Saint Ann's Times | Winter 2023–24

SAINT ANN’S TIMES

“INSPIRED BY WINTER, THE SNOW, AND THE MOON”

JENNY MARSHALL’S FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS

WINTER 2023–24

The

Editorial Staff

Robin Becker, Director of Communications

Hannah

Elena Sheppard ’05, Communications Associate

Jacob Goodhart, Alumni Relations and Volunteer Manager

Anna Verdi, Special Events Coordinator

Design

Asking Why

Winter 2023–24

When I was in the tenth grade, my English teacher told me to memorize a poem. The assignment was simple enough: take the poem, memorize it, and recite it in front of the class. When the time came to present our work, I admitted to my teacher that I didn’t do it. “Why not?” He asked. Because, I told him, I was never told why I should memorize the poem, other than to receive a grade in return. I grappled with the concept of doing something without understanding the purpose. I didn’t view my education as transactional and I didn’t memorize the poem.

In hindsight, I wanted my teacher to explain that reading the poem out loud might help me understand the emotion behind the words. He could have argued that memorizing the poem would help garner a deeper understanding of the language, or that I would be learning for learning’s sake. I needed him to tell me something, anything. Instead, what I learned is that I will always ask why Everything I do begins with that same question.

Why am I telling you this story? Because I want you to know that caring for children is the why behind everything I do. When I was a student, I sat in classrooms where I did not feel cared for— where I hid under the desk, and no one crouched down to meet me there. What drew me to Saint Ann’s, first as a parent eighteen years ago and now as Head of School, is the respect that our faculty have for our students. The childrens’ intellectual curiosity is met with equal curiosity by everyone around them. Our teachers teach the children wherever they are, including under the desk. Together, we are always asking why.

Why must we ensure that our children feel nurtured and cared for? Because we encourage them to take risks, and in order for them to do so, they need to know that we have their backs—always. They must feel safe raising their hand in math class; asking difficult questions; and putting their true selves forward in art, music, writing, playing, dancing, or wherever their passions may be. One of the most beautiful qualities of a Saint Ann’s education is the trust we place in our children, and the incredible journey they lead us on in return.

And why do we publish the Saint Ann’s Times twice a year? To celebrate the work of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Within this magazine, you will find art, poetry, scenes, and stories from around the school—and in the case of our alumni, from around the world. Risks taken and questions pondered. I hope you enjoy the time you spend with these pages. Maybe you will pause to linger on a particular poem. Or a photograph of a Bosworth classroom will transport you back until you can feel yourself running up the Red Stairs again. Whatever your experience may be, this magazine is for you; you are the why. I hope you enjoy it.

Artwork by Jenny Marshall’s fourth and fifth grade students

A Look Inside the New Computer Science Center

The newly renovated Computer Science Center is open! 3D printers are printing, soldering irons are soldering, and cross-departmental collaboration has been in motion. At 151 Pierrepont Street, students and faculty are greeted by a beautiful neon Saint Ann’s Owl and walk into a space of science, technology, creativity, and collaboration. Thank you to the many alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and grandparents who contributed to make this renovation possible.

Photos Courtesy of Chris Scarafile

Upper Middle School Anti-Bias Day

On Thursday, November 16, Upper Middle School students participated in Anti-Bias Day. Our goals for the day were to help students better understand the School’s philosophy around anti-bias work and how it’s a shared responsibility, to encourage students to view DEI work as an asset to our school community, and to end the day with a deeper understanding of community norms. During the day, students gathered by grade as well as division-wide. Students tackled complex questions and scenarios, met in affinity spaces, and viewed and discussed an episode of the TV show, Colin in Black and White.

Artwork by Sparrow M , 9th Grade

Brass Choir Carols

A merry gathering took place outside of the Bosworth Building the morning of December 21 as the Middle and High School brass choirs convened for sidewalk carols.

Photos Courtesy of Todd France

If I Were an Eagle

If I were an Eagle, I’d grow up in the trees, high above a river, laying in the feathered nest all day.

My Mother would come back, with food for me to eat, She would teach me how to fly, I’d soar out in the sky, I’d spread my wings out wide and proud, I’d be so happy, I’d be so loud.

I’d spend my life feeling free tickling the tops of the trees.

I’d visit home once and a while, to check in on my mom, she would be there sleeping and calm. I’d fall asleep with her and wake up as sunny summer dawn creeps through the trees. I’d fly to the beach. And meet a seagull, And that’s what I’d do if I were an eagle.

by Thea S., 4th grade

Artwork by Durete M 9th Grade

How to Build a Play

One week before the High School performance of Sense and Sensibility, the Communications Team sent a fly on the wall for the show’s first tech rehearsal. Here is an hour-by-hour account of the commitment, creativity, and controlled chaos of a Saint Ann’s School production.

9:00 a.m.

The crew arrives first. A fifteen-foot ladder sits center stage, and Steve Sosa, Technical Theater Assistant, climbs to the top and begins tweaking one of several dangling chandeliers, making sure it can raise and lower on cue.

Birgitta Victorson, Co-Chair of the Theater Department and the show’s director, sits with a student to map out which audio cues will create the show’s many transitions. Suddenly, the clipclop of horses pulling a carriage fills the theater.

In the back of the room, a student flips a switch, and the shadow of a leafy tree is cast across the stage. With nothing but shadow and light, the fourth floor of the Bosworth Building transforms into the front lawn of a 19th century manor house.

The shadow fades, the lights in the chandelier flash red, and the entire crew explodes in applause.

10:00 a.m.

Actors begin filing into the theater. Some wear rehearsal skirts over their jeans, others replace their sneakers with stage shoes and carry prop fans and opera glasses; anything that will help them prepare for the realities of the final production. “I like that skirt,” one student tells another. “It’s like hippie meets regency.”

Birgitta introduces the crew and musicians to the actors—everyone working on Sense and Sensibility is in the same room for the first time. Students break into groups to discuss the themes of the show and how they choose to interpret the story. Each group comes up with a unique cheer to use throughout the day when energies may run low. On the count of three, the theater erupts in a dozen different joyful calls.

11:00 a.m.

The run-through starts from the top of the show. Blackout. Whispers fill the room, followed by more audible voices: “Wait, when do I come in?” “Make a decision; hear a noise and then decide.”

As the first scene continues, more questions are raised and decisions made: Should that character be sitting or standing? (Standing). Should the Gossips gather behind the table or in front of the chairs? (Behind the table). Spotlights are added, then tweaked. A laugh track is debated. Every actor’s gesture, the direction of their glances, the movement of their props—all the details that build a scene—are considered, then turned over again.

12:00 p.m.

After three hours of work, it’s time to break for lunch. Earlier in the day, students were taught theater vernacular: Whenever an announcement is made (for a five minute break, the end of rehearsal, etc.) one offers thanks and repeats the call, to demonstrate understanding and gratitude. Immediately after Birgitta announces the break, dozens of relieved students call out, “Thank you, lunch!” and file out of the theater.

1:00 p.m.

A cello, violin, and guitar player enter stage left and begin to play. This is the first transition featuring live music, and it takes several attempts to get the timing right. The violin player is also an actor, so the staging is a delicate dance: she must perform the song and make her next entrance on time.

The stage is reset; the crew creates a dining room at lightning speed. Birgitta directs the Gossips to peer in through the set windows, to remain a part of the scene even though they are not written on the page. The actors on stage are encouraged to play the scene bigger, with more emotion. Students waiting in the wings sing “Don’t Stop Believing” in three-part harmony.

2:00 p.m.

Someone off stage begins to whistle and is quickly reprimanded; apparently, it’s bad luck. “What else is bad luck?” A student asks innocently.

“Saying the name of the Scottish Play.”

“What Scottish play?”

“Macbeth?” Someone says, attempting to help. Several students begin to shout at once. “Go outside, spin around three times, and swear! Or spit! Both!”

The student quickly leaves the theater to break the curse. With bad luck hopefully avoided, the rehearsal goes on.

3:00 p.m.

“Can I invite you all into my directing conundrum?” Birgitta pauses the action on stage to debate a transition with her crew. They discuss the various ways to use chairs, curtains, and the actors on stage to move from one scene to the next. When the answer doesn’t immediately present itself, she dismisses the actors for a 15 minute break (“Thank you, 15!”) and continues to mull it over with the crew.

When the actors return, Birgitta teaches them brand new choreography and cues.

4:00 p.m.

The full cast and crew stand in a circle on stage. Birgitta leads the group in a round of stretches and mindfulness exercises to refocus their minds and bodies. Eight pages to go until the end of act one.

5:00 p.m.

Witnessing the energy of the actors on stage, and the crew ruminating over a musical cue in the back, you’d never guess that we’re entering hour nine of tech rehearsal.

The crew practices the final musical cue of act one. Meanwhile, the actors on stage break into dance, interpreting the dramatic piano music. An off-stage Gossip pokes their head out from behind the curtain to eavesdrop on the current

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

scene. Birgitta cheers: “That’s perfect!”

“Going dark!” Birgitta calls. “Thank you, dark!” the students echo.

The lights go out, and the theater explodes in applause. Act one is complete.

5:30 p.m.

The groups from the beginning of the day gather once more. Everyone is instructed to share a piece of clarity, a moment of joy, and a question

Director

Birgitta Victorson

Choreography

Kate Hamilton and Birgitta Victorson

they need help answering. There is a round of applause for the musicians; the tech crew; Steve Sosa; Kobun Kaluza, Technical Theater Teacher; and Gena Oppenheim, Theater Teacher and Associate Director.

Before dismissing the students, Birgitta has three final requests: “Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Please thank a minimum of three people before you leave.”

And—scene.

Musical Arrangements Christiana Haakenson

Set, Light, and Sound Design

Kobun Kaluza and Adam Wyron

Associate Director Gena Oppenheim

Costume Design Kate Mincer

Additional Faculty and Staff Support

Miranda Boodheshwar, Associate Costume Designer Consultant

Steve Sosa, Technical Theater Assistant

Maria Osborn, Theater Teacher

Dan Renkin, Fight Director

Jane Avrich, English Teacher

Peter Zerneck, Rec Arts Teacher

Cast and Crew

Abbie A , 9th grade

Helena A -K , 11th grade

Veronica B., 10th grade

Ren B , 12th grade

Lyla B., 12th grade

Nigel B , 9th grade

Sam B., 10th grade

Jackson C , 9th grade

Felix C , 11th grade

Insa D., 12th grade

Rania Dey M , 12th grade

Charlotte D., 11th grade

Rocco F , 9th grade

Leo G , 11th grade

Julia G., 11th grade

Declan G , 11th grade

Jeremy G., 10th grade

Ben G., 12th grade

Ella G , 11th grade

Oona G., 10th grade

Freya G , 11th grade

Horatio H , 11th grade

Rebecca H., 9th grade

Angelina H , 10th grade

James Callum H., 10th grade

Claire L , 11th grade

Casper L., 10th grade

Jack L , 12th grade

Ellie M., 11th grade

Lucy M , 9th grade

Maayan M , 9th grade

Mac M., 11th grade

Nia N , 10th grade

Lizzie O., 10th grade

Charlotte O , 10th grade

Will O , 12th grade

Celeste O., 9th grade

Ash P , 12th grade

Sophie P., 12th grade

Ella R , 11th grade

Zoe R., 11th grade

Hannah R , 9th grade

Ian S , 12th grade

Diana S., 11th grade

Sam S , 11th grade

Simone S., 12th grade

Margot S , 11th grade

Maisie S , 9th grade

Sylvie S., 9th grade

Ari W , 11th grade

Here Come the Robots!

Anna Verdi, Computer Faculty

Almost two years ago in the spring of 2022, Laiali T. (now 11th grade) approached me after our programming class asking me to be the faculty adviser for a new Robotics Club that she was interested in establishing at Saint Ann’s. While in middle school at LREI, Laiali had been very involved with their FIRST Lego League club and team, and their season had been cut short by the Covid lockdown in the spring of 2020. She had really enjoyed her experience and was interested in getting back into robotics which did not exist at Saint Ann’s. At the time, I was the adviser for the High School Coding Club and excited to see students gathering to learn and practice coding beyond the classroom. While I don’t possess a background in robotics nor do I have experience in the area, I acquiesced to her proposal. I was delighted that Dov Lebowitz-Nowak ’00, my colleague in the IT department, was interested in and able to also be an adviser.

As a high school club, we were not eligible for the FIRST Lego League since it is for middle school, so we enrolled in the FIRST Tech Challenge, or FTC. While FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,” in our case the word “first” has the additional meaning of being the initial school club and team. Since the club was in its very beginning stages last year, Laiali could not attend the High School Club Fair in 2022 and ended up recruiting and convincing some classmates to join in this adventure: Sophia A., Anika A., Phaedra L., Jia M., and Maia-lu R. (all now in 11th grade). Lily L (now in 12th grade) and Kai M -S (now in 10th grade) also joined. Laiali conceived of our team’s clever and very appropriate name: Botsworth.

In the club’s FIRST season during the 2022–23 academic year, we were considered a “Rookie Team” which meant we received extra support and direction at the qualifying competitions we attended. The NYC First organization permits teams to attend two qualifying competitions in the season. Qualifying competitions take place on Saturdays and Sundays, and each day has between 25 and 30 city teams participating. A competition, which is a long and thrilling day spanning from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., involves robot inspection, field inspection, submitting a 16-page engineering portfolio, team judging interviews, drivers meeting, qualification matches, “pit” judging interviews, finals, and awards. The hosting school’s gym or lunch room serves as the “pit” where all teams sit at large tables intensely coding, improving, repairing, and testing their robots as well as energetically meeting other teams, strategizing for matches, providing assistance, and sharing tools and parts.

Last year, Saint Ann’s won the Connect Award for “connecting the dots between community, FIRST, and the diversity of the engineering world” at our very first qualifying match. It was immensely exciting and gratifying after the students had spent so much time after school and on weekends building and coding their robot. The award made our team eligible to attend the NYC super-qualifier match in February 2023. While we didn’t reach the NYC finals in March or nationals in Houston in April last year, the entire season was a win for the team and for Saint Ann’s. The team embraced the ethos of “gracious professionalism” that is an important part of the FIRST program.

With the club and team’s great success last year, a few members were interested, confident, skilled, and organized to set up a two-week robotics camp where they were counselors for third and fourth graders at Saint Ann’s Summer Camp in June. And, after a full year of club experience, they were able to set up a table at the High School Club Fair in September 2023, and attracted 15 new

members, almost tripling the size of the club. This year’s new members are: Abbie A. (9th), Tristan B. (10th), Luca D (10th), Bo G (10th), Anaia J -F (9th), Shaw K -B (11th), Alice L -M (9th), Sam L (9th), Sonia P.-G. (11th), Reed S. (11th), Maisie S. (9th), Renn S. (9th), Grover S. (11th), Ani V. (9th), and Katie Z (10th).

At our second qualifier event in January of this year at the High School for Construction Trades, Engineering and Architecture in Queens, the team won the Motivate Award which goes to the team that clearly shows what it means to be a team.

And what a team they are! The entire team is brimming with enthusiasm and determined to continue developing and supporting STEAM, robotics, and gracious professionalism in the Saint Ann’s community

Photos by Katie Z , 10th grade

Senior Retreat

In late September, the class of 2024 traveled to Fishkill, New York for the annual Senior Retreat. Students enjoyed team-building games; learned to fish and forage; sang songs around the campfire; ventured out on a night hike; and played many, many rounds of gaga ball (the students even challenged Head of School Kenyatte Reid to a game—and won!). It was a wonderful, adventurefilled, cell phone-free weekend in the woods.

Girls Varsity Volleyball

The 2023 Girls Varsity Volleyball team had a fantastic season. The team’s play was characterized by powerful spikes, hustling defense, thundering blocks, accurate passing, and strategic serving. The team finished the season with a 17-4 record, were the regular season champions of the ACIS League, played in the finals of the AAIS Tournament and received the 6th seed in the New York State Association of Independent Schools Volleyball Tournament. The team defeated #11 Riverdale in the first round and upset the #3 seeded Marymount in the quarterfinals before losing to the #2 seeded Avenues in a tightly contested semifinal. Congratulations on a wonderful season of strong volleyball!

Team members:

12th grade: Isabelle C., Midori M.

11th grade: Sophia A., Amelia A., Sylvie F.-J., Beau J., Nora M., Jane P., Margot S.

10th grade: Aurelia M , Clementine T

Managers: Namiya B , Felix F , Ian S

Coach: Shannon Carr

Girls Varsity Volleyball Team

Girls Junior Varsity Volleyball Team

Celebrate Saint Ann's features notable and innovative voices and talent from across our parent and alumni community. These events bring our community together to celebrate the centrality of the arts at Saint Ann's.

Celebrate Saint Ann’s: Behind the Counter at Russ & Daughters with Niki Russ Federman ’95

In October, Niki Russ Federman ’95 welcomed members of the Saint Ann’s community into the newly-opened Russ & Daughters location at Hudson Yards. e evening included a private menu tasting as well as a talkback about the history and future of her family business. She was joined in conversation by Andrew Cantor ’98 who played an integral role in the execution of Hudson Yards and bringing New York City staples like Russ & Daughters into this landmark development.

Niki Russ Federman ’95 at the Russ & Daughters in Hudson Yards

Celebrate Saint Ann’s: Spike Lee: Creative Sources with photographer David Lee ’79

In mid-December, members of the Saint Ann’s community toured the Brooklyn Museum’s exhibit, Spike Lee: Creative Sources with photographer David Lee ’79 as our guide. As Spike Lee’s on-set photographer and younger brother, David gave attendees incredible insight and historical context to the many pieces of memorabilia throughout the show.

David Lee ’79 at the Brooklyn Museum

Celebrate Saint Ann’s: Easy Money with Ben McKenzie and Erik Schatzker

Parents, faculty, students, and parents of alumni gathered in the Ettl Lobby on Tuesday, January 23 for our third Celebrate Saint Ann’s event this school year. Attendees enjoyed an incredibly informative and lively discussion between author, and Saint Ann’s parent, Ben McKenzie and Bloomberg Television host, and parent of two Saint Ann’s alums, Erik Schatzker about Ben’s book Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud , published last July.

In the discussion, Ben emphasized that trust in a currency is the essential element and the bedrock of a well-functioning financial system. Erik recommends the book as an excellent, thorough, and accessible overview of economics, markets, securities, and regulation and said that it goes beyond explaining crypto and blockchain technology. It was a wonderful and illuminating evening.

Ben McKenzie (left) and Erik Schatzker (right)

NAIS People of Color Conference (PoCC)

The NAIS People of Color Conference (PoCC) is the flagship of the National Association of Independent Schools’ commitment to equity and justice. PoCC offers a variety of programming that allows people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools to come together, reflect on their individual experiences, and learn from one another. Organized by the Office of Diversity and Institutional Equity, Saint Ann’s sent a delegation of over 30 faculty, staff, and students to St. Louis, Missouri for three days of community building and professional development that reflects our ongoing commitment to diversity and equity and to supporting our BIPOC colleagues.

A highlight of the conference was the workshop titled “Governing with Institutional Memory: A Case for Building a Young Alumni Trustee Program,” presented by Saint Ann’s Board members Ashley Mathis ’08 and Chinyere Odim ’13.

Saint Ann’s staff and faculty in attendance at PoCC

Trustees Chinyere Odim ’13 and Ashley Mathis ’08

Students in attendance at PoCC

Fun Run

On a sunny Sunday in October, the Recreational Arts Department hosted the annual Fun Run in Prospect Park. Students, families, faculty, and staff ran together and enjoyed delicious donuts and hot chocolate!

Picnic with a View

Over 800 attendees came to Pier 1’s Bridge View Lawn in Brooklyn Bridge Park to enjoy the sunny fall weather and celebrate our annual Picnic with a View. Students played while parents reconnected against the backdrop of the lower Manhattan skyline. This beloved tradition wouldn’t be complete without everyone snacking on seasonal refreshments of apples, apple cider, and doughnuts which were served aplenty by the incomparable Saint Ann’s kitchen staff.

Brightness of darkness Sharpens the room

The sound of insanity

Gone from outside

But nothing I see exits the mind

The livelihood of nature

A haunting spirit that envelops my eyes

There’s nowhere to run

There’s nowhere to hide

Just be one with nature

And unveiled I may find

That the emotions of life

Are still yet to be mine

–Elliot G., 6th grade

Artwork by James B , 12th Grade

Since our founding, Saint Ann’s has remained rooted in our commitment “to nurture the wonder of children.” This endeavor is bolstered by the generosity of parents, alumni, faculty, grandparents, parents of alumni, trustees, and friends of our school.

We hope you will uphold this tradition of support at Saint Ann’s by making a contribution to the 2023-24 Annual Fund. We strive for full participation from our community, and gifts of every size make an immediate impact on the student experience and affirm our shared values.

Make a Gift

100% of our A nnual Fund volunteers have shown their support for Saint Ann’s with a gift to the school this year.

Scan QR code at right to make your gift or visit www.saintannsny.org/annual-fund

For questions about giving to Saint Ann’s or becoming involved as a volunteer, contact:

Hannah Swacker Kurnit ’97

Director of Advancement

718.522.1660 Ext.345

hkurnit@saintannsny.org

Regan Murphy

Director of Annual Giving

718.522.1660 Ext.317

rmurphy@saintannsny.org

Faculty & Sta News

Chelsea Ainsworth

Dance teacher Chelsea Ainsworth was in a NYC holiday show, Nut/Cracked! at 92NY. Chelsea also choreographed and performed in a split bill at 280 Gibney.

Ellen Friedrichs

Coordinator of Health Education Ellen Friedrichs was interviewed by Laverne Cox for her podcast. e conversation was about creating sexually safer communities, navigating consent, and supporting young people.

Jamal Jackson ’96

Jamal Jackson ’96 and his dance company debuted their new show Teeth, which featured a number of Saint Ann’s performers.

Rachel Kohn

JV girls volleyball coach Rachel Kohn had ve ceramic vessels included in the exhibition Addition/Subtraction at the Church of St. Paul e Apostle, in Manhattan.

Chi-Ching Lin

Music teacher Chi-Ching Lin performed with e National Chorus of Korea for the choral epic Hunminjeongeum

Jascha Narveson

Computer teacher Jascha Narveson and Lainie Fe erman (former faculty) along with two composer compatriots re-mounted their mobilephone enabled soundwalk for e High Line as part of this year’s Make Music New York.

Ellie Raab ’95

Ellie Raab ’95, theater teacher, was the costume designer for As You Wish It or e Bride Princess or What You Will at the Kraine eater.

Sarah Richards

Science teacher and testing coordinator Sarah Richards continues performing with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra. is is the orchestra’s 50th season.

Dr. Craig Townsend

Visiting Scholar the Rev. Dr. Craig Townsend’s book, Faith in eir Own Color: Black Episcopalians in Antebellum New York City, was issued in a paperback version after years as a hardcover and ebook.

Felipe Tristan

Music teacher Felipe Tristan conducted the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra in a holiday concert at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

Chris Urquiaga

Music teacher Chris Urquiaga performed a night of Latin music, JChris & Friends: Noche Latina, at 54 Below.

THE GROWING SHELF

A collection of books written by alumni and faculty. The below were published by alumni in 2023 and the early days of 2024. Find more Saint Ann’s authors by checking out the “SaintAnn’s” page on GoodReads.

The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America by Je Yang ’85 (published October 2023)

Trouble the Living by Francesca Capossela ’14 (published September 2023)

Radical Play: Revolutionizing Children’s Toys in 1960s and 1970s America by Rob Goldberg, former faculty (published September 2023)

Which Way Was North by Anna Pierson Wiese ’81 (published September 2023)

King of the Armadillos by Wendy Chin-Tanner ’94 (published July 2023)

Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar ’08 (published May 2023)

No One Dies from Love: Dark Tales of Loss and Longing by Robert Levy ’91 (published May 2023)

Filthy Creation by Caroline Hagood ’00 (published March 2023)

Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream by Alissa Quart ’89 (published March 2023)

Famous People of Queens by Rob Mackay ’84 (published February 2023)

Us, After: A Memoir of Love and Suicide by Rachel Zimmerman ’82 (forthcoming in June 2024)

www.goodreads.com/saintanns

Photo by Zoya A , 9th Grade

Mi Nombre Es

Diego Medina Rosas, Director of Facility Services

Me llamo Diego Medina Rosas.

Considero que mi nombre es un nombre común en español. En latinoamérica se acostumbra usar dos apellidos; paterno y materno, como una manera de preservar la identidad de ambos lados de la familia. Medina es un nombre de origen árabe y Rosas es de origen judío sefardi. Yo no tengo un registro extenso de la historia de mis apellidos, pero son nombres que hablan de historias de migraciones, de movimientos, de personas de una cultura a otra.

Nací en México, en la ciudad de Guadalajara y decidí venir a vivir a Nueva York en 1995.

Dicho de una manera sencilla, mi trabajo en Saint Ann’s School consiste en asegurar que las instalaciones estén listas y en buen funcionamiento para que las clases sucedan.

De una manera más detallada, trabajo en el equipo de Buildings & Grounds con otros cuatro administradores, coordino los equipos de Limpieza y de Mantenimiento. Trabajamos de manera conjunta con los equipos de Seguridad, Programación, Tecnología, y Cocina, todos juntos formamos el equipo de Operaciones y entre todos nos aseguramos que la escuela funcione. Yo creo que lo que sucede en una escuela, en Saint Ann’s, no es solo la educación; el intercambio y producción de conocimiento, habilidades, valores, entendimiento, sino el goce, el disfrute de esos procesos. Con mi trabajo, procuro que eso suceda.

Bird 1 by Diego Medina Rosas

Bird 2 by Diego Medina Rosas

Caminos No Lineales

Estudié arquitectura en México y trabajé muchos años en carpintería de construcción en Nueva York. Soy artista visual, formado en la práctica con otros artistas maestros y amigos, he desarrollado mi trabajo en escultura, dibujo, y fotografía.

Mi trabajo se centra en la producción de objetos e imágenes. Los utilizo como invitaciones a un diálogo, un debate interno, y entre los espectadores y participantes de la obra.

Me gusta utilizar objetos encontrados y recomponerlos como nuevos objetos, algunas de mis fotografías son de objetos transformados por otras personas — de manera intencional o espontánea. El significado de un objeto creado no es fijo, sino que depende de la nueva función que se le ha asignado. Mi práctica diaria de dibujo es como un ejercicio de meditación; dibujo figurativo, retratos rápidos, objetos, asociaciones libres de objetos, e imágenes.

Mi interés en transformar objetos cotidianos de maneras semánticamente nuevas, viene de mi experiencia de vida personal, de expresar mi experiencia de vivir en Estados Unidos después de migrar de México. La cultura es algo vivo, en constante mutación, evolución y construcción. Me interesa desenterrar la historia, la identidad es importante para mi.

Estos cuestionamientos los he materializado utilizando madera, algunas obras son esculturas geométricas, de escala mediana de dos, tres, hasta ocho pies de altura. Yo les atribuyo connotaciones culturales a las figuras: ángulos de 45 grados representan el occidente, ángulos de 22.5 grados representan el medio oriente, círculos y planos como si fueran puertas o fragmentos de construcciones, aglomeraciones y combinaciones de ángulos, de culturas.

En la práctica de artes marciales -aikido, he encontrado algo similar a lo que busco en el arte: oportunidades de nuevas formas de diálogo; internas, entre las personas y las comunidades, y que la práctica, la disciplina y el disfrutar lo que haces, son premisas esenciales en todos los campos de la vida.

Veo al arte como una forma de aprendizaje y producción, como diferentes actividades del mismo proceso, una red de acciones y relaciones interconectadas, que tienen la posibilidad de mejorar las condiciones de vida en la sociedad, transformar las relaciones entre personas y comunidades.

Bird 3 by Diego Medina Rosas

Situation by Diego Medina Rosas

My Name Is

My name is Diego Medina Rosas.

I consider my name to be a common one in Spanish. In Latin America, it is customary to use two surnames: paternal and maternal, as a way of preserving the identity of both sides of the family. Medina is a name of Arab origin, and Rosas is of Sephardic Jewish origin. I don’t have an extensive record of the history of my surnames, but they are names that speak of stories of migrations, of movements of people from one culture to another.

I was born in Mexico, in the city of Guadalajara, and decided to come to live in New York in 1995.

Simply put, my work at Saint Ann’s School involves ensuring that the facilities are ready and in good working order for classes to take place.

In a more detailed manner, I work in the Buildings & Grounds team with four other administrators. I coordinate the Housekeeping and Maintenance teams. We work jointly with the Security, Programming, Technology, and Kitchen teams; together, we form the Operations team and ensure that the School functions. I believe that what happens in a school, especially a school like Saint Ann’s, is not just education — the exchange and production of knowledge, skills, values, understanding — but also the joy in the processes. Through my work, I strive to make that happen.

Viceversa by Diego Medina Rosas

Nonlinear Paths

I studied architecture in Mexico and worked for many years in construction carpentry in New York. I am also a visual artist, my education in that field coming through collaboration with other artists and friends in art collectives and art practice workshops. Through those avenues, I have developed my work in sculpture, drawing, and photography.

My art focuses on the production of objects and images and I use those images as invitations to a dialogue.

I like to use found objects and reassemble them into new objects. Some of my photographs depict objects transformed by other people (intentionally or spontaneously): the meaning of a created object is not fixed but depends on the new function assigned to it. My daily drawing practice is like a meditation exercise; I draw figurative elements, quick portraits, objects, free associations of objects and images.

My interest in transforming everyday objects stems from my life experience, and seeks to express my experience of living in the United States after migrating from Mexico. Culture is a living entity, in constant mutation, evolution, and construction. I am interested in unearthing history as a way of exploring identity.

I have grappled with these subjects using a variety of materials, especially wood. Many of the sculptures I create are medium in scale, ranging from two to eight feet tall. In some cases, I attribute cultural meaning to the figures: angles at 45 degrees represent the West, angles at 22.5 degrees represent the Middle East, geometric shapes, angles, planes and circles in combinations, come to signify cultures in constant construction.

Through the practice of martial arts, specifically Aikido, I have found something similar to what I seek in both art and through my work here at Saint Ann’s: opportunities for new forms of dialogue (both internal and among people and communities), as well as the continued understanding that practice, discipline, and enjoying what you do are essential premises in all fields of life.

I see art as a form of learning and production. To me, art is a network of interconnected actions and relationships that have the potential to improve society and to transform relationships between people and communities.

Linear Paths by Diego Medina Rosas

STAYING IN TOUCH

Staying in Touch with Saint Ann’s School

Dear Alumni,

I am so honored to complete my first semester as the Alumni Relations Manager. I first learned about Saint Ann’s back in college when my now wife, Rebecca Greenbaum ’07, told me about this artistic haven where she attended upper middle school and high school. I am an actor and a dancer who grew up in the most suburban suburbs of New Jersey, so this community seemed like an impossible dream. Working here has allowed me to see that the dream is in fact real. Thank you to the many students, faculty, parents, and incredible alums—who I have had the pleasure of meeting so far—for the warm welcome.

It has been my pleasure to help facilitate the many alumni events we have already held this year and we have plenty more gatherings, traditions, and milestones scheduled for the winter and spring. If we have not had the chance to meet yet, I hope to see you at one of our future events soon!

If you are interested in becoming more engaged at Saint Ann’s, there are many ways to stay involved:

• Make plans to attend Alumni Day on Saturday, May 18!

› Guests of honor will be the classes ending in 4s and 9s—if you would like to volunteer as a class representative, contact Jacob Goodhart

› All are welcome to attend the cocktail party!

• Keep your contact information up to date (email us at alumni@saintannsny.org to make any changes).

• Give a reading, speak to a class, share your professional expertise and experience. We love visitors!

• Follow our Facebook page (Saint Ann’s School Alumni News), as well as following us on LinkedIn, and Instagram (@saintannsschool).

• Check out the Happenings page on our website www.saintannsny.org to see upcoming events.

• Give a gift! Alumni donations to the Annual Fund are a chance to make contributions in honor or memor y of a classmate, a teacher, or anyone who impacted your education.

• Suggest another idea! We’re all ears.

Thank you for keeping Saint Ann’s School’s rich history alive through your influence and input. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you!

With love, love, Jacob Goodhart

Alumni Relations & Volunteer Manager 718.522.1660 ext. 323 | jgoodhart@saintannsny.org

Make a Gift

Scan QR code or visit saintannsny.org/annual-fund

Alumni of Color Connect | Meet Kenyatte Reid

On December 5, Kenyatte Reid opened his o ce for conversation and community to welcome our rst ever Alumni of Color Connect event. e evening was led by trustee Ashley Mathis ’08. Alums spanning graduating years 1980 to 2019 shared their experiences with each other, with some returning for the rst time in decades.

Wendy Chin-Tanner ’94

I fell under the spell of poetr y at Saint Ann’s, but I also loved being on the debate team. This seeming duality has followed me throughout most of my professional life. My first two degrees were in English Literature before I pivoted to Sociology where my areas of interest were cultural studies, identity, ethnicity, cultural production, and discourse analysis. From academia, I then went back to the literary arts, cofounding A Wave Blue World, an independent publishing company for socially conscious graphic novels with my husband in 2005 before publishing two of my own poetry collections and editing an anthology of comics poems. Along the way, I worked as a poetry editor at various literary journals while still supervising undergraduate sociology students online.

The strands of creative writing and social science finally crossed when I published my first novel in 2023, King of the Armadillos, a work of historical fiction set in the 1950s in NYC and Carville, Louisiana. Inspired by real events in my father’s life and excavating a forgotten piece of American medical history, the book fictionalizes a mountain of research to balance historical accuracy with creative license. The result is a coming of age story that grapples with questions of kinship, love, illness, and belonging through a sociological lens.

I’m looking forward to coming back to Saint Ann’s in May to talk about King of the Armadillos with students and the greater Saint Ann’s community.

Justin Haddock ’11

Sita Goetschius and Justin Haddock ’11 were married on July 15, 2023, in Branford, Connecticut, in both Hindu and Christian ceremonies on a gorgeous summer day. Celebrating along with the happy couple were many Saint Ann’s alumni and honorable alums!

(Left to right)Tiger Kaplan ’16, Zack Kaplan ’83, Betsy Retan Henritze ’83, Beatrix Haddock ’14, Drew Gotboum ’11, Ari Efron ’12, Julius Goldberg-Lewis ’11, Justin Haddock ’11, Sita Goetschius Haddock, Oliver Goldberg-Lewis ’16, Will Haddock ’16, Katie Foote Haddock ’83, Antonia Capossela ’17, Mathilda Haddock ’20, James Haddock ’16, Tucker Haddock ’17, Isaac Goldston ’18, Parker Haddock ’18, Toby Goldston ’20, Clay Haddock ’20. Photo by Natasha Miller.

Amando Houser ’14

This past fall in New York, I made my Off-Broadway performing debut at Soho Repertory Theatre in Snatch Adams and Tainty Mccracken Present: It’s That Time of The Month, a show that celebrates the absurdity of the gender binary and experience of having a body. Having recently finished my studies at the physical theater school École Philippe Gaulier in France, I was thrilled to jump right into a project that is so ridiculous and raw.

When I was a student at Saint Ann’s, Sharon Lamazor (theater faculty) and Nancy Reardon (former theater faculty) assigned me all men’s roles in classes and plays, encouraging me to be myself. As a trans-masculine kid living in that time in the world, the dialogue around gender and identity frankly wasn’t as open as it is now. Could “someone like me” have a future practicing this? I hadn’t seen it then (and I still encounter that question now). In retrospect, having this early outlet meant a lot to me, and not only as an artist. I felt like I truly belonged in that sub-community of the School, comfortable focusing on my interest in performance and able to express myself. I am very excited to continue!

Artwork by Mason K , 10th Grade

How My Love of the Arts Has Impacted My Work as a Glaciologist

by Alex Boghosian ’07

In hindsight, it’s easy to look back to Ms. Richards’ (Sarah Richards, faculty) class and National Ocean Sciences Bowl team and conclude that I was on a trajectory to earth science and work as a glaciologist, but that wasn’t at all evident to me at the time. I was excited about so many things in high school (visual and performing arts, production, math, and philosophy) and not excited to choose one field of study to the exclusion of the others.

Fast forward a few years and in a stroke of luck, I was offered an internship in college to create a wave tank experiment in order to study icebergs capsizing—I liked sculpture and the technical challenge of making 3D objects. To be honest, I had ignored Angelo Bellfatto (art faculty) when he told me that my plan to study math at the University of Chicago would be creatively frustrating. He was right and I wrestled with the trite “math/science vs. art” debate, often struggling to justify art to scientists as more than something to do on the side, as well as to bring scientific language into arts circles where science is often discussed via analogy. But over the last decade, a time during which my resume says I was firmly planted in science, I drew figures, landscapes, and abstractions, crafted physical models from my data, and danced contemporary ballet, jazz, and tap. I participated in an artist residency, and recently presented choreographed gestures at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The worlds of science and culture can be so split that sometimes it feels like I am working in secret, and I often rely on memories of my Saint Ann’s experience to affirm that one field, discipline, or method of understanding is not inherently more valuable than another.

In fact, to my surprise, I found that my high school and college tech theater, music, and dance performance experiences were later repurposed for polar fieldwork. The carpentry skills I learned to make impermanent sets, the management and logistics required to see a production through, and the on-thefly problem solving that is inherent to live performance were all invaluable to me during expeditions to Greenland and Antarctica, where I worked with what I had to collect comprehensive geophysical and hydrological data of the ice. No solution was ever ideal, but each one worked just as long as was necessary: conducting aerogeophysical surveys on both ice sheets, I set up “good enough” rigs to mount cameras on LC130 aircraft, taped handwarmers to batteries to see them through single flights, and used my own gloves to protect exposed pins on a GPS base station that needed a slight repair. The weather makes every day a new performance, but the show must go on. On my last field season in Greenland, where we sought to measure proglacial river discharge, the rivers remained frozen for so long that the rest of the team postponed for months. We three remaining scientists drilled holes in pipes ourselves to house a pressure transducer that would continuously record the river stage, set up an al fresco office, and pulled an acoustic doppler current profiler across the river when the flows finally started to pick up. I am amazed at how theater, performance, and production map on to fieldwork, but I’m not the only one to realize it — I once shared this sentiment with a famous marine geophysicist, who confessed to me that he also learned all his carpentry skills from theater and employed them at sea.

I do believe that growing knowledge and literacy between scientific and cultural spheres is important in a world where scientific and technical advances permeate our society. There are limits to what science can do and offer. These days, I often think about our simultaneously deep scientific understanding of Earth, meanwhile the questions of the moment — “What to do? How to feel? How to be?” — are not set up for scientific inquiry. Now, with greater perspective than I had at 15, I intend not to choose a “career path” and instead to trust that weaving multiple interests, perspectives, languages, and techniques will result in meaningful work.

142 Pierrepont Street: A New Space for Every Saint Ann’s Student

Construction is underway at 142 Pierrepont Street! This 25,000-square-foot facility will be home to a world of new spaces and classrooms for Saint Ann’s students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade. These renderings offer a look into this exciting new chapter in Saint Ann’s history. 142 Pierrepont will open in the fall of 2026.

142 Pierrepont will create boundless opportunities for creativity, collaboration, and joyful learning for years to come.

–Kenyatte

Reid

Visit www.saintannsny.org/142-pierrepont for more details about this once-in-a-generation opportunity. To learn more and lend your support, please email Hannah Swacker Kurnit ’97, Director of Advancement at hkurnit@saintannsny.org.

Renderings courtesy of ARO

The Capital Campaign is separate from the Annual Fund, which will continue to fund general operating costs at the School including faculty and staff salaries and benefits, financial aid, and other programmatic expenses.

Spring

The first leaf falls when I walk and sit by a tree.

The leaf is so promising, it’s the symbol of hope.

Birds are soaring past me while I read my book.

They fly in groups, and they have the shape of a plane.

I see them all flying together, so happy, so peaceful, so hopeful.

I walk on the grass looking at the sun.

I feel the grass tickling my bare feet, while still staring at the sun.

I sit back down on the oak tree and think.

I grab my book again and read.

I have finished my book and slip on my crocs.

I walk along the grass and I feel the rain droplets drop into my Crocs.

I go home.

by Ryker M , 4th grade

Artwork by Chloé P , 9th Grade

IN MEMORIAM

Honor Levy ’85

Remembered by her mother Suzanne Levy

Honor Levy, 55, daughter of Sy and Suzanne, passed away in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on February 10, 2023. A graduate of Saint Ann’s School, she was loved and appreciated by all who came to know her. She will be missed. May she find her way home in a loving world. She is survived by her mother, Suzanne; her two brothers Jeffrey (and his partner Diane) and Benjamin (and his partner Jennifer); three nephews: Joshua, Nathaniel, and Declan; and niece Jessica, (and her partner Christopher).

Daniel O’Halloran ’84

Remembered by his daughter Brighid O’Halloran

Daniel “Danny” Patrick O’Halloran ’84, beloved son, father, and grandfather, passed away on November 6, 2023. In his final weeks he was surrounded by his devoted family: his mother Kathleen, his son Dillon, his daughter Brighid, and his brother in all but blood Mathew Harley ’85. Raised in Brooklyn, Danny was the proud son of Kathleen Collins and Eddie O’Halloran and was deeply proud of his Irish heritage. He attended Saint Ann’s from first through twelfth grade. Danny’s time at Saint Ann’s was incredibly special to him. He considered the connections and friendships he made at Saint Ann’s sacred and lifelong, often sharing fond memories and stories with friends and family. Danny was a story-teller, poet, deep thinker, and sensitive soul. He never met a stranger and left an impact on all he met with his distinct gravely laugh, sly wit, and kind smile. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “We ask for long life, but ’tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.” While we wish we had more time with Danny, he will live on through all who knew and loved him, especially his cherished granddaughter Ava.

Colette Rossant

Former Faculty

Former faculty member Colette Rossant passed away at her home in France. She was 91. Colette was a beloved Saint Ann’s faculty member. She joined our community in 1972 as a French teacher, becoming the Head of Foreign Languages in 1975; she remained in that position until she left in 1984. In addition to her work at Saint Ann’s, Colette was a prominent cookbook author, memoirist, and critic. She was also a mother to four Saint Ann’s alumni: Marianne Rossant ’75, Juliette Rossant ’77, Cecile Rossant ’79, and Tomas Rossant ’83 Colette’s obituary was published in The New York Times.

Blakeney Schick ’00

Blakeney Schick ’00 passed away on July 24, 2023 due to a sudden cardiac arrest. Blakeney was a distinguished radio journalist known for producing award-winning shows for prestigious outlets such as New York Public Radio and The New York Times. She briefly paused her radio journalism career to pursue her love for yoga, becoming a certified instructor and establishing her own yoga studio. Her remarkable journey and dedication to her work, friends, and family have left an indelible mark on those who knew her.

Artwork by Anouk G , 12th Grade

Bedazzled fluorescent streams

Slip and slide under pristine layers of ice

The twigs and leaves tumble Onto the sly stillness

Not knowing that ripe water Hides underneath Flakes of snow

Drift through the bitter air

Soon spring will come Turnips will grow Sunlight will dance through bejeweled air

For now though

I am happy with frostbitten faces

And ice

by Mackenzie W , 5th grade

Artwork by Rex A , 12th Grade

A silent poem

Sometimes, when the world is silent I take a breath. The air seems calmer, sweeter More like me.

by Evie E.,

5th grade

Artwork by Ramona S , 12th Grade