2021 Summer Bulletin

Campus & Community

Summer Bulletin 2021

A APA PA RK R KP O PR OTRRTA R IT A IT

Practiced Advocate At Park, I learned to appreciate At Park, I learned to appreciate the value of listening, and the value of listening, and through understanding the life through understanding the life experiences of others, to seek experiences of others, to seek creative solutions to community creative solutions to community challenges. Learning how to challenges. Learning how to advocate at a young age lets advocate at a young age lets students practice early and students practice early and often. It becomes second often. It becomes second nature, a lifelong practice that nature, a lifelong practice that grows stronger over time.” grows stronger over time.”

Caroline Beecher ’15 Caroline BeecherSpeaker ’15 2021 Graduation 2021 Graduation Speaker

A rising senior at Colby College, Caroline A risingonsenior at Colby College, Caroline draws this foundation as she works for draws on this foundation as she works for just educational policy and advocates for just educational policy and advocates for other students. other students.

Which pillar of the Park Portrait Which pillar of the Park Portrait describes you?

Learn more at: describes you?

Learn more at: www.parkschool.org/portrait www.parkschool.org/portrait

Summer Bulletin 2021

From the Head of School

Announcing Park’s Next Chapter As 171 Goddard Avenue approaches its 50th anniversary, Park has launched a campaign centered on capital and endowment goals supporting the ways we teach and learn.

Outdoors at Park From lessons on animal behavior to the joys of discovering mud and building fortresses out of sticks, Park’s campus is our largest classroom.

By Cornelius Howland ’87

Finding Affinity on Campus In a year when gathering to share experience and support has been vitally important, Park families embraced the value of affinity and alliance groups—a tradition already well established among Park students.

The Value of Affinity Spaces: A Place to Exhale Ivy Alfonse-Crean ’07 reflects on her independent school journey and the importance of finding touchpoints of affinity wherever we are.

Park’s DEI Implementation Plan An active, living document to guide the School community as it seeks to meet its values and commitments with action.

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Community Notes

In Memoriam

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College Choices for the Class of 2016

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Faculty Farewells: Beth Donnell-Kilmer, Kimberly Formisano & Connie Yepez The Bulletin is published twice yearly for alumni, families, and friends of The Park School. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Former Faculty Notes: Spotlight on Phil Gambone Grandparents Notes: Virtual Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day Alumni Notes

Editor Kate LaPine Design Robert Beerman, Onward Upward Photography Flo Farrell Tom Kates ’84 Liz Linder Photography Bob Little Jerilyn Willig Printing Puritan Capital To contact The Bulletin: Kate LaPine Director of Communications 617.274.6009 lapinek@parkschool.org

Young Alumni Achievement Award 2021: Miranda Haymon ’09

About the inside front cover This is the first in our series of “Park Portraits,” spotlighting our aspiration for the intellectual and social-emotional competencies Park students come to embody during their educational journey and in the lives they’ll lead beyond Park. Through the Portrait, we define what it means to learn with purpose, to strive for success, to balance well-being, and to achieve and contribute as valuable members of our school community.

inside back cover

Dear Park community, It goes without saying, I think, that most of us will be so happy to see the 2020–21 year receding in our rearview mirrors as we turn our eyes forward to daily patterns that resemble that which we call “normal.” Still, there are lessons we will take forward from this year, and ways in which the challenges presented to us have pushed us to grow in character and accomplishment.

I am grateful for the ways in which Park’s astounding faculty and staff have risen to unforeseen challenges. I am grateful for the many unsung heroes who made the day to day of campus life possible, reaching beyond their job descriptions. I am grateful for students who adapted to masks and social distancing and kept learning, discovering, and playing with joy. I’m grateful to our families who aligned with health and safety protocols even as it required extra work from them.

I have also come to recognize that some of the challenges we have faced have presented unexpected benefits, making us better and stronger as a community, even though we missed seeing Park friends on campus at events. Forced to meet on Zoom, we were able to welcome more families, grandparents, and alumni, more often, into the campus conversation, given that participation was no longer limited to those with the flexibility to show up on campus during the day. Challenged by national and world events to face the ways in which we—individually and institutionally—are blind to the pain lived by others, and to the pain our own actions may incur, we worked to grow, thoughtfully and constructively. That growth is ongoing for us all.

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This year, Park launched an ambitious Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Plan that supports ongoing work crossing every aspect of school life—from academic program to hiring, fundraising, admission, and more.

Among the initiatives that feed the Plan’s goals is expanded affinity group opportunities, an idea first born at Park through student initiative.

You can read more about those efforts in this issue (on pages 14–23).

Paramount among our silver linings this year has been our renewed appreciation for our magnificent campus. We all know how fortunate we are to have this beautiful campus, and this year, we pressed every inch of that campus into service in new and, often, wonderful ways.

Who knew how many ways children will enjoy learning outdoors, when “outdoors” is the safest place to be? How lucky are we to have these fields, these woods, the space adaptable to support so many unanticipated needs? In this issue, you will read about Park’s deep and expanding appreciation of Park’s outdoors, and the incredible enrichment it offers our students.

That appreciation is most timely, as this fall marks the 50th anniversary of the 171 Goddard Avenue campus. As you will see on the following pages, this year Park launches a multi-year capital campaign effort to update and

expand the benefits this campus offers us—from classrooms and labs to a turf field and outdoor adventure course, expanding the horizons for how we teach and learn. It’s an exciting time to be at Park!

Above all, I am grateful for the Park community—faculty, staff, students, families, alumni, friends—whose belief in our mission helps us onward, every day, even when it’s hard.

Thank you. Best wishes for a rejuvenating and joyous summer, and some mask-free adventures and relaxation.

Warmly,

2 0 2 0 –2 1 B OA R D O F T R U S T E E S

2 0 2 0 –2 1 ALUMNI COMMIT TEE

OFFICERS Joe Robbins, Chair Neela Pal, Vice Chair Sam Wilderman, Vice Chair Peter Barkan ’86, Secretary Sara Leventhal Fleiss ’95, Treasurer

Miriam Posner ’03 Alumni Committee Co-Chair

Ibn Idris “Sean” Abdur Rahim Neeraj Agrawal Rahul Ballal Kathrene Tiffany Bell ’96 Nicole Danforth Mark Dolins Ken Frieze Abigail Ross Goodman ’91 May Hara Eliza Hoover Julia Lloyd Johannsen ’93 Heeten Kalan Jessica Lutzker Todd MacLean Lesley Ryan Miller Rebecca Nordhaus Young Ju Rhee Mary Skelton Roberts Steve Samuels Anna Sinaiko Shadé Solomon Christina W. Vest Greg Woods EX OFFICIO Scott Young Head of School

Scott Young Head of School

Eric Chapman Assistant Head of School for Academics & Program

Eliza Drachman-Jones Quincy ’98 Alumni Committee Co-Chair Kathrene Tiffany Bell ’96 Shami Bery ’04 Bob Bray ’53 Aldel Brown ’04 Astrid Levis-Thorne Burns ’98 Emily Potts Callejas ’89 Nick Cary ’09 Carlos Castillo ’97 Rodger Cohen ’74 Alexandra Connors Craig ’99 McCall Cruz ’06 Melissa Deland ’95 Margaret Gormley Donahue ’99 Sara Leventhal Fleiss ’95 Daly Franco ’05 David Glynn ’91 Anne Collins Goodyear ’84 Greg Kadetsky ’96 Amy Lampert ’63 Abbott Lawrence ’85 William Maness ’07 Elizabeth Mitchell ’94 Maddie Mitchell ’06 Chip Pierce ’81 Jim O’Keefe ’91 Kate Gormley Saeli ’02 Neekon Vafa ’12 Susanna Whitaker Waters ’99 Cary Williams ’09 Rebecca Wilsker ’00

Kimberly Boyd Assistant Head of School for Finance & Operations

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Announcing Park’s Next Chapter The Main Building is fast approaching its 50th anniversary, and each opportunity for capital improvement over the past 50 years has moved the educational program forward.

Now it is time for Park to invest in our campus, the Main Building, and our community to position the School for the next 50 years.

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The Park School’s capital campaign is grounded in a fundamental belief in the power of student-centered learning, and the large, flexible classrooms needed to deliver it.

There was a time when classrooms were fixed and the teacher was the center of teaching and learning. Today, classrooms must be flexible spaces that place students at the center of the process and allow teachers the flexibility to create learning environments that meet the varied needs of diverse learners.

Flexibility is a driving influence in student-centered learning spaces, which put the student experience and student agency at the heart of the classroom.

A flexible classroom facilitates many different modalities of learning—students are sometimes listening to a lesson, sometimes solving a problem on a white board, sometimes debating, sometimes journaling, sometimes presenting to peers, sometimes moving to the hall for small-group collaboration. The teacher facilitates and guides. When students, especially in the exciting middle school years, are given agency, choice, opportunities for movement, and differentiated learning, then their engagement is that much richer and deeper.

This capital campaign is grounded in a fundamental belief that investing in first-rate athletics and outdoor facilities is key to the excellence of our whole-child program.

Park has waited for the right time to invest in a state-of-the-art turf field, now a staple of most independent schools. The time has come! In addition to the introduction of turf, this campaign will further invest in outdoor learning through the construction of outdoor adventure equipment on the west side of campus.

This capital campaign is grounded in a fundamental belief that all students at Park should feel a deep sense of belonging at the School, and that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to academic excellence.

Park has committed to an ambitious Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Plan, and an institutional priority of this breadth requires robust funding for optimal impact. This campaign will invest funds to support DEI initiatives and establish a new fund to support educational testing for neurodiverse students facing economic barriers.

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S T U DE N T- C E N T E R E D L E A R N I NG

This fall, Park students will return to a transformed Upper Division learning environment. Summer construction will focus on the dated and unrenovated classrooms on the fourth floor of the Main Building and an unused former locker room area on the first floor, in which demolition has already begun. Eleven new, expanded Upper Division classrooms and dedicated collaboration areas will deepen student engagement, give our teachers instructional flexibility, and foster meaningful collaboration among students and adults.

Open for the 2021–22 school year In the summer of 2022, we will renovate science and art classrooms to establish a Lower Division STEAM Corridor and Maker Wing.

This renovation will give each Lower Division science teacher a dedicated space on the third floor of the Main Building, outfitted with modern science equipment for elementary instruction. The new labs will be joined by an art classroom to facilitate STEAM opportunities. The Woodshop will relocate to neighbor the Makerspace, bringing together modern and traditional methods of applied learning in a Maker Wing.

Open for the 2022–23 school year

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AT H L E T IC S A N D OU T D O OR L E A R N I NG

DI V E R S I T Y, E QU I T Y, A N D I NC LU S ION

Located on the tribal homelands of the Massachusett Nation, Park's pastoral campus is our largest classroom. In the summer of 2022, Park will elevate athletics facilities for our student athletes, optimizing our outdoor facilities while preserving the natural beauty of our campus. We will build a state-of-the-art turf field, encompassing the current Faulkner Field and Goddard Field, to prepare our students for competition at the secondary school level where turf is the norm, and extend our outdoor field access—previously limited by weather and field conditions—for PE, athletics, and recess.

Open for the 2022–23 school year

The cornerstone of Park’s program is academic excellence, affirming high standards of scholarship while encouraging each child to develop to their greatest potential. Students learn most effectively when they feel a deep sense of belonging, when they feel safe, known, and respected in their environment, and when they learn from the differences in backgrounds and perspectives shared within their learning community.

It is in Park’s deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, therefore, where academic excellence takes root.

Building upon the introduction of indoor adventure equipment in 2019, a new outdoor ropes course incorporating high and low elements will be open for the start of the 2022–23 school year.

The ropes course will challenge students to work independently and collaboratively to problem-solve and take healthy risks—a workout for the brain and the body.

Guided by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Plan adopted in September 2020, two new endowed funds will support students in feeling a deeper sense of belonging at Park. First, Park aspires to raise $1.25 million to support the DEIIP and our antiracist aspirations, giving the Director of DEI and Head of School additional funding for critical equity and inclusion goals. Second, Park aspires to raise $500,000 for the Fund to Support Educational Testing. This fund would enable the School to support four to five students per year in pursuing educational testing that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive, to equip parents, teachers, and Academic Support specialists with the critical information needed to best support diverse learners.

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OUTDOORS at PARK

BY C O R N E L I U S H OW L A N D ’ 8 7

Bob Little recalls coaching a soccer clinic with former Park teacher and coach Dean Conway, back in the summer of 1999. In the middle of practice one morning, Dean suddenly brought play to a halt.

“Hey, everyone!” he said, “Look up there! That is a redtailed hawk. Now watch what happens, because in a moment, crows will come out and cooperate to drive it away. It’s invading their territory.” The players dropped down into a circle and leaned back on their elbows to stare skyward as the aviary contest unfolded.

PA R K ’ S D I R E C T O R O F AT H L E T I C S

Coaches and athletes—teachers and students—out under the open sky, spontaneously observing animal behavior and connecting it to the strategy of a soccer game. A perfect illustration of the way outdoor experiences support the “whole child” philosophy (developing one’s whole self: intellectually, socially, physically, emotionally, and creatively) that is at the core of Park’s educational mission.

Tirelessly maintained by the Facilities Department, Park’s remarkable campus provides

for creative, open-ended play, competitive sport, scientific exploration, artistic inspiration, and community gathering. With its six athletics fields, old-growth woods, gardens, plantings, playgrounds, and rocky outcrops, this gorgeous parcel of South Brookline has been a defining part of the Park experience for at least two generations.

During the pandemic, moving many activities outside has increased safety for all and prompted new thinking as to how Park can continue to use its outdoor resources when we return to normal.

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A B R I E F H I S T O RY O F PA R K ’ S L A N D

The 34 acres of land comprising Park’s current campus, sitting atop millions-year-old glacial “Puddingstone” bedrock, was within the territory of the indigenous Massachusett tribal group prior to first contact with Europeans. Other tribal entities such as the Pawtucket, Nipmuc, and Wampanoag were also active locally and regionally. British settlers who displaced the indigenous population in the early 1600’s first referred to what is now known as South Brookline as “Muddy River,” considering it a hamlet of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Later, in 1712, the Goddard family established a farm here. (You can read more about the history of this land on the website: parkschool.org/about/our-campus.)

Step forward two-and-a-half centuries, and in 1967, then owners of the former Goddard farm, Dr. James and Mary Faulkner, gave the School (at that point located on Kennard Road in Brookline) an astounding gift: 14 acres of open and wooded land upon which to establish a larger, more modern school building and grounds. The new building on Goddard Avenue opened its doors in September, 1971. In subsequent years, additional generous, forwardthinking gifts of land from the Faulkner family expanded Park’s campus to its current bounds, which now include the house at 255 Goddard Ave. and its surroundings—home to Creative Arts at Park’s and Summer at Park’s offices, the Development

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Office, and the After-School Program—and the Head of School’s residence and surrounding land, formerly owned by Nancy and Kim Faulkner ’45 and protected by a Town of Brookline conservation easement.

KEEPING THE CAMPUS S A F E A N D B E AU T I F U L

While wooded areas of the campus may more-orless tend to themselves (besides the need to clear an occasional fallen bough or tree, and occasional health assessments by arborists Bartlett Tree Experts), Park’s fields, playgrounds, roads, paths, steps and courtyards most definitely do not.

The Park Facilities team provides this continual, comprehensive outdoor maintenance. Required throughout the school year are regular tasks such as mowing, field line painting, and irrigation; raking and leaf removal; path and road salting and snow removal; fertilization, planting, and mulching.

Director of Facilities Jennifer Mullin notes a wide range of additional outdoor work. Preparation for annual special events such as Springfest and Graduation (one of Jennifer’s favorite projects) must be planned and completed on schedule, without fail.

Major projects, such as the 2017–18 renovation of the Discovery Playground, or the upcoming replacement of the main building’s roof planned for this summer, require substantial coordination and support from the facilities staff. And even as students and much of the faculty depart for well-earned vacations, the facilities team stays at it, tackling maintenance projects more easily accomplished with the campus in a less active mode. Throughout the summer camp season, regular maintenance work continues.

Of course, in a region like New England, flexibility and responsive action is essential at times.

Ever wondered how the team clears overnight snow in time for morning drop-off? “We’ll start plowing at, say, 8 p.m.,” says Jennifer, “...and then the guys will keep going into the night, and then we’ll come in, go to sleep for a bit, and then get up at 5 a.m. and continue on plowing until everything’s cleared.” You heard that right. Dedicated facilities team members sleep overnight on air mattresses in order to stay on top of the snowfall.

What they do have is unlimited access to nature, to conversation, to their own and each other’s curious minds, big hearts, gorgeous spirits, and collective powers of thinking, supporting, creating, problemsolving, learning, and enjoying.”

THE CURRICULUM CONNECTS WITH TIME OUTSIDE

In normal times as well as decidedly abnormal ones, Park’s outdoor resources contribute to myriad areas of the curriculum. Science teachers Melinda Huffman, Megan Armour, and Carol Buzby emphasize the value of the Outdoor Learning Garden (OLG) and adjacent Pollinator Meadow. With the assistance of Green City Growers, contracted by Park to help maintain the OLG and develop gardeningbased lesson plans, students work with their teachers A DA P T I N G I N 2 0 2 0 to cultivate edible plants.

As the pandemic unfolded, the Facilities Department In the process, they explore plant life cycles, remained just as flexible and committed, taking on food webs, and the organisms small and large that Park’s functional response outdoors as well as indoors. are integral to healthy organic systems. Melinda Moreover, Jennifer, Facilities Manager Joel DeJesus, notes added benefits of time spent out in the garden: and the rest of their dedicated team needed to remain “It often has a calming effect, as students focus on the “in-person” consistently, given that, of course, very sensory experience of digging in the dirt and planting few of their responsibilities can be accomplished plants and seeds. It can also have a rejuvenating “virtually.” Changes like the installation of multiple effect. As we return to the indoor classrooms, outdoor classroom tents, new signage on exterior students usually have relaxed bodies and smiles on doors, and management of new entrance/exit and their faces, with a glint of contentment and a sense of pedestrian circulation patterns were pivotal in the accomplishment.” return to in-person learning.

Outdoor science learning is by no means Critical safety considerations aside, without limited to the OLG. For example, notes science Park’s outdoor classrooms and fresh air to clear minds teacher Heather Offen, each seventh grader both young and old, this annus horribilis would monitors their own individual “Change Site”—a have been even tougher to bear. First Grade teacher 1m x 1m plot in the wooded area near the Pond Jerilyn Willig has spent many an hour this year with Field. From September through May, they observe her students in the tent located across from the Lower seasonal phases, measure and record meteorological, Division carpool pickup area. She appreciates the atmospheric, and other data, make drawings and “connection and community” this has fostered among photographs, and analyze their findings to compile in the kids, observing, “For the portion of each day a year-end presentation. they are out there, they have zero ready-made toys, As science classes take advantage of Park’s manufactured games, prefabbed play structures, etc. natural surroundings for an analytic type of

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[The outdoor classroom] has fostered exceptional depth of connection and community among the kids. For the portion of each day they are out there, they have zero readymade toys, manufactured games, prefabbed play structures, etc. What they do have is unlimited access to nature, to conversation, to their own and each other’s curious minds, big hearts, gorgeous spirits, and collective powers of thinking, supporting, creating, problemsolving, learning, and enjoying. Not only has this been enough, it has been amazing.

As well, it has fostered a heightened awareness of—and delight in—the natural world throughout the seasons. The kids have been outside in warm drizzles, in chilly downpours, on hot days, on cold days, on days when the leaves were bursting with autumn colors, and days when the snow sparkled in the winter sunshine. They’ve watched as trees have changed form, as tiny acorns have fallen, as birds have flown south and then north again, and as brand new garden shoots have emerged. The kids are living these seasonal changes. They notice them, they feel them, they embrace them, they fold them into every aspect of their shared first grade experience, and they are thriving among them. I hope that for their whole lives, the smell of fallen leaves, or the feel of sunshine on a winter day, or the sound of rain on a roof (er, tent!) will evoke joyful memories of this unique year in their childhood.”

— J E R I LY N W I L L I G , G R A D E 1 T E AC H E R

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observation, so too students exploring the intuitive process of making visual art can head outside to practice new ways of seeing and creating inspired by nature.

“The kids got really sucked into looking carefully, and so absorbed in finding the negative spaces between branches, the contour lines of the tree, and the silhouettes against the sky,” says art teacher Sophie Steck, describing a recent excursion to observe and draw trees.

But nature doesn’t always cooperate, staying put for the artist. As a breeze came up, the unpredictability of the environment offered a spontaneous opportunity to discuss different techniques. “A student asked me, ’How do I draw it if it’s moving in the wind?’ and this opened a whole new door to talking about how to capture motion in a drawing, and even the feeling of wind.” Sophie goes on, “We might be able to draw a tree from a photograph or through a window, but we wouldn’t be experiencing other sensations that can add another dimension to our work.”

Art Department Head Nancy Popper puts this in a broader context: “There is such a tradition in art-making of en plein air painting and drawing—of really immersing yourself in the outdoor environment.”

Nancy also notes the wealth of organic patterns available outdoors—leaf shapes, tree bark, the repetitive, spiraling structure of a pine cone—that can inspire abstract designs as opposed to directly representational artwork.

It’s not just in art classes per se that Park’s natural areas enable free expression. Take a walk through a wooded spot on campus, in pandemic times or not, and you’ll almost certainly find a lean-to made of sticks, an arrangement of balanced rocks, or other signs of young imaginations at work. Take a walk a day or two later, and entirely new creations will have emerged.

E X E R C I S E , T E A M WO R K , AND FRESH AIR

Perhaps needless to say, the kinetic energy that goes into building a tree-limb shelter isn’t always entirely exhausted during recess. Especially for younger students, this can pose a challenge to attention spans in a regular indoor classroom—without doubt even more so outdoors, under a tent. Enter the Athletics and Physical Education Departments, responsible for activating students’ muscles as well as minds.

Twenty-two years on from that July morning when he watched a hawk getting hassled by crows (the technical term for this behavior is “mobbing”), Bob Little “has been grateful for every day on our campus...an embarrassment of riches in terms of outdoor space.” That has remained true this school year, despite its massive challenges.

As Park navigated re-opening this past fall, Bob, partnering with Physical Education Department Head Michelle Young and an expanded roster of stalwart, energetic P.E. teachers, committed to lead outdoor, in-person classes whenever possible—in all but the nastiest weather conditions. Not only was this guided by common sense, it was prescribed by Massachusetts public health authorities. Creative thinking led to a range of new activities to supplement the usual P.E. repertoire—and opened up possibilities for the future. Students played badminton, golf, and archery on the fields, practiced basketball skills practice (no passing from player to player allowed), and street hockey on parking lots and the tennis court. When snow fell, there was sledding on Larz Anderson (what matters is the exercise of climbing up the 217' hill multiple times, not so much the sliding down).

Competitive athletics, meanwhile, express the skills and fitness honed in P.E. classes within a cooperative team context. In a typical year out on Park’s six playing fields (a truly remarkable number for any PreK–8 school), soccer, field hockey, flag football, lacrosse, softball, and track & field teammates train and compete. Cross country runners circumnavigate the campus perimeter on the Park

“Loop,” venture to nearby Brookline Reservoir and Jamaica Pond, and cross Goddard Avenue to host an annual meet at Larz Anderson Park. The ice hockey team, too, benefits from Park’s neighboring resources, practicing on Larz Anderson’s outdoor rink at the break of dawn. In the late spring, “Total Day” brings students in Grades 5–8 outside to compete in field events.

This school year, team sports have continued, in altered form. “We’re just trying to keep the kids’ competitive juices flowing the best we can!” says Bob. In the fall, some virtual competition against other schools was possible for the cross country team; runners’ times were recorded as they completed matching distances at their respective schools. A similar approach should be possible for track & field this spring. But most sports are currently intramural, with practices grouped by grade as opposed to skill level. Bob notes the added challenge of recruiting teachers in a given grade to step in as coaches for that grade—necessary so as to maintain pandemic clustering protocols. All hands on deck.

O U R G R AT E F U L S T E WA R D S H I P

Throughout the seasons, in good times and bad, a wealth of play, exploration, and learning happens outdoors at Park. The trees in our woods are unaware of human tribulations—but they can console and inspire us just the same. The grass of the fields, a carpet for running feet and rolling balls, grows towards the sun, drinks in the rain, lies dormant in winter. The worms in the garden soil go about their vital regenerative work. Attended by diligent caretakers but keeping its own counsel, the acreage surrounding Park’s school buildings has nurtured students, their families, faculty, and staff, for five decades and counting. The land was here before us, it will be here after us. What a remarkable privilege to avail ourselves of all it offers.

About the author Park School lifer Cornelius Howland ’87 grew up in the neighborhood and walked to school every day for his ten years as a student. He is now the father of August, a current second grader, and serves as the co-editor of The Park Parent newsletter.

An abridged version of this story is included in the Spring 2021 Park Parent.

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PA R K ST U DE N TS F I N DI NG AFFI N IT Y ON C A M PUS

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This year, in partnership with the Parents’ Association, Park launched an affinity group program with the hope of engaging parents and guardians across the Park community in thoughtful conversation and connection with fellow community members who share common backgrounds and lived experiences. The initiative has gained participation and engagement, earning positive responses from the parent community.

Significantly, however, affinity and alliance groups have always existed at Park, and in all school communities, even when they aren’t labeled as such. As Connie Yepez, Park’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, notes, “Each athletics team, advisory group, and grade level represents an affinity group with which its members identify. Various spaces, such as the faculty room or gendered bathrooms, similarly exist already as ‘affinity’ spaces. Even Park itself—the larger community our families join when deciding to send their children to Park—is an affinity group. As a community, we accept and even celebrate these types of affinities.”

Connie observes, however, that criticism of affinity groups often centers on the perception that they are exclusionary, and notes that reframing this mindset is essential as we move forward with this initiative.

“Our view of affinity groups as being an intentional and appropriate grouping that provides support to members of the community that often feel ‘othered’ is crucial,” she notes, and she underscores that “the feelings of isolation that come with marginalized identities are lifted when safe spaces are created to show members of our community that they are not alone.”

Affinity groups provide an essential opportunity for people within the community to come together to

talk about common experiences, raise questions and develop solutions, support each other, and together find ways to negotiate the larger community space we all share. Connie says, ”The shared connections and understanding these groups facilitate and the opportunity they create to amplify voices of people outside the centered group can serve to deepen the understanding of the community’s diverse identities and needs, and thereby create a greater sense of community for all.”

Across recent decades, Park has found ways to support students’ need for affinity and alliance groups, formal and informal. Peter Boskey ’05, who has gone on to a career as an educator and diversity, equity, and inclusion practitioner, founded what was most likely the first middle school-based GayStraight Alliance (GSA) in the state when he was a Park student. Park music teachers (see companion story, page 20) found ways to use the opportunity to get students singing together as a way to create de facto affinity spaces. In recent years, the recognition that students want, need, and deeply benefit from opportunities to gather in affinity spaces has become widely embraced—and it began, quite organically, with “Power Lunch.”

In her first year at Park, Park librarian Elyse Seltzer

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noticed that there were some Black girls in Grade 5 who didn’t want to go outside during recess.

“They didn’t have options for how they could spend their recess time. So I told them, ‘Tell your teacher you are coming to the Library.’” Park’s library is a wonderful place for kids wanting a refuge of any sort, and so, with this offer, an affinity space began to take shape.

The following year, Elyse put out the word that all students in Grades 6–8 who identified as people of color were welcome to gather in the Library during lunchtime. Three eighth grade girls took her up on the invitation, and Power Lunch was born.

Though originally established as an affinity group for Black girls in Grade 8, the membership and the dynamic of the group has shifted over time. “Once, when the eighth graders were busy on one of our meeting days, they suggested to the Black girls in Grade 7 that they go in their place. But then the eighth graders expected the seventh graders to leave once they came back!” Elyse talked to the older girls about their role as leaders and encouraged them to invite the seventh graders into the space, and encouraged them to become mentors. Ironically, even though the initiative began with Grade 5 girls (members of the Class of 2020), it took two years before those first participants were able to join Power Lunch when they entered Grade 7.

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Often, the regular lunchtime meetings served as an opportunity to check in, or even just to socialize.

Sometimes, topics arose organically, and at other times, Elyse would provide a discussion prompt. Elyse notes, “For example, we would look at Beyonce’s ‘Homecoming’ video and consider the cultural representations it references, what we identified with, and what we didn’t.” Significantly, however, the regular pattern of gatherings in and of itself created the space for channels of support and connection that would not otherwise have existed—a place where students could now bring issues and questions that arose in the course of student life, and find the necessary help.

One powerful example of this arose in response to plans for the annual “photo day” schedule. The girls raised the concern that their slot on the schedule fell after their P.E. class, in which they would be running around and working up a sweat. They wanted to look their best for photos, yet knew that P.E. activities would ruin their carefully managed hair styling. “It’s the kind of concern that someone who understands Black hair immediately gets...and that someone who doesn’t understand might dismiss,” Elyse notes. The existence of the affinity group, and the trust it engendered, ensure that the participants felt seen, heard, and understood. Elyse observes, “The members really became a support group for each other.”

While the initiative originally responded to the energies of a group of girls, its existence provided a ready platform to include others, particularly in response to challenging issues. When a Black Park boy was called the n-word by a player on an opposing sports team, Power Lunch provided a forum in which boys and girls could come together to work through the powerful feelings this incident engendered with Elyse, Connie Yepez, and other members of the Park support team.

Membership, too, fluxuates year to year, depending on the group and the areas of interest. Sometimes the membership is only Black girls. Sometimes, Black boys join. Sometimes, Latinx students. Elyse says, “It’s been what it needs to be, in the time it is needed.”

Last spring, participation in the affinity space continued as Park went “virtual,” and it continued to provide an essential base of connection, particularly as events heightened the urgency and power of the Black Lives Matter conversation. The virtual affinity space also provided a welcome opportunity for students of color in Grades 6–8 to gather at a time when gatherings of any kind were not possible.

While Power Lunch is the affinity group with the longest tradition at Park, students interested in celebrating Asian heritage have also established a regular affinity group presence. This year, Park invited Upper Division students to engage in a wide array of affinity groups, including: ALL FAMILIES ARE DIFFERENT (AFAD) for students

who have one parent, divorced parents, same-gender parents, and students in adoptive families.

JEWISH STUDENTS AFFINITY GROUP for students

who identify, or whose families identify, as Jewish.

LGBTQ+ AFFINITY GROUP for any student who identifies as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, questioning, non-binary, or gender fluid.

PEOPLE OF COLOR/MULTIRACIAL AFFINITY GROUP for students who identify as Black,

Indigenous, Latinx, Hispanic or multiracial (including students who went to Power Lunch) WHITE ANTIRACIST AFFINITY GROUP for students who identify as white and want to learn strategies towards being antiracist.

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EV EN AS EACH OF THE GROUPS FOCUSES ON DISTINCT A ND DIFFERENT TOPICS, THERE IS A WELCOME SENSE OF RELIEF IN FINDING A SPACE IN WHICH TO TALK ABOUT THE CONCERNS THAT IMPACT THEIR FAMILIES, AND TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS WITH SIMILAR EXPERIENCES.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, student engagement in affinity groups has diminished in this year’s virtual context. Even when on campus, students cannot gather with others outside their clusters, so affinity groups meet, by necessity, on Zoom. While parent engagement has increased by way of the virtual meeting space, students wanting first and foremost to prioritize “hang out time” with their friends, seem to find “one more Zoom gathering” in their days less than compelling.

This reality reminds us, however, that Park’s first affinity groups have always originated in students’ desire to hang out socially, not necessarily for the deeper context an affinity group may access. In pre-COVID times, one draw of affinity groups was the opportunity to gather socially at lunchtime with people outside a student’s assigned lunch group. This year at Park, however, students are not eating in the Dining Room. While they are still contained to their grade-based clusters, these groups are larger than the typical lunch table group, and the students therefore have more latitude to find and gather with the

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people they choose. It’s entirely age-appropriate, we have to acknowledge, for adolescents to choose free time with friends over any kind of organized gathering as they explore and affirm their identities.

Some parents have noted that they would like to encourage their children to join affinity groups that connect with their family’s identity. We believe, however, that it is essential to allow students the room to opt in to this engagement because they want and need it themselves, not in response to parental direction.

That said, we know that some of the most engaged student participants are the children of families who are themselves actively involved in community-based affinity groups. These children, following the modeling provided by their parents, often become the leaders of similar campus opportunities.

As the family affinity groups have gained momentum this year, a participant observed, “It’s so valuable to have a forum where the people present share a similar experience to whatever is on your mind. Because the Park parent/guardian group is so unique and diverse, we can really be a resource for each other.”

Even as each of the groups focuses on distinct and different topics, there is a welcome sense of relief in finding a space in which to talk about the concerns that impact their families, and to connect with others with similar experiences. Participants agree that “Everyone really seems to be needing the space.”

It comes full circle, then: affinity groups at Park first took root among students, and the parent groups have followed, yet we’re excited that this parent engagement is likely to inspire and encourage greater participation among students going forward. In short, we hope to see affinity groups become a foundational part of the Park community experience. Thank you to all whose commitment helps support these aspirations.

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T H E VA LU E OF A F F I N I T Y SPAC E S: A PL AC E TO E XHALE Ivy Alphonse-Crean ’07 is returning to her Boston roots, ready to take on a new challenge as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Dedham Country Day School, just down the road from Park.

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s a Park student in the late 90s, the conversation around “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” was barely visible, yet the School is where she first discovered the embracing value of affinity groups.

While no officially defined “affinity programming” existed at the time, music teachers Janice Allen and Betty Hillmon created a de facto affinity experience for Ivy and her peers that remains a powerful, shaping memory today. Realizing that Ivy liked to sing, these two teachers encouraged her to get involved in singing at Park, beginning with the Gospel choir. Ivy recalls, “These two Black women...they got us singing at events. Ms. Hillmon introduced me to Black Nativity,” the gospel-style retelling of the Nativity based on a play by Langston Hughes, performed annually in Boston.

“That’s where I really learned to deliver as a performer, to be on stage, all while still getting my school work done. It was a huge undertaking—a ‘Nutcracker’ level of commitment.”

Park’s After-School Program served as another default affinity group—a place where students with different family structures and working parents, whose life experience was more like hers, gathered.

In retrospect, she deeply appreciates the value of affinity spaces for elementary and middle school-age students. “An affinity group,” she says, “is a place to exhale.”

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Exhale...because a lot of the time, she was holding her breath. In addition to her music teachers, Ivy recalls that many wonderful teachers at Park. She remembers Sue Sprague and Lucy Robb, in particular, who were very “culturally affirming.” It was harder, however, to feel a deep sense of belonging in the Park community. “My mother was a single parent, and that led to a very difficult dynamic,” she notes. Her mother encountered awkward moments like “Do I attend a parent gathering alone?”

She didn’t fit the typical Park “categories.”

In Ivy’s Caribbean-American family, there was a sense of decorum, and consistent with her mother’s rules, Ivy always wore dresses to school. “Jeans weren’t ‘done’ in my culture. Yet there was intense pressure to conform. Other mothers would casually mention to her that ‘jeans are on sale at the GAP now,’ as if the problem might be a question of affording to buy jeans rather than a difference in cultural expectation.”

Being Black at Park in that era came bundled with other assumptions. Her family was comfortably middle class, she says, and she had cousins at Park as well, a family that was well known and relatively wealthy. Yet her cousins were frequently questioned for “Not being smart enough” to make it at Park on their merits, and racial slurs were sometimes volleyed in the context of sports and hallway chatter. “Money doesn’t always fix that.” Her uncle attended Park as well—“we were private school people—we SHOULD do well! And yet we were all questioned.”

There was also the “birthday party gauntlet,” Ivy remembers “the massive parties! The pressure to have a cool gift, and the persistent wondering as to if they only invited me because they had to.” One child actually told her that was the case. “The child was rude,” Ivy says, “but truthfull. It was just another example of being ‘othered.’”

Well-intended standards and expectations can have a powerful way of defining who is included, who belongs, and who does not.

This well of experience, far from daunting her or dampening her belief in the potential of independent schools, has inspired her throughout her journey to engage—and help others engage—with a deep sense of belonging.

Ivy left Park after Grade 5 when her family moved to Florida. There, she found the academic opportunities underwhelming, but “The performing arts opportunities

AN AFFINITY GROUP IS A PLACE TO EXHALE .

were great!” From there, she went on to The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, which she loved even as it was extraordinarily demanding. It prepared her well for Brown University, where, she says, she was able to just follow her passions. In addition to training as a classical singer, she pursued Africana Studies with a focus on literature of the diaspora, and public policy. It’s the latter that, via a somewhat indirect route, brought her to a career in education.

After college, Ivy found her way back to Boston, living near family in Hyde Park. She started singing with the Marsh Chapel Choir at Boston University, and worked at the Institute for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), which seeks to drive economic prosperity in under-resourced communities, where, she says, she learned a great deal, including the fact that she didn’t really like the work.

Feeling the need to do something more, she asked her boss if she could take a day a week to volunteer at Apple Orchard—her pre-school, which, she says, is “the best thing ever!” The experience gave her the chance to explore teaching, and when

Ivy Alphonse-Crean ’07

Kimberly Formisano, Park’s Lower Division Head, invited her to apply to Park’s apprentice teacher program, she left ICIC and began teaching full time.

At Park, she began as an apprentice in Grade 5, and then went on to teach seventhgrade English, an experience that earned her the appointment as a middle school English teacher at The Collegiate School in New York City, where she also completed her master’s at Columbia Teachers College.

As a teacher, Ivy kept finding her way into work that falls under the broad category of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She recognized the value of creating the space in which each person could feel known, and seen.

Even as a new teacher, she experienced the invisibility that often comes bundled with Black identity, recalling being “confused with a senior administrator who was my direct supervisor—and a wealth of knowledge— because I was also Black.” She points out that research shows that opinions on race begin to form at a very young age. “Research shows that babies notice differences in skin tone. By middle school, those observations

have been affected by biases and opinions—they are fully formed lenses.” She believes middle school students need that space—that place to exhale—and that adults need it too. “It’s very important to have that space,” she says. At Collegiate, Ivy notes, even young children are able to participate in affinity spaces, as the Lower School Affinity Space meets at the same time as Families of Color Affinity Space meets—and by doubling as childcare, it addresses another critical aspect of equity and inclusion.

At Collegiate, she started working to flesh out a diversity curriculum, and realized that she loved delving into the data and research in the field. She facilitated a discussion group for white adult colleagues to discuss the book, The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys (2017, edited by Eddie Moore Jr., Ali Michael, and Marguerite W. Penick-Parks). Ivy has since contributed to the companion text: Teaching Beautiful Brilliant Black Girls (2021, edited

by Eddie Moore Jr., Ali Michael, and Marguerite W. Penick-Parks). She co-facilitated an affinity group for middle school students of color, and relaunched a campus affinity group for faculty and staff of color that had been dormant for quite some time.

After making her first presentations at the National Association of Independent School’s People of Color Conference (PoCC) conference, she realized that she loved DEI work, and recognized that she had a facility in creating these spaces.

Asking the question, “What is it like for students and faculty of color at independent schools” came to encompass an entire body of work—and one to which she knew she wanted to devote the next phase of her career.

Ivy moves back to the Boston area this summer along with her husband, Jared, and young son, Wesley. From her early years singing at Park through her training in opera, Ivy dreamed of becoming a professional classical singer before turning her mind toward education, and she looks forward to rejoining the Marsh Chapel Choir at Boston University. Once she is back in the neighborhood, and (hopefully!) bringing her son to Apple Orchard to explore nature, we hope she’ll stop by Park often to say hello.

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A COM M I T M E N T TO BE I NG A N A N T I R AC I S T SC HOOL A N D COM M U N I T Y: PAR K’S DIVE R S IT Y, EQ U IT Y, AN D I N C LU S IO N I M PLE M E NTATIO N PL AN

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On September 29, 2020, The Park School Board of Trustees approved and endorsed Park’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Plan, the result of a yearlong collaboration amongst trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, and families. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan is grounded in the findings of the 2018 NAIS Quantitative Assessment of Inclusion and Multiculturalism and the 2019 Diversity Directions Qualitative Assessment of School Climate for Multiculturalism and Inclusion.

At Park, we deeply value diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we are committed to being an antiracist school and community. Every day, we strive to teach students to reach beyond themselves, to respect the dignity of all people, and to fully embrace these values as they navigate an increasingly complex world.

As a community of diverse races, religions, cultures, and backgrounds united by a shared mission, we strive to meet our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism, and we recognize, as Dr. Ibram X. Kendi writes, antiracism is a journey that “requires persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination.” Therefore, we dedicate ourselves as a school community to openly confront discord and examine the individual and collective assumptions and biases that arise in the classroom, the School, and our community.

As we work to achieve these aspirations, we pursue this commitment through our leadership, curriculum, programs, practices, and in every aspect of our community and culture. Together, we will work to ensure that all members of the Park community—families, students, employees, and alumni—feel a deep sense of belonging.

The Plan is an active, living document to guide the School community as it seeks to meet its values and commitments with action and will be guided by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Plan Steering Committee co-chaired by the Head of School and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and composed of trustees, administrators, faculty & staff, and parents.

To learn about the DEI Implementation Plan priorities and progress, please visit: parkschool.org/about/dei-implementation-plan

D EIIP STEERING COMMITTE E The Steering Committee, composed of members of the current campus community, will help support and monitor the DEI Implementation Plan and timeline, and support efforts to communicate progress.

Suzy Akin (Faculty/Staff Representative), Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications

Rebecca Nordhaus (Board of Trustees DEI Subcommittee Co-Chair), parent of two current Park students and one alumna

Celina Barrios-Millner (PA DEI Committee Co-Chair), parent of two current Park students

Elyse Seltzer (Faculty/Staff Representative), Upper Division Librarian and DEI Liaison, parent of current Park student

Sarah Holden (PA DEI Committee Co-Chair), parent of two Park students Lesley Ryan Miller (Board of Trustees DEI Subcommittee Co-Chair), Park Trustee since 2018 and the parent of a current Park student

Connie Yepez (Steering Committee Co-Chair), Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Scott Young (Steering Committee Co-Chair), Head of School, parent of current Park student

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FACULT Y

F A C U L T Y FA R E W E L L S Please join us in celebrating the careers of three remarkable individuals who are leaving Park at the end of this school year.

Each of these educators has been an integral part of the Park community and will be greatly missed by students, families, and colleagues.

BET H DON N E L L - K I L M E R Academic Support Learning Specialist 1988–2021

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hen Beth joined the Park faculty as a Grade 1 teacher in 1988, she delighted in opening young minds to the joys of learning—especially the magic of reading.

Ten years later, Beth became a core member of the Academic Support Department, where she was able to apply her extensive training in literacy. In her 23 years as a Learning Specialist, Beth has worked one-on-one with hundreds of students, helping them to understand their unique learning styles and attending to the smallest details to make sure that their work together has the greatest impact possible. During her long tenure, she has also served as a steady support for her students’ teachers and families, as well. Acting as a bridge between each student and their individual network of adults, Beth’s collaborative skills, dedication, and expertise truly enhanced the Park academic experience for her students. “Parents comment on Beth’s exceptional ability to meet students where they are academically and emotionally and draw them into learning,” remarks Debbie Henry, Director of Academic Support, “And I would agree with that!”

Beth is looking forward to enjoying her retirement with her husband, Larry, connecting more with her adult children (both Park alums), Noah ’06 and Gracie ’11, and to spending more time at their family’s home in Little Compton, Rhode Island. Beth will be developing her gardening skills, reading, and pursuing adventures near and far, including on her paddle board!

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FAC U LT Y N OT E S

CON N I E Y E PEZ Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 2016–2021

C K I M BE R LY FOR M I SA NO Lower Division Head 1995–2021

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fter 25 transformative years at Park—during which she raised her own two children, Ellie ’14 and Thacher ’16— Kimberly will look beyond Goddard Avenue for the next chapter in her career as an educator, where she hopes to focus on educational equity.

Kimberly, who first joined the Park community in 1995 as a first-grade teacher, was focused singularly on the craft of teaching at the first- and second-grade levels until 2013.

Then, as the Director of Apprentices, Kimberly guided young teachers as they embarked on their careers in education, while simultaneously co-leading the School’s self study for the 10-year re-accreditation process and coordinating work inspired by the Park 21 Strategic Plan. In addition, during her first two years outside the classroom, Kimberly co-founded The Park School Institute for Transformative Education (PSite) which brought a greater focus to interdisciplinary learning at our school. In 2015, Kimberly moved into the role of Lower Division Head overseeing PreK through Grade 2. In 2017, she became Lower & Middle Division Head, and then led the charge to make Park a two-division school, with PreK–Grade 4 making up the Lower Division and Grades 5–8 as the Upper Division.

“Kimberly has been a thoughtful, determined, and compassionate leader, and a dedicated and cherished partner,” explains Head of School Scott Young. “Like everyone else with whom she has worked, I will miss her, and I know that she will make a profound impact upon her next community.”

onnie Yepez’s work at Park around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been in the classrooms with students, in the hallways with colleagues, and in the processes that have and will continue to lead to important change for our School.

Connie began her career at Park in the fall of 2016 as a member of the Secondary School Counseling Office. In the fall of 2018, she became the Interim Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator, facilitating and leading the School’s completion of The Assessment of the Climate for Diversity and Inclusion, which laid the groundwork for important, longer-term DEI work for Park. Connie has also overseen the delivery of substantial DEI-focused professional development, partnering with VISIONS, Inc. to build a common multicultural vocabulary and skill set amongst faculty, staff, and administrators, leading the School’s work with the National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project for faculty, staff, and parents, and organizing community reads that have driven change through shared experience and purposeful reflection and conversation.

During the 2020-21 academic year, Connie led the process of creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Plan (see page 22), which will serve as a living, breathing blueprint for Park’s equity, inclusion, and antiracism work going forward.

The Park community is grateful to Connie for her thoughtful, compassionate, and strategic leadership and wishes her well in her next chapter of educational leadership; in July, Connie will become the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Thayer Academy.

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FOR MER FACULT Y

Spotlight on Phil Gambone Phil Gambone, who taught English, Latin, and social studies at Park for 27 years, is excited to share his most recent book, As Far As I Can Tell: Finding My Father in WWII, with the Park community. In January, Director of Communications Kate LaPine sat down with Phil over Zoom to learn more about the book, his writing process, and what’s next on the horizon.

Congratulations on your latest book! How long have you been writing?

I wrote a lot of poetry in college. In fact, I had the great good fortune to study with fabulous poets Robert Lowell and Robert Fitzgerald, who did a translation of the Odyssey and the Iliad. When I came back to Cambridge to do graduate work, I was also doing some writing, journalism, and short stories. So, writing is something that I’ve been doing since the late 60s. My “catalog” now includes many genres: novels and short stories, personal essays, non-fiction, scholarly essays, as well as book reviews and interviews.

In As Far As I can Tell, you refer to your journals, too.

I still keep a journal! I write every day, it’s the first thing I do in the morning. I just make a cup of tea and I sit down and I write and kind of reflect on the day before. So sometimes that’s 15 minutes and sometimes that’s an hour. It’s kind of an exercise in meditation, or a way of focusing and centering, being present to what happened. I also meditate, but journaling is another kind of meditation. Yeah, I’ve been doing it since 1968. I think at last count, I have something like 125 volumes…

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I’m curious about how the themes of this book tie into your long career as a teacher.

You spent 27 years at Park, followed by 14 at Boston University Academy, working with adolescents—kids who are developing their own identity and grappling with who they are.

That’s a great question. You know, I was drawn to teaching for a lot of reasons. So we’ll start with the least exalted reason—I needed a job after college! When senior year came along, I had been moderately interested in teaching and a friend of mine had attended this school in Kansas City, so I interviewed with the headmistress and off I went.

Ultimately, I loved working with young people. I loved their enthusiasm. I loved their sense of discovery. I loved being able to open up young minds and get them excited about something. I loved literature and I wanted them to love literature. I loved writing and I wanted them to love writing. So I think for all of those reasons I went into teaching.

At Park, I guess I became known as somebody who was particularly responsive to kids who needed a helping hand in some way.

For me, teaching was all about letting every child know that they could have success and that I was taking them seriously. Taking their

F OR M E R FAC U LT Y N OT E S

About As Far As I Can Tell: Finding My Father in WWII

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s a young gay man, Phil never told his father the reason why he was rejected from the draft during the Vietnam War. In turn, his father never talked about his participation in World War II. Father and son were enigmas to each other. Phil spent seven years uncovering who the man his quiet, taciturn father had been. He retraced his father’s entire journey across Europe, in addition to interviewing surviving veterans and conducting other extensive research. As Far as I Can Tell not only reconstructs what Phil’s father endured during the War, it also chronicles his own emotional odyssey as he followed his father’s route from Liverpool to the Elbe River. It became a journey that challenged Phil’s thinking about war, about European history, and about “civilization.” The book, which was voted one of the Best Books of 2020 by Boston.com, and was nominated for the 2021 Lambda Literary Award, is available through Rattling Good Yarns Press, Amazon, or your local independent bookstore.

interests seriously. Their questions seriously.

Their problems seriously. That’s some of the things that I loved about teaching. It tapped into so many of my interests, not just literature, but also adolescent development.

You know, today we talk a lot about the whole child and social emotional learning, but I feel like Park has done that from the get go.

Park has done that from the get go. And one of the things that I ended up bringing to Boston University Academy was that sensitivity to the education of the whole child. When I first arrived in 2004, they were counting on intellectual magic happening just by putting brainy kids and PhD’s together.

One of the things I learned at Park was that intellectual magic is only a portion of what an adolescent needs. There is real value to Howard Gardner’s seven kinds of intelligence and appreciating the education of the whole child, and I take some pride in helping BUA move in that direction.

As a teacher, how did you help kids discover themselves, understand their identities?

Interestingly, as a gay teacher at Park in the 80s and 90s, I did not feel at all that I had permission to be responsive to questioning students. I believe this has more to do with the time than anything the school said.

However, when I got to BUA, it was a different era, it was a different constellation of students, a different demography—high school kids rather than middle school students—so I felt much more permission to be an out gay teacher there. From conversations with alumni, I think that Park is a very different place today. And I think that everyone is just much more open to looking at subjects and areas that were once considered inappropriate for middle school kids to explore.

One of the big themes in the book is secrets.

Do you feel like secrets are inevitable? Or do you think that in a perfect world, everything is out on the table?

In the book, I talk about all of the things that my father withheld from telling us because I think he was traumatized by them and because he thought we would be. And then, of course, there’s everything that I withheld from my father, again because I thought maybe I wouldn’t get his approval or his love or his respect, not that in any way he was a tyrant or a bully or somebody who didn’t show enormous tolerance.

To say that secrets are inevitable maybe sounds a little too definitive, but I think there are always things that each of us is ashamed of or reticent to share or we feel that other people wouldn’t understand. One’s private life is very sacred and needs to be guarded, and you don’t just broadcast stuff that’s going on. You need to pick your moment and pick your audience for sharing.

A lot of people feel like I wrote this book because I felt guilty about not sharing more.

But that really wasn’t the impetus. In part, it really was just to find out what my dad had gone through. And in part, yes, it was to question why I didn’t share more. But I don’t think I was wrestling with enormous trauma about the lack of communication between us. I think I felt like, OK, this is what happened and why did it happen and what did it mean?

I was wondering about what surprises you may have had in writing the book and what you may have discovered about yourself?

Certainly unlocking my father’s story was a huge surprise. But also, as I say in the book, when I began, I had been to Europe 20 times already. Researching and writing this book—seeking to uncover my father’s wartime experience—I found I was looking at Europe through very different eyes and I was looking at things that I had never looked at before: war cemeteries and rebuilt German towns and cities.

And yes, of course, I learned a lot about myself, too. You know, one of the questions I keep asking throughout the book is “could I have mustered the same kind of courage and stamina that my father did had I gone to Vietnam?” And I never directly answer that question. I think it becomes a kind of leitmotif throughout the book in looking at my father and looking at my father’s behavior and looking at the ways that my father gritted his teeth and survived, I kept wondering, “could you have done the same had you been drafted?”

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GR AN DPAREN TS 28

Park Welcomes Grandparents & Special Friends—Virtually!

By Jamie Byron, Director of Alumni Relations

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ach year, we look forward to welcoming 400 grandparents and special friends to campus on the morning before Thanksgiving. When it was clear this fall that our traditional Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day (GPSFD) would not be possible, we had to get creative!

Simply “Zoom-ing” into classes while students were on campus was not a great solution—grandparents likely wouldn’t be able to see their loved ones if the entire class would appear on one screen, and the masks that students wear in order to remain safe on campus were likely to create complications for virtual visitors trying to hear what was going on in class. So, we set our sights on creating a Virtual GPSFD on a Wednesday, when students would already be learning remotely.

Like so many aspects of Park’s operation this year, this required a true community-wide effort from all corners of the school. Park teachers shared generously of their time and talent to create a special experience for guests. In the Lower Division (PreK–4), classroom teachers prepared to welcome guests to their live, virtual morning meetings. In the Upper Division (Grades 5–8), where the complexity of the schedule was a barrier to live classes, faculty shared incredible examples of student work, projects, photos, and videos.

Virtual GPSFD would not have been possible without the partnership of the Remote Learning Team and their Virtual Classrooms. To ensure that students remain engaged and connected while learning remotely, this team of educators created fun, virtual spaces for students to explore while they were learning away from Park. On

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I listened to the Upper Division session and found it extremely informative and very interesting. Mr. Rogers explained everything so well. Knowing Kasen is in a wonderful atmosphere taught by people who really care makes me more comfortable with this COVID year of learning.

BARBARA BRODSKY

Kasen, Grade 7

Virtual GPSFD, guests could explore these classrooms, and catch a glimpse of what this unique year was like for today’s students.

As February 10th approached, RSVPs poured in from all over the country, and the world—with 565 registered guests joining us from 35 states and nine countries!

Grandparents and special friends made their way virtually to live classes, a “State of the School” presentation by Head of School Scott Young, and Virtual Coffees with Division Heads Kimberly Formisano and Ken Rogers.

Virtual GPSFD created opportunities of connection for families, and a chance for grandparents and special friends to participate in the great work being done by students and teachers this year. In future years, when we can safely celebrate on campus again, we look forward to working to ensure that our special guests who live outside of the Boston area have the opportunity to experience the School as well. Thank you to all of the faculty, staff, students, parents, grandparents, and special friends who made this special morning possible!

A version of this article appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of The Park Parent.

G R A N D PA R E N T S N OT E S I greatly enjoyed being at Park virtually today! The teachers and students were A+++! I am so grateful for the excellent education and loving nurturing that all of you at Park provide for Reeves, Eloise, and all your students.

JANE DELAND

Reeves, Grade 2 • Eloise, PreK

Thank you for the opportunity to attend the virtual Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day! It was great to feel connected to my grandchildren and their experience at The Park School.

DEBRA ROTHROCK

Matthew, K • Emily, Grade 2

It was wonderful to see Taylor, Ms. Walters, classmates, and visitors in our first session of the day. Later, listening to administrators and learning about Park was very illuminating.

We enjoyed this virtual special day very much. Thank you for your thoughtful communication and for using your technology expertise to bring Park into our homes.

JOANNE AND JOE CARUSO

Taylor, Kindergarten What a lovely, enlightening, edifying morning this was. You managed to make us feel as wanted and loved as you do the children. We learned so much about your very special school, and how you have handled this terrible year. We feel so secure in knowing our Milagros and Meyer are made to feel safe and respected by your staff. Thank you for all of your efforts. We are so grateful.

MAURA AND JOEL SURNAMER

Meyer, Grade 1 Milagros, Grade 3 Thank you for the wonderful day today! We could tell so much work went into every event.

Please share our gratitude for providing the opportunity to observe our granddaughter’s PreK class yesterday. We live in Houston and due to COVID have been unable to travel to spend time with our family in Boston. Hearing our granddaughter's excitement when she saw our faces and being able to briefly see her classmates and teachers brought us great joy. We applaud your staff who are working so hard and creatively to keep your students learning during these trying circumstances.

MARTA AND JIM BIRCHFIELD

Eleanor, PreK

PRISCILLA JONES

Nina, Grade 4 • Elliott, Grade 6

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1948

Vera Converse Gibbons is a longtime realtor and property manager in Mattapoisett. In her rare spare time this year, she was making masks for sale with donation to local “Community Nurse Home Care” (CNHC), which uses proceeds for PPE and other approved equipment for nurses. She still fondly remembers days at Park through fifth grade including class with Miss Judkins, and classmates Sally Little and Renny Little.

1953

Class Representative Bob Bray

1955 A Note About Park’s Class Year Designations Over Park’s 133-year history, the number of grades offered and the graduation year or final year have varied. The School had a ninth grade program for nearly 50 years (1967-2016) and, for all classes that graduated prior to 2016, we assigned our alumni a class year based on their Grade IX year. Therefore, all members of pre-2016 classes are listed by their Grade IX designation, whether or not there was a ninth grade during their time at Park. The Class of 2016 includes both the Grade VIII and Grade IX classes that graduated that year. Beginning with the Class of 2017, Park began assigning a class year based on the eighth grade year.

1936

Rosamond Kent Sprague is still going strong at 98! She continues to treasure her years at Park, and tells stories of her time there with great pleasure.

1944

Jerri Godfrey Paul writes, “We (husband Harry and myself) have a nice 2-bedroom apartment at Crescent Wood Independent Living.

Sunny, attractive complex, great young staff, friendly residents, food so-so. Can't have everything!”

1945

Class Representative Natalie Park Schutz

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Class Representative Buzz Gagnebin Buzz Gagnebin shares this synopsis on what has happened in his life since leaving Park after third grade in 1948: “I connected again in 196970 when my wife, Connie, happily taught second grade at Park as I started my first year practicing law in Boston after graduating from law school at the University of Michigan. I still have fond memories of Park including a great second grade teacher and fun times with you all in class and outdoors. I remember playing in the workshop with a classmate using the old style chop saw, violating school rules I’m sure.

Nevertheless, I went on to have a successful legal career as a patent attorney until I retired six years ago. I hope my school mates have survived the COVID pandemic well and safely. My family has so far, fingers crossed. We spend time caring for my wife’s mother who celebrated her 100th birthday last June. I’ve been making time for music—especially the fiddle. Stay well, everyone.”

1963

Class Representative Amy Lampert

1966

Class Representative Wigs Frank

1967

Class Representative Davis Rowley

1968

Class Representative Vicky Hall Kehlenbeck

1969

Class Representative Needed!

1970

Class Representative Anne Singer Congratulations to Paul Ayoub, a partner at Nutter McClennen & Fish, who was recently recognized as one of the “Power 50 for 2020: Extraordinary Year, Extraordinary People” by the Boston Business Journal. Paul was selected for his leadership in the Boston business community in the face of extraordinary challenges this year. Paul was also invited to serve on the International Institute of New England’s (IINE) Host Committee for its 2021 International Women’s Day Celebration.

1971

Class Representative Needed!

1972

Class Representative Needed!

1973

Class Representative Rick Berenson Macy Ratliff shares, “I am now living in Minneapolis, and it is a delight to be closer to my older daughter and her husband, although my younger daughter lives in Denmark! I definitely miss my New Mexico days. I’m blessed to be able to support youth with anxiety online and love teaching mindfulness and mindful self-compassion to youth. I’m also excited to be part of two grants in this area and love skiing at the local hill!”

A L U M N I N OT E S Photo taken in sixth grade of 1979 classmates Toby Cabot, Blake Gooch, Rob Hurlbut, and John Tayer.

1974

Class Representatives Margaret Smith Bell Rodger Cohen Tina McVeigh lives in NYC with her husband, Henry Chin, and children Lizzie (18) and Jamie (12). She works as the research director in the Bureau of Early Intervention at the NYC Health Department and also spends some time as an administrative manager in the city’s vaccination centers.

1975

Class Representatives Colin McNay Bill Sullivan

1976

Class Representative Tenney Mead Cover This year, it has been Park’s pleasure to learn of alumni in our community who have founded their own businesses, including Tiina Bougas Smith! Tiina, who received her training at Harvard College, Harvard Business School, and the Gemological Institute of America, started her business in 2016 as a passion project. Tiina Smith Jewelry collects and curates vintage jewelry signed by master jewelers including Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co., David Webb, Cartier, Chanel, and Oscar Heyman in their gallery at 121 Newbury Street, as well as online at TiinaSmithJewelry.com.

BECOME A CLASS REPRESENTAT I V E Cl a sses of

1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1992

1977

Class Representative Sam Solomon

1978

Class Representative Needed!

1979

Class Representatives Lalla Carothers Sally Solomon Nina Frusztajer writes, “My kids Catherine, Zeno, Hugo, and I were lucky to spend most of the 2020 spring and summer on Cape Cod, happily close to my sister Lisa Frusztajer ’77. Inspired by Gordon Gabbay's annual polar bear plunges on the North Shore, I dove into the 43-degree Cape Cod ocean on New Year's Day—yes, it was exhilarating! I work part-time as a pathologist and continue to expand my life, nutrition, and wellness coaching practice. Until I mastered the art of cooking a full family dinner that everyone loves in 20 minutes or less, I never thought streamlined menu planning would be such a useful pandemic survival skill with teenagers at home for every meal! Stay safe, everyone!”

In January, Lalla Carothers shared, “My family and I are doing well despite the craziness of the past year. We’re grateful for our health and our jobs, while we recognize so many are suffering. This pandemic

One of six existing David Webb carved amethyst and green enamel suite from the 1980s. Image courtesy of Tiina Bougas Smith ’76, Founder and President of Tiina Smith Jewelry.

á Stay in touch with friends! á Gather class news for the Bulletin! á Help to plan your reunion!

Want to learn more?

Please contact Jamie Byron, Director of Alumni Relations, at 617-274-6022 or alumni@parkschool.org

has shined a light on some of the deep inequality and injustice in our country. I’ve been working to educate myself about antiracism so I can do what I can to shine a light in my corner of the world, something Park instilled in us very well. I’ve also been doing lots of walking/running, bread baking, and crossword and jigsaw puzzles (the 1000-piece ones are my favorite, but they feed my procrastination tendency something wicked).

Our high school senior is going to American University of Paris next year. We’ll miss her like crazy but can’t wait to visit! Our 14-year-old son is hoping for snow so he can do the Nordic skiing he loves until it’s mountain biking season again.

I’m coaching my son’s ski team at the local middle school and relieved we’re meeting in-person starting soon—we all need the connection and the exercise. Masked and distanced and outside is way better than virtual practice any day. Be well and stay safe, friends!” Sally Solomon sent this update in January, “My husband, David, and I are very grateful to have remained healthy and safe during COVID. We are both working from home.

Things are purposefully dull, as we wait out the pandemic in our two-person bubble. Entertainment has included watching the beards of the men in my life grow to ZZ Top-length and taking COVID-safe runs, walks, and bike rides in and around Brookline. Even though I’ve lived locally essentially all my life,

we have found unexplored areas to venture through. Old haunts are getting visits as well. Hilary Hart and Joan Morse, I thought of you as I biked through the Cabot Estates one night and then the gates closed. I thought I was going to have to sleep there in the cold, but a nice grounds person told me you can still get out by the side of the gates. I had forgotten that. It’s still very pretty there, but much more developed. David and I walk around Larz Anderson Park with Maggie Remensnyder and her husband one chilly COVID weekend. We paid fond tribute to skating and sledding there as children and to Park just across the street. Sadly, David and I had to say goodbye to our sweet doggie, Bella, this year, whom we adopted when she was five and whom we adored until she passed at 14. We used the Larz Anderson trip to spread Bella's ashes symbolically across the pond. They weren’t really her ashes—they were yearold matzoh meal. But it meant a lot to say goodbye to Bella with a close friend from Park and a gesture of meaning we created: Bella really liked matzoh. I’m already looking forward to our next reunion, but it’s kind of a shock to re-remember we graduated more than 40 years ago.

I guess the up side of having such a long-ago graduation year, is that as a group, we are so much closer to being next in line for the COVID vaccine. Speaking of aging, just for fun, here are some things I can no longer do since we graduated

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from Park: 1) A back handspring.

(Although admittedly, I don’t think I could do one anymore even at our first reunion.) 2) Stay up all night. 3) Talk on the phone all night.

Everything else, I think I can still do.

Here are a few other items to mark being 56 years old: I left, and then got back on, Facebook, but only so I could change my profile picture to the Bernie Sanders mitten meme. I still can’t appreciate or understand how to use Twitter or Instagram, and I don’t envision ever doing so.

I don’t really like swimming in the ocean anymore. I am not ashamed to have an enormous crush on Timothee Chalomet. I’ve upped my crossword game and can now finish the NYT Saturday puzzle.

My favorite Schitt’s Creek character is David. That about covers it.

Sending much love to Park class of ‘79.” John Tayer shares, “Likely compelled by shared values we developed through our Park School experience, it was wonderful to join forces with Henry Hammond, and my sister Amy Tayer Goldman ’77, in support of Tony Mack’s effective grassroots organizing work with the Movement Voter Project (including periodic glimpses of them on teleconference calls).” Erica Robb Thaler writes, “Things are fine in Philadelphia, despite everything.

I am still at Penn on faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (in fact, currently serving as chair). Family

L: Annie Burton Lankford ’87 and family this year; (R), Christina McCormick ’87 with husband John and children Leyton and Finlay.

is all well thankfully, and my oldest, Alexandra, just started medical school here! It has been a tough year in the medical world, dealing with so much disease, disruption, and uncertainty. I am incredibly grateful for the wonderful people I work with, and the resilience of—well—everyone.” Holly Dando tells us, “My quarantine activities have included marathon reading, for some reason I can only pay attention to non-fiction since COVID: Hidden Valley Road and We Keep the Dead Close are top picks. I also walked over every NYC bridge that has a pedestrian path: George Washington, Triboro, 59th Street, Manhattan, Williamsburg and Brooklyn! It was a fun way to be outside, see friends and do something new! Of course, tons of baking

and cooking and FaceTiming with my parents! I’m fully vaccinated (thanks, Cornell) and ready for mask-free life to resume! Hope all are well, COVID has taken a terrible toll.” In February, Linda Runyon Mutschler shared that she and her husband, Jock, were in their twoperson bubble in Wisconsin, and were trying to stay warm and enjoy the snow!

1980

Class Representative Needed!

1981

Class Representatives Matt Carothers Alex Mehlman

1982

Class Representative Allison Nash Mael

Wonderful work being done by Lucy Perera ’84 and the team at Line4Line in Baton Rouge to provide free haircuts for boys ages 3–13 in exchange for reading books.

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Nicole Dokton Dunn writes, “Still living in Australia. We just sold our home and moved into a new place in Redland Bay about 40 minutes south of Brisbane. I run a real estate company with my husband of 20 years. Our talented son, Ethan, just turned 17 and is in year 11. He is doing an amazing job at school getting involved with theatre and music and his band.

Haven't been back to the states for a couple of years but look forward to a trip once Covid-19 settles down and I am able to get the vaccine.

Would love to find out where all my classmates are and what they have been up to. All the best and G’day Mates!”

1983

Class Representatives Lisa Livens Freeman Elise Mott

1984

Class Representative Anne Collins Goodyear Last summer, Elena Wethers Thompson shared, “Happy to be healthy at home even if a bit stir crazy. Hope all my classmates are safe and well.” It was our pleasure to recently learn of the amazing work being done by Line4Line, a non-profit in Baton Rouge cofounded by Lucy Perera. In 2014, Lucy was inspired by the story of an Iowa barber who gave free haircuts to boys in exchange for reading books. Lucy soon connected with a local barber and business owner in Baton Rouge, and together they founded Line4Line, which strengthens literacy and communications skills, comprehension, and attitudes around reading for boys ages 3 – 13 by providing free haircuts in exchange for reading books. Over the past six years, Line4Line has provided over 3000 free haircuts, placed over 4500 books into homes, stocked a 24/7 accessible Little Free Library, and placed books in the barbershop for readers of all levels. In 2020, Line4Line further expanded programs to include drop-in Saturday workshops, a free summer camp, teen work and mentor development, and intensive small-group reading support programs. Lucy shared, “As I do this work with Line4Line, I really

A L U M N I N OT E S think about how Park fostered the way I think and approach things.

The program, as well as much of my other work in museums and neighborhood-based arts programming, nods to Park!” Thank you to Lucy and Line4Line for this important work in Baton Rouge!

1985

Class Representative Katrina Newbury

1986

Class Representative Jay Livens

1987

Class Representatives Mary Sarah (Baker) Fairweather Geoffrey Glick Spike Anderson wrote this winter, “I am currently in my sixth year as Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in Atlanta. Georgia is beautiful, but we miss the energy of Boston. My wife, Marita, serves as a hospital interfaith chaplain and meditation teacher. Our kids (Mac 14, Moses 12, Lulu 9) are doing surprisingly well with online learning, and when they are not driving us bonkers, we all manage to have lots of fun.

Our menagerie of pets seems keep growing: two dogs (soon to be three), lots of fish, and 10 hens who live in our backyard. I love that we are able to keep up with

Park School friends (mostly via Facebook) and truly appreciate the wonderful friendships that, at this point, seem to be lifelong. If any of you find yourself in Atlanta, y'all come see us, y'hear!” Last summer, Kate Milliken produced a 30-minute film that profiled a number people who live with MS, which can be accessed at beneaththesurfacefilm.com. The film won best short documentary at the San Francisco Film Festival and has had a very positive response from people who live with MS who appreciate the authenticity and realness of what was documented.

Kate shared that she and her two children got swept into the December surge of COVID-19 cases in New York. The kids were sick for a day; Kate’s trajectory was a little more intense but because of her MS, she was able to qualify for monoclonal antibody treatment.

All are getting back to normal now.

Annie Burton Lankford shared, “Things are pretty busy around here with two kids in college, one out the door in a few months and two at home! We also are the lucky humans to six dogs and six cats (all rescued) that provide us plenty of humor throughout these days at home. I’m in my second of three years of seminary at Iliff School of Theology in Denver. I will receive my MDiv in May of 2022 and then head to Duke for my doctorate. I’ve finally answered the call to ministry

after a fruitful but unfulfilling career as an attorney. I currently serve as the associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in North Little Rock and I couldn’t be happier.” Mary Sarah (Baker) Fairweather writes, “Sam, Julep (our adopted Olde English Bulldogge), and I moved to Columbus in June 2020 and love life in the Midwest.

We relocated for my job with the ASPCA which is a dream come true. I serve as vice president of the Cruelty Recovery Center where we house and care for animals that are victims of animal cruelty and natural disasters. I would love to connect with alumni in the Buckeye state!” Sophie Cramer de Heinrich shares, “I have such fond memories

of Park School and, even though I was there only shortly, the wonderful tools I acquired during my year are useful to me to this day. My husband, daughter, and I are living in Switzerland but since both my spouse and I have had great learning experiences in Boston, we hope that our child will one day have the chance to do the same.”

Want to Get More Involved Join Park’s Alumni Committee

? !

E AC H Y E A R , a group of approximately

35 alumni serve the School on the Alumni

Committee, and we hope that you will join us!

Currently ranging from the Class of 1953 to the Class of 2012, the Alumni Committee serves as the School’s most active group of alumni

STAY CONNECTED WITH PARK ONLINE Facebook

www.facebook.com/ParkSchoolAlums

Instagram

ParkSchoolBrookline

LinkedIn

Request to join our group “Park School Alums”

Twitter

@TheParkSchoolMA

FOLLOW US AND STAY CONNECTED WITH PARK!

volunteers, and as liaisons between the School and the alumni community. It is our hope that the membership of the Alumni Committee will represent the diversities and experiences of the entire alumni body, and we invite you to join us.

If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Director of Alumni Relations Jamie Byron at alumni@parkschool.org.

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EVENTS

V I RT UA L FA M I LY A RT EV E N T On a snowy morning in December, Becca Spiro ’01 hosted a creative virtual event for current Park families and alumni. Becca, who owns The Frosted Flamingo in Colorado, guided families in making moon sand, nebula jars, fairy gardens, and magic wands. Thank you to Becca and The Frosted Flamingo for a fun morning!

GU I DE D M E DI TAT ION On a wintery evening in February, members of the Park community got cozy and joined Mercy Bell ’05 for a special guided evening meditation, using visualization and the “mind’s eye” to relax and inspire themselves. Mercy was joined by alumni, parents, and students, and it was a special experience for all.

Thank you, Mercy!

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THE PARK SCHOOL

A L U M N I N OT E S

YOU NG A LUM N I V I RT UA L BRU NC H In December, many of our youngest alumni hopped on Zoom to catch up with their classmates and former teachers. In this unusual year, attendees received ingredients to make their own yummy breakfast at home rather than gathering in the Dining Room for bagels. Alumni and faculty alike joined in a Park trivia game, testing their knowledge of the School. For example, did you know that Park’s original school colors were red and black, and were changed to green and white in 1910? We’re grateful to everyone for logging into this virtual connection and hope to see you back in person very soon!

SPR E A DI NG T H E PA R K LOV E!

A LUM N I C L A M BA K E — AT HOM E!

Since we couldn’t gather at the annual alumni February Fête this year, chocolatier Alex Whisnant ’98 and her team at gâté comme des filles gave Park alumni a chance to show their Valentine’s Day love for each other— from afar!—by sending a delicious box of small-batch, artisanal chocolates to Park friends or teachers. The reviews for gâté comme des filles were spectacular, and we’re grateful to Alex and her team for making this possible!

When it became clear that we wouldn’t be able to host the annual Alumni Clambake on campus this year, James Beard Awardwinning chef Andrew Taylor ’96 and his team at Eventide Oyster Co. stepped in to offer a special way for Park alumni to celebrate the end of the summer in their own homes. Alumni across the country—from Boston to California—enjoyed Eventide’s famous Brown Butter Lobster Rolls, and picked up copies of the Eventide Cookbook so that they could bring the taste of New England into their homes throughout the year. Thank you Andrew and Eventide!

M I N DF U L N E S S WOR K SHOP Our sincere thanks to Dr. Luana Bessa ’00, licensed psychologist and founder of Bela Luz Health, LLC, for leading the Park community in a mindfulness workshop as we turned the corner into 2021. Centered around mindfulness, self-care, and stress management, Luana’s workshop spoke to the benefit of these practices, and provided strategies to incorporate them into our daily lives.

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1988

Class Representative Liza Cohen Gates

@FacesOfCovid, created by Alex Goldstein ’99, honors the lives of thousands who have passed away from COVID-19

1989

Class Representatives Dahlia Aronson Ehrenfried Ian Glick Rebecca Lewin Scott

1990

Casey Bruce Macleod, born in May 2020 to Molly David Macleod ’99

Class Representatives Zachary Cherry Alexander Rabinsky Congratulations to Nick Thompson, who was recently named chief executive officer of The Atlantic!

Previously, Nick served as editor in chief of Wired and was the editor of Newyorker.com.

1991

Class Representative Jim O’Keefe

1992

Class Representative Needed!

1993

Class Representatives Jessica Ko Beck Jaime Quiros Alison Ross

1994

1998

1995

Daphne Johnson Berger shared exciting news in November, “We are pregnant with our third child!

Our two boys, Brooks and Hudson, are excited to meet their baby sister.” Congratulations, Daphne!

Class Representatives Alan Bern Aba Taylor

Class Representatives Lilla Curran Nelson Matthew Stahl

1996

Class Representatives Kathrene Tiffany Bell Nick Brescia Merrill Hawkins Katayoun Shahrokhi

1997

Class Representatives Sarah Conway Suzy McManmon Sarah Robbat Primavera Sarah Conway shares, “My wife, Camille, and I welcomed our daughter, Mara Héloïse Conway, on July 21 in Saint-Malo, France. We couldn’t be happier. She’s an incredibly sweet little firecracker and we’re having a blast. She’s only four months old but she already seems to love to kick things, so we may have a soccer player on our hands!”

Congratulations to Sarah Conway ’97 and wife Camille who welcomed daughter Mara in July!

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THE PARK SCHOOL

Class Representatives Meg Lloyd Sarah Swettberg

1999

Class Representatives Colin Arnold Susanna Whitaker Waters Elizabeth Weyman Two members of the Class of 1999 are making a huge difference in the pandemic. Thank you to Alex Goldstein for the moving space memorializing the incredible lives lost to COVID-19. Alex created @FacesOfCOVID, a Twitter account with 150,000 followers, to make the pandemic more than just statistics and explore the stories of over 5,000 people who have died.

Alex explains, “@FacesOfCOVID serves as a reminder of the obligation that we all have to help to keep each other safe during this time, and I hope that it will inspire people to make responsible decisions. As families navigate loss in an environment where large funerals and remembrances aren’t possible, @FacesOfCOVID provides a shared space for remembrance, sympathy, and support.” In California, Colin

Arnold heads Emergency Medical Services for the City of Berkeley. In this role, he is responsible for mass distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to all of northern Alameda County, a “drive-through” parking lot operation for about 1.5 million people.

When interviewed by NBC, Colin shared that he and his team are working to increase capacity of this massive vaccination effort. Thank you, Colin! We also heard from Molly David Macleod, who welcomed baby Casey Bruce Macleod on May 11, 2020, and from David Kenner, who is a Fellow of the Institute of Current World Affairs, reporting on and living in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon!

A L U M N I N OT E S

Congratulations to Julia Spiro ’02, who welcomed baby Winston in July.

Right, this year, Rachel Kay ’05 curated an online exhibition, which featured the work of Courtney Stock ’02

Becca Spiro ’01 and son Levi. Right, congratulations to Jessica Whitman Seney ’00, who welcomed twins in April 2020

2000

Class Representative Jessica Whitman Seney Jessica Whitman Seney shares that her family welcomed twins Trevor and Drew on April 30, 2020. They join big sisters Charlotte (5) and Callie (3). Congratulations!

2001

Class Representative Ben Bullitt Becca Spiro shares, “Welcomed Levi Spiro Anderson to the world on June 26, 2020, and hosted a fun virtual artevent for Park families in December with my business, The Frosted Flamingo.” Read more about the event on page 34.

2002

Class Representatives Alejandro Alvarado Alexander Lebow Julia Spiro and her partner, Casey Elliston, love living year-round on Martha’s Vineyard. They welcomed their first child, Winston Spiro Elliston on February 21, 2021.

Julia’s debut book, Someone Else’s Secret, was released in 2020, and was a #1 seller on Amazon last summer and has been

optioned for film development!

She's editing her second novel right now, which will be published in the spring of 2022. Marissa Drossos is a special education teacher in Boston, and she and husband Robert celebrated their son Ari's first birthday (Zoom party style) this year! Marissa loves following some of her favorite Park people on Instagram and has even reconnected with a few, including Pearson Smith Alspach, who was in town in February 2020.

We were excited to learn that Molly Boskey Pascal, who works as a visual arts teacher at Noble & Greenough, recently launched her own business featuring her own art! While on maternity leave this fall, Molly created watercolor art letters for her own children’s rooms and, after sharing her designs on social media, friends encouraged her to pursue the business. She

now partners with a local printer, Pitch Black Editions in Concord, and a local artist who makes custom frames for her beautiful creations.

Check out @themollygrams or www.mollygrams.com. Molly and her family also welcomed their newest member this year—Thatcher Charles Pascal, born on May 18, 2020. Congratulations, Molly!

Thank you to Rachel Kay ’05 and Courtney Stock ’02 for their wonderful presentation to Ms. Popper’s Grade 8 art class this year! Rachel is the founder of RSK Artworks, a Boston-based art advisory, that curated an online exhibition entitled Creating in Covid. The exhibition featured the work of 15 artists, and included several beautiful pieces

by Courtney, whose work traverses painting, sculpture, and craft. Rachel and Courtney spoke with students

about their work, and how it has changed over the past several months. As our students find new ways to create and share their own artwork, we’re grateful to our alumni for joining the class to share how they are doing the same!

At right, Molly Boskey Pascal ’02 with one of the beautiful pieces she created through her new business, www.mollygrams.com, and her sons, Thatcher Boskey Pascal and Brooks Boskey Pascal (age 3)

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Congratulations for these two October 2020 weddings!

Right: Dora Hui ’04 and Norman Nguyen, and below: Miriam Posner Harris ’03 and Sam Harris!

Andy Li’s Art on the Greenway!

Next time you’re downtown, be sure to visit the Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park along the Rose Kennedy Greenway and check out The Herd! This installation

by Andy Li ’04 will be on display through Lunar New Year 2022, continuing the annual curation of sculptural installations celebrating the twelve years of the Chinese Zodiac. Andy is a fiber artist whose work seeks to stitch the common threads of individual experiences into a shared emotional landscape.

The Herd consists of a series of double-sided banners containing inspirational messages in both English and Chinese. Commemorating the Year of The Ox, The Herd features the repetition of text to channel the Ox’s ethic of perseverance. In such a challenging year, Andy hopes that The Herd will serve as a source of motivation and inspiration for viewers, and a reminder of the fact that the strength that we are always capable of can ripple through and boost our broader communities.

2003

2005

Congratulations to Miriam Posner Harris, who married Sam Harris this October in Cambridge. They were surrounded by their immediate families, including David Posner ’02 and Former Lower Division Head Nancy Posner. They are planning a larger celebration for their two-year anniversary in 2022 when the world is safe again.

If you tuned into Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special during the holiday season, you’ll be excited to know that the script was written by Caroline Fox! The program featured Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland, and Mykal-Michelle Harris. Congratulations, Caroline!

Class Representative Diana Rutherford

2004

Class Representatives Steven Fox Molly Lebow Congratulations to Rena LaRusso, who became engaged to Nate Hanmer in January! And, though the pandemic has put the party on hold, Dora Hui and Norman Nguyen were married in San Diego on October 30 via Zoom.

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THE PARK SCHOOL

Class Representative Lilly Bullit

A L U M N I N OT E S

2015

2019

2016

2020

Class Representatives Caroline Beecher Jonathan DeJesus

Left: Congratulations to Liz Rappaport ’06 on her September engagement to Jonathan Bakis! Right: Ivy Alphonse-Crean ’07 and her family will be returning to Boston this summer.

Class Representatives John Joseph DeMarco Charlotte Ketterson Gage McWeeny River Studley

2017 2006

Class Representative McCall Cruz Liz Rappaport enjoyed spending time with her Park girlfriends over the summer, celebrating her birthday with Hanna Atwood, and an outdoor dinner with McCall Cruz and Sophia Anteneh, and on Labor Day weekend, she got engaged to Jonathan Bakis. Since then she’s been working on her new business, Home OrganizeHER (www.homeorganizeher.com). Liz worked with a Park alum on a basement revamp organization project, and it was fun to reconnect about Park School while helping create a system and order in their home.

2007

Class Representatives Benjamin Schwartz Mollie Cunningham Young Ivy Alphonse-Crean and husband Jared welcomed Wesley Anthony Alphonse Crean on November 30, 2019. She shares, “he is the most energetic little nugget and Jared and I couldn’t be happier!”

This summer, Ivy and her family will return to the Boston area, and Ivy will become the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Dedham Country Day School. Read more about Ivy’s career and experience at Park on page 20.

2008

2010

Class Representatives Gilad Seckler Michela Thompson

2011

Class Representatives Grace Donnell-Kilmer Eliza Thomas This spring, Tenzin Thargay graduated from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs with a Master of International Affairs and Weatherhead East Asian Institute Certificate in Chinese Studies. After graduation, Tenzin will enter the U.S. Department of State as a Rangel Fellow and serve as an Economic Foreign Service Officer. He looks forward to a career of exploring and celebrating new cultures, a value Park helped develop.

2012

Class Representatives Enya Meade Jaleel Williams

2013

Class Representatives Justine Hatton Katherine Mitchell

2014

Class Representatives Ellie Formisano Olivia Mills

Class Representatives Ainsley Bonang Priya Devavaram Nina Kathiresan

Class Representatives Annabelle Brennan Isaiah Solomon

Class Representatives Justin Loo Naomi Yu Sadie Young writes, “I have been keeping in touch with some of my friends from Park, but I have also been making new friends at my school. I'm still playing violin...and overall the year has been going quite well for me.”

2018

Class Representatives Molly Brenner Brie Doherty Theo Goldman Jonah Paquette Sofia Samuels Adele Spitz

2009 Classmates Keyon Vafa and Nick Deveau Volunteer for #GetUsPPE Last spring, a mutual friend reached out to Keyon Vafa and Nick Deveau asking for their help with a grassroots movement that had begun to connect hospitals, nursing homes, and other undersupplied institutions with muchneeded PPE. Keyon and Nick—both with computer science backgrounds—volunteered to design, analyze, and report survey data that provided important information about where supplies were most needed. What began as an initiative of a few volunteers has grown into a team of hundreds of physicians, scientists, engineers, technologists and volunteers, and #GetUsPPE has now delivered over 8.5 million pieces of PPE nationally. Thank you, Keyon and Nick, for your role in this important effort!

Class Representatives Manizeh Afridi Marielle Rabins

2009

Class Representatives Mercedes Garcia Cary Williams

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I N M E MOR I A M Clint Allen December 6, 2020 Grandfather of Sage Albright ’21 and Nate Albright ‘25 Joëlle Birkett October 29, 2020 French teacher (1982–1986) Kay Bourne January 31, 2021 Widow of former Latin and social studies teacher Bill Bourne+; Mother of Alex Bourne ’77 and Katie Bourne ’80 Alison Church ‘81 February 15, 2021 Sister of Emily Church ’79 and Laura Church Wilmerding ’84; Aunt of Ben Wilmerding ’16 and Sophie Wilmerding ’17; Cousin of Elise Church Schmidt ’80, Courtney Church Goldthwait ’82, and Lindsay Church ’92 Gerald Church April 9, 2021 Trustee (1974–1980); Father of Emily Church ’79, Alison Church ’81+, and Laura Church Wilmerding ’84; Grandfather of Ben Wilmerding ’16 and Sophie Wilmerding ’17; Uncle of Elise Church Schmidt ’80, Courtney Church Goldthwait ’82, and Lindsay Church ’92 Clark Coggeshall February 24, 2021 Trustee (1984–1986); Father of Natalie Coggeshall Nelson ’87 and David Coggeshall ’91; Uncle of Andrew Segar (former teacher and Lower Division Head) Lewis Cohen August 13, 2020 Father of Liza Cohen Gates ’88 and Ben Cohen ’91; Grandfather of Isabelle Gates ’23, Oliver Gates ’23, and Sophie Gates ’27 William Cohen February 4, 2020 Father of Rodger Cohen ’74 Mary Collins August 28, 2020 Parents’ Association President (1978–80); Mother of Anne Collins Goodyear ’84, Maureen Collins Beekley ’86, John Collins ’90, and Bob Collins ’91 Sandy Cunningham ’38 May 4, 2020 Father of Rebecca Cunningham-Weiss ’77, Jen Cunningham Butler ’78, and Fred Cunningham (former English and social studies teacher); Grandfather of Jessica Cunningham ’96

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THE PARK SCHOOL

Fern Cunningham-Terry August 18, 2020 Art teacher 1983–2016; Mother of Kumasi Allen ’88, Shanda Allen ’90, Autumn Allen ’92, and Kahlil Allen ’95 Elizabeth Brooks Dennett May 26, 2020 Science teacher (1973–1989); Mother of Katherine Bernheim ’77, Robert Bernheim ’79, and Anne Bernheim Campbell ’82 John Finley January 13, 2021 Husband of Margot Gerrity ’60; Father of Charlotte Finley Maynard ’88 Susan Greenwood August 16, 2020 Mother of Elijah Greenwood-Stewart ’17 Julie Henry August 28, 2020 Mother of Sarah Henry Lederman ’74, Charles Henry ’76, and Snowden Henry ’80; Grandmother of Juliet Henry ’12 and Simone Henry ’14 Beth Pfeiffer December 4, 2020 Trustee (1990–1997); Mother of Stuart McNay ’97, Andrew McNay ’99; Step-mother of Joanna McNay Nelson ’72, Colin McNay ’75, Alice McNay Curtin ’77 and Kate McNay Koch ’84 Elise Faulkner Jones ’46 August 2, 2020 Sister of Kim Faulkner ’45+, Emily Faulkner Stevens ’48+, Charles Faulkner ’50, Rosemary Faulkner ’53, Henry Faulkner ’56, and Andrew Faulkner ’58+; Aunt of Emily Faulkner ’76, Anne Faulkner ’78, Abigail Faulkner ’80, and William Faulkner ’02 Danielle Klaussen ’78 September 25, 2020 Sister of Karl Klaussen ’82

Dick Leahy November 19, 2020 Trustee (1965–1971), Father of Sarah Leahy Cerami ’71 and Elizabeth Leahy Morton ’73 E. Melvin Nash October 17, 2020 Father of Allison Nash Mael ’82, DJ Nash ’86, and Josh Nash ’91 Sheila Paine ’43 October 25, 2020 Mobeen Sheikh March 19, 2021 Father of Ameen Sheikh ’18 and Zain Sheikh ’20 Richard Smith September 9, 2020 Trustee (1968–1972); Father of Amy Smith Berylson ’68, Rob Smith ’74, and Debra Smith Knez ’75; Grandfather of Jennifer Berylson Block ’94, James Berylson ’97, Elizabeth Berylson Katz ’01, Madeleine Smith ’09, Ryan Smith ’11, and Jackson Smith ’16 Nicholas Soutter ’56 November 22, 2020 Ann Steinberg February 13, 2021 Fourth grade teacher (1987–2004) William Nicholas Thorndike May 6, 2021 Trustee (1968–1974); Husband of Former Faculty Member Joan Thorndike; Father of Will Thorndike ’79 and Lanny Thorndike ’81; Grandfather of Charlotte Thorndike ’10, Jamie Thorndike ’11, Anna Thorndike ’13, Nick Thorndike ’13, and Russell Thorndike ’16 Ann Zeller ’65 October 9, 2020 + deceased

E LIZ A B E T H B RO O K S D E N N E T T

E

lizabeth joined the Park community in 1973 and went on to wear many hats at the School where she taught science and Growth Education, was an advisor to sixth graders, and led the Science Department for many years. Her connection to Park could be felt deeply, as her first husband, Thomas, and her children—Katherine Bernheim ’77, Robert Bernheim ’79, and Anne Bernheim Campbell ’82—were members of the school community as well.

Following her departure from Park in 1989, she went on to become a realtor in Needham, and volunteered as a home healthcare aide but remained connected with the School, even returning to Park to help to identify cherished alumni photos in the archives. Elizabeth will be deeply missed by her former Park students and colleagues.

FE R N CU N N I N G H A M -T E R RY

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n over 30 years in the School’s Art Department, master sculptor and teacher Fern Cunningham-Terry left an unparalleled legacy at Park. Her public sculptures that stand in Boston’s many neighborhoods share powerful messages about African American experiences. Her sculpture “Time Enough” greets Park’s students each day and expresses Fern’s dedication to fostering a love of learning in children. Fern taught art as a way to view the world. Under her guidance, students engaged in beloved projects, including the half-face drawing, often while Fern read Twilight Zone stories aloud to the class. While teaching hundreds of students to draw, paint, and sculpt, Fern also taught the value of being part of an inclusive community that embraces and honors all voices and perspectives. She was the founder of the One World Club and Park’s first Director of Diversity. Her four children (Kumasi ’88, Shanda ’90, Autumn ’92, and Kahlil ’95) are Park graduates. Fern will be deeply missed by all whose lives she touched.

Below, half-face drawings by Owen Fantuzzi, Grade 8 and Tessa Lewis, Grade 8

To continue Fern’s legacy of sharing the affirming power of artmaking with communities across Boston, her family has created The Fern Cunningham-Terry Endowed Fund. This endowment will support sparc! the ArtMobile, a division of MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships. In collaboration with schools, libraries, community organizations and local artists, the colorful van travels the city, offering intergenerational art workshops and special events that build a sense of community through cross-cultural conversations.

Gifts can be made at massart.edu/give, by selecting “In memory of Fern Cunningham-Terry” under “choose what to support.” By mail, please send checks payable to MassArt Foundation to Marjorie O’Malley, MassArt Foundation, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston MA 02115, with a note stating the gift is made in memory of Fern Cunningham-Terry.

A N N ST E I N B E RG

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nnie made her way to Park in the fall of 1987, when she started working in the Development Office as the assistant director. Five years later, she found her true calling, as a teacher in Grade 3. In 1997, she “graduated” to fourth grade, where she taught for another seven years. After a brief attempt at retirement, she worked as a tutor at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge for eleven years. Beyond her career as a teacher, Annie found time to pursue passions for gardening and photography. She was the vice president of the Somerville Garden Club for several years, and her garden was one of the subjects of her photography, along with friends, travel, and nature. Students, parents, and colleagues will remember her fondly.

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CL A SS O F 2016 CO LLEG E CH O ICE S ABSHIR ADAM

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE

JACOB BARKAN

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

OLIVER BERNSTEIN

BOWDOIN COLLEGE

ZANE BOOKBINDER

BOWDOIN COLLEGE

JONATHAN BREITBART

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER

GRAYSON CHEEK

CURRY COLLEGE

LANIE CHERRY

BROWN UNIVERSITY

GRACE CHIANG

RICE UNIVERSITY

SALLIE LAWRENCE CHOPE

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

INDIA CLAUDY

POMONA COLLEGE

KATIE CONN

HAVERFORD COLLEGE

COLBY CONNORS

BOSTON COLLEGE

GEORGIA COOK

TULANE UNIVERSITY

BREANNA DURAND

BENTLEY UNIVERSITY

BLAIR ENGLERT

AMHERST COLLEGE

ZOE FALKSON

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

JAKE GERSHBERG

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

LEV GOLDMAN

VASSAR COLLEGE

SADIE GOLEN

GAP YEAR, MCGILL UNIVERSITY IN 2021

SIMON GROSSMAN

GAP YEAR, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN 2021

NATALIE HATTON

COLGATE UNIVERSITY

AMBREY HAYES

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

ALEXANDER HAYRE-PEREZ

VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY

LUCAS HILL

UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS

WILL KEATING

BOSTON COLLEGE

CHARLOTTE KETTERSON

GAP YEAR, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN 2021

JUDE LITTELL

GAP YEAR, BOSTON COLLEGE IN 2021

SOPHIA LOWRY

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

CALEB MANSBACH

TULANE UNIVERSITY

GAGE MCWEENY

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

DUNCAN MILLS

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LONDON

BEN MOSKOWITZ

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

JESSIE REED

COLBY COLLEGE

IAN RICHARDSON

YALE UNIVERSITY

JAKE SANGHAVI

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

CATIE SCHERNECKER

GAP YEAR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY IN 2021

KATY SEVERIN

WELLESLEY COLLEGE

DAVID SHAW

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

LARA SIMSHAUSER

BROWN UNIVERSITY

KHYLE SMITH

MARIST COLLEGE

JADA SMITH

WORCESTER POLYTECH INSTITUTE

NICOLE TAYLOR

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

CLARE WIBIRALSKE

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

LULU WRIGHT

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE

42

THE PARK SCHOOL

THESE NINTH GRADE MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2016 ALSO GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL IN 2020 CALEB COLEMAN

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

JJ DE MARCO

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

MEGAN DUCKWORTH

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

RIVER STUDLEY

PLANNING TO JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF OPERATING ENGINEERS LOCAL 4

EIGHTH GRADE MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2016 GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL IN 2021

JORDYN BRITTON

SENIOR AT BUCKINGHAM BROWNE & NICHOLS; HOWARD UNIVERSITY IN 2021

BENJAMIN CRAWFORD

SENIOR AT ROXBURY LATIN SCHOOL; HARVARD COLLEGE IN 2021

MIKAYLA PAQUETTE

SENIOR AT NOBLE & GREENOUGH; TUFTS UNIVERSITY IN 2021

RUSSELL THORNDIKE

SENIOR AT GROTON SCHOOL; MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE IN 2021

Please note that the above list, compiled by the Alumni Office, does not include all members of the Class of 2016. While the Class of 2016 includes members who graduated from both Grade 8 and Grade 9 in 2016, this list primarily includes members of the class who graduated as eighth graders in that year.

Alumni not appearing on this list have not submitted their information to our office. Please call the Alumni Office at 617-274-6022 or email alumni@parkschool.org with any changes or additional information.

Yo u n g A l u m n i A c h i e v e m e n t Aw a r d 2 0 2 1

Miranda Haymon ’09

In January, it was our honor to virtually welcome Miranda back to Park. After sharing a powerful Morning Meeting, Miranda joined students, teachers, and classmates in a series of virtual connections throughout the week.

Park is where Miranda first encountered plays, theater, and heightened texts. Under the fierce and inspiring mentorship of Kathy Coen, Kyra Fries, and Curt Miller, Miranda was introduced to Nikki Giovanni, William Shakespeare, and Edgar Allen Poe, writers that still deeply influence Miranda today. In the spring of eighth grade, During Miranda’s last term at Park, they were cast in Harriet the Spy, in a lead role in their first play ever. Miranda credits Kathy Coen, Kyra Fries, and Curt Miller for sparking their interest in performing and the arts, and would not be working as an artist today without their influence and encouragement.

Do you know a Park graduate who deserves recognition?

Nominations sought for Alumni Achievement Awards. Since 2008, Park has honored alumni who exemplify Park’s values and educational mission through exceptional work in their career or field of endeavor. We seek to recognize alumni whose leadership and contributions have made a meaningful impact and inspire our current students and alumni.

Alumni Achievement Award for graduates in Classes 2005 and above Young Alumni Achievement Award for graduates in Classes 2006–2021 Send nominations to alumni@parkschool.org, or The Park School Alumni Office, 171 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA 02445

Photos by Jejomar Ysit (top), Eli Burakian (center), Naomi Saito (inset) Mari Uchida (right)

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ark is proud to honor Miranda Haymon ’09 as the recipient of this year’s Young Alumni Achievement Award.

Miranda (she/they) is a Princess Grace Award/Honoraria-winning writer, director, and curator. They are a Resident Director at Roundabout Theatre Company and The Tank, a member of the 2020–22 WP Theater Lab, a 2020–22 member of the Devised Theater Working Group at The Public, a New Georges Affiliate Artist and 2019 Audrey Resident, a Space on Ryder Farm 2019 Creative Resident, member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab, the Wingspace Mentorship Program, a 2019–20 New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Directing Fellow, a Manhattan Theatre Club Directing Fellow, and a former Allen Lee Hughes Directing Fellow at Arena Stage.

Miranda is interested in work that dismantles the antiquated ideology of the white, cis, straight, male, able-bodied middle class individual as the stand in for “universal.” Their work is described as radically inclusive, fundamentally multi-voiced, oriented towards sparking dialogue and in direct conversation with the current state of affairs.

Miranda attended Park from 2005–2008, and went on to Phillips Academy, Andover and Wesleyan University, where they received a BA in German Studies and Theater and were awarded the Rachel Henderson Theater Prize in Directing.

Miranda’s career in the arts began with an internship at the Boston Center for the Arts, teaching in a Teen Art program for Boston youth ages 7–12.

The Park School 171 Goddard Avenue Brookline, Massachusetts 02445

Change service requested

About the cover In this year of social distancing, Park students and teachers made good use of opportunities to enjoy being outdoors, and to observe the world around them.

Third graders and their teacher, Sophie Steck, developed mixed-media collage landscapes that integrate tree drawings and pictures of their classmates and themselves.

Cover art by Margot Jennings, Class of 2026

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