Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
The Calhoun Chronicle is published bi-annually for The Calhoun School community.
Citation preview
TheCalhounChronicle
S UMM E R 2 0 1 1
It’s a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod World page 22
Graduation 2011 page 20
TRusTEEs
Jill BargonettiAndrea BoothJames GlasgowMelanie GriffithDylan HixonPamela KauppilaDavid Kramer ’02Melissa LibertyDana LoftMary LouieDebra MayerMarc MurphyColleen Pike BlairMarkus ReddingShaiza RizaviSusan ThomsonRolf ThraneMilton L. Williams, Jr.
HONORaRy TRusTEEs
Edwin Einbender*Constance Stern Flaum ’39Ronald M. Foster, Jr.*Sally GoodgoldLawrence S. HarrisMark S. KaufmannAnne Frankenthaler Kohn ’39*Peter D. LedererStuart Levin*David C. Masket*Joan MasketArthur S. OlickElizabeth Parmelee*June Saltzman Schiller ’42Jesse S. Siegel*Mary-Ellen Greenberger Siegel ’49Allen B. SwerdlickEdward S. Tishman
*deceased
OFFICERS
Co-Presidents Mary LouieMare Rubin
SecretaryLouise Gore
TreasurerAndrea Black
Vice Presidents, Upper SchoolJanice Berchin-WeissColleen Pike Blair
Vice Presidents, Middle SchoolAmy EdelmanLisa Konorty
Vice Presidents, Lower School/81stEllen CovenMare Rubin
Vice Presidents, Lower School/74thPaige LyneDaniela Menghi
BOARD O F T RUS T EES 2 0 1 0 – 2 0 11
PARENTS ASSOC IAT ION 2 0 1 0 – 2 0 11
Eric Potoker ’85Chair
Karen SegalVice Chair
Jon BrayshawTreasurer
Erika BrewerSecretary
Steven J. NelsonHead of School
LIFE TRUSTEESRobert L. Beir*Eric B. Ryan
*deceased
EditorBeth [email protected]
Assistant EditorAlison [email protected]
Alumnae/i NewsBart Hale ‘[email protected]
Copy EditorAmy Edelman
Editorial AssistantsAngela FischerMichelle Raum
Contributing WritersBrendan KielySteve Nelson
PhotographersAlison BennettGary Joseph CohenKazumi Fish ‘15Beth KriegerGiovanni PacificiAli Werner
DesignIris A. Brown Design, LLC
THE CALHOUN SCHOOL
Main number: 212-497-6500
Lower School/74th: 212-497-6550
Admissions/81st: 212-497-6542
Admissions/74th: 212-497-6575
Alumnae/i Relations: 646-666-6450
Annual Giving: 212-497-6579
Communications: 212-497-6527
Please send changes of address, phone or e-mail to [email protected]
THE CALHOUN CHRONICLE | Summer 2011The Calhoun Chronicle is published twice each year by the Communications Office for alumnae/i, current and former parents, staff and friends.
Calhoun’s mission: To inspire a passion for learning through a progressive approach to education that values intellectual pursuit,creativity, diversity and community involvement.
ON THE COVER: Calhoun’s new ModSchedule has opened the door to more site-specific learning and innovative curriculum.See page 22.
PHOTO
: BETH
KRIEG
ER
Contents
1T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
22
F E A T U R E SA Community Learning Together 18
Class of 2011 Graduates! 20
It’s a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod World 22
D E P A R T M E N T S
Viewpoint, by Steven J. Nelson 2
School News
Edward E. Ford Foundation Grant 3
Board Welcomes New Trustees 4
Grandparents Day 8
Faculty/Staff Newsmakers 9
Student Newsmakers 11
LS Gallery Night 15
Calhoun Onstage 16
Alumnae/i News 32
Class Notes 34
Profile: Helene Solomon ’70 36
Profile: Alum Coaches 38
Reunions 42
Cougar Career Symposium 44
S U M M E R 2 0 1 1TheCalhounChronicle
16 18
42
20
15
8
A Private School with a Public Purposeby Steven J. Nelson, Head of School
Calhoun is among a small group of independent schools that declare an intention to be “a private school with
a public purpose.” This part of our progressive mission arises in part from John Dewey’s notion of a school’s place in a democratic society—
that schools are inextricably connected to wider society and must play a responsible part in advancing the commonwealth. Our public purpose is pursued in many ways, but perhaps most powerfully in advancing the understanding of teaching and
learning. As Calhoun’s mission and program have become more widely recognized, we have welcomed increasing numbersof educators who are eager to see an authentic progressive school. In January, Calhoun co-hosted a major conference foreducators with the Independent Curriculum Group, and more recently, Calhoun and three partner schools received a majorgrant award from the Edward E. Ford Foundation for a program that will further establish Calhoun as a laboratory for bestteaching practices. [See story, page 3]
Some relationships are more comprehensive. The Family Life Academy Charter School (FLACS) in the Bronx has devel-oped a healthy-eating program modeled after Calhoun’s own internationally recognized food program. Chef Bobo was theconsultant, and our own former chef Bennett Fins now leads the program, which was recently recognized in a New York Times
article. [See story, page 3]Most heartening to me is our growing relationship with Freebrook Academy. Freebrook is a school in the Bedford-
Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn that will welcome its first students in September. It is the realization of the vision of oneremarkable woman, Monique Scott, who simply refuses to take “no” for an answer. She believed, and I believe, that childreneverywhere should have access to the kind of rich, progressive, dynamic education that Calhounoffers. Less affluent neighborhoods and less affluent children seldom have such an opportunity,and Monique decided to do something about it.
Since her first visit with me several years ago, she has built a network of committed families,found facilities, raised start-up funds, developed a sophisticated business strategy and written anunusually thoughtful mission and curriculum. Take a look for yourself at www.freebrook.org.
Admiring her vision, commitment and compassion, I felt Calhoun should be her quiet partner,lending whatever explicit or implicit support we could. We enjoy privileges and resources beyondher reach, and offering her support seemed a small and easy thing to do. We see Freebrook as asister school and hope that her work will inspire others to create powerful, progressive educationalopportunities in their neighborhoods and communities.
We anticipate faculty exchanges, student exchangesand a growing relationship between the Freebrookschool community and ours. In a letter of support forFreebrook I wrote, “Perhaps it will be helpful to notethat I would, without a moment’s hesitation, send myown children or grandchildren to a school with thisthoughtful approach. And, after all these years as aneducational leader, I’m mighty picky!”
Be clear: This is not an act of noblesse oblige. Asour relationship develops I am confident that we willlearn as much or more from Monique and FreebrookAcademy as she and they will learn from us.
Serving a public purpose is enlightened self-interestat its best.
Head of School Steve Nelson is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, and has his own blog on Calhoun’swebsite at www.calhoun.org/stevesblog.
2 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
VIEW
POIN
T� Melaskoli School, Iceland:
a delegation of 24 teachers � St. Andrew’s School,
Australia: an ongoingrelationship; this year wastheir third visit
� Children’s Storefront, NY:professional developmentfor teachers
� School at Columbia, NY:professional developmentfor teachers
� India: a group of educators,professors and politicalleaders looking to start aseries of schools
� Italy: a group of about 25teachers and 18-year-oldstudents
� Laguna Blanca School,Santa Barbara, CA: middleschool teachers
� Institute for DemocraticEducation in America: 30teachers, students, adminis-trators from across thecountry
� Jean Mermoz School,Senegal: 29 French-speaking students
� Regular visits to our GreenRoof from schools andother organizations
During the past school year, Calhoun has hosted the following visitors:
3T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E 3T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
SchoolNews
The Calhoun School and three partner progressiveschools have been awarded the Edward E. FordEducational Leadership Grant. The grant, the largestthat the foundation awards each year, challengesindependent schools with the question “What is thepublic purpose of private education?” In answer, thegrant team proposed the creation of a multi-site labschool for the 21st century—what they call aProgressive Education Laboratory, or PEL.
With matching funds, this $250,000 award will beused to launch PEL, the centerpiece of which will bea school-based teacher-training program for recentcollege graduates. In this work, Calhoun is partner-ing with three other schools long committed to anapproach to education that is resonant with our own:
the Putney School, the Cambridge School of Weston, and the Unquowa School. The idea for PEL was born at a symposium on progressive education last summer at Putney,
where Jen de Forest, Upper School Director at Calhoun; Jane Moulding, Head of CSW; Emily Jones,Director of Putney; and Sharon Lauer, Head of Unquowa, brainstormed ways to foster teacher train-ing that was, at its heart, truly progressive.
As the grant team explained in its application, PEL is premised on the schools’ shared belief thatprogressive schools offer the ideal environments in which to train skillful teachers. These communi-ties demand both deep subject-matter knowledge and creative child-centered and inquiry-basedpedagogy. They also require an enduring understanding of how children learn and grow, the abilityto connect school to the community, and stamina.
The grant team, says Jen, “is also confident that collaborating on a program to thoughtfully inductaspiring educators into the profession will strengthen each of the schools and provide a model forothers to follow. In an era dominated by scripted classrooms, canned curricula and standardizedmeasures of learning, our collective investment in an alternative model of the good and skillfulteacher is both important and timely.”
The Edward E. Ford Foundation aims to improve secondary education as provided by independ-ent schools in the United States.
Calhoun’s Lunch Program is Role Model for SchoolsCalhoun may have the best school lunch program
around, but we’re not keeping our “recipe” for
success a secret; Calhoun’s healthy lunch
program, led by Chef Bobo, continues to be a
role model for schools around the country and
the world.
Two articles in The New York Times this
spring, “Tater Tots? at Prep schools, Try the
Rutabaga Fries” (May 6) and “Bronx Charter
school Makes Eating Well Part of Its Philosophy”
(May 10), noted that since starting Calhoun's Eat
Right Now program in 2002, Chef Bobo has
consulted with dozens of public and private
schools. Four of our chefs have gone on to other
schools to run their Eat Right Now food
programs: Chef Chris Canty, at the Metropolitan
Montessori school; Chef Rose Walker, at spence
school; Chef Ric Keeley, at the Town school for
Boys in san Francisco; and most notable, Chef
Bennett Fins, who has successfully replicated the
lunch program at Family Life academy Charter
school (FLaCs), a public school in the Bronx. This
last offspring is probably Chef Bobo’s proudest.
Quoted in the Times article, he noted, “When Mr.
Fins arrived, FLaCs spent $2.82 per child per day
on food. Today that figure is $2.60.” Translation:
Healthy school lunch programs are affordable—
even for public schools!
In addition to consulting with many schools
around the world each year, Chef Bobo often
invites chefs, educators and students to intern in
Calhoun’s kitchen. This spring alone, Calhoun had
two student interns from Columbia’s Teachers
College graduate program in nutrition; a Brazilian
chef who hopes to start a similar program at a
school in Rio de Janeiro; and a chef from st.
anne’s-Belfield school in Charlottesville, Va, who
spent a few days in Calhoun’s kitchen after
taking one of Chef Bobo’s classes at the French
Culinary Institute.
While schools across the country are begin-
ning to catch on to the value of healthy, nutri-
tious lunches, Calhoun continues to push the
envelope. From the herb and vegetable garden
on the school's Green Roof, to composting
projects, cooking classes and lessons in food
chemistry and animal biology, the Eat Right
Now program has become an integral part of
a Calhoun education. Next year, Chef Bobo
will teach a class in the politics of food.
Calhoun and Partnering Schools to Launch Progressive Education LabEdward E. Ford Foundation Awards $250,000 Grant
Jen de Forest, Calhoun’s upper school Director, is
one of four educators who will design and lead
the new PEL program, which received a $250,000
grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation.
a student in the
lunch line with
(L–R) Chef
Chad Goslee,
Chef José Roman
and Chef Bobo
Read more about Calhoun’s
Eat Right Now program at
www.calhoun.org/eatrightnow,
and try some of Chef Bobo’s recipes,
www.calhoun.org/recipes.
4 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
LORI DORR ’92Lori is thrilled at the prospectof joining Calhoun’s Board,where she will be assumingthe reins as co-chair of theAnnual Fund. “As an alum, Ifeel like I’ve come back
home to my family; I’m very happy to servethem, as they’ve served me so well. As a parent,it’s a great way for me to give back to thecommunity that gives so much to my children.”
Lori earned her BA in communications atStanford University and an MBA in finance andmanagement from New York University. She hasworked for such companies as ScholasticEntertainment, Inc., The New Republic andBernstein Investment Research & Management,and is currently a consultant for the Jewish
Review of Books.Since returning to Calhoun as a parent, Lori
has been a very active and enthusiastic volunteer,serving as a cluster rep, Benefit volunteer, parenttour guide and Annual Fund Lower School
division leader. This year, she was also enrolledin Calhoun’s Progressive Education Traditionclass and says she “loved every minute of it.”She and her husband, Paul, are the parents ofHenry (K) and Harper (4’s).
DORIAN GRAY HERRONDorian is an educator who,for the past 20 years, hasbeen a language arts teacher,tutor, basketball coach,creative writing instructor,guitar instructor, amateur
musician, writer and athlete. Dorian’s interest ininterdisciplinary curriculum and commitment tothe arts inspired the launch of a school literarymagazine and poetry slams at the performing artsschool in Harlem where he currently teacheseleventh and twelfth grades. As a musician andguitar teacher, he has been able to incorporateliteracy training into songwriting lessons.
Dorian earned his bachelor’s and master’sdegrees from Mercy College, majoring injournalism, and secondary education and English,
respectively. Currently, he is finishing a master’sdegree in education administration. At Calhoun,he has been an active member of Calhoun’sParents of Multicultural Children Committee,which is co-chaired by his wife, Valerie ValentineHerron. The couple are parents of Amaryllis(4th) and Hayden (2nd).
MICHAEL MARRAMichael, like Lori, was anenthusiastic member of theProgressive EducationTradition class this year, andsays he’s looking forward togetting even more involved
in Calhoun’s progressive mission as he takes onhis new role as a Term Trustee.
In his work life, Michael is associate generalcounsel at the Interpublic Group of Companies,Inc., where he is the senior-most lawyer for allemployment matters involving 18,000 domesticemployees of approximately 100 advertising,communications and marketing service agencies.Some of his many responsibilities include creat-ing and overseeing policy implementation;managing litigation; reporting to the board ofdirectors on ERISA claims, appeals andSarbanes-Oxley alert line reports; and day-to-dayemployment counseling for agency managementand human resources departments.
Michael received his BA from the Universityof Iowa in 1992 and went on to earn his JD fromthe New York University School of Law. He andhis wife, Nicole, are the parents of Elijah (3rd).
SchoolNewsNew Leadership for PaAndrea Booth and Mare Rubin have been namedco-presidents of Calhoun’s Parents Association(PA) for the 2011–12 school year. The two takethe reins from Mary Louie and Pam Kauppila,who were devoted PA co-presidents for the lastthree years while serving as PA reps to the Boardof Trustees.
Andrea and her husband, Steven Wolf, have two“lifers” at Calhoun: Jake (11th) and Cody (3rd).Since Jake first entered in the 3’s, Andrea has beenan integral part of Calhoun’s community life andschool initiatives: In addition to volunteering as acluster rep and as an admissions guide, she hasserved as a Term Trustee for seven years and has
led the Annual Fund as co-chair for eight years. “Fundraising gave me a way, as a working
parent, to connect with the community,” saysAndrea, who brought to the position her 30-yearexperience as an advertising executive. Andthough she is moving on from fundraising, Andreawill complete her third term on the Board whileimmersing herself in her new PA role.
Mare, who joined as co-president in themiddle of the 2010–11 year, notes that “the mostimportant thing the PA does is to create a
cohesive community; it brings everyone togetheron common ground—which is our children’sexperience at school and our relationships witheach other.”
Mare and her husband, John, have two childrenin Calhoun, Maddy (7th) and Caleb (4th). Sincecoming to Calhoun seven years ago, Mare hasvolunteered as a cluster rep in the Lower Schooland as co-chair of the Spring Carnival for twoyears running. More recently, she has been veryinvolved as the Parents Association’s co-vice presi-dent of LS/81st. Her enthusiasm, coupled with herten years of experience in marketing, publicrelations and brand management, should serve herwell in her new post.
Board Welcomes New Trustees as Long-Timers End Termsat its annual Trustee Dinner, Board President Eric Potoker ’85 offered profuse thanks and kudos to
two longtime members who ended their terms this spring, Dana Loft and Jill Bargonetti. Eric noted
that both women have been instrumental in shaping and supporting the school’s progressive mission
while contributing generously to the life and culture of the community.
Eric also extended the Board's appreciation to outgoing Term Trustee Rolf Thrane, and to Mary
Louie and Pam Kauppila--both of whom served on the Board during their three-year terms as co-
presidents of the Parents association.
The Board now welcomes these new Term Trustees:
Mare Rubin and andrea Booth have been named Parents
association co-presidents
5T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
SchoolNews
1. Melissa Liberty was “darb”
(great!) as this year’s
Benefit chair.
2. Calhoun parents scott
Hirsch ‘85 and Melissa
Pearsall Hirsch (back)
welcomed honored guests
Pat Havas (former assistant
to the Head of school),
Marie Wilson (former librar-
ian) and Neen Hunt (former
Head of school) and her
husband, Will Hunt. [Missing
from the photo: Robert
schaecher, former us
Director]
3. Barry and Kathleen Inabnet,
parents of two Lower
schoolers, were “posilutely”
ready for “putting on the
Ritz” in their jazzy get-ups.
I N M E M O R I A M
JEssE sIEGELHonorary Trustee
Calhoun mourns the passing of Jesse siegel,
Honorary Trustee, on May 10, 2011, at 82
years. Jesse was an advocate and generous
supporter of Calhoun over the course of two
decades and through two capital campaigns,
which led to the building of the 81st
street facility and the renovation of the 74th
street building. We extend condolences to
his wife, Wilma, and his daughters, Hillary
siegel Levin ‘75 and Nancy siegel Jaffee, and
their families.
1
2
3
Departing annual Fund Co-Chairsshaped strong Culture of Giving
andrea Booth and Liz Turner ended their leader-
ship terms as co-chairs of the annual Fund this
spring, but not without having made a significant
impact on Calhoun's culture of giving. “Their
commitment to educating our parent body and
building a more philanthropic community has
been priceless,” says David smith, Director of
Development. “andrea, who served eight years
as co-chair, and Liz, who was her colleague for
the last two years, were instrumental in raising
donor participation from under 50 percent in
2005 to over 70 percent in recent years; dollars
raised for the school nearly quadrupled. We can't
thank them enough.”
andrea and Liz have a right to be proud, but
say they look forward to the day when 100
percent of our community supports the annual
Fund. “Building a community of givers happens
one donor at a time,” observes andrea, “and
each of our dedicated volunteers is an important
part of the annual Fund's continued success.” Liz
adds, “The groundwork has been laid with a
broad volunteer base and clearer communication
about the importance of the annual Fund for
a vibrant Calhoun education. I have faith that
the next annual Fund team will build on this
strong base and take philanthropy at the school
to the next level.”
The annual Fund torch now passes to Patti
Galluzzi and new Term Trustee Lori Dorr '92.
This year’s Roaring ’20’s-Style Benefit, at the swankyGuastavino’s under the 59th Street Bridge, was trulythe “bee’s knees”! Posting the highest attendance ever,the Benefit hosted more than 540 guests, who enjoyedan evening that began in a speakeasy (designed byMarc Aubin, with bouncer Eddie “Spaghetti” Ayalataking passwords at the door), and proceeded to aseated dinner, auction and dancing.
Many thanks to Chairperson Melissa Liberty and theentire Benefit Committee for a fabulously successfulparty and fundraiser, and to our favorite auctioneer,Harmer Johnson, who has managed to keep thosepaddles raised for the last 25 consecutive benefits!
SchoolNews
The annual spring Carnival: 48 years and still Going strong!
another year, another great carnival! The street was packed with Calhoun families, staffers,
alums and neighbors, all enjoying craft activities, games, rides and a great food spread. Many
thanks to all the volunteers who made the day such a success!
� MORE CaRNIVaL PHOTOs ONLINE: WWW.CaLHOuN.ORG/MEDIa �
Pa’s annual TeaHonors Teachers/staffers
Calhoun faculty and staff were honored on May25 at the Annual Tea, a celebratory eventsponsored by the Parents Association. The gymwas beautifully transformed into a Japanesegarden, with an afternoon menu that includedJapanese delicacies as well as wonderfuldesserts. Much of the food was donated byBenchmarc Restaurants, Zabar’s, Food Mattersand Magnolia Bakery, with personalizedanniversary cookies prepared by Calhoun parent(and baker extraordinaire) Maribeth Battino.
The PA gave special recognition to 23 teach-ers, administrators and staff who were complet-ing their “anniversary” years at Calhoun thisyear: MS math teacher Phil Bender (pictured)was honored on the occasion of his 25th year atCalhoun, and Ben Clinesmith, Eileen D’Alessioand Rafael Alvarez marked their 20th anniver-saries. Seven staffers hit 15 years; fivecompleted their tenth year; and seven faculty/staff members just completed their fifth year atCalhoun.
The anniversary celebrants joined a long listof Calhoun teachers and administrators whohave five or more years at the school. Nearly
20 percent of Calhoun’s employeeshave hit 15 or more years, and 23faculty/staffers have more than 20years at the school.
Ms math teacher Phil Bender, who just completed his
25th year at Calhoun, received special recognition from
Pa co-presidents Mary Louie and Mare Rubin for his
years of service. Phil was among the 18 “anniversary”
honorees at this year’s annual Tea.
CSA STILL GROWING STRONG!SIGN UP FOR FALL 2011Calhoun’s Community supported
agriculture (Csa) program, sponsored by
the Parents association, provides a
direct link between the production of
food and its users: It delivers vegetables
from an upstate farm to paying
members once a week, september
through early December, thereby helping
to support family farms while providing
Csa members with high-quality, locally
grown, affordable produce.
Full or half-memberships for fall 2011
are still available. Read more and sign
up, at www.calhoun.org/csa.
CALHOUN LOVES BOOKS! Calhoun’s annual Book Fair, co-
chaired once again by Lori serling
sklar ’75, Larry sklar and librarian
Beverly Lane, raised more than
$16,000 for Calhoun’s libraries—
significantly more than last year’s
$12,000, which was already being
called the largest gross posted by a
school book fair in any Barnes &
Noble store in the country. In
addition, 550 “wish list” books
were purchased and donated
directly to the libraries.
PMCC POTLUCK CELEBRATES COMMUNITYHosted by the Parents of Multicultural Children
Committee (PMCC), the event was a celebra-
tion of diversity and community, attracting
almost 250 parents, students, faculty/staff and
new families to this evening of ethnic eats. This
year, more eighth graders than ever were on
hand to welcome incoming ninth graders!
(Left) PMCC volunteer Kyoko Honma
6 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
7T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
SchoolNews
Bike Program supports Transportation alternatives
It’s Tour de Calhoun! Calhoun now has its ownmini-fleet of bicycles for faculty and staffmembers to commute with between the 74thStreet and 81st Street buildings.
“I’m thrilled about the bike program atCalhoun. On a practical level, it will save me timeto bike back and forth between buildings,” saysDirector of Enrollment Andrew Hume. “I alsolove the symbolism. Sustainability is an impor-tant part of a Calhoun education. When ourstudents see that the adults in our communityare committed to sustainable programs like this,it inspires them to get involved as well.”
The program was spearheaded by Calhounparent Steve Vaccaro ‘82, along with Andrew, LSscience teacher Amy Landau and JosephineSalvador, Director of School and Society.
Ms Parent Coffee addressesCyberspace safety and snafus
The challenges our students face in the digitalworld were the heated topic of one of this year’swell-attended Middle School morning coffeesfor parents.
“Technology has always been and, more thanlikely, will always be a sore spot between gener-ations,” observes MS Director Eric Chapman.“Whether parents are arguing with kids abouttelevision, the Internet or cell phones, the debatecontinues.” But the stakes, he notes, have risenwith the current technological world. “Issuessuch as safety, decision-making and characterdevelopment are a huge part of the cyber worldfor Middle School students.”
The technology discussion was led by Ericalong with MS Counselor Michael Worth andAssistant MS Director Keira Rogers. Actualsituations from the school year were used toillustrate the complexities of these issues.
Notes Eric, “Though the three administratorspresent offered guidance and structure, it was theinteraction between the parents that was mostvaluable. What can we learn from each other?What do we agree and disagree on? How can wehelp our children mature into the best adults theycan become? These were the types of questionsthat drove their dialogue.”
Middle School morning coffees are sched-uled throughout the year, offering parents aninformal opportunity to come together to discussimportant academic, behaviorial and socialtopics. Lower and Upper School divisions alsohost morning coffee discussions for parents.Check the online calendar for dates!
Calhoun staffer alton Edwards shows off the school’s
new wheels. The maintenance team was one of the first
groups to pilot the program, using the bikes to commute
between buildings and to run errands.
Go Blue! authors Talk about Fish and Rubber Duckies
As part of this year’s Go Blue! theme, Calhounwelcomed two authors to the school thisspring, each of whom spoke to students aboutecological crises affecting our oceans. Award-winning author and Calhoun parent MarkKurlansky spoke to Middle and Upper Schoolstudents about his new book, World Without
Fish, which describes the frightening prospectof a sea devoid of fish, the impact that wouldhave and how to prevent it.
Author Donovan Hohn spoke to MiddleSchool students about his new book, Moby-
Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys
Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers,
Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and
Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in
Search of Them. The book discusses plasticpollution in the oceans and what Donovanlearned while searching for 28,800 rubberbath toys that fell off a ship in 1992.
GO BLUE! FISH DECOYS Fish decoys, made by Calhoun
fourth graders, were part of
an interdisciplinary social
studies, science, art and
woodshop project inspired by
this year’s Go Blue! theme.
BEN STILLER ’83 came back in June for aspecial visit with students in Margie
Duffield’s upper school Comedy Troupe class.
With his former science teacher John Roeder
at his side, Ben offered tips and reflections
on the biz. Ben watched the kids perform an
original script written by addison Bale ’12,gave notes and then jumped into one of the
roles for a repeat reading. (How cool is that?)
Grandparents and Grand-friends Visit Calhoun’s youngestLittle Calhoun welcomed more than 160 grandparents and grand-
friends to spend a morning visiting their grandchildren. It was
quite an adventure for many, with activities in the gym, fun on
the terrace, reading and beading, and even some challenging
games of chess!
8 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
2
85
4
1. Lydia Bayko (3’s) with
grandparents Thomas and
Mary Ellen Bayko
2. Kamille Brewster (K) with
grandparents Carolyn and
samuel Brockington
3. Jerome Boxer (1st) with
grandma Galina Boxer
4. James Lederer-Michaels (K)
with grandparents yuriko
and Peter Lederer
5. Nicholas Beirne (3’s)
with grandma Joanna
Beirne
6. Nyla Crespo (K) with
grandparents Raul and
Cloty Crespo
7. Katherine Dick (K) with
grandparents Joseph and
Marsha Dick
8. Julia Petkov (1st) with her
grandfather Valentin
Dimitrova
SchoolNews
6
7
3
1
9T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
Jonathan Haff Joins as Director of Technology
Jonathan Haff joinedCalhoun as Director ofTechnology this spring. Inthis new position, Jonathanwill oversee the school’shardware, software,network, database and
student information system. His most immediateprojects include infrastructure overhauls and thetransition to an integrated database and website.Jonathan will also help Calhoun stay currentwith emerging trends, using technology moreeffectively in our offices and classrooms.
Jonathan comes to Calhoun after six years atTrinity School, where he served as seniorsystems and network administrator, and asinterim co-director of technology.
Calhoun has awarded grants to four teacherswho will pursue a rich and varied program ofindependent study and professional developmentthis coming summer. In exchange, the facultymembers will share their work and experiencewith the school community upon their return.
Claudia Curfman Castellana Grants wereawarded to US art teacher ChrisGarcia, who will attend an artistresidency in Yerevan, Armenia; USbiology teacher Francesco Filiaci,who will collaborate with BlackRock Forest Consortium toresearch the effects of growing redoak acorns from various sites alonga Northeast transect; MS art teacherAmy Konen, who will attend an artworkshop at Anderson Ranch in Colorado; andLS music teacher Dustin LeVasseur, who willattend a digital audio recording course.
The Claudia Curfman Castellana MemorialEndowment Fund was created in memory of apopular Calhoun teacher who died in 1977, andis meant to encourage the support of deservingprojects that would enhance the school’s educa-tional curriculum and are also in keeping withthe interests of Claudia Castellana.
SchoolNewsandy Doan Honored on His DepartureHe’s a lifer…and he’s graduating.
This year marks the completion of andy Doan’s 15th year at
Calhoun—the same length of time completed by “lifers” (students
who have been at Calhoun from the 3’s to twelfth grade). sadly, andy
will indeed “graduate” this year, having accepted a position to teach
fourth grade at Friends seminary next fall. It’s a return to his roots;
before coming to Calhoun, andy taught at four different Friends
schools in the Philadelphia area.
“I’m looking forward to meeting for worship again,” notes andy. “I think it’s one of the things I’ve
missed the most during my time at Calhoun—that quiet, reflective time when everyone gathers
together. I’m looking forward to having that as part of my school experience again.”
although andy is happy to return to the Friends environment, he says he takes with him many fond
memories of Calhoun, including the traditional Middle school projects like the Egyptian Tomb and
Middle Eastern suq. He will also miss the special teacher/student relationships that the advisee system
fosters, Calhoun’s love for music, and the powerful writing produced by Calhoun students. “More than
any other place I’ve taught, at Calhoun I can count on one or more students writing something that
makes my jaw drop with amazement.”
andy calls his work as a diversity point person “some of the most inspiring work I have done at
Calhoun,” citing the undoing Racism Workshop, White affinity Group and the White Privilege
Conference as important and enlightening experiences.
Of course, andy’s 15 years at Calhoun will inform his work at Friends seminary, and he’s curious
about teaching a group of slightly younger students. “I have a number of friends who tell me that
fourth grade is the best year,” andy says with a laugh. “I’ve always argued that fifth and sixth grade
are the best, but now I get the chance to find out.”
New Director of Music Post Goes to Meighan stoops
Meighan Stoops, currentMS/US music teacher andUS administrative assis-tant, will be starting a newrole this fall as Calhoun’sDirector of Music. Head ofSchool Steve Nelson notes
that “this will be the first time that Calhoun willhave someone committed full time to carryingthe entire music program forward in all threedivisions.”
In addition to her extensive teaching creden-tials, Meighan has a strong administrativebackground, most recently as promotions associ-ate for Peer Music Publishing. She also handlesthe administrative duties for her chamber musicgroup, Da Capo Chamber Players.
Director of Performing Arts David Alpert,who formerly had music under his administra-tive umbrella, will continue to stay busy as headof the Calhoun theater program and the CalhounPerforming Arts Series in addition to his teach-ing responsibilities in the Lower School.
F A C U L T Y / S T A F F N E W S M A K E R S
Grants awarded to Four Teachers
Claudia Curfman Castellana grants for professional devel-
opment went to (L–R) Chris Garcia, Dustin LeVasseur, amy
Konen and Francesco Filiaci.
SHOW YOUR COUGAR PRIDE! Purchase Calhoun merchandise at our new online store: www.cppro.com/CalhounSchool.
10 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
SchoolNews F A C U L T Y / S T A F F N E W S M A K E R S
IN THE sPOTLIGHT
DIANE BENEDICT RYAN, Head 3’s teacher inthe Lower School, was named this year’srecipient of the Uhry/Thompson Award.
Diane, who has been teaching inCalhoun’s Lower School for 22 years, is the“consummate early-childhood educator,” saysLower School Director Kathleen Clinesmith.“Diane has the perfect combination of exper -tise and love of young children needed tocreate the nurturing environment that helpslaunch our new families on their Calhounjourney in the most positive of ways.”
Named in honor of two former LowerSchool teachers, Jolly Uhry and BarbaraThompson, the award is given annually to ateacher who demonstrates excellence in theclassroom and a commitment to progressiveeducation. Head of School Steve Nelsonannounced the award before Diane’s peers atthe Annual Tea, hosted by the ParentsAssociation.
LS Spanish teacher DANIELERCILLA was accepted intothe Klingenstein Center forIndependent SchoolLeadership’s master’sdegree program at TeachersCollege; he begins his
studies this summer.
MS science teacher JOAN GILLMAN wasaccepted into the Cary Institute of EcosystemStudies’ Annual Summer Institute, a profes-sional development program for teachers whoare interested in learning how to use the natureof science to investigate climate change, andthe implications of changing ecosystems. For
the fall, Joan was invited to present workshopsat the October conference of the NationalScience Teachers Association and theNovember conference of the Science TeachersAssociation of New York State.
Kindergarten teacher BRIAN HALLAS, underthe stage name Bohagey Bowes, was votedthe audience winner for the most popularvideo in the 2010 DigiFestival.net competi-tion, an online festival based out of Florence,Italy, for his video GVP: Spread the Love.
JENNY HAN, Calhoun’s assistant librarian, hasa lot to celebrate with her latest novel, We’ll
Always Have Summer. It debuted on The New
York Times bestseller list at #3 on theChildren’s Chapter Books list and #10 on theChildren’s Paperback list. We’ll Always Have
Summer revisits the love triangle betweenBelly, Jeremiah and Conrad—and someone issaying, “I do!” This is the third and final bookin Jenny’s Summer series. As part of itsLibrary Series, Calhoun hosted a book partyfor Jenny, open to MS and US students. Theparty included a Q&A with Jenny, a booksigning and wedding-themed refreshments.
HAILEY KIM, part-time art teacher in the UpperSchool, completed her master’s degree in artand art education from Teachers College.
VICTOR LIN, US jazz teacher, earned his Ed.D.in music education from Teachers College,Columbia University, this spring. In additionto teaching jazz classes for Upper Schoolers,Victor continues to serve on the faculty ofCalhoun’s Jazz Summer Workshop, and isentering his 12th year on the faculty at theStanford Jazz Workshop in California.
LAVERN MCDONALD, Upper School AssociateDirector and social studies teacher, was one offive panelists who vetted proposals this springfor the National Endowment of Humanities(NEH) Division of Education’s SummerSeminars and Institutes in Washington. Lavernwas the only representative from the K–12sector on the panel. “Reviewing these propos-als from all over the country was a small wayof giving back to the program,” explains
Lavern, who has herself been a recipient of anNEH grant. “My teaching was incrediblyenriched by the opportunity to study withJoanne Pope Melish with support from theNEH,” she says.
US physics teacher JOHN ROEDER is one ofthis year’s recipients of the DistinguishedService Citation from the the AmericanAssociation of Physics Teachers (AAPT).Established in 1953, Distinguished ServiceCitations are presented to AAPT members inrecognition of their exceptional contributionsto AAPT at the national, sectional or locallevel. John will receive the award during aceremony at APPT’s meeting this August inOmaha, Nebraska. This summer, John willalso travel to Montgomery Township, NJ, fora modeling-physics workshop.
KEIRA ROGERS, MS humanities teacher andAssistant MS Director, was accepted into theKlingenstein Center for Independent SchoolLeadership’s master’s degree program atTeachers College; she begins her studies thissummer.
Kindergarten teacher CRAIGSCHATTEN was awarded an EarlyCareer Fellowship for 2010–2011by the Fred Rogers Center. Craigand the three other Career Fellowswill spend the coming year creat-ing innovative educational media for the FredRogers Center and will be presenters at theFred Forward Conference in the spring of2012.
Calhoun nurse SABRINA SPIEGEL ’06 has abusy summer ahead of her. She is attendingthe Advances in School Nursing Conferencerun by the National Association of SchoolNurses and the American Health Institute inStamford, CT; the National Coaches Instituterun by the Sports Challenge LeadershipAcademy in Delaware, and will be a facultyfacilitator at the Hugh O’Brian YouthLeadership program held at AdelphiUniversity. If that’s not enough, she’sworking as a camp nurse at a day camp inNyack during July and August!
11
It’s not unusual for fourth graders to haveregularly scheduled activities with friends, but itis slightly more unusual for those friends to be intheir eighties!
This year, Calhoun’s fourth graders partici-pated in an intergenerational partner program,now in its second year, with members of theCouncil Senior Center on 72nd Street. “It is anunusual opportunity when young children andsenior citizens can come together to findcommonalities, recognize differences and breakdown barriers,” says Debbie Aronson ’79,Calhoun’s Director of Community Service andfacilitator of the partnership.
The visits began as poetry exchanges andgrew to include a collaborative art project thatresulted in a hand-drawn quilt displayed atApple Bank on Broadway. Later in the year, thefourth graders presented a performance of mini-plays crafted from autobiographical childhoodshort stories written by the seniors. Among theappreciative members of the audience that daywas Head of School Steve Nelson, whoapplauded as enthusiastically as the authors. SaidSteve, “These fourth graders became immigrant
children lost in an overwhelming city. Theyinhabited another world and another time. Theylearned what was different then, but, far moreimportant, they learned what was the same....They realized that the distance between 10 and90 is only an arm's length, if you open yourheart and mind.” And, he observed, “This oneexperience provided more real learning thanmonths of preparation for a test.”*
Ed Bartosik, directorof the Council SeniorCenter, says, “Theseniors have been blownaway by the students’work and their ability tobe so engaging,thoughtful and consid-erate.” He and Debbielook forward tocontinuing the partner-ship between Calhounand the center, whichis being supported by an intergenera-tional programming grant from CouncilwomanGale Brewer’s office.
*See Steve Nelson’sHuffington Post blogabout the intergenera-tional partnership,“Curriculum for theAges—How Do YouMeasure This?”
SchoolNewsS T U D E N T N E W S M A K E R S
T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
scholastic Gold Keys to Two sophomoresDarcy Haylor ‘13 and Jake Wolf ‘13 received
multiple top honors for their photography in the
New york City regional competition of the 2011
scholastic art & Writing awards. Darcy received
three gold keys and two silver keys for her
photographs; Jake received two gold keys and
four silver keys.
as regional winners, Darcy and Jake’s photo-
graphs were included in an exhibition at the Casita
Maria Center for arts and Education in the Bronx.
The two Calhoun students were among a very
select group of young artists to receive the
coveted recognition: In the New york City
regional competition, as many as 4,500 works
were submitted, with only 315 gold keys and 346
silver keys awarded. Gold keys, which are the
highest level of achievement, qualified the
students to move on to the next level in the
national competition.
The scholastic art & Writing awards, open to
students grades 7–12, were founded in 1923 to
recognize exceptional artistic and literary talent.
Fourth Grade Creates art with Council senior Center
Jake Wolf ’13 and
Darcy Haylor ’13,
winners of gold
keys for photogra-
phy in the 2011
scholastic art &
Writing awards Ny
competition
(Far left) Photo by
Darcy Haylor ’13
Fourth graders and senior
friend show off handmade
quilt squares.
SchoolNews
12 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
When fifth grader Gabriel Parker wanted to
reach out to children who were affected by the
earthquake in Japan, he thought of communicat-
ing in ways that are most familiar to his genera-
tion: skype, youTube, even a television
commercial that would send survivors a message
of hope. But after learning that many places had
no electricity or Internet access after the disaster,
he asked his mother, Heather-sasaki Parker, how
people used to communicate back in the “old”
days. “Carrier pigeons?" he asked. Heather
laughs. “I told him I wasn’t that old and that we
used to write letters.”
so Gabriel engaged friends Jason Kauppila
and Tomio Filiaci, other fifth grade classmates
and his Middle school teachers and administra-
tors to help launch a letter-writing drive, which
he named “Hand Delivery of Love.” To widen the
call for letters, Gabriel and his mom designed a
website hosted by Dosomething.org, a nonprofit
organization that encourages social activism on
the part of young people.
By mid-May, Gabriel and his classmates had
collected more than 300 handwritten letters
from students in every division of Calhoun as
well as from students across the country. By the
end of May, Gabriel and the Hand Delivery of
Love project had won a Do something Disaster
Grant, receiving $500 to fund the drive.
Gabriel kept his mom busy translating the
letters into Japanese and sending them to evacu-
ation camp sites and elementary schools in four
different prefectures (the Japanese equivalent of
a “state”). Meanwhile, as an active volunteer
with the Parents association’s Calhoun
Community in action (CCa) committee, Heather is
looking for other creative and sustainable
projects that can help her native country. “The
estimated restoration time is at least 15 years
for the hardest-hit areas in Japan,” notes
Heather.
If you have ideas for creative projects to
support Japan, please send them to Debbie
aronson ’79, Director of Community service,
Gabriel Parker reads some
of the handwritten letters
he has been collecting
through his campaign,
Hand Delivery of Love, for
the people of Japan.
S T U D E N T N E W S M A K E R S
Calhoun’s first Junior State of America (JSA)Club made an unexpected showing at its debutmini-conference in the Bronx this winter, withjunior Quentin Heilbroner and sophomore MilesCooper both taking home “Best Speaker”awards. The only other school to win more thanone speaker award was Stuyvesant High School,which has a long-established and 15-member-strong JSA Club. “When we’re an officialchapter, watch out,” says club co-founder FionaLowenstein ’12, who noted that the Calhoun
group was “quite popular” when they left thatBronx event. “People were like, ‘Oooh, I neverheard of the Calhoun JSA Club before. Whoare you guys?’”
Who these “guys” are, is a group of six veryenthusiastic members, four of whom signed onat the beginning of the year at the behest ofFiona and Quentin. Both students had independ-ently attended summer programs sponsored byJSA, a leadership organization for high schoolstudents. After a chance discussion during
English class back at Calhoun, the two decidedto co-found a chapter at the school. “Quentinand I knew there was an opportunity to start a yearlong JSA chapter, with the ability formembers to go to conferences. We thought thatcould go over well at Calhoun,” says Fiona.
The rest is history…or the beginning of anew story. Club enthusiast Charley Alpert ’12 iscurrently working on drafting the chapter’sconstitution, while other club members areassisting with the multi-step process to get theirchapter officially approved. They hope to partic-ipate in even more conferences next year.
Since 1934, Junior State of America hasoffered programming forstudents who are inter-ested in politics andgovernment, foreignaffairs, the law andeducation. JSA allowsfor an exchange of ideasthrough stimulatingstudent debates, problemsolving and simulations.
Jsa Club members
(L–R) Julien Weiss ’12,
Charley alpert ’12,
Fiona Lowestein ’12,
Quentin Heilbroner ’12,
Miles Cooper ’13 and
Fiona Wiedermann ’12
made a strong showing
at their first confer-
ence, with Quentin and
Miles taking home
“Best speaker”
awards.
Top awards Go to Debut Jsa Club
Fifth Grader Launches “Hand Delivery of Love”
SchoolNews
13T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
students Raise $20,000 for Haiti ReliefWhen a destructive earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, the Calhoun community rallied to offer itssupport by staging multiple fundraisers to benefit relief efforts. But even after students in each ofthe divisions had collectively raised $6,800, and the disaster was no longer being featured in thenightly news, students didn’t forget: Aiyana Wain-Hirschberg ’11 and the Upper School’s HaitiRelief Committee, which she founded, were already planning a repeat benefit for this year—onlyon a grander scale, in co-sponsorship with the Vassar Haiti Project.
“It was always part of the plan to continue the Haiti relief efforts from last year,” says Aiyana.“In fact, we talked about it the day the disaster happened. We gathered a group of students andfaculty and asked, ‘What can we do and how can we keep this going? How can this be a long-termeffort?’ We knew they didn’t just need help that day—they would need help for many years.”
Aiyana reached out to the Vassar Haiti Project with the help of US history teacher NicoleAcosta Nemergut and Community Service Director Debbie Aronson ’79. Together with the VassarCollege organization, they mounted an art auction and sale called Art for Life: A Haiti Benefit. Theevening also featured a panel of experts, including Calhoun parent Dr. Deborah Ottenheimer, whotalked about the future of Haiti’s relief efforts. “We wanted to raise money in a unique way andalso raise awareness, so we included Haitian culture: music, art and speakers,” Aiyana notes. “Anart show really brings everyone together. It’s more than just fundraising; it’s about the culture.”The event, which was open to the public, ultimately raised close to $17,000 for three organiza-tions: Water.org, the Peligre School of Hope in Haiti, and the Vassar group, which funds fourinitiatives in Cher Maître, Haiti, covering education, reforestation, water and health.
Meanwhile, eighth grader Lucas Phillips repeated last year’s successful Middle School Pacer-thon: Participating students in fourth through eighth grades raised $2,350 for the Hope for Haitian
Children Foundation, getting relatives, friends and neighbors to sponsor theirpace races in physical educationclasses. And the Upper School springtheater production, Children of the Sea,based on a Haitian short story, donatedall proceeds from its performances.
“It’s wonderful that the studentschose to continue and honor last year’scommitment to support the people ofHaiti—even as we were watching thedevastation emerging in Japan,” saysDebbie Aronson ’79, Director ofCommunity Service. “They cametogether for a great cause while continuingto look for ways to deal with the new,overwhelming shock of the devastation inJapan.”
Hope for Haitian Children Foundationorganizer Marie Jose Poux wrote, “Wordscannot express our gratitude. Your outpour-ing of love and generosity has made a differ-
ence in the lives of the children. In Haiti, they are in school, eager tolearn, and your contributions have gone towards education and health,which was desperately needed. You have helped to build the roots ofthe orphanage.”
aiyana Wain-Hirschberg ’11,
chair of the upper school
Haiti Relief Committee, and
Lucas Phillips (eighth grade),
organizer of the Middle
school Pacer-thon, at the art
for Life Haiti benefit
Weekend sportsClinics for 2nd-8th Graders
Weekend sports Clinics for second through eighth
graders, introduced this past year by Calhoun’s
athletic Department, will be offered again in the
fall, with one-hour clinics in basketball and
volleyball open to Calhoun students as well as
students from other schools. The program
augments Calhoun’s regular after-school Program
(asP). For information and sign-up, go to
www.calhoun.org/weekendpe.
CalhounCelebrates
115th Anniversary!F O U N D E D 1 8 9 6
Do you know…
1) who founded The Calhoun school?
2) the original name for the school?
3) who the school was named after?
4) where the school was first located?
5) whether the Cougar was always the mascot?
For more school history, go to
www.calhoun.org/history
aNsWERs:1) Laura Jacobi;2) No, it was called The Jacobi School;
3) Mary Edwards Calhoun,headmistress from 1916 to 1942;
4) a brownstone at 158-160 West 80th Street
14 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
IN THE sPOTLIGHT CHAIRTHEWEALTH AUCTION SUPPORTS KIVA!Handcrafted Adirondack chairs, made byCalhoun’s sixth grade woodshop students, wereauctioned off to parents as part of theChairthewealth project—an initiative ofCalhoun’s Middle School Kiva Club, a micro-lending group of 10 seventh graders that givesloans to entrepreneurs in developing countries.The auction raised $345, bringing the Kivaaccount to more than $1,700—enough to fund28 enterprises when the club resumes next year!
Middle school Kiva Club facts:
� All loan recipients are chosen by clubmembers
� Since its beginning, the club has given 75loans of $25 each
� 68 percent of the loans have been to women� Loans have gone to 27 different countries� Money for loans has come from the
Chairthewealth initiative; a $500 PennyHarvest grant; bequests by the MiddleSchool student government and proceedsfrom a Middle School dance.
CRANE-A-THON FOR JAPANESE RELIEF EFFORTS Members of the Calhouncommunity folded more than 3,000 origamicranes to raise money for relief efforts inJapan. The project, sponsored by StudentsRebuild and DoSomething.org, initially had agoal of 100,000 cranes, with the Bezos FamilyFoundation matching each crane with a $2donation. But the response was overwhelming;students from all 50 United States and 37countries donated more than 1 million cranesby the due date of April 15. Impressed by theoutpouring of support from students around theworld, the Bezos Family Foundation doubled
its initial donation to$400,000, and ananonymous donoradded another$100,000—generat-ing more than half amillion dollars forJapan.
ATHLETIC BANQUETCELEBRATES CALHOUN ATHLETESGo, Cougars! Thisyear’s AthleticBanquet was one ofthe best-attended yet,which is no surpriseconsidering the enthusi-asm of “Cougar Nation”(and, of course, thedelicious dinnerprepared by Chef Boboand staff). All-LeagueAwards for excellencewere presented to teamco-captains Tiareh Cruz’13 and Rebecca Green ’12 (Girls’ VarsityVolleyball); Ryan Parker ’11 and Zuri Pavlin’12 (Boys’ Varsity Soccer); Max Lemper-Tabatsky ’11 and Zuri Pavlin ’12 (Boys’Varsity Basketball); and Amani Orr ’13, Lily Weinberg ’11 and Taj Cutting ’14 (Girls’ Varsity Basketball).
Each Calhoun coach recognized his orher athletes, with special trophies awardedto recipients of the Sportsmanship Award,Most Improved Player Award and MostOutstanding Award.
Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Coach KarenBrauer received special recognition asrecipient of the Excellence in CoachingAward.
LOCKS OF LOVE Fourth grader IsabelJanovsky (below) was one of 14 studentsand teachers who donated their hair toLocks of Love, an organization that helpschildren who suffer from medical hairloss. Student donors ranged in age from 6
to 16. This was the sixth consecutive year thatCalhoun has sponsoreda Locks of Love partyunder the guidance ofDavid Hyman, MSwoodshop teacher, andthe second year it wasco-organized by juniorJackie Bevacqua.
WOMEN IN NEEDThrift Calhoun, an Upper School communityservice club co-chaired by Tess Harris ’11 (left)and Alex Kayden ’11, hosted two thrift storeevents this year to benefit Women in Need, anonprofit organization that supports homelessNew York City women and their families. Theevents raised $685.
SchoolNews S T U D E N T N E W S M A K E R S
(above) sam Ohiomah
accepted the Most
Improved Player
award for Boys’
Varsity Basketball
from Coach David
Bartolacci.
Girls’ Varsity Volleyball
co-captains Tiareh Cruz
’13 and Rebecca Green
’12 pose with their all-
League awards.
(Left) Crane-a-thon volunteers (standing L-R) Benny
Tuchman ’12, Desi McGrath ’12, Reece Robinson ’14,
Zuri Pavlin ’12; (seated) addison Bale ’12
15T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
ELEVEN WITH VISIONMichael Luzmore ’13, Farah Taslima ’13 andKyra Louie ’12 (top) were among the 11Calhoun student photographers featured in the2011 Independent Visions show this year,sponsored by Joint Schools, Inc. “Ourentourage was quite eclectic, and reflected amultitude of sensibilities and inquiries in thepursuit of image,” reports US teacher GaryCohen. Other Calhoun artists included DarcyHaylor ’13, Khaleeq Alfred ’12, Tiffany Poon’14, Jake Wolf ’13, Bobby Aaronson ’12,Antonio Robayo ’12, Carson Rey ’12 and Josh Musto ’12.
INDEPENDENT VOICESAddison Bale ’12 emceed, US teacher Gary Cohen was guest speaker, and MicaelaBurns ’11 and Holly Holtz ’11 capturedaudiences with their literary acumen at theannual Independent Voices poetry reading, heldthis spring at Barnes & Noble. Sponsored byJoint Schools, Inc., Independent Voices featuresworks by high school students from New Yorkindependent schools.
Little Calhoun Hosts Gallery Night
Little Calhoun (Lower school 74th street)hosted its second annual Gallery Night onJune 8, 2011, inviting parents to an end-of-year exhibit of student work. Parents wereencouraged to stroll through all of the class-
rooms, to witness first hand the progression oflearning that begins with the 3’s and continuesup, up, up, up (five floors!) to the first grade.
Gallery Night was, said one 3’s parent, agreat way to see what her child will be doing overthe next few years. Kindergarten parent Laura Glick,also a first-time gallery visitor, agreed that it was
exciting to see what the older students were doing.“We especially enjoyed seeing the first grade work
because it seems so advanced in comparison tokindergarten,” observed Laura. “I think the mammals
the children created are better than anything I could do myself, and it’s great to see the students
doing in-depth projects.”
SchoolNews
4’s students discovered
new uses for found
objects, including
recycled fruit packing
trays, for their MasK
project.
The first grade interdiscipli-
nary study of mammals
culminates in individual
research journals, dioramas
and sculptures—all of
which were on display for
Ls Gallery Night.
CalhounOnstageKAZU
MI FISH
’15, B
ETH K
RIEG
ER
16 S P R I N G 2 0 1 1
sEVENTH GRaDE: romEo & JuliET
THIRD GRaDE: sTormY WEAThEr
1. “shakespeare works for
kids,” says Ls theater
teacher Giovanni Pucci.
“It’s exciting to see
them handle the
language; they get a
sense of mastery [and]
they see a connection to
something that is really
deep and ancient and
yet totally relevant.”
2. “One of the largest
lessons in theater work
is that there are many
ways to see and inter-
pret the world.… It
calls upon an individ-
ual’s courage, personal
responsibility, commit-
ment and patience to
see a process evolve
over time,” says Ms
theater teacher Ed
schloth, who directed
the seventh grade
production of romeo &
Juliet.
3. The third grade play,
written by Giovanni
with his students, was
truly collaborative. “We
do a lot of improvising,”
says Giovanni. “and if a
lot of it doesn’t work,
that’s okay. Because
the three, four, five –
maybe even ten –
concrete things that
make it into the play
are really solid.”
1
2
3
ALISO
N B
ENNETT
ALISO
N B
ENNETT
FOuRTH GRaDE: A WiNTEr’s TAlE
CalhounOnstageus THEaTER: ChildrEN oF ThE sEA
GIO
VANNI PA
CIFIC
I
4
aLL-sCHOOL BaND
5
us JaZZ ENsEMBLE
6
Ls sPRING sING
7
MORE PHOTOs ONLINEwww.calhoun.org/media
4. The upper school spring
theater production was
an original adaption of
the short story
“Children of the sea”
by Edwidge Danticat,
and was devised,
written, designed,
constructed and
performed by the upper
school spring Workshop
Production class. “I got
a taste of different
aspects of theater,” says
senior sarah Mozeson.
“We weren’t just
handed a script; we had
to create the script.”
5. The Calhoun band,
which boasts more than
90 musicians in grades
five through twelve, fills
the gym each spring
with a cacophony of
sound. special ensem-
bles include the percus-
sionists and chamber
group.
6. The upper school’s Jazz
Ensemble never misses
a chance to strut its
stuff! This year the
talented musicians
entertained crowds at
the spring Carnival,
admissions open
houses, library recitals,
demo days and the
PMCC End-of-year
Celebration.
7. The Lower school spring
sing had a Renaissance
theme this year, replete
with folk dancing,
choral selections and
musical performances
on recorders.
8. The strings Orchestra’s
spring concert is an all-
community effort, bring-
ing together student
musicians at all levels of
ability, from beginner to
advanced, as well as
professional musicians
from among Calhoun’s
faculty and parent body.
9. Middle schoolers sing
with enthusiasm when
they take to the
stage—at Calhoun or
even at Barnes & Noble!
9
Ms CHORus
8
aLL-sCHOOL sTRINGs ORCHEsTRa
C H R O N I C L E 17
18 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
As members of the Calhoun community,we are committed to Calhoun’s progres-sive education. We know we love it, butoften we don’t know why. To betterequip the community with a clearerunderstanding of the foundation, mechan-ics and practice of progressive education,Calhoun administrators Steve Nelson,Josephine Salvador, Andrew Hume andformer Calhoun employee Dana Bennisinvited a group of community members toparticipate in a five-part evening course—the Progressive Education Tradition(PET)—designed to address thesequestions. The intention was to “create asense of community through inquiry,”explains Josephine, Director of Schooland Society and chair of the AcademicCabinet.
“I know a good idea when I see one,”Head of School Steve Nelson says. Hecredits Dana (former facilitator of theProgressive Education Conversations heldin past years) for the idea to take whathad once been disparate conversations
and construct them into an in-depth andfocused course that would engage partici-pants in critical thinking and debate abouteducational philosophy and progressiveeducation.
“As far as I know,” says Steve, “noother school is offering a class like this, aclass that provides its constituencymembers a rich, powerful context withwhich to engage in the larger educationaldebate.”
Andrew, Director of Enrollment, alsoexplains the broader, institutional value ofthe class. “If a cohort of Calhoun folks isexploring essential questions and develop-ing a deep, nuanced understanding ofprogressive theory/practice, those folkscan participate thoughtfully in an educa-tional conversation inside and outsideCalhoun.”
The new class was announced early inthe school year to the entire Calhouncommunity, including alumnae/i andformer parents. And despite the prospectof two-hour classes over the course of
“as far as I know, no other school is offering a class like this, a class thatprovides its constituency members a rich, powerful context with which toengage in the larger educational debate.” —Steve Nelson, Head of School
five or six months, requiring reading,research and a final project, the class wasover-enrolled in a matter of weeks.Ultimately, class participants reflected thebreadth of Calhoun’s constituencies,including trustees, parents, Calhouneducators, alumni, a parent of an alumna,and an Upper School student. And true toits intention, according to Calhoun parentRenée Hill (Matthias, 5th), the experiencewas “an example of progressive educationat its best!”
INQuIRy aND DIsCOVERy“I was already a strong believer inprogressive education, but this classhelped me understand why,” says graduat-ing senior Aiyana Wain-Hirschberg. Shefound the class on brain biology, memoryand experiential learning especiallyenlightening. “It made me realize why Ialways remember the material from thoseprojects that I loved doing.” As a studenttour guide, she would find that “prospec-tive parents and students would frequentlyask what ‘progressive’ means—andwould mistakenly equate it with havingno walls.” Aiyana says, “I knew it wasmore than that,” but she now feels moreprepared to describe Calhoun’s educa-tional approach.
a Community Learning Together
Calhoun administrators lead an innovative and engagingclass on the role and practice of progressive education By Brendan Kiely, Admissions Coordinator
19T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
Michael Marra, new Trustee andparent of Elijah (3rd), was equallyimpressed with the presentations on brainbiology, delivered by Dr. DaphnaShohamy, assistant professor of psychol-ogy at Columbia University, and Dr. PaulGlimcher, Calhoun parent and head of theGlimcher Lab Center for Neural Scienceat NYU. “I was blown away by the brainchemistry and neuroscience thatsupported the effectiveness of the learn-ing-by-doing model of education,” saysMichael. “Progressive education issometimes saddled with a ‘soft’ or ‘lefty’label, but I felt the science helps build acompelling argument that a rigorousprogressive education leads to a depth ofunderstanding that is not matched byother styles of education.”
During the course of the five sessions,participants were asked to read articlesand go to websites intended to providethem with the language necessary toengage in meaningful conversations. ButSteve recognized that, in order for it to bea successful class, the students would alsohave to engage in the experience of theprogressive educational approach and notjust be told about the experience orsubject matter. “There’s a blossoming of
understanding for an individual,and by extension the wholecommunity, when students partici-pate actively in their own education,” hesays. So, in keeping with the experientialmission of progressive education, partici-pants were asked to do a final project: towork collaboratively in teams to researchand construct their own “ideal” progres-sive schools.
This culminating project “put what welearned into practice,” says Shaiza Rizavi,Trustee and parent of Nicholas (4th) andAnna (3rd). Doing the final project solid-ified for Shaiza the value and effect ofDemonstration Day (common practice inthe Upper School), and “what a projectconstructed from different points of viewcan lead to.” As all the students in theclass learned, progressive educationdemands that each student become aparticipant in his or her own education, asopposed to being just an observer.
As was the hope, the PET classprovided the students with the material,direct experience and language to betterexpress their enthusiasm for progressiveeducation and how it is practiced specifi-cally at Calhoun. Alumna Sabrina Spiegel’06, who wears multiple hats at Calhoun
as an athletic coach, School Nurse andHealth Educator, believes the courseoffered “a clearer understanding andappreciation for our unique learningenvironment, which should contribute to astronger community that strives to upholdour shared values.” Renée signed up forthe class with that particular goal in mind.“I wanted to more effectively share myfamily’s experience with other communi-ties and families of color,” she explains,“because more families of color should beexposed to progressive education as aviable option for their children.”
Steve, Josephine and Andrew lookforward to leading two sections of thePET course series during the 2011–2012academic year. The course, hopesAndrew, will prepare members of thecommunity to play thoughtful roles infulfilling Calhoun’s mission—to heraldthe value of progressive education in thenational conversation.
Learn more about the PET class and this
year’s final projects on the PET blog,
www.calhounpet.wordpress.com.
“I was blown away by the brain chemistry and neuroscience thatsupported the effectiveness of the learning-by-doing model of education. Progressive education is sometimes saddled with a ‘soft’or ‘lefty’ label, but I felt the science helps build a compellingargument that a rigorous progressive education leads to a depth ofunderstanding that is not matched by other styles of education.”
—Michael Marra, new Trustee and parent of Elijah (3rd)
(Opposite page, L–R) students in the
first PET class included Calhoun adminis-
trators, parents, alumnae/i and one
upper school student; Josephine
salvador, Director of the school &
society Initiative, leading a discussion;
(Left) Calhoun parents Daniela Menghi
and andrea Booth present their final
project to the group—a road map for
“the perfect school.” (Below) Calhoun
parent Renée Hill makes a point while
shaiza Rizavi (parent and Trustee)
listens in.
Class of 2011 Makes a SPLASH!Pardon our allusion to this year’s GO BLUE! theme, but the Class of 2011 is
definitely leaving behind a ripple effect.
As we congratulate our graduates and send them off to great adventures, we
will remember them for their rare musical talents (the jazz and chamber ensem-
bles won’t be the same); for leading our community in its support for Haiti and
a provocative town hall meeting on the Middle East; for connecting us to
emerging research in medicine, environmental biology and food science through
their Black Rock Forest experiments, Demo Day presentations and internship
explorations. We look forward to seeing them years from today as the writers,
artists and actors who enriched our community with their talents every day.
This year’s 41 seniors were offered admission to 90 different colleges and
universities. About 45 percent of the class applied to their top choice colleges
through Early Decision I or II programs, with an increase in EDII applications this
year. Two thirds of those early decision applications were successful, and
those seniors who applied via regular decision ended up with an average of
five acceptances per student (our seniors apply to an average of six to eight
carefully selected colleges, bucking the much-bemoaned national trend of
scattershot application filing).
At the end of the day, all of our students were accepted to a number of
their top choices, and all seniors decided on one college that was the best
fit—where we wish them rich and rewarding experiences!
20 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
GARY
JOSE
PH C
OHEN
American UniversityBates CollegeBennington CollegeBrandeis UniversityChamplain CollegeClark UniversityUniversity of ConnecticutCornell UniversityDartmouth CollegeDenison UniversityDickinson College (3)Drew University (2)Emory UniversityFranklin & Marshall CollegeGeorge Washington
UniversityGoucher CollegeJohns Hopkins University
Johnson & Wales University Mount Holyoke CollegeNew York UniversityOberlin College (3)Oberlin Conservatory
of MusicOccidental CollegePeabody Institute/
Johns HopkinsUniversity of Puget SoundPurchase CollegeUniversity of RochesterSkidmore College (3)Syracuse University (2)Trinity CollegeVassar College (2)Washington University
in St. Louis
Class of 2011Congratulations to our seniors, who have chosen to attendthe following colleges and universities next year:
21T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
ModIt’s a
worldMod
ModMod
22 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
BT H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
THE UPPER SCHOOL’S NEW MOD SCHEDULE ALLOWS STUDENTS
TO ENGAGE IN RICH, ON-SITE LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN CITY, IN
COUNTRY AND IN THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD OF WORK. FROM
POUNDING THE CITY STREETS WITH A CAMERA TO DOING SCIENCE
EXPERIMENTS IN THE FOREST OR INTERNING ON WALL STREET,
UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE DISCOVERING WHAT IT REALLY
MEANS TO HAVE NO WALLS WHEN IT COMES TO LEARNING.
Our curriculum has always encouraged depth of ex-ploration, but it’s definitely taken on a different quality because of the concerted amount of time our teach-ers have to spend with kids each day.”
— JEN DE FOREST
Block Schedule Encourages Site-Specific Learning
“The new block schedule is so exciting,” says Upper School Director Jen de Forest. “Our curriculum has always encouraged depth of exploration, but it’s definitely taken on a different qual-ity because of the concerted amount of time our teachers have to spend with kids each day.” The extended time to go outside the school walls is, says Jen, the logical outcome of Calhoun’s new block schedule and the way it is organized. “Each day has a large double period that abuts community (club) time and lunch, which means that our students can be out in the neighborhood and the city on a daily basis, for as much as three or four hours, without missing other classes.”
“I feel like the new block schedule helps you get more out of class,” says Miles Cooper ’13. “You’re not always rushing and there’s time to mull over the work. In fact, one day this spring, I went on two trips—we went to Harlem for photography, I came back and had lunch, and then I went to MoMA with my Spanish class.”
Desi McGrath ’13 says the best part of the block schedule is the opportunity for trips that didn’t exist before. “It’s always great when we can use the environment around us. It really helps facilitate the lessons in some classes.”
Junior Zuri Pavlin notes that the new block schedule also makes it easier to make up work if he goes on overnight trips with a class. “You only miss two or three classes instead of seven or eight,” says Zuri, who doesn’t regret the move from the old traditional two-semester system, with seven classes packed into a standard five-day schedule.
But Jen is clear that trips are not about “tourism.” Venturing outside the school is about being an active participant in the cul-ture that you’re visiting, whether it is the city at large, a museum, or a forest preserve in upstate New York.
By example, she points to Francesco Filiaci’s biology and ad-vanced biology classes, which are basically using the Museum of Natural History and Black Rock Forest as secondary classrooms; to English teacher Ellen Kwon, “who has been brilliant at creat-ing outdoor experiences” to enrich literary readings; to the art and photography classes that are finding inspiration in the rich cultural neighborhoods of our city; and to the philosophy stu-dents of Jonas Hamilton, who have been using public forums to study Socrates and Aristotle.
Biology Classes Engage Students in On-Site Scientific Study
The block schedule has been particularly valuable for planning overnight trips to Black Rock Forest Preserve in upstate New York for Francesco’s advanced biology students. “Not only are we using the forest as a classroom, we are participating in research studies in collaboration with Black Rock scientists,” he says.
The first trip this year was used to examine dissolved oxygen in natural waters. The students drilled holes in the ice on the Upper Reservoir and determined the parts per million of oxygen in the water; they looked at samples from the top and bottom levels of the lake. On the second trip, the students helped gather data for the Black Rock Consortium’s Future of Oak Forest project by using meter sticks to measure snow and ice depths along transects in the experimental plots. “Part of this exercise was taken from an old AP biology lab,” says Francesco. “But I wanted the students to do more research—without a prescribed set of outcomes. I wanted them to gather novel information and try to understand problems from a more inquisitive, unanswered perspective.”
The work at Black Rock also carried over to an ongoing consor-tium project that the students could bring home to Calhoun. The experiment is looking at the effects of urbanization and seed source on the growth of red oak seedlings from four sites in the tri-state area. The students measured 120 acorns from the four sites, and then, back at school, planted them in six-inch pots that were placed in the school’s third-floor greenhouse. The students spent the rest of the mod watering
the plants and measuring their growth; two students who were taking a statistics class were also analyzing and graphing the data. The experiment will continue into the fall for next year’s advanced biology students.
“I strongly believe in experiential learning,” says Francesco. “I am trying to mitigate the nature-deficit disorder that is taking hold of our urban iPhone-connected lives. I want my students to see more science, do more science and contribute to more science.” Jen agrees that this is the real work of a school—to make students scientists, not science students.
Lit Classes Take Ethan Frome and Huck Finn to Black Rock
While Franceso was planning to take his advanced biology students up to Black Rock Forest for an overnight early this winter, Ellen Kwon was in the middle of teaching an American literature class from a gender perspective. She decided it could be a great opportunity if the two classes made the trip togeth-er. “We had just finished reading Ethan Frome, which is set in the middle of Massachusetts, in the middle of the winter, in a very small town,” says Ellen, who hoped to re-create for her students what Ethan Frome must have gone through. She says, “It would also give my kids the opportunity to spend some time alone outside … being really isolated, with the enormity of having winter engulf you.”
That first joint venture to Black Rock was so successful, Ellen decided to try it again after her class read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The project this time was to build a raft and “sail it” down the river. But, true to this spring’s unseasonable
“I strongly believe in experiential learning.” — FRANCESCO
24 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
weather, it was cold, and the air was heavy with rain. Maggie Stein ’12 recalls, “We hiked two miles into the woods and went to a reservoir, where the logs were already cut. We just started latching them together and put the raft into the water. It was so foggy, we couldn’t see anything—just like a scene in the book.”
Earlier in the year, Ellen sent students to the streets to perform scenes from Shakespeare, in true guerrilla-theater style. And then this spring, yet another class went on a city adventure; students in an interdisciplinary elective called Clothing & Culture, which Ellen team-teaches with photography/video teacher Gary Cohen, traveled down to the Lower East Side to engage in a student-led tour. Again, the rain didn’t deter the exploration of the early history of the garment industry and labor movement in the city. In fact, Jen says she was actually pleased with the unexpectedly bleak weather for both city and country adventures. “It’s good for our kids to understand that feeling of discomfort and the way the physical body connects to the head; that’s something we can become alienated from, especially living in the city.”
Reflecting the City Through ArtThe new schedule has been especially valuable to art classes. Photography/video teacher Gary Cohen observes that now, the students are not only getting out into the city more, they’re able to get farther away from the Upper West Side. “We’ve even had time to take photos in Staten Island,” notes Miles Cooper ’13.
The longer block periods also mean that young artists are get-ting to practice their discipline with teachers at their side. “I used to send the students out on their own or on weekends,” says Gary. “That’s fine, and they continue to do that, but now I’m also able to take them out into the field. I can either triage right there or actually model some protocols—especially when we’re photographing strangers on the street.”
And it’s no surprise that the city serves as a rich backdrop for the elective course Drawing New York. For every class, art teacher Hailey Kim takes her students out of the studio and into the city’s unique landscapes. “We bump into things that we can anticipate: nature, the weather, the architecture, all the cultural resources, the landmarks—which are great. But there is also that element of the unknown,” says Hailey. One day, the students were sketching people in the 79th Street subway station when a man in a pirate costume hopped off a train and, without invitation, started posing for the class. “It was per-fect!” says Hailey. “That’s the thing that can happen because we’re outside. And we’re outside more now because of the mod system.”
25T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
“It’s good for our kids to understand that feeling of discomfort and the way the physical body connects to the head; that’s something we can become alienated from, especially living in the city.” — JEN
B S P R I N G 2 0 1 1
Internships Take Students into the World of Work
In addition to the flexibility afforded by the block schedule, the new five-mod system increases the number of elective classes available to Upper School students and also promises greater creativity in the way curriculum is structured—including the op-portunity to dedicate an entire mod to one course of study. This, in fact, was what facilitated the introduction of the new Senior Work program, a six-week internship project for seniors that takes place during Mod 5—the final term before graduation.
The Senior Work program engages twelfth graders in internships that reflect their personal interests and how those interests inter-sect with the world of work. During the course of the internships, organized and supervised by Lavern McDonald, Associate Director of the Upper School, seniors were mentored by a team of teach-ers through the application process, first-day jitters and on-site visits. The students were also asked to return to school once a week for debriefings. For some, the time was an opportunity to address their concerns, like, “Oh, my God, they’re only letting me file,” or “I feel shy—I can’t step into this situation,” or “How can I ask them to let me take on more responsibility?” Others used the time to talk about the culture of the workplace, to discuss trends in the world of work (including a screening of TED talks with Thomas L. Friedman, author of The World Is Flat), and to explore economic theory.
Jen de Forest explains that the internship program is a natural conclusion to the curricular framework of the Upper School: “The freshman year is about self and society; sophomore year is epis-temology/how you construct knowledge and junior year is about moving into the really hard work of inquiry, which takes root in something we call Junior Workshop. And all of this leads and builds into the senior year with Senior Work, which focuses on the experience of work: how you take all of your knowledge and your negotiation of hard questions and fields of knowledge, and take that into the world—which, of course, is this really progres-sive idea that learning is for life.”
Philosophy in Public Forums
“When you study peripatetic philosophy,” says history teacher Jonas Hamilton, “philosophy is not inert; it’s not something that happens in classrooms—it’s part of the public sphere.” With that in mind, Jonas took his philosophy students to 30th Avenue and 31st Street in Astoria, where there’s a park with a statue of Socrates and Aristotle.
“The idea was to underscore the notion that in the ancient world, philosophy was something that took place in public fo-rums. It wasn’t an ivory tower affair; it was something people hashed out on their porches or in the open air cafés, in public. I wanted them to get a feel of the public nature of ancient phi-losophy. I wanted them to see that philosophy in the ancient world addressed social issues, political issues and human issues, unlike the almost obscure discipline it’s become today.”
Jonas did a similar excursion with ninth graders in his history class. He brought them to Riverside Park, where they climbed up on a big rock and discussed Marcus Aurelius’ Medita-tions. “It was a rainy day, and the Meditations were written on the banks of the Danube River when Aurelius was leading his legions into battle against the Germans.” Not only did the experience evoke the mood of the text, it poised philosophy as something a military leader might bring with him into battle as a consolation.
Says Jonas, “These trips help the text come to life. I want to continue to find new ways to use the city to dramatize my les-sons; the new schedule has afforded me frequent opportunities to do that.”
“These trips help the text come to life.”
— JONAS
Murray Dunsmore ’11Melanie Jackson Agency
Why did you choose to intern with a literary agent?
I want to be a writer, and one way to step a foot into the writ-ing world is to work for a literary agent and learn about how to get published.
So are you learning about the business of book publishing?
I do a lot of filing, and it’s not just filing things A to Z; it’s filing author’s royalty statements, which detail how much a book makes within a six-month period. Caitlin [Murray’s mentor at the agency] prepared me by encouraging me to ask ques-tions in order to learn about the business. She said, “There’s no point in filing if you don’t know what you’re filing.” That’s basically how I learned. Caitlin talked to me a lot about selling, and why the same book may sell better in one country than another. Before the internship I thought, Well, I’ll have to get coffee, mail things, run to the post office…typical internship stuff. But I’ve learned so much about the pubishing industry. I thought that you would just submit the manuscript, they would say yes, and voilà! it’s published! But it’s so much more than that! I learned about which authors you might want to write the blurbs, who designs the cover, and which publishing house might be interested in publishing the book. And I’ve learned how to write a proposal letter.
This is your second week now; how is it going? Are you doing anything besides filing?
I really enjoy what I’m doing; besides filing, I had about four or five days to read a 500-plus-page manuscript. It’s challeng-ing, but it’s very rewarding when you complete the book and write the report…It’s like climbing a mountain; you get to the top and see this view and realize, I’ve totally worked my way up that mountain! So far, I’ve only written one report, for the manuscript I finished last week, but I have two more manu-scripts to read. And the reports, they look simple and I thought that it wouldn’t be too hard, but it’s actually incredibly chal-lenging. It took me about four hours to finalize my first report. After I wrote it, Caitlin went over it and then we discussed what we thought of the book, whether we thought it would sell in the U.S. and in what other countries. It’s this huge business.
Has your experience so far had an affect on your own aspirations?
Being around writing is really causing my thoughts/juices to overflow…I’m really inspired to do a lot of writing. I was work-ing on one piece, but then I got inspired to do another, so I might put the first one aside and work on this current one. I’m just writing a lot and I’ve got a lot of awesome ideas. I love the internship.
“I’ve learned so much about the publishing industry.” — MURRAY
27T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
guide and said, “This is the information we had before; you’re allowed to use whatever sources as long as they’re legit.” And then they said, “As long as you get your work done, you have…” Well, they didn’t say “free reign” of the museum, but I said, “I have free reign of the museum!” So I’ve been really lucky. For the new exhibit, the World’s Largest Dinosaurs, the dig pit, I’m working behind the scenes, getting all the kids to come over, get their tools, make sure that they all have a really nice time and get some good information.
Has this experience reaffirmed your interest in archaeology and curating?
I’ve always said I’d like to be like Indiana Jones—just without the danger! I love history, and curation has always been fasci-nating to me. You’re in a museum and you’re putting things together and giving everything a storyline, trying to tell people, “This is what happened.” So working with the items on the cart guide—let’s say a dolphin’s skull—I’ll explain why the skull is important to the dolphin; how it helps the dolphin live in its environment. I take the conversation back to the entire Ocean Life exhibit and give it a bridge, so it’s not just about a skull...it’s got a much bigger importance.
You’re working with a lot of skills and interests here— history, narrative, science; it’s very “interdisciplinary.” And I know you were very involved at Calhoun in theater. Does your performance experience come into play?
Well…when I can go out into the halls, I have to interact with
“I’ve been given work that they really trust me with.” — ISABEL
28 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
Isabel CorderoAmerican Museum of Natural History, Dinosaur Education
Why did you pursue an internship at AMNH?
I pretty much grew up in the Museum of Natural History, and I’m really interested in curating and anthropology. [And] the museum is right here, it’s phenomenal, it’s got a plethora of information, it’s massive…so I thought maybe they would need some help, and I’d love to work there. Debbie [Aronson ’79, Community Service Director] contacted Donna [Sethi, AMNH Senior Manager of Teaching Volunteers] and I got an interview, and the next thing I knew, I was working here. I was thrilled!
What are you doing?
I’m working with three other high schoolers; we’re all teaching assistants, working on cart guides. If you‘ve ever been in the museum, there are carts around with objects that relate to each hall; the information is slightly outdated, so we’re updating the information inside the cart guides. I just finished the Hall of Ocean Life [cart information] today; we just had our final edit, so I’m working on the Hall of North American Mammals now.
How did you prepare to do this work?
Before my interview, Donna said, “Learn as much as you can about the museum.” So I reviewed as much as I could. Then, on my first day here, they handed me the old Ocean Life cart
all of the tourists. Or even at the dig pit, for tourists who don’t speak English, you have to put yourself out there and not shut down on people when they don’t understand something. It’s the same with the stage; you have to make the audience feel as if they are there and feel comfortable there rather than, “I’m watching a play.”
What’s been the biggest surprise?
Being a high school student and being given so much leeway…I think it’s astounding! I’m just a senior in high school…I’m a volunteer…I’m a little intern, and I’ve been given work that they really trust me with. And I can go around the museum and talk to people if I like to, I can go to staff areas…I have my hands on such amazing knowledge, such amazing opportuni-ties that are just right in my grasp. They basically handed it to me, and I’m so grateful for that.
Willy KaneLegal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Department/Appeals Unit
What kind of work are you doing?
I’m doing a lot of copying and shredding, but the most inter-esting thing I do is close cases. I get files that talk about the case—the brief of the appellant and the opposition—and when I receive them they’re ready to be closed. So I type them into an Excel spread sheet and then I file them away. That’s basically the most complex thing I do.
Are you working independently?
I’m basically at my own pace now; once I get into my rhythm, I’m pretty good. I think it’s sort of a time management thing. And yeah, I think I’ve done okay so far. I’ve got occasional research projects; one is a long-term assignment for an attorney involving a case. This research is particularly challenging in that it’s not even certain that I’ll find anything. [To do the search] I’m sort of using my own intuition.
So you’re learning quite a bit about the process.
Yes, there’s a certain way you’re supposed to get the informa-tion to close the file. First you have to fill out a sheet that says who the attorney was, what happened on the case. And you learn a lot by reading through the brief. You don’t have to read through the whole thing, but sometimes it’s interesting and I read more than just the first and last page. I think learning about the language that’s used is very interesting, and how methodical [the attorneys] are, citing case after case after case. I think that’s very impressive. I was actually talking to [my super-visor] Judy immediately before this meeting; we were setting up an appointment for me to see one of the attorney’s arguments. I’ve already read through the brief, so I know what’s going on.
You’re interested in history, science and economics. Has this experience made law a possible future career?
I’m not sure; a lot of it is argument-based with nitty-gritty points, and while I’m okay with language, I’m not sure I have the argumentative personality for it. But there are many types of lawyers and not all of them go to court. I think I’ll have to look into it more. In a more general sense, it’s exposed me to the working world.
What’s been most surprising about this experience?
I just think it’s surprising how quiet this place is! I came in for my first interview, and Helen—my first supervisor, who’s now on maternity leave—said, basically, that everybody’s hustling and bustling around here. But when I came in on my first day I was very surprised at how quiet it was. [But] quiet’s not really that big of a problem for me. I think Calhoun is good in that it molds students in a way that they can adapt to different environments.
Is the internship program valuable in any other way? Has it met your expectations?
I wanted to get out of the classroom and have some new experiences. I wasn’t sure what to expect and was excited to do something new. But you have to realize the reality that you have to start small at the beginning because you’re an intern… you’re not an official employee. I had to come to terms with
“I think learning about the language that’s used is very interesting, and how methodical [the attorneys] are, citing case after case after case.”
— WILLY
29T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
“I don’t have a typical day, which is what I like. Yesterday, for example, I looked for schools in the neighborhood—East Harlem, Central Harlem and the Bronx—and did outreach.” — DENISSE
30 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
p DENISSE JEREZ ‘11 (LEFT)
AND HER MENTOR,
SONIA BALARAM ‘06
that very quickly. But, for me at least, to know that my work is appreciated—because those cases have been piling up since December, and without me, the pile would just get bigger and bigger and bigger—it makes me feel satisfied in what I’m doing.
Denisse JerezHarlem Community Justice Center
Harlem Community Justice Center (HCJC) is part of a restorative justice program under the auspices of the Center for Court Innovation. One of the primary programs is the Youth Court. Teens 14-18 years old are trained in the roles of jury members, judges and lawyers to judge and administer “sanctions” on de-fendants, known as “respondents,” who have been referred by police precincts, criminal court, schools and probation. Cases primarily involve misdemeanors—minor crimes such as truancy, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Youth Court interns go through a rigorous application and training process for their yearlong service, rotating the roles they play in any given hear-ing. There are between three and four hearings per night, two nights a week. Denisse spent her six-week internship at HCJC under the sponsorship of project coordinator and Calhoun alum Sonia Balaram ’06, who joined in on the interview.
How many evening court sessions have you sat in on?
Denisse: All of them since I’ve been here. It’s interesting for me to see other students and how they work together. And, well, I want to just be very honest: Being at Calhoun, I feel sometimes I live in a bubble; here I get the chance to see how other people think and speak, see them in a different academic setting and also in a professional setting.
What’s your day like?
Denisse: I don’t have a typical day, which is what I like. Yester-day, for example, I looked for schools in the neighborhood—East Harlem, Central Harlem and the Bronx—and did outreach. I wrote a script that I used to tell all the different principals what the program is about. We also went to a career fair yesterday. I’m always doing something different, but I am always do-ing something. Another project I’m doing here is making a [promotional] documentary. I’ve already videotaped a guidance counselor at the Manhattan Center for Math and Science; I interviewed two other interns working with AmeriCorps; I’m going to interview Sonia and the project director…and the manager of the Juvenile Justice Initiative.
Sonia: When Lavern contacted me, I wanted to make sure that whatever Denisse did as an intern here would be valuable to her. So I sent out a couple of ideas for projects she could work on…because there are just so many things that we’re currently working on in terms of expanding our social media presence. I think I gave about ten different options for projects that she could work on, and she chose the documentary option.
31T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
2010-2011 Internship Sites
Thank you to the following organizations and individuals who provided internships for our seniors!
American Museum of Natural History/ Dinosaur Education
Animal HavenAssemblyman Danny O’DonnellB. SoapureBenchmarc RestaurantsBeth Israel Medical CenterBlack Rock ForestBlue State DigitalCandelaDonna DeSeta CastingHarlem Youth Court/Center for
Court InnovationHarperCollins/HarperTeenJazzheads, Inc.Jewish Community Center of the
Upper West Side (JCC)Latino JusticeLegal Aid SocietyThe Luedtke Agency.LLCMelanie Jackson AgencyMetropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian
CollectionMidnight Sun StudiosMiracle Corners of the WorldMoms & the City and a Dad Named
David/NBC TVMount Sinai School of Medicine/emer-
gency medicineMurray Avenue School,
Mamaroneck, NYNY1NYU School of EducationOffice of the Queens County District
AttorneyPencils of PromiseProfessional Orthopedic and
Sports Physical TherapySt. Luke’s Roosevelt HospitalSports Physical Therapy of NYThe Studio TADA!Westchester County Medical Center
Had you taken video editing classes at Calhoun?
Denisse: Never, ever! I did one project for my Spanish class, but I had nothing to do with the editing or the videotaping, more of the acting. So that’s another thing—I’m going to learn something totally different being here, and I’m excited!
Are there skills you’re using that you learned at Calhoun?
Denisse: I would say linguistic skills. And also, that whole progressive thing comes into play: thinking differently and not so straightforward. Also, I’ve been using Calhoun’s databases, like JSTOR, to get readings on restorative justice. It’s been interesting to have to do this reading on my own, analyzing and breaking it down on my own. [The ability to do indepen-dent research] is something that Calhoun instills in students. In all my classes, I’ve done some type of research or learned how to use electronic databases. It doesn’t seem like an important skill, but it is!
Sonia: Her presentation skills, too [come from Calhoun]. I think the majority of Calhoun alums are comfortable speak-ing in public because they have a lot of experience doing that. Denisse is very articulate; that’s why we’ve been able to utilize her in going to career fairs or going to talk to students who are interested in being Youth Court members. The principals we’ve talked to thought she was on staff; they didn’t believe she was a high school student! I think that speaks volumes as to how professional and how valuable [she is] and how seriously she takes the work she’s doing here. The staff loves her. We’re hop-ing this turns into a summer internship!
Has this internship helped shape/guide what you think you might like to do in the future?
Denisse: It’s changed my mind and made me feel like I should be a little more open in terms of what I want to do. I definitely want to work with kids or advocate for other kids, as Lavern has done for me at Calhoun—she’s been very inspiring. And I think being here, seeing how these [Youth Court] kids and staff members help by providing these resources…that has been very inspiring for me, as well.
What do you think about the internship program overall?
Denisse: I love it! I’m happier than I expected. Lavern really helped me out. I told her I didn’t want to be doing something where I was just doing paperwork and sitting all day. I told her what I aspired to do in the future…maybe work with kids, in psychology or some kind of adolescent psychology. And I used to want to do criminology, or something that maybe intersected both. So I actually love what I’m doing here. I feel like this work is very interdisciplinary, I’ve been seeing a little bit of everything, I’ve met lots of great people, I’ve done lots of social network-ing. I’ve learned a lot. So thank you, Lavern!
2011-12SAVE THE DATES!
alumni Pub NightTuesday, November 22, 2011 6:30-9:30pm, location TBA
Meet-up with Calhoun friends and faculty at a local pub!
Harvest Festival alumni LuncheonWednesday, November 23, 2011
12-3pm, 81st Street Reunion luncheon for recent grads,
catered by Chef Bobo.
alumni-Faculty Basketball ChallengeFriday, January 6, 20127-9pm, 81st Street
Be a spectator or player in this annual game, now in its seventh year.
Cougar Career symposiumFriday, February 17, 2012 12-3:30pm, 81st Street
Alumnae/i panelists speak to Upper School students and fellow alums about career paths
and opportunities.
spring Reunion 2012Friday, June 1, 2012
81st StreetAll-alum celebration, with special hats-off
to classes ending in “2” and “7.”
For more information about upcoming events, please contact:
Bart Hale ’00Alumnae/i Relations Manager
33T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
IMNAEALU /Connected Through Changes — Identifying with Your Alma Mater
Change is inevitable at every institution, and Calhoun is certainlyno exception. It’s most noticeable during this time of year, as wegraduate another class and prepare to usher in new students.
Teachers, of course, come and go as well. We’re fortunate tohave among the best educators in New York, some of whom havespent more than a quarter-century in our Calhoun classrooms; theylink generations of students and will have lasting legacies. Butfaculty departures still happen. Even the bricks and mortar of our
physical buildings shiftover time. We’ve moved,expanded and changedlayouts enough times thatsomething will alwaysfeel different from thedays when you roamedthe school. In some ways,though, this is why I findalumnae/i relations sogratifying and why Iknow there’s tremendouspotential for a robustalumnae/i program at
Calhoun. If anything, we’re the one variable that does not change.Alums endure through all other transitions at a school, whichleaves us in the exciting position as gatekeepers of our alma mater.We know the history—we are the history—and we carry the torchof Calhoun in our lives each day as the beneficiaries of an unparal-leled education.
In the last Chronicle, I highlighted the enduring Calhoun tradi-tions that link us as alums. Events like Egg Drop, Harvest Festivalor the ski trip have carried on for decades. Yet even our mostvibrant traditions go back only so far and exclude alums who haddifferent traditions and their own Calhoun experiences.
How we connect with our alums, then, is a paramount questionas we move ourselves forward. Of course, anyone who graduatedbefore 1975 knows a very different Calhoun—one that was all-female, traditional and housed in a townhouse on 92nd Street.How times have changed! And yet I can’t help but think about thatera each morning as I walk down West End Avenue past the old
Calhoun School building that currently serves as a Montessorischool. It’s hard not to smile as I look down the block at that oldCalhoun and see the kids running up the stairs (granted, withoutMisses Parmalee or Cosmey chasing them down). Eleven blockslater, I arrive at today’s Calhoun and am greeted by a joyful energy,where students are enthusiastic and engaged.
If nothing else, the passion for learning, the superior teaching,the development of young minds and the significant community inwhich it all comes together each day constitute a timeless treasure atCalhoun. That is still something we can agree to celebrate togetheras alums. It’s also something we can continue to support and giveback to in ways that make a real difference for our students.
This past February, 26 alums returned for the inaugural CougarCareer Symposium, where their mentorship and guidance had adirect impact on the juniors and seniors in attendance. Theirprofessional insights, career advice and stories about Calhoun daysresonated as the students began to think about colleges, internshipsand other aspirations. Some of the alums serving on panels admit-ted that there isn’t much they can identify with at Calhoun, yet theyquickly found connections with the Upper School students andrelated in ways that make the institution’s changes insignificant bycomparison.
I never remember having genuine interactions with Calhounalums during my student days but that’s something I look forwardto seeing grow. Calhoun’s students will face increasing competi-tion for jobs in a globalized 21st century. Mentorship from alumscan be invaluable to them, and on our end, supporting this younggeneration and seeing their passion firsthand can be fulfillingregardless of how long you’ve been removed from Calhoun or howdifferent the place feels.
Thanks to all of our loyal alumnae/i who supported Calhoun thisyear. As always, I welcome your ideas on other ways we cancontinue to enhance alumnae/i relations and develop a dynamicprogram that keeps us connected and reminds everyone thatCalhoun is a place we are all still lucky to call home.
Bart Hale ’00Alumnae/i Relations Manager
[email protected], 646-666-6450
Bart Hale ’00, right, with classmates
David Merrill ’00 and Pauline Newman ’00 at
this year’s first Cougar Career symposium.
Alumnae/iClassNotes
34 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
MARRIAGES
alison Max ‘85 to Michael Rothschild
Zeke Edwards ‘91 to Pardiss Kebriaei
Rebecca Tunick ’97
to Dan Gotlieb
BIRTHS
To Rachel Zients schinderman ’89 and herhusband, Jay, a son, Eli Isaiah
To Jesse Johnson ’92 and hiswife, Erica Johnson, a son, Wesley Richard
To Jessica Daniels schwarz ’95and her husband, JamieSchwarz, a son, Miles Bennett
MEMORIAM
Lucille Franklin Meyers ‘30
Lenore Oppenheim Provisor ’30
Beatrice Rubenfeld Kern ’38
Joyce schwartz Cohen ’41
Carol Kaplan stone ’46
1930sHarriet Rosen Katz ’32, wholives in a senior community inMassachusetts, recentlycelebrated her 95th birthday.She writes that she “remem-bers Miss Calhoun’s schoolfor girls with very fondmemories.”
Eleanor schreiber Langerman ’38,from Clinton, CT, regrets thatshe could not make thealumnae luncheon this year,but noted that “my CalhounSchool days are happilyremembered!”
1940ssusan sertner Hirsch ’46 writes
from Somers, NY, “I have agranddaughter, Molly, whowill be getting married inSeptember in Lake George,NY. She is currently in gradschool at UC Berkeley andwill be getting a PhD inmicrobiology. She is marry-ing Kevin Hoeschele.”
1950sMary ann sonheimer Weisser
’59 spotted Calhoun’slongtime science teacher JohnRoeder during the intermis-sion of a concert at RiderUniversity in March, havingrecognized him from thecover of the last Calhoun
Chronicle! It turns outthey’re neighbors in WestWindsor, NJ, and Mary Annhad even worked at thepolling place where Johnvoted last November. Talkabout a small-world Calhounconnection! Mary Ann alsowrites, “My husband, Gary,and I are both retired andbusier that ever. I am doingwatercolor painting andcontinue showing a lot in thearea.”
1960sJoan simon Hollander ’60
brought daughter, EllenSande, son-in-law MichaelSande and grandchildrenBanjo, six, and Caleb, fourand a half, to this year’sCalhoun Carnival, where allhad a great time! Joan, whowore multiple hats at Calhounas alumna, teacher and boardmember, also returned toschool this spring for theannual trustee dinner. She isnow fully retired from teach-ing, but continues to tutorstudents in mathematics.
6Ways to Connect Onlinewith the Calhoun Community
1.
CaLHOuN WEBsITEwww.calhoun.org/alum
2.
FaCEBOOKwww.facebook.com/calhounalums
3.
LINKEDINhttp://bit.ly/calhounlinkedin
4.
TWITTERwww.twitter.com/calhounschool
5.
yOuTuBEwww.youtube.com/calhounschool
6.
FLICKRwww.flickr.com/photos/calhounschool/collections
Jo-ann seitman Jacobson ’61
celebrated her 47th anniver-sary with her husband,Arnold, on June 11. “We livein northern California, 30minutes from San Francisco,”says Jo-Ann. “My husband isretired from his high-techinfertility medical practice andis doing consulting for agenetics company. I am a realestate broker; this is my 35thyear doing this work.” Jo-Ann says she is very involvedwith the Jewish community,working with such organiza-tions as AIPAC, the JewishFederation and the ContraCosta Jewish CommunityCenter. Her daughter, Jessica,is a professor of pathology atNew York University MedicalSchool and has two little girls.Her son, Andrew, is generalcounsel for Universal Sportsin Los Angeles and has twosons, ages six and four.
Babette Low ’61, who lives inFieldston, NY, continues towork as a psychotherapist inprivate practice and writesthat she misses the old days atCalhoun!
Leslie Berman Marcus ’61
reports, “I have been blessedto have a wonderful 42-yearmarriage to my soul mate,Ron Marcus. We have twoadult children: Allison, wholives in Pittsburgh with fivecuties, and Andy, in NYC,with one new baby boy. Wespend November to April inPalm Beach Gardens, FL,enjoying golf and lots ofsocializing. It is hard tobelieve that 50 years havepassed since the Calhoundays.... How lucky we all areto be here!”
Juanita Clarke Merritt-
Coleman ’61, who is currentlyworking in an educationalconsultant role as the director
of KaNaKwe EducationalKeys in Los Angeles, writes,“Life has had many twists andturns. I have enjoyed mycareer as an educator acrossthree states, six cities andmany schools, including theCentral District Office/LosAngeles Unified SchoolDistrict and a Local DistrictOffice as an administrator. Iearned a doctorate six yearsago as the oldest student in mycohort, and retired fromLAUSD the year before last.But I continue to be quite busyin the field as a consultant andan advisor to new teachers.”Juanita also enjoys spendingtime with her three grownchildren and two granddaugh-ters, ages 12 and 6.
alexandra “sandy” spingarn ’61,who lives in Brookline, MA,had an exhibition of her oilpaintings at SpringhouseGallery in Jamaica Plain,MA, this past spring. It wasinspired, she says, by hergranddaughter, Matilda, whois four, and her brother,Orlando, nine months old,who live in London, England,with their parents. Sandy’sson, Jason, is living with hiswife in Cambridge, MA,where he is a fellow at MIT; afilm documentary he madewon many awards in 2010.The couple just had a babyson, Julian.
Nina Pollak Levin ’62 is enjoy-ing life as a grandmother,with twin grandsons,Marshall and Ross, who aretwo and a half. “They say afew words, but aren’t speak-ing quite yet,” reports Nina.
Mary ann sheldon ’62 hasbeen teaching for the last 14years as a first grade teacherat Friends' Central Schooloutside of Philadelphia,which both of her children
attended. She went back toschool to get her master's ineducation at Penn, afterhaving worked for manyyears as a managing editor forprofessional-level examina-tion review books. “Mydaughter, Madeleine, gradu-ated four years ago from MITas a physics major andwriting minor, and is nowtrying to break into scriptwrit-ing. My son, Christopher,graduated from the Universityof Rochester last year with adouble major in physics andmath. He just started a techjob that's beyond my compre-hension. Both kids live in theBoston area. I’m still inregular touch with Patsy Kobe’62, Laura George Jayson ’62and Vivian Lipetz Newmark’62.”
Tedra Levine schneider ’64
continues to work as an
interior designer while alsotutoring home-bound highschool students. She says sheis enjoying her three grand-sons, all under the age offour, and performing incommunity theater and smallindie films.
Marilyn allman Maye ’65
continues her work as aneducator, having served as anindependent computerconsultant and mathematicseducation consultant for manyyears. She and her husband,
35T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
Alumnae/iClassNotes1. Marilyn allman Maye ’65 was recently
featured in radio interviews about her
book on black youth.
2. Joan simon Hollander ’60 at the
Calhoun Carnival with daughter, Ellen,
son-in-law Michael, and grandsons
Banjo and Caleb.
3. Juanita Clarke Merritt-Coleman ’61 is a
consulting director for KaNaKwe
Educational Keys in Los angeles.
2
1
3
Alumnae/iClassNotes
36 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
Within minutes of our interview in the Boston publicrelations office of Solomon McCown & Company, CEOHelene Solomon ’70 is interrupted by a phone call. It turnsout to be the governor’s office. Evidently, that’s not sosurprising these days, given Helene’s recent trip to Israelwith Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. She and thegovernor went on the mission with a coalition of stateofficials and business leaders to explore growth opportuni-ties in Israel for the commonwealth’s innovation-basedindustries—technology, life sciences, clean energy andfinancial services.
“It was a real honor to beincluded with other CEOs as acommunications person on themission, and to be able to seeIsrael through the lens of anofficial delegation,” saysHelene. Her role was to helpfurther the mission’s goals ofidentifying new job andeconomic development oppor-tunities and lend her expertiseon how best to tell the story ofthe innovation economy. As anext step, the Israeli leaderswill hopefully be coming toBoston to see how things workthere.
Helene has been blazing trails in the arena of publiccommunications since graduating from Boston Universityin 1974 and taking her first job at The Boston Jewish Times.“It was during that post-Watergate era that I got interestedin journalism,” she says, explaining why she left to get herMA in public-affairs journalism at American Universitybefore returning to work for five years in the public sectorwith Boston Mayor Kevin White. Briefly, Helene consid-ered public office for herself, running first for city counciland then, two years later, for state representative. “I wasonly 30 years old, but it was a great experience.”
In between her runs for public office, Helene starteddoing consulting work in public relations. She founded her
first agency in 1989, and in 2003 started Solomon McCown& Company. Today the firm’s primary focus is on healthcare, real estate and nonprofits. Helene’s expertise andguidance in crisis management drew national attention forher handling of a Planned Parenthood shooting incident of1994, when an armed gunman opened fire in two Bostonclinics. “It was very dramatic; things happened fast. And itwas before crisis communications was a basic tenet of allcommunications planning,” remembers Helene. “It’s onereason we work so hard to convince organizations to have aplan in place [in case of] a crisis. They rely on us to come inas the outsider and put some order to chaos. If we can buildconfidence and make sure they know we’re going to bedecisive and will guide them, the rest becomes easy.”
The world of communication is rapidly changing, ofcourse, and while Helene supports Twitter and sees thevalue in social media sites, she notes that one of the thingsthat is lost is a personal connection. “We have to bringsome of that back,” she says, urging the younger generationto “be eternally curious—read and write, ask questions andbe naturally curious with your work.”
Helene speculates that some of her own natural curiositywas sparked by her Calhoun days. “[I grew up in] theprotest years. The anti-war movement and feminism werebreaking loose on the national scene, so it was a very inter-esting time to be in a place like Calhoun. Graduation wasat Town Hall and we wore white gowns, carrying red roses.Because of the war, a lot of us wore black armbands on ourwhite gowns—some even dipped their red roses in blackink, which was very radical at the time. We sang ‘TeachYour Children’ by Graham Nash. It was very muchVietnam-focused. The world was a very different place, butit was wonderful to have an opportunity to be in a smallenvironment.”
Helene will connect again with the education world thissummer as her agency begins working with the State ofNew York and Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL),an organization that aims to boost the academic achieve-ments, self-confidence and life trajectories of childrenliving in under-resourced, urban communities. “At thisstage, being the CEO, I really enjoy understanding what’skeeping my clients up at night so we can do a better job atsupporting them; that’s the most fun. It’s a bonus when thework is important, and I think we do important work.”
HELENE SOLOMON ’70Mastering the Messageby Bart Hale ’00, Alumnae/i Relations Manager
PROFILE
37T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
Alumnae/iClassNotes
Green Roof and amazed byhow our old gym has beentransformed into the PerformingArts Center today!
1980sJason Green ’83, who spoke onthe creative arts panel at theinaugural Cougar CareerSymposium at Calhoun inFebruary, continues to work inindependent photography andvideography.
Ben stiller ’83 is back onBroadway for a limitedengagement of The House of
Blue Leaves, playing the roleof zookeeper ArtieShaughnessy. For Ben, this is
a homecoming of sorts; 40years ago, his mother playedBunny in the original off-Broadway production, and in1986, Ben played the role ofArtie’s son.
Beth Fischbein-Bodner ’87 anddaughter, Hannah, four and ahalf, enjoyed the rides, gamesand crafts at this year’sCalhoun Carnival, stoppingby for a quick photo op at thealumnae/i table. Beth, wholives on the Upper West Sideand practices law with herhusband, Marc Bodner, saysshe is looking forward to nextyear’s 25th Reunion.
Katie Kjellgren ’87 is an audio-book narrator, having
Warren, were also recentlyfeatured in a radio interviewabout the book they co-authored, Orita: Rites of
Passage for Youth of African
Descent in America. “It’sbeen 11 years, and, unfortu-nately, the state of blackyouths is not much differentfrom when we wrote thebook,” Marilyn says. Shefondly remembers the mentor-ship of Dr. Elaine Genkinsfrom her Calhoun days.
Lillian Kean appel ’66 has beenworking at Barnard Collegesince 1977, where she assistscollege deans on externalfellowships, graduate schoolapplications and the planningof special events such ascommencement ceremoniesand family weekend.
Margot Ross London ’66, alawyer, practiced for a numberof years in a NY law firm andthen in the law department atCBS. She took time off to raiseher two sons, Ben, 31, andZach, 27, with her husband of34 years, Alan London. Nowshe is active in a not-for-profittheater, Abingdon TheatreCompany, as well as a numberof charities.
allyson young schwartz ’66
writes, “My older son, Daniel,now a fellow in cardiology atthe Hospital of the Universityof Pennsylvania, was marriedlast October to a wonderfulyoung woman, Lauren Ende, anative New Yorker who is nowa resident in pathology at Penn.They live in Philadelphia. Myyounger son, Jordan, is also inPhiladelphia, where he isdeputy chief of staff to MayorMichael Nutter. All else isgood. I was re-elected to afourth term in Congress [lastNovember], where I serve onthe Budget Committee andForeign Affairs.”
Vivian Engel stein ’66 is livingin West Tisbury, MA, whereshe founded and runs the ESResearch Group, a researchand advisory firm that coversthe $6 billion sales-trainingindustry.
Ilene Goldsmith Rapkin ’67 iscurrently president andowner/founder of her owncompany, I Openers, whereshe shares her strategicmarketing insights and deepexperience as a publishingexecutive with her clients.Ilene was one of manyalumnae/i at Calhoun for theCougar Career Symposium inFebruary.
1970sEve shaw ’77, who returned toCalhoun in February to serveon the medical/science panelfor the inaugural CougarCareer Symposium, started anew job this past spring at theBanfield Pet Hospital.Previously, she was a staffveterinarian at People forAnimals. She lives inPlainfield, NJ.
Morgan Levine yarosh ’78,another alumna who gener-ously participated in thisyear’s Cougar CareerSymposium, continues towork as a middle schoolEnglish teacher at the HoraceMann School and lives inRiverdale with her husband,Bruce, and their two children.
Jane Fabrikant amsden ’79
made a surprise visit toCalhoun in May with NoraPrentice ’79, their first timeback to see the expanded facili-ties. Receiving a specialprivate tour from Alumnae/iRelations Manager Bart Hale ’00, they wereespecially envious of the
1896 CIRCLECalhoun’s Alumnae/i
Giving SocietyThe 1896 Circle recognizes consistent
participation of alumnae/i who invest inthe Calhoun Annual Fund for three ormore consecutive school years, at any
giving level. Recently expanded from theCougar Circle to include and celebrate all eras of Calhoun graduates, the
1896 Circle honors the founding and rich history of our alma mater. See
www.calhoun.org/1896circlefor benefits and more information.
Alumnae/iClassNotes
38 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
PROFILE Home Court Advantage with Our Alum Coaches
Calhoun Athletics saw the return this year of five alumnae/i, each of whom took to the court in a new position as a
Cougar coach. We sat down to hear their thoughts about being back at their alma mater, their coaching philosophies
and how Cougar athletics has changed since their playing days. Here are excerpts of the interview with Brian Peters
’97, Casey Shane ’06, Sabrina Spiegel ’06 and Peter Zurkuhlen ’06. (Absent from the interview was Richard Lin ’97.)
What’s it been like to come back as alums and coach a Calhoun sports team?
Casey: It’s been a tremendous experience. There’s a great relationship between the alumni coaches and players becausewe took the same classes, had a lot of the same teachers, balanced similar workloads and even do some of the same drills.
Brian: I would add that there’s a different sense of pride when you actually coach the team you played for, because you’veactually had real feelings for the team for years. Calhoun’s also a community that continues for life. So to be able to comeback, give back, and hopefully help these kids develop, get better and bring more banners to the school—whether you won
one yourself or just want to continue that legacy—its a big piece of the excite-ment for me.
What do you remember most from your playing days?
Peter: Being a part of a sports team really helped integrate me further into thecommunity; it gave me something unique in my education.
Casey: Peter’s right. Calhoun’s teams create a different experience and build alot of the bonds and friendships that you make. For example, the first two yearsthat Peter and I were here, our basketball seasons were rough—we went 1-19,maybe won two games the year after. But then in our junior year, we turned itaround and were able to get to the championship and win. The experiences wegained from being at the lowest end of the spectrum to completely taking a 180and going back to the highest end of the spectrum, not losing one game in theleague in our senior year—those experiences are like no other. I don’t think anyof us will ever forget that.
Brian: In the ’90s, it was a growing time for us: In my freshman year, Calhounestablished a JV team for the first time. There were a lot of athletes and it wasa very competitive time. I remember everything, from the lean years to thewinning years. Of course, that was without the big gym, without the weightroom and without the same amount of practice time.
What is your coaching philosophy?
Sabrina: There are so many things that I gained from my own coaches here. Youtake what works and see what doesn’t, from drills to team-building activitiesbeyond the court—homework help, nutrition lessons, community service.
Casey: The way I approach coaching is to make it as relatable as possible. I feel the players can learn from the mistakes Imade when I was out on the court. Most important, my philosophy is that, at the end of the day, you’re really here to havefun. I think that’s something a lot of teams forget; we do this because we love it and we want to have fun with it.
Peter: In Middle School, it’s the first time they’re playing a competitive sport and representing their school. A lot of myjob is really about shaping their attitude to be more team-oriented, to be thinking about a larger picture. There are a lot ofbuilding blocks that go into it, and I think something key for Calhoun going forward is to look at our athletics as a farm
alum coaches Brian Peters ‘97, Casey shane ‘06,
sabrina spiegel ‘06 and Peter Zurkuhlen ‘06
39T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
Alumnae/iClassNotes
system, where there should be a connection from Middle School to JV to Varsity. You want the kids to believe in and buy into asystem that’s going to benefit them personally and the school overall. It just makes it more fun, too.
Sabrina: Peter and I have actually been running a weekend athletic clinic, and in a way it’s the foundation for that farm system,where you start young and teach them an athletic philosophy. Overall, it’s so much about teamwork, fundamentals and commit-ment, and while the details of what you do may change, the idea of walking into a gym with a two-hour practice still means trans-mitting the same goals.
Do you get nervous when you’re out there coaching?
Peter: If anything, it’s less nervousness than anxiousness, where you just want to get on the court. You’re there in your button-down shirt, thinking, “Oh my God!” All you want to do is be out there...
Sabrina: I feel like that passion, and the understanding [that comes from] having played before, literally in this gym, helps to lightthat fire as much as we can for the team. You might call a timeout just to ignite them. That’s when the passion of wanting to beout there really helps benefit the team.
What’s with some of the newer practices—wearing ties on game day, and early-morning practices?
Casey: One thing our coach passed along was that looking sharp and organized when you’re going to a game helps unify the teamand gets everyone pumped up. So when I was a player here we wore ties. I’m not sure we realized it then, but it brought a senseof unity to us along with the spirit of game day—that this was the time to get the job done. It also created a rhythm and made astatement for the school that we were serious, and that people should come support us. It helped make sure everyone knew that“the boys have a game today.”
Brian: We actually held several 7am practices. It was a challenge making sure they were all here, performing at their highestability—alive and awake. We had to do a lot of running.
What’s the hardest thing about coaching?
Peter: It’s definitely a balancing act. We’re focusing on the growth of players as individuals, the growth of the team, catering toparents; it’s a huge balancing act, so that’s the biggest challenge.
Brian: For me, it is about managing so many different levels, helping each player move up individually while still having [theentire group] all do the same drills and work together.
What have you loved the most about coaching here this year?
Brian: Just being back at Calhoun, being a part of Cougar athletics. Working with the kids and helping them get a sense of pride forwhat’s been done, what we’ve done, and know that we want them to continue and actually raise the profile of Calhoun’s athleticprogram beyond where it’s come.
Casey: Working with the kids, getting to come back and be a part of this community again. And I want them to do things that Inever did: We never won a soccer championship when I was here, so as long as I’m coaching, that’s what I’m going to try to getdone. I want them to have those experiences for the rest of their lives.
Sabrina: I think the best part of this job—one of the most amazing jobs I’ve ever had—is seeing results from your coaching andteaching. It’s incredibly rewarding. I’ve worked with some girls for four years now, and to see them grow is unbelievable…towatch them grow as athletes, as people and as a team. It’s the most satisfying thing to see someone do what they could never dobefore, or believe in themselves the way they’d never done before or to make friendships they probably would have never madeotherwise.
Peter: To know that you affected someone in a certain way or [sent] them in a certain direction, giving them an opportunity theymay not have had otherwise—that’s what I enjoy, seeing where kids are by the end of the season and what they got out of this.These kids will benefit from sports for the rest of their lives, too. It will change who they are.
Alumnae/iClassNotes
40 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
recorded more than 150books since 2004. She wasnamed one of AudioFile
magazine’s Best Voices of theYear for 2008 and 2009, andin 2010 was added toAudioFile’s list of GoldenVoices. Katie was kindenough to lend her careeradvice to Upper Schoolstudents at the Cougar CareerSymposium.
1990sZeke Edwards ’91 is now astaff attorney at the AmericanCivil Liberties Union in itsCriminal Law ReformProject, after having workedas a public defender at theBronx Defenders and as astaff attorney at the InnocenceProject. Zeke writes, “OnApril 30, 2011, after 11 yearstogether, I married mylongtime companion, PardissKebriaei. Pardiss is a staffattorney at the Center forConstitutional Rights, repre-senting Guantánamodetainees and litigatingnational security cases. Daleallsopp ’91, Oliver Chase ’91,Josh Israel ’91, and Kijanasaunders ’91 were all in atten-dance. I hope everyone in theClass of 1991 is doing well.”
stephanie Diamond ’93 wasaccepted into a residency atthe Atlantic Center for theArts in Florida. She contin-ues her work as an artist, andrecently spoke at a conferencein Portland, OR. While herwork in the past was mainlyphotography, she is currentlyintegrating her art with dance,performance and interactivemedia. Her portfolios andwork can be found online atwww.stephaniediamond.com.
sandy shin ’96 has switchedover to the for-profit side ofevent planning as eventcoordinator for Blue Hill atStone Barns. “There’s still anonprofit element attached tothe work I do, since therestaurants are in partnershipwith the nonprofit organiza-tion Stone Barns Center forFood and Agriculture,” Sandysays.
Jordan Peele ’97 had a cameoappearance in Ben stiller ’83’smovie Little Fockers, whichalso made reference tolongtime physics teacher JohnRoeder. If you haven’t seenthe film, watch closely for theCalhounders in the spotlight!
Brian Daniels ’98 took a leaveof absence from his job as aproducer at R/GA and spentfour months traveling in
central and southeast Asiaalong with his girlfriend, KateStluka. The pair went toBhutan, Cambodia, India,Laos, Malaysia, Nepal,Thailand and Vietnam. Theyspent the last three nights oftheir trip in Paris, where,before flying home, Briandropped to one knee andproposed! For pictures andthe blog about their trip, visitwww.ourtravelbug.com.
alex Maynard ’98 recentlymoved back to NY from CA,where he has been for thepast several years. He liveswith classmate EvanWaterman ’98 and continuesto keep busy writing.
2000sTaiyo Ebato Na ’00 has beenfollowing his passion as amusician, writing andperforming his own workaround the country. Hereturned to Calhoun inFebruary, performing two ofhis popular songs,“Summertime” and“Immigrant Mother,” forMiddle and Upper Schoolstudents. For more onTaiyo’s work, visitwww.taiyona.com.
steve Feldman ’00 and hiswife, Ariella, have moved toLos Angeles, CA, whereSteve will be clerking for afederal judge. Ariella isjoining ShoeDazzle, a hotstart-up based in SantaMonica, in product manage-ment and business develop-ment.
Liza Lubell ’00 has movedback to New York fromPortland, OR, where she hadbeen working as a florist.Her new business in New
York, also in the flowerworld, is called Peartree.www.peartreeflowers.com.
Rebecca stein ’00 has openedher own private psychother-apy practice in Park Slope,where she continues to seechildren, adolescents andadults. She can be found inthe Psychology Today direc-tory, http://Therapists.PsychologyToday.com/rms/80467.
David Merrill ’00 and Benseldon ’00 both graduatedfrom business school thisspring. David attendedFordham University’s MBAprogram, where he focused onmarketing, and Bencompleted his program atBabson College in Wellesley,MA, with a focus on entrepre-neurship.
David Tunick ’01 is continuinghis progress toward becomingan MD at the Albert EinsteinCollege of Medicine.
Roey Mizrahi ’03 has a newventure as an event planner inNew York, having started herown business, Roey MizrahiEvents.
Dana Bezoza ‘04 started a joblast fall as an HR analyst atFirst New York Securities inManhattan. She was formerlya recruiting coordinator forMorgan Stanley.
Gaia Rikhye ’04 is running herown online art gallery—orwhat she prefers to call an“anti-gallery”—selling afford-able contemporary art. “Idon’t have a gallery space bychoice,” says Gaia. “Unlikeinflated gallery prices, myaim is to empower both artistand buyer.” Gaia’s gallerycan be seen atwww.ricciart.com.
TEACHER TRIBUTESNow you can make your Annual Fund giftin honor or memory of a Calhoun teacheror staff member who had a big impact onyour experience! Simply note the name(s)with your gift and s/he will be notified of
your tribute. Go to: www.calhoun.org/alumgiving
41T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
Alumnae/iClassNotesamanda Baker ’05 is at theAtlantic Acting School inNew York; she has spent twoand a half years at the conser-vatory.
sonia Balaram ’06 spent sixmonths working with Teachfor America after collegebefore going to work asproject coordinator for theHarlem Youth Court/Centerfor Court Innovation, whichsupports juvenile programsthat provide alternatives toprison. Earlier this year, shejoined Calhoun’s Middle andUpper School students in aParents Association paneldiscussion, addressing allaspects of school life.“Calhoun really gave me theflexibility and opportunities topursue my greatest interests,”Sonia told the crowd ofparents. Eager to “give back,”she provided one ofCalhoun’s seniors with aninternship position at theYouth Court this spring.
angela Bonilla ’06 writes in: “Iattended Beloit College fortwo years, then took time offto work on the 2008 presiden-tial election, doing get-out-the-vote work in New Mexicoand fundraising in New York.I have since moved toPortland, OR, where I’mfinishing a BA in communitydevelopment at Portland StateUniversity. In addition tocompleting my degree, I worktwo jobs. At Escuela Viva, adual-language school insoutheast Portland, I teachinfants and toddlers, develop-ing motor, language andemotional coping skills. Mysecond gig is providing after-school care to three rowdysecond- and third-grade boyswith special needs. I live inan apartment with my
boyfriend and our rabbit,Humphrey.”
Jenna Fortunato ’06 is livingin Washington, DC, andworking for the SK MediaGroup, a media productioncompany. She is also volun-teering for Donate Life, anonprofit organization thatassists in mobilizing thetransplant community toeducate the American publicabout organ donation andmotivates them to register asdonors.
Evan Peters ’06 is California-bound; he’ll be starting hisfirst year at Stanford LawSchool in the fall.
Katie schreiber ’06, whograduated from SarahLawrence College last year,just finished up a successfulinternship at Psychology
Today magazine before transi-tioning to a part-time job ather parents’ acting studio (T.Schreiber Studio), which willafford her time to volunteeron a suicide hotline, volunteerwith NARAL Pro-Choice NY,and pursue her certification asa personal trainer. She is alsoconsidering a return to gradu-ate school to pursue amaster’s degree in clinicalsocial work.
skylar sasson ’08, entering hersenior year at Skidmore
STAY CONNECTED!If you’re not receiving monthly
e-newsletters and the biannual CalhounChronicle, we’ve lost touch!
Please send your e-mail and/or mailing address to
KEEP IN TOUCH!While you’re at it, let us know what you’re
up to! Send updates on job changes,moves, exciting projects, births, weddings
or memories.
Send your news [email protected]
2
1
College, studied in India andNepal for her junior yearabroad. On a break betweentrips, she returned to Calhounto participate with six otheralumnae/i on a panel aboutthe college experience forUpper School students.
Ben Ellentuck ’10 had his play,Island performed by the BlackCat Theatre Group as part ofthe BoCoCa Arts Festival inBrooklyn on June 22, 23, 24
and 26. Described as parttragedy, love story and absur-dist comedy, Island is an intel-lectual and entertaininganswer to the question “Arewe more than our memories?”
Ben Waters ’10 is doing well atCornell, where he’s justfinished his first year. Ben isplanning to pursue a bachelorof architecture degree, a five-year program at the university.
1. Beth Fischbein-Bodner ’87 and
daughter, Hannah, four and a half,
stopped for a photo op at the
Calhoun Carnival.
2. Taiyo Na ’00 performed his music at
assemblies for Middle and upper
school students.
42 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
Alumnae/iReunions
Alumnae LuncheonJune 2, 2011
Alumnae from the classes of 1961 and 1966 celebrated their respec-
tive 50th and 45th Calhoun reunions with a luncheon at Scaletta
Ristorante. A highlight of the day was a return visit for the alums to
their original school building on 92nd Street, now a Montessori
preschool, to walk through their old stomping grounds. It was
particularly poignant, said Linda Silberman Levine ’61, to see the old
gym, where they used to enjoy dances and volleyball games.
2
1
MORE PHOTOs ONLINE: www.calhoun.org/alumphotos
3
6
4
1. (L–R) Babette Low ’61, Patricia
Robbins Whitehead ’61, Bonnie
Loeb Chajet ’61
2. Flanking Ms. Parmelee and Ms
Cosmey: (L–R) Barbara Lowenstein
DuBois ’66 and Claire Naimer
Hyman ’66 celebrated their 45th
reunion.
3. Class of 1961 celebrates 50 years!
(L–R) Jo-ann seitman Jacobson,
Patricia Robbins Whitehead, Bonnie
Loeb Chajet, Linda silberman
Levine, Leslie Berman Marcus,
Babette Low
4. (L–R) Linda silberman Levine ’61,
Jo-ann seitman Jacobson ’61,
Leslie Berman Marcus ’61
5. Visiting the old 92nd street gym:
(L–R) Barbara Lowenstein DuBois
’66, Linda silberman Levine ’61
6. Remember the 92nd street
stairwell? Now it’s carpeted!
(L–R) Jo-ann seitman Jacobson ’61,
Barbara Lowenstein DuBois ’66
(back), Leslie Berman Marcus ’61,
Linda silberman Levine ’61
5
43T H E C A L H O U N C H R O N I C L E
Alumnae/iReunions3
2
Alumnae/i Rooftop ReceptionJune 3, 2011
Alums spanning four decades gathered on Calhoun’s
Green Roof to celebrate their reunion years with
classmates and former faculty members. The event,
catered by Calhoun’s renowned Chef Bobo, featured
Spanish tapas and sangria.
In a friendly competition between classes, the
Class of 2001 won the Reunion Class Champagne
Challenge, which honored the class with the highest
percentage of participation to Calhoun’s Annual Fund.
4
1. (L–R) sandy shin ’96,
shaniquoa Elrington ’96,
Lydia Newman ’96
2. (L–R) Monique Lions-
Greenspan ’91,
Zeke Edwards ’91 and
Jodi Katz ’91
3. (L–R) Eve Robinson,
Josh Wiener ’81,
alisa Newhouse smith ’76
4. (L–R) anton Hart ’79; Lisa
Gilbert ’81; alisa Newhouse
smith ’76; Ted McDonald,
former Director of College
Counseling (background); and
Terri Hardin server ’76
5. Class of 2001 celebrates 10
years! (Back, L–R) alexi savov,
James andrews, Peter
Concannon, Gavi Bogin-Farber,
Chris Kompanek; (middle)
adam Messinger, Tamar
sinclair, Josh Raeben, David
Tunick; (front) Paloma Woo,
Lizzy Tepper
6. (L–R) David Katz ’06,
Evan Peters ’06,
Jonathan Jimenez ’06
7. (L–R) Katherine schreiber ’06,
sophie Harris ’06
8. The mid-’80s boys with “class
mom,” Barbara Bernard: (L–R)
Michael Goldberg ’86,
stephan Kolbert ’86, Jeffry
schneider ’86, Eric Potoker ’85,
Jonathan Katz ’86, Daniel
Rudick ’85, Barbara Bernard,
scott Hirsch ’86 and
Peter Lubell ’86
1
4
5
6
8
7
alums advise upper schoolers in First Career symposium
In mid-February, 28 alumnae/i spanning five decades of Calhounhistory returned to school to share insights, stories and experiencesfrom their careers with Upper School students and fellow alums.The inaugural Cougar Career Symposium was organized jointlyby the Alumnae/i Relations Office and the Upper School, andincluded alum and parent panelists from seven different industries—creative arts, advertising/marketing/public relations, non-profits, restaurant business, media/publishing, science/medicine,and education.
For the Upper Schoolers, the symposium was a unique oppor-tunity to gain insights into various career sectors and interact
with a diverse pool of alums. For thealums, it was a time to network with oneanother while supporting Calhounstudents who were preparing to head offfor the new Senior Work internshipprogram.
Many of the alum panelists encour-aged the students to follow theirpassions—thinking about the big pictureand utilizing their skills from Calhoun.“Calhoun gave me incredible opportuni-ties to pursue my interests in science,”Dr. Eve Shaw ’77 said to the
science/medicine group, while recalling at the same time a rather messymoment when her color-dyed lab mice broke free and had to be chasedaround the fourth floor. Morgan Yarosh ’78, on the education panel, saidthat Calhoun “opened new doors to think creatively, to follow my inter-ests and to not worry about the ‘right answer,’ which exists at a lot ofother schools. I always appreciated that.”
Networking events have been held at Calhoun in the past, but theCareer Symposium structure was new in the way alums were targetedand organized by industry, and in how it focused on mentorship for thestudents. As organizer Bart Hale ’00, Alumnae/i Relations Manager,reflected, “The event showed that our grads go on to do great work,while still caring deeply about their roots and the next generation tocome. I think the way we connected alums with our students broke newground that will strengthen all aspects of the Calhoun communitymoving forward.”
44 S U M M E R 2 0 1 1
Interested in being a panelist at next year’s Cougar Career
symposium? Contact Bart Hale ’00, alumnae/i Relations Manager,
[email protected], 646-666-6450.
Want to connect professionally with fellow alums?
Join the Calhoun Networking Cluster on LinkedIn.
http://bit.ly/calhounlinkedin
1
6
1. andrea Frierson ’72,
writer/creator/performer
2. Kevin silverman ’96, vice presi-
dent at Ogilvy Public Relations,
and Jack Hale ’03, sales planner
at the Hallmark Channel
3. Ilene Goldsmith Rapkin ’67,
founder and president of I
Openers, a media strategic
marketing think tank, connected
with susan Brown ’62, vice presi-
dent and director of
finance/administration at the
National Center on addiction and
substance abuse at Columbia
university.
4. Dr. Eve shaw ’77, a veterinarian,
posed with her former science
teacher John Roeder and
Calhoun’s upper school Director,
Jen de Forest.
5. Hon. Robert Mandelbaum ’83, a
New york City criminal court
judge, was formerly an attorney
at the Legal aid society.
6. Morgan Levine yarosh ’78, Ms
English teacher, Horace Mann
4
“Calhoun gave me incredible opportunitiesto pursue my interests in science.”
— DR. EVE SHAW ’77
3
5
2
2011–12MaRy LEa JOHNsON PERFORMING aRTs CENTERCalhoun Performing Arts Series
MUS I C
L’Occasione fa il Ladro (Opportunity Makes a Thief) [OPERA]Friday, Sept. 23, 7pm
Young People’s Guide to the OperaSaturday, Sept. 24, 2pm
The Victor Lin Jazz Trio Friday, Oct. 14, 7pm
SubRosa Halloween Celebration Concertw/Eric Walton, MagicianFriday, Oct. 28, 7pm
Teachers on Stage IVFriday, Jan. 27, 2012, 7pm
ArtsAhimsa Concert for Peace Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012, 7pm
TALK
An Evening with David Kahn, crossword puzzlemasterThursday, Jan. 26, 2012, 7pm
THEATER Special EventIn commemoration of the 10th anniversary of 9/11
More or Less I AmFriday, Sept. 9, 7pmCompagnia de’ Colombari’s word, song, dance and music program inspired by the words of Walt Whitman
K IDS TU F F
Meredith Wright and theSweetbeatz BandSaturday, Oct. 15, 2pm
Bindlestiff Family CirkusSaturday, Jan. 21, 2012, 2pm
Ramona QuimbyA Theatreworks/USA production
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012, 2pm
DANCE
The SUNY School of Dance Friday, Oct. 21, 7pm
Boston Arts Academy Friday, March 2, 2012, 7pm
TICKETs: $5 / students & seniors $10 / adultsONLINE REsERVaTIONs: www.calhoun.org/reservations
Program in formation. For complete details, go to www.calhoun.org/performingarts
www.calhoun.org/performingarts
2011-12 YEARLY THEME:
Too Much stuff?Is More Less?
Consumerism in Today’s society
Calhoun’s yearly theme, organized by the school & society Initiative, provides a thematic framework for academic and extra-curricular programs withpotential for connections across the divisions and to the world beyond our walls.
For more information about Calhoun’s school & society Initiative and yearly theme, go to www.calhoun.org/schoolandsociety
433 West End Avenue . New York . NY 10024www.calhoun.org
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
THeCalhounSCHooL
To the Parents of Alumnae/i: If this issue is addressed to your daughter/son who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Alumnae/iOffice with the correct mailing address. Call 212-497-6579, fax 212-497-6531 or contact by e-mail: [email protected].
Non-ProfitOrganizationu.s. Postage
PaIDNew york, NyPermit No. 7202
![The Calhoun chronicle. (Grantsville, W. Va.). 1898-03-22 [p ]](https://img.pdfslide.net/doc/110x75/61b1920ca3ae50541f42164b/the-calhoun-chronicle-grantsville-w-va-1898-03-22-p-.jpg)
