2011 Spring Bulletin by Rippowam Cisqua School

Spring 2011 Non Profit Org US Postage PAID Permit No 6030 Bedford NY

Rippowam Cisqua School

Bulletin

Rippowam Cisqua School P.O. Box 488, Bedford, New York 10506 Cisqua Campus: 914-244-1200 Rippowam Campus: 914-244-1250 www.rcsny.org

The Joy of Learning Also In This Issue: Long Range Strategic Plan Mid Plan Update, Sustainability, Alumni Profiles

1 Rippowam Cisqua School

Bulletin Mission Statement The mission of Rippowam Cisqua School is to educate students to become independent thinkers, confident in their abilities and themselves. We are committed to a dynamic program of academics, the arts, and athletics, and support an engaged faculty to challenge students to discover and explore their talents to the fullest. Honesty, consideration, and respect for others are fundamental to Rippowam Cisqua. In an atmosphere that promotes intellectual curiosity and a lifelong love of learning, Rippowam Cisqua strives to instill in students a strong sense of connection to their community and to the larger world. We, as a school, recognize the common humanity of all people and teach understanding and respect for the differences among us.

Spring 2011

Rippowam Cisqua School Bulletin is published by the Advancement Office: Edlira Curis, Assistant Director of Annual Fund and Alumni Relations Manager Susie Danziger, Director of Annual Fund and Communications Aggy Duveen, Website Manager Barbara Jarvis, Advancement Executive Assistant Debe Stellio, Advancement Operations Manager Bob Whelan, Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement

Table of

Contents

Send address changes to alumni@rcsny.org. Credits: Design: Peapod Design, New Canaan, CT Photography: Tim Coffey, Stamford, CT

Board of Trustees Robert P. Conway, Chair Maria G. Fields, Vice Chair William D. McLanahan, Treasurer Alexandria S. Altman, Secretary

4 | Cover Story: The Joy of Learning

Board Members Scott A. Barshay Steve Bean Ralph J. Bernstein Robert S. Boyd ’75 Dr. Neil J. Capolongo John W. Chambers James A. Diamond James D. Kallman Dr. Elizabeth L. Kilgallon Desta Lakew Philip S. Lawrence ’80 Anna P. Lee James B. Renwick ’63 Amanda Riegel David E. Rubin Erika Aronson Stern Hatsy Vallar

Letter from the Cisqua Campus

Letter from the Rippowam Campus

Inside the Classroom

Reflections from the Head of School

Master Teaching Grant Recipients

Classroom and Library Renovations Update

Ex Officio

RCS in Pictures 2010-11

Matthew Nespole, Head of School Patricia Grunebaum, Parent Association

Alumni Board Members

Alumni Events

Class Notes

In Memoriam

16 | Sustainability

Chair Deborah A. Hurrell, Chief Financial

Officer Robert F. Whelan, Assistant Head for

Institutional Advancement Christopher Wirth ’94, RCSAA Chair

20 | Alumni Profiles

Letters from Division Heads

Letter from the

Cisqua Campus

Rippowam Campus

Nurturing “Habits of Mind” is an everyday habit on the Cisqua campus. Our students are reflecting on their skills and knowledge as they approach new tasks. This disposition to “think about thinking” is evident in so much of what they do. In visits to classrooms during the winter months, I saw many connections among what might appear to be disparate comments and activities. •A

JPK student, looking at two xylophone chimes that had different letters, identified the letters, commented that their varying tones must be related to the letters being different, and noted that his name started with one of them. • While two SPK students were building with blocks, one asked, “What blocks do we need to make a good tunnel going under the houses?” • A kindergarten student, diligently pounding a nail into his woodworking creation without making much progress, stood up and told me, “I can hit harder if I stand up because then my whole body is working to make the nail go in.” • A first grade student wondered if he could change the mood of a painting if he used cool rather than warm colors. • A second grade student who had finished a problem more quickly than his partners replied to their request for the answer. “I can’t tell you the answer, but I’ll give you a clue that will help you think better. It was hard for me too.”

•A

third grade student picked up her materials from a table where she had been chatting with her friends and quietly moved over to another spot to complete her work. • A fourth grade student, looking at a student generated database of planet characteristics, exclaimed, “Oh my gosh. I just realized that the four inner planets have no rings and the four outer ones have rings.” The ability to think critically is evidenced from the connections the JPK student was making to what he was learning about the alphabet to the “aha moment” of the fourth grader who was creating meaning from data. Thinking interdependently, persisting, responding with wonderment and awe, managing impulsivity, applying past knowledge to new situations, understanding what strategies support learning, thinking flexibly, creating, imagining, and innovating, as well as questioning and posing problems, are “habits of mind” that we believe will support lifelong learning and help our students develop the skills needed to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century. Our teachers craft lessons that provide specific opportunities for our students to practice these habits. Dr. Bena Kallick, a leading educational thinker who has identified these “habits of mind,” and who has worked with the faculty, reminds us our curriculum must provide “generative, rich, and provocative opportunities for using

these critical habits of mind.” Those of us who are lucky enough to be in Cisqua classrooms see evidence that our students are practicing these habits. Every so often, we are treated to clear statements that our students are reflecting on what they need “to do” to be successful. Their insights were marvelously apparent in the written declaration of a fourth grade class. We had the best math class ever because • we were quiet and listened • we took turns • we asked a zillion questions • we were not afraid to speak out or disagree with each other • we all participated • we respected each other’s ideas. We acted liked sophisticated scholars because we are sophisticated scholars! A third grade student, commenting on his learning, noted, “I like math this year because it lets my mind wonder and explore new possibilities.” The habit of “remaining open to continuous learning” may be the most important habit we can help our students develop. It is a privilege to be part of a school that offers this gift to its students each day. I hope you will have the occasion to come by and watch this in person some time. It’s amazing.

Paula Rosen, Division Head

The globalization of our economy, advances in technology, and the political and social changes that are occurring in the world, have a major influence on our perspective as teachers and learners. Although we may not have a clear understanding of the jobs our students will engage in over the next ten years, there is ample evidence that suggests the types of skills our students will need to be able to compete and succeed. In his book, The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner discusses seven vital skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Collaboration and Leading by Influence, Initiative and Entrepreneurialism, Effective Oral and Written Communication, Accessing and Analyzing Information, and Curiosity and Imagination. What is satisfying to me is the fact that our School develops these skills in our students every day. I recently attended a conference with Paula Rosen. One of the speakers was discussing what she referred to as a “growth mindset,” based on the book entitled, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. The concept addresses how people respond to adversity. Do we see obstacles as an opportunity or as a limitation?

At RCS, we most definitely have a “growth mindset.” I have the opportunity to watch our students discover who they are and what they can reach for as learners on a daily basis. Our programs, coupled with our nurturing and supportive environment, provide students with opportunities to stretch themselves. At times, the realization of what can be accomplished comes in the form of an “aha” moment. More often than not, however, a student discovers something about him or herself after spending hours, months, or years engaging in our curriculum. I have visited classrooms where I witnessed sixth grade students, involved in the study of Greece, develop a critical understanding of how Greek architecture continues to influence our lives today. I watched as eighth graders presented their balloon design projects to a panel of experts, and then followed them down the hall as they giggled with a deep sense of pride that they could work together as a team. I cheered at basketball games where students played at a level that perhaps they did not think possible six weeks ago. I’ve listened, with pride, to our ninth graders recalling Midnight Run and how good it felt to help others less fortunate. We constantly give our students, and they constantly seize, the opportunity to push their boundaries to a place they didn’t imagine possible.

We provide our students with the foundation they will need to discover who they are as individuals and learners, and to have fun along the way. As I reflect back on the time spent at my recent conference, I can’t help but think about the conversations my peers and I had about the word “yet” as it relates to skills and a growth mindset. “Yet” is a simple and powerful word. It gives us each the opportunity to think about not just what we are accomplishing and doing but also what might be. When students hit a wall, they can find comfort in the idea that it is absolutely not the case that they cannot do something. It is simply that they have not “yet” accomplished their goal. If we can all think with a growth mindset and remember that we have just not “yet” gotten there, I know our future will be limitless.

Bill Barrett, Division Head

An excerpt of the RCS philosophy reads:

The Joy of

Learning W

hen you dig down deep, what makes a Rippowam Cisqua education a Rippowam Cisqua education is the School’s child-centric mission and philosophy, which are rooted in the concept of joy in learning.

“Rippowam Cisqua School believes that learning is a shared experience, the responsibility of both students and teachers. We urge active student involvement and seek to provide a rich curriculum in academics, arts, and athletics for children of different abilities and learning styles. Our approach to learning incorporates experimentation, simulation, collective and individual problem solving, as well as traditional lecture, discussion, and skill development techniques – all toward the goal of attaining excellence. Students are challenged to demonstrate their competence in a variety of subjects, with emphasis placed on the written word, throughout their school career. The process by which children arrive at a final product is an important part of their education… …We strive to be a school of joyous and enlightened learning: a place where children come, not where they are sent. As the caretakers of the educational journey for more than 500 children, the faculty and administration take this philosophy very seriously and work tirelessly to instill it into every exercise, lecture, performance, presentation, and discussion at RCS.” Highlighting the concept of hands-on learning at RCS can be done by focusing on any of the academic subjects, the arts, or athletics where it is reflected daily. Perhaps one of the more visible examples, however, is within the inner workings of the science departments on both campuses. Dan Kollmer, Cisqua Campus science teacher, describes the RCS Science curriculum as teaching kids to “think like a scientist.” When you hear Dan outline the key components of the Scientific Method – observe, question, predict, experiment, and discuss results – it seems so obvious. Nearly every aspect of science is hands-on learning. You simply can’t be a scientist without getting involved and, in so doing, actively working through the stages of experimentation. This approach is built into every concept at every grade level from kindergarten through grade nine.

The Joy of Learning continued…

understand the characteristics of those surfaces. Food for thought: bubble soap is a liquid; so, is the bubble that formed from that liquid still a liquid? At the end of second grade, these budding scientists graduate to third and fourth grade science led by Tanis Moore. In third grade, students further incorporate their senses. Beginning with taste, they explore sweet, sour, bitter, and umami (the scientific term to describe the taste of glutamates and nucleotides). Students experiment with toothpicks and find out where on their tongues things taste the strongest. From that exercise, they move to smell, where they discover that the nose can “taste” 10,000 smells. The senses serve as a great platform for students to identify how they can use data to track their observations.

At the kindergarten level, students study states of matter – solids, liquids, and gases. In one lesson, students test six liquids in the freezer – water, lemon juice, vegetable oil, and three others. This is admittedly not earth-shattering science, and most students have likely done something along these lines at home (such as making orange juice popsicles), but what comes next is what makes the difference. Dan asks students to make predictions related to the outcomes of their tests, reminding that it doesn’t matter if you’re right or wrong, but you must have a reason for your prediction. Every year, students will ask if they can mix liquids, all of which they record (that’s what scientists do, after all; that’s how you think like a scientist!). Dan pointed out that he doesn’t have to force discussion – it just happens with the kids. Within moments of being asked the question, the kindergarten class is “thinking like scientists.” In first grade, the focus shifts to more advanced concepts, such as “dissolving.” Students are given a worksheet that features solids like sugar, salt, pepper, and hard candy. They are also given a recording sheet that has an outline that asks for a prediction, the name of the

solid, and a discussion of the results. For students at this age, Dan is less interested in focusing on the facts (what is it that causes the water to turn brown when you mix a cup of hot chocolate?) and more interested in beginning a conversation around the students’ predictions and the end results. Higher concept discussion will arise later with ample opportunity for students to question and explore in more detail. Second graders begin their study of bubbles and bubble-friendly surfaces. They examine different surfaces to determine where and why bubbles might pop or not. Then they take those materials and look at them under a microscope to better

In fourth grade, students adopt the word “hypothesis,” which is an explanation for an observation or prior experience. Any experience they’ve had has to be used as a reason. Using a floating egg, students will routinely make three hypotheses. Building on some of the work from their earlier grades about dissolving, students talked about heaviness, thickness and density, and how water molecules need something added to them to make an item float. The kids have fun with the various experiments, but it doesn’t end there. They are pushed to question themselves and each other. Do I understand this? Can I apply it? Hypotheses include, “I think an egg will float in Gatorade, because it has a lot of sugar.” “The experiment is done and it didn’t float. Why?” Tanis noted that they

“When our young scientists leave the lower school they have a working knowledge of the scientific method… They have an understanding of science, not simply from learning, reading, and listening, but by trying, guessing, challenging, and often failing, just like a world renowned scientist might.”

have a lot of bottles of liquid in the classroom because, once they have modeled how to do the lesson, the kids are then given the opportunity to go to the back of the room and try new things. Suffice it to say, they dive in! Tanis also provides many opportunities to focus on variables, and how a variable might impact the result of an experiment. One example uses drops of water on a penny (bigger eyedropper, smaller eyedropper, condition of the penny, height of the dropper, pressure one puts on the bulb) to highlight a focus on variables, with the constant in the experiment being water. When our young scientists leave the lower school they have a working knowledge of the scientific method, although they might not think of it by that name. They have an understanding of science, not simply from learning, reading, and listening, but by trying, guessing, challenging, and often failing, just like a world renowned scientist might. Middle school science teacher Kate Daly noted that Tanis sets students up for a perfect introduction to the fifth grade science year. By the time fifth grade begins, students are ready to start talking about experimental design. The “Gro-Beast” experiment (you may know them as those little polymer dinosaurs that increase

dramatically in size when put in water) is one of the first experiments on which fifth grade students embark. They explore how different liquids affect the size of the Gro-Beast in length, mass, and volume. Just as in their earlier years, they make predictions and then challenge those predictions through experimentation and, ultimately, arrive at a conclusion.

Students then go about designing the experiment appropriately and asking additional questions, which ultimately helps them assimilate the scientific method: • Is there only one variable? • Have they kept all the other factors constant? • How will they measure their Gro-Beasts? • How will they keep track of their data?

Students are then tasked with designing their own experiments and testing their Gro-Beast in three different liquids, with one of those liquids being water. The liquids must be safe and easily available but, beyond that, the sky’s the limit, though there has to be a reason why they chose a particular set of liquids (all liquids that are carbonated, clear, etc.).

In sixth grade science with Lou Tocco, students begin experimentation with blood types, and then in seventh grade science, they revisit soap bubbles, but in an increasingly more complex fashion. The advanced thinking reinforces the scientific method and the importance of identifying those elements that a “good” experiment requires.

The discussion and selection of the various liquids, in and of itself, can be fascinating. Discussion begins around what the students already know will help them pick their liquids and then form a hypothesis.

As students move to the later middle school years, the science and experimentation becomes more sophisticated, but continues to be predicated on the same principles that the students were taught by Dan Kollmer in kindergarten. By eighth grade, the students are much more independent and take more ownership of the scientific process.

Soda has a lot of sugar in it Liquid soap is “thicker” than water • Energy drinks have a lot of sugar and a lot of caffeine • Gro-Beasts are supposed to grow three times bigger than their original size when they are put in water • •

The RCS science program serves as a beautiful example, or laboratory, for the RCS educational philosophy as a whole. Replete with opportunities for active student involvement, experimentation, simulation, problem solving, skill development, collaboration, and fun! This approach is not designed to exist in a vacuum, but rather, it is designed to position students to flourish in classrooms, laboratories, studios and, ultimately, conference rooms, boardrooms, and wherever their future paths might take them. Educational theorists opine that the successful 21st century student will need to think critically and creatively, communicate their ideas effectively, and develop the skill set to work collaboratively. When we roll up our sleeves to take a closer look to see how the RCS science curriculum and, more importantly, the entire RCS curriculum is doing on each of these metrics, it checks out!

The Joy of Learning continued…

The Science Fair as an example of experience-based learning by Paula Rosen My heart of experience-based learning at Cisqua was explained by a second grader who told me how his partner and he had built their mini-golf hole. “We decided what we wanted it to look like and Mr. Kollmer told us how to make it.” When I asked what Mr. Kollmer said, this second grader responded, “He said, ‘How do you think you can make that?’” Each first through fourth grader worked as part of a team to produce projects that were shared at Cisqua’s Science Fair. Science teachers Tanis Moore and Dan Kollmer challenged their students to ask good questions, to explore possible answers, to use content knowledge to find solutions, and to adapt their thinking as they worked on their projects.

Students were given the opportunity to ask how things might work before they learned how they actually work. • Second grade mini-golf engineers drew plans before they began constructing their holes. During the building process, they experimented with various ways to move the ball towards the cup and modified their construction when their original ideas didn’t work. • Third grade electricians prepared diagrams for the wiring of their simple and parallel circuits, and made sketches of their backdrops. Students assumed responsibility for explaining the science content that underlay their project. • A first grader, telling me why his car went so fast, explained, “A lot of air molecules

got compressed. That means it was squashed in. Then, the air rushed out and it pushed against the wall, and then it bounced back to the car to make it go.” • When I asked what I should think about as I made my mini-golf shots, a second grader warned me not to use too much momentum or my ball would fly over the side wall. Another drew a path with his finger, advising me to aim for the tip of a certain rock so the ball would bounce off a part of the wall and be sent towards the cup at the “right angle.” • While explaining why a jump I had made would not be as high on Venus, a fourth grader told me that, while my mass would stay the same, Venus’s stronger gravity would make it harder for me to leave the surface of Venus than Earth. Interacting and relating with others created an appreciation of the varied talents that can contribute to a common goal. • Explaining how they had worked together, a team of third graders told me one team member had the best ideas about what they should paint as the background scenery, while another was the best at doing the painting, and another was “really good” at figuring out which wires needed to be connected to make a parallel circuit. • A first grader, turning to his partner after their car had been the first to reach the end of the race course, exclaimed, “We won because you made me put the wheels on straight!” Students solved problems by understanding the process of learning rather than relying on content. • When I asked a third grader how she was able to make her table spin, she explained that she kept experimenting until she realized she needed to be sure the wire began with a connection to the negative end of the battery and ended with a positive connection.

Students analyzed a common set of data from different perspectives. • A team of fourth graders told me they had so much information about the planets because “everyone had done some research and then we figured it out in different ways.” Experience-based learning is marvelously messy and complicated. It lies at the heart of Rippowam Cisqua because we know it builds the habits of mind that are essential to learning. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Science Fair projects. We give students the gift of time to struggle a bit to figure things out and make them work. As they do so, they express their ideas artistically, as well as orally and in writing; they apply scientific concepts as they build models that represent their ideas; and they negotiate leadership roles around a common goal through collaborative teamwork. Each lesson learned builds the foundation that we hope will sustain a passion for exploration and problem solving throughout our students’ lives. Part of the genius of the Science Fair’s design is the excitement students have. When asked whether they wanted to take a scheduled break, two third graders declined, saying they’d “like to be here to explain our project.” Several parents told me they have had more conversations about planets and gravity with their fourth graders than they’d had about what’s been happening all the rest of this year because their children were so eager to share what they had learned and what their parents would see at the Science Fair. A second grader told me that making her project was “hard, but worth it.” When I asked a kindergarten student what he thought about the Science Fair, he replied, “Science is really fun. I’m going to be in it next year.” When none of my hoops came close to landing on Saturn’s rings, a fourth grader immediately smiled and said, “Good try. Do you want to try again?”

Inside the

Classroom Monte Lipman, P’21, speaking to “History of Rock and Roll” students

Guest lecturers in History of Rock and Roll Seventh to Ninth Graders taking part in the Allied Art class “The History of Rock and Roll,” this past fall were treated to two special guest lecturers during the term. Monte Lipman, P’21 and president of Universal Republic Records (whose roster includes artists such as Jack Johnson, Colbie Caillat, and Enrique Iglesias), dropped in for a class session where he shared his personal and professional journey in the music business. On the day Mr. Lipman met with the students, Universal Republic artist Taylor Swift’s

Monte Lipman, P’21

album “Speak Now” had just been released, selling more than a million copies in its first week. Choosing the next single would be important for the success of the company. Mr. Lipman put the RCS students to work, teaching the concept of learning “to listen with their eyes as well as their ears” to help him and his team better understand what song should be released to radio stations as the second single. The interactive exercise offered students insight into just how challenging the decisions are that record companies make. Bob Pittman P’16,’18 spent a morning with the class to offer perspective on

the founding of MTV, the landmark enterprise group headed by Mr. Pittman developed in 1981. In addition to insight around this transformative moment in modern music history, Mr. Pittman offered students insight into the development of VH1, the first Live Aid concert, and much more. While the conversation initially focused on these moments in popular music history, the principal takeaways from the students’ exchange with Mr. Pittman focused on the importance of pursuing a passion in their adult lives, in whatever vocation they choose, along with a willingness to make mistakes. It was a memorable exchange for all involved.

Bob Pittman, P’16 and P’18, sharing his experiences in the music industry

While each of these experiences is unique, they all share two common elements. The first is the fact that each of these activities is orchestrated under the guidance of caring adults who work to foster a love of learning among their students. Our faculty wants children to be engaged in the curriculum, with each other, and with the adults around them. From those relationships comes the strength and confidence that makes our students successful.

Reflections from the Head of School, Matthew Nespole “As long as children feel a sense of connection, recognition, and mastery, they are okay…” Michael Thompson

During one of the successful Foundations of Education lectures held at Rippowam Cisqua this past winter, noted author and expert on child development, Michael Thompson, shared this thoughtful statement with a capacity audience in the Cisqua Campus Skyroom. Faculty, parents, and guests came to hear Dr. Thompson talk about the elements that, in his opinion, make for a successful school experience for a child. While he held the audience’s attention for over an hour, it was the quote above that stayed with many of us in the days that followed. Since my arrival at Rippowam Cisqua, I have spent a lot of time thinking about such statements. What makes a student’s experience exceptional? How do I know if we are reaching each student and pushing him to his fullest potential without pushing him too far? How can we be even more effective in engaging students and motivating them to be their best? As I reflect on these questions, I’m reminded that our talented faculty is committed to creating a program that gives our students ample opportunity to build both their intellect and confidence which ultimately lead to just what the doctor ordered: connection, recognition, and

The second is the importance of joy in a child’s life at school. While it may be hard for some of our students to imagine equating schoolwork with fun, the fact of the matter is that Rippowam Cisqua is a joyous place to be. As you walk the halls of Rippowam Cisqua, you see smiles and hear laughter that accompany the learning that is taking place; the children feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from their hard work and an underlying level of confidence and happiness. It is this confidence that sets our students on a path to a happy, meaningful life. It is this confidence that makes Rippowam Cisqua an outstanding, remarkable school.

mastery. We all understand that Michael Thompson’s premise is at the core of a successful learning experience and is at the core of what we do every day at RCS. In fact, our entire program is built on developing a sense of connection, recognition, and mastery. While those of us who work with children understand that all children have different strengths and opportunities for growth, we also believe that every child is capable of mastery in multiple arenas. I’ve watched a seventh grade child’s face light up after a successful history presentation to his classmates – the sense of recognition and mastery showing in her eyes. I’ve watched our entire third grade smile in unison after their Heroes Assembly, indicating a sense of connection that runs deeper than the

average friendship. I’ve observed a group of second graders as they completed their writing assignments on the mystery genre, each of them feeling a sense of mastery far beyond their own expectations. I’ve seen the smiles and jubilant celebration of our basketball teams after victories – to me that is the ultimate example of connection, recognition, and mastery that only being part of a team can provide. Most recently, I watched the sixth graders smile and whoop as the curtain came down after their highly successful performance of Schoolhouse Rock. These activities are just a sampling of the hundreds of opportunities that our faculty create each and every day for our students to demonstrate their understanding, display their talents, and develop self confidence and completeness.

Master Teaching

Grant Recipients Allison Birdsong has been teaching Spanish at RCS for five years. Her grant allowed her to take a trip of a restorative nature – a week long Yoga retreat in Tulum, Mexico.

Pam Bowlus, who has been the Ripp campus librarian for five years, used her grant to help fund a trip to Istanbul and other locations in Turkey.

Kate Daly, who has been with RCS for

Josh Deitch ’98, who has been

Beth Smith, who has been a fourth

ten years, first as an elementary school teacher and currently as a fifth and seventh grade science teacher, has been a practicing potter in her spare time. She will be using her grant to fund a five day intensive pottery workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

teaching history and Latin at RCS for five years, used his grant to help fund a trip with his wife to Maui, Hawaii.

grade teacher at RCS for five years, chose to travel closer to home. She and her husband and their two children will be exploring all that Boston and Nantucket have to offer this summer.

The Master Teaching Fund was established in 1991by RCS alumni in honor of the School’s retired master teachers. The goal of this endowed fund is to support the professional and personal development of today’s teachers and administrators.

In the fall of 2010, the RCS Alumni Association awarded seven Master Teaching grants to RCS faculty, including the Nicholas Bluestone award. This award is given in honor of Nicholas Bluestone who was a member of the class of 1994. The purpose of this special designation is to serve as a perpetual remembrance of Nick’s love of RCS and his interest in the Arts. A major consideration in awarding this grant is that the applicant seeks funding support for a journey of discovery.

Cheryl Coyle, who has been teaching Phys. Ed. on the Cisqua campus for fifteen years, chose to use her grant to strengthen family ties through skiing adventures with her husband and two young children.

Recipient of the Nicholas Bluestone Award Marnie McLaughlin, who has been teaching Art at RCS for ten years, was awarded this year’s Nicholas Bluestone award. Marnie used her grant to explore the birthplace of Renaissance art and history - Florence, Italy. She immersed herself in the culture, food, language, and art of Florence for a week, and she brought back to her classroom an enlivened perspective on her lessons about the Italian Renaissance.

v To help support the Master Teaching Fund Endowment, please send your donations to: Advancement Office, Rippowam Cisqua School, PO Box 488, Bedford, New York 10506 Please make checks payable to Rippowam Cisqua School and identify “MTF” as the fund designation in the memo line of your check. If you have additional questions, please contact Bob Whelan, Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement, at 914-244-1291 or bob_whelan@rcsny.org.

Cisqua Library The Cisqua campus library has been transformed into a magnificent space at the center of the Cisqua campus. A hallmark of the renovated library is the 80’ long clerestory opening the full length of the room. Not only does the new library have more than double the window area of the old library, but the configuration has effectively maximized diffuse northern light while eliminating the glare of direct sunlight in reading areas. This abundant, uniformly distributed daylight has transformed the library experience for users, improved learning, and has also improved building performance and energy efficiency.

Classroom & Library

Renovations Update “It’s difficult to put in words how extraordinary this new space has been for our students, our teachers, and our community – excitement and joy in the learning process are almost visibly apparent as soon as you walk through the door.”

Key Sustainability elements The library, too, was designed with sustainability in mind. Key design items of note are: •

Laura Jensen, Cisqua Campus librarian

When the Fall 2010 Bulletin went to press, the sheetrock had yet to be hung in the eight new classrooms on the middle school campus and the remarkable new library on the lower school campus. So much has changed since then! The renovation efforts on both campuses came on the heels of a 2008 campus master planning effort developed to help identify facilities enhancements that would serve to support teaching and learning on both campuses in the years to come. Following a successful fundraising effort that saw the RCS community contribute over $1.9 million in gifts and commitments in support of these critical campus improvements, construction began the day classes ended in June 2010.

“The new classrooms have transformed teaching and learning in ways that I never imagined.” Amy Stern, sixth grade teacher

Fifth and sixth grade wing classrooms The six homerooms and two math classrooms were reconfigured to more uniformly provide the maximum possible teaching space per student. Students and teachers took to the new rooms immediately, embracing the increased instructional flexibility that was a result of the renovations, a replacement of the heating system, and carefully chosen furniture. The SmartBoards in each new classroom have been a resounding instructional success with both students and teachers alike. The architecture of the fifth and sixth grade wing has also served to strengthen the identity of these grades, and the synthesizing of classroom entrances with display areas has allowed each homeroom group to display its efforts and achievements.

Key Sustainability elements The design and construction were completed with an eye toward sustainability throughout. Some of the most striking design elements include:

•

• •

•

The addition of a vestibule at the south entrance to the classroom wing which has resulted in energy savings and increased comfort on cold winter days. Both the attic and exterior walls have been re-insulated to meet current energy codes, to provide future cost savings and, most importantly, to provide a better tempered, healthier interior environment. All new finish materials were selected for their eco-friendly nature with much of it sourced and manufactured locally or regionally.

Energy efficient lighting systems are controlled by a state-of-the-art dimming system tied to daylight and occupancy sensors with a user override. New mechanical systems were designed to be more effective, more efficient, and to provide a healthier tempered environment.

The new centrally located entry allows for undisturbed use of the SmartBoards and instructional areas by groups at either end of the library.

•

Mobile shelving has offered flexible storage as well as space delineation when desired for larger group meetings.

•

The energy efficient lighting systems are controlled by a state-of-the-art dimming system tied to daylight and occupancy sensors with a user override.

•

New mechanical systems have proven to be more effective and efficient, while providing a healthier tempered environment. We hope you will stop by both of these new spaces when you are in the neighborhood to experience the transformation for yourself.

One in a series of updates on Rippowam Cisqua’s Long Range Strategic Plan initiatives

RCS became the first middle school in the United States to adopt the innovative Rocket Composter

Sustainability Initiatives at Rippowam Cisqua Rippowam Cisqua School is committed to environmental sustainability and conservation in all aspects of school life. A member of the Green Schools Alliance and the Bedford 2020 Schools Task Force, RCS incorporates themes of a sustainable present and future throughout its facility and program. Initiatives include an RCS garden (highlighted on this page), a green approach to construction (including building re-use, extensive insulation, regionally manufactured materials, innovative lighting, more efficient heating and cooling systems, etc.), solar energy, comprehensive recycling efforts, serving locally produced foods, water conservation efforts, and a state of the art composter (featured on the next page).

“Rippowam Cisqua strives to instill in students a strong sense of connection to their community and to the larger world” (From the RCS Mission Statement)

The RCS Garden This year, with the support of the Parent Association and the RCS administration, several RCS parent volunteers created a school garden. Working together under the guidance of Liz Taggart, current parent and professional organic farmer, the group has developed a garden dedicated to the entire school community, with a mission to create an organic and sustainable flower, vegetable, and fruit garden. Located on the Rippowam campus, adjacent to the Art House on Clinton Road, the garden has already begun to offer an interactive, educational, and creative environment, rich in diversity, where the practices of four season gardening will grow in response to the RCS community’s interests and needs. The site for the garden was measured and marked off last November. The soil was initially prepared by turning over the existing soil and adding compost and other enhancements to energize the soil in preparation for spring planting. Sixteen (8’ X 12’) beds were constructed prior to winter. Seedlings were started in February and warmed under the lights for several weeks in order to germinate. In March, two “stage coach” cold frames were constructed and seedlings were transferred to their new cold frame homes. Some of the many benefits of a school garden include: offering a hands-on experience in a wide range of subjects including science, math, writing, history, art, and nutrition; deepening the connection to nature and, hopefully, inspiring a sense of environmental stewardship as students learn about water, energy cycles, and the food chain; providing connections to local history and the world at large through the study of Native American and indigenous plantings; promoting cross-cultural understanding through a Shakespeare garden showcasing medicinal flowers and herbs as well as international beds dedicated to recreating what grows in other countries; and, finally, providing students and faculty with a variety of healthy and delicious produce harvested throughout the year to enhance the school lunch program.

Rippowam Cisqua School strengthened its commitment to sustainability in a very visible way in November with a particularly innovative initiative. For those who don’t drive through the back of the RCS middle school campus each day, there is a thirteen foot long, gleaming silver cylindrical object near the cafeteria and adjacent to the Music House. This spaceship type object is one of only five Rocket composters in the United States, the first in a middle school, and the largest in the United States. The Rocket® composter was invented in the U.K. in 1998 by John Webb as an

in-vessel composter for on-site treatment of organic wastes. The Rocket provides a clean and simple solution that allows food, garden, and horticultural waste to be treated on-site after its disposal. In fourteen days, it transforms waste into compost, which can be used for lawns, gardens, and other green areas. The Rocket is very simple to run, requiring approximately 15-20 minutes of labor per day. The cost of operation is only wood chips, which act as a bulking agent, and minimal electrical power (in the category of power usage for a single lightbulb). The composter technology allows for a continuous in-vessel process in a cost effective way, saving time and effort, while producing high quality compost. Among the many environmental benefits, the Rocket composter dramatically reduces food waste disposal costs, transportation costs, and carbon dioxide emissions (CO2). It also helps to minimize greenhouse gas emissions related to decaying food

(methane) in landfills. Amazingly, food waste accounts for 34% of all methane emissions in the United States, which is particularly noteworthy in that methane is twenty times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide (CO2). Essentially, the Rocket allows compost to go back to its origins, thus closing the loop of recycling.

Composting has now been taking place on the Rippowam campus since January and on the Cisqua campus since early May. Be sure to stop by and take a look. Maybe you’ll even have the opportunity to “feed” the composter.

RCS students participated as presenters at the 2011 Bedford Environmental Action Day On a cold Saturday in January, Rippowam Cisqua students joined over 700 people from the surrounding community for the Bedford 2020 Environmental Action Day. It was designed as an event to engage members of the local community in a full day of education and discussion in areas such as energy usage, food and agriculture, waste and recycling, and water and land use. RCS students were on hand throughout the day to highlight several key areas of focus for the School in its ongoing sustainability efforts. Using actual samples of the compost and wood chips that are part of the on-site composting effort at RCS, ninth graders Emma Boyd and

Arianna Gelwicks shared with visitors some of the finer points of the RCS Rocket® Composter. Other initiatives highlighted included the School’s commitment to solar energy (which covers approximately one third of the electrical energy needs on the lower school campus), water conservation efforts, the School garden, environmentally conscious new construction, and recycling. Several other RCS students took part in staffing the table throughout the day, including Nick Asaro, Sophia Gutfreund, Mac Nicholas, Torell Nugent, Domi Moise, Clara Seaborn, Andrew Bianco, Andrew Pittman, Susannah Davies, and Teddy Vallar. RCS parents, alumni, and parents of alumni were equally visible throughout the day and involved in many different ways to make the Environmental Action Day such a success for the greater Bedford community.

Grandparents Day

Revelry

RCS in Pictures

2010-11 All School Picnic

Sixth Grade Play: Schoolhouse Rock

Winter Concert

years old. (The PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award, for those who are unfamiliar, is awarded to an American author for his or her first work of fiction. The late Mary Hemingway founded the award to honor the memory of Ernest Hemingway and to recognize distinguished first books of fiction. Similarly, the Stephen Crane Prize, honoring Stephen Crane, author of the Red Badge of Courage, is awarded annually by the Book-of-the-Month Club to recognize an outstanding first work of fiction.)

Alumni Profiles Justin Cronin ’77 Bestselling author, Justin Cronin, has released three novels: Mary and O’Neil, The Summer Guest, and his most recent work, The Passage, published in the summer of 2010 in 30 countries. Justin lives in Houston, Texas with his wife Leslie and two children Iris (13) and Atticus (7).

Did you feel RCS prepared you well for your educational journey and professional journeys?

RCS Do you have any advice for our readers who are interested in writing professionally?

I think Ripp provided a very good foundation – I wouldn’t have gotten into Andover and Harvard without it. I was something of a nerd, which, at the time, wasn’t an easy thing to be, but in the end it worked out fine. My guess is that many of my former classmates would be surprised to find me doing something as ethereal as writing novels for a living. It sort of surprises me too.

JCC I feel very lucky to do what I do for

RCS

Those following the red hot literary realm that involves vampires, werewolves, and science fiction thrillers are likely already familiar with Justin’s work. Justin, who graduated from RCS in 1977, has found himself right at home in this genre. In fact, he has been so successful, that Ridley Scott has been said to have purchased the screen rights to his most recent novel, The Passage. The question on everyone’s mind as we sat down to chat with Justin was, how did you get here and where did you start?

I know it has been a few years but can you start with what you did after you left RCS? RCS

JCC I attended Phillips Academy in

Andover then Harvard University, where I majored in English. For two years I taught secondary school English, first in Hawaii and then in LA. After that, I returned to school, taking my MFA at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. A brief stint in journalism followed, then a year teaching at the University of

Memphis, eleven years at La Salle University in Philadelphia, and now Rice University in Houston, where I’ve been since 2003.

What inspired you to become a writer? RCS

JCC I became a writer gradually, as other things I thought I might do sort of drifted away. I decided at some point while I was in college that writing was what I wanted to do, but there’s no obvious career path to follow. You sort of just bang around for a while. Iowa was a big help – it was two years of doing nothing but writing and talking about writing with other people who cared about little else. It was Iowa, but it felt like Paris in the ’20s. Still, it was a long time after that that I really felt settled. My first book, Mary and O’Neil, came out in 2001 and won both the PEN/ Hemingway Award and the Stephen Crane Prize. I think of that as the moment when my writing career found some solid footing, and I was almost forty

“I think Ripp provided a very good foundation – I wouldn’t have gotten into Andover and Harvard without it.” Justin Cronin, 2010

seventh and eighth (a classy gentleman), and Ashton Crosby, my ninth grade Latin teacher (exceptionally natty bow ties).

JCC My memories of Ripp are, of

course, very old and I’ve been back to Bedford only a couple of times in the last twenty years, since my parents moved away long ago. When I think of Ripp, mostly I remember certain teachers and classes. These include a real range – Mrs. Post in first grade (absolutely terrifying, but she taught me to spell!), Mrs. Frankel in fifth grade (who made us write short stories), Mr. Weld for seventh grade science (dissecting a frog – gross but fascinating!), Mr. Woods for Latin in

RCS Was there anything in particular about your RCS experience that prepared you for where you are now? JCC I think the best thing about the

a living. Very few writers can support themselves and their families just by writing. The best thing is having so many readers. I hear from them constantly. Facebook, Amazon, Goodreads, and Twitter all provide ways for readers to reach out and let you know what they think. My best advice to any would-be writer is this: treat it like a job. I spend eight hours at my desk every day. Most people’s schedules don’t accommodate this, but set aside a few hours that you always and solely devote to writing. The world will try its very best to derail you with competing demands. Don’t let it.

Ripp experience overall was that the School challenged us academically, and there were many wonderful teachers. My daughter is an eighth grader at an independent school in Houston, and much of her homework seems strangely familiar (even as there’s absolutely no way I can help her with her math; math has been completely wiped from my brain, apparently). Justin Cronin, 1977

Arjun Ponnambalam, ’97 When Arjun Ponnambalam, ’97 reached out to us last summer to get a photo of his friends (Andrew Chatfield and Sam Lines) from the JPK sandbox, we took advantage of the opportunity to find out what Arjun has been doing since he left RCS nearly fifteen years ago. It turns out he has been very busy and doing some real good for his community… and the world.

RCS Arjun, what have you been doing since you left RCS? AP

After graduating from Ripp I attended Hackley for high school, and then went to Dartmouth College. I graduated from Dartmouth in 2004 and received a grant from the college to spend a year in El Salvador doing research on Fair Trade and organic coffee cooperatives. I spent an additional year bouncing around working with a few NGOs in the US and abroad, and then attended Georgetown

Alumni Profiles continued…

Law from 2006-2009. Upon graduation, I accepted a two-year position at The World Bank in Washington DC, where I currently focus on anticorruption and good governance issues in Latin America. RCS Wow, that’s quite a resume! What are you most proud of that you’ve accomplished?

These experiences encouraged me to begin to think critically about issues of poverty, equality, opportunity, and privilege, and initiated an ongoing internal process of trying to figure out how to engage with these issues in a more systematic way. The people I met and the friends I made on those first trips were also a key source of motivation and support.

I’ve been pretty happy with the effort I have put into maintaining good friendships over the years. This seems to become increasingly difficult as I get older since it takes more and more effort to find the time to hang out with childhood friends who often are scattered throughout the country. However, the effort is well worth it. I have been particularly aware of this recently since I have been a part of two weddings of close friends from JPK. RCS What inspired you to go into international relations? AP

My interest in working in the field of international development grew out of my participation in a handful of work trips through the Bedford Presbyterian Church, first to Appalachia to help renovate houses, and later to Nicaragua.

Did you enjoy your years at RCS? When you think back to being here, what do you instantly think of? RCS

I very much enjoyed my time at RCS, and I’m grateful for the friends I made there and the doors that it helped open. It’s very difficult to pick one thing that jumps out when I think of Ripp. Perhaps if I had to choose, I’d say it was the ninth grade year. I think I grew a lot during that year. While most of my friends were freshmen in high school, and on the lowest rung of the high school ladder, I was an “upperclassman,” and had the opportunity to be in leadership positions on SAB, sports teams, etc. I think I gained a lot of confidence as a result of this, and headed into tenth grade well prepared to adjust to a larger school.

“I very much enjoyed my time at RCS, and I’m grateful for the friends I made there and the doors that it helped open.”

RCS Did you feel well prepared for your educational journey? AP

Absolutely. Perhaps even more than the substantive education, I would say that the most important benefit I received during my time at Ripp was the development of certain intangible educational skills (e.g. discipline, good study habits, organizational skills, and motivation). My parents undoubtedly played a huge role in this, but I believe being in a school where the teachers fully engaged with their class and took an active interest in their students as children, and not just pupils, was a determining factor in developing the tools, curiosity, and habits that have served me well in different educational and professional settings. I also think being surrounded by similarly motivated students at Ripp helped tremendously.

RCSAA Alumni Board president Chris Wirth ’94 helped us get caught up with Cormac Bluestone ’93. Cormac is an actor, musician, composer, and producer currently living in Los Angeles.

Cormac Bluestone ’93

RCS What are your future aspirations? Where do you go from here?

front row – left to right: Rebecca Woolfe, Vanessa Seide, Molly Pulsifer, Candice Deglon, David Bright, Brennon Jones, Chris Ayala; second row – left to right: Ridley Sperling, Catherine Foley, Alexander (Roo) Reath, Christopher Mercado, Dan Ryan, Cormac Bluestone

Provide us with a brief look at what you’ve been doing since you left RCS. CW

I know that I want to continue to work in the field of international development, but I am still figuring out what that looks like moving forward. My position at The World Bank finishes in August 2011, and I am currently looking into a variety of options within the public and private sector, in addition to possibly going back to school for an LLM or masters in public policy.

Thanks Arjun. It has been a pleasure catching up with you. We wish you well with all your future endeavors and look forward to seeing where you land next.

Midi, invaluable tools to this day. Being a student in a unique music program at such a young age gave me a head start that I’m always mindful of whether I’m composing for theater, working in a studio with engineers, or communicating with a crew on set or stage. I am so lucky to have had a foundation that allowed me to find a place for myself in a profession I really like.

Where are you now and what are you doing?

Let’s go back to your years at RCS… what did you enjoy most? When you think back to Ripp, what do you instantly think of?

Do you have any particular memories of teachers or classes you’d like to share with us? I have particularly fond memories of playing basketball with Richie Meyers and Dave Hinman on Fridays after school; of doing “tech” for plays with Ashton Crosby; of History class with Jihad Mirza; English with Ms. Cleary and Ms. McNamara; and of having Chris Perry as a teacher for Bio.

company, Third Man Productions, in New York. I produced the highly acclaimed original play “Bloody Mary” which received four Innovative Theater Award nominations. In 2007, I was personally nominated for a New York Innovative Theater Award for my original music in a production of “Hamlet.” All of this has opened many doors for me. CW

RCS

Seated in front: Peter Scala, Colin Beaver, Kameron Shahid; Second row: Andrew Chatfield, Jack Canning, Mike Sirignano, Arjun Ponnambalam, Kevin Murray; Standing in back: Coach Hinman, Sean Murphy, Justin Roberts, Mike Praino, Sam Lines

Cormac Bluestone, ’93

CB Sometime after RCS, I spent two summers at the Williamstown Theater Festival as an actor and a musician. It was the beginning of my career as I already had a love for all aspects of theatrical production. I learned everything from becoming a better actor, to preparing drum charts, to carpentry. I learned how all the pieces came together on a professional level.

By 2005, I was performing and putting up my own work regularly with my theater

I reside mainly in Los Angeles and work in New York City. Currently I am a guest composer at NYU Tisch and Atlantic Theater Company Acting School. I also compose score for films and web content, play guitar and bass in a number of bands, and do vocal arrangements for acapella groups around the country. For three seasons, I’ve composed original music and songs for the show “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” including the infamous “Nightman Cometh” musical episode. I also served as the MC and Musical Director for the six-city sold out tour with the full cast in 2009. I am finishing music and lyrics for “Friends in Transient Places” that was presented at Ars Nova’s Antfest in NYC last fall. I am president of a small independent film company, Acorn Pictures, where we produce short film and theater. I also appear in numerous television commercials (ed note: you might have seen Cormac in commercials for Wendy’s, Kinkos, FedEx, Verizon and more).

Was there anything in particular about your RCS experience that prepared you for where you are now? CW

CB I’ve always been interested in the performing arts. Sue Fiala was a terrific music teacher who brought on Matt Wilder during my time at RCS. The two of them created an environment where I learned about Electronic Music and

CB Beyond so many of the terrific members of the faculty (from my SPK teacher Mrs. Catlin to my ninth grade science teacher Mr. Kober), two things stand out: being a part of the theater program and weighing my writing folder in Bill Valentine’s class.

Ash Crosby, Sue Fiala, and Jim Canning took a lot of care with theater at RCS. I enjoyed the process and the performances whether it was small scenes in class, being part of Revels, or the spring musical. In my time there, I found my passion for so many parts of production in the performing arts and I still pursue them today. Bill Valentine had a huge influence on me as an English teacher. Deciphering metaphor in text and teaching how to interpret and write about literature are concepts that made me a better reader and writer. At the time, these were difficult hurdles for me to overcome. Most importantly, Bill Valentine’s system of literally “weighing” our folders on a scale was an invaluable lesson for future writers and composers: don’t stop writing and don’t censor yourself. Looking back, that simple (and hilarious) practice of weighing your writing folder at the end of the semester was the beginning of self-discipline and good writing. You can keep up with Cormac Bluestone through his website at cormacbluestone.com or on Twitter

Alumni Profiles continued…

Roger Vincent ’59 RCS How did the Alumni Association get started? RV

Roger Vincent ’59 is an RCS alumnus, parent of alumni, former trustee, and the founder, as well as the first chair, of the RCS Alumni Association. As a long time resident of Bedford, Mr. Vincent has been instrumental in strengthening the RCS community and has maintained very close ties with the School. In fact, Roger has known every Rippowam Cisqua Head of School since World War II. During his ten years as a member of the RCS Board of Trustees, Roger was involved in many initiatives, but he feels his greatest contribution was to have served on the search committee in selecting the twelfth Head of School, Dick Wade, RCS Head from 1983-1993. Following his years as a trustee, Roger founded the RCS Alumni Association in 1992 and continued as Chair of that Board for ten years. He was also the first recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, a well deserved award for an alumnus who, among his many other achievements in life, has been involved with, and committed to, the School for over fifty years.

Upon concluding my tenure as a trustee, my love of the School had not diminished and I wanted to find new ways of contributing. One of the hallmarks of a great school is an engaged alumni body. With that in mind, helping establish the RCS Alumni Association seemed like a worthwhile cause to pursue. At the time, we were coming up on the 75th anniversary of the School and there was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm from everyone with a connection to the School. The Alumni Association came together to permit alumni, as well as past faculty and administration, to reconnect with the School on several concrete initiatives.

What were some of the projects which the Association carried out? RCS

RV Our initial efforts focused on organizing the celebration marking the 75th anniversary of the School. Over 400 RCS alumni returned to Bedford from Europe, Asia, and all across America to attend this special celebration. The invitation conveyed what proved to be an irresistible draw – the tag line read: “Have you ever wished you could go back … and thank a teacher?” The evening of the celebration was magical; the innumerable reconnections were incredible. There seemed to be a permanent smile on everyone’s face. For that celebration, and other anniversary undertakings, RCS received the CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) bronze medal for excellence in education. Winning third place in a competition pitting us against college and university entrants across the country was a distinct honor for the School.

A more formal phase began for the Alumni Association following this remarkable celebration. Using other

schools’ guidelines we created the RCS Alumni Association bylaws, focusing on what was most appropriate for a K-9 day school. Our most important and last accomplishment during those formative years was the establishment of the Master Teaching Fund. The credit for the purpose of this Fund goes to retired RCS teachers, who were approached by the Alumni Association in 1992, inquiring about ways alumni could express their gratitude to them. They declined anything for themselves, but instead suggested that we do something meaningful for current RCS faculty. The Alumni Association thus established the Master Teaching Fund which has continued since its formation to award grants to current RCS teachers and administrators for experiences contributing to their personal and/or professional growth and rejuvenation.

It is clear that you have been very involved with RCS over the years in a range of capacities. In your opinion, in what ways has RCS changed and/or remained the same? RCS

School. If we started today with a clean slate we would surely design a different structure, but the physical School of today with its old buildings and two campuses is one which tells the history of RCS. In addition, the most recent renovations – the beautiful Cisqua library and the new fifth and sixth grade wing – have shown how these buildings can adapt to evolving needs. The curriculum has also evolved – obviously, we had no computer classes in my student days, no New York Experience, no final year thesis project – all good additions. In general, I have a very positive feeling for the School today. Under the leadership of current Head of School, Matthew Nespole, I sense a great deal of excitement and energy.

Let’s go back to your years as an RCS student – what did you love most about that experience? RCS

With regard to changes, the physical footprint has definitely changed over the years, reflecting the organic growth of the

The teachers. I won’t cite a favorite teacher because all my teachers were wonderful. As students, we were always challenged to do our best. We knew that our teachers cared; we were instructed not only in the classroom, the hallways, the cafeteria, and on the playing fields, but also around town if a teacher saw a student behaving inappropriately. In loco parentis was indeed the role that the teachers filled.

Where did life take you after your time at Rippowam? RCS

RV I went to boarding school at Choate in Wallingford, CT, then to Yale University for my undergraduate degree, and then on to Harvard Business School for graduate studies. I would not hesitate

Waldo Jones (then Head of Cisqua) and encouraged, perhaps better described as mentored, by Priscilla Vail (the RCS learning specialist and a noted author).

You are the first recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award. Can you tell us a little more about that experience? RCS

As an RCS alum and parent of alumni, can you tell us what’s special about this dual role? RCS

RV It is wonderful to see that, just like me, our children – Elizabeth Vincent Havill ’86, Roger Vincent, Jr. ’88, and Andrew

“As both an RCS alumnus and a parent, I can attest to the importance of a good education at an earlier point. It sets a solid foundation for the rest of your life.”

There’s more about it that’s the same, than different. The commitment to the education of young children has certainly not changed – it was true when I was a student, it was true when I was a parent of RCS students, and it is true today. Another important RCS trait is having teachers who are not only gifted, but are exceptionally caring as well. A third characteristic that has not changed, is the involvement of parents. Throughout the history of the School, parents have been actively involved in supporting RCS and its teachers. From my own experience as a School trustee, I believe the consistent trustee focus has been, “how can we do more for the teachers?”

to say that the best teaching I ever received was at Rippowam, and the first leadership position I ever held was also at Ripp, as boys’ captain of the Red team. My professional life brought me back to New York City where I worked for many years in finance while living in Bedford. Now I am retired, but still serve on corporate boards, and I spend time traveling with my wife and enjoying our grandchildren.

Vincent ’90 – have a positive view of the teachers, the friendships, and the foundation provided by the education they received at Rippowam Cisqua. As both an RCS alumnus and a parent, I can attest to the importance of a good education at an early age. It sets a solid foundation for the rest of life. My wife, Nancy, and I believed that an excellent education was the most important gift we could give to our children. Their years at RCS influenced, in many ways, decisions and accomplishments later in life. In choosing teaching as a profession, our daughter Beth, for example, was inspired by

The award came to me at the conclusion of my leadership of the Alumni Association board. The honor completely caught me by surprise. I was speechless and humbled because all the efforts with which I have been associated at Rippowam have not been individual undertakings, but rather have reflected the combined successes of RCS teachers, the administration, trustees, and alumni. A concrete example of this fruitful collaboration was the “Dare to be True” book which started as a project a year in advance of the 75th anniversary (and was to have been completed by that celebration) but wound up taking five years to complete, requiring extensive research and an unflagging commitment by all those involved to produce a tribute to teachers in which the entire School community could take pride. RCS What is your message to young alums today? RV

I would encourage alumni – young and old - to treasure the education and the nurturing received at Rippowam Cisqua and always Dare to be True! We are fast approaching the 100th anniversary of our School. This milestone affords a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the School, childhood friendships, and an extraordinary education. Class of ’59 Eighth Grade Photo Back row – left to right: Walter Fowler, John Lambert, William Botzow, Edward Foss, Thomas Smidt, Robert Patterson Front row – left to right: Brennon Jones, Tobin Levy, David Holderness, William Clough, Roger Vincent, Rufus Botzow

Executive Committee continued…

Alumni

Board Members Since its beginning in 1992, the RCS Alumni Association has continued to grow. Today, the RCS Alumni Board is comprised of seventeen board members. They are all active volunteers who share the principles of the founders of this Association and are committed to further strengthening the Alumni community.

Richard Cahill ’92 Treasurer

Richard was a Blue Captain while at Ripp. After Rippowam he attended Rye Country Day, Boston College's Carroll School of Management Honors Program, and the London School of Economics. He is a Financial Advisor and Vice President at JPMorgan Chase, and currently resides in Manhattan. Richard joined the RCS Alumni Association Board in 2005.

Executive Committee

Christopher J. Wirth ’94

Stephen Ohler ’66

Susannah Sard ’58

Chair, Board of Trustees Ex-Officio

Vice Chair

Secretary

Chris is the Chair of the RCS Alumni Association Board and has been on the Board since 2007. After Ripp, he attended the Brunswick School. He graduated from Washington College in 2001 where he played on both the basketball and tennis teams. He is currently the President of First Financial Resources in Greenwich, CT, a full service wealth management firm. Chris lives in Greenwich, CT with his wife, Melissa, and their two children – son, Zack, who is two years old and daughter, Emily van Velsor Wirth, who was born on Super Bowl Sunday, February 6, 2011.

Steve went on to Middlesex School (1970) and Harvard University (1974) after Rippowam. He started working in the advertising business soon afterward with tours of duty at CBS Records, Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, Young & Rubicam, Bozell, and McCann-Erickson where, including four years at McCann Paris, he has been since 1987. He is currently an Executive Creative Director in the New York office. He has been back in Bedford since returning from Paris in 1996 and lives next to the Rippowam campus on Cantitoe Street. Steve joined the RCS Alumni Association Board in 2007.

Susannah has been a member of the RCS Alumni Association Board since 2004. After graduating from Choate Rosemary Hall, and then Bryn Mawr College, Susannah spent many years in the nonprofit sector, primarily as a development officer for education and the arts, in both Kentucky and New York. Susannah is currently a teacher of English in the ESL program at Westchester Community College. About serving on the RCS Alumni Association, Susannah says, “Because I see Rippowam as an essential foundation for the rest of my life and learning, I am happy to serve on the alumni board!”

“The RCS Alumni Association was established by individuals with both a strong love of our School and the conviction that one of the hallmarks of a great school is an involved and participatory alumni body.” Roger Vincent ’59 (Founder of the RCS Alumni Association)

Meg Atkin ’76

Katie Prezzano Durfee ’82

Meg’s family left London and moved to Katonah in 1966. Meg and her sister, Lisa, started at Rippowam and then her younger twin sisters joined them. They all loved the School and their teachers. Meg says she will always remember Mr. Tighe, who was a very special teacher to her. After Ripp, Meg attended Purnell in Pottersville N.J., which is a small all girls’ school. She had a wonderful experience there and, until recently, served on Purnell’s Board of Trustees. Following Purnell, Meg attended Wheelock College in Boston and became a teacher. Her first teaching job was in New York City and, while teaching there, she earned her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Bank Street College. Meg has taught in many private and public schools and she especially loves working with young children. She currently lives on Fishers Island, NY, and has been on the RCS Alumni Association Board since 2005.

Katie graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall and Franklin & Marshall College after leaving Ripp. She currently lives in Bedford with her husband Sherman (Beanie) ’81 and their two children, Ginny ’11 and Teddy. Katie is working as a realtor for Renwick Sotheby’s in Bedford Village and has been on the RCS Alumni Association Board since 2007.

Todd DeSimone ’93 After graduating from St. Luke’s, Dickinson College, and then Syracuse University College of Law in 2005, Todd started work as an attorney in Manhattan. He currently works at a boutique law firm that specializes in serving the architectural, engineering, and construction industries, primarily in the commercial litigation and transactional settings. Todd lives in midtown Manhattan and spends his free time dining out, traveling, playing golf, and training for marathons and triathlons. Todd joined the RCS Alumni Association Board in January 2011.

Nancy Dwyer Eaves ’92 After Ripp (where she proudly served as Blue Captain), Nancy attended St. George’s School and Trinity College. At Trinity, Nancy was a seven time Academic AllAmerican in Field Hockey and Lacrosse and a First Team All-American in Lacrosse. After Trinity, Nancy worked in Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Group, ran product management for Medsite Inc. (purchased by WebMD), and was Chief of Staff for Revolution Money, an alternative payment company (purchased by American Express). Nancy is also a trustee of the Andrew K. Dwyer Foundation. Nancy lives in New York City with her husband, their three year old daughter Paige, and six month old son Dwyer. Nancy joined the Alumni Association Board in January 2011.

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Alumni Board continued…

Message from the RCS Alumni Association Board Elly Dwyer Rice ’94

Harry Grand ’93

After graduating Rippowam Cisqua, Elly attended The Hotchkiss School, Yale University, and got her dual masters in general and special education from Bank Street College of Education. She taught grades first through third at The Buckley School, Birch Wathen Lenox, and The Brearley School in New York City. At Brearley, she was a third grade teacher, lower school math leader, and head of the assistant teacher program. In 2009, she received the Margaret Harding Fellowship given to the school’s most promising young teacher. Elly currently lives in Bedford with her husband Ethan, one year old son Andrew, and their pug, Pudding.

Harry is a proud third generation Rippowam Cisqua graduate and Red Team Captain. After Ripp, he attended Taft School and earned a BA in Political Science and French from Hamilton College. He attained the Certificat Pratique de Langue Française from L’Université Paris IV, Sorbonne, and holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Columbia Business School. He currently works as the Vice President and Client Relationship Manager at Lazard Wealth Management. Harry and his wife, Emily, became homeowners in December and currently live on the Upper West Side in New York. On February 13th, they welcomed their daughter, Lillian Pond Grand, into their lives. Harry joined the RCS Alumni Association Board in January 2011.

Ben Ginnel ’95 Following graduation from Rippowam Cisqua, Ben attended Westminster School and then went on to pursue a Graphic Design degree from Portfolio Center in Atlanta, GA. After college, he worked in the Advertising and Design industry for Pentagram and Sullivan in New York City. In 2006, he changed careers to join his family's real estate firm, Ginnel Real Estate, in Bedford. He now lives in Pound Ridge with his wife, Jaclene and their son, Henry, who will be a Cisqua student starting this fall. Ben joined the RCS Alumni Association Board in January 2011.

Cynthia Branch Mas ’71 Cynthia and her husband, Paul, moved to Bedford full time in 1997. They have two children who are both Rippowam alums, son Forrest ’04 and daughter Sydney ’07. Prior to moving to Bedford, Cynthia was a Merchandising Director at Tiffany & Co. in NYC for eighteen years. She and her husband bought the LeRoy’s house right across the street from Rippowam where she had a lot of great childhood memories. She is currently selling real estate in Bedford at Renwick Sotheby’s. Over the years, Cynthia has been on the board of the John Jay Homestead and the Bedford Golf & Tennis Club. She has also been active in the Bedford Garden Club, the Bedford Riding Lanes Association, and is currently very involved at the Bedford

Hills Correctional Facility where she is a board member of the Puppies Behind Bars program. Cynthia has been on the RCS Alumni Association Board since 2005.

Bill Meyer ’84 After RCS, Bill attended Middlesex School and then Connecticut College. Upon graduation, he taught elementary education for five years and then pursued a career in online technology. He is currently selfemployed and enjoys coaching his son's local hockey and lacrosse teams. Bill lives in Pound Ridge with his wife Joann, daughter Kate (13), and son Henry (9). Bill joined the RCS Alumni Association Board in January 2011.

Vanessa Seide ’93 After graduating from Manhattan College, Vanessa started working in the design department of Nine West Group. She spends a lot of time traveling to London, Paris, Italy, and China, which she considers her second home. While at Ripp, Vanessa was a Red Team Captain. She joined the RCS Alumni Association Board in January 2011.

Lisa Pagliaro Selz ’66 Following RCS, Lisa went to The Ethel Walker School and Goucher College. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and their two sons. Lisa has served on the RCS Alumni Board since 2007.

Philip Ohler ’75

Jane (Randy) Wilson Hall ’94

Following Rippowam Cisqua, Philip attended Westminster School and Hobart College. After fourteen years of living on the west coast, Philip returned to his roots in 2004. He had decided to take a year off to pursue his golf passion and to see if he could make a run as a professional golfer. In the midst of his year of golf he came back east to visit family. Little did he know he'd meet the love of his life, move back home, get married, and have a son. He currently works in the family advertising business, with his brother Steve, at McCann-Erickson. The rest of his time is spent being a husband and father. His son Henry is currently in Kindergarten at Cisqua. Philip tells us “I never thought I'd be where I am today but it's great to see old friends and wander the halls of Ripp!” Philip became a member of the RCS Alumni Association Board in January 2011.

Randy is a graduate of St. George’s and Middlebury College. She was a Blue Team Captain while here at Rippowam. She and her husband have two little boys – Timmy (2) and Jamie (7 months) – and they are currently living in Pound Ridge. Randy works part time at New Canaan Country School and joined the RCS Alumni Association Board in January 2011.

Watch your emails and mailboxes for details of Alumni Day in October 2011! All Alums are invited. Special class reunions within Alumni Day will include: 60th reunion – class of 1951 50th reunion – class of 1961 25th reunion – class of 1986 Please email alumni@rcsny.org with any questions or contact information for your classmates. If you are interested in organizing a reunion for your class, the RCS Alumni Office and the RCSAA Board will be glad to assist you.

Mentoring RCS Alumni Are you interested in mentoring RCS alumni? Does your company offer an internship program that you might like RCS alumni to be aware of? Ever consider speaking on an informational basis with RCS alumni about your particular professional field? Please contact alumni@rcsny.org.

$10,000 $20,000 Alumni Challenge! A generous alum recently offered to match up to ten gifts of $1,000 received before May 31st. The challenge deadline has now been extended to June 30th and will include gifts of $500 as well. If this challenge is met, a second alum will contribute an additional $10,000 to the Annual Fund. Please join us in support of this challenge! To make a donation, please use the enclosed business reply envelope or visit www.rcsny.org and click on Supporting RCS.

Two Ways to Connect with RCS Alumni Electronic Directory at www.rcsny.org There’s an electronic directory for Rippowam Cisqua Alumni through the password protected alumni page at www.rcsny.org. Reconnect with old friends and stay informed about alumni events. For more information, email alumni@rcsny.org.

Rippowam Cisqua School on If you are interested in becoming involved with the Alumni Board, please email alumni@rcsny.org.

Did you know that you can find Rippowam Cisqua alumni on Facebook? Simply log on to Facebook and search for “The Official Rippowam Cisqua Alumni Group” and begin reconnecting with Rippowam Cisqua alumni today.

Help us keep in touch. Would you like to help us connect with other Rippowam Cisqua alumni from your class for an upcoming reunion? Do you know of an RCS alum who might not be getting this magazine because we don’t have his or her address? For these and other alumni related issues, please contact us at alumni@rcsny.org or 914-244-1296.

Young Alumni Party, December 16, 2010

Alumni Events Fall/Winter 2010 Fall Alumni Day, October 16, 2010 Kathy Perry, Eleanor Sedanoui ’10, Chris Perry

Eleanor Sedanoui ’10, Treat Hardy ’10, Annie Fraiman, ’10

Edlira Curis, Rhya Fisher Volkwein ’85, Edward Volkwein

Cynthia Mas ’71, Roger Vincent ’59, Bill Husted ’51

Susannah Sard ’58, Richard Cahill ’92, Edlira Curis

Head of School Matthew Nespole, presenting to the group

Stephen Ohler ’66, Eric Reimer ’73, Sherman (Beanie) Durfee ’81, Philip Ohler ’75

Members of the class of 2011

Tom Morrissey, Charlie Duveen, Jared Dauman ’11, Bill Barrett

Alumni

Class Notes We are reprinting this photo from the Fall 2010 bulletin to include the names of those who attended the Class of 1950 60th reunion. Front Row, left to right: Rev. John Webster, Peter Swords, Nicholas Platt, Jim Righter, Hod O’Brien; Back Row, left to right: Joan Parker Wofford, Shiela Chanler Swett, Linda Petrasch Denison, Margaret Taube Harper, Sarah Lloyd Henry, and Caroline Stone Keating.

Pete Greer ’50 and his wife, Joan Wyeth Greer ’49, caught up with Pete’s brother Jay (who attended Ripp for a year) when he came to Gulf Shores, Alabama (where Joan and Pete live) to help celebrate Pete’s birthday. Jay was accompanied by Eleanor “Missy” Jones Panasevich ’56. They had a grand celebration topped off by a congratulatory call from Joan’s sister, Betsy Wyeth ’60, a resident of Burlington, VT. Pete says “We are all doing as well as can be expected for our respective ages, and we send all at Rippowam Cisqua our best.”

Francis (Randy) Goodhue and his wife, Lyn, live in Mt. Kisco. Georgia Goodhue Reath ’94 and Roo Reath ’94 are living in Boston with their son Pip (age 20 months). Sam Goodhue ’97 lives and works in NYC. William Goodhue’04 is at the University of Colorado.

Debbie Weil Harrington tells us that her first grandbaby, Dorothea, was born April 2010 to her oldest child Eliza Myers. Eliza is a pediatrician and neonatologist finishing her medical training at Yale. Debbie’s son Tim Harrington is a lawyer in New York. Her younger daughter, Amanda, is in medical school. Debbie and her husband, Sam, have been married 38 years. They live happily in Washington DC where they are not (yet) retired. Sam is a gastroenterologist and she is an author, speaker, and social media consultant. You can visit her website at www.debbieweil.com.

Paige Buckingham Hammond says: “All is well in my world, having just turned 70 in the Bahamas!” She was surrounded by all her family, 32 friends from the States and so many wonderful friends in Treasure Cay, Abaco where her husband had a beautiful party for her. She tells us she is still continuing her Interior Design business, just on a much smaller scale and still loving what she does. Last year, Joyce Moritz Parker ’56, and her husband, Tony, visited her for five days. She says, “We hadn’t see each other in 45 years and it was just as if we had never missed a beat! She is absolutely beautiful, full of energy, and happy. It was a very special time for both of us.” Paige expects the 70s to be a great time in her life and wishes the same to all who have that BIG birthday this year.

a judge on the Appellate 9th circuit. After a year, she will return to Manhattan where she has another clerkship in the Southern District; Thomas (30), is living in Telluride CO and teaches history and English at the Telluride Mountain School and is a river guide rafter in the summer. He is about to launch Telluride Brewing Co. Frances has four dogs, Albert, his mother Clover, JoJo, and her pup Kippy. Frances tells us that she has bred all of her dogs and been midwife to each one!

David Marvin has been living in Atlanta, Georgia since 1993. He says he had a late start on children and is now enjoying newborn twins and a four year old. He has his own real estate company (www.legacyproperty.com). His sister, Nancy Marvin’69, lives in Atlanta and his brother, Chip Marvin ’69, is living in Phoenix.

Sammy Cavallo, son of Angela Grand Cavallo ’91 and grandson of Cecily Fowler Grand ’65

Frances Fell Tower Thacher went to Foxcroft, Hampshire College, then to Kirkland/Hamilton College after getting married. She then went to Columbia for her graduate degree in midwifery. She spent thirty years caring for the women in Washington Heights and is now volunteering at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and helping the inmates who are pregnant. Frances has been living in Bedford for 24 years. She is married to Toby who owns an Investigative Law firm (Thacher Associates). Frances tells us they have two children: Chessie is about to graduate Stanford Law and will then move to Bozeman MT where she has a clerkship to

Agibail Downer Donhauser says: My husband, Philip, and I, along with our family, have been living in the rural college town of Durham, New Hampshire for the last twenty plus years and love it! It reminds us of Bedford back in the day when there was not such urban sprawl and so many cars. I am currently working at a local Hospice organization as their Spiritual Coordinator, Staff Trainer, and Director of Volunteer Services. I am also the Parish Administrator and Communicator for a medium sized Episcopal Church here in Durham. If any of you are ever this way, look us up!

to be the vibrant school that I remember and love. The teachers were dedicated, the classes were really interesting, and the kids were truly engaged. I returned to the area in 2002 to help care for aging parents, and have been living here with my thirteen year old son and an assortment of rescued pets ever since.” Ben Hall has been a great inspiration in getting the Class of ’71 reconnected. He tells us he is doing well, living in Seattle, and hoping for visitors.

Luke Fowler

Ben with his sister Linda Hall MacKay’64

Eugenie Harvey lives in Amherst MA. She has a daughter, Gaelyn, who is a studio arts major at U Mass Amherst. Eugenie is also working at U Mass.

Greetings from the Goodhues and the Reaths!

Cecily Grand shares with us that all is well with the Grands. Cecily and her husband, Gordie, just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in 2010. Gordie is working at Russell Reynolds, Inc. in New York and Stamford, and Cecily is still doing events and flowers for Grand Design. They built a house in Anguilla which they love and hope to use more and more.

Russell Corser and his family live in Herndon VA. They have a Telecom business doing VoIP for medium size businesses. They have two daughters: one at James Madison Univerisity and the other a senior in high school.

Parents, Missy Bowers Renwick ’70 and James Brevoort Renwick ’63 at the wedding of their daughter, Philippa, to Jack Kennedy in Bedford on October 2, 2010. Also in the photo are their children, Sarah B. Renwick and James B. Renwick, Jr. Mr. Renwick is currently on the Board of Trustees at Rippowam Cisqua.

Nina Baldwin Cole lives in Arlington MA, with her husband, John, who is an artist. Nina is currently an architectural designer and also worked for many years for This Old House and New Yankee Workshop TV shows. They have two daughters: Lillian who is at the University of MD and Morgan who is, hopefully, a future CU Boulder student.

My wife, Rhonda, and me with our children (Grace, Wyatt, and Luke) and my Mom in Palm Springs where she lives now. We spend most of our time between New Hampshire and Fishers Island.

Marcy Goerl has been living in Tasmania, Australia for the past 3 1/2 years. She says, “I just adore it here! Working, treating, racing, and breeding pacers. Warmest regards and wishes to all my former Ripp classmates and other Ripp alumni who knew me! Cannot believe that graduation was almost forty years ago! How time flies when you are having a good time!” Alexandra Gordevitch tells us: “Recently I was a stand in at Ripp’s Grandparents Day for Susannah Davies ’11, daughter of my college roommate. It was really great to be back on campus – Rippowam continues

Peter Kelley has been living in Rutland, VT since 1985. He is Senior VPInvestments with UBS Financial Services. Peter and his wife, Amy, have a recently graduated son, Alex, who is 24 and an about-to-be graduated daughter, Liza, 23. Peter says, “Life consists of work and play. Work is one mile away and play is out my door. Hang gliding got me to VT originally and I continue to love that more than any other sport. Skiing in the winter is twenty minutes away which adds weekend sanity. This year we’re shoveling it as much as skiing on it! My wife says I’m nuts and my friends call my car the Mobile Landfill. At any time there is equipment for hockey, skiing, snowshoeing, tennis, golf, hang gliding, snorkeling, or biking. As Mr. Woods would say, Semper Paratus!” Nick Leonhardt is living in Albuquerque, NM and working for his family’s foundation.

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Cynthia Branch Mas tells us she has thoroughly enjoyed tracking down all her Ripp classmates. She says, “I am still missing a few of you. Many thanks to Ben(jy) for spicing up our e-mail exchanges. We must be due for a reunion!” Bill Mayo-Smith lives in Weston MA and has three sons. The oldest is working in Vietnam, another one is a junior at UVM, and the third one is at Colorado College. Bill is a Professor at Brown Medical School and does interventional radiology at RI Hospital. He tells us he was just skiing with Peter Kelley ’71 in February. Mark McLaughlin joined the Army through ROTC and was stationed in Korea and Germany and traveled much of the world speaking several languages and doing interesting things as a Special Forces Officer, finishing as a Lieutenant Colonel at Fort Bragg, NC where he now performs security management. He has a daughter who is about to move to Seattle. He tells us he is writing a novel and enjoys catching up with old friends and classmates. Mark says, “You can find me on Facebook, MySpace, Tagged, and others.” Nina Meek writes, “There is something about a childhood friend that takes you right back to the smell of mowed grass, in a far corner of the Rippowam playing fields, listening to Mrs. Van Horn’s cheerful softball coaching.”

Nina Baldwin Cole ’71, while out west looking at colleges with her daughter, was given the grand tour of Boulder Colorado by Nina Meek ’71 who lives there.

Nancy Lindquist Mize lives in Raleigh, NC where she is an optometrist in a private Lasik surgery practice. She writes: “no kids

and happily not-married for decades to a wonderful man named Jim O’Neal. Since Jim is retired, we travel a bit, mostly in the US, but I’m not ready to retire yet, so life is based in Raleigh. In the past few years I’ve had a lot of fun with marathons and triathlons, though I emphasize that it’s for fun and not to win, place, or even show, and I have yet to tackle the full Ironman! Most of my family is back in the northeast now so I get to Maine and NY a couple of times a year when I’m lucky.” Anne Keesee Niemann has been living in Durham, NC with her husband, Tom (Duke MBA ’91) and four daughters, since 1989. Tom’s company, Niemann Capital is an urban revitalization development firm (niemanncapital.com) revitalizing downtown warehouses into loft apartments and commercial spaces. Anne is currently starting a new business, Bull Street Gourmet and Market (bullstreetdurham.com), a gourmet deli and market which she is busy trying to open by May. Daughter Carolyn (22), who graduated from College of Charleston in 2010, lives in NYC and works for Ralph Lauren Corporate; Meg (20) is a junior at College of Charleston (CofC ’12); Patty (18) graduated from Kent in 2010 and is a freshman at College of Charleston (CofC ’14); and Charlotte (16) is a sophomore at St. Mary’s School in Raleigh, NC. “If you’re a betting person, I think you’re safe placing a bet that she’ll be CofC ’17,” Anne writes. Other Cisqua alumni or graduates seen about town in the Durham-Chapel Hill area are Tommy Carr ’68 and Chris Boyd ’70.

says: “he moved just north of the Golden Gate Bridge several years ago-great to have him close by. Mom is in New Hampshire. My son Logan is a freshman at CU Boulder which will give me a good excuse to visit Nina Meek! My daughter Lili is a senior at Thacher School in Ojai, having spent last year living and studying in Beijing. We love to travelspent the holidays in Morocco and our travels have included India, Turkey, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand etc. Having spent many years running marketing for high tech companies, I’m excited to be back in my original career-clean tech and sustainability. I run the Global Energy + ~Environment Practice for Porter Novelli which is headquartered in NYC. Great to have reconnected recently with many former Ripp classmates! Life is good.”

Logan North, Amanda North ’71, and Lili North on vacation in Morocco

Jim Pierce has been in Texas for thirty years and says, “I’m the living epitome of the bumper sticker which reads ‘I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!’” Dabney and I have four children, ranging from 10-18. It’s never dull. Professionally, I’ve come full circle, and am back at Marsh & McLennan, where I began many years ago – I know you remember that company! Peter Kelley ’71 and I talk all the time. I very occasionally see Luke Fowler ’71, and a few years ago I hosted Matt Damora ’71, Greg Shaw ’71, Bill Mayo-Smith ’71, and Peter Hall ’71 at our summer house in Rhode Island.”

The Niemann Family

Amanda North has been living in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1980, originally moving there to attend Stanford Business School. Amanda says she lives in Woodside, which her father describes as the “west coast version of Bedford.” She

The Pierce Family

Bill Prins writes: “I am living in Bernardsville, NJ where I am an attorney. My wife Kate and I have four children: Bill is in law school at Duke, Kate is a senior at Bates, Caroline is a sophomore at Colgate, and Elizabeth is a tenth grader at Gill St. Bernard’s School in Gladstone, NJ.” Suzanne Allen de Sanchez is the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors with the County of El Dorado, which is a small county, just east of Sacramento. She is also a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) with her husband. She writes, “Our passion as CASAs is to keep sibling groups together.” She has been married to Manuel Sanchez-Grimaldi for 32 years. They have three children: Carolina (26), Pedro (24), and Miguel (15). Her dad (Woody) is living in Walworth, Wisconsin with his second wife, Deborah, and their two children Sam (21) and Kate (19). Mom (Cynthia) passed away in 2003 right after Mother’s Day and, if her dreams came true, she is a dolphin swimming in the ocean. Lee Wheeler Shanker writes: Married and living in London since 1982. Three children, of whom two are living and working in New York, and the third is waiting until April 15th to see if she too will head that direction. More reason to come back to visit! Leslie (Sunshine) McDuffie Tartter lives in Wappinger Falls, NY with her husband Frederick. She owns a Market America franchise, which is an internet based product brokerage company. They also own a remodeling company. Sunshine is very active in her local Dutchess County Chamber and in Civil Air Patrol. She has four children: Alexander (22) who is a composer/pianist and is getting married on June 19th to ballerina Heather Gorres; Benjamin (18) who will be graduating Dutchess Community College this spring; Cassandra (16) who has a cosmetics business, plans to start college this coming fall and is a Cadet Flight Officer in our squadron; and Nathaniel (13) who is an artist and is currently an Element Leader in our squadron.

Sarah, Susie Seaman Winkelman ’71, Mark, and William

19 The Tartter family

Nick Tucker is doing a lot of architecture, working in solar and housing solutions and Lizz Babbin Tucker ’71 is painting and teaching art. You can see some of Lizz’s work at www.etuckerart.com. Lizz plans to be on Cape Cod the last week in June for an art show at the Addison Gallery in Dennis and would love to see anyone who is nearby! They live in California just near Pasadena. Their two oldest kids, Ben and Emily, graduated college. Ben is a production coordinator and ruler of all things tech at buck.tv. Emily is working in interior design for various designers. Noah is getting ready to graduate with a degree in the music industry from Cal State Northridge and Olivia is in NY at Parsons studying the business side of fashion.

Adelaide Harris writes: “Bill and I are working on being empty nesters. Our oldest, Bailey, is living in NYC working in advertising; our son, Will, graduates in May from Hobart College, and our youngest, Sophie, graduates from Westminster School and heads to Hamilton College in the fall. As for me, I had a great year working on designing and selling jewelry. Thanks in part to Cynthia Mas, I had a fabulous year. She brought station wagons full of Ripp grads and Ripp parents.”

Bailey, Will, and Sophie Harris

z Liz Babbin Tucker ’71 and Nick Tucker ’71 with daughter Olivia Susie Seaman Winkelman lives in NYC in Tribeca where she works in advertising with Euro RSCG Worldwide and also shares a side business with her husband of developing an ‘artist community’ in Williamsport, PA at ‘The Pajama Factory’ (not far from NYC). She has two children Sarah (20), who is a junior at Colgate and William (24) who is at Harvard Medical School.

Doug Miller writes: “Those of you who had Betty Jane Miller, teacher for many years at Ripp, will be happy to know that, at age 89, she is still going strong in Blue Hill, Maine. I am also doing well, despite fighting a pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, similar to the cancer Apple’s Steve Jobs has. I am practicing law in Portland, Oregon, enjoying my family, and actively hiking the Oregon Cascades, home of many volcanoes and the Pacific Coast Trail. My children, Madeline and Braden, are in high school. Braden is waiting to hear from colleges and is hopeful of attending a college on the east coast.

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Class Notes continued…

Brad Hubbell writes: “My wife, Suzanne, and I have three children, ages 1 1/2 to 6 1/2. We live in Marin County, California, enjoying all that the outdoors and nearby San Francisco have to offer. I am a senior architect for a local firm specializing in high-end new and remodeled residences. Suzanne and I have our own firm as well. Life is eventful and energized!”

Willard (Woody) Neeley is working in NYC in financial trading technology and living in CT. He writes, “I would like to reconnect with anyone who may remember me! Please feel free to email me at wneeley103@aol.com.”

Marie Herkert Bogdanovic is living with her husband, Egils, in Litchfield, CT and is nearing the end of raising three children: Macaulay (20), Sasha (18), and Andre (14). She says “now it is time to reconnect with my first friends ever who I happened to meet at Rippowam. Feels like yesterday!”

‘Winans Women,’ right to left, Pauline (Penny) Winans ’63 (NY, NY), Polly Winans (mom) (Bedford, NY), Elizabeth Winans Rossman ’77 (Brooklyn, NY), and Jane Winans McKim ’72, (Winston-Salem, NC) who works for RiverRun International Film Festival – check it out!

Dana Lamb shares exciting news with us that he and Holly Hannaway are recently engaged. A June 2011 wedding is planned.

Storrs Cote is the parent of two RCS alums: Alec Cote ’08 who is a senior at Taft School and Pierce Cote ’11 who is a freshman at Westminster School. Her daughter, Blake, is a current fourth grader at Cisqua. Holly Hannaway and Dana Lamb ’80

Michael O’Callaghan lives in Malvern, PA with his wife and two children.

The Bogdanovic family – Andre, Sasha, Macaulay, Egils, Marie Bogdanovic ’76

Thomas Meyer shares with us that he lives in Alpharetta, Georgia. He has two boys: Trip (12) and Grant (10). Kiki Thompson tells us that she has been living in Verbier, Switzerland on and off since 1991. After a brief sojourn as a professional snowboarder (competed in the World Cup Tour in Giant Slalom and Boardercross and then Freeride in Alaska and New Zealand), she followed her first passion of sculpting. In 2002, she installed her first public sculpture in Switzerland and has created many large and small scale pieces since then in a variety of materials. This summer, she came to New York with her family – her husband, Mike, daughter Eloise (3 1/2) and son Oliver (2), so that she could participate in an Artists Residency in Public Art at the School of Visual Arts. “It was fun to show everyone a few old stomping grounds, including a day trip to Bedford,” she writes.

sleds. When in Maine, look us up – we are just around the corner from LL Bean. I see Erica Doyle Hemphill ’85 often – she lives in Freeport as well with her husband and two children.”

Wendy Jacobs Hampton writes: Hello class of ’87. As most of you know, I have been living in Telluride since the mid 90s. I am now married to Zach Hampton and we have two girls, Breton who is 5 and Zoe who is 3. We are living a very fortunate life up in the mountains; the kids are both little ripping skiers already. For the past ten years, I have owned an event planning company called Soiree Telluride. My husband and I also recently bought his family’s grocery store in Millbrook, NY, so we look forward to spending some time back on the east coast this summer. If anyone is out in Telluride, please look us up! My brother Rick Jacobs ’90 is living in Santa Monica, California and is a film producer. He is also an award winning Uncle to Breton and Zoe!

19 Karen O’Callaghan Horan lives in Katonah, NY with her husband and three children. Pierce Cote ’11, Alec Cote ’08, Blake Cote ’16, and Storrs Cote ’79

Karen O’Callaghan Horan ’76, Cal O’Callaghan ’77, Michael O’Callaghan ’80 Brian O’Callaghan ’81, Dan O’Callaghan ’76 with their families

Brian O’Callaghan lives in Katonah, NY with his wife and three children (two of whom currently attend Cisqua).

At their weekly Sunday night family dinner in Bedford, Beanie Durfee ’80, Cutler Whitman ’77, Libby Prezzano Whitman ’85, and Ginny Durfee ’11

Marah Rosenberg recently joined Vonage as a Program Manager in New Product Development. She continues to bridge the art and business divide through her volunteer work, most recently as a Grants Application Reviewer for Black Rock Arts Foundation, and by planning fundraising events for the Shore Institute of Contemporary Art in NJ. Her most recent art piece, Memento Mori, was featured on the Geraldine Dodge Foundation website and within WierdNJ.com

Caroline Treadway graduated last May from Boston University with a master’s degree in journalism, and now she is working as a freelance journalist in Boulder, Colorado. Angela Grand Cavallo and Ben Cavallo were married in July of 2009. They are living in Newton, MA, outside of Boston. Angela is on leave from being the most talented fundraiser in the Boston area. Angela and Ben have a little boy, Sammy, who will be turning two years old this March. Sammy is already an avid Red Sox fan, loves the water, and is hysterically funny.

19 Charles Spofford sends his greetings from Concord, MA. He is working for Celerant Consulting, an operations management consultancy, where he runs the Americas Marketing Group. Charles writes, “perhaps we should plan a 30th Reunion sometime in 2011! Drop me an email if you are in Boston or want to catch up – caplinks@gmail.com”

Dan O’Callaghan lives with his wife and two children in Bedford, NY.

Harold (Cal) O’Callaghan lives in Cohassett, MA with his wife and four children.

Charles Spofford ’81, Maisie (9), Heather (12), Knowles (15), wife Sherin

One of Kiki’s recent sculptures, Zen.

Rachel Cooke Mills works for the Recreation & Community Education Department in Freeport, Maine, as well as teaching ceramics, stained glass, and mosaic to children and adults. This summer she will be teaching an Art Camp while continuing to work on a variety of artwork in just about any media she can get her hands on. She says, “I am perpetually training for a few triathlons as well as the half marathon. My husband, Chris, and two children, Colby (11) and Hannah (8), have been thoroughly enjoying all the snow this winter – whether it’s on skis, snowshoes, skates, or

Zac Hampton, Wendy Jacobs ’87 with their children Breton (5) and Zoe (3)

Nancy Dwyer Eaves graduated from St. George’s and Trinity College after Ripp. Nancy and her husband, Blue, welcomed Dwyer Andrews Eaves on November 9, 2010. Dwyer joins his big sister, Paige, who is three years old. Nancy, Blue, Paige, and Dwyer live in New York City with their dog Porsche.

Marisa Felt Bellingrath shares with us that her family, husband Thompson, son Guy (7), and son Albert (3), have all settled happily into their new lives in San Francisco. They are enjoying the city and all of the hiking, beaches, and outdoor fun the Bay area offers. She is working at the Hamlin School, a K-8 girls school, as the Head of Middle School. She writes, “If you are in SF–look us up!”

Dwyer Andrews Eaves

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Class Notes continued…

Peter Pell writes: “I had a big month! On Christmas Eve, I got engaged to my girl Tice Burke! We are planning to wed next fall on Captiva Island in Florida. To celebrate, Tice and I spent New Year’s in Careyas, Mexico and spent a week skiing in Kitzbuhel, Austria and Garmisch, Germany. Upon returning to NY, I began a new job at an investment consulting firm called CSM Capital after eleven years with Wilmington Trust Company.” Anne Rutherford Verrill now lives in Portland Maine and owns two restaurants: The Foreside Tavern in Falmouth, ME and Grace in Portland. Grace is often rented out for weddings and will be coincidentally hosting the wedding of Eleanor Jackson ’95 and Straat Tenney ’94 in July of this year. Ellen Sluder and her husband, Stephen, moved back to the area just over a year ago. They are now living in Mount Kisco and welcomed their daughter, Henrietta Rose, on October 11, 2010. Ellen says, “It’s great to be back in the old neighborhood.”

Daniel Ryan says: “I am currently living in Bedford and am a partner at Heidrick & Struggles in NYC. My wife Char and I are expecting our first child in July, Rippowam class of 2026! I am still in touch with Harry Grand ’93 and Alexander (Roo) Reath ’93 and see them often.” Chris Ayala recently left the life of big law in New York City and has accepted a position as Vice President and General Counsel at Native American Resource Partners, LLC, a private equity energy investment company that develops Greenfield Oil and Gas, potash, and other traditional and alternative energy sources in the United States and Canada through joint venture arrangements with Native American and First Nations of Canada. He and his wife recently moved from Manhattan to Saskatoon, SK and Calgary, AB to help develop this company’s Canadian presence.

Harry Grand was married in 2009 to Emily Stevens in Concord, MA. They live in NYC on the upper west side. Harry and Em just had a baby girl in February, Lillian Pond Grand. After working at Rockefeller and Co. for seven years, Harry was hired by Lazard to work in their wealth management company. Emily is presently on a three month maternity leave from Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Tarrytown, NY.

Back Bay Yoga, Sadhana Yoga, and Charlestown Yoga. In addition to being a certified yoga teacher, Georgia is a Columbia University trained mental health counselor, an adoring wife, and an ever-loving and ever-grateful mama. Chris Wirth, his wife Melissa, and their son Zack welcomed Zack’s sister, Emily van Velsor Wirth on Super Bowl Sunday, February 6, 2011. Zack, who is two years old, is a proud older brother now.

got involved in Care For Kenya, which is an organization that creates a source of employment and sustainable growth for women of Nairobi. Jess designed three bags which were then made with African textiles and sold through the organization to better benefit their cause. Jess remains very close friends with Carrie Ryan ’96 and will be Maid of Honor in Carrie’s wedding this spring.

Assistant to the Director of Exhibitions at the MOMA during the day and finishing her master’s in Visual Arts Administration at New York University.

20 Jake and his new niece Lily Pond Grand

Sarah Kaplan works at Sotheby’s in New York, focusing on 20th Century Design. Abby Kunhardt is an elementary school teacher at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s in New York. Malcolm MacDonald lives and works in Manhattan for BofA Merrill Lynch.

Lillian Pond Grand

John (Woody) Abbott tells us that he is getting married this July in Beaver Creek, CO. John Boynton has been living in San Francisco for over six years and absolutely loves it. He works for a commercial real estate investment firm and still plays hockey once a week. While he enjoys his west coast lifestyle, he dearly misses his friends back east. In December, he attended his first yoga class which was led by Georgia Goodhue Reath ’94. He says, “What an incredible experience! If you are in Boston check out one of her classes (http://www.bluelightyoga.com).” Georgia Goodhue Reath, founder of Blue Light Yoga (bluelightyoga.com) began practicing asana (or the physical practice of yoga) at twenty while attaining her B.A. at Middlebury College. Over the years, however, her practice slowly evolved (and continues to evolve) by drawing inspiration from many different forms of yoga. In addition, her practice borrows from lessons learned off the mat as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, cook, gardener, counselor, and being. In 2008, Georgia relocated from New York City to Boston, where she currently lives and works at numerous studios, including South Boston Yoga,

Jess Rizzutti ’96 Zack and Emily Wirth

Giff Foley was wed to Katherine Ann Leibold on July 31, 2010 in Sandpoint Idaho. Several Ripp alums were in attendance including (from L to R in photo below) Giff’s brother and best man James Foley ’00, Nick Fernandez, Catherine Foley ’93, Meredith (Dede) Dixon ’95, Sam Spiegel ’95, Katy Foley (the bride), Giff Foley ’95, Peter Wright ’94 and Tim Schneider ’95.

Tristan Perich says: “It’s been nice to spend more time in my hometown of Katonah, where I currently have an exhibition at the Katonah Museum. A machine-made drawing of mine is included in the “Drawn, Taped, Burned” exhibition, as well as a large-scale wall drawing, which is slowly being executed at the museum over four months, on view until May 1st, as well as online at tristanperich.com. The museum shop also has a few copies of my recent circuitalbum, “1-Bit Symphony,” which employs hand-built electronics, similar to the drawing machine, to synthesize music.”

Kaitlin McMenemon is a Project Manager at Envirosell, a research and consulting firm that specializes in the study of human behavior in retail, service, home, and online environments.

A Ripp reunion in New York City – from left to right: Kaitlin McMenemon ’99, Hallie Preston ’99, Emily Scaros ’99, Abby Kunhardt ’99, and Sarah Kaplan ’99 all met up in New York City during restaurant week when Hallie was in town.

Sarah Carnabuci is now living in NYC, since graduating from Middlebury College in 2008. She has been working for over two years in the fashion industry, doing public relations for the designer Isaac Mizrahi. She tells us that they just wrapped up another successful Fashion Week in February, with a runway show that was welcomed with rave reviews. Paige MacDonald Clarke graduated from Columbia University Teachers College with a Masters in Psychology and married Garrett Clarke in September 2010. She is currently living in NYC. Emma Diebold just finished two years of working in DC for the Center for American Progress as the Special Events Coordinator. After graduating from Washington University, she worked on the Barack Obama presidential campaign in St. Louis, MO and the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee in D.C. She’s now headed back to New York (after some traveling) for her next adventure. Kate Jaffe writes: I’ve been working at Cisqua for the past two years. It’s been a lot of fun and I am currently getting my master’s in childhood education at Fordham. I just moved to NYC with my boyfriend and I hope to see a lot of other RCS alums around the city!

Marissa Gold lives in Manhattan and assumed a new role at Hearst Corporation this year, managing social media editorial programming for the women’s lifestyle magazine group.

Griffin Occhigrossi is a singer/songwriter living in Miami, FL. His diversified sound and blend of soul/pop music has helped Griffin achieve quite a fan base. You can check out his music online at www.griffinanthony.com.

Jess Rizzuti is currently living in NYC and has her own handbag company, Jess Rizzuti New York www.jessrizzuti.com. As her handbag business grew she felt very strongly about giving back and, in 2009,

Jake Grand is living in San Francisco and working in advertising at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. He works on the accounts of Hewlett Packard, Doritos, and many more. He is really enjoying living in San Francisco.

Hallie Preston lives in Santa Barbara, California and works at Cate School, which is a boarding high school. Emily Scaros is living in Manhattan, dividing her time between working as the

Louisa Polos writes: “Since graduating Gettysburg College in 2008, I have worked in New York City for A&E Television Networks and then lived in D.C. for a year working on Capitol Hill. I am thrilled to be back at Rippowam teaching and coaching. I am also a part-time student in a master’s program at Fordham University Graduate School of Education. I am looking forward to all of the wonderful RCS traditions this spring and hope to be in touch with my classmates in the New York area!

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Class Notes continued…

Kathryn Sorte is currently living in NYC and earning her master’s in public health (MPH) at Columbia University in Health Policy and Management.

Andrew Laird is currently a junior at the University of Vermont School of Business, but is attending Webster University in Geneva, Switzerland for the semester. He is enjoying his business classes and loving the skiing... Zermatt, Chamonix etc.!!

Andrew Laird at Matterhorn

In Memoriam Samuel Parkman (former headmaster) of Cambridge, Nov. 28 at age 78 after a brief illness. Beloved husband of Mary K. (Simonds). Dear and devoted father of Molly French and her husband, Alan C. of Berkeley Heights, NJ and Samuel L. Parkman and his wife, Jennifer Greeley of Newton. Adored grandfather of Timothy Parkman French, Robin French, Jennifer F. French, Alida F. Parkman and Emily G. Parkman. Graduated from the Brooks School and Harvard College. A longtime teacher and principal of elementary schools. Published in The Boston Globe from November 30 to December 1, 2010 Evelyn Soule Lawrence ’47 of Norwalk, died peacefully at home on November 9, 2010. Ms. Lawrence was the daughter of the late William V. Lawrence II and Elinor W. Lawrence. She attended Rippowam School and The Masters School. She traveled through Europe for six months after high school. She ran a successful interior decorating business and was an avid gardener. She is survived by her sister Ronile Lawrence of Speculator, NY, her daughter, Virginia L. Abbett of Norwalk, son Alex L. Gregory of Boulder, CO, daughter Lyn Gregory (Andrew Biel) and granddaughter Grace Amalia Gregory Biel of Lyons, CO. Published in GreenwichTime on December 2, 2010 Caroline W. Hardenbergh Ohler ’44, of Pound Ridge, wife of the late David Ohler, died on Sunday, March 27, at her home in Pound Ridge. Mrs. Ohler was born on Sept. 1, 1929, in New York City. She was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hardenbergh of Bedford Hills. Mrs. Ohler graduated from Rippowam School, the Emma Willard School, and Briarcliff College. She lived in the Bedford area for most of her life and had worked in the real estate office of Vincent & Whittemore in Bedford Village. Mrs. Ohler is survived by her sons, Stephen H. Ohler ’66 of Bedford and Philip E. Ohler ’75 of Katonah; her daughter, Caroline W. Ohler ’71, of South Salem; and her four grandchildren, Nicholas D. Ohler, Sophia V. Ohler, Haley C. Miller and Henry C. Ohler ’20. Published in Bedford Pound Ridge Record Review W. Davis Lackey, Jr. ’75, died on February 15 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He was 46 years old. Mr. Lackey was born March 26, 1964 in New Rochelle, NY, he moved to Cumberland Foreside, ME, at age 13. He was educated at Rippowam Cisqua School, Phillips Academy Andover, and Yale University. He was a skillful writer and held various positions, but in January 2011, he began work as a deputy secretary of state to Charles Summers, Maine Secretary of State.

A few of the many reasons to support

The RCS Annual Fund… The Annual Fund is the School’s most important ongoing fundraising activity.

In the fall 2010 RCS Bulletin, we regrettably misspelled George Stoddart’s name in the In Memoriam section. Our apologies to his family, Gail M. Stoddart, Penelope Stoddart Potter ’74, and Tim Stoddart ’77.

Like most independent schools, tuition revenues at RCS do not cover the entire cost of running the School. Tuition provides approximately 82% of the annual operating budget with the Annual Fund supplying 8%. The School relies on this source of income in order to meet the essential needs of students and faculty. This year, the difference between tuition revenues and total operating expenses amounts to approximately $5,400 per child.

We would like to extend our most sincere apologies to the following family whose name was missing in the 2009-2010 Report of Donors: Dr. Steven A. McCormick and Ms. Marci H. Stearns should have been listed on page 45 as Current Parent Donors to the Annual Fund in Grade 5. We are truly grateful for their generous support and deeply regret our error.

Our Annual Fund goal this year is $1,200,000 and 100% community participation. Last year, we reached $1,140,000 and had almost 90% participation — remarkable results in a remarkable year — thanks to an incredibly engaged parent volunteer organization. If you would like to make a gift, please take a moment to fill out the enclosed pledge envelope and send it back to us with your contribution.

Corrections

Charlie Wilson ’09 and Max Feidelson ’08

For more information please contact Susie Danziger at 914-244-1292 or susie_danziger@rcsny.org