Preview from Severn's Centennial book

Severn School 1914-2014 Celebrating A Century

“It is far too early for us to appreciate the spirit surrounding our days on the banks of the Severn. There will be a day in the future, however, when a full realization of the great wealth acquired at Severn will be brought home to us.”

– r oll a nd M. Tee l, S e vern S ch ool F ou n de r

(above) Dormitory students circa 1934. (right) The entire sophomore class of 1937: Burdette Wright ’39, George Klauer ’39, Harry Gaver ’39 and Charles Besoré ’39. (below) “The Severn River affords opportunities for such forms of recreation as swimming, canoeing, and skating. On Saturday afternoons those students who are in good standing as regards conduct and effort are granted permission to go to Annapolis to witness the sports of the Naval Academy, where there is carried on perhaps the broadest athletic program to be found at any institution in the country. Such students may also be granted permission to go to the ‘movies’ for the afternoon or early evening performance. Lectures and musicals are from time to time held on Sunday evenings, during what is known as the Sunday Evening Forum. Three school dances are given by the student body during the year.”

– excerpted from the Severn School catalog of the 1930s

1928–1929 Maryland Scholastic Association Football Championship Trophy

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(left) Albert K. Hawkins as he appeared shortly after the start of his long career at Severn. He taught one year at the U.S. Naval Academy Prep School in Annapolis before coming to Severna Park in 1914 as Mr. Teel’s first faculty member and administrative assistant. Second Headmaster from 1955–1957, he was described by Mr. Teel as a “wonderful person … a jewel beyond words.” Hawkins was a board member and part-time faculty member until just a few months before his death in 1959. (right) The first cheerleading squad formed at Severn in 1931. It would last for 50 years.

Robert Pippin (in back row with glasses), who taught foreign languages, organized the first ever Severn ‘orchestra’ in 1931.

“Although the orchestra did not play for any special events, a great deal of enjoyment was derived by the members and by the students from frequent ‘get-togethers,’” reported the 1931 Anchor and Wheel.

1914-1938: The Early Years

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Chapter three

1956-1975 The Tumultuous Years: The Times They Are a-Changin’ “ It is our earnest hope that a student’s years at Severn bring him the firm conviction that one cannot get something for nothing, that what is worth having is worth working for, that freedom to be maintained must be cherished and its price paid, that things of lasting value carry a high price tag and that material rewards are not the only ones worth striving for.” – R o l l a n d M . T e e l

D

The 1970s brought girls to campus for the first time in the school’s nearly 60-year history.

e p re ssio n an d war had brought Americans together in an understanding of our mutual dependence – the idea that we succeeded or failed together. But the 1960s and 1970s nearly tore us apart. Etched in collective memory from those tumultuous times: the murders of JFK and MLK. A terrible struggle for civil rights and an anti-war movement that sparked riots across the land. Medicare. A Space Race. A War on Poverty and a wrenchingly divisive war in Vietnam. The draft.

The pill. LSD. Sexual revolution. Hippies. Women’s lib. It was a time when old and young grew their hair long, turned on and tuned out. There was Kent State.

The Berlin Wall. Folk music. Folk rock. And rock ’n roll. The Red threat. Black Panthers. Beatles, Bond, the Stones and a boatload of other Brits. A boozy, woozy Woodstock ended the decade while a magical moon landing brought the entire nation to its feet to celebrate. By the 1970s, many of those “radical” 60s ideas went mainstream, deep recession set in and a disgraced president resigned.

Yet, as kids, we were mostly oblivious to the upheaval. Cities smoldered while we attended to that most important business of growing up, finding our own frequency, with school and family the epicenters of our universe. We still covered our books in brown paper and did our homework because we were going to college.

Adults made the rules and enforced them. On non-school days, especially when it was hot (home air-conditioning was rare), we played outside all day – dodgeball, war, baseball, something. We wore no helmets or seatbelts; we rode with no hands.

We came home for dinner, likely to sit down with family. Most of these years, the country was still fairly prosperous so a family could live pretty comfortably on one income (about $4,700 in the 60s, $7,600 in the 70s) and vacation once a year.

Most moms stayed at home. With just three channels on TV, we read more. And virtually everybody smoked. But no one sued much then, perhaps because parents taught personal responsibility, hard work, honesty and respect – values reinforced at school. Would these values stand the test of time?

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“ In the classroom, most of my teachers explained things very clearly and expected us to pay attention and learn. When I went away to college, I realize I didn’t have to worry about academics because I was so well prepared.” – J oc k H o p k i ns ’ 6 3

Buddy Beardmore was another sports standout. A post-grad in 1957–58, he won the Slanker Trophy for most valuable football player and was named All-American first team in lacrosse at the University of Maryland. During his four years coaching at Severn (1963–1966), he built the Admirals into a championship MSA team. He was known as a great coach and respected by all, although some of his boys thought he was pretty hard on them. One had this story to tell: “Early in the season, he had us doing two practices a day. For the game with Annapolis High, he told us to report for practice at 7 a.m. We practiced until 11. When we came back at 12:30, he sent us on the Round Bay tour, two miles up Askewton Hill and back. When we got back from that, he sent us out to warm up for the game at 2 pm. The strategy worked: we beat Annapolis that day 18–2.”

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The 1965 MSA Lacrosse Champions.

Coach Buddy Beardmore ’58 is in the center of the second row of the team photo.

Rolland Teel, with his ubiquitous pipe, in 1956.

In 1965, intramurals began for boarding and day students in football, volleyball and basketball. …In 1966, Severn hoopsters took the MSA championship under Coach Richard Webster. Standouts included Bob Freeman ’66, Dave Cloud ’68, Dan McGarry ’66, Bob Peck ’66, Mike Frimenko ’66 and Mike Busch ’66.

The decade will always be remembered for its two MSA championship lacrosse teams: Under Coach Buddy Beardmore ’58, the 1965 squad lost just one game and beat out Boys’ Latin for Severn’s first state title since 1929. The 1968 team under Coach Lee Curry ’57 went undefeated, outscoring opponents 146–64 over the season. One writer called it “the best team ever to come out of the county.”

Headmaster Kesmodel launched a new tradition: the Alumni-Varsity lacrosse match – highlight of PatronsAlumni Day. In 1964, the game ended in a tie. For the second year in a row, the young men of the varsity failed to beat the old men of the varsity past.

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“ Students go to college to learn – what? Mathematics and science and languages and literature and history, of course. But what they are really learning is how to live as happy, constructive, respected members of society.” – R o l l a n d M . T e e l

A time of challenge and promise

Like the United States throughout much of the 1970s, Severn struggled, still on rocky ground. Money was short. The campus was in a sorry state. When it rained, doors were laid everywhere to walk on, and the soggy fields were dubbed a “rice paddy” for the “swimming pools” that formed in the middle. Girls didn’t even have a full field. Teel Hall was not only covered with ivy, the stuff grew through the walls in spots. But mostly kids didn’t see the shortcomings or care if they did.

Puddles were “cool – not like your usual school,” someone remembered fondly.

And when funds ran low, parents helped out, cutting grass and donating paint so teachers could paint the buildings in summer. “We all knew we were getting a great education,” an alum recalled, “so what difference did a little disarray make?”

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Chrissy Sheats ’83, Stuart Sanders ’83 and Randi Goldman ’83 hanging out in the first floor senior rec room of Teel Hall.

1976-1993: The Transition Years

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BY THIS POINT IN OUR HISTORY, ACHIEVEMENTS NOT ONLY ABOUNDED – as they had for decades – but were far more

thoroughly documented.

Thus, we know more about more people. To make individuals easier to find and follow, we’ve created categories that showcase academic allstars; outstanding actors, artists, performers, speakers and writers; and students in service to their community. The point is pretty clear, we hope you agree: All these incredible achievements show that Severn students are a well-rounded, talented bunch.

Academic Excellence 1994-2000 Julie Ayers ’92 and Amy

Cha ’94 were named Teens of the Week by the Capital Gazette for academic excellence. h Blake Nolan ’95 was recognized for excellence in science. h Marshall Perrin ’97 earned the highest score possible on the SATs – 1,600 – and graduated a year early with the highest cumulative ever recorded here, then headed to MIT. Perrin eventually earned a doctorate in astrophysics from UC Berkeley. h Elizabeth Edsall ’96 was a semifinalist in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search for her work “Lungspeak.” h Severn placed first in Maryland for the second year running in the TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science) competition at Johns Hopkins University in 1996. The champs: Timor Chirikov ’97, Neha Kharod ’96, Matt Kim ’99, Ankur Mundra ’97, Erik Olsen ’96, Alex Reynolds ’98 and Josh Sims ’96. h Josh Chisholm ’98 and Danielle Alarcon ’99 took top honors in the National French Exam and Marshall Perrin ’97 won the National Latin exam. h Christina Rhynalds ’97 won the prestigious Japan-U.S. Senate scholarship and the Xerox Corporation Award in the Humanities/Social Sciences.

(right) In 1997, Severn students teamed up with USNA midshipmen to compete in FIRST. The challenge: Build a functioning robot.

The next year, at the Robotics competition at Rutgers, the team won Rookie of the Year and the Featherweight Final with their robot, Das Goat. Led by faculty advisor Jeff Hardy, FIRST Team members included Alex Reynolds ’98, John Chisolm ’98, Joe Ned ’99, Matt Mason ’99, Michelle Rhynalds ’99 and Matt Westhoff ’99

(above) Suzie Stokes ’00 and Mike Edgar ’99. (left) Amy Kirkley ’99 and Robyn Birch ’99 dressed for Spirit Week ’97. (right) The production of Fools in 1998 was the last in the Teel basement’s “Great Room.” From left: Ron Giddings ’99, Katy Shelor ’00, Jessica Fegan ’99 and Bret Hovell ’00.

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Speakers and Writers 1994-2000

Speech and essay contest winners: Dolph Habeck ’94,

Brian Nagy ’94, Mark Robinson ’94, Chris Thompson ’94, Heather Wong ’94, Mi-Young Ryee ’95, Elizabeth Edsall ’96, Bonnie Kim ’96, Anapaula Ned ’96, Jason Jack ’97, Lauren Poile ’97, Katie Clark ’97, Karen Austin ’98, Ian Mattonen ’98, Adam Lewis ’98, Amy Kirkley ’99, Jessica Fegan ’99, Chrissy Baugh ’00, Nichole Marks ’00, Whitney Gratrix ’02 and Greg Price ’02.

Amanda Prouty ’99, Katharine Coldiron ’99 and Jennifer Smith ’98 were tapped as national correspondents at the Washington Journalism Conference in DC in 1998. h Severn swept the DAR National Writing Contest in 1999 thanks to Eric Crabtree ’99, Christine Baugh ’00, Chris Gregg ’01 and Katie DiGiulian ’02.

Writers, poets, painters and illustrators: Michael

Weisburger 1998’s watercolors were displayed at St. John’s College and the Maryland State House. h Annapolis Lifestyle Magazine selected the illustrations of Tiffany Mills ’93, Adam Swank ’93 and Raphael Sassi ’95 for publication. h Sarah Manvel ’95 won a national writing contest for her short story, “Dandelion Chains.” h The writing of Amanda Prouty ’99 and Steve Heuser ’99 made the national student magazine Merlyn’s Pen in 1996. In 1997, the magazine published seniors Laura Boyd ’97, Karen Laslie ’97, Sharita Manickham ’97 and Lauren Poile ’97. h Poets Mark Johnston ’97, Zach Stauffer ’98, Katie Richwine ’97 and Karen Laslie ’97 made a national publication for student prose and poetry. h Maury Primrose ’97 won a scholarship in the talent category of Maryland Distinguished Scholars in Visual Arts. h Bonnie Kim ’96 won the highest freshman writing prize at Dartmouth. h

(above) Members of The Crucible cast, Laura Boyd ’97, Mara Gross ’97 and Dan Ericson ’98.

Performing artists: Becky Hurst ’95 performed with the

Scottish Ballet in 1994. Taking a unique path, she became a professional dancer at the Nevada Dance Theater. h The Severn Chorale sang in Germany in 1995. h The Upper School put on a hugely successful West Side Story, starring Adam Thomasson ’96, Julia Pitcher ’98 and Mara Gross ’97. Coffee House was another big success in 1996, with stars Dan Ericson ’98, Glenn Davis ’96, Mike Sawyer ’96, Andrew Watts ’96, Adam Thomasson ’96 and director Jeff Edwards. h A 1996 production of The Crucible, starring Dan Ericson ’98, Laura Boyd ’97 and Mara Gross ’97, began with the Writers 8 – a revolutionary writers’ workshop summer seminar in Salem, Massachusetts, to get the backstory on the Salem witch trials. h In 1997, The Mouse That Roared starred Jessica Fegan ’98, Dan Ericson ’98, Katharine Coldiron ’99 and Chris Gerns ’98. h In 1998, under the direction of Mr. Van Dervort, the spring musical romance The Song Is Love opened with a 30-minute folk opera, Down in the Valley. The talent was huge for the dual production: Drew Frank ’99, Ron Giddings ’99, Julia Pitcher ’98, Jinwoo Chung ’99, Judd Ireland ’98, Tara Riley ’98, Joe Redmond ’98, Molly Manvel ’98, Robbie Newell ­­ and ’01, and Andrea Ceccarelli ’98. h Pippin, starring Ron Giddings ’99, Robyn Birch ’99, opened in 1999 at the brand-new Price Auditorium. h The Drama Club put on the musical comedy Apple Tree, about a search for forbidden knowledge, starring Sarah Synder ’00 and Katy Shelor ’00.

It was a hit, along with Guys and Dolls and Our Town.

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SPORTS (1994–2000) continued

(above) Powderpuff football players, 2006 (left) Carla Chance ’98, Jane Friend ’00 and Ashley Dodson ’01 all decked out in spirit garb.

The new varsity cross-country team started play under Coach Jeff Hardy, with only one runner having completed a cross-country race of 3.1 miles. h Seniors toppled juniors in the 1995 Powder Puff playoff – a relief. h Kate Graw ’96 finished her Severn career having won 12 varsity letters in three sports and numerous county and state honors. h International Measurement Sailing (IMS) Class sailor Ian Gordon ’96 won three world cups and one world championship. h John Linsao ’96 won the first Daniel F. Robinson Player’s Award for varsity swimming, presented in memory of Dan Robinson ’90. h The 1996 girls’ lacrosse team brought the league championship banner to Memorial Gym. h Charles Toomey IV, a two-time All-American goalie named to Who’s Who of American Colleges, became head lacrosse coach in 1996. h The young 1996 boys’ basketball team celebrated a 15-game winning streak. h The 1997 girls’ varsity lacrosse team celebrated another winning season under Coaches Sotiropoulos and Bensinger, capturing the AIS Sinclair Division title. Among the many standouts – senior captains Amy Galebach ’97, Jessie Popham ’97 and Gussie Habeck ’97.

The 1997 fall sports’ season got off to a great start with varsity field hockey team making it to the semi-finals of the ASI tourney; Dennard Melton ’98 breaking the county's touchdown record with 64 six-pointers; varsity boys’ soccer scoring a nearperfect season, with Coach Marc Osterberger named Anne Arundel County Coach of the Year. h Varsity girls’ soccer winning its first B Conference championship, with Coach Edwards named Coach of the Year and Carol Prickett ’98 among those leading the charge. Also a diving phenom, Prickett was undefeated in two seasons.

Jamie McNealey ’87 taught history in the Upper School and was head coach of boys’ varsity lacrosse from 1999 to 2003. At Johns Hopkins, he was the 1991 recipient of the Taylor Cook Award for the senior who’s shown the most value to his team.

My favorite time of the day is 30 minutes after the regular school day ends. That’s when I look around and truly appreciate what makes Severn stand apart. Many teachers are spending extra time helping students with difficult lessons; others are putting in extra hours coaching. Still others are taking the time to talk with students, getting to know them on a level that’s beyond the classroom and the playing field.

– Written in 2001

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AROUND SEVERN

(continued)

2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the iconic “Dream” March on Washington; the unspeakable massacre of children in Newtown, Connecticut; a new pope; the first government shutdown in 17 years; the death of Nelson Mandela; and the end of iconic TV series Breaking Bad. Kevin Spacey's unique series House of Cards began, redefining the way television is being made and watched, that is, online and on-demand. Mick Jagger turned 70 and Bruce Springsteen hit 63. Detroit declared bankruptcy – the first major city to do so. Same-sex marriage was made legal in some states, including Maryland. Obamacare officially got underway. Edward Snowden revealed all. And the oft-maligned Millennials turned out to be really big charitable givers according to a Pew Research Center study (July 2010).

This was the year the school’s Outdoor Learning Center opened: The James M. Stine Environmental Center, a 3-acre plot behind the Teel Campus academic buildings that runs along the Severn River, was opened to students and faculty for classes, hikes, study and reflection.

The center was created in loving memory of James Stine, who used to fish these banks with his father.

For many years, trees obscured the view of the river from this part of the campus. The blockage was intentional. Decades before – actually just a few years after the school opened – two young men took canoes out on the river, capsized and drowned. So devastated was Mr. Teel that he had these trees planted so he would not be constantly reminded of the tragedy.

The Century of Service Monument was dedicated to honor the more than 1,500 Severn alumni who have served their country in the military. The monument features a brick wall adorned with panels with more than 1,500 rivets, visually representing the scores of Severn alumni who bravely and selflessly served in defense of our nation. The names of these men and women will continuously scroll on a display panel integrated into the wall. The absence of a rivet A student inspects the Century of represents a graduate who made the ultimate sacrifice and Service Monument. died defending this country. In total, 84 Severn alumni gave their lives for our freedom. Severn’s three Medal of Honor recipients will be represented by a star: Herbert Schonland ’20, Bruce McCandless ’28, and George Street III ’33. The other significant element of the monument is a 1,000 pound ship’s anchor. “The anchor is symbolic of Severn’s history and commitment to military service,” noted Mr. Lagarde. “Our school seal features a ship’s wheel, an anchor, and a chain.” The anchor, which is estimated to be 100 years old, rests upon a raised platform adjacent to the commemorative wall.

Parent volunteers deserve an enormous amount of credit for the time, talent and treasure they provide this school. From making box lunches and holiday arrangements to selling food during the games, working in the library or at the book fair, or hosting a golf outing, the many thousands of dollars they donate and raise, and the generous help they provide - more than a thousand hours – enriches us all. Thanks, parent volunteers!

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A tiered outdoor classroom, part of the James M. Stine Environmental Center.

It was also the year of a sea change in learning as the iPad came to every teacher and every Upper and Middle School student, providing instant online access to books, maps, articles and databases – whatever a student needs during class – and transforming teaching and learning.

This year Severn lost its beloved Latin teacher and coach Doc Heslin to a tragic accident. He was here for 28 years and, in all that time, despite terrible health problems, he never, ever complained. He always showed up with a smile on his face, always positive, always feeling he was the luckiest guy in the world to be teaching and coaching here.

Losing Doc left a painful scar.

The David Astle Memorial Lecture speaker was Kyle Maynard, a remarkable young man born without feet or hands who set athletic records in school, scaled Mount Kilimanjaro without the aid of prosthetics and travels the country as an inspirational speaker. h Dan Gvozden, fine arts teacher, Tom ‘Doc’ Heslin. used his Millard Faculty Travel Grant for a trip to the Republic of Serbia to gather experiences he shared with students. h Students presented the lively Severn Steps: A Tribute to Severn’s Centennial with guest artist John Royen ’73 playing live jazz. h

John Royen ’73 with freshmen Turner Roberts ’17.

The Century of Service monument ribbon-cutting in 2013: Molly Moore Green ’83, Doug Lagarde, Tom Peters ’60, Robin Pirie ’50, Joe Stewart ’60, Dick Bennett ’65, Bill Zimmerman ’67 and Jock Hopkins ’64.

Upper School students created portraits for disadvantaged kids who rarely have keepsakes of their own through the international Memory Project (something they've done for four years). h “Davy Jones and the Sailors of Funk” (Severn’s own band and a Battle of the Bands winner) brought down the collective house at the annual Admirals Parents’ Association (APA) auction.

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