Derryfield Today, Winter 2008

> A Political Education> My Travels for Art

Winter Carnival

todayNEWS FROM

WINTER TERM 2008

Derryfield

THE DERRYFIELD SCHOOL

Vertical DreamsMembers of the eighth grade test out their skills on the climbing walls at VerticalDreams in Manchester. Derryfield students now have the opportunity to practice forthis experience on the School’s very own climbing wall. The Derryfield climbing wall isa culmination of the efforts of coach Jeff Hastings and funds raised by theParent/Faculty Association Auction and middle school students themselves.

contentsTable of

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Derryfield Today is published by the Advancement Office at The Derryfield School. If you note errors, please notify us at603.669.4524, ext. 123 or send an email to [email protected]. Correspondence may be addressed to: Director ofCommunications, The Derryfield School, 2108 River Road, Manchester, NH 03104-1396. The Derryfield School welcomes students of any race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin. The School does not discriminate in its hiring, admission policies, or programs on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or disabilities.

features

departments

WINTER 2008

FEATURES

A Political Education 14by Annie Branch

My Travels for Art 22by Hilary Foster ’81

Brent Powell 29by John Bouton

DEPARTMENTS

Message from the Head 2Around Campus 4Cougar Athletics 10Breakthrough Spotlight 12Update on Alumni 18Life After Derryfield 22Faculty Profile 29

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Steven BurkeChairBedford, NH

Nigel DonovanTreasurerBedford, NH

Craig SellersHead of SchoolManchester, NH

Cathryn Vaughn ’91SecretaryManchester, NH

John Allard ’83Manchester, NH

Bradley Benson ’78Derry, NH

Christine CikaczChester, NH

Dianne ConnollyWindham, NH

Jim DavisNew Boston, NH

L. William Davis IIHopkinton, NH

Dr. Louis FinkBedford, NH

Preston Hunter ’98Bedford, NH

Laurie LampBedford, NH

Paul LeBlancManchester, NH

Donna K. LenckiCandia, NH

Lourdes MaldonadoManchester, NH

Thomas MansonNew Boston, NH

Walter Milne ’82Manchester, NH

Constantinos MokasManchester, NH

Christopher MorganAmherst, NH

Eric NickersonWindham, NH

Jeffrey PollockManchester, NH

Janice RomanowskyHampstead, NH

Richard Sigel ’81Manchester, NH

DERRYFIELD TODAY

Annie Branch Director of Communications

Diane AllenStaff Writer

Griffin York & KrauseDesign

Puritan Press, Inc.Printing

CONTRIBUTORS

Diane Allen

John Bouton

Kate ErskineDirector, Breakthrough

Hilary Foster ’81

Bruce Berk, Rob Buchholz ’02, Lillie Green ’00, Aaron Rosenthal ’97, Irfan Rizvi, Richard Sigel ’81, Kate Stover ’08

COMMUNICATIONS BOARD

Diane Allen

John Bouton

Annie Branch

Charlotte Evans ’08

Whitney Lockwood ’00

Laurie Lamp

ADVANCEMENT

Diane Allen Alumni Coordinator

Lori Evans ’00Associate Director of

Advancement

Gail GordonAdvancement Assistant

Alice Handwerk Director of Advancement

FRONT COVER: Students enjoy the bonfire held at theend of Winter Carnival week.

INSIDE FRONT COVER: Eighth graders climbing atVertical Dreams.

BACKGROUND: Chris Hettler hands out material to hisscience class.

TOP: Concert Choir performing at the Winter Concert.

When it comes to armchair political observing, thelast several months have been a particular bless‑ing to be at Derryfield. Like the Red Sox winning

and the Patriots going to the Superbowl, intense politicalseasons arrive at regular intervals, and it was a pleasure tobe swept up in the process. I have had two experiences inparticular that stand as bookends to my learning aboutmodern American politics, and the unique place thatDerryfield and New Hampshire have in that mix.

In December the McCain campaigncontacted our school and asked if theycould hold a rally in our auditorium.He filmed an advertisement in ourlibrary while his staff created an atmo‑sphere in our auditorium that perfectlydefined retail political theater, completewith rock music upon entry (Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Good),free bumper stickers (provided you give them your emailaddress), pamphlets, plackards, signs, and other indicia of acarnival. While the Straight‑Talk Express was parked out‑side, the Nancy S. Boettiger Theater was popping insidewith bloggers two‑deep in the back row, handlers aroundthe sides, and Derryfield community members packing the440 seats, when a five‑minute MTV‑style video began to roll.The closing scene was McCain walking with Ronald Reaganwhile the announcer described his heroism. And just whenyou thought the moment could not get more charged, CurtSchilling, the famous and revered Red Sox pitcher, cameonto our stage and the assembled fans found another levelof applause. Several minutes later, McCain appeared onstage and thanked the audience for letting him come to the

Curt Schilling rally – it was a well‑timed, funny opening linethat had us on his side from that moment forward.

This past week I spent two days with Betsy Myers, theChief Operating Officer of the Barack Obama campaign, at agathering of New England Heads of Schools. She spoke elo‑quently about the grueling hours and satisfying work ofcampaign management. When she left the Clinton WhiteHouse, she swore off politics, moved to academia, and start‑ed a family. And then she met Barack. Interviewing him, she

described a defining moment as heexpressed his desire to run a drama‑freecampaign. That sentiment, combinedwith her instincts telling her that shecould be part of an extraordinarymoment in American history, convincedher to work on one last campaign. I felt

privileged to hear about life behind the scenes in a fast‑paced, successful political operation. I emerged even moregrateful for the opportunity to work in education in general,and at Derryfield in particular.

It has been wonderful to see so many of our students car‑ing about politics, and sensing that we are at an importantmoment in our country’s history. I hope this issue ofDerryfield Today gives you a good feel for how studying andlearning about politics comes alive at our school. Of course,I also hope you come back to visit and see for yourself!

headMessage from the

2 Derryfield Today – Winter 2008

“I emerged even more grateful

for the opportunity to work in

education in general, and at

Derryfield in particular.”

Craig N. SellersHead of School

Politics Alive at Derryfield

APRIL

US Admitted Student Reception 1

MS Admitted Student Reception 3

Classical All-State Music Festival 3-5

Senior Dinner 9

Washington, DC Alumni Pub Night 10

Breakthrough Saturday 12

Parent/Faculty Association Auction 12

Lyceum Gallery Reception 18

Craig Sellers Fulbright Presentation 18

New York City Alumni Happy Hour 25

MAY

Founders’ Day 2

Admission Information Night 8

Prom 9

Alumni Red Sox Game 12

Lyceum Gallery Reception 16

Spring Concert 16

Breakthrough Saturday 17

Awards Day 30

JUNE

All-School Assembly and Picnic 11

Middle School Send Off 11

Commencement 14

C E L E B R A T E

dayfounders’Come back to campus on Friday, May2, to honor the School’s Founders, hearthe Founders’ Scholar speak, and seethe presentation of the DistinguishedAlumni Award.

A P R I L – J U N E

calendareventsIMAGES FROM WINTER CARNIVAL WEEKFor more photos, visit our online gallery in the ‘Exploring Derryfield’ section of www.derryfield.org.


Clockwise from top right: Chris Hettler wins a contest for the white team. n Students gather for the bonfire. n

Rose King ’09 performs at the Moose Review. n Julia Maldonado ’08, Mallory Rinker ’08, Kathy Stull ’08, and

Lauren Satkwich ’08 dress as the Jamaican bobsledding team for Olympics Day. n School president Than Moore

’08 hosts assembly blindfolded. n Michelle Coombes lights Carrie Foster ’00, dressed as the Olympic torch.

campus


STORIES

Youth Advisory Council

Under the Lights

Student Writing Sample

Classroom News Online

Freshman Year

The Art of Writing

The Lamplighter

SCHOLASTIC ART CONTESTCongratulations to the following Derryfield

artists whose art was recognized by the

2007 Scholastic Art Awards.

Youth Advisory CouncilQuoting from their Executive Summary:“The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council wasfounded in 1999 to provide the City ofManchester with a youth perspective onpublic policy; it also works to foster astrong sense of community spirit. Thecouncil provides youth an opportunity tobetter understand how the local politicalprocess works. It also offers Manchester’syouth a voice in how city governmentoperates.

MYAC depends on unfaltering commit‑ment from all members. To be consideredfor membership a candidate must be a stu‑dent in good academic standing at one ofthe five Manchester high schools...MYAC’smission is to ‘provide the City of Manch‑ester with a youth perspective on publicpolicy while nurturing healthy citizenryhabits for the future of the community.’”

MYAC currently has 17 members, two ofwhom hail from Derryfield. Allison Fink’08, serving as chair of the council, sharesthe spotlight with Fritz Manson ’09. Eachyear the council undertakes a major pro‑ject. This year they sponsored “My FirstVote,” a vehicle used to take advantage ofthe presidential primary campaign in NewHampshire. Allison and Fritz worked withother members to formulate four majorquestions to ask the candidates: Can youdescribe when and how you were first

inspired to go into public service? Whathave you done to understand the needs ofthose who are not yet old enough to vote?As president, what would you do toaddress these needs? What have you doneto deserve “my first vote?”

Members of MYAC took these questionsdirectly to the candidates in one‑on‑onetaped interviews. The film was edited intodocumentary format with a lot of helpfrom our own Rob Fogg and can be viewedat http://video.aol.com/video‑detail/manch‑ester‑office‑of‑youth‑services‑presents‑my‑first‑vote/3797116435. It was played manytimes on Manchester CommunityTelevision. “Putting together the documen‑tary was a lot of work,” says Allison.“Politicians are busy, so you have to bewilling to work around their schedules,and that often means hours of standingaround at campaign events for just fiveminutes with the candidate. But in the end,it was a really cool experience. I knoweveryone says this, but we really are solucky to have this kind of opportunity inNew Hampshire. I hope our movieinspired some other young people to getinvolved in the political system and, mostimportantly, to vote.” Allison and Fritz willjoin other members of MYAC to meet withthe New Hampshire congressional delega‑tion in Washington, DC in April.

Around

Gold Key:Margaret Steer

Rebekah Volinsky

Silver Key:Emily Anderson

Grigoriy Androsov

Kaitlin Fink

Ali George

Jen Mandelbaum

Taylor Nagel

Rebecca Powell

Nevin Stevens

Honorable Mention:Grigoriy Androsov

Jason Berk

Sarah Dolloff

Tessa Greer

Shireen Patel

Mitchell Simon

Kim Selwyn

Tucker Westbrook

Under the Lights The Derryfield Players kicked off

the winter season with a presentationof The Dining Room, a 90‑minute studyof middle class white society. Six tal‑ented actors took on the challenge ofplaying 57 characters in 17 scenes thatboth mocked WASP stereotypes andshowed the individual motivation ofeach character. The cast made artfultransitions from scene to scene, slip‑ping seamlessly from comedy todrama, playing characters that rangedfrom impetuous children to frustratedlovers to an elderly patriarch facing hislast days.

This winter’s upper school musical,Thoroughly Modern Millie, was theDerryfield Players’ second successfulproduction of classical vaudevillianmusical theatre in as many years.Featuring a zany cast of characters andimprobable plot twists, the actors keptthe energy high throughout. MalloryRinker ’08, as Millie, led a cast of tal‑ented character actors who masteredtricky lyrics and executed dazzling

dance numbers choreographed byalumna Kate Davison ’03.

Despite the high quality of recentproductions, the players have beenhindered by an archaic lighting system.Due to the generosity of the Samuel P.Hunt Foundation, our talented thespi‑ans will soon be bathed in the glow ofa new digital lighting system. Thiswinter, Derryfield received a $20,000challenge grant, with the stipulationthat the School raise $20,000 to matchthe gift. An anonymous donor steppedup with the $20,000, but issued a sec‑ond challenge that the School raise anextra $10,000. By February, a group ofdonors with an appreciation of the artshad completed and exceedeed the chal‑lenge, raising a total of $55,500. Fiftythousand dollars will go toward replac‑ing the infrastructure for stage lighting,and the remaining balance will go to‑ward the purchase of ten light fixturesfor the new system and licensing feesfor the Summer Repertory Theatre.

The new lighting system, set to beinstalled this spring, will replace the

building’s original lights, installedwhen the performing arts building wascompleted in 1989. According to VAPADepartment Chair Laurel Devino, thenew lighting system will accomplishthree tasks: it will reduce the stressfulenvironment of not knowing if thelights will fail at any moment; it willenhance the lighting capacity of thetheatre; and the state‑of‑the‑art tech‑nology of the new digital system willgive Derryfield students the opportuni‑ty to learn stagecraft on the most up‑to‑date equipment in the industry. Thebenefits extend not only to theDerryfield community, but also to theseveral local organizations that rentour auditorium space.Given the pro‑fessional qualityof Derryfield’stheatrical pro‑ductions usingan outdatedsystem,we can’twait tosee howspectacu‑lar the per‑formanceswill beunder theglow ofnewlights.


Marcel Robinson ’09 and Colette Chretien ’09 in a scene from The Dining Room.

AROUND CAMPUS

Lauren Bradley ’09 as MissFlannery in ThoroughlyModern Millie.

Student Writing SampleA Historian’s Purpose SeenThrough Revolution WritingsThis paper was written for AP US Historyin response to the question, “Why do histo‑rians compete over the interpretation of theAmerican Revolution?”

By looking at different histories ofthe American Revolution, we can seethat historians compete over interpre‑tations of this event to change the waythe people interact with their societyand government. One historian tries tobring the founders’ faultless reputationdown to earth to prevent worship ofthem from making us afraid to changethe government. Another argues thatthe founders manipulated the lowerclass into a war to benefit themselvesin hopes that we will not allow ourprivileged leaders to control us today.The last seeks to protect the reputationof the revolution so that we will con‑tinue to believe in and uphold the ide‑als it rallied around.

In his article “Founder’s Chic,” his‑torian H.W. Brands argues that soci‑ety’s reverence of the founding fathersis unrealistic and leads to inaction inour government, and he hopes tochange society’s idle behavior by dis‑pelling that reverence. Brands givesexamples of actions of the foundersthat he believes aren’t worthy of theglowing reputation they receive.Among other things, he points out theSedition Acts of 1789, passed by JohnAdams and his federalist party, whichtried to prohibit criticism of the gov‑ernment, as proof that the foundersdid not possess the infinite wisdom

and altruism they are often creditedwith. Brands believes a growing feel‑ing that the fathers were somehowsmarter and less self‑interested thanpeople today creates too great a hesita‑tion to alter anything in their works.He discusses certain aspects of theConstitution that have grown obsoleteover time, such as the relation betweengun ownership and the militia refer‑enced in the Second Amendment, oraspects that have never really beenconsistent with the spirit of the coun‑try, like the undemocratic electoral college that we hesitate to changebecause, “we treat the Constitution asholy writ, to be parsed and glossed butnot otherwise tampered with” (110).Brands thinks that rather than idealiz‑ing the founders and treating theirworks as dogma, we should strive toemulate the courage that they showedin acts like writing the Declaration ofIndependence, and be bold enough tomake necessary changes.

Howard Zinn depicts the foundingfathers as self‑interested men who man‑ipulated the lower classes into fightingin his book, A People’s History of theUnited States, because he wants peopleto question the government’s decisions,especially when they justify them basedon what they deem the national inter‑est. Zinn writes to debunk what he callsthe “myth of the revolution,” which isthat it was waged “on behalf of a unit‑ed people” (70). He argues that theupper class started the war both toprotect their own power and wealth,against the interests of the lower class,and dismisses revered statements such

as “all men are created equal” asrhetoric tailored “to mobilize certaingroups of Americans” (73). Zinn hopesthat by exposing the way the foundersmanipulated the populace with pro‑mises of a common interest, such talkwon’t fool the people today. Zinn be‑lieves that “the use of government forclass interest…disguised by languagethat suggests all of us…have a commoninterest” still exists, and that exposingthis in our history may cause us to“look deeper than the glib statementsmade by political leaders” today (684).

Gordon Wood, in his book TheAmerican Revolution, maintains that theleaders of the Revolution fought forthe ideals put forth in documents likethe Declaration of Independence, andthat denying this hinders the fulfill‑ment of those ideals by lessening ourpride and belief in them. Wood neverexpresses any doubt about the fathers’intentions being for the common wel‑fare; in the preface he states that theRevolution was brought on “by theanticipation of oppression, by reason‑ing and devotion to principle, such as‘no taxation without representation,’”and never discusses alternativemotives (xxiv). He emphasizes in thefirst chapter what he believes are thetwo main effects of the Revolution: thepride it brought to American cultureand the democracy it produced, whichcombined to make us see “our newnation…leading a world revolution onbehalf of republicanism and liberty”(4). Wood wishes to disprove what hecalls “fashionable” criticism because hefeels it damages what came out of the


AROUND CAMPUS

revolution: “whatever sense of nation‑hood and national purpose Americanshave ever had” (xxiii).

Through examining these historians,all competing with different interpreta‑tions of the American Revolution, wecan reasonably conclude that historiansargue over the past to affect the waywe in the present view and act in ourgovernment and society. Each strives tohave a different effect through differ‑ent means; the first hopes to eliminateour hesitation to contradict the found‑ing fathers so that the country canmove forward and change; the nexthopes to teach the general populationto be wary of manipulation by leaders;

while the last wants to protect thefounders’ reputation so that the idealsthey put forth will continue to guideour country. Though some might arguethat these agendas interfere with theobjectivity that a historian should pos‑sess, Howard Zinn wisely says, “…ahistorian [is] forced to choose, out ofan infinite number of facts, what topresent, what to omit. And that deci‑sion would inevitably reflect, whetherconsciously or not, the interests of thehistorian” (683). In addition, even if itwere possible to write with such objec‑tivity, what value would mere factswithout a lesson behind them reallyhave? Although those lessons may

sometimes get in the way of the objec‑tivity of a history, as long as historianskeep competing we will be able to bal‑ance out our knowledge with differentpoints of view.

– Bonnie Frieden ’09

Works CitedBrands, H. W. “Founders Chic.” The

Atlantic Monthly Sept. 2003: 101‑110. Wood, Gordon S. The American

Revolution. New York: Modern Library, 2002.

Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2003.


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K E E P I N G U P - T O - D A T E

classroom newsonlineWant to know more about what’s happening at Derryfield every day? Check out the online news portal by clicking on ‘News & Events’on www.derryfield.org. Here are the introductions of a sampling of stories from the winter term.

Cultural Café: Making a DifferenceOn Wednesday and Thursday, March 5and 6, the sixth grade class wrapped uptheir five‑week program working withManchester’s immigrant population in

what has become a staple of the sixth grade history curricu‑lum, the Cultural Café...

Future Illustrators Learn the BasicsMany things make Derryfield rise abovethe crowd, including its ability and will‑ingness to establish innovative courses.One such course was offered this winter

term by Andy Moerlein on illustrating children’s books...

Climbing Wall: A Dream Becomes a RealityWhat began as a dream for Coach JeffHastings when he started working atDerryfield nine years ago has become areality this year. Just in time for winter

term, our very own climbing wall was installed in the gym...

Building Bridges – LiterallyWhile we have always taught our childrenthe value of building bridges in our lives,Jeff Cousineau’s Senior Honors Physicsclass has taken the lesson literally. They

have been building bridges – and then breaking them...

Freshman Year – TheBonding of a ClassThe first month or so can sometimes beintimidating for freshmen new toDerryfield as they compete for friend‑ships with other students who havecome up through the Middle School.These students have already forgedthose Derryfield friendships that seemto last a lifetime, and reunions abound.Some are lucky enough to have friendswho have also enrolled as new stu‑dents. Some have made friends withtheir “buddies” from the ConnectingFamilies Program. Others, however,have to break in the old fashioned way– get up the courage to include them‑selves into pre‑existing groups offriends or wait for someone toapproach them.

The Connecting Families Programwas put into place to help in the transi‑tion. But Mary Carter, Head of theUpper School, recognized that morewas needed. At the end of last year shecirculated a survey to all freshmen ask‑ing them what they thought couldhave been done to ease the transitionfor new upper school students andwhat they would like to see in thefuture. The results pointed to a specificprogram for freshmen featuring sever‑al opportunities for the class to playand work together – extreme bonding.

It began on a Friday night inSeptember with Pie Night. Freshmencame not only to eat the donatedpies, but to play games such asScrabble, charades, and videogames. It was a great success

in an atmosphere conducive to formingfriendships. This event was followedby a combination of Movie Night andthe Freshman Dance, complete withchicken fingers from the Backroom.The entire musical portion of theevening was organized by Alex Jenneyand Charlotte Walters, both freshmen.

October brought a freshmen retreat.Kyle and Glenda Nagel, Derryfieldparents and owners of the Chunky’sCinemas, offered their Nashua locationfor the occasion. The students gottogether for a movie and meal. Nextwas a trip to Lull Farm where theyfound their way through a corn mazeand topped off the day picking apples.Valentine’s Day presented anotheropportunity for our already‑bondedfreshman class to work as a group. Theclass took orders for carnations, candy,and singing telegrams, all of whichwere delivered to faculty, staff, andstudents on February 14.

A major focus for the rest of the yearremains getting everyone to know eachother even better, breaking down anyremaining awkwardness and meldingthe old with the new. Our studentsoften express how luckythey feel to have hadthe opportunity

to attend Derryfield. The freshmanbonding program is helping themcome to that realization sooner.

The Art of WritingThanks to funding by the E. CharlesSanborn Visiting Fellows Program,seventh graders at The DerryfieldSchool were treated to two weeks offocused instruction in the art of writ‑ing. Robert Lunn, author of TheAquanauts, required reading for theseventh grade, worked with Englishteacher Paul Keiner to increase interestin writing and to teach the creative andtechnical skills required to complete ashort story.

Beginning with an assembly for theentire grade, Mr. Lunn held his audi‑ence captive as he read the first chapterof his yet untitled sequel to TheAquanauts. They had many questionsas Mr. Lunn had finished his bookwith the main characters leaving oneworld and entering a new one. Theassembly went by too quickly and stu‑dents were anxious tospend more time learn‑ing how they, too,could become soaccomplished.


AROUND CAMPUS

Members of the freshman lcass serenade Craig Sellers as a fundraiser for Valentine’s Day.

Classes ranged from the concept ofcollecting photographs to conjure upimages for stories to finding a themefrom the characters and story asopposed to developing the theme firstand then writing around it. They spenttime on sub‑plots and sub‑text and cre‑ating a scene through dialogue.Students learned the importance ofwords and how powerful the correctlychosen word can be. They discovered amyriad of professions that one canpursue using the written word. Mr.Lunn encouraged the class to exploreall of the possibilities and offered him‑self as a mentor. “Networking is veryimportant,” he advised. “When you getto that point where you need help,whenever it may be, start with me. Iwill remember you.”

The final project for the class was foreach student to write a short story uti‑lizing the skills they had learned. Theyspent some class time peer editing andstudents were given an opportunity tomeet with Mr. Lunn one‑on‑one duringtheir study periods or after school.Changes were made, the finished prod‑

ucts were all the better for it, and ourstudents learned an important lessonin re‑writing and always striving toimprove.

Mr. Lunn leaves Derryfieldimpressed with the abilities and aspira‑tions of its seventh graders. “I wasn’tsure what they could absorb; I waspleasantly surprised.” Does he havesome final advice for our would‑bewriters? “As you continue learning towrite, your best teachers will be thebooks you read. Imitation of style isgood to begin with. Sooner or later youwill find your own voice.”

The LamplighterHaving been editor of the middleschool newspaper, MS Informer, cur‑rently known as Cougar Crier, CharlotteEvans ’08 couldn’t wait to become fullyengaged in The Lamplighter in theUpper School. Her enthusiasm, howev‑er, met a road block when she realizedthat The Lamplighter was not being pub‑lished on a regular basis. Student con‑tributers became discouraged writingarticles, only to have them go unused.At the end of her sophomore year,Charlotte published a one‑page “tabletop” version of The Lamplighter on herown, catching the eye of students andteachers alike.

Her junior year was a turning pointfor The Lamplighter. Charlotte knewthat to make the paper successful,more members of the community hadto become involved. She recruited fac‑ulty members to write articles andchallenged students not previously

considered to make submissions.Charlotte says, “Matty McCormick ’09would die if he knew I wrote a collegeessay about recruiting him to write forThe Lamplighter!” Matt’s reputation as ajock had kept him from being consid‑ered as a writing prospect. His submis‑sion, however, changed all of that.

As editor this year, Charlotte hastaken the paper to new heights, leav‑ing a legacy of excellence that will pre‑sent a challenge to future editors.Asked how much time she puts into it,she replies, “To me it is a matter ofpassion, not time.” After graduatingand taking a year to teach English inMadrid and work as a journalist inGhana, Charlotte plans to attend college and major in – what else? – journalism.


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A recent issue of The Lamplighter.

Robert Lunn reads to members of the seventhgrade.

Varsity SwimmingWomens’ Season Record: 4-12; 2nd at City

Championships, 4th at State ChampionshipsMens’ Season Record: 6-10; 1st at City

Championships, 7th at State ChampionshipsLeah Burke ’09, 2nd (200 Free) and 4th (500 Free) at StatesAdam Spierer ’09, Co-Captain, 3rd (100 Breast) at StatesMeg Steer ’09, 2nd (200 IM) and 4th (100 Fly) at StatesHannah Will ’08, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 Award

Varsity Nordic Skiing4th at State ChampionshipsGranite State Conference Sportsmanship AwardAllison Fink ’08, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 AwardKye Birchard ’08, Co-Captain, All-Conference, Class of 1970

AwardKaitlin Fink ’11, All-Conference, J2 Team, Eastern High School

ChampionshipsMatthew Porat ’10, J2 Team

Varsity Alpine SkiingWomens’ Season Record: 6th at State

ChampionshipsMens’ Season Record: 3rd at State ChampionshipsGranite State Conference Sportsmanship AwardClaudia Camerino ’09, All-ConferenceMackenzie Fleming ’09, Meet of Champions qualifierBrandon Wilson ’10, Meet of Champions qualifier

Boys’ Varsity BasketballSeason Record: 6-13Granite State Conference Sportsmanship AwardDan Carlson ’08, All-AcademicMicky Cunliffe ’09, All-AcademicChris Dupuis ’09, All-AcademicPJ Kutz ’08, Class of 1970 Award, All-AcademicMatt McCormick ’09, All-State (honorable mention),

All-AcademicAkash Vadalia ’08, All-Academic

Girls’ Varsity BasketballSeason Record: 16-7NH Championship Quarter-Finalists (Class S)Danielle Potter ’08, Co-Captain, Senior All-Star, All-State

(honorable mention), All-AcademicKathleen Reynolds ’08, All-AcademicKelly Schwarz ’08, Co-Captain, Senior All-Star, All-State

(2nd Team), All-Conference, All-Academic, Class of 1970 Award

HockeySeason Record: 7-2Ryan Clauson ’09, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 AwardCurtis Lamp ’09, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 Award

Winter wrap-upACADEMIC AND ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE

The NHIAA and NHADA recognized 15

Derryfield seniors for achieving

academic and athletic excellence at

the High School Academic/Athletic

Awards Ceremonies in February.

n Gregory Baldassarre

n Nicholas Bryan

n Daniel Carlson

n Charlotte Evans

n Allison Fink

n Jessica Ginsberg

n Sarah Kosofsky

n Julia Maldonado

n Than Moore

n Danielle Potter

n Lauren Satkwich

n Kelly Schwarz

n Cynthia Simonoff

n Akash Vadalia

n Hannah Will

The requirements for both programs

state that seniors must have

maintained a B+ average, lettered

in two varsity sports, and been involved

in leadership or service.

LEMIRE COACHES 500TH GAME

Congratulations to girls’ varsity basket-

ball coach Ed Lemire, who coached his

500th game when Derryfield took on

Pittsfield at home on January 28, 2008.

The Cougars took a 39-23 win to finish

off Coach Lemire’s first 500 games in

style.

athletics


Cougar

OPPOSITE (clockwise from top left): Ann DiPastina ’11 onthe ice for the hockey team. n Kye Birchard ’08 in a nordicmeet at Hopkinton. n Matt McCormick ’09 takes a shot in agame against Gorham. n Danielle Potter ’08 saves the ballfrom going out. n Adam Spierer ’09 doing the butterfly inthe Manchester City Invitational. n Claudia Camerino ’09tucks in for a sprint to the line. n Charlotte Evans ’08 push-es off the starting line in a nordic race. ABOVE: BrandonWilson ’10 goes for the finish in a meet at Pat’s Peak.

COUGAR ATHLETICS


In Her Own Words: Kerlyne Desire

The following was presented at last summer’sCelebration, our final summer event, by KerlyneDesire ’08, Breakthrough student and teacher.

“I have come to the frightening conclu‑sion that I am the decisive element in theclassroom. It’s my personal approach thatcreates the climate. It’s my daily mood thatmakes the weather. As a teacher, I possess atremendous power to make a child’s lifemiserable or joyous. I can be a tool of tortureor an instrument of inspiration. I can humil‑iate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations,it is my response that decides whether acrisis will be escalated or de‑escalated, anda child humanized or dehumanized.”

This quote is by Haim Ginott, an educa‑tor. Some of the faculty members mayremember me sharing this same quote withthem earlier this summer. His words meantmany things to me over the course of thispast summer. One is my inspiration toteach as a tribute to the Breakthroughteachers I had when I was a student.

It was about five years ago that I gradu‑ated from the Breakthrough summer pro‑gram. The atmosphere that night was espe‑cially intense for me because I knew that Iwould not be returning for another sum‑mer along with the sixth graders, no matterhow much I wanted to come back. But Itook advantage of every opportunity

Breakthrough offered. I went to SchoolAfter School, Breakthrough Saturdays, andvarious Breakthrough gatherings. And itwas enough for the time being, but I cameto want more – I needed more. As a sopho‑more in high school, I decided to give backto this community that equipped me withso many key tools in my educationalcareer. The best way I felt that I couldachieve this was to teach and I have beenteaching at Breakthrough Saturdays for thepast two school years and summer.

From day one, it is made clear that onceyou become a part of the Breakthroughcommunity, the program never lets you go.Before this, I had only been a part of thestudent aspect of the program. When Ireturned to teach, I was propelled intoanother world, a world that still containedloud, animated cheering, a comfortableatmosphere, and support from all. Butadded into this new world was sleep depri‑vation and the gratifying feeling of makinga difference in my students’ lives. I remaina part of this community because I knowBreakthrough not only supports studentsin their education, but helps them to buildgreat character.

Haim Ginott’s quote also means to mememories of our summer and all the expe‑riences we were able to share with oneanother. We have gone through muchthroughout this summer. We have learned


HAVE AN EXTRA ROOM?

NEED A HOUSE SITTER THIS SUMMER?

HOST A BREAKTHROUGH TEACHER!

During summer 2008, we will have eight

teachers coming from different parts of

the country to teach our Breakthrough

students. Hailing from as far away as

Mississippi, California, Maryland, and

North Carolina, each of them needs a

place to call home during their eight weeks

(June 20 – August 14) at our program.

Please contact Kate Erskine at

[email protected] if you are

interested in offering a homestay or

for more information.

spotlightFORMERLY SUMMERBRIDGE MANCHESTER

Breakthrough

Y O U ’ R E I N V I T E D

dayvisitors’See Breakthrough students andteachers in action at our sum‑mer Visitors' Days, Thursday,July 24 and Tuesday, July 29.

to take positive risks by going out onstage for the first time, trying newactivities, making important connec‑tions in our classes, and celebratingour big and small victories with ourown unique end‑zone dance.

This We BelieveThis essay was inspired by the collection ofstories entitled This I Believe, and waspresented during All‑School Assembly aspart of a continuing series of readings bymembers of the community.

We believe that one day all childrencan have access to excellent education‑al opportunities. It is this core beliefthat inspires us to do our work as edu‑cators. We are Kate Erskine and TrevorMunhall, the directors of BreakthroughManchester. You might know us asSummerbridge, and we are still thesame program that has been a part ofDerryfield for the past seventeen years.This past month we changed our nameto reflect the long‑term commitment ofour students to their educational suc‑cess. We are not just a summer pro‑gram. Breakthrough also describes theamazing moments of discovery andsuccess that young people have in ourcommunity. At Breakthrough we

expect that all students can – and will –go to college and achieve success.

We hear all the time that Americanstudents are behind other nations –China, India, Germany, Japan.... It’strue that the education system in theUnited States fails children in manyways. We believe that every childwants a successful future. Each yearwe go to fifth grade classrooms all overManchester and ask the question,“How many of you want to go to col‑lege?” Everyone raises their hand. Butstatistics tell us that only a fraction ofthose students will actually make it tocollege. Something is preventing chil‑dren from achieving their dreams.

We believe that education is aboutrelationships. We know twelve yearolds who don’t know anyone in theirfamilies or neighborhoods who went tocollege. But when they meet successfulolder students who are achieving theirgoals in high school and college – likemany Derryfield students who teach,tutor and mentor for us – suddenlythose twelve year olds see they are notso different from these role models.Academic success is within reach forevery child if they have relationshipswith people who believe in them andwill support them.

We believe that the age‑old connec‑tion between student and teacher isone of the most important human rela‑tionships that exists. And we believe ingreat teachers. We believe that thegreatest teachers are students them‑selves. The best teachers are peoplewho want to learn from their studentsas much as their students learn from

them. The truly great teachers whostand out in our minds are the oneswho engage with us as individual peo‑ple. They care about us beyond just thegrades we get in their class or howoften we raise our hand. Good teacherssee potential in their students and chal‑lenge them to reach for that potential.Sometimes that means they make uswork harder than we want to, but wetrust that teachers will help us under‑stand the world more clearly. Imaginea world where all children had greatteachers who challenged them andnurtured their abilities.

At Breakthrough we create a community where education matters –where relationships and opportunityand resources and great teachers arethe norm instead of the exception. Allof these factors help children under‑stand that they can go to college them‑selves, even if they are the first personfrom their family to do so.

Imagine how different the worldwould be if all children received anexcellent education. It’s difficult to sayexactly what a world like that mightlook like, but surely it would look dif‑ferent – arguably better. Think aboutyour own educational path. Whoinspires you to be successful? Whosupports you and applauds your suc‑cesses? Who are the great teachers inyour life? Who gives you the supportand resources you need to reach foryour dreams? Now imagine a worldwhere every person could achieve theirdreams. At Breakthrough Manchester,we believe that world is possible.

– Kate Erskine & Trevor Munhall

www.breakthroughmanchester.org 13

BREAK THROUGH SPOTLIGHT

Breakthrough students Kerlyne Desire ’08 andher sister, Sherma Desire during summer 2007.

educationA Political

Examining the Importance of Politics in Educationby Annie Branch

Bruce BerkImagine a superpower making globaldecisions without a politically involvedand knowledgeable citizenry and lead‑ership. Imagine a national economycompeting in a global one without asense of the political and cultural mar‑kets it intends to compete in. Thenimagine the increased ease of workingacross cultural boundaries with a citi‑zenry immersed and interested in thehistory and culture (and thus, politicalenvironment) of the world. Today, morethan ever, every serious educationalinstitution has a mission to inspirepolitical knowledge and involvement.

Across departments at Derryfield,we choose to make our students “cul‑tural translators,” and despite their liv‑ing in the cloistered world of NewHampshire, encourage them to be sen‑sitive to global cultures. In the longrun, we hope many of them will beable to make more measured and sen‑sible political decisions in a globalcommunity. For decades, the Schoolhas worked to deepen students’domestic and international knowledge.Derryfield’s United States History

teachers can speak to this goal throughthe study of American history. Myintent has been to inspire and ignitestudent interest in areas and issuesbeyond themselves – civic knowledgeand civic involvement are the hopefuloutcomes of these investigations, andthe bedrock to a healthy, functioningdemocracy. Whether it has been elec‑tives on Russia and the Soviet Union inthe 1980s; the issues surrounding theHolocaust or Asia in the 1990s; or tobetter understand the Middle East andglobalization in the 21st century, mygoal has always been the same: tointerest students in a world beyondtheir home, and with a commitment tosomething beyond themselves.

Kate Stover ’08Education should benefit both the indi‑vidual and a larger community. To bean informed, helpful member of soci‑ety, it is necessary to have knowledgeof the issues that face our society andhow the political system works toresolve those issues. It is the responsi‑bility of every educated person to usethe skills they have learned in order to

help change the world in some way.Political involvement is one way tobring about this change, particularly ina democratic society that relies oninformed participation by the people.An education is only complete whenstudents are aware of the ways theycan be active members of the world.

Involvement in politics as a studentis also important to an educationbecause it gives meaning to lessonstaught in the classroom. This year Iattended a seminar in which SamanthaPower discussed foreign policy issues.Hearing her speak on topics I hadlearned about in school was excitingbecause it made my education relevantto life beyond Derryfield.

Rob Buchholz ’02My foray into politics began during the2004 Presidential Election betweenPresident George W. Bush andMassachusetts Senator John Kerry. Atthe time, I had the opportunity toattend the Democratic NationalConvention in Boston, and I canremember thinking to myself, “Thereare so many people!” However, despite


In an effort to explore the importance of political involvement as part of Derryfield’s mission to create global citizens, arange of Derryfield faculty, alumni, and students were asked to answer the question, “Why is political knowledge andinvolvement an important part of education?” Their answers range as widely as their experiences.

the show of support at the conventionand all the national attention given bythe media, I was surprised to learn thatonly 55.3 percent of the country votedthat year, equating to slightly morethan one out of two eligible voters.Having witnessed this stunning lack ofvoter participation, my career in poli‑tics since that time has been imbuedwith an awareness of this larger dis‑connect between the American peopleand the politicians who representthem. Sadly, the public has come toview government not as a tool ofadvancement but, instead, as a symbolof its own disenfranchisement, causingit to become apathetic and skeptical ofits own ability to enact change.

At the same time, however, my cur‑rent experience as Assistant Clerk ofthe New Hampshire Senate hasallowed me to see that what is true ofnational politics does not automaticallyhold true when applied to state poli‑tics. As Tip O’Neil famously said, “Allpolitics is local,” and during the courseof my daily State House activity, I seeeffective government in action all thetime. As an elected officer of theSenate, I see the sacrifices that statelegislators make in order to better

serve their constituents. I have come tolearn that New Hampshire represents adeviation from the national norm, inwhich a premium is placed on a com‑mitment to thoughtful, constituent‑oriented government. Perhaps this isyet another reason why New Hamp‑shire should retain its first‑in‑the‑nation primary status.Rob is an assistant Senate clerk in the NewHampshire State Senate.

Irfan RizviThe goal of a sound education shouldbe to provide its recipients the tools andabilities to achieve a more lucid, yetnuanced understanding of the world.Through the study of history and poli‑tics, historians are consistently taskedto begin deconstructing effects and rec‑ognizing causality in both current andpast contexts. They develop and nur‑ture questions that sustain investiga‑tions not only into particular events,but across cultures, eras, and peoples.In this way, students of history andpolitics ideally recognize when causesand themes transcend specific contextsand when they do not. Moreover, oncestudents can begin to analyze and rec‑ognize patterns across political com‑munities, we can often achieve anunderstanding of our current andfuture situations with more complexityand sophistication. If we are betterequipped to break down causes andconstruct meaningful inquiry, studentsof history and politics will invariablybe well‑equipped to tackle – both onan individual and communal basis – contemporary ethical and moral dilem‑

mas. As a teacher and a student, I havealways held these principles as thepoint of origin for both my instructionand learning. However, inquiry that isconstructed with this spirit is usefulacross professions and mediums and Iplan to employ these tenets even as Idepart the classroom.

Aaron Rosenthal ’97To be politically involved and political‑ly knowledgeable is to be educatedabout the world around us. In the sixyears I’ve been involved in politics, mywork on U.S. Senate and presidentialcampaigns and now, for a U.S. senator,provides regular intellectual, ethical,and social challenges. Derryfield’sStatement of Philosophy says thatDerryfield seeks to guide students’“development of analytical, indepen‑dent thinking skills; and to foster eachchild’s social, emotional, and ethicalgrowth.”

Political involvement requires us touse the same skills taught and prac‑ticed at Derryfield. In both instanceswe are asked to listen, learn, and cometo conclusions about a variety of topics.We are asked to use logic, reason, and,occasionally, our instincts to define anddefend our stances on issues rangingfrom global warming to health care.Each time we do this, we learn moreabout the world around us, the peoplewe interact with, and ourselves. It is byobserving these debates and havingour own political discussions that wecan learn and become engaged in theworld we live in.Aaron works for Senator Barbara Boxer.


A POLIT ICAL EDUCATION

Lillie Green ’00 with Governor Lynch.

Lillie Green ’00Each year, approximately 750 bills areintroduced by the New Hampshire leg‑islature. Of course, only a fraction ofthese actually become law and at leastsome of them impact most of us.Understanding key legislative initia‑tives, such as school funding, is impor‑tant. In many ways the future of ourstate may depend upon critical newlaws that affect broad areas such as edu‑cation, health care, privacy, and taxes.

I think that political involvementand education are a matter of personalresponsibility. Laws are passed bypoliticians elected by all of us. It is upto us to decide who will serve as ourvoice. But regardless of who serves inoffice, we all have the ability to becomeinvolved and make a difference.Legislators, as well as the governor, dolisten and are influenced by con‑stituents. Although I will be leavingpolitics this fall to attend the JohnsonSchool of Management at CornellUniversity, I know that I will remainwell informed and will be an activeadvocate for legislative initiatives thatwill strengthen our state.

Working in politics for the last sev‑eral years has been a phenomenal learn‑ing experience for me. I have beenextremely fortunate to have worked foran incredible administration. GovernorLynch is honest, fair, and always hasthe best interests of New Hampshirecitizens in mind. This is not always thecase.Lillie is an Assistant to Governor Lynch.

Richard Sigel ’81My mother, a pediatrician known,among other things, for her socialadvocacy, idealism, and slightly darksense of humor, frequently greetedpeople with the question, “So, haveyou saved any lives today?” She meantit metaphorically of course, but comingfrom a doctor, it nevertheless set a highstandard of achievement for a success‑ful day. This standard may have hadsomething to do with my ending up inpolitics and government. Good policiescan help save lives, and good policiesflow from politics.

Politics is the process through whichwe harness public will to bring aboutchange and turn ideas into action, firstby electing people committed to a setof ideas and then using the power ofoffice to implement those ideas. BillMoyers (a former political operativehimself) said, “Ideas are great arrows,but there has to be a bow. And politicsis the bow of idealism.” The realitythat ideas alone don’t bring aboutchange without the bow of politics isprecisely why political knowledgeshould be an important part of educa‑tion. Knowing how the political pro‑cess works, understanding themechanics of elections and legislating,appreciating the give‑and‑take of com‑peting priorities, and having the abilityto evaluate information critically andpersuade others – these are the skillscitizens need to elect good leaders whowill, in turn, implement good publicpolicy. Just as important, if peoplearen’t well‑versed and engaged in thepolitical process, the process will be

controlled by others who are, and theirinterests may be very different fromyours or mine.

For a number of years before shepassed away in 2004, my mother, alongwith many others, had been workingon the issue of childhood lead poison‑ing, raising awareness about its dan‑gers and advocating for stronger laws.Governor Shaheen had supportedreform, but the legislature was notwilling. It took the bow of the historic2006 election, with its overwhelmingreelection mandate for Governor Lynchand change in the legislature, to makethe political environment right forchanging the lead laws. GovernorLynch championed the change, and abill passed the legislature in 2007. Thenew law doesn’t solve all childhoodlead problems, but it makes solidprogress. And we can hope it will savesome lives.Richard is Chief of Staff for Governor Lynch.


A POLIT ICAL EDUCATION

Aaron Rosenthal ’97 in his senate office.


alumniThe news contained in this section coversthe period of November 16, 2007 – March24, 2008. For more recent news, or to posta note, please log on to the Derryfield Portalat www.derryfield.org.

1968Scott Ekman updates us, “I’ve beendivorced (amicably) for three years, havethree granddaughters, ages 5, 8, and – Godhelp me – 13. I will be teaching them howto fish this spring. My webshots albumscan be accessed at: http://community.web‑shots.com/user/scottydsc. Please visit! Iused to be a semi‑pro bass fisherman andpro guitarist, but stuff happens. I have hadtwo fusion surgeries (2003 and 2005) and atriple bypass (2007). I’m still beating theodds, though.”

1969Ellie Goodwin Cochran tells us that shehas a new title at New HampshireCharitable Foundation, Director ofRegional Philanthropy. It is a new positionwhere she is part of the PhilanthropicServices Management Team and supervisesthe Senior Foundation Officers. She is stillhandling the Manchester and NashuaRegions, so it is a great way to start off thenew year.

1972Gary Hirshberg can now add “author” to his resume. The owner and CEO ofStonyfield Farm in Londonderry, NH, Gary has recently been on a book tour pro‑moting his latest brainchild, Stirring it Up;How to Make Money and Save the World.Gary has long been committed to makingthe world a better place, and his new booksends that message loud and clear.Incidentally, the book is printed with 100%post‑consumer waste fiber versus virginfiber paper.

In MemoriamDerryfield alumna Deborah Brock

Cockrill ’80 passed away on December

30, 2007 after a 12 1/2-year battle

with breast cancer. After graduating

from Derryfield, Deborah earned a

degree from Mary Baldwin College in

Staunton, VA. She worked as a corpo-

rate risk manager in the insurance

industry in Maryland for many years.

Deborah is survived by her parents,

retired New Hampshire Supreme Court

Chief Justice David Brock and Sandra

Brock; her husband, John Cockrill; chil-

dren, Emily, Alec, and Patrick; as well

as five siblings.

Update on

Kiera Elizabeth Bourgeois, new daugh-ter of Erin Perry Bourgeois ’89 andJonathan Bourgeois ’89.

Proud dad John Allan ’90 with son Cooper and newdaughter, Julie.


1973Thomas Sadler writes, “Beth and Iwere married on July 9, 2006 on thebanks of the Madison River outside ofWest Yellowstone, MT. Beth is a travel‑ing operating room nurse, taking dif‑ferent assignments at different hospi‑tals. I now have two great additions tothe family besides Beth: stepson Matt(25) and stepdaughter Laura (22). Bothwere in the wedding. Matt gave thebride away, standing in for Beth’sfather, and Laura was the maid ofhonor. My sisters Cindy Sadler ’74 andKristen Young ’86 were also in thewedding.”

1978Congratulations to Mark Younger,who is celebrating his tenth year inbusiness. He has his own UPS Storefranchise in Plymouth, NH.

1983Danielle Currier is an AssistantProfessor of Sociology at RadfordUniversity in Radford, VA. She got herPh.D. from the University ofConnecticut in 2004. n KristenNorton Mugnai writes, “I own a smallanimal practice in Wiscasset andBoothbay, ME with two partners. Wekeep very busy and I specialize insurgery and ultrasound. I live in thevery small town of Alna with my hus‑

band George, son Cameron (12), anddaughter Clara (8). We keep busy withthe kids’ activities: basketball, baseball,math team, and band for Cameron;and soccer, swimming, gymnastics,riding, and baseball for Clara. Claraand I show our horses in the summerand we have a house full of animals.”

1984Mary Downes will be finishing course‑work for a Master’s in ResourceAdministration and Management atUNH in May and working on aresearch project this summer and fallrelated to sustainable energy and theenvironment. She has been workingwith the NH Sustainable EnergyAssociation and a few other nonprofitsas a consultant for the past year and isalways looking for new and interestingopportunities.

UPDATE ON ALUMNI

Joining Lori Evans ’00 (left) and Alumni Coordinator Diane Allen (second from left) for dinner inNashville, TN: J.J. Street, Cathy Sanborn Street ’86, John Griffith ’82, Daniela Kuftinek Shields ’82, andEric Shields.

Tom Sadler ’73 and his bride, Beth. Other Derryfield alumni in attendance were Tom’s sisters, CindySadler ’74 (second from left) and Kristen Young ’86 (third from left).

1985Matt Galvin writes, “I live in BelleMead, NJ near Princeton with my wifeKathy and our four children, Tommy(10), Emily (8), Andrew (5), and Anna(4), where I vigilantly guard againstmy children adopting a New Jerseyaccent. I have been gainfully employedin the golf industry for the last 16years. A business partner and I ownseveral golf courses in New Jersey andFlorida, but I still don’t get more thanfive rounds in per year. I touch basefrom time to time with Ken Murphy’84 who lives in Andover, MA andSarah Jukes Huegel ’89 who lives inBend, OR. My brother Bill ’83 liveswith his wife Lisa and two boys, Tylerand Alex, near Raleigh, NC.”

1989Jon Bourgeois and Erin PerryBourgeois welcomed their secondchild on February 27. A girl, KieraElizabeth, arrived strong and healthyat 8 lbs. to join her 3 1/2‑year‑old broth‑er. The Bourgeois family lives inHillsborough, NH.

1990John Allan and his wife Mary Kate arepleased to announce the birth of theirsecond child, Julie Emerson Allan,born December 27, 2007. Julie tippedthe scales at 8 lbs., 10 oz. John reports,“It’s been three months now and bigbrother Cooper is adjusting very well.Other news is that I was laid off fromPannaway a couple weeks ago, and Ialready have found a great new oppor‑tunity down at Sonus Networks based

in Westford, MA.” n Sarah Smith andher husband Dan Hickey welcomedtheir second son, Matthew DanielHickey, on June 9, 2007. Matt joins bigbrother, Will, who is 2. Although life iscertainly busy, they are all doing welland adjusting to life as a family of four.Sarah is still teaching ESOL at a highschool in Falls Church, VA and Danworks in government relations inWashington, DC. They live inArlington, VA.


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

Do you recognize yourself or a fellow alumna/usin this vintage photo of budding musicians?Please identify yourself to [email protected].

Faculty in last issue’s achive photo (complimentsof Ed Lemire): Front (L to R): Jo Pouliopolos, Gerry Connolly,Dick Anthony, Steve Hahn, and Sarah Dickenson.Back (L to R): David Haight, Steve Prouty, TomBelt, Chuck Sanborn, and Dennis Holland.

Congratulations to all of you who got at leastthree right!

From the Archive

Elizabeth Hickok Moser ’94 and daughter LilyCatherine Moser

1992Andy Sklarin has announced hisengagement to Tracy Rodgers. Tracyattended Oglethorpe University andgraduated from Florida StateUniversity. She is a math teacher atHeritage Academy of Hilton Head inSouth Carolina and a swimming coach.Of his work, Andy tells us, “I am stillat Van Der Meer Tennis University. Iwas promoted to Head Professional inJanuary, and also Director ofMercersburg Summer Tennis Camps.So far 2008 has been a crazy year! Ourseason is just getting started, whichmakes me very busy, but it’s great to beback on court teaching full time!”

1993Katherine Hurlbut Chappell writes, “Iam still teaching at Roxbury LatinSchool – this is my eleventh year! Myhusband Andy and I are loving beingparents to our two kids – Brady, age 4,and Samantha, age 1.” n AubreyRosenthal writes, “Hello all! A quickupdate on my world: after some timein the kayaking world, I have now set‑tled in the Seattle area and am loving ithere. I got married in June 2007 and weare expecting our first child (well, sec‑ond if you include our dog Celia, whois fervently hoping I have a puppy) inJuly. Woohoo! I went corporate and nowwork at Merrill Lynch, which affordsme all the kayaking and hiking time Ineed. Best to everyone, be in touch!”

1994Avery Holland writes, “I am gettingmarried on June 14, 2008 to ColinMurdock (from Winchester, MA).Ashley Stearns Burr and AmilyDunlap Moore ’93 will both be in thewedding.” n Jon Foster reports that heand his wife, Lisa (Birrell), were mar‑ried in Lyons, CO on September 8,2007. Alumni at the wedding wereChristopher Spiro and Jon’s brotherTim ’96. Lisa is an elementary schoolteacher in Ft. Lauderdale where theFosters make their home. Jon and hisbrother Tim are in the process of tak‑ing over their family’s manufacturingbusiness, which is very challenging butalso a lot of fun. Their company wasfeatured in an article in the MiamiHerald in 2006 that discussed the tran‑sition from one generation of brothersto the second generation of brothers. n

Diane and Ryan Bielagus welcomedtheir new daughter, Mei‑Ling Ann intotheir family on May 16, 2007. n

Elizabeth Hickok Moser writes, “OnDecember 7, 2007 my husband Linkand I welcomed our first child, LilyCatherine Moser. She weighed 8 lbs., 3oz. and was 21 inches long. We live inGilford, NH with our two blacklabrador retrievers. I work as an occu‑pational therapist at a local early inter‑vention program, but I’ll be taking offsome time to be a mama!”

1995According to St. Anselm College’sPortraits magazine, Kathleen McGheeof Somerville, MA is director of promo‑tions for 451 Promotions in Boston, anewly formed division of 451Marketing.


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

A L U M N I E V E N T S

savethe dateNew York City Alumni Happy HourJoin Craig and Cary Sellers and facultymember Bruce Berk on Friday, April 25,4 – 7 p.m. at The Cornell Club.

Founders’ Day CeremonyCome back to campus on Friday, May 2to see the presentation of theDistinguished Alumni Award.

Alumni Red Sox GameWatch for an “Evite” inviting you toenter the lottery for tickets to a KansasCity Royals game on Monday, May 12.

Young Alumni Summer Send-OffClasses of 2005, 2006 and 2007 are invit‑ed to join us for a BBQ in honor of theClass of 2008 on Wednesday, August 6.

RSVP for any of these upcoming eventsto Diane Allen, Alumni Coordinator, [email protected] or603.669.4524, ext. 136.

continued on page 24...

Hilary Foster ’81 is the middle of threeFoster siblings who have attended TheDerryfield School. A native of NewHampshire, Hilary currently makes herhome in Roseland, NJ although, more oftenthan not, you will have to search the globeto find her. An entrepreneur whose workcan be found worldwide in museum shops,resorts, direct mail catalogs for high‑endstores, specialty shops, and, now, on televi‑sion, Hilary has devoted the last twelveyears to her line of murano glass jewelryand glassware. Hilary’s vision allows herto design jewelry that retains the beautyand traditions of Old Italy and still appealsto today’s woman. See for yourself atwww.hilarylondon.com.

My journey after Derryfield hasbeen a winding road throughNYC, Boston, Italy, and New

Jersey where I am quite content tohave settled. I do fly 100,000 miles ayear, however, so I’m never in oneplace too long!

Always creative, but acutely awareof the need to earn a living, my careerpath has been a quest to marry my cre‑ative spirit with my business acumen.In founding Hilary London® ten yearsago (originally Vivant Corporation), Ihave achieved my goal.

Hilary London® is a collection ofmurano glass jewelry and women’saccessories. It is a distinctive, on‑trendassortment for today’s sophisticatedwoman. HL Home is my “jewelry forthe home”; a collection of muranoglass serving ware, glassware, andtabletop items. All of my pieces are

handmade in Italy using centuries‑oldtechniques and traditions.

This all started ten years ago when Ileft a corporate job as the director of ajewelry company to start my ownimport company. As a Europeanimporter, I bought jewelry and smalltrinkets from producers in theNetherlands, Austria, and England tosell to retailers in North America. Theydid well, but I wasn’t completely satis‑fied with the merchandise that wasavailable and knew I could design col‑lections that would be better suited tomy market. I was too busy creating abusiness to work on my own designs,but knew that it would be important tobe truly successful.

The Italian piece happened by acci‑dent. I had established a reputation asa European importer, and slowly tradecommissions started contacting me torepresent their members. The ItalianTrade Commission invited me to NYCto meet with a group of factories fromMurano, the famous glassblowingisland a short boat ride from Venice,who were interested in exporting tothe United States. I went, and when Isaw the products I thought, “This isit.” I settled on one factory after theyagreed to manufacture my jewelrydesigns. We still work together today,although I now use six factories to pro‑


LIFE AFTER DERRYFIELD

My Travels for Artby Hilary Foster ’81

ABOVE: Hilary Foster wearing some of her murano jewelry. OPPOSITE: Samples of work available fromHillary London®.

"That first night I didn’t sleep

a wink; I lay in bed listening

to the water lap against the

palazzo."

duce my entire range.My first trip to Venice was in

November 1998. I had always said thatI wanted to see Piazza San Marco inperson before it sank – I couldn’tbelieve I was actually there! It was sen‑sory overload: the smells, the sounds,the architecture – it was all so differentfrom anything I had ever seen. Myhotel was on the Grand Canal. Iupgraded to a canal view room to getthe full Venetian experience; I wantedto be part of “La Bella Serenissima.”That first night I didn’t sleep a wink; Ilay in bed listening to the water lapagainst the palazzo. As the tide camein and out, I imagined the life that hadexisted inside this magical palazzo thatI was calling home for the next fivedays.

That first visit was pivotal. I hiredan Italian translator for my negotia‑tions because not everyone I hadappointments with spoke English.Thanks to Madame de Pazzis and Mrs.Bentas, I had a working knowledge ofboth French and Spanish (four yearseach), but I quickly realized that Ineeded to speak Italian. Upon return‑ing to New Jersey, I went to Berlitz and

signed up for private Italian lessons.Due to my language background, I wasspeaking the language in six weeksand am now fluent. It changed busi‑ness for me and makes life abroadmuch less stressful!

Venice is now my second home. Ihave been there almost forty timeswith visits ranging from two days tothree weeks. It is a magical place thathas captured my heart. Its mysticaland exotic characteristics manifestthemselves in my collections.

There have been some interestingmoments over the years:n Getting lost on the way home from adinner party given in my honor. Everystreet I turned onto ended at thewater’s edge. It took hours to gethome!n At the first apartment I rented Ihooked up my computer and blew allthe fuses in the entire palazzo; I hadused an adapter but needed a “trans‑formatore!”n Acqua Alta – high water which keptme from getting to work, stuck in myapartment, at a hotel – I now keep pinkhigh water boots at one of the factoriesso I don’t get stuck!

n Walking on tables through Piazzasan Marco to get to work (high wateragain)n Seeing snow in Piazza san Marcon Boat strikesn Boats not running to Muranobecause of fogn Picnics with friends on the outerislandsn Weekend regattas on the GrandCanaln Carnivalen Weekend trips to Verona, Florence,Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and theTuscan countryside

It hasn’t been easy, but I haveenjoyed the ride. I now travel all overthe world sourcing components to addto my glass collections that are stillmade in Italy. I sell worldwide withdistributors in Great Britain andCanada. I have a jewelry show onShopNBC in the USA and on QVC inLondon. Both collections can be foundin museum shops, resorts, in directmail catalogs such as Neiman Marcusand Red Envelope, and in specialtystores across the country.

I love what I do and am anxious tosee what the next ten years will bring.


LIFE AFTER DERRYFIELD

1996Tom Wilder updates us, “I marriedAdrienne Ronsani on July 14, 2007 inGermantown, NY and we spent ourhoneymoon in Napa, Sonoma and SanFrancisco, CA. I’m currently in mythird and final year at Albany LawSchool.”

1997Jason Emery reports, “I’m going toChicago‑Kent Law School at night andworking at Mayer Brown managinglegal software during the day. Whilewatching Law & Order (it’s documen‑tary research, shut up), night lawschool was described as, ‘a root canalwith a dull drill.’ Good stuff. Hope allmy fellow classmates and teachers aredoing well.” n Katherine Stanley wasmarried to Adrián Obando of San José,Costa Rica where the newlyweds maketheir home. Katherine’s mom, rector ofChrist Episcopal Church in Norway,

Maine, performed the ceremony at herchurch on December 26. They celebrat‑ed again in Costa Rica on February 9with more family and friends, includ‑ing two Derryfield alums, AbbySilverman Fischer and Amanda Cook,who attended Derryfield in seventhand eighth grades.

1998Derek Gelinas tells us that he andVanessa Potvin were married onDecember 2, 2006. Alumni in atten‑dance were Pat Link, Liz Boswell, andJim Thatcher ’97. It all went down atAll Saints Parish in Haverhill, MA.Since then they have moved toHooksett, NH and are expecting theirsecond child – a boy – in June, justbefore their daughter Kaylee’s secondbirthday. n Chris Ogden writes, “I amdipping my toe into the video editingand production business. I have beenworking with Octagon, a global sportsagency, over the last couple years on a


C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

parentsalumni

C E L E B R A T I N G

weddingsalumni

Tom Sadler ’73 to Beth Rowzie on July 9, 2006 in West

Yellowstone, MT.

Aubrey Rosenthal ’92 to Tracy Clapp on June 17, 2007 in

Seattle, WA.

Jonathan Foster ’94 to Lisa Birrell on September 8, 2007

in Lyons, CO.

Tom Wilder ’96 to Adrienne Ronsani on July 14, 2007 in

Germantown, NY.

Katherine Stanley ’97 to Adrián Obando on December 26,

2007 in Norway, ME.

Derek Gelinas ’98 to Vanessa Potvin on December 2, 2006

in Haverhill, MA.

Kate Saturley ’99 to Benjamin Davies on July 7, 2007 in

Harwichport, MA.

To Jon Bourgeois ’89 and Erin Perry Bourgeois ’89, a

daughter, Kiera Elizabeth, on February 27, 2008.

To John Allan ’90 and his wife Mary Kate a daughter, Julie

Emerson, on December 27, 2007.

To Sarah Smith ’90 and her husband Dan Hickey a son,

Matthew Daniel, on June 9, 2007.

To Ryan Bielagus ’94 and his wife Diane a daughter,

Mei-Ling Ann, on May 16, 2007.

To Elizabeth Hickok Moser ’94 and her husband Link a

daughter, Lily Catherine, on December 7, 2007.

To Director of Advancement Alice Handwerk and her

husband Brian a daughter, Phoebe Waters, on

February 25, 2008.

Front row (L to R): Andrew Young ’98 and his wife Robin. Back row (L to R): Bride Rebecca White, groomPeter White ’98, Gerard Murphy ’98, Elizabeth Murphy, Holly Katz ’01, Alissa White ’01, Hilari BelleriveSidore ’98, Tim Sidore ’98, Nate Wicklow ’98, Brandi Pomeroy, Heather White ’03, and Julie Katz ’04.

...continued from page 21

variety of projects ranging from web‑site administration to filming of ath‑letes to dvd production. I was fortu‑nate to work with so many great peo‑ple and build a strong foundationmoving forward as an independenteditor/producer. I am excited at theprospect of starting something that ismine and looking forward to the expe‑rience.

1999Natalie Lebel was married to ChrisReno on November 26, 2007. Theywere married on a cruise ship thatwent to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada.n Kate Saturley married BenjaminDavies on July 7, 2007 in Harwichport,MA. Anastasia Roy did a reading from“Tin Whistle Wedding” by OgdenNash, and former student MatthewRichards ’98 also attended the wed‑

ding with his wife, Sarah. The Daviesmoved to Auckland, New Zealand afew days after the nuptials so thatBenji could continue his work toward amaster’s of archaeology at theUniversity of Auckland while Kate puther master’s of education at UNH onhold. She is working in the field ofEnvironmental Studies for AucklandRegional Council as a RuralCompliance Officer, helping farmerscomply with regulations relating tofarm discharges so that they don’t pol‑lute the surface or groundwater. Shealso helps farmers develop conserva‑tion plans for their farms and assists inthe management of grant funds thatprovide money for sustainable devel‑opment projects.

2000Those of you living in the Champaign,IL area should tune in to the news onyour ABC affiliate, WICD, to catchMelody Chag (Mendez) as weekendanchor and weekday reporter. Melgraduated from Boston Universitywhere she received the Dennis KauffAward for excellence in journalism andthen worked as the mainanchor/reporter for the ABC affiliate inJackson, TN. After spending two yearsin the South, she accepted the positionas weekend anchor/reporter, at theABC affiliate in Champaign, IL. Melwas a leader in the effort to supplywater to victims of Hurricane Katrinain 2005. She writes, “It’s been an amaz‑

ing journey so far. I can’t wait to seewhere else this job takes me. And,although I miss watching the Red Soxat Fenway... I’m sure I’ll make my wayback to Boston eventually.”

2001Chrissy Murphy has been accepted toOxford University, where she will pur‑sue a two‑year graduate degree ofPhilosophy in South Asian Studies.Her undergraduate was at St. Andrewsin Scotland. She then taught English inJapan and through self study passedtheir proficiency exam in Japanese. Sheis currently on a 10‑month OverlandBush camping tour throughout Africa.n Andy Moerlein announced theengagement of his son, Alex Moerlein,to Dorothy Bandura, daughter ofPatricia and Douglas Bandura ofSayville, NY. Bandura graduated fromTufts University with bachelor degreesin Sociology and French and is work‑ing in Human Services in Phoenixville,PA. Moerlein graduated from TuftsUniversity and Penn State and is aMechanical Engineer with Confero in


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

Derek Gelinas ’98 with his bride, Vanessa Potvin.

Amanda Cook, Kathleen Stanley Obando ’97, andAbby Silverman Fischer ’97 at Kathleen’s wed-ding in Costa Rica.

King of Prussia. A summer 2009 wed‑ding is planned. n Blake Marstonwrites, “I leave for basic training inGreat Lakes, IL on January 29, 2008.My orders after basic are to attendSEAL training, or BUD/S (BasicUnderwater Demolition/SEAL) out inCoronado, CA. It will be an arduousjourney but I look forward to the chal‑

lenge and am very excited to getunderway! If I can keep a Keiner‑tightnotebook or pass chemistry AND biol‑ogy with Sanford, I might just have ashot out there.” n Seth Pitman writesthat his band, Wild Light, recentlysigned a record deal with Almost Gold,an imprint of Columbia Records. “Ourplan is to get into the studio this April.

The money is flowing like wine, but atthe moment, it’s going in the wrongdirection.”

2002Brook Milnes has been hired byManchester‑based INEX Corp.,providers of management consulting toinsurance agencies, as business opera‑tions coordinator and assistant portfo‑lio manager.

2003Mike Lavery appeared on the cover ofNotre Dame’s Fall 2007 issue of RecMagazine. “Ironman in our Midst –Triathlete Mike Lavery finds NotreDame Cycling Club Helpful forTraining.” Rec Magazine published atwo‑page spread on Mike with a Q&Aarticle about his training and involve‑ment in the Ironman competitions. In2006 Mike won his 18–24 age divisionand came in 34th overall in the LakePlacid Ironman Triathlon. In 2007 hecame in ninth overall. n StephanieFiebrink’s mother reports thatStephanie is to be married on May 31,2008 to Tim Broderick, Jr., of BossierCity, LA. They met in Germany whileon a semester abroad. Stephanie grad‑uated from Tulane University in Maywith a degree in biomedical engineer‑ing and is working as a loss preventionconsultant for Liberty MutualInsurance in Detroit, MI. Tim has adegree in Theater and is now working


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

Y O U N G A L U M N I U P D A T E

collegea report onLauren Baker ’07 shares her thoughts on her college experience thus far.

What college are you going to? What are you majoring in? I am attending Wellesley College and majoring in economics with a minor in religion.

What was the main factor in your decision to choose this school? I loved the atmosphere on campus. Wellesley is a very welcoming and supportiveenvironment. Everyone is so friendly that the campus feels like a community.

Has the school lived up to your initial expectations? It has definitely surpassed all of my expectations.

What aspect of DS prepared you most for college? What would you change aboutyour time at DS that would have helped you more in college? Derryfield really taught me how to approach teachers. Going to professors' officehours is vital, especially when you don't understand something.

Does the school have a similar feel to Derryfield or not? Wellesley provided a good transition from Derryfield. While it is a larger school,the feeling of a community still exists.

What are your recommendations to current juniors and seniors going through the col-lege process? Start the process early, and take every opportunity you have to see differentschools. Just don't stress about it! Enjoy your last years of high school and trustthat you'll end up in the right place.Excerpted from the February 20, 2008 issue of The Lamplighter.

as a custom cabinet maker in Detroit. n

Meggie Havey has graduated fromWesleyan and is in Chicago enjoyinglife, working, and having a great time.n Ben Bradley will graduate from hisfive‑year architecture program (RPI) inMay 2008. He has done well and hadhis work displayed in NYC at theAmerican Architecure Institute alongwith other nominated students fromother northeast architecture programs.n David Gelinas reports, “Having leftIthaca in December, I’m traveling for afew months before moving to NewYork City in June to start work with asmall strategy consulting firm calledthe First Manhattan ConsultingGroup.” n Steve Flagg is a 2nd lieu‑tenant at Fort Hood with the 1stCavalry Division, attached to the 6thSquadron of the 9th Cavalry Regiment.He is leading a platoon of 30 soldiers(scouts) teaching them to be the eyesand ears of the Army, out in front ofeveryone watching the enemy. His pla‑toon is scheduled to deploy back toIraq the beginning of December for a12‑month tour. n Kate Davison isdoing what she loves and doing it forDerryfield. On March 6, 7, and 8 TheDerryfield Players presentedThoroughly Modern Millie, a musicalabout life and love in the “roaring’20s.” The musical featured much moredancing than usual, and who better todo the choreography! After weeks ofhard work, Kate sat in the audienceand watched as the cast put on a fan‑tastic performance.

2004Joe Guerra’s mother reports that Joegraduated from UNH in December,Summa Cum Laude, with a B.A. ingeography and a minor in classics. Heis working at Pease InternationalAirport at Global ReliefCommunications, Inc. where he is aGeographic Information System (GIS)analyst. GIS is a computer applicationused to store, view, and analyze geo‑graphical information, especially maps.Joe analyzes data and provides cus‑tomer support. He also does technicalwriting – he rewrote the company’smanual. Joe began his M.B.A. programat Daniel Webster College (Portsmouthcampus) in February 2008. n AbbyFeinberg (stage name Abby Chase)tells us she will graduate from BostonConservatory with a B.F.A. in musicaltheatre this spring. The last semester ofschool is entirely career preparation, soshe is working hard at audition pieces,cold readings, learning how to marketherself, and getting to know industrypros. “My showcase will be performedin Boston on April 29 (it’s free and allare invited!) and New York City onMay 1.” Abby appeared in “A Man ofNo Importance” on February 25 and 26in Boston.

2005Wyeth KcKinney was awarded theJack Welch scholarship this year andnext at Sacred Heart University,Fairfield, CT. Jack Welch an author and


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

Jake Keefe ’06

Abby Feinberg ’04

Seth Pitman ’01

Fifteen talented young alumni returned to cam-pus to perform for two special assemblies onDecember 19 and January 3.

Alumni Talent


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

the retired CEO of GE. Wyeth is afinance and economics major due tograduate December 2008. He playedsoccer two years at SHU, a Division Ischool. n Derek Boelig is a junior atLehigh University, spending his springsemester in Madrid. He writes, “I’mdoing lots of traveling – I went to staywith Andrew Todd in Scotland. Lastsummer I had an internship withFinancial Architects in Boston. Thissummer I’m interning with Ernst &Young in Boston and will be livingwith Nick Stepro.”

2006Erich Bradley loves CMU andPittsburgh. He is currently a chemicalengineering major, but “time will tell.”n Jaclyn Leeds, a music and psycholo‑gy double major at Wellesley, tells usthat she will be spending her summerin Hong Kong doing educationalresearch for low‑income childrenthrough the SummerbridgeInternational program there. She says,“It is different from working with dis‑

abled children,” as she has been, “butit is again working with children in away slightly different than I have asyet.” Jaclyn is a sixth‑grade HebrewSchool teacher in Brookline, MA andthe Choral Director of Children’sTheater Company of Greater Boston.She also does a lot of volunteer workwith children in Cambridge andNashua, NH.

FacultyDirector of Advancement AliceHandwerk and husband Brian wel‑comed the arrival of Phoebe WatersHandwerk on February 25, 2008. Shejoins big sister Lillian, who just turnedtwo in December.

Alumnae basketball players (in maroon) took on current members of the varsity team during the annualAlumnae basketball game in November.

Kate Dewey '05, Sara Dewey '03, Noah Benton '05, Bill Madden, Ashley Westbrook '04, Clint Davis'07, Jaclyn Leeds '06, Derek Boelig '05, Isabel Plourde '06 enjoying Billy’s pizza in December.

profileIt is a testament to Brent Powell’s

draw as a teacher that studentsmourn the curtailing of his work in

the history classroom after he becomesHead of the Upper School on July 1.Over the past five years at Derryfield,Mr. Powell has distinguished himselfas a visionary, outcome‑oriented teach‑er who instructs students to think forthemselves, write persuasive, evidence‑rich papers, and to learn the languageof his beloved discipline as theybecome critical historians. While stu‑dents may lament losing his influencein the classroom, many adults in thecommunity perceive the potential fortheir own growth in his open, clearleadership style.

Mr. Powell comes to his new roleeager to help the rest of the UpperSchool faculty enjoy some of the tangi‑ble successes that his colleagues in his‑tory have had during his tenure asdepartment chair. Under his leader‑ship, history teachers have annuallydocumented their practices through thecreation of a departmental binder ofassignments and assessment tools.Using these data, teachers were thenable to see points of intersection andgaps within the history curriculum,leading to the creation in 2006 of a new

ninth‑grade history course, “Asia Eastand West,” and the implementing of anhonors‑level year‑long senior historycourse. Changes to the eighth‑gradehistory course and evaluation of futurechanges to Civics in seventh grademean that nearly every class in thedepartment has been touched by Mr.Powell’s initiative, vision, and encour‑agement of his colleagues.

To help students succeed, he says,Upper School teachers will find in hima sounding board for thinking in newways, an advocate for knowledgetransfer and self‑reflective learning,and a manager who favors purposeand consistency coupled with clearexpectations and accountability. As heexpresses his hopes for encouragingmindful teaching, coaching, and advis‑ing, Mr. Powell remarks, “I want to besomebody to whom people can turn tohelp them do their jobs better.”

Turning to the wider canvas of theUpper School next year, Mr. Powell isinterested in having an influence on theinstitution as a whole for the benefit ofstudents as well as faculty. Envisioningthe ideal Upper School at Derryfield,Mr. Powell says, “We all want studentsto be changed in ways that open upskills and passions.” Strongly influ‑

enced by his “transformative educa‑tional experiences” during nine yearsat Camp Pasquaney, seven of them as acounselor, Mr. Powell envisions theidentity broadening that a studentcould gain from an extended interna‑tional or service‑learning opportunityas part of his or her course of study atDerryfield. “Part of the culture atPasquaney is the idea that at camp, youcan try on the person you might wishto be. Our language for this is for eachperson to ‘be their best selves.’ I hopethat we can continue to create culturalexpectations here so that people givetheir best selves to our community.”

– John Bouton

Brent Powell: New Voice of the Upper School

FacultyTHE DERRYFIELD SCHOOL


Brent Powell directs a debate in a class.

2108 River Road Manchester, NH 03104-1396

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PAIDMANCHESTER, NHPERMIT NO. 290

Thoroughly Modern MillieMallory Rinker ’08 all dolled up as Millie in the Upper

School Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Parents of alumni: If your son or daughter nolonger maintains a permanent address atyour home, please notify the AdvancementOffice at 603.669.4524 of the correct mail-ing address. Thank you.

Documents

Derryfield Today, Winter 2008