School Fall Play, Little Women

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Joe Tepper as the King in the spring musical The King and I. 1) Rebecca Reategui ’12 and Caroline Whitmore ’12 rehearse for Domine Fili Unigenite from Gloria by Antonio Vivaldi for Commencement.

2) Will Taylor ’11 in The Princess and the Pea. 3) Aliyea Rizai ’11 in The King and I. 4) Firouz Niazi ’17 in the 4th grade Opera.

5) Molly Ledden ’17 and Tess Considine ’17 in the 4th grade opera.

6) Mick Reedy ’09 and Becca Dachille ’09 perform at the Spring Ensemble Jazz Concert.

7) Gabi Montembeault ’17 in the 4th grade Japanese play.

8) Kelsey Hagan ’10 in The King and I.

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MICHAEL QUERIO

TOM KOWALCZYK

JIM LEESCH

linda kiracibasi

LYNN KELSO

INGMARI WAHLGREN

DIRECTOR

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JOHN FOLEY

Profiles

THE PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT Seeking out faculty who are talented teachers, passionate about their subject and connect with students is a strength of North Shore.

In the arts departments, the School is even more selective by identifying teachers who practice what they teach—who devote their summers to their art or weekends during the year to performing.

MICHAEL QUERIO Performing Arts Department Chair; Middle and Upper School Music Teacher Illinois Wesleyan University, BME University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, NM Describe your musical/theatrical journey.

I can’t really explain how it became “what I do.” I just remember, through all of my schooling, music classes and performing ensembles were always my favorite parts of the day. When it was time to choose a college course of study, even though my science and math scores were really high, music was the only thing I could see myself studying and the only path for my life that would be satisfying.

Ever since I left college and started working, I’ve enjoyed a career as a music educator in schools, and a performing professional outside of school. I’ve performed as a soloist, accompanist, as part of large ensembles, as a singer, as an instrumentalist, as a conductor, and as a composer and arranger. Now, while I work at the School, I’m also the Artistic Director for the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater, among other freelance performing and directing gigs.

What is the best part about being an artist and teacher? Two things—one that my entire life is spent advancing art and culture. I listen and study music, tell others about music, teach others to perform and understand music.

And the variety of my day, work, year—there’s always something new.

Who is your most admired artist? I’ve always admired Leonard Bernstein. He worked as a composer, performer, conductor, in legit “classical” settings, and in musical theater and

jazz. He was an educator, too. I loved the way that he couldn’t be defined or confined to one musical path or one single medium or genre.

He did it all, and did it all bigger than life.

Any words of advice for your students? Let art in. Let music touch your soul. Stay open to art.

LINDA KIRACIBASI Lower School Music Teacher Northwestern University, BME University of Denver, Orff Schulwerk Certificate

What is an early memory involving performing arts? When I first saw the movie of West Side Story I fell in love with musical theater. The following year I saw my first live performance of a musical, The Sound of Music. It was in a theater-in-the-round, I had an aisle seat, and I was totally enthralled from the first notes of the overture.

When did you know you wanted to be a teacher/ artist? Starting in 7th grade I thought I would like to be a teacher but was uncertain of which subject. We moved to an area in New Jersey in my sophomore year of high school that had a wonderful choral program. I worked backstage in the musical that year and joined chorus the following year and suddenly it all made sense.

Music had always been a part of my life in an unstructured way and I then realized that I wanted it to be much more important.

What is the best part about being an artist and teacher? Making music real for my students because it is always a part of my life as well as theirs. They see that I (and all of the performing-arts faculty) don’t just say that the arts are important in people’s lives but that we all do that every day with teaching and our own performing and continued study. I sing with an a cappella group of 18 singers (including a former member of the Classic Children’s Chorale) and see a lot of musical theater, the first kind of music that I loved.

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JIM LEESCH Middle School Drama and Math Teacher Davidson College, BS Describe your musical/theatrical journey.

I began in theater in high school my junior year when I had to stop playing soccer due to injuries. My best friend pulled/dragged me to school on a Saturday to audition for a play.

I became Henry in The Fantasticks, and I’ve never looked back. When I graduated from high school, my first job was teaching drama to 3-11 year-olds in the parks of Savannah, GA. In college, I helped found a student-run theater organization called “The New Vagabonds.” I left a brief and busy career as a professional actor in my hometown of Savannah, because there just weren’t enough paid opportunities to pay the bills. From there I found teaching, and eventually came back into the theater at both Memorial Day School and here at North Shore. I try to stay active as an actor with a local troupe called “The Kirk Players,” acting as a guest performer from time to time.

What is the best part about being an artist and teacher? Honestly, the two things I’ve had the most passion for in my career have been the theater and teaching, so getting to do both on a daily basis is little like hitting the jackpot.

When teaching the art of theater to students, I get to see young people stepping onto the path of discovery—about themselves, empathy, spectacle and truth.

Do you have a favorite playwright? One of my favorite writers is Stephen Sondheim. His musical craftsmanship is without peer. But more importantly, he creates characters and stories that are irresistible, both to watch and to portray. One day, I hope to be able to play one of those roles on stage.

Any words of advice for your students? Use the opportunities that theater gives you to explore.

You will never have a greater chance to learn about yourself and your fellow human beings than when you must become somebody new.

TOM KOWALCZYK Band Teacher; Middle School Music Teacher; Upper School Wood Shop Teacher Central Michigan University, BME

What is the best part about being an artist and teacher? Every day I get to do what I love to do—play the trumpet and work with students and adults, sharing with them on a daily basis the pleasure that music can bring to one’s life.

Striving for musical excellence is a lifelong journey and something I enjoy greatly. Words alone cannot express the joy I feel watching a student progress and grow in music.

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Describe an early memory involving music.

I will always remember, Friday, May 26, 1978, when a local school band gave a concert at my school. I watched in amazement as 65 student musicians, just a few years older than I was, performed. I could truly feel the joy and teamwork between the musicians and conductor. The program closed with Thumbs Up USA! march. At this moment I said to myself, “I want to do this! I want to be in band and be a conductor.” That fall I started playing the trumpet and soon after began playing for church services, weddings, as well as the band at school. In high school I began giving trumpet lessons as well as playing gigs for pit orchestras and local adult community bands.

Since that day in 1978 I’ve been involved with music and dedicated myself to a lifelong pursuit of performing, conducting, and teaching which has brought depth and passion to my soul.

Who is your most admired artist? Adolf

Herseth from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

He came from modest beginnings in small town USA, and went on to become the best orchestral trumpet player of all time. In 1948, at the age of 19, “Bud” Herseth earned the principle trumpet spot of the CSO where he stayed until his retirement in 2001.

Any words of advice for your students?

First, keep music and the arts as part of your everyday life. The arts are an expression of the human spirit that can bring depth and fulfillment which cannot be found anywhere else. Second, find that path in life that truly brings you joy and enriches you, then put forth genuine dedication to that craft.

LYNN KELSO Upper School Drama Teacher Purdue University, BA University of Michigan, MA Northwestern University, MFA

Describe your theatrical journey. My first directing moment was with a cast of two (my sister and brother) performing the Christmas story. I loved playing and pretending. After majoring in Drama and English I began my family. To satisfy the imagination, I started a children’s theater group “Tales for Tots Players.” This led me to volunteering in schools in creative drama and a class “Imagine That.” I went back to graduate school when my children were in high school and got my MFA in directing from Northwestern. And the rest is history.

What is the best part about being an artist and teacher? Sharing creative ideas as we translate the text into performance. I learn so much from working with students as I teach.

Who is your most admired actor/actress?

Meryl Streep is the actress who embodies all the positive qualities of the theater world. She is intelligent, creative, filled with both passion and compassion, multitalented and kind to those who work with her.

Any words of advice for your students?

Be open, non-judgmental, caring, and to “be.”

Too often we miss life because we are busy planning what we should do next. The theater is a perfect place to learn about human nature, to understand who we are and why we do what we do. The arts are the core of our being. I love sharing this and nurturing it in our students.

INGMARI WAHLGREN Accompanist Royal Academy of Music, Stockholm, Sweden

Describe your musical/theatrical journey.

I started taking piano lessons at the age of 5 when my parents bought a piano. As I became older I really didn’t want to study anymore.

But, I wasn’t allowed to quit. Before coming to the U.S., I was a music teacher, organist and choir director at a school/church in Stockholm. I sang with the Swedish Radio choir and we were going on tour in the U.S. for five weeks in the fall of 1975. So there was this guy at one of our concerts in Chicago, to make a long story short, we were married in 1978 and that’s when I moved here. I have sung with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, and studied vocal jazz at the Bloom School of Jazz downtown.

Upper School Instrumental Jazz concert students perform in April.

What is the best part about being an artist and teacher? The joy of expressing and sharing a gift that everyone in the entire universe understands. Music speaks to so many areas of one’s innermost being. It reaches where words cannot. I love to teach voice. There are never two lessons alike. The voice is the most “naked” of all the instruments and it takes time to trust yourself and to be comfortable. I just love to be part of that development in my students. I constantly learn as I teach.

What is a favorite memory involving music?

When I was studying music in Stockholm and singing in a small chamber choir, Duke Ellington came to Stockholm with his band to perform his Sacred concert. We were asked to sing that night, so there I was, standing by the piano where Duke Ellington was sitting, and actually talking to him!

John Foley Upper School English and Drama Teacher University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, B.A.

What is the best part about being an artist and teacher? Being an artist allows great creativity and individuality. Being a teacher has taught me to be organized, considerate of other learning processes and open to collaboration.

The nature of collaboration (a given in theater and music) with students is exciting. Arts and teaching are different disciplines with lots of overlap. Good art teaches in any setting.

When did you realize you wanted to be an actor/musician? In high school I played with musicians who had professional ambitions.

After college I fell in with literate musicians who were also actors of a sort. We started a band that told stories and acted out parts while playing and, in a Cinderella-like fashion, an evening of Jesse James stories got us whisked off to New York where we were a big hit for over a year. I was lucky enough to fashion a good and satisfying career out of combining acting, playing and singing, and writing original material. A slew of shows called “musician’s theater” grew of out our pioneering work in Diamond Studs and Pump Boys and Dinettes.

Do you have a favorite instrument? I love many

instruments. I studied piano and am selftaught on all other instruments. I am currently enamored with the dobro and pedal steel guitar, as well as harmonica. The human instrument is always the best—singing and behavior in acting.

Any words of advice for your students? Acting and theater is by far the healthiest training you’ll ever get, on all levels, whether you want to do it for a living or not. See as much live theater and music as you can, and never be afraid to approach the artists, great or small.

Almost all of them love to talk about their artistry and craft to students, so approach with respect and curiosity. Very few wish to talk about fame and fortunes and “the biz,” so inquire sparingly about that in most cases.

And persevere. You may not make a good living at it, but no one can stop your artistry.

Any words of advice for your students? These are things I try to live by for myself: “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength,” by Corrie Ten Boom. And “Yesterday is the past. Tomorrow is the future. Today is a gift, that’s why we call it a present,” author unknown.

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Commencement

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES “A very wise musician once said ‘Baatein bhool jaate hain. Yaadein yaad aati hain.” These two simple sentences hold true for the journey I have made with the 42 graduates sitting behind me. “Words are forgotten, but memories are forever alive.’”

“Like our parents, the teachers sitting in front of me have played a key role in our lives. You have seen and helped us grow into individuals who will do great things in life.”

So began the senior class message by Saachi Shah ’09 at Commencement 2009 on May 5.

The ceremony was punctuated with the dedication of the Mirror to Jim Deuble, physical education teacher and coach for 23 years; the presentation of the class gift of a tree to plant in front of the Mac Gym, along with a new sound system and quotes painted on the walls of the weight room; and Michael Querio, performing arts department chair and teacher, who delivered the commencement address.

Michael Querio began his remarks saying, “I think about singing a lot. I suppose you know that. It’s my job…But in this talk today, sometimes I’m talking about actual singing, and sometimes metaphorical singing.

MEMORIES ARE FOREVER ALIVE

“I like to think of the class of 2009 as being the stars I saw during freshman year outdoor ed,” Saachi said. “Each and every one of my peers maintains a sense of uniqueness and individuality. However, together we are able to wow an audience with our rendition of a Gilbert and Sullivan song, raise money for children who are halfway across the globe, and put North Shore on the map as being fierce competitors on the field.

“Our goals and aspirations have been formed by the work we have done at North Shore. Last year, watching Greg Mortenson on this very stage made me proud to be part of the class of 2009. He seemed truly ecstatic about our efforts to help kids achieve an education and make something out of their future.

“We are a class that cares because we are willing to count pennies until our hands smell like rusty metal or help our neighbor on a calculus problem he or she just cannot understand. We have embraced our duty of being leaders for the rest of the Upper School. We have shown LFA that the Raiders are not to be seen as no competition. Even if we have had the worst day, watching the boys soccer team score a goal or the girls volleyball team smack a ball into the opposing team’s court makes you proud to be a Raider.

The Class of 2009 gathers for their portrait.

WHAT MAKES YOU SING?

“As the years have gone by…as life changes and moves on, things get more important, things get less important…life happens. But, some things don’t change…they get amplified.

“Ten years ago, I had a formative life experience …Quite surprisingly and unexpectedly, at the healthiest time of my life, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease, a cancer of the lymph system. It really stopped me in my tracks. Six months after diagnosis, and then six months after treatments were over, there was hardly any outward sign that I had suffered this cancer, and I felt like life was back to relatively normal, with one huge difference…

“I remember going to an opera shortly after treatment, and I remember being devastated by the force of the music, by the beauty of the art, by the sheer strength of the art. And I attributed it to the cancer…somehow living through this disease had let arts and music speak to me deeper and clearer.

“And it kept happening. And as the shock of having a disease faded, I was almost thrilled that I had been given this gift…this new understanding, this new life. The things that made me sing now made me sing louder and higher.

“Several years ago I had the pleasure of hearing a speaker whose words had a great effect on me. His name is Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi, now a professor at Claremont Graduate University in California. His big concept was flow. He believes that people are most happy when they are in a state of flow—a state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand. Csíkszentmihályi described Acorn Spring/Summer 2009 15

Commencement

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2 (Above, from left) 1) Kenna Sullivan ’09 and Mick Reedy ’09.

2) Robin and Matthew Thomas ’09.

3) Lifers Sara Cunningham ’09, Hannah Walchak ’09 and Karen Block ’09.

flow as ‘being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away.

Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. To achieve a flow state, a balance must be struck between the challenge of the task and the skill of the performer. If the task is too easy or too difficult, flow cannot occur.

“Several months ago, it [cancer] came knocking at my door again, giving me a titanic struggle …but again, what got me through this whole cancer experience…is art and music. Specifically, though, it was the pleasure and joy, and flow that I experience from making music here at this school, with these people seated behind me, and with several of you who I see in front of me. Just as I was entering a very dark time for me personally, the overwhelming joy of studying the music of a master composer like Vivaldi this past December, and then performing it…not just in a passable or acceptable way…but in a masterful and convincing way…buoyed me up then, and it continues to inspire me to this day.

“So, what I urge you to do, what I hope that you will do, is find your passion, let art inform you on a daily basis, and don’t rest until you know what makes you you. Listen to your heart, pay attention to what makes you come alive, and pursue it. Let your awareness open, and see if you’ve been in flow recently. What activity makes time go away for you? Even though art may not have touched your life yet…make a conscious decision to let art in. Open your soul to music, dance, theater, painting, poetry …whatever…choose art and see what happens.

“I know what’s going to happen next, and I know how you’re going to spend the rest of this ceremony, and the rest of today. We, as your teachers, will find out where you go next, and we’ll hear of your achievement as the years go on. But..I’ll be listening close…I’ll follow you outside to the flagpole, and beyond as best as I can.

“And I can’t wait to hear you sing…”

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3 a thank you and a wish

Following the presentation of diplomas, Head of School Tom Doar gave his farewell remarks to the graduates. “To the Class of 2009, thank you for helping North Shore ‘do school’ as well as any year in memory. You are the class that has led the way during a school year that some have suggested has been the most successful school year in recent history.

“I would particularly like to acknowledge the reasonableness that characterized the relationships that this class has with one another.

They have seemed to take joy in one another’s accomplishments and instinctively learned to defer attention from themselves in order to support and celebrate others.

“My wish for this class is that they experience in their lives—what their presence has allowed me to experience so many times in the last 10 months. Because of their presence, who they are, what they do and how they have done it, I actually found myself feeling better about my day, my place, even who I am. In some respects, my thought process has been ‘if they can sing that song, run that race, give that speech, overcome that challenge, offer that kindness or provide that service, then I can as well.’

“I thank the Class of 2009 for their inspiration, but more importantly it is my wish for them that they have people in their lives who will do the same for them that they have done for me…to have people in their lives who inspire them and that by their example help lead each of these individuals behind me to become their very best.”

(Complete text of these Commencement remarks can be found on our website nscds.org, News and Calendar > News > Commencement 2009.)

Class of 2009 College Choices

The Class of 2009 was accepted at 120 colleges and universities and will enroll in 40 of them located in 22 states. They range in size from as small as 1,000 to as large as 21,000, and six of the 40 are public institutions.

1 Raul Barrera Beloit College 2 Joseluis Bedoya Knox College 3 Jordy Blenner Columbia College 4 Karen Block DePauw University 5 Peter Callahan Princeton University 6 Xochitl Carmona

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign 7 Katy Elena Cherry Earlham College 8 Sara Cunningham Northwestern University 9 Becca Dachille

University of Wisconsin— Madison 10 Lisa Doi University of Pennsylvania 11 Ellen Gardner Ripon College 12 Sara Gardner Wittenburg University 36

13 Emily Gavin Carnegie Mellon University

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14 Hope Hambleton Trinity College

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15 Blair Hunt Emory University 16 Alex Kaplan Hamilton College

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17 Emily Keyser Cornell College 18 Sammy Ama Kittoe Saint Louis University 19 Samantha Marks University of Wisconsin 20 Caroline McCarthy Dartmouth College 21 Alison McDonagh

Southern Methodist University 22 Sam McElroy University of Richmond 23 Matthew Morrison Kalamazoo College

35 Kenna Sullivan University of Kansas

24 Danny Nolan Vanderbilt University

36 Joe Tepper New York University

25 Emmy Paull Skidmore College

37 David Thomas Butler University

26 Robert Rakocy

38 Matthew Thomas Ohio Wesleyan University

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

39 Jack Viellieu Middlebury College

27 Mick Reedy Macalester College

40 Hannah Walchak Rice University

28 Ashley Richardson

41 Chris White Georgetown University

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 29 Lucy Roque Lake Forest College

42 Alex Whitmore Vanderbilt University 43 Nick Young Dickinson College

30 Saachi Shah University of Michigan 31 Erica Shaps Brandeis University 32 Charlie Sklare Tulane University 33 Chloe Stahl College of William and Mary 34 Julie Stevens Carthage College

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LISTEN TO YOUR HEART, PAY TO WHAT MAKES YOU COME MICHAEL QUERIO, FROM HIS COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS 18 Acorn Spring/Summer 2009

ATTENTION ALIVE, AND PURSUE IT. Acorn Spring/Summer 2009 19

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On Campus

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2008-2009 SCHOOL YEAR ENDS ON A HIGH NOTE North Shore Auction Sets the Stage for Fundraising The 28th annual Benefit Board fundraiser held in early March raised more than $285,000 for the School. The opening act of this year’s annual auction party “The Purple Curtain” was held in the Diller Street Theater.

Guests enjoyed cocktails and appetizers while seated in the theater for a preview of the spring musical The King and I and bidding on live auction items.

During “intermission” the 350 parents, former parents, trustees, alumni, faculty and friends walked across the campus to the Mac Gym for the second act of the night which included dinner and auctions. Among the unique items available were VIP tickets to the 2010 Super Bowl, Fall Out Boy and Britney Spears concerts, and vacation get-away packages to Istanbul, Bandon Dunes and Keeneland horse races, and much more.

The funds raised for the School will be used to help renovate the School’s Diller Street Theater, and support Curriculum and Teaching Fund grants allowing faculty to conduct research projects and develop curriculum.

A Record Year for Athletics According to Athletic Director Patrick McHugh, this past year was the most successful year experienced in his 15 years at North Shore.

Among the accomplishments were conference championships in field hockey, girls’ tennis, golf, and all-conference recognitions, play-off wins and a state champion in girls’ crosscountry, boys’ track and field.

The baseball team was runner-up in the conference and also had the best season in recent years. Girls’ soccer won the regionals for the first time ever, while boys’ soccer had the best season to date. In the fall, volleyball had the most wins since 1988. Girls’ basketball this winter had the most wins in 20 years and was regional champions. Boys’ basketball was regional runner-ups and had the best record in 10 years.

1) Auction co-chairs Tracy Souder, Susie Getz and Susan Bondurant.

2) Peter Callahan ’09 won State Championships in the 1600 m and 800 m races. He also placed second in the regional track meet and fifth at the Nike Outdoor Nationals on June 22 in Greensboro, NC. 3) Parents Patty Cook and Denise McClanahan at the Benefit Board auction/party.

4) Melissa Rizai ’14 in Middle School soccer.

Track star Peter Callahan ’09 defended his State Champion title in the 1600 meter with a time of 4:15.30, and won the 800 meter.

Four North Shore seniors were named to the National Academic Squad by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. Sara Cunningham, Lisa Doi, Blair Hunt and Hannah Walchak were the only high school seniors in Illinois recognized by NFHCA for this award. The program acknowledges high school seniors who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 through the first quarter of the 2008–09 school year.

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1) Christopher ’14, Tyler ’21, Mackenzie ’15, Alissa ’19, Ryan ’16, and Katie Nolan ’13, with grandmother Ann Nolan.

2) Allyson Vaughn ’16 with her grandmother Laverne Vaughn.

3) Jonathan Segal ’15 with his grandparents Carole and Gordon Segal.

4) Lindsay ’16, Bert ’18 and Lachlan ’20 Getz with grandparents Sandy and Bert Getz ’55.

5) Anna Canoni, programs and events coordinator for Woody Guthrie Publications, Upper School English Teacher Drea Gallaga and Jorge Arevalo, Woody Guthrie Achieves Curator, participated in “Woody Guthrie: Songs in the Key of Change,” which was made possible by a grant from the Franke Family Fund.

6) Molly Green, parent and grandparent of alumni, recounted memories of the Great Depression to the 3rd grade class.

Grandparents’ Day 2009 North Shore welcomed more than 150 grandparents and friends to campus on May 8 for Grandparents’ Day 2009. During a brief presentation, Head of School Tom Doar provided an overview of the strength of the School today. He was followed by faculty member Drea Gallaga who highlighted the School’s commitment to service through our servicelearning curriculum in all three divisions.

Grandparents then enjoyed time with their grandchildren, visiting their classrooms and attending a musical concert, including both choral and band, of Lower and Middle School students.

Franke Family Fund Inspires Faculty Supported by The Franke Family Fund, three North Shore teachers collaborated across grades, divisions and disciplines to submit a grant proposal for “Woody Guthrie: Songs in the Key of Change.”

Third Grade Teacher David Green, Performing Arts Department Chair and Teacher Michael Querio and Upper School History Teacher Kevin Randolph, chose to focus on Woody Guthrie. Although often seen as an exclusively American folk icon, he was embraced by people all over the world. His music and ideas have been translated into myriad languages and reinterpreted in many different cultural and historical contexts.

Among the special features of the Woody Guthrie program were: • Dr. Bucky Halker, noted scholar and musician, presented the life, times and songs of

Tell Us Your Depression-Era Story

Throughout the summer, the 3rd and 11th grades are still collecting stories and memories about the Great Depression as part of The Franke Family Fund project this past year.

The theme, “When Enough Was Enough,” encompasses all the extraordinary hardships many faced during the Great Depression, but also acknowledges the fact that people survived, that they got by, making do with less, and even managed to have fun, and find joy or happiness amid the struggles.

You are invited to share a first-hand Depression -era memory or a story told to you by parents, grandparents and other relatives:

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Woody Guthrie to the faculty at the opening meeting of the school year.

• A Morning Ex presentation to the entire school on Music and Social Change.

• Juniors read The Grapes of Wrath in U.S. History classes.

• Upper and Middle School students attended a town meeting presentation “Global Woody: Language, Culture, History and Harmony”

by Jorge Arevalo, Woody Guthrie Archives Curator.

• Lower School students attended a presentation titled “HOWJI DO” by Anna Canoni, programs and events coordinator for Woody Guthrie Publications. Granddaughter of Woody, Anna brought Woody’s story to life for young children.

• Upper School hosted an instrumental drive for Peoples’ Music School of Chicago.

• The Great Depression Oral and Visual History Project was launched. A combined effort of the 3rd and 11th grades for focuses on the concept of “when enough was enough.”

The Franke Family Fund was established in the fall of 2008 as an endowment for programs that enhance students’ experiences during the academic year. The intention of the fund is to encourage faculty to develop creative and unique ideas that are school-wide in scope, broad in interpretation and application, and significantly and positively impact the school community.

Curriculum, broadly defined, includes not only what takes place in the classroom, but also what takes place in the larger school community.

North Shore believes in the importance of a vital, relevant and evolving curriculum which enriches the life of the School.

Email: nscds1929@gmail.com, Or Call: 888.887.3127 Channel ID: 29510# / Password: 12345# Whether you email or call, please include the following information: Your name • Who the story is about • If you or the people in the story graduated from North Shore, include the years and grades you or they attended school here • A way we can contact you—email address and/or phone number • Let us know if you are able/willing to come to school for an interview Stories collected will be woven together and become the soundtrack to slideshows and movies created by the students about the Great Depression and that period in history.

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The School is fortunate to have a number of resources that help to enrich student experiences in and outside the classroom every year. The Harold Hines Fellowship, the Hall Master-inResidence Program and the Focus on History series all provide annual programs that have measurable effect on the level of learning and growth that takes place on the campus.

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The King and I Featuring a cast of 74 Lower, Middle and Upper School students, this year’s spring musical, The King and I, was presented March 12-14. Set in the early 1860s, the King of Siam hires an English schoolteacher to provide a Western education for his children. The King and the teacher, in spite of their cultural differences, develop a deep affection for one another and discover there is much to be learned from each other.

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This may have been the first time that the musical featured three siblings from two separate families: Alex ’09, Caroline ’11 and Olivia ’19 Whitmore and Meera ’11, Malini ’14 and Maya ’19 Valliath.

Science Olympiad

The Princess and the Pea The Upper School winter play this year was The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen and The Princess and the Peasants by North Shore faculty member Becky Flory.

The plays were performed on January 16-17 and were directed by Lynn Kelso and John Foley, with technical direction by Becky Flory.

Almquist Gallery Exhibits Two exhibits in the John Almquist Art Gallery rounded out the year’s installations. In January and February, North Shore hosted “Beautiful Beasts: Artwork by Brent Houston, Ross Martens and Darren Oberto.” Then in March and April, “Eleanor and John Himmelfarb: Two Generations of Chicago Artists,” was on display. For the first time, the paintings of mother and son were on exhibit together. John has been working in Chicago since 1970, has exhibited widely both nationally and abroad, and his work is in the collection of more than

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40 museums. His mother, 92-year-old Eleanor, was an exhibiting artist for more than 30 years. This was her last show before she died in June.

For 11 years, the Middle School has participated in Science Olympiad and for 11 years they have qualified and attended the state competition. This year, the team placed 13 out of 39 schools. In addition, North Shore hosted an invitational in February. More than 400 students and teachers were on campus competing in 23 science events.

Juniors Visit Colleges and Boot Camp College Counseling at North Shore has had a busy spring. During the first week of Spring Break, 19 juniors traveled to nine colleges aboard North Shore’s annual “Bus O’ Fun.” The group visited a wide range of colleges and universities including Dartmouth, Middlebury, University of Vermont, St. Lawrence, Syracuse, Hamilton, Colgate, Hobart, William Smith and Cornell, to help each student identify the college characteristics that will best serve them. Plans are already underway for the sixth annual trip next year.

5 1) Alex Kaplan ’09 portrays Anna in the spring musical, The King and I. 2) Emma Colman ’12 in the winter play, The Princess and the Pea. 3) Evan Salathe ’14 and Stephanie Chandler ’15 participate in the Middle School Science Olympiad Invitational at North Shore.

4) Dr. Christopher Clark, the 2009 Harold H. Hines Fellow, talks with Lower Schoolers about animal acoustic communication.

5) Jack Viellieu ’09 monitors the School’s electricity usage as part of the Green Cup Challenge.

On Campus The week following Commencement, the College Counselors Chris Boyle and Sarah Mills were at it again, hosting a three-day Boot Camp for the Class of 2010 and their parents. Parents attended a Case Study Workshop preparing them for the admission decision-making process as well as a current issues update. Students also attended workshops on creating a resume, being recruited for collegiate athletics and applying to arts/ conservatory programs.

Lower School Theme Week Every year, the Lower School takes the week before Spring Break to explore a curriculum topic in depth. This year, the topic was weather.

Students worked in groups to explore different aspects of weather. The week kicked off with a presentation by Upper School Science Teacher Roderick Mobley. Other guest speakers included a meteorologist, a maintenance worker from the public works department and John Rex-Waller, former parent and Board of Trustees chair, and pilot who explained how weather relates to flying.

2009 Harold Hines Fellow: Dr. Christopher W. Clark This year, North Shore welcomed Dr. Christopher W. Clark as the 2009 Harold H. Hines Fellow. Dr. Clark is the Imogene P. Johnson Director, Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, and Senior Scientist in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University. During his visit to campus on Monday, February 2, he met with students and faculty, sharing his studies, findings and passion for his work.

He also presented an evening lecture titled “Ocean Voices of the Blue Deep” in the Diller Street Theater. Dr. Clark’s research focuses on animal acoustic communication with an emphasis on the development and application of advanced acoustic methods for scientific conservation of endangered species.

Prior to Dr. Clark’s evening presentation, the Marine Biology class, led by Dr. Jeff Terwin, hosted “Save Our Seas,” a service-learning project dedicated to informing the community about the dangers of overfishing internationally, nationally and locally. Guests were treated to cooking demonstrations and hors d’oeuvres made from highly sustainable fish. Donations benefited the Ocean Preservation Society.

The Harold H. Hines, Jr. Visiting Fellowship is an annual event in memory of long-time Board of Trustees member Harold Hines. The Fellowship brings to campus a distinguished individual who articulates the School’s motto, “Live and Serve.”

School Joins the Green Cup Challenge In January, North Shore participated in the Green Cup Challenge, competing against a variety of Chicago and Midwestern independent schools. Sponsored by the Green Schools Alliance, the challenge is designed to create a competitive framework where schools compete against one another as they attempt to reduce their electricity usage, and thereby reduce their carbon footprint. North Shore students monitored the School’s campus electricity for one month and compared it with the previous year’s data. In the first week alone, the School had an overall reduction of 13%, equating to more than 4026 kilowatt hours.

When the competition ended, North Shore placed 2nd with a total reduction of 20,000 kWh for the month.

Lower School Adopts Heifer International As part of the School’s commitment to service learning and global education, this year the Lower School raised over $4,000 for Heifer International. Heifer works with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. Since 1944, Heifer has helped 9.2 million families in more than 125 countries move toward greater self-reliance through gifts of livestock and training in environmentallysound agriculture. Some of the fundraising activities included the senior kindergarten Pumpkin Café; the 4th and 5th grade musical, “Oliver;” a CD made by Lower School Chorus; gift cards made by the Lower School students and a Lower School Cookbook.

Share Your Soles The Middle School hosted a shoe drive for Share Your Soles, an Illinois-based organization that sends gently-used shoes to people around the world. Thanks to donations by students, faculty, staff and friends, the shoe drive brought in 1,054 pairs of shoes. In addition to the drive in May, the students walked to the Botanic Gardens (5.86 miles), and came back to campus to celebrate with a “Sock Hop” dance.

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On Campus Senior Service

Shore’s commitment to service. Spending the last two weeks engaged in service and have a meaningful experience drives students to stay involved in service the rest of their lives.” Lisa will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall and is enrolled in the nursing program there. As a sophomore, she plans to apply for a second degree through the health and society program. She will work towards a Masters in public health and in time, will go to medical school.

At the end of every year, North Shore seniors spend the last two weeks off campus involved in Senior Service Projects. Each senior conceives and designs his or her own project around interests and talents. In turn, students learn about serving a larger community and learn something about him or herself.

This year, three projects stood out as some of the best ever. Lisa Doi, Saachi Shah and Erica Shaps chose projects that gave them a lot of freedom and ownership, related to their life goals, used skills they have honed at North Shore, and had a diversity and global focus.

LISA DOI

Throughout her North Shore career, Lisa was involved in all aspects of campus life. Lisa was a member of the Community Service Club, Science Olympiad team and Kaleidoscope all four years of Upper School; coordinated the School’s Diversity Day her sophomore, junior and senior year; attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools; stage managed several plays; coached Middle School Science Olympiad; was on the field hockey team all four years; and won the Bridge Builder Award in 2008 and the Princeton Prize in Race Relations in 2009.

For her project, Lisa worked at Stroger Hospital with Snow City Arts focusing on art education in the pediatric ward. Her interest in healthcare, especially the disparities in healthcare around the world, was incorporated into an independent study in global public heath with Upper School English teacher Kathy McHugh this year, which furthered her interest in the topic.

Lisa spent half her time at Stroger preparing for the hospital’s Gallery Night annual fundraiser. The other time she spent shadowing the artists as they worked with kids on poetry, arts and crafts and films.

The project confirmed her interest in working in healthcare and the importance for providing quality healthcare for everyone. Lisa realized that the “senior-service project reaffirms North

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SAACHI SHAH

Saachi moved to the U.S. from India seven years ago.

When she realized how different things are between India and America she asked herself, why is it that America has so many amazing opportunities and you go half way across the world and 40% of the population is illiterate? That passion for helping others fueled her involvement at North Shore. Saachi was on the Science Olympiad team every year since 6th grade; was a member of the Community Service Club and the head of the club her senior year; involved in the International Club all four years, as well as being a leader her sophomore, junior and senior year; participated in volleyball since 6th grade; acted on-stage in three performances; and wrote articles for the Diller Street Journal.

Merging her interests in service and India, Saachi worked with Asha for Education Literacy in India during her Senior Service.

Asha has chapters throughout America, Germany, Australia and India that fund Indian organizations working with education.

Saachi created a booklet for Asha focusing on its Chicago chapter and its goals, mission statement, leaders and eight primary projects.

“Literacy is something I am really passionate about and I think is the stepping stone to success.” She was introduced to the organization by her uncle who is involved in Asha Phoenix, which has had made great progress in India.

She also selected Asha because they have a chapter in Ann Arbor where she will attend the University of Michigan in the fall, and she can continue her involvement throughout college.

1) Lisa Doi ’09 carries donations to a waiting van for delivery to Northwestern Settlement House.

2) Saachi Shah ’09 helps prepare meals for Night Ministries.

3) Erica Shaps ’09 sorts and packs food into boxes for Northfield Food Pantry.

1 When she returns to India, she would like to work hands-on at a grassroots level with Asha there. She will still be very involved in the Chicago office because her booklet comes out at end of 2009. She also wants to get involved in other community service opportunities at Michigan. Ultimately, Saachi wants to start her own organization that focuses on literacy and poverty. She wants to tackle the issues through use of microfinance, a concept where loans are given out to people who live in rural villages. Therefore you are not just giving money to someone; you are actually helping people start their own businesses.

ERICA SHAPS

Erica was involved in lots of activities on campus including the Community Service Club, Model UN, Prosody editor, cross country, multiple plays and chorus. Her involvement with service at North Shore, however, was most meaningful. She says, “it was instinctual that it would be part of my experience at North Shore and I am amazed at how frequently

2 service work was part of my experience in high school. There are so many opportunities to serve at North Shore, and it is my favorite thing here.”

For her Senior Service Project, Erica worked at Interfaith Youth Core. In particular, she worked on Bridge Builders—as Erica describes it, “Facebook for the interfaith movement.”

The organization promotes religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue through shared values and service. It gives people the capacity to become leaders; bring religious pluralism into their own communities; and focuses on high school and college students and recent graduates.

Through her project, Erica realized that people can make a difference with the power of a big idea and a passion for service work. “It is amazing what a couple people with a drive and a great message can do for the world.” Erica will attend Brandeis in the fall, and though she doesn’t intend to major in theology, pluralism is connected to international relations which she intends to study. In addition, she plans to get involved in interfaith activities on campus, and will apply for a Youth Core fellowship program her sophomore year.

“It was instinctual that [service] would be part of my experience at North Shore...There are so many opportunities to serve..” Erica Shaps

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Development A Heartfelt Thank You Development at North Shore is about personal relationships. The Development staff, committee and volunteers work to raise more than $1,000,000 each year to support the School’s operating budget. Annual Giving makes up the 30% difference between the cost of tuition and the actual cost of educating each student.

Raising these funds would not be possible without devoted and enthusiastic volunteers.

They are the core of our Annual Giving program. They help us reach 100% faculty and staff participation, high participation from their alumni or parent class, or a significant reunion gift. They yield results, and it’s all on their own time. We are grateful for their efforts throughout the year.

Here are just a few of the endless reasons why we appreciate our Annual Giving volunteers: They have a great understanding of why Annual Giving is important . “Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I am very happy to be part of this. All in all, this is all about education and, if there is something we all have in common, it is our love for it.” Carmen Gomez Fiegl, Upper School Faculty Rep They are willing to say yes. “I’ll be more than happy to help!” Ann Amboian, 8th Grade Parent Rep They have endless enthusiasm. “I would do anything for the School.” Wendy Strauss Dowd, SK and JK Parent Rep They get others on board. “Don’t sit on the sidelines. Help the school continue to grow.”

Email to faculty from Patrick McHugh, phonathon volunteer They are efficient and always willing to do more. “Now that I am on campus every day, I definitely feel like I need to make sure I’m doing my job as class rep. I’ve got some free time today so I’ll start a letter to my class.

Hopefully I can get it out in the next week.

Is there anything else I can be doing?”

Alexis Halper ’01 They are doers. “I went around yesterday afternoon to talk to people about Annual Giving, thanking those who have given and asking those who haven’t.” Annie Gentithes, Lower School Faculty Rep They follow up without being asked. “Could I get a list of class donors so I can write my classmates?” Bruce Blair ’69

Class Rep Profile: Courtney Williams ’88 What motivated you to serve as a Class Representative for North Shore? I was actually nominated for the position by my classmates back in 1988. I think I was only supposed to have the position for about five years—but here I am, over 20 years later!

What do you hope to accomplish serving as a Class Representative? I hope I can help my classmates stay connected to North Shore and to each other. Because of our small class size, we all knew each other, our teachers and the administration very well.

Since your recent reunion and contact with classmates, what reflections would you share of theirs and yours about North Shore today?

1) Faculty volunteers achieved 100% Annual Giving participation by faculty and staff. Front row: Jay Bach, Carmen Gomez-Fiegl, Kyle Jones. Back row: Lori Brennan, Steve Collins, Roderick Mobley, Annie Gentithes and Mar White.

2) Midge Chace Powell ’49 volunteers to make phone calls at the spring phonathon.

3) Courtney Williams ’88 has been a class representative for over 20 years.

While we were at North Shore, it was really easy to take our education and the environment for granted—especially for those of us who had been there since Lower School. For instance, we were exposed to sports and the arts. If we ended up really liking both, we didn’t have to choose one over the other— we could participate in both.

I always loved sports and learned a lot from all my coaches. I also loved music and am still involved with it today. Music Teachers Ms. Gibson (Kiracibasi), Mr. Allison, Mr. Holland and Mr. Wallenberg exposed me to different types of music and helped me grow musically.

I love art, but it is not my strength. I am thankful that Mrs. Melissas and Mr. Almquist did not give up on me.

Our small class size offered a lot of individual attention from our teachers and they knew each of us very well. If it had not been for the attention of Mrs. Foster with algebra, I probably would not have passed. Surprisingly, I ended up testing out of a couple levels of math in college! Again, because of our small class size, even the classmates who came to the reunion whom we had not seen since 8th grade—it was as if we had just seen each other a couple of months ago.

Our class had a fairly easy transition to college since North Shore made sure each one of us was prepared. We thought everyone had similar school experiences, but as our group of friends and acquaintances grew, we find out that was not the case. I know the experiences I had at North Shore have helped to shape the person I am today and for that—I am very grateful.

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Alumni Connections

TIME TOGETHER 10th Annual Golf Outing On a day that threatened rain in the morning, 65 golfers teed it up at Highland Park Country Club for a mostly sunny 10th Annual North Shore Country Day School Golf Outing. Chris Charnas ’83, Golf Committee Chair reported that a tightly contested championship was won by a foursome lead by Head of School Tom Doar. The rest of his foursome consisted of Charlie Doar ’03, Scott Bondurant and Tom Flickinger. The second place team winners were Art Jessen ’70, Chris Jessen ’00, Tommy Smith and Jack Krier.

Winner of the women’s longest drive was Ruhma Ghazi with a drive of 277’11”. The men’s winner was Chris Jessen ’00 at 275’3”.

Tony Blumberg ’76 took the prize for bestdressed man in what might have been the best outfit in the 10 years of the outing. Beth Foster took the prize for best dressed female. Other prize winners included closest to the pin Tracie Mayberry and Andy Wood ’90 and longest putt Brad Sturgis.

Special thanks go to the always diligent members of the Golf Committee and our sponsors: AON Corporation, Anthony E. Blumberg & Associates, LLC, The Bransfield Family, Business Technology Partners, J.E.M. Traffic Control Services, Merit Homes, Turtle Wax, Inc., Jim and Tricia Valenti, and Wirtz Beverage Illinois/Ketel One Vodka.

Plans are already underway for the 11th annual outing next year.

Alumni, Faculty & Student Baseball Game An all-time record number of alumni, students and faculty came to campus on a picture-perfect day for the annual baseball game on May 31.

The 35 players, which included a number of Raider baseball team members, enjoyed a fun and friendly competitive game. Participants included Bill Bach ’87, Bruce Jarchow ’66, Chris Avery ’87, Ches Manly ’89, David Cohen ’89, Jordan Fisher ’02, Bert Jarchow ’07, Andy Nathan ’78, Kevin Nathan ’08, Cy Oelerich ’89, Dan Cogan ’92,

30 Acorn Spring/Summer 2009

Peter Smey ’96, Benjy Blenner ’02, Alex Moffat ’00, Wes Donohue ’00, Ted Heinz ’00, Jeff Snyder ’89, Bobby Sullivan ’08, Danny Lowinger ’08, Stephen Lowinger ’08, Eric Alexander ’02, Robby Bonow ’02, Art Jessen ’70 and Jim Deuble ’76. Students included: Trey Surpless ’10, Jake Kann ’12, Dan Nolan ’09, Ryan Nolan ’11, Joe Tepper ’09, Mike Gendell ’09, Rob Rakocy ’09, Jordy Blenner ’09 and Jay Gordon. Spectators included: Jon Reinsdorf ’88, Tom Doar, Jay & Patti Bach, Kevin Randolph, Jane Deuble, Benjy Blenner ’02, Nancy Green Whiteman ’71, Nancy Kelly-Jarchow and spouses, friends and children of some players.

Bronzeville and “Obamaland” Trip On May 14, Bill Hinchliff ’64 led a Chicago day-long trip for alumni and friends about the School. Tour participants learned of the vibrant and historic South Side of Chicago with special focus on Bronzeville, the oldest African American section of the city, and Obamaland, the now world-famous neighborhoods of Kenwood, Hyde Park and South Shore where President Obama spent much of his adult life. Trip participants included North Shore alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents and friends.

Seniors Welcomed into Alumni Association In early May, North Shore Seniors were welcomed into the Alumni Association with a special luncheon in the Laird Bell Room. Jordy Blenner, Karen Block and Jack Viellieu were introduced as the Class of 2009 class representatives, serving as liaisons between their classmates and the School in the coming years. As class reps they will encourage their classmates to stay in touch with each other and the School, come to alumni and school events, and support Annual Giving every year.

Jordy, Karen and Jack underscored the importance of North Shore’s “Live and Serve” motto and giving back to the School which has been so important in their lives. Following the luncheon each senior received a gift of a North Shore Country Day School Class of 2009 mug imprinted with the names of all of their classmates.

1) Mustak Vorha, Ruhma and Rashid Ghazi ’85, and Naveed Ansari.

2) Lucy Sievers ’80 with Golf Chair Chris Charnas ’83.

3) Group visited Bronzeville and “Obamaland” in May. 4) Class of 2009 representatives Jack Viellieu, Karen Block and Jordy Blenner.

5) The Annual Alumni, Faculty and Student baseball game attracted 35 players.

FLORIDA FUN March 3–10, 2010 Explore Winter Park and central Florida’s impressive array of cultural attractions with Bill Hinchliff ’64 to view art, architecture and gardens. National Geographic rated Winter Park as one of its top places to visit. This trip is open to alumni (’30-’65), parents of alumni and friends of North Shore. Trip information will follow by mail and may also be found by logging onto the School portal at www.nscds.org.

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Alumni Connections Lunch in the Loop, April 30, North Shore Interim Program Alumni, parents of alumni, parents and friends attended the spring Lunch in the Loop program at the Union League Club in Chicago. Head of School Tom Doar provided a School update followed by a presentation about North Shore’s Upper School Interim Program and the student experience. Program presenters included Head of Upper School David Potter and Upper School French Teacher, Co-Director of Interim Lynsey Wollin-Casey and Mick Reedy ’09.

Spring Musical & Dinner The King and I On March 13 over 100 alumni, parents of alumni and faculty attended this year’s spring musical dinner and outstanding performance of The King and I. During the dinner, students in leading roles were introduced and visited with the guests. The production included students from Lower, Middle and Upper schools.

North Shore Names Past Meets Present Alumni, parents of alumni and friends attended the January speaker program and learned about the 3rd grade service-learning project from Third Grade Teacher David Green.

Through recorded interviews with alumni and close friends of North Shore, students discovered people who are testimony to the ‘Live and Serve’ motto and are an important part of the School’s history, campus and community.

Many still have a presence around campus with rooms, buildings and plaques bearing their names: Laird Bell Room, George Mitchell Playground, Susan Marshall Memorial Concert, Harold Hines, Francis Stanton, Mac McCarty Gymnasium and Hall Library.

Interviewees included: Dorothy Warner Sills ’38, Mary Pick Hines ’49, Bill Hinchliff ’64, Lynda Wood, Patty Washburn, George Mitchell, Bob Beerheide, Irl and Barbara Favill Marshall ’46, Michael Querio, Georgia Elmes Welles ’48, Bruce Blair ’69, Chris Charnas ’83, Julie Hall, Betsy Gray and Dick Hall.

Western Regional Gatherings In January, North Shore was on the road and held three regional gatherings in Denver, Phoenix and San Diego, connecting with North Shore alumni, parents of alumni, former faculty and friends. The following attended January regional gatherings: Denver: Paul and Heather Utzinger Michelotti ’87, Ted ‘46 and Mary Marsh Washburne ’47, Ernie Porps, Mary Pat Hepp, Hub Stern ’66, George and Ruth Allen Hopfenbeck ’49, Steve and Margot Fraker Wynkoop ’60, Russ Ahrens ’59, Bim ’64 and Barbara Schilling Stanton ’63, and Jacquilyn and Boe Sullivan ’71.

Phoenix: Tracy and Bucky Marshall ’71, Barbara Favill Marshall ’46, Jean Ekman Adams ’60, Mila Watkins Delaware ’70, Susie and Michael Goldstein ’78, Steve Walter ’77, Yvonne Zusel ’99, Jim and Gail Wirtz Costello ’72, and Wendy and Michael Graham ’70.

San Diego: Ryan Randolph ’04, Carol Larsson Stern ’45, Peggy & Russ Stern ’68, Patti Stern Ross ’74, Bill Goss, Dean and Geri French, Sheldon Rosenbaum, Wick Loomis Blasi ’67, Mrs. Wick Loomis, Margot Walk ’59 and Jerry Freeland, Howard Smith, Sophie Smith ’06, Mimi Hobart Petke ’65, and Josh Neufeld ’89.

Florida Regional Gatherings Florida regional gatherings were held in April in Naples and Sanibel Island. North Shore alumni, parents of alumni and friends of North Shore gathered to visit and hear an update on the School from Director of Alumni Relations Nancy Green Whiteman ’71. The Naples gathering was hosted by Alice Graff Childs ’37 at the Naples Yacht Club and included: Jay Wallace ’49, Mike Wallace ’53 and Harriet Fitzsimmons, Bill Stern ’71 and Joy Gorback, Peggy and Russ Stern ’68, Russ ’45 and Carol Larsson Stern ’45, Frank and Margaret Klapperich and Jay and Patti Bach. Those who attended the Sanibel gathering included: Nancy and John Ake, Sue and Tom Pick ’48, Marion Kimball Purdy ’47, Carlene Blunt ’57 and Fran Blunt Steinwedell ’51.

1) Dave Potter, Lynsey Wollin-Casey and Mick Reedy ’09 spoke to guests at Lunch in the Loop on April 30 about the Upper School Interim Program.

2) Parent of alumni Erica Regunberg, Alice Pirie Wirtz ’49 and parent of alumni Cynthia Scott attend a January program featuring a 3rd grade service-learning project.

3) Former Faculty Ernest Porps and Russ Ahrens ’59 in Denver.

4) Ruth Allen Hopfenbeck ’49 and Boe Sullivan ’71 in Denver.

5) Margot Walk ’59 and Mimi Hobart Petke ’65 at the San Diego gathering.

6) Josh Neufeld ’89, Ryan Randolph ’04 and Sophie Smith ’06 at the San Diego gathering.

7) Steve Walter ’77, Michael Goldstein ’78, Gail Wirtz Costello ’72 and Susie Goldstein at the Phoenix gathering.

8) Mike Wallace ’53 with party host Alice Graff Childs ’37 at the Naples gathering.

9) Carlene Blunt ’57, Nancy Green Whiteman ’71, Marion Kimball Purdy ’47, Tom Pick ’48, Fran Blunt Steinwedell ’51, parents of alumni Nancy and Bill Ake at the Fort Lauderdale gathering.

Annual Basketball Tournament and More In December, three alumni events were held: the Annual Men’s 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament in the Mac Gym, the College-Age Young Alumni & Faculty Breakfast/School Holiday Celebration and the Young Alumni & Faculty Gathering at Tommy Nevins Pub in Evanston.

Acorn Spring/Summer 2009 33

HOMECOMING 2009 Friday, September 25

11 a.m–12 p.m.

2 p.m.

Alumni & Parents of Alumni Program School Update—Head of School Tom Doar

Student Pep Rally 4:30 p.m.

5–8 p.m.

Faculty Presentation—David Green “North Shore Names—Past Meets Present” Third Grade Service–Learning Oral History Conant Science Center–Refreshments

North Shore Alumni Artists Opening Exhibit* John Almquist Gallery

12:30 p.m.

Alumnae vs. Varsity Field Hockey Game

Field Hockey Game Soccer Game

6–8 p.m.

Complimentary Cocktail Party for Alumni, Parents of Alumni and Faculty Hall Library 7:30 p.m.

Student Homecoming Bonfire Athletic Fields 8 p.m.

Informal Reunion Class Gatherings (off campus) 9–11 p.m.

Alumni (’97-’05) & Faculty Gathering Complimentary refreshments Tommy Nevins Irish Pub, Evanston SATURDAY, September 26 10 a.m.

Campus Tours by North Shore students Volleyball Match Soccer Game Little Raiders, Field Hockey Clinic, Grades 1–5 10:30 a.m.

Francis R. Stanton Recognition Presentation to Patricia Blunt Koldyke ’54 Conant Science Center 34 Acorn Spring/Summer 2009

FRANCIS R. STANTON ALUMNI RECOGNITION

1:30 p.m.

Football Game vs. Rockford Christian 7 p.m.

Reunion Class Dinners (off campus) Hotel Accommodations

Highland Park Courtyard Marriott 1505 Lake Cook Road, Highland Park 847.831.3338 reserved rate of $84 per night Renaissance Chicago North Shore Hotel 933 Skokie Boulevard, Northbrook 800.468.3571 reserved rate of $99 per night Sheraton Chicago Northbrook Hotel 1110 Willow Road, Northbrook 800.325.3535 reserved rate of $69/king or $89/double Contact Us

All campus events are complimentary.

Questions? Call Director of Alumni Relations Nancy Green Whiteman ’71, 847.441.8848.

The Francis R. Stanton Alumni Recognition will be presented to Patricia Blunt Koldyke ’54 on Saturday, September 26.

*The exhibit will showcase original works of alumni.

Submit artwork slide or digital photo by email or mail to Jackie Melissas, Art Department, North Shore Country Day School, 310 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, IL 60093 or email to jmelissas@nscds.org.

Survey

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK The Acorn has been around in its current format since the fall of 2005. Most recently, it received a 2009 Bronze Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in the category of Independent School Magazines. But just as North Shore always strives to better its people, programs and place, the Acorn’s editorial staff is looking for ways to improve the publication. Please offer your input by taking a quick two -minute (or less) survey at: www.tinyurl.com/acorn2009 If you would like to complete the survey but do not have computer access, call 847.441.3337 and we will send you a copy.

Are You a Paperless Person?

Do you read documents, publications and catalogs online? Want to cut down on the amount of paper in your trash? Just as we at the Acorn strive to produce a quality, informative magazine, we also aim to be green in keeping with our school’s Strategic Plan. If you would like to help the School save paper, postage and pennies, send us an email at communications@nscds.org and we will send you our publications electronically in the future. We promise they will be interactive, in full color and contain the same information as our paper editions.

North Shore is now on

Become a fan of ours at www.facebook.com, search: North Shore Country Day.

Many thanks, the Acorn staff.

Acorn Spring/Summer 2009 35

In Memoriam

SALUTE TO A TREMENDOUS TRIO OF NORTH SHORE TEACHERS FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL TOM DOAR

These three wonderful men embodied the essence of outstanding educators and individuals at North Shore. We will miss them for their kindness, commitment and example. North Shore’s roots and traditions run deep.

We are dedicated to keeping their memories alive.

Vincent B. Allison North Shore’s treasured maestro Vincent B. Allison died on February 16, 2009, in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Vin’s impact as director of music for 34 years from 1952-1986 at North Shore was, and will remain, extremely significant to the School; to the students he touched, to his colleagues and to us all for instilling an appreciation for the world of music. Following his retirement, he remained very connected with alumni and the School, often attending the spring musical each year and the annual Alumni/Homecoming weekend. He was always the one at the very top of the list alumni wanted to see to thank him for his impact on their development as people and for the appreciation of music he instilled in them. He was a powerful educator, a gentle man and gentleman whose passion for music coupled with his remarkable abilities as a teacher and person.

“He provided students with an effective combination of concern, care and discipline. His expectations for all of us were incredibly high,

36 Acorn Spring/Summer 2009

yet achievable. He was respected as a leader within the School as a whole, reaching out to students and faculty alike, of all ages and abilities, to unite and cooperate in creating music to share with the larger community.”

Susan Restin St. John ’68

“We have lost a ‘lion’ from the great pride of teachers who brought up our generation. He cared not only about what we learned, but more importantly how we thought and how we behaved as people. His music punctuated our every occasion, daily ones like Morning Ex and central ones such as the autumn show, Vaudeville, the holiday concert, the spring show and Gilbert & Sullivan Operettas.” Suki Lipman ’70 “Since I started working at North Shore, I’ve been quite aware that I was working under the legacy of Vin Allison. Everyone I talked to—his colleagues, who were still here at school, his former students who I have come to know— everyone spoke with such deep feelings about the passion for music, teaching, and students that Mr. Allison showed during his tenure at our school. The way he continually challenged all of the students to work and understand music at such a high level—I have hoped every day that my current teaching and standards measures up to the legacy that Mr. Allison established.” Performing Arts Department Chair Michael Querio

William F. Freisem

Bill Freisem was a man whose capacity to serve the School singularly distinguished him in the School community.

He died on January 26, 2009, in Seattle, Washington. He served the School for nearly 20 years from 1973-1993 in the positions of teacher, history department chair, interim Upper School head, trustee and mentor to many. He inspired his students, colleagues, administrators and had the rare combination of being both a facilitator and a leader. He enriched the lives of many admiring students with his knowledge, humor and enthusiasm for the subjects he taught. He was a committed and gifted classroom teacher, and cared deeply about the success of each and every one of his students.

“Mr. Freisem remains my most tangible connection to North Shore because of a kindness that he did some years ago, and he probably never knew how much it still means to me. When I was in graduate school, he gave me some books. Most are somewhere in my library and I wouldn’t know their origin unless I looked carefully, but there is one book that I use almost every day, because of my work. On the first page in the top left corner, “W. Freisem” is written in a large, block font from a big red marker. One shouldn’t be surprised by the way he marked his books. He has left the same impression on his students, and I will always be grateful to him.” Andy Wolpert ’83 “As an administrator, Bill was organized, always on time and on point, thoughtful and utterly consistent. As a teacher his students described him as fair, dedicated and inspirational.

As a person I found him to be supportive, nurturing and very, very funny. He was a remarkable man and he gave so much of himself to this school. I am honored to be filling the job he once held and try every day to do him honor.” History Department Chair Kevin Randolph “Of all the teachers I’ve had throughout life, [Bill Freisem] is the one whom I will never forget. I managed to get to my junior year at North Shore without a clue as to where all the states were. I hated history and thought it was a foolish subject, but in comes this gentle man who lit an interest in our minds and suddenly I wanted to understand what happened before me. In a world of high schoolers, he brought dignity…As I work day in, day out in the school system, I often draw on what inspired me as I try to inspire the children I work with.

Liz Breuer ’75

John D. Ingram

Jack Ingram taught at North Shore for 20 years from 1973-1994. He died on May 17, 2009, in Northbrook, Illinois. “Mr. Ingram” proved himself to be a favorite teacher to his students and a valued colleague to his fellow faculty members. He taught U.S. history, economics and constitutional law at North Shore and was also a professor at the John Marshall Law School. Although his teaching at North Shore ended in 1994, his connection to the School remained strong.

No one had more contact with former students.

He continuously kept in touch by sending former students birthday greetings each year and inquiring about their lives. He came to campus events every year and cheered on the Raiders as a regular and loyal fan at the football games. He would stop in to the Alumni Office often to provide updates on former students and colleagues. His loyalty to students past and present, faculty and to North Shore reflect the caring and thoughtful spirit he brought to the School community.

He set an example to all as a wonderful educator who established meaningful relationships in and out of the classroom.

“Jack was truly a presence at the North Shore Country Day School during all of my years there. First of all, he taught the legendary constitutional law course about which we would brag often in the outside world and which students remembered forever. He was so well known and admired by all of us for his interest in the welfare of students, both when they were at school and afterwards, alumni always wanted to see Mr. Ingram. They knew that he cared about them. North Shore is diminished by his absence as are we all.”

Dick Hall, former Head of School

“He was my earliest and strongest influence upon my decision to practice law and was one of my favorite teachers. His kindness and warmth will be with us always.” Tony Blumberg ’76

“I think of Jack as a bundle of energy and full of good cheer—moving from one event to another, supporting the North Shore teams unfailingly, while maintaining his teaching and writing schedule. And just always showing up….He was a wonderful, remarkable man—and about as loyal a Raider as there is.”

Bill Hinchliff ’64

Acorn Spring/Summer 2009 37

Class Notes 1930 s Nick Blatchford ’36 died on February 1, 2009.

He remained connected to North Shore as a loyal alumnus and often attended the Washington, D.C. Alumni gatherings.

According to his obituary, “He was a noted journalist with the Washington Daily News and Washington Star papers, a lover of people of all walks of life, a hiker of North Woods trails, a fisherman, a husband/father/grandfather/great grandfather, a storyteller.” He will be missed by the North Shore Country Day School as a valued alumnus and friend.

Lois Mason Towers ’40 writes; “Our first full year in Beaufort, South Carolina. No more long New England winters, no more summers in Vermont. Just here, very peacefully and hoping very much not to move any place ever again!”

Larry Howe ’38 was interviewed by North Shore third graders for a service-learning project recording stories of family and community life during The Great Depression.

Anne Jeffris Miller ’46 writes, “Still skiing! We love Colorado. Three out of five kids live here!”

Katrina Wolcott Kelley ’43 with North Shore 3rd graders.

Rosanna Welsh Ewart ’44 writes, “Classmate Joan Riley Boyle lives rather close. No immediate trips due to physical situation which improves. Cheers to NSCDS and glorious 1944 class—thank you to faithful Dick Golden.”

1950 s Suzanna Martin Reardon ’52 retired from Trinity School in NYC in June (where former NSCDS Upper School Head Bob Ryshke came from!) and I am enjoying sloth and fun.”

Suzanne Van Wolf Gude ’53 died in December 2008. She made a point of keeping up with her classmates and North Shore. Her frequent phone calls to the alumni office to check in were always a

1940 s Louise Konsberg Noll ’40 reports, “On April 13 I received The Maple Leaf Award for longtime volunteer service to Maplewood. My two children and their families were there so it was a special day for me.

Bea Cox (wife of Art Cox ’37) also won this award when they still lived here.”

Suzanne Straub Petersson ’40 “still remaining somewhat politically active, pressing Obama to do what we want, not just the big wheels in DC.”

Lesley Boal Setzler ’54 reports, “Sunny Phoenix is a wonderful place to live. I have two grandkids (six and eight). Would like to hear from any classmates!”

Judith Atwood Wright ‘54 is “Looking forward to another summer chasing cattle in Idaho!”

Lois Von Gehr Livezey ‘57 writes, “My husband, Lowell W. Livezey, died of pancreatic cancer in December 2007. I am retired although I am teaching (adjunct) at New York Theological Seminary and Director of their Globalization Project.”

Katrina Wolcott Kelley ’43 was interviewed by North Shore third graders for a service-learning project recording stories of family and community life during The Great Depression.

Larry Howe ’38

ing how the bee community operates, how to manage bee populations, the current colony-collapse disorder and current status of bees worldwide.

John Straub ’44 and Sophi Hiland ’18

John Straub ’44 provided presentations on bees to the North Shore 6th and 3rd grade classes in April.

His vast knowledge stems from his career in the honey and molasses business. Students had many questions regard-

38 Acorn Spring/Summer 2009

pleasure and filled with her positive feelings about her class, her enthusiasm of her student experience and the School today. She will be greatly missed by her class and North Shore.

1960 s Kit Osgood ’61 “lives with an English bulldog named Dulcinea after Don Quixote’s girlfriend.

Dulcie and I live a rather quiet and interesting life in Tucson. The community here is based on continuing education, lots of retired professors, affiliations with the University of Arizona, and called the Arizona Senior Academy. I keep in touch with Jamie on a regular basis, Strat when I can catch him. I remember everybody, almost. Looking forward to 50th.”

Marion Foote ’63 wrote, “Highlights this year include the arrival of a new grand-nephew in March and Russian siblings adopted by another niece and her husband in July. With these additions, I’ve now got five assorted grand nieces and nephews, and what fun they are! In July, Tom and I traveled to Machu Picchu with a group of HBS Alumni.

We trekked along the Inca Trail, and were amazed, inspired, exhilarated—and, yes, exhausted—by all we saw and experienced along the trail. All these joys

notwithstanding, 2008 was another sad year: In late January, my younger sister, Holly, died suddenly as a result of complications associated with her lifelong diabetes.

I find it both unwelcome and unexpected to be the sole surviving member of my natal family, and am doing what I can to keep the memories and traditions of our generation alive for my sisters’ descendants.”

Bob ’65 and Elisabeth Olson Geraghty ’65 emailed, “had our fifth grandchild. A boy born June 3, 2009, 8 lbs 11 oz, in Madison, WI.” John Kollar ’66 wrote, “What an amazing class we were. I stay in contact with Billy Fowle, Hub Stern, and on occasion Bob Butler, Campbell Stanton and Leigh Schweppe Buettner.

I saw/spoke with Steve Babson at his father’s funeral a couple of years ago. So where are the rest of you guys?”

Dick Stevenson ’69 “retired from a wonderful career as a clinical psychologist/psychoanalyst with regret in 2002, but there was no way to incorporate our plans with maintaining a career. We sold the house and moved onto our 40-foot sailboat, Alchemy, and have been wandering about the world since. In 2006, we crossed the Atlantic with the focus on the Mediterranean.

Recently, we have sailed to every coastal country in the Middle East and are using Turkey as a home base area for further explorations in the Eastern Mediterranean. We plan to continue wandering indefinitely where interests take us.”

Class Notes

1970 s Mike Graham ’70 writes, “I can’t recall a course that explains what to do after one’s youngest goes off to college, so Wendy and I are just making it up and having fun. This fall Istanbul, Moab, Yosemite and Napa were a full course load.”

Michael Komie ’70 is a clinical psychologist and affiliate faculty member at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

He was recently quoted in Crain’s Chicago Business in an article related to entrepreneurship and the impact on family lives in the current economy.

of ‘71 and ‘72 are the same) has a granddaughter living very near me at Lynn College. I would welcome my classmates to get in touch with me!

I am 20 years sober and having a blast being old!

Please pray for my son who is serving a second tour of duty in Iraq.”

Michael Lipman ’77 and his wife, Esther Brookfield, welcomed their daughter, Annika Isobel Lipman on April 14, 2009, 7 lbs, 20 inches.

1980 s Tamsin Bird ’80 emailed “My latest news is that my husband, Andrew, and I now live in beautiful

Walter Porter ’70

Walter Porter ’70 and Art Jessen ’70 were catching up via email when Walter shared that he had just returned from a fishing trip in Mexico —catching over 200 fish in three days. Art was a bit skeptical so the picture above was provided as “fish story support.” It’s pretty clear—Walt can still fish!

leafy Surrey, only 45 minutes away from central London. I am working full-time for Croydon Music and Arts.

Our son, Jonathan, graduated from Cambridge last summer and is now working in computing, and our married daughter, Hazel, works for Elsevier

publishers whose logo features in the film Angels and Demons!”

Roger Fortune ’81 is “a Founding Board Member and Chair of the Development Committee of the Brooklyn Prospect Charter School which will open in 2009. We are currently raising funds to build a permanent 60,000 square foot facility for 616 students.”

Budge Cooper ’83 “had a ball at our 25th reunion in 2008. What a thrill it was to win the Alumnae Field Hockey Game! North Shore is clearly thriving. My family and I are doing great; my husband and I are both teachers. We enjoy the outdoors immensely. Lots of beach fun and backpacking in Oregon. I love NSCDS!” Beth Conrad Billings ’84 wrote she “was able to reconnect with Drew Barr ’83. Drew directed The Seagull for the Great Lakes Theater Festival.

He was in Cleveland through the opening of the play (which our whole family attended).

It was really fun to get together with Drew, and we hope to repeat the experience when he is back in Cleveland— or we get to NY!” Dimitria Cook ’87 has a new position as a program assistant at The Children’s Partnership in Los Angeles.

Rob Rogers ’71, Rob Hoyle ’71 and Bob Jordan ’71 had a minireunion on Cannon Mountain Ski area in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire in September 2008.

Susan Colbert Spofford ’72 writes, “I live in southern Florida.

I believe one of my classmates (ok in the class above me, but class

David Hoffheimer ’87 is teaching in Wilmette, IL at the Avoca 37 school district.

1990 s Nicole Rousseau ’91 has “settled into my new position as assistant professor in the department of Sociology at Kent State University. I spent the first part of the fall semester celebrating the election of Barack Obama-YAY!!! And the second part finishing up my book, Black Woman’s Burden: Commodifying Black Reproduction. The book is scheduled for release October 2009!”

David Fisher ’95 will marry Kaite Whitbeck in July. He lives in San Francisco and works as a producer for Goodby & Silverstein.

Bradley Moore ’96 “his wife Sarah and his parents Bill and Bobbie Moore celebrated his Fulbright Grant award and her completion of a Master in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Brad, having received Masters Degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin—Madison, is currently a dissertator in the Joint PhD program in the Departments of History, the History of Science, Medicine and Technology, and Medical History and Bioethics at UW Madison.

He recently received a J. William Fulbright Foundation grant to pursue his dissertation research concerning the impacts of Stalinism on public health science, discourse and practice in the former East Germany and Czechoslovakia. The project, currently titled ‘Healthy Comrades: The Stalinization of Public Health in East Germany

and Czechoslovakia, 1948-1956,’ seeks to gain a more complete understanding of the communist vision of a healthy socialist citizen, the manners in which ideology succeeds and/ or fails in its attempts to manipulate health science, and the methods of power and inf luence which society and professionals still wield under totalitarian conditions.”

Matt Kelley ’97 returned to graduate school in social work. He left University of Illinois Chicago after completing the first year, working with DCFS abuse investigations and receiving a 4.0 and the Jane Addam’s Dean’s Award, to join an alternative certification program for teachers.

Matt is in the program, having been certified as an Illinois educator and is currently enrolled in Northwestern’s Graduate School of Education and Social Policy. He plans to finish both his MSW and MSed by 2010. He teaches 4th grade art, science, math, social studies, reading and science in Chicago. He continues to work on his book due for publication by 2010. Most recently he purchased a foreclosure in Rogers Park to be closer to the school where he teaches and to house the offices for the mentoring and academic support company he formed in 2007, The Whole Child, LLC. Pia Emily Sola ’99 is currently in medical school and hoping for a research position.

Rob Rogers ’71, Rob Hoyle ’71 and Bob Jordan ’71

Acorn Spring/Summer 2009 39

Class Notes 2000 s Jessica Carleton ’01 is making puppets at WCIU, a local radio kids program.

Andrew S. Syfu ’01 “continues to be a member of the faculty of Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA. He teaches history and coaches three sports.

He is head varsity boys’ lacrosse coach, assistant varsity boys’ soccer coach, and assistant JV boys’ hockey coach. He was Coach of the Year (2007) by US LAX Men’s Division Coaches Council—Secondary School and received Mike Fuller Award as Head Coach of the Year for Division 2 of the Western New England Prep League.”

the Shaped Clay Society for his work in their show. He will be one of the alumni artists for the Alumni Art Exhibit over Homecoming/ Alumni weekend September 25-26, 2009.

Molly Whiteman ’03 will be leaving her position as Human Resources Coordinator at Northshore University Health Systems to attend the University of Wisconsin – Madison Graduate School of Social Work this fall.

Ben Bezark ’04 graduated from the University of Vermont cum laude in May. He was awarded the Kidder award named for a well-known physician. It recognizes a male

Brian Jessen ’02 and fiancé Ashley Schell

Brian Jessen ’02 has had a busy year. He became engaged to Wake Forest classmate Ashley Schell from Leesport, PA, and graduated in May from Loyola with combined Law & MBA degrees.

Michael Halper ’03 was a guest artist for North Shore’s ceramics department for two days in February. His presentation on ceramics taught students about various methods and techniques in ceramics, offered demonstrations and the opportunity for dialogue.

Michael attended Syracuse University where he majored in ceramics. While at North Shore he received an honorable mention from

Grant to study Spanish and the country.

find a balance between his faith and his passion for pro-wrestling, where he portrays a terrorist in the ring. The film takes a unique look at pro-wrestling, and the impact of the War on Terror in American culture.

Rebecca Lockhart ’04 wrote after all the years and great memories of participating in the Chicago Great Strides Cystic Fibrosis Walk as ‘Reitz Raiders,’ she decided to run the New Jersey half marathon held on May 3. She was “thrilled to have run for such a terrific cause and was a part of ‘Team Lungs on the Run.’ The team was organized by a co-worker’s sister.” She is currently a nurse at Sloan Kettering in NYC.

Kit Callahan ’06 competed for Amherst College at the NCAA D-III Indoor Track and Field National Championship in March 2009.

It is believed that he was the first North Shore alum to compete in a collegiate track national championship meet.

Max Patinkin ’04 is an intern for Congressman Daniel Lipinski in Washington, D.C.

Sophie Smith ’06 has a summer internship with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Boston, MA.

Kelsey Andersen ’05 was named a Sarah Williston Scholar for her outstanding academic achievement at Mount Holyoke College where she is majoring in Spanish and English.

Ben Kegan ’05 recently made a short documentary film that played at the Tribeca Film festival.

The film is Team Taliban, and follows Adeel Alam, a Muslim wrestler who struggles to

Lusia Zaitseva ’06 “spent the 2008 summer in Cambodia and has completed my 5th semester on the Dean’s List at Columbia. I hope all is well at NSCDS!” Bill Reitz ‘07 and his Class of ’07 buddies made a pretty good showing at the Obama Inauguration and posed in front of the White House. Raiders Rock for Barack!

MILESTONES BIRTHS Thomas Leon Davenport III January 13, 2009 Thomas and Dana Brown Davenport ’96

Flynn Hugh Patinkin January 23, 2009 Sara and Ben Patinkin ’98

Flynn Hugh Patinkin

Calvin Murphy Elzweig January 28, 2009 Michaela Murphy ’92

Lillie Aletta Bakey February 18, 2009 Patrick and Jane Dettmers Bakey ’83

Annika Isobel Lipman April 14, 2009 Michael Lipman ’77

and Esther Brookfield Keelyn Perri Smey May 7, 2009 Carrie and Peter Smey ’96 Bill Reitz ’07, Bert Kelly-Jarchow, Charlie Greengross, Michael McGee, Scott Nicholson

Tracie Mayberry and Emily Herzberg ’04

40 Acorn Spring/Summer 2009

Webb Colley ’11 won a silver medal in the Midwest Chinese Speech Contest for students with 1-2 years of Chinese study.

and Marc Elzweig

graduate who excels in leadership, scholarship and service.

Emily Herzberg ’04 spent this past year in Buenos Aires, Argentina on a Fulbright Scholarship. North Shore’s Advancement Associate/ Coach Tracie Mayberry visited with Emily in March while on a Parents’ Association

Eric Andersen ’11 won a gold medal in the Midwest Chinese Speech Contest for students with less than one year of Chinese.

Jonathan Webster ’07 is a sophomore at Northwestern. During a Model UN session attended by North Shore students, he visited with Frank Dachille. Jonathan is attending an eightweek Northwestern immersion program in China this summer.

Carrie and Peter Smey ’96 with new baby Keelyn Perri Smey and sister Mikayla.

Clementine Vaughn Bransfield May 22, 2009

Richard E. Marcus January 30, 2009 Father of Elizabeth

Mark Bransfield ’86 and

Marcus Russell ’66

Ashley Vaughn

Nicholas Blatchford ’36

engagements

February 1, 2009 Brother of Nathaniel

Alexis Contreas ’00 to

Matthew Vondran Brian Jessen ’02

to Ashley Schell

MARRIAGES Elizabeth Graettinger ’94

to Cory Cole March 8, 2008 Rob McClung ’91 to

Cyndy Reid May 31, 2008 Margaret Le Blanc ’99 to

Vaughn Brandt June 2008 Zachary Hill ’00 to

Mariana Sandness August 9, 2008 Stuart Rogers ’74 to

Susan Howard September 27, 2008 Rhodri John Lane ’01 to

Marilla Sweet Gedge April 18, 2009 Henley Shotwell ’95 to

Nelly Foss May 23, 2009

IN MEMORIAM Setsuko Takahashi April 16, 2008 Mother of Mina Taka-

Margene Snyder February 4, 2009 Mother of Suzanne

May 24, 2009 Sister of Clay Rosenberg ’76 and Jason

Snyder Montgomery ’80 and Reed Snyder ’83 Charles S. Moyer ’52

February 13, 2009

Fitzgerald ’82

Diane E. Bowes January 5, 2009

Litten ’70

Carpenter ’63

Vincent B. Allison February 16, 2009 Father of June Allison

Bruce Barber ’68

Irvine ’63, Linda Allison Haslach ’64, Blake Allison ’68 and Taber Allison ’70

Williams ’67

FORMER FACULTY

Christopher G. Janus February 19, 2009 Father of Andronike Janus ’60

Gordon H. Ewen February 27, 2009 Father of Cece Ewen Durbin ’67, Grandfather of Nat Durbin ’95 and Eliza Durbin Harrigan ’97

Griswold Bradley ’54 C. Ives Waldo ’29

April 14, 2009 Father of Elizabeth Waldo Nunley ’63

Alfred Appel, Jr. May 2, 2009 Father of Richard Appel ’81

Beth Foster, former longtime math teacher at North Shore, is the proud grandmother of a baby girl.

Paul Krajovic emailed the Alumni Office; “I’m living in Istanbul—nearly 10 years now—having taken a job as the Overseas College Advisor at Robert College, Turkey’s pre-eminent private secondary school.

I worked there for five years and then ‘retired.’

Two months later I was hired by another school to set up its College Counseling Office which I did for four years, and

Elana Fowler ’87

May 9, 2009 Sister of Brock Fowler ’84 Richard S. Bull ’43

Francis U. Macy ’45

John D. Ingram May 17, 2009 Father of Charlie

Betsy Bruemmer ’76

Sykes ’66

John B. Graham July 2009 Father of Michael Graham ’70 and Christie Graham Southern ’70

May 13, 2009

William F. Freisem January 26, 2009 Father of Tom Freisem ’76 and Father-in-law of

June 10, 2009 Sister of Gail Barber

Virginia N. Dille February 17, 2009 Mother of Lorraine Dille

Wife of Peter Bowes ’65

January 20, 2009

Jack Wells May 2009 Father of Susan Wells ’70

February 14, 2009 Mother of Laura

March 3, 3009 Brother of Nathalie

James G. Fitzgerald December 2008 Father of Mary Ann

Rosenberg ’89

Robert L. Gilispie June 9, 2009 Father of Diana Gilispie ’68 and Jean Gilispie

Margaret Sargent Litten ’33

Talcott Griswold ’58

December 12, 2008

Charles B. Nevins May 24, 2009 Father of Judy Nevins ’68 and Barbie Nevins ’70 Susan Rosenberg Wise ’74

R. Ogden Hannaford August 24, 2008 Brother of Priscilla

Suzanne Van Wolf Gude ’53

May 20, 2009

Blatchford ’32

haski ’96

Hannaford Greeley ’37 and Tayloe Hannaford Churchill ’33

John W. Kearns ’51

Ingram ’75, Molly Ingram McDowell ’80 and Elizabeth Ingram ’82 Grandfather of Thomas McDowell ’18

Paul Krajovic

Former faculty members and alumni pictured – Shirley Johnston, Adrienne Weisse, Andrew Wood ’90, Emily Smith ’00, Helen Wood ’88 and Lynda Wood.

shepherded the first graduating class to colleges and universities in the U.S. and the UK. Now, I really am retired and wonder how I ever managed to fit work into my very busy life! Six years ago I bought an apartment overlooking the Bosphorus and renovated it. The neighborhood has since become a real estate ‘hot spot’ and I thoroughly enjoy my life here. Who could have predicted that, after spending so much time in Greece, taking students on summer trips both at NSCDS and Colorado Academy, I would end up living in Turkey! Living here has enabled me to travel widely in Turkey. I have also traveled to Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Greece.

When friends ask me if I’m going to stay here ‘forever,’ I answer that I don’t have a reason to move any place else. Life is full of surprises so, ‘Who knows?’ One of these years I have to come back to North Shore to see what’s become of my former students!”

Ernest Porps, who attended North Shore’s January Denver regional gathering emailed, “taught at Colorado University-Denver from 1970 to 2002 and part time at Naropa University in Boulder. Last year I worked on my book Creative Being which has been published. In the fall semester, I taught a freshman course at CU-Boulder.”

FACULTY Libby Ester, 5th grade teacher, was featured in the July 2009 Ophra Magazine in an article about a group of friends’ 50th birthday trip to a chamber music camp in New Hampshire.

Levoni Richard Kubacki

David Kubacki, 6th grade

humanities and 7th grade science teavcher, and his wife Jennifer welcomed son Levoni Richard Kubacki, 8lbs. 1 oz. born on July 14, 2009.

Jeff Terwin, Upper

School science teacher, published an article titled “Facilitation, Interference, and Scale: The Spatial Distribution of Prey Patches Affects Predation Rates in an Estuarine Benthic Community” based on one of the chapters of Terwin’s dissertation related to blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay, in the international scientific journal Marine Ecology Progress Series.

Acorn Spring/Summer 2009 41

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