T h e R i v e R s s c h o o l • f a l l 2 018
Riparian
Groundbreaking Plans for the Future
SUPPORT THE RIVERS FUND THE RIVERS FUND • 2018–2019
TRANSFORM LIVES | IMPACT THE WORLD BE A FUTUREMAKER
Your gift to The Rivers Fund will support Rivers students today and every day as they prepare to be FutureMakers.
VOL. XXXIII
NUMBER 2
EDITOR
Christine Martin CONTRIBUTOR
Stephen Porter hoTo
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Katie Harrigan, Chip Riegel, Janet Ciummei/NortheastProPhoto, John Hurley, Brendaen Makechnie, Anna Miller DESIGNER
David Gerratt
NonprofitDesign.com PRINTER
Signature Printing & Consulting Brian Maranian ’96 hea
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Edward V. Parsons iRecToR of a
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Krissie Kelleher a
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Stephen Porter s e i o R a s s o c i aT e of a va ce e T
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Jan Hicinbothem, Mike Ebner a s s o c i aT e iRecToRs of a va ce e T
Heather Jack, Kim Fox a
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Amy Dunne iRecToR of al
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Marc Stroum ’98
Choose an area you would like to support—or make an unrestricted gift to fund Rivers’ highest priorities. 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 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.” 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 Cheryl Malcolm at 339-686-2239
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fRom The head of school
Ned Parsons
Riparian T h e R i v e R s s c h o ol • fa l l 2 018
22 alumni evenTs
• alumni day and Reunion 2018 • 18th annual golf Tournament • Boston Business Breakfast • summer social • apple Picking
Features
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camPus news
• Student News • sisal art awards • Harley Lank Elected Board President • Gabriella Sanna Named RSC Director
28 alumni PRofiles
• Benjamin Bard ’91: a “Top mind” in compliance • ali grabler stein ’01: finding Balance and fulfillment • carl narcisse ’02: Building a culture of connections • greg clifford ’08: forbes “next-gen” choice
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Campaign kickoff: futuremakers
Seeing Spain Through an Interdisciplinary Lens
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PaRenT news
Under the Big Top auction a Success!
33 fRom ouR inBox
alumni news and notes
Internships Open Doors to the future
westward ho! Service and Culture in montana
ON THE COVER
Nonesuch Field hosts soccer this fall.
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MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
REACH out with Dignity By EDWARD V. PARSONS
In my speech to students at the opening of the school year, I spoke about the importance of community at Rivers and ways that we could actively build our community together, from the ground up. In the future, our students will have many opportunities at community building, and we want them to be skilled at it, and inclined to put in the hard work to make the future come to life as they have envisioned it. I offered them—and each of you— as the foundation of our community what Donna Hicks refers to in her book Dignity [our faculty summer reading] as “the primal desire for dignity, the inherent value and worth” each of us possesses from the moment we are born. “When we feel worthy, when our value is recognized,” she writes, “we are content.” We don’t have to look far to find stories of communities strengthened through the connections and relationships that bind people together across differences in ways that preserve and enhance the dignity of those involved. So what skills do we need to have— and develop in our students—to make community come to life? I believe there are certain tendencies we possess within ourselves which we can strengthen with practice. I offered the students a simple acronym to remember those key elements: REACH.
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Responsibility: Last year I told our students about the New Zealand national rugby team’s tradition of cleaning their locker room—“the sheds,” as they call them—after every match. The students embraced that concept and their mantra became “sweep the sheds.” I reminded them that sweeping the sheds is a metaphor for taking responsibility to care. We need to develop the habit of looking at every relationship we enter with an eye towards our responsibility for the dignity of those with whom we connect. Engagement: If we’re to be agents of dignity, we need to be inclined to engage with others and with the issues, challenges, and problems in our communities. Hicks talks about the dual tendencies driving human beings— that of self-preservation, and that of self-extension—and how the two are at odds with one another. Selfpreservation is related to fear, forcing us to withdraw from others to protect ourselves from perceived threats. But self-extension encourages us to engage thoughtfully with people and forces outside of ourselves, an essential step in supporting the dignity of others. Action-orientation: We need to practice the skills of engagement to grow into better agents of dignity, the kind of people who see a need in another, and find a way to fill it. It can be as simple as asking someone their
name . . . or making room at a crowded lunch table…or taking an interest in someone’s family life. Simple acts of extension go a long way and are never forgotten. Character: The work of habitually reaching out to others requires effort, and that, in turn, builds character in each of us, developing us as more impactful human beings even as we turn our attention on the needs of others. Especially as we do so. And finally, Hope: Self-extension is a manifestation of hope. The world needs more manifestations of hope, and we want our students to be skilled at bringing hope to life outside of Rivers. It starts with acknowledging and accepting responsibility, it moves through the inclination to engagement, to active ways of problem solving difficult societal challenges that may seem intractable. Character will pull each of us through and will grow with our work. I have hope for all of this because I’ve seen what this community can do. I’ve seen us struggle in our commitment to these ideals, and I’ve seen us triumph. We will do both again; it is part of the building process, and each year is a new opportunity to build, from the ground up. Our opportunity starts now; practice has begun. We make the future, right here, in the present.
CAMPAIGNKICKOFF CAMPAIGN Rivers launches $50 million FutureMakers campaign
S
ome 400 members of The Rivers School commu-
go as a school and of the kind of innovative educational
nity, including current and former parents, facul-
experience we want to be able to offer our students. It is an
ty and staff, and alumni, gathered in the Optum
ambitious vision that will reshape our campus, enhance our
Lounge at Gillette Stadium, home of the New
ability to attract and retain the best teachers, and enable
England Patriots, on the evening of Tuesday, October 30, for
us to make our school accessible to a more diverse com-
a very special celebration—the public launch of the largest
munity of students. This campaign will provide the financial
fundraising campaign in the school’s history.
foundation to turn our vision for Rivers into a reality.”
In addition to being the largest, the $50 million cam-
The school is going into the public launch of the cam-
paign is also the school’s first comprehensive campaign,
paign having already raised $36 million during the quiet
meaning the money raised will fund not just one project, but a range of different priorities.
phase, which began in January 2016. “The quiet phase of a campaign,” explains Director of Advancement Krissie
“This is a milestone moment for Rivers,”
Kelleher, “is the period of time during
says Head of School Ned Parsons. “We
which we talk about the priorities of
have a clear vision of where we want to
the campaign with our largest donors
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so that we can build support and generate momentum before we move into a public launch. Now that we are taking the campaign public, our challenge will be to inspire as many people in our community as possible to participate in it. “It’s exciting to be able to come out of the gate with nearly 60% of the funds already raised,” she adds, “but in order for us to reach our goal, we are going to need the support from the full Rivers community.” One member of the Board of Trustees who has already demonstrated his support for the campaign in dramatic fashion is Dan Revers P’15, who made a gift commitment in 2016 of $5.4 million, the largest single gift in the school’s history. His leadership and generosity enabled the school to move forward with its plans to build a new Center for Science and Visual Arts. Construction on the 34,000square-foot facility has already begun, and the building is scheduled to open in January 2020. The early gifts to the campaign also made it possible for Rivers to build a new athletic turf field, Nonesuch Field, which opened last year, and to establish a new Center for Community and Civic Engagement, which opened in September. The Center is dedicated to helping students expand their understanding of the world and develop the knowledge and skills needed to become engaged citizens and advocates for positive change. Revers says he was moved to make his donation to the campaign because he believes Rivers “has a unique vision of what will be required of our next generation of leaders and a curriculum and faculty that will help students develop the skills necessary to become those leaders. “Rivers is a school blessed with a top-tier faculty and staff who do a fantastic job of providing students with
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a forward-thinking, interdisciplinary educational experience,” Revers says. “Unfortunately, until now, they have been constrained in their work by outdated facilities and a small endowment. We owe it to our children to change that. So I chose to make a substantial gift in the early days of the campaign in hopes of inspiring others to join me in giving Rivers the resources it needs to realize its full potential. It’s a school that deserves to be recognized as one of the best private schools in New England.” The notion that Rivers is a school committed to preparing students to become engaged, compassionate leaders in a world beset by complex problems was the inspiration for the campaign’s theme—FutureMakers: The Campaign for Rivers. “The theme not only speaks to the mission of our school,” says Parsons, “but it reflects the role all of us can play as we strive to give our students the best educational experience possible. Our students, who we hope will go on to lead lives of meaning and influence, are futuremakers. Our teachers, who are responsible for fostering our students’ growth as skilled learners and effective collaborators, are futuremakers. And our parents and alumni, whom we depend upon to provide the financial support needed to deliver on our promise to our students, are futuremakers.” In addition to the construction of the Center for Science and Visual Arts and the building of Nonesuch Field, the campaign’s priorities include: • Reimagining and renovating existing school spaces to better meet the needs of the Middle School and the humanities departments of the Upper School, • Increasing the financial aid budget to make Rivers accessible to a more diverse community of students,
• Developing innovative new educational programs and initiatives, • Growing both the school’s endowment and annual fund, and • Providing more professional development opportunities for faculty.
of going out into the world and becoming change makers. Over the years, we have become huge admirers of the Rivers faculty and of the school’s mission. Serving as a campaign chair is an honor, and it’s my way of giving back to an institution that has given so much to my family and to so many others.”
“This is a campaign with ambitious goals, and it is a campaign that will transform the school,” says Campaign Chair Dan Kraft P’12,’15,’21, who also serves as a member of the Rivers Board of Trustees. “It will upgrade the school’s facilities to bring them on par with the high quality of the school’s program, and it will bring much needed funds into the endowment and into the annual fund. “Rivers has been an important part of my family’s life for a long time,” he adds. “My wife, Wendy, and I have seen first hand what this school can do for students, molding them into thoughtful, confident, intelligent leaders capable
Contributed by Stephen Porter, Director of Communications and Marketing at The Rivers School
MORE INFORMATION To learn more about FutureMakers: The Campaign for Rivers and how you can support it, go to www. RiversFutureMakers.com.
CAMPAIGNGOAL CAMPAIGNGOAL
CAMPAIGNPRIORITIES CAMPAIGN
Capital Projects: $30 Million
Capital Projects: In addition to providing funding for the construction of the Center for Science and Visual Arts, which will open its doors in January 2020, the campaign will help fund the renovation of existing spaces that will be reimagined to meet the needs of the Middle School and the Upper School humanities departments.
Endowment: $10 Million Annual Fund: $10 Million Total: $50 Million
Endowment: Money drawn off the interest generated by the school’s endowment is used to support financial aid, professional development opportunities for faculty, and the creation of innovative new programs that strengthen and deepen the Rivers educational experience. Annual Fund: The annual fund accounts for 7% of the school’s annual operating budget. Used to sustain and enhance academic and co-curricular activities, it has a direct impact on the experience of current students and faculty. FALL 2018 | Riparian | 5 FALL 2018 | Riparian | 5
CELEBRATING
Audra and Harley Lank P’21, Board President
Head of School Ned Parsons P’17
Trustee Laurie Slifka P’13; Max Slifka ’13; Former Board President Bob Davis P’06,’08,’13; Eric Slifka P’13 Trustee Louise Cummings ’98 and Trustee and Campaign Chair Dan Kraft P’12,’15,’21
Trustee Dan Revers P’15 and Katy Crocket
Wilo Ramos and Amaris Peña-Ramos P’22,’25; Margaret Rodero P’19,’22; Nobuhiko and Noriko Hata P’19,’24 John ’69 and Mallory Waterman 6
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CAMPUS NEWS
in V ienna and V enice during March break. Each ensemble performed in both cities to enthusiastic audiences, and students were able to sample the local music scene as well as the local cuisine. See photos and videos of the trip on Facebook at @rivers schoolconservatory.
The Center for Community and Civic Engagement
Center for Community and Civic Engagement Opens
Students Perform in Vienna and Venice
The new Center for Community and Civic Engagement opened its doors this fall, funded in large part through the Parents’ League Auction. U nder Director Dr. Amy Enright, its mission is to help foster civic capacity in the Rivers community and empower students to be productive citizens. W ith its teleconferencing capability, the Center will serve as a door to the real world, enabling students to see how the skills and subjects they are learning in class connect to what other students and professional adults are doing every day. Students will find help with research and outreach skills for assignments ranging from a senior project focused on social justice to an eighth grade humanities project. The Center will host a speaker series so students can hear a variety of viewpoints on issues and will develop a robust network of opportunities for internships, research programs, conference participation, and engagement through service learning.
Members of Rivers’ U pper School O rchestra, Honors Big Band, and Men’s and W omen’s choruses spent an exciting week performing and sightseeing
Women2Women Conference Enlightening Natalie Hall ’19 and Samirah Moody ’21 had a unique opportunity this summer to meet young women from around the world as participants in the W omen2W omen America International Leadership Program. The ten-day conference in July, based at Simmons College, brought together teenage activists to “train them in the areas of leadership development, cultural awareness, conflict resolution, and civic engagement.”
Women2Women participants in the State House
Music students sightseeing in Venice
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CAMPUS NEWS
Middle School Presents The Lion King Jr. The Rivers Middle School Players staged a visually lush, dance-filled production of The Lion King, Jr. in the Black Box Theater in May. “It was wonderful to work with this cast,” said Director Diane DeVore. “I was impressed by their work onstage and the way they supported and encouraged one another off stage.”
Middle School’s The Lion King Jr.
Students Co-Chair Model UN Conference Four members of Rivers’ Model U N co-chaired the student-led conference held at the Cambridge School of W eston in April. Natasha McMillian ’19, Thando K humalo ’19, Becca Stachel ’19 and Leighton Young ’19 partnered with students from Dana Hall and CSW to organize the debate and preside over the conference whose theme was “Youth and Diplomacy.”
Model UN Conference
Spring Awards for Ensembles and Soloists Fifteen classical musicians participated in the MICCA statewide solo and ensemble festival in April and five entries came away with Gold ratings, while one soloist received a Silver rating. In addition, three of the Gold-rated entries were recommended for the prestigious Honors Concert, which showcased the top performances from the day. The Select 1 Combo received a Gold Medal at the 2018 MAJE State combo competition;Joe Nedder ’18, Michael Manasseh ’19 and Henry Lewis ’20 received O utstanding Musicianship Awards and Nedder won the Herb Pomeroy MV P Award.
Rivers Givers Grant $12,000 to Non-Profits
Rivers Givers held their annual check presentation assembly in April,
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Gold-winning Select 1 Combo
Rivers Givers and grant recipients
MICCA winners Julien Burks ’23, Jacqueline Lee ’23, and Michael Wu ’23
distributing grants worth $12,000 to four local non-profits:the Living Assistance Fund, Boston Youth Sanctuary, W ATCH CDC, and W altham Family School. The organizations were recommended by members of the Rivers community, selected by the student-run philanthropy group after an extensive review process, and funded through a variety of fundraising activities.
Tim Clark Explores Ceramics via 3D Printer V isual Arts teacher Tim Clark immersed himself this summer in the creation of ceramic objects, using his hands, the potter’s wheel, 3D printers (both clay and plastic printers), as well as plaster molds. He took “Adventures in Slipcasting, Prototyping, and Mold-Making” at Harvard U niversity’s Ceramics Program, participated in a wheel throwing workshop, and created
Nic Stathos ’18
Samirah Moody ’21
from the Parent Independent School Network for their work with the local non-profit Family Promise Metrowest. The students organized a club on campus to sponsor outreach activities with Family Promise in its effort to end the cycle of homelessness.
Red Wing Recap
PIN recipients Sara Bargamian ’18 and Stephanie Dailey ’19
Tim Clark’s 3D printed vessel
the objects for a site specific art installation this fall at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, MA.
Student Composer Featured at Contemporary Music Concert “The Singing W ells,” composed by Apsara Balamurugan ’20, was performed by the U pper School O rchestra at Rivers’ 40th Annual Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young in April.
Students Win PIN Award Composer Apsara Balamurugan ’20
Myles Epstein ’19
Sara Bargamian ’18 and Stephanie Dailey ’19 received an award in May
Members of Rivers’ track and field team won individual events at both the ISL and NEPSAC championship meets. Nic Stathos ’18 came in first in both the NEPSAC 1500 and 3000 meter races. Myles Epstein ’19, who earned a Globe All-Scholastic and the ISL Coaches Award, came in first in the 100 and 200 meter dashes in both the ISL and NEPSAC, while Samirah Moody ’21 came in second in both the NEPSAC 100 and 200 meter dashes, after having won both events at the ISL meet. Sarah Stephenson ’18 was second in the 3000 meter and Rohan Dhir ’18 was third in the high jump. Caroline Phelps ’18 won her second All-American designation after helping the girls’ lacrosse team finish with its strongest record in years at 9-3. Rivers’ golf team, captained by Ian Brostowski ’18 finished second in the ISL with a remarkable 14-1-2 overall record. North Field and Pavilion
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CAMPUS NEWS
Rivers Artists Win Big Rivers artists received 12 awards at the 2018 SISAL (Small Independent School Art League) Show last spring, garnering four First Prizes, three Second Prizes, three Third Prizes, and two Honorable Mentions. In addition, Lisa Byrne ’19 received First Prize in the Next-Up! art competition, while three other students— Joelle Mentis ’18, Isabel Silvia ’18, and Emily Smith ’18—received honorable mention. NextUp! is hosted by the Page Waterman Gallery in Wellesley, owned by Sturdy Waterman ’74. SISAL First Place winners were Chris Bucking ’19, woodworking; Alejandra Paez Penaloza ’24, mixed media; Emily Smith ’18, ceramics; Hunter Taylor-Black ’19, painting. Second Place winners: Jackie Benjes ’20, woodworking; Isabelle Hilinski ’23, painting; Alexa Lehan ’18, drawing. Third Place winners: Lisa Byrne ‘19, printmaking; Caroline Grady ’19, woodworking; Lucy Tonthat ’22, drawing. Honorable Mention: Matt Cronin ’19, ceramics; Caleb Leeming ’19, woodworking.
Lisa Byrne ’19, “Artist’s Hand”
Hunter Taylor-Black ’19, “Shards of a Woman”
Emily Smith ’18, “Unity”
Alejandra Paez Penaloza ’24, “Expressive Me”
Chris Bucking ’19, “Johnny Kantaros Outdoor Logo”
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Harley Lank Succeeds Bob Davis as Board President At its annual meeting in June, Rivers’ Board of Trustees elected current trustee Harley Lank P’21 as its new president, to succeed outgoing president Bob Davis P’06,’08,’13. Lank brings considerable expertise to his new role as Board president, having served on both the Finance and Facilities committees of the Board. As Rivers moves forward with the construction of the new Center for Science and Visual Arts, Lank will be working closely with the Board committees and the administration to continue to implement other financial and programmatic goals, including the opening of the new Center for Community and Civic Engagement. Lank 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. Lank received a bachelor of science degree in business from Syracuse University and an MBA from the Wharton School
of Business. He and his wife Audra have a son, Tanner ’21, at Rivers. During his four year tenure as president, Davis guided the school through a period of transition as Rivers welcomed Ned Parsons as new Head of School in 2014, formulated a new Strategic Plan in 2015, and began to implement many of the Plan’s goals to provide students with a skills-based education that is global,
multicultural, experiential, and technologically enriched, while maintaining the relationships and sense of community that is quintessentially Rivers. As the father of three Rivers graduates, now out of college and in the working world, Davis often credited the strong relationships his children formed while at Rivers as key to their current success and happiness. Under Davis’ leadership, the Board of Trustees also approved the school’s first comprehensive campaign to address longer term goals to build campus spaces that reflect and support the excellence of the school’s programs and allow for development of new curricular and extracurricular programs. The campaign is also focused on growing the endowment to support program, faculty, and financial aid in a sustainable culture of philanthropy and connection. When announcing the Strategic Plan, Davis called upon the Rivers community to join him in shaping Rivers’ second century, and throughout his tenure, he focused on developing a plan of action that would move the school closer to its goals in an aggressive, yet prudent manner.
Trip to Sweden an Enriching Experience
Students Value Intergenerational Connections
Dr. Amy Enright’s trip to Stockholm this summer, supported by a Rivers Faculty Enrichment Grant, was an opportunity to experience first-hand how history is constantly in the making and how cultures can and do adapt to that changing history. Both her AP Modern European history class and her work as Director of the New Center for Community and Civic Engagement will be influenced by what she witnessed and participated in during her trip.
Students in the IDS elective “Systems Thinking for the Common Good” presented their projects about social change movements to residents at the Golda Meir House in Newton, generating lively discussions about current social issues and the differences in generational activism. Some of the topics the students addressed were the #Metoo movement, the fight for a $15 minimum wage, and the March for Science.
Amy Enright in Sweden
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Gabriella Sanna Leads The Rivers School Conservatory and Performing Arts Department After 26 years under the leadership of David Tierney, The Rivers School Conservatory welcomed Gabriella Sanna back to campus in August as its new director of the renowned Conservatory. In addition, Sanna took over as chair of Rivers’ Performing Arts Department. Sanna is no stranger to the Conservatory, having served as chair of RSC’s Chamber Music Department from 2004-2010, as registrar from 2002-2004, and as a private piano instructor at RSC from 1999–2016. An award-wining pianist who has performed in solo recitals, chamber ensembles, and with vocal and instrumental groups in the Boston area and throughout Italy, Sanna brings a deep commitment to music performance and music education as well as nearly two decades in arts administration. She has a proven track record of successful fundraising, program development, and recruiting at several of Boston’s leading community music institutions. “I am so pleased to be back at the Conservatory, and to build on the legacy of excellence that David left behind,” commented Sanna. “I look forward to working with both the Rivers and Conservatory faculty members, many of whom I know, to continue to create programming that encourages a life-long love of music in our students.” “We saw quickly that Gabriella’s impressive musical background, combined with leadership in the world of both community music schools and independent schools, made her a perfect fit both to lead The Rivers School Conservatory and to chair the Performing Arts Department at The Rivers School,” said Head of School Ned Parsons on behalf of the hiring committee when announcing Sanna’s
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Middle School’s The Lion King Jr.
Model UN Conference appointment. “We saw that her commitment to inclusion in music education and to expanding opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds to engage and discover a passion for the arts made her a perfect fit for our community. We’re thrilled to have Gabriella joining The Rivers School to lead our programming forward.” Sanna succeeds David Tierney who became Head of School at Cambridge Friends School in July. During his long and successful tenure, Tierney built a faculty renowned for both their professional accomplishments and their teaching ability, and fine-tuned the Conservatory’s program offerings to fully engage both Rivers students as well as students from the surrounding communities. A highlight of his tenure was the establishment of the Conservatory Program for Rivers’ outstanding student musicians. In addition he directed numerous Rivers musicals and was the conductor of The Rivers Symphony Orchestra, a
community orchestra sponsored by the Conservatory. Under Tierney’s direction, the reputation of the music programs has continued to grow, with students and ensembles garnering awards in every musical genre and at every level of performance locally, nationally, and internationally. He instituted a standard of excellence for which the Conservatory is now known, a studentcentered approach that put the needs of children first in order to foster in them a love for music, and an inclusiveness that encouraged beginner and expert alike and encouraged deeper exploration on the part of those he served. Before coming to Rivers, Sanna was executive director at Project STEP (String Training Education Program), founded in 1982 to provide rigorous string training for children from underrepresented communities in the Greater Boston Area, as well as performance opportunities and family support. Prior to that, she served from 2010 through 2016 as executive director at the Dedham School of Music, where she developed an array of programs for an expanding enrollment, including early childhood classes, private lessons, ensembles, outreach programs in the local public schools, partnership programs with private schools, and concerts for the public. Sanna also served as assistant director at the Dana Hall School of Music, and chamber music director and artist-in-residence at Beaver Country Day School. She has a master’s degree from the Longy School of Music; an artist diploma from the Accademia Internazionale di Novara, Italy; and a bachelor’s degree from the Conservatorio di Musica “L. Canepa,” Sassari, Italy, all in piano performance.
Seeing Spain
THROUGH AN INTERDISCIPLINARY LENS
W
ith barely a pause to catch their breath, a dozen Rivers students finished their finals in June, packed their bags, and hopped on a plane for two actionpacked, lesson-filled weeks in Cádiz, Spain. Accompanied by language teachers Melinda Ryan and Mary Lane Brown, these eager participants in Rivers’ Summer in Spain program immersed themselves in the language and life of Spain, living with local families, taking traditional language classes in the mornings, and visiting historical and architectural sites each afternoon. The Summer in Spain program has been a staple of Rivers’ trip abroad program for many years, but within the last two years has added an interdisciplinary dimension to the experience. “The students are actually enrolled in our Interdisciplinary Studies course entitled Cádiz: At the Intersection of History and Contemporary Spain,” explained program director Melinda Ryan. “They meet weekly throughout the spring in order to prepare more fully for their experiences in Cádiz.” As is typical with Rivers IDS classes, the students chose an essential question to focus on, and a mentor on campus to help
At the Museo Histórico de San Fernando
them formulate the best approach to completing their final project after returning from Cádiz. Some prepared powerpoint presentations with photographs to accompany their conclusions, others submitted artwork. Throughout the trip, the students contributed to blog posts on medium.com. Jackie Benjes ’20 was very interested in learning how the Spanish are dealing with the wave of immigration that is sweeping across Europe. Her project—and the entire group’s experience—was greatly enhanced by a visit from a volunteer and two immigrants connected to Pepita Diaz of Tartesos, an organization that supports migrant refugees of all faiths and nationalities, providing them with everything from emergency food and shelter to Spanish language lessons to help them assimilate and find work. “Talking to immigrants who had spent two years of their lives traveling to Spain in pursuit of a better life as well as the volunteer who was helping them was truly an amazing experience,” Jackie noted. “We were able to see the loving and special relationship between the volunteer and the refugees, as well as hear about their incredibly difficult journeys to get to Spain
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The class with Fernando Rodríguez Izquierdo
The class with Jean Jule, Martial, and Pepita
from Cameroon. It was very inspiring to see that Spain is helping them and that they are slowly settling in to living a normal life here. It was also special to hear the volunteer’s side of the story and her feeling that all immigrants, with or without papers, deserve a good life.” Sydney Greer ’20, whose topic was Jewish history in Spain, particularly appreciated the class visit by Fernando Rodríguez Izquierdo, from Sefarad Judería Cádiz, who spoke about Jewish heritage and culture in Cádiz. His talk, which ranged from the early history through the Franco era to the present day, was enlightening, and inspired students to look for the many secret symbols left around Cádiz by the crypto-Jews throughout the centuries. For her final IDS project, Sydney created a Jewish “tree of history” in Spanish. Lauren Barich ’20, who is a budding artist herself, chose to focus on acclaimed Spanish artist Manuel Ortiz Ventura, known for his landscapes and scenes depicting life in Cádiz. Lauren contacted Ortiz Ventura via email in April to introduce herself and arrange a meeting to discuss his art, inspirations, and techniques. Ortiz Ventura, who spoke no English, graciously consented to meet when Lauren arrived in Spain and enthusiastically answered her questions about all aspects of his art during her interview. To complete her IDS project, she created her own visions of life in Cádiz in acrylics when she returned to the US—including a street scene with a steepled church that captured one of the views she saw frequently and symbolized the connections with others that she felt during their stay. “A number of students chose to research various aspects of Spanish art or architecture—how street art affects culture, for instance,” said Ryan. “Others focused on women’s rights or the role of gender in history. Having these topics to consider helped them to ask more questions in the course of our afternoon tours to various parts of Cádiz or the surrounding historic sites. It was clear they were internalizing what they saw on a much deeper level than the typical teenage tourist.” The IDS projects were only part of the overall immersion the students experienced in Cádiz. After classes each weekday morning at Colegio San Felipe Neri, the students visited sites throughout Cádiz—the oldest city in Western Europe—tracing the route where the first Spanish Constitution was written and signed, touring Phoenician and Roman ruins, making paella from scratch, visiting the bull ring in El Puerto de Santa María,
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learning the Andalusian dance called Sevillanas, touring the offices of the popular daily newspaper Diario de Cádiz, and relaxing on La Caleta beach. They sampled the local fare in markets and restaurants when not enjoying the home cooking of their host families. “Despite the language barrier, our dinner table was as much a comedy as a meal—always filled with humor, jokes, and often tears if we laughed hard enough,” said Julian Rivers ’19. “Our cultural differences only brought us closer together.” One of the major excursions of the program was a visit to Baelo Claudia. The students walked the striking hillside ruins, stopping at each site to imagine life there 2000 years ago, before heading to one of the most beautiful beaches in Spain. The day ended back in Cádiz where the students gathered in the town center to watch the Spanish national team in a World Cup soccer match. “Watching Spain versus Portugal was a great experience in understanding the importance of soccer within the Spanish culture,” commented Sam Waller ’20. “The Plaza de Mina was filled with passionate fans, cheering for their team as if they were watching the game right in the stadium!” During the middle weekend, the students went to Granada, visiting the Alhambra, the Capilla Real where the remains of the Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand are located, and La Casa del Arte Flamenco to get a taste of real Spanish dance. On the final afternoon of the trip, the students visited Gibraltar, a British territory on the Iberian Peninsula. “I was not expecting this program to be some of the best and most meaningful weeks of my life,” wrote Rachel Mann ’20 in the final post from the trip. “Before leaving home for the airport I was nervous because I thought of everything that could go wrong. What if I can’t communicate with my family? What if I get homesick? Instead, everything went right. I came to know Cádiz and its people and made amazing, lifelong relationships along the way. My host family, Milagros and Juan, could not have been more welcoming and kind, and my roommate and I were extremely comfortable in their home. If I received this opportunity again, I would do it in a heartbeat. This experience has inspired me to continue traveling and to continue learning Spanish.” Then before they knew it, they were boarding the plane back to Boston. ¡Ya está!
Internships
OPEN DOORS TO THE FUTURE For more than a decade, Rivers has been placing rising seniors in internships at local medical, technology, and research institutions. This summer seven students worked at venues ranging from Amazon Robotics to Children’s Hospital’s Simulation Lab. The goal of the internship program is to find positions for students that allow them to acquire advanced skills and complete meaningful projects while working with professionals. The students shared reflections on their experiences on medium.com throughout the summer, and presented their findings at an Upper School assembly in September. New this year were internships at Energy Action Partners, “a nonprofit organization that works with communities to help improve access to sustainable energy through the use of technology and a strong sense of community,” and at Histogenics, a “leader in the development of restorative cell therapies that may offer rapid-onset pain relief and restored function,” where Alexa Francesconi ’19 interned. Here are some of the highlights of the interns’ accomplishments.
X AV I E R ZU V E K AS ’19 A MA ZO N ROB OTICS I learned an incredible amount, ranging from the intricacies of robotic design and production engineering to the structure of the corporate environment. I came into this summer knowing nothing about operations, manufacturing, or even making spreadsheets in Excel. Everybody welcomed me with open arms and did everything possible to get me up to speed wherever they could help. Over the course of the summer I developed strong relationships with people ranging from the line workers who build the robots to the engineers who design the robots being manufactured.
LI SA BY R N E ’19 EN E RGY ENACT PARTNERS I worked with another intern to develop a software tool that we called the Minigrid Game. It is used for planning and designing small, independent energy systems for rural communities. Mini-grid technology is very important and effective for these types of communities because of the low population
density; mini-grids expand the radius of electrification of businesses and homes without the need to be connected to a centralized grid. My first task was to learn a new coding language, MySQL, which I used to build the database to collect information from the Minigrid Game.
COLETTE MEIER ’19 B RUK ER DA LTONICS My job as an intern fell under the umbrella terms of “testing and marketing.” Under my mentor, I worked on a project to study antibodies and present the resulting data to biopharmaceutical companies. These companies use antibodies—the proteins responsible for autoimmune functions—found within living organisms, to create medicines that treat and diagnose illnesses. Part of the process of assembling these medications is the chemical generation and culturing of the various antibodies. Bruker hopes to market their new maXis II to biopharms; given its resolution, this mass spectrometer could be put to use analyzing the large protein and peptide molecules the biopharms culture.
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OW E N PFA N N ENST I EHL ’19 JAC K P I NE T EC H NOLOG IES
THANDO KHUMALO ’19 DR . R EISTER’S INTER NA L ME D I CI N E PRACTIC E
During the second half of my internship at Jackpine, I worked on a new task: recreating software assets. Jackpine’s main product is a web application called CONS3RT, which allows users to combine operating systems, software assets, test assets, and other tools and then automate the running of them on virtual or physical machines. You can create a separate computer system without the hardware or manual work that consists of only what you need. The problem with this system is that while Jackpine’s two commercial and government sites have plenty of software assets and systems built by users ready for use, the QA [qualitative analysis] site doesn’t have access to these. It became my job to recreate these assets.
For my research project, we focused on the effectiveness of a drug usually only used to treat hypercortisolism on diabetic patients with higher than average cortisol levels. High cortisol levels can increase the risks of complications in diabetes, such as cardiovascular disease and nerve damage. So far, we have found that this drug has not only lowered cortisol levels to near normal, but has allowed Dr. Reister to prescribe lower levels of insulin, enabling patients to lose weight more easily. More research is necessary to determine how effective the drug can be in treating diabetes and how common hypercortisolism is in diabetics, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.
E MI LI A D E J ESUS ’19 BOSTO N C HIL D REN’S H OS P ITA L SI MP EDS P ROG RAM
STEP HANIE DAILEY ’19 HA RVA R D MEDICA L SCHOOL MEDSCIENC E PROGRA M
Part of my internship was to design and run my own simulation so I chose to have a child come into the emergency department in anaphylactic shock, and those participating in the simulation were then tasked with diagnosing and properly treating the patient. This was a great experience because I gained a much better understanding of all that goes into making a given simulation possible. I was also able to shadow a child life specialist in pre-op for a day, and got to see to the surgical side of the hospital while also learning about the importance of child life specialists.
Each intern was in charge of researching a disease or condition that they would present to that week’s high school participants—for my case, I chose tetanus. Each student was able to ask one question about how I was feeling or what symptoms I was having. They were also able to ask for a test such as a MRI or X-Ray of a certain area of the body. They eventually asked for a blood test which revealed an infection due to the high white blood cell count, and were able to figure out through more questions that the condition was tetanus. I then did a presentation about tetanus and what causes it, what the symptoms are, how to cure it, and how to prevent it; building this case involved being able to predict some of the answers the students might have.
The Summer Science Interns
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In addition to Rivers’ science internships, two Rivers students participated in the Fidelity Summer Internship Program this year: Kian Behjat ’19 and Estelle Luong ’19. This program is geared toward students with strong backgrounds in the arts, who bring a different perspective and skill set to the company, and gain exposure to a career in financial management— something they might not consider for themselves as artists.
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Westward Ho! On June 16, just days after the school year ended, a group of rising freshmen and sophomores set off for a Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana where they immersed themselves in the local culture for a week. Under the direction of Middle School math teacher Tori Wilbur and Upper School science teacher Yoshi Fujita, they camped in tents on the grounds of the Wild Rose Center, shopped for and prepared their own meals, completed service learning projects, participated in festivals, and met with members of the Northern Cheyenne community. They then set out to explore nearby Yellowstone National Park where they enjoyed the natural beauty of the park and tried their hand at horseback riding and whitewater rafting. During the trip, the students kept journals and shared their experiences on medium.com/the-rivers-school/montanaservice-trip/home. Here are excerpts from their blog posts.
The “Girl Who Saved Her Brother” Anniversary by Noah Naddaff-Slocum ’21 Today we went to the anniversary celebration of the battle of the Girl Who Saved Her Brother. We listened to speeches from the Cheyenne tribe members, prayers, and sacred songs from the “Cheyenne Boys.” In the speeches they emphasized the importance of women in the society and how the tribe couldn’t survive without them. The Battle of Rosebud [as it was also
known] was fought between American troops and the Lakota and Cheyenne tribes . . . so the tribes could maintain their way of life. Buffalo Calf Road Woman, a Cheyenne native, saw her brother in the battle about to die. She ran in and saved her brother from his injured horse, which prevented his imminent death. Her actions have played an instrumental role in the current Cheyenne society and the respect for women warriors. We later had our faces painted to give us protection and strength, and walked up and down a road next to the battle site while the natives did a relay run from Rosebud to Busby to commemorate the girl’s athleticism. Today, we learned a great amount about the Northern Cheyenne tribe and their history. The point they emphasized the most was that women are the backbone of the society. They even passed out shirts to everyone with a quote on the back that read, “A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground.”
Earning Our Keep by Sawyer Helzberg ’21 Today on the reservation a few others and I made a big breakfast. Making pancakes (and bacon) usually isn’t something that one would consider difficult, but if your goal is to make enough to feed 12 people, then you might find yourself in for a challenge. We made roughly 50 pancakes, all of which we ate. After
Face Painting at the Girl Who Saved Her Brother anniversary.
Restocking the little free libraries
breakfast, we helped remove weeds and other nutrient-depriving plants around the outside of the house. This took lots of focus and concentration, but as a group we figured we could get the job done. After weeding, we helped clean out two hydroponic plant towers to get them ready so we could add new seeds to them. We planted a huge variety of plants including (but not limited to) tomatoes, eggplant, watermelon, cucumber, basil, and more. We even had to change the pH in the pumping system! We still had time to play this cool game called Avalon—essentially a role-playing game that takes place in the time of King Arthur—and had so much fun playing it.
can be used to make strong cord. He also told us about how, in tracing the roots of the Cheyenne people, he looked at the Bible, and saw many similarities in the stories. In addition, he has found many ties between Mongolian culture and the Cheyenne culture, such as the significance of the number five, blue cloth symbolizing the heavens, and the Mongolian spot that many Cheyenne children are born with. I have a lot of interest in plants as well as their purposes, so to hear about all of the different ways that plants can be used was a really cool experience that I will definitely remember as one of my favorite moments of the trip.
A Healer Named Linwood
Serving the Community with LEGOs
by Anna Monaghan ’22 Yesterday evening, a man named Linwood came to the lodge. He teaches ethnobotany at the local college, and has spent his whole life tracing the roots of his people, the Cheyenne. After dinner, we all sat around the table and Linwood talked about his experiences in Alaska and told stories from his childhood, as well as from various Cheyenne legends. Then he took out his plant press, which was filled with different flowers and herbs with medicinal purposes. Some have roots that numb your mouth when chewed, some are used as dyes, and some
by Mason Tuff ’21 The robotics day was certainly one of the more interactive and fascinating community service opportunities we have experienced during our trip so far. To start off, we got the opportunity to work with kids involved in the 4H program, one of the largest youth development programs in Montana. They explore a variety of different aspects of human life and working with us helped them to stretch their creative minds while building robots. I found it interesting that even though the age range of these kids was vast, each of us was able to
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Learning to lasso
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Talking with Linwood about plants
Whitewater rafting
make a personal connection with them. With the few minutes we had before they arrived, we familiarized ourselves with the different bits and pieces of LEGOs. As the kids came, a few at a time, it was a little difficult to engage them right away. We all wanted to get to know them well but it was certainly difficult to jump in and ask them if they need any help as they often said: “I think we’re all right.” But as the activity progressed, we formed teams and got to know the kids. I was amazed at the level of knowledge and interest in robotics and engineering that the kids I worked with had. Considering their age (12 years old) I was even more impressed by their creativity and drive to make the most complicated robot they could. Although I could build robots for hours, I think we can all agree just listening to what these kids had to say and exchanging what we had to say was what made this activity so successful and powerful. This exchange, despite all that we have seen in Montana so far, taught me the most about how Montanans my age truly live.
The Gift of Literature by Ellis Mandel ’21 Today we began by sorting through all the books donated by those who no longer need them, then went to many different towns on the Reservation dropping off the books at each free
Seeding the hydroponic tower
Building LEGO robots with 4H boys and girls
library. April [our guide] told us that kids ride their bikes to these free libraries and pick up books, and the idea is to excite kids in an educational experience. We then went to a local high school called St. Labre, a private Catholic school with no funding from the government, that also provides every graduate with assistance in paying for college. St. Labre also has a museum that contained interesting artifacts from the Northern Cheyenne tribe, such as dolls, tribal clothing, and shoes. It was very fascinating see old artifacts used by the Northern Cheyenne tribe, and it helped us better understand their heritage and culture. While we were at St. Labre they offered us lunch through their meal program that provides all local children with free breakfast and lunch on weekdays. On the weekends, it is common for kids to have little to no access to food. Many children attend summer school at St. Labre because, according to April, there’s nothing else for kids to do. Summer school there is more like camp: the kids play games and go swimming. The day ended with a surprise from the sun, which has been hiding in the clouds this entire week. On our way home, we encountered a herd of buffalo! We ended our final night in Busby admiring the landscape and surroundings, knowing we may never be back.
Lassos and Music by Janelle Shulman ’22 When we got back from refilling the free libraries yesterday, April’s daughters arrived and started to talk about roping (with lassos) and how they had been doing it since they were little. We went outside and picked up the ropes and started waving them around in the same way we see in movies. Obviously this was incorrect, so Miah and Bailey showed us the correct positioning of where to put your hands, how to not “helicopter” the rope (which was hard for me), and how to toss the top against the “cow”. At first I was resistant but once I did try, I roped the “cow” on my first try! Next we went to a concert at Lame Deer Elementary School featuring Callie Bennet, a spiritual/inspirational singer and songwriter who has won a NAMMY award
Weeding at the Wild Rose Center
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and is widely recognized in Canada. She is part of the Navajo people and lives in Arizona. Her voice and the lyrics she sang were beautiful. About half way through her concert her sister China did a contemporary dance to one of her original songs, which was very well done. Callie’s message was about having hope in the young people and she had us remind our neighbor, throughout the concert, to keep hope alive.
Little Bighorn, A Long Car Ride, and Saddle & Paddle by Will Randall ’21 On Thursday, we left the Wild Rose Center and drove toward Yellowstone. On the way, we stopped at Little Bighorn Battlefield. The Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand, took place on this historic site in 1876, and involved several Native American tribes, including the Northern Cheyenne, against the U.S. Army. This battle was significant because it was the last battle that the Native Americans won before being placed on reservations by the U.S. government. After visiting the battlefield and learning about the battle, we continued our drive. On the long car ride, we stopped in Billings to pick up food for lunches and breakfasts for the rest of the trip. We then made our way to Gardiner, a town just north of Yellowstone, where we would be staying for the night, and had unique meals such as bison burgers and elk burgers for dinner. The next day, we woke up and headed to a ranch to ride horses and then go whitewater rafting. Overall, although we were sad to leave the Wild Rose Center, we had many fun and new adventures in the days that followed. Other sightseeing highlights included seeing Yellowstone River Falls (the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone), exploring “Artists Paintpots,” seeing Grand Prismatic, having a snowball fight in June, watching Old Faithful erupt, finding elk crossing the street, encountering a buffalo right outside the hotel (!), hiking Mount Washburn (elevation: 10,290 feet), and driving through Beartooth Pass (where the snow was piled higher than the van). Wilbur summarized the lasting impact of the trip on the group, students and adults alike: So the “Montana 2018 Trip” has successfully touched down in Boston, yet I find myself, at 1:08 a.m. on Tuesday morning, unable to sleep. Maybe it’s the absence of nighttime chattering in the nearby tents or the lack of an evening debrief that almost always prematurely ended with “and then we had dinner”. Maybe it’s knowing that tomorrow will be a quiet
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day devoid of teenage laughter and breathtaking scenery. No, that’s definitely not it. The real reason is that this group, this experience, without expectation, took on its own meaning for me and is now just a memory . . . a memory I will cherish. Being immersed in the Native American culture, seeing and experiencing what we did, opened our eyes to a new world within the borders of our own country. The people on the reservation were so welcoming and eager to share their stories: they weren’t bitter toward us or resentful for our history. The Northern Cheyenne people embraced our small group everywhere we went and gave us an inside peek at their lives through their stories and hospitality. I was asked what my favorite part of the trip was and hands down, it was the growth of the students, who became like family on our adventure. These kids were heartfelt and raw in describing their experiences each day, regardless of how little they’re telling their parents now that we’re home. Ellis described the feeling of breaking through the awkwardness of meeting other kids for the first time. He felt like he didn’t have much in common with them, but ended the trip wanting to push himself outside of his comfort zone more often because “there’s a whole world out there when you look past others’ differences.” Anna was grateful she went on the trip because now feels like she has seven close friends who can show her the ropes in high school. She also appreciated the time to reflect in solitude. Will enjoyed taking the time to reflect on each day’s events and wants to make sure he thinks about his days going forward to ensure each one is memorable. Sawyer’s reflections revolved around gratitude: he was constantly appreciative toward his chaperones and wants to make a habit out of showing gratitude in his life, because of how happy it makes him. Mason’s takeaway from the trip was his fascination in the spiritual stories of the Native Americans. He wants to explore these stories even more. Noah was a constant for everyone on the trip: always willing to support the group and be a friend to others. Though it was challenging, he liked having alone time to embrace the land and reflect on his experiences in solitude. He hopes to do this more in his daily life. Janelle was excited about how much happiness the experience brought her and hopes to bring more positivity to the world. I know each of us got something special out of this trip and I hope that The Rivers School’s Montana tradition will continue for future students to engage in a new culture and learn to appreciate the land, the stories, and the people that may otherwise go unnoticed. This is Ms. Wilbur, signing off . . . for now. l R
PA R E N T S ’ L E A G U E A U C T I O N
Dan and Natalie Santiniello, Geoff and Martha Tuff, Christine Ruddy, Andrea Naddaff, Jen Helzberg
Kena and Mike Thompson, Jen and Chip Douglas
Under the Big Top Generosity Is Over the Top
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he Rivers community set a new record for giving at the annual Parents’ League Auction, raising close to $340,000 for professional development, student technology, and the new Center for Community and Civic Engagement. Nearly 400 parents, faculty, and staff attended the Under the Big Top event, enthusiastically bidding on silent and live auction items that ranged from a luxury suite for 16 at a concert at Gillette, to a trip for two to Iceland, and a fishing charter with the Wicked Tuna crew. The evening ended with a final appeal to bidders to provide funding for the newly established resource center on campus which will be led by former History Department Chair Amy Enright. In all, $157,850 was raised to help fund three Center initiatives: teleconferencing equipment, a speaker series, and student fellowships. The Center, according to Ned Parsons, “will create an environment that develops a culture of engagement and fosters civic capacity and leadership in our students.” The co-chairs of this year’s event were Amaris Peña-Ramos, Audra Lank, and Kathleen Katterhagen. They and their committee chairs coordinated more than 100 volunteers in the months leading up to Saturday’s event—gathering auction acquisitions, scheduling table volunteers, and overseeing the venue set-up. Klee Miller and Claudine Sheinkopf led the decorations committee, which set the stage in MacDowell for “the greatest show on earth.” l R
Kathleen Katterhagen, Audra Lank, Amaris Peña -Ramos
Lynn and Robert Wambach
Jenn Lemley and Ginny Churchill
Janet Correia
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ALUMNI EVENTS
Lisa Hurwitch Raftery ’93 and Jon Wasserman ’88 Class of 1978 and spouses enjoying dinner
Alumni Reconnect at Reunion 2018
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he weather may not have been the best for Reunion 2018, but stalwart alums from 1940 on gathered for a day of activities, highlighted by the afternoon Awards Reception and Presentation, where Chris Ehrlich ’88 received the Alumni Excellence Award, Rachel Hunter ’08 was awarded the Young Alumni Achievement Award, and Jon Wasserman ’88 was the recipient of the 2018 Rivers Cup. The day began with an informal coffee and conversation session hosted by alumna and trustee Louise Cummings ’98. After Director of Diversity and Inclusivity John Bower gave an overview of the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Rivers, a lively discussion ensued about future goals and their implementation. Head of School Ned Parsons hosted a lunch for all classes at the Head’s House and gave a State of the School update, followed by a talk by archivist and history teacher Dave Burzillo who shared a variety of items from the archives. The award-winning Honors Big Band gave a mid-afternoon concert for alumni before the Award Reception and Presentation. Parsons opened the ceremony by honoring David Tierney for his 26 years of dedicated service to Rivers as Director of The Rivers School Conservatory and Chair of the Performing Arts Department. Tierney stepped down in June to become Head of School at Cambridge Friends School. Receiving the Alumni Excellence Award was Chris Ehrlich ’88, Managing Director and Global Head of Locust 22
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Louise Cummings ’98
Walk’s Biopharmaceutical Practice in San Francisco. Rachel Hunter ’08, member of Apollo Global Management’s Commercial Real Estate Team, and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, was presented with the Young Alumni Achievement Award. Jon Wasserman ’88 was the surprised recipient of the 2018 Rivers Cup, given annually by the Alumni Association to a member of the alumni body who has shown extraordinary dedication to Rivers. Jon is currently Rivers’ Director of Finance and Operations, having previously served in the Alumni and Advancement Office. Following the Awards Presentation, alumni, faculty, and friends joined the Reunion Reception and Dinner in the Campus Center. Attendees got a first-hand look at Rivers today through an in-depth day-in-the-life video, and enjoyed a look at the Rivers of yesterday in a slide show of old yearbook and reunion photos. Conversations, class photos, and a photo booth with props—which made their way into class photos—made for a lively evening. “We were so lucky to go to Rivers,” commented Scott Feinerman ’98. “It’s incredible to see all the changes that have taken place and to take a stroll down memory lane. Thanks, Rivers, for putting this together. I can’t wait for our 25th!” l R
David Tierney Leonard Lewis ’45 and Lee Wernick ’60
Sue Cahners GP’05,’08, Rachel Hunter ’08, Amy Cahners P’05,’08
Additional Reunion Photos S E E PAG E S 3 2 & 3 3
Class of 2013 at the reception
Class of 1988’s JP Twarog, Matt Kelleher, Matt Stoltmann with spouses and future Rivers alums
Chris Ehrlich ’88 and Lisa Hurwitch Raftery ’93
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ALUMNI EVENTS
Tax Law Discussion Draws Breakfast Crowd
Larry Glazer ’86, Arthur Page P’07, Greg Stoller ’87, P’17, ’19, Adam Gorlovsky-Schepp
Travis Wilkins ’95, Adam Greene ’02, Jonathan Karelitz ’01
Peter Yaffee ’65 and Larry Glazer ’86 Caitlin Hurley ’02, David Tackeff ’10, Emily Snider ’12
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ivers’ Alumni Career Development Committee drew a wide range of alumni to their spring Networking Breakfast in Boston to discuss “Strategies for Navigating the New Tax Laws.” Greg Stoller ’87, P’17, ’19, a lecturer at BU’s Questrom School of Business, moderated a panel of experts, including Larry Glazer ’86, Arthur Page P’07, and Adam Gorlovsky-Schepp. Derek Kelliher ’08, was the chair of the event which was held at the Boylston Street offices of Bain Capital. Of the two certainties in life—death and taxes—taxes seemed to raise more anxiety among the attendees than the former. With so many financial issues being impacted by recently adopted laws, the committee was fortunate to enlist speakers from three different areas to advise on topics related to investing, estate planning, philanthropy, and funding education costs, whether for children or grandchildren. In addition to analyses of market volatility, investment opportunities, borrowing forecasts, and the like, the speakers shared some basic advice for living in turbulent times. “People don’t want to acknowledge change,” noted Glazer, co-founder and managing partner at Mayflower 24
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Advisors. “Be a beneficiary of the current market volatility, not a victim. Earnings will be up in the coming year, but not necessarily for the same companies.” Gorlovsky-Schepp, a business associate of Arthur Page and CPA with Raphael & Raphael, offered some practical advice for the younger alums in the audience. “If you’re thinking of buying a house, don’t base your decision solely on the implications of the new mortgage deduction rulings,” commented Gorlovsky-Schepp. “Buy a house because you want to be a homeowner.” Finally, Arthur Page, parent of Allie Page ’07 and a partner at Hemenway and Barnes delivered sage advice for all ages: “For the sake of your mental health, take a long-range view of the current financial and political situation. Live your life according to your values and what’s important to you.” The Alumni Career Development Committee hosts a number of events during the year, including the Career Fair for seniors, and networking and social gatherings in Boston and around the country. Contact Director of Alumni Engagement Marc Stroum ’98 at 339-686-2234 or m.stroum@rivers.org with comments or suggestions. l R
ALUMNI EVENTS
Golfing for a Great Cause
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ore than 120 alumni, parents, and friends turned out for the 18th Annual Rivers School Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid at Charter Oak Country Club, donated for the day by the Daley Family—Pat ’84 P’13,’15,’18 and Fred P’12,’14,’16. The event, chaired by Jeff Berman ’99, raised more than $75,000 to help deserving and qualified students attend Rivers. The honorees of the day were the Carlin brothers—Jamie ’81, P’15,’16; John ’83, P’18; and Matt ’84—long-time supporters of both Rivers and the Golf Tournament. The foursome of Scott Barchard ’06, John Corridan ’06, Athletic Director Bob Pipe, and math teacher and basketball coach Keith Zalaski took first place. l R
Jeff Berman ’99, Marc Stroum ’98, Jamie Carlin ’81, Gary Todd ’84
Gary Todd ’84, Pat Paley ’84, Jim Corsi, Dara Torres
Bala Curmaresan, Sean Silvia, Ned Parsons, Jamie Carlin ’81 Jeff Berman ’99, Bob Pipe, Scott Barchard ’06, John Corridan ’06, Keith Zalaski, Marc Stroum ’98
The Class of 1966 returns each spring: Warren Ferguson, Rod MacPhie, Bob Williams, Tom Swaim
Tony Massarotti, Dan McCartney, Jeff Meropol, Daniel Snyder
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ALUMNI EVENTS
Summer Solstice Social What more can you ask for on a warm summer’s night than good friends, good food, and good memories to share? Will Carlin ’15, Mitchell Newcomb ’11, Amanda McGuinness ’12, Susanna Donahue, Jordan Cross ’15, Karin Narcisse, Brian Hoefling ’08
Jack Birger ’08, Caite Cutler ’08, Jonathan Salzman ’08, Will Duffy ’12
Jonathan Salzman, Todd Seresky, Brian Hoefling, Caite Cutler, Julia Bateman, Jack Birger, Sarah Weinstein, all Class Margaret Taylor, of 2008 Ellie Jenkins, Sara Berthiaume, Michelle Durand, all Class of 2011 Maura Crowley, Olivia Antonelli, Lindsey Ades, Meghan Lee, all Class of 2014
Aaron Behr ’11 and Stephanie Lie ’11 Maura Crowley ’14 and Susanna Donahue 26
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ALUMNI EVENTS
Apple Picking and More Rivers alumni and their children gathered on perfect September Sunday for a few hours of apple picking, train rides, pizza, and more at Lookout Farm in Natick.
Heather Ganitsky ’98 and Leslie Silberman ’98
Lauren Movshovich ’98 and Kristen Nendza ’98
Jackie and Todd MacDowell ’99
Scott ’99 and Elissa Robertson
Future Red Wing Avery Stroum
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ALUMNI PROFILE
B enj am i n Ba Rd ’ 9 1
A Top Mind in Compliance
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ince 2014, Ben Bard has overseen the myriad ethical and compliance issues that inevitably arise at one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers—Archer Daniels Midland Company—as its Vice President, Global Chief Compliance Officer. Falling under his purview are the company’s global compliance policies and programs, including the code of conduct, ethics helpline, anti-corruption, trade compliance, antitrust/competition law, data privacy/protection, and conflict of interest programs. Bard was honored this spring as one of Compliance Week’s Top Minds 2018, which recognizes leaders who are “effective, collaborative, constructive, and visionary, and known for their experience in the field, overall professional stature, and individual achievements.” Bard recently traced the career path that led to his challenging and ever-changing role at ADM. “I double-majored in sociology and urban/regional planning at Northwestern, then went to Case Western for law school. I originally thought I might be interested in health law, but after law school I began my career working in the financial services industry. As a highly regulated industry, banks are a great place to launch a career in compliance, but financial issues tend to be either black or white. After a few years, I wanted to be challenged in a business where there were more gray areas involved, 28
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where I could find creative solutions to problems, so I went to work for The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, managing their international ethics and compliance programs.” After seven years at Coca-Cola, Bard joined ADM where he realized its compliance team needed to become a more proactive, solutionsbased partner with the business divisions, rather than one reacting to legal and regulatory issues after they had arisen. He had strong ideas about how a compliance team can integrate its work with the goals of the business and help the company deliver on its commitments to its customers and shareholders in a commercially successful, yet ethical way. “The way companies respond to compliance crises and ethical situations matters more today than ever before,” said Bard. “Employees expect their companies to say the right thing and do the right thing, regulators around the world are monitoring behavior and working together like never before to bring enforcement actions for misconduct, special interest groups and other non-governmental organizations are demanding increased transparency and responsible business practices from companies, and we are seeing a trend with investors moving their money towards companies with reduced exposure to reputational risk.” “The best part of my job is that no two days are the same,” he continued. “Every day presents new challenges, new opportunities to develop and
learn, and new ways to add value to my business colleagues. My days are filled with providing advice on the law and company policy, preparing and delivering training sessions and awareness communications, leading internal investigations, monitoring and analyzing company data for compliance risks and trends, remediating identified issues and reporting outcomes to key business colleagues, and managing a global team and budget. No two days are alike, and it never gets old.” In addition to his work at ADM, Bard also serves on number of boards and lectures on ethics and compliance at Chicago area law schools. “Early in my career I appreciated the support I received from others,” said Bard. “I am simply paying that forward. I want to encourage others to consider a career in my field. Law schools are still not offering courses on corporate compliance even though it is a burgeoning field and rewarding practice area. It’s also a great career option for people who love to write, train/present, audit, conduct data analysis, provide advice, and manage risk.” “I am thankful that my parents made it possible to attend Rivers, and I consider myself a proud alumnus,” Bard reflected. “Rivers offers a genuinely supportive culture—one that allows each student to blossom in their own unique way. It was during my time at Rivers that I discovered my intellectual curiosity, developed confidence to lead others, and appreciated the importance and value of diversity. These are things I view as essential to every success I’ve had. However, as much as I enjoy my career, what I love most in this world is my family. I am lucky beyond words personally and professionally.”
ALUMNI PROFILE
caR l n aRc iss e ’ 02
Building a Culture of Connections
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or Carl Narcisse, issues of diversity and inclusion have always been top of mind, and with Slack he has found a company that allows him to put his ideals into practice. Slack is a San Francisco-based software technology company, one of the fastest growing in Silicon Valley, and one that cultivates a culture of connection, both in its products and in its workforce. “Slack was built on the vision of founder Stewart Butterfield to create a diverse team built on mutual respect,” said Narcisse. “To me it is profound and inspiring to see that vision in action.” Narcisse’s role as a senior technical recruiter has him searching for the best available talent to fill a variety of engineering needs. “We recruit engineers for product development, such as mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, but also engineers to develop software for security and safeguards against various system failures. In our San Francisco office we are focused more on creating apps, but we have offices around the world, including Asia, Australia, and Europe. There we are hiring engineers for strategic operations, to ensure site reliability, to keep the apps up and running regardless of local infrastructure issues. We hire everyone from interns to junior engineers to managers and directors.” Slack, in a nutshell, provides “a collaborative hub that brings the right people together with all the right information and tools to get work done.” It provides a platform for a company—from the small business/ startup to Fortune 500 companies— to organize their work, connect their teams, and improve communications. “The first reason I joined Slack
was, as I mentioned, Butterfield’s vision for his company’s culture. For instance, there are resource groups to encourage an awareness around issues of inclusion and diversity in our employees. “Butterfield is also the second reason I joined Slack. He is someone who turned failure into success more than once, and has remained a humble person throughout. He started Flickr, which was really the forerunner of Instagram and Facebook with its visual platform. After it was acquired by Yahoo, he started a video game company called Glitch that he just couldn’t get off the ground. But in the process he realized he needed a way to chat and message with his development team and from that need came Slack. He and the leadership team he’s put together are not typical of many Silicon Valley success stories. I find the whole story humbling and captivating. “The third reason I joined Slack is the product itself, which continues to evolve. At this point, you can do
just about everything on the Slack platform, which has apps for analytics, marketing, communications, lead generation, productivity, and more. You can Skype a client or order an Uber through the Slack platform. You can go through your whole day without leaving Slack. It’s an ecosystem that integrates other programs you already use to eliminate inefficiency in your business.” Narcisse has also been an advocate for students of all ages—high school and college—to get out of the bubble and get some real-life experience under their belts. “Prepare yourself by being entrepreneurial,” said Narcisse when asked for some specific advice for those looking to break into the high tech field. “Create a project, then become part of an engineering community, like Bitbucket or GitHub, to share it. Learn best practices, go to a conference like SXSW or Grace Hooper for women technologists and network. Learn about different company cultures and expose yourself to all kinds of experiences. “Once you land a job, continue to think like an entrepreneur. How can you bring value to the company beyond your defined responsibilities? Feel empowered to add other skills to your repertoire. It will show your maturity and courage. “A company like Slack values skills and acumen, but it is also looking for someone who can work with a team,” concluded Narcisse. “We want someone who will care not only about his own team, but the other teams in the company, someone who has crossfunctionality, who can think creatively, and who takes pride in the quality of their product. Basically we want someone with both IQ and EQ”
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ALUMNI PROFILE
al i g R aB l e R sT e in ’ 0 1
Finding Balance and Fulfillment
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li Grabler Stein took time out during a recent trip east to stop by Rivers and chat about her career with a group of entrepreneurial-minded Upper School students. They were captivated by her stories about her early days at Facebook where she worked for almost a decade, and a little surprised to hear that she left what seemed to be their dream job in order to find a better life balance— and a different kind of fulfillment— as business manager for a Bay-area interior design firm. Stein graduated in 2001 and went to Colgate, where she was a psychology major who also loved the challenge of the science and math classes she took. After Colgate she nearly accepted a teaching position in the math department of a prep school in New York, but decided after visiting a friend in San Francisco that she wanted to try living there. “A friend from Rivers had an older sister who worked at Google—Nicky Jackson Colaco ’97—and she helped me land a job soon after I arrived,” said Stein. “My first assignment was working on the ad platform in the legal department, dealing with trademark infringement, among other things, which made me wonder if I should think about going to law school. Then I saw a job posting for Facebook. I had just joined the social network after a lot of pressure from friends, and now I was one of the first 50 employees there! I started out as part of the customer support team. I had grown up working in my family’s hardware store in Needham, so customer service was a big part of my background. I had also been co-editor
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of The Edge, so teamwork was nothing new to me.” The customer service department, which soon grew from 10 people to 200 employees, dealt with everything from retrieving someone’s password to harassment. As products were rolled out, Stein would gather feedback from customers and relay it to the engineers, who would come up with immediate solutions— like sending someone their password—as well as long-range solutions—setting up a program for self-retrieval. After six years in customer service, she moved into products, working on the updated iPhone and iPad applications. “Initially the apps were very slow and buggy, so I helped manage the process for rewriting the program with the engineers. Most exciting was when Facebook went public, and suddenly the mobile apps needed to generate ad revenue to satisfy the investors.”
Stein then worked with a small team to determine how to get the rest of the world on Facebook and the Internet, often having to troubleshoot to ensure that Facebook performed well in less than optimal situations. When Facebook began to go multilingual, the company asked their current bi-lingual employees and users to make it happen, rather than hiring outside workers. Eventually Stein had a young child and a long commute from San Francisco to Menlo Park, so she left Facebook to do business development and operations for a boutique interior design firm. “Now I get to express the more artistic side of my talents,” said Stein who was an avid photographer while at Rivers. “I like being a generalist and using my artsy side.” “Early on, Facebook saw Google as its competitor, not Myspace,” Stein noted in the Q and A that followed her talk. “The key to a company’s success is that the core product needs to be a good experience. Facebook was always building tools to be more efficient. Adding photos to Facebook and tagging people was a huge driver in growth, as well as opening it to high school students and to the general public.” “Rivers had a sense of community,” she noted when asked about her success at Facebook and now at the interior design firm. “Networking happens every day at Rivers, it’s part of everyday life. You must be interested in other people to be successful. Even though Facebook’s success may be very data driven, in the end their goal is to connect communities.”
ALUMNI PROFILE
g R eg cl i f f oRd ’ 0 8
Forbes “Next-Gen” Choice
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reg Clifford ’08 was thrilled to learn this spring that he had been named to the 2018 Forbes list of America’s Top Next Generation Wealth Advisors, an elite group of the top young performers in the field who were nominated by their respective firms, then vetted and ranked by SHOOK Research. “I interned at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management for two years while I was at Hobart College, and started as an associate right after earning my undergraduate degree,” said Clifford. “Initially I was studying for a number of certifications, while also preparing for client and investment due diligence meetings. I was a sponge really, learning the ins and outs of the business. “After nearly two years of meeting preparation and client service work, I became an advisor and was managing my own relationships. Now a little over four years after that transition, I run a wealth management group at Merrill Lynch, and together we deliver a wide suite of private banking and investment management services for families nationwide. “I love learning someone’s story —that’s really my favorite part of the job,” Clifford continued. “My team and I are fortunate to work with successful individuals in fields ranging from law and medicine to business owners and corporate executives. Everyone’s path is different, but it’s always rewarding to help people with their most intimate objectives and, even more so, their concerns.” Clifford’s interest in his clients’ stories stems in part from being an English major. “I always liked math, but I never knew what I wanted to do, especially
during my days at Rivers—although I do have fond memories of learning from amazing people like Jim Navoni. I had no idea what I wanted to study at Hobart, so after trying a wide array of classes, I finally realized how much I loved to write, and share stories and ideas. So I became an English major, although I did take a number of economics classes.” Clifford also credits Rivers Givers and Red Key with helping him form successful partnerships with his team and his clients. “When you have the ability to relate to people from different facets of life, different interests and passions, it certainly helps in my industry. I think I really learned the value of connecting through both of these clubs at Rivers. In Red Key, you have to appeal to the different interests of each prospective student. Musicians, athletes, and future scientists all have different passions, so the tours looked and sounded different for each. Financial
planning can be very similar in that way. “I also learned the value of giving back in meaningful ways through Rivers Givers. I am on the advisory board for the RNA Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Most of us are affected by cancer, and this is an initiative that will hopefully, one day, cure the horrible disease.” A star athlete at Rivers, captain and All-ISL in football, four-year member of the lacrosse team, Clifford still finds time to be involved with the athletic department at Hobart. He also manages to carve out some personal time for exercise, travel, his beloved golden retriever, and exploring the greater Boston dining scene with his wife, Sarah. “I’m having a lot fun right now,” said Clifford when asked about his future at Merrill Lynch. “Our team has the infrastructure to grow substantially. It’s a very entrepreneurial path, so I hope to continue to build/manage our practice to new frontiers.”
Celebrate 15 years of the Conservatory Program at Rivers! December 12, 2–4 p.m. Bradley Hall: Alumni panel and reception with current students. Come meet (and hear!) current Conservatory Program students in an informal setting.
January 5, 7 p.m. Bradley Hall: Alumni concert and reception. Come as a performer or audience member and catch up with other alumni and faculty. Formal invitations will be sent out shortly.Please contact Dan Shaud at d.shaud@rivers.org with questions or RSVPs.
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ALUMNI EVENTS
2018 Reunion Classes: Looking Good!
Class of 1958 Nate Withington, Tom Chase, Christopher Morss
Class of 1973 B.T. Taylor, Mitch Coddington, David Bradley ’74, Bernie Torri
Class of 1983 Alex Stephens, Peter Gould, Eric Stephens, Edward Sonier, Phil Stathos, Larry Clawson
Class of 1993 Back Row: Jason Newberg, Hans Ellison, Ryan Murphy, Matt Sullivan, John Uhrich Front Row: Lisa Hurwitch Raftery, Anne Robinson, Jared Gerstenblatt, Tracey Kaplowitz, Naomi Wernick, Rebecca Reed, J. P. Fine
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Stacy Aliapoulios, Tom Navoni, Bill Sullivan, Jonathan Bello, Kip Dole
Chris Ehrlich, Matt Stoltmann, JP Twarog, Jon Wasserman
Back Row: Bruce MacDowell, Marc Sutter, Kristin Nendza, Alex Chadis, Matt Williamson, Marc Stroum, Brooke Evershed, Matt Talbot, Kyle Hagen-Collins, Scott Feinerman, Austin Falxa, Jared Marcus. Front Row: Johanna Fierman Snyder, Heather Ganitsky, Louise Cummings, Adam Berezin, Sam Stuart, Leslie Silberman, Lauren Movshovich, Melissa Dolan, Jesse Greenberg
NEWS FROM OUR INBOX
Renny Little ‘51 emailed, “Thought you might want this note for all Rivers lacrosse alumni prior to 1965. Coach Tommy Thomsen has been elected to the IMLAC Hall of Fame. I was his assistant coach from 1960 until he left Rivers for Denison University.
Marissa Goldstein, Filipe Estrela, Tera Kull, Lissy Kasschau
Roland Hopkins ’54 invited classmates George Benway and Peter Stames to lunch recently and enjoyed catching up on old times at Rivers. He hopes to reach out to more classmates in the near future. Bob Lider ’67 and his wife Lisa spent time in Arezzo, Italy, this summer visiting with Jack Jarzavek.
Bob and Lisa Lider with Jack Jarzavek
Back Row: Jack Birger, Jake Whiting, Sarah Weinstein, Brian Hoefling, Rachel Hunter. Front Row: Anna Littman-Quinn, Manya Steinfeld, Julia Bateman, Lindsay Bloom
Bob Tremblay ’74 co-wrote the screenplay for “The 6th Amendment,”” a short film that was shown in April at the Boston International Film Festival, where it received the Indie Soul Best Picture Award for director Elika Portnoy. Last year, it was shown at the American Film Institute’s film festival in Los Angeles, and the Woods Hole Film Festival on Cape Cod where it received the second-runner up Audience Award prize for best dramatic short. Bob has written 22 feature-length screenplays. One of those scripts, “Jack the Messiah,” was a CineStory finalist. He works full time as an editor and film critic at the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham. Steve Safran ’86 married Kimberley Johnson this summer at the Harvard Club in the Back Bay— the couple first met while Steve was at Rivers and Kim at Dana Hall.
Class of 2013 Back Row: Ian Francis, Chris Tomaselli, Kate Mecke, Carly Devereux, Christina Keefe, Emilee Daley, Dan Corcoran, Joey Sack, Andrew Xia. Front Row: Vanessa Torrice, Meghan Hornblower, Kathryn Nielsen, Suzanne Burzillo, Sophie Brown, Nicky Wilkins, Michaela Thomsen, Katie Sack, Tucker Taylor, Chris Domos
Bridget O’Connor Garsh ’00 noted this spring, “Hudson is doing great. He was born on November 7, 2017, and his full name is Hudson Connor Garsh. I’m back at work and busier than ever, managing two additional teams.” Hunter Connor Garsh FALL 20 18
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NEWS FROM OUR INBOX
Deanna Cox ’06 recently relocated from NYC and is working as an assistant director of college guidance at the Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, FL.
Alex Krotinger and Michael Lisavich with Jack Jarzavek
Alexandra Krotinger ’04 was married to Michael Lisavich this summer, with Jack Jarzavek officiating. Julia Auster ’06, current Rivers French and drama teacher, married Andrew Hogan on September 8 at the Pierce House in Lincoln, MA. The ceremony was performed by John Corridan ’06— the fifth wedding ceremony he’s performed for friends and family. Also in attendance were Shannon Merrell, Rose Friedman and Nina Birger, all Class of 2006. The happily married couple is living in Newton and is excited for the next chapter of their lives together!
Eliza Butler ’10 is living in Vancouver, BC and enjoying all the beautiful outdoors has to offer. She received her master’s in integrative health studies in May 2017 from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco and now works as a health and wellness coach for athletes transitioning into life after sports. Leah Stansky ’10 is living in Boston and attending Boston University to receive her master’s in public health with a focus in health communication and promotion. Ben Walsh ’15 was recently elected to the Epsilon Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at Hamilton College. Walsh, a senior majoring in Russian studies, was elected to membership in recognition of his exceptional academic achievement in fulfilling the goals and purposes of the college. John Nydam ’15, who is majoring in music with minors in jazz studies and computer science at Princeton University, returned this summer to work with current Rivers musicians and RSC students as a mentor at the Conservatory’s Summer Jazz Program.
College Athlete News
Julia Auster and Anrew Hogan with John Corridan
Jen Berkowitz ’14 led the Yale basketball team to their first Ivy League Tournament appearance, then on to win the Women’s Basketball Invitational Championship, the only women’s team in Ivy League history to claim a postseason tournament title. Jen received the Karen Yarasavage Bulldog Award and the 2018 Nellie Pratt Elliot Award, Yale’s most
prestigious senior female athletic award. Matt Treveloni ’14, a Colby College senior and one of the top hitters in the league, was named to the NESCAC Baseball All-Conference Second Team. He ranks third in the NESCAC in batting average, was tied for third in triples, and is seventh in slugging percentage. Jamie Navoni ’15, a Connecticut College junior, was named to the AllNESCAC Second Team. Midfielder Navoni, who was also a captain and the leading scorer for field hockey last fall, led the women’s lacrosse team in five of the six major statistical categories this spring. Tim Dick ’16 was a member of Georgetown’s men’s lacrosse team which won the Big East championship and earned a place at the NCAA championships. Tim was named US Lacrosse Academic All-American as a senior in 2016. Brooke Heinsohn ’16, a Duke sophomore, was named the ACC Defensive Soccer Player of the Week in August. Jermaine Samuels ’17 enjoyed the excitement of being on the NCCA championship team at the end of his inaugural year at Villanova. Despite injuries early in the season, he returned to the court in time to participate in the playoffs, including a “home game” at TD Garden, where teammates allowed him to cut the net after their victory.
In Memoriam Charles W. Collier ’67, August 2, 2018 Robert B. Hiden ’51, February 12, 2018 C. Lincoln Jewett ’40, April 8, 2018 Gary V. Pave ’84, August 4, 2018
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.
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Congratulations to the Class of 2018 Sophie Abrams University of Southern California
Kasey Cunningham Bowdoin College
Benjamin Joiner Hamilton College
Harrison Pearlson Tulane University
Coleman Ahn University of Southern California
Shannon Daley Northwestern University
Khloe Katende Boston University
Caroline Phelps Villanova University
Louise Ambler Vassar College
Courtney Day Colgate University
Alexander Klein Johns Hopkins
Chloe Pingeon Colgate University
Tyler Aronson Tufts University
Rohan Dhir Indiana University
Nina Knight Stanford University
Aidan Porter Junior Hockey
Jon Baker Fairfield University
Emma DuBois University of Wisconsin
Timothy Lapsley Kenyon College
William Shea Williams College
Sarah Bargamian Hamilton College
Jake Fischman University of Michigan
MacKenzie Larkin Gap Year
Emily Shen Cornell University
Thomas Benjes St. Lawrence University
Thomas Fischman University of Michigan
Alexa Lehan Fairfield University
Isabel Silvia St. Lawrence University
Aidan Bloom Boston College
Michaela Francesconi University of Vermont
Charles Leslie Wake Forest University
Bryan Simmons-Hayes Emerson College
Lindsay Bogar Northwestern University
Georgia Freeland Colby College
Jenna Letterie Middlebury College
William Sivolella University of Virginia
Charlie Bondhus Wesleyan University
Giovanni Frometa Fairfield University
Matthew Longfield Fairfield University
Joseph Slavik Syracuse University
Grace Bradley College of the Holy Cross
Meghan Gazard Connecticut College
Caroline Magnan Hamilton College
Julia Slayne Bates College
Ian Brostowski University of Notre Dame
Theodore Gelb Syracuse University
Emily Smith Union College
Ashley Burgarella Northeastern University
Jillian Goldaber Union College
Dominique Marshall Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Peter Burnes Union College
Jason Goldsmith Drexel University
Georgia Cabot University of Richmond
Chrismary Gonzalez Northeastern University
Tyler Capello Middlebury College
Caroline Grape Connecticut College
Julia Carlin College of Charleston
Lucas Grossman Elon University
Gianny Cepeda Brandeis University
Isabel Hardy George Washington University
Emma Chowdhury Georgetown University
Noah Harrison Lehigh Univesity
Alexander Clay University of Notre Dame
Scott Hilinski University of Miami
Cameron Cobey Colgate University
Julia Holton Kenyon College
Austin Colena Elon University
Julia Homa Columbia University
Alexa Cornetta University of Michigan
Kira Iacopucci University of Miami
John Corrigan Babson College
Phie Jacobs Wesleyan University
Aidan McAnena Rice University Devan McCaffrey University of Richmond Megan McNally Syracuse University Iman McPherson Tufts University Joelle Mentis Sarah Lawrence College Jack Meyer Providence College Sarah Morgan Bucknell University Jessica Mulder Middlebury College Adam Naddaff-Slocum Bates College Joseph Nedder Northwestern University Madeline Olton University of Wisconsin Sophia Pacific Boston College
Andrew Snoddy Bates College Nicholas Stathos Bates College Sara Stephenson Washington & Lee University Andrew Sullivan Syracuse University Tess Sussman Harvard College Isabel Teixeira Smith College Marissa Tomaino Tulane University Maya Wasserman Bates College Theodore Wooding Junior Hockey Kendall Zaleski Skidmore College Zachary Zhang Brandeis University
New Red Wing mascot debuts at Homecoming!