Celebrating our successes in the 2020-2021 Academic Year
OUR MISSION
Rectory School’s Mission is to provide students, from early childhood through middle school, with an enriched and supportive academic, social, and ethical community that addresses individual learning styles, aptitudes, and needs while promoting personal self-worth and accountability. The school community lives the Rectory School Creed: Responsibility, Respect, Honesty, and Compassion.
2022 Board of Trustees James E. Bell III ’71, P’17 Lisa T. Canter, M.D., P’19 Sheila J. Clancy P’20 Daniel J. De Nuccio P’07, P’08, P’10 Henry B. Eaton ’66 Nathan Follansbee Laurence N. Hale II P’16, P’19, P’21 Nathaniel P. Hamilton, Jr. ’98 James H. Leach ’76 Kevin T. Lewis P’22 William P. Loftus III P’13 William T. Loos ’78, P’09, P’23, P’24 Lloyd W. Montgomery P’19 Jo Ann Morelli Suriano P’14, P’15, P’17 Patricia Mulcahy P’14 Danielle Reilly P’21 Natasha Harvey Swann ’84 Xin Tang P’21, P’23 Kevin M. Tubridy ’60 Johnny L. L. Wells ’03 Van H. Wilshire ’86 Elizabeth H. Zimmermann ’84, P’19 Braden Long, Faculty Liaison Frederick W. Williams, Ex Officio
2021 Board of visitors Denise Archambault Anthony Bannister P’25 Kimberly Bergendahl P’17, P’20 Frederic Avery Bourke III ’83 Marcia Marcotte Brogan ’57 Paula and James Carafotes P’10, P’12, P’17 Allen Chatterton ’75 and Bintou Chatterton Florence Chima P’19 Yeo-Bi Choi ’10 Anne D’Alleva and Cathy Bochain P’20, P’23, P’23 Garfield Danenhower P’90 John Evans P’16 LaRita and Edwin Gordon P’13 Wendy and Earl Gurevitch P’18 Helenka Hopkins Nolan P’19 Ethan Jamron ’95 Emily and Charles Kilvert P’16 Hill Lappen ’93 James H. Leach ’76 Kevin T. Lewis P’22 Victoria Martin
Yuki Matsuo P’22 Judith Mitchell P’08 Robert Nolan P’19 Lynn Pasquerella and John Kuchle P’05, P’05 Lindsay Paul P’17 Robert Perkin ’62 S. Dunham Rowley ’60 and Louise Witherite Samuel K. Scott ’90 Alfred Slanetz P’15, P’15 Charles Tannenbaum ’98 RJ Tolson ’08 Jamel Torrence ’09 Bingnan Wang and Ying Shen P’20 Andronica Stanley-Wheelock P’15 John H. White ’73 Benjamin Williams William Woods GP’08 Zhixin Zou and Yanqin Ding P’21, P’24
THE MAGAZINE OF RECTORY SCHOOL Published for the students, alumni, families, and friends of Rectory School, Pomfret, Connecticut. EDITOR
Dawn Chmura PROOFREADERS Megan Bard and John Xeller PHOTOGRAPHY
Megan Bard, Nicole Bushey, Maria Carpenter, Dawn Chmura, Chip Riegel, Rectory School Archives ON THE COVER
A year of mask-wearing and other COVID-19 protocols allowed Rectory to offer in-person learning in 2020-2021. Cover photo by: Chip Riegel
NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
Rectory School complies with all applicable civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristics in any of its educational programs or activities, including employment. Protected characteristics (or protected classes) include race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, alienage, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by state or federal law. The School is specifically required by Title IX and other applicable federal and state laws not to discriminate in such a manner.
a year of covid at rectory STAY CONNECTED...
02 RECTORY ACADEMICS RISE TO THE COVID CHALLENGE 08 NORMALCY ALLAYS MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS
RECTORY SOCIAL FEED: rectoryschool.org/social
10 LIFE ON DORM 12 A YEAR OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
FACEBOOK: /RectorySchool
14 MELP RETURNS 15 DEI WORK CONTINUES THROUGH COVID
INSTAGRAM: /rectory_school_ct
Departments LINKEDIN: /the-rectory-school
twitter: /RectorySchoolCT
youtube: /c/rectoryschoolct
16 Athletics
32 Alumni notes
18 around Campus
34 alumni profile: corey olds ’84
20 class of 2021 23 Alumni events 26 centennial events 30 alumni profile: matt green ’82
38 alumni profile: madeleine hutchins ’11
Rectory academics rise to the covid challenge By Dawn Chmura, Director of Communications
The 2021-2022 Academic year was a successful year at Rectory, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were many positive things that happened despite, and sometimes because of, the necessary changes due to COVID. Of the many adjustments made to the academic day, perhaps the biggest was offering two schools, one in-person for students in Kindergarten through Grade 9 and the other online for grades 5-9. Academic administrators determined that providing the two-school option would work better for families, whether near or far to Rectory’s campus. (Read “Reopening Rectory Under the COVID Pandemic” in the Fall 2020 Issue of The Rectory News.)
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A YEAR OF COVID AT RECTORY
Scheduling Academics Under
and the in-person school ran 8:00 a.m.-3:00
After assembly, online students met for their
COVID Restrictions
p.m, with approximately 80 percent of learning
final three classes, and in-person middle school
“We spent a lot of time preparing for the school
specialists and over 50 percent of middle school
students began their classes as they would in
year, specifically with scheduling. In addition to
teachers teaching both online and in-person.
a typical year, albeit with the same black and
normal planning, there were so many things we
The schedules were structured so online classes
orange day rotation as the online students.
needed to consider that we never had to think
met for two classes before 8:00 a.m. and three
Rather than students rotating rooms, primary
about before,” Director of Academics Lisa Hart said.
classes afterward. In-person middle school
cohorts remained together, and teachers
students met for an e-assembly each morning
rotated to the students’ primary classrooms. In
Chief among the scheduling challenges was the
at 8:00. Online students joined the e-assembly
addition to the mid-morning break, lunchtime
need to create a special schedule in the middle
twice a week, enabling the entire middle school
was extended to 90 minutes. Students would
school that supported both student cohorts
community time together. Online students
alternate between eating lunch in the dining
and teachers who were teaching in-person and
also met for a special online assembly on
hall, enjoying recess time, and meeting with their
online. The schedule consisted of orange and
Wednesdays, a community-building “Game On”
advisors or teachers for extra enrichment time.
black days with five of seven classes meeting
assembly on Fridays, and extra enrichment time
each day (Blocks 1 & 2 or Blocks 6 & 7 met for
throughout the week. These additional online
“We knew that cohorting and classroom
an hour in the morning every other day, while
assemblies gave Rectory’s online students more
restrictions were going to be difficult for the
Blocks 3, 4, & 5 met for 40 minutes each day).
opportunities to engage with one another and
students. We believed it was essential for them
The online academic day ran 6:00-10:30 a.m.,
their teachers.
to be able to run around outside, so we built in Continues...
Rectory worked hard, and they got us safely through a difficult year, and it showed this was a good community that I wanted to be a part of. It also showed me that there are people who never give up. That’s how I want to be, someone who doesn’t give up, someone that strong.” -Mohamed M. ’22
THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
3
extra recess time in addition to the mid-morning break,” said Glenn Ames, assistant head of school and director of middle school. The non-rotating middle school schedule enabled the elementary school related arts classes to standardize their class times. Director of Elementary Maria Carpenter said, “We loved that related arts classes in the elementary school were at a standard time of day. This allowed every classroom to have a related arts teacher come into the classroom, giving elementary school teachers collaborative time for planning.” The alteration in the middle school schedule allowed the elementary school Individualized
The incredible efforts of the teachers
Instruction Program (IIP) to move to the block
and staff have enabled our children
after school in one of the elementary classrooms. “Ms. [Willa] Gustuvson stayed to monitor the
not only to endure but also to thrive
kids while learning specialists were at home
during these unprecedented and
Zooming in with the kids. This consistency was
challenging times.” -Alyssa Walker P’25 P’27
great,” said Mrs. Carpenter. Adults Supporting Adults During COVID
One only needs to read or listen to the news to know that there are concerns that COVID
It was indeed a team effort with members
“Everyone worked in unison to make this year
affected teaching and learning in the past 18-
from every department—from the faculty and
successful. All of the steps we were taking kept
24 months. But Rectory adults are experts at
administrative staff to facilities and medical
us safe. Having protocols in place and then
supporting students and COVID only made the
professionals. Everyone worked closely with one
having the flexibility to increase the number
School stronger in this area. Perhaps the most
another to accomplish tasks both large and small.
of COVID tests administered had an impact on how we were able to support our students,”
vital cog in the wheel is the familial support the
said Mrs. Hart.
adults in Rectory’s community always provide to
Having our on-campus infirmary has never been
one another, thus reinforcing the total strength
so important. School nurses, led by Jennifer
of the entire system.
Dumais, kept the community informed and
Adults Supporting Students
instilled a sense of well-being in everyone.
During COVID
“Any plan is only as good as the people who
Mrs. Carpenter said, “Mrs. Dumais was always
Because the teachers were feeling safe and
are going to implement it and make it work
there if the classroom teachers or parents had
supported, they were then able to ensure their
every day,” said Director of Teaching and
questions. I called just about every day with some
students felt safe and supported, whether online
Learning Rebecca Pagitt-Mungai. “I think about
medical questions, and they were so good about
or in-person.
what we asked people do, day in and day out,
providing the information. THAT was a huge part
and they did it. When someone was sick or
of making this work.”
needed to be out, we had people who jumped
“Getting everyone aligned was important,” said Mrs. Hart. “We created a baseline in our
in and subbed. Even office people came into
Maintenance and facilities increased ventilation,
learning management system, and expectations
the classrooms to cover classes. It never seemed
helped with daily cleaning, and put up plexiglass
were very detailed. This baseline ensured that
like it was a burden to anyone; everyone just
in classrooms. With the additional protection, the
the student experience, whether in-person or
pitched in. That’s one thing I will always be
science classrooms and lab spaces were in near
online, was consistent because class pages all
grateful for.”
full use.
looked similar.”
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THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
A YEAR OF COVID AT RECTORY
“One thing we learned in the spring of 2020
and were constantly checking on the students’
started to understand more about how they
with distance learning was to set specific
social/emotional well-being.”
learn, and we learned more about what kind of environment and support they need.”
expectations for online students,” said Mr. Ames. “We were very clear about needing to
Evening study halls for boarding students were
see faces and hear voices throughout each
in dorm rooms this year, rather than in small
“In the elementary school, because the students
class. Because we set those expectations, we
group settings typical in normal years. Some
weren’t able to work together, teachers
were able to carry that over to the online
students thrived in this environment while others
created a lot of different workstations in their
school this year. We spent a lot of time with
struggled. “We recognized that there were kids
classrooms,” said Mrs. Carpenter. “So during
the students who tended to want to fade
who were falling between the cracks,” said Mr.
math, for example, some students would work
away online. We took a lot of time with
Ames. “We put an extra study hall and extra
with the teacher, some would work with iPads,
communication, and that’s one thing that
systems in place where everyone could get on
some would work on things the teachers had
made the online school successful.”
board to help support these students. Each
set up on the rug. There was a lot of flexibility
student had to fill out a goal sheet for study hall.
and creativity in how we could present the
“We did that just as much with our in-person
What do you have for assignments? What do
curriculum and knowledge in different ways,
students because they were experiencing
you want to accomplish? What is your plan? This
and teachers really engaged the students.”
different things,” continued Mrs. Hart. “We
is something that we will now institute across
surrounded our in-person students with support
the board. Because of their struggles, students
Continues...
The teachers and faculty at Rectory anticipated what the children would need while they learned in a whole new world. They knew how unsettling and difficult it would feel for the children and created not just an academic schedule, but a Rectory COMMUNITY Schedule. Ashley was supported academically, socially and emotionally. This has always been the case at Rectory, but the emphasis was placed WHERE it was needed most at a time WHEN it was needed most.” -Roberta Fahey P’17, P’19, P’23
Pictured: Roberta’s daughter, Ashley ’23
THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
5
Fear of the “COVID Slide”
about where their child was academically because
According to Mrs. Carpenter, COVID also
The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA),
they didn’t have confidence in the learning
improved attendance. “Attendance was great,”
an American research-based not-for-profit
experience their child had last year. A gap was not
she said. “If they didn’t have to stay home
organization that supports students and
our concern. Our concern is where our students
because they were a close contact, there was
educators, indicated that students were likely to
are and where we can bring them.”
rarely a student who was out sick. There weren’t
retain only 70 percent of gains in reading and
a lot of appointments, so students didn’t need to
less than 50 percent in math from the 2019-
“We were constantly monitoring between regular
2020 academic year. These educational losses
classwork to standard scores what areas needed
When they were in school, they were there for
will likely be most pronounced with students in
to be attended to,” said Mrs. Pagitt-Mungai. “We
the entire day.”
earlier grades. The compounded effects of school
never had to discuss a COVID slide.”
closures due to COVID-19 and the summer break
leave school for dentist or doctors’ appointments.
Building Community Even
could wreak havoc on students’ retention of
“There was no gap in the elementary school,” said
More Important
learning. This is known as the COVID slide. (www.
Mrs. Carpenter. “The kids did well academically.
Rectory adults pride themselves on building
goguardian.com/blog/what-is-the-covid-slide)
We couldn’t collaborate with resources, but the
genuine and lasting relationships with their
teachers found different ways to present their
students. There was concern that COVID
“When we started in the fall, we had 60 new
information. They had the time to present all of
restrictions, both in-person and online, would
students,” said Mrs. Hart. “We read in some of
their curriculum and more, and they felt really
hinder the relationship building that naturally
the applications that parents were concerned
good about what they did.”
occurs during a typical school year. “As we
I was a part of the online school, and I thought it would only be classes, but Rectory did a lot of online activities that helped me feel like I was a part of what was happening on campus.” -Siying “Rella” W. ’22 Rella was chosen as a dorm proctor for the 2021-2022 academic year.
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THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
A YEAR OF COVID AT RECTORY
went through the scheduling process, we tried to create environments to build community,” said Mrs. Hart. “Before the beginning of the fall term, we had 19 middle school faculty members who volunteered to work together on topics like community building. There was a lot of work that went into the preparation for faculty, so when they came back and had to teach both online and in-person, they were able to build that sense of an integrated community.” Those efforts worked so well that sometimes the lines blurred between which students were in-person and which students were online. “Mrs. Hart and I used to joke that we swore we saw these kids in the buildings,” laughed Mrs. Pagitt-Mungai. “We were talking with them so much that we thought they were here on campus. We had to remind ourselves that they were online. This is such a great group of kids, and they are all coming on campus for fall 2021, which is fantastic. I feel like we know them, but we’re looking to see how their personalities unfold on campus.” “I have a little Momma pride,” said Mrs. Hart. “I was so excited to see some of our online students who have only ever been online earn proctorships for the upcoming year. They will be proctors on a dorm because they demonstrated that they could be leaders despite not being on campus this year. It says a lot about our faculty that these students felt comfortable enough to apply to be proctors and that they were able to articulate and understand Rectory so well that they could share and understand what the
communicate; we Zoomed with some parents
Mrs. Hart emphasized the open lines of
expectations were. It’s going to be fun to see
while they were outside in the parking lot before
communication and collaboration for everyone
them in the hallways, and I think they are going
picking up their kids. I want to encourage
involved in teaching our students this year:
to be very excited to be here on campus because
our community to continue having those
“In a year when separation was needed, and
they know so many people already.”
conversations with parents.”
there was so much isolation, you can see that
Strong relationships weren’t just built with
“I’ve never heard over the course of one year
collaboration. Not just between the faculty
adults. Faculty wanted to make sure that parents
from so many parents about how grateful, and
in faculty workrooms but also with parents
continued to feel involved so communications
appreciative they were for what we were doing for
and administration and across departments.
back home to families were even more critical.
their children,” said Mrs. Carpenter. “It’s interesting
Intentional collaboration was a huge backbone
Mrs. Pagitt-Mungai said, “I’ve had more
when you think about it because they [parents]
to our success.”
conversations with parents than in any prior
weren’t allowed out of their cars. I’m so excited
year. For most of this year, parents couldn’t
to hopefully be able to welcome parents into the
visit campus, so we found informal ways to
buildings this year because we’ve missed them.”
Rectory responded with a lot of thought and
THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
7
A Sense of Normalcy Allays Mental Health Concerns By Dawn Chmura, Director of Communications
8
A YEAR OF COVID AT RECTORY
In a year where the COVID-19 pandemic impacted students’ mental health worldwide, students at Rectory found solace in getting back to a quasi-normal routine. Being back on campus, taking classes, participating in athletics (albeit differently from previous years), and participating in activities gave them a sense of normalcy that was comforting and, in a sense, removed them from the stress and anxiety of the outside world. Although the year was not without challenges and disappointments, it was a year where students felt safe and received the guidance and resources they needed to persevere and make the year special.
“In my estimation, last spring [2020] was a particularly challenging time as anxieties and concerns about the pandemic were at a heightened level,” said Director of Residential Life and School Counseling Justin Bendall. “When we came back in the fall for in-person learning, I feel like we had a lot of conversations, trying to allay the fears and concerns by focusing on all of the safety measures we had put into place to keep both students and faculty safe. We also knew how important it was to run activities and offer up opportunities for students to spend time together.” “At the beginning of the year, I was having a lot more students stop by with COVID fears, but that leveled off,” said School Counselor Sarah Maley. “The students I saw I would have seen regardless of the global situation.” But being together on campus wasn’t without challenges, and students needed to develop new skills to help them through situations they may have been able to avoid in the past. “Cohorting was a safety measure we knew we needed, but was definitely a struggle,” said Ms. Maley. “Primary cohorts had students in the
same dorm and primary classes. Under normal circumstances, students can branch out if another student is bothering them—they would visit friends in other dorms or choose different activities, but COVID protocols limited them in what they could do and with whom they could do it. They’ve had to work a lot more on developing conflict resolution skills.” Perhaps the group that COVID impacted the most was Rectory’s ninth-grade students. Student leaders who are typically able to test their wings with special responsibilities and privileges were denied those rites of passage. “I think it affected the ninth graders more than any other group. We had a group of proctors who didn’t have the opportunity to be proctors this year,” said Mr. Bendall. “They had to live in a dorm with other ninth graders, so they didn’t get to do the things that they were anticipating in terms of being a mentor and mediating problems and being looked up to by the younger students. Our ninth graders weren’t able to walk to the Vanilla Bean, which is something that they always looked forward to doing. It’s a short trek off
Mr. Bendall provided areas where students could talk to each other on Tuesday nights. So even if we didn’t have classes with our friends we could still talk with them about what we’re excited about and how we’re doing in school.” -Toni E. ’22
campus, but it’s always been a really big deal to the graduating class. It’s more meaningful than what the actual activity is—and they weren’t able to do that. Conversely, though, looking at it from a positive perspective, they had an experience and a bond that pulled them together more than any of our other previous ninth-grade classes had.” Cesar Rodas, chosen by his classmates to represent them at graduation, clearly agrees. “We have done a great job at accepting the new reality and putting together something that’s good,” Cesar said in his graduation speech. “This year has clearly been different, especially from a social perspective. Masks suppressing our voices, literally not figuratively, and a social distancing requirement restricted our endeavors, but we’ve persevered. I’ve really begun to appreciate the little things, like taking an hour on the pavilion to simply converse. Little interactions that we otherwise would have taken for granted are really what has made this year special.” “I feel like this has been a year in which we’ve been proactive in regards to creating a safe environment—both physically and emotionally— through thoughtful planning,” said Mr. Bendall. “And at the same time, we’ve been responsive to situations as they arise, and we’ve kept our community safe. I think that in the most trying of times, we’ve evidenced that this is a community where we are equipped to take care of our students, even amid a global pandemic. Whether it’s simply trying to do everything that we can do to ensure that they don’t get sick, to being responsive and proactive in regards to the mental health options that we’ve provided, or creating as many opportunities to interact socially with their peers, we’ve proved this year that we can do it, and we do it quite well!” THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
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life on dorm during covid By Justin Bendall, Director of Residential Life and School Counseling
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A YEAR OF COVID AT RECTORY
Even though we couldn’t go off-campus, there were different activities on the weekends that were fun. Even with everything going on with COVID, it felt normal.” -Diana H. ’22
The Residential Life program adapted to COVID
as water pitchers or utensils. Table numbers
by making necessary changes to ensure that
were reduced from 8 to 6 students per table
student safety was paramount in all facets.
with plastic shields segmenting off each space
Students were required to quarantine when
vertically and horizontally from other students;
returning to campus after breaks with limited
table assignments were in place all year and
interaction with one another for the first week,
based on existing dorm cohorts.
including having meals delivered to dorm. Initially, masks were mandatory, visiting other
Study halls were moved into the afternoons as a
students’ dorm rooms was not permitted,
result of having no inter-scholastic athletic games,
and bathroom times were staggered; these
and we were able to provide activity time for
quarantine periods took place after every major
students during weekday evenings in addition
break in the academic calendar.
to the regular weekend times. Following long breaks, students were in cohorts for activities until
Once we emerged from quarantine, life around
the boarding community was determined to be a
campus began to look more normal, with meals
family unit. At that point, students were allowed to
taking place in the dining hall. For mealtimes,
choose which activities they wanted to participate
students arrived at the dining hall after being
in. When the weather was nice, most activities
dismissed from dorm via a “tee time,” which
took place outdoors, and students remained
indicated—down to the minute—when to head
masked at all times. When inside, social distancing
out to ensure social distancing while getting
was stressed, and we limited capacities in certain
food. Administrators on Duty (AOD) and other
locations to help mitigate close interactions. While
staff monitored the lines reminding students
we eliminated store trips for the entirety of the
to stay masked or to spread apart, all while
year, students were encouraged to place online
pouring glasses of water and handing them
orders for items they needed. Proctors helped
out to limit community touching of items such
deliver packages to dorms each day.
While the year was challenging in many ways, the Residential Life program maintained enough normalcy that those students who lived on campus had a great year. In fact, many who were multi-year students commented that it was their favorite year. We are looking forward to having an even better one in 2021-2022!
THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
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A YEAR OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION By Donna Bessette, Director of Related Arts
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THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2020
A YEAR OF COVID AT RECTORY
Student performers rehearsing for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
A fourth-grade student working on a Georgia O’Keeffeinspired painting as part of the Bones and Skeletons study.
Members of the eighth-grade World Drumming class playing on their bucket drums in front of Memorial Dormitory.
While the pandemic placed restrictions on so
Spring Family Weekend. In addition, vocalists
As advised by the Connecticut Department
many areas of student life last year, it did not
and other small groups shared their musical
of Public Health and the National Association
stop Rectory students from expressing their
gifts through pre-recorded contributions at our
for Music Educators, we refrained from group
creativity in the arts. We offered a full range
monthly chapel services.
singing; and our choral program focused on soloists. Soloists were featured in assemblies,
of experiences for our students, with some modifications. Although our full orchestra and
The Collins Family Art Barn and woodshop were
concerts, and chapel programs. In addition,
jazz band could not rehearse, we provided
also bustling with activity as they took on some
as restrictions eased, Rectory continued its
instrumentalists with new opportunities. Fifth
exciting projects. Due to the nature of the art form,
most popular tradition of the Spring Musical
and sixth graders were the first students to
our students had fewer modifications in this area
Theater production, putting on a wonderfully
participate in our new ukulele program, and
than they did in music. One of the most exciting
entertaining performance of You’re a Good Man,
students from both the online and in-person
silver linings of the pandemic was seeing the many
Charlie Brown.
communities enjoyed this new offering. Our
ways students in our online school program shared
advanced instrumentalists took advantage of
their art with those on campus. Ninth graders
It was more important than ever to allow
our wonderful P.Y. and Kinmay Tang Performing
continued to submit their traditional tile designs
students to express their joys and frustrations
Arts Center and practiced in individual practice
(see photo on inside front cover) and fantastic
through the arts during the past year. Their
rooms throughout the building, improving
online digital photography; a new course added
creative efforts were not only therapeutic for
their craft while remaining safe. Our eighth
this past year. Each week, in her “This is Art”
them but were also a gift to the community and
graders in the World Drumming class added
feature at morning assemblies, art teacher Judy
a bright spot in these challenging times. We
bucket drumming to their course and especially
Blakelock shared examples of student artwork so
are grateful for their courage and perseverance
enjoyed playing outside when the weather
that all students and teachers, wherever they were
to continue to create and for their flexibility as
permitted. There was music from all ends of the
living, could share in the experience.
the process changed daily. We are incredibly thankful for the dynamic, resourceful, and caring
campus. Our fourth graders, who traditionally learn to play the recorder, played outside the
Students in the ninth-grade digital media class
teachers across all of Rectory’s related arts who
elementary school building on the other side of
and eighth and ninth-grade acting classes
provided our students with a safe and nurturing
campus. While we had limited opportunities to
carried on as they did in previous years. We were
environment to express themselves in the arts.
perform live for the community, we had three
grateful for their developing skills in this area,
full virtual concert programs broadcasted during
as we were reliant upon video recordings of our
Fall Family Weekend, the Holiday season, and
work more than ever.
THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
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A YEAR OF COVID AT RECTORY
melp returns experiential learning program resumed in may 2021 By Fred Williams, Head of School Not even COVID-19 could keep MELP, Rectory’s week-long spring experiential learning program, from happening this year. By bringing all of our ninth-grade day students onto campus and into dorms for nine days prior to departure, we created family units that were able to fully enjoy MELP—mask free—as we headed to various remote places in New England for full-week adventures that explored Acadia National Park, Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod, and the Allagash wilderness. Grades 5-8 enjoyed on-campus activities and local day trips, while online students had their own creative and engaging MELP experiences—the online escape rooms were very popular! The elementary school went under the sea spending a week learning about the ocean and its inhabitants. MELP is one of the best weeks of the year, a statement more true than ever this spring. In a year where too much has not been possible, enjoying MELP was a powerful antidote to any COVID blues.
Formerly the MARCH Experiential Learning Program, MELP was held in MAY in 2021, a change that will continue in 2022.
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A YEAR OF COVID AT RECTORY
diversity equity & inclusion rectory’s dei work continues through covid By Melissa Zahansky, DEI Director Although Rectory adjusted to a campus climate that looked and felt much different from years prior, we didn’t allow it to slow the work we needed to embark upon to make Rectoy a more equitable institution. A highlight of this journey was a Zoom gathering facilitated by Steve Davis from the Institute for Human Relations, with 20 BIPOC alumni and past and current parents, to listen and better understand their experience on our campus.
Leadership, & Difference) program allowing forums for regular discussions
Hearing their voices allowed us, with the guidance of Mr. Davis, to pursue
on DEI. Our goal is to continue to provide opportunities for our children
a thoughtful, intentional process in our diversity, equity, and inclusion
to explore and embrace their identities while learning how to understand
(DEI) work.
and respect others.
As a school, we established a DEI Executive Committee, with
Our faculty utilized the many online opportunities offered this past year
representation from several leaders throughout Rectory, and thoughtfully
to continue educating themselves in areas specific to their teaching. In
evaluated how better to recognize, value, and respect each member of our
July, a group of 20 administrators and faculty attended the CAIS Future
community. Our DEI strategic plan includes developing and implementing
of Learning is Now!: Anti-Bias Teaching conference with Liz Kleinrock as
curriculum with a representation of the different perspectives of our world
the keynote speaker. We will continue to allow for these opportunities
community, offering professional development focusing on culturally
and are excited to incorporate a DEI workshop into our professional
responsive teaching and relating, recruiting, and retaining BIPOC faculty
development this year.
and students, and engaging and involving parents, alumni, board, and student voices to guide the process. Throughout our curriculum and advisory time, we worked collectively to discuss identity, racism, cultural appreciation, gender, and equality with educators facilitating developmentally appropriate conversations and students leading the discussions. This past April, 21 Rectory middle school students participated in the CAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference
Recognizing this work is constantly evolving and ongoing, the Rectory community is committed to continued efforts in cultivating a space where each child feels safe, heard, and valued.
and continued our S.H.I.E.L.D. (Student Happiness, Inclusion, Equity, 15
ATHLETICS
rectory wolves defeat covid in athletics By Courtney Callanan, Assistant Athletic Director John Wooden once said, “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” As we approached this school year, there were many things we could not do when it came to athletics. No games, no contact drills, wearing masks, and much more. But we did not let that stop us from what we could do. We provided students with a space outside the classroom to play, run, be a part of a team atmosphere, and work on their skills for the sports they love. We faced many challenges due to state and national guidelines, but with the mentality of determination, coaches and students overcame those challenges each week and each season. Challenges often mean change, and sometimes that change can be a positive thing. Along with the traditional fall offerings, we created a mountain biking team and a fall tennis team. We added new activities such as a disc golf course, a footgolf course, an outdoor volleyball net for teams to use, and pickleball became a crowd favorite. Our coaches continually developed new ways to keep the athletes engaged. Staying on campus for winter sports meant we had no access to the Pomfret Rink, Hale YMCA, or the Pomfret Squash courts. With this challenge in front of us, we adapted and created a new sports schedule to accommodate our students. We were able to offer boys and girls basketball, fitness, fencing, winter warriors, hockey on our new outdoor ice rink, and we transformed the wrestling room into a competitive ping-pong/pickleball arena. With two seasons of successful and safe athletic activities, spring continued to look even more favorable for our sports teams. We were able to offer all of our typical spring sports and even a new spring adventure offering. Our golf team traveled to the local Connecticut National Golf Course for practice each day. Our tennis courts beamed with students perfecting their serves. Our lacrosse, baseball, softball, and track teams took over our fields and created a space where they worked hard and improved every day. The 2020-2021 Rectory Athletics year will be one many of us never forget. As we move on and put this year behind us, the coaches and student-athletes should be proud because what they could not do did not interfere with what they did do. (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): Fitness,
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THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
Vollyeball, Fencing, Equestrian
ATHLETICS
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): Winter
Warriors, Basketball, Hockey, Baseball, Golf, Track, Tennis, Winter Fitness THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
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AROUND CAMPUS
campus recap Rectory School’s Centennial Year meant commemorating the past and looking forward to the future while handling the challenges of the present. The COVID-19 pandemic meant that usual on-campus activities needed to be rethought not canceled. We celebrated the people and well-loved traditions that make Rectory so amazing and experienced new activities that we hope will continue long into Rectory’s future.
Kellogg Award The Kellogg Award, established in 1993 by Rectory alumnus Peter Kellogg ’57 in honor of his mother, Mrs. James Crane Kellogg III, recognizes Rectory employees for their dedication and commitment to Rectory School. Each year, two employees are selected to be recipients of this award because of their many years of service and their special help to the school and students. On April 12, 2021, Mr. Williams announced the two 2021 recipients: Lisa Hart and Meghan Fluckiger. Learn about their accomplishments and why they were selected for this prestigious award when you visit www.rectoryschool.org/facawards.
MLK Day: Centennial Acts of Service What started as one day of service expanded to include the full month of January as Rectory School celebrated its 100th year with its Centennial Acts of Service campaign, which coincided with its annual MLK Jr. Day of Service. Guided by Dr. King’s “most persistent” question, the world-wide Rectory community was invited to participate in Rectory’s decade-long tradition of service to others. Students, alumni, families, employees, and friends took the challenge and participated in various acts of community service around the world. Learn more at www.rectoryschool.org/service-project.
Rectory Regatta On May 22, 2021, a dragon boat, several elaborate squareshaped vessels, and even one that included the Rectory Memorial Bell (music included!) returned to the pond for the annual Rectory School Regatta. Roughly a dozen recycled cardboard and duct tape creations launched from the shoreline, with more than half making it all the way across and with some even able to make the return trip.
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AROUND CAMPUS
Science (electric and solar cars) A highlight for each Grade 8 science class is the end-of-year construction of electric and solar vehicles. (The lead up to which includes learning the basics of motion, speed, work, and power.) The Spring 2021 classes did not disappoint! Electric cars zipped down tracks set up along an academic wing hallway while solar cars sped across parking lots.
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Eligible Rectory faculty and staff ventured over to Pomfret School’s fieldhouse to take part in a historic COVID-19 vaccination clinic offered by our regional health district, the Northeast District Department of Health. Faculty and staff members received their first and second doses of the Moderna, Inc., vaccine in early March and April, respectively. Here’s to a bright, healthy, and happy future!
Centennial Tree What does Rectory mean to you in its centennial year? The greater Rectory community was invited to “decorate” the Centennial Tree created outside the Hettinger Library with words and pictures that share what the school means to them in celebration of our 100 years of dedication to the academic and overall growth of our students. The black and orange tree, designed by art teacher Judy Blakelock, became a meeting place for some and a place to reflect for others.
Outdoor Ice Rink You can’t keep Rectory students off the ice! A wonderful new addition to the campus appeared as temperatures dropped during the winter months. A temporary outdoor ice rink took the place of basketball courts on the Seaward Family Student Pavilion. Students enjoyed broomball competitions and pick-up hockey games on the weekends. During the week our ice hockey team took advantage of the rink whenever possible and our elementary school students took the opportunity to strap on blades for a leisurely skate during break time.
Ice Cream Truck Who doesn’t enjoy an ice cream or frozen treat on a warm spring day?! On May 20, 2021, to show appreciation to our faculty and staff for what they do throughout the year, the Committee for Academic Excellence (CAE) hosted a Mr. Softee ice cream truck on campus and treated employees to as many scoops, floats, and frappes as they liked.
THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
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COMMENCEMENT 2021
the Class of 2021: a milestone class
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AWARD WINNER
Excerpted from Fred Williams’ Welcome Speech at Rectory’s Centennial-Year Graduation Ceremony.
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AWARD WINNER
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The Class of 2021, our centennial-year class, has distinguished itself like no other group in the history of Rectory School. This was not the school year you expected nor wanted. And it would not have been unreasonable for griping and a degree of self-pity to insert themselves into your outlook. You could not play sports as you know them, could not engage in off-campus anything for much of the year, and could not go to Sunday River or Wachusett. You could not interact much with those outside your primary cohort groups, and you couldn’t even go to the bathroom without sliding the indicator and adhering to COVID protocol.
may say we traveled all that way for nothing, you were just happy for the bus ride. And you celebrated the simple joy of traveling in a Rectory bus through the McDonald’s drive-thru to order some fast food with enthusiasm even Ray Kroc could never have imagined. You also took the opportunity to develop new interests such as pickleball and disc golf when old pursuits were not available. Some of you lost out on a favorite sport this year as COVID prevented certain options from occurring, particularly in the winter. But you found new interests in fitness or pick-up hockey on Rectory’s outdoor rink while you looked towards a return to favored choices in the future.
At times I expect you all felt a degree of bitterness and loss of opportunity this year. But these moments were few and far between for the Class of 2021. Rather than lament your losses, you celebrated the first off-campus trip when we went to see the holiday lights in Woodstock. And you weren’t dismayed one bit when we showed up only to find out the lights weren’t even open that night. While some
You have grown and matured significantly, Class of 2021. And in a year that had too many “You can’t,” you focused on “We can.” This attitude resulted in the emergence of a number of new student clubs, an undefeated baseball team—who cares that it was a one-game season, off-campus MELP trips, arguably the most impressive student regatta boat ever from Hamilton South, and the first-ever Grub Hub
1) The John and Millie Green Cup was awarded to Prajna Wang, Xi’an. 2) The Patrick D. Wood ’01 Memorial Prize was awarded to Blake Zahansky. 3) The John Bloodworth Mobley, Jr. Class of 1991 cup was awarded to Tyler Mangual.
“You did it, Class of 2021, and you have left an indelible impact on our school that will live on well into our next century. You are a milestone class, and we could not have wished for a better group of young people 3
AWARD WINNER
with which to share this unique school year.” ~Fred Williams, Welcome Speech at Rectory’s Centennial-Year Graduation Ceremony
food deliveries to the Rectory campus. More importantly, “we can” resulted in a school year that furthered your learning, your leadership skills, and your progress towards your career aspirations in a year where that was at risk for so many. Across all of this, all members of the Class of 2021, whether in person or online, were an integral part of this special community regardless of distance or time zone.
n While
Heavily influenced by Carol Dweck’s best-seller, Mindset, I am a firm believer that there are important takeaways in all situations, particularly what we have experienced these last 18 months. With Dweck in mind, the following observations come to mind when reflecting on this past year:
n Finally,
n Being
apart from family and friends—some of our students have not been home since before the pandemic—reminds us of the importance of loved ones in our lives. We should never take having these people in our lives for granted.
undesired, the challenges we faced at Rectory were nothing compared to the challenges others continue to experience, revealing it is better to appreciate what we have than pine for what we don’t.
n Having
the opportunity to learn on a daily basis is a gift, one we should always take advantage of. we can survive, in fact, thrive, existing amongst the same members of our primary cohort group for the bulk of the day. As I witnessed parent/child reunion hugs at the conclusion of this school year, and as I observed our students across the past nine months, I believe the members of the Class of 2021 and their Rectory peers share these takeaways and recognize their good fortune. Our school also recognizes its good fortune as we will soon be calling these young people before me Rectory alumni. THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
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COMMENCEMENT 2021
graduation day awards The Mabel B. Bigelow Memorial Cup: Shurui “Julia” Zhao, Southbridge, MA
Named in honor of the School’s co-founder, this cup is awarded to a female member of the graduating class who displays outstanding excellence in character and who has shown great interest in, and has contributed toward, the welfare of the School. The Father Bigelow Memorial Cup: Yihan “Carson” Ling, Dalian, China
Presented to a male member of the graduating class who best exemplifies those human characteristics Father Bigelow sought to cultivate in all students. These characteristics are best articulated in John Bigelow’s “Prayer for Rectory,” which reads, “To work well, to play well; to think clearly, to speak the truth; to win without pride, to lose without rancor; to have courage, and to be kind. This is a goal for the greatest: It is a goal that the least may reach. To teach this is the whole purpose of schools. To know this is the whole meaning of life.” The Mr. and Mrs. John Character Cup: Maxtin Hart, Pomfret Center, CT
Donated in 1952 in honor of Mr. and Mrs. John Bigelow, this cup is intended for a member of the graduating class who has made great progress in all areas of school life, and who has displayed the kindness, compassion, and spirit which is exemplified in the “Rectory child.” The Thomas B. Harrison Cup: Manual Martin del Campo Arceo, Mexico City, Mexico
Presented for outstanding sportsmanship and consideration for others, not only on the playing field but in all areas of school life. The Alexander C. Vasiloff Memorial Award: Yuping “Nessa” Tang, Shanghai, China
Presented to that Rectory student who best exemplifies those eclectic characteristics which Mr. Vasiloff lovingly brought to this community. They include an interest in history, science and mathematics, arts, and literature. 22
The John Frazar Austin Cup: Brody Zahansky, Pomfret Center, CT
Given by John Frazar Austin, a member of the class of 1949, this cup is awarded annually to a student who best exemplifies the “fighting spirit” which will not permit him/her to quit, whether in sports, in studies, or striving for general improvement.
class of 2021 matriculation Asheville School Brooks School (2) Choate Rosemary Hall Church Farm School
John Bloodworth Mobley, Jr. Class of 1991 Cup: Tyler Mangual, Willimantic, CT
Given by John’s parents, the Mobley Cup is awarded to the proctor who, while wholeheartedly embracing all responsibilities associated with the proctor position, best represents the characteristics by which John is recalled here; specifically, tolerance toward, support of, and enthusiasm for his/her peers throughout his/her career at the School. The Adam B. Silver ScholarAthlete Cup: Carson Ames, Pomfret, CT
Culver Academies Deerfield Academy (2) Eagle Hill School Episcopal High School Frederick Gunn School Hebron Academy Kent School (2) Lawrenceville School
Established in honor of Adam, class of 1982, by his parents, the Silver Cup is given to that student who has demonstrated not only spirit, energy, inquisitiveness, and vigor in the classroom, but determination and commitment on the athletic fields.
Loomis Chaffee School (2)
The John and Millie Green Cup: Prajna Wang, Xi’an, China
New England Innovation Academy
Presented to the student who, in the opinion of the faculty, has brought an uplifting spirit and sense of joy to the school community. The Goodridge-Barber Academic Cup: Minran “William” Wang, Shanghai, China
Presented to Father Bigelow in 1927 by a gentleman who said he was tired of seeing the most handsome cups at graduation exercises everywhere go to the best athletes, rather than the best scholars. He was determined that Rectory would have a truly splendid looking cup to present to its top student. The Charles Rockwell Cup: Cesar Rodas, Newark, NJ
Donated by Mr. Charles Rockwell, the father of three Rectory graduates: Charles, Jr., 1929; Henry, 1930; and Paul, 1935, the Rockwell cup is awarded to “that person in the graduating class who has done the most for Rectory.” PATRICK D. WOOD ’01 MEMORIAL PRIZE: BLAKE ZAHANSKY, POMFRET CENTER, CT
Awarded to the top student from Windham County matriculating at Pomfret School.
Marianapolis Preparatory School Masters School Middlesex School
New Hampton School (3) Northfield Mount Hermon School Pomfret School Portsmouth Abbey School Proctor Academy Salisbury School St. Mark’s School Suffield Academy Tabor Academy Taft School The Hill School Vermont Academy Westminster School Woodstock Academy
ALUMNI EVENTS
20202021 alumni events
ALUMNI SPEAKER SERIES
clayton leblanc ’93
jonathan baker ’78
hank smith ’76
The Alumni Speaker Series is a program intended to feature Rectory alumni who are experts in their fields as they offer an intimate, in-depth perspective on their life work to the alumni community. This year’s editions included: The Art of Brewing with Clayton LeBlanc ’93, The Art of Finance with Hank Smith ’76, and The Art of Filmmaking with Jonathan Baker ’78. Presenters began with a snapshot of their Rectory experience and wove their experience through their professional journey. Viewers had the opportunity to pose questions and gain insight into the fields that framed each session. The Alumni Speaker Series was highly successful in its inaugural year and will continue in an ondemand format this year.
stay connected with your fellow alumni by visiting: rectoryschool.org/alumni
THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
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ALUMNI EVENTS
2021 REUNION CLASS VIRTUAL MEET-UPS
The 2021 milestone reunion classes of 1971, 1996, and 2011 connected on Zoom in the fall of 2020 for what was intended to be a virtual precursor to an in-person alumni reunion and Centennial celebration. Each meet-up was well attended by alumni as well as past and current Rectory faculty and staff. It was astonishing how quickly classmates fell into nostalgic storytelling and familiar repartee, even if they had not seen each other in years. Many alumni used the relative comfort of a virtual gathering as a way to reengage with the Rectory alumni community in advance of future in-person gatherings. As we hopefully move back toward traditional alumni gatherings, Rectory is likely to continue offering virtual meet-ups to include those individuals who are unable to return to campus for events. VIRTUAL FALL FAMILY WEEKEND
Rectory was forced to forego its traditional Fall Family Weekend due to the travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the usual parent-teacher conferences, athletic games, artistic performances and presentations, and all school meals, parents met with teachers remotely and attended several hybrid live/recorded video showcases of academics and the arts. Though there is no substitute for the hugs and physical reconnections between parents and students that are the highlight of Fall Family Weekend, parents sent photographic and video messages to their students wishing them well for the remainder of the fall term. It was truly a community effort that helped Rectory experience as close to a normal school year as possible given the circumstances. ASIA VIRTUAL RECEPTIONS
Head of School Fred Williams and Associate Director of Development Marcia Williams hosted several virtual receptions for current parents living in China and Korea. Mr. Williams normally travels to these areas each fall, and Rectory families often host festive receptions for all who are able to attend. This year, Mr. Williams interacted with Rectory’s Chinese and Korean families over Zoom, and where conditions allowed, some groups of parents were able to gather together for the event. Given the distance between these parents and their children, a distance made greater due to the challenges of the pandemic, the ability to spend time with other parent families and the Williams family helped strengthen the relationship between our campus community and our most geographically distant community members. DEI ROUNDTABLE
Rectory held a small, virtual event on March 25, 2021, focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. We invited members of the alumni and parent community to share their stories about Rectory School, with particular emphasis on identity and race. Head of School Fred Williams and Rectory DEI Director Melissa Zahansky attended the event, and it was facilitated by Steve Davis from The Institute for Human Relations. It was an enlightening evening of listening, sharing, and openness.
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THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
Watch the recording of Rectory’s Spring 2021 Alumni Awards Ceremony at www.rectoryschool.org/alumni/awards.
ALUMNI EVENTS
VIRTUAL SPRING FAMILY DAY
Spring Family Weekend occurred as Spring Family Day in 2021 on April 23. The events of the day began with an interactive website that included a welcome from Head of School Fred Williams, a student art gallery, and a Centennial presentation entitled, Rectory’s Roots! Parents were invited to attend a live, virtual spring chapel that included student and faculty readings, songs, and prayers. The afternoon was filled with glimpses into Rectory’s classrooms which featured recorded lessons in various subjects followed by a live question and answer with faculty and students. The afternoon also included the elementary school’s Grandparent and Special Friend Zooms during which students’ relatives and family friends brought items to share on Zoom that had special importance to their relationship with their student. The day concluded with an All-School Zoom that included remarks by Fred Williams highlighting the successes of the school year, spoken word poems performed by students, and a pre-recorded musical showcase. VIRTUAL ALUMNI REUNION
In lieu of the Centennial Gala, which was moved to April 2022, alumni reunion took place on Zoom and was comprised of the alumni leadership awards and reunion class breakout rooms. The awards portion of the event was one of Rectory’s highest attended virtual gatherings of the year. Hundreds of alumni, faculty, family members, and friends attended to honor Distinguished Service Award recipients Carl Sr. and Michael ’70 Kempner and Lisa Levesque, Athletic Wall of Honor inductees Coach George Groom and Norm Riker ’85, and Emerging Leader Award recipients Yeo Bi Choi ’10 and Jamel Torrence ’09. After the awards presentation concluded, the group split into breakout rooms based on when they graduated from Rectory. Despite the physical distance, Rectory connections remained strong, and the evening was an unequivocal success. LEAVING THE WOLF DEN
Leaving the Wolf Den is a program that introduces Rectory ninth graders to the Alumni and Development Office and begins to identify what it means to be a Rectory School alumnus. We were able to hold an in-person gathering for all on-campus ninth-grade students on May 18, 2021, that featured a keynote address from alumnus and faculty member Quadry Anderson ’09, a presentation by the alumni office, an opportunity to write letters to self that
they will receive at their 10-year reunion, and a special lunch of pizza and ice cream. The outdoor, distanced gathering produced a refreshing feeling of normalcy in an otherwise unusual year. A virtual version of the program was offered via Zoom for students who learned online this year. They enjoyed the full benefit of the program, except for the pizza and ice cream! BOARD OF VISITORS
Rectory welcomed its Board of Visitors to an annual meeting on May 14, 2021. Conducted virtually via Zoom, more than 20 Visitors attended a packed morning of programming that detailed Rectory’s current operations and initiatives and outlook toward the future. The Board of Visitors is a group of Rectory alumni, parents, and friends who take a special interest in the success of the school and periodically offer feedback on ways to optimize the educational experience of our students. The annual meeting program began with the Visitors attending the middle school virtual assembly. They then viewed a broad spectrum of pieces from the music and art departments. Visitors observed classroom lessons and had an opportunity to hear reflections from, and ask questions of, Rectory faculty and students. The meeting concluded with a session led by Fred Williams who gave a candid review of Rectory’s current situation and future plans. Visitors asked many important questions that will help guide Rectory’s work in the year to come. We hope to offer a hybrid in-person and virtual Board of Visitors annual meeting in the spring of 2022. 8TH GRADE LEADERSHIP CELEBRATION
The 8th Grade Leadership Celebration is Rectory’s way of bidding farewell to those students departing for secondary school and of recognizing the rising ninth graders who will serve as exemplars for the Rectory School student community. This year’s version was a hybrid event with on-campus students, Head of School Fred Williams, and keynote speaker Norm Riker ’85 attending in the Tang Center for the Arts and online students and student families attending virtually. Mr. Williams acknowledged those eighth graders who were departing, presenting each a certificate of commendation and a Rectory School alumni pin. Mr. Riker drew upon his Rectory experience as well as his time as a collegiate athlete and college soccer coach to keep the students on the edges of their seats. We hope each member of the eighthgrade class develops as leaders wherever they attend school this year. THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
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2020-2021 centennial events With the orange pop of Centennial Banners visible across campus in summer 2020, Rectory’s Centenary was off to a high-flying start. Whether online or on campus, students, alumni, families, friends, and staff around the globe celebrated Rectory’s 100 years since its founding in 1920 by Frank and Mabel Bigelow. See the fun we had this past year, and then make plans to attend our Centennial Weekend scheduled for April 22-24, 2022.
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6 photos: 1) Centennial Banners Flying High Across Campus. 2) “Centennial” Pumpkin is Winner in Pumpkin Carving Contest - October 2020. 3) Rectory Community, World-wide Service Project - MLK Day - January 2021. 4) Winter Carnival, Co-founder Father Bigelow in Glasses - circa late 1920s. 5) Winter Carnival Revived, Almost 100 Years Later - February 2021. 6) Snowboarding then and now.
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2020-21 CENTENNIAL EVENTS
7 photos: 7) Centennial Tribute Tree, 100th Day of School Celebrations - February 2021. 8 & 9) Detail of a heart “leaf” from the Centennial Tribute Tree. 10) Elementary School Alumni Letters, 100th Day of School Celebrations - February 2021. 11) Memorial Building float in the Centennial Regatta on Rectory Pond - May 2021. 12) Winning Art Entry, Centennial Student Art, Video, and Writing Contest - March-April 2021. 13) Centennial Class Graduation - June 2021. 14) Centennial Yearbook, Dedicated to Co-founders Frank and Mabel Bigelow - June 2021.
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MEET YOU ON CAMPUS FOR CENTENNIAL WEEKEND! FOR MORE INFO OR TO RSVP NOW: SCAN WITH YOUR PHONE CAMERA OR VISIT RECTORYSCHOOL.ORG/CENTENNIALWEEKEND
CENTENNIAL WEEKEND APRIL 22–24, 2022 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS* Friday, April 22 Registration opens at 3:00 p.m.
• Guided Campus Tour • Evening Social Hour
Saturday, April 23 Registration opens at 10:00 a.m.
• Head of School’s Welcome with Dedication Ceremony • Campus Tours • Athletic Contests • Ninth grade v. Faculty Volleyball Game • Children’s Activities • Photos with Wolfie • Historical Presentation • Faculty/Student Panel • Saturday Noon Cook-out Saturday Evening Gala
Sunday, April 24 • Breakfast in Dining Hall • Sunday Reflection and Remembrance at Christ Church • Early Morning Activities: golf, walk/run, yoga, tennis ...and more! * This Gala Weekend was originally scheduled for April 2021 but was postponed due to COVID. All information is subject to change. Please visit the Centennial pages of Rectory’s website for the most recent planning information or to RSVP.
www.rectoryschool.org/ centennialweekend
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ALUMNI PROFILE
matt green ’82 “graduating kids who care— about each other, about learning, and about the future.” By John Xeller, Alumni Relations Manager/Special Events Coordinator
The 2020-2021 academic year was unlike any other in Rectory’s 100-year history. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the entire world to consider new ways of doing things, and how to educate children despite new and unforeseen challenges became a central issue within the broader health crisis facing our society. Rectory School has dealt with adversity in the past on an institutional level, and few people in the Rectory community could speak more expertly about Rectory’s past challenges and triumphs as well as the issues brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic than Matt Green ’82. His Rectory experience began as the son of former Headmaster, John Green and continued as a student for his ninth-grade year. His familiarity with the pandemic’s effect on schools comes from 30
his current position as Head of School at Falmouth Academy in Massachusetts. Parts of this article are adapted from Matt’s interview with Falmouth’s publication, Centerpiece. In the early 1980s, Rectory School was at an inflection point. The United States was barely out of a recession, and there was a considerable amount of domestic and international instability. At Rectory, the school was being led by its first non-Bigelow headmaster, and the challenges facing that man, John Green, were steep to say the least. Chief among those challenges were updating and maintaining a campus that was attractive to families considering sending their children and then, enrolling a student body
that would fill the dorms and classrooms. The Rectory of today faces some similarly steep challenges, many of which are intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is a fitting time to look back to prior moments of adversity in order to acknowledge the steadfastness of Rectory’s values. Mr. Green shared some thoughts about his Rectory experience and, in particular, how growing up on a boarding school campus prepared him for his current role as head of school. Though shielded from many of the particulars of independent school management, as most children are, Matt Green had an insider’s perspective on Rectory School during his time on campus. He remembers some of what he calls
ALUMNI PROFILE
“big things” like upgrades to many of the campus buildings. He knew enough to describe his father’s leadership style as “a thrifty approach to school management.” Matt Green recognized then, and appreciates more now, that Rectory was adapting to changing circumstances while he was there, and it took the creative, not to mention dogged efforts, of the adults on campus, led by his father, to ensure the school was able to maintain its commitment to its founding mission. Those same adults who were responsible for the big things going on at Rectory more importantly formed the foundation of the “little things” Matt Green remembers that made his time as a student there so fulfilling. He reminisced about two distinctly different groups of faculty from his tenure who were united by two critical characteristics. There were the “anchor tenant families” who were settled on campus and likely to remain on faculty more than a year or two. Then, there were the “single masters” who likely took their job on the promise of free housing and work experience with little or no intention of making it a career. It is important to note that Green remembers the names of faculty from both groups so even though many faculty members taught, coached, and lived at Rectory for only one year, they still had ample opportunity to have a memorable influence on their students. The two characteristics that united these two groups, in Green’s eyes, were their incredible work ethic and their unflinching care for each and every student. Green remembered a faculty who tended to student needs morning, noon, and night. In addition to being teachers and coaches, they were drivers, hygiene monitors, occasional cooks and bakers, conflict mediators, and compassionate ears. Even though he never witnessed the planning in person, Green knows they also found time to plan engaging academic lessons. Much of what he learned remained with him for many years after leaving Rectory’s campus. There was the seventh-grade science project on water power that spanned academic departments when Green and his partner visited Rectory’s woodshop to design water wheels to put their learning into practice. More recently, it was the recall of geographic information related to Sri Lanka with a family friend who was working there–information
first learned in Green’s “People of South Asia” course at Rectory. It was the dedication of the adults at Rectory that committed so much of his Rectory experience to memory. That dedication began with his father who, as headmaster, would often, as Green recalled, invite students to “step into his office.” While there was often a reprimand waiting for the invited student, it was always accompanied by a promise of and plan for support aimed at helping the student grow. That feeling of being “cared for” stuck with Green long after his days at Rectory and influenced his own pursuit of a career in education. He said, “We (Rectory students) started caring about what they (faculty) cared about.” It was an early example of how learning and personal growth begin when passionate, caring adults take interest in students. After leaving Rectory, Green attended Avon Old Farms for secondary school, then enrolled at Tufts University, earning a bachelor’s degree in English, before earning a master’s degree in education at Harvard University. Guided by the principles of compassion and caring learned at Rectory and bolstered by the tools honed at Tufts and Harvard, Green embarked on a 28 year (to date) journey as school teacher and administrator. He has worked at three different independent schools, and as one might imagine given his length of service, Green has seen just about everything imaginable. No matter what the challenge has been, Green relied on the strong foundation of his education to, “recognize, adapt to, find the opportunity in, and ideally mitigate the effects of such instability.” The COVID-19 pandemic forced a total change in perspective on a global level in terms of day-today challenges, and Green’s experience as Head of School at Falmouth Academy during that time shows how important his education has been for helping him set an example of how to maintain academic excellence and care for each person despite previously inconceivable adversity. When asked how Falmouth Academy has responded to the pandemic, Green pointed out that though the community has experienced the full range of negative emotions in the last year and a half, to this point, they have been “fortunate on so many fronts.” Falmouth was able to operate all school year in person, and for this achievement, Green credited the faculty and
students. He lauded teachers who displayed “a sense of shared ownership” and who “adapted quickly and well to both the tools and practice of instructional technology.” No matter what came their way, the faculty kept as their focus the well-being of its students. Green was effusive with praise of the students as well who he said adapted to protocols without much complaint and who also, “found ways to maintain a sense of joy.” At the beginning of the school year, Green told his students they had a choice to “wallow in what school wasn’t” or to “make school the very best it could be,” and he was so pleased that they chose the latter. When considering the prospects of the 2021-2022 school year, Green anticipated that some aspects of school life would return to pre-pandemic conditions but that a great deal of uncertainty would remain the norm. He acknowledged that students today “are being educated in a time of extraordinary and increasingly destabilizing global change.” He was optimistic, however, that reliance on stalwart values and well-grounded principles would help to provide the stability that students will need. Just as commitment to hard work and care for the individual student by the faculty helped shape his experience at Rectory School, Green now works to instill a belief in a shared vision for the future that is grounded in “teachers who know students one-by-one” and emphasis on certain “constants” such as: “mission, vision, values, and culture.” Matt Green has shown–in the face of great adversity–the type of leadership Rectory School hopes is possible for all its alumni. After feeling cared for on Rectory’s campus, Green has worked his entire professional life to pay forward the hard work and compassion his teachers, coaches, and mentors showed to him. It is likely that this mentality will extend to the next generation of leaders as Green identified his number one goal is “graduating kids who care–about each other, about learning, and about the future.”
As the acute impact of the pandemic begins to subside, may the new ways we have all learned to care for and about each other be one of the lasting, happy outcomes.
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alumni notes 1940s John Austin ’47 John reports, “I’ve had a wonderful life, spent my entire professional career as a curator and later director at Colonial Williamsburg. Although we traveled most of Europe, our favorite trips were safaris in Kenya, Borneo and the Panda part of China. As I approach 90, we are now in a cottage in a retirement community. That includes Scottie, my wife of 63 years and sister of the late Bob Lee ’52. Living in a cottage in a retirement community, I am still able to have my gardens in front and back. As I sit at my computer, I can look out beyond our bird feeders onto a long field on which deer often graze. I hope you are able to publish comments by some of my friends. I have fond memories of my days at Rectory.”
1950s Thomas Succop ’50 Tom reports, “Seventy-One (71) years ago I graduated from Rectory School. But before that... In the fall of 1947 as a 10-year-old, I arrived by train at the Pomfret railroad siding and was driven to Rectory. A group of other boys, unknown to me, and I had gathered earlier “Under the Clock” at New York’s Grand Central Station to be escorted to Rectory by “Mr. John’s” wife. We boys had been on the NY, New Haven and Hartford RR’s special railroad car bound for Pomfret. A lot of time and positive experiences have rushed by since that scary arrival. I was shown my dormitory room and introduced to Mr. and Mrs. “T” (Thompson). They were the Dormitory “Parents” as well as teachers for my three years. One of my challenges was that I was diagnosed as being dyslexic. I often think of them as my surrogate parents. The Thompsons were extremely sympathetic and understanding. The “rules” at that time were very strict. Nonetheless, and fortunately for me, the education at Rectory School provided a solid background for my future. I succeeded in graduating from Shadyside Academy in Pittsburgh, PA, and onto Hamilton College, thence a USN Officer for three years followed by a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture (University of Michigan). The keystone, of course, was Rectory because that is what Rectory did. My years of landscape architecture enabled me to work for the Canadian National Parks of Eastern Canada, firms in Rye, NY and Pittsburgh as well my own
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company for 35 years. Intertwined with landscape architecture, I am very proud of my association with the Hospital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti, with Tree Pittsburgh, the successful transfer, with my wife Jo Ann, of the Succop farmstead to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, and support of the Leonard Dokis Foundation in Ontario, Canada. My special thanks today is to all of the teachers of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. My observation of several visits to Rectory School and casual contacts of today is that the standards are still in place. I thank todays dedicated teachers as well. Best, Tom”
Norman Cooper ’55 Norman reports, “I had a nice phone call from Tom Corwin in July. I speak to Dave Norman often. Looking forward to celebrating with Rectory friends next spring at a Rectory reunion.”
Harold Anthony ’51 Harold reports, “After waiting five years my wife Karen’s daughter, Gloria (Chinese name Zhike Xu), and her child, Kate (12; Chinese name Jingqi Liu), have been given a visa to immigrate to the USA. They will be living with us until Gloria can find a good job. Should be very interesting as both have lived only in China. Karen and I have survived this virus by staying close to home. We pray all will be great soon. I talked often to David Allen ’51 as he was very sick and in the hospital but is now doing OK. Also, Dr. Bob Long ’51 is doing great woodworking, his hobby. I was sad to learn Dr. Robert Faust ’51 had passed.”
Blair Bigelow ’52 Blair reports, “Two years ago Meredith and I moved to Wake Robin, a Continuing Care Retirement Community in Shelburne, VT, where Covid has more or less (mostly more) kept us and our fellow residents from the outside world. We can and do go off campus, but any substantive absence or visits from the outside requires quarantine and COVID testing.”
Anthony Woodworth ’52 Anthony reports, “My name when I attended Rectory was Anthony J. Ward, but my last name was changed to Woodworth after my mother remarried. My brothers, Richard Ward and Michael Nash Ward, attended Rectory. Mike changed his last name also but Richard did not. I was there in the 3rd - 5th grades, Mike in 4th - 6th grades and Richard only for 8th grade. Blair Bigelow was a classmate of mine along with John Wilkinson and Francis Knight Britton. All my brothers are now deceased. I have very kind memories from my three years at Rectory and send my best to all.”
Norman Cooper ’55 with Rectory schoolmates outside Cedars Dormitory.
Norman “Punch” Smith, Jr. ’56 Punch reports, “Just tested positive for COVID despite having my two Pfizer shots early in the year. No bad symptoms. I still play tennis three times weekly and walk with a neighbor the others. My twice per week volunteering is at our local food bank. I plan to be heavily involved in the annual Marine Corps Toys For Tots campaign once again come fall. Nancy (57 year anniversary 8/31) and I are really enjoying our first great grandchild, Norah, now 2. She lives in Beaufort just 75 easy miles south. I look forward to 2022 and the Rectory 100th.”
Marcie Marcotte Brogan ’57 Marcie reports, “I have been pretty sequestered for the past 18 months by COVID. So, I am really looking forward to Rectory’s 100th year celebration next April. I am very curious about the lives and doings of 1957 classmates.”
Marcie Marcotte Brogan ’57.
ALUMNI
John M. Smith ’57 John reports, “After leaving Rectory, I chose to go to Norwich’s high school, Norwich Free Academy and then onto Alderson University in W. Virginia where I got a BA degree. The education I got at Rectory has helped guide me to a career in sales and the father of three wonderful children, all girls, and six grandchildren.”
raised almost $20,000 to repair damage and build infrastructure and qualified for a matching grant from the State. Over the last two years, I have been the driving force behind the sale of this property to the West Virginia Land Trust to guarantee public access in the future.
1960s
William Hamill ’61 Bill reports, “In August 2020, we were finally able to enjoy a family get together under the big sky in Keene, NY.”
Bill Hamill ’61 with his family in Keene, NY.
Charles Walbridge ’62 Charlie reports, “I live in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, a place I moved to 20 years ago because of my love of the area’s whitewater rivers. I have played a key role in a successful effort to protect river access at the Jenkinsburg Bridge, at the confluence of the Cheat and Big Sandy Rivers in the mighty Cheat River Canyon. Representing Friends of the Cheat, I worked with Dave Hough, the landowner, to create an access agreement in 2006. This included a fundraising campaign that
1970s Class of 1971: 50th Reunion Brian Powers ’72
Claudia Abbott ’60 Claudia reports, “During the pandemic, I learned more about my Finnish ancestry and discovered two second cousins, one of whom lives in Finland and the other in Canada. We are having such an interesting time as penpals on the Internet. In addition, my husband and I joined the Pomfret Historical Society to research and learn more history about the Quiet Corner that is our home. Memories of my Rectory days both as a student and faculty member remain extremely special. To open an email from a former student is the best gift of all!”
STAY UP-TO-DATE ON ALUMNI HAPPENINGS: rectoryschool.org/ alumni-Notes
Charles Walbridge ’62 works with Friends of the Cheat, an organization that aims to preserve and increase public access to the Cheat River Canyon (pictured here).
John Babson ’63 John reports, “Since graduating from Rectory, I graduated from Sterling School (now Sterling College) in Craftsbury Common, VT, graduated from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI, with a double major in history and philosophy. In 1971, I had a life changing encounter with Jesus Christ. I became born again by the indwelling Holy Spirit. I then spent four years at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA, graduating in 1975 with a Masters of Divinity. All these graduations despite learning with dyslexia since the 4th grade. I have been an evangelical pastor, serving Christ in three countries and seven US states. It’s been a wild ride with life’s ups and downs, meeting wife Nancy at seminary in a Youth Ministry class, having 47 years together serving a host of leadership positions in the US, Singapore, Philippines, and Canada, and having three college graduated children, all positively employed in their chosen career choices, with 5 grands between them.”
Brian reports, “My wife, Cybil, and I saw our oldest daughter graduate from Tufts University last Spring. We have another daughter at Trinity College and a son at Connecticut College. Both will be sophomores in the Fall. Cybil and I have been married for 26 years and have lived in Rye, NY, since 2001. While I am retired from The Insurance Brokerage and Risk Management Business, Cybil has been with Ralph Lauren Corporation for 35 years. Cybil and I enjoy playing tennis, and all of us like to sail. We are avid hikers in the high peaks region of The Adirondacks and have completed 32 of the 46 high peaks mountains. I have fond recollections of Rectory, and I have enjoyed seeing Terry Lefton recently who lives nearby, as well as Nico Kean. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking a short time ago with Richard Roberts and try to keep up a bit with Tony Cahill on Facebook. A very warm greeting to Mr. Gorman who was my 8th grade dorm master and soccer coach. I must say I am sorry I only scored one goal all season in 8th (or 9th?) grade, but hey, it was a game winner. After that game, Mr. Gorman made me feel like I was going to the World Cup, which I thank him profusely for.”
Michael Stowe ’69 Michael reports, “My wife, Lisa, and I will be moving to Elmira, NY, during September, 2021. After 30 years of dodging and sometimes not dodging hurricanes and the extreme heat of south Florida (10 months hot, 2 months not hot) we are heading to the cold weather again. Hopefully this will help Lisa’s heath improve. Looking forward to the change in seasons and a visit back to Rectory.”
Brian Powers ’72 and his wife, Cybil. Continues on page 36...
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ALUMNI PROFILE
corey olds ’84: “dare to belong, to own, and to transform” By John Xeller, Alumni Relations Manager/Special Events Coordinator Corey Olds ’84 grew up in Ohio and attended Rectory for two years from 1982-1984. It was a time, he said, when geography mattered a lot more than it does now. His classmates assumed at first that he was a farmtown, country kid. Olds was grateful he enrolled in Rectory’s summer program prior to his first year as a student because the incorrect first impression his classmates had of him subsided by the first day of the fall term. He had discovered Rectory through a middle school friend’s mother who served as a Rectory board member. Her eldest son had attended Rectory and hosted Olds during his campus visit. Although the Atlanta contingency was larger, Olds recalls that boys from Ohio had a fair representation at Rectory in the 1980s. Olds was cognizant of difference from the beginning. His first full year was eighth grade, and he said that most students had started at Rectory in seventh grade. Despite starting later than his classmates, and being aware of being one of the only students of color in his class, Olds says that the achievement gap and socioeconomic differences were less apparent at Rectory than at his former Ohio day school. In Ohio, he arrived at school each day from a different neighborhood than his classmates, on the city bus, and often exhibiting different personal taste in terms of dress and interests. Olds remembers Rectory in the 80s as one of the coolest places that he had known at the time. Rectory’s dress code, required participation in sports, and standardized expectations for student etiquette helped him perceive similarities with his classmates instead of differences. Olds recalls that the “preppie code” was unspoken, but neatly observed. Boys toted around their books in a white canvas boat bag with blue straps and a blue bottom. Students cultivated new skills in the classroom and on various sports teams, got fired up about the annual coed dance, savored proctor (student leader) privileges, and created mix-tapes that celebrated the legendary tunes the decade had to offer. When asked about dorm life, Olds said, “We were all part of the same community. We all followed the same rules. We were all in the same boat of being away from home.” It was a tight-knit community, but dorm life could feel isolating at times as well. The infrequent contact with parents and the world beyond Rectory made Olds appreciate some of the smaller pleasures in life. He remembers his corner room in Upper Memorial where he was afforded the luxury of a bird’s eye view of the campus. He was excited when a letter came for him in the mail. He took advantage of opportunities to travel on the weekends to local classmates’ homes or nearby cities via Amtrak. Olds spoke at length
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about the annual co-ed school dance, which was a highlight of the year for the Rectory boys. He described an “informal social committee” made up of a bunch of boys with the latest equipment in musical technology who mixed songs for the dance. Girls came on a bus from a school in Massachusetts, and while the dress code was loosened for the dances, there were few liberties the boys could take to stand out. Another highlight of the year, Olds remembered, was parents’ weekend, which took place each October. The two main benefits of parents’ weekend to Olds were getting to travel off campus and eating non-dining hall food. Everyday food wasn’t bad, he said, just bland. The exceptions were when parents were coming to campus; the meal just prior to their arrival, Olds said, was always really good because, he thought, Rectory wanted the students to tell their parents what good food they were eating. After nearly 40 years, Olds’ memories of Rectory remain vivid and influential. In his ninth-grade year, he received the Most Improved Player award in varsity baseball and the Most Valuable Player award in varsity football. “Maybe I’ll see you in the NFL one day!” chimed former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle on Parents’ Day in 1983. Pete Rozelle’s stepson was one of Olds’ teammates on that squad coached by Walt Dagle. Also among Olds’ accolades, he remembers being awarded a silver cup at the1984 graduation ceremony, along with Donald Rundlett ’84, for being the best-dressed student and having the neatest dorm room. He recalls the moment he found out that he had been selected as one of about a dozen ninth-grade dormitory proctors. As a proctor, he can still remember enjoying the privileges of an unsupervised study hall in his own room, the first crack at hot water in the shower, being able to enter the dorm without faculty presence, and ordering pizza twice a week as opposed to once on the weekend. However, he remembers pondering why he was the only proctor required to serve as a waiter as opposed to supervising other waiters and recalls this making him feel like he was being treated differently. When he needed adult help, he gravitated to coaches more often than teachers, and of those, he said, “Mr. Seaward and Mr. Dagle topped my list.” Taking his entire Rectory experience into account, Olds considered how the students of today might relate. As for what advice he would share with current students, Olds states, “For those students who look like me, I would tell them that they should speak openly and stand up for their truth; that they should dare to belong, to own, and to transform the spaces they inhabit;
ALUMNI PROFILE
In 2009, Olds co-founded Excelsus Foundation, an educational partnership whose primary mission entails narrowing the academic achievement gap between African-American students and their white counterparts.
vegetarian cooking, as well as workshops that educate faculty and students at independent schools nationwide about diversity, equity, inclusion, and the role of the humanities in 21st-century education. Olds stated that he always welcomes allies, advisers, and philanthropists to support and spread the word about Excelsus Foundation.
that they should leave those places in a better state than they initially found them. For students who do not share my phenotype, I would tell them to walk that proverbial mile in another’s shoes, to cultivate empathy for those different from them, to look for or create shared values across social and political lines of difference, to strive to reconcile the irreconcilable. And to all students, I say, ‘Do not assume that the people whom you already know and the institutions to which you already belong are less significant, less influential, or less sophisticated than those people and institutions whose path you may wish to cross one day.’” The belief in reconciling the irreconcilable and striving for excellence in all things was born for Olds at Rectory, and it pervades his personal and professional life as he is now in a position to affect the lives of students who are living in a different time yet share many of the experiences he went through in his youth. Olds graduated from Rectory as a young man with great potential, and in September 1992, he was formally recognized by a local community organization for outstanding Young Adult Achievement in the field of education in Canton, Ohio. When the Canton Repository interviewed him for the honor, he told the reporter Susan Glaser that he wanted to become a professor or start his own academy. During the 30 years since that interview, Olds has achieved both. In 2009, Olds co-founded Excelsus Foundation, an educational partnership whose primary mission entails narrowing the academic achievement gap between African-American students and their white counterparts. Over the past decade, the Excelsus mission has widened to include offering arts enrichment classes like digital photography, creative writing, and
Olds also characterized himself as an educator who is dedicated to teaching students about inclusion. He described his current career as a mix between consulting and teaching. For 30 years, he has taught at various levels from kindergarten through college. Whenever Olds has an opportunity to work with students, whether at Excelsus or in the classroom, his approach is grounded in some of the values he learned at Rectory School. He recognized that “it was pretty strict back then in terms of things that we could and could not do” but that the rigorous environment taught him that he was worth holding himself to the “highest standard.” Just as he adapted to a new environment at Rectory, Olds emphasizes to his students the importance of avoiding contentment, going the extra mile, and “being successful in environments that are strange to you.” How does Old convince students, especially those who feel different from those around them, to step out of their comfort zones? One program run by Excelsus Foundation illustrates exactly that. Olds worked with a group of primary school students on a storytelling unit. He said, “I would teach them the six elements of storytelling, and I would walk them through examples from children’s literature. Then, I would walk them through writing their own book.” The students wrote and illustrated their own stories, and Olds and Excelsus used an online resource to publish them. Through this program, students challenged themselves to reach higher, to strive for excellence. They learned the value of seeing a project through to completion especially when it required hard work. Critical to the success of their work was the mentorship they received from their teacher and community. Olds suggested something similar might work at Rectory. He wondered about alumni from “all walks of life and different fields” conducting an “online master class” during which alumni could “connect with Rectory students around some issue that was important.” Olds’ idea is already taking root at Rectory as an alumni mentorship program is already in its nascent stages. His story from Rectory and beyond is proof of the tremendous value in working through difference to achieve excellence.
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Ellis Lewis ’73 Ellis reports, “I recently retired and moved from the nation’s capital, where I was for 40 years, to the desert southwest, for now five years.”
and even produced a Super Bowl spot. During my downtime, I run a small record label, manage an old-school country band, host a bi-weekly radio show focusing on vintage country music, and I’m currently working on a podcast based on stories from a friend who’s a career Nashville sideman. I also volunteer for the National Park Service doing odds and ends, which I enjoy. I hope all my fellow ’78ers are doing great.”
Ellis Lewis ’73.
Breck Perkins ’73 Breck reports, “In 2019, I left my partnership at Stuart-Lynn to join Directional Logic to work on the Los Angeles County Art Museum. It is a joy to be working from Stonington and spending more time with the family.”
Robert Rivera ’75 Robert reports, “I recently moved to downtown Acworth, GA, and am celebrating 35 years of marriage.”
Owen Bly ’78.
a merit scholarship to run track as a sprinter for the school. As for myself, I continue to head up the Center for Urogynecology at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, a busy referral-based practice specializing in reconstructive female pelvic surgery with an academic appointment as an Associate Professor at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. When not working or attending to life on our farm, we can be found spending time at our home on Amelia Island, FL (which we also VRBO Property ID 2274787), Peaks Island, ME, or the Berkshires. We have been blessed and are thankful for our good fortune, for our health and for our good friends, especially when there is indeed so much suffering in the world. Of course, I am most thankful for the education I received during my years at Rectory more than four decades ago where the values of education, hard work and good sportsmanship were ingrained. Greetings and best wishes to the Rectory community.”
Michael Dubin ’78 Michael reports, “I am working remotely as a senior web content manager/developer for IBM and assisting public affairs for US Coast Guard Air Station Miami.”
William Brackett ’77 William reports, “I was an engineer for 23 years. I retired from that profession and turned my hobby of film making into a full-time freelance career for the past 14 years working with great people and forming my own company 477 Film Productions. Even with the COVID crisis we are booked for the next seven years. I will never forget the honor of getting to meet and know Mr. Bigelow and having him as the headmaster until Mr. Green took his place. My experiences at Rectory are still with me today. They are still part of who I am today 44 years later. A time I still think back on from time to time with great memories of teachers and friends and dorm mates. I will always cherish those memories.”
Owen Bly ’78 Owen reports, “I’m currently taking a step back from my career as an advertising producer after 34 years; maybe I’ll return to it soon. I’ve worked on print, TV, online, and experiential ads, won a bunch of gold pencils (this means something in the ad world, honest), a Gold Lion at Cannes,
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Mark Ellerkmann ’78 rides a horse on his Baltimore County, MD farm.
1980s David Buchanan ’83 Michael Dubin ’78.
Mark Ellerkmann ’78 Mark reports, “My wife, Ariane, and I continue to live on our farm in Baltimore County, MD. Horses, a flock of sheep, pigs, chickens, dogs and cats keep us entertained while a timber frame bank barn, numerous paddocks and outbuildings provide ample living space for all. Ariane transitioned her integrative holistic medical practice to our barn annex where she now has a home office where she sees fewer patients and conducts more telemedicine visits. Our daughter, Sophia, has just started her sophomore year at Denison University in Ohio where she received
David reports, “Working for the town of Morrisville, NC, as a parks and grounds technician and love being outside and seeing everyone having fun.”
David Buchanan ’83.
ALUMNI
STAY UP-TO-DATE ON ALUMNI HAPPENINGS: rectoryschool.org/ alumni-Notes
John Blackinton ’84 John reports, “I married my wife, Cheryl, on October 17, 2020!”
Dan Carpenter ’84 Dan reports, “I am still plugging away on Cape Cod, living in Centerville and working as a Firefighter/Paramedic. I work as a boat Captain in the summers. My older daughter, Dana, is a college graduate, and my son, Bryce, is in college. My “baby” daughter, Sophia, is 7.”
dachshund, Agent 99, together known as the “Lady Spies.” I continue to work renovating and restoring historical properties. In NYC, I am restoring a 19th century townhouse on Bedford Street, which still has the original carriage house on the rear of the property. In Amagansett, I am working on an untouched house designed by Andrew Gellar.”
Jonathan Bruntjen ’88
Hyuk-kee Moon ’95 Hyuk-kee reports, “I am the CEO of Jeju Beer Company, based on the southern resort island of Jeju in South Korea. We are the first local craft brewer to go public. We look forward to strengthening our research and development capabilities and investments in brewery facilities to become one of the nation’s top four beer companies.”
Jonathan reports, “Enjoying the beautiful spring weather, outdoor activities here in beautiful Steamboat, CO! Thank you!”
Class of 1996: 25th Reunion
1990s
SungHa Park ’96
Samuel Scott ’90 Sam reports, “I am living in Boston with my wife, Christine, and our two daughters, Cate (8) and Isabelle (3), and working as an Instructional Designer for Mass General Brigham Health (Partners Healthcare). In the summer, I spend as much time boating (sail or power) as possible, and during the winter, I spend most of my free time skiing.”
SungHa reports, “Married in 2010, enjoying a solid family, and loving life surrounded by all female family members: wife, 11-year-old daughter, and 5-year-old female dog. I had a blast traveling with my family to the local popular island named Jeju”
Dan Carpenter ’84 and his wife on Cape Cod.
Malon Courts ’84 Malon reports, “I am still living in Atlanta with my wife, Sarah. We have enjoyed being empty nesters for the first time with our younger child, Sohpie starting at Rollins College this fall. Our older child, Avery, will graduate spring of 2022 from Roanoke College with a degree in Finance. Sarah and I plan to travel every third week or so to either Roanoke or Winter Park. I am blessed that my career involves a portfolio of operating businesses that span long-haul freight (trucking) to outdoor adventure (Nantahala Outdoor Center) and digital assets (S2F). I am appreciative for the strong team of dedicated and talented managers that do the heavy lifting on a daily basis that makes me look really good and better than I really am. I am also Chair of the Roanoke Board which takes a lot of time but is energizing and provides a great distraction from my day job.”
Donald Rundlett ’84 Donald reports, “I am living in NYC and Sagaponack, NY, with my vizsla, Mrs. Peel, and
SungHa Park ’96. Samuel Scott ’90.
Revell Sandberg-Diment ’96 Won-tae reports, “As Chairman of Hanjin Group, I received a gold medal from the French government for ‘contributions to the country and its people, especially amid the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic.’”
Revell reports, “We won a major award for finishing third overall for the fall Frostbite Yacht Club series. I started sailing in college and think that Rectory should start a sailing team. I am happy to offer my services as assistant coach if Rectory ever does set sail!”
Won-tae Cho ’91 honored by the French government for “contributions to the country and its people.”
Revell Sandberg-Diment ’96.
Won-tae Cho ’91
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2000s Christopher McLagan ’00 Chris reports, “I received my diploma from Culinary Arts at Escoffier with high honors. During the pandemic, I also completed personal trainer certificates, AED and CPR certification, and online personal trainer certification, which is a business and sales certification for that field, from ISSA and the National CPR Foundation. I’m still in the process of growing my coaching skills as a health coach, which will be completed by September, with integrative nutrition at IIN and transformation specialist with ISSA, which is the psychology part of lifting to learn how to help people with emotional and physical change.”
Henry Bowden ’01 Henry reports, “On April 7th, we were blessed with this incredible bundle of joy. My wife Yao and I are thrilled to have Ivy Emory Bowden as part of our family and can’t imagine life without her.”
Henry Bowden ’01 pictured with his wife, Yao, and daughter, Ivy.
Lars Vercelli ’01 Lars reports, “We welcomed our newborn daughter, Lily Emilia Vercelli, to the world on July 14, 2020. We love her tremendously and can’t wait for her to meet her big brother!”
The Lockdown Before Christmas, which is about Santa confronting the global pandemic. I had a blast collaborating on the art with Disney artist Mike Schwalm.”
Malcolm Collins ’03 Malcolm reports, “I had two more best selling (on Amazon) books this year: The Pragmatist’s Guide to Relationships and The Pragmatist’s Guide to Sexuality. I also had my second kid: Torsten Savage Collins. Finally, I have been working on starting a new type of school for parents who want to homeschool their kids: https://theforge.education.”
Michael Gorman ’03 Michael reports, “I earned a master’s degree from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago in June. I then moved to Washington, DC, to join the University of Maryland’s Center for Advanced Transportation Technology, where I build tools to help transportation agencies across the country gain insight from their data.”
Michael Gorman ’03.
Roger Richardson ’04 Roger reports, “I am the New Business Development Manager for Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. We have 19 shopping centers across the country, and I spend my time finding businesses their best location, whether it’s their first or simply their latest.”
Pierce Kuchle ’05 Pierce reports, “I got married on May 30 on Long Island. My wife, Lindsay, and my wedding party included my brother, Spencer, and two other Rectory classmates.”
Spencer Kuchle ’05 Lars Vercelli ’01 welcomed baby Lily in July 2020.
Josh Harris ’02 Josh reports, “I am a Georgia-based comedian. I wrote and released a new book on Amazon called
Spencer reports, “I was best man at my twin brother Pierce’s ’05 wedding to Lindsay Salandra on Long Island on May 30th. Other Rectory groomsmen from our class included Danny Bayless ’05 and Brad Herrick ’05. Continues on page 40...
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THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
madeleine hutchins class of 2011
ALUMNI PROFILE
The Rectory News caught up with Madeleine Hutchins ’11 who is living in Connecticut and is an aspiring writer and educator. We asked her to reflect on how the pandemic has affected her, how her experience at Rectory prepared her for life’s challenges, and about her goals as a writer after her work was published on the Dawnland Voices Indigenous writing website. Hutchins’ response, in her own words, is below:
The Dawnland Voices story is my first real publication. A lot of my
Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been very fortunate that I have been
and Indigenous storytelling in general, has a large influence on my
alright. I feel slightly guilty about this, given the horror it has brought
work. There are many wonderful Indigenous writers and storytellers
for so many, but I think the experience of the pandemic has ultimately
today, and the presence of our histories, cultures, and the way we
changed me for the better.
have told stories for millennia is generally present in that work. I
work has been academic writing to this point, but I’m branching out this summer working on a psychological horror short-story through a writing fellowship for young Indigenous writers. I guess I’d describe myself as an eclectic writer; I’m working on a wide variety of projects. The point of all writing for me, regardless of the genre, is to present some truth in a compelling way. Mohegan storytelling tradition,
always try to read my work aloud before it’s finished, and due to I moved back to my parents’ house in Hampton, CT. When I wasn’t in
my chronic pain and illness I dictate a lot of what I write, which also
Zoom classes, my brother and I, as well as my lovely partner, helped
helps infuse a sense of orality into the written word.
my parents in the garden. My mom was our “supervisor,” and we were able to donate fresh produce to the food pantry in Willimantic,
Moving forward, my main priority is serving my tribe. I am the
which is always good but especially so with the increased food
traditional knowledge mentee to our Medicine Woman, which
instability for many folks during the pandemic.
involves studying Mohegan history, culture, stories, and language, among other things. The past two years working with her have
The pandemic has altered my vision of my life and future. I’ve been
been wonderful and challenging, and I am looking forward to
trying to let go of the illusion—because it was always just that—of
continuing that journey. Equally important is looking after my own
having real control over what the future brings. Initially, this stressed
health and encouraging others to do the same. This has become
me out; I use two different paper planners, a paper calendar, and a
more of a priority now that I have had time to consider how that
Google Calendar. Now, I’m finding it freeing. It gives me permission
dogged pushing through, without accommodating my needs,
to enjoy where I’m at now, what I’m doing and the people I’m with.
negatively affected me and what really matters. I hope that in the
There are things I want from my future, but I don’t feel as frantic as
future I am still writing, and maybe even getting published. I want
often as I used to about making sure that everything I do is trained on
to keep learning the Mohegan language and more of our stories so
getting to some future outcome.
that I can communicate them to our tribe in our language. I’d love to someday be a teacher of some kind, somewhere.
I have dealt with chronic illness and pain since eighth grade and looking back, I wish that I’d done more (at Rectory) to take care of myself
To the Rectory community I would say: Slow down. Learn to trust
instead of just “pushing through it.” Remembering the kind responses
yourself. Take care of yourself. Try not to get stuck on what other
of teachers when I did reach out about my struggles reminds me now
people are doing and focus on what’s right for you. We all have a
that nothing is more important than taking care of one’s health.
lot of “shoulds” rolling around in our heads, whether they are selfimposed or coming from outside pressures. A wise friend always
I also think that the close relationships I cultivated with teachers set me
phrases this as, “stop shoulding yourself!”
up to have good relationships with teachers and professors after Rectory. I remember feeling like my teachers treated us like people, rather than
Just as important is to never stop being curious. Keep reading
“just kids.” It was a great feeling to be taken seriously, and it helped me
and learning through your whole life. Learning new things, or
take myself more seriously. My eighth-grade English teacher, Ms. [Lisette]
about things we already know in new ways, keeps life vibrant,
Rimer, stands out the most to me in this way, and we remain friends
fresh, and enticing.
today. She also helped form me as a writer, drilling in grammar and punctuation as well as helping hone my critical reading skills.
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ALUMNI
Spencer Kuchle ’05 (continued from page 38)...
On July 7th, I was appointed as the Associate Director of Collections and Interpretation at the Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village in Brownington, VT, and have moved to Derby Line on the Canadian border.”
Frank West ’08 Frank reports, “My wife, Danielle, and I welcomed our first child, Matthew Parker, on July 19, 2021. The day after leaving the hospital, I accepted a new position as the Director of the Highlander Club at Radford University. It has always been a dream of mine to work in college athletics, and I’m even more excited to get to do it at my alma mater. My wife and I live in Christiansburg, VA, which is about 30 minutes south of Roanoke VA, with our son, Matthew, and pups, Gavin (Golden retriever) and Max (Saint Bernard).”
CSM Sports & Entertainment where I recently received the Cynopsis Media Rising Star Award for my work in social media campaigns.”
2010s Ryan Frazier ’10 Ryan reports, “I recently honorably separated from the United States Coast Guard after my four-year enlistment. Currently, I am a graduate student candidate at Boston College.”
Pierce ’05 and Spencer ’05 Kuchle at Pierce’s wedding.
Sunghyun “Justin” Kim ’10
Molly Mackenzie ’08
Justin reports, “I graduated from CWRU School of Dental Medicine in May 2021. I will be starting residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.”
Molly reports, “Taylor Blanchard and I have been engaged since November 22, 2020!” Frank West ’08 with his wife, Danielle, their son, Matthew, and their dogs, Gavin and Max.
Erin White ’08 Molly Mackenzie ’08 and her fiancee, Taylor Blanchard.
Erin reports, “After many years of floating around the world, I have recently succumbed to genetic predisposition and am pursuing a career in teaching. I currently work as a substitute teacher, but am working on teaching earth science. Big thanks to Mr. Long and Mrs. Martin for inspiring me.”
Hannah Stewart ’08
Quadry Anderson ’09
Hannah reports, “I am entering my fifth year at Rectory School, living on campus with my husband, daughter, and two dogs. Life has been busy with a toddler in the house, but we love figuring out all the new adventures each day. I am also currently pursuing my master’s degree in psychology at SNHU. I love watching my daughter, Teagan, grow up on campus the way I did!”
Quadry reports, “Wow, it’s hard to believe I’m heading into year three as a faculty member. Looking forward to a productive school year with more faces on campus. I spent the summer on the sideline coaching AAU basketball, traveling to tournaments throughout the northeast region where our student athletes got to showcase their talents in front of college coaches. We were thrilled to help four of our student athletes find a college where they can continue to achieve their goals on and off the court. We took a major leap this summer as we expanded the program adding two more high school level teams. Follow our program @ppabroncos.”
Jamel Torrence ’09
Hannah Stewart’s ’08 daughter, Teagan.
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STAY UP-TO-DATE ON ALUMNI HAPPENINGS: rectoryschool.org/ alumni-Notes
THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
Jamel reports, “I attended Suffield Academy and Baruch College where I earned a BA in Digital Marketing and minored in Business, Law & Film. I currently serve as the Creative Strategist at
Sara Markes ’10 Sara reports, “I have been working with (and doing research on/with) veterans (especially senior vets) with PTSD, and am very passionate about the field and subject! I mentor middle school and high school girls, and facilitate dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) sessions for both kids and seniors. I’m passionate about teaching mindfulness, communication, and emotional regulation as pillars of mental health, and I hope to return to Rectory in the future to speak with students about this! I am living in Santa Monica, CA, and have recently discovered the joys of cooking Korean food (especially tteok-bokki), and am eager to learn more!”
Shailyn Lineberry ’13 Shailyn reports, “I graduated from the University of Denver with a BA in International Studies and Spanish in June 2021. Currently, I am working for the University of Denver as the Digital Marketing Coordinator in the Ritchie School of Engineering & Computer Science. In the fall, I’m starting my coursework for my MA in International Studies at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies as a recipient of a faculty nominated scholarship. In my free time, I am enjoying all that Colorado has to offer! I love to hike, roller blade in the park, go to concerts at
ALUMNI
Red Rocks, paint, and catch up with family and friends. I’ve even taken up fly fishing. Shout out to Ricardo Menendez ’13, who I saw in Vail this ski season, and Joaquín Matienzo ’13, who visited me in Denver a few months back!”
Sarah Pasqualetti ’14 Sarah reports, “I will be starting my master’s program in Molecular and Cell Biology at UCONN in the fall!”
Graham Sweetnam ’14 Graham reports, “I just graduated from Stonehill College in Easton, MA, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration marketing degree. I am moving up to Brookline, MA, and I have a job at a tech company called TechTarget where I am a project manager.”
Jay Montgomery ’19
Jackson Larrabee ’11
Carlin reports, “I am currently entering my second year as the Athletic Trainer at Rectory School. I live on campus along with my significant other, who is a teacher’s assistant in the elementary school. During our free time, we love taking our 1-year old Australian Shepherd, Bear, on walks through campus. I am also in the process of applying to medical schools to hopefully pursue an Orthopedics specialty in the future.”
Caleb Bowen ’14 Caleb reports, “I am now Second Lieutenant Bowen. I graduated from Norwich University on May 1, 2021 and Commissioned into the U.S. Army on May 2nd.”
Second Lieutenant Caleb Bowen ’14 on his Army commissioning day in May 2021.
Rebecca reports, “I am going into my first year of my graduate year at Maplebrook School in Amenia, NY.”
Noah reports, “I continue to fence and was recently invited to join the high level competitive team at my fencing club.”
Class of 2011: 10th Reunion
Carlin Testa ’12
Rebecca Rowland ’15
Noah Gardos ’19
Shailyn ’13 and Maia ’14 Lineberry at Shailyn’s graduation from the University of Denver.
Jackson reports, “I look back fondly on my MELP trip down to Big Bend National Park. I still find myself getting into a canoe from time to time. However, I have upgraded from loading wannigans and duffle bags to loading giant cargo ships!”
I’m writing this from Oregon, just north of the redwoods, and will be returning to the East Coast in the next two weeks. I’m excited to begin working at the Smith Botanic Gardens, delve into classes like Plant Ecology, and return to music groups such as Amherst College Concert Choir and Smith’s Celtic ensemble, the Wailing Banshees. I also hope to begin recording my own album and continue painting from the references and photographs I have taken on my trip.”
Graham Sweetnam ’14.
Jay reports, “I am planning on majoring in Finance at West Virginia University in the fall of 2022. It’s an excellent program that allows for many research opportunities.”
Abigail Dustin ’15 Abigail reports, “I’m a junior studying biology and landscape studies at Smith College in Northampton, MA. I hope to infuse my skills in art, music, and writing with my passion for science as I move through my undergraduate degree. Currently, I’m pursuing natural science illustration, building my portfolio painting plants, animals, birds, and ecological scenes. I designed a series of interpretive panels about beaver pond ecology for the West Thompson Lake in Thompson, CT, when I worked as a park ranger during my gap year in 2020-2021; I’m also currently working on a mural about scat and tracks at Smith’s Archibald Macleish Field Station. In pursuit of my passion for communicating science, for the last two months I have been traveling alone cross-country, immersing myself in as many environments as possible. Through this trip, I hope to build a greater awareness of the American landscape and the incredible ecosystems we harbor, while also practicing my field sketching and observational skills. I’ve also made a lot of friends, played my own music for people, and gone on some crazy hikes. Ultimately, I’ve been incredibly inspired, both by the places I’ve been and the people I’ve met.
Jay Montgomery ’19 with his mom on the campus of West Virginia University.
Santiago Olazabal ’19 Santiago reports, “It’s been a bit. How time flies! I remember the first time I went to Rectory School as a freshman in the 2018-2019 school year. I was very nervous and now am a young man that just turned 18 entering my last year of high school at Forman School. I am ready to take the next step in life! I will always take the good memories I made at Rectory School and how it prepared me for my future.”
Natalie Perkins ’19 Natalie reports, “I am finishing up at the Gunnery and looking at colleges in Boston and New York.” THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
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ALUMNI
2020s Chufan “Julianne” Jin ’21 Julianne reports, “:D”
Boyao “Leon” Kong ’21
how important the skills you learn from junior boarding school are. Sometimes I even miss the hustle from meals to class, the chatter in the locker room before sports, and the suppressing silence after lights out. Nostalgia hits in the weirdest ways.”
in memoriam The Rectory School community extends its deepest sympathy to the loved ones of recently
Leon reports, “It has been a year of hardship, but I am trying to keep up the hard work and persevere. I hope to enjoy my high school years at Deerfield.”
deceased alumni and friends.
Eric Liu ’21
Frederick Velde ’58
Richard R. Wright ’57 October 11, 1943–September 10, 2020 (Age 76)
Eric reports, “I enjoyed my summer and started high school.”
November 14, 1943–March 2, 2021 (Age 77)
Yuping “Nessa” Tang ’21
March 10, 1945–November 5, 2020 (Age 75)
Nessa reports, “I spent the summer preparing for the start of high school.”
Zitong Prajna Wang ’21 Prajna reports, “I am starting at a new school!”
Yoyo Zhang ’21 Yoyo reports, “Currently on my fourth year studying abroad, I am exploring many new opportunities at my high school. Some hobbies picked up from Rectory remain: running cross country, writing for the school newspaper, and organizing student events. Never before did I realize
Henry Soper ’58
Yoyo Zhang ’21.
Rev. John T. Adams ’61
Zhonghao “Stanley” Zhang ’21
Herbert J. Wright ’63
Stanley reports, “I hung out with some of the Rectory students and alumni during summer break.”
June 2, 1945-June 20, 2020 (Age 75)
November 8, 1948–April 1 2020 (Age 71)
Capt. Howard M. Fry III ’78 November 19, 1962–May 11, 2020 (Age 57)
Xianyang “Max” Zou ’21 Max reports, “I returned to China and met a lot of my friends from my previous school. It was really fun.”
Eric B. Kronholm ’81 February 27, 1966–April 28, 2021 (Age 55)
Charles (Charlie) Peterson III ’83 Oct 1, 1967–Nov 15, 2020 (Age 53)
Malcolm McKay ’85 Aug 6, 1969–Nov 5, 2020 (Age 51)
George T. Heery Sr P’84 June 18, 1927–January 21, 2021 (Age 93)
we would love to hear from you! Contact John Xeller, Alumni Relations Manager/Special Events Coordinator at 860.963.6740 x338 or john. xeller@rectoryschool.org.
William M. Shoptaw ’92 February 24, 1997–March 11 2020 (Age 43)
Samuel A. Marshall ’02 August 11, 1987–April 24, 2021 (Age 33)
Hirsch P. Hart ’09 June 6, 1993–June 29, 2021 (Age 28)
William E. Haskell ’09 June 14, 1993–February 11, 2021 (Age 27)
Terrence A. Clark ’18 September 6, 2001–April 22, 2021 (Age 19)
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THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2021
BIGELOW
SOCIETY
Plan Your Legacy. Members of the Bigelow Society play an important role in ensuring sustainability and success for future generations of Rectory students and faculty. Established in 2002 in memory of Rectory’s founder, Father Frank Bigelow, the Bigelow Society recognizes all who have chosen to include Rectory in their long-term plans by naming Rectory as a beneficiary in their will or trust.
Ways to make a planned gift: • Remember Rectory School in your will. • Name Rectory School as a beneficiary of your retirement plans, IRAs, bank or brokerage accounts, or life insurance policies. Father Frank and Mabel Bigelow
If you are interested in learning about ways you can provide for Rectory’s future, or if you have already made the decision to include Rectory in your will or estate plans, please contact: Fred Nagle, Director of Development fred.nagle@rectoryschool.org 860.963.6740 ext. 340
Together, we can...
CREATE OPPORTUNITIES
The Annual Fund for Rectory CHANGE LIVES
Build Community
A donation to the Annual Fund for Rectory allows us to make a difference in the lives of Rectory students every day. Please join this year’s community of donors. Your gift will change lives! WAYS TO GIVE BY MAIL: Use the enclosed envelope BY PHONE: 860.928.0204 ONLINE: Visit www.rectoryschool.org/give, or use your phone camera to scan the QR code
Thank you!
For more information about the Annual Fund for Rectory, contact Marcia Williams, together, we can make a difference.
Associate Director of Development
860.963.6740 x343 mwilliams@rectoryschool.org
The Campaign for a Century provides Rectory with the opportunity to secure the programs and values that have defined our school for a century. This ambitious fundraising endeavor will strengthen Rectory for decades to come. The success of the campaign requires the engagement of our whole community and will provide critical funding for faculty, academic programs, high-priority facilities, student programs, financial aid, and the Annual Fund.
Campaign for a Century Goal: $40 Million Goals
Achievements Annual Fund for Rectory
$8.20 M
• Annual Fund for Rectory
$4.00 M
Facilities
$7.95 M
• Facilities
$8.00 M
Endowment
$9.48 M
• Endowment
$2.30 M
Annual Fund $8.20 Million
• Annual Fund $4.00 Million
• Dormitory Construction $3.25 Million Facilities $7.95 Million
$40 • Gymnasium Expansion, $4.75 Million
Endowment $9.48 Million
• Grow and expand the Annual Fund for Rectory. • Construct a state-of-the-art dormitory in the heart of campus. • Complete the Colhoun Gymnasium Expansion to provide greatly expanded and improved athletic facilities for our players and coaches. • Renovate the John B. Bigelow Academic Building to upgrade classroom spaces and enliven learning for our students.
million campaign for a century
With the support of our community, Rectory’s Campaign for a Century will:
• Scholarship Funds $2.30 Million
• Grow the endowment in support of named Scholarship Funds, granting access to a Rectory education for highly qualified students.
528 Pomfret Street, P.O. Box 68, Pomfret, CT 06258
“To work well, to play well; to think clearly, to speak truth; to win without pride, to lose without rancor; to have courage, and to be kind. This is the goal for the greatest: It is a goal that the least may reach. To teach this is the whole purpose of schools. To know this is the whole meaning of life.” -John Bigelow’s “Purpose of Schools”
save the date! centennial weekend
april 22-24, 2022 46
THE RECTORY NEWS | FALL 2020