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THE GLOBAL SCHOOL速

THE WORLD

BEYOND

THE CLASSROOM

by Rodney LaBrecque Head of School

2011

Reflections

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES

F

ive days ago, on a Monday morning, the faculty met to determine the major prizewinners for the 2011-2012 academic year. As you might expect in a class of talented teenagers, there were many viable candidates. In fact, there were too many for the faculty to award a prize to each of the students before us. Thusly, we embarked on four hours of discussion to determine who might be the most worthy for each prize. The descriptors were flying: scholar, involved, a doer, committed, respectful, talented, gracious, bright, energetic, selfless, determined, dedicated, mature, smiling, confident, beloved, welcoming, reliable, engaged, a team player, transformational, impressive, etc. There was no way that a person could come out of that meeting without feeling energized by the amazing talents of these fine members of our student body.

Tonight, as I write this reflection I have thirty-one quite different students in front of me, for you see I am monitoring the Friday night detention. I look around the room and not one of the students considered last Monday morning sits now before me on Friday night.

So who constitutes this ten percent of the upper school and why are they here? What is different about them from the Monday morning crowd?

First, as I consider each and every student, I can see they are not any less intelligent than the Monday crowd, though they are generally a bit less mature. They like the Academy neither more nor less. The distribution of

boys and girls is the same as that of the general school population. They span the four grades. What words might describe their infractions? A few could be: dress code, attendance, room inspection, in general terms, scofflaws.

And yet, I know that in their own individual ways they are capable of meeting many, if not all, of the same aspects of the Monday morning crowd. Each of them has the same high goals of competitive college admission, a hope for a life of success and recognition, the desire to be loved and to love, and the capacity for hard work. What is the difference then? I believe it is their inability to delay gratification.

So how do we instill the ability to delay gratification in the Friday night crowd? Clearly, by virtue of being assigned to this detention, we must believe that negative consequences will change a person‘s outlook and behavior for the better. Or maybe there is a way to develop delayed gratification much earlier, before unfortunate decisions are made. What if every one of these students were praised, especially in front of their parents or peers, for making decisions we desire. Maybe the Friday night crowd just needs someone to “catch” them being good.

I believe there is a deep human trait which finds satisfaction in being able to please others. Being able to perform a task, even as simple as getting to class on time, boils down to being able to garner recognition for pleasing others. This translates into the ability to delay self-gratification. Let‘s face it, has anyone ever heard people say they wished no one would thank them today. It is clear that it is a basic human drive to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Seeking pleasure through delayed gratification is not easy because it may not come with an immediate avoidance of pain. Our job as educators is to continue to seek ways to turn the Friday night crowd into the Monday morning crowd.

Preserve our Heritage… Invest in our Future.

WILBRAHAM & MONSON ACADEMY

PROFILES IN PLANNED GIVING

“Why did I join the Heritage Society?

I was fortunate to attend a cosmopolitan school in a beautiful rural New England setting.”

Ed Dunn

Dana Aftab Ph.D. ’81, Senior Vice President, Transitional Research, Exelixis Dana with daughter Chloe Aftab on a recent trip to Hawaii.

L

ike many of our alumni, Dana Aftab ’81 gives back to the Academy because his experiences on campus laid the ground work for his success later in life.

Hugh Harrell

“Teachers like Ed Dunn, who inspired me to pursue my interests passionately; Hugh Harrell, who was like a second father to me; and Gale Giles, whose faculty apartment was always open to students interested in lively conversation, truly believed in our potential and wanted us to succeed,” says Dana. “I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be one of their students, and I believe that such an opportunity would not have been possible without the generosity of donors who came before me. The Academy needs resources to continue to inspire and challenge young people. Putting the school in my estate plan, in addition to supporting the Annual Fund, is my way of showing gratitude to those who believed in me.”

For information, contact Christina Cronin, Director of Major Gifts & Campaign Coordinator, at 413.596.9189 or at ccronin@WMA.us.

HERITAGE SOCIETY MEMBERS ENJOY BENEFITS THAT INCLUDE: Q Q Q Q Q Q

Gale Giles

The knowledge that you have left behind a legacy that will help WMA stay strong for many years to come Enrollment listing with fellow members in all publications and information distributed about the Society A special certificate personalized with your name and year of membership and Heritage Society pin Highly attractive annuity rates An annual Society event hosted by the Head of School Invitation to special events at WMA

More information on how to include WMA in your estate plans can be found at www.WMA.us/HeritageSociety or by contacting Christina Cronin, Director of Major Gifts & Campaign Coordinator, at ccronin@WMA.us or 413.596.9189.

WMA 32 · SPRING 2011 · THE ACADEMY WORLD

Strings Ensemble page 10

NOLA page 13

SPRING 2011 IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURE: THE WORLD BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 7 ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS 8 COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES 10 ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS 13 SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY 14 ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS 17 RENAISSANCE MAN: JEREMY GILFOR

student travel

DEPARTMENTS REFLECTIONS 2 NEWS FROM THE HILL 4 TITANS VICTORIOUS 18 ADMISSION 19 SPOTLIGHTS SUSAN YESLEY AWAD, TRUSTEE ANDREA ROBBINS, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS 22 DEVELOPMENT TRAVEL: SEOUL & SHANGHAI 23 PASSAGES 26 CLASS NOTES, WHERE ARE THEY NOW?, NECROLOGY *6=,9 7/6;6 )@@ 11(5 9 A0;,9 Saying goodbye Bill Griffin 1950 - 2011 page 23

THE ACADEMY WORLD MAGAZINE 路 SPRING 2011 路 WMA 1

2);7 *631 8,) ,-00 FACULTY & STAFF

In the worst winter in decades, we were grateful to our Buildings and Grounds employees who spent untold hours moving snow – plowing, shoveling, raking, and transporting the white stuff that never seemed to stop falling. As soon as they had the roads and sidewalks clear, another storm arrived to undo all their good work. They are our unsung heroes.

Congratulations to Director of Major Gifts Christina Cronin, who has qualified as a certified fund-raising professional by the CFRE International professional organization. To earn the credentials, candidates must meet a series of standards including tenure in the profession, education, demonstrated fund-raising achievement and commitment to service of not-for-profit organizations.

They must also pass a rigorous written exam that tests the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a fund-raising executive.

STUDENTS

Congratulations to the Class of 2011 on a sterling record in college acceptances! You can view the complete list on page 8.

Jack Viens ’13 has been selected as a Junior Counselor to represent the USA at a Children’s International Summer Village in Youngstown, Ohio, this summer. 15 countries will be represented at the “Hands Around the World” four-week village.

The theme is built around hands of the world working together to build a peaceful society in the Village and around the world.

Patrick Schmidt ’12 will be traveling to Morocco this summer to learn about Moroccan culture and the Arabic language. Patrick has received one of twenty State Department scholarships for Arabic learners. The program offers a total-immersion language-learning experience in which students live with a host family, receive 100 hours of language instruction, and have many opportunities to

gain insight into the culture and traditions of the destination country. Learn more about Patrick on WMAmazing.

In April, five students participated in the Baystate Medical Doctor for a Day program in Springfield. The students hoping to attend medical school are Dominic Pessolano ’11, Teresa Kennedy ’12, Jingheng Catherine Liang ’12, Junyu Jenny Huang ’12, and Michael Mendes ’12.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE 2011 WMA WRITING CONTEST: Fiction: Nicholas Jalbert ’12 Nonfiction: Sommer Mahoney ’11 Poetry: Issa Best ’13 & Bethany Lyon ’11 Creative Nonfiction/Memoir: Teresa Kennedy ’12 WMA Middle School Nonfiction: Allie Collins-Anderson ’16 WMA Middle School Poetry: Emma Kindblom ’17

RELAY FOR LIFE

Another tremendous Relay For Life was held on the Phil Shaw Track & Field Complex on May 14-15.

It was the second year as a greater-Wilbraham relay, following a very successful event last year, which raised over $90,000 for the American Cancer Society. This year’s goal is over $100,000, and with 80 teams already registered, it’s entirely within reach. Last year’s relay drew the most teams, the most survivors, and the most participants of any since its inception in 2005. With the inspiration of the late Jane McNamara Kelly, whose memory is honored in the Jane McNamara Kelly Center for Strength & Endurance in the WMA Athletic Center, and the hard work of Carolyn Weeks ‘05 and the student chairs who have followed, the Relay For Life has grown into the spectacular event that it is today, a community-wide effort to celebrate, remember, and fight back. We’d like to thank the 2011 Relay for Life major sponsors, Peter Pan Bus Lines and Country Bank, for their support.

CLASH OF THE TITANS RAISES $12,000

The WMA Parents’ Association raised $12,000 through the spring event, “Clash of the Titans”. Assistant Director of Facilities Joe Salvador out-cooked Head of School Rodney LaBrecque, Associate Head of School Brian Easler, and Executive Chef Scott Bicknell for bragging rights in the Iron-Chef style event. They worked with duck, rice, beets, orange marmalade, and various herbs, spices, fruit, and liquid additives. A fine time was had by all, and the technology project was the beneficiary of the event.

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SPRING 2011 · THE ACADEMY WORLD

STUDENT TRAVEL COSTA RICA “My favorite part of the trip was the need to rely on Spanish.

Our classroom-abilities and knowledge gave us a base for communicating, but what helped us most was the constant demand to speak the language with the natives of Costa Rica, or Ticos. We Gringos, or Americans, were really pushed to speak Spanish, and we definitely learned a lot about the language in those 10 days.” Brendan Simons ’11

I didn’t expect to see it so unchanged. I planted seeds in pots and hung them up in the greenhouse. The sprouts are more valuable than the plants. Local people buy them because they are cheap, fresh, and organic.” Brie Bates ’11

CO

New Orleans

A T S

RICA

Summer Travel: ·Amazon ·China ·Russia

NE

W

ORLEANS

THE ACADEMY WORLD ·

SPRING 2011· WMA 3

8-8%27 :-'836-397 COACHES

Field hockey and lacrosse coach Francesca DenHartog and swim coach Dan Moran were both inducted into halls of fame this year, Francesca into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Dan into the Monson High School Hall of Fame; read more about them on page 16.

STUDENT ATHLETES

FALL AWARDS MOST VALUABLE AWARDS Christopher Glabicky and Marissa Small-Towns – Cross Country, Richelle Davis – Field Hockey, Kyle Sweeting – Football, Brittany Barry, Rachael Kantor, and Jeremy Gilfor – Soccer, Jeannette Viens – Volleyball, Ben Marcus and Kaylee Walton – Water Polo.

In an unusual turn of events, Enosch Wolf, a member of the graduating class, matriculated at the University of Connecticut in December. The 7-foot, 1-inch Wolf was a member of the Husky Basketball Team that won the NCAA National Championship in March. He has described the experience saying, “I’m living the dream right now. It’s like a movie. It’s so crazy.”

Enosch Wolf Steve Slade Photo

COACHES & TWELFTH PLAYER AWARDS Megan Pehoviak and Branden Piquette – Cross Country, Brooke Mele – Field Hockey, Derrick Barnagian – Football, Nicholas Manning, Brendan Simons, and Jacqueline Smith – Soccer, Li-Yi Hsieh – Volleyball, Eric Diogun and Nicholas Sarno – Water Polo.

CLASS B ALL-NEW ENGLAND PREP SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM, ALLCOLONIAL 1ST TEAM: KYLE SWEETING In eight games this season, Kyle completed 81 passes

in 169 attempts (48%) for 1135 yards. He averaged 141.9 yards per game, with his longest pass of the season carrying 92 yards in the opening drive of the first game of the season at Canterbury.

He threw for 20 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions for a 129.2 quarterback rating. Kyle was the third leading rusher on the Titans Kyle Sweeting squad with 218 yards and three touchdowns. In a limited defensive role, Kyle had a team-high two interceptions. He led the team in total offense with a total of 1353 yards for the season.

WINTER AWARDS MOST VALUABLE AWARDS Carly Cronin and Andrej Pajovic – Basketball, Tashfiq Mannan – Riflery, Elizabeth Hodson – Ski Team, Mia Konstantakos and Kevin Lambert– Swim Team, Christopher Glabicky and Marissa McDermott– Winter Track, Keoni Colson – Wrestling.

COACHES AWARDS Riley Marini and Scott Watson – Basketball, German Ortega – Riflery, Timothy O’Reilly – Ski Team, HsiuCheng Ho and Eva Landers – Swim Team, Brendan Simons and Dongping Guo – Winter Track, Joseph Thibault – Wrestling.

MCDONALD’S MCSCHOLAR ATHLETES Seniors Jeannette Viens & Jeremy Gilfor were honored at the 15th Annual McScholar Athlete Award Reception at the Basketball Hall of Fame on May 12.

Both students are Bicentennial Scholars whose academic records are outstanding. In the past four years they have earned Highest Honors a combined seventeen times. In their four years in the upper school at the Academy, they have taken a total of 32 Honors and Advanced Placement courses. Both were selected for induction into the Cum Laude Society this year. Next year, Jeannette will attend Scotland’s oldest university, St. Andrews, and Jeremy will be at Stanford University.

In the athletic arena, Jeremy has played soccer for four years; this year he was captain and Most Valuable Player. He also has played rugby for two years and is the team captain this year.

Jeannette’ sport is volleyball. She has played on the varsity team throughout her high school career, and is a two-time league All Star. This year she was team captain and Most Valuable Player. Congratulations to these two talented scholarathletes.

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COLLEGIATE ATHLETES David Kreps ’06 finished his soccer career at the University of Southern Maine with a 1.58 goals against average, making 365 saves and posting 21 clean sheets. He ranks second all-time in saves and shutouts. David played in the NEISL DIII Senior All-Star Game in November.

& Field Championship held on the last weekend of February, he contributed to a first-place finish for Princeton with an IvyLeague record 1:48.29 in the 800m. In April, the 4x400 relay team was named Princeton Athlete of the Week after setting a program and Ivy League record at the Tom Jones Invitational at the University of Florida with a time of 3:07.57.

David Kreps

Kristin Codere ’07, a senior at Lasell College, was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference women’s lacrosse goalkeeper of the week for three times in four weeks after helping the Lasers to two wins Mount Ida and St. Joseph’s of Connecticut. She is ranked first in the GNAC and seventh in the nation in Division III in saves per game with 13.

After winning the award, Codere made 11 saves Thursday night in a 13−6 victory over St. Joseph’s College of Maine passing the 500 career save mark.

Emily Vincunas ’07 has been named to the 2010 All-Region team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

She is attending Wheaton College.

Kaitlin Camelleri ’08 placed 4th in the weight throw with a toss of 12.93 meters when the Union men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Coed Invitational in January. That throw broke the previous Union record of 12.71. At the Wesleyan Invitational in April, she threw a distance of 45.78 meters in the Hammer Throw, a 2-meter personal best, that qualified her for the ECAC Championships. Katie now holds Union records for both the hammer and the weight throw. In April, she was named the Liberty League Co-Field Performer of the Week.

Russell Dinkins ’08 and the Princeton University 4x400 relay team set two records in two weeks in February. In the New York Road Runners race, they set a Princeton record of Run Russell Run! 3:11.63. In the Sykes & Sabock Challenge Cup at Penn State on February 5, the team bested that time by two seconds and set a new Ivy League record of 3:09.35. In the Road Runners race, Russell took first in the 500 with a time of 1:02.09, and, in the Sykes & Sabock Challenge, was runner-up in the 800 with a time 1:50.12. Princeton was ranked second at the time in the Mid-Atlantic region. At the Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track

Dinko Marshavelski ’10 was named player of the week by The Huntington News, the Northeastern University student newspaper, after scoring 23 points against James Madison on January 3 and shooting 53% from the floor. Head Coach Bill Coen called Dinko “a talented offensive player”.

Dinko On January 15, 2011, the Bryant University Men’s Swim team defeated St. Francis and NJIT. Nate Lee ’10 garnered Swimmer of the Meet honors on the men’s side for the first time this season. Lee finished second in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 57.71 and third in the 50-yard freestyle with a 22.82 mark.

Nate Lee

ALUMNI IN THE SPORTS PAGES

The Western Mass. Pioneers soccer organization has added a U20 boys’ team to provide a feeder system to the Premier Development League team. Dennis Gomes ’95 has been tapped to head the coaching staff of the new team.

Dennis has been coaching the Junior Pioneers for the past six years, during which time he also was assistant to Gary Cook in the WMA soccer program for a couple of years.

Justine Douvadjian ’05 took first place in the Armenian Youth Federation Olympics pentathlon held in Philadelphia. Justine, who graduated last spring from Bryant University with a degree in finance, works for New Balance in Boston.

Gomes

Nick Dalton ’09 is playing wide receiver for the Osceola Rattlers, an amateur American football team in Orlando, Florida, that competes at the minor-league level in the Southeast Football League. The Rattlers won their first regular season game against Tampa 34-0.

THE ACADEMY WORLD · SPRING 2011 · WMA 5

I N U M M O C

S C I M E D A AC

TY

C I T E L H T A

THE WORLD

BEYOND

THE CLASSROOM

BRIAN EASLER, ASSOCIATE HEAD OF SCHOOL

T

he Wilbraham & Monson Academy student body is a multifarious mosaic of talent and promise. Every year we are delighted by the personality they bring to our community and how their academic, artistic, and athletic contributions enrich everyone around them.

Taking advantage of our students’ strengths, focusing all of this talent and potential into effective and meaningful learning experiences for all, is the intention of our program.

Naturally, much of this focus is on the academic program, which is our main purpose and to which our college list attests. Despite the success of cooperative and project-based initiatives in our classrooms, particularly in the CEGS program, the classroom experience is by its nature mostly independent.

Where these efforts really shine, however, is in our cocurricular program, which is designed to necessitate teamwork and focus on a common goal, the primary

reason for our strict participation requirement. Freshmen, sophomores, and new juniors are required to participate in three trimesters of a sport or activity focused on a performance-based culminating experience such as competition, recital, or stage production. Returning juniors and members of the graduating class are allowed one season for more independent pursuits, but must still satisfy the performance-based requirement for two trimesters.

When students need to work together toward a common and public goal, they push themselves into cooperative learning experiences that would otherwise lack depth and substance. The self-induced pressure of public performance makes independence a losing strategy and encourages interdependence and cooperation. Lessons learned in this arena are invaluable and crucial to the future success of every student.

Every trimester we see the results of our co-curricular program play out on our stages, our fields, our courts, and in our pool. We watch with pride as students try things they would have avoided had they thought they would be the only novice . . . and thrive with, and because of, each other.

WMA 6 · SPRING 2011 · THE ACADEMY WORLD

S

Model UN class in New York

A RT S

ACADEMIC ADD-ONS Each year, groups represent the Academy on a broad stage.

Their preparation may start in the classroom, but the students and their advisors or coaches leave campus to compete with other schools in the area and across the country.

WILBRAWITS

One of the longest lived of these groups is Wilbrawits, which was organized in the 1960s to compete in the television quiz show As Schools Match Wits, which celebrated its 50th year on air in 2010-2011. This year the group defeated Stafford High School, but did not advance to the second round. Team members Priyanka George ’11, Nicholas Jalbert ’12, Jenheng Catherine Liang ’12, and Jackson FrenchRobitaille ’14 worked with their coach Don Kelly to broaden their knowledge of the arts, math, science, literature, and current events. In 1998, the Wilbrawits team members were finalists in As Schools Match Wits, much to the delight of then coach Charlie D’Avanzo.

MATHLETES

The WMA Mathletes, too, have been around for a long time.

They are a loosely organized, self-identified group of students that participate in various mathematics competitions. During the fall and winter trimesters, students engage in a monthly Mathletes competition. Participating schools include various local public and independent schools. At these events there are a series of tests, focusing on different levels of math so that students at varying stages of their math development

can compete. Also, students in this group regularly attend other math competitions such as the WPI high school math competition and the Harvard/MIT competition.

In addition, for Mathletes and others, WMA offers students the opportunity to participate in the AMC 10 and AMC 12 math competitions. The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC), organized by the University of Nebraska, is dedicated to the goal of strengthening the mathematical capabilities of the nation’s youth through a series of national contests. The first contest was held in 1950 in New York City. Two hundred thirty-eight schools participated with about 6,000 contestants.

In 2010, more than 413,000 in 5,100 schools took part in the contests.

MODEL UN

In spring 2005, two sophomores, Sarah Richard and Sara Young, approached Gary Cook with a request that he revive the Model UN course that he had previously taught. Gary submitted that proposal, and WMA students represented the Republic of South Korea and the Republic of Azerbaijan at the 2005 Harvard Model UN (HMUN) in Boston and Cambridge.

In the years since, the class, held on Sunday nights, has grown in popularity, even as the requirements have become stricter.

Initial class work is comprised of hours of research, writing position papers, and role-playing various individuals important in the given country’s political, economic, social, and cultural makeup. An important element of the course is a visit to the United Nations in New York each year with lunch at a

THE ACADEMY WORLD · SPRING 2011 · WMA 7

CLASS OF 2011 COLLEGE ADMISSION Wilbraham & Monson Academy is very proud of the college admission success of the members of the Class of 2011. They have been accepted to the following: American University (3) Assumption College (3) Babson College (3) Bard College Bates College Beloit College Bentley University (2) Boston College (3) Boston University (7) Brown University Bryant University (4) The University of California at Davis Irvine Los Angeles (3) Riverside San Diego (3) Santa Barbara (2) Santa Cruz California State University, Fullerton Carnegie Mellon University (2) Case Western Reserve University Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design Champlain College College of Charleston Clark University (3) Clemson University Colby-Sawyer College Cornell University Curry College (3) DePaul University Dickinson College (3) Drew University (3) Drexel University (2) Eastern Connecticut State University Elms College Elon University Emmanuel College Emory University (2) Endicott College (3) Fairfield University (3) Florida Atlantic University Fordham College at Lincoln Center

Fordham University (2) Framingham State University Franklin and Marshall College (2) The George Washington University (4) Goucher College Grinnell College Hartwick College (3) Hobart and William Smith Colleges (4) Hofstra University College of the Holy Cross The University of Illinois (4) Indiana University (2) Iona College Ithaca College (2) University of La Verne Lasell College (2) Lehigh University (4) Lesley University Los Angeles Film School Macalester College Marist College Marymount College Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Massachusetts Maritime Academy University of Massachusetts (6) McGill University Menlo College Merrimack College (7) Methodist University University of Miami (2) Michigan State University (5) Mount Saint Mary’s University The New England Institute of Art University of New England University of New Haven Newbury College (2) Nichols College (2) Northeastern University (4) Norwich University Ohio Wesleyan University Oxford College of Emory University Pacific Lutheran University Parsons The New School for Design(2) Pennsylvania College of Technology Pennsylvania State University (5) Pepperdine University University of Pittsburgh (2) Plymouth State University Pratt Institute

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Providence College (2) Purdue University Quinnipiac University Reed College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (4) University of Rhode Island Roanoke College Rochester Institute of Technology University of Rochester (2) Roger Williams University (4) Saint Michael’s College (7) The College of Saint Rose Salve Regina University San Diego State University San Francisco State University San Jose State University School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of Visual Arts Skidmore College Sophia University University of Southern California Springfield College University of St. Andrews in Scotland (2) St. Lawrence University Stanford University Stevenson University Stonehill College (2) Suffolk University (3) SUNY Geneseo SUNY Morrisville State Syracuse University (3) The University of Tampa Temple University, Japan Trinity College (2) University of Vermont (2) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Wake Forest University University of Washington (5) Wentworth Institute of Technology Western New England University (4) Westfield State University (2) Wheaton College (2) Wheelock College (3) University of Wisconsin (2) The College of Wooster Worcester Polytechnic Institute (3)

WorldQuest team in DC: C.J. Woloshchuk, Heather Little, coach Gina Markowski, Philip Antonacci, Arnelle Williams, Emma Bourgeois restaurant featuring the cuisine of a country the group represents. In the years since 2005, students have represented Turkmenistan, Monaco, Trinidad and Tobago, the Co-Principality of Monaco, and the Federative Republic of Brazil.

In addition to General Assembly representation, several students have been selected for special assignments. In 2005, Tim Rainey ’06 was cast as the Mayor of Beijing, in 2010 Sommer Mahoney ’11 was Ambassador of Trebizond to the Emperor Constantine’s Imperial Cabinet of 1492, and in 2011 Jeannette Viens ’11 portrayed Mexican drug lord Ismail Zambada Garcia and was voted Outstanding Delegate by her Harvard Committee Staff, perhaps because of her bold move to take Cuba under her personal control.

Participation in HMUN is often a life-changing experience, and many students have decided to pursue careers in government or diplomacy as a result of their dedicated work in the course.

Sarah Richards has continued to work with Model UN in her years at Clark University, and this year was Secretary General of Clark’s High School Model UN Conference attended by this year’s class in November.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Two groups that have become available to students in the past two years are the Harvard Pre-Collegiate Economic Challenge (HPEC) and the World Affairs Council’s competition, WorldQuest. HPEC promotes awareness about economicsrelated research and career opportunities. Questions test the

students’ knowledge of topics covered in AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics as well as that of current issues in the field. Held in April, it’s an excellent review for the AP examinations, and students have had the bonus of hearing Professor N. Gregory Mankiw, author of their textbook, as a special guest speaker.

WorldQuest is a game invented by the Charlotte (NC) World Affairs Council. Teams of four compete regionally, with the winners advancing to the national competition in Washington, DC. Questions test the competitors’ knowledge of international affairs, geography, history, and culture. Students were provided with study guides from the World Affairs Council to prepare for ten categories of ten multiple-choice questions, totaling one hundred questions. The categories this year were Energy, World Religions, Great Decision 2010, Freedom of the Press, Millennium Development Goals: Gender Equality, Global Governance/International Organizations, Europe, Global Health, Ireland, and Current Events.

In just the second year of participation, this year’s WMA team composed of Class of 2013 members Philip Antonacci, Emma Bourgeois, Arnelle Williams, C.J. Woloshchuk, and alternate Heather Little won the district competition and went with coach Gina Markowski to Georgetown University the last weekend in April, where they acquitted themselves well. There were 42 teams at the competition, and students on the team from Egypt fielded questions from the audience during a Q & A session at lunchtime. Michaela Rollings ’10 gave the group a campus tour.

Wilbrawits: Nicholas Jalbert ’12, advisor Don Kelly, Jackson FrenchRobitaille ’14, Jingheng Catherine Liang ’12, Priyanka George ’11

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THE WIZ

actors included seniors Jason Duke and Tim Manghan, both of whom made their theatrical debut on loan from Tech Crew, another after-school arts-related offering.

THIS YEAR IN THE ARTS

PAUL BLOOMFIELD, CHAIR OF THE FINE & PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT

S

ome events, such as Crude Behavior, an art benefit for the Gulf Oil disaster, and The Wiz, the winter musical, are major outlets for our students’ talent and commitment, but we have had a great year of artistic expression on many fronts. Our dedicated arts faculty, who have enthusiastically brought fine & performing arts (FPA) to our community, and our students, who recognize the necessity of a strong and vibrant arts program at the Academy, deserve credit for the variety and quality of the performances. Here are some of the events, people, and interests that have contributed to this success.

THEATRE

Many students have found success this year in the theatre.

In the fall, Academy Players, a by-audition activity that takes place the same time as athletics, performed Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, a heady and intellectual comedic discourse between two dead actors from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Director Michael Dzuira deliberately pushed the limits of the two principal actors Nicholas Jalbert ’12 and Priyanka George ’11 to extract an exceptional performance. Supporting

The winter trimester saw two outstanding efforts in the theatre. With an excellent cast and an amazing set, enhanced by the painting of Sunghyuk Seo ’11, The Wiz was sold out for all performances. The musical featured Jeremy Gilfor ’11 as the Wiz and Ashleigh Morris ’12 as Dorothy. In March, Susan Dzuira’s Academy Repertory Company successfully reached the semi-finals of the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival with the student-written The Ties that Bind. Priyanka George and Issa Best ’13 received honors for their strong acting, and the dynamic duo on Tech Crew, postgraduate Kurt Russavage and junior Steve Ragnauth, earned the Golden Hammer, the stage manager’s award.

MUSIC

Stephanie Chang, Meg Reilly, and Clark Seibold joined the Fine & Performing Arts Department this year and have energized our talented students. The Chamber Ensemble, directed by Stephanie, performed Ennio Morricone’s Cinema Paridisio and Nino Rota’s The Godfather, both contemporary cinematic composers. Meg, who directs Mosaic Harmony and Academy Singers, added a new Mosaic Harmony concert this year with music chosen by the students and featuring some wonderful performances by Lucie Biggel ’12 with My Heart Will Go On, Kyung-Chun James Kim ’12, Young-Jun Jon Lee ’12, and Hyo Won Patrick Seo ’13 with Mandy. Clark is at the Mosaic Harmony

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reins of the newly formed Titan Jazz Ensemble and cool, funky rhythms have begun to permeate our community. We’ve heard renditions of such tunes as Kool and the Gang’s Jungle Boogie and War’s Low Rider. Clark is also a regular with a local band, Changes in Latitudes, which played at the Relay For Life.

Young-Jun Jon Lee was selected to sing in the Massachusetts All-State Chorus, which performed at Boston’s Symphony Hall in March. Jon said their conductor, Dr. Anton Armstrong, rehearsed the 200-plus group eight hours a day for three days so that they could sing the eight selections from memory. Dr. Armstrong is the Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College.

Stephanie Chang, who accompanied Jon to Boston commented, “They were just amazing. It was as if they had been singing together for months.”

VISUAL ARTS

We were very fortunate to have Liz Chalfin, Director of Zea Mays Printmaking, present on her eco-friendly printing practices in chapel this fall, sponsored by the Francis Michael Casey Fund for the Fine & Performing Arts, in conjunction with a show in Binney Gallery. While on campus, she met with art students to discuss their work as well as the work of various professional artists from her own studios who were part of the show in Binney, including Barry Moser.

In the winter, students in Paul Bloomfield’s Advanced Placement Studio Art class responded to the environmental disaster in the Gulf by producing limited-edition signed posters, T-shirts, and bags featuring the students’ graphic designs. Other art classes studying with Virginia Giokas, Wendy Decker, and Jessica Feldheim also donated works for sale. The effort raised about $600 for the American Bird Conservancy.

This spring AP Studio Art seniors Casey Berg, Aislinn Calabrese (Mass College of Art), Rui Ryan Lin (Parsons The New School for Design), Bethany Lyon, Sunghyuk Seo (Parsons), and junior Jiayu Ilen Liu also produced a first-rate gallery exhibit in Binney.

Student interest in visual arts has also fueled the new FPA-sponsored Photography Competition held twice a trimester, the results of which are posted online.

This year, YeonJoo Donna Lee ’11 and YuanQing Vicky Liu ’12 established and edited the Academy’s first full-color visual arts magazine Muse.

DANCE

THEATRE

VOCAL

DANCE

Dance has also steadily been gaining interest among our students, with capacity crowds filling the dance studio to watch strong, varied performances.

Jessica Gaw, sister of Matt Gaw ’09, creates suitable choreography for both novices and experienced dancers, such as Stephanie Reeves ’12 and Ying Zhang ’13.

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INSTRUMENTAL

STUDENT PROFILE

YING ZHANG ’13 Ying Zhang has been studying dance since she was about five years old. She describes the type of dance she performs as contemporary with elements of Chinese traditional dance.

When she first began dance lessons, Ying was in large classes that focused on technique, especially flexibility and breath control, the focus of her performances.

At age 12, Ying began taking private lessons, and she studies with the same teacher today when she’s home in Beijing. Of those early days, Ying says, “I wasn’t very good; the physical demands were very challenging, and I wanted to quit. I used to cry, but my mom supported me, saying, “You can do it; I know you can.”

At her first competition in Beijing, it was a big surprise to everyone else when she took first place, but not to Ying. “I knew I could do it,” she says confidently. In her next two competitions, she took two more firsts, and she hasn’t stopped competing, even though she’s come to the U.S. In Chelmsford, Massachusetts, at the Elite Performance Challenge competition in March she was the overall winner with a Double Platinum rating, and she earned

ALUMNUS PROFILE

YASHAR DAVID YASLOWITZ ’95

Yashar David Yaslowitz returned to campus for two days to educate and entertain us. He held master classes for students whom he reported were “much more talented than I was at their age”, gave a concert at School Meeting that held the attention of all and earned him a standing ovation, and performed in the evening to an appreciative crowd of alumni, faculty, parents, and students.

David is a champion of the piano’s grand romantic tradition. Specializing in performances of Chopin, Liszt, and lesser-known masterpieces by the great composer-pianists, he has performed in venues that include the Yamaha Artist Salon, Steinway Hall, and the American Liszt Society Festival.

special recognition for her breathing technique.

Ying has been working with Shelbia Djelassi ’01 at Mass Motion Dance, founded in 1983 in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, by her mother Terri Gordon. Shelbia’s sister Irada ’96 is also on the faculty at Mass Motion.

Although Ying doesn’t expect to become a professional dancer, she does want to continue to study the art form, and she plans to pursue a dance minor in college. She does love to dance though, and says, “When I’m dancing, I use my body to express my thoughts and my emotions. I feel like I’m reading, taking in all the music, the feelings of the characters, the action of a story. Dancing is a basic part of who I am.”

She cautions, “Hard work is very important. You have to practice; you can’t cheat on technique or flexibility.”

It is evident to all who see her dance that Ying is committed to her art. She seems to float across the floor and, when she leaps, to hang, suspended in air.

David is the founder and artistic director of Carnegie Room Concerts, which has been described as a “Mecca for pianists”. Under his leadership, Carnegie Room Concerts has achieved a reputation as one of the premiere venues for piano and chamber music in the United States. In 2005, David created the Soiree Society of the Arts for the purpose of supporting artists of all disciplines. Its non-profit mission is inspired by the historic soirees of Paris, where artists and musicians seamlessly influenced and collaborated with one another.

In the most recent edition of Atlas, Evan Filkins ’11, a student who participated in the master classes, wrote in his review, “And the surest sign of an artist’s talent is their ability to support themselves (i.e., not starve) and, judging by Mr. Yaslowitz’s frame and imposing stature, WMA has had the pleasure of being instructed and entertained by an astounding musician, and he is one of us, a Titan among men.”

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A CORE BELIEF IN GIVING BACK

C

ommunity Service has always been a part of what the Academy stands for. Although it has taken many different forms over the years, the concept of giving back has remained important to students and faculty alike.

Advisor groups have collected cans for a food drive or winter outerwear for a homeless shelter, students have helped out in early childhood centers and nursing homes, members of the community have taken part in walks in the area for various good causes.

RELAY FOR LIFE OF WILBRAHAM In recent years, the major community service commitment for students, faculty, and staff has been the Relay For Life.

Begun in 2005 by the late Jane Kelly and Carolyn Weeks ’05 as an Academy project, the Relay expanded into a Wilbraham Community Relay in 2009 and raised over $90,000 for the American Cancer Society in 2010. Jacqueline Smith ’11 and Brianna Goncalves ’12, this year’s co-chairs of the event have even higher goals. See page 2 for more.

NEW ORLEANS IN MARCH In addition to this year’s Relay, held on May 14-15, a second major effort was a school-sponsored trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. Eleven students and four chaperones stayed for a week in the lower 9th ward, helping in a community garden, pictured above, and learning about the levees and what went wrong when Hurricane Katrina hit the city. A secondary goal of the project was to introduce the students to the local culture of New Orleans, including that most enticing aspect, the wonderful cuisine. The trip was very successful, and students want to return this summer and next year to continue their work.

Jackie, American Cancer Society representative Gregory Thompson, and Brianna at the Relay Kickoff.

There was also the opportunity for students to meet alumni, including Chair of the Board of Trustees Scott Jacobs ’75, who calls New Orleans home, and former Trustee Tim McEvoy ’68 and his classmate David Hoxeng who operate a

country music radio station in Pensacola, Florida.

BREAKFAST VOLUNTEERS In addition to these major efforts, students and faculty members volunteer their time in other ways. Every Sunday, a small group of students and a faculty chaperone collaborate with the Friends of the Homeless Shelter in Springfield to serve breakfast to those in need. Teresa Kennedy ’12, a regular, says, “I’ve always thought it was important to do community service. I used to try to do something at the holidays, but when this was offered, I signed up for the first one and just kept going.”

JAMBO TANZANIA Each year the Student Council at the WMA Middle School sponsors a fund-raising event with the funds raised donated to a charity of their choosing. The funds raised with last year’s event were donated to the Haitian Relief Effort. This year the group raised over $1200 for the charity Jambo Tanzania through the competition Penny Wars. Jambo Tanzania is a nonprofit humanitarian organization founded in Western Massachusetts and dedicated to providing health and educational services to the citizens of Gera, Tanzania. Andrew Goncalves ’15 and Alexandra Collins-Anderson ’16 presented the check to Hillary Anderson and Paul Hetzel at a WMA Middle School meeting, above right.

BOSTON MARATHON Executive Assistant to the Head of School and mother of Jacqueline ’11 and Jessica ’14, Caroline Smith, at right, took community service to another level when she ran as part of the Griffin’s Friends group in the 2011 Boston Marathon to raise $800 for cancer research.

THE ACADEMY WORLD · SPRING 2011 · WMA 13

ATHLETICS JUST KEEP SWIMMING

MAX R ANKIN ’12, ATLAS STAFF WRITER

H

er toes tingled with anticipation as the girl leaned forward in perfect diving position. She awaited the return of her teammate who had just plunged into the pool and who was swimming well. The sound of the starting gun still reverberated in her ears as she saw her teammate turn back for her final lap. And then it was her turn. The girl dove into the water to continue the race at full force until she had finished her leg. Now the girl’s eyes were fixed excitedly upon the clock as the two other members of the team finished their laps. Her anticipation grew tenfold as she waited to see the team’s result. Then joy overtook the girl as her team realized they had broken the record.

Kaylee Walton ’12 shared her joy with Margaret Harrington ’15, Madeline McCloskey ’15, and Mia Konstantakos ’13 as they broke the school record for the 400 freestyle relay for the second time this season at the New England Championships.

“I was overjoyed and so proud of my girls,” says Kaylee, but she admits that, “I was nervous as the race started because I knew we could break our record, and we did!”

This event was just the latest accomplishment for the girls’ on the Varsity Swim team. “On the girls’ side of things,” says coach Moran, “Mia Konstantakos and Madeline McCloskey were the two most valuable swimmers. Madeline finished the dual meet season nearly unbeaten and was the only eighth grader in New England swimming to finish the season ranked in the top thirty in her events. Mia broke two school records, the 100 backstroke and 50 freestyle and placed 18th overall for New England in the 100 backstroke, our school’s highest female finisher since Bridget Jurgens ’08 finished 18th in 2008.” Coach Maureen Kelly ’02 noted that every girl on the team swam a personal best at New Englands.

Note: The girls on the Varsity Swim team won the New England Prep School Class C Championships for three consecutive years beginning in the 2002-2003 school year, the first championship for the late Jane Kelly, their longtime coach.

The boys on the team did not let the girls hold all of the glory this year. “Nicholas Sarno ’11 and Kevin Lambert ’13 were the stars of this year’s boys’ team. Nick developed into a confident swimmer in the 100 fly and freestyle events. Nick was usually fast enough to win dual meets for the Titans. Kevin established himself as one of the premier swimmers in New England, posting times that put him in the top 3 or 4 percent of competitors in four events and claiming school records in the 100 Butterfly and 500 Freestyle, 56.01 and 4:57.48 respectively,” says Mr. Moran.

SPRING 2011 SPRING TRAINING Titans baseball got an early start to the season with a six-day spring training trip to the popular AllStar Sports Resort at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

The complex is located south of Orlando, Florida, near Walt Disney World Resorts. Adjacent to Champion® Stadium, where the Atlanta Braves have their spring training, the baseball quadriplex features four professional-sized fields, a pitching area with 10 bull pens, and a practice infield.

CUP

Between March 11 and March 16, the Varsity Baseball team got in nearly 20 hours of practice and played three games. They faced Jackson Prep from Mississippi twice in two days and also played Hopkins Academy from Connecticut. The team attended a spring training game between the Braves and the New York Mets. If they weren’t too tired, the players could have pool time at the hotel or visit the Disney theme parks. The boys were grateful for the team dinners hosted by parents David and Robin Cook and Steven and Renee Marcus.

TEAM SPARK PLUG: JACQUELINE SMITH In her own words Freshman year, despite my hopes to the contrary, I figured there was no way I would make the WMA Girls’ Varsity Soccer team, perennial New England championship contenders. Yet, in nothing short of a miracle, helped along with a lot of hard work on my part, I made the team. As expected, I rode the bench as a freshman and jokingly called game days my “days off”. However, I stuck with it; and after my sophomore and junior seasons, I earned the “12th Player Award”, given to the first person off the bench that “sparks and

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BASEBALL

SWIMMING

energizes” the team. Now, as a senior, all my hard work, determination, and leadership have led to my election as captain.

Over the past four years, I have learned so many valuable, lifelong lessons of leadership and dedication from Coach Nick.

Everything he says to the team applies on and off the field.

“Never show weakness” and “It’s not when you’re winning that your team needs you as a captain—it’s when their losing and all their heads are down. You don’t get to put your head down. You are their leader and it’s in the tough times that they need you the most. Remember that.” And I have. I live by this advice and apply it to my involvement in Student Government, Relay For Life, the Bicentennial Scholar program, and the Atlas staff, and I will continue to do that throughout my life.

SUCCESS COUNTS 8 years

20 finalists or champion teams

SOCCER

14 different teams his time at Dartmouth, he was impressed by an award given out at the end of the year which rewarded characteristics Ned saw as valuable. Years later, when he served as a Trustee at WMA, he thought often of how he could apply the ideals he saw embodied in the Dartmouth award to an award at the Academy.

Ned searched his memories of his time at Wilbraham Academy for the values of Headmaster Gray Mattern and other members of the faculty. It was through this thought process that Ned created this award for the Academy.

Being involved in the soccer program at the Academy has been the most rewarding and fulfilling experience I could ever have imagined. Coming to WMA as a freshman, I didn’t know anyone. Because of preseason and the soccer program, I made friends even before the school year started, and they are my best friends to this day.

The Trustee Cup bears the ideals espoused by Ned Symes. The silver plate on the front of the cup reads Awarded Annually to the Academy Team Best Achieving the Ideals of Interscholastic Athletics.

The goals of the Athletic Department at WMA are summed up in the inscription on the esteemed Trustee Cup: for players and teams to have a winning record of academic achievement, sportsmanship, team spirit, and leadership on and off the field.

These are the standards to which every athlete is held. The values of the Trustee Cup exemplify the well-rounded studentathlete that the Academy strives to mold.

Q Winning Record Q Academic Achievement Q Sportsmanship Q Team Spirit Q Leadership Off The Field

The ideals spelled out below this inscription are

The Girls’ Varsity Soccer team earned the cup in 2009, and the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team earned it the following year.

DON NICHOLSON ’79, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

Although the cup is displayed permanently in a trophy case in the main hallway of the Athletic Center, it does not gather dust. During the current school year, it has been prominently displayed at the Varsity Sports Banquets held after each of our three athletic seasons. The Trustee Cup is also highly visible at our Non-Varsity Awards Ceremony in the chapel, as we work to lay the foundation for both individual and team success on and off the field.

The Trustee Cup was presented for the first time at Commencement 2009. The idea for this award had been in the mind of Edward Symes III, known to all as Ned, for many years. Ned attended Wilbraham Academy, graduating in 1964.

He then journeyed north to attend Dartmouth College. During

We are rapidly approaching graduation and the Trustee Cup will once again be awarded to the worthiest Academy team. As the winning team is announced and the athletes come up to the front, it will once again be evidence that Ned Symes’s vision continues to inspire our scholar-athletes.

Jackie Smith is a Bicentennial Scholar who will be traveling to the Amazon this summer to work with John Carter, the farmer and activist working to save the Rain Forest. In the fall, she will attend Holy Cross.

THE TRUSTEE CUP

THE ACADEMY WORLD · SPRING 2011 · WMA 15

TWO HALL OF FAME COACHES FRANCESCA DENHARTOG & DAN MORAN On October 30, WMA Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse coach Francesca DenHartog was inducted into the Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the culmination of a career, and she said that the festivities made her feel “just like Cinderella”.

Francesca played on the Harvard varsity for four years and was co-captain her senior year. Named to the All-Ivy Lacrosse Team each year, Ivy Player of the Year in 1981 and 1982, and Lacrosse All American in 1982 & 1983, she was inducted into the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1998. She still holds the records for goals in a season (83), goals in a career (249), points in a season (110), and points in a career (315). Before coming to the Academy, Francesca coached women’s lacrosse at Yale University and the University of Massachusetts. In addition to coaching Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse, which has a 5 and 2 record at press time, Francesca also coaches Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey and is a member of the Admission staff.

Dan Moran was inducted into the Monson High School Hall of Fame in 2010. In his career as a swimmer at Springfield College, he was a Division III Academic All American and ECAC Athlete of the Week. Dan has been coaching youth swim teams in the area since 1997, including the Monson Dolphins, West Springfield High School, Wilbraham Falcons, and Belchertown Stingrays. In an interview with student reporter, Max Rankin, Dan shared the following about his expectations as a coach. “I expect that all the swimmers at WMA work hard at three things. First, they must stay positive.

Positive attitudes breed positive results. Second, they must think while they swim. Swimming is more technical than most people realize. Technique and strategy is often more of a deciding factor for who wins a race than talent [is]. Lastly, I ask that they trust in themselves and the coaches so that they can complete everything we ask of them.” Dan teaches in the CEGS Department in addition to coaching the Varsity Swim team and the Boys’ Varsity Cross Country team.

TITAN STANDOUTS

TWO-TIME ALL AMERICAN: BRITTANY BARRY ’11 Brittany Barry was named an All American for the second year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas. This season Brittany had 28 goals and six assists to break the 10-year record of 77 career goals at the Academy in just three years. She had tallied 79 by the end of the regular season and added one in the postseason to establish a new record of 80. Brittany will attend the College of St. Rose, a Northeast-10 conference powerhouse.

FRANK L. BOYDEN JR. AWARD: DERRICK BARNAGIAN ’11 Derrick received the Frank L. Boyden Award as the outstanding prep school scholar-athlete presented by the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. Derrick was honored at the chapter’s 48th Annual Awards Dinner, held at the University of Massachusetts in April. Derrick, who received the Doug Foley Award at the fall athletic banquet, will attend Bates College in the fall. Previous Wilbraham & Monson recipients of the Boyden Award include Ian Carlin ’08, who attends Princeton University, and Ben Poppel ’97, a graduate of the University of Miami.

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RENAISSANCE MAN: JEREMY GILFOR ’11 In his own words

B

eing at the Academy has afforded me opportunities to excel across the board. I try to do everything here – take difficult classes, play varsity sports, act, sing, give tours, edit the newspaper, travel, help with Relay For Life. I poke my nose in everywhere. At other schools, I might have the chance to play a small part in all these different groups and still keep my grades up, but at Wilbraham & Monson, I am able to participate and lead, to take an active role in our community.

I come to school at eight o’clock every day, and I usually don’t leave until eight or nine at night. During the day, I’m busy learning or catching up editing the paper or calling restaurants asking for donations for Relay For Life. I’m taking four AP courses this year and I took two last year.

But I like learning. I like going to class and applying myself and learning something every day. And because the teachers are also my coaches, or advisor, or just happen to know me well, we often get to talking about topics other than English or math. We have actual discussions. I’ve retained decades of history from my English teacher, learned government from my science teacher, and civil rights from my Spanish teacher. No matter where I go or what I do, I’m learning.

And that’s just in the classroom. Tuesday nights I have Captains Council, where all the varsity team captains get together and talk about team issues. It gives us a chance to voice our concerns and get feedback. Then it’s off to Atlas, where I am one of the editors.

It’s my job to make sure my writers have a clear picture of what to write and that they get their articles in on time. If not, well, we might have to start running an obituaries section. Thursday nights are Relay For Life meetings, where I am the Food and Beverage Chair. No other Relay in the country provides food for the participants, but ours does. I used to be shy about calling people on the phone, but after talking to a hundred pizza places, I would say I’m over it.

I’m proud of the strides our athletic programs have made in my time here. We’ve built a new gym, created new fields, a track, and now we’re putting in a turf field. Even more important is the attitude. We finally have some real school spirit. When girls’ soccer and volleyball made the playoffs, a couple of my buddies and I painted our chests and showed the other teams what real cheering sounded like. I’ve played soccer with guys from

Jeremy on the rugby field and with Amanda Pierce ’10 in Kiss Me, Kate.

Germany, Mexico, Venezuela, Canada, Japan, Korea, and the good ole’ US of A. I play rugby with an Australian, an Argentine, and athletes from many other countries. Thanks to my hard work on the field, I was Captain in soccer and rugby, won MVP for soccer, and received a 2011 McDonald’s McScholar Athlete Award. Being a part of Titan athletics has cemented my legacy here.

Another huge aspect of my WMA life has been theatre, where I’ve been involved in the musical all four years, playing Lumiere in Beauty in the Beast, Curley in Oklahoma!, Fred C. Graham/Petrucio in Kiss Me, Kate, and the Wiz in The Wiz. I love the stage. Have since I was a kid. Being part of the theatre program has allowed me to interact with a different group of people. At WMA, I’m not confined to being a nerd, or a jock, or a theatre geek. I can be everything. I can do everything. And I love every second of it.

Jeremy has been a Bicentennial Scholar since the 2008-2009 academic year and has taken full advantage of the opportunities of that program, attending luncheons with guest speakers and offcampus lectures, and traveling to Spain and Morocco in 2010. Jeremy will continue his education next year at Stanford University.

THE ACADEMY WORLD · SPRING 2011 · WMA 17

ADMISSION NEWS 2010-2011 Bicentennial Scholars

LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP INAUGURATED

F

or over 200 years, boarding at Wesleyan Academy, Wilbraham Academy, Monson Academy, and Wilbraham & Monson Academy has been a treasured tradition. Generations of alumni have benefited from the enriching experience of living and learning together. To carry this tradition on for future generations, the Academy has inaugurated the Legacy Scholarship.

This $10,000 boarding scholarship has been established for the benefit of children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews of Academy alumni who qualify for enrollment.

contact Robyn Boyer, Director of Admission. She would love to share all the benefits of an Academy boarding experience with you and your family. Robyn can be reached at 413.596.9115 or via email at rboyer@WMA.us.

WHY BOARD AT WMA? Among the most common responses we get when we ask this question of alumni are the following: Q Lifelong friendships forged in the dormitories Q The continuation of a family tradition, one shared with

many WMA alumni Q Access to our 300-acre campus with collegiate-level

The scholarship is awarded to a select number of boarding applicants applying for grades 9 through postgraduate who are a legacy of WMA alumni. Students must qualify for admission to the Academy and have demonstrated academic and social leadership skills. The scholarship is renewable each year a student matriculates at the Academy and remains in good academic and social standing. Families who are eligible may also apply for need-based financial aid.

facilities and the only virtual trading floor on the highschool level in the country Q Unique experiences that exist during evening and weekend activities, which further intellectual curiosity, inspire personal growth, develop leadership skills, and prepare students for college life as only a boarding community can Q Close connections with residential faculty and students from over 20 different countries

There is no separate application required. If you are interested in learning more about today’s Academy and its mission to educate global citizens and leaders, please

For more information on our programs, curriculum, and the application process, please visit our website, www.WMA.us.

WMA 18 · SPRING 2011 · THE ACADEMY WORLD

Spotlights Trading Center as part of their “Stock Market Game”. She is already working to extend this opportunity to other school systems in the area.

TRUSTEE SUSAN YESLEY AWAD

S

uzy is the mother of three boys, Will ’12, Gabe ’17, and Aaron, (Reed Academy Framingham, MA, ’15). She is a third generation educator. After earning degrees from the University of Rochester ’87 (B.A., Psychology Cum Laude & Certificate in Management Studies) and Lesley University (M.Ed., Elementary Education), she began her teaching career in Massachusetts in the Walpole public school system. There, she was recognized nationally as an outstanding first-year educator by the Sallie Mae Corporation. While in Walpole, she piloted one of the first nationwide classroom-to-classroom internet programs sponsored by The National Geographic Society.

In 1990 she returned to her hometown of Newton to teach in its public school system. While there, she established a reputation for developing creative teaching techniques.

Upon the birth of her first son, Will, she began her current career as a full-time mom, while remaining active in the ever-changing educational system. She has enjoyed being a liaison between WMA and the Longmeadow Public Schools, organizing a 5th grade field trip to visit the new Shenkman

WELCOME ANDREA ROBBINS

A

ndrea has joined the WMA Development Office as Associate Director of Alumni Relations after serving in the Alumni Offices at UMass Amherst, Wellesley College, Regis College, and Pine Manor College.

As Assistant Director of Alumni Programs at the UMass Amherst Alumni Association, Andrea was responsible for coordinating and implementing the university’s largest alumni programs, including Reunion Weekend, Homecoming Weekend, and the Distinguished Alumni Awards held at the State House in Boston. In collaboration with the marketing and communications office, she created interactive online event tools through various social media outlets and assisted in the planning and execution of over 340 events in 2010.

When asked about her new role, Andrea said, “I’m excited

As a mother, Suzy has found both great challenge and great reward in advocating for her children, especially her middle son Aaron (“Ari”). Though he is a bright student, the Awads soon learned that a traditional learning environment was not best suited to his particular needs. Constantly facing a system forced into a reactive manner, Suzy was able to use her background in education to change the system to work proactively for Ari. With the support of the Longmeadow schools, Ari has made tremendous progress, and he will hopefully be living closer to home during the ’11-’12 school year. Both Suzy and her husband Bill are very proud of their three sons and appreciate them for their unique talents and abilities.

Suzy is honored to be joining the Board of Trustees. She looks forward to helping the committee in its pursuit to build for the future. With a strong interest in cultural diversity, she is excited about the Academy’s current direction of becoming known as “The Global School®”. As both a parent and an educator, she hopes to be an asset to WMA, which she describes as, “a school which recognizes its students for their diversity as well as their potential and takes pride in providing a rigorous environment and curriculum to help them on their journey toward become our future leaders.”

to join the WMA Team and look forward to implementing new programs that allow for greater alumni engagement and participation”. As soon as she arrived on campus in late March, she dove right into planning for Reunion Weekend 2011, which will welcome our alumni back to campus June 10 &11. Andrea’s experience and background in Alumni Relations will play a key role in developing and shaping events that engage alumni and students, as well as the larger WMA community. Please feel free to contact her with your ideas and welcome her to the team. Andrea can be reached at arobbins@WMA.us or at 413.596.9118.

THE ACADEMY WORLD · SPRING 2011 · WMA 19

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WMA 20 · SPRING 2011 · THE ACADEMY WORLD

JUNE 10 &11

Come Together!

REUNION 2011

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT REUNION WEEKEND, AND TO REGISTER ONLINE, PLEASE VISIT WWW.WMA.US/REUNION

Global School 庐 The

SUPPORT THE WILBRAHAM & MONSON ACADEMY 2010-2011 ANNUAL FUND Our reputation for excellence in education depends on you!

Make your gift to the Wilbraham & Monson Academy 2010-2011 Annual Fund today.

THE ACADEMY WORLD 路 SPRING 2011 路 WMA 21

Seoul & Shanghai Development Travel

Pictured right are Yulia Jin and his wife Min Yang (Charles ’12) with Rodney and Rich. Mr. Jin organized our WMA parent reception for the Shanghai region.

O

ur WMA parent families in the beautiful cities of Shanghai and Ningbo in mainland China were very welcoming. Head of School Rodney LaBrecque and Director of Development Richard Rodgers enjoyed their first visit very much.

A regular destination for our Global School student international travel program, Seoul offers a cosmopolitan and international milieu for business, education, and cultural experiences. This is especially true when student families and our many South Korean alumni generously give their time and energy to open doors and provide access to places many Westerners would miss.

While in Ningbo, Mr. Ke Wang (Sho, ’13) provided a tour of a vertically integrated apparel brand, part of the large Shan Shan Group of China. Students on the 2011 WMA China trip will get a first hand look at apparel design, manufacturing, marketing, and retail in Asia thanks to contacts like Mr. Wang.

S

eventeen parents and nine alumni turned out for a January 2011 reception in Seoul organized by the South Korean Mothers’ Group, coordinated by Mi Jung Kim (Sea Yoon Park ’11). Rodney and Rich gave short presentations about life at WMA, updating parents and alumni on campus projects and successes, and answered questions from the families.

Above right: Back row, from left: Byung Ro Seo (Seo ’11), Rodney, Sang Ho Kwak (Joomes ’11), Dr. Chang Han Lee (Jon ’12), Jae Hong Park (Sea Yoon ’11), Rich, Man Soo Han (YoonGu ’13), Dr. Won Ho Chung (Ryan ’12). Front row, from left: Eun Ju Seong (Seo), Mi Jung Kim (Sea Yoon), Dr. Young Gil Rha (Jon), Min Hee Kim (Joomes), Ahyoung Chyun (Jong-Il ’11).

Back row, from left: Yong Sook Im (Ji Hoon ’13), Rodney, Rich. Front row, from left: Jong Sook Park (Patrick ’13), Kwi Young Chae (HanNa ’13), ChoonJa Chae (YoonGu), Tae Myung Lee (ChangMin ’13), EunKyung Lee (David ’12).

WMA22 22 · ·SPRING SPRING2011 2011· HEAACADEMY CADEMYW WORLD ORLD WMA · TTHE

Passages

B

ill Griffin, a graduate of the Wilbraham Class of 1968, passed away on March 22, 2011, at his wonderful home near the sea in Weekapaug, Rhode Island. He is survived by Linda Griffin, his wife of thirty years, their daughter Ashley, and his mother Marjorie Griffin.

The cause of death was brain cancer, an illness that Bill overcame in 1995 after several months of treatment, but which reappeared several months ago.

Bill entered Wilbraham Academy in the eighth grade, and by all accounts found himself and thrived as a boarding student. It is worthy of note for his future career that Bill’s major extracurricular activity was as a member and then President of the Student Project, a student-led program started after World War II that raised money for scholarships for international students from war-torn Europe, a mandate that was broadened to include domestic students during his presidency. Bill was also an enthusiastic member and ultimately captain of the J.V. Tennis team.

Bill attended the University of Connecticut and majored in history, earning a B.A. degree with Highest Honors. He began a career in development work at Briarcliff College and joined Browning Associates in 1976. Browning acted as a consulting firm particularly focusing on private schools, providing guidance on strategic planning, fundraising, and governance matters. Bill became President of Browning in 1990, and Chairman in more recent years.

These professional skills served WMA well when Bill became a Trustee of the school in 1987, and one of his early tasks was to serve as head of the search committee that selected Richard C. Malley as Head of School in 1989. Bill also brought us a strong sense of purpose and character.

While he was always positive and polite in his interaction with people, he could be quite direct when he thought it appropriate. During his tenure, the finances of the Academy were stabilized, governance was improved, and continued on page 25

WILLIAM A. GRIFFIN ’68 1950 - 2011 BOARD CHAIR 1992-1997

I

have known Bill since the mid-sixties when he was a student at Wilbraham and I was a member of the faculty.

Our paths have frequently crossed ever since, primarily in the nineties when Bill was Chair of the WMA Board of Trustees and I was Chair of the Finance Committee.

Bill loved the Academy and served it well as a member and Chair of the Board during some difficult years.

As a consultant to independent schools, he was very knowledgeable and persuasive about how schools should operate, particularly about how a board and a head of school should work together. As a result, he brought much-needed, skilled management and oversight to the Academy. He was an outstanding board chair.

Bill was a wonderful person in so many ways. He was loyal, steadfast in his values, idealistic but pragmatic, brave and resilient in responding to his childhood and later illnesses, perceptive and forceful as a leader, caring as a friend, generous in his philanthropy in support of the Academy and other causes dear to his heart. I will miss him, as will many others.

RICHARD P. GOLDMAN

FORMER FACULTY, TRUSTEE 1988-2005 Donations in memory of Bill Griffin can be made to the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Annual Fund or to the William A. Griffin ’68W Scholarship Fund

THE ACADEMY WORLD · SPRING 2011 · WMA 23

ELIZABETH BRADFORD HOWE LINCOLN 1918-2011 ART TEACHER 1978-1980

PETER LINCOLN ’59 REMEMBERS HIS MOTHER

W

e note with sorrow the passing of Betty Lincoln at her home on February 28, after a brief illness.

She was 93.

Betty was a WMA art teacher from 1978-1980 and was the wife of English teacher, the late Roger N. Lincoln, whose 42-year tenure ran from 1938-1980.

She was the granddaughter of Edwin Howe, Wesleyan Academy Class of 1878, mother of five Wilbraham graduates, Pete ’59, Mike ’62, Tim ’68, Boz ’72, and Nancy ’75, and grandmother of two, Ted ’99 & Thom ’01 Lincoln.

After the couple married in 1941, they made their home in a 1st floor Rich Hall apartment until 1947. During the war years, there were numerous young couples living on campus, and their two eldest sons enjoyed the dorm and the campus as their playground. Roger was advisor to the school newspaper, The Atlas, and Betty’s illustrations livened up many an article.

After leaving the Academy, Betty continued her friendships and correspondence with many WMA faculty, especially Phil & Florence Shaw. In retirement the two couples spent many happy hours at Deer Island in Maine and at the Shaws’ home in Florida.

In 1948, Roger built a unique homestead in Ware, Massachusetts, and the couple lived there the rest of

their lives, eventually raising six children. Betty began to supplement the family income by offering art classes to children, and also intricate adult instruction in tole work for tray painting.

After gaining acclaim from The Famous Artists School in Westport, Connecticut, in the late ’50s, Betty embarked on a prolific and eclectic career. Even while teaching in the Ware Public Schools, she produced a remarkable number of oils, water colors, charcoals, etchings, lithographs, block prints, and tiles using a variety of talents and techniques she honed from taking classes at UMass, in Springfield, and in Petersham.

In her 80s, she developed an interest in sculpture, especially the “lost wax” technique. A bust of her husband is on display today in Gill Memorial Library. In 2005, she published a retrospective of her works, Here’s Ware and Elsewhere.

Betty was generous with her work. She often donated pieces to charities for auction and to local establishments to enhance their décor. She eagerly took up the challenge of consignments.

Her three favorite artistic subjects were her house and family, the Town of Ware, and the Quabbin Reservoir area – her father’s ancestral home since 1710. She was fascinated by trees, and sometimes incorporated them into scenes where no tree actually existed!

WMA 24 · SPRING 2011 · THE ACADEMY WORLD

Passages RON SANSOUCI

1919-2010 EQUIPMENT MANAGER 1984-2009

R

on Sansouci was a true father figure in the Academy’s Athletic Department during his tenure at WMA. He was an “old school” employee with sound core values. He was dedicated to his work and devoted to the Academy. One could tell time by watching Ron’s work-day patterns!

Ron loved his work, loved being involved with the Academy.

He would even go so far as to return to the equipment room on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings (after church, of course!) to soak the dirt and the grass stains out of the team uniforms to ensure that WMA student-athletes had stain-free uniforms to wear for the next contest.

Ron’s longevity can be calculated by the number of Equipment Room locations (including the Smith Hall basement) to which he migrated while at the Academy, never complaining about any of the five transitions! He was an employee for so long that his original application disintegrated! People lost track of his age and would commonly ask: “How old is Ron anyway?” We did get a close-to-accurate count somewhere around his 80th birthday and had a party for him, thinking that he would want to retire. He finally did, nine years later!

SKIP JAROCKI, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS 1996-2010 GRIFFIN continued from page 23 fundraising efforts were broadened. After he left the Board, Bill continued to provide advice and suggestions. He and his family were also generous contributors. Over several years, they funded the William A. Griffin ’68W Endowed Scholarship Fund and had a special interest in keeping up with renovation needs for Morrow House.

Other organizations beyond WMA also benefited from Bill’s sense of social responsibility. He led many projects for his church - United Congregational Church of Montclair New

I

met Ron Sansouci in 1984 while I was working as Assistant Director of Athletics, and right from the beginning I knew that there was something special about this man.

When he introduced himself, Ron explained that he was a retired farmer who was “bored” and needed something more to do. You see, Ron was looking to keep busy as our new equipment manager and filling his time with this new third job. He was already working at a laundromat five days a week from 6:00-10:00 p.m. and Sundays, along with raising a garden and taking care of his many fruit trees.

Ron was a proud man and someone whom I came to respect and admire. I worked with Ron for about 15 years, and I never once saw him get impatient with ‘his kids’. My heart sank when I heard about Ron’s passing, but I smile when I think back about our time together. He was my friend, and I thank God that I was able to share my life with him.

PAUL JETTE, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS 1988-1994

Jersey - and was an active trustee of the Montclair YMCA. In Rhode Island, he was a Trustee and Chairman of the Board of the Weekapaug Foundation for Conservation, and a Trustee of the Westerly Land Trust.

Wilbraham & Monson has lost a valued friend. We shall miss Bill, and we celebrate his life of service. Our thoughts are with his family.

PETER C. LINCOLN ’55

CHAIR OF THE BOARD 1997-2004

THE ACADEMY WORLD · SPRING 2011 · WMA 25

33 WILBRAHAM

Dr. S. J. Beale writes, “Paula and I have been married for 71 years. We have 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren ranging in age from 3 months to 20 years.

36 WILBRAHAM

Wallace M. Ripley Jr. let us know that he has sold his 9-acre “ranch� and moved to Gold Country Retirement Community. Wallace is 92 and says, “My hearing and eyes aren’t so good, but otherwise I’m quite well.�

39 WILBRAHAM

Capt. Lefteris Lavrakas has celebrated his 91st birthday. He lost Billy Jayne, his wife of 66 years, in May 2010. He remains interested in education. He is proud of having earned a PhD and serving on active military duty in WWII, Korea, & Vietnam.

41 WILBRAHAM

The Honorable Kent B. Smith ’44W

William S. Beamish Jr. is living at Sewall Point in Stuart, Florida, and says he “enjoyed a meeting with the great Mr. Blake, a neighbor of a friend of mine living on Hutcheson Island.�

44 WILBRAHAM

Galway Kinnell, who received the 2010 Wallace Stevens Award, A will be the WMA Commencement Speaker this year.

50 WILBRAHAM

Dr. Robert K. MacLauchlin, Professor Emeritus, Colorado State University says he is still re-living his second return to WMA in 60 years. “Reunion 2010 was wonderful! Being with my classmates again brought back so many meaningful memories of the past! The clock ‘literally stopped!’�

Recently, Bob received the Legion of Honor A Award from his Fort Collins, Colorado, Service Club.

The award was given for 35 years of perfect club attendance and Bob’s commitment to local service projects.

52 WILBRAHAM

J. Lawrie Hibbard Jr. retired in 1996 after 35 ½ years with the NY DOT and 10 years off and on with the Vermont DOT during the ’50s and early ’60s. The last 6 years he was the bridge maintenance engineer for 642 state bridges around Albany, NY. He writes, “After a 2-year search, Sally and I purchased a 12 ½ acre lot in Feura Bush, 10 miles southwest of Albany, and built a new house in 2003.

Over the last three years, we’ve produced enough maple syrup from 240 taps to give to neighbors, friends, and relatives.�

Richard P. vonHoorn says, “Old age brings out the urge for warmer climates – enough with the cold snow and chance of broken bones.

We plan to spend the remaining cold weather in warmer Swanson, North Carolina, where our pooch Skippy loves to walk on the beach and sniff to his heart’s content.�

You can find this portrait of the Honorable Kent B. Smith on the wall in Courtroom #1 in the Hall of Justice in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was installed there Raymond H. Walke is still working November 30, 2010.

25 hours a week as Mining/ Civil/Environmental Engineer. He WILBRAHAM teaches a variety of subjects two Hampton Irwin is sorry that he nights a week: microbiology, math, won’t be able to join classmates anthropology, French, and Russian.

Dick Bellows and Eddie Shore After losing Nellie in 2002, Ray at Reunion this year. Dr. Irwin married for the 4th time, Louise D. is retired and staying active by Walke of Illinois. He remains an running along the Spokane River avid camper, dancer, and gardener. three times a week and swimming at the Spokane Club in Spokane, WILBRAHAM Washington. He is also involved Carl F. Mitchell and his wife Angela as a supporter of organizations celebrated their 50th wedding that serve young people in his anniversary this year. They have 4 community.

48

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WMA 26 ¡ SPRING 2011 ¡ THE ACADEMY WORLD

children and 6 grandchildren, and they are enjoying retirement in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Paul Zarynofff wrote to let us know that his brother Sergay ‘57 had passed on. “Both Sergay and myself enjoyed our Wilbraham & Monson experience.� Paul has just published a book titled Confessions of a Thirteen-Year-Old Forger, r which will help young people understand the experience of growing up during WWII. He would love classmates who are interested to read it. You can email him at zarynoff@comcast.net.

55 WILBRAHAM

Dr. Tom Magill and his wife Marjorie celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in September with a two-week cruise from Dover, England, to Monte Carlo, Monaco. They have two children, Catherine and David, and three grandchildren.

57 WILBRAHAM

Bill Faulkner took a volun-tour to Vietnam where he joined one of his nieces and 26 others on visits to orphanages and schools in Hanoi, Sapa, and Hoi An. In addition to providing the children with gift bags of toothpaste, backpacks, games, and toys, the group entertained and worked with the youngsters and teachers.

Joan and Joe Merritt spent time in Michigan this year visiting Nancy and Brooks Cheney and will be visiting Italy and France in 2011.

58 MONSON

Roger E. Adams Jr. is in his 36th year at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School as a teacher, coach, adviser, and mentor. He says, “I am involved with the United States of America Track and Field, coaching youth distance runners. I’d like to hear from Monson alums from ‘55 ‘58. Contact me at radams@st-adrews.org.�

58 WILBRAHAM

Dr. Lee C. Sirois retired from American International College in 2001 but has taught several

statistics courses at Stony Brook University in New York over the past few years. He writes, “We sold our house in Wilbraham after 43 years and are now officially residents of Florida. We still spend summers on the east end of Long Island in an old cottage that has no heat and no foundation – we call the house “Up and Downs� because the floors are anything but level. It’s a great location, though, and our 2 sons Ken and Mike and their wives Diane and Alicia (3 of them teachers) along with all 4 grandchildren spend their summers with us. It’s crowded but we love it.�

61 MONSON

John A. Brockway reports he is enjoying his grandchildren and travel as well as volunteering locally and in New Orleans, New York City, and Nicaragua. “Life is good, and I am looking forward to our 50th Reunion.�

Senior Software Developer until his “retirement� this past fall. Loran is now exploring his next venture.

69 WILBRAHAM

Roger L. Wallace received the first Norma Jean Anderson Civil Rights and Academic Achievement Award A in January 2011 at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast.

The award was presented by RaDAR (Race and Discipline Action Rights), a community group that monitors and analyzes data about the frequency of disciplinary action among white and black students in the Amherst public schools.

70 WILBRAHAM

Greetings to all, especially the Wilbraham Class of 1970 from Chet Marcus. He wrote this spring, “I leave for a 370-day tour in Iraq in a few weeks; if you want to follow my travels, go to Facebook Chet Marcus. I will be serving with the 77th Sustainment Brigade as their Public Affairs NCOIC (nonWILBRAHAM John Adan and his wife Joan Price- commissioned officer in charge).

Adan are continuing their retirement A hearty hello to Rob Kornfield and all the old Wilbraham gang. years in Panama! John is looking Remember, peace is not an option, forward to tending to his vegetable you have to fight for it.� garden year round and traveling. He is also looking forward to using the WILBRAHAM three years of Spanish he studied Donald Holway is retired from while he was at the Academy. If the Florida Fish and Wildlife classmates want to reach John, Commission - Divison of Law his Denver phone number will be Enforcement. He and his wife Sally moving to Panama with him. are living in Punta Gorda, Florida.

During the summer, Don operates WILBRAHAM a charter fishing business on Cape Gunter M. Glass retired from IBM Cod. 9/30/2010 after a career of 38 years in Human Resources. Life is good! A freshly minted grandfather, Dr. Jeffrey Miller spent much of his career on the faculty at the WILBRAHAM Medical College of Virginia where Chris Cronin, Director of Major he discovered and sequenced two Gifts, visited with Loran Kary at genes involved in allergic reactions.

Buck’s Restaurant in Woodside, For the past 18 years, he has California. Buck’s is a local Silicon operated a private medical practice Valley landmark where many in Litchfield County, Connecticut. venture capitalists have brokered Jeff raises Labrador retrievers and deals with eager entrepreneurs. plays cello in two ensembles.

An entrepreneur himself, Loran developed a film-editing software Kevin J. Monahan has been product called FilmLogic through his teaching and coaching for 33 years company Focal Point Systems. After and continues in those jobs in selling his product to Apple, Inc. Florida. He says, “My son is now in 2001, Loran worked there as a

62

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63 67

73

13 years old and hopefully will be a postgrad at WMA someday.

If anybody is ever in Naples, please give me a call.�

75

Doug Osmond, a senior officer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees based in Nairobi, Kenya, stopped by campus during his vacation.

Doug had a chance to check out our Global Studies program and talk with Rodney LaBrecque and Walter Swanson, Director of CEGS.

76

Deacon “Dyke� Hoy has fond memories of his time at the Academy. He writes, “I was fortunate enough to play on an outstanding football team and was named All American in lacrosse. I now go by the first name “Deacon� but all of my friends at WMA called me Dyke. I went on to get my BSBA in finance from Boston University’s School of Management, and I am the Director of Corporate Relocation at Citi Habitats, Inc. based in Manhattan.

The full details are on Facebook.�

Chris Cronin, Director of Major Gifts, with Loran Kary ’67

78

Congratulations to Sarah Yoffa, whose ebook Coming Home was published last November.

A work of Jewish fiction, it’s the story of Dickie, a professional thief whose life is turned around by his meeting with Leah and her six-year-old charge Itzick.

Cynthia St. George reports that 2010 was a joyous year with son Nick’s April wedding, son Jule’s May graduation from Skidmore, and her July knee replacement operation. She says, “I waited 32 years for this...in time I’ll be able to join the alumnae soccer games. Love to all.�

80

Ajay Melwani, his wife Anju, son A Ayush, and daughter Saumya visited with Assistant Director of Admission Wendy Bradley when she was in Mumbai, India, at the T S Fair in November.

TAB

THE ACADEMY WORLD ¡ SPRING 2011 ¡ WMA 27

Ajay Melwani ‘80 and his family

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81

Brent Todd is currently working for an insurance subsidiary of GE in Beverly, Massachusetts, as a litigation risk analyst. He wrote, “I spent many years living and working in Manhattan, where I met my wife. We decided to raise a family and moved to Concord, New Hampshire. We have two terrific boys. In Concord, I’m board chair and president of Vision for Concord 2020, a local nonprofit group focused on transportation, economic, and quality-of-life issues.”

Barry Maloney ’85

Jack Laohaprasit ’97 and Pim

83

Following the earthquake in Japan, alumnus Sean Morgan ’83 posted a plea to his friends on Facebook. His sister-in-law Gloria Christo Young ’89’s 14-yearold daughter Samantha was in Hiroshima on a school trip and they needed help getting her home.

Academy friends Marilyn Clark ’84, Christine Pilch ’83, and others contacted more friends for help.

Chip Filiault ’83 and Soon-Chul Kim ’84 came to the rescue. Soon purchased Samantha a plane ticket through his contacts at Asiana Air, and Chip had some of his friends in Seoul meet Samantha at the airport. From Seoul she was able to get a flight to the United States.

“It is amazing how social media has revolutionized the way we communicate. It makes the world feel much smaller,” says Sean.

Read more about this from Christine Pilch http://growmyco.typepad. com/company/2011/03/a-lesson-insocial-media-power.html

85 Othello James St. John

Congratulations to Barry Maloney, who has been appointed president of Worcester State College.

Barry is currently Vice President of Student Affairs at Westfield State University, where he served as interim president. His address at Prize Day last May was both entertaining and informative.

finished.” Mark hopes to return for his 25th Reunion in June.

88

Scott Dixon and his wife, Stela Burdt, are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Kieran Dixon - 6lbs., 12 oz. and 20 inches long. Scott says, “All are doing well and after a couple weeks of paternity leave, I am back to work as a resident company member with the Commonweal Theatre Company in Lanesboro, Minnesota.” Kieran’s uncle is Glenn Dixon ’93 and his grandmother is Carol Dixon, who taught for many years in the Academic Services Department.

Scott A. Faulkner reports, “I am now employed at McCamish Systems, an Infosys Company, as a Financial Service Manager. Our children are in the same school.

Abby is in first grade and Molly is in Pre-K. They enjoy riding the bus.

My wife Jamie is busy with her commercial real estate company.”

89

Todd Masnicki took time from his workday at the U.S. Trust office in Fort Lauderdale to enjoy lunch with Rodney and Director of Development Rich Rodgers while they were traveling in Florida this spring. Todd is thriving there but periodically makes trips to visit family in the land of snow!

95

Jon Giokas is practicing law in Chicago. He and his wife Laura have two daughters, Claire 4 and Elizabeth 6 months.

Julian, Marcelo, and Brian

86

Congratulations to Mark Warburton, whose doctoral dissertation has been accepted by the University of Iowa, located on the Iowa River in Iowa City, Iowa. He says, “I guess I’m finally John Giokas ’95 and family

WMA 28 · SPRING 2011 · THE ACADEMY WORLD

97

Congratulations to Kaew and Jack Laohaprasit on the birth of their daughter Pim on October 30.

Notice that Jack is wearing a vintage WMA T-shirt.

99

Congratulations to Gwen Schantz and Chris St. John on the birth of their son, Othello James St. John, known as Otto. Gwen is part of Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm, which supplies many of the Brooklyn, New York, restaurants with organic produce.

01

If you’d like to own a share in a racehorse, Frank Antonacci can help you out. The U.S. Trotting Association honored Frank in March for his outstanding contribution to the sport of harness racing in the form of innovative marketing of low-cost shares in the trotter Bourbon Slush. He developed the entrepreneurial plan as part of his MBA studies at Boston College.

Frank says, “I’m going to reach out to people in all walks of life that might have an interest in owning a racehorse or being involved in something like this. It gives them a level of entry where it’s not a major risk.”

Marcelo Muller married Lumara Rocha Passos on April 16, 2011. The festivities included a breathtaking ceremony and an all-night reception for 600 that took place outside Ribierao Preto in Brazil. The wedding party included Marcelo’s close friend, Julian Hartmann ‘99, and Associate Head of School

06

Matt D’Amaddio and Joe Martin ‘06 spoke at the WMA Class of 2011 One-Hundred-Day Celebration. They spoke about their appreciation for their Academy education, the way it built character and provided a springboard for their education and careers. They encouraged the members of the Class of 2011 to cherish their Brian Easler, also a close friend and time and their relationships at the Marcelo’s advisor when he attended Academy and to give back to the the Academy. Marcelo and Lumara school when they achieve success. plan to visit WMA as soon as they Tori D’Amato is back at WMA are able. helping to coach Girls’ JV Lacrosse this spring.

Justine Douvadjian took first place in the Armenian Youth After a brief stint at Grumman in Federation Olympics pentathlon Washington DC, Peter Jurgens has held in Philadelphia recently. begun work at Homeland Security.

Justine, who graduated last spring He’s been working in many sectors from Bryant University with a of the Homeland Security network degree in finance, works for New as part of his training.

Balance in Boston.

Terrence “T” O’Brien graduated Kelsey Ekness is helping her dad, from St Lawrence University in May biology teacher Paul Ekness, coach 2010 with a degree in government.

Varsity Track & Field this spring.

He played a very successful role on the soccer team at SLU, starting as

a defender all four years. Two weeks after graduation from SLU, T returned to El Salvador, where he was born and lived until age 4.

T continues to live in El Salvador, volunteering in educational and human service settings. He also had a chance to play with a national soccer team for a week!

Brian Race has graduated from Wheaton College and is in the process of applying to graduate programs for music. In the meantime, he’s teaching bass and cello lessons at Wilbraham Music.

T is second from the left, front row. He and other staff from Superate Inc, a Salvadorean non-profit, brought a group of high school students from economically fragile families and communities to visit Mayan ruins.

Josh Binney has been inducted into the International Honor Society in Economics, Omicron Delta Epsilon, and Phi Alpha Theta for his accomplishments in history. He was on campus in December for the Young Alumni Reception and

CUBA: A MILLION MILES AWAY Andy D’Avanzo ’07, who graduated from Brown University this spring, had the chance to spend a semester abroad last year. A fluent Spanish speaker, he opted to go to Cuba.

What follows is his account of the experience. Next fall, Andy will be teaching in Cumberland, Rhode Island, in the Teach for America program.

the people I met Cuba were the most amiable, good-humored, and open-minded I have ever known.

In addition, I had never seen such agency, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

Despite a stagnant government regime that has stifled economic growth, suppressed personal expression, and misappropriated When I look back on the four some of the country’s most months I spent in Cuba, there are valuable resources, the Cuban so many stories, images, questions, people are surprisingly content, and people that come to mind overwhelmingly hospitable, that to summarize it would be and made my time there truly completely impossible. Living in unforgettable. I stayed in a 2-floor Havana opened my eyes to an apartment one block from the entirely different world. Despite Malecón, a seawall that runs along being only approximately 90 Havana’s coast, with 8 other Brown miles away from Florida’s southern students as well as a woman who tip, I felt a million miles away. cooked for us and adopted us If it weren’t for the openness, as her surrogate grandchildren. graciousness, and hospitality of We made friends easily, despite our hosts and friends, I would have having to adjust to the thick Cuban been completely lost. In general, accents and marked cultural

differences, (I thank former WMA music teacher Sergio Castellanos for his salsa dance class, it came in quite handy!) and I quickly felt comfortable in a city that was so foreign. It was a life changing opportunity for which I will always be grateful, and I cannot wait to go back.

THE ACADEMY WORLD · SPRING 2011 · WMA 29

This is in the city of Trinidad, on the northern coast, which was formerly a huge sugar producing city, but now relies heavily on tourism. In the photo, I’m being challenged to a “drum-off” with a local conga drummer for a free copy of his band’s CD. I held my own, but in the end the CD was worth the full price.

was impressed with the new Campus seven years at WMA.” Center.

Matthew Stafford and Anna Symin Charpentier reports, “For Schmidt ‘08 were married on March the past two years, I have taken on 20, 2011. Matt has enlisted in the work with the Episcopal Diocese Marine Corps and will graduate from of Massachusetts as the Media boot camp July 1, 2011.

Coordinator and liaison of Trinity

07

Matt D’Amaddio & Joe Martin ‘06

Matt Stafford ’07 & Anna Schmidt ’08

Josh Binney ’06

NECROLOGY Charles F. Blood Jr. ‘31 Benedict F. Galas ‘36 Robert H. Grant ‘38 Warren H. Fish ‘38 Donald B. Walker ‘40 Capt. Edward M. Porter Jr. ‘41 Eward W. Irla ‘42 Richard E. Underdorfel ‘42 Kent T. Lewis ‘43 Leo W. Simard ‘44 Robert W. Stillwell ‘44 Dr. Eugene W. Beauchamp ‘45 Robert B. Sanderson ‘45

Church on Copley Square for the Hope in Action Campaign, which seeks to bring economic justice to the Greater Boston region by furthering the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals right in our own neighborhoods. The campaign brings college coaching to those who cannot afford it at a satellite campus of Bunker Hill Community College in the Villa Victoria neighborhood in the South End of Boston. The work fulfills me by using my time, talent, and treasure for the good of others, which complements my ongoing education as a health care professional.”

Michelle Majkut writes, “I wanted to update the Wilbraham & Monson Academy community on my education and future endeavors. I will receive my bachelor’s degree in international studies with a concentration in developing societies, and a minor in Spanish from Western New England College this May. In the fall I will be attending Villanova University School of Law to pursue their 3-year J.D./L.L.M program, where I will obtain a J.D. in international law from Villanova University and then a L.L.M in human rights at Birkbeck College, part of the University of London system. The Academy truly facilitated my passion for international relations and human rights, and I am forever grateful for the knowledge I gained during my

Bruce A. Leavitt ‘48 Donald L. Kaufman ‘48 Paul F. Galasso ‘49 His Excellency Krisda Arunvongse ‘50 Harry J. Pappas ‘51 Peter B. Brigham ‘51 Laurence J. LLynch ‘52 Richard A. Nadeau ‘52 Edward L. Fenton Jr. ’53 Robert E. Hyde II ‘54 Francis J. Maloney Jr. ‘57 Sergay G. Zarynoff ‘57 Philip T. West ‘58 Mr. Harvey A. Marron ‘60

WMA 30 ·

08

Emily Vincunas was named All Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for 2010. She is attending Wheaton College.

09

Kayla Peloquin represented the city of Springfield as Colleen in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

10

Victoria Mordasky, a freshman at Roger Williams University, is a member of the first-year student leadership program. She plans to minor in international relations and spend her junior year in New Zealand.

Matthew Natario is one of 40 recipients of a MassMutual Scholarship as part of the company’s Career Pathways Program.

MassMutual awarded 40 scholarships of up to $5,000 each to local students who plan to attend a regional college and pursue careers in business, financial services, or information technology.

>/,9, (9, ;/,@ 56>& Cindy and Pasco A Avery have been living in Florida for the past three years. Pasco is working for the University of Florida as a postdoctoral researcher at the Indian Rivier Research and Education Center. Cindy

Mr. Richard L. Cullison ‘61 Rev. Christopher Connell ’64 William A. Griffin ‘68, Trustee 1987-1997 Richard G. Hirsch ‘71 Harrison B. Wilson III ‘73 Jeffrey J. Ouellet ‘00 Former Faculty & Staff Mark J. Tychonievich, teacher of Latin at the Academy from 1981 to 1984 and a Smith Hall dorm parent Philip A. Sweeney, taught English at Monson Academy Ronald G. Sansouci, member of the

SPRING 2011 · THE ACADEMY WORLD

is tutoring part time at Huntington Learning Center and home schooling Josiah, who is in the third grade.

Pasco taught biology from 1988 to 1991 at the Academy.

Jonathan Shee, who taught French at the Academy from 1994 to 1998, writes, “I am in my 13th year teaching French at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Connecticut, and heading the World Language Department. I have many fond memories of my 4 years at WMA and am still in touch with some alumni.

Cheryl Wolfe, who taught art in the middle school in the 1990s, is an art teacher at Quabog Regional High School in Warren, Massachusetts. She has just completed a term of 25 years on the Quabbin Regional School Committee.

Helping Southern Vermont: Head of School Emeritus Richard Malley has been very busy during in his retirement. He is a full-time volunteer for Habitat for Humanity in Bennington, Vermont. He says hello to former students and faculty!

Recovering: Former Interim Headmaster and faculty member Fred Watts is recovering after surgery. He promises that he will be up and about in time for Reunion, when we will dedicate the Fred Watts Bench near Gill Memorial Library on June 11. In the meantime, please keep Fred in your thoughts.

Former faculty member Mark Warburton ‘86 will teach next fall at the Laurel School outside Cleveland, Ohio. Read about his doctoral degree in Class Notes.

Athletic Office from1984 to 2009 Elizabeth Howe Lincoln taught art at the Academy 1980 to 1983, mother of five alumni and grandmother of two 4VZ[ VM [OL VIP[\HYPLZ ^L YLJLP]L JVTL [OYV\NO V\Y JSPWWPUN ZLY]PJL 0M `V\ RUV^ VM H MYPLUK VY JSHZZTH[L ^OV OHZ WHZZLK H^H` WSLHZL UV[PM` [OL (S\TUP 6MMPJL (Z ZWHJL HSSV^Z ^L W\ISPZO YLTLTIYHUJLZ H[ [OL MHTPSPLZ» YLX\LZ[

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

Scott B. Jacobs ’75 Chair

Lisa Jalbert President

Mark R. Shenkman ’61M Vice Chair

Kristin Kirwan Vice President

Mahsa Khanbabai ’89 Vice Chair

Melissa Reeves Treasurer

Please direct your comments and letters to: Rita Carey, Editor Wilbraham & Monson Academy 423 Main Street Wilbraham, MA 01095

Donald J. Stuart ’73 Treasurer

Robin Farrington Cook Secretary

Michael J. Flynn Secretary

Phone: 413.596.9114 Fax: 413.596.4108 E-mail: rcarey@WMA.us

Sarah Wakelin Director, Annual Giving Parents’ Association Liaison

Suzy Awad Bruce E. Buxton David J. Callahan Krista Hanson Hyun Chong Kim ’77 James E. LaCrosse ’50W Steven P. Marcus Susan C. McKenna Kent W. Pecoy John A. Wright

THE ACADEMY WORLD MAGAZINE · SPRING 2010 PUBLISHED FOR THE ALUMNI, PARENTS, AND FRIENDS OF WILBRAHAM & MONSON ACADEMY EDITOR Rita D. Carey ADVISORY BOARD Robyn Boyer Melissa Donohue Brian Easler Robin Farrington Cook Rodney LaBrecque Richard Rodgers CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Christina Cronin DESIGN Jan Reynolds Design PRINTING Bassette Printing PHOTOGRAPHY Rita Carey Robin Farrington Cook Steve Gray ’70 Peter Howard Steven Ragnauth ’12 John Risley Matthew Risley ’96 David Ryan Dave Silver Jan Reynolds Ziter Various contributing photographers

Visit our Web site at:

www.WMA.us Wilbraham & Monson Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or age.

Wilbraham & Monson Academy is assigned to the National Register of Historic Places.

The area named the Academy Historic District consists of thirty buildings, twenty-four of which belong to the school.

TRUSTEES EMERITI Eric W. Anderson Richard S. Fuld ’64W Alan N. Hall William E. James ’64W Nitya Pibulsonggram ’58W Frederic A. Rothery

JOIN THE WMA

ONLINE COMMUNITY!

Have you changed your email address? Email alumni@WMA. us with your current contact information and receive the monthly Alumni eNews.

Visit our Web site www.WMA.us.

HEAD OF SCHOOL EMERITUS Richard C. Malley

BE A PART OF THE HERITAGE COURTYARD D

uring the years that the Heritage Courtyard has been situated on The Hill, Alumni have taken the opportunity to mark their legacy at the Academy through the purchase of a granite bench, granite paver, garden plaque, or courtyard brick. This is a wonderful opportunity to commemorate your time at the Academy or to honor someone important in your life here.

For further information, contact Chris Cronin at 413.596.9189 or ccronin@WMA.us.

HERITAGE COURTYARD DONATIONS $15,000 Granite Bench 5,000 Granite Paver 5,000 Garden Plaque 1,000 Courtyard Brick

THE ACADEMY WORLD · SPRING 2011 · WMA 31

WILBRAHAM & MONSON ACADEMY

Building The Global School®

THE WORLD AHEAD

THE HUBBARD LEGACY AT WMA: FAMILY HISTORY AND FACULTY OPPORTUNITIES. Lev and Catee Hubbard with the first group of Plymouth College Exchange students: Symin Charpentier ’07, Christopher Mortensen ’07, and Marc Bourgeois ’08.

L

everett Marsden Hubbard III, generally known as Lev by his friends and family, has had a long history at the Academy. Lev’s grandfather, the noted Connecticut Judge Leverett Marsden Hubbard, graduated from Wesleyan Academy in 1866 and for many years was a member of Wesleyan Academy’s Board of Trustees. His portrait currently hangs in Morrow House. Lev’s father, L. Marsden Hubbard, Jr., a distinguished banker and former long time Finance Committee Chairman of Wilbraham Academy’s Board of Trustees, graduated from Wesleyan Academy in 1901.

The Hubbard family has been a generous supporter of the Academy for decades.

In recent years Lev and his wife, Catee, have made gifts to the Academy honoring the Hubbard Family legacy. The Leverett Marsden Hubbard Fund for Faculty and The WMA/Plymouth College Exchange Fund are two funds which Lev created to expose Academy students and faculty to the world beyond the United States. To date they have made more than $160,000 in gifts to their funds, with a promise to sustain their existence through an estate gift. The Hubbards have also created a scholarship open to WMA graduates at Sweet Briar College, alma mater of Lev’s mother, Gladys Woodward Hubbard.

“My father spent some years as branch manager of his bond firm in London and came to love British culture and its peoples,” says Lev. “I knew that he would approve of an educational exchange between WMA and a British school. He would also be happy that we are broadening the scope of our faculty members’ cultural understanding by enabling them to see the world beyond our borders.”

Lev appreciates the value of a private school education. He both attended and taught at several such schools for 30 years before retiring. “Catee and I enjoy supporting the Academy because we can easily see the impact of our donations,” says Lev. “We know that our gifts to the Academy greatly improve the experience of WMA students and faculty.”

The Academy thanks Lev and Catee Hubbard for their continued support.

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