The Riparian - Fall 2013

Riparian T he R ivers S chool • fall 2 0 1 3

• Senior Projects: Exploring Possibilities • Engineer Your World • Alumni Day and Reunions 2013 • 2012–2013 Annual Report on Giving

Meet ERIC Q! Like all good students, ERIC Q is full of Questions.

Top on his list is, WHAT MAKES RIVERS RIVERS? Luckily for ERIC Q, the answer is right there in his name: Excellence Relationships Innovation Character Quality of Experience These five values are key to defining, and living, the Rivers mission of Excellence with Humanity. Take a few minutes to read the Riparian stories that follow to see how these values affect the lives of Rivers’ students and faculty every day.

And don’t forget, ERIC Q’s name can help you to remember WHAT MAKES RIVERS RIVERS!

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Riparian The Rivers School • fall 2013

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Editor

Christine Martin, Director of Communications and Stewardship Contributors

Jessica Isner, James Kelley, Communications Assistants Photography

Tim Morse, Hillary Noble, James Kelley, Tom Kates De s i g n e r

Amanda Wait & David Gerratt, NonprofitDesign.com

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Signature Printing & Consulting, Brian Maranian ’96 He a d o f Sc h o o l

D i r ec t o r o f A d v a n ce m e n t

Janice H. Hicinbothem A s s i s t a n t D i r ec t o r o f A d v a n ce m e n t

Heather Jack Coordinator of P a r e n t Re l a t i o n s

Amy Dunne

The Rivers School 333 Winter Street Weston, MA 02493-1040 781-235-9300 www.rivers.org

Welcome to New Trustees Feature:

Senior Projects: Exploring Possibilities Erin Barlow ’13 Sets her Sights on the Stage Gorskis Head to the Royal Academy of Music Hands-on Engineering Elective Debuts at Rivers O n l i n e L e a rn i ng :

Experiential Writing from the Comfort of Home Campus News Dave Burzillo: BIG History’s Master Teacher INSERT:

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Thomas P. Olverson

Message from Head of School Tom Olverson

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2012–2013 ANNUAL REPORT ON GIVING: The Rivers School and The Rivers School Conservatory Parents Rock the Rafters at Annual Auction REUNION 2013 The Rivers Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid Conservatory Program Turns 10 Class Notes Welcome to New Alumni Council Members Boston Summer Social Congratulations to the Class of 2013

Riparian: “One that lives or has property on the bank of a river or lake.”

O N t h e COVE R

Bruna Lee ’13, Abioma Crawford ’13, and Kathryn Nielsen ’13 with their senior project

The Riparian is published twice a year for The Rivers School alumni, parents, students, faculty, and friends.

To save on the cost of mailing the Riparian, Rivers has consolidated multiple mailings addressed to the same household so that your home will receive only one copy. If you have reason to receive additional copies at your address, please call Chris Martin at 781-235-9300, ext. 230.

Fall 2013 • Riparian • 1

Message from the Head of School

Become the Person You Want to Be

By Thomas P. Olverson On September 3, Tom Olverson delivered this talk to the Rivers community at the opening assembly of the 2013–14 school year.

Tom will retire as Head of School at the end of the academic year, after 17 years at the helm of The Rivers School. A search is underway for a new Head of School, led by a committee composed of trustees, parents, alumni, faculty, and administrators. Go to www.rivers.org/headsearch for more information.

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elcome everyone! A special welcome to our new students, faculty, and staff. Before we start the new year, I wanted to say a few words about our community.

One of the leading scholars on organizational leadership, Howard Meltzer, once wrote that the most important part of any organization cannot be measured. I know this sounds so counterintuitive. In business, you’re suppose to measure success by profits—hard data.

In schools, we want to know about GPAs, SAT scores, wins and losses, championships, the number of Gold Key recipients and debate winners.

I don’t discount the importance of numbers. They’re really valuable. But I don’t believe that what matters most in your experience here at Rivers can be quantified.

How do you put a number on the camaraderie a football team develops going through a grueling season?

How do you put a number on a teacher going the extra mile to help a student?

How do you quantify a senior reaching out to an underclassman, or an eighth grader making a new middle schooler feel welcome?

How do you quantify a student having the courage to admit failure and to try again?

Stats are important; measures of excellence are important; getting feedback about the quality of your work is important.

It’s just that they are not the most important part of who you are as an individual and who we are as a community.

Ten years ago, a group of teachers rewrote our Core Values— the values that we strive to live by—respect, honesty, responsibility, compassion, and diversity.

I firmly believe that the degree to which we live these values will determine the quality of this school year, more so than all the things that can be easily measured.

AND HERE’S THE REAL UPSIDE. When we live these values, it’s like a big announcement to the entire Rivers community: “It is okay for you to be yourself here at Rivers; it is okay for you to become the person you want to be.”

So I implore you: Keep these values in your head and in your heart.

Have a great year!

Board of Trustees 2013–2014 President: Clinton P. Harris

Term Trustees Dennis Baldwin Benjamin R. Bloomstone Robert E. Buonato ’81 James F. Carlin ’81 Louise Cummings ’98 Karen L. Daniels Howard G. Davis ’70 Robert J. Davis Ben D. Fischman Mark R. Florence 2 • Riparian • Fall 2013 Andrew N. Jaffe ’93

Stephen M. Jennings Daniel A. Kraft Hongmei Li Barbara V. Ligon Deborah H. McAneny James C. Mullen Daniel R. Revers Alan D. Rose ’87 Solomon B. Roth Laurie Schoen Mark S. Schuster ’72 Andrew P. Slifka

Laurie Slifka Richard L. Smith Steven J. Snider Michael P. Stansky Eric M. Wolf Life Trustees David M. Berwind Charles C. Carswell Stephen R. Delinsky Peter A. Gaines G. Arnold Haynes

Harriet R. Lewis Thomas L. Lyons Roy S. MacDowell, Jr. Joel B. Sherman Frances B. Shifman William B. Tyler ’43 Joan A. Vaccarino Cai von Rumohr Joan C. Walter Frank S. Waterman III ’41 Dudley H. Willis

Honorary Trustees of the Corporation Joan T. Allison Thomas P. Beal Richard A. Bradley Marie Fitzpatrick Louis J. Grossman ’67 Joshua M. Kraft ’85 Warren M. Little ’51 Virginia S. MacDowell Deborah S. Petri Frederick G. Pfannenstiehl ’59 A. Tozzer Spalding ’62

Rivers Welcomes New Trustees

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ennis Baldwin is Founder and Managing Partner of Breakaway

Ventures, which has provided venture capital and management consulting services for high growth consumer facing businesses since 2006. Prior to founding Breakaway Ventures, he was the former chief marketing officer at Reebok International. He is also a board member of a number of consumer goods and service businesses, including Newton Running, True Fit Corporation, Mission Athletecare, IdeaPaint, and CoachUp. Dennis received his bachelor of arts degree from Union College in 1991 and his master of science degree from Cornell University in 1993. Dennis and his wife Lori live in Needham with their three children, Samantha ’17, Matthew ’20, and Nicole.

James F. “Jamie” Carlin ’81 is the Executive Vice President of Crosspoint Associates and has been involved in the real estate business since 1985, focusing on the financing of retail and commercial properties. He worked previously as a mortgage banker for Meredith & Grew in Boston, from 1987 through 1993.

Jamie has been with Crosspoint as Vice President since 1993. He brings existing relationships with many financial institutions to enhance the services that Crosspoint provides. He received his bachelor of arts degree from St. Lawrence University in 1985 and his masters in business administration from Babson College in 1987. Jamie and his wife Susan live in Wellesley with their three children, Will ’15, Maddie ’16, and Grace ’16. Jamie’s brothers John and Matt are also Rivers graduates, Class of 1983 and 1984 respectively.

Daniel R. Revers is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Arclight Capital Partners, LLC, an Energy Focused Private Equity firm formed in 2001. Dan is responsible for overall investment, asset management, strategic planning, and operations of ArcLight and its funds. Prior to co-founding ArcLight, he was a manag-ing director in the Corporate Finance Group at John Hancock Financial Services, where he managed a $6 billion portfolio consisting of debt, equity, and mezzanine investments in the energy industry. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Lafayette College and a masters in business administration from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. Dan is a member of the Board of Overseers at Tuck where he founded the Revers Board Fellows Program and Tuck Energy Initiative. Dan and his wife Lise live in Weston with their three children, Nickolas ’15, Mitchell, and Annabel.

Andrew Slifka was elected Executive Vice President of Global Partners and President of the Alliance Gasoline Division in 2012. Prior to GP’s acquisition of Alliance Energy LLC, he had been employed with Alliance Energy LLC or its predecessor, Alliance Energy Corp., in various capacities, including President, since 1999. Prior to 1999, Andrew held various positions in the supply, distribution, and marketing departments of the predecessors to Global Companies LLC. He currently serves on the board of directors of Independent Oil Marketers Association and is a senior-level participant in various regional major branded petroleum programs. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Tufts University in 1991 and his masters of administrative studies from Boston College in 1998. Andrew and his wife Jodi live in Wellesley with their two children, Julia ’16 and Jason ’19.

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Senior Projects: Exploring Possibilities

by Hillary Noble

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s classes wind down and the lazy summer days draw near, there’s a particular day that energizes the Rivers community one final time before the school year ends. On the Friday afternoon before graduation, Haffenreffer Gymnasium teems with artists, historians, entrepreneurs, tutors, mentors, and engineers—all of whom are members of the senior class. They have returned from a three-week hiatus from classes to present their senior projects to the Rivers community. Faculty and families meander through rows of lively visual displays and project presentations to chat about the projects.

“The range and breadth of the projects are remarkable,” commented Director of Academic Counseling Carol Davidson, who spearheads the senior project program. “Thinking outside the box is definitely encouraged.”

Senior projects are a longstanding tradition at Rivers, designed to give students as much room for creativity as possible, with the goal of providing them with inspiration for a possible career or hobby. The program has evolved considerably since its inception more than two decades ago, when a handful of students would spend all of third trimester off campus working on their projects.

Today, all seniors spend three weeks between the last day of classes and graduation working on a project that falls within one of three categories—community service work at an approved non-profit organization, an internship with a professional organization, or an independent study with a Rivers faculty member. Regardless of which avenue they choose, seniors are paired with a faculty advisor who helps them determine if their project is viable and then is available for advice throughout the three weeks.

For many Rivers students, senior projects are an opportunity to share their time, talents, and passions with surrounding

communities. Volunteering for different causes, mentoring younger members of the community, and learning about local nonprofits are common themes every year.

Lauren Brown ’13, a student in Rivers’ Conservatory Program, took her musical talents to the Roxbury Boys and Girls Club, where she taught violin to four nine-year-olds. Brown was an immediate role model for the students, but she did as much learning as teaching during her three weeks with them. She already plans to study music performance at Hofstra University after graduation, but says this experience has made her consider a possible double major in music education and a career in teaching.

“I knew giving violin lessons at the Club would give me a feel for what it would be like to teach,” Brown said. “The most important thing I learned was that each individual student has different ways of learning and absorbing information, and I need to change my teaching strategy to reflect the way that student learns best.”

With the help of faculty advisor and ceramics teacher Tim Clark, Kathryn Nielsen ’13, Abioma Crawford ’13, and Bruna Lee ’13 embarked on an incredibly successful service initiative of their own. For their “empty bowls” senior project, the girls handmade more than 100 ceramic bowls, sold them at the senior project symposium, and ultimately raised more than $1,000 in proceeds to donate to Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women.

For Nielsen, this was more than just a successful service project.

She took this opportunity to do something many seniors do during the senior project program—try out a brand new hobby or interest.

“I absolutely fell in love with ceramics,” Nielsen said. “I had a feeling I would like it, and this project affirmed my suspicions.

I’m looking forward to taking a ceramics class in college!”

Ryanne Daley and Coach Bob Pipe

Chris Tomaselli

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Tom Barker and Mike Paczkowski

Lidia Iriti

Like Nielsen, many others pursued unique projects in areas with which they were previously unfamiliar. Chris Tomaselli ’13 launched his own on-the-water lifestyle clothing line called “Slackwater,” Mike Paczkowski’13 and Tom Barker ’13 spent more than 100 hours building their own wooden surf boards from scratch, Lidia Iriti ’13 designed, cut, and painted a stained glass window, and Meghan Hornblower ’13 teamed up with Lindsay Burroughs ’13 to film and produce their own horror movie.

“It was an opportunity to focus on something I otherwise wouldn’t have time to experiment with or try,” said Iriti, who decided to create a stained glass window under the tutelage of her father and uncle, who have been in the stained glass business since she was born. While Iriti says she will definitely pursue stained glass as a hobby moving forward, she also gained a new appreciation for trusting the artistic process and remaining patient.

“One day I was tracing and cutting during the beginning steps, one day I was scrubbing cement in the window, one day I was cutting glass, and so on,” she said. “I learned that it is so important to respect the process, even when all I wanted to do was see my end result.”

Hornblower and Burroughs also learned a few valuable lessons about the artistic process during their countless hours of film editing—their final product was an 18-minute film edited down from almost an hour and a half of footage. In addition to learning how to use the camera and movie editing software, the girls also had to think about which footage would best hold the audience’s attention and which music would evoke the appropriate reactions from their audience—skills Hornblower believes she’ll take with her into a future career.

“I didn’t realize how hard it is to make a movie until I did it myself,” she said. “Now I definitely appreciate those who edit feature films for a living. I really want to become an actress or somehow be involved with the entertainment industry, and this project definitely taught me more about what goes on behind the camera,” she said.

While some students experiment with new art forms or areas of interest, others use their three weeks to delve deeper into something that has already proven important to them. For example, after six years of voice lessons in the Conservatory Program and several starring roles in Rivers musical productions, Joey Sack ’13 planned and performed a solo senior recital for his project— something he described as “a fitting conclusion to my senior year.”

Ryanne Daley ’13, an avid skier who will be taking her talents to the slopes on Colby College’s Division I ski team next year, interned with a specialist in the Burdenko method, an application of water and land exercises based on a healing combination of rehabilitation, conditioning, and training. The method has helped Daley make tremendous improvements in her own ski performance, so she took this time to learn more about it, tutor younger athletes, and attempt to perfect her own technique.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Rivers’ senior project program lies in the timing. Seniors are given a rare chance to take ownership of their learning without any outside distractions— right before they launch into one of the most significant transitions of their academic and personal lives.

“The sense of freedom allows them to throw themselves into their work and they really do embrace it,” said Davidson.

“It allows them to take something they are passionate about to new heights, to find out what they like and don’t like. They learn how to be self-motivating, responsible, and independent.”

Andrew Xia certainly embraced this component of the program—he took on an independent study in philosophy with English Department Chair Julian Willard in an effort to better understand and conceptualize life’s meaning.

“I decided to pursue this as my senior project because I had questions of who I was, and who I wanted to be going into college,” Xia said. “This three-week period represents a time in which students truly get to choose what they want to learn about.”

Xia had a simple answer to describe his most poignant findings.

“Life is awesome,” he said.

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Campus News

Erin Barlow ’13 Sets her Sights on the Stage

by Jessica Isner

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ate works in mysterious ways. When Erin Barlow came to Rivers, she was a highly touted hockey prospect. Yet here we are, three years later, and she is headed to UCLA —not on a hockey scholarship, but as one of the few students admitted to the prestigious School of Theatre, Film and Television.

So how did that happen?

During Barlow’s junior season at Rivers, she suffered three concussions on the ice, the last of which kept her out of school for several months. She made the decision to repeat her junior year, and when she finally returned to campus, she had to make the tough decision about whether or not to continue playing hockey.

“I had always done theater in the background as a replacement for my fall sport,” Barlow said, “and after getting knocked down and all that, I thought maybe I should try this new outlet and see how that goes.”

Simply put: It went well.

For Barlow, the next two years were a whirlwind of theater productions and acting classes. With every completed scene, she became more and more certain that acting was her true passion.

The summer after her second junior year, Barlow went out on a limb and auditioned for the Vassar Powerhouse Theater Apprentice Program in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. For six weeks each summer, the ultra-competitive program offers classes such as acting, composition, and text analysis, as well as several theater productions and the opportunity to work with professional

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actors. But it isn’t easy: Students are expected to work from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. every day.

Barlow was accepted into the program. And rather than be intimidated by the long days or the talented instructors, she was inspired. By the end of the summer, Barlow officially made the decision to pursue a degree in theater or acting, and she began applying to colleges with stellar acting curricula, including Pace University, New York University, and UCLA. The audition process was grueling, nerve-wracking, and—for Barlow— exhilarating.

Her training on the ice helped with her nerves: The intensity of an audition perfectly mirrored the intensity of a game day.

“I treated all my auditions like an away game,” she said.

Preparation for the auditions was key, and Barlow credits Rivers drama teacher Juliet Bailey with ensuring that she was ready for what awaited her. The two worked tirelessly, long after school hours, practicing her three audition monologues: one from How I Learned to Drive by Paul Vogel, one from William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and one original piece she composed herself.

Barlow was one of just 60 students accepted into UCLA’s Theatre, Film and Television program. In total, she applied to 18 schools, but once she got her electronic acceptance letter from UCLA, the decision was made.

Strangely enough, that acceptance letter went into the Spam folder of her email account—a folder that she rarely opens, if ever.

Fate, working mysteriously again.

“I don’t know why I looked in it on that one random day,” she said. “But it was there. I logged in, and it said, ‘Congratulations!’ across the top, and I just started crying. I thought, ‘Hands down, this is where I want to go.’ ” Of course, the rigorous program will present its own host of challenges, but Barlow is prepared for those, as well as the idea of moving across the country for the first time in her life, or being apart from her family and friends. “I’m so ready for a change and to get out and do something different,” she said. “It’s so exciting.”

And while she is relishing the sunshine and the warm weather in Los Angeles, she certainly won’t be longing for the days she spent inside a frosty ice hockey rink.

“Lacing up the skates feels so wrong now,” she said. “I love watching the Bruins and watching hockey, but this is such a better alternative for me. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Campus News

Rivers Conservatory Prepares Gorski Twins for Life at London’s Royal Academy

by Jessica Isner

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rom the time they were four years old, Sally and Sasha Gorski practiced the violin for two hours per day. It increased to three hours at age seven; from then on, it was at least four hours per day.

It’s no surprise, then, that by the time they were seniors in high school, they were good enough to set off for the incredibly prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London.

When the twins started taking music lessons at The Rivers School Conservatory in fifth grade, it was clear that they were already something special.

For Sasha, the moment she realized she wanted to play music for a living came when she was in fourth grade.

“We were playing a Mahler symphony,” she said. “Months of effort, of yelling from our conductor, of sweat and tears had come together, and it was beautiful.”

Until that time, Sally wasn’t sure she was good enough to make a career out of music. That all changed when she was nine years old, performing at her mother’s Halloween concert.

“I was wearing a parrot costume and playing Mendelssohn,” she said. “I remember coming off the stage, and everyone gave me a standing ovation. That was the moment when I turned from a student into a musician.”

By the time they started high school and the Conservatory Program at Rivers, the twins’ goal was to gain acceptance to a classical music program at the college level. Ideally, the Royal Academy would be their destination—but setting your sights on a program that admits about five American students per year certainly comes with sacrifices.

“You have to give up a lot—social life, sleep—we had to miss out on stuff because we were practicing,” Sasha said.

Finding enough time to practice was no small feat. The twins, who grew up in Franklin, Mass., lived almost an hour away from Rivers. The types of students who would be competing against them for spots in the world’s most prestigious music schools had been preparing for the admissions process since the age of 10.

The Rivers Conservatory Program devised a unique curriculum for the twins that would allow them the requisite practice time while making sure that they maintained a full class schedule and finished within four years with the necessary graduation requirements.

Despite their long daily practice sessions—which regularly occurred before school, after school, and during free periods— both girls managed to maintain grades good enough to stay on the high honor roll.

But that’s not to say it was easy. Both girls auditioned for nine schools, and the auditions came in stages: Once an applicant advanced past the preliminary stage—for which the main requirement was about four hours of recorded music—he or she earned the right to audition live and in person.

When all was said and done, of their nine auditions, the one for the Royal Academy was the most successful.

“It was my best audition because I stopped caring,” Sasha said. “I was like, ‘I need to play how I want to play, and if you don’t like me, that’s fine.’”

That mentality seems to have paid off: Both girls were accepted to the world’s very best schools, including Julliard, the Manhattan School of Music, Johns Hopkins, and, of course, Royal. But their final decisions were not difficult to make.

“Royal is an international school, and it only had five spots open for people outside of the U.K.,” Sally said. “We knew if we didn’t take those spots, there would be so many people who would want to take our spots.”

Neither student plans to stay in London forever—and somewhat surprisingly, neither of them plans to pursue a career as a soloist.

“I want kids one day,” Sally said. “As a soloist, all you do is practice and travel, and I want a family.”

If the past has taught us anything, though, these two are going to be just fine—no matter what kinds of challenges life throws their way.

Sasha Gorski

Fall 2013 • Riparian • 7 The Gorskis at their final recital at Rivers

Sally Gorski

Campus News

Hand-on Engineering Elective Debuts at Rivers

by Jimmy Kelley

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or 11 lucky Rivers students, a whole new world of opportunities is now open as they take part in a brand-new class focused on the underrepresented field of engineering. The Engineering elective will take students on a yearlong journey through the engineering process while executing a series of problem-solving projects in a hands-on environment.

The course, which requires just Algebra I, comes to Rivers courtesy of math and science teacher Adam Ganderson. A graduate of MIT’s mechanical engineering program, Ganderson wants to share this field with students who may not have otherwise been familiar with it.

“We’re trying to show our kids what engineering is, what it’s for, give them a little bit of practice with those kind of problems, and then teach them critical thinking and problem solving,” Ganderson said. “We’re trying to get the word out there, educate them about what’s available in the career field, and then focus in on problem solving and critical thinking in a way that our students and our society desperately need.”

The curriculum, entitled Engineer Your World, is sponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation and developed by professors in the University of Texas at Austin’s engineering and education departments and NASA engineers.

Ganderson attended a two-week “crash course” in which he and the other participants in the nationwide program discussed the best ways to teach and support their students. As part of that practice, the teachers completed each of the design challenges in order to experience the same successes and frustrations that their students will encounter throughout the course.

The range of experience of those teaching the class throughout the country is just as wide as those who will be taking it. While some teachers come from an education background and have little practical engineering experience, others come from the world of science or engineering but are relatively new to teaching, which forced the teachers in the summer course to play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

“It seemed that everyone in the room was ridiculously strong in one aspect of what we were covering and kind of terrified by one or two of the other aspects,” Ganderson said. “[What] I love is that there is nobody who is set up for 100 percent easy success and there’s nobody that is set up for 100 percent soul-crushing failure.”

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Adam Ganderson and students prepare to test a light-tight film canister engineered from everyday materials.

Students will work through each of the steps of the engineering process from defining a problem through testing, redesigning, and finally presenting a solution to that problem. Projects range from designing and building an earthquake-proof building to designing a robot to collect ice from the surface of the moon, with each project mirroring the process carried out by professional engineers every day.

The curriculum is 80 percent hands-on with only a small part of the class involving talking and writing about concepts. The goal of the course is to put students in a practical environment where they can dive head first into their projects.

The added bonus of what it means for these college-bound students is not lost on Ganderson either.

“Being able to tell an engineering school, to go to MIT, WPI, or RPI and say ‘I want to be an engineer because I had this experience,’ could be incredibly valuable,” Ganderson said. “Whether it gives them something to discuss in college essays and interviews, or just being able to put something that says engineering on a transcript, we’re setting these kids up for success.”

In order to support and further the ongoing research into engineering education, some classes will be taped in order to continue to improve and develop the curriculum. Professors from the University may even visit the class to observe.

Whether these students have designs on solving environ- mental problems, building skyscrapers, or becoming an innovator in the world of technology, they will gain the problem solving and critical thinking skills they need to reach their goals.

Campus News

Online Learning

Experiential Writing from the Comfort of Home

by Jessica Isner

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hile the majority of Rivers students spent the summer of 2013 at camps, working summer jobs, and enjoying their time away from the classroom, a select group of nine writers spent two nights per week in class with Upper School English teacher Mac Caplan.

The course was Experiential Writing. The goal was to offer students an opportunity to produce personal, creative, and journalistic pieces in a writing course that otherwise would not have fit into their regular schedules.

But instead of making the hike to campus in Weston, students met with Caplan from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday nights via the virtual Google Hangouts platform. All written work was submitted, workshopped, and edited using Google Docs. While this was Rivers’ inaugural online course, the goal is to eventually offer a variety of online summer courses to students both at Rivers and beyond.

The course was offered to all rising juniors and seniors, but honors students were targeted in particular because they generally do not have the opportunity to take elective courses during the regular school year. Erica Chalmers ’14 was thrilled to have the opportunity to take a course she otherwise would not have had the time for.

“As a passionate writer, I often find myself wishing I had more time to dedicate to creative writing throughout the academic year,” she said. “This summer course fulfilled that desire to have time to just relax and explore a new form of writing, while also maintaining a helpful dynamic of teacher feedback and interesting class discussion though weekly meetings.”

“For a writing course, the Google Hangouts structure worked really well because in a writing course, most of the learning takes place outside of the classroom anyway, in the students’ writing and revising,” Caplan said.

The class required students to compose a total of five essays according to weekly themes, all of which encouraged the students to engage in experiences with their communities: One week, they might be cooking a meal with family members, and another, they might be visiting a hospital waiting room.

On Monday and Wednesday nights, armed with their drafts as well as supplemental reading that came from Dave Eggers’ A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, they would log on to Google Hangouts for class discussions and writing workshops.

At summer’s end, they were graded based upon the portfolio of work they had produced.

Whereas this group of students would not have been able to participate in the course had it been held in a physical classroom at Rivers, all of them were able to attend from locations far and wide: Some were on Nantucket while some were in New Hampshire, and some were busy with community service initiatives while others were busy with jobs and internships. Despite their busy daytime schedules, all nine students were all still able meet for 90 minutes in the evening twice per week.

Mac Caplan and his online class via Google Hangout

Caplan and the students were all surprised by just how well the Google Hangouts platform worked; granted, there were times when slow internet connection speeds served as impediments, but for the most part, the transition to virtual learning was seamless.

Part of that was due to the fact that a writing course seems to lend itself perfectly to online learning.

“For a writing course, the Google Hangouts structure worked really well because in a writing course, most of the learning takes place outside of the classroom anyway, in the students’ writing and revising,” Caplan said. “For humanities courses, there are a lot of possibilities.”

Caplan found that the students’ experiences inside the virtual classroom were just as enriching as the experiences students might have inside a physical classroom. Plus, the 6 1/2-week summer timeframe so closely mirrored the typical trimester timeframe that there was no disadvantage to taking the class in the summer rather than in the spring.

In fact, Caplan thinks that participating in the course over the summer may offer a slight advantage.

“I think that this group probably got more out of the course than students during the school year would have simply because it was their only academic work, and they could focus on it completely,” he said. “They were able to dedicate a lot of time and energy to their writing.”

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Campus News

Big Band and Select Combo Bring Home the Gold

Rivers’ Big Band received a Gold Medal at the MAJE Senior District Big Band competition in the spring with Jamie Juviler ’14, Richard Oates ’14, and John Nydam ’15 receiving MVP honors. The Band then took second place in the large ensemble category at the Berklee College of Music’s 45th High School Jazz Festival, where 3,000 students in more than 200 bands and vocal ensembles from the United States and Puerto Rico were featured.

Juviler was selected to receive the Judge’s Choice Award at the competition.

Later in the spring, the Select Combo 1 also took gold at the MAJE State Combo Competition, and five students earned MVPs: James Hotchkiss ’14, Rachel Hawley ’15, Jake Stenquist ’15, Oates, and Juviler. As a result, the Combo was invited to play at the Boston Public Library and the Hatch Shell in May. In their first competition, the Select 2 combo received a silver medal, and Hawley and Bryan Cleveland ’15 were named MVPs.

Students Shine at SISAL

At the 2013 Upper School SISAL show on April 27, hosted by The Winsor School, a whopping 21 Rivers art students received awards. Students were honored with five first prizes, three second prizes, four third prizes, and nine honorable mentions.

Among those students who received first prizes were Ellie Decaprio ’14 (ceramics), Lindsey Ades ’14—whose wheel-thrown ceramic piece was named Best in Show— Maddie Morgan ’14 (printmaking), Melissa Mark ’13 (traditional photo), and Kate Mecke ’13 (sculpture).

Dave Burzillo: BIG History’s Master Teacher

by Jimmy Kelley

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hen Dave Burzillo started teaching the Big History course at Rivers four years ago, you could count the number of teachers taking part in the project on two hands. That number has since climbed to 450, with over 10,000 students experiencing the unique interdisciplinary course worldwide.

Burzillo’s role in the program has also increased. With the rapid expansion of the program, the Big History Project has named 10 “Master Teachers,” and Burzillo has been named the Master Teacher for New England.

The responsibilities of this new role are very similar to those he performed as one of the original pilot teachers of the program three years ago. Burzillo will still help to develop the curriculum and provide the project with feedback on its materials, but he will also be tasked with running biannual workshops to develop teachers in New England.

The more recent of the two workshops Burzillo led was held on August 2 and was attended by teachers from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont.

Burzillo’s title is not the only thing different about the 2013–14 version of Big History, however. The course, which was previously only taught for one trimester at Rivers, will now be a two-trimester course and will allow students to delve deeper into the many different topics covered by the course.

“I’ve always been a history teacher, but I’ve always been jealous of science teachers because they get to do labs,” Burzillo said. “By doing labs, you get to discover what you are learning instead of just hearing it or reading about it. When you do a lab, you gain that understanding of how something works, and I’m excited to have the added time to do that this year.”

What that time will allow Burzillo and his students to do is tackle the revamped and improved course materials. The project takes leaps and bounds forward every year, but this year promises to be the best iteration yet, thanks to the investment of teachers like Burzillo.

For the first time, the project’s website can be BIG History accessed by the public and there will be a version of students recreate the course that is open to the public beginning in historical timeline September, thanks to the backing of avid supporter on football field and noted philanthropist Bill Gates.

10 • Riparian • Fall 2013

Campus News

The winning Debate Team March 2013 trip to China

Best of Show by Lindsey Ades ’14

Debate Team Continues Its Success

The Rivers Debate team built on its fall honors when four seniors – Madeline Bauer, Dan Corcoran, Arianna Zhang, and Andrew Kafker—traveled to Meriden, Conn., for the Northeast Junior State of America Spring State Debate Conference.

The students debated everything from global warming, to Chinese currency, to the age minimum for tanning beds. In their debut at the conference, Rivers’ debaters all received Best Speaker awards.

Students Enjoy Spring Break Trip to China

Not every high school student gets the opportunity to see the Great Wall of China up close and in person, but six Rivers students did during Spring Break last March, when Chinese teacher Fred Kosak took a group of students on an 11-day adventure through Shanghai, Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, and Beijing. Adam Reid ’13, Jack Reid ’15, Ross Barlow ’14, Ben Pasculano ’15, Jefferey Lin ’15, and Alec Cover ’14 took the journey, which included stops at the Dongba museum in Lijiang, a boat tour of Erhai Jinsuo Island, and a sightseeing tour of the Temple of Heaven and Forbidden City. Kosak, who has visited China several

times and spent a year living there during college, said the trip presented a tremendous and unique opportunity for his students.

“You can’t give someone an impression of China, even through pictures and video, or reading about it and hearing about it from someone else,” Kosak said. “More than some places, you just have to go there because there’s so much to take in— smells, tastes, things that just can’t be conveyed.”

Rivers Givers Celebrated 10th Anniversary

Each year since the group’s inception in 2003, the Rivers Givers host several service initiatives throughout the school year to reach an annual fundraising goal of $10,000.

In an effort to involve the entire student body in the fundraising process, these

initiatives range from a three-on-three basketball tournament to dress-down days to T-shirt and snack sales. This year’s proceeds were distributed to three organizations during a ceremony that also honored the 10th anniversary of the group.

The recipients all help young people in the Boston area, although in very different ways. Team Impact is a nonprofit that matches children with life-threatening illnesses with a college athletic team.

Bottom Line provides consistent, one- on-one college counseling for low-income students hoping to be the first in their families to attend college. Finally, InnerCity Weightlifting aims to take young people in Boston at the highest risk for violence off the streets and into the gym, helping them deal with trauma in their lives and providing opportunities to enroll in GED or workforce programs.

Fall 2013 • Riparian • 11

Campus News

Run for Rivers Nets Funds for Financial Aid

For the third year in a row, organizers of the annual Run for Rivers lucked out with a perfect spring morning to host the 5K road race, which raised approximately $3,200 for the school’s Ian Greenblatt ’04 and Ian McVey ’03 financial aid funds.

Melissa Maffeo ’14, Maclaine Lehan ’14, and Justin Snider ’15 reported that more than 100 Rivers students, faculty, family, and friends turned out to run, walk, or just cheer from the sidelines at the May 19 event. The run also featured prizes, T-shirts, refreshments, and music, courtesy of Griffin Green ’14, lending a festive mood to the race.

Accomplishments Celebrated at Varsity Awards Night

Rivers athletics officially acknowledged their accomplishments at the annual Varsity Awards Night in June. Red Wings highlights included the boys’ soccer team being named both ISL and New England Class B Champions and the boys’ ski team being named New England Class B Champions. A number of other teams made it into postseason play, including the girls’ soccer and girls’ basketball teams, which both made it to the finals.

This year the school boasted 10 AllNew England selections, four All-State, nine New England All-Star selections, 33 All-League selections, and 25 All-League honorable mentions. Maclaine Lehan ’14 was both a Boston Globe All-Scholastic selection and an ISL MVP in girls’ soccer.

The James A. Navoni Athletic Prize, given to the male athlete who has contributed most to the advancement of athletics at Rivers, was awarded to Tyler Swartz ’13, who was also the sole recipient of the Senior Award for Exceptional Dedication to Athletics. Winning the Priscilla Wallace Strauss Athletic Prize were Abigail Burke ’13 and Hailey Cosseboom ’13. Also honored during the evening with the Distinguished Service Award was cross-country and track and field coach and teacher Paul Karasch.

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Cast of the Middle School’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The guest speaker for the evening was Rivers alumna Jillian Dempsey ’09, who just graduated from Harvard University with a Classics degree. While at Harvard, Jillian was a four-year veteran of the women’s ice hockey team and served as a team captain her senior year. She was a player on the United States Women’s National Team that won the Gold Medal in the 2011 Four Nations Cup, named to the all-ECAC and all-Ivy teams, and finished her senior season ranked 12th in the nation in goals per game.

Kate Wade and RISE Program Receive National Recognition For the past several years, Grade 10 Dean Kate Wade has devoted her time to conceptualizing and implementing the RISE (Reflection and Introspection for Service Education) program at Rivers, which encourages sophomores to reflect on their individual leadership skills and put that self-knowledge to work through community service projects.

For her efforts, Wade was recently awarded the inaugural Gardner Carney Leadership Institute/Penn Fellowship in Pedagogy of Leadership, a $20,000 grant toward a masters’ degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Wade will continue teaching and advising at Rivers while working toward her master’s, with a focus on school leadership and how to develop leadership in students, using RISE as a model.

IDS Chair Julian Willard Appointed Yale Research Fellow

Since launching Rivers’ Interdisciplinary Studies Department in 2009, Department Chair Julian Willard has focused on building a program that is educationally groundbreaking as well as perennially popular among students. Determined to expand the department’s offerings as well as opportunities for professional development for the faculty, he applied for and received a $50,000 grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation in 2012.

Once again, Willard has been recognized for his cutting-edge contributions to the field, by being appointed to a oneyear position as interdisciplinary research fellow at Yale University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics. He has also been accepted as a visiting scholar at The Hastings Center, the United States’ preeminent center for bioethics research.

He will continue to teach at Rivers during his appointment at Yale.

Parent News

Rivers Parents Rock the Rafters at the Annual Auction

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he Rivers Parents’ League Rivers Rocks auction, attended by 400 parents, faculty, and staff, raised more than $190,000 in support of student technology and professional development, including funds to expand the school’s fleet of activity vehicles.

The producers of this year’s rocking event were co-chairs Jodi Slifka and Claudine Sheinkopf, assisted by honorary co-chair Sandy Swartz. More than 100 volunteers helped out at the event, decking out the MacDowell Arena with record albums, guitars, and a couple of Harleys, manning the silent auction tables, and selling raffle tickets for a 13-inch Macbook Pro. Leather and jeans seemed to be the favored attire for the night.

Bidding was spirited for tickets to games and concerts, restaurant gift certificates, an Aerosmith autographed guitar, and a coveted Boston Marathon number. By the final curtain call, an additional $29,000 had been raised to enable the school to provide more activity vehicles to transport students to games, concerts, field trips, and the occasional pizza party.

“I’d like to thank the parents who went out and acquired more than 400 auction items, who transformed the field house and manned the tables throughout the evening,” said Coordinator of Parent Relations Amy Dunne. “Everyone went home happy, but the real winners are our students, who will benefit from the community’s generous support.”

Xiru Zhang and Hongmei Li with Bob Davis

Hillary Baker raises her paddle Laura Slifka, Jeff Lowenstein, Eric Slifka

Sandy Swartz takes a bid

Co-chairs Jodi Slifka and Claudine Sheinkopf

Tom Olverson with Julie and Joseph Bradley

Clint and Meg Harris hoping to win the raffle

Fall 2013 • Riparian • 13

Alumni Day and Reunions 2013

A

lumni from the Class of 1943 through recent college grads returned to Rivers with family and friends in May to reconnect with the old Rivers and discover the tremendous changes that Rivers has undergone since their last visit to campus.

Alumni lacrosse players took to the turf on Waterman Field on Saturday for a friendly game while Rivers’ a cappella group entertained during lunch on Hutton Terrace.

The afternoon ended with a spirited boys’ varsity lacrosse game that ended with a victory against Groton.

The Reunion festivities continued on Saturday evening with an outdoor cocktail reception, followed by dinner and the awards presentation in the Campus Center.

The Rivers Cup was awarded to Matt Tobin ’90 for his longstanding commitment to Rivers as founder of the annual Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid and past

Jared Gerstenblatt, Andy Brown, Matt and Lisa Sullivan, Lynn Cella-Coyne, Josh Coyne, Scott McIver, alums all Class of 1993

president of the Alumni Association.

Ambassador Philip Goldberg ’74 accepted the Alumni Excellence Award in recognition of his long career in the U.S. Foreign Service, which has taken him around the world to some of the most politically sensitive areas during the past 25 years. Jeremy Harrison, a member of the Visual Art Department, was honored for 25 years of service to the Rivers community.

Lunch on the Terrace: Peter Yaffe ’65, Bernie Torri ’73, Kip Dole ’78, Vivian Dole, Steve Salny ’73

Keith Salustro ’87, Steve Paluseo Larry Glazer ’86, Matt Tobin ’90

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Julia Bateman, Brittany Hughes, Emily Greiff, Steph McCartney, Rachel Hunter, all Class of 2008

Rear, L to R: Scott Prieur ’99, Dave Garsh ’99, Renny Little ’51, Todd MacDowell ’99 Front: Ricky Wright ’99, Seth Flood ’97, Matt Gallitano, Pete Gallitano ’82, Ben Hudson ’70

Rivers’ A Capella Club

Jonathan Salzman, Juliana Horn, Khrystyne Wilson, all Class of 2008

Matt Burlingham ’08, Jonathan Salzman ’08

Jonie Swift, Jeremy Harrison, Brenda Schafer

Jack Jarzavek, Philip Goldberg ’74 Reception on the green

Fall 2013 • Riparian • 15

Alumni Hit the Greens for Financial Aid

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ore than 150 Rivers alumni and friends teed off at two simultaneous tournaments at Charter Oak Country Club and Stow Acres Country Club in May for the 13th Annual Rivers School Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid. In addition to serving as an opportunity to connect with friends and enjoy a gorgeous spring day on the links, the tournament raised more than $90,000 toward tuition assistance for deserving students to attend Rivers.

For the fourth year, the Young Alumni Tournament brought out an enthusiastic and talented group of alumni who headed over to Stow Acres Country Club, just 10 minutes down the road from Charter Oak. Participants from both tournaments reconvened for a reception, early dinner, silent and live auctions, and

raffle drawings. Mike Handler ’90 was honored at the event for his dedication to the Rivers community as one of the founding members of the Golf Committee.

The tournament’s successful outcome was largely due to the hard work of the Golf Tournament Committee, led by chair Bruce Clifford ’83 P’16, and the generosity of the Daley family (Pat Daley ’84, P’13,’15,’18 and his brother Fred P’12,’14,’16), who donated the Charter Oak course for the day as well as tournament sponsor Bill Whittemore ’69 and the many other sponsors and auction donors.

After 13 years, this tournament has raised a grand total of nearly $900,000 to support dozens of Rivers students who are now attending top colleges around the country.

Peter Seresky P’08,’11, Lewis Robert P’16, Steve Sisselman P’13, Ben Bloomstone P’06,’12

Marc Verrochi ’01, Donny Nicholas ’01, Jonathan Karelitz ’01, Matt Brigham, Jeff Kline ’01

Bruce Clifford ’83, P’16, Matt Tobin ’90, Jon Stevens, Neil Cohen

Mark Hall, Adam Lowenstein ’10, Head of School Tom Olverson

Trustees Mark Florence P’16 and Steve Snider P’12

Matt Tobin ’90, Mike Handler ’90, Bruce Clifford ’83

Checking out the silent auction

Bill Whittemore ’69 and Matt Tobin ’90

Cary Corkin ’69 and guests

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Conservatory Program Turns 10!

by Christine Martin

R

ivers’ Conservatory Program is turning 10 this year and plans to celebrate with the big brass —not to mention the strings, percussion, winds, and voices that have entertained Rivers audiences for the past decade. A call has gone out to alumni of the program to join in a gala concert Friday evening, January 3, 2014.

The Conservatory Program was developed in 2003 to address the needs of talented musicians at Rivers who were eager to seriously pursue their music training. To allow sufficient time for Rivers’ rigorous academics as well as music classes, private lessons, and ensembles, a full afternoon program was established, allowing students to forego the customary athletic co-curricular requirements. An inaugural grant from the E. E. Ford Foundation helped to kick off the program and the enrollment has risen steadily in the ensuing years.

Conservatory Program graduates have gone on to attend prestigious institutions around the world, ranging from the Royal Academy of Music, where recent grads Sally and Sasha Gorski ’13 are studying violin, to the California Institute of Technology, where Ian Brownstein ’09, a 2013 graduate of Brown University, is now pursuing a Ph.D. in space engineering.

For many participants, the Conservatory Program was a life-altering option and music continues to be the main focus of their lives. Alex Barstow ’07 is working

at the Conservatory Lab Charter School, a music charter school in Brighton, while Erli Veizi ’08 is a music teacher and recording engineer in Pittsburgh. For others, music is still an integral component, but secondary to other career goals. The common ground for all is their deep love of music, as these alumni will attest.

“I’m playing and practicing a great deal since I’m a jazz major,” said Elliot Berman ’11, who is minoring in economic policy at NYU while getting material together for his recital. “I still think back to a lot of what I learned in my ear training and composition classes at Rivers, and they really gave me a head start for the work I would be doing on music in college.”

Casey Berman ’09, Elliot’s brother, is also at NYU in the jazz program, where he has been able to work closely with many of NYU’s distinguished faculty members and play in a variety of clubs in the area.

“I came to Rivers specifically to join the Conservatory Program, with the intention of studying voice, but realized that my main passion was playing the piano,” said Luke Flood ’10. “At Rivers I was able to take it to a completely different level, and am currently majoring in piano performance at UMass Amherst and doing a lot of regional theater.”

Tom Chalmers ’10 is going a dual route. “I’m in my fourth year of the combined degree program between Tufts and

Tom Chalmers ’10 and Ross Hoyt ’10

New England Conservatory, studying economics and international relations at Tufts and jazz performance at the Conservatory,” he emailed.

Kathryn Nielsen ’13 recently headed off to St. Andrews in Scotland, where she is singing in a cappella groups and studying piano.

“When I first joined the Conservatory Program, I never intended on studying music in college,” said Nielsen. “The Conservatory Program helped me in so many ways—socially and musically. It pushed me to levels of ability I didn’t know I had and introduced me to people that I hope I will be life-long friends with.”

“The Conservatory Program classes provided me a heightened sense of musical appreciation as well as a great theoretical and practical music education,” said Brownstein, echoing Nielsen’s view. “I became fast friends with the other students in the program and these friendships stuck with me through my Rivers career.”

Andrew Siliski ’05, one of the program’s first members and now a graduate student in geology at Indiana’s Ball State University, commented wistfully, “I still play my horn, though not as much as I’d like.”

Whether they play before hundreds or in the quiet of their home, music was and always will be a singular part of the lives of these Conservatory Program alumni. Save the date and enjoy the sounds of music on January 3, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. in Bradley Hall.

Luke Flood ’10

Fall 2013 • Riparian • 17

Student Alumni News News

Class Notes

JP Dunn ’70 with Jack Jarzavek in Arrezzo

1941 Frank Waterman wrote, “At 91 years—so far so good. Keeping active in all respects: business, travel, a lifetime boater, Rivers ‘41, Harvard ‘45, honorary degree from Babson in ‘94. Residing in Stuart, FL and Chatham, MA, with an office in Wellesley. I plan to publish my book by December 2013, entitled 375 Years in America. Life Trustee at Rivers (elected to board in 1969). Both sons graduated from Rivers: John ‘69 and Sturdy ‘74.

John climbed Mt. Everest a few years ago and Sturdy has just hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.”

1951 Renny Little had lunch at Harvard’s Chief Marshal’s gathering recently and discovered his luncheon companion went to Rivers! Lincoln Jewett ‘40 told him that Rivers had set him on the right path and he remembered well Clarence Allen and many of his teachers, including Hardy Ellis, Bill Gallagher, Austin Chute, and Tom Leyden.

1954 Rolly Hopkins wrote, “I’ve finally succeeded with my passion—writing fiction that I learned from Mr. Gallagher. Just published and available on Amazon Books is Spring Training Murders. It takes place in 1946 Boston, as one of the Red Sox players is murdered and a local PI is hired as an undercover ballpayer to investigate. If you like murder and mayhem, you’ll hit a home run with this violent adventure. If you have a Kindle it can be a very inexpensive read, and if you want to critique, good or bad, it will be appreciated.”

1967 Andrew Flake notes, “Martha’s Vineyard continues to be a great place to live after 40 years. Almost done with college tuitions (three daughters); training for International Triathalon Union Age Group for World Championships in London in September 2013.”

Tom Grover wrote, “I miss Bill Burnham. Hope classmates will converge en masse at school in four years for our 50th. Stay healthy and keep in touch. No more wars!!! Peace.”

1973 Bernie Torri emailed, “I was on campus for Rivers Day Camp’s 50th birthday party on July 20th, and was the DJ. I have known Ed Schreider for many years as I was a CIT and counselor at the camp in the ‘70s. I was also involved with the Rivers radio station, WRSB, as a student and I still DJ parties.”

CLASS OF 1963: L to R: Fred Scott, Jesse Bradley, Mark Harmon

1974 Mark Chudnow wrote, “Gina and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary this spring. Aryn is teaching classics in Dublin, Bess is a veterinary surgical assistant in Boston, and Gabby just finished her sophomore year at Colorado College. Event Temps and Beverage events are going strong.”

Welcome to Rivers’ New Alumni Council Members

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iall Carney ’89 has been an enthusiastic participant in Rivers alumni events for many years. A graduate of Hobart College, he was a social studies teacher before being appointed vice principal at the Wilson Middle School in Natick. He has been a reunion chair and member of the Jarzavek Chair committee, and has hosted a Rivers student for his senior project at Wilson. He and his wife Gretchen live in West Roxbury with their three children, whom Niall often brings to the Sunday community skate at Rivers.

Jonathan Karelitz ’01 is an active member of the Golf Committee and has shared his enthusiasm for Rivers as speaker at the annual Alumni Senior Breakfast. He also served on

18 • Riparian • Fall 2013

his reunion committee and as a class agent. A graduate of Trinity College, he is a financial advisor at Oppenheimer & Co. and lives in Brookline with his wife Melinda.

April Seligman ’03 is no stranger to Rivers. In addition to being a long-term substitute in the Middle School last year, April has been an active participant in a number of Rivers alumni events. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with a law degree from Boston University, she has been a member of the Career Development Committee since its founding in 2010, served as class agent and reunion committee member, and has spoken at the annual Alumni Senior Breakfast.

Student Alumni News News

CLASS OF 1973: L to R: Mitch Coddington, Brian Chertok, Martin Gould, Steve Salny, Michael Turner, Bernie Torri

CLASS OF 1983: L to R: Alex Stephens, Eric Stephens, Cecilia Stephens, Paul Gosselin ’84 CLASS OF 1988: L to R: Matt Kelleher, Jason Twarog, Chris Post

CLASS OF 1974: L to R: Nick Vantine, Sturdy Waterman, Phil Goldberg, Mark Chudnow, John Gordon, Joel Holzwasser, Richard Mason

long! I’ve been busy with different careers including my current ones in high tech, corporate education, and the Army reserves. I still see my soccer/ tennis buddy, Matt Stoltmann, and run into Sol Nasisi and Kelley Connolly from time to time.”

1997 CLASS OF 1978: L to R: Roger Tyler, Craig Belson, Neal O’Brien, Don Jacobson, Bill Sullivan, and wives.

Class Agents: Grant Hecht and Dan Sherman.

Ashley Stanley, who is the founder and executive director of Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a food rescue organization based in Boston, was just recognized on the Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list of rising innovators and business leaders.

1998 Class Agents: Spencer Godfrey and Kate Machan

1999

Richard Mason emailed, “Diane and I are now living in Sarasota, FL. Our daughter, Emily, is a film editor in LA.”

1983 Robert Hatfield is taking a course through Bellvue University on Verizon Managment Operations.

1985 Doug Wisentane is on the Newtown, CT police force and was honored this spring at a Red Sox game. Doug was a defenseman on the hockey team in 1985 that won the New England Prep School Championship that year.

1987 Jeremy Cohen emailed, “Hello Rivers Community!

I am sorry I have not been able to attend our

recent reunions, but work and family continue to interfere. Thankfully, commercial real estate has picked back up and I am once again buried under large piles of paper. My two sons continue to grow like weeds and finished third and fourth grade. Give everyone my best.”

After 17 years serving as the Executive Director of NorthEast Emergency Medical Services, Jonathan Epstein has joined the American Red Cross as the Senior Director of Instructional Design and Delivery for the Preparedness, Health and Safety Services Division at National Headquarters.

1988 Matt Kelleher emailed in the spring, “Looking forward to seeing Rivers faculty and class of 1988 at our 25th reunion. I can’t believe it’s been that

Class Agents: Dave Garsh, Elissa Hintlian, Scott Prieur, and Stephen Robb. Brad Feuling was recently featured in Bucknell University’s alumni magazine. As president of the Bucknell Club in China and chief executive officer of Kong and Allan Consulting, focused on supply chain consulting, implementation and innovations, he and his team have hosted more than 500 students, many in engineering, in Shanghai. He encourages students with an interest in overseas work to “just do it.”

Chris Fuller emailed, “Carrie (my wife), Rosie (my dog), and I recently made the move from Chicago to NYC to be closer to our family and friends, and I accepted a new job at Amazon where I will be selling advertising to their financial service clients. We are excited to explore the Big Apple and see where this next adventure takes us!”

Fall 2013 • Riparian • 19

Student Alumni News News

Class of 1990: Charlie King, Doug Wooldridge, Matt Tobin, Mike Handler, Derek Morton

Stacie Yellin ’99 and Josh Tobin Stacie Yellin married Josh Tobin on June 29, 2013 at the Four Seasons Resort in Palm Beach, FL. (Photo by Mario Munoz)

2000 Class Agents: James Bernson. Ande Nicoletti opened a bakery called Butterprint Bakeshop that is devoted to online orders. Visit www. butterprintbakeshop.com to see some of her latest creations.

CLASS OF 1993: Rear, L to R: Jared Gerstenblatt, Scott McIver, Brad Costello, Kevin Reilly, Andy Brown, Hans Ellison, Peter Master, JP Fine, Tracy Kaplowitz, Scott Firth, Matt Sullivan.

Front: Josh Coyne, Andrew Jaffe, Mike Rose, Lisa Raftery, Ryan Murphy. Not pictured, Naomi (Leon) Pearlstein.

2001 Class Agent: Jonathan Karelitz. Adam Rubinstein sent greetings: “’Hi folks, Albuquerque’s been profoundly good to me, and hope to make it my permanent home. If you find yourself in Mountain Standard Time, give me a call. I produced the second-largest performance poetry festival in the northeast, a Hampshire College festival of the spoken word with 40 performers from as far west as Vancouver, as far south as Arkansas.”

CLASS OF 1998: Rear, L to R: Lauren Movshovich, Marc Stroum, Adam Berezin, Matt Williamson, Brooke Hegarty. Front: Kate Machan, Melissa Dolan, Heather Ganitsky

2002 Class Agents: Jeff Kotzen and Charlotte Lewis.

Charlotte graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and is doing marketing for The Kensington, a real estate company in Boston.

Jordan Benson married Brittney Payton on July 27, 2013 in Chicago.

2003 Class Agents: Marissa Goldstein and Scott Moriyama. Brad Belin proudly announced, “Madison Kikelia Belin was born on July 10, 2013 at 1:28 AM, weighing 9 lbs. 7 oz., measuring 22 inches long, and with lots of hair! She is a happy and healthy baby, and my wife Sarah and I could not be more in love with our beautiful daughter.”

At the end of August Marcus de Castro went to Portugal in pursuit of an MBA at the University of Porto’s Business School.

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In April 2012, Felipe Estrela and his wife welcomed his twins Felipe John Estrela and Chloe Mariana Estrela.

Devon Ficker and her husband Tate welcomed their daughter Brooke Ficker this spring.

Marissa Goldstein and Katie Neff both rode in the Pan Mass Challenge in August.

Grace Killea has two children, Wyatt Daniel who is three and Clementine Alexandra Killea who is two.

Lissy King got engaged over Memorial Day weekend to Dane Kasschau and is set to get married next September. She graduated from

RISD with a master’s in architecture in May and unfortunately had to miss the 10 year reunion wrapping up her thesis. She is now working on growing a company, Nekton, LLC, that makes a fishing product called the Z-wing. She is still trying to keep a hand in architecture and is doing freelance drawings on the side when she can find the time.

Sean McGee got engaged to Anna Zabinski who is an architect. They are both living and working in Minneapolis. Sean works for Crowley, White and Helmer, Inc., a firm that consults nonprofit agencies predominantly on fundraising, and also program development, organizational networking, community engagement, government relations and policy.

Student Alumni News News

Boston Social Kicks Off Summer

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he dreary weather did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of Rivers alumni who gathered in late June to kick off a busy summer season. They crowded under the awnings at Tia’s on the waterfront, trading business cards and vacation plans. The evening was just one of many events organized by the Career Development Committee to help alumni connect and reconnect.

Key to the committee’s mission is gathering updated professional information from alumni to facilitate networking and mentoring activities.

Go to www.rivers.org/riversnet and log in to view the Alumni Directory, become a career mentor, or utilize the network!

Sarah Weinstein ’08, Julia Bateman ’08, Olivia Rochman ’09, Jacqueline Gannon ’09, Sarah Parkinson ’09, Kaleigh Hunt ’09, Cathleen Connors ’09

Gabe Perrone ’08, Meghan Tedoldi ’09, Derek Stenquist ’06, Nicole Stenquist ’06, Sam Perrone ’06, Jack Birger ’08

Cathleen Connors ’09

Mike McGuinness ’05, Will Cushing ’05, Brad Karelitz ’04, Ned Wallroth ’03

Chris Ferullo ’02, Nick Petri ’02, Larry Glazer ’86

Roy MacDowell ’96, Jared Perry ’93, Steve Baldini ’96

Ian Meropol ’98, Marc Stroum ’98, Bryan Ginsberg ’10, Tommy Manna ’10

Sean Irving ’01, Jill Hoffmeister ’01, Kathryn Jigarjian ‘01, Charlotte Lewis ’02, Maggie Raymond ’02, Jonathan Karelitz ’01

Fall 2013 • Riparian • 21

Student Alumni News News

CLASS OF 2003: Rear, L to R: Tera Kull, Tim Ward, Ned Wallroth, Meaghan Walsh, Grady O’Gara, Ian McDougall, Grace Killea, April Seligman. Front: Marissa Goldstein, Katie Neff, Alicia Kutner, Devon Ficker, Emily Farquharson

Meaghen Walsh started working at America’s Test Kitchen in January and is an assistant test cook on the book team developing and writing recipes for cookbooks.

Tim Ward got engaged to Erika Anthony last year while in Japan and will be wed in California in April 2014.

2004 Class Agents: Brad Karelitz, Alexandra Krotinger, and Maggie Petri. Jennifer Grabler is working as a mobile product developer at NBC Universal in New York and just recently became a proud aunt in early July.

Brendan Harty is in the final year of graduate school at the Winthrop University’s Graduate School for Education and will be getting his master’s in teaching in May. He enjoys living in South Carolina and is looking forward to a great 10 year reunion.

Zach Moor is currently transitioning from government service (U.S. EPA) into private practice, joining Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, as an associate. The firm specializes in environmental and energy law.

BJ Dunne ‘06

Jake Olin continues to be a strategic advisor to companies primarily in the healthcare industry, and currently moonlights as a DJ in clubs throughout New York City.

Rachel Gorman emailed, “I have moved back to the Boston area to start my master’s degree in acupuncture and oriental medicine at the New England School of Acupuncture.”

charitable causes, Crowd Grant inspires philanthropy and makes the world a more delightful place.” Visit www.crowdgrant.com for more information.

Elizabeth Schuster has recently joined HFF, a real estate capital markets intermediary in New York, as associate director of marketing and still spends plenty of time in the Boston area with her family.

Shannon Oppenheim graduated from medical school at Brown in May and is now living in Boston and started her residency at Boston Medical Center in June.

2008

Annie Weiss got engaged on July 4th in the Berkshires. She met Luke in college in Colorado and they are planning a Labor Day wedding in 2014 in Vermont. She is finishing up her MS in Human Resource Management at Emmanuel College.

2005 Class Agents: Katherine Brustowicz, Amanda Chace, and Rachel Gorman. Dana Amsbary graduated from Simmons College Nursing School with her second bachelor’s degree in May. Shannon Deady ‘08 was the student graduation speaker at the ceremony, graduating with a degree in nursing and sociology.

Brooke Barron started a job at the White House, where she is serving as the associate director of administration for the Vice President.

Amanda Chace and her brother Rich ‘03 opened the new CrossFit Torque on Route 1 in Foxborough in mid-July. The new location is 4,000 square feet and is a dream come true for the co-owners.

22 • Riparian • Fall 2013

Felipe Estrela’s twins

Lydia Russell-Roy emailed, “After spending a few years in San Francisco I started medical school at the University of North Carolina in August 2012. I’m adjusting to life in the South, made easier by fantastic weather and lots of biscuits! I have three more years in Chapel Hill, then hope to return to the Northeast for residency.”

2006 Class Agent: Alix Parkinson. BJ Dunne is the new men’s basketball coach at Vassar, the youngest head coach in NCCA history. According to his web bio, “My dream has been to become a head college basketball coach and I owe many thank yous to my family, friends, teachers and coaches who all helped me get here.”

2007 Class Agents: Kadie Greenfield, Nikki Schuster, and Chris Whittier. Kadie is getting her masters in psychology at NYU. Eddie Benjamin has started Crowd Grant, “an online charity raffle built on transparency, impact, and community. Inspired by a fundamental shift in the way people engage with their favorite

Madison Belin

Dana Amsbary ’05 and Shannon Deady ’08

Class Agents: Lindsay Bloom, Steph McCartney, Jeremy Moskowitz, and Jonathan Salzman.

Matt Dunne ‘08 and his band, High School Skinny, just released their first album “Gap Year.”

Check it out at highschoolskinny.bandcamp.com/ album/gap-year.

Nicole Stenquist was featured in a Fox Sports promotion that aired in August.

2009 Class Agents: Becca Nichols and Meggie Woodruff. Cara Bigony graduated from Hamilton in May and spent the summer working in Brooklyn at a digital publishing start-up called Restless Books and is going to Bordeaux, France next year to teach English to 8- to 11-year-olds.

Upon graduating from Boston College, Cathleen Connors started working at Eaton Vance in their sales department.

Emily Creedon graduated from MIT in May where she majored in management science and minored in economics. She started as an analyst on the derivatives desk at Goldman Sachs in July.

Becca Duffy is going to Cambodia to work with an NGO called The Global Child.

Student Alumni News News

Courtney Griffin ’09 in Thailand

CLASS OF 2008: Rear, L to R: Tim Costello, Greg Clifford, Brandon Bigelow, Kyle Shute, Brendon Donahue, Jonathan Salzman, Steph McCartney, Brittany Mills, Kat Egizi, Nicole Stenquist, Jacqui Durand. Middle: Michelle Davis, Emily Greiff, Julia Bateman, Molly Troy, Lindsay Bloom, Carolyn Fishman, Rachel Hunter, Anna Littman-Quinn, Jen Keefe, Katelyn Landry, Darcy Randall, Juliana Horn, Khrystyne Wilson, Suzie Jensen, Derek Kelliher. Front: Sarah Weinstein, Matt Dunne, Will Rasky, Ben Kitendaugh, Todd Seresky, Matt Burlingham, Jack Birger, Caite Cutler After graduation from UVA, Jacqueline Gannon took a road trip with fellow Rivers alumna, Meggie Woodruff, in Northern California. In September, Jacqueline will being working at the Boston based non-profit New Sector Alliance as a resident in social enterprise.

Kat Gourinovitch graduated from Georgetown in May and began working at LEK Consulting in Boston in September.

After graduating from Colgate, Courtney Griffin went to Thailand and Cambodia with a friend from college.

Upon graduating from Bucknell, and after taking some time to travel to New Zealand and Australia, Jamie Lapides began working as a development business consultant at Oracle in Burlington.

James Lovejoy hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro last summer with his family and is now living in New York.

After spending the summer working at an overnight camp in upstate New York, Jenn Pollan moved to Brooklyn to embark on a year of service with Avodah, the Jewish Service Corp. She will be working as a case manager at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, a court which uses alternative sanctions to keep people out of jail.

As a case worker she will decide whether people should be sent to jail or given social services, such as therapy, rehab, GED classes and then help them through the process of rehabilitation.

She’s looking forward to celebrating her five year reunion in May!

Liza Warshaver graduated from Vanderbilt in May and moved to NYC to work at a start-up called SinglePlatform.

During her senior year at Tufts, Becca Yau spent time interning for CommPro, an events and marketing firm in Boston, where she worked on planning both large events as well as managing musicians and authors. She also worked in the Development Office at Tufts. She hopes to pursue another internship in private events.

2010 Class Agents: Adam Lowenstein, Shannon McSweeney, Leah Stansky, and David Tackeff.

Adam took a course this past summer at Harvard and also interned for Winthrop Intelligence and CelticsHub.com, where he wrote articles and analyzed statistics.

Leah Brady spent her spring semester studying abroad in Dublin. She loved it and hopes to move there upon graduation. She spent her summer interning for Epsilon, a data marketing company out of Wakefield, working directly with the product marketing team. She was able to actively participate in a variety of activities revolving around the launch of a new product released this summer.

2011 Class Agents: Will Corkin, Robert Costa, Marissa DelFavero, and Wendy Nicolas. Melissa Benjamin is currently concentrating on the business end of the holistic wellness industry at NYU and completing a 200-hour yoga teacher training program.

James Lovejoy ’09 on Mt. Kilimanjaro Stephanie Lie wrote, “This summer I’m doing research at MGH’s Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging over in Charlestown. I’m learning a lot!”

Clare Sullivan spent her summer doing a marketing internship at Polar.

2012 Class Agents: Billy Oldach, Emily Snider, and Andre Tilahun. Luke Flood is pursuing a bachelor of music in piano performance from UMass Amherst, where he currently studies with Nadine Shank and has served as musical director for two musicals with the UMass Theatre Guild.

He continues to work as a freelance pianist and musical director in the Boston area, where he most recently worked on The Wizard of Oz with the North Shore Music Theatre, and Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, and Les Miserables with Reagle Music Theatre.

Student News In Memoriam Truman Brackett ’51, May 24, 2013 John M. Otis ’51, August 30, 2013 Pauline R. Barbetti, dining staff, August 2, 2013

Fall 2013 • Riparian • 23

Congratulations to the Class of 2013 Kacper Adach, Northeastern University Alexander Andonian, Bates College Anne Armstrong, Johns Hopkins University Julie Arnold, University of Mary Washington Thomas Barker, Washington University at St. Louis Erin Barlow, University of California at Los Angeles Timothy Barns, Butler University Madeline Bauer, Yale University Samuel Berger, Duke Unversity Lauren Brown, Hofstra University Sophie Brown, Georgetown University Angie Buitrago, Boston University Abigail Burke, St. Michael’s College Lindsay Burroughs, Colgate University Suzanne Burzillo, Emory University Daniel Corcoran, Babson College Hailey Cosseboom, Middlebury College Abioma Crawford, Boston College Emilee Daley, Boston College Ryanne Daley, Colby College Daniel Davis, Boston College Nicholas DeSisto, Loyola University Maryland Caroline Devereux, Boston University Matthew Dias Costa, Bowdoin College Christian Domos, Syracuse University Austin Drucker, Lafayette College Sebastian Duchêne, Whitman College

24 • Riparian • Fall 2013

Luke Eberth, Hotchkiss School Ian Francis, Boston College Sarah Gilmore, Brown University Stephen Goodwin, Cornell University Alexandra Gorski, Royal Academy of Music Sulamit Gorski, Royal Academy of Music Emma Harrison, Kenyon College Joseph Hester, Northeastern University Andrew Hill, Colorado College Meghan Hornblower, Boston College Briggs Hupper, Occidental College Ian Huschle, Colorado College Sara Hyde, Brown University Lidia Iriti, Providence College John Jester, Vanderbilt University Tessa Kadar, Wesleyan University Andrew Kafker, Haverford College Christina Keefe, Cornell University Devon Kelliher, New York University Nadeerah Lamour, Tufts University Bruna Lee, Brown University Alec Long, Concordia University, Montreal Melissa Mark, University of Puget Sound Sean McGonagle, Babson College Robert McSweeney, Babson College Katherine Mecke, Bucknell University Simran Mirchandani, Cornell University Jared Mullen, Southern Methodist University Mark Murphy, Babson College

Stephen Newman, Bucknell University Kathryn Nielsen, University of St. Andrews Duncan O’Connor, University of Richmond Opeoluwa Olukorede, Johns Hopkins Thomas Oppenheim, Bentley University Michael Paczkowski, Bucknell University Asa Phillips, Middlebury College Adam Reid, Johns Hopkins Jodi Robbins, Syracuse University Katherine Sack, Emerson College Joseph Sack, Emerson College Louis Shaevel, Tufts Univeristy Jaclyn Sisselman, Tulane University Max Slifka, Georgetown University Edward Southwell, Dartmouth College Tyler Swartz, University of Maryland Tucker Taylor, Tufts Univeristy Michela Thomsen, George Washington University Christopher Tomaselli, Texas Christian University Vanessa Torrice, Tufts Univeristy Margaret Walsh, Phillips Andover Academy Zoe Weisskoff, Muhlenberg College Nicole Wilkins, Northeastern University Jake Willsey, Tulane University Andrew Xia, MIT Patrick Young, Babson College Arianna Zhang, Harvard University

Boston Business Breakfasts Launched Join your fellow Rivers alumni at one of this year’s Boston Business Breakfasts. These networking opportunities are offered several times throughout the year as a way for local alumni to meet for coffee, a catered breakfast, and conversation. All of the events are held in downtown Boston so alumni can easily stop by on the way to work.

This year’s first event, hosted by Stephen Lable ’90, was held at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLC, on October 9 and featured the founders of Bully Boy Distilleries. Please join us on January 15 or April 15 to reconnect with former acquaintances and meet some new ones. For details and locations, please visit www.rivers.org/alumni.

Functions at Rivers!

Rivers’ new Campus Center, with a beautiful view of Nonesuch Pond and first-rate catering, is available for the special occasions in your life: weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, anniversaries, and other events.

For more information, contact Assistant Director of Operations Kristin Harder at k.harder@rivers.org or 339-686-2455.

2013–2014 Alumni Events at THE RIVERS SCHOOL October

February

Friday, 10/18/13

Sunday, 2/23/14

Homecoming Girls’ and Boys’ Cross 4:30 p.m.

Country at Elm Bank Football vs. Groton on 6:30 p.m.

Waterman Field Join us for chili and football as we watch the Red Wings play UNDER THE LIGHTS.

Alumni Hockey Game, Lunch, and Family Skate

Saturday, 10/19/13

2:00 p.m.

Homecoming Varsity Games vs. Milton

April Tuesday, 4/8/14

7:00 p.m.

Washington, DC Networking Reception with Tom Olverson and faculty Location TBD Tuesday, 4/15/14

7:30 a.m.

Business Breakfast Series Location and speaker TBD

November Monday, 11/11/13 9:30 a.m.

Veterans Day Ceremony and Reception Wednesday, 11/27/13

6:00 p.m.

Pre-Thanksgiving Event for Young Alumni at LIR, 903 Boylston Street, Boston

May Saturday, 5/17/14 All Day Alumni Day & Reunions Reunion classes ending in 4 and 9

June

November–March

Tuesday, 6/10/14

Sundays, 11/17/13–3/2/14

Alumni Senior Breakfast

Community Free Skate Alumni Hockey Games

11:50 a.m.

11:50 a.m.

7:40 p.m.

Thursday, 6/26/14

8:30 a.m.

6:00 p.m.

Annual Boston Summer Social

December Thurs. – Fri., 12/19/13 – 12/20/13 Holiday Basketball Tournament

January Wednesday, 1/8/14

7:00 p.m.

New York City Networking Event with Tom Olverson and faculty Location TBD Wednesday, 1/15/14

7:30 a.m.

Business Breakfast Series at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, 100 Federal Street, 34th Floor, Boston

Stay tuned for details about the annual Rivers School Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid. We hope to see you at an event soon!

All alumni events are at The Rivers School unless otherwise noted. Be sure to check www.rivers.org/alumnievents to stay up to date on all of the alumni events.

Please contact Cheryl Malcolm at c.malcolm@rivers.org to RSVP to all events or with any questions regarding networking opportunities or becoming an alumni career mentor.

The Rivers School

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Boston MA Permit No. 10

333 Winter Street Weston, MA 02493-1040

Address Service Requested

Rivers admits academically qualified students of any race, religion, sex, disability, or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally available to its students. Rivers does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, color, ethnic, or national origin in our admissions policies, educational policies, financial aid and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

Please notify us if your phone number, mailing address, or email address changes so that Rivers can stay in touch with you and your family. Contact Lydia Gibson at 339-686-2239 or l.gibson@rivers.org.

Homecoming 2013

A Rivers First: Football Under the Lights vs. Groton — Friday, October 18