Alumni Horae Winter 2024-25

A lumni Horae

ST. PAUL’S SCHOOL | ISSUE II 2024-25

Filmmaker and author

Sarah Burns ’00 unravels history’s tangled threads to tell the best true story.

I n mid-December, soon after the

54th annual Lessons and Carols, the School community gathered for the third annual Celebration of Lights. Here, Director of Chapel Music and Organist Nicholas White and the choir prepare in the glowing jewel box of the Old Chapel to process into the New Chapel.

PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS

Kathleen C. Giles

EXECUTIVE

Karen Ingraham

Kate Dunlop

SECTION

Kristin Duisberg DESIGNER

Cindy L. Foote

PHOTOGRAPHY

Michael Seamans

ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD

Elise Loehnen Fissmer ’98

David M. Foxley ’02

Dana R. Goodyear ’94

Jonathan D. Jackson ’09

Malcolm Mackay ’59

Diego H. Nuñez ’08

Published by St. Paul’s School

ALUMNI HORAE DEADLINE

Formnotes about the personal and professional lives of alumni, as well as positive interactions with other members of the SPS community, are welcome (200 words maximum). Notes for the next issue are due May 16 and may be submitted to alumni@sps.edu. A clear, high-resolution photo of at least 1 MB may be submitted for publication consideration with an accompanying caption that identifiies people in left-to-right order and provides context. Alumni Horae editors reserve the right to edit and condense formnotes; notes and photos will be included as space allows.

PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS

This Moment of Our Responsibility

KATHLEEN C. GILES

What an extraordinary, complex time it is in which we live. While life goes on apace at the School, the shape of the world continues to shift, with remarkable changes in every landscape, from the geopolitical to the geophysical. And with the extraordinary connectivity our digital world both provides and requires of us, we know — or think we know — so much about the extraordinary complexity upon us. “How did we get here?” dominates many conversations and debates these days, and while that question is important — it is so much a part of our humanity and our Humanities program here — perhaps a more compelling question is, “Where do we go from here?”

Here on the grounds, the serenity of our campus and the routines of our day-to-day lives contrast sharply with the pace of change all around us. What and how we teach evolves, as we develop and test how the “new basics” in core curricula complement the core of knowledge and skills young people need to learn to be independent, knowledgeable, skilled, and compassionate critical thinkers. Our focus every day, however, never wavers: it is the pursuit of excellence in character and scholarship to support our students’ building purposeful lives in service to the greater good. It helps so much, walking into chapel in the mornings, to remember that indeed, there is nothing new under the sun. A century ago, during the globally turbulent years post-World War I and in a time

of rapid change in science and technology, Fourth Rector Dr. Samuel Drury wrote in 1926:

[I]t is provable that we cannot be high-minded in the afterlife unless we constantly climb to the top story in our task. In a day when efficiency is so lauded and when perpetual motion seems to spell success, those who are beset by the problems of education must achieve for themselves the detachment and high-mindedness which gazes from the top story. Why should it be deemed praiseworthy to potter about in the cellar of our task? Why is it glorious to wear one’s self out on trivial ground? Too often men are duped by their duties, never having made a friend of Duty, and are encouraged to regard the drudging devotion to routine as the be-all and endall. People … who are in any capacity connected with schools, will insist on climbing to the top story of the task, where they can see school problems, either technical or personal, steadily and in relation to life at large.

“IN THIS MOMENT OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY, IT IS CRITICAL THAT EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE SCHOOL LOOK STEADILY AND IN RELATION TO LIFE AT LARGE AT HOW TO INVEST IN THE SCHOOL TODAY.”

At the “top story of the task,” we look not only at the problems, but also for the opportunities. We are stewards of the commitment, dedication, and excellence of St. Paul’s School, and as stewards, in this moment of our responsibility, it is critical that everyone who cares about the School look steadily and in relation to life at large at how to invest in the School today. Generations to come should have the same transformational opportunities for which our alumni and families are so grateful and that form an important part of the foundation from which our alumni build purposeful lives in service to the greater good.

David Scully ’79, P’21, president of our Board of Trustees, opened this community discussion in the last edition of Alumni Horae, where he outlined the new governance model adopted by the Trustees and committed the Board to focusing on mission and specifically, on the excellence of our students’ experience. For the past two years, we have been doing the work of developing a Comprehensive

Campus Plan that defines building, landscape, infrastructure, and energy initiatives to support the ongoing evolution of our grounds and buildings — our School community’s beloved home — to strengthen our students’ experience, to improve the resilience of our older and heritage buildings, and to address the impact of climate change on our grounds in financially sustainable and responsible ways. In this, we continue the “future view” of those who preceded us. As Dr. Drury wrote in his 1929 Rector’s Report:

Who doubts the existence of the School two centuries hence? Who at any rate would venture to plan or to build on a lesser scheme? The layout of grounds, the planting of trees, the determining of roads and paths, all deserve that patient corporate study, aided and checked by experts, that will be worthy of the centuries. It is invigorating to initiate what we personally shall never see fulfilled. “Few men,” says

Jeremy Taylor, “are sufficiently thoughtful to plant apple trees for their grandchildren,” but the corporate will of an institution counts not the years with an eye to quick return. This avenue, that vista, will in half a century be lovelier far than in our time. We should spend on the grounds as liberally as we can. Our work today aims to fulfill Dr. Drury’s charge that we steward this School in a manner “worthy of the centuries.” The Comprehensive Campus Plan work has been a brilliant learning opportunity as well as an investment of hundreds of hours for our School team and for our Board, and it is another example of our commitment to “climbing to the top story of the task” and looking “steadily and in relation to life at large” in integrating the School’s past and present with a hopeful, purposeful future. I look forward to sharing the recommendations of the Comprehensive Campus Plan with you in the coming months.

Students enjoy evening activities at a Rectory Open House. PHOTO: Ben Flanders

GREAT OPPORTUNITIES MAKE GREAT MOMENTS

For the first time since 2021, Lower School Pond froze enough during a January cold snap to give students the chance to skate on the very site where hockey began in the U.S. in 1883. The girls JV hockey team made the most of the conditions with practice outside — and likely made some great memories, too.

PHOTO: Michael Seamans

The Form and Structure of a Community

KRISTIN DUISBERG

With its mix of historic and contemporary buildings, water features and an extravagance of woods and fields, the St. Paul’s School campus is so picturesque as to almost seem inevitable — a true village purpose-built for the 540 students and 100plus faculty members and their families who call Millville home. But the harmonious composition of the School grounds we see today was neither luck nor happenstance.

At the turn of the 20th century, St. Paul’s School was a collection of buildings constructed along a village thoroughfare that was rapidly losing its sense of organization. Established on 55 acres of land — a gift of founder George Cheyne Shattuck that encompassed a house and farm, a grist mill, and farmer and miller’s cottages — the School had expanded steadily during its earliest decades through the acquisition of various parcels of land primarily along Dunbarton Road, which at the time ran through the center of campus, with the chapels and Lower School Pond on one side, Sheldon and Library Pond on the other. In his 1980 book “St. Paul’s: The Life of a New England School,” August Hecksher ’32 writes that it was the need to find a site for a new upper school that “called attention to the haphazard fashion in which the physical plant of the school was developing. What had begun as a series of small-scale buildings along a village street was

in danger of losing its character without achieving a new ordering principle.” The School tapped Olmsted Brothers, the Frederick Law Olmsted-founded landscape architecture firm responsible for the design of New York City’s Central Park, Boston’s Emerald Necklace, and dozens of college campuses and parks across the country, “to deal with the problem at St. Paul’s.”

The recommendations put forth by Olmsted were not necessarily immediately embraced as improvements. Among other things, Hecksher describes the new upper school — Coit, completed in 1901 and sited on the firm’s guidance — as remote from the rest of the campus. But the firm had taken note of the natural valley that was created by the ponds and stretch of Turkey River that were part of the grounds, and suggested that future growth be organized around the green spaces rather than the bisecting element of heavily traveled Dunbarton Road, recasting the nature of the campus as an oasis rather than a busy main street.

In 1920, the main street’s traffic was moved southeast of the School’s buildings so that all of the city traffic that had once come through the center of campus would skirt it instead. At the time, Fourth Rector Dr. Samuel Drury wrote of this change, “Instead of a broad, much-travelled, and fast-travelled motor

highway, we now have an additional private area of three and one-half acres in the heart of our grounds.” Less than a decade later, in 1929, the section of Hopkinton Road that had separated Foster and a number of residences from the rest of the campus was similarly moved outside the School’s property.

Today, it’s hard to imagine a “Main Street Millville” — the 21st century campus that could have grown up along a bustling Concord artery with Ohrstrom Library, the Kitts and the Hockey Center added on the side with the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul, and Schoolhouse, Memorial Hall, the Lindsay Center for Math and Science and the new Fleischner Family Admissions Center on the other. More than a century after they were put forward, the recommendations of the Olmstead firm — and the recognition by the School’s early leadership that the expansion and curation of the physical campus must be strategic that prompted them — stand as foundational: an example, Hecksher writes, “of imaginative thinking applied to the form and structure of a community.” As School leadership continues to steward that same community toward a future where the fit between facilities and programmatic needs must be balanced with fiscal and environmental considerations, it is a reminder, as well, that as much as the concept of community is about people, it also is about place.

MILLVILLE MOMENT

LANTERN AT THE GATE

Fleischner Family Admissions Center Opens

KAREN INGRAHAM

With gratitude to the three generations of Fleischners for whom the building is named, and to the other generous leadership donors acknowledged within, St. Paul’s School opened its newest building right on schedule this winter. The first occupants, the School’s Communications Office, took up residence on the first floor of the 16,000-square-foot building in early February, followed one month later by the Admissions Office, which occupies the second floor. The center, designed to a high environmental standard, lies 200 yards inside the School’s entrance between Alumni House and the Lindsay Center for Mathematics and Science and serves as a warm, welcoming destination not only for prospective students and their families, but also alumni and other visitors, as well as the greater Millville community of students, faculty and staff.

“ The vision for this wonderful new building came from the Fleischners’ desire to make a positive impact on our students’ experience in community life,” Rector Kathy Giles says. “They embraced the idea of thinking about our campus as a village — true to our heritage as Millville — and their desire to inspire our students’ community life quickly evolved into the idea of returning Sheldon Library back to the students and thus providing three separate

places — Ohrstrom Library, Friedman Community Center, and Sheldon Library — with lights on every evening for studying and connection. From this idea came plans for the Fleischner Center, a ‘lantern at the gate’ that is easy to find, open and welcoming, and by design versatile, to be used beyond admissions. It is rare that a gift gets so much done, and the Fleischners’ leadership in helping us develop opportunities for current students and for visitors to feel embraced and inspired has been extraordinary.”

The center will be dedicated on May 2 during Anniversary Weekend. Sheldon, which turns 125 years old in 2026, will undergo renovations to once again be “at the centre of the School life,” as noted in building plans from 1895. It served in that capacity as the School’s library for nearly a century, until Ohrstrom Library opened in 1991 and Sheldon became home to the Admissions Office.

As plans got underway to build the Fleischner Center, the School implemented in 2022 the first phase of bringing Sheldon back to student use by moving the offices of the Chaplaincy to the building’s garden level, as well as creating meeting and event space there for student affinity and alliance groups.

Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, Sheldon’s first and second floors will support

academic and student life programming, with spaces for club meetings, teachers’ office hours, advising and tutoring sessions, and more. The offices of the Advanced Studies Program, a five-week summer program for New Hampshire high school juniors and seniors, will relocate to Sheldon as well, and the nearly 200 students who live and learn on campus every July and August will experience the inspiring atmosphere of Sheldon much as students will do during the school year.

To learn how to support the ongoing care and preservation of Sheldon and our other historic buildings, contact Diane Heitmiller at dheitmiller@sps.edu or 603-229-4875.

WATCH NIGHT FALL OVER SPS AND THE FLEISCHNER CENTER GLOW LIKE A LANTERN AT THE GATE

A new pelican was designed as a backdrop for greeting visiting families.

Students Hone Persuasive Arguments and Practice Empathy on the Debate Team

LARRY CLOW

For her first speech as part of the SPS Debate Team, Mona Elabdeia ’25 was tasked with delivering an eight-minute oration about high school sports, and whether schools should require students to participate

EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING: DR. DAVID CAMDEN

Dr. David Camden, the Cochran Chair in Greek Language and Literature, was named the 2025 recipient of the Classical Association of New England’s Martha and Matthew Wiencke Award. This award honors excellence in teaching classics at the primary, middle and secondary school levels; Camden was recognized during the Classical Association of New England’s annual meeting, taking place at Yale University in late March.

Camden has been bringing his passion for Latin and Greek language to SPS classrooms as a teacher, mentor and director of the Classical Honors Program since joining the faculty in 2016.

In 2023, Cambridge University Press published Camden’s book, “The Cosmological Doctors of Classical Greece: First Principles in Early Greek Medicine.” Read more at sps.edu/camden.

for at least one season on a team. The speech was about more than athletics for Elabdeia, though — it was about finding confidence in expressing herself.

She stood up . . . and gave a four-minute speech. She can laugh now but has no qualms in admitting her first few debates were rough and nerve-wracking.

She kept at it, practicing with her teammates and taking part in competitions and tournaments. Three years later, Elabdeia is one of the SPS Debate Team’s captains, and at a December 2024 tournament in Groton, Massachusetts, she earned the top advanced speaker award and qualified for a spot at the spring World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in Malaysia. The team itself took home more than a third of the awards at the event, and the novice group walked away with a perfect 12-0 record for the day.

For Elabdeia and her teammates, the SPS Debate Team has been a central aspect of their school experience. Beyond the awards, each debate is an opportunity for many kinds of growth. There’s the intellectual growth that comes with diving deep into a debate’s topics and mastering the rhetorical strategies that make for compelling and persuasive arguments. But there’s also the personal growth that comes with building confidence and learning how to listen and empathize with others — even those with whom you might strongly disagree.

As the top advanced speaker at a tournament, Mona Elabdeia ’25 (l.) qualified for the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in Malaysia this spring. She and Lucas Miller ’25 (r.) are Spring Term Debate Team captains along with Henry Wilson ’26.

“ The word ‘argument’ gets a bad rap,” says Lucas Miller ’25, another of the team’s captains. “But the need to talk to each other and present different viewpoints and pursue something everyone can agree on is the backbone of everything we do.”

Miller’s parents are both lawyers. Discussions around the dinner table were lively, he says, and inspired him to pursue debate at St. Paul’s. “I was also a shy kid,” he says. “Debate felt like the perfect opportunity to become more outgoing.”

Like Elabdeia, Miller’s initial practices with the team were daunting. But the support from his teammates and coaches, and the regular practice schedule, soon became things he looked forward to each day.

“Debate has helped me transmit my feelings and hopes to other people in a way that’s easily accessible. It’s not just about mechanics and delivery, it’s fundamentally about empathy and connecting with people and understanding what they’re thinking and feeling,” he says.

Initially a club, the SPS Debate Team became an afternoon activity in 2022. That was a transformational change, according to Dr. David Camden, who serves as the team’s head coach. Practices take place four afternoons a week and the team competes in four to five tournaments each fall and winter.

Elabdeia and Miller both point to the frequent practices as a key part of honing their skills and bringing the team together. “The structure of the program gives us an advantage. Having practice four times a week and having debate be something people can choose instead of a sport or an equivalent activity is not something offered in a lot of schools,” Miller says.

And as with athletics, the practices create a positive team culture. “The students are looking out for each other, supporting each other and rooting for each other,” Camden says.

That support helped Elabdeia in Groton. The day before the tournament, she received some disappointing news and went into the weekend feeling defeated. “I got on the bus and there was Lucas and my co-captains trying to cheer me up, and I thought, ‘I’m going to channel this into something productive,’” she recalls.

During the tournament, Elabdeia had the sense that she and her debate partner, Nausicaa Chu ’26, were performing particularly well. But she didn’t expect to win an award. “During the awards, I was off to the side, chatting with my teammates. Then, I heard my name called,” she says. “My teammate Brooks, who is not very emotive, knew I struggled the night before. He said, ‘I’m so proud of you,’ and everyone hugged me. That was my favorite moment.”

Camden has been involved with SPS debate since he joined the School nine years ago. He loves watching students develop from novice speakers to eloquent orators and discover nuance and complexity in so many subjects.

TEACHING AND LEARNING: TRINETTE HUNTER ASP’18

Talk to first year Humanities Teaching Fellow Trinette Hunter ASP’18 and it’s easy to see what makes her such a natural fit for the School’s interdisciplinary English, history and social sciences curriculum. Hunter’s face lights up as she describes the interlinking layers of her life and the path that brought her from Henniker, New Hampshire, to the summer Advanced Studies Program — first as a student and later as an intern — and back to the School through the University of Pennsylvania Boarding School Teaching Residency program. “I think coming back here is really important for me,” she says. “I feel like it was what I was meant to do.”

Hunter teaches one section of Humanities III and advises in Warren House. She also is one of the faculty coaches for the SPS Debate Team. “I didn’t do debate before this, but I’ve always been in academic clubs,” she says. “I’m learning from [my students] what a good debate looks like and how to give them good feedback.”

As confident a student as she is a teacher, Hunter describes taking part in one debate practice so she could understand the experience. She laughs as she says she was out-debated by the student with whom she was paired … just one example of many she’s found so far at SPS of how well prepared her students are in and beyond the classroom. Read more at sps.edu/hunter.

“It gives them the intellectual humility that is the seed for growth,” he says.

This year has been a banner one for the team. In addition to the Groton event, SPS debaters turned in outstanding performances at the St. Sebastian’s Novice Tournament, going a perfect 6-0 for the day, and the four-person SPS novice team also took first place at BB&N, with Elle Ruminski ’26 placing first overall. Back in November, SPS debaters won a slate of awards on their home turf, including first-place school, firstand second-place four-person novice teams, and first-place four-person advanced team. And if that’s not enough evidence of the team’s depth, consider this: Elabdeia has elected not to attend Worlds, so her invitation was passed along to the advanced speaker who placed second at that tournament. That speaker is her debate partner, Nausicaa Chu, who in April will head to Kuala Lumpur.

The St. Paul’s School community heard from a number of speakers during Winter Term chapels. Here’s a sampling of what some of them had to say.

GINGER KERRICK / Nov. 18, 2024

First Latina NASA mission control director and chief strategy officer of Barrios Technology

At the age of 11, Kerrick witnessed her father’s fatal heart attack. In college, she walked onto the University of Texas-El Paso women’s basketball team but suffered a career-ending knee injury days before her first game. At 26, she was one of just 120 applicants out of more than 3,000 selected to be evaluated for NASA’s astronaut training program, only to receive a lifetime disqualification when a medical exam ultrasound turned up more than a dozen kidney stones.

“So now my dream of basketball is gone and my dream of being an astronaut is gone, and I started to plummet, and I wanted to quit NASA. And then I realized that that’s not me. … I am the strong little girl who watched her dad die right in front of her and picked herself up and kept moving. So while this does feel like the end of the world, it’s not, and I have had the worst thing happen to me and I survived it, and I will survive this, too. …

Recognize that there are opportunities out there that you may not have even imagined for yourself, and have the courage and bravery to take those on. I wouldn’t have had these opportunities if I’d had a good knee, if I didn’t have kidney stones, and perhaps even if my father hadn’t died at the age that I was. When he did, it made me strong; it made me resilient. And you can be resilient today.”

REV. CHARLES WYNDER JR. / Jan. 7, 2025

Dean of Chapel and Spiritual Life

“… the new year marks an opportunity for us to reflect on the steps we have taken over the course of the previous year and reflect on the way we want to live, study, work and ‘be’ in the new calendar year. Our rituals of making new year’s resolutions, eating special meals and being with family symbolize the opportunity for renewal and fresh starts that the new year represents.

Underneath this is the important belief that things change: that life is always changing. Nothing that is living, is vibrant and flourishing, is stagnant and remains the same. The rituals of the new year invite us to … imagine new beginnings. The new year opens us up to new imaginings. …

We’ve had a chance to reflect on our hours, days, weeks, and term from earlier this school year and now we can move into our tomorrows at St. Paul’s School. The tomorrows that not only allow us to make meaning of our present and our past: but/and the tomorrows that invite us to imagine new possibilities. Tomorrows that allow us to improve on our past by forgiving ourselves, forgiving others, by releasing habits that failed us, and starting new ones. Granting ourselves and others the grace of starting anew ... I invite you now to reflect for a moment on the tomorrows you imagine in this new year.”

’25 / Feb. 17, 2025 Student Council Treasurer

“If you can’t avoid the elements that threaten your confidence, you can at least control your perspective on them. ... Confidence isn’t about being perfect or never feeling afraid. It’s about having the courage to face the things that make you nervous, uncertain or self-conscious. It’s about recognizing when your sense of self is compromised and taking the time to understand why. And most importantly, it’s about choosing to use those moments for your own growth and not as things to sulk over.”

OLIVIA BLANCHARD

Exploring the Moral Imaginary

SPS celebrates and observes the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

KRISTIN DUISBERG

On Jan. 14 and 15, the SPS community honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a pair of visitors.

Justin Merrick, a Grammy-nominated multigenre artist and educator who also serves as the executive director at the Center for Transforming Communities, met with students in humanities classes on the 14th and spoke and performed in chapel on both days. On Jan. 15 — the day that would have been King’s 96th birthday — the Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, the Canon Theologian at the Washington National Cathedral, the Anglican Communion Canon at England’s Newcastle Cathedral and a visiting professor of theology at Harvard Divinity School, delivered the keynote “MLK Jr. and the Moral Imaginary.”

In advance of the national holiday, the SPS observation was an opportunity for thoughtprovoking ideas, stirring performances and deep discussions.

Decades after King’s 1968 assassination, the speakers brought to life his world and dreams. Douglas set the stage for her chapel talk by describing her memory of watching on television King’s 1963 March on Washington with her parents, and shared the “audacious dream” of her grandmother — an elevator operator in Ohio who left school after sixth grade — that her four grandchildren would finish high school. She then reflected on King’s own audacious dreams of racial equality in a segregated nation and invited those gathered to wonder how it was that King, her parents and her grandmother all had the audacity to dream out loud.

“To be a religious people is to be a people who have asked and answered the question, ‘Is there more to life than this? Is there more to life than a world of unjust justice?’” she said. “The answer is yes — there is more. The more that exceeds the imagination of what we perceive to be humanly possible; the more of what is possible with God. This is the more of our moral imaginary, unbounded by the limitation of a people’s biases and inclinations, unbounded by a nation’s policies or practices, or even a church’s creeds and doctrines.”

“IS THERE MORE TO LIFE THAN A WORLD OF UNJUST JUSTICE?”

Merrick’s Tuesday chapel talk and visit to the Religion and Ethics class taught by SPS Dean of Chapel the Rev. Charles Wynder Jr. dovetailed with Douglas’ keynote. In remarks that began with a description of his relationship with the Rev. James Lawson, his longtime mentor and the Center for Transforming Communities founder who was a King ally, Merrick described the power of putting intentions into action through the alchemy of work and words. “We want to put into the world narratives that are healing, in a space where often there are harmful narratives,” he said. “... if a story is a star, then a collection of stories is a narrative, and the collection of stories will be a cluster of stars. ... Culture is defined by a collection of narratives, just like a cluster of stars creates a galaxy. I say that because in our world we believe that one story can change the world. We believe that your story can change the world.”

During Wednesday’s chapel, Merrick illu-

strated the transformative power of storytelling by inviting the community “to enter the portal of the moral imaginary” with him, speaking as his mentor Lawson to describe leading the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike alongside King.

Rev. Wynder describes this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day speakers and messages as a special combination. “Justin Merrick’s class visit was foundational to expanding students’ understanding of the practical applications of religion and ethics in community, and his interactive stories of applied theology opened their minds to the meaning of the intersection of love, power and justice,” he says. “Having the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas deliver a powerful and moving homily that charged the community to embrace the work of listening to the moral imaginary was a dream come true.”

Bethany Dickerson Wynder, director of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice initiatives at SPS, adds that the observation was important to the School’s ongoing work to foster Beloved Community. “The theme of ‘MLK Jr. and the Moral Imaginary’ has served as a frame around ways that the SPS community might think about what is possible in forming a more just society,” she says. “This good work helps us build connections, support one another’s ongoing work, and coordinate current and future efforts to combat racial and social injustice.”

In her chapel remarks, The Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas urged everyone to “show up in the world … [and] treat one another with the respect, with the regard, with the dignity as the children of God that they are.”

Justin Merrick, executive director at the Center for Transforming Communities, visited a humanities class and performed in chapel during his two-day visit.

JOY, UNITY, MINDFULNESS AND PREVENTION

Sixth Formers Take Stress Management Strategies Global

hen it comes to dealing with stressful situations, Linus Seruma ’25 knows he has options. Long bike rides and listening to music help, and if he needs to talk, he can rely on his friends Josh Samuels ’25 and Ethan Maggio ’25.

“If I ever need to talk to them, I know I have an outlet,” Seruma says. “And sometimes the best thing someone can do is listen.”

But the three friends know that other students might not have access to those coping strategies, especially in countries where there is more social stigma around issues related to mental health. That awareness led to the creation of JUMP Stress. The acronym stands for Joy, Unity, Mindfulness and Prevention, and the project is an effort to bring stress management strategies to teens around the world. In August, Seruma, Samuels and Maggio organized a daylong conference in Uganda that drew approximately 200 students ranging in age from 13 to 22. It was an event that they all say had a positive impact on them and the students they met.

“We learned a lot of new perspectives and made a lot of friends,” Maggio says.

Students everywhere have to deal with stress every day. But the three recognize that SPS is a uniquely supportive environment where talking about mental health concerns is accepted and encouraged. According to Seruma, the Living in Community (LinC) program and other mental health and stress management resources at SPS inspired JUMP Stress.

“LinC was the first time for me that a school offered techniques to help manage the way I live, and that was an experience I saw was missing in Uganda,” Seruma says. His father is from Uganda, and Seruma has teenage friends and family there. “I thought about the services here and know those same things aren’t offered in Uganda. Information about mental health awareness isn’t as accessible there as it is here, and I wanted to bridge that gap,” he adds.

The problem is acute in Uganda. According to the World Health Organization, teen suicide rates in sub-Saharan Africa are among the highest globally, and studies have

LARRY CLOW

Sixth Formers Josh Samuels, Ethan Maggio and Linus Seruma.

shown that 60-71 percent of students ages 12 to 24 have used addictive substances, with alcohol as the most common.

The concept of unity, in particular, is meaningful to the project’s success. The three cofounders have been friends since their first days at SPS. Samuels has an interest in neurology and saw an opportunity to advocate to others how stress can affect the brain. Maggio’s passion for mental health advocacy and stress management is personal; his aunt died by suicide. Also on the project team is Jamila Kariisa, a friend of Seruma’s who attends school in Mombasa, Kenya.

Bringing stress management strategies to students in another country is no easy task. Seruma, Samuels and Maggio created a website and social media accounts to promote the program, collaborated with the nonprofit Women of Purpose International to help manage donations to fund the conference, and worked with Kariisa to connect with schools, media outlets and experts in Uganda.

“It was challenging to develop the event,” Samuels says. “We did some radio interviews with stations in Uganda and used our Instagram account to promote it.”

Simply raising awareness about mental health concerns in the country was challenging, according to Maggio. “There’s a cultural view that [mental health] isn’t real; we were worried that people would criticize the event or deem it not worthwhile.”

“BRINGING STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO STUDENTS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY IS NO EASY TASK.”

For the Aug. 24 conference, the trio developed presentations on stress management strategies like art and music therapy, and they invited Dr. Edward Bantu, a professor of counseling psychology at Uganda’s Kabale University, to deliver a keynote address. During the second half of the day, attendees took part in breakout sessions to discuss how stress affects them and had the chance to ask questions. The experience was as beneficial for the organizers as those who attended.

“We learned a lot from them, especially during the breakout sessions,” Samuels says. “Some of the things stressing them out are unique to their lives — they have more financial struggles and a lot of kids have to work regular jobs from a young age. It gave us a whole new perspective.”

Even as they look ahead to college, the three hope to keep JUMP Stress going, using their internet presence to share content about stress management, mindfulness and mental health awareness and ideally hosting another conference. Samuels says the experience has encouraged him to continue studying neuroscience as part of his education, while Maggio plans to study political science in college and Seruma plans to pursue applied math and economics.

DID YOU KNOW?

About four miles now separate two granite orbs that once adorned Sheldon’s side pillars; they were removed during renovations in the early 1960s and replaced with lighterweight replicas. One of the originals rests on the grounds in the quiet woods just off Observatory Trail, while its twin is displayed in downtown Concord’s Eagle Square. Shaped by an unknown craftsman, these neo-classical style architectural details were created with no intention of being admired up close, yet they more than stand on their own. Sheldon, dedicated in 1901, was the gift of the children of William C. Sheldon, a Trustee from 1877 to 1896. The building was designed by the architect Ernest Flagg and built on the site of the Miller’s Cottage, part of the original land grant of the School. Sheldon served as the School’s library for 90 years until Ohrstrom Library opened its doors.

A SABBATICAL TO REMEMBER

For Ceramics Teacher Becky Solderberg ’94, It Was All Inspiration

JANA F. BROWN

Ayearlong sabbatical offered Becky Soderberg ’94 a fresh perspective plus a slate of new ideas to incorporate into her teaching.

Soderberg spent the 2023-24 academic year living in the small coastal town of Ericeira on the western coast of Portugal, about 40 minutes north of the capital city of Lisbon. There, she and her husband, Nanda (also on the arts faculty at SPS) and their three children (and two dogs and a cat) immersed themselves in the local culture and community. Along the way, Soderberg expanded her ceramics skills, which she’s now integrating into her classes at SPS. Equally important, the experience reinvigorated Soderberg’s approach to the arts through meeting local artists, learning new throwing techniques and seeing firsthand in museums work she’d previously only seen in books.

“I was inspired by all the amazing tile work and the history of tiles in Portugal,” Soderberg says, “all the patterns and designs, and visiting factories and learning about how that worked. I took more than 10,000 photos to remind myself of what I saw. It was all inspiration, whether I was on the street and saw some amazing colors or in a museum and saw something I’d never seen before made out of clay.”

In addition to traveling throughout Portugal, Soderberg visited the Netherlands, France, Italy and Germany. It was at a museum in the Netherlands that Soderberg fell in love with Delftware, a type of Dutch-glazed pottery. In one of her SPS classes this fall, her students undertook a project sparked by the pottery’s signature blue and white colors. Both Soderbergs also attended the Glass Art Society Conference in Berlin, which brought together artists from

Home again, Becky Soderberg ’94 is sharing all she learned with her students.

more than 40 countries for discussions and networking. In Tuscany, Soderberg took an intensive porcelain course at La Merida, a school at which she had dreamed of studying. There, she learned hand-building techniques with porcelain, including working with colored porcelain slips.

“ That’s what I’ve introduced to my advanced class,” Soderberg says, explaining that slip is a liquid casting clay used to add color and depth to a piece. “I’ve been using my inspiration to design new projects for my students whenever I can.”

In their temporary hometown, Soderberg worked with a Portuguese artist named Fernanda Santos who taught unfamiliar throwing approaches and forced Soderberg to adjust to different tools and materials, such as sugar cane, which proved a creative challenge. “It was different,” Soderberg says, “because I didn’t have all the comforts of my St. Paul’s studio with my tools and the clay I was used to. It was about training my mind to do things differently.”

S oderberg also was exposed to traditional ceramics skills, such as Raku firing. She hopes to build a Raku kiln with her SPS students, and to invite the community to participate in an event where onlookers can see the distinct firing and glazing method at work.

“I’M GRATEFUL THAT THE SCHOOL GAVE US THIS OPPORTUNITY TO STEP AWAY FOR A YEAR TO REAFFIRM OUR LOVE FOR THE ARTS.”

In addition to broadening her artistic horizons, Soderberg says her year in Portugal allowed the whole family to experience the local European lifestyle, and note the differences from what they know in the U.S. Although they didn’t speak Portuguese, the family learned the basics and were able to navigate the neighborhood markets and businesses. Soderberg adds that she found value in being an outsider, in putting herself in uncomfortable situations, and learning how to adapt.

“I’m grateful that the School gave us this opportunity to step away for a year to reaffirm our love for the arts,” she says. “It’s given me that reset to make me think differently about my approach to art, and it allowed me to come back and reassess what I want to be doing in class. I saw so much that I’m trying to … pass along to my students.”

As a teacher-turned-student on her sabbatical, Soderberg worked with her mentor, master potter Fernanda Santos, in her Ericeira studio to learn new techniques and explore different tools.

DECARBONIZATION TEACH-IN

Considering the Future of Energy at St. Paul’s School

KAREN INGRAHAM

On a cold evening in mid-January, with the radiators in Friedman Community Center pushing out warm air generated by the 98-year-old Central Heating Plant, campus visitor Dr. Pawel Woelke gave a master class on decarbonization — what it is, why it’s needed, and the scientific and mathematics-based thinking that can be applied to identifying optimal, practical pathways for greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

Woelke spoke to an audience of students, teachers and staff members who opted to attend the 90-minute teach-in. Many had been introduced to Woelke earlier in the day as he delivered a chapel talk, and science teachers had hosted him in sections of their environmental science classes. The senior principal and applied science practice co-leader with Thornton Tomasetti, an international engineering firm with a large-scale focus on sustainability and decarbonization strategies, Woelke was in Millville at the invitation of Rector Kathy Giles. His firm partnered with KieranTimberlake — the Philadelphia-based architectural firm hired by the School two years ago to develop a 50-year Comprehensive Campus Plan (CCP). Woelke’s work on the CCP focused specifically on identifying possible

decarbonization strategies for the campus that could be implemented over the next three to five decades.

Zinat Yusufzai, principal at KieranTimberlake, began the teach-in by providing an overview of the work her firm has done in conjunction with the School’s board and senior leadership. She described the CCP as providing a framework for “the long-term direction of SPS’s physical environment, to ensure the highest and best use of land and resources in support of the School’s mission and strategic plan.”

A century ago, Yusufzai explained, building materials and construction skills were different, and people weren’t designing buildings to do what we need them to do today. In considering energy usage on campus, she added, there are important questions that drive strategic decisionmaking, such as, how should the School renovate existing buildings, many of which are approaching or have surpassed a century of service, to be higher performing in terms of energy efficiency? For new structures, such as the Fleischner Family Admissions Center (see p. 7), which was designed to a high environmental standard, what are the lessons learned around optimizing energy

Dr. Pawel Woelke, senior principal and applied science practice co-leader with Thornton Tomasetti, an international engineering firm with a largescale focus on sustainability and decarbonization strategies, spoke in chapel and classes, and offered an evening teach-in on decarbonization.

efficiency and reducing or eliminating reliance on fossil fuels in future campus projects? In what order should carbon-reducing strategies fall in the near and long term as part of an overall strategy for building renewal and construction? And, how are these systemic changes implemented and financed over time?

Following Yusufzai’s remarks, Woelke kicked off his presentation with a primer on energy generation and distribution within the three major energy-demand sectors (buildings, transportation and industry). Using data from the U.S Department of Energy, Woelke demonstrated how energy flows from point of origin to point of consumption, the degree of efficiency within a given system, and how to calculate the impact of these efficiencies, which vary depending on the source and output. For example, how does adapting or altering the source of energy impact the efficiency of the system and lower emissions — like using LR100 recycled vegetable oil in lieu of oil or natural gas, as SPS is piloting? Or, what is the calculated impact of altering how the energy is generated and distributed — such as installing electric heat pumps as primary sources of heating and cooling for buildings on campus?

“It’s complicated in a way,” Woelke said, “but it’s also really intriguing to understand how this works and what are the different elements of technology and technological innovation that allow us to do what we are doing.”

Woelke further noted that converting an energy ecosystem from fossil fuels to alternate forms of electricity production is key — and that the order of electrification matters. Building off his explanation of energy efficiencies from source to output, Woelke stated, “We have to follow the efficiency of the processes, [and] we have to decide if electrification should proceed or follow decarbonization of energy supply.” He further noted that there are strategic ways to optimize energy usage through alternative sources like heat pumps, geothermal textile systems, photovoltaics, nuclear energy, hydro energy and wind energy. There also are increasingly available means of attaining clean energy from utility companies, which are employing similar means of producing clean energy for their customer base. When evaluating this efficiency at an organizational scale versus on a building-by-building basis, the School can make informed, data-driven decisions about how to optimize energy sourcing and usage and implement the right strategies for reducing and eliminating fossil fuel usage over time.

Woelke concluded his teach-in by reviewing some of those opportunities for additional emissions reduction at SPS and increasing the use of clean electricity, noting “the number one candidate for decarbonization” is in the heating of buildings, which consumes the greatest amount of energy at the School.

His analysis of the School’s energy ecosystem as part of the larger Comprehensive Campus Plan is driven by the

School’s mission and its Strategic Plan, which launched in 2022 with a set of Guiding Principles, including “Drawing Forth What is Best in the Future: Sustainable Excellence for St. Paul’s School.” Under this principle, the School is charged with engaging in “an intentional, long-term program of financial and environmental sustainability through an integrated planning approach to financial, facilities, and programmatic investment, and with a longterm view of enterprise risk management.”

In remarks that opened the teach-in, Giles reminded the community, “There is a long, worthy legacy in our continuous support and work for St. Paul’s School. While the School is in our care and keeping, we need to take very, very good care of it so that it’s ready for the next generation, for everything they want and need to do here.”

Considering the best pathway toward a zero-carbon campus over the next few decades is an important step toward that charge.

A MATRIX OF DECISION POINTS

The Comprehensive Campus Plan, approved by the Board of Trustees at their January meeting, layers the questions Yusufzai posed within a matrix of decision points central to the ongoing stewardship needs of the School today, and into the next century. It is designed as a responsive, interactive tool adaptive to emerging programmatic priorities, building needs and fiscal capacity. More will be shared in the next issue of Alumni Horae.

I STAR STRUCK

n elementary school, Emerson Bentley ’25 became obsessed with the idea of outer space. She read books about it, watched documentaries and combed through YouTube for videos about astrophysics and astronomy. There were backyard stargazing sessions with her father and family trips to remote areas of California and Wyoming, where they could take in the wide-open sky.

“[Those experiences were] so peaceful. There is something beautiful about looking up and trying to understand your place in the universe … whatever stress I feel doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things,” she says. “We are just a tiny little population on this tiny little planet, orbiting around a very average star in a galaxy that is one of many galaxies in a universe that we know very little about. That puts a lot of things in perspective.”

B entley took a more academic view of things last summer during an externship that brought her to the University of North Georgia, where she worked closely with

Gregory Feiden, an associate professor and the director of the school’s astronomical observatory. Feiden immersed Bentley into his work modeling the evolutionary life of stars — she largely worked one-on-one with him, analyzing the computer modeling of stellar mechanics, poring over the findings together and attending his undergraduate class. An unexpected benefit was the chance to learn computer programming.

Since last March, Bentley has been sharing her perspective on the stars and the universe on a podcast, “Space Babble,” that she co-hosts with Elle Ruminski ’26 and Thomas Armstrong ’26. Released every three weeks, the show mixes introductory topics with the hosts’ own passions, from black holes to the universe’s early beginnings. In advance of last spring’s solar eclipse, for example, the team explained the event and what it meant.

B entley loves doing the show, and not just because she gets to talk about space. In trying to understand how to discuss these

topics, she understands them better — wipe away the complex physics and complicated math, she says, and what astronomy can present is a deeper understanding of what’s above us and our place in a vast and beautiful universe.

“I think it can kind of be an intimidating subject sometimes. In the Applied Science & Engineering Program we give presentations, and people have a basic understanding of what cancer is,” she says, referencing a subject on which there is typically one or more projects every year. “But most people don’t know about stellar evolution. Our mission is to make complicated subjects accessible to our listeners.”

Bentley has no intention of slowing down on her own learning. She’s considering studying astrophysics in college, and she’d like to pursue a career as an astronaut.

“I love school and I love learning new things,” she says. “ I know I want to keep doing stuff with space. There’s so much that we don’t know and that really excites me.”

IAN ALDRICH

Emerson Bentley ’25 at the School’s Hawley Observatory.

AROUND THE GROUNDS

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW In November, the SPS Theater Company brought Jane Austen’s 1811 novel “Sense and Sensibility” to life in the New Space Theater, an undertaking that tapped the talents of the full company for acting, stage management and more.

LIVING IN COMMUNITY During the Fall LinC Day that focused on life skills, students took part in sessions on learning how to tie a fly and fish, build a fire, ride a bike, play tennis, ice skate, maintain a vehicle, knit, cook and more.

WORTH IT Students wrapped up the Fall Term with sweet treats and BBQ from the alwayspopular food trucks that come to campus.

ALWAYS LEARNING In December, 17 student affinity and alliance groups hosted the annual SPS Culture Fest. The celebration of cultures and student leadership offered the opportunity to sample delicious foods, learn about different art forms, enjoy music and presentations, and more.

CURTAINS UP Watching “The Nutcracker: Act II,” it’s easy to forget the dancers are high school students. Led by Director of Dance Kate Lydon and Instructor of Dance Courtney Peix-Barros, students in the SPS production dance to choreography that is infused with the influence of guest artists who have visited the School over the years, including Carlos Lopez, director of Repertoire with American Ballet Theatre (ABT); Chinese dance educator Jessica Jone; Ethan Stiefel, artist in residence with American Repertory Ballet; and others.

LEGENDARY Former SPS crew and cross country coach and classics teacher Charles B. “Chip” Morgan arrived in Millville in 1969 — the same year that the Fall Term house/club run that today bears his name was first contested. This fall, some 70 students took a break to run a two-mile course for bragging rights, points for their clubs and prizes for their houses. Delphian earned top honors for fielding the greatest number of participants as well as the fastest runners on both the boys and girls sides.

LESSONS AND CAROLS

In mid-December, with the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul beautifully decorated and lit for the holidays, St. Paul’s invited the School and greater Concord communities to the 54th Annual Festival of Lessons and Carols. Full audiences for both services enjoyed music by Director of Chapel Music and Organist Nicholas White and the Chapel Choir and readings by Dean of Chapel and Spiritual Life the Rev. Charles Wynder Jr.

LUNAR NEW YEAR SPS welcomed the Year of the Snake with a special chapel held in Memorial Hall on Jan. 28. The annual celebration featured remarks; Chinese folk songs; and dragon, sword and folk dances performed by SPS Chinese Program students.

TEAM OF RIVALS

Taking Their Game from Maine to the Ivy League

IAN ALDRICH

Landon Clark ’25 still can’t get the game out of his head.

On Feb. 18, 2022, Clark was a sophomore varsity basketball player at Maine’s Bangor High School and his team, a sixth seed in the Class AA North state tournament quarterfinals, was on the cusp of a huge upset win over the two-seeded club from Oxford Hills. With just 3.2 seconds left in the game, Bangor clung to a two-point lead.

And then Teigan Pelletier ’25 took over.

Receiving the ball on an out-of-bounds play near his team’s basket, the Oxford Hills sophomore calmly sank a basket outside the threepoint stripe to steal the victory. A dazed Clark sat on the court after the buzzer sounded and tried to process what had just happened.

“I remember seeing him hit that three and thinking, ‘of course,’” says Clark with a laugh. It wasn’t the first time the two had squared off. On club and school teams, on the basketball court and on football fields, Clark and Pelletier had faced one another in numerous tournament settings. They weren’t friends, but friendly rivals. Pelletier’s mother even has a picture of the two boys as third graders playing one another in an AAU tournament.

But for Clark, that 2022 high school playoff game was a heartbreaker. And so, the following year, as a reclassified Fourth Former at SPS, when he heard rumors that Pelletier was looking to transfer to a private school, he put on a full-court press to recruit him to Millville.

“ There was no way I was going to let him go to another school,” Clark says. “Because he was just going to do the same thing to me. He was going to hit more game winners and I wanted to be on the right side of that for a change.” In the fall of 2023, Pelletier reclassified as a Fifth Former to enroll at SPS.

Over the last two years, Clark and Pelletier haven’t just competed closely as football and basketball teammates, they’ve also become good friends. In retrospect, it seems like an inevitable outcome. Both grew up in Maine. Both hail from strong, sports-oriented families

— Pelletier’s parents played college basketball; Clark’s father is the head football coach at Husson University. Both play passcatching positions on the SPS football team. And both are academically and athletically hyper-driven. They work out together. They eat together. And for their final year at SPS, they have connecting singles in Drury.

“Sports has a unique way of bringing people together,” Clark says. “We came here and became teammates. We’re two guys who want to win at everything we do. We know how to push each other and we’ve become good friends because of that.”

Pelletier agrees. “It’s been great,” he says. “Maybe it was a little weird at first because we had played against each other so much, but we both respected each other and what we could do. And now we’ve become kind of brothers in a way.”

Undergirding both Sixth Formers, says head

boys varsity basketball coach Maxwell Gordon, is a drive for excellence that is infectious and raises the game of everyone around them.

“ Their impact on St. Paul’s basketball and our team culture has been incredible,” he says. “Both are immensely talented, smart players — so they have helped us win a lot of games. Even more importantly, they are competitive, tough as nails and selfless. As their coach, I know that they will set the tone every day for their teammates — and with their talent and leadership, we have been able to beat just about anyone on our schedule.”

Next fall, however, Pelletier and Clark will go their separate ways. Princeton recruited Clark to play basketball; Pelletier is headed to Harvard, where he will play football.

In going to rival schools, of course, Pelletier and Clark are coming full circle. Chances are they won’t root against one another quite like they did when they were younger, and you can be sure there will be some SPS pride flowing when they watch one another play their respective colleges.

“It would have been awesome if we could have gone to the same school but we’re going to get to be rivals again,” Clark says. “When he’s at Princeton, I’ll be at the game to watch him play, and when I go play at Harvard, I know he’ll be in the stands, too.”

In January 2024, Landon Clark ’25 and Teigan Pelletier ’25 returned to Maine to play at the Portland Expo and shared with local media their appreciation for having a great crowd in a familiar place.

Lily Fitzpatrick ’25, Caitlin O’Reilly ’26 and Cami Capdevila ’25 earned National All-American honors

Undefeated season; SPS Jamboree winner

Head Over Heels for Diving

KRISTIN DUISBERG

Last fall, halfway through her third season as a member of the SPS girls varsity soccer team, Emily “Milly” Kirkman ’25 decided she was ready for a new challenge and switched to cross country. After just four races, she earned Lakes Region All-Star and NEPSAC All-League Honorable Mention honors for her contributions, including a top-10 finish at the Lakes Region Championship. In December, she ran her first halfmarathon and took first place in the female 19-andunder division. Next fall, Kirkman will matriculate to Dartmouth College as a recruited diver, a sport she took up in earnest three and a half years ago. As SPS introduced swimming and diving as a varsity sport this winter, Kirkman was rewriting the record books at NEPSAC school pools across New England, starting with her debut competition at Phillips Academy Andover on Jan. 18.

Kirkman grew up in Massachusetts in a “sporty” family, a competitive dancer and gymnast, soccer player and alpine skier. She took part in a club swimming and diving league for several summers but set both diving and gymnastics aside when her mother relocated to Vermont and Kirkman enrolled at Proctor Academy to focus on alpine skiing. “I loved skiing and it really fed into my adrenalinerush mentality — I’ve always been a little fearless that way,” she says. “But I also realized pretty quickly that I missed diving.” After Kirkman’s first year at Proctor, she reached out to Dartmouth coach Chris Hamilton, who also coaches an age-group team for younger divers and agreed to take her on.

“I improved pretty rapidly, just because of my gymnastics background, the mentality that goes along with that and the body awareness,” Kirkman explains. “Some of

MAKING HER MARK

those gymnastics habits were hard to break, like how I would go into tucks, or the way I’d throw my head back, but having been a competitive athlete for so many years in an individual sport definitely helped a lot in terms of my coachability.”

Kirkman felt an immediate connection to St. Paul’s School when she traveled to Millville as a member of the Proctor girls varsity soccer team, and came to SPS as a Fourth Former in fall 2022, where she set to work on balancing her many athletic and academic interests with her training at Dartmouth. In addition to competing on the SPS soccer and alpine teams, Kirkman discovered her love of humanities and opportunities to share her passion for service and social justice as a Missionary Society officer and a writer for The Pelican. The expansion of the SPS winter sports roster to include swimming and diving meant that, for the first time in her diving career,

FOR MILLY KIRKMAN ’25, A DARTMOUTH-BOUND RECRUITED DIVER, THE SPS VARSITY

SWIMMING AND DIVING

TEAM DEBUTED AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME.

Kirkman had the opportunity to represent her school. She wasted no time in making her mark. On Jan. 18, as her swimming teammates took on Austin Prep, Kirkman suited up to showcase her skills on the 1-meter springboard against divers from Andover and Loomis Chaffee. Her six-dive score of 291 points not only gave her a decisive victory in her first SPS competition, it also eclipsed the Andover pool record of 246.7. On March 5, Kirkman put an exclamation point on her season, claiming the 2025 D1 New England Diving Championship title.

For all her success in and beyond the pool, though, training with her swim teammates was a new experience for Kirkman. “I have never really been a swimmer, and for someone who had just come out of a pretty intense endurance sport, I was surprised by how hard swimming laps was,” she says. “But it’s been great learning a new sport.”

by the numbers: SPS Varsity Swimming and Diving

1

SEASON of competition for the varsity Swimming and Diving team

11 FOOT-DEEP diving well in the Ma Pool

25

1-11-25

THE DATE of the first varsity swim meet at St. Paul’s School against Milton Academy

291

POINTS POSTED by diver Milly Kirkman ’25 to shatter the Andover Pool Record of 246.7

3

YARDS, the length of SPS’s regulation-size pool (plus 1" for the timing system’s touch pads)

COACHES : Science Teachers Mike Carroll and Nick Babladelis and Math Teacher Laura Hrasky P’18

32

ATHLETES on the team, hailing from TN, NH, NJ, CT, CA, VT, TX, FL, NC, CT and NY plus Italy, China, Spain and Hong Kong

10

MEETS in the inaugural season against teams from Andover, Exeter, Milton, Groton (twice), Austin Prep, Thayer, Berwick, Winsor and Deerfield

TELLING THE BEST STORY THAT IS TRUE

Award-winning filmmaker Sarah Burns ’00 discusses her latest documentary on Leonardo da Vinci, the art of storytelling and what comes next

IAN ALDRICH

Sa rah Burns ’00 didn’t set out to be a filmmaker. Yes, as the daughter of Ken Burns, arguably the most acclaimed documentary filmmaker in the world, she wasn’t unfamiliar with the business. Burns often tagged along to high-profile screenings, and flatbed film editing tables were as much part of the furniture at the family home in Walpole, New Hampshire, as were chairs and couches.

In college at Yale, a deep interest in civil rights put her on a path toward law school. She sat for the LSAT, and after graduating with a degree in American studies, Burns took a research job at a small civil rights law firm in New York City. But she was obsessed by the overlooked story of the Central Park Five (the five Black and Latino teenagers from Harlem who were wrongly convicted of raping a white female jogger in Manhattan’s Central Park in 1989 and served 7-13 years in prison). It had been the subject of her college thesis. While working at the law firm, she began writing a book. And when she still felt there was something else to say, she turned to a familiar medium. For all the acclaim Burns’ 2012 film received — it was named Best Non-Fiction Film by the New York Film Critics Circle and won a 2013 Peabody Award — the opportunity to fully bring to screen the faces and voices of the men the documentary is about meant the most to the filmmaker.

“Filming those five men and giving them a platform to tell their own stories was a powerful way to continue that project,” says Burns, who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and creative partner, David McMahon, and their two children. Today, working under the umbrella of her father’s production company, Florentine Films, Burns and McMahon have overseen the production of five documentaries, including their latest, a two-part, four-hour series on Leonardo da Vinci that debuted on PBS in November 2024. We recently caught up with the ever-busy Burns, who was fresh off a press tour for “Leonardo da Vinci” even as she was knee-deep into her next project.

[This interview has been edited and condensed.]

What’s your relationship with a film after it is shared with the public?

It can feel a little strange because of all the time we put into our films. But now it has this life in the world — it’s not ours anymore. It’s in schools, it’s streaming, and people are watching it and enjoying it. And that’s the point, that’s the intention, for people to experience it, but that means you just have to let go of it.

Is that hard?

A little bit, but at that point we’re also ready to be on to the next thing, too.

In terms of subject matter, Leonardo da Vinci was a different kind of topic for Florentine Films. What compelled you to focus on him?

The films that we’ve made in the past have been American stories, even those that have gone overseas in some way. The stories we’ve been telling were not subjects that I necessarily knew a lot about, but I understood something about their context. I didn’t know a lot about Muhammad Ali, for example, other than what everybody knows, but I did understand something about America in the 20th century. But the more we thought about Leonardo, the more we were like, Why not? Ultimately, we are just drawn to a good story, and here is a man whose curiosity and drive to understand everything about everything is really inspiring. His powers of observation, that sense that you should step outside and just look more closely at everything around you — that’s something I hope we can all learn something from.

What challenges came with making a film about someone who lived in the 15th century?

Photographs and footage obviously don’t exist, so we really had to rethink how to visually tell the story. Ultimately, that gave us a chance to step outside of the rules we’ve typically followed and that was really exciting. It meant finding ways to show Leonardo da Vinci’s powers of observation, his lateral thinking, the way that he compared these sort of thematic ideas and patterns that he

found in nature. So we explored things with the animation, the use of 20th-century found footage, MRI scans, and things inside the human body and other abstract elements which, when you put them all together, allowed us to imagine what it might be like to be inside his head. It’s a film that feels and looks and sounds really different from anything we’ve done before.

How does a film typically come together for you?

We usually start by doing a lot of reading and then figure out who we want to interview and who might be a good adviser for the project. All that reading and interview preparation really helps us get to know the subject. And that process of research and learning continues, really, until we finish the film. We also bring in the advisers and others to give us feedback as we’re editing.

Our editors are also really important creative partners in helping us think about how we want to tell the story. We’ll dedicate three-plus years, sometimes more, to learning about the subject, finding out how to tell the story, and then wrestling with all that material to figure out how to best communicate that narrative.

Whether it’s Leonardo or the Central Park Five, for many viewers, your films represent the most amount of time they’ll spend learning about these subjects. What do you think about that, and does that impact how you approach your work?

We’re storytellers, and so it’s about trying to synthesize all of this information and tell the best story that is true, that is accurate, that is responsible, and that the historians or art historians or experts can say, yes, you’ve captured this person or this subject accurately. But ultimately, our audience is meant to be a broad one. We want to make something that is accessible. Even a fourhour film on Leonardo seems long, but it’s actually very short compared to the amount of information you could include.

You grew up in this business. I’m curious why you felt it a calling to become a filmmaker?

When I went to Yale, I was planning to major in film studies, not because I wanted to be a documentary filmmaker but because I was interested in film theory. I didn’t love it, though, and switched my major to American studies, completely missing the irony that I had just switched from the medium of film to the content of my dad’s work. But I loved the classes. And then I wrote my thesis about the Central Park Five case. Even then, I didn’t feel like I was done with that story.

I don’t even remember the moment when we decided to make a film — it just seemed so obvious that that was a thing we needed to do. I’ve always been interested in and frustrated by injustice; in another life, I might’ve become a civil rights lawyer. And sure, I could quote them in a book, but here was a chance for these men to tell their own story. I got hooked on that, and I loved the collaborative nature of the filmmaking process. The opportunity to work with all these other people to figure out how to put this puzzle together is something I really like. Telling the stories is just a different way of trying to address some of the injustices in our society.

You work very closely with your husband and father. How does that partnership get negotiated? Somehow it just works. Dave and I write together. [Laughs] Obviously, we don’t literally sit at the computer and write together — I think that would be truly crazy. We divide a script up into different sections and scenes, edit each other’s work and then put it all together. My dad is usually working on a few projects at once, so he’s not involved every single day on a project the way we are, but depending on what we’re doing, he’ll do some of the interviews. Then, when we get into the edit room, we sit down together with our other creative partners and begin to make decisions. It actually goes amazingly smoothly. No one raises a voice. There are certainly times when we don’t all agree on everything, but in some ways, I think having three directors works well because if everybody else agrees that this is the way we need to change it, it’s easier to say, okay, I’ll let go of that one.

As a filmmaker, what do you see when you look at your father’s early work, like his 1981 directorial debut “Brooklyn Bridge”?

Oh, that’s interesting. He really invented a style of telling when it comes to these historical stories, and yet it’s certainly evolved. The films that we make now don’t look or feel like his early films, or even his mid-career films. The pacing is very different. The older films are slower; there’s a bit more open space in them to, say, hear the music. If you take a film like “Muhammad Ali,” for example, from 2021, it’s just denser and moves faster than those older films.

Given the level of commitment to your work, how do you know when you’re done?

We have a timeline set from early on so we have a sense of, okay, we’ll start editing here, and then we’ll give ourselves this amount of time to actually do the edit. But we also have the luxury of having a long time to work on our projects, and that allows us to get to a point where we feel pretty finished. George Carlisle, a wonderful teacher at St. Paul’s who advised me on an independent project, loved to repeat the idea that a work of art is never finished, it’s only abandoned. I think maybe there’s something to that. We could keep working on these films but you do reach a point where it’s time to share it and let others have their own experience with what you’ve created.

What other important seeds were planted for you at St. Paul’s?

I had a real intellectual awakening there. I took a film class with Dr. MacNeil that was just fantastic. There was a required religion class called Encountering Faith that was incredible. In another course, I read John Berger’s book, “Ways of Seeing,” which had a huge impact on me. I just remember it being a very thought-provoking place to go to school.

What’s your next project?

We’re still in the very beginning stages, and like everything we do, it will be another three or four years before it’s finished, but it’s actually a series that my dad has wanted to do for a very long time, really since the [1990] Civil War film, and in many ways it’s a sequel to that. It’s a film we’re calling “Emancipation to Exodus” and it’s about the Black experience in America from emancipation into the beginning of the Great Migration. It’s a big, intimidating and complicated story. In the past we’ve done a number of biographies where it’s relatively straightforward because you generally know what the timeline is, but this feels much more infinite in terms of the possible stories to tell and elements to include.

How so?

We are looking not just for the stories that have risen to the surface because someone wrote a beautiful memoir, or someone became well known for their great successes or contributions, but also the stories that depict a more everyday, bottom-up experience. Which is a challenge, because a lot of those people did not leave behind as much for us to retell their stories.

How do you navigate being a white filmmaker telling stories about Black communities?

When I started telling the story of the Central Park Five, I was certainly aware, but it felt like it was a story that needed to be told, and no one else was doing it, so I just kind of jumped in and those five men, for whatever reason, decided to trust me with their stories.

We think about it a lot now, how to make sure that our team has the kind of variety of perspectives and diversity that helps us tell the stories when we are addressing something like structural inequality, racism, telling stories about the Black experience. It’s really important to have advisers and team members who can help us, who can be part of that storytelling and make sure that we’re getting it right.

Ultimately, Black stories are American stories; racism and structural inequalities are so embedded in the American experience that if you’re telling American stories and you’re not telling those stories, you’re not doing it right.

Sarah Burns ’00 (c.) with husband and creative partner David McMahon (l.) and her father, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.

A Delicate Balance

STEWARDING SPECIAL PLACES FOR THE FUTURE

At the intersection of the natural and built environments, these SPS alumni are among those who have dedicated their professional lives to preserving, conserving and stewarding sites of local and national significance for future generations.

JANA F. BROWN

Each September, illuminated dinosaurs (including a life-size T. rex) romp through a field full of sunflowers, a towering Statue of Liberty, a working carousel and a menagerie of wildlife. They exist alongside giant spiders (and even bigger webs), skeletons, a Headless Horseman and other surprises. It’s all in the name of haunted enchantment — and historic preservation.

These disparate images come together in New York’s Hudson Valley at a Halloween-themed extravaganza called the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, better known as “the Blaze” by the locals who frequent the annual event. Even more impressive is that every one of the spookified creations is constructed from pumpkins, more than 7,000 of them, and handcrafted by a team of on-site carvers. Fittingly, the Blaze, which celebrated its 20th season in 2024, takes place at Van Cortlandt Manor in Crotonon-Hudson, a National Historic Landmark nestled within New York’s Sleepy Hollow region. It’s one of five sites managed by the nonprofit Historic Hudson Valley (HHV) and its president, Waddell Stillman ’79.

Historic sites like the ones he oversees, explains Stillman, serve as a window to times and places gone by, and offer not only a glimpse into how people lived, what landscapes looked like, or how they were valued, but how their preservation informs the future. The Blaze, which runs for several days beyond All Hallows’ Eve (and gave rise to a sister event on Long Island in 2020), is a multi-milliondollar fundraiser for the preservation and education activities of HHV that attracts close to 200,000 visitors a year.

While a preservationist at heart, Stillman also notes the importance of contemporary visitor experiences in lending significance to the historic places he helps to maintain.

“Keeping these sites open and accessible to the public is crucial, even as it means some level of wear and tear,” says Stillman, who has served as president of HHV since 1999. “They are actually like pieces of a foreign country, even though they’re in communities where people live. Visiting them is like crossing a bridge to the past.”

Stillman is one of many St. Paul’s School alumni whose career paths have prioritized the preservation and stewardship of historic and natural resources. Though their specific roles may differ, the SPS graduates are each dedicated to conserving and protecting important places, from national parks to historic sites to forestlands.

Washington Irving’s Sunnyside on the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York. PHOTO: Jaime Martorano

PROTECTION AND ACCESSIBILITY

In his work with Historic Hudson Valley, Stillman notes a delicate balancing act between heritage tourism and protecting those links to the past. Charged with overseeing the nonprofit network of National Historic Landmark sites along the Hudson River (Philipsburg Manor; Washington Irving’s Sunnyside; Kykuit, The Rockefeller Estate; and Union Church of Pocantico Hills in addition to Van Cortlandt Manor), he must consider that balance daily.

“These sites have long shaped the identity of their communities,” Stillman says. “For example, the Village of Sleepy Hollow, New York, is just a generic place without Washington Irving and ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,’ which lends its name and its character. Without that, it’s just another American crossroads with a 7-Eleven.”

Stillman’s objective, and that of HHV, is simple: to celebrate the history, landscape and culture of the Hudson River Valley, advancing its importance and thereby ensuring its preservation. He works daily to make earned revenue a hallmark of how HHV balances its budget. Capitalizing on the region’s already enhanced fixation on Halloween — thanks largely to the popularity of Irving’s 1820 short story about the revenge tour of the ghostly Headless Horseman — Stillman has been able to find that funding through the Blaze. The money it generates has allowed him to launch reinterpreted informative programs — at Philipsburg Manor (supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant), for example, the focus shifted from

sharing the Dutch-English origins of New York with exhibits on farm life and blacksmithing to illustrating the history of slavery in the Colonial North.

Stillman is deeply committed to preserving history, culture and community identity in ways that educate and engage people, especially about difficult topics. His drive stems from a belief in the power of the past to shape and inform the present. When he became president of HHV, the topic of slavery and its local story was essentially unexplored, but building those connections between people and natural/historic places is vital for long-term preservation of both the sites and the knowledge, he explains.

“If you’d gone to the [Manor] in 1750, you’d have found 23 enslaved Africans,” Stillman says, “so the educational and cultural power of turning the focus on that story and partnering with the National Endowment for the Humanities to do so has inadvertently become my life’s work.”

Stillman’s work to preserve the historic buildings, landscapes, artifacts and their history, while also making them accessible and interesting to the public, creates challenges that resemble those encountered by Ashley Adams ’96, a longtime National Park Service (NPS) employee who currently serves as the superintendent of Great Basin National Park in Nevada. A key part of Adams’ role is navigating the complex tradeoffs between protecting the environment and allowing public use of the parks.

“Particularly for the most flagship parks, it’s about figuring out how to appropriately manage visitation,” Adams says, adding that the number of visitors to Great Basin, established in 1986, has doubled over the last decade to about 140,000 per year.

“IT’S ABOUT WHO WE ARE ... THAT WE VALUE THESE BUILDINGS LEFT TO US BY PRIOR GENERATIONS, AND EVEN AS WE ADAPT THEM TO CURRENT USE, WE FIND WAYS FOR BOTH PRESERVING AND EXTENDING THE HERITAGE WE’VE RECEIVED.”

“I’m passionate about wanting people to be able to come and experience these spectacular places. At the same time, we need to balance how we keep that a good experience for visitors with protecting the resources.”

How to protect resources also is a focus for Jamie Rosen ’88, who has been an attorney for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) for 26 years, representing the U.S. Forest Service and specializing in matters involving the nexus between timber harvest, wildlife conservation, fire management and ecological restoration. Among his responsibilities is advising the Forest Service on legal compliance with laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. He also helps facilitate the Forest Service’s efforts to actively manage forests, reduce fire risks and balance environmental protection with public use of national forests.

Waddell Stillman ’79, president of Historic Hudson Valley.

While his job is exclusive to management of resources on public land, Rosen recognizes the risks to private lands adjacent to the national forests, where climate change and increasing fire hazard make such areas vulnerable to catastrophic environmental events.

“My job is to help the Forest Service facilitate the process of managing the landscape to increase forest health, reduce fire hazard and, along the way, provide benefits for wildlife and communities around the forest,” he explains. Rosen’s work includes the challenge of how to manage protection and enjoyment of the national forests with the variety of uses those forests are designed to provide under the Forest Service’s “multiple use” mandate.

“One of the most difficult areas of balance and competing uses I work on is how to balance the needs of old forest species, like the California spotted owl and Pacific fisher, which require areas of dense forest,” Rosen says, “with the need to reduce the risk of catastrophic fires, which requires the thinning of dense forests.”

BECOMING STEWARDS

Throughout their lives, all three alumni have developed an appreciation for protecting resources, whether physical or environmental. As the son of a school administrator (P. Gordon Stillman ’36), Waddell Stillman recognized at a young age the necessity of understanding how institutions run as economic entities. Based on that desire to learn, he decided to pair his undergraduate degree in American history from Yale with an MBA from Harvard. Stillman was only 29 years old in 1992 when he took what he thought would be a two-year assignment with Historic Hudson Valley, which has turned into a mission of more than three decades — so far. He still lights up when he talks about his work.

“I love architecture, historic preservation and the ability to understand history through artifacts, including landscapes and buildings, as well as more traditional curatorial collections,” he says.

The spark to such a fulfilling career began in Millville. During his Fourth Form year, Stillman began advocating for the refurbishment of the Chapel of St. Paul, the oldest building on campus, and as a Sixth Form wrote about it for the summer 1979 issue of Alumni Horae.

“I hadn’t recalled that my advocacy of historic preservation and adaptive re-use dated back to the age of 16 at SPS,” he says, but that article “thoroughly foreshadows my life’s work and documents the original instincts that still motivate me. It’s about who we are as individuals and a community that we value these buildings left to us by prior generations, and even as we adapt them to current use, we find ways for both preserving and extending the heritage we’ve received.”

A native of Montana, Adams grew up spending summers working and living in Glacier National Park, where her father was a seasonal park ranger. She studied human biology with a concentration in wildlife biology at Stanford and worked as a backcountry ranger in Glacier for several summers. During her undergraduate work, Adams had the opportunity to conduct research on lemurs at a national park in Madagascar. “It was an amazing experience that really brought home that conservation is a luxury,” she says. Adams then pursued a master’s in environmental management at Duke, focusing on wilderness management and landscape-scale conservation.

Her close connection to the outdoors and NPS were formative experiences that continue to define Adams.

TOP AND ABOVE: Ashley Adams ’96, superintendent of Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

WHEN AND WHAT TO PRESERVE

John Winthrop Aldrich ’61 retired as a deputy commissioner for historic preservation in the state of New York after serving 20 years as a special assistant to six succesive commissioners of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He offers the following note:

Historic preservation (like its analog natural resource conservation) has emerged over the past 75 years as an objective of public and private action. This has happened in order to develop a broader community awareness of the value to society of that which survives from the past and to shape a purpose for a resource’s fitting use going forward. Whereas 150 years ago such concern might have been limited to a building or battlefield associated with a single historical individual, our approach today is more in the nature of exemplifying aspects of cultural heritage.

The better the community understands that which came before, the better it will build a future that is intelligently integrated with, and in sympathy with, its past. While it would be foolish and fruitless to say that every structure that is old or landscape that is undisturbed deserves to be preserved, an approach of identifying districts for documentation and designation has evolved which allows for flexibility of management within a general coherence of character and significance. This has been done successfully in countless urban residential neighborhoods and less frequently in rural agricultural landscapes.

Another driver of historic preservation that has come to the fore in recent years: the need to recognize and respect the energy invested in a building’s original construction and avoid wasting it by expending more in demolition and then more still in constructing anew on that site. This has helped institutionalize a commitment to adaptive reuse and recycling of structures and has empowered the hugely successful programs of commercial historic preservation investment tax credit now in statute at the state and federal levels.

Some of her earliest memories involve hiking the trails of Glacier National Park, and Adams also recalls giving her first interpretative program on huckleberries to park visitors at age five. Prior to being appointed superintendent at Great Basin in January 2024, Adams served as deputy superintendent of Nez Perce National Historical Park in Idaho, Whitman Mission National Historic Site in Washington, and Big Hole National Battlefield in Montana. She also has worked for the Bureau of Land Management as the monument manager for Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument in California.

In her work at Great Basin, she considers herself a steward and an educator, weighing the protection of natural resources against the increasing levels of visitation. “It’s wonderful that the parks are so well loved, but you can love a resource to death,” she says. “So how do you balance that?” Adams and her team work hard to define areas where higher levels of visitation are acceptable versus areas that warrant more protection. “For example, we’re not going to put a paved road into the heart of the park,” she says. Adams emphasizes that, at Great Basin, they also use

education and infrastructure to guide visitor behavior and minimize impacts, including the use of boardwalks in sensitive areas. She simultaneously is aware of the importance of integrating the needs of both conservation and recreation, recognizing that, to become future stewards, people must experience these places for themselves. In addition, Adams must address challenges ranging from a critical shortage of affordable housing near national parks that makes it difficult to maintain optimal staffing levels, to invasive species to changing climate conditions, and aging infrastructure and facilities.

“We try to engineer solutions,” she says, “that make it easier for visitors to do the right thing in terms of protecting the resources. The most important thing is for people to care and for upcoming generations to build that connection to the landscape, to our shared stories and our shared history, and become those future stewards.”

While Rosen’s role within the scope of conservation efforts differs from those of Stillman and Adams, he shares their mission from the legal side. Like Adams, Rosen’s career path began in his youth. The Scarsdale, New York, native grew up interested in the outdoors, spending summers at camps in Maine and Colorado. Rosen came to St. Paul’s as a Fourth Former, where he was a member of the Outing Club and the Ecology Club, both of which spurred his enthusiasm for environmental protection.

“I was in love with natural spaces and concerned about their plight and the plight of species around the world,” he says. “That continued to grow at St. Paul’s. I went on this kick where I read a book called ‘The Tracker’ by Tom Brown, which also kindled my interest in more environmental protection and knowing the land and survival skills. I had lofty ambitions; I wanted to save the world.”

As an undergraduate at Dartmouth, Rosen majored in government and environmental studies and served as president of the popular Dartmouth Outing Club. He also produced “The Dartmouth Outing Guide,” which remains in circulation. After graduating, he worked various outdoor jobs, including stints as a mountaineering instructor and spotted owl field biologist. When it came time to determine which path would lead him to a role as a changemaker in environmental protection, Rosen chose to pursue a joint degree in forestry and natural resource law at University of California, Berkeley. In 2024, his two and a half decades specializing in Forest Service matters earned him the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Muskie-Chafee Award. The distinction honors federal employees who, through their work and dedication, have made significant contributions toward protecting the environment. As senior counsel for the Office of the General Counsel, Rosen’s only client is the U.S. Forest Service, for whom he advises and litigates on natural resource forest management issues.

A committed advocate, Rosen outlines several key obstacles to forest management and protection, including decades of fire suppression that has led to an overgrowth

of trees and a dense underlayer that causes trees to compete for water; a legacy of timber harvesting that has altered the species of trees in the forest and replaced them with less fire-resistant ones; warmer and drier conditions caused by climate change; and well-meaning regulations that have hampered proactive public policy.

Rosen is working to help the Forest Service increase the pace and scale of active forest management, including reducing tree densities and reintroducing fire as an ecological process; streamlining environmental regulations to increase efficiency; and continuing to build trust in government agencies like the Forest Service to be responsible stewards of the land.

“A lot of environmental laws are based on the precautionary principle that you don’t do anything until you’re sure the effects will not be adverse,” Rosen explains. “But that notion is based on a benign status quo, and we don’t have a benign status quo. My goal is to try to increase the efficiency with which the Forest Service can actively manage the land to improve ecological conditions and serve the public interest.”

COMMITTED ADVOCATES

Looking ahead, Rosen expresses optimism about opportunities for balancing timber management with environmental stewardship through active management that produces social and economic benefits. Adams, for her part, is optimistic about the ability of the next generation to become stewards of natural landscapes. Stillman is heartened by the potential of historic sites and heritage tourism to inspire empathy, understanding and a broader perspective beyond the present, believing these places can help people see beyond themselves and connect to the struggles and achievements of the past.

Protected sites, natural or built, will need to continue offering meaningful experiences to visitors to ensure their future preservation and management. The key will remain finding the right balance between protection and access that allows the public to build connection and stewardship. The trio acknowledges that this will continue

to require creative solutions and education.

“We have to earn our way into establishing usefulness to our visitors,” Stillman says. “When they come, we must give them an intriguing experience that captures their attention. If we don’t do that, we endanger the historic places we preserve because we have to convince every new generation of their importance.”

BALANCING PROTECTION WITH BUILDING EXPANSION

Emily Blackmer ’08 hasn’t yet crossed paths with Jamie Rosen ’88, but her work as director of government affairs at Sierra Business Council (SBC) is related. The nonprofit seeks to advance the social, economic and environmental well-being of the vast Sierra Nevada region of California, and it’s Blackmer’s job to lead the organization’s policy advocacy and engagement work at the state level in collaboration with other public and private organizations. Much like they are for Rosen, wildfire risk

and forest health are top priorities for Blackmer, along with the affordable housing issue identified by Ashely Adams ’96. In recent years, the protection mission has intersected with the critical need for building and expansion to accommodate workers in the region. How to balance those priorities is something Blackmer contemplates as an advocate for public policy as an avenue for positive change.

“I’d prioritize building and expansion that serves a public benefit ... because not all

building is right for a particular location,” Blackmer notes. “We recognize that things need to be built, and things will change. That’s a critical component of the economy, especially in tourism-driven regions. But how can we build within our so-called urban perimeter and increase the density of those areas, make them more walkable, make them more multi-use, without expanding our development outward from the urban center into what we call the ‘wildland urban interface?’”

Jamie Rosen ’88, attorney for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the General Counsel.

Exchange Program Celebrates 75 Years of Partnership

St. Paul’s School welcomes Seikei School leaders to Millville

KATE DUNLOP

La st fall, a delegation from Seikei Junior Senior High School in Tokyo, Japan, visited St. Paul’s S chool to celebrate a 75-year exchange program between the two schools that has fostered global understanding and cooperation, and to honor the young people who built the relationship that began in the aftermath of World War II. Three students from Seikei currently study at SPS, continuing the tradition of cross-cultural friendships grounded in mutual respect and curiosity.

In welcoming Principal Naoto Senda and two Seikei educators during chapel on Oct. 24, Rector Kathy Giles painted a vivid picture of the program’s origins.

“For the past 75 years and through all the astonishing winds of change that have battered the world, the SeikeiSt. Paul’s partnership has remained a steady beacon of generosity, understanding and optimism,” she said. “This long partnership founded on one generous idea in a world ravaged by war has given rise to decades of goodwill and mutual inspiration.”

In post-war America, Giles explained, Sixth Rector Henry Crocker Kittredge was at the helm of St. Paul’s

School in a “shocked, shaken yet victorious” country that was rebuilding itself as an international force. He felt the imperative of emphasizing goodness, ethics and global citizenship as part of the School’s pedagogy and wrote to the Board of Trustees in 1948: “If the School is to do its duty in preparing American [students] for the kind of life into which they will emerge, we must give them every opportunity to associate at close range and for considerable periods of time with [students] of other nationalities.”

Meanwhile, Minoru “Ben” Makihara ’50 was living in occupied Tokyo after laboring on a farm with little food throughout the war. His situation then was a far cry from his early years: Makihara was born in London and lived in England until his family returned to Japan in the face of rising tensions.

I n 1949, Makihara courageously accepted Rector Kittredge’s invitation and became the first in a long line of Seikei students to bring the world to St. Paul’s School. Among his new peers were some whose parents had been killed by Japanese soldiers, The New York Times noted in Makihara’s 2020 obituary, but “they still welcomed him

The Seikei Junior Senior High School delegation with Rector Kathy Giles and current Seikei Scholars. Back row: Seikei educators Hidekazu Tomitsuka and Matthew Wright. Middle: Tamaki Nakajima ’25 and Rector Giles. Front: Principal Naoto Senda, Raya Yuguchi ’26 and Yuki Nosaka ’27.

with a warmth that ‘left a deep impression’ and inspired a lifelong fondness for the country.” Makihara graduated from Harvard in 1954 and in 1956 returned to Japan, where he rose to president and CEO of Mitsubishi; he remained a lifelong champion of U.S.-Japan relations.

In chapel, Principal Senda described himself as “overjoyed” to be at SPS, sharing his eagerness to see the SPS lives of the current Seikei students. “Please take care of them … exchanging students is a valuable experience and I believe it is a turning point in one’s life,” he said. “St. Paul’s has supported this relationship by opening an amazing educational environment and school life for such a long time. It is because of these actions … that this relationship has continued to be strong and we’re very grateful … I pray for the happiness of everyone here. … we look forward with hope for the continued partnership between St. Paul’s and Seikei in the future.”

observing Nakajima in her math and Chinese classes, Senda was pleased that she was actively participating and making eye contact.

“It must be pretty common in the U.S., but that ability to speak up in class, to share your opinions with everybody without fearing what other people are going to say — her confidence to do that is the first thing I noticed,” Senda said. “The second is when she showed me her research on the DNA of wheat and talked about wanting to contribute to the understanding of the global society … I was deeply moved that she’s already started to accomplish her goal of effecting change on a bigger scale.”

“THIS LONG PARTNERSHIP FOUNDED ON ONE GENEROUS IDEA IN A WORLD RAVAGED BY WAR HAS GIVEN RISE TO DECADES OF GOODWILL AND MUTUAL INSPIRATION.”

Senda has been the principal at Seikei for four years, and it was his first visit to SPS, but he has long been aware of the exchange, which has been the core of Seikei’s international programming — he graduated from the school 50 years ago. A history teacher before entering administration, he is dedicated to strengthening Seikei’s offerings through internal and study abroad programs as well as expanding the number of students who can study abroad.

“International understanding has been a key focus of Seikei and the pioneer of that was Makihara. That communication between SPS and Seikei has really underpinned everything at Seikei since the end of World War II,” Senda said. “Makihara’s accomplishments have always been at the forefront of our beliefs and our thoughts, our philosophy of the school, and it’s always going to remain that way. His experience was a pillar for us to build upon and to stack the new levels of study abroad and international education offerings.”

To be considered for the exchange, Seikei students go through a rigorous selection process that ensures they understand the history and significance of the program. The school provides language training and helps students set goals for their time in Millville. Those who return from the School share impactful experiences, Senda said, citing Kanon Noguchi ’23. She studied at SPS in 2020-21, then combined her interest in urban planning with her experiences at SPS to write a thesis that paved the way for her admission to the University of Tokyo, Japan’s top school. “She was only able to produce that thesis because of her time at SPS,” Senda said.

During their visit, Senda and his colleagues — Hidekazu Tomitsuka, English teacher and International Committee head, and Matthew Wright, adviser and college counselor — toured the grounds and spent time with Seikei Scholars Tamaki Nakajima ’25, Raya Yuguchi ’26 and Yuki Nosaka ’27. After

Th ough an SPS student has not studied at Seikei since the COVID-19 pandemic, Senda looks forward to welcoming the next one to do so. Both he and Giles see the exchange as an important model for international understanding and friendship, and they share a hope that the relationship between the schools will continue to grow and have a positive impact on the broader relationship between the U.S. and Japan.

“[Our] partnership has proved … that global citizenship can thrive in an atmosphere of mutual respect,” Giles said. “Despite the technological advances that make a semester or a year away from home easier than what … the earliest Seikei scholars experienced, it still takes courage to step away from what is known and immerse oneself in a new language, a new place and new ways of being. Most importantly, it still takes courage to get past the fear of difference, to invest in the personal relationships that ultimately build trust and respect among peoples. … We look forward to continuing to create global citizens and leaders who understand the value of respect, friendship and mutual cooperation.”

This spring, Giles will visit Seikei School to celebrate on Japanese soil the extraordinary friendship that has endured for three-quarters of a century.

Principal Naoto Senda attended Chinese class with Tamaki Nakajima ’25.

THE INVENTIVE LIFE OF GEORGE H. MCFADDEN: ARCHAEOLOGIST, POET, SCHOLAR, SPY

Richard Carreño Camino Books, Sept. 2024

On April 19, 1953, George McFadden II of the Form of 1926, a lifelong sailor, went out with a friend in a boat that capsized. Although his friend was able to swim to shore, McFadden drowned at age 45. His body was never found. There are questions.

Richard Carreño’s biography traces the short, compelling life of McFadden, the son of one of Philadelphia’s wealthiest and most prominent families. It continues to Cyprus and the Kourion dig, where McFadden reinvented himself as an archaeologist with the University of Pennsylvania’s excavations of ancient Greek and Roman treasures. He created a new life there, replete with a gracious villa and yacht, as a respected figure in the local community. When World War II broke out, he moved from Germany to France, Greece and Egypt,

INTERVIEW WITH CARREÑO

where he faced down the Nazi war machine as an American spy. He volunteered his yacht for government service, ferrying assets in secret across the Mediterranean. McFadden also found time for work as a poet and classical scholar, creating his own translation of Homer’s “Iliad.” His death threw the future of the Kourion dig into doubt, and left his exploits as a spy buried. For the first time, “The Inventive Life of George McFadden” brings his story to light. [Adapted from book description.]

THE MEDIATRICIAN’S GUIDE

Michael Rich ’72

Harper Horizon, Feb. 2024

In this holistic approach, Dr. Michael Rich ’72 empowers parents to guide their children toward smart and healthy digital choices with straightforward instructions and actionable advice they can customize for their family’s needs. Known as the “Mediatrician” due to his acclaimed work as a pediatrician, child health researcher and children’s media specialist, Rich presents a compassionate and realistic look at the reality of growing up in a screen-saturated world. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, says the book “offer[s] seasoned and sensible guardrails as we all enter this brave new world together” and John Battelle, cofounder of WIRED magazine, calls it “[a] thoughtful, timely and entertaining overview of what it means to grow up immersed in a world of digital ubiquity.” [Adapted from book description.]

A BEAUTIFUL ENDING

John Jefferies Martin ’70 Yale University Press, May 2022

John Jefferies Martin ’70, professor and former chair of the Department of History at Duke University, offers an award-winning historian’s revisionary account of the early modern world, showing how apocalyptic ideas stimulated political, religious and intellectual transformations.

In this revelatory immersion into the apocalyptic, messianic and millenarian ideas and movements that created the modern world, Martin performs a kind of empathic time travel, entering into the psyche, spirituality and temporalities of a cast of historical actors in profound moments of discovery. He argues that religious faith — Christian, Jewish and Muslim — did not oppose but rather fostered the making of a modern scientific spirit, buoyed along by a providential view of history and nature, and a deep conviction in the coming End of the World.

Through thoughtful attention to the primary sources, Martin re-reads the Renaissance, excavating a religious foundation at the core of even the most radical empirical thinking. Familiar icons like Ibn Khaldūn, Columbus, Isaac Luria and Francis Bacon emerge fresh and newly gleaned, agents of a history formerly untold and of a modern world made in the image of its imminent end.

Yale University Press recognized Martin’s work with the Pelikan Award, a biannual prize of $5,000 to a distinguished book on religion published by the Press. [Adapted from book description.]

PONTIAC

Jim Schutze ’64

Deep Vellum, Sept. 2024

It’s 1960 when the fictional St. Philip’s School opens its doors to its first scholarship student: young Woodrow Skaggs from Pontiac, Michigan, the tough, rough-edged son of an autoworker.

Things do not go smoothly. And yet in their awkward, often violent attempts to figure each other out, the boys of St. Philip’s also provide a window to better times ahead. Told through memories, vignettes, letters and compelling conversation, the novel “Pontiac” sees journalist and author Jim Schutze ’64 bring a keen and empathetic eye to the evolutions of culture in the 20th century.

In his review for The Financial Times, Tomoé Hill notes that “Pontiac” evokes the voyeuristic psychological styles of Richard Yates, Evan S. Connell and Fleur Jaeggy in its unsentimental dissection. “Schutze writes in minimalistic prose, capturing emotional detail with a journalistic eye … with full and nuanced character studies, rendering ‘Pontiac’ a beautiful, if at times difficult, telling of a young man’s formative and privileged school days.”

S chutze is retired from a decades-long career as a newspaper columnist writing about local politics in Dallas, Texas. He is the author of “The Accommodation,” about race relations in Dallas; “Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge” (a major motion picture distributed by Lions Gate Films); and five other nonfiction titles. [Adapted from book description.]

THE DELIVERANCE

David Coggeshall ’94, co-writer Netflix, Sept. 2024

David Coggeshall ’94 is a writer and producer known for “Orphan: First Kill,” “The Family Plan” and now, “The Deliverance,” directed by Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels (“Precious”) and starring Andra Day, Glenn Close, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Mo’Nique. Ebony Jackson, a struggling single mother fighting her personal demons, moves her family into a new home for a fresh start. But when strange occurrences inside the home raise the suspicions of Child Protective Services and threaten to tear the family apart, Ebony soon finds herself locked in a battle for her life and the souls of her children. This genre-defying take on darkness, possession and finding a higher power is inspired by a true story. [Adapted from film description.]

BEBOP KALEIDOSCOPE — HOMAGE TO DUKE ELLINGTON

Augusta Read Thomas ’82, composer Commissioned by the NY Philharmonic, premiered at Lincoln Center Sept. 2024

Described on the website of Augusta Read Thomas ’82, whose work Astral Canticle was one of two finalists for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Music, Bebop Kaleidoscope — Homage to Duke Ellington is an eight-and-a-half minute celebration of the jazz great’s “imagination, joy, love, swing, soul, energy, great chords (as if he had seven fingers on each hand!), rich chord progressions, tight big-band-splashchords, the use of brass mutes, the highlighting of soloists within the band, and the sheer beating-heart-inner-life of the music.”

George Grella wrote in New York Classical Review that “Thomas’s piece had the feeling of a long prelude, a loping series of short, rhythmically tricky, sharply accented phrases,

YOU’RE CORDIALLY INVITED

Nicholas Stoller ’94, writer/co-producer/director Amazon, MGM Studios, January 2025

“You’re Cordially Invited” stars Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Geraldine Viswanathan, Meredith Hagner and Jimmy Tatro. The comedy tells the tale of a bride (Viswanathan) and her father (Ferrell) who discover their dream wedding venue has been double booked for another bride (Hagner) and her weddingplanner sister (Witherspoon).

Nicholas Stoller ’94 wrote, directed and produced the film. Stoller wrote, directed and produced “Bros” in 2022; wrote and directed the 2010 “Get Him to the Greek” and directed the 2008 comedy “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” He also wrote “The Muppets” and directed the Seth Rogen comedy “Neighbors,” among other credits [Adapted from film description.]

digging downward before the next one bounced [back] up. It was a skillful, imaginative atomizing of bebop phraseology, structured in a way that the music seemed to be in the constant process of becoming something else … fascinating, and the bright, metallic colors of the orchestration were stimulating, the energy propulsive.”

Squash on a Grand Stage Tradition with a Twist

On Jan. 29, friends and supporters of SPS squash joined Board of Trustees President David Scully ’79, P’21 and Rector Kathy Giles courtside at the women’s semifinal round of the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. At a reception afterward, attendees were able to view early plans for the world-class squash training and competition center SPS seeks to build adjacent to the Athletic and Fitness Center. The new squash center will honor the School’s athletic heritage by positioning SPS squash as an international destination for the development of top-ranked junior athletes and provide access for squash players of all abilities to the sport they love.

BIPOC Seated Meals

In December, 10 BIPOC Alumni Seated Meals were held around the U.S. These gatherings enabled members of the BIPOC alumni community to carry on a beloved SPS tradition, make new connections and rekindle friendships while enjoying a meal. Thank you to all the hosts!

NEW HAVEN, CT: Luis Huerta ’75, Joanne Fredricks ’92, Vinny Peterson ’77 and Denise Goodman ’83.

The well-established winter luncheon established by Ed Harding ’54 and continued by Harald Paumgarten ’56 and Dimitri Sevastopoulo ’60, held for years at Sardi’s, relocated to the Harvard Club this year. On Jan. 29, almost four dozen members of the Forms of 1942-1966 gathered to enjoy each other’s company in the quieter setting and to hear remarks from Rector Kathy Giles and Board of Trustees President David B. Scully ’79, P’21. The Form of 1965 had the highest representation, with nine members. David Parshall ’65 said of the gathering: “It was a delightful occasion — an opportunity for those of us who attended to catch up with each other and to hear from Kathy Giles about the School. Her comments reinforced my view that she is one of the finest Rectors that our beloved School has ever had. I have also spoken with a number of current students or recently graduated alumni and all of them love SPS. All of which is to say that I am pumped about our 60th reunion at the beginning of May and very much look forward to seeing many of our formmates there.”

Florida Receptions

On Feb. 6, SPS alumni, parents and friends took the opportunity to reconnect with the School and greater SPS community at the Key Biscayne Yacht Club. Chief Advancement Officer Scott Bohan ’94, P’24,’25 shared what students and faculty are doing in Millville today and how SPS is poised for the future. Special thanks to Mary Foden P’25,’27 and Erwin Gonzalez P’25,’27 for hosting this get-together, as well as to Melissa and E. Perot Bissell IV ’77, P’07,’14 for hosting a luncheon the day before in Vero Beach.

ABOVE: (l. to r.): David Scully ’79, P’21; Harry Wilmerding ’55, P’82; Frank Nelson ’59, P’90; Alumni Giving and Relations Officer Melissa Walters; David Atkinson ’59 (standing); Malcolm MacKay ’59, P’85,’88; Sam Callaway ’59; Langdon Marsh ’59; Michael Gagarin ’59 and Bill Everdell ’59.

ABOVE LEFT: Rich Relyea ’94 and Townsend Baldwin ’92.

ABOVE RIGHT: Isaac Ro ’96, Jodie Fink P’23 and Amachie Ackah ’90, P’18.

RIGHT: Reeve Waud ’09, Courtney BogleLongley ’08 and Lily Bogle ’14.

Community Gatherings

In November, Rector Kathy Giles, Chief Advancement Officer Scott Bohan ’94, P’24,’25, and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Dana Anselmi ’98 attended a series of dinner receptions in Asia with SPS alumni, families and friends. A tremendous thank you to our gracious hosts: SPS Trustee Noelle Kwok ’98, P’27,’28 in Hong Kong; SPS Trustee Julian Cheng ’92, P’27,’28 in Hong Kong and Shanghai; Janie Chang Hou ’82, P’18 and SPS Trustee Henry Ho ’90, P’21,’22 in Taipei; and Hyun Joon Cho ’87 in Seoul.

IN MILLVILLE AND BEYOND MAY 2-3 Anniversary Weekend

JUNE 1 Graduation

30 The SPS Fund closes with the end of the School’s fiscal year

SUMMER

We anticipate hosting receptions for alumni and families in: Aspen, Colorado

Bar Harbor and Prouts Neck, Maine Boston, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts Lake Tahoe, California

New York, New York Park City, Utah

Visit sps.edu/events often as more opportunities to connect are added.

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Alumni Resources

If you haven’t visited sps.edu/alumni recently — a new landing page awaits with easy access to resources, information, events and alumni stories.

And, if you haven’t yet, consider joining the more than 2,600 members of the Alumni of St. Paul’s School private LinkedIn group. This group is a platform for sharing your experience and expertise and where you’ll find information about upcoming events and networking opportunities, alumni spotlights, career and internship openings and more.

Hong Kong Family Dinner

Taipei Family Dinner

Hong Kong Admissions Event

Taipei Family Dinner

one at a time

Through her rescue organization, Daphne “Twig” Mowatt ’75 has found homes for thousands of animals

JANA F. BROWN

A quirky little dog named Rico became the catalyst for the decades-long mission of Daphne “Twig” Mowatt ’75 to find homes for abandoned companion animals.

Mowatt first became aware of the epidemic of stray dogs and cats in Puerto Rico when she adopted Rico, a mixed breed pup, from a shelter on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Rico came with a letter about his rescuer and the staggaring conditions for animals in Puerto Rico, prompting Mowatt to reach out to the organization that had facilitated the dog’s journey to a forever home.

“ That was my entree into the world of Puerto Rican rescue,” says Mowatt, who lives just outside Boston.

As the new international humane editor for Bark Magazine at the time, Mowatt planned a trip to the island to write about the significant issue of animal overpopulation, abuse and neglect in the U.S. territory. Once there, she connected with Save a Sato (sato is slang for mutt), the rescue that had sent Rico to Massachusetts.

“It was very typical to dump litters of puppies on a beach,” Mowatt explains. “Sadly, that can happen in many places. But in Puerto Rico, there are lots of small, super-vulnerable breeds that aren’t the kinds of dogs that can survive on their own. That just got me, and I wanted to do something to help.”

For a while, Mowatt volunteered with Save a Sato, but she soon realized that to make more of a dent in the problem, she wanted her own platform to address issues beyond rescue efforts and help achieve permanent solutions. In 2008, Mowatt co-founded All Sato Rescue (allsatorescue.org) with Puerto Rican attorney Edilia Vazquez to continue

“Every

single placement is a little victory ... I can

make

a difference in some animals’ lives, so that’s what keeps me going.”

the rescue work that first drew her in, but also to address the root cause of animal abandonment: overpopulation. Partnering with the Humane Society of Puerto Rico, All Sato Rescue has overseen spay/neuter clinics for thousands of dogs and cats.

At the height of its work prior to COVID-19, All Sato Rescue was transporting up to 2,000 dogs a year to U.S. mainland shelters, primarily in the Northeast, to find permanent homes. Those numbers have been cut in half by multiple factors stemming from the aftermath of the pandemic, but Mowatt continues her charge.

As an only child growing up in rural Maine, Mowatt was an animal lover from the start and says her pets, including the many stray cats she brought home, were her “best friends.” She came to St. Paul’s School as a Fourth Former and forged lifelong bonds with many women from her form, whom she still sees regularly. She studied at Columbia School of Journalism; freelanced for The New York Times; and lived at one point in Bogota, Colombia. She recently retired from her day job as a writer for the MITRE Corporation.

Despite the recent setbacks with All Sato’s placement numbers, Mowatt continues to push forward with her mission. She talks about the resilience and loyalty of the dogs she’s helped to place, and how their often traumatic pasts can make them extremely appreciative family members. Mowatt also emphasizes the importance of adopting dogs from shelters, which not only saves the canines’ lives, but also contributes to solving the problem of overpopulation, one dog at a time.

“Many dogs end up in shelters through no fault of their own and deserve a second chance,” Mowatt says. “For us, every single placement is a little victory. My life goal was to make a difference on the grand scheme of Puerto Rico. I’m not sure I can do that, but I can make a difference in some animals’ lives, so that’s what keeps me going.”

surprised b y joy

Chef and entrepreneur Scott Skey ’88 creates community and belonging through food

JANA F. BROWN

Scott Skey ’88 describes himself as a guy who leaps before he looks, and that’s just how he found his way to a life and career in the food industry. Today, as owner of BITE, a “craft and collaboration” service based in New York City, he views his role as a chef and caterer as more than just providing good food, but also creating meaningful experiences that bring people together.

BITE, now in its 20th year, employs the tagline of “food, people, craft” to steer clients away from the idea that Skey and his 15 fulltime employees (and 300 part-timers) are “catering to” others, but instead working with them to plan the perfect event. Food is the starting point, reflecting Skey’s identity as a chef and the idea that food is something people experience together. The “people” element refers to the hospitality and service of Skey’s vocation, how the people involved in preparing and serving the food can impact the moment through warmth, care and attention to detail. “Craft,” he says, represents the transformative process of cooking and presentation, as well as the overall artistry and care that goes into creating the full dining experience for his clients.

“ The three elements all work together to create something special and meaningful,” Skey explains. “The food provides the foundation, the people bring the hospitality and

service, and the craft brings it all together into a cohesive, elevated experience.”

A native of Princeton, New Jersey, Skey arrived at St. Paul’s School as a Fifth Former, and although boarding school was not something he initially envisioned for himself, he describes his time in Millville as “everything I could have possibly dreamed my formative years would be.” Musical by nature, Skey was

“When you lead with respect and grace ... that will lead to a warm and wonderful and somehow transcendent hospitality experience.”

a member of the band and the orchestra at SPS. He has fond memories of the ritual of morning chapel, where he also enjoyed performing, and feels the same way about Seated Meal, noting that the gatherings provided an element of community that he missed once he returned to Princeton to attend college.

“The reasons we had Seated Meal at St. Paul’s are the same reasons we do a lot of the things we do [at BITE],” Skey says. “It’s to bring people together, to have them consider it something special. That still resonates with me today.”

It was at Princeton that Skey became fascinated with cooking and food after spending a summer filling in for a caterer who was out on sick leave. After graduation, he wrote letters to chefs in New York and San Francisco, seeking apprenticeships. Chef Wayne Nish of March Restaurant in New York offered Skey a position, so he moved to Manhattan and worked for free to get his start. From there, Skey bounced around various small restaurants in the West Village, including 9 Jones, before landing a post as executive chef at Midtown’s Caviar Russe, where he stayed for more than half a decade.

Not long after leaving Caviar Russe, Skey took a job doing private dinners with a pastry chef friend, a decision that eventually led to the launch of his own business. The idea behind BITE, which puts on about 300 events each year — from cocktail parties to weddings and everything in between — was to create special experiences for clients through personalized, bite-sized menus that take into consideration both the personalities of the people and the distinct venues.

“If we’re in the Hudson Valley, I don’t want to be serving halibut,” Skey explains. “It’s going to be trout, crayfish and quail, things that actually live in the Hudson Valley, even if they aren’t necessarily sourced from there. New York City’s a little different because it’s a collision of cultures.”

The responsibility Skey feels to his clients echoes the atmosphere he’s worked to create within his business. BITE sponsors employee cabarets, hosts book clubs, intramural volleyball and softball teams, and fosters a sense of community that deepens the bonds among staff members. Skey prioritizes this belonging, along with supporting the young workers who come to New York to pursue artistic dreams.

The discovery of a fulfilling, collaborative, client-focused approach aligns well with Skey’s values, and comes with rewarding aspects of the business he didn’t initially anticipate — namely, the ability to mentor young people entering or passing through the food industry. He has been “surprised by joy” when considering the many ways in which he’s been able to promote community.

“It starts with respect,” Skey says. “That’s the bare minimum … but when you lead with respect and grace, generally what comes back is something similar that will lead to a warm and wonderful and somehow transcendent hospitality experience.”

building b l ocks

Through his career in nonprofit educational settings, Kevin Cummings ’97 is expanding his own community, and that of others

JANA F. BROWN

Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, as the son of Jamaican immigrants, Kevin Cummings ’97 defined his community as the block he lived on — the neighbors, the friends and the businesses, including his mother’s hair salon.

Boarding school was not something Cummings imagined for himself until he had the opportunity to attend St. Paul’s School through Oliver Scholars, a program that prepares highachieving Black and Latinx students from underserved NYC communities for top independent schools. Cummings credits his parents, extended family and friends with “putting money together to buy me a jacket, buy me boots, buy me a bag. It was a lot of people giving bits and pieces to do that, so I felt like my experience was representing many people.”

It was at SPS, where several faculty members supported him, that Cummings gained the broader perspective that has influenced his post-high school years in the nonprofit educational sector, most recently with City Year, which partners with high-need communities. The organization, which recruits young adults ages 18 to 24 to devote a year of service as student success mentors in schools, was founded by Alan Khazei ’79 — though Cummings didn’t know that when he signed on.

“Being at St. Paul’s made me recognize that my community could be bigger than my block,” says Cummings, who serves as City Year’s senior vice president of district engagement. “The multiple levels of exposure to people from different places played a critical role in how I decided to define community.”

Cummings built community during his time at SPS both on campus and through volunteering with the Boys & Girls Club of Concord, where he realized he enjoyed lifting up others. “[Service] was how I started to define how I was going to make my St. Paul’s experience matter,” says Cummings, who always intended to return to Brooklyn. “The thread that connects all these things is that I endeavor to improve the quality of life of communities I can impact.”

Since graduating from Williams College with a degree in psychology, Cummings has held a series of service-focused roles, including with the After School Academy at the Boys’ Club of New York; 10 years in NYC government supporting efforts in education, equity, public-private partnerships and economic opportunity; and serving as director of the NYC Civic Corps AmeriCorps program. His first stint at City Year (2007-10) was as

a recruitment director responsible for engaging young adults to serve in New York’s schools. In 2022, Cummings rejoined City Year from his home base on the south side of Brooklyn. His current role involves overseeing sites around the country in their partnerships with school districts.

“[Service] was how I started to define how I was going to make my St. Paul’s experience matter.”

Although City Year’s efforts are at times challenged by school districts grappling with funding priorities, local shifts in education policies, and a need to center youth agency, academic development and personal development, Cummings believes the organization, driven by an engaged generation, is positioned to advance change.

“Districts have become much more challenged by how they will continue to provide what they consider priority services to their young people,” Cummings explains. “We’re a bipartisan organization, so we try to make people understand that we’re helping to advance the opportunity to center youth in their educational experience. We’re conscious of the importance of meeting the needs of young people; they are the ones that do, and will, drive City Year.”

As part of his district engagement responsibilities, Cummings supports City Year executive directors in partnerships with schools in Ohio, Michigan, Oklahoma, Florida, Wisconsin, Texas, Missouri, Colorado and Tennessee. He guides them in problemsolving and helps them promote social impact and educational equity in each district. Cummings describes himself as an ameliorator and considers his time in New Hampshire as a catalyst for his desire to leave things better than he finds them.

“I realized I was having a different type of experience that I wanted to make matter,” he says. “Going into a nonprofit space in education, I knew I wanted to be a teacher but not a traditional teacher. I knew there was value in growing my community more than my own block. Now, I’m trying to leverage everyone to do that.”

We look forward to welcoming form years ending in 0 and 5 for a lively weekend of reconnection and celebration in Millville. Visit our website to register and find hotel information for your form. Book as soon as possible — reserved room blocks will likely sell out.

This section was updated Jan. 9, 2025. Please note that deaths are reported as we receive notice of them. Therefore, alumni dates of death are not always reported chronologically.

1945 — Andrew G. Sage

Oct. 4, 2024

1947 — Herbert S. Poole Jr. Nov. 3, 2024

1952 — Stanley M. Rinehart III

Oct. 4, 2024

1953 — A. C. Read Charlton

April 29, 2024

1953 — James Rumrill Hammond Jr. Oct. 28, 2024

1955 — Robert L. Weaver

Sept. 25, 2024

1956 — Robert S. “Bob” Ingersoll III Dec. 5, 2024

1956 — Alden R. Ludlow

April 16, 2024

1956 — John P. Schley Nov. 5, 2024

1957 — David D. King

Aug. 10, 2021

1957 — Christopher F. Pool

July 22, 2024

1958 — Henry W. Farnum Oct. 25, 2024

1961 — William A. Brigham Sept. 22, 2024

1961 — Jonathan M. Wainwright Nov. 21, 2024

1965 — James V. Looby Feb. 11, 2023

1965 — Stephen V. R. Whitman

Nov. 15, 2024

1966 — John B. Ferguson

Sept. 13, 2024

1998 — Jennifer B. Maxon

Oct. 7, 2024

FORMER RECTOR’S SPOUSE

Priscilla Clark

Sept. 29, 2024

FORMER STAFF

Carolyn Wade

Oct. 4, 2024

Thomas Champagne

Jan. 9, 2025

David Edmund Levesque

Feb. 14, 2025

1947

Horatio Hollis Hunnewell of Nahant, Massachusetts, died peacefully on Feb. 25, 2024, at the age of 94. The son of Hollis Hunnewell, Form of 1922, and Mary Frances Oakes Greenway, Hollis grew up on Pond Road in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and attended Charles River School, as did his four children.

As a student at St. Paul’s School, Hollis served as a house supervisor; was in the Shattuck Boat Club and Isthmian Athletic Club; played ice hockey, football and baseball; and was a member of the Choir, Glee Club, Missionary Society, Dance Committee, Der Deutsche Verein and Acolyte Guild. He graduated from Harvard College in 1951, where he sang tenor with the Krokodiloes.

Hollis lost good friends in the Korean War. He served in the National Guard and was a member of the American Legion. He launched his insurance career at Lloyd’s of London, and he owned Hollis, Perrin & Attridge Insurance Company of Boston.

The family summered by the ocean in Nahant and enjoyed their farmhouse in South Tamworth, New Hampshire. Known for his one-of-a-kind sense of humor, Hollis enjoyed singing in the choir, playing ice hockey and sailing with friends. He crewed the last leg of the replica Mayflower II to Plymouth, Massachusetts. He hosted the Hunnewell Hill Climb for the Vintage Sports Car Club of America. At home, he spent much of his time pulling brush, raising honeybees and winding his many clocks.

He leaves his wife of 67 years, Edith Elliott Hunnewell; daughter Elliott Hunnewell deBethune and her husband, Joseph deBethune; son Hollis Hunnewell ’79; daughter Isabelle Oakes Hunnewell Stafford; and seven grandchildren: John and Sarah deBethune; Hollis, Fisher and Charlotte

Hunnewell; and Thomas and Welles Stafford. He was predeceased in 1994 by his son, Peter Remsen Hunnewell ’85.

1952

Stanley M. Rinehart III of Hanover, New Hampshire, died Oct. 4, 2024, at the age of 89. Stan was born in New York City, the son of Stanley M. Rinehart Jr. and Frances Alice (Fay) Yeatman and grandson of noted mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart. He was a warm-hearted man who will be missed by his many friends and family.

Stan attended St. Bernard’s School in New York City and came to St. Paul’s School in 1946. At SPS he sang in the Choir, Glee Club and other choral groups; was a supervisor; participated in dramatics/theater; and played hockey and soccer and ran track.

At Harvard, he sang with the Harvard Glee Club and with the Boston Symphony while earning a B.A. in English literature.

After serving in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, Stan began his professional career in the book publishing industry. Commencing at Rinehart and Co., he subsequently became head of the college textbook department at Thomas Y. Crowell Co., with a focus on the Midwest. Later, he joined the firm of Boston Institutional Services, a member firm of the New York Stock Exchange, where he became executive vide president. After a series of mergers, BIS became part of the Bank of NY Mellon.

Stan was chairman of the co-op board of 1230 Park Avenue and later served on the board of directors of the Quail Hollow Association in Hanover.

Stan is survived by his best friend and wife of many years, Carolyn Hope Watson, whom he married in 2005. He is also survived by his two children, Stanley Marshall Rinehart IV and Alison Rinehart Lee. Both families live in Redondo Beach, California.

Stan’s first wife, Christie Walter Rinehart, the mother of his children, died in 2020. Stan has four grandchildren: Stanley M. Rinehart V, Maeve Gwinneth Lee, Scott Mercer Lee and Bridget Ivy Lee.

1952

Peter Cudahy Stearns of California and New York died peacefully on Sept. 5, 2024 at his home in Montecito, California. He was 91.

Peter was born Dec. 12, 1932, to John Noble Stearns Jr., Form of 1914, and Alice Cudahy Stearns at Doctor’s Hospital in New York City. His early years were spent in Brookville, Long Island, where he formed many cherished friendships and developed a love of sports, especially horse riding, golf and tennis.

He attended the Greenvale School in Long Island and came to St. Paul’s School in 1947. At St. Paul’s, he played football and earned the nickname “Sticky Fingers” for his outstanding pass-catching abilities. He also was active with the Library Association; sang with the Glee Club; and served on the Sixth Form Council as vice president.

Peter earned a B.A. in American studies from Yale University in 1956, then served two years in the Army Artillery as a First Lieutenant at Fort Carson, Colorado. It was there that Peter’s fascination with the American West took hold, as he rode horses each weekend and went on long drives to take in the mountain vistas.

Peter successfully inhabited three worlds: finance, technology and art. He spent 35 years as a Wall Street analyst, specializing in technology stocks. As a technology analyst, he was an early and frequent visitor to — and investor in — the growing tech hub in Northern California, well before Silicon Valley became a household name. In the art world, Peter loved discovering young talent whom he featured at the two Cudahy’s art

galleries he founded and owned for more than 30 years, one in Richmond, Virginia, and the other in New York City.

Outside of his professional life, Peter continued to pursue his love of sports, travel and art. While living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, he would travel to northwest Idaho to attend the renowned Coeur d’Alene Festival, where he would take along his golf clubs and, as he would say, “hit balls into the water.”

For many years, he would leave Jackson Hole for a ski week in Taos with friends, then spend another week in Santa Fe visiting galleries and Pueblo villages. The fall and spring seasons were spent in New York, unless he was traveling to far-flung countries like Syria.

In 1990, Peter married Cordelia “Dee” Dunlaevy. In 2015, he convinced her that they should buy and renovate a house in Montecito overlooking a golf course. After a long illness and soon after moving in, his health began to decline.

Besides Dee and his son John from a previous marriage, Peter is survived by many cousins.

Peter was a gentleman through and through. He accumulated friends on both coasts, and his legacy is one of love and acceptance. He often said that he found it far easier than not to think the best of people — it was his motto.

1953

James Rumrill Hammond Jr. known as Jim, Jimmy or “Mundi,” died peacefully on the morning of Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New York City with his wife, Edith Van Slyck, by his side and his three sons nearby.

Jim was born in Boston on Oct. 23, 1935, to James Rumrill Hammond Sr., Form of 1929, and Katharine Davis Hammond, and grew up on Peach’s Point in Marblehead, Massachusetts, surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins. His grandfather, Edward

Crowninshield Hammond, was a member of the Form of 1887.

At SPS, Jim belonged to the Isthmian Athletic Club and Shattuck Boat Club, played squash and was active in La Junta. He attended Harvard, took a two-year break to serve in the Marine Corps, and graduated in 1959. A banker for many years, he specialized in Latin America; his interest in the region was sparked by a Christmas vacation his senior year of college, when he took advantage of Fidel Castro’s forces marching into Havana to steal a swim in the pool of the Hotel Nacional, whose clientele had fled.

He started his career at the International Basic Economy Corporation (IBEC) in New York. A Nelson A. Rockefeller initiative, IBEC was formed to improve the economies of developing countries, particularly in Latin America.

While at IBEC, Jim met Isabel Davila, who had gone there after having been the youngest member of any mission to the United Nations. The couple married in 1962 in Isabela’s hometown of Bogotá. They moved to Rio de Janeiro, where Jim helped establish Latin America’s first mutual fund. IBEC later transferred him to Bogotá, where the couple had three children. After their youngest child experienced medical complications that required more advanced care than was available locally, the family moved to Boston, where Jim worked at Scudder Stevens & Clark and later at the New England Merchants Bank.

OBITUARY SUBMISSIONS

Alumni Horae will reprint obituaries that have been previously published elsewhere or written in traditional obituary format and submitted directly to us. Obituaries may be edited for length and style and will appear in the next possible issue of Alumni Horae. We encourage you to reach out to alumni@sps.edu to submit an obituary.

In the mid-1970s, Jim returned to Latin American affairs when he joined the Council of the Americas in New York City. His work included early diplomacy with Nicaragua following the Sandinista Revolution, and the transfer of the Panama Canal. His role at the Council led to a position at Citibank, where he was part of the team addressing the Latin American debt crises of the 1980s. He later transitioned to Citibank’s Private Banking group. He left Citibank in 1987 and cofounded Boston Private Bank, combining his banking experience with his interest in Latin America, and returning to his New England roots. He finished his banking career at Fiduciary Trust International.

Jim took special interest in organizations focused on education, including LASPAU (Latin American Studies Programs at American Universities), the Zamorano Agricultural College in Honduras, the University of the Andes and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard. He also served on the board of Banco Union in Colombia for many years.

After his first marriage ended in divorce, in 2008 Jim married Edith Van Slyck, whom he had known from college. The two moved to Harlem, where they enjoyed a life surrounded by friends. They traveled frequently and remained involved in their community, living out what can only be described as a beautiful love story.

His later years were happy ones. This was reflected in his cheer and positivity, which never faltered, even as Parkinsons and old age began to ravage his body. He was a man who put a positive turn on every interaction, ever willing to share his wisdom and mischievous humor, and always full of genuine interest, curiosity and appreciation of the people he met.

Jim is survived by his wife, Edith Van Slyck; his brothers, Edward C. Hammond ’58 and Lincoln Davis Hammond ’55; his three children, James Hammond III ’81, Peter Hammond and Nicholas Hammond; and his grandchildren, Madeline Hammond ’22 and George Hammond.

1953

Arthur G. Platt

of Chesterfield, Missouri, died Aug. 4, 2023, at age 88. He was one of three sons born to Richard Platt and Mary Stuart Platt; Mary was the niece of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low and grew up in the house that became the Girl Scout National Center.

Arthur came to St. Paul’s School in the fall of 1948. He was a Delphian and a Shattuck, and he sang in the Glee Club. In the early 1980s, he reconnected with the School and became a dedicated 40-year donor to The SPS Fund. He graduated from Northwestern University and was a longtime sales manager for Gunther Salt Company.

He leaves his wife of 59 years, Beverly Buchtel Platt, and his children, Heather Leguet, Stuart Platt (Heather) and Jessica Platt.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a number of relatives who were SPS alumni: his brother, Richard Platt Jr. ’51; his uncles, G. Arthur Gordon ’30 and Edward McGuire Gordon ’34; and his grandfather, George Arthur Gordon, Form of 1889.

1954

Guy Brownell Pope of Camas, Washington, died on Sept. 10, 2024, at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in nearby Vancouver, Washington. His children, Geraldine Pope Bidwell, Samuel Pope, Guy Pope and Fred Pope, were at his side. He was 88.

Guy was born Feb. 13, 1936, in San Francisco. He was the third child of Harriet Brownell Barnett and George A. Pope Jr. At St. Paul’s, he rowed for Shattuck and was part of the first crew the School sent to compete at the Henley Royal Regatta. He then went on to study at Princeton University, where he was a member of the Ivy Club and graduated with honors in 1958.

After college, Guy chose to follow his father’s path and serve in the U.S. Army. He was initially stationed at Fort Ord on Monterey Bay in California.

Guy began his career in the logging community of Oakridge, Oregon, working for Pope & Talbot Inc. (P&T). He enjoyed working for P&T and soon moved to Portland to work in its corporate office. Over the years, he served in many roles for the firm and eventually rose to president. After P&T, Guy purchased Landing Tour & Travel and was its owner and operator for decades.

Guy was an enthusiastic traveler and enjoyed the outdoors and arts. He was extremely fond of Italy, Egypt, Hawaii, Japan and Greece, and he enjoyed heli-skiing in the Canadian Rockies. Closer to home, he could often be found on Mt. Bachelor or on Bald Mountain (Baldy) in Sun Valley. Hunting birds in central Oregon, fly fishing on the Deschutes and floating down other Western rivers were also favorite pastimes. Guy was passionate about the opera and supported the Portland Opera as well as the Oregon Symphony.

Guy married Ronna Hitchcock on July 12, 1958, at St. Matthew Church in Burlingame, California. They lived near Lewis & Clark College and raised their four children. They divorced in 1979.

Guy married Sheri Latrell on Aug. 11, 1981. They divorced in 1986.

In 1987, Guy started seeing Sally Studdard, and they were together for the next 37 years. They married on February 9, 2001, on the island of Kauai. With Sally, Guy found the love of his life. Her passing on Aug. 5, 2024, was heartbreaking for him, and he died just 36 days later.

Aside from his children, Guy is also survived by their spouses, Jerry Bidwell, Carla Pope, Lisa Pope and Kelly Pope; his half-sisters, Adrianna Pope Sullivan and Patsy Pope; his step-daughters and their spouses, Aimee Jones (Rich), Carrie Rolfes (Tom) and Daphne Studdard; his

step-daughter-in-law, Meredith Studdard; and his grandchildren, Lucy Warren Bidwell, Alexandra Bidwell, Brooke Bidwell, George Pope, Laura Russick, Jordan Pope, Gavin Pope, Robert Pope, Ethan Pope and Anna Pope. Guy’s extended family also blessed him with 11 step-grandchildren and 10 step-great grandchildren. His first cousin, Pierce Brownell, is a member of the Form of 1959.

Guy was predeceased by his brothers, Peter Pope and George Pope; his sister, Edith Cook; three of his grandsons, Jackson Warren, William Warren and Robert Warren III; and his stepson, Patrick Studdard.

Guy loved to plant trees during the spring and fall and corn during the summer. Sally’s grandson, Joe, was a trusted partner in helping him with these efforts. Overlooking the Columbia River, the dividends of their hard work continue to grow.

1956

Robert S. “Bob” Ingersoll III of The Otter Pond, Wilmington, Delaware, “gave up the ghost” on Dec. 5, 2024, as he expressed it in his pre-written auto-obituary, where he shared, among many other things, his preferred term for dying: “The Ghost dates back to the 1600s. I don’t identify with ‘passed away;’ it doesn’t translate for me. Although my departure was a reluctant one, I made it to age 87, so we’ll identify the cause as old age with a brief illness tagged on. The reluctance part is that I can no longer spend time with my wonderful wife, Lynn; my three daughters, Julia of Rosemont, Eleanor of Philadelphia, and Isabelle of Bronxville; my son, Ed, of Portland; and my nine grandchildren. But I’m hopeful that the Ghost — now released from the bondage of my earthly self — will keep me informed from time to time on how the family is doing.

As for my years here, I grew up in Penllyn, Pennsylvania, the oldest son of Robert S.

Ingersoll Jr. ’34 and Harriet Archer Ingersoll; attended Chestnut Hill Academy, and entered St. Paul’s School as a Second Former (Old Hundred) and the fourth generation of Ingersolls to attend. Although I failed to make it to the finish line there, as the result of a transgression, I managed to graduate from St. George’s. I went on to St. Lawrence; transferred to and graduated from Brown; earned a master’s at Penn and was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship at Columbia. I have a fondness for all these institutions — even the one that gave me the boot — and have kept up with classmates, teammates, fraternity brothers and reunions over the years.

I’ve also played a lot of tennis and done a lot of cycling, logging 75,000 miles pedaling by age 80, accumulated since I kept track of such things.

Communications was the thrust of my working life, including newspaper journalism, magazine publishing, advertising, PR and corporate marketing. My last venture, however, was founding and operating Pedal Pennsylvania, a bicycle touring company that took as many as 300 cyclists at a time on daunting (the Appalachians!) 500- and

600-mile trips across Pennsylvania and other locales. This morphed into a weekly local ride out of Chadds Ford, The Caboosers, so named in recognition of a regular who initially brought up the rear.

Pets of all descriptions, and natural history, have been a lifelong enjoyment and devotion, as I think the birds and even foxes at Otter Pond will attest. A particular fondness for reptiles resulted from many excursions to the Okefenokee Swamp. Travels with Lynn, children and grandchildren have been memorable, including many camping trips. I served on a couple of boards, including the Pan American Association of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Theatre Company, back in the old Plays and Players days of Delancey Street. That’s about enough, but if you’re curious about more, my daughter Julia (juliaSingersoll@gmail.com) will put you onto my book, ‘Recollections at Eighty, Another Generation Heard From.’ I swiped the title from my grandfather, R. Sturgis Ingersoll’s ‘Recollections at Eighty,’ written 50 years before mine. [He was Form of 1910.] No send off to the Great Beyond is planned. So, farewell all. Ingy”

Remembering Priscilla Clark

JANA F. BROWN

In her later years, Priscilla Clark had a quote by the Quaker minister George Fox taped to her bathroom mirror. It represented a mantra she lived by, says her daughter, former St. Paul’s School faculty member Annie Clark, and she read it aloud every morning: “Walk cheerfully through life, finding that of God in every person.”

Since her death on Sept. 29, 2024, at age 99, Priscilla has been remembered for her many qualities, especially a generosity of spirit that was manifest in the way she opened her home to others and made it a place where people always felt welcome. Annie Clark also recalls her mother’s perseverance: Priscilla lost her first husband, Edwin “Ned” Potter, in 1950, when she was only 25 years old, and she “thought her life was over.” She and Ned had just completed the adoption of her five-year-old cousin, Pamela. Even in her grief, Priscilla moved forward as a single parent and became one of the first women to enroll at Yale Divinity School.

“She did not allow herself to give up,” Annie Clark says, “even when things got really hard and it was hard to be cheerful.”

It was at Yale in the early 1950s that Priscilla met The Rev. Charles H. “Kelly” Clark, the eventual Ninth Rector of St. Paul’s School. Their marriage lasted 66 years until his 2019 death. Together, the Clarks raised four more children. Long before their arrival at St. Paul’s, Priscilla and Kelly traveled the world extensively as missionaries, exposing their children to a global perspective in Singapore, the Philippines and elsewhere.

Priscilla and Kelly spent 10 years (1982-92) on the campus of St. Paul’s School. They cherished opening the Rectory to various groups, establishing Saturdaynight open houses for students that featured Priscilla’s famous poppy seed cake, and working to make people feel included.

“What I remember most about Priscilla is her standing on the Rectory stairs and welcoming every student into her home, every Saturday evening, the most gracious of hostesses,” recalls Trevor Patzer ’92, who reconnected with Priscilla during COVID-19, when she reached out to see how he was faring.

From her earliest years, Priscilla lived a full and meaningful creative life. A serious student of music and theater, with a beautiful mezzo-soprano voice, she sang and acted in numerous productions everywhere she went. In the Philippines, Annie Clark shares, her mother gathered women from their church, and produced an all-female

version of “The Mikado.” At SPS, she continued her involvement in the theater and arts programs, most notably as an actor and director for the SPS Masters Players, which staged faculty and staff theatrical productions.

Later in life, Priscilla began studying painting, showing her work at exhibits in California, and she took particular pride in her series of paintings of the 21 California missions. And music was always a part of life in the Clark home, with Priscilla and Kelly welcoming family and friends to join them in singing at the holidays and on other occasions. Annie Clark recalls her mother’s high standards in everything she did, including at the holidays, which brought joy to others.

“ The house was always beautifully decorated and fun,” she says. “[Mom] was very festive and celebratory.”

In her years at St. Paul’s, Priscilla attended chapel every morning and was devoted to Episcopal life. She was instrumental in starting a tennis group that invited community members from campus and the local Concord community to play together weekly.

When Kelly retired from SPS and the Clarks moved to the historic Abbott House in Concord, they continued to welcome reunion classes into their home for many years.

Patzer says he will forever carry with him the “steadfast generosity, grace, compassion and love [the Clarks displayed] everywhere they went.” In 2010, they moved to Riverwoods, a retirement community in Exeter, New Hampshire, where Priscilla lived until her death.

Priscilla is survived by her children, Martha, Nathaniel, Mary and Annie, and their partners; 11 grandchildren, including Peter Boothby ’01 and Thomas Boothby ’04;   four great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; many beloved nieces and nephews; and her brother-inlaw, Charles Buff. She was predeceased by her husband, Kelly, and her daughter, Pamela.

A service was held on Nov. 16, 2024, in the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul, followed by a reception in the Rectory — with poppy seed cake, of course.

Thank you for being

the greater good.

During SPS Giving Days 2025, a total of 876 SPS alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends stepped up to support the St. Paul's School student experience, generating $882,283 for The SPS Fund that will have an immediate impact as today's students do the work of building purposeful lives in service to the greater good.

We're so grateful to our generous donors, and to the volunteers who inspired their friends and formmates to share their greater good for the benefit of today's SPS.

Did you miss out on Giving Days? You can still be the greater good for today's SPS with a gift now to The SPS Fund.

Alumni Horae

St. Paul’s School

325 Pleasant Street

Concord, NH 03301-2591

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON

The Form of 2025 gathered in the Friedman Community Center on Feb. 28 for the traditional 100 days until Graduation celebration with snacks, raffle prizes, a photobooth, remarks from Rector Kathy Giles and Student Council President Kevin Wu ’25, a surprise form gift and distribution of their formwear: sweatshirts featuring a design by Julia Koeman ’25.

PHOTO: BEN FLANDERS