T h e R i v e r s S c h o o l • f a l l 2 017
Riparian Celebrating Nonesuch Field
what will their rivers stories be? THE RIVERS FUND • 2017–2018
Your gift to The Rivers Fund will support these Rivers students as they create their own stories.
Vol. XXXiiI
Number 1
Editor
Christine Martin
Director of Communications and Stewardship Contributor
Jimmy Kelley
Communications Assistant Photography
Jimmy Kelley, Janet Ciummei/NortheastProPhoto, Chad Crogan, Joel Haskell, Anna Miller, Chip Riegel De s i g n e r
David Gerratt
NonprofitDesign.com Printer
Signature Printing & Consulting Brian Maranian ’96
Head of School
Edward V. Parsons Director of Advancement
Krissie Kelleher S e n i o r a s s o c i at e d i r e c t o r s of advancement
Jan Hicinbothem and Mike Ebner a s s o c i at e d i r e c t o r s of Advancement
Heather Jack and Kim Fox Director of Parent Programs a n d Sp e c i a l E v e n t s
Amy Dunne Director of Alumni Engagement
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 Chris Martin at 781-235-9300, ext. 230
Photo: Nonesuch Field hosts soccer this fall
Riparian T h e R i v e r s S c h o o l • fa l l 2 017
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From the Head of School
Ned Parsons
17 Alumni Events
A Hole in One; Reunion 2017; Summer Solstice; Apple Picking; Homecoming
Features
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Campus News
Celebrating Nonesuch Field; Students at Newport Jazz Festival; Perfect Scores in Latin Exam; Summer Science and Business Internships; Presidential Service Awards Presented; Classical Ensembles Earn International Gold; Choruses Perform in Premiere; Students Earn SISAL Awards; Head of Middle School Launches Blog; NextUp Art Exhibit; Summer Renewal for Faculty
23 Alumni Profiles
Introducing New Alumni Council Members; Bradley Feuling ’99; Shaquor Sandiford ’12; Robert Lider ’67; Ope Okulorede ’13
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Sophomores Reach Out through RISE
Rivers sophomores spent RISE Day 2017 immersed in numerous service projects as the culmination of a yearlong service-learning program.
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Parents’ League News
Let’s Go Glamping Auction a Success
28 Alumni News
Class Notes; Reunion Class Photos; In Memoriam: Thomas Beal and Eleanor Mahoney.
ON the COVER
Nonesuch Field hosts soccer this fall.
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Widening their Horizons: Student Travel Abroad
Within days of classes ending in June, three different groups of students set off on Rivers-sponsored trips, exploring the culture, history, and language of France, Spain, and Ireland. fall 2017
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Message from the Head of School
Creating the Community We Seek To Be By Edward V. Parsons
As I told our students and parents at the opening of school in September, I love this time of year for the optimism buzzing all around us, for the opportunity a new year brings to fashion the ideal school community from the raw material of our students’ energy, their curiosity about the world, and their natural proclivity to be part of a positive learning community. Their energy is mirrored by that of our teachers and coaches, who are eager to get started on the work of developing meaningful relationships with the children before them. Our opening faculty and staff meetings were packed with faculty presentations on curriculum development, classroom practice, and community building initiatives, as we heard reports of innovative approaches teachers are employing across our entire school. The Middle School Humanities curriculum has been redesigned to integrate more powerfully both the Teaching Tolerance standards for social justice and the Upper School curriculum; our 10th grade English and history teachers are collaborating to develop synergies between their classes as we employ an interdisciplinary approach to learning throughout the curriculum; our math department has added Upper School elective offerings in computer science, to include app development and game design; and the math, science, and language departments are all
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developing new curricular opportu- nities for students to engage with real-world applications of the material. But beyond these academic initiatives, we continue to work at the creation of the learning community we seek to be: an intellectual space marked by challenge and the freedom and encouragement to inquire in the search for truth, justice, and the joy of learning; a respectful social environment that encourages growth for all and supports the search for new directions for each of our students; a different form of family, where students are known and cared for as they find their way through the challenges of their own development and emergence as impactful citizens of a needy world. At the heart of this process is trust—the common denominator in all of what I see when I look at the school. Trust is what we work at every day here with our students—demonstrating for them our trust in their ability to try and to grow through their trying, even as we encourage them to trust others to help them discover that passion, that emerging voice, that trust they will then demonstrate to others as they “pass it on.” This is no accident. The purposeful creation of an atmosphere of trust is the expression of culture we work hardest at here every day, because we know it’s the way to create the most effective learning environment
possible. In a place undergirded by trust, students will take risks knowing that they can do so without fear. When students take risks, they learn more deeply and permanently, and through that learning, they grow and develop into the young people who will take on the world in meaningful ways. I see this sense of trust play out in what I think of as the quieter corners of the daily experience here, where the full weight and power of this community come to life. I see it during senior speeches, where students share difficult and triumphant moments alike with their peers. Or during our coffeehouses, where students who have never before shared a talent with the community play, or sing, or recite their poetry. Or during our Grade 8 portfolio night, where students honestly reflect on their growth and development as middle schoolers. It’s easy to point to our students’ accomplishments, to prizes, championships, and honors as a measure of excellence—you will find many examples of success within the pages of this magazine. But the quieter spaces across the life of this school community provide even deeper insight into the power of Excellence with Humanity. It is these moments that remind me of the power we have to influence the world through these incredible young people before us. There, in the quieter spaces, we work in the service of a better world.
c e lebrating nonesuch fie ld
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n Saturday afternoon during Homecoming 2017, Head of School Ned Parsons welcomed parents, trustees, students, and fans to the official opening of Nonesuch Field, the new home of Rivers’ varsity soccer and lacrosse teams. “The planning for this field took place behind the scenes, and the construction of the field was out of sight for most of us on campus, so that it may seem to some of you that the field just sprang up overnight in all its glory,” commented Parsons. “So I want to take a few moments to acknowledge the hard work and generosity of those who did indeed make this field a reality. “Members of the Board’s Facilities Committee, chaired by Bob Buonato ’81, worked diligently for a number of years to identify a location for this field on our limited campus footprint. Some of Rivers’ closest, and most generous, supporters stepped up with leadership gifts to provide the funding needed to move
the project forward. Jon Wasserman ’88, Director of Finance and Operations, worked diligently on the hundreds of details of the project, including securing the permits needed from the town. Ben McGovern, Director of Facilities, was general contractor for the project, in addition to keeping the campus running smoothly. A neighbor generously donated a portion of the land we needed, and one of our parents literally smoothed the way by repaving the road and entrance to the field. The result is this beautiful new turf field with locker and restroom facilities for players and spectators.” In addition to the benefits to the athletic teams, the field also will play an important role in Rivers’ future by opening up options on the main campus. The goal of the Strategic Plan as well as the Campus Master Plan is to provide additional teaching spaces on campus that reflect the interactive, hands-on approach to learning used by Rivers’ faculty.
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Campus News
Rivers Students Perform at Newport Jazz Festival
Summer Science and Business Internships
For most jazz musicians, playing at the Newport Jazz Festival is the highlight of their career, but Rivers Conservatory program students Joe Nedder ’18 and Michael Manasseh ’19 will have to set their sights higher, after appearing at Newport this summer with the Massachusetts Music Educators Association All-State Jazz Band. Michael was the only percussionist chosen for the Band, making him the “state drummer,” while Joe was one of four trombonists. Both are members of Rivers’ awardwinning Big Band and the Select 1 Combo. “Michael and Joe delivered an outstanding performance and thrilled a very enthusiastic audience on the very same stage as jazz giants like Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis,” commented Rivers Jazz Director Philippe Crettien. “Truly an amazing honor!”
Eight seniors held summer internship positions at some of Massachusetts’ leaders in science, technology, and medicine: Charlie Bondhus — Brigham & Women’s Robotic Surgery Lab, Emma Chowdhury— Bruker Daltronics, Alexa Cornetta — Medical Asso- ciates of Greater Boston with Dr. Deborah Riester P’18,’21, Michaela Francesconi— Freight Farms, Charlie Leslie — Amazon Robotics, Aidan McAnena — Mass General Hospital Pediatric Critical Care, Emily Shen — Harvard Medical School MEDscience, Julia Slayne — Children’s Hospital Simulation Lab. Most of these institutions have been hosting Rivers students for a number of years because of the creativity, competence, and dedication they witness in Rivers’ interns. New this year was the addition of Amazon Robotics to the roster of sponsors. “I spent a lot of my time testing robotic arms,” said Charlie Leslie. “I learned so much from this experience, from basic coding to what it is like to work in a business environment.” To read blogs from each of the science interns, go to: https://medium. com/@theriversschool. Four seniors— Noah Harrison, Theo Haviland, Alex Klein, and MacKenzie Larkin—had internships with Fidelity Investments in the Boston office, through an initiative designed to allow students with strong backgrounds in the arts to experience careers in financial management.
Perfect Scores in National Latin Exam Two Rivers students achieved perfect scores on the annual National Latin Exam: Tayja Sallie ’21, a Latin Honors II student, and Katherine Liu ’23 in Introduction to Latin. More than
Michael Manasseh’19, Philippe Crettien, Joe Nedder’18
149,000 students from all 50 states and 16 foreign countries took the 2017 exam and only 813 earned perfect scores. In addition, Rivers students received five Gold Medals and 14 Silver Medals. “It is a rare achievement and we are very happy for them!” commented Tayja’s Latin teacher Michael Girard about the perfect scores. Andrew Martin ’17, who received a magna cum laude on the Latin V exam, was the recipient of the Austin A. Chute Memorial Prize for Latin at Prize Day in May.
Seventeen Presidential Service Awards Presented
Katherine Liu ’23
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Tayja Sallie ’21
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Many Rivers students go well beyond the thirty hours of service that have been set as a minimum graduation requirement. In fact, some give back exponentially. Seventeen students
Summer Science Interns
earned Presidential Service Awards this spring for volunteering, within a 12-month period, for 100 to 250 or more hours (Bronze level requires 100–174 hours of service, Silver level requires 175–249 service hours, and Gold level is reserved for those completing over 250 hours of service). Established in 2003, the awards are intended to recognize the contributions that volunteers make in their communities and encourage others to do their part. Rivers’ recipients were: Harrison Pearlson ’18, Jake Fischman ’18, TK Fischman ’18, Maggie Mognahan ’19, Jackie Benjes ’20, Natasha McMillan ’19, Sarah Bargamian ’18, Julia Slayne ’18, Sarah Morgan ’18, Georgia Freeland ’18, Kendall Zaleski ’18, Callie Kamanitz ’19, Emily Shen ’18, Thando Khumalo ’19, Caleb Leeming ’19, Theo Haviland ’19, and Braden Sheinkopf ’19.
Classical Ensembles Earn 3 International, 8 State Gold Medals The Upper School Chamber Orchestra and two Conservatory Program Chamber Ensembles participated in the 2017 MusicFest Canada, returning home with three Gold Medals from the competition that drew more than 15,000 high school students from
across Canada and the United States. The Orchestra performed pieces they had presented as part of Rivers’ Carnival of Music and Poetry at Jordan Hall, including Saint-Saens “Carnival of the Animals.” A piano trio with Ashley Burgarella ’18 on violin, Daniel Weitz ’20 on cello, and Estelle Luong ’19 on piano and a second trio with Yasmin Myers ’20 on violin, Simonida Spasojevic ’19 on flute, and Emilia DeJesus ’19 also received top honors. In addition to the gold medals, Graydon Hewitt ’17, Simonida Spasojevic, and Ashley Burgarella were awarded medals of honor for their work. Rivers’ music ensembles successfully competed in several state jazz, instrumental, and choral competitions and brought home an impressive array of awards. The Select 1A Combo won Gold at the Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educator’s Combo Festival, while all six groups from the Rivers Conservatory Program received a superior “Gold” rating at the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association’s Solo and Ensemble Fes- tival. In addition, the Middle School Select Chorus came out on top at the annual Music in the Parks Festival.
Upper School Chamber Orchestra
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Campus News
Jordan Hall Concert
Rivers Choruses Perform Premiere of “Walkers with the Dawn”
a full orchestra would daunt most choirs but Rivers’ students met the challenge with great energy and artistry.”
The grand finale of Rivers’ Carnival of Music Concert at Jordan Hall in May brought together the Rivers Symphony Orchestra and Rivers’ Middle and Upper School Choruses for the world premiere of Francine Trester’s “Walkers with the Dawn.” Joined by baritone Robert Honeysucker and narrator Lois Shapiro, the orchestra and choruses conveyed both the despair and the optimism of Langston Hughes’ poetry, which provided the inspiration and lyrics for this challenging piece. “The Upper and Middle School choruses brought their performance skills to a much higher level for this concert,” commented David Tierney. “The demands of singing in a large hall with
Students Receive 12 SISAL Art Awards
“Moose” by Sarah Morgan ’18
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Rivers student artists earned a dozen awards at the recent Small Independent School Art League (SISAL) annual exhibition, hosted this year by the Carroll School in Lincoln this spring. More than 400 entries were submitted by 17 participating schools in a variety of media, and were judged in two divisions—grades 6–8 and grades 9–12. Sarah Morgan ’18 and Caroline Phelps ’18 received first place, while Zoe Brown ’19, Matt Cronin ’19, Frank Ferrara ’17, and Keira Thompson ’22 received second place. Tully Mahoney ’19 and Adebiyi Oyaronbi ’21 were
awarded third place, and Carter Ablon ’20, Lorraine Byrne ’17, Maddie Cornetta ’19, and Hunter Taylor-Black ’18 earned honorable mention.
Mike Kris ’87 Launches Middle School Blog Newly installed Head of Middle School Mike Kris ’87 admitted to Middle School parents at a recent dinner that he was not an enthusiastic writer when he started out at Rivers more than thirty years ago. He credits Rivers’ faculty for patiently teaching him not only how to write but to enjoy the act of writing itself. Similarly, he claimed he was at best a disinterested artist upon arriving, but ended up earning the visual arts award at graduation (as well as the writing award!) From those experiences, Mike realized
“Brewing” by Caroline Phelps ’18
Aidan Van Duzer ’17
Ben Churchill ’17
the profound impact teachers can have on their students’ lives, which ultimately led him to a career in education. Mike has launched “Notes from the Middle,” bi-weekly blogs that are anecdote-driven and full of commonsense advice for adults whether or not they’re in the throes of parenting a teenager. Early titles included “Why ‘ZZZs’ are as vital as ‘ABCs’” and “How to Turn a Mistake into ‘A Beautiful Oops.’” Mike’s educational focus has been on developing initiatives to promote 21st century skills, design thinking, technology integration, and brain-based teaching strategies, with the goal of fostering curiosity, innovation, and global perspectives in the curriculum. Check out “Notes from the Middle” at https://medium.com/@theriversschool and sign up for updates to Mike’s blog.
All-American Honors for Four Athletes Four Rivers athletes received national recognition this spring for their performance on the field, in the classroom, and in their communities. One of the best goalies in high school lacrosse, Ben Churchill ’17 was named a 2017 US Lacrosse AllAmerican after leading the Red Wings to a 13-5 record and saving 59 percent of the shots he faced. Currently a Princeton Tiger, Ben is the third US Lacrosse All-American to play for
Caroline Phelps ’18
Coach Justin Walker, joining Jordan Greenfield ’10 (Fairfield University/ Marquette University) and Steve Manning ’09 (Trinity College). After wrapping up an outstanding junior season, Caroline Phelps ’18 was one of six players from the ISL to earn US Lacrosse All-American status. Phelps led the Rivers attack with 32 goals and 17 assists for 49 points and a points-per-game average of 3.5, placing her second in the ISL. She received All-ISL Honors for the second consecutive year and was the 2017 recipient of the Coaches Award. Caroline was also named All-ISL in cross country and will be a captain of the girls’ lacrosse team next spring. She has committed to playing college lacrosse at Villanova University after graduation. Aidan Van Duzer ’17 was named a 2017 US Lacrosse Academic AllAmerican, an honor given to studentathletes who are significant contributors to their team, make an impact beyond the lacrosse field, and have a minimum GPA of 3.7. He is just the second Rivers boys’ lacrosse player to earn this distinction, following in the footsteps of former teammate Tim Dick ’16 (Georgetown University). On the field, Aidan played several critical roles for the Red Wings. He was the team’s faceoff specialist, winning 65.8 percent of his draws and contributing four goals and eight assists to the offense. Aidan is currently pursuing his academic and
Michael Young ’17
athletic goals at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition, Michael Young ’17 earned an All-American Athlete Award from the National Strength & Conditioning Association. Mike was a fiveyear member and two-year captain of the boys’ varsity ice hockey team; and a four-year member and senior captain of the varsity baseball team. A Boston Globe All-Scholastic and ISL Player of the Year this winter, Mike was the 2016 recipient of the Rivers Strength & Conditioning Dedication Award and will play ice hockey at the University of Connecticut in 2018–19 after one season of junior hockey.
Middle SchoolNorth Production of Alice in Wonderland Field and Pavilion
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Campus News
Artwork Wins Top Awards in Next-Up! Exhibit Rivers artists garnered first and third place awards, as well as seven honorable mention (HM) awards in the Next-Up! Art competition this spring, hosted by the Page Waterman Gallery in Wellesley, owned and operated by Rivers alumnus Sturdy Waterman ’74. As a trustee at the Danforth Art Museum in Framingham, Waterman was familiar with the museum’s annual juried exhibitions, and decided to host an exhibition for area high school students as part of the gallery’s
100th anniversary celebration. Jurors for the show were Jessica Roscio, Ph.D., a curator at the Danforth; John Thompson, an artist and lecturer at Massachusetts College of Art and Design; and artist Carrie Megan. Alicia Bellido ’17 received the First Prize with her painting Wayside Inn Window and Joelle Mentis ’18 won Third Prize with her print Wrinkled Thoughts.
“Wrinkled Thoughts” by Joelle Mentis ’18 “Wayside Inn Window” by Alicia Bellido ’17
Sturdy Waterman ’74 at the gallery
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“This was a very impressive show with lots of quality artwork,” commented Rivers’ Visual Arts Department Chair David Saul after viewing the exhibit. “We were highly selective in submitting artwork from many of our outstanding artists in the junior and senior classes. Rivers certainly had a significant presence in this gallery show of 75 pieces.” The exhibit included artwork from six schools: Wellesley, Natick, and Needham High Schools, Beaver Country Day School, the Cambridge School of Weston, and Rivers. During the two-week run, a number of the works of art were for sale, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Adolescent Wellness, Inc, a non-profit in Wellesley that promotes mental health and depression prevention. In addition to Bellido, five Rivers seniors, each of whom completed a college art portfolio, were represented: Elizabeth Baldini, who won an honorable mention in photography; Sydney Epstein (photography); Frank Ferrara (ceramics); David Freedman (HM in printmaking); and Kate Knight (HM in ceramics). Mentis, who also won an honorable mention in painting, was joined by fellow juniors Emily Smith (HM in ceramics); Hunter Taylor-Black (HM in printmaking); and Kendall Zaleski (HM for a pastel drawing).
Next-Up! with Emily Smith’s “Spinae”
Sophomores Reach Out Through
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RISE
ivers sophomores spent RISE Day 2017 on May 15 immersed in numerous service projects as the culmination of a yearlong service-learning program. Now in its seventh year, RISE (Reflection and Introspection through Service Education) encourages personal growth and the development of leadership skills through service and reflection. The program was designed and directed by Kate Wade, Dean of the 10th grade. This year students organized and participated in 15 projects, including five supporting children with special needs (teaching skating and swimming, coaching soccer, offering respite care on Saturday nights), five addressing hunger and homelessness issues (working at the Salvation Army, making and packaging meals for food programs, collecting home items and furniture and outfitting an apartment for a family, cooking for homeless families in the Metrowest area), and others serving a domestic violence program, teen mental health, and environmental rights. “The RISE program is designed to give students a chance to explore and raise awareness about an issue in our society that they care about, and to reflect on their leadership qualities and skills,” said Director of Service Learning Kit Cunningham. “Sophomores propose topics to their classmates, and as a project group they decide what to research, how to raise awareness, and what action they will take around that topic. “Students also complete self-reflection exercises, solicit feedback on their leadership qualities from adults, and meet
Assembling meal packages for End Hunger
Heading Home volunteer group with school administrators as part of understanding themselves as members of communities and potential leaders.” Helping to kick off RISE Day 2017 was Marissa Brine ’15, who talked at breakfast about her non-profit organization Art to Heal that offers free art workshops for children with disabilities, residents of assisted living homes, and the homeless of New England. She developed Art to Heal as her own RISE initiative in 2012 and continued to expand it throughout her Rivers career. As a result of her efforts, she received the Ray of Hope Award from Needham Youth Services in 2014 and was the recipient of Rivers’ Columbia Book Award for Community Service as a senior. After breakfast, sophomores headed off-campus to complete the various service projects they had spearheaded, before returning for lunch and an on-campus project. Joining the sophomores for lunch were senior citizens from the Sages & Seekers program who were also invited to assist in the packaging of meals for End Hunger Northeast, a non-profit that supplies nutritious meals to food pantries throughout the region. During lunch, a speaker from End Hunger and several 10th graders shared statistics and stories about hunger in Massachusetts, then students and seniors set to work to assemble
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Finishing touch for the new home
Donations from the Rivers community for Heading Home approximately 10,000 meals of macaroni and cheese. All of the meals assembled by Rivers students were distributed to food pantries in Middlesex County, which the students had learned is the most food-insecure county in the Commonwealth. One of the more extensive RISE initiatives was the Heading Home project, led by Marie Jennings and Zoe Brown. Heading Home is a non-profit organization that provides transitional services and permanent housing to low-income homeless and formerly homeless families in Massachusetts. This is the third RISE group to work with Heading Home, a relationship that was forged by the earlier work of Marie’s siblings, James ’14 and Anne ’16 Jennings. During the months leading up to RISE Day 2017, the group of seven students collected furniture and household items from the Rivers community to prepare a home for a formerly homeless family. Then, on May 20, the students hired a moving van and supplied the muscle to move the donated items into their permanent home in Medford for one very grateful family. A week after moving day, a representative from Heading Home returned to Rivers to share a moving video of the family as their “new” home was unveiled to them. “We love to see RISE projects that are being continued year to year, such as the Casa Myrna program, which makes Mother’s Day baskets for a domestic violence shelter,” commented Cunningham. “This year Ella Caggiano, Callie Kamanitz, and Will Mulder chose the annual Special Olympics tournament in February as their RISE project, and they undertook orchestrating the day-long event for more than 20 basketball teams. And another group of sophomores assembled birthday boxes for young children from families associated with Heading Home, using materials that were purchased with a Rivers Givers grant—a great example of the kind of long-term and far-reaching commitment to philanthropy that we want our students to develop.” 10
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RISE Impact continues Marissa Birne ’15, a Peace and Justice Studies major at Tufts University, was recently featured in a video produced by The Thomas Foundation, which funds innovators and leaders who inspire positive change in their communities. In the video, filmed at the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts, Marissa spoke about her current and past volunteer experiences, including those at Rivers. Marissa received the Columbia Book Award for Community Service and the Hooper Lawrence Memorial Prize at Prize Day in 2015.
Widening their Horizons Student Travel Abroad
Within days of classes ending in June, three different groups of students set off on Rivers-sponsored trips, exploring the culture, history, and language of France, Spain, and Ireland. These are just a few of the many types of trips sponsored by Rivers on a rotating basis. In the past, students have participated in service trips to Romania, New Orleans, and Montana; music trips to France, Spain, Italy, and Croatia; and cultural and language trips to China, Italy, and Greece. Currently being offered in 2018 are: a service trip to New York City in December; a Middle School trip to Rome, Sorrento, and Sicily in March; a music trip to Venice, Vienna, and other cities in Austria in March; and service trips to New Orleans, the Dominican Republic, and Romania in March. Go to https://medium.com/@ theriversschool for daily blogs and photos covering the trips to France and Spain. fall 2017
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Ri v e rs E n P rov ence
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ith the ink barely dry on their final exams, nine Upper School students set out for Aix-en-Provence for two weeks as the second stage of Rivers’ biannual French exchange program. Twelve French students and their chaperone had spent a week in April at Rivers, staying at their student hosts’ homes, attending classes, taking in the sights of Boston, and participating in a service learning project at Cradles to Crayons. In return, those French students hosted their Rivers counterparts, who attended classes with them at The Lycée Georges Duby in Luynes, a school with an active international exchange program and a particular interest in English-speaking countries. The Rivers students participated in the lycée’s bilingual French-English program, which conducts half of their classes in French and half in English. The students, accompanied by Language teachers Elisa Goldsmith and Andrea Villagran, experienced French culture and cuisine in their hosts’ homes, and toured the Mediterranean cities of Marseilles and Cassis with its callanques (fjords). They also visited Les Baux de Provence with its nearby windmill made famous by the author, Alphonse Daudet, and a medieval fortress complete with ancient weaponry. They particularly enjoyed “les Carrières de Lumières,” set in a former quarry in Les Baux that hosts a multimedia art display where pictures come to life in an almost psychedelic fashion as visitors move around the quarry. The artwork on display during their visit was by Bosch, Brueghel, and Arcimboldo, accompanied by selections from Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” The group also spent time in the Luberon region, visiting the villages of Gordes and Roussillon, stopping
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by the lavender fields at the Abbeye de Sénanque, and hiking in the local national park on the Ochre Trail, named for its famous red clay used in making paints. Weekends were spent “en famille,” joining their hosts for swimming, scuba-diving, and other typical family activities. “The opportunity to live with a family in a different culture fosters an emotional connection to the country, its people, and its traditions in ways that tourist travel does not,” commented Ms. Goldsmith. “My greatest wish for my students is that the friendships they built this past spring and summer will grow into lifelong relationships and a love for France, in the same way that my own high school exchange did for me. There is nothing like immersion in a culture to make one appreciate both the differences and the similarities between people.”
Su mm e r i n S pa i n
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ourteen Upper School students, accompanied by Language teachers Feryal Sacristán Muñoz and Mary Lane Brown, arrived in Cádiz, Spain around the same time for Rivers’ two-week Summer in Spain program, an opportunity for motivated students to immerse themselves in the language and life of Spain by living with Spanish families and studying both in and outside of the traditional classroom setting. While in Cádiz students attended classes each morning taught by native Spanish-speaking teachers, and then traveled to sites directly connected to their studies each afternoon, exploring the history, religion, architecture, and art of the region and its influence on present day culture and life. In preparation for the trip, students met weekly throughout the spring, and many of them took the trimester elective “Medieval Spain: An Age of Exchange among Jews, Christians, and Muslims,” in order to maximize their experiences in Cádiz. Upon their return to the United States, the students completed a final project for the Interdisciplinary Studies course that accompanies this program, “Cádiz: At the Intersection of History and Contemporary Spain.” After morning classes, students had a scavenger hunt through the oldest neighborhood in Cádiz—El Pópulo, visited Phoenician and Roman ruins located in the center of the old city, stopped at el Consultorio de Felipe Neri, where the first Spanish Constitution was written and signed, made paella from scratch, visited the bull ring in El Puerto de Santa María where they met with an aspiring matador, learned a typical Andalusian dance called Sevillanas, and tried their luck at surfing at la Cortadura beach. They met with Spanish students for an “intercambio cultural”—taking turns conversing in each other’s native language— and sample the local fare in markets and restaurants. Trips farther afield took them to the town of Bolonia, in Tarifa, one of the world’s most popular destinations for wind sports, where the students visited the ruins of Baelo Claudia, a Roman fishing community of 2000 inhabitants which was constructed in 1 B.C. After learning about the ancient city and Roman city planning, students spent the rest of day on Bolonia’s beach, a Spanish heritage site and the closest area of Europe to Africa, which can be clearly seen from the shore. They also spent a weekend in Granada, visiting the Alhambra, Generalife, and Capilla Real, where the remains of the Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand are located, and stopping often to taste the city’s famed tapas. On the final afternoon of the trip, the students also visited Gibraltar, a British territory on the Iberian Peninsula.
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Mi d d l e Sch o o lers in Irel and
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ot to be outdone by their elders, an adventurous group of 13 Middle School students took a nine-day tour of Ireland, exploring the country’s natural beauty, prehistoric and medieval ruins, and urban centers. Librarian and drama teacher Diane Devore and Language Department chair Cathy Favreau led them on an ambitious itinerary from northwest Galway, around the coast through counties Clare, Kerry, Killarney, and Cork, before ending their trip with three days in Dublin and County Meath. They explored the dramatically rocky landscape of the Burren and the wild boglands of Connemara that have inspired generations of Irish poets, writers, and dramatists, stopping to visit Yeats’ home at Ballylee. They hiked the Cliffs of Moher, toured legendary landmarks like Kylemore Abbey and Bunratty and Blarney Castles, and viewed the famed Book of Kells at Trinity College. In County Cork, they visited the Cobh Queenstown Story Museum, where they received the identity cards of Irish immigrants, and followed their stories through the exhibits, learning why they were forced to leave their homeland and emigrate to America or elsewhere. A highlight of the trip was a day on a farm in County Meath where the students “got to be Irish”—making brown bread, learning a traditional Irish dance, watching a sheepdog demonstration, and swinging over and into a muddy bog. Their final stop was at the World Heritage Site Brú na Bóinne, one of the world’s most important prehistoric landscapes, where they visited the large passage tomb at Knowth, built some 5,000 years ago and containing the largest assemblage of megalithic art in Western Europe. Beyond the historical and cultural components, trips like these offer students an opportunity to experience the world beyond Rivers alongside their peers and without their parents, giving them a new sense of personal responsibility and independence.
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Ben Liston (bottom left)
Julian Willard
Jill McCulley
fac u lt y e n richme nt
S
Summer Renewal
ummer vacation allows Rivers faculty to take a break from teaching and pursue their own passions, whether they be an extension of their classroom work, or in an entirely different field of interest. Many faculty spent hours fine-tuning their curriculum this summer, particularly in math, history, and English. Others had more “adventurous” experiences. Spanish teacher Jill McCulley spent a week in Spain on a Faculty Enrichment Grant, traveling around Vigo, Santiago de Compostela, and A Coruña in the northwestern region of Spain, an area of historical interest she had never explored. McCulley then spent time in Sevilla, taking language teach- ing workshops at the Centro Universitario EUSA (Estudios Universitarios y Superiores de Andalucía) and enjoying cultural activities and excursions with other workshop participants. “I realized that for the first time in years, I was surrounded by the language and culture and therefore completely immersed,” said McCulley. “I spoke Spanish for hours on end, learning new words and expressions, meeting people, exploring places, and learning about the different cities and their history.” Science teacher Chris Dalton spent a week in Nantucket Harbor, collaborating on a project with researchers at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center in Nahant. He supported a crew of divers who set up the initial phase of a study on the effect of algae on the health of scallop beds. Researchers suspect that a recently arrived, invasive algae in the harbor might be creating an anaerobic environment at the bottom of the harbor that is smothering the scallops. The divers divided up the beds to create an algae-free section and will return periodically to monitor the health of the scallops in each section. In addition to enjoying the challenge of field work, which he hadn’t done since earning his doctorate from Cornell, Dalton plans to use his study as the basis for a unit in his AP Environmental Science Class, providing students with valuable insights into real-world research. Science teacher Theresa Riedl attended Harvard’s CS50 Teacher Training Workshop, in order to gather resources and best practices to build a curriculum and classroom environment
that sparks students’ interest and effectively teaches them how to code. This year Riedl will be teaching three computer science electives: a foundation course utilizing languages including Scratch, C, and Python; an app development course using Apple’s programming language, Swift; and a game design course using Greenfoot, an interactive Java development environment, and Procreate, an iPad illustration app. “Through last year’s Girls Who Code club and the speakers that the club brought to campus to talk about coding experiences, it became apparent that students had an interest in learning more about what coding actually is, how to code, and its applications,” said Riedl. Other faculty members pursued personal interests which fall beyond their areas of classroom expertise, thanks to support from Faculty Enrichment Grants. Several teachers delved into the visual arts: math teacher Dan McCartney took a workshop in creative landscape photography and Language Department chair Cathy Favreau attended a workshop in quiltmaking. History teacher Carol Davidson participated in the Bennington Chamber Music Conference, while IDS Chair Julian Willard performed in a production of “Hamlet” at the famed Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Christine Fitzgerald, who teaches math and is a class dean, enrolled in an Outward Bound program in Colorado called Alpine Backpacking for Educators. It would be hard to top Ben Liston’s excellent summer adventure, though. Rivers’ Director of Counseling and Wellness competed with a team of four in the World Cup of Formation Skydiving in Saarlouis, Germany, finishing 5th in a field of 30, just behind the Russians. Making their strong showing particularly sweet was the fact that theirs was the only team competing that does not train full-time. “I’m proud to be a member of the official United States Parachute team—it’s the skydiver version of being on the Olympic team. I hope my experience will serve as an example to students of dedication and perseverance in a 20-year pursuit, along with the necessity of managing physical risks in the adventures they have ahead and working to keep a healthy work/ life balance as they forge their own paths in the world.”
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Pa r e n t s ’ L e a g u e A u c t i o n
Auction Co-Chairs Janet Correia and Amaris Peña-Ramos
Sarah Bua taking bids
Parents’ League Auction Raises the Bar
T
he Rivers community set a new high for giving at the annual Parents’ League Auction, raising more than $340,000 for professional development and student technology, including a Fund-a-Need appeal to support the renovation of the Benson Fitness Center in the MacDowell Athletic Center. Members of the Athletic Department addressed the pressing need to redesign the fitness center and replace the aging original equipment to ensure that students are able to reach their fitness and sports performance goals in an inviting and efficient environment. Nearly 400 parents, faculty, and staff attended the Let’s Go Glamping event, enthusiastically bidding on silent and live auction items that ranged from a pair of coveted tickets to Hamilton to Rivers-bedecked paddle boards. Event co-chairs Janet Correia and Aramis Peña-Ramos and their committee chairs worked for months, gathering auction acquisitions and coordinating more than 100 volunteers. Klee Miller and Claudine Shienkopf led the creative decorations committee, which transformed the MacDowell Arena into a woodland paradise complete with twinkling trees and candlelit tents. � R 16
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Mary Beth Lisman and Dave Connelly working the tables
Roger Randall bidding high
Head of School Ned Parsons
alumni events
A Hole in One for Rivers
O
n Monday, May 8, more than 120 Rivers alumni, parents, and friends played in the 17th Annual Rivers School Golf Tournament to Benefit Financial Aid, raising more than $73,000 to help deserving and qualified students attend Rivers. Speaker Dara Torres The success of the tournament was due in large part to the efforts of the Golf Committee and the generosity of the Daley Family— Pat ’84 P’13,’15,’18 and Fred P’12,’14,’16— who donates the use of Charter Oak Country Club, a Robert Trent Jones-designed course, each year. Highlight of the post-game dinner was a riveting talk by Dara Torres who described her path to becoming fivetime Olympian, twelve-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in three swimming events, often competing against swimmers young enough to be her children. Jeff Lowenstein ’77, P’10,’16 was this year’s honoree in recognition of his commitment to the tournament as a player and committee member. The foursome of Scott Barchard ‘06, B.J. Dunne ‘06, Interim Athletic Director Bob Pipe, and Rivers math teacher Keith Zalaski took first place for the second year in a row. “The golf tournament was an awesome success,” said Golf Committee Chair JB Karelitz ’01. “We had good weather, a great turnout, and great company. Dara’s talk was inspirational. Thank you to everyone who helped make the day so enjoyable. We can’t wait to do it again next year!” � R
Bala Cumaresan and Ned Parsons
The Winning Foursome
Jeff and Ian Meropol ’98, and Jeff ’99 and David Berman
Golf Tournament Honoree Jeff Lowenstein ’77
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alumni events
Reunion 2017
R
ivers welcomed back a record number of alumni to a Reunion full of celebrations and conversations, highlighted by an afternoon Alumni Award Presentation and Reception at the Head’s House. The day began with a midday luncheon for members of the Class of 1967 and alumni from earlier years, during which Ned Parsons gave a brief “state of the school” update and former faculty member Jack Jarzavek led alumni on a humorous trip down memory lane. After watching a successful varsity lacrosse match against Groton, alumni, family, and friends reconvened at the Head’s House for the afternoon reception—a new format that gave the awards presentation the distinction it deserved. Carol Davidson, Jean Mouzar, Meghan Regan-Loomis, Alex Stephens ’83, and David Tierney were each recognized by Parsons for 25 years of service to Rivers. Jeff Snider ’82 was awarded the Rivers Cup for his service on reunion committees as well as various other alumni and Board committees. The father of Emily ’12 and Justin ’15, he was a member of the Jarzavek Chair committee for six years, the Board’s Education Committee for ten years, and the Alumni Leadership Gifts Committee. Nicky Jackson Colaco ’97 received the Alumni Excellence Award in recognition of her successful career as a social media policy maker with Google, Facebook, and Instagram, where she is currently Director of Public Policy. She has also been a long-time supporter of financial aid both at Rivers and at The Rivers School Conservatory. Julia Robinson ’02 received the Young Alumni Achieve-
Heidi Liss, Jenny Lifson, Brooke Allen, Cara Fudemberg, Class of 1997
Kelsey Young, Jack Rautiola, Jessie Kraft, Megan Kerbs, Class of 2012
ment Award as the successful founder and owner of a number of fitness studios in the Boston and Metrowest area. “Everyone in attendance appreciated the opportunity to gather at the Head’s home for the afternoon reception,” said Alumni Council President Lisa Hurwitch Raftery ’93. “Alumni from the reunion classes were able to reconnect in a smaller, more intimate setting in advance of the dinner and reception in the Campus Center.” � R
Jeff Snider, Julia Robinson, Ned Parsons, Nicky Jackson Colaco, Lisa Hurwitch Raftery
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Ashlee Cushing ’07, Kadie ’07 and Allen Yannone, Miles Jacoby ’07 Perusing the 1967 Nonesuch Update
Alex Stephens ’83, David Tierney, Meghan Regan-Loomis, Carol Davidson, Jean Mouzar Mark Rosen, Tom Yeransian, Neil Rosen, Fred Folch-Pi, Class of 1977
Jeff Snider ’82
Save the Date
Reunion 2018 — May 19 June and Andrew Flake ’67, Renny Little ’51, Lou ’67 and Patty Grossman
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alumni events
Summer in the City Rivers alumni celebrated the summer solstice at the annual Boston social at Tia’s on the Waterfront.
Bruna Lee, Andrew Xia, Chris Tomaselli, Arianna Zhang, Simran Mirchandani, Class of 2013
Sara Berthiaume ’11 and Michelle Durand ’11
Pre-Thanksgiving Reception November 22, 6:30 p.m. LIR in the Back Bay Kick off Thanksgiving break with the Classes of 2000–2015 Melissa Maffeo ’14, Grace Robinson ’10, Hannah Armstrong ’10, Julia Williams ’10, Alexia Antonelli ’10
and coaches Bob Pipe and Susanna Donahue Complimentary drinks and appetizers
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alumni events
Alumni Families Go Apple Picking Rivers alumni and their children gathered on an unseasonably hot Sunday in September for a day of apple picking, train rides, pizza, and more at Lookout Farm in Natick.
Ready for fun!
Event Chair Heather Black Ganitsky ’98
Glen and Brooke Hegarty Evershed ’98
Leslie Rosen Silberman ’98, Lauren Mirel Movshovich ’98, and Kristen Culgin Nendza ’98
Marc ’98 and Britney Stroum and Meg and Ian Meropol ’98
Georgia Butler Mulgrew ’99 and Lindsay Rich Roetter ’99
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alumni events
Homecoming 2018
S
ummer held on for an extra week, providing the perfect backdrop for Homecoming 2018. There were three games under the lights: Middle School football, varsity field hockey, and varsity football. Varsity and JV games, a bonfire, grilled cheese food truck, photo booth, games, and lots of chili and snacks added to the weekend’s festivities.
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alumni council
Rivers Welcomes New Alumni Council Members Jon Feinberg ’86 is Principal and Head of Sales & Marketing at ABS Global Equity, an equity investment boutique located in Greenwich, CT, with offices in Hong Kong, Zurich, and São Paulo. Prior to joining ABS in 2010, Jon was Director of the Institutional Services Group at Intercontinental Real Estate Investment Corporation, where he was responsible for overseeing institutional investment management services, consultant relations, and client service. Jon also served in numerous business development roles at Lycos, Simplayer, Inc., and Woolf Associates. He earned his BA in English at Hobart College and his JD from Boston College Law School. Favorite Rivers person? My history teacher, Mr. Gilmore, encouraged me to excel and convinced me that I could achieve great things. Rivers today? There’s an aura to the school—the programs are well-rounded, with new buildings and a vibrant student body that shines through the moment you step onto the campus. Daniel Sherman ’99, Director of Donor Services at The Boston Foundation, offers advice and counsel to donoradvised fund holders, and works in conjunction with donors and volunteers to implement special initiatives, such as the Equality Fund and Latino Legacy Fund. He holds a B.A. in History from The George Washington University, where he was a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. Prior to joining the Boston Foundation in 2009, Dan worked at the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston, the National Conference for Community and Justice, Project Bread, and BELL Boston. Fondest memory? Probably our middle school football years with Jim Bouma. He was great in the classroom and on the field. Why stay involved? I made some of my best friends at Rivers and value what the school did for me in my formative years. Rivers taught me that relationships matter and that you can pursue multiple passions at the same time.
Nikki Hunter Schwab ’05 is the Line Producer at Manhattan Theatre Club, a not-forprofit theater company which produces three shows on Broadway and five shows off-Broadway each year. She works with the artistic staff to produce all shows and to select scripts and projects for future seasons. Nicki is an avid theatre lover and if she’s not at an MTC show, she’s likely seeing other shows in NYC or anywhere else in the world. Nicki graduated with high honors from Lehigh University with a major in theatre and a minor in business. Favorite Rivers person? Ms. Juliet Chase Bailey is someone who made a lasting impression on me. From her English classes to her directing me in numerous plays, I remember being challenged by her and always motivated to push myself to be the best I could be. Rivers today? The school is constantly changing. Whether it’s new courses, new buildings, or new programs it’s always offering new opportunities for its students to grow and learn. Cathleen Connors ’09 is a Senior Client Associate at J.P. Morgan Securities. Prior to working at J. P. Morgan, Cathleen was at Goldman Sachs in private wealth management as a senior analyst. She is a graduate of Boston College and has remained active as a Rivers alumna, serving as a class agent, reunion chair, and participant in the Alumni Career Fair for graduating seniors, where she talked about her career in finance. Why stay involved? Not only did Rivers shape me as a person and prepare me for life, but it also provided me with long lasting friendships and connections with faculty. Favorite Rivers person? As an advisor, teacher, coach (8th grade bball!), and even therapist, Dan McCartney always encouraged me to do my best, to work hard, to have confidence, to focus on the positive, and to overcome any obstacle that came my way.
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alumni profile
B r a d l e y A . Fe u ling ’ 9 9
Global Perspectives from Weston to Shanghai
B
rad Feuling’s resume reads like that of someone with twice his experience—or more. He moved to Shanghai at the age of 25 to establish Kong and Allan Consulting, specializing in supply chain operations. From there, he co-founded The Asia Institute, an educational host partner that has worked with more than 100 institutions on short-term programs, experiential learning, student recruitment, faculty exchange, and career development. In addition, Feuling teaches entrepreneurship at Xian Jiaotong Liverpool University and École Supérieure des Sciences Commerciales d’Anger, and has been a guest on China’s largest broadcast television station. Reflecting on the decade he has spent living and working in Shanghai, Feuling talks about the importance of today’s students developing both inter-cultural and global competency. Q. Can you pinpoint when you became interested in China? A. When I was selecting my first year courses at Bucknell, I chose Chinese language, so I had some understanding even then that China was important. A number of my economics classes, including those taught by a professor from Beijing, focused on China, the changing landscape of the global economy following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and Pacific-Rim economics. I ended up as an English and economics major, with an international relations minor. Unfortunately at that time, study abroad in China was still fairly limited. I don’t remember Bucknell, or many other universities, having such a study abroad program. Although that has certainly changed, it remains surprising to me how few study abroad programs there 24
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currently are to China, now the second largest economy in the world. Q. While at Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management, you visited China several times— studying at Tsinghua University in Beijing, touring the overseas operations of several Fortune 500 companies, and attending industry conferences in Shanghai. What were your first impressions of the country? A. From my first visit, I was just amazed at the growth and development occurring in China. There was excitement, passion, and expansion happening all around you. Everyone you talked to was involved in something new. It was also clear that China was different from the U.S., but at the same time, a city such as Shanghai felt very comfortable to me. I wasn’t concerned with the idea of living abroad, which was a testament to the amazing people I knew and who helped me settle in. Q. Describe the recent growth in China, and the consequent changes? A. China’s growth in the past 25 years or so is nothing short of incredible. It
is one of the reasons I am here, as a similar opportunity is unlikely to happen again in my lifetime. To be a part of the development of China, and to witness the changes, has been remarkable. To be quite honest, so many things in China have changed, from major government policies, to infrastructure, to technology, to the people. Lifestyles have definitely changed recently with the growing wealth and maturing economy of China. Q. Within a few years of your becoming CEO, Kong and Allan Consulting was earning numerous awards. What led you to branch out into the field of education? A. The Asia Institute naturally developed out of the first business we started in China, and really was not intended to be a company. At that time, we saw an opportunity to partner with various educational institutions to share and exchange resources. That moved quickly to universities asking for our support in a number of ways, one of which was short-term study abroad programs. In 2009, we hosted our first faculty-led programs with two universities and 26 students.
This year, the Asia Institute will welcome over 40 universities and nearly 700 students to Asia. A key philosophy of the Asia Institute is embedded in our programs, and that is that visiting China, learning in this environment, and meeting some of the people and companies our students meet, was simply impossible 50 years ago. The reverse is also true, with Chinese students visiting and studying in the United States. The fact that this opportunity is now available to current students, the next generation of leaders, should not be undervalued. Q. Did you have any inclination at Rivers that you would end up living and working halfway around the world? A. I did not foresee at Rivers that I would be living abroad for a decade. That being said, I did have two
opportunities to travel abroad at Rivers. The first was to play football in Canada with other students and teams there. The second was an education program to the U.K. and France that I participated in, and that was a very eyeopening experience. I had traveled outside of the U.S. before, but there were parts of that travel and learning program which really stuck with me. I saw the world through a much larger lens, and connected with a broader spectrum of people, opening up new possibilities for learning. I also feel I developed a diverse range of interests and skills due to the opportunities offered at Rivers. Teachers like Mitch Harper, Jack Jarzavek, Eleanor Mahoney, and Dr. Ganong taught us valuable life-long lessons: to persevere, to overcome self-imposed mental hurdles, to be creatively curious, and to find our passions in life.
Q. What is your advice for current students about gaining a global perspective in their studies, traveling abroad, becoming fluent in a foreign language? A. Gaining a global perspective today is imperative. At one time in history traveling outside of your home country was a luxury, but today it has become almost a requirement. With the internet now connecting the world, knowledge and information are so critical, but true due diligence can only be achieved by meeting people in their home environment. Being willing to challenge yourself and take risks, to prepare yourself for uncertainty is also critical. Studying abroad teaches people how to adapt to different circumstances, to navigate difficult situations in new environments, and this is vital in today’s world.
Leaving a Legacy at Rivers For the past five decades, Bob Lider ’67 has been
“in recognition
a champion of The Rivers School. In 1992, Bob was
of the many fine
awarded the Rivers Cup for his extraordinary com-
teachers whom I’ve
mitment to the school despite living at the time
had the privilege of
in Washington, DC, then New York City. Travelling
knowing at Rivers.”
frequently to Weston for alumni events, Bob also served as Alumni Giving Chair from 1989-1992 and
This year, as Bob
was a member of the Board of Trustees for two terms
celebrated his 50th
during Rivers’ transition to co-education. Serving as
Reunion, he and
a Board liaison to the Development Office gave him
Lisa cemented their legacy by making provisions for
an appreciation of the importance of having the
Rivers in their will. Their planned gift will continue
resources to fulfill institutional goals.
to provide the resources necessary to attract and retain an innovative, forward-thinking faculty at Rivers.
Bob and his wife Lisa lived in Singapore for nearly two decades—until his retirement in 2014—while Bob
“My Rivers experience was enriched by dedicated
worked first for Citibank, then for JPMorgan Chase
teachers and a talented group of classmates. The
as tax counsel for South Asia. He also was an adjunct
commitment that Lisa and I are making to Rivers is
professor at SIM University in Singapore, teaching
to strongly support faculty endowment such as the
international tax courses in the Graduate Business
Jarzavek Chair as well as to fund student scholar-
Program. Again, despite the distance from Rivers,
ships. Future generations of Rivers students will
Bob showed his commitment to Rivers by establish-
benefit from these contributions.”
ing the Lider Faculty Compensation Fund in 1997
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alumni profile
S ha q u o r S an d iford ’ 1 2
Hosts Panel on Strategies for Success
W
hen Shaquor Sandiford ’12 began planning a speaker series aimed at providing expert advice to young people in his hometown of Chelsea, he knew he could put together a formidable lineup from his playing days at Rivers. On July 27, Sandiford called upon fellow Rivers alumni Taariq Allen ’11, Ben Patrick ’11, and Azar Swain ’17 to share their experiences at the Chelsea Restoration Corporation’s second “Village Talk.” Formed in 1977, CRC’s mission is to provide quality housing for the area’s low- and moderate-income families while empowering the members of the community to achieve their dreams of sustainable homeownership. After returning to Chelsea and working with students at Chelsea’s Excel Academy Charter School, Sandiford found that there was a demand in the commu- nity for role models who could share their stories of success and the strategies they used to overcome obstacles in their lives. “Village Talks was born from the conversations I had with those kids, when I realized the need for leadership and positive role models in this community,” Sandiford said. “Village Talks is a monthly discussion where we will bring in young professionals, entrepreneurs, photographers, athletes, and many other people who have overcome adversity and come out successful on the other side.” Swain began by sharing his journey from Brockton to Rivers and how he approached challenges en route to achieving his goal of becoming an Ivy League student athlete at Yale University this fall. “I applied to three private schools after sixth grade, including Rivers, because I knew that would give me 26
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the best opportunity to achieve my dream, and I got denied from all three,” Swain recalled. “But I have a quote I love that goes ‘a dream without a plan is just a wish.’ So I went to parochial school for a year, got my grades together, and then I reapplied to the one school I really wanted to go to—Rivers—and this time got in. At Rivers, I was surrounded by such a different crowd than I was used to. The way I needed to work in the classroom and in the gym had to change, but I was surrounded by people that wanted to help me get where I wanted to go.” Allen then spoke about his experience as a student-athlete first at Marblehead High, then at Rivers, and ultimately as a wide receiver for the University of Nebraska football team. He sustained what could have been a career-ending injury during his first season with the Cornhuskers, but worked his way back to health to contribute to the team’s 2014 Gator Bowl win over Georgia. “We’re in the middle of a winstreak, and I’m all excited. I had just caught my touchdown the week before, there are 90,000 people yelling
and screaming, and I’m running down to make a tackle on the kickoff. I plant to change direction, get hit from behind, and that’s it. My whole knee, gone. Just my LCL in there keeping it together. Snap your fingers—it can be gone like that. “After I graduated I tried out for a few NFL teams, some CFL teams, but didn’t make it. That’s fine, it’s not my path. Now I’m back here coaching at Rivers and training young athletes so that I can give back to the community and give kids the confidence they need to hold themselves to a higher standard so they can achieve their dreams.” Patrick took part in the panel discussion portion of the event, talking about his experience at Rivers, remarking that he “wishes everyone could have the opportunity we had” while offering advice to the young athletes about how they can make the most of their opportunities both on the field and in the classroom. The interactivity of the panel discussion highlighted the sense of camaraderie the four Rivers alumni shared, and the kind of community Rivers athletics creates.
alumni profile
Ope O l u k o r e d e ’ 1 3
Shares “Toolbox” of Leadership Skills
O
pe Olukorede ’13, former Rivers co-president and recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University, was the featured speaker at the late summer Leadership Retreat for student leaders from various clubs, organizations, and sports on campus. Ope, who was a member of several clubs and musical ensembles during her time at Rivers, was equally involved at Johns Hopkins, as a member of Student Government, a residential advisor, a singer in an a cappella group that performed at charity events, and organizer of campus activities such as concerts and festivals. She is now pursuing a career in the medical field and is presently working on several research projects at Tufts University. Her interest in medicine was piqued during two summer internships while at Rivers, the first at Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and the second at Boston University Medical Center’s diabetes research lab. Ope’s speech to the student leaders revolved around developing a “toolbox” of leadership skills that would help them be effective in their respective organizations. One area she focused on was commitment and being intentional about how one spends one’s time. “While at Rivers I was involved in a lot of different groups and sometimes that became really hard for me,” Ope said. “Between travelling to and from Rivers, playing a sport, being in the musical, and all of the homework we had to do, I found myself wondering ‘how am I going to be committed to each of these clubs and put my all into it to get the best result?’ It was at this point that I realized I needed to find my ‘why.’
“I was so passionate about so many ideas – music, community service, student forum – that I wanted to do them all! But as a leader you have to realize you can’t do everything at the same time. So I went back to my toolbox and looked into what my role was going to be in each organization, what was my commitment level going to be, and why do I want to be a part of this group? This helped me focus on two or three clubs I could really pour myself into.” After Ope spoke, she led the students through an activity that asked them to answer an anonymous questionnaire about where they grew up, what their family was like, would they consider themselves religious? These sheets were then redistributed and students were asked to stand in groups based on the answer on the sheet they received, which illustrated the varied backgrounds and experiences of other students in the room. Student leaders then split into groups where they were presented with situations that have come up in clubs,
sports, or organizations in independent schools and asked to role-play that situation and how they might respond to it. The half-day retreat, which helps prepare student leaders for the challenges they will face over the course of the year, is organized by the Leadership Committee, a group of faculty who meet throughout the year to develop opportunities for students to explore their leadership identities and voice. Committee members are Grade 10 Dean and English teacher Kate Wade, Assistant Dean of Students Susanna Donahue, Grade 8 Dean Josh Shaller, Director of Diversity and Inclusivity John Bower, Associate Director of College Counseling Eliza Matthews, and History teacher Darren Sullivan. “We were really impressed with our leaders’ thoughtful response to Ope’s talk and their engagement in the role plays,” Ms. Wade said. “They jumped right in and really pushed themselves to bring to life some truly challenging situations.”
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alumni news
Renny Little
Renny Little ’51 received the Harvard Medal for Extraordinary Service to the university at the Harvard Alumni Associations annual meeting at the 2017 Commencement. Paul Karofsky ’62 is the proud grandfather of recent graduate Sydney Epstein ’17 (and son-in-law Larry Epstein ’87.) Fred Scott ’63 writes from Jacksonville, FL, “I recognize a few names in the recent Riparian, marvel at the accomplishments of so many students and faculty, and for a moment recall those early days when the campus moved from Brookline to Weston. School started late the first year due to con-
struction delays. As a result we went to school on Saturdays for a bit to make up for lost time. Our gymnasium wasn’t finished by basketball season and practices were held at the Weston High School gym. I recall the majority of the games being away as we piled into Erv Prince’s station wagon to get there. It was not a pretty season. Soccer was introduced in those early years. Coach Tom Beal led the way. Though enthusiastic and willing to learn, ( most of us had only played Rivers football previously) that season too was not pretty. The student council sold cookies at recess out of the bookstore in the basement. More than once I think Miss Bergen wanted to shut the ‘franchise’ down due to the unruly mob. Fun times. Our classes were small, our graduating classes not much bigger. The girls we met were usually at glee club concerts. But I’m sure there are many alums such as myself who share similar memories, stories, and tall tales of the Brookline campus as well as the early Weston years. I hope this same group takes the same pride I do in the school today.”
Larry Epstein ’87, Sydney Epstein ’17, and Paul Karofsky ’62
We are saddened to report that Cee Licht, mother of Mark Licht ’64 and widow of former faculty member and Rivers Day Camp Director Paul Licht, passed away on April 14, 2017. Rod MacPhie ’66 sent a photo of himself, Court Dwyer, Sue Dwyer, and John Lafferty at a Portland Sea Dogs game! “I have been working for the Sea Dogs for three seasons and love every minute of it! So cool working up close with Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers, and Red Sox prospects!” Gary Haven Smith ’68 had two of his granite sculpures in an exhibit entitled “Power of Place” at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm in Maine this summer. His works were entitled “Sentinel III” and “Window of Opportunity.” Yance Yancey ’70 emailed, “We are back! Zane and I retired and bought a
Gary Haven Smith’s “Window of Opportunity”
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. 28
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Court Dwyer, Sue Dwyer, John Lafferty, Rod MacPhie, Class of 1966
Barrett Stephen Donahue
house in Bethlehem, NH. We celebrated Christmas in our new home with some of our children and grandchildren. It was time and there was no good reason to stay in MD. We are looking forward to the birth of our eleventh grandchild. I hope to be able to attend the reunion in 2020.”
Josh Kirson ‘15 and Caleb Mahoney ‘16 played in the NCAA MLAX Final Four at Gillette Stadium this summer.
Leslie Abrams ’92 reported, “I have been living in California since 1996 but more recently moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Its been an exciting 2017 so far. My husband and I welcomed our first child Joshua Alec on November 28, 2016.”
In Memoriam
Josh Kirson ‘15 and Caleb Mahoney ‘16 Nelson D. Hooe ’47, June 2, 2017
Tim Sistrand ‘15, an economics and international policy major, was designated a Jordan Scholar at Fordham University.
Thomas P. Beal, former faculty, June 13, 2017
Robert M. Krueger ’71, January 20, 2017 Cecelia Licht, April 14, 2017 Eleanor D. Mahoney, former faculty, July 9, 2017 John T. Noonan ’44, April 17, 2017
George M. Cohen ’50, March 5, 2017
Edward A. Swiedler ’67, March 10, 2017
Paul J. Gilman ’56, April 15, 2017
John N. Willis ’66, August 3, 2017
Dave Donahue ’03 and his wife Margaret welcomed their son Barrett Stephen Donahue on July 27, 2017. Alix Parkinson ’06 was married to Matt Ekstrom this summer. Hillary Ain Cherrabi ’07 writes that she now works at a company called Tibi in New York City. Jen Keefe ’08 writes, “Four years into pursuing comedy in NYC, I am overjoyed to report I’ll be appearing in the sixth season of the Netflix dramedy, Orange is the New Black, premiering June 2018. I shot a few weeks ago at the gorgeous-new Silvercup Studios in the Bronx. It’s a teeny role, but I can’t wait to share it with everyone once it airs next year :)”
Alix Parkinson ’06 and Matt Ekstrom
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1957: Front: Terry Baker, Bill Christmas. Rear: Scott Brackett, Dwight Baldwin.
1977: Christian Melby, John Sperber, Fred Folch-Pi, Bruce Keltie, Greg Cahill, Mark Rosen, Steve Eckles, Charles Metchear
1982: Jeff Snider, Ken Fox, Peter Gallitano, and Paul Seeto 1967: Front: Skip Shaw, Bob Lider, Bill Cantor, Robert Montgomery. Rear: Andrew Flake,
Bob Huberman, Bill Hurwitch, Lou Grossman, Randy Kunhardt, Alan Plumhoff, Rod Shepardson, David Green, Tom Grover, Brooks Edwards.
1987: Front: Mike
Kris, Andy Arvedon, David Veron, Cliff Snider, Keith Salustro. Back: Jon Epstein, Chris Saunders, Mark Walter, David Spalding, (Not pictured but in attendance: Greg Stoller).
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1992: Front: Sara Burns-Sacknoff Shea, Kelley
Sweeney O’Connell, Susie Godino Ellis. Rear: Charlie Saponaro, Jim Kirk, Frank Hadley, Jason Gorman, Kyle Furman, Jeff Deutsch, Scott Cronin, Steve Sugarman, Carl Robinson, John Eldh, Mike Needleman, Charlie MacMullen, Josh Grossman.
1997: Front: Kristy Szretter, Heidi Liss, Jenny Lifson, Joe Weinberg, Mike Rich, Nicky Jackson Colaco, Paul Croce, Cara Fudemberg. Rear: Charlie Jigarjian, Chris Harris, Matt Hubball, Matt Tremblay, Dan Sherman, Phil LoGerfo, Grant Hecht, Alexis Donnerstag, Mike Hass, Brooke Allen. 2002: Tim
Geary ’02, Jeff Hecht ’02, Dean Bragonier ’91 with the 2001 Championship Soccer Team photo
2007: Front: Nikki Schuster, Kadie Yannone, Meghan Hesselmann, Hillary Ain. Middle:
Amanda Korff, Ashlee Cushing, Kathleen Ball, Jen Post, Eddie Benjamin, Bill Duplisea. Back: Miles Jacoby, Chris Whittier, Rob Shanfeld, Nick Jenkins.
2012: Front: David Nagelberg,
Danny Walsh, David Feldman, Jeff Vaz, Jack Rautiola, Jack Lawrence. Middle: Andy Ades, Emily Snider, Kelsey Young, Jessie Kraft, Ashley Weir, Jenna Jasinski, Connor Bradley, Matt Burns. Back: Julia Taylor, Meghan McAneny, Megan Kerbs, Taylor Cross, Brooke Stoller, Janelle Ferrara, Steph Merinoff, Eddie Sullivan, Amanda McGuinness, Billy Oldach, Robert McLarnon.
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I n Mem o r i am
Thomas Beal and Eleanor Mahoney
T
his summer Rivers lost two beloved former faculty members: Thomas Beal and Eleanor Mahoney. A combined six decades of alumni remember them for their passion for teaching as well as their genuine interest in their students and colleagues. Tom passed away on June 13, and Eleanor on July 9, 2017. Tom Beal joined the Rivers English Department in 1958 and taught until 1979, when he accepted a position at the Fenn School in Concord. Tom coached soccer while at Rivers and was later named an Honorary Trustee. He had a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and a master’s in education from Northeastern University. He leaves his wife, Barbara, four children, and three grandchildren. As a schoolboy, Tom attended Camp Chewonki in Maine during the period when Roger Tory Peterson, the renowned naturalist and Rivers science teacher, was just beginning to make his name in the world of ornithology. Both Peterson and Chewonki sparked 32
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a love of nature in Tom that continued throughout his life and often became the center of his English lessons at Rivers. After he retired, Tom spent a great deal of time at Squam Lake, enjoying his surroundings with friends and family. In Rivers’ Centennial Book, colleague Renny Little ’51 gave a glimpse of Tom’s warmth and sense of humor: “One day was designated as ‘Red Day.’ If you didn’t have on something red, the seniors would add lipstick to your face. It always seemed as if Tom Beal forgot, but he was a good sport about it. Boys who misbehaved joined ‘Beals’ Boys’ and helped with various chores around the school.” Eleanor Mahoney devoted her life to sharing her passion and her knowledge of the visual arts—sculpture, watercolor painting, and most of all, ceramics—with students of all ages. She began as a volunteer teaching ceramics at Rivers in 1974, when her older son Squire enrolled at the school. She was hired in 1976 and taught until
her retirement in 2006. During that time, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College, graduating magna cum laude in 1983. She also taught at Rivers’ Camp Nonesuch, the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, and the Danforth Art Museum School of Framingham. Squire graduated from Rivers in 1978 and Reihl in 1982. At her retirement celebration in 2006, Eleanor was remembered by her students as much for her relationships with them as for the skills she taught them at the pottery wheel. She helped them discover their personal aesthetics as well as their own view of what was important in life. Perhaps former faculty member Jack Jarzavek said it best: “Eleanor was one of the kindest, most loving people. All who knew her were better for knowing her.” In addition to her sons and their wives, Eleanor is survived by three grandchildren. Her husband John passed away less than a month before her death.
Congratulations to the Class of 2017 Elizabeth Baldini George Washington University
Robert Gallo Tufts University
Noah Lemley Trinity College
Katherine Regan-Loomis Kenyon College
Samantha Baldwin Northwestern University
Holly Glass Connecticut College
Zachary Lisman University of Virginia
Julia Rogers Emory University
Trevor Ballantyne Dartmouth College
Alyson Goff Bucknell University
Henri Marius Colgate University
Emma Roush Wesleyan University
Alicia Bellido Tufts University
Benjamin Gomez Davidson College
Andrew Martin Wesleyan University
Michelle Ryder Johns Hopkins University
Aliza Bloostein Barnard College
Blake Griffith Elon University
Olivia McCabe Colby College
Jermaine Samuels Villanova University
Ryan Bodio Union College
Nazeli Hagen Harvard University
Erin McKay Northeastern University
Christian Schoen Tufts University
James Bradley Washington University in St. Louis
Shahen Hagen Tufts University
Anthony Milne Dartmouth College
Cameron Ulrich Schwendener Kenyon College
Brendan Hamblet Bentley University
Grace Monaghan Bowdoin College
Madeline Segall Hamilton College
Paul Hawkins Colby College
Madeleine Moore College of William and Mary
Scott Selland University of Wisconsin, Madison
Sofia Hennessey University of Rochester
Lorraine Byrne Carleton College
Erica Mueffelmann Southern Methodist University
John Shaughnessy Boston University
Ashley Herman University of Wisconsin, Madison
James Carroll Santa Clara University
Madeleine Muller Northwestern University
Alexa Sheinkopf University of Richmond
Graydon Hewitt College of the Holy Cross
Benjamin Churchill Princeton University
Christina Orr Connecticut College
Campbell Siegrist Syracuse University
William Hewitt Santa Clara University
Andrew Ciampa Elon University
Charles Parsons Middlebury College
Chloe Smith Middlebury College
Ali Hickey Grinnell College
Hunter Corliss St. Lawrence University
Matthew Paul Dartmouth College
Liam Sullivan Cheshire Academy
Henry Juviler Syracuse University
Seamus Cullen The George Washington University
Luke Picher University of Wisconsin, Madison
Azar Swain Yale University
Bathabile Khumalo Skidmore College
Aspen Pierson Williams College
Thomas Tresca Tufts University
Kate Knight Santa Clara University
Joshua Polanco Calderon Columbia University
Rider Tuff University of Richmond
Delilah Knisley Pennsylvania State University
Benjamin Puritz University of Michigan
Sadie Kraft Northwestern University
Brett Rahbany University of Pennsylvania
Aidan Van Duzer Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sarah Lamour Howard University
Elliott Ramirez Bowdoin College
Derek Lamparelli Indiana University, Bloomington
Kristen Randall Georgetown University
Charles Lawrence Middlebury College
Andrew Reale Indiana University, Bloomington
Asher Leeming Gap Year
McCauley Reardon Vanderbilt University
James Brennan Purdue University Aidan Byrne University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Joseph Duffy Villanova University Nina Duffy Bucknell University Sydney Epstein The New School University Frank Ferrara St. Anselm’s College Nicole Fish Tulane University David Freedman Northeastern University Omar Frometa Middlebury College
Jianna Voghel Tulane University Kaitlin Wood Northwestern University Michael Young University of Connecticut Peter Zecca St. John’s University
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Volleyball Fans at Homecoming 2017