Connections, Spring 2019

Connections Spring 2019

MA GAZI NE OF T HE EPIS CO PAL ACADEM Y

LEAVE A TRAIL. CONVERSATIONS WITH ENTREPRENEURIAL ALUMNI WHO HAVE FORGED THEIR OWN PATHS. PAGE 16

Interest in robotics continues to grow at EA. 14

CONTENTS

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38

56 E D I TOR I A L T E A M

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Connections, the magazine of The Episcopal Academy, is published three times per year. We encourage readers to submit feedback, stories, and photos from your days at Episcopal. Alumni can also submit personal and professional updates and photos to be included in a future issue by visiting episcopalacademy.org/classnotes.

Features

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Teaching Today How drama teacher Gina Tomkowich inspires joy in her classroom

Leave a Trail Conversations with entrepreneurial alumni who forged their own paths

Then & Now: Creative Writing The legacy of creative writing is strong at EA

Then & Now: ‘Ball’ in the Family: Son of Anthony Dade ’83, Matt Dade ’19 hits 1,000 points

Snapshots

Departments

The Episcopal Academy 1785 Bishop White Drive Newtown Square, PA 19073 Office of Communications 484.424.1478 mgodin@episcopalacademy.org Office of Alumni Engagement 484.424.1772 lmaloney@episcopalacademy.org Editor-in-Chief: Michele Godin Contributing Editors: Jessica More Courtney Brinkerhoff-Rau P ’16, ’19 Kate LaBrake Cover Story Portrait Illustrations: Alex Conroy ’19 Kate LaBrake Contributing Photographers: Michael Leslie Mark Tassoni Douglas Benedict Courtney Brinkerhoff-Rau P ’16, ’19 Jessica More Alex Conroy ’19 Mollie Bonner ‘19 Colleen Bernabei, Hon. Jim Farrell ’82 Brian Kline, Hon. Derek Harrar P ’21 ’23 ’27 ’29

4 Plié All Day

2 T.J.’s Take

30 From the Sidelines

14 EA, Robot

6 By the Numbers

38 From the Stage & Studio

7 Around the Green

44 Class Notes

Design: Open Haus Studio

10 Faculty & Staff News

56 From the Archives

Production: The Chambers Group

42 A Celebration of Squash

T. J. ’ S TA K E

College Preparation

For more than two centuries, Episcopal has maintained an excellent reputation as a college preparatory school. When we look at what it takes to prepare students for college, we have witnessed two major shifts in the higher education landscape.

First, the actual business of college has changed drastically due to explosive growth in demand during the past few decades. According to the Pew Research Center, 40% of Millennial workers held bachelor’s degrees in 2016. This is a huge increase when compared to 26% of Baby Boomers in 1985. Increased numbers of applicants has led to greater selectivity at many colleges and universities. Competition is strong, and it is more difficult to get into your dream college today.

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For our students, there are also many more options to consider today than in the past. Large universities have a lot to offer but can be overwhelming and lack individualized attention. Smaller colleges offer a more personalized learning experience and community feel but sometimes struggle to remain solvent. Finding the right fit can be an incredibly daunting task, especially for first-generation college students and their families.

In this issue’s Faculty Spotlight, Director of College Counseling Cynthia Crum shares more about how the business of college has changed and what colleges seek in prospective students. Our college counselors are highly skilled at the unique art and science behind admission decisions. They know what colleges look for, and they help advise students on academic and extracurricular focus areas. The college counselors coach students on how to best demonstrate their skills and passions to their colleges of choice, and they stay ahead of the latest industry developments. I am continually amazed by their level of expertise and the care and determination they bring to their work. EA’s College Counseling Office is a destination for students and young alumni who return regularly to visit. I guess it does not hurt that Ms. Crum’s team is well-known for having the best candy you can find on campus.

The second major shift we have seen is a greater focus on life skills and preparing students for nontraditional career paths. Colleges and universities are expanding their degree and certification programs, offering micro-credential programs, and focusing on the development of strong interpersonal skills.

Greater investments in career centers and alumni networks are a top priority. The private sector is also leveraged frequently to help school leaders reimagine and adapt curriculum.

In addition, colleges of all sizes are intentionally designing diverse student bodies that reflect our world and the broad perspectives that help drive innovation around the globe. To achieve this, admission officers look for a demonstration of

leadership, talent, drive, and passion in addition to strong academic performance. Rather than just seeking a top SAT or ACT score, they search for dynamic and engaged scholars who serve their communities, work well with others, and will positively impact the life of their school.

At Episcopal, we will continue to design our offerings to help develop these skill sets. We want to help our students find their identity and discover their passions, all while helping to guide them toward their ideal colleges and career paths. We also will continue to challenge, nurture, and help our students thrive academically so that they are well-prepared for the rigor they will face in college and beyond.

Young alumni continually share that they feel more prepared than their college peers when it comes to writing, time management, and interacting with their professors.

We want to align our efforts with higher education to offer our students an advantage in the application process, in the college lecture halls, and in life after college. We regularly review and expand our curriculum. Through field trips, guest lectures, and specialized programs like May Term, the Lilley Fellowship, and Global Online Academy, we leverage the private sector to help design unique learning experiences. Our Alumni Engagement Office is working on new ways to assist our students and alumni in career planning and networking. As we evolve to keep pace with today’s educational demands, we will never lose sight of our critical mission to inspire students to lead lives of purpose, faith, and integrity.

As always, I thank our alumni, parents, and friends for your continued generosity and support in making our constant evolution possible.

Dr. T.J. Locke Greville Haslam Head of School

Spring 2019

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SNA P SH OT

PLIÉ ALL DAY

Students enjoyed a special performance by The School of Pennsylvania Ballet in February, which was made possible through support from The Christian Humann Foundation. Dancers delighted the audience with inspiring pieces from Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. After the performance, teachers from the school hosted a master class for EA dance students, helping to teach them various techniques used by the Pennsylvania Ballet.

Spring 2019

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BY THE NUMBERS:

COLLEGE STATISTICS

27%

130

of EA student-athletes continue to play their sport in college

college representatives visit EA each year

Over $6 million in college scholarships were awarded to EA students in 2018

EA students are currently attending college in Canada, France and the UK

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average number of college campuses visited by each EA student last year

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average number of college applications submitted by each EA student

211

Massachusetts

Pennsylvania

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North Carolina The top three states where EA students attend college

180 lbs. of candy consumed.

Favorite Candy in the College Counseling Office — Airheads and Wintergreen Lifesaver Mints.

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12% increase In 2014, 14% of EA students attended southern colleges.

After a cold & snowy winter, 26% of students in the Class of 2015 chose schools in the south.

AROUND THE GREEN

Lower School The entire EA community benefits when students across all three divisions get to learn together. In December, Upper School Oceanography students presented their final research projects to Lower School students. They had to research topics and then develop presentations geared to their particular audience.

The students taught the classes about migration patterns of sea life, tsunami formation, preservation efforts, and more.

Also in December, 6th grade science students welcomed 1st grade visitors to their mineral museum. The 1st graders were able to visit each exhibit, listen to presentations, and ask questions about what different minerals can be used for.

In January, Upper School musicians helped Lower School students learn about music with a special performance of the vocal, jazz, and chamber ensembles.

Music Department Chair Jim Erwin explained, “The choir sings in four parts, but sometimes we sing in eight parts.”

He asked students to listen and identify different singing ranges from bass to tenor, alto, and soprano. The Upper School dance team also performed a sneak peek of its dance concert for the entire Lower School in January. One piece was titled Sound and Color. Dance Director Cara Lavallee asked the students to “think about the sound of a bell. If I had to make that sound into a movement, what would it look like?”

Proceeds from the Read-a-thon benefit St. James School in Philadelphia and St. Marc’s School in Haiti.

The Oceanography class presents research to Lower School students.

The 2nd grade visits the National Liberty Museum in February.

The 3rd grade performs Twice Upon a Time.

Every 3rd grader has a role in the play.

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AROUND THE GREEN

Middle School The Middle School conducted its first division-wide, student-led conferences (SLCs) this March. In this format, students facilitate a meeting where they share a portfolio of work and discuss progress with their family members. This helps students put their work and their year into perspective, enabling them to reflect on their accomplishments and challenges and to take ownership of their learning.

“Students feel empowered to tell their own Middle School story — it’s their story to tell,” Ms. Legette said. “They get the opportunity to show moments they are really proud of, where they could have made better decisions, and what they did to correct them. And, parents get the opportunity to see their children’s growth.

Hopefully parents will be impressed by the efforts their children have made. I’ve seen some parents cry at the end because they’ve never seen their son or daughter in this way before.”

Middle School teachers helped their students prepare their presentations throughout the trimester, suggesting projects, tests, artwork, and other “artifacts” to include in their portfolios.

In each conference, the student leads a 10-minute discussion, presenting their artifacts, grades, and feedback, and reviewing their goals for the future.

Projecting his presentation, 6th grader Rahul Bhan reviews his 3rd trimester goals with his parents and his advisor, Meaghan Etherington.

The MS Robotics team wins Innovation Solution Award at the Penn FLL.

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During Mix-It-Up Day, MS students are assigned a colored shirt and an affinity group in an effort to better understand differences.

Eighth grade students host parents and teachers for an Evening with the Emperors.

AROUND THE GREEN

Upper School Last year, Anna Lee ’20 and her friends approached Dr. Adam Lavallee, Hon., with the idea of starting an entrepreneurs club at EA. “I’ve always been interested in entrepreneurship. I grew up watching Shark Tank. I love the idea of creating a company and doing something that’s never been done before,” Anna shared.

The students wanted a club that was focused on translating what they were learning in classes or in other clubs into reality. Today, 15 club members meet weekly to explore and create business opportunities.

Next year, club leaders have high hopes of starting a pitch competition with guest judges who can provide constructive critiques on their business ideas and help them figure out how to take their plans to the next level.

Dr. Lavallee has also brought entrepreneurial alumni back to campus or to visit via Skype to speak with the club. “Bringing in the alumni is such an eye-opening experience. They were in our shoes taking the classes we’ve taken and now are successful in the real world,” Anna said. “They’re all really driven.

We have all enjoyed seeing the different kinds of companies they’ve started and the problems they have to overcome to succeed.”

Elspeth Boynton ’07, cofounder of diiVe, conducts a workshop with the US Entrepreneurship Club in March.

Katharine Harrar ’21 is named 2019 Lilley Fellow and will conduct research on farm to feed models.

Ninth grade biology students meet with surgeons at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as part of the Annenberg Science Symposium program.

EA’s basketball teams welcome Special Olympics of Delaware County back to campus.

Spring 2019

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SPOTLIGHT:

Faculty News

Cynthia Crum

Lower School Chaplain Michelle Bullock was ordained as a transitional deacon on Saturday, Dec. 15 at the Episcopal Cathedral of the Diocese of Pennsylvania.

The Premier Lacrosse League, made up of six teams of the world’s best players, selected EA Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse Coach Chris Bates as one of its head coaches for its inaugural season.

Varsity Girls’ Lacrosse Coach Josie Tomaino presented Don’t Rise to the Occasion, Rely on Your Season Plan for Success as a featured speaker at this year’s national lacrosse convention, LaxCon. Varsity Girls’ Tennis Coach Whit Powell, Hon. was named Coach of the Year by the Philadelphia Area Tennis District of the United States Tennis Association.

Due to his experience in service to Haiti, Head Chaplain Fr. Tim Gavin, Hon. was invited to meet with the U.S. Army to discuss how the military could better work with NGOs. Upper School History Teacher Max Kelly ’06 authored an article for the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Geopoliticus: The FPRI Blog.

Form Dean Cheryl McLauchlan, Hon. was one of 19 teachers – as well as the area’s only private high school teacher – who received a 2019 Delaware County Excellence in Teaching award.

Director of Institutional Advancement Jen Fifer, Hon. co-presented at the CASE-NAIS Annual Conference for Independent Schools in January, and Director of Communication and Strategy Michele Godin served on the planning committee for the national event.

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A former college admission director, Cynthia Crum has helped advise countless independent school families for the past 25 years. Her insights have also been featured in U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, Philadelphia Magazine, and many other publications. As EA’s Director of College Counseling, she helps our families navigate the oftentimes complex and confusing college admission process. We sat down with Ms. Crum to learn more about how the college admission process is changing and how students can best prepare to pursue their college of choice.

What is the biggest change you have seen to the college admission process in the past decade?

There has been a continued explosion of applications, which has led to an increase in selectivity everywhere. Because there has been such a growth in the number of students exploring colleges, partially in thanks to the Internet and the Common App, the freshman class profile at the country’s top schools looks very different than it would have in the 1980s or 1990s — or even three years ago.

What do colleges look for most in students?

Colleges look for many characteristics in their applicant pools. If the benchmarks of academic preparedness, rigor, engagement, good performance, and strong test scores are met, other, less quantifiable characteristics come into play. In addition to demonstrated leadership abilities, colleges seek a sparkle factor in students. They want students who will engage with and enrich their communities.

How has the Early Decision/Early Action process changed college admissions?

Today, many colleges fill a large portion of their freshman classes with Early Decision applicants, so it puts tremendous pressure on students to pursue this path. While many of our parents and alumni know about Early Decision, Early Action has been another popular admission tool for a few decades. Whether Early Decision or Early Action, students apply to college earlier in their senior year and receive a decision most commonly by mid-December. The difference between the two programs is that if a student is admitted Early Action, they don’t have to commit to that college until May 1, the National Candidate Reply Date. A student admitted Early Decision is obligated to enroll at that school. The majority of EA students now apply either Early Decision, Early Action, or sometimes both.

How do college admissions officers leverage data to make decisions?

A growing number of colleges examine data in an effort to predict how to get the best possible class while hitting all of the enrollment and budget targets they’ve set. This analysis includes measuring a student’s demonstrated interest through monitoring whether the student visited campus, opened emails from the college, or accessed the college’s website through email links.

EA Recommends

There is no one path to college, just each student’s.

We encourage students to take classes that interest them, because then they will engage more deeply, and to find activities that allow them to grow as people. If I could pick one thing, however, it would be to read something every day that is not for school. Maybe it’s a newspaper, a magazine, or a book, but it’s so smart for students to take time to learn about the world around them.

While they can be stressful, campus visits are critical in finding the perfect college fit. We asked EA faculty with recent high school graduates to weigh in on their top tips for making the most out of your family’s college visits:

Encourage your student to get off the official tour — and away from parents. Walk the campus like any other student and gauge whether it feels right and feels comfortable.

Mike Letts, Hon. Head of Upper School

In what ways can families prepare for college?

Go to the lounge and study areas, and ask if these spaces seem like the school prioritizes student support.

Do students look happy? Would your child be interested in any of the activities or clubs featured on the posters on the walls?

Grace Wingfield, Hon. Upper School Math Department Chair

Talk to students other than the tour guides. Visit a dining hall or the student union and observe or talk to students to get a better sense of what it would be like to attend that college.

George Lorenson Upper School Science Department Chair

Spring 2019

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Teaching Today

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A Winning Approach As the learning needs of students evolve, Episcopal’s teachers recognize the importance of continually growing and developing their teaching approaches to best support their students. This year, a group of teachers worked together on campus to closely study the techniques presented in Doug Lemov’s international bestseller, Teach Like a Champion (TLAC). The book is built on the premise that seemingly small, deliberate changes in teacher words and actions can, over time, produce dramatic improvements in student achievement.

As Middle School drama teacher and director Gina Tomkowich worked to implement some of the techniques, she became an instant believer in the TLAC, as it is commonly referred to, methodology.

“TLAC gives you plug-and-play strategies that are easy to try in your class,” she explained. She also found that she had already been using some of the techniques but now felt validated in her approach.

“Having a name for the teaching technique you’re using—knowing that it works and that you can share it with other colleagues—is empowering.”

One such strategy is Cold Calling, where you do not necessarily call on the students who have their hands raised, but you call on students more randomly. This strategy helps teachers get a sense of what the class is learning, not just how the top performers are doing, and it helps keeps students more engaged. “The more teachers who practice something like Cold Calling, the less jarring it is for students when they’re randomly called on in class,” Tomkowich explained. “All of the TLAC techniques are things that can be implemented in any class or subject.”

Another technique she began implementing in her drama classes is called Joy Factor, which reminds educators that we all learn best when we are happy. This strategy incorporates humor,

games, music, movement, or friendly competition into lessons. Tomkowich wanted to find a way to bring joy to her lessons on iambic pentameter, a concept that can be difficult for students to grasp.

She instantly thought of another professional development course she participated in where she learned about using haka movements from ceremonial Maori culture (or better known from New Zealand rugby matches).

“If they’re sitting for too long, they will just start to tune out,” she shared. “When my students got up and practiced the syllables with corresponding body movements, it really clicked so much better than if I were to just put words on a blackboard.”

While there is a lot of material to cover, she has noticed that by making her classes more fun, she can help students who might be struggling to enjoy learning. “One of my students really wasn’t doing well in any of her classes. She didn’t like coming to school,” explained Tomkowich. “Over time, she really started to come alive in my class. I think the joyful aspects of our lessons helped her feel a little differently about school.”

Another student did not like theatre and struggled to engage with the material. Tomkowich used the Warm/Strict method to hold the student accountable and teach that even when we do not like a subject in school, we need to take it seriously. After some time, this approach, along with the joyfulness of her class, helped the student effectively engage in the coursework.

Tomkowich and others who studied TLAC continue to collaborate by filming some of their lessons and sharing feedback with each other. They have also hosted workshops on campus to help teach other teachers about the valuable techniques they learned through TLAC.

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SNAP SHOT

EA, ROBOT

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Interest in robotics has steadily risen in recent years, especially among female students. Episcopal is one of the only independent school in the region to field two Upper School teams during competitions, one of which advanced to the world championships this year. The Middle School program has seen great success, including winning a prestigious innovation award this year. Lower School is preparing to expand the Robotics program to 4th and 5th grades and just launched a pilot club in 2nd grade with 90% of students signing up.

In addition to teaching crucial engineering and design thinking skills, students learn how to collaborate effectively; manage time to meet deadlines; and exhibit professionalism, sportsmanship, and grace under pressure during intense competitions.

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“ Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

LEAVE A TRAIL. CONVERSATIONS WITH ENTREPRENEURIAL ALUMNI WHO HAVE FORGED THEIR OWN PATHS.

BY JESSICA MORE PORTRAIT ART BY ALEX CONROY ‘19 AND KATE LABRAKE

You may be hearing it often, but the workforce as we know it is changing. Global connectivity, intelligent machines, automation, and new media are already shaping a future where our Episcopal graduates will need to adapt to a changing workplace, and the changing nature of work itself. While many of us find it hard to imagine life without a regular paycheck, companies are already moving to more flexible employment models like using contractors and freelancers, and more and more Americans report receiving some of their income from internet-based platforms, like Airbnb and Uber.

While this may lead to unpredictability for the individual worker, it also presents great opportunity for those who have contemplated starting their own business. In the coming decades, more flexible staffing, more affordable manufacturing, and more precise market targeting may lower the barriers for entry. Whether they start a business of their own or simply work for themselves, many more people will be categorizing themselves “entrepreneurs” than ever before.

Our task is to prepare our graduates for these coming changes. We need to focus on developing critical thinking and technological skills, as well as adaptability and an appreciation for learning that can sustain them in whatever endeavor they choose. But many of our graduates already know how to succeed in a career of their own making, having chosen pioneering paths that not all would have the courage to traverse. We recently sat down with 10 alumni to find out how they started a business or created their own career paths and to ask what advice they have for the next generation.

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Elspeth Boynton ’07 is the co-founder and executive director at diiVe which offers a high-impact, summer abroad program during June and July in Cape Town, South Africa.

The program features digitally-focused courses, innovative problem-solving, hands-on internship experience and cultural immersions for university students and recent graduates.

Did you ever think you would be an entrepreneur?

No, never. Entrepreneurs have a way of thinking that I didn’t think I had. But I did have a strong female who believed in me, my cofounder Ann LeMonte. We were consulting at Ernst and Young, working with senior leadership teams and helping to upskill them around the changing industrial revolution. We were helping them lead their organizations to be more empathetic, innovative, agile, and adaptable.

We realized no one does this with students.

What do entrepreneurs need in order to be successful?

You can’t fear failure. You have to learn from it. Entrepreneurs fail all the time. They learn and are resilient to push through.

We pivot all the time. If something isn’t working, change it and learn as you go. We did polls and surveys that helped us learn that we needed to make it easier for young people to interview with us. By including HubSpot, we boosted our interview completion rate by 35%. You also have to creatively draw from the resources you have when you don’t have a lot of funding at your disposal. Leverage your network to get in the door and then do your research. You need to make sure your pitch aligns with those you are pitching. I leverage my classics network. My teachers and professors help me recruit students.

Did it feel risky leaving a company to start your own business?

A job isn’t for the rest of your life. It may be risky for a couple of years, but it’s not forever. It was a good time in my life. Other things were stable so I could choose the risk. You can feel just as unstable at a corporation because you hate it. I feel comfort in connecting to the knowledge that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m completely fulfilled in the work that I do.

“You also have to creatively draw from the resources you have when you don’t have a lot of funding at your disposal.”

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Tyler Wren ’99 is the founder of Wrenegade Sports, which produces cycling events to promote health, social good, and the betterment of rural communities.

What made you want to start Wrenegade Sports?

Did you always want to start a company?

When I graduated from college, I became a professional cyclist. Everywhere I went, the local cyclists would seek out rural roads to ride on. I started to feel like we had a responsibility to support the areas where we were riding.

Also, my mother was an entrepreneur who started her own ballet studio. From an early age, my parents both instilled in me that what other people think is unimportant. What matters is what you are passionate about. They spent this money to send me to Princeton but never expected me to get the job in finance like my other classmates. They let me move back into their basement and be a pro cyclist.

“Preparation is important, but at some point, you have to take a leap if you’re going to try something.”

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What advice can you give to others?

With any new venture, you don’t know if it will succeed.

You have to have a certain stomach to be an entrepreneur.

You have to work around the clock. My life as a pro athlete prepared me well for that. There’s no limit to the amount of time you can spend eating well, recovering, and training.

It takes the same amount of work with a business to get it off the ground. Preparation is important, but at some point, you have to take a leap if you’re going to try something.

You’re never going to feel 100% prepared.

Taj Cannon ’14 is an artist who graduated from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and attended the prestigious Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art in 2018.

How did you find your passion for art?

I don’t know where I would be right now if I hadn’t taken a JTerm course at EA. We went to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Museum of Modern Art. After that, I started taking more art classes where I got to explore different materials, create my own tools, use different media, and try so many different things. It was such a great feeling to elicit an emotion in another person. Mr. Sigel started telling me to look at Tyler, and I was like, “what is that?” I didn’t even know art school existed. During my sophomore year at Penn State, one of my professors also told me to look at Tyler.

At the time, I was looking into a career in law. I was a legal intern for four years and then, one day, I just decided the office life wasn’t what I wanted to do.

What is it like to work for yourself, to strike out on your own as an artist?

I t’s really tough. It’s not just a leap. It’s leaps and bounds and constantly jumping into the dark. You worry a lot about if you’re going to be able to pay your bills that month. At the same time, it’s like a rush I can’t really explain. Every time a new project comes, it’s like a breath of fresh air, and you have enough to suffice to get to the next project.

What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

There’s ample opportunity in this world to do whatever you want to do. It’s not going to be easy. I’m still a young artist, but in my own experience, I’ve realized when you’re down, there is an up coming soon. You may have to sacrifice your social life, your well-being. Two summers ago, I was in the studio all day every day, on the street selling my work just to make enough money to make more art, having a ball but surviving on Slim Jims. Artists won’t talk about their day jobs, but I’d say 95% of artists have one. Until that one piece sells, or the right connection is made, you won’t survive strictly off of your art.

“Every time a new project comes, it’s like a breath of fresh air, and you have enough to suffice to get to the next project.”

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Courtney Robinson ’02 is a founding member and partner of Advance Venture Partners, where she makes long-term investments in new business ventures.

How did you get started in your career?

When I graduated from college, I, like many people, wanted to work in investment banking. I had a few offers from name brand firms in New York, but I ended up taking an offer from a small investment firm in San Francisco. It was a startup itself— smaller, innovative, meritocratic. Everyone thought I was crazy at the time. That was probably the beginning of me doing things a little differently and not necessarily working for big companies.

What do you look for in the businesses and founders that you invest in?

“The best founders are people who are resilient, optimistic, and data-driven.”

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A lot of success has to do with the founder and the team.

The best founders are people who are resilient, optimistic, and data-driven. They’re comfortable with hearing “no” and understand that that’s part of the process. If you’re going to build a business and change the way things work, there will be a lot of people along the way who are unhappy or threatened by what you’re trying to do. You need to gather all the information available to make the most informed decisions you can and iterate on them quickly. If you continually monitor your performance, you can adjust slightly in one direction, or even take a 180 if you have to.

How do you handle risk/deal with the chances of failing?

My risk is diversified across many companies. As an investor, you sit across a much wider breadth of opportunities. There’s less inherent risk that you could totally fail. I’m in a field that excites, inspires, and fulfills me. This ecosystem is really addictive in that every day you meet people who think that they’re going to change the world. For the most part, there’s this excitement and sense of optimism that’s really fun to be around.

David Mendels ’84 has helped build and lead such companies as Brightcove, Adobe, and Macromedia.

He was part of the team behind Macromedia’s growth from 100 to 1,700 employees and Brightcove’s growth from a valuation of $36 million to over $150 million.

How did you get started leading technology companies?

I had the good fortune of being in the San Francisco area just before what we now know of as the internet happened. My parents wanted me to get a professional degree to become a doctor or lawyer, but I earned my degrees in Japanese studies.

It was mostly luck that I stumbled into a tech company that needed someone who spoke Japanese. I had some technology background from Episcopal when it was still part of the math department under Mr. Cole. Mostly, I remember that I taught myself programming. Even though I was never a coder at my companies, it gave me enough of the technical background to talk to engineers and comfort in the critical role of defining what and how we would build. So I would say, you don’t have to be a major in computer science or want to be a coder, but everyone should take a year or two of the basics.

What advice can you offer to young people deciding what to study in college?

I really believe in a liberal arts education. Go get a history degree or philosophy degree, but there’s no reason you can’t also take computer science, or economics, or a language.

Today, maybe it’s not Japanese, but learn Chinese, Arabic, or something that you can use on day one out of college. I always say it’s better to be passionate about something and to deeply and authentically pursue something difficult and become really good at it than it is to spend time planning your career.

What advice do you have for young alumni entering the workforce?

“If you’re willing to throw yourself into something, and you have good leaders, they’ll give you more responsibility.”

Avoid large companies that grow slowly. When you join a company that’s growing, you’ll find you get new jobs every six or 12 months. By the time you’ve been there a year, you’re a veteran. Put in the extra hours and work hard. If you’re willing to throw yourself into something, and you have good leaders, they’ll give you more responsibility. There is lots of risk in a changing economy. Your best bet is to find smart people to work with, work hard, be good at something, and if you have to, leave.

At Macromedia, I established a network and learned a lot of fundamental things about software, sales, and marketing that were totally transferrable to other companies.

Spring 2019

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Nathaniel Stinnett ’93 is the founder and executive director of the Environmental Voter Project, a non-partisan, nonprofit that uses big data analytics to identify inactive environmentalists and applies cutting-edge behavioral science to drive them to be more consistent voters.

What are your goals at the Environmental Voter Project?

“You need to be ready to fail in really embarrassing ways, especially as an entrepreneur.”

It may sound strange, but we never try to convince people to care about the environment. We know that over 15 million environmentalists in the U.S. rarely or never vote.

By identifying them with a high degree of accuracy, we use what research has shown to be effective - peer pressure.

If we tell people how many of their neighbors or members of a peer group or a social group are voting, that will get them to vote. And this is the most important part - who you vote for is secret but whether you vote is public record.

Politicians only care about the opinions of voters. Ultimately, if we are successful, we put ourselves out of business.

Did you always know you wanted to start the Environmental Voter Project?

Not at all, I was a very reluctant entrepreneur. When I graduated from EA, I was actually a professional opera singer.

Eventually, I started to care more about politics. During law school and after, I worked in politics running campaigns. I was always frustrated that so many voters deeply cared about environmental issues, but they never voted. In 2014, I had just finished a mayoral campaign and our first child was born.

I assumed I would go back to practicing law. But, I slowly became convinced that I had a cutting-edge solution to a real societal problem. I almost felt I had a duty to start the EVP. When you build a career and decide to do something different, it’s never easy.

What advice do you have for future entrepreneurs?

First, you need to stop measuring your worth as a human being by how successful you are at your job. By worrying about failure, you guarantee that you fail. When I left my law firm, there was a small part of me that wondered if people would still see me as a successful person. The truth is that everybody still thought of me as Nathaniel. It took me a while to be confident enough to realize that. Second, you need to be ready to fail in really embarrassing ways, especially as an entrepreneur. Most new ventures fail. Being in politics prepared me well to handle defeat and to get up and try again.

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Steve Cloetingh ’77 founded a wireless service company, Signal, with his brother in 1984 and sold the company in 2008. Recently, he co-founded Military Veteran Partners, a venture fund that invests in businesses that provide significant economic and employment opportunities for military veterans.

Did you always think you would be an entrepreneur?

How did you start your ventures?

Yes, I’m from a family of people who take risks. My brother and I tried a couple of other businesses before Signal, and before that, I worked for AMP for two years and got that corporate experience first. When we sold Signal, I had a chance to get involved in social investing. When you look at the statistics for veterans, you can’t help but want to fix the problems; homelessness, underemployment, post-traumatic stress disorder all affect veterans more than the general population. I’m doing this to honor my father, who was a veteran, and it’s something I’m in a position to do now.

What are your goals for Military Veteran Partners?

One of our big investments is in J-Dog Junk Removal and Hauling. An EA alum told us about the company, and we have invested to create job opportunities for vets around the country. We are in 20 of the top 25 cities in the U.S. Our hairy audacious goal is to have 10,000 employees (of which 7,000 are veterans) in 10 years’ time. When veterans get their first job, 43% will leave within the first year, often because of the corporate culture. J-Dog offers great jobs with a company that has a very firm veterans’ ethos “honesty, integrity, trust” so they feel comfortable.

What advice do you have for those who want to start their own companies?

Utilize your network. The independent school network has so many quality people in it. Many of Military Veteran Partners’ incredible advisors are from schools like EA, Haverford, and Malvern. When you start a business, you have to believe in what you’re doing. You can’t be faint of heart. You may have to work seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and outwork the next guy or girl. Your biggest challenge will be financial, so if you have passion, you can get started as a volunteer first.

“Your biggest challenge will be financial, so if you have passion, you can get started as a volunteer first.”

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Caryn Rivers ’90 is an educational consultant and founder of Pathfinder Placement. She helps families find school choice opportunities in the best academic and developmental interest of each individual child.

How do you help parents and children find the right school for them?

Many people pick a school because they think it has the best reputation, rather than the best fit for their child. I spend a lot of time personally with each student I represent. I play, I tutor, I help with essays, I go on visits, I offer advice with financial aid forms. It’s my job to be a sherpa. There’s pretty much nothing I won’t do in an effort to get a child in the right school. And I lean heavily on the relationships I have built with regional schools over the last 15 years.

What has helped you in your career?

“You must be willing to try different things and recognize that every opportunity just enhances your knowledge base.”

There’s no question that the rigor and high expectations that I experienced at EA put me in a great position to succeed.

Without Anne Hall, my college counselor, I never would have applied to Harvard. While I was there, I began to think about giving back. I earned a Coro Public Affairs fellowship and a master’s degree from the New School. I had diverse experiences in New York City, from shaping education platforms for mayoral candidates to special projects for the Board of Education. When I returned to Philadelphia, Mrs. Hamilton — my 3rd grade teacher at EA — put me in touch with Steppingstone Scholars, which changed the trajectory of my professional life.

So, I counsel my students and tell them, “Stay in touch with the people who invested in you. They deserve to know how you’re doing.” Thus, within your network, you will already have the building blocks for success.

What advice do you have for students and young alumni looking for their first jobs?

Seek the knowledge that will feed your skill set. Your skill set might not have a title right now. This is the 21st century.

Your next job might not have a formal title or even exist yet.

You must be willing to try different things and recognize that every opportunity just enhances your knowledge base. Just about anyone can find themselves providing a service that will help others. We all should bring that entrepreneurial spirit to everything we do.

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Lauren Patrizio Xaba ’97 is the founder of SquashDrive, an after-school enrichment program serving Oakland Youth, now in its ninth year.

How did you end up founding your nonprofit?

I was working in financial services for a credit card marketing company, and I wasn’t really passionate about what I was doing. I felt unfulfilled. I saw so many people unhappy in their jobs. During a merger, I had a little time to reflect on what I really wanted to do.

I thought a lot about an organization in Philadelphia where I had volunteered. The need is great in the Oakland area where only 9% of children from low-income households go on to graduate college.

I took about six months to do some interviewing and took the leap in 2010. I’m so happy to get to do something I love, combining squash, education, and community service. We work with these students from 4th grade to beyond high school and into college.

Nationwide, programs that follow the model we follow have a 74% college graduation rate.

What advice do you have for someone starting a nonprofit?

Whether you are running a for-profit or non-profit, it is important to know your strengths and weaknesses and bring people on that complement you. It was a big leap for me to take. I wanted to like my job. I don’t necessarily make a lot of money, but I’m really fulfilled now. I would recommend that people find a job that makes them happy. Obviously, you need to live and pay rent, but I think that so often we get wrapped up in thinking about what society says we are supposed to be doing. Developing your own business can be so rewarding.

How did EA prepare you for your career?

EA taught us the importance of giving back. I’m so appreciative because even though I was a busy athlete in college, I continued to pursue that passion that I developed from kindergarten through graduation at EA. I remember that every single Wednesday night I played bingo with a man at Inglis House. That helped me put my life into perspective so early on. I’ve taken the lessons of Mind, Body, Spirit and Esse Quam Videri with me throughout my life. I care so much about the students I work with. I have 18-month-old twins and they have a lot of role models to look up to in these hardworking kids. There are days where it’s really hard. It’s 24/7.

There’s never a time I’m not thinking about SquashDrive, but it is so incredibly rewarding. We impart those values of community service in our students, as well, with a 10-hour annual commitment that we help facilitate. Our first group of students who started with us as 5th graders are graduating this spring. All of them have been accepted to college, and I believe some of our current juniors will be playing squash at the college level.

“It is important to know your strengths and weaknesses and bring people on that complement you.”

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Dana Giles ’15 is the founder of I Want The Real, a social media platform that features content to help destigmatize issues that young people grapple with.

She graduated from Southern Methodist University with her bachelor’s in business administration in May. How did you start your website?

“I always think about what I will regret five or ten years from now.”

I felt like growing up, there was a disparity between who I genuinely was and what I showed on social media. During my junior year of college, I really looked in the mirror and didn’t know who I was. I’ve always been good at writing so I started blogging privately. I started to interview people in my free time, and I enjoyed talking about what their struggles were and what made them tick. I found that my peers were struggling with things like addiction, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety, and always feeling embarrassed and ashamed to share what was actually occurring. I wanted to change that. In my senior year, I decided to release it. I was thinking, “What’s the worst that could happen? I’m going to regret this if I don’t do it.” It just got such positive feedback.

People followed, shared, and it spread like wildfire.

Sharing your blog was pretty brave. How did you find the confidence to do that?

I always think about what I will regret five or ten years from now. We are all scared, but you can be the one who has the courage to do something. I think Episcopal really pushed me outside of my boundaries and taught me to not cut myself short. I ran cross country and track at EA, and Father Gavin was a huge part of who I am today. He always pushed us harder and told us to believe in ourselves.

What are your goals for the future? Will you turn this into a business after college?

I have spent time planning how to monetize and grow the audience. One of my professors pushed me to do a detailed business plan, a five-year financial forecast, and a marketing plan. I ended up winning $5,000 from the SMU Big Ideas Business Plan Competition. All my work paid off, and these people see a potential business in this. After graduation, I’ll be working for a marketing firm to gain experience and learn how established companies grow their audiences.

This experience has definitely changed the way I see myself.

Growing up, I’ve always enjoyed trying new things. Now my teachers say, “That’s the entrepreneur in you.”

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A STRONG FOUNDATION Our alumni overwhelmingly advised our students and graduates to take chances on their careers. EA graduates, they agreed, have strong foundations of skills based in transferrable interdisciplinary learning. With this foundation, the only barrier is an unwillingness to pursue new expertise.

Elspeth Boynton didn’t think she could be a “businesswoman,” because she was not a fan of math at Episcopal. “I thought, I’m not an entrepreneur, I’m conceptual and artistic, I don’t love detail or working with numbers,” she shared, “but Episcopal did a great job at teaching me problem-solving and complex thinking. When I got to Brown, I was a leg ahead of other students who just learned to regurgitate information.” In addition to math and science classes where problem-solving is at the root of the subject, Elspeth believes she also acquired them in her English, history, and classics classes.

“In my Latin classes at EA, we approached every poem like a puzzle.

The great poets used words that aren’t always in the right order, or they reference other works. You have to puzzle them out using the deep and rich context surrounding each work. Those are skills I transfer to any problem that I tackle in my career.”

And while in the past there have been high barriers to changing careers or getting a professional degree, EA alumni suggest that gaining new skills does not have to come with a huge price tag. When he decided he wanted to start his own racing company, Tyler Wren only took the courses from business school that he felt he needed, forgoing his master’s of business administration and frustrating school administrators in the process. David Mendels advised against an MBA entirely, instead recommending developing skills in the workplace that are more transferable. And despite leading three large technology companies, he never needed to study technology in college.

Similarly, Nathaniel Stinnett affirms he did not need a degree in data science to start his non-profit. He shared, “I’m eternally grateful to EA for giving me an intellectual curiosity and a love of learning. There’s no way when I graduated – as an opera singer, and then as a lawyer – that I thought I’d be using data science to impact the environment. My teachers at EA helped me develop this flexible and curious brain that is insatiable for new information and gives me the confidence to try new things. With your education, you’ll always have the ability to try something new that is difficult and conquer it.”

If you would like to share your expertise with our newlycreated Entrepreneurship Club, or, if you would like to learn more about how EA is investing in cutting-edge teaching to prepare students for a lifetime of learning, please contact Director of Alumni Engagement Lauren Berry Maloney ’10 at lmaloney@episcopalacademy.org or 484.424.1772.

“My teachers at EA helped me develop this flexible and curious brain that is insatiable for new information and gives me the confidence to try new things. With your education, you’ll always have the ability to try something new that is difficult and conquer it.”

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THEN & NOW:

The Legacy of Creative Writing at EA “ There is no good writing, only good re-writing.”

– f ormer faculty member, the late Anthony W. Ridgway ‘34

Frank Langfitt ’82 has carried these words with him throughout his career. As an NPR foreign correspondent, he sometimes ends up with as many as 10 drafts of a radio feature before delivering it to his listeners.

“Mr. Ridgway taught us to only give the reader what is really necessary for understanding the story you’re trying to tell,” recalls Langfitt. “Every rewrite makes a difference. Every rewrite makes it better.”

Langfitt relied heavily on this philosophy while working on his forthcoming book, The Shanghai Free Taxi: Journeys with the Hustlers and Rebels of the New China. After multiple rounds of rewriting, his final draft was nearly forty percent shorter than his first draft.

The book chronicles the rapidly-changing economic and political landscape in China through the eyes of everyday citizens. In order to understand the country better, Langfitt offered the people of Shanghai a free taxi ride in exchange for a conversation. What began as a simple discussion often catapulted Langfitt into the lives of his riders, leading to follow-up interviews, shared meals, and even wedding invitations.

When Langfitt was young, he pondered how he could possibly make a living out of traveling the world and writing stories about the lives of people. In addition to growing up in a literary household, he was inspired by his time in Mr. Ridgway’s creative writing class. During a time of stern conformity at Episcopal, Langfitt and his classmates saw his class as an oasis of creativity.

To this day, Frank Barnett ’82 still recalls working on one fictional story about a record player that acted like a time machine. Langfitt remembers working on a piece that compared the end of the summer beach season with his feelings of youth slipping away as he prepared for graduation.

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Mr. Ridgway was very serious about the discipline of writing and his class time. David Cornell ’82 recalls students racing to class. Ahead of them stood Mr. Ridgway, idling on the threshold and staring at his watch. As the clock struck the hour, he would pull the door closed, locking out any tardy students.

Always sporting red socks and often smelling like peppermint (he used peppermint sachets in his dresser drawers), Mr. Ridgway was a true “Episcopal original,” according to Langfitt. In addition to the 12th grade creative writing elective, Mr. Ridgway taught English, French, and history, led the library, directed drama productions, and established the Fine Arts department. His legacy lives on in many ways at Episcopal.

Mr. Chris McCreary, Hon. strongly agrees with the advice Mr. Ridgway passed onto his students.

“Re-writing is where the real work is,” explains Mr. McCreary. “For me, that’s where the satisfaction lies. That long slog through the middle is all about tightening and finessing.”

As The Howard E. Morgan Chair for Creative Writing, Mr. McCreary’s philosophy is to provide structure while allowing students to explore their own voices.

Today, students in 10th through 12th grade are able to enroll in the creative writing elective.

Mr. McCreary describes today’s English curriculum at Episcopal as a blend of classical, canonical literature and contemporary literature. “As a department, we’re trying to give students a wider range of modes in which to write,” shares Mr. McCreary.

“We continue to study Shakespearean tragedies and works by writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mark Twain. These are our ‘tent posts,’ and then we incorporate some contemporary works to teach literature from a wider range of voices.”

“It is hard to be a dedicated writer if you do not know what other writers write. Generationally, there’s been a big shift in terms of how much people read casually,” he shares. “People do read today, but as time becomes more precious and attention spans shorten, they’re reading shorter pieces.”

Today, creative writing at Episcopal extends well beyond a single elective. It permeates other disciplines, clubs, and activities. Mr. McCreary especially enjoys partnering with Mr. Dan Clay, Hon., Theatre and Dance Department Chair, to help students develop and produce one-act plays. It began as a joint activity between English and creative writing students and Domino Club members and has since morphed into an annual JTerm course.

The one-act play performances, along with many other events, are fittingly hosted in the theater that bears Mr. Ridgway’s name. Today, the Ridgway Black Box Theater is one of many spaces across campus that could be described as an oasis of creativity.

Mr. McCreary tends to lean more toward contemporary pieces when it comes to his creative writing curriculum. He likes to demonstrate the breadth of what people are writing about today.

He strongly encourages students to read as much as possible.

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Fall 2018

Boys’ Cross Country 5-3 The team had a strong season, finishing 7th out of 14 teams in the state championship meet. With a 4th place finish in the Inter-Ac, EA had three All Inter-Ac league performers, Owen Maier ‘20 (6th), Carson Fischer ‘19 (8th), and Bradley French ‘21 (9th). Owen Maier finished 4th in the state race, earning him First Team All-State recognition. Owen also medaled at the Abington Invitational and the Briarwood Invitational.

Girls’ Cross Country 2-5 The girls’ cross country team finished the season with a 21-34 victory over rival Agnes Irwin on AIS Day. Throughout the season, each runner worked hard and demonstrated excellent grit and determination. The team finished 4th at the Inter-Ac Championships and 7th at the PAISAA Championships.

Captain Caitlin Jorgensen ’19 and Jill McEntee ’21 earned Team All Inter-Ac honors. Jorgensen went on to earn 1st Team All-State recognition.

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Girls’ Field Hockey 15-2-2

PAISAA Champions

After a slow start in league play, the team went on to upset an undefeated Notre Dame team, win the remainder of league games, and beat Notre Dame again on their field in the semifinals of the PAISAA Tournament. A win against Agnes Irwin on EA/AIS Day was also a highlight. EA faced League Champion Germantown Academy in the finals of the PAISAA State Championship. In double overtime, EA won 5-4 and captured the state title. The final accolade of the season was a #5 ranking in PA and a #12 national ranking by Max Field Hockey.

Football 7-3 This season’s big highlight was a 28-17 win over The Haverford School during which senior tri-captain DeeWil Barlee broke the all-time career EA rushing record with 2,963 yards. The win marked the first time EA beat Haverford in back-to-back seasons in 12 years. The team also completed a consecutive season with a winning record in the league, 3-2, and gave the seniors four winning seasons and a career record of 26-24. The defense held three opponents to single digits and recorded a shutout in the opener against St. Mary’s Annapolis. The offense rushed for over 250 yards in six of the games and for over 300 yards in two games.

Boys’ Golf The golf team played some of the best teams in Eastern Pennsylvania during the season. Highlights include defeating area power LaSalle College High School at their home course with the lowest score ever shot. The team ended with a tie for 2nd place in the Inter-Ac with Malvern Prep and placed 3rd at the PAISAA tournament. Jacob Zeng ’20 secured the most points through the six league tournaments and became the first EA golfer to ever win the Inter-Cup, given to the champion golfer of the year in the league.

JR Rauscher ’19 shot under par twice on his way to 1st Team All-League.

Co-captains Mike Zend and Robbie Copit, along with James LeRoux, earned 2nd Team recognition. James also earned 1st Team All-State with his outstanding play at the PAISAA Champs.

Boys’ Soccer 14-3-3 In the first half of the Inter-Ac schedule, the team beat Germantown Academy, Malvern Prep, Penn Charter, and Haverford.

The second half of Inter-Ac play saw a tie against GA and a loss against Malvern.

The next two games saw the team give up their first losses of the season at Penn Charter and SCH. The last game of the season had the boys needing to win against Haverford on EA/Haverford Day to win the league outright. The boys fought long and hard but were unable to come up with a victory. The team finished 3rd in the Inter-Ac with seven shutouts on the season and 35 goals scored.

Girls’ Soccer 11-6-3 PAISAA Champions

The team motto was “Respect All. Fear None.” The girls kicked off the season ranked #1 in PA and #13 in the national fall high school rankings. A turning point was 1-0 win against the Pennington School, the first win in the last four years. The team played in the PAISAA finals for a 2nd consecutive year and notched a 9-2-2 record in the final 13 games. In a dramatic PAISAA final, the team won in a shootout against The Baldwin School.

Olivia Dirks ’19 and Anna Salvucci ’19 represented EA Soccer at the All-American game in Orlando.

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Fall 2018

Girls’ Tennis 15-0

Inter-Ac League Champions

FROM THE SIDELINES

The girls’ tennis team tallied an undefeated season and won the coveted Inter-Ac Championship and Inter-Ac League Tournament. The team defeated local and regional powers Conestoga, Lawrenceville, Newark Academy, and Haddonfield High School. Several of the talented and dedicated players are multisport varsity athletes. The girls embraced the competition almost more than the outcome. A record nine EA players are represented on the All Inter-Ac team. Coach Whit Powell, Hon., was named Coach of the Year by USTA Middle States Philadelphia-area Tennis District.

Boys’ Water Polo 12-11-1 The team came together to create a strong bond, which led to great offensive and defensive ends of the pool. The varsity and jv went undefeated during preseason play in San Diego. Upon return, the team swept Malvern Prep for the first time since 2015. The boys then beat Penn Charter twice and ended the season 4-4 in the Inter-Ac. The team also had wins over Soudertown High School, Gonzaga Preparatory School, St. Benedict’s Prep, and the Landon School. The team has a strong returning core group of players who will act as a foundation for next season’s players.

Girls’ Water Polo 13-3

Eastern Prep Champions

The girls’ team, coached by Maddi Moore ‘10, quickly became a cohesive unit, with visible growth in every game. While the team faced some stiff competition at Beast of the East in September, the tournament proved a great opportunity to work on weaknesses and strengthen overall play. The team ended with an impressive league record of 11-1.

For captains Mollie Bonner ’19 and Allison Lee ’19, winning Easterns was the cherry on top of a spectacular season.

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Winter 2019

Boys’ Squash 6-1 Boys’ Basketball 11-14 The season featured some excellent play with several big non-league wins over Hill, Peddie, Lincoln, and Academy Park.

League victories included wins against SCH, GA, and Penn Charter on senior night. The team finished 3rd in the Inter-Ac. The team celebrated milestones for Matt Dade ’19 and Alex Capitano ’20 as they each reached 1,000 career points.

Girls’ Basketball 8-18 The team finished the season strong with a 6-6 league record, 4th in the Inter-Ac. The young team lost three starters after last season and was led by the sole senior and captain Olivia Dirks.

Girls’ hoops saw tremendous growth and is looking forward to a returning core of starters and strong 2019-2020 season.

Ice Hockey 4-5-1

Boys’ squash had another successful season, finishing 2nd in the Inter-Ac, 2nd at the Mid-Atlantic Squash Association Tournament, and 5th at the High School National Championships.

The team will have 11 of 12 varsity squad members returning next year.

Girls’ Squash 4-2 The team had a terrific season with strong contributions from all 14 girls on the varsity squad. The girls notched significant wins against The Lawrenceville School, Penn Charter, and SCH. The team finished 3rd in the Inter-Ac, 3rd in the Mid-Atlantic Squash Association Tournament, and 5th at High School Nationals.

More than 20 players were rostered for ice hockey this season, led by captains Caroline Kelly ’19, Jack Pacera ’19, and Nate Hunter ’19. The team beat Haverford twice and tied an exhibition game against the Fords at The Wells Fargo Center.

For the second consecutive season, the team made it to the league semi-finals. Six players were chosen to play in the All-Star game.

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Winter 2019 FROM THE SIDELINES

Boys’ Swimming & Diving 4-0-1

Inter-Ac League Champions Eastern Prep Champions (combined boys and girls team win) It was a season for the record books for the boys’ team. All 11 school swimming records were broken, the team won the Inter-Ac for the first time in 49 years, and the boys combined efforts with the girls’ team to win the Eastern Prep Championship meet. At the Inter-Ac Invitational, the boys claimed the top spot.

The team currently has 21 of the Top 50 rankings in the state. Ivan Puskovitch ’19 was selected outstanding Winter Scholar Athlete by the Delco Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Girls’ Swimming & Diving 5-1

Eastern Prep Champions (combined boys and girls team win) Strong leadership from the captains and upperclassmen made for a successful season for girls’ swimming and diving. The team had big wins over GA and Baldwin and won 1st place at the Inter-Ac Invitational meet. The girls added significant points at the Eastern Prep Championships to help both teams win the combined 1st place team trophy with 1007.5 points.

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The boys’ swimming and diving team won the Inter-Ac Championship for the first time in 49 years.

Two members of the 1970 team, the last to win the title, celebrated with the team during the Winter Athletic Assembly. Read more on page 48.

Boys’ Winter Track The boys’ track team found success with a combination of upper-classmen and several new team members. Runners were competitive throughout the season.

Several student-athletes qualified for The Meet of Champions including: Jack Bush ’19 and Chris Zimmerman ’19 (400m), Owen Maier ’20 (mile), Peter Lim ’21 (pole vault), and the 4x200 relay team.

Girls’ Winter Track Two school records were set this season: Devon Whitaker ’20, in the 600m (1:41:24), and Jill McEntee ’21, in the 1000m (3:15:44). The team had Top 10 finishes at the Ursinus High School Invitational, the Bishop Loughlin Games (NY), Delco Championships, and the F&M High School Invitational.

Wrestling 14-6 Twenty-four student-athletes competed on the wrestling team this season. Big league wins over Haverford and SCH, and a non-league, come-from-behind win against Westtown, made for a successful season. Alex Bendinelli ’19 marked his 100th career win at the National Prep Wrestling Tournament.

Seven EA wrestlers qualified for the national event. Alex and Paul McLaughlin ’20 battled their way to 4th and 5th place medals at the Prep Slam meet in Atlanta, Georgia.

@EAathletics Follow along on Twitter for the the latest scores and highlights from all EA teams.

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THEN & NOW:

‘Ball’ in the Family

The 1983 Basketball Team

It is a rare distinction to score more than 1,000 points during a high school basketball career. This year, the Episcopal community celebrated twice when junior Alex Capitano and senior Matt Dade each accomplished this major milestone.

When asked about his favorite memories of playing EA hoops in the 80s, Mr. Dade shared, “It has to be the Friday night home games. The support that we received from the students, parents, and faculty was amazing!”

For the Dade family, the moment was especially bittersweet. Matt’s father, Anthony Dade ‘83, was also a standout player during his EA playing career, which included two league championships in 1982 and 1983. Both years, the basketball team went 10-0 in the Inter-Ac and notched a 24-1 overall record. Anthony Dade averaged 17.4 points during his EA career and scored 29 points in the 1983 championship against The Haverford School.

Matt joins an elite list of EA basketball players to hit the 1,000 mark, including current NBA players Gerald Henderson ‘06 (2,059 career high school points) and Wayne Ellington ‘06 (1,756 career high school points). He finished his EA career with 1,213 career points, making him the 8th all-time leading scorer in EA basketball history.

“My wife and I are both so happy that he accomplished this goal - a goal that he set for himself in 9th grade. It was truly rewarding to see his hard work pay off,” shared Mr. Dade. “I am glad that Matthew chose to play basketball at EA. I never imagined that my coach, Coach Doc, would get the chance to see him play for EA.” Long-time basketball coach Dan Dougherty, Hon. coached at EA for 29 years before retiring in 2010.

Matt credits his father for his years of coaching and mentorship. “I give Matthew honest feedback, and he does a great job of making the adjustments.

He has taken my feedback and guidance to another level which shows in his development as a person and basketball player,” explained Matt.

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1,000 POINT SCORERS BOYS: Rob Lange ‘74 Charles Hickman ‘81 Eugene Burroughs ‘90 Eric Moore ‘91 Jerome Allen ‘91 Terrence Mack ‘02 Gerald Henderson ‘06 Wayne Ellington ‘06 Nick Alikakos ‘17 Matt Dade ‘19 Alex Capitano ‘20 GIRLS: Alison Hadden ‘98 Brittany Perfetti ‘08 Megan Quinn ‘13

The 2018-19 Boys’ Basketball Team

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&

FR O M TH E

Stage Studio

EA HOSTS INTER-AC DANCE FESTIVAL Dancers from area schools came together for the second annual Inter-Ac Dance Festival this February.

Seventy-seven students from EA, Penn Charter, The Agnes Irwin School, Villa Maria Academy, and Notre Dame took part in the event. Dance performances included: ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, musical theater, and tap. Student dancers received immediate feedback from dance professionals about their performances.

“The festival included a master class for all of the dancers,” explained Dance Director Cara Lavallee. “The style was a modern jazz with guest artist Jess Adams, an aerialist and company member with the Philadelphia-based dance company, Project Moshen.”

EA’s Upper and Middle School dance teams also performed in their annual Dance Concert (pictured) the previous week.

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RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH JANUARY 1 The Crawford Campus Center Gallery rang in the new year with a special exhibit by photographer Andrea Modica.

DORA KHAYATT PRIZES IN MUSIC AWARDED TO FOUR STUDENTS The annual Dora Khayatt Prize in Music competition took place in March in The Class of 1944 Chapel. Four students have been awarded prizes for their vocal performances, and cello and piano performances.

Made possible in part by The Christian Humann Foundation, January 1 presented a decade of work by the renowned Philadelphia-based photographer, who has taken to the South Philadelphia streets every New Year’s Day since 2009 to capture a 116-year tradition of the Mummers Parade.

Under an enormous dark cloth with a large format camera, she has captured poignant portraits of the parade’s “Wenches,” who perform in costumes often handed down for generations.

Andrea Modica teaches at Drexel University and the International Center of Photography. She is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Fulbright Scholar, and the recipient of a Knight Award. January 1 was on display through Feb. 8.

Karissa Lim ‘20 won for her piece Saint-Seans Cello Concerto in A minor.

Michael Zhou ‘21 impressed the judges with his performance of Transcendental Etude #4 on the piano.

Cerena Robertson ‘19 performed I Hate the Bus and Mama Will Provide, winning in the vocal category.

Emma Humann ‘19 also won in the vocal category for her pieces Quella Fianna and Maybe This Time.

Four judges from outside of the EA community selected the winners from 24 musicians. “The judges pick only four winners. But again this year, they were so impressed with the depth, talent, and dedication of all of the musicians who competed,” said Music Department Chair Jim Erwin.

The Dora Khayatt awards in music and fine arts were established in 1990 in memory of Dora Khayatt, an artist and the wife of the late John Plant, former Chairman of The Episcopal Academy Classics Department.

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STUDENTS SHARE TALENTS AT NATIONAL CHORAL CONFERENCE Two EA students recently attended the American Choral Directors Association Convention in Kansas City, Missouri this winter. “Eighth grader Elizabeth Boruff and senior Jack Franklin were both selected through an intense audition process,” explained Music Department Chair Jim Erwin. “They were chosen from over 800 applicants from across the country.”

Elizabeth performed with the Middle School-Junior High SATB Honor Choir under the direction of Dr. Derrick Fox. Dr. Fox is the director of choral activities at the University of Nebraska. Jack performed with the High SchoolCollegiate TTBB Honor Choir, which was conducted

by Dr. Jefferson Johnson, director of choral activities at the University of Kentucky.

“Both concerts were held in the spectacular Helzberg Hall in the Kauffman Performing Arts Center. Thousands of choral directors from around the world were in attendance. The student singers received instant standing ovations,” said Mr. Erwin. Middle School Choral Director Valentina Raffaelli also attended the conference.

PROJECT IN PROCESS: SELF-PORTRAIT

BY HOPE BIDDLE

Senior Hope Biddle describes the meaning behind her text-adorned, black and white self-portrait project from Mr. Sigel’s 2-D Design Honors class: “I created stencils and used spray paint to ‘shade’ my body and the chair, and Photoshop to create a word bubble that included phrases that I use to describe myself and how my friends describe me.

I did this to show how I can think so poorly about myself because I constantly worry that others think the same about me, but how, at the same time, the people I care most about are the ones I should really be listening to.”

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Connections

SPOTLIGHT ON: LEAH MARCHANT ’16

12 STUDENTS WIN SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING AWARDS Twelve Episcopal Academy students won 2019 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Winners include four Gold Key awards, five Silver Key awards, and nine Honorable Mentions. Four students were awarded prestigious Gold Keys for their work.

Pia Singh ‘19 won in the Drawing and Illustration category for her piece, Exit: Still Life, and in the painting category for her Antithesis: A Self-Portrait.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that Pia has won a Gold Key. “I’m really grateful to be honored as part of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for four years now!” said Pia. “The self-portrait is a large goldenhued and glossy painting of two faces, intended to show dualism and introspection. My still life is based off of direct observation and exploring how to convey the objects in front of us in a uniquely visual way.”

Jessica Hao ‘19 also won in the painting category for her works titled, Denin and Poofy. “Winning two Gold Keys my senior year is an especially great honor!” shared Jessica. “The two pieces are both oil paintings, in which I tried to realistically capture the texture of fabric in clothes. Attempting to recreate the texture of denim and fur on flat canvases was a great, but worthwhile, challenge.” As a senior, Jessica has cherished her time with EA’s art program. “Through challenging myself in Mr. David Sigel’s 2-D IV class, I have gained a more comprehensive grasp on color theory and oil painting techniques,” said Jessica. “I am able to create art for art’s sake, focus more time on doing something I love, and have a creative outlet during a stressful day of schoolwork.”

Leah Marchant’s installation work was recently featured in a Rhode Island School of Design publication. Her work was a part of a multidisciplinary studio course that took place in Fort Adams State Park, in Newport, Rhode Island.

The site-specific installation, entitled “Redefining Monument: Contemporary Reflections on Fort Adams,” was on view to the public for the month of December.

She shares, “My installation was an intervention, one that intended to bring to light the presence of soldiers who once stood guard within the walls of Fort Adams, whose experience, efforts and presence — even in a contemporary moment of restoration — are kept in the shadows.

The installation of 10,000 yards of golden monofilament maps the path of sunlight — the sole source of light within the space — during the shift of a Fort Adams soldier. Strings fall into the elevated footprints of army boots in gunpowder, calling attention to individual soldiers. I hoped to connect viewers with the experience of soldiers, by introducing striking sensations of light, navigation through darkness and the containment which they would have faced daily. The work invited visitors into a dialogical relationship with soldiers and their experience.”

In the writing category, Mary Cipperman ‘21 was awarded a Gold Key for her poetry, On High School. Olivia Cipperman ‘19 won a Gold Key in the Flash Fiction category for her piece, Selenity. “Winning a Gold Key inspires me to continue to pursue writing throughout high school,” said Mary. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to submit my work and for my advisor, Upper School English teacher Mr. Chris McCreary, who encouraged me to enter the competition.” Mary entered a collection of five poems. “The poems address how anxiety, bias, and class differences influence the teenage experience.”

Pieces that earn Gold Key recognition move on to national judging to be considered for national honors.

Silver Key award winners include: Hope Biddle ‘19, Nicholas Cerone ‘22, Lindsey Demyun ‘22, and Jessica Hao. Honorable Mention winners include: Hope Biddle, Josephine Buccini ‘22, Jessica Hao, Kate Hershey ‘20, Molly Limaye ‘21, Asha Murray ‘20, and Lacey Rivera ‘20.

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Connections

S NAP S HOT

A CELEBRATION OF SQUASH

Squash players — past and present — gathered in the Madeira Squash Pavilion and Fenimore Family Honor Hall to celebrate the legacy of EA’s squash program in February. A History of Squash at The Episcopal Academy was unveiled at the event. Written by Rob Dinerman, the book chronicles the decades of EA’s squash success, which includes four boys’ and one girls’ National High School Championships and 42 Inter-Ac Championship wins.

The evening included remarks by John Nimick ‘77, Todd Harrity ‘09, Tim Kent, Hon., Lauren Patrizio Xaba ‘97, and Mr. Dinerman. To obtain your own copy of the book, contact Director of Alumni Engagement Lauren Berry Maloney ’10 at 484.424.1772.

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Class Notes

S END US YOUR NEWS We love to hear from you! Submit your latest milestones, news, and updates to be included in a future issue of Connections. Visit www.episcopalacademy.org/classnotes.

1940s

1950s

1948

1950

CLASS AGENT: Dick Schneider

CLASS AGENT: John Rettew

1949

1952

Robert Martin shared, “A year ago we noted 2017 had been quite a year, and that quite covered more problems than positives. Sadly, the same can be said for 2018. The highlights for us were two tours. The first focused on art — The Royal Academy’s exhibition and the Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace. We enjoyed dinner at the Royal Thames Yacht Squadron. We had heard that Hamilton was more than special, and had the pleasure of confirming that. Our second tour was a Crystal cruise. We sailed from Dover up the west coast of Norway to the North Cape, then returning to Dover. It was glorious scenery throughout. For us it was experiencing unique sights we would not have believed without seeing them. When not traveling, we continue to keep busy at home in Menlo Park.”

CLASS AGENTS: Craig TenBroeck & Jim Siegel Jim Sigel recently visited Barry Plotts in Flager Beach, Florida, and he has moved back into his old apartment, which had been flooded by a recent hurricane. He has committed to attending his next reunion. He also had lunch with Bob Gerhardt and his wife, JoAnne, in Del Ray Beach, Florida. Bob is recovering from a bout of pneumonia which is caused by a return air flight from a recent visit to Germany. He reported that Craig TenBroeck is recovering in the Dunwoody Medical Unit and would welcome a call from his classmates. Please contact Lauren Berry Maloney ‘10, Director of Alumni Engagement, for his phone number to do so: 484-424-1772.

Craig TenBroeck and his wife attended the Lower School Ensemble Group concert at Dunwoody Village in March.

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Connections

1953

away by Antonio Gaudi’s cathedral La Sagrada Familia, still being built for over 100 years. We currently rent a tiny house on the 200-acre Willisbrook Farm near the Radnor Hunt. I still sing with the Orpheus club and cook at the Fish House. Having unwillingly left Episcopal for boarding school at the end of 9th grade I missed growing closer to my classmates. I hope to see some of you in our remaining years!”

Class Notes

Jim Siegel reports, “Sue and I continue in good shape, age adjusted. I still shoot skeet and play the ukulele with limited success. Emily, my wife’s Model A Ford, is in now good shape so my new hobby is repairing clocks (not as difficult as it sounds). My next new project is to make a ukulele. Ask me about it next time we talk to keep me on track.”

1956

CLASS AGENT: Lynne Graburn Richard Behr is enjoying life at a CCRC, which he moved to in June of 2018. He shared, “Many activities are keeping us young. We visited one daughter and family in Florida this February. The goal of life is ALIVENESS. Rejoice!”

CLASS AGENT: Bill Rapp

1957

1955 Henry Windsor shared, “For 20 years, Josephine and I have lived an hour north of Auckland, New Zealand in Sandspit, high above the sea, for four months out of the year. Enjoying fine health, we hike, climb, bike, ride a Triumph cycle, and travel. We were lucky to buy when the New Zealand dollar fell in 2000. Two of my children married New Zealanders hence I have residency here.

We recently spent a month in Spain and were blown

Send us your news! Visit episcopalacademy.org/classnotes.

CLASS AGENTS: John Clendenning, Howard Morgan & Geoff Worden

1959 The class of 1959 is having their 60th reunion in May starting with a dinner at Rowley’s on Friday May 3. Rowley Watson shared, “We expect Bix, Joe, Cecil, Butch, Dave, Hilton, Sandy, Bill, Curt, and Matt. It will be great to get together!”

THE TRADITION RETURNS Our historic rivalries will return to the EA campus this November! Join us as we take on the Agnes Irwin Owls and the Haverford School Fords during an action-packed weekend. Don’t miss your chance to cheer on the blue and white and reconnect with your EA classmates!

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1960s

on Jan. 18 on “General Washington and The Newburgh Conspiracy of 1783.” He also hosted a Washington’s Birthday Celebration on Feb. 22, 2019.

1960

1964

CLASS AGENT: Maurice Heckscher

CLASS AGENT: Tom Zug Jad Roberts retired from Amtrak in April 2018, after being a lawyer there for 43 years. He shared, “I’m now trying to figure out how to be productive. So far, I’ve enjoyed retirement.”

1965 CLASS AGENT: Loyd Pakradooni

1966 Morgan Smith and Jim McVey skied in Vail in March.

They had dinner and lots of laughs.

1961 CLASS AGENT: Cappy Markle

CLASS AGENT: Steve Dittmann This fall, John Platt retired as Communications Director from WFUV-New York but he continues to host “Sunday Supper” at 5-6 p.m. on Sundays. You can stream it at wfuv.org and also check his website newfolk.org for info about his multifarious activities.

1962 CLASS AGENTS: Laird Evans, Jim Fulton & Bob Stavers

1963 CLASS AGENT: Drew Jackson

Bill Richards and his wife, Daphne, spent the winter riding in Wellington, Florida. Bill spoke in Palm Beach 46

Connections

LEAVE YOUR LEGACY The Bishop William White Society celebrates the generosity of those who have named Episcopal as a beneficiary of a will, retirement plan, life insurance policy, or other type of planned giving arrangement.

Planned Gifts help EA to ensure excellence for future generations of students. Contact Patsy Porter, Director of Planned Giving, at (484) 424-1780 to join the 200+ alumni and friends who have already included Episcopal in their estate plans.

1967

1970s

Class Notes

1970 CLASS AGENTS: John Dautrich & Ron Rothrock

1970 CLASS AGENTS: Payne Kilbourne & John Senior

Send us your news! Visit episcopalacademy.org/classnotes.

Jon Butler shared, “We jointly celebrated the 90th season of Pop Warner Football and Mickey Mouse’s 90th Birthday!”

Frederick Craft was conferred with a Doctor of Management degree by the University of Maryland University College. His dissertation was on innovative capacity development strategies in Indonesia.

1968 CLASS AGENT: Robert Mayock

Tom Kellogg shares that he is finally preparing to retire.

The process of winding down his 43-year-old business will take 18-24 months. Once he and his assistant have completed all outstanding orders for their custom frames and bicycles, they will walk out the door and lock it behind them without regret. “It has been a good run,” he says.

1973 David Fenimore married Dr. Ashley Marshall in Dominical, Costa Rica. It was the climax of a five-day pool volleyball tournament among two dozen friends and family members. Because Dr. Marshall is currently Fenimore’s department chair at the University of Nevada, Reno, the newlyweds were required to sign a nepotism agreement.

CLASS AGENTS: Rex Gary & Jerry Holleran John Garrison married Kristin Olsen on Sept. 30, 2018.

After losing his wife to cancer three years ago he reconnected with Kris. The two had dates 40 years ago and Kris was widowed a number of years ago. John has two married daughters and three grandchildren. He reports, “Life is good!”

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1974

1975

CLASS AGENT: John Spofford

CLASS AGENT: Jim Cooke

In June Peter Thayer will finish up his 41st year in independent schools and his 11-year tenure as Head of School at St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Middletown, Delaware. He plans to spend more time with family, including his mom in Florida (who is very active at age 94) and his three kids who all work in schools in interesting places (Seattle, San Francisco, and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands), as he discerns next (ad)ventures.

ALUMS VISIT AFTER RECORD-BREAKING SWIM & DIVE SEASON The boys’ swimming and diving team won the Inter-Ac Championship for the first time since 1970. The team won the Inter-Ac Championship for the first time since 1970. The team also broke all 11 of the EA swimming records, including one dating back to 1997. The boys’ and girls’ teams won the Eastern Interscholastic Championship for the first time in school history.

Another highlight of the season was meeting two swimmers from EA’s 1970 team, the last to win the Inter-Ac title. Pete Munger ’70 and Ken Lefevre ’70 attended the Winter Athletic Assembly on Feb. 25 to congratulate the team and give them their Inter-Ac charms.

“ It’s something you will never forget,” said Mr. Munger. “ Everything that happens today, cherish it,” said Mr. Lefevre.

“And don’t wait 50 more years to win the Inter-Ac again!”

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Theodore Tsaltas writes, “I deeply appreciate the kindness of so many ‘75 classmates during a difficult year. Thank you to all!”

1976 For the past 18 months, Rod Wolfson has been using his architectural experience at Swarthmore College as a Planner/Project Manager in the Department of

Class Notes

Capital Planning and Project Management. He shares, “I’m enjoying being part of this academic community that is highly collaborative, is guided by values, and has a tremendous campus of buildings to preserve and renovate.”

1977

Frank Leto and Bryn Mawr Trust Company was honored at Baker Industries’ Anniversary Spring Gala in April for their support and collaboration with the organization. In addition to being President & CEO of Bryn Mawr Trust, Frank serves on Baker Industries’ Board of Directors and its Executive Committee.

CLASS AGENT: Jim Borum

Benjamin Olshin is still working as a professor of philosophy and design in Philadelphia. His second and third books came out recently, covering the topics of virtual reality, ancient history, and the history of science.

He shares, “Lots of travels recently – to Iceland with my family, and also Brazil, Taiwan, and Japan for both fun and work. Still in contact with classmates Ted Coxe, Jr., Clint O’Brien, and Ben Thompson.”

1979

1982

CLASS AGENTS: Ned Lee & Chris Young

CLASS AGENTS: Jim Farrell & Brooke McMullin

1978

Send us your news! Visit episcopalacademy.org/classnotes.

CLASS AGENT: Jim Alton

John Peruto and his wife, Lori, became grandparents in November. He continues to practice law in Bala Cynwyd (Peruto & Peruto) and run an apartment, home, and garage rental company in Overbrook Park (Peruto Properties). He has also been a team captain/driver of sports cars in the American Endurance Racing series since 2014. He invites all EA alumni to join him in the pits.

1980s 1980 CLASS AGENT: David Reape

1981

Frank Barnett and his family visited Frank Langfitt and his family in London and spent a day biking and scootering across Paris. FAB, as he’s known, returned to London to join the Langfitts to watch the Eagles defeat the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.

CLASS AGENT: Ben Thompson Brad Wilson shares some unfortunate news, “I lost most of my right leg to an infection. I am recovering but long way to go. Hope everybody is healthy and happy out there!”

Bill Bagnell’s daughter, Mary Cate, who teaches 1st Spring 2019

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grade in Oklahoma City, was married on October 13.

Her older brother, Billy ’06, was an usher along with her brothers James and Chris. Two down and four to go!

1984 CLASS AGENTS: Bill Keffer & Karl Mayro

1985 CLASS AGENT: John Susanin

1986 CLASS AGENT: Karen Marston

1987 CLASS AGENT: Ed Jones

1988 Frank Langfitt invites classmates to join him for a discussion on his new book, The Shanghai Free Taxi, on June 19, 7:30 p.m., Parkway Central Free Library in Philadelphia.

1983 CLASS AGENT: Jamie Hole Michael E. Jacoby, Senior Managing Director of Phoenix Capital Resources, was recently named an Influencer of Finance in the Investment Banking category by The Philadelphia Inquirer. He was presented with the award in February and was profiled in The Inquirer. The awards are presented each year to financial leaders who guide businesses, manage mergers and acquisitions, and provide sound business advice to executive teams.

IT’S ALL ABOUT NETWORKING! Tap into the power of the Episcopal network by setting up your profile today at episcopalacademy.alumnifire.com.

Our easy-to-use, online platform allows you to connect with alumni across many industries and search for internships as well as hire EA alumni for career opportunities at your company. Join today!

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Connections

On Oct. 31, 2018, Christian Johnson and his wife, Sonia, welcomed a son, Reid Christian Johnson, to the family. He joins big sister Finley (4). After many years living in New York City, the family moved to Darien, Connecticut roughly three years ago and are enjoying their new neighborhood and being closer to golf, tennis, and the beach.

EALN — JOIN THE EA LAWYERS’ NETWORK

Send us your news! Visit episcopalacademy.org/classnotes.

Class Notes

EA alumni gathered at Morgan, Lewis, and Bockius in Philadelphia in February for the inaugural networking event of the EALN. A very special thank you to Gordon Cooney ’77 and his many EA colleagues for hosting, and to Gordon, Zac Arbitman ’05 and Pat Devine ’05 for bringing this idea to Episcopal. Lawyers, we hope you will join us at the next event!

Contact Lauren Berry Maloney ’10 at lmaloney@episcopalacademy.org to be added to the EALN invitation list.

1989 CLASS AGENT: Becky (White) Kreutz

Rob Cardone shares, “We have laid roots in Hillsborough, North Carolina (just outside of Chapel Hill) for over a decade now. As my sons, Nicholas (13) and Grant (10) have discovered lacrosse, I have pulled myself back into the community. Nicholas is playing for his middle school team and a travel team, The Hilltoppers, while Grant has been participating in several learn-to-play leagues. I have been recruited to coach the defense at the local high school, Orange High School, NC Conf-07 for this spring and hopefully when my boys matriculate through I will still be on staff.”

1990s 1990 CLASS AGENT: Dave Freemann

After almost 5 years at Google, Sean Devlin recently started a new role at Netflix, as the Director of Los Angeles Workplace Operations in their rapidly-growing Hollywood offices. His older daughter is following in his footsteps and tackling her freshman year at the University of Richmond in Virginia. “Amazing how time flies,” he writes.

1991 CLASS AGENTS: Joe Bongiovanni & Holly (Sando) Rieck

1994 CLASS AGENTS: Anna (Morgan) Cassidy & Sarah (Glick) Johnson

1995 CLASS AGENTS: Brooke (Doherty) Horgan & Katie Kurz

1996 CLASS AGENT: Mike McKeon Katie (Bergstrom) Mark and her husband, Patrick, welcomed a son, Paul Thomas Mark to their family this past fall.

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1997

1998

CLASS AGENT: Julie Manser

CLASS AGENT: Katie (Harmer) Leubecker

1999

Ben Grossman shared a photo of his twin daughters, Catherine and Jane, in their EA sweaters.

Lauren (Patrizio) Xaba shared photos of her twins, Zoe and Zac, sporting their EA sweaters!

Tripper Heckscher and his wife, Brittany, welcomed a daughter, Berkley Alexis Heckscher, on Oct. 26, 2018.

EA LACROSSE ALUMNI HONORED Two stand-out EA lacrosse players were inducted into the Eastern Pennsylvania Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Jeff MacBean ‘92 and Kurt Lunkenheimer ‘95 were inducted on Saturday, Feb. 9 during a ceremony at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. Scott Hammond ‘92, Brian Dougherty ‘92, Charley French ‘92, Ashley Lunkenheimer ‘92, and Ben Prusky ‘92 joined Jeff and Kurt to celebrate this honor.”

“ Being inducted into the Philadelphia Lacrosse Hall of Fame is such a well-deserved honor for Jeff and Kurt,” said EA Head Varsity Coach Chris Bates. “They each had truly outstanding careers wearing the Episcopal jersey and then both went on to play major roles on multiple national championship winning teams at Princeton. More importantly, they both are outstanding men and represent everything we want our Episcopal student-athletes to become.”

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Connections

2000s

Douglas Heckscher, wearing his EA sweater.

2000

CLASS AGENTS: Ann (Imbesi) Ware & Julia Crawford

CLASS AGENTS: Kimmy (Gardner) Reinking & Jack Meyers

2004

2001

CLASS AGENTS: Nick Brown & Mike Ciccotti

2002 CLASS AGENTS: Kevin Dugan & Tim Mahoney On June 19, 2018, Lindsay Chipego was engaged to Kevin Rowley of Bryn Mawr. They will be married at St. John Newman Church in Bryn Mawr on July 27, 2019.

Matt Young and his wife, Calie, welcomed Sebastian into the world on Jan. 8, 2019.

Andrew Chipego was married to Nicole Kastner at Overbrook Golf Club on Aug. 11, 2018. They toured London and Dublin for their honeymoon and are happily settled in Boston, Massachusetts.

Send us your news! Visit episcopalacademy.org/classnotes.

CLASS AGENTS: Evan Coughenour, Drew Crockett, Sarah Baker & Pete Tedesco

Class Notes

2003

2005 CLASS AGENT: Nick Morris

2006 CLASS AGENTS: Armena Ballard & Kelsey Cox

2007 CLASS AGENTS: Shane Isdaner, Megan McFarland & Annie (Spofford) Ripley Courtney (Snyder) Griffiths and her husband, Jay, who relocated from New York City to Los Angeles in 2018, welcomed baby boy Rhys Philip Griffiths on January 11, 2019.

John S. Smith, IV welcomed a third son, Connor Smith, on December 26, 2018.

Mark Sabat and his wife, Megan, welcomed a daughter, Emma Rose Sabat on January 4, 2019.

Meghan McCormick was honored at the Holy Child Awards Dinner on March 28 as the 2019 Holy Child Spirit Award Recipient. Recipients of the Holy Child Spirit Award exemplify the characteristics of service unique to the Holy Child tradition (i.e., faith, justice, action, compassion) by using their gifts to make a difference in the world.

2008 CLASS AGENTS: Heather Hayes & Brian Young

Tucker Hecksher shared a photo of his son, Brayden

Over Thanksgiving Weekend, the Class of 2008 celebrated their 10th EA Reunion in Philadelphia. Thank you to the Reunion Committee for planning a great event!

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Heather Hayes married Michael Hill on Sept. 29, 2018 at the Logan Hotel in Philadelphia. Emmaline (Imbriglia) Ellis and Jennifer Suspenski were bridesmaids, and Kaitlin (Brennan) Barra was the matron of honor. Kimberly Kirkpatrick, Katherine Turner, and Madeline Lurio ‘05 were also in attendance.

Over Thanksgiving Weekend, the Class of 2013 celebrated their 5th EA Reunion at Tavern on Broad in Philadelphia. Thank you to the Reunion Committee Chairs, Megan Kilcullen and James Costalas, for planning a great event!

2009

2014

CLASS AGENT: Erin Flynn

CLASS AGENT: Jack Keffer

Your 10th EA Reunion is coming up over Thanksgiving Weekend this year! Contact the Office of Alumni Engagement (lmaloney@episcopalacademy.org) to join your class’ Reunion Committee.

Your 5th EA Reunion is coming up over Thanksgiving Weekend this year! Contact the Office of Alumni Engagement (lmaloney@episcopalacademy.org) to join your class’ Reunion Committee.

Sarah Mumanachit, Todd Harrity, Trevor McGuinness ‘06, and John Steele ‘10 were among the many alumni present at the Celebration of Squash in February at EA. Todd shared remarks with event attendees about his career in squash as a professional athlete. It was a night to remember!

2015 CLASS AGENT: Jack Keffer

2016 CLASS AGENTS: Rachel Farmer & Woody Nimoityn

2010s 2010

2017 CLASS AGENT: Nikki Cannon

CLASS AGENTS: Lauren (Berry) Maloney, Kirsten Petrocelli & Stephanie Bernabei

2011 CLASS AGENTS: Jimmy McEntee & Haley Habenicht

2012 CLASS AGENT: Brian Metzler

2013 CLASS AGENTS: James Costalas & Megan Kilcullen 54

Connections

Jeffrey Coote, Matt Freese, Aki Maja, Peter LeRoux, and Quinn Dudek (all members of EA’s 2016 Boys’ Soccer Team) gathered to celebrate Matt Freese signing with the Philadelphia Union in December 2018.

In Memoriam

’44 Gardner Spencer Rogers

February 20, 2019 ’46 Joseph Bennett February 03, 2019 ’46 Donald B. Waite, Jr.

March 11, 2019 ‘50 Arthur M. CholmeleyJones, Jr. May 22, 2017 ’50 Frank Field October 23, 2015 ’51 David Allen January 03, 2019 ’51 John W. Eccles February 26, 2019 ’51 Robert F. Kennedy July 08, 2017 ’51 George H. Kilmarx November 12, 2018 ’53 Edward L. Jones, Jr. December 17, 2018 ’60 Peter Kent Kilngensmith

April 8, 2019 ’62 David B. Harris December 06, 2018 ’82 Ronald J. Ianieri

March 21, 2019 ’87 Andrew A. Brenner, Jr.

April 2, 2019 ’87 Jacques “Jack”

Zinman, Jr.

May 5, 2019 *as of May 5, 2019

Class Notes

’44 Harry B. French December 07, 2018

Harry B. French ‘44 P ‘73 ‘79 ‘82 GP ‘16 ‘18 ‘21 ‘24 ‘26 Harry B. French passed away on December 7, 2018. He was married to Phyllis (nee McLean) for 64 years and was the dedicated father to Chip French ’73 (Alison Phillips), Dr. Pamela French (Lyn Kratz), William French ’79, Clayton French ’82 (Pamela French nee Meadowcroft) and beloved grandfather to Colby, Courtney, Ryan ’16, Tyler ’18, Bradley ’21, Dawson ’24, and Kiersten ’26. After graduating from Episcopal, where he was voted best student and most likely to succeed, he graduated as valedictorian from Brown University, while also serving as Lieutenant in the Navy. He went on to receive his Master of Business Administration from Harvard University as a Baker Scholar. While working as an investment banker, he became involved in Streamlight Incorporated. In 1994, Harry assumed the title of Chairman. At age 92, he continued to drive to work every day. A visionary leader, he was deeply devoted to Episcopal, serving as a trustee for ten years, an emeritus trustee for thirty years, and member of the Alumni Society Board of Managers for nine years. He was instrumental in guiding Episcopal into its new chapter of co-education and helped lead the campus move to Newtown Square.

He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2009 and the 1785 Bowl in 2017 in honor of his commitment and support of Episcopal.

Send us your news! Visit episcopalacademy.org/classnotes.

’42 Alan Lukens, III January 06, 2019

Edward L. Jones, Jr. ‘53 P ‘87 GP ‘18 ‘20 ‘21 ‘21 ‘23 Edward L. Jones, Jr. died on December 17, 2018. Eddie was the loving husband to Meredith Smith Jones and beloved father of Edward L. Jones III ’87 (Loraine) and Julie Schellenger (Henry). He was also the proud grandfather of Amanda ’20, Lauren ’21, and Eddie ’23 Jones; and Matt, Andrew ’18, and Timothy ’21 Schellenger. After graduating from Episcopal, Eddie went on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1957 and earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1961. He worked for a law firm for two years while serving in the U.S. Army Reserves. After becoming a stockbroker with Kidder, Peabody & Co., he became chairman and CEO of Keystone Automobile Club and Insurance Company. Over the next 20 years, the organization expanded to become AAA Mid-Atlantic and had over 3 million members at the time of his retirement in 2001. A proud lifer of Episcopal, Eddie was dedicated to ensuring excellence at his alma mater. He served on the Board of Trustees from 1977 until 2002, when he was named trustee emeritus. He dedicated countless hours in his roles as treasurer and chair of the annual fund and helped to usher in co-education and set a strong vision for the school as it prepared to relocate campuses. Eddie also served as chairman of the board of Cedar Crest College, chairman of the board for Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, founding trustee and vice-chairman of Main Line Health, and trustee for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He was a longtime member of The Union League of Philadelphia, and the club’s president from 1989-1990. In 2003, Episcopal honored Eddie with the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his many contributions and service to Episcopal and the Philadelphia region.

Andrew A. Brenner, Sr. ’87 P ’16 ’19 Andrew A. Brenner, Sr. died unexpectedly on April 2, 2019. A devoted family man, he is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and his children, Lauren ’16, Andrew ’19 and Olivia. After graduating from Episcopal, he graduated from Dickinson College, where he studied political science and business administration. Andrew was a hard worker and always willing to devote his time to helping others. As both a board member and a coach, Andrew spent time coaching and mentoring youth soccer players. Andrew also devoted his time serving on the boards of many charitable organizations. He served on Episcopal’s Alumni Society Board of Managers for 5 years, volunteering a great amount of his time to help with various school and alumni events.

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From the

Archives

Secret societies are the thrilling subject of countless movies and novels about elite colleges, but did you know that The Episcopal Academy had its very own secret society? The Society of Upsilon Omega was formed in 1888 during the heyday of prep school secret societies. While many of its secrets, customs, and traditions did not survive its members’ sacred vows to never write them down, we are able to gather some intriguing tidbits from the minutes, initiation rolls, and other archival material that have been preserved: • Membership was for life, and brothers wore special pins to identify each other. The pin had to be worn at all times, except for when playing football. When a brother passed away, the pin was still worn but wrapped in black cloth.

• The headquarters in the later years were leased rooms on the third floor of a building at 1628 Chestnut Street, which was demolished a few years later for the construction of the Provident Trust Building (now Club Quarters Hotel).

• Every December, the fraternity held a banquet at the Adelphia Hotel (13th and Chestnut) or Boothby’s Restaurant (12th & Chestnut), except in 1918 due to the loss of their brothers and the general conditions around World War I. • The Society had its last meeting on Dec. 23, 1921. The new head of school, Greville Haslam, oversaw the disbanding of fraternities in favor of creating a student council.

Special thanks to Lorie Harding, Director of Libraries, for her assistance.

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The Episcopal Academy 1785 Bishop White Drive Newtown Square, PA 19073-1300 www.episcopalacademy.org ADDRESS SERVICE R EQ UES T ED

The Class of 2019 gives back!

Here the class celebrates reaching 100% participation in giving to The Episcopal Fund.