Solebury School Magazine - Fall/Winter 2012

Solebury School

Magazine Fall/Winter 2013

www.solebury.org

What’s Inside

Focus on Faculty

4

Campus Highlights

6

Global Learning

14

Spotlight on Alumni

18

Alma

20

Cover and Inside Cover Photos by Nicole Mount

2 ❖ Solebury School Magazine Fall/Winter 2013

Fall/Winter 2013

In this issue of Solebury School’s Alumni Magazine, readers will be updated on the recent administrative changes at the school, as well as all the latest technological updates to the classrooms, the new Music Center, Theater and Performing Arts Center that have transformed the Solebury campus to a state-of-the-art learning facility in every way. Learn more about the good work our students are doing in Teach2Serve and read about the International Studies and Service Learning program.

Readers will meet Harrie Lewis ’35 as he takes us back to Solebury’s very beginnings and his school years, when he rubbed elbows with the school’s founders.

A Note from

Tom Wilschutz–Head of School It was Friday evening, about 8 o’clock on the final day of final exams that conclude the winter trimester. The day and boarding students were well on their way home for the much anticipated two-week spring break. It had snowed throughout the day, but a full moon was out and there was an eerie silence on campus. No one was visible, yet lights burned inside offices and apartments. Individual faculty members were huddled, in whatever spaces could provide them the greatest comfort and inspiration as they faced the mountain ahead of them – grading their finals, determining the final grades for the trimester and authoring their comments – all required to be completed by 8:00 a.m. Monday morning.

I was walking from our house back to the office as I noticed the lights blazing in Kristy’s apartment, in Sarah’s and in Shawn’s. As I rounded the corner I saw Diane Downs, alone in her classroom in the Carriage House, head bowed…reading, thinking, grading. I stopped in to say hi, and to say thanks. She had some soft music on as she tried to capture 10 weeks of effort, and toil, excitement and drudgery and quantify that into a grade and a comment for her students.

In that moment I thought about a conversation I had with one of our veteran math teachers earlier that day.

We were talking about our tuition rates and how we compared with some of our closest competitors, all of whom are quite a bit wealthier than Solebury. This teacher was worried that, though our tuition rates were comparable, our physical plant paled in comparison to some of our closest competitors and wasn’t I worried that the contrast was so stark that it would surely disadvantage us? I smiled and said no, that I was not in the least bit worried. I suggested that I have been at Solebury long enough to know exactly for what our parents were paying, and I was confident we were delivering on our promise.

Somewhat puzzled, the faculty member asked what that promise was, as we scanned the 18th century structures we call home – the classrooms and offices of Solebury School. The answer to me was so obvious and I was somewhat astonished that it was not obvious to my

colleague, but I offer that life lived in the trenches often obscures the view of the forest for the trees.

I responded that what we offer, the value we add for the tuition dollars is…you, you and your colleagues who teach. You inspire, you befriend, you nudge, you dazzle, you motivate, you hone their skills, and you create the magical environment here daily. Solebury students simply cannot wait to come to school. Walking on campus on the weekends, week nights, summer days, spring break, holidays and winter weekends, there are current and former students just hanging out. This corner of Phillips Mill and School Lane was and is a place that makes a difference, changes lives, and inspires dreams. On any given day, you can see the magic unfold in the classroom. Just as much of that magic is conjured in the quiet spaces where teachers labor in solitude, often late into night, to think, to read, to grade and author feedback, looking always for the key that will unlock the potential, ignite the passion, spark the imagination.

If you’re reading these words, chances are you have seen the magic that is visible – you were a Solebury student inspired by our faculty; or a faculty or staff member yourself. You’re a current or past Solebury parent who relishes memories of a son or daughter who bounded into your home with tales of magical moments that happened in class that day; you’re the grandparent who smiles inwardly at the help you have been able to provide a son or daughter such that they can make the dream of a Solebury education possible for your grandchild; or a friend of the School who understands the power of a truly transformative education for students.

I hope you enjoy this issue of the Solebury School magazine. We’ve shared the fruits of many quiet labors our progress with technology, on campus nutrition, our approach to providing guidance for our students and teaching them how to make good choices for life. I look forward to seeing many of you in early May at reunion weekend and our annual auction.

Until then, Tom ❖

www.solebury.org

Focus on Faculty Solebury School Announces New Administrative Appointments On July 1, 2012, Solebury School welcomed new Director of Advancement, Jennifer Burns. Steve Buteux was promoted to Assistant Head of School, and Steve Benoit was promoted to Director of Studies – we wish them well in their new positions.

Steve Buteux

4 ❖ Solebury School Magazine Fall/Winter 2013

Steve Buteux has been promoted to Assistant Head of School. The position has not been filled since former Assistant Head of School, Geoff Tilden, retired in 2007. As Assistant Head of School, Steve will assist Tom in leading the operations of Solebury, concentrating on special projects. He will also work extensively with Steve Benoit to help with his transition to Director of Studies. Steve also runs the Moodle software for the faculty. (More about Moodle on page 11.)

Steve began his career at Solebury School in 1991.

In the classroom, he’s taught English and history, and at one point served as the Head of the English department. In addition, Steve’s been active outside the classroom, coaching both soccer and baseball, as well as being a dorm parent, computer assistant to the Director of Technology, and one time co-director of the Summer English as a Second Language program. For the past decade, Steve has been the school’s Director of Studies.

In addition to his duties as Assistant Head, Steve continues to teach the History section of an Honors American Studies course, known around campus as one of the toughest courses in the curriculum.

Before coming to Solebury, Steve taught for a year at the Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a minor in History, from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. Steve lives on campus with his wife Alyssa and their daughter Eliot (3 1/2). The couple met at Solebury in 1991 when Steve first began teaching here. Alyssa’s mother, Betty Coulter, is a former bookkeeper at Solebury and lived on campus with her husband, Jim Coulter, then the Dean of Students and Athletic Director. Alyssa had moved in with them while finishing her undergraduate degree at Rutgers, and during that time, worked at the front desk and bookstore. Once she earned her degree, she and Steve married. She taught English, Ethics and Art History at Solebury from 1995 – 1998. ❖

Steve Benoit

Steve Benoit has been promoted to the school’s Director of Studies position, replacing Steve Buteux. As Director of Studies, Steve oversees the academic program, working with teachers, department heads, students and parents as they navigate the course selection process. He makes sure students are making good academic choices so they are challenged here at Solebury and are ultimately prepared for college.

Steve began his career at Solebury School in 1998 as a French teacher and since then has taken on much more responsibility in addition to teaching four French classes each trimester. Steve became the Head of the Foreign Language department in 2001, and has chaired the Academic Committee since 2002. For the past seven years, Steve has been the school’s Diversity Coordinator, helping support groups and programs that celebrate the diversity at Solebury. He has been the Director of Student Advising since 2008.

Before coming to Solebury, Steve taught French at Saint David’s School in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French Language, with a minor in Communications from Pennsylvania State University, and a Master of Arts degree in French Literature from the University of Texas at Austin.

Steve lives in Northern New Jersey with his partner, Mike Houston. Mike is the Head of Foreign Language at the MontclairKimberley Academy. ❖

Jennifer Burns

Jennifer Burns has joined Solebury as the Director of Advancement, replacing Peter Pearson, who retired in June, 2012.

As Director of Advancement, Jenn focuses on advancing the school’s mission by developing revenue streams in addition to tuition, primarily through fundraising. Working closely with the Head of School and the Board of Trustees, Jenn develops and implements plans that meet the school’s financial objectives and sustains positive relationships with the various constituencies critical to a thriving independent school.

Jenn brings nearly 20 years of non-profit experience to Solebury School. Her career has been focused on people, involved with education, the environment, cultural relations as well as the American political process. For more than 15 years, she has focused on developing revenue for important organizations, working closely with individuals, corporations and foundations to make a lasting impact through philanthropy.

“One of my favorite things to do is to find that synergy between a really great idea that will allow an organization to leap forward and identifying the resources it needs to blossom,” said Jenn. “I’m thrilled to work with such passionate friends and families here at Solebury.”

Jenn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA in Political Science. She and her three children, Jason (11), Brian (8) and Maggie (6), moved back “home” to Yardley, PA after recently spending more than 10 years in Wilmington, Delaware. ❖ www.solebury.org

Campus Highlights Melodies and Harmonies in the

New Music Center “This music center is a dream come true for Solebury. As a professional musician, I am thrilled to see it come to fruition. I first started attending Solebury 27 years ago, and it holds a special place in my heart. I am deeply touched that the students of today will have a Music Center to benefit from after all these years. This only adds so much to the unique, special place that Solebury School continues to be.”

Elizabeth Pitcairn ’91, Violin Virtuoso

In October, alumni, friends and fans of Solebury’s music program came to campus to officially open The Music Center. It was a celebration of this beautifully transformed space, formerly a maintenance building. More importantly, it was a celebration of the more than 100 supporters that made it all possible. Because of this support, the school benefited from the creative ideas of the architectural firm, Towers Miller, the skills of Solebury’s talented buildings and maintenance staff, and the more than The New Music Center has become a favorite place for our young singers and musicians.

20 contractors involved in the renovation work, many of whom have controlled storage room for instruments is located in a long history with Solebury. between the two spaces to further reduce any sound Our students have quickly made the Music Center their migration. Across the main hall are three smaller practice own. rooms for one, two and three person rehearsals. Each “The new Music Center at Solebury School has become Studio and practice room has either a piano or keyboard. the heart of the music program on campus,” said Phyllis “I’ve always felt that music was an important part of so Arnold, Solebury’s Chorus Director. many of our students’ school experience and for some it The Music Center now provides practice and rehearsal was the best part of their day,” said Erika Bonner, Art space for the instrumental portion of our growing music Department Head. “The strength of our program has program. Its 2,000 square feet includes two large studios. always been the expertise of the music faculty, and now Studio B houses the music program’s orchestral ensemble. they have a permanent home. The quality of these music Large south and east facing windows, a mirrored north classrooms now reflects the unparalleled quality of our wall, and a high ceiling give the room an especially spacious program.” and light ambiance. Studio A is dedicated to the jazz The new Music Center houses a strong and ensemble. It has a northern wall of glass that allows indirect comprehensive program. Music teachers Phyllis Arnold, light to create a much cooler venue, and the room is Cathy Block, Greg Lipscomb, and Noah Jarrett offer carpeted and otherwise tuned to create the right acoustical courses that include Chorus, Universal Music Ensemble, Jazz setting for jazz instruments. Both rooms have been built to Roots Ensemble, and Rock Band. Additionally, the department enhance acoustical separation, and a locked, climate offers some very current, unique and cutting edge music 6 ❖ Solebury School Magazine Fall/Winter 2013

electives: Song Writing, Music: That Universal Language (this is a unique approach to rhythm and harmony), Indie Music And How It Is Reshaping The Music World, Music of the 1960s, The Greatest Bands Of All Time, and Gamelan. The Introduction to the Arts course for middle school students includes a semester of music theory and performance.

Private music lessons on campus are also offered to our students.

________________________________ “You’ve got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail.”

communication. Each practice room and classroom connects to every other room in the facility, allowing for uncommon versatility and convenience while maintaining a high level of acoustic isolation.

The Music Center is located near the Performing Arts Center (PAC) and has full ADA access for handicapped visitors. It is now easier and more convenient to transport equipment and instruments when formal performances are scheduled. For the future, land west of the building remains available for an anticipated expansion to accommodate future growth of the program. ❖

– Charlie Parker (1940s jazz musician) Shared with admiration by Lonny Laurenti, pianist

________________________________ The Center was built with the environment in mind, making good use of an existing building that previously housed the school’s maintenance department, and includes a white roof, excellent insulation, a highly efficient HVAC system, occupancy sensor controls for lighting, and “on demand” hot water equipment. The HVAC system provides heating and cooling on demand, and the instrument storage area has virtually no exterior walls so its temperature can be maintained with minimal energy use. Camera security protects the instrument storage and both entrances aroundthe-clock, seven days a week.

Each classroom has a custom designed audio support system which provides P.A. monitoring and multi-source audio playback. There is an integrated audio recorder to allow for spontaneous recording of rehearsals and lessons for review and critique.

The building has an integrated audio tie-line system for multi-channel recording and

Alumnae Annsi Stephano ’58 and Mira Nakashima ’59.

Studio A.

www.solebury.org

The Dean’s Office

It’s Not Just About the Discipline Annette likened behavior modification to any other lesson a student might learn in school.

“Just as students learn to navigate math and English, they also need to learn how to navigate the course when they make a wrong decision. Bill and I are there to help them learn how to talk to their parents and why it’s important to talk to parents about a mistake or a poor decision. Then, they need to work Annette Miller through the disciplinary process of meeting with the Deans and meeting with the Head of School.”

Her role expands to her work with the school’s Peer Leading group, older students who volunteer to work with new students to make the transition to high school as comfortable as possible. Peer leaders engage their younger counterparts in conversations about Bill Christy family, gender, school, peer pressure, and decision making.

Many people might believe that the Annette graduated from Delaware Office of the Dean of Students is only about discipline, but that is only half the Valley College in 1981 with Bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry. Before story. Dean of Students Annette Miller coming to Solebury School in 1996, and Assistant Dean Bill Christy do so Annette served as dorm head and coach much more than that. Every day, they at George School for nine years. At handle numerous and diverse issues and Solebury, she has taken on many roles are ever present during the school day. over the years, including Head of Whether it is engaging in a friendly conversation with a student, counseling a Residential Life, Director of Activities and sports coach. She has chaired student in need, or talking a student committees such as Sexuality Committee, through a peer situation, the Deans the Weekend Duty Community, and she maintain a strong presence and positive will now lead the committee to review influence on campus.

Annette described the Dean’s office as the disciplinary rules in the Student Handbook, a document that needs some a place where students learn to build on updating given the challenges in the their knowledge of boundaries, and she world today. and Bill are coaching them on a daily Annette lives on campus with her basis.

“When a student does get into trouble, husband Irv and their dog, Zeus. Irv served as the assistant athletic director in most cases, they’re glad they went and wrestling coach at George School through a disciplinary experience at for 13 years. He moved to New HopeSolebury because it helped them to Solebury High School in 1996 where he better understand themselves,” said continues as wrestling coach and works Annette. “It also teaches them how to in other various positions. Irv was make better decisions later in life.”

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instrumental in restarting the wrestling team here at Solebury after the school went at least 20 years without a team. ❖ When people on campus hear the loud engine hum of the big red four wheeler close by, they know that Bill Christy, the Assistant Dean of Students, is keeping a watchful eye over the Solebury campus.

“In public school, students are afraid of the principal or school disciplinarian,” said Bill. “Here, because we are able to spend so much more time with our students, they learn that we are supporting them. We create a safe and productive learning environment. Most students know the right thing to do. You just have to provide the right environment for them to shine.”

Bill came to Solebury School in 1997 and has worn many hats since. He has been the Head of the Foreign Language department and has taught as many as four Spanish classes a trimester, from introductory classes to the advanced Spanish curriculum.

Bill has lived on campus his entire tenure at Solebury School, now living in one of the faculty houses with his wife Alina and his daughter Gabby (7). He met Alina in Mexico during a spring break trip in 1999. They married in summer 2000. Alina returned with Bill and taught Spanish at Solebury for five years. She also taught Spanish classes at Bucks County Community College, and currently tutors Spanish students at night. Bill currently serves as the Assistant Dean of Students, runs the Judiciary Committee, enforces attendance and detention, teaches Honors Spanish IV and V, organizes day student transportation, and is on call as a substitute van driver. Bill is also currently attending classes to earn a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. ❖

The Food Experience at Solebury

Above: Meet our dining hall staff (from left): Joe Kienzle, Carmen DiFoggio, and Pablo Naughton Right: When his day is done, Anthony Porter performs with the school’s student Rock Band and is the lead singer for his band, Clashing Plaid. He also works with the wrestling team.

When you walk into Solebury School’s Herbert S. Boyd Dining Hall, you are met with a smile and a kind word from Anthony Porter, who is there to make sure the dining hall is always clean and properly stocked. In the kitchen, you will find Carmen DiFoggio, Joe Kienzle, or Pablo Naughton, three dedicated chefs who bring more than 60 years of combined experience in the culinary arts. They are warm and friendly, making our students feel comfortable asking for special food requests or just chatting about their day.

Public and private schools nationwide have taken a closer look at the food services that they offer their students. Not only are schools challenged with offering healthier food choices, as well as vegetarian and omnivore options, they are challenged with purchasing more locally grown fruits, vegetables and meats, as well as creating sustainable community gardens.

The dining hall serves three meals a day when school is in session, in addition to keeping our boarding students and on-campus faculty nourished on the weekends. For our boarding students, Carmen and his staff offer a variety of options on the

weekends. Often, they prepare a favorite dish and share their own personal stories about how a meal became a favorite. They offer special options too, such as the wok bar which includes four woks with a variety of stir fry options, or “make your own pizza,” or “make your own hoagie.” In addition, our chefs cater most of our on-campus events, including Reunion Weekend and our Annual Dinner Auction.

Solebury School has an employee run kitchen, unlike some schools which contract out these services. Food is an important part of the Solebury experience. Over the last several years, the dining hall staff has broadened their knowledge of food preparation and presentation while expanding Solebury’s food sources. Dining at Solebury includes more items from local and regional farms, offering a wider variety of healthy, varied meal choices with lots of fresh and homemade vegetarian and vegan food options at every meal.

Two years ago, head chef Carmen DiFoggio began ordering from the Common Market, a non-profit corporation launched by several organizations active in the local food movement in Philadelphia. Their goal was to expand accessibility of local food to populations in urban Philadelphia and help the viability of family farms in the countryside surrounding Philadelphia.

“We make more meals from scratch, serving better quality food and as a result getting more yield from fresh cooking,” said Carmen with pride.

That local cooking is enhanced by

fresh herbs, lovingly tended to by Robin Aipel, our groundskeeper.

Another big change in the kitchen was the elimination of the deep fryer and with it, a significant reduction in the use of fat in Solebury’s cooking processes. In its place, the Rational CombiMaster, a state-of-the-art combination convection and steam oven, that prepares perfect French fries, only with a far lower fat content. This method of cooking has made the kitchen more efficient and has allowed the chefs to add more food choices made from scratch. Students, faculty, staff and summer campers reap the benefits of these healthier cooked meals.

The dining hall and maintenance staffs are instrumental in cultivating a compost pile. Composting has been an ongoing project at Solebury. Each chef has a composting bucket at his work station, and there is a bucket located near the dining hall trash with a poster that lists what we should and shouldn’t compost. The composted material, which is located in a specific compost pile on the school grounds, has been used in the new school garden and around the campus landscaping.

What’s next? How about National Pickle Day or National Vanilla Ice Cream Day? That’s what makes the dining hall one of the favorite places on campus.

To learn more about food at Solebury and our chefs, visit www.solebury.org, under About Us. ❖ What’s Cooking?

For breakfast, there are eggs made to order, breakfast meats, hot cereal, and a vegan tofu option as well. There is always fresh fruits, apples, oranges, and bananas, yogurt and granola available, and several days a week, freshly baked cookies, cake or brownies. During lunch, diners have a choice of a hot meal with a vegetarian option as well as a full salad bar, a choice of two soups with one soup accommodating our vegan eaters, lunch meats and a variety of freshly prepared salads. Dinner is a freshly prepared choice of hot meals.

www.solebury.org

Technology at Solebury School Technology, in all its forms, is an essential part of a successful school’s dynamic. Solebury School is continuously working to combine proven educational technologies with cutting edge hardware allowing us to offer a blend of learning that works for both students and faculty. The Head of School and Director of Admission blog about campus life, families have single sign on access within the website portal to view grades and schedules, personal data, and online registration.

Parents receive weekly electronic newsletters via email.

Students submit assignments electronically and the teachers digitally disseminate homework, reading assignments and online videos.

Most computers on campus run Microsoft Windows 7, simply because more educational software is available and compatible with this system at this time. As learning and educational applications move more into the cloud, the platform of the computer is less of an issue. Internet and network speeds seem to be the biggest roadblock when running cloud and server based educational applications, and that is why Solebury has a “no holds barred” approach to both.

Our internet capability consists of two separate internet service providers, balanced for high efficiency and maximum speed. All computers on campus, wired and wireless, have access to our school intranet network, which utilizes ultra-fast fiber optic connections.

Solebury fully embraces the BYOD (bring your own The A/V Room houses 12 computers for class and individual use. device) philosophy and allows Apple, Microsoft and Android computers, tablets and phones to use our network throughout the school day. Last summer the school installed a brand new, high bandwidth, WiFi infrastructure that gives coverage for students and staff for both learning and leisure.

For students who do not have a computer, we have over 150 computers on campus for students to use.

Our ESL building is set up with a 12 computer language learning lab where students can read assignments into microphones and get pronunciation and grammar critiques from teachers live through their headsets. This one-on-one instruction in the lab setting allows students to practice pronunciation of vowel and consonant sounds, conversation strategies, and formulate essays verbally for quizzes and tests. This language lab also doubles as an AP exam test location for French and Spanish and is used to practice for the TOEFL exams.

The Abbe Science Center has every classroom equipped with a digital whiteboard and projector, so that the teacher can compose digital lesson plans, utilizing photos, videos and graphics in a captivating and educational manner. That building also has laptops in each classroom, strictly purposed for student use.

The Founders Library has 26 touch screen HP computers, a high speed laser printer/ scanner, and a vast collection of both current and classic books and DVDs. Ten Nook tablets, five Mac books and three HP laptops are ready to be used at any time by students. The school has 16 online databases to use for research and an Overdrive brand e-book and audiobook subscription for students to check out at any time.

The Art rooms have an eight computer digital video editing suite, a collection of video and still cameras and an assortment of audio recording tools. Our art room has always served as the hub for Solebury’s traditional visual arts, and it is now used for digital as well since there is a room dedicated to video and yearbook editing. It is also equipped with a digital whiteboard, projector and six Mac books for student use.

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To further enhance the learning experience in and out of the classroom, Moodle was introduced to faculty and students about three years ago. Moodle is known as a “Learning Management System” (LMS) or online “Content Delivery System,” and got its start primarily as a vehicle to facilitate online courses. Once broadband took hold and colleges started offering the chance to take online courses for graduation credit, it quickly became apparent that a vehicle better than email was needed to bring together all the parts of a course when there was no face-to-face component. It’s sort of a one-stop shop and all can be done within Moodle: a place for teachers to post resources and students to post assignments, links to videos, a testing environment, synchronous and asynchronous conversations, private and group email, and more.

Now Moodle is being used by many schools as a supplement to their face-to-face classes.

“At Solebury, every teacher posts their daily homework on Moodle,” said Steve Buteux, Assistant Head of School. “That way if a student is sick, he or she doesn’t have to rely on someone else, or worse, come to class empty-handed the next day. In addition, many teachers post PowerPoint presentations of what they covered or supplemental sheets that can be helpful in clarifying the work a class is undertaking.”

Some of the more technologically savvy teachers even set up online forum discussions where class can continue after the bell rings. This environment allows students who are revved up about the material to keep going and gives those who may be shy about speaking in class an alternative opportunity for their voice to be heard. In the short time Solebury has used Moodle, our teachers have quickly recognized its potential.

Technology at Solebury has and will continue to expand our students’ and teachers’ ability to communicate beyond the class in so many ways, from using web 2.0 tools for collaborative projects within Solebury School to creating global connections well beyond our community. It is a priceless educational tool to enhance classroom learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. These technological tools and systems woven throughout Solebury’s administrative and curricular activities place it equal to or ahead of its competitors. ❖

_____________________________ Technology at Solebury has and will continue to expand our students’ and teachers’ ability to communicate beyond the class in so many ways, from using web 2.0 tools for collaborative projects within Solebury School to creating global connections well beyond our community. It is a priceless educational tool to enhance classroom learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.

These technological tools and systems woven throughout Solebury’s administrative and curricular activities place it equal to or ahead of its competitors. _____________________________

Quinn Waters, Solebury’s IT Director also teaches a Photoshop class. Here, Quinn (far left) works with Josh Weinstein ’13 and Andrew Hafner ’13 in the A/V room.

www.solebury.org

The spotlight’s on the Swing Dance class as they show off their moves at the winter concert in the PAC.

Behind the Scenes of

Lighting and Sound

Clover Stieve ’14 sings an original song during a concert in the Performing Arts Center

Mike Barocca ’02, works alongside Chris Langhart as Technical Director.

Nikki Gale ’13 & Jonathan Fleming ’16 have the audience laughing in a scene from The Drowsy Chaperone, performed in the school theater.

Technical Director Chris Langhart (left) and the Tech Crew work the lighting & sound for all theater productions.

The Performing Arts at Solebury is more than the actors onstage. The technical side of a production, in particular light and sound, can make or break a performance. Theater Technical Directors Chris Langhart and Mike Barocca have continued to enhance the lighting and sound systems in both the school’s black box theater and the Performing Arts Center. Both spaces offer students great learning opportunities in theater tech and production and offer their families great venues for school performances.

Solebury’s black box theater is one of the jewels on campus, a versatile space for set building with elaborate overhead rigging for lighting and a flexible sound system. For lighting the stage, there are 110 dimmer channels, 150 lighting fixtures, strip lights, and a whole complement of gels, patterns, gobos and follow spots. Above the stage there is an integral grid system for hanging lights which gives the technical crew great flexibility.

The control booth is equipped with a state-of-the-art ETC lighting console. The crew also controls the fly system for curtains, and can raise or lower props from above. The sound system consists of built-in set speakers, theatrical audio, a playback system, and the tech crew has an intercom system with headsets so they are always in contact with each other.

“If students are interested and motivated and come with an open mind, they will have the opportunity to get a phenomenal education at the high school level. They get a lot of individualized attention if they are willing to put in the time,” said Mike. “We build everything from scratch, from theater design, scenic design and construction, painting, and set decorating, to stage management, stage craft, light rigging and light metal work.”

The Performing Arts Center (PAC) is still in a state of metamorphosis. Two years ago, with the help of the theater tech crew, Chris was able to design and build wooden risers and install carpet. The risers now accommodate several hundred chairs and the space is frequently used for music and dance performances, as well as assemblies and coffee houses.

Its lighting infrastructure has also undergone a renovation, with all new dimmers set up in a separate room, a dimmer closet and a lighting controller, allowing for channel count expansion to 48 lighting channels that include overhead, side, back and front house lights.

Sound in the PAC has been updated as well. There is a multi-track recording system, which helps with producing and archiving school events. A center cluster was recently installed, which is a single point source speaker for great clarity for audience coverage. In addition, Mike is growing the complement of Shure wireless microphones, giving performers more flexibility. If you haven’t been to a performance in the theater or PAC, make sure you add it to your things-to-do list soon. ❖

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Puts Solebury in Forefront in Public Service Education “Teach2Serve hopes to educate and inspire the next generation of nonprofit professional, community leaders and social entrepreneurs.

As we grow from the original two schools, I’m pleased to say, we are beginning to fulfill the dream of developing a network of schools and students who change the world.”

Alan Sheriff, Founder of Teach2Serve, Solebury Board of Trustees Secretary & Current Parent “The best thing about the Teach2Serve program is that you can clearly see that you are making a difference in other people’s lives,” said Michaela Finley ’14.

“It’s not the type of class that you think, ‘Why am I taking this?’ You know why you take this class. You take it to change lives and focus on becoming more a part of your community. You see the immediate reason for it. In my opinion, when you learn and experience both in and outside of class, it is the best kind of learning. Most school experiences are about you, and Teach2Serve is that and more. It’s about helping your community in ways you see fit. It’s about helping people who need it more than you do.”

’14, joined forces with faculty members Diane Downs, Chris Mineva, Chris’s husband Yordan, Mike Barocca and approximately 40 other volunteers from Ithaca, NY and drove to Staten Island, where they spent two days helping to clean up after Hurricane Sandy. They also delivered a truck load of school supplies to help the 3,000 children who were displaced by the flood. When they arrived in Staten Island, the group encountered many water and wind damaged homes and thousands of destroyed cars. Volunteers fanned out through the neighborhoods, going door to door to offer help and sympathetic ears.

They packed up household goods that could be salvaged, carried out debris, and

Above: A group of students & teachers went to Staten Island to help victims of Hurricane Sandy (Photo shared by Diane Downs) Right: Veronica Fitton ’14 tutors a student at the Village Charter School in Trenton, NJ. (Photo shared by Diane Downs)

This year, 10 students are participating in this selective program. They have been studying natural disaster planning and response and the lessons from Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Sandy added another unplanned facet to the curriculum this year, and the class decided to schedule monthly trips to Staten Island to continue the clean-up efforts and help victims rebuild their homes.

This past November, six Teach2Serve students, Rebecca Brady ’13, Ilona Wilde ’15, Stasia Babicki ’15, Tavorsia Talley ’14, Ethan Clearfield ’15, and Michaela Finley

made new friends. They listened to stories of people who were washed down the street by a giant wave and saved by strangers, broke through the walls of their houses to escape the rapidly rising water, lost pets, lost neighbors, lost everything they owned.

“You get a nice sense of accomplishment at the end of the day,” said Rebecca Brady ’13. “Most of the houses had to have walls and floors ripped out, and most people hadn’t started or gotten very far but when you have a bunch of people working together, the work goes quickly. It feels

like a lot gets done.”

Four seniors have finished fine-tuning their Teach2Serve capstone projects during the winter trimester, with each project highlighting a need that they have identified in their community. They will implement their projects this spring. The projects offer the teaching of skills or services through a variety of resources that could include community workshops, online tools, and mentoring services.

These skills are those the students feel they didn’t or haven’t learned yet and a great way to give back.

For example, Rebecca will be cultivating an organic community garden this spring on the Solebury School campus. Alliyah Allen ’14 is interested in motivating young students to take control of their own education. She is creating a website that will provide written and video instruction on how to organize school work and how to study effectively. Veronica Fitton ’14, along with other Solebury students as volunteer mentors, will team up with students from Foundation Academy, and will help guide them through the college application process. And Alex Leone ’14 has created a workshop series that will teach adolescent girls practical life skills, such as managing their finances, writing a resume, interviewing skills, defending oneself, as well as the very practical skill of installing a doorknob. The Workshop is scheduled for Saturday, April 13. She has invited women speakers to these workshops, alumnae and other women professionals who can address these issues.

Since Solebury School and Teach2Serve partnered in 2010, seven students have graduated from the two-year program that is designed to educate and train high school students looking to make a positive change locally, nationally, or globally. These students attend two years of classes and workshops on skills ranging from grant writing to fundraising to leadership. Each student writes a final project proposal to address a need that aligns with their personal passions and goals. For more information about Teach2Serve, go to www.solebury.org or www.teach2serve.org ❖

www.solebury.org

Global Learning International Studies and Service Learning Program

Gains Momentum With the inception of the school’s International Studies and Service Learning Program, coordinators William Collier and Christine Le Gall have been busy planning meaningful international travel opportunities for students who want to study a country’s culture, enhance their study of language, and help others by doing a meaningful service project.

This year, Solebury students traveled to Nicaragua, Canada, and Germany. Last year, an exchange program was established with the St. Christophe School in Toulouse, France. Both American and French students experienced both a language and culture immersion with various local trips, classroom lessons and friendly conversation. It was a great success and will be repeated next year. This year, Solebury coordinated an exchange with the Stadtteilschule Helmuth Hübener School in Hamburg, Germany. William and Christine took 11 students to Germany from March 15-25, and 11 German students will come to Solebury from April 15 – 25.

Ultimately, the school would like to offer a trip to every continent, and to have a schedule projected out four years, so that a student coming in as a freshman would have the opportunity to look ahead and plan. The goal is to offer some service trips and some culture and language immersion trips to give our students multiple opportunities to deepen language skills and social experiences that complement classroom learning in foreign language and community service. By offering a different trip each year, it gives our students the opportunity to travel to other countries, gain a better understanding of different cultures and their people, making them stronger students of the world.

Language and Culture Immersion and Service-Learning in Nicaragua

From Left: William Collier, Nicaraguan farmer, Claire Le Gall ’14, Jake Messina ’15, Veronica Fitton ’14, Dakota Morrow ’14, Emilia Vecchiarelli ’13, Stasia Babicki ’15, Matt Ludak ’15, (two other farm workers), Alliyah Allen ’14, Leah Grudberg ’14, Julie Meisinger-MacDonald ’14, Jack Sapoch ’14, Cameron King ’15, & Christine Le Gall. (Photo shared by William Collier)

14 ❖ Solebury School Magazine Fall/Winter 2013

Claire Le Gall ’14 of Doylestown now appreciates the things she always took for granted, like running water. Claire and 11 other students traveled to Nicaragua to experience a very different life from the one she is used to in Bucks County, PA. “Some people need to walk for miles up and down mountains just to get a day’s worth of water, when we can just turn on a faucet and fill up a bathtub whenever we want,” said Claire. “It inspired me to see that these people, who have nothing compared to all the stuff we own, could live perfectly happy lives. My favorite experience was playing with the neighborhood kids.

They were so incredibly sweet and proved that children don’t need fancy toys and electronics to have fun!

Another great part of the trip was swimming in a lake in a volcano crater a once in a lifetime experience.”

According to William, the trip exceeded his expectations.

“The group did so many wonderful things, from taking Spanish classes in the open air, to picking coffee on a mountain side, to watching an active volcano at night,” said Collier. “I have done a lot of traveling and I have to say, the Nicaraguan people are the nicest, kindest, most open and helpful people I have ever met, everyone from our Spanish teachers, to the cooks, the night watchman, and our host families. That alone made the trip more than worthwhile. And our students were great. They were adventurous, inquisitive, open, friendly, and caring. What happened then was that our students and the Nicaraguan people we met became fast friends.”

The group visited and stayed at the Spanish language school, community outreach center, and eco-hotel, La Mariposa, which is located in the pueblo of San Juan de la Concepcion. Students also had a one-night homestay, which provided a great opportunity to experience life in the household of a Nicaraguan family.

These students left their mark during this trip. They had a number of choices to work with the community, from working in a daycare center to tending a community garden that provides fresh produce to the village, and helping with renovation and clean-up of the cultural center. Thanks to the generosity of the Burpee Seed Company and a Solebury parent, students brought more than 150 vegetable seed packets to be incorporated into the organic garden.

At El Nisperal, an organic coffee plantation and research center, students learned what happens before they can order their extra large coffee from their favorite barista at home as they picked mountain grown organic coffee.

Earlier in the year, students raised nearly $1,000 through bake sales and flower sales, which they donated to the San Juan de la Concepcion Cultural Center to help build a bakery.

Fun and Learning at Quebec’s Winter Carnival Solebury’s bi-annual trip to Quebec, Canada for the Winter Carnival always proves to be fun and educational.

This year, 18 students and three faculty members traveled to Quebec over the school’s mid-winter break in early February. According to French teacher Helen Matthews, it was a wonderful trip with many adventures, including racing along a dog-sledding course, speedily sliding down snow-tubing chutes, and marveling at the sharp teeth of the piranhas at the Montreal Bio-dome. Culinary highlights included a succulent crepe dinner, a traditional lumberjack feast, and an incredible amount of maple syrup with every meal.

Our students and French teachers traveled to Quebec, Canada to attend the annual Winter Carnival. The group included Alex Babicki ’17, Fiona Bauman ’17, Zoe Bellapigna ’14, Sophia Bridgers ’14, Lia D’Alessandro ’17, Jian Dempsey ’14, Ashley Fry ’13, Jacob Goodman ’18, Dean Linkroum ’13, Adriel Magidenko ’13, Lorenz Markhoff ’16, Tali Natan ’17, Cookie Pierce ’16, Nick Serdaru ’13, Hailey Tasch ’15, Quinn Webster ’17, Josh Weinstein ’13, Ilona Wilde ’15, Steve Benoit, Christine Le Gall, & Helen Matthews. (Photo shared by Steve Benoit)

“My decision to go to Quebec was motivated by a desire to improve my French language skills, to appreciate a different culture, and to share the experience with good friends,” said freshman Lia D’Alessandro. “Not only did I have a chance to practice speaking in French, but conversations with native speakers made me appreciate how much more there is to learn! Quebec is charming and the activities that introduced the culture were educational and fun. Although it’s hard to choose a favorite moment in such a fun-filled trip, I’d have to admit that dog sledding tops the list. Learning how to manage a sled was a great adventure–and, as an animal lover, I could not resist those adorable dogs!” ❖ Lia D’Alessandro ’17 plays with a puppy during the dogsledding expedition in Quebec. (Photo shared by Steve Benoit)

www.solebury.org

Senior Wins Young Citizen’s Award

Keziah gave a welcome speech in Spanish & English at the first session of The Amistad Project she developed.

Keziah Groth-Tuft ’13 (center), with Head of School Tom Wilschutz, and her parents, Dr. Charlie Groth & Daniel Tuft.

Keziah (lower right corner), reviewed basic Spanish and English vocabulary with The Project’s pilot group.

Senior Keziah Groth-Tuft ’13 was among 12 young women and men who were awarded the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce Young Citizen’s Award. Keziah was recognized for her exceptional community service and her extraordinary display of character and community involvement. She and her fellow recipients were honored at a luncheon ceremony at The Waterwheel Restaurant in Doylestown in November.

Keziah is a young woman who just gives and gives with no end in sight. She overcomes complications from Crohn’s Disease to be an active student on campus; running cross country, playing basketball, singing in our Master Chorus, and serving as President of the student body. It’s no wonder that she also earned the 2012 Princeton Book Award for exemplary academics and community service.

None of this includes her amazing work outside of school. Keziah has achieved the Gold Award, the Girl Scout’s highest honor and engages in numerous volunteer opportunities, where she has amassed over 230 community service hours in her lifetime. She bakes for several homeless organizations, teaches Sunday School, volunteers at the library and with Habitat for Humanity, works at a beach shop during the summer repairing jewelry, and was a finalist in the Bucks County High School Poet Laureate competition. Keziah is a long-time crew member for Lewis Fishery in Lambertville where she fishes, takes count of the catch, sells fish and measures samples for scientists, at the longest continually operating in-land fishery for shad on the Delaware River. Recently, she attended a National Student Leadership Conference on International Relations where she ran a Model UN Simulation on Drug Trafficking with UN Security Council.

Last summer, Keziah travelled to India to help in an orphanage, paying her own way and convincing her parents and doctors to allow it. Oh, and she plays piano for fun!

Of all her activities, she finds most meaning from her experience with the Girl Scouts. For her Gold Project, which she titled the “Amistad Project,” she designed and ran a bi-lingual, multi-session program that continues to bring Hispanic and English-speaking families together to learn about language and share cultural identities. She did a great deal of research and took it further than she originally intended, but the end result was worth it, she said, because it united two cultures to help develop cross-cultural understanding and friendships.

Those who know Keziah, know that whatever road she chooses, she will make a difference in the world after she leaves Solebury and goes on to college and life. ❖ 16 ❖ Solebury School Magazine Fall/Winter 2013

Solebury Junior Awarded the Widener University High School Leadership Award She feels that strengthens the This February, Alliyah community.

Allen ’14 was among the As an athlete, Alliyah never liked to select high school juniors practice before coming to Solebury. honored at the Widener Now, as goalie for the field hockey and University High School lacrosse teams, she realizes she has to Leadership Award ceremony lead by example. She runs that practice at the National Constitution mile and works to achieve goals Center in Philadelphia. collectively.

These students were “It’s more important to compete selected for this award based against myself and strive to better myself on their abilities to stand up rather than be better than everyone else. for what is right, address a I had the wrong idea of what a leader is. wrong and make a difference Alliyah Allen ’14 (center) received the leadership award from It’s about being a part of the team.” in their communities or Widener University President James T. Harris III and Lori As a dorm proctor, Alliyah is there for schools. In addition to the Wilson, News Anchor at WCAU-TV NBC10. her dorm mates. “I don’t want other girls award, Alliyah will be to be sad, so I might sit with them when they can’t sleep or invited to attend a leadership conference at Widener if they’re homesick. I want everyone to feel accepted.”

University in fall 2013. She is eligible to receive a Alliyah has clocked over 70 hours of community service, scholarship of $20,000 over four years should she enroll at working at her old school, helping teachers with class work, Widener University for undergraduate studies. grading papers, and organization.

“The turnout of nominations this year was remarkable She is also involved with Solebury’s service learning and the level of civic engagement among the winners is program, Teach2Serve. For her project, she is creating a truly inspiring,” said Widener University President James website focused on inner city middle schoolers. The T. Harris III. “Our mission at Widener is deeply rooted in website will be a resource for students to help them get service, leadership and community, making this program organized, develop study skills, offer advice on when to extremely special to the university. The winners are the approach teachers for help, and testimonials of peers who next generation of leaders in our area.” have made it against all odds.

Alliyah came to Solebury School through the Wight Alliyah is one of four students who spearheaded a Foundation, an organization that provides grants to young Teach2Serve service project to help the Village Charter men and women to attend boarding schools in the New School of Trenton with tutoring, mentoring, and playing England and Mid-Atlantic Regions. These students must with the third to fifth graders. Every Monday and Friday, a excel in their academic work and attend school in the group of Solebury School students visit the school.

Greater Newark area (Essex, Union, Hudson, Passaic and “It’s nice to have a student mentor, to see that they went Middlesex Counties). Alliyah not only excels academically to this school, and then made it into a private school. It (top 10 of her class), she is inspired to make a difference in says a lot to these students. I want them to see that the lives of her peers and younger students. somebody cares and say, “See, I made it and you can too.”

As a member of Judiciary Committee, she shares her Alliyah is still looking at her college opportunities and is broader perspective, so when someone does something honored that Widener University recognized her as a wrong, she focuses not on the indiscretion, but on student leader. ❖ identifying the reasons and strategies to fix the problems.

Alliyah (near center) with fellow award winners at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Spotlight on Alumni Meet Harrie Lewis ’35

Harrie Lewis ’35 holds the handmade diploma he received during his Solebury School graduation. It hangs on his bedroom wall along with his degree from Harvard University.

“Solebury School was different from its very beginnings. Started by four young teachers who had been counselors together at a summer camp in New Hampshire, the four men – Laurie Erskine, Julian Lathrop, Robert Shaw, and Arthur Washburn – had been impressed by how an informal atmosphere helped foster good learning relationships between boys and men.

From this experience, they developed a strong interest in starting a different type of school from the regimented schools they had known. They wanted a friendly, relaxed school which could yet maintain high standards of achievement. They believed, as Erskine wrote, that the educational methods of the day made for ‘a decidedly depressing and boring experience for all students…and frustrated really talented teachers who would have liked to excite in their students a lively and comprehensive interest in their subjects.’ So, with limited funding and the enthusiasm that young idealists possess, they started Solebury School.”

-Excerpt from Solebury at 75: A Fond Look Back

It was 1933, the Great Depression, and Harrie Lewis ’35 was struggling at a public school in Yonkers, New York. His father worked hard to make ends meet for the household, but the hours spent running a small publishing business left little time for Harrie, an only child. Harrie’s mother knew he needed more. She learned of Solebury School through an educational counselor and, at Head of School Arthur “Doc” Washburn’s request – drove to New Hope from Yonkers.

“I went to the school and I liked it instantly,” said Lewis, but there was no way for the family to afford the yearly boarding tuition of $1,350. With some financial assistance, Harrie enrolled and began what has been an 80-year relationship with Solebury School.

“The first week I was there, I got an assignment to write about an experience. I wrote about a lonely boy who took all of his money to a Lambertville drug store that had a soda fountain and treated himself to a Banana Royale, enjoyed it enormously and felt better,” Lewis recalled. “I had written a sentence that was 156 words long. The banana split was oversized and the sentence was oversized, but grammatically correct with no punctuation errors.”

From then on, every time Harrie wrote a paper, his English teacher Charles Lawson reviewed it with him. Eventually, Harrie learned that he enjoyed English and History, and he became co-editor of the Solebury Scribe with Bill Hunt ’35. He published his editorials on the front page. While Harrie excelled in English and was an accomplished musician, he claimed to have been a terrible athlete. He tried football, but said he “couldn’t catch passes and I couldn’t block.”

18 ❖ Solebury School Magazine Fall/Winter 2013

After Solebury, Harrie went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in history and literature from Harvard University, graduating cum laude. He went on to work as a market researcher and eventually returned home to Yonkers to take over AF Lewis & Co., his father’s printing business.

Today, Harrie lives in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania enjoying life with Holmquist graduate Dr. Jeana Davison Levinthal H ’39. News that Harrie’s wife had passed reached Jeana out in California in 2003, and she sent Harrie a note of condolence. They began corresponding, rekindling a friendship that had been separated by decades. Eventually, Jeana came out to the East Coast, relocating to an apartment in the same retirement community as Harrie.

Throughout the years, Harrie has always made giving to Solebury a priority. He credits Solebury as the starting point for his success.

“If I hadn’t gone to Solebury, I would not have been accepted to Harvard.”

His generosity has helped Solebury in many ways. Most recently, he supported building The Music Center in the center of campus, where one of the practice rooms bears his name. Harrie is also a member of the Herbert S. Boyd Society, which means that he let the School know that he has included Solebury School in his estate planning. Harrie Lewis is one of Solebury’s most enduring supporters. Thanks in part to Harrie’s care and support, Solebury will continue to nurture learning for years to come. ❖

SOLEBURY SCHOOL ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME 2013 Solebury School is pleased to announce this year’s inductees to the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Please join us for the induction ceremony on Saturday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m. in the John D. Brown Athletic Center.

Joan Reinthaler ’53 Malcolm Ingram ’06 1955-56 Football Team Don McCook, Coach Harry Bach ’56 Marcus Boyd ’57 Ken Cromwell ’57 Stu Fox ’58 Mike Getlin ’58 Fred Goodwin ’56 John Holbert ’56 E. A. “Spike” Hulit ’57 Jon Kaplan ’56 Jim MacArthur ’56 Andy Merrill ’57 Michael “Pancho” Roth ’56 Bill “Dutch” Schoener ’56 Mike “Duke” Sienkiewicz ’56 John Silver ’57 Wistar Silver ’59 Holly Taylor ’57 Kirk White ’57 1986-87 Boys’ Basketball Team

Early Solebury School

Cleve Christie, Coach Chris MacBrien ’79, Assistant Coach Kevin Ballard ’90 Keith Pinckney ’87 Brad Price ’87 Carnell “Candido” Rivera ’88 Corey White ’88 Navarrow J. Wright ’88

More info at www.solebury.org

www.solebury.org

Alma’s Update Spring 2013 HOLMQUIST SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 1917-1949

SOLEBURY SCHOOL 1950–PRESENT

Class of 1940 Carla Zingarelli Rosenlicht spends summers in Oregon and winters in Arizona. She sometimes hears from Penny Warren Caccavo H’41.

Class of 1951 Susan Wagner Carlson’s husband Denny, died suddenly on Sep 28th, 2012.

She is reminded to cherish every day.

They would have been married 58 years on November 25th.

Class of 1945 Mary Blackburn Hill tells us that she and her husband are enjoying their retirement life at Rogue Valley Manor in Medford, OR. She still paints and draws.

Class of 1946 Polly Gnagy Seymour still manages the used book store – The New Leaf at the Winter Park FL, library. Her five children are grown as are several grandchildren.

As fond elders, she and Thad admire what they are doing and stay in touch by all the contemporary means – telephone, email, Facebook, Skype and even letters and regular visits.

SOLEBURY SCHOOL FOR BOYS 1925-1949

Class of 1941 Henry Garlington reached the BIG 90 and has moved into a retirement community.

Class of 1943 Fritz Holmquist and his wife Margaret, have been at their retirement community in Kennett Square, PA for 12 years. Both are still active in community activities and volunteer at the Brandywine River Museum.

Class of 1947 Peter Whelan’s first novel, The Cornet Lesson is now available electronically at Amazon.com/kindlelibrary. It begins in 1907 New Orleans and follows a young cornet player, Freddie Keppard, through setbacks, trials, a fateful marriage, and a kind of success with the Original Creole jazz band – the first to introduce jazz to the US.

Class of 1952 Malcolm Drezner has settled in Key West, FL after 30 years of an active surgical practice including a year as a Marine and surgeon in Vietnam (19671968).

Class of 1956 Susan McCabe Gillotti’s book, Women of Privilege: 100 years of Love and Loss in a Family of the Hudson River Valley is being published in early 2013 by Academy Chicago Publishers. It is part social history, part biography, and part memoir. There are a few references in it to Solebury, all positive.

Some reviews:

“Susan Gillotti opens the door of this great house to explore the lives and turmoil within. Women of Privilege is a Dick Walsh enjoyed the 60th reunion riveting read—one cannot stop until the with Chuck Schwartz, Neil MacLean, final outcome of these powerful, but Felix Rosengarten, David Mueller, flawed, lives is revealed. Equally Diana Lippincott, Jean Shaw, Betsy compelling is that the telling of these Meredith, Joan Reinthaler, and Dirk personal dramas is based on a wealth of Richter. He is looking forward to the conserved letters, diaries, and other 65th reunion in 2017. documentation.”

– Peter H. Brink, former Senior Vice Class of 1953 President, Programs, National Trust Jean Shaw had a new knee put in and is for Historic Preservation so glad she did. She now plans to visit Machu Picchu and the Galapagos in “Using a treasure trove of family October 2013 with her cousin Alexa records, Susan Gillotti relates with Shaw McDonough ’62. Jean loves wonderful details the challenges that coming back to school, and is so happy faced the upper class women in her to see it continue to thrive. family from the latter decades of the nineteenth century until the late Class of 1955 twentieth. The book offers readers a Barbara Montagu Johnstone wants to look at the beautiful Hudson River Valley, thank Solebury for the honor of but we also learn about the lives of inducting her into the Athletic Hall of prosperous Americans in east coast Fame. She’s a little disappointed that cities, at elite schools, and in Europe.

Solebury didn’t recommend her for the This is a riveting and moving family 2012 Olympics! story, which, quite literally, I could not put down.”

Renee Rosengarten Hurewitz started at – Miriam Cohen, Evalyn Clark Solebury in 1949, the year it became coProfessor of History, Vassar College ed. Three of the four founders were still teaching. Pop Shaw was very influential Nancy Purdum is retired from a in her life and was instrumental in prolonged stay at Gourmet Magazine getting her admitted to Wellesley and moved to a one-room school house College. She credits Solebury with in “terrifying” upstate New York. She changing her life. tells us that the transition was horrible but she has managed to adjust. She

SPRING 2013 misses all of her former classmates and teachers – Frank Ammirati, her favorite, and Bob Anderson, the dear departed.

Must get to a reunion soon!

Class of 1957 Ken Cromwell is still a professional golfer. He teaches all summer and still occasionally plays.

Class of 1958 Bob Stockton has a new book coming out, Counting Coup: The Odyssey of Captain Tom Adams. It is a western adventure novel. Tom Adams, a recently discharged Union Army Cavalry Captain, sets out to discover the truth about who the “real” Kit Carson was, and in the process learns some disturbing and eye opening facts about the legendary Indian fighter who although illiterate rose to the rank of Brevet Brigadier in the Union Army.

Class of 1959 Mari Knudsen Share runs a small charity called “Twice loved Dolls and Trucks.”

Both of her children are teachers.

Wistar Silver has great memories of a wonderful school.

Class of 1960 Rick Smith is doing a lot of readings, recently at Mount San Antonio College, to support Hard Landing. Rick has a new book, Whispering In a Mad Dog’s Ear, which is due in late 2013 or early 2014. Rick still enjoys playing in the clubs and recording with the Musical Sheiks.

Class of 1961 Sandra Mason Coggeshall ran into Bill Berkeley ’49 during her weekly stay on Mohegan Island, ME.

THE ALMA Class of 1962 Sally Bowie writes, “It was a great joy for me to reconnect with so many former classmates, both in person and via other mediums. Our 50th reunion was truly a special occasion. Thanks to everyone, most especially my coconspirator, Toni Peters. After alumni weekend, my husband said, ‘I wish I’d gone to a school like Solebury.’”

Class of 1965 Terry Thompson tells us, “After 39 years in community banking in NJ, most recently as President/COO of a $450 million asset bank in North Jersey, I retired for a short time but was asked to help a new community bank in Freehold, NJ and now I’m enjoying building a new entity. My years at Solebury are remembered as a great opportunity and experience.”

Jaye Friedman Levy and her husband live in Irvine, CA and spend time in Boca Raton, FL. She continues to do psychotherapy and critical incident stress debriefing for layoffs, bank robberies, death in the workplace and other stressful occurrences. She encourages alumni to contact her if they are going to visit Florida or California.

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Every Day. It is a whole year’s worth of cooking from Canal House, based on the popular daily lunch blog, Canal House Cooks Lunch (lunch.thecanalhouse.com). It’s a handsome 385-page book with nearly 250 new recipes and more than 130 photographs and illustrations.

Class of 1988 Navarrow Wright was selected as one of Verizon’s Innovators and Pioneers.

Navarrow is working to change his community and the country. He has combined his strong cultural ties and Verizon technology to empower today’s society.

Navarrow is the Chief Technical Officer of Interactiveone.com, the Internet subsidiary of Radio One. In addition to being a highly sought after inspirational speaker, Navarrow is a premier expert on the convergence of technology, the Internet, mass media and social media’s power to change businesses, society and personal lives. His work in Washington, D.C., influencing policy change and national technology adoption makes him one of the nation’s leading voices in the fight to close the digital divide.

John Sadwith is looking forward to seeing all 1968 classmates in May for the 45th reunion.

Quickly rising through the ranks, he became CTO of Viacom’s BET Interactive, where he helped make BET.com the leading entertainment online destination for African Americans, growing the site’s audience 300% during his time there. Wright gained experience as an entrepreneur as co-founder of Globalgrind.com with hip hop icon Russell Simmons.

Navarrow was also featured in the CNN documentary “Black in America 4 w/ Soledad O’Brien,” where he was shown mentoring entrepreneurs as part of the first Internet accelerator focused on minority and women technology entrepreneurs.

Class of 1978 Melissa Hamilton has done it again: She and her business partner Christopher have written a big, fat, delicious cookbook. Canal House Cooks

Priding himself on showing people how technology can be an enabler to help them achieve their dreams, Navarrow recently launched the “Close the Divide Project” (http://closethedividefor.me).

Class of 1968 Sandy Hoffacker remembers, “Over my 21 years working at Solebury, most of them in the alumni office, I got to know many wonderful people. Of course, Jean Shaw ’53 was the first when she came back to help keep Solebury from going over the fiscal cliff. And after that many more came to help. I feel very blessed to have gotten to know so many alumni, parents and teachers. Tek Talmont ’49 was one of them.”

SPRING 2013 His vision for the initiative is to build awareness among underserved communities (minorities and women) about the opportunities that technology can provide in key areas, like education, healthcare, career growth and entrepreneurship. Navarrow’s passionate commentary on the importance of digital literacy can be found on various media outlets, such as the Huffington Post and NewsOne. Follow Navarrow on Twitter @navarrowwright.

Class of 1991 Winter Miller’s new play AMANDINE tells the amazing true story of a 19th century girl, raised in the convents of rural France, only to die as a man on the streets of Paris. It has something important to say about the courage it takes to be ourselves and to love one another for exactly who we are. Highly theatrical and excitingly ambitious, AMANDINE premiered Off Broadway January 2013 at the Cherry Lane Theatre in a co-production with Dixon Place, featuring the work of a team of Tony, Drama Desk, and Lortel Awardwinning designers. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/16 6795-Justin-Vivian-Bond-and-ColmanDomingo-Will-Sing-Songs-fromAmandine-June-19

THE ALMA Class of 1999 Check out Sean Scolnick’s, aka Langhorne Slim, new CD called The Way We Move.

Class of 2001 Christopher Kuhnel is back in PA and a salesman for the family business. He reports exciting times with a two-year old son and an amazing wife. He has a great time hunting and fishing.

Quinn Waters, Solebury’s Interim Director of IT, released his debut album Race Music under the moniker Caffeine Machine. Quinn wanted to make a record that was like times of old, when an album was played from start to finish, having interludes and preludes of themes play throughout on different instrumentation.

Quinn wrote, recorded, produced, sang, played on and arranged this album by himself. He recorded the vast majority of this record in his South Philly bedroom. Race Music is available on iTunes.

They just finished a successful kickstarter campaign to get this album on vinyl, CD, and digitally distributed, and received rave reviews from The New York Times’ Pick of the Week. www.theinbetweensmusic.com/

Now, just about anybody with a dream could promote this as their story, right?

But how many get the chance to completely self-finance and selfpromote a Web Series that makes its debut on Sunset Boulevard after two years of tumultuous blood, sweat and tears? Well...not as many as you’d think!

But the five youngsters of Bad Bonsai Productions made it happen. The Complex is the story of a young man, James, who has been dumped by his girlfriend. Bumming on couches with his friends in the very apartment complex (hence, the first of the double entendre surrounding the title) which she lives, James vows to win her back.

The presentation of the story itself is a relaxed narrative that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s a beautiful thing. In a time when Web Series and other online storytelling is becoming general entertainment fodder, a show like this, by a small self-financed group of people, could grow into something symbolic for the ages. Check it out: http://www.webserieschannel.com/thecomplex/ Class of 2005 Ju Sung Yoon wrote to Phyllis Arnold that he is doing well and working as an Abercrombie manager in Korea.

Class of 1992 Renee Bostic is the new Athletic Director at Medger Evers College of the City of New York.

Class of 1996 Noah Jarrett, Solebury Gamelan teacher, has a great band called The InBetweens. The group has been playing together for over 10 years, touring the US and Europe, and are on the cusp of releasing their 4th album Out On A Limb.

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Scan this code for the music video.

Class of 2004 Lauren Smerkanich is the head writer and producer of a highly successful web-based comedy series called The Complex. Chris Stefanic, writer for the PressPassLA had this to say about the show: New Web Series The Complex shows that passion pays off. Two and a half years ago, at the Atlantic Theatre Company, five graduates decided they would go out to L.A., to work together.

Class of 2006 Amy Ramsey-Lefevre has been living in Syracuse for five years and is currently employed as a peace activist with Peace Action of Central New York and the Syracuse peace council. Her favorite part of the job is coordinating the peace newsletter. She gives much thanks to Solebury School, the first place where she dabbled in activism and newspaper editing.

Class of 2008 David Couture graduated a year early, May 2011, as an Honors Scholar and Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Financial Services from Johnson & Wales. He is currently a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch.

SPRING 2013 Class of 2009 Nate Danciger traveled to Florence, Italy and London, England studying architecture as part of Syracuse University’s International Program.

Tess Graham is starting the RN program at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, PA and plans to graduate in August 2014.

Justine Keller, a senior at Connecticut College, took part in 4 Dead in Ohio: Antigone at Kent State, a Theater Department production. Justine served on the Poster Design Crew for the production.

Class of 2010 Paul Kuhn is a junior at Xavier University in Cincinnati majoring in Psychology.

Creighton Sillars took a year off from Warren Wilson College to work at Telluride in Colorado and loves it.

Class of 2011 Evan Asoudegan has opened MOO, a permanent restaurant at 4010 Durham Road in Ottsville, PA. Some new menu items include veggie chili, chicken soup, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made with homemade organic peanut butter, and veggie burgers using local mushrooms.

DEATHS Class of 1949 Tek Talmont January 19, 1932 – September 1, 2012 Born in Warsaw, Poland, Tek came to the United States as a young boy. After graduating Solebury, he attended Rutgers University, where he earned his B.A. While at Rutgers, he became active with the university’s radio station, which cultivated in him a deep interest in jazz. He settled in Westfield, N.J., to begin a long career as a news writer for radio and print media. A court and police reporter for the Courier News, he brought to the people difficult stories with great skill, eloquence and grace.

His professional joys came from covering local New Jersey political races and writing the Courier‘s jazz beat

THE ALMA column for many years. He married Evelyn W. Talmont in 1961 and together they raised three children. He enjoyed a 35-year career and lived well in retirement. He spent the last 14 years down at the Jersey Shore, enjoying his passions, jazz, basketball, swimming, record collecting, the beach, horse racing and the simplicity of an everyday routine.

Class of 1953 Reeve Skidmore Donley ’59 February 28, 1935 – January 3, 2013 Reeve died from complications after heart surgery. Reeve is survived by brothers, Alan and Clifford Donley; nephew of William Donley and many nieces and nephews and cousins of a large family.

Class of 1957 Matthew Winthrop May 8, 1928 – January 1, 2013 Matt is survived by three sisters and four brothers. Handicapped since his early years, Matt always loved music and was involved in a variety of charities. The cause of death was issues related to his life-long paralysis aggravated by an infection.

Class of 1975 Leda E. Petrov September 24, 1958 – December 19, 2012 Leda was born and raised in New Hope.

She received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. During her studies in East Asia cultures, Leda was awarded a full scholarship as an exchange student to attend the Mandarin Training Center in Taiwan. She received an MBA in East Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii. Having fallen in love with the language and culture upon graduation, she took advantage of another earned fellowship and returned to Beijing, China for another year of studies and adventure. Leda was fluent in Mandarin and Classical Chinese. She was one of the first American students accepted to study Asian Culture in the People’s Republic of China during the 1970s.

PAGE 4 Class of 2003 Charles Gale, V June 8, 1984 – September 10, 2012 Charles died unexpectedly in a motorcycle accident. He was 28.

Charles graduated from Delaware Valley College. He loved cars, motorcycles, and computers and was an avid tennis player, playing while in high school and recently playing with his mother in mixed doubles at the club level. Charles worked in the computer department at Solebury School and most recently ran the IT Department at the family business, Gale Nurseries in Gwynedd. Charles also enjoyed traveling with his family to such places as: Africa, Peru, Iceland, France, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Costa Rica.

He was involved in conquering the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa in 2004, a 14-day boating trip in Colorado and in 2006 sat with the gorillas in Rwanda. Charles was also a driving enthusiast and was very interested in BMW’s and worked on modifications for car owners all over the country.

Important Information Please check out Solebury’s website www.solebury.org. On this site you can send class notes, update your contact information, register for reunions, make a gift to Solebury, and more.

You can stay connected to Solebury via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, RSS Feeds, Flickr, and YouTube. Please join us.

You can find us via the website.

Alumni Weekend 2013!

Friday, May 3 – Sunday, May 5 Join us for a weekend of fun …

Register online at www.solebury.org FRIDAY, MAY 3 3:00-4:00 pm

Registration, Founders Library School memorabilia available for purchase in Bookstore

4:00 pm

Varsity Baseball game, vs. Valley Forge Military Academy Varsity Tennis match, vs. Plumstead Christian School

6:00-8:00 pm

Alumni Reception, Centre Bridge Inn Catch up with your classmates while enjoying wine, beer, and hors d’oeuvres Complimentary, 2998 North River Road, New Hope

8:00 pm

Reunion Dinner (All Classes), Centre Bridge Inn $50 per person, reservations required, 2998 North River Road, New Hope

SATURDAY, MAY 4 9:00-10:00 am Registration & Student-Led Tours, Founders Library School memorabilia available for purchase 10:00 am

Memorial Service, Alumni Memorial Garden (behind Founders Library) Rain Location, Abbe Science Building Honor the memory of classmates and alumni who are recently deceased

11:00-11:30 am

Class Photos, Boyd Dining Hall

11:30 am-12:30 pm

Reunion Lunch, Boyd Dining Hall Enjoy a complimentary lunch

1:00 pm

Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony, John D. Brown Athletic Center

3:00-5:00 pm

Alumni Burger and Beer Bash, Home of Tom & Rebecca Wilschutz, Head of School $10 per person

6:00-10:00 pm

Solebury’s Annual Dinner & Auction, John D. Brown Athletic Center A Night of Intrigue: Shaken Not Stirred $75 per person, price includes open bar, reservations required

SUNDAY, MAY 5 10:00 am

Farewell Brunch, Boyd Dining Hall Join your classmates for a complimentary farewell buffet brunch

**Transportation Tip: Trenton Airport/Frontier Airlines offers reasonably priced flights and is much closer to Solebury.

24 ❖ Solebury School Magazine Fall/Winter 2013

AUCTION SPECIAL APPEAL Enhancing spaces for the Visual Arts

During the annual Dinner Auction, we seek donations to enhance a specific area or program each year. The Special Appeal has raised funding for initiatives such as the Crib renovations and the John & Linda Brown Faculty Enrichment Endowment. Last year, supporters contributed nearly $41,000 to outfit The Music Center. This year, the Special Appeal will benefit Solebury School’s Art Department.

Since our founding in 1925, Solebury School has been known for its strong art program. Solebury’s Visual Art faculty are professional artists and countless graduates have gone on to careers in theater, film, television, fine arts, music and art education. Your generosity will support this remarkable program!

The Special Appeal will help provide our students with new tables for drawing, painting and ceramics, improved storage for artwork in every room, current technology for editing digital video and speakers for the Active Studio Board. A large utility sink will be installed in the Painting & Drawing Room.

We intend to improve access with an awning for protection from the elements and better feature our Art space with improved exterior signage.

If you attend the Auction, please donate during our Special Appeal, which will be featured during the Live Auction. If you’re not able to attend, you may make your contribution through the Auction page of Solebury’s website, www.solebury.org.

Solebury School is a 501(c)3 corporation and all Special Appeal contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest amount allowed by law.

Thank you for your generous support of Solebury School www.solebury.org

2012-2013 Solebury School Fall/Winter Magazine

Follow Solebury School

Online:

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and the school’s YouTube channel, SoleburyUWatch.

Editor Jennifer K. Burns Director of Advancement Associate Editor, Magazine Beverly Berkeley Director of Communications Associate Editor, Alma’s Renee LaPorte Associate Director of Development Design & Production EnForm Graphic Productions, Inc.

Website: www.solebury.org

Photography Beverly Berkeley Please send change of address to: Solebury School 6832 Phillips Mill Road, New Hope, PA 18938 Phone: 215-862-5261 Fax: 215-862-3366 E-mail: alumni@solebury.org Web Site: www.solebury.org Copyright 2013 Solebury School

Facebook address: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Solebury-School/191183385937

Twitter address: http://twitter.com/soleburyschool

Board of Trustees 2012-2013 Charles J. Abbe ’59 (CA) Chairman Scott Bolenbaugh (PA) Vice Chairman Elizabeth Wavle (NJ) Treasurer Alan Sheriff (PA) Secretary Ezra Billinkoff ’03 (PA) David Christiansen (PA) Dan Cohen ’63 (FL) Jonathan Downs ’71 (PA) Barbara Fordyce (PA) Tom Hunt ’74 (NJ) Stan Jablonowski (PA) Mary Beth Kineke (PA) Ken Klimpel (NJ) Holly Mullin (PA) John Petito (PA) Joan Reinthaler ’53 (DC) Mike Sienkiewicz ’56 (PA) Anne C. (Annsi) Stephano ’58 (PA) Brett Webber ’85 (PA) Navarrow Wright ’88 (NJ) Head of School Thomas G. Wilschutz

YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/SoleburySchoolUWatch

26 ❖ Solebury School Magazine Fall/Winter 2013

HONORARY TRUSTEES Bill Berkeley ’49 Chris Chandor ’60 Alan Donley ’55 Betsy Bidelman Meredith ’54 Richard Moss ’48 Hermann Platt ’54 Eric Shaw ’55 Jean Shaw ’53

Rollover and make a difference.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, among other provisions, extends the IRA Charitable Rollover for 2013. The extension will allow individuals 70 ½ and older to donate up to $100,000 from their IRAs tax-free. While donors do not receive an income tax charitable deduction, this provision does allow them to transfer (or “rollover”) money from their IRAs directly to 501(c)3 organizations like Solebury, without recognizing the transfer as income. These rollover contributions count toward an individual’s minimum required distribution for the year. Individuals should consult their tax advisors regarding their specific situations.

Need more information or want to initiate a transfer for 2013? Contact Jennifer K. Burns, Director of Advancement, at 215.862.5261, x183 or jburns@solebury.org. For information on more ways to maximize your gift to Solebury, go to www.solebury.org/giving.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to make your online donation to Solebury School.

www.solebury.org

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This Magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified recycled paper using vegetable-based inks.