Connections, Spring 2022

Connections Spring 2022

MA GAZI NE OF T HE EPIS CO PAL ACADEM Y

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TEACHER Page 6

Into the Light Community Art Exhibit Page 18

2022 Alumni Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Page 34

A teacher’s day is both exhilarating and exhausting. Take a behind-thescenes look at a typical day in the life of EA’s amazing faculty.

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CONTENTS 16

Features 6 A Day in the Life

Get a glimpse into the busy lives of EA’s teachers 18

I nto the Light View the breathtaking result of a community-wide visual arts project

34 2022 Alumni Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Learn more about this year’s impressive honorees 40 Reflections and Advice from Women of EA EA alumnae offer insights on the evolution of the workplace

Departments 2

T.J.’s Take

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Snapshot: Recording in Progress

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Snapshot: Packed Pews

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Around the Green

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From the Sidelines

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From the Stage & Studio

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Snapshot: Under the Sea

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Class Notes

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In Memoriam

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From the Archives

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EDITORIAL T EAM The Episcopal Academy 1785 Bishop White Drive Newtown Square, PA 19073 Office of Communication 484.424.1478 mgodin@episcopalacademy.org Office of Alumni Engagement 484.424.1772 alumni@episcopalacademy.org Editor-in-Chief: Michele Godin Contributing Editors: Mark Luff, Hon. Kate LaBrake Courtney Brinkerhoff-Rau P ’16 ‘19 Jessica Siso Leigh Stewart Nikki Torchon Kathryn Ercole Contributing Photographers: Mark Tassoni Ellen Erikson Nicholas Schreder ’22 Courtney Brinkerhoff-Rau P ’16 ‘19 Michele Godin Imana Legette Nash Baker Matthew Davis Doug Borgerson, Hon. Whitaker Powell, Hon.

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Design: Open Haus Studio Production: The Chambers Group

Corrections from Summer 2021 issue: A corrected obituary for Richard S. Chew Jr. ’47 appears on page 50.

The first class shield displayed in “From the Archives” was incorrectly attributed to the Class of 1960. The shield was from the Class of 1966.

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T. J. ’ S TA K E

Investing in Our Teachers

Take a moment and think back to your days in school.

We can all recall a teacher who significantly impacted our lives in some way, whether it was inspiring our career paths, offering wisdom, coaching us beyond our perceived limits, or simply showing care and compassion when it was needed most. We can all think of at least one individual. Hopefully, you think of many.

For me, the answer will always be Mrs. Lifshey. She was my 11th grade English teacher, and she refused to accept anything less than my best. Taking the time to get to know me and learn what mattered to me was just as important as making sure my thesis was well defended. She kept in touch with me through college, helped me grow as a young English teacher, and was there to celebrate with me on my wedding day.

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We have all heard the saying that teaching is a calling. Sadly, fewer people have heard that calling in recent years. Colleges and universities across the country have reported steep declines in the number of undergraduates pursuing education degrees and teaching certificates in the past decade. I believe that one of the major factors driving this change is the exceedingly challenging nature of the job—which was only exacerbated by a global pandemic. According to a January 2022 National Education Association survey, 55 percent of members say they are more likely to leave or retire from education sooner than planned because of the pandemic. With more teachers leaving and fewer young adults pursuing careers in education, we face a dire and urgent problem.

At Episcopal, we are in a healthy position right now.

We have some of the most dedicated, talented, and compassionate teachers. They challenge and they nurture, which can often be a difficult balance to strike.

They make countless sacrifices and consistently place the needs of their students ahead of their own. They dedicate their lives to shaping the lives of our children, ultimately helping to ensure a bright future.

Simply take a look at our “A Day in the Life” cover story to gain a sense of how EA educators spend their extremely busy days (and nights), all in service to our students. What makes our teachers even more extraordinary is their drive to constantly learn and grow professionally. We recognize that our pursuit of excellence is paramount to the success of our students, and that collaboration among our teachers is essential to this pursuit.

We have always done our share of exploring best practices in schools. I am proud to say that we are not a school that lives in isolation, overconfident in our own abilities and knowledge. We constantly seek out and learn from others, asking critical questions to drive improvement. We then take what we learn and do something more: We seek to have the work make sense

for Episcopal. We ask, “How will this work best for EA teachers and students? How can we ground this in our mission and timeless values?”

Our impressive professional development days are designed by and for EA’s own teachers and focus on our school’s greatest needs. Our Center for Teaching and Learning hosts regular programming and works one-on-one with our teachers on any skills, techniques, or tools with which each individual needs help. Robust professional development funds allow our teachers to work with outside experts and organizations to advance their skills in particular areas of passion. Our collaborative culture leads to constant best practice sharing and peer-to-peer counsel in our hallways, at our lunch tables, and in our faculty offices. We are all constantly talking about ways to more effectively engage and support our students while fulfilling our critical mission.

Our work, of course, will never be done. That is the nature of it. We work within a changing world, and our students today will always be different than our students of yesterday. They need to be challenged and nurtured and inspired in new ways. And so we model what we want from them. We learn. We grow. We innovate.

I am beyond grateful to be a part of a community that truly values growth. Through the generosity of our parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends, we are able to attract the best and brightest teachers, offer them a vibrant and flexible network of support, help them grow and succeed, and celebrate them for preparing the next generation of leaders. Your investment in our teachers makes it possible for Episcopal to be prepared for any eventuality, from the pandemic to whatever is next in an unpredictable, rapidly changing world.

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

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SNAP SHOT

RECORDING IN PROGRESS

Greville Haslam Head of School Dr. T.J. Locke interviewed 8th graders Rubens Schwarz and Brandon Bin and EA Squash Co-director Lyall Paterson for a recent EA Unlocked podcast episode. The players recalled the highlights of their undefeated season, playing in the Middle School National Tournament, and the thrill of winning the championship for the first time in school history. Check out this and other episodes by searching for EA Unlocked wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

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Introduction by Mark Luff, Hon., Episcopal’s longest-tenured faculty member 6

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Very early in my career, then Head of School Jay Crawford frequently quoted Theodore Roosevelt by saying “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

In a world prone to skepticism, distrust, and divisiveness, The Episcopal Academy stands as a bright beacon of genuine care, enduring integrity, and faithful unity, all due to the unwavering commitment of our 300+ faculty and staff members. The daily care they extend to students, parents, and one another lives in every action they take.

Our teachers demonstrate integrity in their enduring professionalism and collegiality. The thrill of collaboration rings out in all three divisions of our school. Our teachers love to collaborate with each other. Such an effort is productive, enjoyable, and unifying. Together or individually, EA teachers work relentlessly to develop the most effective pedagogy possible and find the most powerful ways to engage, support, and inspire students.

Not even COVID-19, a global pandemic, can suppress the intellectual growth and collaborative industry of our faculty. Demonstrating great vision, Episcopal had already established the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), well before COVID hit. Bolstered by CTL, our teachers quickly expanded their expertise in virtual teaching through professional development work. It was not always easy, but the faculty overcame many obstacles, protected the enduring responsibilities of academic excellence at Episcopal, and stood steadfast in their crucial duties as teacher, coach, advisor, and colleague.

Our daily lives are simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting! These seemingly opposite concepts lie at the heart of every EA teacher. Hours of planning a lesson on a new, cutting-edge method reveal utter joy in an effective and engaging classroom lesson. A moving Chapel service about belonging and the countless discussions between an advisor and advisee help to nurture Mind, Body, and Spirit. The one-on-one work between teacher and student during a free period and coach and athlete after dismissal leads to tangible growth and mastery.

While our days are packed and oftentimes extend well beyond the first and last bells, we would not have it any other way. I remain in awe each and every day as I see my colleagues sacrifice their time in order to make a significant impact on the lives of their students. The heart and soul of every teacher happily and dutifully stand at the intersection of Grit Street and Delight Avenue!

We heartily invite you to peek into a day in the life of our amazing teachers, as represented by a few of our D’Ambrosio Fellows.

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Ms. Deborah Newnham, Hon. (pictured), Lower School music teacher and band director, works with 4th and 5th grade band members before homeroom begins. She hosts small, individualized lessons and rehearsals before the school day starts on most mornings. “Learning music is like learning a new language,” she explains. “It takes a lot of time and practice, and I try to offer up as much time as I can to help those interested in advancing their musical talent.”

Mr. Mark Luff, Hon., Middle School English teacher, prepares for the day in his classroom. He tries to get all of the classroom technology he will use during his lessons set up before the first bell rings to optimize his instructional time.

Theatre and Dance Department Chair Mr. Dan Clay, Hon. is in the Ridgway Blackbox Theater updating the ticket sales site for the upcoming Domino Club production of Mamma Mia! and setting up for his first period Honors Acting class.

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Mr. Quincy Hyson, Hon., 5th grade teacher, sends his homeroom off to art and heads to another class to deliver a social studies lesson. He and Mr. Whitaker Powell, Hon., recently collaborated to incorporate a wider variety of cultures and societies into their social studies curriculum.

Mr. Clay and Upper School English teacher Mr. Chris McCreary, Hon. use a mutual free period to finalize logistics for their upcoming “Writing, Directing, Performing” May Term course. They also touch base with their contacts at Philadelphia Young Playwrights, who will come to campus to host a three-day workshop with the class.

Mr. Larry Henderson (pictured), Middle School history teacher, attends Chapel with students. Chapel continues to serve as a safe place for the community to gather for reflection, celebration, comfort, and inspiration. Middle and Upper School students attend every other day, and Lower School has Chapel once each week. Mr. Henderson enjoys offering a lesson in gospel singing each year, which has become a new, beloved Chapel tradition among students and faculty.

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Mrs. Kris Aldridge, Hon. (pictured), Upper School history teacher, speaks about Christianity in her PreModern History class. All 9th graders complete the full-year course, which focuses on the rise of various civilizations, empires in China, Greece, Persia, and Rome, and the changing times in Asia and Africa during the rise of Islam and in Europe during the Renaissance.

Ms. Newnham just finished setting up the band room for her 4th and 5th grade afternoon instrumental classes and heads to the music room. She and Ms. Jennifer Lee, Lower School music teacher, often tag-team music lessons for the energetic and fidgety PreK students.

Mr. Luff pops into the CTL for help navigating Flocabulary, a software platform that infuses popular music into literacy lessons. “I want to make sure my teaching is relevant and that I’m using innovative tools,” he explains. “The on-demand professional development support and programming that the CTL provides is so unique and really bolsters our effectiveness in the classroom.”

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Some 5th graders and Mr. Hyson (pictured) check out the brand-new 3D printer that was donated to their classroom. “I don’t know too much about 3D printing, but I am always willing to learn something new,” shares Mr. Hyson. “I’m excited that I’ll get to learn alongside my students, hopefully showing them that you should always be open to trying new things.”

Mrs. Aldridge grabs a to-go lunch from the Tierney Dining Hall before heading to a Mock Trial Club meeting. She and Ms. Jennifer Maier, Hon. are co-advisors for the club, which competes against other high school teams before a Court of Common Pleas judge each year. Episcopal’s teams have had great success in recent years.

Mr. Henderson coaches his advisory students through some “Win at Social” activities. The program helps kids develop healthy social skills through engaging games.

Students gather in their advisory once every eight days to focus on life skills, character development, and teamwork.

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Mr. Clay (pictured) assists one of his students with their acting studies. Through the Lilley Advanced Independent Study, a student can work with a teacher to devise their own curriculum, objectives, and projects, which culminates in a dissertation defense-style presentation to academic leaders at the end of the year.

During her free period, Mrs. Aldridge works with a student who asked for some help preparing for an upcoming test. After that, she will work on grading before heading to a discipline committee meeting. “As a history teacher, there is a lot of writing, and it takes a long time to grade,” she shares. “But the time is worth it because I get to see how each student is developing.”

Mr. Luff hangs in the hall, saying goodbye to his Creative Writing elective students and welcoming in his 7th grade English students. The last period of the day can sometimes be challenging, so Mr. Luff plans to use Flocabulary and his trusty grammar hammer to help keep students engaged.

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Ms. Newnham works with another small group of student musicians in the band room. The group is rehearsing the songs they will perform during the upcoming Lower School Spring Concert in The Carrafiell Family Theater.

Mr. Hyson sits in the Lower School lobby, finalizing details for the distribution of this year’s Lower School yearbooks. He and Assistant Head of Lower School Mrs. Lisa Herbster, Hon. collaborated this year to design a treasured memento packed with photos of fun memories.

Mr. Henderson and Mr. Luff (pictured) soak up some sun out on the Greenwood Track while they help coach the Middle School track and field teams. Many Middle School runners recorded season-best times and earned medals during the Penn Relays, an indication of continued success for EA’s junior varsity and varsity programs.

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Mrs. Aldridge meets up with a few other teachers at Stone Field to cheer on the varsity baseball team.

“I love watching our students play sports,” she shares.

“And I love getting to chat with our parents on the sidelines and other students who come out to cheer each other on. We really do have the best community at Episcopal!”

Mr. Luff waves to Mrs. Aldridge as he finishes the second lap of his daily, campus-wide run. In addition to the personal benefits exercising brings him, he is modeling health and wellness and the importance of focusing on the Body in Mind, Body, Spirit for all students.

Ms. Newnham logs into her Zoom account to prepare for a virtual music lesson with one of her students.

Some students are not able to join the before- or after-school rehearsals, so she offers individual virtual sessions a few nights each week.

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Mr. Clay leads a Domino Club Mamma Mia! dress rehearsal. This school year marks the 50th anniversary of musicals at Episcopal. The program has significantly grown when compared to 1972 when The Agnes Irwin School Glee Club joined forces with Episcopal’s boys in the first production of Oklahoma!

Mr. Hyson walks across the pool deck in the Burke Natatorium and shouts out some words of encouragement to a student during a backstroke lap.

As the co-director of Episcopal’s Aquatic Club and a varsity swim and dive assistant coach, he spends a lot of afternoons and evenings in the Dixon Athletic Center.

Mr. Henderson wraps up dinner with his family before spending some evening time grading a recent assessment. He also has to reply to a few parent emails and review his schedule and lesson plans in preparation for another jam-packed school day tomorrow.

At the end of the day, Episcopal’s teachers inspire students not only through their expertise and finely-crafted instruction, but by their dedication and care to the many roles they fill. EA faculty are more than teachers, mentors, and coaches; they are advocates, cheerleaders, role models, and friends. They challenge and nurture EA students to pursue lives of purpose, faith, and integrity, leading by example each and every day.

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PACKED PEWS

After two years, the EA community is thrilled to be attending Chapel services all together again. During the COVID-19 pandemic, capacity limits resulted in one grade attending Chapel at a time, while others watched a live broadcast from classrooms.

“Our students selected a very poignant and timely Chapel theme for this year— Coming Out of the Darkness and Into the Light,” shared Chaplain Tim Gavin, Hon. “It has been wonderful to finally gather again in person, as a full community, in the beautiful light that cascades through the Class of 1944 Chapel.”

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COMING INTO THE LIGHT: CAMPUS-WIDE ART PROJECT CELEBRATES COMMUNITY AND BELONGING

By Kate LaBrake

Walk into the Crawford Campus Center Gallery during its Into the Light exhibit, and you will find yourself immediately enveloped in warmth. The installation centers around a single piece: a giant, cube-shaped lantern seemingly floating on a clear pedestal, trickles of yellow light lacing through its hundreds of intricately-cut paper tiles and extending to the walls of the space.

Wherever you stand within the room, you, too, will be a part of this piece, as the delicate patterns of light cover you, and as your silhouette adds to the shadows on the wall. In this way, Into the Light creates a participant out of an observer. It invites you to belong.

Debuting in February 2022, Into the Light celebrates inclusivity and community. A true campus-wide effort, this giant installation was created by faculty and students across the PreK-12 spectrum and blended the disciplines of 2D art, photography, sculpture, design and fabrication, music, and computer science.

While Into the Light is a spectacular, multi-sensory experience, to fully appreciate the piece means not only witnessing it in its finished form, but also exploring the fascinating story of how—and why— it was made at EA.

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Anila Quayyum Agha’s “Intersections” on display. Photo credit: Nash Baker

INTO THE LIGHT IS INSPIRED BY THE 2014 PIECE INTERSECTIONS BY ANILA QUAYYUM AGHA. A six-and-a-half-foot black lacquer cube suspended from the ceiling, Intersections features thousands of precise, laser-cut geometric etchings through which a piercing white light shines. The resulting pattern of shadows flood the gallery space and the viewers within it.

Agha based the piece’s patterns on the countless delicate carvings found on the Alhambra, a beautiful Islamic palace built in 889 AD. During her visit to the historical site, Agha was struck by its grandeur and reflected on her childhood, faith, and deep feelings of exclusion.

“Anila Agha was raised in Pakistan, where women weren’t allowed to visit the mosque and instead had to pray at home,” said Visual Arts Chair David Sigel, Hon. “She was always excluded from this seminal cultural experience.”

“When [Agha] later moved to the United States as a young woman, she again felt like an outsider,” added Gallery Coordinator Susan Coote. “Her art practice is addressing the issue in a positive way, and bringing the outsider in.”

Intersections achieves just that. Through its immersive light and shadow, the piece creates a wonder-inspiring contemplative space that is open to all.

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Learn more about Intersections

TRICKY TIMING Two years ago, David first stumbled upon Intersections in a way in which so much new art is discovered.

“I saw it on Instagram,” he explains with a smile. “The [Peabody] Essex Museum posted about it, and I was so taken by the piece that I reached out to my friend who works there. She pointed me to fascinating interviews, articles, and videos. The more I took in, the more I thought, ‘How can we do something like this at EA?’” David envisioned the project as a way for not only the art department to collaborate, but for the entire school to come together.

Unfortunately, the timing was not ideal. With students learning remotely and later transitioning to sociallydistanced instruction, coordinating a project of this scale would have to wait.

Thankfully, the 2021-22 academic year brought lower rates of COVID -19 cases; relaxed protocols that allowed for more collaborative, in-person learning; and a powerful new Chapel theme that not only captured the sentiments of the school community, but inspired the name of this yet-to-be-planned project: Coming Out of the Darkness and Into the Light.

The timing was perfect. The Visual Arts Department faculty named the project Into the Light and began planning in summer 2021.

SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE CONCEPT Into the Light was both a simple and ambitious concept. The arts faculty’s overall goal was to invite students and faculty to take part in creating one giant piece of artwork: a wood-framed lantern inspired

by Intersections. Like Intersections, the piece would promote inclusivity and belonging.

However, before the team formed ideas of what the piece should be, they first had to address what it should not be.

“The biggest challenge in our preliminary discussions was centered around how to make something that wasn’t appropriation,” shared Middle School arts teacher Hilary Hutchison, Hon. “Anila Agha’s work has a significant meaning and message because of her background.

So, instead of building a lantern with traditionally Islamic patterns like Intersections, we wanted Into the Light to include images that represented our own community’s story and perspectives.”

“We wanted Into the Light to be EA’s response to—not a copy of— Intersections,” added David.

An even larger foundational discussion would focus on accessibility.

Hilary took the lead with this charge, creating a system that would allow all students and faculty the opportunity to be involved.

Participants would cut out individual, four-inch square paper tiles which would then be mounted on the large wooden frame. She enlisted the help of a group of creative Upper Schoolers, the Install-It Club, to help direct the project.

“Our very first thought process was, is it going to be a box? How many sides are we going to have?” said Install-It Club Co-president Juliette Loor '22 on a recent episode of the EA Unlocked podcast.

The club also discussed whether all tiles should include EA imagery but eventually decided instead to give students full creative freedom over their designs. Without any design prompts, students could decorate their tile in a way that was meaningful to them.

Learn more about how Install-It took the lead with Into the Light on the official EA podcast, EA Unlocked.

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A PROJECT FOR EVERYONE With a concept in mind and supplies prepared, it was finally time to begin the cutting, weaving, folding, and problem solving of the design phase.

Individual bags of supplies and instructions allowed students to complete their personal tile designs in advisories, during their free time, or at home. The gallery also hosted weekly Maker Monday events throughout December, during which students could design their tiles in the shared space while listening to live music from student musicians.

Making the project truly accessible to Lower Schoolers would require more creativity from organizers. Fourth and 5th graders learned how to weave and cut paper to create shadows. Lower School Art Teacher Julie Choi, Hon. instructed her 1st-3rd grade classes to use their knowledge of the elements of art and paper folding to create their pieces, which became paper snowflakes that would be added to the edges of the finished lantern.

For the youngest learners, Art Teacher Meghan Cangi-Mammele knew that the approach would have to shift more drastically. Instead of asking PreK-K students to make intricately-cut tiles, a dangerous and tricky task for such small hands, Meghan taught the students the difference between geometric and organic shapes. Kindergarten students cut their own shapes, while PreK students were provided pre-cut shapes.

“Their goal was to arrange them on a laminator sheet, and we would run it through the machine together,” explains Meghan. “There were lots of oohs and ahhs when they went through the mini laminator!”

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Students and faculty create their tiles during a Maker Monday event in the gallery.

STRUCTURE, SOUND, AND LIGHT After the individual tiles were completed, Design and Fabrication Teacher John Binstock built the lantern’s wooden frame—a five-footwide cube—to fit each one. However, unlike Intersections, the frame would not be suspended; because the gallery ceiling’s ductwork would not allow for hanging the cube in the very center of the room, the Visual Arts Department decided to place the cube on an acrylic platform to give the lantern a floating effect.

Next, the arts faculty would have to bring the piece into the light.

David and Hilary specially sourced a single diode bulb with high lumens to create perfectly-crisp shadows. But with a powerful light source came the need to conserve energy, and with the need to conserve energy came a creative solution from across campus.

Upper School musicians showcase their talents at the gallery reception.

“We enlisted computer science students and faculty to help,” explains David. “We basically acted as their client and offered true application to what they have been learning in class.”

The computer science faculty and students were up for the challenge.

First, they installed a motion sensor at the front of the gallery that would trigger a welcome message amplified over a loudspeaker.

The audio from the welcome message, in turn, would activate the lantern’s light.

Then, the group programmed an interactive, informational display that would be mounted to the gallery wall. The finished board featured three buttons that guests could press to hear audio recordings about the exhibit’s background, process, or inspiration by Lower, Middle, and Upper Schoolers.

“The computer science students worked to bring a little magic to the piece,” says Susan. “And an installation like Into the Light should be magical.”

To complement the lantern, striking photos featuring silhouettes

by Photography Teacher Ellen Erikson’s Honors Photography III class were mounted on the wall outside of the gallery. “The photos were inspired by the photographer Susan K. Grant, who created ethereal images with silhouettes,” shares Ellen. “When we as an arts department first discussed planning a community-wide project that centered around light, I was excited to be included, as light is so integral to photography.”

Greville Haslam Head of School Dr. T.J. Locke and EA Board Chair Beth Corrigan speak with arts faculty.

A CELEBRATION OF BELONGING With all components in place after months of thoughtful preparation, Into the Light opened in the Crawford Campus Center Gallery with a packed reception in March—the first full-scale gallery event since March 2020. Students filled the gallery, eyes wide with wonder at the patterns of warm light that filled the space. Some searched for their own tile, while others stood back, leaning against the wall, taking it all in.

“I think it is a very individualistic exhibit, but it also reflects the community,” said Install-It Co-president Ned Meisel ’22 on a recent EA Unlocked podcast episode. “One could go into the exhibit and find their individual cutout that they made themselves but also look at theirs amongst everyone else’s and realize they're a part of this artistic community.”

“There’s a great Where’s Waldo effect when students try to find their pieces,” echoes Hilary. “But even better than that is how the community has taken to the lantern in general. In the same way that Anila Agha’s Intersections creates a space that is beautiful and spiritual and enveloping, I hope that Into the Light makes people feel a part of something bigger.

Art has a way of communicating many things powerfully.”

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AROUND THE GREEN

Beloved Traditions Resume This year, EA resumed many traditions that had to be adapted or canceled during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The community enjoyed the return of the Halloween Parade, EA-Haverford-Agnes Irwin Weekend, the Can Drive, Scrooge Chapel, Christmas Tree Lighting, fall theatrical performances, and more.

Two Gold Medals Students Celebrate Black History Month Students honored the legacy of many Black Americans throughout the month of February. In addition to celebrating the accomplishments of influential leaders during Chapel services, students honed their research skills in the classroom.

In Middle School, for example, each advisory studied Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and then decorated their homeroom doors with brightly colored paper, photos, and artwork to honor each institution.

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The Scholium newspaper and Epolitan literary magazine were both awarded gold medals from The Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

The Scholium also received All-Columbian Honors for its visual section, and the Epolitan earned high praise for its cover, title page, front inside spread, and verbal and visual content.

EA Wins Computer Science Female Diversity Award Champs for the First Time in School History For the first time in school history, the Middle School boys’ squash program earned a national championship title. Both the A team (#1 seed) and B team (#4 seed) were named national champions in their respective divisions during the Middle School Nationals tournament, hosted in Philadelphia in February. More than 50 teams from across the country competed, and EA notched impressive wins against challenging opponents, including Brunswick School, Rye Middle School, Princeton Day School, and The Haverford School. Check out season two of the EA Unlocked podcast for an interview with team captains.

For the second consecutive year, the College Board recognized EA for its work to expand female student interest in the computer science discipline. Check out season two of the EA Unlocked podcast to learn more about EA’s Computer Science and Engineering program.

Industry Experts Visit Campus Five EA Teachers Honored This fall, EA honored five remarkable teachers in the sixth class of D'Ambrosio Fellows. The Fellowship was created through The D'Ambrosio Fund for Extraordinary Faculty and recognizes outstanding EA educators who have a transformative impact on their students and inspire teachers to achieve the highest level of work.

This year's Fellows include Lower School Physical Education Teacher Mrs. Colleen Bernabei, Hon., Middle School Mathematics Teacher Ms. Melissa Ruggiero, Lower School Coordinator of Instructional Support Mrs. Nicole Squillario, Upper School English Teacher Mr. Tony Herman, and Upper School World Languages Teacher Sra. Cristina Deirmengian.

EA students often have a unique opportunity to learn from experts from various industries. This year, EA welcomed countless thought leaders to the stage and the classroom, including a NASA engineer, the dean of University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, a music producer, a Rutgers University physics and astronomy researcher, a tech start-up CEO, a Native American historian, a New York Times best-selling children’s author, and Marine Corps musicians.

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FROM THE SIDELINES

Fall 2021

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EA/Haverford/Agnes Irwin Weekend It was a banner day for the EA girls, as they won all four of the day’s contests (Tennis 5-2, Cross Country 19-39, Soccer 1-0, Field Hockey 6-1). The Banner will remain at EA for another year! The boys competed fiercely, winning two of the day’s contests (Cross Country 15-49, Soccer 2-0). The golf (192-190) and water polo (19-11) teams fought hard, but ultimately fell to Haverford. The day ended with a close, nail-biter football game with Haverford securing the Sweater with a 13-7 win. Join us on Nov. 11-12, 2022, when the competitions return to our home fields!

Boys’ Cross Country Inter-Ac Champions PAISAA Champions The team had its best season in 30 years with a 10-0 record in dual meets. The squad started off strong, finishing 2nd at the Abington Invitational and 1st at the Atkinson Invitational. At the Delco Championships, the team ran to 5th place and won the Inter-Ac Championship. All seven varsity runners earned All Inter-Ac honors. Aidan McHugh ‘23 won the race and was MVP of the league. The boys also won the PAISAA state championship, with six medal winners and five All-State runners. In the final race of the season, the team ran past Haverford.

The JV team finished 1st at both the Inter-Ac Championship and the PAISAA Championship, which bodes well for the future of the program.

Girls’ Cross Country The runners capped off a successful season with a 19-39 win over rival Agnes Irwin, running 7-4 in dual meets. The girls demonstrated excellent overall effort and improvement throughout the fall. The team earned 4th place at the Inter-Ac Championships and 5th place at the Delco and PAISAA Championships.

Field Hockey Inter-Ac Champions PAISAA Champions EA field hockey completed a stellar season with a 20-1 overall record and 10-0 in league play. There were many notable highlights and performances. The team won its 5th PAISAA Championship and 14th Inter-Ac title. It was a true team effort with 14 players scoring 118 goals and 72 assists. The defensive unit played strong, especially in the back line, along with the goalies. Senior Ashley Sessa was named Delco Daily Times Player of the Year.

Boys’ Water Polo Inter-Ac Champions Boys’ water polo had a historic season, winning the Inter-Ac Championship for the first time since 2010. A key victory included a 13-10 win over Haverford, which ended their 28-game win streak in conference play. The squad also had dominant wins over Malvern Prep and Penn Charter. The team reached the championship game at the Beast of the East Tournament, Flight II, going 4-1.

The 2021 boys’ team earned its place as one of the best water polo teams in school history.

Girls’ Water Polo Football Football started off the season with three consecutive wins, highlighted by a 34-26 victory over Roman Catholic. At the start of league play, the team tallied three additional wins before falling to Malvern Prep.

The seniors wrapped up their playing careers with three winning Inter-Ac seasons. The team dropped its final game of the season (13-7) against rival Haverford, ending the season with 6-4 record.

Boys’ Golf

Girls’ water polo had a season of growth after graduating five starters last year. At the Beast of the East Tournament, the girls made it to Flight II of four, which was a testament to diligent team training.

The team played better and better as the season progressed and played the best game of the season during the final matchup against Friends’ Central. The starters worked tirelessly, sometimes rarely getting subbed out. Players coming off the bench were hungry to play and worked hard each practice to earn more playing time. It was a competitive and fun season.

Boys’ golf seized the momentum of the fall season, ending with a 23-15 record for the six league tournaments. The team won its first non-league match against regional powerhouse Holy Ghost Prep, with Co-captain Eric Morgan ’22 shooting an even par. Sophomore Hunter Stetson played consistently throughout the season, eventually winning the Bert Linton Award/Inter-Ac Individual Championship.

Teammate Jack Yearley ’24 finished 3rd. The team finished 2nd at the PAISAA Championship round.

Girls’ Tennis Inter-Ac Champions After a shortened 2020 season, this year was the first real varsity season for many of the girls on the team. They rose to the challenge in every way imaginable. The team started off with a 1st place win at the Phoenixville Invitational. A season highlight was defeating eventual non-league State Champion Conestoga High School. The team dominated the Inter-Ac League with an 11-0 record, captured the league title, and ended the season with a 17-2 record. Seniors Ashley Kennedy and Maddy Mitchell graduate with 50 team wins in their high school careers, winning the league title every season.

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FROM THE SIDELINES

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Boys’ Basketball Boys’ basketball played a rigorous schedule and had some great victories along the way. The Churchmen finished the season 12-17 overall, 3-7 in the Inter-Ac. The team dominated the Marple Newtown Holiday tournament, winning the event over Downingtown East. Sophomore Kevin McCarthy was the tournament MVP. Other season highlights include two wins over Haverford and a first-round victory in the PAISAA tournament against Shipley.

Girls’ Basketball Girls’ basketball wrapped up its season with an impressive 19-8 overall record and 7-5 league record. EA scored some big wins throughout the season, defeating rival Germantown Academy and Notre Dame in the PAISAA tournament quarterfinal. In the semifinals, the team took the lead in the fourth quarter before falling to the eventual champion Penn Charter in a hardfought loss. Outside the league, the squad topped eventual District 1 Champion Villa Maria, Ches-Mont powerhouse Bishop Shanahan, and District 1 Finalist Marple Newtown.

Ice Hockey

Boys’ Squash Team spirit and success on the court led to a great season for boys’ squash. The squad finished 2nd in Inter-Ac play, ending with a 6-3 record. Highlights included 9-0 sweeps over Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and Malvern Prep, and an 8-1 win over Penn Charter. The team was the youngest of 169 schools to reach the quarterfinals of the High School National Championships before bowing out to the eventual winner, Kent School. Eleven of 12 varsity players will return next season and add strength and depth. Eighth graders from EA’s two national championship-winning Middle School teams will also be joining the Upper School program next year.

Girls’ Squash Girls’ squash ended its season on a high note, playing to 5th place at High School Nationals and exceeding its tournament seeding. The girls went 3-1, only losing to the eventual champions. Each player had key wins throughout the tournament.

One senior, five juniors, two sophomores, and one freshman led the lineup. Another highlight of the season was a 5-4 win over The Lawrenceville School.

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Despite juggling COVID-related absences, the team enjoyed being back on the ice and made it to the Independence Hockey League semi-finals for the fourth consecutive year.

The squad earned impressive wins over The Pennington School and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. A decisive 7-3 win over Haverford was a season highlight. EA Ice Hockey ended the season with a 4-9 record.

Boys’ Swimming & Diving The boys’ swim & dive team had a good season and saw strong leadership from the captains and upperclassmen. The group grew together and competed at the highest level. Heading into the Inter-Ac Championship “Invitational,” the team was strong and ended up just behind Malvern Prep in the standings. Teams from all over the country competed in the Eastern Prep Championships, where the boys placed 11th and combined with the girls to finish 7th. Swimmers competed in the finals of eight events.

Girls’ Swimming & Diving

Boys’ Winter Track & Field Hard work and dedication paid off for the boys’ winter track & field team. After much of last season was canceled, the boys wasted no time getting back on track and setting eight new indoor school records (60m, 800m, Mile, 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m Relays, DMR, and Long Jump). Ten EA student-athletes qualified for the Indoor State Championship meet held at Penn State. In a historic achievement, the team finished 2nd among 130 boys’ teams.

The girls’ swim & dive team saw amazing leadership from its captains and upperclassmen. This leadership team, combined with a roster of young swimmers, helped drive the squad to a successful 4-1 season. The girls finished the dual-meet season strong with wins against Baldwin and Notre Dame. At the Inter-Ac Championship “Invitational,” the team finished in 2nd place. At the Eastern Prep Championships, the girls placed 9th overall and 7th in the combined boys and girls score out of more than 40 teams.

Girls’ Winter Track & Field A strong spirit, leadership, and cooperative weather played key roles in the success of the girls’ winter track & field team. New school records were set in the 60m, 200m, and Pole Vault. The team won multiple medals at the Delco Championships, Meet of Champions, and Indoor State Championship meets.

Distance runner Kathryn Lynn ’22 earned the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (Delco Chapter) Winter Scholar-Athlete Award.

Wrestling Varsity wrestling was back on the mats with enthusiasm and grit, which led to a rewarding and successful season.

Twenty wrestlers, with a wide variety of experience levels, were led by a strong team of seniors. The squad finished 12-12 in duals, collected plenty of hardware from tournaments, and placed six wrestlers in the top seven at the Prep States tournament. Five wrestlers qualified for The National Prep tournament. Flynn Kearney ’22 ended his EA wrestling career with 100 wins.

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&

FR O M TH E

Stage Studio

This is a Test: An Absurdist Take on Academic Anxiety At some point in your life, it’s probably happened: a big test snuck up on you, you didn’t have the chance to study, and you worried that the consequences would ruin your life. Every test taker’s worst-case scenario was flipped on its head by the Middle School Harlequin Club’s hilarious spring play, This is a Test.

Written by Stephen Gregg, This is a Test is a one-act farcical comedy that explores academic pressure, college acceptance, and teenage angst. The play follows Alex, who has only 60 minutes to take an enormously important test that will decide everyone’s future. Even worse, Alex never received any review materials, is hated by the teacher, and sees that the other students are blatantly cheating.

The test questions range from impossible to humiliating.

Its true-or-false section begins with, “Explain the nature of the universe,” and ends with “Sense of humor? Social life? Good looks?”

“False,” Alex bashfully responds to each question.

The essay question is written in Chinese. The attractive sophomore athlete is unfairly not required to take the test because she was already accepted into her dream school— which just so happens to be Alex’s dream school as well.

While the plot is purposefully outlandish, its core theme is universal: the panicked thoughts that students cycle through when they experience test anxiety.

“The play really takes place in Alex’s perception, which is skewed because of his anxiety,” said Middle School 30

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Theatre Director Gina Tomkowich. “Anxiety brain is so different from a healthy brain. When you’re stressed, you think the world is against you; that your teacher hates you or doesn’t understand you, and that every decision you make is deeply important.”

To set the cerebral scene for audiences, the cast and crew’s dramaturgy group decorated the entrance to the Ridgway Blackbox Theater with stringy synapses, a black light, cartoon thought bubbles, and a floating book. In the middle, a giant sign read, “Entering Alex’s Mind.”

Many students have been in this same headspace. And while test anxiety may seem like a high school problem, This is a Test’s cast and crew assert that it’s also a shared experience among Middle School students.

“During our first read through, the themes of the script really resonated with everyone,” said Gina.

“I personally hope that audiences take away that this isn’t uncommon,” said cast member Shaivi Vuyyuru ‘27.

“Even though this is meant to be a comical experience, it is a real issue.”

“I do feel the stress of school and grades, and I know from experience that others do, too,” shared cast member Ellie Rheam ’27. “Personally, I will study for tests and quizzes for a reasonable amount of time, but after I finish studying, I worry that I haven’t done enough, and my grade is going to suffer. Thankfully, having supporting friends and family can help by reassuring me that everything is going to be fine.”

Gallery Showcases Faculty and Alumni Creativity The creative talents of the EA community were on full display in the Crawford Campus Center Gallery this fall. Photography teacher Ellen Erikson’s September show, Long Way Home, celebrated the rugged landscapes and wild spirit of her Montana roots. Nellie Konopka ’16 visited campus with fellow Philadelphia-based artists Rae Lowell and Ezra Ghizzone to speak about their October show, happy friendship paintings: see you at raves, which centers on coming of age and finding community.

Getting “Set” for Fall Plays Due to this fall’s social distancing protocols, the Upper School Domino Club’s production of Radium Girls was performed in the larger Carrafiell Theater instead of the smaller Ridgway Blackbox. The challenge? The Middle School Harlequin Club’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. would also need that same space mere weeks apart.

To make it work, the two shows shared the same foundational set elements that could be moved and manipulated. The brick background that was a factory wall in Radium Girls would become a ship in The Little Mermaid Jr. Dynamic projections helped add context and mood, and set designers swapped out individual elements to build out specialty pieces. Despite supply shortages and a tight turnaround time, these very different plays’ worlds came to life with a little ingenuity and a lot of collaboration.

Check out the colorful production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. on the next page!

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SNA P S H OT

UNDER THE SEA

Just as mermaids dream of being on land, EA’s thespians dream of being on stage. This dream was fulfilled, as the curtain rose in The Carrafiell Family Theater during the Harlequin Club’s fall production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. Creative stage design, colorful costumes, and talented Middle School students brought the underwater adventure alive, to the delight of audiences. This marked the first indoor production for the EA Theatre and Dance Department since 2020.

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DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Courtney Banks Spaeth ’92 Courtney B. Spaeth ’92 is one of the leading business development and corporate growth experts in the world, with widespread experience in both the public and private sectors. In 2007, Courtney founded growth[period], which has a proven track record of helping more than 400 companies, in both the commercial and federal sectors, achieve smart growth through business development and acquisitions. For the past seven years, growth[period] has been voted in the top 20 “Best Places to Work” by the Washington Business Journal.

Prior to founding growth[period], Courtney served as corporate vice president of homeland security for Raytheon Company. While at Raytheon, she was responsible for developing the company’s homeland security business and, in less than two years, her efforts resulted in new revenue of more than $1 billion USD. Before Raytheon, Courtney served as director of homeland systems solutions for Lockheed Martin, where she won more than $3 billion USD in new business. In 2000, President Clinton appointed Courtney to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict, where she was the assistant in charge of global terrorism issues.

Courtney has extensive experience as a corporate board member and has served on the board of directors for several private companies (MAG, Suitor Tutor, etc.), non-profits, and professional associations. She was the George Mason University (GMU) School of Business Women in Business Initiative (WIBI) awardee for WIBI Woman of the Year and the recipient of the 2019 Joseph Wharton Award for Entrepreneurship in the Washington, D.C. region from the University of Pennsylvania.

Courtney holds a master’s degree in national security studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. She will graduate in 2022 with her global executive Master of Business Administration degree at the TRIUM Program—a triple-degree program where she will receive her degrees simultaneously from the London School of Economics, NYU Stern School of Business, and HEC in Paris.

While at EA, Courtney was the Class of 1992 Salutatorian. She was also a member of the Scholium, the first female president of the Junto Club, a deputy editor of the yearbook, an honors student, and active in community service. She is still close to her EA advisor, Mr. Chuck Bryant, Hon. Currently, Courtney resides in both Maryland and Colorado with her husband, three children, and four dogs. She and her family also co-own a local ice-cream store, Sprinkles Potomac, in Maryland.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Fred Dittmann ’71 Fred Dittmann ’71 entered The Episcopal Academy in 1968 as a 10th grader. He made a positive impact during his years as a student and has continued to make a significant impact on EA throughout his life. As a student at EA, Fred excelled in academics, athletics, and music. In 2018, he was recognized for his athletic achievements and inducted into the EA Athletic Hall of Fame.

Fred has given back to Episcopal in many ways. He is an active member of the Class of 1971 and served on the Alumni Board of Managers from 2004 to 2010, during which the school moved from Merion to Newtown Square. Today, he serves on the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and is an ardent volunteer and participant in campus activities, including speaking at Senior Career Day and attending athletic competitions and special events.

Fred expressed his appreciation for the school by establishing The Fred Dittmann ’71 Scholarship Fund in honor of his 50th reunion. “I have been so blessed in my life, and EA’s training and teaching gave me a strong foundation,” he said. “I feel incredibly fortunate that I have been able to direct a six-figure gift from my [future] estate to help children have the same opportunity I did.”

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Fred has had a lengthy and successful career in investment management since graduating from Williams College in 1975. He is currently a managing director at Fiduciary Trust Company in Radnor and also serves on the Investment Committee for the Academy of Vocal Arts endowment fund. Fred’s a cappella group, The Tonics, performs periodically at Inglis House.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Todd Pride ’85 Todd Pride ’85 is the president of Legacy Land & Water Partners, a land conservation organization focused on the preservation of wildlife habitats and open space properties on the Underground Railroad trails and on expanding diversity in conservation and mission-driven organizations. He is also founder and lead coach of the Mid-Atlantic Youth Anglers & Outdoors Partners Organization, a nationally recognized fishing, hunting heritage, conservation, and diversity-training operation that has trained and introduced more than 15,000 diverse youth and adults to a five-state region’s (PA, NY, NJ, DE, MD) outdoor natural resources.

Todd, one of the only professionals of color managing a conservation organization, currently serves on the board of directors for the Friends of FDR Park, as chair of the finance committee/ESG lead of The Alliance for Health Equity, board trustee of the Chester County History Center, vice chair of the Chester County Water Resources Authority, member of The Episcopal Academy’s Alumni Society Board of Managers and DEI Trustee Committee, founding co-chair of EA’s Alumni of Color Advisory Council, and board member at Philadelphia Sports Congress.

Over the years, he has also served on the boards and committees of several community, educational, and financial services organizations, including the MLK CommUNITY of the Greater Kennett Area, Chester County Commissioner’s Transition Team, Philadelphia Foundation Investment Committee, Community Capital Works, Friends of Independence National Historical Park, Center City Philadelphia Residents Association, East Falls Business & Community Development Corporation, Operation Understanding, and the Academy of Vocal Arts. He was also a co-founder of the National Minority Angel Investors Network and a former mentor-in-residence at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD

Meghan McCormick ’07 Meghan McCormick ’07 is a systems thinker and strategist, passionate about designing solutions that bring real value to customers, corporations, and communities. She has spent her career focused geographically on African markets and functionally on innovation strategy. She started her work as a community economic development volunteer in the Peace Corps in Guinea. During her service, she founded Guinea’s first business accelerator, Dare to Innovate, and scaled it to be French-speaking Africa’s most active small business accelerator. Currently, Meghan is the co-founder and CEO of OZÉ, a fintech company that equips African entrepreneurs to make data-driven decisions to both improve their business performance and access capital.

Outside of her entrepreneurial endeavors, Meghan worked as an innovation strategist at Doblin, the innovation unit of Monitor Deloitte. Meghan has a Master of Business Administration degree from MIT, where she was a Legatum Fellow for Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets, and a Master of Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she was a Cheng Fellow in the Social Innovation and Change Initiative and a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow focused on West Africa.

While at EA, Meghan won the Alumni French Prize and the William H. Ortlepp Memorial Prize, graduated cum laude, received The Mind, Body, and Spirit Prize from her role on the golf team, and received an Honorable Mention for the Benjamin H. Read ’43 Scholar Award. She was a staff writer for the Scholium, a member of the Junto Club Board, and vice president of Domino Club. Meghan is one of a few students to have won the Community Service Award twice, and she’s come back to campus to speak in Chapel about unlocking opportunities for West African entrepreneurs.

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YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD

Loren Mead ’08 A four-year rower, Loren Mead ’08 graduated from the University of Pennsylvania before founding Kvasir Consulting, Inc. in 2014. Kvasir Consulting allowed Loren to pursue a passion for entrepreneurship and help high school athletes get recruited to universities. He then enrolled at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania where he helped develop a clinical decision support tool and launch a mobile health application for Penn employees.

With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, Loren co-founded Abaton, a 501(c)(3) to protect frontline workers. Using open-source technologies, Loren and his colleagues began to work on 3D printing prototypes of disinfection devices. “We designed a device called the Arca, which uses new technology to clean masks and other protective equipment,” he said. The Arca uses aerosolized hydrogen peroxide to clean PPE at 1/60th the cost of commercially available products.

This technology received emergency use authorization by the FDA and was deployed in urban academic medical centers for large-scale processing of PPE. Noticing a lack of these important supplies in rural and low-resource communities, community hospitals, nursing facilities, and among first responders, Loren and Abaton worked to help expand access to PPE disinfection technologies.

While at EA, Loren won the 2008 Junto Club’s MacBean Bowl, participated in Mock Trial, organized the EA/Haverford/AIS Day pep rally, and was the 2008 Scholastic Rowing Association Champion on the boys’ varsity 4+.

ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ARTS AWARD

George Emlen ’62 George W. Emlen IV ’62 has had a career as a conductor, composer, arranger, songleader, and music educator. For 34 years, he was the music director of Revels, a national performing arts organization best known for its legendary performances of The Christmas Revels, a rich and joyful celebration of the winter solstice, in Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, Mass. and in eight other cities. He has directed choral ensembles all his adult life in churches, schools, and theatrical productions throughout New England. In Maine, he conducted the Oratorio Chorale and the Mount Desert Summer Chorale and was the founding conductor of the Acadia Choral Society.

In his work with Revels, George has been able to pursue his lifelong passion for bringing people together in communities of song. This he manifested on two levels—with the auditioned, onstage Revels chorus and in the enthusiastic audience participation. His guiding philosophy is that singing, especially singing with others, is vital to the human experience and is powerfully transformative. He has led countless “sings” in diverse venues throughout New England.

Episcopal had a profound impact on George’s musical development. He credits EA music teacher Curtis York for instilling in him the passion and basic skills for choral singing. George was also the daily Chapel service organist during his junior and senior years, through which he built his facility as a church musician and his mastery of classical musical language.

George is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the New England Conservatory, where he earned an advanced degree in choral conducting. His compositions and arrangements are published by Lawson-Gould, Thorpe, Lorenz/Sacred Music Press, and Redwing Press.

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View full bios for this year’s inductees online.

Gina Buggy, Hon. Initially joining EA as assistant athletic director in 1986, Gina Buggy, Hon. was promoted to athletic director in 1993. During her 34-year tenure, she led 30 varsity teams in winning 157 Inter-Ac League and Pennsylvania Independent School Athletic Association (PAISAA) championships. As head coach of EA’s field hockey team, she ended her career with an impressive 478-97-11 record, including 13 Inter-Ac titles and four PAISAA championships.

Gina was a standout field hockey and lacrosse player at Ursinus College and played on the 16-member U.S. Women’s National Field Hockey Team (1981-1984). The team won a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics, the last U.S. women’s team to earn an Olympic medal. She has earned multiple Hall of Fame honors including the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School Hall of Fame, Ursinus College Hall of Fame, and the Montgomery County Chapter of the PA Sports Hall of Fame. She also received the region’s Michael F. Mayock Distinguished Teacher-Coach Award.

Peter Gregory ’82 Pete Gregory ’82 earned varsity letters for football, baseball, and basketball and was a two-year starter in each sport. In 1981, Pete’s senior year, he helped lead the Hall of Fame-winning football team to an Inter-Ac League championship and was named First Team All Inter-Ac Offensive Tackle.

Pete’s basketball career was even more impressive, winning Inter-Ac League Championships in the 1980 and 1982 seasons. He was also named First Team All Inter-Ac Forward and League MVP, as well as Inter-Ac Markward Club Award winner in 1982. Pete’s final shot taken for the Churchmen was in the closing seconds to beat The Haverford School by one point and preserve EA’s undefeated Inter-Ac season, finishing 10-0.

JoAnne Fortin Hopkins ’93 A three-sport varsity athlete, JoAnne Fortin Hopkins ’93 excelled in field hockey, lacrosse, and winter track.

She held EA’s field hockey season goal scoring record of 23 goals for 20 years and played a pivotal role in the 1992 team’s Inter-Ac championship title. JoAnne was selected to the All-Main Line team, invited to play in multiple national tournaments, and served as an alternate for the 1993 Olympic Field Hockey Festival. In lacrosse, she was named fastest player in the league, received All-Main Line honors, and earned the Girls’ Lacrosse Award. JoAnne and classmate Megan Haley Noller ’93 are credited with starting the girls’ winter track program after noticing a gap in available sports offerings for female students.

JoAnne went on to play field hockey for the University of New Hampshire. She was named NAC Player of the Week as a freshman and selected to the America East All-Tournament team as a junior. She was also selected for the United States Field Hockey Association’s (USFHA) A Camp, the highest level of USFHA’s Olympic Development Program.

Craig Renfrow ’73 Lucious “Craig” Renfrow ’73 earned four varsity letters for football, basketball, baseball, and track & field. In track, he competed in the 100-yard dash, shot put, and long jump, helping his team earn InterAc championship titles in 1971, 1972, and 1973. In basketball, he was a rebounding force, helping to win the 1971 Inter-Ac championship.

Craig’s athletic talent truly shined in football. As captain, he was one of the leading rushers of his era with an average of 100 yards per game. In his senior year, after an 11-year losing streak, Craig scored the winning touchdown to defeat The Haverford School, 7-6. His achievements resulted in multiple honors, including Philadelphia Second Team “All Area” on defense, All Inter-Ac team on offense, Philadelphia High School Football Daily News 1970’s All-Decade All Inter-Ac team (First Team), and the Daily News 1970’s All-Decade All-City team (third team). Craig went on to attend the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he played four seasons of football.

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COACHING STAFF: Curtis A. Lauber ’63

1977 Boys’ Soccer Team The 1977 boys’ soccer team was an Inter-Ac championship team that compiled the best record (15-1-1) ever by an Episcopal eleven. The offense was spearheaded by forwards Roger “Kip” Penske ’78, Nino Muniz ’78, and Gil Peter ’79, who helped the team net 61 goals for the year. The halfbacks, led by Co-captain Buck Buckley ’78 as well as David Hartzell ’78, Charlie McNamara ’78, Jones Toland ’79, and Greg Penske ’80, were excellent.

The “Disco D” defense was a standout, setting a record for fewest goals allowed in a season (seven) and never allowing more than one goal per game. Jon Moore ’78, Chris Haab ’78, Jim Young ’79, and David Smith ’80 served as fullbacks with Co-captain Ben Erulkar ’78 in goal. Coach Curt Lauber ’63 led this special team to victory.

During this spring’s Alumni Awards Ceremony and Alumni of Color Brunch, The Episcopal Academy kicked off a celebration of the 50th anniversary of our school’s first Black graduates. In 1972, Robert Bell, Darrel Francis, and J. Robert Williams proudly accepted their diplomas. Fifty years later, we honor the legacy that these gentlemen—and their families—left and the path they paved for the students who followed in their footsteps for decades to come.

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ROSTER: Robert L. Ackley ’78 Don B. Blenko Jr. ’79 James B. Bradbeer Jr. ’80 Walter W. Buckley III ’78 Benjamin Erulkar ’78 F. Christian Haab Jr. ’78 David B. Hartzell ’78 Philip L. Kampf Jr. ’80 John M. Kerr ’79 Malcolm M. Kirk ’79 Peter E. Lenard ’79 John P. Manderson ’78 Peter H. Mattoon ’80 Norman M. McAvoy Jr. ’78 Charles A. McNamara ’78 James F. Mitchell IV ’80 Jonathan S. Moore ’78 Herminio R. Muniz Jr. ’78 Gregory W. Penske ’80 Roger S. Penske Jr. ’78 Gilbert J. Peter Jr. ’79 John F. Schneider ’80 David B. Smith ’80 Owen J. Toland III ’79 † Philip St. John Trimble ‘80 Charles H. Vetterlein Jr. ’78 James H. Young III ’79

COACHING STAFF: James M. Auch Jr., Hon. Peter MacGregor John S. Smith III, Hon. James Straub John H. Wynne Jr., Hon.

1981 Football Team The 1981 football team ended its season 9-0 and won its first undefeated Inter-Academic championship title since 1921. The team was led by Main Line Coach of the Year Jim Auch, Hon. and several All Inter-Ac Football Team members, including Mike D’Alicandro ’82, Mark Farrell ’83, Jim Farrell ’82, Mike Malatesta ’83, the late Dave DeMoss ’82, Pete Gregory ’82, and Jamie Auch ’82, who also won Most Valuable Player of the league.

Core members of the offense included Jim Kerr ’82, the late Rich Crockett ’82, the late Ron Ianieri ’82, the late Gary Rosato ’82, Dolph Tokarczyk ’84, and Chris Flynn ’84. The top-rated defense of Brooke McMullin ’82, Bill Bagnell ’82, Dave Cornell ’82, and Jim Fogerty ’82 allowed only six points per game. The end zone was particularly impressive with Mike Trudel ’83 and David White ’83, who had seven interceptions. Coach Auch credited the season’s success to “luck” with a very healthy team and the commitment of the coaching staff.

Robert Bell

Darrel Francis

ROSTER: James M. Auch III ’82 William R. Bagnell ’82 John A. Carrafiell ’83 David M. Cornell II ’82 † Richard G. Crockett ’82 A. Bevan Cummin ’83 Michael A. D’Alicandro ’82 † David A. DeMoss ’82 Michael R. Dougherty ’83 James R. Dugan ’85 James E. Farrell III ’82 T. Mark Farrell ’83 Morton J. Fertel ’83 J. Christopher Flynn ’84 James M. Fogerty ’82 Robert P. Gibson ’84 Peter J. Gregory ’82 † Ronald J. Ianieri ’82 Gregory S. Jannetta ’84 James L. Kerr ’82 Michael T. Malatesta ’83 H. Brooke McMullin Jr. ’82 Andrew C. Meyers ’83 Travis C. Minott ’84 Joseph C. Moderski Jr. ’83 Britton W. Palmer II ’83 James M. Patterson ’84 Roger A. Reynolds Jr. ’84 Rafael F. Rosato ’84 William J. Rosato ’83 † Ernest L. Rosato ’82 Brian C. Smith ’84 Dolph M. Tokarczyk ’84 † Robert M. Trippe ’83 Michael A. Trudel ’83 David A. White ’83 † Wade A. Williams ’84

J. Robert Williams † = Deceased

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Reflections & Advice FROM WOMEN OF EA

Over the past four years, our Women of EA event series has celebrated the talents and achievements of the women within the EA community. The in-person and virtual panels and breakout sessions have been full of meaningful discussion and tangible takeaways.

Since our last in-person Women of EA event in January 2020, our society has changed.

We’ve been faced with a global pandemic, forcing us to be nimble in our personal and professional lives. Our 2020 panelists spoke, among other topics, about the importance of finding one’s passion and work-life balance, points made even more poignant during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In our third Women of EA event in May 2021, our virtual panel reflected on “networking in the new normal” and growing one’s career, even during times of uncertainty.

As important as the solid advice given by the panelists was the sense of community, palpable even through Zoom.

Today, some of our past panelists share insights and advice on the continuing evolution of the workplace.

Ann Madara Kraftson ’85 P ’19 ’23 WHEN WE LAST HEARD FROM ANN IN MAY 2018, SHE ENCOURAGED US TO BRING POSITIVE, HIGH ENERGY TO ALL OF OUR PROJECTS, EVEN THE ONES WE DON’T LIKE AS MUCH. Perspective on today: I still agree with that mindset. No one wants to work with someone who has a bad attitude. It’s always important for someone to tell you they want you on their team or project because of your willingness to complete the task at hand. You want to be the “go-to” team member.

On practicing self-care: I need to have those 30 to 60 minutes of time away from the computer to decompress [after work]. I love walking with my dogs or husband and getting fresh air.

A piece of advice: It’s always good to ask for additional checkins with your boss or direct report when you finish a project.

Getting ahead of those “areas of development” will make your year-end review that much better. There should be no surprises, and your boss should appreciate you being proactive.

Caroline Waxler Levitt ’89 AMONGST OTHER PROJECTS, CAROLINE IS PROUD TO BE WORKING WITH A NEW CLIENT THAT IS FOCUSED ON FIGHTING POVERTY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. A piece of advice: Embrace where you are. This has been a weird time for everyone. Maybe you aren’t where you’d like to be, but there are many opportunities right where you are now that you may have overlooked.

On practicing self-care: I take extra time after putting my son to sleep so I can essentially hide out in his room and catch up on silly stories from the New York Post and the Daily Mail.

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Silicia “Lo-Lo” Lomax ’14 LO-LO RECEIVED WORD THAT A PAPER SHE HAS BEEN WORKING ON ABOUT WAYS TO RESTRUCTURE OUR MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM WILL SOON BE PUBLISHED, AND SHE IS CELEBRATING A RECENT PROMOTION. Perspective on today: I believe productivity levels have remained the same or higher in some places. Businesses are saving on a lot of other operational costs while people that are able to work remotely are continuing to produce similar outputs from pre-pandemic years. Some have argued more recently that it’s not as much of a productivity boom as researchers may have originally thought since many of the costs shifted directly to the employee, but the consensus still seems to be that productivity has at least remained the same.

A piece of advice: Your work is not the only thing that defines you. It’s great to have other hobbies and passions, but most importantly, it’s great to give yourself time to rest and relax.

Jacqueline Bailey-Ross Moriniere ’08 JACKIE RECENTLY LAUNCHED A CAREER COACHING BUSINESS, MORINIERE CONSULTING LLC. A GOAL OF THE NEW FIRM IS TO BRING WELLNESS INTO THE STRESSFUL JOB SEARCH PROCESS. A piece of advice: Have a bias towards action, essentially being actionoriented rather than spending so much time trying to make a decision.

Sometimes we have to learn by doing, and that can be scary.

On practicing self-care: I have to build it into my schedule or I never will find time. I have a subscription to Therabox, and when the box arrives, it’s my reminder to take time for myself.

Kimmy Gardner Reinking ’00 KIMMY RECENTLY JOINED BALYASNY ASSET MANAGEMENT AS HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES, AMERICAS. WHEN WE LAST HEARD FROM KIMMY IN MAY 2021, SHE SAID THAT COVID HAS ELONGATED THE INTERVIEW PROCESS AND THAT WOMEN SHOULD HAVE PATIENCE THROUGH THEIR SEARCH. Perspective on today: It’s a candidate market in this Great Resignation. But, start the search for the right reasons. Don’t run away. While I’d update my recommendation to say don’t wait around for the long process with all the opportunities out there right now, through my own wait, I found an amazing new opportunity. You have to do what’s right for you!

A piece of advice: Be flexible and get comfortable with change. Two years ago, we started working from home and, for most of us, our lives changed drastically. Companies will now expect more in-person engagement as restrictions loosen. While we may have gotten comfortable in our homes, being in the office and around people is extremely productive for work and valuable. Keep an open mind about what that looks like!

On practicing self-care: I am a HUGE Peloton fan and user, so I make sure that I get some kind of run or strength work out in each day. It keeps me sane. I used to feel guilty taking that time, especially with kids, but it’s so important.

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Class Notes

SEN D US YO UR N EWS We love to hear from you! Submit your latest milestones, news, and updates to be included in a future issue of Connections. Visit episcopalacademy.org/classnotes.

1950s

Clemmie Engle re-entered the COVID world by joining the ’65 Zoom cocktail hour in April with Jay Euler, Loyd Pakradooni, Jim Rhodes, Bob Hallett, and Ralph Pitman, and with a trip to Reno this past July for a family wedding.

1950

Last year, Pete Cornog and his wife, Amy, sold their house of 35 years, packed their station wagon with clothes and camping gear, and headed west. After a three-week journey through a number of national parks, they arrived in San Diego County, where they found a new home.

Pete reports being“energized every day by all there is to do outdoors.”

Edgar Palmer enjoyed spending time with his longtime friend, Davis Pearson ‘43† , and will miss him dearly.

Richard Hiers published a new book, A Nation of Immigrants: Sojourners in Biblical Israel’s Tradition and Law.

1957

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1952

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1960s

Reunion Year 1962

1954

Thank you to Stu Christie for compiling the updates for the Class of 1965.

Steve Kennedy and his wife, Sue, enjoyed a visit from their daughter and two grandchildren from Cape Town, South Africa.

John Packer and his wife, Abby, are in the process of having a home built in Idaho close to his daughter, whose wedding they attended in June.

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Connections

Rick Newbold recently co-founded and funded a worldwide wasteto-hydrogen company based on “proprietary Canadian supercritical water technology.” The project also involves five Canadian universities and grants from the Canadian government.

Even more recently, he moved his “extended family” back to New Hope-Solebury.

Bob Hallett reports that he is currently serving as chair of the board of The Edward E. Ford Foundation and is involved in making grants to independent schools. Bob and his wife, Nancy, are living in Cleveland in order to be near their three grandchildren.

Bob also has been able to recently spend time with Ralph Pitman, another Cleveland resident.

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Members of the Class of 1954 joined together for lunch in celebration of their 67th reunion in fall 2021.

Ralph Pitman has completed and published a book of poetry entitled A Family Scrapbook. It is available in print from BookBaby.com and digitally through Amazon.

† = Deceased

1966 Phil Gleason reports that the “Class of 1966 had a lively Zoom session in December, which was attended by 15 (more or less) classmates including our AFS Exchange student Hans Behrendt, who called in from Germany, and Bob Fritz from Italy.

Topics included health challenges,

brother who loved us all. His son, Johnny, is so sweet and fast on his feet that Henry’s legacy will surely live on beyond his time on this earth.

He will be missed.”

1971

1967

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Larry deFuria wrote, “I was really gratified to be able to spend time with Debbie and Loyd Pakradooni who were visiting with family in Ft. Lauderdale. We had an excellent second Thanksgiving dinner and several hours of new and old stories. We also enjoyed a longdistance phone conversation with Ralph Pitman.”

travel, music, poetry, and—of course—reminiscences from our EA days (accompanied by lots of laughs). A good time was had by all, and we intend to continue with these sessions at six-month intervals.”

Reunion Year

1970s

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

Stu Christie, through his local historical society, has recently published a book entitled My Dear Mother: Civil War Letters to Dedham from the Lathrop Brothers based on his transcription of almost 100 letters written by three brothers to their family during their Civil War campaigns.

1970 Jim Boyd ’74 shared that his brother, Henry Boyd, passed away peacefully on December 21, 2021. Always the fighter (and the athlete), Henry was able to leave this earth on his terms.

Jim says, “We will all remember him hitting line-drive singles and doubles, running a successful business where others failed, and being a good husband, father, and

Members of the Class of 1971 continued their 50th reunion celebrations with lunch before the start of the holiday season.

1972

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CLASS OF 1971 CELEBRATES 50TH REUNION WITH $1M GIFT AND DEDICATION OF CLASS OF 1971 FITNESS CENTER The Class of 1971 celebrated its 50th reunion together on Episcopal’s campus this past fall. The classmates had a wonderful time reconnecting with one another and sharing stories of their time at EA. They were honored at a special alumni Chapel service, met with Greville Haslam Head of School Dr. T.J. Locke, and experienced life at Episcopal today through talking with current students, meeting with their 3rd grade pen pals, attending a vocal ensemble performance, and cheering on the football team during Friday Night Lights. Humbled by how Episcopal has stayed true to its values and mission over the years, the classmates came together to honor their legacy by naming the Class of 1971 Fitness Center and presenting the school with a generous $1 million gift.

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1980s

1973 In September, Jack Kulp was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2021. After a 20-year stint on the morning show at KOIT in San Francisco, Jack has been hosting the morning program at KISQ for the past six years. While a senior at Episcopal, he took part in an invaluable internship at a Philadelphia radio station under the guidance of Mr. Whelan, his EA Spanish teacher. Along with his radio work, Jack works a side hustle doing freelance voiceover work. Jack and his wife, Kim, have two grown sons and live just north of San Francisco.

1975

John Holt and his oldest daughter, Gemma, summited Denali on June 6, 2021. Denali is the highest mountain peak in North America and one of the seven summits.

1977

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Connections

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1986

1982

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In advance of their 40th reunion, friends from the Class of 1982 got together for a Phillies game over the summer! Pictured are Scott Neave, Jim Kerr, Mike D’Alicandro, Jim Ryan, Fritz Denlinger, Gerry Marks, Doug McClennen, Greg Ladner, Frank Langfitt, Jamie Auch, Jon Hamilton, Kurt Haab, Brooke McMullin, Bob Kunik, John Voigt, Pete Gregory, and Carter Murdoch. Not pictured were Trupert Ortlieb and Eric Seestedt.

Bill Bagnell and Caroline Swope ’16 connected in Sanibel, Florida in January!

1985 Andrew Aiello-Hauser never thought he would have the chance to celebrate one year of being legally married, let alone 14! Andrew and his husband, Robert, are sliding into their AARP years happier than ever. Andrew is still involved in communications as his career… so all those essays on Ethan Frome paid off!

Nick Christos, Bruce Walsh, Bill Crockett, Chris Tinari, Greg Johnson, Tim Jannetta, Bob Mascioli, Mike Vadner, Jerry McLaughlin, Jamie Richter, David Dugery, and John McMeekin got together for an early Christmas dinner at Fleming’s in Radnor.

Bruce Walsh and Greg Johnson also got together with David Dugery, Bill Crockett, J.D. Cassidy, Chris Johnson, Bill Ross, and John McMeekin for a mini-reunion over the summer.

1987

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Evan Coughenour and his wife, Liz, welcomed their daughter, Gabriela, on September 2, 2021.

Reunion Year

2002

1999

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Peter Greenhalgh welcomed his second baby girl, Colleen Elizabeth, on July 13, 2021.

2003

Liz Hart was joined by Ben Chung, Steve Murray, and Steve’s son, Hunter, at Webb Ranch in Portola Valley, California. Hunter was even able to ride Liz’s horse, Flash!

1992

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Class Notes

1991

1997

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

1990s

Kelly O’Donnell Hansen and her husband, Mark, welcomed Henry to their family on May 31, 2021.

2000s

Reunion Year 2001

Jamie Mangrum ’93, Scott Huston ’91, Greg Lewicki, Pace Duckett, Ben Prusky, Billy Dougherty, Judd Fischer, Justin May, Tim Allen, Dan Hinckle, Charley French, Mike Thornton ’93, Jeff Greco ’93, Peggy Kauh ’93, Megan Haley Noller ’93, Rev. James Squire Hon., Rashmi Diwan Budhram, Jane Kauh, Becky Blevins Hyatt ’93, Emily Walker West ’93, Chris Henderson, Joanne Fortin Hopkins ’93, and Logan Welde gathered to celebrate the life of their dear friend and classmate, Scott Blevins.

Jennie Jackson Walter and her husband, Russ, welcomed twin boys Nate and Nick to the family on August 5, 2021. Big sister Nora and grandfather Drew Jackson ’63 are thrilled by the new additions to the family.

Jack Nash Rotman was born on February 10, 2021, to overjoyed parents Martha Kelley and Gabriel Rotman. The trio lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Margaux Viola and her husband, Oliver Kell, welcomed Jaxson Kell on April 27, 2021.

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ALUMNI RETURN TO CHAPEL

Dr. Andrew Person ’91, who served in the U.S. Navy during Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield, was the featured speaker during the Edward H. Vick, Jr. ‘62 Veterans Day Chapel. He inspired students with his Chapel Talk that centered on the American dream.

Other alumni shared their perspectives on this year’s Chapel theme, Out of the Darkness and Into the Light, which is based on Isaiah 9:2.

Alanna Wren Shanahan ’92 talked about her transformative experience at EA and encouraged students to remain open-minded and empathetic.

Christina Nolen Burke ’02 spoke about her courageous battle against cancer and the importance of leaning on faith, even during dark times.

Mike Sheehan ’04, who also serves as an Upper School religion teacher at EA, spoke about the profound impact EA had on his life and his decision to become a teacher. Angeliqué Israel ’07 thanked students for their hard work during the Can Drive and encouraged students to radiate their light through ongoing community service.

Anna Strong Safford ’09, who joined the Upper School English department this year, shared how EA has always felt like home to her due to the unique strength of its community. Shreya Dalal ’17 spoke about her experience with imposter syndrome as a female in STEM and encouraged students to step outside of their comfort zones.

Heidi Franklin married Brian Wallace on October 10, 2021, at The Academy of Music. EA friends in attendance included Liz Kelly, Rebecca Godick Humble, Ally Chan Schlappi, Alex Saggiomo, Joanna Levin King ’04, Christiana Frieman Voelker, Rachel Pearlman Werner, Erica Adler Hartnett, Caroline D’Angelo Davis, and Laura Im Buchanan.

Diana Hirtle Wilson and Garrett Wilson welcomed Marion McCarthy “Carter” Wilson on May 28, 2021.

Caroline D’Angelo Davis welcomed Christopher Oliver Davis on July 24, 2021. Chris D’Angelo ’71 is a very proud grandfather!

Megan Hayes Barton and Murphy Barton ’95 welcomed Anna Cassidy Barton on December 27, 2020.

Julie Porter Sturdivant and her husband, Judson, welcomed Sloane Brooke Sturdivant on November 16, 2021. Sloane joins big brother Porter.

2004

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Connections

Nick Krotec and his wife, Whitney,

2007

welcomed their first child in May 2021, George Mayfield Krotec.

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Class Notes

Jasmine Shafagh and her husband, Ashkan, welcomed Dara Ryan Ghaneie on February 17, 2021.

2008

Hannah Kelly Esposito and her husband, Claudio, welcomed Stella Leone Esposito on December 30, 2021.

Julia Clark married Tagg Martin on June 12, 2021. Nicole Spagnola, Megan McFarland Krouse, Annie Madeira, and Ashley St. John joined the celebration in West Chop, Massachusetts.

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

2006

Matt Coote married Michaela Balderston, on July 3, 2021, in France.

2010s 2010

Christina Clark and Graham Rehrig welcomed Owen Addison to their family on July 1, 2021. Grandfather Ham Clark, Hon. is thrilled!

Maddi Moore married Pat DeMund on May 1, 2021, in Avalon, New Jersey. Bernadette Tankle ’14, Eliza Crawford, Victoria Scott, Lauren Berry Maloney, and Max Kelly ’06 were there to celebrate, as well as many amazing EA colleagues.

Sam Daly, his wife, Lindsey, and their daughter, Emma, got together with Scott and Ashley Dubay Ritrovato for a playdate with their son, Miles!

Megan McFarland Krouse and her husband, Chris, welcomed their son, Crosby, on January 1, 2022. A happy new year indeed!

2011 Kacey Hirtle married Charlie McDaniel on August 7, 2021, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

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2012

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Nick also spoke with Head of School T.J. Locke and Molly Konopka, Hon. about his experience at the Tokyo Olympics in an October 2021 episode of the EA Unlocked podcast.

2016

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2014

Sam Lawlor, Zach Roberson, Marco Testaiuti, Hunter McMullin, Connor McCann, Julian O’Neill, Jon Garino, Zach Caraher, Jeff Stern, Jack Eldridge, Scott Cikowski, Tyler Odell, Jack Schiel, Morgan Westby, Billy McAvoy, Drew Peters, Charlie Caraher, Will Blommer, Connor Haab, and Joe Flannery got together over Thanksgiving weekend for a game of paddle tennis at Overbrook Country Club!

2013

In July 2021, James Konopka had the opportunity to serve as a part of the USRowing coaching staff for the U23 World Rowing Championships in the Czech Republic. He was named as the coach for the U23 Lightweight Men’s 2x, and the boat finished 11th.

Brendan DeVoue presented at re:Invent, the largest Amazon Web Services (AWS) event, and also launched a new AWS product. If that wasn’t enough, Brendan also launched his own marketing and production company, @devouetedmedia!

2015

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Nick Mead was named the 2021 USRowing Male Athlete of the Year.

Connections

Members of the Class of 2015 celebrated their 5th reunion in November at Dock Street Brewery in Philadelphia! Even though it was technically six years after their high school graduation (due to the pandemic), they enjoyed getting together and reconnecting with their classmates. The class had a great time and looks forward to the next one!

Courtnie Williamson was the captain of the UNC Field Hockey team when they won the 2020-21 National Championship. This was UNC Field Hockey’s 3rd National Championship in a row. Courtnie obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UNC in May 2020 and is currently enrolled in the MBA program at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

2017

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Maddie O’Reilly, who plays water polo at the University of Michigan, was named to the 2021 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All America D1 At-Large Third Team.

Honorary

HONORING COACH BUGGY Retired Athletic Director Gina Buggy, Hon. was welcomed back to campus by alumni, students, parents, and colleagues this fall.

Alumni sported their old jerseys and jackets, and some even brought their vintage field hockey sticks.

Class Notes

2019

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

Lee T. Pearcy, Ph.D., published a new book, Aeneas, and he dedicated the book to his students at EA from 1985-2013.

The playing field where Coach Buggy notched hundreds of wins with the field hockey team was officially dedicated and named Buggy Field as she snipped the shiny blue ribbon.

Maddie Rehak, who plays field hockey for Bucknell University, and Sofia Acosta ’21, who plays for Penn State, were back on the same field when the two teams competed at State College!

Olivia Dirks was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year in May 2020.

2020s 2021

Friends from the Class of 2021 celebrated Georgie Crockett’s birthday in Cape Cod last summer.

The Reverend James R. Squire published a new book, This Too Shall Pass. Copies may be purchased through EA with all proceeds benefiting the school, thanks to the generosity of Richardson Merriman P’01. Contact the alumni office at 484-424-1772 for details on how to order a copy.

Nancy Taylor shared great photos of a recent visit she and Tony Brown ‘71 made to John ‘50 & Ellie Rettew.

A scholarship fund in Coach Buggy’s name was also established by loyal parents and alumni. Awarded to a multi-sport female athlete who demonstrates characteristics similar to those of Coach Buggy— hardworking, a selfless spirit, and a true love for competition—The Gina Buggy Scholarship Fund will help bridge the financial gap for deserving female athletes to attend EA. “It’s overwhelming. It’s such an honor. I am overjoyed, and I just look forward to knowing that so many kids will get an experience much like what shaped my life,” said Coach Buggy. “Learning how to be on a team and getting the joy and excitement of high school athletics.”

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In Memoriam Penelope Mae Auch, Hon. Penelope Mae Auch, Hon. passed away on October 2, 2021. A native of Philadelphia, Penny graduated from West Chester University in 1962 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She taught first grade at The Episcopal Academy’s Merion and Devon campuses from 1977 to 2002. She loved her summers in Wellfleet, MA, and later in Cape May Point, NJ. She and the love of her life, her husband, Coach Jim Auch, Hon., were married for 60 years.

In retirement, Penny and Jim traveled broadly with friends and delighted in their family.

She is survived by her husband, her son, James Maurer Auch III ‘82 and his wife, Christina; her son, Jeffrey Wallace Auch ‘84 and his husband, George Edward Russell; her two granddaughters; Casey Virginia Auch and Emma Caroline Auch, and her sisters-in-law; Peg Watson, Kim Auch, and Anna Auch.

As an active and cheerful teacher, colleague, mentor, wife, mother, daughter, and friend, Penny truly embodied the motto, Esse Quam Videri. A memorial service for Penny was held in May in the Class of 1944 Chapel at The Episcopal Academy.

William Burdick, Hon. William “Bill” Burdick, Hon. passed away peacefully on December 7, 2021. He was 94 years old. Bill grew up in Brooklyn and attended Poly Prep School, where he excelled in track and field. He served in the Army Air Corps, attended Cornell University and the University of Miami (BA), and earned his master’s degree from Temple University.

Bill taught mathematics and coached at The Episcopal Academy’s Merion campus for more than 35 years, a career that he loved. He was also a referee of soccer, wrestling, and track and field, which he enjoyed up until his mid-eighties.

He is predeceased by his wife, Lois, and brothers, Howard and Clinton Dewitt. He is survived by three children, Jeffrey H. Burdick ’69, Deborah Page Cloud, and Heather B. Klein, as well as his six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Richard S. Chew Jr. ’47 Richard S. Chew Jr. ‘47, longtime chair of EA’s Art Department, passed away peacefully on December 31, 2020, at his home with family. He attended the Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts before returning to EA in 1960 to teach woodshop in the Lower School. He later taught students in all grades, including drawing, painting, ceramics/sculpture, printing, woodwork, mechanical drawing, and art history; he served as an advisor for students as well. He also spent many years as a painting instructor at Manayunk Art Center, where he was a founding member.

Richard retired in 1990 after seeing his two children, Richard ‘87 and Alyce ‘90, graduate.

As a teacher, Richard insisted on high standards, the continued encouragement and development of talent in his students, and the effective and efficient management of the department. As an artist, he created several significant pieces for the school, including the school seal in 1975. An optimistic man and an extremely gifted painter, Richard truly connected with his students.

Richard was married to Margaret Downey Chew until she passed away in 2009. He is survived by his daughter Alyce C. Chew ‘90; granddaughter, Cheyenne Stanley; son Richard S. Chew lll ‘87; daughter-in-law Virginia Chew; and grandson, Jacob Chew.

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Connections

George was recently honored by his former students at The Episcopal Academy, where he taught from 1968 to 1984 and again from 1989 to 1990, and received accolades for his unique ability to connect with and inspire all his students. His passion for biology was contagious, inspiring many student career choices and broad appreciation of natural beauty and the environment. Involved in all aspects of school life, George coached football, hockey, and lacrosse. To this day, the George W. Hebard Jr. Award is presented to a member of the ice hockey team who, in the opinion of his teammates and coaches, best exemplifies effort.

Class Notes

A man who always placed others before himself, George Hebard Jr., Hon. departed from this world on December 9, 2021, at the age of 79. George is survived by his adoring wife of 56 years, Nancy Blossom Hebard, his beloved sons and daughters-in-law, Charles Warren Hebard (Leigh) and George Whiting Hebard III ‘91 (Peggy), and his seven grandchildren.

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

George W. Hebard Jr., Hon.

A man of indomitable spirit, George set out to hike the entire 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail and attained his goal at the age of 73. An ever-evolving man of many projects, George particularly enjoyed restoring his 1946 Chevrolet wooden-body station wagon with the support of family, friends, and students.

Susan Hohnsbeen Susan Hohnsbeen passed on June 10, 2021, with her loving family by her side. Susan is survived by her husband of 34 years, Robert, and her children, Alexander, Anayis ’10, and Armen. Anayis enrolled at Episcopal in 1996 and graduated as a lifer 14 years later.

Susan was extremely proud of her years of service at Episcopal, where she held various leadership roles. Susan served as class mom and chaired countless Lower School book fairs and Starfest galas, all while rising the ranks to earn the title of president of the Parents’ Association and serving on the Board of Trustees from 2004 to 2005 before directing her enthusiasm and passion to The Haverford School Parents’ Association. A September 2005 This Month at Episcopal publication gave kudos to Susan for “her herculean efforts as EAPA President. Under her leadership, we donated nearly $330,000 back to the school.

She worked tirelessly and with much grace and dignity to help EAPA be the best it can be.”

During her tenure, Susan worked with three different heads of school and witnessed the relocation of campuses. She was present for the Newtown Square groundbreaking ceremony and served on its site committee. Susan even had the opportunity to present Anayis with her diploma on graduation day; this is a memory they will both treasure forever. Susan excelled in everything she did but to her children, her greatest role was that of teacher.

As a parent and as a volunteer, her outlook was bright, hopeful, and genuinely optimistic. She believed, and made each of us believe, that anything is possible.

Helen Milne Justi Helen Milne Justi died at home on December 11, 2021, surrounded by her family. Helen attended The Baldwin School, Smith College, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Barnes School of Horticulture.

Helen is survived by her loving husband of 66 years, Henry K. “Pete” Justi ’51, her daughter, Helen J. “Wendi” Wheeler, her son, Henry M. “Tac” Justi ’77, and his wife Melinda, her adoring grandchildren Henry Justi, Parker Justi and wife Alyssa, Helaine Justi, Matthew Wheeler and wife Tracy, and Hannah Wheeler, and two great-grandsons, Grant Justi and Jonas Wheeler.

Helen was a trustee of The Episcopal Academy from 1974 to 1977, as well as a trustee of The Baldwin School. Helen served on the committee for the University of Pennsylvania Antique Show, The Hospice Committee for Community Health Affiliates, The Women’s Board of the Bryn Mawr Hospital, The West Philadelphia Committee of the Philadelphia Orchestra, The Smith College Club, The Antiques Study Group and the Great Oaks Investment Club. She was a member of The Acorn Club, The Merion Cricket Club, Merion Golf Club, John’s Island Club, The Hope Town Sailing Club, The Pennsylvania Society of Mayflower Descendants, and The National Society of Colonial Dames in Pennsylvania.

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In Memoriam Mary Clay Platt Lee, Hon. Mary Clay Platt Lee, Hon., 90, died peacefully on December 6, 2021. Mary Clay had a long career as an educator, teaching Latin and then English at The Episcopal Academy. She was a proud graduate of Germantown Friends School (1948) and Vassar College (1953), where she spent her junior year studying at the University of St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Mary Clay was preceded in death by her husband Robert H. Lee Jr. ’52. She is survived by the sons she had during her marriage to James R. Holt, her son John ’75, his wife Susan, and their three daughters, Gemma, Katrina, and Portia, by her son James Jr. ’76, his wife Hollie, and their daughter Morgan ’08, son-in-law Connor, and their daughter Isla, and by her son Henry ’78, and his two sons James and Henry. She will be missed by Bob’s sons, Ned ’79, his wife Tracie, and their sons Zander ’08 and Mac ’10, and by Cliff ’81, his wife Carolina, and their sons Seve and Beckett.

Mary Clay loved dogs, but she had a special place in her heart for dachshunds. She had a deep appreciation for music, theatre, painting, and literature (especially Irish poets). After retiring, Mary Clay and Bob traveled frequently, with a profound fondness for all the British Isles. She and Bob were summer residents of Winter Harbor, ME, but no place meant more to her than Nantucket Island, MA, where she spent 20 summers when she was raising her young sons.

Mary Catherine Naughton, Hon. Mary Catherine “Mary Kay” Naughton, Hon. passed away peacefully on July 20, 2021, at the age of 78. She was the beloved wife of 53 years to Bob Naughton. Their love and devotion to each other was an absolute privilege to witness. Mary Kay was the loving mother to Carey Steward (Ken), Kate Durso (Bill), Brendan Naughton (Liz), Christy McClafferty (Bill), Ryan Naughton, Tim Naughton (Colleen), and Courtney Reed (Doug).

She was an incredible mom-mom to Ryan, Casey, Kiley, Conor, Liam, Erin, Aidan, Caroline, Ian, Gavin, Timmy, Cailin, Sean, Nolan, and Molly. She was an amazing daughter to Max and Liz Carey and sister to Tom Carey. Mary Kay is also survived by numerous cousins, family, and friends. For her children’s friends, she was like a second mom, and for her grandchildren‘s friends, a second mom-mom.

Mary Kay was a graduate of Saint Leonard’s Academy, spent much of her career as a mom, and worked in the advancement office at The Episcopal Academy from 1986 to 2012. She was a wonderful baker and an amazing host to numerous family parties and holiday dinners. Mary Kay had a way of making everyone she met feel welcome.

She loved unconditionally and always made her home a wonderful and happy place to be.

Davis Pearson ’43 Davis Pearson ’43 passed away on March 30, 2022, at the age of 96. He attended Episcopal through 5th grade and eventually graduated from Lower Merion High School. After serving in the army, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1950. He enjoyed his career in architecture, specializing in designing retirement communities and nursing homes, including Devon Manor, Cathedral Village, and Dunwoody Village. He was a partner at Mirick, Pearson & Batchelor.

During the ’60s and ’70s, Davis became active in the EA community again as a parent.

He was the architect for the new Middle and Upper School classroom building at the Merion campus. He served on the Board of Trustees from 1974 to 1991, when he was made an emeritus trustee. He continued to advise the Board during the move to Newtown Square.

Pearson was the son of the late Rodney and the late Bertha Bott Pearson and the husband of the late Priscilla Ball Pearson, the late Nancy Grim Pearson, and the late Mittie Q. Pearson.

He is survived by his three children, Leslie McDonald (Doug), Davis Pearson Jr. ’77 (Lisa), and Donald Pearson ’81 (Gail); four grandchildren and one great grandson; many loved stepchildren, step grandchildren, and step great grandchildren.

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Connections

In 1964, Dottie began teaching first grade in Wetherill House at The Episcopal Academy’s Merion campus. When Episcopal opened the Devon campus, she taught there until retiring in the mid-1990s. In recognition of her teaching contributions, EA presented her with the Bishop William White Award. An avid member of the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, she volunteered in the Parish Office once she retired from teaching. In 2011, she moved from her home in Paoli to the retirement community at White Horse Village near Newtown Square.

She is survived by her brother, E. Louis (Buz) Stapf and her son, William Sargent Jr. ’70.

Class Notes

Dorothy “Dottie” Stapf Sargent, Hon. passed away on Sunday, July 4, 2021, at the age of 96. Dottie grew up in Philadelphia, receiving both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. It was at Penn that she met her husband, William Sargent.

The two were married in 1946 and began their teaching careers at different schools in the Philadelphia area.

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

Dorothy Sargent, Hon.

Richard G. Schneider ‘48 Richard “Dick” Graham Schneider ’48, a retired attorney and active community member, passed away on September 4, 2021, at the age of 91. Dick was an attorney and senior partner with Dechert, Price & Rhoads in Philadelphia from 1958 until his retirement in 1995.

Dick graduated from The Episcopal Academy in 1948, where he played football and captained the baseball team. He later served on The Episcopal Academy Board of Trustees from 1976 to 1983. He attended Yale University, graduating in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. Following his time at Yale, Dick served as Second Lieutenant United States Air Force 1952 to 1954, stationed in Okinawa. Upon returning to the United States, Dick received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1957 and was a member of the Order of the Coif. His continuing interest in American Studies led him back to the School of Arts and Sciences at Penn where, in 2001, he received a master’s degree from the College of General Studies.

Everyone who met him was awed by his kindness, sense of humor, breadth of curiosity about people and life, and his love for his family and his dogs. Dick is survived by his spouse of 63 years, Margaret “Peg” Fritz Schneider, his daughter Margaret Schneider Maclay, his sons Richard Graham Schneider Jr. ’79 and John Fritz Schneider ’80, as well as six granddaughters and one grandson.

The Reverend James Trimble Jr., Hon. Rev. James Armstrong Trimble Jr., Hon. died peacefully on September 6, 2020. Born in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia, Jim spent his adult life in service to others as a minister in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. He became chaplain at Episcopal Academy in 1963 and in 1978 was called to be the 18th rector of Christ Church Philadelphia before retiring in 1998.

Jim’s greatest joy was his work with students at EA, where his teaching, preaching, and wise counsel helped form a generation of young people. Known for his humility, sharp mind, and love of history, Jim delighted in reading biographies, watching his beloved Phillies and Eagles, flying kites with his grandchildren and crazy Irish Setters in Maine, tending his community garden off South Street, finishing crossword and jigsaw puzzles, living in Cambridge, England, with Nadine while on sabbaticals, and traveling the world with Gail.

Jim was preceded in death by his first wife, Nadine, and his children, Emile and Philip ’80.

He is survived by his wife, Gail, and son, Martin ’75, daughters-in-law, Jennifer Trimble ’80 and Colette de Marneffe, and five grandchildren, who will miss him dearly, as will Gail’s daughters and granddaughters.

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In Memoriam* William Lilley III ’55 William Lilley III ‘55 was a champion of student drive, curiosity, and the endeavors that stem from those qualities. Bill was a lifer at The Episcopal Academy, entering the school in kindergarten, and his tenure highlights included membership in Vestry, Tabula, Junto Club, Forestry Club, and the football team. His senior yearbook described him as a student with an acute mind and a jovial temperament, which were hallmarks he carried throughout his life. His closest friends included David Ransom Haslam ‘55 and Walter Buckley ‘55, and he was well respected by all his peers.

“Episcopal always has been such a formative part of my life that it is hard to separate out any one particular value that the school imparted,” Bill wrote in his 50th reunion Tabula reflection. “However three values come readily to mind I can hear Dr. Haslam repeating them in his pre-lunch talks: always work hard; always improve your intellect; always be loyal to your friends. Whenever I am slouching noticeably on any of these fronts, I feel guilty, even after 50 years.”

After Episcopal, Bill attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduated with high grades and won a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to the Yale Ph.D. program for American Studies. He was recruited to the Yale history faculty and went on to teach there for eight years.

The Yale Scholar of the House Program would serve as the inspiration for The Lilley Fellowship, which he and his wife, Eve, established at EA in 2018. This signature program awards fellowships and independent studies to students who exemplify academic curiosity, intellectual rigor, and scholarly passion. Bill further cemented The Lilley Fellowship at EA through a $1 million gift from his estate to establish an endowed fund that will support the program in perpetuity.

In addition to this transformative gift, Bill was a generous benefactor of the school for more than 50 years.

Bill, a career renaissance man, followed his inquisitive nature to work in a variety of fields and industries–from founder of the National Journal, to federal government employee, to manager of CBS in NYC, and even founder of his own software company, iMapData.

Bill’s legacy of vision, character, and curiosity lives on through each EA Lilley Fellow who embarks upon their own journey of lifelong learning and scholarship. Bill passed away at his home in Washington, D.C., on July 19, 2021. His passing was peaceful, with his beloved family, his dogs, and his books by his side.

Bill Lilley was thrilled to meet inaugural Lilley Fellows Jessica Hao ‘19 and R.J. Glaser ‘19 on campus in 2019.

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Connections

Bill Lilley and his beloved wife, Eve.

1940 The Rev. Louis W. Pitt Jr. March 24, 2022

1952 William A. Wheeler December 30, 2020

1941 Thomas T. Dolan IV December 28, 2021

1955 William Lilley III July 19, 2021

1942 George T. Cartier Jr. December 12, 2021

1955 James M. Stephens September 8, 2020

1943 Davis Pearson March 30, 2022

1956 Clark E. Goebel July 8, 2021

1945 C. Perry Colwell III October 3, 2020

1957 Charles H. Kendall Jr.

Mary Clay Platt Lee December 6, 2021

1958 Peter F. Apple September 14, 2021

Mary Catherine Naughton July 20, 2021

1959 George Brodie Jr. November 12, 2021

Dorothy Sargent July 4, 2021

1962 John H. Hodge August 3, 2021

The Rev. James Trimble Jr. September 6, 2020

1945 Robert H. Sayre December 15, 2021 1946 David Forrest November 25, 2021 1946 Jeremiah Williams November 9, 2021 1947 Richard S. Chew Jr. December 31, 2020 1947 Joseph J. Hawley March 19, 2020 1948 Richard G. Schneider September 4, 2021 1949 C. H. Park Adams November 16, 2021 1949 Edward T. Catlett Jr. January 12, 2022 1949 John C. Keene March 4, 2022

1962 Jeffrey Wood January 14, 2022 1965 Peter F. Gable November 12, 2021

Penelope Mae Auch October 2, 2021 William Burdick December 7, 2021 Louise Dunleavy Casagrande February 13, 2022 George W. Hebard Jr. December 9, 2021

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

1952 John H. Swope IV August 15, 2021

Class Notes

Honorary Alumni

1940 George M. Harding Jr. September 2021

* This list represents notifications that Episcopal Academy received through March 30, 2022.

1967 William F. Frantz Jr. April 10, 2021 1969 Roger T. Lyford October 17, 2021 1970 Henry M. Boyd December 21, 2021 1975 Robert G. Taylor September 1, 2021

1949 Robert C. Morgan

1979 George Paull Nation Jr. March 8, 2022

1951 James K. Wheatley March 23, 2022

1988 Mark G. Niness January 30, 2022

1952 William C. Brown III October 18, 2021

1992 Scott Blevins December 1, 2021

1952 William D. M. Chew December 5, 2021

1992 James Brett Tepper August 20, 2021

1952 Donald Murta December 6, 2019

1998 Alison H. Hadden January 29, 2022

1952 George E. Stone December 8, 2019

2021 Makai Lewis February 9, 2022

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From the

Archives This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of many important milestones that have helped to shape The Episcopal Academy.

In 1972, Robert Bell, Darrel Francis, and J. Robert Williams became the first Black graduates of The Episcopal Academy. Fifty years later, we honor the legacy these gentlemen—and their families— left and the path they paved for the students who followed in their footsteps for decades to come.

Episcopal welcomed six female exchange students from The Shipley School. This was a first step on Episcopal’s journey toward co-education.

The May 1972 edition of the Scholium included reflections from these female pioneers.

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Connections

The head of the Glee Club at The Agnes Irwin School suggested to Episcopal’s Mr. John Muir, Hon. that they should team up on a production, resulting in Episcopal’s inaugural spring musical. More than 40 cast and crew members presented Oklahoma!

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

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Our short, 15-minute episodes celebrate beloved traditions and explore the lives of today’s students, teachers, and alumni. Search for EA Unlocked wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!