park school bulletin fall 2011

The Park SchoolFall Bulletin 2011

Annual Report Issue

T U R N S

1 7 1 G O D D A R D A V E N U E

Board of Trustees 2010–11

Officers

Kevin J. Maroni ChairPaula A. Johnson Vice ChairRichard Banks ’74 SecretaryMartin J. Mannion Treasurer

Marcus CherryVincent ChiangJohn ConnaughtonRichard EdieLisa Black Franks ’78Abigail JohnsonHeidi JohnsonBrian KavoogianPatti KraftAnne Punzak MarcusStuart MathewsAmy Lloyd McCarthy ’86Pamela McLaurinNicole MurrayPeter RiehlHappy RoweCaroline ScherneckerCarmel ShieldsGarrett Solomon ’86Dana SmithSuzie TapsonLanny Thorndike ’81Ralph L. Wales

Ex Officio

Jerrold I. KatzHead of School

Kimberly BoydAssistant Head for Finance & Operations

Cynthia A. HarmonAssistant Head for Program &Professional Development

Board Chairs Emeriti

Kennett F. BurnesDavid D. CrollCharles C. Cunningham, Jr.George P. Denny IIIDavid G. FubiniM. Dozier GardnerJohn L. Hall IIJ. Michael MaynardAnne Worthington PrescottDeborah Jackson Weiss

Headmaster Emeritus

Robert S. Hurlbut, Jr.

Alumni Committee 2010–11

John Barkan ’85 Co-ChairJulia Lloyd Johannsen ’93 Co-chair

Alejandro Alvarado ’00Minnie Ames ’86Peter Barkan ’86Bob Bray ’53Spencer Bush-Brown ’00Greg Cope ’71Tenney Mead Cover ’76Lilla Curran ’95Lisa Amick DiAdamo ’86Mark Epker ’86Sara Leventhal Fleiss ’94Abigail Ross Goodman ’91Anne Collins Goodyear ’84Jennifer Segal Herman ’82Eve Wadsworth Lehrman ’95Greg Kadetsky ’96Mike Kavanagh ’00Bob Kenerson ’53Richard Knapp ’90Amy Lampert ’63Abbott Lawrence ’85Nia Lutch ’97Melissa Daniels Madden ’85Allison Morse ’89Chip Pierce ’81Meredith Ross ’86Ali Epker Ruch’89Alyssa Burrage Scott ’92Jordan Scott ’89Rebecca Lewin Scott ’89Sarah Shoukimas ’97Garrett Solomon ’86Kathrene Tiffany ’96Thacher Tiffany ’93Diana Walcott ’85Phoebe Gallagher Winder ’84

Fall Bulletin 2011

Annual Report of Giving 2010–11

Editor

Kate LaPineWith thanks to School Archivists MariaFleming Alvarez ’81 and Andrea Sparks.

Design

Irene Chu

Photography

Coffee Pond PhotographyFlo FarrellKate LaPineJerilyn Willig

Printing

?

The Bulletin is published twice yearlyfor the alumni, parents, and friends ofThe Park School. We welcome yourcomments and ideas.

The Park School171 Goddard AvenueBrookline, Massachusetts 02445

To contact the Bulletin:

Kate LaPineDirector of [email protected]

To report alumni news:

Eliza Drachman-Jones ’98Director of Alumni [email protected]

To support Park:

Beatrix SandersDirector of [email protected]

To report address changes:

Sarah BragaDevelopment Office [email protected]

Park is a coeducational school that admitsqualified students without regard torace, religion, national origin, disabilities,sexual orientation, or family composition.Our educational policies, financial aid,and other school-sponsored programs areadministered in a nondiscriminatory mannerin conformance with applicable law.

Front Cover: Throughtout this issue of the Bulletin, you will see architectural renderings and photographs from the archives whichillustrate the School’s move from Kennard Road to Goddard Avenue in September 1971.

In this issue:

2 Around Park

Park’s Global ViewFaculty UpdatesIn The Park School Theater Spring 2011

4 Peter Amershadian Retires

6 New Trustees

David Ball ’85Atul DhirLee EnglertEdward Johnson IVAnne MitchellStephanie Neal-JohnsonKate Olmsted

10 Graduation 2011

Graduation Address: Lily Bullitt ’05Class of 2011 Graduation Speakers:Sophia Griffith-Gorgati and Ned Mitchell

20 171 Goddard Avenue Turns 40!

32 Reunion 2011

34 Alumni Notes

Alumni Service Award 2011: Richard Banks ’74Alumni Achievement Award 2011: Amanda Walton ’95

The Park SchoolFall Bulletin 2011

2 The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011

TCHINA

his spring, Park welcomed

five visitors from the Green-

town Yuhua QinQin School, an

independent school for Grades

I–IX in Hangzhou, China. Head of

School Jerry Katz and Principal

Jianguo Chen signed a formal part-

nership agreement that will lead

to future visits in both directions

by administrators, faculty, and

students.

JAPAN

n April, students, teachers, and

parents in the Park community

beaded hundreds of flag badges,

colored paper Japanese flags, and

folded more than 1,000 origami

cranes to show support for the chil-

dren and families in Japan who

were affected by the earthquake,

tsunami, and subsequent nuclear

accident in March. Service Learning

Coordinator Comfort Halsey Cope

sent several boxes of cranes to an

organization called Students

Rebuild. Park’s cranes join 100,000

from 49 states and 19 countries

and will be woven into an art

installation—a symbolic gift from

students around the globe to

Japanese youth.

SOUTH AFRICA

t a Morning Meeting this

spring, students in Grades

V–IX listened to remarks by Ahmed

Kathrada, South African politician

and former political prisoner and

anti-apartheid activist. A contem-

porary of Nelson Mandela’s, they

were imprisoned together on

Robben Island for 26 years. After

his release in 1990, Mr. Kathrada

was elected to serve as a member

of parliament, representing the

ANC. Following his presentation

at Morning Meeting, Mr. Kathrada

met with teachers and parents in

the library.

Park’s Global View

around�

I A

The Park Bulletin | Fall 2011 3

Diana Bateman Kimberly Catlin Kathy Come Paul Newmark Bea Sanders Ritu Singh Ray Stewart

ctors in Grades VIII and IX

presented Shakespeare’s

classic tragedy, Hamlet. Sixth-grade

thespians performed a musical

rendition of 101 Dalmatians. And,

for the final production of the

2010–11 drama season, the Players

in the Park presented a heart-

warming adaptation of Richard &

Florence Atwater’s classic chil-

dren’s book,Mr. Poppers’ Penguins.

In The Park School Theater This Spring

A

RETIREMENTS

Peter AmershadianModern Language Teacher, 1988–2011

(See page 4)

DEPARTURES

Rob Crawford Director of Development

Nicole Maddox Upper Division Science

Ashley Trinh Grade V Teacher

Emily Tucker Academic Support

SABBATICALS

Dita Henderson Kindergarten Teacher

Kimberly Formisano Grade II Teacher

CHANGES

Sarah Borque Grade II Teacher, previouslyPre-K Associate Teacher

Kara Fonseca Physical Education Teacher, returnsfrom parental leave

Cynthia Harmon Assistant Head of School forProgram & Professional Development also assumes theposition of Middle Division Head

Meg Lloyd ’98 Upper Division English, previouslyKindergarten Assistant Teacher

Jon Ross-Wiley Grade V Teacher, previously MiddleDivision Head

Tom Smith Technology Database Manager, previouslyDirector of Information Technology

Leah Walters Kindergarten Teacher, previouslyPre-K Associate Teacher

APPOINTMENTS

Diana Bateman Academic Support; BS University ofMissouri

Kimberly Catlin Kindergarten Assistant and After-School Instructor; BA, MAT Simmons College

Kathy Come Spanish; BA Cornell University; MA NewYork University

Paul Newmark Pre-K Associate and After-SchoolInstructor; BA Boston College

Bea Sanders Director of Development; BA AmherstCollege

Ritu Singh Pre-K Associate; BA, MA University ofRajasthan

Raymond Stewart Director of Technology;BA University of California, Berkeley; MA San FranciscoState University

Faculty Updates 2011


On Sunday, June 5, hundreds of members of the ParkSchool community gathered in the West Gym to cele-brate Peter and his extraordinary teaching career.Upper Division Head Alice Perera Lucey ’77, a friendand colleague for more than 20 years, spoke these wordsto Peter and the assembled crowd.

Dear Peter, we are here this afternoon tohonor you and to celebrate your long and dis-tinguished teaching career. We are here tobegin to say goodbye, to tell you how much welove you, and to make sure that you know thatwhat you have done as a teacher has beenremarkable because rather than simply teach-ing your students, you have taught the rest ofus, too. . . .

It is almost impossible to capture you,Peter, in words or on paper. After all, how doesone quite describe the twinkle in your eyes oryour warm smile? How could anyone elseapproximate your turn of phrase and your abil-ity to be so disarmingly direct? For those ofyou who haven’t read one of Peter’s commentsor heard him in a faculty meeting, you need toknow that Peter’s thoughts about children and

school are carefully constructed masterpieceswhich can best be described by the word“pithy.” But, Peter, hardest of all to put intowords is to fully explain who you are as ateacher and what you have given us as a schoolover the course of the last 23 years.

I know that not everyone in this room hashad the privilege of actually seeing Peter in theclassroom. The interesting thing, though, isthat I am confident that everyone here canpicture Peter as teacher. And that’s because,Peter, who you are as a person is exactly whoyou are as a teacher. In and out of the class-room, Peter is kind, dedicated, exacting, hard-working, patient, clear, fair, serious, smart,reliable, passionate, funny, insightful, creative,thoughtful, meticulous, eloquent, sensitive, andvery, very wise. Your knowledge, Peter, is ency-clopedic, and your love of language is infec-tious. Your students know in no uncertainterms that you expect them to do their verybest. In fact, you explain that your goal is toteach your “kiddies” more than they everthought themselves capable of learning, notjust about foreign languages but about the

world and about themselves. As a teacher, youhold your students to the highest of standards,but you do so with humor, a deep knowledgeof each child, and a willingness to do whateveris necessary to help them learn. We all recog-nize, Peter, that at the core of your teaching isyour deep understanding of and appreciationfor each child as a person and a learner andyour unwavering belief in them to be theirvery best. It should be no surprise then thatyour students list you as one of their all timefavorite teachers and that when alumni comeback to Park, it’s often you they want to seefirst. . . .

In a big and busy school, Peter, you make ityou business to know and to reach out toyounger students, to parents, to teachers inevery division, and to the Upper Division stu-dents you’ve never even taught. While the restof us seem to be rushing, you always take thetime to stop and talk or listen. We know thatyou delight in talking with children and theirfamilies in one of the many languages youspeak. But it’s more than that – you genuinelycare about the people around you and take the

eter Amershadian has spent the past 42 years in the classroom,

first at Nichols School in Buffalo, then at Buckingham Browne

& Nichols in Cambridge, and finally at Park. Since joining our

faculty in 1988, he has taught French, Spanish, Latin, Social Studies,

and Growth Education, and he has served as an Upper Division

advisor and head of the Modern Language Depart-ment. That’s many

thousands of classes taught, homework assignments corrected, and

narrative comments written, and well over 1,000 students who have

been lucky enough to count Peter as one of their teachers.

When Jerry Katz announced this retirement to faculty and staff

this spring, he described Peter as “the epitome of a Park teacher.”

When Park colleagues were asked to write about Peter, heartfelt

responses poured in, such as the following: “Over the years, Peter

has become one of the personalities that help to define Park. As

it is the people, not the structure, that makes a school, we will all feel

an immense loss when Peter retires.” As a teacher, colleague, mentor,

and friend, Peter is in a class of his own.

Peter plans to retire to his second house in York Harbor, Maine.

Park Heralds Peter Amershadian’sExtraordinary Teaching Career

P


time to ask about our families and our inter-ests, just the way you take the time to makeyour way to a classroom to compliment stu-dents on a Morning Meeting presentation or adisplay of work in the hallway. Peter, we arestruck by your warmth and compassion andyour ability to connect with people in just theright ways.

Talk about Peter with children or adults,and you’ll inevitably end up with trains. TheEnglish teacher in me sees so many metaphorsthere. Trains are elegant, Peter, like you. Thereis something just a bit old fashioned about atrain, like you. And like you, trains are efficientand no nonsense. I suspect that trains inspireyour love of traveling to new places. . . .

This is the hard paragraph. But I think it’simportant to say aloud. When we think of you,Peter, we also think of Ross. We know thatyour beloved Ross is central to everything youdo and everything you are. You need to knowthat your abiding love for one another is anexample and an inspiration to the rest of us.You and I have remembered together, Peter,the June morning when Jerry Katz announced

your marriage to Ross in Morning Meeting.There was a collective gasp of breath of thesort that accompanies the most joyful newsand then an applause that was a heartfelt out-pouring of love and congratulations. Peter andRoss, what you have with each other repre-sents simplicity and sincerity in the truestsense of the words, and I believe that that lastsforever. **

We will miss so many things about you,Peter! We’ll miss your smile, your signatureplaid shirts, belt buckles, and bandanas, yourdancing at faculty parties, in the talent showor while chaperoning the Halloween dance.We’ll miss your French “Bravos” after MorningMeeting presentations you particularly liked,your “pose” when you deliver a serious state-ment – glasses off, fingers steepled together,and your frequent use of the double negative.We’ll miss the way you shake your finger at anaughty student and your classic comments—who else could possibly say the followingso lovingly (and I quote), “We’ll stick yourhead in the pencil sharpener if you can’t stoptalking.”

It is, in fact, difficult to imagine Park with-out you, Peter because you are one of the per-sonalities that defines this place, and we allknow that it is the people and not the struc-ture that makes a school. I think we can all tellfrom this gathering today that Park students,parents, and faculty universally adore you, andI think it is clear to everyone here today thatyour absence next year is going to be keenlyfelt. At the same time, Peter, we firmly believethat you have left an important and permanentmark on this School. Park is a stronger placebecause you have been part of the fabric of theSchool for the past 23 years. . . .

I’m going to end with an “almost” haiku,sent to me by one of our colleagues. I think itwraps things up perfectly.

Humble rock starConsummate professionalRespected and beloved by all.

**This summer, Peter’s beloved husband and partner ofmore than 32 years, Ross Kleiman, passed away after adifficult battle with cancer.


inding the right school for sons

Rohan (13) and Rishi (11) was

the highest priority for the Dhir

family when they moved to Boston

from Houston. “Having lived and

studied in different parts of the

world, we were looking for a

broad and stimulating educational

environment for our boys that

would embrace and enrich our

family’s diverse interests and expe-

riences,” Atul says. “We looked at

a number of schools and immedi-

ately fell in love with Park. Our

entire experience of Park—the

admission staff, teachers, students,

and parents—was truly excep-

tional and resonated deeply with

what we as a family believed in,

including the School’s motto—

Simplicity & Sincerity.”

Atul grew up in India and

attended medical school at the All

India Institute of Medical Sciences

in New Delhi. He then was

awarded a Rhodes scholarship to

study at Oxford University where

he received a D.Phil for his

research in bacterial genetics at the

John Radcliffe Hospital and the

Institute for Molecular Medicine.

Having experienced the drastic dif-

ferences of medicine in India and

avid’s association with The

Park School began at age

five, in kindergarten. He stayed for

ten years, graduating from Grade

IX in 1985. “For me,” David says,

“Park was a place filled with curi-

ous students and patient, gentle

teachers who dared to challenge

me as I came to discover the

world. Park taught me what an

outstanding school should be, and

it made me want to stay in school

forever.”

In one way or another, that’s

just what David has done. After

studying history at Princeton, David

began a seven-year southern

sojourn, teaching for six years at

an independent school in Mont-

gomery, Alabama, and taking a

year in the midst of that stretch to

complete a master’s degree in his-

tory at Duke. That brief return to

the academic world convinced

David to return to the classroom.

“For a few weeks, I relished the

time immersed in books,” he

recalls, “but I soon longed for the

opportunity to share with young

students what so excited me. I was

itching to get back to teaching.”

Soon thereafter, in 1999, David

returned home to Boston—and

home to Milton Academy, his

other alma mater, to teach in the

history department. Six years later,

F

NEW

TRUSTEES

ATUL DHIRDAVID BALL ’85

D David became academic dean, and

in 2011, he assumed new respon-

sibilities as principal of Milton’s

upper school. “There’s nothing

more important in a school than

the work that teachers do with

students every day,” David notes,

“but independent school leaders

have the opportunity to wrestle

with some essential questions

every day: How do we make our

schools genuinely inclusive? How

do we ensure that children develop

the skills and knowledge and

integrity that they need to thrive?

How do we prepare them for

a future that we cannot even

imagine?”

When he’s not enjoying time

at the water at Lake George in

New York state, David lives on the

Milton Academy campus. For

David, though, returning to Park, a

place that has meant so much to

his family for generations, is just

another way of coming home.

Mic

hael

Dw

yer


uring Lee’s seven parent years

at Park, she has volunteered

tirelessly—as a co-chair of the

Diversity Committee, a Class Rep

Coordinator, a member of the

Trustee Diversity Committee, a

Senior Advisor on the Officers and

Advisors board of the Parents’

Association, a tour guide, and an

Annual Fund volunteer. However,

Lee says that she has come to truly

appreciate the School through her

children’s eyes. “Since Cole’s Pre-K

year at Park, Jack and I have felt

that each of our children here has

been known and loved.”

Lee and Jack Englert are resi-

dents of Jamaica Plain and have

three children at Park: Cole ’15 is

now in Grade VI, Blair ’17 in Grade

IV, and Haley ’19 in Grade II. Their

older son, Alex, who is a senior

at Middlebury College, is the occa-

sional subject of show and tell

and special guest at Yule Festival.

“Park’s commitment to academic

excellence in a community where

there are no cookie cutters drew

us in from the beginning. We feel

most fortunate that our children

are growing up at Park, enriched

by an excellent and caring faculty

and a diverse community.”

at Oxford, Atul began to question

how healthcare organizations are

run. “Specifically, I was interested

in learning how principles of man-

agement and leadership could help

healthcare organizations be more

effective in executing their mis-

sion.” To pursue this interest, Atul

joined McKinsey & Company in

New York City. There, Atul met

his future wife, Maya, who was

working in the same office build-

ing as a corporate bond trader at

First Boston.

Subsequently, Atul focused his

efforts in building and leading

healthcare companies. The oppor-

tunity for him to help US Oncol-

ogy, a growing cancer care

company based in Houston,

prompted the Dhirs to move to

Texas in 1999. There, in addition to

helping build one of the largest

cancer organizations, Atul also

experienced cancer himself. “Being

a cancer survivor has deepened my

commitment to the field of oncol-

ogy,” he explains.

In 2010, the family moved to

Brookline for Atul to join the lead-

ership team of the large pharma-

ceutical company, Sanofi. He is the

CEO of their cancer-focused

biotech company and a member of

the global oncology leadership

team based in Cambridge. “We

Lee hails from Princeton, New

Jersey, where she practiced law

after graduating from Brown Uni-

versity and Fordham Law School.

More than 15 years ago, Lee

moved to Boston and continued to

work as an attorney, before mov-

ing into the philanthropic field as

the executive director of The Ply-

mouth Rock Foundation. Currently,

Lee is the director of communica-

tions for The Steppingstone Foun-

dation, a non-profit in Boston

providing educational opportuni-

ties for underserved Boston stu-

dents. Park has been a partner of

Steppingstone for 20 years, and is

one of the fortunate placement

schools for students from The

Steppingstone Academy.

Outside of Steppingstone, Lee

serves on the board of the Founda-

tion for Children’s Books, the advi-

sory board of St. Stephen’s Youth

Programs, and the advisory council

of the Eliot School of Fine and

Applied Art in Jamaica Plain.

LEE ENGLERT

Dhave been truly touched by how

welcoming and supportive every-

one at Park has been to our family

when our boys joined the Classes

of 2016 and 2014 last year. I am

looking forward to be an active

part of this community and con-

tribute through my service on the

Park School Board of Trustees.”


orn and raised in Boston,

Edward grew up on Beacon

Hill, riding the Dexter School bus

through the sixth grade. He trans-

ferred to Fay School in Southbor-

ough, where he was a boarding

student. Edward was then drawn

to Proctor Academy’s nurturing

learning environment and outdoor

setting. He graduated from North-

eastern University with a degree in

business. For many years, Edward

served on the Boards of Proctor

and the New England Aquarium.

Since its inception in 1997,

Edward has been with

Pembroke Real Estate. Pembroke

invests the private capital of

Fidelity Investments and Fidelity

International Limited into proper-

ties in key international markets

including Boston, Hamburg, Lon-

don, Munich, Paris, Stockholm,

Sydney, Tokyo, and Washington,

D.C. The firm acquires, develops,

and manages more than 6.7 mil-

lion square feet in the office, resi-

dential and mixed-use sectors.

Edward and his wife, Allison,

live downtown on the waterfront

with their two children, Nate ’19

and Clara ’21, but this family of

skiers travels to Stowe, Vermont

almost every winter weekend.

“We spend as much time outdoors

as possible,” he explains. The

Johnsons’ children attend Park

with their Ketterson and McKown

cousins, who are the children of

Edward’s sisters Beth and Abby.

“Park is a great organization that

has been a good fit for our fam-

ily,” Edward says. “I’ve enjoyed

getting to know the School

through my nieces and nephew,

and Allison and I are excited

to have our own kids be a part

of it.”

hen Anne and Jeff

Mitchell were applying to

schools a few years ago for their

daughter, Lauren ’19, they didn’t

focus too much on the Kinder-

garten classes. “The kids are all

cute at that age,” Anne explains.

“Instead, we paid attention to the

middle school and saw adolescents

on the edge of their seats in class-

rooms filled with infectious energy.

Park has cracked the code on zest

for learning.”

The Mitchells were also struck

by how Park makes a community

of 560 students seem cozy. “Mr.

Segar greets every Lower Division

student in the morning just as

Ms. Allen knows every child’s

name. Diversity and individualism

are alive at Park,” Anne says. After

studying the customs and tradi-

tions of her Park School class-

mates, Lauren announced that her

favorite holiday is the Hindu cele-

bration of Devali.

Having grown up in New York

City, where she attended the

Spence School through the eighth

grade and graduated from Trinity

School, Anne was also attracted to

Park’s beautiful campus. She

majored in history and literature at

Harvard, where she and Jeff were

classmates, but they didn’t meet

until after graduation when they

both started working for Fidelity

Investments. Jeff is now a senior

vice president and the director

of research at Fidelity Investments’

Asset Allocation, and serves on

Park’s Investment Committee,

as well.

Away from Park, Anne is a ven-

ture partner at the private equity

firm Volition Capital. Since her first

position as an equity analyst at

Fidelity Investments in 1994, she

has focused on the technology sec-

tor. “After spending some time

working with public companies, I

discovered that my professional

passion was investing in emerging,

entrepreneurial technology start-

ups.” From 1997 through 2009,

she invested in private companies

for Fidelity Ventures. Currently, she

focuses on portfolio management

as a board member for Xoom Cor-

poration and as an advisor to Asset

Control.

Anne is named for her grand-

mother, “Nose Dive Annie,” an

alternate on the 1940 Olympic Ski

Team, and a legend of Stowe, Ver-

mont. “Skiing is a requirement in

my family,” Anne admits. “You

learn when you’re two.” On winter

weekends, the Mitchells head to

Stowe to keep up the family tradi-

tion. Anne, Jeff, Lauren, and Grant

(age 4) spend all day on the slopes.

Just give Alec (age 1) a year to

catch up!

ANNE MITCHELLEDWARD JOHNSON IV

B W


s the assistant secretary/

chief of staff for the Massa-

chusetts Department of Trans-

portation, Stephanie combines her

legal background with a deep

knowledge of public policy and

savvy political acumen to advance

the DOT and its projects in the

community.

Prior to this appointment,

Stephanie served as the director of

public affairs and community rela-

tions at the MBTA, and was a

founding partner at the law firm

Johnson Haley, where her practice

advocated for Massachusetts-

based businesses. Prior to starting

the firm, Stephanie served as legal

counsel for Phillips Exeter Academy

for several years and as the assis-

tant to the vice president for

human resources at MIT. She is a

member of the Massachusetts Bar.

Born in Atlanta, Stephanie

grew up in Ohio but came to New

England to attend Phillips Exeter

Academy. At Columbia University,

she studied urban studies and

political science and spent a term

in France. After completing law

school at Boston University, she

entered public service through

campaigns and later as the legisla-

tive director to a Massachusetts

State Senator. Since she was a

child, Stephanie has been an advi-

sor, counselor, and encourager to

many people. Sensing her call to

greater purpose in service to oth-

ers, Stephanie accepted the call to

ministry and began pursuing theo-

logical studies at Gordon-Conwell

Theological Seminary. Recently

ordained, Stephanie is a member

of the ministerial team at Myrtle

Baptist Church in Newton.

Stephanie is pleased to have

been involved in a number of

boards supporting the arts and cul-

ture in Boston and currently serves

on the board of Mother Caroline

Academy as well as the Friends of

the Public Garden. “I am very

interested insuring access and

kindness to all people in our soci-

ety.” At Park, Stephanie has served

as a member of the Diversity Com-

mittee. “Park’s panoramic world

view applies to the School’s peda-

gogy as well as the thoughtful

composition of the student body,”

she says.

Stephanie and Frederich John-

son, her husband of 18 years, live

in Milton with their two sons,

Jabari ’14 and Jonah ’16. They

enjoy many activities—especially

sporting events, cooking, and spir-

ited debate.

ate is a life-long student of

teaching and learning. As an

art history student at Princeton and

while working at New York’s Met-

ropolitan Museum of Art after

graduation, she studied museum

education programs and soon real-

ized that visual learning was

merely one of many effective paths

to a child’s brain. Fascinated, Kate

decided to become a teacher and

earned her EdM from Harvard.

She then taught second and

third grades for three years at The

Learning Project in the Back Bay.

Kate quickly discovered how little

her teacher training had prepared

her to address the individual needs

of each child, particularly those

with language-based learning dis-

abilities such as dyslexia. She was

fortunate, however, to have an

experienced mentor introduce her

to direct, systematic, multi-sensory

instruction—an approach that is

essential for many learners and

beneficial to others.

After the birth of Eliza ’14, Kate

ran a private tutoring practice for

five years. When her second child,

Charlotte ’16, reached school age,

Kate returned to graduate school

to pursue her growing passion for

reading instruction. She earned a

CAS from MGH’s Institute of Health

Professions and after finishing this

program, worked at the Boston

Renaissance Charter School as a

part-time reading specialist. For the

past three years, she has held a

similar position at the Chestnut Hill

School.

Kate is thrilled that Eliza and

Charlotte have had the opportu-

nity to experience the dedicated

and thoughtful teaching so preva-

lent at Park. She is looking forward

to when Xander (3) has the chance

to join the Park community as well.

“Decisions at Park seem grounded

in thoughtful student-based ratio-

nales. The passion for teaching and

learning at Park is palpable.” As a

teacher and parent, Kate knows

Park is exceptional.

Kate has served on the boards

of The Pomfret School, The Learn-

ing Project, and The Newton

Mothers’ Forum and is looking for-

ward to joining the Board at Park.

Kate and her husband, John

Grossman, grew up in Manhattan

where Kate attended The Spence

School through ninth grade. The

Olmsted/Grossman family lives in

Chestnut Hill and enjoys the out-

doors, playing tennis, and reading

and traveling together.

STEPHANIE NEAL-JOHNSON KATE OLMSTED

A K


graduation 2011

— Class of 2011 —


2011GRADUATION

ADDRESSby Lily Bullitt, Class of 2005

Each year, an alumnus/a with six years of post-Park experience addresses the

graduating class. Following this Park School tradition, Lily Bullitt saluted the

31 ninth-graders at the 123rd graduation exercises in June. A Park School “lifer,”

Lily received the Spicer Award at her own graduation, an honor awarded to stu-

dents for their “unique service to the School community.” Park teachers remem-

ber her for demonstrating genuine compassion and remaining true to herself

while quietly working behind the scenes for the good of the School. Lily served

in several leadership positions at Park including co-chairing Helping Hand and

co-captaining the track team. After Park, Lily attended Brookline High School,

and then took a gap year before college to participate in a program called

“Thinking Beyond Borders,” which brought her to five developing countries to

study a different topic of international development in each. To no one’s sur-

prise, Lily has jumped with both feet into life at Kenyon College, where she is

majoring in international studies with a focus on development in Africa. In her

sophomore year, she was a “community advisor” for 20 freshmen. Lily is also

involved with the campus music scene, playing in an informal band called the

Lawnmowers, as well as hosting a radio show on the college station, WKCO.

embers of the Board of Trustees, administration,faculty and staff, students, alumni, families and specialguests, and most especially, members of the Grade IX

graduating class:Hello, my name is Lily Bullitt, and I want to thank you for

inviting me to give this speech; I am genuinely honored. It has givenme the opportunity to reflect upon my own Park School days.Strangely enough, this was a harder task than I had first imagined.

I was at Park for eleven years but many of my memories havenow blended or faded. I asked my friends for help, looking for anyamusing, insightful or telling stories of our time here at Park.

M


Unfortunately, most of the ones we came upwith surrounded someone in our grade get-ting in trouble – our “delinquent days” as myfriend Laura put it. While I figured most ofthese weren’t the best stories to share on thisday when we should be celebrating this grad-uating class, I do however want to share onewith you.

Mr. Perry taught our Grade VII sectionof social studies. One afternoon two of myclassmates, who will remain anonymous, weretalking in the middle of class. This was notthe first time they had disrupted the classand Mr. Perry asked them to leave. Grum-bling, they got up from their seats walked to

the door, and grabbed the handle to open it.But the handle was broken and as my class-mate grabbed it, it came right off in his hand.

The look on his face was priceless. Hehad already gotten in trouble for talking andnow looked terrified of getting in trouble forbreaking the door. The rest of us had no ideahow to react. Half of us were holding on,waiting for Mr. Perry to explode in anger andthe other half was holding back bursts oflaughter. We were all on the edge of ourseats. It was the definition of a pregnantpause and Mr. Perry dealt with it perfectly, inclassic Mr. Perry fashion. He looked at ourclassmate, nodded slowly, and said “way to

get a handle on the situation.”This is one of my most vivid memories

from Park School and I think what I appreci-ate most about it, is not the clever pun itself,although I do appreciate that, but the factthat I am able to say that it was classic Mr.Perry. My classmates and I knew that classicMr. Perry meant bad puns or a surprise howlat the end of class. Classic Mr. Rivera meantgetting an etiquette lesson in the middle ofFrench or Spanish class. Classic Mr. Kelloggwas getting Red Sox updates at MorningMeeting. Classic Mr. Beaver was repeating,“If you can hear my voice, stop talking” at thebeginning of class. Classic Mrs. Ball was anice “good morning Park SKOO-ul,” on thetelephone.

These are the kind of relationships thatPark School fosters and it is why there is sucha strong sense of community at this school.We knew our teachers so well, and they knewus equally well. To us, they were more thanteachers and to them we were more than stu-dents. The same goes for my peers. Theywere not simply classmates but good friends.

There is such a strong sense of community at this school. . .

To us, they were more than teachers and to them we were

more than students.

Bassil BacareI’m going to take the lessons I learned in

English class, and I’m going to leave

behind my legacy.

Arjun BakshiI’m going to take my extremely good

looks, and I’m going to leave behind the

lessons Mr. Rivera taught me.

Sarah ClavijoI’m going to take my guitar and the

voices I’ve sung with during my time

here, and I’m going to leave behind the

hallways, classrooms, theater, fields,

courts, and stairways I’ve run through.

Class Quotes 2011

To this day my closest friends remain theones from Park.

After graduating from Park, I went onto Brookline High School. My class alone hadabout 500 students in it, a big change frommy ninth grade class of about twenty.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my time atBHS, I missed being part of the type of com-munity that Park offers. When it came timeto apply to colleges, I knew I wanted thatfeeling of community that I had experiencedat Park. I chose Kenyon College in ruralOhio just for that—its strong sense of com-munity.

But before I went to college I decidedto take a year off. I’ve always been interestedin other cultures and ways of life and thattime seemed like the perfect opportunity totravel. I participated in a program calledThinking Beyond Borders which took usaround the world learning about develop-ment while working with non-governmentalorganizations and staying with host families.We studied clean water in Ecuador, educa-tion in China, waste management in Viet-nam, sustainable agriculture in Thailand, andpublic health in South Africa.

Even though it was hard being awayfrom home for a year, as my parents willreadily confirm, participating in this programwas one of the best decisions of my life. Ifnothing else, I was pulled away from most ofthe things that were comfortable and familiarto me. Being removed from my comfort zoneforced me to reconsider what I think of as“comfortable” and “familiar,” especially whenI was living in communities that have suchdifferent standards of living.

Although the home stays were, at times,awkward and difficult, as I’m sure the ninthgraders know from their class trips toEurope, they allowed me to build communi-ties even in places that seemed the most for-


Daniel ColomboI’m going to take with me my knowledge

about painting, and I’m going to leave

behind goldfish snacks.

Ariane Curtin-BownI’m going to take Ben, and I’m going to

leave behind Mica.

Gracie Donnell- KilmerI’m going to take the characters I’ve

played in the Park theater productions,

and I’m going to leave behind the stage

where I embodied them.

Jared FizekI’m going to take the ability to go further

with all my skills, and I’m going to leave

behind the tight-knit quality of the Park

community.


The Joan Crocker Award for Community Service

FRANCINE KORIS

2 0 1 1 G R A D U AT I O N AWA R D S

THE ELLEN FOWLER AWARD FOR CITIZENSHIP

Lilah Davison LutesOliver David Albert Rordoph

THE ISABELLA T. GROBLEWSKI ARTS AWARD

Sylvie Etta Florman

THE HEAD OF SCHOOL’S AWARD FOR

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Hannah Korrick Hecht

THE CURTIS E. SMITH ATHLETIC AWARD

Sarah Margarita ClavijoGeorge Phillips Lucey

THE JOHN T. SPICER AWARD FOR UNIQUE SERVICE

Eliza May Thomas

EACH YEAR, the

Parents’ Association

presents this award

in honor of former

Park parent Joan

Crocker, who exem-

plified the kind of

devotion and stead-

fast zeal this award

recognizes in its

recipients.

Sylvie FlormanI’m going to take the ability to ask for

help, and I’m going to leave behind the

support system I’ve built over the past

four years.

Sophia Griffith-GorgatiI’m going to take my new self, and I’m

going to leave behind Friday night and

Saturday afternoon performances.

Jamie HavilandI’m going to take lots of funny memories

thinking “what did we do this time?”,

and I’m going to leave behind lots of

laughs.

Hannah HechtI’m going to take my newfound passion

for languages, and I’m going to leave

behind monkey bars and the supernova.

Left: Parents’ Association President Caroline Schernecker (right) presents FrancineKoris (left) the 2011 Joan Crocker Award for Community Service. In addition toserving as P.A. president herself, Francine founded Park’s Craft Fair in 2000.

eign to me. These communities that Ibecame a part of were often made up of aneclectic group of people, including home-stayfamily members, fellow classmates, guides,professors, haircutters, basically anyone whowas willing to talk to “the Americans.”

I can assure you that lots of sign lan-guage was used in forming these relation-ships, especially in Vietnam, where the onlyVietnamese I spoke could get me a bowl ofpho. But as unusual as some of these relation-ships were, to me, they were the most impor-tant part of travelling. By getting to knowlocal people I could understand the broaderissues we were studying on a much morehuman level.

We had read books about HIV/AIDSin Sub-Saharan Africa, but not until I shad-owed Zoleka, a home-based caregiver inSouth Africa did I fully comprehend theurgency surrounding AIDS. Talking with myfriend Phat in Vietnam helped me under-stand the immensity of the destruction thatwas caused during the Vietnam War, whichPhat and other Vietnamese call the Ameri-can War. And seeing my host mother inThailand make clothes and grow food for herfamily helped me to see, in comparison, howunsustainable my own lifestyle is, here inAmerica.

I still have much to learn about theseissues, but seeing the effect they have on real

Talk to your teachers outside the classroom,

get to know your lunch lady or your bus driver.


Jenna IssacsonI’m taking wisdom, community and last-

ing friendships which have helped me

grow into the person I am today, and I’m

going to leave behind a well-known safe

haven . . .but I know there will always be a

place for me here at Park.

Issy JulianI’m going to take wisdom from Mr. Amer-

shadian, and I’m going to leave behind

my bio textbook.

Goh KobataI’m going to take 10 years of memories

on the playground, and I’m going to leave

behind all my artwork.

Liz KorisI’m going to take my goalie experience

and training, and I’m going to leave

behind the goal I tended.

human beings has kept me interested andwanting to learn more. Attending a liberalarts school has forced me to take a variety ofeconomics, political science, history, andanthropology classes, but the people I meton my gap year continue to help me under-stand these macro issues that we discuss inall these classes on a micro level.

But you don’t have to travel to SouthAfrica and meet Zoleka to get a human per-spective on these issues. I simply encourageyou to talk to and get to know as many peo-ple as you can, to build a community wher-ever you go.

Class of 2011, you already have a headstart because you are graduating from thePark School. I believe this is the biggestninth grade class in ten years, and from whatI understand and from my brief visit withyou a few weeks ago; it also seems to be oneof the strongest. This ninth grade class hasinside jokes about stellar Stump Sproutspajama pants and Goh’s favorite ice cream(pistachio?).

Park taught me, and I can see it hastaught you, how to be a member of a com-munity. I hope that you take this knowledgeand experience with you as you leave Park.You are all going to new schools, enteringentirely new communities. I urge you tobuild your own communities and to learnfrom the people who surround you.

Don’t just get to know your fellowclassmates—talk to your teachers outsidethe classroom, get to know your lunch ladyor your bus driver. The less you have in com-mon with someone, the more you have tolearn from them. So, Class of 2011, I hopethat the communities that you build in yourhigh schools, colleges, and beyond are asstellar as the one you have right here. Thankyou and congratulations!

t seems unreal to me that it wasjust a little over two weeks ago

that I was pulled aside by Ms.Lucey in the fourth floor hallway.My immediate feeling was that Iwas in trouble, although for what Icould not say. That thought disap-peared quickly when Ms. Luceyoffered me a stick of mint gum fromher stash. It might not have beenthe best idea for me to accept thistreat, because as soon as Ms. Luceytold me what she had pulled measide for, I nearly swallowed it. Iwas shocked but honored that I hadeven been considered to be gradua-tion speaker. The first thing Iblurted in my confusion was: “ButI’ve only been here for two years!”As soon as I said this though, I

I

Class

Graduation

Speaker:

Sophia Griffith-Gorgati

joined the play, started friendships,and enjoyed the academic chal-lenges. There is one key thing aboutPark: it sucks you in. Just how itdoes remains a mystery to me, butmy experience has shown me justhow engaging life here is. Park hasallowed me to recognize my inter-ests, and through just two shortyears here I have been transformed.I think the same can be said for myclassmates: whether they began innursery, fourth, or seventh grade,Park has helped to mold this Classof 2011 into the beautiful, smart,funny, and happy people you seehere today.

Even from just one year ago, Ican see how much this class haschanged. We’ve matured, becomeindependent, and learned how toenjoy ourselves with any givenopportunity. Ninth grade, especially,

has been a year of bonding. Ourunity is due, in part, to the wonder-ful curriculum here at school. Inthe autumn of this year, we weregiven high expectations to fulfill,especially in terms of leadership. Ihave watched even the most reluc-tant of us stand proudly at thepodium in Morning Meeting, andoverall not only meet these expecta-tions but exceed them. From themany projects (such as our genocideresearch papers) to the languagetrips (the Plaza Mayor in Salamancais unforgettable) Park has given ourgrade an enormous amount ofopportunities.

The memories from these oppor-tunities are ones that I think I willalways keep in mind. We were toldat the beginning of the year thatninth grade would go by veryquickly. I believed my teachers, but

realized just how significant thesetwo years have been for me.

As the newbie in eighth grade,I hadn’t expected to get off to aparticularly good start. But my pre-vious year at public school hadbeen rough, and to me Park was abeautiful haven of a school. As itturned out, my first few monthshere were absolutely amazing. I feltmore than welcome—I felt wanted.I think it was the little things peo-ple did to make me feel like Ibelonged—I still remember Mr.Amershadian telling me what a niceoutfit I had on one day, and myclassmates trusting me to helpthem with English homework. Sep-tember through December weremonths of open windows for me,and I will never forget how exhila-rating that was. There are so manypeople I have to thank for thistime—my teachers, classmates, myparents, and, above all, my bestfriend Ariane, who pulled me into avibrant life at school. It was sonice to know that I had someoneto rely on and share my firstmoments with.

Sending me to Park was possiblyone of the best decisions my par-ents have ever made for me. I camein to school on day one—a bitbent out of shape, but curious andhopeful—and almost immediately Iimmersed myself in life at Park. I

George LuceyI’m going to take the many things I

learned in my years at Park sports, and

I’m going to leave behind my mom.

Lilah LutesI’m going to take the scar I got from

falling in PE, and I’m going to leave

behind an imprint in my Morning

Meeting seat.

Ned MitchellI’m going to take my sense of leadership

on the ice and track, and I’m going to

leave behind my childish self.

Galileo MondolI’m going to take with me my best

friends, and I’m going to leave behind

M&Ms.



NEXT SCHOOLS F O RT H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 1

Sylvie’s hilarious commentary, Erik’srelaxed manner, Lilah and Liz gig-gling hysterically in English, peerediting Daniel and Arjun’s papers,Ben’s remarks, Ethan’s bright redface, and Bassil’s contagious laugh.

I will miss Noa’s excited voice,Arielle’s unfailing politeness, Goh’spatience with me, Chloe’s stories,Galileo and Jared’s hair obsessions,Aaron’s speeches, reminiscing withJenna, and Ollie doing things com-pletely unexpected with Oliveralways being consistent and reli-able. Finally, I am going to missJamie and Ned skipping rocks onthe beach in Cape Cod, Amy’s abil-ity to put me in a good mood, andAriane calling me “Bia!” and Georgeimitating her. Most of all, I amgoing to miss seeing all of thesepeople every day. If nothing else,Park has allowed me to meet andspend time with a wonderful groupof kids.

I have come to appreciate thisschool immensely—it was here thatI realized so many things aboutmyself, including my love for learn-ing and my ability to appreciate thesmall details in life. At Park I rec-ognized my full potential, and Iknow my classmates have recog-nized their potential too. Not onlyhave we learned a lot, but after ouryears at Park we have grown intomuch more confident, optimistic,and experienced versions of our for-mer selves. For our years here, weare eternally grateful. Congratula-tions, Class of 2011!

Thank you!

Bassil BacareThe Roxbury Latin School

Arjun BakshiBeaver Country Day School

Sarah ClavijoBuckingham Browne & Nichols School

Daniel ColomboBoston Trinity Academy

Ariane Curtin-BowenBoston University Academy

Gracie Donnell-KilmerDana Hall School

Jared FizekNewton South High School

Sylvie FlormanBrookline High School

Sophia Griffith-GorgatiThe Winsor School

Jamie HavilandBrooks Academy

Hannah HechtBuckingham Browne & Nichols School

Jenna IsaacsonBuckingham Browne & Nichols School

Issy JulianBeaver Country Day School

Goh KobataThayer Academy

Elizabeth KorisDeerfield Academy

George LuceyBrooks Academy

I didn’t realize just how fleeting—and wonderful—this year would be.Our grade, one of the biggest andmost boisterous ninth grades in awhile, has definitely left an impres-sion on Park, and Park has left it’sown mark on us. We have been pre-pared in every way: academically,socially, and mentally, for our yearsto come, and there is little else forme to do but to thank everyone atPark who has helped to prepare usfor that.

I want to thank, especially, allthe ninth grade advisors and teach-ers from this year. I think we oweyou all a special thank you for sup-porting us in schoolwork, sports,drama, and for contributing to mak-ing our ninth grade experience anenjoyable one. The teachers here atPark are some of the best I haveever had. They are engaging andfunny, and aside from havinglearned a lot, I can consider myteachers friends. I know that muchof what they have taught me I willtake to Winsor with me next year,just as my classmates will bringwhat they have learned to theirsecondary schools.

Next year will be a fresh startfor all of us, and we’ll have yetmore opportunities. But I will missevery single member of this class.I’ll miss our loud conversations inthe cafeteria at lunchtime, dis-cussing the latest Glee episode inmath class, and walking across thesunlit bridge connecting the mainbuilding to the west with myfriends. I’m going to miss Eliza’shuge smile, Sarah singing TaylorSwift songs, hugs from Issy andJake, sharing pens with Gracie,Hannah’s ultra sweet disposition,

Lilah LutesDeerfield Academy

Ned MitchellTabor Academy

Galileo MondolThayer Academy

Ben PalmereBoston University Academy

Jake Philbin-CrossConcord Academy

Erik ReedBeaver Country Day School

Oliver RordorfMilton Academy

Ethan RuderNewton South High School

Chloë SahyounConcord Academy

Oliver SantryProctor Academy

Arielle SilbersweigBeaver Country Day School

Amy SimpsonTilton School

Noa SklarBrookline High School

Eliza ThomasConcord Academy

Aaron YemaneBrimmer and May School

Ben PalmereI’m going to take with me all that I

learned in the English office after school,

and I’m going to leave behind the

12 hours of job time I did in sixth grade.

Jake Philbin-CrossI’m going to take the memories of an

incredibly supportive community, and

I’m going to leave behind an almost

undefeated season in soccer.

Erik ReedI’m going to take all my straight A’s, and

I’m going to leave behind all my B’s.

Oliver RordorfI’m going to take with me the curiosity

that Park has instilled in me, and I’m

going to leave behind all of the wonder-

ful clubs.


together to get temporary braggingrights.

There are things that you do inschool that you leave for a fewyears and then come back to you.When I was in lower school I usedto not really like chorus. I remem-ber after fifth grade graduationthinking I had accomplished some-thing: never singing again. Butnonetheless we had our first gradu-ation song practices a few weeksago. Although am still pretty bru-tal at singing, I am having fun.My message to you all is thatwhen you are not too fond of orvery good at something, give ittime because you will come aroundand maybe even like it.

Ninth grade has made our gradebecome very close in many ways.Whether it was the bondingmoments at Stump Sprouts duringthe cake building contest, or thestep forward activity, we all learnedsomething new about each otherthat we did not know before. Wealso learned a lot about ourselvesand how lucky we are to have such

a stellar grade to lean on.I will leave you with many

thoughts in your head about howwe as a grade have come together;we all came together as leaders onTotal Day. Our hard work and lead-ership was outrageous. On TotalDay all of us lead teams of UpperDivision students in games and funon a perfect spring afternoon. Iwould like you to never picture ourgrade as just one person, but as awhole.

Park has taught us how we willchange the world because we areall fantastic individuals. Park hasgiven us the best education wecould dream of. In the words ofNelson Mandela, “Education is themost powerful weapon which youcan use to change the world.”

And to the 123rd graduatingclass of The Park School, all of ourhard work has finally paid off. Andthank you for making the last tenyears of my life ones that I willcherish forever.

Congratulations, Class of2011—WE DID IT!!

Class

Graduation

Speaker:

Ned Mitchell

ood morning everybody, myname is Ned Mitchell and I

am honored have been selected tobe this year’s graduation speaker.

Ten years ago, I embarked on ajourney that would change my lifeforever. I entered The Park Schoolin September of 2001. My 5-year-old self walked into Mrs. Shepley’sclassroom and was shell-shocked. Idid not know anyone at the time,but soon would make friends thatwould last a lifetime. I walked intomy classroom and sat down next toa boy who was playing with theblocks. He turned around and said,“Hi.” I don’t exactly rememberwhen he told me his name, butTarun and I are best friends to thisday. I know that I am not alonewhen I say this, that the friend-

G

ships that you make at Park willlast a lifetime.

I am going to miss Park becauseof the person it made me and theway that it has shaped my studyhabits and my leadership on the iceor on the cross-country course. Myleadership has grown this yearbecause I have been captain ofthree varsity sports: Varsity CrossCountry, Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey,and Varsity Track and Field. On eachof these occasions I have learnedhow to lead a team during or aftergames. Before hockey games, OliverRordorf and I would lead the teamon to the ice in two lines. Thismade me feel like a leader becauseI was in front of a great team.

As a grade we have maturedgreatly. Whether it is the experi-ences that we have had or thematerial that we have learned. InKindergarten we used to take shortfield trips to places like the ArnoldArboretum. This year we went toEurope for ten days and wereimmersed in the culture and lan-guage that we have studied for fouryears. Also we studied plants inyounger grades, but never in thedetail that we did this year in ourbiology classes.

Park has taught me more aboutmyself than I could ever imagine.By fourth grade I knew exactly whatkind of a learner I was and whatstudy methods work for me andwhich did not. And by ninth grade Iknew that I couldn’t frost a cake. Iknew that I couldn’t frost a cakebecause at Stump Sprouts this yearwe had a cake-constructing contestby advisory. Although mine did notwin we put up a strong fight. Thiscontest taught us how to work

Ethan RuderI’m going to take with me knowledge

about basketball, a new sport for me

three years ago, and I’m going to leave

behind Mr. Toussaint and the Bruins

fanatics.

Amy SimpsonI’m going to take the memories and

friendships from my softball team, and

I’m going to leave behind the legacy of

the Class of 2011, a ninth grade Park will

never forget.

Noa SklarI’m going to take with me my Park P’s

and the pride they instilled in me, and I’m

going to leave behind my Park jersey,

#11, and the spirit I helped to spread

while wearing it.

Ollie SantryI’m going to take eleven years of simplic-

ity and sincerity, and I’m going to leave

behind the lacrosse fields.

Chloë SayhounI’m going to take with me Eliza, Jake,

and Connie, and I’m going to leave

behind my classrooms.

Arielle SilbersweigI’m going to take my newly found voice,

and I’m going to leave behind Ms. Fries.

Eliza ThomasI’m going to take all of my wonderful

heart to heart conversations with teach-

ers and friends, and I’m going to leave

behind the echoes of my ridiculous

sounds on the soccer field. Meeep!

Aaron YemeneI’m going to take my fresh Nikes, and I’m

going to leave behind the people who

have transformed me into the man I am

today.



“Helping Park find a new home has given me

a lifetime of satisfaction—of any project

that I’ve been involved with at the Fogg, the

MFA, or Milton Academy—this is always

the first and most satisfying. This was

the once and future project.”

Charles C. Cunningham, Jr.Board of Trustees Chair 1965–1968

T U R N S

must have walked in the School’s front doorsa thousand times. Usually, I am rushing upthe stairs, eager to get started with my day.Often I am urging my fourth grader andKindergartener to hurry up. But, every now

and then, I notice the big green plaque to the left ofthe door. It outlines the history of The Park School—from its humble beginnings in 1888 in one half ofa double house on Walnut Street to its current loca-tion in a 94,000 square foot main building on 26acres of land.

The building, designed by Earl R. Flansburghand Associates, has won design awards from theAmerican Association of School Administrators andfrom the National School Boards Association. It wasa runner up for the Harleston Parker Medal givenby the Boston Society of Architects.

This September, Park celebrates the fortiethanniversary of moving to the “new” school. OnSeptember 22, 1971, after countless obstacles over-come by the heroic effort of a small cadre of volun-teers, 345 students, faculty, and staff began the1971–72 academic year at 171 Goddard Avenue.

In preparing this special section, I have had thepleasure of interviewing several of the key playersfrom 40 years ago—Charlie Cunningham, BayardHenry, Bob Hurlbut, Dick Leahy, Anne WorthingtonPrescott, Bill Satterthwaite, Jon Shaw, Jan Spauld-

ing, John Spicer, and Ruth Williams—to name afew. I am also indebted to our exceptional historybook, The Park School One Hundred Years,1888–1988, by Park alumna Jay Williams How-land ’57. I have relied on Jay’s lively story tellingand the countless interviews she conducted in themid-1980s with individuals who were instrumentalin shepherding this project through to completion.

Overall, I have been struck by the devotion toPark that so many people—almost all volunteers—demonstrated. In 1986, Charlie Cunninghamreflected, “It was like Camelot. There was some-thing quite extraordinary about that time in thesense that every bit of logic said this couldn’t bedone… But it did happen because we had a groupof unbelievably dedicated people who gave theirlifeblood and who chose unorthodox ways ofapproaching the problem.” When we spoke thissummer, Charlie, with 40 years of hindsightdeclared, “Helping Park find a new home has givenme a lifetime of satisfaction—of any project thatI’ve been involved with at the Fogg, the MFA, orMilton Academy—this is always the first and mostsatisfying. This was the once and future project.”

I know I speak for all of us who are thebeneficiaries of these efforts. We are humbledand grateful to all of you who created the “newPark School.”

Kate LaPineeditor

I

1 7 1 G O D D A R D A V E N U E

171 GODDARD AVENUE TURNS 40 21


PLA

NN

IN

G

A Gift of 14 Acres

hen the Development Committee concluded that the Kennard

Road campus was unsuitable, the Board explored ways to expand

the School. “We had looked everywhere but there was no property available

for purchase in the town of Brookline,” Charlie Cunningham recalls. “I

suppose we could have moved the School to Weston or someplace, but that

would have changed the character.”

In the spring of , Kim Faulkner ’

approached Charlie, saying that his parents,

Dr. James and Mary Faulkner, would be interested

in helping the School with a gift of land. And

what a gift— beautiful acres of rolling fields

and woods. The new site was almost four times as

large as the Kennard Road property and provided

ten acres in fields alone.

The Faulkners’ land enabled the School’s

stewards to realize their dream. “Dr. and Mrs.

Faulkner’s wonderful gift was the keystone of

the entire building program and provided the

inspiration to get us going,” says Charlie. “They

are the real heroes of this story.”

Kim Faulkner and I went over to look at the property one latewinter morning. Where the gymnasium is now there was acarriage house. We saw it after a new snowfall, and to standat the top of that ridge and look over the expanse of oak andpine trees— it was simply unbelievable. Right away, we knewthat was it.

—Charlie Cunningham, The Park School One Hundred Years, p.132

1964 1965

W

“

SEP T EMBERSEP T EMBER

Park’s Future. . .

New HeadmasterHarry Groblewskirecommends form-ing a long-rangeplanning committee to lookinto the future of the School.He had concluded that Parkneeded to decide where it washeaded. What kind of schooldid Park really want to be;whom did it want to serve;and how could it best achieveits aims?

Long-Range Planning

The long-range planningcommittee is formed, namedthe “Development Committee.”For months, they met everyweek or two, early in the morn-ing, around the Cunninghams’dining room table.

Development Committee

J. Daniel Nyhart, Chairman

John Chandler, Jr.

Charles C. Cunningham, Jr.

Harry J. Groblewski

Bayard Henry

Elizabeth Lay

Richard G. Leahy

Laura Munter

Philip J. Porter

James M. Storey

Harold C. Weisberg

Harry Groblewski was full of great ideas. He’s the onewho got everything in motion—if we were going tosurvive, we would have to expand. That was a bigchange for a nice cozy little school like Park. It requireda huge leap of faith.

—Ruth Williams

“


1966 SPRING 1967

Jim and Mary Faulkner’s land onGoddard Avenue, the future site of Park School.Note the Charter Oak in the center, 1967. The fundraising task facing us was daunting. Park had

never raised more than $30,000 in an annual fundand now we were facing $4 million. The Board wasshell-shocked. My husband was horrified; he thoughteveryone would be bankrupted.

—Anne Worthington Prescott

FU

NDRA

ISIN

G

“

“

A New Site Should Be Acquired As Soon As Possible!

The Development Committeeconducted an exhaustive study ofPark’s existing site and physicalplant and concludes that the sit-uation was dire!

• Serious shortcomings in termsof library facilities for all divi-sions are compounded by thefrequent need to use libraryareas as study halls

• of Upper School class-rooms fail to meet minimumspace standards ( squarefeet for students) and severalcontain only sf

• Neither of the gyms is largeenough for PE or recreation.Newer gym doubles as thelunchroom, and the oldgym must be used not onlyfor sports but also for drama,assemblies and chapelprograms.

• School has no faculty offices

• Deplorable lack of storagespace for books, supplies, andmaintenance equipment

• Drama facilities are bothinadequate and inflexible

• Offerings in science, art,music and shop are seriouslyhampered by space and equip-ment deficiencies

• Middle School has no runningwater on the third floor

• No full-sized playing field noris there sufficient play spacefor younger children

Our committee met once a week for 18 months. Weconsidered all aspects of the School: faculty, students,finances, and programs. A big issue was finding theoptimal size. It became clear that in order to have ahealthy middle school, we would need to grow theearlier grades and expand to three sections and 54children in a class.

—Bayard Henry

APR I L MARCH

Development Committeebegins work in earnest.

Can We Do It?

The School enlisted the aid offundraising consultant RussellBrowning who conducted afeasibility study with key con-stituents. His report revealedconsiderable doubt among thePark community about theplan to move, not to mentionskepticism about the abilityof the School to raise themoney, especially in the highlyinflationary environment ofthe Sixties.


CO

NSTRU

CTIO

NPLA

NN

IN

G

Well, I’m almost 91 now but I have very positive memo-ries about working with Park. It was a long-term commit-ment, taking over six years to complete the campaign.This campaign really led the country—no elementaryschool had ever raised that kind of money before.

—Russ Browning

None of us involved will ever forget the Building Commit-tee breakfast meetings at Dick Leahy’s house—or theafternoon meetings—or the evening meetings. Eventually,however, the project was fully delineated; a start on themoney was made; and the plans were drawn.

—Harry GroblewskiThe Park School One Hundred Years, p. 133

Before anything happened, we did a lot of brain-storming—creating wish lists of things that we hopedfor in the new building. That was fun to do. Thearchitects would show us slides to get us in themood. We really wanted light and space in contrastto the old building.

—Jan Spaulding

As soon as I joined the Board in 1967, I learnedthat the fire department had condemned the brownbuilding—we had to find a new home and fast!We woke up in a big way.

—Anne Worthington Prescott

We learned. . . that if you’re going to raise that kind ofmoney, you’ve got to go out there hell bent for electionand you can’t stick with conventional wisdom.

—Charlie CunninghamThe Park School One Hundred Years, p. 132

When Charlie and I went out on fund-raising calls, wewould lug the model along so we could look at thebuilding on the coffee table and talk about the future.

—Bayard Henry

FALL 1967 OCTOBER SEP T EMBERSPRING 1968FU

NDRA

ISIN

G

“

“

““

“

“

“

Dan Nyhart’s chairmanship of the DevelopmentCommittee was absolutely critical. We more or lesssaid, ‘Dan, you chair it,’ and then asked what thecommittee would try to do! We couldn’t have managedthe long-range planning without him.

— Charlie Cunningham

An Unprecedented Goal!

Bayard Henry and CharlieCunningham solicit Trustees,parents, and friends of theSchool, armed with a modelof the proposed building.

In October ,the Building Com-mittee selects EarlR. Flansburgh asthe architect. Histeam spends a monthresearching the School’s needsthrough intensive consultationwith Park’s faculty, trustees,Headmaster Harry Groblewskiand Business Manager MarjorieBurr. In time, he works outconcepts and plans for the newbuilding.

Building Committee

Richard G. Leahy, Chairman

Charles C. Cunningham, Jr.

Andrew Edmonds

Harry J. Groblewski

Robert S. Hurlbut, Jr.

Laura Munter

Anne Richardson

Architect Hired

Beneficiaries andGuardians

Development Committeereleases its Summary Report,which concludes:

The achievement of excellenceat Park rests squarely in thehands of the former, present,and future members of thePark community who are thebeneficiaries of its past and theguardians of its future.


Reaffirming Park’s Values

This is an exciting time for Park. As we think and talk aboutthe move, we renew our appreciation of the importance ofthis School. In a world where the quality of our children’slives is threatened by crowding and by the technology of aBrave New World, the philosophy of Park has new relevance:that the individual and his development are the first value.At Park, small classes, an unfettered faculty, and an adminis-tration in immediate contact with parents and children worktogether for the growth of the individual child. To avoidthe mediocrity of mass education, we must constantly seeknew ways to encourage this growth and maintain thepersonal touch.

— Anne Worthington Prescott, Board ChairThe Park Parent, December 1968

The new school is to be in the shape of an inverted P, withthe main entrance near the middle of the shaft, facing south-west to Goddard Avenue.

—Mary Nickerson, writing in The Park Parent January 1969

Why 171?

The Town of Brookline asksthe School to select an odd streetnumber on Goddard Avenue.Following a spirited contestamong the faculty and staff,Headmaster Bob Hurlbut selectsEllie Judkins’ entry — —“both for ease of memory andtyping and its reference to theyear in which we would move.”

In the old school, lunch was a catch-as-catch-can affair.Part of the detailed planning for the new buildingincluded not only designing the dining room, but alsoconsidering what the tables would look like. I suggestedthat we choose round tables—they seemed to fit withPark’s non-hierarchical style—enabling the teacher andthe kids to interact with each other.

—Jonathan Shaw

Gifts, Pledges, and LOANS!ith the spiraling inflation of the late ’60s,building costs keep escalating by 18 to24 percent a year. Although they had

secured pledges of $1,050,000 when school openedin September 1968, it became discouragingly clearto the planners of the new school that they couldnever raise enough money fast enough to get theschool built.

Trustee and Corporation treasurer Stephen B.Swensrud saved the day. At his suggestion, BayardHenry and Charlie Cunningham went back to half adozen families who had already pledged majorgifts and asked them to make interest-free loans—on a strictly business basis, with a six-year repay-ment term—to help build the School.

PLA

NN

IN

GEN

DS

J ANUARYFALL 1968 SPRING 1969

A few dedicated souls loaned $1,565,000 to the Schoolfor the benefit of future Park generations.

—Steve Swensrud, The Park School One Hundred Years, p.137

“

“

“

“

W

Designed for Flexibility

The new Park School onGoddard Avenue will be library-centered and designed for flexi-bility…. Within the library,there is to be a diversity ofmoods to accommodate all typesof individual study. This care-fully planned flexibility is thesoul of the new school.

The Park Parent, January

CO

NSTRU

CTIO

NFU

NDRA

ISIN

G

Eight banks have promised to provide interim financingof over $3,000,000 for the building construction.In this period of high interest rates and severe shortageof loanable funds, this can be considered a tributeto Park, its constituents, and the building program.

The Park Parent, December 1969

Here we were with this magnificent land, the gifts, theinterest-free loans, and we couldn’t sign the constructioncontract because we couldn’t finance it!

—Charlie CunninghamThe Park School One Hundred Years, p. 138

To provide an adequate cash flowfor the School to pay architects’and contractors’ bills, Park hadarranged for an informal line ofcredit with a local bank. Unex-pectedly, the bank reneged onthe agreement because of thevolatile economy of . Bankswere scrutinizing every transac-tion; loans as small as about, had to be reviewed

before the First National Bank ofBoston’s senior loan committee.

Charlie Cunninghamappealed to his former colleaguesat the First National Bank ofBoston who agreed to provide a, line of credit. Togetherwith fellow trustees Dick Smithand George Seybolt, Charlie wasthen able to persuade seven otherbanks to follow the First’s lead.

SUMMER 1969 FALL 1969

I can recall reminding the Headmaster that in the 1680s,New England had experienced a tremendous earthquakethat had made chimneys fall. Had the architects andbuilders made sure that the new building would be able towithstand an earthquake? Bob checked into it and reas-sured me they had!

—Jonathan Shaw


BUYING A NEW SCHOOL

EXPENSES Projected (Nov 1969) Actual (Dec 1971)

Base Contact $3,660,000 $3,339,876

Related Projects Costs 1,140,000 432,249

Total 4,800,000 3,772,125

REVENUE

Gifts & Pledges $1,700,000 $2,400,000

Payment from Brookline 400,000 363,000for old Park School site

Permanent Mortgage 500,000 n/aon new school

Loans from individuals 1,200,000 1,565,000

Unrestricted AF 200,000 n/a

Total $4,000,000 $4,328,000

(the equivalent of $26.75 million in 2011 dollars)

“

“

“

With financing secured, theBuilding Committee receives thego-ahead to sign the contractwith Volpe ConstructionCompany.

SEP T EMBER

C R E D I T C R I S I S !


Blast Off!

With a hearty boom, a billow ofrising snow, and helium balloonslofted skyward, construction ofthe new Park School on God-dard Avenue was officiallydeclared underway.

Over parents, children,faculty, neighbors, and friends ofthe School toured the staked-outsite, following balloons andposters marking he library, frontentrance, playing fields, class-rooms, and the hoped-for EastWing. The large group gatheredin the “gymnasium” for the

I remember walking from my house near the Brookline

Reservoir to watch the groundbreaking ceremony. There was

snow on the ground and I brought my three-year-old brother

(Nicholas ’82) with me. (I was ten.) The walk took MUCH

longer than I had planned and we missed the ceremony.

Still, I remember the excitement surrounding the whole event

on a beautiful winter’s day!

—Kitta Frost ’74

WINTER 1969–1970 SPRING 1970

In reality, Dick Leahy was a one-man building committee.A committee of ten couldn’t have surpassed his expertiseor attention to detail.

—Charlie Cunningham

groundbreaking ceremony andmuch awaited blast.

Many commented that the-acre setting is truly parklike—with rolling meadows,stately trees, and rugged pud-dingstone ledge (all of whichhave been incorporated into thedesign of the new school.)The blast itself took place at thetop of the ledge when AnnePrescott and Charlie Cunning-ham plunged the handle of abright yellow detonator box.


“

“

Make Way

The bulldozers have arrived.The ledge is being cleared tomake way for the new school.Great care is being taken topreserve trees and natural pud-dingstone (all yellow-bandedtrees have been incorporatedinto the design.) Drive by andsee the work in progress.

The Park Parent, February

Dick Leahy: A One-ManBuilding Committee

With construction underway,Building Committee ChairmanDick Leahy sets up severalunorthodox procedures. First,while the Committee held regu-lar meetings at least once amonth, Dick was granted thepower to make individual deci-sions to keep the project onschedule and avoid long delibera-tions. Second, Dick visited thebuilding site every morning atseven o’clock to personally over-see the project and settle anyquestions on the spot.

F EBRUARY

$800,000 Needed

The Board launches a drive toraise the balance of ,

from the parent body in order toinclude the East Wing (futurehome of Pre-Kindergartenthrough Grade II) in the design.


CO

NSTRU

CTIO

NFU

NDRA

ISIN

G

S T R I K E !Cement truck drivers strikefor eleven weeks; causing aconsiderable delay in construc-tion. Work on GoddardAvenue continued for about amonth after the strike beganand then came to a halt.Construction resumed inmid-August.

The original carriage house was lovely, but Earl just couldn’tincorporate it into the design. As we looked at the site, werealized we had to use the land to our advantage. The bestplace to set the building was where all the puddingstonerock outcroppings were —I’m sure it was the most expensiveplace on the property! We paid by the truckload to haul outthe blasted rock.

—Bob Hurlbut

FALL 1970SUMMER 1970

East Wing Prospect StillUncertain

At this writing (April )prospects for building the EastWing now are dim indeed., remains to be raised.We have reached the criticalpoint in our fundraising effort.There are no magic formulae,no unseen donors waiting in thewings, and no magnanimousmanna about to descend fromthe sky. In short, This is IT!

The Park Parent, May

“

Drilling, blasting, and exca-vating continue. Water mainsand utility tunnels are beinginstalled. Snow fences nowprotect trees. First concretehas been poured for the foot-ings. Just follow the muddytire tracks on GoddardAvenue —it’s a site to behold.

The Park Parent, April

Visiting the site on September8th, The Park Parent observedmuch activity, including linedrilling prior to blasting theLower School area. The southathletic fields were beingraked in preparation for seed-ing this fall.

The Park Parent, October

Drilling and blasting arealmost complete at the newschool, and now work hasbegun on the concrete andsteel footings. Wall forms arecurrently being installed forthe music room area, theboiler room and the gymna-sium. A handsome sign iden-tifies the site and offices havebeen moved from the gate-house to trailers parked at theentrance to the new driveway.If you haven’t yet seen thework in progress, drive by assoon as you can. You can’tmiss it!

The Park Parent, May

APR I L MAY OCTOBER

Losing ten weeks of good weather was adisaster! Back then, reliable cold-curing concretewasn’t available, so we needed warmth to“cure” the concrete. So I agreed to purchasetwice as much form work as we would havenormally had to buy and made sure that all

scaffolding was in place and two lifts were ready to go. When theconcrete finally arrived, pouring of everything could begin immedi-ately and installation went forward at double speed.

—Dick Leahy

“


Cooperative Spirit

There was a real feel that we were all in this together—and that it couldn’t go wrong! Faculty and parents trulyloved the School for the School’s sake. Not for thepersonal glory, academic success, or the money. Whenthe Trustees thanked Charlie Cunningham for all his workon behalf of the School, he was genuinely moved to tears.

—Ruth Williams

John Plugis was an excellent clerk of the works—theSchool was really lucky to have him.

—Dick Leahy

I like this building. It’s complex. It has many levels and theland contour is interesting, unusual. It’s an involved project.Makes some others seem like square chicken coops.

—John T. Plugis, The Park Parent, June 1971

WINTER 1970–1971 SPRING 1971

“

“

“

Brookline Buys Old School

For more than a year, TrusteeDick Smith helped negotiatethe sale of the old campusat Kennard and Hedge Roadsto the Town of Brookline.In February , he reportedto the Board that the Townhad agreed to a sale/leasebackarrangement for a fee of,.

F EBRUARYDECEMBER MARCH MAY

The Park Parent asks Clerk ofthe Works John T. Plugis towrite a monthly column enti-tled “What’s in the Works?” toupdate the Park communityabout the building’s progress.

You rascals who have notvisited here since the Corner-stone Ceremony will enjoylearning that the East Wingroof has been poured; dittofloor slab Level and Level ;that the Exterior and Interiormasonry has advanced well ashave both East and WestWings; and that the installa-tion of window frames,including glazing is almostcomplete —as are the Dining,Science and Art rooms.

The Park Parent, March

In the late spring, it lookedas if the new building wouldnot be finished in September.Bob Hurlbut begins makingelaborate plans for a phasedmove. Nursery through GradeII would go to the new schoolin September because theydidn’t need the gymnasiumsto be complete; the othergrades would move duringwinter vacation.

All Park families, friends andneighbors are invited to theCornerstone Ceremony at thenew school. GoddardAvenue, Brookline, on Satur-day, December th at a.m.In the interest of safety, parentsMUST accompany children.

After this brief ceremony,the Building Committee willconduct tours of the construc-tion site.


Supports for the forms forthe concrete beams which willsupport the roof beams ofthe gym were being built.Concrete poured the previousday was drying and being keptfrom freezing by powerfulheaters.

The Park Parent, February

New School toInclude East WingPark Parent Headline, November 1970

FU

ND

RA

ISIN

GC

ON

CLU

DES


CO

NSTRU

CTIO

N

September 21, 1971

The library leaks, the kitchen isnot yet ready…the theater hasbeen deliberately left unfinishedand should be done in about amonth, the basketball backstopsare not yet up, carpeting stillneeds to be installed, lockers aremissing in both corridors and thegymnasium, some light fixturesare unfinished, play equipmentand some furniture still must bedelivered, and the playing fieldsare not yet done.

Report to the Board of Trustees at theirfirst meeting in the new building

he loss of the Old Gym (Draper Hall)back at Kennard Road I think musthave added to our disorientation in the

new building. This old carriage-house, laterenlarged to include a stage for dramatics, hadserved as an assembly hall, the origin pointthat had drawn together the four divisions ofthe school. In the fall of 1971, the new the-ater and gathering hall had not been com-pleted. And so the new school’s need for ameeting hall found us, that first September,sitting on bleachers in a vast new gymnasium.It was ours, of course, but as we sat quietly inthose bleachers at Morning Meeting listeningto faculty announcements, something of the

old school spirit was definitely missing. A tem-porary public address system of mikes andspeakers created echoes against parallel cin-derblock walls. The messages themselvessounded several times removed from reality.

It was “Smitty” (Curtis Smith, director ofPhysical Education) who finally broke the icefor us all. Standing up in the bleachers, Smitty,confronting our silence, suddenly demandedof us, “What is the matter with you all? WEare the Park School. It is up to you and me toget the year off to a good start.“ So sternlyreminded that WE were the school, we beganto pitch in, to recreate ourselves and ourschool in this new place.

Everybody had the right attitude on Opening Day. Of course,not everything was finished—there weren’t any lockers—theycame 10 days later. No carpet either. I remember telling mystudents to hang their book bags on the backs of their chairsbecause the concrete floor was so dusty. There was no pointin sweeping it—it would only get dusty again. My feet achedafter that first week of school after standing on the concretefor five days straight!

—Ruth Williams

R E F L E C T I O N S O N

Moving to Goddard Avenueby John Spicer

T

SUMMER 1971 FALL 1971

We made a deal with the contractor to prioritize finishingthe academic spaces in the school—some areas we wouldleave till later. Peter Volpe kept his men working all the time.If we delayed the opening of school by ten days, we couldactually move into the new building in September. Thanksto Volpe and Dick Leahy, we were able to pull this thing off!

—Bob Hurlbut

The new Flansburgh edifice eventuallydid become our new school. It happened inmany ways: students moving into new lock-ers of their own; faculty heads settling intodepartmental and division offices of theirown; athletic games being played and fairlywon or lost on leveled playing fields.

September 22, 1971

The air was thick with apprehension. The younger students met

in the classroom and we spent a lot of time getting everyone

settled. Parents would come in and hang around—they were

apprehensive, too. Everyone was afraid of getting lost in such a

big building. We didn’t let the students go anywhere by them-

selves. But it was such an exciting time. Everything was ready to

go. The outdoor space was tremendous, too—the playgrounds,

the woods, everything had so much more room!

—Jan Spaulding

OPENING DAY!

“

“

“

Move-in Possible

In August, at the last possiblemoment—despite the con-crete strike and subsequentstrikes by ironworkers,plumbers, steamfitters, andkitchen finishers—it becameclear that the whole schoolcould move and begin the‒ academic year at

Goddard Avenue.

AUGUST

To celebrate the move to Goddard Avenue and the

construction of this building, every student, teacher,

and administrator at The Park School during the academic

year 1970–71 placed a message or

artifact in this tube with the hope that every 50 years it be

opened, enjoyed, added to, and resealed.

Dick Leahy was inspired tomark this historic moment inPark’s history with a timecapsule. It now resides in acavity in the cinderblockwall in the lobby where it canbe seen behind four glassbricks. A plaque on the wallnear it reads:

Richard G. Leahy made it possible to open ahead of scheduleand under budget. This is an unheard-of accomplishment. . .The faculty has waited long for this year and with good spiritsrearranged their academic schedule to accommodate theearly move. The students, I believe, simply enjoyed the wholeprocess. All of this effort by so many was only made possibleby the contribution that your faith in Park generated. TheBoard of Trustees expresses it deep sense of appreciation toyou, the parents and friends of The Park School.

—Philip Porter, Board ChairSpeaking at the November 1971 Corporation meeting

My most vivid memory is the slightly dank, new con-struction smell of the concrete in the stairwells, andthe echoes as feet trotted up and down—so differentfrom the warm wood smell and creaks in the boardsthat I remembered from the old school.

—Polly Hoppin ’74

One day in the fall, I was sitting in my office across fromthe fifth grade rooms. I heard a locker slam, followed by“Oh *&*#$(!” I poked my head out of the office and sawthat it was Earl Flansburgh—checking out the lockers.“They were noisier than I thought,” he explained. That wasimpressive: he remembered, he cared, and he checked.

—Bill Satterthwaite

I got one of the machinists at the Harvard physics lab tomake a long, milled tube of heavy aluminum. It reallydoes look like a time capsule. I presented it to the Schoolwith one of my kid’s stuffed alligator in it.

—Dick Leahy

T I M E C A P S U L E

“

“

“

“


Flansburgh Architects designed the building to reflectThe Park School’s educational philosophy, to be flexible forfuture growth, and to be easy-to-maintain and durable.This building was designed to serve the Park School wellinto the future. We’re happy to see that it has.

—September

> In December 1970, the keyplayers laid a “cornerstone” from

the original carriage house inthe new brick edifice of the

“new Park School.” (It is locatedoutside the door of the small gym.)

Charlie Cunningham, Dick Leahy, Dr. James Faulkner, Mary Faulkner,Bob Hurlbut, Anne Worthington Prescott, Earl Flansburgh, Peter Volpe


REUNION2011lumni from the classes ending in “6” and “1”came back to Park from far and wide on theSaturday of Mother’s Day Weekend to celebrate

Reunion 2011!Following informal tours of classrooms, science

labs, and art studios, alumni spanning three decadesgathered in Park’s beautiful library. Head of School JerryKatz, Alumni Committee Representative Lisa AmickDiAdamo ’86 and Director of Alumni Relations ElizaDrachman-Jones ’98 all spoke briefly to the assembledcrowd before the classmates posed for photos. The partyfinally broke up when the different classes departed forfurther revelry at their class specific reuniondinners off campus. Many thanks to thedozens of reunion volunteers who helped tomake Reunion 2011 a memorable event forall who attended. We look forward to seeingthe “7s” and “2s” next spring!

A

Class of 1986—25th Reunion Top row, L-R: Peter Barkan, Jay Livens, MarkEpker, David Satterthwaite and Garrett Solomon. Bottom row: Jonah Givelber,Tom Sowles, Minnie Ames, Lisa Amick DiAdamo and Maura O’Keefe.

Class of 1991—20th Reunion Top row, L-R: Leslie Eckel, Whit Growdon,Jim O’Keefe. Bottom row: David Glynn, Abigail Ross Goodman, Jenny WaltonBurke, Ally Field, Mollie Nelson Webster and Bob Collins.

Class of 1971—40th Reunion Greg Cope, Bill Chandler, Chris Boutourline,Anne Priestley and Sarah Burrows.

Left: Abigail Ross Goodman ’91 andMark Goodman.Below: Julia Rosenthal ’01 shares alaugh with Colin Smith ’01 andAdam Rutherford ’01.


Class of 1996—15th Reunion Top row, L-R: Jon Sheffi, Greg Kadetsky,George Sargent, Greg Schwanbeck, Leah Cumsky-Whitlock Lavin, MerrillHawkins and Rob Higgins. Bottom row: Ladd Thorne, Sam Metghalchi,Kathrene Tiffany and Marisa Connors.

Class of 2001—10th Reunion Top row, L-R: Dakin Henderson, Adam Rutherford,George Denney, Colin Smith, Henry Watterson, Chris Burrage. Second row: DiegoAlvarado, Caitlin Taylor Reiche, Mally Smith, Julia Rosenthal, Jessica Kerry, AveryLeboff Williams. Bottom row: Nate Hindman, Loren Rabinowitz, Suzanna Lee,Jennie Tucker, Caitlin Dick, Amanda Roosevelt, Celeste Hughey and Jen McInnis.

Class of 1976—35th Reunion L-R: Bob Nyhart, Angie Hurlbut, Ellen Connorton,Amy Tayer Goldman, Tenney Mead Cover and James Morse. Top row, BarbaraTalcott and Alison Hoppin Murchison.

Class of 1981—30th Reunion Top row, L-R: Lanny Thorndike, Maria FlemingAlvarez, Betsy Walcott and Matt Carothers. Bottom row: Howard Chaffey, ChipPierce, Alex Mehlman and Andrew Wilson.

Right: 1981 classmates Maria FlemingAlvarez, Howard Chaffey, Andrew

Wilson, Alex Mehlman withtwo spouses.

Below:Kathrene Tiffany andMerrill Hawkins, both celebrating their

15th Reunion.

Top: Leslie Eckel ’91, Betsy Glynn ’91,Colette Collins and Bob Collins ’91catch up.Left: Dean Conway with Whitney andTom Sowles ’86.


attorney, but because it’s closer to somuch fun. I am also starting to playwith the creation of relaxation videosfeaturing slow motion scenes fromnature.” Charles Kellogg lives inManchester, Mass., and works as aconsultant for Global Partners, Inc.based in Cambridge. Charles says, “Iam also volunteering with The U.S.Biathlon Association, the Manchester-Essex Conservation Trust and myWilliams College Class of 1962. I stillenjoy competitive cross-country ski-ing, running, and kayaking, alongwith hiking and biking.” GeorgiaBradley Zaborowski writes, “For thefirst time in my life, I have had atotally unproductive and restful expe-rience for the last year. I am retirednow in Groton, Massachusetts, andlive with a wonderful husband, aShetland sheepdog, four cats, anda large number of birds who arriveall day long at the window feeder. Allof life’s pressures to author books,teach college classes, counsel women,and perform with my harp haveevolved into wonderful memories ofa professional life that was a greatsuccess. I am also on vacation fromraising my own children and can nowdelight in being a grandmother. I amhoping that my classmates and otherfriends at Park are where I am in cel-ebrating life. I pray that you are allhealthy and happy, being relaxed inthese days of our retirement. I sendmy very best to you all.”

1957Elisa Sleeper Sawall reports that sheis “practically retired from my realestate career in New York. Getting tovisit Cape Cod more than CapeAnn.” Life is good for Elisa, but shewonders “what happened to DavidFox?”

1962 50th Reunion

Class Representative Needed!

Alu

mni

Not

es1932Bruce Ehrmann writes, “still happilyretired, but not driving. Regards toany who might remember those won-derful years on Hedge and KennardRoads!”

1938Class RepresentativePutty [email protected]

1948Bob Little, director of athletics atPark, took his dad, Renny Little, andhis aunt, Selina Little, to a recentRed Sox game. “We had the V.I.P.treatment!,” Renny reports.

1950Class RepresentativeGalen Clough812-477-2454

1953Class RepresentativeBob [email protected]

1955Buzz Gagnebin tells us that he andhis wife of 45 years, Connie, “areenjoying living in Cambridge not justbecause it’s closer to my work inBoston as an intellectual property

B ECOME A

Class RepresentativeStay in touch with friends!

Gather class news for the Bulletin!Help plan your reunion!

Want to learn more?

Please contact Eliza Drachman-Jones ’98,director of Alumni Relations

617-274-6022 or [email protected]

1963Class RepresentativeAmy [email protected]

1966Class RepresentativeWigs Frank610-964-8057

“I actually have some news,” EmilyBurr writes from South Africa. “Myhusband and I are Peace Corps vol-unteers in the schools of a small ruralvillage. I have a blog I add to when Ican: emily-peacecorps.blogspot.com”

1967 45th Reunion

Class RepresentativeE. D. [email protected]

1968Class RepresentativeVicky [email protected]

In December 2010, StephanieSonnabend co-founded 2020 Womenon Boards—a national campaign toincrease the percentage of women onU.S. company boards to 20 percentor greater by the year 2020. Sheencourages you to “register yoursupport at 2020WOB.com and followthe progress. The percentage ofwomen on public company boardshas been stuck around 11 percent for8 years. We are determined to changethat, by measuring and definingdiversity as a minimum of 20 percentwomen.”

1972 40th Reunion

Class Representative Needed!Lynn Nyhart, professor of the his-tory of science at the University ofWisconsin–Madison, was awarded aGuggenheim Fellowship for 2011–12(one of two such awards given to his-torians of science nationally) to workon a project on the history of ideasabout individuality and part-wholerelations in nineteenth-century biol-ogy. Lynn says, “This requiresresearch trips to London, Paris, andGoettingen!” She will also start a two-year term as president of the Historyof Science Society in January 2012.She writes, “Let me know if you areplanning to visit Madison. It is a

Buzz Gagnebin ’55 picks the banjoand enjoys a laugh.


RICHARD BANKS

CLASS OF 1974

Established in 1999, the Alumni Award forDistinguished Service is presented annually at grad-uation to an alumna or alumnus of The ParkSchool for dedicated service to the Park community.Board Chair Kevin Maroni presented the award onbehalf of the Alumni Committee.

ichard Banks attended Park for fifthgrade during the 1969–1970 school year

and will forever be a proud member of ParkSchool’s Class of 1974. Richard rejoined theSchool community in the fall of 2001 whenhis eldest son, Daniel, entered Park’s Pre-Kprogram. Two years later, his second son,Adam, followed in his older brother’s foot-steps, and over the last ten years, Richardhas contributed in many ways to the ParkSchool community.

Richard, an attorney for the Massachu-setts State Department of Public Health,recently completed a three-year term onPark’s Board of Trustees, where he servedas Secretary. During his term, Richard par-ticipated actively as a member of the Boardof Trustees’ Educational Policy Committee.Richard was known not only for hisdetailed meeting notes, but also moreimportantly, for his ability to help othersstay focused on the big picture and for hismeasured, sage counsel.

Richard’s wife, Annie, has servedalongside him in multiple volunteer roles atPark. Both Richard and Annie have beenClass Representatives several times duringtheir children’s tenure at Park, and theyboth served on the Parent AssociationDiversity Committee. They were also veryactive as volunteers with Park’s After-SchoolProgram when their sons were young, even-

tually helping to create the role of ASPClass Representative.

As volunteers at Admission OpenHouses, Richard and Annie enjoyed sharingwith prospective families their enthusiasmfor the Park School curriculum and commu-nity, and as fundraising volunteers—Anniewith the Annual Fund and Richard with arecent capital campaign—the Banks inspiredother families to contribute towards Park’scontinued excellence. And finally, Richardand Annie have volunteered for ten consec-utive years at Springfest, with two of thoseyears spent overseeing the “bug table,” com-plete with creepy crawlers, scorpions, andedible bug snacks – a testament to their rep-utation as “easily recruitable” parents.

Now, as Adam ’14 joins his olderbrother, Daniel ’12 at Roxbury LatinSchool, it is time for Richard to say goodbyeto his role as a Park parent. We are grateful,however, that Richard and his family(including Richard’s sister, Judith Banks-Johnson, Park Class of 1972) will remain apart of the Park community as alumni. ThePark School is grateful to Richard Banks forhis thoughtful and dedicated service to thePark School community. He has been anexcellent model of service to the School,and we know that his commitment will con-tinue to inspire other alumni, and alumniparents, to get involved.

T H E A L U M N I S E R V I C E AWA R D

beautiful place to visit, and althoughWisconsin is living through financialhard times, at least we didn’t shutdown like Minnesota—just a littleMidwest humor!”

1973Class RepresentativeRick [email protected]

1974Class RepresentativesRodger [email protected]

Margaret [email protected]

“My extended family and I had abittersweet day on June 10th, writesPolly Hoppin, “when our daughterEliza graduated from Park’s 9th grade,ending many years of daily connec-tion with Park (including my mom’s24-year employment at the School,and the student years for me and mysiblings, my sister’s children andours) that started in the fall of1965. But wait, our oldest Emma ’06taught at Creative Arts at Park thissummer, so that makes the streakalmost 46 years! Eliza is headed toConcord Academy in the fall, andEmma will be a junior at Swarth-more. I love my work advancing pol-

icy on environmental links to health(out of U.Mass) and also serving onthe boards of two environmentalorganizations, though these are chal-lenging times for the issues I workon, both politically and finan-cially. My husband Bobby continueshis work representing whistleblowersunder the False Claims Act. He alsotaught a course at B.U. Law Schoolthis spring and is volunteering forlocal and international non-profits—part of starting to brainstorm abouthow to create something excitingwhen (soon) the empty-nester yearsarrive!”

1975Class RepresentativesColin [email protected]

Bill Sullivan978-568-1303

Meli Solomon has been in Berlin formore than two years and loves it.She writes, “It was a huge transition—language, culture, career—but every-thing keeps rolling forward andimproving. It’s endlessly interesting,and sometimes frustrating, dealingwith cultural differences. My workshifted to English language services—training in business English and edit-ing. It’s a good mix for me and uses

R


my MBA and years of experiencesin various parts of business. Plus, Iget to talk about business, which isgreat.” Have you heard the buzzabout John Sharp working as atherapist on “Celebrity Rehab?” Hewas recently featured in the ImproperBostonian: improper.com/features/john-sharp/

1976Class RepresentativeTenney Mead [email protected]

Eliza Storey Anderson is in theprocess of moving back to Cam-bridge after a year in Paris and hasfour mostly-grown children scatteredthrough fields from environmentallaw to business to music. EmilyFaulkner lives in Idaho with “twodaughters in high school and ashrinking menagerie (one horse, onedonkey, one llama, two rams, twentyhens, cats and dogs…sold the eweslast summer, so for the first time in13 years I have not been expectinglambs. Liberating!). I teach French tofirst through the eighth graders at theSandpoint Waldorf School…. I’d behappy to hear some other stories andcatch up via email with one and all.My address is: [email protected]”

1977 35th Reunion

Class RepresentativeSam [email protected]

“My environmental consulting prac-tice has settled in well,” Juliet Lam-ont reports. “I gave a keynote

presentation at the Garden Club ofAmerica’s annual conference last fallon water conservation, watershedprotection, and restoration, and haveseveral more talks scheduled thisyear. I also landed a teaching positionin sustainable urban development atS.F. State University; challenging,exciting, difficult, and rewarding allat once. Enjoying life as a whole, too:lots of running, competitive squash,ultimate Frisbee, hiking, and more tokeep me in shape—and even enteredmy first half-marathon! Husband Philstill makes me laugh every day, andwe’ve made sure to carve out lots oftime for friends, family, and ourwildlife travels.” Todd Larson hasbeen keeping busy as a tour guidefor Super Duck Tours in Boston (notto be confused with Boston DuckTours). “I tell the passengers excitingstories and anecdotes about Boston’shistory, culture and current events aswe meander through various Bostonneighborhoods. I spin tales aboutships, shores, and sharks as the duck-boat goes along the waterfront andfinally splashes down into the harbor.I wrap up each tour with duck jokesand duck tales (no pun intended).I’m having a ‘quacking’ good time onthis new job, and it’s really helpedme sharpen so many of the skills wewere taught at Park: historicalresearch, humor, engagement withthe public, working with others, and,as Mr. Hurlbut would put it, ‘oralpresentation and confidence.’ I invitePark alumni past and present tocome on my tours; visit superduck-tours.com for details. On the side, Ido freelance writing and editing ofwebsites, screenplays, novel manu-scripts and blogs (visit my website,tlarsonthewriter.com), and I’m alwayslooking for new opportunities. Irecently reconnected with classmate

John Sharp is representing the Class of 1975 on Celebrity Rehab. Above, John with Dr. Drew Pinsky.

Nina Frusztajer ’79 sent us this cute photo of her kidsHugo, Zeno, and Catherine.

keep fit (physically and mentally!),and I’m doing a bit of outreach forthe book I co-authored The SerotoninPower Diet, which is effective toreverse antidepressant-related weightgain. And, summer concerts havebeen great: Dispatch and PeterFrampton were both amazing per-formances and lots of fun.” MargieTalcott recently returned to Brooklineafter many years away. “I haven’tlived in the Boston area since 1982,when I graduated from Milton Acad-emy—a long time ago! After the col-lege experience at Princeton, I spent12+ years in New York City and then12+ in Exeter and Portsmouth, NewHampshire. I will be keeping my jobin Portsmouth as the associate pro-ducer of the Writers’ Series at TheMusic Hall performing arts center.We’ve had a banner year in the serieswelcoming David McCullough, NeilGaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, ElizabethGilbert, Joseph J. Ellis and SimonWinchester. We have another greatline-up of writers in the season ahead—a lot to look forward to!”

1980Class RepresentativeSusan [email protected]

Jenny Swett Chrisman let us know“It IS possible to have a baby—evenat our age! James Swett Chrisman

Douglas Christian at a CambridgeBook Club Meetup group; it wasgreat to see him again after so long.Our group discussed James Horn’snew book A Land as God Made It:Jamestown and the Birth of America,which was the perfect continuation ofthe historical seed John Spicer hadplanted in our minds in our seventh-grade social studies class! I was reallyimpressed with how much Dougknew about so many subjects— itcomes from the lifelong love of learn-ing Park School inculcated in us. Mybest to all my classmates and formerteachers, wherever you may roam,o’er land or sea or foam!”

1979Class RepresentativesSally [email protected]

Lalla [email protected]

Nina Frusztajer let us know that“things are peaceful and good withus — the kids (Catherine 9, Zeno 8,and Hugo 6) are enjoying summerwith a mix of camp, trips to thebeach, and just hanging out andsleeping late (Hugo can sleep until10:00 or 10:30!). I’m working threedays a week as a pathologist, stillhaving fun learning to play the guitar,doing lots of yoga and core fusion to


was born December 24, 2010. Myhusband, older son, the baby and Istill live north of San Francisco. Thissummer, we convened in Jamestown,Rhode Island with my sister Hannah’84 (and her new baby) as well as mybrother Brad ’82. It is a lot of fungetting the cousins together!” Like-wise, Jillian Rudman has excitingnews to share: “On June 21, myhusband, Jim Humes, and I had our

first child, a baby girl named DevonHarper Humes.” Nat McCormickwrites, “the Norfolk-basedMcCormicks traveled up to CapeCod in June for a family reunion andcelebration of my dad’s 75th birthday.Interesting to note that the threeMcCormick boys (Alex ’79, myselfand Ben ’82) are proud fathers of sixdaughters: Maddy (11), Ella (8), Han-nah (3), Vivian (2), Olivia (1), andAbigail (new). We’re not exactly firstout of the blocks these days.... I alsohad the pleasure of meeting up withFred Richardson and his wife, Ann,in Chatham for a pleasant afternoonof catching up on the last 30 years. Ifyou want a photo, you’ll have toheckle Fred for it—he’s the one wholooks like he hasn’t aged!”

1981Class RepresentativesMatthew B. [email protected]

Alex [email protected]

Jennifer and Robert Nadelsonbecame the proud parents of Abra-ham Alexander Nadelson, “Bram,” onJuly 14, 2011. “I am thoroughlyenjoying this belated introduction tofatherhood.”

A new baby for the Class of 1980:Jillian Rudman’s little girl, DevonHarper Humes.

In June, Stephanie Stamatos ’85 gave birth to daughter TaylorAna Krepps.

memories of caring teachers who nur-tured my curiosity and my voice inthe classroom.” Andrew Hoppinlives with his “wonderful wife, DianaIris Baltazar, in Long Island City,New York with a gorgeous view ofthe United Nations and Empire StateBuilding. Diana is an amazing fashiondesigner (humanuniform.com) and,after two heady years as chief infor-mation officer of the New York StateSenate, I’ve started a governmenttechnology consulting practice, NewAmsterdam Ideas (nuams.co) and amimplementing a variety of projectsthat increase the transparency andoperational efficiency of, and the abil-ity of citizens to participate in, ourgovernments. It’s a great time for this“Gov 2.0” industry, and I feel veryfortunate to be on the forefront of it.”After getting married, settling happilyin Sherborn, Mass., and having twowonderful sons (Graham and Peter),Matt McGinness made a major lifechange in 2008 and moved to Akron,Ohio (his wife Missy’s hometown.)“We figured that by 2008 the Patriots,Celtics, and Red Sox had all wonnational titles and only the Bruinswere left…maybe we were a littleearly with the move. I now work forthe Cypress Companies Inc., anindustrial family office where I focuson acquiring new companies. Weown six businesses that producethings like off-road brakes, truckexhaust systems, aircraft engine com-ponents, and more. The first part ofmy career in Boston included envi-ronmental consulting and softwaremarketing to manufacturing busi-nesses— I am now on the other side ofthe table where I invest in and oper-ate manufacturing businesses. So farit’s been a great move. While we missbeing close to family and the numer-ous amenities of New England there

On a recent trip to Seattle, former faculty member PhilGambone (1977–2004) caught up with Jackson Holtz’84. They discovered that the city’s famous Elliott BayBook Company is currently carrying a book written byeach of them: Phil’s Travels in a Gay Nation: Portraits ofLGBTQ Americans (Wisconsin, 2010) and Jackson’s Fly,Colton, Fly: The True Story of the Barefoot Bandit (NewAmerican Library, 2011).

1982 30th Reunion

Class RepresentativeAllison Nash [email protected]

1983Class RepresentativesLisa Livens [email protected]

Elise [email protected]

1984Class RepresentativeAnne Collins [email protected]

1985Class RepresentativeRachel Levine [email protected]

Stephanie Stamatos writes, “Myhusband, Matthew Krepps, and Iare thrilled to welcome our daughterinto the world. Taylor Ana Kreppswas born on June 10th. She’s such abundle of joy!”

1986Class RepresentativesMark [email protected]

Jay [email protected]

Valentine “Val” Burr writes fromNew York City where she lives withher husband and two boys, ages 7and 5. “I have certainly lost touchwith Park and Park friends, and wassorry I was not able to make it to themost recent reunion. After Park (and

a bit more school…) I spent manyyears as a classroom teacher. For thelast 10 years I have been on the fac-ulty at Bank Street College of Educa-tion in the special educationprograms. I am sure some of mydesire to go into the field of educationwas fostered at Park and I have many

Steve Friedman, Quinn (age 5), andSilas (age 7), pose for theirphotographer/wife/mom, Val Burr ’86.

REU

NIO

N

2012

SAVETHE DATEREUNION 2012Saturday, May 1410th 2002 30th 1982

15th 1997 35th 1977

20th 1992 40th 1972

25th 1987 50th 1962

If you are interested in helping to plan your reunion, please contact Eliza Drachman-Jones ’98,

director of Alumni Relations617-274-6022 or [email protected]


In January, baby Nate joined older sis-ter Sage and parents Lawson and LarsAlbright ’90.

1989Class RepresentativesRebecca Lewin Scott [email protected] 781-772-1946

Ian Glick [email protected] 617-264-7198

Dahlia Aronson [email protected] 617-734-3026

Jessica Stone Baker reports that, “I am a breast cancer survivor andmy business, The Mindful Body, isflourishing. We offer a broad rangeof bodywork services, includingmany massage modalities, ayurveda,yoga therapy, and acupuncture. We have recently paired with a largehotel, the Millennium HarvestHouse, to offer exclusive in-roomservice. I will also be starting a non-profit 501(c)3 called OncologyCare Network to support those goingthrough treatment for cancer. We willprovide highly discounted out-callmassage, bodywork, acupuncture,energy work, skin care/estheticianservices, chef services, and on-sitecleaning to assist those during sur-gery, chemo-therapy, and radiation.My husband and I enjoy a healthfullife in Boulder, and hope to grow ourfamily in the next several years.” RobColby recently began a new positionas head of academic programming atthe newly-founded Graham GundGallery at Kenyon College. “I amvery happy with my three little boysat Belmont Day School,” writes Vic-toria McEvoy Khanna. “We still livein Cambridge where I am workinghard but having a great summer.Nicole Kearse hosted a party for her

are many positives to living in theRubber City—most importantly, ourboys now attend the K–8 Old TrailSchool which reminds me a lot ofwhat Park was like in the 1980s. Theschool is located in a national park,has a strong focus on environmentalstewardship, and, even better, theheadmaster is a Boston native. Withthe boys now in second grade andkindergarten, their activities oftentrigger happy memories of similarthings that I once did at Park. I con-tinue to feel lucky to have had theopportunity to be a student at such aunique school.”

1987 25th Reunion

Class RepresentativesMary Sarah Baker [email protected] 212-595-5887

Geoffrey Glick [email protected] 508-893-8912

1988Class RepresentativeLiza Cohen Gates 1988 [email protected]

R’12

Park Alumni Night at the Museum of Fine Arts

n a lovely evening in March, a group of Park alumni and friends gath-

ered at the Museum of Fine Arts,Boston for a unique opportunityto learn more about paper conser-vation and restoration. KatrinaNewbury ’85, the Saundra B.Lane Associate Conservator, gavea behind-the-scenes look at printconservation at the Museum.Guests had the chance to seebeautiful watercolors up close andlearn about the history of many ofthe MFA’s most popular paintings.

O

Brian and the faculty leaders of the Student Green Club: LizBallard (Associate Director of Development), Eliza Drachman-Jones ’98 (Director of Alumni Relations), and Karen Manning(Upper Division Science Department Head).

he student Green Club and the Alumni

Green Committee were pleased to

welcome Brian Swett ’94 back to Park as the

inaugural speaker in the Green Initiative

Speaker Series. Brian, a LEED project manager

for Boston Properties, spoke about his work in

real estate development in Boston, especially

the importance of blending buildings with all

aspects of the environment. Brian stressed

how every person in the room can make a

positive impact on the environment. For

example, to help reduce six percent of all

energy consumed in Massachusetts, Brian

suggested students think about unplugging

cords and appliances at home when not in

use. What a treat for students and faculty to

celebrate Earth Month with Brian!

Green Initiative Speaker Series featuring Brian Swett ’94


Sisters Rachel Redd ’03 and Sarah Redd ’00 surround their sister Ivy Redd Couch ’93 on her wedding day.

son’s first birthday where I also hadthe pleasure of seeing Emily Potts!”

1990Class RepresentativesZachary Cherry561-659-1022

Alexander Rabinsky [email protected] 773-645-4381

Lawson and Lars Albright (alongwith daughter Sage) welcomed NateAlbright into their family on January6, 2011. Sadia Shephard writes, “Iwas delighted to marry AndreasBurgess, (a fellow Wesleyan gradu-ate) in July of 2010 in a big red barnacross the street from my parents’home in South Dartmouth, Massa-chusetts. Andreas and I spend mostof the year in New York City, wherewe both work in the film industry;Andreas is a cinematographer work-ing on a new series for ABC, and Iam a documentary producer, mostrecently for HBO. When we’re notin New York we are generally inIndia and Pakistan, where we areworking on several film projects andI am researching a new book.”

1991Class Representative Needed!Nick Howe is “thrilled to be back inMassachusetts with my wife, Cather-ine, and my daughters, Josie and Lil-lian.” Nick is an assistant professor ofenvironmental studies at WilliamsCollege, where he teaches environ-mental humanities courses. “If anyold friends are ever in the Berkshiresor Southern Vermont, I hope theygive me a ring!”

1992 20th Reunion

Class Representative Needed!As the executive director of the Law-suit Reform Alliance of New York(lrany.org), Tom Stebbins is fightingagainst frivolous lawsuits in the state.

1993Class RepresentativesJaime Quiros [email protected] 617-522-3622

Alison Ross [email protected] 646-528-4248

Jessica Ko Beck [email protected] 917-691-3540

In May 2010, Ivy Redd married Pastor Mark A. Couch at the FourSeasons in Atlanta, Georgia. Theywere expecting their first child, ababy boy, this July.

1994Class RepresentativesAlan Bern [email protected] 781-326-8091

Aba Taylor [email protected] 617-361-6370

Jen Berylson Block ’94 and Jonathanhold baby Benjamin who was born onJuly 17.

Jonathan and Jen Berylson Blockwelcomed their baby boy, Benjamin,on July 17. On May 7, Meryl Glass-man and her husband, Peter Farland,welcomed their first son, Jack, intothe world. She writes, “We returnedfrom the San Francisco area and are now living in Wellesley. I willcontinue working with Partners InHealth in the fall.” Jake Peters ismoving back to the United Statesafter four years in London. “I will bejoining my colleague in New YorkCity as we continue to work onbuilding our year-old startup,PayPerks. Looking forward to recon-necting with my friends in NYC. Myemail remains [email protected].”

R’12

T

In May, Meryl Glassman ’94 and PeterFarland welcomed their new son, Jack.


1995Class RepresentativeLilla Curran [email protected]

On July 9, several Park alumniattended Melissa Deland’s wedding:Eve Wadsworth Lehrman, HilaryWalton, Holly Deland, KatharineBurrage Schmitt ’94, former facultymember Alexis Lelon, and Melissa’sdad, Michael Deland ’56. “It was abeautiful and spectacular day!”

1996Class RepresentativesNick Brescia [email protected] 781-646-4229

Merrill Hawkins [email protected]

Kathrene Tiffany [email protected] 617-306-1107

Katayoun Shahrokhi [email protected] 781-483-2113

Jonathan Sheffi writes, “since gradu-ating from Harvard Business SchoolI’ve moved to San Francisco to workfor Novartis Diagnostics. So far, thejob is going great. I’d love to hearfrom any alumni in the Bay Area.”

1997 15th Reunion

Class RepresentativeSarah Conway [email protected] 617-524-3075

Sarah Robbat [email protected] 781-259-1170

Suzy McManmon [email protected]

Congratulations to Kristaps Aldinson his recent appointment as thehead baseball coach at the StevensInstitute of Technology in New Jer-sey. Kristaps had been the assistantcoach at Harvard for three years andalso serves as the head coach for theLatvian National team. Nia Lutchmarried Michael Kreppel on July 23.Congratulations, Nia!

1998Class RepresentativesLydia Hawkins [email protected]

Meg [email protected]

Sarah [email protected] 617-794-8164

Matt Krouner graduated with a doc-torate in clinical psychology in thespring from the Massachusetts Schoolof Professional Psychology. He willbe completing his post-doc at theBrookline Community Mental Health

1999Class RepresentativesColin Arnold [email protected]

Elizabeth Weyman [email protected] 781-237-5957

Susanna Whitaker-Rahilly [email protected]

Alex Goldstein continues to work aspress secretary for MassachusettsGovernor Deval Patrick. “I am alsoteaching a seminar at Emerson College on political communications.I had the pleasure of attending DougPresley’s wedding out in Lake Tahoein July where I regaled attendees withtales of Doug hosting concerts on theplayground in second grade where he would belt out Elvis songs.” Car-rie Pierce is starting a dual-degreeprogram for health sector manage-ment at Boston University in the fall,as a candidate for a Master of Busi-ness Administration and a Master ofPublic Health. Susanna Whitaker-Rahilly writes, “I am enjoying a summer as a Kass Fellow at the Mas-sachusetts Historical Society, research-ing the wane of the slave trade inBoston during the Revolutionary Era.I look forward to coercing AlexGoldstein into helping me out with agrant in innovative civics teachingthis upcoming fall.” Susanna sharedsome very exciting new with us: “Ibecame engaged to Willie Waters inMay, who was a classmate of LucyBaldwin at Brooks and MargaretGormley at Bowdoin! We will bemarried in June and Liz Stahl is inthe wedding party. Liz is currentlyliving in L.A. and is very successfulat her record label, managing Steven

Melissa Deland ’95 married Julie Bourquin in July. L-R: Katherine Burrage Schmidt ’94, Melissa, Eve Wadsworth Lehrman ’95, Michael Deland ’56, Liz Sarles Dias ‘94,Hilary Walton ’95, Julie, Holly Deland ’95

Nia Lutch ’97 married Michael Kreppel on July 23in Biddeford Pool, Maine.

Center. Alex Aronson will enter hisfinal year at Stanford Law School thisfall. This summer, he will travel toTanzania with his family and “try notto collapse while attempting to climbKilimanjaro.” After law school, Alexplans to clerk for Judge Albert Diazon the U.S. Court of Appeals for theFourth Circuit in Charlotte, NorthCarolina. Asha Best is pursuing herPhD in American studies at RutgersUniversity. This summer she was inLos Angeles working with the Hyper-Cities project at UCLA. AstridLevis-Thorne is engaged to TommyBurns. And this spring, Eliza Drach-man-Jones became engaged to RichQuincy; they are planning a weddingat Tufts University in 2012.

David Cavell '99, his mother Cathleen Cavell, David Kenner '00 and Matt Bassett,just after their private tour, arranged by David Cavell, who was a summer legalintern at the White House.

R’12


The Park School is proud to honor Amanda Walton ’95 as the 2011 recipient of the

Alumni Achievement Award. This award is given each year to the alumnus/alumna

who exemplifies The Park School’s values and educational mission through distinctive

achievement in his/her community or field of endeavor.

manda was at the top of her game. During her freshman year at Yale University,

she was named Ivy League rookie-of-the year for her performance in both

varsity women's field hockey and varsity women's lacrosse. As a sophomore, Amanda

received First-Team All-Ivy honors in both sports. But just days after

finishing her sophomore year, Amanda’s car was demolished by a car

that was fleeing the police, and in a split second her life changed

drastically. Amanda will be returning to Park on Friday, October 21 to

speak with students, alumni, and friends about her journey since that

fateful day. It is sure to inspire each of you.

PLEASE JOIN US later this fall

as Amanda speaks to the Park

Community during a special

Morning Meeting presentation

on Friday, October 21st at 8:15

a.m. This event is open to the

entire Park School Community

and will be held in the school

theater. We hope to see you

there! Questions? Please contact

Eliza Drachman-Jones ’98 at

[email protected] or

617-274-6022.

Tyler and surviving American Idolmayhem. I hope everyone is well!”David Kenner is now an AssociateEditor at Foreign Policy Magazine inWashington, DC. He specializes inMiddle East politics and recentlyreturned from Benghazi, Libya andCairo, Egypt. He spent two years inBeirut, Lebanon, studying Arabic andthe history of the Middle East, andwriting for a Beirut newspaper, ‘NowLebanon’. David Cavell is about tobegin his second year at GeorgetownLaw. Prior to going to law school,David was a speechwriter for Gov.Deval Patrick.

2000Class RepresentativeJessica [email protected]

After completing her MBA from Simmons School of Management atthe age of 25, Sara Redd has relo-cated to Atlanta, Georgia. And, class-mate Mike Kavanagh is moving toTexas to start a new job with SamsungMobility. On March 26, RebeccaWilsker wed her longtime partnerand Milton Academy classmate Ben-jamin Peebles-Mundy in Brookline.Rebecca’s sister Elizabeth ’04 was hermaid of honor and her brother Ben-jamin ’07 and her Park classmateBenjamin Stevens ’00 were herbridesmen. Former Park faculty mem-ber Phil Gambone was in attendancealong with Sam Oates ’99, Yrinee

N O M I N A T I O N S S O U G H T F O R

THE PARK ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

This award is to be given to the Park alumnus/alumna whoexemplifies the School’s values and educational missionthrough distinctive achievement in their community or fieldof endeavor. This person’s leadership and contributions havemade a meaningful impact and inspire our current studentsand alumni.

To nominate a Park alumnus/a for this award, please includeyour nominee’s name, class year, profession, and reason fornomination. All submissions must be received by December 1, 2011 to be considered for the 2012 award.

Send nominations to [email protected] orThe Park School Alumni Office, 171 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA 02445

2011 Park Alumni Achievement Award:

A M A N D A W A L T O N ’ 9 5

A

A large Park School contingent feted Rebecca Wilsker ’00 and Benjamin Peebles-Mundy. L-R: Phil Gambone, Elizabeth Wilsker ’04, Sam Oates ’99, Nancy Wilsker (Rebecca’s mom), Rebecca, Benjamin, Roy Wilsker (Rebecca’s dad),Yrinee Michaelidis ’00, Benjamin Stevens ’00, Kathie Stevens (P ‘84, ‘00), andBenjamin Wilsker ’07.

R’12


Michaelidis ’00, and Caroline Goldsmith ’00 made a last minuteentrance by bicycle. Congratuationsto Charlie Young and Laura Gilmoreon their July 2nd wedding. ClassmateWalker Ellis was a groomsman.

2001Class RepresentativeBen Bullitt [email protected] 617-734-8841

2002 10th Reunion

Class RepresentativesAlejandro Alvarado [email protected] 617-364-2290

Alex Lebow [email protected] 617-965-3161

Kate Haskell is stationed in Sicily,flying EP3 aircraft for the Navy inthe Mediterranean region. “The bestnews from New Orleans is thatNathan Kellogg decided to relocatedown here,” says Alex Lebow. “Asfor me, I’m working for Mayor MitchLandrieu after wrapping up two yearswith Teach for America. And, checkout a side project designed to trainyoung people to run—Youth RunNew Orleans (yrnola.org).”

2003Class RepresentativeDiana Rutherford [email protected] 617-731-4374

Oliver Ames is studying law atGeorgetown and started an internshipat Paul Hastings in August. Olivertells us, “I had a great birthday withDwight Curtis ’02, saw Matt Wein-berg ’01 and Alex King ’01 at adubious house party, and in the win-ter, I visited Alexandra Khoury ’02in Paris. Championing Park whereverI go!” Last May, Rachel Redd gradu-ated from Spelman College. She is a working as an actress and has completed some T.V. roles with TylerPerry.

2004Class RepresentativesMolly Lebow [email protected] 617-965-3161

Steven Fox [email protected] 617-983-0208

When John Melas-Kyriazi graduatedwith from Stanford with a degree onengineering, he was honored with aDeans’ Award for Academic Accom-plishment for his outstanding workon photovoltaic cell performance. Hisfull-length manuscript was acceptedby the journal Advanced Energy Materi-als, with all three reviewers rating itas critically important. “This accom-plishment is truly phenomenal and israre even for PhD students until theirfourth year,” said Professor MichaelMcGehee. “For John to have donethis in his undergraduate careermakes him the best student that Ihave ever seen.”

Please note that the above list, compiled by the Alumni Office, doesnot include all members of the Class of 2008. Alumni not appearingon this list are either postponing attending a college or university inthe fall, or have not submitted their information to our office. Pleasecall the Alumni Office at 617-274-6022 with any changes or additionalinformation. Thank you.

Leah Abrams Université de ParisBreanna Andrade Syracuse UniversityClara Allen Davidson CollegeGeorge Bell University of the SouthDexter Blumenthal Wesleyan UniversitySarah Bowers University of MaineNoah Bragg Bowdoin CollegeOliver Bruce Bard CollegeRobin Carter Fitchburg State UniversityOlivia Cinquegrana Hobart William SmithMatthew Clarkson Colorado CollegeDustin Colson Leaning Eckerd CollegeAbigail Dean Elon UniversityBrett Drucker Dartmouth CollegeLily Ebbott-Burg Hillsdale CollegeMia Ferguson Swarthmore CollegeRebecca Fine Brandeis UniversityBradford Gilligan Worcester Polytechnic InstituteRobin Hansel University of Southern CaliforniaDavid Haviland University of VermontSofia Julian Boston UniversityAriana Lee Brown UniversityLucy Lyons Emmanuel CollegeKendall MacRae Dartmouth CollegePolly Maroni Trinity CollegeMarisa Mathison University of California, San DiegoPaul McCallion Wesleyan UniversityMoira McCrave-Carrage Boston CollegeJames McNay Dartmouth CollegeEmily Meltzer Syracuse UniversityLydia Mitchell Bates CollegeLayla Muchnik-Benali School of Art Institute, ChicagoDevon Mychal University of Southern CaliforniaAnnalise Nurme Amherst CollegeLeah Pagano Elon UniversityEmma Peabody Tufts UniversityAnya Peck Colby CollegeGabriel Prado Roxbury Community CollegeColin Redd Drexel UniversityJohn Rodriguez Boston CollegeLindsay Rudolph Mitchell CollegeNatalia Salcedo Suffolk UniversitySofia Silverglass Middlebury CollegeTrace Smith Dartmouth CollegeNatalee Sohn George Washington UniversityKatharine Taylor-Mighty Yale UniversityTheo Thompson Emerson CollegeEmma Tiedemann Hobart William Smith CollegesSatto Tonegawa Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyAlistair Wilson University of VirginiaMorgan Yucel Pomona CollegeAndrew Zarins Occidental College

C O L L E G EC H O I C E S

2008Class RepresentativesMarielle Rabins [email protected] 781-431-8668

Manizeh Afridi [email protected] 781-449-4340

Sofia Silverglass will enter Middle-bury College in February 2012 as amember of the Class of 2015.5. During her fall semester, she will be WWOOFing (World WideOpportunities on Organic Farms)around Europe. She hopes to visit the United Kingdom, France, Spain,Italy, and Greece during her fourmonths abroad.

2009Class RepresentativesMercedes Garcia-Orozco [email protected] 617-361-6928

Cary Williams [email protected] 617-696-3663

2010Class RepresentativesMichela Thomsen [email protected] 781-251-6699

Gilad Seckler [email protected] 617-244-7588

Annie Goodridge617-522-3919


2007Class RepresentativesThomas Cope [email protected] 617-552-5662

Benjamin Schwartz [email protected]

We heard from a few classmates who are heading off to college thisfall: Thomas Cope to ConnecticutCollege, Ben Lampert to the University of Arizona, and BenSchwartz to Lehigh University—congratulations all!

Charlotte Thorndike, Kate Maroni, and Liza Scholle (all class of 2010 and lacrosseteammates at Park) played against each other when Nobles played St. Georgeslast spring.

2005Class RepresentativeLily [email protected] 617-734-8841

Read Lily Bullitt’s address to theClass of 2011 at the 123rd gradua-tion exercises— see page 11.

2006Class RepresentativeMcCall Cruz [email protected] 617-442-1747

Red Sox Game, May 18Over 50 Park alumni and their guests didn’t let a 30-minuterain delay stand in the way of getting together at FenwayPark for the annual alumni night at Fenway. Eventually, therain stopped and the Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 1–0.Our group enjoyed seeing “Welcome Park Alumni” dis-played on the Jumbotron, munching on Cracker Jack andreconnecting with old friends.

Join the conversation andfind other Park School Alumni

O N L I N EBecome a fan of “The Park Alumni Association” on Facebook by going to facebook.com/parkschoolalums

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theparkschoolma

2011Class RepresentativesGracie Donnell-Kilmer617-327-7760

Eliza Thomas617-524-1338

Weddings1993Ivy Redd and Mark Couch May 22, 2010

1995Melissa Deland and Julie BourquinJuly 9, 2011

Ivy Redd Couch ’93 with husband Pastor Mark A. Couch.

1997Nia Lutch and Michael Kreppel July 23, 2011

Chase Johnson and Lucy PearMay 28, 2011

1998Lydia Potter and Eckert SnyderAugst 27, 2011

1999Doug Presley and Shannon BlairJuly 16, 2011

2000Charlie Young and Laura GilmoreJuly 2, 2011

Rebecca Wilsker and Benjamin Peebles-MundyMarch 26, 2011

Births1980John Humes and Jillian RudmanDevon Harper HumesJune 21, 2011

Bard and Jenny Swett ChrismanJames Swett ChrismanDecember 24, 2010

1981Jennifer and Robert NadelsonAbraham “Bram” Alexander NadelsonJuly 14, 2011

1985Matthew Krepps and StephanieStamatos Taylor Ana Krepps June 10, 2011

1990Lawson and Lars Albright Nate AlbrightJanuary 6, 2011

1994Jonathan Block and Jen BerylsonBlockBenjamin Jay BlockJuly 17, 2011

Peter Farland and Meryl GlassmanJack FarlandMay 7, 2011


In MemoriamMichelle Abdul-AzizJuly 27, 2011Mother of Rami Abdul-Aziz ’14

Read Albright ’53July 16, 2011

Caroline Bloy April 30, 2011Mother of Sarah Bloy ’73

Joe Garland ’36August 30, 2011

Matthew GrapeSeptember 15, 2011Brother of Katie Grape ’00

Leo Kahn May 11, 2011Father of Joseph Kahn ’80, DanielKahn ’81 and Libby Kahn Mallon’83; Stepfather of Xandria Birk ’81.

Ross KleimanJuly 24, 2011Husband of Peter Amershadian

Myra KraftJuly 20, 2011Trustee 1978-84. Mother of JonathanKraft ’79, Daniel Kraft ’80, Josh Kraft ’82, and David Kraft ’87.Grandmother of Harry Kraft ’12,Sadie Kraft ’15, Anna Kraft ’15, andJacob Kraft ’17.

Elliott Marcus, M.D.July 25, 2011Father of Erin Marcus ’78

George S. Richardson, M.D. ’36July 1, 2011Father of Bill Richardson ’75,Jonathan Richardson ’76, and GeorgeRichardson ’80. Brother of PiersonRichardson ’31 and Elliot Richardson’35 (deceased). Uncle of HenryRichardson ’70, Margaret RichardsonReick ’72, Nancy Richardson Carlson ’73, Ned Richardson ’74 andMichael Richardson ’75. Grandfatherof Ellie Richardson ’12 and IanRichardson ’17.

Howard WeintraubMay 11, 2011Father of Melissa Weintraub ’80

yra’s many Park School friends were deeplysaddened by her death this July. In recentyears, Myra and Bob Kraft were frequent

visitors at Grandparents’ Day, spending time with Harry,Sadie, Jacob, and Sarah in their classrooms and delightingin their musical performances. In the 1970s and ’80s, theKrafts spent countless hours at the School as parents totheir four children, Jonathan, Danny, Josh, and David.Myra was a tireless Parents’ Association volunteer, who, inthe fall of 1976, organized the first Harvest Fair. An instantsuccess, the event grew and evolved into Springfest. At the

25th anniversary of the two events in 2001, Myra was lauded for her lasting contribution tothe Park community and culture.

Myra, who was noted for her leadership at Combined Jewish Philanthropies of GreaterBoston and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston as well as many other organizations, served as a trustee at Park from 1978–84. Then, new Board members were introduced with a shortbiography in The Park Parent, in which Myra was described as “an advocate of the greatestpossible diversity among students and faculty, and apromoter of tuition aid.” It will not surprise anyone thatMyra, who has been called one of Boston’s greatestphilanthropists, made this astute comment in 1978:“When you choose to send your most precious people,your children, to a school, you want to back thatcommitment with your own best contributions. I thinkevery family, within their means, should give the Schoolthe most support they possibly can.”

Myra Kraft1942–2011

Harvest Fair 1977

M

Classes of 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009

Yule Festival and Bagel BreakfastFriday, December 16

9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.The Park School Dining Room

Save The Date!

Jimmy Bell Beaver Country Day SchoolConnie Blumenthal Concord AcademyMatthew Casagrande Boston Latin SchoolMax Cooper Newton South High SchoolLily DeBenedictis Newton North High SchoolChris Duckworth Belmont Hill SchoolMabel Gantos Cambridge School of WestonMerrick Gillies Choate Rosemary HallHalle Hall Newton North High SchoolJason Hansel Boston University AcademyNancy Kacupaj Beaver Country Day SchoolAndrew Kahn Buckingham Browne & Nichols SchoolOliver Kendall Buckingham Browne & Nichols SchoolJoey Kremer Beaver Country Day School

Alex Leighton Milton AcademyJamie Little Milton AcademyJonathan Lumley St. George’s SchoolGabby Marks Beaver Country Day SchoolJames McIntyre The Roxbury Latin SchoolJamie Murray Milton AcademyLulu Porter Brooks AcademyEllie Richardson Brookline High SchoolAri Seckler Newton North High SchoolNeekon Vafa Milton AcademyAdon Wade Buckingham Browne & Nichols SchoolAyan Warfa Cambridge School of WestonSeho Young Phillips AcademyAmanda Zhou Phillips Exeter Academy

Next Schools for Departing Members of the Class of 2012

The Park School171 Goddard AvenueBrookline, Massachusetts 02445

Change service requested

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage

P A I D

Boston, Massachusetts

Permit No. 55643

Moved? Moving?Please notify Park of addressee’s current address, as the Bulletin and other bulk mailings are not forwarded by the Post Office.

park school bulletin fall 2011

Documents

park schoolfall bulletin

report alumni news

park school theater

coeducational school

support park

friends ofthe park school

alumni committee

director of alumni