The Riparian - April 2015

Spring 2015 • Riparian • i

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Riparian

Rivers at 100: Celebrating the Past, Building the Future

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E d i t o rchristine martin, Director of communications and stewardship

C o n t r i b u t o rJimmy Kelley, communications Assistant

P h o t o g r a P h yJon chase, Jimmy Kelley, chip Riegel, Janet ciummei/northeastprophoto, Risley sports photography

d E s i g n E rDavid gerratt, nonprofitDesign.com

P r i n t E rsignature printing & consulting, brian maranian ’96

h E a d o f s C h o o ledward v. parsons

d i r E C t o r o f a d v a n C E m E n tJanice h. hicinbothem

a s s i s t a n t d i r E C t o r o f a d v a n C E m E n t heather Jack

C o o r d i n a t o r o f P a r E n t r E l a t i o n sAmy Dunne

a l u m n i P r o g r a m s C o o r d i n a t o r meg speranza

The RiveRs school333 Winter StreetWeston, mA 02493-1040781-235-9300www.rivers.org

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From the Rivers archives

PB • Riparian • Spring 2013

Varsity Field Hockey: 2014 NEPSAC Champions

Go Red Wings: 2014–15 Champs!

Varsity Girls’ Soccer: 2014 ISL Co-Champions

Varsity Girls’ Ice Hockey: 2015 NEPSAC Champions

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2 A Message from Head of School Ned Parsons

3 Rivers Today: Nurturing the Inquiring Mind

7 Rivers Welcomes New Trustees

8 A Commitment to Education and Health: Robert Rivers and Dr. Richard Smith

10 Rivers Students Earn 33 Scholastic Art Awards

12 Campus News

15 Senior Parents Celebrate

16 What Exactly is a Mingus?

17 Honoring 25 Years of Service

18 Rivers at 100: Celebrating the Past, Building the Future

20 Richard Bradley Remembered

22 Long-time Administrators to Retire

23 Rivers’ Basketball Hits the Parquet

24 Business in Boston: Current State and Future Trends

25 Faculty Celebrated at Chair Affair

26 Alumni Excellence Award Recipient: Myles E. Lee ’57

28 Alumni Excellence Award Recipient: Cecelia J. (C.J.) Fraser ’92

30 Young Alumni Achievement Awards Announced

31 Alumni Profile: Frank S. Waterman ’41

32 Class Notes, News Briefs, and Alumni Events

36 In Memoriam

RiparianThe RiveRs school • spRing 2015

v o l . XXX • n u m b e R 1

E d i t o rchristine martin, Director of communications and stewardship

C o n t r i b u t o rJimmy Kelley, communications Assistant

P h o t o g r a P h yJon chase, Jimmy Kelley, chip Riegel, Janet ciummei/northeastprophoto, Risley sports photography

d E s i g n E rDavid gerratt, nonprofitDesign.com

P r i n t E rsignature printing & consulting, brian maranian ’96

h E a d o f s C h o o ledward v. parsons

d i r E C t o r o f a d v a n C E m E n tJanice h. hicinbothem

a s s i s t a n t d i r E C t o r o f a d v a n C E m E n t heather Jack

C o o r d i n a t o r o f P a r E n t r E l a t i o n sAmy Dunne

a l u m n i P r o g r a m s C o o r d i n a t o r meg speranza

The RiveRs school333 Winter StreetWeston, mA 02493-1040781-235-9300www.rivers.org

o N T h e c o v e R

From the Rivers archives

RiPaRian: “One that lives or has property on the bank of a river or lake.”The Riparian is published twice a year for The Rivers School alumni, parents, students, faculty, and friends. To save on the cost of mailing the Riparian, Rivers has consolidated multiple mailings addressed to the same household so that your home will receive only one copy. If you have reason to receive additional copies at your address, please call Chris Martin at 781-235-9300, ext. 230.

PB • Riparian • Spring 2013

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Message from the head of school

Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century

By EDWARD V. PARSoNS

In a video that went viral a few years ago on YouTube, the following line appeared and has stuck with me: “We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist…using technologies that haven’t been invented in order to

solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.” The image is sobering, particularly for educators; we live in a world that drives forward relentlessly, one that values the next thing above all others and discards what was considered innovative just a few months ago. How will our education system respond to that acceleration? How will a contemporary education prepare students for this century’s challenges? What does all of this mean for the relevance of the education we now offer? I’m particularly drawn to one line in our mission statement that lays out for us the imperative from which we must build: “Rivers is dedicated to preparing its students for leadership in a world that needs their talents, imagination, intellect, and com-passion.” If this world does, as we believe, “need” these things from our students, then we must build in them the strength to go out into that needy world with the skillset, the resolve, and the resilience to know that they can solve the challenges of their day, both global and local. The need is poignant; it represents our call to action as teachers and administrators, the call to create and

maintain a world-class academic program informed by advance-ments in brain science and educational research. It calls on us to hire, develop, and retain the best teachers possible. It reminds us to reconsider what we do and how we do it, year after year, to incorporate advances in effective pedagogy in order to elevate the experience our students have in the classroom, the playing fields, the rehearsal rooms and beyond. Pat Bassett, former head of the National Association of Independent Schools, once wrote about what he called “the inno-vation imperative,” a call to independent schools everywhere to consider that innovation in program and in classroom techniques is more than just a positive approach for schools to take; it is a responsibility we have to the children before us. “Independent schools and faculties,” he wrote, “have an obli-gation to sustain serious conversations about what the MacArthur Foundation calls ‘The Big Shifts in Education,’ the six paradigm-shifting revolutions that are rocking the foundations of what we know as ‘school.’ The Big Shifts are:

• From knowing to doing (project-based learning)• From teacher-centered to student-centered• From the individual to the team• From consumption of information to construction

of meaning• From schools to networks• From single sourcing to crowd sourcing”

(TEDx Talk, April 12, 2012)

The Rivers faculty, I am proud to note, takes this exhortation seriously and works constantly to innovate in its approach and in the content we provide for our students. Bassett’s challenge and the looming of those “big shifts” over us energize the discourse in the faculty offices and the classrooms across campus, driving us to generate exciting, relevant programming and to deliver it in ways that engage our students and encourage their engagement in the larger world around them. As we work through our strategic planning process during this Centennial year, we are taking this imperative seriously, assessing the program here and looking constantly for ways to build on the innovation already permeating our program. In the pages of this Riparian, you’ll hear about some of the innovation driving the program here today; even as this issue goes to press, teams of faculty members and administrators are working to assess the possibilities for enhancements and expansion of our Interdisciplinary Studies program while another group is explor-ing the possibilities for the implementation of a school-wide initiative in design thinking and innovation laboratories. By the fall of 2015, we will have much more to say about what our research has uncovered for the future of Rivers.


Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century Rivers Today: Nurturing the Inquiring Mind

Science teacher Maureen Courtney

By CHRISTINE MARTIN

Maureen Courtney’s AP Biology lab is in high gear with five groups of students conducting five different experiments. Their common goal is to measure transpiration—how water moves through

a plant. Some students are covering the pores on the plant’s surface, others are varying the pH, while others are modifying the light source or adding wind. “Because they are not all following some preset protocol, it may look a bit chaotic,” says Courtney. “Each group has to develop a question regarding transpiration rate and then answer it over the course of two weeks. It’s on them to decide which factor to test, how to measure it, and how to present the solution. “Not only do they end up finding a solution to their own question, but they end up learning the solutions to four other questions about transpiration from their classmates,” comments Courtney. “This type of lab is so rewarding that we give the ninth and tenth grade Biology and Chemistry students similar ‘Design Your own’ lab experiences at least once a trimester.” Courtney, who is preparing to defend her doctoral thesis in

neurodegenerative disease at Boston University, knows well the challenge and rewards of designing research from scratch. Her newly designed Robotics course utilizes the same inquiry-based model as the AP Bio curriculum. This term the students are designing a robot that can drop whiffle balls into a series of cylinders. Their robots will compete against those from other schools at a series of scrimmages and tournaments sponsored by the FIRST Tech Challenge. “I hadn’t worked with robotics since my undergraduate years in biomedical engineering,” Courtney says. “When I started ad-vising the Robotics team a few years ago, I went to a ‘boot camp’ at Carnegie Mellon to brush up my own programming skills. This new course has been incredibly rewarding to teach because I can see the novices in the class, especially the girls, taking a more active role in designing the team’s robots than they ever did before. The small class size allows everyone to be ‘hands on’ from day one, facilitating both concrete knowledge and deep under-standing of the material.” The excitement surrounding the Robotics class has filtered down to the Middle School where more than a dozen students are designing their own entry into the First Lego League, under the


supervision of Middle School math teacher Sam Dembicer and sixth grade humanities teacher Ari Kaplan. “Their team challenge is geared toward their skill level, so the focus is more on using problem-solving skills, rather than programming,” says Dembicer. “I am really just there to encour-age them. They’re eager to attack the challenge themselves.” At Rivers, faculty members are continually expanding their own knowledge base, investigating better ways to present material to their students, and helping students see the relevance of what they are studying. Rivers’ teachers are expected to continue to grow and evolve. The result is a dedicated faculty with an enviable degree of expertise, experience, and a penchant for innovation. Take history teacher Ben Leeming. He is the classic blend of student and teacher. Since joining the Rivers faculty in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in art history, Leeming has gone on to earn a master’s in history and is now working toward his doctorate in anthropology at the University of Albany. He is quick to acknowledge that his role as a student has influenced the curriculum he teaches at Rivers. “I’ve developed an elective called Surviving the Conquest in which we look at some of the same questions I’m exploring in my thesis,” says Leeming. “We are studying the creative ways the Maya and Aztec people incorporated the language, religion, and culture of the Spanish in order to survive. I’m able to share with my students the same cutting-edge scholarship that I’ve been exposed to, and hopefully convey my knowledge and enthusiasm about this subject. It is so rewarding to simultaneously be a teacher and a practicing historian, and for the students to see those two sides of me.” Leeming is not alone in his desire to make history come alive for Rivers students. The history faculty recently developed a non-linear, non-chronological thematic course for freshmen, called Perspectives in World History.

History teacher Ben Leeming IDS Chair Julian Willard

“We’ve selected five broad topics from world history which we think specifically appeal to freshmen,” says Leeming. “We kick off each topic with a current event that ties into the essential questions that arise from each theme. While the students are exploring events throughout world history that are related to the theme, they are also developing the skills needed to become thoughtful, analytical historians: how to read a text, how to take notes, how to argue a thesis, how to evaluate sources. It has been a fantastic success.” The history faculty has also created more than a dozen new electives for upperclassmen, many of which tap into their own interests as historians. Some courses cover local topics, such as Boston: Brahmins, Brogues, and Busing or Thanksgiving Undone: The Indian Experience in Pre-Revolutionary Massachusetts. other electives focus on the distant past, like Medieval Spain or Empires in History, while Modern India, Modern China, and Modern Vietnam examine the current culture through the lens of that country’s history. “The faculty are really excited about being able to design and teach courses about subjects they love,” says Leeming. “It’s been wonderful for both the teachers and for the students who want to be able to explore a topic in depth for a whole trimester.” This spirit of innovation extends far beyond the history department, and in fact has spurred the creation of an entirely new department at Rivers. Interdisciplinary Studies Department chair Julian Willard has developed a deliberate process for design-ing an IDS course at Rivers, enhanced by research from Harvard’s Project Zero. Willard has kept expanding his knowledge of how this multi-pronged approach to problem solving works educa-tionally, through fellowships at Yale University and Harvard’s Future of Learning Conference. Willard believes that today’s students need to learn how to draw from and integrate two or more disciplines to explain a phenomenon, solve a problem, or create a product. There is a


History teachers Dave Burzillo and Will Mills

Ari Kaplan reads a whaling story while students carve “scrimshaw.” Inset: Scrimshaw art byEric Rosenblum ’21.

growing need for graduates who have the ability and confidence to combine the insights, skills, and approaches of different sub-jects in order to make progress. Rivers has proven to be fertile ground for interdisciplinary studies. “Rivers is fortunate to have a tremendous reserve of goodwill among the faculty. It is part of the faculty culture to collaborate with each other,” says Willard. “So science teacher Gabriella Vannoni will speak to students in Carol Davidson’s Holocaust elective about Darwin’s principles of natural selection before they study the Nazi’s theory of the master race. or physics teacher Michael Schlenker will discuss the Big Bang theory in Dave Burzillo’s Big History course.” “I’ve learned a lot about physics and science since I first started teaching Big History,” says Burzillo, “but it is still invaluable to have Rivers faculty share their own expertise in IDS classes.” The Big History course has been such a success that it is the working model for an internationally-adopted online course sponsored by the Gates Foundation. Burzillo has been named a Master Teacher by the foundation, charged with instructing teachers in New England how to implement the curriculum. He enjoys the interdisciplinary approach so much that he now teaches two other IDS electives: Disease in History and Global Environmental History. “My Environmental History elective asks students to think about three essential questions: how does the earth work, how did humans change it, and how can public policy influence that change,” continues Burzillo. “History teacher Will Mills recently came in to provide students with background on how public policy is made at the national level, addressing the role of public opinion, how lobbying works, and how congressional committees function. The final project requires students to come up with a public policy proposal for the president on the issue of global warming.”

A by-product of this faculty collaboration is that the students see the excitement of one teacher sharing his knowledge with another. And they see the faculty as being life-long learners. “Some people think becoming a teacher as the end of being a student,” comments Middle School humanities teacher Ari Kaplan. “But being a teacher has made me more of a student. I am constantly doing more research. I’m constantly asking ‘How do I convey what I know to the kids?’” Kaplan recently became fascinated with whaling. While researching the topic for her sixth grade humanities class, The World and Water, she found herself devouring a 600-page history of whaling. “At first I thought, ‘I’ll never get through this,’ but then I couldn’t put it down,” says Kaplan. “I’ve been adapting parts of what I read to make it accessible to my students. There are so many aspects to whaling and to the other units I teach on water that interest sixth graders. Water is a perfect vehicle to engage them.” During the year, students work to develop an understanding of the relationship between people and water and the various conflicts and opportunities that water provides. They examine trade and exploration, water management systems, water scarcity, pollution, and the economics and politics concerning water. Clearly, the Middle School humanities program shares an edu-cational philosophy with the Upper School Interdisciplinary Studies Department by drawing on a number of disciplines.


Math teacher Sam Dembicer

“This fall we took advantage of the fact that the center of the industry was here in New England and went to the New Bedford Whaling Museum which was so informative for the students,” says Kaplan. “Later in the year they’ll create captain’s logs in which they must design a route for a sea exploration voyage and defend their choices based on what they have learned from their studies of wind and currents with their science teacher Josh Shaller.” “our writing workshops are based on the particular topic we are studying,” Kaplan continues. “The assignments allow the students to explore different genres, like the memoir or poetry, while reinforcing the steps in the writing process. For instance, the students heard a local singer perform sea shanties—and then wrote their own. They had to determine their topic, brainstorm, outline, write, revise, and edit. Later they will write an original myth on how water was created based on their study of the Viking gods. In each case, they are practicing the same writing skills but in a different genre and with a different focus.” Fellow Middle School teacher Sam Dembicer often turns to the latest technology available online to bring Algebra alive for her eighth grade students. She has students graph equations through an app called “Desmos,” which allows them to quickly see what happens to a graph when parts of the equation are manipulated. They use the app both for discovery-based lessons, where they are just starting to explore a topic, as well as using it as a way to check their homework results. Dembicer has also taken the model of the flipped classroom, used so successfully in Upper School math classes, and made it

her own, creating iPad videos to introduce a new topic or review a topic that students have had trouble with. “Relationships are so important in teaching, especially at the Middle School level where kids connect at a really personal level,” says Dembicer. “The students are much more comfortable and attentive watching me explain a concept in a video, rather than trying to follow a lesson by a strange teacher online. They can pause it, re-watch it, and then come to class ready to work on more advanced problems with me and the rest of the class.” Dembicer also turns the tables and has students create their own videos, helping them to fully understand the concept as well as to use correct terminology to describe their solutions. She is currently exploring better ways to present mathematics in graduate classes at the Harvard School of Education, on her way to earning a master’s in education. Without question, Rivers students benefit from the work the faculty do to create a dynamic curriculum. Reflecting on his own studies, Leeming says, “As a teacher, being a student myself is perhaps one of the most effective ways to feel connected with my students. over the course of the 18 years I’ve been teaching, I have been an actual student for eight or 10 of those years. When they’re staying up late writing papers, I can say that I’m doing the same thing, or studying for exams, or working my way in and out of libraries, meeting with professors, or teachers. That gives me a connection with my students that is very real for them.”


Rivers Welcomes New Trustees

Jon Michael Baker, Jr. ’85 is president of the International Planning Group, where he has more than 20 years of experience designing complex total wealth planning solutions for families and their family-owned businesses worldwide. He also assists international corporations in structuring and

funding executive compensation and benefits for both their domestic and international executives. Jon began his career with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in the Boston Group Sales office in 1989, after graduating from Georgetown University School of Business with a degree in marketing. He joined IPG in 1993. Jon was a member of Rivers’ Faculty Enrichment Committee for several years before joining the Finance Committee in 2008. He also serves on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Boston, Jordan Boys and Girls Club, and oyster Harbors Club. Jon and his wife Hillary live in Winchester with their three children. Sarah is in Rivers’ Class of 2016, Jack is in the Class of 2018, and William attends the Winchester Public Schools.

Peter saperstone is a portfolio manager for Fidelity Asset Management, managing $6 billion of consumer assets of the VIP Contra Fund, Fidelity Balanced Fund, and Fidelity Series All-Sector Equity Fund. He joined Fidelity in 1995 as an equity research analyst, and subsequently managed various sector funds as well as the Fidelity Advisor Stock Selector Mid Cap Fund and the Fidelity Fifty Fund. Prior to joining Fidelity, Peter earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Union College in 1989 and an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1995. Peter is currently on the investment committee at Rivers and has been an Annual Fund volunteer. He is also a trustee at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, a member of the President’s Council for Union College in Schenectady, NY, and a former board member of the Friends of the Children Boston charity. Peter lives in Wellesley with his wife Nancy, daughter Emily who is in Rivers’ Class of 2016, and sons Jack, at Beaver Country Day, Class of 2018, and Jason in Rivers’ Class of 2021.

Term TrusteesJon Michael Baker, Jr. ’85Dennis Baldwin Benjamin R. Bloomstone Robert E. Buonato ’81James F. Carlin ’81Louise Cummings ’98Todd A. DagresHoward G. Davis ’70Ben D. Fischman Mark R. Florence Clinton P. Harris

Stephen M. Jennings Daniel A. Kraft Hongmei Li Barbara V. Ligon Deborah H. McAneny Daniel R. Revers Alan D. Rose ’87Solomon B. RothPeter Saperstone Laurie Schoen Mark S. Schuster ’72Andrew P. Slifka

Laurie Slifka Richard L. Smith Steven J. Snider Michael P. Stansky Eric M. Wolf

Life TrusteesDavid M. Berwind Charles C. Carswell Stephen R. Delinsky Peter A. Gaines G. Arnold Haynes

Board of Trustees 2014–2015 PRESIDENT: Robert J. Davis

Harriet R. Lewis Thomas L. LyonsRoy S. MacDowell, Jr. Joel B. Sherman Frances B. Shifman William B. Tyler ’43Joan A. Vaccarino Cai von Rumohr Joan C. Walter Frank S. Waterman III ’41Dudley H. Willis

Honorary Trustees of the CorporationJoan T. Allison Thomas P. Beal Marie Fitzpatrick Louis J. Grossman ’67Joshua M. Kraft ’85Warren M. Little ’51Virginia S. MacDowell Deborah S. Petri Frederick G. Pfannenstiehl ’59A. Tozzer Spalding ’62

Peter Saperstone

Jon Baker


A Commitment to Education and HealthRobeRT RiveRs and dR . RiChaRd smiTh

By DAVE BURZILLo, History Department

on September 18, 1915, The Chronicle carried a story about the opening of a new private school in Brook-line. Under the headline “Mr. Rivers’ New School,” the story began: “A project unique in New England

private school education will be inaugurated this fall in Brookline, where an open-air school for normally healthy boys is to begin the work of preparing its students for college or boarding school.” The story explained Mr. Rivers’ philosophy in this way: “Fresh air is still a good thing to breathe, and those who breathe it con-sistently are generally efficient in their allotted work.” Robert Rivers and Dr. Richard Smith, the school’s physician and head of the school’s medical advisory panel, shared a belief in the inseparability of health and education. They followed different paths in arriving at this belief: Robert Rivers’ ideas were shaped by the death of his brother from tuberculosis and his exposure to progressive thinking about medicine by his wife’s family. Dr. Smith’s ideas were shaped by his medical training and practice, which came at a time when the discipline of pediatrics was emerging as a legi-timate specialty in the nation’s medical schools. The partnership of Robert Rivers and Richard Smith shaped the vision and day-to-day operation of Mr. Rivers’ open-Air School in its early days. Robert Rivers was born in Milton in 1882. He attended Milton Academy with his younger brother Henry, and they both enrolled in Harvard in 1900. After graduating from Harvard in 1904, Robert began a teaching career at the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham. Tragically, only a few years after graduation, Henry contracted tuberculosis, and after a two-year struggle with

the disease, he died in 1908. Tuberculosis was a fright-ening disease in 1900. There was no cure. It was the second-leading killer of Americans, just slightly behind pneumo-nia. Contagious diseases, like tuberculosis, took a particu-larly heavy toll on children. According to the CDC, more than three in 100 children died between their first and twentieth birthdays in 1900, and the cause of most of these deaths was contagious disease. By contrast, in 1997 less than two in 1000

children died between their first and twentieth birthdays. The percentage of child deaths attributable to infectious diseases like tuberculosis declined from 61.6 percent to two percent in the U.S. during this time. The death of Henry Rivers had a profound impact on Robert Rivers and helped shape his thinking that an important link existed

between health, education, and power. At the same time the progressive ideas and activism of one of Boston’s leading families was coming to bear on his thinking. In 1911 Robert Rivers was married to Rosalie Channing of Chestnut Hill. Rosalie’s father was Dr. Walter Channing, a Harvard Medical School graduate and nationally recognized expert on mental diseases. He innovated in the treatment of the mentally ill, creating a sanitarium in Chestnut Hill and later, near the end of his life, establishing one in Wellesley on property that is now part of the Babson College campus. He served as a professor of mental diseases at Tufts, president of the Boston Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, and was called as an expert witness at the trial of Charles Guiteau, the assassin of President Garfield. His work on the Brookline School Committee put him in contact with studies of the impact on children of open-air schools. Dr. Channing’s grandfather, also Dr. Walter Channing, was the first professor of obstetrics at Harvard Medical School and the co-founder of the Boston Lying-In, now known as Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The Channings distinguished themselves in their embrace of progressive intellectual and medical ideas and their innovation in those areas. It is not surprising that by 1915 the link between health and education had taken hold in Robert Rivers’ mind, as he was firmly ensconced in a family committed to progressive thinking. The idea of the open-air school was a good example of that thinking.

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A Commitment to Education and HealthRobeRT RiveRs and dR . RiChaRd smiTh

Dr. Richard Smith came to his ideas about the connection of health and education through a different path. Increased access to vaccination and improvements in public sanitation and water supplies clearly had a significant impact in improving the health of adults and children in the early twentieth century, but changes in the attitudes of medical practitioners about the treatment of children also played a significant role. Doctors had traditionally treated children as “little adults.” In the late nineteenth century this situation began to change. Medical schools began to develop specific courses of study to prepare doctors to treat children and appointed faculty in medical schools who focused on the treat-ment of children. Medical journals and societies began to appear

parents today consider obvious, but in the early twentieth century were not: the importance of yearly physical exams for children, proper nutrition, rest, exercise, and prevention of contagious disease. Dr. Smith was trained at a time when attitudes about the treatment of children were changing, but he was as much a product of this change as he was a shaper and contributor to it. His achieve-ments in the field of pediatrics were quite remarkable. He was a consultant to U. S. Children’s Health Bureau, and a founder of the American Pediatric Society, serving as its president from 1941–1942. He served as Thomas M. Rotch Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and was Physician-in-Chief of Children’s Hospital from 1942–1946. He developed and served as the first

with a specific focus on the treatment of children. A clear bifur-cation developed in how doctors treated adults and children. In many ways the approach to dealing with adults can be character-ized as one focused on “curing” illness and disease, as it had al-ways typically been. The approach that emerged for the treatment of children was new and different; it focused on the “prevention” of illness and disease. This approach to the care of children would come to involve many of the things that parents today take for granted: yearly physical examinations, the monitoring of height and weight, and advice about and monitoring of nutrition, exercise, and hygiene. This new attitude came to impact many aspects of the lives of children. Dr. Richard M. Smith was both a product of and significant contributor to these changing attitudes and approaches to the treatment of children. Dr. Smith was born in Stamford, Connec-ticut in 1881, attended the Mt. Herman School in Northfield, and then attended Williams College and Harvard Medical School, graduating in 1907. Pediatrics was a relatively new specialty when Dr. Smith was a medical school student, but children became the focus of his teaching, research, and practice for his entire career. In his speeches, writing, and practice, Dr. Smith emphasized the important connection of education and health, and he was an advocate for a close relationship between school, physician, and parents in keeping children healthy. He promoted ideas that most

head of the department of maternal and child health in the Harvard School of Public Health and taught the first course in the United States on the “maintenance of health in the well child.” He authored a number of articles on the diseases of infants and the treatment of children, and he wrote two books Baby’s First Two Years and From Infancy to Childhood. Among Dr. Smith’s articles and speeches, there are a number that draw heavily on his experiences with students at Rivers, a representative example being “A Health Study of a Boys’ School” (1919). In another, an address delivered to the American Pediatric Society in 1921, Dr. Smith presented the results of his investigation into the possible paths of infection in a school. He drew his con-clusions after analyzing the absences of boys at Rivers in light of the students they sat next to in four settings: the classroom, the dining hall, music class, and during rest periods. The philosophy and practice of Mr. Rivers’ open-Air School was driven by the belief that health and education were not sepa-rate spheres in the life of a child. For a school to produce healthy and educated citizens, the school had an important role to play in the child’s health, and the partnership of school, family, and physician was crucial to success. Robert Rivers and Dr. Richard Smith shared this belief, and their energy and vision shaped the founding and early history of the school.

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Rivers art students had yet an-other strong showing at the annual Scholastic Art Awards competition, taking home

33 awards including six Gold Keys, the competition’s top award. Alicia Bellido ’17 (Ceramics), Ashley Brown ’16 (Printmaking), Courtney Drucker ’16 (Ceramics), Katherine Long-field ’15 (Printmaking), Laura Schmidlein ’15 (Sculpture), and Kendall Zaleski ’18 (Ceramics) each received Gold Keys for their work, which places the piece in the top five percent of all submissions for their respective mediums. “I am pleased that the whole spectrum of our program is represented,” said Visual Arts Department Chair David Saul. “Upper School, Middle School, 2D, 3D and other media were all recognized and received either the Gold Key, Silver Key or Honorable Mention award. The arts faculty were able to select pieces out of our classrooms to showcase a diverse group of artwork by a wide range of students.” of the 31 students who earned recognition at the competition, five were from the Middle School. Ava Dagres ’19 (Photography), Caleb Leeming ’19 (Photography), and Brenna Pipe ’19 (Photography) earned Silver Keys while Julian Bauriedel ’19 (Photography) and Johnny Kanataros ’19 (Photography) were given Honorable Mentions. Ben Pasculano ’15 and Kendall Zaleski each had two ceramics pieces recognized. Ben earned a Silver Key for “Vase” and an Honorable Mention for “Pierced,” while Kendall’s “Stone” earned her a Gold Key and “The Lanterns” was given an Honorable Mention. Gold Key artwork was displayed in the Massachusetts Exhibition at Boston University’s 808 Gallery before moving move on in the Scholastic Competition for national consideration. Savannah Knisley ’15 received a Gold Medal in the 2014 national competition.

Rivers Students Earn 33 Scholastic Art Awards

Alicia Bellido ’17, Ceramics, “Book”

Katherine Longfield ’15, Printmaking, “Canoe at Dusk”

Courtney Drucker ’16, Ceramics, “Void”

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silveR KeY AWARDsAva Dagres ’19, Photography, “Neon in Nature”Caleb Leeming ’19, Photography, “Foul Ball”Ben Pasculano ’15, Ceramics, “Vase”Brenna Pipe ’19, Photography, “Bark”

hoNoRABle MeNTioN AWARDsBrendon Argueta ’15, Drawing, “Jaw Bone”Elizabeth Baldini ’17, Sculpture, “Broken Rock”Julian Bauriedel ’19, Photography, “old Books”Eleanor Branka ’16, Sculpture, “Angled”Maddie Branka ’15, Photography, “Echoes of Time”Haley Burroughs ’15, Printmaking, “Some Men Achieve Greatness”Cara Callahan ’16, Printmaking, “Yellow Lab”Jordan Cross ’15, Printmaking, “Cash”Molly Eden ’15, Ceramics, “Cut”Brendon Hamblet ’17, Printmaking, “Black and Gold”Debbie Herrera ’15, Photography, “Divine Nature”Julia Homa ’18, Ceramics, “Vase”Johnny Kanataros ’19, Photography, “Lakefront Vacancy”Kate Knight ’17, Ceramics, “Curvilinear Vase”Ben Pasculano ’15, Ceramics, “Pierced”Aspen Pierson ’17, Sculpture, “Xoxo”Kayleigh Rahbany ’15, Sculpture, “Plaster Family”Emily Saperstone ’16, Printmaking, “Money Tree”Alex Sidell ’16, Digital Art, “Leaf Portal”Julia Thissell ’16, Ceramics, “Geometric”Elizabeth Webber ’16, Ceramics, “Rings of Kerry”Christine Yang ’16, Sculpture, “Elevated”Kendall Zaleski ’18, Ceramics, “The Lanterns”

Spring 2015 • Riparian • 11

Kendall Zaleski ’18, Ceramics, “Stone”

Rivers Students Earn 33 Scholastic Art Awards

Ashley Brown ’16, Printmaking, “Zebra”

Laura Schmidlein ’15, Sculpture, “Laminated Box”


campus News

Julia strauss named National Merit FinalistJulia Strauss ’15 was named a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship competition, based on her outstanding performance on the PSAT Examination. Finalist status is granted to less than one percent of students in each state. In addition to her outstand-ing performance in the classroom, Julia is a member of the Chamber orchestra and The Rivers School Conservatory Program. She is co-president of Red Key as well as president of the Pen Pal Club. Last spring, she was the first recipient of the Thomas P. olverson Prize on Prize Day. Julia was one of eight seniors to reach semi-finalist status in the fall, including Marissa Birne, William Cohen, Jennifer Lowell, James Nydam, Kayleigh Rahbany, Rhea Teng, and Kendall Young.

students give back in many ways Rivers Middle Schoolers collected a record 242 pounds of toiletries in their annual holiday drive for donation to A Place to Turn and the Natick Service Council. The sixth grade collected 94.1 pounds for an average of nearly four pounds per student, winning the division’s internal competition. The Middle School Community Service Club also held its annual coat drive during which they collected coats and sent them to Anton’s Cleaners to be cleaned and delivered to needy organizations in the Greater Boston area. Marissa Birne ’15 earned Needham’s RAY of Hope Award for her continued commitment to her service project, Art to Heal. originally developed as her Grade 10 RISE project, Art to Heal is a program that offers free art workshops for children with disabilities, residents of assisted living facilities, and the homeless in Massachusetts and two other states. Marissa also earned a Prudential Spirit of Community Award last spring for her program. Nick Revers ’15 partnered with Moody’s Delicatessen & Provisions in Waltham and Chef Joshua Smith to develop 2.1-ounce “Snack Sticks” for use by the Pine Street Inn and the homeless men and women it serves. The Snack Sticks are shelf-stable, farm-to-table organic snacks made from

Julia Strauss ’15

Rivers’ Big Band and select combo i earn second place at Berklee Both the Rivers Big Band and Select I Combo competed at the Berklee High School Jazz Festival and took second place. The festival features ensembles from more than 200 high schools across the United States; Rivers competes in the “Small High School” category for schools with less than 500 students. Several Rivers musicians earned indi-vidual recognition for their parts in both ensembles’ finish. Rachel Hawley ’15 earned the competition’s highest honor, the Superior Musicianship Award, for her work with both ensembles. She also won the Judges Choice Award in the Combo division. John Nydam ’15 earned the Judges Choice Award for the Big Band and the outstanding Musicianship Award for the Combo. Jake Stenquist ’15 earned the outstanding Musicianship Award for the Big Band. The Select Combo I also won the cov-eted Spirit Award at the annual Mingus Competition in New York, given to the ensemble whose spirit best reflects the unique style of the late Charles Mingus. Combo members include Rachel Hawley ’15, who received an honorable mention, John Nydam ’15, Jake Stenquist ’15 and Michael Manasseh ’19.

Left: Jermaine Samuels ’17 and Azar Swain ’17

Nick Revers ’15 Marissa Birne ’15


campus News

high-quality local meat and have been used both on-site at Pine Street Inn and by their outreach staff. Nick said that the best part of the whole experience was dropping off the product at the Pine Street Inn and see-ing the looks on the faces of the staff there. Azar Swain ’17 and Jermaine Samuels ’17, key players for the boys’ basketball team, shifted their game plan last summer, spending time volunteering with inner city youth for The3PointFoundation as part of its CAB Summer Academy. The program aims to develop character, academics, and basketball in its participants. By making themselves accessible to the kids and em-bracing that “big brother” role, Jermaine and Azar were able to have an impact that goes beyond the gym. Past volunteers with The3PointFoundation include former Red Wings Carlin Haymon ’14, Andrew Kaufmann ’14, and Matt Prokop ’14, all of whom are now pursuing college basket-ball careers.

students recognized at Model UN conferences Members of Rivers’ Model United Nations club traveled to both the University of Connecticut and Columbia University for Model UN conferences and returned with a number of honors. At UConn, where the conference centers around simulations related to actual world events, Rob D’Alessandro ’16 won the Best Delegate Award for his role as the United

States in the General Assembly and Alex Klein ’18 won the Most Improved Delegate Award for the progress he made through-out the weekend as Vietnam on the Disar-mament Committee, dealing with the ongoing dispute about who controls the South China Sea. Lincoln Zaleski ’16 earned a commendation for his research after he earned the only perfect score on a position paper in his entire delegation. The Columbia conference is known as a “crisis conference,” meaning that the committees meet to solve crises instead of pass bills and laws. Each committee at the conference works through unique scenarios that include everything from the 1911 Mexican Revolution, to The President’s 2015 Special Task Force, to The office of the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic set just before the Clone Wars of the Star Wars universe. Marissa Birne ’15 earned the Best Delegate Award for her participation as Guatemala in the Convention on In-ternational Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. As an acknowl-edgement of how effective she was, she was “kidnapped by terrorists” in order to further challenge her and force her to improvise. Rob D’Alessandro ’16 was awarded his committee’s outstanding Delegate Award, Lincoln Zaleski ’16 earned a Verbal Commendation, and Isabel Hardy ’18 earned honorable mention for her committee.

During a break from committee meet-ings at Columbia, the Rivers students were given the opportunity to visit Lebanon’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and Deputy Permanent Resident Caroline Ziade, whom they questioned about her country and its position in relation to cur-rent events happening in the Middle East.

Rivers wins holiday Tournament titlesThe 45th Annual Rivers School Holiday Tournament tipped off on Thursday, December 18 with a pair of wins by the Rivers boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams and ended on Saturday, December 20 with two tournament titles for Rivers. The girls’ basketball team and North-field Mount Hermon played an excellent final game, but Rivers pulled away at the end to earn a 48–33 victory and their seventh consecutive Holiday Tournament girls’ championship. Vanessa Edgehill ’16 earned MVP honors for her play through-out the tournament and was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammate Julia Thissel ’16. Rivers’ boys met The Holderness School in the championship game and got a solid effort from the entire squad to earn a 68–56 victory. Jermaine Samuels ’17 earned the tournament’s MVP award for his outstanding play in all three games. Jermaine was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammate Azar Swain ’17. Proceeds

Nick Revers ’15 Marissa Birne ’15

Girls’ Basketball Team Boys’ Basketball Team


campus News

Trevor Davock Kristen Daley Liz Webber

from the tournament benefited the Rivers Givers youth philanthropy group.

Athletes win national recognitionLiz Webber ’16 was honored this fall with both the 2014 ISL Defensive Player of the Year award and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American recognition. She follows in the footsteps of Maclaine Lehan ’14 who earned both honors in 2013 after winning the ISL’s award in 2012. Liz becomes the second All-American to play for Coach Susanna Donahue. Playing in the center of the Red Wings defense, Liz led a unit that allowed just five goals all season and reached the NEPSAC Class B semifinals. In addition to her defensive duties, Liz scored six goals and added five assists for a total of 17 points. Kristen Daley ’15 was nominated for 2015 McDonald’s All-America Game, becoming the fourth Rivers girls’ basketball player to earn this distinction. She joins Clare Sullivan ’11, Emilee Daley ’13, and Jen Berkowitz ’14, all of whom are current-ly playing college basketball at the Division I level. Kristen will pursue her own career at the University of Pennsylvania next winter after being admitted during the Early Decision period. During her time on the team, the Red Wings won the 2012 New England Preparatory School Athletic

Council Class B Championship, and she was a two-time All-ISL selection and a 2013-14 New England All-Star. Trevor Davock ’15 has been a challenge for opposing defenses for the better part of four years, earning the 2013 ISL’s offensive Player of the Year Award and NSCAA All-American recognition in 2013. This fall, Trevor again led the way for the boys’ soccer team and earned an invitation to the 4th Annual High School All-American Game in mid-December.

The Rivers school Nonesuch Players Present You Can’t Take It With You and PippinThe Rivers School Nonesuch Players pre-sented the Pulitzer Prize winning comedy, You Can’t Take it With You in Haffenreffer’s Black Box Theater in November. “The play has such a heart to it,” said Director Juliet

Bailey. “It’s goofy, it’s screwball—but the meaning of it, ‘You can’t take it with you, live for the moment,’ is something that really resonates now, and teenagers get it.” The show’s characters gave the cast license to step outside of their individual person-alities and into the personalities of this dysfunctional family’s members. The annual musical in February was Stephen Schwartz’s award winning and groundbreaking Pippin, presented at Regis College’s Fine Arts Center. This particular iteration of the show was set ambiguously, but carried a hint of ninth century Europe in the dialogue, as the main character deals with his angst over what to do with his life. For Director David Tierney, Pippin was the first musical he had ever seen re-hearsed and produced by a non-profes-sional theatre troupe as a college student, and this year’s production was his first staging of the musical as a director.

Ginny Churchill, Steve Jennings, Monica O’Neil, Eric Churchill

Jim and Denise Davock with Hui-May Chu

Spring 2013 • Riparian • PB

You Can’t Take It With You Pippin


Trevor Davock Kristen Daley Liz Webber

campus News

Rivers’ Parents of Seniors Celebrate

Parents of the Class of 2015 participated in the first of many traditions surrounding senior year at Rivers when they gathered this fall at the home of Mike and Debbi

Young to socialize and reminisce. Head of Upper School Patti Carbery shared reassuring words of wisdom about the challenges and rewards their children would experience in the coming months as they prepare for graduation and then college.

Head of Upper School Patti Carbery

Hosts Mike and Debbi Young

Ginny Churchill, Steve Jennings, Monica O’Neil, Eric Churchill

Jim and Denise Davock with Hui-May Chu

Susan Carlin and Kathryn Richlen

Mike Young and Dan Corcoran

Joan Minklei, Emily Nydam, Kenneth Minklei

Ann Corcoran, Stephanie Rogers, Adam Rogers

Lori Harlan and Dan McCartney



What Exactly is a “Mingus”?By PATRICK McNALLY ’15

campus News

At nearly every all-school meeting, one is sure to hear about the Rivers Big Band or the Select I and II Combos. Personally, I only know these bands because of the well-known Rivers personality who represents

them, Mr. Philippe Crettien, and his announcements regarding “Mingus.” What is a Mingus? Is it an insult? A type of fungus? one student was quoted as saying, “I believe the Mingus was an old wooden ship used during the Civil War era, and if not that, possibly an exotic bird from the shores of Sri Lanka.” Extensive research led me to discover that no one outside of The Rivers School Conservatory actually knows what or who “the Mingus” is. We begin our journey to musical enlightenment at Bradley Hall, home of the Conservatory. We here at Mouth of the River have heard that the balcony in Bradley Hall gets rowdier than the Fanzone during a Jermaine Samuels throwdown session, especially when Derek Wang ’16 breaks out the F-minor Piano Sonata of Brahms, though I have never experienced such a spectacle. When I researched the Conservatory budget, I found that $10,000 was shelled out for mops on the night of John Nydam’s All-Star performance; not even the best custodians could keep up with the tears flooding the floors. I set out to ask the questions on every student’s mind about the Mingus Bowl, interviewing Conservatory members about what the Mingus is and why it is significant. Razzi Hawley ’15 set the record straight for me regarding many common Mingus and Conservatory questions. “Mingus is actually a person: Charles Mingus, who was a famous jazz musician and composer. The Mingus Competition is essentially a battle-of-the-bands for high school jazz bands competing across the country to see who can play Mingus’ music the best,” she stated. I continued my interview by asking if the Mingus was the Super Bowl of jazz competitions, or was it more like the World Series? Razzi continued to tell me that, “Yes. The stage on which Mingus is held is pretty much the Holy Mecca for band kids everywhere.” This piqued my interest, so I did more research into the Mingus in the bowels of the Conservatory building. In my searching, I discovered Rivers has a great track record when it comes to the Mingus competition, but that in the past year, the bands have lost multiple acclaimed musicians (or jazzers as many call them) to graduation. With these losses, questions about the program’s future prospects have plagued the school community like a mild case of mono. I went again to Razzi and Jack Reid ’15 for answers. Razzi stated, “Not gonna lie, losing so many frontliners was a crushing blow coming into this year. our pianist John Nydam ’15

really keeps the band going—he spends hours each day working out his hands on the keys, or as we jazzers call it, ‘shedding.’ But none of our rival school jazz bands know about our secret weapon: superhuman middle school drummer and vibraphone player Mikey Manessah ’18.” That’s right; the Conservatory is dominating at the middle school level, too. We do not know what a vibraphone is, but it sounds whimsical and we want one. A+ to you, Mr. Manessah. Keep it up. Not only are returning students a part of the bands’ successes in competition, but also new students. Jack Reid ’15 was quoted saying: “I think the Rivers Conservatory has a reputation for being one of the best music schools around, and I think that draws music students studying in the Conservatory to apply to Rivers . . . it helps the bands, the more students in the program the better.” Much like athletic coaches are needed in the sports world, master musicians are needed to facilitate the growth of the abilities of Conservatory students. Philippe Crettien, mentioned earlier for his being the face of the bands, is the main teacher of the Rivers Big Band and combos, and is well known around the community for his enthusiastic persona. To test the band’s true ability, I gave Razzi a scenario which would be a difficult play call for any coach. I posed the hypo- thetical, “It’s the bottom of the 9th, you have two cellos, basses loaded, and no trumpets left. What is Mr. Crettien’s game plan?” Razzi replied, “No question: he picks up his sax and storms out on the field, dives right in with the rest of us. We all go down together.” This sentiment, I believe, is a true testament to the bands’ dedication to jazz and the brotherhood crafted between the crimson walls of Bradley Hall—absolute majesty. often the hours of time spent on music by our jazzers and Conservatory members go unnoticed, and so do their successes in the musical world. Yes, Bradley Hall is separate from much of the campus, but that does not change the fact that musical genius and pure talent has come to life at Rivers over past decades, with wins at the Mingus being our pinnacle of success. Although there are no banners in the gym for winning the Mingus competition, in the music world The Rivers School Conservatory has caught the eye of jazz musicians across the state and nation. Where recognition is needed, recognition should be given. Good luck, jazzers!

Excerpted and reprinted with permission from the December 2014 issue of The Edge, in the debut of the Mouth of the River, a section of the paper devoted to humor/satire. [Note: In February 2015, the Select Combo I won the coveted Spirit Award at the Mingus Competition.]


Alumni, faculty, and friends gathered at the Centennial Alumni Day dinner on May 16 will honor David Burzillo,

Kathryn Dorrien, and Paul Karasch for their 25 years of service to Rivers. Dave Burzillo joined the History Depart-ment at Rivers in 1990, and subsequently served as department chair for nearly a decade. During his time at Rivers, he has taught a wide variety of courses, including the ninth and tenth grade survey courses, AP European History, and many electives. He developed one of the first Interdisciplin-ary Studies courses, the Big History elective that has become an international online course supported by the Gates Foundation, and has since developed an additional IDS course entitled Pathogens, People, and Inequality. Dave has been an advisor, member of the technology team, and soccer and hock-ey coach at various levels. He earned his BA from Trinity College in Hartford, his MEd from Worcester State College, and his ALM from Harvard University. In 2008, he was honored with Rivers’ Walter Family Com-munity Award. Dave and his wife Sarah, who also taught at Rivers for several years, have three children, Anthony ’11, Suzanne ’13, and Maria ’16. Kathy Dorrien joined Rivers in 1990 as a tutor and has been head of the Tutorial Department since 1993. She oversees the tutoring program for grades 6 through 12, and works individually with students to understand their particular learning style, a self-knowledge that can help them throughout their lives. She also serves as a member of Curriculum Committee. Kathy earned her BA in History from Furman University, and also took a number of psychology courses, focusing on the learning process. After working in medical research and teaching part-time in the Boston Public Schools, she began tutoring

Honoring 25 Years of Service

campus News

at Rivers. She was certified by the Carroll School’s Teacher Training Program in language in 1998. She has taken courses at the Harvard Extension School and spent several summers studying in Spain; she finds her own study of language helps her in tutoring students. In recognition of her dedication to Rivers, she was named the recipient of the William F. Gallagher Teaching Chair in 2007. Paul Karasch has worn many hats at Rivers in the course of his 25 years, as Assis-tant Director of Technology, a member of the Science Department, advisor, coach, and Director of Camp Nonesuch since 1993. He served as Science Department Chair for nearly a decade, while teaching biology, life science, physics, chemistry, and global science courses. With a keen interest in conservation, Paul has been a member of the Environ-mental Action and Footprint Sustainability Committees. He is a member of the Diversity and Nonesuch Planning Committees, and has served as the Rocket Club advisor. once the academic day ends, Paul assumes yet another role as head varsity coach for the girls’ cross country team and the track team. Prior to coming to Rivers, Paul taught in Tonga while serving in the Peace Corps and on a Navajo reservation in Arizona. He has a BA in biology from Wabash College, and his MEd from the University of Massachusetts. Paul and his wife Semima have three sons, Joe, Francis, and Matt. In addition to honoring Dave, Kathy, and Paul, the Centennial Alumni Day dinner will be a celebration of the contributions of the entire Rivers faculty, as teachers, coaches, advisors, and mentors. During the evening, the Alumni Association will also present two Alumni Excellence Awards—to Myles Lee ’57 and C. J. Fraser ’92—as well as the coveted Rivers Cup. For details and regis-tration, please go to www.rivers.org/page/Alumni-Day.

David Burzillo

Paul Karasch

Kathy Dorrien


Rivers at 100: Celebrating the Past, Building the FutureBy CHRISTINE MARTIN

What began 100 years ago this fall with the vision of one man to provide a healthy and challenging educational environment for his young students, continues today with the vision of an entire com-

munity that is equally committed to the whole child, to preparing students intellectually, creatively, ethically, and physically to contribute to the global community. The Rivers School has faced many challenges over the past century and its leaders have responded boldly to each, believing that the courage to change is at the heart of a successful institu-tion. At the same time, they have always preserved the essence of the school, where relationships are powerful motivators for both teaching and learning. The memories of Rivers alumni are built around the teachers who inspired them in the classroom and on the playing field, rather than the various locations that the school has shed as it has grown from two open-air bungalows behind a Brook-line home to today’s 53-acre campus in the suburbs of Boston. Robert Rivers was a true visionary, believing in 1915 that an abundance of fresh air year-round would protect young boys from the communicable diseases that were the scourge of a pre-antibiotic urban society. He found enough converts to the con-cept among Boston-area families that the school soon outgrew its Coolidge Corner location, and he expanded west toward Cleveland Circle in 1917, transporting the bungalows with him and constructing enough to eventually accommodate thirteen grades. While he allowed himself the luxury of a heated office—and his teachers the luxury of small space heaters—he maintained the open-air concept for his 14 year tenure, leading to the iconic photograph alumni know so well, of students in knit caps and heated sitting bags, gripping textbooks in mitted hands. Clarence Allen quickly did away with the open classrooms when he assumed leadership in 1929, but was by no means a stranger to the important role nature and the great outdoors played in a young-ster’s development. He was the founder of Camp Chewonki in Maine (which Rivers seventh graders still attend each spring), and shared a kinship with the legendary naturalist Roger Tory Peterson who joined the Rivers faculty for a number of years. Allen was deeply devoted to “his boys”, and built a strong sense of community among the students and faculty that still defines Rivers today. Allen made two bold moves during his 23-year tenure. As the school celebrated its 25th anniversary, he brokered the merger of The Rivers School with his former school, The Country Day School for Boys of Boston, which had suffered enrollment and financial losses during the Depression. He then moved the school

west again, in 1942, to a large estate in Chestnut Hill whose build-ings were the polar opposite of the original open-air bungalows. The existing, rambling Tudor mansion and its carriage house gave the school a certain gravitas, but was less conducive to educating a lively group of children and adolescents. When the size and configuration of the campus became un-tenable, then-headmaster George Blackwell began a campaign to move the school even farther west, beyond the convenient reaches of the streetcar, to rural Weston. A stroke of luck—a chance encounter in a Boston hospital operating room—provided the financing needed for this risky move. Trustee Dr. Hathorn Brown mentioned to Dr. Philip Walker, who had no affiliation with the school, that the Board had identified a promising piece of farm property but lacked the funds to close the deal. A check from Walker arrived in the mail the following day and Rivers’ future was secured. Throughout its history, the school would expand and contract the number of grades in which students could enroll, balancing the financial constraints of a young institution with little or no endowment against the optimal academic program for its stu-dents. It gradually dropped the elementary grades, consolidating into just a middle and upper school by 1961. Rivers joined the ranks of many independent schools in becoming coeducational in 1989, just a year shy of its 75th anniversary.

A Rivers open air classroom.


Groundbreaking in Weston in 1959.

The final major adjustment to the school’s enrollment came with the addition of a sixth grade in 2004, rounding out a forward-thinking middle school curriculum that is based on a deep under-standing of the intellectual and social needs of the pre-adolescent. Current enrollment is roughly twice the enrollment of the school when it moved to Weston in 1960. In spite of these frequent relocations, Mr. Rivers’ commitment to a strong core curriculum with ample athletic and extracurricular pursuits has remained the hallmark of the school’s mission through-out the years. The early masters were both masters of their subject matter and taskmasters over their boys, shepherding them through a structured day that included study halls, physical activities, clothing inspections, and nourishing meals that complemented the open-air philosophy. Today’s Rivers faculty forge strong bonds with their students as teachers, coaches, advisors, and club supervisors, often over shared lunches of equally healthy fare. During the second half of Rivers’ history, the school continued to expand both its program and its facilities under the careful leadership of David Berwind, Richard Bradley, and David Harman. Capital projects included construction of Haynes Hall as an addi-tional classroom building and the Berwind Building which housed a theater, dining hall, classrooms, and language labs. The addition of the Rivers Music School to the campus provided another avenue for students to explore their talents and passions in the arts, building on an already robust visual and performing arts program. The athletic teams began to come into their own in the seventies and eighties, garnering championships in a number of sports. The past two decades witnessed an explosion of accomplishments by any measure of success. Under Tom olverson’s leadership, the school doubled the square footage of its facilities with the expansion of the MacDowell Library, and the construction of the MacDowell Athletic Center, Bradley Hall, and the Campus Center. But this unprecedented growth in the campus infrastructure is just an outward manifestation of the equally impressive strides made toward improving faculty compensation, expanding curricular and co-curricular offerings, and strengthening the arts and athletics. The percentage of students enrolled in top colleges quadrupled, the endowment increased seven-fold, and the success of Rivers’ athletic teams skyrocketed. As Rivers looks forward to the next century, it remains focused on providing a challenging curriculum that thoughtfully embraces innovative curricula and pedagogical practices that encourage students to explore the issues that have challenged civilization throughout history and that challenge our society today. They are taught the skills they will need to gather information, evaluate it critically, and work creatively as a team with others to formulate solutions to problems that don’t yet exist. In the coming months and years, the Rivers community will create a strategic plan that addresses the programmatic needs of the school and then work together to achieve those goals. Rivers will continue to evolve, to envision the future, and to act boldly, as it always has, to make that vision a reality.

Clarence Allen and George Blackwell beneath photo of Jeremiah J. Sheehan.


Remembering Richard Bradley

The Rivers community mourns the passing of Richard a. Bradley, who served as headmaster from 1981 to 1991. He was born on October 6, 1925 in England and died on March 25, 2015 at the age of 89, leaving

his wife Mary and his three children, Jane, charles, and Pippa. Under his leadership, Rivers saw many changes to its academic program and physical plant, but none more profound than the introduction of co-education in 1989. His deep commitment to a sense of community at Rivers has endured through the years and is now a key component of the identity of the school. “Richard Bradley’s commitment to Rivers continued well past his tenure as headmaster,” commented former Head of School tom Olverson. “When i first arrived, he not only welcomed me with open arms but spent many hours with me explaining the history of Rivers and the challenges he faced while headmaster.” Throughout his years at Rivers, Mr. Bradley was equally at home in the classroom or cheering from the sidelines at sports games, and was known for always having time for others. His focus was on unity and spirit, and students and faculty saw him as an inspirational teacher, mentor, and friend. in an effort to be a hands-on leader, he became the first head-master to teach a class – in his case, English literature—since the school’s founder, Robert Rivers. His powerful speaking voice, complete with a distinct English accent, captured the attention and imagination of his students, and his annual reading of Dr.

Seuss’s “The Grinch Who Stole christmas” is a memory cherished by many alumni. His desire to have a place for the entire Rivers community to gather led to the construction of the Berwind Building in 1986, housing an assembly hall for community events and performing arts, as well as a quality dining area for students and faculty to gather. a fervent supporter of the arts, Mr. Bradley oversaw significant growth in both the visual and performing arts at Rivers. He was instrumental in shaping The Rivers Music School into the nation-ally recognized institution that it has become, now known as The Rivers School conservatory. Throughout the years, his wife, Mary Bradley, has been a member of its faculty as a private piano teacher. Mr. Bradley’s continued support of the arts was acknowl-edged with the naming of the conservatory’s Bradley Hall in his honor in 2007. He remained on the conservatory’s executive committee until recently. “Richard had the vision over 30 years ago to be a stalwart supporter of what was a small music school, ensuring a future for The Rivers School conservatory and giving The Rivers School this unique program of distinction that separates Rivers from all other college preparatory schools,” said conservatory Director David tierney. “Under Richard’s leadership, the conservatory flourished and became a signature program for Rivers,” echoed Olverson. “as i


Seuss’s “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” is a memory cherished by many alumni. His desire to have a place for the entire Rivers community to gather led to the construction of the Berwind Building in 1986, housing an assembly hall for community events and performing arts, as well as a quality dining area for students and faculty to gather. A fervent supporter of the arts, Mr. Bradley oversaw significant growth in both the visual and performing arts at Rivers. He was instrumental in shaping The Rivers Music School into the nation-ally recognized institution that it has become, now known as The Rivers School Conservatory. Throughout the years, his wife, Mary Bradley, has been a member of its faculty as a private piano teacher. Mr. Bradley’s continued support of the arts was acknowl-edged with the naming of the Conservatory’s Bradley Hall in his honor in 2007. He remained on the Conservatory’s executive committee until recently. “Richard had the vision over 30 years ago to be a stalwart supporter of what was a small music school, ensuring a future for The Rivers School Conservatory and giving The Rivers School this unique program of distinction that separates Rivers from all other college preparatory schools,” said Conservatory Director David Tierney. “Under Richard’s leadership, the Conservatory flourished and became a signature program for Rivers,” echoed olverson. “As I

listened to the Upper School Chamber orchestra perform at the NAIS convention in Boston last month, in front of hundreds of educators, I could not have been more proud of Rivers and the legacy that Richard Bradley left. He will be missed.” Mr. Bradley was educated in England, earning both bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees in modern history from Oxford University. He served in the British Royal Marines in southeast Asia from 1943 to 1946, achieving the rank of Lieutenant. His strong sense of patriotism was evident during Rivers’ annual Veterans Day ceremonies, and he returned to campus to attend the event until 2013. Upon the conclusion of his tenure as head-master, Mr. Bradley was made an honorary trustee of the school. Mr. Bradley arrived at Rivers in 1981 with considerable experi-ence, having served for a decade as headmaster of Ridley College in ontario, Canada – then the largest private school in that coun-try—and previously as head of St. Edward’s School in England. The impact of both Richard and Mary Bradley’s tenure at Ridley can be seen by the fact that there are three awards given annually in their honor: one to the student who has contributed most widely in all areas of campus life, reflecting Richard’s belief in and support for the well-rounded student; one to a female athlete, in recogni-tion of Richard’s initiation of co-education at Ridley; and an arts award in recognition of Mary’s strong promotion of the arts. In addition to the larger legacy Mr. Bradley has left behind at Rivers, he also left a collection of writings that he published in 1991 entitled “on Nonesuch Pond.” They provide a glimpse into a man of great intelligence, wisdom, compassion, and humor. There are essays about his favorite poems and prose, reflections on various aspects of teaching, and satirical pieces which high-light his ability to poke fun at both himself and the world of independent schools. In one essay, he recalls with self-deprecating humor the demo-cratic nature of his Rivers interview which included a chat with a bright fourteen-year old interviewer who quipped “You must be the Thursday candidate,” leaving him to wonder if “appointments for the week were arranged on a strength-to-weakness or weak-ness-to-strength basis.” He modestly recounts initiating the Boston Shakespeare Competition through the English-Speaking Union, and serving

on various indepen-dent school boards. His role on NEASC accreditation com-mittees provoked a tongue-in-cheek send-up of an accred-itation withdrawal re-port for Noah’s Ark, rebuking the “Sole and Self-perpetuating Trustee” for not implementing proper staffing ratios and having a too-rigid admis-sions policy, among other violations. Mr. Bradley’s compassion is abundantly apparent in his essay on being a Samaritan phone volunteer, where in one instance, in true British style, he “shares a cup of tea” with a young terminally-ill mother. “We put down our phones,” he wrote, “boiled a kettle in our separate worlds, and then came together again, cups in hand, to continue the call. It was companionable and intimate and sad, and somehow the storming bitterness in her mind was stilled for a while.” Alumni responded with admiration and affection after hearing of Mr. Bradley’s passing. “Thank you for your service, both to your country, the free world, and absolutely to Rivers,” wrote Jim DeWilde ’70. “Let us hope people have learned from Richard, for all he has done for us. As is often said in the US military, we walk on the backs of giants. We were blessed.” Mr. Bradley himself summed up his commitment to Rivers and its students with these words: “Saint Augustine wrote beau-tifully about the ‘luminous thread of affection that binds spirit to spirit.’ I like to think that Rivers is full of luminous threads. If anyone feels that the role of advisor is a humble one, let him or her be disabused. It is what we are here for and what everything else connected with Rivers is here for.”

Mary and Richard Bradley


Long-time Administrators to Retire

The Rivers School will lose two of its most passionate advocates in June when Bruce Amsbary retires as Direc-tor of Finance and operations and Jan Hicinbothem steps away from her role as Director of Advancement.

Jan will continue on a part-time basis in the Advancement office, creating a planned giving program for the school and stewarding some of Rivers’ longest-standing donors and friends. And Bruce, always one to see a job to the finish, will remain part-time through the summer to oversee the annual audit and help with the transition.

Bruce Amsbary, Director of Finance and operationsBruce Amsbary has served The Rivers School for 28 years. When he came to Rivers in 1987 as Business Manager, there were no computers in the Business office. Green eyeshades, quill pens, thirteen-column ledger sheets, and manually produced paychecks were the norm. From his experience at Dana Hall School he brought to the position his considerable skills, his steady and stable approach to the challenges of protecting the financial health of the school, and his characteristic ease, good humor, and camaraderie. In addition to overseeing the school’s business office, food service, bookstore, and facilities operations, he has served as the Assistant Treasurer for the Board and is a member of various trustee committees. During his tenure, enrollment nearly doubled, co-education was introduced, three new campus buildings were con-structed, and a sixth grade was added. The school’s endowment was a modest $1.5 million when Bruce began; it now stands at more than $22 million. Each of these areas of growth has had a signifi-cant financial impact on the school’s finances and operations. Throughout, Bruce has prudently managed the complicated financial scenarios facing the school and kept a watchful eye on the faculty and staff ’s benefits offerings. He brought a first-hand knowledge of the Rivers experience to his job as the parent of an alumna, Dana, Class of 2005. For the positive impact he has had

on the Rivers community, Bruce was recognized with the school’s Bergen-Decker Award in 2003. “Bruce has been a proactive and visionary business manager for Rivers,” said Trustee and Finance Committee Chair Steve Snider, “and his steady leadership has kept the school’s finances sound throughout its tremendous expansion. But his true strength has been his commitment to building personal relationships with his colleagues. What’s most impressed me is how helping the faculty, staff, and broader Rivers community have always been his most important priority.” Bruce has also been an important player in regional and national associations, serving currently as vice president and audit committee chair for the Independent School Compensation Corporation, and previously as president of the Massachusetts Association of Non-Profit Schools and Colleges, board member at Stoneleigh Burnham School, and audit committee member at his alma mater Belmont Hill. He received the Will J. Hancock Unsung Hero Award from the National Business officers Asso- ciation in 2012. In addition, he has served as focus group member, committee member, and consultant to a variety of organizations ranging from NAIS to AISNE, and to a range of schools nationally. In all of his work outside of the Rivers campus, Bruce remains known for his professionalism, his deep understanding of the work of business offices in schools, and his collaborative approach to problem-solving the challenging issues facing schools in contemporary times. As Bruce retires from his full-time role, Jon Wasserman ’88 has accepted the position of Director of Finance and operations, effective July 1. “Jon has been working closely since 2007 with Bruce and the rest of the office on the essential work the role entails,” said Head of School Ned Parsons. “We are fortunate to have his deep understanding of our internal workings and of the financial exigencies within which we operate.”

Jan Hicinbothem and former Head of School Tom Olverson Jon Wasserman ’88 and Bruce Amsbary at Alumni Day 2012



The Rivers Fanzone in Action

Ross Carter ’16

Jan hicinbothem, Director of AdvancementJan’s tenure as Director of Advancement spans 19 incred-ibly productive years. She had amassed a wealth of knowl-edge as a fundraising professional, having worked at Boston University and Curry College, among other schools. She also knew Rivers well as the parent of John, Class of 1993, and as an active Parents’ League volunteer. For nearly two decades, Jan led her staff and the trustees to raise over $60 million for capital projects that transformed the face of the campus, as well as annual funds to support the day-to-day operations of the school. Driven by a tireless work ethic, a passion for the school and its mission, and a belief in the work of the faculty, Jan greatly increased Rivers’ visibility to alumni and to families in the area. During that time, the endowment grew seven-fold. Construction of the MacDowell Library, MacDowell Athletic Center, Bradley Hall, and Campus Center, as well as major renovations to the rest of the campus have allowed Rivers to expand and enhance the academic and co-curricular offerings for students. At the same time, funding for profes-sional development and technology has increased consis-tently, enabling the faculty to be as innovative as possible in the classroom. In recognition of her dedication to the school, Jan received the 2000 Bergen-Decker Award. As former Board President Roy MacDowell said in a 2012 interview, “Jan is constantly looking to improve the school, whether it be academics or buildings and grounds. As we all know, every time one wants to undertake a project it takes money, and Jan has always been up to that challenge.” Critical to her success has been her belief in the importance of relationships, of working with donors and potential donors to help them understand the impact that a project and their support of it will have on the faculty and students. She wants them to feel they are partners in a shared enterprise that they believe in as strongly as she does. “Jan’s impact across this campus has been widespread and deeply felt, pushing forward the campus and the pro-grams supported within those buildings,” commented Head of School Ned Parsons in announcing her retirement. “Jan has been an integral part of the strategic thinking on this campus throughout her time here, and we’re fortunate to have her remain in her part-time capacity next year as we hone the strategic planning going on right now. “Jan’s keen decision-making, her deep knowledge of the school and its history, and her long-held connection to our various constituencies will be invaluable to us and to the next Director of Advancement. We are extremely pleased to have her here to help the school make its next step.”

Jon Wasserman ’88 and Bruce Amsbary at Alumni Day 2012


Rivers’ varsity basketball teams helped kick off the Centennial celebration with a pair of games at Boston’s TD Garden in January, creating a unique experience for the Rivers community. Students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, and

friends packed two sections of the Garden’s lower bowl as the teams participated in the Hoop Mountain & ARC of Massachusetts Holiday Challenge on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The girls pulled out a 57-49 win over Noble & Greenough in the first game of the Rivers double-header while the boys fell to Brooks, 68-62, in one of the more entertaining games of the event. The girls’ win over Nobles was an historic one, marking the first time in Coach Bob Pipe’s tenure that the Red Wings have been able to knock off their rivals from Dedham. The boys’ game featured several highlight-reel-worthy plays as both Rivers and Brooks exhibited extreme athleticism and well-disciplined play.

Rivers Red Wings Enjoy Garden Setting

Vanessa Edgehill ’16

Captain Kristin Daley ’15


on January 15, The Rivers School Career Development Committee hosted an inter-active panel discussion on

Business in Boston at the offices of Bain Capital. Moderated by Committee Chair Gregory Stoller ’87, and featuring three alumni from healthcare, private equity, and real estate, it was a new format for the Career Development Committee, now in its third year. The planning efforts were spearheaded by Larry Glazer ’86, president of the Alumni Council, and the team in the Rivers Advancement office. “While our committee has held several well-attended events over the past few years and has seen increased attendance, we’re hoping some innovative program-ming attracts people for the first time, or those who haven’t attended in a while,” explained Stoller. “The hope was to combine both net-working and information exchange, so

B u s i n e s s i n B o s to n

Current State and Future Trendsthat attendees could walk away with not only more insight on the Boston business community,” said Glazer, “but also some more qualified leads for job changes or new searches.” After a brief reception with breakfast, Jared Perry ’95 of Bain Capital, Larry Epstein ’87 from Colliers International, and Charlie Saponaro ’92 from Medical Record Associates, LLC, each provided brief introductions and then responded to questions by Stoller and the audience regarding their respective industry’s dynamics and future trends, as well as their own careers. Each panelist provided some networking tips at the end, punctu-ated by how best to leverage the collective resources of the Rivers community. “I’m currently on leave from school in order to build my start-up, and hearing both business and networking advice in this more intimate format is invaluable,” commented Daniel Corcoran ’13.

“Taking advantage of contacts you find at events like this is exactly what you need to do if you’re starting a job search for the first time, transitioning into a new role, or doing an industry change,” said Roger Tackeff ’72. “This is the ‘who’ portion of the very expression ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know.’” The Career Development Committee’s charter is to attract Rivers alumni from any era who are looking to re-connect with one another and the school. It holds events throughout the academic year in Boston, New York, California, and Wash-ington, DC. The committee publicizes its events on the Rivers website and through social media. If you have questions or speaker ideas, please contact Assistant Director of Advancement Heather Jack at [email protected].

The panel: Greg Stoller ’87, Larry Epstein ’87, Jared Perry ’95, Charlie Sapanaro ’92

Dan Lewin ’95 and Jared Perry ’95

David Tackeff ’10 and Roger Tackeff ’72

Jamie Cater ’95 and JB Karelitz ’01

JB Karelitz ’01, Brad Karelitz ’04, and Jared Parry ’95

Carl Robinson ’92 and Charlie Saponaro ’92


Jamie Cater ’95 and JB Karelitz ’01

A lumni, parents, faculty —both current and former – and staff gathered in Rivera

Hall this fall for the fifth Chair Affair, to honor the dedication and commitment of the Rivers faculty. In attendance was former teacher and alumni liaison Jack Jarzavek, for whom the John B. Jarzavek Teaching Chair is named, as well as Visual Arts Department chair David Saul, current recipient of the Chair. The Jarzavek Chair is the first endowed teaching chair at The Rivers School. Saul was awarded the Chair in 2012 in recognition of his expertise in his field and the inspiration he has provided to hundreds of students during more than three decades of teaching photography at Rivers. Head of School Ned Parsons shared his views on education in the 21st century, informed by his previous role as Dean of Faculty at Loomis Chaffee School. Jack Jarzevek and David Saul added their own reflections on their teaching careers. Guests enjoyed an array of fine wines and delicious hors d’oeuvres while perusing the silent auction tables which held rare wines, restaurant gift certificates, and vacation packages. A high point of the evening was the raffle of an imperial of 1979 Kenwood Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon, won by mathematics teacher Kristin Harder. Event co-chairs Steve Sugarman ’92, P’20 and Dave Garsh ’99 worked tirelessly with their committee to organize the celebratory event.

Faculty Celebrated at Chair Affair

Jack Jarzavek and Sturdy Waterman ’74Alice and Colbert Andrus with Jim Long

Co-chairs Steve Sugarman ’92 and Dave Garsh ’99

Tony Vaccarino ’86, David Saul, Tim Vaccarino ’88

Jone Swift, David Saul, Kristin Harder

Hella Carlson, Dave Garsh ’99, Bridget O’Connor Garsh ’00

Ned Parsons with Mike ’85 and Johanne Campbell


Lee has found success in arenas he might never have imagined. “You must seize the moment,” Lee says. “To paraphrase Alice Roosevelt, ‘a soufflé won’t rise twice.’” As a student at Rivers, Lee was “inter-ested in everything.” He was on the foot-ball team (and recalls vividly having his arm broken by a 300-pound tackle from Roxbury Latin), and in the dramatics and glee clubs. He received awards for creative writing and excellence in English, and edited The Current magazine. Grateful for the influence of his teachers, he estab-lished a teaching chair in 1984 named after the beloved F. Ervin Prince. He intention-ally did so while Prince was still alive so that they could enjoy the honor together. Although he had long known he wanted to be a doctor, Lee wisely decided as an undergraduate at Harvard to major in art history. His father was a professor of English and journalism at the University of Pennsylvania and a writer who often entertained well-known authors of the day at his home, leading to Lee’s appreciation of the benefits of a liberal arts education.

Hanging in the library of Myles Lee ’57 is an auto-graphed quotation by oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: “A

few can touch the magic string, and noisy fame is proud to win them: Alas for those that never sing, but die with all their music in them!” Another of Lee’s favorite quotes was delivered at the Sorbonne in 1910 by Theodore Roosevelt, who spoke of the importance of the individual to the success of a democracy: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is ac-tually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; … who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

“I was already thinking ahead to what interests would serve me at the end of my career in medicine,” commented Lee. As a medical student, he was uncertain whether he wanted to be an internist or a surgeon, so he split his internship between both specialties and finally chose surgery as more fulfilling. He realized as a surgeon he would be able to not only diagnose health issues, but also correct them. He considered cardiothoracic surgery the most challenging surgical subspecialty. After serving two years as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a general surgeon stationed in Korea followed by a residency in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, Lee worked as a staff surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for 11 years. Subsequently, Lee was appointed Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Centinela Hospital. In spite of the intro-duction of catheter-based interventions

2 0 1 5 A lu m n i e xc e l l e n c e AwA r d r e c i p i e n t

Myles Lee ’57: Renaissance ManBy CHRISTINE MARTIN

Cosmos Point Lobos The Curtain Rises

The call to action that both of these quotes deliver has been a driving force behind a life that encompasses not only a demanding career as a cardiothoracic surgeon, but also as a writer, photographer, and supporter of the arts. By being open to opportunities and their attendant risks,

[Lee] has expanded his creativity beyond the operating room… [H]is openness to the possibilities around him have enabled him to embrace each

moment when it arrives.


as a treatment option for many heart ailments previously treated surgically, Lee continues, after 39 years, to work in both the surgical and trauma units at St. Francis Medical in Lynwood, CA. He does admit he is now somewhat of a dinosaur. In recent years, he has expanded his creativity beyond the operating room. And while several of his pursuits have been the result of chance encounters, it is his openness to the possibilities around him that have enabled him to embrace each moment when it arrives. Lee returned to his early interest in creative writing in 2008 with a medical thriller, The Donation, that delves into the ethics of capital punishment and the crisis that the organ donor shortage has created. His earlier surgical textbook, Near Misses in Cardiac Surgery, takes a unique approach to teaching about surgical complications: he presents a case history, then invites the reader to determine the diagnosis before revealing possible solutions. First pub-lished in 1992, it has become a classic in the field and was reissued in 2009. By chance, Lee became involved in the effort to recreate Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in London after treating the actor Sam Wanamaker. After his recovery,

Wanamaker invited Lee to join the Western Regional Board of the Shakespeare Globe Center. That volunteer effort led in turn to Lee’s being invited to serve on the board of the Los Angeles Doctors’ Symphony orchestra. “At my first board meeting I was nomi-nated to become the board’s vice-presi-dent, only to discover that our first order of business was to replace the current mu-sic director who happened to be a friend of mine,” commented Lee. “I guess I nego-tiated a successful resolution, because I was later asked to serve, and still continue to serve, as the organization’s president.” “My enjoyment and interest in music took a different turn when I happened to meet composer-conductor Victoria Bond while taking a walk in my neighborhood on New Year’s Day in 2004,” continued Lee. “When she learned of my passion for American history, she suggested that I write a ‘libretto’ about George Washing-ton, similar to Carl Sandburg’s portrait of Lincoln, to be set to an orchestral piece she would compose. “Since then we have worked together on three more portraits—Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt. I recently had the thrill of hear-

ing the Washington piece performed at the new Mount Vernon Center. The Jeffer-son piece will be performed in New York City this April. This collaboration might never have happened if not for my chance encounter with her.” In a similar way, Lee’s passion for nature photography took a new route when he met a fellow photographer at Point Lobos State Reserve in California—a favorite haunt—and she invited him to join the Carmel Foundation Photographers. He has since had several exhibitions of his work which he describes as “fine art photography.” one photograph was selected from a pool of 2000 images in a juried exhibit at the Center for Photo-graphic Art in Carmel last year. He has honed his technique so that an intriguing pattern that might once have been a small element in a larger photograph becomes the focus of an entire photograph, cap-tured in detailed beauty. The play of light on waves and sand in his work shows nature at its most abstract. It is hard to imagine Myles Lee with-out a creative outlet. Whatever his future holds, he will not be among those poor souls “who die with all their music in them.”

Aurora BorealisThe Curtain Rises Waterfire


“We actually were quite competitive right from the start,” she remembers. “I guess we were all the type that were looking for challenges.” Rivers faculty members like Julia Russell and Chris Smick encouraged her academi-cally and Jack Jarzavek, in particular, helped shape her interest in art and architecture. Her younger sister Shawna joined her at Rivers in 1991, when the Middle School first went coed. Shawna graduated in 1997. Even then, the family business was a big part of her life. Fraser and her sister would frequently work in the summers at Fraser Engineering, which her grandpar-ents had founded in 1950. Fraser’s parents continued to build the company, provid-ing a full complement of mechanical, plumbing, industrial processing, electrical, and general contracting services through-out the Northeast. “It was important for my dad to tell us growing up that we could do anything,” remembers Fraser. “He had been expected to join the business, but there was never any expectation on his part that we would follow in his footsteps.”

C .J. Fraser’s 1992 Rivers gradua-tion citation read, “C.J., with your eagerness to try anything…you never took the easy route.”

Those words were indeed prophetic, as C.J. Fraser has continued to be a ground-breaker, becoming a CEo in the male-dominated construction industry while still in her thirties. She has since earned an outstanding Women of Family Busi-ness award and Fraser Engineering has been recognized by the state as a Woman Business Enterprise. “It wasn’t easy,” she confesses. “I became president and CEo in 2009 as the economy was in a tailspin and construction and renovations were way down. one of the first things I had to do was lay off 60 people —people who were part of a close family business—so there were worries about job security. I had to prove over and over that I was committed to the long haul. My father and I have different leadership styles—I’m very much consensus-oriented —so there also was a bit of a culture shift in the company. “My transition was complicated by the fact that union organizers were trying to convince our employees to form a union. I had to counteract that by getting out to every job and telling the workers ‘just give me a chance.’ I had to let them see that there were positives for the business and for them by remaining an open shop. We are able to bid on some prime jobs that we wouldn’t get if we were unionized.” Fraser has a long history of bucking the trend. She enrolled at Rivers in 1989, one of just 36 women in the Upper School during the first year of coeducation. With so few women, everyone was needed to fill out the athletic teams, so she found herself recruited for soccer, lacrosse, and cross-country.

Fraser earned a bachelor of arts degree in architectural studies and art history from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY in 1996. After graduation, she worked for a few years at Fraser as an assistant estimator, before deciding to explore other career avenues. She served as project manager for an interior designer and as a design assistant at a Boston-based architectural firm. She then moved to New York to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree in interior architecture in 2003 from The New York School of Interior Design. “My father has said that one of the hap-piest days of his life was the day I graduated with my BFA and told him that I would like to rejoin the family business,” said Fraser. “I finally came to the realization that I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by.” She returned to Fraser as a project manager and estimator, where her archi-tecture degree has served her well. She has been joined by Shawna Fraser who is now the company’s safety officer. “My training in architecture means that I can conceptualize a project in the design phase and can read drawings and blueprints very well. Construction is very technology driven now. Most projects are using BIM (Building Information Model-ing), and everything is drawn in 3D,” com-mented Fraser. “We actually just bought a new facility where we pre-assemble vari-ous components for a job and transport them whole to the site for faster installation. Thanks to technology, we are able to have the hangers in place before the concrete is even poured in a building. It has really streamlined the process. We’re doing that now for a new project at Regis College.” The company’s list of clients extends from state agencies and public utilities to top businesses and non-profits across the region—Astra Zeneca, Global oil,

2 0 1 5 A lu m n i e xc e l l e n c e AwA r d r e c i p i e n t

C.J. Fraser ’92: All in the FamilyBy CHRISTINE MARTIN


Genzyme, Harvard, MIT, UMass Dart-mouth and Lowell, and dozens of other well-known entities in New England. Proj-ects range from retrofitting steam pipes for World War II-era government buildings to designing environmentally-controlled labs for pharmaceutical companies. “one of our more challenging projects was redesigning the heating and cooling system for the JFK Presidential Library in Boston,” commented Fraser. “This iconic glass-clad building [by I.M. Pei] had been designed in the 1970s with electric heat! We converted it to a hydronic HVAC system and had to figure out how to con-ceal the new piping so we wouldn’t disturb the building’s open design. We ended up running pipes in the stairwells in many instances.” In spite of the somewhat rocky start Fraser faced as a new CEo, Fraser Engi-neering remains a family business in every sense of the word. “Some employees have been here for 40 years; we even have four or five father-son teams,” said Fraser. In fact, in 2003, the company became an employee-owned company by implementing an Employee Stock ownership Plan (ESoP), with almost 40 percent of the company owned by vested employees. “I think at that time my father was looking ahead to a succession plan for the future and saw this as a way to give back to the employees who had worked so hard for the company,” said Fraser. In 2010 Fraser Engineering celebrated 60 years in business and formed a sister com-pany, Fraser Petroleum Services, to service the petroleum and chemical industries. That same year, the Massachusetts State office of Minority and Women’s Business Assistance certified Fraser Engineering as a Woman Business Enterprise (WBE). Most recently, Fraser was honored as a 2014 recipient of the “outstanding Wom-en of Family Business” award, established by The Warren Group, in conjunction with Massachusetts Family Business magazine, the New England Family Business Confer-ence, and the Family Business Association. The awards “recognize female family busi-

ness professionals who demonstrate outstanding leadership and commitment both within their businesses and in the communities they serve.” As the award indicates, Fraser is an ac-tive volunteer both personally and through the company. “We get so caught up in the day-today operations, but we also try to think beyond that,” said Fraser about Fraser Cares, a volunteer outreach program which enables employees to donate their own hours to projects that include one-time and ongoing activities servicing local agencies, such as the Newton Food Pantry and NewtonServes. In addition to having the City of Newton as a client, Fraser Engineering has been a long-time supporter of the Newton Schools Foundation which brings technology to the town’s class-rooms. Fraser said the Fraser Burn Center at MGH, which her parents generously

started, is a “huge focus for me.” The center’s mission is “to provide the highest quality of care to patients with burn inju-ries, offering a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, supported with technology, outcomes research, and incorporation of rehabilitation techniques.” “The center is a family project—my mother and I have volunteered there for years—but we also encourage our workers to become involved,” said Fraser. “We are building a new out-patient clinic as we speak. Technology has also changed since the clinic opened, and our staff can now teleconference with doctors in other hos-pitals to help determine the best course of treatment for their patients.” Fraser’s graduation citation ended with these words, “You are full of good will as well as being open, mature, and kind.” With the culture of caring instilled by her parents and her own fierce determination, Fraser has just begun to make her mark.

Shawna and C.J. Fraser


This fall, the Alumni Council announced two recipients for the inaugural Young Alumni

Achievement Award: Charlotte Lewis ’02 and Ryan Littman-Quinn ’05. This new award is given annually to a recent graduate who models the spirit and values of The Rivers School and is a living example of excellence with humanity. Through professional, academic, and/or volunteer roles, the recipient dem-onstrates leadership, excellence in his or her chosen career, and an interest in, and commitment to, serving others. Lewis returned to Rivers to speak to the student body at an all-school meeting in November. She shared some of the experiences she had while a student at Rivers that inspired her to give back to her community.

seas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle Travel as vice-president of marketing, before being appointed vice president of marketing at Kensington Investment Company, a Boston-based real estate development firm, where she is committed to using business models to drive social change and seeks to integrate business and philanthropy in her life. Lewis has had extensive philanthropic involvement with The Lewis Family Foun-dation whose primary goal is to double college graduation rates in Boston’s Spine —Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan. She started the FoodFUNd, which helps bring food to the Greater Boston Food Bank, and has also volunteered extensively at the West End House Boys and Girls Club. She is a member of Rivers’ Alumni Council, serves on a number of commit-tees, including the Boston Career Devel-opment Committee, and has been a dedi-cated annual fund volunteer for her class. “Charlotte has inspired countless other alumni with her dedication, involvement, and enthusiasm,” commented Assistant Director of Advancement Heather Jack when presenting the award to Lewis. Littman-Quinn was honored for his long-standing commitment to mobile public health care through his work with the Botswana-UPenn Partnership (BUP) Health Informatics Capacity Building program. “I am honored to receive such an award,” said Littman-Quinn when he received an email announcing the award. “I would love the opportunity to get back to campus to share my story and connect with the Rivers student body. I owe a lot of who I am to Rivers, and I am truly humbled to be an inaugural recipient.” Littman-Quinn began as a volunteer with the program and then in 2010 accepted a position as the global health informatics and telemedicine program

charlotte lewis ’02 and Ryan littman-Quinn ’05 Receive Young Alumni Achievement Awards

manager for Penn Medicine, and the director of mobile health informatics for BUP, managing and expanding mobile telemedicine initiatives in Botswana. In addition, he has played a major role in researching, creating, and implementing several projects for the public health care system there, rang-ing from remote specialist access, to public health data collection, to mobile learning initiatives with the recently-founded University of Botswana School of Medicine. He also lectures at the University and consults internationally on mobile health issues. Based now in Botswana’s capital city of Gaborone, Littman-Quinn is plan-ning to share his work experience with Rivers students through a video presentation in the spring.

Nominations for next year’s Young Alumni Achievement award will be accepted throughout the Spring of 2015 by contacting Assistant Director of Advancement Heather Jack at [email protected].

Alumni Profile

Charlotte Lewis with Ned Parsons and Heather Jack

Ryan Littman-Quinn

“I believe that we all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves,” Lewis said regarding her time spent on the Rivers Romania service trip. “Coming back from that, it struck me that wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, I have to empower others and I have to empower myself.” Lewis, a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, worked with over-


Frank S. Waterman III, Rivers’ Class of ’41, former Wellesley resident and businessman,

recently completed a daunting task: chronicling not only his own life, but that of his ancestors and his industry, and the impact they have had on the country. Entitled 378 Years in America: The Watermans from 1636, The Funeral Business from 1832 and the Future of America in the New World, this auto-biography took three years to research and compile with the assistance of Tom Hostage of Bespoke History. From the arrival of the first Water-man in the new world in 1636, through the establishment of one of the earliest funeral service companies in 1832, to the real estate business that Waterman himself branched out to, the book offers an insightful look at how society evolved along with his family. The book ends with Waterman’s own “State of the Union” address, a critical view of America that ends on an optimistic note. Waterman’ book includes vivid memories of his time at Rivers: In 1930, at the start of my third grade year, I transferred to The Rivers School, which was then located in Brookline…. It was a new experience with attentive instructors creating inter-est in subjects in various fields, as well as the opportunity to compete in various sports and activities. The school featured small classes, with close supervision by experienced and well-educated teachers who became well-acquainted with their students. My time at Rivers was a plea-sure because my instructors gave so much of their time in assisting everyone for the success of the student and the class… I attended Rivers for seven years through the ninth grade and participated in school activities including receiving

Alumni Profile

one of the school’s scholarship prizes, a letter for participation on the varsity hockey team, and a seat as a board member of the school paper. [After three years at Noble & Greenough,] I concluded that a post-graduate year at Rivers would better position me for my first year at college. Having left only three years earlier, I was well acquainted with the students at Rivers, and became very active in school life. In a welcome surprise, I was elected to the Student Council and became its president. I was named manager of the varsity football team and [returned] to the board of the school magazine, plus oversaw a number of annual events. Having done well in all my subjects plus being so successfully involved in extracurricular activities, the

opportunity to attend Harvard soon appeared, and I enrolled for the fresh-man year in Fall 1941. Waterman, a member of Harvard’s class of 1945, attended the Babson Institute of Business Administration and the New England Institute, and subsequently served as the CEo and Director of J.S. Waterman and Sons and general partner of Waterman Realty Management. He also served on the board of five Boston-area banking institutions. He has remained an active Rivers alumnus, becoming a member of the Board in 1959 and receiving the Rivers Cup in 1977. Today Waterman is a life trustee, generous supporter of Rivers, including Waterman Field, and frequent attendee at alumni events. His sons John and Sturdy both gradu-ated from Rivers, in 1969 and 1974 respectively. Waterman’s many accomplishments in life can be traced back to this observa-tion he made in the book: “As a youth it was the unwavering love and support of my parents that instilled in me… a joy for life, and an emphasis on the importance of perseverance, integrity, conscientiousness, and hard work.”

The book is available through BespokeHistory.com.

Frank Waterman ’41: one Man’s view of America

Frank Waterman with sons John ’69 and Sturdy ’74


student NewsAlumni News

1 9 5 8Peter Karofsky emailed, “During my three years at Rivers, i was privileged to have some terrific teachers. The most significant were otto Alcaide who taught spanish and French, bill gallagher who taught english, and peter eastman who taught biology, chemistry, and physics. While messrs. Alcaide and gallagher are deceased, mr. eastman is alive and well and living in maine. earlier this year, after a hiatus of over half a century, i called him to thank him for his out-standing job in preparing me for the pre-medi-cal program at bowdoin college where i per-formed my undergraduate work. Despite the years, he remembered me and was extremely pleased that i remembered him. We had a most enjoyable conversation recalling people and events at The Rivers school. i shared with mr. eastman not only my love of medicine but the enjoyment i receive as a professor of pediatrics at the university of Wisconsin school of medi-cine and public health. Thank you, Rivers, for helping me to initiate both of my careers.”

1 9 5 9Fred Pfannenstiehl and his wife Julia enjoyed another visit to Rivers on grandparents Day in october, spending the morning with grandchildren owen pfannenstiehl ’19 and emma pfannenstiehl ’21. “owen will graduate the year i celebrate my 60th reunion at Rivers!”

1 9 6 4Bill Brigham sent a photo taken at the 100th birthday party of his father, F. Gorham Brigham, class of 1933. “2015 marks his 100th birthday and Rivers’ 100th Anniversary!”

Class Notes

Fred ’59 and Julia Pfannenstiehl, with grandchildren Owen and EmmaBill Brigham ’64 and F. Gorham Brigham ’33

1 9 6 7George Kunhardt reconnected after many years. “i started at The Rivers school in 1959 in chest-nut hill, where i remember taking my very favor-ite Ancient history class with mr. berwind and mr. eastman’s fascinating science class. We moved to Weston, where i struggled through four years of latin and spanish. i played soccer under mr. beal, skied Wildcat where Tucky eng-lish, Andrew Flake, and i raced everyone (infor-mally) from nobles and milton, and skied mt. Washington with mr. beal after winter camping at –12 degrees.”

1 9 7 4Brian shuman, owner of Associates in periodon-tics received vermont Dental society’s (vsDs) most prestigious Distinguished service Award in recognition of his outstanding commitment to the dental profession and the oral health of ver-monters. brian has also received the united Way building block award for his work with special olympics, served as chief supervising Dentist at the vermont Tech school of Dental hygiene, president of the champlain valley Dental society, and vice president of the vermont periodontal society.

1 9 7 7Tom Klett shared a variety of memories and news, “mr. prince spent many decades at Rivers as a math teacher. he taught a few of the required math classes and was as much a part of everyone’s curriculum as Jack Jarzavek. his hoarse speaking style became a way students would tease him but no one doubted his kind-ness, dedication, and patience with the classic

Rich Shanfeld ’04, Grady O’Gara ’03‘extra help’ tutoring he gave students after all classes in the afternoon. The 1976 basketball team had Dave senatore, Dave lilienthal, chris lane, and John sullivan in my class, as well as Ken howatt and charles lilienthal in the class of 1976. We won the isl championship, under coach mike polakoff. As for the present, since september 2013, i have accumulated almost 150 hours of service at the hospital i volunteer at in orange county.

1 9 8 1Greg Rogovin has been working with lTc Re-sources (a national insurance brokerage com-pany) as a long-term care specialist in maine and massachusetts for the past seven years, serving

Tom Klett ’77


Alumni Gather in Manhattan

More than two dozen Rivers alumni from the New York area gathered in November at The Wren in The Bowery to meet Head of School Ned Parsons and share the latest news. Members of the Class of 2002 also celebrated their share of the 2014 March Madness cup, based

on their high participation rate in the Annual Fund. Alumni spanned a number of decades and industries, thanks to outreach by the New York Career Development Committee, chaired by Nicki Hunter ’05.


Rich Shanfeld ’04, Grady O’Gara ’03

Lisa Parsons, Louise Cummings ’98, Ned Parsons

Emily Thompson, David Olverson, Chris Laakko, Adin Heller, Mary Taggart, Rachel Morris, celebrating the Class of 2002 March Madness Co-Championship! Kadie Greenfield, Jen Post, Hillary Ain,

all Class of 2007

Nicki Hunter ’05, Dan Lane ’04, Rich Shanfeld ’04

alumni, professional, medical, military, educa-tional, engineering, and legal associations. in this role he has been able to help hundreds of clients design, and implement effective plans to manage their long-term care risks. he misses all of his buddies at Rivers, and was particularly dis-tressed to hear about the passing of classmate Robert star this past January.

1 9 8 3steve Masiello celebrated his 50th birthday re-cently with a group of Rivers classmates, includ-ing Bruce clifford, Rob Trevisani, John carlin, and Dave stackhouse, as well as Mike Zafi-ropoulos ’82.

Ken Proctor emailed, “After starting and run-ning my own footwear company for seven and a half years, i opted to sell it and move on to a ca-reer where i could make a difference. i applied

for and became a vistage chair and now have the privilege of working with and helping other ceo’s process their issues, both personal and professional. i am still living in Texas, but my son is a freshman at northeastern this year.”

Bruce Clifford ’83, Mike Zafiropoulos ’82, Rob Trevisani ’83, Steve Masiello ’83, Dave Stackhouse ’83.

Jack Jarzavek and Sam Kobrick ’95

1 9 9 5lindsey (cronin) Kittredge wrote, “i am the di-rector and co-founder of the organization shoot-ing Touch. We recently partnered with babson in offering a conference for students and young professionals who are passionate about sports and want to make an impactful career within the

34 • Riparian • Spring 2015 Spring 2015 • Riparian • 3534 • Riparian • Spring 2015

Thanksgiving Tradition

Rivers alumni in town for the Thanksgiving holiday gathered at Lir in Boston’s Back Bay to catch up on the latest news with classmates and friends.

Cathleen Connors, Stefen Laukien, Marisa Fox, Courtney Griffin, and Dom DelFavero, all class of 2009

Matt Robinson ’09, Dom DelFavero ’09, David Goscinak ’09, Peter Litvack ’08, Stefen Laukien ’09

Nikki Schuster, Taylor Hoffman, Amanda Korff, Ashlee Cushing, all Class of 2007

Adam Lowenstein, Brendan Domos, Chris Allen, Brandon Meiseles, all Class of 2010

Abby Gilmartin, Meghan Smith, Brendan McNeill, and Emily Burlingham, all Class of 2011

Jamie Putnam ’01, John Navins ’01 with wife Kim

Billy McNamara ’07, Tim Bigelow ’06, Brian Davis ’07

34 • Riparian • Spring 2015 Spring 2015 • Riparian • 3534 • Riparian • Spring 2015

Billy McNamara ’07, Tim Bigelow ’06, Brian Davis ’07


industry. All proceeds went back to our organiza-tion’s sports programming in Africa and boston.”

samantha Kobrick and her husband sean lozier had dinner recently with Jack Jarzavek at el oriental de cuba in Jamaica plain.

1 9 9 6Adam and Aiysha-Khaalid Barr proudly announce the birth of their son, Abraham. The family of three lives in boston. Adam recently returned from the philippines where he founded a re-search and development firm that engineers bespoke business systems and software. This company joins the complementary holdings of Alwaysnow, his stateside private equity boutique (formerly of Dubai).

1 9 9 7Kristy szretter and her husband Austin hijar are the proud parents of Jelena Krislyn hijar, born on June 21, 2014. Kristy has been back at work since september, as a scientist at visterra, inc. in cam-bridge, mA.

2 0 0 5eric Forsythe, who graduated from lehigh, will be heading to Duke university this fall for an mbA. he is currently an iT consultant at bright-line cpA & Associates in new York and previ-ously worked at ernst & Young.

2 0 0 6B.J. Dunne shared some exciting news. “i am in-credibly honored and humbled to be appointed the head men’s open basketball coach for Team usA which will compete in the 14th european maccabi games in berlin, germany this summer. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to not only represent the Jewish faith but also my country.”

stolle singleton has started a new job as the Director of legislative Affairs for the executive office of energy and environment in massachusetts.

Abe, son of Adam Barr ’96

Jelena, daughter of Kristy Szretter ’97

Eric Forsythe ’05

Tom Olverson with Jack Birger ’08, Jon Salzman ’08, Gabe Perrone ’08

Miles Jacoby ’07 with his family

2 0 0 7Miles Jacoby has joined the national touring company for The Book of Mormon as understudy for the lead role. previously he had been on broadway with the musical for six months, also as understudy for the lead role.

2 0 0 8Jen Keefe—actor, comedian, storyteller, impro-viser based in new York—was a guest on npR’s game show “Ask me Another” in December: www.npr.org/programs/ask-me-another.

2 0 0 9liza Warshaver emailed, “i moved out to Arizona in september and got a new job working on the new business team for the phoenix suns. i’m now an account executive for membership sales!”

Alumnae hockey players Ellie DeCaprio ’14, Ali McEachern ’14, Alexa Holmes ’14, Nicole Ferrara ’11, Janelle Ferrara ’12, Taylor Cross ’12, and Melissa Maffeo ’14 joined current players and coaches for a January practice.

36 • Riparian • Spring 2015

Alumni Hockey Draws Players and Families

The endless winter and mountains of snow didn’t deter the alumni skaters who turned out for the last game of the season in the MacDowell Arena in late February. After

80 minutes of ferocious play between the even and odd years, the skaters were ready for lunch in Hutton Commons. This year an equally large number of alumni came just to enjoy lunch and skate with their children before hanging up their blades for the season.


Red v. White

Steven Valair ’02 and Chris Valair ’00

Doug Stocklan ’85 and Dave Shemligan ’86 recovering at lunch Jason Medeiros ’01 and daughter Olivia

Alaina Cotillo, Kelsey Young ’12, Emily Snider ’12

student News

Richard A. Bradley, former headmaster, march 25, 2015

Arnold e. ‘hack’ Noyes ’54, september 4, 2014

Wayne B. Branch ’59, December 29, 2014

Richard c. Foster, former language teacher, october 25, 2014

Melvin J. Gordon ’37, January 21, 2015

Robert J. star ’81, January 12, 2015

John B. Williams ’51, January 27, 2015

in Memoriam2 0 1 0Relying on information received in an email mes-sage sent to the Alumni office, Rivers published in the Alumni news section of the fall 2014 edi-tion of the Riparian that an alumnus in the class of 2010 was expecting the birth of a child. Rivers subsequently learned that the information re-ported to Rivers through the email message was false. We immediately removed the posting from the electronic online version of the Riparian. A former fellow Rivers classmate admitted to sub-mitting the email message on-line to Rivers con-taining the false information. Rivers is formally retracting the false information reported in the fall 2014 edition of the Riparian. Rivers sincerely apologizes to the alumnus and her family for publishing this false information. We have also since implemented additional policies and pro-cedures in an effort to guard against similar situ-ations in the future. We reiterate the importance of proper and appropriate communications within the entire Rivers community.

WHERE DO YOU WANTTO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

THINK GREEN! Register for Rivers’ Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid on May 4.

QUEsTIONs? Contact Meg Speranza at 339-686-2246 or [email protected].

2 0 1 2Kelsey Young, a junior at vanderbilt, spent a semester in spain: “i enjoyed a couple of ‘Rivers reunions’ while studying abroad in madrid. Alaina cotillo was my middle school spanish teacher at Rivers!”

steph Merinoff wrote, “This spring, an article of mine will be published in West point university’s Annual Undergraduate Historical Journal. i wrote the article on the role of the Russian orthodox church in the February Revolution of 1917. Rivers’ history teacher, ms. enright, informs me that i am the first Rivers student she knows of to be published in european history!”

Rivers welcomes class notes from alumni about their jobs, travels, weddings, and births, but does not print information about engagements and pregnancies. Rivers assumes submissions come from the alumni claiming responsibility for them and that they accu-rately communicate personal news.

36 • Riparian • Spring 2015

Jason Medeiros ’01 and daughter Olivia


Every gift to the Annual Fund impacts the Rivers experience. CHOOSE an area you would like to support. Or make an unrestricted gift and it will fund Rivers’ highest priorities. Tuition covers only 80% of the day-to-day costs of running the school. Rivers counts on your gift to the Annual Fund to make up this difference. Our goal for 2014–2015 is $1,800,000.

To make a gift to the 2014–2015 Annual Fund, go online to www.rivers.org/giveonline or mail your check or credit card information to:

Advancement Office, The Rivers school, 333 Winter street, Weston, MA 02493

WHERE DO YOU WANTTO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

IN THE ClAssROOM ON THE FIElDs

IN THE ARTs EvERYWHERE

THINK GREEN! Register for Rivers’ Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid on May 4.

QUEsTIONs? Contact Meg Speranza at 339-686-2246 or [email protected].

The RiveRs school333 Winter streetWeston, MA 02493-1040

Address Service Requested

Rivers admits academically qualified students of any race, religion, sex, disability, or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally available to its students. Rivers does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, color, ethnic, or national origin in our admissions policies, educational policies, financial aid and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

Please notify us if your phone number, mailing address, or email address changes so that Rivers can stay in touch with you and your family. Contact Lydia Gibson at 339-686-2239 or [email protected].

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDBoston MA

Permit No. 10

lunches, Games, Dinner and AwardsRegister at www.rivers.org/page/Alumni-Day.

Questions? Contact Meg Speranza at [email protected].

Documents

The Riparian - April 2015