The MacDuffie School Alumni Magazine

The MacDufďŹ e School magazine for alumni and friends

Volume 6 Issue 1 Winter 2015

Alumni News Commencement 2014 Traditions Athletics Update Welcome New Faculty Introducing the New MacDuffie.org

Advisory Board

Wayne Brewer, Managing Director Craig Brewer, Director Dal Swain, Director Steven Griffin, Head of School Thomas Addicks, Assistant Head of School Timothy Duff, Headmaster - Pioneer Valley Christian School Alun Polga, English Department Chair Danielle Williams, Class of 1994 Leslie Pitt Chehade, Class of 1987 John Soares, Current Parent Gina Placek, Past Parent Nina Metz, Past Parent

Contact Us: 66 School Street, Granby, MA 01033 alumni@macduffie.org admissions@macduffie.org communications@macduffie.org macduffie.org

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The MacDuffie School Magazine for alumni and friends, Winter 2015

Editor:

Bethany Petano, Marketing and Communications

Contributors:

Carole Bielizna, Business Manager Dina Lyman ’66, Dean of Boarding Life and Alumni Relations

Photographers:

Grynn & Barrett Ryan Gray ‘16 Chi Huang ‘14 Eva Lin ‘16 Bethany Petano Ian Soares Tira Xia ‘17 Leo Zhang ‘17 The MacDuffie School Archives

MISSION The MacDuffie School is a rigorous college preparatory school whose mission is to foster in all students intellectual habits of mind, high ethical standards, and respect for diversity required for becoming morally responsible and effective individuals in their personal lives, careers, and in their communities and beyond.

Looking Forward with Head of School Griffin From Howard Street to Central Street, from One Ames Hill Drive in

Springfield to School Street in Granby, MacDuffie has always been a state of mind more than a physical location. In Granby, we continue to further our mission and develop that state of mind among the next generation. We sat down with Head of School Steven Griffin to talk about the future of MacDuffie.

Mr. Griffin joined MacDuffie during a time of intense transition. “There were immediate needs involved in relocating to a new physical campus while also preparing for a period of rapid growth required for the School to thrive. Thriving isn’t just about numbers, it’s about a feel, so that has been and continues to be at the forefront of my mind as MacDuffie continues to grow and change.”

Four years later, balancing growth with respect for what came before continues to drive how MacDuffie operates as a school. Mr. Griffin challenged faculty to answer, “How do we know we’re following our mission?” Two years ago, that challenge led to the start of a mission-based advising program known as The Path to Excellence where, Mr. Griffin said, “we spend time focusing on our values and the more difficult-to-measure aspects of our mission.”

When asked about his accomplishments thus far, Mr. Griffin joked about his introduction of ball hockey to the MacDuffie community. But in all seriousness, he is most proud of the faculty and staff assembled over the last three years, saying that the most important responsibility of his role is to “hire great people and give them the opportunity to do great work.”

Part of that hiring included a new Dean of Faculty this year. Mr. Griffin believes an excellent faculty is “a faculty that chooses to engage in continuous growth.” The goal of the new role is to work on new faculty orientation and induction as well as growth and evaluation for career teachers, which will be a real support for that growth.

In addition to the new Dean of Faculty role, there have been a few changes within the administration for this school year. The Head of the Upper School and Dean of Student Affairs roles have been combined. Mr. Griffin said, “Combining recognizes the whole child approach and puts an individual in charge of that whole student’s path.”

While there have certainly been changes at MacDuffie, the old traditions are alive and well – maroon versus white team competition, Candlelight, Mountain Day, Senior Sleepover, Eighth Grade Rite of Passage, the run-down game, senior mural, and the victory bell. Mr. Griffin talked about preserving those traditions, saying “I think we’ve paid close attention to keeping the important pieces of tradition, while also introducing new traditions, such as the annual Run for Hope, a student-run charity 5K race now in its fourth year, and the MacDuffie Speaker Series, which features guest lecturers from area colleges.”

Looking forward, Mr. Griffin sees a bright future for MacDuffie. He is excited about the new administrative team and how they’re going to work to achieve the challenging goals of the mission. An energized, dedicated faculty and staff, flourishing student body, and an enhanced physical plant with a new dormitory and performing arts center are all contributing to the very bright future of The MacDuffie School.

Headmaster Griffin is proud to lead the School into its 126th year and beyond!

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Traditions Diversity Day

Mountain Day and Candleight

Mountain Day and Candlelight continue to be time-honored

traditions to welcome new students, faculty, and staff into the At MacDuffie, we pride ourselves on a community of

inclusion and celebrate the diversity of our student body.

Diversity Day is a tradition Science Teacher Greg Vennell has been hosting annually for over 20 years.

In 2014, MacDuffie was honored to welcome Davis Bates as keynote speaker. Davis Bates’ performances are a

mixture of family, Native American, international and

regional stories and songs. They speak of empowerment, history, spirit, and the environment.

Special guest presenter Tom Teasley closed out the

day. Mr. Teasley is a world percussionist who has toured the globe offering concerts, educational presentations,

and teaching classes. His presentation was a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty, and guests to hear

an exciting performance and participate in discussion

regarding his experience as a “cultural envoy” for the US State Department.

In addition to our keynote speaker and special guest pre-

senter, there was a special performance of Us & Them by

The MacDuffie Players. The day also included a multitude of student and faculty run workshops.

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MacDuffie community.

The Arts

Athletics Update More than 120 MacDuffie students were involved in athletics during Fall 2014. The Mustangs competed in three sports with six teams.

All teams had outstanding seasons. Cross Country performed well at the CISAC Championships with Nicolette Peterson placing third in the girls’ race with a time of 20:56, and Arielle Sugrue placing fifth, with a time of 22:05. In the boys’ race, Evan Murdock placed fourth, with a time of 18:34, and Ethan Shelburne placed eleventh, with a time of 19:43. Girls’ Varsity Volleyball narrowly missed out on a New England Play-off seed with a 10-5 record. Boys’ Varsity Soccer also came close to the New England top eight teams with a 7-5-3 record. Girls’ Varsity Soccer had an unbelievable season; clinching the CISAC Championship for the first time, making the New England Play-offs for the first time, and going undefeated (16-0) to clinch the ultimate prize - the New England Class D Championship!

Several players were also named to the Western New England All-Star Soccer Teams. Richard Areche (‘15) and Tamer Akcay (‘16) were selected to play for the boys team while Kristina Smith (‘15), Ala Legowski (‘19), and Ania Ludkiewicz (‘19) were selected to play for the girls. Richard and Tamer were also selected to play for the New England Senior and Junior All-Star team respectively. Jayda McLean (‘15) and Aniis Anderson (‘18) were selected for the Western New England Volleyball All-Star team.

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Commencement 2014 On Saturday, June 7th, Commencement was held for the Class of 2014. The ceremony was at Abbey Memorial Chapel in South Hadley on a beautiful, late-spring afternoon.

Headmaster Griffin’s opening remarks praised the Class of 2014 for taking the MacDuffie mission to heart: fostering intellectual habits of mind, high ethical standards, and respect for diversity required for becoming effective individuals in their personal and work lives and moral and responsible participants in the world beyond.

“Today we celebrate a diverse and talented group of 55 students.

Some are returning home to complete their studies and some will travel the world. Most will study in select colleges across the country. They will all carry with them a MacDuffie education, something of which they should be exceptionally proud. We look forward to hearing about the future accomplishments of the members of this special class and seeing them return to share their experiences with us,” Headmaster Griffin said.

Class speakers Madison Jung (Stafford Springs, CT) and Caleb Shelburne (Northampton, MA) received a standing ovation from their classmates. They spoke of the universal community, emotional connection, and opportunities for self-definition that couldn’t happen anywhere else, in a place unlike any other.

The MacDuffie Singers performed ”The Water is Wide”. Graduating Senior Ashley Oh performed “Sonata in C Major” by Francis Poulene to a spellbound audience. Her exceptionally beautiful flute notes filled the chapel.

The Class of 2014 chose Science Department Chair and Teacher Mr. Craig Woolley as their faculty speaker. Mr. Woolley lauded the Class of 2014 as young people who are “not just excellent students but genuinely concerned with the happiness and well-being of those around them”. He also spoke of pursuing a future filled with happiness and encouraged students to “live with intent”.

Here are the members of The MacDuffie School Class of 2014: Berkan Akgul Ege Basaran Trung Duc Bui Kitwanie Shanice Carbon Rhys Burgess Chalmers Sunghoon “Steve” Choi Ali Dayeh Jacob Christopher deHahn Jodecia Elliott Yi Fang Sebastian Andre Ferretti Dimitri Flores William Gouin Keymo Hoshing Chi Huang Timothee Jacques Kimberly Jones Madison Jung Do Hyun Kim

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Daniil Kim Sani Kohen Khoa-Dang Le Tian Yang “Scott” Li Dali Li Yuguang “Lingle” Lin Yuqing Ling Xinyang “Tiffany” Liu Jiachang “Harry” Liu Xiaoyu Lu Siwei Lu Maryanne Magnier Zachary Harrison Metz Alberto de Miguel James Nelson Thanaporn Nuansanam Jiwon “Ashley” Oh Ajlan Okman Jeremy Howard Pace

Khanh Pham Naomi Phelps Jessica Schwartz Caleb Shelburne Aliana Stevenson Jenna Stewart Magdalene Taylor Hien Vu Yu “Nick” Wakayama Gaowen Wang Alexandra Webb Ziying “Lisa” Xue Shemar Yap Berk Yilmaz Zheyu “Scott” Zhang You Zhang Xie Zhou

Congratulations Graduates!

The MacDuffie Annual Fund The MacDuffie Annual Fund serves to enhance MacDuffie’s programs, both inside and outside of the classroom.

While tuition covers the cost of a MacDuffie education, the growth and enhancement of MacDuffie requires additional investment. Over the past four years, we have made dramatic enhancements to classrooms, the library, arts facilities, and most recently a new middle school lounge, and fitness room.

We invite you to help rebuild a tradition of giving at The MacDuffie School.

A donation of any amount will make a difference in our students’ lives.

Ways to give: Online: Go to MacDuffie.org and click the “Donate” tab at the top of the home page

By Mail: Send in the attached giving envelope (please give us class notes while you are at it!)

By Telephone: Call Darcie Mavlouganes in the Head’s Office: (413) 255-0000 ext. 207

Thank you for your support!

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Introducing Ms. B3 The energy in the room is palpable, even without the avid hand gestures and revealing facial expressions; you can tell Becky Beth Benedict is a “Presence”.

The story of how she caught the acting bug tells it all, “I say I was three but really I was five. I got to play Delilah in the church play - I was the only girl. Samson was played by this gorgeous ten year old wearing a mop for his hair. Since I was five they wouldn’t allow me to use scissors, so I had to clap my hands twice to summon my fabulous twelveyear-old slaves who cut Samson’s hair for me. That’s when I knew I wanted a life in the theater. After that, I did school plays; I rehearsed my own pieces I made up on the farm, standing in the feeding trough, performing monologues to the cows.”

Ms. B3, as she likes to be called, grew up in North Dakota where she attended the University of North Dakota. Upon completion of her bachelor degree, Ms. B3 was invited to continue her education in their master’s program on a full scholarship. Prior to joining MacDuffie, she directed performances at both the Opera House Players in Broad Brook, CT where she staged Chicago, Hairspray, and Cabaret at the Hartford Stage. She was recently nominated for Best Director of a Musical by BroadwayWorld.com for Cabaret.

Is there a piece of theater that “changed your life”?

There have been different ones at different stages of my life. But when I first moved to the East Coast, I saw Rent on Broadway, and I was just blown away by how contemporary it was. There was so much love, so many basic elements of life and yet it was so visceral and immediate.

Who inspires you?

Eve Ensler, playwright, activist, director. She does what I want to do and that’s make theater matter more. I’ve directed one of her plays and performed in three. She has a high school play I’d really like to do called I’m an Emotional Creature. It discusses the issues that are important to high school much like The Vagina Monologues does for women. She just attacks the problems of the world head on.

What’s your favorite thing about theater?

The magic of theater is it exists in THIS moment. You go see a play, and the actors in that room at that moment create a performance just for you. It’s an exchanging of energy. There’s a lot of talk today about “living in the moment”, that’s exactly what live theater is and why I think regardless of technology it will never be replaced. There is something magical about being in a room to exchange that energy for something that exists just for you, just for now.

Ms. B3 plans to grow both the size and the diversity of the MacDuffie Theater Department and especially wishes to increase the canon of works performed. That wish led her to choose Blood Wedding as the Fall Play. “I studied it in college. It was haunting and romantic and just stuck with me – I knew I wasn’t done with it yet. When I was thinking about the fall production, Blood Wedding came to mind. I didn’t want to come in and do something simple and easy. I’d heard about the caliber of MacDuffie performers and wanted to choose something challenging.”

Speaking of MacDuffie performers, you’ve directed at all levels of theater – high school, college, and even professional, how do the MacDuffie players stack up?

“I’m very impressed with how seriously they take it, they don’t just settle, especially in class. My acting ensemble class is exploring some very deep emotions, and they don’t hold back. There are no excuses of “I’m just a student”, “I’ve never done that”, or “I’ve never figured that out”; they’re willing to learn, they’re ready to go there and in some classes they’re doing college level work.”

What can we expect from The Little Theater this year?

“I’d like the theater to mirror the athletic seasons so students always have a production to participate in. We’re talking about adding a spring show of one acts involving both the middle school and upper school with the possibility of some students directing. The winter (February) musical will be Pajama Game, directed by Mr. Lyman with myself producing.

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Welcome New Faculty and Staff!

MacDuffie welcomed several new faculty members this year including: From top left: Spanish teacher Ms. Vachet, Physics teacher Mr. Stella, English and ELL teacher Ms. Gau, and History teacher Ms. Cressotti From the bottom left: Dance teacher Ms. Muzzy, Music teacher Ms. Meirovich, Art teacher Ms. McNerney, and Theater Director Ms. B3

Please join us in giving a warm MacDuffie welcome to all our new faculty and staff members!

Ashley Assarian, Residential Assistant

Debbie Koslosky, Residential Assistant

Alison Beattie, Assistant to the Deans

Susanne Markus, Spanish and French Teacher

Matthew Castle, Residential Assistant

Isabelle McGovern, Residential Assistant

Kyle Cusson, Maintenance

Benjamin Monat, Residential Assistant

Chris Harris, Residential Assistant, Assistant Boys Basketball Coach

Kim Monteiro, Nurse

Soobin Jeon, Mathematics Teacher

Jacque Rivera, Director of Basketball

Alice Kao, Mandarin Teacher

Katie Walker, Admissions Associate

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Take another look!

At the NEW MacDuffie.org

The School launched a redesigned website this fall. The new website features a new media page, an Around the Circle blog page, and updated athletics pages including schedules and game results.

The new home page features a slider:

Upcoming school and athletic events:

The latest Around the Circle (ATC) posts:

You’ll notice some changes in the navigation:

Arts, Athletics, and Middle School now have their own pages.

The Community page focuses on boarding life and student activities.

The new Media page features event alums, links to news articles, social media feeds, and videos:

You can sort the media page by social media, event albums, and press.

Clicking on an event album will allow you to view photos within the album:

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The athletics pages now feature team schedules with game results:

On the faculty and staff page, clicking on a photo shows credentials and email:

Around the Circle (ATC) has a dedicated page: ATC features stories about: Field trips School events Student achievements The Head’s Blog.

The most recent posts are displayed.

The side navigation allows you to sort by month/year in the archives or by category.

ATC can be accessed by clicking on a home page post or under Quicklinks:

In addition to the Quicklinks menu, the top navigation bar allows you to access: The RenWeb student and parent portals Contact admissions Translate the website Search the website

Clicking the school logo in the upper left corner on any page will bring you back to the home page.

The footer on any page will allow you to: Contact admissions Access parent and student resources View the media page Visit our social media profiles

CONTACT

STUDENT RESOURCES

PARENENT RESOURCES

MACDUFFIE MEDIA

We hope you enjoy the new website!

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MacDuffi turns 125!

The 125th anniversary of The MacDuffie School will be celebrated on:

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Please join us for our Gala Celebration featuring an auction, dinner, drinks, and dancing.

Watch for details coming soon on our website, Facebook page, and via mail.

Nominations are open for the 2015 Distinguished Alumni and Young Alumni Awards.

Please send your nominations to alumni@macduffie.org.

We look forward to seeing you at Reunion 2015!

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Distinguished Alumni

Peter Toohey was named the 2014 Distinguished Alumni. He is the first male recipient of the award since MacDuffie became co-educational in the 1990’s.

Peter started his Athletic Training career at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science.

He went on to become a Board Certified Athletic Trainer and continued his education as a Graduate Assistant at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN, earning a Master’s degree in Sports Administration. After completing his Master’s degree work, he continued his education as a Fellow at the United States Olympic Committee in Lake Placid, NY, in 2001.

Peter started his professional career as the Head Athletic Trainer at the Olympic Education Center in Marquette, MI, where he served for five years.

He stayed within the Olympic movement and moved back to Lake Placid in 2007 to manage the Sports Medicine Clinic. Peter has been to three Olympic Games, two Paralympic Games (serving as Medical Director in Vancouver), and numerous World Championships.

He was honored by the IOC to publish a chapter in The Sport Injury & Prevention Handbook in 2012. Recently, Peter completed his assignment as the Games Medical Director at the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

He resides in Lake Placid, NY, along with his wife, Brooke, and two children, Addison and Emery.

Alumni in the News

Betsy Bernard, Class of ’73, Distinguished Alumna ’03, was named Lead Director of the Board of Directors for Single Touch Systems, Inc. a technology based mobile media solutions provider servicing advertisers, retailers and brands. She earned her B.A. from St. Lawrence University, an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an M.S. in management from Stanford University’s Sloan Fellowship Program.

She has also received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Pepperdine University.

Betsy Bernard is an accomplished CEO, experienced public company board director and popular speaker. As the first female president of AT&T, she led more than 50,000 employees in a $27 billion business that served the needs of four million global business customers. For three consecutive years, she appeared on Fortune Magazine’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business.”

Over the years, Betsy has developed a personal business philosophy, “The Seven Golden Rules of Leadership” which she delivered as a speech at the Ninth Annual Business Women’s Network, Women and Diversity Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. Since its inception in 1994, the Summit has spotlighted global business leaders from near and far who have shared their success stories, strategies and insights. The speech was so well received it has run periodically on both CSPAN and PBS. Ta’Nika Gibson, Class of ’09, starred in the Fiddlehead Theatre’s production of Elton John and Time Rice’s rock musical Aida in the title role of Aida, a Nubian princess captured and enslaved to the pharaoh of Egypt. The production ran October 17 – 26 at the historic Strand Theatre in Boston. Ta’Nika graduated from New York University in 2013 where she studied voice and opera. In 2011, Ta’Nika performed at the Metropolitan Opera Guild in the world premiere of the opera, 2Wice Upon a Birthday. In 2013, she was a regional finalist for the National Classical Singer Competition.

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Class Notes Class of ‘56 I’m traveling a great deal, Ireland in August, in November a Jazz Cruise in the Caribbean, London in the spring.

I’m still selling and renting real estate in Phoenix and Scottsdale.

Carol Dennis M A C D U F F I E Still hearing that Magnolia song. The Class of 1956. Some memories are strong and sustaining. RDR. Would he approve? Senior House. I used to talk on the phone with Jean Mann, my roommate. Together we re-lived the things we did and laughed a lot.

We also listened carefully and encouraged each other.

We were MacDuffie girls, so the force was with us. I miss “Manno” terribly since her death and would like to make contact with anyone from those years.

I am very active with art/photography (www.sylviahorwitz.com), and got married (yet again) last December to an Englishman who moved to my city (Minneapolis).

We met dancing Argentine tango in Buenos Aires. So life goes on. I have many of the same interests I did decades ago during that precious time of my life. What an amazing education! MacDuffie really shaped the best of who I am. Thank you.

Sylvia Smith (Horwitz)

Class of ‘59 I graduated with the class of 1959. After college I became a programmer for IBM and NCR. I worked in Boston for NCR. I have been married to my husband, Dwight Ellis, for 49 years. We have lived in Key West (Navy), Ithaca NY (Cornell Law School), Park Slope, Brooklyn 1968-present. We spend our summers in the southwest corner of RI. We have two boys, Warren (lives in Ft. Green, Bklyn, works in IT) Morgan, (lives in LA, writes roll playing games/books, etc). Consequently, we rent in Santa Monica for the month of March.

Ann Chalfant Ellis

Class of ‘62 The Four Fabulous MacDuffie Friends celebrated friendship and decade birthdays with a girl weekend hosted

by Marcia Baylock Randol at her home atop a Chilmark hill. Kathryn Stein flew in from D.C. Jan Jostrom Gilley drove from Maine. Susan Aylward Brown met Jan at the boat and they, then, drove to Chilmark.

There was lots of reminiscing, rejoicing and laughter over the weekend. Saturday morning work hour (remember that?) morphed into a visit to Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks, Farmers Market, and beach walks.

Lively chatter was plat du jour as all were involved, Julia child style, preparing delightful meals. Petite Katy’s demonstrated gymnastic skills leaping onto the high

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kitchen stools. Jan knit, Susan listened and Marcia tried to keep all under control.

In May, 2014, Katy was awarded The John and Samuel Bard Award in Medicine and Science. The award is “named after two 18th century physicians, father and son, whose descendant, John Bard, founded Bard College. The award honors scientists whose achievements demonstrate the breadth of concern and depth of commitment that characterized those pioneer physicians.”

Jan has written a young adult novel, Light on Jib Island, which takes place in Maine. It is an Indie Excellence Book Award Winner. The cover painting was done by her brother, Philip Jostrom. If she can take time from her photography endeavors, a sequel will appear!

Marcia was recently chosen to be a speaker at The Chilmark Symposium. This is a women only event. She has worked tirelessly for many years at the Featherstone Center for the Arts.

Susan continues with several volunteer activities that are Island based. She celebrated the decade birthday by training for and completing the Chilmark Road Race and placing third in her division.

The birthday cake was delicious, the champagne cold and the friendship warm Susan Brown I am sincerely sorry that I was unable to attend our 50th reunion, but I am still working and could not make the trip.

I would have loved to catch up with classmates, so many of whom I remember fondly. I look forward to an opportunity to re-connect in the future, as after 29 years of practicing law and another 17 years of teaching legal skills at the University Of Florida, College Of Law, I will retire at the end of this academic year. I would love to hear from any classmates, and can be reached at Soponis@law.ufl.edu.

Gaylin Gramse Soponis

Class of ‘63 I’ve returned to my New England roots after 40 years in Colorado, continuing my work as a seasoned artist and art educator. Maine is an artist’s mecca and a great inspiration!

Lindy Lyman

Class of ‘64 Betsy Adams Hopkins enjoyed reconnecting with classmates at reunion 2014. MacDuffie certainly is different, but is still providing excellent education for promising young minds. Betsy lives in Vinalhaven, an island off mid-coast Maine. Retired from Smith College alumnae relations, but staying busy in a wonderful island community.

Betsy Adams Hopkins

Enjoying my retirement living in Sun City Hilton Head, SC. Met with Camilla Walker Barber after 50 long years! She and her family were down this way for a vacation, so we met for lunch. She looks great and we picked up as though we had kept in touch all this time.

Sandra Hanson

friends for life!

Nancy “Nan” Lewis ‘66

Class of ‘71

Class of ‘65 I am the Dean of Student Success at Beacon College in Leesburg, FL. I oversee a staff of 10 Learning Specialists, the Career Development Department, the Life Coaches and the Occupational Therapist. Beacon is a private 4-year college exclusively for students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD. I am loving my work here!

Andrea Brode

Class of ‘66 It has been an interesting year... I got married in March; after knowing each other for 24 years, recording and performing artist Ras Midas and I tied the knot and, three days later, we left to live in Belgium for three months. We stayed with my business partner, Johan, who is also Midas’ manager. Johan has a gentleman’s farm, and gave me the gift of four hens, Clara, Jane, Whitey, and Miss Muffet. I never thought I could fall in love with chickens, but I did. They are adorable, friendly, and have distinct personalities. (I’m glad I’m a vegetarian!)

The three months went quickly; Midas had concerts and lots of magazine, radio, and TV interviews. Friends said, “Oh, how fun!” but it was a working trip; I am Midas’ publicist and booking agent so most of my time was spent in my office and networking in Belgium and Holland. We did have two vacation days, in France, which were lovely. Our next trip to Belgium is slated for Spring 2015 for about six weeks, and then we’ll be returning for the Summer, when Midas will be performing at Reggae music festivals around Europe.

We moved in September, eight miles (north) to Atlantic Beach and to the west side of the island. We’re a half mile from the Atlantic Ocean and a block from the Intracoastal Waterway, and there are many more trees – huge oaks with dangling Spanish moss; it’s shady and cooler, which is a blessing. After nearly five years of taking photos of the sunrises over the Atlantic Ocean, I’m enjoying “shooting” sunsets over the Intracoastal Waterway. Florida landscapes are unique.

Still hoping to connect with Janice Randall ’69; if anyone knows where she is now, please let me know.

Happily, after my Alumni update last year, Shari Horn ’66 and I reconnected. Friends made at MacDuffie are

I’m happy to report that life is good. Our daughter, Alex, is now a junior at Wellesley, and plays on the basketball team there. I’m still in private practice in Tucson in obstetrics and gynecology, and still delivering babies. I’ve cut down a bit, so I’m not up in the middle of the night quite so frequently, but, still, the hours involved are long. My husband, Mark Berman, owns and runs a family plumbing supply store, and stays quite busy. We travel frequently to the East Coast to watch the Wellesley basketball team and to spend time at our house on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s amazing to me how time has flown since my graduation from MacDuffie in 1971. I send my best to all my classmates.

Judy Riley

Class of ‘78 I am now on my second year as a member of the United States Telemark Ski Team, Development Team. Last year the season of 13/14, I competed in Eastern Regional races and the United States Nationals, placing in the top 10 in the U.S. Still living in NYC and So. VT, IT and technology development during the week, and teaching skiing at The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain on weekends. I can’t wait for ski season! When I’m not skiing I’m working with Weimaraner Rescue, finding fur-ever homes for Weims who need them.

Tabi Freedman

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Class of ‘87

Class of ‘03

I am pleased to announce that I have recently released my 9th book, The Bear Guarding the Beehive. It is available in digital and paperback formats, and deals with honey bee colony collapse disorder. The story shows a lawyer defending her clients - the bees - against ecological, biochemical, and legal threats. GMOs in the form of neonicotinoids and fungicides are described, corporate personhood is attacked, and more.

Stephanie C. Fox

The picture is of Tadd leaving the Cadet Chapel at West Point following the celebration of his marriage to Lauren Keith of Dallas, Texas November 2, 2013. Tadd was deployed to Afghanistan, for his second tour with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, shortly after their wedding celebration. He is home now and he and Lauren are living in Fayetteville, NC, where Tadd is currently stationed at Fort Bragg and is the Company Commander for Headquarters Company 508th PIR. Tadd Lyman

Class of ‘88 I am so happy to report that I was selected by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International Executive Service Corps as a Volunteer Executive for a service project in Cambodia. I went on assignment to Phnom Penh for two weeks in July, working with and for local Cambodian human and women’s rights charities and not-for-profits. I will continue my volunteer work with them over the next several months, mentoring and helping them to build the management capacity of their organizations in order to receive USAID grants for their well-deserved and much needed programs. It was at MacDuffie that the “international bug” first bit me. I’ve worked in the field of international development and traveled the globe for the past twenty years. I was overjoyed at this opportunity in Cambodia; to give of my time and myself, to serve, like the global citizen MacDuffie inspired me to be.

Pamela Stevens-Haydar My son Julian was born on Sept 17th, joining big brother Charlie (4.5). We live in Arlington (MA), and I teach science to art students, as adjunct, at Rhode Island School of Design--hard to believe!

Maria Aliberti Lubertazzi

Class of ‘93 A few updates, my husband Ken, our daughter Olivia and I welcomed our second daughter Vivienne Joan White on 1/21/2014. I was also recently promoted as a Special Projects Manager with Sales Development team at my company Athena Health, Inc. I keep in touch with many of my fellow MacDuffie Alums and most recently celebrated the second birthday of Jennifer Barry Jurney’s daughter Lillian.

Cheryl Lyncosky White

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Class of ‘07 I recently finished up my Master’s degree in Critical Studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art down in Baltimore. I hope everyone is well!

Zack Franklin

Class of ‘08 I just graduated from Western New England University with a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.

That was last May and since I’ve found myself a job. I’m working as a Technical Support Specialist (IT) in Student Financial Services at MIT. I am pursuing Grad school this fall to earn my Master’s Degree in Information Management Systems.

Daniel Goncalves

Class of ‘12 I am now a senior at Springfield College studying sport management and business management. Currently I hold the position of Game Operations Assistant with the Springfield Falcons hockey team located in downtown Springfield. Basically, this job entails leading and organizing 20+ interns on game nights to produce a fun and family friendly event with exciting promotions and giveaways. Before I graduate, I must complete a full semester internship which I’m hoping to accomplish by joining the front office of a professional sports team.

Matthew McRobbie

In Memoriam – Meghan Hukowicz Zoll written

by Betty Huckowicz

September 24, 1975 – September 25, 2014 “Life shouldn’t be measured by the amount of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” (Maya Angelou) Meghan Hukowicz Zoll took her first breath on September 24, 1975 and breathed her last on Thursday, September 25, 2014 in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston with her family and friends by her side after a valiant battle with cystic fibrosis. She was 39. Diagnosed with CF at five weeks Meghan lived each day to its fullest and pushed its limits defying the odds of survival to experience the greatness and love of family, friends and life.

Edward J. and Dr. Elizabeth ‘Betty’ (Teahan) Hukowicz raised and educated their only child in Hadley, Massachusetts. Meghan graduated from The MacDuffie School in Springfield and attended Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY before transferring to Elms College in Chicopee. She graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Meghan completed the Web Design and Development Certificate Program at Boston University and worked toward her MBA at UMass/Boston and Framingham State.

Upon completion of her marketing internship for the Boston Celtics Meghan worked for MassLive.com in their marketing division. She later became a realtor for ERA Key Realty in Framingham, Leasing Agent for Capital Properties in Framingham, Leasing Director for JPI in Framingham, and Assistant Property Manager for Corcoran Management in Framingham. Meghan’s final position was Property Manager for Corcoran Management Company and Taymil Partners, LLC for properties in Chelmsford, Fitchburg, and Concord.

As a child Meghan was always athletically inclined: dance, gymnastics, softball, skiing, swimming and equestrian. Meghan played varsity field hockey, softball and basketball at The MacDuffie School and was the goalie on her college field hockey teams. She loved to sail, hike, bike and work out. Meghan traveled to Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Morocco, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, St. Lucia, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John, Paradise Island, Antigua, and the Dominican Republic. She loved Italy best where she attended the University of Turin. She later went back with Frank Zoll to tour the wine countryside of Tuscany. Meghan traveled to several places in the US including Las Vegas where she and Frank recently renewed their wedding vows with Elvis. Her heart belonged to the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Meghan’s soul sisters since she was two years old, Diane Kieras-Ciolkos, Linda Kenny and Lori Rezendes created lasting memories with their summer excursions to the Vineyard.

In the winter of 2004 Meghan met Frank Zoll her soul mate from Long Island who later proposed to her on the Lagoon Bridge of the Boston Public Garden. After living together in Brighton they married on June 9, 2007 in St. Bonaventure Church in Manomet and settled in Shrewsbury in October of that year.

Meghan had an infectious laugh, a warm smile and a playful sense of humor. She loved life and people.

Meghan cared deeply for the disabled and for the children in her life. She coached and tutored and mentored.

The culmination of love and happiness came to Meghan and Frank in 2011 when their son Brady was born. Brady completed Meghan’s life. He will forever know the love of his mother in the heartfelt memories and cherished stories told by family and friends.

Meghan’s love lives on. In addition to her husband Frank and her son Brady, she leaves her mother Betty Hukowicz of Agawam and her father Ed Hukowicz of Granby, Connecticut. Meghan is survived by her cousin T.J. Shea and his wife Brooke and their children and Meghan’s godchildren Mackenzie and Brad of Berkley; by her soul sisters and their husbands Diane and David Ciolkos and their children Kiera and Christian of Hadley; Linda and Patrick Kenny and their children Leah, Ryan and Meghan’s godchild Lily of Agawam; and Lori and Dana Rezendes and their son Nathan of West Tisbury. Meghan leaves a cousin Andrew Hukowicz and his wife Emmie of Hadley. Meghan is survived by her in-laws Frank and Anne Zoll of Baldwin, New York and Gloucester, Virginia and her brother-in-law David and wife Bethany and their children Aiden and Frankie of Gloucester, Virginia.

Family and friends will honor and remember Meghan’s life by gathering for calling hours at Heald & Chiampa Funeral Directors ~ The Sumner House, 5 Church Road, On the Common, Shrewsbury Center on Friday, October 3rd from 4 to 8 p.m. and again at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday morning before leaving in procession to Saint Mary’s Church, 640 Main Street, Shrewsbury, where her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. The burial will be private at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Northampton.

Memorials in Meghan’s name may be made to the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, 75 Francis Street, PBB – CA 3, Boston, MA 02115. The family expresses its appreciation to the Adult Cystic Fibrosis team who provided constant and compassionate care and support to Meghan during her hospitalization. The family expresses its gratitude and love to the MICU (3B and 3C) at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and 3 South at the Spaulding Hospital for Continuing Care in Cambridge where Meghan spent her final 78 days.

“Live a good life and in the end it’s not the years in a life it’s the life in the years.”

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Remembering Elizabeth Gay Matteson (Class of 1963) Late one evening 25 years ago, I was finishing up a rehearsal of Anything Goes. I had been hired to choreograph the production. It had a cast of thousands and we were behind in the rehearsal process, or at least it felt that way to me. Although I hadn’t been working with kids for a number of years, I may have overestimated the need for more rehearsal. I was also concerned about the production value of the show. The sets were only partially done, and I had seen neither hide nor hair of costumes. I asked the director, Ted Lyman, where the costume crew was. I needed to talk to them about the dancers’ skirt lengths. Ted said that there was only one woman doing all of the costumes. She lived in Caswell House, she was a dorm parent, and she was probably still up if I wanted to talk to her.

As I wandered over to Caswell House, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of woman would take it upon herself to build 100+ costumes on her own? I knocked on the door and asked if Ms. Matteson was in. I was led into the dining room, although it looked more like a costume construction shop.

There were piles of material, boxes of “goo gah” (a term best defined as clothing ornamentation) and feather boas that were hanging off the door molding. Buried behind a sewing machine, peering over a pair of smudgy half glasses sat Gay Matteson. I introduced myself. She said wearily, “Can you sew?” I said, “I can hot glue.” She responded, “You can iron.”, and so I did. In all honesty, I can’t recall if I made it back there to help with anything else, nor do I remember very much about the production, but the costumes looked fabulous. And, more importantly, I had made a friend for life.

Gay was the only person I knew who I could call up at 3am (from the theater where I was still working) to complain about how difficult it was to transform old carpeting into grassy landscaping. It was a guarantee that she would still be up sewing upholstery covers for furniture poofs and gluing ribbons and beads onto 1920’s cummerbunds. We would laugh about our small scale insanity and drink more coffee until the jobs were done. I lost count of all the costumes she designed and built, but they were amazing. She loved researching period clothing. She would pour over costume books and watch movies, making notes about the styles, material, and accessories. Her most notable credits include: The Crucible, Anything Goes (twice), Twelfth Night, Walking Happy, Once upon a Mattress, Guys and Dolls, Camelot, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Pippin, Pajama Game, Goblin’s Market, Hello Dolly and two boffo children’s theater plays. My personal favorite was Hello Dolly. The actress playing Dolly would hit the stage in her red moiré satin gown and before she had the chance to open her mouth, the costume would garner applause.

Gay’s talent wasn’t limited to costume design though. If she could read about it, whatever “it” was, she could do it.

She could build the cabinets, fix the plumbing and grout the ceramic floor in her kitchen. When it was finished, she could cook in it, and could she cook. After house parenting, Gay proceeded to run the dining hall at MacDuffie. Her love of travel and appreciation for other cultures was evident

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in the menus she presented at the School. She treated the meals as opportunities to educate the students about others’ cultures. And if you were fortunate enough to be a teacher at the School, you had the added pleasure of partaking in her most adventurous food forays at holiday theme parties - she specialized in Eastern Block and Middle Eastern fare.

MacDuffie was home to Gay. As a student at the School, MacDuffie proved to be a stable, encouraging and loving environment which helped Gay make her way through her teenage years. It also provided her with the study skills and knowledge necessary to continue on in her chosen profession of nursing. As a parent, MacDuffie brought Gay peace of mind, knowing that her daughter Joslin (Class of 1991), would have an educational and living experience that would feed her passion for learning and result in lifelong friendships. As an employee, Gay tirelessly gave back to MacDuffie with her talents as a chef and house parent. As an Alum, she continued sharing her gifts, building costumes for shows and donating money to refurbish the theater. The MacDuffie Theater Department will be forever in her debt, as will I. Thank you, Gay. “And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest” William Shakespeare Sincerely, Denise Boutin Retired Chair of the Arts Department

Small School ~ Big School Opportunities

The MacDuffie School Coed • Boarding, Day, and Homestay • Grades 6 - 12

Upcoming 2015 Events For the Community:

For Prospective Families:

The MacDuffie Theater presents:

Admissions Open Houses

The Pajama Game

By George Abbott and Richard Pike Bissell Friday, February 27th Saturday, February 28th Performances at 8pm Sunday, March 1st Performance at 3pm

The Magnet presents:

Sunday, January 11th at 1pm Sunday, February 8th at 1pm Sunday, March 29th at 1pm Tour campus, attend an information session, meet current students and their families.

For more information and reservations contact: admissions@macduffie.org

8th Grade Play & Art Show

Magneto Fantastico

Featuring originals works by the 8th grade class

Sunday, January 30th at 7pm

Wednesday, January 14th

For tickets please visit:

January 20th ~ Dr. Gina Semprebon, Bay Path Palaeoecology and Reconstructing Ancient Ecosystems

7pm ~ The Little Theater

Join us for Winter Sports!

April 7th ~ Lawrence Snyder, Bay Path

Boys' Basketball Girls' Basketball

Detering Cyber-crimes

Visit our website for game times and full schedule:

Student Center ~ 7pm ~ Open to Public

macduffie.org

The MacDuffie School • 66 School Street • Granby, MA 01033 17

The MacDuffie School 66 School Street Granby, MA 01033

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The MacDuffie School Save the date!

Reunion 2015

April 25, 2015

Watch for details coming soon on our website, Facebook page and in the mail.

Nominations are open for 2015 Distinguished Alumni and Young Alumni Awards.

Please send your nominations to alumni@macduffie.org.

We look forward to seeing you at Reunion 2015!