The Bridge Magazine | Fall 2022

The

Bridge FALL 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS THE BRIDGE MAGAZINE is published annually for alumni, parents, students, and friends of the School.

HEAD OF SCHOOL Fanning M. Hearon III

2 A Message from the Head of School 4-33 Around PBDA Work Hard. Be Kind.

EDITOR/DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

The Centennial Gala

AND COMMUNICATIONS

Classes of 2022 and 2023

Brent Gallagher

Back on the Field

DESIGN

91st Annual Walter H. Butler Field Day

Sherry McAllister, McAllister Design

A Trip of a Lifetime to the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement

PHOTOGRAPHY

Second Century Campaign

Penelope Miller, Brent Gallagher, Kimberley Belfi, and PBDA faculty/staff CLASS NOTES COPY EDITOR Mac Jackson CORRESPONDENCE AND ADDRESS CHANGE

34 School by the Water 48-63 Faculty Introductions

Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Relations

Faculty Years of Service

241 Seaview Avenue

Farewell to Tina Barbieri

Palm Beach, FL 33480

The PBDA Difference

communication@pbday.org and alumni@pbday.org ON THE COVER: Class of 2023 students Gabby Kosoy,

64-73 Alumni

The Happiest Hour

Chloe Petrovics and Kate Frost aboard

Back in the New York Groove

WHAT’S INSIDE the research vessel ANGARI for a day of

Class Notes

shark research.

Cover Photo Credit: Amanda Waite/ ANGARI Foundation

FOLLOW US! @palmbeachday @palmbeachdayacademy; @palmbeachdayalumni @palmbeachday

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@palmbeachdayacademy @pbday.org

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2021-2022 Annual Report

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MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL FANNING M. HEARON III

Dear PBDA Community, Fall greetings to all our Pelican and Flamingo friends. As PBDA settles into its 102nd year of operation in Palm Beach, we find ourselves in a very strong position coming out of the last three years of disruption. Our enrollment has grown steadily since 2019 and with that growth comes an influx of dedicated teachers and staff to oversee our highly respected academic program. With 575 students and 85 full-time teachers spread across two beautiful campuses, PBDA is thriving.

None of this would be possible without the generous support of our alumni, parents, grandparents, and neighbors. Thank you for continuing to support PBDA as we celebrate our second century of academic excellence in Palm Beach County.

As I begin my fourth year as Head of School, I am eager to now focus more of our attention on our people, our program, and our facilities. On page 32, you will learn more about our Second Century Campaign and our fundraising efforts to solidify the future of PBDA. The three primary objectives of this campaign are simple: to support our hard-working teachers, to preserve and refresh our historic Upper Campus, and to fortify the long-term financial sustainability of the institution through endowment growth. These three main pillars – faculty, facilities, and finance – deserve our immediate attention if PBDA wishes to remain one of the leading PK-9 independent schools in the country.

The Second Century Campaign is ultimately about improving the student experience at PBDA. We require the best teachers in the most ideal classroom configuration imaginable in order to remain the school of choice for current and prospective families in booming south Florida. It is an exciting time to live and work here, and we (literally!) cannot wait to update our facilities. The historic Seaview Avenue campus – designed by famed architect Marion Sims Wyeth and built in 1931 – deserves much-needed attention after having served generations of local families.

I am so proud to be connected to this special school and to assist our faculty in carrying out our mission to educate students “in an academically challenging and compassion-rich environment that guides each child toward personal excellence of mind, body, and character.” These are extraordinary times and our students deserve to be supported as they navigate a world beset with challenges and opportunities.

Thank you for reading The Bridge, sharing with us your alumni class updates, and supporting a school that has been at the center of life in Palm Beach for over 100 years.

Go Bulldogs!

Fanning M. Hearon III Head of School

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AROUND PBDA

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Follow us on social media for a glimpse into this year’s Halloween Parade, scheduled for Monday, October 31, 2022.

Halloween Parade Each October, the red carpet is rolled out for what is arguably the most anticipated event at Palm Beach Day Academy all year long. An event that rivals Field Day in terms of excitement, anticipation, and parent attendance. Yes, we’re talking about the annual Lower Campus Halloween Parade for students in Primary through Third Grade. The energy on campus had been building for almost two years and was at last unleashed at the October 2021 parade as the pandemic world was loosening its reins in light of the many vaccinations and boosters. Grade by grade, class by class, monsters, vampires, football players, princesses, and even inflatable figurines, floated by a sea of parents and grandparents as they paraded across the Lower Campus P.E. field.

Scan with your phone’s camera for scenes from last year’s Halloween Parade

Lower Campus Pajama Day There is no joy quite like that of a Lower School student who has the privilege of attending the occasional school day wearing his or her trusted pajamas. While the concept is certainly not unique to PBDA, there is a palpable and special energy tied to PBDA’s “Pajama Day” that can’t be replicated elsewhere.

Every few months, the Lower Campus holds a “Pajama Day” for our youngest Bulldogs. It is during these three days in a year that our parents have the luxury of a few extra minutes to themselves in the morning as they are spared the inevitable morning battles: from finding the one clean PBDA jumper for their Pre-Primary daughter, to the energy spent trying to ration with a first grader as to why he can’t wear the same PBDA polo for the fourth day in a row. Though our faculty are often thrown to the wolves on Pajama Day, dealing with energy levels that only NFL players on Super Bowl Sunday may understand, there is no denying the joy in seeing the faces of our Bulldogs on Pajama Day.

Photography: Penelope Miller 4

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AROUND PBDA

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hen it comes to community service, the Bulldog community does not mess around. A testament to our unofficial motto of “Work Hard. Be Kind.” — a saying adopted by the one and only Upper Campus English teacher of 54 years, MR. RALPH GRECO — is PBDA’s cross-campus “Day of Service.” Although no class is held on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, PBDA students take very seriously the meaning of the day and go to work on fulfilling Dr. King’s legacy outside of the classroom. This past year was no exception.

A few weeks prior, an email went out to all families announcing the School’s partnership with the Jewish Volunteer Center for the seventh year in a row. With the COVID-19 omicron variant raging both locally and nationally, this year’s “Day of Service” would be held at home instead of in the traditional format of

“ When we came to tour PBDA nine years ago, one of the things that made the school stand out was the commitment to community service and giving back to others.

I am continually impressed by the work that our students do in the community.”

—JULIANA GENDELMAN

being held at various locations across the community. Palm Beach Day families were invited to pack toiletry items at home to ultimately be donated to CROS Ministries and distributed to homeless and low-income members of the community serviced through CROS, St. Ann’s Place, St. George’s Center, and more.

The next day, the toiletry items were dropped off on both campuses as the students arrived for school.

While the Bulldog Outreach team had prepared for many generous donations, what they received was an overwhelming outpouring of goods that was above and beyond their expectations. Bags of toiletry items spilled throughout the Upper Campus Atrium and into the stairwell, so much so that it became hard to navigate through the area.

“After loading both vans twice and rolling into our first stop at a local outreach center, we opened the trunk of one van and several recipients just started crying and telling us we have no idea how much this means. There was not a dry eye in our group,” said JULIANA GENDELMAN , a PBDA parent, Trustee on the School’s Board, and Chair of the Jewish Volunteer Center. “I think sometimes we all take for granted that we have soap, shampoo, feminine products, socks, and more. For someone who doesn’t have these seemingly small items, donations like these are a complete gamechanger.”

Work Hard. Be Kind.

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AROUND PBDA After several delays, the much-anticipated Centennial Gala was held on Friday, April 29, 2022. Undeterred by the torrential rain that fell that evening, over 400 attendees gathered under two tents that spanned the entirety of the Upper Campus West Field. GLDN Events partnered with Creative Edge Catering and Austentatious Designs to produce an unforgettable night, one that left the guests raving about the food, decor and overall production itself. The live auction capped a tremendously successful fundraiser, highlighted by a surprise unveiling of a portrait of MR. RALPH GRECO. Between the auction, ticket sales, and sponsorships, the Centennial Gala raised a record $1.2 million to directly support the school and its programming.

Auctioneer Sebastian Clarke

Raj and Emily Ava P ’28, ’30, ’31

Cindy and Ron McMackin P ’23

Clockwise from left: Jim and Sarah McCann PP ’08; Stefan and Nancy Richter PP ’06, ’08; Emeritus Trustee Paul and Kathy Leone PP ‘00; Emeritus Trustee Michael and Suzanne Ainslie PP ’13 Clockwise from left: Pepe Fanjul Jr, ’86, PP ’15, ’17; Samantha Carroll ’96, P ’26, ’28, ’31; Brian Pfeifler PP ’22, P ’24, ’27; Josie Kalisman P ’32, ’33, Brendan Carroll P ’26, ’28, ’31; Emilia Fanjul Pfeifller ’90, PP ’22, P ’24, ’27; Jason Kalisman P ’32, ’33; Arriana Boardman P ’24; Emeritus Trustee Lourdes Fanjul PP ’15, ’17; Dixon Boardman P ’24

Benji Griswold ’96 P ’27, ’30; Nicholas McClelland P ’29; Diego Urrutia P ’31

THE CENTENNIAL

GALA

Carrie Pateman ’92, PP ’21; Caroline Forrest ’92, P ’25; Tom Forrest P ’25; and Former Head of Upper School Sarah Kemeness

Creative Edge’s Jeff Fowler and GLDN Events’ Meredith Falk P ’33, ’35

Grateful Alumni: Pepe Fanjul Jr., ’86, Dana Koch ’87, Ralph Greco, Samantha Carroll ’96 8

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AROUND PBDA COMMENCEMENT

CELEBRATES THE CLASSES OF

2022 AND 2023

On Saturday, June 4, in the midst of a tropical storm producing downpours and heavy winds, six ninth-grade graduates and 51 eighth-grade graduates, along with their families, faculty, and staff, gathered in the warmth of the Halmos Activity Center to officially welcome these students into the Palm Beach Day Academy alumni community.

THE KATIE TUMMON ’03

THE JOHN L. THOMPSON RESEARCH

EDUCATIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY

PAPER AWARD

is awarded to the student who has written a strong work of narrative fiction that insightfully demonstrates his or her understanding of the core values of PBDA: integrity, respect, responsibility, as well as kindness, and compassion.

AWARD

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The CHARACTER SKETCH AWARD is given to the student who has submitted the most outstanding character sketch during the year, given the difficulty of subject matter, writing style organization, and mechanics.

ZARIELLE LIS, 9TH GRADE

ALEXA LIGNELLI, 9TH GRADE

GABBY KOSOY, 8TH GRADE

2023

is awarded to the Upper Campus student with the highest academic average for the year, provided the average is 90 or above.

THE 1958 CUP

THE FACULTY CUP

is awarded to the 6th Grade student who attained the highest academic average.

was established by the Class of 1958 to be awarded to the Upper Campus student who has set an outstanding example for his or her classmates.

SAM SHLEIFER, 6TH GRADE

BLAKE FROST, 8TH GRADE

ALEXA LIGNELLI, 9TH GRADE

THE FLETCHER HUNT MEMORIAL CUP

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is given to a 9th grader who has shown excellent skills in finding resources and synthesizing information from various texts to support his/her claims, as well as showing clarity, coherence, and insight in the year-end critical research paper.

AWARD WINNERS

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AROUND PBDA

DAVID K. DANIELS FINE ARTS OLIVIA BAKER, 8TH GRADE

THE CHAPIN CUP BRADEN ADAMS, 6TH GRADE

MUSIC ALLISON TAYLOR, 8TH GRADE

GEOGRAPHY BEE MATTHEW SOSIN, 7TH GRADE

SCHOLAR/ATHLETE AWARD

AMORY L. HASKELL DRAMATICS XAVIER WALKER, 7TH GRADE

6TH GRADE GRIT PRIZE ELOISE FORREST, 6TH GRADE

KATE FROST, 8TH GRADE, AND

THE BARBARA BAYLESS CLOSE

LUCAS ANDREON, 8TH GRADE

ALUMNI AWARD

HERITAGE LEARNER LIAN AZQUETA, 7TH GRADE

7TH GRADE JUDY VARADY MONOLOGUE BETTINA GANNON, 7TH GRADE

MICHAEL F. MATTHEWS PI BRADEN ADAMS (253 DIGITS), 6TH GRADE

KIWANIS STUDENT OF THE YEAR RILEY HARPER, 8TH GRADE

THE WILLIAM H. DAVIS, JR. SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

honors a student who excels in both math and science.

It is considered the School’s highest honor in the two complementary disciplines.

AWARD

ALEXA LIGNELLI, 9TH GRADE THE AMORY L. HASKELL CUP ,

one

of the most coveted awards each year, honors the winning Walter H. Butler Field Day captains.

FLAMINGO CAPTAINS: CARLISLE ALEXANDER, 8TH GRADE, AND JACOB SCHECHTER, 9TH GRADE

THE ROBERT W. BAYLESS

was established by the Bayless family in memory of Robert Bayless. The award recognizes an outstanding student or students on the Upper Campus for a combination of Honor Roll academics and athletic endeavors. recognizes the graduate who has consistently demonstrated consideration for his or her fellow students, the faculty, and the School.

DESTINY HERD, 8TH GRADE

THE HOLDER CUP ,

considered to be Palm Beach Day Academy’s highest honor, is awarded to the student who – through his or her integrity, school spirit, scholastic endeavor, and good sportsmanship – has contributed most to the life of the School.

KATE FROST, 8TH GRADE

The Upper Campus 7th – 9th Grade GRIT AWARD is an improvement award established to recognize the student who has shown the most overall growth as a student and as a school citizen.

XAVIER WALKER, 7TH GRADE

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ACADEMIC AWARDS P A LM BE A C H D A Y A C A D E M Y

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A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF LOWER SCHOOL MARTHA BJORKLUND The anticipation and excitement of each new school year is truly magical. As Head of the Lower School, one of my responsibilities during the spring and summer months is to plan for the upcoming school year. It is not only a time to reflect on the past year but a time to creatively explore and research ideas and plans for the next one. We certainly have many long-standing traditions at PBDA that we keep and honor, but it is exhilarating to introduce new programs and special events for our students that we have worked on over the summer months.

Now that we have aligned our Language Arts and Math programs from Kindergarten through Third Grade, which has expanded to the fourth and fifth grades as well, we have shifted our focus to our Science program which focuses this year on the theme of water. Our new Science teacher, EMILY GRIFFITH , who most recently worked at Loggerhead Marinelife Center, brings with her great experience and the ability to connect and enrich our existing

SHANA DUTKEWYCH Innovation, STEM, and Science programs. She is working closely and collaboratively with JENNIFER SABUGO , our Technology Educator.

Our goal through visiting speakers and a variety of off-campus field trips is to allow for our students to learn firsthand from people in the field about the importance of water to our local community as well as the world. We are fortunate to have a collaboration with Lake Worth Waterkeeper, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Miami’s watershed and wildlife. Last spring, we established a partnership with the Palm Beach Symphony which allows interested Lower Campus students to receive individual music lessons from members of the symphony at various studios throughout West Palm Beach and Palm Beach. This year, we have arranged a robust, year-long schedule visits from Palm Beach Symphony to our campus. Musicians will host special classes, demonstrations, and performances with each grade level from Pre-Primary through Third Grade. I am so appreciative of this valuable connection that was made for PBDA by some of our current parents.

Our visiting chef has also returned this year after a brief hiatus from the program due to COVID and a limit on campus visitors. The chef takes local produce or vegetables and herbs from our garden and creates simple recipes that students are then able to taste. Lots of learning takes place through the presence of food and the students and teachers really enjoy these classes.

There is a lot of learning and excitement happening on Lower Campus. I invite you to stop by anytime you are near the beautiful campus on the intracoastal. I promise you will leave smiling.

Martha Bjorklund

Head of Lower School

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A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL Endings and beginnings are what schools are all about: each year we gather in the spring to celebrate our graduates and to say goodbye, and each fall we greet new and returning students alike. Students are moving forward to a new grade level, and faculty get the chance to start over with a fresh new year. I’ve spent most of my life in schools, and for me, that transitional space has always been sacred. This past spring, welcoming our rising fourth graders who had just “crossed the bridge” to signify their joining the Upper Campus community, I was struck once again by how profoundly strong and important our sense of community is to us here at Palm Beach Day Academy. These strong relationships have helped to guide us through the challenges of the pandemic, and I know we are stronger for having faced these difficulties with open minds and hearts. As I transitioned from Director of Student Learning to Head of Upper School, I realized once again the importance of not only crossing bridges but also continuing to build them.

That day of the Third Grade Bridge Ceremony, as I stood on stage and looked into the excited faces of our new Upper Campus students, I was also greeted by a sea of parents’ faces in the audience: many I have known for years and some I just met as we shared popsicles in the hot sun following the previous day’s Bridge Walk. I couldn’t help but reflect on the memories of my own sons’ crossing of the bridge to join us on Seaview Avenue. Now those new faces have filled the fourth-grade pod with curiosity and laughter as our new year is underway. I’m grateful for the connections that are already forged by a dedicated faculty that recognize the critical importance of the student-teacher relationship and understand that trust must be built in order for students to take risks and grow. I’m humbled to work with this extraordinary group of educators who collaborate and elevate one another.

This year, I look forward to more moments that bring us all together. I’ve already witnessed the daily connections made during conversations in advisory, early morning study sessions, and teamwork on the field. When our students volunteer alongside their teachers with Bulldog Outreach, I am confident that we are building bridges to young people who will become lifelong stewards of service. The integral roles of our Secondary School Coordinator, two Deans of Students, Grade Level Leads, Student Success Team (SST), and Department Chairs have helped facilitate cohesion and collaboration and ensure advocacy and support for each student. I am proud and excited to step into a new role with a strong leadership team in place to continue to serve our students, faculty, and parents. I am grateful that my family and I are part of this community. This is our collective village and I look forward to a year of building meaningful bridges, connecting, and partnering to support our students and one another.

Shana Dutkewych

Head of Upper School

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AROUND PBDA

VARSITY GOLF TEAM

Back on the Field After a one-year hiatus, the Palm Beach Day Bulldogs were back on the fields and the courts this past year to compete in the school’s intercollegiate games with our surrounding peer schools.

The Varsity Flag Football team kicked off a strong athletic year with its first-ever undefeated season.

On October 13, 2021, they were declared League Champions for the fourth time after a 21-0 win against St. Mark’s School. The Varsity Girls Soccer team made it to the semi-finals in early February against Jupiter Christian where they were tied going into the second half. Unfortunately, with two quick goals on the Lady Bulldogs, the JCS Eagles defeated the Lady Bulldogs with a final score of 4-1, ending the girls’ season. For the eleventh time in 12 seasons, the Varsity Girls Basketball team made it to the Championship game but ultimately lost in overtime. Meanwhile, in the annual Legends

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM

Varsity Basketball game, the “Legends” (faculty/ staff/admininstrators, coaches, parents, and honorary members) narrowly defeated the Boys Varsity Basketball team with a final score of 42-41.

Other notable “wins” for the Bulldogs included an undefeated season for the Varsity Girls Lacrosse team, an undefeated Varsity Golf team for the 5th year in a row, and the return of the beloved Mother/ Daughter and Father/Son softball games after a five-year hiatus.

VARSITY BOYS BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM

BASKETBALL LEGENDS GAME

FIELD HOCKEY TEAM

VARSITY FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM DECLARED LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

GIRLS VARSITY LACROSSE TEAM HAD AN UNDEFEATED SEASON

ALUMNI/FACULTY/STUDENT FIELD HOCKEY GAME

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AROUND PBDA

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Save the date for our 92nd annual Field Day on Saturday, February 25, 2023!

T H E MA DDO CK AW A RD W I N NERS The Maddock Award is given to any student-athlete who placed in first in their two events: a running event and a field event. Congratulations to this year’s winners!

JOHN GEORGE, 9TH GRADE 300-yard Run and Standing Broad Jump THADDY HUANIGG, 8TH GRADE 50-yard Dash and Running Broad Jump RILEY HARPER, 8TH GRADE 50-yard Dash and Standing Broad Jump BROOKS BOYD, 7TH GRADE Co-ed Relay and Running Broad Jump KILEY ELLENDER, 6TH GRADE Co-ed Relay and Running Broad Jump KAYLA FANBERG, 6TH GRADE Co-ed Relay and Softball Throw THOMAS FORREST, 6TH GRADE Co-ed Relay and Running Broad Jump

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91st Annual Walter H. Butler Field Day For the third year in a row, it was raining yellow at Field Day as the Flamingos took home another win over the Pelicans in a final score of 281 to 215. Despite the Flamingos coming out on top, it was a tight race across the board throughout the entire day. As the first Field Day since the pandemic began and the first all-school gathering since then as well, energy and excitement levels were as high as they have ever been. More than 1,000 attendees turned out for a spirited day of competition on a beautiful South Florida Saturday morning on February 26, 2022. Cheerleaders on the sidelines ranged from parents decked in head-to-toe blue or yellow to beloved faculty members including MR. RALPH GRECO and TINA BARBIERI. Alumni of all ages came from all over to be a part of the day, including one alum who had just deplaned at Palm Beach International and raced straight to the Palm Beach Recreation Center to be a part of the Alumni Tug-of-War (which the Flamingos also won).

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AROUND PBDA A TRIP OF A LIFETIME TO THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

T

his past spring, eleven eighth-graders were accompanied

by Upper Campus Department Chairs MR. BRYCE STEWART and MR. SCOTT THOMPSON to Alabama for the school’s first-ever Civil Rights Trip. The trip was more than just

visiting historical sites and museums. It was a moving experience with the men and women who brought

overdue change to our nation.

Every student of American history has seen the video clips of segregationist Governor George Wallace standing on the steps of the capitol building in

Montgomery, Alabama, and pledging in his inauguration speech, “Segregation now. Segregation tomorrow. Segregation forever.” Students had the once-in-a-time opportunity to listen as Mrs. Peggy Wallace, the daughter of the infamous governor, shared over an intimate dinner the struggles of knowing what her father represented was wrong, but “he was still my daddy.”

Later in the trip, students enjoyed lunch with foot soldiers and leaders of the Civil Rights movement in the basement of the church used for planning meetings for the Selma to Montgomery March. Students were overwhelmed when the foot soldiers spontaneously broke into song when asked how the marchers found the strength to endure the savage attacks.

It’s one thing to read about Bloody Sunday; it’s transformational to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Diane Harris who was bombarded by fire hoses and Alabama state troopers because she wanted to march to change voting registration laws.

Travel is often life-changing and the Civil Rights trip was no exception. Facing our nation’s history can be difficult, but educational travel experiences like this enable us to embrace challenging topics and engage in meaningful dialogue. In the following pages, four PBDA students reflect on their conversations with and learnings from notable figures from the Civil Rights movement with whom they met while on the trip.

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AROUND PBDA

Scan with your phone’s camera for scenes from the Civil Rights Trip.

DESTINY HERD ’23 ON DIANE HARRIS The Civil Rights Movement was an extremely important time in U.S. history but a lot of people don’t know the details of this era. That’s why our Alabama trip was so important. We were able to learn about the Civil Rights Movement directly from people who participated in it. We had the opportunity to speak with many amazing people and hear their stories.

One of those stories really resonated with me and that was the story of DIANE HARRIS. Diane Harris attempted to participate in the march from Selma to Montgomery across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965. The Selma to Montgomery march was a peaceful protest to give African Americans the right to vote. The marchers were met by police officers with horses, billy clubs, cattle prods and more. They attacked the marchers and chased them.

The march would soon be known as Bloody Sunday.

Ms. Harris was closer to the back of the crowd and was about to step on the bridge when she heard screaming and saw people running away. She talked to us about how everyone was running and being

trampled by horses. She saw people injured or lying dead on the ground all around her as she ran away.

Diane Harris’s story is important because she was just one of the many young people fighting for their rights and their parents’ rights to vote. She walked over the Edmund Pettus Bridge with us and stopped us when we got to about where the police officers were waiting. As we walked, I felt a sense of pride that people that looked like me fought and didn’t stop fighting until they got their rights. This experience taught us that if we see something that is unjust and unfair, we should do something about it.

Looking back and learning about their struggles is important because it teaches us not to repeat the same mistakes.

CALVIN WOLFF ’23 ON PEGGY WALLACE KENNEDY Before my interest in the trip, I had never heard of PEGGY WALLACE KENNEDY , let alone her father George Wallace – one of the most famous segregationists ever – but thanks to my history teachers, I was soon informed. In the weeks leading up to the trip, my peers and I took a crash course in the Civil Rights Movement. We watched videos and had discussions about bombings, police brutality, and Jim Crow. One man who seemed to have a part in every move against the struggle for civil rights was George Wallace. Our teachers wanted us to understand as much as we could about the speakers we would meet and talk to so we were asked to read The Broken Road by Ms. Wallace. After finishing the book it was time to fly and I was excited because I felt like I knew the whole life of someone I couldn’t wait to meet.

It’s many people’s dream to meet the writer of their favorite book and get a chance to learn from them and I was no exception. Meeting Peggy Wallace was a lot to experience. She is a short woman and very old, but

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she gave off a very welcoming and powerful presence. She started by telling us her life story in the form of a moving speech while we hung on every word. She talked about how her father always wanted power and was always on the move to get it. She told us how her mother was so strong and kept the family together. “Momma was the one who was actually in charge,” she told us. She also talked about how it was “politics first, family second” and how even though George Wallace was never around the house, when he was there they were happy to see him.

She discussed how she had to learn to separate herself from her father’s views which, even as a young kid, she recognized were wrong.

Throughout her speech, I noticed two major things. The first was that her hands would begin to shake whenever she spoke of her mother who was her rock in life and served for about a year and a half as governor of Alabama before she died. I feel Peggy Wallace would have been a very different person without her mother’s influence, as she carried their whole family through the struggles of poverty. The second thing I noticed, she didn’t say. I noticed that even though she had grown up surrounded by racist adults and a strong belief in segregation, she was able to find her own views and was able to resist growing up to be the next racist Wallace.

To me, the life of Peggy Wallace shows that you don’t have to adopt beliefs you know are wrong just because everyone else does. In her story, she talked about how her decision to write her book and become a civil rights activist cost her many friends, but she did it because it was the right thing to do.

GABRIEL DATTELS ’23 ON THE SELMA MARCH FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF JOANNE BLAND The Civil Rights Trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Over the course of four days, my classmates and I learned so much about the struggles and achievements of the Civil Rights Movement; in the places where they all P A LM BE A C H D A Y A C A D E M Y

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remembers the sheer determination of the marchers to endure these terrors all for the pursuit of the movement. Joanne told us that she never regrets being a part of that march, regardless of the pain, because she finally felt that she was standing up to her oppressors. Many of those marchers must have felt the same way because just a few weeks later, they would march again but this time with the protection of federal troops ordered by Attorney General Robert Kennedy. happened. One of the places we visited was a church in the tiny town of Selma where the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge March on Bloody Sunday took place.

JOANNE BLAND , who participated in the march with her two sisters when she was only 14-years-old, recounted her memories from that day with our group.

The march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge was a protest for voting rights because African Americans all over the country (especially in Alabama) were being denied their right to vote. Without voting, local and federal officials were evidently all white, and almost never had the interests and struggles of the African Americans in mind. So the Selma March was organized, with the late congressman John Lewis and SCLC colleague Hosea Williams leading the march from Selma to Montgomery. What started out as a peaceful march across the bridge took a violent turn once the peaceful marches met the oppressive state troopers at the end of the bridge facing away from Selma. The marches were not able to continue because the policemen unleashed dogs, tear gas, water cannons, and brutal beatings on the marchers.

Joanne Bland remembers being in the group while screams and terror rang out through the group.

People were being brutalized and beaten all because they wanted to protect their constitutional right to vote just like every other American. She remembers the feeling of tear gas, choking, and having her eyes sting and lungs close up. She remembers seeing her fellow marchers be beaten by angry policemen and chewed up by police dogs. But above all, she 24

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Joanne’s story teaches us determination, courage, belief in a righteous cause, and above all, the ability to stare fear and oppression in the face and continue to push on. She pushed for civil rights and humanity.

OLIVIA BAKER ’23 ON CAROLYN MCKINSTRY AND THE BOMBING OF THE SIXTEENTH STREET BAPTIST CHURCH is one of the survivors of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing which occurred on September 15, 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. This tragedy is described as REVEREND CAROLYN MCKINSTRY

four well-known Ku Klux Klan members placing dynamite under the steps of the church, killing four young girls and injuring over twenty others. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that this bombing was “one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity.” This crime was so significant because it was an obvious hate crime, especially since the church held many of the meetings during the Civil Rights Movement.

We were extremely fortunate to meet Carolyn because she shared with us her first-hand experience, a perspective that you cannot get from

any history book. She told us how scared she was when the bomb went off and that she saw a young girl daydreaming, and two girls helping one another with their dresses right before the blow. Carolyn today is still a member of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, despite many members leaving due to fear after the bombing. She is also serving as the president of the Sixteenth Street Foundation. It is so inspiring to be able to meet a woman like her who, despite having gone through the loss of friends and family members at such a young age, is still very strong and willing to tell her story.

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AROUND PBDA

EUROPEAN HISTORY TRIP

T

After a COVID hiatus, the European History Trip was back and better than ever this past June.

Eighteen rising ninth graders and four chaperones had the opportunity of a lifetime to participate in a 12-day educational trip where they explored four countries within Central Europe as a way to further understand many aspects of what they had studied in their PBDA history courses. he European “tour” began in Vienna, Austria where the students visited many of the Hapsburg palaces and residences while learning about the family’s dynasty and empire that ruled much of central and eastern Europe for hundreds of years. One of the highlights of Vienna was the Kunsthistorisches Museum which is not only an incredible building

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but also houses one of Europe’s finest collections of 18th- and 19th-century paintings. Students also visited the Hapsburg Treasury in the Hofburg Palace, took a ride on the famous Viennese Reisenrad at the Prater Amusement Park for a bird’s eye view of the city, and enjoyed amazing culinary experiences including the city’s famous Wienerschnitzel and apfelstrudel.

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AROUND PBDA: EUROPEAN HISTORY TRIP Before visiting Poland, the group took a few days to relax and enjoy the mountain scenery in Slovakia’s High Tatras mountains. The “down time” ranged from a relaxing spa experience at the Kempinksi High Tatras to a river trip down the Dunajec River on traditional wooden rafts that have been used in the High Tatras for generations. The students then visited Auschwitz and Birkenau while in Krakow. Prior to the trip, students had read books and watched films to prepare them for the visit. On the outskirts of Krakow, the group journeyed hundreds of meters underground in a salt mine to learn about how valuable salt has been to the region’s economy for centuries.

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The final stop on the trip was Prague in the Czech Republic where the group learned first-hand about the various revolutions, and attempted revolutions, to throw off Communism. A highlight for many students was a tour of a Cold War nuclear bunker which took them deep beneath the streets of Prague to see how a select few in the Communist party would have attempted to survive a nuclear attack from the West.

Filled with Communist propaganda and Cold War items like gas masks and mid-century technology, the bunker was a chilling reminder to the students that the Cold War they studied in school was definitely quite real.

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AROUND PBDA: OFF BROADWAY

Seussical, Jr.: The Musical This year’s production of Seussical, Jr.: The Musical was truly three years in the making. With the

Thinks You Can Think!” at the final Upper Campus

pandemic shutting down the live performance of

Assembly before Spring Break.

Oliver in 2020 and limiting our 2021 production of Disney’s Descendants to a see-through masked,

video-recorded performance, Seussical was finally able to be the community event that is the purpose of live theater. Directed by MRS. ANNETTE JOHNSON and MR. CONNOR MARR , the Upper Campus put on a show for the PBDA community that brought in an audience from both campuses.

Students began auditioning as soon as they returned Images: Off Broadway Frozen

from Winter Break in January with rehearsals held every afternoon. The students quickly fell in love with the songs, the story, and the message of “a person’s a person no matter how small.” Soon, even teachers felt like they knew every lyric to the songs after their students would enter class each day singing a new song from the show. By March, the

Third Grade presents Disney’s Frozen The third-grade musical is a long-standing tradition and a unique component of the third-grade curriculum. The process is designed to give thirdgrade students an opportunity to learn all about the art of performing as they discover what it takes to produce a live musical. This year’s show, directed by the Lower Campus’ DR. SARA STAPLETON and MR. JON FEJES , was Disney’s Frozen Kids.

“This show had a lot of special roles that allowed so many of our students to have their time to shine,”

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explained Dr. Stapleton. The directors even wrote-in characters for the students to get them excited and spark their creativity.

– performed an impromptu performance of “Oh the

cast was bouncing off the walls, desperate to share their story with an audience. Prompted by 8th graders CARLISLE ALEXANDER and RILEY HARPER , the

Students worked tirelessly to make the show as spectacular as it could be. With the help of MRS. ALLYSON JORDAN ,

Upper Campus English and Writing

teacher, the show’s choreography transcended the TikTok generation and gave the audience something to marvel at and be truly proud of.

Throughout the four months of rehearsals, Johnson’s and Marr’s students created and collaborated to achieve the same goal – to share their story. “We are so proud of the level of growth and professionalism that these students displayed throughout this long process,” said CONNOR MARR , PBDA’s Drama Teacher.

“We had students who had never sing in public belt their little hearts out. We even had a student, RYAN PETCOVE ’22 ,

create the lighting design for the entire

production.”

While the Spring 2023 musical is still a mystery, let’s just say–get your tickets early.

cast – led by the Cat in the Hat, XAVIER WALKER

The musical process began with formal auditions.

Students were given a specific script and a small piece of music to memorize and perform. Every third-grader was given a special part in the show, and many were even asked to understudy additional roles. Dr. Stapleton and Mr. Fejes held weekly group rehearsals at which the students learned all about acting, singing, choreography, blocking, projecting, and more. They also had the chance to work through technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals. “We applied stage makeup to every child for the dress rehearsal and the show, and every child wore an individually-designed costume unique to their character,” Dr. Stapleton said. “Whatever we could do to give the students an authentic stage performance experience, that is what we did. Our goal was to show students just how theater builds community and confidence.” It’s safe to say this year’s musical did just that.

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THE NEXT 100 YEARS: THE SECOND CENTURY CAMPAIGN “WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL TO THE SHLEIFER FAMILY FOR THIS GENEROUS GIFT AND THE IMMEDIATE IMPACT IT WILL HAVE ON OUR STUDENTS AND FACULTY. THIS GIFT WILL ALLOW US TO CONTINUE TO ATTRACT, RETAIN AND DEVELOP TALENTED EDUCATORS AND MAKE IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR FACILITIES.” FANNING HEARON, HEAD OF SCHOOL, ON THE SHLEIFER GIFT

It was with great enthusiasm that Palm Beach Day Academy launched the largest fundraising initiative in school history - the Second Century Campaign – in February 2022. Based on the priorities outlined in the school’s most recent Strategic Plan, The Path Forward: 2021-2026, this campaign will directly support PBDA’s efforts in achieving key institutional goals vital to the success of our next 100 years.

At the heart of this plan is PBDA’s commitment to programmatic excellence for our students from Pre-Primary to ninth grade. To maintain such excellence, the campaign is keenly focused on three critical areas of need: • Supporting our dedicated faculty/staff • Renovating the school’s historic facilities • Ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the institution This past summer, the school dedicated financial resources to improve certain areas on campus that needed immediate attention. On the Lower Campus, we fully renovated and added a new classroom to the 3rd Grade Pod, while on the Upper Campus, we refreshed the Atrium, the Nurse’s Office, and several administrative offices and staff bathrooms. It was a busy (dusty!) summer, but it was nice to see philanthropic endeavors contributing to an improved learning environment for our students and faculty.

As of September 2022, we are proud to announce that we have raised $30 million towards our ultimate initial goal of $40 million. The campaign received an early boost when current parents, Scott and Elena Shleifer, made a historic gift of $18 million to the school. This gift was not only the largest donation ever received by PBDA, but it also ranks as one of the largest gifts ever made to any PK-9 school in the country.

“WE ARE INCREDIBLY IMPRESSED WITH THE TEACHERS AND STAFF AT PALM BEACH DAY ACADEMY, WHO ARE DEDICATED TO PROVIDING CHILDREN WITH AN EDUCATION THAT FOCUSES ON EXCELLENCE AND REINFORCES THE VALUES OF KINDNESS AND INTEGRITY. WE HOPE OUR SUPPORT ENABLES THE SCHOOL TO CONTINUE BUILDING ON THOSE TRADITIONS.” SCOTT SHLEIFER

Once the campaign officially launched, other generous families immediately stepped up to support the school’s fundraising efforts. Of critical importance was the generosity of Murray H. Goodman who, with Brett and Marley Overman ’95, have made a combined gift of $2.6 million in support of a total renovation of the Goodman Family Science Center on Seaview Avenue. With a targeted completion date of September 1, 2023, this renovated learning space will be one of the finest science facilities in the country for a middle school of our size. Additionally, thanks to the direction of the Kalisman family, the A. Alfred Taubman Foundation committed $1.5 million to support a full renovation of the historic building at 246 Seaview Avenue that currently houses the school’s Faculty Center and Business Office.

“This is just the beginning of many extraordinary things to come for PBDA,” said MEGHAN MONTEIRO, Director of Philanthropy. “We hope to inspire others to give so we can continue to be the choice school for families for many generations to come.”

For more information about the Second Century Campaign and ways to give to PBDA, visit pbday.org/second-century-campaign.

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This year’s The Bridge Magazine fittingly focuses on water. To many cultures, water symbolizes not only life but also change and adaptability. Its ease in movement and ability to adjust its form represents a flexibility unlike any other in life. As we come out of the pandemic with eyes wide open and lessons learned, along with an enhanced capability to adapt and remain nimble, there is one pandemic takeaway that none of us can ignore – the temporary improvement of our climates as the world shut down.

Raising Environmental Stewards What started as “The Coral Project” initiative, taken on by PBDA’s eighth- and ninth-grade students in the 2018-19 school year, has now “branched out” to all grades across both campuses to include additional environmental research vital to Florida. Important areas of study as part of PBDA’s science curriculum include Florida’s Everglades, mangroves, estuaries, coral reefs, and more. With growing public recognition and interest, as well as additional funding from the Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, PBDA has been able to partner with local and national organizations including The Reef Institute, MANG®, Florida Atlantic University Pine Jog, Community Greening, and LOX Farms to name a few, to raise our students to become environmental stewards while simultaneously helping the world we live in. Together with these organizations, PBDA students of all ages explore several ecosystems, studying how each is interconnected, forming a symbiotic relationship that provides us with vital ecosystem services.

Planting the Seedling Beginning at the age of two in Pre-Primary, students frequently tend to their very own organic garden beds which are conveniently situated directly outside their classroom window along the scenic Flagler Drive.

Through the act of gardening, our youngest students have a chance to get their hands dirty, engage all of their senses, and most importantly, begin to understand cause and effect. Organic garden beds are scattered all across PBDA’s two campuses for students up to 9th grade to use and learn from. The beds never use pesticides or fertilizers so as not to run off as pollution and toxins into our neighboring waterways. In addition to garden beds, both campuses also have saltwater tanks that allow students to care for coral, fish, and other aquatic life.

Images → Cover Story → Lower Campus folder

THE SCHOOL BY THE WATER (Sherry - maybe the following paragraph should be a sidebar box instead of part of the above paragraph) This year, the Lower Campus welcomed Science/Innovation Lab teacher, Emily Griffith, who joined PBDA from the nearby Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, FL. With her expansive STEM expertise, Emily has already ignited a passion for science and protecting our marine life amongst our youngest Bulldogs.

Serving as first-hand witnesses to this change has invigorated in our students and faculty a fiery passion to double down on

PBDA’s existing focus on protecting and preserving our climate.

Further, with our two campuses situated mere feet from either the Atlantic Ocean or the Intracoastal Waterway, Palm Beach Day – now more than ever – remains committed to protecting our waterways and environment for today’s students and future generations to come.

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Interactive Lessons on Lower Over the years, PBDA has developed a strong partnership with Florida Atlantic University’s Pine Jog Environmental Education Center to create unique programs for each grade level. Students in Kindergarten through third grade participate in the Teaching Empathy Through Nature Program, which includes interactive outdoor classroom lessons on XXX conducted by the Pine Jog team and an interactive field trip to Pine Jog for a hands-on experience. We also welcome the Reef Institute to both Lower Campuses to conduct lessons focusing on The Coral Project in first through third grades.

Tarpon Cove in the Lake Worth Lagoon With the Intracoastal Waterway within an arm’s throw of the Lower Campus, the school has partnered with MANG® and Palm Beach County’s Environmental Resource Management (ERM) to visit campus and engage students in the Tarpon Cove Lake Worth Lagoon Restoration Project, a local multi-year initiative to improve the Intracostal’s water quality, increase nursery areas, and improve the overall habitat for fisheries, benthic organisms, and wildlife. To assist in the restoration, PBDA students set out by boat alongside two scientists to the Lagoon’s islands to plant 900 one-gallon mangroves, 1,600 mangrove propagules, and 4,000 Spartina grass plugs. The project is in its final stage of creating habitats that include salt marshes, seagrasses, mangrove swamps, tidal flats, nesting bird rookeries, and oyster beds, many of which the Lower Campus directly overlooks. With the islands situated directly between the school’s two campuses, students have a personal P A LM BE A C H D A Y A C A D E M Y

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THE SCHOOL BY THE WATER Planting the Seedling Beginning at the age of two in PrePrimary, students frequently tend to their very own organic garden beds, conveniently situated outside their classroom window along the scenic Flagler Drive. Through the act of gardening, our youngest students have a chance to get their hands dirty, engage all of their senses, and most importantly, begin to understand cause and effect.

Organic garden beds are scattered all across PBDA’s two campuses for students up to ninth grade to use and learn from as part of our curriculum. The beds never use pesticides so as not to run off as pollution and toxins into our neighboring waterways.

Interactive Lessons Over the years, PBDA has developed a strong partnership with Florida Atlantic University’s Pine Jog Environmental Education Center to create unique programs for each grade level.

Students in Pre-Primary through eighth grade have participated in the various interactive outdoor classroom lessons conducted by the Pine Jog team with programs ranging from “Teaching Empathy Through Nature” to an Apple Snail adoption program. Additional notable PBDA partnerships include welcoming the Reef Institute to both campuses to conduct lessons focusing on the importance of coral with students in all grades, and a recentlyestablished Lower Campus relationship with Lake Worth Waterkeeper to help to protect our neighboring Lake Worth Lagoon.

Raising Environmental Stewards In 2018-19, “The Coral Project” was born, an evolution of a deliberate environmental curriculum initiative aimed at empowering students to effect change for good. Today, the coral project has “branched out” to all grades across both campuses to include additional environmental research vital to Florida.

Important areas of study as part of PBDA’s science curriculum include Florida’s Everglades, mangroves, estuaries, coral reefs, and more. With growing public recognition and interest, as well as generous funding from the Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, PBDA has been able to partner with local and national organizations including The Reef Institute, MANG®, ANGARI Foundation, Florida Atlantic University Pine Jog, Community Greening, and LOX Farms, to name a few, to raise our students to become environmental stewards while simultaneously helping the world we live in.

Together with these organizations, PBDA students of all ages explore several ecosystems, studying how each is interconnected, and forming a cohesive system that provides us with vital ecosystem services.

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This year, the Lower Campus welcomed Science/Innovation Lab teacher, Emily Griffith, who joined PBDA from the nearby Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, FL. With her expansive STEM expertise, Emily has already ignited a passion for science and protecting our marine life amongst our youngest Bulldogs.

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Congratulations to 8th graders BLAKESLEE KRUSEN ’24 and BETTINA GANNON ’24 who, along with their fellow PBDA classmates, were together named a mini-grant recipient for the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit!

Their grant will go toward their plan to launch a Tarpon Cove Water Quality project where they will test the quality of the water around Tarpon Cove to monitor the benefits of the restoration project. Together, they will be observing and documenting water quality for 10 months.

They will also be studying biodiversity as an indicator of a healthy ecosystem. The girls along with PBDA’s Science department will be working with MANG, No Shoes Reefs, the ERM, and the Reef Ball Foundation to accomplish their mission.

Tarpon Cove in the Lake Worth Lagoon With the Intracoastal Waterway within an arm’s throw of the Lower Campus, the school has partnered with MANG® and Palm Beach County’s Environmental Resource Management (ERM) to visit campus and engage students in the Tarpon Cove Lake Worth Lagoon Restoration Project, a local multi-year initiative to improve the Intracostal’s water quality, increase nursery areas, and improve the overall habitat for fisheries, benthic organisms, and wildlife. To assist in the restoration, PBDA students set out by boat alongside two scientists to the Lagoon’s islands to plant 900 one-gallon mangroves, 1,600 mangrove propagules, and 4,000 Spartina grass plugs.

With the islands situated directly between the school’s two campuses, students have a personal stake in the health and growth of these newly-created habitats and will continue to work with MANG and ERM to monitor the health of this restoration project for years to come.

As part of PBDA’s Everglades Foundation Middle School student-led civics projects, students have continued to research and learn about our local environment and in doing so, discovered Reef Ball Foundation and No Shoes Reefs, two organizations who are on a mission to restore and protect our oceans. MICAH KAPP ‘22 reached out to both organizations and they soon became our partners in supporting the students’ cause with the Tarpon Cove Project. Through this partnership, 8th and 9th graders designed and built handmade reef balls – artificial reefs designed by Reef Ball Foundation – which have been deployed into Tarpon Cove. Students have also continued to plant mangroves, conduct surveys, clean up trash, and much more. The project is moving into its final stage of creating habitats that include salt marshes, seagrasses, mangrove swamps, tidal flats, nesting bird rookeries, and oyster beds, many of which the Lower Campus directly overlooks.

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PBDA is proud to be an Everglades Champion School, a program partnership between Florida Atlantic University’s Pine Jog Environmental Education Center and the Everglades Foundation.

The program encourages K-12 teachers to participate in Everglades Literacy professional development, integrates Everglades literacy into the curriculum, and promotes Everglades interdisciplinary projects and field experiences. PBDA has received recognition for noteworthy work in the program for all six years of the program’s existence.

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THE SCHOOL BY THE WATER Shark Research Expedition

This past April, 13 eighth and ninth-grade students joined Florida International University scientists aboard the research vessel ANGARI just off the coast of Palm Beach County for an eventful day of shark research as part of ANGARI Foundation’s Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks education program. Students worked side-by-side with the FIU scientists to bait circle hooks, assemble, deploy and recover drumlines, and record data. Bulldogs learned how to collect length measurements and dorsal fin tissue samples and attach a unique numbered tag to identify the individual if it is ever caught again. The highlight of the day for students was having the opportunity to feel for themselves the sandpaper-like texture produced by dermal denticles on the skin of one of the nurse sharks before it was released. Over the course of the day, a total of four sharks – two nurse sharks and two tiger sharks – were caught and released.

Peanut Island

Munyon Island

All sharks were fished for, caught, studied and released for research purposes under Florida permits held by Florida International University scientists.

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8th graders participate in real world research with local FAU Pine Jog scientists to monitor the effectiveness of the oldest restoration project in the Lake Worth Lagoon at Munyon Island.

There, students conduct water quality tests, a biodiversity index, and learn about the history of the project. Our “scientists in training” show incredible teamwork and effort while putting their scientific skills to the test. Currently, they are analyzing their collected data to ultimately submit their findings to MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife.

About six miles north of PBDA’s Upper Campus lies Peanut Island Park, an 80-acre man-made park located at the mouth of the inlet to the Port of Palm Beach. The island was built from earth piled during dredging for the port in 1918. Caribbean blue water surrounds the small island which is accessible only by ferry, water taxi, or private boat. Each year, students across multiple grades visit Peanut Island as part of their studies – in partnership with PBDA’s education partner, the Reef Institute – for a hands-on exploration of the Island. Alongside the Reef Institute scientists, who focus on coral reef conservation through education, research, and restoration, our Bulldogs participate in scientific research activities like beach geology, coral and water quality assessments, and identifications of various biology on the island.

Marine Biology Labs

PBDA takes a hands-on approach to educating students on different marine systems by utilizing aquariums throughout various classrooms on the Upper Campus. Science classes integrate the tanks into their disciplines by educating students on how to care for the tanks, take responsibility for certain tank-related jobs, conduct water quality testing, balance the water chemistry, and learn about the biology behind the ecosystems. Students then take these same learnings and apply them directly to our neighboring Atlantic Ocean through field studies on the beach. Throughout the year, sixth through ninth graders conduct studentdriven experiments based on their concerns for our local environment. A beach clean-up is almost always incorporated into these studies as well.

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After-hours Learning

The Marine Biology Trip One of the highlights of the freshman year experience at PBDA is the annual Marine Biology Trip to The Island School on Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. This April, several members of the 9th Grade team participated in the ultimate experiential learning opportunity and a trademark of our 9th-grade program.

Our diverse array of after-school Enrichment opportunities allows students to roll their sleeves up when it comes to understanding our waters, even after the school day has ended. The ROV Enrichment Club enables students to design and build underwater robots that ultimately explore the ocean. The Ocean Adventures Enrichment Club teaches students how to measure water quality at a nearby beach, followed by beach cleanups to remove scattered litter and washed-up trash. In the Fish Friends Enrichment Club, students learn how to measure water quality and care for PBDA’s coral and fish tanks. Students also research fish and other appropriate marine life to be added to the tanks.

Grassy Waters Field Trip

Students traveled by plane, boat, and bus to Eleuthera where they would spend the next week at The Island School. Through holistic learning experiences designed to challenge students intellectually, emotionally, and physically, the School experience connects students intimately through hands-on lessons on sustainable development and environmental stewardship.

Throughout the week, our 9th graders and their two faculty chaperones interacted with researchers in various fields of marine biology at The Island School and consistently pushed themselves outside of their comfort zone both physically and educationally. Students participated in activities like scuba diving and cliff jumping accompanied by in-depth lessons on topics including food security, human impact on the environment, and business and political implications on communities.

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Each year, the 4th, 5th, and 7th graders visit the City of West Palm Beach’s Grassy Waters Preserve to learn first-hand about the Greater Everglades ecosystem. From Everglades geology and discovering why conserving the ecosystem is so crucial, to tracing water’s path from clouds to faucets and understanding the effects of water quality on our everyday life, the field trip is filled with a variety of hands-on activities with important takeaways.

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ALUMNI MAKING A DIFFERENCE:

ANNIE SOPER ’21

A passion for protecting our waters has always been inside alumna and sophomore at Berkshire School, ANNIE SOPER ’21, (Berkshire ’24) who was an active founding member of the Coral Project during her time at Palm Beach Day PBDA. Soper recalls almost every night, she and her twin brother HARRISON SOPER ’21 would come home from school and talk about what they learned in science at the dinner table. “It was always science. It was something we both felt deeply about and supported. It was something we understood. We could see the impact of what we just did on something,” says Soper.

wondrous ecosystems are more important than they may seem,” shares Soper. “Over 4,000 species of fish are dependent on coral reefs at some point in their life cycle. Approximately half a billion people globally depend on coral reef ecosystems for food, coastal protection, and income from tourism and fisheries.” Unfortunately with humans burning more fossil fuels each year, our oceans are dramatically warming. Even the slightest rise in temperature causes coral – which are actually live animals despite frequently being miscategorized as non-living things – to become so stressed out that the organism turns white and ultimately dies. During this process, called coral bleaching, the coral transitions from a home to thousands of other types of marine life and a vivid array of pinks, oranges, and yellows to instead a white graveyard that closely resembles a skeleton and has nothing left to offer the rest of the ecosystem that once depended on it.

Soper hopes to educate not only her classmates but those around the country on the importance of saving our corals. A few simple steps that ultimately add up to helping save our waters? Soper advises investing in reef-safe sunscreen when you go to the beach as many sunscreens have harsh chemicals that ultimately suffocate the corals. She also urges readers to recycle their plastic, carpool to burn less CO2, and turn off their lights when leaving a room.

That spark ignited into an inextinguishable flame for Soper who – removed from Florida as a temporary Massachusetts resident while at school – recognizes now more than ever the dire need to save our coral reefs, both to protect Florida’s economy and our world as we know it. A proud “ambassador” of sorts to Florida for her fellow Berkshire teachers and classmates, Soper continues to share her passion and concern for our ocean’s coral reefs, even focusing on the topic in English and Math projects at the Massachusetts secondary school as a way to educate others on a topic she feels so passionately about.

“Coral reefs are a keystone species to Florida ocean ecosystems. Without coral, the whole ecosystem will fall apart. People need to see that these 44

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ALUMNI MAKING A DIFFERENCE:

NIKOLAI DUTKEWYCH ’21

(Dreyfoos School of the Arts ’24) first came to PBDA in the fifth grade, but it wasn’t until he entered the 8th grade and became involved with experiences like PBDA’s Coral Project, the School’s MANG partnership, and other science projects led by Dr. Erin Mitchell that his passion for the environment really took off. Now as a sophomore and Visual Arts major at Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Dutkewych is an active environmental steward in all facets of his life.

NIKOLAI DUTKEWYCH ’21

While at Dreyfoos, Dutkewych has been an active member of the school’s Green Team and serves as Vice President of their Gardening Club. Last fall, Dutkewych was one of only 25 other students to be accepted into the Everglades Foundation’s High School Leadership Committee. The program provides a unique opportunity for environmentally conscious high school students from across Florida to come together through service-learning experiences to hone their leadership skills and ultimately foster and promote environmental stewardship in their local communities.

Dutkewych attributes his passion for the environment to PBDA’s Dr. Erin Mitchell and the many different experiences the School’s science program exposed him to. He began going to camp at The River Center in Loxahatchee at the young age of 5, and today, he remains an active member of the Center.

In his role there he uses hands-on lessons to teach students about the local ecosystem, the watershed, and more. Through leading expeditions like river kayaking and native species treks, his role at the Center affords Dutkewych the perfect avenue to share his environmental passion and expertise with future generations.

In addition, Dutkewych has worked closely over the past year with Soil & Soul, a Lake Worth, FL company that educated Dutkewych on how fertilizers and pesticides create a vicious cycle by actually depleting our soils, causing people to use more and more of it which then runs off and contaminates our waters. “Ultimately, a seemingly innocent attempt at maintaining our lawns and landscaping to make them look nice ultimately becomes a backlash toward us and our environment,” says Dutkewych.

Thinking back on his younger days, Dutkewych recounts: “When we were little, we used to go to the bay and I remember there was always seagrass and so many sea creatures that you had to watch where you stepped. Going back a few years later, there is no more seagrass and no more sea creatures. That’s when it really clicked in my head that climate change is real. It’s the perfect example of how human impact is affecting our different ecosystems.”

Soper poses with renowned conservationist and primatologist, Jane Goodall, during Goodall’s visit to PBDA in 2016.

Despite all this, Dutkewych remains optimistic about the future of our climate: “There has to be a balance and a gradual change. There are so many people who are working hard and inspired to try to change the path that we’re on. That gives me hope.”

Dutkewych has been collecting recycled materials, specifically aluminum cans, and turning them into art pieces in an attempt to spread awareness about the Everglades.

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THE SCHOOL BY THE WATER

ALUMNI MAKING A DIFFERENCE:

KENT ANDERSON ’99

ALUMNI MAKING A DIFFERENCE:

HUNTER MCINTOSH ’89

is drawn to two different oceans. As a child growing up in Palm Beach, he spent countless afternoons surfing, fishing, and exploring the Atlantic waters. As a PBDA student, Hunter recalls how “Mr. Sarko brought science to life. We were fortunate that we could leave the classroom and go watch turtles hatching on the beach.” Hunter’s experiential education in the coastal outdoors at such an early age ultimately set the stage for a lifelong career in environmental preservation – a career that has carried him all the way to the northern Pacific Ocean.

HUNTER MCINTOSH ’89

Hunter’s family business – The Boat Company, which originally began as a program for the McIntosh Family Foundation in 1979 – has become the only not-for-profit, conservation educational cruise line of its kind. Its intent at inception and for decades thereafter has been to support the protection of the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska – the largest forest in the U.S. spanning more square miles than the state of Texas. Proceeds from passenger ticket sales directly support legislative and legal efforts to ensure these protections, and voyagers aboard The Boat Company vessels benefit from a unique, intimate, and educational experience that leaves a lasting impression and a greater investment in the preservation of our national treasures.

In many respects, Hunter’s mission – and his parents’ before him– has been successful. With

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protections in place now for the Tongass, Hunter notes that a more pressing concern is the health of the Alaskan fishery. Warming ocean temperatures, watershed degradation due to mining, and trawl fleet (bottom dragging) collectively threaten the sustainability of one of the world’s greatest fisheries.

Hunter notes how salmon spawning patterns have dramatically changed in recent years, after generations of predictability. And while large corporations – notably the “trawl fleet” – greatly influence legislation in their favor to continue to employ unsustainable practices, Hunter is undeterred. Most recently, he has partnered with Alaska’s most well-known ocean goers, the renowned crabbers of Discovery’s Channel’s Deadliest Catch. Speaking of their most recent season, Hunter says, “because of lack of (crab) numbers, they actually shut the fisheries down for the first time ever.” There are no crabs to be found, he explains, because they have been discarded by the trawl fleet as bycatch.

While the hats he wears are ever-changing, from an educator to the clients aboard The Boat Company ships to a litigator championing our nation’s natural resources, Hunter remains steadfast in his ultimate mission to serve as guardian of our environment.

His passion for environmental education has led him to serve as guest speaker at notable conferences including the World Green Energy Symposium, The International Ecotourism Society Annual Conference, and Cruise World – the largest single conference dedicated to cruise travel. At the end of the day, Hunter remains dedicated to The Boat Company’s original mission of introducing people, in an intimate way, to the precious gift of nature in the hopes that they too will feel compelled to conserve our resources for generations to come.

Like many who grew up in Palm Beach County before venturing out to pursue a career elsewhere, KENT ANDERSON ’99 has returned to his roots. After attending PBDS and Cardinal Newman, Kent went on to major in Business at the University of Miami before ultimately narrowing his focus to film at New York University. Upon graduating and missing warmer climates, Kent migrated to Los Angeles where his professional work took off. In 2017, Kent was approached with an opportunity to serve as cinematographer for an environmental documentary in Mozambique, Africa – an opportunity he jumped on. The documentary unveiled the critical threat rhinos face from poaching. While this venture cemented his interest in ecofilm, for both pragmatic and personal reasons, he soon turned his attention back to his home state. “That’s what hurts me – that we have the same kind of environmental conservation issues in our own backyard and, as much as I love Africa, I can focus my efforts and be more effective.”

And with that, Project Paradise was born.

“An estimated 1,000 people every day are moving to Florida, and they don’t know anything about Florida’s ecosystem. In fact, many who have been here for a while don’t know enough, and they’re shocked to learn how closely connected everything is, particularly when it comes to water. That education is at the heart of the initiative we started – Project Paradise,” says Kent.

Project Paradise is a big idea; an awareness campaign meant to educate Floridians on the importance of their natural resources. The vast majority of Florida’s population lives on or near the coast; however, it’s the heart of the state – the wetlands, springs, swamps, and its crown jewel, the Everglades – from which all life is born. Project Paradise is a non-profit film fund created to illuminate the interconnectedness of our state’s environmental ecosystems, and it does so through a statewide film competition.

The Project Paradise Film Fund, in partnership with the Community Foundation and Kilo Content – Kent’s own production company – sponsors the Natural Florida Film Grant, which awards

multiple $25,000 grants to several filmmakers who will tell a conservation story about Florida. Applicants who are selected by the fund have a clear vision that explores a conservation issue directly connected to the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Those whose ideas are chosen aren’t required to have filmmaking experience; that’s where Kent comes in. Each winner assumes the role of director, and Kent and his Kilo Content crew get to work bringing the vision to life through a short documentary.

Kent’s ambition and desire to educate don’t simply end with the production of the film. He is presently hard at work establishing a film festival in the greater Palm Beach area that will feature the Project Paradise films, as well as speakers, workshops, and activities for the community.

As a young student at Palm Beach Day Academy, Kent was drawn to the water, spending hours in the surf.

Several years in the Boy Scouts broadened Kent’s perspective, with field trips that exposed him to estuaries, mangroves, and brackish waters, experiences that would help him connect the dots years later as he returned to his home state.

Kent is quick to note that protecting our resources should resonate with every Floridian. “Whether you think the degradation of many of our ecosystems is a result of human interference or a natural occurrence, as humans, we have the undeniable ability to affect change for good.”

Kent smiles broadly when the current generation of PBDA students becomes the topic of conversation. “Kids are so much more in tune with their surroundings and environmental issues than we were in the ’90s. They have a deep understanding of both local and global ecological concerns, and that makes me really hopeful. I see them wanting to correct imbalances and leave the environment in a better place than they found it.”

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FACULTY NEWS

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“For the first time, teachers and families had to balance work,

Fourth-grade teacher Jenna

teaching, and the emotional effects

Hoogstra and her husband David

of the pandemic. I knew our school

welcomed their son, James Elijah

approached this new norm as it does

VanderSluis Hoogstra, on April 12,

with everything else — with excellence.

2022. Sweet baby James was 8

The sudden impact of the COVID-19

pounds, 9 ounces, and 20 inches

pandemic, however, left no time for

long. James is their first child.

educational communities to plan.”

Sara Stapleton receives Doctorate in Education SARA STAPLETON ,

the Lower Campus’ Performing Arts instructor and former Primary teacher, earned her Doctorate in Education in Curriculum and Instruction this Spring from Liberty University.

Sara started at Palm Beach Day Academy in 2007.

After finishing her education specialist degree in 2017, Sara knew she wanted to continue learning and conducting research in her field. She sought to model for her children and students the importance of lifelong learning as well as the open doors to

new ideas and best practices that stem from it. The majority of Sara’s doctoral program was online, allowing her to collaborate with other educators across the globe. As Sara approached researching a problem in education at the end of her degree, the pandemic struck and during that time, a new way of teaching emerged, giving Sara the perfect topic to research for her doctoral capstone project. “For the first time, teachers and families had to balance work, teaching, and the emotional effects of the pandemic.

I knew our school approached this new norm as it does with everything else — with excellence. The sudden impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, left no time for educational communities to plan.”

Through her research, Sara determined recommendations for improving professional development opportunities for hybrid online and inclassroom learning. These recommendations are now accessible to the PBDA school community and ready for action should the school ever need to transition back to 100% remote teaching due to an emergency or non-emergency situation. Sara attended her university’s graduation commencement ceremony in Lynchburg, Virginia this past spring.

Science Chair, Dr. Mitchell, inducted into Delta Kappa Gamma Congratulations to DR. ERIN MITCHELL, Upper Campus Science Department Chair, who was recently inducted into Delta Kappa Gamma, an international honor society that promotes the professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education.

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Annette Johnson announced winner of highest local honor in education, the Dwyer Award

Mac Jackson, Associate Director

It is with great pride that we announce ANNETTE JOHNSON, Upper Campus Music teacher, as winner of the Dwyer Award for “Middle School Education” in the 38th Annual William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education. The awards presentation was held at the Kravis Center for Performing Arts on May 10, 2022 – the first in-person ceremony in two years.

ultramarathon this January.

of Philanthropy, is busy logging miles on the road and the trail.

After a few “shorter” prep races this fall, he’ll compete in a 100-mile

Angela Hampton, the Lower Campus Nurse, was certified as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner over the summer.

Mrs. Johnson was one of seven teachers who rose to the top of a field of 28 finalists. Palm Beach Day Academy was represented as “the best of the best” among Royal Palm Beach Elementary School, Palm Beach Gardens Elementary, Boynton Beach High School, Watson B. Duncan Middle School, Crosspointe Elementary School, and Royal Palm School.

The Dwyer Awards are considered to be the highest community award in education. The annual awards program was developed and supported by the Economic Council to honor outstanding educators from public and private schools in Palm Beach County. The Awards increase awareness of exemplary teaching in the community, provide financial support to educators, and encourage all residents to promote high standards for excellence in education.

Award finalists were selected from a pool of more than 450 nominees and 230 applicants. The finalists – four in each category – were chosen after undergoing two rounds of judging and a review by six business leaders in Palm Beach County who provide scores on the finalists based on the answers, recommendations, and attachments provided.

Two retired faculty members, CYNTHIA KANAI and BARBARA BAYLESS CLOSE ‘67, have also been named Dwyer Award recipients – Kanai in 2012 and Close in 2014.

Congratulations to two of our Lower Campus teachers, Visual Arts teacher Annette Colón and her husband and 2nd Grade teacher Nilson Maloney on the arrival of their son, Matteo Andrés Maloney Colón. Matteo was born on July 31, 2022 weighing 7lbs 5oz.

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FACULTY FUN FACTS When the Teacher Becomes the Student

Mr. Do-It-All

REBECCA CHORON, DIRECTOR OF THE STUDENT SUCCESS TEAM (SST)

CHRIS EVANS, DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES

Growing up, REBECCA CHORON always had a love for horses. She dabbled in the Western riding style throughout her childhood and college career. After college, Rebecca moved to Manhattan, putting her riding on hold. When Rebecca and her fiancé decided to move to West Palm Beach several years ago, she realized how close they were to “horse country” in Wellington. It was then that she made it her mission to pursue riding in her adult life.

Have you ever found it challenging to grow fruits and vegetables in the heat of the Florida summers? In a quest to figure out how he could grow his own food year-round, CHRIS EVANS and his family studied up on tropical fruit trees and perennial edible plants. They then built several raised garden beds and collected tropical fruit trees from local nurseries and fruit tree events. Their interest quickly turned from a hobby to a way of life for the Evans family. After planting more rare and tropical fruit trees

Every Monday after school gets out, Rebecca heads out to Wellington to spend a few hours at Boca Riding

Club. Rebecca says part of her love for riding — which she does English style — is how much it challenges her and pushes her outside of her comfort zone.

“It brings immense joy into my life,” says Rebecca.

“It also puts me back into the role of being a student.

As a teacher, it reminds me of how important it is to form positive and nurturing relationships with students. As an educator, I believe it is crucial to further our education and growth. I look forward to learning more and using my experience as a student in riding to better my teaching practice.”

When you can’t find it, just make it yourself KIMBERLEY BELFI, CONTROLLER/HR MANAGER

I grew up spending most of my free time with my grandfather, Pop, who was a stonemason from Italy; he could build or invent almost anything he or I could imagine. He was so talented and creative and painted landscapes when he wasn’t building. Pop was my greatest inspiration. I’ve used the skills he taught me, along with lots of repurposed materials, to create a diverse array of projects throughout my life; it’s my creative outlet and critical to my existence!

I’ve painted murals on walls, concrete floors, and canvases. I’ve built furniture out of pallets and used concrete and old furniture parts as accent elements.

Wine bottles become repurposed into self-watering planters, shelving from wood and pipe, and even a pergola from copper pipe. These projects usually start with an idea I have but can’t quite find exactly what I want, so I build it. Sometimes it’s an inspiring piece of wood or metal that speaks to me requesting I change its form! Either way, I welcome the challenge and feel gratified when I create.

*

than their suburban backyard could handle, they moved out to Loxahatchee where they began their own small family farm. There, they developed a food forest and sprawling perennial gardens. “Some of our favorite foods to grow include longevity spinach, jaboticabas, a wide variety of bananas, and Brazillian cherries,” Evans told us. “Of course, a farm would not be complete without animals so we hatched chickens who now lay fresh eggs daily.”

ANNETTE JOHNSON ,

the Upper

Campus Music Teacher, represented South Carolina at the Transplant Games of America this summer, competing in the 400m and 800m dashes, the 5K, and 20K cycling events. In March of 2020, Mrs. Johnson’s sister was in desperate need of a kidney but Mrs. Johnson was unfortunately not a match.

They entered a program called “the paired exchange” where pairs who don’t match can find another pair who don’t match in hopes that they might match instead.

“That didn’t happen either, but something more amazing happened,” recounts Mrs. Johnson. “There were five pairs who didn’t match but we all matched each other in different ways. So we had one of the longest donor chains that the Medical University of SC has ever had with a 10-person chain. We all went in for surgery on the same morning and all were successful. Everyone is doing well!” Their chain is still open and can become longer as the first person on the chain—an angel donor—did not know anyone on the chain but wanted to donate a kidney, so they have another kidney waiting to find a match to continue the chain.

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FACULTY FUN FACTS

FACULTY INTRODUCTIONS

The Need for Speed

Michael Murphy

Shana Dutkewych

Fifth-grade teacher THOMAS ELLIS’ passion for aviation began at the young age of four when his parents took him to an airshow just outside of San Diego, CA, to see a performance of The Navy’s Flight Demonstration Team, The Blue Angels. He vividly recalls looking toward the sky that day and announcing to his parents, “That’s what I want to do when I grow up!” Afterward, Ellis’ father would occasionally take him to their small county airport with the hopes that they might catch an airplane practicing touch and go’s. “Those small visits to our airport, along with trips to our city library with my mom to find aviation books and magazines, were enough to keep my dream alive,” recounts Ellis.

CHIEF FINANCE AND

HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL

The summer Ellis turned 13 was the same summer that the blockbuster hit Top Gun was released. He saw it for the first time while visiting family in Southern California and afterward, they drove to Miramar Naval Air Station where Top Gun used to be held. After spending the evening watching F-14 Tomcats takeoff and land, Ellis was hooked and there was no turning back. At the age of 17, he began making the 120-mile round trip to Arkadelphia to take flight lessons toward his coveted FAA Private Pilot’s License. To help finance both his car expenses and the considerable cost of flight lessons, Ellis started his own lawn care business and car detailing business. A year later after graduating from high school, Ellis joined the Air Force and became part of

OPERATING OFFICER

joined Palm Beach Day Academy as the School’s new Chief Finance and Operating Officer in July 2022.

MICHAEL MURPHY

an elite team of aviation professionals tasked with maintaining the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

“The Air Force was an incredible experience and really set the stage for my professional career in the field of aviation. Where else can you be 18 years old, and be responsible for leading a team of other professionals to manage and care for a multi-million dollar fighter jet?” asks Ellis.

His time in the Air Force helped pay for some of his college education through the GI Bill which allowed him to earn his degree at The University of Arkansas. Upon graduating from college, he entered the United States Navy and and later received his commission as an officer from Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, FL. Ellis finished in the top ten percent of his class, allowing him to select jets as his preferred platform. His experience in the Navy paved the way for Ellis to earn two additional licenses: his FAA Commercial Pilot’s License, and his Part 107 Unmanned Aircraft Systems License, both of which he uses to this day.

“When I’m not at PBDA or with my family, you’re likely to find me serving in a volunteer capacity in Civil Air Patrol – an auxiliary organization of The United States Air Force,” says Ellis. “When asked what it is about aviation and flying that is so appealing, I think Amelia Earhart summed it up perfectly. She said, ‘Tell me what it is that makes a person fall in love and stay in love, and I’ll be able to tell you why I love flying so much.’ It is my hope to bring that passion and enthusiasm to my science classroom this fall.”

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Michael’s responsibilities encompass many aspects of running the campus including finances, buildings, security, and dining services. Prior to joining PBDA, Michael worked in a similar role for the last 11 years at Tuxedo Park School, an independent day school located in Tuxedo Park, NY. Michael brings to his new role a combined 19 years of independentsSchool experience and another 18 years of corporate work experience, primarily at Chase and UBS/ PaineWebber. He earned an accounting degree from St. Peter’s University in New Jersey and his MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

Michael and his wife, Anne, have two sons, Ryan (21) and Brandon (16).

This past spring, SHANA DUTKEWYCH, a member of Palm Beach Day Academy’s Upper Campus faculty, was appointed to the role of Head of Upper School beginning in the 2022-23 school year.

Shana is the successor to Ms. Sarah Kemeness who served as the campus Head for the past seven years.

With a career in education spanning more than twenty years, Shana has served the School in various capacities, from teaching Kindergarten to directing the Student Success Team that serves both the Lower and Upper Campuses. Shana earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education from the State University of New York at Geneseo, and her master’s degree as a Reading Specialist from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Shana has been a member of the PBDA faculty for twelve years, and it’s a family affair: her mother is a former Pre-Primary teacher, her sister – DEENA SOBEL – is the School counselor, and her three sons, nieces, and nephews are former or current students.

Even her stepfather was a familiar face on the Lower Campus as a member of the facilities team.

Just a few of Shana’s professional highlights in her tenure at PBDA include receiving the Adele Shook Merck Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018, and commendations from the Florida Council of Independent Schools directed to the Student Success Team under her leadership. With a focus on community, as well as living our School’s mission of creating and sustaining an academically challenging and compassion-rich environment, Shana is excited to bring her love for helping students – and her love for PBDA – to the next level in leading the Upper Campus. Thanks to her strong relationships with faculty and staff on both campuses, Shana is poised to lead the Upper School into its next phase of growth.

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*

FACULTY INTRODUCTIONS MARIUS PARASCHIV ,

or “Mr. P”, is PBDA’s Technology Director. He joined the professional IT field by accident in 2009 when his job at the time needed help with one of their vault servers which required immediate repairs. He was able to fix it with spare parts from a broken terminal, not knowing that the VP was monitoring the situation. The next day, he was offered a full-time Regional Computer Assistant position and training. Seven years later, Marius joined Palm Beach Atlantic University, first as a PC Technician and then as a Senior Technical Support Analyst. Marius joined the PBDA community in December 2021 and has been saving networks, Bulldog Den password resets, and the faculty’s sanity, among many other things, ever since. is PBDA’s Technology Specialist, however, “Technology Generalist” might be a better description since he has a bit of a hand in all forms of technology at PBDA. Although Andrew has been tinkering with electronics since he was a little kid, he began his career in information technology almost seven years ago and has worked at Palm Beach Atlantic University, The Palm Beach County School District’s Department of Adult Education, and Jupiter Christian School.

ANDREW HOYT

The Tech Guys

We recently welcomed two new members to our IT department, servicing students and faculty/ staff across both campuses. The intentional shift from a one-person to a two-person IT department ensures PBDA is able to effectively service its 575 students and 126 faculty and staff as the School’s technology continues to adapt and advance.

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Both Marius and Andrew are known to bring a lighthearted sense of humor to the PBDA hallways, so we asked them to interview each other to help us get to know the guys behind the Help Desk a bit better.

What influenced you to join the “IT crowd”?

ANDREW: Well, at first I thought I had a passion for asking people to turn things off and then back on again, but then I realized there’s tons of rewarding work to be done in education that I just haven’t felt in any other line of work. In urgent or stressful times, I find those with a specific expertise to be a particularly calming presence in my life, so I strive to be that person for others who might feel a little overwhelmed by technology.

MARIUS:

What was your earliest experience with technology, and how do you feel it led you into your career today?

MARIUS: My interest in technology was sparked by my grandparents who told me that there are small people inside our radio. The next day, they didn’t have a working radio. On second thought, back in 1996 – a year before Andrew Hoyt was even born – I purchased my first Siemens used computer. My best friend at that time helped to educate me about the Windows 3.1 world and assisted me many times when I was deleting libraries needed for the operating system to function properly. This sparked my curiosity about functionality and ways to upgrade the dated technology.

ANDREW:

What do you like best about your current position?

ANDREW: Where do I even start? There are so many great benefits to working at PBDA, but the people are hands down my favorite part. The staff, the faculty, the kids, the SAGE Dining crew – everyone brings something to contribute to this positive atmosphere where everyone always has something to be excited about, and everyone has someone cheering them on and supporting their growth.

MARIUS:

Do you have a favorite influencer or pioneer in the tech industry?

MARIUS: I’ve always admired inventors like Johannes Gutenberg who invented the printing press, and Alexander Graham Bell with his patent for the electronic telephone, but Nikola Tesla is my favorite inventor. A few of his inventions include the AC Power (alternate power), the magnifying transmitter, the Tesla turbine, the shadowgraph, the induction motor, RC Boat, and the neon lamp.

ANDREW:

What’s one cool fact about computers that you think more people should know?

MARIUS: Looking at today’s computer prices, what comes to mind is the story about the first Apple computer ever made by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak which was made from free items collected from Apple’s staff at the time. Also, did you know that you can spell the word “typewriter” using the top line of letters on a computer’s keyboard? Try it!

ANDREW:

A NEW FOCUS ON SUMMER CAMPS, AFTER CARE, AND ENRICHMENT LINDA MERMAN ,

who joined PBDA in 1995,

has been appointed to a brand new position for the School – Director of After Care, Enrichment, and Summer Camps.

Prior to this role, Merman taught in the Innovation Lab on the Lower Campus and was also the Director of Enrichment and Aftercare on the Lower Campus. In her new position, Merman is responsible for the strategic planning, administration, management, and supervision of all of PBDA’s auxiliary programs which include: summer camps, educational programs, Enrichment offerings, and After Care.

Under Merman’s supervision, PBDA’s summer camp program has quickly expanded to include more offerings than ever before, including a “PrePrimary Camp” offered multiple weeks throughout the summer for students as young as two-years-old.

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FACULTY NEW FACES

We are thrilled to welcome the following talented educators and staff to Palm Beach Day Academy for the 2022-2023 school year.

VERONICA ARIZABALETA - FULL-TIME SUBSTITUTE

THOMAS ELLIS – FIFTH GRADE

Where is your hometown? Bogota, Colombia

Where is your hometown? I was born just outside of San Diego, CA, but my hometown is

What book was on your nightstand this summer? The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Veronica Arizabaleta

Nashville, AR, a small rural community in Southwest Arkansas. Nashville was a wonderful

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To teleport to any place in the world at

place to grow up. My teachers there had a profound effect on the attributes I developed and

any moment

who I was to become as a young adult.

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Instant Crush” by Daft Punk

What book was on your nightstand this summer? Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire by Rafe Esquith

STEPHANIE CARRUTHERS – PRE-PRIMARY

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “More Than A Feeling” by Boston

Where is your hometown? I was born and raised in Ireland, but I have been living in Lake Park,

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Flying, of course!

Northern Palm Beach, for 20-plus years.

JOAN GANGI – LEARNING SPECIALIST

to Ireland this summer I purchased the book I Am Someone by Aisling Greegan, a memoir

What book was on your nightstand this summer? The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

What book was on your nightstand this summer? I love biographies and memoirs, and on my trip

Where is your hometown? Scarsdale, NY

about childhood struggles and how ultimately the author found her strength and endurance.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Teleportation

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Teleporting. I love traveling and visiting

Thomas Ellis

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay

places, but I am not a fan of the actual time it takes to travel, long lines, security checks, etc. I Stephanie Carruthers

always think wouldn’t it be wonderful to say “Beam me there, Scotty,” and voila, you are

NICOLE GRANITTO – FIRST GRADE

there! (I’m actually sitting in an airport right now writing this!)

Where is your hometown? Coral Springs, FL

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? My all-time favorite song is “Landslide” by Stevie Nicks. I feel it always put things in perspective.

Joan Gangi

What book was on your nightstand this summer? I Heard God Laugh by Matthew Kelly

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Magical healing powers to heal those who are sick or hurting, both physically and emotionally.

MORGAN CHIAPPONE - FOURTH GRADE

Where is your hometown? Bayville, NY

What book was on your nightstand this summer? It Ends With Us and November 9 by Colleen Hoover Morgan Chiappone

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To read the minds of other people.

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Dancing Queen” by ABBA TATIANA CRAWFORD – KINDERGARTEN

Where is your hometown? Westport, CT

What book was on your nightstand this summer? Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To be able to breathe underwater

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Island in the Sun” by Weezer Tatiana Crawford

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Life Changes” by Thomas Rhett EMILY GRIFFITH – SCIENCE/INNOVATION LAB, LOWER CAMPUS

Where is your hometown? Charlotte, NC

What book was on your nightstand this summer? Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I’m a sucker for the classics!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To speak to/understand animals. Having

worked for Loggerhead Marinelife Center and other aquariums and nature centers throughout my career, I’ve always felt a strong connection to our natural world. The conservation of our oceans, and the endangered animals within them, is one of my biggest passions in life.

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Soak Up The Sun” by Sheryl Crow THERESE HAIR - ENGLISH, UPPER CAMPUS

LAUREN DOHERTY – INTERIM ART TEACHER, LOWER CAMPUS

Where is your hometown? Northport, NY

What book was on your nightstand this summer? Vibrate Higher Daily by Lalah Delia

Emily Griffith

Where is your hometown? I was born and raised in Wellington, FL

What book was on your nightstand this summer? Walking on Water by Madeleine L’Engle. It’s one that I’ve read before and keep coming back to.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To teleport anywhere in the universe!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Definitely the ability to pause time while I

Underwood

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Where I’m Standing Now” by Phil

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Crazy Angels” by Carrie

Nicole Granitto

tackle my to-do list!

Wickham

Lauren Doherty

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Therese Hair

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FACULTY NEW FACES BRANDI HOBBS – LOWER CAMPUS NURSE

Where is your hometown? Lake Worth, FL Brandi Hobbs

What book was on your nightstand this summer? The Immortals by Tori Eversmann

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To snap my fingers and the house would clean itself!

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Good Mood” by Adam Levine

JOHN RAUCHUT – UPPER CAMPUS P.E. COACH Where is your hometown? Warminster, PA. My family and I also spend a large amount of our

John Rauchut

time in North Wildwood, NJ. What book was on your nightstand this summer? Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, a role model of mine!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To control time. I always wish I could have more of it.

PAUL HUSKEN – MATH, UPPER CAMPUS

Where is your hometown? Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

What book was on your nightstand this summer? The Number Devil, Lore, and The Tao of Pooh Paul Husken

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? The power of flight

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere”

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone Katie Ray

KATIE RAY – PRIMARY

Where is your hometown? Berwyn, PA

What book was on your nightstand this summer? Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens LYNDSAY KOERBER – SCIENCE, UPPER CAMPUS

Where is your hometown? Fort Lauderdale, FL

What book was on your nightstand this summer? The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? The power of teleportation because I would

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? I would love to be able to instantly transport somewhere because I love to travel but don’t like the process of getting to my destination!

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw

love to be able to travel to see the world.

Lindsay Koerber

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Saturday Sun” by Vance Joy

SHAHINE SHAMS - PERMANENT SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, UPPER CAMPUS

Where is your hometown? Palm Beach, FL NORA MANSOUR – PRE-PRIMARY

Where is your hometown? Kilkenny, Ireland

What book was on your nightstand this summer? The Shack by William P. Young If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Time travel

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Beautiful Day” by U2

Shahine Shams

What book was on your nightstand this summer? The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson If you could have one superpower, what would it be? The power to heal

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Happy” by Pharrell Williams VONREYA SHAW – INTERIM SPANISH TEACHER, UPPER CAMPUS

Where is your hometown? Jamaica Queens, NY Nora Mansour

VALERIE MCDERMOTT – FOURTH GRADE

Where is your hometown? Yonkers, NY

What book was on your nightstand this summer? Our Little World by Karen Winn If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Teleporting

What book was on your nightstand this summer? The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To see ahead in the future

Vonreya Shaw

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Intentional” by Travis Greene

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by

BECKY STOCKMAN – FIFTH GRADE

The Beatles

Where is your hometown? Chambersburg, PA

What book was on your nightstand this summer? Untamed by Glennon Doyle JOSH MORRISON – MATH, UPPER CAMPUS

Valerie McDermott

Where is your hometown? I was born in Seattle, WA on Christmas Day in 1987.

What book was on your nightstand this summer? I’m a Trekkie, so I am currently reading a Star Trek Deep Space 9 novel called A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? The superpower I’ve always wanted I call “Rewind Power.” It would give me the ability to test any outcome I wish, and if I didn’t like it, I could rewind to the moment before I made that choice. (Did I mention I’m a nerd?)

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? I’ve always loved “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis.

Josh Morrison 58

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If you could have one superpower, what would it be? The ability to time travel

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Superbloom” by MisterWives

Becky Stockman

MICHAEL TINARI – SECOND GRADE

Where is your hometown? Huntington, NY

What book was on your nightstand this summer? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To fly

What’s the go-to song that is sure to put you in a good mood? “Bubble Toes” by Jack Johnson Michael Tinari P A LM BE A C H D A Y A C A D E M Y

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FACULTY NEW FACES

Welcome New Trustees

THREE NEW FACES JOINED THE PALM BEACH DAY ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES THIS FALL.

Farewell to Mama Tina After 31 years, one of the most memorable voices of Palm Beach Day Academy, MRS. TINA BARBIERI, has retired. Whether leading the charge in China while shouting “Bulldogs walking!” or speaking up on behalf of students and colleagues on campus, her passion for all things PBDA was evident year after year.

Faculty Years of Service ’21-’22

A celebration of the countless hours — before, during, and after the school day – our faculty and staff have put into ensuring our students reach their highest potential. Please join us in celebrating the below faculty and staff!

10 YEARS

Kimberley Belfi Deena Sobel 15 YEARS

Wendy Bieneman Billy Coyle Courtney Ellender Elizabeth Sheen Sara Stapleton Katy Thompson

20 YEARS

Lauran Rearic Nicole McGivney 30 YEARS

Cynthia Kanai 35 YEARS

Anne Methe

For more than three decades, Mrs. Barbieri was a champion for the students and faculty of PBDA. Her dedication was shown in the enthusiasm she brought to Barbie Bungee, Pi Day, Knowledge Bowl, and Field Day. So much so that it was announced at the 2022 Commencement ceremony that the Knowledge Bowl would be renamed the “Tina Barbieri Knowledge Bowl” in her honor. She has been recognized as a Merck Award recipient and dedicatee of the 2022 Paw Yearbook, but one of her greatest legacies of all may in fact be her everimportant role as PBDA’s “Uniform Police.”

Mrs. Barbieri is also a proud Pelican Mom of her two greatest legacies, TONY ‘01 and MARINA ’04. In fact, Marina has kept the family legacy alive as a high school math teacher at Lake Mary Preparatory School in Central Florida. Immediately following her retirement, Mrs. Barbieri and her husband, Jeff, moved to Central Florida to be closer to their children and grandchildren who will no doubt keep them busy!

Thank you for being a lifeline to so many of us – students and faculty alike – for so many years, Mrs. Barbieri. You will be missed, and we wish you the very best in your next chapter in life.

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As David Gochman and Chuck Schumacher bid adieu to generous time well-spent on the Board of Trustees, we welcome three new trustees – all current parents including two alumni – who began their tenure on the board this fall. Please join us in welcoming Virginia Galligan, Benjamin Griswold (’96), and Christina Macfarland (’98). and her husband Kevin are current PBDA parents with two children enrolled in the school – Virginia “Minnie” (Kindergarten) and Kevin Jr. (Primary) – and a newborn son at home. Virginia serves on the Philanthropy Committee at PBDA and has volunteered as a Parent Link and a Grade Level Representative. From 2016 to 2018, Virginia served as Director of Development and advisor for the Club for Growth, a free-market advocacy group. Previously, she was Vice President of Corporate Development at the media network TheBlaze, where she developed and cultivated strategic relationships and worked on new business development initiatives. Prior to TheBlaze, she was an Associate Producer for Fox News Channel for television programs such as “Glenn Beck,” “The Big Story,” “America’s Election Headquarters,” and “Hannity’s America.” She began her career as a staff assistant for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and in the development office at the Club for Growth under former presidents Senator Pat Toomey and economist Steve Moore. Virginia graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a a bachelor’s degree in in Spanish (with Honors) and European Studies.

VIRGINIA GRACE GALLIGAN

has spent the last 20 years of her career focused on various development, research, and grantmaking roles at nonprofit organizations primarily in Washington, DC, and Palm Beach County including American University, The Foundation Center, The Lord’s Place, and Women Corporate Directors.

Christina is a member of Leadership Palm Beach County and is involved with several local organizations including the Flagler Museum and the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens. Currently, she acts as Secretary of the Board of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, after having been a longstanding Chair of the Community Impact Committee. Christina has also contributed a considerable amount of time as a PBDA volunteer, serving as President of the Parent School Council, Secretary of the PSC, Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee of a capital campaign, and member of both the Centennial and Strategic Planning Enrollment and Marketing Committees.

CHRISTINA MACFARLAND (’98)

In her free time, Christina enjoys swimming and remaining a continuous learner; she attends classes on neurosensorimotor reflex integration through the Svetlana Masgutova Educational Institute and recently obtained her real estate sales associate license from the state of Florida.

Christina holds a bachelor’s degree in English from UNCChapel Hill and a Master of Public Administration with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from American University. Christina and her husband Benjamin live in West Palm Beach with their five children. is a Managing Partner of Blue Water Advisors LP, a private equity firm he joined in 2017 that is focused on developing real asset-based businesses. In his capacity as Managing Partner, Mr. Griswold organized the Blue Water Aggregates Fund LP, Blue Water Real Estate, and Blue Water Coast Equipment LP. BENJAMIN H. GRISWOLD (’96)

Previously, Mr. Griswold was the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Blue Water Worldwide for 11 years. In that capacity, Mr. Griswold was a co-founder of Plaza Logística – the leading developer, owner, and operator of Class-A warehousing space in Buenos Aires, Argentina – and Bluegrass Materials Company – one of the largest construction aggregates producers in the U.S. which operates 23 quarries across six states in the southeast.

Mr. Griswold also served as a Director of Electro Dunas, the regulated electricity distribution utility for Peru’s Ica region, and Peru Power Company, a distributed generation power plant developer which Griswold co-founded. Electro Dunas and Peru Power Company were acquired by Grupo Energia Bogota in 2019.

Prior to forming Blue Water Worldwide, Mr. Griswold was a partner and co-founder of Nexstar Capital Partners, an emerging markets hybrid fund focused on distressed debt and distressed equity for control investments.

Mr. Griswold is a current PBDA parent to two Pelicans, and an alumnus of PBDA and The Lawrenceville School.

He holds an A.B. degree from Princeton University and currently serves on PBDA’s Audit Committee as well as the Board of Trustees at The Lawrenceville School.

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PARENTS AT THE HELM A Note From

Hayley Schapiro, New President of the Parent School Council How humbled I am to serve as your Parent School Council (PSC) President. Like many in this community, our family moved to West Palm Beach from New York City. While we are considered to be frontiers moving in 2017, with the welcome embrace of the PBDA community, we never gave our decision a second thought.

Since our arrival at PBDA, I have volunteered on various special events committees including Spirit Shop, Teacher Appreciation Week, and Book Fair. I have supported Admissions on the Toddler Tuesday Committee and as a Parent Link. I’ve pulled wagons of giggling toddlers and designed a pumpkin patch for the Pre-Primary and Primary Harvest Fest. I have served as a guest speaker for our “PBDA On Topic” Speaker Series, sharing my professional knowledge on adolescent and teen mental health. I’ve cheered until I had no voice on Field Day, served

as Secretary of the PSC, and Class Parent for the last three years. These are some of my favorite Grade Level Representative moments, all stemming from volunteerism and involvement in the Parent School Council.

I have loved representing this parent body and working alongside talented faculty and administration, but it has been my greatest honor to give back to a community that has given my family so much.

Thank you to my children, Jacob and Avery, who every day wake up eager for school, and at afternoon carline leap into the car with smiles and stories to share. Thank you to my husband, Tyler, who is wonderfully supportive and my best sounding board.

IN MY NEW ROLE AS PRESIDENT, MY GOALS AND VISION FOR THE PSC ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Promote a strong sense of community at Palm Beach Day Academy; Foster a cohesive school/family culture grounded in connectivity and communication;

NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE PARENT SCHOOL COUNCIL This fall, a new slate of PSC Executive Committee members began their two-year tenure. Please join us in welcoming the following PSC leaders.

HAYLEY SCHAPIRO, PRESIDENT

Parent of Primary 4 and Primary 3 LAUREN KENNY, VICE PRESIDENT OF LOWER CAMPUS

Parent of 1st, 2nd, and 4th graders ELIZABETH DEBRULE, VICE PRESIDENT OF UPPER CAMPUS

Parent of a 6th grader SHAYLA MCGUIRE, SECRETARY

Parent of a 5th grader

ALLYSON MASHEK, PROGRAMS CHAIR

Represent the views of both new and returning families to the school and administration;

Parent of 3rd and 6th graders

Organize programs and activities that will enrich the students’ and parents’ experiences, always with tradition in mind;

LOWER CAMPUS

Act as a resource to the school by providing a forum to dialogue constructively between parents and administration.

Parent of 3rd and 5th graders

I look forward to working with you in service to our school. I welcome your expertise, suggestions, and insights, and I look forward to continuing the conversation.

JENNIFER LAZZARA, PROGRAMS VP FOR

Parent of 2nd, 5th, and 7th graders SARAH TEMPLE, PROGRAMS VP FOR UPPER CAMPUS

KALLEY HOFFMAN, PARENT REPRESENTATIVE FOR LOWER (PRE-PRIMARY AND PRIMARY)

Parent of a Pre-Primary student

ELIZABETH LEEDS, PARENT REPRESENTATIVE FOR LOWER (K-3)

Parent of Primary 4 and 3rd grader JENNIE ADAMS, PARENT REPRESENTATIVE FOR UPPER CAMPUS

Parent of 2nd, 5th, and 7th graders CAROLINE RAFFERTY, BOARD LIAISON

Parent of 3rd and 4th graders 62

P A L M B E A C H D A Y ACAD EM Y

PARENTS JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH NEW PSC COMMITTEE This year, current Lower School parent LOREN KLEIN and several other parents including ANDREA PERTNOY, KALLEY HOFFMAN , and ELIZABETH WOLCOTT , launched the Health, Wellness, and Sustainability Committee as one of the Parent School Council’s initiatives for years to come.

The committee came together organically (pun intended) when several parents connected informally about the immense value of the school’s new lunch program through SAGE Dining and the vast array of opportunities the partnership presents in promoting health and wellness within the community. The Committee was launched this fall with the belief that by working together, we can enhance our commitment to protecting not only the health of the environment but also our own mental and physical health and wellbeing.

The Committee will focus on three main initiatives: Health and Sustainability; Environmental Education and Stewardship; and Wellness. Action items include identifying local farms for CSA and learning opportunities, revitalizing PBDA’s composting program, ultimately eliminating the use of insecticides on the property and transitioning to native plants only, fundraising for air purifiers for each classroom, expanding the school’s advisory program, and much more. For those interested in learning more or helping in any way with this committee, please contact PSC@ pbday.org.

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ALUMNI

BACK IN THE NEW YORK GROOVE

The Happiest Hour A Bulldog is always up for a reunion, and that proved to be true for more than 50 Bulldog alumni despite a rainy December evening.

For the first time in more than three years, PBDA alumni spanning several decades gathered together for a long-overdue Alumni Happy Hour at E.R. Bradley’s Saloon on December 15, 2021. The main attraction, MR. RALPH GRECO, was ready and waiting to greet his former students. Additional guests of honor included MR. JIM GRAMENTINE, MRS. TINA BARBIERI, MS. TRACY KRAMM, MRS. ELIZABETH SELLERS ,

and MS. CARRIE PATEMAN ‘92, among other school faculty and administrators. Bulldogs past and present gathered under one roof to reconnect over an open bar and hors d’oeuvres.

Mikala Merey ’11, Charlotte Dowell ’11, Elizabeth Sellers, Kallie Atterbury ’11, and Tina Barbieri

Class of 1992 alumni Margie Betten and Loy Anderson with Head of School Fanning Hearon

For the last two and a half years of the pandemic, New York has been slowly taking over Palm Beach. This past May, the tables were turned as PBDA made its return to the Big Apple for the longawaited PBDA Alumni Event in New York City. On the evening of Friday, May 13, Bulldogs in the Tri-State area were invited to an evening of catching up with former classmates and teachers.

Alum BENJI GRISWOLD ‘96 graciously hosted the event, held at the Racquet and Tennis Club, for alumni, members of the PBDA administration, BARBARA BAYLESS CLOSE ’67 , and TINA BARBIERI.

Event host Benji Griswold ‘96 with Fanning Hearon, Head of School.

PBDA partnership with the

Red Sneakers for Oakley Organization The PBDA community was proud to wear red on Friday, May 20th in support of Red Sneakers for Oakley and to raise awareness of the dangers of food allergies.

Laura Anthony ’81, Paul Reynolds ’83, Andy Conger ’80, Lucy Anthony Webster ’80, and Fanning Hearon

Class of 1992 alumni Loy Anderson, Margie Betten, Alex Schaeffer and Carrie Pateman

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Jim Gramentine and Olivia Loving ’08

Jim Gramentine with Helin Siris ’01 and Olivia Loving ’08

Benji Griswold ‘96, Jeff Rapaport ‘96, Fanning Hearon, and Laura Rapaport.

Meghan Monteiro (Dir. of Philanthropy), Tina Barbieri, Fanning Hearon (Head of School), Martha Bjorklund (Head of Lower School), Barbara Bayless Close, and Stephanie Filauro (Dir. of Admission)

In November of 2016, days before Thanksgiving, alumna MERRILL DEBBS ‘85 tragically lost her 11-year-old son, Oakley, to a fatal anaphylactic reaction resulting from a mild nut allergy. Since then, the Debbs family has made it their mission to promote a better understanding of what it’s like to live with a food allergy, to reduce the number of deaths caused by food allergies, and to

better recognize symptoms and respond more quickly to allergic reactions.

On the morning of May 20th, a day that has been declared national and international Red Sneakers Day, students from PrePrimary to ninth grade gathered on their respective campuses to honor the memory of Oakley and help raise awareness of food allergies. Ms. Debbs joined Jonathan Spergel, MD, Ph.D. – Chief of the Allergy Program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – and Dr. Elena E. Perez, MD – a local allergy

specialist – to speak to both students and parents about what it’s like to live with a food allergy and how we all play a part in preventing and responding to allergic reactions.

With the help of the Debbs family and their 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Red Sneakers for Oakley, our hope is that PBDA’s participation in Red Sneakers Day today will help to save someone’s life tomorrow.

*

For more information on Red Sneakers for Oakley, please visit redsneakers.org.

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CLASS NOTES

JOIN US FOR A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIVES OF OUR BULLDOG FAMILIES AND PBDA ALUMNI. WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. IF YOU HAVE CLASS NOTES TO SHARE — BIRTHS, WEDDINGS, JOBS, EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS, ETC.— PLEASE EMAIL YOUR CLASS AGENT OR MAC JACKSON IN THE ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT OFFICE AT ALUMNI@PBDAY.ORG.

1959

and her husband Peter are proud that their granddaughter, Jasmine Birdsall Geisler, is attending Palm Beach Day as a Pre-Primary student and Pelican. Her mother SORAYA , also, went to the Day School.

CONNIE WHEELER GEISLER

1965

and her husband Bob Kaufmann are delighted to be living in Palm Beach since 2008. Their family is spread out over the country with sons in Burlington, VT, Cambridge, MA, and San Francisco, CA and a daughter in Los Angeles, CA. They have 7 grandchildren. Ellen enjoys seeing PBDA classmates and friends here in Palm Beach and remembering fun adventures from the old days.

ELLEN FULLER KAUFMANN

and her husband Tuck recently moved just south of their old house on A1A in Vero Beach, and the new studio space is CATHY FERRELL

amazing! She has been a sculptor since graduating from Palm Beach Day. She attended University of Michigan, FAU, and earned her graduate degree from the University of Miami in 1972. Her sculpting has taken her to wonderful spots around the world and many great adventures. To view her work, visit J M Stringer Gallery locally. It is also shown in several other states and at the Salmagundi Club in New York.

She thanks PBDS for a great start in art!

1966

Following a medical career mostly in Annapolis, Maryland, DEAN HOOVER and his wife moved to the Republic of Panama for a 10 year retirement adventure. They repatriated to Northeast Florida in 2020. is still writing and painting as he heads into his seventh decade. His tenth book “Jacques Villeglé and the Streets of Paris,” was released in April 2022.

It’s the first biography in English of BARNABY CONRAD III

96-year-old Jacques Villeglé, arguably France’s greatest living artist and the “Grandfather of Street Art.” Published by Modernism Inc. and Inkshares, the book contains hundreds of color images of Villegle’s art as well vintage photographs of his bohemian friends André Breton, Yves Klein, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Christo, among others. Barnaby’s wife Martha and son Jack are just glad it’s finally done!

1968

devotes most of his time these days to nonprofit management in Charleston and the Berkshires. Since he never gets back to Delray or Palm Beach any more, he wants to give a virtual shout-out to all his friends in his grade, as well as in the grades immediately above and below his. Give him a holler if you’re in the neighborhood.

Go Pelicans!

IAN DEVINE

has several books that are available on Amazon.com under Ibby Greer, Ibby Taylor Greer, or Elizabeth T. Greer. She was widowed in 2008 and married again in 2017. She loves hearing about classmates.

ELIZABETH (IBBY) GREER

1972

recently completed fishing class teaching duties at the West Palm Beach Fishing Club’s annual S.A.L.T.Y. kids outreach program covering bait, tackle, knot tying, and conservation classroom instruction followed by a fun fishing day for all. Each child receives a rod, a lures bag, and an experience to remember in addition to a better understanding of our Palm Beach marine environment.

STUART PAVLIK

Stuart Pavlik ’72 poses with his catch.

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ALU M N I S P OTLIGH T

HONORING BENJAMIN MCGUCKIN ’48 Last December, we received a handwritten letter from one of our oldest school alumni, BENJAMIN MCGUCKIN ’48. He had just received his copy of The Bridge Magazine and wanted to reach out to the school to share his memories of his time spent here. We were immediately pulled into Ben’s words and the picture he painted of what life was like at Palm Beach Private back in the day (the 1930s and 40s to be exact!). We were itching to get to know Ben better and hear more about his story, so we reached out to have him answer a few more questions. While it is with great sadness that we share news of Ben’s passing on April 7, 2022, we are honored to be able to share his legacy. We hope you enjoy hearing from one of our school’s oldest alumni as much as we did.

Tell us about some of your memories from being a student at Palm Beach Private School during the late 1930s / early 1940s.

I distinctly remember Miss Elliott, my first grade teacher in 1936. She taught us a little bit of everything. She wore a white uniform and was quite strict. Next was Karl Dearborn who taught us Math and the two-hour lunch break from noon - 2 p.m. at the Sea Spray Beach Club. The break included a swim and lunch until we were back to school until 4 p.m.

Your nickname at school as “Bunny” McGuckin. Where did that come from?

Benjamin “ Bunny “ was a fictitious character, a rabbit, of the day and could be found in kids magazines, etc. My given name is Benjamin so my parents simply added Bunny.

Remember this was long before TV.

drag” was a building that produced ice cream flavors in the mold of your choice.

Your ties run deep with Karl Dearborn, Head of School of Palm Beach Private School from 1935 to 1942. What kind of impact did he have on the trajectory of your life?

The headmaster, Karl Dearborn, taught us math and he must have done a good job as I have always been quick with numbers. Later, when looking for a college in 1948, I came across Grinell College and guess who was the Dean of Admissions - Karl Dearborn. I got a good education there but experienced winters the likes of which I have not seen since.

After graduating in the top third of your class from Grinnell College in Iowa, you joined the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School. What was that experience like? Do you feel your time at PBDA prepared you for OCS? At the end of my 6th grade year, my family moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland across the Bay from Annapolis. I went to many schools but graduated from Millbrook. During my junior year at Grinnell, six of us joined the Naval Reserve where we had weekly meetings in Des Moines.

Continued on page 69

At one point, you were a Pelican captain. What are some of your Field Day memories from your days at PBPS? This was quite an honor and we won almost everything from the Flamingos. I remember Field Day that year when my best competition was Gregory Gibson. One of the events was a run down to the other end of the field and back.

Also the high jump. Also, the high jump, but sadly I don’t remember any times or heights.

You lived very closeby at 235 Seaspray Avenue while attending school. Tell us a little bit more about your memories of Palm Beach the town at that time.

Who could forget “Bethesda by The Sea” which was only about 15 years old at the time. I was an acolyte and still keep a red ribbon that was given to me for my service.

Every time I go back to Palm Beach, one of the first things I do is drive down that beautiful palm tree-lined street. Somewhere along that street where it meets the “main

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1988

writes that she is happy to be back in Florida with her family and has two boys at PBDA (Ware, 4th, and Greer, 3rd). Both are loving Palm Beach Day and are proud Flamingos! This spring, Nicole got to catch up with two of her closest friends from her class – JACKIE STRASSER HIGGINS who was visiting from Washington, DC with her husband Neal and daughter Hallie, and JESSICA BLADES HAVENS was also visiting from New Canaan, CT with her husband Scott and kids, Tommy, Lizzie and Catherine. It was so much fun to get to catch up and the next generation had so much fun together!

NICOLE ROBINSON MENGES

The next generation poses during their PBDA friends reunion. Pictured Left to Right: Ware Menges, Hallie Higgins, and Greer Menges.

1994

MICHAEL AND JESSICA LAZZARA

will be celebrating their 9th wedding anniversary in December.

Their daughter Gianna is a secondgrade student at PBDA. Gianna has a love for Math and Science and has even connected with Mr. Tom Sarko who has sent her NASA goodies.

Their son Wesley (Class of 2021) is a Sophomore at Cardinal Newman High School and last year, enjoyed playing football for the school.

Jessica is currently Chief of Staff at Gast Construction Group, Residential & Commercial Construction Company as well as Estate Management based in West Palm Beach. Jessica’s husband is a detective at the Palm Beach Sheriff’s office. They have both enjoyed keeping the Palm Beach Day tradition alive by having both of their children, past and present, attend PBDA. GRUBER

Jessica Lazzara Gruber ’94 with husband Michael, daughter Gianna, and son Wesley

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1997

The 2021-22 year has been incredibly exciting for LEAH PATIPA as she now has both of her children enrolled at PBDA, Sofi (2nd grade) and Luka (Kindergarten) as well as her nephews Pierson (Kindergarten) and Harry (Primary) - GO FLAMINGOS!! Having cousins attend the same school that Leah and her sister attended is “a feeling of comfort I cannot describe. I drive into the school and I feel at home.”

Leah is an equine veterinarian practicing in Wellington. She and her husband own Paddock Equine Veterinary Services where he also practices as an equine surgeon. Sofi caught the horse bug and they love showing their horses. Also having WEF in their backyard has been very convenient.

1998

In 2019, ALEX NEWELL TAYLOR’S dream of living on Mount Desert Island in Maine finally came true!

She lives there with her husband, daughter, and dog, and enjoys hiking in the mountains of Acadia as often as possible. After being a part of the team that successfully won the Amendment 4 campaign to restore voting rights to 1.4 million Floridians in 2018 (the largest single increase in American voting rights since the Voting Rights Act of 1965), she took a position as an organizer with National Nurses United, the largest nurses’ union in the country, where she leads a national campaign for healthcare justice. She is also the Executive Director of Summer Festival of the Arts, an arts education non-profit, and serves on the Board of Directors for Maine Healthcare Action.

Officer, RPS Custodian and Navigator, etc. In those days, anything past 250 miles from shore required a working knowledge of celestial navigation. This was a full-time job which I loved and practiced for many years. Nowadays, all one needs to do to obtain a position is look at a watch, for example.

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Then, President Harry Truman was threatening to draft us. After graduation, I moved to Connecticut where my family now resided and worked at a ho hum job for a few months before applying to the Navy’s OCS. I was subsequently informed that the class for which I applied was full. So I said to myself I will simply go on active as an enlisted man. So, I went to the Navy’s enlisted boot camp in Bainbridge, MD. Halfway through boot camp, I received orders to the next class at OCS. I graduated in July 1953 and was ordered to a 220 minesweeper here in Charleston.

You have been stationed aboard various minesweepers and destroyers across the North Atlantic. Share with us a little more about your experience living on the open seas.

I was given a number of jobs to start my career: Assistant Communications

Our first assignment was a trip to Quebec. Excellent training. The following year, we spent six months working with the 6th fleet in the Mediterranean. In 1956, I was released to inactive duty. Then in 1958, I joined the Ready Reserve Force where, for one weekend a month, I was trained by an active duty crew in the event of a recall. This happened in October 1960 when the Berlin Wall went up. We were ordered to join an Antisubmarine task groujp made up of the Aircraft Carrier Essex, eight destroyers, and a supply ship. We spent that winter in the North Sea, Irish Sea, and points north. I don’t recommend this for anyone. It was not unusual to receive forecasts predicting seas of 26 to 40 feet.

You retired as a Captain in 1979, and recently turned 91. Congratulations!

What has been your secret to living such a long, fruitful and fulfilling life?

Good genes, a proper diet (lots of fruits and veggies), an active lifestyle, and 7 ounces of white wine with dinner.

If you could share any piece of advice with our Palm Beach Day graduates as they prepare to become leaders in an ever-changing world, what would it be?

You can’t beat the 3 Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic). One of my grandsons, now 21, used to sit on my lap and I read to him almost daily. By the end of first grade, he was reading at 3rd grade level.

The following spring we were assigned the Primary Recovery Zone to pick up Scott Carpenter. In those days, astronauts went up in capsules and were picked up out at sea. We trained for his pickup but he overshot 260 miles so a helicopter went and got him.

* SAVE THE DATE

PBDA ALUMNI EVENT THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022 5-7:00PM PBDA’S UPPER CAMPUS 241 SEAVIEW AVENUE

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Central, MTV, Bravo, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Reductress, The Onion, Funny or Die, and more.

2004

Congratulations to TEDDY CUMMINGS who is marrying Carroll Ison of Dallas in Aspen, CO this fall.

Alumni at Callie Baker’s wedding.

2000

Mollie Kotzen with son, Max

Ricky Grow ’01 and son, Fisher

Congratulations to TRENT SWIFT who was named partner with the law firm of Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath. Trent and his wife, Jessica, welcomed their second son, Beckett McClintock Swift, into the world this August.

Callie Baker ’01 and her husband Matthew Holt

and her husband Andrew welcomed Jack Lancelot Truschel on January 1, 2022.

Jack joins big sister Noelle June (now almost 3). Laurissa – known to her friends at PBDS as “Lissy” – is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician at Duke where she is also engaged in health equity work. Last summer, Lissy finished up her fellowship and residency at Boston Children’s and moved to Durham, NC in September. Laurissa’s older sister LINDSAY (LESTER) STORTZ ’97 and her husband and children, Rebecca and Barrett, live five minutes down the road.

LAURISSA (LESTER) TRUSCHEL

2001

Congratulations to CALLIE VICTORIA BAKER who married Matthew Holt on April 30, 2022 in Palm Beach surrounded by friends and family. Wedding guests included many from the Class of 2001 and current PBDA parents.

Alum wedding guests included ALEXANDRA BERKLEY BAR-OR, TED COONEY, SAMANTHA ABBOTT, EMMA

2002

RIGBY, HELIN SIRIS, CAITLIN HODGE, NICO FANJUL, RICKY GROW, RAFAELA ECHEVERRI

and

and his wife Amber Grow welcomed their son Fisher Hopkins Grow on December 15, 2021.

Laurissa Truschel ’01 with husband Andrew and children Noelle and Jack.

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This summer, ELLIE JAMISON moved from San Francisco to Charlottesville to begin her first year at University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, Class of 2024. She will be focusing on entrepreneurship and

is currently living and writing in Brooklyn and Southhampton. Whilst in quarantine, Laurel started ‘Laurel’s Little Show’– short interviews of comics and other people she finds interesting. She also founded and edits satire magazine The Bacon Beacon and currently writes television shows for a popular streaming service. Her writing has appeared on or in Amazon Prime, BlackBook Magazine, Comedy LAUREL CUMMINGS

JONATHAN ELIAS. RICKY GROW

heading to North Carolina where she has accepted a position as an Ob/Gyn academic generalist with Duke University.

innovation during her time there.

Ellie says “PBDA gave me the best foundation for all of my academic and career pursuits!”

Congratulations to MOLLIE KOTZEN and husband Mike Riggs who welcomed their son Max KotzenRiggs on November 9, 2021. Molly also just graduated from Ob/Gyn residency in Philadelphia at Pennsylvania Hospital and is soon

2007

Congratulations to KATIE CUMMINGS who married David O’Kane of Locust Valley in August. recently moved back to Palm Beach and started her own clothing company, Banniere. The company produces high quality silk scarves that are printed and hand-rolled in the UK.

is still living in Atlanta, where he’s earning his MBA at Georgia Tech and continuing to work full-time at an insurance brokerage firm.

LOGAN KANAI

is loving being a dog mom to her two dogs: Angus, a chocolate lab, and Olive, a Doberman. Diane went to Ohio State University for law school, and recently moved from Ohio to Denver, Colorado where she works as an attorney at Jackson Kelly PLLC, She specializes in commercial litigation and medical malpractice defense. In her downtime, Diane enjoys camping, hiking, and snowboarding.

DIANE LONG

OLIVIA MEYER

2008

recently transitioned from her job as the PR and Communications Officer at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami. She is now the Experiential Marketing Manager for Amyris, a biotech company and leader in the burgeoning clean beauty market.

Within Amyris, Davina manages several brands, including Rose Inc, Biossance, JVN, Costa Brazil, and Ecofabulous. She oversees all global brand activations and events. She’s enjoying life in Miami with her two dogs, Puma and Leo! DAVINA DRESBACH

is currently living in Chicago with her husband and her dog, Gouda. She is attending the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and will receive her MBA next June. In March, she married Tyler Ritrovato in Palm Beach, where MAIA MONELL ‘08 was a bridesmaid.

works as the content and copy editor for a global IT firm.

(She credits Ms. Burke and Mr. Greco with her solid foundation in grammar!) She’s in New York City, where she returned after completing grad school in North Carolina. She cherishes her visits home to South Florida and keeps in touch with several Palm Beach Day friends.

Alongside her editing work, Olivia is OLIVIA LOVING

LIZA JOHNSON

Dan Stoops ’08 married in April 2022

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Lisa Johnson ’08 and her husband at their Palm Beach wedding.

2010

is living in Miami and working for J.P. Morgan as a financial adviser. To this day, some of his closest friends are his PBDA classmates, including HUNTER RUDOLPH, BLAKE RIZZOLO, ROMAN PETTY, AND SEAN,

and ROBERT

CASTELLANO .

is in graduate school studying clinical psychology at Columbia University in New York City.

EMILY DUNKEL

recently left his role as a Senior Project Manager at NextEra after 5 years of being with the company, where he developed solar and battery storage projects.

As of August, he is now attending Columbia Business School full-time.

GRIFFIN LEONE

also a writer. In 2020, her short story, “Invasives,” appeared in Midway Journal, and in 2013, she wrote a personal essay about OCD for The Atlantic. She enjoys occasional pilgrimages to the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts!

is starting her fourth year of medical school at the University of Miami and just completed a Master’s degree in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University.

ALEX GORDON

is the founder and CEO of Spacemilk, Inc., a nutritionindustry disruptor. He traces his success as an entrepreneur back to his roots at PBDS, where he’s grateful to have received a stellar education. Walt earned his J.D. at ASU, though he’s chosen a career in business over one in law. He lives in Washington, D.C., where he enjoys the high-paced atmosphere and—even more—the foodie scene.

WALTER ROSS

You could say it was DAN STOOPS’ favorite year yet! He got married in April 2022, and he and his wife bought their first home in Lake Worth. As he submitted his class note, they were finishing up their honeymoon in Italy, so “life is good!”

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recently graduated from Alpert Medical School at Brown University and began her psychiatry residency at Duke University.

JULIA ROTHSCHILD

MICHAEL ARMOUR

BRENDAN ,

Olivia Loving ’08 and Serena Woodward ’09

married Jordan Davis (both Cornell 2017 graduates!) on March 12, 2022, with fellow PBDA alum TAYLOR SMITH and LILY APPLEFIELD as her bridesmaids.

Barrett graduated from Brooklyn Law School in May and began working as an attorney at Lowenstein Sandler in New York this fall.

BARRETT SMITH

recently graduated from Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida and took the Florida Bar exam in July. He now has a job with the 20th Judicial Circuit Public Defender’s Office.

BLAKE RIZZOLO

works as a physician assistant for a dermatology practice in Boynton Beach, Florida, and continues to ride horses in Wellington.

LIZA FINSNESS

2018

is attending Butler University where she is studying healthcare and business with a minor in organizational communication and leadership in hopes to tackle healthcare injustices and increase patient satisfaction from an administrative perspective.

LAUREN SUSICK

2019

Congratulations to NICOLE BERGER will be attending Harvard in the Class of 2027 as a theater, dance, and media concentrator. She is taking a gap year to devote to her passion for the arts. Nicole graduated from Concord Academy (Concord, MA) in June.

– a Bulldog from Primary to 8th grade – graduated from Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, FL in May. While there, she was selected to the STEPHANIE LUCCHESI

Headmaster’s List for her academic achievements every semester at the school. Stephanie participated in both Track and Field and Cross County and currently holds the St. Andrew’s Triple Jump record. She was recently awarded the Athletic Team Leadership Award for serving as Captain of the Track and Field for four years, and Captain of the Cross Country Team for two years.

Stephanie is the proud recipient of the Booster Club Scholar-Athlete Award, a prestigious recognition that is presented to the student who, in addition to earning at least five varsity letters, has achieved the

time is spent running his luxury brand, De Lesseps. He resides in the West Village of New York City and studies fashion design at Parsons School of Design.

SEBASTIAN KEITEL’S

highest academic average.

Stephanie is a freshman at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

2021

is a Junior at Oxbridge and has been busy participating in many school events, including serving as a school ambassador. He is also pursuing a career in composition and songwriting and earns an income making money from releasing music.

JAMES CAPRIO

*

*

SEND US YOUR CLASS NOTES! ALUMNI@PBDAY.ORG

moved to Nashville, Tennessee this fall from Washington, D.C. where she was working as a Senior Consultant at Ernst & Young.

LILY APPLEFIELD

2016 Barrett Smith ’10 married Jordan Davis on March 12, 2022.

Congratulations to NATE GRAMENTINE who finished in second place while competing for Columbia in the high jump competition during the Spring 2022 Ivy League track and field championships at Yale University. Second place earned Nate Second Team all-Ivy League honors.

Griffin Leone ’10 is now attending Columbia Business School full-time.

Stephanie Lucchesi ’19 was awarded the prestigious Saint Andrew’s School Booster Club Scholar Award shortly before her May 2022 graduation.

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PALM BEACH DAY ACADEMY 2021/2022 ANNUAL REPORT

Dear PBDA Community,

*

It is with great appreciation and enthusiasm that I share the 2021-2022 Annual Report.

Our culture of philanthropy is instrumental in advancing our mission to educate students in an academically challenging and compassion-rich environment. Annual Giving to Palm Beach Day Academy is one of the longest-standing traditions of our 102-year-old school and we are so proud of all that we have accomplished thanks to the support of our incredible community. PBDA is incredibly grateful to list in this report the individuals, families, and organizations who provided more gifts to our school than any year prior. From the Annual Fund to our Centennial Gala, it was a record-breaking year for fundraising and we wish to express gratitude for each and every one of these contributions. Every gift of any size makes a difference.

NAMES REFLECT

With so much gratitude,

CAMPAIGN.

CONTRIBUTIONS MADE TO THE 2021-2022 ANNUAL FUND AND CENTENNIAL GALA CHARITABLE DONATIONS AND SPONSORSHIPS (TICKET PURCHASES AND AUCTION SUPPORT NOT LISTED). THIS LIST DOES NOT REFLECT ANY CONTRIBUTIONS MADE TO THE SECOND CENTURY

MEGHAN MONTEIRO DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY

1921 SOCIETY

$100,000+

Anonymous Frank and Laura Baker Scott and Kimberly Goodwin Grant and Allyson Mashek Stacy and Keith Palagye

TRUSTEE SOCIETY $50,000 - 99,999

Mr. and Mrs. Rajesh Alva Mrs. Perri Bishop * Mr. and Mrs. Jason Capello Mr. Ara Cohen The Fanjul Family Florida Crystals Corporation Ms. Angelica Fuentes Mr. and Mrs. Jason T. Kalisman / A. Alfred Taubman Foundation Elizabeth and Jeffrey Leeds Mr. and Mrs. Greg Mondre Mary Kathryn Navab Dr. and Mrs. Michael Patipa Redbird Capital Partners

FACULTY SOCIETY $20,000 - 49,999

Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. Larry Alexander Mr. and Mrs. Brooks Bishop

Dixon and Arriana Boardman Mr. Brendan Carroll and Mrs. Samantha Carroll ’96 Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties The Elias Family - Louis N. Cassett Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Galligan Ms. Alexandra Garrison Neville Juliana Gendelman and Christopher Goldberg Impala Asset Managment Bart Halpern and Lawrence Kaplan Brian and Andrea Kosoy Mr. Sidney Lassen - Lassen Family Foundation The Lignelli Family Melissa and Harry Lis Mr. and Mrs. David Littman William M. Matthews ’67 and Jean Matthews Mr. Christopher D. Orthwein ’85 and Mrs. Binkie Orthwein Mr. and Mrs. Brian Pfeifler Mr. and Mrs. Robert Posner Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Rafferty Mr. and Mrs. Todd Savage The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation of Florida, Inc. The OPTIMA Charitable Foundation

HONOR SOCIETY

$10,000 - 19,999

Anonymous (2) Ms. Lisa Kornman Avila Mr. Tal Bar-or and Mrs. Alexandra Bar-or ’01 Alexandra and Paul Bergman Julian and Christy Bharti * Gave in Honor/Memory

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Mr. and Mrs. Michael Bickford Mr. and Mrs. Blair Brandt ’03 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Crespi Mr. and Mrs. Peter D. Cummings Mr. and Mrs. Adam Demark Christie and Jack Fennebresque Dr. and Mrs. Gregory Frost Mr. and Mrs. Peter Geisler Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Grace III Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Griswold Todd and Brandie Herbst Mr. and Mrs. Scott Hesse Jewish Communal Fund Mrs. Suzanne and Ambassador Robert W. Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Casey Klein Kristen and David Lambert Mr. and Mrs. Joseph LaNasa III Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Macfarland Margit Brandt Palm Beach Mrs. John B. McCracken James and Shayla McGuire Mr. James Menges and Mrs. Nicole R. Menges ’88 Mr. and Mrs. Prescott Miller Mr. and Mrs. William Mulroy Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Preston Mrs. Cobey Rapaport Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Safro Schumacher Automotive Group Molly and Douglas Simmons Mr. Remy Trafelet and Lady Melissa Trafelet

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P A L M B E A C H D A Y ACAD EM Y

Mr. and Mrs. Erik Waldin Mr. and Mrs. Roger W. Webb Cynthia and Michael Wilburn Victoria Willard Liz and William Wolcott The Zoumas Family

FLAMINGO AND PELICAN SOCIETY $5,000 - 9,999

Anonymous (2) Mr. and Mrs. Zach Ablon Mr. and Mrs. Michael Adams AERO Sustainable Material Technology Michael and Suzanne Ainslie Mr. and Mrs. Larry B. Alexander, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Allen Mr. and Mrs. Micah Alpern Big Time Restaurant Group Michelle and Samir Bonomo Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Cardinale Christian Angle Real Estate Alexander and Amanda Coleman Gregory and Monica Coleman Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Cornell Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Diebold Mr. and Mrs. Justin Duffie Mr. William Thomas Finneran Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Gardiner Mr. and Mrs. Avram Glazer

Mr. and Mrs. Dylan Harrison Mr. and Dr. David Heacock Mr. and Mrs. Brian Henderson Mr. and Mrs. Rob Jewell JP Morgan Chase Mr. and Ms. J. Kevin Kenny Jr. The Kovacs Family Chris Lazzara ’92 and Jennifer Lazzara Marble Arch Insurance Group Mr. and Mrs. Roman Martinez IV Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Menz Dr. John Morrison MD Mr. Carlos Nido and Ms. Rebekah Alfond Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Shawger Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Stern The Adames Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Juan Pablo Thieriot V2 Jets

BRIDGE SOCIETY $2,500 - 4,999

Anonymous (3) Alton Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ambrosi Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Anderson Mr. Michael Aram and Mr. Aret Tikiryan Mr. Racso Bartra and Mrs. Ursula Bartra Margie Betten ’92 and Christian Siegrist Rob and Courtney Boyd Mr. Nelson Calle and Ms. Ana Caballero Joe and Alex Chase Eric Christu and Maura Ziska Christu Hilary Cohen Mrs. Gloria Daigh Mr. and Mrs. Dow Famulak Jenna and John Ferber Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Forrest (Caroline ’92) Gregory and Anastasia Georgas Mr. Carl Gregory Mr. Fanning M. Hearon III Tiffany Marks Isaacs ’98 and Simon Isaacs JFK IV Family Trust Mr. Scott A. Johnson ’79 and Mrs. Kristy Johnson Dana Koch ’87 and Jessica Koch Mr. Jeff Koons Ms. Natalie Leeds Leventhal Mr. and Mrs. Carter Leidy Mr. and Mrs. Dominick Maggio Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas McClelland

Anna and Sean Miller Mr. Ambrose K. Monell ’69 and Mrs. Lili Crichton Monell ’69 Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Munder Oxbridge Academy Charles and Amanda Schumacher Mr. and Mrs. Chris Skaletsky Ms. Lin Snider Mr. and Mrs. Burl Spurlock II Mr. and Mrs. David Supple Mr. and Mrs. Swid John Wean III ’66 and Susanne Cole Wean ’67

BULLDOG SOCIETY $1,000 - 2,499

Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. C. Minot Amory IV ’03 Angel Arroyo and Dr. Irma Morales Mr. and Mrs. David Atkinson Lyanne Azqueta ’84 Mrs. Blair Bissett Beall ’64 and Mr. Kenneth S. Beall, Jr. Mr. and Ms. Hampton Beebe III Amy and Ryan Bridger Patrick Broderick Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Chane Kim Conway Coleman ’70 Mrs. Gail Cooke Billy and Mary Coyle Mr. Michael Curcio and Mrs. Katherine Newcomer Curcio ’97 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Douglass Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Guy Endzweig Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Fairbanks Dean and Christine Goodman Chris Heine and Wendi Miller The Hoffman Family Mr. and Mrs. Trey Huey Jimmy Choo Mrs. Phyllis Kirwan Ms. Blair Kirwin Joan and Avery Klann Mrs. Eliane Leuwenkroon * Donna and Robert Lloyd George Tracy Markin Keith and Tiffany Markoski Mr. Thomas O. McCarthy Mr. and Mrs. Ron McMackin Mr. and Mrs. Myron Miller Mr. and Mrs. Evan Monteiro

* Gave in Honor/Memory

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J.B. Murray ’81 and Carrie Murray Mr. and Mrs. Josh Murray Nautilus Foundation, Inc Mr. and Mrs. James Paine Mr. and Mrs. Georgios Partheniou Mark Passler Mr. and Mrs. Ronnie Pertnoy Mr. George B Post Mr. and Mrs. Paul Psak Emily and John Rafferty Brett Rosecan ’02 Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Schapiro Mr. and Ms. C. Tyler Sheldon Mr. and Mrs. Rex Sherry Austin and Stephen Smith Mr. and Mrs. Richard Stahl Mrs. Valerie Straith Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Swann Mr. and Mrs. Trent Swift ’00 Mr. and Mrs. Rich Tarpey Richard and Tricia Taylor The Civie and Earl Pertnoy Family Foundation The SIL LLC Katy and Scott Thompson Mr. Jeff Turner and Dr. Cassandra Onofrey Mr. and Mrs. Peter Vesz Jane Wareham and Timothy Ridley Ms. Leslie Whitaker Whitehall Foundation, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Brian Wolff Mr. and Ms. Peter Worth Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Jason Zubatkin

FRIEND SOCIETY UP TO $999

Anonymous (13) AbbVie Yelda Adiguzelli-Dugan Ms. Katina Alamo Mr. and Mrs. John Amber American German Club Inc. Jennifer and Antonio Andreon Aronson Family Adrienne Carson Arp ’92 and Dodger Arp Mr. Roy Assad Ms. Charlotte Bahm and Ms. Jennifer Minogue Delane Bailey-Herd Tina Barbieri Mrs. and Mr. Neera Barot 78

P A L M B E A C H D A Y ACAD EM Y

Dr. and Dr. Daniel L. Kapp Mr. Nevin Bauman ’83 and Mrs. Kathryn Bauman Kimberley Belfi Mrs. Nicole Bellan Mr. and Mrs. Turner Benoit ’97 Mr. and Mrs. Brian Benoit Mr. Otto Bergés Ms. Katherine Berry Mr. and Mrs. Brett Bieneman Martha and Brad Bjorklund Kahlil and Kimberly Bond Greg Bonner ’90 and Alexis Bonner Ms. Trudi Borchardt Mrs. Allison Kent Bourke ’80 Mr. and Mrs. Philip Braunstein Charles C. Briggs Mr. Jason Briggs Mr. and Mrs. Erin Brodsky Mr. and Mrs. Sam Calderbank Ms. Lorena Calvo and Mr. Bronson Barnett Mr. and Mrs. David Caracappa Julissa Carlson Mr. and Mrs. Leandro Carneiro Allison Charnick Ms. Rebecca Choron Sue Chris Paul and Linda Cicio Lisa Small and Anatole Conde Mr. Van Khang Nguyen and Mrs. Jennifer Connolly Mrs. Jan-Marie Coniglio Cook ’95 and Mr. Christopher Cook, Jr. Sarah Cooke Ms. Brittany Corso Andrew Crane Mr. and Mrs. Cody Crowell Dorothea and Joe Cvelbar Marin Cvelbar ’21 Chase and Laura Davis Mr. and Mrs. A.I. de Bie, Jr. ’96 Lily Holt Dillon ’83 and Patrick Dillon Greg Susick Family Prof. and Dr. Paul Du Quenoy Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dugan David and Shana Dutkewych Ms. Katherine Duvnjak Amanda Elkin The Ellender Family Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ellis II Ms. Whitney Erasmus Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Evans

Nate and Heather Fanberg Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Farias Ms. Madeleine J. Fawcett Mr. Kevin Feeley Sue Fan and Tom Ferguson Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Filauro Claudie Finney Ms. Lauren Fitzgerald Ms. Taylor Fitzpatrick Nina and Fabrizio Flaminio Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Frackelton, III Mr. and Mrs. Robert Frisbie Jr. Gary and Jane Frucci Mr. and Mrs. Graham Gallagher Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Gallagher Gerard and Melissa George Ms. Dia Gilley Mrs. Elena Giudice Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Goldberg Mr. Alxy Gomez Mr. and Mrs. Ian Gordon Jim and Nancy Gramentine Ralph Greco Ms. Leila Gregory Grace Gunkel ’05 Dana and Seth Hall Vicki and Peter Halmos, Greg Halmos ’00, Nick Halmos ’94 Ms. Angela Hampton Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Hanman Craig P. Harte ’78 Mrs. Pamela Ha-Stevenson V L Hearon Mr. Ryan Heier and Dr. Shinobu Heier Mr. and Mrs. Gary Hemstreet Suzanne Kent Hitchcock ’59 Ms. Jenna Hoogstra Ms. Elizabeth Hossfeld Mr. and Mrs. G. John Hossfeld Leslie Bryant Hume ’65 Mitch and Toni Hunt Integrated Fiduciary Advisory Services Mr. and Mrs. Mac Jackson Ms. Quinn Jacobs Mark and Annette Johnson Mrs. Hope Haskell Jones ’52 Mr. and Mrs. David Jubelirer Mr. and Mrs. Peter Kajanoja Mr. and Mrs. David Kamenstein Dennis and Cynthia Kanai

Dr. Daniel Kapp and Dr. Nicole Basile Ms. Lauren Kellar * Mrs. Ida Kelly Sarah Kemeness Mr. E. Hewlett Kent ’77 Paulette Koch Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Kosarek Tracy A. Kramm ’80 Drs. Dana and Steven Krumholz Stefan Kusinski Robin Laden Maria LaForte Kevin Lamb Mr. and Mrs. Page Leidy Ms. Alexandra Letts Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lipin Ms. Jenna Lodico Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich Lowenberg Mr. and Mrs. Steve Lucchesi Ms. Kate Lurie ’96 Mary C. Macfarland Neal and Ernesta Maligno Mr. Maloney Mr. Jeff Markowski and Ms. Robin Laden Ms. Ashley Marron Cyrus Massoumi ’91 G. Peter M. McCurrach ’58 Angie McDonald Ms. Nicole A. LaTorra McGivney ’89 Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Methe Mr. and Mrs. J. William Metzger, Jr. and Family Mr. Bode Miller ’29 Mr. Colton Miller ’26 Mr. Griffin Miller ’22 Mr. Jackson Miller ’22 Mr. Rhett Miller ’34 Dr. Erin Mitchell

* Gave in Honor/Memory

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Ms. Amy Moffatt Glenda Moffatt Stephen and Marguerite Morrell Miss Maeve C. Mullen ’20 Dr. and Mrs. Jack Newcomer * Mr. Chris Niebling Mr. and Mrs. Markus Nolff Kelley Nugent Virginia Oatley ’92 Mrs. Tabbatha O’Donnell Candy Sheehan O’Gara ’66 Dr. Manuel Olivares and Dr. Heather Wayland Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Ooten Mehmet and Ilkay Ozgenc Jonathan Paine Mr. and Mrs. Paraschiv Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Pastore Catherine Titcomb Pateman ’92 Ruby Patterson Mr. and Mrs. William Peebles Mr. and Mrs. Sergio Pejoves Sandor and Karie Petrovics Michael and Cindy Pflaumer Ms. Hailey E. Pflaumer ’15 Ms. Lauren Pflaumer ’14 Mr. and Mrs. Trevor Piester Mrs. Christina Murphy Pisa ’86 Valerie and Joel Post Kimberly T. Primo Mr. Oliver Quinn and Mrs. Sara Groff Lauran and Pete Rearic Janice and Joseph Remington Mr. and Mrs. Sidney H. Ritman * Mr. and Ms. Jed Rosenthal Natalie Rubiano-Calderbank Jennifer Sabugo Elizabeth O. Savage Mr. and Mrs. John Sayer Kyle Schlett Ms. Molly Scudder Miller Mr. and Mrs. John Seder * Ms. Kathleen Segerdahl Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Sellers Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Sharfman * Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Sheen Whitney Smith Sinclair ’80 and David Sinclair Ms. Elyssa Sisko Mr. Caleb Smith and Mrs. Jessica Fox Mr. and Mrs. David Sobel Mr. and Mrs. Howard Sosin

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Spoljaric Ms. Jamie Stampar Mrs. Sara Stapleton Bryce Stewart Ms. Michaela Stupkova Mrs. Phyllis Supple ’86 Mr. and Mrs. Jason Sweeney Dr. and Dr. Kevin Taylor Temple Family Dr. and Mrs. Patrick Tenbrink (Elizabeth ’98) Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Jack and Shirley Thompson Mr. Anh Ton and Mrs. Thuy Tran Cyrus Toufanian ’92 and Harley Toufanian Mrs. Stacey Trozolino Ms. Clara Rosengarten Urbahn ’67 Thomas and Debra Visage Stephanie Walker Ms. Pamela Williams Danielle Wyser-Pratte Meagher ’88 and Kevin Meagher Mrs. Catherine M. Yeatman Ms. Karen Zacka Dario M. Zagar ’86 Kelly and Mike Zingaro

GIFTS IN HONOR OF

Olympia Bishop, Shana Dutkewych, Allyson Jordan, and Kimberly Brodsky Given by Mrs. Perri Bishop Adam ’32 and Nikita ’32 Strosberg Given by Mrs. Eliane Leuwenkroon Athena ’33 and Cayden ’35 Curci Given by Dr. and Mrs. Jack Newcomer Cindy and Ronald McMackin Given by Mr. and Mrs. John Seder

GIFTS IN MEMORY OF

Every gift to the Annual Fund, no matter the size, helps to build and strengthen our special PBDA community

Marilyn Lassen Given by Ms. Lauren Kellar

Marilyn Lassen Given by Mr. and Mrs. Sidney H. Ritman

pbday.org/give

Brian Newcomer ’99 Given by Dr. and Mrs. Jack Newcomer Marilyn Lassen Given by Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Sharfman * Gave in Honor/Memory

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P A L M B E A C H D A Y ACAD EM Y

561.655.1188

Office of Philanthropy 241 Seaview Avenue Palm Beach, FL 33480 P A LM BE A C H D A Y A C A D E M Y

83

Palm Beach Day Academy 241 Seaview Avenue Palm Beach, FL 33480

*

Our mission

is to educate our students in an academically challenging and compassion-rich environment that guides each child toward personal excellence of mind, body and character.