The Bulletin - Spring 2016

“All Things Must Change...”

BY PETER BRANCH, HEAD OF SCHOOL

No matter our age, human beings are challenged by change, however small or seemingly positive. Even the anticipation of a trip can make children restless. My dog, Chloe, seems to sense such a disturbance in her rituals and hides where we can’t find her. Grade by grade, our students revel in the end of the school year while simultaneously becoming anxious about the next. Fifth graders look forward with caution to the Middle School, eighth graders to the Upper School, and seniors to colleges. Nothing is more certain than the inevitability of change. As the poet Longfellow wrote: “All things must change to something new, to something strange”.

June will bring the 49th Upper School commencement at Rocky Hill School. For me, it will mark my fifth departure as the head of an independent school and my third retirement. Like our seniors, I do not really know what is ahead but hope I can embrace it with grace, however strange it may initially seem.

Institutions, like people, are equally subject to change, and equally resistant. And yet change is necessary to revive and animate such organizations as schools. Rocky Hill will be welcoming a new school head in Dr. James Tracy this summer. Together with his wife, Jan, he will bring new energy and vision to this wonderful campus and educational idea. His deep education and extensive experience with a variety of schools will offer Rocky Hill’s constituents new perspectives and leadership. But the new implies change and, with it, directions and actions in potential conflict with individual and group expectations based in the past, even the past of my three years of tenure. Such is the outcome of progress.

The prospect of changes in our workplace, or the school our children have attended, or the campus we have cherished, can close us to the opportunities such changes can bring. Rocky Hill School cannot be fixed in time without failing in its responsibilities to its students. The pace of technology makes that reality all too clear. But more subtle expectations of the future will compel us to shape our plans to the new world that is constantly emerging. What will be required will be leadership that is flexible, nimble, anticipatory, collaborative, and courageous.

The initial impression of Rocky Hill School is of an educational village somewhat akin to the campus of a uniquely situated college. The deeper goal must be of a learning community and organization.

It may sound redundant to ask a school to adopt the goals of a learning organization, but such goals for all of us are a call to action. Assume nothing as given except our mission, and even that must be subject to critical examination. Recently, for example, we added to the goal of “producing good citizens” the word “global” so that we now recognize the full breadth of our obligation “to produce good global citizens”. The addition acknowledges our many years of educating international students on our campus, our new consulting relationship with a school in China, and the demands for broadening a Euro-Centric curriculum. We are also accepting the fact that the scope of demands on our graduates has become international and our education must be so as well.

This edition of The Bulletin offers a series of articles that describe various new or increased efforts of Rocky Hill School to strengthen the connections within and outside our school community on behalf of our mission. Nici Lanowy writes of how the Parent Teacher League fosters the essential goal of supporting each other on this remarkable campus. Sarah Shaw Siskin ’78 likewise tells how the Alumni Association seeks to bring current and past students together in ways that strengthen their connections to the School that has so shaped their character. In “Building Bridges”, Beth DeGerlia documents the many programs that have linked our parents, alums, students, faculty, and staff together in education. In “Partnerships”, Peter Hanney details the strategic partnerships with organizations and schools beyond our campus borders that have magnified our programs and expanded our outreach.

Many individuals have supported these initiatives and ensured both their quality and their consistency with our mission. And, as we laud those efforts, we are engaged in an ongoing effort to anticipate and harness change. The work of our Strategic Planning Committee is well summarized by Belinda Snyman in her article, appropriately subtitled as “Guardians, Stewards, and Trailblazers”. In the face of inevitable change, guardians need to protect our mission, stewards need to cherish our past, and trailblazers need to show us the way forward. All are essential to Rocky Hill School’s progress and success. May this wonderful school be blessed with such personal resources as it looks to the future. v

Dr. James Tracy (left) is welcomed to campus by Peter Branch outside of Hopelands on the morning of Homecoming 2015.

Rocky Hill School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, handicap, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its admission,

Legacy Families

Rocky Hill School is pleased to have 19 children/grandchildren of alumni in its current student body.

Back Row: Cassidy Santos ’17 (John Paul Santos, Jr. ’90), Will Janikies ’17 (William Janikies ’83), Charlotte Roch ’18 (Dawn Dunley and Ray Roch ’83), Perry Clark ’19 (Richard Clark ’85), and Max Lehouiller ’20 (Lia DiLeonardo Lehouiller ’90).

Middle Row: Alexis Weiler ’20 (Mary Lynne Kennedy ’80), Charlotte Boss ’22 (Monica Iacono Boss ’91), Jasmine Aldazabal ’20 and Amaia Aldazabal ’16 (Erika Waldman Aldazabal ’81), Sabrina Dumas ’16 (Samuel C.H. Dumas ’79, Trixie Weber Dumas ’81, Pam Dumas ’56), and Dylan Lehouiller ’21 (Lia DiLeonardo Lehouiller ’90).

FRont Row: Sydney Boss ’23 and Morgan Boss ’26 (Monica Iacono Boss ’91), Amelia Riley ’28 (Alyson Powell ’94), Skylar Etsitty ’27 (Anemone Mars ’93), Alex Lehouiller ’24 and Luke Lehouiller ’26 (Lia DiLeonardo Lehouiller ’90).

not PictuRed: Ei Yazh Foster ’16 (SeQuahna Mars ’96) and Abby Millard ’27 (Jill Osowa Millard ’94).

The Bulletin is made possible by:

Peter M. Branch, Head of School

Beth DeGerlia (P’16, ’19), Director of Development

Art Entwistle IV, Director of Athletics

Peter Hanney (P’23, ’27), Director of Communications & Marketing

Liz Isdale (P’16, ’22), Director of Alumni Relations

Belinda Snyman, Director of Strategic Planning

Photography: Ruth Clegg, Terry Coes, Allison DeGerlia (’16), Peter Hanney (P’23, ’27), Michael Jedrey (P’11), Rob Lee (P’22, ’24)

Graphic Design: www.DonnaDeForbesCreates.com

Cover Photo: Partnerships imply relationship building, co-existence, cooperation, and collaboration within a community, as well as bridge building between communities. The cover of The Bulletin portrays Alexandra Martini ’29 and Lauren Silva ’16 at Convocation 2015. It was at this first All-School event where Upper School students paired up with Preschool students. One of the youngest members of the RHS family, together with a Rocky Hill lifer and soon-to-be alum, captures a fundamental partnership that bonds our community.

Welcome Aboard

NEW MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

RHS 75th Gala, Alumni Board, Alumni Career Day, RHS Development, Business After Hours, and MS Field Hockey Team. Monica, her husband Geoff, and three daughters Charlotte ’22, Sydney ’23, and Morgan ’26, reside in Narragansett.

Trinity College ’95, B.A., Major: Art History, Minor: Legal Studies; Babson College F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business ’02, M.B.A., General Management.

NEW FACULTY/STAFF

Monica Iacono Boss ’91, P ’22, ’23, ’26 Monica joined the Rocky Hill School Board of Trustees in July 2015. Most recently, she worked at CVS Health as an Executive Advisor to the CHRO in Human Resources Strategy, supporting HR executives lead and managing key enterprise initiatives. Prior to working in HR Strategy, Monica implemented process improvements in Talent Acquisition and created a robust vendor management program in HR Shared Services. Before CVS Health, Monica was a Senior Vice President at Bank of America in Global HR Shared Services, and a consultant at Pile and Company in Boston and New York. She has volunteered at Rocky Hill School in various capacities including supporting the Head of School Search Committee,

Tara Dowling is Rocky Hill’s new College Counselor. Previously the Associate Director of College Counseling at Choate Rosemary Hall, she has over 30 years of experience in admission and college counseling in the U.S. and abroad.

Susan Eaton joined Rocky Hill in March 2015 to teach US mathematics. She previously taught math at the Westerly School Department and Pilgrim High School, and adult math at the Literacy Volunteers of Washington County.

Thomas Farrell teaches US Spanish. He comes to us from the Ithaca City School District, where he taught middle school Spanish. Tom has been welcomed into the parent/faculty a capella group, Narragansett Splash.

2015-2016 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Edwin J. Santos, President, P’18, ‘14, ‘11

Ande Frost, Vice President, P’17, ‘15, ‘10

Donald McCaughey, Treasurer, P’23

Robert M. Powers, Secretary, P’12

Monica Iacono Boss ‘91, P’22, ‘23, ‘26

Bradford T. Davey ’89

Mitchell R. Edwards, Esq.

Mary H. Grant, Ph.D.

Mary Ann Hackett P’09, ‘10 Dr. Justine Johnson P’20, ‘23

Lisa Goulden is Rocky Hill’s new friendly face in the Upper School. As Divisional Coordinator, she oversees the day-to-day functions of the Upper School and assists with events in the Middle and Lower Schools.

Andrew Hoffman-Patalona teaches mathematics, robotics, and Maker in the Upper School, and an after-school robotics class in the Middle School.

Amanda Hovey is Rocky Hill’s newest Preschool Assistant and Extended Day teacher. She was previously the Dean of Students at Overbrook Academy.

Joseph LePain P’30 joins Rocky Hill as Director of Technology. His daughter, Colette, attends By the Bay Preschool at Rocky Hill.

Joshua Schatz joined Rocky Hill as a Middle School mathematics teacher, and coach for Boys’ Varsity Soccer and Girls’ Varsity Basketball.

Ming Shen teaches Mandarin in the Middle and Upper Schools. She comes to Rocky Hill from the Providence School Department.

Sarah Taylor ’10 returned to her alma mater in January 2015 as a tremendous asset to the Admission Office.

Mia Caetano Johnson, Esq. ’89

James Lehouiller P’20, ‘21, ‘23, ‘26

Gordana Novakovic-Petteruti P’17, ‘13, ‘09

Joan Osowa GP’27

Stephen G. Soscia

Rocky Hill School would like to thank the parents of three students, William N. Janikies ‘83, P’17, Michele Nota P‘15, ‘14, ‘12, and Stephen F. Siegel, Ph.D., P’15 for serving as trustees. William served as trustee from 2011-2015, Michele served from 20092015, and Stephen served from 2006-2015. Their support and love for Rocky Hill School has not gone unnoticed and is deeply appreciated.

What’s New

1. The Board of Trustees unanimously selected Dr. James Tracy of Sharon, MA to serve as Rocky Hill’s tenth Head of School. Dr. Tracy was Head of School at CATS Academy Boston. Prior to that he served as Head of Cushing Academy and Head of Boston University Academy. Peter Branch will continue to lead Rocky Hill School until his retirement in June 2016. Dr. Tracy’s appointment will begin July 1, 2016.

2. Ms. Dowling and Ms. Snyman took 11 juniors to visit 15 Boston-area colleges over the March break. Students experienced a broad sampling of college types and locations that will help them build their college lists.

3. Through a mindfulness partnership with ResilientKids and Vanessa Weiner P’20, ‘23, Lower School students have the tools to pause, take a breath, observe, and move forward with more self-awareness and understanding of their relationships with others.

4. Led by URI professor Laura Meyerson P’16, ’20, students in the URI Restoration Ecology class and Rocky Hill faculty and students are evaluating the restoration potential at Potowomut Marsh for a population of Diamondback Terrapin turtles.

5. New for 2015-16 is the Fab Lab!, STEAMbased unstructured play in a constructive environment that is held one Saturday per month. Fab Lab! has been drawing students from Rocky Hill and beyond to make, play, build, and explore.

6. The student diversity organization has renamed themselves SMAC (Students Making Activist Communities). Their work has been integral in institutional, systemic, and symbolic change, the most recent of which was the proposal and enactment of establishing gender-neutral restrooms on campus. 2015-16 SMAC Presidents Sera Johnson ‘17, Deirdre Irvine ‘17, and Nate Demoranville ‘16.

• Rocky Hill School celebrated its 20-year partnership with Save The Bay in January 2016.

• The IT Department recently purchased a Maker Bot 3D printer for use in all divisions. The purchase, made possible by the generosity of donors at the 17th Annual Fall Classic Tennis, Golf & Dinner Auction, will enhance the School’s STEAM initiatives for all grade levels.

• A South County bus route was added for students living in areas south of Rocky Hill School. The Providence route continues to bring a full bus load of students to Rocky Hill.

The Mariner Review

BY ART ENTWISTLE IV, ME d , ATC, LAT, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AND ATHLETIC TRAINER

From the finely tuned to the newest, Rocky Hill School’s athletes support each other and their athletic programs. Many participate in sports that they have never played before, yet enjoy the support of their friends. This community commitment is a reflection of a healthy athletic program.

Spring Athletics

The 2015 Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team won the SENE League and Tournament championships. Kathryn Nota ’15, Julia Asadorian ’15, Rebecca Porras ’15, Sabrina Dumas ’16, and Annie Coaty ’17 received SENE All-League selection. Kathryn Nota was selected as the SENE Player of the Year.

The 2015 Co-ed Tennis team tied for second in SENE league play (7W-3L). Captain Anessa Petteruti ’17 won the SENE Singles Tournament Championship, Nicholas Mancini ’17 and Alexander Phillips ’15 were SENE doubles team tournament runners-up, Danil Randall ’17 and Anessa Petteruti ’17 both received singles SENE All-League selection, and Hunter Gallant ’17 and Carl Zhou ’18 received doubles SENE All-League selection.

The 2015 Girls’ Varsity Softball team (Rocky Hill/Juanita Sanchez co-op) made it to the RIIL DIII semifinals. Allison DeGerlia ’16 received RIIL First Team All-Division selection.

The 2015 Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team made it to the quarterfinals in the SENE, securing a spot in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. Captains Douglas Cochran ’16, Benjamin Lanowy ’16 and Jamie Frost ’17 received SENE All-League selection.

In golf, Raymond Mancini ’16 and Adam Proulx ’15 both received SENE All-League selection.

Fall Athletics

The 2015 Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey team made it to the RIIL Division II semifinals and were selected as the 2015 Field Hockey Officials Association “Gladys Brightman Sportsmanship Award” winners. Brooke Mongeon ’17 received RIIL First Team AllDivision selection, Mary McKenney ’16 received RIIL Second Team All-Division selection, Sabrina Dumas ’16 received RIIL All-Division Honorable Mention, and Faythe Schulte ’19 was selected to the AllRookie team. Sabrina Dumas ’16, Mary Mckenney ’16, and Brooke Mongeon ’17 were selected as RIIL Division II All-Stars.

The 2015 Girls’ Varsity Soccer team had a solid season for their size. Annie Coate ’17 received SENE All-League selection, while Bridget Kist ’17 received SENE AllLeague Honorable Mention.

The 2015 Boys’ Varsity Soccer team were defeated in the SENE semifinals by the Wheeler School and suffered another loss in the NEPSAC Class D semifinals to St. Andrew’s School. Jared Barroso ’16, William Janikies ’17, Daniel Samudio ’16 and Brody Rubenstein ’17 all received SENE All-League selection, while Benjamin Lanowy ’16 received SENE AllLeague Honorable Mention. Jared Barroso, Daniel Samudio, and Brody Rubenstein were all recognized as NEPSSA All-Stars. Jared Barroso also became Rocky Hill School’s all-time leading scorer.

The Varsity Cross Country team had a strong turnout. With two new coaches and many young runners, they placed 4th in the SENE Championship.

Winter Athletics

The Boys’ Varsity Basketball team was runner-up in the 11th Annual Mariner

Classic, and William Janikies ’17 was voted to the All-Tournament team. The team is the DII SENE League Champion with an overall record of 10-4 (3-1 SENE), a first since 2006. They lost the SENE championship game to St. Andrew’s. For the first time in a decade, they played in the NEPSAC New England Class D Boys Basketball Tournament. Though losing in the quarterfinal to Storm King School (NY), the boys took home banners for SENE League Championship 2015 and the NEPSAC New England Tournament Invite 2015. The Boys’ JV Basketball team placed second in the 3rd Annual Boys’ JV Basketball Tournament.

The Girls’ Varsity Basketball season involved some transition with two new coaches and many new basketball players. The league schedule had to be shortened due to team size, but they were strong in talent and ended the season with a 3-8 record against some talented RIIL teams.

The Boys’ Varsity Co-op Ice Hockey team of Rocky Hill School, Middletown High School, and Rogers High School (“RMR”) made it to the RIIL semifinals. Benjamin Hernowitz ’17 is currently the only Rocky Hill student on this team.

Two individual swimmers participated in the RIIL for Rocky Hill this winter. Both Jacob Pogacar ’19 and Elizabeth Moya ’19 represented the School well in strong performances at the RIIL state swim meet.

The athletic programs intend to give each member of the community an appreciation for and enjoyment of physical activity, and help them develop healthy habits of fitness to last a lifetime. Through athletics, each student is encouraged to build pride in the individual, the team, and the School. v

Evolving the Strategic Plan: Guardians, Stewards, and Trailblazers

BY BELINDA SNYMAN, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PLANNING

in tRiBute to the late John chuBB, FoRMeR PResident, national association oF indePendent schools (nais).

Revolutions start with a few people who think differently, a few people who are willing to experiment, to try new things. But then, those people share their ideas. It is only when a group of people unite around an idea that movements gain strength.

Greatly inspired by the momentum captured in Year Two and Three of the 2012-2015 Strategic Plan, the Committee is striding ahead to meet the goals set at the beginning of the year. We began by evaluating past accomplishments and successes, revisiting the results from our survey conducted in January of 2015, and incorporating newly-formed goals from the retreat that followed.

For this transition year, we turned to the compass for direction in determining our major initiatives: True North provides inspiration for students to chart their own course and find their individual purpose; West speaks to the “whole child” in the School’s Mission and the Essential Curriculum (character and social/behavioral); East focuses on Global Education and crosscultural competences; and South encompasses each of the disciplines that constitute STEAM— the Sciences, Technology, Engineering (principles of design), the Arts, and Math.

Objectives determined for each of the aforementioned initiatives have enabled us to map the future of Rocky Hill School. There has been an even greater emphasis on individualization and differentiation. In the Lower School, the creation of a developmentally appropriate K-2 academic environment includes best practices of differentiated instruction, allowing students to learn in flexible groups that foster collaboration with peers of the same and different ages, abilities, and interests. STEAM and Project-Based Learning, as well as The Responsive Classroom®, define much of the Lower School learning experience. The Middle School continues to evolve its 1-1 iPad program as well as its distinctive culture guided by Developmental Designs®, (the integration of social and academic learning). The Upper School embodies excellence in education

through its student-centered curriculum which includes Harknessbased discussion and Advanced Placement offerings, elective courses, and opportunities for specialization, student-created content, and independent study. Divisional transition and cross-divisional initiatives in both curricular and co-curricular programming have been significantly expanded. Through the incorporation of STEAM and Project-Based Learning, and in partnership with the University of Rhode Island, the National Conservation Service, and Save The Bay, our school continues to leverage its capital and human resources to enhance collaborative teaching and learning.

S

Across the community, in all three divisions, and through the efforts of our school partners, we have expanded our role as the guardians and stewards of our environment by maximizing our bucolic natural setting: the river, waterfront, and Narragansett Bay. The campus celebrates each of the seasons, and in keeping with each, students develop their ecological intelligence by studying and experiencing the Land of Fires Nature Trail, the unique ecosystem of the shoreline, marine life, the Garden Classroom, and engaging in research and restoration. Flik Dining Service shares the community’s goal to foster healthy nutrition and sustainable practices and has added a composting program for kitchen waste, while working with the Lower and Middle Schools to grow produce for inclusion in the daily menu. With a concentrated focus on individual and community health and wellness, a team of pre-K through 12 faculty integrates mindfulness practices into their daily schedules, to promote self-awareness, selfmanagement, and overall mental and physical well-being.

The latest iteration of the Diversity program leads with the theme, “Through the Looking-Glass Self:” this year more than ever, our students (and faculty) have posed and answered questions that deeply enhanced their knowledge of themselves and their understanding of their peers. The last couple of years have seen an increase in the diversity of our student body and our targeted efforts to enrich the community through innovative programs and the contributions of the students themselves. Through an appreciation for their individuality, our students strive to promote and model equity, inclusivity, and activism.

Students (and faculty) are afforded the opportunity to follow their passions: we have proudly celebrated a 100% college acceptance for our seniors, musicians who represent the RI State Philharmonic Orchestra, artists who have proudly claimed their Gold and Silver keys in the Scholastic Art awards, and young authors, both published in the school’s literary and arts journal, The Hill and independently, as well as thespians who shine under the tutelage provided by our Trinity Repertory Company partners. An expanded College Counseling program is focused on identifying and nurturing individual passions as students navigate their path to the college that will best match their aspirations. Our Mariner athletes (soccer, field hockey, and cross-country) have been recognized across New England. We also continue to celebrate student leaders who serve as mentors for the younger grades, as community service leaders, and social innovators.

Robotics and creative design continue to light sparks in all three divisions. Fab Lab! (Fabrication Laboratory: unstructured play in a constructive environment) was launched in October of 2015, and is now also part of a new program, Learn, Make and Play, a selection of design-inspired activities for Lower School students and their peers in the local community.

With a lens on evaluating institutional effectiveness and success metrics for the 2015-2016 year, the Strategic Plan Committee is dedicated to identifying, gathering, and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data to better serve our constituents and enhance student experience in all areas of the school. Additionally, the Committee is working to expand the vision for the existing global plan and to establish a separate athletic strategic plan for the year ahead.

As we carry the plan through its natural evolution, members of the Committee, and indeed the leaders and faculty of the school, are focused on providing vision and guiding transformation as we propel our school into the future. Our collective responsibility is to invest in innovative curricular, leverage the latest academic technology, become more efficient and ecologically active, and seek to establish our place in the greater international community. v

Jump On Board

The Rocky Hill School Sailing Team is excited to get their feet and their new fleet wet this spring. Thanks to several generous donors, the School has been able to purchase a new fleet of seven Zim 420 Collegiate Sailboats and has a reserve of funds to improve the docks, purchase new storage racks, repair the old fleet for practice boats, and maintain the new fleet for years to come.

Above: “The Almighty Ei Yazh, Ruler of the Sea and Sky,” Ei Yazh Foster ’16. right (toP to bottom): Chase Mulvaney ’17 and the Rocky Hill sailing team.

A special thank you to our major Jump On Board campaign sponsors: Clara Lovell, Julia and Brad Boss, Monica Iacono ’91 and Geoff Boss, Mary and Walter Lada, Dooie Isdale, Rome Kirby ‘07, Seamus Kirby ‘13, Owen Perkins ‘06, Paula Carreiro and Peter Branch, Stephanie and Bob Adams.

Around the Rock

Seniors Amaia Aldazabal, Malcolm Meyerson, and Griffin Rademacher were named 2016 National Merit Finalists. They are among the 15,000 students who earned the honor out of the more than 1.5 million PSAT test takers.

Mary McKenney and Malcolm Meyerson were named candidates in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, and Malcolm is now 1 out of 689 semi-finalists.

Thomas Fitzgerald ‘22 landed the role of Peter Cratchett in the 2015 production of A Christmas Carol at Trinity Rep.

Brady Dill ‘15 was honored with the Maureen O’Donnell Oxford Classical Dictionary Award for his outstanding performances on the National Latin Exam over the past four years.

Sadie Reimer ‘17 attended South Carolina Summer Dance Conservatory at the University of South Carolina last summer.

Anessa Petteruti ’17 was awarded the 2015 Gershwin Award at the URI Piano Extravaganza, was chosen as 1 of 12 to perform at the RI Music Education Association Honors Concert, and studied at the International Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria.

Jasmine Aldazabal ‘20 was awarded a $500 ARTS Scholarship by the Providence Performing Arts Center.

Five musicians participated in the 2015 Rhode Island Music Educators Association All-State Ensembles: Neha Basu ’20 (Junior Division Treble Choir), Rafael Boccuni-Godfrey ’19 (Senior Division Orchestra, violin), Max Lehouiller ’20 (Junior Division Orchestra, bass and Junior Division Guitar Ensemble), Jeremiah Malone ’21 (Junior Division Band, tuba), and Lauren Silva ’16 (Senior Division Band, clarinet).

Jenna O’del ‘16 attended the National Youth Leadership Forum: Medicine where she visited a medical school, gained exposure to medical professionals through seminars, and participated in the Medical Ethics Caucus. She also wrote and published her first novel, Hidden Presences, in October of 2015.

Annie Coaty ‘17 and Kaylynn Polley ‘17 attended the 2015 Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar.

Alexis Weiler ‘20 attended the Envision National Young Leaders Conference, where she developed essential leadership, communication, decision making, conflict resolution, and critical thinking skills.

In 2015 the RHS Interact Club made water purification indicators for people in Cambodia. This year the students are making 3D printed hands for refugee children affected by war.

Alyssa Grayson ‘19 was recognized as a 2015 Rhode Island top youth volunteer at The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

Jade Ma ‘23 won first place for 3-hand Figure Dance Competition under age 11 in the 2015 Cape Cod Feis.

Lauren Silva ‘16 earned a Young Leader Award from the Office of R.I. General Treasurer Seth Magaziner.

Megan Caruso ‘17 and Heather Lind ‘17 represented Rocky Hill School at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference. Allison DeGerlia ‘16 served as a student leader with other high school and college students.

Allison DeGerlia ‘16 was honored for exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer Service Award.

In the 2015 Rhode Island Music Education Association’s Solo & Ensemble Festival, Anessa Petteruti ‘17 (piano) won three gold medals; Amanda Siegel ‘15 (flute) and Lauren Silva ‘16 (clarinet) each won two gold medals; and Elsa Block ‘20 (clarinet) and Jeremiah Malone ‘21 (tuba) each won one gold medal.

Darshell Silva, Librarian & Technology Integrator, has been accepted as a Media Smart Libraries Fellow at the University of Rhode Island.

Amanda Siegel ‘15 performed on flute with the RI Philharmonic Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Skye Skultety ‘22 won first place in the first class of the first horse show she’s ever been in. She also won third place, fourth place, and reserve champion in her division.

The Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey team received the 2015 Rhode Island Field Hockey Officials Association’s Gladys Brightman Sportsmanship Award.

Alec O’del ‘18 was recognized as an “Inspiring Young Leader” in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal 2015 Young Entrepreneurs and participated in “Chez Innovations.”

Genevieve Bradley ‘23 won Best in Show at the Washington County Fair with her ceramics exhibit.

Sean Tinsley, Upper School English teacher, completed a fellowship as part of the 2015 Klingenstein Summer Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Art teacher Rachel Armentano was selected as the Rhode Island Art Education Association‘s Middle School-Level Art Educator of the Year for 2015. Meg Getsinger, art teacher and Chair of the Visual Arts Department, was nominated for the Upper School Art Educator Award.

The following students earned winning keys at the 2016 Scholastic Art Competition: Dihao Feng ’16 (Silver Key, Painting), Hideyoshi Kamiya ’16 (Silver Key, Painting), Xin Liu ’18 (Gold Key, Printmaking), Ruihan Xia ’16 (Gold Key, Digital Art), Mengyu Guo ’16 (Gold Key, Photography), Meiye Song ’18 (Gold Key, Ceramics), Daniel Samudio ’16 (Gold Key, Ceramics), and Yiyun Qiu ’16 (Gold Key, Ceramics).

Allison DeGerlia ’16 was reappointed to serve as a member of the RI Interscholastic League Student Advisory Board.

The following students earned winning keys and an honorable mention at the 2016 Scholastic Writing Competition: Hunter Corbett ’17 (Gold and Silver Keys, Poetry and Flash Fiction), Jenna O’del ’16 (Silver Key, Poetry), Anessa Petteruti ’17 (Silver Key, Poetry), Griffin Rademacher ’16 (Honorable Mention, Poetry), and Nate Talbutt ’18 (Silver Key, Humor). Hunter Corbett also earned a Silver Medal in the 2016 National Writing Competition.

Campus Scenes

1. Jamie Frost ‘17 (center) celebrates a goal against The Williams School with John Ponte ‘17 and Giles Lanowy ‘17.

2. Colin Davis ’22 and Toby Rishworth ’28 take a close-up view of a cell in the MS science lab.

3. Abby Costantino ‘18 promotes the Deckhands Theater Company’s production of “Grown Up, A Dramatic Experience.”

4. Director of Admission Catherine Washburn joined Mr. Zhengrong “Jerry” Pang and Ms. Xiaohong “Alice” Ding, parents of Ding Ping ‘18 for a luncheon with other Rocky Hill families in Shenzhen, China during a recruiting trip in January.

5. Fifth graders Isabel Guastella, Katie Kerachsky, Jade Ma, and Savannah Burnett build a mall using math ratios.

6. Jared Barosso ’16 celebrates Coach Doug Poskitt’s 300th career soccer win.

7. Danil Randall ‘17 mentors Pauline Schoene ‘29 in RHEA pottery.

8. Director of Technology Joe LePain works with the preschool students to 3D print “turkey hand” refrigerator magnets.

9. Auctioneer Paul Zekos motivates the auction bidders during the Above & Beyond Spring Gala, which raised $109,000 for the School.

Reunion 2015

BY LIZ ISDALE P’16, ‘22, DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Why I love RHS… “The People and The View.” With this simple phrase, Terry Coes summed up Reunion 2015. While we lost Terry on June 13th, on Reunion Day, his spirit was with us as we celebrated the alumni and the community of Rocky Hill School. All in attendance enjoyed the laughter, remembrances, and camaraderie of being together on that very special day.

Belinda Snyman shared a special message in honor of her colleague and very good friend, Barbara Cardano. With a career spanning 34 years and extensive experience in teaching mathematics in diverse educational settings—from Lautoka, Fiji, to charter, public, and independent schools in Rhode Island, Barbara made a lasting impression on students, parents, and colleagues. After 16 years at Rocky Hill, we bade her farewell, knowing that she will remain in our hearts forever.

Paul Tukey shared his heartfelt words for his colleague, Terry, that included many funny remembrances. Dennis Wu ’10 was asked by Mr. Coes months prior to Reunion to come back to RHS and help us celebrate his retirement. The entire speech was shared in a draft with Mr. Coes and his family prior to his passing. The following is the concluding paragraph of Dennis’ speech.

It was a beautiful summer moment in time and the campus’ scalloped shores did not disappoint. The Alumni Association meeting was well attended, a new slate of officers was elected, and the decision to establish an alumni scholarship fund to support alumni families sending their own children to Rocky Hill School was a major accomplishment. The alumni lacrosse games were great fun for alumni and spectators. Thank you to all who participated.

The Alumni Reunion reception celebrated milestone classes ending in 0 and 5 and the 80th birthday of Rocky Hill School. The Reunion Committee offered a special silent auction featuring Red Sox tickets, RHS pottery, and an amazing assortment of items that raised $1,500 for the Alumni Scholarship. There was a special dedication of two trees placed on campus. A cherry tree was placed near the Head of School’s house in memory of Richard Thorpe ’78. A flowering dogwood was placed near the southwest portico of the Alan F. Flynn, Jr. Academic Center in memory of Martha Shaw ’80 and in honor of Sarah Shaw Siskin ’78 . Thank you to Janina D’Abate ’78 who spearheaded the donation effort of both trees. Flik Dining offered reunion attendees a spread of delicious locally grown fare, and the birthday celebration cake donated by Antonio’s Bakery was delightful.

Two long-standing faculty members were celebrated for their commitment and careers at RHS:

“Mr. Coes has been at Rocky Hill School for 41 years. By a gross estimation of taking an integral of a saturating exponential function assuming a 20-student class size in 1974, and a 40-student class size in 2015, that accounts for about 1,443 students whose lives Mr. Coes had shaped for the better. And that is not including all the teachers, parents, and administrators that had the fortune to get to know Mr. Coes over the years. And, if one day a student asks about the person whose photographs adorn the halls of Rocky Hill, many will jump to tell them about Terry Coes: a photographer, a diehard Red Sox fan, a loyal friend, an adapter to change, a leader in his field, an author, a husband, father, and now grandfather, a beloved colleague, an endeared teacher, an inspiring person. Mr. Coes, I know for a fact, and you can write a mathematical proof to prove me wrong on this, but I know, that we will miss you tremendously. Mr. Coes, we thank you.” A video of Dennis’ speech can be found on the Rocky Hill website.

Looking forward to 2016, celebrating classes ending in 1 and 6. Please save the date for Reunion on June 11, 2016. #ThenNowAlwaysRHS

Above: Class of 2010 - Tory Dumas, Skyler Lavalla, Shelby Ross, Daniel Harnett, Polina Oganesyan, Chelsey Frost, Sarah Taylor, Phillip Hackett, Moriah Maron, Jonathan Arthur, Xiaotian “Dennis” Wu. Left: Terry Coes. oPPosite PAge: (1) Head of School Peter Branch and former Headmaster Alan F. Flynn, Jr.; (2) Alumnae Lax; (3) Class of 2000 - Michael Colicci, Greg Bromberg, Alexandra Dubs ‘18, Josh Dubs; (4) Nicholas ‘03, Conrad, Barbara and Chris Cardano ‘07; (5) Class of 1975 - Donna Tocco Grenaway, Chuck Gadon and Ken Young; (6) Class of 2005 - Ryan Forman, Allison Friedman.

(7) Tree Planting Ceremony in memory of Richard Thorpe ‘78 - Jason Dittleman, Cathy Buchanan, Sam Dumas ‘79, Peter Verrechia ‘78, Trixie Dumas ‘81, Janet Thorpe ‘80, Nancy Thorpe, Gil Thorpe, Janina D’Abate ‘78, Karl Wadentsten ‘78, Sarah Siskin ‘78, Tyler Thorpe, Allison Thorpe, Quinta Thorpe-Furtado, Jeff Clark ‘79, Jen Young Schnell ‘79, Betsy Blanchard Rafferty ‘79, Sven Wadensten ‘13, Paul Tukey.

(8) Kati Coes Swanson ’02 and Kevin Swanson; (9) Coes Cubes; (10) Alumni Lax; (11) Class of 1985 - Ken Brodin, Rich Clark, Linda Wadensten, Lori Sinape, Jessica Seigel;

(12) Gerry Unger and Xiaotian “Dennis” Wu ’10; and

(13) Former and Current Faculty in attendance - Mary Wright, Emi Flynn, Paul Tukey, Roxanne Card, Maria Emmons, Patty Pontarelli, Liz Isdale, Pat McNally, Jason Piccirilli ‘92, Motia Holowinsky, Els Shine, Donna Tocco Grenaway, Alan Flynn, Peter Hanney, Peter Branch, Barbara Streuli, Belinda Snyman, John Hughes, Kathy Geiersbach, Ernest Drew, Ken Geiersbach, Richard Dixon, Barbara Cardano, Gary Monnier, Gerry Unger, Matt Gnolfo, Sam Dumas, Trixie Dumas, Sarah Taylor, Beth DeGerlia.

3. The Rocky Hill/Rogers/Tiverton hockey team qualified for the playoffs. Nat

Asadorian ’15 earned league honors for

’15 and Allison DeGerlia ’16 received earned league honors for girls soccer.

12.Field hockey players Kyla Teeters ’14, Brenna Miller ’15 and Heather Lind ’17 earned league honors.

13.Rocky Hill runners showed improvement. Brittany Colasanto ’15 earned league honors.

Homecoming 2015

BY PETER HANNEY P’23, ‘27, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

What an incredible day for Homecoming! More than 70 alumni and their families attended Homecoming and dozens played in the soccer and field hockey games. It was great to see so many alums, students, faculty, staff, and friends gather at the Head of School’s house afterwards for a reception on the deck.

Dr. James Tracy, the newly-named Head of School for 2016-17, stopped by during the Homecoming activities to meet his new community members. Head of School Peter Branch introduced Dr. Tracy, who expressed his admiration for the community feel on the campus and his anticipation for being a part of it.

Peter Branch also spoke of the need to replace the current fleet of aging sailboats. He was pleased to announce that the Jump On Board campaign was successful in raising the funds needed for seven new Zim Sailing 420 Collegiate sailboats.

On the fields, Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey team triumphed over the RHS Alumnae team, Girls’ Alumnae Soccer defeated the Varsity team, and Boys’ Varsity Soccer team were victorious over the Alumni. But it didn’t really matter which teams won because it brought people throughout the extended RHS community back to Rocky Hill to enjoy each other’s company on this magnificent campus.

Thank you to all our alumni and friends who came to celebrate Homecoming 2015! v

heAder: Clarice Jennings ’18 uses spray paint to make her mark on Avenue Concept’s community art wall at Homecoming 2015; (1) Dr. James Tracy addresses the community at Homecoming; (2) Left to right: Haochen “Robin” Wang ’16, Hideyoshi Kamiya ’16, Ziqaio Wang ’15, Hang “Bill” Qian ’15, Xiaoyang “George” Duan ’13, and Yuhui “Leila” Jiang ’13; (3) Sarah Knowles ’08, Mariah Asadorian ’10, and Jaylene Lanzot ’19 play during the Alumnae Field Hockey Game; (4) Will Janikies ’17 and Servi Barrientos ’10 at the Alumni Soccer game; and (5) The Faculty-Alumni-Student Band returned for another great performance. Pictured: Matt Gnolfo, Director of Diversity, and Teddy Haddow ’15.

Career Day 2016

The School and the Alumni Association, led by Career Day Chair, Sarah Taylor ’10, continued the tradition of bringing alumni “back to school” to offer the classes of 2016 and 2017 valuable insight into college experiences and career paths of alumni.

Students joined Monica Boss ’91 and Erin Reedy P’22, ’23, ’25 for the “Super Session” titled Combining Passion and Practicality for Career Success, which was about exploring one’s passion when looking for a job, trends in the job hunting world, how to navigate the employment process, and the importance of the HR function in leveraging talent.

Monica Iacono Boss ’91, P ’22, ’23, ’26, Trustee / Trinity College ’95, B.A. Art History, Minor in Legal Studies; Babson College F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business ’02, M.B.A General Management.

Erin Reedy P’22, ’23, ’25: Vice President, Executive Search at KOYA Leadership Partners / College of the Holy Cross ’92, B.A. Political Science and Government; University of Massachusetts, Amherst ’95, M.P.A.

Derrick E. Maloney ’87: Capital Project Manager, Roger Williams University / Northeastern University ’92, B.S. Art and Architecture History; Roger Williams University ’97 B.Architecture; Harvard School of Public Health ’10, Laboratory Design Certificate

Max J. Sackett ’04: Product Designer at Hasbro, Inc. / Wheaton College ’08, B.A. European History, Studio Art

Eleanor Sharpe ’09: Product Marketing Lead at Wellframe / Brown University ’13, B.S. Human Biology: Health and Disease

Samuel Alexander Skeen ’07: Producer Savannah College of Art and Design ’11, B.F.A. Film & Television

Kristin Urbach ’87: Executive Director at the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce / Sweet Briar College ’91, B.A. Political Economics

Thank you to our 2016 Career Day speakers! Next year the program will be expanded to allow more time for speakers and sessions. Alumni interested in participating in this tradition of sharing their career journey should contact the alumni office, alumni@rockyhill.org or call 401-884-9070 x132. v

Students were divided into small group sessions to hear from alumni listed below about careers including a short Q&A.

Tory G. Dumas ’10: Bridge Designer, CDR Maguire Inc. / University of Vermont ’14, B.S. Civil Engineering

Samuel T. Hardy ’06: Commercial Facilities Planner at Alex and Ani USA Ithaca College ’10, B.S. Integrated Marketing Communications

Melissa H. Tukey, M.D. ’98: Director of Bronchoscopy and Interventional Pulmonology at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital / Harvard College ’02; Harvard Medical School ’07; Boston University Medical Center ’13, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellow; Lahey Clinic ’14, Interventional Pulmonary Fellow

Above (Back row): Melissa H. Tukey, M.D. ’98, Kristin Urbach ’87, Eleanor Sharpe ’09, Erin Reedy P’22, ’23, ’25, and Monica Iacono Boss ’91, P’22, ’23, ’26. (Front row): Samuel Alexander Skeen ’07, Max J. Sackett ’04, Derrick E. Maloney ’87, and Tory G. Dumas ’10. (Inset): Samuel T. Hardy ’06. beLow (left to right): Ellie Sharpe ’09, Jonathan Liguori ’17, Georgio Pecoraro ’16, and Samuel A. Skeen ’07.

Stay Connected

BY SARAH SHAW SISKIN ‘78, ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

Dear Alumni and Rocky Hill family,

Last June 12th, the Alumni ranks swelled by 30! For many it was the most exciting day of the year, when hard work culminated in celebration with a mixture of joy, sadness, eagerness, anxiety, and gratitude by the graduates, their families, and friends. In an inspirational speech, our Commencement speaker, David Dooley, challenged our new Alumni to make a real difference in this world. Please join me in welcoming the Class of 2015! Commencement day gives the seniors a moment to pause and reflect on their time at Rocky Hill. Let’s reflect on the past year.

SAVE THE DATES

18th Annual Fall Classic & Dinner Auction

September 26, 2016

Homecoming & Alumni Games

October 15, 2016

Alumni Career Day

November 4, 2016

Alumni Basketball Games

January 7, 2017

Reunion 2017

June 10, 2017

It has been a year of partnerships. Coming together are groups of unique people with wonderful attributes who have worked productively with the common goal of honoring all that has been accomplished by those who came before them, by building on their work to move the School forward in positive and productive ways. Our partnerships have been progressive. Rocky Hill boasts the Land of Fires Nature Trail, an interactive 1.5-mile wooded and waterfront trail. Funded in part by the family of Lu Eldredge ’54 , and with the School’s vision on reopening an area long dormant and reimagining its inception by Prentice Stout , it now is quite a feature on campus. If you get a chance, please visit it. You will need nothing more than some time and your smartphone, as the path is labeled with QR codes to lead the way.

The Rocky Hill Alumni Association Scholarship has been instituted! This endowed scholarship fund is in its infancy but will one day aid

Alumni families in affording Rocky Hill School. At present, there are 22 alumni legacy children attending our school. The official launch and criteria for this scholarship will be in 2017, so please stay tuned. Donations are welcome at any time.

This year, Career Day was partnered with our new Business After Hours event on January 28. It was well attended, with more than 70 alumni, parents, and friends networking in the Flynn Academic Center. We are excited to hold this event again and we’re working to make it a regular feature. Thanks to all who made this happen!

We have added lacrosse and field hockey into our repertoire of activities for Reunion and Homecoming. If there’s anything else you want, don’t hesitate to ask! We are thankful to the plant operations department for helping to ensure these additions went off without a hitch. The Garden Classroom flourishes and it has had its identity truly come into focus now. There are beds of flowers and food being grown by our students, both at RHS and in summer camp. I almost want to build another garden just for flowers, as I can see that food is slowly overtaking this one! We are thrilled about this, as that was always the vision. The Alumni Association is so glad we were able to fund the installation of the brick pathways and we are still diligently buying and selling them to enable us to keep helping with projects such as this.

Our website, alumni.rockyhill.org is in need of technical support! If you can help, please reach out to the Alumni Office at alumni@ rockyhill.org. It’s a wonderful product and we are thrilled to have it, so take the time to claim your profile today: alumni.rockyhill.org

The campus is abuzz with all sorts of happenings. I find I really must read eCurrents every week so I can keep up. If you are not getting this publication in your inbox weekly, please call or email the Alumni Office and have your email added to the list. It’s quite amazing to see what is happening weekly at our school.

I leave you with one final thought: Your alma mater is the thriving institution you knew when you were here. Come back and visit and see all that has changed yet stayed the same. You are a part of the history and the future of Rocky Hill School, so please get involved and stay in touch with your classmates. Life is short, come to Reunion! #ThenNowAlwaysRHS

Know Thyself,

bACk row: Liz Isdale P’16, ’22, Trixie Dumas ’81, P’07, ’10, ’16, Mary Lynne Kennedy ’80, P’20, Brenda Burke ’88, Stephen Mendes ’87, Alexander Mackinger ’04, Nathan Maine ’92, Lauren M. Smith ’86, Remy Corvese ’08, and Dennis Wu ’10. front row: Janina D’Abate ’78, Sarah Shaw Siskin ’78, Head of School Peter Branch, Lauren Friedman Koblick ’02, Sarah Taylor ’10, Maria Charbonneau ’12, Nick Charbonneau ’13, Haley Greene ’15, and Beth DeGerlia P’16, ’19.

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD: WILLIAM JANIKIES ‘83, P’17

The Rocky Hill School Alumni are an important part of the School’s past and future. We are fortunate to have engaged Alumni who maintain their connection to their alma mater while also finding success in the greater community. The Rocky Hill School Alumni Association and the School are proud of the many accomplished alumni and at the 2015 commencement in June recognized a distinguished alumnus of the School, Bill Janikies ’83, with the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award.

BARKER COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: ANDE FROST P’17, ‘15, ‘10

The Richard S. Barker Sr. ’54 Community Service Award was established in 1998 and given by Headmaster James J. Young III ’70 in recognition of continuous support and significant service to the Rocky Hill School community. In 2013 the Award was named in honor of Richard S. Barker Sr. ’54 for his lifelong service to Rocky Hill School.

This award honors an individual who has accepted leadership responsibility in a variety of roles, has demonstrated loyalty to the School and a desire to perpetuate its commitment to excellence in all areas of education. It recognizes an individual whose life and accomplishments exemplify the School’s motto, “Know Thyself,” which the School seeks to foster in its students and identifies an individual whose contributions make our School a finer, better place.

Bill graduated as an honors student and an accomplished athlete. After graduation, he went on to Babson College to major in business and rose to the position of Chief Operating Officer at one of Rhode Island’s largest privately owned restaurant and hospitality companies, The Jan Companies. While Bill was establishing himself professionally, he never forgot the value of his experience here.

Bill has been a Rocky Hill School parent since 2001 and was member of the Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2015. He has also ensured the success of many golf tournaments and special events with his generosity and attention to detail at Quidnessett Country Club. Bill was thanked and presented with the Outstanding Alumni Award by Sarah Shaw Siskin ’78 on behalf of the Alumni Association and the School for his continued commitment to Rocky Hill noting a special respect for his many accomplishments, both professionally and personally. v

At Commencement 2015, the award was presented to Mrs. Ande Frost P’10, ‘15, ‘17 by Head of School Peter Branch.

Ande first joined the Rocky Hill School community in 1998 and quickly became an active member of the Parent Teacher League. Her commitment to the advancement of the School has continued during her tenure on the Rocky Hill School Board of Trustees where she has served as vice president and an advisor for many committees and events. Ande’s sincere dedication to education and leadership is apparent in all of her endeavors and she is truly an ambassador of Rocky Hill School. Ande’s generosity in sharing her time, talent, and treasure has truly been transformative and inspirational.

toP to bottom: Bill Janikies ’83 receives his Outstanding Alumni Award from Ed Santos, President of the Board of Trustees, during Commencement 2015, and Bill’s Rocky Hill School yearbook photo from 1983.

Shared Successes

BY PETER HANNEY P’23, ‘27, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

If you slowly unweave the threads of the fabric of a community, you’ll discover how many things are dependent on others. This is true for businesses, places of worship, non-profit organizations, and members within a group. Our school community is no different. Partnerships exist naturally or are formed between individuals and institutions on many levels. Some partnerships are formed in the classroom where students collaborate on assignments, across disciplines, and divisions. Athletic teams celebrate successes as a result of strong partnerships, as each athlete is dependent on his or her teammates. On the stage, actors and musicians depend on their fellow performers to create a beautiful ensemble. Other partnerships develop at higher levels, within the faculty and staff, parent groups, alumni, and friends of the School who give selflessly of their time, talents, and resources for the advancement of the institution and the experience of the students. Ultimately, individuals are at the core of each aforementioned partnership.

Some strategic partnerships have been created organically, while others were more deliberate and intentional. Nevertheless, each represents a symbiotic relationship, to the mutual benefit of both.

Save The Bay

Our partnership with Save The Bay has just surpassed the two decade mark. In 1996, an urgent message for volunteers to clean up beaches affected by the Moonstone Beach oil spill was answered by several Upper School students and faculty. They joined other volunteers on Jamestown beaches to identify wildlife impacted by the spill. Following the cleanup, Rocky Hill science teacher (and current Middle School Head) Michael Jedrey expanded the work that our students continue to do with Save The Bay. Aside from eelgrass planting and annual beach cleanups, Save The Bay educators join our Middle School students at the waterfront to study water quality and marine life in Narragansett Bay. Several seniors continue to intern with Save The Bay. As required by the Senior Internship program, students initiate a search for the right fit, develop a partnership with a sponsor, and conduct research into their chosen field, leading up to their fieldwork in May.

In early 2013, the School and Save The Bay partnered to dredge the marsh at Rocky Hill School to allow water to drain freely. The marsh had been degraded from the excessive amounts of standing water on the surface. Reducing a mosquito breeding ground was the short term goal while the long term goal was for the currently flooded areas to colonize with marsh vegetation. The physical work began about 18 months later when Save The Bay habitat restoration specialists returned to the marsh to dig creeks using hand shovels, while a state environmental official operated a low ground pressure excavator to widen and deepen the channels.

Thanks to the draining of

the marsh, the School’s Land of Fires

Nature Trail, cleared by student and parent volunteers in September 2014, is now fully accessible at low tide. Visitors to the trail are able to witness the health of the marsh improve over time as water is drained from it each time the tide recedes. We have witnessed a return of shorebirds and vegetation in the areas that have been freed of the standing water.

The benefits to students don’t end with the marsh dredging; they study the marsh as part of their environmental education and marine ecology curriculum. AP Environmental Science students use preliminary data, collected by Save The Bay, on where vegetation is found and what the density of the marsh was before dredging, then collect and collate data on their own. Year after year, students will be able to study real data recorded from the marsh that serves as their classroom and laboratory, and will determine if the dredging has succeeded in bringing that marsh back to its full potential.

Working alongside individuals committed to protecting the environment has profoundly impacted our students. There is a tangible connection to the message of Save The Bay, and, ultimately, a legacy for others to build upon.

Trinity Repertory Company

In December of 2012, Chair of the Performing Arts Department Meg Myette took a group of students to see A Christmas Carol at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence. Greatly impressed by Trinity Rep’s ability to manage hundreds of children, Meg inquired about having them direct main stage productions at Rocky Hill School.

A partnership proposal, brought to the School’s Board of Trustees and Head of School, was overwhelmingly approved.

Since 2013, the partnership has resulted in stellar productions while providing our students with access to Trinity Rep’s master classes and their prop warehouse. For their part, Trinity Rep’s education interns are afforded the opportunity to work on full length productions, rather than just individual pieces. Trinity’s work at Rocky Hill has sown the seeds for a love of theater, and all involved are able to invest in the process of creating a show.

Two of our Deckhands Theater Company members were chosen to be Trinity Rep High School Ambassadors for 2015-16. Olivia DePasquale ’18 and Griffin Rademacher ‘16, both aspiring thespians, attend numerous Trinity performances and talk-backs.

University of Rhode Island

A recent educational partnership involves institutions and parents. It started out as a National Science Foundation research grant to study invasive Phragmites, and has evolved into a cross-divisional educational experience. In the summer of 2014, then-senior Shane Woolley, interning at the URI’s Department of Natural Resources Science under Dr. Laura Meyerson P’16, ‘20, removed a section of Phragmites. Over the course of the next few months, Michael Jedrey’s eighth-grade science class measured the rate of Phragmites’ growth to see how fast it responded to disturbances. His class also toured Dr. Meyerson’s genome lab at URI.

This valuable partnership with URI provides Rocky Hill School with curriculum content and real time data sets for biology, ecology, and AP environmental science classes. Outdated or fabricated data used in science textbooks does not provide students with connection to data specifically relevant to their local environment. The URI/ RHS partnership provides students at both schools with a personal connection, real and relevant data, and the techniques of collecting that data using running transects and gridded quadrats. The faculty at RHS are provided with professional development through research experience and the use of student interns, while URI is provided with an active local research site.

National Institute of Technology, Beijing, China

One of the most promising initiatives draws on the School’s 20-year commitment to educating students from outside the United States. Following an agreement brokered in 2014, Rocky Hill has been providing educational consultation for the American program at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), a K-12, coed, 3,000-student school in Beijing, China.

Rocky Hill School’s record of academic success resulting from a rigorous college preparatory program founded on the principles of student-centered learning, integrated technologies, and core values prompted NIT to seek a partnership that allowed them to develop a curriculum consistent with our principles and standards. While this relationship is not presently designed to include the enrollment of NIT students at Rocky Hill, it has the potential to offer opportunities for semester exchange programs and class-to-class relationships, establishing the School as a leader in global education.

Dr. Meyerson also hypothesized that Phragmites may have prevented success in maintaining a population of Diamondback Terrapin turtles. Phragmites prevents turtles from moving further uphill and away from the water for nesting, while providing good cover for predators. In Barrington, Phragmites were removed and positive results of the Terrapin population were seen. Jenna O’del ’16 spent the last summer collecting data on the presence and location of Terrapin nests, and URI graduate students joined Upper School RHS students on Rocky Hill’s campus to map native vegetation and Terrapin nests.

Rocky Hill School proudly boasts a connected community, a network of thoughtful and authentic partners whose collaborations are leading the way in innovation and shared enterprise. v

CLoCkwise from Above: Ed Santos, President of the Board of Trustees, James Chen, CEO of NIT, and Peter Branch, Head of School, during Mr. Chen’s recent visit to the Rocky Hill School campus; The cast of Elephant’s Graveyard, a joint production of Deckhands Theater Company and Trinity Rep; Sixth-grade students study habitats in Potowomut Marsh with Save The Bay educators; and Cortlandt Meyerson ‘20 gathers Phragmites with URI graduate students along the Potowomut River.

Class News

1958

James Parker stopped by Rocky Hill with his grandson (soon to be in first grade) to show him where he attended first grade. Although Jim attended Rocky Hill for one year (19481949), he fondly remembers his teacher, Ms. Edson, and the Hansel and Gretel play they did. Jim ran for state senate in Vermont, and neighbors Hugh and Loreli Campbell were two of his supporters.

1959

Jeffrey P. Ellis worked on a fiber optic cable route last August out of Nome, AK, the same cable as a 2011 survey in the Aleutian Islands. Otherwise, it’s been a quiet year.

1967 Scribe: Lucy Tillman, alumni@rockyhill.org

1968 Scribe: Nancy Hoxsie Mead, Hoxsiemead@aol.com

1969 Scribe: Christine Hoxsie Morris, alumni@rockyhill.org

1970

Douglas J. Swann’s family welcomed a granddaughter on March 21, 2015, Avery Atoigue, and a grandson on October 10, 2015, Callum Chen. Douglas is busy splitting his time between California and Florida.

1970 Scribe needed: alumni@rockyhill.org

1971 - 45th Reunion Year

Luca Razza writes: “After going through school archives, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this as it is so cool to see these names and start to remember the faces and experiences. Rocky Hill was more like a big family rather than a school of children. To reunite with people from so many years ago has been a very special experience. I relish the opportunity to gather some more of the old memories that I can share together. Looking

forward to seeing you all in June for our 45th Reunion!” Photo: Leo St. Onge, Luca Razza and Paul Sacco.

1971 Scribe: Roger Ray, rray4@cox.net

1972

Lori (Silverstein) Dorsey and her husband David live in Cranston and stay busy with work, travel, and enjoying their three grandchildren, ages five, seven, and twelve.

1972 Scribe: Lori Silverstein Dorsey, oreocatri@cox.net

1973 Scribe: Catherine Tingley Fairbairn, alumni@rockyhill.org

1974

Joyce Hempstead writes: “I had the best Thanksgiving walk around Belleville Pond with friend and classmate John Wilson ‘74, his wife Cindy, and Hank, the dog. Our nest

1975

Fred Day moved to sunny Florida.

Charles Gadon enjoys time skiing with his extended family.

Ken Young stays engaged with Habitat For Humanity, enjoying the varied locales, the people, and the challenges it brings.

Ramsey Lofton is at University of New Mexico in the College of Fine Arts where she founded and developed the new Arts Management Program. She was unable to attend her 40th reunion since her brother, Buckley, passed away last June. Ramsey plans to reach out to Roy Bennett to see what amazing shows he is designing these days.

Marilyn Blackston writes: “I live outside of Baltimore. My daughter, Christina, is a graduate of Temple University. My son, David, is a freshman at West Virginia Wesleyan College and has been named the football team’s starting quarterback for the fall. After Rocky Hill, I went to Classical High School, then graduated from Brown in 1979 and from University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1983. I am the only African American woman to complete a surgical residency at the University of Maryland Medical System, and I am Board Certified in Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery). I am now a wellness coach and Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioner.”

is confirmed empty, with Bethany (29) in NYC and Peter (25) in California. In October we convened a family reunion in Cape May, NJ, to celebrate my mother’s (past RHS faculty Cindy Hempstead) 90th birthday. After replacing a painful hip in August she has been back at it, gardening and (yep) cutting wood. Photo: Joyce, Cindy Hempstead, and Joyce’s daughter, Bethany Morrow.

Jane Puhlma (Zarchen) writes: “After many years and many adventures, I am happily back in Rhode Island.”

John Wilson reports that he has four grandchildren and counting.

1974 Scribe: Joyce E. Hempstead, joyce.hempstead@roxburylatin.org

Roy Bennett continues to be a force in the music industry in lighting and set design. From the Oscars and the Grammys to world tours and Times Square on New Year’s Eve,

Roy works with industry icons like Paul McCartney, Lady GaGa, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Skrillex, Nine Inch Nails, Madonna, Kelly Clarkson, and music’s newest sensation,

The Weeknd. He enjoys supporting young artists coming into their own. Roy got his first big break working with Prince back in the 80s and recalls the opening night of Purple Rain as an unforgettable memory. Roy also sits on the advisory board of Magic Leap, a company pioneering change in digital light field technology. Check out Roy’s website at www.leroybennett.com.

1975 Scribe: Donna Tocco Greenaway, dgreenaway@cox.net

1976 - 40th Reunion Year

Scribe: Mary Jean Keebler Roche, mjmom02@aol.com

1977 Scribe: Susan Magee Rinebolt, suebru1212@juno.com

1978

Margie Greene Arnold’s son is now an infantry soldier in the U.S. Army, completing his first tour in Afghanistan. Her daughter just finished high school and is studying abroad in London and Costa Rica.

Quinta Thorpe Furtado shared news on Richard Thorpe’s children: “Tyler (29) lives in East Greenwich and is waiting to take her RN nursing boards. Courtney (25) graduated from Keene State with a degree in communications and is working for a film editing company in LA. Ryan Gosling stopped by a couple of weeks ago to check on a movie they were editing! Allison (23) currently lives in East Greenwich, just back from Ft. Lauderdale where she studied Makeup Artistry. She received certificates for work in Bridal/Evening/Glamor, Runway, and Theater/TV.”

Sarah Shaw Siskin and Peter are still in New Jersey where Peter bought a company, SafeCare Ambulance, this past year. Their youngest son, Adam, has been brought on board to run it, and the business is a success! Sarah continues working remotely for VIBCO, classmate Karl Wadensten’s manufacturing company based in southern RI. She loves being involved with Lean manufacturing. Working from home gives her the flexibility to care for her aging mother. Sarah’s son, Chris Magnant, lives in Florida where he is an NFA consultant and guru on Title 2 transfers. His wife is a paralegal and they are

expecting another baby this spring. Sarah’s recent loss of her sister Martha to cancer was an excruciating experience, but her family has worked hard to soldier on. “Life propels us ever forward, and as my tenure as your President comes to a close in June 2017, I am excited to see what comes next. I’ve loved being President of the Alumni Association and am always in awe of all that you have accomplished these past years. Hope to see you at Reunion!” Photo: Peter Verrecchia, Sarah Shaw Siskin, Karl Wadensten, and Janina D’Abate after the dedication of a tree in memory of Martha Shaw ‘80 and in honor of Sarah Shaw Siskin.

1978 Scribe: Sarah Shaw Siskin, forked427@comcast.net

1979

(Header photo - class of 1979): Jen YoungSchnell, Betsy Blanchard Rafferty, Jeff Clark, Sam Dumas, Sherri Branson and Andrea Borden Gillespie

Daniel J. Bentley writes: “I would love to design and participate in the development of a business class for students that includes Webex/Skype/Adobe seminars featuring former alumni sharing successes and important business concepts.”

Betsy Blanchard Rafferty : “My brother, Charlie Blanchard ‘84, sold Evans Plating Corporation, so after more than 28 years in the family business, I now have a new job as office manager at Roland & Whytock Co., Inc. in Providence. We manufacture jewelry findings and screw machine products. I still get together a few times a year with classmates Jeff Clark, Jen Young-Schnell, and Elisa Silverstein-Heath. We always have a wonderful time!”

Jennifer Young-Schnell continues to work in the Collateral Investigations Unit

at a local bank while her husband, Ray, is temporarily located in Tokyo working on a six-month project for International compliance for Metlife. Her daughter, Kat, a 2015 Northeastern graduate, is serving in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia where she teaches English to 70 junior and senior year high school students in Gimja Bett in the Amhara Region. Jennifer’s son, Philip, is in his fourth year at the University of Rhode Island where he is studying business and computer science.

Charlotte (Pillsbury) Wood : “2015 was an eventful year for the Wood family. We hosted a wonderful 10-day Pillsbury family reunion in June; our oldest son was inducted into the Naval Academy in July; our youngest son became a high school freshman in August; and we survived over 2,000 local miniearthquakes in October, as well as another drought year. We’re thankful and looking forward to the adventures to come.”

1979 Scribe: Charlotte Pillsbury Wood, charlottepwood@comcast.net

1980

Martha Anne Shaw passed away peacefully on February 26, 2015 after a courageous battle with cancer. Martha was a seasoned attorney and litigator, with experience as a courtroom and jury clerk, as in-house counsel for Chubb Insurance, and as a partner at the law firm of Howd & Ludorf, LLC. She was a past president of the Junior League of Hartford, a member of the Board of Directors of the YWCA, and held various positions in the West End Civic Association. One could often find Martha engaging in home projects such as planting flowers, painting, or making crafts. She enjoyed nothing more than decorating the house for Super Bowl parties or making corned beef for St. Patrick’s

Class News

Visit WWW.ALUMNI.ROCKYHILL.ORG

Day and handing out limericks for guests to read. A voracious reader and traveler, Martha enjoyed the company of her girlfriends. She is survived by her husband, David Monaco, of Hartford; her mother, Anne Burgan; her sister and brother-in law, Sarah Shaw Siskin ’78 and Peter Siskin, of Forked River, NJ; and her nephews, Adam Siskin, also of Forked River, and Chris Magnant of Florida. In addition, Martha is mourned by her stepmother, Susan Shaw of Bangkok, Thailand; a host of loving friends; and, of course, her beloved dog, Lucy. The memorial service on May 23, 2015 was well attended by family and friends including many RHS alumni.

Melissa Bennett Narcizo’s business, Lakuna Design, designed the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s epic publication, Treasures of the Whaling Museum: Touchstones to the Region’s Past. Funded in part by the New York Community Trust – Wattles Family Charitable Trust Fund, the book is available for purchase online and on-site.

of the class of 2016. (Photo: Erika Waldman Aldazabal and Els Shine.)

1981 Scribe: Lisa Batty Spicuzza, spicuzza2@cox.net

1982

Jackie Dedrick teaches first grade in Rhinebeck, NY. She and her husband also spend time in Narragansett, RI, and Longboat Key, FL. Their daughter, Marilyn (20), attends Trinity College.

Year and has participated in regional and national championships, including the USGA Amateur, Mid-Amateur, and State Team Championships. In 2002, he completed a championship sweep, winning all five RIGA major championships. In his fifth season as head golf coach at Bryant University, Charlie led his squad to a 2014 Northeast Conference title and Division I NCAA tournament appearance and has seen six golfers named all-conference selections with two NEC Rookie of the Year honorees.

1984 Scribe: Erin E. Clement, eec0715@cox.net

1985 Scribe: Elisabeth Brown, Zeph2Pixie@yahoo.com

1986 - 30th Reunion Year

1982 Scribe: Pamela Timperley Buckenmaier, alumni@rockyhill.org

1983 Scribe: Jo-Anne Coghlin Intrator, jcintrator@comcast.net

1984

1981 - 35th Reunion Year

35 years after their moms’ graduation, Erika Waldman Aldazabal and Trixie Webber Dumas’ daughters are graduating members

Ashley H. Cooper will be marrying Dominic Bianchi in July, who, like her, has two teenage daughters. The wedding will be in Washington, D.C. with Page ‘86 and Kevin Sciotto ‘86, and Alletta Cooper ‘00 in attendance. Ashley and her new family will be moving to a new house this spring in Washington, D.C.

Charlie Blanchard was inducted into the Rhode Island Golf Hall of Fame at Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln. He has a long list of titles to his name, including two-time winner of the Rhode Island Golf Association (RIGA) Amateur Championship, four-time winner of the Stroke Play, seven-time winner of the Mid-Amateur, five-time winner of the Burke Championship, and two-time winner of the Four-Ball Championship. He has been named the RIGA Player of the

Andra Katherine Cyronak, M.D. ’86, 45, of Providence died peacefully in her home on February 26, 2014. She was the beloved wife of Michael J. Wrobleski and devoted mother to Wanda Grace (11), Joseph Samuel (9), and Lucy Isabel (8). Andra was a treasured physician in the community for over 20 years, most recently with Medical Associates of Rhode Island. She loved to laugh and had a wonderful zest for life. Andra is also survived by her parents, Judith and Charles Cyronak, of Block Island and her grandmother, Grace Jackson, of Providence.

(Header photo on page 21 - class of 1986): Brian Clement and Thomas, Lauren Smith, Elizabeth Matteson, Al Pesce, Kristin Fain Dahl and Rob Kornacki

1986 Scribe: Lauren M. Smith, smith.lauren_m@yahoo.com

1987

Steven Mendes recently joined the team of Mott & Chace Sotheby’s, the only real estate services company in RI whose average sales transactions exceed $1 million.

Kristin Urbach is the Executive Director at the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce, a several hundred membership organization that supports and promotes businesses in North Kingstown, RI.

1980 Scribe: Mary Lynne Kennedy, MLKMDW@juno.com

Derrick Maloney is the Capital Project Manager at Roger Williams University where he oversees and directs the design and construction of building and master planning for the university. In his spare time, Derrick manages a youth lacrosse program and volunteers for food pantries.

Class of 1987: Stephen Mendes, Kristin Walberg Urbach and David Gannon

1988

Lori Denham and Lynn Denham McGinn at the 2015 reunion.

Danielle Leighton relocated to Cape Cod and lives less than a mile from her brother, Michael Leighton ‘88, and her father, former faculty member Barry Leighton. Danielle is back to primary care, which she enjoys.

Management, a values-based investment firm that manages $2 billion in mutual funds. Colin is thrilled at the opportunity to help Eventide grow the business. The flexible schedule allows him to spend more time with his kids, Teagan (8), Charlotte (6), and Harper (3), and his wife, Jessica, who has been growing her design photography business.

Carolyn Broccoli Wren continues to work on the Pain, Palliative and Integrated Care team at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. She also enjoys teaching ecology classes to weekend groups at W. Alton Jones. Carolyn lives in East Greenwich with her husband, Chris, and two children, Molly (12) and Liam (10).

1991 Scribe: Liana J. Magner, liana.magner@mercer.com

Monica Iacono Boss, recently named a Trustee of the Board at RHS, is currently on a professional sabbatical, which allows her to spend more time with her three daughters, Charlotte ‘22, Sydney ‘23, and Morgan ‘26. Monica often sees Cal Broccoli Wren through RI Youth Lacrosse coaching. “Sadly, I don’t run into Kalene Hafey Phinney at work any more, but hoping to see her (and her four beautiful children) soon. A highlight for the year was running into Jay Johnston at Brickley’s Ice Cream with his adorable young children. I still get together with Liana Magner on a regular basis, and she is doing terrific in Boston. Hoping many 1991 class members return for our milestone 25th Reunion this June!”

Colin Delaney is now working as director of portfolio operations for Eventide Asset

1992

Jason Kelly bought a house in South Grafton, MA, at the end of September.

1992 Scribe: Crystal Siebel Hoyt, alumni@rockyhill.org

1993

Anemone Mars and her husband, Darren, are extremely proud to share this photo of their third son, Nodin River Etsitty, who is just over one year old. His oldest brother Atsa Mars ‘15, graduated from RHS last year and his older brother, Skylar, is now in the K-2 program.

1988 Scribe: Spurgeon W. Thompson III, spurgeonthompson@hotmail.com

1989 Scribes: Rhaea N. Photopoulos, rhaea31@ yahoo.com; Mia Ann Caetano Johnson, mcaetanojohnson@verizon.net

1990 Scribe needed: alumni@rockyhill.org

1991 - 25th Reunion Year

Daniel Carney, his wife, Mara, and children, Hugh (17) and Hope (12), moved to Arizona four years ago where he works year-round on his golf game, which “needs work.”

1993 Scribe: Lisa Dorson Borge, lrborge@gmail.com

1987 Scribe: Sally Kenyon Grant, RobandSally@comcast.net

Class News

1994

Mary Kochones, her husband Steve, and daughters Isabelle and Chloe bought a new home in July 2015. Mary still works at Prometheus Entertainment, a Los Angelesbased production company.

1995

Ian Prior announced the arrival of Caroline Walker Prior, born July 20, 2015 at 12:59 a.m., 7 lbs, 7 oz. Both mommy and baby are healthy and happy!

1995 Scribe: Rebecca M. Krasnof, drbecky@gmail.com

1996 - 20th Reunion Year

Peter Carney lives in Warwick with his wife, Jen, and their clan of four: Mackenzie (9), Garrett (8), Rowan (6) and Jackson (4). Although busy with youth hockey, gymnastics, basketball, lacrosse, and golf, Peter still finds a little time for some golf and tennis of his own. Peter is Regional VP

of Sales for Caliber Home Loans, a national mortgage lender. Photo: Rob Kornacki ‘86, “Tuke” Paul Tukey, and Peter at a Providence Bruins game.

1996 Scribe: Erica Harrington Perkoski, ericaharrington@msn.com

1997 Scribe: Marianne C. SanAntonio, msanantonio@mail.une.edu

1998

On September 30, 2015, Providence Journal food editor Gail Ciampa reviewed Christopher Dolos’ Greek pizza restaurant, Pizza Heaven: “Not thin like New York style, nor thick as Sicilian pizza, Greek pizza is somewhere in the middle. It’s familiar, comforting, and always available... Pizza Heaven owner Chris Dolos (a middle school science teacher by day) is creating some pizzas that excel by offering different toppings. The secret here is the crust, made with King Arthur flour; and the cheeses, cheddar and mozzarella, are freshly grated. If you are in the area please check out Pizza Heaven, 2554 South County Trail, East Greenwich. pizzaheavenri.com.”

Jane Messier : “This May I graduated with a Ph.D. in communication disorders from Florida State University. My line of research is language and literacy development in children with hearing loss. For my dissertation, I created a vocabulary intervention using electronic storybooks for children with cochlear implants. This study has been presented in national and international conferences and will be published in a journal within my field. In September, I will be starting my second year as an assistant professor at Edinboro University. Fun times!”

Melissa H. Tukey, M.D. is the Director of Bronchoscopy and Interventional Pulmonology at Rhode Island Hospital and Miriam Hospital. She runs the lung cancer screening program at Lifespan and divides her time between seeing patients, doing procedures, and teaching younger doctors.

1998 Scribe: Katherine Hoagland Scott, khscott@hotmail.com

1999

Jon Messier (brother of Jane ‘98) is the co-owner/creator of Lucid Brewing Company. Their award-winning beer can be found on tap in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota. This month, Lucid Brewing bought American Skye Brewing Co. in Wisconsin. In addition, they bought a portion of a company called Black Eye Coffee and will be brewing and distributing their cold, extra caffeinated coffee from Lucid Brewery. Jon lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Cory, and two rascals, Miles (6) and Lucas (4).

1999 Scribe: Megan Andreozzi Fox, mcandreozzi@gmail.com

2000

Abigail Maiorano welcomed Emilia Lexi on November 30, 2015.

David Geddis lives in Maine with his wife and two boys, and works for Central Maine Power Company. He is also a firefighter for his town and enjoys being involved with youth sports and coaching his kids’ teams.

Joshua Dubs welcomed Matthew Robert Dubs on March 12, 2015.

2000 Scribe: Stephanie Soscia, ssoscia@gmail.com

1994 Scribe: Tracey Brown Banach, tracey_eb@hotmail.com

2001- 15th Reunion Year

Kolbe Christopher Bowler was born November 16, 2015, 6lbs 14 oz., to Keeley Wray Bowler and Chris Bowler.

Caroline Carney : “2015 was a year filled with happy news. Jon and I welcomed our second daughter, Juliette, into the world. She and her older sister, Vienna (3), are already best friends. I continue to work at Good Measures, a Boston-based nutrition tech start up, as Director of Program Development.”

2003

Alexis Wyrofsky shares that she and classmate Ben Kahn are getting married. Their wedding will be in August in New Canaan, CT. Ben works as Director of Sales for Moleskine North America and Alexis works as a Corporate Banker for Credit Agricole CIB.

2002

Lauren R. Marsh Bush and her husband, John, welcomed their first child, John William Bush, into the world on January 9, 2016.

Kamlyn Keith : “In May, I graduated from Roger Williams University with a Master’s in Public Administration, while working full time at the Rhode Island Department of Education. My most recent endeavor has been as project coordinator for the 2020 Vision for Education: Rhode Island’s Strategic Plan for PK-12 & Adult Public Education, which was written by a 26-member community team and adopted by the Board of Education in October 2015 (www.ride. ri.gov/Strategic-Plan).”

Alisha Newton recently finished her first year at CVS headquarters, managing their store brands. “All the CVS-branded health care items will have an updated look on shelf; some items have already switched over

and look great. I will be managing a similar project for the beauty department. I got engaged last May and am looking forward to September when I will marry Frederick M. Schopp on Cape Cod!”

2003 Scribe: Nicholas F. Pereira, NickFP@gmail.com

2004

Samuel Tyree writes, “I am working as the front office manager for a private membership club in Manhattan, the DownTown Association, helping to run the newly constructed overnight accommodations. I have now been engaged for almost two years and am set to marry Laura Strand on June 4, 2016. We live on the Upper East Side with our dog, McGee.”

REUNION 2016 • SATURDAY, JUNE 11 • Celebrating years ending in 1 and 6

2001 Scribe: Bridget Sullivan, BSullivanRD@gmail.com

2002 Scribe: Kristin McLimans Mitchell, kmitchell1226@gmail.com

Laura Mauran : “We were excited to meet Madison Grace Mauran, who was born on November 22, 2015 at 3:13 p.m.”

Matthew Sarnoff is a maker, tinkerer, and veteran of Apple and Evernote. His work has earned an Apple Design Award and two Maker Faire Editor’s Choice Awards. He’s also a world-ranked competitive pinball player.

Class News

Ashley Evron Machala and Eric Machala ‘00 welcomed baby Bradley Matthew Machala, born November 27, 2015 at 12:41 a.m., 6 pounds 9 ounces. “Thankful for all the blessings and our baby boy!”

product development. This includes initial ideation for product, concept models, consulting with licensors, cost engineering, presenting products and ideas to internal company management, creation of art and decorations for product, designing new parts, instructions, evaluating engineering samples. It is a fast-paced environment but a fun and exciting place to work.”

2004 Scribes: Kristin Kacewicz Clarke, kskacewicz@gmail.com; Kathryn A. Donnelly, kathryndonn@gmail.com

2005

Allison Friedman : “I got engaged to Ian Horowitz during our holiday trip to Disney. I am working as the advertising operations manager for an ad agency in Boca Raton called Cendyn/One, and Ian is a tax attorney for a firm in Fort Lauderdale. We are planning our 2017 South Florida wedding.”

in Ghana to now playing in Yankee Stadium for New York FC. You can view Austin’s work at www.austinahlborg.com Photo: Camping by Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon.

2006 Scribe: Laura Verardo-Goodrich, Laura.verardogoodrich@gmail.com

2007

Shalaine Fradette Zamfotis and her husband, Gregory, are thrilled to announce the birth of their son, Haiden Zamfotis. He was born at Mt. Sinai Hospital on July 22, 2015 and weighed 6 lbs., 9 oz.

2005 Scribe: Kate Corvese, kate.corvese@gmail.com

2006 - 10th Reunion Year

Owen Perkins : ”I will be going to Tahiti to surf Teahupoo as I said I would under “what I would be doing in ten years” in my 2006 senior yearbook. Then flying to New Zealand to explore the South Island.”

Samuel Alexander Skeen works in New York City as a Digital Content, Documentary, and Feature Film Producer. His digital series for WIRED Magazine, What’s Inside, won the 2014 Producer’s Guild of America award, and his documentary, Casualties of the Gridiron, was a nominee at the 35th Annual Sports Emmy Awards. His other clients include Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, W Magazine, Glamour, and NPR. Samuel is currently developing his first feature film.

Max Sackett is a product designer at Hasbro on the Kreo line of construction toys. “I have worked on lines such as Transformers, GI Joe, Battleship, Dungeons and Dragons, Star Trek, and Cityville in every aspect of

Austin Ahlborg works as a cinematographer in LA shooting commercials, documentaries, and music videos. Recently he’s developed his own niche of combining documentary style filming with commercials to shape the vision of a brand around a real story. This has led to him shooting projects for Jeep in Paris, Bud Light in Cancun, DJI in Peru and a documentary on World Cup Soccer in Brazil. Austin works in other roles around the camera department as an IATSE Local 600 Cinematographer’s guild member so that he can continue to learn from his peers. He recently worked on Taylor Swift’s music video “Style” as the 1st AC. Austin’s latest project was a mini documentary for Major League Soccer that involved two pro soccer players returning to their roots in Ghana, Africa. They documented Kwadwu Poku, who came from nothing playing barefoot on dirt fields

Jesse Davis-Allison is the newest member of the Portsmouth High School family as the boys’ varsity lacrosse head coach. He couldn’t be happier about the position.

2007 Scribes: Patricia L. Capuano, pcapuano@gmail.com; Courtney Lada, courtney.e.lada@gmail.com

2008

Sarah Knowles : “At the end of my second year as the coach for the girls’ varsity lacrosse team for Falmouth Academy, I was named

REUNION

Cape and Islands Girls’ Lacrosse Coach of the Year. The Falmouth Academy girls team finished 14-0 during the regular season.”

Photo: Sarah, Jane Knowles ‘81 and Hannah Knowles ‘08.

(Header photo-class of 2008): Remy Corvese, David Curtis, Brendan Schultz, Jacqueline Weixel, Ted Broderick and Allison Rooney

2008 Scribes: Hannah C. Knowles, hannahcknowles@gmail.com; Sarah L. Knowles, sarahlknowles@gmail.com; Allison E. Rooney, allisonerooney@gmail.com

2009

Rachel DePasquale is starting a nonprofit in Coventry called Ground Works, which will offer opportunities for integrated and adaptive equine activities, sustainable agriculture/farming, and environmental education. She is looking forward to sharing more news and information with the RHS community as the program develops further.

Walmen Dumaliang was chosen by his professor of furniture design to represent Wentworth at the National Industrial Design Conference in April 2015.

Ellie Sharpe is a product marketing lead at Wellframe, a healthcare tech startup that delivers a platform for nurses to keep in touch with patients in between visits. Ellie focuses on understanding the end users, the needs of client stakeholders, and overall market trends to inform product direction and message.

2009 Scribe: Ellie Sharpe, eleanor_sharpe@alumni.brown.edu

2010

Breanna Lynch spent last year teaching English in Bolbec, France. She is currently finishing up a Master’s in teaching at Smith College while student teaching French at Northampton High School. Breanna will be looking for a full-time job teaching French.

Adam Simas and wife, Amie, welcomed to the world Stone Foster Raul Simas, born June 4, 2015 at 12:02 a.m., 7lbs., 13.6 oz., and 19.5” long.

Celebrating

Medelise Reifsteck is finishing her first of three years teaching English in Thailand.

Chelsey Frost : “I am nearing the end of a five-month road trip around Australia and New Zealand. I paid for the trip by working for locals in exchange for housing and food. Bungee jumped on the South Island of NZ, surfed Byron Bay and surrounding beaches, snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, explored the rainforests up north, and spent many nights sleeping in the back of my car, eating canned beans for dinner! I’ll then be moving to Alaska for six months to work

third-grade classroom at the International Charter School in Providence. She will graduate from Brown University this May.

Ben Malin writes: “After graduating from GW in May, I spent some time in Rhode Island before returning to live in Washington, D.C. full-time. I work as a senior management analyst at Duty First Consulting, a consulting firm in Vienna, VA.”

2011 Scribe: Stephanie Mattioli, smattioli@my.uri.edu

2012

Cooper Robinson is now a senior at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, majoring in business and minoring in computer science. Last summer, Cooper interned at Brit Insurance at Lloyd’s of London and at Pfizer in Memphis. He is currently interning at Raymond James, an investment bank. Cooper is readying himself as captain for the 2016 Rhodes lacrosse team.

for a charter fishing company. I’m learning the value of hard work and what it means to veer from the 9-to-5 work path. It’s very stressful at times, but also affords me the most rewarding experiences I could have ever imagined.”

Tory Dumas is a bridge designer with CDR Maguire Inc., a leading architectural, engineering, planning, and construction management firm with locations throughout the Northeast and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tory and Sarah Taylor live in Providence; Sarah works at RHS as Admissions Assistant and was elected secretary of the RHS Alumni Association this past June.

2010 Scribe: Sarah Taylor, staylor7@conncoll.edu

2011 - 5th Reunion Year

Hayley Greene currently attends Brown University’s Master of Arts in Teaching program in elementary education. In May of 2015, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island with a double major in elementary education and English and was awarded the University Excellence Award for her work. As part of her Master’s program, Hayley is student teaching in a

Simon Winokoor is moving to New York City this spring to start a career in finance with Barclays Investment Bank.

Maria Charbonneau : “I am in my fourth year at URI in the College of Pharmacy. Here’s to my RHS classmates who are graduating from college this year—so proud of you all! These past four years have flown, or as Mr. Gnolfo says, “Tempus fugit!” It feels like just yesterday I was back in the halls at The Hill. I think of you all often and I hope all is

years ending in 1 and 6

Class News

well. This photo was taken with my brother Nick Charbonneau ‘13 on my 22nd birthday. He showed me around Boston, his new stomping ground now that he’s a junior at Boston College, to celebrate.”

Dane Ardente is doing a communications internships with Falcone Design in Wakefield and will graduate from URI this May. He plans to head to law school after that.

Jordan Karnes will graduate in May with a Bachelor’s in communications/sports journalism and English. He was accepted into the Master’s of communication program at Suffolk University in Boston for fall 2016, where he will concentrate on public relations and advertising.

2012 Scribe: Shannon M. O’Rourke, shannonn28@verizon.net

2013

Assitan Coulibaly has been working on providing Buddhism and meditation literature to inmates across the country as an intern with the Prison Mindfulness Institute.

Courtney Harrington : “Last semester Eddie Tarbox and I ended up in the same class at Stonehill College that included a trip to Italy. We visited Rome and a small town north of Rome called Selci, where we created a fresco for a week in an old stable!”

2013 Scribe: Courtney Harrington, Cmharrington94@gmail.com

2014

Kayla Di Degna writes: “I’m loving Assumption College, and I declared my major in chemistry with a minor in biology. I joined a food recovery club where we donate leftover food from school events to local shelters. It was great seeing everyone at homecoming weekend!”

2014 Scribe: Kayla Disegna, disegnak@merrimack.edu

2015

Amanda Siegel : “The Class of 2015 has had a great first semester at college. From studying abroad in Greece like JC ArmoniesAssalone did to staying local like Kate Nota, we’ve done it all. Shane Woolley returned to his trombone-playing roots, joined Tufts’ Wind Ensemble, and traveled on a band trip to Texas to perform... The most epic reunion was that of the Gnolfo advisory. We had a great time catching up with the current students and faculty. I also had a great time at the Alumni/ae basketball games seeing classmates, older alums, and current students. Overall, we’ve had a great time since graduation, and I can’t wait to see what everyone accomplishes next semester!”

Jessilyn Ring was cast in the Growing Stage Production at Rhode Island College, Harold and Maude, this past December.

2015 Scribe: Amanda Siegel, amanda_siegel@brown.edu

Former Faculty News

Nick Barker : “Welcome, William Gregory Barker, born May 15, 2015 and tipping the scales at 5 lbs., 14oz. We are all happy and healthy and Lizzie is loving her new role as a big sister!”

Former Faculty members Ken and Kathy Geiersbach caught up with Jared Zimmer ’89 and Liz Stone ’92 at the reunion celebration in 2015.

Sven Wadensten is working at Vibco with his father while in school at Northeastern. Sven enjoys working with his grandfather prototyping and designing new products. He will travel to Tasmania this summer for a dialogue of civilization, studying hydroelectric power for the city.

Donna Goldstein recently relocated to Bonita Springs, FL. Although she misses her Rhode Island family and friends, she is enjoying the Florida lifestyle. Donna cannot leave teaching, as she volunteers with children at Bonita Springs Elementary School.

Mary Wright is directing plays as the Artistic Director of the Jamestown Community Theatre. “I will be co-directing a small play in April, and I have a role in this one. It is called, I Never Saw Another Butterfly performed in one act. This play by Celeste Raspanti chronicles the years 1942-1945 when over 15,000 Jewish children passed through Terezin, a former military garrison set up as a ghetto. In addition, I am continuing to do some Go-Fourth (For One United Respect Throughout Humanity) activities. As you may recall, this program started with a fourth grade class I taught while at RHS.”

In Memoriam

Harlan A. Bartlett (12/25/2015)

Husband of Lydia (Codman) Protzmann ’55, and father of Hope E. Bartlett Hoffman ’86 and former faculty member Ruth Clegg

Meredith Browning (11/17/2015)

Mother of Owen Bishop ’01 and Carisa Bishop ’04

Mary Cardillo (3/20/2015)

Great-grandmother of Francesca ’23 and Hugh ’27 McCaughey

Ivan Matveyevich Chesnokov (5/17/15)

Grandfather of Polina Oganesyan ’10

Loring Coes, III (6/13/2015)

Faculty Member 1974-2015, father of Katherine Swanson (Kevin) and Jennifer Coes ’96

Peter Cooper (1/18/2016)

Grandfather of Katherine M. Hodge ’15 and father of former PTL President, Susan Hodge Withers

Andra Katherine Cyronak, M.D. ’86 (2/26/2014)

Helen Elizabeth “Betty” (Clegg) Delaney (6/20/2015)

Grandmother of Nathan Scott ’97 and Fredrick Kolling ’05

Carol Denham (5/15/2015)

Mother of Lynn Denham McGinn ’88 and Lori Denham-Howard ’88

Susan L. Dunley (12/1/2015)

Sister of B. Dawn Dunley Roch ’83 and her husband, Raymond ’83, aunt of Charlotte Roch ’18

Norman Elman (3/14/2015)

Father of Michelle J. Elman ’96

Jacqueline Feinstein (2/1/2015)

Mother of Shoshana Feinstein ’69 and Janice Beth (Feinstein) Buros ’79, grandmother of Rachael Khara Studley (Iannuccilli) ’98

Shirley L. Friedman (8/21/2015)

Grandmother of Lauren Friedman Koblick ’02 and Allison Friedman ’05

Wini (Bacher) Galkin (6/2/2015)

Grandmother of Naomi M Kenner ’98, Lisa J Litner ’99, and Ryan Kenner ’00

Ruth Girasole (12/6/2015)

Grandmother of Tracy Lynne Miner (Girasole) ’89

Dorothy “Dot” Gannon (9/19/2015)

Mother of of Margaret Jones ’84 and David Gannon ’87

John L. “Jack” Gannon, ’84 (5/10/2015)

Father of Margaret Jones ’84 and David Gannon ’87

Mark David Broman Goldstein ’04 (2/18/2015)

Son of former faculty member Donna Goldstein and brother of Robert Goldstein ’09

Jay S. Goodman, (1/20/2016)

Husband of former faculty member Gail Berson

Joseph E. Gruetzke, Jr. (3/15/2015)

Father of Mary E. Gruetzke O’Connell ’90

Kenneth C. Howard (1/19/2015)

Grandfather of Alexander Nicholas Sulyma ’24

Elizabeth “Candy” Isdale (7/3/15)

Grandmother of Douglas ’16 and George Cochran ’22, mother of Director of Alumni Relations and Development Office Manager Elizabeth “Liz” Isdale

Alexandra Jackewych (Chaikowsky) (2/19/15)

Mother of former faculty member Motria Holowinsky

Faith D. Leighton (8/13/2014)

Former Faculty

Patricia McGowan (1/12/2016)

Grandmother of Jordan ’07 and Joshua ’10 Farrales

W. Lincoln Mossop, Jr. (5/14/2015)

Father of W. Lincoln Mossop III ’80 and former trustee Ellen Mossop Saville, and grandfather of Wilson G. Saville III ’07 and Georgia S.B. Saville ’18

James S. Neary (10/19/15)

Father of Bridget Neary Lawton ’93

Marsha Provost (10/31/2015)

Grandmother of Koral ’21, Orabel ’24, Orrin ’29 and Tyde Piccoli ’21

Davie Lee Raphael (Reep) (12/3/2014)

Grandmother of Malcolm ’16 and Cortlandt ’20 Meyerson

Eugene “Gene” Fancis Richard (5/16/2015)

Grandfather of Brenna E. Miller ’15

Martha Anne Shaw ’80 (2/26/2015)

Sister of Sarah Shaw Siskin ’78

Bamby L. Soscia (11/9/2015)

Father of Trustee Stephen G. Soscia; grandfather of Jillian ’10, Julia ’12, and Jacqueline ’15 Soscia

John T. Walsh, Jr. (5/17/2015)

Former trustee, honor board, husband of former trustee and honor board member Pat Walsh, father of John T. Walsh, III ’96, Kathleen Walsh Dwyer ’98, and Elizabeth Walsh Frissora ’00

Class of 2015

Congratulations to the Class of 2015

Giovanni Armonies-Assalone

Julia Asadorian

Capri Catanzaro

Brittany Colasanto

Julien Croy

Noel DellaGrotta

Lisa DeMoranville

Brady Dill

Elizabeth Farber

Emma Fitzelle-Jones

Read Frost

Theodore Haddow

Julia Hirsch

Jacob Lane

Raymond Mancini

ROCKY HILL SCHOOL Alumni Association

Brenna Miller

Kathryn Nota

Stephanie Petrone

Samantha Pipher

Rebecca Porras

Adam Proulx

Hang Qian

Jessilyn Ring

German Rodriguez

Violet Rosenberg

Amanda Siegel

Ziqiao Wang

Shane Woolley

Mengying Xie

Atsa Zah

A free online portal exclusively for alumni

www.alumni.rockyhill.org

With hundreds of graduates across the United States and worldwide, the Alumni Association is cultivating stronger bonds with and among alumni, laying the foundation for fundraising in support of critical programs such as scholarships and the endowment. This online portal affords alumni an interactive, customized experience, including opportunities to connect with each other, view school and class events, and make online donations. It also serves as a single point of entry for alumni to self-maintain their profile and contact information.

In Her Own Words

Under a beautiful blue sky, Rocky Hill School held its Commencement Exercises on Friday, June 12 for the 30 graduating members of the Class of 2015. Dr. David M. Dooley, President of the University of Rhode Island, addressed the Class of 2015 as Commencement Speaker.

Brady Dill, a National Merit Scholar Finalist, addressed his classmates as valedictorian. Brady was accepted as a Tyng Scholar at Williams College in Massachusetts, where he began his undergraduate studies this past fall. Class president Shane Woolley presented the Senior Class Gift of a community bulletin board in Flynn Academic Center.

Visual Arts

1. Amy Liu ‘18, “Cat”

2. Hideyoshi Kamiya ‘16, “Candelabra”

3. Dihao Feng ‘16, “Bucolic Life”

4. RHS Art Wall, Fall 2015

5. Ruihan Xia ‘16, “River Child”

6. Megan Caruso ‘17, “Pieces of Hayden”

7. Mengyu Guo ‘16, “Radio Flyer”

8. Daniel Samudio ‘16, “Crackin’ the Facade”

9. Meiye Song ‘18, “Oh My Gourd”

10. Sabrina Dumas ‘16, “Andy Warhol in the Art Room”

11. Yiyun Qiu ‘16, “Morning Mist”

PTL: Leading by Example

BY NICI LANOWY P’16, ‘17, ‘21, PARENT TEACHER LEAGUE PRESIDENT

Since September, the Parent Teacher League has been working diligently to foster community and increase support for the faculty and staff at Rocky Hill School. Our dedicated team of representatives has worked hard to share information about important events and activities happening at the School, and to encourage families and friends to attend.

We are happy to report that we have had tremendous participation so far this year. All of our PTL meetings have been well attended, as have the Behind the Scenes series and our major fundraising events. The Fall Classic Golf and Tennis Tournament and Dinner Auction was particularly successful this year due mainly to the incredible number of sponsors, auction donors, players, dinner guests, committee members, and volunteers who generously gave in support of this event. Homecoming was also a great success, as were many other events including GrandFriends’ Day, Business After Hours, Senior Seminar, and World Cultures Week. None of these events would be possible without your kind support.

As the PTL president, I want to thank all of you who have taken time out of your busy schedules to attend a school concert, play, sports game, art show, coffee morning, parent night, ceremony, or presentation. If you have donated any food items, classroom supplies, or gifts to the School, then I want to double my thanks. If you have volunteered your time to help organize an event in any capacity, I thank you most sincerely.

The PTL relies heavily on volunteerism to get things done. So, as we continue on through 2016, I strongly encourage you to give more of your time and energy to Rocky Hill School. It can be an incredibly rewarding experience and one that can have a huge impact on the future of Rocky Hill School and your children. When we lead by example and show our children that giving back is important, we certainly inspire them to be thoughtful citizens and future leaders.

Milestones and Farewells

Every June the faculty and staff join together to celebrate the year and each other. Faculty and staff who celebrate five-year milestones are acknowledged. In addition, we recognize those faculty and staff members who have retired or decided to move on to new adventures. In 2015 we honored the following people.

MILESTONES

2010-2015 (5 YEARS)

Krista Haskell (Director of Counseling and Wellness)

Kathy Priest (ACE, ESL)

2005-2015 (10 YEARS)

Mark Buckley (Business Manager)

Jack McNamara (Band Director)

2000-2015 (15 YEARS)

Maria Emmons (Student Accounts and Enrollment Manager)

Meg Myette (Performing Arts Director)

1985-2015 (30 YEARS)

Trixie Dumas ‘81 (Lower School Art and Middle School Mathematics Teacher)

FOND FAREWELLS

Tom Adams Director of Technology (2011-2015)

Barbara Cardano

Upper School Mathematics Teacher (1999-2015)

Chrissy Cerenzia Director of College Counseling (2013-2015)

Kaitlyn Dulac

Development Assistant (2012-2015)

Beau Guidry Technology Support Specialist (2014-2015)

Lorena Henderson Upper School Spanish Teacher (2008-2015)

Walter Horowitz Technology Specialist (1999-2015)

Julie Van Deusen

Middle and Upper School Mathematics Teacher (2012-2015)

Building Bridges

BY BETH DEGERLIA P’16, ‘19, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

The best partnerships foster meaningful connections that are mutually beneficial to those involved. Rocky Hill School is fortunate to have a strong sense of community among its students, faculty, parents, and alumni. We are intentionally small which affords a level of intimacy and connectivity that is difficult to capture in a larger setting. Big kids know little kids, faculty build strong relationships with students and parents, students forge lifelong friendships, and those invaluable connections extend for years beyond graduations out to our alumni.

A large part of alumni relations and development work is about keeping those connections with one another and the School strong. We also work to make connections with the broader community through service projects, academic partnerships, fundraising events, and grants. All of these efforts provide opportunities to make the School a dynamic and robust environment for learning. Annual events like Homecoming, Winter Solstice, and Alumni Reunion bring us together to celebrate our community. Schools need traditions like these that create memories and strengthen bonds. But, increasingly, we need to be innovative and creative in developing partnerships that draw upon our strengths to spark mutual growth and build bridges to opportunities.

Alumni Career Day

In recent years, the School has brought back Alumni Career Day. The day offers juniors and seniors an opportunity to connect with alumni in regard to their career paths and professions. It presents real opportunities for students to gain practical career advice and to network with potential mentors and internships sponsors, and for alumni to reflect on how Rocky Hill School prepared them for their own journeys. When you look to the future and reflect on the past, you gain insight and understanding about yourself and your relationships. One of my favorite Career Day stories is that of Stuart Flanagan ’05. Stu came back to talk about his work in renewable energy and that reconnection ultimately led to him helping the School secure a grant to install solar panels on the Flynn Academic Center that his company, Newport Renewables, installed. I’d call that a great partnership!

Behind the Scenes: Student Pathways

In partnership with the Parent Teacher League, we are in year three of Behind the Scenes, a lecture series for parents to learn more about Rocky Hill School’s curriculum, teaching model, and the School in general. The program has covered many distinctive programs, but the

February lecture had our students giving the advice. Student Pathways featured seven Upper School students sharing with parents and 8th graders the programs and projects they have experienced that have led them to publish a novel, intern with a senator, work with young children, mentor future leaders, become a sage on the stage, create films, and excel in technology and math. By sharing their journeys they hoped to inspire others to find their passion, too.

Business After Hours

This new event was hosted in January and was first envisioned by the Alumni Board and spearheaded by Mia Caetano Johnson ’91. A committee of parents and alumni worked together with the alumni office to plan this first amazing networking evening that drew over 70 people together to mix and mingle over business. The goal of starting a meaningful business-to-business network was realized and everyone walked away with business cards and new connections. We look to expand the network and build a resource for current business leaders, young alumni starting their careers, and current students looking for mentors and internships. Our next Business After Hours is planned for July 20, 2016.

Mindfulness and Project-Based Learning –Community Lectures

As an educational institution, learning is not limited to our students. The School has made considerable efforts to bring important professional development and parent education programs to the forefront. RHed Talks is the newly titled educational series the School is hosting. A school-wide adoption of mindfulness has taken place this year after piloting the program in the Lower School in 2014-15. Rocky Hill School parent and founder of ResilientKids Vanessa Weiner is an expert in the field and has been pivotal in training our faculty and community. Mindfulness employs techniques of meditation and yoga to mitigate the increasing stress and anxiety in our youth, and build more compassionate, empathetic, and resilient communities. She presented a Rhed Talk in March. Former parent Meg Stowe offered a two-part lecture series focused on Building Resilience and Self-Esteem Through PassionBased Learning. Rocky Hill School’s motto, “Know Thyself,” is based on helping students discover their passions, strengths, and weaknesses. Project-based and passion-based learning is woven throughout the curriculum and Meg and her colleague Heidi Kasevich shared their expertise as thought leaders in this area.

Senior Projects and 8th Grade Expositions

Alumni and parents have long been an invaluable resource for students immersed in their capstone projects of the 8th Grade Expo or the Senior Internship. Students have connected with celebrities like Soledad O’Brien or Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, world-renowned doctors, influential business leaders, astronauts, politicians, and so many more incredible people and places as a result of these projects. Whether it is a 100-hour internship or a first real interview of a stranger, these opportunities have been made possible time and again thanks to our close and connected community.

Senior Seminar

Another great example of partnering at its best is Senior Seminar, a multi-week collaborative project where students are introduced to a college seminar and lecture format. This year, the class worked in small groups to conceive, research, and present a comprehensive marketing plan for the School to a panel of educators and marketing consultants. The students were fortunate to have Head of Lower School Patty Pontarelli’s husband Jim as their project mentor. Jim is the president of RDW Group, an integrated communications firm in Providence with over 70 professionals working in all aspects of marketing. Jim met weekly with the seniors and brought colleagues to the School to share their expertise. The final projects provided valuable insight and ideas to the admission and communications offices.

Community Service Partnerships

We know that learning is meaningful when it is combined with real world experiences. The community service program is geared toward building empathy in students and empowering them to impact the world in a positive way.

Service Learning has been brought to a new level in the Lower School this year and students are working together to give back and gain a deeper understanding of their project purpose and goal. One current project involves making care packages for children at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. The Interact Community Service Club for grades 7-12 has partnered with New England Institute of Technology and EnablingTheFuture.org to fund and assemble 25 3D printed prosthetic hands for child amputees impacted by war and other disasters.

These many examples of partnerships between Rocky Hill School and its amazing community are just the tip of the iceberg. You have read about our ongoing collaborations with Trinity Rep, Save

The Bay, and University of Rhode Island. Other partnerships have developed with the RI Interscholastic League, Rotary, GiftsToGive, and Communities for People, to name a few. These connections offer our students opportunities that extend far beyond the classroom and build bridges to future relationships and possible careers, all while offering something back in return.

So, when you receive that event invitation, see Rocky Hill School come up on caller ID, or get an email from the School, I urge you to free up your schedule, answer the call, or click on that email and see what opportunities might be waiting. You are sure to gain just as much as you give. v

Campaign Promises

A presidential election year is filled with campaign promises that often feel like rhetoric aimed at winning your vote. In the development world, it is critical that you keep your campaign promises and set goals based on the needs of your constituents. We take this responsibility quite seriously and in recent years have embarked on many campaigns for the betterment of the School. The Annual Report of Giving provides a summary of our efforts and documents the impact giving and volunteering has had on the community. Please take a moment to read and review the 2014-15 Annual Report of Giving online at www.rockyhill.org/donate.

Besides celebrating the year behind us, we must continue to charge ahead to realize the goals set forth in 2015-16. This year, we created a Bucket List to illustrate the critical programs and objectives we need to fund. Donors are selecting the “Bucket” that they are most passionate about and gifts have increased by an average of 14%. An additional fund we are hoping to complete is the Terry Coes Innovative Teaching Endowment. This $25,000 endowed fund will support innovative teaching projects and we have raised $21,600 to date. If you have not made a gift yet this year, or are inspired to do more, please visit www.rockyhill.org/ donate or call 401-884-9070 ext. 129.

2015-16 Bucket List: Financial Aid and Scholarships: $230,000 | Athletics: $80,000 | Arts: $49,000 | Technology: $20,000 | Outdoor Education and Waterfront: $50,000 | Faculty: $159,000 | Student Program Support: $42,000