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BLUE & GRAYFRIENDS ACADEMY WINTER/SPRING 2012

Stepping it Up in the 21st Century

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Newly renovated classrooms and flexible teaching spaces Interactive projectors and screens in every classroom Fully-integrated Mac computers throughout the school 80% of faculty trained in Teaching for Understanding Complete integration of traditional and Sally Borden programs New uniforms for girls’ field hockey team

HELP KEEP OUR MOMENTUM GOINGPLEASE SUPPORT THE 2011-2012 ANNUAL FUND. ANNUAL GIVING IS OUR SINGLE MOST IM-

PORTANT SOURCE OF NON-TUITION INCOME, AND IT PROVIDES THE MOST FLEXIBLE

AND IMMEDIATE SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR ANNUAL OPERATIONS, ENABLING FRIENDS TO:

Stock the art rooms with tools and supplies Produce top-notch drama and musical performances Provide guest speakers, course-based field trips, and outdoor education Supply athletic teams with new uniforms and equipment Support the professional development of our outstanding faculty and staff

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN EVERY FRIENDS ACADEMY STUDENT’S LIFE BY SUPPORTING OUR ANNUAL FUND THIS YEAR. EVERY DAY, EVERY YEAR, EVERY GIFT COUNTS.

DONATE ONLINE TODAY AT WWW.FRIENDSACADEMY1810.ORG, OR CALL JODI PINK AT 508.999.1356.

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Message from the Head of School

Reconstructing Herring: From Chaos to Readiness in 12 Short Weeks

An Afternoon with Steve and Sallie Barker—Friends’ First Family

A Visit to the Farmhouse—Reggio Emilia and the Early Childhood Center at Friends Academy

Friends Gives Back—The Center for Education InnovationWhy Friends Academy? Friends Academy In Partnership with Hayden McFadden

A Gift to the People of FairhavenArthur Small, Lighthouse Keeper/Maritime Painter

2011 Class Day Remarks by Ben Shattuck ’99, Not Justin Bieber

The Power of Transcendence in the Woods of Maine

Learning the Ropes, Literally

Mixing-it-Up—Sally Borden School and Friends Academy—Co-Building the Social Studies Curriculum

From Rummage to Riches—Zeroing in on the Parent Association

AuthorFest—Bringing Writers and Illustrators Back to School

Permission to Play—Progress in the Keyboarding Lab

Welcome New Faculty

Creativity in the Classroom—Putnam Murdock

Alumni ProfilesAirstreams and Ice Cream, Liz (Sterns) Ackerman ’83It Begins with a Handshake, Meredith Kotowski ’02

Passing the Baton—The Board of Trustees Welcomes Three New Appointees

Class Notes

Young Alumni Reunion—A Story in Pictures

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B L U E & G R A Y winter/spring 2012

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M E S S A G E F R O M T H E H E A D O F S C H O O L

Dear Friends,

The annual publication of the Blue and Gray brings a “year at Friends Academy” into sharp and telling focus. We are a vibrant school community using two-hundred years of tradition not as a reason to stand still, but instead as a catalyst to launch ourselves into a third century of meaningful and effective learning. Building on the past and drawing on lessons well learned, we are demonstrating clearly, that the best schools are always in a “state of becoming.”

As the articles that follow illustrate, Friends Academy is examining curriculum and pedagogy with an eye towards twenty-first century skills, building facilities that promote optimal learning, initiating educational partnerships with the broader community that connect our students, teachers, and neighbors in powerful ways, investing in technology that fosters our mission, and defining a community that puts children first, all the while drawing on our strengths and honoring our roots. The “village” of Friends Academy is hard at work, in purposeful ways, being a role model of continuous learning and growth. After all, as always, our students are watching.

As you read through the Blue and Gray from cover to cover, look for and enjoy the connections that represent the tapestry of the school. How are the Sally Borden School and Friends Academy each strengthened through an integrated program empha-sizing teaching for understanding and best practices in differentiated instruction? What is the positive cumulative impact of an outdoor education program that begins in Third Grade? Why does everyone look at the renovated classrooms in the Herring Building and say “wow?” Who is Reggio Emilia and what’s happening at the pre-school in the Farmhouse? How will Friends Academy’s new Center for Education Innovation be partnering with the Hayden McFadden School in New Bedford for the benefit of all?

What are our alumni telling us about the moments that matter, the things they carry with them when they leave, and the memories of FA that cycle back into their lives over time? The answers to those questions and much more await you!

Students benefit most when schools are in balance. The changes that come in stages that are evolutionary and intentional are healthy for an institution. They reflect a positive climate for learning, a sense of place, and also a commitment to all that is possible. In a world where change is rapid, indiscriminate, at times overwhelming, and often plagued with unintended consequences, Friends Academy remains true to its mission through an emphasis on balanced, ongoing innovation.

Framing with precision the dilemma that faces modern educators, T. S. Eliot famously asked, “Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” In response, as we seek to answer in ways that will prepare FA students for an increasingly global and interconnected world, for a planet that is inundated with information and ever-demanding of new paradigms, the conversa-tions about the future of education here are lively, thought provoking, challenging, inspiring, and never-ending. For just that reason, Friends Academy is entering its third century with confidence and conviction, proud of the past to be sure, but eager to embrace the challenges of the present and the future. Our students deserve nothing less.

Sincerely yours,

Stephen K. BarkerHead of School

R E C O N S T R U C T I N G H E R R I N G :F R O M C H A O S T O R E A D I N E S S I N 1 2 S H O R T W E E K S Peter Ruscitto eter Ruscitt

the Board of Trustees voted to proceed with a major facility upgrade in January of 2010. Due to the complexity of renovation vs. new construction it took until spring of 2011 to get a complete set of architec-tural drawings. The final drawings, reviewed by our own group of volunteer experts from the parent body, were sent to a short list of general contractors in late April. Most firms felt the time line was too tight and dropped out of the selection process. Only two general contracting firms submitted formal bids. On May 9th, J.K. Scanlan, Inc. from Falmouth was hired to do the project.

Final plans were still being amended as the end of the school year was rapidly approaching. The first task for the school was the challenge of packing and removing absolutely everything in the fifteen class-rooms that were being renovated. More than 600 cardboard packing boxes were needed to store class-room materials and school supplies for the duration of the construction. Three, forty-foot long temporary storage containers were delivered to campus and parked on the Garden Lawn to hold books and supplies.

The entire library collection of 14,000 volumes was packed by professional library relocation movers and sent to temperature-controlled storage off campus. All of the library furniture and casework was also disassembled and sent off-site for the summer. The Plumb Library became “operations headquarters” for project meetings and construction administration. The “Commons” became the distribution center for materials delivered to the project.

WITHIN DAYS OF GRADUATION, DEMOLITION BEGAN.

In the course of events, the Board of Trustees approved the addition of exterior work to the former kindergarten classroom wing on the south side of the gymnasium building. This helped to unify the look of the inner courtyard. New energy efficient windows were installed throughout and the old vinyl siding was replaced with new stucco siding to match the Herring Building and the recently refurbished Stites Building. With the classrooms emptied out within a few days of graduation, the first phase of work began with demo-lition and abatement. During the first two weeks of summer, all of the interior walls, ceilings and windows

ALTHOUGH IT WAS TWO YEARS IN THE PLANNING STAGES,

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were removed from the area. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment was also on the demolition list as it was on the schedule to be replaced.

Two unexpected changes had been added to the project at the eleventh hour. The town’s building inspector required that an elevator be installed to allow wheelchair access to all three floors of the Herring Building. The Dartmouth Fire Department also required that the construction include the instal-lation of a sprinkler system throughout the renovation area and the entire Herring Building. Both of these were complicated and costly last minute changes. 7

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THREE WEEKS INTO THE TWELVE-WEEK SCHEDULE

WE HAD OUR FIRST SURPRISE.

The architectural drawings did not show where the plumbing drain lines left the building. Unmarked sewer pipes and “French drains” to deal with ground water were known to be under the building, but not indicated on the plans. Cutting through the concrete slab floor to trace the pipes was a disaster. For years, water had been migrating under the floor and large sections of the basement floor collapsed due to erosion of the soil under the slab. Cameras that could follow the pipes were used to try to locate the existing drain lines and colored dyes were sent into the drain lines to try to trace their route. In order to solve the problems, much of the basement slab had to be removed and new drain lines installed.

We also determined that the rain leaders from the building’s roof gutters needed to be re-routed around the building, rather than under the building. French drains under the soil in front of the building were also required to keep the ground water away from the foundation. The excavation contractors had to install new underground drain lines to tie into the existing drains. Time was lost and unexpected expenses were adding up rapidly.

Meanwhile, work continued on the upper floor as the carpenters, electricians, plumbers, communication systems installers, and fire alarm technicians ran miles of wire, conduit, and pipe. Structural changes to the building allowed us to connect one of the new Sally Borden School classrooms with a ramp and a small set of stairs, making the classroom accessible.

Just when things were beginning to show progress, a summer deluge resulted in major flooding of the lower level, leaving water and silt everywhere. Pumps, fans, dehumidifiers, and “hepa” air filters were installed to dry out the building so work could continue. Meanwhile, the building’s new elevator addition had its own set of problems with ground water. The presence of clay in the soil under the Herring Building floor caused water to seep into the

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sump under the lift. The addition of a sump pump in the bottom of the elevator shaft and additional external waterproofing was not part of the original scope of work.

WE WERE BEGINNING TO WONDER IF THE TWELVE-

WEEK TIMELINE WAS ACHIEVABLE.

Once again, the lower level presented the builder with its final challenge. New interior wall partitions were being installed, casework was scheduled for installa-tion, and cases of resilient flooring tile and carpet were delivered to the school. Unfortunately, the flooring contractor refused to honor the installation warranty unless we hired a waterproofing contractor to seal the concrete floor first. This was an unexpected expense of almost $40,000 that was not in the bud-get. Fortunately, this was the last curve ball that the old building would throw our way.

Still facing a tight timeline for the opening of school we wondered if the work would be done on time. Miles of new network wiring and relocation of the school’s servers and I.T. room were still being tested. Telephone and intercom equipment was still being upgraded throughout the new classrooms. School administrators began to think about “Plan B.” What would we do if the classrooms were not ready and the town did not issue an occupancy permit? Fortunately, we never had to address those fears.

The pause in schedule necessitated by the water-proofing work gave project superintendent, Jim Sanderson, a chance to re-think his strategy for job completion. Throughout the entire project, Jim jug-gled the work assignments of all the subcontractors, solved problems, created new solutions, and got the work done. We delayed the opening day of school by only one day beyond our planned September target date. Who said we couldn’t do a six-month project in twelve weeks? And although we all lost sleep, in the end, the general contractor met the schedule and a collective sigh of relief was heard by all.

A N A F T E R N O O N W I T H S T E V E A N D S A L L I E B A R K E R F R I E N D S ’ F I R S T F A M I L Y

Stephen Walach

The head of school’s office can be an intimidating room. It is where big decisions get made and where matters of great import are scrutinized and debated. In times of crisis it is the nerve center, and when the head of school is charged with a decision only he can make—like calling a snow day —no doubt it can be a lonely place.

However, on an early February afternoon it was anything but. The easy back and forth between Steve and Sallie Barker generated an atmosphere of comfort, camaraderie and confidence. Their warmth and geniality dispelled any hint of crisis, in much the same way a recent stretch of 55-degree days had kept our usual brutal, winter weather at bay—at least for a while.

Steve and Sallie are undeniably a team. Married now for nearly 41 years and parents to two adult children, they have also partnered long term as educators—Steve serving 27 years as head of school and Sallie working alongside as a school librarian for most of that time. Passionate and eager, Sallie brightens as she speaks and emotes, whereas Steve is unhurried and reflective—and eyes a-twinkle, also impishly funny. He began our conversation by marking the areas that were off limits—“My years at the state penitentiary, my …” Clearly, this is a person and a couple mercifully lacking an overinflated sense of self-importance. They listen —really listen—to each other and have been equally open to comments and inquiries from folks across the FA com-munity. They are also a couple whose sense of dedication and integrity are evident in how they interact, what they say, and what they have done.

Sallie tells the story of a first grader at Salisbury School whose mother was doubly shocked to see him one morning taking out the trash and wearing his best necktie and blue blazer. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I am being Mr. Barker,” answered the boy. Salisbury had an active, on-campus work program staffed by students and faculty. Leading by example was Mr. Barker, head of school-slash-trash picker, making a demonstrable impression on at least one student, and undoubtedly many more.

Steve sees himself more as an educator than an administra-tor, which is completely in keeping with “Nation at Risk,” a highly regarded 1980’s report about the future of

schooling in the United States. That report re-emphasized teaching and learning as the central purpose of a school, and who better to lead a school, it opined, than someone who defines himself first and fore-most as a teacher. In full teacher mode, Steve begins each all-school meeting by presenting significant historical events relevant to that day’s date.

Teaching is clearly in his blood and he regards it as the core component of an educational institution. “The faculty is the most important part of the school … I have difficulty with faculty who do not embrace the creative process, who want only to be told exactly what to do,” he says. That is music to teachers’ ears because at heart, teachers are artists who work their craft not from a formula or out of obligation, but because of their enchantment with learning, which on our good days, at least, is as vibrant and new as the most wide-eyed preschooler’s.

Steve cites the Quaker style training he was exposed to during his first teaching job at Moses Brown in nearby Providence, RI, as having influenced his leadership style. At that school the impetus was “always to work toward consensus. When the process is working well, those who have leadership roles are highly involved but their influence is more subtle than authoritarian.” He adds, “I am less about administrating than I am about building relationships—not systematically, but organically. I’ve tried to create conditions that feature bottom-up, non-bureaucratic, decision-making.” No surprise, then, in his first address to the

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FA faculty, Steve Barker—Interim Head of School—invoked Lao Tzu’s notion

of leadership: “A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: We did it ourselves.”

Friends Academy appeals to him because it features precisely what he has come to value: “I want to be in a community that is commit-ted to working with kids, a close knit community that has a shared vision. I want to be associated with people who are alive with ideas and who are passion-ate about putting together, and fostering, a great school environment.”

Sallie grew up on a school campus where her mother was assistant head, and Steve

and Sallie’s two children “have grown up in our

schools. We embraced the whole school culture,” she says,

“and I cannot imagine not having shared that.” Of the many books

on her bookshelf, one is Beautiful Blackbird, which she just finished

reading to kindergarteners. These books are Sallie’s entre into the FA culture. A

lover of children, books and reading, Sallie makes a point to volunteer in the FA library

and Lower Division classrooms.

She has also embraced the local ecology. While at Salisbury, the Barkers made their home alongside Chesapeake Bay, and now reside near Buzzards Bay. “I walk out the door and have to pinch myself to make sure it’s real, because it is just so beautiful.” Active birders, the Barkers love being

outdoors, interacting with the natural world, and learning about our endlessly fascinating, flying friends. They have recently sighted the snowy owl that has been making news in Middletown, RI, and they still marvel over the stamina and cleverness of the red knot, a smallish sandpiper with a dusky orange belly. It has the longest known migratory path, flying from the tip of South America to the Arctic Circle and re-fueling in Delaware, where the red knots dine on horseshoe crab eggs—if they can get them.

The Barkers have traced a migratory loop as well. A long stint at Moses Brown as teacher and division head, an even longer nesting as head at Salisbury School in Maryland, then on to several interim positions, most notably a stop at Sidwell-Friends, where the Obama children enrolled the year before the Barkers arrived. Coming to Friends Academy in July 2011 amid the whirr of band saws and clouds of construction dust, who could have blamed them for moving on, which was in fact the official plan.

In mid-October, the faculty was summoned to the Commons before the start of the school day—never a good sign. Other such impromptu meetings have delivered news of deaths or similarly sad situations, but not this one. No one had died—a real relief, but with two members of the search committee standing in the wings, it sure looked as though they had reached a decision and that meant our interim head—someone who had been quietly gaining the respect and love of the entire Friends community—would be on his way out, sadly so because we were just getting to appreciate him. Fred Mock, however, announced what the faculty had been longing to hear. After an exhaustive search, the board had decided that “the best candidate for full time Head of School was the person already occupying the position, Steve Barker.”

Together for life like the birds they enjoy, the Barkers have taken Friends Academy under wing, adding Dartmouth, MA to their noble itinerary. If you haven’t had the oppor-tunity to do so, come on over and meet them. You know the way here. No need to arrive before dawn, wearing rain gear or aiming binoculars.

Stop by. Arrange a tour. Get involved. You’re in for a real treat.

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R E G G I O E M I L I A A N D T H E E A R LY C H I L D H O O D C E N T E R AT F R I E N D S A C A D E M Y

Cheryle Walker-Hemingway, Amy Peckham ’86, and Dana Bullard “Learning and teaching should not stand on

opposite banks and just watch the river flow

by; instead, they should embark together on

a journey down the water. Through an active,

reciprocal exchange, teaching can strengthen

learning how to learn.” —Loris Malaguzzi,

Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach to

Early Childhood Education

on any given day, you will find our youngest students engaged in the kind of dialogue and collaborative inquiry typical of Reggio-inspired early childhood programs. Reggio Emilia, a region in Northern Italy, is home to an approach to early childhood education that is recognized worldwide for quality and innovation.

The philosophy behind the Reggio Emilia approach informs us that in the education of children, the beauty of discovery and the search for meaning in the world can be conducted collaboratively between children and their teachers. At the Farmhouse, we strive to create a learning environment that encour-ages inquiry, reflective dialogue, and cooperation.

As educators, we have found that the Reggio approach offers us a way of working that respects the compe-tence of children and recognizes the instructive power of an environment filled with rich materials. The joy of co-constructing knowledge and creating meaning

together—students and teachers in collaboration— is what brings our method alive. It has been transfor-mational in shaping every aspect of our pogram— from the way we design teaching contexts, to our values and beliefs about children and how they learn.

What surprises many about this approach is the level of serious thought and study that infuses the daily life of early learners in a Reggio-inspired classroom. Research is a habit of mind that is essential to this way of teaching and learning, and it propels us in richer, more complex, and rigorous directions. The “Studios” within our school are spaces where children experiment, explore, and play with ideas and materi-als. They are places of research where children learn that questions have more than one answer, problems have more than one solution, and that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.

In addition to being a place of research, the environment is seen as a place of shared relationships. Growing relationships is central to the Reggio

A Visit to the Farmhouse

IF YOU WALK INTO THE FARMHOUSE AT FRIENDS ACADEMY

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philosophy, and is instrumental in how we think about growing and shaping our curriculum. At the Farmhouse, education is not an individual pursuit. Instead, we strive to create opportunities for children, teachers, and families to learn with and from one another. This allows us to pursue unique and mean-ingful learning paths.

DECODING SYMBOLS AND LEAVING A TRACE

“I just knew how to make a heart because I made it

with my hands. I was thinking it was beautiful and I

liked it so much. I was thinking about myself because I

have hands, and I can build whatever I want to build.”

Ella (age 5)

Last year, we were fortunate to engage in an experi-ence that resulted in a long-term collaboration with one of our student’s parents, Dr. Stacey Knox, who has travelled to Rwanda to provide medical treatment to women and their children. Her experience afforded us an opportunity to make an authentic connection with another part of the world, and prompted a

months-long investigation of African wildlife, habitats, literature, music, and culture. The children sketched Warusha roundhouses, cut paper Baobab trees, sculpted huge animals from wire, constructed a three-dimensional African Savannah, and created a movie to communicate with the children of Rwanda.The children associated the symbol of a heart with the word LOVE, as we sent messages of love to the children and families in Rwanda, and received some in return. Children are able to decode symbols and associate them with written language at a very young age. This year, feeling it was important to follow up and “leave a trace” of this tremendous learning journey, we created a “Messages of Love” board in our Communication Studio. Once again, the universal symbol of love appeared.

On the first day of autumn, one of the children arrived at school declaring, “I want to make a heart for the whole school.” Since then, the children have been representing the symbol on paper, in clay, with paint, and through the use of materials. Most

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recently, the children have used messages of love as contexts for communicating and using language socially. It has become a way for them to connect with each other and with the greater community. Later in the year during a group discussion, one of the children suggested that the group create “a heart and a letter, and mail them in the back of a mail truck to the ‘big school.’” Another child suggested we deliver materials to the main building so that the older children could create messages of love as well. Together, they worked to compose and write a letter that would accompany the materials and the children plan to follow through on the “invitation” to the older children over the course of the spring term.

RECOGNIZING THE COMPETENCE AND

RESOURCEFULNESS OF YOUNG CHILDREN

After being involved in many different long-term investigations and in the rich and complex dialogues that take place, after witnessing the children as they explore new ideas and use their experiences as a valu-able link to other experiences, it would be impossible for us, as educators, to deny the incredible competence and resourcefulness of young children. It would also be difficult to deny that the combination of inquiry-based practices, careful listening and reflection, and the use of collaborative strategies enable us (children and teachers) to reach the level of serious study and the capacity for growth that is continually achieved through the process. Studying the approach of educators in Reggio Emilia, Italy, has moved us to consider new possibilities for individual as well as group learning experiences. We have come to realize that when inquiry, joy, and the search for meaning and beauty are the core curriculum, and are systemati-cally pursued and supported, the quality of life in the classroom is significantly improved.

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THE PEDAGOGY OF LISTENING

Reggio educators have inspired us to pursue the pedagogy of listening. With each year that passes, we do less talking and more listening to children: to their unique perspectives; to their strategies for making sense of the world; to their capacity for love and for forgiveness. And the more we listen to children, the more convinced we are that together we can work with minds, hands, senses, and heart to weave a rich tapestry that narrates a different kind of story for our children, ourselves, and our planet.

“If we believe that children possess their own theories,

interpretations, and questions, and are co-protagonists

in the knowledge-building processes, then the most

important verbs in educational practice are no longer

‘to talk’, ‘to explain’, or ‘to transmit’—but ‘to listen.’”

Carlina Rinaldi, President, Reggio Children

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Over a 15-year career in education technology, I have worked with thousands of schools, visited hundreds, and seen few that truly innovate. However, at Friends Academy, I see a school that takes in the same childrenas other schools and personalizes the learning processto achieve truly different outcomes. That is innovation. Now, through the Center for Education Innovation (CEI), I see the school community reaching out to share its methods and expertise in the public schools. That is important.

My friends and consulting clients, Al and Kate Merck, introduced me to Friends Academy and asked me to visit with Katherine Gaudet and Andy Rodin, to help them evaluate the Friends Academy plan to work with the New Bedford schools. After finding my way to North Dartmouth and Tucker Road, I sat down with the two school heads. We didn’t plan it, but the meeting went nearly four hours. By the end, I was convinced that they had an important idea, and that they could accomplish it. I also realized that we had a lot of work to do to realize the dream.

As I understand it, the dream is to teach elementary school teachers in New Bedford, and then in inner city school districts across the country, to teach in the same way as they do at Friends Academy. That is, to apply high expectations, sophisticated assessments, proven teaching methods, individualized and technology-based instruction and practice systems in a supportive learning community to help every student learn to their potential. That combination is remarkably rare. I can only think of a handful of schools across the entire United States that achieve the dream. That means that not only is Friends Academy a great school; it is also a vital model for national school improvement.

The Center for Education Innovation is even more important. A model is of little value without a method for dissemination. CEI is working with the WIDE World program from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to develop a replicable, scalable method of training public school teachers to do what they do at Friends Academy. I consider that effort to

F R I E N D S G I V E S B A C K T H E C E N T E R F O R E D U C AT I O N I N N O VAT I O N

W H Y F R I E N D S A C A D E M Y ? Jon Bower

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Vicki Bancroft and Kelly Coucci leaned in together over their drawings, and giggled. Try as they might, their self-portraits had, well, a childlike simplicity that tickled their funny bone. These two weren’t children but teachers, who were exploring the software Kidpix for the very first time on their new laptops at Hayden McFadden School in New Bedford.

Like all 47 teachers (over 90% of the Hayden McFadden faculty) enrolled in the course, they were there to learn about technology and best practices for integrating it into their curricula. Their coaches? Friends Academy’s own teachers, Laura Velazquez, Jamie Ross-Cory, Jonathan Felix, and Beth Donahue. This partnership with Hayden McFadden is the first initiative sponsored through The Center for Education Innovation (CEI), which I have been able to develop through a generous grant from Kate and Al Merck. During this pilot year, the Center takes aim at the thoughtful integration of technology at Hayden McFadden to see how it can strengthen teacher effectiveness, boost student scores, and improve the school’s success in educating students.

It is indisputable that there are wide variations in the success of school systems. Some are able to gain positive outcomes for their students and some are not. The importance of education reform has launched a plethora of programs; billions of dollars have been poured into different approaches—yet the performance of schools has shown variable improvement. Recent studies identify three key factors in the improvement of education outcomes: Getting the right people as teachers; developing them into effective instructors; and ensuring that the system is able to deliver the best possible instruction for every child.

Friends Academy with its 200-year history as a center for learning and growth in the South Coast area hopes to be able to use its expertise to give back to the com-munity. Over the years, by implementing advanced teaching methods through professional development, we have been able to help our students perform at

F R I E N D S A C A D E M Y —

I N PA R T N E R S H I P W I T H H AY D E N M C F A D D E N

Katherine Gaudet

be a gift to the education community—one with the potential to change how our public schools perform forever.

There is no guarantee that the effort will succeed. Many have tried to help public schools improve, and few have had a significant impact. But I think that the CEI at Friends Academy has a better chance than most. I think so because I believe that Friends Academy actually knows why its students succeed: it has a method. Also, CEI has a great partner in WIDE World—a partner that trains thousands of teachers every year to improve their teaching. Finally, in Katherine Gaudet, CEI has a great leader. A leader who can teach and inspire others to do what needs to be done to help public school teachers be great.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with CEI to achieve the dream: to make public schools as good as Friends Academy is today, so that each one is free to help students who need it; to continue to innovate and improve its methods. Through that continuous innovation, Friends Academy will guarantee its future as a leader in personalized learning and a model for schools across the nation.

Jon Bower is a consultant in education technology and teacher training. He has been CEO of three education technology companies including Lexia Learning, Soliloquy Learning, and YBA Communications. He is working with Friends Academy to help CEI develop a viable business plan, and also to succeed in scaling its training from one school in New Bedford across that school district and across the country.

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and above their expectations. The effects last a life-time. By establishing The Center for Education Innovation, Friends hopes to extend and export its proven methods and resources to help improve and sustain teaching and learning across the South Coast region and beyond.

This year, Hayden McFadden teachers will benefit from hands-on instruction in several software programs such as Lexia Reading, Symphony Math, Kidpix, Comic Life, Timeliner, and Kidspiration. As they learn about technologies available to them, they will also take a course, Teaching to Standards Using New Technologies, through WIDE World, an online teacher-training curriculum developed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This combined pro-gram will provide teachers with the appropriate tools to make them effective instructors. In addition, the Center will provide a yearlong mentoring service to ensure that teachers have ongoing support in order to rewrite their curricula and make the integration of technology part of their practice. Hayden McFadden principal, Suzanne Madden enthused, “I’m thrilled that our teachers and students will have these state- of-the-art resources to continue to move towards academic excellence.”

If the pilot is successful, and if the Center can raise additional capital, it will bring this program to all twenty-two of New Bedford’s schools over the next four years. Concurrent with this, the CEI will also work with other independent and public schools that would like to participate.

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Captain Arthur Small was famous in this area as the Lighthouse Keeper for Palmer’s Island Light in New Bedford Harbor during the Hurricane of 1938. It is said that he was acclaimed for keeping the light ablaze during the storm, but sadly, lost his wife in the deluge. An accomplished mariner who traveled the world in ships of every kind for close to twenty years, Captain Small took up painting while still going to sea. When he first started, his canvases were scraps of torn and tattered sails and his colors came out of pots of lead paint in harsh primary colors. With these primitive materials he made reproductions of famous old square-riggers.

Last spring, when Friends Academy Business Manager Peter Ruscitto embarked on the job of cleaning out the Herring Building attic in preparation for the start of construction, two old maritime paintings by Arthur Small were discovered in the recesses. Ruscitto contacted past parent, Nate Bekemeier, a gallery owner in the area. Nate and his friend Ted Lorentzen researched the paintings and were instrumental in helping Ruscitto and Friends Academy donate one painting, The Schooner Edward B. Winslow in Vine-yard Sound (pictured here) to the Fairhaven Millicent Library, where it was formally dedicated this past summer, and is permanently on display. A second painting is on display at the Northeast Maritime Institute. The public may now view these two fine examples of Captain Small’s work in Fairhaven.

In an article reprinted from the Fairhaven Star, July 10, 1931 edition, Small was quoted to say that his aim was “to paint the old sailing ships as they appear in the memories of the men who used to sail on them.” “I want accuracy,” he said, “but at the same time I’d like the pictures to be pleasing to the eye. As a matter of fact, I’ve had some miserable times aboard ship. So has any sailor. But after it’s all over, it’s the adventure and the beauty of the vessel that we remember.”

A Gift to the People of Fairhaven

When Mr. Rodin called me a few months ago, he said that he was looking for a Class Day speaker who could relate to the students…that he didn’t care if that person were the typically famous graduation speaker…that Justin Bieber was too expensive… that there were still tuna sandwiches served in the courtyard after the ceremony. And so, I said yes, I’d love to come back.

Good morning graduating class, students, parents, and teachers. It is very exciting to be here. I’m happy to see my former teachers—Mr. Mogilnicki and Ms. Fletcher among you.

I spent the morning walking around campus, looking at all the new buildings, wandering through the hallways, visiting my old plaque, your new gardens, running away from the honeybees now installed on campus. Things look pretty much the same—the basketball hoops look a lot lower, and I see that your morning meeting space could just about swallow our old morning meeting space.

Graduating class: if you’re like me and started here in the Lower School, you’ve sat through many Friends Academy graduations; you’ve heard many speakers; you’ve heard enough Pachelbel’s Canon in D for a lifetime. You might have started down there in the front row—and year-by-year moved back—until today, when you’re suddenly directed up on stage. I remember this moment well. How I sat here mostly thinking of the chocolate-covered strawberries reserved for the graduating class; how I’d get to ring the bell as my brother had done two years earlier; how summer, with all its warmth and free time, was just hours away. Well, summer will be here faster than you want it to be. For now, just sit back and enjoy this lovely breeze and your last few hours at Friends.

The first thing I want to talk about is what you’ve just been through, about this thing that is Friends Academy—the teachers, the morning handshake, the fields, the beech tree, the beehives, and morning

meetings. This whole thing wrapped up altogether in one Blue and Gray mass. Let’s take a moment to consider our relation to that thing.

I should say that talking about Friends is difficult because I’m essentially talking about my entire childhood, which is hard to pin down. Of course it was a long time ago—I arrived at Friends twenty-one years ago, a kindergartener about the size of an elf. I can’t separate Friends and my early life, I can’t tease it from my overall youth.

That said, I’m sure there are specific experiences I can pinpoint that you and I share. We all know, for instance, on Field Day, what it’s like to see our Principal, that guiding light of the school, perched helpless on the seat of a dunk tank—shivering, staring us down—and how we muster every ounce of concentration to knock the target. And savor the look on his face when we hit the target! We all know the smell of pizza filling the halls on Pizza Day; we know the magic of the Science Fair and what it’s like to glue pages of data onto our display boards the night before. Some of us more than others (definitely count me in here) know the deafening screech of the recorder as we try to blow out the elusive notes of Turkey in the Straw. We know that the beech tree looks best in late spring with fresh burgundy leaves; and if you were here for fourth grade, you’d also know the sight of yellow witch hazel blooming in the play-ground. Your class, like mine, probably prayed for a winter filled with snow days, and a spring without rain.

I’m also sure you and I were both affected by Friends in similar ways, and that our peers and teachers changed us in significant but maybe less identifiable ways. When my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Borden, brought a monarch butterfly chrysalis into class and let us watch it crack open, it affected me in some way. The image of its wrinkled, orange wings pumping to life has stuck with me. You’ve had experiences like this here I’m sure, though they might not surface, or gain importance, until later in your life.

2 0 1 1 C L A S S D A Y R E M A R K S B Y B E N S H AT T U C K ’ 9 9 , N O T J U S T I N B I E B E R

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I can tell you from experience that you’ve been pointed in the right direction. It is the stuff beyond the desks—Friends’ insistence on mashing together time in and out of the classroom—that make this place special. It’s the butterflies. It is the very fact that I can’t tease apart my early life from my early education that makes me thankful to have been here.

I also know that you and I share in something greater, something far older than the twelve years separating us, something more than Field Day.

Friends just celebrated its bicentennial. When the school opened, Lewis and Clark had just finished tromping through the northwest; Beethoven was alive and scrawling out notes; Napoleon was tearing his way through Europe. (I wonder what they’ll say of your class in 200 years—that when the class of 2011 grad-uated they were using computers the size of toasters?)

And while the classes of the early 1800s might not have had Pizza Day, they undoubtedly did experience the same belief in the power of an individual’s voice, and in the equality of each voice, beliefs that lie at the very heart of this historically Quaker school.

This is to say that Friends is more than a handful of stone buildings and an old beech tree. It extends well into the past and beyond its acres of fields. It repre-sents an ideal that is carried by the students that came before you and me. Today, you are one of a class of thirty-one, but as a graduate, you are now part of a class of thousands. Welcome.

The second point I want to make is not about what you’ve been through, but what awaits you. Which is to say, I have no idea—in the very best sense. Here’s a story:

In the summer of 2009, ten years after graduating Friends, I found myself stationed in an abandoned U.S. Coast Guard house on White Island, New Hampshire, counting Arctic Terns. The waves pounded the rocks beneath my window at night. There were stories of ghosts in the stairwells of the house. From the top of the lighthouse, you could spot schools of fish in the shadows of underwater rock ledges.

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I guarantee your favorite novel is waiting in the coming years, but who knows what character will hook you; and I’m hoping that you might see a paint-ing that flips a switch in your chest and changes you forever, but who knows what that painting will be.

You have no idea where your interests will take you, but I guarantee that only by following your interest, by following that creative force inside each of you, will you get to the places that astound you.

For example: A year after the Arctic Terns, I found myself working on the Norwegian coast with a 6'5" Scandinavian recluse named “Odd Nerdrum.” A painter and writer with a photographic memory, he wore only animal skins and almost never went out in public. There was a Viking boat in his courtyard. I’d grown up looking at his paintings in art books, and here I was, working beside him. I spent my days painting and walking through the snowy fields. There was much darkness, no television, candles in every room, and a sort of lingering, glowing gray, ever- twilight light that sparked long and uninterrupted reflection. This is time I cherish, and I only got there by following my interest in painting.

If you pursue your interests, if you don’t lose sight of what fills your life with meaning, you will find yourself wandering through glowing Norwegian forests, or something of the equivalent.

Of the more immediate future: going to high school is like starting with a clean slate. Nobody will care if you played the recorder like a squeaky door and butchered Turkey in the Straw. Everything will be

It was there, embedded in the sound of the foghorn and cackling terns, that I received a letter. The letter arrived by the weekly mail boat. The original address had been scratched out, and over it was scrawled this island’s address. The return address pictured that emblematic blue circle around what I always thought had looked like a genie’s lamp—the emblem of Friends Academy.

I opened the envelope. Inside was a single piece of lined paper, and at the top was written in bright orange marker, “Dear Ben, I hope you are doing well in the future.” The writing was both familiar and foreign, like meeting a distant relative. I skipped to the bottom of the page and saw, it was, indeed, from myself, written in my final days of 8th grade. The letter outlined what I’d like to do, what I’d like to become. There was a part about traveling, a part about working for National Geographic, a part about owning three Lamborghinis. (By the way, I drove here today in a 2001 Subaru.) What an odd sensation to be staring at a letter to my future self, as my future self. Who did I imagine I’d become? Was this person, standing beneath a flock of 2000 birds on a tiny windswept island him?

The letter showed that as a young student I had a vague sense of who I was and who I would become, but the letter entirely lacked the richness of detail that is life—the people I’d meet, the spiraling mountain-tops I’d see, and the characters of books I’d fall in love with. That’s the thing about the future—you can have a vague sense of where you’re going, but you’ll never come even close to imagining the richness of it.

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fresh, new. It’s like waking up in the morning to a new season, an invigorating wind blowing in from a different direction. The air will be charged with possibility.

That said, you still have Friends in your corner, guiding you as you explore. You’ll have all the years of instruction, of healthy community, and encourage-ment to stand on. If nothing else, you’ll leave with a solid handshake.

Friends Academy is still a part of me, and will become a part of you, maybe more than you think—even if that’s just the memory of yellow witch hazel blooming on the playground, or the smell of pizza filling the hallways.

As you walk off this stage and head out past Tucker Road, remember that though you’re leaving, you’re nonetheless taking something with you. Something that you own, something that is glued to your very center, that you will never lose. Just don’t forget to grab a few chocolate-covered strawberries and ring the bell on your way out.

Or in the far more eloquent words of your could-have-been speaker Justin Bieber: Feel it, believe it, dream it, be it!

AND before I go, something I’ve been practicing on the recorder for the past 12 years: Turkey in the Straw, by Ben Shattuck. Just joking.

My most heartfelt congratulations to you all. Thank you.

F R I E N D S A C A D E M Y C L A S S O F 2 0 1 1S E C O N D A R Y S C H O O L C H O I C E S

NAME SCHOOL ATTENDING 2011-2012

Alan Andonian Moses Brown School

Jackie Andrade St. Andrew’s School

Sam Appleton Bishop Stang High School

Jarris Ashley St. Andrew’s School

Olivia Beaupre Milton Academy

Alize Brady Middletown High School

Jeb Brown Wilbraham & Monson Academy

Alex Cannell St. George’s School

Newcomb Cole Woodberry Forest School, Virginia

Erin Coyne Sturgis Charter Public School

Ian Coyne Sturgis Charter Public School

Olivia Decker St. Andrew’s School, Delaware

Harris DeMello Dartmouth High School

Sam Dorothy Old Rochester Regional High School

Max Douglas Apponequet Regional High School

Matt Genereux Tabor Academy

Hanah Gierhart Tabor Academy

Sam Horowitz Joseph Case High School

Matt Jones Dartmouth High School

Jack Kenney Dartmouth High School

Matt Lee Bishop Stang High School

Maura Lonergan Bishop Stang High School

Kiri Peirce Wheeler School

Lauren Pineau Greater New Bedford Regional

Vocational Technical High School

Preston Rathborne Proctor Academy

Maddiy Reimer Providence Country Day School

Katya Ruddell Glastonbury High School, Connecticut

Logan Russell Tabor Academy

Nick Starrett Dartmouth High School

Maria Veale Moses Brown School

Will Walker Phillips Academy, Andover

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T H E P O W E R O F T R A N S C E N D E N C E — I N T H E W O O D S O F M A I N E

Michael Bean

Early morning, September 12, 2011, I joined the ranks of seventh graders shuffling under the weight of overloaded backpacks amidst teary-eyed mothers and fortified fathers towards the luggage bays of a passenger bus bound for Chewonki.

I was a newly-hired teacher, and now with a hand-shake and a vote of confidence from Upper Division Head, William Perrine, I embarked on a bus full of strangers, bound for the wilderness of Maine.

The bus ride went by rather quickly. It was filled with the excitement of adventure as the four Friends Academy chaperones were serenaded by the vibrant discussions that students on the cusp of their teen- age years have. Some had been to Chewonki before and this was an opportunity for them to share their knowledge and lay of the land. For others this was not only their first trip to Chewonki, but also the first time that they would really put to the test their ability to canoe, camp, and survive multiple nights away from home…in the wild.

We arrived and were greeted by bright-eyed and excited Chewonki counselors eager to welcome their new recruits. We separated into the groups that would be our family for the week: eight students, one chaperone, and two counselors. Together, we were introduced to the types of food that would sustain us over the next five days: sun butter, cheese, pepperoni, carrots, apples, oranges, tortilla chips, and homemade bread. We sat down to lunch as introductions were made. After a quick cleanup we were whisked to the main field where our co-counselors lead us through a number of rousing “ice-breakers,” and ultimately to the process of naming our clan, which for many reasons, I cannot reveal to you the reader. It was then that a new identity began to form.

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T H E P O W E R O F T R A N S C E N D E N C E — I N T H E W O O D S O F M A I N E

Michael Bean

Then off to “pack-out” where we gathered the neces-sary tents, gear, and supplies that our group would need. Counselors led us to our designated campsite for that evening and walked us through the process of setting up our tents. On that first night it was established that there would be necessary jobs for each of the campers to take on daily in order for the camp-ing with “No-Trace” experience to be safe, efficient, and as clean and comfortable as possible. We were instructed by the counselors what each of the jobs entailed, such as cleaning, cooking, and gathering, and how the jobs would rotate each day. We then gathered, cooked, cleaned, and hustled down the path to the Chewonki Center for Environmental Education for a presentation on owls. It was an eventful and busy first day. Tomorrow we would be canoeing to our island. We were tired, and we slept well.

The next morning was full of excitement and renewal. The homesick tears that had been shed the night before were forgotten. We ate breakfast, broke down our tents, and carried our gear to the docks. Canoeing teams were assigned and the process of paddling was explained. Our mission was to paddle to Castle Island in Hockomock Bay, set up camp, explore, learn, and return safely. Each boat had a map, each boat was loaded with gear, and each boat carried butterflies in the stomachs of its seventh graders…and in the stomach of one chaperone.

It’s interesting to me that we use the term butterflies to describe the uneasy feeling we have in our stomachs when we are nervous or anxious about something. Butterflies are the powerful symbol of change, renewal, and metamorphosis. Perhaps, a more appropriate metaphor for this nervous feeling would be “caterpillars in the stomach,” because once the anxiety-producing task has been tackled and fears

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surpassed, the caterpillar will have changed into a beautiful butterfly. So, in retrospect, I should correct myself and say that our boat was carrying caterpillars in the stomachs of said passengers, as we too were about to go through a metamorphosis of our own.

The paddle was beautiful. The rippling water, rocky coastline, bright sunshine, and cleansing wind was medicinal. Some paddlers were strong and others needed a bit more practice. There was some arguing, some frustration, and some laughter, but before long we had reached the halfway point and a resting spot. We beached our canoes and took tally of the emotional and physical state of the adventurers. Kingfishers and cormorants were diving for midday meals as we too were diving in for more handfuls of “GoRP,” an ever-changing and mysteriously delicious Chewonki snack that would prove to be a source of divine energy during the next four days.

Each day was filled with something new. We paddled to nearby coves in our canoes and we hiked the entire coastline of our island. We swam in the cool water and hurled seaweed. We scaled rocks and dove under embankments. We raced on the water and through our campsite. We shared stories and played games. We played lots of games. Water was gathered, food was cooked (and fervently eaten), utensils were cleaned, and time was spent paying attention to one another. Each evening began with ceremony. The eleven of us would sit in a circle and share our personal highs and lows of the day. The counselors would then share their plan for the next morning. I asked the students to create a necklace by choosing a bead to represent their feelings about their accom-plishments that day, so the bag of beads would be passed from one to another. The night then culmi-nated with everyone wishing each other a good night’s rest as we moved off to our respective tents, snuggled into sleeping bags, and allowed our eyes to get sleepy as the lead counselor read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone aloud. The students absolutely loved this part of the night. I was continuously surprised to

watch them nearly run off to bed so that the reading could begin. I have to admit that I truly enjoyed this as well. There is something incredibly comforting about being read to.

Strengths emerge when we are faced with great obstacles like homesickness, cold rainy nights, and relentless mosquitoes. Cooperating with someone who is overly headstrong at a given moment requires sensitive responses and measured reactions. Serving as a stable rock for someone who is struggling, or as an understanding listener for someone who’s in need compels one to show empathy. In these moments, time is marked and friendships can be forged. I am still utterly impressed when I recall the compassion and maturity that I witnessed among the campers to

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whom I was lucky enough to be assigned. Each student allowed room for the other to thrive. Each seemed to recognize and cherish the various and unique talents that the others in the group possessed. Whether it meant sharing a laugh or shedding a tear, allowing someone to carry something that was too heavy, or helping someone with the delicate task of stringing a bead, the students themselves were there for each other. Furthermore they were all playing a vital role for the whole group by simply being unafraid to be their own self.

Witnessing students in acts of courage and seeing them exhibit generosity of spirit is refreshing to me, both as an adult, and as a teacher. At Chewonki, I was being offered a lesson, a reminder that there is

a compassion and a purity of being that can be reinforced if we are able, or perhaps forced, to shed the trappings of ego, culture, and status. Put eight students on an island, remove them from all material and media comforts, and chances are you will witness eight transcendental masters at work.

In this way the group was an amazing unit. And I believe because there was such support for one another, the paddling improved greatly, the confidence of individuals around camp grew, and the interactions between students became more fluid. I will admit that a tinge of wistfulness seeped in to my awareness as we neared the docks at the end of our journey.

As we pulled in to the Friends Academy campus those same family members and friends were there to joyously greet us. I felt a smile stretch across my face, a rich smile conjured from my soul, as I appreciated the beauty of people caring for one another and celebrating each other’s accomplishments. Their loved ones had arrived, their loved ones had changed. Something powerful had occurred. Thirty-two pre-teens had just accomplished something amazing. Like caterpillars they slunk on to a bus, spent four nights in colorful cocoons and returned with wings, full of confidence and ready to fly. They had taken on a week’s worth of canoeing, camping, mosquitoes, wind, rain, coastline, and sunshine, and they had evolved. They overcame homesickness and loneliness. They were given the opportunity to tap into strengths previously unseen. They had the opportunity to grow into something that they were not before. And I was lucky enough to be witness to it all.

You might have recognized a twinkle in the eyes of some of the students at Friends Academy—a twinkle that speaks of a powerful, shared experience and a tradition that has been carried on for years here. Now, I was keen to that magic, as I disembarked in a plume of butterflies, emerging from a bus full of Friends.

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A trip to the woods of Maine for the Chewonki program in seventh grade represents the pinnacle of a carefully orchestrated, multi-year participation plan that offers learning opportunities for all students from pre-kindergarten up. Students not only learn how to climb, camp, and swing from ropes, they are also exposed to team-building games, lessons in leadership, and personal responsibility. They learn what it takes to trust and be trusted, to communicate cooperatively, and to practice empathy.

Physical education teachers Ann Haggerty and Michael Williams introduce the process of cooperative teamwork in games with pre-school students during their PE sessions. This also happens in the rest of the Lower Division. During the opening weeks of school, the third, fourth, and fifth grades spend a half day playing initiative games to foster teamwork and trust, and another half day on the low elements of the ropes course, building on those skills. Charley Pelissier, director of outdoor education, orchestrates these programs to take advantage of the numerous opportunities available on campus with the school’s fully equipped ropes course.

By the time students finish the fifth grade, they have had an overnight camp-out in the spring, spending an additional day on the low elements, and a morning on the Giant’s Ladder, a two-person high element that participants have to work together to accomplish.

In sixth grade they also participate in an overnight camp-out. Students canoe on the Slocum River, navigate a full ropes course, and cook dinner by the campfire. During this time, they spend a day on low elements, and each student gets the opportunity to try the full high elements, starting with the log ladder,” says Pelissier. “The log ladder lets them climb up to the two line traverse. From there they transfer to the high multivine, then the beam, the burma bridge, the boardwalk, and finally the zip wire.” Each element in the circuit is raised a few feet above the previous one.

L E A R N I N G T H E R O P E S , L I T E R A L L Y Kyle Riseley with Charley Pelissier

FROM THE EARLIEST OF AGES, STUDENTS AT FRIENDS ACADEMY PARTICIPATE

IN AN ONGOING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CURRICULUM THAT TAKES PLACE OUT OF DOORS

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By seventh grade, students are ready to journey to Wiscasset, Maine, where accompanied by their teachers, they spend an entire week away from home and under the guidance of Camp Chewonki outfitters. They canoe on bays and rivers and camp on rocky seaside islands. By the time they get to Chewonki, they’ve all had a few overnights under their belt, and have gained some inner confidence to help them make the most of their week away from home.

M I X I N G - I T - U P S A L LY B O R D E N S C H O O L A N D F R I E N D S A C A D E M Y

C O - B U I L D I N G T H E S O C I A L S T U D I E S C U R R I C U L U M

It’s 2:30 in the afternoon and Sally Borden School fourth grader Ean McGonigle and Friends Academy student Anthony Vallone are conferring about their Whaling Game. Each has a role to play, but they both need to work together to ensure that the end product is just what they want. The board game that they develop will be the centerpiece of their Whaling Days celebration where they invite friends and family to come to school and play. When asked why he enjoyed his Mix-It-Up time with Anthony, Ean replied, “I loved working with Anthony because he is so creative and together we make good stuff.”

Mix-It-Up time is well underway!

This special time each week where grade level Sally Borden School and Friends Academy students work in small groups had its genesis in both schools’ inten-tional integration of each other’s programs. Students meet with the other children in their grade for most specialist classes (music, art, science, library, and PE), but it was felt that more time needed to be spent together across grade level homerooms.

The idea for integrating social studies was generated in a car as Katherine Gaudet and third grade SBS teacher, Lee MacGregor, were traveling to a confer-ence. Since the same social studies topics were being studied by each grade level, why not “mix-it-up” for the hands-on projects? By the following year, all third, fourth, and fifth grade Friends and Sally Borden teachers had trained in WIDE World’s Teaching for Understanding course through Harvard Graduate School of Education. This course provided the frame-work for teachers to create social studies curricula using common, overarching goals.

The innovative approach to social studies integration truly reflects Friends’ commitment to the Lower Division Statement of Philosophy of Teaching and Learning: specifically, “Lower Division provides an education rooted in solid academics defined by active, experiential, inquiry-based learning.” The Lower Division social studies curriculum is embedded with

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many active, inquiry-based projects and lends itself perfectly to integration.

In his most recent column in Independent School, Pat Bassett, director of the National Association of Independent Schools states, “The skills and values that the 21st century will demand and reward are the Five C’s: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and character.” The SBS/FA Mix-it-Up program addresses all of these very important areas. The more children work together to problem solve and create, the better they develop the skills they will need to be successful during the next stage of their academic careers.

Third grade teacher Lee MacGregor agrees: “Mix-It-Up groups create a whole new dynamic for all of the students in the grade, she says. “They are able to work in different partnerships or groups.”

Gayle Balestracci, another third grade teacher, adds, “It’s a wonderful social mixture from all classrooms. Children bring different strengths to the groups, whether academic or artistic, which allows them to shine.”

Students are enjoying the collaboration as well. Fifth grader Sammy Mazzocca explains it this way: “I am new this year and not only did Emma, Morgan and I create our own colony, Hillville, but I was able to make new friends with them.” What Sammy has felt is also Friends Academy’s commitment to creating a strong community.

Fourth grade teacher Steve Mogilnicki sums up the program well. “Each opportunity to work in mixed groups strengthens our sense of connection and community. We have the opportunity to encourage long-lasting connections, and to appreciate all individuals. Mix-It-Up time is an invaluable tool to bond the three groups and to reinforce the notion that we all work together with many common goals.”

Melinda Foley-Marsello, Lower Division Head and Katherine Gaudet, Director of the Sally Borden School at Friends Academy

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In late April or early May, the Friends Academy Parent Association holds its legendary Rummage Sale. Though the sale is a four-day event, preparation takes months of careful planning. Throughout the fall and winter, a series of drop off dates are announced to families who have the opportunity to clean out their closets and donate clothing, furniture, household items, and bric-a-brac. The event is a “shopper friendly” sale with clothing hung on hangers and a boutique section set aside for the sale of high quality items and vintage clothing.

Over the years, the sale has earned a reputation for one-of-a-kind finds and hidden bargains. Shoppers line up early for the chance to up-cycle all kinds of clothing and items for the home. As the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” and the sweet success of this event demonstrates that the concept of re-using and recycling for a cause, is alive and well in North Dartmouth.

The Rummage Sale is the Parent Association’s largest fundraiser of the year, and raises thousands of dollars (typically in the vicinity of $15,000) to benefit student enrichment. “FA isn’t the first school to host a rummage sale,” says 2012 event chair Karen Costa. “Wheeler School’s PA also hosts a very successful annual clothing sale.”

Proceeds from the FA Rummage Sale have helped to fund an endless array of activities over the years, including: a playground, improvements to the acoustics in The Commons, theater supplies for play productions, projectors and screens for several class-rooms, laptops for teachers, Amicus, Upper Division and Lower Division Fun Nights, and much more!

In addition, all of the items that go unsold are donated to local charitable organizations.

Sometimes the sale provides unexpected surprises. Last spring, Rummage Chair, Karen Costa met FA alumnus Peter Mulliken ’58 who, with his wife, made a special trip down from Franklin in their pickup truck full of treasures. Mulliken, it seems, lived at Friends Academy while his father was head-master. In his father’s memory, Mulliken presented the school with a wall hanging that had been a gift to his father in 1968.

“We have a great time sorting our treasures,” says Costa. “With each collection, we pre-sort what we receive in an effort to ease the sale set-up process in April.” All items are either boxed or bagged. The committee welcomes volunteers. Contact Karen Costa for more information.

F R O M R U M M A G E to Riches

Z E R O I N G I N O N T H E PA R E N T A S S O C I AT I O N

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a parent has someone in mind; other times a teacher has a special request. Important criteria are that they are comfortable presenting to students and have a message to impart. Some of the award winning writers and artists who have been invited in the past, include: Peter Abrahams, R. W. Alley, Zoe Alley, Linda Crotta Brennan, Joseph Bruchac, Nancy Cote, Bill Harley, Mark Peter Hughes, Steve Krasner, Erik Kraft, Brian Lies, Cynthia Lord, Kelly Murphy, Barbara O’Connor, Denis Roche, and Chris Soenpiet.

FA is fortunate to have a committee composed of people who make reading an important part of their life and value its place in education. It is a pleasure to work with our talented pool of creative, hard work-ing, and upbeat parents volunteers. This year, Kelly Pelissier created our logo. Our first year, Penny Brewer donated a banner for AuthorFest and another for the book fair.

The Parent Association has been instrumental in providing funding over the years. Members of the community, including past parents, have also come forward to support this event financially.

In conjunction with AuthorFest, the book fair, usually a week-long event, raises funds for the library. It also generates lots of books for classrooms with the “teacher wish lists.” Each year we try to develop a program that is unique in terms of the experiences for our students. Planning is already underway for next year’s AuthorFest so stay tuned!

AuthorFest celebrated its fifth anniversary this fall. This is one of my favorite events of the school year. Why? Because when classes started and the books were unpacked and reshelved after summer storage, two students came looking for books written by an author/illustrator who participated in last year’s AuthorFest. That kind of validation is motivating and satisfying on a number of levels.

Our decision to hold an annual event dedicated to bringing books and the people who write and illus-trate them to our school was made in my second year here, and came about as the result of a conversation I had with Lower School Head Melinda Foley-Marsello. We both thought it was important for students to meet authors and illustrators—especially as part of the annual book fair. Authors and illustrators had visited the school in the past on an intermittent basis but the time was right for making a commitment to bringing them in on an annual basis.

The first year we hosted four author/illustrators, working with Authors4Kids, an organization I encountered at the Massachusetts School Library Association conference. A committee of parents, faculty and administrators worked hard to make this a memorable event.

In choosing authors and illustrators, there is no short-age of talent locally and nationally, so the possibilities are seemingly endless! I meet a lot of authors and illustrators at conferences and workshops, and keep a long list of those I’d like to invite here. Sometimes,

Janice Griffin, above

Chris Soenpiet,

pictured above left,

with Steve and Sallie

Barker and Melinda

Foley-Marsello

A U T H O R F E S TB R I N G I N G W R I T E R S A N D I L L U S T R AT O R S B A C K T O S C H O O L Janice Griffin, Librarian

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People ask me all the time how I manage to teach so many different students with so many different skill levels. How can I keep a smile on my face in a room filled with the sound of fifteen keyboards?

Compared with the everyday “speed bumps” in life, music class is a fertile, productive place filled with harmony, positive energy, and potential. Compared with standing in the grocery store line when the register tape has just run out, or noticing the gravity- defying trash mound forming in the waste-basket— music class is a gift. Where else can you go to work everyday and give your students permission to play while witnessing miraculous results?

Muhammed Ali once said, “It’s not the mountain ahead of you, it’s the pebble in your shoe.” I’m fortunate the students at Friends Academy don’t know about the pebbles yet. They are too busy climb-ing mountains! Here are some of the ways the new Keyboarding Laboratory has impacted our students:

Through the use of headphones, the Keyboarding Lab offers a virtual practice room to every student. Each may practice as if they were in their own private space; free to explore, free to make mistakes, free to tackle the next challenge at their own pace. Without self-consciousness, students gain confidence in their ability. The Keyboarding Lab creates a level playing field where novices and experienced musicians can practice side by side.

Music students from grades 4-8 regularly and eagerly sign up to play at All-School Meeting. The fact that they are performing for the entire student body, parents, faculty, and friends doesn’t stop them. Each courageously embraces the performance oppor-tunity no matter what their level. By giving our students permission to play and by encouraging them to perform early and often, we tend to catch them before they develop performance anxiety. When two fourth graders volunteer to sing a duet at All-School, for example, they are learning to be at ease in front of an audience, and this is part of the Keyboarding Lab experience.

P E R M I S S I O N T O P L A Y : P R O G R E S S I N T H E K E Y B O A R D I N G L A B

Jacqueline Maillet

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Another pleasant surprise of the Keyboarding Laboratory is the camaraderie our students show for one another. Each time a performer steps out of his or her comfort zone to play for the class, it is with the encouragement and support of all. The sound of joyous applause is as common in the lab as the sounds of the keyboards themselves!

So bring on the nearly empty mayonnaise jar! Bring on the empty carton of milk in the fridge, and the button that popped, and the slow leak in the front driver side tire of my car. These are but pebbles in the shoe of life! And they quickly fade away when I walk into the Keyboarding Lab and hear a student say, “Hey, Ms. Maillet! Listen to this!”

We’ve seen an increase in student participation in all school events like Winterfest and Revels since installing the Keyboarding Lab. Several budding pianists provided musical offerings between class performances at Revels this year. In other instances, students have accompanied one another in vocal performances, learning to tackle the challenges of working together to create a unified sound and keeping time with one another.

The Keyboarding Lab has become a place where students visit during their precious recess and lunch-time breaks to practice and refine their skills. You hear not only the sounds of the keyboard emanating from the lab, but also guitars, vocals, and the latest downloads of favorite music! Learning how to more fluently read music has been the springboard for students to explore more music on their own and also, to synthesize what they’ve learned in their private lessons, whatever their instrument.

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HELGA BURRE

Lower Division, Science

Helga holds a B.S. in Biology from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Lesley University. An avid naturalist, she has strong interests in marine biology, local geology and the interactions of plants and animals. Helga comes to Friends from Meritor Academy, an independent school north of Boston where she taught science to pre-K through fifth grade students. She has deep experience with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, including teaching live animal programs at Trailside Museum, and leading schools on hikes through the Blue Hills Reservation. She has conducted schoolyard investigations and naturalist-in-residence programs with the Boston Public Schools, and lives in the southwest corner of Boston.

ANNIE BARROW

Fourth Grade

A resident of Providence, Annie comes to Friends from the Colegio Jorge Washington, Cartagena, Colombia, where she taught fourth grade. Prior to that she taught sixth grade in the Alhambra School District in California. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education with a minor in Art History from Occidental College.

W E L C O M E N E W F A C U L T Y

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MARLAINA TREPANIER

Seventh and Eighth Grade English

Marlaina grew up in Dartmouth, MA, and holds a BA in English from UMass, Dartmouth, and an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction Writing from Lesley University. She currently resides in Fairhaven, MA. Before coming to Friends, Marlaina taught pre-school at the Hampshire College Children’s Center, gave private violin lessons for six years, coached winter track and cross country at Dartmouth High School for four years, taught ninth and eleventh grade cre-ative writing at Old Rochester Regional High School, and taught ninth and tenth grade reading at Dartmouth High School.

MICHAEL BEAN

Sally Borden School, Upper Division

Michael lives in Mattapoisett and comes to Friends from Palmer Public High School in Palmer, MA, where he started an alternative education program for at-risk students. Prior to that he worked in the Tri-County Schools in Easthampton, MA, educating students with complex behavioral and emotional needs. He holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education from American International College and a B.S. from Springfield College.

ELIZABETH SCHOLL

Third Grade

Elizabeth lives in Quincy, MA, and holds a Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education and a BA in Visual Art Studies from Roger Williams University. Last year she was a long-term substitute third grade teacher at Friends Academy. The year prior to that she was a student teacher/intern in Steve Mogilnicki’s fourth grade classroom while attending graduate school.

Putnam Murdock believes that making good music, like teaching fifth grade, is a creative and collaborative process. A professional musician in his other life, he uses music in his teaching as a tool to bring students together, building trusting alliances in the classroom that allow them to perform, improvise, or interpret anything from a piece of literature to a math problem. Putnam also clearly enjoys making music and is seen and heard around campus giving music lessons, playing in ensembles, and performing with the Faculty Band. He generously donates his musical talents to students who need accompaniment for All-School meetings. He also weaves in his musical life by performing at school functions like the “Blast the Blues” party in February, and continues to perform outside of school as both a solo performer, and with his father’s bluegrass band, the CentreStreeters.

Growing up in a musical household, Putnam learned at an early age that discipline and practice go hand in hand with artistry. His father, “Dock” Murdock is an accomplished bluegrass musician who joined the CentreStreeters early in his career as an advertising man, and filled his house with musicians who prac-ticed weekly in the family’s living room. As a young boy, Putnam remembers falling asleep next to his dog listening to the warm sounds of vocal harmonies and the syncopated beats of the bass, banjo, mandolin, and guitar. Shortly thereafter, the young choirboy acquired his first guitar, taught himself to play, and was welcomed into the band at the age of nine. He continued playing throughout high school and eventually obtained a degree from Berklee College of Music in music and songwriting. His first album, “Fiction,” was voted onto the official ballot of the 2009 Grammy Awards in six different categories. In total, he has released three albums, the latest, a 2011 recording entitled, “Brand New Widow.” You can sample his music at http://www.putnammur-dock.com.

C R E A T I V I T Y I N T H E C L A S S R O O M

Kyle Riseley

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Putnam’s teaching career began in Brooklyn, New York where he helped to found a Reggio Emilia inspired program in 2005. The program grew from 10 to 150 families in one year and something clicked for the musician/teacher. “The Reggio Emilia approach is first about building a relationship with each student, and then about using that relationship as the platform for teaching. I really responded to that,” he says. “As a teacher, if I can communicate my love of music, spontaneity, and creativity, and then build a relationship with my students based on the respect of those passions, that’s where we begin.”

When Murdock left New York in 2007, he brought his early childhood teaching experience to the Farmhouse. Then last year, with the encouragement of Lower School Head, Melinda Foley-Marsello, he made the switch to fifth grade. The transition is well underway and Putnam is busily going about the task of creating a safe environment for his students to think outside the box. “I want my students to remember this class,” he says. “I feel blessed to have had a tremendously artistic experience growing up and I want to share that with the children and teach them that creativity can and indeed does bring about change. As these students move on to middle school, I want them to realize that creativity involves risk and respect for others’ risks.”

Creative thinking in the classroom takes the form of exercises like putting oneself in other people’s shoes to understand history, and keeping a journal to explore new ideas that can act as a springboard for writing. To make music more accessible, current and fun, he encourages his students to write poetry and lyrics and to perform at All-School Meetings and in class. “I want to catch students being original and get them speaking up and performing before they develop too much performance anxiety,” he says.

“We take the creative urge, as it happens, and make room for the utter spontaneity of the moment. We light a spark and see where it leads.” Oftentimes the spark becomes a session of spontaneous poetry writing, music making, or reflection which ultimately leads into meaningful discussions. “This is a direct implementation of the Reggio Emilia process, where we adapt our lesson plans to meet the issues of the moment; trying to through-compose and co-construct the most impactful curriculum possible.”

Walking down the hall of Herring, you might have reason to pause outside the fifth grade classrooms as I did recently. Music from a violin and guitar were perking up my morning routine. Sixth grader, Sophie Yates, and Putnam Murdock were practicing a familiar song that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Sophie played the melody on violin while Putnam plucked a reggae beat on guitar. Later that week, when the song was performed at All-School Meeting, I remembered it as, “I’m Yours,” originally recorded by pop singer Jason Mraz. But earlier that morning, as the two Friends Academy musicians—teacher and student—practiced the sweetly mellow arrangement in a classroom down the hall, it felt like I was hearing the song for the very first time.

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When I first contacted Liz (Sterns) Ackerman ’83 about a story for Blue and Gray, I’ll admit, I had an ulterior motive. As a regular patron of Oxford Creamery, I was enthralled by the idea of interviewing the woman responsible for one of my major guilty pleasures—Oxford Creamery’s Butter Crunch ice cream. But what I learned, aside from the fact that Moose Tracks is actually the most popular flavor, with coffee frappes and sundaes running a close second, is that Mattapoisett’s iconic roadside Creamery is being run by a wonderfully adventurous Dartmouth couple —one half of whom spent her middle five years, between fourth and ninth grade, here at Friends Academy.

Liz and her husband, Ken, bought the Creamery from longtime owner Don Blanchette just about ten years ago. “I feel like we are the stewards of a very special place,” Liz says, and confides that she has kept the décor, signage and menu pretty much the same as it’s always been, mindful of, and grateful for, the many regular and loyal customers that frequent the popular roadside restaurant. It seems people like to find Oxford Creamery just the way they remember it, and to illustrate that fact, Liz tells a story of accidently

reversing the placement of two indoor signs shortly after they bought the place. “When we first opened, we took pains not to change anything—not the curtains, not the configuration of tables, nothing.” Then one morning they unwittingly mixed up the positioning of the specials chalkboard and within moments, a customer was pointing out that things were out of place. “We quickly switched the signage back to the way it had always been and nothing has changed since!” Liz laughs.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking the Ackerman’s are a family devoted to preserving the status quo. This modern family’s story has taken some surprising twists and turns over the years. With the hectic, non-stop demands of running Oxford Creamery, from April until October, the Ackerman’s had to devise a new approach to the concept of the family vacation. So following a year of careful planning, the family set off, in October of 2007, on a five month cross-country adventure that took them from their home in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, to the West Coast and back, by way of the scenic highways, national parks, big cities and small towns that make up the continental United States.

A L U M N I P R O F I L E

A I R S T R E A M S A N D I C E C R E A M L I Z ( S T E R N S ) A C K E R M A N ‘ 8 3

Kyle Riseley

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The Ackerman’s were inspired by friends, who spent a winter onboard a sailboat in the Caribbean with their children—home schooling them in the process. “The more we thought about taking an extended trip with the kids, the more excited we became by the educational opportunities it presented,” says Liz. She started organizing folders by state, collecting lists of contacts, national parks, and historic monuments. “The planning process took over a year, but once we said we were going to do this, we realized we just had to follow through.”

The family bought an Airstream and a 15-passenger van to accommodate their two children, Abby (now 14) and Ben (12), their mountain bikes, and their dog, Barney. They spent two weeks traveling across the center of the country and landed in Seattle first, then traveled down the Pacific Coast Highway cele-brating Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara. They shopped in a farmer’s market for the feast and roasted their turkey on the grill.

“We made memories that neither us, nor our kids will ever forget,” says Liz, noting that both she and her children kept journals. “We met with the principal of their school beforehand and devised lessons plans and reading lists to augment the journey.” Each day the children spent a couple of hours on homework, journ-aling, and reading. They visited national parks, zoos, museums, and historic monuments, like the one in Montgomery, Alabama, commemorating the Civil Rights Movement, and designed by Maya Lin, the architect who also conceived the Vietnam Memorial. They sent weekly messages home to their teachers and classmates who traced their progress on a giant map. They visited the Alamo in Texas, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, and the Titan Missile Project in Arizona. They sampled beignets in New Orleans, and buffalo in Wisconsin. Looking back on the trip nearly five years later, Liz says it has had a profound effect on the family and succeeded in helping her children learn to ask questions, be curious about the world beyond their own backyard, and to become seasoned travelers.

Liz attended Friends from fourth through ninth grade and went on to graduate from the University of Vermont. Her brother, Andy ’81, also attended Friends and graduated from Middlebury College.

The siblings later moved to Jackson Hole where they lived and skied together after college. Andy became a dog handler in Wyoming and eventually moved to Alaska where he lives today, working for the local food bank in Fairbanks. He enjoys ice climbing and has participated in two Iditarod sled dog races.

Liz and her husband Ken, who, coincidentally, was born in Alaska, met each other on the sailing circuit in Buzzard’s Bay. They moved to New Hampshire together where Ken learned restaurant management and Liz worked in PR and advertising for the ski industry. They were married in ’96 and after having children, decided to move back home to Dartmouth to be closer to family.

Now, in addition to a decade in the ice cream business, Liz is taking an active role as a volunteer in her children’s schools, as co-chair of the School Committee at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, and most recently, as a new board member for the Women’s Fund of Southeastern Massachusetts. The Women’s Fund is a philanthropic organization devoted to providing community support to women and girls. The organization’s signature event is the Tiara 5K Road Race that starts and ends at Oxford Creamery on Mother’s Day.

The Ackerman’s also run Oxford Creamery at the Bucket, located at Apponagansett Park on Gulf Road in South Dartmouth. It is next to the gazebo, just over the bridge from Padanaram Village.

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One of Meredith Kotowski’s most vivid memories of her time at Friends Academy is of shaking the hand of Head of School, Claudia Dagget, on her way into the building every day.

“My older brother was at Portsmouth Abbey and I saw the value of an independent school education through his eyes,” she says. Knowing that she was a hard worker and wanting to put herself to the test, she and her parents settled on transferring her out of the public schools and into Friends Academy for sixth through eighth grade. “I knew I had made the right decision when I saw how personally invested the teachers were in my education,” recounts Meredith. “That is very motivating to a twelve year old.”

Today, as a Human Resources Analyst at Apollo Global Management LLC, an international invest-ment firm in New York City, Meredith has a new appreciation for the simple yet fundamental lessons she learned at Friends. As one of four generalists managing the “human capital function” for this suc-cessful alternative asset manager, her position requires the kinds of skills she developed starting at Friends, and following her through her secondary education boarding at Deerfield Academy and her college education at the University of Pennsylvania.

At Apollo, Meredith has the opportunity to combine her strong communication and analytical skills. She started and serves as the editorial director of a quar-terly employee newsletter, writing and editing news stories about the firm and its people. She also creates the monthly global headcount report for the firm’s

senior management committee and the firm’s quarterly earnings report. Being responsible for so many different tasks in a demanding, fast-paced environment requires her to multi-task and prioritize her work—both skills that she began to develop at Friends Academy.

Most of all, Meredith believes that a good education teaches you to question everything, rather than pas-sively accepting information. You need to be flexible, adaptable, and able to think independently, solving problems in new and original ways. She credits her previous internship experiences as the doorway to her successful post-graduate employment. “Internships allow you to try a potential employer on for size and see if they are a good match for your own values and aspirations. Likewise, internships give companies an opportunity to meet potential new employees and see how they work.”

Meredith’s first summer internship was with Golf Digest’s weekly golf news publication, Golf World, after her freshman year at Penn. During her full-time editorial internship, she wrote articles, proofed staff writers’ copy, and researched content for the magazine. “I had a lot of fun marking up copy with the red pen,” she says. She reported from on-site at golf tour-naments to author three articles that were published in the magazine.

Back at Penn she worked in the athletic communica-tions department writing articles and keeping website content fresh and up to date. At the same time, she was beginning to realize that she no longer wanted to write for a living, so as a rising college junior, she decided to try something new. She began summer internship number two at The Blackstone Group’s hedge fund, GSO Capital.

Here things started to click. As an investment analyst, Meredith assisted the team evaluating prospective distressed investments for Blackstone Group. “I had never taken a single accounting course,” she admits,

M E R E D I T H K O T O W S K I ’ 0 2 I T B E G I N S W I T H A H A N D S H A K E

Kyle Riseley

A L U M N I P R O F I L E

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“so I immediately immersed myself in ‘Cliff Notes’ and taught myself how to understand a company’s balance sheet and the various valuation methods for pricing a business. I looked at a company’s annual and quarterly earnings reports to model its future performance based on certain operating assumptions.” While she enjoyed the experience, Meredith quickly concluded that she enjoyed people far too much to sit in front of a computer all day. When she returned to campus and turned her focus to her final summer before graduation, she knew she wanted to find an opportunity that balanced her interests in writing and financial services. The opportunity found her during an interview with Apollo when her interviewer suggested she try the field of Human Resources.

“At Apollo, I found a mentor who helped me under-stand the value of HR as a strategic partner of the business. My primary internship assignment was to manage a three-day, highly competitive interview process in which we interviewed 40 candidates a day in hopes of hiring our new private equity talent from first year investment bankers,” said Meredith.

Not surprisingly, at the end of the summer, Apollo offered her a full-time position. “The HR team wasn’t hiring, but I was in the right place at the right time and was lucky they wanted to create a position for me.” Meredith was the only one to receive an offer to return after graduation out of a class of seven interns. It was a break that came, Meredith said, because she got along well with the team and took advantage of the whole summer to prove herself.

While at Friends, Meredith won the coveted Headmaster’s Award, and it is not difficult to under-stand why this modest, hardworking young woman has continued to succeed through high school, college, and into the world of work. The award is given to recognize a graduate whose scholarship and love of learning best exemplify the academic traditions of Friends Academy.

Aside from her distinction as a scholar, Meredith made an impact as a member of the FA field hockey team and is proud of her leading role in the produc-tion of The Wizard of Oz. She started to play golf during her time at FA and went on to play on the Deerfield boys’ golf team. From her dedication to competing in national junior tournaments during the summer months, she was recruited to play golf at many top programs, and ultimately decided on Penn. Still, every year she returned to the South Coast to play in the FA Golf Tournament with fellow FA alumna Kate Bullard ’02 and her family. During her senior year at Penn, Meredith and her team won the Ivy League Championship, propelling her on to qualify for and compete in the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Charlotte Country Club in North Carolina in 2010. Her dad was her caddy!

Today, as Meredith conducts intern recruitment interviews at colleges across the country, she meets with young people, who like herself, hope to be chosen for an internship that will lead them down the path to viable employment. As the interview process always begins with a handshake, perhaps it can be said that those early morning handshakes at the door of Friends Academy, among other skills, helped to pre-pare her for her position in recruitment and human capital management.

We may be seeing more of Meredith this summer as she has recently announced her engagement to Peter Scala, a former Trinity squash player and fellow golf enthusiast. They are busy making plans for their wedding in the summer of 2013 in Marion, the town where Meredith grew up.

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J. MI HAISMAN, MD, ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Dr. J. Mi Haisman is a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon who specializes in hand and upper extremity surgery and provides specialized care for disorders of the hand, wrist, elbow and forearm including carpal tunnel syndrome, nerve and tendon injury, tendonitis or overuse syndromes, fractures, tennis elbow and ganglion cysts. She practices with Hawthorne Medical Associates in Dartmouth and is the mother of first grader, Morgan, and pre-school students, Griffin and Sophie.

RALPH TAVARES JR. ’94, MBA

Ralph Tavares Jr. is a proud member of the class of 1994 of Friends Academy. Originally from South Dartmouth, MA, he currently works at Salve Regina University in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions as the Associate Director of Multicultural and International Student Recruitment. He spends a lot of his time recruiting students around the world to attend college in Newport, Rhode Island. He is also the current president of New England Counselors of Color Bridging Access to College (NECBAC), a consortium of private colleges and universities in New England that helps under-represented students achieve their college dreams.

CHRISTINE WARING ’85

Christine Waring of Providence, Rhode Island graduated from Friends Academy in the class of 1985. Christine is a Surgical Sales Consultant and Field Trainer for CareFusion specializing in their Procedural Solutions Division. Christine is also an active volunteer at the United Congregational Church in Little Compton, RI.

P A S S I N G T H E B A T O NT H E B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S W E L C O M E S T H R E E N E W A P P O I N T E E S

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1938Franklin Hobbs III wrote to let us know, “Drove by and saw my old classmate Nonnie Hood weeding along Elm Street. What a worker!”

1942David McGrath tells us, “We’ve just sold our beloved farm in Maryland—feels like Adam and Eve after being cast out of Eden. Keeping a stiff upper lip. Still writing—one novella, one novel, one draft. Need agent—any ideas?”

1957Joseph Heyman reports, “I’m enjoying retirement and my new career in art photog-raphy. Expecting first grandchild in January 2012—life is good!”

1964John Baldwin has served as Rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach, VA for the past 14 years. He and his wife Ann celebrated their 33rd anniversary this year and are thoroughly enjoying their two grandchildren, with another on the way. He is an avid geocacher and kayaker during his leisure time.

1966Jane (Abesh) Meltzer lives in Sudbury, MA with husband Neil and two sons.

1968Gillian Lash Perlinski notes, “I graduated from Friends in 1968. Since 1980, I have been working in Washington, DC as a legal secretary. I live in Alexandria, Virginia with my husband Pearl. We will be celebrating our 5-year anniversary on June 3. I still think of Friends Academy with great fond-ness. The school will always have a place in my heart!”

1971Tenley Chevalier reports, “We continue to enjoy Florida. I retired from Tabor in 2004 and we moved south for a warmer climate. Brie ’98 is working at Eckerd College, her alma mater, son Colby, is married and still in Massachusetts. I’ve had some health issues surface this past year, so I am hoping 2012 is a better one. We make trips up to New England once or twice a year to see our family, as well as extended family. I have fond memories of all nine years at Friends and hope the current students look back someday and appreciate all the school has to offer. It’s a very different world today,

and Friends will offer them the tools and diversity they will need going forward.

Dr. Daniel Abesh lives in Cherry Hill, NJ, with his wife Jane and three children.

1972Joel Narva recently retired from a full-time 25-year career as mathematics teacher in middle and high schools, including over 15 years in independent schools. He is currently pursuing interests in music and small-scale agriculture.

1980Dr. Michele Gamburd is Professor of Anthropology at Portland State University, where she has taught since 1995. She does her research in Sri Lanka and is currently writing a book about the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami.

1983Ann (McDermott) Boxler is working at her family’s insurance business, Bradshaw Insurance. She lives in Westport, MA and has been married to Matt Boxler for 18 years. Her daughter Catie, 14, will graduate from Friends Academy this year. Ann can’t wait to see where her next adventure leads them. Catie keeps her busy with her singing group, guitar lessons, and basketball. Her son AJ, age 8, is in the second grade at Friends. He is active in soccer, lacrosse, karate, and loves to play the drums. They ski every weekend at Sugarbush Mountain in Vermont and spend their time boating in the summer. Ann looks forward to hearing from any FA alum.

Thomas Jansen reports, “Hi to all. I hope everyone is doing well. Not looking forward to the winter and have not had much of a chance to see any buds from FA, but it’s nice to goof off cracking jokes on Facebook with Robert and Leslie Mello, Chris Markey, Peter Hackett and the rest of a great bunch of friends I haven’t seen in years. Here’s a fun picture of what is JANSEN...(Not Hanson.) Hope everyone braves the cold!” (See photo above and caption at right.)

Davison Paull writes, “I am still in New York with my wife (Fall River native Lauren Monchik) and our two girls, Violet (5) and Lena (2). We have flirted with moving back to Massachusetts but the city is in our blood, and with our oldest now in school we are likely to remain New Yorkers. After five years working in a law firm, I am now General Counsel at ScrollMotion, an App developer recently named one of Forbes’ 100 Companies to Watch for 2011. I am now that seemingly rarest of beasts, a happy attorney, and am learning an incredible amount as we tackle the challenges of an ever-shifting marketplace and rapid com-pany growth. Peter Hackett ’83 and I remain close, though he has left New York and now resides in Bristol—he is a Lieutenant in the Coast Guard assigned to East Providence. My brother Cranston ’79 lives in Providence with his wife and two children.

Christina (Unhoch) Mason received her Masters of Fine Arts in fiction writing from Sarah Lawrence College in May 2011, and was on the faculty at SUNY Purchase College in the fall. Her children Olivia (15) and Nick (11) both attend the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry. She lives with her husband Anthony and children in Rye, NY, but loves catching up with Friends friends via Facebook.

1984John Cockrell reports, “I am of course in regular touch with my sister Stephanie Cockrell Lyon (’86, Gray!!!) and in semi-regular touch, via Facebook, with Betty Hankwitz, Debbie Portnoy, Jen Lindblom, and Harry Davis, and saw Greg Zipoli a couple of years ago. All seem to be well—it’s always great to reconnect with former Blues and Grays. (Especially the Grays—I mean, come on, right?) My time since Friends has been spent between New York and Los Angeles, working as an actor, writer, stand-up, and music teacher. I am married to a

C L A S S N O T E S

Above: Photo of

Davison Paull and

his two daughters

at their weekly

diner breakfast—

he is reflected in

the mirror.

Above left:

My Dad, also (named)

Tom Jansen, on bass,

upper left; me, Tom

Jansen on guitar,

upper right; my son,

also Tom Jansen on

guitar, lower right;

and my other son,

Sam is actually on

ukelele, lower left.

Three Toms and a

Sam. We’re better

than Hanson, the

Von Trapps, and the

Osmonds put

together!

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beautiful, talented and smart-funny actress/singer, Theresa Bruno, who is proving her-self to be nothing short of the best mother in the world to our new son, Theo Joseph Cockrell. From what we can tell, Theo is a genius and something in his eyes indicates a decided proclivity for patrolling the infield of the Boston Red Sox sometime in the early 2030’s. The three of us live in Staten Island, but our lives shuttle between New York, Los Angeles and Albuquerque, NM, thanks to my job on the USA Network program IN PLAIN SIGHT. Heading into our final season of IPS, Theresa, Theo and I will spend January-April in Albuquerque, where I am the on-set writer/producer. Anyone who wants to visit the set should, by all means, get in contact! Would love to hear from any and all Friends friends (even Blues!)”

1985Nicholas Finkelstein tells us, “I am a sec-ond-year student at the Simmons College School of Social Work in Boston, MA. This year, I am doing an internship at Bridge Over Troubled Waters, a homeless shelter and case management organization serving at-risk and runaway youth ages 14 to 24 in downtown Boston. “Bridge,” as it’s known, was one of the first service centers in the country aimed at children and adolescents who run away from home for a variety of reasons, including, especially, strife with family about sexual orientation. Before this career change, I taught ninth grade in Lowell, MA, and before that I was a lawyer at a large firm in New Bedford, Mass. I’ve read the average person changes careers seven times in a lifetime. As someone on his third career, I’m getting close to that num-ber! I guess I have difficulty staying still. I had difficulty staying still in Miss Fair’s and Mr. Light’s classes, so old habits die hard! I’ve been in touch with Ian Brownell and Jennifer Fletcher from our class, as well as Mrs. Betty Hankwitz, with whom I have developed a remarkable friendship. She’s going strong and doing very well. If you want to see more about what I’m doing, I have a profile posted on linkedin.com. I’d love to hear from anyone about anything. When I think back on the schools I’ve attended, Friends is always at the top of the list for educational rigor and kindliness.”

Dawn (Kleinberger) Picken writes: “Our first daughter, Lilah Helen Picken, was born on July 15, 2010. I’m still working at The City University of New York’s School of Professional Studies as a Senior Program Development Associate. Memories of my days at Friends are some of the best in my life and I still remember things I did there like they happened yesterday!”

Andre Carrier tells us, “Still in Las Vegas with my wonderful wife and two boys. Just finished year four of our family charity “Christmas Can Cure,” which helps provide a memorable Christmas for wounded warriors and their families. Visit christmas-cancure.org.”

1986Robin Shields is enjoying being immersed in life at Friends Academy. Her daughter Abby is in the 3rd grade and son Ben is in the older preschool class this year.

1998Brie Chevalier lives in Florida and is work-ing at her alma mater, Eckerd College.

1999Sarah Lemelin just received her Masters in Biology from William and Mary in August and is working for the USGS in Davis, CA. Sarah just became engaged to Thomas Massux, Cpt. U.S. Army serving in Afghanistan until 10/12. They met in Williamsburg, VA, while Sarah was at William and Mary. A wedding is planned for 7/20/13.

2001Annie Lemelin is in her second year of Law School at Tulane University studying Environmental Law.

Hannah Liebman reports, “I’m currently living in Boston, working at the Massachu-setts General Hospital Cancer Center doing cancer research focused on gastrointestinal cancers. I coordinate an epidemiological study that hopes to identify a relationship between potential genetic causes and several types of cancer. In the evenings I am in a post-baccalaureate program at Northeastern University preparing to apply to medical school. I am also a participant in the Big Brother/Big Sister program here in Boston. When I have free time on the weekends I like to travel back down to Dartmouth and go to the beach with my friends. In the wintertime we try to get up north and ski as much as possible. And I am happy to report

that I am still close with several of my class-mates from Friends, including Alex Egan and Nick Ketches.”

Matthew Linton tells us, “I am currently living in Cambridge, MA and am in the second year of the doctoral program in American history at Brandeis University. My focus is on 20th American intellectual history. I wrote a Master’s thesis last year entitled “The Transformation of Cain” about the Sinologist Karl August Wittfogel. I live with my girlfriend Emily and dog Buddy.”

Sam Stone writes, “Great to hear from FA! Amazing to think graduation was 10 years ago. Somehow it seems a whole lot longer than that—or a whole lot shorter, can’t say exactly. What have I been up to? I’m living in Somerville and working at BPI, a media design firm in Norwood. We put together turnkey interactives and media for exhibits in museums and visitor centers. Sort of a combination of video, graphics, program-ming, hardware, and a whole lot of project management! It’s been a great combination of skills and disciplines for me. I was a film major in college, so this has really opened up my eyes to what’s out there. Hobbies? Probably hiking, traveling, and general all-around exploring. I grew up in Mass. and around Boston, but I’m always discovering new places and activities. Since moving to Boston I’ve really enjoyed venturing up to New Hampshire every so often, it’s such a great escape. The White Mountains are my favorite. I’m about to embark on a trip to Scotland next month to visit a college friend of mine and do some traveling on my own. So excited. Looking forward to the scenery, bagpipes, scotch, and dare I say, haggis? Not sure it will be my favorite, but I’ve got to try. I remember a whole lot about Friends, mostly the teachers and classmates. Bits and pieces here and there... I remember gather-ing sap from the maple trees near the graduation stage one winter, which we made into maple syrup and candy. I remember the ropes course, Chewonki, Prairie Days in 4th grade, four-square during every recess, soccer practice, NASA, Revels, and blue slips. I remember our amazing trip to NYC in October of 2000, and the beautiful and original downtown skyline... one that would drastically change less than a year later. All that, PLUS I remember when there was a ninth grade, and no pre-school.”

Alexandra Serret is currently living and working in Boston. She earned her MBA amd BA from Johnson amd Wales University, and she enjoys working in the event industry. She has had amazing work opportunities at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show, Super Bowl XLI, “Marley amd Me” movie set, Versace Mansion, and the Miami Heat.

Katherine Straus writes, “I’m currently living in Lake Tahoe, California. I moved out here just over two years ago for an AmeriCorps position with an environmental non-profit and ended up loving it out here so much I decided to stay. There’s so much to do all year round—skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, camping, any kind of water sport you can think of—it’s like a playground for grownups! Right now I’m working in the Parks and Recreation Department doing recreational programming for seniors and I’m really enjoying all of the programs that we put on and the clients that we work with. For next fall I’m hoping to go back to school to get my master’s degree in envi-ronmental education. I’ve thought about Friends Academy often over the last 10 years, especially while I was in college writing long papers. Whenever I would sit down to write I would think back to Ms. Fair’s 7th grade Social Studies class where I was writing a paper on Ghandi. I sat down with her to talk about my paper and she held up her hand to me, pointing to her fingertips and the spaces in between her fingers she said to me, “You hit all the peaks, but you don’t get into the valleys.” It was such a great image and such a simple way of explaining how to write well, which is why I think it has stuck with me for so long.”

2002Meredith Kotowski (see profile) lives and works in Manhattan, for Apollo Global Management, an international investment firm. She is recently engaged to Peter Scala, also of New York, with plans for a 2013 wedding in Marion.

2003Charles Gaudet (see inset to right)

Sarah Gumlak graduated from MIT in June with the 150th graduating class. She received a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in brain and cognitive science and humanities.

C H A R L E S G A U D E T ’ 0 3, a nursing student at Northeastern University, traveled to Guatemala last spring on a privately organized Jungle Medic Mission. He and 17 classmates put their medical faculties to the test staffing clinics, administering medical care, and treating emergency patients in remote Mayan villages. Over the course of ten days, they treated close to a thousand people who lined up, sometimes for hours, waiting to receive care.

According to an article in the Standard-Times, even though Charles and his classmates have worked in hospitals and out-patient centers all over Boston, they performed a variety of medical tasks in Guatemala that students are prohibited from doing in the United States. For example, Charles administered a shot of a local anesthetic into an injured man’s head after the patient was admitted for emergency care following a car accident. Northeastern nursing students then stitched the wound using techniques they had practiced on a pig’s foot shortly after arriving in Guatemala.

According to Gaudet, who has worked on a bone marrow transplant floor at Tufts Medical Center and on a general medicine floor at Massachusetts General Hospital, the doctors in Guatemala are forced to take a different approach to health care than those in the United States. “In the U.S., doctors open up a suture set and throw half the supplies away, whereas in Guatemala, that would be a tragedy.” He says that he has become far more aware of wastefulness since spending time away. Likewise, the article reports, after returning to America, Gaudet found he had a new appreciation for our country’s medical system. He said people often take clean hospitals for granted in the U.S.

Aside from the sometimes stressful medical work students were performing, Charles and co-workers also had time to enjoy some of Guatemala’s tourist attractions, like swimming in a sulfur waterfall near a volcano and taking a riverboat cruise.

Photos above:

Charles Gaudet ’03

of Mattapoisett on

a medical mission to

remote villages in

Guatemala, shown

here performing a

procedure, and with

17 other classmates

from Northeastern

University, where he

is obtaining a degree

in Nursing (top row

second from right.)

47

48

2004Kira Ball writes “I am currently in my senior year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, Florida) studying Homeland Security with a minor in Applied Mathematics. I hope to work one day as a counterintelligence analyst for the FBI or NSA after getting my Master’s degree in Intelligence and/or terrorism. This summer I had an internship with the Fall River Police Department in the Major Crimes Division, helping me prepare for my future. I am a member of the ERAU Cross Country and Track Teams and have been for four years, this season competing on the varsity team for cross-country having run my best time ever with the season only half gone! The reason I started running in high school was actually because of two teachers at FA, Andrew Childs and Steve Walach. They both told me I would be good based on my participation on their Ultimate Frisbee team that met every Wednesday of my eighth grade year. I am now in my eighth year of running competitively and have been extremely successful. Not to mention that the Dartmouth High Cross Country course was at Friends and just out my back yard! This past May, I got engaged to a fellow runner, Henry Melius. He is a graduate (2011) of ERAU as a commercial pilot and we plan to get married in the summer of 2013.”

2005Kristin Harper, writes that she graduated from Portsmouth Abbey in 2009. “I am currently a Junior Great Books and Classics Double Major at St. Anselm College. This past summer I was lucky enough to travel to Orvieto, Italy. For six weeks I was working on the Coriglia Excavation in Castel Viscardo, Umbria. On the weekends I trav-eled to Rome, Florence, Perugia, and Ostia. On the site that I was working there has been evidence of both Roman and Etruscan occupation dating from the 8th c. BCE to the 16th c. CE. I became skilled at pick axing, but also at using small tools to define delicate areas. My trench was very exciting and we pulled up a lot of artifacts and discovered a few features! I learned so much about fieldwork, archeology, Etruscans, Italian history and culture. The time I spent there was absolutely amazing! It was a lot of hard work, but well worth it to be so close to history. If you want to check out the dig, the website is http://digumbria.com. I am also sending a picture of myself in my trench (Saggio H). You can’t really see it, but in this picture I am articulating a floor

that we found in our trench. It was hard work removing the dirt from this delicate area, especially in the sun!” Kristin is currently looking into internships and grad schools in this field.

2006Kyler Canastra writes, “I am currently a sophomore at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, studying Spanish and History. Although it is a lot of work, I am loving my time here on the Hill. On campus, I have found myself involved in a lot of extra-curriculars including tutoring African refugees and students at the African Community Education Center, singing in the Sound of St. James (one of Holy Cross’ all-male a cappella groups), and performing in the Alternative College Theatre’s production of “Sweeney Todd” this February. This winter I will be traveling to Nicaragua for a ten-day immersion program through our Chaplain’s office. Also, I will alternatively be spending my spring break volunteering in Appalachia. I hope the rest of the Class of 2006 are thriving in their studies and that a reunion could happen soon!”

Daniela DeConti says, “My family and I still reside in New Bedford, Massachusetts. I am currently a sophomore at Boston University and I absolutely love it here! When at home, I work in the Procurement Department at the New Bedford Housing Authority. During the second semester of my junior year, I hope to study abroad in London where I will intern at a finance company. Currently at BU, I am a coordina-tor for the Alternative Spring Break program, in which I, along with my co-coordinator and a group of volunteers, will drive down to Macon, Georgia to assist in the building of affordable houses for the community. Working in the Community Service Center here at BU has been a great experience for me and I hope to see you all get involved at your school, no matter what it is! Good luck to everyone!”

Debi Lindsey says, “Hello Everyone!! I am currently a sophomore at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. I am a Hotel and Lodging major in the Hospitality College and have recently applied, been accepted to, and started an 11-week internship at The Marriott Provi-dence. I am loving the hands-on experience and really learning a lot. In January I will be taking a 16-week “Emerging Leaders” course, and was just recently chosen to be

one of fifteen students taking part in a sales blitz for the Hyatt Hotels of Boston. I have a wonderful boyfriend named Brian and we have been dating for a year and a half now. Overall life is great! I hope that the class of 2006 can get a reunion planned soon! Miss and love you all!

Shannon McCarthy reports, “I am a sopho-more this year at Roanoke College in Salem, VA. I love the south and love my school. I am majoring in Psychology with a minor in English. I have been a starter for two years for my school’s field hockey team and this past season scored three goals. My team also made it to the first round of the playoffs, which has not happened in a few years. Last year I went Greek! I rushed and joined Chi Omega. I love Greek life and am very active within my organization. I love school and the friends that I have made here, I really call this place home now.”

Gwen Schoch writes, “My family has relo-cated to Cincinnati, Ohio, but I am still in New England at Trinity College, coxing and studying neuroscience. This past summer on a visit to FA with Rike, Blace and Kyler, Mr. Walach let us help harvest a few onions in the incredible organic garden the school has started since our graduation. I highly recommend that everyone check it out!”

Rike Sterrett comments, “I have just completed my first semester of college at Wheaton College in Massachusetts after taking a gap year. I spent last year working as an au-pair for a cousin of mine in France. It was a great chance to be closer to my family in Europe and it was a great growing experience. Adjusting to college has been going well. I’ve met a great group of friends and I enjoy my classes and being back in an academic environment. I am closer to home then I had wanted but after being in Europe for a year it is definitely nice to be closer to home. I am still deciding on my major but at the moment it looks like I might be majoring in Biology with a minor in Anthropology, but we’ll see. I just want to thank Friends Academy for the wonderful seven years I had there and much of what I still use inside and outside the classroom I learned there.”

Debbie Lindsey and Kyler Canastra.

Kristin Harper

49

2007Ian Costanzo is currently a freshman at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, majoring in both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.

Renzo Falla reports, “I’m currently enrolled at Harvard. I just finished my first semester there and in addition to the schoolwork, I’ve been spending a lot of my time working for a company in Cambridge called Trademark Tours, giving walking tours of the campus to tourists.”

Arielle Gomes-Williams comments, “I am currently at Smith College. I am planning to major in Chemistry. Then I will probably go to graduate school.”

Victoria McDonald reports, “I attended Bishop Stang High School and won awards and recognition for community service, working with the elderly community, and traveling to Tanzania twice. I am currently enrolled at Northeastern University where I am studying communications.”

2007 GRADUATES OF FRIENDS

ACADEMY HAVE MATRICULATED

AT THE FOLLOWING

POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS:

Boston College

Boston University

Bowdoin College

Brown University

Bristol Community College

College of William and Mary

Drexel University

Emory University

The George Washington University

Harvard University

Haverford College

Holy Cross University

Johnson and Wales University

Lehigh University

Northeastern University

Roger Williams University

Skidmore College

Smith College

Tufts University

Tulane University

Trinity College

University of Colorado, Boulder

University of Guelph

University of Maine at Orono

University of Massachusetts,

Amherst

University of Massachusetts,

Dartmouth

University of Virginia

Vassar College

Wesleyan University

Worcester Polytechnic University

Megan Morrow tells us, “I spent the sum-mer working at The Provender in Tiverton, RI and spending long days on the beaches of Cape Cod. I am now into my first month at Johns Hopkins University hopefully majoring in Global Environmental Change and Sustainability. I am living next to Jackie Starrett and we have become really good friends again!”

2010Courtney Grubbs-Donovan writes that Dartmouth High School is going well.

Gabrielle Healy attended Field Academy in Maine this summer.

Tatum LeClair told us she CIT’d at Summer Friends this year, along with participating in Sea Lab and tennis.

Alexander Schneider reports that all is well at Tabor Academy.

Alexandra Shartle told us that she volunteered at the Schwartz Center this summer.

F A C U LT Y N O T E S

Mike Clark, former head of the Upper School at FA for many years, retired last year from Thayer Academy where he served as Upper School Director. In a letter to the Class of 2011, published in the 2011 issue of Thayer Magazine, Clark writes: “Take time for personal reflection, to look back on what you have done and to look ahead to where you are going. Take time to consider what you really believe in, what you stand for, and…what you stand up for. Salvage a few minutes every day to become an intimate part of the world around you— a world so vividly full of color, depth, simplicity, and diversity that it would be impossible to live a life dominated by circumstance and boredom.”

Congratulations to Peter Ruscitto, Friends Business Manager, and somewhat of a local hero at the Charles River School where he served as English teacher, coach, and business manager for fourteen years before coming to FA. This year, on the occasion of CRS’s one-hundredth anniversary, the school published a top 100 list and Peter was listed as #11! His well-remembered soccer field adage, “I’m not yelling at you, I’m yelling to you!” became a school mantra both on and off the field. “As an English teacher,” Ruscitto says, “I felt it was

important to make the distinction between the two.” Ever the grammarian, Ruscitto wanted his players to understand that yelling to a player was instructional, while yelling at a player was not.

Congratulations to Betty Hankwitz and Harry Twitchell who were married in Christ Church, Greenwich, CT on March 3, 2012 with just their eight children in attendance.

Stephen Walach, Upper Division English teacher and organic farmer, taught a work-shop at the Northeast Organic Farmer Association’s Winter Conference in Worcester, MA. His program, entitled, Crop Sequences and Fertility Plans for Productive Large and Medium-Sized Gardens was attended by over fifty home and non-profit gardeners who came to learn how to increase yield using low-tech row coverings and strategically-timed seeding schedules.

Steve also reports that 2011 was another productive year for the school garden. The bulk of the harvest went to The Grace Church Food Pantry in nearby New Bedford. This is the fifth year Friends Academy has been supplying the food pantry with fresh produce. The garden extended its reach delivering vegetables to the Pawtucket Emergency Food Pantry and the Pawtucket Soup Kitchen as well.

Steve and Sallie Barker shared a photo of their family taken on top of Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire. Their daughter Nina is in a Master’s program at Harvard School of Education. Their son Nick is chair of the English department at Rocky Hill School and coaches soccer and lacrosse. His wife Katie is a resident physician at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, and is expecting the couple’s first child in May.

Above: Steve and

Sallie Barker with

their children, Nina

Barker, and Katie

and Nick Barker atop

Mount Kearsarge in

New Hampshire.

50

Y O U N G A L U M N I R E U N I O N

Alumni from the classes of ’08 through

’11 gathered in The Commons in early

June, 2011 to reconnect and enjoy

food, music, a candy bar and prizes.

Pictured from top to bottom:

Erin and Ian Coyne, Lauren Pineau,

Newc Cole, and Maura Lonergan

A festive Candy Bar, provided

by current Friends’ parent,

Tammy Greenspan

Emily Bungert with Director of

Admissions, Cheryl Deane

Allegra Horstmann, Conor Blagdon,

Hannah Gierhart, Alex Schneider, James

Barton Souza, Casey Bono, Maria Veale,

and Jacob Adelberg

Gabrielle Healy, Tatum Leclair,

and Czarina Shartle

Tatum LeClair and Courtney

Grubbs-Donovan

From the Class of 2011—Olivia Beaupre,

Logan Russell, William Walker, Kiri

Peirce, Max Douglas, and Olivia Decker

Below: Henry Gleason and Celia Dyer

2011

Cash

Unrestricted gifts of cash are the easiest and most popular way to support Friends Academy. Gifts may be made as a single contribution or pledged and paid in installments through the end of the fiscal year ending on June 30th.

Credit Card

Friends Academy accepts Master Card and Visa. You may fill out the Annual Fund gift envelope included with this magazine or call the Development Office with your credit card number and expiration date.

Appreciated Securities

Gifts of stocks or securities benefit both the donor and the school. The donor can avoid capital gains tax on the increased value of the appreciated stocks and receive a deduction for the full, fair market value of the stock at the time the gift is made to the school. To make a gift of stock to Friends Academy, please call or write the school’s Development Office to let us know of your intentions. Have your broker transfer securities to the school’s account at: RBC Capital Markets Corporation, 617-725-2000, DTC# 0235, Account #30132087. Our contact is either A. Griswold or B. Gill.

Matching Gifts

Many employers have a matching gifts program and will generously match contributions made by their employees to charitable institutions.

Gifts in Kind

Donations of goods and/or services to Friends Academy are always welcome.

Planned Gifts

Individuals can easily include bequests for Friends Academy in their wills or living trusts. Many of these vehicles offer tax savings and advantages to the donor while also providing support to the school. A financial advisor can provide information on optimal methods for including Friends in overall financial planning. For more information on this extraordinary way to offer your support, please contact Jodi Pink at 508-999-1356.

WAYS YOU CAN GIVE

When considering a gift to Friends Academy, there are many ways you can give. To find out more about these options, please contact the Development Office.

LUE & GRAY Winter/Spring 2012EDITOR

Kyle Riseley

CONTRIBUTORS

Stephen Barker

Michael Bean

Dana Bullard

Katherine Gaudet

Janice Griffin

Jacqueline Maillet

Melinda Foley Marsello

Amy Peckham ’86

Charles Pelissier

Jodi Pink

Jennifer Pope

Kyle Riseley

Peter Ruscitto

Ben Shattuck ‘99

Stephen Walach

Cheryle Walker-Hemingway

Photography

Ryan T. Conaty

Megan O’Brien

Kyle Riseley

Melissa Sepulveda

Dawn Terry

Cheryle Walker-Hemingway

GERALDINE MILLHAM DESIGN

T H E 2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1 A N N U A L R E P O R T I S A V A I L A B L E F O R V I E W I N G A T W W W . F R I E N D S A C A D E M Y 1 8 1 0 . O R G

Friends Academy, 1088 Tucker Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747-3122 508-999-1356 www.friendsacademy1810.orgR E T U R N S E R V I C E R E Q U E S T E D

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PAIDSIGNATURE GROUP

Parents: If this publication is addressed to an alumnus/a of Friends who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home,

please notify the Development Office of his/her new mailing address (508-999-1356 or jpink@friendsacademy1810.org). Thank you!