VIEW NEWS FROM CAMPUS
ARAVA
FOOTBALL
HOMECOMING/REUNION
Winter 2020 Vol. 40 No. 14
T H E
A PUBLICATION
FOR
ALUMNI
AND
FRIENDS
OF
BURR
WELCOME TO
AND
BURTON ACADEMY
FOUNDERS HALL Story page 12
Students at BBA's Mountain Campus head out for the iconic four-day Watershed Trip—a defining experience that promotes intereliance among the students and familiarity with the extraordinary landscape of the three great river watersheds linking Peru, Vermont to broader New England, New York, and eastern Canada.
Contents W I N T E R
2 0 2 0
A Publication for Alumni and Friends of Burr and Burton Academy
2 4 6 8 10 11 12 16 18 20 22 26
From the headmaster News from Campus Creative Arts Athletics In Memoriam: Wendy Rowland In Memoriam: Skip Martin Founders Hall BBA SPIRES: the ties that bind Gloria Palmer ‘81 Arava Football Homecoming/Reunion 1
The View from the Headmaster
The View
The Magazine of Burr and Burton Academy Editor / Design Oscar Trugler Photography Gary Baker ’72 Headmaster Mark H. Tashjian
Dear Friends, With the end of one decade and the start of another, this school year has been one of reflection and looking forward. We are at an important turning point in Burr and Burton’s history.
Director of Advancement Kate Leach
This is a school rich in experiences that teach us who
Associate Director of Advancement Rich Thompson‐Tucker
we are and who we want to become. What makes those
Board of Trustees Seth Bongartz ’72 Chair
experiences actionable and instructive isn’t just their variety or their frequency, but the time we take to reflect
Carol B. O’Connor ’67 Vice Chair
on them, to honestly assess ourselves and our performance, and to extract deeply personal lessons that
Lee Spivey Treasurer Sanfra Weiss Secretary Kellie Baker‐Waite ’79 Brian M. Barefoot Peggy Brophy Brockett ’88 William D. Cairns ’72 Ed Campbell ’70 Rabbi Michael Cohen Michael Cooperman Michael Powers ’60 Robert Redmond Jack Rohrbach Scott Swenor Tony Whaling Trustees Emeriti Orland Campbell Jack Phillips Robert E. Treat ’55 How to contact us: Telephone 802‐362‐1775 www.burrburton.org To send an email to faculty or staff type first initial and last name@burrburton.org This color version of “The View” has been made possible at no extra cost by Express Copy, Manchester Center, VT.
Please remember Burr and Burton in your will, trust, or retirement plan. 2
point the way forward. Some of our most significant reflections are encapsulated in this issue of The VIEW. We’ve thought long and hard about how architecture can facilitate both education and community. We’ve dug deep to articulate the educational principles that will prepare our students for an ever-changing future. We’ve celebrated achievements and honored effort. And we’ve said goodbye to two incredibly dear friends whose impact on Burr and Burton will be felt for generations to come. Through it all, we have appreciated and imagined the future while learning together. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating these wonderful stories and reflecting on the extraordinary students and faculty who inspire us all. Sincerely, Mark H. Tashjian Headmaster
Winter 2020
Winter 2020
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N EWS
FRO M
C A M PUS
BURR AND BURTON
The Tinker Tour: Free Speech and Student Voices
BBA in Boston: Body Worlds at the Museum of Science
Mary Beth Tinker, free speech and youth rights advocate and plaintiff in the landmark student speech Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), spent two days at Burr and Burton in October. In addition to her presentation in the Riley Center to the full sophomore class and student advocacy groups, Tinker shared her experience with both sections of AP US Government, as well as sophomores in CP World & US History 2 classes preparing for their Supreme Court Moot Court Project. Shortly after her visit, the moot court was held at the historic Bennington County Courthouse just down the street from the BBA campus.
In November, Thom Collins’ Anatomy and Physiology class journeyed to Cambridge, MA, to take in Gunther Von Hagen’s Body Worlds exhibit featuring real human bodies preserved and posed to expose and highlight various internal and external structures.
NEW Course of Study The 2020-21 BBA Course of Study is now available! New courses include: Introductory Chinese; Small Business Startup, Management, and Economics; Climate, Leadership, and Change; Applying to College: Senior Workshop (Success Program); and Coed Advanced Personal Fitness. In addition, off-campus internship students may now earn college credit through dual enrollment with the Community College of Vermont. Hard copies are available in the School and College Counseling Office, and details can be found online at www.burrburton.org/academics. 4
Winter 2020
Stephen Mathyas ‘20 is considering going into the medical field. “Seeing the Body Worlds exhibit was an amazing experience,” he said. “It blew my mind that those were real people who’ve donated their bodies to science.” Mr. Collins noted the value of the exhibit’s interdisciplinary perspective. “Body Worlds explores longevity, health, athletics, the life cycle, and even spirituality. What I find most thought-provoking about the concept is that after we have been stripped of our exterior, there is proof that we are all the same on the inside.”
Alumni College and Career Fair Nearly 40 alums came back to campus in January to participate in the annual BBA Alumni College & Career Fair, sharing their experiences with current students considering the building blocks of their futures. Twenty-five colleges and universities were represented, as well as the VT National Guard, the VT Department of Transportation, and the plumbing and electrical trades.
“We are so proud to have our graduates come back and talk to students about their next steps after BBA,” said school counselor Melissa Michaud. “Whether that entails college, the work force, the military, or a gap year, it’s important to find that right fit. Students love making a personal connection with alumni who’ve been through the process—huge thanks to everyone who participated, and we look forward to growing this event next year!”
German Exchange Program
BBA welcomed 27 German exchange students to campus in October, marking the 39th year of partnership with Wirtemberg-Gymnasium in Stuttgart, Germany—a longstanding partnership recently resulting in BBA being named a “GAPP School of Distinction” by the Winter 2020
Goethe-Institut. Along with teachers Lars Köhler and Anne Stegemann, the students were hosted by local families, enjoying a full immersion in the cultures of America, Vermont, and Burr and Burton. Twenty-three BBA students will return the favor this summer, heading to Germany from June 16 to July 7 with teachers Barb Miceli, Dave Miceli, and Andy Cassarino.
Changing the Conversation Joined by VT Attorney General TJ Donovan, former NH Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick brought his moving crusade to destigmatize mental illness to BBA’s E.H. Henry Gym on September 6. Speaking to a rapt audience of students, faculty, and staff, Broderick shared the story of his family’s struggle to recognize and treat serious depression in his son. “I’m on a mission to change the conversation and the culture around mental illness and take away the shame and the shadows and the stigma that still exists,” Broderick said. “Too many people have been suffering for too many generations. It makes no sense. It’s not morally right, it’s not medically right. Silence is not the answer.”
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C RE AT I VE
ARTS
BURR AND BURTON
The Creative Arts Depar Across many curricular offerings, and numerous extracurricular programs, nearly all of Burr and Burton students found expression and challenge in the creative and performing arts in the fall semester. The quality learning experiences during the school day provide the foundation for students to excel in our afternoon programs in all of the Arts.
DA N C E
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PERFORMING ARTS
rtment O RC H E S T R A
The headlining fall play CLUE!
V I S UA L
A RT S
performed to sold-out shows in November in the Riley Center, which also hosted the spectacular Calliope Concert in October. At the Southern Vermont Arts Center, the annual Winter Concert, featuring 120 student
C E R A M I C S
instrumentalists and vocalists, featured some of the most complex compositions attempted by Burr and Burton musicians. The Arts are alive and well at BBA. Winter 2020
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BURR AND BURTON
Varsity Boys Soccer
Boys Soccer ended the season with a 10‐6 record, including 6 shut‐outs, and 49 goals scored by 12 different players with 13 players recording assists.The Bulldogs conceded only 29 goals, and earned 5 of the 12 All‐League selection slots: Liam Day, Will Fox, River DeFelice, Jayden Bloom, and Luke Lehman. Will Fox and Jayden Bloom were also named All‐State.
t
AT H L ETI C S
FallSports
Field Hockey
The Varsity Field Hockey team ended the regular season with a record of 8‐6 and the overall season with a record of 9‐7, scoring 43 goals, with 6 shutouts, and only 26 goals conceded. In the postseason, they won the quarterfinal game against Spaulding, 3‐0, and traveled to South Burlington to play Otter Valley for the semi finals, losing 3‐2 in double overtime. Efremia Geralis and Riley Callen were named to the SVL All‐Star First team, while Hannah Callen, Annabelle Gray, and Lola Herzog earned SVL Honorable Mentions.
Varsity Girls Soccer
Girls Soccer earned an 11‐4 record this season with a number 2 seed in the DI Vermont State Tournament. They fell to North Country in the quarterfinals, but won the Lady Patriot Tournament and tied for the SVL title—the team’s 6th straight league championship. Grace Pinkus, Rebecca Montaufray, Aryn Iannuzzi, and Carol Herbert all were named All‐League. Grace Pinkus and Rebecca Montaufray were named All‐State players and Grace Pinkus was named All‐New England and All‐American.
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This season exceeded everyone’s expectations with a 10‐1 record and a Division I State Championship, making the Bulldogs the first team to win back‐to‐back state championships in Divisions I & II. Ten Coaches and 46 players were a part of this magical season led by Tri‐Captains Joey McCoy, Logan Morgan, and Ethan Simonds.
t
Varsity Football
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Cross Country
The Boys and Girls Cross Country teams had a great season this fall. The boys team was led by Joe Sogno and Parker Kulis, and finished 6th in the Southern Vermont League and 10th in Div II of the State race. The Girls team was led by Maggie Brown and Maddie Gourley, and for the first time in over a decade the girls team won their SVL championship race, topping Bellows Falls by the thinnest of margins. The girls went on to finish 4th in the Div II State race.
Boys Golf
The Boys Golf Team had another great season, showing steady improvement across the matches, and qualifying in Stowe for the Div I State Championship, played at the Quechee Country Club. The team finished 5th place in Quechee, and looks forward to next fall! Many thanks to the Dorset Field Club, Ekwanok, the Equinox, the Manchester Country Club, and the Practice Tee for use of their facilities.
t
t Bass Fishing
Girls Golf continues to compete hard, fielding seven active athletes across three class years, and consistently closing the gaps in terms of scoring for the season. They played multiple matches against Otter Valley and Rutland on their way to the State Championship match at Proctor Pittsfield on October 8th.
t
t
Girls Golf
The BBA Bass Fishing team of 16 committed anglers started its second full season by committing to each other to persevere in three areas of personal growth: community, integrity, and patience. They ended the season positive and committed, after making it all the way to regionals representing the top 10 teams in Vermont.
Mountain Biking
In its 5th year as a varsity sport, the BBA Mountain Bike Team concluded their most successful season with an exciting championship victory over 23 other teams from Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The team was paced by Seniors Harriet Dahlstrom and Leah Mowry, Juniors Devan Kajah and Grace DiStasio, and Sophomore Ned Schwarteztruber. “It was the perfect culmination to a lot of hard work by these kids,” said Head Coach Jon Mowry, “and it’s great to see them succeed as a team.”
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IN
M E M ORI A M
Remembering Wendy Rowland With her easy laugh and
opportunity and achievement
conspiratorial twinkle, Wendy
across the board. Their giving
Rowland was a woman who let
supported the annual fund, the
you know what she thought with
Student Success Program, the
honesty and kindness, exuding
annual Gala, faculty salaries and
complete confidence that
sabbaticals, student travel, the
together you would accomplish
overall endowment, and
the task at hand just perfectly.
construction of the Rowland
With Wendy by your side, no
Center, the Dene Farm
other outcome was conceivable.
classroom, and soon-to-beconstructed Founders Hall
Whether partnered with Barry, her husband of 60 years
(featured on page 12). Their
until his passing in 2018, or on
singular purpose was to give
her own for the last year and a
young people the best possible
half, Wendy was on a mission to
education so they in turn could
improve and support educational opportunity for the children of Vermont. As a couple, they made
build the best possible lives. It was a philosophical mission, but Wendy
extraordinary philanthropic commitments, and as
made her work personal—caring deeply and
individuals they gave of their time: Barry as a BBA
specifically about every BBA student, every
trustee and Wendy as chair of the board for the
teacher, every Rowland Fellow. Her warmth,
Rowland Foundation. Along the way, they
curiosity, and optimism infused everything she
nurtured personal relationships with the
touched, and while she is already deeply missed,
students, teachers, and administrators whose
her legacy lives on in her children, in her
work and innovation they championed.
grandchildren, and in the lives of the thousands of Burr and Burton students who will look back
Their impact on Burr and Burton is nearly impossible to summarize. Over eighteen years of
on formative opportunities made possible by
deep involvement and staggering financial
Wendy Rowland. n
generosity, Barry and Wendy affected nearly every aspect of BBA and expanded access to 10
Winter 2020
IN
M E M O RIA M
Skip Martin
When Headmaster Mark Tashjian opened the second semester for faculty and staff on January 6, he left them with a parting thought that perfectly expressed the legacy of late Burr and Burton trustee Skip Martin.
“To live a life of meaning,
make a difference in Few people have changed more lives for other people’s lives.” the better than Skip. A devoted husband, father, grandfather, mentor, and friend, Skip believed deeply in investing in people and in connecting with them personally, supportively, and with huge generosity of spirit. He gave tirelessly of his time and wisdom, always with a sense of kindness and humility that made his classic, “If I may…” the most welcome of interjections. His warmth was genuine, his laugh infectious, and his love for Burr and Burton infinite in magnitude. Skip joined the BBA Board of Trustees in 2010, having been introduced to the school by fellow trustee—and his best friend of more than 55 years—Tony Whaling. He became a relentless advocate of all things Burr and Burton, introducing countless friends to this school and, with patience and enthusiasm, convincing them that they should love and support it, too. He and his beloved wife, Nancy, attended scores of games and performances, and never missed an opportunity to cheer on a Bulldog. Skip’s advocacy for Burr and Burton was rooted in the ideal of education as the path to achieving the American Dream, but it was expressed personally and with deep caring and friendship for every person fortunate enough to know him. As one recent BBA graduate noted, “I will never be able to thank [Skip] enough for the impact he has had on my life.” There are surely many, many others who can say the same. n Winter 2020
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F O U N D E R S
H A L L
BURR
AND
BURTON
Discover Founders Hall, the new 25,000 sq ft academic building to open in 2021-22.
THE ONCE AND FUTU I
t’s August 2021, the start of a new academic year at Burr and Burton—and the future is now. Students arriving for the first day of the 2021-22 school year will look up at the iconic view of
BBA’s Belltower, standing tall in the shadow of Mount Equinox, as it has for nearly two centuries. But rather than presiding over the bustle of the school day from the western edge of academic spaces, the Belltower and its Seminary Building will sit at the center of a reimagined campus experience, shifted to the heart of BBA’s footprint by the addition of the recently completed 25,000 ft2 Founders Hall.
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The new building—funded entirely
We wanted to create a
through the generous support of the late
space that would
Barry and Wendy Rowland—will feature
simultaneously reflect the
humanities classrooms, study areas, a
future of Burr and Burton and acknowledge where
STEAM/Maker Space, and a stunning central atrium housing the school library. It will be connected to the Seminary
that experience and
Building and Rowland Center by an
vision has come from.
expansive courtyard, designed to enhance the campus sense of
community. Perhaps most strikingly, it will be both forward-thinking in its design and deferential to the most venerable symbols of Burr and Burton. “Great architecture doesn’t scream, ‘Look at me!’” says design architect Kyle Murphy ‘07. “It honors what’s already there and helps you see it in a new way. We wanted to create a space that would simultaneously reflect the future of Burr and Burton and acknowledge where that experience and vision has come from—from the school’s history, from the people of this region, and from Vermont.” Nestled into the hill, Founders Hall will be nearly invisible from Seminary Avenue but, once revealed, will
URE
BBA
speak eloquently to Burr and Burton’s emphasis on community and the region’s heritage. “Not only does the roofline gesture toward Mount Equinox rising behind it, but the building will be clad in slate—a local material seen across campus roofs—and set across a courtyard dotted with spectacular blocks of local marble donated from the old Dorset Quarry,” notes
Murphy. “It is very much intended to tie the structure to the landscape and the past to the present.” The interior layout and design of Founders Hall is equally purposeful. Organized into “learning neighborhoods” arranged around commons areas, classrooms will operate as either distinct units or as bases for cross-subject collaboration. Those neighborhoods in turn will flank the central atrium/library, rising across a grand staircase from the ground-level entrance to the third story, level with the upper field, and framing a spectacular view of Mount Equinox.
continued on next page Winter 2020
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Groundbreaking (open to the public): April 9, 2020 Turning back toward campus, the crowning Belltower Room will direct focus back to the Seminary Building and its beloved spires, with the expanse of the Green Mountains rising in the background. “The design of Founders Hall does so much to support and express the spirit of Burr and Burton,” says Headmaster Mark Tashjian. “We engage together in vigorous, collaborative, and inclusive educational experiences, and we build on our rich history to create a very bright future. Thanks to the Rowlands, we will have a new building that expands what we can do for our students and our communities. “We are exceptionally fortunate and exceptionally grateful.” n 14
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L E G A C Y
G I V I N G
GI V E O P P O R T U NI T Y
Make their future your legacy by including Burr and Burton in your estate plans. For more information, contact the Burr and Burton Advancement Office at 802.549.8277 or go to: www.burrburton.org/legacy-giving.
JOIN THE JOSEPH BURR SOCIETY
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BRAI N -BAS E D
L EA R NI NG
BURR AND BURTON
BBA Spires: t h e t ie s t h at b i n d Several years ago, the academic leadership team at Burr and Burton Academy started a conversation about the future of education in the context of how we prepare students for a complex and rapidly changing world. “We recognized that so much is happening in the ‘real world,’ says Headmaster Mark Tashjian, “and we wanted to make sure that a Burr and Burton education was not only relevant today, but stays relevant in the decades to come.” Meg Kenny,
Honors geometry student Kiah Mayer ’21 uses color to show the relationship between diagram and equation.
Associate Head, adds, “We want to ensure our students are equipped with skills that transfer to all aspects of life and learning here and beyond Burr and Burton.” The entire BBA faculty embarked on a
“We want to ensure our students are equipped with skills that transfer to all aspects of life and learning here and beyond Burr and Burton.”
collaborative process that considered the past, present, and future of a Burr and Burton education through the lens of three questions: ● What essential skills support student success in and beyond school? ● How should those skills pervade all of the classes and programs at BBA? ● How do we best engage students in their learning? How do we make it “stick”? During the process, the faculty studied brain‐based principles of learning and increased their understanding of student engagement. In the fall of 2019, we introduced The BBA Spires—four skills that unite the full scope of a Burr and Burton education and clearly point the way onward and forward into the school’s third century.
PROBLEM‐SOLVING COMMUNICATION INTEGRATIVE THINKING CITIZENSHIP Kenny explains, “The skills and content of traditional academic disciplines
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Students in the English elective Myth and Memoir employ visual arts and digital photography to explore mythological characters. serve as a vehicle for students to build and demonstrate their learning. For example, in math classes, students are challenged to communicate and discuss their solution process, not just find the right answer to the problem. In social studies, students are challenged to analyze and understand the complexity of what it means to be a citizen within a classroom, within the school, within our communities, within our nation, as members of the global community. The Spires skills add to this by bringing coherence to each student's personal learning journey; in every class, students intentionally practice, develop, and reflect on one or more of the Spires.” Tashjian notes, “We know that, no matter where students are headed after
“The BBA Spires— four skills that unite the full scope of a Burr and Burton education and clearly point the way onward and forward into the school’s third century.” Adam Preiser ’21, Andrew Zuckerman ’21, and Cindy Chen ’22 present their original research at the Pulsar Search Collaboratory in Hawaii. BBA, these four skills form an enduring foundation for success. How to problem solve, communicate, see connections across disciplines, and be a good citizen in the world—that’s our promise and purpose as a school.” n
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GLORIA PALMER ’81 a
L
c r e a t i v e
l i f e
eaning back from the painting, brush in hand, Gloria Rovnak Palmer ’81 assesses her handiwork. With a flick of the wrist, she adds the finishing touch, a spattering of fine black dots of paint, recognizable to many as her signature. This one is complete. The gesture is a telling one. In her many roles— as artist, athlete, mother, executive director of Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning (GMALL), and dedicated chair of the Burr and Burton Alumni Association Executive Board— Gloria’s focus is one of creativity and exploration. She is layered, textured, and always on the lookout for the next interesting subject or perspective. Her role with GMALL gives her the perfect opportunity to use that natural curiosity and drive to benefit the community she loves. Founded originally in 1996 as a partnership between Green Mountain College and Burr and Burton Academy, GMALL launched as an independent non-profit in 2001, focused on providing cultural and intellectual enrichment opportunities in and around Manchester. Today, the organization offers roughly 100 programs each year, ranging from lectures on national and world issues, history, science, and humanities to art, culinary, and recreational workshops and broadcasts of London stage productions via National Theater Live at BBA’s Riley Center for the Arts. “I started working with GMALL more than 16 years ago,” Gloria remembers, “and it’s been a fascinating journey of discovery and creativity ever since. I enjoy the wide-ranging responsibilities of my job and the people I get to engage with, from our patrons to presenters to the business community and other cultural organizations. We are incredibly fortunate to live in a community with resources such as BBA, the Southern Vermont Arts Center, Hildene, Merck Forest, the local theaters and music organizations, and I believe GMALL plays its role as well. We get to combine this lovely small-town experience with a real depth and
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breadth of culture. That and our natural surroundings are a big part of what makes Vermont so special to me.” She’s felt that way ever since moving from Brooklyn and transferring to Burr and Burton before her senior year. She loved that capstone year, taking particular pleasure in Dave Stewart’s art class, calculus with Dan Deforest, and playing on the tennis team. She turned a summer job at Factory Point Bank into a career that spanned nine years and culminated in a position as Supervisor of the Loan Accounting Department before stepping down to raise her daughters. In between building her career and raising her two girls, Kristen Palmer ’09 and “My time as a student Charlotte Palmer ’12, Gloria kept exploring was great, but to watch ways to be creative and expressive— writing, the whole educational painting, cooking, gardening, photography. She process as a parent and knew she wanted to see her paintings was just wonderful,” displayed somewhere someday. But, in the midst of everything else she was doing, where and when? “There always seemed to be some more pressing commitment or responsibility,” she recalls, “but then I watched a TED talk, and the presenter pointed out that ‘someday’ is not an actual day; it’s an impediment to achieving anything. You have to set a real goal in real time and work toward it now. That epiphany led to my first watercolor show at the Dorset Library, and so many other great experiences—from teaching pie baking classes or learning a new sport, pickleball, to running one-fifth of the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington last year with my siblings and crossing the finish line, which was such a thrill. It’s about engaging with life, and when we can share those experiences, we’re creating community.” That perspective has clearly fueled her work
with GMALL, as well as her service on the Burr and Burton Alumni Association Executive Board. “My time as a student was great, but to watch the whole educational process as a parent was just wonderful,” she remembers. “I was actively involved at BBA, particularly with the sports my girls played, fundraising for the ice hockey team, and just filling in where I could be helpful. It was during one of my reunion years, either the 25th or 30th, that I really started getting more involved as an alumna, helping out at Reunion Weekend, and eventually joining the Alumni Association Executive Board.” For the past five years, Gloria has served as the president of the AAEB, keeping alumni/ae connected to the school, presiding over Reunion, and emceeing the annual Alumni Dinner and Hall of Fame Awards—celebrating, characteristically, the rich tapestry of the Burr and Burton community. Last fall’s Hall of Fame ceremony in a packed Riley Center honored inductees ranging from the class of 1959 to the class of 2011, whose achievements ran the gamut from winning state athletic championships to securing a seat in the brass section of the Buffalo Philharmonic. To Gloria’s delight, one of the honored athletes was her older daughter, Kristen ‘09, a member of seven state championship teams in her time at Burr and Burton before she went on to Wheaton College and a doctorate in physical therapy from Boston University. Her younger daughter, Charlotte ‘12, an international relations major, graduated from George Washington University in D.C. Her studies and career path have brought her to exotic places in Europe and Asia. This presented Gloria with some opportunities to travel and visit Charlotte in Italy and Switzerland and thereby enhance her love of culture, history, and lifelong learning. Gloria’s life is far from complete; no spattered dots on her. “You’ve got to have goals, work hard, and see the beauty in things,” said Gloria. “Also have fun and a sense of humor. If you can manage that, you’re doing alright.” n
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ARAVA
spoken in my Introduction to Conflict Resolution:Theory and Practice class (a Bennington College class I teach at BBA). Of that experience, Margo Grapshi ’18 remembers “being inspired by their passion.” Finally, I was the home of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies fortunate to be on the founding faculty of the Arava Institute in 1996 while on sabbatical from the Israel Congregation and have divided my time between our home in Vermont and that distant valley ever since. Our son Roi ’10 skyped in from our Kibbutz Ketura home to Bill Muench’s Search for Identity class. The second answer, which underlies the first, is mission. Like Burr and Burton, the Arava Institute is dedicated to preparing young people to contribute their best to society; in the case of Arava, their mission is priming future leaders from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Morocco, and by Rabbi Michael M. Cohen around the world to cooperatively solve the regional and global challenges of our time. The Institute advances 300 million years ago, the Taconic and Green cross-border environmental cooperation, discourse, and Mountain ranges were formed. The beautiful, narrow research regardless of political conflict in the Middle Valley of Vermont nestled between them was formed East. much later, just 11,000 years ago, during the last Ice Students and teachers alike have found that the Age. That valley, bookended by tree-covered mountain Institute amplifies lessons learned earlier at Burr and ranges and traversed by the Battenkill River, is the home Burton. of Burr and Burton Academy which stands at the base Says Karoliknka Sowulewska ’12, “At BBA, I learned of Mount Equinox. to challenge the norm, always ask questions, fact-check Some 5,500 miles to the east lies the Arava Valley everything, and most importantly, to try every day to formed about 22 million years ago when the Great Rift make a positive impact on the world, no matter how Valley, which extends from the Middle East to minute or insignificant it may seem. At Arava, tilling Mozambique, was created. The Arava Valley, a hyper-arid agriculture plots, harvesting dates in 100+ degree desert with very little vegetation, forms the southern temperatures, and trying to grow corn via greywater border between Israel and Jordan today. Its color comes systems taught me perseverance, resilience, and knowing from the exposed magmatic, limestone, and sandstone. It my limits as both a person and a farmer. I learned to is the home of the Arava Institute for Environmental listen and be heard, and to make sure I have a solid Studies located on Kibbutz Ketura. support system. My experience at Arava paved the way What do these two academic institutions separated by for the rest of my career in international security and thousands of miles and contrasting environments share humanitarian development.” Today Karolinka works as a besides each being located in a valley? Security Manager for Chemonics International, a The first answer is people. Four BBA alumni have subcontractor for the United States Agency for studied abroad at the Arava Institute while in college International Development (USAID). Her global health and BBA Social Studies teacher Sarah McMillan spent and supply chain portfolio covers Latin America, Africa, time at Arava as part of an Ormsby Hill grant. and Southeast Asia. Numerous Middle East Arava Institute alumni have 20
Winter 2020
For Sarah McMillan, “Arava crystallized for me the that affected their relationships with other communities role the environment has in shaping culture and around the world.” defining one's sense of home; it reminded me that The mission of Burr and Burton is “to educate ancient is not synonymous with simplistic or inferior; students intellectually and morally for a life of and it showed me that new paradigms of thought can responsibility, integrity, and service.” That mission does emerge if people are willing to focus on the not end the day our students graduate from BBA; it fundamental common good. only grows. The opportunity our This can occur in the midst alumni have to study at the the Arava Institute of conflict and differing Arava Institute is one way for belief systems. Finally, the them to continue on the path is dedicated to preparing young people beauty of it all—the desert begun at the base of Mount landscape at sunrise, its Equinox in the Valley of Vermont to contribute their best to society scorching heat, the salts of as they make their way in the the Dead Sea on my skin— world. made it easy to understand how faith can be born.” Rabbi Michael M. Cohen is a faculty member of the Arava This fall Emet Koffman ’17 studied at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and of Bennington Institute, and she marveled at the depth of connections College, and is the rabbi emeritus of the Israel Congregation in it fostered. “My time at the Machon [Hebrew for Manchester Center,Vermont. Rabbi Cohen has been a Policy “Institute”] has been the most incredible experience, Advisor to the Office of the Special Envoy for Middle East and it’s almost entirely due to the people I have met Peace, U.S. Department of State, and a Speechwriter Adviser here. At the Mountain Campus I learned how to to the Office of the White House Speechwriters. He has served develop my connection with the natural world, and at on Burr and Burton Academy’s Board of Trustees since 1999, the Machon I began to understand how countries and and also currently sits on the Board of the Mount Equinox nations developed connections with the land and how Preservation Trust. n
2019-2020 Annual Fund
T HEY
GROW BECAUSE YOU GIVE .
BBA’s Annual Giving campaign supports the incredible array of programs that enable us to give every single student the support and challenges needed to thrive. To support the Annual Fund go to www.burrburton.org/giving or mail your gift to: BBA Advancement Office, PO Box 498, Manchester, VT 05254 Winter 2020
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From Fantasy to Football
BURR AND BURTON BECOME DI STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPS As quarterback Joe McCoy ’20 hoisted the Division I State Championship trophy over his head on a cold and blustery Saturday night in November, many in the crowd cheered purely for the triumph of today’s varsity football Bulldogs— a team of dedicated young men whose perseverance led them to the top of Division 2 in 2018-19, followed by this crowning achievement in BBA’s first year playing in Division I.
“It’s really a dream come true for the kids and for the program,” said first-year BBA Coach Tom McCoy. Those in the know, though, and with an eye to history, cheered a longer term victory as well: the total and complete resurrection of Burr and Burton football, decades in the making. When Andy Boyer ’01 moved to Manchester and arrived at BBA just before his freshman year in the fall of 1997, the Pennsylvania native was disappointed to find that football 22
was not on the menu for fall sports. “I played junior high football in Pennsylvania and while I also played other sports, to me football was different,” said Boyer. “It requires a unique blend of teamwork, commitment, mental and physical toughness, and personal development.” “I vividly remember my first visit to BBA, looking out over the beautiful campus and soccer field and asking ‘Where does the football team play?’ Needless to say, the answer what not what I wanted to hear,” he reminisced. “Since I couldn’t play, I ended up coaching youth football during my freshman and sophomore years—and I loved it. But what I really wanted to do was throw on a helmet and pads and get out there on the field and play,” he chuckled. “It became pretty obvious that it was going to take a lot of work just to bring the idea of the team back to life.” The last Bulldog football team had walked off the field in 1976. At the time, Burr and Burton had a student body of 450, and was more known for its students’ soccer and basketball prowess. With declining participation and high program costs, football had stopped making sense. “I was the assistant football coach in West Rutland at the time,” remembers former Assistant Headmaster Steve Houghton. “I’ll never forget being called into the principal’s office at the end of that ‘76 season and told that Burr and Burton—our only real rival—was dropping
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football and so were we. Too expensive and not enough interest. It broke my heart; I’d always wanted to be a football coach. Later, I ended up at Burr and Burton, and there we were without a program.” Much changed for Burr and Burton over the next twenty years. By the late 1990s, the school was hitting a new stride under Headmaster Chuck Scranton, but a comeback of BBA’s football program was anything but a certainty. “I was told there were no students who wanted to play football, there wasn’t enough money, and even that ‘kids from Manchester aren’t tough enough to play football’,” Boyer says with a smile. “I’m pretty sure nobody believes that now but there were very real and very strong obstacles at the time. Fortunately a few amazing people at BBA and in the community believed, put an incredible amount of effort in, and that made all the difference.” In 1999, Andy’s father, Guy Boyer, president of Factory Point Bank, started pressing the question with Scranton and Houghton. “I wanted it back, but I didn’t think it was possible,” said Houghton. “Our athletic budget
Quarterback Joe McCoy ’20
just wouldn’t support it. But Guy asked, ‘What if the budget isn’t impacted?’” “I called around to other schools to find out what it would cost to restart a program,” remembered the elder Boyer. “I talked to Steve and said, ‘If I raise $30,000, and we can prove there’s enough interest, is the school in?’ He went to Chuck and the board, and the answer was, ‘Yes.’” After sending Andy to school with a football and a marketing mission (“Walk around holding it and see who wants to play”), Guy reached out to John Hand of Hand Motors in Manchester. “I’d seen a vehicle raffle work as a school fundraiser “It’s really a dream come back in Pennsylvania; John true for the kids and for asked if we would consider a the program” VW Bug, which of course I jumped at. It was bright —First-year BBA Coach yellow, so we had green signs Tom McCoy printed up that said, ‘Bring football back to BBA.’ We sold $100 tickets; BBA people bought them, John had his folks at the dealership selling them—and Dan Stannard and I spent Saturdays in Manchester selling them to tourists. It was amazing.” And it worked. All told, they sold 483 tickets, and the winner was BBA custodian Lester “Sonny” Beers. The proceeds went towards equipment and uniforms. Football was coming back. PE teacher Marty Maher had been coaching the nordic ski team, and had just agreed to be the head track and field coach when the Athletic Director Kathi Bierwirth came to him with another request. “Kathi asked me to coach the football team too, and I said, ‘sure,’” said Maher. “Coaches Bill Tobin and Joe McClellan were still teaching there, and Bill actually gave me his playbook, which helped us get started.” “Most of our players hadn’t been around football. We didn’t have a goal post. We didn’t know where we were going to practice. A lot of the kids didn’t know how to put a helmet on or which way the shoulder pads went, but they were great athletes and they wanted to play.” Twenty years later, the enthusiasm—and the comedy—of that first year are still fresh for Maher. “We did two years of JV to get the program going, and our very first game was against Mount St. Joseph’s from Rutland. We scored a touchdown and the entire team ran onto the field and into the end zone. They just emptied the sidelines because no one had expected that we would actually score. The officials shook their heads and let it go.” Quarterback Rob Gaiotti ‘00 remembers the thrill of that first season, both on and off the field.
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REUNION
2020
Friday, September 25 – Sunday, September 27, 2020
Celebrating the Burr and Burton classes of... 1940, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015 Come back to the Hill for a weekend of fun with alumni, family, and friends!
All classes welcome! Registration opens July 1, 2020 For more information or to volunteer, contact Pauline de Laszlo at pdelaszlo@burrburton.org or 802-549-8277 www.burrburton.org/reunion
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DI CHAMPS “For many of us it was our first organized football experience,” Gaiotti recalled, “and I remember the way the community instantly got excited and supported the program. It made us feel pretty special.” By the fall of 2001, there was a varsity team again and two seniors, Matt Van Der Kar ’02 and Pat Frost, made the first North/South All-Star game. Both went on to play in the Vermont/NH Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl that year as well. Between 2001 and 2019, the Bulldogs spent time in Divisions III and IV before moving up to Division II, racking up a 101-70 regular and post-season record on the gridiron, with 57 of those wins and only 10 losses from 2013 to the present. In 2015, the Bulldogs took the Division II title, and Burr and Burton made a major investment for all field sports teams by opening the Judy McCormick Taylor Turf Field. In the fourth season on turf, BBA again took the Division II Championship. The Division I title wasn’t far behind. “There was so much excitement that football generated when they brought it back 20 years ago,” Athletic Director Dave Miceli told GNAT shortly after the big game. “It was nice to have a couple of those guys on our sidelines when the team won the D1 championship this fall.” “Looking back, I hope the coaches from that first year—Marty and Steve and Jeff Houghton—all know just how important they were,” added Guy Boyer. “They took kids who’d never played, and they made them a team of kids who were so proud.” This year’s team tri-captains Joe McCoy ’20, Logan Morgan ’20, and Ethan Simonds ’20 are quick to recognize the group effort that laid the foundations of the 2019-20 season. “Moving into Division I this year, we all knew we had to step up,” said Morgan. “We did the work all season, and I knew we were good. I’m just still surprised we were this good.” McCoy added, “Obviously, twenty years feels like a long time from where we’re standing, but the fact is that BBA football is still a young program, and to come in this year to DI, and finish it with the state championship—it was an amazing opportunity we were lucky to have. Said Simonds, “We’re never going to forget this.” n
John Morgantini ’20
“We did the work all season, and I knew we were good. I’m just still surprised we were this good.” —Logan
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Morgan ’20
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REUNION WEEKEND
Bulldogs Reunite Reunion 2019 and Homecoming Weekend September 20 – 22, 2019 Reunion 2019 and Homecoming Weekend brought together generations of Bulldogs, from Ruth Stone Fowler ‘44—back to celebrate her 75th reunion!—to current students cheering on their classmates, and everyone in between. With hundreds in attendance, Manchester was alight with Green and Gold pride. The weekend kicked off with the Alumni Social, held at the Manchester Country Club on Friday. Burr and Burton graduates from as far away as Alaska, California, Texas, and Florida, and from right down Seminary Avenue, continued to stream in on Saturday afternoon to watch the football game and cheer on inductees into the Hall of Fame. During halftime, members of three State Championship soccer teams and their coaches from 1998, 1999, and 2000 came out in force for the Team presentation. Saturday evening was all about alumni fun, as classmates headed to the Taconic Hotel for the sold-out Alumni Dinner, featuring the music of Linda Griffith ’79 and her band Doublecross. The class of 1969, celebrating their 50th reunion and inspired by Class Liaison Gayl Heinz, took the prize for biggest turnout, while Sean Murphy ‘84 was recognized for longest trek, coming all the way from Alaska, and Ruth Fowler ‘44 was celebrated as our most senior alum in attendance. Many thanks to the volunteers, sponsors, and alumni who made Reunion 2019 possible. For more information, see News from the Hill at bbaalumninews.wordpress.com, and for Reunion Weekend photo albums, see photos.burrburton.org/2019-20.
The class of ’64: first row (L to R) Lynda Fielding Carkin, Neil Pierson, Georgia Smith LaBatt, and Linda Heiland diMonda. Second row (L to R) Peter O’ Connell, Class Liaison Mary Williams Rowland, and Charlie Goodwin.
Greg Olmstead ’94 celebrated his 25th at the Alumni Dinner with his wife Alexis KandaOlmstead.
Save the date for Reunion 2020 September 25–27, 2020 26
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The class of ‘84: first row seated (L to R) Tia Kennedy Vanderminden, Margaret Housekeeper Ohrn, Kathleen Bowen Harrington, Roberta Brown White, Sandy Thomas Papanek, and Bobbie Aptekar Saccone. Back row standing (L to R) Sue Vaccaro, Christine Malas Baertschi, Todd LaTorella, Bill Morrissey, Sean Murphy, Class Liaison Ellen Rodolfy Russell, John Harrington, and Paul Kutchukian.
2019 Hall of Fame Inductees Athletes Kristen A. Palmer ‘09 Trevor L. Pollock ‘09 Special Olympics Travis E. Baker ‘11 Students cheer on the Varsity football team against Mt. Mansfield.
Coach Dan DeForest Friend of Athletics John and Lynne Sanders Legend William J. West ‘65 Team 1998, 1999, and 2000 Girls Varsity Soccer Teams
The class of ’04 (L to R) Alumni Arts Award winner Sheryl Hadeka, Ryan Casey, BBA teacher Ashley Frank, Jake Conte, and Class Liaison Shannon O’Leary.
6th Annual Alumni Arts Award Sheryl Hadeka ‘04 Alumni Service Award Lyman K. Orton ‘59 Alumni Achievement Award James B. Campbell ‘62 E.H. Henry Distinguished Faculty and Staff Award Dawne Polis
REUNION SPONSORS The class of ’69: first row (L to R) Charlene Bacon Moffitt, Linda Cepela-Ferrand, Gary Strauss, Mary Ralph Egan, and Donna Edson. Second row (L to R) Donna Kristiansen Cook, Linda Day McKeever, Sally Ameden Zoufaly, Carl Williams, Mike Hanlon, Beth Johnston McWhorter, and Shara Lyn Fowler-Campney. Third row (L to R) Bob Stannard, Tony Korzun, Lynn Holton, and Class Liaison Gayl Heinz. We recognized our most senior alum, Ruth Stone Fowler, who celebrated her 75th Reunion and represented the class of ’44 in style. Winter 2020
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REUNION WEEKEND
GREENandGOLD The 2019 Hall of Fame inductees represent 50 years of character, service, and team spirit.
The Burr and Burton Hall of Fame honors alumni, faculty, coaches, and friends who exemplify the highest standards of responsibility and integrity, and whose outstanding contributions as athletes, artists, and role models have brought honor to the school and enriched the community. Alumni Association Board President Gloria Rovnak Palmer ‘81 and Headmaster Mark Tashjian honored the 2019 inductees during Reunion and Homecoming Weekend. For a complete list of all Hall of Fame inductees, visit burrburton.org/alumni/hall-of-fame.
Gloria Rovnak Palmer ’81 (center) welcomes Trevor Pollock ’09 and her daughter, Kristen Palmer ’09, to the Hall of Fame during Reunion Weekend ‘19. Celebrating their 10th Reunion, Trevor and Kristen were inducted in the Athlete category.
As teachers, John and Lynne Sanders had an enormous impact on Burr and Burton’s academic and art programs over many years. They received the Friends of Athletics award at the Hall of Fame for their continued enthusiasm and attendance at athletic events as well as musicals, concerts, dance programs, and art exhibits here.
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A special shout out to Dawne Polis, who did not let a broken leg and a trip from France stop her from attending the Hall of Fame! Dawne taught in Burr and Burton’s Art Department for 18 years and was presented with the E.H. Henry Distinguished Faculty and Staff Award. Dawne’s husband, Dean Polis, a photography teacher at BBA for eight years, also joined her for the ceremony.
Travis Baker ’11 received the Special Olympian award at the Hall of Fame in September for his skill and grit in a range of sports including basketball, bowling, golf, downhill skiing, and BBA’s Dance Team while at Burr and Burton. Travis continues to be involved as a Burr and Burton Superfan of both football and basketball.
A few members and coaches of the three State Championship girls varsity soccer teams from 1998, 1999, and 2000 were on hand for the Team presentation during halftime of the football game during Reunion Weekend on September 21, 2019. From left to right: Molly Smith ’02, Jill Prouty Coombs ’02, Myheka Roper ’03, Coach Dan DeForest, Assistant Coach Bruce Kern, Assistant Coach Chip Chamberlain, Erika Metzger Ture ’01, Jen La Belle Breen ’01, Sarah Parker ’01, and Hayley Daden Van Der Kar ’01. The three teams shattered numerous scoring, consecutive wins, and other Division II soccer records during their three seasons. Winter 2020
Dan DeForest is no stranger to the Hall of Fame, receiving the E.H. Henry Distinguished Faculty and Staff Award in 2015. In September he received the Coach Award for coaching an astounding 80 seasons of soccer, basketball, and softball over 36 years at Burr and Burton. Dan was recognized again at the ceremony when the girls soccer State Championship teams he coached in 1998, 1999, and 2000 received the Team Award.
2 0 1 9 - 2 0 Co rpo rate Do no rs We thank the corporations below for their generous support of Burr and Burton Academy and hope you will in turn support these businesses.
Headmasters List Berkshire Bank – berkshirebank.com Bromley Mountain – bromley.com r.k. Miles – rkmiles.com TPW Management – tpw.com
High Honors List Engineered Printing Solutions – epsvt.com Finn & Stone Insurance – finnandstone.com Northshire Bookstore – northshire.com Rugg Valley Landscaping – ruggvalley.com W.H. Shaw Insurance Company – whshawinsurance.com
Honors List Bank of Bennington – thebankofbennington.com Stratton Mountain Resort – stratton.com The Orvis Company – orvis.com
Academic Letter Apricot Lane Boutique – apricotlaneboutique.com Barrows House & Dorset Inn – barrowshouse.comdorsetinn.com Battenkill Communications – byo.com Bradley D. Myerson Law Offices – cmylwyr.com Lily of the Valley – lilyofthevalleyflorist.com Manchester Capital Management – mcmllc.com Metropolitan Engineering Associates – metropolitanengineering.us People’s United Bank – peoples.com Samuelson Law Offices Spivey Lemonik Swenor, PC – slsvt.com The Inn at Manchester – innatmanchester.com The Works Bakery & Cafe – https://workscafe.com
Academic Pin Hampton Inn & Suites – hamptoninn3.hilton.com iShip Express – shippinginmanchestervt.com Midura Building Company midurabuildingco.com Scott Thompson Builders – stbuildersvt.com The Pharmacy – Northshire – pharmacyinc.net The Richards Group – therichardsgrp.com
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Burr and Burton Academy Post Office Box 498
Non‐Profit Org. US Postage
PA ID
57 Seminary Avenue
Permit No.3
Manchester, VT 05254
Manchester, VT 05254
“Our philosophy is simple: hire the best teachers, provide superb facilities, nurture a culture that values achievement in all its forms, celebrate the many accomplishments of our students, and strive for excellence in everything we do.” — Headmaster Mark Tashjian