Campus News

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Photo credits: 1. Doug Baker ’22 2. Max Halpern ’24 3. Julian Schnitt ’23 4. Andrew Specter ’23 5. AJ Jimeno ’24

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We Are Here

The highly-transmissible COVID-19 variant, Omicron, left some students at home longer than anticipated following the winter break. With the student body split between campus and their homes and all in quarantine, Forman faculty sought to develop safe weekend activities. Erin Gleason, Art Department Chair, created the Quarantine Photography Challenge, which spanned over three days. The challenge’s theme, We Are Here, encouraged students to find art within their surroundings. The guidelines were simple: capture a photo from their quarantine spaces, such as their pet, a view from a window, or an outdoor scene, all while following the School’s COVID protocols.

“We believe that art is a wonderful way to express ourselves and our voices, and [we] wanted to give students an opportunity to do that during quarantine, no matter where they were — in the dorm, an off-campus location, or at home,” says Gleason. “It was a way of bringing us together through photographs when we physically were apart.”

Gleason also encouraged students to be creative and take photos from different angles and perspectives.

“We hope the students learned that they can create art anywhere and practiced different ways of looking through their photographs,” she says. “The work that was submitted was amazing!”

Five students, Doug Baker ’22, Max Halpern ’24, AJ Jimeno ’24, Julian Schnitt ’23, and Andrew Specter ’23, won the challenge with photos from a snow-covered neighborhood to bright rays of sunshine gleaming over waterside homes. The winning students were awarded gift certificates from the school store.

Social Animals

Dr. Catherine Stines, Dean of Learning and Innovation, teaches a course at Forman called Social Animals: Community in the 21st Century.

Dr. Stines describes the class as “a combination of psychology, sociology, and ethnography as we develop knowledge of how American social structures have functioned in the past, how they’ve changed in the 21st century, and how we can strengthen communities in our current social climate.”

“This course also [develops] skills that you need to become a confident leader in your community. The course’s major component will be a real-time study into something you’d like to change in the Forman community and how to cultivate that change in real-time with research, evidence, and courage,” she adds.

During one assignment, students in the Social Animals class raced around campus practicing ethnographic work called guerrilla interviewing.

Julia Dunn ’22 films History Teacher Scott Brady ’84 Dr. Catherine Stines, Dean of Learning and Innovation, stands with students in her Social Animals course following their final presentations.

“This [practice] prepares Social Animals students to do a community audit quickly to understand where Forman School is at and where they want it to be. This prepares them for their social change project in how to effectively collect qualitative data for their projects,” Stines says.

Students asked several members of the Forman community a variety of questions, including: • What does the community feel like? • What does our community sound like? • What was the most significant thing you did for our community in the past 24 hours? • Who is one person in our community that you can trust and rely on?

“It was an intense, fast experience where my group would go from building to building interviewing people about our community,” says Ben Wildstein ’22. “We interviewed Mackey (Scott McCarty ’76, P’02, P’05, Major Gifts Officer), Mr. Man, and so many more.It was interesting to hear all their different perspectives.”

Throughout guerilla interviewing and the Social Animals class, students learn skills to become forwardthinking leaders.

“I tell every student they should leave this course with the confidence to be able to walk into any community and know how to lead it,” Stines says. “To feel they can be a leader and thrive in that capacity in making real effective change in whatever community they are in.”

Stines has taught the Social Animals course beyond her time at Forman; the class now has over 500 alumni around the world.

“I absolutely love this class. It is like no class that I have taken at Forman,” Ben says. “Being a part of a class that has been known around the nation is a great honor.”

Showcasing Creativity

For more than six years, the Literary Arts Journal (LAJ) has been a creative outlet for Forman students to submit original art and writing.

Bill Bucklin, former English Teacher, and Beth Man P’15, Health Teacher, English Teacher, and Archivist, started the annual student publication in 2015 after former English Teacher Christopher Hayes suggested it as a way to recognize students’ talents.

The journal is open to various mediums, including poetry, short stories, nonfiction, song lyrics, photography, ceramics, paintings, and drawings. Beth Man P’15, Co-Advisor of the LAJ, says she is sometimes surprised to see which students submit pieces.

“We have some students that we’re aware of – the poet, the singer, the artist, but there are so many students that you see as the athlete, the boatbuilder, or the quiet student, and low and behold, they have these pieces that they share,” she says.

The journal prompts every student to explore their creativity and share it with the community. “For so many of our students, writing is something that they struggle with,” Man notes. “What I hope the LAJ proves is that your creative voice will come through as long as you’re honest and what you’re sharing has meaning.”

Students interested in becoming editors submit a letter with their vision for the journal to the faculty advisors. With Bucklin now retired, English Teacher Molly Gnibus has taken on the role of CoAdvisor with Man. Together, they selected four student editors this year: Elizabeth Mazzarelli ’22, Jayme Morse ’24, and Elisa Vittori ’22 as editors for written work and Stephania Bendek ’22 as art editor.

Stephania, who was also an editor last year, has submitted pieces since she was a freshman. “I look forward to entering every year and seeing all the beautiful works people put forth and work so hard on,” she says. “I love that we have every aspect of work, whether it’s ceramic, photography, painting, poems, even recipes. There are no limits to what you could put in, just like your imagination, and the way it has grown over the years is just incredible.”

The editors judge the submissions blind to eliminate any bias. During the selection process, editors seek themes from individual works and the works as a whole. In recent years, the journal has reflected student experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic in the form of introspective pieces.

English Teacher Molly Gnibus, Elizabeth Mazzarelli ’22, Elisa Vittori ’22, Stephania Bendek ’22, Jayme Morse ’24, and Health Teacher, English Teacher, and Archivist Beth Man P’15

“My goal as an editor of the Literary Arts Journal is to gather a collection of works from a wide range of talents at this school and to be able to showcase how each student’s art is different,” says Elisa.

Jayme hopes students find confidence in themselves to submit their art, but for those who are hesitant, Elizabeth can relate.

“You are not alone. This year is my first time, too,” Elisa says. “Be brave: after all, you are a Lion!”

“One of the hallmarks of the journal is that from the beginning, the submissions have always sought to encourage bravery in putting yourself on the page,” Man adds. “I think every year, our editors have really stewarded that mission, and the journal has been different with that in mind.”

Piano Man by Cannon Alsobrook ’24

Award-Winning Photograph

Cannon Alsobrook ’24 won a Gold Key in the 2022 CT Scholastic Art Awards for his photo titled Piano Man. Cannon’s picture was on display at a state-wide art exhibit at the Hartford Art School’s Silpe Gallery from January 18-February 4. His work moved to the national show in New York City where renowned creative professionals review Gold Key works from across the country based on originality, technical skill, and emergence of a personal vision or voice.

“[Cannon] received this award for his hard work, creativity, and dedication to photography,” says Erin Gleason, Art Department Chair. “We hope he keeps looking at the world in his unique way and keeps expressing his ideas and his voice through his work. We are all so proud of him!”

“We hope he keeps looking at the world in his unique way and keeps expressing his ideas and his voice through his work.We are all so proud of him!”

—ERIN GLEASON, ART DEPARTMENT CHAIR