The Gryphon: The Cambridge School of Weston Magazine, Fall 2014 Issue

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fall 2014

the cambridge school of weston magazine

New Social Justice Graduation Requirement Alumna and Fulbright Scholar’s Award-Winning Thesis on Civil Rights Activist Who Are “The Gulls?”

Fall 2014 2014–2015 parents association leadership

Ben Alimansky ’87

Deborah Kahn P ’16 President

Christine Chamberlain ’63 Chair, Governance Committee Erika Christakis P ’11, ’13, ’16 Phil DeNormandie ’67 Rachael Dorr P ’07

Anne-Marie Fitzgerald P ’16 Vice President Lori Harris P ’17 Birthdays for Boarders

Nina Fialkow P ’10

Gillan Wang P ’17 Faculty Appreciation

Anne-Marie Fitzgerald P ’16 Parent Representative

Nancy Smalzel P ’15 Host Boarding Program

James Garcia ’15 Boarding Student Representative

Patricia Waters P ’15 Barbie Foster P ’16 PIN Representatives

Shelley Hawks P ’12 Kaiko Hayes ’81 Deborah Kahn P ’16 Parent Representative Noa Machover ’15 Day Student Representative Rick McCready P ’13 Treasurer; Chair, Finance Committee Bob Metcalf ’53 Chair, Planned Giving Committee Jane Moulding Head of School Christian Nolen P ’10 Chair of the Board Deborah Pressman P ’10 Mort Rosenthal P ’08, ’13 Mark Santa Maria Faculty Representative Sarita Shah ’86 Assistant Secretary Peter Thorne P ’12 Assistant Secretary Eduardo Tugendhat ’72, P ’07 Anjali Tyagi Faculty Representative Susan Vogt P ’14 Assistant Treasurer; Vice-Chair, Finance Committee; Chair, Campaign Steering Committee Sheila Watson P ’12, ’17 Vice Chair of the Board; Chair, Development Committee

Kim Kaufman P ’14, ’17 Parent Information Coffees Susan Buta P ’17 “PACED” (Parent Association Committee on Equity and Diversity) Lise Gordon P ’14, ’16 Welcoming Committee To contact the Parents Association please email: pa@csw.org.

Departments

the gryphon, fall 2014

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Jane Moulding, Head of School

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Eun Lee Koh, Director of Communications Rachel Stoff, Managing Editor / Associate Director of Communications

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Rebecca Schultzberg, Director of Development

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Leading Thoughts by Jane Moulding News & Notes Noteworthy CSW Bookshelf

contributors

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Creativity at Work

Arlo Furst ’04, Communications Specialist

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CSW by the Numbers

Amy Meneely

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Alma Baumwoll ’99

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Fangdai Chen ’11 Madeleine Killough ’15

Course Spotlight My Five

Jesse McGleughlin ’10 Chace Nolen ’10

Cover art by India Wood ’14: an assignment created in the Drawing on History class, an integrated studies course (art and history) designed to focus on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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2014–2015 board of trustees

design

Features

Stoltze Design • www.stoltze.com Brian Azer, Tom Urell, Mary Ross

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The Cambridge School of Weston is a coeducational college preparatory 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.

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

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

Faculty Feature: Marvin Gutierrez From the Desk of… Jesse McGleughlin ’10 CSW Leads the Way: Social Justice Requirement Progressive Roots Preparing Kids in a Global World

Alumnae/i News

contact To contact the editor, email: gryphon@csw.org Website: www.csw.org

Jack Welch P ’15

art by: Willa Cosinuke ’15

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Alumni Profiles: Matt Johnson ’96, Phil DeNormandie ’67, Britney Wilson ’08

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From the Archives: CSW Then & Now

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Save the Dates

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Class Notes

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In Memoriam

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Reunion 2014 Memories

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The Gulls

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Leading Thoughts: CSW’s Place in the World, Equity, Peace and Justice As part of opening meetings in late August, our faculty and staff arrived, sleeves rolled up, ready for a day of service in our community. Away from our usual meeting spot in the Community Gallery, we worked in groups at the Land’s Sake Farm in Weston, the Food Project in Lincoln, and at nearby senior centers. Some of us remained on campus to help our facilities department set up classrooms and workspaces for the new school year.

At Land’s Sake Farm and at the Food Project, we were reminded of the resources and the labor that goes into producing our food. As we dug our hands into the dirt, pulled weeds, and harvested late summer vegetables, we pondered food access and food equity. On campus, we team-lifted tables and chairs, set up 200-plus desks, took inventory of equipment and supplies, and prepared each classroom for the arrival of our students. We experienced firsthand how much our colleagues in the facilities department labor behind the scenes to make school ready in September.

Learning by doing is rooted in our progressive traditions, and this day of service was a shared effort by our faculty and staff both to learn more about how CSW intersects with the community at large, and also to get outside of our intellectual comfort zone.

It was fitting to begin the year this way.

Fueled by student discussions on gender pronouns and identity last year, school leaders worked over the summer to incorporate gender-inclusive language in all of our official student and employee handbooks to reflect the members of our community who do not identify with the gender binary. Through the work of our Equity Committee, our Director of Social Justice and Multicultural Programming, and the support of our faculty, we opened the school year as the first independent school in the country to institute a social justice component to our graduation requirement [see page 32]. Through this

new requirement, we hope to challenge our students to examine, explore, and consider diverse viewpoints and learn the skills to engage in a complex, multicultural world.

This is an exciting time for CSW, but with it comes responsibility—and real work ahead. We will continue to look at ways to better integrate social justice and service work into our learning, into our hiring, and in our practices. Systemic change takes more than singular efforts of individuals. It takes more than a day of service and more than a graduation requirement. It takes the ongoing work of a collective to change the deeply entrenched institutions that perpetuate injustice. It requires the commitment of those in power and in places of privilege to push for legislation, cultural practices, and systems that foster long-lasting and wide-reaching change.

And this is what we do at CSW. We engage every day in coursework, discus­ sions, service opportunities, and experiences that encourage meaningful social action. As our students move on to become teachers, lawmakers, entre­preneurs, artists, technologists, academics—or whatever they choose to be—we know they carry with them the tools necessary to push and fight for a more just world. My hope is that our students grow up to become not only leaders, but also true agents of change.

This is what high school should be—a rich, fertile ground for deep learning and doing the vital work that makes us ready for the world out front.

Jane Moulding, Head of School

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News & Notes

The Cambridge School of Weston Celebrates its 128th Commencement Ceremony The 128th commencement exercises for The Cambridge School of Weston were held on Friday, June 6 for the Class of 2014. In her opening remarks, Head of School Jane Moulding , spoke of her popular afternoon teas with seniors. She became closer with the members of the class in what she referenced as “the classic social network,” and noted how fitting it was that the Walrus Series at CSW, our speaker series program that launched this past spring [see page 8], had featured the power of connectedness and influence of social networks.

Jane’s introduction of the faculty speakers chosen by the Class of 2014—Mark Santa Maria , chair of the English department and dorm associate; and LeeAnn Brash, mathematics teacher and dorm parent—

was met by cheers that filled the tent.

Well-known for his course on Moby-Dick and as a Herman Melville enthusiast, Mark began his address with anecdotes about Melville’s life. He also sprinkled in a few stories about Vonnegut, another author with whom his students are familiar.

“Do not separate yourself from greatness,” Mark said to the class. “Even the great ones have moments of just silliness.”

The crowd erupted into laughter when LeeAnn said, “Guess what? I want to talk to you about math.” She spoke of the influence of math teachers and “math anxiety,” as well as a research study that illustrated how those people with negative expectations about their own math competence are actually mathematically competent individuals. Their emotional

responses to math stimuli, however, impaired their brains, and as a result, they tended to do poorly on math tasks.

The senior class selected fellow classmates Ruby Rose ’14 of Roslindale, Massachusetts, and Owen Sanders ’14 of Nantucket, Massachusetts, to speak on their behalf at graduation.

“Here, we have given the information, and been asked to question it, prove it, or define it on our own,” shared Ruby. Owen began his speech as a “self-proclaimed seeker of truth.” He shared several top-ten lists to a cheering class, including his most memorable courses at CSW. The graduated Class of 2014 processed to “More Than A Feeling,” by Tom Scholz, embraced family and friends and enjoyed a reception held in the Cheek Dining Hall.

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News & Notes continued

Summer Arts Wraps Up Fourth Season The fourth season of Summer Arts at CSW marked many highlights and a new international program. The camp converted the schedule into two three-week sessions that allowed campers aged 6–15 to participate in a rich curriculum in art, dance, drama, music, filmmaking, writing, fashion design and sports. At the end of each session, students celebrated their creativity in front of audiences at an Arts Festival. Twelve students from the Yihai School, CSW’s sister school in Beijing, attended the second session as part of the new International Creative Arts Program (ICAP) at Summer Arts. The students stayed in a CSW dormitory, took English as a Second Language, and participated in Summer Arts classes.

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Library Gets a Facelift

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Over the summer, the library transformed into a place for quiet collaboration and a place for students to explore design, S.T.E.M., and tinkering outside of the classroom. The stacks were reconfigured to create nooks, and a study bar with pub-height stools has been added along a back wall. This configuration also created space for an additional comfortable

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seating area for students to congregate and have some down time.

The library reference room has been completely overhauled and is now the library classroom. Much of the reference collection has been replaced with digital options. The shelves have been removed and replaced with 20 trapezoidal desks and rolling chairs to facilitate collaborative

Spring Fling and Benefit for CSW The Cambridge School of Weston hosted a rousing Spring Fling and Benefit for CSW, a parent-organized fundraising event, in May. Guests enjoyed taking classes with CSW faculty, a lively cocktail hour with music by faculty member Gustavo Brasil, a fabulous dinner, and dancing to the tunes of the Porch Party Mamas. Proceeds from the evening support Faculty Professional Development. above: 1. Music faculty member Gustavo Brasil provided music for the event. 2. Left to right: George Perkins P ’15, Deborah Fennick P ’16, Polly Carpenter P ’15, Head of School Jane Moulding 3. Susan Morley and Toby Dewey P ’15, Susan Buta P ’17 4. Left to right: Event co-chairs Theo Jick ’68 and Chris Fitch P ’17, with Dean of Faculty Agnes Voligny

Sustainability at CSW

CSW Revamps Campus Signs

The Sustainability Committee at CSW, a group comprised of students and adults in the community, will work together to help implement the recommendations of the Sustainable Community Leader Program (SCLP) with the goal of becoming the first school to receive a SCLP certification. SCLP has helped non-profit organizations and small businesses in Massachusetts become more environmentally sustainable by providing affordable, practical and actionable technical assistance. SCLP will help to create and support an ongoing culture of sustainability on campus and to develop a clear plan for making CSW a more sustainable community. This year, each class elected a representative to the committee and a sustainability steward from each dorm.

The Cambridge School of Weston unveiled its new campus signs this October. Designed by architectural design firm Roll Barressi & Associates, the new signs are intended to evoke both a modern and rustic feel, with the use of darker metal and natural colors.

A small committee of staff and faculty worked on the project over the past two years, picking up work that began nearly a decade ago with previous committees. The new signage will help visitors find their way around campus and meets the most current town regulations on building identification.

The entire suite of signs will be rolled out in phases over a three-year period, as budget permits.

work in a variety of sizes of group. The single projector has been replaced with two short-throw projectors. Teachers and students will be able to project their work wirelessly in this classroom.

The desktops have been replaced with a laptop cart filled with 16 laptops that are available for students to use through­ out the library.

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News & Notes continued

Lizzy Warncke ’16

Jacob Arons ’15

Last year, Chair of the Music Department Michael Weinstein brought in a professional group of musicians to CSW as part of a mutually beneficial arrangement: wonderful rehearsal space and an eager audience in exchange for musical guidance for CSW music students. Formally called CSW’s “ensemble in residence,” Trio Tremonti is an impressive group of three musicians: a pianist, cellist and a violinist. Together, their combined experience includes performances at Teatro alla Scala, Jordan Hall, Concertgebouw and with Grammy-award winning artists.

CSW is thrilled that this partnership has been formalized as an in-residence appointment. The new arrangement will yield more live performances for the entire CSW community, a new master class for string and piano students, and more opportunities for interaction and practice among student musicians and the trio.

Boys Soccer

Girls Field Hockey

Maya Barnes ’17

Trio Tremonti Residency

Chris MacFadyen ’15 , Emily McCarter ’14, and Jacob Arons ’15 . Jacob Arons was also

voted as the Co-MVP for the MBIL. The Ultimate Frisbee B-team saw much improvement over the course of their spring season. Led by veteran players, the team gained a lot of experience and enjoyed close matches against quality opponents.

The Girls’ Lacrosse team had a terrific season. The team had a number of matches go down to the wire and they always fought down to the last whistle.

Veteran stars Lucy Perkins ’15 and Lizzy Warncke ’16 were selected as IGC All-League players.

fall The Cross Country runners finished third in the MBIL out of 10 teams. Zachary Joachim ’15 won the race to become the league champion! He finished with a winning time of 18:02.

When the final whistle blew, the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team was defeated in the MBIL Championship match. However, CSW still had plenty to be proud of.

They put together a great regular season, with several highlights and a repeat Championship appearance.

The Boys’ Junior Varsity team played with heart and persevered to the end.

All in all, a strong finish to an encouraging season for the Gryphons.

The Girls’ Varsity Soccer team made it to the semifinals of the IGC playoffs.

Faced with the number one seed, the girls prepared the best they could and gave it their all.

Cheers to the Girls’ Junior Varsity soccer team with an undefeated record in the 2014 season! CSW played excellent all around. Kudos to Maggie Ojemann ’17 for a shut out as goal keeper, and to other goalie Schuyler Hess ’17, Shannon Pyne ’18 with a hat trick, Konstantina Nikolakis ’16, Sara Pratt ’18, and Kaelin Wang ’17 who helped their team shine.

The senior-heavy lineup on the Field Hockey team saw Mabel Gantos ’15, Emma Rochon ’15, Kaitlyn Cirielli ’15, Raewyn Fairless ’15, Izzy Lewis ’15, and Molly Warncke ’15 work together for their final time.

The first exhibit in this series featured the work of Gagik Aroutiunian, whose art centers on issues of identity, memory, and displacement of family.

His exhibit ran from September 5 to November 15. december 18, 2014 to march 13, 2015 The second exhibit spotlights the paintings of Talin Megherian and her interest in the stories and traditions of the Armenian people, compromised by the atrocities of the 1915 Armenian Diaspora.

Zachary Joachim ’15

Spring & Fall Sports Wrap Up spring The Boys’ Tennis team recorded their strongest season in recent memory excelling in matches against both Massachusetts Bay Independent League (MBIL) opponents and non-league opponents. Singles stars Sam Hoenig ’15 and Evan Smith ’15 were selected as MBIL All-League players. While their overall record did not turn out the way they had hoped, the Girls’ Tennis team still showed much improvement in the Independent Girls Conference.

Head Coach and CSW Spanish Teacher Zachary Taylor cheered for his players, exhibiting a continuous vibe of positivity.

Singles standout Maya Barnes ’17 was selected as an IGC All-League player.

The Ultimate Frisbee A-team finished as runners-up at the Andover Invitational and took home the ‘Spirit Award’ of the B-Division at the highly respected Amherst High School Invitational Open.

The team traveled to four weekend tournaments, playing up to four games a day! MBIL All-League player accolades for their spectacular play: Jason Bair ’14,

The gallery presents Kiss the Ground, a three-part exhibition series that examines and celebrates contemporary Armenian art. The exhibit coincides with the centennial memorialization of the 1915 Armenian Diaspora and Genocide. The three shows in the series explore Armenian culture from different vantages, yet intersect on themes of memory, loss and celebration.

march 30 to june 13, 2015 A group exhibition that brings together a collection of Armenian artists working in diverse media.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day Fifty grandparents and special friends attended classes and a private talk with Head of School Jane Moulding this past May.

Additionally, the final exhibit will be featured in three locations: the Thompson Gallery, Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Cambridge, and the Armenian Library and Museum in Watertown. This will also include a film series

by Apo Torosyan at CSW.

Gagik Aroutiunian

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news & notes

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News & Notes continued

Walrus Series at CSW Featured Art Curator Ethan Cohen ’79 Ethan Cohen ’79, groundbreaking art dealer and curator, spoke about his work to introduce contemporary Chinese art to the United States and his friendship with artists like Ai Weiwei at the second Walrus Series at CSW. Ethan, the owner of Ethan Cohen Fine Arts, was instrumental in bringing Chinese Avant Garde to the United States. With host, longtime History Teacher Rachel Hirsch, Ethan spoke about his experiences as an art dealer and about how his CSW education has helped him develop a passion for art and an empathy for others.

The Walrus Series at CSW is a speaker series program that features prominent thought leaders, academics, artists, and change-makers within the CSW community. In a recent Forbes article, Ethan was described as someone who stands for “cultural creativity for change.”

The inaugural Walrus Series at CSW kicked off with Yale physician and sociologist Nicholas Christakis, a parent of two alumni and one current CSW student, who spoke of the power of social networks. The name of the series is from the Lewis Carroll poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” in which the Walrus declares, “The time has come to talk of many things.”

Website Launches New Design The Cambridge School of Weston launched a new design of its website this fall. The new website design utilizes Responsive Web Design technology to optimize viewing experience across mobile, tablet, and desktop devices.

The Karl Trail: Fusing Nature, Fitness, Art & Peace When beloved visual arts teacher Karl Fisher passed away in 2013, his loss was deeply felt throughout the CSW community.

The art department, in collaboration with Karl’s mother and former dance teacher Carey McKinley, the idea to create a special walking trail on the perimeter of CSW’s wooded campus was born. Karl’s love of nature and commitment to fitness was well celebrated by his peers and students. The project was funded partly by the Karl R. Fisher Memorial Fund. Visual Arts Teacher Tom Evans oversaw the project with the help of a landscape architect. Work has been done to clear brush and create a trail that will ultimately connect the entire campus and be open to everyone, including the athletics teams.

Progressive Education Lab Welcomed New Teaching Fellows

left to right: Caleb Colpitts, Jacob Northcutt, Stephanie Shieh and Natalie Naranjo

The school welcomed four new Progressive Education Lab (PEL) fellows to campus this school year: Caleb Colpitts, Natalie Naranjo, Jacob Northcutt and Steph Shieh.

The fellows arrived with teaching and educational research experience, and with degrees from Wellesley College, Haverford College, Rhode Island School of Design and State University of New York, Geneseo.

During their time at CSW, the four first-year PEL fellows followed a curriculum designed to introduce them to the ideas that create a successful integrated studies program. Jacob, Natalie, Caleb and Steph closely observed and worked with two integrated studies classes—Ordering Chaos, a 9th grade course, and Re-Ordering Chaos, a 12th grade course. In addition to their formal observations and classroom work, the fellows also completed two larger projects. They worked individually to create a template for a CSW Student Learning Self-Portrait, and they worked in teams to design a unique integrated studies course, complete with an original curriculum, theme, and schedule.

Feel free to visit the PEL Blog, where they make weekly posts about the work they are doing for the program. ▶

http://progressiveeducationlab.wordpress.com

Health & Fitness Center: An Update In November 2013, the CSW Board of Trustees unanimously committed to support plans for a new Health & Fitness Center. We are pleased to announce that we are currently in the quiet phase for a new Health & Fitness Center. In November 2013, the board of trustees committed unanimously to support plans for a new Health and Fitness Center. Construction of this facility is envisioned as the first step in a comprehensive fundraising campaign— one that will be a crucial catalyst for advancing our mission in the 21st century.

To date, 100 percent of our Board of Trustees and many former Trustees have committed gifts or pledges to the center, totalling more than $4.8 million.

To learn more about the Health & Fitness Center please contact Rebecca Schultzberg , director of development at 781-642-8611.

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Noteworthy Summer Kudos Noa Machover ’15 had the privilege of working in the Silver Lab at Harvard Medical School and experienced the joys and challenges of synthetic biology as a member of Harvard’s research lab community.

She continued to work on the CSW iGEM project, Plantifreeze, and conducted comprehensive biological experiments and assays—such as western blots, ice-affinity protein purification, and gel electrophoresis— to test protein production.

Noa Machover ’15

Harper Mills ’16 and her Senior Mixed Ceili Team recently won the gold at the 2014 Irish Dance World Championships in London!

The eight-person team finished first among the best 50+ teams in the world.

Chris MacFadyen ’15 and J.R. Foster ’15

Student Forms White Allies Club Before Chris MacFadyen ’15 took the Alliance Building Across Cultural Divisions class (ABCD) [see article on page 24] last year, he had never examined race. “The entire class was an awakening for me,” he said. “The class woke me up to the things that were going on around me especially the injustices that my friends were facing every day.”

Chris initially struggled with the feelings that the class brought up for him, he didn’t feel as though there was an outlet for his feelings or how to get involved. “As much as we talk about race in this school—I thought it couldn’t just be me with these issues.”

With help from faculty members and Johára Tucker, director of social justice and multicultural programming, he formed a new affinity group called “White Allies.” The group goal: to provide support for students to who want to learn more about the issues of race and to provide support for white students who want to learn how to become an ally to people of color. The group filled a missing gap among other affinity groups, and is open to anyone who identifies as a white ally.

For Chris, the most terrifying moment was announcing the group’s formation at assembly. Sharing the idea with friends on the United Students of Color (USC) club and Diversity Committee was also challenging, but Chris immediately got their support, and they are the biggest factor in the club’s success. With co-head Devon Rosenberg ’15, White Allies hosts discussions and allows

Amanda Madigan ’16

open space for communication. Before every meeting, they share literature, an article, or video with the entire school to prepare for discussion at the next meeting. Chris believes that students can also learn a lot from the shared information, even if they don’t come to each meeting.

The group meets weekly, and they discuss the definition of “ally” every time. They emphasize that the most salient point is understanding that being an ally is comprised of actions, such as standing up for friends, as well as alterations in behavior and thought, such as building empathy for others and being more aware of one’s own actions and words. Chris has learned that being an ally isn’t self-defined; it requires recognition from the people you are trying to support.

“Every time I see someone whom I had no expectation of seeing in the group,” adds Chris. “It reaffirms that this is an issue we need to support and talk about.”

This year, the group will speak with other independent schools to share their experiences and help facilitate new groups who are ready to take the next step. Chris said the biggest message to share is that what others think or feel is okay.

Chris is also excited this year for joint meetings with USC to build connections and continue dialogue. “This experience has shown that I’m not alone and even when something seems very scary, my friends will be there,” shared Chris.

Amanda Madigan ’16 was awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship to study Hindi in India this past summer. This was Amanda’s first trip to India; she stayed with a host family in Pune, in the state of Maharashtra. Amanda spent the summer immersed in the culture of the area and speaking Hindi and Marathi.

Harper Mills ’16 (front row, far right) and her Irish step dancing team

CSW to Host Asian American Footsteps Conference CSW is proud to host the Asian American Footsteps Conference (AAFC) for the first time this April. AAFC provides opportu­nities for students of Asian descent or origin to meet each other and share their experience of being Asian or Asian American in the United States. Through workshops and in larger group settings, students will also have opportunities to discuss and reflect on issues that relate most closely to their lives. The student members of the Asian Club, along with faculty advisors Anjali Bhatia and Agnes Voligny, have been spearheading the effort.

The AAFC at CSW will include guest speakers, student-run workshops and student-directed entertainment.

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CSW Bookshelf: What We’ve Written

Noteworthy continued

A Fond Farewell to Three Beloved Teachers Rhona Carlton-Foss, Joanie (Rivera) Bernhardt, and Bill Schirmer marked the end of their long and memorable teaching careers at The Cambridge School of Weston with the close of the 2013–2014 school year.

All three were honored for their combined total of 97 years of teaching and service to CSW. In the hours following the close of the final faculty meeting of the school year, their colleagues honored them with a spirited hoedown and dancing in the school gym.

Rhona taught math at CSW for 44 years, and will always be remembered for her warmth and kindness. The math department has established an award in her honor for students who show resiliency in math.

Joanie, whose big heart and sense of humor is cherished by her students, held various positions at the school in her 33 years, from the school store to dorm parent to English teacher and the head of the International Student Program. She called the students in her care her “cherubs” and was a nurturing figure for many of the school’s boarding students.

Bill taught science at CSW for 20 years. His students said they will always treasure Bill for his gentle kindness with which he taught all of his students and for his devotion and knowledge to science.

Douglas Preston ’74 Preston is an American author of techno-thriller and horror novels. He has written 26 novels, five alone and the rest with Lincoln Child. He also has authored a number of nonfiction books on history, science, exploration, and true crime.

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Lara Vapnek ’85 ▲ Vapnek wrote a book about women and the labor movement, Breadwinners: Working Women and Economic Independence 1865–1920.

Ian Falconer ’77 Illustrator, children’s book author, and costume and set designer for the theater, Falconer has created 30 covers for The New Yorker as well as other publications. Falconer is best known for the Olivia series, which features a young pig and her many adventures, which was inspired by the birth of his first niece and his desire to give her a special “first” present. ▲

Daniel José Older ’98 ▶ Older is the author of the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series, which begins in January 2015 with Half-Resurrection Blues from Penguin’s Roc imprint. Publishers Weekly hailed him as a “rising star of the genre” after the publication of his debut ghost noir collection, Salsa Nocturna. ▲ Nia King ’05 Queer and Trans Artists of Color: Stories of Some of Our Lives is a collection of interviews conducted

by King.

above: Rhona Carlton-Foss and Joanie (Rivera) Bernhardt at the 2014 Commencement right: Bill Schirmer hears accolades from his colleagues during the end-of-year faculty luncheon.

Calling Alumni Authors Let us know of your latest novel, memoir, poetry collection, non-fiction or other published work! Send to: gryphon@csw.org

As part of opening week, CSW faculty and staff participated in a day of community service together in areas close to campus. Groups dispersed to The Food Project in Lincoln, Land’s Sake and Sunrise Senior Living in Weston.

The day was spent supporting the organizations, with work such as harvesting and planting crops, preparing boxes of produce, and acting as compassionate and sympathetic soundboard to the elderly in the neighborhood. It was a refreshing and meaningful way for faculty and staff to connect and begin the school year together.

Community service is a graduation requirement for students. Faculty and staff are often involved with projects off campus with students, or modeling good citizenship with involvement in community service outside of school.

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The Gryphon Fall 2014

Alumni Profiles left: Matt Johnson ’96, an artist and sculptor, is based in Los Angeles.

Written by Alumni for Alumni Matt Johnson ’96

By Fangdai Chen ’11

Phil DeNormandie ’67

By Chace Nolen ’10

Britney Wilson ’08

By Alma Baumwoll ’99

right: Malus Sieversii, 2008.

Carved maple and acrylic paint; 2.75 x 2.75 x 3.75 in.

Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe.

Matt Johnson ’96: The Man Behind the Sculptures

By Fangdai Chen ’11 Matt embarked on his lifelong odyssey in the world of art when he learned not only how to make art, but also how to make it seriously at CSW. Just nine months out of U.C.L.A., where he completed his Master of Fine Arts degree, Matt debuted as a sculptor at Taxter & Spengemann, a gallery in Manhattan, and sold his first work— a sand castle. Ever since, people have been comparing him to Tom Friedman and Charles Ray—two leading American sculptors— for his innovative manipulation of everyday materials and humorous artistic creations.

Matt is based in Los Angeles.

fangdai chen: Tell me about your journey into professional art and sculpting. matt johnson: CSW really exposed me to making art. I had been to plenty of museums growing up and had seen lots of artworks but never really thought of trying to make it seriously until CSW.

Interested in writing a profile?

We welcome new alumni writers.

Contact: gryphon@csw.org

fangdai: It appears that many of your works include an element of history—can you speak to the connection and/or how you choose the materials for each sculpture? matt: Sometimes I start with materials and let them suggest what they should be.

Other times, ideas suggest how and what something is made of.

fangdai: Do you intend to drive inquiry, debate or contemplation when you create a piece of work? matt: That’s a really hard question. I don’t think I set out to intend anything but to make something good. One can only hope to conjure the things you mention. fangdai: How long did it take you to conceive of and carve the wooden apple core?

Did you expect the response to that piece? matt: I don’t remember for sure, but probably close to a year from conceiving the idea to making the object. And you never know what to expect once something goes out into the world.

about the art of the past wouldn’t corrupt who I thought I was. Ultimately this knowledge would come to enrich who I became, but I came close to rejecting it. fangdai: Do you feel that your experience at CSW—the skillsets you developed in high school—prepared you for your professional career? matt: Absolutely, Tom Evans was great.

He’s a fantastic teacher. Orlando Leyba and Anne Rearick as well. There were so many fantastic teachers at CSW. fangdai chen ’11 is an undergraduate student in comparative literature at Barnard College, Columbia University.

fangdai: Can you share any milestones or specific highlights in your career? matt: I remember one time in college, coming to the realization that learning

She is concentrating in the Chinese and French literary traditions and English translation studies. Chen is originally from Shanghai, China, and now lives in New York City.

alumni profiles • 19

18 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

Alumni Profiles continued

Phil DeNormandie ’67: Real Estate Developer, Farmer & Conservator of Open Space

By Chace Nolen ’10 His interest in preservation of open space comes directly from his experience in farming. Today, Phil DeNormandie ’67 still owns and operates a farm, while running a successful commercial real estate business in Boston. His real estate firm, DeNormandie Companies, develops, owns and manages unique properties around the country. As a child growing up on a ranch, Phil’s passion is a lifelong and continuing one, that has greatly influenced his career and path.

chace nolen: What do you most appreciate or value in Boston’s history and how did that influence your involvement with Lewis Wharf and other developments? phil denormandie: My interest in older and historic buildings came from the fact that I personally found them more interesting, but also from the fact that when I started off, they were affordable. chace: So it started as a practical consideration? phil: Right, I think that I do have an interest in historic buildings, but it also happens to coordinate with the fact that that was what I could afford to buy when I started. It’s amazing.

When I began renovating old buildings in Boston, there were hundreds of them, but they’ve all been renovated by now. In downtown Boston, what we call the financial district, 50 percent of those buildings were un-renovated when I started in the early 1980s. They have all been renovated over the last 30 years.

I just happened to be fortunate to be at the tail end of that, when there was little to no demand for a lot of buildings in Boston, and now that demand is substantial.

When I started I couldn’t build a high rise building; so the only thing I could do was to renovate old buildings. chace: Any milestones or highlights you would like to share with the alumni community? phil: Three things helped me get going: First, a friend of mine was willing to sell me his farm in Lincoln, on an installment plan. He didn’t require that much money down, and I didn’t have any money to put down. That was a huge help going forward.

Second, there were two buildings in the Blackstone Block Historic District, where the Union Oyster House restaurant is. I happened to be going home on the subway, and I ran into a friend and he sat down beside me. He told me about the Union Oyster House properties. So I ended up buying those, and it was just pure coincidence. If I hadn’t run into him, I never would have had that opportunity.

That led to my buying another building and those three events were the foundation on which I built the foundation of the company. chace: Do you feel that your experience at CSW—the skillsets you developed in high school—prepared you for your professional career? phil: I had always wanted to go into real estate. CSW gave me the confidence to feel like I could succeed in that, in what I wanted to do. I think that was true with a lot of my classmates too, a lot of them all went into things that they really wanted to do. CSW just gave us the feeling that we could succeed at whatever it was

Britney Wilson ’08: Future Pediatrician to Serve the Most Needy

By Alma Baumwoll ’99 that we chose to do. A lot of my classmates went into all different things—they have been by and large, pretty successful and enjoyed their lives because of what we got at CSW. chace: What drew you to land preservation? phil: It was through farming. I have been on the board of the American Farmland Trust, and a bunch of other conservation boards. I am very interested in the preservation of open space, and the various ways you can do that through outright conservation, but also through limited development, and all the different aspects of that. It came also from my father, he was very interested in the conservation of space. chace: What is one of your favorite architectural periods in Boston? phil: I don’t really have one. It’s because the architecture in Boston is very divergent. If I like a building, it doesn’t matter what period it is, I simply like it. Most of my projects I’ve done because I’ve liked the building. It’s very hard to go through all the permitting and all the hassle if you don’t really like the building. Who wants to save a building and renovate it and reconstruct its different uses and then never really enjoy the building? Most of the buildings I deal with are from the early 1800s through the 1930s. After that, by Boston standards, you are dealing with pretty new buildings. chace nolen ’10 recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Biological Sciences. Inspired by the social justice aspects of his education at CSW, he is currently serving as a 2014– 2015 City Year Corps member in Philadelphia. He hopes to stay in education, and perhaps one day, teach in high school.

After CSW, Britney attended Barnard College where she received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science. During college, she volunteered with the Child Life Organization at underfunded Harlem Hospital, and interned with Amgen. Following a volunteer trip supporting and assisting HIV/AIDS cases with New Age Uganda, Britney completed a research fellowship with Post Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), investigating the pathogenesis of breast cancer from early stages of promotion to the later stages of invasion and metastasis. Her next step? To enter medical school and become a pediatrician. alma baumwoll: You’re on your way to becoming a doctor. How did this interest come about? britney wilson: In an indirect fashion.

Initially I was interested in research and thought I’d obtain a Ph.D. After a one-year fellowship in research, it became clear to me that I wanted to directly help people in a clinical setting. So I shifted away from a career in biomedical research. alma: In college and afterwards, you’ve been part of a medical team that served low-income areas. How do you think we could improve equity in terms of access to medical care across economic diversity? britney: These opportunities allow me to see the great disparity between race and class that exist between countries like the U.S. and Uganda and among cities within the same country, and greatly motivated me to serve low-income areas.

I believe that increasing the number of passionate doctors in underserved populations will not only improve the overall quality of healthcare, but will also increase the number of minorities considering medical careers.

alma: Where did you get your passion for research? britney: My Amgen internship introduced me to the love of research. The 2010 Mellon Minority Undergraduate Fellowship Journal published my paper, The Regulation of Cyclooxygenase-2 by MicroRNA-101 in Prostate Cancer Cells, which suggested that miRNA-101 down-regulated COX-2 expression in prostate cancer cells and inhibited prostate cancer growth.

I presented at an Amgen symposium, but this experience left me yearning to understand how these experiments and procedures translated into healthcare and strongly influenced my decision to gain clinical experience to see the translational aspect of healthcare in the hospital setting. alma: How would you suggest other ways to engage minorities to pursue medicine? britney: PREP is designed to train and prepare underrepresented individuals for leadership in biomedical research. The best way is to expose children at a young age to doctors and scientists of color, to allow these children access to other mentors of color, and place them in academically rigorous science courses. alma: How do you feel CSW prepared you for the medical field? britney: CSW’s focus on being a school with a strong sense of community influenced my interest to become a physician who is active in the community. I envision speaking to children at local public schools, building a mentoring program for children at risk, and attending community health fairs.

At CSW, I learned that it’s OK to be unconventional and to not conform. Most students take pre-med classes and go straight to medical school. CSW’s focus on being an individual, being yourself, and following your true passion is what gave me confidence to follow my own route to medical school, and make time for things that are of great importance to me.

Lastly, [former faculty] Joyce Krensky’s role in promoting social justice and making community service part of our

education strongly influenced me to help those in need and give back. alma: Before you begin medical school, is there anything in particular that you are working to achieve? britney: Throughout college, I focused on academics and did not make enough time for volunteering and community service.

Since graduating, I’ve become a Big Sister, travelled to Uganda for a service trip, and volunteered with Child Life at the Tufts Floating Hospital for Children (doing clinical research studies and collecting vitals in the clinic) and with the Vascular Surgery Division at University Hospital, Newark, N.J. Being focused and disciplined with my academics while away at boarding school didn’t allow much time for family bonding.

I don’t have any regrets, but before this next stage of life, I want to make time for two of the most important things in my life—my family and giving back. alma baumwoll ’99 teaches biology at CSW, taking regular excursions to D-block dance classes to practice her embarrassingly shaky lateral T’s.

She is particularly proud that her students openly share strange biology facts they learn in class with their families, creating many interesting dinnertime conversations.

creativity at work • 21

20 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

CREATIVITY@WORK On the Radio: WCSW! CSW’s new online radio station, launched this fall. Josh Holtzman ’16, who conceived of the project last year, has been working with students and teachers to collect submissions and to set up the station online.

WCSW, which launched officially in October, streams daily news podcasts, music collections, experimental audio, and others submissions from the CSW community.

The station recently aired a French music podcast from French teacher Diana Baruni called ‘La Fete Francaise!’ Josh himself hosts a daily news program called “The Daily,” which features local and world news, the weather, and the school lunch menu. ▶

To listen, visit: radiocsw.blogspot.com

“What’s Your Problem?”

Campus Colors The new school year brought a new color palette to our lovely campus. Most of the buildings received a fresh makeover that helped unify the campus in a complementary color palette.

The small size of the new “Introduction to Computer Science” course last year provided a great opportunity for students to hone in on the purpose of the course and allow the content to evolve on its own.

In this course, the students asked themselves two questions. First, where does computer science pop up in daily life?

Second, what are problems that people struggle with day to day? The class became an opportunity for students to answer the question, “What’s your problem?” and pose potential solutions using computer science as a toolbox. The students utilized resources from the school’s Technology Department, from online resources like Code Academy and Khan Academy, as well as each other, to learn the code and techniques to create a solution for each problem.

NuVu: An Innovative Partnership in the Works This spring, CSW will host two students at the NuVu studio, an architectural design studio in Cambridge where students are guided in hands-on problem-solving exercises to solve complex, comprehensive problems. The program capitalizes on the resources of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, and challenges analytical thinkers to explore creativity, while creative students expand their capacity to think and learn analytically. The students will spend a Mod at NuVu, and receive science and math credits. CSW’s participation in the NuVu program is coordinated by Tom Evans, visual arts teacher, and the intention is to increase the number of CSW students who participate over the next year.

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26 50 csw by the numbers • 23

The Gryphon Fall 2014

CSW BY THE NUMBERS

Living on Campus

Number of years the CSW LitMags have been running strong

number of the Class of 2014’s 79 graduates who have, had, or will have a sibling at CSW

2767

22

NUMBER OF TIMES SONGS FROM VARIOUS “CSW MIXTAPES” HAVE BEEN STREAMED

thecambridgeschoolofwestonmusicians.bandcamp.com

last year’s robotics project

A special event for CSW boarding students is the “Fractured Fairytale” activity during orientation weekend. Dorms are challenged to create and present a performance of a fairy tale. They must work together and include elements such as dance, spoken word, mention of dorm parents and others. This year, the coveted “stick,” the top award, was given to the boys of Trapelo dorm.

Created by Andrew Murdock ’08, the stick contains the letters “V, C, I and R,” standing for voice, community, integrity and respect.

20 18 6 5 12 23

feet of wire

REPRESENTING Students sit on CSW’s Board of Trustees (1 day and 1 boarding student)

1795 YEAR BUILT

WHITE FARM

Oldest building on campus and in the town of Weston

Churros HiGrip Wheels

feet of PVC pipe sq. feet of wood

2012 YEAR BUILT

feet of metal conduit Students serve on the Advisory Board, Judicial Board, on the Sustainability, Boarding Life, Curriculum, Diversity Committees, and as Town Meeting Moderator

WARREN HOUSE DORMITORY

Newest building on campus

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course spotlight • 25

The Gryphon Spring 2014

Course Spotlight

Alliance Building Across Cultural Divisions (ABCD) one of the assignments in ABCD is called “A Walk in Someone Else’s Flipflops,” which pushes students to explore, question, and gain a better understanding of issues around race, class, gender and ethnicity. ABCD, an upper-level course for 11th and 12th grade students, focuses on interpersonal and systemic factors that promote or interfere with communication and relationships. ABCD is designed to enhance self-awareness and empathy, encourage open dialogue, and strengthen inter-group communication and interpersonal skills. The course is insightful, challenging, and deeply personal.

The ABCD course was developed in 2008 by a group of faculty members who sought to design a purposeful course to promote the understanding of race, ethnicity, gender identity, and power at work within CSW and in the world beyond. The course, originally called Alliance Building Leadership Exchange (ABLE), partly rose out of a diversity assessment and the work by the school’s Seeking Educational Equity

and Diversity (SEED) group. Tad Lawrence, science teacher and Ava Archibald, former faculty member, along with many others including former Associate Director of Admissions and dorm parent Judith Ellen, started discussions around building this new course. They were put in touch with an exciting group of educators from Wheelock College and UMass Boston that included Grace Kim, John Tawa, Vali Kahn ’94, and Judith’s husband Jesse Tauriac, who was the first to pitch the course to CSW. “We learned a lot from our conversations with these educators, and about the impact of this coursework on high school students,” said Ava, who is now the Director of Community and Equity Affairs at St. Marks School. “There is a lot of data to show the tremendous value of this course, particularly at the high school level. The data suggests that creating spaces where students can discuss these challenging topics across cultural lines is truly beneficial to developing relationships with those who are different than you. ABCD raises our consciousness and awareness in ourselves and pushes students to understand what it’s like to be the ‘other.’”

Utilizing affinity group and large group discussion formats, experiential activities, case studies, social science literature, personal journaling, and media examples, students explore systemic oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, and nativism) and examine their own backgrounds and value systems. Faculty and staff note that students who have taken the ABCD course use a high level of sophistication when

Sample Assignments: ▶

commenting on issues of race, class and religion in class and at assemblies.

“The course is so personal, that we were challenged with how to fairly assess the learning that each student experienced throughout the course,” Ava said.

The course presents a lens into looking at how both privileged and marginalized status affect daily interactions and relationships, as well as dynamics at CSW, in U.S. society, and in the world.

ABCD was first taught in 2008–2009.

Ava and Tad taught the class together until the end of the 2011–2012 school year.

It is now taught by Math Teacher Carl LaCombe and Director of Social Justice and Multicultural Programming Johára Tucker.

“… ABCD raises our consciousness and awareness in ourselves and pushes students to understand what it’s like to be the ‘other.’”

–ava archibald

▶

identity project Each student is responsible for constructing a history of their own identity including aspect(s) of their heritage (when their family first came to this country). immersion project Each student is required to visit a meeting/event in which they are in the minority and journal about the experience. This project may be done in pairs.

faculty feature

faculty feature: marvin gutierrez • 27

Marvin Gutierrez: Creative and Intellectual Risks, in Math and on the Soccer Field

By Madeleine Killough ’15

if you have ever struggled through AP Calculus with Marvin Gutierrez or had him coach your soccer team, you have experienced his passion for teaching. His enthusiasm for education and social justice drove him to become a teacher, making it possible for him to help solve the injustices that he experienced as a teenager in an urban school district.

Growing up in Dudley, Massachusetts, Marvin attended the public high school. “You couldn’t see through the windows because they were so foggy and old,” he remembered.

“It was right across from the police station so you would always hear police cars and ambulances driving by. It just bothered me.”

He also played on a school soccer team, but the lack of facilities simply emphasized the inequality he noticed. “We didn’t have a track,” he explained, “so we would actually have to go off campus. We would take buses or trains to White Stadium in Boston because we didn’t have coaches or school buses to take us to practice.” Although he enjoyed those outings with his team, he was upset by the apparent injustice and decided to change it.

Marvin’s Honduran family heritage has played a major role in developing who he is as a person, coach and teacher.

Growing up his parents would tell him that

“Here, you are encouraged to take creative and intellectual risks, which allows students to safely try and fail in the classroom. That’s the only way you will get better at anything.”

–marvin gutierrez

he should be good at math since it’s in his blood. They would reference the great accomplishments of the Mayans in astronomy and architecture.

“When I was a teenager, my father and I drove all the way from Boston to Honduras. He drove out of the way to show me the ruins in Copan to prove that the lack of opportunities that exist is not due to lack of intelligence,” shared Marvin.

In order to battle stereotypes he experienced as a student and provide better educational opportunities for other students, he decided to become a teacher.

Marvin attended the University of Rhode Island and taught math for urban schools in Baltimore. However, creating a curriculum that would meet the academic potential of the students proved more difficult than he had expected. While teaching in Baltimore, he grew irritated with the school’s restrictive policies that seemed to prevent kids from learning.

“An administrator told me that I was not allowed to teach juniors AP Calculus because there was no other urban school district in the area that had shown success in that curriculum,” he explained. Even though these kids had already completed all of the pre-calculus course requirements, the school forced them to retake these classes the following year.

Of all the schools Marvin has encountered, he finds CSW to be best at taking into account the ways a student learns best. “I think that flexibility, creativity and encouragement from other math teachers, the administration, and students really fuels you,” he described. He loves seeing the creative drive that kids have for learning, and his motivation for the growth of his students certainly brings out the brightest, most hardworking side of all of them.

Marvin’s love for soccer comes from his heritage. In Honduras, soccer is the most popular sport. His father played professionally in Honduras and when he immigrated to the U.S., he coached a team called Boston Honduras. This team was so good, that they frequently played against the national champions from Honduras and El Salvador.

During the World Cup, Marvin was the go-to for updates, statistics and team forecasts. This year, Marvin shifted to be the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team coach, after serving as the Girls’ Varsity Soccer coach for the past three years. Overall, he has been a soccer coach for nine years, and notes that the biggest difference between coaching girls’ and boys’ teams is that more parents attend the girls’ games.

This year, Marvin stepped into the role of advisor for the student-led affinity group United Students of Color (USC), which was previously advised for many years by founding group member and English Teacher Brian Walker. Marvin gets a lot of fulfillment advising USC and said that they have made great strides in making USC more active in the community.

“There are always challenges, but there are a lot of rewards to working with and advising this group of students,” he said.

Besides the enjoyment of being at an inclusive and open community, he described how CSW has helped him to become a better teacher. From experience, Marvin understands that this type of environment is rare. “If you take risks and fail in many other schools, it’s your loss. Here, you are encouraged to take creative and intellectual risks, which allows students to safely try and fail in the classroom. That’s the only way you will get better at anything.”

from the desk of... jesse mcgleughlin ’10 • 29

28 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

From the desk of...

Jesse McGleughlin ’10 Uncovering the Archive: Fannie Lou Hamer and the Freedom Vote a recent magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, Jesse McGleughlin ’10 will embark on a new journey as a Fulbright Scholar to South Africa this January, where she will teach and mentor high school students. In the four years since she graduated from CSW, Jesse has devoted herself to social justice work, both locally and abroad.

She helped design and implement a literacy curriculum for refugees from Eritrea, the Congo, Burma, Iraq and Burundi, and helped implement an English-acquisition summer camp. She lobbied for the homeless and low-income families with the Urban Justice Center in New York City. She traveled to Berlin as part of the Humanity in Action fellowship and examined Holocaust history, and worked on plans to prevent future atrocities to empower youth to be just and decent human beings.

Jesse is the recipient of a Brown University prize for her thesis on the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party during the civil rights era. Here, she shares excerpts from her award-winning thesis and writes about her experience of traveling to the Mississippi region and to the state archives for research.

Jesse McGleughlin ’10

“I’m studying Fannie Lou Hamer’s activism,” I told the archivist in Jackson, Mississippi. At the time, I wasn’t fully certain of my project or where my trip south would take me. I searched through boxes of primary sources, looking for clues. It was there, amongst the posters, pamphlets, and documents of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, that my project first came alive.

“If the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America.” Speaking before the Credentials Committee at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey on August 22, 1964, Fannie Lou Hamer, a sharecropper from Mississippi, publicly questioned the legitimacy of American “democracy.” In response to Hamer’s presentation, President Lyndon B. Johnson promptly organized a press conference designed to divert attention away from the live telecast. Yet later that evening, stations across the country ran her unedited speech which boldly documented the violent climate of white supremacy. Representing the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) as its candidate for Congress, Hamer publicly challenged the fact that black people, despite having the legal right to vote, were repeatedly denied their voting rights and refused access to decisionmaking power.

My thesis argued that the MFDP attempted to radically reform the political system by gaining membership for disenfranchised black people and restructuring existing political and economic power relationships. At the center of my work

was Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights activist and vice-chairman of the MFDP. Frequently remembered as an icon of strength and power, I examined the way that she has been neglected as a political strategist. My project is an effort to restore the complexity of Hamer and the MFDP’s political strategy which carefully navigated reform and radical political visions.

Ultimately, my paper took up three distinct lenses through which to analyze Hamer’s political strategies; first it outlined the overall strategy of the MFDP, second it discussed Hamer’s visual strategy, and finally it outlined her performative strategy at the Democratic National Convention of 1964.

I started this project to reassemble an archive of Fannie Lou Hamer as a political strategist and thinker. It was an attempt to challenge the “official” archive; one which obscures Fannie Lou Hamer’s activism and organizing because it threatens a state-centered and state-driven narrative about American progress and democracy.

When Lyndon B. Johnson called for an emergency press conference because he did not want the American public to hear Hamer’s speech, he sought to maintain the official archive. When police and prosecutors ignored the evidence of beatings on Hamer’s body and professed that she was “disorderly,” she became named—in the official archive—as a sexualized criminal who had broken the law.

The official archive, however, does more than cover over resistance efforts; it obscures complexity. While I found numerous images of Fannie Lou Hamer on posters and flyers within the MFDP’s formal documents, it was much more difficult to find information about her actual political organizing strategies. As a result, I turned to “unofficial sources.” What I did not find in “official” archives, I found in Hamer’s images, facial expressions, rhetoric, and affect. Her images—the choice to stage herself in pearls or to appear as a faceless and unnamed sharecropper—reveal a complex set of representations that placed new conceptions of citizenship into

America’s cultural memory. Her affect, the way she asked “Is this America?” points to a strategy that invoked a collective mass of poor African Americans even as she made herself, Mrs. Hamer, into a specific and particular candidate for Congress. Hamer could not “write” herself into history; the official transcript obscured her activism and her leadership.

But she could, seated before the Credentials Committee, perform her right to citizenship and in so doing, imagine and enact a new political vision. It is this archive—these traces of Hamer’s material struggles and political acumen—that I recovered. More than anything else, this project revealed for me the stakes of this type of work; recovering the archive— the way in which people are remembered— is a project that negotiates whose bodies and personhoods matter.

Hamer’s question, “Is this America?” haunts me. She is lingering. She has not, I think, been properly buried. For if she had been, we might not be here. Fifty years since Hamer’s speech, in a society that claims to be race neutral, the right to vote is at risk and public schools are re-segregated. The Supreme Court, tasked with protecting “America,” and “democracy,” struck down a key section of the Voting Rights Act—the same Voting Rights Act which passed into law a scant six months after Hamer’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. Once again, states are free to place barriers to voting in front of poor, elderly, and ex-prisoner voters.

At the 50-year mark of the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Hamer might be asking us, “After all our sacrifices, after all we did fifty years ago, is this still America?” In this America—this modern America— a black boy was shot for wearing a hoodie in a gated community in central Florida, and the right of black people to vote is under official threat from Pennsylvania to Texas. And somewhere in Jackson, “This Little Light of Mine,” Hamer’s signature song, is playing softly, calling for the revival of her radical dream of democratic reform.

Now, I’ve left the archives, lifted my head from the dusty boxes and turned my attention to my upcoming trip to South Africa. But I cannot forget this project given the recent murder of Michael Brown and the powerful protests happening in Ferguson, Missouri. I’m reminded of Jacques Rancière who wrote that “the power of the people must be re-enacted ceaselessly by political subjects that... re-stage the anarchic foundation of the political.” It is this that I intend to study and work toward: a re-staging of the political. This is what we did at The Cambridge School of Weston at our town meetings; this is what we did in our Advisory Board discussions beneath the cafeteria; we articulated and rearticulated our politics. We built and we rebuilt. I am ready to keep building.

snapshots of support • 31

30 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

Snapshots of Support

Support CSW: Visit www.csw.org/giving or call the Development Office at 781.642.8611.

What are some of your proudest accomplishments?

Serving on the Geological Society of America Committee on Geology and Public Policy. We worked hard to put together a very strong position statement for the Society on climate change. Being part of that was incredible. My 25-year involvement with Gerace Research Centre on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. It is 40-year-old center for research and teaching in the Bahamas.

I became interested through my sister Emily Davis ’69, a fanatic caver. My research is on karst hydrology— the “natural plumbing” of cave areas.

Lessons learned at CSW that have carried forward today?

One of the biggest lessons at CSW which still influences me is to follow my curiosity and to explore whatever is engaging it—to do research, befriend people with expertise in the area of curiosity— and to allow that passion to be a thread to allow life’s path to unfold. That really set me up well to be a lifelong learner and to take a more unconventional route with my own career.

What was your favorite class?

Willow Hall ’91: Lifelong Learner How many years have you been a supporter of CSW?

Since 1996.

Why did you choose CSW?

I was interested in integrating dance into my academic day. I grew up in a rural part of Maine and I liked the location in the Boston area.

I thought it was really funny that I ended up living in a dorm called the Barn after leaving such a rural area.

A music appreciation class, my senior year. It really deepened my ability to listen to music and follow the whole piece—to hear the underlying story being told.

I learned to appreciate the historical context of the music, which piqued my curiosity about these different historical eras.

Any favorite teacher?

Lee Wilson, who taught that

music appreciation class.

She was wonderful: she emanated a passion for music that was profoundly inspiring. She made listening to music a place of intellectual curiosity. Being in the small class environment with friends, we were able to take this approach to listening to

What prompted you to make your first gift?

music outside of the classroom too. I had never experienced that before.

Another favorite teacher was Martha Gray. As a dance teacher, she taught me crucial technique and also offered the gift of opening doors to contact improv and a wider range of dance traditions. More than anything else though, it was her availability as a friend that made it so special at that stage of my life. I admired her on so many levels.

One of my classmates made a large donation several years after graduation and it inspired me. I understood that even small donations, given on an annual basis, make a difference for an organization like CSW. Knowing that the overall financial profile of the school is improved with a high percentage of alumni donors helps me stay committed to giving, even when I donate a relatively small amount. willow hall ’91 is a massage therapist and yoga teacher in Hope, Maine.

Larry Davis ’65: Self-Proclaimed “Rock Hound” How many years have you been a supporter of CSW?

Almost since I graduated—49 years ago!

Why did you choose CSW? My mother, Judith Schocket ’40, went here.

What was your favorite class?

Surprisingly enough— English history class.

Lessons learned at CSW that have carried forward today?

Due to my interest in rocks

and minerals, I certainly enjoyed Earth science classes with Herma Biermann. These, and later college courses, led me to become a geologist.

(At age five, Larry found a beryl crystal at an old mine in Maine which sparked his love of rocks). CSW’s teaching philosophy—the idea of education and learning as a collaborative venture between students and teacher, and also amongst the students—had tremendous influence.

I still try to stick to that.

Most memorable experience at CSW?

I was the moderator of Town Meeting for two years.

Cheek was the headmaster then, and he liked to talk on and on. At one point, there was an amendment on the floor and I finally called him out of order. I did it very

What makes it exciting for you to support CSW?

politely and told him it wasn’t relevant to the question under consideration. There was a shock of silence but we moved right on to voting on the question. We had an instrumental trio (with Alice Myerson ’65 and Paul Malamud ’65) that performed one of Haydn’s London Trios (two flutes and cello) at a spring concert our senior year.

We got a standing ovation (Haydn would have given us a standing ovation)—and were called back twice for curtain calls. That had never happened before. Then our trio was asked to play it for graduation. We really connected with each other and the audience.

In general, I feel good because CSW is doing work that I believe in. I direct my support to the science program as that’s how I got my start. Obviously, on a professor’s salary I can’t give huge amounts, but I give what I can.

What has changed and what has remained the same at CSW?

Changed? The implementation of new ideas. What has not changed—the feel of the place, collaboration, willingness to experiment with new ideas and the joy of learning.

larry davis ’65 is a geologist and Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.

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feature: csw leads the way • 33

The Gryphon Fall 2014

feature

32

CSW Leads the Way: First Independent School to Institute Social Justice Requirement

By Rachel Stoff

csw is proud to be the first independent school in the country to include Social Justice among our graduation requirements. The Class of 2018 will be the first to complete the new graduation requirement in social justice. Students must take at least 12 classes over the course of four years that reflect the diverse viewpoints, complexity, and richness of the multicultural world we live in.

There are more than 80 approved courses, spanning all departments in four grades, that will continue to challenge students to explore multiple perspectives, examine models of social change, and

learn how to engage in meaningful and purposeful action.

When Johára Tucker, director of social justice and multicultural programming, arrived at CSW in 2012, one of her first questions was: “How could we create a requirement to underscore and organize the compelling classes that already have social justice elements attached?” It was clear that just a slight shift, rather than a change to the entire system, could enable CSW to create a requirement that would set the school apart from other independent schools. Johára thought, “CSW just does this.”

After researching similar social justice programs and graduation requirements at other independent schools and at colleges, faculty and department heads met to plan and share ideas. The Equity Committee stepped in to work collectively on framing the requirement with the academic department. It was apparent that CSW would be the first independent school in the country to formally require social justice coursework for graduation. Everyone was on board.

“Education today is about access and equity,” said Head of School Jane Moulding.

“Our students need competencies that allow them to function in a world full of change, crisis and opportunity. The addition of a Social Justice requirement at CSW is one way in which we can ensure that our graduates are equipped for their world after CSW—and it is fully aligned with our mission and values.”

“What goes on here, I know other schools wish they could do.

What we do every day in our classrooms, what we consider to be a basic part of our curriculum, is something that no other schools do.”

–johára tucker

The committee worked with the Academic Office to develop a fuller picture: in essence, how many courses containing social justice elements already exist within CSW’s robust curriculum? How would adding a new graduation requirement affect a student’s already full course load?

A review of the 300 courses offered at CSW showed that more than 80 already contained coursework related to social justice and would qualify for the requirement. Furthermore, a survey of students’ academic schedules showed that some students took as many as 20 qualifying schools do. How many high schools can courses. The goal seemed attainable. devote an entire five weeks of in-depth “We didn’t want kids to walk out the study on the novels of Toni Morrison?” door and perceive that culture is only In classes such as Dissent in World through food, fun and festival,” she added.

History, Ethics of Science, and From Venus Last year, the committee members and academic office examined the syllabi, to Guerrilla Girls: Women Redefining Self Through Art, students engage in thoughtful continued to meet with teachers about lesson plans, and worked on language for conversations and debates about human rights issues related to access, equity, the requirement. The goal was for power, and responsibility. every department to have a minimum of two qualifying courses and move up in time “Next year, we’ll see the effects with the current 9th grade class,” shared Jane. to eventually have four. Last spring, the “There are many ways to measure Equity Committee presented their proposal to the entire faculty and members an ‘educated’ person these days and one of staff for a vote. It was close to unanimous. of them, truly, is in connection with their cross-cultural competencies. This “What goes on here, I know other schools wish they could do,” said Johára. is a genuinely vital skill for the 21st century and will, I believe ultimately, “What we do every day in our classrooms, what we consider to be a basic part of our make the difference between war and peace in our world.” curriculum, is something that no other

progressive roots • 35

34 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

Progressive Roots: Social Justice Through Time

“We must strive everlastingly to cultivate them in the spirit and the habit of unselfish devotion to their fellow-creatures on this planet.”

–john french

By Amy Meneely social justice has deep roots at CSW. Arthur and Stella Scott Gilman opened the Cambridge School for Girls in 1886 to prepare young women for entrance into Radcliffe and other women’s colleges, and were looking for a more progressive approach than the public schools of the time. Arthur Gilman had been instrumental in creating the Harvard Annex, a precursor to Radcliffe College. He did so to raise the educational prospects for his own daughter, and he hoped that its success would convince Harvard to begin admitting women. In the Cambridge School for Girls, they envisioned a school, as described by Harvard’s Nathanial Shaler, as a place where teachers would “acquire and practice the most difficult art of discovering the capacities of each pupil, and of fitting the culture to his or her needs.” This progressive approach to education—seeking to respond to the needs of individual students—is an underpinning of The Cambridge School of Weston’s work in social justice.

Current Head of School Jane Moulding likes to borrow a quote from the Toowoomba Catholic Education when defining social justice as “… promoting a just society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity.” It exists when “all people share a common

humanity and therefore have a right to equitable treatment, support for their human rights, and a fair allocation of community resources (2006).” Her hope is that after their time here at CSW students not only develop a strong sense of their own identity and voice, but that they use that voice out in the world to work toward the greater good. Social justice, she believes, requires that we look for inequities and serve others in order to create a more just society.

When John French became headmaster in 1930, he also brought a vision of studentcentered learning that had begun with the Gilmans. He likewise wanted students to understand and support democracy. “His talks to the school were often on democracy,” a student recalls, “how it only worked well if people took responsibility, why it was a good form of government, the importance of minority rights, our importance as ‘young people’ (not boys-and-girls).”

Under his leadership, the school moved out to Weston, changed its name to The Cambridge School of Weston, and became co-educational, which was radical for the time. He also desired to instill in students the importance of social justice. “We must strive everlastingly to cultivate them in the spirit and the habit of unselfish devotion to their fellow-creatures on this planet,” he said. He continued that learning to contribute to the betterment of the world begins by learning to respect and support their classmates, “the child in the next seat” and their school community.

Before students can go out into the world to tear down social inequities, they must first understand what social justice means in their dorm, classroom and campus. As a newspaper article from the time states about French, “He is vigorously opposed to working against the grain or bent of the individual in teaching.”

The challenge is to recognize the “grain or bent of the individual” and understand how diverse groups may have barriers to reaching full participation in their education or school

community. As Jane’s favorite quote from Toowoomba states, in conditions of social justice, people are “not be discriminated against, nor their welfare and well-being constrained or prejudiced on the basis of gender, sexuality, religion, political affiliations, age, race, belief, disability, location, social class, socioeconomic circumstances, or other characteristic of background or group membership.”

In 1975, the family of CSW alumnus Michael H. Feldman endowed a fund at CSW in honor of Michael who devoted his young life to seeking justice and serving others in need.

Each year, the Michael H. Feldman Social Justice Day (formerly Law Day) at CSW focuses on a specific and relevant social justice topic. Recent Social Justice Day programs have included international trade, law and the environment, rights of women and children, rights of the disabled, and the privatization of water.

When Brian Walker was hired in 1992 as a part-time teacher and coach, he appreciated the progressive approach to education, but was appalled at the low number of students and faculty of color, especially considering the school’s proximity to a major urban center. He decided to stay on as an admissions officer with the goal of recruiting students of color. He has taken on many different roles during his 22-year tenure at CSW, and now teaches English, including courses with social justice themes such as a class on Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Over his long tenure on campus, he has continued to nurture a supportive environment for students of color. He was a founding member of the diversity committee, and founder and long-time advisor to the United Students of Color, a student-run affinity group. He feels that great progress has been made, but hopes that the school will recruit more male faculty of color. “I think part of the reason that kids know me and recognize me has very little to do with what I’m doing in the classroom,” shared Brian. “I get interactions from kids I’ve never even taught before. It’s because of who I am for them.” continued on page 37 ▶

Preparing Kids in a Global World Learning how to form a more socially just world and recognizing our place in it, both as individuals and as a community, is essential and integral to the mission and values of CSW. Believing in, understanding, dissecting, and living social justice through a diverse and equitable curriculum, through encouraging debate, discussion and participation, as well as modeling it through teaching, hiring, and operations helps students, faculty, and staff develop empathy, compassion and respect for humanity and helps foster fairness, equality and peace in the world.

Social Justice Requirement More than 80 courses that span multiple departments fulfill the Social Justice Requirement. Some of these courses include: ▶

Mapping Meaning

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Modern Africa

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lliance Building Across A Cultural Divisions

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Sports History in the U.S.

▶

narmed Truth: The History U of Non-Violent Movements

▶

Facing History & Ourselves

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Art and Community

▶

U.S. Cars and Cities

▶

Drawing on History

▶

U.S. Black Studies

▶

F ATE: Understanding

by Analysis

▶

.S. Native American U Studies

▶

“Sally” – 19th Century American Women Writers

▶

F rom Venus to Guerrilla Girls

▶

“ Harry” – Revisiting Masculinity and Lust

▶

Social and Political Theatre

▶

L atin America: Rebels and Revolutionaries

▶

Big Book: Invisible Man

▶

Ethics of Science

▶

Cultural Studies in Dance

▶

Food & Culture

▶

▶

Meanings of Love

oming to America: the C Immigrant Experience

progressive roots • 37

36 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

Gender Neutral Pronouns CSW has revised all of its student and employee handbooks and policy to include gender neutral language.

Diversity Day

Multicultural Lesson Plans for the 9th Grade

Affinity Groups Clubs and organizations at CSW reflect the current interests and passions of our community.

All students are empowered to launch their own, and many serve as a sacred place to discuss challenging issues of race, identity, religion and cultural differences. Current student-led Affinity Groups include: ay and Sexual Minorities (GSM) G Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) ▶ White Allies Against Racism ▶ Diversity Committee ▶ Feminist Coalition (FemCo)

en of Color M Asian Affinity Club ▶ United Students of Color ▶ Poetic Justice ▶ Circle of Sisters

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▶

▶

▶

All-School Summer Reading A pilot program began this year that ties a social justice theme with the all-school summer reading. Inspired in part by discussions with a small group of teachers and during group work at faculty meetings, Visual Arts Teacher Alison Safford established a committee to choose a theme for each year. The themes could feature issues that arose in course work, topics explored during Social Justice or Diversity Day, theatre productions and other sources by serving as a touchstone for concepts to be researched, discussed and experienced. The committee is a fusion of faculty and staff: Taposhi Biswas, science teacher, coordinates the book selections, while the Library staff assists by researching appropriate texts for teens. Students have the opportunity to present book suggestions and make recommendations. The books chosen will ideally be works of fiction, so students may approach understanding from a hypothetical viewpoint to look for personal similarities. Book discussions are hosted during the opening of school in small groups. In time, Alison hopes that the program will expand, and eventually each Mod will feature a social justice opportunity supporting the year’s theme.

“It is brilliant when faculty and staff come together to present ideas,” said Alison about the program.

Counselor and Health Educator Devon Voake sets out to help students understand the role of their environment in influencing their health. By making explicit the context in which students are constructing their own identity and well-being through their decisions and actions, students are empowered to make informed choices and to respond with greater autonomy to forces of oppression. Exploratory work in the class includes readings from Power, Privilege, and Difference by Allan Johnson, completing a social identity wheel, mindfulness exercises, and an introduction to “microaggressions.” Much of the content is personal, and students are asked to dive deeply into themselves. For example, during “the iceberg” activity, students use the iceberg model of diversity to explore their individual identities, to consider which identities are most visible to others, and to notice the identities about which others are particularly likely to make assumptions. “Caring for our own health is a lifelong, developmental practice,” shared Devon. “It is crucial that students understand that we are each individuals living and making meaning in context and that the ecosystem matters.”

Thompson Gallery The Thompson Gallery at CSW is a teaching gallery dedicated to thematic inquiry. It offers three differing vantages on a selected topic throughout the school year, and its exhibits often spark discussion on social conflict, events, power and oppression.

Diversity Day is an annual celebration where students, faculty and staff explore diversity in their own community and beyond. Everyone is given the chance to participate and engage in workshops, panels and all-school discussions on topics, such as class, stereotypes, gender, race, body image and cultural traditions. A unique part of this day is that the entire CSW community participates in not only attending workshops but in generating the presentations and discussions.

Working closely with Johára Tucker, director of social justice and multicultural programming, and the Diversity Committee, many students generate, organize and lead workshops such as Education & Opportunity Gap, Traditional Chinese Painting, Steel Pan, Brazilian Rhythms and Bollywood—recently presented in November. A great number of faculty and staff present workshops like Ghosts in Japanese Folklore, Shonda Rhimes: Scandal & Race and Learn Portuguese. Special guests make presentations and engage the community in debate and discussion.

CSW has made a significant investment in this process in recent years. During the past decade, two reports from outside consultants have been commissioned to evaluate the school’s success in providing an equitable experience for its diverse student body. While overall feedback from these “cultural climate assessments” has been positive, a series of recommendations were made. One such recommendation was to hire a director that would oversee social justice and diversity work at CSW. Johára Tucker was hired in 2012 to be the school’s first director of social justice and multicultural programming.

As overseer of all the student affinity groups, Johára meets regularly with all of the affinity groups’ student heads to clarify expectations, provide leadership training, and encourage collaboration. For example, the Circle of Sisters group for young women of color and FemCo (Feminist Coalition) might pair up to create programming for Women’s History Month. Johára also strived to make sure that all affinity groups had adult advisors, which was new. She wanted to “always have an adult in the room to make sure the conversation was respectful and responsible, since our affinity groups here are culture and identity based.”

Johára also oversees the Diversity Committee, made up of two student representatives elected from each grade as well as two co-chairs. This committee is charged with planning Diversity Day, an annual celebration of the many different cultures represented at CSW. They plan both arts as well as discussion-based workshops, and students must participate in one of each. This group also assists with Social Justice Day, and last year added an end of the year “Culture Fest” performance with everything from dance to poetry to fashion.

Members of the Diversity Committee also act as liaisons between the affinity groups and Johára, representing the groups in requests for funding or assistance in event planning.

Johára works with adults on campus as well. The Equity Committee is made up of faculty and staff who serve on a staggered two-year cycle. Charged with looking at and discussing broad issues regarding social justice, diversity and equity, this year they are working to distill the recommendations of the most recent cultural climate assessment into specific tasks for school departments. Among its many undertakings, the Equity Committee interviews and selects four to six student leaders to attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, which is part of the National Association for Independent Schools’ People of Color annual conference.

Additionally, they are organizing a new initiative called Cultural Awareness for Everyone, a series of events for adults such as a theater performance in Boston, or a group discussion about an interesting article, in order to promote dialog within the adult community about cultural issues. continued on page 38 ▶

my five • 39

38 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

Indeed, whether it is weaved into classroom work, the summer reading program, or in faculty education programs, social justice doesn’t live in an isolated department, but permeates all aspects of the school’s culture and environment.

Devon Voake, 9th grade counselor and health educator, starts her health classes with a close look at identity and culture as related to teen health. She guides her class through readings and exercises that deepen their understanding of the visible and invisible factors which make up one’s identity as well as privilege and power. One exercise starts with a diagram of concentric circles of influences on one’s health. In the center is the individual, around that is important relationships and settings, around that is one’s culture, and the largest circle is the culture one is currently living in, including its system of privilege and oppression.

The students then discuss examples of how an individual characteristic, for example sexual orientation, in relation to the other layers of influence, might impact health. Devon also offers workshops on this material for parents.

Adolphus Cheek, Jr., headmaster from 1951 to 1968, saw a connection between nurturing students to be independent thinkers and instilling their sense of community responsibility. He spoke of American’s “pioneer spirit that conceives of a better world and is willing to sacrifice the security of standing pat and risk untold hardships to make that better world come into being.”

He acknowledged these change-makers are often considered “peculiar” and will naturally struggle with “self doubt.” At CSW these “untold hardships” sometimes come in the form of uncomfortable conversations. In order to see inequities and promote social justice, one must first recognize his or her own prejudices and privileges.

In recent history, as the boarding community grew more diverse with a growing international student population, some tensions made it apparent that students needed to have a way to talk about cultural differences. Dean of Student Life Aaron Hirsch recalls, “We were talking about social justice and about the intersection of various races and we brought them together in this boarding community, but we weren’t talking about Johára Tucker those differences; about the preconceived notions we arrive with and the prejudices we have, and we needed a way to talk about them.” Graduate students in psychology from UMass Boston ran three workshops with the boarding community, and “it was amazing; it opened the door for more meaningful conversation.”

The workshops were so successful that those graduate students came back and helped develop a course that is now known as “ABCD” or Alliance Building Across Cultural Divisions. Over the past two years, the school has expanded its orientation programs

for international students and domestic students of color to facilitate transition to life at CSW and to equip incoming students with a support network and framework for living in a multicultural community.

International students are also supported throughout their time at CSW by an international student advisor, a position currently held by French and Spanish Teacher Awa Diop. Awa helps students manage academic challenges, but also organizes many activities where students can celebrate and affirm their own identities while building bridges with others. Awa feels the work she is doing is an example of social justice. “I want these students to own their experience here. I want them to know that, yes, they are an essential part of CSW, and have an equal voice to a boarder from Lincoln or a day student from Weston.”

Cultural identity work is as important for the faculty and staff as it is for students. Many faculty members have participated in SEED seminars. Growing from work done by Peggy McIntosh at the Wellesley Centers for Women, SEED, which stands for Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity, helps teachers investigate their own identities and explore the concept of privilege among diverse groups. Mathematics Teacher Carl LaCombe participated in the first SEED group offered at CSW in 2004. He was astonished about what he didn’t know, saying he was “clueless” about these issues. In subsequent years he attended meetings of the United Students of Color where he spent time listening and gaining a better understanding of the struggles of students of color at CSW. He was then trained as a SEED leader and began to lead groups. Now, in addition to co-teaching ABCD, Carl is looking into offering a course about the mathematics of social choice, which will explore the mathematics behind policy and decision making in relation to subjects such as voting. He also feels that he now sees people more fully, and that beneath cultural differences, he can see people as not that different from himself. “I can’t imagine that being a better person doesn’t make me a better teacher.”

As Cheek said when talking about the “hardships” and “self-doubt” of pioneers of social change, “They have also shared the inner satisfaction of knowing that they are among a noble succession of individuals who have been striving to improve upon the ‘status quo’ in the world.”

1 2 3 4 5

melanie li ’16

james garcia ’15

dolores minakakis Spanish Teacher

Athletic Director

rich bird

Do you have a favorite CSW moment or a fond CSW memory?

My favorite CSW moment is doing chemistry experiments with Karen Bruker, science teacher.

I’m so impressed by the beauty of science.

At an amazing assembly for Latino/a Heritage Month with live music by CSW parents and students playing instruments from Latin America on stage. By the end of assembly it was all one big dance party.

Culture Fest—it was so wonderful to see the students and adults of the community give of themselves and it turned out beautifully.

Lots and lots of fond memories but my favorite is probably when our Boys’ Varsity Basketball team won the NEPSAC championship in 2009.

What is one global issue that you are passionate about?

I consider global warming an important issue that is closely related to the survival of species including human beings.

Homelessness is rising, especially in teens.

Dedicating time is just as important as financial support to make change.

I care deeply about women’s rights around the world.

Given all that is going on in the Middle East right now I’d have to say World Peace.

How do you give back to your community?

Sharing love and care with the people around me.

I have two communities: at home I help at a day camp for middle school students and at CSW, I give tours, help with orientations and as a dorm leader for the boys of Trapelo dorm.

I don’t drive (I don’t know how and I’m very ambivalent about learning), so out of necessity I’m very green in how I get around: I walk, bike, or take public transportation almost everywhere I go.

When my children were younger I used to coach many of their sports teams. Now that they are older, I need to find new ways to give back. Later this year, Coach Arlo Furst and I are planning to do something with the Ultimate Frisbee team to give back to the community.

What would you choose for your last meal on Earth?

The meal cooked by my grandma, staying with my family and telling them that everything is fine and how much I love them.

Pad-Thai with a Thai iced tea from Tom Can Cook in Waltham.

With celiac disease, I miss gluten desperately.

So maybe a big, cheesy pizza or macaroni and cheese. Washed down with a milkshake.

Lobstah and steamahs!

You have thirty minutes of free time.

How would you spend it?

Keep calm and take a nap.

Sit on the quad and wait for anything to happen.

I love being at the center of where everything CSW happens.

Free time all to myself is rare (I have a two-yearold). I would probably take the time to read some Sanskrit.

Doing something active with family and friends.

If I’m near the water I’m going paddleboarding, otherwise a short bike ride.

40 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

Then & Now

from the archives • 41

leaving a legacy

42 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

a view from the inside

Save the Dates December 18, 2014

June 13, 2015

Alumni Event

Reunion 2015

Join us for a festive holiday get together at the Naked Fish restaurant and then we will attend the school’s annual Evening of the Arts performance in The Mugar Center for the Performing Arts. Watch your email for more information.

4–6 p.m. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be available.

Naked Fish Restaurant 455 Totten Pond Road Waltham, MA

Evening of the Arts The 6th annual event takes place on December 18, from 6–9 p.m. The special event showcases the arts from across the CSW community and curriculum.

February 2015 Boston Area Gathering

CSW Reunion is a very special time to reconnect with classmates and make new connections. It is also a chance to relive your days at school, visit your old classrooms and dorm rooms. Our reunions also provide opportunities for networking and meeting faculty (current and past).

More information to follow.

March 2015 New York Area Gathering More information to follow.

For more information on how to get involved Please contact: alum@csw.org phone: 781.642.8645

Milestone Years

This year, we are celebrating milestone years ending in 0 and 5, with special shout-outs to CSW’s 50th Reunion for the Class of 1965, and the 25th Reunion for the Class of 1990.

Elizabeth Robinson Stuart ’46, affectionately known as “Pi” to her friends, made the ultimate gift to The Cambridge School of Weston. Pi remembered CSW in her will, and in doing so, ensured that her legacy at her beloved school would live on. Her valuable gift supports financial aid that helps make CSW accessible for families in need.

Her daughter, Mandy Dahlgren, remembers: “She always attributed her time at the school as one of the greatest times in her life. She valued how much the school appreciated her unique take on life, and that was something she took with her throughout her life.”

How you can help CSW

In order to make Reunion a success, we need YOU, Class Agents and Reunion Organizers, to help foster CSW affinity, build class pride, contribute to your Annual Class Gift, and increase attendance and participation in both giving and Reunion!

We are here for you to help you plan a memorable event at Reunion. We provide: Class lists and call lists Venue space on campus ▶ Communication materials and email blasts ▶ Help reconnecting you to lost classmates, past faculty, and friends ▶ ▶

Leave your legacy at CSW. The Patience Lauriat Society is an honorary association of individuals who have made planned gifts or provisions in their bequests to The Cambridge School of Weston. The society is named after Patience Lauriat ’46, who left a portion of her estate to CSW. Her gift to the school was her way of acknowledging what the school had taught her and had helped her accomplish, and she was the first to honor the school in this way.

To learn more about how planned giving can benefit you and The Cambridge School of Weston, please contact: Rebecca Schultzberg Director of Development Tel. 781.642.8611 Email rschultzberg@csw.org

class notes • 45

44 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

Class Notes to www.celebnamegame.com and click either one of the purple tabs that say, “find your station” and enter your zip code. It airs at different times depending on where you live and it follows no rhyme or reason. It’s a hilarious show that will not disappoint.

Craig Ferguson is the host and he’s quite good at it. Mark said, “Hope you like it and if you do, please drop a quick email to the station saying so.”

1930s

1950s

Sandra Behrens ’54 writes, “Sorry I’m unable to attend our 60th Reunion! Our class was the best of all time—thanks to Connie White ’54!”

Yesterday, the Pope came to a neighboring town and prayed for peace. I always wonder if I’ll make it through the next month which may be a good attitude in the Holy Land. The situation on the roads is like that described in Judges 5:6: ‘In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways ceased, And the travellers walked through byways.’”

1960s

1970s

J. Clark Moore ’38 regrets that he was unable to attend Reunion 2014 but wishes success for all CSW alumni.

Steve Wiesner ’60 writes: “At 71 I’m semi-retired and enjoying working on grapes, olives and fig trees which I grow on recycled water. Tekoa, SE of Jerusalem, is on the edge of the Judean Desert and the climate is quite dry.

Mark Ettlinger ’71 shared with us that after four long years, his wife, Laura Robinson’s game show, “Celebrity Name Game” finally made its North American debut. To find the station and times in your area, simply go

We Want to Hear from You!

This issue includes notes submitted from June 9, 2014 to October 26, 2014.

Everyone is invited to submit news to the alumni office. Please send your news (including photos) via email to: alum@csw.org.

???

Harvard Physics professors Andrew E. Strominger ’72 and Cumrun Vafa were awarded the Milner Foundation’s Fundamental Physics Prize. This $300,000 prize recognizes their achievements in theoretical physics and makes them eligible for a $3 million prize, whose winners will be announced on December 12, according to Foundation representative Rob Meyer. Strominger, director of the Harvard Center for the Fundamental Laws of Nature, and Vafa were honored both for their joint publications and for their collective body of work concerning a number of challenging problems that affect our view of the universe. “One big question is: ‘What’s a black hole?’

The problem is baffling and it’s a tension between general relativity and quantum mechanics,” said Strominger. Read more at www.thecrimson.com.

Logan T. Porter ’75 wrote that she is living in the panhandle of Florida after moving there seven years ago from Alaska. She works as a hospitalist in Pensacola and has two stunning kids, Margo and Everett, at the University of West Florida and two more, Corey and Sierra, in Navarre High School.

She thinks of and brags about CSW all the time!

John Warrington ’75 writes that he has been growing cocoa and trees in Nicaragua.

Alexandre Rockwell ’75 writes: “I’ve been busy working on a new film project which has sparked some great memories of CSW. I remember when I was voted to be on the board all those years ago and my time at CSW, with its modular system and mentor programs, changed my life.

I was hopelessly dyslexic and it was a CSW teacher, Philip Parsons, who encouraged me to purchase a Bolex camera that I worked all summer sanding floors to buy. He allowed me to do a film project for my final paper, and the rest, as they say, is history.

My latest independent film project is called ‘Little Feet’—which was invited to the Rome Film festival and won in Argentina this year. I am also working full-time at NYU in the graduate film department.

I hope this project will be a success as it is near and dear to my heart. —Best wishes, Alex.”

Kathe Mazur ’79 writes: “Steve Drukman ’81 was in LA recently for the premiere of his fantastic play, ‘Death of the Author.’ We got to spend time together and it was wonderful!

My fifth season on ‘The Closer/ Major Crimes’ is beginning, and I just shot the Clint Eastwood film, ‘American Sniper.’ My brother, Dan Mazur ’77 has written ‘A Global History of Comics’— I am so proud!”

1980s

Lelia Orrell Elliston ’80, P ’18, who works in the development office at CSW, is a proud parent

of Aiden Elliston ’18. Lelia says, “I know he’ll have as rich and rewarding an experience here as I did.” Aiden is happy to report that, “CSW is the best school I’ve ever attended. I’m so happy to be here and I think the theater program is amazing.”

efforts and on creating and maintaining the agency’s social media presence.

2010s

Aundré Bumgardner ’12 ran for and won the 41st House District seat in Connecticut as

great job,’” he said. “They’re saying, ‘I can’t get a job. I’m getting out of this state as soon as possible.’” He attended Stetson University in Florida for about a year and plans to enroll in a college in eastern Connecticut.

Aiden Elliston ’18 and Lelia Orrell Elliston ’80, P ’18

2000s

Jacob Sagrans ’05 was named the student winner of the 2014 Award for Equity and Community Building at McGill University (Montreal) at a ceremony in April 2014. The award recognizes the work Jacob has done to advocate for greater inclusion of LGBT people and other marginalized groups at McGill, where he is a Ph.D. candidate in musicology.

Pauline Hodgdon ’09 shares that she graduated from University of Massachusetts Amherst in May 2013 and is currently working full time for the non-profit agency, Bishopaccountability.org, where she interned during college.

She is currently working on global

the Republican challenger to incumbent Democrat Elissa Wright. He started in politics volunteering for Rob Simmons in 2010, worked as an intern during Tom Foley’s campaign for governor and later became field director for Paul Formica’s 2012 congressional bid. Bumgardner’s mother is the interim dean of students at Jennings School in New London; his father works for the Water and Sewer Department in East Lyme. Bumgardner said he’s running because he believes the state’s future depends on revitalizing cities. He said towns also need more independence and policies should support more job creation. “People my age are not saying, ‘Hey, I just got this

Ivy Blake ’13 gave college the good ol’ college try, and spent a year at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. She then decided that she would rather pursue a career in the circus arts, and

Caroline Friedland ’13

is currently attending the Professional Preparatory Program at The School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts (SANCA) in Seattle. What strikes her is how her participation in the dance department at CSW has supported the work she’s doing at circus school. In both her modern technique class and choreography class she hears echoes of Martha A. Gray, Carey McKinley and Nailah Randall-Bellinger.

Caroline Friedland ’13 shared: “I am a sophomore at Smith College intending to declare a double major in Psychology and Education by the end of this semester. I am looking into studying abroad this summer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where I want to take an intensive class on trauma and resilience that includes an opportunity for clinical work as well. I am hoping to study in Copenhagen at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad come Spring 2016. I’m loving college and look forward to visiting CSW at some point this year!”

46 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

In Memoriam

Day McDowell: Deeply Engaged Member of the CSW Community The Cambridge School of Weston community mourns the loss of former Board of Trustees member and past parent Day McDowell.

A deeply engaged and invested member of our community, Day had served the school

tirelessly as a former chair of the Board of Trustees, a parent, and in numerous other ways for more than 25 years.

Day was, in equal measure, warm and forceful, thoughtful and passionate, a loyal supporter and respected leader. During her tenure as board chair from 1987 to 1994, a tenuous time for CSW, Day helped lay the groundwork for a more financially secure future. In those troubled times, she faced challenges head-on and brought the school to a new level of excellence and recognition.

Day understood philanthropy in the truest sense, engaging legions of alumni, fellow parents, faculty and staff, to cultivate their love, connection, and support for the school. She helped establish the Patience Lauriat Society in honor of the alumna who was the first to include CSW in her bequest, and in the years since, encouraged dozens of others to support the school in this way.

She modeled what it meant to give freely of one’s self, to make enormous difference with little acclaim, and to lead with quiet resolve.

In 2009, as part of the Changing Lives campaign, her friends and the leadership at CSW established the Day McDowell Fund for Faculty Endowment in her honor to support faculty salary and continued innovation at the school. In both spoken and written tributes, her colleagues and friends described her as “one of CSW’s finest,” “a woman of grace and dignity,” “a cultivator of people,” and “the single person most responsible for the continuation and growth of the school.”

Our hearts are with her husband Hunter and their son Robert ’87, who with Day, have been stalwart supporters of our mission and vision for the future. Day will be sorely missed but her ideas, energy and love for CSW will remain a permanent testament to her and to the strength of our school.

THE CHALLENGE Help us reach $1,000,000 goal in the Fund for CSW!

Robert M. Sandoe: Former Head of School and Father of the Mod System The Cambridge School of Weston lost former Head of School Robert M. Sandoe, who led CSW with great vision and cheerful resolve from 1972 to 1977, this past summer. He had recently celebrated his 90th birthday with family and friends at his home in Florida.

There are few people in the most recent 50 years of the school’s history who have done more to revolutionize The Cambridge School of Weston than Bob Sandoe. Just a year into his tenure, he introduced the Module System, our innovative and dynamic class schedule that, to this day, defines the academic heart of CSW. At the time, the Mod System shook up conventional thinking and opened up additional possibilities for deep learning and active community engagement. The same year the Mod System launched, CSW also launched two signature off-campus programs under Bob’s helm: the Marine Biology course and the Wilderness Program.

Bob’s legacy at CSW is strong, and his memory lives on with each new innovation and discovery that students make in their courses.

CSW expresses our sincerest condolences to those we lost.

Ruth D. Ewing ’33, Mother of Tsultrim Allione ’64 Lars Soderberg ’45 Elizabeth “Pi” Stewart ’46 Sue Miller Samet ’64

Ophelia Smith ’64 Tracy Wells ’74 Sandii Barsky Mahoney ’85 Erika Cannegieter ’96

This year, the CSW Gryphon is taking to the road on an important journey. What is our goal? To build an even stronger community of support.

It’s a worthy trip to involve even more people in helping to deliver all that’s excellent about a CSW education: Innovative learning and deep academic inquiry, the dynamic depth and breadth of our academic program, our passionate and engaged community of teachers and learners, and an incredible 300 classes.

Please join the caravan by making your gift today!

Thank you! www.csw.org/giving

48

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reunion • 49

The Gryphon Fall 2014

Reunion: June 14, 2014

To celebrate their 50th reunion, the Class of 1964 performed in honor of Joe Schaaf, former music director along with a special song written by L. Peter Deutsch ’64.

alumni reflections • 51

50 • The Gryphon Fall 2014

Alumni Reflections The Gulls: How CSW Brought Five Friends Together

First came the group selfidentification as “the Gulls,” the individual tattoos followed it was 2 0 0 2 , freshman year

for Siena Evans ’06, Madeline Furst ’06, Annie Maurer ’06, Lindsay St. Onge ’06 and Kelly Zutrau ’06. During pre-season soccer practice, Lindsay met Madeline and instantly became friends before the first day of school. Kelly and Annie began CSW with a previous connection through a youth musical theatre group.

Over lunch in the Cheek Dining Hall, the group grew into a close-knit group of five, and began spending every

weekend together. Each one of the group describes their friendship as “magnetic.”

“I think it’s amazing how we were drawn to each other immediately within a couple days,” said Annie. The five friends have birthdays landing one after the other from January to April. Kelly believes that significance carries special weight between them.

Although there is some dissent among the friends on the real meaning behind “the Gulls,” they agree that it was because of the loud noises that emanated from them as a group. Kind of like a gaggle of screeching gulls. Secondly, when a play on “girls” with varied accents became “gulls,” it stuck. Sure, their individual names were still used, but when together, they were “the Gulls.”

In anticipation of the flock being dispersed, the girls all got tattoos during senior year and the summer before they left for college.

“We all decided together that we wanted something very simple—a line drawing of a seagull in the distance, all in different places on each of us,“ said Siena.

The artwork was created and shared with one another.

There were even a few “stick and pokes”—a do-it-yourself tattoo that looks organic and everlasting. They felt lucky that none of their parents were bothered by their permanent friendship testaments.

“It’s so tiny and modest,” shared Madeline.

“And it’s an amazing symbol that will be with us for the rest of our lives,” added Annie.

Although Annie returned to public school for her last two years of high school and Kelly left CSW during junior year, the Gulls made it through all of those shifts and remained

close. They all moved to the New York City area for college, and the friends were elated to be living in the same region.

Through longer patches of distance and time away from one another since, their friendships haven’t wavered.

“Part of the reason our friendship is so strong is because we were all forming identities as we grew up into adults,” added Annie.

“That’s important.”

Siena was very involved in dance at CSW, and began Bard College as a dance major.

She and others ran a mini dance company before she returned to Boston to pursue a Masters in special education from Simmons College, and works at the New England Center for Children with an early intervention program for severely autistic kids aged 1–22, one of the best institutions for autism in the world. Her enjoyment and passion for teaching came from working at the multi-arts summer

program currently at CSW, and volunteer work with the Children’s Expressive Arts Project at Bard, where she was first exposed to kids with emotional difficulties.

For Madeline, it was her capstone project focused on health illustration that sparked her desire to pursue nursing. She spent time volunteering at hospitals, at Planned Parenthood, and was even a doula for the past few years in New York City.

With a plan to become a family nurse practitioner, Madeline is now pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Madeline once worked as a chocolate maker for Mast Bros Chocolate in Brooklyn, followed by a stint as a florist.

Currently, Lindsay is in a Masters program at Teacher’s College at Columbia, for a dual K–6 special education degree. She became interested through work done at Bard while in New Orleans, she ran the community service program in her junior and senior years organizing projects with kids in lowincome neighborhoods.

“CSW was where my interest in social justice, race and education and everything germinated,” added Lindsay.

“It made me see the world in those kinds of ways—and empowered me to look at these

things in my own life.

Kelly recently moved to western Massachusetts from New York. She received a Masters in teaching art from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with a focus in painting. Kelly is also the lead singer and composer in her band “Wet,” a trio of electronic pop music signed to Columbia Records about to start a U.S. tour. She’s focused on music now, but ultimately, she’d love to continue to teach art. She credits the CSW art department for the support and encouragement to explore creativity.

At the headquarters for an international ashram in upstate New York, Annie

distributes all of the materials, scripts and templates for programs throughout the world.

As a kid, she and her family came to the ashram. Also a performance artist, Annie produced movement-based performance art: experimental dance with a company of four in New York and Chicago after college.

“We all participated in the arts at CSW in different ways, “ added Madeline. “It really played a big part in our friendship—improvising, making art together, and I feel that creativity influenced what we’re doing now.”

To stay in touch, the ladies have an ongoing email chain.

There are twice annual Gulls

weekends with alternating locations. The weekends involve talking for three days straight—there won’t be a second of silence. And they always cook together.

“We talk about how we’re all doing our own thing for now,” said Lindsay. “Then hopefully within the next 10 years we will live in the same area, somewhere nice and relaxing and have our future families grow up with each other.”

below (l–r): Madeline Furst ’06, Lindsay St. Onge ’06, Kelly Zutrau ’06, Siena Evans ’06 and Annie Maurer ’06

art by: Acadia Alden ’15 during the Re-Ordering Chaos class: an integrated studies course fusing math and visual arts

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photo by: Siyanda Stilwell ’15