Oldfields Magazine Winter 2011

Oldfields Winter 2011

Finding Joy in the Journey

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Volume 30 Number 1 Winter 2011

Oldfields School Mission Statement Oldfields School is committed to the intellectual and moral development of young women. In a culture of kindness and mutual respect, we encourage each student to make the most of her academic and personal potential. We seek to guide each student to grow in character, confidence, and knowledge by encouraging her to embrace the values of personal honesty, intellectual curiosity, and social responsibility.

Oldfields Magazine Staff Editor: Janine K. Brennan P’11 Design: Shoot the Moon, Inc. Photography: Janine Brennan, The Reverend Dr. Constance Brereton ’54, John Dean, Julia Franklin, Mark Heitoff, Heather Wistar LaBudde ’81, Jeff Worsham Contributors: Jillian Bledsoe, The Reverend Dr. Constance Brereton ’54, Kate Briante, Eliza Broaddus, Teresa Genaro, Laurie Hurd, Heather Wistar LaBudde ’81, Ruilin “Sky” Li ’11, Amy Roden, Kate Worsham Alumnae and Development Office Staff Laurie Hurd, Director of Development Janine K. Brennan P’11, Director of Communications Mark J. Brennan P’11, Director of Annual Fund Joan Carter Jermakian ’81, P’15, Director of Alumnae Affairs Eliza Broaddus, Assistant Director of Alumnae Affairs

Features Finding Joy in the Journey 3 Apprehension Into Joy 6 My Journey to Oldfields 8

The Green Pages 10 Graduation 11 At Oldfields

Middle School News 16 Opening Days 18 On the Fields & Courts 20 At the Barn 22 New Faculty 28 Fall Family Weekend 29

Development News 26 Alumnae Matters 28 Class Notes 38

In Honor of Jan Scott 46 Milestones 48

All letters and editorial comments should be directed to: Oldfields Magazine 1500 Glencoe Road Sparks Glencoe, MD 21152-9321 410.472.4800 OldfieldsCommunications@OldfieldsSchool.org _______________________________________________ © 2011 by Oldfields School. Oldfields Magazine is published twice a year by Oldfields School. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Views expressed herein are those of the author exclusively. Oldfields is a private, nonprofit, educational corporation. Oldfields is an organization described in section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and all contributions to Oldfields are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Correspondence for Oldfields School should be addressed to: Oldfields School, 1500 Glencoe Road, Sparks Glencoe, MD 21152-9321.

Editorial Inquiries: Article submissions and letters are welcome and should be sent to the editor, at Oldfields Magazine, 1500 Glencoe Road, Sparks-Glencoe, MD 21152-9321. Submission guidelines are available upon request. Oldfields Magazine and Oldfields School are not responsible for loss, damage, or other injury to unsolicited manuscripts, photography, or artwork.

Any letters sent to the magazine may be published in upcoming issues of Oldfields Magazine or other publications of Oldfields School. The editor reserves the right to edit published letters for length. Oldfields Magazine is a controlled circulation publication. Circulation questions and address changes should be sent to Oldfields Magazine Circulation, 1500 Glencoe Road, Sparks Glencoe, MD 21152-9321.

Printed on recycled paper.

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Dear Friends: It is great being back in Glencoe after being on the road for so many days during the fall. I love the time I spend with alumnae and prospective students while travelling, but it is always great returning “home” to Oldfields. When I am away, I miss seeing the commitment that teachers have to the academic and social growth of each student and I miss the spirit of community that infects each person on our campus. But most of all, I miss the excitement and enthusiasm with which our Oldfields students approach each day. Life is pretty dull on the road after spending the first two months of the year on our energized campus!

However, despite the fact that I would be more than happy to spend each day on campus, soaking up the positive spirit that surrounds me, travel has become an integral part of the head of school’s life. After being a part of Oldfields for twenty years, I truly enjoy the time spent with alumnae. Sometimes gatherings almost become “testimonials” as alumnae recount the effect that their Oldfields experiences have had on their lives. Although many alumnae speak of a masterful teacher or the knowledge they gained in one class or another, most speak of Oldfields as an experience that builds character and gave them the confidence and self-esteem to tackle most anything in their lives. Oldfields gave them the personal tools to succeed.

I spent two weeks in Asia with alumnae and parents, but also recruiting new Oldfields students through fairs held by The Association of Boarding Schools. Last year, as a result of my travels we enrolled our first student from Vietnam as well as two students from Hong Kong. In addition, Dr. Hagerman also spent two weeks in the Middle East and Europe. One of the biggest differences between Oldfields now and when I was a first-year teacher in 1970 is the ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity of the student body. Although our percentage is much smaller than most boarding schools, our international population is now 19%. In our world that is becoming increasingly global in nature, our students will have an advantage by having roommates and friends from all over the world.

Although our students come from as diverse locations as New York City, San Francisco, Beijing, China or Abuja, Nigeria, they all quickly become “Oldfields girls,” living the School motto of “Courage, Humility and Largeness of Heart” and embodying the theme for the year of “finding joy in the journey.”

Truly, we can make the world a better place by spreading a little bit of the Oldfields magic around our nation and throughout the world.

Sincerely,

Taylor Smith

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Munkuk Cheong and Jin Kyung Lee, parents of Yooryang Cheong ’12, enjoyed dinner with Judy Smith

OLDFIELDS SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2010-2011

Finding Joy in the Journey “So often, at Oldfields, we get caught

Chair John W. Hawks

up in the rush of our daily lives, that

Vice Chair Carlisle VanMeter Mayer ‘78, P’14

moment,” says math teacher Christine

Treasurer Alfred Morrison Secretary Richard C. Darrell P’06 Head of School Taylor A. Smith Sunny Adams P’91, ’93, ’03 Ilana Feldberg Adelman ‘88 Carol Atterbury ’74 M. Neil Brownawell, II P’14 Kenneth H. Buchanan P’07 David Carroll P’13 George R. Floyd P’82 Jane McColl Lockwood ‘86 Christine Appleby Martinelli ‘83 Thomas P. McDonough P’10 Stephen D. Newton Frank R. Palmer, IV P’12 Corbin D. Riemer Robert A. Rosenbaum P’10 J. Page Scully ‘95 Archibald A. Smith, III Lisa Wood Wright ’84 CHAIRS EMERITI Helen Frederick Gray ’51, P’83 Alan E. Kerry P’98 Edgar H. Lawton, Jr. P’85 Denise Alexandre Le Comte ’72, P’06 Scott Menzies P’03 Ralph S. O’Connor P’75 J. Calvin Rivers, Jr. P’88 William Scanlan, Jr. P’93 Jane Isdale Schaefer ’52, P’84 Michael Simpson P’85

it’s good to take the time to enjoy the Gilmore. “We have our daily academics, the stress of tests, and before we know it our students are graduating.”

Artwork by Ruilin “Sky” Li ’11

From the Head of School

These sentiments were echoed by the Theme Committee, comprised of faculty and students, before selecting the theme “Finding Joy in the Journey,” for the 2010-2011 school year. The positive theme sets the tone for the school year and promotes School spirit by uniting our faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumnae. Activities and events related to the theme are planned throughout the school year.

To kick off the theme, the committee chose the book Good Enough, by Paula Yoo, as the summer “all-school read.” The book, required reading for all students and faculty, chronicles how a girl finds joy in the journey of self-discovery.

How individuals find joy, throughout their life, is unique for each person.

In the following articles, student Ruilin “Sky” Li ’11, The Reverend Dr. Constance Brereton ’54, and Heather Wistar LaBudde ’81, provide some insight as to how their personal joy was found.

We hope you are inspired to find joy in your journey.

My Journey to Oldfields Ruilin “Sky” Li ’11

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s a child, I constantly lived in my weird daydreams. Any insignificant thing would inspire my curiosity and imagination. I kept asking my mom questions to her shock, such as, “Is it possible for a blossom to be huge enough to encompass the whole earth?”, or, “Can we create new land by removing Mount Everest and filling the Pacific Ocean with it?” until my mom said, “Stop asking and go to bed.” The fantasies flashing in my brain were so colorful and full of possibilities, that reality, with all of its routines and regulations, seemed pale and boring to me.

I looked for a way to record my dreams. For the first time in my life, I painted a bunny in a pink dress with water colors. When I nervously showed it to people, everyone’s first reaction was, “What is this monster?” Surprisingly enough, I was not daunted.

I asked my parents to let me attend art class, and when they asked me why I wanted to learn to paint, I answered, “for fun.” And yet, that was the wrong reply. In China, a child never learns anything just for fun. You take math lessons after school to become a top student, or you practice playing piano to improve your extracurricular abilities. All the things you learn must be useful to make you stand out among millions of competitive peers. Since I was already learning piano, and since I was obviously not gifted in art at all, my request was logically rejected.

Disappointed not to have the opportunity to improve my skills, I stubbornly kept drawing with a pencil whenever I could; during the time when I was supposed to be doing homework or going to sleep. Even though I made slight progress with my drawing skills, I had an unexplained persistence to transfer my fantasies to thousands and

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F e a t u r e thousands of pictures. Looking back in time, I now realize that I was subconsciously unsatisfied with my ordinary life and was always looking for something huge and dramatic to happen to delight it. As I grew older, the desire to have a better life became even stronger.

I couldn’t help being attracted by the imaginary world, seldom paying attention to daily life, until last year, when it was decided that I would come to the United States by myself.

On the flight to the United States, I stared out the window, but all I could see were heavy clouds blocking the scenery under them. I couldn’t see this totally strange country, nor could I see my future.

My life was utterly changing, as I had always been hoping it would. I thought the difference would be exciting, however, what followed were endless struggles and desperation. I went through culture shock, I felt tremendous pressure and loneliness, I kept apologizing for not understanding the random sentences people said to me in English, and I shut the door and shook with tears all by myself.

I could have been destroyed by the despair and fear, if I had not added Studio One to my Oldfields curriculum. Suddenly I realized that I was in an art class for the first time in my life. Since the very first class, Studio One has become the happiest time in my day. Never having been artistically trained before, I encountered quite a few difficulties. However, thanks to Mrs. Reigner’s challenges and encouragement, I gradually indulged in spilling paint, releasing feelings and imaginations onto drawing paper. Black is desperation, scarlet is reckless love, white is tears of moonlight, and blue is a silent sleep on a windless night. The world locked inside my heart for years was finally freed, and bringing it into being greatly delighted me. After one year of training, this year I am taking two art classes: Portfolio Honors and Digital Design. I am especially fascinated by the digital techniques of art design. You come up with the idea, you click the mouse, and

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F e a t u r e nothing is too crazy to be processed. To me, it’s just a limitless heaven.

Moreover, to my amazement, I learned that art is not only about imagination, but also about observation. You need to pay strong attention to every single detail of a flower in order to memorize its structure, shape, and patterns. Through processes like this, more clearly than ever, I felt the beauty of our universe.

The real world is not pale and boring to me anymore. I started to notice how attractive a still branch or a solitary fence could be, and how warm the care and help from my teachers and friends are.

After all, our fantasies are all built upon ordinary life, just like my unknown future is based on the past and the present.

When I learned to face the good as well as the evil of my reality, I also learned to appreciate all of them. One needs to deal with one’s own reality instead of running away or waiting for it to change.

Thanks to my mom for sending me here, and thanks to everyone who helped me to grow from a naive child to who I am today. I want to learn to help more people to embrace the world with the huge blossom in my heart, and to use the brush in my hand to deliver peace and joy to all the beautiful souls that I can touch. My name is Ruilin “Sky” Li, and I am proud to be a two-year senior.

Finding Joy in the Journey I was born an artist.

All my life I have loved seeing mountains, woods and rivers, stones and fields, the winding path through tall grass, and the view at the edge of everything.

I remember the summer fields where, as a child, my mind expanded to see paintings in the sky and fairies dancing on the soft green moss. Lying on my back in the woods at night with my dog Shep, I spent hours gazing into endless starry space, allowing that soft blanket of blackness to absorb me.

The passion of all that. How do you, or I, paint passion? Write passion? Live like that?

I studied art at Oldfields with the always encouraging Miss Martinet, and went on to earn an undergraduate degree in education with a minor in painting.

Years later, after moving to Mexico, I taught a class in the psychology of creativity and studied at the Instituto De Allende, the international art school, where I painted, made wall hangings, and carded wool. I worked in ceramics and

graduated with a degree in studio art.

After my sons were grown, I went to Europe and painted in Southern France.

People said I was influenced by Chagall and Picasso, not a surprise since the views I was looking at in Vence, France, I had first seen in their paintings!

I then spent years in Asia, on the borders of conflict, photographing, drawing, writing, working with people in refugee camps on the Mekong, and learning more of what the world holds. There I met people, loved people, and began to understand the ways of difference and the inexplicable strength of people, no matter the experience. The bond of life is to life itself.

I returned to Mexico asking, “How did we get to be the way we are?” “How can we do what we do to each other?” As I sat on the roof of my home, looking at the beautiful view, I was completely unsatisfied. I yearned to know more, to know everything, to answer my inner questions of human nature and man’s capacity to be both creative and destructive.

A friend suggested I would be just what the Graduate Theological Union Starr King School at Berkeley wanted.

I applied and spent ecstatic years, from 1986 to 1992, in school. Learning in school after so much life experience was the icing on my cake. I went to seminary

to “become a better painter” and was accepted. The study of theology for me and the understanding of contemporary myth fulfills my desire to make what I can out of my life experience.

I painted in the graduate dorm, my walls hung in canvas full of color and linseed oil. I learned how to paint mythic ideas, to write my stories, and to tell my stories.

I am filled with gratitude to those who, from my earliest days at Oldfields through my education at Starr King School, have guided me into the knowing of myself, into a relationship with life, in the largest sense.

- The Reverend Dr. Constance Brereton ’54 A theologian, philosopher, and adventurer with a deep interest in world culture, Rev. Brereton’54 has had a home in San Miguel for more than 30 years. There, she founded one of the first schools for international students, taught at the Instituto Allende, and served as the chaplain for Hospital de la Fe and the city of San Miguel for 12 years.

She is the mother of four sons and a graduate of the Instituto Allende, the University of California Medical School, and Banares Hindu University.

Artwork by Ruilin “Sky” Li ’11

Artwork by Ruilin “Sky” Li ’11

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F e a t u r e

TIMOTHY

by Heather Wistar LaBudde 3/30/05

Apprehension into

Joy

In the beginning, there were understandable doubts, anxieties, and apprehensions in 2002, while we anticipated the birth of our second son, Timothy (whom some of you know was born with Down Syndrome or Trisomy-21). I played the game of “What– Ifs”: What if I can’t manage? What if other children stare or laugh? What if he doesn’t succeed? What if his own brother won’t be able to play with him?

Soon after Timothy’s arrival, I was fundamentally reassured by my faith, particularly in the knowledge that God doesn’t make mistakes (see Psalm 139:13–16 for example). He intended this “flawed” child to come to us from the start. He prepared our family for this event, and we believe His plans are perfect—no matter what I might be thinking in any circumstance.

I know I’ll accomplish...just give me the chance I don’t yet know if I’ll swim or I’ll dance (but God is here with me to help me advance) The climb will be high but with Him by my side my strides will be sure and my hand He will guide To the top, to the summit, somehow I will go, although my long journey at times will be slow The Lord is my shepherd, He’s all that I need He gently provides when I sore lack the speed So summon the courage to trust Him with me because more meets the eye than you can yet see

I began to look at my own flaws and came to the conclusion that Timothy’s are merely more visible than mine.

Deeply internalizing that fact, it was time to forfeit the game of “What-Ifs,” and start practicing acceptance (a skill I attribute to developing while at Oldfields).

With this attitude of acceptance, as well as with prayer, my patience with Timothy has increased. I have been better able to experience his “little joys” in life that might otherwise have been obscured by the multiple challenges. In the big picture, I like to push these challenges from center view into the periphery: If I can keep my focal point positive, I can then “zoom in” on that during the difficult times, moments of exhaustion, and when I think I will not get to the end of another stressful day.

My experience at Oldfields taught me to summon the essential courage to face current and future struggles that accompany disability and to treat my son as an individual on his own timetable. What has become important is the recognition that Timothy is a child made in God’s image, and helping him to reach his full potential while finding joy in this uncertain journey. I am thankful that I can stop along the way to hear him singing at 5:00 a.m. (to music from Little Einsteins), to watch him piggy-back with his loving big brother Christopher, or to witness his enthusiastic attempts to master bike riding with training wheels. I must never mind the training wheels. I must instead “zoom in” on the fact that he is progressing in his own way, similar to the way in which I was allowed to do at Oldfields.

He is succeeding as God intends. He is truly on a journey, and I am blessed to be going with him: as far as I possibly can, expectantly running through the “joy-puddles” that overflow from his happy spirit...with the gift of an Oldfields education behind me and the light of Christ to go before us... leading us along the way.

“A leaf fluttered in through the window this morning, as if supported by the rays of the sun, a bird settled on the fire escape, joy in the task of coffee, joy accompanied me as I walked.”

- Anais Nin

- Heather Wistar LaBudde ’81

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he 2010-2011 school year marks Oldfields’ first year as a Maryland certified Green School! This is an exciting accomplishment and adventure for our community. When we reflect back to where we started three years ago and compare where we are now and how much we will continue to improve in our sustainability efforts this year, we are amazed and proud!

Oldfields now recycles nearly everything. We have single-stream recycling on campus for glass, aluminum, paper, cardboard, and plastics numbered one through seven. We also have continued to compost all fruit, vegetable, and salad bar prep from our kitchen in a “Trim Trax” program.

The Trim Trax program is designed to minimize food waste during the production process.

The kitchen staff is asked to place Martha Walton ’13 all food trimmings into marked containers. Such trimmings include peels from cucumbers, apple cores, watermelon rinds, and various other non-edible food waste, which often contain edible food trimmings that were mistakenly cut away. By collecting all waste and measuring the total, management can monitor how much edible food is being wasted. The program allows for continuous feedback and serves as a great educational tool for all involved.

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(L to R) Sina Lee ’13, Amy Li ’11, Muxia “Phoenix” Li ’12, Victoria Scarlet ’12

Ashley Carroll ’13 and Katherine Williams ’11

Eric Miller, our executive chef, has been especially busy with the garden this year as we harvested more produce this summer and fall than ever before. Eric was responsible for the garden tripling in size and this year we enjoyed eggplant, a variety of peppers, over ten varieties of heirloom tomatoes from 45+ tomato plants, zucchini, watermelon, canteloupe, and pumpkins.

Not only has the kitchen been harvesting and serving these delicious fruits and vegetables, but the students have been involved as well. Once a week the community service students spend

Alex Mays ’15, Naasira Brown-El ’17, Alyssa Gissendanner ’14

an afternoon picking vegetables and weeding the garden. In addition, the Environmental Science students have been spending some of their class time harvesting, weeding, and monitoring the garden. The students helped pull the last of the summer plants and have tilled and prepared to grow greens this winter.

In addition to the recycling and the garden, there is a heightened awareness of eco-type activities on campus. The Environmental Club sponsored our 2010 EcoWeek this fall and is participating in the 2011 Green Cup Challenge sponsored by the Green Schools Alliance.

O l d f i e l d s

“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

- Amy Roden, Sustainability Coordinator

The staff of Prigel Family Creamery dishes up fresh ice cream during EcoWeek.

Maid of Honor Madison Cole ’10 (L to R) Sina Lee ’13, Keturah Jones ’11, Amy Li ’11

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Oldfields Annual Awards Ceremony • June 11, 2010

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School Recognitions

Admission Liaison This award is given to that student whom the Admission Office has nominated to work with them in the year ahead as an outstanding representative of Oldfields.

Virginia “Clark” Courtney Cover Design for the 2010-2011 School Planner Muxia “Phoenix” Liu 2010 May Court Crown Bearer: Nicola Kyei Flora: Lauren Heneghan Maid of Honor: Madison Cole May Queen: Marguerite Copeland

(L to R) Bryanza Dean ’10, Yooryang Cheong ’12, Christina Rock ’12, Amanda Geary ’11 Green and White

Class Agents for the Class of 2010 Elizabeth Poston Madison Cole

2009-2010 Team Captains and Spirits Green Captain: Nicola Kyei Green Spirit: Amanda Geary White Captain: Bryanza Dean White Spirit: Mikeala Semexant 2010-2011 Team Captains and Spirits Green Captain: Amanda Geary Green Spirit: Christina Rock White Captain: Mikeala Semexant White Spirit: Yooryang Cheong Winners of Green and White Sports Competitions Volleyball – White Basketball – White Kickball – Green Results of Other Green and White Competitions Academics – Green Discipline – Green Thing-a-ma-bob – Green Spirit – White Community Service Clothing Drive – White Overall Winner of the Green and White Cup for 2009-2010 Green Team

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Elizabeth Wolfe ’10 hugs her mom, Heather Wolfe

Athletic Awards

Varsity Club Students who have played on three varsity sports in one year.

Varsity Club underclass recipients: Donyae Arroyo Jennifer Baker Caroline Billock Katherine Brennan Tiffani Caesar Grace Camut Elizabeth “Ashley” Carroll Harriet Carter Rebecca “Annie” Kauffman Caitlin Newman Elizabeth Santangelo Victoria Scarlett Jim Weeks

Varsity Club senior recipients: Courtney Beckett Francisca Boateng Marguerite Copeland Alexis Crawford Kristen Johnson Annabelle Gould Martha Hazard Lucy MacAlister Rebecca Mooney Rayven Vinson Katharine Wingerter Eliza Witherbee Riding Awards

2009-10 Academic Integrity Board Senior Representative: Asianna Joyce Underclass Representative: Katherine Brennan 2009-2010 School Judiciary Board Senior Representatives: Marguerite Copeland Alison Baker Underclass Representative: Amanda Geary

Anne Weeks

Most Improved Rider Award: Martha Hazard Horsemanship-Sportsmanship Award: Annabelle Gould Saritha Wright ’10

The Horsemaster Award: Katharine Wingerter

Ally Rothstein ’10

Academic Awards

The Baccalaureate Service

English Senior: Rayven Vinson Underclass: Bridget Heneghan, Erin May and Kaitlyn Watt

Fine Arts Margaret Nevens Art Award: JiWoen Hong

Social Studies Senior: Rayven Vinson Underclassman: Kaitlyn Watt

Daughters of the American Revolution Award – Maryland Line Branch Katherine Brennan

Foreign Language Spanish: Rayven Vinson and Louisa Jenkins French: Adriana Del Castillo

Mathematics Calculus Award: Eonjung “Angeline” Kim Pre-Calculus Award: Adaeze Nwosu

Performing Arts Theatre: Christiana Schelfhout Vocal Music: Lauren Heneghan Instrumental Music: Muanjing “Julia” Wang Dance: Kaitlyn Watt and Tahira Wyche

Science Chemistry: Parker Phelan and Min Kyung “Erica” Kim Physics: Muanjing “Julia” Wang Biology: Madison Cole

Students Who Received First Honors For All Three Terms In 2009-2010 Yooryang Cheong Eon Jung “Angeline” Kim Min Kyung “Erica” Kim Sina Lee Adaeze Nwosu Parker Phelan Jia Ping “Winny” Shen Rayven Vinson Tian Hong “Jojo” Yao Senior Graduating with High Honors Seniors with a GPA of over 93% for their senior year.

JiWoen Hong Adaeze Nwosu Rayven Vinson Tian Hong “Jojo” Yao

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ALL SCHOOL AWARDS

The Gold Key Award For that girl whose outstanding support and cooperation working with the Admission Office has done the most to convey the Oldfields spirit to visiting families.

Elizabeth Poston

Taylor Smith and Annabelle Gould ‘10

Taylor Smith Prize for First Honors Given to the student with the highest senior GPA in a challenging program of study.

Adaeze Nwosu The Academic Excellence and Achievement Award Given to the senior who, enrolled in a challenging course of study at Oldfields for at least the past three years, has the highest cumulative GPA. Rayven Vinson

The Boateng Sisters: Francisca ’10, Linda ’05, Belinda ’05, and Yaa ’03

Seniors Graduating with Honors Seniors with a GPA of over 90% for their senior year.

Courtney Beckett Rachel Edwards Louisa Jenkins Muanjing “Julia” Wang Elizabeth Wolfe Seniors with a cumulative grade point average of 90% or above for their entire career at Oldfields.

Alison Baker Courtney Beckett Gi Eun “Patti” Choi Rachel Edwards Lauren Heneghan JiWoen Hong Kristen Johnson Asianna Joyce Adaeze Nwosu Ariel Taxdal Rayven Vinson Tian Hong “Jojo” Yao

“Annie” Kauffman ’11

The State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award Given to two students in recognition of their excellence in scholastic achievement by earning a cumulative grade point average in the top 5% of their graduating class.

Rayven Vinson and Adaeze Nwosu

Nancy I. O’Connor ’75 Excellence in Teaching Prize The Nancy I. O’Connor Award is given on the basis of a ballot solicited from alumnae classes of 2005 and 2008 in advance of this evening.

Betsy Isaacs

A Better Chance Academic Achievement Award Marguerite Copeland

McColl Teaching Award This award is made possible by a generous endowment gift from Mr. and Mrs. Hugh McColl P’86 and it recognizes outstanding teaching.

Amy Roden

The Achiever Scholarship Award given by the First Baptist Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Dumfries, Virginia.

Marguerite Copeland

Winter 2011

Katherine Culbertson ’65 Award To the first year student making the greatest contribution to the School.

Bridget Heneghan Marian Culbertson ’63 Award To the underclass student making the most positive effort for its own sake.

Katherine Brennan Mary K. McPherson Award To the underclass girl with the highest academic average in a challenging program.

Eonjung “Angeline” Kim

Christine Heartfield Memorial Prize For outstanding interest and participation in athletics.

Nicola Kyei

Signing yearbooks

Stephanie Onukwugha ’10

Edith Liddell Twiss ’28 Memorial Prize To that student who has exhibited the highest standards of good citizenship.

Lauren Heneghan

The Head of School Award Given each year by the Head of School to recognize and outstanding senior.

Rayven Vinson

Leroy M. Polvogt Award To the girl who, by example and by deed, has been the most constructive influence on underclass girls.

Amanda Geary

Lorna M. Kelly Award To the underclass girl who, in the opinion of the teaching faculty, possesses the greatest love of learning for its own sake.

Eonjung “Angeline” Kim

Marion H. “Chip” Allen Memorial Award To the student who best exemplifies past Board Chair, Marion H. “Chip” Allen’s personal qualities of thoughtfulness and warmth through demonstrated concern for the overall well-being of the Oldfields community and the individuals who comprise it.

Louisa Jenkins

Elizabeth Leeds Memorial Award To the senior girl who, in the opinion of the faculty, best exemplifies the spirit and ideals of the School, which are expressed in the Oldfields motto Courage, Humility, and Largeness of Heart.

Madison Cole Helen E. Travers Award To that senior who, in the opinion of the faculty, has made the greatest overall contribution to the school.

Marguerite Copeland

Nimick Athletic Award For all around athletic proficiency, good sportsmanship and team spirit.

Alexis Crawford

Honors for Senior Project Ashley Lewis and Elizabeth Poston Second Honors Given to the student with the second highest GPA for her senior year in a challenging program of study.

Rayven Vinson

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Faculty Awards

Trustee Prizes Eighth GradeTrustee Prize Emily Brownawell Freshman Trustee Prize Maureen Rodgers Sophomore Trustee Prize Min Kyung “Erica” Kim Junior Trustee Prize Rebecca “Annie” Kauffman and Kayleigh Lauman Senior Trustee Prize Annabelle Gould

Stephanie Onukwugha ’10 and Adaeze Nwosu ’10

Joseph T. Brennan II Award To that girl who, by her own effort, has made the most significant progress during the current year.

Elizabeth Wolfe

Awards Night

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May Program Tiffani Caesar ’11 was selected to raise the flag at the historic Fort McHenry in Baltimore.

Outdoor Adventure embarks on a journey

For nearly 40 years, May Program has been a hallmark of an Oldfields education.

Held at the end of May, May Program is a two-week session of experiential and interdisciplinary learning that complements the academic curriculum. Girls can choose from a wide-range of May Program offerings, including travel abroad, local and real world opportunities, and handson learning. May Program 2010, with nine programs, presented our students with a wide variety of options.

A trip to Argentina provided our students with home stays, language immersion, and community service opportunities. Fourteen girls participated in this program where they had an amazing time working on a community farm and teaching English to local school children, while improving their Spanish speaking skills with their host families. In addition, the girls were introduced to some Argentinian culture through tango lessons!

Oldfields students volunteered to work on a farm during their trip to Argentina.

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Habitat for Humanity

Seventeen girls fulfilled their community service requirement by traveling to New Orleans to work for Habitat for Humanity. The girls spent most of their days helping at the home sites doing all kinds of work such as putting up siding, building porches and stairs, raising roof trusses, installing windows, painting, and hanging shelves in closets. On their few free days the girls visited the French Quarter and the Garden District and toured the Ninth Ward with a resident who survived Hurricane Katrina. This was the third year that Oldfields girls traveled to New Orleans and it continues to be a life-changing experience.

For those who wished to complete their community service closer to home, the program Dare to Teach placed 11 students into Sparks Elementary School as teacher’s assistants. Most of the girls assisted teachers in their classrooms while some worked with specialty teachers in

technology and music. The girls prepared themselves by learning about different teaching pedagogy and designing and teaching their own lesson plans. These three programs gave the Oldfields girls unique opportunities to learn about themselves while providing service to others.

Meanwhile, two other May Program groups spent a significant amount of time traveling. I Love New York, a new program, provided girls with an opportunity to learn all about New York City during the first week, then to visit the sites they had studied during the second week.

The girls prepped for the trip by doing research on one specific aspect of their trip and giving a presentation to the rest of the group. Highlights of the trip included: a visit to Central Park, a tour of the United Nations, a ferry ride to Ellis Island, a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, tickets to a Broadway show, a tour of Radio City Music Hall and, on their last day, a trip to Ground Zero.

Freedom Ride, a very popular program over the years, traveled south once again to visit sites of the Civil Rights Movement. The group flew to Atlanta where they visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violence.

From there they traveled to Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham, Alabama; Jackson, Mississippi; Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee. Highlights of this trip included tours of the National Voting Rights Museum, the Slavery/Civil War Museum in Selma, and the Rosa

Parks Museum and Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery. The group also visited the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, the Medgar Evers Home Museum in Jackson, the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site and the National Civil Rights Museum and Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

The students who participated in Outdoor Experience only spent one night off campus, but those who were on campus rarely saw them since they left early each morning and didn’t return until right before dinner. This group of 12 adventurous young women spent their May Program canoeing, hiking, caving, and learning about the flora and fauna of the Piedmont Plateau. One day was spent with an ornithologist doing hands-on research on the migratory bird population of this area. The highlight of this program every year is the overnight camping trip to Old Rag Mountain in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia.

Unfortunately, this year the weather did not cooperate, so the girls had to “camp” in a motel, but they did have clear skies for their hike to the top of Old Rag. For the animal lovers at the School, Mysterious Mammals was the program of choice. This group took a considerable amount of field trips and completed many on-campus activities. Highlights of this program were: trips to the Baltimore, Philadelphia, and National Zoos and the National Aquarium; training mice to navigate mazes the girls built; art

(L to R) Liz Wolfe ’10, Nicky Kyei ’10, Rachel Edwards ’10, and Lucy MacAlister ’10 all hoped to be on The Early Show while in New York City.

(L to R) Amanda Geary’11 and Kate Brennan’11 eat “big shrimp” in the Big Easy.

activities that included carving a polar bear out of soap, making a mammal flag, and doing a power point presentation on a mammal of their choice.

Baltimoreans Who Dared offered girls the opportunity to explore Baltimore through the eyes of some of its more famous residents. Each girl chose a Baltimorean to research (including Edgar Allen Poe, John Waters, Barry Levinson, and Francis Scott Key) and then the group spent several days visiting sites in Baltimore related to these people. On their visit to Fort McHenry, some of the girls had the privilege of helping to raise the American Flag. After visiting the fort, the girls went to the Flag House where the original flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 was made. The girls also had a guided tour of the Walters Art Museum where they viewed the “Nature in Asian Art” exhibit and had the opportunity to create their own piece of Asian art. Another day was spent at the Baltimore Museum of Art where the group had a guided tour of the Cone Collection and spent some time in the Sculpture Garden. A trolley tour of the city gave many of the Baltimoreans in the group a new perspective on the city.

The Digital Storytelling program spent every day on campus exploring the wonders of technology and creative writing. The girls spent half their time in the world of technology exploring: Photoshop, PowerPoint, Microsoft Photo Story 3, and Windows Movie Maker. The other half of the program was spent participat-

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Editing photos in Digital Storytelling

The Freedom Ride May Program

ing in creative writing workshops where the girls practiced blogging, storyboarding, script writing, and poetry writing.

Using the skills they learned, the girls created two projects, one imaginative and the other personal non-fiction.

Some of the final projects were movies, animated children’s stories and visually interpreted songs. In only its second year, Digital Storytelling has become one of the more popular programs.

As we look forward to this May, the students have already begun meeting and planning activities for May Program 2011.

Educational trips to China, Costa Rica, and France have been designed. New, this year, are a variety of one-week programs, including the Underground Railroad, the History of Baseball, Working on an Organic Farm, and How Things Work. It promises to be a joyful May!

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Middle School T wenty-five enthusiastic girls, creative teachers, supportive parents, lots of big sisters, strong academics with cross-disciplinary teaching, exposure to the many facets of the arts, a sense of history and tradition… a recipe for success. This is The Middle School at Oldfields.

Every school year brings a new beginning, but this school year brought a very special new beginning—the first year of our middle school. Much to the surprise of the students, the actual first day of school did not take place indoors.

Unlike their previous “first day of school experiences,” the first day for these new Oldfields girls started with an orientation that was true to the School’s year-long theme, “Finding Joy in the Journey.”

With a day and a half camping trip at nearby Camp Puh’tok, the new middle school students’ first steps as Oldfields girls were was filled with team building activities, good food and swimming. The week concluded with a full day of fun that included laser tag, a human hamster relay, and a few hours at a private lake and water park.

When the classroom doors opened on Thursday September 2, girls aged ten to 14, began to fill the classrooms—some bounced in, some were a bit hesitant, others casually strolled in—not quite strangers, thanks to the preceding 24 hours of fun. They were curious and

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ready to see what else we had in store for them. Now, five months later, there are 27 girls—some of whom are still serious and some who are relentless gigglers—who have at least one thing in common—they are Oldfields girls.

The girls have been quickly assimilated into the daily life and traditions of Oldfields. Every morning the girls meet with their middle school advisor, and then more than fill the back two rows of the theater at morning meeting. During the third week of school, they dressed up for the traditional class dinners with Mr. and Mrs. Smith, while their parents enjoyed cider, cookies and conversation with the middle school teachers. The girls then went on to prepare for the next Oldfields tradition by focusing on learning to sing the school song, The Sheep on the Hill. Green and White Night, which happens every year in mid-September, is a particularly dear tradition at Oldfields, but perhaps even more so this year because it was the moment when the middle school girls eagerly learned whether they were to be a member of the “Green” or “White” team. With this assignation of color, they officially stopped being “new girls” and simply became Oldfields Girls. Now they are enjoying the friendly competition to the utmost, including searching for the coveted Thing-a-ma-bob, hoping to win points for their team.

Sandwiched between the fun and the traditions are seven hours daily of

academics, arts and athletics. Middle school education at Oldfields is active, meaningful, compelling, and fun. The teachers know that creative and flexible lesson plans are necessary for this age student. In the words of middle school guru, Rich Wormelli, “what works this week might not work next week but might work again in the future.”

In addition to varying instructional approaches, Oldfields middle school teachers actively watch for opportunities to share interdisciplinary lessons. Curriculum is planned to ensure that while girls are studying the culture and geography of a part of the world, they are also learning ways to view and interpret the world through reading relevant literature, learning a software application, such as MS Publisher to make a brochure, taking field trips to study the culture of the specific region, or doing related visual arts projects. Simply watching the construction of the School’s new indoor riding arena triggered a Lego architecture and engineering STEM lesson.

Life is not arranged into compartments or separate subjects. Thus compartmentalizing middle school learning is frequently not the most effective strategy. Girls will learn to make realworld connections to their education and, hopefully, sometimes understand the answer to “why do we have to learn this?” as we help them find joy in their educational journey at The Middle School at Oldfields.

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Camp Puh’tok

(L to R) Martha Walton ’13, Caitlin Neuman ’13, Anya Hammerman ’13, West Thompson ’15

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o highlight the importance of our school theme, “Finding Joy in the Journey,” the Oldfields community held its first-ever camp-out at Camp Puh’tok.

Located in nearby Monkton, Maryland, Camp Puh’tok offered the perfect setting for our orientation activities. Air-conditioned cabins, a large dining hall, an elaborate fire circle, and a stunning new pool allowed our community to “rough it” in style.

“Icebreaker” games allowed the new and old girls to quickly become friends, and it wasn’t long before one big, happy group ended up by the pool. Discussing the all-school read, Good Enough by Paula Yoo, learning about the Five Core Principles, eating tons of great food, and “just relaxing” were some of the other camp activities.

Everyone signed the commitment banner and celebrated with a festive cake. Marshmallows were roasted and songs were sung by the fire before the tired campers bedded down for the night. The community returned to campus the next day and headed straight for classes. The new joyful school year had officially begun!

Kaylaa Ruff-Pringle ’12, Hannah Bruns ’14, Addie Heck ’14

Orientation Games

Lunch!

Kori Brierley-Bowers ’13

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:::New Faculty & Staff::: Frédéric Bielaszka has long been a student of language and history. The rich and colorful past of his native Orléans and its proximity to the châteaux of Chambord and Cheverny and other châteaux in the Loire Valley inspired him from an early age to study French history and culture, and history in general. In addition to his academic work in German language, culture and history, he has been studying English for 33 years. Frédéric received his DEUG in German after two years of studies at the Université d’Orléans-La Source, then continued his German studies at the Sorbonne, where he received the Licence and Maîtrise in German and where he prepared successfully for the CAPES and Agrégation in German, highly competitive national examinations. Frédéric taught French and was a dorm associate at Saint-Andrew’s School in Middletown, DE, then became a dorm parent and taught French and German at Concord Academy in Concord, MA. He then became Head of the Foreign Language Department and taught French at the Cambridge School of Weston in Weston, MA. He came to Oldfields in search of greater opportunities. Frédéric enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, and reading history in French, English and German. Frédéric, his wife, Christina, and their three children live on Chicken Hill with their cat, Charlie Brown. Frédéric enjoys the interaction his children have, every day, with the smart and gentle Oldfields girls.

Caroline Blaum graduated from the University of Iowa in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in Journalism. After graduation, Caroline was named to the Women’s US National Field Hockey team which required her to live in the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. While playing for the US, Blaum competed with the National Team in a five-game test series in Argentina.

Having grown up within the boarding school community and having attended Wyoming Seminary College preparatory school, Caroline felt a strong connection to the independent school lifestyle and a love for coaching at the developmental level. She is now living on campus at Oldfields as the Head Field Hockey coach, an assistant in learning support and a member of the eighth grade faculty teaching English.

best cameramen and directors in the world. His stills are heavily influenced by the years he lived in Germany, Greece, Taiwan, and England. Growing up abroad, and working internationally, has added a unique perspective to Bill’s photographic style, as does his exposure to and experience with both still and motion media. Today, as a partner at Gray Pictures, LLC, he directs customized multi-media content for corporate, individual and industrial clients as the industry evolves toward an amalgam of photography, graphics, and motion. While digital image making comprises 99 percent of his professional life, film remains the primary focus of his personal creative work. From darkroom to desktop, Bill is committed to helping students understand the fundamentals of image-making while preparing them for the future of interactive visual communication.

Chemistry teacher Grover Carico, a thirty year veteran of all girls schools, is now sharing his expertise with Oldfields. When he’s not explaining chemical reactions, Grover’s other interests include singing in church choirs, creating stained glass, woodworking, computers, and playing guitar and piano.

“The students at Oldfields are fantastic,” says Grover, “in fact, everyone I’ve encountered has been most gracious.”

Kendra Grinnage, assistant director of admission, is a graduate of the University of Virginia. While at UVa, Kendra gave historical and admission tours for four years. Kendra also has an extensive dance background. She studied ballet, jazz, modern, and tap for 17 years, and danced alongside the professional company of The Richmond Ballet. She looks forward to teaching ballet at Oldfields this year. Kendra chose Oldfields because it “seemed like a great family-like environment with terrific girls. I got a wonderful feel for Oldfields when I visited the first time and it seemed like a fantastic place to be.”

For three decades, Bill Gray has worked as a still photographer, as well as a freelancer in the motion picture industry, which provided him the opportunity to work on feature films with some of the

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A dancer from a very young age, the majority of Amy Janney’s dance training took place with The Baltimore County Youth Ballet. She performed a variety of roles in Copellia and The Nutcracker while building her foundational dance skills. She continued to dance at Goucher College, and was a member of Choreographie Antique, an historic dance ensemble with whom she performed regularly at local venues. As a senior member, she reconstructed and performed a tango originally choreographed by Rudolf Valentino. Upon receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Education, Amy became co-director of The Ballet School of Glyndon, a local dance co-operative. There she met our Athletic Director, Alison Jaspers, and choreographed several recitals such as Romeo and Juliet and Sleeping Beauty.

After directing the Ballet School of Glyndon for four years, Amy moved to New York City where she wore a variety of hats for the famed dance studio, Steps on Broadway. She was an administrator and teacher for The School at Steps, as well as a studio manager. In addition to teaching Middle School Social Studies and Dance at Oldfields, Amy enjoys teaching throughout the area and is a founding member and choreographer for The Sycamore Project, a dance collective based in Manhattan.

Rachel Mering ’04 came to work at Oldfields in July, as the assistant director of riding. Rachel is no stranger to the campus, since she is an Oldfields alumna, Class of 2004. After graduating from Oldfields, Rachel went

on to graduate from Towson University with a Bachelors of Science. Rachel is a Baltimore native, who has always had a hand in different aspects of the horse business. Rachel comes to Oldfields with a background of hunter and equitation horse shows, as well as a good deal of teaching experience. When not on a horse, Rachel loves her two dogs and enjoys good movies and long runs.

Kaitlyn Smarse readily admits that part of Oldfields School’s appeal was a change of scenery.

She had spent her life in New England, and was looking for a geographic change.

Coworkers at her previous school knew of Oldfields, and highly recommended it. “I was drawn to experiencing an all girls environment that considered the many academic backgrounds of students.

Oldfields’ academic support philosophy impressed me, and I wanted to be able to teach girls in a differentiated classroom. I realize students do not learn the same, and I wanted to be part of a school that embraced that philosophy.”

On the sports fields, it has been rewarding for Katie to watch the field hockey program establish a new foundation. “It is exciting to be part of traditions like Green and White Night and the faculty versus student volleyball game. I’m learning new things every day which can be daunting, but I do not feel like a bystander.”

Emily Vitrano, a native of Baltimore, wanted to teach biology at Oldfields because she admired the community here. “When I came for my interview I was overwhelmed by the friendly students and faculty, and their strong

relationships. I attended an all girls school and saw, first hand, the importance of single-sex education. I knew I wanted to teach in a similar environment.” Emily frequently participates in, and watches sports (especially the Ravens), and enjoyed coaching soccer this past fall. Her other great joy is “service.” She and her fiancé serve through an organization they founded to help children in Managua, Nicaragua, attend school. “It is amazing,” Emily says, “to see how education can transform lives.” Emily’s favorite experience so far has been “seeing how supportive the students are of each other.

I love watching the girls cheer at sporting events, announce each other’s birthdays, and show genuine excitement over the achievements of others.”

Zoe Wybourne is the Middle School math teacher and a riding instructor. She came to work at Oldfields because she wanted to find a way to combine her two loves, of horses and math, in one career. Here she can work with the same students, both in the classroom and at the barn, which she finds extremely rewarding. “A great moment so far, at Oldfields, was when one of my riding students, a complete beginner, first trotted a horse. She was terrified of horses to start with, and the grin on her face when she finally got up the courage to trot, made everything I do at the barn worthwhile. Watching her, so happy and proud, solidified, for me, the reason why I love my job.”

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On the Fields & Courts

Former US National Women’s Field Hockey Team Member

Building A Winning Program at Oldfields 20

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Boarding school life is in Caroline Blaum’s blood, so it’s no surprise that she ended up at Oldfields. What is surprising, however, is the path that led her there.

The daughter of faculty members at Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School, located in northeastern Pennsylvania, Blaum grew up surrounded by a supportive independent school community. As Blaum puts it, “the independent school environment has not only been an educational benefit, but a way of life for as long as I can remember.”

Blaum’s time at boarding school was also a major contributor to her passion for the game of field hockey. Recruited as a junior at Wyoming Seminary, she chose to play Division 1 field hockey for the University of Iowa.

While at Iowa, she was a four year team captain, four-time recipient of the prestigious Dr. Christine Grant Leadership Award, and twice received The Nancy McClinden Carr Award. Blaum’s other honors while playing in college include being selected as a First Team National All-American, First Team All Big Ten, a Big Ten Tournament MVP, and leading her team to the 2008 NCAA Final Four in her senior year.

After graduating from Iowa in 2008, Blaum was thrilled to be selected to the US Women’s National Field Hockey Team. In her second year on the National Team, she also accepted the position of

assistant field hockey coach at her college alma mater. Though she loved playing and coaching the sport, “I didn’t feel like I was doing any one thing 110 percent,” she explains. Since Blaum loves working with kids, she decided to direct her passion for field hockey towards coaching high school students.

This is how Blaum ended up on the campus of Oldfields School. As the new head field hockey coach, alongside Assistant Coach Katie Smarse, Blaum is savoring the opportunity to build a winning program at Oldfields.

Blaum attributes her desire to coach at the high school level to an attraction to teaching the sport in a developmental and raw stage. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of coaching at this level, she explains, is experiencing the little “light bulbs” that go on in the girls’ heads each day as they continue to improve. She wants her players to achieve success, as well as gain a greater understanding of the sport of field hockey and what it can do for them later in life.

“I have had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest field hockey minds in the world,” explains Blaum,

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“but it is my own high school and college experiences that have lead me to where I am today.” During her playing career at Iowa, under the coaching staff of Tracey Griesbaum and Lisa Cellucci, Blaum “discovered the extraordinary influence that athletics can have on a young woman’s life.”

Why did Blaum choose to come to Oldfields to share her talents and love for the game with the students? She references the rich tradition and feeling of family that sets Oldfields apart from its peer institutions.

Though she is content to devote her attention to coaching field hockey, one can often find Blaum jumping onto the field at practice, her own stick in hand, to show the girls how to carry out a particular drill or play. One thing is clear; Blaum is focused on building a winning program at Oldfields and teaching the sport of field hockey to a new generation of girls.

- Eliza Broaddus, Assistant Director of Alumnae Affairs

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“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

- Greg Anderson

Helen Pitts-Blasi ’93 finds the joy in her journey on horseback.

Helen Pitts-Blasi, class of 1993, is sitting in a golf cart just outside the Churchill Downs paddock in late June.

She’d run two horses earlier that day; Broadway Breeze finished fourth, Clandestine Fury was second. With nothing entered in the remaining races, she’s got time to talk.

“Being at Oldfields,” she reminisces, “was a lot of fun.”

A true Maryland-bred woman – she grew up on a horse farm not far from Oldfields – Pitts-Blasi now finds herself firmly part of the Kentucky Bluegrass as a thoroughbred trainer whose horses have raced at the sport’s highest levels. She’s travelled the country to racing’s premier events, and her résumé includes wins in

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multiple Grade 1 races, the most competitive and prestigious in the game.

Pitts-Blasi comes from a horse family: her father was a steward at the Maryland tracks and rode in hurdle races, while her mother “did everything,” including hunting, riding flat horses, and training her husband’s steeplechase horses.

Their daughter took after them, fox hunting as she grew up and branching out to other types of riding. “I rode at Oldfields,” she recalls, and “sometimes I’d take green horses there for my mother to ride, to get them ready for showing.

Senior year, I’d leave the first two periods open in my schedule so that I could go gallop horses for Charlie Fenwick, then come to School.”

Fenwick was an accomplished steeplechaser rider, having won the Maryland Hunt Cup five times and My Lady’s Manor thrice. After college, Pitts-Blasi worked with Fenwick when he was training horses.

“One summer he didn’t have enough horses,” she recalls, “so I didn’t go back to work for him and I went to the racetrack, something Dad never really wanted me to do.”

After working in Maryland for six years, Pitts-Blasi followed the horses to Florida in the winter, getting a job with Kentucky-based trainer Ken McPeek.

“I was planning to come back to

“Riding at Oldfields was incredible; I loved the program, and I usually rode in the spring because I played field hockey in the fall. It was exciting, a lot of good years, and so many wonderful people.”

Maryland after that, but he talked me into trying Kentucky.” she says. “Kenny had a bunch of really nice horses and I was galloping for him. When his former assistant moved to Chicago, I stayed in Kentucky to continue working for him.”

Working as McPeek’s assistant brought Pitts-Blasi in contact with a type of horse she’d not encountered before. “I’d never been around horses that could take you to Breeders’ Cup,” she said, referring to the annual races that often lead to year-end championships. “I went to the Breeders’ Cup my first year in Kentucky; I was around some really nice horses and it was enjoyable.”

Pitts-Blasi worked for McPeek for six years; when he took some time off from training to become a bloodstock agent, she took over the training of some of his horses, and then went out on her own.

Among the first horses she trained were Curlin and Einstein, and they are the horses of which racing dreams are made. Pitts-Blasi trained Curlin to a win in his very first start. The horse was so impressive that he was immediately sold, reportedly for $3.5 million, and the new owner took him out of her care, not an uncommon occurrence, if a disappointing

one. Curlin went on to finish in the top three of each of the 2007 Triple Crown races, culminating in winning the Preakness. He also won the Breeders’ Cup Classic that year and earned four yearend Eclipse Awards in 2007 and 2008.

He earned more than $10 million on the racetrack.

The same people that sold Curlin had another horse with Pitts-Blasi, a Brazilian-bred named Einstein, whom she would train for every start of his career. Einstein was retired last year after winning five Grade 1 races for her and earning nearly $3 million.

“Einstein was the best, there was nothing like him,” she smiles. “I was the one who rode him every morning for training; he was so energetic.”

“He wasn’t just a great racehorse, but he had the best personality, like a human. His stall was right next to my office. If I rolled my chair, and he heard me, he would whinny because he loved peppermints. He was the best; he had a lot of personality. I’ll never find another one like him.”

Though Pitts-Blasi doesn’t have a “big horse” in her barn now, she’s got 30 horses in her care, and she had what she called a good summer. “I’ve got a nice two-year-old, Pride of the Chapter, who won two races this summer, and Stage Magic won a couple, too.”

Based full-time at Churchill Downs in Louisville, she and her horses generally spend the winter at the Fair Grounds track in Louisiana, though this winter will be a little different for her.

Pitts-Blasi was married two years ago to Greg Blasi, an outrider at Churchill Downs. They had their first baby in December, a daughter named Olivia.

The horses and her assistant will pack up and head down in early December, and she’ll go back and forth as soon as she can.

She’s still in touch with many of her Oldfields friends, a number of whom attended her wedding, and her roots are

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Helen Pitts Blasi ’93 and her daughter, Olivia Marjorie Blasi

in Maryland; her mother still lives in Monkton, on the same farm on which Helen grew up. She recalls with affection her time in Glencoe.

“Riding at Oldfields was incredible; I loved the program, and I usually rode in the spring because I played field hockey in the fall. It was exciting, a lot of good years, and so many wonderful people.”

Her time at Oldfields was, she said, “some of the best years of my life.” And given her prodigious accomplishments since then, that’s saying something.

- Teresa Genaro

“But even if I’m left high and dry at the end of this wild journey, just taking it is a great feeling.”

- Olivia Wilde

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Jia Ping “Winny” Shen riding Mr. Big

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aving just read the article by Teresa Genaro, former Oldfields School faculty, chronicling 1993 alumna Helen Pitts-Blasi’s lifetime of equine achievements (page 22), I am left contemplating how new horsewomen are created and why they dedicate their lives to something that others view as an expensive recreational activity. How do amazing horsewomen such as Helen get their start with horses and what inspires them to become lifelong equestriennes? This is an especially appropriate topic for this fall since we had record numbers of beginner riders participate in the Oldfields Riding Program this season. While many of these beginners had some past experience riding either here or elsewhere, a handful of them were girls who had no experience with horses whatsoever other than to admire them from afar!

As a seasoned rider and trainer, it is always refreshing and interesting to watch beginners make their way along the path to becoming knowledgeable horsewomen. While saddles being placed on backs facing the wrong direction and bridles being held upside down by the bits are commonplace during the first few weeks, soon the girls are competently leading their mounts to the crossties, brushing them with a firm yet reassuring touch, and looking fairly organized while learning to assemble the many pieces of tack on their horse’s body. I have a hard time remembering what it was like to learn those fundamental skills, which makes me feel a bit long in the tooth, but I do remember trying to learn to post to the trot and steer around the ring without crashing into my riding companions. When asked by my mother, who is herself an accomplished rider, when, if ever, would I learn to post to the trot rather than just bounce up and down erratically in the saddle, my instructor assured her that eventually I would get it and

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then there would be no stopping me! I guess he must have seen something in the seven year old, skinny, awkward, strawberry blonde child flailing around his ring attempting to post the trot that led him to believe that one day I would in fact “get it.” Whether or not he knew that it would become my passion and my vocation is another story, but he definitely knew that I was hooked on horses and would try my hardest to figure it all out.

Throughout this fall, I was often reminded of these early riding memories as I would watch the beginners go through their paces with their instructors. I have a perfect view of the lower sand ring from the window by my office computer so, while doing paperwork, I can easily monitor the goings on in the ring during the afternoon ride sessions.

It was so much fun to witness the “newbies” as I affectionately call them, in their various stages of learning; from the longe line lessons where they are gripping the pommel of the saddle for balance, to learning to steer at the walk, trotting straight lines, and then trotting an entire pattern at the Fall Family Weekend show, including going over some poles on the ground! While they were obviously interested enough in horses to sign up for fall riding in the first place, witnessing their growing enthusiasm for the sport has been exhilarating. It reminds me that amidst all of the training, riding, teaching, and horse showing that we pursue here at Oldfields, at the core of it all is just a pure and simple genuine love of the horses and interest in learning to communicate with them. We are all somehow, and always will be to some extent, that little girl who dreamed of riding a horse through an open field at a gallop with the wind blowing through her hair. And, although the wearing of safety helmets has somewhat altered this fantasy, it lives in the core of each advanced rider who I know and each beginner who I have the pleasure of seeing develop into a horsewoman. Although the road to

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We are all somehow, and always will be to some extent, that little girl who dreamed of riding a horse through an open field at a gallop with the wind blowing through her hair.

Eonjung “Angeline” Kim ’11 riding Buddy

As a seasoned rider and trainer, it is always refreshing and interesting to watch beginners make their way along the path to becoming knowledgeable horsewomen.

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that gallop is long and full of technical skills that must be mastered before they are turned loose to ride off into the sunset, obviously the sheer thrill of communicating with the horse, even at just a trot on a circle, is enough to keep these riders excited for the next step.

When talking about their riding experiences here at Oldfields, there is a common thread throughout the girls’ interpretations of horsemanship; they all recognize the depth of character and capacity for empathy that horses add to our lives and to our souls. In preparation for writing this article, I asked a handful of riders to answer some relevant questions concerning why they ride and how it enriches their life. Angeline Kim ’11, a second year rider, easily articulated this concept when she wrote, “I am learning to communicate with animals from riding. Horses are not machines. They are living animals who sometimes have a bad day, who sometimes feel lazy, who sometimes feel energetic. By working with this animal, who is not always the same, I learn how to be flexible and still be my best…The most interesting thing that I have found with riding is that every horse has a different personality.

Like people, each horse has different physical traits and personality traits and it is quite exciting to find each horse’s uniqueness through riding.” This is mirrored in a comment made by a more advanced rider, Ali Towne ’12, who, although new to the riding program at Oldfields, is not new to the back of a horse, “Although it is hard for me to pick a favorite thing about horses, I would have to say their kindness. After a long day where nothing seems to have gone right, you can always go up to the barn, visit your favorite horse and instantly feel better. They are always there for you…

Horses and riding are absolutely one of the best things about my life! This sport has given me more confidence and more perseverance and, without having ridden, I don’t think that I would have enough

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strength and determination to face some of the difficult challenges that have been put in front of me. And, it is just fun!”

It warms my heart to see the girls riding and connecting with the horses in much the same way that I have throughout my career. Whether they choose to ride for a living or pursue it as a pleasurable hobby, they guarantee a promising future as ambassadors of this very special sport and stewards of the forever bond that they feel with the horses. Specifically, when asked whether they will continue to pursue riding as they move forward in life, the replies, not surprisingly, were all in the affirmative. Ali’s response was “I think I will always want to ride! Whether you’re 15 or 55, riding still has the same joy associated with it.” I guess my only qualm with that statement is that I may have said 95 just to give myself a little more time to enjoy being in the saddle!

Having experienced much of the significant events in my life while astride or beside a horse, all of which have shaped me into who I am today, I was tickled when one day a couple of weeks ago I was asking Winny Shen ’13, a beginner walk-trot-canter rider who I used to think of as fairly reserved and serious, how her ride had gone that day and she looked at me and said, “I want to be you.” It took me a minute to realize what she meant and then I smiled broadly and told her that as natural as she was on a horse, I was sure that with practice she would become a great rider and realize all of her riding and horsemanship goals. Watching her grin back at me and say “I am glad to hear that because it gives me hope,” was a wonderful moment when I realized that these “newbies” here at Oldfields are the future generation of horse enthusiasts who will continue to love horses and share this passion with others throughout their lives. As Winny wrote to me later, “Riding is a great opportunity and it is something that lots of people don’t know how to do.

I am always proud of myself for being a rider…I love riding so much!” I am glad to share a sense of hope with the riders like Winny because they bring joy to my life everyday when I see them pursuing my life’s love with determination and unbridled enthusiasm. I think it is most appropriate to close this reflection with a quotation recently sent to me from a fellow equine professional and penned by the wise Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person whole and, once it has done so, he will have to accept that his life will be radically changed.”

- Kate Worsham, Director of Riding

“The excursion is the same when you go looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy.”

- Eudora Welty

O l d f i e l d s

The Miss Firecracker Contest Opens With A Bang!

T

he Miss Firecracker Contest, the Oldfields Fall production, is a two-act play that was originally produced in Los Angeles in the spring of 1980. It was the first play that Beth Henley wrote after Crimes of the Heart, but it was already in production before Crimes of the Heart won the Pulitzer Prize. Eventually both plays were produced on Broadway and made into movies. This story belongs in the group of Southern Gothic comedies for which Henley is best known.

The play’s heroine, Carnelle (Kaitlyn Watt ’11), is an irrepressible young woman who thinks that winning the local beauty contest will restore her soiled reputation and make her somebody in her small Mississippi community. The family and friends who help her along the way are a dysfunctional bunch who tackle life in their own peculiar ways. There is a former beauty queen cousin, Elain Rutledge (Katherine Williams ’11), who comes to offer advice and to run away from her husband and children. Elain’s brother, Delmount (Parker Phelan ’12), has come home from a mental institution to sell the family house and provide Carnelle another way out. Wandering into the chaos as Carnelle’s seamstress is sweet and strange Popeye (Bridget Heneghan ’11), who falls in love with Delmount. In act two we meet Mac Sam (Sydney Sharp ’12), the carnival balloon man, and Tessy Mahoney (Ruilin “Sky” Li ’11), the beauty pageant coordinator. The general conclusion the characters reach is that, even if the real you is not the fulfillment of your hopes, you will be more at peace if you learn to define and accept your own self.

While living in New York, I saw the very talented Holly Hunter play the role of “Carnelle.” I laughed then and am still laughing now! I have always thought this was a tender play and have wanted to direct it for a long time. (I was waiting for the right combination of talent and here they are!) The culture of beauty pageants, although held across the country, is more of a Southern phenomenon, perhaps because the “image” of a Southern lady can be taught through these events. Small town pageants are about social class, achievement, community values, and femininity in a small-town context. The contestants are training for social positions to which they are encouraged to aspire.

I loved the dedication, commitment, and humor that the ladies of the cast shared with me while working on this delicious, Southern confection!

- Kate Briante, Performing Arts Chair

Ruilin “Sky” Li ’11

Above: Kaitlyn Watt ’11 and Sydney Sharp ’12 Left: Bridget Heneghan ’11 and Kaitlyn Watt ’11

Katherine Williams ’11 Kaitlyn Watt ’11 and Parker Phelan ’12

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Big Sisters await the arrival of their Little Sisters.

Setting their “sights” on a new school year, having a ball, and making new friends at the Senior-New Girl Picnic!

O l d f i e l d s

Fall Family Weekend

Ali Towne ’12 and her mother, Laura Rogers Towne ’82 and father Jason Towne, with Big Sister Kate Brennan ’11

Opening Days!

Amira Lockhart ’12 with her father.

August 27 – Preseason practice/athletes arrive August 28 – The “Horsin’ Around” 5k Event at Shawan Downs August 29 – Student leaders arrive

Gabby Schmidt ’14 enjoys the slide at Cascade Lake.

August 30 – Returning students arrive August 31 – New students arrive September 1 – Leave for orientation activities at Camp Puh’tok September 2 – Return from Camp Puh’tok / first day of classes September 3 – All school photograph September 4 – Senior-New Girl Picnic and trip to Cascade Lake Melanie Wright ’14 Oldfields girls participated in the 5K event at Shawan Downs.

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Winter 2011

Every f all as th e leave change s begin , Oldfie to l d s w of pare elcome s a gro nts, fam up ilies, an the Sch d friend ool’s Fa s for ll Famil year ’s w y W eekend eekend . This , held o and 16 n O , had a ctober 15 great tu membe r n out of f rs and amily friends here to w h o were celebra all te their Oldfield s girls!

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O

n Friday morning of Fall Family Weekend, parents attended classes with their daughters. Class periods were shortened so that each family was able to experience every class on their student’s schedule. The girls loved showing their families around and introducing them to their teachers and friends.

After a tasty lunch in the dining room, The Middle School at Oldfields was formally dedicated with a ribbon cutting on the middle school porch. The entire community is so excited to have sixth and seventh grade girls join our already developed eighth grade. The middle school students bring so much energy and excitement to our campus!

For afternoon entertainment, the entire community was treated to a performing arts assembly. A friendly tone was set for the show with an opening of “Consider Yourself” from Oliver, performed by the All School Choir.

Other vocal offerings included performances by the School’s a cappella singing groups, Dubious Dozen and Images. The After School Dance class delighted us with three unique pieces, while BAC

Steppers put on a lively show. Theatre presentations consisted of the middle school students making their onstage debuts with two short scenes, while upper school students in the Acting Intensive class did their rendition of the Foolproof Troop’s “Please Hear What I’m Not Saying”. The show closed with an especially hilarious scene previewing The Miss Firecracker Contest, the School’s fall production.

On Friday afternoon, an informational college meeting was offered for all junior and senior parents. Director of College Counseling Liz Winter and Assistant Director of College Counseling Cortney Bledsoe discussed their office’s philosophy and the timeline of the college process.

There was also a short presentation on the features of Naviance Family Connection, a web-based college counseling program utilized by Oldfields students and parents, followed by a question and answer session to address parent inquiries and concerns.

Friday evening was filled with fun community events. After sports practices and a nail biting volleyball game, the School community and guests came

O l d f i e l d s

For the third year in a row, the School’s Vera Bradley Bingo was a huge hit! Students, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the School all came together to take part in a friendly competition to win Vera Bradley items that were donated by members of the School community. Mr. Smith even received a green and white Vera Bradley necktie as a thank you

“Come dress yourself in love, let the journey begin.”

for his great job as the event’s emcee.

Jiaying “Angela” Shi ’13 won a bag

- Francesca da Rimini

Katherine Williams ’11 and her father, Sean

Susan and James Mayer, parents of Elizabeth ’15

together for a wonderful meal prepared by Oldfields’ very own dining services. To set the mood for the evening events, the gym was transformed into a bingo hall, complete with green and white tablecloths and a delectable spread of desserts.

There were several fundraisers in place during the weekend. The junior class sold exam and holiday packages to parents, while Rarebit offered ad space in the yearbook. A raffle was held for the students with items graciously donated by current parents. In addition, a silent auction and a live auction were offered during bingo.

At bingo intermission, Taylor Smith led the spirited live auction for two very coveted prizes: front row seats at graduation and the opportunity to rename the road sign near the entrance of School.

After an active back and forth between several attendees, the graduation seats went to the parents of Kaitlyn Watt ’11 and the renaming of the road (now known as Palmer Place) went to the parents of Elisabeth “Liz” Palmer ’12.

Emily Ford ’12

Steve Ford, parent of Emily Ford ’12

The silent auction was also very successful. Twenty-six items were donated by faculty, staff, and friends of the School.

Donations ranged from an evening of baking at a faculty member’s home to a one-on-one SAT tutoring session to a “Snack Attack” basket. Several local businesses also generously donated gift cards and merchandise. The highest bidding item of the night was a dinner for six at the head of school’s home that ended up going for $700.00! Thank you to all of our donors, bidders, and volunteers for making this year’s auction such a success. The donations collected from auction fundraising will go towards increasing the bandwidth of the School’s internet.

Kimberly Kupres ’15

Naasira Brown-El ’16 and her mom, Trinae Brown-El

Eric, Lakshmi, and Rachel Clein ’12

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Jenn Baker ’11 with Steve and Bonnie Baker

“I do it for the joy it brings, cause I’m a joyful girl. ’Cause the world owes us nothing, we owe each other the world.”

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Kaayla Ruff-Pringle ’12 with her parents Nancy Pringle and Norine Ruff

Parents support the Junior Class Bake Sale

Charlotte Mayer ’14 and her father, Mark, in class Mankuk Cheong, Yoorang Cheong ’12, and Jin Kyung Lee

- Ani Difranco

The weekend came to a close with a delicious brunch on Saturday morning, a Parent Association meeting, and the unveiling of the School’s newly completed indoor riding arena. There was a great turnout at the Parent Association meeting, where parents discussed leadership and plans for the coming school year. Parent Association meetings are generally held on the first Monday of every month. New members are always welcome!

We are so glad that you could join us for Fall Family Weekend 2010. If you were not able to make it this year, we hope to see you in 2011. Thank you to all of the current parents for sharing your wonderful daughters with us.

- Eliza Broaddus, Assistant Director of Alumnae Affairs

Rick and Aubrey Banez ’13 After several months of anticipation, the doors to the beautiful new indoor riding

Students having fun at Bingo

arena were finally opened on Saturday, October16, 2010. Following a ribbon cutting ceremony, Director of Riding Kate Worsham and Assistant Director of Riding Rachel Mering ’04 rode in on Young Louise Goodyear ’12 with her mother, Gayonne Goodyear

horseback to christen the new facility.

The arena is now open for use, though it will officially be dedicated in April at Alumnae Weekend.

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Kathleen Bruns, mother of Hannah ’14

Rick and Aubrey Banez ’13 peruse the May Program offerings

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D e v e l op m e n t

Development News

“One of the most inspiring things about these leaders is the manner in which they were able to continue this wonderful, old institution

Thank You for Providing Critical Leadership In Honor of Ralph O’Connor & Scott Menzies

Winter 2011

Umilitade, e Largo Core – Courage, Humility, and Largeness of Heart — are the core values and beliefs that define our School culture and were the core values of Ralph and Scott’s leadership. Not only do these values represent our highest aspirations for the women who attend Oldfields, but, as it turns out, are the very values that need to be re-instilled periodically by critical leaders at a time of crisis. Ralph’s gifts of persuasion, business acumen, and largeness of heart and Scott’s quiet

All institutions have periods of great stress, danger, and challenge. Schools survive and thrive because great leaders step up when they are needed. Oldfields had two such leaders: Ralph O’Connor and Scott Menzies.

The early 1970s were a very difficult time for boarding schools in general and for girls’ boarding schools in particular.

Many schools closed during this period, unable to pay the bills at a time when private schools and single sex education fell out of fashion. In 1976, after more than a decade of robust enrollment growth and new construction, the Oldfields Board questioned whether the School would be able to survive for even another year. The new Board chair, Ralph O’Connor, father of Nancy ’75, refused to capitulate. Using his power of persuasion as well as his own financial resources, and with the leadership of the new Head of School, Hawley Rogers, he convinced others to “give the School one more year.” Within a year, it became apparent that the School would survive, and within ten years, the School was recognized as the most successful school of its type in the country.

Like many other institutions, schools also go through cyclical periods of strength and relative

weakness. Oldfields is not an exception.

Thirty years later, Oldfields was once again looking for Board leadership that would help redefine the direction of the School at a time when the weakened national economy was threatening an Oldfields that was more fragile than usual. Once again, Oldfields was blessed to have a leader, Scott Menzies, father of Mollie ’03, step forward to provide masterful guidance. He was determined that Oldfields would not only survive, but would thrive. Challenges that would have defeated others brought out Scott’s tenacity and creativity. Thanks to Scott’s leadership and the return of Taylor Smith as head of school, Oldfields approaches its 150th anniversary with confidence and strength.

“Without the leadership of Ralph O’Connor and Scott Menzies, there would be no Oldfields for future generations of young women. That is not hyperbole. That is history. Ralph’s strategic skill, his intelligence, his generosity, and his passion for the School are well known and celebrated by generations of Oldfields women. Even today, he continues to invest in the future of Oldfields. Scott’s integrity, strength of conviction, his consensus building and creativity made it possible for an anxious community to not only survive, but also to heal and to move forward with confidence and strength. My Puritan ancestors would have seen these men in terms of providential history.

God provided these two past parents to parent the School and to lead it out of the dark times into a brighter future.”

- Head of School Emeritus, Hawley Rogers

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within the framework of our core values. Our motto, Fortezza,

determination and courage with a no-nonsense business approach have

Ralph O’Connor

saved this School. Most importantly, the School thrives because these critical leaders modeled the very traits we value the most.”

To honor the critical leadership provided by these two Board chairs, Oldfields has launched a mini-campaign to raise $500,000 to name the front parlor of Old House in their honor. The money will be used to restore Old House and to chart a course to preserve the other older buildings on campus. The front parlor is the place each new student first enters when looking at Oldfields and the last place students gather before walking down Graduation Hill. The “front door” of the school is an appropriate place to name after these leaders because they refused to let our doors close. This effort will be part of a six million dollar campaign that is designed to help the School restore our precious “old house on the hill,” as well as help the school to “Sustain What We Have” by reorganizing buildings that conserve future resources through energy efficiency. Ultimately, when the goal of this larger campaign is achieved, the School will name the restored East Wing The Hawley and Wendy Rogers Wing.

Gifts of every amount will be cherished. However, gifts in excess of $10,000, $25,000, and $100,000 will result in individual recognition on the plaque honoring Scott and Ralph.

In the process, we will also be honoring those individuals who came forth during the 1970s and between 2007 and 2009, to provide the financial resources necessary to help the School maintain the excellence that families have come to expect from Oldfields.

Scott Menzies

-John Hawks, current chair of the Board of Trustees

: : : A dmissions U pdate : : : Greetings from Glencoe! It has been a busy year in the admission office, with travel, training new tour guides, and a steady stream of visiting families. We hosted four Open House events on campus. We traveled domestically, while Parny Hagerman visited Europe and the Middle East, and Taylor Smith returned to Asia, all in search of the next class of talented Oldfields girls.

Parny in traditional dress The admission office would like to thank the PAN (Parent/Alumnae Admission Network) members for all of their hard work and dedication this fall. We sent PAN members to represent Oldfields at high school fair events across the country and are thrilled at how well it has worked. The benefits are numerous – not only does this allow us to be more than one or two places at the same time (as many school fairs are scheduled during the same three weeks in October!), but you, as alumnae and parents, have a unique perspective. In many cases, our PAN representatives even knew some of the other schools and prospective families attending the high school fairs!

Special thanks to: Lindsay Archer ’96, Rexford and Elizabeth Caesar P’11, Jelene “Joany” Dover Dressler Kane ’82, Sheila Wiley Harrell ’90, Karla Tracy Henderson ’87, Steve and Julie Hoffer P’11, Elizabeth “Liz” Turner Love ’90, Rebecca Poston P’10, Stan and Beth Preston P’14, Alyssa Boyle Starzyk ’92, Cornelia “Lia” Wallace ’80, and Maury Ward Woolwine ’91.

If you are interested in helping to recruit interesting, talented girls to Oldfields from your area, please contact Christina Klintebäck, director of boarding admission, at 443-662-1009 or Cory Jones Jackson ’85, P’12, ’13 director of day admission at 443-662-1024.

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D e v e l op m e n t

D e v e l op m e n t

Laurie Hurd My Path to Oldfields My journey at Oldfields began when Parny Hagerman, associate head of school, saw my résumé and contacted me about an opening for the director of development position. Parny and I met each other in the mid ’80s when she was at Hotchkiss School and I was at the Hyde School. She described the opportunity at Oldfields and its recent turnaround story.

I had just spent 33 years serving on the leadership team of the Hyde Schools, a nationally-based group of public and private schools and parenting programs focused on the development of character and unique potential. Hyde has been a major part of my life. My father founded the school in 1966, and I remember sitting on the living room floor of our new home stuffing envelopes with brochures announcing the School’s opening. I graduated from Hyde and was in the first group of co-eds in 1971. My husband and three children attended Hyde as well.

Professionally, I worked in Hyde’s public and private divisions. I ran Hyde’s admissions effort, I was on the founding teams of the second boarding school in Woodstock, CT, and the public magnet high school in New Haven, CT. After several years as head of school for the Hyde campus in Bath, ME, I began to consider the next phase of my life.

Things were in a good place; we were wrapping up a successful $16M capital campaign and my last child was completing college. All three children were pursuing their own dreams and Paul and I were celebrating 31 years of marriage.

The time was right for a new challenge and so we took a sabbatical to figure out our next step.

The Oldfields story intrigued me and the mission resonated with my own background. Hyde’s brief 45 year history had seen some challenging eras 36

Winter 2011

Laurie Hurd, director of development,and her husband, Paul as well. From my experience, schools need several key ingredients in order to survive and thrive, and I hoped to find these at Oldfields.

For my interview, I met with several members of the community. I walked around the campus, attended morning meeting, ate in the dining hall, and spent the night in the guest room. With each encounter, I grew more excited about the School and the possibility of working here. The Oldfields philosophy of each girl’s success and the motto, Courage, Humility, and Largeness of Heart, were clearly present.The environment was both challenging and supportive. Parents movingly shared how the School had changed their daughters’ lives. They described their daughters’ renewed confidence and belief in themselves.

Oldfields had the essential ingredients of a successful school; a head with synergistic leadership and vision, a committed faculty and staff, a strong board of trustees in partnership with the head, and dedicated families who believed in and supported the School. My visit had answered my questions; Oldfields had weathered its storm and the community was galvanized and moving forward. I found the “next step” for my life. I just needed to get hired! I was thrilled when Taylor called and offered me the position.

Travelling to several gatherings around the country, I have enjoyed hearing the stories that tell Oldfields’ history. A common theme emerges from all eras of faculty and alumae; Oldfields is a caring family. Clearly, some of the traditions have changed. Women from the 50s and early 60s have described the morning curtsey. I have difficulty imagining that scene in the dining hall today! Many women shared names of present and past faculty and staff members who made the difference in their lives and are still making a difference today. The feeling of family echoes; whether it’s called “prayers” or morning meeting, gathering each day as a whole school was and still is an important ritual.

Many alumnae say that Oldfields changed their lives. This sentiment is expressed by the current students too.

At the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, the juniors stood in front of the School community and each girl shared those things for which she is thankful. Many named their families, advisors, and friends. I was particularly impressed by how many girls said they were grateful for Oldfields.

This is good news for the future of Oldfields. These women will one day be called upon to step up and serve the School in some way. Given how they feel about their current experience, they will likely answer the call as many alumnae are doing today. I am inspired by the Oldfields story and I am honored to help carry the torch for this leg of its journey.

You can help in several ways: 1. Give to The Oldfields Fund 2. Share your story with prospective families or donors 3. Support one of the mini-campaigns I would love to hear from you. Please contact me at HurdL@OldfieldsSchool.org or 443-662-1016 and tell me your favorite Oldfields story.

• Naasira Brown-El ’17, niece of Troy Alexander-El ’03 • Aileen Brockman O’Hea ’15, sister of Marina Brockman O’Hea ’13 • Claire Jermakian ’15, daughter of Joan Carter Jermakian ’81 • Barrett Pitcher ’15, sister of Kiefer ’14 • Emily Brownawell ’14, niece of Louise Scheffenacker Prusak ’82

Family Traditions

• Lillian Carroll ’14, niece of Jennifer Ehrhardt ’87, cousin of Stephanie Ehrhardt LaMonica ’02 • Yasmin Lockhart ’14, sister of Amira ’12 • Charlotte Mayer ’14, daughter of Carlisle Van Meter Mayer ’78 • Kiefer Pitcher ’14, sister of Barrett ’15

Oldfields has always enjoyed the tradition of enrolling the daughters, sisters, and relatives of Oldfields alumnae. This year is no different. We presently have 18 girls whose families have a connection to the School. Among them are three sets of sisters and six daughters whose mothers are alumnae. One mother shared her own experience and her sentiment captures why many alums want their daughters or relatives to have an Oldfields education: “Oldfields is a place where I could be myself. I was accepted by my peers and supported by the adults. The environment gave me a sense of security that encouraged me to do things I wouldn’t ordinarily do, such as try out for a role in a play.

Rather than cast the most talented girl, the teachers took the time to develop my talent.

They believed in me enough to know they could pull it out of me if I tried my best. This required time and effort on their part, but they did so with effortless patience.”

Many women say their experience at Oldfields laid the foundation for their success today. The foundation they established here gave them the confidence they needed to approach opportunities and challenges later in life. The values they learned at Oldfields become shared values in the family when relatives become part of the Oldfields experience. As one legacy girl remarked: “Being a legacy makes me feel connected to something that my mom was a part of 30 plus years ago. I know that I will want my daughter to be able to say, “I’m a part of something my mom was 30 years ago and a part of something my grandma was 60 years ago!” It’s that special connection to this school that makes the mother-daughter bond that much stronger.”

One distinctive aspect of Oldfields is focusing on each girl and helping her to discover her unique path to success. Oldfields does an excellent job of accommodating the diverse interests of our students. While this is evident among all the girls in the student body (no two students are alike), it is especially noteworthy among the “legacy girls.” For such a small school, each girl is able to express herself in a big way.

We hope you will consider Oldfields for your daughter or relative (or close friend for that matter!). Better yet, plan a visit, take a tour, and let her see the opportunities for herself. We would love to show you around…again!

• Kori Brierley-Bowers ’13, sister of Perri ’10, granddaughter of Trish Blood Brierley ’57, great niece of Margie Blood Collins ’54 and Constance Blood Bornholdt ’59 • Catherine Gilbreth ’13, niece of Rebecca Gilbreth Herres ’78 • Liza Phelan ’13, sister of Parker ’12, daughter of Cory Jones Jackson ’85 • Parker Phelan ’12, sister of Liza ’13, daughter of Cory Jones Jackson ’85 • Young Louise Goodyear ’12, daughter of Tara Cutter ’85, great granddaughter of Ann Cutter Whitney ’27, niece of Jean Cutter ’95, niece of Amanda Cutter ’95, great niece of Florence Whitney Clark ’54 and Eliot Whitney Wolcott ’57 • Amira Lockhart ’12, sister of Yasmin ’14 • Alyson Thompson ’12, daughter of Pam Crowder Thompson ’85 • Alexandra Towne ’12, daughter of Laura Rogers Towne ’82 • Bridget Heneghan ’11, sister of Lauren ’10

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Alumnae Matters Class Notes

Dear Alumnae and Friends, I knew Oldfields was special when I first visited many years ago. On that initial encounter, I was completely at ease upon arriving at the quaint farmhouse after traveling the winding country road. I knew I had found a school that was the perfect fit for me. Oldfields was warm and inviting.

Oldfields nurtured and challenged me while providing a safe environment that allowed me to grow and learn, giving me a sense of confidence and opportunity.

I have many happy memories and friendships from my Oldfields experience.

I’m sure your own experience was not unlike mine.

So, how do you honor that experience? My hope is that you will reconnect with Oldfields by becoming involved in any numbers of ways.

Write or email the alumnae office to tell us what you’ve been up to, attend a gathering, come to Alumnae Weekend, and make a gift to The Oldfields Fund. Staying connected to Oldfields will provide an enriching experience.

My husband and I are excited that our youngest child and only daughter chose Oldfields as her school. As Charlotte ’14 begins her own journey, I know she is surrounded by gifted, dedicated, and caring teachers who will inspire her to think creatively and independently. She will have countless opportunities to grow into a strong, confident young woman. I hope that you will encourage your family and friends to consider Oldfields for their daughters.

Please join us in the spring for Alumnae Weekend from April 15-17. We will be honoring our former teachers. This will be a fun occasion and a great opportunity to reconnect with our Oldfields family.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Carlisle VanMeter Mayer ’78, P’14 Alumnae Association President

1942

Alice Williams Hinman – I’m living well with nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. My children tell me I am a “great” grandmother.

1945

Sally Richards Ricker – I am recovering from a stroke. It came on gradually. I have done very well getting my strength back. I am walking well with my walker and working toward more independence.

Suzanne “Susi” Greene Van Ells – Hi! Anybody left? Talked to Patricia Bell Ellis recently, my first roommate, along with Cornelia Register Hoagland. Was devastated about Bathsheba “Bashie” Anderson Veghte and Nancy Bell Hull.

Who’s out there? Daisy Biddle Eiman, Helena Fletcher Patch, Janet “Jan” Hays Austin, Gayle Lee Gall, Pamela Macrae Bermingham, Laura Ten Eyck Byers, Eleanor “Ellie” Little Roberts, Joan Stoddard Carver, Darrah (went to Greece but could not find her) – would love to hear from somebody! No computer, but I am in Las Vegas at (702) 871-4329. Marcia M. – love you.

1946

Marion “Polly” Cole Clancey – I am still in Vero Beach loving the weather and the golf. We travel north for the summer. Our nine year old yellow lab keeps us walking. I can’t believe our class has a 65th Reunion!

Susi Greene Van Ellis ’45 in Miss Nan’s Library

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C l a s s

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Jane Savage Roberts – I finally quit tennis at 83! I’m busy with hospital volunteering, walking my Jack Russell terrier, and several committees here at Dunwoody Village. My family is all fine and busy. My grandchildren range from elementary school to college to the business world...there are ten of them!

1950

Lowrey Hardin Jones – I’m not riding anymore, but my daughter and granddaughter are carrying on the tradition.

I’m still living and loving in Danville, California! We visit Texas as often as possible to see our daughter and family there and also our grandson from California who attends Texas Christian University. I’m still a horse and dog lover, volunteering at a dog rescue, and sending shoes to the shoeless in Haiti, Africa, etc.

I still love Oldfields, too!

1951

Patricia Wright Hume – I was sorry to hear from her husband that Frances “Susie” Williams Ganoe passed away last year. The Garden Club that I belong to put on a very succesful flower show in September for which I did the staging. I just spent two winter months in Florida with my daughter. I visited friends and relatives going and coming home.

1954

Florence “Fifi” Whitney Clark – In June I was in Kenya on safari with my daughter Dana and her husband. In September, I was on a river boat cruise from Paris to Normandy and will be going to Cape Town in March. All eight grandsons are great. Four are in college, one is graduating from Hotchkiss in May, two are in day school, and one is working.

1957

Nina Carter Rosselli Del Turco – We just had another grandchild, bringing my total to eight. Duccio has 12, so there is a total of 20 between us! My son, Philip, and Amber had their third son on November 27, 2010. My mother, Hester Tomlin Carter ’29, is 99 and a half, and her life is full living between the US and Rome. I saw Margaret “Marty” Merrow Wilson and her husband, Pete, for lunch in December. It was wonderful to catch up with her.

1959

Elfrida “Frida” Barrow Moore – Hello to everyone in the Class of 1959! I am fine and wondering where the years have gone and why so fast. Please send Oldfields news so we can keep in touch.

I miss you!

1961

Adelaide “Fiddle” Walker Walton – I am retired from Concord Public Schools and am enjoying family, friends, gardening, and grandchildren. If anyone is in the area of Concord, I would love to see you.

Golfing friends Peggy Riegel Weymouth ’61, Kandi duPont Sanger ’62, Peg McElroy Campbell ’46, and Daphne Preece Hellmuth ’55.

1962

Lynn DeLamater Turner – Everything is going well at my therapy center and home in the trees. My daughter, Mandy, is in psychiatric residency at Brown in Providence, and my little granddaughter, Louisa, is growing and thriving at 20 months. She recently talked her dolly into sneaking her pacifier to her from her crib. Upon being confronted with not being allowed to have her pacifier out of bed, she said, “Dolly did it.”

Sheila Cochran Urmston – Students and alumnae alike: look for my son’s rock band, State Radio. His name is Chad Urmston, but he often goes by Chad Stokes (his middle name). He has a strong supporter in Patricia “Patty” Reese Vanderwarker who went to New York City to see Chad and his former band, Dispatch, play at Madison Square Garden in 2007.

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Gatherings

(L to R) Pam Crowder Thompson ’85 P ’12, Sarah Greenhalgh ’83, and Judy Smith at the Baltimore Gathering.

Elizabeth “Libby” Park Frazier ’63 and family in Boca Grande, Florida.

The Alumnae Office is happy to report that the gathering season this past fall has been busy and fun filled. The following hosts have been extremely generous in opening up their homes to our extended Oldfields community: • Lauren Brown Knott ’83 Baltimore, Maryland • Claire Noe Koch ’86 New Orleans, Louisiana • Stephanie Strubing Flinn ’57 Greenwich, Connecticut • Carol Atterbury ’74 and Jill Romanowicz Unruh ’87 Glen Mills, Pennsylvania • Susan West Ross ’64 and Susie Hadden Lawrence ’65 Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts • Alexandra Stegemann Christianson ’85 Edina, Minnesota • Frannie Pope Hohman ’82 Tiburon, California • Mr. and Mrs. Cheolsoo Kim P’11 Seoul, South Korea • Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Weinstein P’15 Taipei, Taiwan • Diandra de Morrell Douglas ’74 New York City • Barbara and Bob Chapin P ’83, ’86 Village of Golf, Florida • Christine Appleby Martinelli ’83 Vero Beach, Florida • Anne McIntyre Colclough ’86 and Judith Robinson P’87 Washington, D.C. Hosting a gathering or teaming up with fellow alumnae is a wonderful way to show your support for our dear alma mater. Gatherings are a great way to share stories and be up to date with what is happening at Oldfields. In addition to home gatherings, we can host at clubs and restaurants. The atmosphere wherever we travel is always warm and inviting.

I am constantly looking for hosts, so please contact me if you are interested in working with the School to put together a party. All of our gatherings are posted on Facebook and the Oldfields website and we are beginning to use more online resources, such as Evite, to get the word out. This way, you will be able to see who else is attending a given event and we will be able to see more of you!

Thanks to everyone who came to a gathering in 2010!

Joan Carter Jermakian ’81 P ’15 JermakianJ@OldfieldsSchool.org 443.662.1018

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Minnesota Gathering 2010 (From L to R) Randy Mason, Elizabeth Childs-Caguin ’85, Taylor Smith, Margaret Goodale Mason ’82, Judy Smith, Alexandra Stegemann Christianson ’85, Cindy Stegemann P’85, Ed Stegemann P’85, sitting: Carol Engelbretson ’72, Chris Hubbell McCambridge ’69 and Sarah Nettleton ’68

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Blair Bartol MacInnes – I capped off a 65th birthday celebration with a field hockey game – yes, a small scrimmage.

My opposing players were Wendy Goodyear Griswold and Victoria “Tory” Bartol Vallely ’68. Herky would have thought us talented, but a little slow.

Elizabeth (Libby) Park Frazier – We are loving being grandparents. We would love to see any Oldfields alumnae if ever you are close to Boca Grande, Florida or Nantucket, Massachusetts. A big wish for happiness and health in 2011 for everyone.

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(From L to R) Dr. Alex Haller, friend of Oldfields, Dr. Parny Hagerman, associate head of school, Joe Knott, host of Baltimore Gathering

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Jane Farley Simonds – I am currently the number one woman croquet player in the country for six wicket American Rules. Croquet is a great sport for skill and strategy. Men and women play each other. My youngest son, Alec, was married in May, and they are expecting this May! We already have three grandies. What fun!

1966

Boston Gathering (From L to R) Dorothy Post ’64, Adelaide “Fiddle” Walker Walton ’61, Susan West Ross ’64, Joanna Gleeson ’64, Eleanor “Dee” Allen ’64, Susie Hadden Lawrence ’65

San Francisco Gathering at the home of Frannie Pope Hohman ’82

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Beirne Donaldson – I have had a busy year. I saw Susan Wardle Weatherly the other day. It is as if we’ve never been apart. The connection is always there with Oldfields friends.

Still friends after all these years! L to R: Cinda Train Longstreth ’64, Susie Young Granville ’64, Wendy Fruland Hopper ’64, Susan West Ross ’64, and Ginger Jamison Getz ‘65

Polly Hyde Crawford ’65 (left) with Alice Flaherty Long ’65 in the Dominican Republic

1965

Mary “Polly” Hyde Crawford – In March 2010, my husband, John, and I spent a fantastic week with Alice Flaherty Long and her husband, John, at their beautiful house on the north shore of the Dominican Republic. Their home is on the grounds of a dude ranch overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Alice was my roommate senior year at Oldfields and though we don’t see each other often, we stay in close touch by email. Fortunately, we were both spry enough for wonderful long walks on the beach and I really enjoyed the easy conversation.

We still live in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and go to Maine in the warmer months. John is an electrical contractor and I oversee the finances of the business. I keep fit with tennis, yoga, gardening, and endless repairs to our ancestral house in mid-coast Maine.

My daughter, Georgia Crawford Nettles ’95, is married and works as a realtor in Charleston, SC. My son, Sumner, is single and lives in Virginia Beach.

Okay, Class of 1965: What are you up to?

Roberta Fishburne Brownfield – I am still living in Charlottesville and working in real estate. I am married to Ed, whom I met when I was at Oldfields. We are enjoying being new grandparents to a little girl!

1967

Patricia Strachan – Susalee Norris Sasser ’69 visited me in New Orleans.

Natalie “Peggy” Riegel Weymouth ’61 was here for Mardi Gras. Paige Rabalais ’01 is living nearby and studying business at Tulane. Oldfields was great for all of us. Thank you so much. We share a special experience.

1968

Patricia “Pixie” Serrell Schmeltzer – I’m still married (30 years), still riding, still petite, still needle pointing, still happy. We have a new address – this is our first move since we were married. I survived breast cancer and the death of our only child, John, in 1999 – he was a treasure and a real gift from God. All 6’ 5’’ of him. Me at 5’2’’ – what a hoot! It was a terribly difficult event to recover from – a “club” that no one wants to join.

Jack, my husband, and I grieved together, separately, at different times and ways, but managed to survive together and beat the statistics – 80% divorce rate. We still grieve. Feelings change, but the hurt just never goes away. My husband and I ride, travel, and cook together – he is still practicing law in Manhattan – one Oldfields Magazine

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of the last surviving nice guys in law. My dad died in ’85, mom just 18 months ago.

I miss her very much. I send my love to all. I see Denise “Dede” Alexandre LeComte ’72 at the grocery store. Have a good reunion.

1969

Melinda Wilson Fuller – Life in upstate New York is wonderful and very near my family house on Lake George. My grandson, Will, is two and a half and lives near Boston (my oldest son and his wife are the parents). My younger son, Chris, lives with his wife, Adrienne, in Durango, Colorado.

1971

Deborah Pool Wurzel – 2010 was a good year for my watercolors. My painting, “The Cabbage,” was juried into the MidAtlantic Watercolor Show sponsored by the Baltimore Watercolor Society. It can be viewed on my Facebook page. I also had a successful solo show in Pennsylvania. We are continuing to be a military family with my second son in Army boot camp now and Officer Candidate School to follow in January 2011. My oldest son is finishing his Masters in ecology while my daughter is a junior at The University of South Carolina. I will be at our 40th reunion this year and hope to see many of you there!

1973

Pauline Combe-Clark – I moved to Massachusetts in early March. Once settled, I hope to connect with some long overdue dates with Oldfields friends.

Hilary Cooper ’76 “I was in my Matisse mode,” Hilary Cooper says with a laugh, discussing her 2008 portrait of Jane Brown Grimes, the first female head of the United States Tennis Association. Cooper had asked to paint Grimes in a knee-length cherry-red coat she’d worn when presenting Roger Federer the champion’s trophy at the U.S. Open. Commissioned by Grimes’s father, Hazard Gillespie, éminence

Victoria “Vicki” Aubinoe – I would love to hear from any of you that are planning on coming to the 30th reunion: blaiser29@aol.com.

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K’ami Landy – I’ve been looking for a horse farm property near Gainesville, FL for about a year now and hope to have something very soon. I sure miss my riding students, but I don’t miss Miami. Both of my boys have significant birthdays this winter – Tim turns 21 and Gareth turns 18. How did this happen?

Christine Smith McHarg ’84 and I had a way too short visit this summer.

Wonder what became of Linda Nagel Swan ’82 and Linnea “Amy” Dodson?

Hope to see you all in April.

Lisa Tomlinson Weil ’80 with family, L to R: daughter Kristen, husband Mark, son Kenneth, Lisa, and son Travis.

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Lisa Wood Wright ’84 and Lela Kempe Ogden ’84 with their children

grise of the law firm Davis Polk, the portrait is typical of Cooper’s bright, spare-asall-New-England style. Depicting Grimes seated in an upholstered armchair, the picture conveys her athletic prowess and inner strength.

Cooper, 52, is a popular portraitist in her three home bases – New York City, Aspen, and Lakeville, Connecticut – and she prides herself on being able to draw out even her most reluctant subjects. “I like being with people,” she says. “I’m not one to sit alone. It’s a joy to portray another person. It’s a privilege, and it suits me.”

During her previous life, in leveraged buyout financing and corporate cash management, Cooper took classes at the Art Students League. As commissions began to accumulate, she quit banking in 1987 to paint full-time. Cooper, who has done portraits of a number of high-profile figures, says many commissions arise from – and lead to – friendships. Her portrait of Louis Begley, the distinguished lawyer and author, for example, came about after they got to know each other at a club they both go to. Another portrait, of Oliver Dobbs (now a CIO at the London hedge fund CQS), was a 40th birthday gift for his wife. Cooper later painted her as well, and a close friendship now exists among them all.

An avid skier, Cooper came to what she considers her most meaningful portrait series after a near-tragic accident on the slopes in which she broke her neck. While on the mend she turned to painting people with physical disabilities in works she calls “Divided Portraits.” These two-part paintings usually consist of a head-andshoulders portrait paired with one that reveals the subject’s handicap, such as a view of his or her lower body and legs in a wheelchair. A book on the series, published in 2007 by Umbrage Editions, includes an introduction by the founder of Very Special Arts, Jean Kennedy Smith.

Cooper enjoys the challenge of developing a rapport with her sitters, be it a prickly Ed Koch, now one of her biggest fans, or a restless Peter Matthiessen, the novelist, adventurer, and Zen master whom Cooper painted in his priestly rakusa.

1981

Photo by Mark Heithoff

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“I reminded him that he sits still for forty-five minutes at a time when he meditates,” Cooper says. “So much of portraiture is an abstraction of visual experience – the process of discovering who someone really is.”

Contact her at 917-225-7085 or hilcoop@gmail.com, or go to hilarycooper.com.

First published in the September 2010 issue of DEPARTURES magazine.

Christin Cleaver – I’m making art and being happy in Aspen and California.

Margaret Goodale Mason – It was really fun to have an Olfields Gathering in Minnesota. Who knew there were so many alumae in the area?! Best of all was seeing Taylor and Judy!

Laura Rogers Towne – We are so excited to have our daughter, Ali ’12, at Oldfields this year. She loves it! We are still living in Florida, so it is a bit of a “road trip,” but I expect that we will be collecting many frequent flyer miles!

1985

Cory Jones Jackson – I am still loving my job at Oldfields in admissions. Parker is a junior and Liza is a sophomore. Bring your daughter and we will give her the royal treatment. We love our Oldfields legacy girls!

1986

Anne McIntyre Colclough – I look forward to seeing everyone at our 25th reunion this April! George and I love DC. We’re just trying to keep up with our little ones, Katie (six) and Watts (four).

Araceli Maldonado de Jabbour ’87 and her family from Mexico City.

From L to R: Claire Noe Koch ’86, Alexandra Stegemann Christianson ’85, Judy Smith, Elizabeth Pless Kirk ’85, Helena Hallock Pless ’60, Elizabeth Childs Caguin ’85, Sallie Schulinger Krause ’85, Gillian Faulkner Waugh ’85 and Taylor Smith

Kathryn Hilliard Stuart – I am having a great time at my new job as an art appraiser (www.millergaffney.com). It has been years since I worked, so this has been a lot of fun! Sara, our 13 year old, placed fifth in the IEA Equestrian Western Nationals.

Caroline, our eight year old, is fun and busy. Gene and I are celebrated our 20th anniversary this past fall.

The Unruh Family: Peter, Tyler, Alex and Jill Romanowicz Unruh’87

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1995

Liberty Mullen Angel ’95 (Munich 2010) 1991

Lisa Natapaw Grohman – I’m looking forward to our 20 year reunion in April.

I hope it’s a great turnout. I haven’t been back since graduation.

1992

Jill Smith – I was married on December 4, 2010 to Martyn Donald. I currently work in pharmaceutical sales for AstraZeneca.

Dana “Tyler” Taylor Constand – It has been a whirlwind year. My store moved into a new and better location, the interior design firm is so busy, and our new website was finally launched. The news is that I got married to an amazing man, Chris Constand. He is not only my husband, but also my business partner on large scale projects with his contracting business. Life is good! Visit us at www.

TylerTaylorInteriors.com.

1998

Laura Serota – Lauren is presently living and working in Washington, DC. 1999

Congratulations Caroline!

This past year Caroline Latrobe ’99, an employee of Tiffany & Co. was awarded the 2009 Charles Lewis Tiffany Award for Excellence. She was honored “for demonstrating excellence in performance, providing exemplary customer service to internal or external clients, building customer relationships through sales cultivation, displaying creativity, teamwork, showing initiative and dedication in all components of her work during 2009.

To honor her achievement, Tiffany & a three day celebration, which included recognition activities, entertainment and employee education and development programs. Caroline also received a gift certificate for Tiffany & Co. merchandise.

1993

Laura Powell – I’m still living in Ardmore. I finished marathon number five in November. I’m currently volunteering while looking for work.

Joe and Meredith Barto Silippini ’96

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Grace Mullen P’95, ’95 (past faculty) and her daughter Liberty Mullen Angel ’95 in Cabo San Lucas.

upholding policies and procedures, and

Co. invited Caroline to New York City for

Erica Beecken – Erica married Sean Patrick Kelly at St. James Episcopal Cathedral on September 25, 2010.

She continues to work as a fund-raiser for Alderman Tom Tunney and Congressman Mike Quiggley.

Ashley Vizzi ’99, Erica Beecken ’99, and Claire Higgins Hathaway ’99 in New York summer 2010.

Oldfields friends celebrated at the wedding of Dealey Campbell ’98 to Trevor Glenewinkel on September 5, 2009. L to R: Anna Littlefield ’07, faculty member Maribeth Littlefield P’07, Irene Puky McLin ’98, Dealey Campbell ’98, Hilary Bieke Vogt ’97, Jacquette McGhee ’98, and Anni Canseco ’98.

Claire Higgins Hathaway – Claire married Brad Hathaway in Millbrook, NY on June 5, 2010. They are currently living and working in New York City.

Claire is the director of sales and marketing for Hotel Elysée, a member of HK Hotels.

Caroline Latrobe – Caroline Latrobe became engaged in June to Christopher Saylor and they are to be married on October 1, 2011. They are living in Hoboken, NJ, and both work in Manhattan.

2006 Brad and Claire Higgins Hathaway ’99 were married in Millbrook, NY on June 5, 2010.

Madeline “Maddy” Darrell – I am going to be spending the summer in the south of France!

2003 2009

Catherine Ford – I had the wonderful pleasure of marrying Steve Hamilton, whom I met while working in Washington, DC. Our wedding took place in Richmond, VA on October 2, 2010 and was a rip roarin’ good time. The Oldfields crew closed the party in true alumnae fashion, huddled in a circle in the middle of the dance floor, singing “The Sheep on the Hill” at the top of our lungs, as everyone looked on in bemusement. Steve and I are now the owners of one rambunctious puppy and live in Raleigh, NC.

L to R: Cassandra Fields LaBella ’03, Annie Dickerson ’04, Kerin Backhaus ’03, Ashley Brant ’03 and Catherine Ford ’03, taken when Catherine married Steve Hamilton on October 2, 2010.

Emily Acle – Emily is a sophomore at LIM College in New York City. She has currently landed an internship with The New York Post fashion column.

Charlotte Shapiro – Charlotte is having a great time during her sophomore year at the College of Wooster where she is active in the a cappella singing group After These Messages. She is a member of Alpha Gamma Phi sorority and has chosen Women’s Gender Studies as her major. GO GREENS! She misses her Oldfields sisters!

Former Faculty

Edie Hustvedt – My grandson, Kyle, was married in April 2010 and was awarded his Ph.D. degree in marine biology in December. Maybe some of the 1960s grads will remember his mom, Ginny, who was just a little girl when we were at Oldfields.

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In Honor of Jan Scott

The “Octagon Room,” as we fondly refer to this uniquely shaped room, is one of the special architectural features in the George S. Nevens, Jr. Library. It is positioned in the heart of the library, with a beautiful vaulted ceiling surrounded by windows and topped by a cupola. Due to the physical structure of this room, the library receives striking rays of light throughout the day. The interior walls display the architectural renderings from October of 1999 for the new science and library Rodney addition.

This room presently houses a beautiful large, round table that easily seats thirteen. It is an ideal space for class seminars, small study groups or meetings.

It has a permanent white board and there is usually a movable TV/DVD/CD cart stored in this room which allows teachers to show various films in a distractionfree, relatively soundproof environment.

The School would like to name this room, which is at the center of learning in the Nevens Library, for Jan Scott, former teacher, coach, dorm parent, director of development, and assistant head of school at Oldfields in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Although she was

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primarily an administrator at the end of her career, she never lost sight of the importance of what happened in the classroom.

She was a voracious reader and clearly understood the value of an Oldfields education and the commitment to each girl’s success.

Jan had a long and productive career at Oldfields. Like many school people, she wore several hats. Initially, she came to Oldfields in 1979 as a French and English teacher, dorm parent, advisor, and coach.

Very quickly, she was recognized as an excellent organizer and a great communicator. As a result, she was appointed director of alumnae affairs in 1980 and, upon Jim Richardson’s departure, the director of development in 1981. As the director of development, Jan helped the School build development infrastructure and started Oldfields’ focus on the growth of endowment. She left in 1986 to work with The Sheridan Group and with Leo Otterbein, a local educational consultant.

In 1988, Jan returned to Oldfields as the director of admission, becoming the assistant head for external affairs in 1991.

As such, she supervised both admissions and development.

In 1996, she left Oldfields to study at Columbia through a Klingenstein Fellowship. After completing her fellowship, Jan became the executive director of the Ohio Association of Independent Schools in 1998. In 1999, she married John Lavicka, a childhood friend and the love of her life. She started work on her

doctorate at Case Western that fall while becoming president of The Peninsula Group, a consulting firm assisting non-profit independent schools with strategic planning, marketing, fund-raising, organizational change, and management searches.

In February of 2000, Jan was diagnosed with liver cancer and fought bravely, seeking treatment at The Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and The Farber Cancer Institute. In June of 2001, Jan returned to Oldfields to deliver the baccalaureate address. Despite her valiant fight, she succumbed to the disease on December 29, 2002.

According to a colleague, Kim Loughlin, “Jan was considered an expert and a consummate professional in the school world.” She served on the boards and advisory committees of The Association of Boarding Schools, The Independent Educational Consultants Foundation, The National Coalition of Girls Schools, SSATB, The Living Classroom Foundation, The Federation of American and International Schools, Old Trail School, Crested Butte Academy, and Music from The Western Reserve.

We would like to share a few comments from Head of School Emeritus, Hawley Rogers, who hired Jan as the director of development: As I look back on Jan’s service to Oldfields, it occurs to me that she modeled so well a leadership style that is worthy of emulation by the present Oldfields girls who aspire to be “Women Who Dare.” She was passionate about everything she did. She was particularly passionate about the mission of Oldfields and had a significant role in its refinement over the years. She examined

the operations and behaviors of her department members in light of the philosophy and refused to compromise those standards whether it was in the area of development or admissions. She insisted on integrity, yet she was a compassionate advocate and mentor.

The results of her work and the respect she enjoyed throughout the independent school world is well known. What I remember most fondly about Jan was her joie de vivre. She took joy in every day and in the people with whom she worked on every level. She loved working with volunteers and particularly with trustees with whom she enjoyed an unusually close rapport. That rapport was the outgrowth of her genuine affection for them.

Towards the end of her tenure at Oldfields, her teaching proved to be one of her greatest sources of satisfaction. Her love of literature, articulated with the intelligence and enthusiasm for which she was known, made her a respected and popular teacher.

When I think of the theme for this past school year at Oldfields, “Women Who Dare,” I cannot help but think of one of the great leaders of Oldfields, Jan Scott.

The School presently has been given a seed gift of over $100,000 dollars to name the Octagon Room in honor of Jan Scott. The School has set a value of $350,000 necessary to name this room. If more than $350,000 is raised, that money will be placed in The Jan Scott Memorial Scholarship Fund. The hope is to have pledges received before Alumnae Weekend 2011 so that the plaque may be unveiled at that time.

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“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

- Greg Anderson

Save the date for Alumnae Weekend April 15-17, 2011 Come and make new memories with our past faculty and staff. If you know you are returning to Oldfields for Alumnae Weekend, please contact Joan Carter Jermakian ’81 P ’15 at JermakianJ@OldfieldsSchool.org or 443.662.1018. See you in April!

Hawley Rogers P’82 Wendy Rogers P’82 Dotty Hordubay Joe Hordubay Mary McPherson Kathy Barron Mitchell Claudia Fedarko John Grant Mary Hassett Miles Jane Dyer Marg Nevens Pulliam Sandy Nevens Benjamin Lynch Nell Richardson Ann Davis Barbara Weber Carol Russell Pauline Combe-Clark ’73 Anne Swayze Ron Romanowicz P’87, ’89 Anne Fletcher Cameron Teal Lynch Jane Spencer Deedee Helfrich Anderson Betsy Reardon Williams Harry Williams Martha Valentine Beth McCulloch Grace Mullen P’95, ’95 Bud Ruf

Anne “Tangie” Tarbell Abercombie Laura Wood Lisa Wood Wright ’84 Eileen Williams “Deetzie” Dance Walker ’71, P’98, ’02 Lynn Herrick Snyder Donna Sieverts Jennifer Sherman Marina Scalia Terri Savage Carol Samuels Andrea Martin O’Hearn Sue Louis Judy Hickey P’85, ’88 Mark Herilihy Jane Hammann Sarah Greenhalgh ’83 Chuck Jewitt Cathy Jewitt Sven Jensen P’00, ’05 Beth Franks P’11 Dawn Foster Sue Ellen Filar Andy Fields P’00, ’03 Kathy Fernandez Joan Donaldson Cheryl Parker Carol Winant Kenneth “Richard” Morrison

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The Largo Core Society Milestones Births A son Marsh Eliot WiIlliams to Lakin Cutter Williams ’88 February 2009

Largo Core – largeness of heart – is the name given to the society established to recognize those with the vision to include Oldfields School in their estate planning. As a member of the Largo Core Society, you will have an important impact in shaping the values and traditions of generations to come and in ensuring a strong future for Oldfields as the School moves towards its 150th anniversary and beyond. Your legacy will be an investment in the future of young women and our world.

A daughter, Olivia Marjorie Blasi, to Helen Pitts-Blasi ’93 on November 28, 2010 Marriages Meredith Barto ’96 to Joseph Filippini on October 4, 2008 Hannah Cutshall ’01 to Nick Biewenga on June 20, 2009 Claire Higgins ’99 to Brad Hathaway on June 5, 2010 Erica Beecken ’99 to Sean Patrick Kelly on September 25, 2010 Catherine Ford ’03 to Steve Hamilton on October 2, 2010 Tyler Taylor ’95 to Chris Constanda on October 10, 2010 Jelene “Joany” Dover Dressler ’82 to John Kane on November 14, 2010 In Memoriam Viola M. Albright on September 23, 2009 (Housekeeping duo of Audrey and Viola) Cynthia Rowland ’48 on April 3, 2010 Suzanne “Susie” DeLano Parish ’41 on May 13, 2010 Margaret Boocock Hurley ’53 on June 4, 2010 Margaret Moore Clucas ’30 on July 14, 2010 Sallie Curtis McCoy ’31 August 10, 2010 Josephine Allen Sudbring ’38 on August 29, 2010

“I’m pleased with my life, with the journey.”

- Tina Turner

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Mertze Anderson ’75 Anonymous (3) Katherine Trautlein ’81 Edith Clark Bouscaren ’71 Elizabeth Atkinson Bryan ’39 Jacquelin Thomas Carey ’64 Riley Chapin ’83 Pamela Prizer Chernick ’66 Samantha Coker ’90 Barbara Trotter Collins ’77 Pauline Combe-Clark ’73 Janna Conti ’81 Lara Burns Cunningham ’65 Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Darrell P’06 Margaret McKee Elwood ’75 Carol Hubbell Engebretson ’72 Elaine Foster ’51 Terrell Garrard ’62 Helen Frederick Gray ’51 Daphne Preece Hellmuth ’55 Laura Hoskins ’94 Kingsley FitzHugh Jack ’64 Cory Jones Jackson ’85, P’12,’13 Susan Hadden Lawrence ’65 Dede Alexandre Le Comte ’72, P’06 Jennifer Littleton ’84 Elizabeth Turner Love ’90 Carlisle Van Meter Mayer ’78, P’14 Scott Menzies, P’03 Dawn Danagher Peters ’78 Ronald Romanowicz, P’87, ’89 Susan West Ross ’64 Bunny Salisbury, P’90 Katharine duPont Sanger ’62

Maria Carter Satterfield ’44 Eloise Gilbert Savi ’42 William Scanlan, Jr., P’93 Jane Isdale Schaefer ’52, P’84 Sarah Buck Schmader ’82 Robin Gimbel Senior ’71 Carla Simmons, P’98 Cannon Simpson Stoffel ’76 Michael Simpson, P’85 Margaret Ulle ’78 Vanessa Weber ’73 Elizabeth Humrichouse Werth ’37 Natalie Riegel Weymouth ’61 Mariah Sibley Wolffe ’83 Lisa Wood Wright ’84 Katherine Wright ’90 We also offer our appreciation to the following donors, now deceased, who have provided a gift through their estate in perpetual support of Oldfields School: Martha Osborne Adams ’48 Marion H. Allen III, P’92, ’96 O. Frederick Bates, P’73 Susan Brandau ’30 Edward D. Cobb, P’76 Elise Eppes Cutchin ’24 Elizabeth M. Dickson ’49 Caroline Gouveneur Dillon ’45 Reynolds duPont, Sr., P’62, ’71 Stephen Fuller, P’60, ’62 Jane Goodale ’44 Margaret Samson Harris ’36

Elizabeth Lee Boothe Howell ’21 Katherine Young Keck ’19 Elizabeth Eierman Kennedy ’44 William T. Littleton, P’84 Suzanne W. McCarthy P’76 Duncan McCulloch III Kim York McNamara ’63, P’97 Janet Coit Meegan ’38 Gay Griscom Mehegan ’56 Terence Nolan, P’90 Jane Morton Norton ’26 Margaret Hamilton Riley ’11 Margaret Sutor Rood ’31 Armistead P. Rood Jan Scott Beverly Bissell Sullivan ’66 Regina Johnson Tomlinson, P’78, ’80, ’85 Helen “Miss Herky” E. Travers Lily Dulles Van Pelt ’26 Mary Mixsell Waldron ’28 Ann Hickok Warner ’54 J. Michael Welsh Gretchen V. Welsh Nancy “Twinkie” Crompton Wendell ’39 Cynthia Bullock Woodger ’49

Oldfields School

1500 Glencoe Road Sparks Glencoe, Maryland 21152-9321

The Miss Firecracker Contest Opens With A Bang!

Backstage with Ruilin “Sky” Li ’11 and Kaitlyn Watt ’11.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Baltimore, MD Permit #1