bc teachers & alums dedicated to a life of …...sprin g 2009 8 bc teachers & alums...
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S P R I N G 2 0 0 9
8 BC TEACHERS & ALUMS DEDICATED TO A LIFE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE 8
T H E Address Service Requested
808 Union StreetBrooklyn, NY 11215www.berkeleycarroll.org
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US POSTAGE PAID
Brooklyn, NY
Permit #1299
Second grade dancers, January 2009
CONTENTS
1Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
F A L L 2 0 0 8
MYWORDAn introduction to thisissue from the editor
HEADLINESInsights from the Head of School
CONNECTIONSNews and views frominside and outside thehalls of Berkeley Carroll
CLASSNOTESProfiles, reviews, andpersonal alumni updates
INPASSINGDeaths in the Berkeley Carroll family
<
2
3
30
35
Sarah Margon ’94Foreign Policy Advisor keeping an eye on conflicts worldwide.
Lisa Nachamie ’78 & The Lisa Nachamie AwardBerkeley Carroll proudly presents this annual community service award, named to honor a selfless alum.
Anne Devine ’01Beyond an American: person of the world.
Janet Ghattas ’59The search for her passion led her to Senegal.
Lily Nathan ’04Teaches for America.
“Teaching Debate in Syria” by James Shapiro
Berkeley Carroll's speech and debate coach shared his talents and skills with students half way around the world.
T H E
10
14
16
20
24
26
1610 20 26Board of TrusteesBarbara GrossmanPresidentLydia DenworthExecutive Vice PresidentChris Bockelmann NorrisVice PresidentJamie BowenVice PresidentDominick GuarnaVice PresidentPaul MourningTreasurerStephanie HolmesSecretaryRobert D. VitaloHead of School, ex-officio member
MembersMark Cheffo
Lisa Craig
Mark Friedman
Martin GoldinGrant HanessianColin HarrisonShirley HeddenMartha HirstMitchell KingDavid KochmanCynthia SachsChristina ShaneMarcia Skyers-JamesCatherine Witherwax ’94Scott Brewster ’90, Alumni Council Co-President, ex-officio memberDawn Ericsson-Provine ’88,Alumni Council Co-President,ex-officio memberCandace Carponter, PA President, ex-officio member
The Berkeley Carroll School Magazineis published by the CommunicationsDepartment for parents, alumni,grandparents, faculty, and friends of theschool. The views expressed in thispublication are solely those of theauthors.
EditorJodie Corngold
Publication DesignStudio Lane, Inc.
PrintingLiverpool Litho
Email: [email protected]: www.berkeleycarroll.orgTelephone: 718-789-6060
his issue of the Magazine focuses on members of the Berkeley Carrollcommunity who have dedicated themselves to a life of serving others.Clearly, there’s no one answer to explain why someone might choosepublic service. The “dot org” life beckons for a variety of reasons—
probably every person who follows that path could point to a differentdriving force. That said, a few of the reasons might include those of:
Lily Nathan ’04, who says on page 24, “It feels really nice to know you’redoing something good.”
Jim Shapiro, Berkeley Carroll teacher, whose work with debate studentsin Syria (page 26) was motivated by the “…the pursuit of truth. Whendiffering opinions clash (what emerges) is the seedbed of real community.”
Lisa Nachamie ’78 (page 14). Although she lost the fight against her owndevastating kidney disease, she dedicated her life and professional career tohelping sick children cope with their diseases and hospitalizations.
As you’ll see, although each of the teachers and alumnihighlighted in this issue is spurred on by individualmotivation, each story shares the threads of commonality.Sarah Margon ’94 (page 10) calls it the motivation tobring about positive global change. Janet Ghattas ’59(page 20) took her inspiration from John F. Kennedy’sinculcation to “make the greatest possible difference.”Anne Devine ’01 (page 16) is driven by the work itself.
As a school, the emphasis we place on communityservice is built right into our mission statement which says, in part, that weprepare our students for success in college and for the greater endeavor—a life of critical, ethical, and global thinking.
I hope you enjoy reading about the global thinkers we’ve highlighted inthese pages.
Enjoy the issue.
Jodie [email protected]
myword))
Jodie Corngold
T
Cover photo of Syria by James Shapiro
CONTENTS
1Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
F A L L 2 0 0 8
MYWORDAn introduction to thisissue from the editor
HEADLINESInsights from the Head of School
CONNECTIONSNews and views frominside and outside thehalls of Berkeley Carroll
CLASSNOTESProfiles, reviews, andpersonal alumni updates
INPASSINGDeaths in the Berkeley Carroll family
<
2
3
30
35
Sarah Margon ’94Foreign Policy Advisor keeping an eye on conflicts worldwide.
Lisa Nachamie ’78 & The Lisa Nachamie AwardBerkeley Carroll proudly presents this annual community service award, named to honor a selfless alum.
Anne Devine ’01Beyond an American: person of the world.
Janet Ghattas ’59The search for her passion led her to Senegal.
Lily Nathan ’04Teaches for America.
“Teaching Debate in Syria” by James Shapiro
Berkeley Carroll's speech and debate coach shared his talents and skills with students half way around the world.
T H E
10
14
16
20
24
26
1610 20 26Board of TrusteesBarbara GrossmanPresidentLydia DenworthExecutive Vice PresidentChris Bockelmann NorrisVice PresidentJamie BowenVice PresidentDominick GuarnaVice PresidentPaul MourningTreasurerStephanie HolmesSecretaryRobert D. VitaloHead of School, ex-officio member
MembersMark Cheffo
Lisa Craig
Mark Friedman
Martin GoldinGrant HanessianColin HarrisonShirley HeddenMartha HirstMitchell KingDavid KochmanCynthia SachsChristina ShaneMarcia Skyers-JamesCatherine Witherwax ’94Scott Brewster ’90, Alumni Council Co-President, ex-officio memberDawn Ericsson-Provine ’88,Alumni Council Co-President,ex-officio memberCandace Carponter, PA President, ex-officio member
The Berkeley Carroll School Magazineis published by the CommunicationsDepartment for parents, alumni,grandparents, faculty, and friends of theschool. The views expressed in thispublication are solely those of theauthors.
EditorJodie Corngold
Publication DesignStudio Lane, Inc.
PrintingLiverpool Litho
Email: [email protected]: www.berkeleycarroll.orgTelephone: 718-789-6060
his issue of the Magazine focuses on members of the Berkeley Carrollcommunity who have dedicated themselves to a life of serving others.Clearly, there’s no one answer to explain why someone might choosepublic service. The “dot org” life beckons for a variety of reasons—
probably every person who follows that path could point to a differentdriving force. That said, a few of the reasons might include those of:
Lily Nathan ’04, who says on page 24, “It feels really nice to know you’redoing something good.”
Jim Shapiro, Berkeley Carroll teacher, whose work with debate studentsin Syria (page 26) was motivated by the “…the pursuit of truth. Whendiffering opinions clash (what emerges) is the seedbed of real community.”
Lisa Nachamie ’78 (page 14). Although she lost the fight against her owndevastating kidney disease, she dedicated her life and professional career tohelping sick children cope with their diseases and hospitalizations.
As you’ll see, although each of the teachers and alumnihighlighted in this issue is spurred on by individualmotivation, each story shares the threads of commonality.Sarah Margon ’94 (page 10) calls it the motivation tobring about positive global change. Janet Ghattas ’59(page 20) took her inspiration from John F. Kennedy’sinculcation to “make the greatest possible difference.”Anne Devine ’01 (page 16) is driven by the work itself.
As a school, the emphasis we place on communityservice is built right into our mission statement which says, in part, that weprepare our students for success in college and for the greater endeavor—a life of critical, ethical, and global thinking.
I hope you enjoy reading about the global thinkers we’ve highlighted inthese pages.
Enjoy the issue.
Jodie [email protected]
myword))
Jodie Corngold
T
Cover photo of Syria by James Shapiro
connections))3 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
uring the first week ofAugust, Berkeley CarrollChoral Director Matthew
Brady traveled to the ancientwalled town of Sarteano, Italy inTuscany to participate in theeight-day Sarteano ChamberChoral Festival. Matthew wasone of just ten conductors cho-sen from an international fieldof applicants to study, perform,teach, and sing at the Festivalled by Simon Carrington, inter-nationally acclaimed choralteacher, conductor, and artistand currently Professor of
Music at Yale University.Each conductor participated on
both sides of the podium, in turnconducting a 24-voice chamberchorus that included all the otherconductors. “The learning was con-stant,” said Matthew, explaining thatthe group rehearsed eight hourseach day, presenting continualopportunities to gain skills andinsights into both conducting andsinging. “Not only did we rehearseall day, but the sheer volume ofmusic was incredible. It was an
amazingly intense and wonderfulartistic experience. I came homewith so many ideas and inspira-tions for our choirs here atBerkeley Carroll.”
All of the music was a cappella,or unaccompanied. Singers weresometimes singing in 12 or even 16-voice harmony. Matthew took theplace of honor in the workshop’sfinal concert, conducting “All Ships,All Seas,” a contemporary setting ofthe Walt Whitman poem, as thefinale in a standing-room-only per-formance that also concluded a sum-mer-long concert festival.
headlines))2 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
his year the faculty has beenengaged in looking at ourprogram and how we attendto issues of gender, how the
school integrates technology intoinstruction and how we utilize exter-nal resources, meaning the worldbeyond our four walls. These discus-sions have led us to examine our pres-ent practices and ask—what skills willour students need in the 21st century?
Meetings have been focused aroundthe work presented in a provocativenew book, The Global AchievementGap written by Tony Wagner, EdD,Co-Director of the Change LeadershipGroup at the Harvard Graduate Schoolof Education. Wagner sees today’steens needing seven survival skills.
They are:• Critical Thinking and Problem
Solving• Collaboration Across Networks
and Leading by Influence• Agility and Adaptability• Initiative and Entrepreneurialism• Effective Oral and Written
Communication• Accessing and Analyzing
Information• Curiosity and Imagination
The good news is that these skillsare already a part of the BerkeleyCarroll experience. Starting at ourbeginning grades, we encourage ourstudents to ask critical questions andnot accept pat answers. The goal is foreach student to develop his or herown voice and have the confidence touse it. Group work is assigned inclassrooms and labs and we have spe-cific programs in place in each divi-sion to grow leaders. Our writing pro-gram is second to none and has beenrecognized with many national
DEAR FRIENDS,
... it is no wonderthat BCS producedthe people you willread about in thismagazine. Here areexamples ofindividuals who havetaken stock of theirtalents and arecommitted to makinga difference in theworld.
‘‘
’’
BOB VITALO
awards. The emphasis we place atBerkeley Carroll on being an activeparticipant in a program that stressesthe core subjects of language, math,history and science and that has astrong emphasis on the arts and ath-letics, promotes an intellectual agilityand a spiritual adaptability that areessential in today’s world.
When I speak to parents at ouradmission receptions I always makethe point that BCS is the school thatprepares its students for the future.Students will graduate being commu-nicators, passionate about their inter-ests and aware that they can have animpact on the world.
Given all of the above, it is nowonder that BCS produced the peopleyou will read about in this magazine.Here are examples of individuals whohave taken stock of their talents andare committed to making a differencein the world.
Tony Wagner concludes his book by writing:
The rigor that matters most for the
twenty-first century is demonstrated mas-
tery of the core competencies for work,
citizenship, and life-long learning.
Studying academic content is the means
of developing competencies, instead of
being the goal, as it has been traditional-
ly. In today’s world, it’s no longer how
much you know that matters; it’s what
you can do with what you know.
Berkeley Carroll will continue toserve its students by helping them tolook beyond themselves and see theimportant role they will all play in thefuture.
Sincerely,Robert D. VitaloHead of School <
T
Choral Director Matthew Brady
MATTHEW BRADYPERFORMED IN ITALY
Choral Director
D
connections))3 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
uring the first week ofAugust, Berkeley CarrollChoral Director Matthew
Brady traveled to the ancientwalled town of Sarteano, Italy inTuscany to participate in theeight-day Sarteano ChamberChoral Festival. Matthew wasone of just ten conductors cho-sen from an international fieldof applicants to study, perform,teach, and sing at the Festivalled by Simon Carrington, inter-nationally acclaimed choralteacher, conductor, and artistand currently Professor of
Music at Yale University.Each conductor participated on
both sides of the podium, in turnconducting a 24-voice chamberchorus that included all the otherconductors. “The learning was con-stant,” said Matthew, explaining thatthe group rehearsed eight hourseach day, presenting continualopportunities to gain skills andinsights into both conducting andsinging. “Not only did we rehearseall day, but the sheer volume ofmusic was incredible. It was an
amazingly intense and wonderfulartistic experience. I came homewith so many ideas and inspira-tions for our choirs here atBerkeley Carroll.”
All of the music was a cappella,or unaccompanied. Singers weresometimes singing in 12 or even 16-voice harmony. Matthew took theplace of honor in the workshop’sfinal concert, conducting “All Ships,All Seas,” a contemporary setting ofthe Walt Whitman poem, as thefinale in a standing-room-only per-formance that also concluded a sum-mer-long concert festival.
headlines))2 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
his year the faculty has beenengaged in looking at ourprogram and how we attendto issues of gender, how the
school integrates technology intoinstruction and how we utilize exter-nal resources, meaning the worldbeyond our four walls. These discus-sions have led us to examine our pres-ent practices and ask—what skills willour students need in the 21st century?
Meetings have been focused aroundthe work presented in a provocativenew book, The Global AchievementGap written by Tony Wagner, EdD,Co-Director of the Change LeadershipGroup at the Harvard Graduate Schoolof Education. Wagner sees today’steens needing seven survival skills.
They are:• Critical Thinking and Problem
Solving• Collaboration Across Networks
and Leading by Influence• Agility and Adaptability• Initiative and Entrepreneurialism• Effective Oral and Written
Communication• Accessing and Analyzing
Information• Curiosity and Imagination
The good news is that these skillsare already a part of the BerkeleyCarroll experience. Starting at ourbeginning grades, we encourage ourstudents to ask critical questions andnot accept pat answers. The goal is foreach student to develop his or herown voice and have the confidence touse it. Group work is assigned inclassrooms and labs and we have spe-cific programs in place in each divi-sion to grow leaders. Our writing pro-gram is second to none and has beenrecognized with many national
DEAR FRIENDS,
... it is no wonderthat BCS producedthe people you willread about in thismagazine. Here areexamples ofindividuals who havetaken stock of theirtalents and arecommitted to makinga difference in theworld.
‘‘
’’
BOB VITALO
awards. The emphasis we place atBerkeley Carroll on being an activeparticipant in a program that stressesthe core subjects of language, math,history and science and that has astrong emphasis on the arts and ath-letics, promotes an intellectual agilityand a spiritual adaptability that areessential in today’s world.
When I speak to parents at ouradmission receptions I always makethe point that BCS is the school thatprepares its students for the future.Students will graduate being commu-nicators, passionate about their inter-ests and aware that they can have animpact on the world.
Given all of the above, it is nowonder that BCS produced the peopleyou will read about in this magazine.Here are examples of individuals whohave taken stock of their talents andare committed to making a differencein the world.
Tony Wagner concludes his book by writing:
The rigor that matters most for the
twenty-first century is demonstrated mas-
tery of the core competencies for work,
citizenship, and life-long learning.
Studying academic content is the means
of developing competencies, instead of
being the goal, as it has been traditional-
ly. In today’s world, it’s no longer how
much you know that matters; it’s what
you can do with what you know.
Berkeley Carroll will continue toserve its students by helping them tolook beyond themselves and see theimportant role they will all play in thefuture.
Sincerely,Robert D. VitaloHead of School <
T
Choral Director Matthew Brady
MATTHEW BRADYPERFORMED IN ITALY
Choral Director
D
Three members of the Class of 2009 earned the distinction of beingcalled National Merit Semifinalists: Rebecca Ballhaus, Emily Graham,and Deborah Shapiro.
The designation of National Merit Semifinalist is based on PSATscores. This is the largest number of Berkeley Carroll students fromone class to have earned this distinction in several years. It is also, bypercentage, larger than the number from the otherBrooklyn independent schools.
NATIONAL MERITS E M I F I N A L I S T S
of a public speaking curriculum thatbegins in 5th grade and which wehope never fully ends. In fact, it’s asafe bet that when Berkeley Carrollalum arrive at college, most can jumpinto class discussions with ease andconfidence.
Just as the confidence to speak upin a college seminar doesn’t simplyhappen, we recognize that publicspeaking doesn’t simply happen,either. While opportunities for publicperformance have always abounded atBCS—in class and school plays, musi-cal performances, and Jim Shapiro’sspeech and debate squads—those tendto feature the self-selected, the natural-ly inclined. Our goal with publicspeaking is for every one of our stu-dents to become capable of addressinga large group—not while speakingsomeone else’s words, as daunting asthat may be—but while setting forththeir own ideas, weaving thought intocoherently expressed speech.
It begins in 5th grade in Englishand History class. The EgyptianTomb—during which a classroom istransformed into an authentic tombjammed with ancient treasure—trans-forms a slew of reticent 5th gradersinto articulate docents who speak withauthority and eloquence on the Tomb’sartifacts as they escort adults on ten-minute-long tours. Later that year, thesame kids will stand before their class-mates and argue on the superiority ofeither Athens or Sparta, learning tosupport their opinions with persuasiveevidence, to anticipate opponents’arguments in order to defeat them,and to use body language thatstrengthens rather than detracts fromwhat they have to say. And, oh, yeah,avoiding filler language like “like” and“you know”—that’s good, too.
Sixth graders embrace the impor-tance of free speech and open debateduring two weeks devoted to parlia-mentary debate, the same format used
5Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
It’s a commonplace that fear of publicspeaking ranks right up there with thefear of death. And why not? In evolu-tionary terms, public speaking has lit-tle going for it. Singled-out, you standbefore a possibly hostile group withonly the partial shield of podium andmicrophone to protect you. No won-der the adrenaline surges, the pulseraces, the mouth goes dry as yousweat profusely. Who would put her-self in such a position? It’s the preciseposition that the Middle SchoolEnglish Department has designated forall of its 8th graders—the culmination
in the Middle and Upper Schooldebate electives, when they wranglewith topics such as “the voting ageshould be lowered to 16” and “boxingshould be banned.” Students learn totest their own beliefs by articulatingopposing arguments, to understandthat those who disagree with themmight not simply be “stupid andwrong,” and—perhaps most impor-tantly—to realize that argument doesnot have to be unfriendly. At the startof the debate unit, students under-mine their own arguments, afraid tohurt their opponents’ feelings. By theend, they’ve learned to take pleasurein the clash of ideas, recognizing thatthe ideas have expanded rather thandiminished as a result of the exchange.
The trajectory continues in 7thgrade when students argue FirstAmendment issues as part of theConstitution Works program.
Which leads us back to the 8thgrade. Middle School director JimShapiro had long envisioned a new setof skills for all 8th graders: when theydepart for upper school they would beequipped to stand and deliver theirown clearly expressed ideas. Per Jim,“Ultimately, all speech is persuasivespeech, appealing to reason and emo-tion. You have to persuade the audi-ence that you have something to sayworth listening to.”
The timing—autumn 2008—couldnot have been better. Years ago, orato-
ry and rhetoric seemed like termsextracted from a lost art. The presi-dential campaign gave those terms anew sense of urgency and immediacy.Was Barack Obama “all hat and nocattle”—a man who could give a goodspeech but deliver little else—or wasoratory an essential feature of a gen-uine leader? When was a speech rous-ing and when was it “rabble-rousing”?And in a digital age threatening toundermine so many other narrativeforms, YouTube ensured that an effec-
tive speech was anything but irrele-vant. Thanks to the digital projectorsin their classrooms, students were ableto analyze what makes a powerfulspeech as they watched the presiden-tial candidates as well as exemplarystudent speeches from across thecountry. Each of the four 8th gradeclasses voted on the two best speechesin the class. Those speakers went onto deliver their speeches in thePerformance Space to the entire gradeand many faculty members, expound-ing on such topics as the hazards ofrolling backpacks, the Holocaust, andeducation in Brazil.
When all the 8th graders stand inthe Athletic Center for their closingceremonies in June 2009, they willhave absorbed a slew of perspectivalshifts over the previous four years,becoming exposed to ideas and waysof looking at the world that by defini-tion have changed and expandedthem. At a time when all teachers arefuturists—projecting visions of whatour students will need to knowdecades from now—we are sure ofone thing. We will need all the confi-dent, thoughtful, persuasive speakerswe can get. When we imagine thefuture, we see our students preparedto participate: young adults withsteady, sure voices, fired up and readyto go.
connections))4 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
FALLTHEATER EVENTSThe Upper School, under the directionof Marlene Clary, put on threeabsolutely hilarious performances ofYou Can’t Take It With You by Moss Hartand George S. Kaufman. The play wonthe Pulitzer for Drama in 1937. Thefabulous set was designed by Jim Kent.
The Middle School presented theworld premier of Seedfolks, arrangedand directed by Carolyn Giles with setdesign by Jim Kent.
Thinking Outloud:PUBLICSPEAKINGin the Middle SchoolB Y J E N N I F E R C R I C H T O NMiddle School English Chair
Emily Graham, Deborah Shapiro, Rebecca Ballhaus
(right) Emma Goldberg Liu, playing the role ofPenny Sycamore, in the Upper School production of You Can't Take it With You.(far right, l to r) Lena Mandell, Amanda Gutierrez,and Elena Moore, in the Seedfolks garden.
“Students learn to test their ownbeliefs by articulatingopposing arguments,to undertand thatthose who disagreewith them might not simply be ‘stupid and wrong’.”
Three members of the Class of 2009 earned the distinction of beingcalled National Merit Semifinalists: Rebecca Ballhaus, Emily Graham,and Deborah Shapiro.
The designation of National Merit Semifinalist is based on PSATscores. This is the largest number of Berkeley Carroll students fromone class to have earned this distinction in several years. It is also, bypercentage, larger than the number from the otherBrooklyn independent schools.
NATIONAL MERITS E M I F I N A L I S T S
of a public speaking curriculum thatbegins in 5th grade and which wehope never fully ends. In fact, it’s asafe bet that when Berkeley Carrollalum arrive at college, most can jumpinto class discussions with ease andconfidence.
Just as the confidence to speak upin a college seminar doesn’t simplyhappen, we recognize that publicspeaking doesn’t simply happen,either. While opportunities for publicperformance have always abounded atBCS—in class and school plays, musi-cal performances, and Jim Shapiro’sspeech and debate squads—those tendto feature the self-selected, the natural-ly inclined. Our goal with publicspeaking is for every one of our stu-dents to become capable of addressinga large group—not while speakingsomeone else’s words, as daunting asthat may be—but while setting forththeir own ideas, weaving thought intocoherently expressed speech.
It begins in 5th grade in Englishand History class. The EgyptianTomb—during which a classroom istransformed into an authentic tombjammed with ancient treasure—trans-forms a slew of reticent 5th gradersinto articulate docents who speak withauthority and eloquence on the Tomb’sartifacts as they escort adults on ten-minute-long tours. Later that year, thesame kids will stand before their class-mates and argue on the superiority ofeither Athens or Sparta, learning tosupport their opinions with persuasiveevidence, to anticipate opponents’arguments in order to defeat them,and to use body language thatstrengthens rather than detracts fromwhat they have to say. And, oh, yeah,avoiding filler language like “like” and“you know”—that’s good, too.
Sixth graders embrace the impor-tance of free speech and open debateduring two weeks devoted to parlia-mentary debate, the same format used
5Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
It’s a commonplace that fear of publicspeaking ranks right up there with thefear of death. And why not? In evolu-tionary terms, public speaking has lit-tle going for it. Singled-out, you standbefore a possibly hostile group withonly the partial shield of podium andmicrophone to protect you. No won-der the adrenaline surges, the pulseraces, the mouth goes dry as yousweat profusely. Who would put her-self in such a position? It’s the preciseposition that the Middle SchoolEnglish Department has designated forall of its 8th graders—the culmination
in the Middle and Upper Schooldebate electives, when they wranglewith topics such as “the voting ageshould be lowered to 16” and “boxingshould be banned.” Students learn totest their own beliefs by articulatingopposing arguments, to understandthat those who disagree with themmight not simply be “stupid andwrong,” and—perhaps most impor-tantly—to realize that argument doesnot have to be unfriendly. At the startof the debate unit, students under-mine their own arguments, afraid tohurt their opponents’ feelings. By theend, they’ve learned to take pleasurein the clash of ideas, recognizing thatthe ideas have expanded rather thandiminished as a result of the exchange.
The trajectory continues in 7thgrade when students argue FirstAmendment issues as part of theConstitution Works program.
Which leads us back to the 8thgrade. Middle School director JimShapiro had long envisioned a new setof skills for all 8th graders: when theydepart for upper school they would beequipped to stand and deliver theirown clearly expressed ideas. Per Jim,“Ultimately, all speech is persuasivespeech, appealing to reason and emo-tion. You have to persuade the audi-ence that you have something to sayworth listening to.”
The timing—autumn 2008—couldnot have been better. Years ago, orato-
ry and rhetoric seemed like termsextracted from a lost art. The presi-dential campaign gave those terms anew sense of urgency and immediacy.Was Barack Obama “all hat and nocattle”—a man who could give a goodspeech but deliver little else—or wasoratory an essential feature of a gen-uine leader? When was a speech rous-ing and when was it “rabble-rousing”?And in a digital age threatening toundermine so many other narrativeforms, YouTube ensured that an effec-
tive speech was anything but irrele-vant. Thanks to the digital projectorsin their classrooms, students were ableto analyze what makes a powerfulspeech as they watched the presiden-tial candidates as well as exemplarystudent speeches from across thecountry. Each of the four 8th gradeclasses voted on the two best speechesin the class. Those speakers went onto deliver their speeches in thePerformance Space to the entire gradeand many faculty members, expound-ing on such topics as the hazards ofrolling backpacks, the Holocaust, andeducation in Brazil.
When all the 8th graders stand inthe Athletic Center for their closingceremonies in June 2009, they willhave absorbed a slew of perspectivalshifts over the previous four years,becoming exposed to ideas and waysof looking at the world that by defini-tion have changed and expandedthem. At a time when all teachers arefuturists—projecting visions of whatour students will need to knowdecades from now—we are sure ofone thing. We will need all the confi-dent, thoughtful, persuasive speakerswe can get. When we imagine thefuture, we see our students preparedto participate: young adults withsteady, sure voices, fired up and readyto go.
connections))4 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
FALLTHEATER EVENTSThe Upper School, under the directionof Marlene Clary, put on threeabsolutely hilarious performances ofYou Can’t Take It With You by Moss Hartand George S. Kaufman. The play wonthe Pulitzer for Drama in 1937. Thefabulous set was designed by Jim Kent.
The Middle School presented theworld premier of Seedfolks, arrangedand directed by Carolyn Giles with setdesign by Jim Kent.
Thinking Outloud:PUBLICSPEAKINGin the Middle SchoolB Y J E N N I F E R C R I C H T O NMiddle School English Chair
Emily Graham, Deborah Shapiro, Rebecca Ballhaus
(right) Emma Goldberg Liu, playing the role ofPenny Sycamore, in the Upper School production of You Can't Take it With You.(far right, l to r) Lena Mandell, Amanda Gutierrez,and Elena Moore, in the Seedfolks garden.
“Students learn to test their ownbeliefs by articulatingopposing arguments,to undertand thatthose who disagreewith them might not simply be ‘stupid and wrong’.”
connections))6 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009 7Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
1. (l tor) Lenora Brennan, Barbara Birch Smyth ’48, George Smyth, Marion Tuttle Thomas ’48, Patricia Root Fouquet ’48, Ann Coffeen Turner ’48
2. (l tor) Daniel Isquith ’98, Adrian Bacolo ’98, Sudan Martin ’98
3. (seated, l tor) Colin Provine, Dawn Ericsson-Provine ’88, Simone McIntosh ’88. (standing, l tor) Bongsoon Zubay, Jeanine Walton ’88
4. Zoë Klein ’97 and her partner, Dave Paris
Reunite with classmates and friends, see
your school once again, and, above all,
have a great time! All classes are wel-
come. Free babysitting will be available.
Contact Holly Kempner for more
information and to reserve a space:
(718) 534-6583 or
14th Annual Young AlumniNightn November 26, 2008
Over 75 alums from the classes of 1989-2005came to Union Hall in Park Slope for our annualThanksgiving eve party. Courtney Mocio ’03 wasthe winner of our raffle and took home a $50 giftcertificate from Barnes and Noble.
1. (standing, l tor) Daniel Halper ’08, Peter Drinan ’07, Zoe Klein ’08, Reed Morgan ’05, Toby Gingold ’07, Shahna-Lee James ’05. Kneeling (l tor) Jeremy Kochman NG ’12, Giancarlo Hirsch ’09, Jason Lewis ’08
2. (l tor) Jon Stewart, Reed Morgan, Toby Gingold
SummertimeBasketballn July 2008
1
REUNION 2008
2
1. (l tor) Alex LaRosa ’04, Sheryl Comet ’04
2. (l tor) Julianne Coates ’01, Deidre Moskowitz ’01, Deanna Torres ’01, Athalie Laguerre ’01
3. (l tor) Carla Poulos ’01, Nick Ford ’01, Sarah Murphy ’01
4. (l tor) Daniel Isquith ’98, Albert Reyes ’99, Adrian Bacolo ’98, James Bruffee ’99, Brian Ezra ’99
SAVE theDATE
Reunion April 17-18, 2009
1 3
4
2
1 2
3
4
Every Tuesday night during July a group ofalumni and current students gathered at theAthletic Center for a fast and competitivegame of pick-up basketball. Men andwomen joined in, and on the last night over25 people were in attendance. Looking foreven more of a challenge, Reed Morgan ’05,who is a guard on the Tufts University varsi-ty basketball team, and Toby Gingold ’07worked out and shot hoops for hours eachday with Jon Stewart, a personal trainer atthe Athletic Center.
connections))6 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009 7Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
1. (l tor) Lenora Brennan, Barbara Birch Smyth ’48, George Smyth, Marion Tuttle Thomas ’48, Patricia Root Fouquet ’48, Ann Coffeen Turner ’48
2. (l tor) Daniel Isquith ’98, Adrian Bacolo ’98, Sudan Martin ’98
3. (seated, l tor) Colin Provine, Dawn Ericsson-Provine ’88, Simone McIntosh ’88. (standing, l tor) Bongsoon Zubay, Jeanine Walton ’88
4. Zoë Klein ’97 and her partner, Dave Paris
Reunite with classmates and friends, see
your school once again, and, above all,
have a great time! All classes are wel-
come. Free babysitting will be available.
Contact Holly Kempner for more
information and to reserve a space:
(718) 534-6583 or
14th Annual Young AlumniNightn November 26, 2008
Over 75 alums from the classes of 1989-2005came to Union Hall in Park Slope for our annualThanksgiving eve party. Courtney Mocio ’03 wasthe winner of our raffle and took home a $50 giftcertificate from Barnes and Noble.
1. (standing, l tor) Daniel Halper ’08, Peter Drinan ’07, Zoe Klein ’08, Reed Morgan ’05, Toby Gingold ’07, Shahna-Lee James ’05. Kneeling (l tor) Jeremy Kochman NG ’12, Giancarlo Hirsch ’09, Jason Lewis ’08
2. (l tor) Jon Stewart, Reed Morgan, Toby Gingold
SummertimeBasketballn July 2008
1
REUNION 2008
2
1. (l tor) Alex LaRosa ’04, Sheryl Comet ’04
2. (l tor) Julianne Coates ’01, Deidre Moskowitz ’01, Deanna Torres ’01, Athalie Laguerre ’01
3. (l tor) Carla Poulos ’01, Nick Ford ’01, Sarah Murphy ’01
4. (l tor) Daniel Isquith ’98, Albert Reyes ’99, Adrian Bacolo ’98, James Bruffee ’99, Brian Ezra ’99
SAVE theDATE
Reunion April 17-18, 2009
1 3
4
2
1 2
3
4
Every Tuesday night during July a group ofalumni and current students gathered at theAthletic Center for a fast and competitivegame of pick-up basketball. Men andwomen joined in, and on the last night over25 people were in attendance. Looking foreven more of a challenge, Reed Morgan ’05,who is a guard on the Tufts University varsi-ty basketball team, and Toby Gingold ’07worked out and shot hoops for hours eachday with Jon Stewart, a personal trainer atthe Athletic Center.
They suffered a big blow when leagueMVP Zimmerman partially tore herACL during the St. Ann’s game, put-ting her out for the rest of the year.The girls finished up the regular sea-son with an outstanding record of 14wins, zero losses, and one tie. The tiecame to Staten Island Academy, whichalso finished the year with 14 wins,zero losses, and one tie, resulting in ajoint regular season championship.
In the playoffs, they knocked offPortledge 1-0 in overtime on a bril-liant cross from Safter to junior KatieRosman. During the battle of the twomonsters, Berkeley Carroll and StatenIsland Academy, Berkeley Carroll
jumped out to a quick lead. Thiswas quickly erased on a goal
by SIA, which later tookthe lead to make it 2-1.The Lady Lions couldnot find another way toscore, losing 2-1 and didnot repeat as PSAA play-off champions. The sea-son came to a close witha loss to Trinity in thefirst round of the state
tournament 6-3. Withmost of the team coming
back, the Lions will look totake the PSAA championshipright back next season.
The girls weren’t the only
9
team playing their hearts out on thefield. The Boys Varsity Soccer team,led by senior captains GeorgeDesdunes, Ike Naudon, junior captainPaul Bendernagel, and sophomoreDan Schwartz, the team got off to aslow start. With no wins and threelosses, the team was losing confidence.This changed according to Desduneswhen they achieved “(their) biggestwin against Brooklyn Friends thatreversed the negative momentum.”The boys then tied Friends Seminaryand lost a tight game to Dwight. Laterin the year, the Lions clinched theirfirst playoff berth in four years.
With three wins, eight losses, andtwo ties, the boys came in as theunderdogs. In the semi-finals, theylost a hard fought game to SIA. 4-2,which meant the end of the season.Even with the losses of seniorsDesdunes, Naudon, Giancarlo Hirsch,and Phil Seay, next year the team islooking to take the momentum a play-off berth gave them and turn it intoeven more for next season.
Fall was one of the most impressiveseasons BC has witnessed in sometime. There is only one way to sum upthis season, and senior captain of theGirls Varsity Soccer team, Elsie Vieirasaid it best, “This was the best seasonof our lives.” <
connections))8
FallSports Seasonin a Nutshell
t was a hot, summer day in lateAugust 2008. Up and down thefields they went, sprinting throughcones, running laps; the Boys andGirls Varsity Soccer teams were
going to work preparing for theirrespective seasons. Diving on thehardwood floors of a gym, sweat run-ning down their cheeks, the GirlsVarsity Volleyball team got ready forthe upcoming season. What made thefall season special is that the playersgave up precious free time over thesummer to join their teams the lastfew weeks of August to work hard. “Ithink it was great that we all went outover the summer and played together.It really brought the team closer,” saidfreshman Gilda Gross, a member ofthe Girls Soccer team.
The work put in over the summerled to success for the Lions. The GirlsVarsity Volleyball team, led by seniorcaptain Vanessa Carvajal, and juniorcaptain Valerie Shafran, started offblistering hot with three straight winsagainst Trevor Day, Dwight, and
FriendsSeminary. Thegirls hit aspeed bump,however, asthey lost theirnext fourmatches. “Wewent through a
rough patch, but we were confidantwe could straighten it out and wedid,” said sophomore Danielle Regis.And boy, turn it around they did. Thegirls won their next eight matches, allagainst teams in their league, withhuge wins over Packer, St. Ann’s, andStaten Island Academy. The girls fin-ished up the regular season at a verygood 14-6, undefeated in their league,and a regular season championship.Going into the playoffs, they were thefavorites. A win over Brooklyn Friendsput them in the finals against UNIS. Inthe finals, however, they were simplyoutplayed and UNIS took home theplayoff championship. The girls’ sea-son ultimately ended in the first roundof the state tournament against heavilyfavored Brearley. With everyone com-ing back but the graduating Carvajal,the team hopes to build on this yearand be even better next season.
As volleyballs were being spiked onthe gym floor, soccer balls were beingkicked on a field. The most suc-cessful fall team over the past fewyears has been the Girls VarsitySoccer team. Led by seniorcaptain Stephanie Boyle, juniorcaptain Hannah Safter, juniorLily Zimmerman, and sopho-more Phoebe Miller, the girlsdazzled everyone with theirphenomenal play through-out the year. The girlswere cruising along withwins over Portledge,Poly Prep, and St. Ann’s.
I
B Y A D A M K O C H M A N ’ 1 2
Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
They suffered a big blow when leagueMVP Zimmerman partially tore herACL during the St. Ann’s game, put-ting her out for the rest of the year.The girls finished up the regular sea-son with an outstanding record of 14wins, zero losses, and one tie. The tiecame to Staten Island Academy, whichalso finished the year with 14 wins,zero losses, and one tie, resulting in ajoint regular season championship.
In the playoffs, they knocked offPortledge 1-0 in overtime on a bril-liant cross from Safter to junior KatieRosman. During the battle of the twomonsters, Berkeley Carroll and StatenIsland Academy, Berkeley Carroll
jumped out to a quick lead. Thiswas quickly erased on a goal
by SIA, which later tookthe lead to make it 2-1.The Lady Lions couldnot find another way toscore, losing 2-1 and didnot repeat as PSAA play-off champions. The sea-son came to a close witha loss to Trinity in thefirst round of the state
tournament 6-3. Withmost of the team coming
back, the Lions will look totake the PSAA championshipright back next season.
The girls weren’t the only
9
team playing their hearts out on thefield. The Boys Varsity Soccer team,led by senior captains GeorgeDesdunes, Ike Naudon, junior captainPaul Bendernagel, and sophomoreDan Schwartz, the team got off to aslow start. With no wins and threelosses, the team was losing confidence.This changed according to Desduneswhen they achieved “(their) biggestwin against Brooklyn Friends thatreversed the negative momentum.”The boys then tied Friends Seminaryand lost a tight game to Dwight. Laterin the year, the Lions clinched theirfirst playoff berth in four years.
With three wins, eight losses, andtwo ties, the boys came in as theunderdogs. In the semi-finals, theylost a hard fought game to SIA. 4-2,which meant the end of the season.Even with the losses of seniorsDesdunes, Naudon, Giancarlo Hirsch,and Phil Seay, next year the team islooking to take the momentum a play-off berth gave them and turn it intoeven more for next season.
Fall was one of the most impressiveseasons BC has witnessed in sometime. There is only one way to sum upthis season, and senior captain of theGirls Varsity Soccer team, Elsie Vieirasaid it best, “This was the best seasonof our lives.” <
connections))8
FallSports Seasonin a Nutshell
t was a hot, summer day in lateAugust 2008. Up and down thefields they went, sprinting throughcones, running laps; the Boys andGirls Varsity Soccer teams were
going to work preparing for theirrespective seasons. Diving on thehardwood floors of a gym, sweat run-ning down their cheeks, the GirlsVarsity Volleyball team got ready forthe upcoming season. What made thefall season special is that the playersgave up precious free time over thesummer to join their teams the lastfew weeks of August to work hard. “Ithink it was great that we all went outover the summer and played together.It really brought the team closer,” saidfreshman Gilda Gross, a member ofthe Girls Soccer team.
The work put in over the summerled to success for the Lions. The GirlsVarsity Volleyball team, led by seniorcaptain Vanessa Carvajal, and juniorcaptain Valerie Shafran, started offblistering hot with three straight winsagainst Trevor Day, Dwight, and
FriendsSeminary. Thegirls hit aspeed bump,however, asthey lost theirnext fourmatches. “Wewent through a
rough patch, but we were confidantwe could straighten it out and wedid,” said sophomore Danielle Regis.And boy, turn it around they did. Thegirls won their next eight matches, allagainst teams in their league, withhuge wins over Packer, St. Ann’s, andStaten Island Academy. The girls fin-ished up the regular season at a verygood 14-6, undefeated in their league,and a regular season championship.Going into the playoffs, they were thefavorites. A win over Brooklyn Friendsput them in the finals against UNIS. Inthe finals, however, they were simplyoutplayed and UNIS took home theplayoff championship. The girls’ sea-son ultimately ended in the first roundof the state tournament against heavilyfavored Brearley. With everyone com-ing back but the graduating Carvajal,the team hopes to build on this yearand be even better next season.
As volleyballs were being spiked onthe gym floor, soccer balls were beingkicked on a field. The most suc-cessful fall team over the past fewyears has been the Girls VarsitySoccer team. Led by seniorcaptain Stephanie Boyle, juniorcaptain Hannah Safter, juniorLily Zimmerman, and sopho-more Phoebe Miller, the girlsdazzled everyone with theirphenomenal play through-out the year. The girlswere cruising along withwins over Portledge,Poly Prep, and St. Ann’s.
I
B Y A D A M K O C H M A N ’ 1 2
Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
s a recipient of Berkeley Carroll’s LisaNachamie Award (see page 15), it is
perhaps no surprise that SarahMargon ’94 has chosen publicservice as a career to focus on.Just as she immersed herself in so
many programs at Berkeley Carroll, so has shebecome deeply engaged in the plights of the peo-ple of Darfur, Pakistan, Iraq, Democratic Republicof the Congo, and other coun-tries in the midst of conflict.Her goal is not only to helpbring lasting stability to thoseliving in such countries, butalso to help make the world asafer and more secure place foreveryone.
During her career atBerkeley Carroll Sarah played asignificant role in the BerkeleyCarroll community: “I tried myhand at everything—the doorswere always open. No one saidI couldn’t join the environmen-tal club and play basketball ordo theater and be on the yearbook staff and writefor The Blotter. We had opportunities to try it all—regardless of whether we were going to be suc-cessful or not—and that early encouragementinstilled an adventurous spirit in me that led to aninterest in trying new things—regardless of howforeign they might seem.”
Sarah was devoted to basketball but she wasalso extremely proficient in French. Having stud-ied AP French her junior year, Sarah undertook aprivate tutorial with Denis Kohlmuller her senioryear. He advised her to seek every opportunity to
use her French and years later she continues to dojust that. While traveling in Chad and in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Sarah partici-pated in meetings that were often conducted inFrench and in some cases she ended up serving asan informal translator.
A life-long interest in different cultures andpeople caused Sarah to look to the world beyondthe United States borders once she graduated
from Wesleyan University in1998. The only question waswhere to go. She ended up inHungary, based in part on herdesire for adventure and in partupon the random placing of herfinger on a map looking forsomeplace off the beaten path. “Ihad spent time studying in Parisduring college and when Ilearned Budapest was once con-sidered the Paris of the east, Iwas intrigued.” She set out forHungary to teach English for ayear but once there, she alsobegan working with members of
the expatriate community to help create an organ-ization that provided basic necessities to refugeesat a camp in the eastern part of the country. Shehad arrived in Hungary not long before theKosovo conflict, which caused a significant dis-placement of peoples throughout Eastern Europe.
Upon her return to New York she joined theOpen Society Institute (OSI) founded by investorand philanthropist, George Soros. According to itswebsite, the mission of OSI is to promote demo-cratic governance, human rights, and economic,legal, and social reform. Thus, Sarah continued to
A SARAH MARGON ’94
11Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200910 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
< B Y E L I Z A B E T H H O P P E R Sarah visiting a girls' school inthe 2005 earthquake-affectedparts of Pakistan during arecent trip with SenatorFeingold.
(left) Sarah inEastern Chad
s a recipient of Berkeley Carroll’s LisaNachamie Award (see page 15), it is
perhaps no surprise that SarahMargon ’94 has chosen publicservice as a career to focus on.Just as she immersed herself in so
many programs at Berkeley Carroll, so has shebecome deeply engaged in the plights of the peo-ple of Darfur, Pakistan, Iraq, Democratic Republicof the Congo, and other coun-tries in the midst of conflict.Her goal is not only to helpbring lasting stability to thoseliving in such countries, butalso to help make the world asafer and more secure place foreveryone.
During her career atBerkeley Carroll Sarah played asignificant role in the BerkeleyCarroll community: “I tried myhand at everything—the doorswere always open. No one saidI couldn’t join the environmen-tal club and play basketball ordo theater and be on the yearbook staff and writefor The Blotter. We had opportunities to try it all—regardless of whether we were going to be suc-cessful or not—and that early encouragementinstilled an adventurous spirit in me that led to aninterest in trying new things—regardless of howforeign they might seem.”
Sarah was devoted to basketball but she wasalso extremely proficient in French. Having stud-ied AP French her junior year, Sarah undertook aprivate tutorial with Denis Kohlmuller her senioryear. He advised her to seek every opportunity to
use her French and years later she continues to dojust that. While traveling in Chad and in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Sarah partici-pated in meetings that were often conducted inFrench and in some cases she ended up serving asan informal translator.
A life-long interest in different cultures andpeople caused Sarah to look to the world beyondthe United States borders once she graduated
from Wesleyan University in1998. The only question waswhere to go. She ended up inHungary, based in part on herdesire for adventure and in partupon the random placing of herfinger on a map looking forsomeplace off the beaten path. “Ihad spent time studying in Parisduring college and when Ilearned Budapest was once con-sidered the Paris of the east, Iwas intrigued.” She set out forHungary to teach English for ayear but once there, she alsobegan working with members of
the expatriate community to help create an organ-ization that provided basic necessities to refugeesat a camp in the eastern part of the country. Shehad arrived in Hungary not long before theKosovo conflict, which caused a significant dis-placement of peoples throughout Eastern Europe.
Upon her return to New York she joined theOpen Society Institute (OSI) founded by investorand philanthropist, George Soros. According to itswebsite, the mission of OSI is to promote demo-cratic governance, human rights, and economic,legal, and social reform. Thus, Sarah continued to
A SARAH MARGON ’94
11Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200910 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
< B Y E L I Z A B E T H H O P P E R Sarah visiting a girls' school inthe 2005 earthquake-affectedparts of Pakistan during arecent trip with SenatorFeingold.
(left) Sarah inEastern Chad
13Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
share information that would helpdevelop short-term solutions tohumanitarian situations, while alsodevising more long-term solutionsto resolve and ideally even preventconflicts that lead to such crises.
Ultimately, her relationships withCongressional offices led to Sarah’scurrent position as a foreign policyadvisor to Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), a senior member of the SenateForeign Relations Committee andChairman of the Senate African AffairsSubcommittee. As she seeks to furtherhis foreign policy agenda Sarah is nowdealing with issues on a global basis,not just in Africa. She also has had toconfront the realities of politics, whichhas in some cases impeded the ability
to move forward.Yet, Sarah continues to push for-
ward, motivated by optimism thatsomehow, in some small way, herwork is helping to bring about posi-tive global change. In Liberia, a coun-try devastated by more than a decadeof civil war, they speak of “smallsmall”—which in part is a referenceto the small successes that come longbefore large-scale change. And while“small small” successes often go
unnoticed by governments, they arecritical signs of hope for local com-munities. As Sarah notes, “‘smallsmall’ successes are not enough andthey may only be the beginning butthey are unquestionably a step in theright direction.” <
12 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
work improving the lives of refugees,but she also began to focus morebroadly on democracy building andconflict resolution so people wouldnot need to flee their homes in thefirst place.
Just prior to her departure toHungary, Sarah had the opportunity tomeet her younger brother’s (AndrewMargon ’02) soccer coach, SamChaltain, who had joined BerkeleyCarroll as an English and Historyteacher after Sarah had graduated.They began a relationship, which con-tinued upon her return to New York ayear later. In 2001 they moved toWashington, DC where Sarah earnedher graduate degree from theGeorgetown University’s School of
Foreign Service. The two were mar-ried in 2004 with her brother as oneof the groomsmen.
After graduate school, Sarah joinedOxfam America as a humanitarianconflict advisor. Although based inWashington, Sarah traveled extensive-ly to Africa, including to the Darfurregion of Sudan, Eastern Chad,Senegal, and northern Uganda. Withone foot on the ground analyzinghumanitarian needs, Sarah met withlocal government officials and partnerorganizations. She kept the other footin the Washington policy world whereshe met with US government officialsto discuss her findings and make poli-cy recommendations. As part of bothworlds, Sarah was able to collect and
...Sarahcontinues
to push forward,
motivatedby optimism
that somehow, insome small way,
her work is helpingto bring aboutpositive global
change.
Sarah and a colleague in a displaced persons camp outside of Goma, in Eastern DemocraticRepublic of the Congo, August 2007
Eastern Chad, March 2007
Aboard a Pakistani helicopter on her way toPeshawar, capital of the Northwest Frontierprovince of Pakistan.
13Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
share information that would helpdevelop short-term solutions tohumanitarian situations, while alsodevising more long-term solutionsto resolve and ideally even preventconflicts that lead to such crises.
Ultimately, her relationships withCongressional offices led to Sarah’scurrent position as a foreign policyadvisor to Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), a senior member of the SenateForeign Relations Committee andChairman of the Senate African AffairsSubcommittee. As she seeks to furtherhis foreign policy agenda Sarah is nowdealing with issues on a global basis,not just in Africa. She also has had toconfront the realities of politics, whichhas in some cases impeded the ability
to move forward.Yet, Sarah continues to push for-
ward, motivated by optimism thatsomehow, in some small way, herwork is helping to bring about posi-tive global change. In Liberia, a coun-try devastated by more than a decadeof civil war, they speak of “smallsmall”—which in part is a referenceto the small successes that come longbefore large-scale change. And while“small small” successes often go
unnoticed by governments, they arecritical signs of hope for local com-munities. As Sarah notes, “‘smallsmall’ successes are not enough andthey may only be the beginning butthey are unquestionably a step in theright direction.” <
12 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
work improving the lives of refugees,but she also began to focus morebroadly on democracy building andconflict resolution so people wouldnot need to flee their homes in thefirst place.
Just prior to her departure toHungary, Sarah had the opportunity tomeet her younger brother’s (AndrewMargon ’02) soccer coach, SamChaltain, who had joined BerkeleyCarroll as an English and Historyteacher after Sarah had graduated.They began a relationship, which con-tinued upon her return to New York ayear later. In 2001 they moved toWashington, DC where Sarah earnedher graduate degree from theGeorgetown University’s School of
Foreign Service. The two were mar-ried in 2004 with her brother as oneof the groomsmen.
After graduate school, Sarah joinedOxfam America as a humanitarianconflict advisor. Although based inWashington, Sarah traveled extensive-ly to Africa, including to the Darfurregion of Sudan, Eastern Chad,Senegal, and northern Uganda. Withone foot on the ground analyzinghumanitarian needs, Sarah met withlocal government officials and partnerorganizations. She kept the other footin the Washington policy world whereshe met with US government officialsto discuss her findings and make poli-cy recommendations. As part of bothworlds, Sarah was able to collect and
...Sarahcontinues
to push forward,
motivatedby optimism
that somehow, insome small way,
her work is helpingto bring aboutpositive global
change.
Sarah and a colleague in a displaced persons camp outside of Goma, in Eastern DemocraticRepublic of the Congo, August 2007
Eastern Chad, March 2007
Aboard a Pakistani helicopter on her way toPeshawar, capital of the Northwest Frontierprovince of Pakistan.
n 1992, Berkeley Carroll presented the first Lisa Nachamie Award, given
each year to a graduating senior inrecognition of outstanding communityservice. The award is named in memo-ry of Lisa Jill Nachamie ’78, who died
in 1990 of renal (kidney) failure.Lisa’s classmates established the award that
would carry her name. Her family said, “Lisawanted to give back to others who gave to herin the face of her own devastating illness. In herlast years, she helped sick children cope withtheir own hospitalizations…Thanks to Lisa,they were a little more comfortable and a lessfrightened about their own surgeries.”
Lisa’s compassion grew out of her own expe-
riences. The renal disease she developed as ateenager required years of dialysis.Unfortunately, despite this treatment and, ulti-mately, two kidney transplants, she succumbedto her disease a few months shy of her 30thbirthday. Nevertheless, she accomplished agreat deal during her life: a graduate of EmoryUniversity, she earned a master’s degree in psy-chology from Arizona State University and spe-cialized in the care of sick children.
Much has been written and said aboutachieving greatness through adversity—LisaNachamie lost her battle against disease butthrough her efforts scores of children foughttheir own diseases buoyed by the courage bornfrom Lisa’s bravery. <
15Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200914 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
LISA NACHAMIE ’78 I
Wendy Lemansky 1992
Stephanie Hill 1993
Sarah Margon & Lauren Tirolo 1994
Jenifer Becker & Jessica Kremen-Kotlen 1995
Vanessa Agard-Jones & Nicole Ayala 1996
Lauren Arana 1997
Jelani Ellis 1998
Gabriella Pagnotta & Andrew Sidrane 1999
Gillian Kotlen 2000
Sarah Griffin 2001
Sara Covey & Bettina Schlegel 2002
Rosa Cohen-Cruz & Sasha Gronim 2003
Sonia Nayak & Veronika Fernandez 2004
Malynda Bordes 2005
Chloe Lew 2006
Alyssa Goldstein 2007
Max Hardy & Natasha Scantlebury 2008
Recipients of the Lisa Nachamie’78 Award:
Lisa Nachamie (1960-1990)
n 1992, Berkeley Carroll presented the first Lisa Nachamie Award, given
each year to a graduating senior inrecognition of outstanding communityservice. The award is named in memo-ry of Lisa Jill Nachamie ’78, who died
in 1990 of renal (kidney) failure.Lisa’s classmates established the award that
would carry her name. Her family said, “Lisawanted to give back to others who gave to herin the face of her own devastating illness. In herlast years, she helped sick children cope withtheir own hospitalizations…Thanks to Lisa,they were a little more comfortable and a lessfrightened about their own surgeries.”
Lisa’s compassion grew out of her own expe-
riences. The renal disease she developed as ateenager required years of dialysis.Unfortunately, despite this treatment and, ulti-mately, two kidney transplants, she succumbedto her disease a few months shy of her 30thbirthday. Nevertheless, she accomplished agreat deal during her life: a graduate of EmoryUniversity, she earned a master’s degree in psy-chology from Arizona State University and spe-cialized in the care of sick children.
Much has been written and said aboutachieving greatness through adversity—LisaNachamie lost her battle against disease butthrough her efforts scores of children foughttheir own diseases buoyed by the courage bornfrom Lisa’s bravery. <
15Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200914 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
LISA NACHAMIE ’78 I
Wendy Lemansky 1992
Stephanie Hill 1993
Sarah Margon & Lauren Tirolo 1994
Jenifer Becker & Jessica Kremen-Kotlen 1995
Vanessa Agard-Jones & Nicole Ayala 1996
Lauren Arana 1997
Jelani Ellis 1998
Gabriella Pagnotta & Andrew Sidrane 1999
Gillian Kotlen 2000
Sarah Griffin 2001
Sara Covey & Bettina Schlegel 2002
Rosa Cohen-Cruz & Sasha Gronim 2003
Sonia Nayak & Veronika Fernandez 2004
Malynda Bordes 2005
Chloe Lew 2006
Alyssa Goldstein 2007
Max Hardy & Natasha Scantlebury 2008
Recipients of the Lisa Nachamie’78 Award:
Lisa Nachamie (1960-1990)
It’s funny to be in the middle of
nowhere in the middle of every-
thing.” So begins an entry in a
blog written by Anne DeVine
’01, describing the Wakhan
Corridor—a long, thin strip of land
in northeastern Afghanistan. It is
both remote and extremely rugged
and extends eastward to the border
of China, separating Tajikistan from
Pakistan. The blog documents Anne’s
life in Afghanistan where she works
at the Aga Khan Foundation as the
Community Based Education
Program Coordinator. She is based in
Kabul and oversees programs in
three provinces in northern
Afghanistan—Baghlan, Badakhshan
(which includes the Wakhan
Corridor), and Bamyan.
Personof theWorld, Not Just an American
17Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200916 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
ANNE DEVINE ’01••••••••••••••••••••••••
‘‘
(left) Yaks prove to be saferand more comfortable thandonkeys when it comes totransportation.
(right) Anne with two of hercolleages at the Aga KhanFoundation.
< B Y E L I Z A B E T H H O P P E R
It’s funny to be in the middle of
nowhere in the middle of every-
thing.” So begins an entry in a
blog written by Anne DeVine
’01, describing the Wakhan
Corridor—a long, thin strip of land
in northeastern Afghanistan. It is
both remote and extremely rugged
and extends eastward to the border
of China, separating Tajikistan from
Pakistan. The blog documents Anne’s
life in Afghanistan where she works
at the Aga Khan Foundation as the
Community Based Education
Program Coordinator. She is based in
Kabul and oversees programs in
three provinces in northern
Afghanistan—Baghlan, Badakhshan
(which includes the Wakhan
Corridor), and Bamyan.
Personof theWorld, Not Just an American
17Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200916 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
ANNE DEVINE ’01••••••••••••••••••••••••
‘‘
(left) Yaks prove to be saferand more comfortable thandonkeys when it comes totransportation.
(right) Anne with two of hercolleages at the Aga KhanFoundation.
< B Y E L I Z A B E T H H O P P E R
18 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
••• January 11, 2008There are two terminals, terminal
one which is like any airport you
might fly into in the US, and then
there is terminal two which is like
most airports you would find in a
developing country—little organi-
zation, lots of people with lots of
bags wrapped and tied in many
fashions, with many children, and
generally few facilities. The class
divide is seen dramatically.
Once Anne settled in she began toassemble a sizeable grant proposal toAfghanistan’s Ministry of Education toprovide teacher training to approxi-mately 40,000 teachers in eightprovinces, implemented by five organ-izations. Following are some observa-tions which she recorded once shearrived in Kabul:
••• January 11, 2008One interesting and mildly discon-
certing thing is the lack of women
in the airport, on the street, any-
where. Of course, coming over
here I expected not to see many
women, but from Dubai to
Afghanistan, I’ve seen very few
women anywhere—I think that will
be more alienating than being a
blonde-haired, blue-eyed
American. And so it has been:
being young and female makes
work a little more challenging, and
going out a bit more dangerous.
•••
Kabul is a bit like Sierra Leone
[where Anne had worked previ-
ously], very little interaction with
the local people outside of work,
and lots of ex-pat places. This is
due to the cultural divide, seen
blatantly in the non-alcoholic life
style... It is illegal to sell and serve
alcohol, but exceptions are made
for ex-pats, however, this forces
Afghans to stay away from ex-pat
establishments.
Anne began helping others in needthe summer prior to her junior year atBerkeley Carroll. A flyer posted in thehalls at Berkeley Carroll sought volun-teers to assist as counselors at a campfor Kosovo refugee children, to helpthem transition into the New YorkCity public school system.
••• November 3, 2008Why do I do what I do? Maybe it’sthe interaction with my colleagueswho’ve seen more than theirshare and still smile and portray asense of hope, or the streams ofgirls leaving school with smiles ontheir faces, or the tent schoolwhere children, whose faces arealready cracked by the harshnessof the environment, study andlearn the alphabet—maybe that’swhat drives me. But more thananything I seem to thrive on newcultures in environments that forceme to look beyond myself as wellas within. I enjoy interacting,learning to live with and work withpeople who are so different, yetthe same.
After receiving her BA in Economicsand African Studies from SmithCollege, Anne spent a semester study-ing in Uganda, an experience thatquickly confirmed her desire to liveabroad and work in developing coun-tries. Before finding herself inAfghanistan, she worked in SierraLeone, editing grant reports anddeveloping proposals, as well as assist-ing with education programs for theInternational Rescue Committee(IRC).
19Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
••• August 24, 2008It is a reality that we face ... Iwork in beautiful countries, withamazing people both interna-tional and national, but it’s notalways safe. I do what I dobecause the people ofAfghanistan and around theglobe deserve peace, deserve abetter life, and we are a globalcommunity—when there is warin one place we do not go unaf-fected.
••• August 24, 2008The fact is that I don’t work inthe south or the centralprovinces—I work in theNortheast—one of the safestareas of the country. I am alsotaking further precautions sowhile not worrying may be animpossibility, please know that Iam as safe as I can be.
Despite adversity, Anne continues towork in Afghanistan. She doesbecause “My work drives me forward.I want to live among people of othercultures in countries that aren’t as for-tunate as mine. Here I find other peo-ple who feel the same, who under-stand the drive and desire... [who]love the work and need to be here.”
Not only does Anne live and workin Afghanistan, she also calls it home:“It’s where good friends are, my workis, my stuff, my bed, in a lot of waysmy life ... possibly that’s just it. At thismoment in this time my life is inAfghanistan.” <
HER BLOG—http://annedevine.blogspot.com/—which she started in September 2008 is a compilation of random excerpts
from different journals, notebooks, and scraps of paper that eloquently
describes her experiences in Afghanistan. She also forwarded to us here
at Berkeley Carroll a series of emails that she had written to friends and
family. Passages from those emails are reprinted throughout this article.
•••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••While en route to Afghanistan inJanuary 2008, Anne missed one of herflights causing her to spend anunscheduled night in the city of Dubai.While she did not see much of Dubai, acity she described as a “spectacle withindoor ski trails,” she did spend a greatdeal of time at the airport:
Anne’s thoughts above were made inresponse to some devastating newsshe received in the summer of 2008.Three friends of hers—all aid workersfor the IRC—were killed, along withtheir driver, in the province of Logar,which is south east of Kabul. The year2008 witnessed an upswing in vio-lence against civilian aid workers inAfghanistan and as Anne notes,“Afghanistan is not getting better— itis getting worse.”
(top) Anne posing with teachers of thegovernment school, shown in thebackground.
(bottom) This fourth grade class will closeduring the winter due to lack of heat.
18 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
••• January 11, 2008There are two terminals, terminal
one which is like any airport you
might fly into in the US, and then
there is terminal two which is like
most airports you would find in a
developing country—little organi-
zation, lots of people with lots of
bags wrapped and tied in many
fashions, with many children, and
generally few facilities. The class
divide is seen dramatically.
Once Anne settled in she began toassemble a sizeable grant proposal toAfghanistan’s Ministry of Education toprovide teacher training to approxi-mately 40,000 teachers in eightprovinces, implemented by five organ-izations. Following are some observa-tions which she recorded once shearrived in Kabul:
••• January 11, 2008One interesting and mildly discon-
certing thing is the lack of women
in the airport, on the street, any-
where. Of course, coming over
here I expected not to see many
women, but from Dubai to
Afghanistan, I’ve seen very few
women anywhere—I think that will
be more alienating than being a
blonde-haired, blue-eyed
American. And so it has been:
being young and female makes
work a little more challenging, and
going out a bit more dangerous.
•••
Kabul is a bit like Sierra Leone
[where Anne had worked previ-
ously], very little interaction with
the local people outside of work,
and lots of ex-pat places. This is
due to the cultural divide, seen
blatantly in the non-alcoholic life
style... It is illegal to sell and serve
alcohol, but exceptions are made
for ex-pats, however, this forces
Afghans to stay away from ex-pat
establishments.
Anne began helping others in needthe summer prior to her junior year atBerkeley Carroll. A flyer posted in thehalls at Berkeley Carroll sought volun-teers to assist as counselors at a campfor Kosovo refugee children, to helpthem transition into the New YorkCity public school system.
••• November 3, 2008Why do I do what I do? Maybe it’sthe interaction with my colleagueswho’ve seen more than theirshare and still smile and portray asense of hope, or the streams ofgirls leaving school with smiles ontheir faces, or the tent schoolwhere children, whose faces arealready cracked by the harshnessof the environment, study andlearn the alphabet—maybe that’swhat drives me. But more thananything I seem to thrive on newcultures in environments that forceme to look beyond myself as wellas within. I enjoy interacting,learning to live with and work withpeople who are so different, yetthe same.
After receiving her BA in Economicsand African Studies from SmithCollege, Anne spent a semester study-ing in Uganda, an experience thatquickly confirmed her desire to liveabroad and work in developing coun-tries. Before finding herself inAfghanistan, she worked in SierraLeone, editing grant reports anddeveloping proposals, as well as assist-ing with education programs for theInternational Rescue Committee(IRC).
19Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
••• August 24, 2008It is a reality that we face ... Iwork in beautiful countries, withamazing people both interna-tional and national, but it’s notalways safe. I do what I dobecause the people ofAfghanistan and around theglobe deserve peace, deserve abetter life, and we are a globalcommunity—when there is warin one place we do not go unaf-fected.
••• August 24, 2008The fact is that I don’t work inthe south or the centralprovinces—I work in theNortheast—one of the safestareas of the country. I am alsotaking further precautions sowhile not worrying may be animpossibility, please know that Iam as safe as I can be.
Despite adversity, Anne continues towork in Afghanistan. She doesbecause “My work drives me forward.I want to live among people of othercultures in countries that aren’t as for-tunate as mine. Here I find other peo-ple who feel the same, who under-stand the drive and desire... [who]love the work and need to be here.”
Not only does Anne live and workin Afghanistan, she also calls it home:“It’s where good friends are, my workis, my stuff, my bed, in a lot of waysmy life ... possibly that’s just it. At thismoment in this time my life is inAfghanistan.” <
HER BLOG—http://annedevine.blogspot.com/—which she started in September 2008 is a compilation of random excerpts
from different journals, notebooks, and scraps of paper that eloquently
describes her experiences in Afghanistan. She also forwarded to us here
at Berkeley Carroll a series of emails that she had written to friends and
family. Passages from those emails are reprinted throughout this article.
•••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••While en route to Afghanistan inJanuary 2008, Anne missed one of herflights causing her to spend anunscheduled night in the city of Dubai.While she did not see much of Dubai, acity she described as a “spectacle withindoor ski trails,” she did spend a greatdeal of time at the airport:
Anne’s thoughts above were made inresponse to some devastating newsshe received in the summer of 2008.Three friends of hers—all aid workersfor the IRC—were killed, along withtheir driver, in the province of Logar,which is south east of Kabul. The year2008 witnessed an upswing in vio-lence against civilian aid workers inAfghanistan and as Anne notes,“Afghanistan is not getting better— itis getting worse.”
(top) Anne posing with teachers of thegovernment school, shown in thebackground.
(bottom) This fourth grade class will closeduring the winter due to lack of heat.
21Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200920 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
I’ve always been on a search for mypassion,” says Janet Ghattas, 1959Berkeley Institute graduate. Thus itwas with particular interest that she
read the teachings of philosopher JosephCampbell, whose “follow your bliss” mantradovetailed the prescience of then-senator John F.Kennedy. Upon introducing the concept thatdeveloped into the Peace Corps, SenatorKennedy said in a historic 1960speech, “I think we can make thegreatest possible difference.” Janetfound inspiration from the wordsof both men, inspiration that ledher to Africa and, ultimately, toher passion.
As a newly minted St.Lawrence University graduate,Janet joined the Peace Corps in1963, just two years after its for-mation. Mindful of Kennedy’sexhortations, she spent the nexttwo years teaching English at ajunior high and high school inSenegal, armed with a BA inEnglish that was buoyed by her enthusiasm forthe project. While still at St. Lawrence University,English had seemed like a natural major forJanet. “My sister Claire [Berkeley Institute ’61]and I always loved reading,” she says.
Their Park Slope home was rich with lan-guage. Their parents spoke Arabic—in additionto English of course—and their mother sang to
them in French; however, Janet did not becomefluent in French until she moved to Senegal.“When I was a child,” Janet remembers, “exposingchildren to a second language was thought to bedetrimental to their development.” Nevertheless,she studied French throughout her years atBerkeley, remembering fondly, as do so many ofher contemporaries, her French teacher Mlle.Palisse. “Mademoiselle would teach us the libret-
tos of French operas and then takeus to hear an actual performanceof the piece.” French, however,was not her passion.
What Janet did love at theBerkeley Institute was sports.“Field hockey, archery, gymnastics,I loved all of them. They gave me asense of adventure.” She also lovedbiology, thanks to teacher Mrs.Gertrude Harvey. “In college Istarted out as a biology major,because I had enjoyed it so muchin high school, particularly the dis-sections.”
The search for her passionstayed with Janet throughout the two years sheserved in the Peace Corps, as did the sense ofadventure that came from living and traveling in aforeign country. “It was exciting to be part of thePeace Corps so early in its inception. I was part ofthe first group of teachers that went to Senegal.”Exciting, but sobering. Her work with the PeaceCorps exposed her to a world she had never
JANET GHATTAS ’59Making the Greatest Possible Difference: Janet Ghattas’s Search for Passion
Janet and little Janetat Nema Ding
< B Y J O D I E C O R N G O L D (left) Janet pounding couscous
‘‘
21Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200920 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
I’ve always been on a search for mypassion,” says Janet Ghattas, 1959Berkeley Institute graduate. Thus itwas with particular interest that she
read the teachings of philosopher JosephCampbell, whose “follow your bliss” mantradovetailed the prescience of then-senator John F.Kennedy. Upon introducing the concept thatdeveloped into the Peace Corps, SenatorKennedy said in a historic 1960speech, “I think we can make thegreatest possible difference.” Janetfound inspiration from the wordsof both men, inspiration that ledher to Africa and, ultimately, toher passion.
As a newly minted St.Lawrence University graduate,Janet joined the Peace Corps in1963, just two years after its for-mation. Mindful of Kennedy’sexhortations, she spent the nexttwo years teaching English at ajunior high and high school inSenegal, armed with a BA inEnglish that was buoyed by her enthusiasm forthe project. While still at St. Lawrence University,English had seemed like a natural major forJanet. “My sister Claire [Berkeley Institute ’61]and I always loved reading,” she says.
Their Park Slope home was rich with lan-guage. Their parents spoke Arabic—in additionto English of course—and their mother sang to
them in French; however, Janet did not becomefluent in French until she moved to Senegal.“When I was a child,” Janet remembers, “exposingchildren to a second language was thought to bedetrimental to their development.” Nevertheless,she studied French throughout her years atBerkeley, remembering fondly, as do so many ofher contemporaries, her French teacher Mlle.Palisse. “Mademoiselle would teach us the libret-
tos of French operas and then takeus to hear an actual performanceof the piece.” French, however,was not her passion.
What Janet did love at theBerkeley Institute was sports.“Field hockey, archery, gymnastics,I loved all of them. They gave me asense of adventure.” She also lovedbiology, thanks to teacher Mrs.Gertrude Harvey. “In college Istarted out as a biology major,because I had enjoyed it so muchin high school, particularly the dis-sections.”
The search for her passionstayed with Janet throughout the two years sheserved in the Peace Corps, as did the sense ofadventure that came from living and traveling in aforeign country. “It was exciting to be part of thePeace Corps so early in its inception. I was part ofthe first group of teachers that went to Senegal.”Exciting, but sobering. Her work with the PeaceCorps exposed her to a world she had never
JANET GHATTAS ’59Making the Greatest Possible Difference: Janet Ghattas’s Search for Passion
Janet and little Janetat Nema Ding
< B Y J O D I E C O R N G O L D (left) Janet pounding couscous
‘‘
23Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
service, workshops, and seminars; itsprograms are designed to stimulateinterest and participation in differentcultures. Under the auspices of ID,Janet and her husband John Handtravel to Senegal every summer withfive people eager to experienceSenegalese culture. During the annual16-day sojourn Janet and John intro-duce these students of cross-culturalstudy to life in an African village.“Senegal is difficult to categorize,” shesays, “The country combines hightech—everyone has cell phones—with19th century farming techniques,”adding that Senegal is part of thedeveloping world.
Africa has two seasons: dry and
wet. Summer travel can be terriblyhot and the humidity nearly over-whelming, but the constraintsimposed by Africa’s rainy wintersmakes summer travel the onlyoption. Nevertheless, InterculturalDimensions is increasing in populari-ty and Janet and John (who alsoserved in the Peace Corps in the early1960s) are gratified to note that sev-eral of their ID alums have chosenthe Peace Corps followingIntercultural Dimensions’s introduc-tion to cross cultural travel.
Is she a visionary? No, she insists,just passionate. “If you live your lifefully,” says Janet, “you will come intoyour passion.” <
22 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
dreamed possible back in Brooklyn. Inaddition to teaching, she worked withchildren in a Senegalese leper colony.
Janet brought back from French-speaking Senegal an enthusiasm andcommitment for the country alongwith fluency in French, and uponreturning home entered a graduateprogram in French literature. IndianaUniversity conferred upon Janet amaster of arts in teaching (MAT)degree. The Peace Corps conferredupon her a passion for the languageand a passion for teaching.
She taught French for many yearsat Weston High School inMassachusetts. Like Mlle. Palissebefore her, Janet, too, exposed her stu-dents to French opera librettos, fol-lowing up the lessons with visits to
the opera. Her interest in teachingserved her well throughout her tenureat Weston High School, but after sev-eral years she knew she could nolonger ignore what had been ignitedby Senegal. In the summer of 1990,she attended the summer institute forcross-cultural communication inPortland, Oregon, learning how tointroduce people to other cultures.She also learned how to start a non-profit organization—a daunting task,but one she felt was critical to achiev-ing the dream that had propelled herall along.
Three years later she establishedIntercultural Dimensions (ID), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that pro-vides programs of cross-culturalawareness through travel, community
Is she a visionary?
No she insists, just passionate.
“If you live your life fully,”
says Janet,“you will come
into your passion.”
Janet and group in Senegal.
Intercultural Dimensions at Ganale´
23Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
service, workshops, and seminars; itsprograms are designed to stimulateinterest and participation in differentcultures. Under the auspices of ID,Janet and her husband John Handtravel to Senegal every summer withfive people eager to experienceSenegalese culture. During the annual16-day sojourn Janet and John intro-duce these students of cross-culturalstudy to life in an African village.“Senegal is difficult to categorize,” shesays, “The country combines hightech—everyone has cell phones—with19th century farming techniques,”adding that Senegal is part of thedeveloping world.
Africa has two seasons: dry and
wet. Summer travel can be terriblyhot and the humidity nearly over-whelming, but the constraintsimposed by Africa’s rainy wintersmakes summer travel the onlyoption. Nevertheless, InterculturalDimensions is increasing in populari-ty and Janet and John (who alsoserved in the Peace Corps in the early1960s) are gratified to note that sev-eral of their ID alums have chosenthe Peace Corps followingIntercultural Dimensions’s introduc-tion to cross cultural travel.
Is she a visionary? No, she insists,just passionate. “If you live your lifefully,” says Janet, “you will come intoyour passion.” <
22 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
dreamed possible back in Brooklyn. Inaddition to teaching, she worked withchildren in a Senegalese leper colony.
Janet brought back from French-speaking Senegal an enthusiasm andcommitment for the country alongwith fluency in French, and uponreturning home entered a graduateprogram in French literature. IndianaUniversity conferred upon Janet amaster of arts in teaching (MAT)degree. The Peace Corps conferredupon her a passion for the languageand a passion for teaching.
She taught French for many yearsat Weston High School inMassachusetts. Like Mlle. Palissebefore her, Janet, too, exposed her stu-dents to French opera librettos, fol-lowing up the lessons with visits to
the opera. Her interest in teachingserved her well throughout her tenureat Weston High School, but after sev-eral years she knew she could nolonger ignore what had been ignitedby Senegal. In the summer of 1990,she attended the summer institute forcross-cultural communication inPortland, Oregon, learning how tointroduce people to other cultures.She also learned how to start a non-profit organization—a daunting task,but one she felt was critical to achiev-ing the dream that had propelled herall along.
Three years later she establishedIntercultural Dimensions (ID), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that pro-vides programs of cross-culturalawareness through travel, community
Is she a visionary?
No she insists, just passionate.
“If you live your life fully,”
says Janet,“you will come
into your passion.”
Janet and group in Senegal.
Intercultural Dimensions at Ganale´
Another way of lookingat Teach for America is thatit teaches teachers how toteach—in Lily’s case, begin-ning with an intensivetraining period during thesummer of 2008 inPhoenix, Arizona. If you’venever spent the summer inPhoenix before, then youdon’t know what “hot” is,but for better or for worse,Lily was so busy with thedaily 6:00 am to 5:00 pmtraining schedule, shescarcely had time to notice.
The heat wasn’t the onlyaspect of the program thattook getting used to.Teaching as a career choicewas a new concept for Lily.For this English andAmerican Studies major
who hails from a family of lawyers, going to lawschool seemed a foregone conclusion. But there wassomething about Teach for America. Like so manyother smart, energetic, committed college graduates,Lily was drawn to the organization’s mission andhow it enables its candidates—many of whom hadattended elite colleges and universities—to “givesomething back” to society.
In order to fulfill its stated goals of ending educa-tional inequity, TFA places its teachers in high-poverty communities. For Lily, that translated to theGentilly section of New Orleans. The first thingmost people ask her is how was the area affected byHurricane Katrina. “It was one of the first areas to
flood and one of the most affected,” says Lily. Katrinaalit three years ago, but for the residents of this NewOrleans parish, its impact remains salient.
Lily teaches English language intervention to 3rdthrough 6th graders. She says, “this means I am tak-ing the kids who are two or more years behind intheir reading levels and bringing them up to speed.Even though this all sounds pretty insane, and a lotof the time it is, it is also kind of cool.”
Less cool, but equally intense, are the politics ofher job. New Orleans is home to two competingschool districts. “One is the Charter system,” saysLily. “This is where educators apply to the city orstate for a charter and get public funding to run aschool autonomously. These are not magnet schoolsand admissions are determined by a lottery system.The other is the RSD, Recovery School District, whichis what was put together after the storm to recoverthe school district, essentially, and run what was thepublic school system.” Coghill Elementary, Lily’sschool, is part of the RSD.
The entire school is “modular,” meaning it is madeup of trailers, but, as Lily enthusiastically reports inher typical upbeat fashion, “It’s not as bad as itsounds as the trailers are large and well equipped andfairly new.” Furthermore, “they are most likely worldsbetter than the schools that were destroyed in thestorm. As TFA keeps reminding us, we are literallyliving through and participating in groundbreakingreform, and reform is volatile and painful.”
Lily’s signature sunny disposition puts her in goodstead as she literally and figuratively slogs her waythrough the complexities of learning how to teach.For starters, although Katrina hit New Orleans threeyears ago, it was hardly the last hurricane to make itspresence known. “We got pounded by Gustav,” shesays, referring to the harbinger of the 2008 hurricaneseason. There is also the social storm she and herTFA colleagues have had to weather at Coghill. “Weare the first TFA people they have ever hired,” sheexplains, “so it does sometimes feel a little hostile. Ithink the feeling is really just coming from notknowing what to expect, for all parties.”
One aspect of the experience Lily had not expect-ed was how charmed she would be by New Orleans.It’s paradoxical. On the one hand, she says, “I havedriven through the 9th ward and Gentilly, where Iwork, and seen some really scary things. Abandoned
and ruined houses litter every street. Many of themhave huge red graffiti Xs on the front, with a bunchof numbers indicating when the house wassearched, how many people were found dead, howmany pets were found dead, and when it is sched-uled to be torn down. As you can imagine, ridingby dozens and dozens of these houses every dayis...I don’t know what to call it. Haunting.” On theother hand, “I ADORE, LOVE, and am verging onOBSESSED with this city. It is totally beautiful. It islush and green and tropical. The houses are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The people are friendly andwarm. I live right off one of the main culturalstreets (Magazine Street) which has tons of bou-tiques, antique stores, restaurants, and bars, and Ilove it.”
It’s hard not to be swept up by Lily’s enthusiasmfor her, if not adopted at least foster, city. One alsofinds oneself drawn in by this Berkeley Carroll lifer’spassion for teaching who sees the secret as “thor-oughly enjoying your students.” She is also quick toadd, “It feels really nice to know you’re doing some-thing good. Teaching isn’t about you. It never is.”
Editor’s note: Not long after we spoke with Lily, she was transferred to Carver Elementary. Lilysays, “While Carver is only a few blocks fromCoghill, it is in many ways a different world.” Thetransition was difficult: the first few weeks intro-duced her to a stressful environment that includ-ed violence and anger. After a colleague wasattacked by students, Lily learned there was suchthing as paid assault leave.
But, she told us, “there is, in a way, a happy end-ing... (The students) were transformed from terrifying,rebellious, hopeless cases, from products of the 9thward and of Katrina, to my kids. I adore each andevery one of them. They are hilarious, charming, witty,rambunctious, and smart. They are unendingly curi-ous. They are a fascinating mix of the “hardness” oftheir backgrounds, the odd semi-maturity of puberty,and normal children who just want approval andattention. Most of them have seen more death anddestruction than I could even dream of, and yet whensnow fell in New Orleans for the first time in theirlives, they were like little kids with their nose pressedup against the windows, staring in awe.” <
25Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200924 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
he nonprofit group Teach for America(TFA) doesn’t mince words. Consider,for example, its core values:
1) Relentless pursuit of results2) Sense of possibility3) Disciplined thought4) Respect and humility5) Integrity
These same core values could also be used todescribe Lily Nathan, Berkeley Carroll class of2004. Not coincidentally, as soon as Lily gradu-ated from Georgetown University this past June,she joined the teaching corps of Teach forAmerica.
LILY NATHAN ’04 Teaches for America
T
< B Y J O D I E C O R N G O L D
Another way of lookingat Teach for America is thatit teaches teachers how toteach—in Lily’s case, begin-ning with an intensivetraining period during thesummer of 2008 inPhoenix, Arizona. If you’venever spent the summer inPhoenix before, then youdon’t know what “hot” is,but for better or for worse,Lily was so busy with thedaily 6:00 am to 5:00 pmtraining schedule, shescarcely had time to notice.
The heat wasn’t the onlyaspect of the program thattook getting used to.Teaching as a career choicewas a new concept for Lily.For this English andAmerican Studies major
who hails from a family of lawyers, going to lawschool seemed a foregone conclusion. But there wassomething about Teach for America. Like so manyother smart, energetic, committed college graduates,Lily was drawn to the organization’s mission andhow it enables its candidates—many of whom hadattended elite colleges and universities—to “givesomething back” to society.
In order to fulfill its stated goals of ending educa-tional inequity, TFA places its teachers in high-poverty communities. For Lily, that translated to theGentilly section of New Orleans. The first thingmost people ask her is how was the area affected byHurricane Katrina. “It was one of the first areas to
flood and one of the most affected,” says Lily. Katrinaalit three years ago, but for the residents of this NewOrleans parish, its impact remains salient.
Lily teaches English language intervention to 3rdthrough 6th graders. She says, “this means I am tak-ing the kids who are two or more years behind intheir reading levels and bringing them up to speed.Even though this all sounds pretty insane, and a lotof the time it is, it is also kind of cool.”
Less cool, but equally intense, are the politics ofher job. New Orleans is home to two competingschool districts. “One is the Charter system,” saysLily. “This is where educators apply to the city orstate for a charter and get public funding to run aschool autonomously. These are not magnet schoolsand admissions are determined by a lottery system.The other is the RSD, Recovery School District, whichis what was put together after the storm to recoverthe school district, essentially, and run what was thepublic school system.” Coghill Elementary, Lily’sschool, is part of the RSD.
The entire school is “modular,” meaning it is madeup of trailers, but, as Lily enthusiastically reports inher typical upbeat fashion, “It’s not as bad as itsounds as the trailers are large and well equipped andfairly new.” Furthermore, “they are most likely worldsbetter than the schools that were destroyed in thestorm. As TFA keeps reminding us, we are literallyliving through and participating in groundbreakingreform, and reform is volatile and painful.”
Lily’s signature sunny disposition puts her in goodstead as she literally and figuratively slogs her waythrough the complexities of learning how to teach.For starters, although Katrina hit New Orleans threeyears ago, it was hardly the last hurricane to make itspresence known. “We got pounded by Gustav,” shesays, referring to the harbinger of the 2008 hurricaneseason. There is also the social storm she and herTFA colleagues have had to weather at Coghill. “Weare the first TFA people they have ever hired,” sheexplains, “so it does sometimes feel a little hostile. Ithink the feeling is really just coming from notknowing what to expect, for all parties.”
One aspect of the experience Lily had not expect-ed was how charmed she would be by New Orleans.It’s paradoxical. On the one hand, she says, “I havedriven through the 9th ward and Gentilly, where Iwork, and seen some really scary things. Abandoned
and ruined houses litter every street. Many of themhave huge red graffiti Xs on the front, with a bunchof numbers indicating when the house wassearched, how many people were found dead, howmany pets were found dead, and when it is sched-uled to be torn down. As you can imagine, ridingby dozens and dozens of these houses every dayis...I don’t know what to call it. Haunting.” On theother hand, “I ADORE, LOVE, and am verging onOBSESSED with this city. It is totally beautiful. It islush and green and tropical. The houses are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The people are friendly andwarm. I live right off one of the main culturalstreets (Magazine Street) which has tons of bou-tiques, antique stores, restaurants, and bars, and Ilove it.”
It’s hard not to be swept up by Lily’s enthusiasmfor her, if not adopted at least foster, city. One alsofinds oneself drawn in by this Berkeley Carroll lifer’spassion for teaching who sees the secret as “thor-oughly enjoying your students.” She is also quick toadd, “It feels really nice to know you’re doing some-thing good. Teaching isn’t about you. It never is.”
Editor’s note: Not long after we spoke with Lily, she was transferred to Carver Elementary. Lilysays, “While Carver is only a few blocks fromCoghill, it is in many ways a different world.” Thetransition was difficult: the first few weeks intro-duced her to a stressful environment that includ-ed violence and anger. After a colleague wasattacked by students, Lily learned there was suchthing as paid assault leave.
But, she told us, “there is, in a way, a happy end-ing... (The students) were transformed from terrifying,rebellious, hopeless cases, from products of the 9thward and of Katrina, to my kids. I adore each andevery one of them. They are hilarious, charming, witty,rambunctious, and smart. They are unendingly curi-ous. They are a fascinating mix of the “hardness” oftheir backgrounds, the odd semi-maturity of puberty,and normal children who just want approval andattention. Most of them have seen more death anddestruction than I could even dream of, and yet whensnow fell in New Orleans for the first time in theirlives, they were like little kids with their nose pressedup against the windows, staring in awe.” <
25Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200924 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
he nonprofit group Teach for America(TFA) doesn’t mince words. Consider,for example, its core values:
1) Relentless pursuit of results2) Sense of possibility3) Disciplined thought4) Respect and humility5) Integrity
These same core values could also be used todescribe Lily Nathan, Berkeley Carroll class of2004. Not coincidentally, as soon as Lily gradu-ated from Georgetown University this past June,she joined the teaching corps of Teach forAmerica.
LILY NATHAN ’04 Teaches for America
T
< B Y J O D I E C O R N G O L D
Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200926 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
TeachingDEBATE inSYRIA
was really eager to visit Syria duringthe opening week of school to helpset up the first debate program inthe Arab world for middle and highschool students.
My partner for the week inDamascus was Sabina, a young MuslimBosnian teacher who spent her four middleschool years confined to her apartmentbuilding in Sarajevo during the Serbian siege,unable to leave for aloaf of bread or toplay in the street.
“Where were theAmericans?” sheasked. “You nevercame. And NATOnever came either.”
Yet later after shelearned the princi-ples of debate,Sabina spent herfour years in college in Baltimore teachingdebate to dead end high school students in aderelict school that reeked of overt violencemore than anything she witnessed in Sarajevoduring the war.
Together we planned the fast-paced expo-sure to three-person World Debate format
I
< B Y J A M E S S H A P I R OYoung men and women who are members of Massar-e’s “Green Team” spend much of the year traveling to the remotest parts of Syria inorder to promote youth development. One of their new-found skills is teaching Syrian children how to engage in intellectual debate.
Huda Shehadeh, a Syrian teacher,gestures as she lays out thestrengths of her case.
27
Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200926 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
TeachingDEBATE inSYRIA
was really eager to visit Syria duringthe opening week of school to helpset up the first debate program inthe Arab world for middle and highschool students.
My partner for the week inDamascus was Sabina, a young MuslimBosnian teacher who spent her four middleschool years confined to her apartmentbuilding in Sarajevo during the Serbian siege,unable to leave for aloaf of bread or toplay in the street.
“Where were theAmericans?” sheasked. “You nevercame. And NATOnever came either.”
Yet later after shelearned the princi-ples of debate,Sabina spent herfour years in college in Baltimore teachingdebate to dead end high school students in aderelict school that reeked of overt violencemore than anything she witnessed in Sarajevoduring the war.
Together we planned the fast-paced expo-sure to three-person World Debate format
I
< B Y J A M E S S H A P I R OYoung men and women who are members of Massar-e’s “Green Team” spend much of the year traveling to the remotest parts of Syria inorder to promote youth development. One of their new-found skills is teaching Syrian children how to engage in intellectual debate.
Huda Shehadeh, a Syrian teacher,gestures as she lays out thestrengths of her case.
27
28 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
that we would offer to our Syrian stu-dents, themselves mostly in their early20s. There were two dozen of theseteachers and avatars of progressiveidealism—Mais, Ibrahim, Hudda, andothers—mostly in blue jeans andsports shirts, funny, eager, ardent withirrepressible high spirits and clearly atease in work that takes them all overSyria to villages so remote that theywere not completely surprised recent-ly when people came out of theirhomes to throw stones at them, theperceived strangers. Undaunted, theystayed and won people over so that bythe time they left, they had been invit-ed back.
There were funny moments. Whenwe introduced them to the art ofcross-examination they began shout-ing and cutting each other off andmaking (as our translator explained)hilarious but demeaning comments.
It turns out that Al-Jazeera hasrecently imitated Fox News Network’sCrossfire style, which is really loud-mouthed self-aggrandizement mas-
querading as an exchange of ideas.I stopped the proceedings. “You
can never have real debate unless youlearn to hear the other person first,” Iadmonished them. I cited Atticus’admonition to Scout in To Kill a
Mockingbird about needing to walk amile in someone else’s shoes beforepresuming to understand them.
The rhetoric subsided and theinfant growth of debate in Arabic wassturdier from that moment forward.
Forty percent of the Syrian popula-tion is under the age of 18. Access tothe internet is highly limited.Bookstores are scarce; newspapersscarcer. Televisions carry an astonish-ing array of languages and channelsbut the medium carries nonsense andsense in a tumble that would defy allbut the most sophisticated attempts toparse out reliable meaning.
The yearning for normalcy andgood relations was palpable. OrdinarySyrians are pained by feeling brandedas terrorists and pariahs in the eyes ofthe West.
I was not there to condemn or todefend. I went because, as I said manytimes to my hosts in Syria, I have seenfirsthand in my own school and in mydebate travels around America howthe free exchange of ideas and thepursuit of truth when differing opin-ions clash is the seedbed of real com-munity.
Until Syrian youngsters, who byand large are trained in a school sys-tem that promotes rote memorization,can learn to find their own voices andinvestigate the truth of their own con-ditions and to raise questions—untilthis happens, Syria will never claim itstrue birthright. No country can.
At a fundamental level, I went toDamascus and found Brooklyn. Theissues we talked about in the shadowof the mountain where Cain slewAbel, are the issues I mull over as Ihurtle in the subway beneath the EastRiver from one borough to another. Itwas good to go to the Middle East.And it is a fine thing to be backhome, too. <
Tim Chezar’97
BERKELEY CARROLL:MY SCHOOL
ABERKELEYCARROLL
“LIFER”
Biggest surprise in collegeFinding out how inefficient other people were withtheir time. Since at Berkeley Carroll we wereinvolved in many activities, learning time-management skills was important
Current jobAfter graduating from Boston College I earned myMBA from Cornell. Now I work in the finance divisionof American Express
Reasons for supporting BCI like the idea of the scholarship fund and helpingsomeone, who ordinarily might not have theopportunity, get a good education
Childhood ambitionTo play 3rd base for the New York Mets
Fondest BC MemoryWhen I found out I’d gotten accepted toBoston College
Most memorable teacherMichael Trano—he was one of the few teacherswho held us accountable
Favorite subjectEconomics with Lorne Swarthout—that classhad a big impact on me
Senior year hangoutHomes of people whose parents were out oftown—oops, I mean the library
Worshipers at the Mosque of Omayyad in Damascus make their way across the gorgeous polishedmarble floors of the interior courtyard.
...I have seen firsthand in my ownschool and in my debatetravels around Americahow the free exchange of ideas and pursuit oftruth when differingopinions clash is theseedbed of realcommunity.”JAMES SHAPIRO
‘‘
28 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
that we would offer to our Syrian stu-dents, themselves mostly in their early20s. There were two dozen of theseteachers and avatars of progressiveidealism—Mais, Ibrahim, Hudda, andothers—mostly in blue jeans andsports shirts, funny, eager, ardent withirrepressible high spirits and clearly atease in work that takes them all overSyria to villages so remote that theywere not completely surprised recent-ly when people came out of theirhomes to throw stones at them, theperceived strangers. Undaunted, theystayed and won people over so that bythe time they left, they had been invit-ed back.
There were funny moments. Whenwe introduced them to the art ofcross-examination they began shout-ing and cutting each other off andmaking (as our translator explained)hilarious but demeaning comments.
It turns out that Al-Jazeera hasrecently imitated Fox News Network’sCrossfire style, which is really loud-mouthed self-aggrandizement mas-
querading as an exchange of ideas.I stopped the proceedings. “You
can never have real debate unless youlearn to hear the other person first,” Iadmonished them. I cited Atticus’admonition to Scout in To Kill a
Mockingbird about needing to walk amile in someone else’s shoes beforepresuming to understand them.
The rhetoric subsided and theinfant growth of debate in Arabic wassturdier from that moment forward.
Forty percent of the Syrian popula-tion is under the age of 18. Access tothe internet is highly limited.Bookstores are scarce; newspapersscarcer. Televisions carry an astonish-ing array of languages and channelsbut the medium carries nonsense andsense in a tumble that would defy allbut the most sophisticated attempts toparse out reliable meaning.
The yearning for normalcy andgood relations was palpable. OrdinarySyrians are pained by feeling brandedas terrorists and pariahs in the eyes ofthe West.
I was not there to condemn or todefend. I went because, as I said manytimes to my hosts in Syria, I have seenfirsthand in my own school and in mydebate travels around America howthe free exchange of ideas and thepursuit of truth when differing opin-ions clash is the seedbed of real com-munity.
Until Syrian youngsters, who byand large are trained in a school sys-tem that promotes rote memorization,can learn to find their own voices andinvestigate the truth of their own con-ditions and to raise questions—untilthis happens, Syria will never claim itstrue birthright. No country can.
At a fundamental level, I went toDamascus and found Brooklyn. Theissues we talked about in the shadowof the mountain where Cain slewAbel, are the issues I mull over as Ihurtle in the subway beneath the EastRiver from one borough to another. Itwas good to go to the Middle East.And it is a fine thing to be backhome, too. <
Tim Chezar’97
BERKELEY CARROLL:MY SCHOOL
ABERKELEYCARROLL
“LIFER”
Biggest surprise in collegeFinding out how inefficient other people were withtheir time. Since at Berkeley Carroll we wereinvolved in many activities, learning time-management skills was important
Current jobAfter graduating from Boston College I earned myMBA from Cornell. Now I work in the finance divisionof American Express
Reasons for supporting BCI like the idea of the scholarship fund and helpingsomeone, who ordinarily might not have theopportunity, get a good education
Childhood ambitionTo play 3rd base for the New York Mets
Fondest BC MemoryWhen I found out I’d gotten accepted toBoston College
Most memorable teacherMichael Trano—he was one of the few teacherswho held us accountable
Favorite subjectEconomics with Lorne Swarthout—that classhad a big impact on me
Senior year hangoutHomes of people whose parents were out oftown—oops, I mean the library
Worshipers at the Mosque of Omayyad in Damascus make their way across the gorgeous polishedmarble floors of the interior courtyard.
...I have seen firsthand in my ownschool and in my debatetravels around Americahow the free exchange of ideas and pursuit oftruth when differingopinions clash is theseedbed of realcommunity.”JAMES SHAPIRO
‘‘
n Jane Nerlinger Evans ’69 andCelia Costas ’68 have beenworking on location inChatham, New York wherethey are filming Ang Lee’snew feature film TakingWoodstock for Focus Features.Jane is head of physical pro-
duction at Focus, and Celiais the producer. Jane writes,“We’ve worked together anumber of times before, butthis is near and dear to ourhearts, set in the summer of’69 against the backdrop ofthe Woodstock Festival. We
can’t believe what great for-tune we have had…..to havebeen friends all these yearsand have careers that haveintersected frequently in allkinds of wonderful ways inwonderful places.” When Janewas an executive at HBO,Celia and she collaborated onthe Emmy award winningdrama A Lesson Before Dying.Celia won Emmys for HBO’sAngels in America and WarmSprings, and has, most recent-ly, produced the film versionof the Broadway play Doubt,starring Meryl Streep andPhilip Seymour Hoffman.Jane’s 21-year-old son, Lucas,s tudies f i lm a t LoyolaMarymount University inMarina Del Rey, California.
1980s8
n Rhonda Markland Butler ’84 isliving in Florida with herfamily. She has four childrenwho range in age from two tonine years, and she keepsherself busy by taking care ofthem. Having moved fromBinghamton, New York, toFlorida four years ago,Rhonda loves the outdoorlifestyle and more relaxedatmosphere of Florida. Shethinks it is the “perfect” placeto raise children.
1990s8
n Holly Long Maturo ’90 (inphoto) sent this note, “Myfamily and I are doing well.I have enjoyed reconnectingwith many Berkeley alumnivia Facebook and late lastyear ventured into New YorkCity to visit Janine KennaDozier ’91 to meet Janine’syounger son Henry. Henry’s
older brother, Jack, and myson Tyler really enjoy play-ing together. I am workingas a behaviorist for adultswith developmental disabil-ities. It’s challenging work,but it’s quite rewarding too.I am also doing consultingon the side as a behaviorsupport person for variousprivate agencies.”
n Leah Foster ’95 graduatedfrom law school in May 2008and i s now a t Tu l aneUniversity studying for hermaster’s in social work. Sheexpects to graduate inDecember 2009. As part ofher fieldwork, Leah is work-ing in the New OrleansPublic Defender’s Office intheir alternative sentencingprogram.
n Ben Freeman ’95 has beenliving in London for threeyears now working forGoldman Sachs. He trades oilfor the firm with anyone whowants to increase or reducetheir exposure to oil prices
31Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200930 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
1950s8
n Ann Mackey Peters ’50 is anavid gardener and delights indesigning cards with photosof her beautiful flowers.
n Norma Gatje Smith ’50 hashad her second book, FromPalm Beach to Northwestern U,published by Author House.
n Carol Anne Behn ’59 didsome traveling during thesummer of 2008. In July shetook a cruise on the QueenMary 2 to Halifax, NovaScotia and back with stopsalong the way. During theLabor Day weekend she vis-ited San Francisco to attendthe wedding of her greatniece who is the granddaugh-ter of Carol Mahr Behn ’47.
n Ruthann “Ann” Lind Heap ’59wrote, “We left Nigeria near-ly 20 years ago for HongKong and then Brazil. Most ofthe year my husband Peter, aretired British ambassadorwho has held diplomaticposts around the world, andI live in London. We alsohave a house in Floridawhich we use from Christmasuntil Easter each year.”
classnotes))
Note from Holly:In addition to the MAGAZINE, class notesare published on a monthly basis in ouralumni newsletter. On the first of themonth during the school year, we emailthe newsletter to all alumni whose emailaddresses are on file in our office. If youaren’t receiving the newsletter and wouldlike to, please contact Holly Kempner [email protected] with yourcurrent email information. You can alsosubmit class notes online atwww.berkeleycarroll.org/alumni/alumnin_classnotes.asp or by mail toHolly Kempner, Berkeley Carroll School,808 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215.
(Standing l to r) Claire Ghattas Pitzer, Bunny (Joan) Wagener Libby, Genevieve Twohig, Carol SwanForster, Carol Atiyeh. (Front l to r) Gwendolen Skelton, Jean Martinson Davio
(l to r) Jane Nerlinger Evans and Celia Costas
n Jean Martinson Davio ’61 sent this
note about their latest class reunion.
“In August of 2008, Bunny Wagener
Libby and her husband, Ken, hosted
the class of 1961’s ‘Medicare Mamas’
65th birthday bash and reunion at
their home in Stowe, Vermont. We
came from Florida, Georgia, Virginia,
New York, and Vermont for a week-
long celebration. We talked, laughed,
relaxed, walked, shopped, and then
talked and laughed some more. Four
of us spent a whole day with a pro-
fessional cook learning cooking tech-
niques and preparing a fantastic meal
for everyone to enjoy. The remainder
of the cooking was shared with each
of us preparing a dinner, even Ken.
Carol Atiyeh taught us to play bridge;
Gwen Skelton was our bartender. The
highlight of the week was our birth-
day dinner—turkey with all the trim-
mings, birthday cake, balloons, and
birthday presents! We’re already look-
ing forward to our next party! We
talked about finding our missing
classmates whom we haven’t seen or
heard from since graduation night.
The search has already begun so we
can all be together for our 50th
reunion in 2011. If you know a
member of the Berkeley class of
1961, please ask her if she has talked
with Jean recently. If she hasn’t,
please ask her to contact Holly
Kempner at hkempner@berkeleycar-
roll.org or Jean Martinson Davio at
1960s8
n Lucy Pinkston Schroth ’71, DVM,has been a small animal veteri-narian for 28 years, over ten ofwhich have involved emergencyand critical care. She sees a greatneed for financial assistance toaid pet owners who cannotafford life-saving emergency carein a crisis. To help with thisneed, Lucy and her husbandDon have set up a non-profitorganization called Veterinary
Emergency Funding Mission, Ltd. or VEFM. You can findout more about VEFM at their web site: www.VEFM.orgor their blog at vefm.blogspot.com. Lucy can also be con-tacted v ia emai l a t [email protected] [email protected].
1970s8
Holly Long Maturo and son Tyler
n Jane Nerlinger Evans ’69 andCelia Costas ’68 have beenworking on location inChatham, New York wherethey are filming Ang Lee’snew feature film TakingWoodstock for Focus Features.Jane is head of physical pro-
duction at Focus, and Celiais the producer. Jane writes,“We’ve worked together anumber of times before, butthis is near and dear to ourhearts, set in the summer of’69 against the backdrop ofthe Woodstock Festival. We
can’t believe what great for-tune we have had…..to havebeen friends all these yearsand have careers that haveintersected frequently in allkinds of wonderful ways inwonderful places.” When Janewas an executive at HBO,Celia and she collaborated onthe Emmy award winningdrama A Lesson Before Dying.Celia won Emmys for HBO’sAngels in America and WarmSprings, and has, most recent-ly, produced the film versionof the Broadway play Doubt,starring Meryl Streep andPhilip Seymour Hoffman.Jane’s 21-year-old son, Lucas,s tudies f i lm a t LoyolaMarymount University inMarina Del Rey, California.
1980s8
n Rhonda Markland Butler ’84 isliving in Florida with herfamily. She has four childrenwho range in age from two tonine years, and she keepsherself busy by taking care ofthem. Having moved fromBinghamton, New York, toFlorida four years ago,Rhonda loves the outdoorlifestyle and more relaxedatmosphere of Florida. Shethinks it is the “perfect” placeto raise children.
1990s8
n Holly Long Maturo ’90 (inphoto) sent this note, “Myfamily and I are doing well.I have enjoyed reconnectingwith many Berkeley alumnivia Facebook and late lastyear ventured into New YorkCity to visit Janine KennaDozier ’91 to meet Janine’syounger son Henry. Henry’s
older brother, Jack, and myson Tyler really enjoy play-ing together. I am workingas a behaviorist for adultswith developmental disabil-ities. It’s challenging work,but it’s quite rewarding too.I am also doing consultingon the side as a behaviorsupport person for variousprivate agencies.”
n Leah Foster ’95 graduatedfrom law school in May 2008and i s now a t Tu l aneUniversity studying for hermaster’s in social work. Sheexpects to graduate inDecember 2009. As part ofher fieldwork, Leah is work-ing in the New OrleansPublic Defender’s Office intheir alternative sentencingprogram.
n Ben Freeman ’95 has beenliving in London for threeyears now working forGoldman Sachs. He trades oilfor the firm with anyone whowants to increase or reducetheir exposure to oil prices
31Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200930 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
1950s8
n Ann Mackey Peters ’50 is anavid gardener and delights indesigning cards with photosof her beautiful flowers.
n Norma Gatje Smith ’50 hashad her second book, FromPalm Beach to Northwestern U,published by Author House.
n Carol Anne Behn ’59 didsome traveling during thesummer of 2008. In July shetook a cruise on the QueenMary 2 to Halifax, NovaScotia and back with stopsalong the way. During theLabor Day weekend she vis-ited San Francisco to attendthe wedding of her greatniece who is the granddaugh-ter of Carol Mahr Behn ’47.
n Ruthann “Ann” Lind Heap ’59wrote, “We left Nigeria near-ly 20 years ago for HongKong and then Brazil. Most ofthe year my husband Peter, aretired British ambassadorwho has held diplomaticposts around the world, andI live in London. We alsohave a house in Floridawhich we use from Christmasuntil Easter each year.”
classnotes))
Note from Holly:In addition to the MAGAZINE, class notesare published on a monthly basis in ouralumni newsletter. On the first of themonth during the school year, we emailthe newsletter to all alumni whose emailaddresses are on file in our office. If youaren’t receiving the newsletter and wouldlike to, please contact Holly Kempner [email protected] with yourcurrent email information. You can alsosubmit class notes online atwww.berkeleycarroll.org/alumni/alumnin_classnotes.asp or by mail toHolly Kempner, Berkeley Carroll School,808 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215.
(Standing l to r) Claire Ghattas Pitzer, Bunny (Joan) Wagener Libby, Genevieve Twohig, Carol SwanForster, Carol Atiyeh. (Front l to r) Gwendolen Skelton, Jean Martinson Davio
(l to r) Jane Nerlinger Evans and Celia Costas
n Jean Martinson Davio ’61 sent this
note about their latest class reunion.
“In August of 2008, Bunny Wagener
Libby and her husband, Ken, hosted
the class of 1961’s ‘Medicare Mamas’
65th birthday bash and reunion at
their home in Stowe, Vermont. We
came from Florida, Georgia, Virginia,
New York, and Vermont for a week-
long celebration. We talked, laughed,
relaxed, walked, shopped, and then
talked and laughed some more. Four
of us spent a whole day with a pro-
fessional cook learning cooking tech-
niques and preparing a fantastic meal
for everyone to enjoy. The remainder
of the cooking was shared with each
of us preparing a dinner, even Ken.
Carol Atiyeh taught us to play bridge;
Gwen Skelton was our bartender. The
highlight of the week was our birth-
day dinner—turkey with all the trim-
mings, birthday cake, balloons, and
birthday presents! We’re already look-
ing forward to our next party! We
talked about finding our missing
classmates whom we haven’t seen or
heard from since graduation night.
The search has already begun so we
can all be together for our 50th
reunion in 2011. If you know a
member of the Berkeley class of
1961, please ask her if she has talked
with Jean recently. If she hasn’t,
please ask her to contact Holly
Kempner at hkempner@berkeleycar-
roll.org or Jean Martinson Davio at
1960s8
n Lucy Pinkston Schroth ’71, DVM,has been a small animal veteri-narian for 28 years, over ten ofwhich have involved emergencyand critical care. She sees a greatneed for financial assistance toaid pet owners who cannotafford life-saving emergency carein a crisis. To help with thisneed, Lucy and her husbandDon have set up a non-profitorganization called Veterinary
Emergency Funding Mission, Ltd. or VEFM. You can findout more about VEFM at their web site: www.VEFM.orgor their blog at vefm.blogspot.com. Lucy can also be con-tacted v ia emai l a t [email protected] [email protected].
1970s8
Holly Long Maturo and son Tyler
n Elizabeth “Liz” Fisher Hoffman’99 was married to MatthewHoffman on September 20,2008 at the Rainbow Roomin New York City. Lauren Liles’99 was a bridesmaid andseveral other classmates werein attendance including Jessica Hochman’98, Michael Corcoran ’99, Ryan DeLorge ’99,Brian Ezra ’99, Nick Farrell ’99, Ford Harris’99, David Kelly ’99, Eric Naison-Phillips ’99,Albert Reyes ’99, Aaron Simons ’99, andSteven Sullivan ’99. Matt and Liz currentlylive in Manhattan, and Liz works as aPolicy Analyst at The After-SchoolCorporation or TASC. TASC is dedicatedto giving all kids opportunities to growthrough after-school and summer pro-grams that support, educate, and inspirethem. The organization builds collabora-tions among public and private partners
to ensure that learning beyond tradition-al school hours remains part of the pub-lic agenda and receives the necessaryresources. TASC enhances the quality ofprograms by supporting the people andorganizations that work to keep kids safeand engaged. The organization also inno-vates, supports, and evaluates modelsthat expand the time and ways kidslearn and that can be scaled to reachlarge numbers of students.
Newlyweds Elizabeth Fisher Hoffman’99 and Matthew Hoffman
(l to r) Al Reyes, Nick Farrell, Eric Naison-Phillips, Liz,Michael Cocoran, and Lauren Liles.
33Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200932 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
and volatility. Examples oftrading partners include oilproducers, airlines, sovereignnations, and hedge funds.Ben comments, “While thecredit crisis has made timesdifficult—a number of col-leagues have lost their jobs—it has been a fascinating timeto work. Hopefully there willbe lessons learned from all ofthis. Otherwise there will bemore economic crises whichwill continue to affect every-one no matter where onelives.”
n Sergei Burbank ’98 is the lit-erary manager and a found-ing member, with MarleneClary (Upper School Englishteacher and theater director)and Roy Clary (Marlene’s hus-band), of the Conflict ofInterest Theater Company,www.conflicttheater.com. Thecompany’s mission is to offerworks that challenge accept-ed norms in dramatic, polit-ical, and social discourse.Using modern interpretationsof existing works or re-exam-ining works that have beenprematurely dismissed oroverlooked, the goal is tobring renewed attention tothese unconventional pieces.Their f i rs t product ion,McReele, opened in October2008. Their January 2009production, Timor Mortis, fea-tured an original play writtenby Berkeley Carroll Middleand Upper School Spanishteacher, Jim O’Connor.
n Andrew Sidrane ’99 marriedAlison Corey Gerson this pastNovember in Philadelphia.Andrew is a software devel-oper at Lazard, the Manhattaninvestment bank, and Alisonworks in Manhattan as a
manager in the planningdepartment at Mediaedge:cia,a media planning and buyingdivision of the WPP Group,the British advertising compa-ny. Andrew graduated fromTufts University where healso received a master’s degreein computer science.
2000s8
n Anne DeVine ’01 is workingfor the Aga Khan Foundationin Kabul, Afghanistan astheir community based edu-cation program coordinator,overseeing programs in threenorthern provinces: Baghlan,Badakhshan, and Bamyan.Read more about Anne inthis issue’s feature on Anne,her work, and her blogabout her experiences inAfghanistan.
n Tristan Bennett ’04 sent usthis note, “After graduatingfrom Bard College in 2008 Imarried my longtime girl-friend, Kesi, mostly because
classnotes))
n Deborah Greig ’99 just completed her first season at EastNew York Farms, an urban agriculture non-profit in theEast New York section of Brooklyn, an area of the boroughthat is chronically underserved in terms of fresh food andproduce and over-represented in terms of health conditionscaused by poor nutrition. The program increases neighbor-hood access to healthy food via its vibrant farmers’ marketwhich features fresh produce grown by members of theENY Farms youth program and local gardeners. Deborahwrites, “We just celebrated our tenth anniversary which is atestament to the desire of the local community to take con-trol of their food system in a neighborhood that has beencalled a ’food desert.’ Everyone is welcome to come outand volunteer or visit our market. Find out more atwww.eastnewyorkfarms.org.”
n Alexander ’Alex’ Andon ’02 has started aSan Francisco-based business calledJellyfish Art (www.jellyfishart.com) thatmakes ornamental jellyfish aquariums.Only in the past decade have scientistsdiscovered how to keep and breed manyspecies of jellyfish in captivity. Thesedelicate animals require unique tankswith specific water flow patterns to keepthem from getting sucked into filtrationpumps. Alex is using these new discov-eries to create aquariums that captivateviewers with the soothing, mesmerizingambiance of pulsing jellyfish. He startedJellyfish Art this year and has gotten
calls from several interested celebrities.His latest installation is a nine-footaquarium in a new Vietnamese restau-rant opening in Seattle. As of nowJellyfish Art only makes large customaquariums, but a line of affordable desk-top tanks will launch soon. Alex’s fasci-nation with marine animals was sparkedwhen he sailed through the BritishVirgin Islands and went free-divingthrough underwater tunnels in coralreefs. He went on to work for the SeaTurtle Protection Society of Greece,camping on beaches in Crete to protectnests and hatchlings.
Deborah, shown at left.
n Elizabeth “Liz” Fisher Hoffman’99 was married to MatthewHoffman on September 20,2008 at the Rainbow Roomin New York City. Lauren Liles’99 was a bridesmaid andseveral other classmates werein attendance including Jessica Hochman’98, Michael Corcoran ’99, Ryan DeLorge ’99,Brian Ezra ’99, Nick Farrell ’99, Ford Harris’99, David Kelly ’99, Eric Naison-Phillips ’99,Albert Reyes ’99, Aaron Simons ’99, andSteven Sullivan ’99. Matt and Liz currentlylive in Manhattan, and Liz works as aPolicy Analyst at The After-SchoolCorporation or TASC. TASC is dedicatedto giving all kids opportunities to growthrough after-school and summer pro-grams that support, educate, and inspirethem. The organization builds collabora-tions among public and private partners
to ensure that learning beyond tradition-al school hours remains part of the pub-lic agenda and receives the necessaryresources. TASC enhances the quality ofprograms by supporting the people andorganizations that work to keep kids safeand engaged. The organization also inno-vates, supports, and evaluates modelsthat expand the time and ways kidslearn and that can be scaled to reachlarge numbers of students.
Newlyweds Elizabeth Fisher Hoffman’99 and Matthew Hoffman
(l to r) Al Reyes, Nick Farrell, Eric Naison-Phillips, Liz,Michael Cocoran, and Lauren Liles.
33Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 200932 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
and volatility. Examples oftrading partners include oilproducers, airlines, sovereignnations, and hedge funds.Ben comments, “While thecredit crisis has made timesdifficult—a number of col-leagues have lost their jobs—it has been a fascinating timeto work. Hopefully there willbe lessons learned from all ofthis. Otherwise there will bemore economic crises whichwill continue to affect every-one no matter where onelives.”
n Sergei Burbank ’98 is the lit-erary manager and a found-ing member, with MarleneClary (Upper School Englishteacher and theater director)and Roy Clary (Marlene’s hus-band), of the Conflict ofInterest Theater Company,www.conflicttheater.com. Thecompany’s mission is to offerworks that challenge accept-ed norms in dramatic, polit-ical, and social discourse.Using modern interpretationsof existing works or re-exam-ining works that have beenprematurely dismissed oroverlooked, the goal is tobring renewed attention tothese unconventional pieces.Their f i rs t product ion,McReele, opened in October2008. Their January 2009production, Timor Mortis, fea-tured an original play writtenby Berkeley Carroll Middleand Upper School Spanishteacher, Jim O’Connor.
n Andrew Sidrane ’99 marriedAlison Corey Gerson this pastNovember in Philadelphia.Andrew is a software devel-oper at Lazard, the Manhattaninvestment bank, and Alisonworks in Manhattan as a
manager in the planningdepartment at Mediaedge:cia,a media planning and buyingdivision of the WPP Group,the British advertising compa-ny. Andrew graduated fromTufts University where healso received a master’s degreein computer science.
2000s8
n Anne DeVine ’01 is workingfor the Aga Khan Foundationin Kabul, Afghanistan astheir community based edu-cation program coordinator,overseeing programs in threenorthern provinces: Baghlan,Badakhshan, and Bamyan.Read more about Anne inthis issue’s feature on Anne,her work, and her blogabout her experiences inAfghanistan.
n Tristan Bennett ’04 sent usthis note, “After graduatingfrom Bard College in 2008 Imarried my longtime girl-friend, Kesi, mostly because
classnotes))
n Deborah Greig ’99 just completed her first season at EastNew York Farms, an urban agriculture non-profit in theEast New York section of Brooklyn, an area of the boroughthat is chronically underserved in terms of fresh food andproduce and over-represented in terms of health conditionscaused by poor nutrition. The program increases neighbor-hood access to healthy food via its vibrant farmers’ marketwhich features fresh produce grown by members of theENY Farms youth program and local gardeners. Deborahwrites, “We just celebrated our tenth anniversary which is atestament to the desire of the local community to take con-trol of their food system in a neighborhood that has beencalled a ’food desert.’ Everyone is welcome to come outand volunteer or visit our market. Find out more atwww.eastnewyorkfarms.org.”
n Alexander ’Alex’ Andon ’02 has started aSan Francisco-based business calledJellyfish Art (www.jellyfishart.com) thatmakes ornamental jellyfish aquariums.Only in the past decade have scientistsdiscovered how to keep and breed manyspecies of jellyfish in captivity. Thesedelicate animals require unique tankswith specific water flow patterns to keepthem from getting sucked into filtrationpumps. Alex is using these new discov-eries to create aquariums that captivateviewers with the soothing, mesmerizingambiance of pulsing jellyfish. He startedJellyfish Art this year and has gotten
calls from several interested celebrities.His latest installation is a nine-footaquarium in a new Vietnamese restau-rant opening in Seattle. As of nowJellyfish Art only makes large customaquariums, but a line of affordable desk-top tanks will launch soon. Alex’s fasci-nation with marine animals was sparkedwhen he sailed through the BritishVirgin Islands and went free-divingthrough underwater tunnels in coralreefs. He went on to work for the SeaTurtle Protection Society of Greece,camping on beaches in Crete to protectnests and hatchlings.
Deborah, shown at left.
34 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
I couldn’t imagine doinganything else! We also,miraculously, received fel-lowships to work, study, andt e a c h i n t h e U n i t e dKingdom. It’s a tremendousopportunity for both of us,and we are now living inLeicester, England. We havea beautiful flat and goodfutures here. But I haveanother reason to write. Kesiand I just found out that inJuly 2009 we are expectinga beautiful baby girl whomwe have named Lakeisha inhonor of her grandmother.We couldn’t be happier, andI couldn’t be more proud!”
n Michael Patlingrao ’06 ismajoring in clinical psychol-
ogy at Tufts University andis a research assistant at theschool’s Emotion, Brain, andBehavior Laboratory (EBBL).He is also a member of theschool’s all-male step team,BlackOut, and was on thewinning competition teamsfor the Williams College stepcompetition in the spring of2007 and the Harvard Ain’tNo Half Steppin’ competitionin the fall of 2007. Michaelalso choreographs for Spiritof Color (SoC), an on-cam-pus dance company thatfocuses mainly on hip-hopand jazz styles and dancesfor the professional hip-hopdance company Static Noyze.For more information, checkout www.staticnoyze.com.
n Caroline Towbin NG ’06worked on a project organ-ized by Heal the Rift duringt h e s u m m e r o f 2 0 0 8 .Conceived by four Middle-bury College students, Healthe Rift is a non-profit, stu-dent-run organization thataims to increase understand-ing between the West andthe Muslim world. Programscenter on bringing represen-tatives from both spherestogether. An event was heldthis past July in WashingtonSquare Park and featuredmusic, comedy, and cross-cultural attractions.
n Six Berke ley Carro l lauthors had works featuredin RED the Book, a collection
of personal essays written by58 teenage girls from acrossthe United States and pub-lished in November 2007.Lucy Bennett, Emma Considine,Sarah Harrison, Jane Horowitz,Aarian Marshall, and AlisonSmith, all members of theclass of 2008, were on anational tour to publicizethe book and celebrate therelease of the book intopaperback in October 2008.They wrapped up their tourwith readings in New YorkC i t y a n d C a m b r i d g e ,Massachusetts. For moreinformation and to reada u t h o r b l o g s g o t owww.redthebook.com. <
classnotes))35Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
n Samantha Dannenberg ’06 lived in Barcelona, Spainfor two months during the summer of 2008 doingchemistry research at UAB, Universidad Autònomade Barcelona. She writes, “Since my stay in CataluñaI have decided to learn Catalan, the regional dialectthat is an interesting mix of French and Spanish.Now, back at Reed College where I am in my junioryear, I am still pursuing a major in chemistry, and Iam still spinning fire. This year I learned how tobreathe fire as well, and next semester I plan onlearning to fire hoop.”
Sam Dannenberg '06, center, is majoring in chemistry at Reed College.
n E. J. “Jean” Fraser O’Sullivan ’35 passed away onApril 30, 2008. Jean is survived by her husband,James, and her children Katherine, Robert, andJane.
n Joanne Nagel Wright ’48 passed away peacefullyat home on September 13, 2008 with her hus-
band, Peter, at her side. Joanne attend-ed Duke University and graduatedwith her bachelor of arts from BarnardCollege in New York. Before marrying,Joanne was an aspiring actress andworked in summer stock theatre inConnecticut and then did some workin radio and television in New YorkCity. When she had the opportunity todo some work in the movies in Mexico,she enrolled in a Berlitz Spanish courseand became fluent in Spanish. She
lived in Mexico City and Havana while acting ina few movies and doing voiceover dubbing inEnglish for other films. Joanne married Peter in1958, and they moved to Los Angeles in 1961 withtheir son, Peter Christian. Their daughters, MargotFaith and Amanda Hope, were born soon aftertheir move. Joanne devoted herself to the raisingof her children and only returned to work oncethey graduated from high school. As a full-timemother, Joanne began the community service andvolunteer work that would be her calling for therest of her life. In 1998 Joanne and Peter relocat-ed to Santa Paula, California where Joanne becameengaged in the civic affairs of the city and a well-known civic advocate. Her role as a founder andorganizer of what has become Santa Paula’s annu-al Labor Day parade was a visible highlight to herlong work in community promotion. Joanne is sur-vived by her husband, Peter Wright, and her threechildren, Peter Wright of Midland, Michigan,Margot Wright of Lafayette, Colorado, and AmandaFlora of Thousand Oaks, California, and byPeter’s wife, Nicki Bauer. In addition, Joanne is sur-vived by her beloved five grandchildren—Dylan,Sophia, Jasmine, Maya, and Audrey.
n Sweaty palms, nervous laughter, a Brooklynaccent, panic-induced silences. These were just afew of the image blemishes addressed by DorothySarnoff Raymond ’31, an opera singer and Broadwaystar who had a much bigger second career as oneof the first, and most influential, image consult-ants, coaxing stageworthy performances frombusiness executives preparing a big speech, ambas-sadors on their way to foreign assignments, andwriters heading out on book tours. She became anaccomplished singer on Broadway, television, andin opera, starring in The King and I with YulBrynner. Her performance credits include Rosalinda,My Darlin’ Aida, Tosca, Magdalena, The Ed SullivanShow, a USO show in Germany, and Super ClubActs at the Pierre Hotel's Cotillion Room and theAmericana Hotel’s Bal Masque Supper Club. Whenher stage career waned, she founded Speech
Dynamics Inc., a speech consultancy firm, and heldspeech cosmetics classes in New York City. In thiscapacity she aided Israeli Prime Minister MenachemBegin with a public speaking engagement and in1980 she assisted President Jimmy Carter with hisState of the Union Address. Ms. Sarnoff found timeto give back to her school and was the keynotespeaker at Berkeley Carroll’s career day in the early90’s. Ms. Sarnoff died December 20, 2008 at herhome in Manhattan. She was 94. <
DEATHS IN THE BERKELEY CARROLL FAMILY
inpassing))
The inaugural members
of the FOUNDERS SOCIETY—
alumni who have provided gifts to
Berkeley Carroll totaling
$25,000.00 to $99,999.99—
will be celebrated at this year’s
Reunion weekend April 17-18, 2009.
1404
y
On Tuesday April 14,2009, members of theBerkeley Carroll Heritage Society,which includes those donors whohave contributed $100,000 or moreto Berkeley Carroll over the years, will be recognized at a special eveningevent at 181 Lincoln Place.
34 Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
I couldn’t imagine doinganything else! We also,miraculously, received fel-lowships to work, study, andt e a c h i n t h e U n i t e dKingdom. It’s a tremendousopportunity for both of us,and we are now living inLeicester, England. We havea beautiful flat and goodfutures here. But I haveanother reason to write. Kesiand I just found out that inJuly 2009 we are expectinga beautiful baby girl whomwe have named Lakeisha inhonor of her grandmother.We couldn’t be happier, andI couldn’t be more proud!”
n Michael Patlingrao ’06 ismajoring in clinical psychol-
ogy at Tufts University andis a research assistant at theschool’s Emotion, Brain, andBehavior Laboratory (EBBL).He is also a member of theschool’s all-male step team,BlackOut, and was on thewinning competition teamsfor the Williams College stepcompetition in the spring of2007 and the Harvard Ain’tNo Half Steppin’ competitionin the fall of 2007. Michaelalso choreographs for Spiritof Color (SoC), an on-cam-pus dance company thatfocuses mainly on hip-hopand jazz styles and dancesfor the professional hip-hopdance company Static Noyze.For more information, checkout www.staticnoyze.com.
n Caroline Towbin NG ’06worked on a project organ-ized by Heal the Rift duringt h e s u m m e r o f 2 0 0 8 .Conceived by four Middle-bury College students, Healthe Rift is a non-profit, stu-dent-run organization thataims to increase understand-ing between the West andthe Muslim world. Programscenter on bringing represen-tatives from both spherestogether. An event was heldthis past July in WashingtonSquare Park and featuredmusic, comedy, and cross-cultural attractions.
n Six Berke ley Carro l lauthors had works featuredin RED the Book, a collection
of personal essays written by58 teenage girls from acrossthe United States and pub-lished in November 2007.Lucy Bennett, Emma Considine,Sarah Harrison, Jane Horowitz,Aarian Marshall, and AlisonSmith, all members of theclass of 2008, were on anational tour to publicizethe book and celebrate therelease of the book intopaperback in October 2008.They wrapped up their tourwith readings in New YorkC i t y a n d C a m b r i d g e ,Massachusetts. For moreinformation and to reada u t h o r b l o g s g o t owww.redthebook.com. <
classnotes))35Berkeley Carrol l • MAGAZINE • Spring 2009
n Samantha Dannenberg ’06 lived in Barcelona, Spainfor two months during the summer of 2008 doingchemistry research at UAB, Universidad Autònomade Barcelona. She writes, “Since my stay in CataluñaI have decided to learn Catalan, the regional dialectthat is an interesting mix of French and Spanish.Now, back at Reed College where I am in my junioryear, I am still pursuing a major in chemistry, and Iam still spinning fire. This year I learned how tobreathe fire as well, and next semester I plan onlearning to fire hoop.”
Sam Dannenberg '06, center, is majoring in chemistry at Reed College.
n E. J. “Jean” Fraser O’Sullivan ’35 passed away onApril 30, 2008. Jean is survived by her husband,James, and her children Katherine, Robert, andJane.
n Joanne Nagel Wright ’48 passed away peacefullyat home on September 13, 2008 with her hus-
band, Peter, at her side. Joanne attend-ed Duke University and graduatedwith her bachelor of arts from BarnardCollege in New York. Before marrying,Joanne was an aspiring actress andworked in summer stock theatre inConnecticut and then did some workin radio and television in New YorkCity. When she had the opportunity todo some work in the movies in Mexico,she enrolled in a Berlitz Spanish courseand became fluent in Spanish. She
lived in Mexico City and Havana while acting ina few movies and doing voiceover dubbing inEnglish for other films. Joanne married Peter in1958, and they moved to Los Angeles in 1961 withtheir son, Peter Christian. Their daughters, MargotFaith and Amanda Hope, were born soon aftertheir move. Joanne devoted herself to the raisingof her children and only returned to work oncethey graduated from high school. As a full-timemother, Joanne began the community service andvolunteer work that would be her calling for therest of her life. In 1998 Joanne and Peter relocat-ed to Santa Paula, California where Joanne becameengaged in the civic affairs of the city and a well-known civic advocate. Her role as a founder andorganizer of what has become Santa Paula’s annu-al Labor Day parade was a visible highlight to herlong work in community promotion. Joanne is sur-vived by her husband, Peter Wright, and her threechildren, Peter Wright of Midland, Michigan,Margot Wright of Lafayette, Colorado, and AmandaFlora of Thousand Oaks, California, and byPeter’s wife, Nicki Bauer. In addition, Joanne is sur-vived by her beloved five grandchildren—Dylan,Sophia, Jasmine, Maya, and Audrey.
n Sweaty palms, nervous laughter, a Brooklynaccent, panic-induced silences. These were just afew of the image blemishes addressed by DorothySarnoff Raymond ’31, an opera singer and Broadwaystar who had a much bigger second career as oneof the first, and most influential, image consult-ants, coaxing stageworthy performances frombusiness executives preparing a big speech, ambas-sadors on their way to foreign assignments, andwriters heading out on book tours. She became anaccomplished singer on Broadway, television, andin opera, starring in The King and I with YulBrynner. Her performance credits include Rosalinda,My Darlin’ Aida, Tosca, Magdalena, The Ed SullivanShow, a USO show in Germany, and Super ClubActs at the Pierre Hotel's Cotillion Room and theAmericana Hotel’s Bal Masque Supper Club. Whenher stage career waned, she founded Speech
Dynamics Inc., a speech consultancy firm, and heldspeech cosmetics classes in New York City. In thiscapacity she aided Israeli Prime Minister MenachemBegin with a public speaking engagement and in1980 she assisted President Jimmy Carter with hisState of the Union Address. Ms. Sarnoff found timeto give back to her school and was the keynotespeaker at Berkeley Carroll’s career day in the early90’s. Ms. Sarnoff died December 20, 2008 at herhome in Manhattan. She was 94. <
DEATHS IN THE BERKELEY CARROLL FAMILY
inpassing))
The inaugural members
of the FOUNDERS SOCIETY—
alumni who have provided gifts to
Berkeley Carroll totaling
$25,000.00 to $99,999.99—
will be celebrated at this year’s
Reunion weekend April 17-18, 2009.
1404
y
On Tuesday April 14,2009, members of theBerkeley Carroll Heritage Society,which includes those donors whohave contributed $100,000 or moreto Berkeley Carroll over the years, will be recognized at a special eveningevent at 181 Lincoln Place.
18reunionreunionWeekend
17
CATHERINE G. RORABACK’37
Berkeley Carroll salutes its alumna, the late
The only woman in hergraduating class at Yale Law Schoolin 1948
A litigator who, through her role in the landmark case Griswold v.Connecticut, foreverredefined the notion of “privacy” asit affects the course of jurisprudenceon personal issues including abortion
Catherine Rorabackwas a member of the Atwood Society, agroup of alumni, parents,and friends who havemade provisions for
Berkeley Carroll through a bequest orother planned gift. Catherine was aninfluential woman and lawyer whothought enough about her life atBerkeley to remember Berkeley Carrollin her will. Please consider doing the same.
How can you remember Berkeley Carroll forever?• Designating the school in a will• Making a trust arrangement • Including the school in an
insurance policy• Donating assets from your
retirement plan
For more information: 718-534-6585 [email protected]
Saturday, April 18
10:00 amDiscussion• 181 Lincoln PlaceA conversation with Celia Costas ’68, Emmy awardwinning producer (Warm Springsand Angels in America), and Jane Nerlinger Evans ’69,head of physical production atFocus Features.
11:00 amReunion Brunch• 181 Lincoln Place
PRESENTATION OF ALUMNI AWARDS:
Distinguished Alumni Award:Elizabeth ‘Bitsie’ Root ’51, founderand retired head of the PhillipsBrooks School in Menlo Park,California
Lions Award:Sloan Gaon ’87 for service to theBerkeley Carroll School as memberof the Alumni Council and theBoard of Trustees
1:00pmAll-School Art Show• 181 Lincoln PlaceAll members of the BC communityare invited to tour the school andenjoy the displays of student artfrom grades PreK-12, craftactivities offered by Upper Schoolstudents, and workshops forfamilies by visiting artists.
2:00pmAlumni Dance Performance• 181 Lincoln PlaceJoin dance teacher DalienneMajors in the dance studio.
ROOTCOSTASEVANS GAON
Friday, April 17
• 1939 Union StreetPark Slope, Brooklyn
6:30 - 8:30 pmCocktails and hors d’oeuvres at the home of Robert Vitalo, Head of School
Alumni Founders Society—initiation celebration and ceremony
SAVEDATEthe
A P R I L 1 7 - 1 8 , 2 0 0 9
“Staircase” by Naomi Brenman ’11
18reunionreunionWeekend
17
CATHERINE G. RORABACK’37
Berkeley Carroll salutes its alumna, the late
The only woman in hergraduating class at Yale Law Schoolin 1948
A litigator who, through her role in the landmark case Griswold v.Connecticut, foreverredefined the notion of “privacy” asit affects the course of jurisprudenceon personal issues including abortion
Catherine Rorabackwas a member of the Atwood Society, agroup of alumni, parents,and friends who havemade provisions for
Berkeley Carroll through a bequest orother planned gift. Catherine was aninfluential woman and lawyer whothought enough about her life atBerkeley to remember Berkeley Carrollin her will. Please consider doing the same.
How can you remember Berkeley Carroll forever?• Designating the school in a will• Making a trust arrangement • Including the school in an
insurance policy• Donating assets from your
retirement plan
For more information: 718-534-6585 [email protected]
Saturday, April 18
10:00 amDiscussion• 181 Lincoln PlaceA conversation with Celia Costas ’68, Emmy awardwinning producer (Warm Springsand Angels in America), and Jane Nerlinger Evans ’69,head of physical production atFocus Features.
11:00 amReunion Brunch• 181 Lincoln Place
PRESENTATION OF ALUMNI AWARDS:
Distinguished Alumni Award:Elizabeth ‘Bitsie’ Root ’51, founderand retired head of the PhillipsBrooks School in Menlo Park,California
Lions Award:Sloan Gaon ’87 for service to theBerkeley Carroll School as memberof the Alumni Council and theBoard of Trustees
1:00pmAll-School Art Show• 181 Lincoln PlaceAll members of the BC communityare invited to tour the school andenjoy the displays of student artfrom grades PreK-12, craftactivities offered by Upper Schoolstudents, and workshops forfamilies by visiting artists.
2:00pmAlumni Dance Performance• 181 Lincoln PlaceJoin dance teacher DalienneMajors in the dance studio.
ROOTCOSTASEVANS GAON
Friday, April 17
• 1939 Union StreetPark Slope, Brooklyn
6:30 - 8:30 pmCocktails and hors d’oeuvres at the home of Robert Vitalo, Head of School
Alumni Founders Society—initiation celebration and ceremony
SAVEDATEthe
A P R I L 1 7 - 1 8 , 2 0 0 9
“Staircase” by Naomi Brenman ’11
S P R I N G 2 0 0 9
8 BC TEACHERS & ALUMS DEDICATED TO A LIFE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE 8
T H E Address Service Requested
808 Union StreetBrooklyn, NY 11215www.berkeleycarroll.org
Non Profit Org.
US POSTAGE PAID
Brooklyn, NY
Permit #1299
Second grade dancers, January 2009