The Gryphon: Spring/Summer 2018

THE

spring/summer 2018

the cambridge school of weston magazine

Mod Makeover

CSW’s acclaimed academic model evolves in response to the needs of a new generation.

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Gryphon Spring/Summer 2018

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2017–18

THE GRYPHON, SPRING/SUMMER 2018

Benjamin Alimansky ’87 Chair, Investment Committee

Jane Moulding, Head of School

Allie Altman P’12 Liam Baxter-Healey ’18 Day Student Representative Harmony Bickerton ’19 Boarding Student Representative Christine Chamberlain ’63 Co-Chair, Governance Committee

Diane Stansbury, Assistant Director of Alumni/ae and Parent Engagement Emma Fedor, Director of Marketing and Communications Jeanette Origel, Communications Specialist

CONTRIBUTORS Emily Bendremer ’19

Philip DeNormandie ’67

Russ Campbell P’19

Rachael Dorr P’07 Secretary

Jared Charney

Evelina Galper P’14 Faculty Representative

Liz Linder

Ann Gorson P ’16 Chair, Development Committee

Grey Goss ’18 Dino Rowan Danya Tribuna ’19

Cynthia Harmon Kaiko Marie Hayes ’81 Snowden Henry P’16,’18 Co-Chair, Governance Committee

DESIGN

Jin-Kyung (Kay) Kim P’15, ’16, ’18

Vision Brand Experiences

Chin Lin P’18 Richard McCready P’13 Jane Moulding Head of School Rebecca Parkhill ’85, P’17 Assistant Secretary Deborah Pressman P’10 Alexander Rosenthal ’08 Sarita Gandhi Shah ’86 Vice Chair of the Board

The Cambridge School of Weston is an independent, coeducational day school for grades 9 – 12 and post-graduate study. Inquiries for academic year admission should be directed to Trish Saunders, Director of Admissions, at 781.642.8650.

The Gryphon welcomes class notes and photographs by alumni/ae, parents, and friends. Please email submissions to alum@csw.org; call 781.642.8619; visit www.csw.org; or send to:

Ingrid Tucker

Alumni/ae Relations The Cambridge School of Weston 45 Georgian Road Weston, MA 02493

Susan Vogt P’14 Chair of the Board

CONTACT

John Welch P’15 Treasurer; Chair, Finance Committee

To contact the editor, email gryphon@csw.org

Jesse Tauriac P’19

Po-wei Weng Faculty Representative

Website: www.csw.org

Daniel Wolf ’65 Assistant Treasurer

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Spring/Summer 2018

Contents 2 Leading Thoughts 3 On the Quad 12 Featured Course 14 Faculty/Staff Spotlight 16 Mod Makeover 18 Learning & Travel 21 Then & Now 22 Alum Profile 26 Class Notes 30 In Memoriam 31 My Five 32 Graduation 2018 36 Noteworthy 38 Reunion!

41 2018 College Matriculation List

Xijia Cheng ’20, Hybrid Collage + Realistic Chinese Traditional Painting, 2018, puzzle piece collage, mixed media

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Gryphon Spring/Summer 2018

Leading Thoughts All Things Evolve

One thing became very clear to me early in my tenure here at CSW: the school is always evolving. And while change is rarely easy, it is both necessary to our continued success, and core to our identity. As a progressive school, innovation and experimentation are ingrained in how we teach and learn, and we never shy away from the next challenge.

Today, we are at a crucial inflection point in the history of the school, an exciting time when promising initiatives and ideas are converging to set the stage for a strong and vibrant future.

Things that were seen as “progressive” 25 years ago — longer classes, a focus on students at the center, more choice for students — have since become the norm.

Meanwhile, the world around us has changed in ways none of us could have ever imagined: the role of technology and digital media, mental health issues, managing stress in students’ lives. It is our duty, now, to

adapt accordingly, to find ways to dig even more deeply into our mission as a school and to find new and more powerful ways to integrate preparation for life into our programs, to embrace the difficult, the stressful, the dissonant, and the complicated, and to work to empower our students to be resilient, ever-resourceful and creative problem solvers. Schools and families need to partner in raising capable, confident young people. We have assumed that these kinds of skills — skills like resilience, self-awareness, diplomacy, and empathy — are inherited, or magically picked up through interactions along the way. We know more: these are all traits that can be explicitly taught and practiced, and CSW wants to dig back into the founding of our school and renew our commitments to educate the whole student.

Our efforts have manifest themselves through a number of exciting projects. The goals and aspirations of our strategic plan — learning experience; diversity, equity, and inclusion; fiscal sustainability; technology; and infrastructure — have continued to serve as an important catalyst for change.

Our plans to update many of our marketing and communications materials in September will convey our identity and mission as a school in a more accurate, transparent manner. Our search for a new head of school will be a defining moment for us to see where we are as an institution and feel the pride of our accomplishments.

mods to a 6x6 platform (6 mods of 6 weeks each). This re-configuration will provide additional teaching time, allow for greater depth and focus in each course, and create dedicated, consistent time throughout the year for co-curricular programming that furthers our school’s mission in the areas of experiential learning, social justice, service opportunities, and leadership and character development.

Meanwhile, our community members continue to thrive and bring about positive change on CSW’s campus and beyond, as evidenced by the stories in this issue. We’re excited to announce the inaugural grantees of the Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers (p. 18), And I know you’ll enjoy getting an inside look at the work of Jenna Wolf, director of the library and technology integration at CSW (p. 14) and David Stern ’78, who just celebrated 25 years at Equal Justice Works (p. 22).

As I prepare to embark upon my final year as head of school at CSW, I couldn’t be more proud of where we are, and where we are going. It is thanks to all the members of our wide community — who believe in the power of a progressive education to make the world a better place for this generation and the next — that we are able to find ourselves in this important moment. I look forward to seeing many of you, and further discussion, during my upcoming “farewell tour.” Stay tuned for details!

As you will learn in our cover story (p. 16), our faculty and staff are also bringing exciting new thinking to the Mod System. In the 2019-2020 school year, CSW will shift from the current structure of 7 five week Jane Moulding, Head of School

TEXT ONGOES THE QUAD HERE • 3

On the Quad

Evening of the Arts Community members gathered to celebrate the arts at CSW at the 9th annual Evening of the Arts in December. Highlights included a gallery exhibit featuring visual artwork in digital and film photography, experimental video, drawing, and printmaking; a Pocket Players performance of “Strega Nona Meets her Match;” a performance from the Gryphtones acappella group; a Wearable Art Fashion Show; readings from Lit Mag; dance performances; and Instrumental Ensemble’s rendition of Camille Saint-Saens’s Dance Macabre. The evening ended, as it always does, with an electrifying performance from Rock Pop Ensemble. This year’s theme was “She Rocks Toto,” a tribute to the music of Toto and female rock artists like Sheryl Crow, Annie Lennox, and Madonna.

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Windborne The internationally acclaimed folk band Windborne — featuring CSW alum Jeremy Carter-Gordon ’07 — visited campus this spring to perform in assembly and lead a workshop with The Gryphtones — CSW’s acappella group — during lunch.

Comprised of four talented singers, Windborne has performed throughout New England and around the world. They have taught workshops in schools, community centers, singing camps, and universities, and were one of ten groups selected by American Music Abroad and the U.S. Department of State to tour as cultural ambassadors through music.

Winter/Spring Sports Round-Up

WINTER

Boys’ Varsity Basketball finished in the top spot of the Massachusetts Bay Independent League (MBIL) Division I this season, going 9-1 in the league. The Gryphons made it all the way to the championship game before falling to Boston Trinity Academy 43-48.

SPRING The Uruk-hai of CSW’s Ultimate team made it to the Division II finals of the Amherst Invitational this season, coming home with the second place trophy.

ON THE QUAD • 5

Diversity Day CSW students, faculty, and staff joined together in January for CSW’s annual Diversity Day celebration, a full day of performances, community discussions, and student-generated workshops dedicated to the topic of diversity. This year’s workshop catalog was particularly robust, with 37 different activities on offer. Here are a few of the highlights:

• Racial Preference in Romantic Relationships: Is it Racist?

• Chinese Ink Painting • Music from Syria with Singer Nano Raies from Homs • Transracial and International Adoption • Latke Cooking • Dungeons & DRAGons: A Drag Workshop • You Are What You Eat: Exploring Vegetarianism and Veganism • Up Close and Personal with the Israeli/ Palestinian Conflict • Making Bubble Tea • Exploring the Art of Batik • #MeToo #Time’s Up • Queer T-shirt Making

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Five Earn National Scholastic Art Medals This year, students across the nation in grades 7–12 submitted close to 350,000 works of art to be considered for awards in 29 categories. From that pool, a smaller selection of works was judged and deemed worthy of Gold Key, Silver Key, or Honorable Mention awards. Students at CSW earned 69 regional awards, 19 of which were Gold Keys. Roughly 19,600 works across the

national earned regional Gold Keys and advanced to national adjudication in New York City. Of those Gold Key works, just 3,259 received National Medals.

Five CSW student pieces were selected as national winners. Their work falls into the top 1% of art and writing submitted to the 2018 Scholastic Awards.

Eliza Gallo ’18 Silver Medal (Photography), “9th Grade”

Lily Wollheim-Martinez ’18 Gold Medal (Photography), “Kiss”

Melissa Dee ’18 Silver Medal (Photography), “Caught”

Emily Murdock ’18 Silver Medal (Painting), “Dreamy Past Things”

Kexin (William) Feng ’20 Silver Medal (Photography) “Celebration for Zimbabwe”

ON THE QUAD • 7

UNTOLD Earlier this spring, dancers delighted audiences with Untold, an evening of dances choreographed and performed primarily by students. The event presented sixteen different pieces performed by more than 50 student-dancers across all grade levels.

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CSW Hosts First Model UN Conference Students hosted the first ever Model United Nations (UN) conference at CSW in April, drawing over 100 students from 10 different area schools. The theme of the event was “Youth and Diplomacy.” Delegates were each assigned to one of six committees and topics: Commission on the Status of Women (Women’s Rights in the Middle East); Commission on Narcotic Drugs (South America Drug Trade); UNICEF (Refugee Crisis); DISEC (Nuclear Proliferation); EU Council (Brexit and Russia); and Security Council (Increased Rates of Terrorism in Europe). Organizers hope this will be the first of many Model UN conferences at CSW in the future.

ON THE QUAD • 9

Robotics Team Earns Second Place Prize By: Emily Bendremer '19 The Gryphons, CSW’s Robotics team, competed in their final FIRST Robotics competition of the year in Revere, MA in April and came home with the second place prize.

At the end of the qualification matches the Gryphons, aka Team 5347, ranked 12 out of 42. Following these preliminary standings, the top eight teams paired up to form alliances, shifting the standings so that the Gryphons sat ranked at number nine. This

meant the Gryphons were now the first alternate, meaning that if a robot broke and was not able to compete, the Gryphons would replace them. Holding this rank forced the Gryphons to make an important decision: stick around and hope someone else’s robot broke, or call it a day and head home.

Intent on supporting their competitors and still hopeful that they might get the call up, the Gryphons patiently waited to see what would happen. It wasn’t until midway through the finals that the Gryphons got the

news. Team 1965’s robot had broken beyond repair — a stroke of luck for CSW (not so much for Team 1965).

The Gryphons were called upon to replace Team 1965 and join an alliance with Teams 2877 and 6763. After two rounds of close competition, the Gryphons and their alliance were able to finish in second place position overall.

To learn more about CSW Robotics, visit the official team website at www.team5347.org.

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Gryphon Spring/Summer 2018

National Walkout

By Danya Tribuna ’19 On Friday, April 20, over 130 CSW students, faculty, and staff walked off campus in support of the National School Walkout.

The event, mirrored by more than 3,000 schools across the country, was organized to maintain the momentum of national dialogue seeking stricter gun control, particularly following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy in Parkland, where 14 students and 3 faculty members were murdered. CSW community members were escorted by police as they marched two miles from school to the Weston Town Green.

Chanting “enough is enough,” and displaying signs and banners, the group descended upon the Green where student organizers offered a program of speeches and poetry, allowing all who chose to lend their voices to the movement to address the crowd.

ON THE QUAD • 11

Michael H. Feldman ’67 Social Justice Day April 26 was Michael H. Feldman Social Justice Day at CSW. Each year the program focuses on specific and relevant social justice topics. This year, the community explored issues related to women’s rights, with workshops dedicated to topics like women and Islam, women in art, women in politics, women and climate change, and more.

The morning began with a performance by the all-female student rock band Pink Riot On Mondays (PROM). After, the community watched a video created by Alyssa Kamath ’19 explaining key terms like womanism and kyriarchy that would come up during workshops.

This year’s keynote speaker was Chrystal Koech, who recently produced, directed, and edited the short documentary, MATAHARI — JUSTICE, which follows the domestic workers rights movement.

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Featured Course

STEAM: From Virtual to Reality We live in a world driven by computer science, where technological knowhow is not only beneficial, but essential. Gone are the days when understanding how to use a computer was enough. The students of today want to know how a computer works, and how they can manipulate the science to push innovation and address important questions about our future.

"STEAM: From Virtual to Reality" is a one-module course that introduces students to the technological tools of programming or graphic communication (CAD) to help them create tangible solutions to real life problems.

Students study basic Python, simple circuitry, and 3D design, with opportunities for collecting and processing data using sensors and computer-assisted techniques. Students create, design, build, discover, and engage in hands-on projects that require the application of these technological skills using failurebased learning, where failure is seen as part of the natural process to solve problems.

Students also work collaboratively as “specialists” in groups, where each student is responsible for different skills and roles.

Whether they solve their problems by writing a program, creating structures through 3D modeling in CAD and printing, or building and programming robots to accomplish a task, students are given the opportunity to exercise the technological abilities they have developed over the course of the class.

Sample Assignment: Coding in Pairs

For this assignment, students work in pairs on a coding challenge of their choice. One such option is the Polygon Project, in which students use a Python turtle graphic to draw four polygons with different numbers of

sides according to user input. They are also required to make an algorithm or flowchart to go along with the design. The code itself needs to be commented as well. Once complete, each pair presents the culmination of their code to the class.

Q&A with STEAM Student Yixuan “Bianca” Wang ’20 What did you hope to learn from this course?

I really wanted to learn how to code well with Python. “Understand the language” is probably a better way to put it. I wanted to learn the rules of Python and make my codes do what I need them to do. I was also hoping to use some new programs and devices. Just the idea of actually using some sort of technology that I haven’t used yet is very interesting to me.

What did you enjoy most about this course?

I really enjoyed the Python turtle coding assignment. It was something completely

new to me and I loved how functional and useful it was. I really like art, so for me writing a code that allows you to draw very detailed and delicate patterns was just fascinating. It is so delightful and satisfying to see the outcome of your code displayed in an artistic manner.

What surprised you about this course?

It was surprising to actually be able to use the Raspberry Pi and Python with the breadboard, LEDs, resistors and buttons. I didn’t think we would actually integrate all that technology into one because it seemed too advanced for me at first.

What advice would you give to someone just getting started with this type of material?

This is a great class for anyone to take, regardless of skill level. It’s a lot to take in at first, but the more coding you do, the easier it becomes, and the smoother the process is going to be. You will be amazed by how much you can learn and do in a short amount of time.

STEAM 101 New to the STEAM field? Use this guide to familiarize yourself with some of the basic tools and concepts.

STEAM = Science + Technology + Engineering + Art & Design + Mathematics Circuitry = A circuit or system of circuits performing a particular function in an electronic device.

Python = An interpreted, interactive, object-oriented programming language.

Raspberry Pi = A tiny computer used in simple electronics projects, commonly used to teach basic coding.

Breadboard = A construction base for prototyping of electronics.

LED = Light-emitting diode.

Resistor = A device having resistance to the passage of an electric current.

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Faculty/Staff Spotlight

Jenna Wolf Director of Library and Technology Integration

Meet Jenna Wolf, CSW’s director of library and technology integration. In addition to maintaining the library space, Jenna regularly works with students to develop traditional and digital literacy skills as they navigate through an ever-evolving world of content. As a technology integrator, she works closely with teachers to use technology in the classroom in new and creative ways.

FACULTY/STAFF SPOTLIGHT • 15

What excites you most about working at a school like CSW? How tactile and thoughtful the work with students and faculty is every day. Students here are making in every class. They are making connections, making experiments, making gadgets, making programs, making mistakes, making messes, making art, making inferences, making relationships, making space, making (not taking!) knowledge, making meaning, making solutions, and ultimately, making community.

When people talk about a maker mindset, I see that as the very essence of what we are doing here daily.

What are your goals as an educator?

My ultimate goal as an educator is to not only bring disruptive innovation to any school I work at, but to teach my colleagues and students to become disruptive innovators, too.

Feeling uncomfortable with change and diving straight in is at the heart of my work. That discomfort and willingness to bend creates the most growth opportunities for everyone. I never want my students to define themselves by what they already know, or think they know.

Innovation doesn’t begin there. Instead, it happens when we learn in tandem.

What does the phrase “digital literacy” mean to you?

To be digitally literate, one must simply have a flexible mindset — the ability to unlearn something. Tools are always evolving and even, in some cases, disappearing. Mastery of one could mean little to your work in a few years. That is the essence of what makes someone digitally literate, the understanding that this environment we work in online is not set, that once we learn something, we may have to start from scratch, and to be okay with those realities. It also means an understanding that our connection to the

rest of the globe can be immediate and readily available; that we, as digital citizens, have an obligation to humanize and contextualize the ideas we share digitally and be willing to navigate different perspectives thoughtfully.

What are some of the common misperceptions people have about libraries? What would people be surprised to know?

One of the common misperceptions is that libraries are useless book warehouses in an age where everything is available online.

Believe it or not, but there is a wide swath of materials that may never be digitized and libraries don’t just house books.

Libraries are at the forefront of providing free, equitable access to trustworthy information and are now taking on the unbiased role our news media has, in some ways, abandoned. Libraries believe deeply in social justice and are the center of ideasharing around what it means to live in an inclusive community because they embody those ethics daily.

Libraries are no longer places where you simply absorb content. Libraries are where content is created and where content is shared.

Do high school students still read books?

High school students desire to hold a book and turn pages. In my experience, students request physical copies of books more than any other demographic I’ve encountered.

They really struggle reading digitally. And, there are plenty of students who realize the stories they can find in books are a welcome respite from academic courses, Snapchat, and the endless choices of streaming services like Netflix and Spotify. Sometimes, we all desire to go back to the basics.

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT Jenna shares four of her favorite apps for everyday life.

Google Keep For sharing ideas, making lists, and jotting down thoughts.

Libby For connecting you to any library closest to you that has a resource you need and making sure it gets in your hands or on your device, quickly.

Appear.in No usernames, no pesky passwords to keep track of, no additional software. Just a private room via an easy-to-share link and access to a video conference for up to eight of your closest friends or colleagues on your device (see you later, Skype!).

Serial Reader Gain streaks for consistent reading, earn badges for words consumed, and in a handful of months, realize you've tackled War and Peace in small doses.

Gryphon Spring/Summer 2018

feature

16 • The

Mod Makeover CSW’s acclaimed academic model evolves in response to the needs of a new generation.

FEATURE • 17

In 1973,

then Head of School Bob Sandoe introduced the Module System to CSW, dividing the school year into seven

5-week modules, with classes meeting daily for one and a half hours. Allowing for intense, comprehensive study and unprecedented curricular choice, and providing ample flexibility for off-campus study and service learning, the Mod System has grown to be a defining element of a CSW education and a key differentiator for the school.

Forty-five years later, building upon this exceptional foundation, the school has announced that it will be shifting the Mod System to a 6x6 framework (6 mods of six weeks each) in the 2019–2020 school year.

This re-configuration will improve upon the delivery of CSW’s mission by providing additional teaching time, bringing greater depth and focus to each course, and creating dedicated, consistent space throughout the year for PACE — Promoting Awareness and Community Engagement, a comprehensive co-curriculum designed to ensure that CSW graduates are self-reliant, aware, and engaged.

The co-curriculum’s three program tracks — social justice, core life skills, and social emotional learning — will closely complement each student’s academic experience, which will continue to be as challenging, multi-dimensional, and personalized as it has always been. Students will still enjoy the same agency when it comes to choosing their courses and designing their schedules, and the arts will remain embedded into the curriculum, carrying the same weight as traditional academic classes. The difference is that community members will now be operating at a pace that gives course material just a bit more time while simultaneously opening up space to focus on social justice, service learning, and leadership and character development at a deeper level.

“This is a carefully designed, intentional way of ensuring that all of our students are developing self-awareness, social consciousness, healthy living habits, and leadership skills that will serve them well into adulthood,” says Rosanna Salcedo, CSW dean for equity and inclusion. “I think these are all things that educational institutions try to instill in their students, but they don’t do it intentionally or consistently enough. In altering our schedule and carving out tangible time and space to address these

needs, we are taking sincere and thoughtful action to provide all of our students with the skills and tools they need to meet their full potential in an increasingly complex world.”

Throughout the spring and summer, faculty and administrators have been working to create an implementation plan for the 6x6 framework and proposed curriculum enhancement. Five working groups comprised of elected faculty and staff have been tasked with reviewing the current model and assessing the impacts and opportunities afforded by the PACE initiative. These working groups will oversee the logistical, philosophical, and pedagogical realization of the proposed changes, examining important details such as human development and equity/justice programming; service learning and horizontal time; and graduation requirements.

“The academic component of our curriculum will be further strengthened by this shift,” says science teacher Tad Lawrence, a key member of the planning team behind the 6x6 plan. “Students and teachers will have more time and freedom to engage in meaningful coursework each mod, and there will be greater opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning programs.”

CSW has been at the forefront of educational innovation since its inception in 1886. The school’s progressive pedagogy is built upon the student-centered philosophy of John Dewey, who advocated active, experiential learning within a curriculum designed to accommodate the interests and experiences of individual students. There’s a reason why CSW has been running on the Mod System for as long as it has. This is a model that works… a model that students, and the world, need now more than ever.

MAKING CARING COMMON This past spring, CSW signed on to be a part of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE)’s “Making Caring Common” project, a campaign seeking to expand the way we approach education. The goals of the endeavor are threefold: deepen students’ care for others and their communities; increase equity and access for all students in the college admissions process; and reduce excessive achievement pressures on students. Over 100 schools across the country have already signed on to be a part of the campaign, which challenges participants to take actionable steps towards achieving specific goals that are measurable, widely impactful, and regularly reflected upon.

“Our country is at a crossroads,” says Dr. Richard Weissbourd, Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Faculty Director of the Making Caring Common project. “We need to mobilize the great strengths of Americans to prepare young people to build strong, inclusive communities and to protect democracy. This work has perhaps never been more important.”

CSW was one of the schools that joined the campaign as “early leaders” who helped to inform, shape, and build momentum for the campaign. CSW’s commitments include the development of the PACE co-curriculum (see left); a revised and expanded student leadership program; and a commitment to celebrate and more broadly support its progressive approach to college counseling that values fit for the student, mindfulness, and quality of educational experience, as opposed to rankings, perceived prestige, and raw selectivity.

More information about how schools, parents, and students can join the campaign can be found at commongoodcampaign. makingcaringcommon.org.

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LEARNING & TRAVEL • 19

Introducing the inaugural grantees for the Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers Fund.

CSW

is thrilled to announce that English teachers Carmen Leahy and Samantha Simpson, and visual arts teacher Alison Safford have been awarded the inaugural grants from the Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers. Established by Rebecca Parkhill ’85, P’17, and Robert Willett P’17 (parents of Oliver Willett ’17), the Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers was created to honor former faculty member and assistant head of school Alorie Parkhill. This generous gift of $1 million speaks to the importance of teaching at The Cambridge School of Weston, where faculty regularly engage in an innovative academic program, drawing on a progressive pedagogy and advanced intellectual inquiry.

Grants from the fund may be used for travel, study, and any form of learning and exposure that follows the recipients’ scholarly interests, with a goal of allowing recipients to grow in their knowledge and background in disciplines and subject areas that excite and engage them, before bringing their learning back to students and colleagues at CSW. Carmen and Samantha, both members of the English Department, submitted a joint proposal entitled: Harlem/Paris: The African-American Expatriate Experience, 1900 – 1950. They propose to “immerse themselves in the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of some of the places important to African-American writers, musicians, and artists in the early to mid 20th century.” This trip is designed to provide additional context for CSW students studying the works of these writers and artists and to deepen the conversation about integrating the disciplines

at CSW — inviting faculty to gather across departments to create “islands of overlap” for students. As their proposal explained, “The timing for this new kind of curriculum map is now. As we consider new ways to deliver our program, teachers will want to revise curriculum. By following in the footsteps of African-American literary expatriates, we will demonstrate how to pose challenging and expansive questions and practice using skills that we’ve learned across disciplines to discover answers and make connections.”

Alison, a member of the Visual Arts Department, proposes to study social design (design meant to solve or address issues of social justice — big or small, not just to sell a product) in the Netherlands and New York.

Interested in the field since she was in the Netherlands for an artists’ residency in 2013, she seeks to develop a course with accompanying curriculum tailored to the CSW population. As her proposal described, “...this grant would enable me to introduce art forms that we have not recently taught to CSW students: design, architecture, urban planning, and more. In the past few years I have noticed more students interested in studying these fields in college. This course would help prepare students for these fields, and how they engage with communities on a personal and social level. Additionally, it would put us as the only high school in the country with such a course, to my knowledge.”

Please join us in thanking the Parkhill family for this amazing gift to the community, the impact of which will surely be felt for years to come. And congratulations to Alison, Carmen, and Samantha on this enormous honor. We look forward to hearing their stories upon their return to campus.

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Then

THEN & NOW • 21

& Now

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Alum Profile

David Stern ’78 Celebrates 25 Years with Equal Justice Works For the past 25 years, David Stern ’78 has served as executive director of Equal Justice Works, an organization dedicated to mobilizing the next generation of lawyers committed to equal justice. Equal Justice Works provides the nation’s leading public interest law fellowship program, and offers more postgraduate, full-time legal positions in public service than any other organization. We caught up with David to learn more about his work, and all that he and the Equal Justice Works team have accomplished over the past 25 years.

Talk about your experiences as a student at CSW. Was there a specific teacher, course, or opportunity here that helped guide you toward a career in social justice?

There were several people and experiences at CSW that affirmed my passion for social justice and my interest in the law. In terms of teachers, Steve Cohen, Dave Hursty, and Dan Mead challenged me to think about complicated moral and political issues. Steve Cohen taught a course called “Who Will Take Out the Trash?” during which we read several books about utopian societies and debated theories of justice. Dave Hursty taught a course on geography that focused on the disparities of wealth and conditions in various countries, and showing correlations between race, climate, natural resources, and hunger. That was eye-opening and I was outraged at the inequalities. Dan Mead taught a course on death and dying and the ethical issues introduced with hospice care and an individual’s right to die. Each were provocative courses that involved excellent debate and arguments about what was right, and there were no clear answers.

There was one experience at CSW that I found particularly powerful. One of my roommates was caught with drugs and was expelled from CSW. There was outrage among the students who felt the punishment was too harsh. I will never forget the assembly where Nevin Shalit ’79, a student who served on the Judicial Board (J-Board), got up and explained to the entire school the difficult and conscientious

decision-making process (without revealing personal details) by which the J-Board recommended the student be expelled. It brought legitimacy to the decision. And the fact that students were involved in making a recommendation to the head of school rather than a top-down decision gave confidence that the student perspective was considered. I can’t imagine that happening in any other school and it was among the most important experiences during my time at CSW and shaped my own decision-making throughout my career.

Equal Justice Works aims to “mobilize the next generation of lawyers committed to equal justice by breaking down barriers that prevent talented attorneys from pursuing public interest careers.” What are the most common barriers you see and how do you help others overcome them?

Each year, thousands of students enter law school with a desire to bring justice to underserved communities and causes.

Currently, public interest minded students can feel isolated and unsupported in their desire to do public interest work, and therefore we risk losing these potential public servants to a career in private practice. Much of the law school curriculum is aimed toward representing wealthy people: Trusts and Estates, Corporations, Tax, Commercial Paper, Property, Contracts.

Often the examples given to students relate to century-old decisions rather than contemporary issues. Plus, law school aims

to teach students to “think like a lawyer,” which means to think dispassionately and objectively.

Equal Justice Works creates a community among public interest minded law students across the country. We affirm their commitment to pursue public interest careers. We work with public interest advisors on law school campuses to help these students find summer and postgraduate public interest positions. We support summer public interest internships, law school clinics, and pro bono programs where students can have hands-on experiences helping lowincome individuals or work on other public interest issues such as the environment, human trafficking, or civil rights. These experiences working to effect real societal change often affirm a student’s commitment to doing public interest law when they graduate. We also run a national Conference and Career Fair to connect over 1,400 law students with 180 public interest employers.

This year, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was our keynote speaker.

The two most significant barriers faced by law graduates are (1) the scarcity of public interest jobs; and (2) the high amount of educational debt that blocks them from taking relatively lower-paying public interest jobs. Equal Justice Works addresses both of these issues: first, we run the nation’s largest postgraduate public interest law fellowship program with 300 Equal Justice Works Fellows in the field. Second, we are

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the national expert on loan repayment assistance programs and the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program that enable students to take public interest jobs even in the face of their mountain of debt. Regrettably, PSLF is under attack by the President and a few Republicans in Congress, and we are fighting to preserve the program.

What keeps you motivated?

This year I celebrated my 25th year with Equal Justice Works. I never expected to be in this or any job for more than a few years, but this job is perfect for me because it involves issues on which I am passionate and the job is always evolving. Each year we see different issues arise, and a brand-new crop of spectacular law students and lawyers who have enormous passion, skills, and leadership potential to make a powerful difference on injustice. Yet the scarcity of fellowships — right now, we can only afford to fund one out of six lawyers who apply — motivates me to create more opportunities so that every lawyer who wants to pursue a public interest career has an opportunity to do so.

David Gregory, David Stern ’78, Ken Frazier, Cynthia Cornelius, and Eric Holder at the 2017 Equal Justice Works Annual Dinner.

I also work with great people — staff, board, and supporters — who share my commitment and passion for justice. I love that part of my job!

How has the recent political climate impacted your work (if at all)?

We are a nonpartisan organization and have Republicans and Democrats on our board and as Fellows in the field. That being said, there are many new challenges faced by vulnerable communities due to the policies of the Trump administration. Immigration, civil rights, and environmental issues are all areas of the law that have been affected, and we know there are so many others. The beauty of our organization is that we can pivot quickly and deploy more lawyers to work on these emerging and pressing issues.

I am particularly passionate about a couple of issues: (1) creating and maintaining affordable housing and (2) criminal records that block millions of people from getting jobs or housing.

We’ve had a program for the last three years that has expunged or sealed criminal records for over 15,000 people. I would like to take that

program to scale so we can help the 72 million Americans who have criminal records find employment and housing.

You just celebrated your 25th anniversary at Equal Justice Works. Congratulations!

What have been your proudest accomplishments along the way?

When I came to this organization in 1992, we were a staff of six with a budget of roughly $500,000. Today we have a staff of 45, we have 300 fellows in the field, and a budget of $19 million. Needless to say, there were hundreds of people who contributed to that success along the way, and it feels good that we have continually found creative and entrepreneurial ways to grow this organization.

Perhaps the most impressive statistic at Equal Justice Works is that 85% of our 2,000 former fellows are still full-time public interest lawyers. This means our model works — when we launch a passionate public interest lawyer in a career of public service, they are very likely to stay for the long term. Many of them have even emerged as leaders who are now running nonprofit organizations, serving in elected office, and have been appointed as judges. One of our Equal Justice Works Fellows was recently awarded a MacArthur Genius grant! Being able to be a small part of launching these amazing public service leaders is incredibly rewarding.

Learn more about Equal Justice Works at www.equaljusticeworks.org.

ALUMNI/AE NEWS • 25

The Thompson Gallery Presents: Niho Kozuru ’86 — Monocasts and Multipours CSW was pleased to present, Niho Kozuru ’86 — Monocasts & Multipours, at the Thompson Gallery from April 6 to June 15, 2018. The show was the final of four exhibitions in the With Eyes Open series, a celebration of New England Women artists. Countering a lack of parity for women in the history of Western art and in contemporary cultural institutions, the series, “was an acknowledgement of feminism’s critique of a gender-biased culture, with sobering resolve toward further evolution” says Todd Bartel, curator and director of the Thompson Gallery.

Comprised of 27 hand-dyed cast polymer rubber sculptures, Monocasts & Multipours explored the last decade of Kozuru’s studio production with a select body of work that showcased her totemic tower sculptures and her low-relief wall mounted sculptures. Kozuru’s sculptures are based upon positive and negative casts she makes of historic, wooden, turned architectural elements, such as finials and balusters.

“My interest in turned forms developed in the context of my family’s ceramics background. I come from a long line of clay artists going back for generations and active to this day in Fukuoka, Japan,” says Kozuru.

This spring, Kozuru led an assembly with students, and joined Alison Safford’s “Venus to Guerilla Girls,” and “Line and Form” classes for a tour through the exhibit, giving students the chance to ask the artist questions about her work and process.

Interested in showing your work at CSW? The Thompson Gallery is accepting applications for the 2018-19 school year focusing on CSW alumni/ae in a three-exhibition series entitled Circulus Retro. Contact Todd Bartel at thompsongallery@csw.org for details.

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Class Notes 1940s

provides service to individuals and organizations wishing to explore heritage and cultural diversity.

Christopher H. Hodgman ’48 writes: Finally—and a bit regretfully—retired my medical license. Still into gardening.

Peter L. Moses ’76 writes: After 23 years at UVM I’ve taken a job in Central Square. It would be great to catch up with those of you who are in or around Boston. My university email will continue to work: peter.moses@uvm.edu. Holla!

1960s L. Peter Deutsch ’64 writes: I’m very pleased to let you know that “Ocean Air,” my short suite for piano trio, was on the program at the PARMA Music Festival concert on Saturday May 19 at 8 p.m. in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, performed by Trio Casals. The Trio also recorded this suite last July for commercial CD and streaming release by PARMA, probably sometime this year, and has performed it twice more on their own concerts.

Ronald M. Colish ’64 writes: I am glad to continue contact with work of the school as you “move through the 21st century.” As it was Joe Schaff, as dorm parent and musician, who ignited my love for chamber music, it is good for me to support the arts at CSW today. However, the idea of art for arts sake does not move me as much as when art is done in the glory of God. I think of Herleat the poet, Da vinci the painter, Michelangelo the sculptor, and Bach the composer as examples of genius as well as faith, which has made their work immortal.

Chester Lane ’65 writes: In March 2017, following a tenure of nearly four decades, I retired from the League of American Orchestras, the national nonprofit service organization where for many years I had been Senior Editor of the League’s quarterly magazine, Symphony. I continue to practice music journalism on a freelance basis (my current article is scheduled for Symphony’s Winter 2018 issue), but I now call myself

Heather Reed ’66, Tony Barnston ’66, and Carter van Dyke ’66

Director of Communications for Sciolino Artist Management, the classical music firm that my beloved wife Marianne Sciolino founded in 2005 and operates out of our one-bedroom apartment on Central Park West. My “kids” (Hannah, 34, NYC; Cory, 32, metro Seattle; Rachel, 29, Chicago) are all doing well. And Cory’s 10-year-old daughter, Willow, will soon have a first cousin: Hannah and her husband, Brent FlackDavison, are expecting their first child in January!

Heather Reed ’66 celebrated a big decade birthday this year with classmates Tony Barnston ’66 and Carter van Dyke ’66.

Walter N. Riseman ’66 writes: I have announced my candidacy for election to Maine House District #69. My focus is putting people and community first. I am running as an independent and hope to advocate for small business growth and development, and find responsible ways to assist families to build stronger communities.

Lois Perlman Ostrow ’68 writes: Briefly, I am a psychotherapist/ social worker, with my own practice in North Carolina. I am married, a 22-year second marriage, as we have 5 daughters and 8

grandchildren between us. It makes for a busy life, but a lot to enjoy.

1970s Penny Simonds ’70 writes: I have moved with Doug Kahn, also from the Class of 1970, north from Malibu on the California Coast to Santa Barbara, happily finding respite from the onerous traffic of Los Angeles.

Jean Lindquist ’70 writes: Survived a brain tumor and brain surgery in August. Surviving radiation November through December 2017.

Not cancer, full recovery expected.

Living every day with gratitude.

Eduardo Tugendhat ’72 writes: I recently had an article published in the Harvard Business Review titled, “Inclusive Growth: Profitable Strategies for Tackling Poverty and Inequality.” The piece was co-written with Robert S. Kaplan and George Serafeim from Harvard Business School. We discuss a road map for corporations to pursue a number of strategies to transform impoverished communities into vibrant, sustainable economies.

Janis E. Rosenberg ’73 writes: Founded in 1997, Heritage Education Resources continues to develop resource materials and

Paddington L. Zwigard ’79 writes: All is swell... come September, my Manhattan nest will be empty… pondering downsizing from my three-bedroom corner Brownstone in the sweet spot of Harlem 119th/ Lenox... or perhaps find two roommates pei D’tere anyone...

Polly Kaplan ’80 comes down from Rhinebeck now and again to hang or house sit.

1980s Benjamin K. Rosenberg ’83 writes: I am an adjunct art professor at Clark College in Vancouver, WA. Married and living in Portland and on the coast in Manzanita.

Currently painting my dachshund, Muso, and kitty, Bunny.

David L. Friedlander ’83 writes: I have been living in Albuquerque, NM since ’95 with my wife Ana (31st anniversary 3/15/18) and our three sons. We run a family business training, teaching, and hosting tournaments in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a martial art. My first love, music, flourished at CSW under instructor

CLASS NOTES • 27

Marginal Man during a show at The Rat in the late ’80s (from “First Edit,” a photography exhibit by JJ Gonson ’85).

From the series “In Wildness is the Preservation of the World,”

by Daniel Wells ’90.

Scott Samenfeld, and by playing with fellow students Charlie McGandy ’83, Rob Garner ’83 and others. CSW was progressive in the arts even back then, and I was able to build a base in jazz theory that was advanced for high school. I’ve recently completed a CD of original compositions, instrumental jazz with many influences: Latin, Funk, Blues. It was at CSW between 1980 and 1983 that I became a musician.

I hope you’ll have a listen. Those who have been touched by CSW understand how special a place it is. I hope the many wonderful people I was privileged to know have found their place in the world, where they experience as much happiness as they can handle.

Amos Glick ’85 writes: In November of 2017 I returned from Bucharest, Romania where I was on the team that staged the new show for the Metropolitan Circus of Bucharest. I also co-created the clown acts.

JJ Gonson ’85 writes: My photography exhibit: “First Edit,” Boston During the Heyday of Grunge, was featured at The Diesel

Café in Somerville in March 2018.

The photos are part of a larger collection I took during the ’80s and ’90s while I followed the punk, metal, and alternative music scene of Boston. My photos sum up the music of the time when the grunge movement emerged. A second show was at Springdale in Framingham during May and June.

Erik L. Rosengren ’86 writes: Hallelujah for changing times! I just married Pierpaolo Pericone, the kindest, funniest, big hearted guy in the world. When we met, I asked him, “Where have you been for 48 years?”and he replied “In Italy, waiting for you!” We married here

in Italy and his family threw us an Italian wedding banquet right out of the movies. One foot in the door, his elderly aunt informed me that I had married her favorite: “a nobleman in heart and soul,” then warned me (finger pointing at my face) that if I didn’t love him well for the rest of our lives, that she’ll basically have me knocked off. So in addition to greying hair and arthritis (turns out that 50 is bringing many new gifts), new husband, big Italian family, new country, new language (and Italian classes!), and the beginning of a completely new season. I feel like I won life’s cosmic lottery.

Katherine A. Kavanagh-Hickman ’88 writes: I owe so much of who I am as an artist and a teacher to The

Cambridge School of Weston and specifically to Holly Hickler and Robin Wood who were my heroes and my champions.

1990s Daniel Wells ’90 writes: I showed my work “In Wildness is the Preservation of the World images From the Pacific Crest Trail and the American West” at a small artist’s reception in December 2017 in Lincoln, MA. Nicholas Zinner ’91 recently performed with the band Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs at The Governors Ball, June 1–3, 2018 on Randall’s Island Park, New York City. The Governor’s Ball is an annual music festival featuring different styles and genres of music.

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Kristen Hanrahan ’03 writes: I married Matt Warfield in September of 2016. We welcomed our son, Finley Moss Warfield in May of 2017. I reside in Baltimore where I volunteer with the Baltimore Rock Opera Society, an all volunteer theater company, which produced a rock opera I conceptualized, The Brides of Tortuga, in 2016. I currently work in Child Protection for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Swanka Burnette ’98

Jonas Wood ’95 has been working with RxArt on privacy curtains for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C. Wood brought this exciting project to life with his energetic, ebullient designs, allowing RxArt to produce privacy curtains for the first time. Part of his FaceTime Doodle series, each character and object is inspired by drawings made by Jonas’s own children. Children’s National Health System is one of the leading academic pediatric facilities in the nation, #1 for babies and ranked in every specialty evaluated by U.S. News & World Report.

Dan Older ’98 recently released the galaxy-spinning novel, Last Shot (Star Wars): A Han and Lando Novel, inspired by the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story.

development manager for the aviation, aerospace and transportation sector, along with additional responsibilities in emerging industries. A Massachusetts native, Swanka holds a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and an MBA from Texas Tech University.

Swanka brings more than 11 years of sales/business development experience from working for Sun Life Financial, AT&T and John Wiley and Sons. He is also an adjunct professor at Union County College in New Jersey, where he teaches online undergraduate business courses in the school of humanities.

2000s Matthew T. Johnson ’96 welcomed baby girl Agatha Juliet Johnson on February 3, 2018. Matthew also presented “0,1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21,” a solo exhibition of new sculptures at Marlborough Contemporary in London, March 15 – April 12, 2018.

Swanka Burnette ’98 serves in the Department of Economic Development as the business Jonas Wood, detail of “Doodle Privacy Curtain,” 2018

Aash Jethra ’00 writes: Moved to California after 14 years in Manhattan! :) Drew Pappone ’02 writes: My wife and I are moving to Juneau, AK, in August where I will be completing a judicial clerkship in the Superior Court and live within a short plane or boat ride to fellow CSW alum Justin Moody ’02.

Lyudmila Bouzinova ’04 writes: I live in South Florida and run a digital fitness and wellness platform called Mission Lean, which I developed with my fiancé.

Check it out! We’re launching the app version of the program next year and if anyone wants to get in shape, I welcome you try it out: missionlean.com Will Cady, II ’04 writes: My earnest updates are that I opened up and am now managing the Los Angeles office for Reddit, a Top 10 global website that has been in the news a fair bit lately, and I just got engaged to a beautifully spirited woman who has taught me kindness. I’m not making as much music, art & writing as I would like to but I feel that I’m getting closer to a place in my life, career, and finances where I will be able to focus on those passions again — and with better results this time around. For what it’s worth, I truly feel that a significant portion of the happiness, success, and continuing intellectual curiosity I have found in life can be firmly attributed to the foundation CSW gave me.

Rachel Cara Katz ’04 writes: Hi all! I hope everyone is doing well! I am a doctoral student in the Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University and will complete my PhD degree in May.

CLASS NOTES • 29

I’m currently on the job market (ahh!), planning my wedding for next year, and still playing music on the side. It’s wonderful to hear what everyone is up to!

Best Electronic/Dance Album category and performed with the band Sylvan Esso at The Governor’s Ball June 1-3,at Randall’s Island Park in New York City.

Krishna Chavda ’04 writes: I’m living in Hoboken, NJ, and doing many different things. 1) I do freelance illustration and am currently working on my first set of book illustrations with a publisher and author, while also working on icon illustrations for a startup. 2) I teach art and design to teens/ adults at an art center in NJ where I’m also developing their digital design curriculum. 3) I recently decided to dive deeper into expanding my greeting card/ stationery business and am doing my first industry trade show in May 2018 in NYC. I’m super excited about this; it’s been a fun and challenging learning experience.

And, when I’m not doing any of those things, I teach yoga at a studio in NJ. For anyone interested in seeing my current work: www.nanuillustration.com or Instagram @nanuillustration.

Jackson Renshaw ’08 writes: I was honored to receive The Food Project’s 2018 Leadership Award with my business partner Cassandria Campbell. The Leadership Award recognizes outstanding contributions of change makers within the food movement whose work and vision have had a demonstrable impact on our communities, food infrastructure, and environment.

We were honored for our vision and accomplishments with Fresh Food Generation and the impact it makes in Boston area communities — providing access to fresh, healthy, and delicious food that is local and affordable, supporting local farms & businesses, and supporting the communities they work in.

Lucy Bickerton ’04 welcomed a new baby this spring, all the while attending medical school.

Geoffrey Auffinger ’04 writes: Hm. I’ll chime in as an unofficial 2004’er.

I had a “graceful” exit after junior year with you all. I teach reading, writing, research, and history at a private high school in Rhode Island.

Naomi Weekes ’09 writes: I’m currently living in Valencia, Spain with my husband for the year. I’m getting my master’s in music at Berklee College of Music for Contemporary Performance. I’m working on a new album with a Berklee label, and hope to move back to Boston in the fall.

Hilary A. Lerner ’10 writes: I work as a Family Nurse Practitioner in New York at a community health center in the Bronx. I am happy to assist with any alumni needs in the future!

On March 24, William Popp ’04, Emma Ward ’10 is starting her participated in Sleep Out: Young Professional Edition in New York City. eighth year in Los Angeles, and was recently promoted to the role of Sleep Outs are held at Covenant House sites across the United States Associate Casting Director on her latest project for Freeform, and Canada throughout the year, or “Famous in Love.” She has worked you can start your own! on a variety of projects in the last three years, including “Lucifer” for Amelia R. Meath ’06 was recently FOX, “Valor” for The CW, and nominated for a Grammy in the

We Want to Hear from You! Everyone is invited to submit news to the alumni/ae office.

Please email news and photos to alum@csw.org

“Training Day” for CBS. Her IMDB page can be found under the name Emma Everitt Ward.

Elizabeth S. Wasserman ’10 writes: I’ve been living in New Orleans for about three years pursuing various opportunities in radio. I’m moving to NYC in a few months and am looking forward to exploring a new city!

Olivia Becker ’11 has been living and working in New York City since she graduated from George Washington University in 2015. She worked as a reporter at VICE News for three years during and right after college.

Her big experience there was covering the Republican presidential campaign — from the 2016 primaries and caucuses up through the Presidential election. Not exactly uplifting but certainly an eyeopening experience. She left VICE in the spring and is now working as a freelance journalist and a factchecker at New York magazine. She misses CSW very much!

Arielle Drisko ’12 was recently back at CSW as a member of the Progressive Education Lab fellowship. PEL is a two-year fellowship (a training year followed by an internship) designed to give young people who wish to become

teachers an understanding of the fundamentals of progressive theory while learning from their experiences at four different progressive schools. During Mod 1 she was paired with Chris Whittaker, chair of the art department, and both observed and helped in his “Experimental Film” class. During Mod 2 Arielle was in Todd Bartel’s “Drawing: Abstraction and Process” class.

She enjoyed being back at CSW and appreciated the opportunity to be able to learn from the teachers that helped inspire her to become one.

Eleanor Jackson ’12 writes: I just graduated from MassArt in sculpture/fibers!

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Kasem Kydd ’14 is expected to graduate with a BFA from the Carnegie Mellon School of Art. Kasem’s work, which ranges from video to live performance to painting, explores themes of African-American identity, has earned him the Andy Warhol Award (2015), the Samuel Rosenberg Art Award, and a summer art residency at the Yale Norfolk School of Art (2017). Check out his website at kasemkydd.com. You can find Kasem Kydd on instagram @kasemkydd.

Recent work by designer Max Pratt ‘15

In Memoriam John Clark Moore, Jr. ’38 Emmalie Wright Millard ’40 Robert Peirce ’42 Barbara Bratt Wolfe ’42 Joan Braverman Pinck ’46 Nancy Braverman Mamis-King ’50 Jane Jampolis ’55 Peter M. Pierce ’65

FACULTY Helen Greven

Noah Bartel ’14 was featured in the Atrium School Film Festival in January. The Atrium School Film Festival honors Atrium’s commitment to the arts and features films created by Atrium alumni/ae and alumni/ae parents.

Held in the Wasserman Cinematheque at Brandeis University, the Festival featured Noah’s film, The Young Armenian.

Isaac Harmon ’15 is Currently enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, doublemajoring in political science (BA) and urban planning & policy (BA).

Max Pratt ’15 exhibited work during RISD Design Week in Milan, Italy this past April. His latest design, Hershey Lounge Chair, a low lounge chair constructed of upholstered bent laminations on a steel frame, explores the idea of fill-free upholstery, creating a cushion of air for the seated person by sewing felt into a cylinder and adhering it to a flat. The chair is an experimentation in comfort and material boundaries and limitations.

Ilan Cohen ’17 writes: I am currently a student at Pratt Institute. I am planning on transferring for the Fall of 2018.

MY FIVE • 31

My Five DAVIN BERGQUIST Director of College Counseling

1

2 3 4 5

TAPOSHI BISWAS Science Teacher

JIAMIN CHEN ’18

NAILAH RANDALL-BELLINGER Dance Department Chair

Describe a memorable moment from your time at CSW.

I came to CSW to interview for my role over two days in December of 2011. At the end of the first day, Tom Evans very calmly and nicely said, “don’t wear a suit again tomorrow — it’s not really CSW.” The next day, I turned up wearing neon pink New Balance Sneakers and this crazy metallic black puffer jacket (think chic trash bag) that I had never worn outside of Los Angeles. As soon as he saw me, he gave me the once over and said: “much better.”

I remember a CSW student explaining to me kindly that I shouldn’t use the word “normal” here, because there is no such thing as a normal CSW student.

I loved watching the championship game of the boys’ varsity basketball tournament. The game was really intense, and everyone was on their toes shouting “CSW” during the last few minutes of the game.

My most treasured moment was during the creation of the HAITI PROJECT. When alumna Hope Cooper ’15 approached me to set up the online class I was ecstatic. We traveled to Kenscoff, Haiti to meet the students we would be teaching through a direct streaming facility. That interchange of sharing movement across the globe has enhanced the dance curriculum here and made it that much more meaningful.

If you opened a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?

Ridiculous French things that are terrible for you, but are totally worth it. Mainly quiche and coq au vin and profiterole.

Probably some kind of fusion — I like taking techniques from lots of areas and combining them effectively.

I would open a sushi restaurant where I would be the chef making sushi while chatting with the customers.

If I was to open a restaurant it would be a Soul Food vegan restaurant, similar to Strictly Roots in Harlem, NY. Yes, I have been a vegetarian since 1976, and now a pescatarian for the past five years.

What topic could you spend hours talking about?

I’m obsessed with Joan Didion.

Her work is so fiercely intelligent and beautiful and brave.

How seeing the ordinary world — food, music, art, people — through the lens of science can make it seem a bit more profound and beautiful.

I could argue with a Real Madrid fan for hours about why Messi and Barcelona are the GOAT.

I could spend all day talking about movement intelligentsia.

Looking at dance as another epistemology, to examine the world is important to me.

If you could bring back one TV show that was canceled, which one would it be?

Dynasty, obviously. I was always secretly rooting for Alexis, and I really wanted her to win in the end.

Better Off Ted

The only TV shows I have been watching consistently are Stranger Things and The Office, and fortunately they have not been canceled.

I’d have to say Underground. I was totally upset that they canceled Underground. The journey offered another look at American slavery and put it in perspective of today by referencing the music and personalities of this hip hop generation.

Where is the most beautiful place you’ve ever been?

My dad’s front porch at the height of Summer. ​

Probably the Columbia River Gorge.

A crystal-clear lake nested in the endless mountains of Switzerland on a foggy morning.

I am in love with beaches. The most beautiful beaches I’ve seen were in Haiti. Pristine water, tepid temperature and mild waves. Especially in Ti Guave. And of course I have to mention the foothills in Pasadena, California.

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Graduation 2018

GRADUATION 2018 • 33

S

tudents, faculty, staff, alumni/ae, family, and friends gathered under the tent on the quad for CSW’s annual commencement exercises on a sunny day in June. Members of the Class of 2018 processed down the steps from the Garthwaite in threes and twos, passing under this year’s class arch, a beautiful assemblage of natural tree branches and vines intertwined with garlands of flowers and a single floral wreath at the top.

performance, struck me as a kind of anthem for this graduating class and the role they must play in these uncertain and confusing times,” she shared, going on to express the deep resonance of lyrics from the song about “wild ambitions,” “how we might define love,” “the stress and speed of life,” “unintended emotional crimes,” and “too many choices,” in the lives of our graduates, particularly in the complex world we now live in.

“More than anything we hope that your time at CSW has helped you Head of School Jane Moulding set the ceremony in motion by better know truth, better understand prejudice and bias, and be better welcoming attendees and introducing Sue Vogt P’14, chair of CSW’s equipped to see through pretence, sham, and subterfuge,” Jane said. board of trustees. Sue thanked and acknowledged members of the “We hope that you have learned how to make wise, informed choices. We board — including student representatives Liam Baxter-Healey ’18 wish that, like the characters in Elton John and Tim Rice’s musical and Harmony Bickerton ’19, and faculty representatives Evelina Aida, you will sometimes choose ‘slower,’ ‘gentler,’ ‘wiser,’ ‘free.’”

Galper P’14 and Po-wei Wang — and highlighted their work this year to launch a search for a new head of school, a process that has been The two faculty members chosen to speak this year were English highly inclusive and collaborative. Lastly, Sue implored graduates to “remember this day, and how you got here,” calling on grads to celebrate teacher Mark Santa Maria and history teacher Rachel Hirsch. their parents, families, and all of those who helped them along the way.

In his address, Mark urged graduates to “find inspiration, lessons, and wisdom from likely and unlikely sources,” and to “always be on the After Sue’s remarks, Jane took the the podium to reflect on Elaborate prowl to grow,” sharing examples from his own life when he stumbled Lives, the title and unifying theme of this year’s spring musical. “The upon glimmers of insight and inspiration: the scary-looking man in song, ‘Elaborate Lives,’ introduced and reprised throughout the

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the graveyard who convinced him to explore a new area, or the man with no legs cheering him on during a half-marathon race. He ended his speech with a finger puppet conversation between two of his more likely sources of inspiration: Herman Melville and Kurt Vonnegut.

Rachel’s remarks centered around an article by a writer named Jonah Sachs, titled, “The Unintended Consequences of a Too-Nice Work Culture,” which cited research from two psychologists at the University of Michigan. The article pointed out that, when workplaces put too high of a value on “niceness,” however harmonious the resulting work environment may be, the information that is shared is typically already known, thus stalling creativity and reinforcing cultural biases. Instead, the author advocated for respect, over niceness.

“Our community is stuck at nice when we snap in support of a speaker at town meeting — it draws lines, asserts a single cultural identity, tells the speaker not that they have educated the community, but instead they’ve reflected back the easiest shared perception,” Rachel reflected, drawing a clear parallel between the article and CSW. “Respect is when we listen to, encourage, and seek out counter perspectives, and then use the tension between ideas as the engine and fuel for something different and collaborative, even when it makes things go slower.”

The first student speaker was David Sabot ’18, the much beloved leader of CSW’s Consolidated Media club, who reflected on an enduring, albeit bemoaned, CSW tradition: “Lost” emails, community-wide messages sent out about lost phones or jackets or earrings. But what happens when you, yourself, start to feel a bit lost? he asked. Should such an

GRADUATION 2018 • 35

event occur, he advised his fellow graduates not to shut people out; to “keep asking questions;” and to “listen to everything you can and then make your judgement.” David closed by urging the Class of 2018 to “get lost” and offered one final “lost” email of his own, wondering where the last four years had gone. “They are very precious to me,” he said.

The final speech of the day came from Caroline Keppler ’18, co-head of CSW’s Advisory Board for 2017-18. Caroline spoke of the “value of curiosity,” and the enduring impacts of tiny actions and gestures.

“Appreciate even small things, and especially small things,” she said, noting examples like “the asking of an unanswerable question” and “the asking of a simple one;” “the offer to help carry big things,” or “the gift of an extra baked good to a passer by.” She encouraged her fellow graduates to “take on each day as it comes,” and to be each other’s

daily champions. “In the small choices and actions, we build, we sustain, we nurture our community,” she explained.

Following the official conferral of degrees — with this year’s names read by English teacher Samantha Simpson and math teacher Carl LaComb, and diplomas handed out by LeeAnn Brash (math), Ben Ibbetson (languages), Jermaine Thibodeaux (history), Barbara Whitney (theater), Patrick Foley (history), Marvin Gutierrez (math), Jane Reynolds (English), Tom Evans (visual art), Ryan Jacobs (history), and Nailah Randall-Bellinger (dance) — students raised their diplomas into the air in celebration and walked out to the tune of Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” ready to take on the world.

Congratulations to all of our graduates! We are so proud of you.

36 • The

Gryphon Spring/Summer 2018

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Two students from CSW performed at Symphony Hall as part of the Massachusetts Music Educators All-State Festival. Bri Alper ’19 (1) was selected to sing bass in the chorus and Leo Weisskoff ’19 (2) was selected to play string bass in the jazz band. Both were chosen for their respective parts after a highly competitive audition.

Members of CSW’s Junior State of America (JSA) club visited Boston for the JSA Fall State convention to

participate a day of workshops and debate in December. Nine students from CSW attended the event and CSW’s Julia Applebaum ’19 (3) and Theo Dillon ’20 and took home Best Speaker awards for their efforts.

Natalie Good ’19 (4) competed in the regional semi-finals for the National Shakespeare Competition this spring and was one of just eleven performers selected to advance to the regional finals at Mt. Ida College.

Anna Logowitz ’03 (5) and students from the The Falcons-Integralis Learning Community (FILC) proudly presented Journey Through a Maze

by Alorie Parkhill on March 10, 2018, raising money for the Alorie Parkhill Endowed Fund for Teacher Mentoring and Training in the process.

Amelia Meath ’06 (6) of the musical duo Sylvan Esso earned a 2018 Grammy nomination in the category of Best Dance/Electronic Album.

George Olesky ’03 (8) starred as Will Shakespeare in SpeakEasy’s production of Shakespeare in Love, in Boston.

Sara Pratt ’18 (7) endured frigid temps, driving rain, and strong headwinds to complete the Boston Marathon in April with a time of 4:27.

CSW Photography Teacher Anne Rearick exhibited artwork in Pritemps Photographique Pomerol this spring, a photo festival in

NOTEWORTHY • 37

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8 Pomerol, France. Timed to coincide with the arrival of spring, this annual festival brings together artists from around the world to show their work in historic local venues. Anne’s work was displayed in the Chapelle de Carmel in the commune of Libourne from March 16 through April 15.

Jackson Renshaw ’08 (9) and his business partner Cassandria Campbell received The Food Project’s 2018 Leadership Award.

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The award recognizes outstanding contributions of changemakers within the food movement whose work and vision have had a demonstrable impact on our communities, food infrastructure, and environment. They were honored for their vision and accomplishments with Fresh Food Generation and the impact it makes in Boston area communities.

David Sabot ’18 (10) earned the 2018 Spellman Museum Friend of Education Award, awarded by the Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History at Weston’s Regis College. David worked with the program to produce “Going Postal,” a monthly, 15-minute educational television show. The program, which explores the ins and outs of stamp collection, is the secondmost syndicated public access show in Massachusetts.

For the fifth consecutive year. English teacher Mark Santa Maria (11) participated in the Moby Dick marathon in support of financial aid.

He stayed awake and listened to Moby Dick for 25 straight hours at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Junior Emily Bendremer ’19 and the members of her acappella group, Trills ’n Chills were selected as a finalists in the PBS talent search, “Celebration of Music.”

A segment about each finalist aired on PBS Rhode Island.

38 • The

Gryphon Spring/Summer 2018

Reunion!

Alumni/ae from classes ending in 3s and 8s, from as far back as 1942, returned to campus for a weekend of fun and conversation with old friends for CSW’s 2018 Reunion in May. Highlights included a community sing tribute to former music teacher Joe Schaaff; a tree-planting ceremony in honor of Alorie Parkhill P’85, ’87, GP’17; a panel with current CSW students; and a joyful community reception and dinner.

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REUNION • 39

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Who’s Who 1. Tree dedication in honor of Alorie Parkhill P’85, ’87, GP ’17 2. Arnie Simmel ’43 and Duscha Weisskopf ’42 3. Community Sing in honor of Joe Schaaf 4. CSW alumni singers 5. Tom Holzman ’68, Polly Ellerbe ’68, Dona Fawcet Aitken ’68, Nancy Eldred Williams ’68 6. Evie Parker ’63, Jane Kite ’65, Sally Brotman ’63 and Theo Colburn ’65

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7. Ellie Behrstock ’78 8. Class of 1998 9. Class of 1968 10. End of Mod Art Show 11. Alison Cupples-Archila ’98 12. Anna Grauso Leiste ’98 and Suchi Swift ’98 13. Casey Selzer ’98, Jane Moulding, Simon Taylor ’98 14. Jeff Hayes ’86, Niho Kozuru ’86 and Dave Varon ’87 15. Quita Davis ’68, Bill Lippman ’68 and Tom Holzman ’68 16. Jane Moulding, Dhira Rauch ’98 17. Class of 1978 18. Alison Welte ’98, Melina Dale ’98, Austin Richey-Allen ’98

It's Capstone Time!

My capstone is in the Garthwaite, 20 minutes into lunch tomorrow!

I made a wearable art piece about my time at CSW. I will be showing off the piece and talking about my process. There will be homemade cookies and brownies!

If this sounds interesting to you, please come!

CSW seniors recently presented their capstone projects!

Every day or so the community receives an invitation like those on the right (and yes, there was almost always food).

While each capstone is unique, the projects as a whole are wonderfully Students choose a subject that is of interest to them, dig deep into that subject, then confidently demonstrate their understanding of the subject to the community as a whole.

But they don’t do it alone. They are supported by expert faculty who challenge them to be curious and courageous, and by engaged peers They are also supported by you, our generous donors. As our seniors have made their way through CSW, you have been there every step of

Hi everyone! My capstone is 15 minutes into lunch TOMORROW in the Garthwaite! For my capstone, I shadowed students at three public/charter schools in cities Somerville, Cambridge, and Salem. I also researched aspects of low-performing schools and interviewed a principal and a superintendent. If any of this interests you, please come!

Tomorrow, 15 minutes into lunch in the Theatre is‌ my CAPSTONE!!!

I interviewed people of mixed race and created movement out of those interviews. I will be performing what I choreographed, so get pumped!

and facilities.

Your gift at any level is tremendously important, helping to fuel the unique progressive model that inspires our bold learners and creative thinkers who will one day, perhaps soon, change the world.

www.csw.org/giving

Give online at:

Hi everyone! A great way to LAUNCH into mod 5 is by coming to my capstone! I made different rocket fuels and eventually tried to launch a rocket! Come and see how that turned out for me. Please come! There will be snacks!

PS: I still have my eyebrows!

What’s the

NEXT

adventure?

Class of 2018 College Matriculation List

Aberystwyth University (1)

Lesley University (1)

St. Lawrence University (1)

American University (1)

Loyola Marymount University (1)

SUNY Buffalo (2)

American University of Rome (1)

McGill University (1)

Syracuse University (1)

Bennington College (1)

Mount Holyoke College (1)

Tufts University (2)

Boston University (2)

New York University (2)

Tulane University (1)

Brandeis University (1)

Northeastern University (2)

University of the Arts (1)

Bryn Mawr College (1)

Oberlin College (1)

University of British Columbia (1)

Carleton College (1)

Pace University – NYC (2)

University of Colorado – Boulder (1)

Carnegie Mellon University (2)

Pitzer College (1)

University of Massachusetts – Amherst (3)

Champlain College (2)

Pratt Institute (1)

University of Oregon (1)

Clark University (3)

Rhode Island School of Design (1)

University of Rochester (1)

Colorado College (1)

Roger Williams University (1)

University of San Francisco (1)

Cooper Union (1)

Salem State University (1)

University of Vermont (2)

Cornell University (3)

Sarah Lawrence College (1)

University of Virginia (2)

Emerson College (2)

School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1)

University of Wisconsin – Madison (1)

Emory University (2)

Scripps College (1)

Washington University - St. Louis (1)

George Washington University (2)

Sewanee: University of the South (1)

Wesleyan University (1)

Hofstra University (1)

Skidmore College (2)

Wheaton College – MA (1)

Howard University (1)

Smith College (1)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1)

Lawrence University (1)

St. Edward’s University (1)

BOSTON, MA PERMIT NO. 855 45 Georgian Road Weston, Massachusetts 02493

Update addresses by contacting alum@csw.org Address service requested

“Q is for Quilt” by Andrius Alvarez-Backus ’18