Park School Bulletin Fall 2011 by The Park School

The Park School Fall Bulletin 2011 Annual Report Issue

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Board of Trustees 2010 –11

Alumni Committee 2010 –11

Fall Bulletin 2011 Annual Report of Giving 2010 –11

Officers

John Barkan ’85 Co-Chair Julia Lloyd Johannsen ’93 Co-chair

Editor

Kevin J. Maroni Chair Paula A. Johnson Vice Chair Richard Banks ’74 Secretary Martin J. Mannion Treasurer Marcus Cherry Vincent Chiang John Connaughton Richard Edie Lisa Black Franks ’78 Abigail Johnson Heidi Johnson Brian Kavoogian Patti Kraft Anne Punzak Marcus Stuart Mathews Amy Lloyd McCarthy ’86 Pamela McLaurin Nicole Murray Peter Riehl Happy Rowe Caroline Schernecker Carmel Shields Garrett Solomon ’86 Dana Smith Suzie Tapson Lanny Thorndike ’81 Ralph L. Wales Ex Officio

Jerrold I. Katz Head of School Kimberly Boyd Assistant Head for Finance & Operations Cynthia A. Harmon Assistant Head for Program & Professional Development

Alejandro Alvarado ’00 Minnie Ames ’86 Peter Barkan ’86 Bob Bray ’53 Spencer Bush-Brown ’00 Greg Cope ’71 Tenney Mead Cover ’76 Lilla Curran ’95 Lisa Amick DiAdamo ’86 Mark Epker ’86 Sara Leventhal Fleiss ’94 Abigail Ross Goodman ’91 Anne Collins Goodyear ’84 Jennifer Segal Herman ’82 Eve Wadsworth Lehrman ’95 Greg Kadetsky ’96 Mike Kavanagh ’00 Bob Kenerson ’53 Richard Knapp ’90 Amy Lampert ’63 Abbott Lawrence ’85 Nia Lutch ’97 Melissa Daniels Madden ’85 Allison Morse ’89 Chip Pierce ’81 Meredith Ross ’86 Ali Epker Ruch’89 Alyssa Burrage Scott ’92 Jordan Scott ’89 Rebecca Lewin Scott ’89 Sarah Shoukimas ’97 Garrett Solomon ’86 Kathrene Tiffany ’96 Thacher Tiffany ’93 Diana Walcott ’85 Phoebe Gallagher Winder ’84

Kate LaPine With thanks to School Archivists Maria Fleming Alvarez ’81 and Andrea Sparks. Design

Irene Chu Photography

Coffee Pond Photography Flo Farrell Kate LaPine Jerilyn Willig Printing

? The Bulletin is published twice yearly for the alumni, parents, and friends of The Park School. We welcome your comments and ideas. The Park School 171 Goddard Avenue Brookline, Massachusetts 02445 To contact the Bulletin:

Kate LaPine Director of Communications 617-274-6009 kate_lapine@parkschool.org To report alumni news:

Eliza Drachman-Jones ’98 Director of Alumni Relations 617-274-6022 alumni@parkschool.org To support Park:

Beatrix Sanders Director of Development 617-274-6020 bea_sanders@parkschool.org

Board Chairs Emeriti

To report address changes:

Kennett F. Burnes David D. Croll Charles C. Cunningham, Jr. George P. Denny III David G. Fubini M. Dozier Gardner John L. Hall II J. Michael Maynard Anne Worthington Prescott Deborah Jackson Weiss

Sarah Braga Development Office Manager 617-274-6018 development@parkschool.org

Headmaster Emeritus

Park is a coeducational school that admits qualified students without regard to race, religion, national origin, disabilities, sexual orientation, or family composition. Our educational policies, financial aid, and other school-sponsored programs are administered in a nondiscriminatory manner in conformance with applicable law.

Robert S. Hurlbut, Jr. Front Cover: Throughtout this issue of the Bulletin, you will see architectural renderings and photographs from the archives which illustrate the School’s move from Kennard Road to Goddard Avenue in September 1971.

The Park School Fall Bulletin 2011

In this issue:

Around Park

Park’s Global View Faculty Updates In The Park School Theater Spring 2011 4

Peter Amershadian Retires

New Trustees

David Ball ’85 Atul Dhir Lee Englert Edward Johnson IV Anne Mitchell Stephanie Neal-Johnson Kate Olmsted 10

Graduation 2011

Graduation Address: Lily Bullitt ’05 Class of 2011 Graduation Speakers: Sophia Griffith-Gorgati and Ned Mitchell 20

171 Goddard Avenue Turns 40!

Reunion 2011

Alumni Notes

Alumni Service Award 2011: Richard Banks ’74 Alumni Achievement Award 2011: Amanda Walton ’95

Park’s Global View

CHINA his spring, Park welcomed five visitors from the Greentown Yuhua QinQin School, an independent school for Grades I–IX in Hangzhou, China. Head of School Jerry Katz and Principal Jianguo Chen signed a formal partnership agreement that will lead to future visits in both directions by administrators, faculty, and students.

JAPAN n April, students, teachers, and parents in the Park community beaded hundreds of flag badges, colored paper Japanese flags, and folded more than 1,000 origami cranes to show support for the children and families in Japan who were affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear accident in March. Service Learning Coordinator Comfort Halsey Cope sent several boxes of cranes to an organization called Students Rebuild. Park’s cranes join 100,000 from 49 states and 19 countries and will be woven into an art installation—a symbolic gift from students around the globe to Japanese youth.

around The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

SOUTH AFRICA t a Morning Meeting this spring, students in Grades V–IX listened to remarks by Ahmed Kathrada, South African politician and former political prisoner and anti-apartheid activist. A contemporary of Nelson Mandela’s, they were imprisoned together on Robben Island for 26 years. After his release in 1990, Mr. Kathrada was elected to serve as a member of parliament, representing the ANC. Following his presentation at Morning Meeting, Mr. Kathrada met with teachers and parents in the library.

Diana Bateman

Kimberly Catlin

Kathy Come

Paul Newmark

Bea Sanders

Ritu Singh

Ray Stewart

Faculty Updates 2011 RETIREMENTS

CHANGES

APPOINTMENTS

Peter Amershadian Modern Language Teacher, 1988–2011

Sarah Borque Grade II Teacher, previously Pre-K Associate Teacher

Diana Bateman Academic Support; BS University of Missouri

(See page 4)

Kara Fonseca Physical Education Teacher, returns from parental leave

Kimberly Catlin Kindergarten Assistant and AfterSchool Instructor; BA, MAT Simmons College

DEPART URES

Cynthia Harmon Assistant Head of School for Program & Professional Development also assumes the position of Middle Division Head

Kathy Come Spanish; BA Cornell University; MA New York University

Rob Crawford Director of Development Nicole Maddox Upper Division Science

Meg Lloyd ’98 Upper Division English, previously Kindergarten Assistant Teacher

Ashley Trinh Grade V Teacher Emily Tucker Academic Support

Jon Ross-Wiley Grade V Teacher, previously Middle Division Head

SABBATICALS

Tom Smith Technology Database Manager, previously Director of Information Technology

Dita Henderson Kindergarten Teacher

Leah Walters Kindergarten Teacher, previously Pre-K Associate Teacher

Kimberly Formisano Grade II Teacher

Paul Newmark Pre-K Associate and After-School Instructor; BA Boston College Bea Sanders Director of Development; BA Amherst College Ritu Singh Pre-K Associate; BA, MA University of Rajasthan Raymond Stewart Director of Technology; BA University of California, Berkeley; MA San Francisco State University

In The Park School Theater This Spring

ctors in Grades VIII and IX presented Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Hamlet. Sixth-grade thespians performed a musical rendition of 101 Dalmatians. And, for the final production of the 2010–11 drama season, the Players in the Park presented a heartwarming adaptation of Richard & Florence Atwater’s classic children’s book, Mr. Poppers’ Penguins.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Park Heralds Peter Amershadian’s Extraordinary Teaching Career

eter Amershadian has spent the past 42 years in the classroom, first at Nichols School in Buffalo, then at Buckingham Browne & Nichols in Cambridge, and finally at Park. Since joining our faculty in 1988, he has taught French, Spanish, Latin, Social Studies, and Growth Education, and he has served as an Upper Division advisor and head of the Modern Language Depart-ment. That’s many thousands of classes taught, homework assignments corrected, and narrative comments written, and well over 1,000 students who have been lucky enough to count Peter as one of their teachers.

On Sunday, June 5, hundreds of members of the Park School community gathered in the West Gym to celebrate Peter and his extraordinary teaching career. Upper Division Head Alice Perera Lucey ’77, a friend and colleague for more than 20 years, spoke these words to Peter and the assembled crowd. Dear Peter, we are here this afternoon to honor you and to celebrate your long and distinguished teaching career. We are here to begin to say goodbye, to tell you how much we love you, and to make sure that you know that what you have done as a teacher has been remarkable because rather than simply teaching your students, you have taught the rest of us, too. . . . It is almost impossible to capture you, Peter, in words or on paper. After all, how does one quite describe the twinkle in your eyes or your warm smile? How could anyone else approximate your turn of phrase and your ability to be so disarmingly direct? For those of you who haven’t read one of Peter’s comments or heard him in a faculty meeting, you need to know that Peter’s thoughts about children and

When Jerry Katz announced this retirement to faculty and staff this spring, he described Peter as “the epitome of a Park teacher.” When Park colleagues were asked to write about Peter, heartfelt responses poured in, such as the following: “Over the years, Peter has become one of the personalities that help to define Park. As it is the people, not the structure, that makes a school, we will all feel an immense loss when Peter retires.” As a teacher, colleague, mentor, and friend, Peter is in a class of his own. Peter plans to retire to his second house in York Harbor, Maine.

school are carefully constructed masterpieces which can best be described by the word “pithy.” But, Peter, hardest of all to put into words is to fully explain who you are as a teacher and what you have given us as a school over the course of the last 23 years. I know that not everyone in this room has had the privilege of actually seeing Peter in the classroom. The interesting thing, though, is that I am confident that everyone here can picture Peter as teacher. And that’s because, Peter, who you are as a person is exactly who you are as a teacher. In and out of the classroom, Peter is kind, dedicated, exacting, hardworking, patient, clear, fair, serious, smart, reliable, passionate, funny, insightful, creative, thoughtful, meticulous, eloquent, sensitive, and very, very wise. Your knowledge, Peter, is encyclopedic, and your love of language is infectious. Your students know in no uncertain terms that you expect them to do their very best. In fact, you explain that your goal is to teach your “kiddies” more than they ever thought themselves capable of learning, not just about foreign languages but about the

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

world and about themselves. As a teacher, you hold your students to the highest of standards, but you do so with humor, a deep knowledge of each child, and a willingness to do whatever is necessary to help them learn. We all recognize, Peter, that at the core of your teaching is your deep understanding of and appreciation for each child as a person and a learner and your unwavering belief in them to be their very best. It should be no surprise then that your students list you as one of their all time favorite teachers and that when alumni come back to Park, it’s often you they want to see first. . . . In a big and busy school, Peter, you make it you business to know and to reach out to younger students, to parents, to teachers in every division, and to the Upper Division students you’ve never even taught. While the rest of us seem to be rushing, you always take the time to stop and talk or listen. We know that you delight in talking with children and their families in one of the many languages you speak. But it’s more than that – you genuinely care about the people around you and take the

time to ask about our families and our interests, just the way you take the time to make your way to a classroom to compliment students on a Morning Meeting presentation or a display of work in the hallway. Peter, we are struck by your warmth and compassion and your ability to connect with people in just the right ways. Talk about Peter with children or adults, and you’ll inevitably end up with trains. The English teacher in me sees so many metaphors there. Trains are elegant, Peter, like you. There is something just a bit old fashioned about a train, like you. And like you, trains are efficient and no nonsense. I suspect that trains inspire your love of traveling to new places. . . . This is the hard paragraph. But I think it’s important to say aloud. When we think of you, Peter, we also think of Ross. We know that your beloved Ross is central to everything you do and everything you are. You need to know that your abiding love for one another is an example and an inspiration to the rest of us. You and I have remembered together, Peter, the June morning when Jerry Katz announced

your marriage to Ross in Morning Meeting. There was a collective gasp of breath of the sort that accompanies the most joyful news and then an applause that was a heartfelt outpouring of love and congratulations. Peter and Ross, what you have with each other represents simplicity and sincerity in the truest sense of the words, and I believe that that lasts forever. ** We will miss so many things about you, Peter! We’ll miss your smile, your signature plaid shirts, belt buckles, and bandanas, your dancing at faculty parties, in the talent show or while chaperoning the Halloween dance. We’ll miss your French “Bravos” after Morning Meeting presentations you particularly liked, your “pose” when you deliver a serious statement – glasses off, fingers steepled together, and your frequent use of the double negative. We’ll miss the way you shake your finger at a naughty student and your classic comments — who else could possibly say the following so lovingly (and I quote), “We’ll stick your head in the pencil sharpener if you can’t stop talking.”

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It is, in fact, difficult to imagine Park without you, Peter because you are one of the personalities that defines this place, and we all know that it is the people and not the structure that makes a school. I think we can all tell from this gathering today that Park students, parents, and faculty universally adore you, and I think it is clear to everyone here today that your absence next year is going to be keenly felt. At the same time, Peter, we firmly believe that you have left an important and permanent mark on this School. Park is a stronger place because you have been part of the fabric of the School for the past 23 years. . . . I’m going to end with an “almost” haiku, sent to me by one of our colleagues. I think it wraps things up perfectly. Humble rock star Consummate professional Respected and beloved by all. **This summer, Peter’s beloved husband and partner of more than 32 years, Ross Kleiman, passed away after a difficult battle with cancer.

Michael Dwyer

TRUSTEES N EW 6

DAVID BALL ’85

avid’s association with The Park School began at age five, in kindergarten. He stayed for ten years, graduating from Grade IX in 1985. “For me,” David says, “Park was a place filled with curious students and patient, gentle teachers who dared to challenge me as I came to discover the world. Park taught me what an outstanding school should be, and it made me want to stay in school forever.” In one way or another, that’s just what David has done. After studying history at Princeton, David began a seven-year southern sojourn, teaching for six years at an independent school in Montgomery, Alabama, and taking a year in the midst of that stretch to complete a master’s degree in history at Duke. That brief return to the academic world convinced David to return to the classroom. “For a few weeks, I relished the time immersed in books,” he recalls, “but I soon longed for the opportunity to share with young students what so excited me. I was itching to get back to teaching.” Soon thereafter, in 1999, David returned home to Boston — and home to Milton Academy, his other alma mater, to teach in the history department. Six years later,

ATUL DHIR

David became academic dean, and in 2011, he assumed new responsibilities as principal of Milton’s upper school. “There’s nothing more important in a school than the work that teachers do with students every day,” David notes, “but independent school leaders have the opportunity to wrestle with some essential questions every day: How do we make our schools genuinely inclusive? How do we ensure that children develop the skills and knowledge and integrity that they need to thrive? How do we prepare them for a future that we cannot even imagine?” When he’s not enjoying time at the water at Lake George in New York state, David lives on the Milton Academy campus. For David, though, returning to Park, a place that has meant so much to his family for generations, is just another way of coming home.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

inding the right school for sons Rohan (13) and Rishi (11) was the highest priority for the Dhir family when they moved to Boston from Houston. “Having lived and studied in different parts of the world, we were looking for a broad and stimulating educational environment for our boys that would embrace and enrich our family’s diverse interests and experiences,” Atul says. “We looked at a number of schools and immediately fell in love with Park. Our entire experience of Park — the admission staff, teachers, students, and parents — was truly exceptional and resonated deeply with what we as a family believed in, including the School’s motto — Simplicity & Sincerity.” Atul grew up in India and attended medical school at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. He then was awarded a Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford University where he received a D.Phil for his research in bacterial genetics at the John Radcliffe Hospital and the Institute for Molecular Medicine. Having experienced the drastic differences of medicine in India and

LEE ENGLERT

at Oxford, Atul began to question how healthcare organizations are run. “Specifically, I was interested in learning how principles of management and leadership could help healthcare organizations be more effective in executing their mission.” To pursue this interest, Atul joined McKinsey & Company in New York City. There, Atul met his future wife, Maya, who was working in the same office building as a corporate bond trader at First Boston. Subsequently, Atul focused his efforts in building and leading healthcare companies. The opportunity for him to help US Oncology, a growing cancer care company based in Houston, prompted the Dhirs to move to Texas in 1999. There, in addition to helping build one of the largest cancer organizations, Atul also experienced cancer himself. “Being a cancer survivor has deepened my commitment to the field of oncology,” he explains. In 2010, the family moved to Brookline for Atul to join the leadership team of the large pharmaceutical company, Sanofi. He is the CEO of their cancer-focused biotech company and a member of the global oncology leadership team based in Cambridge. “We

have been truly touched by how welcoming and supportive everyone at Park has been to our family when our boys joined the Classes of 2016 and 2014 last year. I am looking forward to be an active part of this community and contribute through my service on the Park School Board of Trustees.”

uring Lee’s seven parent years at Park, she has volunteered tirelessly — as a co-chair of the Diversity Committee, a Class Rep Coordinator, a member of the Trustee Diversity Committee, a Senior Advisor on the Officers and Advisors board of the Parents’ Association, a tour guide, and an Annual Fund volunteer. However, Lee says that she has come to truly appreciate the School through her children’s eyes. “Since Cole’s Pre-K year at Park, Jack and I have felt that each of our children here has been known and loved.” Lee and Jack Englert are residents of Jamaica Plain and have three children at Park: Cole ’15 is now in Grade VI, Blair ’17 in Grade IV, and Haley ’19 in Grade II. Their older son, Alex, who is a senior at Middlebury College, is the occasional subject of show and tell and special guest at Yule Festival. “Park’s commitment to academic excellence in a community where there are no cookie cutters drew us in from the beginning. We feel most fortunate that our children are growing up at Park, enriched by an excellent and caring faculty and a diverse community.”

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Lee hails from Princeton, New Jersey, where she practiced law after graduating from Brown University and Fordham Law School. More than 15 years ago, Lee moved to Boston and continued to work as an attorney, before moving into the philanthropic field as the executive director of The Plymouth Rock Foundation. Currently, Lee is the director of communications for The Steppingstone Foundation, a non-profit in Boston providing educational opportunities for underserved Boston students. Park has been a partner of Steppingstone for 20 years, and is one of the fortunate placement schools for students from The Steppingstone Academy. Outside of Steppingstone, Lee serves on the board of the Foundation for Children’s Books, the advisory board of St. Stephen’s Youth Programs, and the advisory council of the Eliot School of Fine and Applied Art in Jamaica Plain.

EDWARD JOHNSON IV

orn and raised in Boston, Edward grew up on Beacon Hill, riding the Dexter School bus through the sixth grade. He transferred to Fay School in Southborough, where he was a boarding student. Edward was then drawn to Proctor Academy’s nurturing learning environment and outdoor setting. He graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in business. For many years, Edward served on the Boards of Proctor and the New England Aquarium. Since its inception in 1997, Edward has been with Pembroke Real Estate. Pembroke invests the private capital of Fidelity Investments and Fidelity International Limited into properties in key international markets including Boston, Hamburg, London, Munich, Paris, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. The firm acquires, develops, and manages more than 6.7 million square feet in the office, residential and mixed-use sectors. Edward and his wife, Allison, live downtown on the waterfront with their two children, Nate ’19 and Clara ’21, but this family of

ANNE MITCHELL

skiers travels to Stowe, Vermont almost every winter weekend. “We spend as much time outdoors as possible,” he explains. The Johnsons’ children attend Park with their Ketterson and McKown cousins, who are the children of Edward’s sisters Beth and Abby. “Park is a great organization that has been a good fit for our family,” Edward says. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know the School through my nieces and nephew, and Allison and I are excited to have our own kids be a part of it.”

hen Anne and Jeff Mitchell were applying to schools a few years ago for their daughter, Lauren ’19, they didn’t focus too much on the Kindergarten classes. “The kids are all cute at that age,” Anne explains. “Instead, we paid attention to the middle school and saw adolescents on the edge of their seats in classrooms filled with infectious energy. Park has cracked the code on zest for learning.” The Mitchells were also struck by how Park makes a community of 560 students seem cozy. “Mr. Segar greets every Lower Division student in the morning just as Ms. Allen knows every child’s name. Diversity and individualism are alive at Park,” Anne says. After studying the customs and traditions of her Park School classmates, Lauren announced that her favorite holiday is the Hindu celebration of Devali. Having grown up in New York City, where she attended the Spence School through the eighth grade and graduated from Trinity School, Anne was also attracted to Park’s beautiful campus. She majored in history and literature at Harvard, where she and Jeff were classmates, but they didn’t meet until after graduation when they both started working for Fidelity

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Investments. Jeff is now a senior vice president and the director of research at Fidelity Investments’ Asset Allocation, and serves on Park’s Investment Committee, as well. Away from Park, Anne is a venture partner at the private equity firm Volition Capital. Since her first position as an equity analyst at Fidelity Investments in 1994, she has focused on the technology sector. “After spending some time working with public companies, I discovered that my professional passion was investing in emerging, entrepreneurial technology startups.” From 1997 through 2009, she invested in private companies for Fidelity Ventures. Currently, she focuses on portfolio management as a board member for Xoom Corporation and as an advisor to Asset Control. Anne is named for her grandmother, “Nose Dive Annie,” an alternate on the 1940 Olympic Ski Team, and a legend of Stowe, Vermont. “Skiing is a requirement in my family,” Anne admits. “You learn when you’re two.” On winter weekends, the Mitchells head to Stowe to keep up the family tradition. Anne, Jeff, Lauren, and Grant (age 4) spend all day on the slopes. Just give Alec (age 1) a year to catch up!

STEPHANIE NEAL-JOHNSON

KATE OLMSTED

s the assistant secretary/ chief of staff for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Stephanie combines her legal background with a deep knowledge of public policy and savvy political acumen to advance the DOT and its projects in the community. Prior to this appointment, Stephanie served as the director of public affairs and community relations at the MBTA, and was a founding partner at the law firm Johnson Haley, where her practice advocated for Massachusettsbased businesses. Prior to starting the firm, Stephanie served as legal counsel for Phillips Exeter Academy for several years and as the assistant to the vice president for human resources at MIT. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar. Born in Atlanta, Stephanie grew up in Ohio but came to New England to attend Phillips Exeter Academy. At Columbia University, she studied urban studies and political science and spent a term in France. After completing law school at Boston University, she entered public service through campaigns and later as the legislative director to a Massachusetts State Senator. Since she was a

child, Stephanie has been an advisor, counselor, and encourager to many people. Sensing her call to greater purpose in service to others, Stephanie accepted the call to ministry and began pursuing theological studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Recently ordained, Stephanie is a member of the ministerial team at Myrtle Baptist Church in Newton. Stephanie is pleased to have been involved in a number of boards supporting the arts and culture in Boston and currently serves on the board of Mother Caroline Academy as well as the Friends of the Public Garden. “I am very interested insuring access and kindness to all people in our society.” At Park, Stephanie has served as a member of the Diversity Committee. “Park’s panoramic world view applies to the School’s pedagogy as well as the thoughtful composition of the student body,” she says. Stephanie and Frederich Johnson, her husband of 18 years, live in Milton with their two sons, Jabari ’14 and Jonah ’16. They enjoy many activities — especially sporting events, cooking, and spirited debate.

ate is a life-long student of teaching and learning. As an art history student at Princeton and while working at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art after graduation, she studied museum education programs and soon realized that visual learning was merely one of many effective paths to a child’s brain. Fascinated, Kate decided to become a teacher and earned her EdM from Harvard. She then taught second and third grades for three years at The Learning Project in the Back Bay. Kate quickly discovered how little her teacher training had prepared her to address the individual needs of each child, particularly those with language-based learning disabilities such as dyslexia. She was fortunate, however, to have an experienced mentor introduce her to direct, systematic, multi-sensory instruction — an approach that is essential for many learners and beneficial to others. After the birth of Eliza ’14, Kate ran a private tutoring practice for five years. When her second child, Charlotte ’16, reached school age, Kate returned to graduate school to pursue her growing passion for reading instruction. She earned a CAS from MGH’s Institute of Health Professions and after finishing this

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program, worked at the Boston Renaissance Charter School as a part-time reading specialist. For the past three years, she has held a similar position at the Chestnut Hill School. Kate is thrilled that Eliza and Charlotte have had the opportunity to experience the dedicated and thoughtful teaching so prevalent at Park. She is looking forward to when Xander (3) has the chance to join the Park community as well. “Decisions at Park seem grounded in thoughtful student-based rationales. The passion for teaching and learning at Park is palpable.” As a teacher and parent, Kate knows Park is exceptional. Kate has served on the boards of The Pomfret School, The Learning Project, and The Newton Mothers’ Forum and is looking forward to joining the Board at Park. Kate and her husband, John Grossman, grew up in Manhattan where Kate attended The Spence School through ninth grade. The Olmsted/Grossman family lives in Chestnut Hill and enjoys the outdoors, playing tennis, and reading and traveling together.

— Class of 2011 —

graduation 2011 10

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

2011 GRADUATION ADDRESS by Lily Bullitt, Class of 2005

Each year, an alumnus/a with six years of post-Park experience addresses the graduating class. Following this Park School tradition, Lily Bullitt saluted the 31 ninth-graders at the 123rd graduation exercises in June. A Park School “lifer,” Lily received the Spicer Award at her own graduation, an honor awarded to students for their “unique service to the School community.” Park teachers remember her for demonstrating genuine compassion and remaining true to herself while quietly working behind the scenes for the good of the School. Lily served in several leadership positions at Park including co-chairing Helping Hand and co-captaining the track team. After Park, Lily attended Brookline High School, and then took a gap year before college to participate in a program called “Thinking Beyond Borders,” which brought her to five developing countries to study a different topic of international development in each. To no one’s surprise, Lily has jumped with both feet into life at Kenyon College, where she is majoring in international studies with a focus on development in Africa. In her sophomore year, she was a “community advisor” for 20 freshmen. Lily is also involved with the campus music scene, playing in an informal band called the Lawnmowers, as well as hosting a radio show on the college station, WKCO.

embers of the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty and staff, students, alumni, families and special guests, and most especially, members of the Grade IX graduating class: Hello, my name is Lily Bullitt, and I want to thank you for inviting me to give this speech; I am genuinely honored. It has given me the opportunity to reflect upon my own Park School days. Strangely enough, this was a harder task than I had first imagined. I was at Park for eleven years but many of my memories have now blended or faded. I asked my friends for help, looking for any amusing, insightful or telling stories of our time here at Park.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Class Quotes 2011

Bassil Bacare I’m going to take the lessons I learned in English class, and I’m going to leave behind my legacy.

Unfortunately, most of the ones we came up with surrounded someone in our grade getting in trouble – our “delinquent days” as my friend Laura put it. While I figured most of these weren’t the best stories to share on this day when we should be celebrating this graduating class, I do however want to share one with you. Mr. Perry taught our Grade VII section of social studies. One afternoon two of my classmates, who will remain anonymous, were talking in the middle of class. This was not the first time they had disrupted the class and Mr. Perry asked them to leave. Grumbling, they got up from their seats walked to

Arjun Bakshi I’m going to take my extremely good looks, and I’m going to leave behind the lessons Mr. Rivera taught me.

the door, and grabbed the handle to open it. But the handle was broken and as my classmate grabbed it, it came right off in his hand. The look on his face was priceless. He had already gotten in trouble for talking and now looked terrified of getting in trouble for breaking the door. The rest of us had no idea how to react. Half of us were holding on, waiting for Mr. Perry to explode in anger and the other half was holding back bursts of laughter. We were all on the edge of our seats. It was the definition of a pregnant pause and Mr. Perry dealt with it perfectly, in classic Mr. Perry fashion. He looked at our classmate, nodded slowly, and said “way to

There is such a strong sense of community at this school. . . To us, they were more than teachers and to them we were more than students.

Sarah Clavijo I’m going to take my guitar and the voices I’ve sung with during my time here, and I’m going to leave behind the hallways, classrooms, theater, fields, courts, and stairways I’ve run through.

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get a handle on the situation.” This is one of my most vivid memories from Park School and I think what I appreciate most about it, is not the clever pun itself, although I do appreciate that, but the fact that I am able to say that it was classic Mr. Perry. My classmates and I knew that classic Mr. Perry meant bad puns or a surprise howl at the end of class. Classic Mr. Rivera meant getting an etiquette lesson in the middle of French or Spanish class. Classic Mr. Kellogg was getting Red Sox updates at Morning Meeting. Classic Mr. Beaver was repeating, “If you can hear my voice, stop talking” at the beginning of class. Classic Mrs. Ball was a nice “good morning Park SKOO-ul,” on the telephone. These are the kind of relationships that Park School fosters and it is why there is such a strong sense of community at this school. We knew our teachers so well, and they knew us equally well. To us, they were more than teachers and to them we were more than students. The same goes for my peers. They were not simply classmates but good friends.

Daniel Colombo I’m going to take with me my knowledge about painting, and I’m going to leave behind goldfish snacks.

Ariane Curtin-Bown I’m going to take Ben, and I’m going to leave behind Mica.

Gracie Donnell- Kilmer I’m going to take the characters I’ve played in the Park theater productions, and I’m going to leave behind the stage where I embodied them.

Jared Fizek I’m going to take the ability to go further with all my skills, and I’m going to leave behind the tight-knit quality of the Park community.

To this day my closest friends remain the ones from Park. After graduating from Park, I went on to Brookline High School. My class alone had about 500 students in it, a big change from my ninth grade class of about twenty. While I thoroughly enjoyed my time at BHS, I missed being part of the type of community that Park offers. When it came time to apply to colleges, I knew I wanted that feeling of community that I had experienced at Park. I chose Kenyon College in rural Ohio just for that — its strong sense of community. But before I went to college I decided to take a year off. I’ve always been interested in other cultures and ways of life and that time seemed like the perfect opportunity to travel. I participated in a program called Thinking Beyond Borders which took us around the world learning about development while working with non-governmental organizations and staying with host families. We studied clean water in Ecuador, education in China, waste management in Vietnam, sustainable agriculture in Thailand, and public health in South Africa. Even though it was hard being away from home for a year, as my parents will readily confirm, participating in this program was one of the best decisions of my life. If nothing else, I was pulled away from most of the things that were comfortable and familiar to me. Being removed from my comfort zone forced me to reconsider what I think of as “comfortable” and “familiar,” especially when I was living in communities that have such different standards of living. Although the home stays were, at times, awkward and difficult, as I’m sure the ninth graders know from their class trips to Europe, they allowed me to build communities even in places that seemed the most for-

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Sylvie Florman I’m going to take the ability to ask for help, and I’m going to leave behind the support system I’ve built over the past four years.

Sophia Griffith-Gorgati I’m going to take my new self, and I’m going to leave behind Friday night and Saturday afternoon performances.

Jamie Haviland I’m going to take lots of funny memories thinking “what did we do this time?”, and I’m going to leave behind lots of laughs.

Hannah Hecht I’m going to take my newfound passion for languages, and I’m going to leave behind monkey bars and the supernova.

eign to me. These communities that I became a part of were often made up of an eclectic group of people, including home-stay family members, fellow classmates, guides, professors, haircutters, basically anyone who was willing to talk to “the Americans.” I can assure you that lots of sign language was used in forming these relationships, especially in Vietnam, where the only Vietnamese I spoke could get me a bowl of pho. But as unusual as some of these relationships were, to me, they were the most important part of travelling. By getting to know local people I could understand the broader issues we were studying on a much more human level.

2 0 1 1 G R A D U AT I O N A W A R D S THE ELL EN FOWLER AWARD FOR CITIZENSHIP

Lilah Davison Lutes Oliver David Albert Rordoph THE ISA BEL L A T. G ROBLEWSKI ARTS AWARD

Sylvie Etta Florman TH E H EA D OF SCHOOL’S AWA RD F OR A CADEMIC EXCELLEN CE

Hannah Korrick Hecht TH E CU RTIS E. SMITH ATHLETIC AWA RD

Sarah Margarita Clavijo George Phillips Lucey

Talk to your teachers outside the classroom,

TH E J OH N T. SPICER AWA RD FOR UNIQUE SERV ICE

Eliza May Thomas

get to know your lunch lady or your bus driver. We had read books about HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, but not until I shadowed Zoleka, a home-based caregiver in South Africa did I fully comprehend the urgency surrounding AIDS. Talking with my friend Phat in Vietnam helped me understand the immensity of the destruction that was caused during the Vietnam War, which Phat and other Vietnamese call the American War. And seeing my host mother in Thailand make clothes and grow food for her family helped me to see, in comparison, how unsustainable my own lifestyle is, here in America. I still have much to learn about these issues, but seeing the effect they have on real

The Joan Crocker Award for Community Service

FR A NCI N E KOR I S

EACH YEAR, the Parents’ Association presents this award in honor of former Park parent Joan Crocker, who exemplified the kind of devotion and steadfast zeal this award recognizes in its recipients.

Left: Parents’ Association President Caroline Schernecker (right) presents Francine Koris (left) the 2011 Joan Crocker Award for Community Service. In addition to serving as P.A. president herself, Francine founded Park’s Craft Fair in 2000.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Jenna Issacson I’m taking wisdom, community and lasting friendships which have helped me grow into the person I am today, and I’m going to leave behind a well-known safe haven . . . but I know there will always be a place for me here at Park.

Issy Julian I’m going to take wisdom from Mr. Amershadian, and I’m going to leave behind my bio textbook.

Goh Kobata I’m going to take 10 years of memories on the playground, and I’m going to leave behind all my artwork.

Liz Koris I’m going to take my goalie experience and training, and I’m going to leave behind the goal I tended.

human beings has kept me interested and wanting to learn more. Attending a liberal arts school has forced me to take a variety of economics, political science, history, and anthropology classes, but the people I met on my gap year continue to help me understand these macro issues that we discuss in all these classes on a micro level. But you don’t have to travel to South Africa and meet Zoleka to get a human perspective on these issues. I simply encourage you to talk to and get to know as many people as you can, to build a community wherever you go. Class of 2011, you already have a head start because you are graduating from the Park School. I believe this is the biggest ninth grade class in ten years, and from what I understand and from my brief visit with you a few weeks ago; it also seems to be one of the strongest. This ninth grade class has inside jokes about stellar Stump Sprouts pajama pants and Goh’s favorite ice cream (pistachio?). Park taught me, and I can see it has taught you, how to be a member of a community. I hope that you take this knowledge and experience with you as you leave Park. You are all going to new schools, entering entirely new communities. I urge you to build your own communities and to learn from the people who surround you. Don’t just get to know your fellow classmates — talk to your teachers outside the classroom, get to know your lunch lady or your bus driver. The less you have in common with someone, the more you have to learn from them. So, Class of 2011, I hope that the communities that you build in your high schools, colleges, and beyond are as stellar as the one you have right here. Thank you and congratulations!

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

George Lucey I’m going to take the many things I learned in my years at Park sports, and I’m going to leave behind my mom.

Lilah Lutes I’m going to take the scar I got from falling in PE, and I’m going to leave behind an imprint in my Morning Meeting seat.

Class Graduation Speaker: Sophia Griffith-Gorgati

t seems unreal to me that it was just a little over two weeks ago that I was pulled aside by Ms. Lucey in the fourth floor hallway. My immediate feeling was that I was in trouble, although for what I could not say. That thought disappeared quickly when Ms. Lucey offered me a stick of mint gum from her stash. It might not have been the best idea for me to accept this treat, because as soon as Ms. Lucey told me what she had pulled me aside for, I nearly swallowed it. I was shocked but honored that I had even been considered to be graduation speaker. The first thing I blurted in my confusion was: “But I’ve only been here for two years!” As soon as I said this though, I

realized just how significant these two years have been for me. As the newbie in eighth grade, I hadn’t expected to get off to a particularly good start. But my previous year at public school had been rough, and to me Park was a beautiful haven of a school. As it turned out, my first few months here were absolutely amazing. I felt more than welcome—I felt wanted. I think it was the little things people did to make me feel like I belonged—I still remember Mr. Amershadian telling me what a nice outfit I had on one day, and my classmates trusting me to help them with English homework. September through December were months of open windows for me, and I will never forget how exhilarating that was. There are so many people I have to thank for this time—my teachers, classmates, my parents, and, above all, my best friend Ariane, who pulled me into a vibrant life at school. It was so nice to know that I had someone to rely on and share my first moments with. Sending me to Park was possibly one of the best decisions my parents have ever made for me. I came in to school on day one—a bit bent out of shape, but curious and hopeful—and almost immediately I immersed myself in life at Park. I

Ned Mitchell I’m going to take my sense of leadership on the ice and track, and I’m going to leave behind my childish self.

Galileo Mondol I’m going to take with me my best friends, and I’m going to leave behind M&Ms.

joined the play, started friendships, and enjoyed the academic challenges. There is one key thing about Park: it sucks you in. Just how it does remains a mystery to me, but my experience has shown me just how engaging life here is. Park has allowed me to recognize my interests, and through just two short years here I have been transformed. I think the same can be said for my classmates: whether they began in nursery, fourth, or seventh grade, Park has helped to mold this Class of 2011 into the beautiful, smart, funny, and happy people you see here today. Even from just one year ago, I can see how much this class has changed. We’ve matured, become independent, and learned how to enjoy ourselves with any given opportunity. Ninth grade, especially,

has been a year of bonding. Our unity is due, in part, to the wonderful curriculum here at school. In the autumn of this year, we were given high expectations to fulfill, especially in terms of leadership. I have watched even the most reluctant of us stand proudly at the podium in Morning Meeting, and overall not only meet these expectations but exceed them. From the many projects (such as our genocide research papers) to the language trips (the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca is unforgettable) Park has given our grade an enormous amount of opportunities. The memories from these opportunities are ones that I think I will always keep in mind. We were told at the beginning of the year that ninth grade would go by very quickly. I believed my teachers, but

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Ben Palmere I’m going to take with me all that I learned in the English office after school, and I’m going to leave behind the 12 hours of job time I did in sixth grade.

Jake Philbin-Cross I’m going to take the memories of an incredibly supportive community, and I’m going to leave behind an almost undefeated season in soccer.

I didn’t realize just how fleeting— and wonderful—this year would be. Our grade, one of the biggest and most boisterous ninth grades in a while, has definitely left an impression on Park, and Park has left it’s own mark on us. We have been prepared in every way: academically, socially, and mentally, for our years to come, and there is little else for me to do but to thank everyone at Park who has helped to prepare us for that. I want to thank, especially, all the ninth grade advisors and teachers from this year. I think we owe you all a special thank you for supporting us in schoolwork, sports, drama, and for contributing to making our ninth grade experience an enjoyable one. The teachers here at Park are some of the best I have ever had. They are engaging and funny, and aside from having learned a lot, I can consider my teachers friends. I know that much of what they have taught me I will take to Winsor with me next year, just as my classmates will bring what they have learned to their secondary schools. Next year will be a fresh start for all of us, and we’ll have yet more opportunities. But I will miss every single member of this class. I’ll miss our loud conversations in the cafeteria at lunchtime, discussing the latest Glee episode in math class, and walking across the sunlit bridge connecting the main building to the west with my friends. I’m going to miss Eliza’s huge smile, Sarah singing Taylor Swift songs, hugs from Issy and Jake, sharing pens with Gracie, Hannah’s ultra sweet disposition,

Sylvie’s hilarious commentary, Erik’s relaxed manner, Lilah and Liz giggling hysterically in English, peer editing Daniel and Arjun’s papers, Ben’s remarks, Ethan’s bright red face, and Bassil’s contagious laugh. I will miss Noa’s excited voice, Arielle’s unfailing politeness, Goh’s patience with me, Chloe’s stories, Galileo and Jared’s hair obsessions, Aaron’s speeches, reminiscing with Jenna, and Ollie doing things completely unexpected with Oliver always being consistent and reliable. Finally, I am going to miss Jamie and Ned skipping rocks on the beach in Cape Cod, Amy’s ability to put me in a good mood, and Ariane calling me “Bia!” and George imitating her. Most of all, I am going to miss seeing all of these people every day. If nothing else, Park has allowed me to meet and spend time with a wonderful group of kids. I have come to appreciate this school immensely—it was here that I realized so many things about myself, including my love for learning and my ability to appreciate the small details in life. At Park I recognized my full potential, and I know my classmates have recognized their potential too. Not only have we learned a lot, but after our years at Park we have grown into much more confident, optimistic, and experienced versions of our former selves. For our years here, we are eternally grateful. Congratulations, Class of 2011! Thank you!

Erik Reed I’m going to take all my straight A’s, and I’m going to leave behind all my B’s.

Oliver Rordorf I’m going to take with me the curiosity that Park has instilled in me, and I’m going to leave behind all of the wonderful clubs.

NEXT SCHOOLS FOR THE CLASS OF 2011 Bassil Bacare The Roxbury Latin School

Lilah Lutes Deerfield Academy

Arjun Bakshi Beaver Country Day School

Ned Mitchell Tabor Academy

Sarah Clavijo Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

Galileo Mondol Thayer Academy

Daniel Colombo Boston Trinity Academy

Ben Palmere Boston University Academy

Ariane Curtin-Bowen Boston University Academy

Jake Philbin-Cross Concord Academy

Gracie Donnell-Kilmer Dana Hall School

Erik Reed Beaver Country Day School

Jared Fizek Newton South High School

Oliver Rordorf Milton Academy

Sylvie Florman Brookline High School

Ethan Ruder Newton South High School

Sophia Griffith-Gorgati The Winsor School

Chloë Sahyoun Concord Academy

Jamie Haviland Brooks Academy

Oliver Santry Proctor Academy

Hannah Hecht Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

Arielle Silbersweig Beaver Country Day School

Jenna Isaacson Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

Amy Simpson Tilton School

Issy Julian Beaver Country Day School

Noa Sklar Brookline High School

Goh Kobata Thayer Academy

Eliza Thomas Concord Academy

Elizabeth Koris Deerfield Academy

Aaron Yemane Brimmer and May School

George Lucey Brooks Academy

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Ethan Ruder I’m going to take with me knowledge about basketball, a new sport for me three years ago, and I’m going to leave behind Mr. Toussaint and the Bruins fanatics.

Amy Simpson I’m going to take the memories and friendships from my softball team, and I’m going to leave behind the legacy of the Class of 2011, a ninth grade Park will never forget.

Noa Sklar I’m going to take with me my Park P’s and the pride they instilled in me, and I’m going to leave behind my Park jersey, #11, and the spirit I helped to spread while wearing it.

Ollie Santry I’m going to take eleven years of simplicity and sincerity, and I’m going to leave behind the lacrosse fields.

Class Graduation Speaker: Ned Mitchell

ships that you make at Park will last a lifetime. I am going to miss Park because of the person it made me and the way that it has shaped my study habits and my leadership on the ice or on the cross-country course. My leadership has grown this year because I have been captain of three varsity sports: Varsity Cross Country, Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey, and Varsity Track and Field. On each of these occasions I have learned how to lead a team during or after games. Before hockey games, Oliver Rordorf and I would lead the team on to the ice in two lines. This made me feel like a leader because I was in front of a great team. As a grade we have matured greatly. Whether it is the experiences that we have had or the material that we have learned. In Kindergarten we used to take short field trips to places like the Arnold Arboretum. This year we went to Europe for ten days and were immersed in the culture and language that we have studied for four years. Also we studied plants in younger grades, but never in the detail that we did this year in our biology classes. Park has taught me more about myself than I could ever imagine. By fourth grade I knew exactly what kind of a learner I was and what study methods work for me and which did not. And by ninth grade I knew that I couldn’t frost a cake. I knew that I couldn’t frost a cake because at Stump Sprouts this year we had a cake-constructing contest by advisory. Although mine did not win we put up a strong fight. This contest taught us how to work

together to get temporary bragging rights. There are things that you do in school that you leave for a few years and then come back to you. When I was in lower school I used to not really like chorus. I remember after fifth grade graduation thinking I had accomplished something: never singing again. But nonetheless we had our first graduation song practices a few weeks ago. Although am still pretty brutal at singing, I am having fun. My message to you all is that when you are not too fond of or very good at something, give it time because you will come around and maybe even like it. Ninth grade has made our grade become very close in many ways. Whether it was the bonding moments at Stump Sprouts during the cake building contest, or the step forward activity, we all learned something new about each other that we did not know before. We also learned a lot about ourselves and how lucky we are to have such

a stellar grade to lean on. I will leave you with many thoughts in your head about how we as a grade have come together; we all came together as leaders on Total Day. Our hard work and leadership was outrageous. On Total Day all of us lead teams of Upper Division students in games and fun on a perfect spring afternoon. I would like you to never picture our grade as just one person, but as a whole. Park has taught us how we will change the world because we are all fantastic individuals. Park has given us the best education we could dream of. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” And to the 123rd graduating class of The Park School, all of our hard work has finally paid off. And thank you for making the last ten years of my life ones that I will cherish forever. Congratulations, Class of 2011 — WE DID IT!!

ood morning everybody, my name is Ned Mitchell and I am honored have been selected to be this year’s graduation speaker. Ten years ago, I embarked on a journey that would change my life forever. I entered The Park School in September of 2001. My 5-yearold self walked into Mrs. Shepley’s classroom and was shell-shocked. I did not know anyone at the time, but soon would make friends that would last a lifetime. I walked into my classroom and sat down next to a boy who was playing with the blocks. He turned around and said, “Hi.” I don’t exactly remember when he told me his name, but Tarun and I are best friends to this day. I know that I am not alone when I say this, that the friend-

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Chloë Sayhoun I’m going to take with me Eliza, Jake, and Connie, and I’m going to leave behind my classrooms.

Arielle Silbersweig I’m going to take my newly found voice, and I’m going to leave behind Ms. Fries.

Eliza Thomas I’m going to take all of my wonderful heart to heart conversations with teachers and friends, and I’m going to leave behind the echoes of my ridiculous sounds on the soccer field. Meeep!

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2010

Aaron Yemene I’m going to take my fresh Nikes, and I’m going to leave behind the people who have transformed me into the man I am today.

“Helping Park find a new home has given me a lifetime of satisfaction — of any project that I’ve been involved with at the Fogg, the MFA, or Milton Academy — this is always the first and most satisfying. This was the once and future project.” Charles C. Cunningham, Jr. Board of Trustees Chair 1965–1968

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

1 7 1

G O D D A R D

A V E N U E

must have walked in the School’s front doors a thousand times. Usually, I am rushing up the stairs, eager to get started with my day. Often I am urging my fourth grader and Kindergartener to hurry up. But, every now and then, I notice the big green plaque to the left of the door. It outlines the history of The Park School — from its humble beginnings in 1888 in one half of a double house on Walnut Street to its current location in a 94,000 square foot main building on 26 acres of land. The building, designed by Earl R. Flansburgh and Associates, has won design awards from the American Association of School Administrators and from the National School Boards Association. It was a runner up for the Harleston Parker Medal given by the Boston Society of Architects. This September, Park celebrates the fortieth anniversary of moving to the “new” school. On September 22, 1971, after countless obstacles overcome by the heroic effort of a small cadre of volunteers, 345 students, faculty, and staff began the 1971–72 academic year at 171 Goddard Avenue. In preparing this special section, I have had the pleasure of interviewing several of the key players from 40 years ago — Charlie Cunningham, Bayard Henry, Bob Hurlbut, Dick Leahy, Anne Worthington Prescott, Bill Satterthwaite, Jon Shaw, Jan Spauld-

R N

ing, John Spicer, and Ruth Williams — to name a few. I am also indebted to our exceptional history book, The Park School One Hundred Years, 1888–1988, by Park alumna Jay Williams Howland ’57. I have relied on Jay’s lively story telling and the countless interviews she conducted in the mid-1980s with individuals who were instrumental in shepherding this project through to completion. Overall, I have been struck by the devotion to Park that so many people — almost all volunteers — demonstrated. In 1986, Charlie Cunningham reflected, “It was like Camelot. There was something quite extraordinary about that time in the sense that every bit of logic said this couldn’t be done… But it did happen because we had a group of unbelievably dedicated people who gave their lifeblood and who chose unorthodox ways of approaching the problem.” When we spoke this summer, Charlie, with 40 years of hindsight declared, “Helping Park find a new home has given me a lifetime of satisfaction — of any project that I’ve been involved with at the Fogg, the MFA, or Milton Academy — this is always the first and most satisfying. This was the once and future project.” I know I speak for all of us who are the beneficiaries of these efforts. We are humbled and grateful to all of you who created the “new Park School.” Kate LaPine editor

171 GODDARD AVEN UE TURNS 40

SEPTEMBER

P L A N N I N G

1964

SEPTEMBER

1965

Park’s Future. . .

Long-Range Planning

New Headmaster Harry Groblewski recommends forming a long-range planning committee to look into the future of the School. He had concluded that Park needed to decide where it was headed. What kind of school did Park really want to be; whom did it want to serve; and how could it best achieve its aims?

The long-range planning committee is formed, named the “Development Committee.” For months, they met every week or two, early in the morning, around the Cunninghams’ dining room table.

“

Harry Groblewski was full of great ideas. He’s the one who got everything in motion — if we were going to survive, we would have to expand. That was a big change for a nice cozy little school like Park. It required a huge leap of faith.

Development Committee J. Daniel Nyhart, Chairman John Chandler, Jr. Charles C. Cunningham, Jr. Harry J. Groblewski Bayard Henry Elizabeth Lay Richard G. Leahy Laura Munter Philip J. Porter James M. Storey Harold C. Weisberg

—Ruth Williams

A Gift of 14 Acres

hen the Development Committee concluded that the Kennard Road campus was unsuitable, the Board explored ways to expand the School. “We had looked everywhere but there was no property available for purchase in the town of Brookline,” Charlie Cunningham recalls. “I suppose we could have moved the School to Weston or someplace, but that would have changed the character.” In the spring of , Kim Faulkner ’ approached Charlie, saying that his parents, Dr. James and Mary Faulkner, would be interested in helping the School with a gift of land. And what a gift —  beautiful acres of rolling fields and woods. The new site was almost four times as large as the Kennard Road property and provided ten acres in fields alone. The Faulkners’ land enabled the School’s stewards to realize their dream. “Dr. and Mrs. Kim Faulkner and I went over to look at the property one late Faulkner’s wonderful gift was the keystone of winter morning. Where the gymnasium is now there was a the entire building program and provided the carriage house. We saw it after a new snowfall, and to stand at the top of that ridge and look over the expanse of oak and inspiration to get us going,” says Charlie. “They pine trees — it was simply unbelievable. Right away, we knew that was it. are the real heroes of this story.”

“

— Charlie Cunningham, The Park School One Hundred Years, p. 132

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

1966

APRIL

MARCH

SPRI NG 1 9 6 7

A New Site Should Be Acquired As Soon As Possible!

Development Committee begins work in earnest.

The Development Committee conducted an exhaustive study of Park’s existing site and physical plant and concludes that the situation was dire!

• Serious shortcomings in terms of library facilities for all divisions are compounded by the frequent need to use library areas as study halls •  of  Upper School classrooms fail to meet minimum space standards ( square feet for  students) and several contain only  sf

“

Our committee met once a week for 18 months. We considered all aspects of the School: faculty, students, finances, and programs. A big issue was finding the optimal size. It became clear that in order to have a healthy middle school, we would need to grow the earlier grades and expand to three sections and 54 children in a class.

• Neither of the gyms is large enough for PE or recreation. Newer gym doubles as the lunchroom, and the old gym must be used not only for sports but also for drama, assemblies and chapel programs.

— Bayard Henry

• Drama facilities are both inadequate and inflexible • Offerings in science, art, music and shop are seriously hampered by space and equipment deficiencies

• School has no faculty offices

• Middle School has no running water on the third floor

• Deplorable lack of storage space for books, supplies, and maintenance equipment

• No full-sized playing field nor is there sufficient play space for younger children

Can We Do It?

F U N D R A I S I N G

The School enlisted the aid of fundraising consultant Russell Browning who conducted a feasibility study with key constituents. His report revealed considerable doubt among the Park community about the plan to move, not to mention skepticism about the ability of the School to raise the money, especially in the highly inflationary environment of the Sixties.

Jim and Mary Faulkner’s land on Goddard Avenue, the future site of Park School. Note the Charter Oak in the center, 1967.

“

The fundraising task facing us was daunting. Park had never raised more than $30,000 in an annual fund and now we were facing $4 million. The Board was shell-shocked. My husband was horrified; he thought everyone would be bankrupted. — Anne Worthington Prescott

171 GODDA RD AVENUE TURNS 40

OCTOBER

FALL 1967

Development Committee releases its Summary Report, which concludes:

“

As soon as I joined the Board in 1967, I learned that the fire department had condemned the brown building — we had to find a new home and fast! We woke up in a big way. — Anne Worthington Prescott

“

The achievement of excellence at Park rests squarely in the hands of the former, present, and future members of the Park community who are the beneficiaries of its past and the guardians of its future.

Dan Nyhart’s chairmanship of the Development Committee was absolutely critical. We more or less said, ‘Dan, you chair it,’ and then asked what the committee would try to do! We couldn’t have managed the long-range planning without him. — Charlie Cunningham

oal! G d e t n e d ce An Unpre “

F U N D R A I S I N G

P L A N N I N G

Beneficiaries and Guardians

SEPTEMBER

SPRI NG 1 9 6 8

We learned. . . that if you’re going to raise that kind of money, you’ve got to go out there hell bent for election and you can’t stick with conventional wisdom.

Bayard Henry and Charlie Cunningham solicit Trustees, parents, and friends of the School, armed with a  model of the proposed building.

— Charlie Cunningham The Park School One Hundred Years, p. 132

“

Well, I’m almost 91 now but I have very positive memories about working with Park. It was a long-term commitment, taking over six years to complete the campaign. This campaign really led the country — no elementary school had ever raised that kind of money before.

“

When Charlie and I went out on fund-raising calls, we would lug the model along so we could look at the building on the coffee table and talk about the future. — Bayard Henry

— Russ Browning

C O N S T R U C T I O N

Architect Hired

In October , the Building Committee selects Earl R. Flansburgh as the architect. His team spends a month researching the School’s needs through intensive consultation with Park’s faculty, trustees, Headmaster Harry Groblewski and Business Manager Marjorie Burr. In time, he works out concepts and plans for the new building.

Building Committee Richard G. Leahy, Chairman Charles C. Cunningham, Jr. Andrew Edmonds Harry J. Groblewski Robert S. Hurlbut, Jr. Laura Munter Anne Richardson

“

Before anything happened, we did a lot of brainstorming — creating wish lists of things that we hoped for in the new building. That was fun to do. The architects would show us slides to get us in the mood. We really wanted light and space in contrast to the old building. — Jan Spaulding

“

None of us involved will ever forget the Building Committee breakfast meetings at Dick Leahy’s house — or the afternoon meetings — or the evening meetings. Eventually, however, the project was fully delineated; a start on the money was made; and the plans were drawn. — Harry Groblewski The Park School One Hundred Years, p. 133

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

JANUARY

FALL 1968

SPRI NG 1 9 6 9

Reaffirming Park’s Values

E N D S

This is an exciting time for Park. As we think and talk about the move, we renew our appreciation of the importance of this School. In a world where the quality of our children’s lives is threatened by crowding and by the technology of a Brave New World, the philosophy of Park has new relevance: that the individual and his development are the first value. At Park, small classes, an unfettered faculty, and an administration in immediate contact with parents and children work together for the growth of the individual child. To avoid the mediocrity of mass education, we must constantly seek new ways to encourage this growth and maintain the personal touch.

P L A N N I N G

“

— Anne Worthington Prescott, Board Chair The Park Parent, December 1968

“

A few dedicated souls loaned $1,565,000 to the School for the benefit of future Park generations.

Gifts, Pledges, and LOANS!

— Steve Swensrud, The Park School One Hundred Years, p. 137

ith the spiraling inflation of the late ’60s, building costs keep escalating by 18 to 24 percent a year. Although they had secured pledges of $1,050,000 when school opened in September 1968, it became discouragingly clear to the planners of the new school that they could never raise enough money fast enough to get the school built. Trustee and Corporation treasurer Stephen B. Swensrud saved the day. At his suggestion, Bayard Henry and Charlie Cunningham went back to half a dozen families who had already pledged major gifts and asked them to make interest-free loans — on a strictly business basis, with a six-year repayment term — to help build the School.

Designed for Flexibility

Why 171?

The new Park School on Goddard Avenue will be librarycentered and designed for flexibility…. Within the library, there is to be a diversity of moods to accommodate all types of individual study. This carefully planned flexibility is the soul of the new school.

The Town of Brookline asks the School to select an odd street number on Goddard Avenue. Following a spirited contest among the faculty and staff, Headmaster Bob Hurlbut selects Ellie Judkins’ entry — — “both for ease of memory and typing and its reference to the year in which we would move.”

The Park Parent, January 

“

In the old school, lunch was a catch-as-catch-can affair. Part of the detailed planning for the new building included not only designing the dining room, but also considering what the tables would look like. I suggested that we choose round tables — they seemed to fit with Park’s non-hierarchical style —enabling the teacher and the kids to interact with each other.

— Jonathan Shaw

“

The new school is to be in the shape of an inverted P, with the main entrance near the middle of the shaft, facing southwest to Goddard Avenue. — Mary Nickerson, writing in The Park Parent January 1969

171 GODDA RD AVENUE TURNS 40

SEPTEMBER

SUMMER 1969

FA LL 1 9 6 9

F U N D R A I S I N G

RISIS! C T I D E R C To provide an adequate cash flow for the School to pay architects’ and contractors’ bills, Park had arranged for an informal line of credit with a local bank. Unexpectedly, the bank reneged on the agreement because of the volatile economy of . Banks were scrutinizing every transaction; loans as small as about , had to be reviewed

before the First National Bank of Boston’s senior loan committee. Charlie Cunningham appealed to his former colleagues at the First National Bank of Boston who agreed to provide a , line of credit. Together with fellow trustees Dick Smith and George Seybolt, Charlie was then able to persuade seven other banks to follow the First’s lead.

BUYING A NEW SCHOOL EXPENSES

Projected (Nov 1969)

Actual (Dec 1971)

Base Contact

$3,660,000

$3,339,876

Related Projects Costs

1,140,000

432,249

Total

4,800,000

3,772,125

$1,700,000

$2,400,000

Payment from Brookline for old Park School site

400,000

363,000

Permanent Mortgage on new school

500,000

n/a

1,200,000

1,565,000

200,000

n/a

$4,000,000

$4,328,000

REVENUE Gifts & Pledges

“

Eight banks have promised to provide interim financing of over $3,000,000 for the building construction. In this period of high interest rates and severe shortage of loanable funds, this can be considered a tribute to Park, its constituents, and the building program.

Loans from individuals Unrestricted AF

The Park Parent, December 1969

Total

“

Here we were with this magnificent land, the gifts, the interest-free loans, and we couldn’t sign the construction contract because we couldn’t finance it!

(the equivalent of $26.75 million in 2011 dollars)

— Charlie Cunningham The Park School One Hundred Years, p. 138

C O N S T R U C T I O N

With financing secured, the Building Committee receives the go-ahead to sign the contract with Volpe Construction Company.

“

I can recall reminding the Headmaster that in the 1680s, New England had experienced a tremendous earthquake that had made chimneys fall. Had the architects and builders made sure that the new building would be able to withstand an earthquake? Bob checked into it and reassured me they had! — Jonathan Shaw

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

FEBRUARY

WINTER 1969–1970

SPRI NG 1 9 7 0

$800,000 Needed

The Board launches a drive to raise the balance of , from the parent body in order to include the East Wing (future home of Pre-Kindergarten through Grade II) in the design.

Blast Off!

With a hearty boom, a billow of rising snow, and helium balloons lofted skyward, construction of the new Park School on Goddard Avenue was officially declared underway. Over  parents, children, faculty, neighbors, and friends of the School toured the staked-out site, following balloons and posters marking he library, front entrance, playing fields, classrooms, and the hoped-for East Wing. The large group gathered in the “gymnasium” for the

groundbreaking ceremony and much awaited blast. Many commented that the -acre setting is truly park like — with rolling meadows, stately trees, and rugged puddingstone ledge (all of which have been incorporated into the design of the new school.) The blast itself took place at the top of the ledge when Anne Prescott and Charlie Cunningham plunged the handle of a bright yellow detonator box. The Park Parent, January 

Make Way

The bulldozers have arrived. The ledge is being cleared to make way for the new school. Great care is being taken to preserve trees and natural puddingstone (all yellow-banded trees have been incorporated into the design.) Drive by and see the work in progress. The Park Parent, February 

“

I remember walking from my house near the Brookline

Reservoir to watch the groundbreaking ceremony. There was

snow on the ground and I brought my three-year-old brother (Nicholas ’82) with me. (I was ten.) The walk took MUCH longer than I had planned and we missed the ceremony.

Dick Leahy: A One-Man Building Committee

With construction underway, Building Committee Chairman Dick Leahy sets up several unorthodox procedures. First, while the Committee held regular meetings at least once a month, Dick was granted the power to make individual decisions to keep the project on schedule and avoid long deliberations. Second, Dick visited the building site every morning at seven o’clock to personally oversee the project and settle any questions on the spot.

Still, I remember the excitement surrounding the whole event on a beautiful winter’s day!

“

In reality, Dick Leahy was a one-man building committee. A committee of ten couldn’t have surpassed his expertise or attention to detail.

— Kitta Frost ’74

— Charlie Cunningham 171 GODDA RD AVENUE TURNS 40

APRIL

M AY

OCTOBER

SUM M E R 1 9 7 0

FALL 1970

East Wing Prospect Still Uncertain

F U N D R A I S I N G

At this writing (April ) prospects for building the East Wing now are dim indeed. , remains to be raised. We have reached the critical point in our fundraising effort. There are no magic formulae, no unseen donors waiting in the wings, and no magnanimous manna about to descend from the sky. In short, This is IT! The Park Parent, May 

“

Losing ten weeks of good weather was a

disaster! Back then, reliable cold-curing concrete wasn’t available, so we needed warmth to “cure” the concrete. So I agreed to purchase twice as much form work as we would have normally had to buy and made sure that all

scaffolding was in place and two lifts were ready to go. When the concrete finally arrived, pouring of everything could begin immediately and installation went forward at double speed.

STRIKE!

C O N S T R U C T I O N

— Dick Leahy

Drilling, blasting, and excavating continue. Water mains and utility tunnels are being installed. Snow fences now protect trees. First concrete has been poured for the footings. Just follow the muddy tire tracks on Goddard Avenue — it’s a site to behold. The Park Parent, April 

Drilling and blasting are almost complete at the new school, and now work has begun on the concrete and steel footings. Wall forms are currently being installed for the music room area, the boiler room and the gymnasium. A handsome sign identifies the site and offices have been moved from the gatehouse to trailers parked at the entrance to the new driveway. If you haven’t yet seen the work in progress, drive by as soon as you can. You can’t miss it!

Cement truck drivers strike for eleven weeks; causing a considerable delay in construction. Work on Goddard Avenue continued for about a month after the strike began and then came to a halt. Construction resumed in mid-August.

The Park Parent, October 

“

The Park Parent, May 

The original carriage house was lovely, but Earl just couldn’t incorporate it into the design. As we looked at the site, we realized we had to use the land to our advantage. The best place to set the building was where all the puddingstone rock outcroppings were — I’m sure it was the most expensive place on the property! We paid by the truckload to haul out the blasted rock. — Bob Hurlbut

Visiting the site on September 8th, The Park Parent observed much activity, including line drilling prior to blasting the Lower School area. The south athletic fields were being raked in preparation for seeding this fall.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

DECEMBER

FEBRUARY

New Scho o Include E l to ast Wing Park Pare nt

SPRI NG 1 9 71

M AY

Brookline Buys Old School

For more than a year, Trustee Dick Smith helped negotiate the sale of the old campus at Kennard and Hedge Roads to the Town of Brookline. In February , he reported to the Board that the Town had agreed to a sale/leaseback arrangement for a fee of ,.

ber 1970

C O N C L U D E S

Headline, N ovem

MARCH

Cooperative Spirit

“

There was a real feel that we were all in this together — and that it couldn’t go wrong! Faculty and parents truly loved the School for the School’s sake. Not for the personal glory, academic success, or the money. When the Trustees thanked Charlie Cunningham for all his work on behalf of the School, he was genuinely moved to tears. — Ruth Williams

All Park families, friends and neighbors are invited to the Cornerstone Ceremony at the new school.  Goddard Avenue, Brookline, on Saturday, December th at  a.m. In the interest of safety, parents MUST accompany children. After this brief ceremony, the Building Committee will conduct tours of the construction site.

Supports for the forms for the concrete beams which will support the roof beams of the gym were being built. Concrete poured the previous day was drying and being kept from freezing by powerful heaters. The Park Parent, February 

The Park Parent, January 

“

I like this building. It’s complex. It has many levels and the land contour is interesting, unusual. It’s an involved project. Makes some others seem like square chicken coops. — John T. Plugis, The Park Parent, June 1971

“

John Plugis was an excellent clerk of the works — the School was really lucky to have him.

The Park Parent asks Clerk of the Works John T. Plugis to write a monthly column entitled “What’s in the Works?” to update the Park community about the building’s progress. You rascals who have not visited here since the Cornerstone Ceremony will enjoy learning that the East Wing roof has been poured; ditto floor slab Level  and Level ; that the Exterior and Interior masonry has advanced well as have both East and West Wings; and that the installation of window frames, including glazing is almost complete — as are the Dining, Science and Art rooms.

In the late spring, it looked as if the new building would not be finished in September. Bob Hurlbut begins making elaborate plans for a phased move. Nursery through Grade II would go to the new school in September because they didn’t need the gymnasiums to be complete; the other grades would move during winter vacation.

The Park Parent, March 

— Dick Leahy

171 GODDA RD AVENUE TURNS 40

F U N D R A I S I N G

WINTER 1970–1971

SUMMER 1971

AUGUST

FA LL 1 9 7 1

OPENI

September 21, 1971 Move-in Possible

In August, at the last possible moment — despite the concrete strike and subsequent strikes by ironworkers, plumbers, steamfitters, and kitchen finishers — it became clear that the whole school could move and begin the ‒ academic year at  Goddard Avenue.

The library leaks, the kitchen is not yet ready…the theater has been deliberately left unfinished and should be done in about a month, the basketball backstops are not yet up, carpeting still needs to be installed, lockers are missing in both corridors and the gymnasium, some light fixtures are unfinished, play equipment and some furniture still must be delivered, and the playing fields are not yet done.

C O N S T R U C T I O N

Report to the Board of Trustees at their first meeting in the new building

N G D AY !

September 22, 1971

“

The air was thick with apprehension. The younger students met in the classroom and we spent a lot of time getting everyone settled. Parents would come in and hang around — they were apprehensive, too. Everyone was afraid of getting lost in such a big building. We didn’t let the students go anywhere by themselves. But it was such an exciting time. Everything was ready to go. The outdoor space was tremendous, too — the playgrounds, the woods, everything had so much more room! — Jan Spaulding

“

We made a deal with the contractor to prioritize finishing the academic spaces in the school — some areas we would leave till later. Peter Volpe kept his men working all the time. If we delayed the opening of school by ten days, we could actually move into the new building in September. Thanks to Volpe and Dick Leahy, we were able to pull this thing off! — Bob Hurlbut

“

Everybody had the right attitude on Opening Day. Of course, not everything was finished — there weren’t any lockers — they came 10 days later. No carpet either. I remember telling my students to hang their book bags on the backs of their chairs because the concrete floor was so dusty. There was no point in sweeping it — it would only get dusty again. My feet ached after that first week of school after standing on the concrete for five days straight! — Ruth Williams

REFLECTIONS

Moving to  Goddard Avenue by John Spicer

he loss of the Old Gym (Draper Hall) back at Kennard Road I think must have added to our disorientation in the new building. This old carriage-house, later enlarged to include a stage for dramatics, had served as an assembly hall, the origin point that had drawn together the four divisions of the school. In the fall of 1971, the new theater and gathering hall had not been completed. And so the new school’s need for a meeting hall found us, that first September, sitting on bleachers in a vast new gymnasium. It was ours, of course, but as we sat quietly in those bleachers at Morning Meeting listening to faculty announcements, something of the

old school spirit was definitely missing. A temporary public address system of mikes and speakers created echoes against parallel cinderblock walls. The messages themselves sounded several times removed from reality. It was “Smitty” (Curtis Smith, director of Physical Education) who finally broke the ice for us all. Standing up in the bleachers, Smitty, confronting our silence, suddenly demanded of us, “What is the matter with you all? WE are the Park School. It is up to you and me to get the year off to a good start.“ So sternly reminded that WE were the school, we began to pitch in, to recreate ourselves and our school in this new place.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

The new Flansburgh edifice eventually did become our new school. It happened in many ways: students moving into new lockers of their own; faculty heads settling into departmental and division offices of their own; athletic games being played and fairly won or lost on leveled playing fields.

“

I got one of the machinists at the Harvard physics lab to make a long, milled tube of heavy aluminum. It really does look like a time capsule. I presented it to the School with one of my kid’s stuffed alligator in it. — Dick Leahy

T I M E

C A P S U L E

> In December 1970, the key players laid a “cornerstone” from the original carriage house in the new brick edifice of the “new Park School.” (It is located outside the door of the small gym.)

Dick Leahy was inspired to mark this historic moment in Park’s history with a time capsule. It now resides in a cavity in the cinderblock wall in the lobby where it can be seen behind four glass bricks. A plaque on the wall near it reads:

To celebrate the move to Goddard Avenue and the construction of this building, every student, teacher, and administrator at The Park School during the academic year 1970 –71 placed a message or artifact in this tube with the hope that every 50 years it be opened, enjoyed, added to, and resealed. Charlie Cunningham, Dick Leahy, Dr. James Faulkner, Mary Faulkner, Bob Hurlbut, Anne Worthington Prescott, Earl Flansburgh, Peter Volpe

“

Richard G. Leahy made it possible to open ahead of schedule and under budget. This is an unheard-of accomplishment. . . The faculty has waited long for this year and with good spirits rearranged their academic schedule to accommodate the early move. The students, I believe, simply enjoyed the whole process. All of this effort by so many was only made possible by the contribution that your faith in Park generated. The Board of Trustees expresses it deep sense of appreciation to you, the parents and friends of The Park School. — Philip Porter, Board Chair Speaking at the November 1971 Corporation meeting

“

My most vivid memory is the slightly dank, new construction smell of the concrete in the stairwells, and the echoes as feet trotted up and down — so different from the warm wood smell and creaks in the boards that I remembered from the old school.

— Polly Hoppin ’74

“

One day in the fall, I was sitting in my office across from the fifth grade rooms. I heard a locker slam, followed by “Oh *&*#$(!” I poked my head out of the office and saw that it was Earl Flansburgh — checking out the lockers. “They were noisier than I thought,” he explained. That was impressive: he remembered, he cared, and he checked.

Flansburgh Architects designed the building to reflect The Park School’s educational philosophy, to be flexible for future growth, and to be easy-to-maintain and durable. This building was designed to serve the Park School well into the future. We’re happy to see that it has. — September 

— Bill Satterthwaite

171 GODDA RD AVENUE TURNS 40

REUNION2011

lumni from the classes ending in “6” and “1” came back to Park from far and wide on the Saturday of Mother’s Day Weekend to celebrate Reunion 2011! Following informal tours of classrooms, science labs, and art studios, alumni spanning three decades gathered in Park’s beautiful library. Head of School Jerry Katz, Alumni Committee Representative Lisa Amick DiAdamo ’86 and Director of Alumni Relations Eliza Drachman-Jones ’98 all spoke briefly to the assembled crowd before the classmates posed for photos. The party finally broke up when the different classes departed for further revelry at their class specific reunion dinners off campus. Many thanks to the dozens of reunion volunteers who helped to make Reunion 2011 a memorable event for all who attended. We look forward to seeing the “7s” and “2s” next spring!

Class of 1986 — 25th Reunion Top row, L-R: Peter Barkan, Jay Livens, Mark Epker, David Satterthwaite and Garrett Solomon. Bottom row: Jonah Givelber, Tom Sowles, Minnie Ames, Lisa Amick DiAdamo and Maura O’Keefe.

Class of 1971 — 40th Reunion Greg Cope, Bill Chandler, Chris Boutourline, Anne Priestley and Sarah Burrows.

Left: Abigail Ross Goodman ’91 and Mark Goodman. Below: Julia Rosenthal ’01 shares a laugh with Colin Smith ’01 and Adam Rutherford ’01.

Class of 1991 — 20th Reunion Top row, L-R: Leslie Eckel, Whit Growdon, Jim O’Keefe. Bottom row: David Glynn, Abigail Ross Goodman, Jenny Walton Burke, Ally Field, Mollie Nelson Webster and Bob Collins.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Class of 1976 — 35th Reunion L-R: Bob Nyhart, Angie Hurlbut, Ellen Connorton, Amy Tayer Goldman, Tenney Mead Cover and James Morse. Top row, Barbara Talcott and Alison Hoppin Murchison.

Class of 1981 — 30th Reunion Top row, L-R: Lanny Thorndike, Maria Fleming Alvarez, Betsy Walcott and Matt Carothers. Bottom row: Howard Chaffey, Chip Pierce, Alex Mehlman and Andrew Wilson.

Right: 1981 classmates Maria Fleming Alvarez, Howard Chaffey, Andrew Wilson, Alex Mehlman with two spouses. Below:Kathrene Tiffany and Merrill Hawkins, both celebrating their 15th Reunion.

Top: Leslie Eckel ’91, Betsy Glynn ’91, Colette Collins and Bob Collins ’91 catch up. Left: Dean Conway with Whitney and Tom Sowles ’86.

Class of 1996 — 15th Reunion Top row, L-R: Jon Sheffi, Greg Kadetsky, George Sargent, Greg Schwanbeck, Leah Cumsky-Whitlock Lavin, Merrill Hawkins and Rob Higgins. Bottom row: Ladd Thorne, Sam Metghalchi, Kathrene Tiffany and Marisa Connors.

Class of 2001 — 10th Reunion Top row, L-R: Dakin Henderson, Adam Rutherford, George Denney, Colin Smith, Henry Watterson, Chris Burrage. Second row: Diego Alvarado, Caitlin Taylor Reiche, Mally Smith, Julia Rosenthal, Jessica Kerry, Avery Leboff Williams. Bottom row: Nate Hindman, Loren Rabinowitz, Suzanna Lee, Jennie Tucker, Caitlin Dick, Amanda Roosevelt, Celeste Hughey and Jen McInnis.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Alumni Notes

1932

1963

Bruce Ehrmann writes, “still happily retired, but not driving. Regards to any who might remember those wonderful years on Hedge and Kennard Roads!”

Class Representative Amy Lampert aslampert@gis.net 617-232-4595

1966

1938

Class Representative Wigs Frank 610-964-8057

Class Representative Putty McDowell pbmcd2@verizon.net 781-320-1960

Buzz Gagnebin ’55 picks the banjo and enjoys a laugh.

1948 Bob Little, director of athletics at Park, took his dad, Renny Little, and his aunt, Selina Little, to a recent Red Sox game. “We had the V.I.P. treatment!,” Renny reports.

1950 Class Representative Galen Clough 812-477-2454

1953 Class Representative Bob Bray rbray@thebraygroup.com 617-696-8673

1955 Buzz Gagnebin tells us that he and his wife of 45 years, Connie, “are enjoying living in Cambridge not just because it’s closer to my work in Boston as an intellectual property

BECOME A

Class Representative Stay in touch with friends! Gather class news for the Bulletin! Help plan your reunion! Want to learn more? Please contact Eliza Drachman-Jones ’98, director of Alumni Relations 617-274-6022 or alumni@parkschool.org

attorney, but because it’s closer to so much fun. I am also starting to play with the creation of relaxation videos featuring slow motion scenes from nature.” Charles Kellogg lives in Manchester, Mass., and works as a consultant for Global Partners, Inc. based in Cambridge. Charles says, “I am also volunteering with The U.S. Biathlon Association, the ManchesterEssex Conservation Trust and my Williams College Class of 1962. I still enjoy competitive cross-country skiing, running, and kayaking, along with hiking and biking.” Georgia Bradley Zaborowski writes, “For the first time in my life, I have had a totally unproductive and restful experience for the last year. I am retired now in Groton, Massachusetts, and live with a wonderful husband, a Shetland sheepdog, four cats, and a large number of birds who arrive all day long at the window feeder. All of life’s pressures to author books, teach college classes, counsel women, and perform with my harp have evolved into wonderful memories of a professional life that was a great success. I am also on vacation from raising my own children and can now delight in being a grandmother. I am hoping that my classmates and other friends at Park are where I am in celebrating life. I pray that you are all healthy and happy, being relaxed in these days of our retirement. I send my very best to you all.”

1957 Elisa Sleeper Sawall reports that she is “practically retired from my real estate career in New York. Getting to visit Cape Cod more than Cape Ann.” Life is good for Elisa, but she wonders “what happened to David Fox?”

1962

50th Reunion

Class Representative Needed!

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

“I actually have some news,” Emily Burr writes from South Africa. “My husband and I are Peace Corps volunteers in the schools of a small rural village. I have a blog I add to when I can: emily-peacecorps.blogspot.com”

1967

45th Reunion

Class Representative E. D. Rowley DRowley@hammondre.com 617-469-0443

1968 Class Representative Vicky Kehlenbeck vkehlenbeck@rc.com 781-235-2990 In December 2010, Stephanie Sonnabend co-founded 2020 Women on Boards — a national campaign to increase the percentage of women on U.S. company boards to 20 percent or greater by the year 2020. She encourages you to “register your support at 2020WOB.com and follow the progress. The percentage of women on public company boards has been stuck around 11 percent for 8 years. We are determined to change that, by measuring and defining diversity as a minimum of 20 percent women.”

1972

40th Reunion

Class Representative Needed! Lynn Nyhart, professor of the history of science at the University of Wisconsin –Madison, was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for 2011–12 (one of two such awards given to historians of science nationally) to work on a project on the history of ideas about individuality and part-whole relations in nineteenth-century biology. Lynn says, “This requires research trips to London, Paris, and Goettingen!” She will also start a twoyear term as president of the History of Science Society in January 2012. She writes, “Let me know if you are planning to visit Madison. It is a

beautiful place to visit, and although Wisconsin is living through financial hard times, at least we didn’t shut down like Minnesota—just a little Midwest humor!”

1973 Class Representative Rick Berenson barbara@berenson.info 617-969-0523

1974 Class Representatives Rodger Cohen skiboy@mindspring.com 508-651-3981

Margaret Bell james_bell65@msn.com 617-267-4141 “My extended family and I had a bittersweet day on June 10th, writes Polly Hoppin, “when our daughter Eliza graduated from Park’s 9th grade, ending many years of daily connection with Park (including my mom’s 24-year employment at the School, and the student years for me and my siblings, my sister’s children and ours) that started in the fall of 1965. But wait, our oldest Emma ’06 taught at Creative Arts at Park this summer, so that makes the streak almost 46 years! Eliza is headed to Concord Academy in the fall, and Emma will be a junior at Swarthmore. I love my work advancing pol-

icy on environmental links to health (out of U.Mass) and also serving on the boards of two environmental organizations, though these are challenging times for the issues I work on, both politically and financially. My husband Bobby continues his work representing whistleblowers under the False Claims Act. He also taught a course at B.U. Law School this spring and is volunteering for local and international non-profits — part of starting to brainstorm about how to create something exciting when (soon) the empty-nester years arrive!”

1975 Class Representatives Colin McNay fivebear@mac.com 617-731-1746 Bill Sullivan 978-568-1303 Meli Solomon has been in Berlin for more than two years and loves it. She writes, “It was a huge transition— language, culture, career—but everything keeps rolling forward and improving. It’s endlessly interesting, and sometimes frustrating, dealing with cultural differences. My work shifted to English language services — training in business English and editing. It’s a good mix for me and uses

T H E A L U M N I S E R V I C E AWA R D

RICH ARD BA NKS CLASS OF 1974 Established in 1999, the Alumni Award for Distinguished Service is presented annually at graduation to an alumna or alumnus of The Park School for dedicated service to the Park community. Board Chair Kevin Maroni presented the award on behalf of the Alumni Committee.

ichard Banks attended Park for fifth grade during the 1969–1970 school year and will forever be a proud member of Park School’s Class of 1974. Richard rejoined the School community in the fall of 2001 when his eldest son, Daniel, entered Park’s Pre-K program. Two years later, his second son, Adam, followed in his older brother’s footsteps, and over the last ten years, Richard has contributed in many ways to the Park School community. Richard, an attorney for the Massachusetts State Department of Public Health, recently completed a three-year term on Park’s Board of Trustees, where he served as Secretary. During his term, Richard participated actively as a member of the Board of Trustees’ Educational Policy Committee. Richard was known not only for his detailed meeting notes, but also more importantly, for his ability to help others stay focused on the big picture and for his measured, sage counsel. Richard’s wife, Annie, has served alongside him in multiple volunteer roles at Park. Both Richard and Annie have been Class Representatives several times during their children’s tenure at Park, and they both served on the Parent Association Diversity Committee. They were also very active as volunteers with Park’s After-School Program when their sons were young, even-

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

tually helping to create the role of ASP Class Representative. As volunteers at Admission Open Houses, Richard and Annie enjoyed sharing with prospective families their enthusiasm for the Park School curriculum and community, and as fundraising volunteers — Annie with the Annual Fund and Richard with a recent capital campaign — the Banks inspired other families to contribute towards Park’s continued excellence. And finally, Richard and Annie have volunteered for ten consecutive years at Springfest, with two of those years spent overseeing the “bug table,” complete with creepy crawlers, scorpions, and edible bug snacks – a testament to their reputation as “easily recruitable” parents. Now, as Adam ’14 joins his older brother, Daniel ’12 at Roxbury Latin School, it is time for Richard to say goodbye to his role as a Park parent. We are grateful, however, that Richard and his family (including Richard’s sister, Judith BanksJohnson, Park Class of 1972) will remain a part of the Park community as alumni. The Park School is grateful to Richard Banks for his thoughtful and dedicated service to the Park School community. He has been an excellent model of service to the School, and we know that his commitment will continue to inspire other alumni, and alumni parents, to get involved.

John Sharp is representing the Class of 1975 on Celebrity Rehab. Above, John with Dr. Drew Pinsky.

my MBA and years of experiences in various parts of business. Plus, I get to talk about business, which is great.” Have you heard the buzz about John Sharp working as a therapist on “Celebrity Rehab?” He was recently featured in the Improper Bostonian: improper.com/features/ john-sharp/

1976 Class Representative Tenney Mead Cover tenney.cover@verizon.net 781-329-5449 Eliza Storey Anderson is in the process of moving back to Cambridge after a year in Paris and has four mostly-grown children scattered through fields from environmental law to business to music. Emily Faulkner lives in Idaho with “two daughters in high school and a shrinking menagerie (one horse, one donkey, one llama, two rams, twenty hens, cats and dogs…sold the ewes last summer, so for the first time in 13 years I have not been expecting lambs. Liberating!). I teach French to first through the eighth graders at the Sandpoint Waldorf School…. I’d be happy to hear some other stories and catch up via email with one and all. My address is: bluestocking@airpipe.com”

1977

35th Reunion

Class Representative Sam Solomon sa.solomon@verizon.net 781-784-0385 “My environmental consulting practice has settled in well,” Juliet Lamont reports. “I gave a keynote

presentation at the Garden Club of America’s annual conference last fall on water conservation, watershed protection, and restoration, and have several more talks scheduled this year. I also landed a teaching position in sustainable urban development at S.F. State University; challenging, exciting, difficult, and rewarding all at once. Enjoying life as a whole, too: lots of running, competitive squash, ultimate Frisbee, hiking, and more to keep me in shape — and even entered my first half-marathon! Husband Phil still makes me laugh every day, and we’ve made sure to carve out lots of time for friends, family, and our wildlife travels.” Todd Larson has been keeping busy as a tour guide for Super Duck Tours in Boston (not to be confused with Boston Duck Tours). “I tell the passengers exciting stories and anecdotes about Boston’s history, culture and current events as we meander through various Boston neighborhoods. I spin tales about ships, shores, and sharks as the duckboat goes along the waterfront and finally splashes down into the harbor. I wrap up each tour with duck jokes and duck tales (no pun intended). I’m having a ‘quacking’ good time on this new job, and it’s really helped me sharpen so many of the skills we were taught at Park: historical research, humor, engagement with the public, working with others, and, as Mr. Hurlbut would put it, ‘oral presentation and confidence.’ I invite Park alumni past and present to come on my tours; visit superducktours.com for details. On the side, I do freelance writing and editing of websites, screenplays, novel manuscripts and blogs (visit my website, tlarsonthewriter.com), and I’m always looking for new opportunities. I recently reconnected with classmate

Nina Frusztajer ’79 sent us this cute photo of her kids Hugo, Zeno, and Catherine.

Douglas Christian at a Cambridge Book Club Meetup group; it was great to see him again after so long. Our group discussed James Horn’s new book A Land as God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America, which was the perfect continuation of the historical seed John Spicer had planted in our minds in our seventhgrade social studies class! I was really impressed with how much Doug knew about so many subjects — it comes from the lifelong love of learning Park School inculcated in us. My best to all my classmates and former teachers, wherever you may roam, o’er land or sea or foam!”

1979 Class Representatives Sally Solomon sallysolomon@alumni.neu.edu 617-354-5951 Lalla Carothers lcaro@maine.rr.com 207-829-2283 Nina Frusztajer let us know that “things are peaceful and good with us — the kids (Catherine 9, Zeno 8, and Hugo 6) are enjoying summer with a mix of camp, trips to the beach, and just hanging out and sleeping late (Hugo can sleep until 10:00 or 10:30!). I’m working three days a week as a pathologist, still having fun learning to play the guitar, doing lots of yoga and core fusion to

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

keep fit (physically and mentally!), and I’m doing a bit of outreach for the book I co-authored The Serotonin Power Diet, which is effective to reverse antidepressant-related weight gain. And, summer concerts have been great: Dispatch and Peter Frampton were both amazing performances and lots of fun.” Margie Talcott recently returned to Brookline after many years away. “I haven’t lived in the Boston area since 1982, when I graduated from Milton Academy — a long time ago! After the college experience at Princeton, I spent 12+ years in New York City and then 12+ in Exeter and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I will be keeping my job in Portsmouth as the associate producer of the Writers’ Series at The Music Hall performing arts center. We’ve had a banner year in the series welcoming David McCullough, Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, Elizabeth Gilbert, Joseph J. Ellis and Simon Winchester. We have another great line-up of writers in the season ahead — a lot to look forward to!”

1980 Class Representative Susan Schorr susaneschorr@gmail.com 617-448-5113 Jenny Swett Chrisman let us know “It IS possible to have a baby — even at our age! James Swett Chrisman

was born December 24, 2010. My husband, older son, the baby and I still live north of San Francisco. This summer, we convened in Jamestown, Rhode Island with my sister Hannah ’84 (and her new baby) as well as my brother Brad ’82. It is a lot of fun getting the cousins together!” Likewise, Jillian Rudman has exciting news to share: “On June 21, my husband, Jim Humes, and I had our

A new baby for the Class of 1980: Jillian Rudman’s little girl, Devon Harper Humes.

On a recent trip to Seattle, former faculty member Phil Gambone (1977–2004) caught up with Jackson Holtz ’84. They discovered that the city’s famous Elliott Bay Book Company is currently carrying a book written by each of them: Phil’s Travels in a Gay Nation: Portraits of LGBTQ Americans (Wisconsin, 2010) and Jackson’s Fly, Colton, Fly: The True Story of the Barefoot Bandit (New American Library, 2011).

1982 first child, a baby girl named Devon Harper Humes.” Nat McCormick writes, “the Norfolk-based McCormicks traveled up to Cape Cod in June for a family reunion and celebration of my dad’s 75th birthday. Interesting to note that the three McCormick boys (Alex ’79, myself and Ben ’82) are proud fathers of six daughters: Maddy (11), Ella (8), Hannah (3), Vivian (2), Olivia (1), and Abigail (new). We’re not exactly first out of the blocks these days.... I also had the pleasure of meeting up with Fred Richardson and his wife, Ann, in Chatham for a pleasant afternoon of catching up on the last 30 years. If you want a photo, you’ll have to heckle Fred for it— he’s the one who looks like he hasn’t aged!”

1981 Class Representatives Matthew B. Carothers mcarothers88@yahoo.com 508-785-0770 Alex Mehlman amehlman@yahoo.com 781-461-8510 Jennifer and Robert Nadelson became the proud parents of Abraham Alexander Nadelson, “Bram,” on July 14, 2011. “I am thoroughly enjoying this belated introduction to fatherhood.”

30th Reunion

In June, Stephanie Stamatos ’85 gave birth to daughter Taylor Ana Krepps.

1986

Class Representative Allison Nash Mael emael@msn.com 617-332-0925

Class Representatives Mark Epker mepker@beaconcommunitiesllc.com 781-326-4299

1983

Jay Livens jlivens@sloan.mit.edu 978-318-0866

Class Representatives Lisa Livens Freeman llivens@hotmail.com

Valentine “Val” Burr writes from New York City where she lives with her husband and two boys, ages 7 and 5. “I have certainly lost touch with Park and Park friends, and was sorry I was not able to make it to the most recent reunion. After Park (and

Elise Mott emott@fenn.org 978-369-6009

1984 Class Representative Anne Collins Goodyear ACG610@gmail.com 703-931-9016

1985 Class Representative Rachel Levine Foley rlfoles@aol.com 781-559-8148

Steve Friedman, Quinn (age 5), and Silas (age 7), pose for their photographer/wife/mom, Val Burr ’86.

Stephanie Stamatos writes, “My husband, Matthew Krepps, and I are thrilled to welcome our daughter into the world. Taylor Ana Krepps was born on June 10th. She’s such a bundle of joy!”

a bit more school…) I spent many years as a classroom teacher. For the last 10 years I have been on the faculty at Bank Street College of Education in the special education programs. I am sure some of my desire to go into the field of education was fostered at Park and I have many

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

memories of caring teachers who nurtured my curiosity and my voice in the classroom.” Andrew Hoppin lives with his “wonderful wife, Diana Iris Baltazar, in Long Island City, New York with a gorgeous view of the United Nations and Empire State Building. Diana is an amazing fashion designer (humanuniform.com) and, after two heady years as chief information officer of the New York State Senate, I’ve started a government technology consulting practice, New Amsterdam Ideas (nuams.co) and am implementing a variety of projects that increase the transparency and operational efficiency of, and the ability of citizens to participate in, our governments. It’s a great time for this “Gov 2.0” industry, and I feel very fortunate to be on the forefront of it.” After getting married, settling happily in Sherborn, Mass., and having two wonderful sons (Graham and Peter), Matt McGinness made a major life change in 2008 and moved to Akron, Ohio (his wife Missy’s hometown.) “We figured that by 2008 the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox had all won national titles and only the Bruins were left…maybe we were a little early with the move. I now work for the Cypress Companies Inc., an industrial family office where I focus on acquiring new companies. We own six businesses that produce things like off-road brakes, truck exhaust systems, aircraft engine components, and more. The first part of my career in Boston included environmental consulting and software marketing to manufacturing businesses— I am now on the other side of the table where I invest in and operate manufacturing businesses. So far it’s been a great move. While we miss being close to family and the numerous amenities of New England there

REUNION

2012

are many positives to living in the Rubber City— most importantly, our boys now attend the K–8 Old Trail School which reminds me a lot of what Park was like in the 1980s. The school is located in a national park, has a strong focus on environmental stewardship, and, even better, the headmaster is a Boston native. With the boys now in second grade and kindergarten, their activities often trigger happy memories of similar things that I once did at Park. I continue to feel lucky to have had the opportunity to be a student at such a unique school.”

SAVE THE DATE

REUNION 2012

Saturday, May 14 10th 15th 20th 25th

2002 1997 1992 1987

30th 35th 40th 50th

1982 1977 1972 1962

1987

Class Representatives Mary Sarah Baker Mary.Sarah.Baker@gmail.com 212-595-5887 Geoffrey Glick gmglick@aol.com 508-893-8912

If you are interested in helping to plan your reunion, please contact Eliza Drachman-Jones ’98, director of Alumni Relations 617-274-6022 or alumni@parkschool.org

1988 Class Representative Liza Cohen Gates 1988 lgates@digitas.com

Park Alumni Night at the Museum of Fine Arts

n a lovely evening in March, a group of Park alumni and friends gathered at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston for a unique opportunity to learn more about paper conservation and restoration. Katrina Newbury ’85, the Saundra B. Lane Associate Conservator, gave a behind-the-scenes look at print conservation at the Museum. Guests had the chance to see beautiful watercolors up close and learn about the history of many of the MFA’s most popular paintings.

R’12

25th Reunion

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

In January, baby Nate joined older sister Sage and parents Lawson and Lars Albright ’90.

1989 Class Representatives Rebecca Lewin Scott rebecca.scott@earthlink.net 781-772-1946 Ian Glick ibglick@aol.com 617-264-7198 Dahlia Aronson dahliabeth@yahoo.com 617-734-3026 Jessica Stone Baker reports that, “I am a breast cancer survivor and my business, The Mindful Body, is flourishing. We offer a broad range of bodywork services, including many massage modalities, ayurveda, yoga therapy, and acupuncture. We have recently paired with a large hotel, the Millennium Harvest House, to offer exclusive in-room service. I will also be starting a non-profit 501(c)3 called Oncology Care Network to support those going through treatment for cancer. We will provide highly discounted out-call massage, bodywork, acupuncture, energy work, skin care/esthetician services, chef services, and on-site cleaning to assist those during surgery, chemo-therapy, and radiation. My husband and I enjoy a healthful life in Boulder, and hope to grow our family in the next several years.” Rob Colby recently began a new position as head of academic programming at the newly-founded Graham Gund Gallery at Kenyon College. “I am very happy with my three little boys at Belmont Day School,” writes Victoria McEvoy Khanna. “We still live in Cambridge where I am working hard but having a great summer. Nicole Kearse hosted a party for her

Sisters Rachel Redd ’03 and Sarah Redd ’00 surround their sister Ivy Redd Couch ’93 on her wedding day.

son’s first birthday where I also had the pleasure of seeing Emily Potts!”

1990 Class Representatives Zachary Cherry 561-659-1022 Alexander Rabinsky arabinsky@hotmail.com 773-645-4381 Lawson and Lars Albright (along with daughter Sage) welcomed Nate Albright into their family on January 6, 2011. Sadia Shephard writes, “I was delighted to marry Andreas Burgess, (a fellow Wesleyan graduate) in July of 2010 in a big red barn across the street from my parents’ home in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Andreas and I spend most of the year in New York City, where we both work in the film industry; Andreas is a cinematographer working on a new series for ABC, and I am a documentary producer, most recently for HBO. When we’re not in New York we are generally in India and Pakistan, where we are working on several film projects and I am researching a new book.”

1991 Class Representative Needed! Nick Howe is “thrilled to be back in Massachusetts with my wife, Catherine, and my daughters, Josie and Lillian.” Nick is an assistant professor of environmental studies at Williams College, where he teaches environmental humanities courses. “If any old friends are ever in the Berkshires or Southern Vermont, I hope they give me a ring!”

1992

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20th Reunion

Class Representative Needed! As the executive director of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York (lrany.org), Tom Stebbins is fighting against frivolous lawsuits in the state.

Jen Berylson Block ’94 and Jonathan hold baby Benjamin who was born on July 17.

In May, Meryl Glassman ’94 and Peter Farland welcomed their new son, Jack.

Jessica Ko Beck jessicako@gmail.com 917-691-3540

Jonathan and Jen Berylson Block welcomed their baby boy, Benjamin, on July 17. On May 7, Meryl Glassman and her husband, Peter Farland, welcomed their first son, Jack, into the world. She writes, “We returned from the San Francisco area and are now living in Wellesley. I will continue working with Partners In Health in the fall.” Jake Peters is moving back to the United States after four years in London. “I will be joining my colleague in New York City as we continue to work on building our year-old startup, PayPerks. Looking forward to reconnecting with my friends in NYC. My email remains jake@jake.net.”

In May 2010, Ivy Redd married Pastor Mark A. Couch at the Four Seasons in Atlanta, Georgia. They were expecting their first child, a baby boy, this July.

1993 Class Representatives Jaime Quiros qstips@yahoo.com 617-522-3622 Alison Ross alross@gmail.com 646-528-4248

1994 Class Representatives Alan Bern alanbern@tulanealumni.net 781-326-8091 Aba Taylor abtaylor829@gmail.com 617-361-6370

Green Initiative Speaker Series featuring Brian Swett ’94

he student Green Club and the Alumni Green Committee were pleased to welcome Brian Swett ’94 back to Park as the inaugural speaker in the Green Initiative Speaker Series. Brian, a LEED project manager for Boston Properties, spoke about his work in real estate development in Boston, especially the importance of blending buildings with all aspects of the environment. Brian stressed how every person in the room can make a positive impact on the environment. For example, to help reduce six percent of all energy consumed in Massachusetts, Brian suggested students think about unplugging cords and appliances at home when not in use. What a treat for students and faculty to celebrate Earth Month with Brian!

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Brian and the faculty leaders of the Student Green Club: Liz Ballard (Associate Director of Development), Eliza DrachmanJones ’98 (Director of Alumni Relations), and Karen Manning (Upper Division Science Department Head).

1999 Class Representatives Colin Arnold tanker223@gmail.com Elizabeth Weyman weymane@gmail.com 781-237-5957 Susanna Whitaker-Rahilly s.w.rahilly@gmail.com

Melissa Deland ’95 married Julie Bourquin in July. L-R: Katherine Burrage Schmidt ’94, Melissa, Eve Wadsworth Lehrman ’95, Michael Deland ’56, Liz Sarles Dias ‘94,Hilary Walton ’95, Julie, Holly Deland ’95

Nia Lutch ’97 married Michael Kreppel on July 23 in Biddeford Pool, Maine.

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1995

1997

Class Representative Lilla Curran lillacurran@gmail.com

Class Representative Sarah Conway sarah.r.conway@gmail.com 617-524-3075

On July 9, several Park alumni attended Melissa Deland’s wedding: Eve Wadsworth Lehrman, Hilary Walton, Holly Deland, Katharine Burrage Schmitt ’94, former faculty member Alexis Lelon, and Melissa’s dad, Michael Deland ’56. “It was a beautiful and spectacular day!”

1996 Class Representatives Nick Brescia nick_e_pockets@hotmail.com 781-646-4229 Merrill Hawkins merrillhawkins@gmail.com Kathrene Tiffany ktiffany@gmail.com 617-306-1107 Katayoun Shahrokhi katayoun_shahrokhi@yahoo.com 781-483-2113 Jonathan Sheffi writes, “since graduating from Harvard Business School I’ve moved to San Francisco to work for Novartis Diagnostics. So far, the job is going great. I’d love to hear from any alumni in the Bay Area.”

15th Reunion

Sarah Robbat sarah.robbat@gmail.com 781-259-1170 Suzy McManmon suzymcmanmon@gmail.com Congratulations to Kristaps Aldins on his recent appointment as the head baseball coach at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. Kristaps had been the assistant coach at Harvard for three years and also serves as the head coach for the Latvian National team. Nia Lutch married Michael Kreppel on July 23. Congratulations, Nia!

Center. Alex Aronson will enter his final year at Stanford Law School this fall. This summer, he will travel to Tanzania with his family and “try not to collapse while attempting to climb Kilimanjaro.” After law school, Alex plans to clerk for Judge Albert Diaz on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Charlotte, North Carolina. Asha Best is pursuing her PhD in American studies at Rutgers University. This summer she was in Los Angeles working with the HyperCities project at UCLA. Astrid Levis-Thorne is engaged to Tommy Burns. And this spring, Eliza Drachman-Jones became engaged to Rich Quincy; they are planning a wedding at Tufts University in 2012.

Alex Goldstein continues to work as press secretary for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. “I am also teaching a seminar at Emerson College on political communications. I had the pleasure of attending Doug Presley’s wedding out in Lake Tahoe in July where I regaled attendees with tales of Doug hosting concerts on the playground in second grade where he would belt out Elvis songs.” Carrie Pierce is starting a dual-degree program for health sector management at Boston University in the fall, as a candidate for a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Public Health. Susanna WhitakerRahilly writes, “I am enjoying a summer as a Kass Fellow at the Massachusetts Historical Society, researching the wane of the slave trade in Boston during the Revolutionary Era. I look forward to coercing Alex Goldstein into helping me out with a grant in innovative civics teaching this upcoming fall.” Susanna shared some very exciting new with us: “I became engaged to Willie Waters in May, who was a classmate of Lucy Baldwin at Brooks and Margaret Gormley at Bowdoin! We will be married in June and Liz Stahl is in the wedding party. Liz is currently living in L.A. and is very successful at her record label, managing Steven

1998 Class Representatives Lydia Hawkins lydiahawk@hotmail.com 508-362-8225 Meg Lloyd lloydy505@gmail.com Sarah Swett swett.sarah@gmail.com 617-794-8164 Matt Krouner graduated with a doctorate in clinical psychology in the spring from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. He will be completing his post-doc at the Brookline Community Mental Health

David Cavell '99, his mother Cathleen Cavell, David Kenner '00 and Matt Bassett, just after their private tour, arranged by David Cavell, who was a summer legal intern at the White House.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

2011 Park Alumni Achievement Award:

Tyler and surviving American Idol mayhem. I hope everyone is well!” David Kenner is now an Associate Editor at Foreign Policy Magazine in Washington, DC. He specializes in Middle East politics and recently returned from Benghazi, Libya and Cairo, Egypt. He spent two years in Beirut, Lebanon, studying Arabic and the history of the Middle East, and writing for a Beirut newspaper, ‘Now Lebanon’. David Cavell is about to begin his second year at Georgetown Law. Prior to going to law school, David was a speechwriter for Gov. Deval Patrick.

A M A N D A WA LT O N ’ 9 5

2000 Class Representative Jessica Whitman whitman.jessica@gmail.com After completing her MBA from Simmons School of Management at the age of 25, Sara Redd has relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. And, classmate Mike Kavanagh is moving to Texas to start a new job with Samsung Mobility. On March 26, Rebecca Wilsker wed her longtime partner and Milton Academy classmate Benjamin Peebles-Mundy in Brookline. Rebecca’s sister Elizabeth ’04 was her maid of honor and her brother Benjamin ’07 and her Park classmate Benjamin Stevens ’00 were her bridesmen. Former Park faculty member Phil Gambone was in attendance along with Sam Oates ’99, Yrinee

N O M I N AT I O N S S O U G H T

The Park School is proud to honor Amanda Walton ’95 as the 2011 recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award. This award is given each year to the alumnus/alumna who exemplifies The Park School’s values and educational mission through distinctive achievement in his/her community or field of endeavor.

manda was at the top of her game. During her freshman year at Yale University, she was named Ivy League rookie-of-the year for her performance in both varsity women's field hockey and varsity women's lacrosse. As a sophomore, Amanda received First-Team All-Ivy honors in both sports. But just days after finishing her sophomore year, Amanda’s car was demolished by a car that was fleeing the police, and in a split second her life changed FOR drastically. Amanda will be returning to Park on Friday, October 21 to speak with students, alumni, and friends about her journey since that fateful day. It is sure to inspire each of you.

THE PARK ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

PLEASE JOIN US later this fall This award is to be given to the Park alumnus/alumna who exemplifies the School’s values and educational mission through distinctive achievement in their community or field of endeavor. This person’s leadership and contributions have made a meaningful impact and inspire our current students and alumni. To nominate a Park alumnus/a for this award, please include your nominee’s name, class year, profession, and reason for nomination. All submissions must be received by December 1, 2011 to be considered for the 2012 award. Send nominations to alumni@parkschool.org or The Park School Alumni Office, 171 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA 02445

as Amanda speaks to the Park Community during a special Morning Meeting presentation on Friday, October 21st at 8:15 a.m. This event is open to the entire Park School Community and will be held in the school theater. We hope to see you there! Questions? Please contact Eliza Drachman-Jones ’98 at alumni@parkschool.org or 617-274-6022.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

C O L L E G E C H O I C E S

A large Park School contingent feted Rebecca Wilsker ’00 and Benjamin Peebles-Mundy. L-R: Phil Gambone, Elizabeth Wilsker ’04, Sam Oates ’99, Nancy Wilsker (Rebecca’s mom), Rebecca, Benjamin, Roy Wilsker (Rebecca’s dad), Yrinee Michaelidis ’00, Benjamin Stevens ’00, Kathie Stevens (P ‘84, ‘00), and Benjamin Wilsker ’07.

Michaelidis ’00, and Caroline Goldsmith ’00 made a last minute entrance by bicycle. Congratuations to Charlie Young and Laura Gilmore on their July 2nd wedding. Classmate Walker Ellis was a groomsman.

2001 Class Representative Ben Bullitt bbullit@gmail.com 617-734-8841

2002

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10th Reunion

Oliver Ames is studying law at Georgetown and started an internship at Paul Hastings in August. Oliver tells us, “I had a great birthday with Dwight Curtis ’02, saw Matt Weinberg ’01 and Alex King ’01 at a dubious house party, and in the winter, I visited Alexandra Khoury ’02 in Paris. Championing Park wherever I go!” Last May, Rachel Redd graduated from Spelman College. She is a working as an actress and has completed some T.V. roles with Tyler Perry.

2004

Class Representatives Alejandro Alvarado aalvarado@wesleyan.edu 617-364-2290

Class Representatives Molly Lebow mlebow@tulane.edu 617-965-3161

Alex Lebow alexlebow@gmail.com 617-965-3161

Steven Fox steven.fox@richmond.edu 617-983-0208

Kate Haskell is stationed in Sicily, flying EP3 aircraft for the Navy in the Mediterranean region. “The best news from New Orleans is that Nathan Kellogg decided to relocate down here,” says Alex Lebow. “As for me, I’m working for Mayor Mitch Landrieu after wrapping up two years with Teach for America. And, check out a side project designed to train young people to run—Youth Run New Orleans (yrnola.org).”

When John Melas-Kyriazi graduated with from Stanford with a degree on engineering, he was honored with a Deans’ Award for Academic Accomplishment for his outstanding work on photovoltaic cell performance. His full-length manuscript was accepted by the journal Advanced Energy Materials, with all three reviewers rating it as critically important. “This accomplishment is truly phenomenal and is rare even for PhD students until their fourth year,” said Professor Michael McGehee. “For John to have done this in his undergraduate career makes him the best student that I have ever seen.”

2003 Class Representative Diana Rutherford drutherford@berklee.net 617-731-4374

Leah Abrams Breanna Andrade Clara Allen George Bell Dexter Blumenthal Sarah Bowers Noah Bragg Oliver Bruce Robin Carter Olivia Cinquegrana Matthew Clarkson Dustin Colson Leaning Abigail Dean Brett Drucker Lily Ebbott-Burg Mia Ferguson Rebecca Fine Bradford Gilligan Robin Hansel David Haviland Sofia Julian Ariana Lee Lucy Lyons Kendall MacRae Polly Maroni Marisa Mathison Paul McCallion Moira McCrave-Carrage James McNay Emily Meltzer Lydia Mitchell Layla Muchnik-Benali Devon Mychal Annalise Nurme Leah Pagano Emma Peabody Anya Peck Gabriel Prado Colin Redd John Rodriguez Lindsay Rudolph Natalia Salcedo Sofia Silverglass Trace Smith Natalee Sohn Katharine Taylor-Mighty Theo Thompson Emma Tiedemann Satto Tonegawa Alistair Wilson Morgan Yucel Andrew Zarins

Université de Paris Syracuse University Davidson College University of the South Wesleyan University University of Maine Bowdoin College Bard College Fitchburg State University Hobart William Smith Colorado College Eckerd College Elon University Dartmouth College Hillsdale College Swarthmore College Brandeis University Worcester Polytechnic Institute University of Southern California University of Vermont Boston University Brown University Emmanuel College Dartmouth College Trinity College University of California, San Diego Wesleyan University Boston College Dartmouth College Syracuse University Bates College School of Art Institute, Chicago University of Southern California Amherst College Elon University Tufts University Colby College Roxbury Community College Drexel University Boston College Mitchell College Suffolk University Middlebury College Dartmouth College George Washington University Yale University Emerson College Hobart William Smith Colleges Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Virginia Pomona College Occidental College

Please note that the above list, compiled by the Alumni Office, does not include all members of the Class of 2008. Alumni not appearing on this list are either postponing attending a college or university in the fall, or have not submitted their information to our office. Please call the Alumni Office at 617-274-6022 with any changes or additional information. Thank you.

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

2005

2007

Class Representative Lily Bullitt lily_bullitt@yahoo.com 617-734-8841

Class Representatives Thomas Cope thcope@mxschool.edu 617-552-5662

Read Lily Bullitt’s address to the Class of 2011 at the 123rd graduation exercises— see page 11.

Benjamin Schwartz ben.schwartz5@gmail.com 617-566-5626

2006 Class Representative McCall Cruz mccall_cruz@yahoo.com 617-442-1747

We heard from a few classmates who are heading off to college this fall: Thomas Cope to Connecticut College, Ben Lampert to the University of Arizona, and Ben Schwartz to Lehigh University— congratulations all! Charlotte Thorndike, Kate Maroni, and Liza Scholle (all class of 2010 and lacrosse teammates at Park) played against each other when Nobles played St. Georges last spring.

2008

2011

Class Representatives Marielle Rabins rabinsms@gmail.com 781-431-8668

Class Representatives Gracie Donnell-Kilmer 617-327-7760

Manizeh Afridi manizeh252@yahoo.com 781-449-4340

Red Sox Game, May 18 Over 50 Park alumni and their guests didn’t let a 30-minute rain delay stand in the way of getting together at Fenway Park for the annual alumni night at Fenway. Eventually, the rain stopped and the Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 1–0. Our group enjoyed seeing “Welcome Park Alumni” displayed on the Jumbotron, munching on Cracker Jack and reconnecting with old friends.

Eliza Thomas 617-524-1338

Sofia Silverglass will enter Middlebury College in February 2012 as a member of the Class of 2015.5. During her fall semester, she will be WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) around Europe. She hopes to visit the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, and Greece during her four months abroad.

2009

Join the conversation and find other Park School Alumni

O N L I N E

Cary Williams xocarebearxo327@aim.com 617-696-3663

Ivy Redd Couch ’93 with husband Pastor Mark A. Couch.

2010

Become a fan of “The Park Alumni Association” on Facebook by going to facebook.com/parkschoolalums Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theparkschoolma

Class Representatives Mercedes Garcia-Orozco benzgirl727@aol.com 617-361-6928

Class Representatives Michela Thomsen michelathomsen@hotmail.com 781-251-6699 Gilad Seckler giladseckler@gmail.com 617-244-7588 Annie Goodridge 617-522-3919

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Weddings 1993 Ivy Redd and Mark Couch May 22, 2010 1995 Melissa Deland and Julie Bourquin July 9, 2011

1997 Nia Lutch and Michael Kreppel July 23, 2011 Chase Johnson and Lucy Pear May 28, 2011 1998 Lydia Potter and Eckert Snyder Augst 27, 2011 1999 Doug Presley and Shannon Blair July 16, 2011 2000 Charlie Young and Laura Gilmore July 2, 2011

In Memoriam Michelle Abdul-Aziz July 27, 2011 Mother of Rami Abdul-Aziz ’14 Read Albright ’53 July 16, 2011

Leo Kahn May 11, 2011 Father of Joseph Kahn ’80, Daniel Kahn ’81 and Libby Kahn Mallon ’83; Stepfather of Xandria Birk ’81. Ross Kleiman July 24, 2011 Husband of Peter Amershadian

Caroline Bloy April 30, 2011 Mother of Sarah Bloy ’73 Joe Garland ’36 August 30, 2011 Matthew Grape September 15, 2011 Brother of Katie Grape ’00

Myra Kraft July 20, 2011 Trustee 1978-84. Mother of Jonathan Kraft ’79, Daniel Kraft ’80, Josh Kraft ’82, and David Kraft ’87. Grandmother of Harry Kraft ’12, Sadie Kraft ’15, Anna Kraft ’15, and Jacob Kraft ’17.

Elliott Marcus, M.D. July 25, 2011 Father of Erin Marcus ’78 George S. Richardson, M.D. ’36 July 1, 2011 Father of Bill Richardson ’75, Jonathan Richardson ’76, and George Richardson ’80. Brother of Pierson Richardson ’31 and Elliot Richardson ’35 (deceased). Uncle of Henry Richardson ’70, Margaret Richardson Reick ’72, Nancy Richardson Carlson ’73, Ned Richardson ’74 and Michael Richardson ’75. Grandfather of Ellie Richardson ’12 and Ian Richardson ’17. Howard Weintraub May 11, 2011 Father of Melissa Weintraub ’80

Rebecca Wilsker and Benjamin Peebles-Mundy March 26, 2011

Births 1980 John Humes and Jillian Rudman Devon Harper Humes June 21, 2011 Bard and Jenny Swett Chrisman James Swett Chrisman December 24, 2010 1981 Jennifer and Robert Nadelson Abraham “Bram” Alexander Nadelson July 14, 2011 1985 Matthew Krepps and Stephanie Stamatos Taylor Ana Krepps June 10, 2011 1990 Lawson and Lars Albright Nate Albright January 6, 2011 1994 Jonathan Block and Jen Berylson Block Benjamin Jay Block July 17, 2011 Peter Farland and Meryl Glassman Jack Farland May 7, 2011

Myra Kraft 1942–2011

yra’s many Park School friends were deeply saddened by her death this July. In recent years, Myra and Bob Kraft were frequent visitors at Grandparents’ Day, spending time with Harry, Sadie, Jacob, and Sarah in their classrooms and delighting in their musical performances. In the 1970s and ’80s, the Krafts spent countless hours at the School as parents to their four children, Jonathan, Danny, Josh, and David. Myra was a tireless Parents’ Association volunteer, who, in the fall of 1976, organized the first Harvest Fair. An instant success, the event grew and evolved into Springfest. At the 25th anniversary of the two events in 2001, Myra was lauded for her lasting contribution to the Park community and culture. Myra, who was noted for her leadership at Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston as well as many other organizations, served as a trustee at Park from 1978–84. Then, new Board members were introduced with a short biography in The Park Parent, in which Myra was described as “an advocate of the greatest possible diversity among students and faculty, and a promoter of tuition aid.” It will not surprise anyone that Myra, who has been called one of Boston’s greatest philanthropists, made this astute comment in 1978: “When you choose to send your most precious people, your children, to a school, you want to back that commitment with your own best contributions. I think every family, within their means, should give the School the most support they possibly can.” Harvest Fair 1977

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

Next Schools for Departing Members of the Class of 2012 Jimmy Bell Connie Blumenthal Matthew Casagrande Max Cooper Lily DeBenedictis Chris Duckworth Mabel Gantos Merrick Gillies Halle Hall Jason Hansel Nancy Kacupaj Andrew Kahn Oliver Kendall Joey Kremer

Beaver Country Day School Concord Academy Boston Latin School Newton South High School Newton North High School Belmont Hill School Cambridge School of Weston Choate Rosemary Hall Newton North High School Boston University Academy Beaver Country Day School Buckingham Browne & Nichols School Buckingham Browne & Nichols School Beaver Country Day School

Alex Leighton Jamie Little Jonathan Lumley Gabby Marks James McIntyre Jamie Murray Lulu Porter Ellie Richardson Ari Seckler Neekon Vafa Adon Wade Ayan Warfa Seho Young Amanda Zhou

Milton Academy Milton Academy St. George’s School Beaver Country Day School The Roxbury Latin School Milton Academy Brooks Academy Brookline High School Newton North High School Milton Academy Buckingham Browne & Nichols School Cambridge School of Weston Phillips Academy Phillips Exeter Academy

! e t a D e h Save T

Classes of 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009

Yule Festival

and

Bagel Breakfast

Friday, December 16 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. The Park School Dining Room

The Park School 171 Goddard Avenue Brookline, Massachusetts 02445

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