RCDS Spring 2022 • The Magazine for the Rye Country Day School Community
BULLE TI N
A TRANSFORMATIVE TENURE Scott A. Nelson Retires After 29 Outstanding Years
Inside: Fall ’21/Winter ’22 Moments | RCDS Events | Faculty Q&A | Alumni Class Notes
RYE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 2021-2022 BOARD OF TRUSTEES
ALUMNI EXECUTIVE BOARD
Leigh Geller President
Scott Weiss ’96 President
Elizabeth Shah-Hosseini Vice President
Thomas Alston ’05 Joshua Bennett ’06 Melanie Baevsky Besvinick ’07 Jonathan Goldstein ’99 Andrew Nathason ’09 Robin Quittell Ponticelli ’94 Zachary Tax ’10 Daniel Wallance ’00
Fernando Rivas Treasurer Blanca Hirani Secretary Andrew Adams Susan Bao Jennifer Blake Thomas Davidson Tyler Dickson Sarah Dodds-Brown ’91 William Featherston Amy Chen Fisch Eric Geveda Alison Hinds-Pearl Jennifer Kherani, MD Michael Lazar ’87 Tina Mathias Blair Endresen Metrailler ’96 Ben Moss ’93 Patty Perez Cindy Ganis Roskind ’90, MD Jeffrey Talpins Susheel Torgalkar Andrew Wallach Jinghua Yan
EX OFFICIO: HONORARY FACULTY Gil A. Castagna, Jr. EX OFFICIO: ALUMNI TRUSTEES Sarah Dodds-Brown ’91 Michael B. Lazar ’87 Blair Endresen Metrailler ’96 Ben Moss ’93 Cindy Ganis Roskind ’90 EX OFFICIO: MEMBERS Scott A. Nelson Head of School Lynette Gioffre Director of Advancement Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97 Manager of Alumni Relations
Scott Weiss ’96 Alumni Executive Board President Victoria Maggard Parents Association President TRUSTEES EMERITI Edward B. Dunn Frederick A. Klingenstein♦ Michael C. Murr Carmen Ribera-Thain ’75 Edgar Wachenheim III Kim Wachenheim Wagman ’84 ♦ Deceased
CREDITS On the Cover: Scott A. Nelson portrait by Dana Maxson Photography Editor: Dania Abu-Shaheen Alumni Content Editor: Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97 Photography: RCDS staff photographers and Dana Maxson Photography Design: Rose Creative Group ryecountryday @ryecountryday @ryecountryday @willythewildcat for athletic updates
CONTENTS UP FRONT
VISUAL ARTS
2 From the Head of School
42 US Photo Exhibition
ON CAMPUS
4 Highlights From RCDS FEATURES
20 Scott A. Nelson A Leader of Quiet Confidence and Deep Integrity 28 Wildcat Weekend Returns ATHLETICS
34 Fall and Winter Sports PERFORMING ARTS
40 Festival Chorus Concert US Musical Winter Choral & Instrumental Concerts US Choreography Showcase
LS/MS Art Exhibition US 3D Art Show FACULTY Q&A
44 MS Drama Teacher Kate Henerey PARENTS ASSOCIATION
46 Our Year of Community 48 Blue & Gold Benefit ALUMNI
50 New Executive Board Members 51 Class News & Notes 55 In Memoriam
FROM THE
HEAD of SCHOOL Dear RCDS Community,
As I enter the final months of my 29-year tenure as head of Rye Country Day School, I find myself reflecting on how much the School has evolved since I started back in 1993. With a highly selective admissions process, the School has grown to 935 students, including 39% students of color. I have had the opportunity to hire 96% of the current faculty and staff. The campus, which has increased slightly to 26 acres, has been completely renovated or expanded with new facilities. The School’s financial position is very strong with outstanding support for Annual Giving and an RCDS Endowment Fund that now exceeds $70 million. The curriculum has evolved and now includes more Advanced Placement, STEAM, and technology offerings. I knew from my prior experience as a teacher/coach and high school principal at Hackley that Rye Country Day was a wonderful opportunity, and the 1992 position statement for the Head of School search process certainly pointed to great potential for the next Head. I must admit, however, that what we have been able to accomplish during these past three decades far exceeds my initial hopes and dreams. Of course, there has been an extensive team supporting the efforts to fulfill the School’s potential these past 29 years. Once again, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to the various constituencies who have worked hard and given generously of their time, energy, and resources to make so much possible for our students here at RCDS. Let me start by thanking the trustees on the Head of School Search Committee back in 1992 who had the confidence to offer me, a first-time head of school, the opportunity to lead RCDS— Michael Murr, Christy Mack, Ed Wachenheim, and Susan Berndt Mahoney ’69. This was an opportunity that changed my personal and professional life, and their continuing, unwavering support from the very start of my tenure provided a solid foundation for moving the School forward. During my tenure, I have worked with 12 board chairs who have served in partnership with me and our administration in leading the school community. Together, we worked with committees to develop three strategic plans that provided road maps for the School’s evolution and conducted three increasingly more successful capital campaigns that generated the resources to meet the goals stated in those plans. Board chairs, like a head’s spouse or partner, are the trustees who best understand the challenges that a head of school faces at any given time. Without a doubt, their full support and commitment have been instrumental in my successful tenure. I have enjoyed working with the dozens of trustees who have served on the Board, volunteering their time and expertise to the important work of various Board committees. They have been dedicated in their roles as fiduciaries, advisors, strategic thinkers, sounding boards, and fundraisers. In this sense, they have epitomized the School’s motto, Not for Self, but for Service, and I personally appreciate all that I have learned from them in the process.
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On countless occasions, I have said that the heart of a school is the faculty, staff, and administrators. They bring their expertise, passion, and dedication to school on a daily basis; they work hard to fulfill the RCDS mission, even during the most challenging times such as these past two years of the pandemic. In addition, they have contributed immensely to the evolution and forward movement of the School over time. That was the case when I assumed the headship of RCDS, and it continues to be the case today. The School has benefitted tremendously from the generosity and ongoing commitment of our parents, parents of alumni, grandparents, and alumni. So much of what we have been able to accomplish—competitive salaries and benefits, student support services, increased financial aid, major campus renovations and expansion, a growing endowment, and new programs—has been made possible by the incredible support of the entire RCDS community. Thank you for providing the resources that have made it possible to pursue excellence in every respect. I want to thank our students who have been so impressive throughout my tenure, and especially so these past two years. Our current students have demonstrated their resilience and enthusiasm for learning throughout the pandemic. It has been challenging in so many ways, but our students have persisted. I am so pleased that life at school for them appears to be returning to normal. We are again enjoying seeing their contributions in the classroom, on the stage, in the athletic arena, and in our broader community. Finally, I have had the opportunity to watch over 2,500 RCDS alumni graduate and go on to very successful college careers and adult lives. One of the true “rewards” of a long tenure as head of a school is seeing the growth and development of students over the decades! Our alumni are impressive RCDS ambassadors, and their successes are inspiring to our current students who will be joining their ranks in the future. I have been most fortunate to have the opportunity to lead Rye Country Day School during these past 29 years. I am extremely proud of the large “team effort” that has made the School’s growth and evolution possible, and I will remain eternally grateful to all who have contributed so much to the success of our wonderful school. With heartfelt gratitude and appreciation, Scott A. Nelson Head of School
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O RY E C O U N T RY DAY ’ S O U T S TA N D I N G
Class of 2022 Throughout your RCDS careers, you have impressed, inspired, and invigorated us. We are proud of your many accomplishments and contributions to our community. Welcome to the alumni family!
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S A L S O to the Class of 2026 on your Middle School graduation. We look forward to following and celebrating your achievements in the Upper School to our Fourth Graders on the occasion of your moving-up. We can’t wait to watch and applaud your Middle School adventures.
This publication went to print prior to the events celebrating these milestones. More detailed coverage of all of our graduations will follow in later publications.
NEWS
NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY AUTHORITY
Approves Land Sale to Rye Country Day School
On
January 31, 2022, Rye Country Day School announced that the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) voted to approve the sale of an 8.971acre parcel of land to RCDS. The School intends to develop the parcel, which is located across the Boston Post Road from the RCDS campus, into athletic fields and facilities that will be available for use by both RCDS and the public. The purchase and development of the land will be funded completely by RCDS through a future capital campaign. Proposed plans for the parcel have yet to be finalized, but items under consideration include a combination of indoor and outdoor facilities for soccer, lacrosse, track & field, basketball and numerous other sports, as well as open areas, walkways and parking for spectators. The final development plan will be determined by the RCDS Board of Trustees and will be subject to all applicable zoning
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and other regulations. RCDS hopes to have the facilities ready for the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Head of School Scott Nelson said, “This is a win-win for RCDS and the surrounding community. We are excited to be creating additional and much-needed athletic facilities for use by RCDS, as well as youth in and around the Rye and Port Chester areas, especially fast-draining, artificial turf fields for use by local soccer, lacrosse and other sports leagues. RCDS has a long history of partnering successfully with youth athletic groups in our community, including Rye Youth Soccer, Rye Youth Lacrosse and Rye City Schools, and we believe the facilities envisioned will benefit families in and around Rye and Port Chester for generations to come.”
Mr. Nelson continued, “The construction of I-95 significantly reduced the size of the RCDS athletic fields over 60 years ago. The transaction announced today will restore our ability to create much needed facilities to benefit both our students and families throughout the area. We want to thank the Thruway Authority and the New York State Legislature for their support and cooperation throughout this process.” Leigh Geller, President of the RCDS Board of Trustees, stated, “This transaction represents a significant financial undertaking by RCDS, but one that we believe will bring long-term benefits to RCDS as well as our neighboring communities. Additional athletic facilities are a significant area of need for RCDS, the City of Rye, Port Chester, and other surrounding communities, and we are pleased to be able to support the creation of modern, state of the art fields and indoor playing areas that will serve the next generations of local athletes. We are also thrilled to extend our partnerships with local youth groups and to enable their use of these new facilities at nominal or no cost.” Under the terms authorized by the NYSTA, RCDS would purchase the approximately 9-acre parcel for $5.16 million, which represents fair market value for the property based on two independent appraisals by firms selected by the NYSTA. The development cost for the property is currently estimated to be approximately $30 million. The entire cost of the sale and development will be borne by RCDS. The new facilities will be made available by RCDS for public use approximately 30 percent of the time, pursuant to a shared use agreement adopted by the New York State legislature. Read more about the history behind the Thruway Property and Scott A. Nelson’s efforts to secure this historic approval on page 36.
FALL AND WINTER HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights from Rye Country Day INCOMING UPPER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL PETER QUAGLIAROLI
Mr. Quagliaroli taught and coached at two additional independent schools before joining Groton School. He was at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia, where he served as a high school English teacher, Assistant Coach for Varsity Boys’ Soccer, and Head Coach for JV Boys’ Soccer. He moved to The Westminster Schools after three years at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts as an English teacher, Head Soccer Coach, Class Advisor, Dormitory Head, and Club Director.
In February, Head of School Scott Nelson announced that Peter Quagliaroli, former Head of the Upper School at St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia, will be Rye Country Day School’s new Upper School Principal starting in July 2022. At St. Anne’s-Belfield School, Mr. Quagliaroli was responsible for all aspects of daily operations for Grades 9 through 12, including curriculum, teaching and learning, departmental and division strategy, and communications. In addition to handling all administrative responsibilities, he oversaw the Residential Life Program involving 86 boarding students and 12 residential faculty. The many accomplishments during Mr. Quagliaroli’s tenure included redesigning the daily schedule, a partnership with the University of Chicago Marine Biology Lab, contributing to a DEI strategic plan, and remodeling the student government and disciplinary committee. Mr. Quagliaroli was also actively involved in St. Anne’s-Belfield School’s COVID-19 task force.
Prior to assuming his administrative duties as Head of the Upper School, Mr. Quagliaroli served as St. Anne’sBelfield School’s Director of College Counseling for two years. In that role, he designed and implemented strategic changes to dramatically improve student outcomes. He was recruited for the college counseling position from Groton School in Massachusetts, where he was the Associate Director of College Counseling from 2007 to 2014, and an English teacher from 2001 to 2014. During his 13 years at Groton, Mr. Quagliaroli held various other responsibilities including Grade Chair, responsible for academic programs for the junior and senior classes, Co-Chair of the Curriculum and Program Review for the Third Form (Grade 9), and Boys’ Varsity Soccer Coach.
Mr. Quagliaroli holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in American Literature & Jazz Music from Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Cornell University, where he also played soccer. He is a graduate of The Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Mr. Quagliaroli is also currently completing his M.Ed. in Administration & Supervision at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development. In addition, he is a candidate for a Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and Business School.
MODERNISM IN THE MAKERSPACE Using the principles of Surrealism, Bauhaus, or Dadaism, Grade 10 World History 2 students visited the RCDS Makerspace to create art projects to represent their interpretation of our modern world. The students’ original works incorporated a range of tools and materials (3D printing, found objects, and laser cutting, to name a few), and they were later displayed in the Cohen Center for the Creative Arts. The interdisciplinary project provided a hands-on opportunity for students to deepen their learning about modernism and how the developments of the 20th century influenced art.
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2022 YOUNG PHYSICISTS TOURNAMENT (YPT) Rye Country Day continued its involvement with the U.S. Invitational Young Physicists Tournament (USIYPT), an annual physics research and debate tournament for high school students. The 2022 tournament was held in North Carolina with only four teams participating in person due to COVID travel restrictions and inclement weather. The YPT organization held a poster session for remote participants, and RCDS students submitted their work on two of the four problems and received hand-written feedback from their peers. In the hopes of seeing more of other teams’ work, RCDS contacted Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire and the Harker School in California, two teams that also participated remotely. The three schools held an informal Zoom session during which RCDS presented three problems and watched six presentations from the other schools. Fruitful discussions of the research followed. The collaborative event fostered a sense of camaraderie as the teams compared their methods of addressing theoretical and experimental challenges.
“I commend Rye Country Day’s YTP team for adapting to the circumstances, remaining dedicated, and carrying out their research with diligence. The ‘friendly physics fights’ with Harker and Exeter were fun to watch. Congratulations to all on a job well done!” — Dr. Mary Krasovec, YPT Coach and Upper School Science Teacher
BUILDING DIVERSE NETWORKS Six RCDS Upper School student leaders participated in the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) 27th Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). The five-day virtual conference helped over 2,000 participating student delegates from across the United States and abroad build new, diverse networks as they developed crosscultural communication skills, designed effective strategies for social justice, and learned the foundations of allyship. Concurrently, eight RCDS faculty and staff delegates participated the NAIS People of Color Conference (POCC), which supports educators at all levels in becoming active leaders in improving the interracial, interethnic, and intercultural climate in their school communities. This year, RCDS partnered with Hackley School to co-host two in-person gatherings for participants from each school; Hackley welcomed students for the first session, and RCDS hosted the second. At each gathering, students participated in the virtual conference sessions and then engaged in thoughtful discussions with peers and teachers.
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SUMOBOTS ROBOTICS TOURNAMENT Rye Country Day hosted a Sumobots robotics tournament on Saturday, March 5, 2022, in the Cohen Center for the Creative Arts. Eighteen RCDS students in Grades 3 through 6 competed against teams from Hackley School and Long Ridge School. The tournament, which was a follow-up to an earlier event at Hackley School in December, was a culmination of several months of building and learning for both experienced and new Sumobots program participants. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the students’ accomplishments and encourage their continued progress. The Sumobots robotics program gives students an opportunity to learn about engineering and coding, practice their problem solving skills, and collaborate in small groups in a fun and competitive environment that values cooperation, team spirit, and perseverance. Students learn how to build, design, and program a Lego Mindstorms EV3 robot that pushes its competitor robot outside of the battle zone. In doing so, they must weigh the benefits and drawbacks of various engineering approaches, take into account weight distribution and center of gravity, and integrate sensors and intelligent behavior into their robotics programming. Sumobots students are encouraged to share their creations, programs, and strategies so that all participants can benefit from and improve upon each other’s work.
UPPER SCHOOL CLASS VISIT:
EXPAND, ENRICH, CONNECT ... LINGUA! LINGUA is a student mentoring program in the RCDS Modern Language Department that extends language experiences beyond the classroom and builds partnerships between Middle and Upper School students. LINGUA participants apply their learning of modern languages while engaging with schoolmates, resulting in language enrichment and community building. Speaking Chinese, French, and Spanish, Middle and Upper School students meet once a cycle to have lunch together, play culturally authentic games, watch culturally relevant films, and develop and present original stories. LINGUA groups are based on languages, and each group is run by an Upper School student ambassador. The dedicated 2021-22 ambassadors, tenth graders Valerie Umanzor ’24 (Spanish and French) and Yoyo Wang ’24 (Chinese), have been delighted to see how much their Middle School partners enjoy the program and how expressive they are in their respective languages. Occasionally, US Modern Language students join LINGUA meetings to work with the ambassadors on a specific topic, for extra review or just for some language learning fun.
FILMMAKER AND PRODUCER GRANT JOHNSON ’10
Grant Johnson ’10 visited Ms. Hallen’s Advanced Film and Film 1 and 2 classes to speak with Upper School students about his work as a professional filmmaker and producer. Mr. Johnson’s recent feature film Agent Game stars Dermot Mulroney, Jason Isaacs, and Mel Gibson. He has written and directed two features, including Nighthawks (2019), and has produced three feature films and two Broadway musicals, including the Broadway adaptation of The Band’s Visit, winner of 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. During the visit, students were able to ask questions about screenwriting, producing, and directing and how to pursue a career in film.
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LOWER SCHOOL WILDCAT POST OFFICE As part of learning all about community, first grade students enjoyed a walking tour of downtown Rye, taking note of the people, places, and other things that make up a community. During the trip, they visited the Rye Post Office to mail letters that they composed during their writing unit. The visit inspired them to open up their own Wildcat Post Office! The first graders wrote letters in their writing workshop, designed stamps in computers class, and learned about postal operations in social studies. After filling out ‘job applications,’ they took on roles such as store clerks, sorters, and delivery helpers. Their two-week operation mailed close to 1,000 letters! The project also had a public purpose element. The originally designed stamps and postcards were valued at five cents each and sold to Lower School students and faculty. The proceeds were donated to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
LEARNING ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE Earlier this year, fourth grade students learned about Native American culture, which included reading folktales. To support this unit, Ms. Monti, RCDS’s beloved Main Entrance Receptionist, visited every fourth grade Library class and shared an Apache folktale, the story of the Noble Vulture, that was told to her by her elders when she was a child. The story explains the respected relationship between humans and animals in Apache culture, and highlights the vulture as a symbol of peace and collaboration. The students were mesmerized by Ms. Monti’s storytelling skills and all she shared with them about her background, culture, and traditions. Thank you to Ms. Monti for giving our students this wonderful opportunity to experience oral tradition.
SPACE PROBES & ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS IN GRADE 4 Kicking off an exciting STEAM experience, Grade 4 students learned all about space probes from Science Plus Inc. Founder Steve “The Dirtmeister” Tomecek. During Mr. Tomecek’s Zoom visit, the students learned how space probes and rovers gather data about their surrounding environment, and they applied the engineering design process to create their own environments and imagine rovers that gather information using two sensors. They then built and tested the probes in their science, computer, and art classes.
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LUNAR NEW YEAR AT RCDS Middle and Upper School students in Mandarin Chinese classes explored the Year of the Tiger with a variety of in-class activities, including writing Spring Couplets with calligraphy brushes, creating paper ornaments, singing traditional songs, and playing Mahjong. Lower School students marked the holiday by making dragons using construction paper, markers, and popsicle sticks.
REMOTE-OPERATING A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE IN AP BIOLOGY AP Biology students had the opportunity to use a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with the guidance of guest scientist Dr. Cassandra Zamora from the University of Toledo. Dr. Zamora was impressed with the students and how quickly they adjusted to using the SEM, which produces images of a sample by scanning the surface with a focused beam of electrons. After learning how the microscope works and how it is used for research, students controlled it remotely with Dr. Zamora providing real-time tips and feedback. The students chose to use the SEM to examine samples ranging from pollen and the eye of a moth to cloth face masks. The experience helped students learn the differences between light and electron microscopy and how SEM images are used in biomimicry to develop new products.
BAKING WITH PURPOSE Grade 5 students participated in King Arthur Baking Company’s Bake for Good Program, which teaches the science behind baking and the importance of acts of kindness. First, students learned how math, physics, and chemistry figure into baking bread through a virtual tutorial led by a Bake for Good representative. Then, they received a baking assignment and kit, which included two bags of King Arthur flour, a recipe booklet, Red Star Yeast, a dough scraper, a bread donation bag, and a twist tie. The fifth graders put their new knowledge to work, and with the partnership and guidance of their families, they each baked two loaves of bread, one of which they donated to the Bread of Life Food Pantry in Rye. Many thanks to the Bake for Good Program and to the Bread of Life Food Pantry for partnering with RCDS on this interdisciplinary math, science, and public purpose project!
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SOCIAL IMPACT WEEK 2022 The RCDS community honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through a week-long program that included activities and assemblies across all three divisions, as well as a service project with longtime RCDS community partner Building One Community. The week was coordinated by the Offices of Public Purpose and Diversity & Inclusion.
• ASSEMBLIES Social Impact Week kicked off on January 14 with virtual assemblies highlighting various passages from Dr. King’s speeches. The assemblies also featured poetry and music, including a performance by the Upper School Honors Choir.
• ALL-COMMUNITY QUILT PROJECT Students began creating text panels for a community quilt, where they were asked to consider a question based on Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream’’ speech and embroider or glue their answers onto fabric squares. The question was: What do you dream or hope for in our community and world? The all-community quilt project, which was led by the Art Department, was inspired by the work of Indigenous American artist Marie Watt.
• WINTER CARE PACKAGES FOR BUILDING ONE COMMUNITY To wrap up the week, students created winter care packages for Building One Community, an immigrant resource center in Stamford, CT, and longtime RCDS community partner. Lower School students wrote “warm wishes” cards that were placed in the care packages. Middle School students wrote quotes from Dr. King that were attached to coffee mugs. Upper School students assembled the packages. In total, over 200 care packages were created. Members of the parent/ guardian Public Purpose Committee volunteered to deliver the packages to Building One Community.
• MLK WALL OF DREAMS Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Langston Hughes poem “Dreams,” Lower School students in Ms. Simpson’s science specials wrote and drew science-related dreams for making the world a better place.
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RCDS CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH The 2022 celebration of Black History Month at RCDS was guided by the theme “Highlighting the Joy of Black People and Appreciating the Joy Black People Bring to the World.” Below are a few examples of the lessons, activities, and conversations at RCDS that honored the experiences, contributions, and stories within the Black community.
• DISCUSSIONS ON ART
Lower School students in Ms. Behar’s classes learned about Black artists. Students in Grade 4 explored the work of contemporary artist Bisa Butler. They viewed her art, discussed her use of textiles in Portrait Quilts, and drafted questions about specific pieces using the “Question Formulation Technique.”
• VIRTUAL TRIP TO THE SMITHSONIAN
Middle School students participated in a virtual field trip to the Smithsonian African American Museum of History and Culture organized by Mr. Fitz-Roy and Ms. Padilla.
• HIGHLIGHTING BLACK SCIENTISTS
In the Upper School, the tradition of faculty sharing features on Black leaders continued. The ACS Chemistry Club, led by Ms. Farrell, also recognized Black scientists. Students wrote profiles on each scientist’s background, education, and contributions to their field.
• BHM JEOPARDY
The Students of Color (SOC) and UPLIFT mentoring programs collaborated to host a Black History Month Jeopardy game in the PAC.
• WILDCATS AROUND THE WORLD PANEL: DISCOVER THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
Students and employees gathered for a Wildcats Around the World panel and luncheon titled Discover the African Diaspora. The panel featured Adé Larsen ’23, Jordanne Alexander ’24, Madi Danquah ’23, and Destine Ohakam ’22 representing St. Croix, Jamaica, Ghana, and Nigeria respectively. The moderators were Ritchel Amankwah ’22 and Magdalene Aideyan ’22, previous Wildcats Around the World presenters. The panelists shared their personal stories, backgrounds, and cultural experiences, and provided a welcoming discussion and sharing of perspectives through a lens of global awareness and cross-cultural exchange.
ENVIROSCAPE VISITS THE LOWER SCHOOL The Rye Garden Club visited Ms. Simpson’s Grades 2 and 3 science classes to share their EnviroScape, a model that demonstrates the effects of pollution on watersheds. With its surface representing the landscape of a coastal region, the EnviroScape helped students visualize what happens when pollutants, including trash, fertilizers, oil, and industrial toxins, are washed away from the land’s surface by rainwater. The students added “pollutants” (sprinkles, oil, and paper shreds) and then created a “rainfall” with spray bottles to visualize how the pollutants eventually contaminate waterways and, ultimately, the ocean. Thank you to the Rye Garden Club for this hands-on, interactive activity that supported students’ study of the Long Island Sound and Hudson River estuaries.
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EXPLORING SUSTAINABLE URBAN LIVING As part of learning about food security and sustainability, students in AP Environmental Science visited Brooklyn Grange’s Long Island City Rooftop Farm. Brooklyn Grange is the leading rooftop farming and intensive green roofing business in the United States. The organization operates the world’s largest rooftop soil farm system and promotes sustainable urban living by building green spaces, hosting educational programming and events, and widening access to locally grown produce in New York City communities. The visit was hosted by City Growers, whose programs engage thousands of kids in farm-based learning each year through hands-on farm workshops at Brooklyn Grange rooftop farms, summer camps, school garden residencies, afterschool programs, summer internships, and ecology workshops. At the farm, students learned that consuming locallygrown food eliminates a few of the more energy inefficient processes associated with food production, namely packaging, transportation, and long-term storage. They also observed various aspects of a fully functional rooftop farm, including beekeeping and pollination, animal husbandry (chicken raising), and composting. They even got to taste some late-season herbs grown in the farm’s many soil beds. The field trip’s tie to the AP Environmental Science curriculum is urban food scarcity and unconventional space utilization. Students have read that by 2050, an estimated 75% of the worldwide human population will be living in cities and food scarcity will continue to increase as an issue for urban populations. As farmland gets replaced by urban development, rooftop farms like Brooklyn Grange will become a necessity rather than a novelty.
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EVOLUTIONARY ICHTHYOLOGIST VISITS AP BIOLOGY Students in AP Biology classes received a virtual visit from Kelsie Pos, a Ph.D. candidate in evolutionary biology at George Washington University. Her research focuses primarily on fish and pharyngeal jaws; she is particularly interested in how anatomy changes based on diet, habitat, and evolutionary history. In addition to sharing her work and discussing the evolutionary biology of jaws (from fish to humans!), she described the research methods she uses including dissection, CT scanning, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray video, and biomechanical modeling.
UPPER SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM
QUALIFIES FOR SOUTHERN NEW YORK REGION STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
After four busy weeks of qualifier competitions, the RCDS Upper School Robotics team qualified for the Southern New York Region State Championships. On February 11, 2022, the team traveled to The Harvey School for a friendly scrimmage and some collaborative learning. They practiced driving robots in a competitionstyle atmosphere in preparation for the State Qualifier tournaments at The Harvey School and Adelphi University.
TEAM ROSTERS Team A Ryan Daum ’22 Sofia Medina ’22 Sofia Rodriguez ’22 Caroline Snell ’24 James Song ’25 Leah Steyn ’25
Team B Aadi Bhattacharya ’23 Rohan Malik ’23 Neil Noronha ’24 Jeffrey Wang ’23 Jordan Zhao ’24 Ruth Zhao ’23
At The Harvey School, both RCDS teams made Honorable mention: Amitav Nott ’22 and Sofia Castaneda ’24 it to the elimination rounds. Team A ranked 32nd after qualifications, and Team B ranked Amitav and Sofia were both active members of the teams in the fall and early winter, but due to 11th after qualifications. Team A did well in the Skills Challenge with a score of 150, academic and athletic conflicts, they were not ranking 12th. Team B followed closely behind them with a score of 100, ranking able to participate in the spring. Their efforts and 17th. Team A received the Sportsmanship Award, which is presented to a team early contributions are not forgotten. that has earned the respect and admiration of the volunteers and other teams at the event. The key criteria for the awards include being courteous, helpful, and respectful to everyone at the event; interacting with others in the spirit of friendly competition and cooperation; and demonstrating respect and willingness to help event staff, other teams, and spectators. At Adelphi University, Teams A and B qualified for the Southern New York Region State Championships at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. All the qualifier tournaments taught the Upper School Robotics teams important lessons about robot design and game strategy. The team put forth a great effort at the State Championship. Takeaways included the many benefits of participating in a challenging tournament and learning from peers and opponents.
MIDDLE SCHOOL DAY OF IMPACT AT OUR NEW WAY GARDEN Not for Self, but for Service in action! The Middle School Day of Impact in the fall brought families to Our New Way Garden in White Plains. Supporting the organization’s goal to increase community access to healthy organic produce, RCDS students, families, and employees worked to prepare the garden grounds by weeding, spreading wood chips, watering plants, sorting seeds, and harvesting herbs.
AMERICAN COLONIAL HISTORY IN GRADE 3 As part of a study of Colonial America, each third grade class took a trip back in time by walking down Purchase Street in Rye to visit the Square House Museum. The morning was spent learning about the history of the Square House as an inn, writing with quill pens, and touring the museum in order to better understand life in the 18th century.
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FALL AND WINTER HIGHLIGHTS
RCDS STEAM FACULTY AT THE SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE CONVENTION RCDS STEAM Director Cathie Bischoff and Makerspace Director Gail Sestito presented two workshops at 126th Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS) conference in Rochester, NY. Representing Rye Country Day, they shared best practices for engaging students through interdisciplinary creative projects and provided a few curricular examples from the RCDS Makerspace, such as the Rube Goldberg-Style Electron Transport Chains, DNA simulations, and biomechanical hands, among others. They also gave their fellow teachers a keepsake, rulers created in the RCDS Makerspace.
ART FOR A GOOD CAUSE
RCDS PARTNERS WITH MOTT HAVEN FRIDGE NETWORK
Lower School students in Ms. Behar’s art classes contributed their talents to a fridge painting project that began at Wildcat Weekend. Students painted individual squares on two refrigerators from Mott Haven Fridge Network, a non-profit organization founded by two South-Bronx middle school teachers after witnessing food insecurity among their students. The painted fridges were eventually filled with fruits and veggies and placed on sidewalks in communities that do not have easy access to fresh, affordable produce.
“At the end of each art class, the students reflected on their learning. Some profound discussions ensued on the power of art to make change and the realization that people are hungry right near where we live. I am grateful to Mott Haven Fridge Network for partnering with us and giving our students this meaningful learning experience.” — Lauren Behar, Lower School Art Teacher 14 Spring 2022
EXPLORING COMPUTING TECHNOLOGY IN GRADE 6 Grade 6 computer science learned about the history of computing technology—from the ancient Abacus and Charles Babbage’s hand-cranked “Difference Engine” to vacuum tubes, transistors, and modern home PCs! Participating in a “computer archeology” project, students took apart old computer systems and identified key components such as the motherboard, CPU, power supply, and memory. The experience of seeing the computers up close helped students understand how technology has changed over time and how it will evolve in the future. The students also learned how to program robots controlled by Microbit computers. Before programming their robots, they delved into circuitry by learning how items conduct electricity, how to read and write electrical signals, and how to code and power a musical keyboard using the electrical conductivity of both fruit and the human body. This gave them a better understanding of how computer code is translated into electrical signals that can be used for both input and output.
FIFTH ANNUAL SATURDAY SUMMIT ON SOCIAL JUSTICE The Saturday before Thanksgiving, 27 RCDS students in Grades 8 – 12 gathered with over 100 students, teachers, and administrators from nine local independent schools to participate in the fifth annual Saturday Summit on Social Justice, a student-led event coordinated by RCDS and the Masters School. The half-day summit featured engaging and thought-provoking studentfacilitated workshops and a keynote by Rashan Brown, poet and founder of the spoken-word poetry platform “Poetry Me, Please.” RCDS was especially proud to have 15 student workshop facilitators who demonstrated leadership, compassion, and dedication to building inclusive communities.
KIDS HEART CHALLENGE The week of February 14, the P.E. Department hosted “Kids Heart Challenge” in collaboration with the American Heart Association. Students in Pre-K through Grade 6 learned what makes our hearts healthy (exercise, nutrition, and kindness) and ways to commit to daily exercise!
“The energy at the Saturday Summit was truly amazing. All of the student facilitators did a fantastic job leading their workshops. I was especially proud of the five student-leaders who created, developed, and facilitated a workshop for the first time.” — Joshua Noel Rivera ’15, DEI Teaching Fellow
NEW LANGUAGE EXCHANGE PROGRAM PILOT Upper School students in Chinese 4 participated in a virtual exchange with students at the Loomis Chaffee School via Zoom. Conversing in Mandarin, the RCDS and Loomis students shared information about their schools and the courses they offer. They also learned about each other— some found out they enjoy the same music or sports, and some learned they share the same heritage. This exchange was a pilot run of a WE-Talk program, which is bringing together a select group of high schools and colleges from across the country to collaborate and connect students by proficiency levels via Zoom. The program’s purpose is to apply languages to strengthen interpersonal speaking skills in real-life contexts.
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valuated on their academic achievements, personal characteristics, leadership and service activities, and an analysis of their essays.
FALL AND WINTER HIGHLIGHTS
RCDS CELEBRATES LATINE HERITAGE MONTH September 15 to October 15 marked Latine Heritage Month, also referred to as National Hispanic Heritage Month. The RCDS community celebrated by recognizing leaders in the Latine community and hearing from guest speakers. LATINE LEADER FEATURES Daily community-wide announcements highlighted Latine leaders, and advisors and teachers discussed their accomplishments and contributions in homerooms and advisories. MS/US AUTHOR VISIT: IBI ZOBOI Best-selling middle grade and young adult (YA) author Ibi Zoboi visited Middle and Upper School students. Her writing focuses on themes of afrofuturism and magical realism.
writing workshop that ran from 2009 to 2014 in Port-au-Prince to give Haitian girls the opportunity to see themselves in literature and provide a space to showcase their voice. Ms. Zoboi also spoke to Middle School students at two assemblies (one for Grades 7 and 8 and one for Grades 5 and 6). She shared her journey from Haiti and how her writing is informed by her connections to it, her family, and her interests. She encouraged students to follow their passions, read as much as they could, tell their stories, and listen to the stories of their family members.
Calatrava), find new podcasts, and more. New material was added regularly to the board, making it an engaging educational stop in the Main Hall of the Pinkham Building. LS AUTHOR VISIT: EMMA OTHEGUY In the Lower School, students read and discussed books by Latine authors, and bulletin boards shared information about Latine leaders, heritage, and culture. Author Emma Otheguy visited and read A Sled for Gabo to students in Pre-K through Grade 2, and she spoke at an assembly for Grades 3 and 4 about Latine history and leaders.
Ibi Zoboi in the PAC
Ms. Zoboi’s YA novel American Street was a National Book Award finalist and her debut middle grade novel, My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, was a New York Times bestseller. During US Community Meeting, Ms. Zoboi read excerpts of her work and discussed the creative process, how identity figures into writing and self-awareness, the importance of representation in literature, and the complexities surrounding the concept of home in the immigrant experience. She also talked about her Daughters of Anacaona Writing Project, a creative
Mr. Morgan stopped by Ms. Lentini’s first grade class to read Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle.
INTERACTIVE BULLETIN BOARD At the interactive Latine Heritage Month bulletin board, Upper School students scanned QR codes to listen to spoken word by Elizabeth Acevedo, learn about Garifuna culture, read comics by Breena Nuñez, explore NYC’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub (designed by architect Santiago
Emma Otheguy in the Black Box Theater
HALLOWEEN PARADE RETURNS On Friday, October 29, Lower School students came to school in costume and participated in the annual—and absolutely adorable—Halloween Parade. Pre-K - Grade 1 parents and guardians came to enjoy the parade alongside Grades 2 - 4 spectators. Everyone cheered happily as students paraded by and paused to share a short song or poem. Middle and Upper School students, as well as faculty members, also joined the fun, showing off a range of creative costumes. Special thanks to Ms. Liebowitz for organizing the parade.
16 Spring 2022
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
CONGRATULATIONS! Andrea Chang ’22 was named a candidate in the 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, which recognizes the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Andrea is one of approximately 5,000 candidates selected from nearly 3.6 million U.S. high school seniors. Candidates are evaluated on their academic achievements, personal characteristics, leadership and service activities, and an analysis of their essays.
Alyssa Chu ’25, Rohan Malik ’23, Ethan Xiao ’24, Andrew Zhang ’24, and Jordan Zhao ’24 qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), an intermediate examination intended to provide challenge and recognition to high school students in North America who have exceptional mathematical ability. Students who excel in the American Math Competitions (AMC) 10 and 12 are invited to participate in the AIME.
Lior Gurion ’22 was selected as a semifinalist in the 2021-2022 Coca-Cola Scholars Program. This year, 1,617 semifinalists were chosen from over 68,000 applicants because of their outstanding leadership, academic achievements, and dedication to their communities. The Coca-Cola Scholars Program is the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship program in the United States.
Grace Casale ’22, Leah Colin ’22, Lior Gurion ’22, Jackson Merrill ’22, and Lucas Oddi ’22 advanced to National Merit Finalist standing. They are part of a competitive pool of approximately 15,000 National Merit Scholarship Finalists nationwide.
Nineteen RCDS students were recognized by the 2022 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. A jury of leaders in the visual and literary arts blindly judged student submissions on the basis of the awards’ core values: originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal voice or vision. Emma Budke ’22
Alen Matsui ’23
Donna Zhang ’24
Ellen Chen ’24
Stephen Mulderry ’25
Ruth Zhao ’23
Charlene D. ’26
Katia Ohmacht ’24
Keira Zheng ’25
Celine Fong ’24
Chidi Olewuenyi ’22
Dylan Garbutt ’24
Anna Pickette ’24
Lauren Kim ’23
Ethan Schales ’25
Mina Kim ’24
Isabel Tiburcio ’24
*Students who are in the RCDS Middle School at the time of publication are listed with their first names and last initials.
Matthew L. ’26
Jeffrey Tian ’22
Two RCDS students were recognized by the New York State School Music Association. After practicing diligently to hone their individual crafts and auditioning with advanced level solos, they were selected for prestigious statelevel ensembles and events. Jefferson Zhou ’24 performed at the Fifteenth Annual NYSSMA Piano Showcase at this year’s New York State School Music Association Conference in Rochester, NY. Only 12 students from New York state were chosen for this distinguished event. Jefferson performed Un Sospiro (Movement 3) by Liszt. His piano teacher is Dr. Tomoko Uchino. Emilie Ward ’23, who sits as concertmaster of the RCDS String Orchestra, was selected as an alternate for the NY All-State Orchestra. She auditioned with the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor. Her teacher is Akiko Silver. ryecountryday.org 17
FALL AND WINTER SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
The Makerspace is always buzzing with energy! Here, 3D printers bring student-designed creations to life.
I n February, 10 members of Rye Country
Day’s Festival Chorus (five students and five adults) sang with the Greenwich Choral Society at their All Beethoven Concert in New Canaan. RCDS Music Department Chair Mary Marcell also was a guest conductor for one of the pieces.
R eady for takeoff! To apply what they had been learning B ringing together biology, ecology, and
sustainability, Rye Country Day’s Monarch Rearing Citizen Science Program captivated and inspired seventh graders as they collected and evaluated data on the complex life cycles of monarch butterflies.
about Newton’s laws and rocket flight, Upper School Physics students built rockets and visited Pre-K to describe the science behind them. The Pre-Kindergartners also got to decorate the rockets, and the Upper School rocket engineers treated them to a firsthand launch experience.
S hout-out to RCDS’s
Fieldhouse Manager of 47 years, Thom O’Grady, pictured here with the School’s new Zamboni. Thanks to Mr. O’Grady and his team’s efforts, no one has better ice than RCDS!
18 Spring 2022
A uthor Amor Towles joined the Honors
Seminar class called New York, New York: The Idea and Reality of New York in Literature via Zoom. Students asked Mr. Towles questions about his writing process and about his novel Rules of Civility, which they had just read as a class.
Before Thanksgiving break, eighth grade
students played mini-shuffleboard and mini-curling to have a little fun with physics and observe how Newton’s Laws of Motion applied in each game’s energy transfers.
G rade 5 students took advantage of a sunny November day to sketch outside.
e violin and Th viola section of the Upper School String Orchestra, a new course offered this year, rehearsed Fauré’s The Pavane in the PAC Foyer. Mr. Burton noted, “The foyer is a beautiful place to rehearse, both for the resonant acoustics and fall foliage currently on display.”
I n P.E., Pre-K through Grade 6 students participated in their very own Winter Olympics. Classes representing different countries took part in different events and tracking their medals.
Smiles were
all around for the 100th day of school at RCDS!
Rehearsals for the Upper School Musical, William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night!
Th ird grade scientists During the frigid January weather, Ms.
Sackey took her Grade 7 students outside to observe the heavily-debated mystery of the Mpemba Effect, which asserts that under sub-zero temperatures, boiling water freezes more quickly than room temperature water. Students watched from a safe 10-foot distance as most of the boiling water turned to tiny ice crystals, while the room temperature water remained liquid. A fun and engaging winter science experiment!
created and tested their own versions of the oldest known instrument for telling time: the sundial.
ryecountryday @ryecountryday @ryecountryday @willythewildcat for athletic updates ryecountryday.org 19
20 Spring 2022
SCOTT A. NELSON A Leader of Quiet Confidence and Deep Integrity By Lori Ferguson
In 1994, just a year after stepping into his position as Head of School, Scott A. Nelson, with help from Trustee Michael Murr, drafted a letter to the State of New York seeking consent for Rye Country Day to procure a nine-acre parcel across from the campus on Boston Post Road. This past January—nearly 30 years and countless letters and meetings later—Mr. Nelson’s request was granted. o those who know and have collaborated with this quiet leader for the past three decades, the accomplishment comes as no surprise. Instead, it is simply yet another achievement appended to a lengthy list of many that Mr. Nelson has realized during a tenure defined by academic excellence, outstanding faculty recruitment and retention, visionary campus expansion, and strategic financial management. The episode also offers a wonderful illustration of Mr. Nelson’s steady yet transformative leadership style. “Scott has vision—he’s always had the larger picture in mind—and there’s no one more persistent,” observes former Associate Head and Director of Admissions Bill Buck P ’89, P ’95. “He was an extraordinary force at Rye Country Day … pervasive as gravity. I was at the School for 28
years before he arrived and then for 17 years with him. Once he was there, his vision took hold. He was a point of action for the School, and it advanced in every dimension under his leadership.”
A Visionary
Scott Nelson began his role as Head of School in 1993 with a deep appreciation for the opportunities inherent to an independent school education. A scholarship student at Hackley School, he had experienced firsthand the personal growth that such an environment makes possible and was resolved to make it feasible for others, too. Michael Murr P ’98, P ’06, GP ’29, GP ’32, the Chair of the search committee that hired Mr. Nelson, remembers the young candidate well. “Scott had an extraordinary resume,” Murr recalls. “He was an All-American football player at Brown and inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. It was clear in our interviews with him that
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Scott had an unwavering moral compass, a thoughtful manner, and a steel trap mind. He was a living example of the kind of academic and athletic balance the trustees wanted to achieve for the school.” There was, however, one small problem, Mr. Murr continues. “Scott was very, very young. Fortunately, we had a trustee group that would not abide a ‘play it safe’ candidate. The trustees wanted more for the school; the status quo was not an option. We knew there would be a faculty risk with a young leader, but the trustees made a leap of faith, a decision I consider to have been the most important and rewarding in the history of Rye Country Day School.” Fellow trustee and search committee member Ed Wachenheim III P ’84, P ’89, P ’97, GP ’14, GP ’16 strongly concurs. “When I met Scott, I found him to be a quiet leader, highly caring to do a good job, full of wisdom and good judgment, and solid as a rock,” he says, “and in retrospect, the committee made a brilliant decision [in hiring him]. From the day he became Head, Scott established goals to aim for. He wanted RCDS to be academically rigorous, yet supportive. He wanted to develop the whole student through athletics and other extracurricular activities. And he wanted to educate students to be confident, deeply caring, and intellectually curious. In my opinion, Scott excelled at reaching each of these goals, and as a result, thousands of RCDS graduates are leading more worthwhile lives. He has made a difference … a huge difference.” Those employed by Mr. Nelson in the intervening years are similarly enthusiastic. Alexis Wright H ’08 was hired by Mr. Nelson as a Middle School science teacher and principal straight out of college. “He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” says Mr. Wright, who departed RCDS in 2004 for a position as a Middle School Principal at Chicago Lab Schools and later returned at Mr. Nelson’s urging to serve as Assistant Head of School and Director of Financial Aid.
22 Spring 2022
Mr. Nelson and his family on the cover of the RCDS Summer Bulletin in 1993.
“Scott was always clear and consistent about where the school needed to go. He’s got an incredible ability to articulate a vision and empower a team of staff, faculty, and volunteers who can share that vision and garner support.” Now a head of school himself at New City School, St. Louis, MO, Mr. Wright is doubly appreciative of Mr. Nelson’s foresight and skills. “Being a head of school is like being the mayor of a small town,” he observes with a chuckle. “You need to be able to work it out, and Scott has done just that for 29 years. He has overseen significant changes in the faculty, curriculum, and profile of the School—it’s a remarkable achievement. Very few heads of school fit that profile.”
A Mentor
Scott Nelson is equally renowned for his cultivation of the next generation of leaders. Meredith deChabert is Rye Country Day’s Assistant Head of School for Academic Programs and has been by his side for 17 years. “Scott has always taken a keen interest in mentoring the next set of leaders,” she observes. “He has certainly been instrumental in helping me to carve out new leadership opportunities at RCDS—who I am as an administrator today is because of him. He continues to encourage me to stretch myself as a professional as much as I desire,” she asserts. Bill Buck agrees. “I worked with Scott in a variety of positions, and he always gave me the independence to do my job within the directions he had set forth. He could live with your mistakes. He didn’t encourage them, but his sense of self wasn’t tied up in the actions of others.” Alexis Wright, too, has realized the benefits of Mr. Nelson’s skillful guidance. “The lessons I learned from Scott were invaluable. He allowed me to make mistakes and taught me to be disciplined and deliberate in my decision-making process.” And he is constantly seeking to better himself as well, adds Dr. deChabert. “Scott models the idea of being a lifelong learner. He takes advantage of every opportunity to learn, and once he learns about a thing, he knows it. His toolkit just keeps expanding.”
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A Decision Maker
Scott Nelson’s toolkit wasn’t the only thing to grow during his tenure at Rye Country Day. The School progressed through three highly successful capital campaigns, the endowment increased from just under $5 million to over $77 million, the financial aid budget grew to over $6.3 million, every building on campus was built or renovated, and admissions hit new benchmarks for competitiveness and selectivity. It hasn’t always been easy, but he has consistently achieved his goals, says Dr. deChabert. “Scott’s had to weather some tough storms, but he loves the school so much that his desire to see it succeed surpasses any challenges that might come with the job,” she observes. “He’s a very strong person, and not just in personality,” agrees Mr. Buck. “He wasn’t chatty or a glad hander, but you always knew he was in charge. His leadership came from his vision and personal strength. The goals he chose were worthy goals for the institution—they weren’t selected to boost his ego and hard jobs were not avoided. In fact, the School’s motto, Not for Self, but for Service, is really apt for Scott—he never acted for himself. Always for the School.” Mr. Nelson admits he has overseen tremendous evolution at Rye Country Day, yet he absorbs the community’s praise with trademark modesty and 24 Spring 2022
reserve. “I prefer to be understated; my father always said, ‘Don’t put yourself on a pedestal,’” he responds with a soft chuckle. Yet of the many transformative cycles he has witnessed over the past 29 years, perhaps none was more poignant than the first day of classes this year, the last he will witness as Head of School. “I walked onto campus with our daughter Julie (RCDS Class of 2003), who now works here, and our granddaughter Lillie, who just started Pre-K, and it reminded me that the work continues. From my first year here, I’ve said that schools need to be evolving and that the people who teach need to be reflective practitioners. This philosophy has become part of the fabric of the School, and I’d like to think it’s my legacy, but the work is never done.” Dr. deChabert characterizes Mr. Nelson’s contributions more succinctly. “Rye Country Day simply wouldn’t be the school that it is today without Scott Nelson. He’s a legend and at the core of the School in so many ways. His impact and contributions will endure, and those of us who remain will continue his work proudly.”
FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT At the 2022 State of the School presentation, I shared that all institutions have chapters. Our School’s last chapter has spanned nearly three decades, during which we have enjoyed the great privilege of Scott Nelson’s transformative leadership. Over the past 29 years, Rye Country Day has evolved and flourished into a school that exemplifies excellence: academic excellence, personal excellence, and community excellence. This was by design. For Scott, reaching maximum potential—for individuals and for the School—has always been not just a goal but a guiding principle. As the Board President, I have had the honor of working with Scott through both standard and unprecedented circumstances—from the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic to the excitement of the recent approval to purchase the Thruway Property and everything in between. His calm, determined leadership and his unwavering commitment to always doing what is best for the School and our students, families, and employees have been exemplary.
Because of Scott’s strategic leadership, the School is fortunate to have the resources to achieve exciting new goals. With outstanding teachers, students, and staff; a sprawling campus with state-of-art facilities; and a robust financial outlook, the future for RCDS is bright. On behalf of current and former RCDS trustees, thank you, Scott, for leading Rye Country Day School with such heart and inspiring dedication for 29 incredible years. With gratitude,
Leigh Geller President, RCDS Board of Trustees SUPPORT MR. NELSON’S VISION Donate to the Scott A. Nelson Scholarship Fund at www.ryecountryday.org/ScottNelson
TRANSFORMING RCDS (1993-2022)
FINANCIAL AID
2022:
With Mr. Nelson at the helm, the School has soared.
$6.3 Million (146 students receive aid)
Scott Nelson’s transformative tenure leaves a legacy defined by academic excellence, outstanding faculty recruitment and retention, visionary campus expansion, and strategic and growth-bearing financial management.
ACCREDITATION
Mr. Nelson led the School through obtaining New York State Association of Independent Schools Accreditation in 2002, in addition to the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation.
ADMISSIONS
Over the course of Mr. Nelson’s tenure, admissions has hit new benchmarks for competitiveness and selectivity. Financial aid has grown significantly, enabling dedicated students to participate fully in the life of the School regardless of financial status. College matriculations showcase the consistent presence of RCDS alumni at the finest institutions of higher education.
1993: $878,000
4.9% RCDS
Growing financial aid is an initiative that is near to Mr. Nelson’s heart, as receiving aid to attend an independent school proved life changing for him. His commitment to expanding educational access has been memorialized in the Scott A. Nelson Scholarship Fund established in his honor by the Board of Trustees.
ATTRITION RATE
12%+
National Independent School Average
ENROLLMENT
YIELD
SELECTIVITY
DIVERSITY
2022: 940 Students
2021: 78%
2022: 29% Acceptance Rate
2022: 39% The diversity of the student body has increased. And, a commitment to create an aware, united, and empathic community has been centered as a core value and priority.
1993: 768 Students
2018: 65%
1993: 65% Acceptance Rate
1993: 13% ryecountryday.org 25
Mr. Nelson’s Lasting Legacy FINANCIALS
29 YEARS OF BALANCED BUDGETS | ZERO DEBT ENDOWMENT Over the last 29 years, the endowment has grown more than seventeen-fold through capital and Senior Parent Gift campaigns, as well as prudent management of the Endowment Fund.
2022:
CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS
$77M raised by three very successful capital campaigns:
ANNUAL GIVING Annual Giving has increased five-fold since Mr. Nelson began leading the School.
2021:
$4.26M The largest annual giving tally in the School’s history.
95%+ parent participation for 15 consecutive years
____
$78M
Advancing a Tradition of Excellence (2016-2021) $35.5M ____ Building on Excellence (2005-2011) $26.3M ____
During Mr. Nelson’s tenure, the RCDS Annual Giving Program has raised over $75 MILLION for the School, including over $14 MILLION for the RCDS Endowment Fund through the Senior Parent Gift program.
1993: $827,503
Opening Doors (1998-2003) $15.7M
1993: $4.5 Million
®
Niche, a leading resource for researching U.S. colleges, schools, neighborhoods, and companies, has given high marks to Rye Country Day School. For the third year in a row, RCDS was named the #1 Best Private K-12 School in Westchester County. In both New York State and the New York City area, RCDS was ranked as the #6 Best Private K-12 School. Nationally, Rye Country Day was ranked as the #8 Best Private K-12 School in America.
ACADEMIC PROGRAM
STUDENT SUPPORT
•
• •
• •
• •
• •
Created Lower and Middle Divisions. Added Lower School full-time science, computer, and library positions. Extended French and Spanish to Grades 2 through 5. Added Mandarin for Grades 5 through 12. Added Advanced Placement courses in chemistry, physics, computer science, statistics, Mandarin, and environmental science. Launched the YPT course/program. Added multi-variable calculus and algebra courses.
26 Spring 2022
•
• • •
Increased learning specialists in all three divisions. Added Lower School math specialists. Shifted to full-time psychologists in all three divisions. Increased Health Office staffing. Increased college counselors from one to three. Added two full-time athletic trainers.
EMPLOYEES •
• • •
Invested time and care in recruitment, retention, and professional development to ensure that all RCDS employees recognize and build on the School’s vision of academic excellence and service to others. Hired 98% of all current employees Increased employee diversity. Established competitive salaries and benefits including dental insurance, childcare stipends, vacation grants, and endowed faculty chairs.
SIGNATURE INITIATIVES
Over the years, Mr. Nelson envisioned and created eight school initiatives, which are essential in the ongoing process of delivering the RCDS mission and achieving the School’s vision. These signature initiatives answer the question How can we make our school better? They enable RCDS to maintain it’s tradition of excellence and its position at the forefront of education.
• • • • • • • •
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION PUBLIC PURPOSE SUSTAINABILITY HEALTH & WELLNESS GLOBAL STUDIES EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY STEAM THE INSTITUTE FOR INNOVATIVE TEACHING & LEARNING
Mr. Nelson has guided the School with honesty and integrity. He has created an ethos of excellence among employees and students and made sure that community spirit and strength of character are RCDS’s resounding hallmarks. The result is an environment that is both academically rigorous and nurturing, a school where each student is known, valued, and celebrated.
TRANSFORMING CAMPUS Every building on the RCDS campus has been constructed or renovated during Scott Nelson’s 29-year tenure. PROPERTIES ACQUIRED TO MOVE GRANDVIEW AVENUE • 1 Grandview Avenue (1997) • 11 and 17 New Street (1997) • 25.5 New Street (1999) PROPERTIES ACQUIRED TO EXPAND THE ATHLETIC FIELDS • 86 Grandview Avenue (1998) • 60 Grandview Avenue (1999) • 86 Hillside Road (2002) • 84 Grandview Avenue (2002) • 50 Grandview Avenue (2007) MAJOR FACILITIES IMPROVEMENTS • LS/MS Science Renovations (1998) • New Pre-K Addition (1998) • Relocation of Grandview Avenue and Creation of Pedestrian Campus (2000) • Scott A. Nelson Athletic Center (2000) • US Science Renovations (2000) • Main Building Addition Providing New K-5 Classrooms (2001)
• • • • • • • • •
Pinkham Building Elevator (2003) Artificial Turf Athletic Fields (2005-07) Pinkham Building Addition and Renovation (2010) New Senior Parking Lot (2010) Klingenstein Library Renovation (2014) LS Dining Room and MS/US Dining Room Renovation (2014) US Art Room Renovation (2014) PAC Renovation (2018) The Cohen Center for the Creative Arts (2018)
As Scott Nelson prepares to retire as Head of School, we proudly honor his focused, consistent, and consensusdriven leadership for it has enabled RCDS to evolve into one of the most highly regarded schools in the country.
THANK YOU, Mr. Nelson! RCDS is the excellent, wonderful school it is because of you. ryecountryday.org 27
WILDCAT WEEKEND
Returns
28 Spring 2022
The return of Wildcat Weekend was a milestone to remember. After being on hold for a year due to the pandemic, this beloved community event roared back with Blue & Gold spirit and joy!
GETTING READY...
In the week leading up to the big weekend, RCDS was abuzz with school spirit and excitement.
Spirit
WEEK
To get ready for Wildcat Weekend, RCDS students and employees enjoyed an energizing and fun spirit week hosted by the Upper School Spirit Club.
Rally
PEP
Blue & Gold pride was all around at the Pep Rally preceding Wildcat Weekend. Students and employees gathered on the South Field, the Upper School Wind Ensemble played an energizing setlist, and the fall athletic teams addressed (and hyped up) the crowd!
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THE BIG WEEKEND
On Saturday, October 23, students, families, and employees happily gathered on campus for Wildcat Weekend, a festive community tradition celebrating Rye Country Day.
Fun
RUN
FALL
Fair
Upper School club leaders facilitated fun activities for the Fall Fair, which was held outdoors on the Admissions lawn for the first time ever. A DJ provided an energetic soundtrack as younger Wildcats lined up to enjoy Gaga pits and inflatables. Proceeds from fair ticket sales, as well as the sale of tasty burgers, hot dogs, and other treats, helped raise money to fund Upper School club programming. 30 Spring 2022
The one-mile Fun Run kicked off the festivities, as runners of all ages took to the field in this culminating event of the Can-Do Food Drive benefiting the Carver Center Market.
Varsity GAMES
The Wildcats were raring to go at four Wildcat Weekend home games, and the RCDS community was ready to cheer them on. Go, Wildcats!
The Can-Do Drive is a hallmark of fall at Rye Country Day, as students, families, and employees put their dedication to service into action by collecting canned goods for the Carver Center Market in Port Chester. The drive runs for two weeks, culminating with Wildcat Weekend’s annual all-community Fun Run, where RCDS runners of all ages are sponsored with food donations. After this year’s enthusiastic participation in the drive, an actual truckload of donations was sent over to the Carver Center Market!
CAN-DO
Drive
An integral part of the Can-Do Drive is learning about public purpose and how to be actively engaged in community initiatives. As part of the K-8 P.E. curriculum, Lower and Middle School students spend time learning about the Carver Center, the need for providing accessible food for our community, and the role we can play in supporting community needs and contributing to positive social change. In the Upper School, a student-led conversation about food drives and food insecurity was the focus of a divisional Community Meeting webinar.
Thank you to the many members of the RCDS community who supported the Can-Do Drive and to the Carver Center for partnering with RCDS on this important public purpose initiative.
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PRINCIPAL PERSPECTIVES
DR. SOTIRHOS, MR. SONG, AND DR. DECHABERT REFLECT ON RETURNING TO MORE FAMILIAR SCHOOL ROUTINES! ■ LOWER SCHOOL Socialization is an essential ingredient for young children to explore their individual potential and to develop skills to become productive members of society. Attending school in person has been paramount in that it has allowed students to engage with their peers and teachers in developing essential skills of cooperation, self-control, confidence, independence, curiosity, empathy, and communication. Developing confidence means feeling good about one’s self, both individually and in relation to others. Whether at work or play, our teachers create contexts for engagement that lead to building confidence and engaging in stories, cooperative learning tasks, and collaborative projects that help your child learn how to work with others. This allows students to experience feelings of working through hard moments, celebrating success, and having empathy for others.
■ MIDDLE SCHOOL The return to in-person school has brought back group laughter, shared memories, and varied opportunities for joy in the day-to-day. These are the positive elements that help temper some of the natural ups and downs of the middle school years. These are also the elements that lead to feelings of connection and belonging, which when attained allow students to allocate full focus to their academic endeavors. From a teaching perspective, a return to the classroom has brought back daily hands-on activities and dynamic in-person interactions. Even more important, it returned the informal opportunities for our teachers, advisors, and coaches to connect with their students. As it does among peers, exchanging smiles and hellos with teachers—even briefly when they pass in the hallway—adds to students’ feelings of connection and trust, which ultimately increase classroom engagement and learning.
■ UPPER SCHOOL This year’s return to in-person teaching and learning has highlighted for all of us how critically important being in the physical presence of others is for social, emotional, and academic growth. Education is a relational enterprise, and as such, we have prioritized in-person teaching and learning this year as much as possible (give or take a few remote days due to the weather!). We have cherished every minute of being back in the classrooms, on the stages, on the fields, and on the courts; having lunch together outside and in the cafeteria; and socializing during free periods and down time. Our students have proven themselves to be incredibly resilient, rising to the challenges of “normal” expectations, and we are incredibly proud of them. The faculty also have risen to the challenge, and they are to be commended for their tenacity in bridging very different experiences for the students in their care. 32 Spring 2022
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ATHLETICS
FALL SPORTS
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2021 VARSITY FALL SPORTS AWARDS BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY • FAA Honorable Mention: Esaias Gonzalez ’25 • Coaches Award: Amitav Nott ’22 • Wildcat Award: Esaias Gonzalez ’25 • 2022 Captains: Adam Kern ’23, Jared Perlmutter ’24, Tyler Moyer ’23 GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY • FAA All-League Fifth Place: Isabel Slippen ’23 • FAA Honorable Mention: Cleo Saltz ’24 • NYSAIS Championship Twelfth Place: Isabel Slippen ’23 • Coaches Award: Annie Suter ’23 • Wildcat Award: Maya Kini ’22 • 2022 Captains: Isabel Slippen ’23, Cleo Saltz ’24, Julia Marrinan ’23 FIELD HOCKEY • FAA All-League First Team: Caroline Keating ’22 • FAA All-League Second Team: Zizi Hart ’23 • FAA Honorable Mention: Reina Thalheimer-Santamaria ’23 • WNEPSFHA All-Star: Caroline Keating ’22, Reina Thalheimer-Santamaria ’23
• All-NEPSAC: Caroline Keating ’22 • NFHCA High School National Academic Squad: Makayla Blake ’23, Emma Budke ’22, Leah Colin ’22, Caroline Harkness ’22, Hadley Hart ’23, Caroline Keating ’22 • Coaches Award: Leah Colin ’22 • Wildcat Award: Caroline Keating ’22 • 2022 Captain: Reina Thalheimer-Santamaria ’23 FOOTBALL • MIFL All-League: Henry Cohn ’23, Nolan James ’22, Trey Stevens ’24, Michael McGhee ’23, Tyvaughn Jones ’22 • MIFL Honorable Mention: Cole Denson ’24 • Coaches Award: Sean Smith ’22 • Wildcat Award: Nolan James ’22 • 2022 Captains: Henry Cohn ’23, Luke Millowitz ‘23, Cole Denson ’24, Michael McGhee ‘23
SHOW YOUR WILDCAT PRIDE! Shop for RCDS apparel and more at ryecountryday.org/shop
BOYS’ SOCCER • FAA All-League Second Team: Henry Geller ’22 • FAA Honorable Mention: Mark Vollmer ’22 • WNEPSA All-Star: Henry Geller ’22 • Coaches Award: Henry Geller ’22 • Wildcat Award: Lior Gurion ’22 • 2022 Captains: Sameer Hirani ’24, Jonah Gurion ’24, Dante Zugman ’23 GIRLS’ SOCCER • FAA All-League Second Team: Sydney Merrill ’23, Lily Smith ’25, Trinity Parameswaran ’23 • FAA Honorable Mention: Ellie Stevens ’22 • Wildcat Award: Marin Yearley ’22 • Coaches Award: Ana Wilmer ’22 • 2022 Captains: Sydney Merrill ’23, Trinity Parameswaran ’23
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ATHLETICS
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WINTER SPORTS 2022 VARSITY WINTER SPORTS AWARDS GIRLS’ BASKETBALL • FAA Honorable Mention: Jordyn Roskind ’23 • Western New England All-Star: Jordyn Roskind ’23 • Coaches Award: Reina ThalheimerSantamaria ’23 • Wildcat Award: Marin Yearly ’22 • 2022-23 Captains: Reina ThalheimerSantamaria ’23, Jordyn Roskind ’23 BOYS’ BASKETBALL • FAA All-League Second Team: William Kosann ’22 • FAA Honorable Mention: Owen Z. ’26 • Coaches Award: Alexander Nichols ’22 • Jon Sabia Wildcat Award: William Kosann ’22 • 2022-23 Captains: Andrew Cheigh ’23, Henry Cohn ’23, Braden Bass ’23 BOYS’ FENCING • Joe Rue Coaches Award: Rohan Malik ’23 • Maureen Hartman Wildcat Award: Will Mahoney ’23 • 2022-23 Captains: Will Mahoney ’23, Archer Pil ’23, Adam Kern ’23 GIRLS’ FENCING • Joe Rue Coaches Award: Yana Jayampathy ’22 • Maureen Hartman Wildcat Award: Maya Kini ’22 • 2022-23 Captains: Elizabeth Lee ’23, Madi Danquah ’23 BOYS’ ICE HOCKEY • FAA All-League First Team: Ian Tumm ’22, Jackson Stein ’22 • FAA All-League Second Team: Jack Hammel ’22 • FAA Honorable Mention: Kevin Francella ’23 • Maria Effinger Award: Trey Holmes ’22 • Stahlin Wildcat Award: Ian Tumm ’22 • 2022-23 Captains: Kevin Francella ’23, Luke Millowitz ’23, Leo Rothschild ’23
GIRLS’ ICE HOCKEY • WIHLMA All-League First Team All-Miran: Caroline Keating ’22, Payton Caggiano ’23, Sofia Medina ’22, Emma Budke ’22, • WIHLMA All-League Honorable Mention: Charlotte Holtby ’23 • WIHLMA All-Academic First Team: Sofia Medina ’22, Payton Caggiano ’23 • WIHLMA All-Academic Honorable Mention: Grace Allen ’24 • WIHLMA Harry Rulon-Miller Sportsmanship Award: Grace Allen ’24 • Coaches Award: Emma Budke ’22 • Wildcat Award: Caroline Keating ’22 • 2022-23 Captains: Payton Caggiano ’23, Charlotte Holtby ’23, Morgan Daily ’23 (A) BOYS’ SQUASH • FAA All-League: Ben Mathias ’23, Ty Green ’23 • FAA Honorable Mention: Turner Wolfe ’22 • Coaches Award: Henry Featherston ’22 • Wildcat Award: Ben Mathias ’23 • 2022-23 Captains: Ben Mathias ’23, Henry Fogel ’25 GIRLS’ SQUASH • FAA All-League: Blakely N. ’26, Gabi Jolly ’22 • FAA Honorable Mention: Sarah Rivas ’24 • Coaches Award: Maya Hirani ’22 • Wildcat Award: Julia Kavanagh ’22 • 2022-23 Captains: Leigh Smith ’23, Avery Smith ’23
BOYS’ INDOOR TRACK • NYSAIS Runner-Up: Michael McGhee ’23, Ethan Roque ’24, Lior Gurion ’22, Jared Perlmutter ’24 (4x400 Meter Relay) • Coaches Award: Dylan Garbutt ’24 • Wildcat Award: Peter Nichols ’22 • 2022-23 Captains: Michael McGhee ’23, Jared Perlmutter ’24 WRESTLING: • FAA Honorable Mention: Rhodes Boester ’24 • NYSAIS Federation Representatives: Tyvaughn Jones ’22, Barrett Pennington ’24 • PSAA All-League: Rhodes Boester ’24, Ricardo Coates ’23, Cesar Morales ’24, Sean Smith ’22, Tyvaughn Jones ’22 (League MVP) • Coaches Award: Cesar Morales ’22 • Frank Antonelli Wildcat Award: Tyvaughn Jones ’22 • 2022-23 Captains: Ricardo Coates ’23, Rhodes Boester ’24 * Students who are in the RCDS Middle School at the time of publication are listed with their first names and last initials.
GIRLS’ INDOOR TRACK • NYSAIS Champion: Isabel Slippen ’23 (1,000-Meter Run, NYS Federation Qualifier) • Coaches Award: Cleo Saltz ’24 • Wildcat Award: Isabel Slippen ’23 • 2022-23 Captain: Isabel Slippen ’23 Mr. Nelson at the Winter 2022 Sports Awards.
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ATHLETICS NEWS
L to R: Tyvaughn Jones ’22, Caroline Keating ’22, Alexander Nichols ’22, Jackson Merrill ’22 and Sriya Krishnan ’22.
WILDCATS CONTINUE THEIR ATHLETIC CAREERS IN COLLEGE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE RCDS CLASS OF 2022 will continue their careers as student-athletes at some of the finest colleges and universities. The RCDS community looks forward to continuing to support them as they take this next step in their athletic careers. Congratulations to our college-bound student-athletes!
Tyvaughn Jones ’22 Grinnell College, Football Caroline Keating ’22 Bates College, Lacrosse Sriya Krishnan ’22 Haverford College, Tennis Jackson Merrill ’22 Stanford University, Water Polo Alexander Nichols ’22 Amherst College, Track and Field
SIX RCDS VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY PLAYERS NAMED TO THE NFHCA HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL ACADEMIC SQUAD Varsity Field Hockey players Makayla Blake ’23, Emma Budke ’22, Leah Colin ’22, Caroline Harkness ’22, Hadley Hart ’23, and Caroline Keating ’22 have been named to the 2021 NFHCA High School National Academic Squad. The program recognizes high school seniors and juniors who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher through the first semester of the current academic year.
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Sabrina Fang ’23 took home three foil fencing medals at the North American Cup in Columbus, Ohio, including: a gold medal in junior, a silver medal in cadet, and a top8 medal in Division 1 foil. Sabrina works with Head Foil Coach Slava Grigoriev at Tim Morehouse Fencing Club Port Chester, and she is a member of the RCDS Fencing team.
COACHES’ CORNER
HONORS & FAREWELLS In 2021-22, Rye Country Day School bid farewell to two incredible coaches. We thank them for all they have contributed to RCDS Athletics.
2022 WINTER CHAMPIONS!
Spring 2021 was Matt Rosolen’s final season as Boys’ Lacrosse Coach. Since beginning this coaching position in 2003, Mr. Rosolen led the team to eight Fairchester Athletic Association Championships, three NYSAIS Championships, and a DII Western New England Lacrosse Championship in 2015. Student-athletes greatly valued his humble and easy going nature and have shared that his example will continue to inspire them through their lives. Mr. Rosolen will continue his roles as Dean of Grades 7 & 8 and Middle School Mathematics Teacher.
• Tyvaughn Jones ’22 took home the 2022 NYSAIS Wrestling Champion title in the 189-pound weight class. Tyvaughn was also recognized as the PSAA All-League MVP. • Isabel Slippen ’23 took home the 2022 NYSAIS Champion title in the indoor track 1,000-meter run. • Varsity Girls’ Ice Hockey team won the 2022 WIHLMA (Women’s Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic) Miran Division Championship. • Boys’ Varsity Squash won the 2022 NYSAIS Championship. • Varsity Wrestling team won the 2022 Prep School Athletic Association (PSAA) Championship.
The close of the 2022 winter athletic season marked Joe Rue’s last season as Head Fencing Coach. In June, Mr. Rue will also retire from teaching science at Rye Country Day. Coach Rue founded the RCDS Fencing program in 1987, and he started the ISFL which has blossomed into a league of 10 Independent Schools. Countless students and coaches have been touched by Coach Rue’s sensitivity, leadership, and friendship. We are so grateful to Joe Rue for all that he has contributed to Rye Country Day’s Athletics program and our school community at large. ryecountryday.org 39
ARTS
FESTIVAL CHORUS CONCERT
The 27th annual Festival Chorus Concert was live streamed from the RCDS Performing Arts Center on Sunday, January 23. As is the tradition, the Upper School Concert Choir joined with an adult choir of RCDS family members, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends to create a moving community performance. This year, the chorus sang from the seats of the auditorium to observe social distancing. The concert’s theme was Renewal, Reconnection, and Reawakening, and it featured music by Dan Forrest, Jason Robert Brown, and Dolly Parton, among others. Enjoy the full recording of this special community performance at ryecountryday.org/2022festivalchorus
Performing Arts
UPPER SCHOOL MUSICAL: TWELFTH NIGHT
The Upper School’s production of Twelfth Night marked the return of a fully in-person musical since the beginning of the pandemic, and it was a roaring success. The show ran in the PAC theater for three nights, and each performance left audiences thrilled and uplifted. Twelfth Night is a story of love, laughter, and mistaken identity, based on the Shakespeare play and created by Shaina Taub and Kwame KweiArmah. When Viola survives a terrible shipwreck—in which her twin brother apparently drowns—she finds herself in the country of Illyria, a land where she knows no one and has to disguise herself as a man to find work and protect herself. But there is one small problem; she falls in love with her employer, the Duke Orsino. The Duke, unfortunately, is in love with the Countess Olivia, who in turn falls in love with Viola disguised as Cesario. A dedicated cast of 28, crew of 11, and costume team of seven filled the stage with energy and joy.
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FALL PLAY: MACBETH
One of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Macbeth is the story of a man gone mad with power. When he encounters three witches after battle, Macbeth (played by Madi Danquah ’23) is promised the crown by their prophecy. This entices Macbeth and his wife, and leads them to murder the current king of Scotland. This act drives Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (played by Lolly Kim ’23) to more bloodshed and deeper into insanity. Eventually, a civil war ensues to overthrow him. A cast of 18 students put forth engaging and powerful performances in two sold-out shows in the Black Box Theater. The crew and production team also worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the well-received show possible.
WINTER CHORAL AND INSTRUMENTAL CONCERTS!
December 2021 marked the return of live music performances in the PAC with the Middle and Upper School Choral and Instrumental Concerts. Both were wonderful and memorable community events.
5-12 Choral Concert
6-12 Instrumental Concert
UPPER SCHOOL CHOREOGRAPHY SHOWCASE The Upper School held the second-ever Student Choreography Showcase, featuring original dance pieces choreographed by nine Upper School dancers: Katia Ohmacht ’24, Dani Penn ’24, Claire Yu ’25, Anya Khemlani ’23, Chidi Olewuenyi ’22, Seneca Song ’24, Lauren Kim ’23, Mary Burdick ’22, and Julia Carroll ’22. In addition to the choreographers, nine other student dancers performed in the showcase, including members of the Cedar Street Dance Company. Preparing for the showcase, the students worked individually and collaboratively to explore different dance styles and create their own unique and evocative dance pieces. The final performance included a range of styles, from modern to contemporary to musical theatre jazz. The Upper School club Dance with a Purpose run by student leaders Chidi Olewuenyi ’22 and Charlotte Ballantoni ’22 hosted the event and collected donations for the organization Dancing Dreams in Bayside, NY, which provides dance opportunities and mentors to children with physical or medical challenges.
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ARTS
Upper School Photo Exhibition
Visual Arts
The annual Upper School Photo Exhibition showcased a broad range of work from students in Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3, AP Photo, and Advanced Honors Photo. Participating students were dedicated and diligent in their exploration of the technical and conceptual aspects of photography.
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Lower and Middle School Art Exhibition
Fusion ’22 Students contributed a variety of artwork to the Lower and Middle School Art Exhibition titled Fusion ’22. The exhibit featured paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, and mixed media projects on every bulletin and display case on the Main Building’s first floor!
Upper School 3D Art Show
Materials, Process, and Form The annual Upper School 3D Art Show highlighted the work of students enrolled in Ms. Dolan’s US 3D Design classes, including Ceramics/Sculpture Level 1-3, Advanced Topics in Ceramics, and AP 3D Design. In these classes, students learn to sketch and work through the design process. The exhibit’s name, Materials, Process, and Form, speaks to the variety of materials used—including clay, plaster, newspaper, marker caps, and paper straws—and the unique ways students think, create, iterate, and design.
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
MIDDLE SCHOOL DRAMA
Q&A with Kate Henerey, MS Drama Teacher
n Middle School musical productions have returned to the stage after pausing during the pandemic. How have you and the students experienced this milestone? With a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and joy! I was honestly worried at the beginning of the year about how much involvement we would have after almost two years off, and I have been blown away by the students’ excitement and work ethic. Going to rehearsals is the highlight of my day. I am always so inspired and struck by our Middle Schoolers’ dedication to and enjoyment of drama. Whether they are onstage or behind the scenes as part of the crew, they always give 100 percent. n Do you have a standout moment that informed your views on teaching and education? Like many educators, I had some amazing teachers that shaped how I feel about teaching and educating. However, I had a theatre professor in college that stood out in particular. She was an excellent example
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of how to scaffold risk in artistic work and back up artistic choices through intellectual discourse. In short, she taught me how to be both an artist and a scholar. As a college student, I did not realize how well this lesson would serve in my life and career. Her philosophy towards teaching was to meet students where they are and continue to push them past their own expectations, and that is something I continue to strive to find in my own teaching practice. I want my students to have the lifelong curiosity of a scholar and the endless creativity of an artist, and I want to create a supportive environment where they can develop these skills, which will no doubt enrich their lives, as they have mine. n What are the key skills developed through studying drama? In addition to the most obvious skills, like building confidence, public speaking, and good analytical skills, I have always looked at drama as an excellent place to develop your collaborative and listening skills. Good theater artists are the ultimate collaborators, and we build productions through creative problem solving with one another. And probably most importantly, studying drama is one big lesson in empathy. Whether you’re in a classroom studying a scene or creating and mounting
a large-scale production, drama is about telling other people’s stories truthfully and meaningfully, and hopefully discovering parts of yourself in that process. n What do you want students to take away from studying drama during Middle School? My favorite thing about teaching Middle School Drama is that I get to teach and experience this art form with every Middle School student and build on their knowledge every year. In Middle School, the students often have yet to really specialize or choose one or two interests to pursue, so they are extremely open to new ideas and ways to express themselves. When my students leave Middle School, I hope they walk away with both an appreciation for the theater as well as clear ways that they can see themselves becoming involved, whether onstage, offstage, or as patrons of the arts. The skills students gain in a drama class and within the performing arts are applicable to all areas of their lives, regardless of whether they pursue the arts as adults.
Looking Ahead
In 2022-23, Ms. Henerey will assume the role of RCDS Drama & Dance Department Chair. She will also continue to teach Middle School drama.
n Can you share any exciting plans you and your colleagues have for Middle School Drama? It has been my dream since I arrived here to get a Middle School One Act Play Festival off the ground. The Middle School Musical is so successful and excellent, and I would like to build on our dramatic repertoire by providing space for students who enjoy performing in straight plays, as well as the students who see themselves as playwrights or tech crew members. My goal is to keep introducing different facets to the program so that each student feels they have a place in the theater.
n If you could be any character in any musical, who would you be? I love this question, and I’m positive that I will change my mind ten times before this is printed. I just saw Hadestown and loved the character of Persephone. But I also absolutely adore Sondheim and love how he writes characters, and especially his way with lyrics and language. Bobby from Company, and any character from Into the Woods ... it’s so hard to choose! And that’s just musicals, don’t get me started on plays or we’ll be here all day.
“ When my students leave Middle School, I hope they walk away with both an appreciation for the theater, as well as clear ways that they can see themselves becoming involved, whether onstage, offstage, or as patrons of the arts.” ryecountryday.org 45
PARENTS ASSOCIATION
FROM THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION
Our Year of Community As the school year comes to a close, I would like to take a moment to reflect on and celebrate our year of community. The excitement and desire to come together was palpable this fall. Events like Host Family Coffees, the Fall Luncheon, the Book Fair, and a foliage hike provided parents and guardians with the much appreciated opportunity to connect. With the return of opportunities to be together again, ideas percolated and new initiatives were born. One new initiative that furthers our motto, Not for Self, but for Service, is the Parent Public Purpose Committee (PPP). With Director of Public Purpose Rebecca Drago at the helm, this group of talented and dedicated volunteers works to harness the power of the RCDS community to serve our local community, while strengthening RCDS parents’ and students’ bonds in the process. To date, the PPP has had strong committee participation and results—the blood drive (New York Blood Center), the holiday coat drive (The Sharing Shelf), and the MLK Social Impact Project (Building One Community). Stay tuned for more Community Engagement opportunities! A strong community builds joy and joy builds a strong community. We had a plethora of both this year, and the PA was thrilled to participate in some of the joyful moments on campus! A group of talented parents and guardians delighted students and faculty alike by decorating the school for Halloween. On a chilly January morning, our Employee Appreciation Committee treated our adult community to a gourmet coffee truck breakfast. During March Exam week, when our students were just a tad stressed, Middle and Upper School students were treated to the “Glazed and Confused” Donut Truck, thanks to the newly formed PA Spirit Committee. Moments like these celebrate community, build community, and happen because of community. As my tenure as Parents Association President comes to an end, I want to share that it has been my honor to serve in this role. I was privileged to work alongside so many talented and dedicated volunteers to support our wonderful school. Through the various events and recordbreaking Blue & Gold Benefit, it has been an experience and accomplishment that I will treasure. Warm regards,
Victoria Maggard Victoria Maggard P’22, P’25, P’27, P’30 Parents Association President
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Let’s give a warm Wildcat Welcome to Rebecca Brown P’27, P’29, P’32 who will assume the role of Parents Association President in June 2022.
2021-2022
LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE Annual Giving Campaign
This year’s Annual Giving campaign honors Head of School Scott Nelson’s visionary and transformative leadership, which has evolved RCDS into one of the most highly regarded independent schools both locally and nationally.
SUPPORT A LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE. Make Your Gift or Pledge to • T HE RCDS ANNUAL FUND
Covering the day-to-day operation of the School.
• THE SCOTT A. NELSON SCHOLARSHIP FUND Honoring Mr. Nelson’s retirement after 29 outstanding years by supporting endowed need-based scholarships to make the RCDS experience accessible to dedicated, capable students regardless of their financial status.
WAYS TO GIVE VISIT RYECOUNTRYDAY.ORG/GIVE CALL 914.925.4523 VENMO @RYECOUNTRYDAY OR USE THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE
EVENTS
Blue& Gold The
Benefit
A Record-Breaking Night in Celebration of Rye Country Day and Head of School Scott A. Nelson. April 9, 2022–After going on hiatus due to the pandemic, the Blue & Gold Benefit, a beloved Parents Association fundraiser, roared back with good cheer and RCDS spirit! It was a wonderful night to remember as parents/guardians and employees came together to support RCDS and honor Mr. Nelson for his 29 years of outstanding leadership.
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Sharing gratitude for the community effort that it took to make the evening a success, the Benefit Event Chairs, Yvette Hammel, Angie Gasparro, and Victoria Maggard, wrote, “Heartfelt thanks to our generous underwriters, donors, auction participants, and guests—you made the evening a terrific success! And, congratulations and many thanks to the Blue & Gold Benefit Committee, whose members’ enthusiastic commitment to RCDS is truly inspiring, and to the faculty and staff who partnered with the PA to make it a fantastic benefit.”
The Blue & Gold Benefit is the Parents Association’s largest fundraiser. Through underwriting, silent and live auctions, and a special appeal to support the Scott A. Nelson Scholarship Fund, the event raised over $800,000—a record-breaking tally! The funds will be used to support financial aid, faculty professional grants, equipment grants, and other initiatives that further enhance the educational experience at RCDS.
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NEW ALUMNI EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS In November 2021, the Alumni Executive Board, under the leadership of Scott Weiss ’96, welcomed five new members: Doug Behrman ’04, Ellen Sluder Cohen ’95, Nicole Jackson Fanjul ’02, Grant S. Johnson ’10, and Sarah Strong ’12. ❶
❶ Doug Behrman ’04 is a director and founding member of CVC Growth Partners, the $2.6 billion AUM technology investment arm of CVC Capital Partners. Doug focuses on growth-stage investing in enterprise software and ogy-enabled service companies. Prior to CVC, Doug worked at Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a middle-market private equity firm in New York, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Doug serves on the New York Advisory Council of Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit organization that provides resources such as school supplies and clothing to homeless and low-income children. He also serves on the Technology Advisory Board of YearUp, a nonprofit professional development organization dedicated to closing the opportunity divide. He graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in History and International Relations and has an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Doug lives in Greenwich, CT, with his wife, Andrea, their two daughters, Anna (RCDS Class of 2035) and Blair, and their Yellow Labrador, Winston. ➋ Ellen Sluder Cohen ’95 is the Head of Marketing for smrtStudio Global, Inc., a leader in SaaS telecommunication for high growth businesses and the developers of smrtPhone and smrtDialer. She oversees brand and marketing strategy, demand and lead generation, client communications, and strategic partnerships. She has spent her professional career focused on brand and marketing communications from both agency and in-house perspectives, and she has happily settled into the niche business of software and technology. Ellen has been an active member of the RCDS Festival Chorus for over a decade and also sits on the Alumni Board at Rippowam Cisqua School. She is a member of the Forbes Communications Council, and a Facebook Power Admin and Certified Community Manager, managing several highly active online communities in her free time and bringing together her passions for human connection and technology. She has a BA from Wesleyan University and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. Ellen lives in Mount Kisco with her husband, two daughters, cat, dog, and two guinea pigs.
❷
➌ Nicole Jackson Fanjul ’02 is a partner in the banking group in the finance department of Latham & Watkins LLP, a global law firm dedicated to helping clients achieve their business goals and overcome legal challenges anywhere in the world. She represents investment and commercial banks, direct lenders and corporate borrowers in complex financings, including acquisition financings, debt restructurings, and cross-border transactions. Nicole also serves as Co-Deputy Office Managing Partner of Latham’s New York office. She maintains an active pro bono practice, frequently advising on immigration matters and assisting immigrant victims of domestic violence in obtaining the protections and benefits of the Violence Against Women Act. She also spearheaded Latham’s ongoing Anti-Racism and Allyship Discussion Series for all lawyers and staff in the firm’s New York office to help foster continued conversation and education around systemic racism and allyship. Nicole recently joined the board of directors of The Acceleration Project, a non-profit, female-led business advisory firm dedicated to supporting under-resourced, high-potential small businesses, with a focus on those owned by women and People of Color.
❸
Nicole graduated from Duke University in 2006 and subsequently received her law degree from Harvard Law School. She lives in Rye with her husband, José, and her two sons, Giovanni (RCDS Class of 2033) and Christian.
❹
➍ Grant S. Johnson ’10 is a filmmaker and Broadway producer. Grant wrote, directed, and produced Frat Star, released in 2017 by Gravitas Ventures and Netflix. His second movie, Nighthawks, premiered during the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019, and his latest film, Agent Game, starring Dermot Mulroney, Mel Gibson, and Jason Isaacs, was released by Sony and Saban in April 2022. He was also a Producer of The Band’s Visit, which won 10 Tony awards, including Best Musical. Grant serves on the Executive Committee of Rudin Management and is a member of the Rudin family. He is Vice President of the family’s three charitable foundations and is a principal of the firm’s venture arm. He resides in Manhattan and holds a BA from Swarthmore College, where he pitched for the baseball team. ➎ Sarah Strong ’12 is a New York City based food writer. After being a member of the winning Young Physicist Tournament team at RCDS in 2012, she majored in Physics at Yale University before earning her master’s degree in food studies at New York University. Sarah was a founding member of the Cedar Street Dance Company at RCDS and continued dancing in several groups at Yale, where she was also involved with Y Pop-Up student-run restaurants, started a chapter of Spoon University, and helped relaunch the club archery team.
❺
Since graduating from college, Sarah has worked in restaurant PR, at Food & Wine magazine, for Heritage Radio Network, and as a camp counselor and archery instructor. She is currently the Communications Director for food event production company Food Karma Projects and the Assistant Editor for the website Beyondish. Sarah spends her time cooking, reading, watching TV, crafting, and bargain hunting. You can read her work on Beyondish and keep up with her through her Substack newsletter, Strong Feelings, and on her Instagram page @feedsstrong.
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ALUMNI
Class News & Notes 1969
Joan Dreux ’69 shares, “Richard Perlman ’69 and I represented RCDS Class of 1969 at The Celebration of Life for Peter Klein ’69 who tragically passed away in December 2021. Both Richard and I, along with several other friends and family members, made remarks during the celebration.”
Susan Berndt Mahoney ’69 celebrated a milestone birthday with her husband Daniel, her children, Melissa Mahoney Wirth ’97 and Derek Mahoney ’00, her daughtersin-law, Molly Mahoney and Alisha Mahoney-Brown, her son-in-law, Scott Brown, and her 10 grandchildren.
1976
Robert Herbst ’76, who this fall won his twenty-seventh straight national weightlifting title, is training to win his twenty-eighth next year.
immunocompromised, requiring them to have protracted periods of quarantine during the last two years. I am enjoying my new role as Granny to two delightful little boys and have enjoyed getting to know them in person after almost a year of virtual visits.”
1980
Jaime Allen ’80 shares, “Enjoying my new position as Senior Director of Operations & Growth for the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School. Being in New England has allowed me to participate in Festival Chorus activities, such as the glorious Beethoven concert with the Greenwich Choral Society at the end of February. Also continuing to write music for a variety of projects, including a musical based on the 2008 financial crisis, and an upcoming premiere of my piece Providence Raptors by the Providence Mandolin Orchestra!”
1982
Al Rizzi’s ’82 and Boston Dynamics Robots danced on the Tonight Show to the BTS IONIQ song I’m On It.
1984/85
Barbara Saunders ’84 shares, “Crispin Spaeth ’85 and I got back in touch, and we’re teaching online courses together about writing and movement.”
1991
1978
Julie Hill Beck ’78 shares, “I am an Oncology Nurse Practitioner at the VA in West Haven, Connecticut. In 2020, I created a program to combat social isolation and loneliness in Veterans with cancer, as this group of patients are older, more physically frail, and often
Sarah Dodds Brown ’91 writes, “I am pleased to share that I was selected as one of the ’Elite 100’ by Diversity Woman Magazine Please check out the issue and the other esteemed women leaders who were selected.”
1992
1997
1995
Russell Dritz ’97 was chosen as a finalist in the 22nd Annual National Songwriters Association International Song Contest presented by The Bluebird Cafe and CMT for his song The Devil’s a Liar.
Amy Smith-Stewart ’92 curated an art show titled Karla Night: Navigator at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT, and was featured in the New York Times.
Emily Vides ’95 and Small Change Brewing Company were recognized for their beer, The Future is Unwritten, which was named to Boston Magazine’s guide to the top 24 tastiest craft beers in Boston, MA. Real Estate Broker Jessica Fields ’95 was recently featured in the New York Post discussing one of her latest listings in Brooklyn, NY.
1996
Long time friends, teammates, and classmates Blair Endresen Metrailler ’96 and Loren Smith Dinger ’96 were featured in the Rye Record in October. RVI announced that Allison Lee Liebowitz Larson ’96 has joined RVI Group’s Commercial Equipment team as Vice President, Sales. In this role, Allison will be responsible for growing sales and further enhancing existing relationships for RVI’s Commercial Equipment business. Nicole Granston ’96 ran her fourth NYC marathon in November! Check out Nick Kroll ’96 who stars in Sing 2 as the voice of main character Gunter, the singing and dancing pig who helped Rosita in the first film.
Thank you to Michelle Fries Dancyger ’97. Her company, Serve It Up Designs, was one of our vendors at the RCDS Book Fair last fall.
Mandeville’s Alex Young ’97 will executive produce alongside Get Lifted’s Ty Stiklorius a screenplay titled Homecoming, which made the 2021 Black List. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s President of Production Erin Westerman states, “Homecoming delivers one of the most entertaining screenplays we’ve read this year.” Congratulations to Geoff De Wilde ’97 and his wife Marie Joelle on the birth of their second child on March 11, 2022. Ella Catherine joins big brother Henri, who is two.
1998
W Dyer Halpern ’98 writes, “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Chief Outside Legal Counsel at Duel Group, Inc.”
2000
Larry Kosilla ’00, YouTube star and owner of the car detailing company Ammo NYC located in Danbury, CT, was featured in the New York Times in October.
Stay connected to RCDS!
• Send class notes to alumnirelations@ryecountryday.org • Join the alumni Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/rcdsalumni • Visit the alumni website: ryecountryday.org/alumni ryecountryday.org 51
ALUMNI
Class News & Notes 2002
On November 6, 2021, Derek Mahoney ’00 celebrated his 40th birthday with Class of 2000 friends Peter Sherman, Giovanni Pinoargotte, Mark Zawel, Peter Khoury, Grant Savage, Hunter Kass, and Burt Weiss.
2001
Kody Gurfein ’01 writes, “Beyond psyched to be accepted into Chief, an invite-only network built to drive more women into positions of power and keep them there. “Chief is the only organization specifically designed for the most powerful women executives to strengthen their leadership, magnify their influence, and pave the way to bring others with them.” Kody was also accepted into the Forbes Communications Council, an invitation-only community for senior-level marketing, communications, and public relations executives.
2006
Nikki Ganz Stahl ’02 wrote and illustrated PopsOn Wheels, a disability-positive children’s book about the adventures between her father in his wheelchair and her nephew.
Robi Hager ’06 recently directed a film of Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day at the Arden Theatre Company. He will be heading to Cape Cod to direct the Harwich High School musical.
2004
2008
Ashley Richardson-George ’04 was selected as an Ad Week 50, which honors behind-the-scenes luminaries in marketing, media, and tech. Renee Wardlaw ’04 was recently elected to the Alaska Humanities Forum Board of Directors. She writes, “I have the privilege to uphold the Forum’s long-standing commitment to connecting Alaskans through stories, ideas, and experiences that positively change lives and strengthen communities to create a culturally diverse, economically vibrant, and equitable Alaska.” Renee was also featured in National Association of Black Compliance & Risk Management Inc.’s member spotlight. In the spotlight, she shares, “If the pandemic taught us nothing else, it taught us the importance of caring for our colleagues in a holistic, genuine, and vulnerable way.”
Congratulations to Samantha Toth Lewis ’08 and her husband, John, on the birth of their first child, Kelly Garrentt Lewis, on December 8, 2021.
2010
Katie Yates ’10 is joining the Analytics team with the Philadelphia Flyers. Caroline Holden ’10 writes, “I’m thrilled to announce that I accepted an offer as a Partnerships and Strategy Manager at Pikup.” Congratulations to John Paschall ’10 and his wife who welcomed their first child, Mile March Paschall, on January 19, 2022.
2009
Congratulations to Kailyn Lazarus ’09 and Noah Weintraub, who were married on December 5, 2021, at Abigail Kirsch at The Loading Dock.
Thank you to Grant Johnson ’10 who was invited to speak to Upper School Filmmaking Instructor, Casey Hallen’s Advanced Film and Film 1 and 2 classes about his work as professional filmmaker and producer. Grant recently released the feature film Agent Game, staring Dermot Mulroney, Jason Isaacs, and Mel Gibson. He has written and directed two features, including Nighthawks (2019), and he has produced three feature films and two Broadway musicals, including the Broadway adaptation of The Band’s Visit, winner of 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
2009
2011
English Honors students in Jenny Heath’s “Humor, Satire, and Ethics” course met virtually with RCDS alumna Julia Lindon ’09 to learn about her work as a comedian, writer, and producer. Julia shared her professional journey, ranging from her current work as a writer’s assistant on Ted Lasso to her experience creating and starring in the a TV pilot Lady Liberty. She also provided insights as to how her English and Theater classes at RCDS influenced her creative interests and helped her hone the skill of understanding and creating satirical content.
2012
52 Spring 2022
Congratulations to Brian Starker ’11 and Julia Druckman on their recent engagement.
Congratulations to Max Rosenthal and Erica Baevsky ’12 on their engagement.
New Alumni Events Series
HOW TO MAKE A LIVING... The RCDS Office of Alumni Relations recently launched "How to Make a Living,” a multi-part virtual speaker series that aims to showcase the various careers pursued by Rye Country Day graduates and answer industry-specific questions for those considering them. Thank you to our panelists!
How to Make a Living in How to Make a Living in
Sports
Daniel Lust ’06 Sports attorney and professor in the NYC Office of Geragos & Geragos and the Sports Law Professor at New York Law School. Follow Daniel at @SportsLawLust. Robert Striar ’90 (Moderator) Chief Executive Officer at Bull Horn Holdings; President of M Style Marketing, a leading strategy, marketing, and branding firm specializing in sports, entertainment, and consumer products. Robert works with multiple teams in international leagues, CONCACAF, FIFA, Google, Hasbro, InBev, National Hockey League (NHL), NFLPA, National Parks Foundation (NPF), Warner Brothers, etc.
Entrepreneurship
Ellen Sluder ’95 (Moderator) Head of Marketing for smrtStudio Global, Inc. Gary Benerofe ’95 General Partner at Mu Ventures and was formerly CEO of mediaspa, a NY-based ecommerce agency which joined forces with Overdose becoming a global agency. Andrew Potkowitz ’95 VP of Marketing & Strategic Alliances at Redstage. Andrew was formerly the Director of Partnerships & Marketing at mediaspa and Group Director Global Partnerships & Marketing at Overdose. Dan Goodfriend ’96 Managing Director, YPS Digital. Dan is the former CTO of mediaspa and Technical Director Americas for Overdose Digital. A.J. Hoffman ’95 Former Co-Owner & Operator at Rye Brook Wine & Spirit Shop. Jessica Fields ’95 Real Estate Agent at Compass, The Bateman | Fields Team. She is the founder of Beyond Brooklyn, a resource to help people learn more about the communities surrounding New York City. Jessica is also the founder of Jessica Fields Fine Jewelry.
Bo Wulf ’04 Staff writer for The Athletic. Bo covers the Philadelphia Eagles. Elizabeth Wulf ’13 Assistant Coach Women’s Hockey at the University of Connecticut. Eve Wulf ’13 Producer, Development and Production, for Unscripted at Meadowlark Media, a film company founded by former ESPN CEO John Skipper. Eve previously worked for ESPN Films in the 30 for 30 department.
Katie Hunt ’02 Co-Founder and Chief Innovations Officer of SHOWFIELDS, The Most Interesting Store in The World. She is also the Co-Founder of The Fund, which is a VC fund made up of a community of founders and operators that invests and mentors early stage companies in NYC, LA, London, The Rockies, The Midwest, Europe and Australia, Prior to SHOWFIELDS and The FUND, Katie worked as the Chief Brand Officer for Hinge and was the third employee of Warby Parker.
John Wulf ’08 Assistant Director, player development, for the Washington Nationals. Katie Yates ’10 Incoming Analytics Team member with the Philadelphia Flyers, current Director of Analytics for UMass Amherst Men’s Ice Hockey. Katie is an Analytics/Sport Science Graduate Student Research Fellow, working with the Boston Bruins. ryecountryday.org 53
2018
Sofia Dartnell ’18 received a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Sofia is one of just 80 scholars around the world to receive the prestigious award. In the fall of 2022, after graduating from Pomona College, she will attend Cambridge University’s Darwin College to pursue a Ph.D. in zoology. She plans to study the effects of novel environmental land management schemes on bumblebees—as well as ways to strengthen biodiversity on farmlands to support bee populations. Congratulations, Sofia!
Athletics in College Panel Nine RCDS alumni visited virtually with students in Grades 9 - 11 to discuss athletics in college. The event, which was co-hosted by the RCDS Office of College Counseling and the Athletics Department, was designed to help students understand more about the college search process for student-athletes, as well as the collegiate athletic experience. Many thanks to our panelists for an informative and engaging discussion: Charlie Allen ’21 (Football, Bowdoin College) Laura Baine ’20 (Lacrosse, Middlebury College) Cameron Coleman ’19 (Football, Columbia University) Elizabeth Friedberg ’20 (Field Hockey, Cornell University) Olivia Friedberg ’20 (Field Hockey, Cornell University) Allan Houston III ’19 (Football, Brown University) Jinjer Pearce ’16 (Track and Field, Cornell University) Arly Rodriguez ’21 (Track and Field, Bowdoin College) Kaela Smith ’21 (Field Hockey, Williams College)
2019 Reflections on RCDS Panel In the fall, RCDS welcomed 10 young alumni on Zoom for “Reflections on RCDS,” a panel hosted by the Offices of Admissions and Alumni Relations and moderated by Upper School Assistant Principal Katie O’Shaughnessey. They spoke with over 80 prospective families about their experiences at Rye Country Day— from the programs and teachers that had a lasting impact to the ways their school experiences prepared them for college. Many thanks to Patricia Bautista ’19, Faith Hardy ’19, Kyle Mandell ’21, Sabrina Reznik ’20, Arly Rodriguez ’21, Isabel Stronski ’20, Ahmed Suliman ’20, Yusra Suliman ’19, Charlotte Townley ’19, and Theresa Quinto ’20 for volunteering their time and sharing their insights. It was wonderful having them back and hearing about their outstanding accomplishments in college.
54 Spring 2022
Congratulations to Brooke Castagna ’15 who got engaged to her fiance, Steven Petrocelli, on November 25, 2021.
2016
Ryan Wolitzer ’16 writes, “In July, I decided to pursue my passion for athlete representation and start my own sports agency focused on helping college athletes maximize their NIL potential. After about a month of getting my company, Wolitzer Group LLC, off the ground, I am happy to announce I have signed my first clients.”
In November, former Class of 2019 RCDS football teammates Cameron Coleman ’19 and Allan Houston III ’19 played against each other in a Brown v. Columbia game.
2021
Ellie Zimmerman ’21 was interviewed by Authority Magazine for their series on Young Change Makers Helping to Create a Better World.
L E AV I N G A LEGACY
In Memoriam Rye Country Day School expresses its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the following members of our community who passed away since the last publication of the RCDS Bulletin.
Alumni
Parents & Grandparents
Wendy Lewis Bailey ’57 Samantha Cooper ’14 Diane Lewis Feldman ’70 Elizabeth Healy ’42 Peter Klein ’69 Elias B.M. Kulukundis ’55 Nancy Freedman Peters ’70 James Starkweather ’41 Frederick J. Watts ’75 Joanna Wolff ’88
Phyllis Lynn Duberstein P’00, P’03 Arlene Fleischman P’74, P’76, GP’11, GP’11, GP’16 Grey Fletcher P’95, P’97, P’03 June Getraer P’82 Lucille Gerber King P ’73, P ’78 Kang-Nan Lee GP’25, GP’33
Remembrances Donna Brown, Former Faculty Member Donna Brown passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 19, in Pennsylvania. Donna was a teacher at Rye Country Day School for over 30 years and then Administrative Assistant in the Middle School Office. During her career at RCDS, her Grade 6 Social Studies classroom became renowned for the many arts and crafts projects throughout the curriculum, such as creating Medieval castles and shields. Students had the opportunity to express themselves through these projects, and they were displayed throughout the halls of the school each year, allowing all those who passed through to enjoy them. Donna was married to another RCDS teacher, Richard Brown, who predeceased her, and she leaves behind her daughter, Katie (RCDS Class of 2005), her son-in-law, Chris, and her siblings and friends.
Frederick J. Watts ’75
The Susan J. Life Society recognizes and honors the generosity of those who have made provisions for the School in their wills or estate plans. For more information on ways to combine planning for the future and support of Rye Country Day School, please contact Julie McCrory ’03, Manager of Stewardship and Engagement, at (914) 925-4526 or julie_mccrory@ryecountryday.org
RCDS Alumni Hall of Fame (2018) recipient Frederick J. Watts ‘75 passed away in late December. Frederick, who grew up in the Bronx and Mt. Vernon, was the Executive Director of the Police Athletic League NYC and a long time public service lawyer. After one year at a private law firm, Frederick was appointed by Robert M. Morgenthau to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where he remained a prosecutor for over 30 years. He began his career handling all forms of violent crime including the investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults and homicide cases. He was promoted to supervisory positions, and he served as a key executive in the office for over 20 years, culminating in the position of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Finance and Administration. Frederick’s other professional activities included active participation on the Judiciary Committee of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, as well as ten years of volunteer service as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Summit New Jersey Area YMCA. In 2014, he retired from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to assume leadership of the Police Athletic League NYC (PAL). As Executive Director, he oversaw one of New York City’s oldest and largest independent not-for-profit youth agencies, serving nearly 20,000 New York City youth through a wide array of youth development programs, including childcare and pre-kindergarten; education, arts, and sports; college prep and work readiness; and juvenile justice. Most recently, Frederick navigated PAL effectively through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the struggles of social justice issues facing the city and nation. Frederick graduated from Brown University with a degree in economics, and Columbia University School of Law. He leaves behind his wife of 31 years, Celia Colbert, an attorney, and two sons, Michael (23) and Nicholas (20).
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