Fall/Winter 2017-18

RCDS Fall/Winter 2017-18

Bulletin

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25 Years at the Helm

– Scott Nelson celebrates a milestone anniversary l

The Cohen Center Takes Shape

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Striving for Balance and Wellness

Rye Country Day School 2017-2018

2017-2018

Board of Trustees

Alumni Executive Board

Andrea Sullivan

Scott Weiss ’96

President

President

Laura Mattson

Lauren Fortgang Mandell ’87

Vice President

Secretary

Gregg Felton

Melanie R. Baevsky ’07

Treasurer

Blanca Hirani Secretary

Ashok B. Chachra ’95 Adam Friedlander ’79 Jonathan Goldstein ’99

Lisa Allen

David A. Lamont ’99

Brad Asness

Robert Levine ’95

Nina Cheigh

Rene N. Lumley-Hall ’96

Hillary Hoffenberg Comora ’91

Brendan McGuire ’06

Sarah Dodds-Brown ’91

Suzanne Cannistraro Napoli ’92

Edward Dunn ’83

Andrew S. Nathanson ’09

William Featherston

Jonathan Ostrau ’80

Jeff Hammel ’87

Robin Quittell Ponticelli ’94

Michelle Kroin

Max W. Schapiro ’04

Michael Lazar ’87

Zachary Tax ’09

Eric Medow

Daniel I. Wallance ’00

Blair Endresen Metrailler ’96

Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97

Dennis Parker ’73 Juan Pujadas

Ex Officio: Honorary Faculty Gil A. Castagna, Jr.

Jonathan Resnick ’85 Fernando Rivas

Ex Officio: Alumni Trustees

Cindy Ganis Roskind ’90

Hillary Hoffenberg Comora ’91

Vik Sawhney

Sarah Dodds-Brown ’91

Karen Sobel

Edward Dunn ’83

Lea Stevens

Jeff Hammel ’87

Birgit Townley

Dennis Parker ’73

Andrew Wallach

Jonathan Resnick ’85

Scott Weiss ’96

Cindy Ganis Roskind ’90

Trustees Emeriti

Ex Officio: Members Scott A. Nelson

Edward B. Dunn

Headmaster

Frederick A. Klingenstein Michael C. Murr Carmen Ribera-Thain ’75 Edgar Wachenheim, III

RCDS Fall/Winter 2017-18 Bulletin Editor: Susan Nelson Editor Alumni News: Lisa Hotte Young ’74 Proofreading: Lynette Gioffre, Sarah Istwany, Eliza McLaren, Kelly Melandro Contributors: Alison Doernberg, Lori Ferguson, Jay Gerlach, Andrea Sullivan Photography: Aurelie Graillot Studio unless otherwise noted.

Design: Chave Design, Madison, Conn. chavedesign.com

Lynette Gioffre Director of Development and Alumni Affairs

RCDS Bulletin

Fall/Winter 2017-18

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Update from the Board of Trustees

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25 Years at the Helm: An interview with Headmaster Scott Nelson

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Striving for Balance and Wellness: The School’s newest initiative

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The Cohen Center for the Creative Arts Takes Shape

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Fall & Winter Sports Wildcat News The Fall Play: Akeelah & the Bee Festival Chorus 2018: Let My Love Be Heard The 2018 Upper School Musical: Pippin Arts Festival & International Fair AEB Update & New Members Wildcat Weekend Rundown Headmaster’s Reception & Reunion Dinners Reunion Classes Thanksgiving Games Class Notes In Memoriam

www.ryecountryday.org

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Update from the

Board of Trustees

by Andrea Sullivan, President

In an ongoing effort to keep the RCDS community informed, Board President Andrea Sullivan discusses the focus and responsibilities of the RCDS Board of Trustees.

President Andrea Sullivan, center, with Trustee Laura Mattson and Headmaster Nelson.

The Rye Country Day School Board of Trustees currently comprises 27 very dedicated individuals. All of them bring to their board work the same wisdom, insight, and enthusiasm that make them successful at work, at home, and in their communities. Trustees are typically parents, past parents, and/or alumni.

Our goal is to ensure that many voices from our community are represented on the Board. We strive for balance across school divisions, zip codes, gender, and race/ethnicity. We also try to balance across a range of professional skills required to fulfill our responsibilities, including audit, finance, development, education, medicine, law, business consulting, and investment management.

Much of our work is done in committee, of which we have ten – Audit; Buildings & Grounds; Committee on Trustees; Community-Marketing-Outreach; Compensation & Benefits; Development; Education; Finance; Investment; and Legal & Policy. Each committee meets on average four times per year. The Executive Committee (officers and chairs of each committee) and the full Board meet five times per year.

Overall, the Board has three primary responsibilities:

• Future Planning

– developing and monitoring progress toward the strategic plan (currently Bold Vision 2020) and the campus master plan (including the Cohen Center, PAC renovation, and efforts to acquire the Thruway property).

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• Fiduciary role – strengthening our already solid financial position by overseeing the School’s finances and managing the $55 million endowment.

• Mission support

– reviewing the School’s mission and setting policies and priorities to support the School in delivering on it.

In the past couple of years, the Board has considered these questions and more:

• Initiatives

– what roles should STEM/STEAM, Leadership & Character Development, Balance & Wellness, Sustainability, Public Purpose, Diversity, and Global Studies play in an RCDS education?

• Enrollment – what is the ideal

size for RCDS?

• Faculty & Staff Compensation – are RCDS

employees compensated competitively and do they have the professional development opportunities they need to excel?

• Campus Master Plan

– what space and facility needs do we have now? What might we need in five years? Ten years? How will we meet those needs?

The Board has one employee, the Headmaster, who is responsible for managing and operating the School. Trustees do not make decisions about, for example, individual admissions, hiring, or disci-

plinary decisions; changes in pedagogy in the various curricular areas; specifics about the new STEM/STEAM programs; how the day and grading periods in each division are structured; or the athletic leagues we compete in. Instead, the Board’s work is always future-focused and strategic, never managerial, and seldom operational.

Rye Country Day School is in an incredible position of strength on many fronts, including thriving students, dedicated parents, outstanding faculty and staff, low attrition, selective admissions, and impressive college matriculation lists. Paradoxically, the Board does a fair amount of preparing for the “what ifs.” As stewards of the School’s future, the Board focuses on continuing the School’s success, ensuring that it can manage any future challenges.

I, personally, feel immense gratitude for the Board’s deep and steadfast commitment, and I know that RCDS is a better place for the members’ service. It is an honor and a privilege for me to serve as Board President and to work alongside a committed community of volunteers, parents and guardians, faculty and administrators - all for the benefit of our talented students.

by Lori Ferguson

25 Years at the Helm

For Headmaster Scott Nelson, each day on

the job brings a new challenge. For example, he reveals, a recent morning began with a rigorous grilling at the hands of a trio of first graders. The students came at the veteran headmaster with a series of hard-hitting questions, including “Which one of your three dogs is your favorite?” “They ask questions you can’t anticipate,” says Mr. Nelson with a smile.

It is just these sorts of experiences that have carried Mr. Nelson through his past 25 years as headmaster of Rye Country Day, and in his mind, it’s what makes the role such a delight. “The job is quite varied,” he explains. “I may be interviewed by first graders, deal with a facilities issue, and address a curriculum question all before noon – it’s just not routine. I’ve learned that you simply have to be prepared for the unexpected.”

But what can be expected, Mr. Nelson continues, is the ongoing sense of fulfillment that’s derived from working with the talented individuals who comprise the RCDS community. “Education is a people business, and everyone here – the faculty, the staff, the students, the parents, the alumni – is incredibly supportive. They’re an important part of what makes my job so rewarding.”

Mr. Nelson also finds great reward in the things he has been able to accomplish during his 25 years at the helm. He quickly ticks off a list, starting with the faculty hired. “They’re a talented and dedicated group – they make the School.” Second, he says, are the physical improvements that have been made to the campus during his tenure. “We have pretty much rebuilt the school,” he observes. And finally, Mr. Nelson is proud of Rye Country Day’s students.

“Their accomplishments and the way they represent this school are exemplary; they are great ambassadors for RCDS.” The RCDS community is equally grateful for Mr. Nelson, and to show its support, the Board of Trustees has created a scholarship fund in his honor as part of the current capital campaign: Advancing a Tradition of Excellence.

The Scott A. Nelson Scholarship will be awarded to deserving students and will follow each recipient through the course of his or her career at the School. Mr. Nelson is appreciative of the recognition and hopes that the first award can be granted in the 2019-20 school year. “I’m grateful for these gifts, not only because I have witnessed the benefits that such support can render, but also because, as a young student, I was fortunate to experience them myself.”

Mr. Nelson evinces surprise that so much time has passed since he first entered the headmaster’s office and concedes that many have asked why he’s stayed in the job for more than two decades. His answer is simple: the pull of the place. “The RCDS community is tremendously supportive, which makes it possible to accomplish all sorts of wonderful things. Each day is full of challenges, opportunities, and new goals.”

To contribute to the Scott A. Nelson Scholarship Fund, please visit ryecountryda.org/nelson25 www.ryecountryday.org

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Striving for Balance and Wellness

by Lori Ferguson

The boys’ varsity hockey team practiced mindfulness techniques during weekly meetings with Dr. Sangeeta Bansal.

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. . .‘I just feel spread so thin.’

And with these words, the mandate for Rye Country Day’s Balance & Wellness Initiative was born.

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n the fall of 2014-15, Rye Country Day administrators began gathering and analyzing data for a new strategic plan. They assembled a task force of constituents from across the community and solicited data from all the school’s stakeholders: faculty, parents, students, and staff. Many important messages filtered back, including a refrain that resonated across the community: ‘I just feel spread so thin.’ And with these words, the mandate for Rye Country Day’s Balance & Wellness Initiative was born.

“In today’s world, there’s more and more to do and not enough time to do it,” observes Meredith deChabert, Assistant Head of School, Middle School Principal, and the administrator charged with overseeing the initiative.“Faculty, staff, students — we’re all feeling it.

And parents are, too. When we surveyed them, issues of balance and wellness emerged as their number-one concern.

“In highly competitive independent schools like Rye Country Day, there’s this idea that students must do everything – sports, academics, extracurricular activities – and do everything well,” Dr. deChabert continues, “but in reality, that’s simply not possible. Instead, a healthy sense of balance must be the goal. Our charge is to provide students with a structure that encourages balance, alleviates pressure, and contributes to the wellness of the whole person – emotionally, physically, socially, and intellectually – so that everyone may achieve their maximum potential.”

With this directive in mind, Rye Country Day has since launched a number of programmatic and administrative initiatives to encourage a sense of balance and wellness across the community, says Dr. deChabert, and positive results are already being seen. “I’m happy to report that across the school, the level of frenzy has come down. My mantra while walking around campus is, ‘Don’t forget to breathe.’” The school is experiencing a culture shift, she asserts, and although change takes time, steady progress is being made.

School-wide, the push for greater balance and wellness has resulted in changes to every aspect of campus life, from meeting schedules and assessment loads to faculty and staff wellness offerings. “We’ve reduced the number of faculty meetings; added Family Wellness days; added more flextime for students during the day; shifted to trimesters; streamlined Opening Meetings to give faculty more preparation time; re-introduced employee yoga classes, implemented ‘email-free weekends,’ which allow faculty and staff to respond on the next business day except in the case of emergency; and more,” notes Dr. deChabert.

In the Upper School, concerted efforts have been made to reduce pressure on students through

improved communications and increased support.

“We’ve made a tremendous number of adjustments in scheduling and class offerings in the past three years, and we’ll be rolling out more in 2018,” says Upper School Principal Paul Wieman. For example, he says, it is now formal policy that Upper School students will not be given homework assignments over

Faculty / Staff yoga.

School Nurse Nancy Gordon provided blood pressure screenings at Family Wellness Day.

religious holidays or long vacations. Communications among the heads of the athletics, drama, and music departments have also been strengthened to eliminate scheduling conflicts, thereby ensuring that the annual musical and prom no longer bump up against exams.

Under the guidance of Assistant Athletic Director Georgette Summers, mindfulness initiatives have also been given a prominent place in the Upper School curriculum. During the 2016-17 school year, Ms. Summers worked closely with outside instructor Dr. Sangeeta Bansal on a mindfulness pilot program involving Upper School athletes. Results were so positive that, in September of 2018, mindfulness training will be integrated into the health class required for all tenth graders. “I utilized mindfulness exercises with my field hockey and lacrosse players in both the fall and spring seasons and found that it made a significant difference,” says Ms. Summers.

“The practices are easy to use and very effective.

They enable students to focus and be present in the moment and as such, can be extremely helpful in an environment that’s tightly competitive, both academically and athletically. For example, my players learned simple breathing exercises they could use to re-energize themselves in the midst of a game, allowing them to be back to the present moment in just two to three minutes.”

The number of college counselors available to Upper School students has also increased, as has the number of deans; there are now two available in each grade. Advisor training services have been enhanced, as well, to provide students with additional guidance in course selection. www.ryecountryday.org

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Harvesting an early crop of carrots in the school’s vegetable garden during Family Wellness Day.

“Stress and anxiety build up over time and have many layers,” says Paul Wieman. “Giving students the freedom and flexibility to manage the myriad demands on their time, together with the tools to set stressors aside temporarily – whether it be in a playoff game or an exam – can be incredibly beneficial to their performance and long-term success.”

For Lower School Principal Barbara Shea, the Balance and Wellness Initiative provides a powerful supplement to the ‘Responsive Classroom’ model already in use at Rye Country Day. “Our ‘Responsive Classroom’ model is a social and emotional philosophy that reflects a commitment to the whole child,” she says. “We’re concerned not only with academics, but also with teaching children to take responsibility for their words and actions.”

The physical aspect of caring for and controlling their bodies is an important component of the Lower School’s educational approach, as well, says Ms. Shea.

The Balance and Wellness Initiative – particularly the mindfulness element – has dovetailed beautifully with existing practices, Ms. Shea notes. She is especially grateful for the ‘Mindfulness Toolkit for Teachers’ created by lower-school teachers Monique Caterina and Sandra Castagna through a grant from the school’s Institute for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Each toolkit – a small Bento box of sorts – contains a mix of objects that young students can use to de-stress: fidgets, a sachet of lavender, timers, small balls that the children can squeeze, a ‘mind jar’ filled with glitter suspended in oil, and several decks of cards outlining mindful activities that can be done in five minutes or less.

“These toolkits have proved incredibly helpful to all the teachers, both homeroom and special,” says Ms. Shea.

Another aspect of the mindfulness practice has been the creation of a classroom ‘peace corner,’ a quiet spot with a big, colorful

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pillow where students can go to enjoy a mindful moment. “By using the peace corner, we’re empowering children who are anxious or over-stimulated to remove themselves from the group for a bit and then come back when they’re ready to work,” Ms. Shea explains. “This teaches them that the mind and body are interrelated – a calm mind equals a calm body.”

Lower School teachers have found the toolkits and mindfulness practices incredibly valuable, continues Ms. Shea, and the kids absolutely love them. “One exercise is just 30 seconds of breathing, and one day I saw a young student yell out, ‘Can we do the whole thing?!’ It’s been fascinating to witness the effects of the mindfulness practices in the classroom at large, as well, she notes. “Teachers who are using the tools regularly are speaking more quietly and overseeing classrooms that are peaceful, happy places.”

“Sandy and I have been employing mindfulness strategies in our classrooms since 2013,

and when other teachers started asking about what we were doing, we realized we could create something for the whole Lower School,” says kindergarten teacher Monique Caterina. “Over the years, we found that more and more students were coming into the classroom with anxiety and focus issues, so we started implementing strategies, which we were happy to share,” adds fellow kindergarten teacher Sandy Castagna.

Using their Institute grant, the two put together 25 ‘Mindfulness Toolkits,’ which they distributed to teachers throughout the Lower School. They also offered training on how to use the tools correctly. “We wanted to make the point that kids need to be shown how to use the tools,” says Caterina. “It’s important for everyone to understand that these resources are tools, not toys.” The pair also set up a mindfulness resource library in the Lower and Middle School Faculty Room, offering books, videos and other resources to teachers seeking more information than was available in the basic toolkits. At the year-end faculty meeting, Ms. Caterina and Ms. Castagna plan to conduct a survey to see what tools teachers found most useful, as well as invite their colleagues to share mindfulness techniques or practices they’ve implemented. “Teachers have been telling us that the kids are really excited about using the mindfulness tools and peace corners, so we’re very encouraged,” says Ms. Caterina. “We’ve already set up a meeting with Meredith deChabert to discuss ideas for age-appropriate toolkits for Middle School students,” adds Ms. Castagna.

Parent Lisa Allen is grateful for all the school’s efforts. As former president of the Parents’ Association and mother to a sixth grader and a ninth grader, Ms. Allen says that for years she has heard complaints about such things as excessive homework loads and the competing demands of academics and

A massage therapy demonstration from Jim Elkins at Family Wellness Day.

Kindergartners demonstrating mindfulness activities in the Peace Corner.

“Our charge is to provide students with a structure that encourages balance, alleviates pressure, and contributes to the wellness of the whole person – so that everyone may achieve their maximum potential.” extracurricular activities. “I feel like the school has heard these complaints, too, and is responding in a meaningful way.”

Ms. Allen has done her part as well, helping to involve parents in balance and wellness activities through Rye Country Day’s first two Family Wellness Days. Held in the spring of 2016 and 2017, these events included fun walks, food exhibitions and demonstrations, and breakout sessions on topics from mindfulness and stress reduction to nutrition and fitness.

Ms. Allen is grateful for all the school is doing and believes the Balance & Wellness Initiative will bear fruit for years to come. “I feel like RCDS is providing the entire campus community – students, faculty, staff and parents – with valuable guidance on how to make a hugely stressful time less stressful, and in so doing, setting our children up for success.”

www.ryecountryday.org

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The Cohen Center for the Creative Arts

Takes Shape

by Lori Ferguson

Rye Country Day is guided by the philosophy that “to educate is to do more than teach.” To this end, the School is committed to cultivating every student’s potential for growth in an environment that nourishes cultural, social, and physical needs.

R

ye Country Day is guided by the philosophy that “to educate is to do more than teach.” To this end, the School is committed to cultivating every student’s potential for growth in an environment that nourishes cultural, social, and physical needs. A key component of this mission involves exposing students to the values and joys of the arts, sciences, and humanities. And starting in September of 2018, faculty members will pursue this charge in a beautiful, new, state-of-the-art facility: The Cohen Center for the Creative Arts.

Situated in a centralized location on campus, the center will unite Middle and Upper School creative arts programs and a design MakerSpace under one roof, greatly enhancing opportunities for collaboration across divisions and disciplines. And faculty couldn’t be more excited.

Art Department Chair Eric Drotch, a recent addition to the Upper School faculty, is delighted by the prospect of leading Middle and Upper School visual arts classes side by side with the performing arts and a MakerSpace. “I anticipate many opportunities for collaboration within the visual arts, as well as across departments,” he says with a rush of enthusiasm. For example, Mr. Drotch notes, students will soon have opportunities to manipulate traditional media like clay or wood with new tools like 3-D printers and laser cutters. They will also have myriad opportunities to work collaboratively across genres, uniting disSDUDWH LQWHUHVWV VXFK DV VFXOSWXUH DQG SKRWRJUDSK\ +H LV FRQÀGHQW WKDW the center’s MakerSpace will add a dynamic new element to the arts curriculum, as well. “I envision this design lab as a hotspot for creativity, bringing students of different ages and interests together in a fun, free-thinking environment that bridges the worlds of art and science and challenging them to think about creating for aesthetic reasons.”

For Drama and Dance Department Chair Jay Gerlach, it is the center’s 200-seat, black box theater that elicits the most excitement.

“The beauty of a black box theater is its versatility,” he explains. “It’s quite different from a proscenium-style theater, which can be somewhat limiting. The black box can be transformed to a theater-in-the-round format, which will allow us to explore immersive theater – something we really haven’t been able to do with students previously – in addition to musicals and traditional plays.”

www.ryecountryday.org

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Immersive theater also lends itself to interdisciplinary collaboration, Mr. Gerlach continues. With everyone under one roof, he envisions theater and dance students working in partnership with students studying computer science, photography, sculpture, and more. “I imagine a space in which we’ll be interacting regularly with other disciplines and feeding off one another’s ideas to jump-start creativity.”

Mr. Gerlach is also grateful for the dedicated departmental space that the theater represents. “Up until now, we haven’t had a space devoted solely to our coursework; we’ve always shared spaces with other disciplines, which can be challenging. In the Cohen Center, drama and dance students will have a safe space where they can leave work-in-progress, which will be very helpful.”

Casey Hallen, the filmmaking teacher in the Upper School, is equally eager to have a dedicated space in which to teach her courses.

“I would love to do more ‘green screen’ work with the students, so the prospect of having access to a purpose-built room is very exciting.”

The new space will be equipped with technology that can be used to educate students in such videography practices as stop motion and special effects, says Ms. Hallen, and will also provide room for her to offer students more training in practical effects work such as special make-up or prosthetics. “This type of work offers particularly rich possibilities for collaborating with those working in 3-D classes and the MakerSpace,” she explains. And then there’s the simple fact of proximity. “I’m really looking forward to being closer to others, as my room is currently pretty isolated,” says Ms. Hallen. “Being in the same building with teachers in other departments opens up exciting opportunities for chance encounters and fresh collaborations.”

Sue Keown, a Middle School art teacher, agrees. “It will be exciting to be in the same building with the other Middle School and Upper School art faculty and students and to have access to the woodshop and MakerSpace. I’m looking forward to the time when both our art

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faculty and our students can easily collaborate with one another across divisions.”

Cross-divisional collaboration is something that Upper School art teacher Erin Dolan eagerly anticipates, as well. As the instructor for advanced placement classes in drawing, 2-D design, 3-D ceramics, and sculpture, Ms. Dolan views the proximity to other disciplines as well as easy access to the MakerSpace and the woodshop as key components to the center’s allure. “We’re going to have fine art classes taking place alongside theater and dance classes, which means faculty will have closer interactions within and between programs, and we’ll be truly collaborative from the moment the doors open.”

“We’re all very excited about being together – with all of the inherent collaborative opportunities that such proximity presents – and we’re eager to expand artistic connections on campus,” agrees Casey Hallen.

For Science Department Chair and STEAM Coordinator Cathie Bischoff, the prospect of having an innovative MakerSpace under the same roof as the creative arts programs is thrilling and adds an exciting aspect to STEAM education. “This is a space that will encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty and students and will undoubtedly add a different dimension to our course offerings,” she asserts.

“Allowing students to explore their creativity in tandem with technology will encourage them to think outside the box. I see the MakerSpace as a facility becoming an integral part of our educational landscape, not only during regular class hours, but outside the school day, as well.”

“I imagine a space in which we’ll be interacting regularly with other disciplines and feeding off one another’s ideas to jump-start creativity.” Jay Gerlach, Drama Department Chair The black box theater under construction.

Artist’s rendering of the black box theater.

“This is a space that will encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty and students and will undoubtedly add a different dimension to our course offerings.” Cathie Bischoff, Science Department Chair www.ryecountryday.org

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Fall Sports 2017 Team Records

+

Awards

W L T Boys’ Varsity Cross Country

11

7

Girls’ Varsity Cross Country

12

12

Varsity Field Hockey

16

4

Varsity Football

5

3

JV Football

2

2

10

7

3

Boys’ JV Soccer

3

5

Girls’ Varsity Soccer

6

7

1 5

Girls’ JV Soccer

5

2

NYSAIS Champions

Boys’ Varsity Soccer

12

All-League Recipients

Individual Honors

Boys’ Cross Country Kyle Christopher ’18, Honorable Mention Connor Marrs ’19, Honorable Mention Will Murphy ’21, Honorable Mention

Boys’ Cross Country Coaches Award: Ed Abrams ’18, Rick Burke ’18, Kyle Christopher ’18, David Jensen ’18, P.J. Pujadas ’18 Wildcat Award: Kyle Christopher ’18

Girls’ Cross Country Katie Farrell ’21, Honorable Mention Field Hockey Elizabeth Friedberg ’20 Olivia Friedberg ’20 Gemma Green ’20 Katherine Holtby ’18, Honorable Mention

Girls’ Cross Country Coaches Award: Lucie Rochat ’18 Wildcat Award: Sarah Colin ’19 Field Hockey Coaches Award: Annabelle Liu ’18 Wildcat Award: Olivia Friedberg ’20 WNESPFHA: Olivia Friedberg ’20, Paulina Harasimowicz ’19

Football Cameron Coleman ’19 Cullen Coleman ’20 Football Allan Houston ’19 Coaches Award: Jack Curry ’18 Malcolm Brydson ’19, Honorable Mention Wildcat Award: Allan Houston ’19 Troy Kesselmark ’18, Honorable Mention Boys’ Soccer Boys’ Soccer Coaches Award: Matt Molinelli ’18 Cole Price ’18 Wildcat Award: Cole Price ’18 Zach Wiener ’18 WNESPSAA: Cole Price ’18 Matt Molinelli ’18, Honorable Mention Cole Price ’18: 52 Career Goals and 22 Career Assists Girls’ Soccer Tatiana Fernandez ’18 Girls’ Soccer Isabel Stronski ’20 Coaches Award: Therese Mooney ’18 Sofia Wilmer ’18, Honorable Mention Wildcat Award: Madeline Zuber ’18 WNESPSAA: Charlotte Townley ’19

www.ryecountryday.org

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Winter Sports 2018 Team Records

+

Awards

W L T 12

12

Boys’ JV A Basketball

4

11

Boys’ JV B Basketball

3

3

Girls’ Varsity Basketball

9

12

Girls’ JV Basketball

2

4

Boys’ Varsity Fencing - Foil

9

5

9

5

5

8

Girls’ Varsity Fencing - Foil

7

9

Girls’ Varsity Fencing - Epee

12

4

1

9

17

5

3 7 8 7

13 5 3 7

13

3

Boys’ Varsity Basketball

2nd place ISFL

Boys’ Varsity Fencing - Epee 3rd place ISFL

Boys’ Varsity Fencing - Sabre 3rd place ISFL

3rd place ISFL

Girls’ Varsity Fencing - Sabre Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey FAA League Co-Champions FAA Tournament Champions

Girls’ Varsity Ice Hockey Boys’ Varsity Squash Boys’ JV Squash Girls’ Varsity Squash Wrestling FAA Runner-Up 3rd Place NYSAIS

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All-League Recipients

Individual Honors

Boys’ Basketball Allan Houston ’19 Billy O’Meara ’19, Honorable Mention

Boys’ Basketball Coaches Award: Sam Berger ’18 John Sabia Award: Allan Houston ’19

Girls’ Basketball Girls’ Basketball Alana Jones ’20 Coaches Award: Therese Mooney ’18 Tatiana Fernandez ’18, Honorable Mention Wildcat Award: Alana Jones ’20 Boys’ Ice Hockey NEPSAC All Star: Alana Jones ’20 Eddie Abrams ’18 Boys’ Fencing Will Dodge ’18 Jack Kissell ’19, Honorable Mention Coaches Award: P.J. Pujadas ’18 Maureen Hartman Award: Joshua Shapiro ’18 Girls’ Ice Hockey Selia Coady ’21, WIHLMA Honorable Mention Girls’ Fencing Coaches Award: Yusra Suliman ’19 Boys’ Squash Wildcat Award: Niamh Kernan ’19 William Burke ’22 Frederick Manning ’21 Boys’ Ice Hockey Rick Burke ’18, Honorable Mention Maria Effinger Award: Harrison Kadish ’18 Girls’ Squash Stahlin Award: Eddie Abrams ’18 & Sophia Giagni ’18 Will Dodge ’18 Isabel Showers ’20 Girls’ Ice Hockey Ashley Hatstadt ’21, Honorable Mention Coaches Award: Sadie Silverman Guffey ’20 Wrestling Wildcat Award: Maddie Zuber ’18 William Shabecoff ’19, Honorable Mention WIHLMA Harry Rulon Miller Award of Excellence in Sportsmanship: Daisy Grossman ’19 WIHLMA All-Academic First Team: Daisy Grossman ’19, Maddie Zuber ’18, Jordan Miller ’21, Honorable Mention Boys’ Squash Coaches Award: Liam Pope ’19 Wildcat Award: Rick Burke ’18 Girls’ Squash Coaches Award: Amanda Bortner ’20 Wildcat Award: Ashley Hatstadt ’21 Wrestling Coaches Award: Pierce Kim ’18 Frank Antonelli Award: Richard Antoine ’18

www.ryecountryday.org

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Wildcat NEWS Middle School Service Saturday

National

Academic Achievement Hispanic Scholars Congratulations to Mariana Sabogal, Sabrina Sawhney, Alonzo Diaz, and Diogo Schaffa, who have been selected as National Hispanic Scholars as part of the National Hispanic Recognition Program. These students have scored in the top 2.5 percent among Hispanic and Latino PSAT/NMSQT test takers in our region.

Sustainable Farming

Courtesy of Kerry Linderoth

AP Environmental Science classes took advantage of the proximity of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Tarrytown, N.Y., to spend a day there, touring the grounds and learning about agroecology and the most effective sustainable farming methods. After the tour, the students worked together to cook a healthy, fresh, farm-totable lunch.

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The National Merit Corporation announced the names of four RCDS seniors chosen as Finalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Competition, as well as the names of three seniors designated Semi-Finalists and 17 named Commended Students.

Congratulation to Finalists David Jensen, Diogo Schaffa, Kyle Christopher, and Jason Sheppard (pictured above); Semi-Finalists Clayton Bass, Jenna Cohn, and Zachary Spilo; and Commended Students Jane Burdick, Richard Burke,Thomas Carver, Alonzo Diaz, Nicholas Jindal, Niamh Kernan, Isabelle Koh, Neerav Kumar, Annabelle Liu, Alexei Mentzer, Matthew Molinelli, Lucie Rochat, Jack Sobel, Nicholas Verni, Varun Wadhwa, Christopher Ziac, and Madeline Zuber.

Puzzle Day on Campus Students and teachers from all three divisions came together in September to celebrate Puzzle Day. Inspired by Harvard’s annual Puzzle Day in its Introduction to Computer Science course, the vision for the day was to give students a shared experience of puzzles as a fun way to learn, think, and stretch their brains. Lower School students completed cooperative puzzles; Middle School students worked puzzles in their homerooms and in many academic courses; and Upper School students solved complex puzzles from Harvard, worked on jigsaw and 3d printed puzzles, and were challenged to solve Dante’s infernal conundrums.

Courtesy of Carmela DeCarlo

Courtesy of Alison Doernberg

Courtesy of Sarah Phipps

In the fall, Middle School students and their families pitched in to help at Our New Way Garden in White Plains. The volunteers harvested tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes, and arugula to donate to the Carver Center Food Pantry in Port Chester. Service Saturdays are fun events that teach students the relevance of the School’s motto, Not for Self, But for Service.

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Are Freed 5\H &RXQWU\ 'D\ KDV EHHQ FHUWLÂżHG DV a Monarch Waystation by the organizaWLRQ 0RQDUFK :DWFK DQG DV D &HUWLÂżHG Schoolyard Habitat by the National WildOLIH )HGHUDWLRQ $V WKH 0RQDUFK EXWWHUĂ€LHV began their migration to Mexico last fall, they stopped at campus pollinator gardens that had been set up by the students. As part of the Monarch Watch Citizen Science program through the University of Kansas, seventh-grade Life Science students began raising Monarch caterpillars in the classroom and tagging Monarchs around campus. The results were wonderful to behold Âą EXWWHUĂ€LHV HYHU\ZKHUH

Wildcat NEWS Student Designers

Courtesy of Georgette Summers

Seniors Genny Kortick, Annabelle Liu, and Paulina Harasimowicz were named WR WKH .HLWK :DOGPDQ Âą 2SWLPDO Performance Associates/NFHCA High School National Academic Squad.

Inspiring Author Visits Award-winning author Matt de la PeĂąa spent a very full day with RCDS students and teachers. Throughout ÂżYH GLIIHUHQW SUHVHQWDWLRQV WR VWXGHQWV LQ WKH /RZHU DQG Middle schools and to a select group of Upper School students, Mr. de la PeĂąa shared his experiences as an author, poet, basketball player, father, and mixed-race (Mexican/American) citizen of the world. In preparation for his visit, all RCDS students read and explored his Newbery-award winning picture book, Last Stop on Market Street. He inspired his audience to be not just better writers, but better people.

Courtesy of Alison Doernberg

Field Hockey Recognition

Upper School students participated in the International Coastal Cleanup Day at the Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary in Rye. Some of the most common items removed from the beach were plastic straws, cigarette butts, botWOH FDSV FDQG\ ZUDSSHUV VW\URIRDP DQG ÂżUHwork residue. Participating in the cleanup is a great way to give back to the local community while getting involved in an international effort to clean up the shorelines.

Courtesy of Cathie Bischoff

A “Stepping Piano,� a STEM-inspired, project designed by Upper School Engineering 1 students in fall of 2016, came to life at Rye Nature Center in October. The student design team of Will Asness ’17, Duncan Khosla ’17, Ed Abrams ’18, Sam Berger ’18, and Elysia Pil ’19 applied the Design Thinking approach, from interviewing young children to prototyping, to testing. Their design was based on musical sound note regression analysis, as well as on mechanical engineering and cost analysis. “No matter how these notes are played, they will always sound musical. We hope to explain and demonstrate to the kids the transfer of energy, as gravitational potential energy is transferred to rotational, kinetic energy, and is then transferred to vibrational energy,� the designers explained. The project was funded and built by Regeneron, a biotechnology company based in Westchester.

Coastal Cleanup Day

Bringing the Holiday Spirit 5&'6 3HHU /HDGHUV YROXQWHHUHG DW .LGV LQ Crisis, an organization located in Greenwich WKDW SURYLGHV IUHH DVVLVWDQFH IRU )DLUÂżHOG County children, teens, and families dealLQJ ZLWK DEXVH QHJOHFW DQG IDPLO\ FRQĂ€LFW .LGV LQ &ULVLV DOVR UXQV DQ HPHUJHQF\ VKHOWHU IRU FKLOGUHQ DQG WHHQV 7KH 3HHU /HDGHUV raised money to purchase holiday gifts and spent a morning helping organize donated items and setting up Holiday Central, a gift area for the children and families.

www.ryecountryday.org

17

FALL PLAY

By Alison Doernberg and Jay Gerlach

ue to the renovation of the RCDS Performing Arts Center, drama and music productions found themselves without a home stage in the fall and winter. The Drama Department and Public Purpose Office, therefore, decided to collaborate and take the show on the road! Akeelah and the Bee, the 2017 fall production, was presented at five local elementary schools and community organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club of Mount Vernon, Building One Community, Community Resource Center, JFK Magnet School, and King Street School.

The RCDS crew created mobile sets, sound, and lighting that could be adapted for performances in varied settings — community centers, school auditoriums, and a gym — and each orga-

18

nization received an interactive study guide to help the audience explore and reflect on the themes of the show in more depth. Sra. Carafas’s Advanced Topics in Spanish class translated the study guide into Spanish at the request of two of the organizations that work with immigrant communities.

The performances gave cast members an opportunity to share the play’s inspiring themes of community and courage with some of RCDS’s partner organizations. After each show, cast members answered questions in a talkback with the audience. It was a gratifying experience for all involved and proved yet again the power of the arts to bring people together.

RCDS takes

the show on the road!

www.ryecountryday.org

19

love BE HEARD

FESTIVAL CHORUS 2018

LET MY

The 23rd annual Festival Chorus Concert took place on

January 21 on the stage of the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College. The 175 musicians of the chorus and orchestra presented Let My Love Be Heard, featuring excerpts of Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45

by Johannes Brahms, as well as Let My Love

Be Heard by Jake Runestad, and All of Us by Craig Hella Johnson.

In the program notes, Mary Marcell, Festival Chorus director and head of music at RCDS, explained that the entire program was about love and acceptance.

“With the Runestad piece, we communicate our love and desperate longing for those

who are no longer with us. The text of the Brahms ‘responds,’ seeking to empathize with us and soothe the emotions of our mourning. Finally, ‘All of Us’ implores us never to hide from ourselves or each other, and it reminds us that it is through love we can connect, forgive and heal.”

LET MY

love

The 23 rd An

BE HEAR D

featuring mo vements fro

m the

Brahms Requiem (sung in Ge

and addition

JA KE RU N ES TA D

rman)

al works by

& CR AI G H EL LA JO H N SO N

Rye Country Day School Festival Cho rus and Orc hestra Mary Marc ell, co nductor

SUNDAY, J AN 21 ST, 2 018 | 3PM THE PERF

20

Tickets availab le at the door or from the Ma in Reception De sk at RCDS

ORMIN AT PURCH G ARTS CENTER ASE COLL EGE

735 Anderso

n Hill Road

Adults $25

nual

FE ST IVA L C H O RU S C O N C ER T

| Purchase,

| Children

NY

$5

www.ryecountryday.org

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The 2018 Upper School Musical

By Jay Gerlach

Due to construction on campus at the Dunn Performing Arts Center, this year’s Upper School Musical was performed in February at the White Plains Performing Arts Center. The Drama and Dance Department was proud to present Pippin, the original version of which was written by Steven Schwartz when he was an undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It wasn’t until the success of Schwartz’s other musical, Godspell, however, that Roger Hirson (an RCDS past parent) was hired to rewrite the Pippin libretto, and Bob Fosse was asked to direct and choreograph the show. Fosse included vaudevillian and commedia dell’ arte elements, as well as his signature choreography, in his reworking of the musical, which remained influential for our production. The story tells of a young man who is trying to find himself and happiness as he learns about war and social causes, and it seemed to resonate with today’s audience as much as ever.

22

www.ryecountryday.org

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The World A r t s Fe s t i v a l I n t e r R n a t i o n a l Fa i r of Masks! C D S Arts Festival & International Fair

This year’s Arts Festival featured performances by Cedar Street Dance Company, the WildScats, Willy the Wildcat, and a magician! Crafts and face painting entertained the youngest students, and all were encouraged to make their own mask. International food tables offered fare from the four corners of the globe, thanks to RCDS parents and friends who contributed their favorite dishes.

&

SAVE TH February E DATE! 24, 2018

12-3:00 p m

Athletic C enter

World of Mask s Art, Mus ic, and Dance Pe rformanc es

Delici Global C ous uisine!

24

www.ryecountryday.org

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Alumni Executive Board

T

he Alumni Executive Board kicked

off the school year with its first meeting on September 27.

President Scott Weiss ’96 introduced four new members: Melanie Baevsky ’07, Adam Friedlander ’79, Robert Levine ’95, and Zachary Tax ’10.

Headmaster Scott Nelson gave an update on construction projects on campus with a focus on the new Cohen Center for the Creative Arts and the renovation of the Dunn Performing Arts Center. Mr. Nelson also discussed the possible acquisition of the thruway property, an idea the school has been pursuing since 1994.

Scott Weiss reviewed his vision for a new structure for the AEB with an eye toward focusing the energy and talents of all members. Moving forward, board activities will be directed in four areas, with sub-committees being chaired by the following: Alumni Annual Giving Committee: ViceChair Daniel Wallance ’00; Alumni Engagement Committee: Vice-Chair Andrew Nathanson ’09; Class Agent Committee: Vice-Chair Jonathan Goldstein ’99; and Leadership Gifts Committee: Vice-Chair Ashok Chachra ’95.

Committees will meet individually to set goals for the year and report back on their initiatives at each full committee meeting.

Members at the meeting all agreed that the AEB is looking ahead to greater alumni engagement in events and networking opportunities in the future.

26

Front row: Abby Kohn ’08, Zachary Tax ’10, Robin Quittell Ponticelli ’94, Rene Lumley-Hall ’96, and Jonathan Goldstein ’99.

Middle row: Ashok Chachra ’95, Rob Levine ’95, Lauren Fortgang Mandell ’87, Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97, Scott Weiss ’96, and Suzanna Cannistraro Napoli ’92.

Back row: Lynette Gioffre, Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, Adam Friedlander ’78, Andrew Nathanson ’09, Coach Gil Castagna, Faculty Representative, Brendan McGuire ’06, and Lisa Hotte Young ’74, Assistant Director of Development for Alumni Affairs.

Alumni Executive Board

New Members Melanie Baevsky ’07

marketing goals. Prior to joining NBCU, Melanie was a IRXQGLQJ PHPEHU RI 3LQWHUHVW¡V 1HZ <RUN RIĂ&#x20AC;FH DQG 7ZLWWHU¡V 1HZ <RUN RIĂ&#x20AC;FH $W 7ZLWWHU 0HODQLH PRYHG RQ to further build and specialize within the Tech vertical as a senior account manager working with large agencies and clients, including Microsoft, LG, and General Electric. Melanie is a graduate of Cornell University.

One of three siblings to graduate from RCDS, Melanie Baevsky is a senior sales leader at NBCUniversal representing digital and third-party assets, including Apple News, Snap, Buzzfeed, Vox, and YouTube. She works with Fortune 100 companies to identify their business challenges and helps them leverage these platforms to achieve their

Melanie Baevsky â&#x20AC;&#x2122;07

Adam Friedlander â&#x20AC;&#x2122;79

Adam Friedlander is president of the Friedlander Group, specializing in Workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Compensation Insurance. He is also the author of two books on the subject. Adam lives in Armonk, N.Y., with his

wife, Lisa. Their daughter, Allie Friedlander (RCDS â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;14), is a senior at Colgate University, and their son David, a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, lives and works in New York City.

Adam Friedlander â&#x20AC;&#x2122;78

Robert Levine â&#x20AC;&#x2122;95

real estate broker, and property manager based in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Robert is married to Dr. Renee Levine, a cosmetic and restorative dentist, and they are the parents of a daughter, Sarah Liliana. Recalling his 13 years as a student at RCDS, Robert says he is excited to return to the RCDS community as a member of the AEB and looks forward to â&#x20AC;&#x153;engaging fellow alumni to further the mission of RCDS.â&#x20AC;?

Robert attended Boston Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School of Business Management, graduating cum laude in 1999. He received his Juris Doctorate from Yeshiva Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2002. Robert subsequently worked at two N.Y.C. Ă&#x20AC;UPV EHIRUH UHWXUQLQJ WR ZRUN IRU D IDPLO\ RZQHG commercial real estate business. Currently he is a self-employed real estate attorney, commercial

Rob Levine â&#x20AC;&#x2122;95

Zachary Tax â&#x20AC;&#x2122;10

Zack graduated from Columbia University in 2014 with a degree in International Relations. He began his professional career at Deutsche Bank, where he worked in Investment Banking and has since transitioned into the Wealth Management Division.

During his time at RCDS, he served as a Peer Leader, captained the wrestling and baseball teams and even made a few cameos in the annual musical. He was the 2010 recipient of the Upper Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alumni Prize.

Zachary Tax â&#x20AC;&#x2122;10

www.ryecountryday.org

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ANNUAL FUND 2018-19

IT TAKES ALL OF US PLEASE MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY

Every gift makes a difference in supporting the next generation of RCDS students. Annual Giving allows us to recruit and retain outstanding faculty, offer financial aid to deserving students, and fund programs in the arts, athletics, community service, and sustainability, to name a few.

To give, go to ryecountryday.org/give, call 914-925-4523, or use the enclosed envelope.

WILDCAT WEEKEND 2017 A sunny Saturday greeted RCDS alumni, from the early risers who participated in the Fun Run for Carver Center, to those who arrived for varsity games and the Headmaster’s Reception.

Hundreds of alumni joined in the fun, which included Fall Fair activities for the children, the Golden Alumni Luncheon,, a panel discussion on Public Purpose, the introduction of UPLIFT, a new mentoring program for girls and women of color, and various Wildcat varsity sports contests. The day culminated with the traditional Headmaster’s Reception and Reunion Dinners for classes ending in “2” and “7.”

Golden Alumni

Luncheon Celebrating the 50th Reunion of the Class of 1967 – WKH ÀUVW 5&'6 FR HG JUDGXDWLQJ FODVV

Alumni Soccer Game

T

he graduation year of 1967 was one of great change throughout the U.S., and also at Rye Country Day. It was LQ WKDW ER\V ÀUVW JUDGXated from twelfth grade, mak-

LQJ WKH &ODVV RI WKH 6FKRRO·V ÀUVW FR HG graduating class. This year’s Golden Alumni lunch brought together 23 members of the Class of 1967, several spouses, and alumni from earlier years. While the group talked about the many changes on campus since their last visit, it was ultimately technology that brought even more of them together on October 21. Through the use of Google Hangouts, Father David Murray ’67 joined the lunch from his home in Rome, offering a blessing in thanks for many years of friendship, and a prayer for those classmates who had passed away. Also joining on this platform were Jane Hallowell ’67 from Kingsland, Tex., and Sidney James Kistin ’67 from Albuquerque.

Sidney’s brother, Tim James ’57, along with Max Ule ’57, Dick Pinkham ’63, and Carol Albert Havlin ’66, joined the 50th Reunion Class in celebrating RCDS bonds. Special thanks go to Kathie Albert Westpheling ’67, who spearheaded the 50th celebration and motivated her team to reach out to every classmate.

Alumni soccer players and coaches: Rob Levine ’95, Michael Schumaker ’09, Ricky Lipsey ’85, Brian Rowe ’03, Coach Dick Pike, Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97, Coach Gil Castagna, Andrea Greer ’83, Robert Herbst ’76, Luke Moran ’04, Dean Melitsanopolous ’05, Antoine Gobin ’07, and Alex Canning ’07.

The RCDS Archives

A wealth of history Archivist Rick Starr discussed a sampling of RCDS treasures he is currently cataloging. www.ryecountryday.org

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WILDCAT WEEKEND 2017

UPLIFT –

A new mentoring program for girls and women of color

During Wildcat Weekend, UPLIFT:

A Girls of Color Mentoring Program held a gathering for current students, their families, and alumni. UPLIFT is a program started by faculty members Charaun Wills and Aundrea Smith through The RCDS Institute for Innovative Teaching and Learning. At the Wildcat Weekend gathering, two Upper School students, Kya Lloyd ’18 and Patricia Bautista ’19, spoke about how their experience at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) motivated them to express the need for a program for girls of color at RCDS. Kya and Patricia led the group in an activity they had learned at the conference - Step into the Circle. The group had the opportunity to move around and learn something new about someone else. After this, Patricia treated the attendees to a spoken word presentation. She recited a piece by Elizabeth Acevedo titled “Afro-Latina.” The audience was moved as Patricia spoke Acevedo’s words with conviction, recounting how Acevedo went from rejecting her roots to embracing them with open arms.

30

The audience also had the privilege of listening to Sarah Dodds-Brown ’91, a current parent and RCDS alumna, speak about her experience at RCDS being one of only a few girls of color. The group was moved by Sarah’s words and the familiarity of her journey.

Public Purpose and

Public Policy Discussion Community Engagement at RCDS

Alumni and student Public Purpose panelists, from left: Merrie Roosa Inderfurth ’67, Patricia Bautista ’19, Angelica Michaca ’18, Will Waddell ’18, Kyle Christopher ’18, Fred Watts ’75, Judy Rosenthal Martinson ’78, and Ann Sullivan (standing).

T

he RCDS motto “Not for Self, But for Service” has guided the School since its founding, and on Wildcat Weekend, alumni and students gathered to discuss how community service at RCDS has played a part in their lives. For many there, values learned during their school years set the stage for a lifetime of personal and professional dedication to community outreach at the local, state, and national levels. The gathering was moderated

by Associate Head of School Ann Sullivan, and the panel included Merrie Roosa Inderfurth ’67 a public policy consultant with

the National Flood Determination Association in Washington, D.C.; Fred Watts ’75, Executive Director of the Police Athletic League of NYC; and Judy Rosenthal Martinson ’78, Executive Director of Fiscal and Program Operations at the Rockland (NY) County District Attorney’s Office. Student panelists were Patricia Bautista ’19, Kyle Christopher ’18, Angelica Michaca ’18 and Will Waddell ’18. Leith Colton ’74, Director of Community Wellness at the Carver Center in Port Chester, joined the conversation and noted the strong ties between RCDS and the Carver Center, a partnership that spans well over 50 years. www.ryecountryday.org

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2

1

4 3

Headmaster’s Reception & Reunion Dinners 32

A

t the Headmaster’s Reception, the penultimate event of Wildcat Weekend, alumni re-connected not only

with classmates, but also with current and former faculty and staff who welcomed the opportunity to learn about the paths their students had taken since graduation.

The celebratory Reunion Dinners opened with Lauren Fortgang Mandell ’87, secretary of the Alumni Executive Board, welcoming everyone and recognizing a few special individuals. In previous years, the award for the alum who had traveled the farthest was a contest between west-coast zip codes. This year, no one could match Amy

5

7

6

1 2

Diana Tompkins Schwatka ’72 and Richard Ricci ’72 accepting the honors for the Class of 1972, which had the highest participation of a Reunion Class in the Alumni Annual Fund.

3

Laurie Pinkham Ballantoni ’92 and Kyle Flik ’87.

4

Matt Stevens ’12 and Jeffrey Grasso ’12.

5 6

7 8

8

Coach Gil Castagna with Michael Wacht ’97 and Jeffrey Lallemand ’97.

9

Lauren Fortgang Mandell ’87, right, presents Amy Paterson ’97 with an RCDS pillow for having traveled from Australia for Reunion 2017.

From left, Amy Wachenheim McCaffery ’97 and Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97 accepting the plaque for the Reunion Class that raised the most money for the Alumni Annual Fund, with Lauren Fortgang Mandell ’87.

Chris Farley ’12 and Andrew Razman ’12 with Upper School Humanities Department Chair Johnny Flynn.

Anthony Henry ’08, Upper School science teacher Charaun Wills, Middle School teaching fellow Renyelle Jimenez ’10, and Laurina Santi ’10.

Samantha Abreu ’12 and Sarah Abreu ’12 with department chairs Kate Ordway (English) and Cathie Bischoff (Science).

Paterson ’97, who accepted her prize for traveling from her home in Australia to attend her 20th Reunion. The Class of 1997 was also recognized as the Reunion Class that had raised the most money for the Alumni Annual Fund, with Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97 and Amy Wachenheim McCaffery ’97 accepting the plaque on behalf of their class. Diana Tompkins Schwatka ’72 and Richard Ricci ’72 accepted the honors for the Class of 1972, as the Reunion Class with the highest participation in the Alumni Annual Fund.

9 www.ryecountryday.org

33

Golden A

lumni

Reunion Classes Class of

1977

Front row: Jane Altman Klopp, Diana Demuth, Cindy Dorsey, Mark Bonham, Lauren Razook Roth, and Vicki Khazzam.

Back row: Steven Aresty, Jamie Probber, Laurie Parks McCulloch, Brooks Ritchey, and Amy Cole Finkelstein.

Golden Alumni: Front row: Maurine Meeker, Dick Lewin ’67, Charlotte Bomfalk Bentley ’67, Kathie Albert Westpheling ’67, Nancy Benson McKittrick ’67, Joan Kerrigan ’67, Susie Eisenberg Fisch ’67, Barbara Howard’67, Elise Bernsten Stanbury ’67, Marianne Woodhuysen Penn ’67, Minna Cook Blair ’67, Susie Lippincott Crase ’67, Max Ule ’57, Timothy James ’57, Joanne Reed, and George Reed ’67.

Back row: Tony Meeker ’67, John Bentley, Paul Westpheling, Helen Rasmussen, David Rasmussen ’67, Meredith Roosa Inderfurth ’67, Gail Thayer Reagan ’67, Chuck Gass, Debbie Reade Christensen ’67, Kathe DeFarkas Gass ’67, Ellen Glaser ’67, Steve Crase, Lory Jennings Gambrill ’67, Dick Pinkham ’63, and Gaffney Feskoe ’67.

1977 Class of

1982

Front row: Lynn Kramer Gallop, Jennifer Kanter Brout, Diane Shapiro Allingham, Caren Osten Gerszberg, Betsy Salamon Suffott, and Margie Binhak Shapiro.

Center row: Kevin Farrell, Frank Hearn, Sarah Gillman, Jennifer Coplan, Julia Hicks de Peyster, and David Kelson.

Back row: Margot Clark-Junkins, David Schorsch, Martin Murray, Deirdre Sheehan DeVita, and David Pinkham ’66.

Class of

1967

1967

Front row: Charlotte Bohmfalk Bentley, Nancy Benson McKittrick, Joan Kerrigan, Susie Eisenberg Fisch, Barbara Howard, Elise Berntsen Stanbury, Marianne Woudhuysen Penn, and Minna Cook Blair.

Back row: Richard Lewin, Kathie Albert Westpheling, David Rasmussen, Tony Meeker, Meredith Roosa Inderfurth, Gail Thayer Reagan, Gaffney Feskoe, Kate DeFarkas Gass, Ellen Glaser, Debbie Reade Christensen, George Reed, Susie Lippincott Crase, and Lory Jennings Gambrill.

Not pictured: Joel Houston and Elizabeth Higgins-Steele.

Class of

1972

From left: Richard Ricci, Ben Nields, Valerie Calderon Schirmer, Jory Probber, Diana Tompkins Schwatka, Michael Robinson, Nancy Derene Seltzer, and Robin Gaynor.

1982 Class of

1987

Front row: Tich-Dong Huynh, Clay Enos, Daryn Mayer, Pam Fitzgerald, Josh Cammaker, Lauren Fortgang Mandell, and Jeff Araten.

Center row: Stephen Koester, Andrea Retsky, Laura Edmiston Carroll, Karen Corrigan Tate, Jonathan Schreiber, and Lynn Kenny.

Back row: Michael Pisacano, Jeff Hammel, Michael Lazar, Adam Kies, David Boxenbaum, and Kyle Flik.

1972 1987 34

Class of

2007

Front row: Naina Sharma, Rachel Liffmann, Ellen Rosengard, Emily Weinstein, and Melanie Baevsky.

Back row: Andrew Collingham, Adam Sharaff, Sam Cross, Chelsea Mitamura, Antoine Gobin, Alex Canning, and Nadia Zatari.

1992 Class of

1992

Front row: Peter Everett, Laurie Levy, and Michele Lallemand Brazil.

Center row: Lisa Goldsmith Siega, Laurie Pinkham Ballantoni, and Susanna Sussman.

Back row: Alex Outman, Carolyn Longbotham Russell, Michael Lurie, Jodi Levkoff Buchbinder, Suzanne Cannistraro Napoli, and Tara Lynch.

Class of

1997

Front row: Lisa Weinberg, Claire Smith Frank, Amy Paterson, Amy Wachenheim McCaffery, Christie Smith Greear, Melissa Mahoney Wirth, Ed Melliza, and Pam Jacobs.

2007

Center row: Scott Rosen, Melissa Magiet, Julie Berenzweig Kligerman, Lauren Tartaglia Guivas, Michael Wacht, and Michael Goodman.

Back row: Alex Burgel, Michelle Freis Dancyger, Jeff Lallemand, Jay Lee, Heather Fletcher Perkins, Julie Ahn Foster, Peter Fackler, and Russell Dritz.

Class of

2012

Front row: Ben Lust, Michael Walsh, Matt Stevens, and Alex Gendelman.

Second row: Nina Stoupnitzky, Erica Baevsky, Taylor Katzovitz, Sydney Brown, Sarah Abreu, Sophie Cohen, Amanda Henick, Sarah Strong, and Kayla Collado.

Third row: Lindsay Hughson, Michael Thomas, Jeff Grasso, Adam Loewentheil, Ari Abboud, Catie Cole, Max Murphy, and Chris Farley.

Back row: Samantha Stavis, Samantha Abreu, Fawzi Abdo, Nick Dunn, Elizabeth Baker, Michael Ince, Amanda Rhine, Andrew Razman, Reid Secondo, Charlotte Grant, and William Kissell.

1997 Class of

2002

Front row: Heather Cook Zachary, Elizabeth Dubin Pugatch, Coach Gil Castagna, Andrew Landesman, and Julia Lawrence.

2012

Back row: Leigh Endersen Morrison, Kimberly Williams Wikes, Natalie Wolfson Baker, Jessica Neiterman, and Douglas McClure.

2002 www.ryecountryday.org

35

2017 Alumni Hockey Team

Kneeling: Coach Anthony Felice, Jack McGovern ’13, Michael Zody ’86, Matthew Schliftman ’96, Tim Schliftman ’01, Rick Lipsey ’85, Jacob Marcus ’04, Eric Nimphius ’06, William Collingham ’04, Robert Grossberg ’86, Chris Clark ’86, Hank Gerson ’86, and Larry Paredes ’86.

THANKSGIVING

Standing: Coach Gil Castagna, Matt Toth ’99, Peter Duncan ’13, Andrew Collingham ’07, Joe Forstbauer ’05, Andrew Wiener ’93, Coach Ted Heintz, Anthony Faustini ’13, Ryan Blatt ’09, Rob Striar ’90, Michael Schumaker ’09, Scott Toth ’96, Andrew Gillen ’13, Michael Ince ’12, Larry Kosilla ’00, Grant Savage ’00, Frank Tedeschi ’17, Scott Weiss ’96, and Coach Frank Effinger.

W

ith coaches Castagna and Effinger on the ice, and coaches Haft and Barile on the court, it was a great evening of sports and camaraderie in the Athletic Center at the Thanksgiving Games. The basketball players played an intense

half-court game, while 30 ice hockey players battled it out until the end. Forty-one years of alumni were on hand to play or cheer their classmates, including Alex Berger ’17, one of the most recent graduates, and six members of the Class of 1986. Coach Effinger’s ice hockey Gold Team edged out Coach Castagna’s Blue Team by a score of 7-6. Larry Kosilla ’00 was named MVP for the Gold Team, with Tim Schliftman ’00 taking the MVP honors for the Blue Team. On the court, Rob Yaffa ’86 played a great game and received the basketball MVP award.

Perhaps the biggest news of the night was the return of Coach Effinger to RCDS – he is now the RCDS Middle School ice hockey coach with Coach Castagna.

2017 Alumni Basketball Team

Coaches Gil Castagna and Frank Effinger with Ice hockey MVPs Tim Schliftman ’01 and Larry Kosilla ’00.

Front row: Robert Yaffa ’86, Alex Gardner ’84, and Michael Pfeffer ’84.

Back row: Joey Connor ’09, Coach Brendan Barile, Luis Giuria, and Lauren Thomas ’09.

36

Basketball MVP Robert Yaffa ’86 with Athletic Director Wendy Haft.

class notes Fall/Winter 2017-18

1954

Local historian Paul Hicks’s profile of Edith Gwynne Read ’22 was featured in The Rye Record on November 17, 2017. Visit www.

RyeRecord.com to read it.

1968

50th Reunion The Class of 1968 will celebrate its 50th Reunion on October 13, 2018. Merrily Gerrish and Tom Sperry are working to build a committee to touch base with classmates near and far.

Eric Miller writes, “After publishing my sixth book, Playing for their Lives, in 2017 under my professional name, Eric Booth, I was on the road much of the year with major projects in Norway, South Korea, Scotland, and with the International Teaching Artist Conference.

The Lincoln Center Education Teaching Artist Development Lab, and Artist Year (a new Teach for America for artists) are now major projects.” We hope Eric has Reunion 2018 on his calendar!

1970 Elizabeth Weinberg Smith, former assistant commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, has been named the new president and chief executive of the Central Park Conservancy. Read more in the New York Times article: nyti.ms/2Cdz5ZW

1973

45th Reunion Eric Tillman and Susan Blair Brew have started reaching out to classmates to ensure a great turn out at Reunion 2018 on October 13.

Check Facebook for the new group Eric has created and enjoy some wonderful old photos of classmates and former faculty.

1974 Ted Prince is featured in an article, originally published in the American Journal of Transportation, about the company he founded, Tiger Cool Express: bit.ly/2Ao8Teb Corey Shanus is a long-time collector of sports memorabilia. His hobby was featured in the October 27, 2017, edition of The New York Times: nyti.ms/2zbVvN3

1975 Anne Schad Verril is an accomplished open water swimmer who regularly practices and competes in the cold waters off the coast of Maine. In 2017, she was pleased to be joined by new Maine resident Merf Levy ’72 and even more pleased when they discovered they are both RCDS alumni.

1976 Congratulations to Robert Herbst on yet another power lifting record, this one at the World Drug Free Power Lifting Federation Championships in Rockland, Mass.

1977 Congratulations to Jim Barnett, whose product, Glint Narrative Intelligence, was named the top Human Resources product of the year.

Read more at: bit.ly/2fP6IuH

1978

40th Reunion Class Agents Mary Beth Gruber, Jody Ann Sabia Pongratz, and Mark Solomon are excited to work together on Reunion 2018. Stay tuned for emails from them about special plans for October 13, 2018 – your 40th RCDS Reunion!

Mark Solomon has just joined the law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman as the Managing Partner in its new Dallas office.

1979 Michael Feinberg writes from his home in California: “Not one, but two natural disasters all within the space of 3 weeks! As of this writing my lovely Montecito is being reassembled after first the Thomas fire and then the devastating mud flows. Three evacuations were required in total. I know that I have been a silent alum for years, however I felt compelled to talk about this tragedy, which was so recent. The Thomas Fire was the largest in California history and burned for weeks all the way from Santa Paula to Montecito, where I live - 440 square miles in total and destroyed 1063 homes.

Following this, 3 weeks later on the morning of January 9th, I woke up to the sound of a freight train and the brightest orange sky that you could imagine... it was a gas line that exploded from the boulders. This mudslide destroyed 129 homes as well as 17 businesses and damaged 307 single-family residences.

All within a block of where I live! There were 21 dead as well as two still missing, and for the next several days once we were evacuated helicopters looking for survivors. A surreal experience in my idyllic hometown. I have a new perspective on life and I’m glad to be here.”

Michael Feinberg ’79, his wife, Cynthia, and their children, Arielle, Dan, and Jason.

It was terrific to have Midge Kyle Iorio on campus in October to meet with the faculty/ staff Sustainability Committee. Midge is the Executive Director of Bedford 20/20, which focuses on sustainability and reducing carbon emissions in Bedford, N.Y.

1980 Jamie Allen writes that he is “coming up on my twelfth year as Education Director for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. During that time I have enjoyed developing and presenting scores of programs and concerts for thousands of children and adults, designed to inspire and nurture a lifelong passion for music.

We live on White Rock Lake, and have grown to love Dallas, both as a livable city and as a vibrant arts center (fellow RCDS alums are welcome to come visit!). Our daughter, Christine, who loves building and living in tree houses, is a designer and advertising art director in New York. Our son, Austin, is currently a graduate fellow in percussion at SMU and is taking auditions for major symphony orchestras.”

Congratulations to John Treacy Egan, who won the award for Outstanding Male Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical at the Theater Bay Area Award 2017 Celebration for his performance in La Cage Aux Folles. Watch for John this spring in the Lincoln Center revival of My Fair Lady!

Susan Merdinger writes, “I am delighted to announce my new appointment to the Piano Faculty at Concordia University in Chicago.”

1981 Special thanks to dance teacher Barry Brinker Jones for presenting a fabulous workshop to the seventh - and eighth-grade Theater Jazz class in February. Barry and her family live in Cape Elizabeth, Me.

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1992 Nutritionist and longevity expert Daryl Gioffre is the author of a new book, Get Off Your Acid, focusing on the benefits of an alkaline diet.

Carolyn Longbotham Russell was one of three crew members from American Yacht Club, sailing with skipper Megan Ploch, who captured the win at the International Women’s Keelboat Championship in August 2017, in Lake Alvarado, Mexico. In 2016, the AYC team won the championship with RCDS Grade 9 Dean Clemmie Everett at the helm.

Barry Brinker Jones ’81 (standing, third from right) with students in the grades 7 and 8 Theater Jazz class, and RCDS dance instructor Ashley Zanon (kneeling, left).

1982 In September, Julia Hicks de Peyster and her family were quite taken with the documentary California Typewriter, featuring actor Tom Hanks, who is known to collect and give away vintage typewriters. Julia’s husband, Nick, decided to write to Hanks asking for one, promising his family would use it regularly.

Read the rest of the story on the Boston Globe’s website or at: bit.ly/2EXnsLC

1983

35th Reunion Congratulations to Andrea Greer on completing her first New York Marathon on November 5, 2017. In January 2018, Andie earned her LMSW degree from NYU. Andie has also been asked to become an assistant coach for the Westchester/Fairfield Team in Training (a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society team).

Members of the RCDS champion 1983 boys’ basketball team had dinner with Coach John Sabia in November 2017. This group is always well represented at the annual RCDS Thanksgiving Alumni Games.

1994 Congratulations to Sophie Jacobi-Parisi, who has just been named as a partner at Warshaw & Burstein LLP in its Matrimonial & Family Law practice.

1998

20th Reunion After nine years at the New York Public Library, Shayla Titley has joined the Central Park Conservancy as director of membership.

In September 2017, Shayla participated in the Westchester Super Sprint Triathalon – after only learning to swim the previous February. Congratulations, Shayla, and thanks for signing on to work on your upcoming 20th Reunion!

2001

Nick Shalek lives in California with his wife, Christine, and their daughter, Phoebe. Nick was one of several California alumni who visited with former Humanities Chair Rich Strean on his visit in December 2017.

Jesse Redniss, chief innovation officer at Turner and TBS, talks about the future of TV in an interesting article on deadline.com: bit. ly/2jVe6DB

1995 Congratulations to David Greenbaum on his appointment as CFO of the CPI Property Group.

David Winter and his wife, Annelise, welcomed twin boys, Axel and Gunnar, on July 30, 2017.

1996 Randy Harden and Lindsey Averill welcomed their first child, Sam Issow Harden, on August 2, 2107. Lindsey has been very busy promoting her award-winning documentary, Fattitude, about body shaming and body positivity.

1997 Keith Calder and his wife, Jess, are producing the upcoming zombie comedy, Little Monsters.

Read more at Screendaily.com bit.ly/2z5mtF2 The Calders’ new film, Blindspotting, will be released internationally by Lionsgate Cory Belnick Kercher is a pediatrician in Manhattan and the parent of twin daughters in Grade 2 at RCDS. On February 14, Cory met with and spoke to the Upper School club, WISE – Women in Science and Engineering.

It is always terrific to have alumni share their RCDS experiences with current students.

Nick Shalek, his wife, Christine, and their daughter, Phoebe.

2002

Congratulations to Dani Hager and Timothy Riker, who were married in Central Park on October 28, 2017. Dani has just wrapped up her run as Francesca in The Bridges of Madison County at the Elmwood Playhouse in Nyack, N.Y. No less a theater critic than Cary Fuller proclaimed Dani “superb!”

Julia Lawrence writes, “I was married on August 13, 2017, to Sam Moin in a small ceremony followed by a trivia-centric reception (a continuation of my post-Jeopardy life) in our favorite bar in Narberth, Penn.

2003

15th Reunion Andrea Valdes Jenny and her husband, Jacques, welcomed a daughter, Sawyer Louisa Jenny, on November 24, 2017. Sawyer joins older brother Parker.

Coach John Sabia (seated) with George Stein ’83, Angelo Fazio ’84, David Miller ’83, Rich Williams ’85, Billy Cooper ’83, Alex Gardner ’84, and Michael Pfeffer ’84.

Congratulations to Horia and Amanda Garris Saulean who welcomed their first child, son Everett Dean Saulean, on November 24, 2017.

1987

Cookbook author Julia Turshen published an op-ed piece, Feeding the Resistance, in the New York Times in October 2017. nyti. ms/2y2SdK8. On November 16, Julia was the featured speaker at the 92nd Street Y in New York City as part of the Y’s Kitchen Arts and Letters series. Julia’s newest cookbook is Feed the Resistance: Recipes and Ideas for Getting Involved.

Jed Hartman has been named to the “Adweek 50” list of indispensable executives across marketing, media, and technology. Read more on the Washington Post’s website or at: wapo. st/2jy0WLQ 38

Cory Belnick Kercher ’97 with members of the Upper School club WISE - Women in Science and Engineering.

2005

Photographer and filmmaker Rachel Boillot was featured in a piece published by the online journal The Daily Yonder: bit.ly/2gbDUJO. You can see more of Rachel’s work at www. rachelboillot.com.

Peter Henningsen was delighted to have the chance to visit with former Humanities Chair Rich Strean in California in late 2017.

2006

Josh Bennett says this about his powerful and beautiful new poem: “I have a new poem— about my father, who was one of the first black students to attend, and graduate from, his high school in Alabama back in the late 60s—featured in this most recent issue of The Nation. Today, and every day, I am immensely grateful for his courage, his example, and his abiding love.” Read Josh’s poem at www. thenation.com/article/america-will-be/ Congratulations to Emily Cole, who has just started a new job with the law firm Kaplan & Co., LLP. Emily Lindon and Lucas Muller were married on September 9, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Emily holds a Psy.D., has a private practice in D.C., and serves as assistant clinical professor of Clinical Psychology for The George Washington University’s Professional Psychology Program.

Former faculty member Rich Strean and Peter Henningsen ’05.

Wedding bells rang for Julie Kohn and Bradley Cohen on October 15, 2017, at Stoneover Farm in Lenox, Mass. Bradley is an associate in the New York office of the Chicago law firm Mayer Brown, and Julie is the associate director of marketing at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

R. Brendan Mooney and Margot Gianis were married on May 20, 2017, at the Central Presbyterian Church in Summit, N.J.

Wedding bells rang on November 4, 2017, in Charleston, S.C., for Brooks Vardell and Trygve Hoff. Brooks is an associate veterinarian at the Keswick Equine Clinic in Gordonsville,Va.

Raishaun McGhee was featured on the cover of the Harvard University football publication in October 2017. Raishaun now lives in New York City, where he works as an analyst for Credit Suisse.

2014 Eric Herbst, a senior goaltender, led Lafayette College to the DII Championship of the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference in February. They beat LaSalle University 4-3 in a hard fought semifinal and Susquahanna University 5-1 in the final.

Summer Kitahara is a senior at Carnegie Mellon University. In summer of 2017, Summer was a software engineer intern at Facebook in Menlo Park, Calif.

Cynthia Luo posted a terrific photo when Upper School Science Chair Cathie Bischoff visited Cynthia at Harvard. Noted Cynthia, “When your HS bio teacher insists you call her “Cathie” and you suddenly feel very old.

Thanks for being the greatest, Mrs. Bischoff, for visiting me and for crashing Lowell tea!!

100% made my day”

2008

10th Reunion In an October 2017 post, the New York Times profiled Gregg Cohenca’s new line of athletic wear, named Jacques, which features a restrained color palette and natural materials.

Read more: nyti.ms/2fZrZhz Jessica Ostrau and Zachary Gray were married on October 7, 2017, at Cedar Lakes Estate in Orange County, N.Y. Michael Sandwick is one of several alumni who had a chance to catch up with former Humanities Chair Rich Strean during Rich’s recent trip to California.

2009 Guests at the wedding of Brendan Mooney ’05 and Margot Gianis included RCDS alumni Victoria Williams Hennes ’05, Joe Di Chiacchio ‘05, Anthony Amicucci ’05, Avery Woods ‘05, Elizabeth Mooney ’02, Jed Serby ’05, Tom Segal ’05, Ryan Moses ’05, Ted Smith ’05, and Duncan Hennes ’05.

Congratulations to Dr. Cara Rock-Singer, who successfully defended her dissertation, Prophetesses of the Body: American Jewish Women and the Politics of Embodied Knowledge, at Columbia University in January 2018. Cara is a visiting lecturer in Cornell University’s Department of Science and Technology Studies.

Lindsey Fried writes, “I started my own private college counseling firm, Simply Admissions, after receiving a certificate in Independent Educational Consulting from the University of California, Irvine.”

Cynthia Luo ’14 and Upper School Science Department Chair Cathie Bischoff

2017 Jeffrey Chen was pleased to see former Humanities Chair Rich Strean when Rich was visiting California in December 2017.

2010

Caroline Holden and David Niccolai were married on September 16, 2017, in Jackson, Wyo.

2013

5th Reunion Class of 2013 Class Agents held their first conference call in February to plan for their Fifth Reunion! Adam Alpert has taken the lead and is building a robust committee of classmates to ensure a great turnout.

Jeffrey Chen ’17 with Rich Strean.

class notes

Fall/Winter 2017-18

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In Memoriam

Alumni Jane Stanton Pickett ’39 passed away on October 6, 2017.

Although she left RCDS in the middle of her senior year to plan her wedding to George Edward Pickett (Lt. Gen. U.S. Army, dec.), then a student at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Jane always stayed in touch with RCDS. Married life took George and Jane to postings from Alabama to Taiwan, before they settled in northern Virginia. Predeceased by her husband and daughter Jane Pickett Sounders, Jane is survived by her children George Pickett, Jr., Thomas Pickett, and Sharon Pickett Mills, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. The school was happy to grant Jane an honorary diploma on the occasion of her 93rd birthday, a celebration that garnered much media attention.

Edna Blair Alexander Paddock ’50 died on August 24, 2017, in San Antonio, Tex. A lifetime patron of the arts, Blair particularly enjoyed the symphony, ballet, and opera. She is predeceased by her husband, Robert, and is survived by her three daughters, Susan and Carolyn Paddock, and Cynthia Paddock Doroghazi.

Marcia Gail Meldram Mitchell ’63 passed away on October 15, 2017. A resident of Malvern, Penn., Marcia was predeceased by her parents, William and Ruth Meldram, and is survived by her three children, William, Tracy, and Todd, and seven grandchildren.

Friends Harry M. Dunning of Shelburne Falls, Vt., died on August 22, 2017, after a long illness. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, former faculty member Jane R. Dunning, by his daughter, Deborah Dunning Ponoroff, his son, Harry M. Dunning, Jr., and seven grandchildren.

Jack Kabcenell, the first mayor of the Village of Rye Brook after it was incorporated in 1982, died on October 1, 2017. He was predeceased by his wife, Vivian. His survivors include his three children, Amy Kabcenell, Ellen Kabcenell Wayne ’71 and Brian Kabcenell ’74.

Larry Rowe, of Norwalk, Conn., died on December 27, 2017, at Norwalk Hospital, surrounded by family and loved ones. Predeceased by his parents, Mr. Rowe is survived by his wife, Nancy, two children, Adrienne Rowe and Brian Rowe ’03, and by his four siblings.

Dr. Richard Fraser, of Rye, NY, passed away on September 14, 2017. Prior to his retirement, Dr. Fraser was the chief of Neurosurgery at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He is survived by his wife, Anne Rasmussen Fraser ’71, and four children, Cynthia, Heather, Eliza, and Emily, and by two grandchildren.

Sandra Kass, of Miami, Fla., died on September 7, 2017. She is survived by her husband, Howard Shaffer, daughter Jill Eskenazi ’80, son Robert Simensky ’82, stepdaughter Ellen Shaffer, five grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren.

Lincoln Stevenson died peacefully at home on September 23, 2017. A longtime resident of Rye and Key Largo, Fla., he is survived by his wife, former RCDS Upper School English teacher Anne Stevenson (known to many alumni as Anne Chapin), his three sons, Jeffrey ’78, Christopher ’82, and Nicholas ’84, and ten grandchildren.

Thomas Gilbert of Purchase, New York, passed away on September 9, 2017.

Mr. Gilbert was predeceased by his wife, Roseanne, and by his sons, Evan and Clifford Gilbert. He is survived by his children, William Gorlin, Wendy Gorlin Tayer ’79, and Douglas Gorlin ’84, and five grandchildren.

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Michele Marsh passed away at her home in South Kent, Conn., on October 17, 2017. A multiple Emmy Award-winning newscaster, Ms. Marsh is survived by her son, John Paschall ’10.

Irwin Rofman died on October 22, 2017, after a long illness. Known to all as “Boysie,” he was the husband of longtime RCDS faculty member Harriet Rofman. In addition to his wife, Boysie is survived by his children, Robert '79 and Susan Rofman Buckser '82, and by seven grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son, Jonathan.

RCDS 150 The 2018-19 school year marks the 150th anniversary of Rye Country Day School’s founding in 1869. Events are planned throughout the year for all members of the RCDS community to celebrate the School’s rich history and its exciting plans for the future.

RCDS Block Party – Sunday, September 16, 2018 Kick off the 150th year celebration at the opening of the newest addition to the RCDS campus – The Cohen Center for the Creative Arts. Featuring food trucks, children’s activities, and interactive tours of The Cohen Center.

Wildcat Weekend & Reunion – Friday & Saturday, October 12 & 13, 2018 Events will include the Alumni Hall of Fame Dinner on Friday, and an array of alumni and family offerings on Saturday, including Fall Fair, the Fun Run, and athletic contests. In addition, a special Saturday reception will honor current and past faculty.

150th Anniversary Gala – Saturday, April 13, 2019 The 150th Anniversary Gala, sponsored by the Parents Association, will be an elegant celebration honoring the storied history of RCDS.The evening will feature dinner and dancing, and will be a special opportunity for the RCDS community to mark the School’s 150th year - save the date, you won’t want to miss it!

RCDS is also excited to announce the publication of a commemorative book about the history of the School, featuring archival pictures and stunning contemporary photography. The book will be released in conjunction with the 150th Anniversary Gala in April 2019. To reserve your copy, or for more information, please contact Lynette Gioffre, Director of Development, at 914-925-4523.

Rye Country Day School Rye, New York 10580-2034

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