the bulletin - Spring 2016

SPRING

2016

the bulletin

Stoneleigh-Burnham School

T HE

TOGETHERNESS ISSUE

THE MISSION: Stoneleigh-Burnham School is an academic community that fosters an international perspective. We inspire girls to pursue meaningful lives based on honor, respect, and intellectual curiosity. Each student is challenged to discover her best self and graduate with the confidence to think independently and act ethically, secure in the knowledge that her voice will be heard.

Inner-Outer Space by Sophie Spring ’16 Class: International Baccalaureate Art Year 2 (Standard Level) Materials: Cardboard, acrylic paint and spray paint Artist’s statement: This piece was inspired by a quote from R.M. Drake, which is printed on the image. This piece is a testament to my last year at Stoneleigh-Burnham. We seniors are in a frenzied state right now, excited for college and the future and also feeling nostalgic and reminiscent.

When I first read the quote about leaving pieces of yourself in things you leave behind, I was reminded that by this time next year the entire senior class will have moved on and left behind a place that we’ve considered home. The elements of this piece are extremely abstracted but, as I’ve learned from the past two years of Theory of Knowledge, the intention of the artist does not matter as much as the impact the art has on the people who see it. Although I created it as a testament to growth and the mourning that goes along with it, I wanted my piece to be able to be interpreted in a million different ways. Photo of artwork by John Nordell

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in this issue: 2

Letter from the Editor

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SBS in Photographs

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Threads of Connection

by Sally Mixsell ’69, Head of School

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The Best of Both Worlds: IB at SBS

by Abigail Reed

10 Poem: Who Are We?

by Mckim Jean-Pierre ’16

11 Alumna Spotlight: Bridget O’Brien ’82 12 MAB Alumna Profile:

Maria Teresa Lemaitre de Avendaño ’55

14 A Day in the Life of the New Student Center

by Srikari Tummla ’17

15 Alumna Profile: Melissa McKallagat ’96 17 Class Notes 21 Alumna Profile: Melanie Cabot ‘77 23 In Memoriam 24 Coda

by Karen Suchenski

We’d like to know what you think! Do you have story ideas?

Send comments on the Bulletin and story ideas to communications@sbschool.org

ON THE COVER: Enjoying the new terrace and pergola together are (left to right) Ziyi (Yolanda) Li ’16, Sharvari Bhatt ’16, June Coolidge Scott ’83, Head of School Sally Mixsell ’69, math teacher Aileen Logan-Tyson, Siobhan Pascal ’16, Charlotte Lewis-Hankus ’72, and Charlotte Minsky ’16. Photo by John Nordell.

Pictured: Students having fun on the new terrace. Photos by John Nordell.

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Letter from the Editor

In This Together Dear friends, It’s February 2016. I’m sitting in my office writing this draft. Inside, it’s very blue (the walls) and outside it’s very gray (the winter sky). The students are at their activities so my part of the building is very quiet. But during the day, I’m immersed in the hustle and bustle – just like the rest of my colleagues.

One of the things I love about my office is its proximity to the students.

Marketing staff are not off in a separate

It’s a privilege to be part of a community whose values are clear, supported, and far-reaching. wing, administrators don’t sit in an ivory tower. Seated across the hall from Karen Suchenski’s middle school Humanities classroom, I hear scraps of discussion about the Shaker community and Martin Luther King, Jr. A Blue Key tour passes by with a potential student and her family. The bell rings (very loudly) right outside my door. Between classes and after school I hear girls chatting, laughing, running(!) and making their way to activities. Music trickles in from the rehearsal room.

Outside my office, I share the campus with the students – the dining hall at lunchtime, the Capen Room at housemeeting, Emerson Hall and the Geissler Gallery at concerts and presentations. I sit with students at formal dinner and during parents’ weekend. I’ve helped a student find her way to a class and given another student change for the vending machine. And as each of you reading this knows, my experiences are far from unique. Every adult at SBS has these encounters every day, and each time we’re reminded of our common goal: we are here for our students.

As our school’s mission states, we are here to inspire girls to pursue meaningful lives based on honor, respect, and intellectual curiosity. It’s a privilege to be part of a community whose values are clear, supported, and far-reaching.

Well beyond the limits of our campus, our parents, our alumnae, our supporters continue our mission. In these pages, you’ll get just a glimpse of how we learn, how we inspire, how we share, and how we succeed – together.

This issue goes out to all of us.

Photo by Matthew Cavanaugh

Hillary Hoffman is the Director of Marketing and Communications at SBS. Before joining SBS in September 2015, she was Associate Director of Marketing and New Business Development at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

She has also held marketing positions at Pearson and at Merriam-Webster, Inc. She is a graduate of New York University and attended the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is a 2014 alumna of the Emerge Massachusetts program and volunteers on town boards and with local non-profits. She lives in Greenfield, Mass., with her husband, Neil Serven, and their three cats. She enjoys cooking, reading, and gardening (but not weeding).

Connect with SBS sbschool.org Facebook facebook.com/sbschool facebook.com/sbsalumnae Twitter @sbschoolorg

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the bulletin S P R I N G

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TOGETHER We are strong.

We are proud.

We succeed.

TOGETHER – with your help.

Join us. Give today to the Annual Fund.

ONLINE at sbschool.org/donate MAIL using the enclosed gift envelope to give by check or credit card QUESTIONS? Contact the Development Office at 413-774-2711

THANK YOU Thank you for supporting Stoneleigh-Burnham’s mission to empower young women.

Isabela ‘19 and Juliana ‘19

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the bulletin SPRING

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Editors Hillary Hoffman Director of Marketing and Communications Nicole Letourneau Assistant Director of Communications Design Peter Chilton peterchilton.com

Above: Middle School Chorus performs during the Winter Solstice Concert. © Paul Franz

Editorial Board Susan Mattei, Director of Development & Alumnae Relations Sally L. Mixsell ’69, Head of School Toni Murray, Assistant Director of Communications Contributors Anne Bridge, Development and Alumnae Relations Coordinator Kathleen Tuck Fontaine, Development Associate Rachel Jackson, Assistant Director for Alumnae Relations Mckim Jean-Pierre ’16 Nicole Letourneau, Assistant Director of Communications Susan Mattei, Director of Development and Alumnae Relations Sally Mixsell ’69, Head of School Toni Murray, Assistant Director of Communications Abigail Reed, English teacher Karen Suchenski P ’16, Humanities teacher Srikiri Tummla ’17 Photography Contributors Matthew Cavanaugh Paul Franz Frances Gonzalez Mark Kaschak Jayson Lecuyer Hank Mixsell John Nordell P ’17 Sarah Zimmerman

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A: Xiangge (Coco) Zhao ’17 plays the guzheng during Fall Family Weekend festivities. © Paul Franz B: Kelsie Jacobs ’17 (center, holding basketball) celebrates with her team and coaches the milestone of scoring 1000 points during her high school basketball career. C: The Class of 2016 celebrates 100 Nights. © Matthew Cavanaugh

Student Art Contributor Sophie Spring ’16 Change of address?

Email kfontaine@sbschool.org or sbschool.org/alumnae/update-contact-info

Stoneleigh-Burnham School

574 Bernardston Road, Greenfield, MA 01301 413.774.2711 sbschool.org

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the bulletin is printed with vegetable based inks on 10% post-consumer recycled FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper.

Above Left: Middle School students working in science class.

Above Right: Dancers perform Peter Pan during the Winter Solstice Concert. © Paul Franz

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Board of Trustees 2015-2016 Allison Porter ’89, Chair Barbara Mayo Llewellyn ’69, Vice Chair Annette A. Cazenave ’74, Treasurer Rich Hubbard P ’00,’02,’05, Secretary Dr. John Barrengos Anne Quantrell Dennen ’70 Jennifer Eremeeva P ’15 Sharon Lewis Gaffey ’68S Getting acquainted during the New Student Day picnic.

Andres Galperin P ’17 Lynn Schultz Kehoe ’77 Dr. Mary Maloney ’69 Charlotte Newton ’71 Kathy Seyffer Opdycke ’70 Laura B. Richards ’60S Melissa McKallagat ’96, Alumnae Board President, Ex-Officio Sally Leach Mixsell ’69, Ex-Officio Nancy Lowe Diver ’53B, P ’78, Emerita

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F. Michael Donohue, Jr. P ’78, Emeritus Elinor Johnstone Ferdon ’54B, P ’76, ’78, ’82, Emerita John McNear P ’79, Emeritus Elizabeth T. Stout ’61B, Emerita

Above A: Class of 2016 poses for a photo on Mountain Day. B: The SBS IEA Team after a show at the Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center.

C: Students gathered for 2016 Alumnae Career Night. © Matthew Cavanaugh.

D: Students participating in the Hour of Code in the new student lounge.

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Reflections from the Head of School

Threads of Connection

By Sally Mixsell ’69, Head of School

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hat tree-lined drive that hugged our insecurities tightly when we arrived, eyes open wide, for our interview.

Wrapped in “Home” every time we came or went from that day forward.

The pride in being a big sister. The joy of waking up to the seniors’ holiday decorations. Hiking up to Hillhouse.

Serving tea in the Blue Room. Mrs. Emerson’s stern demeanor. Mrs. Peters’ mysterious marriage. Mr. and Mrs. E’s handsome sons. Mr. Wray’s hovering height. Trips to Northampton. Yetters’ flowers. The Barn. Sitting in dorm rooms trying to solve the problems of the world.

Four-Year Senior Dinner. The white dresses for graduation.

That sense of community sitting in Chapel (in pre-Stoneleigh-Burnham School days) or housemeeting (today), knowing that we are about to think hard, or learn something new, or just be silly with one another. That one life-changing conversation with (fill in the teacher/ coach/houseparent who made the difference in your life). Our memories and stories of the kitchen staff, Mrs. Emerson, Mrs. Peters, Mr. and Mrs. E, Mrs. Fallon, Penny Homan, Paul Bassett, Dan Verdery, Tom Iampietro, Roger Turton, Ann Sorvino, Beth Stinchfield, Cyndee Meese, Ms. Durrett … and on and on.

These are among the individuals who, in their time, created our experience and had similar significance in our collective teenage lives.

We share the buildings and events that connect us to each other, whether we attended school together or not. People, facilities, traditions – they are among the quintessential markers of what it means to have been a Burnham, Stoneleigh, or Stoneleigh-Burnham girl. We share a visceral experience that is hard to capture -- unless you’ve been here, and then words are superfluous.

It’s even what it’s like here on campus as we share a culture that, one way or another, has been here since 1869. We are connected.

This issue is about just that: the connections that bind us today.

At last year’s graduation, I spoke about the many unexpected connections between members of that class and others in our community.

For instance, Sherica Hamilton was taken to church most Sundays by Yvonne Neades, our head of housekeeping. Who knew? George Halkett, Director of the Equestrian Center, has quietly taken guitar lessons from one of our students.

Meeting another graduate of this school is a bit like meeting a member of your extended family whom you weren’t previously in touch with. There’s a sense of, “I know where you came from … even though I don’t know you …” going on between you. This is what it’s like time and time again as I travel around the world and meet graduates of our school.

It’s what it’s like at alumnae gatherings as alums meet each other for the first time.

This year’s senior class nominated Denise Bruner ’70 as a possible graduation speaker. They think she is “the coolest alumna out there.” While I agree that Denise is pretty darn wonderful, I had no idea they knew her, but Denise has been here as a guest speaker at Career Night in 2015, our Distinguished Alumna in 2011, a reunioning alumna, and a member of the Leadership Council. So it’s not entirely surprising that our girls would have crossed paths with Denise.

Clearly, they also have felt that unspoken connection I talk about above.

For all of you, I hope you will find pieces of this Bulletin that ring true for you as we strive to demonstrate further connections that exist in our large, extended family of alumnae.

Photo by John Nordell

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A GIFT THAT EMPOWERS “Giving through my will was easy to do, and it’s very satisfying to me that my gift is going to a good cause. For years I kept thinking, ‘I’m getting to that age, I should do something.’ Now, I have taken care of family and also my school. What I find so great is that I can be a part of the school’s future. My education was empowering and gave me the tools to do what I wanted in life. I would like StoneleighBurnham to always be available for girls.

It was such a positive experience for me.”

- Terry DeVito ’69

Teresa “Terry” DeVito lives in Allentown, Penn. She is a freelance court reporter and travels throughout Pennsylvania and New York. When she’s not on the job, she enjoys agility training with her two Jack Russell Terriers.

Planned Gifts Help Ensure our School’s Future.

Membership in the Sayles Planned Giving Society is available to those who have included Stoneleigh-Burnham in their estate plan or will. Contact Susan Mattei at 413.774.2711 or smattei@sbschool.org to learn more.

Photo by Sarah Zimmerman

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Academic Spotlight

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: IB AT SBS

By Abigail Reed

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fter two years teaching abroad in Singapore, I was somewhat hesitant to return to the United States. Working at a newly-established International Baccalaureate (IB) school in one of Asia’s financial and cultural capitals was an eye-opening experience. My time there not only exposed me to a rich variety of students and teachers, but also to a profoundly international perspective on teaching and learning. The IB school I joined had its struggles, though, and after two years it felt like the natural time to return home. I sought a position at a small New England independent school, ideally one with rich traditions, rigorous academics, and a culture that promoted intellectual curiosity and a sense of social responsibility. However, I dreaded the thought of relinquishing the international perspective that had become such an integral part of my approach to teaching while instructing in the IB program.

Imagine my utter joy when I was offered a position at Stoneleigh-Burnham, a school that seamlessly combines traditional independent school values with the international outlook of the IB program.

The incredible benefits delivered by an all-girls school.

Stoneleigh-Burnham: What Sets Us Apart?

The dynamic intellectual energy.

I am astounded every day by StoneleighBurnham: the bright and curious students, the thoughtful and talented faculty, the beautiful grounds. As a relative newcomer, I can still recall the aspects of SBS that immediately impressed me.

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This is a place that teaches young women to be curious, disciplined, well-rounded, kind, and confident. It’s not preachy. It’s not facile. It’s genuine and remarkable to witness.

The warm, genuine culture.

Step into housemeeting, the dining hall, the sports fields, or the dorms, and you’ll see students of all races, ages, socioeconomic classes, sexual preferences, and nationalities mixing together authentically.

There’s a pervasive sense of mutual support, love of laughter, and kindness, all of which create an atmosphere that encourages and challenges girls to be the best versions of themselves.

Why IB? This community immediately impressed me as an ideal incubator for the widereaching and outward-looking benefits of the IB program. I am an enormous proponent of the IB for several reasons.

The articulate students.

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confident

When I arrived, dozens of students went out of their way to introduce themselves to me. Their firm handshakes, easy eye contact, and assertive introductions were the first indication that StoneleighBurnham girls are poised and self-assured speakers.

You especially feel this in the many inquiry- and discussion-based classes, which not only teach students practical skills but also allow them to wrestle with complex concepts around a communal table, all while practicing respectful civic engagement.

One: It fundamentally insists on an international perspective to teaching and learning, one that recognizes that we are a global learning community. This is a refreshing approach when compared to some of the more myopic assumptions that often govern education in the United States.

Two: IB courses are structured to promote critical thinking, not rote memorization or content-cramming. This allows for exposure to rich intellectual concepts and, in English, to a wide variety of literatures.

In one part of the IB English course, for example, students read texts originally written in languages other than English.

Sure, they become astute analytical readers of Tolstoy or Ovid or El Saadawi in the

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process, but moreover, they investigate the cultural and contextual underpinnings of the works studied, as well as the challenges inherent in translating texts from one language or culture to another.

In IB English, the formal study of literature is also the catalyst for critical thinking about the intersections between literature, language, and culture. Students may read El Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero, analyze its formal literary elements, discuss cultural contexts surrounding politics and female agency in 20th century Egypt, and consider the linguistic challenges posed by Arabic-English translation, all in a single class.

Meanwhile, students juggle English class with five other subjects, and if pursuing the full IB diploma, with Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, & Service (CAS), and the Extended Essay as well. It is not surprising, then, that the IB program ultimately requires both cross-disciplinary thinking and time-management skills that are rarely seen before college. Students cannot help but see the interconnectedness of topics as they juggle their different classes – all of which develop and enhance oral and written communication skills – and are empowered to think broadly by assessments that measure these skills and continually tear down the walls between disciplines.

In a nutshell, I consider the IB program to be a liberal arts education delivered in high school. Google “liberal arts education” and you’ll find a wealth of research celebrating the practical and intellectual benefits of an overarching, cross-disciplinary, rigorous education that prioritizes critical thinking and clear communication. Through the IB, SBS students are accessing these benefits even before college.

IB in Action So, what do you get when you add Stoneleigh-Burnham’s unique strengths to the IB program?

Bright, curious, caring girls with confident voices, a global outlook, and the critical thinking and communication skills to launch their voices into the world.

Nowhere was this winning combination more clear to me than in my 11th-grade IB class’s recent Individual Oral Presentations

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perceptive analytical skills, but they did so in ways that were engaging, creative, and accessible. For example, two students set up a “talk show” analyzing the lives of “literary socialites.” Their format allowed them to suggest nuanced interpretations of several characters using critical theory lenses studied earlier in the year (think Marxist and feminist readings of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan), all through an engaging format that would easily appeal to other intelligent teenage girls.

Photo by Hank Mixsell

(IOP). The IOP is an IB assessment requiring students to demonstrate their understanding of formal and thematic elements in several texts through a creative presentation format. Yes, these girls can write great essays and deliver strong PowerPoint presentations alongside the best prep school students, but this assignment demanded more of them: creativity and knowledge transfer in addition to formal analysis.

Their presentations blew me away.

Not only did the girls showcase their

Move over, MTV. You’ve got competition.

Now that our class is studying literatures in translation (a required component of the IB program), students are applying their formidable critical thinking skills to texts written in other cultures for other audiences. This is a powerful way for students to inquire about and understand cultural attitudes and perspectives other than their own. Here, again, is the beauty of the IB program, which promotes crosscultural understanding and empathy through the vehicle of good literature.

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Academic Spotlight

Who Are We?

by Mckim Jean-Pierre ’16 We are from north, from south, from east to west.

We are the oppressed, the broken the hurt.

We are the ones whose skin has been burned under the blazing hot sun of the light so called justice.

The ones whose bodies contain all too many and all too little curves, for our supposed owner, the man.

We are the ones kept in shadows and cloaked in secrets, now only able to let out muffled cries.

But we will keep crying.

We will shout and yell and jump until our voices are heard.

Because alone we are nothing, but together we are everything.

Everyday is another struggle, but we fight for tomorrow.

For the day that our skins won’t be their own sins.

For the day that our mind controls our bodies, and hate doesn’t control our minds.

For the day that we can shine a true light of justice, fair, and true.

For the day that we can stand up and say.

Who are we?

We are women.

Compelling recent discussions have focused on gender norms in different countries, inspiring thoughtful reflection on students’ own cultures as well as interest in learning more about the cultures studied in class.

One student recently expressed a desire to pursue a career in women’s health in developing countries, an ambition that I hope is stoked further in our class. This is what I love about the IB program: in addition to teaching practical skills and compelling content, it pushes students to be creative, to inquire, to look outwards, to seek connections between topics and people that might otherwise go unnoticed. The world needs more people – and especially women – who can do this.

When I returned to the US, I got the best of both worlds: an excellent independent school with the international perspective of the IB program. I could not be more proud and excited to see what the remarkable young women of Stoneleigh-Burnham do next.

Women who are dark and light and in between.

We are truth.

We are reality.

We are hope.

And we will be freed Mckim Jean-Pierre ’16 is a five-year senior from Waltham, Mass. She is co-president of Students of Color (SOC), Senior Class Vice President, and captain of the varsity tennis team. Her interests include English, social justice, and peace and conflict studies. In her free time, she participates in any club that sounds like fun, sings, plays the saxophone, watches YouTube tutorials of hip hop dances, and waits for the next season of “How to Get Away With Murder” to come out.

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Abigail (Abby) Reed joined the StoneleighBurnham community following two years of teaching at an international school in Singapore. While in Singapore, she taught multiple levels of high school and middle school English, including IB Language and Literature, and served as Head of the English Department. Abby holds a BA in English and American Literatures from Middlebury College and an M.Phil. in Medieval Literature from the University of Cambridge. In addition to teaching English here at SBS, Abby is a 9th/10th grade houseparent and head coach of the JV soccer team.

Alumna Spotlight

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BRIDGET O’BRIEN ’82 LEADERSHIP COUNCIL MEMBER

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ridget O’Brien is a member of the Stoneleigh-Burnham Leadership Council, a group of alumnae, parents, and grandparents who have demonstrated great interest in helping SBS meet its strategic goals. Bridget earned a BS in economics from Colgate University and an MBA from Rutgers University. Following 11 years as a Wall Street municipal bond broker, she now owns SuperKids childcare and learning center in Summit, N.J. Bridget’s 10-year-old daughter Claire lives for horseback riding. Claire competes in the Short Stirrup Division with her pony, Fletcher, and plans to attend StoneleighBurnham.

Q&A with Bridget: As an involved alumna, is there anything that has surprised you about today’s school?

I was not a rider at SBS. However, now that I am a parent of a rider, I am consistently blown away by the school’s reputation in the riding world. I have had Olympic riders, top 20 Eventers and national collegiate champion coaches all recognize our SBS gear and comment favorably. As a member of the Leadership Council, I am focused on how to translate this incredible and deserved reputation into enrolled student riders and support for the school.

What were your dreams and goals in high school?

SBS made my dreams and then taught me how to make them come true. SBS taught me that it didn’t matter what the end goal was but that I could do anything I set my mind to with hard work and perseverance.

Bridget, with Claire, who says, “I am very excited to be in the graduating class of 2024!”

The school taught me to think outside of the box and respect other people’s opinions.

give her what SBS can. For me I am not sending her away, I am actually sending her home.

How does it make you feel that Claire wants to be a student here?

Q&A with Claire:

The first time Claire walked into the barn at SBS, it was like she was seeking pilgrimage at Mecca. From that second on there was never another choice but to send her to SBS, and anyone who has had even a five-minute conversation with her would know that.

What does your Mom tell you about SBS?

I am not sending her to a school I know nothing about. In reality, I know almost as much as anybody about SBS and that is why I am sending her. I love her too much not to send her. I want her to have every advantage in life. I will give her everything as a mother that I would have if she were at home with me. But I know even my best intentions and hard work can’t possibly

What do you look forward to if you come here for school?

My mom tells me lots of stuff that is really nice about Stoneleigh-Burnham. Plus, she has so many friends who went to school with her. They are always texting and laughing on the phone. I hope I will have good friends like that from SBS.

The things I look forward to are horseback riding and learning a lot. I know it is still a few years away but I really want to do the British Horse Society (BHS) program.

I think it will make me a better rider and also a better trainer for my horses.

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Mary A. Burnham Alumna Profile

MARIA TERESA LEMAITRE DE AVENDAÑO ’55

By Nicole Letourneau, Assistant Director of Communications

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here’s something incredibly special about the women of Mary A. Burnham, and Maria Teresa Lemaitre de Avendaño ’55 was no exception.

Born and raised in Cartegena, Colombia, Maria Teresa traveled to the United States as a teenager to complete her final year of secondary school at the Mary A. Burnham School in Northampton, Mass. Her time at the school not only rounded out her formal education, but positively influenced the rest of her life as the wife and valued partner of a career Naval officer, mother of three children and grandmother of six, and an advocate in her own right for the causes that were near and dear to her heart.

Maria Teresa died on September 9, 2013 at the age of 77. On September 21, 2015, Stoneleigh-Burnham was fortunate to entertain a visit by Maria Teresa’s husband of more than 50 years, Manual F. Avendaño, along with their daughter, Margarita, and granddaughter, Kristina.

“We wanted to thank Mary A. Burnham School for shaping her personality and instilling values and principles that helped her different challenges in life,” wrote Manuel Avendaño in a biographical sketch about Maria Teresa.

Born on January 13, 1936, Maria Teresa Lemaitre was raised in a prominent family in Cartagena, a large port city on the northern coast of Colombia. She was 17 when Manuel Avendaño began

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“This is a wonderful opportunity to praise the virtues of the comprehensive education this school provides to their students; we can honestly say that Maria Teresa was a beautiful example of it,” he added. “The lessons learned at Mary A. Burnham School left a strong mark in her character and ethics.” courting her in the spring of 1953 and the couple decided they wanted to get married. Later that year, Maria Teresa had her Society Debut in Cartegena. She

attended Colombian schools until 1954, when her parents decided to send her to the United States to finish her secondary school education at the Mary A. Burnham School.

She traveled first to Newport, Rhode Island where she attended summer school at “Burnham by the Sea” from May to August 1954, a valuable experience in preparing her for her arrival that fall at the Mary A. Burnham School in Northampton, Mass. While a student at the Mary A. Burnham School, Maria Teresa participated in the Spanish Club, and was known for her friendly demeanor and charm.

“Cheerful, friendly, and well-mannered, her sympathy won countless amounts of people,” Manuel wrote of his wife.

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Head of School Sally Mixsell ’69 with Manuel Avendaño, his daughter, Margarita, and his granddaughter, Kristina. Photo by Hank Mixsell.

He added that her friendly disposition and other strengths of her personality were enhanced by her education and experience at the Mary A. Burnham School.

After graduating from Mary A. Burnham in May 1955, Maria Teresa returned to Cartegena.

On August 19, 1956, her formal engagement to marry Manuel was held in the presence of their families. Their wedding took place in the Catholic Church on December 21, 1957 when Maria Teresa was 21 and Manuel was a 25-year-old officer in the Colombian Navy. The couple had three children, Manuel Jr., Margarita, and Miguel, and eventually six grandchildren, who brought much joy to their lives.

In his biography of Maria Teresa, Manuel shared his appreciation for his wife’s support of his career.

“With great dignity, wisdom, nobility, and knowledge of the role as a wife of a naval officer, she accompanied [me] in all ranks and positions held in the country and in foreign service or international representation,” he wrote. “Possessing a permanent youth that conveyed the simplicity, good humor, and human quality, charming personality Maria Teresa won a host of friends who remember her with special affection and sympathy.”

After 39 years in active duty, Manuel was promoted in 1988 to the rank of Admiral, Commander in Chief of the Colombian Navy.

“You left in my career a beautiful trail,” he wrote in tribute to his wife.

“Your generosity, understanding, and unconditional consecration to the demands of home and for beating the challenges that a Navy wife brings, you’ve allowed me the time and space to get ahead in the profession. You were the architect of my destiny.”

In addition to being a devoted wife and mother, Maria Teresa championed causes that were important to her. In 1983, she founded “Navy Social Action,” a Navy wives’ association to help improve the welfare of seamen and their families.

Under her leadership, in 1989, the foster home for the families of ill seamen became a reality. She was also concerned with the well-being of indigenous people in her country and traveled to visit their communities on the Colombian Pacific Coast.

They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with an Alaskan cruise in 1998, and 10 years later, to mark their “Golden Jubilee” of 50 years of marriage, they held a ceremony to renew their wedding vows, surrounded by their family and friends.

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School Life

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE NEW STUDENT CENTER

Photo by Hank Mixsell

By Srikari Tummla ’17 In the fall of 2015, SBS opened a new Student Center, complete with a renovated Student Lounge (formally the Red Room) and a new Student Cafe, as well as a window-lined corridor to the Dining Hall and a foyer that opens to a terrace and pergola overlooking the front lawn. Here is a snapshot of how the new spaces are enhancing the student experience at SBS. FRIDAY 7:30 a.m.: I head down to breakfast, dropping off my bag in the Student Lounge. I always put it on a specific gray patterned table – I definitely consider it my table.

8:00 a.m.: I go to morning classes.

11:35 a.m.: I drop my bag in the Student Lounge again for lunch.

12:00 p.m.: I often play an intense game of ping-pong in the Lounge with my friends right before class begins again.

12:10 p.m.: I grab my backpack and head to my afternoon classes.

4:00 p.m.: Time for sports practice!

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5:30 p.m.: I head to dinner and drop my sports gear in the Lounge. On Friday nights, my friends and I eat dinner in the Student Cafe and watch Japanese anime.

SATURDAY 10:00 a.m.: The omelet station opens up, and my friends and I get our delicious brunch specials and a warm drink and enjoy a relaxing winter morning in the Cafe.

3:00 p.m.: It’s time for an afternoon snack!

I always grab a faculty member on duty to supervise while I bake: sometimes cookies, sometimes Indian snacks. Cooking gives us both good food and decreased stress, so my friends and I bake in the Cafe as much as possible.

5:30 p.m.: Dinner on a weekend means more Japanese anime! We resume our marathon, spread out in bean bags and other comfortable chairs.

8:00 p.m.: Movie night! The couches in the Lounge make for a cozy setting for a rom-com and pizza.

SUNDAY 10:00 a.m.: Brunch is just as tasty, but it doesn’t taste as good because of all the homework we know we have to do.

12:00 p.m.: After a weekend of fun and lazing around, homework needs to be done, so my friends and I spread all our notebooks and textbooks around the spacious room and study the whole day.

5:30 p.m.: Dinner again, but no marathon because there is school the next day!

Srikari Tummla ’17 is an 11th grader from Foxborough, Mass. She is her Class President and a Resident Assistant on the Middle School dormitory hallway. Srikari’s interests include microbiology, reading, and cultural anthropology. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, tennis, drinking tea, having informal debates about social issues, and applying literary lenses to Disney films.

Alumna Profile

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Photo by Hank Mixsell

MELISSA MCKALLAGAT ’96 ALUMNAE BOARD PRESIDENT AND EX-OFFICIO MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2016

DO YOU KNOW A STONELEIGH-BURNHAM

GIRL?

You know the value of our equestrian, What do you enjoy about your affiliation with SBS? I like that I can give back to a place that changed my life. I’m part of something that’s bigger than just me. When I was visiting SBS for the first time, I got out of the car and said, “This is where I want to be.” It has always felt like home.

What advice can you share with fellow alumnae about their role with the school?

The school will thrive if you stay connected. Attend a local event or come to campus for a theater production. There are alumnae who live in your area. Call someone up and just have coffee. Think about your favorite school memory – a teacher, an arts performance or theater production, or a class. Then, think about how you can help the current girls have those same memories.

You’ve been a champion of the SBS Athletics Department. What motivates you?

I was an athlete in high school and college.

I love watching the girls play and succeed.

I learned a lot about myself through athletics – teamwork and life skills. My coaches challenged me, and I was always able to do more than I thought I could because of them.

dance, debate and International Baccalaureate Diploma programs better than anyone. We’d love to hear if there are girls in your area looking for an unforgettable Stoneleigh-Burnham experience.

To refer a prospective family,

What do you think alumnae should know about today’s Stoneleigh-Burnham?

please contact the Admissions Office

Our school is doing great. It is heading in the right direction with strong leaders, and we want you to join us. The Alumnae Board is working hard to involve alumnae for the future of our school. Come be a part of it.

admissions@sbschool.org

at 413-774-2711 x257 or

sbschool.org

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Equestrian Matters

Expansion of the Stoneleigh-Burnham Equestrian Center WE CONTINUE TO GROW AND IMPROVE OUR EQUESTRIAN FACILITIES. COMPLETED AND PLANNED PROJECTS INCLUDE:

PHASE I (COMPLETE) • New water complex (2014)

PHASE II (IN PROGRESS) • New, larger, all-weather paddock with an automatic watering system and Buckley steel fencing (2016) • 2 ½ acres of additional new grass paddocks (permit application in progress) • New parking area Our facility’s expansion and continuous upgrades will attract new riders, grow our competition space, and build greater national awareness of SBS and our equestrian program.

Riders: We need your support!

Give now: sbschool.org/equestriancenter

George Halkett, Equestrian Director 413-475-1663 ghalkett@sbschool.org

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Class Notes

the bulletin S P R I N G Sam Torres ’08 and Lindsay Sattin married September 5, 2014

Class Notes If your class isn’t listed, unfortunately we didn’t receive any notes to post. We would love to hear from you! Do you have news and or photos to share? You may submit class notes and photos to alumnae@sbschool.org or at sbschool.org/alumnae/classnote. We want to hear the latest, as well as update your contact information. If you would like to request contact information for another alumnae, please call the Alumnae Relations Office at 413-774-2711 x262, or email alumnae@sbschool.org.

1949S MaryEm Bodman Kenner shares: I was the proud recipient of the “Margaret Rolph Sustainer Award” during the annual dinner of The National Club Toronto, Ontario, in May 2015, a reward given to an “active” Sustainer who has made an extraordinary contribution to the community over a period of at least 15 years.

1956B Judith Howard Whitney-Terry writes: Well ladies, our 60th reunion will be here shortly (June 3- 5), so I’ve been making an effort to try to connect with all of you. Hopefully you received my letter. Some of you responded so I do have some news, both good and sad. Nancy Wilson Nesbit and I have been able to meet in Florida. She reports that her grandson, a gifted, self-taught musician has been accepted to the Lincoln Center Jazz Academy. She’s still playing golf in Maine and Florida and works with Meals on Wheels here in Florida. Audrey Benjamin Burley has suffered a knee injury

so is not traveling much these days, but still enjoys beautiful Rockport, Mass. Corinne Young McGrady “Corky” and I had a long telephone chat. Her husband, Mike, has died (you may remember he was the author, along with 24 others, of “Naked Came the Stranger”) and she’s still dealing with that in probate – some things take longer than others! She’s in Hoodsport, Wash., in the “boonies,” her comment. “Burnham saved my life, it opened so many vistas.”

You may remember Jennie Hung Tanaret, a PG student, who came from Thailand (her father was the doctor to the King) and married the Chief of Police who was later killed by the communists. I tried to find her when I was there last, but no luck. A chat with Ursula Kendrtarvitch Hogan brought news that she has finally stopped teaching, but has been under treatment for cancer which now seems under control, If you don’t see your class listed, unfortunately we did not receive any notes for your class.

2016

so she definitely plans to be at reunion.

She’s an advocate of Lance Armstrong’s “Live Strong program” which has helped immensely to put her back on track. She also has fond memories of MAB and the closetsized classrooms! Judy Park Coyne is still in Franconia, N.H. and plans to come to reunion also. She continues working parttime in the custom design place from which she technically retired in 2004. A letter from Nancy Blodgett Davis said she and Bob have been married 56 years (wow!) with three kids and six grandchildren ranging in age from college grads to a 1½ year old.

She plays golf and has a small antiques business. Linda Guthy Huzzen says she and Carl stay very busy. She volunteers at her local hospital and does grief counseling.

They have one son and one daughter and five grandchildren, all girls. Three graduated from college, one is a junior at the University of Florida (Gainesville) and the other is a junior at UNC, Chapel Hill.

Sandra MacDonald Wemmerus and Bill are still skiing and busy working with Adult Education at Mary Washington College.

She is planning to attend reunion. Clarita Kushelevitch Kaufman didn’t attempt to spend Thanksgiving this year in the Berkshires after last year’s devastating snow storms, but has stayed in touch with Andy Welch Campbell, Phyllis Tosi Lawlor, and Norma Berado. Norma reports on the state of Brazilian politics (about as bad as ours, it seems) and spends time in Portugal with her younger sister, so she does not come to the USA as much anymore. You may remember that her other younger sister, Carmen Berado, also in our class, died about 20 years ago. And speaking of lost classmates, I discovered that Judith Gay Graham, Carol Race Wesley, and Andrea Litchfield Moskovitz have died since our last reunion.

Many of you know that we also lost Carole Hart Barbour in November who did not make it through surgery. A great loss, she was always such a positive and cheery friend. Bob and I are still on the move, we spend three months playing tennis in Vero Beach, Fla., then back to Cape Cod for more tennis and usually a trip of 4-5 weeks

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in the summer, last year in Istanbul and the Greek Isles – think we made that trip just in time! We attended two University President’s inaugurations in October and our granddaughter’s performance in the modern dance company Pilobolus in NYC. We figure if we keep moving the devil won’t find us! So, I hope to see you all at Reunion where I can tell you all the rest of the news that I’ve gathered. Cheers, Judie.

1957S Winnie Steele Walker says: First of all, I want to thank the Alumnae Relations Office for the pictures of the barn. I spent many hours there during my four years at SPH. The pictures of the horses, new tack room, and lounge area were wonderful to see. I am doing very well. Keeping busy outside at my home and staying active by walking whenever the weather cooperates.

The holiday season was magical this year as I enjoyed time with my children and grandchildren. I am looking forward to a new arrival of another great-grandchild (she will be the third) - the other two are boys! Denny Emerson’s son was featured in the September issue of the Valley News, a newspaper distributed in the upper valley of Vermont. He and his horse are doing extremely well in the roping arena. Barbara Holden Hobart and I met in Rockingham, Vt., at the Vermont Country Store, earlier this year. Barbara was up from North Carolina to close on her property in New Hampshire. We had a great time together!

On a sad note, my sister, Martha Steele Brown ’55S, lost her eldest son Martin Brown, to our Lord in December. Our family will miss him dearly. Martha is doing well, thanks to all of her caring friends and supportive community. She is still driving a school bus on a part-time basis. The kids love her and it keeps her busy along with her hobby of “leather work” in which she makes wallets, bracelets, tack repair, etc.

Martha’s youngest son, Jim, is a physician in the Army and lives with his wife in Tennessee with his wife and two children. I hope to hear other news from the classes of ’56 and ’57S. My best to all!

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1967B Jody Gebhardt writes: In early September, Catharine Cain, Mona Malkin Heck, Nancy Booth Woodworth and I met in Northampton, Mass., for a mini reunion.

We spent two days getting reacquainted with Northampton and with each other.

One of the things we talked about was our upcoming 50th reunion! Over the next two years, we will be planning a get together mainly in Northampton, possibly another on the West Coast. Jennie Kroll Hollister ’69 joined us on the second day as we visited, walked around our old campus, poured over yearbooks to prod our memories, and caught up on our lives.

mother through Alzheimer’s, she is working on consolidating family homes. This year, she won the Tampa Bay Ukulele Society Christmas Hat Contest. Mona Malkin Heck and her husband, Jim, celebrated their 40th last year with a trip to Alaska.

She’s lived in the Syracuse, N.Y. area since 1967 and has a BSN and MSN from Syracuse University. Mona retired from the New York State Department of Health in 2010 as a public health consultant nurse.

Nancy Booth Woodworth has lived in Connecticut since graduating from college in 1971. In 2009, her husband passed away after 37 years of marriage. She has two sons and has retired from 22 years

Jody Gebhardt ’67 B, Jennie Kroll Hollister ’69, Nancy Booth Woodworth ’67 B, Mona Malkin Heck ’67 B, and Catharine Cain ’67 B. All of us agreed that in many ways, our years at Burnham were some of the best. It was a wonderful get-together and we look forward to doing it again. As Class Agent and now retired person, I will be contacting as many of you as possible to see what if anything works for each of you. I am on Facebook as well as being reachable via the email address (Jody.gebhardt@gmail.com), and Catharine has set up a Facebook group just for us, too. After a long and varied career, I retired as Parish Administrator at our local Episcopal Church last January.

I’ve lived in Page, Ariz., by Lake Powell for the last 16 years, working, hiking, and exploring with my husband of 10 years, John Crowther. It’s gorgeous country, so please come and see me! Catharine Cain divides her time between Skaneateles, N.Y. and Palm Harbor, Fla. After caring for her

of managing an Internal Medicine office.

Nancy has done some traveling and is in touch with Ann Arnold, Alyce McGreevy and Sharna Hurwit Gordon. She added, “I enjoyed our mini-reunion in September and am looking forward to our 50th.” Pamela Rook Martin writes: I have been living in NC since 1985 and have been married to Johnny Martin for 18 years. After working for First Citizens Bank for nearly 30 years, I retired in 2013. I have three children, a son and two daughters, five grandchildren, three boys and two girls and expect my first great-grandchild, a girl, in mid-April.

Carolyn Davis Cozart says: I have been living in California since 1974. Worked in high tech most of my career, leaving the workforce February 2014. Enjoying the good life, taking OLLI classes at UC Berkeley. Married 11 years to Michael who is a winemaker. Brenda Morrison shares:

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2016

I moved from Michigan to Atlanta, Ga., right after college and spent the next 40plus years working as a daily newspaper reporter and editor. I moved back to Michigan five years ago and live a block from Lake Michigan.

1969

RIDING & DANCE LESSONS

FOR THE PIONEER VALLEY COMMUNITY Learn to ride at our Equestrian Center, yearround on weeknights and Sundays with expert Stoneleigh-Burnham equestrian staff. All ages and experience levels are welcome.

Learn to dance weekday afternoons and evenings from September - May. Classes are available in ballet, modern, and jazz dance for girls ages 5 and up.

Nancy Hallen and Jennie Kroll Hollister

For more information and to register, visit sbschool.org or call: 413-774-2711.

Charlotte Newton’ 71 (far right) with fellow SBS sisters Vivian Lee ’71 and Libby Ramage Caron ’71 Tori Askerberg shares: I met with Nancy Cramer Pingitore ’82 and her sister Mary Ann Cramer ’77 at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Fla. Turns out that Nancy is my neighbor! Jennie Kroll Hollister says: Had a fun time breaking the rules with Nancy Hallen while on R&R at Kripalu!

1971 Charlotte Newton writes: I met up with Libby Ramage Carson and Vivian Lee in the Big Apple this December. What a fun afternoon talking over a long lunch. It was the first time that the three of us had been together as a group since graduation day.

Ellen Epstein Easton ’72

LET’S CONNECT

Libby and husband, Steve Carson, have two grown sons and live in Princeton, N.J. where Libby teaches art to young children.

Vivian and husband, Dan, have two grown daughters and call Hong Kong “home.”

Looking forward to Reunion 2016 in June!

1972 Ellen Epstein Easton shares: On November 17, 2015, fellow sister Keli Claffey Levine ’64S attended an afternoon tea in New York City to hear Ellen speak on The Power of Woman. Ellen was recently published in a magazine with an article “Why Do Manners Matter.”

1976 Nancy Maurer Preston says: We sold our log cabin in Pennsylvania and moved to

Stoneleigh-Burnham is stronger when you are involved For information on upcoming events and alumnae news: sbschool.org/alumnae 19

Class Notes Enfield, Conn. Now grandparents to Wes (age 2) and Eliza (2 mo) who live way too far away in Denver! Looking forward to seeing many ’76-ers at our 40th! Wow!

incredible alumnae. I visited June Coolidge Scott at her beautiful home in Canton, Mass., this past autumn and we lunched with classmate Dawn Finicane (a creative foodie diva). I also keep in touch with Janet DeLucia Cimmino ’81 who surprised me by venturing west of Worcester for my 50th this past December. She came with tiara in hand!

(And Donny too for those who know!) Janet, Dawn, and I try to get together a couple of times a year, and for our last lunch date in Boston, Catherine “Cat” Schmidt Lewis flew in for the day to join us for lunch.

How amazing is that for sisterhood? Sarah Redeker Bompastore and I have been friends

worked with animals now for the last five years, so far the most interesting have been a lynx and a snake.

1987 Sally von Entress von Fortune says: It’s been a long time and I hope that life is good for all! I’m still in Portland, Ore., raising two wonderful girls (ages 10 and 12) with my partner of 15 years. We recently spent an amazing 3-plus weeks camping in British Columbia, Canada, exploring the sights and attending all of the Women’s World Cup games in Vancouver - simply fantastic!

Catherine “Cat” Schmidt Lewis ’83 with fellow SBS sister Kathleen Tuck Fontaine ’83 in Revere, MA

Janet DeLucia Cimmino ’81 and Kathleen Tuck Fontaine ’83 celebrating Kathleen’s 50th

1983 Alexandria Goldstein Rappaport shares: I am now a member of the SBS Alumnae Board, serving alongside classmates June Coolidge Scott and Kathleen Tuck Fontaine and I am working on Alumnae Outreach Events as well as our Reunion Committee. We are really looking forward to Reunion 2016!

Kathleen Tuck Fontaine writes: I am now working in the Development and Alumnae Relations Department at SBS! It’s wonderful being back on campus, getting to know the amazing young women in the current student body and becoming acquainted with our

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Ella Bernard LaPrade (daughters Maya, Lily and Elise), Tarah Watson Shepard (daughter Oryn), Sofia Sorvino (daughter Lola), McKenzie Rollins, Jackie Trombly (daughter Abella) and Meghan O’Neil Chornyak (daughter Riley) ’01 since we met our first day at SBS in 1979.

Her daughter (my gorgeous goddaughter) turns 16 this year. Sarah and I have seen each other through the worst and best of times in the past 37 years. Truly my sister in so many ways. I’m hoping my SBS little sisters, Myka Calagione ’86 and Stephanie Holkins ’86, will be at Reunion this year for their 30th. I would love to see them!

1986 Amy Mundy Lloyd shares: Hello everyone!

I am still out in Washington state with a new career as a veterinary assistant. I have

1996 Kristen Ronhave Scott shares: I am currently residing in Greenfield, Mass., and have been working on the psychiatric unit at Baystate Franklin Medical Center for several years. I have an 8-year-old daughter and a 3 ½-yearold son. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in June for our 20th Reunion!

Melissa McKallagat says: I am keeping busy between work and serving as President of the SBS Alumnae Board. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at Reunion this summer!

Alumna Profile

the bulletin S P R I N G

2016

2001 Sofia Sorvino writes: Seventeen-plus years of friendship and love with this crew. We get together for hugs as often as we can (which is never often enough) and we still can’t believe that this year marks 15 years since we graduated. In that time we’ve gone from a group of six to a group of 13 (and I suspect there might be more in the next few years) and so far, we only make girls. We are SBS alumnae after all!

Sam Torres ’08 and Lindsay Sattin celebrating their wedding in 2014.

2008 Sam Torres says: So it’s been a little while since I’ve submitted an update, but the last few years have been really wonderful.

On September 5, 2014 I married the most wonderful human being and my best friend, Lindsay Sattin. Lindsay and I were married at Quonquont Farm in Whately, Mass., and my SBS sisters, Bethany Rappleyea and Vicky Sun, were both guests of ours, with Bethany being one of my bridesmaids.

Lindsay and I had been living in the Northampton, Mass., area for the past several years, but we just bought a house in Greenfield in May, which was a wonderful way to cap off our first year as a married couple. Now we’re enjoying our new home, while I enjoy an internship back at SBS. So nice to be back on campus! We enjoy spending quality time with our dog, River, whom we adopted from Dakin Animal Shelter back in 2013. I’d love to know more about what the other grads from ’08 are up to these days!

Melanie Cabot ’77 Melanie Cabot’s Foundation for Women & Economic Literacy has roots in her StoneleighBurnham education and her family’s legacy of philanthropy.

Cabot ’77 is part of the Virginia Cabot Wellington Foundation and has been guided to focus her philanthropy in ways that will make a difference for the organizations she supports, including Stoneleigh-Burnham School.

Learning how to become financially independent and to serve others has become a way of life for this alumna, and she wants to pass that on to other women.

Cabot moved to West Palm Beach, Florida a few years ago with the goal of encouraging women to learn ways they can be more intentional in their financial goals and philanthropic lives. She plans to bring small groups of women together to share their interests face-to-face.

“Because we are hyper-connected through the internet and technology, we are more isolated than ever,” she says.

With a desire to help women enjoy the fellowship of like-minded individuals, find answers to their financial questions, and have access to advice on specific ways to give, Cabot is offering unique resources and activities.

“I want to help women open their eyes about philanthropy and the impact they can make,” she said.

For more information on the Foundation for Women’s Cultural and Economic Literacy visit the foundation’s website: wfcel.org.

Photo by Frances Gonzales

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BRIDGE FUND STONELEIGH-BURNHAM

SCHOOL

PHASE I PROJECTS COMPLETED FALL 2015 PHASE II PROJECTS COMING SOON: • Upgrades to dormitory bathrooms

SUMMER

• Upgrades to tennis courts and addition of a sixth court

AT STONELEIGH-BURNHAM

Your gift to the Bridge Fund will enhance the student

RIDE, DANCE, DEBATE

experience. Thank you!

Our summer programs blend intensive skill development with the fun and adventure of summer camp! Riding, dance, debate, and English language instruction camps are led by expert instructors and offer girls a glimpse at boarding school life.

Bonnie Castle Riding Camp Session 1: July 3 - 16, 2016 Session 2: July 17 - 29, 2016 Open to riders of all skill levels ages 9 - 16.

Horse boarding is available.

Intensive Riding Camp June 26 - July 1, 2016 For riders ages 14-18 who are interested in IEA and IHSA competition. An application, trainer/coach recommendation, and a video are required.

Sorvino Dance Intensive Session 1: June 26 - July 2, 2016 Session 2: July 3 - 9, 2016 Intermediate to advanced dancers ages 12-18 train with professional instructors, including Director Ann Sorvino.

A Voice of Her Own Debate & Public Speaking Camp Session 1: July 10 - 15, 2016 Session 2: July 24 - 29, 2016 For girls ages 12 - 18; seasoned debaters and novice speakers are welcome.

English Language Intensive (ELI) July 17 - August 21, 2016 Helps non-native speakers entering grades 7-12 improve their English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

For more information, including pricing, sample schedules, and registration, visit sbschool.org/summer

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• Fitness Center expansion

Naming opportunities are available.

Contact the Development Office at 413.774.2711 x247.

Annual Fund Scholarship Program Recognizing the power of leadership Each year, more than 50% of our students, who may not otherwise be able to afford a StoneleighBurnham education, receive a total of over $2 million in financial aid. Your generous support helps us provide scholarships to deserving students.

Scholar’s Circle Gifts of $2,500 You will receive a personal “thank you” from a student.

Trustee’s Circles Gifts of $5,000 We will award the annual scholarship in your name or the name of a special person in your life.

Francelyse Joseph ’18 is the recipient of the Virginia Stevens Annual Scholarship given by Charlotte Prescott Newton ’71.

Ways to give: Use the enclosed envelope.

Give securely online: sbschool.org/donate or call the Development Office to make a gift by phone: 413.774.2711 x262

Wall of Fame and Hall of Fame The Equestrian Wall of Fame and Athletic Hall of Fame honor equestriennes, athletes, coaches, teams, and others who have made outstanding contributions to riding and athletics, during or after their time at Stoneleigh-Burnham.

Inductions will take place during the 2016-2017 school year. Submit your nominees now.

Athletics, email Athletic Director Annie Kandel: akandel@sbschool.org.

Equestrian, visit sbschool.org/equestrian.

In Memoriam

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Patricia Blake Sayles, ’51S 1934-2014

Listed Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Bonita Barrack DeVos Harriet Stearns Anita Cummings den Tex Janet “Sandy” Stewart Barrell Nancy McQuigg Rutledge Claire Joan Corriveau Yvette Mencoff Nathans Patricia Blake Sayles Neysa Rosenthal Wilkinson Catherine Burns Gill Maria Lemaitre Avendaño Carole Hart Barbour Dana Woodberry Saccomanno Renate Kohn Olaya Marilyn Morley Tanner Jean Affinito Maletta Diana Wells Strickland Margot Dunbar Bleier Susan Gould McLean Kerry Anne Dalton

45 46 47 47 47 49 49 51 51 54 55 56 56 57 57 59 59 63 72 87

Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed:

11/29/15 2/20/15 7/18/15 8/31/15 12/14/14 6/3/15 8/30/15 9/30/14 6/6/15 11/15/15 9/9/13 10/19/15 8/2/14 4/13/15 10/9/15 7/5/15 8/6/15 2/8/16 5/17/15 11/13/15

Mary A. Burnham Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill Mary A. Burnham Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill Mary A. Burnham Mary A. Burnham Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill Mary A. Burnham Mary A. Burnham Mary A. Burnham Stoneleigh Prospect Hill Stoneleigh Prospect Hill Stoneleigh Prospect Hill Mary A. Burnham Mary A. Burnham Mary A. Burnham Stoneleigh-Burnham Stoneleigh-Burnham

42 42 42 44 48 59 60 61

Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed: Departed:

5/24/15 5/26/15 12/14/13 12/4/15 3/3/14 2/22/15 12/4/15 12/8/15

Mary A. Burnham Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill Mary A. Burnham Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill Mary A. Burnham Mary A. Burnham Mary A. Burnham Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill

The Stoneleigh-Burnham community mourns the passing of Patricia Blake Sayles, ’51S, 1934-2014. The Patricia Blake Sayles and Thomas D. Sayles, Jr. Planned Giving Society was established in 2004 to honor the generous support of the Sayles family. The Sayles Planned Giving Society recognizes individuals who have named Stoneleigh-Burnham in their long-term plans or created an endowment for our benefit. For more information, please contact us at development@sbschool.org.

If you would like to share your memories of Patricia Blake Sayles, please visit sbschool.org/donate/planned-giving and submit them on the form provided.

Not Pictured: Dariel Keith Belcher Jane Holtby Hill Ann O’Donnell Trumbull Judith Smead Pierson Carole Fromm Lowell Freddy Medora Espy Plimpton Deborak Skeels Bocken Helen Quackenbush Siemers

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Coda

Teaching togetherness, learning as mother and daughter

by Karen Suchenski P’16 One of my favorite moments of the school year is Convocation. We gather as individuals from many disparate places and depart as a community, destinies entwined by an honor code and a common mission. One of the most memorable convening moments of the past five years was when StoneleighBurnham alumna and Unitarian minister Shayna Appel as guest speaker challenged us with her provocative words, “The most important question facing the world today is ’How do we relate to one another?’” She closed with, “SBS community, you are responsible for building a peaceful and just form of togetherness here and now.”

he would be and what a remarkable place to teach.”

I turned my gaze to the sea of students and honed in on the patch of eighth graders whom I would teach, my youngest daughter among them. A jarring realization took full hold. SBS had just delivered me an opportunity to build togetherness in the classroom and the school community, and the challenge of navigating that with my daughter as a student.

Togetherness from birth

Claire and I made the decision together for me to teach here. She experienced remarkable growth as a seventh grader in the SBS Middle School. Impressed

by Bill Ivey’s feminist vision for the empowerment of girls and his gentle guidance of Claire’s Humanities class, I thought, “What a fabulous colleague

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Upon learning of an opening, I applied and was invited to join the faculty. I asked Claire if she would she be willing to share her educational institution with me as her teacher.

After a moment, she said, “Mom, it will be a little uncomfortable for me, but Stoneleigh-Burnham is such a wonderful place, I want you to experience all it has to offer, too.”

Having long had Claire as my instructor on the meaning of togetherness, I took her response to heart and accepted the job.

Claire’s premature birth taught me not only about ties that bind us together as mother and daughter, but also about how inextricably we are bound to others. I think back 18 years to her birth, the day after Christmas. Claire was delivered at 32 weeks, weighing a little over two pounds. I hold indelible memory snapshots of her hanging on to life via oxygen tubes and wires monitoring breathing and heart rate.

These visible cords attached to her within her incubator were reinforced by the invisible cords of kindness that the small college-town community of Oxford, Ohio, set up to keep my family afloat. Friends, preschool and

medical staff, faculty colleagues, and cafeteria staff at Miami University of Ohio, where my husband and I taught, delivered meals to our doorstep.

Some brought a tree and ornaments to decorate with my two toddlers so my husband could spend time in the NICU with us. Students volunteered to babysit. These people became our life support in this difficult time.

When I think back on all this, in my own mind, I modify Appel’s Convocation address. The pressing question is not how do we relate to one another; rather, it is how do we recognize how integrally connected we already are, and how indebted we are to others for the goodness of our daily lives?

Classroom Lessons: how to be together

Learning

I spent my first three months at SBS facing an earnest Claire, largely ignoring her endlessly-raised hand, calling more regularly on others to downplay any perceptions of bias.

One day, in frustration, Claire insisted she had a story that she really wanted to share. As I passed over her again, Claire called out, “Mama, I really want to read my draft.”

In stunned silence, the class and I listened while Claire read a memoir piece, “Arms of an Angel,” about a moment of her childhood of which I had not been part. My tears welled

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at the intimate sister moment she described. I turned to the class to try to objectively frame a discussion. “How did Claire’s opening lines direct the reader’s attention from a small moment to a larger point?” I asked, my voice wavering.

As I taught, Claire taught me lessons in responsiveness to students. I recall a moment when I introduced a reading assignment for winter break that I thought would be wonderful. A single, stark voice immediately piped up, “No!,” followed by a collective sigh, like a giant amen, from the semesterweary, break-ready group. I turned toward the no and found it was Claire.

“We have worked hard all fall and need time to spend with our families without schoolwork hanging over us!” she said.

Hearing the wisdom in these words, I assented, with the caveat that while I appreciated Claire’s, and the class’ thoughts and perspectives, there were perhaps more respectful ways to present them. In the end, though, setting our

mother-daughter/teacherstudent ties openly on the table was critical as an icebreaker for the class. From that point on, whenever the class had concerns and “gentle suggestions” for me, they jokingly asked to meet with “Mom” or tapped Claire as conduit to her “mama.” Our lesson: Ignore acknowledging deep and complex connections to one another at one’s own peril. The ties that bind need to be recognized and renewed as relationships change and grow.

Community Lessons: “The community that serves together, stays together.”

As the community service coordinator, I guide service actions of Claire and other students at SBS. Service teaches togetherness in profound ways. It helps the girls recognize that “the community that serves together, stays together” (our club motto) and its corollary, gratitude. A moment of community service merry-making at the two-mile marker of the Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage, a Northampton-based benefit to address domestic abuse, highlights this. Bedecked in reindeer ears and wielding tambourines, jingle bells, and clappers, our volunteers cheered participants with bellows of “You can do it!” They were met with shouts of “Thank you!” from many of the thousands of runners and walkers.

2016

One student said in amazement, “They were thanking us, but we are the ones who received so much.”

Closing an era of togetherness.

It is 2016, and Claire and I have reached a threshold of our togetherness. With college ahead, Claire will travel on from SBS. I will let her go, carrying with me the greatest lessons of our togetherness: we do not go it alone, and those ties that bind Claire and me – and each of us – are always present, in urgent need of our having the good sense to recognize and honor them. Joined together in our remarkable SBS journey, Claire and I have so many people to thank for how far we have come. This prompts a final life lesson: when we can’t adequately pay back all to whom we owe so much, the only responsible thing to do is to be grateful each day and pay it forward.

Trained as a women’s historian at Yale University, Karen Suchenski has spent the last five of her 25-year career in education, teaching middle school girls of Stoneleigh-Burnham, including her youngest daughter Claire, Class of 2016.

She has taught at every level through college, and served as a museum educator at local to national institutions, including the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Karen also loves to involve students in service activities as Community Service Coordinator for SBS. Photo by John Nordell

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