Summer 2014

Meeting Hall named for Wards

Unveiling of bronze highlights Founder’s Day

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AS ALWAYS, THIS SPRING at Fenn has been full and vibrant as warmer weather has arrived along with the acute sense among students that they are in the final leg of the school year before summer vacation. This edi-tion of FENN captures some of the excitement and energy of Fenn with its features on the Washington D.C. seventh grade trip, our “Trout in the Classroom” project undertaken by our Science Department, Fenn alumni receptions in New York and Chicago, the Alumni Reunion on campus, and, of course, a wrap-up of Fenn sports from the winter and spring.

This spring as well saw two very special events for our school. On Founder’s Day, just two days before Roger Fenn’s birthday on April 19, we gathered as a school to reflect on the enduring work of our founder and his devoted spouse and educational partner Eleanor Fenn. In their thirty years from the School’s inception in 1929 to the time of their retirement in 1960, they created the foundation of what Fenn has become today—a thriving and nurturing school for boys in their elementary and middle school years. Bringing alive the work of Roger and Eleanor Fenn that day were three loyal Fenn alumni and fast friends from the Class of 1951: Fred Lovejoy, Tom Piper, and Russ Robb. With a rapt audience of 325 students who gathered with teachers and staff in our meeting hall at the beginning of the program, Fred, Tom, and Russ told school-boy tales from their Fenn days of yore in the mid- to late 1940’s, remembering Roger and Eleanor with fondness and admiration and recollecting some of their other influential teachers.

Present with us at the gathering were three generations of the Fenn family, including Abbott Fenn ’34, the very first student to be registered at

Fenn. Now in his mid-nineties, Abbott had trav-eled from Middlebury, Vermont, to be present with us and to speak to the School on this special occasion. Our gathering adjourned from the hall to the front circle for the dedication of a memo-rial bust of Roger Fenn and a commemorative bronze plaque honoring the “vision, dedication, and effort” of the founding couple. On that brisk spring morning, Abbott spoke movingly in front of his father and mother’s alcove outside the Jafari Library. All of us were warmed and inspired by this ever loyal Fenn son who observed that the Fenn of today remains true to the vision of his father, our school’s founder.

On the much warmer, downright balmy, spring evening of May 2, a great gathering of the extended Fenn community graced our school’s meeting and performance hall with their presence for the dedication of the hall by the extraordinarily generous and faithful Nicholas family, who have named the building Ward Hall in Lorraine’s and my honor. It is not possible to find adequate words to convey the depth of our gratitude to them for their extraordinary kindness, care, and generosity. As Lorraine and I sat on stage and looked out to the hundreds of alumni and past and present faculty, staff, and parents that spanned the decades, we were deeply moved. It was for us an unforgettable moment in our twenty-one years at Fenn, and one that embodied the vision of our founder to establish a school that was based in community and dedicated to the single purpose of educating boys. All of us that evening—the Nicholas family, the many members of the extended Fenn com-munity, and Lorraine and I—felt the presence of Roger and Eleanor Fenn and knew that the founders’ educational dream lives on.

FROM THE HEADMASTER

“It is not possible to find adequate words to convey the depth of our gratitude to the Nicholas family” – Jerry Ward

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Run. Walk. Drive. Fly. Bike. Skate. Sled. Push. Pull. Or ski! But don’t miss HomecomingHomecoming!!

September 27, 2014 For more information, please contact: hrosenheim@fenn.org

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nOnPROFITU.S. POSTAGe

PAIDn ReADInG MA PeRMIT nO. 121

The Fenn School516 Monument Street

Concord, Massachusetts 01742-1894

Parents of AlumniIf this publication is addressed to your son, and he no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the alumni office of his new mailing address (978-318-3525 or aboudreau@fenn.org). Thank you!

The Fenn Treble Chorus performed the national anthems of the U.S. and Canada at Fenway Park on May 20, when the Red Sox played Toronto.

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F E A T U R E S

2 Meeting Hall named for Wards

Brothers JK ’82 and Peter Nicholas ’85 say their Fenn experi-ence inspired them to help fund the building of a meeting hall, which in early May was named for Jerry and Lorraine Ward.

8 Founder honored with dedication of sculpture

Abbott Fenn, the School’s very first enrolled student, and his sister, Margot, gathered with other family members, alumni, students, faculty, and staff on Founder’s Day to unveil a bronze likeness of their father.

12 Making memories in D.C.

The annual seventh grade trip to the nation’s capital is a much anticipated tradition.

16 “Good-bye Bill!”

Fifth graders raised brook trout from eggs and released the fingerlings, all of which they nicknamed Bill, into a Concord pond.

D E P A R T M E N T S

18 Around Campus

22 Faculty News

24 Advancing Fenn

26 Fenn Sports

28 Fenn Remembered

30 Class Notes

43 Former Faculty News

44 In Memoriam

45 Graduation 2014

54 Reflections

FENN is published twice a year for alumni, parents, and friends of the School. Letters and comments are welcomed and can be sent to Laurie O’Neill, The Fenn School, 516 Monument Street, Concord, MA 01742; loneill@fenn.org; 978-318-3583.

volume 83 number 2 summer 2014

EDIToR AND WRITER

Laurie o’Neill

EDIToRIAL BoARD

Derek Boonisar

Anne Ames Boudreau

Veronica Jorge-Curtis

Jerry Ward

Lorraine Garnett Ward

PHoToGRAPHy

Ellen Harasimowicz

Joshua Touster

Laurie o’Neill

Tony Santos

DESIGN

Dan Beard Design

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2 f e n n m a g a z i n e

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Meeting Hall named for Wards

w i n t e r 2014 3

THE MEMoRIES THAT JK Nicholas ’82 has of his schoolboy days at Fenn

include the time he recited Tennyson’s “Crossing the Bar” in the W.W. Fenn

Public Speaking Contest, quaking with fear and excitement, and the day his

brother, Peter ’85, realized with horror that he was not in the proper dress

code to compete in the Hector Hughes Extemporaneous Speaking Contest

and JK lent him his shoes. JK sat shoeless during the competition while

Peter shuffled across the stage in loafers three sizes too large. But despite the

wardrobe crisis, Peter won the competition, elaborating on the topic “My

Grandmother’s Prune Muffins.”

Their unforgettable Fenn experiences inspired JK, a member of the Board

of Trustees and parent of fourth grader, Matthew, and Peter Nicholas Jr., a

Board of Visitors member and former trustee, to support Boys at the Heart:

The Campaign for Fenn, and in particular, the building of a meeting and

performance hall. JK is the Chief Executive Officer of Chelsea Clock Company

and Peter is Founder, Chairman, President, and CEO of Informed Clinical

Sciences Corporation.

wArD HAll DeDiCAtion

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l to r: Peter M. Nicholas, Jr. ’85; Peter M. Nicholas with rising fifth grader Matthew Nicholas, son of JK Nicholas and Virginia Shannon; Lorraine and Jerry Ward; and JK Nicholas ’82

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m e e t i n g H A l l m o m e n t s

The Campaign raised over $25 million and the hall was completed in 2011. On May 2 this year, a stirring dedication ceremony in the newly named Ward Hall was attended by more than 400 alumni, trustees, current and former faculty and staff, parents and past parents, and family and friends of Headmaster Jerry Ward and his wife, Lorraine Garnett Ward. In his remarks, JK, parent of fourth grader Matthew, spoke for his family, saying, “We are delighted to have been a part, with all of you who are supporting Fenn, of making this wonderful building, with its unique history and energy, a reality.” He and his wife, Virginia, and Peter and his wife, Christy, shared the stage with the honorees and emcee Mary-Wren vanderWilden, President of the Board of Trustees. Looking on were Ginny and Peter Nicholas, the men’s parents.

The hall was dedicated to the Wards, JK said, “who have given so much of themselves” to the School in the twenty-one years they have been at Fenn. “While it’s difficult to know where to start, it’s most important to point out that they did it together,” he said. The Wards, who met when they were assigned to work together in the Admissions Office at Boston University, have “worked together ever since,” said JK. “They are a team that not

only keeps Fenn School what it always was but also makes of it something new, keeping it fresh and vibrant.”

JK called a Fenn meeting hall “critical to the School fulfilling its mission.” For generations, he said, Robb Hall, built in 1948, was “the very heart” of Fenn, a place, like its successor, “where boys develop leadership, courage, self-confidence, and the capacity to handle success and failure.” But the Board realized that a larger hall that “fit the programmatic needs of the School today,” said JK, was necessary. Every architectural

wArD HAll DeDiCAtion

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5

study showed that altering the existing hall was not viable.Mary-Wren noted that Jerry and Lorraine “are truly the

heart of Fenn. How fitting that we name this hall for them.” Illustrating the many ways the meeting hall is the center of campus activity and a place where arts, music, and drama are showcased, the Treble Chorus performed and students Austin Kwoun and John Xu, both Class of 2014, performed pieces

on the violin and piano, respectively. Both boys made their Carnegie Hall debuts this spring.

Surprise guest alumnus Tyler Davis ’06 [at right]spoke lovingly of his years at Fenn, and said that as he has begun his working life, as a paralegal, he has “looked back over my education and come to some conclusions.” Among them was that “my best friends today are my Fenn friends; I have ten Fenn ‘brothers’ and we consider ourselves family.” Tyler said, “The person I am today is a true product of the person I became at Fenn.” He paid tribute to the Wards, saying that they “lead by example. I could always see his pride in and respect for the Fenn student body…and Mrs.

“We are delighted to have been a part of making this wonderful building a reality.” – JK Nicholas ’82

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l to r: JK and Peter Nicholas applaud the Headmaster and Lorraine

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M E E T i n g H A l l M O M E n T S

Ward [his English teacher] taught me that it’s always okay for a boy to be a boy, but that boys do not have to be indifferent to their education.” He recalled playing wiffle ball after his English classes, during which “Mrs. Ward would fire grammar questions at us and the only way we could step up and bat was to get them right!”

Visibly moved, Mr. Ward declared, “We are so deeply honored and so grateful,” though he confessed to feeling “terrified,” adding, “This is all a bit surreal.” He remembered being summoned to Peter Nicholas Jr.’s office in Beacon Hill for a meeting at which he was told the hall would be named in his and his wife’s honor. “Something remarkable happened: I was speechless,” he said, to laughter from the audience. When Mr. Ward got home and told Lorraine what had happened, “something even more remarkable happened: she was speechless.”

“Lorraine has been my partner in life and colleague in education,” Mr. Ward said. He acknowledged his wife’s “courage, steadfastness, and intelligence,” adding that “her heart and very fiber and instincts are those of a teacher.”

Mr. Ward called the Nicholases’ generosity an example of “transformative philanthropy,” noting that the family has “invested in institutions of learning” including Duke University and Buckingham Browne and Nichols School. The Nicholas family “helped us realize our dreams and from the

WARD HAll DEDiCATiOn

“My heart is filled with gratitude this evening and it will be forever.” – Headmaster Jerry Ward

6 F E n n m a g a z i n e6 F E n n m a g a z i n e6 F E n n m a g a z i n e

Foreground: Peter M. and Ginny Nicholas, in the newly named Ward Hall during the dedication. At Peter’s right is Hilary Steinert, his niece and a current parent.

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beginning provided the foundation to challenge the leaders in our community to stretch; the effect of what [they] have done will never be forgotten.”

Echoing the idea of the hall as the “heart of the school,” Mr. Ward added that “all that happens at Fenn is centered on the idea of coming together as a community; here, he said, gesturing around the room, “are practiced the

daily lessons of connectedness and responsibility, in big and in small ways.” A fifth grader may announce a meeting of the Lego Club or an eighth grader might deliver a presidential campaign speech, he said. “They discover their talent, learn to believe in themselves, and carry that belief into the world.”

Acknowledging the faculty, staff, alumni, parents, trustees, and other members of the Fenn community, Mr. Ward said that the hall could have been named “for hundreds of people who give of themselves to this school for boys.” He closed by

declaring, “My heart is filled with gratitude this evening and it will be forever.”

Mrs. Ward, in her remarks, said that she and her husband “could not have picked a more wonderful school” when they arrived in 1993. “I knew from the start that this was a beloved community: inclusive, expansive, open, and loving.” Turning to her husband, she said, “I am glad you found your way to Fenn and that I was with you. Thank you for treating me as an equal.” Her voice breaking with emotion, Mrs. Ward added, “Your parents, Peggy O’Callaghan and Johnny Ward, would be so proud this hall has your name. I am, too.”

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l to r: Fenn parent Sheila Boyle (husband Marc is at right); past parent and Board Chair Mary-Wren vanderWilden; parent Sufia Jamal

Austin Kwoun ’14

JK Nicholas addresses the gathering

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“The house fell not, for it was founded on a rock.”

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THREE CLoSE FRIENDS from the class of 1951, several members of founder

Roger Fenn’s family, and students, faculty, staff, and guests attended the

dedication of a bronze bust honoring Mr. Fenn on Founder’s Day in April.

Alumni Fred Lovejoy, Tom Piper, and Russ Robb offered memories of being

boys at Fenn during the founder’s years as headmaster, and Abbott Fenn ’34,

the School’s very first student, spoke movingly about his father.

Founder’s Day is held each year on or near the April 19th birthday of

Roger C. Fenn, who was born in 1895. It always includes a presentation on

School history in the meeting hall, the Marching Band—escorted around

campus by Concord police—and birthday cake for everyone.

roger fenn bronZe DeDiCAtion

Founder Roger C. Fenn is honored with dedication of bronze likeness

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In his remarks in the meeting hall, Fred Lovejoy, parent of Ted ’95, reflected that “it is an important moment to remember and thank so many from this community who have kept his [Roger Fenn’s] vision alive and who have allowed this school over the years to grow from strength to strength.” He paraphrased a line from Matthew 7:25, saying, “The house fell not, for it was founded on a rock.” The rock, he explained, “was the vision, the compass, and the guiding principles of the school for young boys in Concord, Massachusetts.”

Russ Robb, parent of Ian ’83, Eric ’79, and Scott ’75, and grandfather of Justin ’14, quoted Mr. Fenn, who wrote in his collected memories of school life, called Roger Remembers, that people had asked him to write a history of his school, “but I cannot do so. I always wanted it to be a simple, small, personalized school (and I do not consider now that my part of its history to date made it a ‘spearhead in a new movement in

American education worthy of a place in recorded history’).” Russ added that the founder was “a friend of mine, right up to the end, and a very strong influence in my life.”

Tom Piper, parent of Jonathan ’86 and grandfather of fourth grader Tucker Winstanley, noted that Roger Fenn was “a splendid teacher” whose “authority flowed from the fact that none of us wanted to disappoint him” and a naturalist whose classroom was filled with stuffed birds and pickled reptiles in jars. He influenced many students to pursue professions in the science field. Eleanor Fenn, who taught French, was “patient, encouraging, and an example of the power of partnership” in the creation and fostering of an institution, he added.

Speculating on how Mr. Fenn would regard the Fenn School of 2014, Tom said, “He would delight in the strength of the curricula, considerably more advanced than in our time,

10 F E n n m a g a z i n e

“Can’t you see in it the sparkle in the eye of a man who loved to teach?”– Abbott Fenn ’34

ROgER FEnn BROnZE DEDiCATiOn

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W i n T E R 2014 11

and in the sheer excellence of the teaching. But perhaps most of all he would be heartened that the mission has remained true, with its focus on the development of mind, body, and spirit, supported by a set of values, those on the banners behind me, that have made a very special experience for hundreds of boys over the decades.”

Roger Fenn’s daughter, Margot, and several more Fenn family members, including his grandson Ethan Fenn, nephew Dan Fenn, and great-granddaughters Anna and Kelsey Buteau, came from as far away as Vermont to attend the dedication. Also there were Board of Trustees member Jeff Adams and architect Malcolm Kent, who designed the meeting hall, library, and science center.

Abbott, who returned in 1945 for a year to teach math, science, and Latin, coach, and serve as a housemaster, wore a blue cap emblazoned with the school’s motto, Sua Sponte (“in your hands”). He recalled his father’s “sometimes wicked” sense of humor, such as when Abbott didn’t realize for years that his father, having served with his right hand, switched to his left “and still beat me,” in tennis and when the founder’s identical twin brother, Donald, taught at Fenn for

a year and Mr. Fenn saw this as an opportunity to play tricks on the faculty.

“This is a remarkable bust we are dedicating today,” he said, standing in front of his father’s likeness. “Can’t you see in

it the sparkle in the eye of a man who loved to teach?” Abbott closed by saying, “We are delighted to pay tribute to the artist who created this remarkable likeness and we are inordinately proud of the history that joins us to Fenn.”

Headmaster Jerry Ward, who gave the signal for two Lower School boys to pull the blue draping off the bust, noted that “Roger is looking out towards his school, anchoring and inspiring us as we move forward.” He described the school Mr. Fenn founded by quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said, “An institution is the length and shadow of a man.”

The bronze bust, created by British artist Domenica de Ferranti and cast in a Maine foundry, is ensconced in a granite niche at the front of the Jafari Library. A three-dimensional bronze plaque under the sculpture reads: “In commemoration of Roger and Eleanor Fenn for their vision and dedication in creating this simple, small, personalized school for boys.”

S u M M E R 2014 11

“Roger is looking out towards his school, anchoring and inspiring us as we move forward.” – Jerry Ward

LEFT Abbott ’34 and his sister Margot Fenn Borden in front of the likeness of their father, with family members

Abbott Fenn ’34 addresses guests Russ Robb ’51

Tom Piper ’51

Fred Lovejoy ’51

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Making memories to last a lifetime

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FROM THE ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT seafood buffet the first night, to the

changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, to a

happy romp through the National Zoo, sixty-four seventh graders

toured the nation’s capital in early March, a traditional and much

anticipated annual event.

During their three-day visit to D.C., the boys raced up the steps

of the Lincoln Memorial to gaze at the marble figure of the sixteenth

president, watched with excitement the passing of a presidential

motorcade, impressed their tour guides with their knowledge, toured

the Mall memorials at night, holding their phones’ flashlight apps against the

Vietnam Veterans’ wall to read the names, stayed up until the wee hours chat-

tering in their rooms, and all the while made treasured memories.

Watching the guards change with their synchronized steps and turns at

the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, “I could see that everyone in the crowd

was as amazed as I was,” declared Kevin Gao. Of the spacious room equipped

with fridge, microwave, and couch that he shared with his roommates, Callan

Fries said, “We could have stayed there for weeks!”

Seventh grade D.C. tour a long-time tradition

WASHingTOn D.C. TOuR

S u M M E R 2014 13

ABOVE The class on the back Capitol steps in 2014

LEFT Seventh graders and their chaperones pose on the Capitol steps in 1987. At lower right bottom are, r to l: faculty members Jim Wiggenhorn, Mark Biscoe, Read Albright, U.S. Rep. Chet Atkins, and faculty members Susan Cappetta and Sarah Stone.

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The tradition beginsIn 1976, Peter Hyde, who taught social studies, science teacher Steve Gardner, and history teacher Jim Carter ’54 launched a five-day trip for seventh graders to complement their U.S. History and Government curriculum. Peter had graduated from George Washington University and was familiar with the city, and Jim had a friend in the District who found a motel that catered to school groups (at $5 per boy per night).

They visited the U.S. Capitol Building, FBI Building, National Archives, various memorials and the Smithsonian muse-ums, Arlington National Cemetery, the Supreme Court (where the boys once met Sandra Day O’Connor), Mt. Vernon, and other sites. When Paul Tsongas was a congressman, he would meet with the group for a photo. Many faculty mem-bers have chaperoned the boys over the last four decades, including Read Albright, Mark Biscoe, Bob Duncan, Bob Starensier, and sometimes an alumnus: Jon Harris ’73, Chuck Huggins ’74, Steve Fay ’79, and David Brandon ’80 took

the trip. Eventually the organization of the excursion was turned over to vari-ous faculty members, currently Tricia McCarthy, Head of the Middle School.

The sheer joy the boys experience is a hallmark of the trip, whether they cannot resist jumping on and off marble benches or try to blow out the Eternal Flame as if it were a birthday candle or devour fast food (“I never could grasp the appeal of Dr. Pepper and pancakes for breakfast,” observes Jim). Some boys see it as their first opportunity to experience a bit of freedom; they roam some of the memorials with the adults keeping careful watch nearby and stay in motel rooms with classmates. “I took my first leap into independence,” declared Kadin Ali this year.

Though it might seem a daunting task to wrangle dozens of adolescent boys on a multi-day field trip, Peter Hyde’s overriding memory, he says, “is that people would come up to me

and say, ‘Wow, you have such a polite, well-mannered group of kids’.”

The year it snowed. And snowed.Over the years there have been small catastrophes, such as when a bus broke down or when certain government buildings on the schedule turned out to be closed. In 2013, the trip was postponed until April due to bad weather. A larger calamity, however, occurred in 2001. Shortly before the departure date, after the boys had chosen their roommates, packed pillows and snacks, and put away thoughts of schoolwork for a few days, the trip was cancelled due to a monster snowstorm. Later in the spring the seventh grade, including Kwame Cobblah ’03, traveled to Philadelphia for an overnight visit, but “it wasn’t the same,” he says sadly, echoing the sentiments of his classmates.

Eleven years later, when he was Fenn’s Diversity and Teaching Intern, Kwame was a chaperone. En route, he contacted his classmate Mike Spiak,

wAsHington D.C. tour

“People would come up to me and say, ‘Wow, you have such a polite, well-mannered group of kids’.”

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w i n t e r 2014 15s u m m e r 2014 15

who works in D.C., and Mike joined the group for part of the tour. “We talked non-stop and cracked jokes; it was if we were back at Fenn,” says Kwame. He is one of several alumni who have also taken the trip when they were faculty members or interns. Spanish teacher Freemon Romero ’04 and Fenn Fellow Jeff Trotsky ’06 were among this year’s chaperones, and, with Diversity and Teaching Intern Kofi Obeng, they were just as excited as the boys to board the Air and Space Museum flight simulators and pose for photos in front of the monuments.

Freemon recalls rooming in ’02 with classmates Jared Jammal, Will Kussin, and Eamon Hegarty and staying up all night, talking and playing games. Some things don’t change; this year he and Jeff were roommates, and in the morning, “the boys in the next room complained that we were too loud.” Jeff says that “like anything Fenn does, it does Washington, D.C. the right way. This trip allows boys to make memories and foster friendships that will last a lifetime.”

“one of my best Fenn memories”Ask any D.C. veteran about the trip and he’ll call it one of his best Fenn memories. Nat Carr ’97 says that when his classmates wrote the “memories” section of their yearbook, “almost all of us made a comment about it.” Andreas Sheikh ’12 notes that “It’s rare that sixty or so seventh grade boys truly drop what they are doing and think about what they are looking at.” He recalls the dark night that a “wave of silence hit our group” when the class reached the Korean War Memorial and saw the nineteen lifelike, stainless steel statues of soldiers on patrol “lit by the soft glow of the lights,” he says.

The Air and Space Museum “spoke to” recent graduate Teddy Pyne’s passion for rocketry, he says. Ben Zide ’15 recalls “the cherry blossoms and warm weather” and meeting up with his grandmother, Washington-based NPR radio talk host Diane Rehm. There are amusing anecdotes, too. Jim Carter remembers when the group took in a period melodrama at Ford’s Theatre, and “being seventh graders, some of the boys decided to boo the hero and cheer for the villain.” This prompted the hero to step out of character and scold them.

Ellen Campbell recalls the time Mike O’Brien ’09, standing at JFK’s grave, began to recite a eulogy written for Robert Kennedy by his brother, Ted; Mike had memorized an excerpt of the piece for that year’s W.W. Fenn Speaking Contest. “The tour guides and everyone else who heard him were agog,” Ellen says. “It was just beautiful.” And she remembers when they all had exited the Holocaust Museum and the boys, pensive and subdued, were encouraged to run around on the Mall. “The flags were rippling in the breeze and the boys were silhouetted on the hillside, their hair blowing,” Ellen says. “That scene is etched in my brain.”

From one of two returning buses filled with exhausted, sleepy Middle Schoolers this year, Tricia sent an email to Fenn, describing the adventure. “They have been inquisitive, informative, impulsive, empathic, and exhilarated,” she said of the boys. “And they have relished the history and symbolism that surrounded them.”

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“Goodbye, Bill!”

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oN A MID-MAy MoRNING fifth grade science students excitedly holding fish

nets, clipboards, test tubes, and thermometers released seventy-nine juvenile

brook trout called fingerlings, most of which they had inexplicably named

“Bill,” into White Pond in Concord. The boys had raised the fish from eggs,

which were kept in an insulated tank filled with chilled water that sat near a

science center classroom window.

fiftH grADe trout ProJeCt

Fifth graders raise and release brook trout

After they determined the temperature and pH of the pond, which is designated as an official release site by the Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife Service, they dipped their nets into a white bucket and lowered the tiny creatures into the shallow water at the beachfront, fretting when a fingerling didn’t seem all that motivated to leave its mesh carrier.

The project was inspired by an idea proposed last year by Student President and Vice President Cormac Zachar and Leo Kafka, respectively, as part of their campaign platform. To launch Fenn’s participation in the Trout in the Classroom Fisheries project, a Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife Service representative delivered more than 100 eggs to the science center in December. Boys in Jon Byrd, Pauline McClellan,

and Alan O’Neill’s classes monitored the tank water quality and its temperature, making sure it was a comfortably cool 52 degrees for the fish. After the eggs hatched a month later, the students helped feed the fry (baby fish capable of feeding themselves), which grew into fingerlings, young fish that have scales and working fins. Their other responsibilities included changing the tank water and monitoring the water quality and temperature.

Along the way the classes did research and created posters and presentations about trout. By the time they released the fingerlings, which were so well-camouflaged against the pond bottom that the boys lost sight of them moments after the tiny fish slid out of their nets, they were experts on “brookies.”

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s u m m e r 2014 17

By the time they released

the fingerlings, which

were so well-camouflaged

against the pond bottom

that the boys lost sight of

them moments after the

tiny fish slid out of their

nets, they were experts

on “brookies.”

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Around CampusIt may have been the winter of our discontent, with

endless icy days and snow cover that lasted for months and

challenged the hard-working maintenance staff before it all

melted into spring. But life at Fenn was busy, productive,

and fun, filled with activities, performances, public speaking

contests, assemblies, and class projects such as building

wooden boats, discovering, with yelps of excitement,

clusters of frog and salamander eggs in a nearby vernal

pond, and helping a neurosurgeon (and Fenn parent)

dissect a human brain. A camera crew from the TV show

Chronicle generated excitement when they filmed footage

for a show on educating boys that was aired in March.

There were We Read days, publishing parties, the ninth

grade Poetry Slam, sports tournament victories, the Cultural

Arts Fair, Grandparents’ Day, the Cultural Heritage Fair,

impressive drama productions, entertaining assemblies,

student art exhibits, and choral and band concerts. Here are

some photo highlights.

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ArOunD CAmPus

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ArOunD CAmPus

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fACuLTY AnD sTAff neWs

Celebrating her twenty-five years as Assistant to the Headmaster, Jerry Ward referred to Pat Hall as “this special person without whom I can’t imagine doing my job… in good times and in bad, who has been at my side, answering the call of duty and often going far beyond.” Science Department Chair Dave Duane offered a toast to Spanish teacher and twenty-five year Fenn veteran Jason Rude, saying “he puts his heart and soul into” all of his endeavors, whether it be Fenn Radio, Middle School hockey, or the annual holiday performance of Fenn’s own Christmas Carol. Business Manager Dana Pacheco expressed appreciation to Assistant Headmaster for Finance and

Operations Dave Platt, who has served Fenn for fifteen years, for his “passion and unwavering devotion to Fenn.” Many more faculty and staff members were honored this winter at a dinner in the Connolly Dining Hall for their years of service to Fenn. They are: Dave Duane, John Fitzsimmons, Rich Miceli, and Mim Van Orman, all twenty-year veterans; PJ Libby, Tricia McCarthy, and Mike Salvatore, fifteen years; Nat Carr and Joe LoPresti, ten years; and Topher Bevis, Laurie Byron, Carolyn Dittes, Susan Fisher, Amy Jolly, and Alan O’Neill, five years.

Drama teacher Tiffany Toner looks forward to her wedding this summer.

On August 23 she will marry Michael Culp, a counselor and performing arts teacher at New England Academy in Beverly, MA. Tiffany traveled to Vietnam during spring break with her sister, Erika Banach. “It was a quite the adventure!” she declares. Topher Bevis will marry Sarah Ryder this win-ter in Boston. They met in college at UMass Amherst.

This spring Beth Johns-Thomas, Director of Summer Programs, was elected President of the Massachusetts Camping Association (MCA) for all of the state. MCA is a leading professional voice for the Massachusetts’ children’s camping

Professional development and travel round-up

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S u M M E R 2014 23

industry, comprised of hundreds of resident and day camps. Beth has more than 25 years of directing private and not-for-profit camps, and she serves on the ACA National Standards Commissions, ACA New England Standards Committee, ACA-NE Professional and Educational Committee, and is an ACA Visitor.

Winnie Smith had “the experience of a lifetime” when she traveled to Eden, VT, to take a two-hour dogsled tour with her family last winter. When Winnie and her students read Hatchett by Gary Paulsen, they were intrigued by the author’s participation in two Iditarod races. This prompted her to design a unit on the Iditarod, which culminated in the boys following the actual race online and tracking each musher’s progress.

Derek Cribb served on the AISNE school evaluation committee this spring at Solomon Schechter Day School in Newton. “It was a very rewarding experience. Seeing another vibrant school community so rooted in their faith was incredibly interesting,” he says.

Members of the Science Department attended the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) annual conference in Boston this spring. Dave Duane reported that literacy and writing in science was “a big theme, and reinforces the lab report writing skills emphasized in grades 7-9.” A conference highlight for Winnie Smith was a mini-course offered by the Monterey Bay Aquarium called “Ocean Plastic Pollution: Issues and Solutions.” Winnie’s fourth graders address ocean

pollution as part of their New England Tide Pools unit.

Fenn’s Arts Department hosted an evening Arts Educators Forum in April for arts teachers to network and share programs and ideas. Some forty educators attended from area schools.

“It was a casual opportunity for teachers to connect,” said Arts Chair Mike Salvatore, “and everyone enjoyed it.”

Cameren Cousins and Steve Farley presented a Speed Innovation mini-session at the National Association of Independent Schools annual conference this winter. Presenters hosted their own tables, where attendees sat for fifteen minutes to learn from the presenters’ experiences in their schools.

Kofi Ubeng will be returning in the fall as Diversity and Teaching Intern and Jeff Trotsky ’06, this year’s Fenn Fellow, will return as an Admissions Associate.

Alan O’Neil ’98 has accepted a position as Director of Admissions at Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, CT. He calls Fenn “a significant and much loved part of my life” and says the guidance and support he received here helped prepare him for this new opportunity.

LEFT Tiffany Toner, right, with her sister, Erika, in Vietnam

Winnie Smith and some furry new friends

Jeff Trotksy ’06 and Kofi Obeng at the Lincoln Memorial

Dogsledding was “the experience of a lifetime” for Winnie Smith.

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IT’S BEEN AN EXCITING YEAR for alumni outreach,

with the Alumni Council hosting thirteen gatherings. The

events were intended to increase alumni engagement inside

and outside the Boston area.

The events included the traditional summer BBQ and

Thanksgiving reunion reception for alumni in high school

and college; a golf outing; four pub nights—with three in

the Boston area and one in New York City; and a dinner in

Washington, D.C. with Director of Diversity and Fine Arts

Coordinator Tete Cobblah.

Headmaster Jerry Ward traveled to Chicago for the first

ever Chicago alumni gathering and to a subsequent reception

at New York City’s Links Club hosted by brothers Vinnie ’65

and Alex Lynch ’66. Associate Headmaster and Head of the

Upper School Derek Boonisar and Jim Carter ’54 attended

the NYC reception. The Council, which welcomed recent

Fenn graduates into the Alumni Association with a breakfast

in the Connolly Dining Hall, is busy planning Fenn’s first

Homecoming, set for Saturday, September 27.

Please contact Director of Alumni Giving and Alumni

Relations Harris Rosenheim ’02 at 978-318-3517 with any

questions about alumni events or volunteer opportunities.

24 F E n n m a g a z i n e

ADVAnCing FEnn

Busy year for alumni outreach

The Board of Visitors in the new Jafari Library

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1 l to r: Ben Kitendaugh ’05, Dave Kitendaugh ’97, Charles Najda

’96, Andrew Redmond ’98 at the February Pub night in boston

2 l to r: Andy Gabron ’83, Geoff Curfman ’03, Mike Spiak ’03,

Kwame Cobblah ’03, Steve Laughton ’76, Graham Jenkins ’02, Harris

Rosenheim ’02, Reed Dewey ’76, Christian Ford ’01, Tete Cobblah

in D.c. 3 l to r: Matt Thornbrough ’86, Jon Spooner ’85, Ritch

Duncan ’89, in nyc 4 l to r: Andrew Lampert ’86, Peter Ryan ’92,

Mike Braden ’87, George Hay ’71, Rufus Urion ’04, Chris Broyles ’87,

Jeff Olshan ’04, Jerry Ward in chicago 5 The nyc reception had a

great turnout! 6 At the February Pub night 7 l to r: Percy Preston

’58, Janet Olmsted and John Olmsted ’56 in nyc 8 l to r: Kunal

Tandon ’99, Ankish Tandon ’02, Luke Marchand ’02, Jon Sillari ’02,

Brian Wheeler ’01, Tory Hayes ’02 at the February Pub night 9 l to

r: Bucky Putnam ’61 and Vinnie Lynch ’64 in nyc 10 l to r: Malin

Adams, Duncan Gillespie, Sean Carey, all 2006, with Jim Carter ’54

in nyc 11 l to r: Class of 2003 members Riley Corr, Charlie Wolff,

Christian Manchester, Jack Carroll, Bronson Kussin in nyc

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varsity hockey, captained by Matt Killian and Garren LaPlante, finished the season with a 10-3 record and captured the first place trophy in the annual Fay Hockey Tournament, defeating Fessenden 1-0 in the finals. Mark Gallant, Alex Hill, Peter Blunt, and LaPlante were the team’s offensive leaders and Killian, Zeke Golnick, Thatcher Adams, and Cam Parker “were key for us on defense,” according to Derek Boonisar, who coached with Jeff LaPlante, Morgan Hall, and Topher Bevis. Goalie Jack Tyrie “played every minute of every game and was outstanding,” Coach Boonisar said, adding, “We were very pleased with the work ethic and effort this team displayed. We competed hard in every game and improved as the season progressed. A lot of talent from last year’s team graduated and the players this year stepped up to take their place.”

Jv hockey, coached by Jason Rude, Dave Duane, Luke Thompson, and Beth Shiffler, tallied a 3-1-2 season record and reflected solid leadership by eighth graders Robby O’Brien, James Correia,

Quincy Hughes, Ben Sackett, Garth Staniar, and Wills Moskow. Very strong goaltending by Nico Carere in goal and consistently good play by Noah Alter, Charlie Cook, Abe Dekin, Ian Moore, Nico Bowden, and Julian Yang helped the team pass the puck well and play with great determination and respect for their opponents, according to Coach Rude.

Making excellent progress throughout the season and winning three of its last four games, varsity basketball posted a 6-6 record and placed third in the Fenn Tournament. Captains Cormac Zachar, Maahin Gulati, and Eddie Uong were “excellent leaders on and off the court,” said Coach Peter Bradley, who guided the team with Bob Starensier. “These guys were resilient,” Coach Bradley noted. “They fought back and they fought hard.”

Jv basketball had a very young team this year, with seven seventh graders, four eighth, and two ninth. However, “the seventh graders stepped up to the challenge and played well,” according

to Freemon Romero, who coached with Kofi Obeng. “The upper school boys were great leaders.” Team captains were Cole Hatch and Tommy McKeown, and the season record was 3-9. Leading scorers were Sam Breault and Lucas Lisman.

A “good size crew” came out for wrestling this winter, according to Coach Derek Cribb. “And all of the wrestlers showed improvement in their skill and stamina” over the course of the season. “Two good meets against Fessenden” and a fine performance at the Fay Tournament “bode well for the future of wrestling at Fenn,” he noted. Six wrestlers competed at the Tournament: Wells Hatch, James Morse, Colby Freeman, Tyler Arle, Henry Patton, and Jon Gong. For some it was their first or second match ever. “They all gained a great deal of experience,” said Cribb. “We held our own this year.” Cribb coached with John Fitzsimmons and Steve Gasper.

Fenn Sports

WInter 2013-2014

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Varsity lacrosse won the New England Junior School Tournament for the second time in three years, with Cormac Zachar and Thatcher Adams captaining the team with Cole Hatch, and Leo Kafka leading the way from the midfield. Conor Zachar, the team’s face-off man, was especially dominant in the tourney, while Kafka and Hatch anchored the defense and goalie Patrick Ryan turned in another stellar game. “We played tough, physical lacrosse and never gave up,” declares Coach Topher Bevis, who was assisted by Jeff Trotsky. The team posted a season record of 11-2-2.

JV lacrosse had “a good season,” accord-ing to Coach Alan O’Neill, going “about .500.” A mostly eighth grade team had a few seventh grade players, and Coach O’Neill gives special recognition to Abe Dekin, Charlie Birnberg, and Charlie Cook. Kudos also went to sixth grader Henry Peters, who came up to play goalie against boys two and sometimes three years older. The team’s tournament was rained out.

Varsity baseball (8-1) had an outstanding season says Coach Bob Starensier, sweeping arch rivals Fay, Shore, and Fessenden. The team boasted “one of the great hitting teams in Fenn history,” he says. Captains were Matt Killian, Eddie Uong, Andrew Brown, and Garren LaPlante, and Coach Starensier was assisted by Jeff LaPlante and Walter Birge. The team’s tournament was rained out.

JV baseball closed the season with a 7-5 record. The players “loved the game and showed up every day to work and improve,” says Coach Tony Santos. Stand-out players included pitchers Sven Fitzgerald, Patrick Romeri, P.J. Lucchese, Mark Reiss, and David Andrysiak. Maahin Gulati was stellar in the outfield, Willie Swift made great plays at second base, and Matt Hart, Patrick Romeri, Jack Charron, and Noah Alter contributed to offense.

Half of this year’s Varsity tennis team was made up of seventh graders, including #2-4 singles players Charlie Jafari, Ethan Bondick, and Colin Regenauer, according to Coach Rob Morrison. Spencer Davis

captained the team, which posted a final record of 6-2. The season concluded with a convincing 6-0 win over Belmont Hill; the team’s tournament was rained out.

JV tennis struggled this spring, suffering ten losses and one draw. The squad of eleven seventh and eighth graders pulled through the winless season “in good spirits,” says Coach Dave Sanborn, demonstrating “exemplary sportsmanship,” and “support-ing their teammates regardless of score.” Dylan Volman was the team’s captain.

It was a surprising season on many fronts for the track and field team, says Coach Dave Duane, who was assisted by Mike Potsaid. The team posted a 10-1 record in meets and took second place at the Fenn Relays among the seven teams competing. In individual events, Fenn earned first place in the high jump and hurdle relays while placing second in the shot put, long jump relay, 4 x 400 relay, and distance medley. Captains were Tony Brigiotta and Pipo Fitzsimmons.

SPRING 2014

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fenn rememBereD

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When he Was a child in Gerrards Cross, a small town west of London, Chris Davies ’44 had no idea his life was about to change dramatically. In 1939 Britain and France had declared war on Nazi Germany and Hitler had sent the Luftwaffe over England to begin what would become the Blitz. His parents decided to send their son to America, where he would be safe. Chris was just nine years old.

During the war, Chris was one of thousands of English children from the ages of three to fifteen who were evac-uated to the U.S., Canada, and other dominions deemed safe havens. With remarkable recall, Chris, the sole represen-tative of his 70th anniversary class at this spring’s Alumni Reunion, tells the story of his evacuation, right down to the monkey glove puppet (below) that provided com-fort as he wrestled with homesickness.

adjusting to a new life

After sadly waving goodbye to his parents and older brother, Chris traveled to the port of Liverpool. He remembers sitting forlornly, looking at the floor of the bus, already grieving his sep-aration from his parents and having no idea of what lay ahead. He faced a long and potentially

dangerous Atlantic crossing on the S.S. Duchess of Atholl (which would later be sunk by a torpedo). Chris would be gone for the next three and a half years.

German U-boats prowled the Atlantic; two ships that carried children being evacuated were sunk by torpedoes in 1940. The Duchess sailed at top speed, escorted half way across the ocean by a destroyer. After their arrival in Montreal, the children traveled by overnight train to Boston and were taken to Wellesley College to await their foster families. Chris met Lily Conant at The Home for Little Wanderers and returned to Lincoln with her. His mother had a friend who made the connection. Chris’ favorite memory of those years is spending blissful summers on Long Pond near Plymouth, at Pinewoods, a music and dance camp run by Mrs. Conant.

Once he was settled, Chris told the Conants about Peter and John Downing, who had come over on the

ship with him. “Auntie,” as Chris came to call Mrs. Conant, talked to her friend, Helen Storrow, the founder of Pinewoods Camp, and she took in the brothers for the next three years. The boys were enrolled at Fenn, where a Conant son, Ricky, was already a student. Between 1940

and 1945, some twenty English boys were added to the Fenn student body while London suffered under the Blitz. Chris believes that Roger Fenn offered these boys a break in tuition to “do his part for the war effort.”

In his second year, Chris became a seven-day boarder because the Conants worried he was lonely in Lincoln. He found a built-in community at Fenn, where the whole school would meet each day in the handsomely wood-paneled, fireplaced Austin Riggs room (currently a Lower School classroom) for announce-ments and hymn singing. John Downing was President of the School and Chris served as Vice President, “charged with the awesome responsibility of raising the school flag,” he says.

“I was happy at Fenn,” Chris declares, adding that he recalls going for nature walks with Mr. Fenn, playing kick-the-can on Punkatasset Hill, skiing at “Little Punk,” and skating on a local pond. On Friday nights the boarders did their homework and on Sunday

Safe HavenEvacuees from England find a home at Fenn: chris davies ’44 remembers

Large photo at right: Fenn School photo 1941; Chris is in third row from bottom, fourth from right

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On Friday nights the boarders did their homework and on Sunday evenings they wrote letters home.

s u m m e r 2014 29

evenings they wrote letters home. Chris lived in one of the rooms in W.W. Fenn that is now an office; his housemaster was Donald Frothingham.

When it was apparent that the Allies had the upper hand over the U-boats patrolling the Atlantic, it was considered safe for Chris to go home. He traveled on a Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier, the H.M.S. Trumpeter. Since he was mid-way through his eighth grade year, Chris received a certificate that officially confirmed him as a member of the Class of 1944. He reunited joyfully with his parents and brother in London.

back to Fenn

Chris returned to his former school, and later earned an undergraduate degree and a Certificate of Education at Clare

College at Cambridge. He was a rower for Clare and participated in the Henley Regatta seven times. Towards the end of his time at university, Chris got in touch with Roger Fenn, who offered him a teaching job. Soon he was booking a ticket on the Clipper, the latest trans-At-lantic airplane.

It was 1955 and Fenn was welcom-ingly familiar, says Chris, who taught English, Latin, social studies, and reading. After spending three years at Fenn, Chris moved on to positions at St. Paul’s School, Perkins School for the Blind, Belmont Day School, and finally, the Concord Public Schools, where he taught third grade for twenty-one years. He has served as an aide at the Carroll School, which used to be the home where the Downing brothers lived with Mrs.

Storrow. Chris and his wife, Susie, who was a tutor at Fenn about fifteen years ago, have two sons, Will and Matt. Chris busies himself volunteering at Emerson Hospital and reading for the blind and dyslexic in Cambridge, and until recently he acted with the Concord Players.

Chris has lost touch with all but one of the English evacuees who were his Fenn classmates, naming Paul Bentley, Andrew and Peter Ferguson, and Alan Wood as among them. He wrote to the members of his class in advance of their 70th reunion, and John Downing replied from his home in Halesworth, Suffolk, where he said he is building a studio and gallery for teaching people with learning difficulties. Writing in the 75th anniversary edition of the Fenn Bulletin in 2004, Mr. Downing recalled that Roger and Eleanor and the Fenn faculty and staff warmly welcomed the English contingent and “were very help-ful and friendly,” adding, “I shall never fail to appreciate my good fortune at being a student there.”

Small photo below, l to r: Paul Bentley, Chris Davies, William McGowen, John Downing, Jay Dean, Thayer Scudder, and Alan Ferguson in 1944

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— 1930 — Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Sumner Bodfish

— 1931 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Jack Edmands, William Hayden, Truman Heminway, Carl Lincoln

— 1936 —Brooks Hoar was hoping to see Lary Lunt ’37 in Tucson, AZ, this past spring, health per-mitting. He reports that he just had his 92nd birthday and adds, “I don’t recommend it!”

Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Ross Detwiler, Robert Hall

— 1937 —Larry Lunt writes: “Memories of Fenn are innumerable and heartwarming, but of Roger, one is indelible. Roger and Elea-nor came for two nights to our Wyoming ranch and, to our delight, stayed seven. Calling his bluff on catching porcupines bare-handed, we stalked one close by flashlight. He closed his hands on the tail’s base, pulling back with quills lying harm-lessly flat and held the protesting animal aloft. Had I ever doubted my headmaster before, never again.”

— 1940 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Charlie Washburn

— 1941 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Huntley Farrall, Archibald Howe, Arthur Malet, Bill Shedden, John Zahner

— 1945 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Kendrick Capon, Bob Day, Mott ForestGeorge Peck, Ralph Wells

Class Notes

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— 1946 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Frank Allen, Burwell Dodd, Peter Ferguson, Leighton Merrick, Richard Parvin, Hastings Sharp

— 1949 —Fernando Alvarez de Toledo wrote in to share some of his favorite Fenn memories. He cited playing marbles with Roger Fenn; making many of Roger’s watch fobs, which he wore often; and watching the Northern Lights while lying out on the grass below Roger’s house with Roger and a few of the other boarders of his house. Shop time also made the list, as did science classes with Roger, Roger’s nature house and walks at Keewaydin, and finally Roger’s wonderful way with kids and the way he spoke.

— 1950 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Peter Hamilton

— 1951 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Ned Brooks, Chuck Conklin, Robert Starr, Wolfgang Tejessy

— 1955 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Charles Allen, Kip Kemp, Harris Lane, Vernon Schaller, Alexander White

— 1956 —Jon Olmsted reports, “Janet and I sailed the Andaman Sea out of Phuket, Thailand, for over a week in 2013 with The Cruising Club of America. There were 30 chartered sail boats of all sizes and about 150 sailors. It was quite beautiful and exotic to sail among huge limestone outcroppings and hollow islands.”

Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Frank Baldwin, Nathan Bates, John Bell, John Hatch, Nathaniel Johnson

— 1957 —David White writes that this past summer “marked by 50th year as operations and projects associate at the Marlboro, Vermont Music Festival. Halfway through the season I invited the whole group of musicians and staff to my home, where a good turnout of appreciation and fun on a lovely summer evening was celebrated. I feel truly blessed to have been part of a community supporting young musicians, and even away from Marlboro I frequently meet young performing artists seeking venues. I am keeping pretty healthy and had a

completely successful cataract procedure on my left eye in January. I remind myself that there is no growing old, but rather advancing gracefully in age, open to appropriate opportunities and even some surprises—especially in performing arts and education!”

— 1960 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Edward Besse, John Handal, Arthur Jackman, Joseph Seronde

— 1961 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Peter Burr, William Clark, James Ornsteen, Raddy Romeyn, Ken Rust

— 1965 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:David Day, Peter Douglass, Simon Duhamel, William Ford, Bruce Frothingham, Tim Fuller, Jeff Hill, Robert Taylor

— 1966 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:George Aelion, John Bennison, William Buell, Jon Carlson, Jon Kealy, George Lauriat, Steven Lord, Jake Redway, Stephen Witter, Whitney Wright

— 1970 —Peter Arnold is selling for a paper mill based in Portugal and covers the entire U.S., which equates to far too much travel. His family

s u m m e r 2014 31

Jon Olmsted ’56 cruising the Andaman Sea

CLAss nOTes

“Roger and Eleanor came to our Wyoming ranch. Calling his bluff on catching porcupines bare-handed, we stalked one close by flashlight...Roger held the protesting animal aloft.”– Larry Lunt ’37

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is doing well with his son graduating from Trinity College in May and his daughter graduating from Suffield Academy in May. He says hello to the entire class of 1970! Sam Julier retired from business in September and reports that he is “enjoying my freedom immensely. I hope to teach yoga to intercity youth via 108monkeys.org and expand my beekeeping activities.” Brad Simonds and Jamie Jones ’71 got together recently in Key West, Florida, for some fishing. Brad was a lefty pitcher for Coach Biscoe and the Fenn baseball team, while Jamie was the catcher and they went on to play together at the Middlesex School. Today Brad is a renowned charter boat captain in the Keys with his boat “Southpaw” (See www.southpawfishing.com.) He knows where the fish are and is ready for any Fenn alumni and friends that want to have some fun in Key West!

Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:David Ames, Chad Forman, Penn Hulburd

— 1971 —Jamie Jones and Brad Simonds ’70 got together recently in Key West, Florida, for some fishing. Brad was a lefty pitcher

for Coach Biscoe and the Fenn baseball team, while Jamie was the catcher and they went on to play together at the Middlesex School. Today Brad is a renowned charter boat captain in the Keys with his boat “Southpaw” (See www.southpawfishing.com.) He knows where the fish are and is ready for any Fenn alumni and friends that want to have some fun in Key West! Mike Spound and John Sweney, who had kept in touch but not actually seen each other in over 42 years, met for brunch last winter in Los Angeles.

Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:James Burns, Bailey Carter, Chip Counihan, Robert Graham, Owen Green, Bill Kavanagh, Richard Lugg, Brenton Noe, Edward Ryan, Bill Watson

— 1974 —Ben Batchelder writes in, “A long time! I’m publishing several books this year on adventuring. Best regards to all.” In December Mark Biscoe was promoted to President of Eliassen Group, one of the largest technology staffing and consulting services firms in the country. Prior to his appointment, Mark was responsible for Eliassen Group’s field operations in the Great Lakes, Quad States, and Mid-At-lantic regions. He will now be overseeing all regions for the firm including New England, as well as the company’s life sciences, biometrics and data solutions, national delivery and direct hire divisions. Mark has been an executive in the profes-sional staffing industry for 29 years. Andy Smith was an early fan of Fenn’s EverTrue app and sent this news to Fenn via the app: “Just found this app today! Then I found three alumni from 1974 near me and invit-ed practically all 1974 grads to get it. Still doing computers thanks to Bill Maxwell; still doing music thanks to David Huston.”

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Mike Spound ’71 and John Sweney with the 1971 Fenn Lantern

Jamie Jones ’71 and Brad Simonds ’70

“Still doing computers thanks to Bill Maxwell; still doing music thanks to David Huston.” – Andy Smith ’74

ClASS nOTES

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s u m m e r 2014 33

It wasn’t a love of music that initially inspired John Littlefield to take up the flute. Rather, he began learning the instrument in fourth grade, a year before he arrived at Fenn, because he “hoped to sit next to a particular little blond-haired girl” in his school’s ensemble.

John continued to play the flute at Fenn under the guidance of David Huston and music has been his passion ever since. “Mr. Huston,” he says, “was my role model for so many areas of what would become my future.” John also recalls with affection some of the other Fenn teachers who influenced him: “The Biscoes created a family atmosphere in the dorm” (John lived in

the Farm House for three years and in W.W. Fenn for one); “Mr. Davis folded me into his family when I could not go home [to John’s small town on the Maine coast] on long weekends”; “Mr. Dunnell was a clear example of what it meant to be focused and committed to something”; “Mr. Frothingham played the piano every morning as we entered chapel”; “Mr. Travers, with two children close to our age, provided a model of what seemed to us to be a very special family structure”; “Mr. Segal taught Music Appreciation and took me to my first ballet performance”; and “Mr. Edgar never gave up on me, even at my least productive academic moments.”

After Fenn, John graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy and earned a degree in music at Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities. He introduced his first professional flute and classical guitar ensemble, Herrick

& Handler, at Fenn somewhere around 1974, prior to heading off on national tours, he says.

John made his Carnegie Hall debut at nineteen and has toured extensively in the U.S. and in the former Soviet Union. He has garnered critical acclaim for performances at Alice Tully Hall, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and even Prince Vladimir’s Palace in the former Leningrad, among many venues. He and his wife Karen, a concert pianist, perform and tour with the Herrick (an old family name, John says) Ensemble, and with an ensemble called 315 East. They have a daughter, Liza, who is an artist.

Also a dedicated teacher, John conducted the chamber orchestra at the Spence School in New York City, continues to provide private flute lessons to students ranging in age from ten to eighty-seven, and is currently the chair of the music department at the Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, NJ. This winter John brought StringJam, a group of student and faculty musicians, to Fenn, where they performed to enthusiastic applause during All School Meeting. The school’s orchestras travel to London, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest, and up and down the East Coast of the U.S. “Being able to provide experiences like these for others,” John says, “is my way of carrying on for those who have provided so much for me over the years. It is a very fulfilling life.”

Music and family combine to provide “a very fulfilling life”: John Littlefield ’64

John visiting Fenn last winter with a string ensemble from his school

John is at right in an undated Fenn photo

“Mr. Davis folded me into his family when I could not go home on long weekends.” – john littlefield

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CLAss NOTes

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ReunIon 2014leFt PaGe 1 Woody Woodman ’88, and 25th reunion co-chairs Brian Davidson ’89 and Matt Boger ’89 2

Matt Boger, new Alumni Association President 3 Class of ’89 (25th reunion), l to r top: Brian Davidson,

Jason Ryan, Justin Ricker, Hans Ellison, Stew Williamson, Jeff Mannion; l to r bottom: Adrian Bignami, Matt

Boger, Rob Collings 4 Class of ’64 (50th reunion), l to r: Ted Browne, Andy Fletcher, Mason Browne 5 Class

of ’04 (10th reunion), l to r top: Peter Carroll, Devin O’Rourke, Will Kussin, Sean Murphy; l to r bottom: BJ

Moriarty, Freemon Romero, Luke Voelk 6 Class of ’84 (30th reunion), l to r top: Sky Blackiston, Eric Stokes,

Charlie Flather; l to r bottom: Jay Remington, Sandy Blackiston, A.J. Sohn 7 Former faculty at Reunion, l to r

top: Bill Maxwell, Mark Biscoe, Jane Cooper, Jim Carter ’54, Sue Finney, Chris Davies ’44; l to r bottom: Lucia

MacMahon, Kirsten Gould, Jane Biscoe RIGHt PaGe 1 Classes of ’44 and ’54 (60th and 70th reunions), l to

r: Jim Carter ’54, Chris Davies ’44, Jay Olmstead ’54 2 Headmaster Ward honors outgoing Alumni Association

President Chuck Huggins ’74 3 l to r: James Ward ’97, Matt Ward ’00, and Tooey Rogers, parent of Luke ’06

4 Class of 2002, l to r: Tutor Foote, Ankush Tandon, Luke Marchand, John Sillari, Harris Rosenheim 5 Recent

graduates, l to r top: Nick Walters ’13, Joe LaRocca ’14, Chad Arle ’14; l to r bottom: Maahin Gulati ’14, Chad

Valpey ’14 6 l to r: Leigh McCloskey ’01, Tony Sillari ’99, and Jimmy Hall ’01 7 Class of ’74 (40th reunion),

l to r top: Geoff Roberts, Robert McWalter, Phil Lynch, Bill Nichols; l to r bottom: Chuck Huggins, Andy Smith,

Tom DeNormandie

40972.indd 35 6/19/14 12:20 PM

— 1975 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:William Charbonneau, James Penhune

— 1976 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:John Butterfield, Tuck Collins

— 1979 —Andy Biscoe was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the U.S. Air Force on Jan-uary 11, 2014. His award citation for service from May 2010 to May 2013 reads, “Master Sergeant Biscoe distinguished himself in the performance of outstanding service to the United States while assigned to the 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs, Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts. During this period, Sergeant Biscoe served as a noncommissioned officer in charge as well as acting chief during a seven-month gap. He led all major public affairs operations including media coverage of the base’s C-5 Surge in Afghanistan. He devoted months

to prepare the office for the wing operational readiness inspection, earning the wing’s only outstanding rating. The Air Mobility Command Inspector General selected him as an outstanding performer. Additionally, Sergeant Biscoe directed media operations for the 2012 Great New England Air Show. He led a social media blitz, initiated inno-vative tactics such as using K-loaders as photo platforms, and wrote a newspaper edito-rial on the community value of the air show—reaching an estimated 100,000 readers. Sergeant Biscoe spearheaded two bosslifts, highlighting the Reserve mission to key employers with a record com-bined sphere of influence of more than 900 million people. His efforts culminated in the

Public Affairs Office earning an unprec-edented 13 command and media contest awards in 2012. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Biscoe reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”

— 1980 —Rob Hurd writes, “Life is Marion is busy. With a third grader and a four-year-old (who only has two speeds, asleep and fast), I am kept on my toes daily. Add in my school responsibilities (houseparent, physics teacher, sailing coach, waterfront director, faculty affairs advisory board, etc.) and daily life is like jumping on a treadmill at high speed with the goal of just staying upright until the end of the day. I wish it left more time to dabble in all the other aspects of life.” Karl Jacoby is a professor of history at Columbia University and lives in New York City.

Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Scott Alexanderson, Craig Arnold, Dan Barton

— 1981 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:Nick Rattray

— 1983 —Tim Cipriani and his wife, Holly, are proud to announce the finalization of Spencer’s adoption into their family on June 17, 2013. Tim and Holly celebrated Spencer’s adoption with family and friends during a tenth anniversary party where they renewed their vows, incorporating Spencer into the family formally.

— 1984 —While Pete Abele was unable to attend the 30th reunion, he was pleased to be remem-bered as part of the class. He reports that “a lot has changed since Fenn days, but I am convinced the time machine has smiled on me and everyone would abso-lutely recognize me as if I was walking across the tennis courts after a great lunch in the dining hall.” Pete and his wife Tara live in Vermont. Harlan Howe is currently teaching computer science and acting as the Upper School Technology Coordinator at the Kinkaid School, a PK-12 private school in Houston. He is wrapping up his 9th year in this position, his 14th at the school (he previously taught physics) and his 20th year of teaching. Harlan writes, “My wife and I just celebrated our 17th anniversary. She teaches algebra at Kinkaid in the middle school. Our maternal and paternal instincts have been satisfied by teaching—we don’t have children of our own, just dogs.”

— 1985 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Jungmok Bae, Jim Geary, Rob Pearson

— 1986—Nick Bruning led a group of Concord-Carlisle and Lincoln-Sudbury High School students on a service trip to the Navajo

36 www.fenn.org

CLAss NOTes

Four alumni participated in a Fenn Forum in May, addressing the community in Ward Hall. l to r: Rob Collings ’89 talked about The Collings Foundation, which supports living history events involving transportation; Tyler Andrews ’05, an accomplished runner who placed 35th in the Boston Marathon, shared his experience as the president of STRIVE, a company that provides service trips for student athletes; Josh Harnden ’93 spoke about his adventures in Hollywood as a producer, writer, and editor; and Jeff Trotsky ’06 shared his passion for fishing.

40972.indd 36 6/19/14 12:20 PM

Nation to help refurbish homes during the February break this past winter.

Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Frederick Brewer, Jay Graham, Rick Hartman, Eric Johnson, Jason Steadman, John Williams

— 1987 —Rob Fay still works with the family on the railroad in Florida. His two daughters are a junior and a sophomore in high school.

— 1988 —Ted FitzPatrick is Director of Footwear Product Marketing — Running and Training at Reebok.

— 1990 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:Bobby Clapp, Josh May

— 1991 —Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:Matt Berkey, Matt Bryant, Andrew Miller, Rob O’Brien

— 1992 —Ben Bing and his wife, Catherine, wel-comed a son, Alexander Bing, to their fam-ily on March 27. Matt McQuilkin is living in Missoula, MT, where he owns his own business, Black Coffee Roasting Company. He has two daughters.

s u m m e r 2014 37

wHat sets Fenn apart from other schools is that it instills in boys “a set of core values to live by,” says Ben Wellenbach ’95, and teaches them how to develop “a systematic approach for the execution of goals and tasks.” He credits his Fenn experience for helping to provide him with the skills, organization,

and confidence to establish and run a thriving fitness business that is staffed by nationally recognized coaches. BeWell Fitness has been featured in various media outlets as an expert in the field of training and performance.

“Fenn sets a standard,” Ben declares, writing from his office in

Libertyville, IL, just north of Chicago, “and that standard is Sua Sponte.” When he landed at Fenn after moving to Massachusetts, Ben was far out of his comfort zone, he recalls. “I had a choice. I could act out and get consumed by the discomfort of accountability, or I could embrace it. It was through the team of teachers, support staff, and culture that I was able to do that.” In his weekly planner, Ben

keeps a picture of the awards that he won at his Fenn graduation “because it represents my potential…my true self.”

Ben attended Lawrence Academy and Lake Forest College, where he focused on economics. He designed his fitness business so that “like Fenn, no one is a number. We take great pride in getting to know our members and what fuels them, and we train all of them like they are athletes.”

Ben and his wife, Karie, have two daughters: Lilah, who is five, and Stella, three. He has much to say about the importance of fitness, especially in young people. “We are at war with ourselves: We have obesity levels like never before. It is up to all of us to do our part to reverse these numbers.” Fenn, he notes, “does an unbelievable job of making it easy to be active and play sports no matter what one’s talent level is.” The choices we make once we are no longer expected to be active are critical, he adds. “We only have one body, and it is a gift.”

Ben, his wife, Karie, and their daughters Lilah, 5, on left, and Stella, 3

Taking a personal approach to fostering fitness: Ben Wellenbach ’95

Follow us on twitter@Fennschool

C o n n e C twItH Fenn

like us on Facebook

network with alums on linkedIn the Fenn school alumni

40972.indd 37 6/19/14 12:20 PM

— 1993 —Ian Nurse finished 52nd in this year’s Boston Marathon, clocking 2:25:37. Ben Sprayregen married Elizabeth Griffin on June 1, 2013. Ben graduated from Colgate and has master’s degrees from Middlebury and Boston College. He is a school administrator and Elizabeth is an attorney. They live in Boston. Kevin White, who with his parents was injured in the Boston Marathon bombings last year, ran the race this year, finishing in 5:39:58. He reports, “It was a wonderful experience emotionally and mentally to see the city and state not only heal but move forward. It was also a physically painful experience as my legs were not happy with me when it was done. My parents also were able to hold the finishing tape for the male champion to cross. For all of us it was a great experience at the finish line as compared to the year prior.”

— 1994 —Sean Kolloff is currently in his tenth year as a Wealth Manager at Merrill Lynch. He resides in Boston and on any given weekend he can be seen at five thousand feet in his Piper Arrow flying to Nantucket or around the East Coast (see page 40). Sean has been flying since 2010 and is an instrument rated pilot. In addition to fly-ing for convenience and fun, he flies for Angel Flight New England. Angel Flight is a nonprofit that provides free air transpor-tation to patients whose financial resources would not enable them to receive treat-ment or diagnosis.

— 1996 —Drew Jameson is a special needs teacher of sixth graders in Medford, MA. He enjoys his students very much despite the progress

reports and educational plans he must write. He continues to teach creative writing to young adults at the Grub Street writing center in Boston. His wife, Minna Scholten, has com-pleted her master’s degree and is a registered dieti-tian. She is assistant direc-tor of a senior feeding pro-gram based in Waltham, MA, and serving sur-rounding towns. She is also doing research part time at the John Staulker Research Institute at Framingham

University. Ben Tuff, Associate Director of Admission at Rumsey Hall School, has finished ten triathlons and two, two-mile open water swim races, qualified for the 2014 National Triathlon Championships, and was invited, and subsequently joined, the Timex Factory Team, made up of just over 300 elite triathletes across the country.

Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Hunter Kaltsas, Paul-Henri Pesquet, Jan Wennemer

— 1997 —Jarrod Shoemaker sends greetings from New Zealand where he was training in March to prepare for the April 6 Auck-land International Triathlon Union World Series, the opening round of the 2014 season. He reports that training has been going great for the last few months and he was excited to get his first big race under way. You can check out Jarrod’s website at http://www.jarrodshoemaker.com for his latest race and training updates.

— 1998 —Matt Jameson has finished his course work and his Ph.D. dissertation and was pre-paring to defend his thesis in February or March. He is waiting to hear where he will intern next year. His wife, Angela Weiss Jameson, will begin her MSW program at University of Michigan in September. She will end her full-time military status in the Air Force, but will continue to serve

38 www.fenn.org

ClASS nOTES

Richard Connolly ’98 at the finish of the Boston Marathon

Andy Sjogren ’98 toasts Conor Maguire ’98 and his bride, Julie Sorkin.

“It was a wonderful experience emotionally and mentally to see the city and state not only heal but move forward.” – Kevin White ’93

40972.indd 38 6/23/14 5:24 PM

part time in the Air National Guard until her retirement from the military in six years. Conor Maguire married Julie Sorkin on August 31, 2013 in Salem, MA. Andy Sjogren, Conor’s partner-in-crime at Fenn and then at Law-rence Academy, was the best man. Alex Wolff works at J. P. Morgan in New York City, trad-ing corporate bonds. Alan O’Neill, Assistant Director of Admissions for five years at Fenn, will become the new Director of Admissions at Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, CT.

— 1999 —Nate Swift is working in Chicago as Director of Brand Strategy at O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul.

— 2000 —Rob Hale and his wife, Catherine, are living in San Francisco. Iain Sayles and his wife, Brigette, welcomed Lochlain Antoine Sayles to their family on November 20, 2013. Eric Schroeder lives on Beacon Hill in Boston and is a lawyer. Rob Swift is living in New-port, RI, and working in real estate. He sails whenever he can. Dan Tavilla works in sales at a software company in Danvers, MA, called Vaultlogix. Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:Paolo Forchielli, Ian Goldstein, Daniel Meyer, Chris Skipper

— 2001 —Anoff Cobblah married Jaime Bourque on May 10, with a reception at Fenn following the ceremony. Matt Keller is serv-ing in Bahrain until late July,

when he will be finished with his Navy service. He will then enter the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts. Alex Whitney is back in Boston and working for a high tech company.

Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates: Stephen Bandoh, Pat Callahan, Tom Gottheil

— 2002 —Graham Jenkins works with the Scitor Cor-poration doing long-term analysis for the Office of Net Assessment.

— 2003 —Tim Padden will be married to Megan Elizabeth Garbe in October 2014. Tim and Megan met at Salve Regina College; Megan is an artist and Tim works at Cambridge Sound Management in Waltham. Chris Swearingen is working at the Harvard Extension School as a media lab user assistant and is hoping to get a job at Harvard Law School.

— 2004 —Jared Jammal works at Admirals Bank in Boston. He is engaged to Kelley Crowley.

After working in England for the English Lacrosse Federation from 2012 to 2013, Matt Livingston is back in the U.S. living in New York City and working for an inter-national commercial real estate company. John Moriarty is living on Beacon Hill in Boston and working for his father’s real estate development company. Jeff Olshan just finished his second year of law school at the University of Chicago.

— 2005 —Tyler Andrews (subject of an article in the Winter 2014 issue of FENN) set a world record for a half-marathon on the treadmill in March, which resulted in his invitation to run in the 118th Boston Marathon in April. He finished 29th in the men’s field and 35th overall with a time of 2:21:33 over the 26.2 mile course. His was the third best perfor-mance in Massachusetts. It was Tyler’s first marathon and he was very emotional; he had been preparing by running 150 miles a week at high altitude; he has been living in Ecua-dor since August as a co-owner of STRIVE Trips, a nonprofit that provides student ath-letes with training time and service projects in South America. His next goal is qualifying for the US Olympic team trials for 2016.

Please email alumni@fenn.org if you can help us locate these missing classmates:Daniel John, Stefan Lowenstein, Tejas Pathak, Bradley Taylor, Tom Thompson

— 2006 —Tod Holberton was a captain of the Brown University varsity squash team this year.

— 2007 —Greg Kinlan graduated from Villanova this spring and moved to New York to work on the consulting team for Ernst & Young. Thomas Livingston is a media relations intern at the University of Virginia. Peter Quayle spent the spring semes-ter in New Zealand.

Lochlain Antoine Sayles

l to r: Anoff ’01, Jaime, Tete and Elizabeth, and Kwame ’03.

S u M M E R 2014 39

40972.indd 39 6/24/14 12:16 PM

WHEN HE WAS PLAYING soccer on the Fenn field in the early 90’s, Sean Kolloff would hear a roar and look skyward at a jet taking off or landing on Runway 11 at Hanscom Field. Little did he know that years later he would learn to fly at the same airport, using that very same runway, and that he would eventually pilot his own single-engine two-seater Piper Arrow.

After graduation in 1994, Sean attended Lawrence Academy and the University of Miami, where he majored in finance. He is a vice president and a Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch in Boston. While attending Fenn for his eighth and ninth grade years, Sean says he most remembers the “camaraderie—and how I had such wonderful friendships with both students and teachers. For the first time in my life, school was fun.” Of particular influence, he recalls, were Bob Starensier, then-Headmaster Walter Birge, and teacher Mark Biscoe. “When I think of Mr. Biscoe in Latin class, I still get chills. He was such a great teacher;

any student would have been lucky to have him.”

Sean got into flying in 2010—he is an instrument rated pilot—mostly for convenience and fun as he likes to spend time on Nantucket and

elsewhere along the East Coast. He had always wanted to fly missions for Angel Flight New England, a non-profit organization of pilots who volunteer to provide free transportation for people with medically related needs whose financial resources would not enable them to receive treatment, such as chemotherapy, otherwise.

One day while having lunch at the Lawrence Airport, Sean walked into the Angel Flight office and joined the program, for which he met the pilot requirements. He flies patients of all ages into and out of Boston—(“I love taking off and landing at Logan in my small plane.”) about once a month. As his passengers often are usually not feeling well, a short plane ride is much more comfortable for them than taking a bus, car, or ferry, and some passengers are understandably quiet during the flights.

At Christmastime Sean showed up for a mission wearing a Santa Claus hat. When the woman who was the patient and her daughter laughed, it was all the reward Sean needed.

Flying Patients in Need: Sean Kolloff ’94

— 2008 —Chris Knollmeyer is in his third year at the California Institute of the Arts, majoring in music technology. For the past two years he has been a teaching assistant in the Ableton Live class and the Concert Production class. Chris was also an intern at Kingsize Soundlabs in Los Angeles. In his spare time he creates and composes electronic music and does sound production for Cal Arts. Andrew Monks attends the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and works at Belgian Man Records. Jake Oh is at George Washington University studying international affairs with a concentration on Africa.

— 2009 —Thomas Cowan is loving MIT.

— 2010 —Drew Coash will be playing baseball for Middlebury College. Will Golonka has signed a National Letter of Intent to play hockey at the University of Connecticut for Fall of 2014, UConn’s inaugural season in Division 1’s Hockey East Conference. He has received Independent School All League hockey and academic honors the past two years. Will is a senior at Belmont Hill School and has been accepted into the UConn School of Business. Jalen Joncas is taking a year off from college and is living

in Washington, DC. William Crowley was co-captain of the Belmont Hill soccer team during the fall 2013 season. He led a team that included Fenn alumni Will Golonka who had a successful season in goal and Jacob Kotlier at midfield and defensive back. Jacob was awarded the Cliff Goodband Award by the coaches of the Independent School League for his successful return to the pitch after his treatment for leukemia. Jacob was sustained through his long treatment and recovery by his Fenn friends, teammates and teachers—including Colin Sargis and Ben Smith ’85. Will Noble loves MIT where he is studying a lot of math. Ben Wright has a scholarship to study robotics at Florida Institute of Technology in Melburne, FL.

40 www.fenn.org

Sean flying a Christmastime mission

ClASS nOTES

40972.indd 40 6/23/14 5:24 PM

College plans for the Class of 2010Drew Coash Middlebury College

will Crowley University of Virginia

Matt Czarnecki yale University

will golonka University of Connecticut

Trent green Brown University

Jack littlefield lehigh University

Tucker Marchese holy Cross

gil Roddy Bowdoin College

arthur whitehead Colorado school of Mines

Benjamin wright Florida institute of Technology

— 2011 —Hunter Arnold was named “a player to watch” in the Boston Globe’s Metro West section in March. He captained the Acton-

Boxborough lacrosse team this past spring and also served as captain of their hockey and football teams this year. Joe Delaney will be playing lacrosse for Colgate University. Sabri Eyuboglu placed first in NEPSAC slalom and third in giant slalom after winning all of his regular season ISL races. Sabri was named first team All-New England after leading Belmont Hill to a win at the 2013 NEPSAC meet. He also received All-Scholastic honors for alpine skiing. Duncan Norton (St. Paul’s School) and Johnny Kim (St. George’s School) were named ISL All-Stars for soccer. Four Fenn Band alumni—Matt Lynch (percussion), Joe Pacheco (saxophone), Peter Klinkmueller (trumpet), and Mark Benati ’13 (trombone)—competed with the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School Marching Colonials Marching Band in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in

Dublin, Ireland. The ABRHS Band won “Best Youth Band” in the parade. The St. Patrick’s Day parade had over half a million people in attendance, which is the largest in Dublin’s history. The band also competed in the Limerick International Band Championship Festival, winning “Best International Band.” Miles Petrie was named an ISL All-Star for cross country. This summer Will Royal is spending a month in the Wind River Range in Wyoming for climbing and mountaineering.

s u m m e r 2014 41

Sam Rice ’10 and Chris Ryan ’10 after a close game between Salisbury and Trinity-Pawling last November

Members of the class of 2010 came to see their Fenn classmate Drew Coash graduate from Middlesex with honors this spring. l to r: Gabe Arnold, Chris Giles, Graham Hunt, Drew, and Will Crowley.

Will Golonka ’10

College plans for the Class of 2011Donny adie Bentley College

Ryan alipour new york University

hunter arnold Keene state College

Jack Bierwagen Rhodes College

Connor Black elon University

Morgan Brennan Trinity College

Zack Burling providence College

Kennedy Chea University of Massachusetts

george Cohen wake Forest University

Joe Delaney Colgate University

nick Demsher purdue University

sabri eyuboglu stanford University

alex Folts Connecticut College

Connor gay Colorado College

stevie gleason Boston College

Oliver Johnson Bentley College

Johnny Kim georgetown University

peter Klinkmueller Johns hopkins University

Matt lynch george Mason University

will Maceachern hobart and william smith College

Tom Morrison Oberlin College

hunter Moskowitz Cornell University

Chase newton University of Miami

Duncan norton amherst College

lucas O’Brien Kenyon College

Joe pacheco purdue University

Chase parisi northwestern University

gabriel parlin princeton University

Carter Reed University of Miami

luke Robichaud Mcpherson College

will Royal University of Vermont

Robert shapiro st. lawrence University

nathaniel sintros gap year

sam stogdon haverford College

peter vanderwilden University of Vermont

andrew wilson University of Vermont

sam woodring Trinity College

40972.indd 41 6/19/14 12:21 PM

— 2012 —Dan Carlson (Middlesex School) was named an ISL All-Star for soccer. Joey Crowley was tri-captain of this year’s Concord-Carlisle High School boys bas-ketball team, which went 18-2 in the regular season. He earned Dual County League All-Star honors. Tim Joumas, who attends Lawrence Academy, was awarded the Thomas B. Warner Award, which rec-ognizes runners whose perseverance and dedication exemplify excellence in cross country. Tim served for a second season as a team captain and finished as one of the top LA runners at every meet.

— 2013 —Mark Benati (trombone) competed with the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School Marching Colonials Marching Band in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. The ABRHS Band won “Best Youth Band” in the parade. The St. Patrick’s Day parade had over half a million people in attendance, which is the largest in Dublin’s history. They also competed in the Limerick International Band Championship Festival, winning “Best International Band.” Patrick Crowley from Concord-Carlisle High School was named a Dual County All-Star for football. Austin Hoey (Concord-Carlisle High School) earned Dual County League All-Star honors for basketball.

Jack Lyne ’12, Drew Coash ’10, Austin Dorsey ’12, and Will Baxter ’12 end their 2013 football season at Middlesex School with a win over rival Saint George’s.

Mark Benati ’13 (front right) with the Acton-Boxborough Marching Band in Dublin

42 www.fenn.org

sculptor honors FounderAs always, I was very well impressed with your FENN publication. The tribute to Bob Duncan is wonderful. I was excited, impressed, and gratified by the article on the bust of my father! An enduring tribute to a steadfast leader and friend! He would have been overwhelmed; my mother would have been thrilled. [Domenica] has captured his look—intent, I think, on learning, maybe, what is on that student’s mind or, maybe, the identity of that bird in his feeder. He might have looked like that when he was trying to figure out how he could accomplish his dream of starting a boys’ school. Many thanks from our family to all of you who work so hard to keep the school a success and who con-tinue to show your appreciation of the founders.

Sincerely,Margaret (Margot) Borden (daughter of founder Roger C. Fenn)

Tribute to Bob DuncanMy strongest memory of Fenn, and this is a story I tell over and over again, is Parent Night in Mr. Duncan’s math class. That week a boy had brought his homework to school in his dad’s old briefcase, the kind with the brass rolling numbers to lock the case. Unfortunately, the case was locked and the boy did not know the combination. Mr. Duncan talked about how he dropped the math curriculum for that day and challenged the students to mathematically figure out how to unlock the briefcase, and calculate the probabilities of number combinations. He was so excited! So was I—and the other parents in the room. This was true emergent curriculum, which very good teachers embrace. It is the best way to teach, and Mr. Duncan set the example. As for your Einstein quote, “Creativity is intelligence having fun,” I have that on a sticky note by my computer. …I think that condenses what Mr. Duncan did and what Fenn does.

– Jennie Fitzkee (parent of Ford Fitzkee ’96)

Carpenters identifiedIn your Class Notes section there is a photo on p. 32 of four boys engaged in various shop activities. If you don’t already have their names, they are Morgan Smith (drill), Elisha Lee (saw), Chris Hurd (jigsaw), and Rob Loud (lathe). Not shown are the wooden boxes of each of the boys that ringed the top shelves, a hallmark of Charles Ward’s shop teaching: make a box first, then do your “projects.” I loved Fenn, the perfect school for young boys like me, and I will be forever grateful for its kind and humorous teachers: Frothingham, Twitchell, Eaton, Crooks, and of course, the Fenns. How fortunate I was!

– Rob Loud ’48

On Fenn in printI just got your magazine yesterday. I was so impressed I just had to write. Amazing job—the magazine was so enjoyable to read. I loved the format and the professionalism of the magazine. I am so glad Fenn hasn’t gone online with these—everyone in my extended family likes to browse through the magazine on the coffee table. You just can’t get that experience online.

Congratulations,– Jessica Kennedy (parent of Gavin Kennedy ’13)

Send your letters to loneill@fenn.org or Laurie O’Neill, Director of Publications, The Fenn School, 516 Monument Street, Concord, MA 01742

Corrections:On p. 41 in the Winter 2014 issue, the photo of Andrew Long ’10 should have been as shown below; Andrew is at left, Sam Rice ’10 is at right.

Letters to the editor: Winter 2014 issue

CLAss NOTes

40972.indd 42 6/19/14 12:21 PM

“I WOULD GO BACK tomorrow if I could help in some way,” declares Tom Piper ’51, who traveled to Cambodia this spring with a group from Trinitarian Congregational Church in Concord to see, in action, a foundation the church supports. The group, which included Charlie Denault ’70 and both men’s wives, Ruth and Katherine, respectively, interacted with children at an orphanage run by The Sharing Foundation, visited the village school, and met some of the college students the foundation sponsors.

It was Charlie who brought the trip to Fenn’s attention, saying that as a travel companion and fellow tourist, Tom “was possibly one of the most delightful, thoughtful people I have ever met.”

Tom says his experience at the orphanage in Roteang, about a half hour outside Phnom Penh, put him in mind of Fenn because “here was another bril-liant idea that started small.” He praises the founder of the organization, Nancy Hendrie, “who has done so much for village children in Roteang and whose dream was to build an orphanage where children were treated like a big family”—a far cry from the “warehouses” that are most Cambodian orphanages, Tom says. The children are home-schooled through second grade, after which they attend the village school.

Trinitarian Congregational has sup-ported three children at the orphanage for seven years. The Sharing Foundation also provides financial support for a number of University students who have spent time in the orphanage.

The group spent four days in Roteang, then toured Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat, and the temples near Siem Reap. Charlie took scores of photos, some of Tom carrying a child who had put his arms up to be held at

the orphanage. “When I came back,” Tom says, “I realized that the comforts here are wonderful, but holding that youngster…?” He pauses and shakes his head, clearly moved by that experience, which also reminded him, Tom said, “that there are so many needs right here.”

Cambodian trip elicited “awe and wonder,” says Tom Piper ’51.

Tom Piper ’51

S u M M E R 2014 43

Frederica Johnson writes from Santa Fe, NM, to say she was married last Septem-ber to Andrew Conroy, her “best friend” since she was twelve years old in Cincin-nati, OH. Mrs. Conroy is 74 and her new husband is 75, said Frederica, prompting her to add, “It’s never too late.” Frederica has lived in New Mexico for forty-two years; she returned there after teaching drama at Fenn. After several years of travel she became chair of the Performing Arts department at Santa Fe Prep School until her retirement in 2006. Frederica is still in touch with Tete Cobblah and retired music teacher Heather Thomsen. Frederica sends “all my best to those remaining that might remember my short time there.”

In a holiday letter to Jim Carter ’54, Tom Beal (English, Yearbook) writes that his family, including sons Alex ’82 and Thomas ’78, celebrated his 85th birthday at a surprise destination celebration in Bermuda in 2013.

Lori Day (Director of Admissions and Financial Aid), is the author of a new book: Her Next Chapter: How Mother-Daughter Book Clubs Can Help Girls Navigate Malicious Media, Risky Relationships, Girl Gossip, and So Much More (Chicago Review Press, 2014). The book is about using mother-daughter book clubs to teach media literacy and help girls confront eight of the biggest challenges facing girls and women today. It was named to Publishers Weekly’s list of best parenting books of 2014 and has received several endorsements, including from Brenda Chapman, the writer/director of Disney/Pixar’s Brave.

David Rouse (Admissions, Student Life, coach) began a new position at a startup tech company called Embedly in Boston in January. “I can’t help but think that when I arrived [at Fenn] as a young man to coach JV basketball with a mission to positively impact the boys, I had no idea how much I would be taking with me. [Everything I did at Fenn] made a huge impact on my for-mative personal and professional growth,” he said.

Dave Irwin (Social Studies) and his wife Mandy are off to Cardigan Mountain School in the fall, where Dave will be Dean of Students and doing some teaching and Mandy will be teaching 8th and 9th grade science. Dave says he’s “excited to return to the energy of middle school boys.”

Frederica Johnson and Andrew Conroy

David Rouse

Former Faculty and Staff News

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Howard E. Boeske, Jr. ’71 November 6, 2012

Barbara T. BrunerDecember 17, 2013Mother of Brad Bruner ’73

William S. ButcherFormer Fenn Staff 1985-1987December 5, 2013

Robert CiprianiJanuary 17, 2014 Father of Tim Cipriani ’83

Daniel B. Clark ‘50 August 14, 2010

Henry F. Colt, Jr. ’37December 1, 2012

Zella T. DeweyNovember 15, 2013 Mother of Tom Dewey ’78

Henry E. Erhard June 1, 2013 Father of Linc ’72, Henry ’74 and Paul Erhard ’77

Harris H. Gilman ’35November 9, 2013

Peter GraneauFebruary 25, 2014 Father of Neal Graneau ’77

C. David Grinnell ’37October 12, 2012

Austin F. Lyne Fenn Trustee 1972-1978 January 9, 2014 Father of Austin ’69, Blair ’75, and Michael Lyne ’79 Grandfather of Jack Lyne ’12

Guenter H. Mattersdorff ’40April 12, 2012

Rachel MellonMarch 17, 2014 Stepmother of Tim Mellon ’56

Samuel C. Newbury ’59May 22, 2014Brother of David ’56 and Bill Newbury ’62

Gloria PalmerJanuary 3, 2014Mother of Tack ’80 and Scott Palmer ’81

James S. Schwarz ’62 September 14, 2013

George E. Senkler ’48 January 16, 2014

Stephen M. Stackpole ’40 January 31, 2014

Bradford P. Stevens ’68 November 21, 2013

Derwin H. Stevens ’49October 21, 2013

Valerie B. Tew December 28, 2013 Mother of Jim ’58 and John Tew ’69 Grandmother of Jono ’83 and Jamie Tew ’85

L. Alexander Vance, Jr. ’56 November 12, 2013

We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the families of these Fenn graduates and friends.

in memoriam

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THE SUN SHONE BRIGHTLY on the sixty-four eighth and ninth graders who

received their diplomas at the 85th Fenn School Graduation Exercises on June 6.

As the Ward Hall bell pealed, the graduates processed across the green into

the New Gym to the stirring notes of Handel’s regimental march from the opera

Scipione, offered by the Fenn Concert Band. Headmaster Jerry Ward offered

personal reflections on each student, singling him out for such traits as honesty,

intellect, spirit, and enthusiastic commitment to Fenn life. Several prizes were

awarded for excellence in character, service, academics, arts, athletics, and

citizenship, with additional awards presented on Prize Day earlier that week.

In his address, Student President Cormac Zachar declared that Fenn “has

given us an amazing opportunity that very few boys have” and Vice President

Leo Kafka thanked faculty and staff members for “our glorious years at Fenn.”

After the ceremony, the graduates walked along the traditional receiving line,

which this year stretched along the paths on the Ward Hall green, so that

faculty and staff members could wish them well. After the presentation of the

Class Gift, a Bradford pear tree, the Treble Chorus performed John Rutter’s

“For the Beauty of the Earth.”

This section of FENN captures the highlights of Graduation Week: Prize

Day and Graduation; Eighth Grade Night in Ward Hall, where five members

of the Class of 2015, selected by their peers—Walker Davey, Alex Hill, Paul

Michaud, Nick Schoeller, and Dylan Volman—spoke to the gathering and

where Mr. Ward reflected on the Fenn life of each graduate; and the Ninth

Grade Graduation Dinner, held in the Connolly Dining Hall.

S u M M E R 2014 45

gRADuATiOn

Graduation 2014

“Fenn has given us an amazing opportunity that very few boys have.” – Student President Cormac Zachar

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Walter W. Birge iii Prize for PhilanthroPy and SuPPort of the fenn Community

Nominated by the faculty and selected by the headmaster, the recipient of the Birge Prize demonstrates qualities that were championed by Mr. Birge, Fenn’s fourth headmaster (1983-1993). The prize recognizes one or more members of the ninth grade class who have continually distinguished themselves through their support of Fenn community service projects, their helpfulness to teachers, and their support of their peers. The prize was awarded this year to (l to r) Cormac A. Zachar and Leo B. Kafka.

faCulty PrizeThe Faculty Prize is Fenn’s highest honor. It recognizes a ninth grade student or students whose breadth, character, and consistency of involvement in the life of the school have best exemplified the faculty’s ideals for Fenn students. This year the Faculty Prize was conferred upon (l to r) Chad W. Arle and Edward R. Uong.

lovejoy Prize

Created in 1998 by Trustee Emeritus Frederick H. Lovejoy Jr. ’51 and his family, the Lovejoy Prize honors a graduating eighth grade student or students whose exceptional character, effort, and achievement have so enriched the life of the school as to merit special recognition from the faculty upon their departure from Fenn. The prize is awarded only in years when there are students of extraordinary merit. This year the Lovejoy Prize was presented to three members of the Class of 2015 (l to r) Nicholas E. Schoeller, Benjamin S. Zide, and Benjamin P. Kelly.

46 f e N N m a g a z i n e

Each year, before diplomas are awarded at graduation, the headmaster presents, on behalf of the faculty, six prizes that recognize in different ways members of the eighth and ninth grade classes for their exceptional character, effort, achievement, and growth, all vital elements of a Fenn education. The recipients are chosen on the basis of recommendations and votes of the Fenn School faculty.

GrADuATION awards and honors

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mark BiSCoe aWard

Named for retired master teacher Mark Biscoe H’95, who gave thirty-six years of service to the school, the Mark Biscoe Award honors the extraordinary example that Mark set for his colleagues and students. The award is presented to a ninth grade student or students who, through their personal growth in their years at Fenn, have come to value and live out the ideals of school citizenship which Mr. Biscoe, as teacher and coach, inspired generations of Fenn students to embrace. This year the honor went to (l to r) Philippe J. Fitzsimmons and Timothy R. Jones.

BurBank Prize

The Burbank Prize is awarded by the teacher-coaches of Fenn to those graduating athletes who have distinguished themselves through their generous and unselfish spirit, which fostered the success, happiness, and self-esteem of their teammates. This year the prize was awarded to (l to r) ninth graders Garren C. LaPlante, Leo B. Kafka, and Timothy R. Jones.

dr. Samuel C. fleming memorial Prize

Established by members of the Class of 1965 on the occasion of their 25th Fenn reunion, the Dr. Samuel C. Fleming Memorial Prize honors their classmate and friend who wore a “wonderful, ever-present smile.” The prize is awarded each year to an eighth or ninth grade student or students who merit recognition for determination and perseverance in meeting academic challenges, whose efforts never languished, and who contributed to the school through qualities of friendliness, unselfish conduct, and sensitivity and warmth to their classmates. This year the faculty honored (l to r) ninth graders Paul R. Lucchese, Jr. and Peter W. Blunt.

s u m m e r 2014 47

awards and honors

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48 F E n n m a g a z i n e

ELEANOR B. FENN MODERN LANGUAGE PRIZE

Originally a prize for achievement in French, the Eleanor B. Fenn Modern Language Prize commemorates the many contributions of Mrs. Fenn, the school’s first French teacher and the dedicated wife of founder Roger Fenn. Today, with this prize, Fenn recognizes the most accomplished Spanish students for their talent and interest in the language and culture of Spain and for their exemplary academic work in the Spanish language. This year, ninth graders (l to r) John J. D. Feeney, Cormac A. Zachar, and Spencer C. Davis were honored with the prize

ALAN S. MOATS MATHEMATICS PRIZE

The parents of Alan S. Moats ’62 established the Moats Mathematics Prize in 1966 in their appreciation for Fenn’s excellence in preparing their son for the rigors of Phillips Exeter Academy. In its first year, the prize was given “for the curiosity which raised questions, the perseverance which sees through to the answers, and the thoroughness which is the mark of excellence in any field.” This year the prize was awarded to eighth grader John Xu.

LENNOX LINDSAY LATIN PRIZE

Lennox Lindsay was Fenn’s first Latin master, who taught at the school from 1929 to 1939. Mr. Lindsay, according to Roger Fenn, “made Latin a living language, not a dead one” through his explorations of Roman manners, culture, and artifacts. Initially conferred upon the boy who shared Mr. Lindsay’s passion for these areas of the curriculum, today the Lennox Lindsay Latin Prize is awarded for overall excellence in the study of Latin. This year the prize went to (l to r) ninth graders Chad W. Arle and Ezekiel A. Golnick and eighth graders Quincy P. Hughes, and Benjamin P. Kelly.

GOULD ARTS AWARD

The Arts Award is named for Kirsten Gould, who retired in 2011 after twenty-seven years at Fenn, for her “visionary shaping of Fenn’s Arts program in its rich and full dimensions.” The award is given by vote of the Arts department faculty, and in its first year was presented to three students who have demonstrated throughout their careers at Fenn exemplary dedication and accomplishment respectively in music, drama, and the visual arts. This year, from the Class of 2014 (l to r), Edward R. Uong was honored for distinction in music, Matthew T. Killian for distinction in the visual arts, and Chad W. Arle for distinction in drama.

gRADuATiOn awards and honors

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s u m m e r 2014 49

William o. traverS Writing ConteSt

At graduation in 1979, the Fenn School Board of Trustees established an English prize to honor the long and dedicated service of William O. Travers, English teacher and assistant headmaster from 1956 to 1979. Mr. Travers’ keen interest in writing and his long-held desire for a composition prize prompted a contest to be created in each division of the school for which submissions of imaginative, creative, and descriptive writing were sought. This year, the William O. Travers Writing Contest winners in the Poetry category were Max H. Winneg (Lower School), Gray M. Hussey (Middle School), and Edward R. Uong (Upper School). For Personal Narrative, the winners were Daniel W. Haines (Lower School), Thaddeus M. Scheibe (Middle School), and Austin J. Kwoun (Upper School). In Fiction, prizes went to Lucas First (Lower School), Maxwell C. Ewing (Middle School), and Malcolm L. Zuckerman (Upper School).

l to r bottom row: Lucas First, Daniel Haines, Max Winneg, and Gray Hussey; l to r top row: Thaddeus Sheibe, Austin Kwoun, Malcolm Zuckerman, Edward Uong, and Nick Schoeller.

the Carter Prize for hiStory and SoCial StudieS

The Carter Prize for History and Social Studies, named in honor of Jim Carter ’54 for his distinguished forty years of teaching history and social studies at Fenn, is awarded to a graduating student or students who in their years at Fenn have shown exceptional interest, knowledge, and diligence in their study of history and social studies. This year the recipients of the Carter Prize, shown with Jim Carter, were (l to r) Nicholas E. Schoeller, Cormac A. Zachar, Paul P. Michaud, Ezekiel A. Golnik, Edward P. Pyne IV, and Jeremy L. Feininger.

Band aWard

The Band Award is presented for leadership and dedication. The winners, with Instrumental Music Director Maeve Lien, are (l to r) John Xu, Edward R. Uong, and John J. B. Feeney.

millar Brainard SCienCe Prize

The Millar Brainard Science Prize was established by Edward C. Brainard II ’46 in memory of his father, an old friend of Roger Fenn’s at the time the school was founded. The prize is awarded to a mem-ber or members of the ninth grade class who have not only demonstrated an outstanding knowledge of science but have also displayed enthusiasm, creativity, and an impres-sive understanding of the scientific method. This year the winners of the Brainard Science Prize were (l to r) Spencer C. Davis and Cormac A. Zachar.

awards and honors

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50 f e N N m a g a z i n e

P.g. lee memorial Prize

Each year, the P.G. Lee Memorial Prize is awarded at Prize Day to honor a member or members of the graduating class who contributed outstanding determination, hard work, positive spirit, and cheerfulness to their athletic teams. Established in memory of P.G. Lee ’87, the award honors the spirit of a boy who was a true competitor but is perhaps best remembered for “his smile and his ability to make people laugh, and the happiness he brought to people around him.” This year’s eighth and ninth graders voted to honor (l to r) Matthew T. Killian and Edward R. Uong.

SPeCial muSiC reCognition aWardA Special Music Recognition Award was presented to Austin J. Kwoun for his outstanding musical contributions. He is pictured with Maeve Lien.

Awarded by faculty to students in their divisions, Fenn School Citizenship Prizes honor boys who show excep-tional citizenship traits: they are especially hard working in their school activities, they are particularly cheerful, positive, and supportive to other students, and they are relied upon by faculty to lend a hand when important jobs need to be done. This year the following students were honored with Citizenship Prizes on Prize Day:

4th gradeWalter P. BrookbyDaniel W. HainesRyan H. LewisNoah J. LippaTimothy J. Smith

5th gradeCamren W. FriesOwen R. HickeyNathan K. McCarthyMarshall G. Wesel

6th gradeCharles I. BrookbyOliver E. CheeverJames J. EwingIan M. MooreEamon J. O’MalleyLucian W. Sharpe

7th gradeTyler E. ArleKevin C. EwingDavid A. Meneses-OntiverosThaddeus M. ScheibeMaxwell K. Steinert

8th gradeWalker L. DaveyJacob M. DudleyAdam JamalAustin J. KwounNicholas E. SchoellerNicholas R. SteinertBenjamin S. R. Zide

9th gradeChad W. ArleTimothy R. JonesEdward R. UongCormac A. Zachar

auSten foX riggS aWard

First awarded by the Class of 1951 as their parting gift to Fenn, the Austen Fox Riggs Award is given in memory of Austen, a Fenn student from the Class of 1955 who lost his life attempting to save his younger brother from drowning in the Concord River. Determined by vote of the Lower School faculty, the award is given to the student or students who most resemble “Autie” in the helpful effort he contributed in work and in play. This year these fifth graders were honored: Alexander J. Brown (left) and Thomas J. Fitzsimmons.

citizenship prizes

GrADuATION awards and honors

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jackson trescott abeleConcord Academy

Thatcher magoun adams St. Mark’s School

Chad William arle Middlesex School

Peter Welles BluntMiddlesex School

anthony michael BrigiottaConcord-Carlisle High School

andrew gray BrownPomfret School

joseph edwin Conroy ivWilliston Northampton School

Spencer Charles davisPhillips Academy, Andover

john joseph Bora feeneyNoble and Greenough School

Sven david fitzgeraldHolderness School

Philippe john fitzsimmonsMaynard High School

ezekiel august golnikMiddlesex School

maahin gulatiBelmont Hill School

adrian Cole hatchConcord-Carlisle High School

timothy robert jonesLawrence Academy

leo Brackin kafkaConcord-Carlisle High School

matthew Thomas killianLawrence Academy

garren Clark laPlanteNashoba High School

Paul rader lucchese, jr.Middlesex School

Thomas owen mckeownSt. Mark’s School

ryan alfred musumeciSt. Mark’s School

jack dominic Sette-ducatiBancroft School

edward ravy uongGroton School

Cormac alejandro zacharPhillips Academy, Andover

kamran laurence zolfonoonConcord-Carlisle High School

malcolm lewis zuckermanBuckingham Browne & Nichols School

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f e n n g r a d u a t i n g C l a S S o f 2 0 1 4.

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52 f e N N m a g a z i n e

GrADuATION

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nathan Paul CunninghamNashoba High School

Blayne emery dee Governor’s Academy

jacob maxwell dudleyConcord-Carlisle High School

jeremy logue feiningerConcord Academy

mark robert gallant Groton School

louis Cole gyanindiryn goundenBelmont Hill School

finn oisin harding Lawrence Academy

Charles ehret hibben Milton Academy

Quincy Prescott hughesMilton Academy

Charles Scott irving St. Paul’s School

Benjamin Patrick kellyMiddlesex School

alexander Campbell kessler Concord-Carlisle High School

Stephon jose kindle iiBoston Public Schools

austin juno kwounBelmont Hill School

Patrick Bengt mcgannMiddlesex School

Paul Powers michaudGroton School

mark derby morton Concord Academy

William alexander moskow Lawrence Academy

david joseph nerrow iiiBoston College High School

david harrison nguyenLexington High School

robert joseph o’Brien iiiPingree School

Camden Schuyler ParkerMiddlesex School

edward Wallace Pyne ivMiddlesex School

jackson William roderickLawrence Academy

devon Craig roshankish Commonwealth School

Spencer Charles royalConcord-Carlisle High School

Piseth keo SamHolderness School

nicholas ernst Schoeller Phillips Academy, Andover

garth Carter Staniar Concord-Carlisle High School

Clement austin tarpeyConcord-Carlisle High School

adam john ThomasXaverian Brothers High School

ian glen urban Concord Academy

kyle david veoActon-Boxborough High School

dylan harrison volmanMilton Academy

jalen Carter WinstanleyConcord-Carlisle High School

john Xu Deerfield Academy

alan jiaming zhang Hotchkiss School

Benjamin Scott rehm zide Concord Academy

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f e n n g r a d u a t i n g C l a S S o f 2 0 1 5 .

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54 F E n n m a g a z i n e

IT WAS THE LAST order of business upon picking up my two children from their final day of an action-packed week at Summer Fenn last June.

“Dad, you promised we would play a game of Ga Ga ball,” my ten-year-old son, Fuller, pleaded. With that I suddenly found myself entrenched in a sun-baked octagon just behind the old football field, dodging projectiles from every conceivable angle—all aimed with laser-like precision at my lower extremities. After fifteen minutes I was done. “Good game son, good clean fun,” I stammered, channeling my inner Clark Griswold as I wiped the sweat off my brow and waited for my pulse to retreat back to double digits.

“Hey, I know a game that’s even better than that. We used to play it all the time here,” I said. “Step ball.” Save for bombardment or a game of two-on-two in the old gym, was there ever a better way to kill a free, or “star” period off Monument Street? Much like Ga Ga ball, step ball was an incredibly simple game. Played either one-on-one or two-on two, it only required a tennis ball and a set of steps. Following a basic baseball construct, the hitting team would fire the ball off a step while the fielding team—lined up with an infielder and an outfielder—would try to catch the ball in the air or field it cleanly on one bounce for an out.

The talented “hitters” in step ball were those select few who could find that elusive sweet spot on the top edge of the step sending the ball with a David Ortiz-like trajectory over both fielders. Another successful route was to hit the base of the step and produce a worm-burning grounder that never bounced, resulting in an easy single or better.

There was plenty of strategy in step ball. Many would take to the top of the stairs and fire the ball down on the steps with much success. (There were several

fairly colorful names for this method, but we won’t go into that here.) Nonetheless it was a great technique when there were fewer than two outs, but chancy after that as a fielder could field the the ball for the third out and quickly fire it back at the steps to take advantage of an opponent who now had to fly back down the stairs to get into fielding position.

Looking back, I think that perhaps my favorite thing about step ball at Fenn was that every set of steps was unique, complete with its own idiosyncrasies and ground rules. Fourth and fifth graders were introduced to the game on the old set of steps behind Thompson Hall and then graduated to two main venues: the steps leading down from the old breezeway between the middle school building and Robb Hall and the undeniable Fenway Park of step ball venues—the sunken set of steps off of the circle heading into the middle school building. If you got onto the well-worn dirt field here on a sunny spring or fall day, you had accomplished something.

Sadly, I could find none of my old haunts that day in June—all victims of the ever expanding Fenn footprint. End of an era? I would hate to think so. Every new building comes with at least one set of steps. I challenge the current crop of Fenn students to go out and find them.

“Every new building comes with at least one set of steps. I challenge the current crop of Fenn

students to go out and find them.” – Bob Albright ’81

REFlECTiOnS

Looking back at a favorite Fenn game: step ball – By Bob Albright ’81

Aldy Milliken ’81 fires the ball off the old steps out of the fifth grade building across from Robb Hall during a game of step ball.

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