RPS Today - Summer 2019

RPS Today The Magazine of Rutgers Preparatory School

Summer 2019

Table of Contents From the Headmaster

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The Arthur Gottlieb Memorial Award

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Photos and Awards Honoring the Class of 2019

Matthew Pagano ’05 Joins an Esteemed Crowd

News Round Up

Catch up on the News Stories from the Eventful 2018/19 School Year

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Athletics Round Up

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Class of 2019 Matriculation Choices

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Lower and Middle School Closing Ceremonies

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Success at Every Stage of Life

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Varsity Sports Highlights from Our 2018/19 Argonauts

From California to Dublin, Our Most Recent Graduates are Ready to Take the World by Storm

A Focus on the Here and Now

Mindfulness Studies Across Rutgers Prep Campus Promote Calm and Focus in the School Community

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Russell A. Divak ’85 Friendship Prize Inspires Campus Sculpture

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Adil Ahmed ’05, Still Searching for Ways to Serve

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Prepared to Serve

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Operation Smile Success

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Beyond Waksman

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Alumni Gatherings

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Class Notes

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In Memory Of

RPS Alumni in the Armed Forces

Are Leaders Born or Made?

Advanced Research Students Engage in Metagenomics and Cloning: Next Generation Students Take on Next Generation Sequencing

Photos of the 2018-19 Alumni Events

Honoring the Members of Our Community who Have Passed Since Our Most Recent Publication Cover: Lower School students code the movements of robots “Dash” and “Dot.” 1

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RPS Today

is published annually by the Rutgers Prep Department of Advancement for the enjoyment of the School community, with special thanks to our valued contributors: Eireann Corrigan ’95 Upper School Assistant Principal and English Teacher Carole Zboray Middle School Science Chair and Teacher Tim Cohen Archivist and Upper School History Teacher Karen De Nise Assistant to the Headmaster

“We love to celebrate success at Rutgers Prep, and our students, alumni and faculty give us ample opportunity to do so.�

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Success at Every Stage of Life

From the Headmaster the names of the most recent winners of our Convocation Awards and the list of colleges and universities where the Class of 2019 will next succeed. All are the culmination of four years of sustained effort and perseverance.

In December of 2018, just before our winter break, a new playground was installed near the Early Childhood Learning Center. In the weeks prior, the anticipation of our youngest scholars was nearly unbearable as they watched the seemingly snail-paced progress of their new jungle gym as it was constructed.

Finally, they were jubilantly set free to explore the structure. A set of monkey bars became an instant hit, and every day students can be seen waiting patiently in line for their next turn to travel the span. From my office, I can see the high fives and grins when a student makes it across the bars.

In March, a Junior Kindergarten student (Soren ’32) came into Elm Farm after school with a big smile, and a proud story to tell.

She had traveled the whole way across the monkey bars on the new playground, and all her friends had cheered. After many months of attempts, for the first time she hadn’t dropped to the ground after the 4th, or 6th, or 9th bar. She had traveled the full distance, to the last bar, and safely touched her feet to the ladder on the far side. While her achievement was seemingly minor, her classmates’ celebration and Soren’s sense of accomplishment were in perfect proportion to her months long effort - which was indeed, major.

We love to celebrate success at Rutgers Prep, and our students, alumni and faculty give us ample opportunity to do so. We celebrate regardless of whether the successes are large or small, short lived or long lasting, impactful or confined. Because really, the celebration has little to do with the accomplishment - it is the effort that we recognize.

We see extraordinary effort in our community in obvious, and not so obvious places. You will read examples in these pages that are varied and exceptional, from four current students tirelessly exploring soil in the lab in a post-AP level Biology course to Alumni whose drive and sense of purpose took them to U.S. Service Academies after graduation. You will read

Playground structure generously funded by the Abbey K. Starr Trust

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Lower and Middle School Closing Ceremonies “Our new members of the SIXTH GRADE Class: continue making us proud, because we believe YOU CAN MOVE THE WORLD.” Kathie Rusyn Lower School Principal

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“We are a diverse group of individuals that come together to form a family. A family that laughs together, makes mistakes together and most of all celebrates together.�

Bob Marotto Middle School Principal

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253 years of INSPIRING OUTCOMES

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“Rutgers Prep has given us endless opportunities to explore our passions and interests.”

Pansy Wan ’19 Senior Gift Presenter

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Rutgers Preparatory School’s 2019 Commencement

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“Every student is a microcosm of the RPS community, an amalgamation of hobbies, classes, and opinions. bound together by a singular dedication to one another. There are no cliques, no designated groups, only family.”

Senior Class Speaker, Nima Majidi ’19

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2019 Commencement Awards The Class of 1970 Award

for an outstanding faculty member, as chosen by the senior class Joseph Laureti

The Donald J. and Peg McGinn Award for excellence in teaching, as chosen by the faculty Mike Lamb and Stephen Mitchell

The Theodore Strong Memorial Prize for the senior with the highest scholarship throughout the Upper School years Angela Liu

The Goldblatt Award

for unselfish dedication to the senior class Pranav Wadhwa

The Headmaster’s Prize

for valuable contributions to the life of the School Brynn Bean, Mason Llewellyn, Jason Liu

The 1942 School Prize

for the senior who best exemplifies the ideals of the School Amir Tamaddon

The Juliana M. Ratych 1977 Memorial Alumni Award for outstanding school spirit Pranav Wadhwa

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The Arthur Gottlieb Memorial Award The Arthur Gottlieb Memorial Award was established

by Melvin and Linda Hamelsky, members of the Class of 1959 and former Trustees of the School, as a tribute to Mr. Gottlieb, whose unselfish devotion to Rutgers Preparatory School and its students set a high standard for those to follow.

The Gottlieb Award is presented at Commencement by the Board of Trustees to honor members of the school community whose outstanding commitment and exceptional volunteer service to Rutgers Preparatory School merits our admiration and gratitude. Nominations for this award are welcome from the entire RPS Community. Current employees of RPS and current Board Members are not eligible to be nominated.

Previous winners 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1985 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012 2016 2017 2019

2009 Arthur Gottlieb Memorial Award winner, past parent, Wendy Foley 10

H. Richard Segoine J. Harold Levy Gloria Aitken Max Krafchik Eleanor Paulus Jane Jasionowski Laurel Stahl Anthony Scialabba Constance Rutter Terrill Brenner Elaine Kinglsey Harold Oertell William Lamparter Edward “Ted” Lingenheld John Schmitt, Jr. Paul J. Hirsch, M.D. Florence & Stanley Kaufelt Harvey Silverman John Stella Paul Jochnau Peggy Ann & Victor Tuma Beth P. Beckmann G. Peter O’Neill, Jr. Henry Barry Nicholas Santowasso Mary Ann De Santis Peter Lampen Richard Moskowitz Gwen Weitz Dr. & Mrs. Robert Holliday RoseAnn Howarth Nancyanne Miklos Charles Brown Charles Collard Ann Renaud Wendy Foley Joseph Taylor Joseph Danile Mary Ann De Santis Paul Jochnau Stanley Kaufelt Karen Emmet Janice Toma Matthew Pagano

Matt Pagano ’05 Joins an Esteemed Community of Arthur Gottlieb Memorial Award Recipients The Arthur Gottlieb Memorial Award is especially remarkable, as it is not an annual award given to the best candidate at the time, but rather an honor that is only bestowed when a member of the community is undeniably worthy of our collective gratitude. This year, Matt Pagano from the Rutgers Prep Class of 2005 was recognized as such a person.

Matt seems to naturally understand the importance of giving back, and demonstrates this knowledge by sharing his time, intellect, and financial resources with the School. Matt also understands that to be a part of a community, one must first be present. He has always been willing to prioritize Rutgers Prep events on his calendar and embodies the definition of an active alum.

The honor of presenting Matt with this award at Commencement went to Kate Andersen-Sheft, Member of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Education Committee, and parent to three Rutgers Prep Alumni. Kate relayed the following story during her eloquent remarks: “He is a Prep hero without a cape, who once jumped into that New York City phone booth and took a call from our Advancement staff.

They were bound for a NYC Prep Alumni Panel & Networking Event but stuck in a Jersey train station - thanks to a weather forecaster’s error. Imagine that! With a ready “yes” and a mere couple hours’ notice he helped set up the event and then greeted all. The story does not end there. Our hero returned to the phone booth for a second call and within an hour found himself moderating the entire discussion.

Like the pro that he is, it went off seamlessly to rave reviews.

And we still have his phone number.

We are thrilled that this Rutgers Prep graduate is not done doing all he was sent here to do - and we are forever grateful he is not gone from Prep.”

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News Round Up

Full articles can be found at www.rutgersprep.org

Rutgers Prep Hosts Lower School STEAM Night for Students and Parents On Wednesday, March 6th, the Rutgers Prep Lower School hosted a STEAM Night for students and parents, offering a wide variety of activities centered around the five pillars of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).

The Dining Commons buzzed with activity, as participants engaged with the exercises presented at each station. One location required the challenger to program a robot (Sphero or Dash) to navigate a maze as quickly as possible. Another table tasked visitors with creating a tessellation picture (an arrangement of shapes that fit closely together in a repeated pattern without gaps or overlapping) using the templates available.

Participants also made binary bracelets with their initials using different colored beads representing binary code. They designed marble runs using paper plates, straws, and tape; crafted slime using glue, liquid starch, water, and food coloring; and even solved math puzzles by building towers out of SumBlox.

The event provided a great balance between technology-focused learning, and tactile, hands-on engagement with the material. It also happened to be a great deal of fun for everyone involved.

Architecture II Students Showcase Work in Gallery Critiques Students in Architecture II held gallery critiques on November 6th and 7th, inviting faculty and parents to learn about their work and provide valuable feedback.

The students had been tasked with generating two conceptual designs to improve Baldwin Hall, a space used by all divisions at Rutgers Prep, and particularly by the Lower and Middle Schools.

With a focus on versatility, seating, student comfort, work spaces, and aesthetics, their assignment was to create a bubble and block diagram, a fit plan, and produce three sketches for each idea. “Having a gallery critique allows the students the ability to explain their design multiple times. This helps them truly think about and understand their own work. It also helps bring out the problem areas that may need more attention,� said Derrick Laurion, who teaches Architecture I, II, III, IV, V, and Computer Design courses at Rutgers Prep.

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Stop and Smell the

…Tulips

For decades, Lower School students have looked forward to fall and their iconic “Planting Day.” This year, on October 4th, promptly at 9:00 a.m., teachers and lower school students from JK to grade 5 could be seen leaving their classrooms carrying spades, hand rakes and bags of bulbs. The Kindergarten class was buzzing with excitement as their teachers helped them place their bulbs in a hole.

They already knew to plant them “pointy-side up,” and to carefully cover them with soil. When asked why they were planting bulbs, one young girl succinctly answered with a smile, “So we can make this place beautiful so the butterflies will come!”

Learning, like life itself, should be experiential. Physically participating in an activity stimulates multiple neural pathways that enable information to be more readily available in the future.

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News Round Up

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Lessons in Travel: RPS Middle School Goes International Inspiration for new classes comes in many forms.

The catalyst for the Middle School’s new Spring International Travelers course occurred in the Spring of 2018 in Italy, as our intrepid group of Middle School students stood mesmerized before a vast collection of Byzantine art and the chaperones were asked, “Who’s the man-baby?” (in reference to the omnipresent Christ child!).

The chaperones realized that “common” information and situations that adults take for granted may be unknown or unfamiliar to our students, and their experiences abroad would be greatly enhanced were they educated ahead of time about the culture and sites they would be visiting, as well as how to be a better traveler.

This year, as we prepared for our spring trip to Costa Rica, participants were assigned a city that they would be visiting (San Jose, Sarapiqui, Arenal, Monteverde, and Coastal Puntarenas)

and were charged with researching information about its sites, weather, activities, and clothing requirements. In addition, the course offered a mock-airplane flight that introduced the students to the Customs and Immigration paperwork they would have to complete without the aid of the parents or chaperones (“What’s a surname?” … “What does tipo de passport mean?”…“Does anyone have a black pen?!”).

Other activities the students participated in included efficiently packing a suitcase, using TripAdvisor to learn about their hotels, and visiting a local Costa Rican restaurant to experience Tico food before the trip occurred.

The course was deemed a success, and will be offered again as our next Spring Trip travelers prepare for London 2020!

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Rutgers Prep Hosts NJ State Attorney General and Other Community Leaders for “Stand Up for the Other Day” on January 16 “While interacting with members of my own faith, or ethnic, or gender community, or with others, if I hear hateful comments from anyone about members of any other community, I pledge to stand up for the other and speak up to challenge bigotry in any form.” ~The Stand Up for the Other pledge On January 16, Rutgers Preparatory School hosted Gurbir Grewal, New Jersey’s State Attorney General, as well as other distinguished guests as part of an all-community event focused around the “Stand Up for the Other” pledge. A group of Rutgers Prep faculty members dedicated to harnessing the strengths that reside in the Rutgers Prep community’s diversity worked to design the event, providing the entire Rutgers Prep community with an opportunity to deepen their commitment to challenging bigotry wherever and whenever they encounter it. Throughout the morning, students and faculty heard from speakers and engaged in reflection; the event culminated with a communitywide recitation of the pledge, as well as a ceremonial signing of a banner inscribed with the pledge, which was developed in 2015 by New Jersey Interfaith Advisory Council President Ali Chaudry.

In addition to the New Jersey State Attorney General, students heard from Harinder Singh, founder and Senior Research Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute, Rabbi Eli Garfinkel of Temple Beth El in Somerset, NJ, Alex Kharazi, President of the Franklin Township Interfaith Council, and Rutgers Prep’s own Reverend Ann Kansfield (Class of ’94) of Greenpoint Church, Brooklyn, NY and NYC Fire Department Chaplain (the first member of the LGBTQIA community appointed to this position).

Reverend Kansfield remarked on how much had changed since her time as a student at Rutgers Prep, and closed her remarks by saying, “My hope for you is that you embrace the idea of being uncomfortable, so that you, too, can do big, brave things.”

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News Round Up

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Upper School Students Design Board Game Centered on Cybersecurity for United Nations After a year and a half of development, a board game developed by 22 Upper School students at Rutgers Prep and funded by a competitive grant from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was featured at the Games for Change (G4C) Festival at the United Nations on June 18-19. The G4C Festival offers expertly curated panels, talks, workshops and demos that all revolve around the central issues of the games for good community. The game was designed to teach players about cybercrime and how it can be countered.

The team of students began designing the game, called “Cyberstrike,” in April of 2018 as a result of being awarded a grant from the UNODC. Rutgers Prep was one of two grants awarded in the U.S., and the only secondary school of all those who applied and won.

Students spent several weeks studying cybersecurity issues and learning from experts in the field. They then applied their knowledge to the game’s design, working in small groups and appraising each other’s ideas. They wrote the rules and created cards, playing pieces, and a mapboard. Part of the funding from the UN allowed for the RPS Cyberstrike game to be professionally printed and packaged by a game development company.

Once the rules and components were ready, Mythili Lahiri, project advisor and Associate Director of the Innovation Center at Rutgers Prep, took Cyberstrike to the Westhill Institute in Mexico City, an international school headed by John Miller ’86, Rutgers Prep alumnus and former Middle School Principal. Back home, the student designers revised the rules based on the Westhill students’ feedback, and then sent the finished game to the UNODC. On June 18-19, it was featured at the Marketplace of the Games for Change Festival in New York City - which drew more than 1100 attendees – including developers, educators, government officials, and non-profits – to New York’s longest-running video game festival.

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IM C 2

hallenge

For the past several years, Rutgers Prep has fielded teams of four students each to compete with over 1300 other teams in the annual High School Mathematical contest in Modeling, or HiMCM. This contest represents an opportunity for talented and intellectually adventurous math students to try their hand at real-world problems which often seem insurmountable at first glance. Teams that do exceptionally well in this round continue on to the IM2C (the International Mathematical Modeling Competition). The organizers of both competitions state, “Real problems require a mix of different kinds of mathematics for their analysis and solution. And real problems take time and teamwork.

The IM2C provides students with a deeper experience both of how mathematics can explain our world and what working with mathematics looks like.” In order to tackle each year’s problem, students work in small groups of up to four students over a period of several days of intense concentration and collaboration. This year’s problem had an existential cast to it; students were asked to use mathematics to determine “the Earth’s carrying capacity for human life.”

Of the 278 teams from the United States who advanced to the IM2C, only two would be tapped to continue on to compete at the final, elite international level, and earlier this year we received the news that Rutgers Prep had fielded one of the two winning teams in the United States Region!

Our winning team’s conclusion during the international competition, coming after about ten pages of model and assumption descriptions as well as a ton of complex calculations, was that the Earth’s carrying capacity is approximately 11.6 billion people, while the world’s population is currently somewhere around seven and a half billion. So while our planetary resources are declining, we do still have some time to innovate and problem-solve. Contests like the IM2C, which help encourage students to find their “next level” as learners, can help make our situation seem a little less dire.

Congratulations again to the Rutgers Prep IM2C team on their extraordinary success!

Rutgers Prep Singers Perform at Carnegie Hall How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Well, you might want to ask the members of Rutgers Prep’s Madrigal Singers and Women’s Vocal Chamber Ensemble, who performed there on February 16, 2019.

They joined singers from several other ensembles in a performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ monumental cantata Dona Nobis Pacem, as well as two shorter pieces by American composer Mack Wilberg. In all, the concert involved some 185 singers accompanied by a 36-piece orchestra.

It is part of Sechrist Travel’s “Gotham SINGS!” choral festival, an annual event that showcases outstanding musicians from across the country.

The singers themselves were thrilled to have the opportunity to perform such an important work in such a famous place. “The piece is intense,” says 9th grader Roshele Jean-Baptiste, a member of the Women’s Vocal Chamber Ensemble. “It’s a caution that war shouldn’t happen. It’s different from a lot of what we sing, and to sing it at Carnegie Hall – that’s something you don’t do every day!”

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Athletics Round Up

Varsity Team Highlights

Fall Sports

Cross Country The Boys Cross Country team won the Skyland Mountain Division for the second year in a row and finished with a record of 10-1. The Girls Cross Country team won the Skyland Mountain Division for the second year in a row with a 7-2 record.

1st Team Mountain Division (Boys) - Andre Scheflen and Ro Atre. 1st Team Mountain Division (Girls) Bethany Park, Sarah Deasy, Ava Margolis, Chris Dalce Bethany Park came in second at the NJSIAA NonPublic B Group Meet with a time of 19:52, earning her a place on the All Non-Public Second Team.

Bethany will attend Liberty University in the fall to continue her running career.

Boys Soccer The Rutgers Prep Boys Soccer team (12-11) defeated St. Rose 2-1 to win the NJSIAA South, Non-Public B championship – the first sectional title in school history.

1st Team All Conference: Jack Sandstedt, Matt Foxworth; 2nd Team All Conference: Demetri Zambas

Girls Soccer After defeating Moorestown Friends School 3-2, RPS Girls Soccer advanced to the NJSIAA South, Non-Public B Semifinal, eventually falling to St. Rose in a close 1-0 game. The soccer team finished with a 13-4-1 record.

2nd Team All-State (Non-Public): Macey Mento, Taylor Williams 1st Team All-Conference Mountain Division: Macey Mento, Isabelle Pellecchia, Taylor Williams. 2nd Team: Molly Lynch Girls Tennis The Girls Tennis team finished the season with a 13-4 record. Girls Tennis were Skyland Conference Mountain Division Co-Champions.

Freshman Simrun Vig was selected to 1st team All Conference at 1st Singles. Uma Balasubramanian and Shrishti Ramkumar also were selected as 1st Team All Conference at 2nd Doubles.

Girls Volleyball RPS Volleyball made it to the semifinals of the Somerset County Tournament. The Volleyball team finished with a 17-9 record.

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Girls Basketball The Rutgers Prep Girls Basketball team (22-6) made it to the semifinals of both the Somerset County and NJSIAA South, Non-Public B Tournaments this season. They won the Skyland Conference Raritan Division with a 9-0 record.

Olivia Mullins and Molly Lynch took 1st Team All Conference honors while Divya Seenivasan and Isabella Pellecchia made 2nd Team.

Wrestling Charlie Phillips (1st Team All Conference) advanced to the NJSIAA Regional Tournament, and earned his place in the top five list of all-time wins with 83 total over his four-year career.

David Sanin and Kyle O’Hara took home 2nd Team All Conference honors.

Additionally, after 16 seasons on the mat for Rutgers Prep, Kurt Epps stepped down from his position as assistant coach. We will miss his dedication and charisma.

Danielle Bernstein and Divya Seenivasan were named to the 1st and 2nd Teams, respectively, in the All Skyland Conference Raritan Division.

Winter Sports Boys Basketball The Boys Basketball team finished the season with an 18-9 record. They advanced to the NJSIAA NonPublic B South Semifinal after an 84-56 win over Mater Dei. Jonah Charles, who scored his 1000th point last season, will be playing at UPenn in 2019 – and rising Junior Trey Patterson was named to the USA Today All-USA NJ Boys Basketball Second Team.

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Athletics Round Up

CONTINUED Swimming James Meek, Elias Jallo, Jeremy Martino and Devin Sullivan shattered the Rutgers Prep School Medley Relay record, in January, with a time of 1:45.03 (the previous record was 1:48.21). Later (during the same meet!) a second RPS relay record was set. The new 200 Free Relay team: Elias Jallo, Devin Sullivan, Jeremy Martino and Jason He swam 1:35.24 (the previous record was 1:35.88).

Boys and Girls 2nd Team All Conference: Eloise Meek, Ben Tomfohrde, Jeremy Martino, Elias Jallo

Spring Sports Boys Tennis RPS Boys Tennis had a landmark season with their 17-2 record and 5th consecutive Skyland Conference Title. They advanced to the Non-Public B Sectional Final and earned second place in the Prep B Tournament.

Alex Jules won the 1st Singles Title and Kiran Lahiri and Neel Patel were runners up at 2nd Doubles at the tournament.

Kurosh Keyvan (2nd Singles), Zach Osman and Saayom Ghosh (1st Doubles) and Neel Patel and Kiran Lahiri (2nd Doubles) were selected as 1st Team All Conference.

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Softball The RPS softball team (18-7) made it to the NJSIAA South, Non-Public B semifinal round, where the 4th seed Argonauts fell to the #1 seed St. Joseph (Hammonton).

Gianna DeLorenzo made 1st Team Skyland Conference Mountain Division while Nicole Kutner and Allegiance Battista took home 2nd Team honors.

Baseball The Baseball team (18-9) defeated Princeton Day School 6-2 to capture their 4th NJISAA Prep B Championship since 2011. They also won the Skyland Conference Mountain Division.

Kyle Johns earned his 100th career hit.

Ben Cuccolo, Kyle Johns, Ryan Montalvo and Jack Sandstedt made 1st Team All-NJISAA. Ben Cuccolo, Kyle Johns, Jack Sandstedt and Ryan Withum made 1st Team All Skyland Conference.

Golf The RPS Golf team finished with five wins in 2019, and was able to win both matches against Delaware Valley, which was a program first.

Sophomore, Matt Ma, was named to the 1st Team of the Skyland Conference Mountain Division, and he posted the lowest score for the team in every match in which he played.

Boys Lacrosse The RPS Boys Lacrosse team (12-9) netted its first NJISAA Prep B Championship since 2013 this year. The Argonauts made it to the Non-Public B Final, but succumbed to Morristown-Beard in the championship game.

Danny Varga, who will play at Drexel University next year and Charlie Phillips who will play at Union next year, made All Non-Public First Team.

Girls Lacrosse Brynn Bean lead the team in goals scored which earned her 2nd Team All-Conference honors as well as Honorable Mention on the All Prep B team.

After 39 years, Carole Zboray will step down as the Head Coach. We will miss her leadership and passion for the game.

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Class of 2019 Matriculation Choices Arizona State University Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Boston College Boston University (2) Brandeis University Brown University Bryn Mawr College Carnegie Mellon University (2) Colgate University College of Charleston Cornell University Drew University Drexel University (2) Emory University (3) Flagler College Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology

Indiana University at Bloomington Lehigh University Liberty University Lynn University Manhattan College MCPHS - Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Michigan State University Muhlenberg College Nazareth College New York University (5) Northeastern University (2) Ohio University Otis College of Art and Design Pennsylvania State University (2) Pratt Institute Purdue University (2)

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Rowan University Rutgers University-New Brunswick (6) Sacred Heart University (2) Seton Hall University St. John’s University Stanford University Syracuse University (2) Temple University Texas Christian University The Catholic University of America The College of New Jersey The George Washington University The University of Arizona Tufts University (2) Tulane University (2) Union College (New York) University College Dublin

University of California, Berkeley University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego University of Colorado at Boulder University of Houston University of Maryland, College Park University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania (3) University of Pittsburgh University of Rochester University of the Sciences in Philadelphia University of Virginia University of Wisconsin, Madison Wagner College Washington College Washington University in St. Louis West Chester University of Pennsylvania Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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As part of the kindergarten daily routine, breathing exercises focus our students and prepare them for the day 24

A Focus on the Here and Now

Mindfulness studies across Rutgers Prep campus promote calm and focus in the school community Written By Carole Zboray

Mindfulness is the act of focusing on being in the present, as so many of our students’ thoughts are focused on what was done previously (“I can’t believe I gave the wrong answer in class!”) or on the future (“I don’t know how I’m going to do on my oral presentation next period!”). Studies have shown that our thoughts are focused more on the past and future, and thus we spend less time appreciating the present. Ask yourself this question; have you ever driven home from Prep, and realized that you’ve arrived, without really paying attention to the ride and your surroundings? Or perhaps take some time today to stop and be aware of what you are thinking about at any given time; more likely than not, it wasn’t about what was happening around you.

Mindful activities may involve clenching isolated muscles and then releasing them, being aware of the heat that activity produces in the area. It can be feeling your breaths as you slowly breathe in, noticing where in your body you can feel it (do you feel it in your nose, your abdomen, perhaps your pharynx?).

Activities may involve visualizing a ship on a calm ocean or sending well wishes to those you know or don’t know. It may be developing the ability to focus on breathing and counting breaths, despite the noise of excited students in the hallway.

A concerted effort to bring Mindfulness to our campus began in the Spring of 2018. Sherry Riggi, co-Director of College Guidance, Scott Gill, Director of Student Services, and Joe Chodl, Upper School Principal, decided to establish an allschool wellness program. They asked for faculty and staff volunteers who were interested in participating in an on-campus professional development course run by Alan Brown from Mindful Schools. At that time, 19 members completed an “Intro to Mindfulness” course through Mindful Schools and since then several have moved ahead with the advanced “Educator Essentials” course, and a new group of faculty members participated in the Intro course.

the ability to respond, rather than react to an emotion.” In regard to the college acceptance process, Sherry Riggi states that because of “…the roller coaster of emotions involved in applying and then receiving decisions, mindfulness gives students a technique that can be used daily. Taking 5 minutes a day to unplug from technology and focus on only your breath and giving your brain a break can help reduce anxiety in stressful situations and improve focus.”

Examples of Mindful activities in the Lower School include Mrs. Merges beginning Kindergarten classes with Mindfulness, so that the youngsters can start their day with purpose after their hectic morning just getting to school. Mrs. Klinger’s 2nd grade class begins each day with a Mindful circle, where students can practice their calming breaths and discuss what comes to mind. JoAnn Miller finds that starting her classes with a practice promotes a calm way to settle into STEAM so they can be positive and productive members of a group. She states that “students enjoy taking a few minutes to calm themselves before beginning class.” Fifth Grade teacher, Deb Fehl, leads a Yoga and Meditation club in the LS and finds that “Mindfulness and meditation complement each other…

Younger children attain Mindfulness through awareness of breath and by doing poses.”

In the Middle School, Cora Turlish does mindful activities at the beginning of her MS drama classes, as actors must be aware of their bodies and emotions. Danielle DiVincent has found that Mindfulness has affected her life positively, so she has her class practice Mindfulness, especially before assessments. Colin Brit begins his MS Choir classes with Mindfulness activities centered around breathing, an ever so important skill for singing. Dr. Brit states that “This year, they seem regularly able to pull it together when prompted, and I attribute this success to a growing culture of Mindfulness and self-awareness in the Middle School.”

Every day after lunch, the Middle School students noisily hustle back from their energetic lunch period, frenetically enter Baldwin Hall for study hall, but know they will begin with a Mindfulness activity led by either Heather Masterpol, Carole Zboray, Stephen Mitchell, Danielle DiVincent or Scott Gill. These teachers have found Mindfulness helpful in their own lives and have taken classes at Mindful Schools in order to learn how to properly and effectively present Mindfulness to students. They feel it is important for the students to be introduced to the practice by several different teachers using several different activities. Students are not “forced” to do the Mindful activities, but over the past 8 months more and more students are actively participating and finding that this helps them settle, focus, and simply “take a moment for themselves.”

But why practice Mindfulness? We know that two important Executive Functioning Skills are the self-regulation of emotions and the ability to focus on the task at hand despite distraction around us. Mindfulness can help achieve these. Mindfulness does not ask you to ignore situations and distractions around you, but rather asks that you notice, accept, and then move on to focus on the task at hand. It has been proven to be effective in helping students focus in class, on the playing field, or at home, despite the distractions that abound.

Mindfulness is called a “practice” because the more you perform Mindful activities, the more skilled you become. With that in mind (no pun intended), we have endeavored to introduce Mindfulness to our students in several different venues.

Sometimes, as educators, we know we are doing the right thing for our students but are not fully aware of how well it has taken hold. Recently, I had a first-hand account of how our Mindfulness activities are becoming the “go-to norm.” While waiting for our plane to take off for the MS International Trip to Costa Rica, I heard an 8th grade boy in front of me say to his seat mate (who may have been just a little nervous) “what are the mindful sayings Ms. DiVincent has us say… I wish you happiness, I wish you health, I wish you wellness…”

In the Upper School, a technology-free “Re-set” Space was created where students can come to “relax, be present, and focus on self-care”. Several US courses such as Junior and Senior Seminar, and 9th and 11th grade Health offer Mindfulness practices as well. As part of the school’s Wellness Program, the goal is “to help students develop a more effective relationship with stress, anxiety, distraction, and challenges, and develop

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Russell A. Divak ’85 Friendship Prize Inspires Campus Sculpture On a blustery day in January, just before the end of winter break, a group of students, faculty, alumni, parents, and trustees gathered to welcome a new arrival to campus. As they stood outside the Upper School entrance, art department head Scot J. Wittman ’86 drew back the veil on a sculpture he had created in honor of Russell A. Divak ’85.

Like so many in our community, Divak made friendships at Rutgers Prep that lasted long after his graduation, and grew even stronger over the years. He was especially close to a group that formed at the school in the early ’80s known as the “Creative Cards Club.” They played countless rounds of poker together, and also regularly traveled down Easton Avenue to the King James Nursing Home to play cards and chat with the residents there.

Over the following years, though the boys grew up and scattered over the country, they still met annually for a weekend of cards and camaraderie. When Divak passed away in 2012 at age 44, his friends decided to pay him tribute by supporting the school at which they’d formed such a strong bond. Last year, along with Divak’s family, they endowed a prize in his name, to be given annually to that student who writes the best essay on the value of friendship. They also commissioned Wittman, who had known Divak well, to design a commemorative installation.

“I felt like it had always belonged here.”

Kuntal Thakkar ’19

“They told me they wanted ‘a plaque that would literally come off the wall,’” says Wittman. “I took ‘literally’ literally, and designed a free-standing, three dimensional structure that students could come to and interact with, and thereby interact with each other.” For the material, Wittman chose stainless steel to give a “beaming, impressive image.”

His design relied on simplicity, with clean lines and no

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unnecessary embellishment. Wittman showed his plan to Divak’s friend James Keller ’85, who remarked with a nostalgic smile that it matched Divak’s own style: “James told me that Russell’s desk was always very clean, he had a minimalist aesthetic. I thought that was perfect.”

The final result was an eight-foot tall steel structure featuring a cutout of the Rutgers Prep seal. It is mounted on a two-foot base that will be inscribed with the names of the Divak Friendship Award winners. The base rotates, making it possible for anyone to move the sculpture into a new position. They can maneuver it so the sun’s rays shine through the seal, or perhaps turn it to face the Upper School building, which Divak watched being built during his senior year. Wittman remarks with pleasure that each time he’s walked past the sculpture, it’s been facing in a different direction – a sign that the school community is taking advantage of the experience it offers.

Kuntal Thakkar ’19, the first winner of the Divak Friendship Prize, describes her reaction at the unveiling: “It was breathtaking! I felt like it had always belonged there.” Looking at Wittman’s inspired creation, one can’t help but agree. As the years go by, and the list of prize winners’ names on its base grows longer, the sculpture will weave Russell A. Divak’s legacy of friendship ever more deeply into the fabric of the school.

Right Kuntal Thakkar ’19, first recipient of the Divak Friendship Prize.

Below Attendees of the unveiling gather around the memorial sculpture.

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Adil Ahmed ’05, Still

SEARCHING for Ways to

SERVE

Written By Eireann Corrigan

In early March, Upper School students gathered in Baldwin Hall to hear the campaign speeches of their classmates running for office in our School Council. One after another, each qualified and motivated candidate stood up and professed appreciation for the nurturing environment at Rutgers Prep. Each promised to work with their peers in order to invigorate and improve the Upper School. Most mentioned wanting to serve the community that had warmly welcomed them.

Fifteen years ago, RPS students sat in those same bleachers and heard similar sentiments from Adil Syed Ahmed. Back then, Adil was a regular orator on Baldwin Hall’s stage. His classmates and faculty first elected him Treasurer, then Secretary, and finally School Council President.

Ralph Avella, our longtime advisor to School Council, recalls Adil serving with dedication, distinction, and passion. As Mr. Avella remembers, “He was committed to involving all members of School Council on every Council endeavor.”

For the past year in particular, Adil has been stumping again, spreading his commitment to community engagement in his adopted hometown of West New York, New Jersey as he runs for the office of Commissioner. The details of the community may be different, but Adil’s message has never wavered—citizens have the right and the responsibility to be involved with and informed about their government.

When he and his wife became homeowners in 2014, Adil learned quickly that civic engagement in West New York was a complicated task. “Government should be about administering services that make people’s lives better,” he tells us. However, Adil couldn’t even find information about his local government until he made a donation to a political campaign. “The commissioner reports to our state senator and none of the appointees he or she makes to the board are public.”

As a result, a wide gulf exists between the average citizen of West New York and the members of its local government.

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That is a gulf that Adil hopes to close. “The town is actually governed by people who don’t live here.” West New York is a town of commuters and the working class. While campaigning, Adil has made a point to meet as many of his neighbors as possible.

Occasionally friends have provided Adil with introductions, such as a recent opportunity to speak with the editor of El Especialito, one of the most widely circulating Spanish newspapers in the United States.

More often than not though, Adil has campaigned in the same manner as he once made friends as an Upper School freshman—with a friendly greeting and a listening ear.

In response, Adil has enjoyed widespread support from his town of 50,000. His platform, which tackles goals such as financial oversight over the parking authority, labor and workforce development, and support for small businesses, aims to help the community thrive.

It also seeks to protect the most vulnerable, addressing the issue of homelessness in the town and the concerns of seniors, as well as those who have expressed fear of political retaliation in a town long mired in cronyism.

“Running for town commissioner has required me to engage locally to understand how things work.” Adil tells us. “People don’t believe in government anymore.”

He pauses and reconsiders that idea. “But there’s lots of support for me.”

At Rutgers Prep, we know that this support is well placed. As Mr. Avella says, “Adil is self-motivated, disciplined, reliable, responsible and hard working.

He is an outstanding leader. Based on his commitment to the students, faculty and his School, we could have predicted Adil’s future in public service since he was in high school.” It’s true that we could see that he was headed in the direction of excellence.

Following his exceptional career at Rutgers Prep, Adil earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, a certificate in ‘Leading Change’ from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and a law degree from Fordham Law. Throughout his educational pursuits, Adil worked hard to assemble a wealth of experiences that inform his view as a public servant.

Between undergrad and law school, Adil crossed the country fighting for labor unions, and learning throughout that process. “My parents weren’t labor 30

union people. Working as a union organizer and labor economist taught me about my own privilege.” Starting up a company that specialized in drone advertising provided him a window into the risks and rewards of an entrepreneurial career. His success in the field of law has provided him with perhaps the greatest advantage in serving his wider community. For one, “Being a lawyer lends me a certain amount of credibility with the public.” Out of law school, Adil made strategic choices. His stellar record at Fordham attracted the attention of big firms. He took those job offers, earned a high enough salary to pay back his student loans, allowing him to now focus fully on a career in public service. “Those firms are rooting for me now.” Adil points out, “I am not dependent on the political system for my livelihood.” That makes him an ideal advocate for West New York.

On Tuesday, May 14th, fifteen years after he was inaugurated as the School Council President at Rutgers Prep, Adil Syed Ahmed’s name appeared on the ballot for the office of the Commissioner of West New York. He is eager to get started confronting the issues that have led his community to feel frustrated and underrepresented. In all his endeavors, Adil has emerged as a master problem-solver. That’s a skill he enjoys practicing—“putting the pieces together to pinpoint issues and find solutions.” Perhaps the only enterprise Adil Syed Ahmed enjoys more is connecting with others. “I wouldn’t be running if people weren’t responding,” he tells us.

At the end of the day, 631 votes were tallied for Adil, an impressive result for a first time candidate. And what’s next? Adil is not currently planning a career in public office.

He believes every citizen should have the chance to be involved. “It’s not something I want to do for the rest of my life—after my term I’d want to step aside.” Here at Rutgers Prep, his first grateful constituency, our School Council is training new leaders to step forward. We hope to see some of them step into the path Adil has forged.

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Prepared to Serve: RPS Alumni in the Armed Forces

Written By Eireann Corrigan

However, what does it mean when our graduates choose a different path in early adulthood? We caught up with alumni who pursued military careers after graduation. In learning more about their journeys as leaders, we discovered even more reasons to feel energized in our mission.

At Rutgers Preparatory School, students, parents, and faculty focus a tremendous amount of time and energy on our middle name. Whether firing up a burner in the chemistry lab or reviewing a first draft in writing workshop, students are preparing for collegiate life.

In sixth grade, when students compose their body bio projects, they too, are working toward this goal.

Even in pre-kindergarten, while our youngest students learn to unpack their own belongings and greet friends with kindness and respect, our students take vital steps toward becoming independent, resilient, and compassionate individuals. Through every moment of excellence, a student’s future academic life is not far from our thoughts.

Captain John Nastus vividly remembers sitting in Ms. Redl’s English class when Mrs. Riggi entered with a note from the office. Captain Nastus pinpoints September 11th, 2001 as perhaps the biggest influence that pushed him toward the military. “The memory that resonates with me from that day was that eerie silence, and the presence of combat aircraft flying overhead instead of civilian airliners. As I got older, I better understood the concept of military service,” John recalls, “I realized that I had a calling to do something that would make a difference in the world.” That calling led John to be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant through Lehigh University’s ROTC Program in 2008. In the years since, he has been stationed in Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Bliss, Texas, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, Camp Atterbury, Indiana as well as in the Middle East.

Our young alumni frequently cite their readiness for the rigors of college and that encourages us; we are living up to our middle name. We prepare students.

“As a teenager, I felt that this choice gave me the most independence and the feeling of doing something bigger than myself, for my country.”

Danielle Satchell Lospinoso ’05

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Most recently, as a Battalion Executive Officer, John has been responsible for all of the unit’s administrative actions, accountability and maintenance of all equipment, logistical support of unit operations, and command authority in the battalion commander’s absence.

In addition to exercising command in the absence of the battalion commander, the XO is chief of the battalion’s staff and coordinates logistics for the unit.

One of the Executive Officer’s main responsibilities is the synchronization of the battalion’s information management. In a military environment, this is the timely delivery of relevant information to the appropriate personnel in a form that contributes to a more accurate understanding of a particular situation and enhances decision making.

While we speak on the phone, Captain Nastus receives a knock at the door. In the background, I can hear him address his men. As my student during his senior year, John was often thoughtful and quiet.

Today he speaks with the steadiness of a man used to leading others.

When asked to reflect on the idea of leadership, Captain Nastus shares, “Good leaders are the whole package. It is more than being physically fit and really smart. Throughout my career I have experienced challenges that have forced me to adapt to a variety of circumstances. My teams have experienced hardships that have tested our mettle, and I have faced moral dilemmas that have challenged my character. Good leaders are physically fit, intelligent, adaptable, resilient, and of sound character. Furthermore, good leaders aspire to be great leaders through constant self-improvement, and by honing their self-awareness and emotional intelligence.”

John describes many ways that Rutgers Prep helped prepare him for his role leading others. One area he cites is that of athletics. He first attracted the attention of DeSales University, as a lacrosse goalie for our Argonauts. He points out that team sports train young people to work together to react to adversity. He adds, “My time wrestling taught me how to be disciplined. It emphasized the importance of teamwork in a sport that focuses on the individual’s contribution.”

John graduated Rutgers Prep in 2004, with his cousin Anna Wilson, who attended West Point, and Samuel Christen, who attended the United States Air Force Academy. Anna and Sam later married. John reflects on the fact that all three close friends ended up joining the military. “I don’t even remember who followed whom. It was important to all of us and we encouraged each other.”

Their decisions encouraged their younger classmates as well. Dr. Danielle Satchell Lospinoso mentions Anna Wilson when discussing her own decision to

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attend West Point, a choice that was solidified when Danielle attended a summer program called the West Point Summer Leadership Seminar the summer before her senior year at RPS. “I fell in love with West Point.”

Even still, Danielle applied to twenty other colleges. “I got into some really good schools,” she admits, “but I didn’t have that same gut feeling about any of them and the cost was an enormous benefit too.” Even more than those concerns, Danielle also cites the September 11th attacks as a factor in her decision. “As a teenager, I felt that this choice gave me the most independence and the feeling of doing something bigger than myself, for my country.”

push me in a physical and mental way that has seemed to pay dividends for me now.

Simon “Soma” Plotnikov, Rutgers Prep Class of 2006, took a less direct way to his military service.

After graduating from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in physics, Soma struggled to find his professional footing in an economy still reeling from the financial meltdown of 2008. After moving to Seattle, Soma met an officer from the United States Navy who inspired him to contact an officer recruiter. Through the recruiting office, Soma applied for the Air Force in much the same way many of his peers were applying to graduate school. He sent in transcripts and five letters of recommendation. He took the standardized test called the Air Force Officer Qualification Test (AFOQT) and completed a massive application. Finally, he embarked on a two-hour long interview with the recruiting unit’s commanding officer, a lieutenant colonel. The commander endorsed Soma’s application and submitted it up to the Air Force for review. Three months later, Soma was accepted to attend Air Force Basic Officer Training, starting in the fall of 2013, the day after his twenty-fifth birthday.

As a three-sport athlete, Danielle also felt well-prepared for military life. Having wrestled for all four years at Rutgers Prep, she was even selected to teach grappling in a summer leadership detail, as an instructor of military self-defense. She remembers how the academic skills and athletic ability she honed in high school help her transition with success to West Point. “Initially, in the plebe year, a lot of people struggle with academics.

After all, the academy owns all of your time. Because Rutgers Prep was so rigorous, that was not an issue. I was used to the college level curriculum.”

At West Point, a cadet’s GPA is an integrated score base on academic, military, and physical performance.

Danielle’s stellar performance in all three areas qualified her to be one of the less than two percent of military academy students who go directly to medical school. Had she not been at the elite top of her class, she would have needed to serve her five years before attending med school. Danielle married a West Point classmate and together they have three children.

Presently she is a practicing dermatologist at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Fairfax, Virginia. She has trained and worked both in civilian and military hospitals but finds the work of serving wounded warriors and retired veterans particularly rewarding.

First Lieutenant Reaves Klipstein, an alumnus of the Class of 2012, also chose to attend West Point. He too, shares that his desire to serve others fueled his decision. Reaves tells us, “My father instilled a great sense of national pride in our country. I was blessed with an amazing life, I would say the best life, and serving this country was the best way I knew how to repay my debts.” Reaves’ family ties to Rutgers Prep are incredibly strong. His grandparents, parents, and older brother have dedicated at least a century of service to Rutgers Prep between them. In part because of these close connections, Reaves considers his teachers and coaches as motivators who helped prepare him for the rigors of a military career. “RPS challenges you mentally and sometimes it feels like it can be overloadbut they do that to teach you what life is. Athletics also

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When asked to reflect on the years since, Soma expresses appreciation and wonder at the turn his life took six years ago. “I would say I’ve surprised myself by the sheer magnitude of things I work on and do.

From a money standpoint, the cost of the satellite programs my unit alone operates and defends is over 47 billion dollars. I’ve physically stood next to a fully built rocket that went into space shortly after and have witnessed three different nighttime launches of satellites going into orbit on the largest vehicles to go to space since the Apollo moon missions. I’ve stood in the same room that President Bush was kept in after the 9/11 attacks, an underground fortress in Nebraska.

Those are just a few of the highlights but far from all of them, and most I’d never be able to discuss in detail because of the classification of the events.”

have incredible careers for engineers, meteorologists, computer programmers, physicists, etc. If the military is something you’re thinking of joining in the future, you need to start behaving now like the kind of officer you’re expected to become. If you want to party a lot in college, pick up a bad social reputation, or create a negative online presence, the Air Force will look at all of that before they’ll take you.” Soma says wryly, “I’m the last person to judge, but something to keep in mind; it’s becoming a bigger deal as we become more visible as a society through our social media.”

When our graduates line up to march for our Commencement ceremony each June, we won’t always know who will eventually trade his or her graduation gown for a military uniform. Many of our students aspire to lead; a select few will choose the path of excellence and sacrifice that a military career requires. We know that all of our students strive on behalf of their families and their communities. We are particularly proud of those graduates who strive for their country as well.

Soma encourages our current and future students to pursue it whole-heartedly. “It just takes a desire to serve and a modest amount of hard work in college.

To highlight what’s important to the Air Force right now, I would say having excellent grades in college, as well as majoring in a technical degree, is necessary. We

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Operation Smile Success Are Leaders Born or Made?

Written By Carole Zboray

We’d all agree that leadership and compassion are two traits that we’d like our children to possess now and as adults. According to Psychology Today, “the best estimates offered by research is that leadership is about one-third born and two-thirds made.”

Psychology Today also adds that while compassion “appears to be a naturally evolved instinct”, it too must be developed, that helping others can be contagious, and that compassion has both physical and psychological benefits.

Rutgers Prep is a place where these attributes are encouraged and developed. We’ve recently witnessed an example in our own Middle School.

Chris Kaleekal (Class of ’23) organized his classmates to run a fundraiser for Operation Smile, an organization that surgically repairs cleft lips and cleft palates in children worldwide. When asked what prompted him to do this, Chris responded, “I just want to help people… to change some people’s lives…”. Chris proceeded to research organizations and discovered that for a donation of $240, a child’s life could be changed forever by this surgery.

Chris’ goal was to raise $480 – enough to help two children.

Chris’ first step was to tell Middle School Principal, Bob Marotto, about his idea. Mr. Marotto wholeheartedly supported this desire, and Chris’ next step was to create a PowerPoint presentation to show the Middle School community what Operation Smile is about. Afterwards, he was able to organize an enthusiastic team of volunteers who met weekly, and as the fundraiser date approached, daily. The team, which consisted of Chris and

fellow 8th graders Nicole, Michael, Ayush, Logan, Aditya, Pierce, Aadithya, Ryan, Will, and Ellen, 7th grader, Mimi, and 6th grader, Kantaro, set about making posters and classroom donation boxes.

The team decided they would raise money via a Bake Sale, a Dress Down Day, and a homeroom donation “competition”. As proof that compassion is contagious, the team actually had more volunteers to bake for the Bake Sale than anticipated, and thus they were able to extend the sale to the Upper School students as well.

At the end of the Fundraiser, the team collected donations totaling $1393; more than enough to help five children with their surgeries and a new lease on life! This collective effort, which began as a desire by one student and was quickly supported by our entire Rutgers Prep community, serves as an excellent window into a compassionate and hopeful future. Moments like this prompt us to reflect on how Rutgers Prep will always stand behind and support our students as they endeavor to change the world for the better.

Chris Kaleekal, Class of 2023

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Beyond Waksman Advanced Research Students Engage in Metagenomics and Cloning: Next Generation Students Take on Next Generation Sequencing How do research scientists spend their days? How do they decide what experiments to do? How do they interpret their results, and how do they decide where to go next? In Jacque Lamb’s Advanced Student Research class, “student” is synonymous with “scientist” as these self-directed individuals are introduced to an authentic research experience over the course of this two-year project in the sciences.

The subject of the course is centered around next generation sequencing (or next gen sequencing), which is an evolution of microbiology that focuses on studying organisms by recreating the complex natural environments in which they live. Early microbiology involved cultivating organisms in pure culture in the laboratory and learning as much as possible in this pure environment. For example, in order to tie a particular disease to an organism, it was essential for the organism to be pure, because if it couldn’t be isolated from a variety of organisms being exposed to a person, it would be impossible to attribute that disease to any one organism.

“The problem is, that’s not the way organisms live,” said Lamb, who spent seven years working in the laboratory in the molecular genetics department at The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ- now a part of Rutgers School of Biomedical and Health Sciences) before arriving in the science department at Rutgers Prep. “If you look at natural populations, they live in very complex, tight-knit biome structures - they depend on each other, and they compete with each other. The waste product of one might be the food source for another.”

According to Lamb, it is estimated that scientists have cultured less than 1% of organisms that live in nature, because they can’t recreate the complex environments in which these organisms live. Since they can’t create a situation that mimics what these organisms need to survive, scientists needed to find a way to study the organisms that they cannot culture in the laboratory - that’s where next gen sequencing, and the Advanced Student Research class, come in.

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Brynn Bean ’19

The first year’s coursework involved students collecting samples of soil, one of the most diverse microbiomes in nature, and using a kit to purify the DNA contained within the soil. Once the DNA had been purified, a process that chops it up into small pieces and mixes it all together, it could then be sent to a lab to be analyzed. It takes a great amount of computing power to analyze this DNA, so the process was outsourced to GENEWIZ, a company that specializes in genomics services. GENEWIZ took these very short sections of DNA and attempted to find overlapping segments to rebuild enough of the genome in order to identify at least the families of the organisms contained in the soil sample. After verifying that the sample contained enough DNA of sufficient quality, GENEWIZ carried out the analysis and next gen sequencing, and sent back the results. “You might find that you have a cyanobacteria, you might find that you have bacteroides, you’ll probably find that you have some fungi,” said Lamb, “but you can basically look at classes of organisms and look at all of the DNA that came out of that soil.”

cell to make multiple copies of it. And once you have it in a cell, now you can store it in the freezer and you can make lots and lots of it whenever you want. They’re trying to identify sources of small biological molecules - the most obvious is maybe we could find a new antibiotic.” These types of soil samples work particularly well for finding potential biologically active molecules - especially antibiotics - because there is so much competition between organisms that share the same environment and the same food source.

This process is called “making cells competent,” and the students are using E. coli to replicate their DNA, the standard bacteria used for this type of work. In order to “trick” the E. coli into absorbing the DNA, the students needed to create a plasmid vector - a molecule used as a transfer vehicle in delivering foreign genetic material into another cell.

Once the plasmid vector had been prepared, they then had to convince the bacterial cell to pull in

The challenge for Lamb and her students in year two was figuring out how to build on the research conducted in the prior year. In order to learn more about the microbiome contained in their soil samples, Lamb decided they would attempt to clone the DNA they found.

“We’re taking that DNA, cutting it into pieces, and cloning those pieces into stable vectors that we can use, and then probe them to see if there are any of these pieces of DNA that have interesting molecules that can then be explored,” said Lamb. “Linear DNA will get chopped up, but if you can put it in a circle, a plasmid vector, you can then put that vector into a bacterial cell, and ask that bacterial

Kuntal Thakkar ’19 39

[G]etting students to learn how to think, learn how to interpret, learn how to draw conclusions when things don’t work... those are all advanced level thinking skills. It really doesn’t matter whether you’re in science or not, you really need to have those skills.”

- Jacque Lamb Upper School Science Teacher some DNA from the environment, thus creating a competent cell that can be stored and copied.

that you have learned to do that you never knew how to do before. You’ve learned how to do ligations, you’ve learned how to prepare competent cells, you’ve learned how to cut a vector, heat inactivate the enzyme... you’ve learned all these techniques that you didn’t know before, so even if you haven’t gotten results, you’re making progress and you’re learning how to troubleshoot them when they don’t work.”

“This is the fourth time that we’re doing our transformation,” said Simran Virdi ’19, one of the four seniors in the course, “and a lot of the challenges have been, ‘Are we doing the protocol correctly - are we following the steps?’ And also, ‘Is this protocol actually going to work for what we plan on doing?’ So we research that and once we find a protocol, we do it, but once it doesn’t work we have to troubleshoot it and figure out what went wrong - and analyzing what went wrong and how we fix that is the most that we’ve learned from the class, I think.”

Brynn Bean ’19, another member of the Advanced Student Research class, who will be attending Rutgers University in the fall and plans to continue on the research track said, “Because we have failed so many times, it’s definitely helped us learn more and actually understand what we’re doing, rather than just doing the protocol and getting it right the first time and not really understanding - just going through the motions.

A lot of people don’t do this type of research until college or grad school, so it’s really a great opportunity to take advantage of here.”

One of the challenges the students faced this year is that competent cells - once they have been created - will remain competent for a very long time, provided they can be stored at -80ºF. That temperature is far below the capability of any of the refrigeration equipment available on campus, which meant the students would have to prepare freshly competent cells every time they needed them and they were having trouble making the process work. “We struggled with that,” said Lamb, “because we tried multiple methods, and we just kept having very poor results. So right before spring break we tried it one more time, and we got textbook transformation.”

“I really wanted to give them that authentic experience,” said Lamb. “It’s very different from sitting in a classroom and learning science. What it really is, is getting students to learn how to think, learn how to interpret, learn how to draw conclusions when things don’t work - what might have gone wrong and what they can do to correct it - those are all advanced level thinking skills. It really doesn’t matter whether you’re in science or not, you really need to have those skills.”

At a critical point during this struggle, Lamb offered some key insight to the studentresearchers, who were disappointed by a failure to produce results. “I know they were getting very frustrated before that experiment worked... they would love to come up with the new Rutgers Prep antibiotic nobody’s ever found before and I know that. I said, ‘Think of all the procedures 40

Kayla Achacon ’19 and Simran Virdi ’19 41

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Alumni Gatherings New Brunswick New York City Shanghai Washington D.C. Young Alumni Reception

Alumni Day Asbury Park Athletic Hall of Fame Chicago Miami

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Class Agents Class of 1933

John Cook 10 Applewood Drive, Room A17 Freehold, NJ 07728 aeoranj@optonline.net

Class of 1945

Gerald O’Brien 9505 Northpointe Boulevard, Apt. 2001 Spring, TX 77379 job@consolidated.net

Class of 1947

John Witmer 150 Downs Boulevard, Apt. E-108 Clemson, SC 29631 witmer@nctv.com

Class of 1950

Kearney Kuhlthau 33 Hillcrest Drive Piscataway, NJ 08854 elmwoodcemetery@verizon.net

Class of 1952

William Cramer 546 Becca Way Monroe Township, NJ 08831 wjc72536@yahoo.com

Class of 1954

Elfriede Riddering Heidelberg 5211 Long Bridge Road Richmond, VA 23231 John Kuhlthau 50 Allison Road Princeton, NJ 08540 jkuhlthau@comcast.net

Class of 1958

Jim Burke 21 Main Street Sayreville, NJ 08872 jvburke11@gmail.com

Class of 1959

Linda Levy Hamelsky 4112 Great Meadow Road Dedham, MA 02026 queenbee7@comcast.net

Class of 1960

Henry Gurshman 957 Madison Avenue Plainfield, NJ 07060 gurshmanlawfirm@aol.com

Class Notes From College Avenue (Through 1963) Kevin Digan ’47 wears his RPS hat proudly with his grandson.

Steve Avery ’52 writes “Hi RPS- I enjoy receiving communication from my old Prep School. We have been living in the South since 1969. I fondly remember my year at Prep (1951-1952) wonderful P.G. course that prepared me for St. Lawrence U. Class of 1956.”

Henry Gurshman ’60 writes to let Kevin Digan’47 and his grandson us know that fellow 1960 Class Agent, Bardin Levavy, passed away on June 15, 2018; he is survived by his wife, Sue Ellen Levavy, his son, Raffi Levavy, and his daughter, Sarah Beth Levavy.

Obituaries were published in the Newark Star Ledger and the New York Times.

Ellen Holsten Jamison ’62 “My granddaughter Cameryn Jamison, will be attending the University of Rochester next fall where she will play basketball and major in biology/pre-vet; My oldest granddaughter Tayler Jamison, graduated with honors in kinesiology in December from West Chester University and is planning to head to graduate school; my middle granddaughter Caley is a pre-med major at West Chester University where she is on the dean’s list.”

Charles Collard ’63 reunited with classmate Rick Casey ’63 after 55 years.

“On May 22, 2018, I had the good fortune to have lunch with Rick Casey in a Fort Myers, Florida area restaurant. I had not seen him since we graduated from Rutgers Prep in June of 1963. While visiting my sister who lives in Sarasota, I borrowed her SUV and drove south on Route 75 to meet him for lunch. When I entered the restaurant, I recognized him right away. During our three-hour lunch, I asked Rick why he attended Rutgers Prep as a Junior as I had done. He was disappointed in the inadequate educational experience at Hoffman High School in South Amboy, New Jersey. I had a similar kind of experience at Keyport High School which was complicated by having double sessions. Rick had a friend who advised him to contact Ed Diener ’63, who attended RPS and ended up being our classmate. Ed highly recommended that Rick apply for entry. Both Rick and I took the entrance exam and were both accepted as Juniors. On Rick’s behalf, I want to thank Ed Diener for encouraging Rick to become a classmate.

Rick mentioned that he credits Michael Lasser, his Junior English teacher, as the person who taught him how to write. He also remembers being impressed by our classmate, Dolores Resta Rowland ’63, for her writing skills. Rick and I went on to obtain bachelor degrees at Rutgers in New Brunswick. Remarkably, we never saw each other as college students, despite the fact that we were living on campus for the first few years. Rick has lived in Florida since 2006 where he has sold real estate, following a career as a mental health clinician and administrator.

It was such a positive experience to see Rick after so many years. We plan on keeping in touch on a regular basis. In response to our 55th reunion, I want to thank my classmates who sent me emails: Joan Ehrlich ’63, Amy Lev ’63, Dolores Resta Rowland ’63, and Stuart Schulman ’63. Finally, it was a pleasure to meet with Susanne Wintersteiner Warren ’63 at RPS for our reunion on May 12, 2018.”

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Class Notes - Bell Bottoms, Bee Gees and the Copper Beech (1964-1983)

Class of 1963

Charles Collard 11 Cornell Street North Brunswick, NJ 08902 cecollard44@gmail.com

Roy Eskow ’64 “The June 2018 newsletter from Woodmont Country Club billboarded, the upcoming presentation on ‘Four Songs Everybody Knows.’ The presentation was to be presented by Michael Lasser. Obviously that name caught my eye. Could there be two different Michael Lassers or ‘What in the world was my former English teacher and educator doing lecturing on music?’ With a little research I Michael Lasser and Roy Eskow ’64 found out that it truly was the one and only original former Rutgers Prep faculty member, Michael Lasser. On the day of the presentation I went both to say ‘hello’ and to see if my memory of this outstanding faculty member was as I remembered. To anyone, including former students who may wonder, Mr. Lasser is still as sharp as ever and can, in an entertaining manner, convey more information in an hour and a half than almost anyone I’ve ever known. His passion for the subject matter is infectious. He and I had a fabulous time reminiscing and combing through the 1964 Ye Dial. Glancing at some of the pictures, he instantaneously identified almost every student or faculty member without reading the captions; absolutely amazing! We were truly blessed to have such a fine educator to prepare us for our future endeavours.”

Class of 1964

Robert Sutherlin ’64 is retired from FAA Flight Standards after 21 years and 55 years in aviation career. He is working with his son Grant who owns an aircraft sales company, AirMart in Lexington, Kentucky (Airmart.com).

“Enjoying life on Lake Cumberland with wife Carolyn - married 49 years with two children and two grandchildren. Thanks to Rutgers Prep for preparing me for many of life’s challenges.”

Class of 1967

John Berryhill ’67 retired to Mexico in 2014 and was widowed in 2015. La vida is dura.

Stephanie Matusz Stillman 3 Lewis Road, Apt. 2 Winchester, MA 01890 stillstef@msn.com Robert Sutherlin 416 Lakeview Drive Jamestown, KY 42629 suth9@yahoo.com

Class of 1965

Vivian Czarda Andrus 670 West Forest Drive Houston, TX 77079 vivandrus@aol.com Peter Lederman 405 Topping Hill Road Westfield, NJ 07090 plederman@demlplaw.com

Class of 1966

Class Agent Needed Peter Lampen 245 New York Avenue New Brunswick, NJ 08901 peter.lampen@gmail.com Alisa Pasternak Zlotnikoff 15 Gary Court Scotch Plains, NJ 07076 alisazee@aol.com

Class of 1968

Joanne R. Blumberg ’68 “Since graduating from American University with a BA in Social Sciences and Education and a Masters Degree in English from Rutgers University I had a very rewarding career in teaching.

In addition I have a small part time Writing Consulting John Berryhill ’67 Tio Juan, San Miguel de Allende Business.

My lifelong passion has also been writing Rhyming Stories and Poetry for children and adults!

I travel to CA often to be with my family. I will be going to Minnesota to visit family there too. I treasure making a difference in people’s lives.”

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Barbara Paulus Lampen 245 New York Avenue New Brunswick, NJ 08901 barbara.lampen@gmail.com Michael Renda 8 Colonial Road Somerville, NJ 08876 mrenda@wrmlaw.com

Class of 1969

Jonathan Kaufelt 351 17th Street Santa Monica, CA 90402 jonathan@kaufelt.com

Class of 1970

Bryna Greenwald Pomp 115 Tower Hill Road Tuxedo Park, NY 10987 bgpomp@aol.com

Class of 1971

Victoria Daniel Kozo 7 Wendy Way Milltown, NJ 08850 vkozo@rci.rutgers.edu

Class of 1972

Bill Ihling 13 Everbreeze Drive Erwinna, PA 18920 billihling@gmail.com

Class of 1973

Merryl Colburn Bernstein 111 N. Pompano Beach Blvd.

Apt. 1907 Pompano Beach, FL 33062 merryl.bernstein@gmail.com Jack Kamin 2101 Avenue T Brooklyn, NY 11229 whosetheboss2001@yahoo.com

Class of 1974

Walter Deutsch 75 12th Street Somerset, NJ 08873 whdii@aol.com Robert Frisch 33 Mohawk Avenue Middlesex, NJ 08846 yagmot@aol.com

Class of 1975

Rory O’Connell 40 Colles Avenue Morristown, NJ 07960 rory07960@yahoo.com

Class of 1976

Charlie Daniel 33 North Drive East Brunswick, NJ 08816 mjd095@hotmail.com

Class of 1977

Mark DiGiovanni 636 Hamilton Street Somerset, NJ 08873 guaranteed1@gmail.com

Kathy Borrus ’68 writes “Happy to say my son Josh is engaged. Also, delighted to announce publication of my new Children’s Picture Book: Stubby-a tale of friendship between an American soldier and his best buddy, a dog. Stubby is the true story of the most heroic dog in World War I. Available on Amazon for ages 4-8: https://amzn.to/2D7oSPW Finished two recent museum projects (American Writers Museum in Chicago and The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philly). Weathering the winter and politics in DC by playing tennis, biking, skiing, and traveling. Best regards to all my Prep friends.”

Faye Nisonoff Ruopp ’68 writes “After teaching high school mathematics for 22 years, I became an independent consultant in mathematics professional development at Education Development Center in Newton, MA. My work there included securing NSF grants as well as authoring the mathematics middle school textbook series, IMPACT Mathematics. In 2006 I co-authored the Math With a Laugh series with Paula Poundstone, a former student of mine. I also taught a math methods course in the MAT program at Brandeis University. Currently, I am working part-time as an instructional coach in two independent schools in the greater Boston area. My husband, Charlie, and I live in Chestnut Hill, MA, five miles away from our son, Marcus, who is a physician in the area, along with his wife, Nicki, who is also a physician, and their two children, ages 4 and 1.5 years. We babysit one day a week which keeps us incredibly happy – and tired! We spend our summers in Orleans (Cape Cod) and welcome any Prep visitors who happen to be traveling in our area!”

Jonathan Kaufelt ’69 writes “I am still living in Santa Monica, CA with my wife Holly and new dog Sadie. We are retired now, me from law, Holly from medicine. I serve on a number of not for profit boards: Rutgers Prep, Vermont Law School, ClientEarth US, the Redford Center, and the Center for Reproductive Rights. CRR won a major repro rights case in the Supreme Court this year, upholding our big win there two years ago to keep open the women’s health clinics in Texas.

My father passed away this past year, age 98, after a good long run.

Sadie Kaufelt

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Wayne McCoy ’69 was honored as the City of Virginia Beach Volunteer of the Year by the Rotary Club of Virginia Beach. He received the award for his service as a Tactical Flight Officer in the Virginia Beach Police Helicopter Unit. Wayne has volunteered over 3500 hours in his 15 years of service.

He continues to serve and assists in training of new Flight Officers in the use of the FLIR infrared systems, Nightsun, police radio and emergency procedures.

Wayne is currently President of Mid Wayne McCoy ’69 Atlantic Environmental LLC, a regional environmental consulting firm located in Virginia Beach. The firm specializes in waterfront permitting and environmental assessments. Additionally, he reviews electrical transmission line cases on behalf of the Staff of the Virginia State Corporation Commission. He has volunteered with Virginia Special Olympics for 32 years and is the State Games Director for Tennis and Soccer in Virginia. He lives with his wife and two dogs in Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore in Virginia.

June Pearson Sweetser ’72 “I am enjoying life in the Seattle area! I retired in 2016 from being a Marketing V.P. and am now working on promoting my new novel “Avie No More”, which is heavily influenced by Rutgers Prep so beware…

Please note my author name is j.b. sweetser if you look for it. And feel free to visit my website- www.jbsweetser.com My husband Tom and I just celebrated our 40th anniversary with a cruise along the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal.

It was fun trying to remember French from my school days and amazingly a lot of it came back! Retirement is great; we spend time visiting the many marinas around the Puget Sound in our sailboat, go on hikes, and ski in the winter, all in the uncrowded non-weekend time. No kids, but we have a cat, Brandy, that keeps us busy.”

Charlie Daniel ’76 writes “Melissa and I just returned from Antarctica where we saw some of Earth’s most beautiful scenery and fauna. We will always remember the fire-on-ice beauty as the sun set over Lemaire Channel, the blood red vista of snow-capped peaks, glaciers, and sea ice stretching out before us. We also encountered four species of penguins, as well as skuas, petrels, and albatrosses.” As avid travelers, Charlie and Melissa have visited over 70 countries and 7 Charlie ’76 and Melissa Daniel at continents.

Chilean base on Antarctica

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Class of 1978 Agent needed

Class of 1979

Peter Clarke 40 Old Dutch Road Bedminster, NJ 07921 pl.clarke@verizon.net

Class of 1980

Dana Stahl Mermelstein 3100 Birch Street NW Washington, DC 20015 dana.mermelstein1@verizon.net

Class of 1981

Marla Siegel Kurzec 210 Farriers Lane Jamestown, NC 27282 mkurzec@aol.com

Class of 1982

Sueanne Schulman 429 East 52nd Street, Apt 15C New York, NY 10022 sueanne212@aol.com

Class of 1983

Ellen Berman 1060 Rahway Road Plainfield, NJ 07060 ejb512@aol.com Dawn Hughes 726 Richmond Street Plainfield, NJ 07060 dawnt49209@aol.com Anita Kothari Walsh 754 Carleton Road Westfield, NJ 07090 akw1184@gmail.com

Class of 1984

Alexis Balsamides Wade 7 Bunker Hill Run East Brunswick, NJ 08816 aawade@mac.com

Class of 1985

Marc Bromfeld 49 Speir Drive South Orange, NJ 07079 bromfeld@yahoo.com Diana Davidson Lerner 12313 Avenida Consentido San Diego, CA 92128 dianalerner1226@gmail.com

Class of 1986

Erika Barnes Holliday 18354 Pierce Avenue Homewood, IL 60430 happyholliday@comcast.net John Miller 59 Staats Road Bloomsbury, NJ 08804 gringoscholar@gmail.com

Philip Kosnett ’78, a career member of the State Department Senior Foreign Service, was sworn in November 27th as the fifth U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo. He previously served in diplomatic postings in Turkey, Japan, The Netherlands, Kosovo, Iraq, Iceland, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. He is accompanied in Kosovo by his wife Alison Kosnett, an international development specialist. In his photo Ambassador Kosnett’s swearing-in ceremony at the State Department. L-R: son Alexander Kosnett, daughter Nicole Kosnett, wife Alison Kosnett, Philip Kosnett, State Department officials Matthew Palmer and Sean Lawler, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Kosovo Ambassador to the United States Vlora Citaku.

Class of 1987

Donna Goodman dl.goodman@yahoo.com Mark Nathan 274 Brantwood Road Amherst, NY 14226 nate3564@hotmail.com

Class of 1988

Brian Cohen 315 Central Park W, Apt, 8S New York, NY 10025 bcohennyc@gmail.com

Class of 1989

Todd Haedrich P.O. Box 939 Wiscasset, ME 04578 tmhaedrich@gmail.com Tim Herrmann 122 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10168 therrmann@intuitivevp.com

Class of 1990

Megan Coakley Glover 3202 Sky Court Castle Hayne, NC 28429 megcoakley@hotmail.com Joshua Greenstein 27 Joan Drive Chappaqua, NY 10514 joshuagreenstein@gmail.com

Philip Kosnett ’78 swearing in ceremony

Class Notes Madonna, Macintoshes and Make-Shift Classrooms (1984-1999) Veronica Akinyi Lippencott (née Ouma) ’90 earned her Ph.D. in Geography in 2003 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

She has taught at several universities over the years and has worked at Hofstra University for 12 years. Along with teaching and research, Akinyi serves as the Associate Director at Hofstra’s new Center for Race, Culture and Social Justice.

Akinyi lives in Highland Park, NJ with her husband Dave.

Larry Santowasso ’91, current RPS Baseball coach can now add “NJ Coaches Hall of Fame” to his incredible list of accolades.

Veronica Lippencott (née Akinyi Ouma) 56 Cedar Avenue, #2 Highland Park, NJ 08904 verouma@hotmail.com

Class of 1991

Jason Grey 2014 3rd Avenue, #4B New York, NY 10029 greyjason@hotmail.com 48

Mandy Holliday Morello ’89, Kurt Epps, Amy Holliday ’93

Amy Holliday ’93 writes: “I am Director of Flight Ops for Atlantic Packaging in Wilmington, NC. I am also a Girl Scout Troop Leader, and my girls love being involved in all the activities associated with it. Lola is now 9 and loves dance and piano, Poppy is 7 and although still dancing is trying out gymnastics and piano this year.

Nathan my stepson is in his first year at East Carolina University planning on a business degree. We spend our free time playing on the water, biking the neighborhood and traveling!”

Marisol Febles-Gambardella ’96 and husband, John Gambardella, welcomed a baby girl (Gianna Rose) on July 29, 2018. Marisol, John and Gianna reside in Atlantic Highlands, NJ.

William Somers somers515@yahoo.com

Class of 1978 Agent needed

Class of 1993

Luis Garcia 138 Riverbend Drive North Brunswick, NJ 08902 luisfergarcia@gmail.com Erica Golliday Higgins 101 Aintree Williamsburg, VA 23188 ericamhiggins@hotmail.com

Class of 1994 Marisol Febles-Gambardella ’96 welcomes a baby girl with her husband, John.

Thomas Filipkowski ’98

Geoffrey Gussis 83 Morris Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901 geoff@gussis.com

Thomas Filipkowski ’98, aka Tom Flip, revisits his popular 2013 project, Heads Up Key West in which he photographed 600 faces from the community. Then and Now illuminates the changes that time and circumstance have had on the lives of these individuals, providing a clear-eyed look at ordinary people coping with a constantly changing reality of what it means to live in paradise. On display October 1-14, 2018 opening reception on October 4th at The Studios of Key West, 533 Eaton Street, Key West, Florida. Tom was also visited

by Carole Glantzow Zboray at Amigos Tortilla Bar in Key West.

Jwan Allen 1229 Benton Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15212 jwan.allen@gmail.com Violette Renard Recinos 821 West Hill Drive Gates Mills, OH 44040 violet.recinos@gmail.com

Class of 1995

Tara Auciello 323 Gill Lane, Unit 11L Iselin, NJ 08830 tara.a@alumni.duke.edu Sara Papa Belyea 2455 Woodland Hills Court Hellertown, PA 18055 sbelyea@gmail.com

Class of 1996

Ria Rasalan Gaviria 20 Meyer Road Edison, NJ 08817 riapots@yahoo.com

Natalie Mantell North ’98 has moved to a new law firm, and is now a partner at McCarter & English, LLP. Natalie continues to represent companies in complex product liability and appellate litigation.

Matthew Scherb 1515 Sutter Street #325 San Francisco, CA 94109 matthew@scherb.net

Natalie Mantell North ’98

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Robert Szeles 216 Divot Drive Harrisonburg, VA 22802

Class of 1997

Amanda Lin 3 Sylvan Avenue Metuchen, NJ 08840 yi_zue@hotmail.com

Class Notes - RPS 2.0 (2000-Current) Micki Kaye Berg ’03 and husband Lance welcomed a baby girl, Emma Brielle, on April 14th. Big brother Colton is thrilled!

Nicole Finner Mordecai 880 Shore Acres Road Arnold, MD 21012 nicolefinner@gmail.com Nicole Fiumefreddo Rafanello 4 Rita Drive Morris Plains, NJ 07950 nicole.rafanello@gmail.com

Class of 1998

Camile Melton Brown 1999 Brierbrook Road Germantown, TN 38138 camimelt@hotmail.com Jeremy Hollander 24 Avenue at Port Imperial, Apt. 109 West New York, NJ 07093 jerholl7@gmail.com

Jennifer Rapps Cifelli ’04 and her husband John welcomed their second child, Michael David May 27, 2018. He joins proud big sister Easton Leigh, age 3.

Emma Brielle Berg

Akash Shukla ’04 married Radha Joshi, now Mrs. Radha Shukla, on June 30, 2018 at the Hyatt in Jersey City.

Matthew Pagano ’05 writes “I was recently promoted to Co-President of the New York City Chapter of Lafayette College Alumni Association and am planning many exciting professional education and social events with other Patriot League alumni in New York City!”

Sripriya Radhakrishna 3203 Snowbrush Place Fort Collins, CO 80521 sripriyaprince@gmail.com Jeremy Wang-Iverson 55 Wagner Road Stockton, NJ 08559 jwangiverson@gmail.com

Class of 1999

Jessica Belser 2472 Northlake Court NE Atlanta, GA 30345 jessbelser@gmail.com Nakul Rao 118 Henderson Road Kendall Park, NJ 08824 nakulrao@gmail.com

Class of 2000

Vanessa Abreu Deyhle 69 Allison Drive Sayreville, NJ 08872 vadeyhle@gmail.com

Jason Wink ’05 and Aaron Chalal ’02 reunited in the OR

Akash Shukla and his wife Radha

Jason Wink ’05 and Aaron Chalal ’02 were starting center midfielders for the 2001 edition of the RPS Soccer team and were reunited in the University of Pennsylvania Operating Room. Jason is a Plastic Surgery Resident, post-graduate year five, and Aaron is an Anesthesia Resident, post-graduate year four.

Jordan Hollander ’06 was named one of the “Emerging Leaders of Gaming (ELG) 40 Under 40”. This honor recognizes gaming industry professionals under the age of 40 that are already making a significant impact on the casino gaming industry. He is currently Deputy Attorney General at the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Portia Hunt 2500 North Van Dorn Street, Apt. 1604 Alexandria, VA 22302 portia.hunt@gmail.com

Jordan Hollander ’06

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Krystalle Neighbor Trumbetti ’06 married John Trumbetti at the Stone House in Warren on March 10, 2018.

Krystalle is in her 8th year of teaching and also officiates high school lacrosse. Her husband John is also a teacher of English in Paterson.

Krystalle Neighbor Trumbetti ’06 and John Trumbetti

Joe Sancio ’06 writes “I am currently working at Seeking Alpha where I was recently promoted to the Director of Sales Solutions & Insights. Recently became a board member for the Financial Communicators Society Young Members Committee and I am a Teaching Assistant in the SPS Graduate School at Columbia University.”

Sarah Sherman ’06 married Juan Camilo Blanci in Cartagena, Colombia.

Wedding attendees included: Front row L to R: Randy Sherman ’83, Arielle Sobov ’06, Mark Sherman ’78, Barry Sherman ’76, Sarah Sarah Sherman ’06 celebrates Sherman ’06, Mary her wedding in Columbia Amde ’16, Swetha Tulluri ’16, Jessica Pill ’16.

Back row L to R: Arielle Sherman ’12, Craig Sherman ’83, Julia Ben Chazkel Shalom ’05, Joshua Sherman ’04, Jack Levinston ’18.

Jillian Angeline ’08

Genevieve Strycharz ’09 married Tj Borriello at the Liberty House in Jersey City on 9/15/2018. Of course, a team of RPS friends and co-workers were in tow. They are excited for a vacation in August (a delayed honeymoon!) to Spain and Portugal.

Jillian Angeline ’08 is a news correspondent for Gray Television in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.! On any given day, she is running around Capitol Hill with 50 pounds of gear, interviewing lawmakers on hyper local issues, affected viewers across the country. Gray owns nearly 100 local news stations nationwide.

She’s looking forward to covering the 2020 Presidential campaigns. She’s grateful for the support from her Rutgers Prep family.

Liz Lampen Kim 320 Ardmore Avenue Ardmore, PA 19003 lizlampenkim@gmail.com Patchaya ‘Beam’ Seilaudom 137 Rinconada Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 itsbeam@gmail.com

Class of 2001

Rachita Bhatt 219 Columbia Avenue Metuchen, NJ 08840 rachitabhatt@gmail.com Lauren Michaels 24 Smith Street Metuchen, NJ 08840 laurenmichaels@gmail.com Jose Torres 50 West 29th Street, Apt. 12W New York, NY 10001 josetorres527@gmail.com

Class of 2002

Jordanne Owen 6943 Premonition Drive Melbourne, FL 32940 Melissa Zaccagnino m.zaccagnino@gmail.com

Class of 2003

Katie Shimalla Bartolucci 1505 Esther Lane Yardley, PA 19067 kcbartolucci@gmail.com Charles Cunnell 104 Piedmont Drive Bound Brook, NJ 08805 parakuihi@gmail.com

Class of 2004

Sudipta Bandyopadhyay 514 New Brunswick Road Somerset, NJ 08873 sudipta@bandyopadhyay.me Ilana Galex 214 Santa Barbara Street Corona, CA 92882 ilanag86@gmail.com Genevieve Strycharz ’09 celebrates her wedding in Jersey City

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Shirley Torho 230 Seamon Avenue, Apt. 5G New York, NY 10034 shirley.torho@gmail.com

Class of 2005

Adil Ahmed 1321 Tupelo Court North Brunswick, NJ 08902 justadilahmed@gmail.com Mark DiGiovanni 516 Lakewood Road Neptune, NJ 07753 markf.digiovanni@gmail.com Rick Halmo 150 East 34th Street, Apt. 1207 New York, NY 10016 rick.halmo@gmail.com

Class of 2006

Sonal Bhatt 3 Martha Street Edison, NJ 08820 sonal1021@gmail.com Kenneth Feibush 415 Claremont Avenue, Apt 2E Montclair, NJ 07042 kfeibush@gmail.com Jordan Hollander 5 Chelsey Court Branchburg, NJ 08876 jsfhollander@gmail.com

Class of 2007

Victoria Hartmann Bishop 125 Harvard Street, Unit 405 Cambridge, MA 02139 hartmann.victoria@gmail.com Ryan Klipstein klipstein.ryan@gmail.com

Reaves Klipstein ’12 married Kimberley Sniffen Klipstein of Connecticut.

Reaves graduated from West Point in 2017. He was the captain of the men’s lacrosse team and is now stationed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his new wife. From left to O’Connell and Klipstein family at right: John O’Connell the Reaves Klipstein ’12 wedding ’78, Kevin O’Connell ’73, Rory O’Connell ’75, Tara O’Connell Klipstein ’81, Reaves Klipstein ’12, Kimberley Klipstein, Christian Klipstein ’15, Ryan Klipstein ’07, Thomas Smith ’15, David Klipstein ’81.

Kiersten Mulvey ’12 former RPS Lax player and captain, current head Varsity Lacrosse coach at Ransom Everglades School in Miami. Kiersten will also be on the Game Management staff for the school’s Athletic Program.

Anthony Brocato ’14 officially signed a professional contract with the Southern Illinois Miners.

Matt Von Roemer ’14 writes “Hi Class of 2014! After graduating from Kenyon College in May I moved to Kiersten Mulvey ’12 and Carole Glantzow Zboray Washington, D.C. and found a fantastic position with a local youth sports nonprofit. However, after recently attending the 2019 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston, MA with Mr. Loose, I was hired by the Toronto Blue Jays to work as a Minor League Affiliate Analyst! I am moving to Dunedin, FL next week! I will spend the Spring and Summer on the road with the High-A Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League, handling all of their advanced analytics.

It has always been my dream to work in Major League Baseball, so I can’t wait to get started!”

Ashley Merchant 145 University Drive Amherst, MA 01002 ashley.merch@gmail.com Sarah Thornton 203 Blackberry Court Flemington, NJ 08822 sarahelizabeththornton@gmail.com

Class of 2008

Nikhil Anbarasan 6 Esplanade Drive Somerset, NJ 08873 nikhilanbarasan@gmail.com

Landon Kestlinger ’15

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Landon Kestlinger ’15 finished his senior year at Elon University. Last year he filmed a short film based on Stephen King’s short story “The Reach”, while studying abroad in Scotland. The film was screened at Cannes Film Festival in the Short Film Corner. Landon also had a second film in competition at Cinelon Film Festival at Elon University. He is currently finishing production on his BFA film thesis titled “Camp”, which follows a boy’s journey through bullying at a sleepaway camp. He is looking forward to finishing his film and receiving a dual degree from Elon University in May. His plan for post-graduation is to move to Los Angeles and to pursue a career in the film industry.

Alex Kochanik ’15 has co-founded two companies - Ink Daze and Go2.

“The fun one is Ink Daze. We are a B2C custom temporary tattoo company.

You can upload a picture of just about anything to our website and have it made into a tattoo and shipped to you the next day.

Ariel Strauss 9 Regent Street, Apt. 506 Jersey City, NJ 07302 ariel.r.strauss@gmail.com

The less fun but potentially more impactful one is Go2. We are a B2B virtual staffing agency specifically for start-ups. We are trying to change how small businesses leverage global talent, while also providing jobs and meaningful work to people in developing countries. We have a little under 70 employees total and offices here in Philly (where I work) and Argentina and the Philippines.”

Lauren Wink 2203 Kater Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 lwink30@gmail.com

Fresh off of his election as the new Director of Political Affairs of the George Washington College Republicans, Josh Kutner ’17 made his second appearance on GW-TV’s “Colonial Crossfire” program. You can check out the episodes on YouTube.

Class of 2009

Ashwin Karanam 23 Sandalwood Avenue Warren, NJ 07059 akaranam@me.com Kelsey Rene 2009 Liberty Drive Greensboro, NC 27408 kelseyarene@gmail.com Ankita Thakkar 4 West 21st Street, Apt. 6B New York, NY 10010 ankita.m.thakkar@gmail.com

Class of 2010

Georges Richa 37 Weston Road Somerset, NJ 08873 georgesmricha@gmail.com Josh Kutner ’17 featured on GWT

Kammi Shah 45 Timberline Way Watchung, NJ 07069 kamkammi@aol.com Syed Moazam Shah 23 Lake Drive North Brunswick, NJ 08902 moazamshah@gmail.com

Class of 2011

Niki Kakarla 538 Waller Street San Francisco, CA 94117 nikila.kakarla@gmail.com Kim Krauszer 18 Mulberry Lane Edison, NJ 08820 krauszerk@gmail.com

Save the Date - Alumni Day May 9, 2020 53

Past Faculty

Class of 2012

Rayan Dutta 6 Collins Drive Hillsborough, NJ 08844 dutta.rayan@gmail.com Andrew Parr 4450 Minnetonka Boulevard St. Louis Park, MN 55416 parrandr@gmail.com

Class of 2013

Annette Browne 11 Fairbanks Court Fredericksburg, VA 22405 abrowne94@gwmail.gwu.edu

Michael Lasser writes “I had left Rutgers Prep many years ago (1966) for The Harley School, where I taught for 32 years, retired, and started writing books. My third will be out next summer (www.american-song.com). I had pretty much lost touch with the Prep School when I got an email out of the blue about three years ago from Vivian Czarda Andrus, inviting me to their 50th Reunion. I couldn’t make it because I was having open heart surgery, but I did fly down from Rochester to Manhattan to meet the planning committee of twelve classmates. I walked in the door and named eleven of the twelve even though I hadn’t seen them since they graduated. They were amazed. It was nothing compared to my amazement. We had a wonderful day together.”

On July 2, 2018, David Mazsa welcomed his first grandchild. David’s son Joshua and his wife Jen live in Vancouver, Washington and David plans to be visiting the west coast much more often now that Mia Hawking Mazsa is there. And if you are wondering, David had nothing to do with the middle name choice but it is in honor of the scientist Stephen Hawking who passed away earlier in 2018.

Prastama Perkasa prazperkasa@gmail.com

Class of 2014

Samantha Bernstein 5 Kappelmann Drive Green Brook, NJ 08812 samanthabernstein509@gmail.com Megan Groner 31 Rue Chagall Somerset, NJ 08873 groner.megan@gmail.com Timothy Magier 21 Southfield Road Edison, NJ 08820 timmagier@gmail.com

Class of 2015

Christian Klipstein 156 Old Turnpike Road Califon, NJ 07830 dcklipsteinjr@aol.com Lindsey Schafer 110 Fern Road East Brunswick, NJ 08816 lschafer08@aol.com Kendra Sullivan 15 Scottsdale Court Cranbury, NJ 08512 kendrasullivan@comcast.net

Class of 2016

Tanvi Kodali 3 Cope Court Hillsborough, NJ 08844 tanvi.kodali123@gmail.com

Barbara Herzberg is still teaching for an organization she helped start in Princeton in 2001: <theevergreenforum. org> for mostly retired folk, but anyone who can attend classes during the day.

Called “Plays Off the Page”, they involve Dave Mazsa with granddaughter Mia students “getting up out of their seats, getting the words in their mouths, and trying to do what the playwright tells us to do.” This is especially fun when we work with a Shakespeare play.

She had a wonderful birthday (guess which) trip in September all over the U.K. visiting friends and theaters from her sabbatical in 1986. (Thanks, Steve).

She and her husband will leave at the end of January for their annual trip to the Yucatan, where they hope to be able to snorkel and hang out on the beach, while she puts together her next course [MACBETH] which will begin when they return in March.

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Jason Grey ’91, Barbara Herzberg, Gary Jesdanun ’91, Norman Herzberg, Akin Salawu ’92, Veronica Lippencott (née Akinyi Ouma) ’90

Sarah Parr 25 Clinton Place Metuchen, NJ 08840 sarahaparr@gmail.com

Joseph Ramallo 27 Davenport Way Hillsborough, NJ 08844 jvramallon@outlook.com

Skyler Scioscia 74 Gates Road Somerset, NJ 08873 skyescioscia31@gmail.com

Riya Patel 10 Arrowhead Lane Somerset, NJ 08873 riya112197@gmail.com

Class of 2018

Class of 2019

Josh Kutner 2 Bering Way Somerset, NJ 08873 kutnerjoshm@gmail.com

Varun Kadikar 12 Sugarwood Way Warren, NJ 07059 vkadikar@gmail.com

Nima Majidi 3 Jeremy Court Somerset, NJ 08873 nima.majidi23@gmail.com

Madison Mento 32 Lynwood Avenue Franklin Park, NJ 08823 madiepink13@gmail.com

Samatha Kodali 14 Indian Purchase Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889 samatha2k@gmail.com

Pranav Wadhwa 59 Pin Oak Drive North Brunswick, NJ 08902 pranav_wadhwa@yahoo.com

Rebekah Park 1006 Kearney Drive North Brunswick, NJ 08902 bekahpark@gmail.com

Nikhil Lahiri 1 Maher Road Somerset, NJ 08873 niklahiri2000@gmail.com

Grace Del Buono 14 Deer Path Hillsborough, NJ 08844 grace.delbuono@gmail.com

Class of 2017

Brynn Bean 63 Cleremont Avenue North Brunswick, NJ 08902 brynnabean@aol.com

Alumni Events 2019-2020 Houston

Young Alumni Reception

Topgolf

March 16, 2020 The Prince Regent Marylebone 6:00 - 9:00pm

Co-host Nick Shah â&#x20AC;&#x2122;95 September 19, 2019 Moxieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 6:00 - 9:00pm

December 19, 2019 Holliday Room, RPS Campus 3:00 - 4:15pm

London

October 6, 2019 Edison, NJ 11:15am

Brunch served, golfing optional

Alumni Day May 9, 2020 RPS Campus

Alumni Soccer Game November 29, 2019 Turf Field 10:00am

Register now at www.rutgersprep.org/alumnievents 55

In Memory of...

William Ainslie, Honorary Class of 1938, February 12, 2019 Jan Beaujon, Jr., Class of 1946, July 5, 2018 Louis Borbely, Class of 1953, December 25, 2018 Joseph Collins, Class of 1950, July 7, 2018 Arvid Paul Croonquist, Jr., Class of 1938, March 7, 2018 William Fairhurst, Class of 1950, January 5, 2018 Robert J. Fiermonti, Class of 1957, February 5, 2018 Joy Glaser, Class of 1965, July 22, 2016 William (Bill) Guy, Sr., Class of 1942, December 6, 2018 Raymond Hoegstedt, Class of 1958 Charles E. Jacquart, Jr., Class of 1950, April 27, 2018 Joyce Alice Kenneally, Class of 1953, April 5, 2018 Bardin Levavy, Class of 1960, June 15, 2018 Phillip B. Linder, Class of 1984, September 30, 2018 George Roderic Navarre, Class of 1947, October 14, 2018 Edward Naylor, Class of 1950, May 21, 2018 Deepesh Patel, Class of 1998, July 16, 2018 Nancy Haworth Paul, Class of 1957, February 17, 2019 Jacqueline Phelan, Class of 1985, November 11, 2018 Joseph G. Scannicchio, Class of 1945, December 25, 2017 Jeffrey Schwartz, Class of 1975, April 22, 2019 Joan Serin, Class of 1968, January 15, 2018 Carla Toth Shihar, Class of 1972, May 16, 2019 Nick Stevens, Class of 1982, October 12, 2018 Natasha Vasthare, Class of 2013, December 16, 2018 William “Bill” Arnold Weckstein, Class of 1969, August 21, 2017 Kanak Dutta, Past Faculty, September 3, 2018 Pauline Haney, Past Faculty, June 19, 2018 Sandra Kalista, Faculty, April 21, 2018 Joseph Stefani, Past Faculty, February 22, 2018 Jonathan Clayton, Past Trustee, November 28, 2018 Stanley Kaufelt, Past Trustee, January 10, 2019 Howard Weitz, Past Trustee, February 13, 2019

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Rutgers Prep Annual Fund

Providing the Power of “YES” to INSPIRE students

Every year, hundreds of gifts to the Annual Fund make it possible for RPS to say “YES” to our students and faculty.

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to a vibrant learning environment and community. to recruiting and retaining dedicated and quality faculty. to sparking imaginations and pursuing passions. to making the World our classroom.

Say “YES” to our students and faculty by making your Annual Fund gift today.

Checks can be mailed to: Rutgers Preparatory School, Advancement Office, 1345 Easton Avenue, Somerset, NJ 08873 or Online at:

rutgersprep.org/givenow

Additional Ways to Give

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IRA Distribution

Individuals 70 ½ and older are eligible to make tax-free Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD) from an IRA of up to $100,000 annually. A QCD is an easy way to make a tax-free gift!

Stock Transfer

If your investments in the financial markets have been successful, you can use these assets to make a gift without losing a substantial portion of your earnings to the capital gains tax. If you would like to make a gift by stock, please contact Susan Gantz with details of the stock transfer.

Matching Gifts

Did you know that many companies will match or even double your donation through matching gift programs? Some companies even match donations made by retirees and employees’ spouses. Check if your employer matches gifts by contacting your HR office. We’re happy to help if you have any questions!

Rutgers Preparatory School

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1345 Easton Avenue, Somerset, NJ 08873 www.rutgersprep.org

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