hill happenings 2014

Special Insert:2012/2013Report of Giving

HILLHAPPENINGS

The Chestnut Hill School MagazineWinter 2014

At The Chestnut Hill School, our mission to educate children is deeply rooted in a commitment to academic excellence, diversity, and community.

Through a thoughtfully balanced program that nurtures the whole child, we engage, challenge, andsupport children as they develop the skills and confidence to achieve educational success. As weintentionally build a diverse school community, we value, respect, and educate ourselves about itsresulting gifts and complexities. We foster the growth of our students as responsible, contributing community members who stand up for their beliefs, express their thoughts, and care about the rightsand feelings of others.

HILL HAPPENINGS HILL HAPPENINGS Winter 2014Winter 2014

EEDITORSDITORS::Kim FoxJeri Goetz

DDESIGN ANDESIGN AND LLAYOUTAYOUT

Michele Page

PPHOTOGRAPHYHOTOGRAPHY::

Rick BernCoffee Pond Photography

Kim FoxJeri Goetz

Ellen HarasimowiczLinda Hughes

Margaret LampertProphet Parker-McWhorter

Joshua TousterTramaine Weekes

CONTRIBUTORS

Kimberly Fox Jeri Goetz

Linda HughesBrenda KostykDebra Sullivan

Steven B. Tobolsky, Ph. D.

EDITORIAL BBOARDOARD

Head of SchoolHead of SchoolSteven B. Tobolsky, Ph.D.

Director of Admission/Enrollment Director of Admission/Enrollment Wendy Borosavage

Director of DevelopmentJeri Goetz

Director of Community and DiversityDirector of Community and DiversityLinda Hughes

Dean of Faculty/Director of StudiesDean of Faculty/Director of StudiesDebra Sullivan

Assistant Director of External RelationsAssistant Director of External RelationsKim Fox

Hill HighlightsHill Highlights2 6th Grade Advisor Program

4 Tribute to Class of 2013

8 Scenes from the Seasons

10 The Power of STEAM

14 Building and Engineering: A Parent’s Perspective

16 Learning Specialists

17 Cultural Competency

18 From Bridge Builder to Silicon Valley Worker

20 Community News

22 CHS Remembers Two Trustees

24 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient: Christopher Awtrey ’80

26 Class Notes

OUR MISSION STATEMENTOUR MISSION STATEMENT

Letter from the Head of School

For many decades parentsand teachers in Americansociety have felt pressuredto learn about the latesteducational trends, if notalso to adopt them withenthusiasm and purpose.In addition to the trainingthat I received prior to my first formal teachingposition, here is a partial

list of the exciting ideas that have come along since Ibegan teaching in the mid-1970s. The purpose of thislist is not to advocate for any particular educationalstrategy or approach, but simply to provide an inter-esting frame of reference. Even though I have favoredsome of these ideas more than others, I believe that my teaching has been enhanced by the ensuingconversation about best possible outcomes and bestpossible methods.

Open classrooms, whole language, values

clarification, inquiry-based learning, block scheduling,

experiential learning, cultural literacy, authentic

assessment, multi-sensory instruction, multiple

intelligences, inventive spelling, rubrics, metacognition,

ability grouping, constructivism, Socratic method,

portfolio-based assessment, gender-specific instruction,

peer tutoring, thematic instruction, standards-based

instruction, teaching for understanding, Common

Core, and 21st century skills.

What is most interesting about this list is not merely that these ideas are legitimate attempts toencapsulate or articulate something important aboutteaching and learning. That is true, and there remainsgreat debate among educators about even the slightestdifference in strategy or approach. However, perhapseven more interesting is the fervor with which ordi-

nary citizens seem to react to these ideas. Learningfacts is one thing; learning values seems to be quiteanother. As our society becomes more argumentativein general, education certainly remains a key battle-field. Whether this stems from intensified media saturation or from inalienable biological imperative, Ido not know. I can only affirm that these are hotly-contested ideas.

Efforts to promote 21st century thinking are amongthe most unavoidable of educational themes at thispresent moment. Indeed, one could say that this movement is building up an unstoppable head of steam.The tradition of interdisciplinary curriculum at CHSlends itself easily both to coordination of STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, art, andmath) and to enhanced multicultural competence andglobal awareness. As can be seen from the features inthis magazine, the everyday curriculum at CHS is filledwith opportunities for students to learn and internalizea new set of skills relevant to the challenges of the century that lies ahead. My greatest hope is that theythen approach their adulthood with access to facts aswell as values.

Steven B. Tobolsky, Ph.D.Head of School

Learning Facts and Learning Values

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Sixth Grade Advisor Program— Enriching the Upper School Experience

The Chestnut Hill School believesthat social and emotional healthis central to effective learning

and a strong indicator of academic suc-cess. Motivated by a goal of enrichingconnection to others, the CHS curricu-lum and special programs are organizedto enhance opportunities for positiveinteraction among adults and children of all ages. A signature program is the6th grade advisor program.

Created in 2008 under the encour-agement of Head of School SteveTobolsky, the program pairs 6th graderswith adult advisors. “Children of thisage welcome special connections toadults. Although the pairings of chil-dren with adults are coordinated byDiana Blazar and Dylan Gallegos ’85,the program does not otherwise requirea great deal of structure, curriculum, or

theme. The heart of the program lies inthe one-on-one relationships that areformed on a regular basis while havinglunch together,” says Dr. Tobolsky.Class member Alara Ozguc shares, “Itfun to spend time with an adult who isnot your teacher and tell them how youare feeling.” Sixth grader Sophie-MarieChadha adds, “The program makeslunch fun and easy. The lunch roomgets a bit noisy sometimes, but advisorlunch is nice and calm.”

In addition to attending a number of group activities that include a back-to-school luncheon, a luncheon party atthe Head of School’s home, a mid-yearluncheon in the classroom, and a formaldinner prior to graduation, advisorsserve as trusted adults who can offeradvice, help solve problems, relieve the

By Jeri Goetz

stress of secondary school placementprocess, and more. Student Teddy Pyleattended the recent luncheon at theHead’s home and remarked that “It was fun to see our teachers andadvisors outside the school environ-ment.” Second year advisor MichaelCoppola enjoys reconnecting with former students. “I like to hear what’son their minds and what they are excited or nervous about regardingtheir next school. I think of my role ashelping to build a bridge between CHSand their next school.” Sixth graderHenry Isselbacher adds, “It’s nice to get advice about friendships, help withhomework, and share lunch with myadvisor. The advisor program is myfavorite thing about 6th grade.”

It’s not all about sharing lunch.Some advisors take their students on“Hawk Walks,” play word games, doservice activities, and/or help in theclassroom. Rosie Sweeney’s advisorgroup plays animated versions of I Spy;Prophet Parker-McWhorter’s ’03 group

is planning a stock market simulationgame; and Carla Haith’s group helpswith Friends in Our Community service activities. Student NicholasKolbas adds, “Advisor lunch is not allserious; it’s fun, too.”

Graduation ceremonies cap off theyearlong relationship. Advisors attendthe 6th grade dinner where reflectionsand funny stories are often shared inan intimate setting. At graduation,advisors honor their students by placing the traditional lei over students’heads. It’s not all over after gradua-tion, though. Many students and advisors maintain their connectionafter graduation, continuing the role as trusted adult and confidant. As afive-year advisor veteran, the author ofthis article shares, “I look forward tokeeping in touch with my advisees.One of my favorite weekends of thesummer is when I can reconnect withmy former advisee and her family, atrue highlight to see how she hasgrown and matured in her new

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Congratulations to our 2013 Graduates

CHARLES ADAMSCHARLES ADAMS

Beaver Country Beaver Country Day SchoolDay School

“My favorite aspect of thisschool is the community. Fromthe moment I step into theschool to the moment when Ileave, the teachers, students,and everyone else are caringand lovely to be around.”

BENJAMIN AWTREYBENJAMIN AWTREY

Belmont Hill SchoolBelmont Hill School

“My grandparents sent my dadand aunt to CHS because of thesefundamentals of the CHS commu-nity. I am proud to be a second-generation graduate of this school.As I move on to my next school, Iwill take with me the legacy ofkindness CHS teaches us.”

CALEB BARERCALEB BARER

John Pierce SchoolJohn Pierce School

“At CHS people leave with a pas-sion to learn, a wanting to knowmore. I know that sounds reallycliché, but that's really what hap-pens. CHS has really preparedme for what lies ahead and I willdefinitely be using those skillssuch as being independent andbeing prepared. I will definitelymiss you CHS!”

LAURISSA FOLEYLAURISSA FOLEY

Oak Hill SchoolOak Hill School

Wendy Lamont Award

“I will definitely miss CHS and allthe relationships I have made andbuilt at this wonderful school. CHSwill be a big part of my life evenwhen I move on. Thank you CHS,for being my second home.”

JACKSON DANFORTHJACKSON DANFORTH

Beaver Country Day SchoolBeaver Country Day School

Lowell Sportsmanship Award

“My nine years here went by sofast. I’d like to thank all of theteachers that have helped me all ofthese years. I’d like to thank myadvisor, Fabio, who has taught meso many life lessons through theyears. I’d like to thank all of myfriends who have supported methroughout my experiences here.It’s been nine years at this specialplace that I’ll never forget.”

PATRICK GALLO PATRICK GALLO

Dexter SchoolDexter School

Class Agent

“As a community, we’re worth ourweight in gold. Chestnut Hill is onegreat big family. Students havestrong bonds with classmates aswell as teachers. There is alwayssomeone to guide and help. Sojoin me as we acknowledge ourachievements, and give back tothe one place that gave so muchto us.”

ELAINA HAWKINSELAINA HAWKINSELAINA HAWKINS

Dana Hall SchoolDana Hall School

“Something I really do treasureabout CHS is that the teachers arevery good at encouraging us to bethe best friends possible to eachother. That is part of the reasonwhen I really do mean every girl inthe class when I say my friends.”

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SOPHIA GLAZERSOPHIA GLAZER


“At CHS, we are each valued for whowe are. We are living the dream thatGandhi and Martin Luther King, andmany others died for. As Gandhiwrote “Happiness is when what youthink, what you say, and what you doare in harmony.” For me, happiness ishere.”

BENJAMIN GORDONBENJAMIN GORDON

Noble and GreenoughNoble and GreenoughSchoolSchool

“CHS has been a great schoolfor me. I have learned thingsfrom acting, to playing the violin,and building solar cars inBuilding and Engineering. Thispast couple of years I havelearned to be a leader and rolemodel for the rest of the school.Thank you CHS for this amazingexperience.”

AMAECHINNA IWUHAMAECHINNA IWUH


Class Agent

“From this experience at CHS, I willalways take chances. I will neverforget making friendships witheveryone in my class. I used to onlysay that those were kids in myclass, but now I can say that I amfriends with everyone and will missthem.”

TESSA HAININGTESSA HAINING

Buckingham, Brown &Buckingham, Brown &NicholsNichols

Schreiber Family Community Service Award

“The lessons we learn here don’ttell us who to be, but how to be.Making a life, and using thesetools that CHS taught us, issomething we have to do our-selves. The Chestnut Hill Schoolhas given us the cookbook, but itis our job to roll up our sleevesand get cooking.”

EMMA HARLOWEMMA HARLOW


“I know that I will really miss thefriendships that I have made over thepast seven years here, both with myclassmates and with my teachers. Ifeel fortunate for having been part ofCHS and have learned that if youwork together, you can accomplishgreat things! Thank you CHS.”

Sixth grade students experience many traditions at CHS—the Farm School trip, the advisor program, and the

musical to name a few. The final tradition for 6th grade students involves writing and giving a speech at gradua-

tion. We are proud to honor our class of 2013 and include brief excerpts from those graduation speeches.

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Congratulations to our 2013 Graduates

ALEXANDER JINALEXANDER JIN

Beaver Country DayBeaver Country DaySchoolSchool

“My favorite year at CHS woulddefinitely be 6th Grade. You feellike you are the leaders of theschool and that everyone looksup to you.”

ZAKIYA LOMAXZAKIYA LOMAX

Conservatory Lab CharterConservatory Lab CharterSchoolSchool

“My friends have been major part ofmy life and I want to thank them formaking my experience here at CHSso memorable and fun. I’ll miss myfriends the most and I’ll miss you,too, CHS. Good-bye and thank youfor this incredible journey.”

GRACE WANGGRACE WANG

Weston Middle SchoolWeston Middle School

Lowell Sportsmanship Award

“I’m so glad that I made so manyfriends over the years. We madegreat connections, and it’s goingto be different without all of youguys in my class. I’ll really missthem all, from their humor, to theirproblems, to themselves as class-mates. Thanks for making my timeat The Chestnut Hill School somemorable!”

ELIJAH SHELLELIJAH SHELL


“CHS has taught me to open upto new people. When I firstarrived, I was shy and quiet. Butnow, I am gregarious and exu-berant and I have many morefriends than when I was a firstgrader.”

ISABEL THORNDIKEISABEL THORNDIKE

The Winsor School The Winsor School

“Chestnut Hill has been the biggestpart of my life for eight years now,and it’s sad to have to leave. I’vebeen through a lot here, and I amendlessly appreciative of all CHShas given me. I can’t even imaginewhat my life would’ve been like if Ihadn’t gone to CHS. I’ve learned somuch about myself and the worldaround me in my years here, and Idon’t believe I’ll soon forget it.”

SAAMA SANESAAMA SANE


“One special thing about CHS isthat it’s such a small and close-knit community. It feels reallygood to know everybody in theschool, and to have them knowyou. From my first days as a littlechild full of curiosity, to a 12 yearold boy who thinks he knowseverything he needs to know.”

KAYLA WOLKKAYLA WOLK


“Over the years, I have developedmany great friendships, connec-tions, and memories with manyteachers and students. My teach-ers have been there to help meone-on-one with my school workand encouraged me to do my bestin whatever I’m doing.”

THE CLASS OF 2013

THIS YEAR AT GRADUATION, THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS WERE HONORED WITH AWARDS:

Patrick Gallo and Amaechinna Iwuh —Class Agents Jackson Danforth and Grace Wang—Lowell Sportsmanship Award

Tessa Haining—Schreiber Family Community Service AwardLaurissa Foley—Wendy Lamont Award

Distinguished Alumnus Christopher Awtrey ’80, Tessa Haining, Grace Wang,Amaechinna Iwuh, Laurissa Foley, Jackson Danforth and Patrick Gallo.

KATHERINE WHITAKERKATHERINE WHITAKER

Buckingham, Brown &Buckingham, Brown &Nichols Nichols

“In our last year at CHS we arebuilding bridges as we move on to our next schools. It’s kindof like bridging my past to myfuture or this school to my next.It also symbolizes that my class-mates and I have been there foreach other through the choppyand the smooth waters, just likebridges.”

Scenes from the Seasons

Festival of Lights

StringsPresentations

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Students showcased their violin

skills learned throughout the year at

two strings presentations last spring.

Festival of Lights is the signature

annual event presented by the

Multicultural Forum. MCF serves to

develop and nurture the principles

of multiculturalism and community-

building at CHS. The festival of

lights celebrates multiculturalism by

highlighting a wide variety of holi-

day traditions of our families.

Grade 6 Musical

Mo Cowan, Interim USSenator and CHS family mem-ber, came to CHS on February22, 2013 for a FOCUS assem-bly. He spoke on his experi-ences being one of twoAfrican American senatorsand the political climate inWashington.

Senator Mo Cowan FOCUS Assembly

CHS honored Director ofAdmission and EnrollmentWendy Borosavage and scienceteacher Joann Greenwood fortheir 30 years of service on May28, 2013 with a bench ribboncutting ceremony at the annualFamily and Alumni Picnic.

Bench Ribbon Cutting Ceremony& Family and Alumni Picnic

Guests joined students for classroom visits and enjoyed musical performances byall grades on November 20, 2012.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Capping off their performing artsexperiences, Grade 6 studentsacted and sang in the annual classmusical, a performance of TheLittle Mermaid.

By Debra M. Sullivan

BUILDING UP STEAMCHS has long valued the integration of STEAM (Science,Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) in its curriculum, notbecause it’s a trendy acronym or a compelling marketing toolbut because integrated connections between these and other disciplines are consistent with what we believe about goodteaching. It is also helpful that these connections contribute toenhanced problem-solving and higher creativity.

Intentional thinking about STEAM education at CHS beganover fifteen years ago with the formal introduction of engineer-ing into the curriculum. Thanks to the vision and initiative ofInstructional Technology Teacher Barb Tennyson and Science

Teacher Karen Garrison, an engineering and robotics strand was first introduced into Grade 3 in 1998. RoboLab, as it wascalled at the time, generated projects that were to become CHS favorites, such as creating a Chair for Mr. Bear and theslowest-ever Snail Car. Working in pairs, students engaged inspecific engineering challenges in an environment that fosteredimportant 21st century skills: critical thinking, communication,collaboration, and creativity.

Garrison and Tennyson have committed themselves for manyyears to significant professional and curricular development: theevolution of an engineering program at CHS, collaboration andexpertise-building with colleagues from other schools, and thegradual and effective expansion of engineering and program-

Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math

The Power of STEAM:

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ming opportunities into other grade levels. Given a grant to pilot WeDos (LEGO), the pair integrated programming projectsinto second grade science and ultimately created a recurringsixth grade mini-unit working with LEGO NXT and renewableenergy tools.

From the beginning Garrison and Tennyson held a belief inthe curricular relevance of the engineering design cycle, a beliefthat endures in our dual commitment both to engineering in amore narrow sense and to STEAM in a broader context.Although many versions of such a cycle are in vogue amongeducators, Tennyson and Garrison prefer the one used in theMuseum of Science Engineering is Elementary curriculum:Ask-Imagine-Plan-Create-Improve. As they move through this cycle, often repeatedly, students learn to problem-solve, togenerate diverse solutions, and to normalize the process oflearning from mistakes.

The success of the engineering curriculum in training this

kind of design thinking and in creating meaningful integrationof multiple STEAM components motivated the creation of an even bigger program niche for engineering. The resultingsignature program of Building and Engineering is but oneimportant example of what STEAM means at CHS. The article that follows (Building and Engineering: A Parent’sPerspective, p.14) highlights in more detail this unique andexciting addition to the curriculum.

STEAM ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

The power of STEAM in the CHS curriculum extends farbeyond the parameters of the Building and Engineering program.In fact, our STEAM-powered curriculum abounds with manyexciting examples of projects and interdisciplinary learningopportunities. While technology is widely integrated throughoutthe program, one notable highlight is the Scratch programming

Working in pairs, students engaged in specific engineering challenges in an environment that fos-tered important 21st century skills: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.“ ”

utilized by Barb Tennyson and Mercé Garcia. They have beenhighly successful in integrating technology, engineering, andart simply by inviting students to use basic programming lan-guage in a variety of classroom projects.

Serving as both Art and Science teacher for Beginners-Grade 1, Rosie Sweeney’s curriculum optimizes connectionsbetween two seemingly different subjects. Sweeney explainsthat in her program students “joyfully explore the worldaround them through art making, hands-on science investiga-tion, and picture books. One area of study often informsanother; growing plants in science class, drawing observationsof plant change during art class, and enjoying picture booksabout seeds and planting are all related opportunities to sortand compare, investigate, and create.”

While not formally connected to the art curriculum, the science curriculum in the older grades shows multiple pointsof intersection with a STEAM approach. Indeed, some of the most beloved and enduring science activities at CHS are arguably the ones that best reflect the T, E, A, and M components of STEAM. For example, Karen Garrison’sSecond Grade Invention Convention project invites students to identify a problem and create an invention to solve it, aprocess that inevitably takes students through the engineeringdesign cycle multiple times.

Upper School science activities include designing and building marble raceways and bridges that meet specified designgoals as well as planning zoo habitats that meet the needs ofboth animal and zookeeper. Equally interdisciplinary, KarenEutemey’s fourth grade art unit on perspective drawing connectsstudent learning directly to the artistic and scientific achieve-ments of Renaissance figures that students are studying in social studies. Just think of Leonardo DaVinci. Insofar as theintegration of mathematical concepts is inseparable from theteaching of perspective, Eutemey even jokes that she has “beenaccused of teaching math.”

STEAM STEAM OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

The examples above are far from an exhaustive list of STEAM’spresence in the CHS curriculum, but equally important are themany ways in which STEAM programming at CHS transcendsthe regular curriculum. The same integration of problem-solvingand design skills that we value in the daily program can also beseen in many of our extra-curricular and auxiliary programofferings. One of last years’ most popular Upper School clubswas a Circuitry Club run by Mr. M. and Mr. Dan of Buildingand Engineering fame; here was an opportunity for students to build their own breadboard circuits. In addition, selectedExtended Day classes such as Mad Scientist and Duct Tape Artalso incorporate STEAM-related concepts and actively engagestudents in the process of exploring, creating, and revising.

The most recent hallmark of our commitment to STEAMprogramming was the weeklong STEAM camp hosted this summer by a number of CHS teachers. Open both to our ownschool community and to the general public, STEAM Campwas attended by over 40 children (ages 7-12) and was staffedby Nate Muehleisen (Building and Engineering), Barb Tennyson(Technology), and Karen Eutemey (Art). The theme of outerspace was used as a powerful interdisciplinary vehicle by whichto engage campers creatively and simultaneously in rocketry,programming, construction, art, and engineering.

Muehleisen’s synopsis of a particular rocketry challengereflects the belief that learning from unexpected outcomes in thedesign process is what ultimately fuels both better designs anddeeper engagement in and enjoyment of the learning process:

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The science curriculum in the older grades shows multiple points ofolder grades shows multiple points ofintersection with a STEAM approach.

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T h e C h e s t n u t H i l l S c h o o l • H i l l H a p p e n i n g s

“the kids outfitted their bottle rockets with a nose cone containing a raw egg and attempted to successfully launch them and recover the egg intact. The success rate was around50% with a fun rate of 100%.”

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND

DISTINCTION

As with any aspect of our educational program, the success of the curriculum depends directly upon the knowledge,expertise, and passion of our teachers. The teachers most directly involved in STEAM initiatives at CHS are con-tinually advancing their skills and have long distinguishedthemselves as respected and contributing members of theirprofessional cohorts in the greater Boston area. Some havetaken part in the seminal workshop for teaching LEGO engineering at Tufts’ Center for Engineering Education and Outreach, while others have participated in workshopsand/or received grants from organizations devoted to theadvancement of STEM education, such as NASA, 100K in10, and the MIT Media Lab.

Over the past severalyears members of ourSTEAM team have presented at various conferences. Two recentexamples illustrate boththe range of our faculty’sSTEAM expertise andtheir commitment toincreasing levels of inte-grated instruction. At aregional conference ofthe American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languageslast spring, Mercé Garcia presented on the meaningful integra-tion of technology in the world language classroom. This coming March, Nate Muehleisen will present at the AnnualConference of the National Art Educators Association on teaching science through art-based activities.

Lastly, several of our teachers are currently serving as afocus group for a Northeastern University STEM certificationproject led by Dr. Kelly Conn. While Dr. Conn is best knownto the CHS community as a parent and staff member, she isalso a Northeastern faculty member whose main teaching andresearch focus is STEM education. Participating in this cross-institutional partnership is both a tremendous validation ofour teachers’ expertise and, as with any opportunity for professional dialogue and collaboration, an exciting growthopportunity for our teachers.

The power of STEAMThe power of STEAMCHS is certainly not unique in recognizing the importance of STEAM or in seeking to increasingly incorporate STEAMin its program. That said, we are uniquely proud of ourteachers’ skills in an area of curriculum that is so constantlyevolving. We are equally proud to have a program with a long history of celebrating interdisciplinary connections andmaximizing student engagement, two critical elements behindthe power of STEAM. We continue to be inspired by andcommitted to harnessing that power.

The same integration of problem-The same integration of problem-solving and design skills that we value insolving and design skills that we value inthe daily program can also be seen inthe daily program can also be seen inmany of our extra-curricular and auxiliarymany of our extra-curricular and auxiliaryprogram offerings.”

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By Brenda Kostyk

During our family’s five years at CHS, I’ve had theprivilege of reflecting and writing about a handful ofour experiences in Hill Happenings, ranging fromour inaugural year at CHS, to the Learning Partners

Program, to the new Symtalk Spanish Curriculum. While Ialways write from my personal experiences as a parent; as awriter, I feel compelled to dig deeper into the “behind the scenes”details—how an idea or program is initiated, debated, rejected,transformed, or implemented, and of course how the results areevaluated. Ever inspired by the enthusiasm and expertise thatpermeate my discussions with CHS faculty to learn more, I amstruck (though never surprised) to find our children at the heartof every idea, program, and decision. As I walked up the hill inmid-October to meet with CHS Teacher Nathan Muehleisen to learn more about the CHS’ new Building and Engineering cur-riculum, I knew this conversation would echo the same spirit.

Nate (fondly referred to as “Mr. M” by his students) startedhis career at CHS in 2007 after two years at Boston’s Park StreetSchool, as well as several years teaching high school and middleschool students. In fact, Nate was our family’s first teacher atCHS in 2009 when our oldest daughter entered Pre-Kindergarten.

As native Mainers, Nate and I hit it off immediately. His genuine, down to earth nature; his imagination and creativity asan artist, writer, and educator; his ability to connect, empathize,and inspire children; and his unabashed individuality were awonderful introduction to the CHS community. In 2012, Natetransitioned from his teaching role in Pre-K to head up CHS’snew Building and Engineering program. His teaching experience,combined with woodworking expertise and advanced degrees inart, uniquely positioned him for success in this exciting newundertaking.

Arriving about 15 minutes early for my meeting with Nate, I stumbled upon a parade of 2nd grade students, custom pine carsin hand, marching down stairs for the highly anticipated Pine CarDerby Trials. Mr. M led the pack thumping a tin canister intensi-fying the spirit of competition felt by all; and Dan Kostyk (aka“Mr. Dan”), Parent Volunteer (and this writer’s husband!),brought up the rear. The excitement was palpable; the childrenbursting at the seams with excitement! While pairs of studentsapproached the elevated track with their hand made creations,Mr. Dan put his own handiwork to the test—an electronic, lightbeamed timer designed to measure the speed of the cars to1/1,000 of a second (a neat way to learn about decimals!).

Building and Engineering: A Parent’s Perspective

Amid the frenzy, cheering, and friendly razzing, Mr. M. seamlesslyweaved in topics of kinetic and potential energy, the calculationof speed from time and distance, as well as the concepts ofmotion, gravity, and aerodynamics. Students enthusiasticallychimed in with ideas as to why some cars performed better thanothers, and ways to improve their own times for the “real race.”

To add to the fun, Dan, a former money manager and powerengineer, teasingly challenged Nate to create a car on the School’sbrand new 3D printer, generously donated by the FamilyAssociation from proceeds raised at the school’s annual SpringFling fundraiser. Not one to walk away from a challenge, Natefeverishly designed a car using CAD (Computer Aided Design)and digital printing software to create a car made from plasticresin using the new 3D printer. Early trials indicate that Nate’s isone of the top performing cars, stimulating further conversationsregarding the impact of materials on speed.

During my meeting with Nate, I learned so much more.Several grades are involved in Automaton projects, where children are using tools and wood to create hand operatedmachines which convert rotary into linear motion—processesused in most gasoline powered engines. In third grade, the“Chair for Mr. Bear” project involves students using traditionalLegos to construct an ergonomic chair for a stuffed animal. As part of the project, students study different chair designs todiscuss functionality, comfort, and style. These are just a handfulof examples of where fun, hands-on projects are transformed into revolutionary platforms for teaching science, engineering,technology, math and art.

While many schools offer a STEM curriculum and wood-working classes, CHS has brought teaching in these areas to new heights. CHS’s approach is unique in that it goes above andbeyond the instruction of woodworking skills, to incorporate theteaching of science and engineering concepts through woodshop

classes, regularly making connec-tions to what is being taught inart, social studies, math and technology. National attention onSTEM curriculum is often aimedat addressing educational policiesto advance US competitiveness intechnology, with the long-termgoals of improving workforcedevelopment, productivity, manufacturing and employment.While Nate embraces these worthy objectives, his daily inspiration as a teacher is far more tangible and immediate.

Through Building and Engineering, Nate’s aim is to awakenstudents to their innate abilities as creators, producers, and innovators. He seeks to have children experience the process ofcreating and inventing, rather than limiting themselves to buyingand using products as passive consumers. Nate sees his studentscome alive when they are given access to parts, and tools, andencouraged to build, alter, and deconstruct. He sets loose thepower of experiential learning through open challenges, trial anderror, and leveraging knowledge from other classes and peers.

What has been especially gratifying is the students’ thirst formore. To meet student demand, a new student club—theElectronics Club—was launched last spring. Open to fifth andsixth graders, this club meets one hour per week during lunchand recess. Led by Dan, the club started taking apart outdatedcomputers and old electronics to explore their operations and tosalvage parts for possible projects. The informal conversationscover the basics of various electronic components, such as resis-tors, capacitors, transistors, coils, and LEDs (Light EmittingDiodes). Projects have involved following circuits using breadboarding techniques, soldering, and constructing radios—resulting in some exploratory conversations about creating a low power FM radio broadcast station!

While the entire CHS community is exhilarated by the initialsuccess of Building & Engineering, CHS faculty are continuallyevaluating, planning, and innovating. Nate seeks to carve out more time in class for students to reflect upon projects to discover their own qualities and interests, to strengthen interdisci-plinary connections particularly with social studies, to find moreopportunity for 3D printer integration, and to acquire Lego’s newMindstorms Education EV3 platform. Just released, this thirdgeneration of Lego’s Education Robotics technology is specificallydesigned for classroom use and allows educators to integratecomputer science, science, technology, engineering and math bybuilding and programming larger-scale, more complex robots.Nate’s eyes sparkle at the possibilities!

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Nate sees his students come alive when they are given access to parts,and tools, and encouraged to build, alter, and deconstruct. “ ”

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One of the most exciting and impactful aspects of our instructional model at The Chestnut Hill School isthe increasing integration of Learning Specialists intothe everyday life of the classroom. Long established

in small, specialized reading groups in Kindergarten throughGrade 3, in recent years the Learning Specialists have become sig-nificantly integrated into all aspects of language arts instruction.Working with the entire class broadens the connection betweenthe Learning Specialists and the children in their own readinggroups while also benefiting all students in the class. Jen Lesky, a Learning Specialist new to CHS this year, is proud to be a partof what she describes as a “supportive teaching model” andappreciates the flexibility it gives her to serve children in a varietyof ways.

In our recent and in-depth program review, continuedemphasis on uninterrupted learning time and small-grouplearning were high pedagogical priorities. Ongoing scheduleadjustments have helped to further optimize the effectiveness ofthe Learning Specialists. With a longer instructional block forfourth grade writing, Anna Kontos notes howher capacity to support students is greatlyenhanced. “Having three adults in the room,especially when we are conferencing with students, makes for a powerful and effectiveteaching model. We’re often able to have 10-15

minute conferences with an individual child, allowing theteachers and me to really connect deeply with each student and his or her writing.”

One of this year’s most exciting instructional developmentshas been our ability to assign additional resources to the teachingof math. Karen Garrison has long supported and/or co-taughtmath in Grades 1-3 and is passionate about partnering withteachers to enrich math instruction for learners at all levels. “My favorite part of co-teaching math is collaborating with theteachers, challenging and building upon each other’s ideas to seehow we can deepen our students’ understanding.” Joining Karenas Co-Coordinator this year, Lauren Giordano is now workingwith each Kindergarten class once a week, thereby enabling us to formally extend Math support into Kindergarten for the firsttime. Lauren’s presence in Kindergarten has allowed for a greaterrange of small group work and differentiated activities. Fourthgraders are equally lucky that their science teacher, JoannGreenwood, is able to join them during math class once a week.

Thanks equally to homeroom teachers, special subjectteachers, and Learning Specialists, the quality and breadth

of classroom instruction is one of the greatestblessings of the CHS experience. The active partnership among teachers illustrates vividly the three pillars of our mission and is becominga distinctive hallmark of The Chestnut HillSchool educational program.

by Debra M. Sullivan

Learning Specialists:Learning Specialists:Supporting, Enhancing, and Differentiating InstructionSupporting, Enhancing, and Differentiating Instruction

Cultural Competency:Cultural Competency:

T h e C h e s t n u t HT h e C h e s t n u t H i l l S c hi l l S c h o oo o l • Hl • H i l l H a p p ei l l H a p p e n i nn i n g sg s

From Listening and Cooperating to Developing Advocacy SkillsFrom Listening and Cooperating to Developing Advocacy Skillsby Linda Lifsey Hughes

IIn the pursuit of fulfilling the missionof The Chestnut Hill School, theOffice of Community and Diversity

has developed a social cultural competen-cy strand for all students. Through role-play and discussion-based meetings,students grow in their practiced under-standing of what it means to be part of a community.

Guided by The Open Circle Programof Wellesley College, the social competen-cy strand focuses on creating a coopera-tive classroom environment, buildingpositive relationships with peers andadults in the school community, solving

people problems, and developing leader-ship. As students progress through thegrades, skills such as listening and coop-erating are reinforced and form the foun-dation on which more sophisticated skillsare eventually developed. Lessons about teasing and dangerous and destructivebehavior are taught explicitly and arereinforced through a variety of groupactivities and team-building strategies.

Jonathan Haber ’15 shares, “We havelots of different units on competencybuilding, like sticking up for others anddealing with bullying. I think it is reallyhelpful because when issues come up, Ifeel like I know what to do.”

Older students learn to express emo-tions appropriately and to put problemsinto words as they learn to identify,respect, and value the rights and feelingsof themselves and others. Just as the culti-vation of leadership skills is an intentionalobjective of the upper school model, thepinnacle of our cultural competency cur-riculum is the development of advocacyskills and anti-bias vocabulary in our students. Helping children becomeethical people, contributing citizens, andsuccessful learners is at the core of theCHS social and cultural competencystrand.

The building blocks of cultural compe-tency include self-reflection, inclusivity,cross-cultural knowledge and skills, anability to look outside of one’s own worldto gain a more accurate understanding ofself and others, and an ever-increasingappreciation for multiple perspectives.Second grade teacher Tali Brauner shares,“Students in 2nd grade learned about people from different time periods. For

example, Cesar Chavez helped advocatefor fair wages for agricultural workers.Students learned that the obstacles othersfaced and had to overcome have helped toshape the world today.”

The development of cultural compe-tency begins with recognizing differencesand celebrating all types of family struc-tures. Students at all levels learn to iden-tify what they have in common with oth-ers, as well as how they share common-alities with seemingly diverse cultures.Recognizing stereotypes and discussingtheir impact helps students develop a sense of group identity as well as self-pride in their own cultures. Upperschoolers are given opportunities todevelop careful language when engagedin conversations about racism and injustice. At this stage their exposure to historical events becomes a key ingredient in their understanding of how different groups of people areaffected by issues of equity and inequity.

Through role-play and discussion-based meetings,Through role-play and discussion-based meetings,students grow in their practiced understanding ofstudents grow in their practiced understanding ofwhat it means to be part of a communitywhat it means to be part of a community..

MMy curiosity and desire toy curiosity and desire to

explore the world were

fostered in Mrs. Greenwood’s science

classes,” shares Alexa Kopelman ’03.

Alexa still cherishes the curiosity and

love of learning developed while at

The Chestnut Hill School. Looking

back, she still remembers using a

microscope to more closely examine

sand from a recent family vacation

as well as fallen leaves from her own

backyard. Alexa’s experiences in

science and technology classes

nurtured a love of learning, a habit

of exploration, a willingness to tackle

challenging problems, and a drive to

discern viable solutions.

Throughout her time at CHS, Alexa felt that shewas highly supported and that every teacher workedhard to make her and every other student feel goodabout their classroom experience. She recalls that“the classroom was always a safe space where chil-dren could learn, grow, explore, and make mistakes.”

One instance where Alexa felt particularly supported was in undertaking the bridge project inMrs. Greenwood’s 6th grade science class. As she recollects,“Forming an idea, recreating it on paper,and then putting it into construction wasn’t an easytask, but with Mrs. Greenwood’s careful guidance,my classmates and I produced bridges we wereextremely proud of.” At CHS, we all know that thebridge project is impressive, but it has even impressed

From Bridge Builder to Silicon Valley Worker:Alexa Kopelman ’03 Recalls Time at CHS

By Kim Fox

“At a very young age, Ilearned about the complexityof our global society, andbecame an advocate forequality. Most of all, I learned to appreciate multiple perspectives and integrate them into my own.”

““

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college professors. Alexa notes that inarchitecture course in college the subjectof her elementary school bridge projectcame up in conversation. The professorremarked how impressed he was thatsuch young students had the foresight,organizational skills, and patience tocreate such a project!

After CHS Alexa attended The RiversSchool and then Scripps College inCalifornia. After earning a bachelor’sdegree in Psychology from Scripps, sheaccepted a job in business developmentwith Gigya, a SaaS (Software as a Service)tech company in Mountain View,California. The education she received asa student at CHS served as the foundationfor her work ethic and understanding ofthe global community. “At a very youngage, I learned about the complexity of ourglobal society, and became an advocate forequality. Most of all, I learned to appreci-ate multiple perspectives and integratethem into my own.” She adds that “working in Mountain View at an interna-tional company gives me the opportunityto work with people from many differentcultures with a multitude of perspectives.”

The work ethic that Alexa cultivated atCHS serves her well in the business worldtoday. Though Alexa is not a programmeror engineer, her position in business devel-opment requires that she be well versed intechnical vocabulary. Gigya’s technology,the Connected Consumer ManagementSuite, enables brands like Pepsi, Verizon,and ABC to understand and connect moreclosely with today’s mobile and sociallyconnected consumers. Their technologyhelps businesses access, consolidate, andmanage permission-based identity whileproviding action-based customer insights.

As an external relationships manager,Alexa researches companies, identifies afit for their technology, and begins thesales process. She is responsible forunderstanding the front and back end ofthe company’s technology in order toarticulate the product to potential clients.

A love and deep understanding oftechnology is integral to success at aSilicon Valley start-up, a love that wasfostered at CHS. She recalls that “my earliest memory of interacting with technology was in the Pre K classroom.From there on, technology was an integralpart of every class, project, and assign-ment.” Alexa adds that CHS’s wellthought-out, cross-disciplinary learningcultivated an enriching educational experi-ence at an early age. “Math equationswere completed both in our homeroomclasses and through games in computerclass. Learning how to conduct researchin 3rd grade was highly connected to ourwork in computer class, too.”

Today, Alexa’s love of technology,especially social technology, is necessary in her position at Gigya. Professionallyspeaking, “Using social media, especiallyLinkedIn, is essential for my job. I connectwith people all day long from fields I amsometimes unfamiliar with.” Being able tothoroughly understand the

potential client’s mission and jurisdictionsmakes social media a vital tool for Alexa’s success.

Life at a start-up sometimes leavesAlexa with limited free time for socializingand keeping in touch with good friends. The same social media technology thatserves her so well in the business worldalso helps her stay in touch with friends.

We thank Alexa for sharing memoriesof her experiences as a CHS student andher insights about working in SiliconValley. We invite all alumni to join ourclosed Facebook group https://www.face-book.com/groups/Chestnuthillschoolalumni/ and all members of the CHS commu-nity to follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The classroom was always a safe space where childrencould learn, grow, explore, and make mistakes.”“

“My earliest memory of interacting with technologywas in the Pre K classroom.From there on, technologywas an integral part of every class, project, andassignment.”

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Learning specialist Michelle Keating andher husband Daniel welcomed MargaretPaige Keating Burstein to their family onAugust 10, 2013. Brothers Jack andWilliam meeting their new baby sister.

Connie and Steve Tobolsky celebrated their 20thwedding anniversary with a trip to Italy.

Virginia Siu, along with her husband RichardRibon Fletcher, and their daughters Sofia Ribon’21 and Amelie Ribon attended the The Ribónfamily reunion at the beginning of August.Relatives came from the USA, Colombia, CostaRica, Denmark, and Switzerland. “We all met upin Armenia, which is the coffee countryside ofnorthern Colombia.”

Geni Skendo performed at the WasserMusicFestival in Berlin, Germany in August 2013

Evan Haller and his family adopted a dog namedTennessee this summer.

Kim Fox completed fivetriathlons throughout thesummer of 2013. Two sprinttriathlons, two Olympic dis-tance triathlons and one Half-Iron (70.3) distance triathlon.

Deb Bloomberg traveled to Jerusalem with herfamily in July 2013.

WWEDDINGSEDDINGS

Tali Braunermarried MichaelPell on June 1,2013 in Boston.

Jenny Bryantmarried KevinHanna on August3, 2013 in CapeCod.

Katharine Sheehanmarried Jay Ronckon June 15, 2013 inNewport, RI.

Community News

Two CHS teachers received grants last year to pursue learning oppor-tunities uniquely matched to our mission and curriculum. Diana Blazarparticipated in an Immigration Seminar sponsored by Facing Historyand Ourselves. Karen Garrison attended a STEM workshop at theUniversity of Chicago funded by 100K in 10.

Kathy Chery, Michael Coppola, and Virginia Siu have served on AISNEVisiting Teams over the past year. Participating in the review process ofpeer institutions is an honor for independent school professionals anda valuable learning opportunity, especially as CHS prepares to host itsown AISNE visit in 2015.

Spanish Teacher and Technology Advocate Mercé Garcia presented atthe ACTFL Conference last year on using technology in the languageclassroom (Got Tech? Now What?). This year she will present iTechuTech. In Spain this summer, Garcia was a guest on two radio shows,speaking on the integration of technology in elementary education.

Math Co-Coordinator Karen Garrison organized a cross-institutionalSingapore Math Users Groups with Tenacre Country Day School MathCoordinator, Kevin Mahoney. The event brought together the mathteachers of three schools (CHS, Tenacre, and St. Michael’s) for buildingprofessional connections and sharing best practices.

Development Director Jeri Goetz, along with 16 other colleagues fromschools and colleges around the world, was appointed to theCommission on Philanthropy for the Council for the Advancement andSupport of Education (CASE). Among its other charges, the Commissionevaluates best practices, establishes professional standards for theprofession, and provides advice and counsel to CASE leadership.

Carla Haith was one of approximately thirty independent school educa-tors accepted to participate in the second annual Kingswood OxfordLeadership Institute for Educators of Color. An opportunity for personaland professional growth, the Institute helps educators of color exploreand prepare for leadership roles within independent schools.

AISNE WORKSHOP: DESIGN THINKINGKAREN EUTEMEY, NATE MUEHLEISEN, ROSIESWEENEY

CAPHERD ANNUAL CONFERENCEERIC EDWARDS

CREATIVE MATHEMATICS WORKSHOPPANDREA CALABRESE, CARRIE DANFORTH,KAREN GARRISON, LAUREN GIORDANO,KATHY HART

EDTECH TEACHER’S IPAD SUMMITRONAN FAHY, MERCE GARCIA, BARBTENNYSON, MARCO VIERA

K-8 MATH WORKSHOP AT DANA HALLLAUREN GIORDANO, KATHY HART

LEARNING & THE BRAIN: EDUCATINGFOR CREATIVE MINDSKAREN EUTEMEY, ROSIE SWEENEY

LESLEY LANGUAGE & LITERACY WORKSHOPSHAWNA CONAGHAN MURPHY

MIT CREATIVE COMPUTINGKAREN EUTEMEY, KAREN GARRISON, NATEMUEHLEISEN, BARB TENNYSON

NAIS ANNUAL CONFERENCEMICHAEL COPPOLA, DEB SULLIVAN, STEVE TOBOLSKY

NAIS PEOPLE OF COLOR CONFERENCEJACKIE CRAWFORD, ERIC EDWARDS, KARENEUTEMEY, KATHY HART, CARLA HAITH,CARLISA HAITH, LINDA HUGHES

SCHOOL HEALTH SUMMER INSTITUTEDEB BLOOMBERG

SEED TRAININGVIRGINIA SIU

SMITHSONIAN BIODIVERSITY ACADEMYJOANN GREENWOOD

STEVEN JONES DIVERSITY WORKSHOPLINDA HUGHES

SUMMERCOREBARB TENNYSON

Committed to ongoing instructionaldevelopment, many CHS teachersreceived training this year in the fol-lowing programs or approaches rele-vant at their grade level: 6+1 WritingTraits, EmPower, Handwriting with-out Tears, Math in Focus, OpenCircle, Orton-Gillingham, AND PROJECTREAD.

2013 Professional Development Highlights

Professional Development and Personal Achievement

Life Milestones

Pictured above in Masada are LindseyBloomberg, Matthew Bloomberg ‘02, DebBloomberg, and John Edenfeld

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NEW CHS FACULTY: 2013-2014

NEW FACULTY

TALI BRAUNER(Grade 2 Classroom Teacher)

With six years of teachingexperience, Tali most recentlyworked at The SolomonSchechter Day School in

Newton teaching Grade 3. She previouslyworked at the Charles E. Smith Jewish DaySchool in Rockville, Maryland. Tali holds a B.A.in Communication and Culture from ClarkUniversity, an M.S.J. in Journalism fromNorthwestern University, and a certificate inSchool Leadership Through Teaching fromBrandeis University. Tali brings a passion forcurriculum development and instructionaldesign, as well as a profound commitment toknow and to nurture each student.

JEN LESKY(Learning Specialist- Grade 1)

With a B.A. in InternationalStudies from Colby College anda M.S. in Elementary Educationfrom the University ofPennsylvania, Jen has 14

years of experience as an educator. Most ofthose years were spent at The Learning Projectin Boston where she has served in a variety ofroles including Grade 6 Lead Teacher, InternDirector, and Program Director. Jen has alsobuilt and maintained a private tutoring and con-sulting practice since 2005. Jen has a passionfor literacy instruction and for supporting theindividual needs of students.

VIRGINIA SIU (Grade 3Classroom Teacher)

Virginia comes to us with 15years of experience in Grades3-5; for the last ten years shehas worked as a third gradeteacher at the Nashoba

Brooks School in Concord. Virginia holds a B.A.in Education and History from WashingtonUniversity, an M.Ed. in Language and Literacyfrom Harvard Graduate School of Education,and an M.Ed. in Independent School Leadershipfrom Teacher’s College at Columbia University.At Nashoba Brooks, Virginia served in a varietyof faculty leadership roles and took active partin a range of curriculum and diversity initia-tives. In addition to teaching at CHS, she willsupport Linda Hughes with SEED and affinitygroup facilitation. Virginia’s daughter, Sofia, willbe joining the Pre-K class.

ANNE ZASLOFF(Learning Specialist)

Anne Zasloff has spent hercareer immersed

in children’s literature, language, and learning.She holds a B.A. in English from University ofChicago, an M.S. in Speech Disorders fromEmerson College, and Reading Specialist certifica-tion from Mass. General Hospital I.H.P. Mostrecently, Anne worked for 8 years with grades K-4as a reading specialist at the Boston RenaissanceCharter Public School and at Solomon SchechterDay School. Prior to specializing in literacy, sheworked for 7 years as a certified speech-languagepathologist and 5 years in the editorial departmentof a children’s book publisher. Anne especiallyloves being a catalyst for beginning readers,growing students’ love of language and literature,and helping children discover their individualvoice as writers.

NEW STAFF

RONAN FAHY

(Support Technician)Ronan will be working closelywith Marco Viera and theInformation Technology Team toprovide front end IT support

and to assist with technology development andenrichment. With prior experience both in soft-ware and in customer support, Ronan has a pas-sion for and vast knowledge of multimedia tech-nology. Originally from Ireland, Ronan moved tothe Boston area as a teenager and has workedlocally in technology related positions for the pastnine years. Ronan resides in Allston and previous-ly attended the Berklee College of Music.

KIM FOX

(Assistant Director of ExternalRelations)Working with Jeri Goetz, Kimwill manage communications,publications, alumni relations,

and special events. Kim began her career in cor-porate advertising and communications at Hill,Holliday, where she served for four years asMedia Coordinator, Broadcast Assistant MediaBuyer, and Broadcast Media Buyer. At PGRMedia Kim was Integrated Media Specialist. Forthe last two years, Kim has worked at BostonUniversity’s Development and Alumni Relationsoffice as Manager of Direct Mail, where she hasbeen successful in raising over $2.5 million ayear for the university. A graduate of The Collegeof Wooster and an All American swimmer, Kimand her husband Robert live in South Boston.

TARA HATHAWAY(Controller)

Working directly with KathyChery, Tara will be responsiblefor the accounting operationsof the school. Prior to joining

CHS, Tara was the Controller at OC&C StrategyConsultants in Boston; more recently sheworked in the bookstore at the Walnut HillSchool in Natick. Tara lives with her husbandDoug and three sons in Holliston, where she isvery active in the community, including Directorof Educational Programs for The BullardMemorial Farm Association, a historical non-profit.

MATERNITY SUBS

LINDA COHN

(Learning Specialist, Kindergarten and Grade 3)Linda Cohn will be serving as a maternity leavereplacement for Michelle Keating this fall, asshe did a few years ago. Linda has over 30 yearsof experience in the Boston and Brooklineschool systems. In addition to her M.Ed. fromLesley, she has specialized training in teachingreading and currently tutors students ages 6-15in reading, writing, math, and organization skills.

KATHARINE SHEEHAN(Grade 4)

Katharine Sheehan will work with fourth gradeall year long, as a Maternity Sub during JennyBryant’s expected absence from roughlyThanksgiving through March Break, and as anintern for the rest of the year. Katharine has aMaster’s in Elementary Education from BostonCollege, a passion for teaching Language Arts,and a deep connection with this class, havingworked with them in third grade.

BUILDING SUBS AND DISCOVERY ASSISTANTWe are delighted to institute more consistent sub-stitute support this year in the form of two build-ing subs: NATALIE BARTLETT and PROPHETPARKER-MCWHORTER ’03. Natalie is known tothe community from her work as a periodic sub-stitute last year and Prophet, as a CHS alum andlong-time after school and camp employee. Lastly, COTE THERIAULT will be joining the Pre-Kteam as an afternoon assistant. A graduate ofDartmouth College, she will also be serving as aMaternity Sub for Katie Bedard (Pre-K AssociateTeacher) in the morning.

ENID STARR

Dinny Starr, mother of three CHS alums and a current 5th grader, describes her mother ascompetitive, pioneering, smart, and devoted to her family. Enid graduated from RadcliffeCollege in 1951. A mother of four and one of only three women in her class, Enid graduat-ed from Boston College Law School in 1967. When she had trouble finding her first lawjob, Enid volunteered to work for free for the first six months. That offer to work for freetransitioned to a lifetime of service and eventual partnership to Barron and Stadfeld, whereshe specialized in medical malpractice, zoning, and general civil litigation.

According to her family, Enid was committed to using her broad range of skills to giveback to various communities, including CHS. Enid advised the School on neighbor rela-tions, the 1990s gym renovation, parking, and the 2003 construction of the enlarged build-ing we now occupy. According to former trustee and current parent Phil Gardner, “Enidhad a profound effect on the School. Quietly but substantially, Enid helped the School onmatters of financial health, mission, and infrastructure. CHS would not be where it istoday if not for Enid Starr.” Former trustee and past parent Gordon Clagett agrees, “Enidwas a wonderful person who loved the School. CHS would not have the wonderful facili-ties that it has today if it had not had Enid as a resource.” Former Assistant Head ofSchool Larry Donovan writes, “I had the pleasure of working with Enid Starr for manyyears. During an era of significant change for The Chestnut Hill School, Enid was a greatresource to the board of trustees and administration. She helped us navigate the municipalentities to procure permits and advised us as we hired our project manager. Despite herobligations to her law firm, Enid made herself available to the members of the CHS com-munity. We probably could not have met with as much success as we did had it not beenfor Enid’s great effort.”

Head of School Steve Tobolsky shared, “I was fortunate to meet Enid Starr on my veryfirst day on the job. Issues had arisen among the neighbors regarding the location of anoutdoor basketball court, and for numerous reasons Enid was the best possible resource.Savvy, informed, and vigilant, she helped to educate a new Head of School about the issuesthat really mattered. Just a few years later we were able to build an outdoor basketballcourt as part of a larger landscape plan. This would never have been possible withoutEnid’s guidance and support.”

Enid loved to travel and relished spending time with family. She particularly enjoyedtaking her grandchildren on vacations – skiing in New Hampshire, visit-ing Bermuda, the Bahamas, and more. Mr. Donovan shares, “Morethan Enid’s immense understanding of the law and her willingness tohelp the School, her commitment to her family was by far her mostnoteworthy attribute. Enid adored her children and grandchildren; shewas a frequent attendee at Grandparents and Special Friends Day, andshe even was a featured speaker in welcoming the other CHS grandpar-ents to the event. Enid’s contributions to The Chestnut Hill School weresignificant, and she will be missed.”

CHS Remembers Two Trustees

Enid Starr and Mimi Minkoff

Ryder Gordon ’08, Jacquie Gordon ’07 andEnid Starr

Jacquie Gordon ’07 and Enid Starr

Enid Starr with Piper Gordon ’15, Elly Duker ’08

Ryder Gordon ’08 and Enid Starr

Duker family with Enid Starr: Jake ’99, Elly ’08,Sam ’03, Bear ’00

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MIMI MINKOFF

Mimi Minkoff was the first teacher to hold the Rebecca Willard ’09Chair in Languages at The Winsor School, where she taught from 1983-2013. Through her years at Winsor, Mimi served as acting head of theLower School, class coordinator, acting head of the modern languagedepartment, and admissions interviewer. Winsor’s Acting AssistantDirector, CHS trustee and current parent Julian Braxton shared, “MimiMinkoff found her calling! She was the quintessential teacher - brilliant,compassionate, cheerleader, and above ALL ally. She was a fearlessadvocate for equity and social justice issues in independent schools. Shewas a class act and I am so grateful The Winsor School was her homefor over thirty years. We are a better institution because of all she leftus!” A graduate of Smith College, Mimi earned a bachelor degree instudio art and French in 1982. She earned a master’s degree fromMiddlebury College in 1988.

Mimi served on The Chestnut Hill School board for many years.Following her dedicated service, CHS continues to invite professionaleducators to join the board. As Mimi did with such grace, these boardmembers offer advice on scheduling, curriculum, instruction and more.Dr. Tobolsky shares, “Mimi was one of the first people I met in TheChestnut Hill community. As a person, as a fellow educator, and as amember of the Head of School Search Committee in 2007, she made animmediately positive impression. I would always look forward to seeingMimi on my periodic visits to Winsor, and I would equally look for-ward to seeing her on a dog walk in our local neighborhood. In bothsettings she was vibrant and fully present; I was especially struck by thepassion she maintained for her students.” Music teacher Linda Hughesrecalls, “Mimi was a consummate educator who cared deeply about herstudents. She went out of her way to know her students and what alovely tribute that so many of them returned to Winsor for her memorialservice.”

Former Assistant Head of School Larry Donovan shares, “Mimi wasa significant contributor to the growth of The Chestnut Hill School. Shewas a wonderful teacher, and her contributions to the work of theEducation Committee were significant. Mimi advised the teachers andadministrators on policy matters and provided guidance as the schoolendeavored to improve practices in the classroom. As a teacher at TheWinsor School, she helped CHS’s head of school and sixth grade teach-ers in honing placement practices in secondary schools.”

Mimi was forever devoted to her family, particularly her husbandBruce and daughter Sophie ’06. Mr. Donovan writes, “Most important-ly, Mimi was a wonderful mother to Sophie and partner to her husbandBruce. Mimi was known for her warmth and easy-going nature. What awonderful member of the Chestnut Hill School community.”


In 2012, The Chestnut Hill School created theDistinguished Alumni Award and honored attorney andchild welfare advocate Lorna Lowe ’84 with the firstaward. The Distinguished Alumni Award is given to analumnus or alumna whose exemplary service and accom-

plishments have contributed to his/her field. The 2013 recipi-ent is Dr. Christopher Awtrey, Class of 1980.

Chris attended CHS for seven years. He remembers his firstgrade teachers Mrs. McLaughlin and Mrs. Rogers and a mari-onette project. Chris reports that his parents, Pam and Tony,still have the marionette in their attic. In 4th grade, Chris’smusic teacher asked him to sing in Revels, a holiday perform-ance in Cambridge. He was joined by his sister, also a CHSalum. Chris remembers playing soccer and softball, complet-ing woodshop projects, and the many warm and caring teach-ers. After CHS, Chris attended Fessenden, Belmont Hill,Middlebury College, and Hahnemann Medical College/DrexelUniversity College of Medicine.

When looking for educational options for their children,Sloane and Chris chose CHS for their children. Ben andSchuyler joined the graduation ceremonies honoring their dad.When Ben first started at CHS, he asked his dad, “Were you inMrs. So and So’s class.” He responded, “She wasn’t bornthen.” Though the people are different than when Chrisattended, his memories of CHS remain strong.

Chris is a practicing gynecologic doctor and serves asDivision Director at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Hespecializes in minimally invasive surgery. A medical innovator,Dr. Awtrey developed and evaluated a device to help train sur-gical residents in pelvic suturing skills before they operate on apatient. In 2012, he was named one of Boston Magazine’s TopDocs. At CHS, Chris and his wife, Sloane, have been bothgenerous volunteers and donors. We are delighted to presentDr. Christopher Awtrey, our Top Alumni Doc, with the 2013Distinguished Alumni Award.

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Remarks Given by Dr. Christopher Awtrey ’80

I would like to thank the selection com-mittee, Dr. Tobolsky, and Jeri Goetz forthis honor. I stand today a very proudalumnus of the class of 1980 and a very,very proud parent of a graduating 6th

grader, Benjamin, and a 4th grader,Schuyler. When I heard that I was to behonored with this award I thought whobetter to first tell than my children. Myfirst stop was to Schuyler. The newsseemed to amuse her as if I were puttingher on. I got the famous raised eyebrowlook and the quick flip of the hair.

Generally this is followed by the“Dad…Puhlease be serious.” This reac-tion of disbelief was not quite as dismis-sive as it could have been. You see, mydaughter pretends to know sign languageand will occasionally blurt out, “Whatevermajor loser to me and me alone (usinghand signs for WML).”

So, when Schuyler didn’t believe thatCHS would give me an honor, I went toBenjamin. My serious son, Benjamin,when confronted with important news,will for the most part get even more seri-

ous. For the news of the award, he gotreally serious. He developed this firm fur-rowed brow, a keen concentrated look inhis eye and then a slight tilt to his head tosay, “But dad….why?”

I left the incredulous and concernedchildren and realized that they were bothright, why? The best I can come up with isthat I am a graduate, I have a career that Ithink is amazing, and that I absolutelylove what I do. As a gynecologic oncolo-gist at BIDMC I care for women withcancer surgically. But my favorite part of

The Chestnut Hill School Honors

Christopher Awtrey ’80 as Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

my job is teaching. I teach medical stu-dents, residents, fellows, and other physi-cians. One of my favorite things to say toa medical student in the operating roomis, “Can you believe that I actually getpaid to do this?”

I have been able to accomplish somuch with my career because of an amaz-ingly supportive family. I am fond of say-ing that I am married to a most astound-ing woman, Sloane, who really is bestdescribed as a solo parent. In short, I ammarried to a single mother with three kidsand I am the oldest and least wellbehaved. I also believe very strongly that Iwas able to become a physician, teacher,and do what I do in the hospital because Isat where the class of 2013 sits now 33years ago.

As a student all those years ago andnow as a parent of two CHS students Ihave had an opportunity to see firsthandhow this school and community supportsand fosters an amazing educational experi-ence. So much has changed, and it’s better.But so much has remained the same. Allthe great aspects of this wonderful com-munity that I experienced as a student arestill here. I was a student at CHS with mysister Kate, who is here today. My fatherTony, who is sitting in the audience, wason the board of trustees. I didn’t knowwhat that meant at the time except thatwe spent Saturdays here helping put class-rooms together. I hope for their sake thatthe board’s Saturday responsibilities havechanged. My sister and I attended theCHS camp. We were a part of this placefor nearly 12 months a year for sevenyears continuously as children - so muchso that my sister has reflected on morethan one occasion that CHS helped raiseus. We were so lucky that our parents sac-rificed the way they did so that we couldattend this school.

To the class of 2013 I will tell you thatyou will appreciate and think back onexperiences here that have formed such anamazing foundation for all of your nextsteps, wherever they take you. I oftenthink back on the amazing, caring, dedi-cated teachers I had here - MissMclaughlin, Miss Rogers, Mr. Leiber. I

think about how their teaching stylesguide me as a teacher now.

I think about the phenomenal diversityof our school at a time of such racialunrest here in Boston over assigningschools and busing. My graduating classwas very diverse in all ways, and that wasso important. Busing? We didn’t under-stand busing. What is all the talk about? Iwent with my friends on the subway as a6th grader all over the city - Roxbury, JP,Harvard Square. We had racial, economic,and ethnic diversity and that was soimportant to me as I grew up, and franklysadly lacking in my subsequent education-al stops.

I also learned educational perspective. Iwas, overall I guess, a good student but Ican remember one day in the spring of my6th grade year taking a makeup Englishquiz. Now English was not my mostfavorite subject. I remember bringing mytest up to Mr. Leiber and he stopped me athis desk. “We are going to grade this righthere Chris.” I was a bit frightened by that,because I didn’t think it went that well.With a big amused grin he pulled out hisred pen and started grading that test. Heshowed me all the stuff I had gottenwrong and I kind of started to laugh as itcontinued. The sheet was solid red, I don’tthink that there was any red ink left in hispen when he was done. I asked, “Well Mr.Leiber, how did I do?” He added it all upand stopped. He rifled thru his desk andcame up with a large stencil of the alpha-bet and picked the letter and +/-. When heturned around I had received a D-. I wasin awe, and would normally be sad, butsomehow I wasn’t. He said with a realkindness, “You got a D, and you deserveda D, but study harder and remember itsjust one test.” I think I learned more fromthat one D that day than all the A’s I haveever received.

So, I thank you again for this award. Ithank this school for the solid educational

foundation that has allowed me to do somuch since I left here 33 year ago. I thankyou for having welcomed my children, anew generation of Awtrey children, into theCHS community. I am so very proud todayto be a CHS parent, alumni and supporter.

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CHS Distinguished AlumniAward Nomination

InformationThe Distinguished Alumni Award is givento an alumnus/a whose exemplary serviceand accomplishments have contributed tohis/her professional field. Selection crite-ria includes:

1. Any person who attended The ChestnutHill School is eligible. Graduation from TheChestnut Hill School is not a requirement.

2. The nominee shows success andachievement in his/her chosencareer/field.

3. The nominee demonstrates extraordi-nary courage, persistence, or imaginationin overcoming challenges.

4. The nominee is making a significantcontribution to community on a local, state,national, or international level, or to theCHS community.

5. The nominee should be a role model forcurrent and future CHS students.

6. Individuals running for or holding publicoffice are not eligible.

The nominee must meet one or more of thecriteria. Honor one of your classmates bymaking a nomination. Submit a letter withsupporting material (such as a resume) tothe Alumni and Development Office, TheChestnut Hill School, 428 Hammond Street,Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 [email protected].

Nominations are accepted annually andare due on May 1. Nominations will bekept on file for consideration for threeyears following the submission date. TheDistinguished Alumni Award is presentedannually at graduation in June.

1943Donald Falvey, Jr. is pleased to report that,“Last year a few stalwarts from the “boys”class of 1943 at The Chestnut Hill Schoolgathered at the graveside service of our class-mate, Moses Williams. It was thought that itmight be fun to organize a 70th reunion forthe class on May 27th, 2013 to include thegirls who continued on and the boys whohad to leave. Unfortunately the enthusiasmof the moment passed by and no action wastaken. My diploma, inscribed on parchment,no less stands as a reminder of those veryspecial years spent at CHS during WorldWar II.”

1977 Janie Fliegel Howland writes, “I am teach-ing at Emerson College, Wellesley College,and Northeastern University. I am alsodesigning scenery for the Actor’s ShakespeareProject, Lyric Stage, New Repertory Theater,and Wheelock Family Theater!”

1980Chris Awtrey was awarded CHS’sDistinguished Alumni Award at the annualgraduation ceremony in June. Chris embod-ied the School’s mission of academic excel-lence, community, and diversity. You canfind out more information on Chris in theDistinguished Alumni Award article on pages24-25.

1982Marlana Borgos is “happy, but very busy liv-ing in Rhode Island with my husband, ourfour year old son, Jacob, and new additionto our family, baby twins, Ava and Eli.”

1985Dylan Gallegos is a member of grade 6 fac-ulty at CHS and his son Sammy is alsoattending first grade at CHS!

1986Brian Monahan writes: “I’m living inLexington, MA with my wife Rhonda, prac-ticing immigration law, and keeping in touchwith great friends from CHS on Facebook.Would love to hear from other CHS alums,particularly Lillian Stone. I’m [email protected]”

2002We regret that in the last issue of HillHappenings we mistakenly referred toGeorgia Ivsin as George and used theimproper pronoun of he. Georgia graduatedfrom Dana Hall School and ColoradoCollege.

2003Tyler Borosavage graduated from EndicottCollege in June 2013 and is now working asa Marketing Associate at Ayantek.

Tatianna Rosado writes, “Graduated fromBoston College in May with a degree in

Early Childhood Education. I am currentlyworking full time for a human resourcesconsulting company. I love being back atCHS, it brings back lots of memories!”

Prophet Parker-McWhorter loves his job atCHS as a permanent substitute teacher, soc-cer coach, and school photographer. He isalso working on his first album with hisband.

2006 Amanda Borosavage is currently a sopho-more at Saint Anselm College. She is a fineart major and currently working in thechapel art center.

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CLASSNOTES

Amanda BorosavageTatiana RosadoTyler Borosavage

Prophet Parker-McWhorter

2007Shayla Foley is in school at Newton Southand is a member of Bravo All-StarCheerleading team.

Jacquie Gordon interned in the CHS Alumnioffice for her BB&N spring project. Shehelped organize events, updated alumnirecords, and managed social media posts.See article on page 28.

Harry Polstein interned with in the CHSmusic department for his Beaver CountryDay project. He rehearsed 6th Grade stu-dents for their musical, The Little Mermaid.See article on page 28.

Grant Steiger graduated from Belmont Hillin June 2013 and is now attending theUniversity of Pennsylvania.

2009Jai Chrispin-Huertas is in school at FenwayHigh School and is going on a trip to Japanin February.

2010Juliana Fleming and Lucas Florence spentpart of the summer as CHS Counselors inTraining.

2011Natalie Bilyew-Conn is in school at DanaHall and writes, “I just started High Schooland I’m on the Interscholastic EquestrianAssociation riding team.”

Henry Lin-David is in school at RoxburyLatin where he is on the Cross Countryteam.

Reilly Macdonald writes, “I went to Ohiofor Theater On Ice national competition andthe Broadway Blades (my team) placed 4th.We will be competing in the nations cupnext year.”

Irene McLaughlin-Alves is in school atBeaver Country Day and writes, “I am look-ing forward to winter term, Beaver has beengreat!”

2012Olivia Brown is in school at the LawrenceSchool where she is a member of the volley-ball and basketball teams.

Zack Cannata is in school at Belmont Hilland writes, “I am having a great fall atBelmont Hill, lots of friends and sports areawesome, too.”

Nicole Chung is in school at The WinsorSchool and plans to try out for the schooltennis team.

Hannah Doherty is in school at Dana Hallwhere she is on the field hockey team.

Elan Hedges is in school at the PierceSchool. He writes, “Everything is great! Iam getting ready for High School.”

Sophie Nahirny writes, “Miss you guys, butloving Nobles!”

Clara Parsons is in school at NewtonCountry Day where she is very happy. Sheenjoyed sailing with Mrs. Goetz this pastsummer on Block Island! “I went to Francelast Christmas! I miss you, CHS!”

Jordan Sclar is in school at Winsor whereshe is a member of the cross-country team.

Evan Walker attends the Thurston MiddleSchool and writes, “I’m playing a lot ofhockey and really enjoying my new school.”

Molly Weed is in school at the NewtonCountry Day School where she plays on thefield hockey and lacrosse teams.

2013Charles Adams is in school at BeaverCountry Day and is in the school play.

Ben Awtrey is in school at Belmont Hilland having a great time on the cross coun-try team.

Caleb Barer is in school at the Pierce Schoolwhere he is a member of the debate team.

Charlie Brown is in school at the LawrenceSchool and loves life!

Jackson Danforth is in school at BeaverCountry Day and played on the NewtonSouth East Little League team. The teamadvanced to the State Championship andbeat Peabody to clinch the StateChampionship title. Jackson pitched themajority of the game and the team heldPeabody to a 5-3 score.

Laurissa Foley is in school at Oak Hillwhere she is a member of the basketballteam.

Patrick Gallo is in school at Dexter andwrites, “All is well, but I miss CHS! Happyto be back and visit my old friends.”

Tessa Haining is attending BuckinghamBrowne & Nichols and is the goalie for thefield hockey team, which has not lost a gameyet this season!

Emma Harlow is in school at Dana Hall,where she is on both the soccer and ridingteams.


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The Chestnut Hill School Internship Program is planned to support andenrich the educational experience of our students while providingopportunities for interns to gain teaching skills and prepare for careersin education. We support the growth of our interns through three main phases: observation, scaffolded teaching opportunities, andincreasingly independent lesson planning and delivery.

This year we are pleased to welcome Julia Bateman ’02 andMichelle Ng ’03 back to campus not only as alumni, but also now asmembers of the faculty through the CHS Internship Program. Michelle Ng, a Grade 4 intern and says,“It has been an honor to be able to continue a tradition I experienced as a student and give back

now, on the other side of the desk, by inspiring a new generation oflearners in a familiar setting. Although teaching is a rewarding profes-sion regardless of location, I could not be happier to be able to start mycareer back where I started my own education.” Julia Bateman, aGrade 6 intern says, “I am so thankful to be back in the Chestnut Hillcommunity! CHS opened up a lot of amazing opportunities and it is veryrewarding to give back to the school as a member of the faculty."

Two Alumni Return to CHS as Teaching Interns

Jackson Danforth

Julia Bateman

Michelle Ng

For more information on the internship program,

please visit http://www.tchs.org/about/internship

Elaina Hawkins is in school at Dana Hallwhere she is a member of the cross countryteam.

Amaechinna Iwuh attends Dana Hall whereshe is on the cross country team.

Zakiya Lomax is attending the ConservatoryLab Charter School where is in the orches-tra.

Saama Sane writes, “I am having a greattime at Nobles. It’s fun and exciting experi-ence. I have made a lot of new friends and Iam working hard on schoolwork. I hope tosee my classmates soon!”

Izzy Thorndike is in school at Winsor whereshe is in a play, in collaboration withBelmont Hill School, called The SomewhatTrue Tale of Robinhood.

Grace Wang writes, “Hi! I miss you guys alot! School will never be the same without allof you. My new school is a lot bigger thanCHS, but I’m finding my way around. I tookup a sport, cross country! We’ve already hadmeets, and I can’t wait until my next one.See you soon!”

Kayla Wolk is attending Dana Hall whereshe is a member of the school’s cross coun-try team.

For the first time, CHS is pleased to shareClass Notes with alumni who transitioned toother schools before their CHS graduation.

2014Samuel Adams is in school at Rivers wherehe is a member of the soccer team and theChamber Ensemble.

Chloe Brenner is in school at MiltonAcademy where she is a member of the soc-cer team.

Hannah George is attending MiltonAcademy and joined their soccer team.

Betsy Soloway-Aizley is attending the ParkSchool where she recently was named thelead in an original school musical! She alsoplays on two soccer teams.

Winnie Wang is in school at Winsor whereshe is a member of the set design team forPhantom Tollbooth and she also plays fieldhockey for the school.

2015Camille Chung attends Winsor and writes,“I love my new school and I’m having a lotof fun. I miss CHS!”

Madison Yee is attending Lincoln-EliotSchool and writes, “I still take piano lessonsat CHS! I love visiting and seeing all of myold friends!”


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In addition to our formal Internship Program for teachers, CHS welcomes alumni who seek to complete their high school internships. We weredelighted that two alumni, Jacquie Gordon ’07 and Harry Polstein ’07, joined the CHS community as interns last spring.

Harry Polstein interned with Linda Hughes and the music department at CHS. He helped 6th Grade students vocally prepare for their roles inThe Little Mermaid including reinforcing the use of harmony, sight singing, and acting. Harry also led 5th grade classes studying percussion instru-ments. A talented singer himself, Harry shared that he learned his love of music and theater while a student at CHS.

Jacquie interned in the Alumni and Development Office. Jacquie’s cheerful attitude, excel-lent communication abilities, and skill with all things electronic provided much-needed helpduring a transition in professional staffing in the office. She managed the School’s social mediaeffort, worked with faculty and staff to identify appropriate marketing topics, planned for andtook photography, and wrote content and posted to Twitter and Facebook. Without knowingwho was managing our social media posts, our head of school remarked on the excellent andtimely content.

Jacquie shared, “One of the most rewarding things I did during my time at CHS was hostand attend the 7th Grade Transition Night event where CHS alumni in 12th grade shared theirexperiences about transitioning to secondary schools, making new friends, choosing classes,etc.” Jacquie reached out to her fellow Class of 2007 alumni and helped to recruit a large panelof speakers from both public and independent schools. As a speaker on the panel, Jacquieanswered questions from both the 6th grade students and their parents. “I spoke on the panel,to the kids I used to read books to when I was in sixth grade, about transitioning into middleschool. It was a great opportunity to be able to give them advice about secondary and highschool, and something I probably would not have done if I hadn’t been interning at CHS.”

If you are a high school student and a CHS alum and would like to intern at The ChestnutHill School, please contact the Alumni and Development Office at 617-566-4394 ext. 1-651 or [email protected].

Two Alumni Complete High School Internships

Alumni in attendance at Spring Picnic

Grade 7 transition night

Intern Harry Polstein assists with 5th grademusic class

How do the Annual Fund, Endowment, and Spring Fling work together?The Chestnut Hill School requires a firm financial footing to remain at the forefront of a constantly evolvingeducational landscape. We understand that there are many funding “buckets” at CHS and that they supportdifferent areas of the educational experience. While tuition provides the foundation, support to the AnnualFund, Endowment, and Spring Fling work together to keep CHS at the cutting edge of elementary education.We hope that you support all of these “buckets.”

Rainy day fund,

Strengthen financials,

Financial aidEndowment Spring Fling

School operations,

Field trips, Teachers,

Professional development

Family Associationactivities,

Community events,

Teacher wish list

Annual Fund gifts support the School’s operating budget for the current aca-demic year. These gifts help close thegap between tuition revenue and theactual cost to educate each student. We ask everyone to participate in theAnnual Fund.

Endowment gifts secure the School’sfinancial well-being and long-term sustainability. When CHS launches anendowment campaign, we will askeveryone to give to both the endow-ment and the Annual Fund.

The Spring Fling is the FamilyAssociation’s largest fundraising event.Gifts support the Family Association’sprogramming, financial aid, and designated Fund a Wish capital projects. We encourage all families toattend and support Spring Fling.

Annual Fund

Planting Seeds

Give online at www.tchs.org/giving or contact the development office at 617-566-4394 ext. 1-651.

Families of AlumniIf this publication is addressed to a CHS alum who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify theAlumni Office of their new mailing address at (617) 566-4394 ext.1-651 or [email protected]. Thank you!

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Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

MARCH 14 Spring Concert

MARCH 17–28 Spring Break

APRIL 2 Donor Day

APRIL 25 Spring Fling

MAY 15 CHS Corporation & Family Association Annual Meeting

MAY 30 Grade 6 Musical

JUNE 6 Graduation

JUNE 16 –20 STEAM Camp

JUNE 23– AUGUST 15 Summer Camp

AUGUST 18–AUGUST 22 Spanish Adventure Camp

hill happenings 2014

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