T H E R I V E R S S C H O O L • S P R I N G 2 017
Riparian Susie McGee
AND RIVERS’ MIDDLE SCHOOL
BE STRATEGIC: MAKE YOUR GIFT COUNT THE RIVERS FUND • 2016–2017 Rivers’ Strategic Plan outlines ambitious goals for the future, but you can help us reach them today. Every gift to THE RIVERS FUND enhances the Rivers experience now.
VOL. XXXII
NUMBER 1
EDITOR
Christine Martin
Director of Communications and Stewardship CONTRIBUTOR
Jimmy Kelley
Communications Assistant PHOTOGRAPHY
Jimmy Kelley, Chad Crogan, Chip Riegel, Janet Ciummei/NortheastProPhoto DESIGNER
David Gerratt
NonprofitDesign.com PRINTER
Signature Printing & Consulting Brian Maranian ’96
HEAD OF SCHOOL
“Rivers is such a special place. Arts and sciences are seamlessly connected to create a strong academic foundation, and the academic experience is strengthened by the outstanding faculty who form lasting relationships with their students. We are still in touch with many of our teachers and cherish our enduring connections with them. We also feel fortunate to have many close friends who have learned and laughed with us more than two decades after we first met in the quad. “This strong sense of community instilled both of us with a confidence to pursue our passions and live our lives to the fullest. Each year, we give to show our thanks to a school that has given us so much and to support the next generation of Rivers’ students, regardless of their financial circumstances.” Dave Garsh ’99 & Bridget O’Connor Garsh ’00
Edward V. Parsons DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT
Krissie Kelleher S E N I O R A S S O C I AT E D I R E C T O R OF ADVANCEMENT
Jan Hicinbothem S E N I O R A S S O C I AT E D I R E C T O R OF ADVANCEMENT
Mike Ebner A S S I S TA N T D I R E C T O R OF ADVANCEMENT
Heather Jack DIRECTOR OF PARENT PROGRAMS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Amy Dunne DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
Marc Stroum ’98
The Rivers School 333 Winter Street Weston, MA 02493-1040 781-235-9300 www.rivers.org
RIPARIAN: “One that lives or has property on the bank of a river or lake.”
To make a gift to The Rivers Fund, go online at www.rivers.org/giveonline or mail your check or credit card information to: Advancement Office, The Rivers School, 333 Winter Street, Weston, MA 02493
The Riparian is published twice a year for The Rivers School alumni, parents, students, faculty, and friends. To conserve resources, Rivers has consolidated multiple mailings addressed to the same household so that your home will receive only one copy. If you have reason to receive additional copies at your address, please call Photo: “Echoes of Time” by Elizabeth Baldini ’17
Riparian T h e R i v e r s S c h o o l • s p r i n g 2 017
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From the Head of School
A Promise to Our Students
26
alumni Events
Homecoming; Business Breakfast; Thanksgiving; Alumni Hockey Games
Features 13
Leaving a Legacy Susie McGee and Rivers’ Middle School
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Campus News
Student News Items; Alumni Career Fair; Director of Athletics Bob Pipe; Scholastic Art & Writing Awards; New Trustees Welcomed
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Systems Thinking from the Ground Up
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alumni profiles
Nicky Jackson Colaco ’97; Julia Robinson ’02; Mike Ebner; Marc Stroum ’98; Chuck Warshaver ’78; Greg Stoller ’87; Jon Anik ’97; Alumni Return to Rivers to Coach
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Faculty Collaboration Leads to Excellence
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Diversity at Rivers Five Decades of Commitment
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New Head of Middle School Appointed
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Parent News
Senior Parents Celebrate
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Alumni news
In Memoriam— Jim Bouma, Debbie Petri; Class Notes; Board of Trustees
ON the COVER
Susie McGee and the Middle School
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Message from the Head of School
A Promise to Our Students By Edward V. Parsons
At the outset of the Strategic Planning process in 2014, we knew we needed to develop a vision for the school’s future that would enable us to fulfill our mission’s stated responsibility to both our students and to the world. We knew, too, that this was no small charge; that the world had grown increasingly complex, and that we had to think differently, and nimbly, about how our program and people would empower Rivers graduates to go out into that world and change it for the better. Perhaps even save it. If ever we needed more evidence of the challenge before us, 2016 provided us with myriad examples of the complexity our students will soon face. The election, with its contentious rhetoric on all sides, exacerbated the growing divides this country has seen emerging in the last several years. The tension inherent in those divides landed squarely on our campus in November—as it did in schools and universities across the nation—and we knew we needed to develop strategies to address these challenges. How could we encourage and support—even insist upon—direct, honest, and meaningful discourse with our students that develops in them the skills and the proclivity for engagement in the democratic process? How do we foster in them the understanding of their responsibility to engage in civil discourse in a world that seems averse to civility or even-
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handedness? How do we use our differences to bolster our commu- nity and model for our students our belief in the power inherent in diverse communities? In response to those tensions last fall, we made a promise to our students: We would build a long-range, ongoing plan, and we would include student voices in our efforts to understand and build the best way forward for them as individuals, and for the health of Rivers’ community culture. “No matter the ‘model’ you’re seeing on the larger stage outside of this community,” we told the students in all-school meeting, “we will be better.” And from there, we dug into the difficult work before us. We set in motion a multi-faceted approach, one that empowered students to engage in these dialogues and encouraged them to practice the skills of civil and responsible citizenship. This winter we initiated programming for students and faculty guided by outside facilitators, and we are developing curricular initiatives through connections forged with groups like Teaching Tolerance and the Anti-Defamation League. We are not finished, nor are we likely ever to consider ourselves beyond the need to produce brave and mindful approaches to a challenging world. But I’m proud to report on the hard work and determination shown by Rivers students and faculty as we continue the traditions of an inclusive
culture, where respect for all voices and experiences guides our relationships. In this issue of the magazine, we celebrate the anniversary of the integration of the student body, begun 50 years ago this year. We acknowledge in doing so that our efforts then— thoughtful, mission-driven, and purposeful though they were—were but a first step on our path to becoming the school we want to be. We celebrate in this issue, too, the continuing evolution of our understanding of diversity on this campus and all we gain from a student body that is widely representative—in terms of ethnicity and heritage, socio-economic background, sexual orientation and gender identity, and so many other identifiers— of the world beyond our campus. To be educated in the world today is, among other things, to be fluent in cultures and approaches not our own; we educate Rivers students for this, and for leadership in the larger world. That world, as our mission proclaims, “needs their talents, imagination, intellect, and compassion.” Our work is ongoing, and it is essential; I can imagine no better community to engage in that work with than the one I have the honor to stand with here at Rivers, and I pledge to our alumni, parents, students and faculty that we will never stop in our efforts to develop and sustain the open culture we know as Excellence with Humanity.
Campus News
Dominique Marshall ’18
Dominique Marshall ’18 in National Shakespeare Competition Dominique Marshall ’18 will represent Massachusetts at the finals of the National Shakespeare Competition at New York City’s Lincoln Center in May. English teacher Juliet Bailey, who oversees Rivers’ entries, found that Dominique’s ability to inhabit the characters in three very different selections —a prepared monologue and sonnet, as well as a “cold read” of a monologue performed after just 15 minutes of preparation—really stood out for the judges. Dominique is the first Rivers student to move on to the national level of the competition since Miles Jacoby ’07 reached the finals in 2007.
Biology and Chemistry class at Novartis Lindy Billhardt ’19, string bass, orchestra; Ella Caggiano ’19, chorus; Alex Clay ’18, clarinet, band; and Simonida Spasojevic ’19, flute, band.
DECA Club Sends Pair to International Competitation In its inaugural season, club founders Rider Tuff ’17 and Andrew Reale ’17 finished fourth in their category in the state DECA competition and advanced to the international competition in Anaheim, CA in April. Co-founders Blake Griffith ’17 and Shahen Hagen ’17 finished in the top ten in their category at the 3-day event, which featured 2,700 students from 86 schools. Their success as a first-year
Best in the State! Jazz musicians Michael Manasseh ’19 and Joe Nedder ’18 were selected to play at the All State Festival, sponsored by the Massachusetts Music Educators Association and held in March at Symphony Hall. Manasseh was the only percussionist chosen, making him the “state drummer,” while Nedder was one of four trombonists chosen for the jazz band. In January, Manasseh and Nedder performed at the Senior District Festival, along with four other Rivers musicians:
Rider Tuff ’17 and Andrew Reale ’17 at DECA
chapter is remarkable, since they competed against schools where DECA is taught as a course and clubs may have 100 members. At the district competition in December, Ian Brostowski ’18 and Aidan Byrne ’17 also qualified. DECA is a national organization of 3500 clubs that sponsors competition and curriculum in business, entre- preneurship, finance, hospitality, marketing, and management.
Biology and Chemistry Students Visit Novartis Lab in Cambridge Dr. Chris Dalton brought students from his Honors Biology & Chemistry class to the Novartis Community and Exploration Learning Lab (CELL) in Cambridge in November for a twohour session that was one-part handson activity and one-part discussion of the business side of the biotech industry. Students learned about the process of making, testing, and commercializing a drug, before donning lab coats, safety glasses, and gloves to work on an experiment alongside a Novartis scientist. Novartis has a lab set aside at its Cambridge headquarters where groups of students from the local community can experience modern laboratory techniques and learn about biomedical science.
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Campus News
The Nonesuch Players Present The Comedy of Errors and Children of Eden The Nonesuch Players presented William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors in November to packed houses in the Haffenreffer Black Box Theater, the first time the Players have tackled Shakespeare since they staged Twelfth Night in 2012. This production combined three different interpretations of the play and shifted the setting to Las Vegas, trading a shipwreck for a plane crash and adding Elvis to really bring the Vegas setting to life. For their winter musical, the Nonesuch Players presented Stephen Schwartz’s Children of Eden at Regis College’s Fine Arts Center in February. This epic show charts the biblical stories of Adam and Eve, the fall of man, Cain and Abel, Noah’s ark, and the great flood, including a fantastically costumed menagerie of beasts of every shape and form. The show explores many themes, from the origin of the universe to sibling rivalry, but focuses on the choices made by characters when confronted by these issues.
Stat Students Attend MIT Analytics Conference Upper School Statistics students Jake Fischman ’18 and Andrew Sullivan ’18 joined teachers John Adams and Christine Fitzgerald at the 11th annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on March 4. Jake and Andrew were inspired to learn more about sports analytics through the Sports Analytics Club that they helped start last fall. Adams saw an opportunity to engage his students’ curiosity and hear from some of the leading voices in the sports and statistics industry right in Rivers’ backyard. Statistical analysis is at the core of decision making in nearly every segment of the business world, and when it comes to sports, the numbers do more than
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The Comedy of Errors
Children of Eden simply determine which player is worth a new contract. Moving forward, Adams plans to build upon existing statistics projects by incorporating ideas he found at the conference.
Big Band Earns Gold The Rivers Big Band competed in the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education Senior District Competition in March, and earned a Gold Medal along with three individual awards. Alex Gomez ’17, saxophone; Joe Nedder ’18, trombone; and Michael Manasseh ’19, drums, each received Outstanding Musician awards for their performances. Earlier this winter, the Big Band took fourth place and the Select 1A Combo finished fifth at
the Berklee High School Jazz Festival, competing against more than 240 other schools from around the country. Nedder received individual recognition for his performance as a part of both the Big Band and the Select 1A Combo at Berklee. The Rivers Big Band members are Jack Baker ’18, Max Bauriedel ’20, Jonah Berg ’20, Alex Gomez ’17, David Gomez ’20, Nazeli Hagen ’17, Shahen Hagen ’17, Theo Haviland ’19, Phie Jacobs ’18, Dylan Keusch ’19, Nina Knight ’18, Michael Manasseh ’19, Joe Nedder ’18, Andrew Reale ’17, Uli Schwendener ’17, Bradley Stoller ’19, and Sam Waller ’20. The Select 1A Combo includes Gomez, Joel Manasseh ’20, Michael Manasseh, Nedder, and Schwendener.
At MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
Rivers’ Big Band
Red Wings Claim Holiday Tournament Championships The boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams were each crowned champions of Rivers’ 47th Annual Holiday Tournament following two entertaining championship games. Fan support was fantastic throughout the weekend as alumni, parents, students, and friends packed Benson Gym to cheer on the Red Wings. Coach Bob Pipe’s girls’ squad successfully defended their title with a pair of impressive wins over NEPSAC Class A foes Marianapolis Prep and Northfield Mt. Hermon School. Tess Sussman ’18 was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament while Fiona Finn ’19 was named to the All-Tournament Team. The boys’ team claimed its second Holiday Tournament title in the last three years, besting ISL rival Thayer Academy in the championship game. Coach Keith Zalaski’s team outscored its opponents—The Gunnery School, Beaver Country Day, and Thayer— by a combined 104 points and shot an astounding 53.4 percent from the field to run away with the championship. Jermaine Samuels ’17 and Azar Swain ’17 were named co-Most Outstanding Players and were named to the All-Tournament team.
Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team
Girls’ Varsity Basketball Team
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Campus News
could not exceed one square foot for 2D media, or one cubic foot for 3D. The following students were represented: Elizabeth Baldini ’17, Grace Bradley ’18, Lorraine Byrne ’17, John Corrigan ’18, Sydney Epstein ’17, David Freedman ’17, Joelle Mentis ’18, Isabel Silvia ’18, Eli Wasserman ’21, and Michael Webber ’19.
Using Math to Serve the Community
“Searching” by Lorraine Byrne ’17
Rivers Artists in Invitational Exhibit Artwork by ten Rivers students was included in an invitational exhibit at Lesley University in December, alongside work from 13 other New England prep schools, in a new initiative by the Art Association of New England Preparatory Schools in collaboration with Lesley University College of Art and Design. Art students in grades 8–12 were challenged to address the theme of identity within a format that
6th Grade Community Service
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Tori Wilbur’s Grade 6 math class learned an unforgettable lesson in the power of numbers during a recent unit on ratios that began in her classroom and ended up bringing smiles to a roomful of senior citizens at Natick’s Open Door. Her students took basic recipes, scaled the quantities of each ingredient needed to make 60 servings, and used unit pricing to calculate the best value for each ingredient. They took their shopping list to the local supermarket, and then prepared the meal at Sherrill Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Natick—slicing and dicing, boiling and baking. After school many of the students returned to set the tables, serve the guests, sing along with them, and clean up after an epic meal.
Vocal Ensemble Earns Honorable Mention The Conservatory Program’s Vocal Ensemble received Honorable Mention in the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition (ICMEC), held in Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory in December, one of only two high school groups in a field of eight finalists, the remaining being college and professional ensembles. Members of the ensemble, directed by Susan Emmanouilidis, were Michaela Francesconi ’19, Nazeli Hagen ’17, Natalie Hall ’19, Isabel Hardy ’18, Bathabile Khumalo ’17, Joseph Nedder ’18, Rebecca Stachel ’19, Margo Sugarman ’20, and Jianna Voghel ’17.
Boys’ Hockey Earns ISL Eberhart Title The boys’ varsity hockey team, under Coach Shawn McEachern, won its third ISL Eberhart Division title in four years, with a record of 25-5-1. The team also became the first ISL Eberhart Division team to earn an invitation to the Stuart/Corkery Open Tournament, which takes the best eight teams in New England—regardless of enrollment—based on a formula that takes
Azar Swain ’17
Conservatory Program Vocal Ensemble
New Turf Field Completed Rivers’ lacrosse players will have a new field for practices and games this spring, as the finishing touches are made to North Field. Located at the end of Nonesuch Road, the regulationsize turf field, which will be used by both the soccer and lacrosse programs, has an adjacent pavilion with a team room and restrooms. The construction of North Field marks the first step in implementing the new Master Campus Plan that was adopted along with the Strategic Plan in 2015. Boys’ Varsity Hockey Champs into account a team’s record and the quality of its opponents. The team made it to the finals before falling 6-2 to Kimball Union Academy.
Azar Swain ’17 Passes 2000 Point Milestone Azar Swain’17, who will be attending Yale University in the fall, became the first Rivers basketball player to score 2,000 career points. He and classmate Jermaine Samuels finished their careers as the No. 1 and No. 2 all-time leading scorers for the program with 2,185 and 1,998 career points, respectively. Azar was also named Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.
North Field and Pavilion
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Campus News
Alumni Career Fair Gives Seniors Insight into Professional World In late January, more than a dozen Rivers alumni spent an evening with the Class of 2017 at a career fair hosted by the Career Development Committee, sharing their expertise in education, finance, social media and branding, entrepreneurship, and healthcare. The evening kicked off with a panel discussion in Kraft Dining Hall— moderated by CDC chair Greg Stoller ’87, P’19,’21—that spotlighted Brad Karelitz ’04, Alex Krotinger ’04, and
Cathleen Connors ’09
Bridget Garsh ’00, Bernie Torri ’73
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Cathleen Connors ’09 and their professional journeys after Rivers. After the panel discussion, students headed off to two breakout sessions each—based on their interests—where they were encouraged to quiz the presenters first-hand about the challenges, successes, and failures they’ve met in the course of their careers. Alumni participants included: Charlie Abrams ’88, Julia Robinson ’02, Matt Tobin ’90, and Ned Wallroth ’03—Business/
Entrepreneurship; Alan Breitman ’88—Finance; Cathleen Connors ’09— Social Media/Branding; Bridget Garsh ’00 and Bernie Torri ’73—Internships; Bryan Ginsberg ’09 and Brad Karelitz ’04—Networking/Interviewing; Kaleigh Hunt ’09—Healthcare; Alex Krotinger ’04—Technology; Jason Medeiros ’01—Education; and Greg Stoller ’87—Moderator.
Brad Karelitz ’04, Alex Krotinger ’04, Cathleen Connors ’09
Jason Medeiros ’01
Bob Pipe Appointed Director of Athletics Head of School Ned Parsons recently announced the appointment of Bob Pipe as the school’s Director of Athletics beginning in July 2017. Pipe has been a fixture of the Rivers Athletic Department since 1998 as Associate Director of Athletics and head coach of the varsity boys’ soccer and girls’ basketball teams. “Bob will bring his expertise in coaching to the role of mentoring coaches across all of our programs and will continue to promote excellence in our programs at every level,” Parsons said. “In addition, his connections within the community and outside of it to those he works with will promote the school as a place where Excellence with Humanity is very much alive and guiding our athletic program into a very bright future.” Pipe succeeds Jim McNally, who served as Director of Athletics from 1996–2016 and brought Pipe on as a member of the coaching staff in 1998. A Natick native, Pipe played soccer at Babson College and then semi- professionally for the Boston Storm before moving on to a coaching career with stops at Babson and Northeastern University. After posting a 5-11-1 record in his first year, Pipe led the boys’ soccer team to three NEPSAC Championships in four years, highlighted by the program’s first Independent School League Championship and NEPSAC Class A
Championship in 2001. Pipe then took the helm of the girls’ basketball program for the 1999–2000 season and has since elevated that program to one of the strongest in New England, winning three NEPSAC Championships in four years from 2008-2012. “For 19 years Bob Pipe has modeled Excellence with Humanity in everything he’s done here at Rivers,” Parsons said. “An outstanding coach, Bob has nurtured teams through the years that exemplify the best of Rivers—teams that are highly competitive, deeply connected to one another, and representative of Rivers’ high standards of sportsmanship. He has competed for and won New England championships, but he has also worked patiently through ‘building years’ with his teams, developing each player’s potential along the way, no matter the team’s record
or short-term prospects. In every season, Bob puts his players’ needs first and approaches everything he does with the same calm, supportive, and open manner he employs everywhere he goes on campus.” His teams have amassed an impressive 481-249-38 record with two ISL Championships and seven NEPSAC Championships—289-141 with 3 NEPSAC Championships in girls’ basketball and 192-108-38 with 2 ISL and 4 NEPSAC Championships in boy’s soccer. He has coached 47 studentathletes who have gone on to play college sports and four who have gone on to play professionally—Tayra Melendez ’12 in basketball in Puerto Rico, John Krause ’02 in pro indoor soccer, and Charlie Rugg ’09 and Sheanon Williams ’08 in major league soccer. “I am incredibly grateful to be given the opportunity to lead the Rivers athletic program into its next stage,” Pipe said. “I am fortunate to have the support of an excellent Athletic Department, incredibly talented coaching staff, and dedicated student-athletes who are the ones responsible for making the Rivers athletic program what it is. We had a great inaugural season with girls’ volleyball this fall, and I’m excited about other possibilities ahead of us. I can’t wait to see where this road takes us.”
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Campus News
Rivers Art and Writing Win National Awards Rivers students won three National Silver Awards and 26 state awards—ten Gold Keys, eight Silver Keys, and eight Honorable Mentions—in the 2017 Scholastic Art and Writing Competitions. The National Award recipients were selected from Gold Key winners in the state competition, sponsored by the Boston Globe. Six students received multiple state awards, including Isabel Hardy ’18 who won awards in both writing and art. NATIONA L SILV E R AWAR D S
Apsara Balamurugan ’20, memoir Madeleine Foley ’22, photography Joelle Mentis ’18, printmaking Gold Key winners
Apsara Balamurugan ’20, memoir Madeleine Foley ’22, photography Isabel Hardy ’18, poetry Phie Jacobs ’18, science fiction/fantasy Alex Klein ’18, photography Joelle Mentis ’18, printmaking (2) Isabel Silvia ’18, sculpture Emily Smith ’18, ceramics Hunter Taylor-Black ’18, photography
Hunter Taylor-Black ’18, photography, “Spatial Grace”
Silver Key winners
Ashley Burgarella ’18, science fiction/fantasy Aidan Byrne ’17, ceramics Frank Ferrara ’17, ceramics David Freedman ’17, printmaking (2) Isabel Hardy ’18, photography Bethany Pasko ’19, short story Bethany Pasko ’19, poetry Honorable M ention winners
Elizabeth Baldini ’17, photography Frank Ferrara ’17, ceramics Noah Harrison ’18, ceramics Phie Jacobs ’18, personal essay/memoir Caleb Leeming ’19, sculpture Ellie McCarron ’21, photography Leslie Swartz ’19, sculpture Abi Warwick ’19, printmaking
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Emily Smith ’18, ceramics, “Lettuce Share”
Alex Klein ’18, photography, “Anticipation”
Isabel Silvia ’18, sculpture, “Multifaceted”
Madeleine Foley ’22, photography, “Bug On Blueberries”
Joelle Mentis ’18, printmaking, “Wrinkled Thoughts”
Joelle Mentis ’18, printmaking, “The Underrepresented”
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Campus News
new trustees Wayne Bloom P’12,’14,’18,’20 Wayne is partner and CEO of Commonwealth Financial Network. He started in the firm’s accounting department in 1989 and has experience in every facet of the firm, including research, insurance, financial planning, retirement, and registered investment advising. Prior to Commonwealth, he was employed at Fidelity Investments. Wayne received a BS with honors in business management from Northeastern University, and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program. He is also currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Old Colony YMCA and Commonwealth Cares. Wayne and his wife Veronica have four children: Kevin ’12 (University of Vermont), Molly ’14 (Fairfield University), Aiden ’18, and Callie ’20. Julie Bradley P’17,’18 Julie has served as a director of Wayfair since 2012 and a director of Blue Apron since 2015. Previously she was a director at Constant Contact until 2016; CFO, chief accounting officer, senior vice president, and treasurer of TripAdvisor from 2011 to 2015; a director at ExactTarget until 2013; and CFO of Art Technology Group from 2005 to 2011. Prior to that, she worked at Akamai Technologies and Deloitte & Touche. Julie was named 2010 CFO of the Year by the Boston Business Journal. She is a certified public accountant with a BA in economics from Wheaton College. She serves as a Trustee for Wheaton and the Judge Baker Children’s Program. Julie and her husband Joe have two children at Rivers, James ’17 and Grace ’18. Bala Cumaresan P’20 Bala founded Siharum Advisors, LLC in 2008 and currently serves as its CEO and chairman of the Board of Directors. He has more than 20 years of asset allocation, manager selection,
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and portfolio construction experience. Born in Sri Lanka, he received a BS in engineering from Bharathiyar Univer- sity in Coimbatore, India, an MBA from the University of Connecticut at Storrs, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. A member of the Boston Security Analysts Society and the Boston Estate Planning Council, he also served as the treasurer and a trustee at the Meadowbrook School in Weston. Bala and his wife Vaithehi Muttulingam have a daughter, Apsara Balamurugan, ’20. Scott Hilinski P’18,’20,’20,’23 Scott Hilinski is managing director and executive committee member at Nautic Partners, LLC, a private equity firm in Providence, RI. Before joining Nautic in 1995, he was an associate at TA Associates and analyst at Deloitte & Touche. He has served on the Board of Directors of over 25 healthcare companies and currently serves on seven Boards including Community Medical Group, Family Physicians Group, Exactcare, and LDI Pharmacy. Scott has an A.B. in American History from Harvard College, and served as co-chair of Rivers’ Annual Fund for many years. Scott and his wife Lisa live in Wellesley and have four children at Rivers: Scott ’18, Callie ’20, John ’20, and Isabelle ’23. Harley Lank P’21 Harley is a portfolio manager for Fidelity Investments, responsible for managing equity and high-yield bond funds, including the Fidelity Advisor Leveraged Company Stock Fund and the Fidelity Advisor High Income Advantage Fund. In addition, he manages various funds marketed to investors outside of the United States. Prior to receiving his MBA, he was a corporate finance analyst at Bank of Boston. Harley received a bachelor of science degree in business from Syracuse University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Harley and his wife Audra have a son, Tanner ’21, at Rivers.
Leaving a Legacy Rivers’ Middle School
In June 2017, Susie McGee will retire as Head of Middle School. During a tenure of nearly 20 years, Susie McGee has helped create a Middle School that deliberately embraces and celebrates the unique needs of emerging adolescents. We salute her vision and dedication.
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sk Rivers Middle Schoolers what they did in school today, and you won’t get the typical teenage reply “Oh, nothing.” Rather they might describe the Roman banquet they had in Latin class, or the skateboard they designed and decorated in art class, or the French café they hosted for faculty and classmates. They’ll share their latest research project—identifying and proposing a solution to water scarcity or a human rights violation. If it’s late spring, they can be found entertaining faculty, family, and friends with year-end science projects, personal portfolios, musical performances, and art projects. Regardless of the activity, a sense of excitement and engagement pervades their experiences. They are not just walking through their days in the Middle School, waiting for high school to begin. “The Middle School years are a time of self-definition,” said Susie McGee shortly after taking the helm of Rivers’ Middle School in 1998. “All middle school curricula should be driven by the goal of helping kids define themselves. We need to honor their development in the Middle School.” Today, as McGee completes her tenure as Head of Middle School, she is leaving behind an institution that has not only honored that goal, but has become a nationally-recognized model for innovative curricular and leadership programming. During the intervening years, amidst a technological revolution that literally changed how adolescents perceive their world, McGee and her faculty studied the ever-evolving landscape of brain research and implemented cutting-edge pedagogy into the day-to-day lives of their students. Together they created an innovative, multidisciplinary learning environment that is student-centered and interactive, where collaboration is
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With Middle Schoolers in France encouraged while ample time is allowed for reflective thinking. “Middle School students need to be able to think, identify and solve problems, access information, and determine the validity of that information,” commented McGee in 2000, as the internet began to dominate our lives and information on any topic became instantly available online. Just a decade later she had to admit, “The child who walks through our door today has a different brain than the child we started out teaching years ago. Today’s students are much more inclined to be visual learners, rather than auditory.” McGee’s great gift has been her ability and her eagerness to accept that changing reality and develop an environment that plays to the strengths of this new type of student. Her teachers have become more mentor than lecturer, creating lessons that encourage the exchange of ideas and opinions, and helping students make connections between what they are learning and the real world. The Humanities curriculum, joining English and social studies, is a model of interdisciplinary learning where compelling topics like “The World and Water,” “The World through Story,” and “Human Rights and Global Issues” allow students to make connections between history, geography, literature, science, and art. For example, in the sixth grade, a trip to a whaling museum flows into writing (and editing) a sea shanty, then on to carving “scrimshaw” on soap. At the heart of McGee’s educational philosophy is the belief that education is emotion-based. “It’s the responsibility of the teacher to make the lesson relevant,” she noted. “In the classroom, a student needs to feel an emotional connection to what he is asked to learn if he is going to internalize and integrate what he is taught.” Because teenagers are social by nature, cooperative learning situations allow them to build off each other’s knowledge base and reach a solution, often with greater understanding than if they were asked to solve a problem individually. However, while students gravitate toward the sociability of group learning, it is often in the quiet moments in the classroom that the greatest creativity takes place. “Reflection is key,” said McGee. “The developing adolescent brain is open to connections, but if they are not reinforced, 14
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Teaching Leadership they don’t solidify. The brain will prune pathways that are not used. So it is critical that students make a personal connection to the lesson, and having the time to quietly reflect on what they’ve just learned is a critical final step in the process.” Her understanding of the working of the adolescent brain comes from a deep commitment to educating herself and her This is a short caption. faculty in the burgeoning field of mind, brain, Ideally, and education you will keep them (MBE). She has frequently participated in Harvard’s of relativelyFuture short throughout. Learning conferences as well as Learning & the Brain conferences. But more importantly, her understanding has given her the tools to structure an optimal Middle School environment. Critical to that process was reintroducing a sixth grade to the Middle School in 2004, allowing Rivers to broaden its educational reach and enrich the existing program and student experience. “Students now have three years of Middle School for developing skills, for understanding their own learning processes, and for exploration,” McGee noted in announcing the addition. “A three-year program allows students to deepen and solidify their learning even more.” Hand in hand with an academic model of teaching students how to become successful learners has been an innovative approach to teaching students how to become leaders. During the last decade McGee developed a leadership program that has been incorporated into middle schools across the nation. In a chapter she wrote in 2010 for a book on leadership published by the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education, McGee said, “Students typically see leadership as something separate from themselves; thus a huge goal for us in the Middle School at Rivers is to shift this perspective and invite students to consider the notion of leading with one’s self. “We work to take students’ definitions of what makes a leader and place it for them in a new context—how they can be leaders every day. We ask them to note strengths and qualities in themselves and then identify situations in their daily school lives where they can be deliberate in exercising these qualities.” That mission led to a constantly evolving leadership program whose success has been driven by the buy-in of the entire Middle School faculty.
“From its inception our leadership program was a collab- oration of faculty and administration,” said McGee. “I would attribute much of the rapid evolution and success to this alliance, and the program as it exists today is supported by the faculty’s commitment, creativity, and hard work. “When the conversation began we were not using the term ‘leadership,’ and I would venture to say we were initially focused specifically on character. Leadership quickly entered the equation, however, as we wanted more for our students than ‘doing the right thing’ and ‘staying true to one’s self.’” Not that these are insufficient goals, especially in a middle school where students have a heightened sensitivity to how others perceive them and often act first and think later. And so the definition of leadership became—both in the Middle and Upper Schools—“Be your best self and positively influence others.” Again, McGee emphasizes the importance of reflection for Middle School learning and understanding. “Leadership skills have to be directly taught, honed, and practiced. Stopping to reflect is important for both faculty and students, and these opportunities need to be built into any program. So much of the development and implementation of a successful program rests on being responsive and creative. Our collaborative program is helping to create a stronger middle school by establishing an environment more conducive to trust and risk-taking. By opening themselves to notions of their own leadership, students are tapping into qualities and strengths and defining themselves in new ways.” Student risk-taking is evident in every facet of Middle School learning, both in and out of the classroom. The Middle School play, whether a drama or musical, is open to all comers, often featuring a chorus of dozens of would-be thespians. Robotics draws in another group of students who love the hands-on challenge of creating task-driven LEGO robots. Readers flock to the monthly Middle School Book Club meetings, and the level of discourse is refreshingly open and often astute. Athletic teams allow for the developing talents and interests
of an age-group that is literally growing by leaps and bounds. It’s easy to overlook, in noting McGee’s formative impact on the Middle School, the many other ways she has touched The Rivers School. An English teacher by training, she shared her love for literature, and poetry in particular, teaching classes in poetry at both the Middle School and Upper School levels, and co-directing Middle School drama productions. She has been a generous mentor to a generation of young teachers, and a diligent and thoughtful leader of many committees, including the curriculum, education, technology, and strategic planning committees—the list goes on and on. Most significant, perhaps, is co-chairing Rivers’ 21st Century Focus Group, comprised of faculty members who meet throughout the school year to share the latest trends in education and discuss ways to incorporate them into their own teaching or into the fabric of the school community. A genuine life-long learner, she spent summers traveling both in the Unites States and abroad to find inspiration for her own writing in the wonders and beauty of nature, art, and the written word. Back in the classroom, she used that symbiosis of art and poetry to inspire her own students in their creative writing. An intrepid traveler, she chaperoned international trips with students in both divisions, including service trips to Romania and cultural trips to Italy, China, Peru, and France. “The opportunity for kids to travel and experience different cultures in a way that also connects to our curriculum both in terms of humanities and language is really the goal of a cultural trip like this,” said McGee after the 2015 Middle School trip to France. While the Middle School is sure to continue to evolve in the years and decades ahead to meet future challenges, Susie McGee will remain credited with bringing middle school education at Rivers boldly and successfully into the 21st century. And she would have it no other way: “We have to teach our children to be the creative leaders of this new world, and how to solve the problems we don’t even know exist yet.”
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Systems Thinking from the Ground Up
iddle Schoolers in Cathy Favreau’s Performing and Creative Arts class spent part of the winter quarter exploring the concept of systems thinking, though they wouldn’t have used quite those terms to describe the class. Instead they would have told you in great detail about the process of shoemaking, from design to assembly, and proudly modeled their own finished products. However, along the way they did indeed begin to master the skills of breaking down a complex process into
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simpler components, brainstorming solutions, creating prototypes, and troubleshooting problems. The class began by examining the design of a shoe, drawing the components and thinking about the relationship of each part to the whole. They then took their knowledge out into the real world, with a field trip to a fabric manufacturer in Haverhill called Dela, owned by Rivers alumnus and parent Charlie Abrams ’88, followed by a visit to the New Balance factory in Lawrence, which uses Dela fabrics in its footwear. Back in the classroom, and with bolts of samples donated by Abrams, the students created patterns, chose fabrics, measured, cut, stitched, re-cut and re-stitched when necessary, added trim and buttons, and voilá, each student had a customdesigned pair of slip-ons. This was not a one-size fits all project, with sizes ranging from a petite 5 to a manly 12, and color and detail ranging from the utilitarian to the tropical. One visionary student even tackled a pair of high tops. The project grew out of an online course entitled “Thinking and Learning in the Maker-Centered Classroom” that Favreau and fellow Middle School teachers Melissa Dolan (humanities), Diane DeVore (drama), Chris Love (art), and Rachel Costello (Spanish) enrolled in last summer. Offered by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the online sessions explored the concept of systems thinking and its implications for education. Systems thinking fulfills many goals of learning for the 21st century workplace, by teaching risk-taking, collaborative thinking, adaptability, and navigating uncertainty, among other skills. “The online class gave me better language with which to have the students thoughtfully examine how something is made and designed,” said Favreau, who also chairs the Language Department. “And the beauty of introducing sewing to the project is that it is a low-tech skill that they can use every day, and yet it enabled them to create more complex final products.” “Each of us is implementing these concepts in a different way,” commented Dolan. “In my Human Rights and Global Issues class, we began by using systems thinking to deconstruct the three branches of government in order to understand how they function. As the year progresses students will identify a human rights issue to research and use systems thinking to analyze and then find a solution to the problem—it’s a very effective way to study the cause and effect of global issues.” So, if you see a pair of fuzzy grey flip-flops, electric blue hightops, or neon-striped slip-ons strolling around campus, know that you’re seeing systems thinking at work.
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New Head of Middle School Appointed
he Rivers School is delighted to announce that Dr. Michael M. Kris ’87 will be joining the Rivers community on July 1, 2017 as the new Head of Middle School, succeeding Susie McGee who is retiring in June after 19 years at Rivers. Dr. Kris, currently the Head of Middle School at Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, TX, rose to the top of a deep pool of candidates in the course of an extensive national search facilitated by Independent Thinking, a Boston-based search firm. The search started in the fall of this year, and culminated with the unanimous support of the internal hiring committee. “Michael Kris brings a passion to his work with middle school students that is right in line with the philosophy at Rivers,” said Head of School Ned Parsons. “The Administration and the hiring committee were impressed by Mike’s creative energy, his support of and insistence upon high standards in every classroom, and his dedication to creating engaging, relevant curriculum for middle schoolers.” Dr. Kris joined Trinity Valley in 2010, overseeing 330 students in grades five through eight, at the co-educational K-12 independent school. He was responsible for hiring, evaluating, and mentoring a faculty of 30, with a focus on helping them develop initiatives to promote 21st century skills, design thinking, technology integration, and brain-based teaching strategies. He introduced programs aimed at fostering curiosity, innovation, and global perspectives, including a weekly experiential course for fifth and sixth graders, elective courses to promote innovation and creativity, Mandarin Chinese as a modern language option, and integrated coding and design thinking projects. Prior to that Dr. Kris served as Assistant Head of School at The Willow School in Gladstone, NJ from 2006–2010 and as Director of Teacher Development at Far Hills Country Day School, Far Hills, NJ from 2003–2006. Dr. Kris, a graduate of The Park School and The Rivers School, Class of 1987, received a B.A. in English with honors from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN in 1991. He went on to earn a M.A. in education in 1993 from Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, teaching English at The Pike School during
the teacher training program. He also received a Ed.D. in educational administration (2004), a Ed.M. in educational administration (1998), and a M.A. in private school leadership (1998), all from Teachers College at Columbia University in New York. “Mike is widely hailed by his colleagues as a leader in the field of middle school education,” Parsons notes, “and we’re very lucky to be able to bring him to Rivers. His reputation is that of a team builder, a visionary, and an exceptional mentor to faculty. I’m looking forward to introducing Mike to the larger community and to seeing his philosophy come to life for our students, our teachers, and our parents.” The Rivers community looks forward to welcoming Michael, his wife Deborah Farmer Kris, and their children, Annie (age 5) and James (age 2) to Rivers this summer.
“The Administration and the hiring committee were impressed by Mike’s creative energy, his support of and insistence upon high standards in every classroom, and his dedication to creating engaging, relevant curriculum for middle schoolers,” said Head of School Ned Parsons. sprin g 2017
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Faculty Collaboration Leads to Excellence Rivers’ faculty members pride themselves on the culture of collaboration that permeates every department and division on campus. This year, Rivers’ new Strategic Plan provided an added impetus for collaboration, in particular the plan’s goal to “provide students with a forward-thinking, 21st century curriculum supported by innovative pedagogy.” The faculty embraced that call to arms with enthusiasm and diligence; a number of them worked throughout the summer to bring their ideas to fruition. Key to their efforts: increase hands-on learning opportunities, expand offerings in fields like entrepreneurship and design, and take interdisciplinary concepts beyond Rivers’ existing Interdisciplinary Studies courses. And while collaboration among Rivers’ faculty members is second nature, they often reached beyond the campus to expand their knowledge base and enrich their teaching. Here we explore a handful of exciting new Upper School programs.
MEDscience students
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Experiencing Medicine Students in the Upper School’s Human Anatomy and Physiology course are travelling weekly to Harvard Medical School for hands-on lessons in Harvard’s simulation center. Science teacher Dr. Jeff Meropol worked closely last summer with the HMS faculty to effectively integrate Rivers’ curriculum with their MEDscience program, an innovative high school STEM initiative. Because the MEDscience curriculum only covers half of the major systems, Meropol and fellow teacher Nick Jordan started out the year by teaching their students the other systems, such as the skeletal and muscular systems. During the winter and spring they have focused on the remaining systems, like endocrine and cardiovascular, that are simultaneously being taught in the MEDscience program. For example, during the two weeks students study the respiratory system, the hands-on activities at the medical school involve evaluating respiratory distress in “STAN,” the simulation mannequin that doctors, nurses, and medical students use during their own training. After conducting a medical history and evaluating the patient’s symptoms, the students then discuss possible causes and treatments. “We are as excited about the program as our students,” said Meropol. “The simulation activities are geared toward encouraging the students to work as a team to try to diagnose and treat the ‘patient,’ allowing them to practice critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Students have also been learning and practicing hospital skills such as performing intubations and setting up IVs, as well as meeting with various STEM professionals to learn about their careers.”
Exploring Anatomy Is it art or is it science? Taking an entirely different approach to anatomy, students in a new Interdisciplinary Studies course are combining both disciplines, and more, as they explore the nature of human anatomy in the art studio, within scientific
and historical contexts provided by visiting experts in the Rivers community. Art teacher Lisa Townley ’01 designed Studio Explorations of Anatomy to pose some essential questions: what is human anatomy, how can we render it through art, how has scientific history changed our understanding, and how do visual representations of the human form reflect past and present cultural values? Early in the trimester, Townley invited science teacher and head trainer Myron Mentis to discuss the skeletal and muscular systems while students first created a detailed pen and ink drawing of a skeleton, then added an overlay in colored pencil on mylar paper of the figure’s musculature. The class studied how the human form ages, from flawless youth through the imperfections of old age. They studied facial expressions as being key to understanding the subject, and how the artist can create a feeling of empathy in the viewer through their subject’s face and posture. Later in the course, art history teacher Ben Leeming presented an overview of how artists have rendered the human form from prehistoric times through the present. They discussed the concept that every representation of the human form in art represents an idea, and how that idea is rooted in the history and culture of the times. With their initial drawing project completed, students exercised their powers of observation while sketching a live model in a variety of poses, essentially putting the finishing outer contours on the body’s underpinnings that they had previously mastered in class. “Drawing the human form is actually being taught now in medical school to enhance students’ powers of observation and build their empathy skills,” commented Townley. The final project for the course was a full body drawing that conveyed a message/idea that was supported by an art history movement. For example, if a student wanted to convey intense
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Elizabeth Wendorf
Exploring Anatomy students sketching a model
emotion, they might use an expressionistic approach to their work to help support that main idea. In preparation, the students had to write a paper connecting those cultural values to their work—the essential “how, what, and why” of their drawing.
Becoming Entrepreneurs Math teacher Elizabeth Wendorf also developed a new Interdisciplinary Studies course entitled Entrepreneurship which will bring real-world problem solving into her classroom. She enrolled in a summer program on designing an entrepreneurship curriculum, offered by the Hawken School in Ohio, then adapted their immersion-style program to accommodate Rivers’ trimester schedule. Wendorf’s goal is to help students acquire the skills needed to address complex problems found both in business and in the community, and in the course of their work, become effective innovators, collaborators, communicators, and presenters. The students will tackle two or three progressively more complex projects, learning fundamentals—like design thinking, business planning, and marketing—within the framework of each project. In the process, they will have to reach out to members of the academic and professional community, allowing them to practice information gathering skills, such as writing a professional email, requesting meetings, talking to customers, and receiving feedback. “Real world problems are generally open-ended—there’s no one answer, and they are usually not solved by one person, but by a team,” said Wendorf. “My role in the class is to give them a complex problem, help them to ask the right questions, and then explore the various solutions to find one that best addresses the problem.” For the culminating project, Wendorf is planning to partner with a small farming business in Walpole. The owners—a landscape designer and a former investment businessman—have been in operation for a year and are thinking of doubling their capacity. The limited nature of the company and their potential for expansion make it an ideal entrepreneurial model for the students to study. They will work in teams on several different problems the company faces and offer solutions to the owners and other evaluators for their final presentation.
Understanding Migration Migration has become a daily topic in the news, whether it’s a report of a recent refugee crisis or a debate about policy re20 20
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Andrea Diaz
form. History teacher Andrea Diaz was eager to study the issue in greater depth to help students in her ninth-grade “Perspectives in World History” course understand current events and controversies. She just completed a year-long fellowship with Global Studies Outreach at Harvard University, called “Global Migration in the 21st Century: Understanding How and Why People Move.” As a final project, Diaz created a website with content and skill support for middle and secondary school teachers, parts of which she incorporated into Rivers’ history curriculum this year. The fellowship began last summer with an intensive workshop focused on the many factors contributing to increased migration during the 20th and 21st centuries, presented by scholars and experts in the field. Participants discussed how the movement of people across borders shapes the politics, culture, and economy of nations throughout the world. Diaz worked throughout the past academic year to develop her website, then workshopped it with Harvard faculty and Global Studies fellows, and finally presented it to other educators last summer. “My website highlights three different migrations: the AztecSpanish Encounter, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and World War I,” said Diaz. “I chose those topics because they are part of our regular curriculum, so it was easy to integrate my research into our lesson plans. The website, which provides vocabulary and terms, links to resources, and questions for discussion, is organized so that it can be used directly by both teachers and students. This spring I hope to incorporate the website into my elective on Modern Latin America and add relevant content, in light of the current issues regarding immigration to the US, especially from Mexico and other parts of Latin America.”
Examining Bioethics Many Rivers students develop strong career interests by senior year, through their courses, clubs, or internships. This year, Dr. Julian Willard, who oversees Rivers’ Interdisciplinary Program and chairs the Interdisciplinary Studies Department, initiated a pilot program in collaboration with Harvard’s Center for Bioethics (HCB) for students with an interest in medicine and other biomedical fields. “I’m very interested in the educational potential of ethical questions and believe it is important to promote bioethical thinking and research skills in high school students. Our hope is that this will lead to their own ethical engagement in the community and wider world,” said Willard.
Jill McCulley (right) with Honors Spanish IV students and their parejas
The students enrolled in the Rivers-Harvard Bioethics independent study program this year both held summer internships facilitated by the Rivers Science Department—Aliza Bloostein ’17 shadowed a primary care physician who specializes in endocrinology, and Michelle Ryder ’17 participated in Boston Children’s Hospital’s Simulation Center. The internships gave them first-hand exposure to situations involving possible ethical dilemmas and spurred their interest in bioethics. “The bioethics program provides them with a foundation in bioethical concepts so that they can then work with a mentor from the Harvard academic bioethics community on a research topic of mutual interest,“ said Willard. “Michelle has chosen to write about genetic modification as related to reproductive choices in humans, while Aliza is studying the ethical issues that confront a physician in caring for a non-compliant patient. The students have been meeting regularly with me and their mentor as they’ve conducted literature reviews and developed their own theses. More recently, they have completed first drafts of their research papers and are now reviewing feedback from me and from the Harvard bioethicists.” An additional component of the program is the students’ internship on Boston’s Community Ethics Committee (CEC), a diverse group of citizens who meet monthly to provide feedback on medical ethics policies to the Harvard teaching hospitals. Students have attended several of the committee meetings, gaining insight into the goals of the CEC and principles of community engagement. In April they will present their bioethics projects to the CEC and others at a meeting in the Harvard Medical School Library, as well as here on the Rivers campus in order to promote ethical thinking in the Rivers community at large.
Developing Fluency Sometimes the “expertise” tapped to enrich a learning experience can be found simply by providing a bridge across generations. Students in both Jill McCulley’s Honors Spanish IV class and Chris Holownia’s Chinese III and IV classes have been able to practice their language skills and gain a first-hand appreciation for the richness of cultural diversity by visiting local senior communities. McCulley partnered with a Jamaica Plain non-profit called Spanish Immersion Jamaica Plain & Brookline which was founded in 2006 to help senior citizens remain active in their community. During the fall, McCulley and her students met several times with seniors hailing from Colombia, Peru, Spain,
Michelle Ryder ’17 and Aliza Bloostein ’17
and the Dominican Republic to share—entirely in Spanish— the stories and experiences that have shaped their lives. “After their first visit, the students were amazed by how much they were able to understand but taken aback by how difficult it was for them to formulate their thoughts outside of the classroom,” said McCulley. “Our debriefings on the trips home were excellent; as a group we were able to clarify words and expressions that they didn’t quite grasp, and review some of the current events we discussed. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to listen to the different accents of their pareja (partner) in a ‘real’ environment, and this exchange has helped with all of their skills—listening, speaking, and writing.” Holownia’s students meet with a group of Chinese-American seniors once a month for a joint activity at a community center in Brighton. They might do tai chi (打太极拳) together, make dumplings (包饺子) for the Chinese New Year, or play mahjong (打麻将) and Chinese checkers (下棋)—all the while conversing in Chinese. At the end of the year, the students will host their elders and share a “day in the life” of a Rivers student. “These visits are so much more instructive than watching a language video,” said Holownia. “The majority of the Chinese-American elders we’re with don’t speak English very well, so my students have to rely on their Chinese skills to help them naviPracticing Tai Chi gate real-life situations. This newfound necessity helps them to become more aware of what kinds of knowledge are essential (and non-essential) to basic dialogue. They quickly become more comfortable making mistakes because they realize that communication does not mean perfection, and circumlocution (e.g., saying “the thing you wear on your head” instead of “hat”) is in many ways a more important skill than precise vocabulary and grammar. “Nothing compares with spontaneous conversation. The students can ask their partners to speak more slowly, or to explain something in a different way so they can better understand. It’s an invaluable experience in becoming more comfortable and confident with the language.” sprin g 2017
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Diversity at Rivers Five Decades of Commitment Fifty years ago this year, Rivers admitted its first black students to campus. While the move may have been modest in scope, it set in motion a commitment to diversity that remains today a key tenet of the school’s mission.
RICA Members
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hat has changed in the ensuing decades is the understanding of what diversity means in a community, particularly in an academic community, and what must be done to ensure that its members acknowledge and respect each other’s differences while recognizing the shared experiences that bind them together. Rather than focusing on racial integration alone, the concept of diversity at Rivers now encompasses all social identifiers—race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and ability status, among others—and puts a greater emphasis on ensuring that the climate is one that allows each individual to bring his or her full self to school and to work each day.
Integrating Rivers On September 12, 1966, Stephen Yancey, Alfred Washington, David Smith, Michael Childs, Earl Grant, Jr., and Bruce Taylor joined a student body of 230 young men, marking the integration of The Rivers School. As they moved through the Upper School, the students, who hailed from local towns and the greater Boston area, were actively involved 22
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in the community, joining the Drama, Glee, Outing, Camp E, and Chess clubs; editing The Current; and becoming leaders in Student Council and captains of varsity sports teams. Yancey was the first of the group to graduate, in 1970. Coming a decade after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision was handed down, the integration of Rivers and other independent schools was not without issues and challenges, but because the choice to integrate was voluntary, the process differed greatly from that in urban public schools. Student outreach began with churches and programs like the Educational Enrichment Program and the Boys’ Clubs of Boston, which helped prepare applicants for admissions tests and provided guidance on navigating the independent school admissions process. During the 1960s, independent schools saw tremendous change, with the number of integrated schools increasing from 33 percent in 1960 to 84 percent by 1969.
Expanding Diversity An increasingly diverse student population became more so in 1989, when Rivers admitted its first female students,
Gender Sexuality Alliance
changing forever the face and culture of the school. The 1990s saw a proliferation of student clubs and activities that allowed students to explore and address this wider definition of diversity. In 1995, Louise Cummings ’98 and Evon Burroughs ’98 started the Diversity Club and, with its two dozen members, organized a variety of activities— the 1996 Nonesuch saluted it as the most active committee on campus. The club continued until 2004 when RICA (Rivers’ Integrated Cultural Association) was established to encourage meaningful dialogue about and celebration of the cultural differences of the community. RICA, now Rivers’ Integrated Cultural Awareness Club, hosts various events and initiatives, including the annual Global Fair, where dozens of families share the food, art, and music of their heritage. In the meantime, the Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA, now the Gender Sexuality Alliance) was established in 2001 to provide a forum for students to discuss and support each other around issues of gender identity and sexual orientation. Each year, students and faculty participate in Coming Out Day and the Day of Silence, where faculty and students have addressed topics ranging from the detrimental effect of bullying to legislative measures aimed at limiting the rights of people in the LGBT community. This year, the administration created a policy for transgender and gender nonconforming students, offering recognition of and support to those in the community who identify as such. Recently a number of Upper School affinity groups were formed on campus—African Diaspora, Latinx/Hispanic, Asian American, Multiracial, and White Ally—led by Rivers faculty members. The goal is to provide an opportunity for students and faculty of color and white allies to speak to their experience in a defined space that affirms their identity and builds community through shared stories and experiences. The hope is to create parallel affinity spaces in the Middle School in the near future.
Setting Goals While the students enthusiastically embraced a diversity of opinions and alliances on campus, the Board of Trustees also took an active stance. They approved an amendment to the bylaws in 2008 to create a standing Diversity Committee of trustees, faculty, administrators, parents, and alumni to oversee and study the school’s diversity efforts and make recommendations to the Board on diversity goals and initiatives. The committee, initially led by former trustee Karen Daniels P’99, is now chaired by Louise Cummings ’98. “I was honored when I was asked to join the Board,” said Cummings. “As a student, alumna, and now a trustee, diversity has always been close to my heart and it has always been important to me that every student have as great an experience at Rivers as I did. I am glad I can provide insight and work strategically with the faculty, administration, and students to ensure inclusiveness on campus.” The Administration also created a new senior administrative position—Director of Diversity and Inclusivity. In this role, John Bower, who also teaches chorus, works with each constituency on campus to advance a variety of initiatives intended to expand and enhance an inclusive culture in the Rivers community. “Having a seat at the senior administrative table has afforded me the opportunity to raise questions and make observations about school policies, practices, and procedures through the lens of diversity and equity,” said Bower. In 2014 the Diversity Committee developed a Diversity Strategic Plan to guide its efforts and create benchmarks to measure its progress. The four major goals were: to expand efforts to actively seek students and faculty of color from areas beyond metro Boston; to provide every student equal access to resources that support curricular and co-curricular academic, athletic, and artistic excellence; to engage the
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Rivers community in meaningful and substantive conversations about issues of diversity, multiculturalism, and identity; and to grow a culture that values individuality and is inclusive of all aspects of one’s identity. The Diversity Committee—whose work continues to grow as the definition of diversity takes in more and more people—continues to evolve in its structure and mission, and will likely be sharpening its purpose and approaches in the years ahead.
Providing Resources Recruitment of a diverse faculty and student population is as intentional now as it was 50 years ago, with the administration and Admissions Office reaching out to minority recruitment firms, attending student admission fairs, and hosting prospective parent events in a wide range of communities. Also ongoing are efforts to provide transportation options for students from distant communities for whom the daily commute is a deterrent to their enrollment. Addressing the socio-economic barriers to a private education led to a financial aid program that offers assistance to nearly 25 percent of the student population. There is also increased focus on providing financial assistance for the expenses incurred by a student eager to fully experience all that Rivers has to offer. Whether funds are needed to cover an athletic or arts program, an international trip or student conference, or textbooks and laptops, the goal is to level the playing field for all families, regardless of financial background. Several endowed funds, such as the Gainie Fund, Satter Fund, and Howard G. Davis III ’70 Fund for Equity and Inclusion, have been established in recent years to provide auxiliary financial aid to qualified students.
Creating Dialogue Resources have also been allocated to support the Rivers community’s work toward an inclusive environment where each person can be valued for who he or she truly is. Ongoing workshops, conferences, and speakers help open the channels of communication that lead to understanding and awareness within the community. This year ten faculty and six students— a record number—attended the annual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference and People of Color Conference, where representatives from independent schools throughout the country come together to discuss issues of diversity and inclusivity in both the real world and their respective communities. The faculty and staff gather on a monthly basis for Critical Conversations—informal dinners and discussions— where they read articles, watch videos, discuss theories, and challenge each other to consider best practices when approaching challenging conversations about identity and inclusivity in teaching and the social development of students. Last fall, more than a dozen members attended the American Repertory Theatre’s acclaimed production
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of Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, which sparked thoughtful dialogue about existing systems of inequity in our education system. In addition, guest speakers and performers reinforce the messages of inclusivity in vivid and memorable ways. Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine, shared his experiences during the integration of Little Rock High School in 1957. Actor Mykee Fowlin presented a spell-binding performance where he inhabited a dozen “different” personae. Writer Michael Fosburg talked about growing up unaware of his racial heredity. And most recently faculty member Yoshi Fujita shared the experiences of his grandfather who served in World War II while his family was held in a Japanese internment camp on US soil.
Continuing to Educate Tensions on college and high school campuses around the nation during the past year have created difficult situations for school communities to contend with, and Rivers recognizes that its students are not immune to the influence of the reality beyond its campus. “While much of the nation has struggled over the last year with issues of diversity and inequity and of productive and meaningful dialogue in the face of those differences, we have made the promise to our students that here at Rivers we will maintain our healthy and respectful culture,” said Head of School Ned Parsons. In January, an organization called VISIONS worked with students and faculty during the annual Day of Consideration to develop a common language to use when having difficult conversations across differences of both identity/experience and perspective. To build on that work, the Committee for Community and Civic Engagement—a task force of Upper School students and faculty members (a Middle School task force is in the making)—will seek student input and feedback on how to increase understanding and engagement, assist in carrying out related initiatives within the community, and coordinate the efforts of co-curricular groups and programs on campus in order to incorporate and support a greater diversity of perspectives and identities in their work. In addition, a representative from the organization Teaching Tolerance is helping the curriculum committee implement social justice standards into the Rivers curriculum, providing another entry point for conversations about identity and cultural competency. The goal is to consider what is already in place that is working well, and to explore opportunities for a greater focus on elements of identity, diversity, justice, and action in every discipline. “I am grateful we have a Board that is truly committed to recognizing diversity as a core component of Rivers’ values and understands the importance of continued growth in this area,” concluded Cummings.
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Senior Parents Celebrate
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enior year is marked by the oft-dreaded deadlines and decisions of the college process. To counter the stresses ahead, parents of the Class of 2017 gathered in September at the Head of School’s House to kick off their children’s final year at Rivers. After a warm welcome from Ned Parsons, Assistant Head of School Jim Long shared a brief preview of the ups and downs to expect as senior parents.
Lori Baldwin, Claudine and Todd Sheinkopf, Dennis Baldwin
Lisa Parsons, Alison Monaghan, Martha Tuff
Ginny Churchill, Jennifer Lemley, Jean Kanarian
John Lawrence, Jon Paul, Scott Hamblet
Jim Long, Rudo Chikwira, Norman Khumalo
Tricia Glass, Dana and Alison Martin, John Glass
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alumni events
Homecoming Celebrates Athletes Past and Present
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Homecoming Fans
omecoming 2016 featured three games under the lights, with the Middle School football team kicking off the weekend on Thursday evening against Weston Middle School. Friday brought fans out for volleyball, cross-country, and field hockey games, capped off with pizza and a roaring bonfire for the Fan Zone crowd after the games. Saturday’s schedule went non-stop with JV girls’ soccer, boys’ soccer, and field hockey games, followed by varsity boys’ and girls’ soccer, and football. The highlight of Saturday’s festivities (aside from the food truck serving grilled cheese sandwiches) was the reunion of the 2001 varsity boys’ soccer team to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their stunning ISL and NEPSAC Class A Championships. Nearly a dozen members of Coach Bob Pipe’s team as well as Assistant Coach Steve Morrison Lisa Townley ’01 with were honored during halftime at Natalie and Nathan the football game for what was one of the most significant seasons in Rivers’ athletic history. After moving up through the ranks from Class C and Class B in just a few years, the team upset the undefeated defending champions Loomis Chaffee to capture Rivers’ first-ever Class A soccer title, on top of securing its first-ever ISL title, with a 16-1-1 record.
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The 2001 ISL and NEPSAC Champs Below: The 2001 team reunion: James Greenslit ’02, Assistant Coach Steven Morrison, Adam Wells ’02, Marcus De Castro ’03, Nick Petri ’02, Ben Herman ’04, Jeff Hecht ’02, Mike Crowley ’02, Head Coach Bob Pipe, Dan Lane ’04, John Krause ’02, Ned Wallroth ’03
Boston CDC Panel Shines Light on Entrepreneurial Mindset
Julie Bradley and Susie Mulder
Barry Sloane ’73 and Greg Stoller ’87
Bryan Ginsburg ’09, Susie Mulder, Adam Greene ’02, Westy Saltonstall ’61
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ivers’ Career Development Committee hosted an inter- active panel discussion on “Managing Established Companies with an Entrepreneurial Mindset” at the offices of Bain Capital, courtesy of Jared Perry ’95. Moderated by Committee Chair Greg Stoller ’87, the October breakfast featured three speakers, each with a Rivers connection.
Panelists Julie Bradley P’17,’18, former CFO of TripAdvisor; Susie Mulder P’18,’19,’22, CEO of Nick and Zoe; and Barry Sloane ’73, CEO and President of Century Bank each gave a brief overview of their backgrounds. Stoller then posed questions to each panelist about how to keep the entrepreneurial spirit alive while running large companies, then opened the floor to questions from the audience.
The committee coordinates events throughout the academic year in Boston, New York, California, and DC. If you have questions or speaker ideas, please contact Director of Alumni Engagement Marc Stroum ’98 at m.stroum@rivers.org.
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alumni events
Thanksgiving What could be better than turkey and stuffing? The company of Rivers friends.
Scott Barchard ’06, Megan O’Brien ’07, Evan O’Brien ’06
Jack Birger, Katelyn Landry, Darcy Randall, Class of 2008
Jen Keefe ’08 and Christina Keefe ’13
Alex Bunick, Allison Brustowicz, Caroline Brustowicz, Clare Sullivan, all Class of 2011, and Coach Bob Pipe Marissa DelFavero ’11 and Dom DelFavero ’09
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Hockey Alumni Love the Game
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ormer skaters for both the girls’ and boys’ hockey program took to the ice again in MacDowell Arena this winter. The women joined current Red Wings in December for a mid-day practice and lunch. The guys took each other on in late February in the annual Red v. White, odd v. even, match-up— 80 minutes of non-stop play—before lunch in Hutton Commons and a relaxing free skate with friends and family.
Future Red Wings?
Bill Stewart ’85 and Jason Newberg ’93
The Alumnae Players
Bill Stewart ’85, Doug Stocklan ’85, Dave Shemlijian ’86, Tory Fiske ’82
Red v. White
Steve Valair ’02 and Chris Valair ’00
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alumni profile
N i c k y J ac k so n C ola co ’ 9 7
2017 Alumni Excellence Award
W
hen Nicky Jackson Colaco graduated from Rivers in 1997, she could never have imagined that twenty years later she would be setting public policy for one of the world’s most popular social media sites, Instagram. Instagram? Social Media? Those terms weren’t even part of the lexicon of the nineties. It is true that Google did exist, although in 1997 it was just a domain name registered by a couple of Stanford graduate students, for a search engine that was still a year away from becoming an incorporated company operating out of a garage in California. However, less than two decades after finishing college with a bachelor of science degree in media and communications from Northwestern University, Nicky Jackson Colaco would end up working for what her generation may consider the trifecta of high tech companies: Google, Facebook, and Instagram. Her journey to becoming Director of Public Policy at Instagram was not a straight shot, though. “I had a pretty niche interest in 1940s black and white film in college, and when I graduated from Northwestern it didn’t feel like there was
much you could do with a degree in film except move to Los Angeles or teach,” she said. “Over time I realized that there are a thousand places you can take niche interests—and I veered toward media and technology. I’m primarily grateful to my mother for encouraging me to study anything I wanted—without that, I never would have ended up in tech.” In college, she had spent two semesters abroad—one in Thailand, and one in South Africa studying apartheid. So after graduating, she
applied to teach English in a tiny Japanese fishing village because it was the only way she could continue to travel and get paid at the same time. “I think travel teaches you how to thrive in unfamiliar situations,” she commented. “That year in Japan, the closest English speaker lived an hour away by car, and the Internet wasn’t even widely available yet. I couldn’t communicate, so I made flashcards and taught myself Japanese. You do learn self-reliance in those situations.” Jackson Colaco returned to the States in 2002 and settled in San Francisco where a lot of classmates and friends were located. “The economy was awful, but a young company called Google hired me to work as part of their policy team. I was just relieved I had heard of them before I took the job!” At the time, Google was beginning to explore the possibility of supporting the website’s operations with advertising revenue. She was assigned to manage Google’s international consumer product policy, establishing advertising policies for the company, and in the process she made the acquaintance of Sheryl Sandberg, then vice president of global online sales and operations at Google.
Less than two decades after finishing college with a bachelor of science degree in media and communications from Northwestern University, Nicky Jackson Colaco would end up working for what her generation may consider the trifecta of high tech companies: Google, Facebook, and Instagram. 30
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“Google had decided to start operations in India in 2004, and needed people for the landing team,” said Jackson Colaco. “I knew that if I didn’t put my hand up, I would forever regret it, but I was also really young. I told Sheryl that I wanted to go—and I’m still grateful that she said yes.” She spent a year in Hyderabad, helping to set up the office from scratch: leasing office space, ordering furniture, and hiring and training a workforce on policies around advertising so they could support international users. She returned to California after a year, and continued in her position at Google until 2007 when she left to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. “It was hard to leave Google, but I wanted some time away to think broadly about my career,” she commented. “At Columbia, I had more time to explore technology policy, but I was also able to take classes at the business and law schools.” While at Columbia, Jackson Colaco reconnected with Sandberg, by then the COO at Facebook, who encouraged her to apply for a position there after graduation. “Working in technology hadn’t come easily to me. (When I was at Rivers, there was still paper!) I had to work comparatively harder than others to learn the lingo and understand the environment. I would stay at work 18 or 20 hours a day if I had to. I think that, more than anything, opened doors for me. Sheryl recognized my work ethic, and offered me a job at Facebook when it was young and they were building their public policy team.”
Jackson Colaco started at Facebook in 2010 as Manager of Privacy and Safety, Public Policy before moving to Instagram—also part of Facebook—in 2013 to become Director of Public Policy. “Public policy is a bit like a puzzle —there are no right answers, just data that you put together to create the best outcome you can,” she commented. “You have to take it seriously, though, because that outcome applies to 600 million people globally. “My work primarily focuses on data privacy, speech standards, and online safety. It’s complex because in the offline world, countries have their own boundaries and policies. In the online world, there are no borders. You might have a situation where one country wants a cartoon left up in keeping with traditions of free speech, and another wants the same cartoon removed for violating rules around hate speech. What do you do? That’s sort of my average day.” Jackson Colaco believes in paying it forward, and has been a faithful supporter of Rivers’ financial aid and Conservatory programs for many years. She has also helped other Rivers alumni get their start in the social media and high tech world in Silicon Valley. “It can be hard to work in a traditionally male field, so I do try and mentor when I can,” she concluded. “Very often it’s not a formal thing— it’s taking a moment to recognize hard work or giving someone an opportunity that they might not have otherwise. There are a million ways that women can lift each other up.”
Nominate an Alumnus or Alumna for Alumni Excellence Award Established in 2001, The Rivers School Alumni Excellence Award is presented annually by the Alumni Association to a member of the Rivers community who displays extraordinary achievement within their established career field or through an outstanding commitment to social, political, or other volunteer causes. The purpose of the Award is to highlight the professional and volunteer achievements of alumni and in so doing inspire Rivers students to pursue their passions. When nominating a Rivers graduate, please include the following information: their name and class year; address, phone number, and email address; title, company, or industry; list of professional achievements and professional and civic commitments; and any other information relevant to the candidate’s professional contributions. Nominations may be sent to Director of Alumni Engagement Marc Stroum ’98 at 339-686-2234 or m.stroum@rivers.org.
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alumni profile
Julia R o b i n so n ’ 0 2
2017 Young Alumni Achievement Award
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ulia Robinson is the first to admit that her path to becoming a successful business owner was not straight and narrow. Rather it took hard work, nerves of steel, and a detour or two to open not one, but three thriving fitness studios in the past three and a half years. She shared her experiences as an entrepreneur with seniors at the recent Rivers Alumni Career Fair. From her first days at Rivers, when she was elected co-president of the seventh grade, through senior year, when she racked up prize after prize, Julia made a point of trying as many things as possible, and choosing courses as much for the teachers who taught them as for their content. She won the Middle School Citizenship Prize and finished up with the Strauss Athletic Prize—the top honor for female athletes—as well as the Head of School Prize and the Epstein Award as a three-season athlete. During those years, she also studied classical ballet, having begun dancing at the age of three. After Rivers, she went to Bates College, only to discover it was not a good fit for her. She decided to transfer to Hamilton College, where she majored in psychology and was a member of the varsity lacrosse team, varsity cross country team, and dance team. After graduation she went to work at Bank of America, not because she felt passionate about the field, but because it seemed like the right thing to do. However, she had the personal insight to recognize that she needed a career that had an element of creativity and went on to work in sales and brand development for a number of start-up companies, including Gilt Group, Oribe, and Living Proof. During
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“The most important lesson I’ve learned is that being a successful business owner means being prepared—doing the research, doing the leg-work, and doing the follow-up to build a loyal clientele.” that time, she pursued her love of dance and fitness as a member of the New England Patriots Cheerleading Squad during the ’08 and ’09 seasons and even returned to Rivers to coach a season of JV lacrosse. In 2012, Julia realized she wanted to create a business of her own and combine her experiences in brand development with her passion for dance and fitness. She wisely spent the following year researching the industry as thoroughly as possible and became a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor.
She developed a unique program called Modern Barre—full body, low impact workouts inspired by the foundations of ballet, Pilates, and yoga—and spent months carefully fine-tuning the brand image of her business. Finally, in November 2013, Julia opened her first studio, Modern Barre, in Chestnut Hill, followed by additional studios in 2016 at West Acton Villageworks and at the New Balance headquarters in Brighton. “My goal with Modern Barre is to help others find balance, confidence,
and fulfillment while reaching their health and fitness goals,” said Robinson. “My mission is to create a supportive and energizing experience that our clients can look forward to every week.” When asked by Rivers students at the career fair what she would change in her past, she admitted she had no regrets. “I wouldn’t change anything because it has all led me to where I am today. I am even thankful for the jobs that I didn’t enjoy because I learned something with every experience and could narrow down what I liked and what I wanted to change going forward. Looking back it’s interesting to see how one experience evolves into another experience, bringing you to where you want to be. “The most important lesson I’ve learned is that being a successful business owner means being prepared—doing the research, doing the leg-work, and doing the followup to build a loyal clientele. There is always a level of uncertainty with entrepreneurship so building a solid foundation and diving in with resilience and flexibility is key. Once the building blocks are in place the focus then shifts to marketing your business and growing the brand. I’m excited now to have multiple locations and I can’t wait to see how my business evolves within each community and on a wider scale in the future. “I’m not sure if this is what I’ll be doing for the rest of my life,” concluded Robinson, “but right now I’m where I want to be.” Created in 2014, the Young Alumni Achievement Award is given annually to a recent graduate who models the spirit and values of The Rivers School as set forth in our mission statement. Through professional, academic, and/or volunteer roles, the recipient has demonstrated leadership, excellence in his/her chosen career, and an interest in and commitment to serving others.
Mike Ebner and Marc Stroum ’98 Join Advancement Team Rivers’ Advancement Office was pleased to welcome two new members to the team this fall: Mike Ebner as Senior Associate Director of Advancement and Marc Stroum ’98 as Director of Alumni Engagement. Mike joined the faculty at Phillips Academy, Andover in 1995 as chaplain, teacher, and assistant director of community service. He became their Director of Alumni Affairs in 2000, before transiMike Ebner
tioning to Principal Gifts Officer in 2008, serving as a key player during two major campaigns at Andover. Most recently he held leadership positions in advancement at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers and Opportunity International in Chicago. Mike has a BA in art history from Rollins College and did graduate work in theological studies at the Andover Newton Theological School. Mike has been meeting with alumni in town and around the country in order
Marc Stroum
to learn about their experiences and their vision for Rivers’ future, in conjunction
with his efforts to advance some of the financial initiatives outlined in the Strategic Plan and Campus Master Plan. Alumnus Marc Stroum brings a wealth of experience to his position after four years working at Brandeis University, dividing his time between fundraising and alumni outreach. During his last two years there he oversaw all alumni programming in greater New York City and stewarded Brandeis volunteers, building strong relationships with alumni leaders in that region. Marc has a BS in communications from Roger Williams University. Marc has been volunteering at Rivers in some fashion since he graduated, serving as co-chair of the Golf Committee, attending Homecoming and Alumni Day, or simply throwing at the baseball team’s batting practice. He has been expanding Rivers’ roster of events, in an effort to keep alumni both well-informed and excited about Rivers’ future. Keep an eye out for monthly emails from Marc highlighting upcoming opportunities.
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alumni profile
C huc k War sh av er ’ 7 8
The Importance of Philanthropy
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huck Warshaver “retired” to Arizona in 2010 and soon found himself Executive Director for Playworks, a national nonprofit that reduces playground bullying and conflicts and improves school climate through fun, healthy, inclusive games and physical activity. He puts his considerable business acumen to good use in his new “career.” “There’s really no difference between marketing a product or a program,” Chuck commented. “We are fortunate that major foundations and local sports teams in the Valley are now supporters of Playworks, and many corporations are sponsoring our schools.
“Now that I work behind the scenes in a non-profit, I appreciate even more the importance of philanthropy and
giving back. A legacy gift through a bequest is my way to help secure the future success of The Rivers School. It’s important for me to know that future generations of Rivers students will have as many, if not more, opportunities than my daughters, Ally ’07 and Liza ’09, and I had during our years at Rivers. “I love Rivers, and want to continue to give back and make a difference. I look forward to staying connected, attending reunions with my classmates, and returning when I can to present the Williams College book award at Prize Day. My bequest intention is a concrete way to help Rivers’ financial sustainability and leave a legacy my family can be proud of.”
Build Your Legacy and Rivers’ Endowment Building the endowment has always been a strategic
• Bequest: a gift made through your will or
priority for The Rivers School. Rivers’ financial
testamentary trust, in the form of cash, securities,
future is greatly enhanced by strengthening its
real estate, tangible personal property, or other
endowment to provide resources in perpetuity—
assets, for a specific amount or for a percentage
for financial aid, for faculty support, for professional development, and for curricular development.
of your estate • IRA: designation of Rivers as beneficiary of your
We invite you to help secure Rivers’ future by
IRA or retirement account, for the residue or a
making a planned gift to the school. You can play
percentage of the plan’s value
a significant role in providing extraordinary oppor-
• Life Insurance: designation of Rivers as bene-
tunities for our students while ensuring Rivers’ finan-
ficiary of a paid-up whole or universal life insur-
cial well-being. By taking advantage of tax laws that
ance policy, attractive if you no longer need to
encourage philanthropy, your planned gift to Rivers
insure your family’s financial security
can help significantly reduce your estate tax burdens. Rivers offers a variety of mutually beneficial arrange-
For more information about making a planned gift
ments that provide benefits to the donors, including
to Rivers, please contact Senior Advancement Officer
lifetime income, capital gains tax savings, and
Jan Hicinbothem at 339-686-2231 or j.hicinbothem@
income tax deductibility:
rivers.org. All inquiries are confidential.
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alumni profile
G r e g S t o l l e r ’ 8 7 , P ’ 1 9 ,’ 2 1
Educating Entrepreneurs
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here’s no limit to Greg Stoller’s enthusiasm when it comes to business in general, and entrepreneurship in particular. With a career that combines teaching business planning at the graduate and undergraduate level while also running his own business, Stoller has also actively engaged a broad spectrum of the Rivers community on the topic—through the Boston Business Breakfasts organized by the Alumni Career Development Committee, as well as the Alumni Career Fairs for Rivers seniors. Now he is reaching out to even younger students with an inaugural summer course at Rivers entitled Business Planning: Entrepreneurship in Action. This ambitious summer program is derived from a college-level course designed to provide experiential learning as part of an internal entrepreneurship project team. Students, who will meet once a week with Stoller throughout the summer, will work in small groups on start-up concepts provided by real-world entrepreneurs and will form their teams around shared interests. “The world of business keeps rolling through the summer months,” said Stoller. “This course will allow a group of motivated students to explore the inner workings of businesses they are really interested in.” Stoller, a senior lecturer in strategy and innovation at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business and former lecturer at Boston College, is himself the owner of a commercial real estate holding company. He holds a BS from Cornell University and MBA from Harvard Business School. He also produces a weekly TV show on entrepreneurship called The Language of Business.
Each team of students, comprised of rising juniors and seniors, will select one entrepreneur from a group representing a variety of sectors. The teams will develop a business plan that will give them experience in working through product development, manufacturing, and distribution planning, as well as the finance, marketing, and sales side of the project. At the end of the seven-week course, the teams will develop a strategic plan for their businesses and present a five-minute “elevator pitch” to a panel of business professionals. “This summer course is yet another feather in the cap for Rivers in terms of the work the faculty is already doing with experiential learning,” Stoller said. “What makes this such a unique opportunity is that I want the students to not only go out and analyze, and innovate, and create, but to also learn at the foot of the proverbial master,
alongside a practicing entrepreneur.”
Stoller is a firm believer in the power of networking, a key motivation behind his hosting the career fairs at Rivers. “The career fair gives Rivers seniors what I like to call (quoting a former colleague) ‘an unfair competitive advantage’ as they enter college and pursue internship opportunities,” said Stoller. “There is so much information available online, that you may feel you really don’t need to meet with people in order to get answers to most of your questions. But the one thing that you can’t duplicate is the ability to ask a person, ‘What is it like to do this? What were your biggest successes? What were your other challenges, and how does that impact me?’ The career fair, which this year featured more than a dozen alumni workshopping eight topics, allows you to do just that.”
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alumni profile
J o n A n i k ’97
The Voice of UFC
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hen a boxing promoter invited Jon Anik ’97 to a mixed martial arts event in 2007, he didn’t realize he would be walking into a show that would fundamentally alter the direction of his life and his career. “I got the bug,” said Anik, who was recently named the lead play-by-play commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC. “For me, it’s the greatest sport on earth—every fight feels like the Super Bowl.” UFC—essentially the NFL of professional combat sports—is one of the largest and fastest growing sport organizations in the world and was valued at approximately $4 billion ahead of last July’s milestone UFC 200 event. Anik is now the voice audiences hear most often when tuning in to one of the seven-hour marathons the company puts on throughout the year. “I tell people that these shows are like doing back-to-back Super Bowls because the shows are seven hours long. As a broadcaster, you really have to pace yourself. And for the fighters in the Octagon, this is the biggest fight of their lives and you have to match that intensity while still making sure you have enough energy for the 13th fight of the night, because that is the most important one, the main event,” Anik said. “I did a college football game for [UFC broadcast partner] Fox Sports 1 this fall and it felt like I blinked and the game was half over.” Anik’s path started right on Winter Street where he was editor-in-chief of The Edge and won the William F. Gallagher Publication Prize as well as the Head of School Prize as a senior. After graduating from Gettysburg College with a degree in political journalism, he attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and wrote for 36
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the Metrowest Daily News before trading the sports section for the airwaves of Sporting News Radio 1510 The Zone in Burlington and ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT, believing that while he was a strong writer, he was at his best when using his voice. “Like most kids who wanted to get into broadcasting, I grew up wanting to be the voice of the Red Sox or the Celtics. But honestly, MMA has really ruined a lot of the other sports for me. The NBA regular season feels inconsequential. Maybe you’ve got to see the UFC live to believe it, but there is just nothing in sports quite like a live MMA event.” His ascension to this role is the product of more than a decade of hard work in the broadcasting field and represents an opportunity to raise his career profile while simultaneously spending more time with his family. “I have two little girls now, so the opportunity to step into the No. 1 role and do more domestic shows was definitely something I was ex- cited about,” Anik said. “I have been fortunate enough to go to places like Brazil, Australia, and Singapore to call fights, but it will definitely be nice to do most of my 25-or-so shows a year here in the States.” With such a worldwide audience and intensifying interest around the globe, it is Anik’s job to tell each fighter’s story—whether the fighters are superstars like Connor McGregor or the 400th guy on the UFC roster. However, the nature of the sport means that a fight that has been promoted for more than two years can be over in 13 seconds after a knockout, leaving 75 percent of his material unused. “A lot of play-by-play guys use only 30 percent of what you prepare, but
“I tell people that these shows are like doing back-to-back Super Bowls because the shows are seven hours long. As a broadcaster, you really have to pace yourself. ” in our sport it can be even less than that. Sometimes you start talking about struggles a guy had before he found UFC and then, before you know it, down he goes. The sport never stops so I’m constantly on my toes.” As UFC’s profile continues to rise, it will be Jon Anik’s voice telling its story and keeping us locked in to the next fight, and the one after that.
alumni profile
G r e g S t o l l e r ’ 8 7 , P ’ 1 9 ,’ 2 1
Alumni Return to Rivers to Coach
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oaches often describe their programs as families, citing the incredible amount of time, sacrifice, and commitment that goes into any given season. This year, the Rivers athletics program took a “keeping it in the family” approach to its coaching staffs by welcoming four star athletes back to campus. Taariq Allen ’11, Ben Patrick ’11, and A.J. Walsh ’11, all members of the 2010 ISL Championship squad, lent their experience and expertise to the football program this fall, swapping their helmets and shoulder pads for hats and whistles. All three were key contributors to the football team that claimed an ISL title and a berth in a NEPSAC bowl game at Gillette Stadium in 2010 before continuing their careers at the University of Nebraska, UMassAmherst, and Williams College, respectively. Walsh worked with the varsity offensive and defensive linemen, while Allen and Patrick primarily volunteered to teach the fundamentals of the game to the Middle School team. “It’s always great to have alumni back because they can relate to what the kids are going through, what teachers they have, what the daily schedule is like, and what is expected of them on a daily basis,” said Head Coach Tom Bourdeau. “They have experience that the rest of us just don’t have and I think that can make a big difference for the players.” This winter, the varsity girls’ basketball team welcomed assistant coach Tayra Melendez ’12, who returned to Rivers after completing her rookie season with Santeras De Aguada in Puerto Rico and a four-year career at the University of Rhode Island. Like her fellow alumni, it is the connection to the school and her coach, Athletic Director Bob Pipe, that brought her back. “It’s been a great opportunity to give back to a place that gave me so much for so long,” Tayra commented. “But Pipe is why I wanted to come back—pretty straightforward—we have an amazing relationship, so when he said he needed help this winter I knew it was something I had to do.” Rounding out the alumni coaching roster are faculty members Jim Navoni ’70, Bruce Taylor ’74, Melissa Dolan ’98, and Lisa Townley ’01 who are all veteran members of the sub-varsity and Middle School athletic programs. In addition, Eric Anderson ’09 completed his second season as an assistant with the varsity boys’ soccer team, and Andrew Navoni ’09 looks forward to his third season with the varsity boys’ lacrosse program this spring. From top: A.J. Walsh ’11, Taariq Allen ’11, Tayra Melendez ’12, and Ben Patrick ’11
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alumni news
I n Mem o r i am
Debbie Petri
Mida Dunn and Debbie Petri
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ivers parent, grandparent, librarian, trustee, Board committee member, honorary trustee—Debbie Petri held many roles at her beloved school over the course of nearly half a century. She passed away on September 20, 2016, and is greatly missed by friends and family, including son Nick ’72, and grandchildren Nick ’02 and Maggie ’04. Debbie Petri took the helm as Rivers’ first librarian in 1968, remaining there until her retirement in 1988. “In the early days there were neither cards nor pockets in any of the books,” she recalled in a 1998 Riparian article. “Although there was a ledger to record book loans, the names and titles were illegible. Mida Dunn, assistant librarian [and French teacher], claims we had only one dictionary then, but I think there must have been at least two.” With a group of 15 or so volunteer mothers, Petri began to make changes to the library, located in the upper level of the Carlin Building. They raised enough money in eight weeks to move the stairs to their present location, open the glass wall that overlooked what was then the study hall—now the lower library—and close in the front foyer. Then in late August of 1979, just two weeks before the start of school, a disastrous fire destroyed the library and most of the administration offices. “I can’t begin to tell you how ghastly it was,” Petri remembered. “Students, parents, faculty, and staff who lived nearby arrived in droves to help move sodden books to the basement of the science building where we set them up on their spines, fanned them open, and commandeered every electric fan we could to keep the air moving around them.” The library was quickly 38
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rebuilt, but soon outgrew its accommodations, leading to a campaign in 1998 to nearly double its size. In supporting the fundraising efforts for the new MacDowell Library, Petri characteristically noted, “It’s the faculty that makes Rivers such a special place. Their efforts in everything they do are above and beyond the call of duty. The new library will help support the faculty and their curriculum, and the students will be able to get the materials they need and have enough space to work.” “Whenever I think of Debbie Petri, I smile,” said former faculty member Jack Jarzavek at her memorial service in November. “In many ways she was larger than life. I knew her during her twenty years as Rivers’ librarian and maintained our friendship for more than twenty years after that. We often got together for lunch or tea and solved the problems of the world. “Debbie had an all embracing love of life coupled with a no-nonsense dollop of common sense. She established the library as an orderly place for learning and research in spite of the chaos of an all-boys school at the
time. Most of all though, I remember her ‘events’ that brought smiles and delight to both the faculty and students. There was the annual croquet match on the football field in spring. Debbie and her good friend Mida Dunn would be dressed to the nines in red and white striped bloomers. Then washing one’s face in the early morning dew on May first was another decade’s long tradition. The largest football player was cajoled into kneeling on a mat and rubbing his face in the dewy grass. Students lined up to do so. “Debbie Petri was such a fine, great lady,” Jarzavek concluded. All who were fortunate enough to know her would certainly agree.
alumni news
I n Mem o r i am
James “Jim” Bouma
F
or history students, it was his enthusiasm on the annual field trip to Gettysburg that made the Civil War come alive. For athletes, it was his tough but supportive approach to coaching. For administrators, it was his meticulous attention to every detail of a building project. No matter what trait first comes to mind at the mention of Jim Bouma, his love for and dedication to Rivers for more than three decades made him a Rivers legend. Long-time Rivers faculty member James Benjamin “Jim” Bouma, who passed away on February 1, was hired in 1976 as Dean of the Lower School by former Head of School David Berwind. Thus began a 33-year career at the school he came to consider “home.” Known throughout the Rivers community as “JBB” and for his infamous “See Me” notes, Bouma held a variety of positions at Rivers, including Director of Athletics from 1984–1993. A talented football and baseball player himself, he was a varsity and subvarsity coach in football, hockey, and baseball at Rivers. With a bachelor’s degree in history from Washington & Jefferson College and a master’s from the University of Pittsburgh, Bouma taught American History as well as senior electives in economics and Vietnam at Rivers. A Civil War scholar, Bouma and colleague Rick Rizoli led their history classes on legendary trips to visit Civil War sites in the mid-Atlantic each year. “He brought a command of the Civil War and a mastery of American history in general to his teaching, but he also gave me—a teacher who had never taught history before but had a burgeoning interest in that conflict—
the freedom to do my own thing,” commented Rizoli. “One can only imagine how many of our students have been inspired by the seeds that Jim has planted.” Bouma played a key role when Rivers adopted coeducation in 1989, serving as chair of the Coeducation Implementation Committee and inaugurating Rivers’ girls’ athletics program. In 1994 he was appointed Project Coordinator, and over the next decade oversaw the renovation of the Berwind Building, MacDowell Library, and Lewis Math and Science Center, as well as the construction of the MacDowell Athletic Center. Bouma retired from Rivers in 2009 after suffering from health issues. During his three decades at Rivers, the senior class dedicated the yearbook to him three times—a true sign of the impact he had on them. The Class of 2009 wrote: “His dedication to his students is unparalleled, his passion for history contagious, and his sharp wit invigorating. As kind as he is entertaining, he is always up for a good extra help session. For his dedication, kindness, and passion for teaching, the Class of 2009 is proud to dedicate this year’s Nonesuch to Mr. Jim Bouma.” “One of the foundations of the school is the value we place on the relationships between our students and their teachers, coaches, advisors, and mentors,” commented Head of School Ned Parsons at a memorial service for Bouma at Rivers, attended by dozens of former students and colleagues on a snowy February afternoon. “Today we are here to honor a man who was one of the cornerstones of that foundation, someone you could count on for his hard work, attention to detail, and most of all his
The Class of 2009 wrote: “His dedication to his students is unparalleled, his passion for history contagious, and his sharp wit invigorating.” deep interest in his students and athletes.” Jim Bouma leaves his son Ben, Class of 1989, and his second wife, Betsy Meader, whom he married in 2010. He was predeceased by his younger son James in 1978, and his first wife Janet, assistant to the Head of Upper School for many years, in 2006.
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alumni news
Thomas Woods ’45 writes, “ Hi to all! I am currently living in Hilton Head, SC, and would love to hear from any classmates! Cheers!” Frederick Wiseman ’47 is being honored by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston with a retrospective of his award-winning documentary films, which focus primarily on the workings of institutions and the people who inhabit them. Throughout the winter and spring, Wiseman’s complete works are being aired by the museum, accompanied by discussions with the filmmaker [on May 3], critics, and film historians. Perhaps most well-known for his inaugural film Titicut Follies, released 50 years ago, Wiseman has also explored academia, art, welfare, dance, and diversity in his most recent film, In Jackson Heights. Renny Little ’51 was in Thomaston, ME last summer for the rededication of General Henry Knox’s gravesite, representing the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, and to witness the new iron fence constructed by master blacksmith David Little ’75. (www. irontable .com). “During the ceremony I was approached by a gentleman in a Revolutionary War uniform brandishing a musket with a bayonet. Thought I was done for! It was Court Dwyer ’66, past president and current secretarytreasurer of the Maine Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Great to see him though totally unexpected! For more information on Court’s activities, go to www.MESSAR.org.” Joe Scott ’60 has published two books in retirement—En Parlant for teaching French and Conversemos juntos for teaching Spanish—both by Wayside Publishing.
Fred Scott ’63 retired after 27 years in administration at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, FL, a K-12 independent day and boarding school. “I’m enjoying traveling with my wife, visiting grandchildren, and volunteer activities.”
Kyle Furman ’92 works as regional sales director for Workiva, a Saas software company that helps with complex risk and compliance reporting. He lives in Westborough, MA with his wife and two young children.
Rick English ’64 is still developing a shopping center in Nashville, TN. “Now blessed with three grandchildren, and this month Sarah and I celebrated our 15-year wedding anniversary. My alma mater VTC is in the college playoffs again. Go Mocs! Life is good.”
Alison Goldberg ’92 completed her first children’s book, I Love You for Miles and Miles, coming out in December from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Advance publicity for the book says: “Love can be stronger than the strongest excavator, longer than the longest train, and taller than the tallest crane. And no matter where you go, love travels with you always. With exciting imagery and engaging, lyrical text, Alison Goldberg and Mike Yamada’s I Love You for Miles and Miles is an I-love-you book perfect for children who love things that go!”
John Wilson ’68 splits the year between Portland, OR and Portland, ME. “A strange migrating pattern!” Sturdy Waterman ’74 turned 60 on September 7 and became a grandfather the next day to Joseph Kunkel Waterman. Milt Yanofsky ’74 owns Buy & Consign in Waltham, “an eclectic resale shop” that carries items from estate cleanouts, including collectibles, furniture, and antiques. His second business, Clean Out Your House, works with local nonprofit organizations to donate usable household items, clothing, and books. Milt also organizes a golf tournament that benefits Belmont’s community scholarship fund. Joe Bell ’84 lives in Tennessee on the Virginia line. “Bristol is the official ‘Birthplace of Country Music’ and known for our very large NASCAR Speedway. I have a wife of 21 years, Dawn, and two sons, one a four-time division football champion and three-time conference champion and he’s only 11. Perhaps the only Jewish kid to be a football superstar here in East Tennessee. My other son is 14 and is also very athletic. Looking forward to seeing the Class of 84 at our 35th reunion in 2019.”
Children’s book by Alison Goldberg ’92 Chris Willis ’93 and his wife Pamela are opening a restaurant in Cambridge this spring called Pammy’s. Located on the outskirts of Central Square at 928 Massachusetts Avenue, the “newAmerican style restaurant” aims to offer fine dining in a less-stuffy setting. The menu will focus on Italian cuisine with fresh pasta playing a central role,
Disclaimer: Rivers welcomes Class Notes from alumni about their jobs, travels, weddings, and births, but does not print information about engagements and pregnancies. Rivers assumes submissions come from the alumni claiming responsibility for them and that they accurately communicate personal news. 40
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Austin Bryce Zai
Lindsey Cronin Kittredge ’95 in Rwanda
Whitney and Ben Curits ’96 with Camden Wyatt
according to Willis, a self-described wheat-milling enthusiast. The couple plans to be open initially for dinner, extending hours eventually to include weekend brunch. Watch the local press for more details. Lindsey (Cronin) Kittredge ’95 and her husband, Justin were recently awarded a Sport and Active Society Grant by the International Olympic Committee for their Boston-based sport for development organization, Shooting Touch, Inc. Founded in 2007, Shooting Touch, which uses basketball to empower young people through social development programs both in Boston and around the world, was one of four “sport-for-all” programs from around the globe that were recognized for their contributions to the social and athletic development of their communities. Ben Curtis ’96 and his wife Whitney (St. Marks Class of 1996) welcomed Camden Wyatt, born September 27, 2016. “We are living in Huntersville, NC now. I work with Fox Sports & NBC Sports on various racing shows including NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Monster Energy Supercross, and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. I hope all is well with you and Rivers!”
Rivers alumni at Becca Soule Menses ’01 Wedding After 13 years of living in Los Angeles, Jeff Berman ’99 has returned to the Boston area with his wife, Amanda, and two-year-old son, Charlie. He lives in Needham and is a sales consultant for SmartBooks, an outsourced accounting start-up based in Concord. Jeff is excited to be back in touch with the Rivers community and looks forward to winning the Rivers Golf Tournament this year! Tracy Anik ’01 lives in Florida with her husband, and is in her second year of teaching first grade. “Florida is not Boston, but it’s nice to be near family— my mom has been down here a while, and my three brothers are here too.”
Becca Soule ’01 married Camilo Menses in Boston on a gorgeous evening last August. “Our ceremony overlooked the Boston waterfront and our reception was at Trade Restaurant. Rivers alumni in attendance were Jill Hoffmeister Demello, Kathryn Jigarjian Fagin, Amelia Hutchinson, Monica Walsh Mosseri, Ali Grabler Stein, Danielle Levine Steinman, JB Karelitz, Donny Nicholas—all Class of 2001, and Elizabeth Soule Leary ’98.” Lindsey Zai ’01 lives in Sudbury, after moving back from Boulder, CO. “My husband, Andrew, got a job with MIT Lincoln Labs—he’s an engineer—and I’m working in dental sales. Our son, Austin Bryce, was born on August 25.”
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alumni news
August Candace Crowley
Rowan Patrick O’Grady Lissy King Kasschau ’03 and her baby
Mike Crowley ’02 and his wife Lindsey welcomed their daughter, August Candace, to the world on November 16. “She’s quite a handful, but we feel extremely blessed.” James Greenslit ’02 wrote, “It was great to be back on campus to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the 2001 ISL/Class A Boys Soccer team during homecoming festivities in the fall. The turnout of players and families from that team was fantastic.” James will be entering his third year as head soccer coach at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. Marissa Goldstein ’03 reports, “We have identical twin girls, Noa & Eyva, born November 29, 2015. We are currently living in Saigon while growing our business. My husband and I run a sourcing firm that helps US companies manufacture in Vietnam—specifically apparel, bags, and electronics. We also enjoy travelling around Southeast Asia on the weekends with our world traveling twins.” Grady O’Gara ’03 and his wife moved to Atlanta in 2015 after living in NYC for eight years. “I’m working for an investment firm and she is working at The
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Westminster Schools in the development office. She also coaches the women’s lacrosse team. We have a son, Rowan Patrick, born in July. He’s a total champ. He made his claim when he wore a Pats uni for the Superbowl. Damn proud of him for that. Life is really good here; we love living in Atlanta.” Derek Stenquist ’06 is in his first year of Orthopaedic Surgery Residency in the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program. Residents in the program train and provide Orthopaedic surgical care to patients at four different Boston hospitals: Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Boston Children’s Hospital. Derek graduated from Harvard Medical School where he earned the 2016 Albright Award, presented annually to an outstanding medical student who is dedicated to surgery and patient care. James Wolf ’07 moved to Australia in July with work as a manager on the Transfer Pricing team. “Currently here on a two-year contract and enjoying life on the beach and traveling the Pacific and New Zealand.”
Kadie Greenfield ’07 married Allen Yannone on August 20 at Wychmere Beach Club in Harwich. Her sisters, Stephanie and Jordana Greenfield ’09, classmates Stephanie Shaw, Nikki Schuster, and Taylor Hoffman, and brother Jordan Greenfield ’10 were in the wedding party. Many other Rivers Alumni were in attendance, including Keilly Cutler Neagle ’06, Caite Cutler ’08, Steve Manning ’09, John Fitzgerald, Jack Brewer, Christian Dallmus, Tommy Harrison, all Class of 2010, and Lauren Creedon, Hillary Ain Cherrabi, Amanda Korff, and Kathleen Ball, all Class of 2007. Kadie and Allen moved from NYC to Norwood after the wedding. Kadie is working as a clinician and the program director of a residential treatment program for Community Counseling of Bristol County. Rachel Hunter ’08 was named to Forbes Magazine’s annual 30 Under 30 list for the financial sector for her work with Apollo Global Management in New York City. Hunter, who graduated Phi Betta Kappa from Brown University with a B.A. in Economics and Public Policy and began her career as an analyst at Morgan Stanley, joined Apollo as an associate in 2014. Now investing in real estate debt for Apollo, she has closed 30 deals totaling $2.3 billion.
Madeline Bauer ’13 was named a Schwarzman Scholar and after her graduation from Yale will pursue graduate work at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Bauer, who is studying history and East Asian studies, is also the editor of Yale’s student publication “China Hands,” which tells stories and provides analysis of contemporary China.
In Memoriam James B., Bouma, former faculty, February 1, 2017
Rachel Hunter ’08 Peter Litvack ’08 has been in LA for almost five years. “I am a production supervisor at DreamWorks Animation. I have worked on Turbo (2013), HOME (2014), Kung Fu Panda 3 (2015), TROLLS (2016), and now I am on How to Train Your Dragon 3 (2018). I supervise the Visual Effects Department.” Nicole Stenquist ’08 is currently attending a physician assistant program at Northwestern University and will graduate in 2018.
Jillian Dempsey ’09 Jillian Dempsey ’09 writes, “I’m now a Teach for America Alum (’14 Corps Member) and currently teach fifth grade in my hometown of Winthrop. My Boston Pride hockey team won the 2016 Isobel Cup Championship in the NWHL’s inaugural season. I am playing forward for the Boston Pride this season, as well! And I earned my masters in education from Boston University last July.
Peter Brotman ’59, September 15, 2016 Theodore J. Collins ’86, February 17, 2017 John R. Gilman ’43, December 8, 2016 John S. Jenness ’40, April 8, 2016 Charles C. Mandell ’66, July 29, 2016 Theodore L. Wegerdt ’48, April 7, 2016
Kadie Greenfield ’07 and Allen Yannone
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2016–17 Board of Trustees President: Robert J. Davis
Term Trustees
Summer at Rivers Looking ahead to the summer? Rivers offers an exciting array of Academic, Athletic, and Music Programs, as well as Rivers Day Camp and Camp Nonesuch. Enrollment is open to the public. Taught online and on campus by Rivers’ outstanding faculty and guest lecturers, the Academic Programs will help middle and upper school students strengthen academic skills, explore new material, and think critically. Online academic courses include: New Media and Digital Identity; Epidemics, Pandemics, & The Human Battle Against Infectious Disease; Experiential Writing; The Art of Writing: Practice and Precision; and Topics in Economics. on-campus academic courses include: Exploring Mathematics; Foundations of Algebra 1; Innovation and Design; Summer Arts; Business Planning: Entrepreneurship in Action; Writing Workshop; and Computer Programming. Athletic Programs, which take place on the Weston campus, include Boys’ Soccer Skills and Strengthening; Youth Football Clinic; Girls’ Six-on-Six Soccer; and Basketball Skills and Strengthening for boys and for girls. At the Rivers School Conservatory, the summer schedule provides a range of music programs and musical activities, including jazz ensembles, chamber ensembles, youth orchestras, private lessons, music theory, musical games, and singing. Camp Nonesuch is a coed day camp that offers campers their choice of activities each session. The Rivers Day Camp offers an exciting range of activities in a fun, safe environment that encourages growth, development, and making new friends.
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Jon M. Baker, Jr. ’85 Dennis M. Baldwin Wayne M. Bloom Benjamin R. Bloomstone Julie M. Bradley Robert E. Buonato ’81 James F. Carlin ’81 Bala Cumaresan Louise Cummings ’98 Howard G. Davis ’70 Ben D. Fischman Jay M. Grossman Scott F. Hilinski Helen L. Howard Stephen M. Jennings Daniel A. Kraft Harley J. Lank Hongmei Li Deborah H. McAneny Alison S. Monaghan Jonathan H. Paul Daniel R. Revers Alan D. Rose, Jr. ’87 Peter Saperstone Eileen H. Sivolella Andrew P. Slifka Laurie Q. Slifka Richard L. Smith Steven J. Snider Matthew Vettel Eric M. Wolf
Life Trustees David M. Berwind Charles C. Carswell Stephen R. Delinsky Peter A. Gaines Clinton P. Harris G. Arnold Haynes Harriet R. Lewis Thomas L. Lyons Roy S. MacDowell, Jr. Joel B. Sherman Frances B. Shifman William B. Tyler ’43 Joan A. Vaccarino Cai von Rumohr Joan C. Walter Dudley H. Willis
Honorary Trustees of the Corporation Joan T. Allison Thomas P. Beal, Jr. Marie Fitzpatrick Louis J. Grossman ’67 Joshua M. Kraft ’85 Warren M. Little ’51 Virginia S. MacDowell Frederick G. Pfannenstiehl ’59 A. Tozzer Spalding ’62
Reconnect with Rivers Rivers Reunion 2017 Join us on Saturday, May 20. Classes ending in 2 and 7: It’s your year! Online registration is now open at www.rivers.org/Alumni-Day HIGHLIGHTS:
• • • •
Lunch for the 50th Reunion class and earlier BBQ Lunch for alumni and families Boys’ varsity lacrosse vs. Groton NEW: Awards Presentation and Champagne Reception at 4:30 • Cocktail Reception and Dinner
Submit a class note! Send us an update about your life! Did you just get promoted or move? Did you travel somewhere awesome? Did you get married or have a baby? Email m.stroum@rivers.org
Attend an Event near you!
Boston Business Breakfast April 26, 2017, 8:00 a.m.
Summer Social in Boston June 22, 2017, 6:00 p.m. Check www.rivers.org/alumni for upcoming events in your area. We’ve been to NYC, DC, LA, SF, and Boston, of course. Come to a breakfast or reception and reconnect with local alums.
Rivers’ 17th Annual Rivers Golf Tournament May 8, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. Charter Oak Country Club • Enjoy a quick brunch, golf hosted by the Daley family, and end the day with drinks and dinner. • Register your group now at www.rivers.org/Golf-Tournament. • Sponsorship opportunities available • Proceeds benefit Financial Aid
Stay in touch! Join The Rivers School page on LinkedIn Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter and Instagram FA L L 2 0 1 6
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THE RIVERS SCHOOL 333 Winter Street Weston, MA 02493-1040
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Rivers admits academically qualified students of any race, religion, sex, disability, or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally available to its students. Rivers does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
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Please notify us if your phone number, mailing address, or email address changes so that Rivers can stay in touch with you and your family. Contact Cheryl Malcolm at 339-686-2239 or c.malcolm@rivers.org.
Dinner Anyone?
Ned and Lisa Parsons hosted the senior class for the annual 100 Days to Graduation Celebration.