SUFFIELD [Spring 2012]

suffield

editor

Stephanie Dellaquila Greco ’88

editorial staff

Charlie Cahn, Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, Thomas Foote, Peter Stein

senior designer

Tobye Cook ’88

art director

Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88

contributors

Thomas Foote, Peter Stein, Bill Sullivan, Phil Riegel ’87, Howard Stringer P’12, Demetrius Toutounas, Amy Pentz, Hat Thomsen, Terry Breault, Patrick Booth, David Rockwell ’58, Ann Selvitelli, Sara Yeager, Dan Matchett ’08, Kate Pistel ’09, Jake Deane ’02, Colin Dowd ’12, Sari Biddelman ’09, Kevin Armata ’77, Montana Armata ’13, Kyler Armata ’15, Linda Colo

photo contributors

Lindsay Furman ’00, Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, Tobye Cook ’88, Dustin Satloff, Alexandra Tremaine ’03, True Lacrosse

SuFFieLD is published by the Marketing and Communications Office of Suffield Academy for alumni, parents, and friends of the school. All publications rights reserved. Contents may be reproduced or reprinted only by permission of the editor. Opinions expressed do not reflect the official position of Suffield Academy.

comments

may be addressed to Stephanie Dellaquila Greco ’88 sgreco@suffieldacademy.org

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www.suffieldacademy.org

mission

Suffield Academy is a coeducational, independent secondary school serving a diverse community of boarding and day students. Our school has a tradition of academic excellence combined with a strong work ethic. A commitment to scholarship and a respect for individual differences guide our teaching and curriculum. We engender among our students a sense of responsibility, and they are challenged to grow in a structured and nurturing environment. The entire academic, athletic, and extracurricular experience prepares our students for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and active citizenship.

non-discrimination

Suffield Academy does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, physical attributes, disability, age, or sexual orientation. We administer our admissions, financial aid, educational, athletic, extracurricular, and other policies so that each student is equally accorded all the rights, privileges, programs, and facilities made available by the school.

trustees

President Daniel R. Tisch ’69, P’02 | New York, New York

Vice President Jackson W. Robinson ’60 | Boston, Massachusetts

Secretary Frederic B. Powers iii ’83, P’14 | Mamaroneck, New York

Headmaster Charles Cahn iii | Suffield, Connecticut

Susan W. Autuori P’06, ’08, ’10, ’13 | West Hartford, Connecticut

Paul Blakeley P’07, ’10, ’13 | Orleans, Massachusetts

Nancy A. Brooks ’87 | Boston, Massachusetts

Dennis W. Chalke P’08, ’12 | Longmeadow, Massachusetts

Andrew C. Chase | Deerfield, Massachusetts

Kate O. Cleary ’88 | Cambridge, MA

Michael J. Daly ’59, Trustee emeritus | Longmeadow, Massachusetts

George B. Daniels ’71 | New York, New York

Guy L. de Chazal P’10 | Brookville, New York

Andrew Fabricant P’14 | New York, New York

Samuel S. Fuller ’41, Trustee emeritus GP ’04, ’05, ’06, ’08, ’09 | Suffield, Connecticut

Robert C. Graham, Jr. P’11 | Stamford, Connecticut

Valisha Graves ’81 | Brooklyn, New York

Matthew W. Greene | Wilton, Connecticut

Walter Harrison | Hartford, Connecticut

Kathy G. Hoffman, P’13 | Avon, CT

Christopher M. Houlihan P’05 | New York, New York

Christopher T. Jensen P’07, ’09, ’11 | Riverside, Connecticut

Karen L. McDonald P’12 | New York, New York

Jeffrey K. Mcelnea ’67, P’12 | New York, New York

Patricia Q. Moore P’09, P’14 | McLean, Virginia

Tracy Orr O’Keefe ’85 | Westfield, New Jersey

Steven R. Sheresky P ’12 | Rye, New York

Hope G. Smith P’12 | Locust Valley, New York

John M. Tremaine ’66, P’94, ’03 | New Canaan, Connecticut

H. P. Van ingen, Jr. P’06 | New York, New York

Suzy B. Vogler, P ’11 | San Francisco, California

Jeffrey White ’65 | Westport, Connecticut

Jacqueline R. Williams P’04, ’07, ’08 | New York, New York

spring 2012

highlights

campus news

Earth Day

Spring Chapel

Alumni Leadership Awards

Spring Athletics

Performing Arts

profiles

ALumni ProfiLE

Jake Deane ’02

CLASS AgEnt

Sari Biddelman ’02

LEgACY ProfiLE the Armatas—Kevin ’77, montana ’13, and Kyler ’15

class notes

Alums from the classes of 1939 to 2011 tell us what they have been doing

26

headmaster’s column

earlier this year i met a creative man visiting suffield with his daughter. he spent his career in venture capital—investing in ideas—and asked me what i thought suffield academy would look like in fifty years. he wondered if the explosive growth of technology and its pervasive role in our lives would alter the landscape of independent secondary schools. his central point was that we acquire information differently today than decades ago, and this could lead to fundamental change.

my instincts tell me otherwise. over its nearly two hundred-year existence, the essence of Suffield Academy has been largely unchanged. the focus has remained on close attention for each student, broad participation in community life, high standards of personal conduct, and excellent teachers guiding talented students. my sense (and hope) is there will always be an important place for these attributes in America’s educational landscape. regardless of cultural or technological changes, our dreams begin with teachers who believe in us.

regardless of cultural or technological changes, our dreams begin with teachers who believe in us.

that said, our understanding of how people think and how we nurture creative insight are continually evolving at Suffield. these concepts will play an important role in our future. in his recent book Imagine, Jonah Lehrer notes that when we have a good idea it sometimes seems to come out of the blue, perhaps while we are walking or in the shower. Scientists are learning how these moments of creativity appear and about their central characteristics. the two defining features of creative moments are (1) the insight comes when we least expect it or have even given up; and (2) as soon as the answer arrives, we know it is the one we have been looking for. Lehrer says, “We don’t have to double-check the math or carefully edit the work; we know this is it. the insight comes attached with a feeling of certainty. it is a revelation. these two defining characteristics happen in all fields—it’s Archimedes in the bathtub or isaac newton under the apple tree.” in short, moments of insight are a universal feature of human experience.

A long-held belief is that the left part of our brain is analytical, rational, and the right brain more artistic and creative. the idea is the right hemisphere is more interested in “the forest” and the left hemisphere in “the trees”—more detail-oriented and focused. Lehrer notes that while this is an oversimplification, the essential points are important: there is a time for every kind of thinking, and the role of the right side of the brain is being studied more closely and taking on new importance.

formal education has long centered on the part of our brains we use most in everyday life. Yet understanding that creativity requires access to a different part of our brains is helping fuel new energy in the future of dynamic educational environments like Suffield.

most importantly, as we look ahead we must remain steadfast in remembering the history of this Academy—and nearly all schools—shows that some whose stars did not burn most brightly during adolescence reach remarkably unexpected levels of professional and personal success. Suffield encourages and challenges students, and assists them in unlocking doors that lead to creative insight and successful lifelong pursuits. this, i trust, will be a permanent feature of our special school.

Campus Master Plan newly endorsed

by the board

Suffield Academy’s Board of Trustees recently endorsed a new campus master plan. Developed over an 18-month period, the plan will serve as a guide for capital projects during the next era in Suffield’s history. This follows the completion of an ambitious master plan that resulted in more than $25 million of campus construction, culminating with the opening of Tisch Field House in 2009. The recent master planning process was facilitated by Centerbrook Architects, a firm that has worked with Suffield on some previous projects and is widely respected in the education and architectural communities for their innovative and inspiring approach to campus planning.

The new plan emanated from several meetings with students, faculty, parents, alumni, and trustees. Consistent themes emerged from these discussions:

1) All constituents feel the sit-down, family-style lunch in Brewster Hall is an important part of Suffield’s cultural strength, and that Brewster Hall is currently too crowded and somewhat outdated for the program the school currently provides.

2) Bell Hill is a uniquely special place and should remain a central feature of the campus.

3) Current spaces for science and college counseling are inadequate for Suffield’s future.

4) It is not aesthetically or practically ideal to have a road (Stiles Lane) intersecting the academic and residential quadrangles.

5) Faculty housing presents some future challenges, especially given the impressively low turnover of Suffield’s faculty.

Considering these themes, two major goals surfaced from this planning process: (1) bringing facilities constructed before the 1970s into the modern era, and (2) more effectively connecting the school’s academic and residential quadrangles.

Master Planning History

By all measures, Suffield Academy has grown in strength and prestige during the past eight years under the leadership of Headmaster Charlie Cahn. The school’s applicant pool, Annual Fund, and endowment have all doubled. The largest capital fundraising in Suffield’s history funded a campus master plan that included construction of Tisch Field House, Rockwell Hall, Guttag Music Center, The Williams Performing Arts Studio, a new health center, new spaces for photography and set design, and a synthetic turf athletic field. Most importantly, this series of projects achieved three overarching campus goals: (1) equipping Suffield with the necessary facilities for a student enrollment of 400 to 410; (2) creating clearly defined quadrangles for academic and residential life; and (3) moving the essential student-related functions of the school to the west side of Suffield’s Main Street.

2010 neas C aCC reditation as a Break Point

Every 10 years, schools and colleges around the country take part in an accreditation process overseen by regional commissions. The oldest of these is the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), founded in 1885. In the fall of 2010, a NEASC visiting committee came to Suffield. The timing was of great use to the school, as the campus master plan had recently been executed and plans were emerging for Suffield’s next series of strategic goals. Fittingly, the introduction of the Visiting Team’s report spoke of Suffield’s progress over the past decade. “It is uniformly clear to the Visiting Committee that the school-wide community shares a common sense of pride, mission, and purpose. Suffield’s commitment to philosophy of growth and its ethos of ‘continuous improvement,’ ‘distance traveled,’ and ‘leadership’ begins with its approach to each of its students, from inquiry to commencement, that permeates all areas of school life.”

The report continued by stating, “Significant gains in nearly every measurable category, set in motion through a well considered and well executed strategic plan, have led to major and notable improvements—from individual student performance to institutional advances, evidenced by strong enrollment metrics, a purposeful, engaged, and engaging student body, and a dedicated, forward thinking, experienced faculty, administration, and Headmaster whose personal and family’s deep investment in the learning and growth of the students—and institutional pride for all that are under their care—permeates the culture.” The conclusion noted, “In so far as ‘distance traveled’ is a measure of the Suffield promise, one can easily see and feel the ways in which institutional ‘distance traveled’ coincides with Suffield’s impressive

Suffield Academy Campus Master Plan

View from Southeast

advancement since the 2001 accreditation. this, together with the 2004 Strategic Plan for Suffield, has propelled Suffield’s students and faculty—and their school—to new heights and advanced the internal and external view and position of Suffield today.”

e xecuting the Plan

the most immediate priorities articulated in the new master plan were the need for major enhancements to spaces for college counseling and science. As noted elsewhere in this issue of SuffiELD, the Hoffman College Counseling Center opened in the fall of 2011 and was formally dedicated in may 2012.

the architectural and permitting processes are now underway for the new science facilities, with construction scheduled to begin in february 2013 and concluding the following fall. Both of these projects (science and college counseling) have been fully funded by gifts to Suffield.

the school will now focus on other goals outlined in the master plan. one is centered on expanding Suffield’s dining facility (Brewster Hall) in its existing location. Another goal, linked to the evolution of Brewster Hall, is better integrating Suffield’s two quadrangles that are currently split by Stiles Lane (a school-owned road).

these two initiatives are essentially interconnected, as any expansion of Brewster Hall on its current site is limited on all sides by existing buildings except for the north, where Stiles Lane intersects the campus. the master plan therefore relocates vehicle access to the north, winding it around the back of the dormitories in the Kotchen residential quadrangle.

other goals in the master plan include renovations to memorial and fuller Hall, and the construction of new dormitories on the eastern part of Kotchen Quadrangle, behind the house dorms on main Street.

the new master plan also places a premium on campus landscape improvements and sustainability opportunities. these include the pedestrian-friendly Stiles Lane—which could become a center walk through campus—and additional gathering places that enhance Suffield’s beautiful views of the metacomet ridge. overhauling several campus lawn spaces with native plants and meadows will require less fertilizing, maintenance, and mowing. in addition, bioswales and porous paving will improve stormwater retention, lessening the need and maintenance of existing and new storm drains.

the campus master plan will serve as a useful guide and source of vision for decision-making during the next era in Suffield’s history.

fundraising and develoPMent

the best of what we strive to impart to Suffield students—to be original and sincere, embrace challenge, exercise empathy and kindness, have an opinion, and work hard—are all modeled by the administration in the work we do to move the school forward and sustain an enthusiastic community on campus.

Something i am grateful for (and proud of) in my work is that we do not spend our days comparing our school to others. our feeling is that the world simply needs Suffield Academy at its very best. this clarity of purpose and comfort with who we are and what we do, make this a place people admire and want to embrace.

Evidence of this is the overwhelming support Suffield has seen from its alumni, parents, faculty, and friends over the past decade. in that time, we have raised an astounding $53 million. But our story is about more than the dollars; alumni participation in the Annual fund has more than doubled from 18% to 40%. in the same period, parent participation has grown from 51% to 93%. in addition, our faculty have reached 100% participation almost every year—a testament to the strength of our school.

through the hard work and excellent leadership of the Board of trustees and Headmaster Charlie Cahn, Suffield Academy has pursued a clear, compelling vision. With this vision, strong leadership, and support of the Suffield family, our school is experiencing a renaissance.

our goal in the “the time is now” capital campaign (2006-2009) was to ensure a campus and program that would be ideal to support 410 students—and it was decided this was the ideal enrollment size for Suffield Academy. to that end, we raised $10 million for our endowment, built six new dorms, studios for dance, recording, photography, and wood working, tisch field House, a turf field, and completely renovated the pool and the performing arts spaces. this past summer also saw the completion of the Hoffman College Counseling Center, showcased in the center of campus on the academic quad.

the construction at Suffield over this period has certainly added to our physical plant, but the attention to detail and the high quality of work have ensured that the feel of the campus and style of our school have remained the same—small, immaculate, and inviting.

As we look to the future, this vision is expanding even further with planning well underway for the projects that will successfully take Suffield into the next 50 years. We hope the first will be a complete reconstruction and addition to Holcomb Hall. this will allow us to better schedule science classes, as the current space is insufficient for the growing number of students taking science. it will also provide first-rate science space for years to come.

What is most exciting about Suffield Academy right now is the active involvement of our alumni, parents, faculty, and friends in moving the school forward. When we articulate our vision and hopes for the future of Suffield Academy, you deliver. We have seen this in the success of the capital campaign, our 1833 push to reach 40% alumni participation in the Annual fund for the first time last year, and more recently our victory over Berkshire and Williston in the April Alumni Challenge. that felt really good, by the way! Another group that deserves special recognition for their involvement is our parents. never before in the history of the school have we seen such proud and strong support from this quarter.

Suffield is in the position it is today largely because of your support. for this we are grateful.

h offman c ollege c ounseling c enter d edication

The Hoffman College Counseling Center was formally dedicated on May 4, 2012, during Suffield’s spring Board of Trustees meeting. Bradley Hoffman and Headmaster Charlie Cahn shared remarks at an evening ceremony in the academic quadrangle, and Suffield womens’ choir performed for the assembled group.

Headmaster Cahn noted that the new space is part of an initiative to further develop Suffield’s strong and successful college counseling program. The overarching plan includes increased staffing, a four-year approach that further helps all students, and this new office in the center of the academic quad.

He said, “Suffield Academy is very fortunate to have parents and alumni who are so supportive of the values, mission, and direction of the school. This has elevated Suffield to new levels of success, and we now add this jewel of a space to our gorgeous campus.”

Headmaster Cahn then spoke of the Hoffman P’13 and Vogler P’12 families, who generously supported this project along with other donors. “The Hoffmans have a remarkably generous spirit and sincere commitment to service. They are thoughtful, fun, and extremely hardworking. I would say the same about Suzy and Bill Vogler. They exude a genuine zest for life and sense of humor. Kathy and Suzy are terrific members of our Board of Trustees—engaged, involved, and supportive. Most importantly, the Hoffmans and Voglers are great parents and deeply invested in the lives of their children.”

More details about Suffield’s college counseling program are outlined later in this issue of SUFFIELD.

college counseling

Have you ever built something from the ground up, starting with a vision, moving through the design stage, and then seeing it all come to fruition? When Charlie Cahn first asked me to imagine the “ultimate college counseling office” and a four-year program for all students, my mind raced with ideas. Pictures of interview rooms, resource areas, and classrooms danced in my head. But he pushed me to further consider staffing, programming, and specifically, a four-year college counseling program.

When the buzz about Suffield’s new innovative four-year college program began, i admit there were some skeptics. Would this be too much pressure too soon on our younger students? Candidly, those same thoughts had crossed my mind at first, too. But as i thought, brainstormed, and dug into the idea, a few voices from the past reverberated in my mind.

one particular senior sticks out in my mind. He sat in my office rebuffing any suggestion i had for colleges that would balance out his college list and offer more “likely” options. When i gently suggested that the “D” on his transcript from his sophomore year posed some troubling issues, his eyes widened and he exclaimed, “WHAt? no one ever told me my sophomore year grades count in the college process!” now, i am sure his teachers, faculty advisor, and parents would disagree, but it had eluded him. this was the first time he had seen that “D” in black and white on a Suffield transcript, rather than alongside the prose of teacher comments and effort ratings.

i also recalled a particularly snowy January, when seemingly every junior had the “deer in the headlights” look. We had returned from winter break, and the anxiety of the college admissions process hit them head-on. there were the college counselor assignments, SAts, ACts, college lists, College 101, all amidst the junior year workload. Stress ran high, and it caused me to pause. Why did it all have to hit them at once? i started to realize that perhaps slow and steady does win the race. not that college is a race to be won—it is a match to be made.

thus, the idea Charlie proposed to us unfolded—a developmentally appropriate program that gradually builds up to the college search of junior year and application season of the senior fall. A comprehensive college counseling plan was initiated that includes new space, more staff members, and most importantly, more time in Suffield’s program to work with students in all four grades. this year we moved into the impressive new 3,000 square-foot Hoffman College Counseling Center. Counselors have worked with 9th and 10th graders in small groups and individually with all juniors and seniors. We now have four full-time counselors who work with a caseload of 25 students in each grade (caseloads at peer schools range from 35-60). We can host three college visits at a time, and enjoy vast resource and display space for sharing information on summer programs, gap years, and scholarships.

We have met with freshmen to tour our office, review a transcript, define a cumulative grade point average (gPA), take them on a college visit, and encourage them to get fully involved and make the most of their time at Suffield in all ways. We have also met with the sophomores at three different points this year. We first gathered in small groups before their PSAt and PLAn tests to review content and some strategies for success on the tests. We met again after the tests, reviewing the results and discussing test preparation options. this spring, we toured them through the new office space, introduced them to our web-based database (naviance), and helped them do some self-reflection through a “Do What You Are” personality survey. We continued our intensive work with the juniors through our nine-week College 101 program but also enjoyed more one-on-one meeting time with individual students. next fall, we can already envision dozens of seniors throughout our space, laptops propped, toiling over a supplemental essay or activity résumé; or arriving to meet with a college representative in our conference room or interview space.

A Henry David thoreau quote adorns the stairwell in our new center: “go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have always imagined.” this message is particularly poignant for our Suffield students, whether they have just arrived or are heading off to college. At Suffield, each student travels a great distance. But in the end, it is just the beginning.

COLLEGE BOUND

California at irvine University of California

Chapman Colby Colgate ConneCtiCUt DaviDson

University of Denver DUke elon emory enDiCott

fairfielD franklin anD marshall College fUrman

tHe following list is indiCative of soMe of tHe interesting and diverse Colleges and universities tHat MeMBers of suffield’s last two graduating Classes CHose to attend:

University Washington University gettysbUrg

amherst college

emory University

University of pennsylvania

College hamilton College University of hartforD

Babson college

Bates college

Bentley University

endicott college

Franklin and marshall college

Georgetown University

penn State University

providence college

rensselaer polytechnic Institute

high point University ithaCa College Johns hopkins

Boston college

Boston University

Bowdoin college

George Washington University

Gettysburg college

hamilton college

University of richmond

rochester Institute of technology

University of Saint andrews

University lafayette College lehigh University

Brandeis University

University of california at Irvine

University of california at Santa cruz

carnegie mellon University

high point University

hobart & William Smith colleges

Ithaca college

Johns hopkins University

University of San Diego

Santa clara University

Savannah college of art and Design

Skidmore college

loyola University marylanD University of maine

chapman University

colby college

colgate University

lafayette college

lehigh University

loyola University maryland

Southern methodist University

St. lawrence University

Swarthmore college

University of miami University of mississippi moUnt

columbia University

University of connecticut

connecticut college

University of maine

University of miami

middlebury college

trinity college

Union college

Vassar college

holyoke College neW york University northeastern

colorado college

cornell University

Davidson college

mount holyoke college

new York University

northeastern University

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

Washington college

University northWestern University oberlin

University of Denver

Duke University

elon University

northwestern University

oberlin college

ohio State University

Washington & lee University

Washington University in St. louis

Worcester polytechnic Institute

College ohio state University penn state University

proviDenCe College rensselaer polyteChniC

institUte University of hmonD roanoke College

roChester

hnology University of

lohen parchment ’12

saint anD ) University of san Diego

santa Clara University avannah College of art

anD Design more College soUthern methoDist

University e University sWarthmore

College exas Christian University trinity

lohen parchment ’12 spent four years at Suffield academy. She excelled as a student and a campus leader, earning the allan h. Fuller prize in theater arts at commencement. lohen’s college search included application to 17 colleges and universities, and she ultimately narrowed her choices down to University of Virginia, northwestern University, and George Washington University. as the shirt she is wearing here indicates, next fall lohen will be a member of northwestern’s class of 2016.

College Union College University of vermont

holyoke College neW york University University

50 Days ’til Graduation

Lyrics by Jeff Depelteau

’02 |

Music by Paul Simon

Faculty members Jeff and Brooke Depelteau were co-advisors to the Class of 2012. At the annual 50th Night dinner—a time for seniors and faculty to reflect on their work together—Jeff sang the following song he wrote to the lyrics of Paul Simon’s classic “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover.”

The problem is all inside your head as you’ll soon see. The answer is easy if you take it logically.

I’d like to help you in your struggle to be free, There’s only 50 days ’til graduation.

Sure, you may sit there and think I’m just some old dude

Furthermore, I hope my meaning won’t be lost or misconstrued, But I’ll repeat myself at the risk of being crude

There’s only 50 days ’til graduation.

50 days ’til graduation.

Don’t put up a fuss, Russ Stick to the plan, Dan

Keep the smile on your face, Grace

Just listen to me.

Run across Kinne Court, Port

Win a few games, Ames

Go to Chill on the Hill, Will

These 50 days are a thrill.

So take a deep breath, Steph

Keep yourself busy, Izzy

Plan a funny senior prank, Pank

It’s almost time to be free.

Finish out strong, Wong

Keep yourself calm, Dom May 25th you’ll be free, Grand Pre

It’s almost time to flee.

Class of twenty-twelve you’ve made it to the final days In just two short months we want you all to graduate

So be smart and look out for each other don’t let temptations phase you, There’s only 50 days ’til graduation.

Having done all of this myself here once before Please take my advice, don’t burn any bridges or close any open doors.

Make your last impression, the best one, because you’re all good down to the core

There’s only 50 days ’til graduation.

50 days ’til graduation.

Don’t put up a fuss, Russ

Stick to the plan, Dan

Keep the smile on your face, Grace

Just listen to me.

Run across Kinne Court, Port

Win a few games, Ames

Go to Chill on the Hill, Will

These 50 days are a thrill.

So take a deep breath, Steph

Keep yourself busy, Izzy

Plan a funny senior prank, Pank

It’s almost time to be free.

Finish out strong, Wong

Keep yourself calm, Dom May 25th you’ll be free, Grand Pre

It’s almost time to flee.

2012 Baccalaureate

excerpts from Baccalaureate speaker David Rockwell ’58

Fifty-four years ago I sat in the very same church with the Class of 1958. Then, as now, we had high hopes tinged with great apprehension about our future path. I didn’t know then and you don’t know now where that path will take you. All I knew was that I wanted to get on with my life.

When I was your age I thought I had all the answers. But, as I’ve gotten older I have come to realize that not only did I not have all the answers, I wasn’t even sure I was asking the right questions.

As a senior, a book called On the Road by Jack Kerouac captured my imagination. The book opened my eyes to possibilities I had never really thought about. The focus of the book was a cross-country road trip. The grander theme was the idea of adventure and discovery.

I like to use the road trip as an example of something real, or as merely a metaphor. But, either way, it is all about experiencing life on a deeper level. I feel that in order to grow you have to test and push yourself. Only those who do so come anywhere near realizing their full potential. Recent studies by University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth of those character traits that contribute to success indicate that the highest predictor of achievement is not IQ but a character trait that has been termed “grit”. Grit is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals. It entails working strenuously toward challenges, maintaining effort and interest over years despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress. The study showed that gritty students earned higher GPAs than less gritty peers. Grit can play out in other areas as well. All one has to do is look at the grit displayed by the undefeated softball team.

We have asked you to challenge yourselves in many different areas. By doing so, I’d like to think that we have equipped you with some of the tools, including a hefty dose of grit, necessary to better negotiate your life path. As you move on from Suffield, there are several things to consider.

One of the most important factors, I feel, is balance. Balance is achieved by being in situations that require it in order to be successful. The problem is that often without realizing it, we place obstacles in the way of the very goals we seek.

Learning to ride a bicycle is one example. For many of us the scene played out like this: we sat on our shiny new Schwinn, trusting our training wheels to keep us safe. On the day the training wheels were finally removed, we were confident that they had prepared us to ride the bike. We sail triumphantly forward—face down onto the pavement. The point of this is that we failed to learn the most essential lesson—that was how to balance. All that the training wheels taught you to do was pedal.

In life, as in riding a bike, you have to learn how to achieve balance. It is not something you can merely think about, you have to actually experience it and realize its benefits. So, how do you achieve balance?

1. First of all, you must make a conscious decision as to how much toxicity you are willing to live with and allow into your daily experience.

2. You must develop and exhibit a commitment to yourself and take time to nurture yourself every day.

3. Only invest your time with those people who nurture you and with whom you enjoy spending time. Get rid of your friends who are toxic, who complain, or who bring negativity to you. All they do is drag you down.

4. Invest time in things you love to do. If you don’t love what you are doing, why are you doing it?

5. Your happiness is your responsibility. It’s all about having the right mindset. YOU make the decision as to whether or not you are happy.

6. Develop a routine that works for you. It will become your GPS to keep you on the right track.

7. Focus on your health. Go for a walk, do some yoga, exercise. Go the gym, meditate—take care of yourself —or you won’t have anything to share with others.

8. Your hands, your brain, your entire being is your wealth, so take care of it.

9. Make your home your sanctuary. Make a purposeful point to slow down and take good care of who you are and your environment. Make your space something you find beautiful, relaxing, and inviting.

10. Turn off the world every night. The world is a busy, often scary place. We do not need to be tuned into it every waking minute.

So, as you ride off down your road, or path, ask yourself: what would happen if you paid closer attention to the quality of experience—what small changes could you make that could help you move into that balanced, fulfilling life? If you do, there may be a bit of wobbling along the way, but you will find that balance will be become second nature.

Remember, balance and grit will serve you well. What you are capable of being and doing is your greatest asset, so don’t squander it. Get rid of the training wheels, grit your teeth, and go for it.

2012 Baccalaureate

Excerpts

from Commencement Speaker

Sir h oward Stringer P’12

Headmaster, trustees, faculty, families. You should be very proud of the Class of 2012. They have hurdled more obstacles on the road to graduation than many of their predecessors. In this twenty-first century decade they confront difficulties someone of my generation can only imagine.

You graduates, on the other hand, have had to wrestle with the whole gamut of transformational mores—and do so in the blinding glare of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In my day, everyone had Andy Warhol’s fifteen minutes of fame. Today, everyone’s famous, every day, 140 characters at a time.

I can only imagine what trouble I would have gotten myself into had I been able to share my teenage angst with the whole world. But whatever problems you have encountered, clearly you’ve survived. You’re here today, and you’re graduating. That is a big deal.

Now what? You’ll hear many truisms. For example, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Pretty stupid, don’t you think? When you wake up tomorrow, that will also be the first day of the rest of your life, and the next day. By the end of the week you’ll be so stressed you’ll never get out of bed. Then that other familiar line: “High school days are the happiest days of your life.” How depressing is that? I certainly hope, for your sake, your best times come in your tomorrows, not your yesterdays.

As you do walk through the open gates of the campus of your college, and beyond that, begin a career, I hope you’ll remember these three words: courage, conviviality, and commitment. Courage, because it is impossible to accomplish anything meaningful without a certain amount of it. Adversity is everywhere.

The employees at Sony last year faced an earthquake and a tsunami in Japan, a riot and fire in London, a flood in factories in Thailand and a plague of hackers all over the place. They overcame these disasters with determination, dignity, and courage. But perhaps the most underestimated aspect of courage is the courage to change. Somebody wise and witty once said that human beings tend to stick to the status quo long after the quo has lost its status. As earthlings in the years ahead, we will either adapt or die.

Sir Howard Stringer P’12 was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sony Corporation in June 2005. he added the title of President in 2009. he is also a Representative Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Corporation.

Additionally, Sir howard serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officerof Sony Corporation of America, as well as corporate head of Sony Corporation’s Entertainment Business group. he is a member of the Board of Directors of Sony Corporation and Sony Music Entertainment, and oversees Sony’s other music-related holdings in the United States.

Prior to joining Sony in May 1997, Sir howard had a distinguished 30-year career as a journalist, producer, and executive at CBS inc. he serves as Chairman of the American Film institute Board of trustees and is on the Board of trustees of the Paley Center for Media. he is north American Chairman of the British Army Benevolent Fund. he is also active on many other boards, including new York—Presbyterian hospital, teach for America, and Carnegie hall, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. he is the recipient of numerous media and philanthropic awards and was named one of the World’s 100 Most Influential People by Time in 2005.

i certainly hope, for your sake, your best times come in your tomorrows, not your yesterdays.”

A native of Cardiff, Wales, Sir howard received the title of Knight Bachelor in the new Year honours list of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ii in 1999. he holds a B.A. and an M.A. in modern history from Oxford University. he is a recipient of the U.S. Army Commendation Medal for meritorious achievements for service in Vietnam (1965-1967).

take the future for the thrilling ride of a lifetime that it really is. And commit yourself heart and soul to your efforts. Catch hold of the ideals in your heart today and try not to lose them, because at the end of whatever path your life takes, that’s what’s going to count.”

Mayor Bloomberg was fired from Salomon Brothers, and instead of worrying, he built his own business, made his fortune and became Mayor of New York. If you have the courage to change, you will always find new opportunities in life and shape your own destiny—and not have it shaped for you by forces outside your control. And when I speak of the courage to change, I mean resilience—changing the direction of your life when circumstances require it, but I also mean effecting change in the world around you, too. You can change course yourself, but you can also be an agent of change for others, making a difference in your community, your country, the world. That takes a special kind of courage, too.

Fighting for something new and different is often not a very popular thing to do. You’ll remember from physics—objects at rest tend to stay at rest. It takes focus and force to make them move. Don’t be afraid to push the heavy rocks that litter the landscape of your lives. You just might clear a path that makes it a little easier for others to follow.

The second word I’m asking you to think about and remember is conviviality. When you begin your career, you will rarely be asked, once you start, where you went to school.

Your personality will open as many doors as your brain. So make the moments count and demonstrate to those around you that you are a positive person—you are willing to share, willing to give credit, eager to learn and take appropriate risks. Let me tell you a story of the important role that conviviality played in my life. When I applied to university, I found myself sitting in a hall with 150 other students competing for six places. I wasn’t great at math, but those didn’t sound like wonderful odds to me. When I finished the exam, I looked around and decided that everyone else looked smarter than me. The following day I was to go in front of an examination board for an interrogation by several professors.

That night, I said to myself—it’s all over. I’m never going to make it. I definitely need a drink. This was the UK, I was 18. It was legal. So I went to the local pub, and sat next to an elderly gentleman, bought him a beer and talked about all kinds of things, modern architecture, politics, and books I was reading. The next day I walked into the interview room to talk to the Exam Board.

And there sitting in the middle was the chairman of that board. He was—you guessed it—the very same man I’d been drinking with the night before. His questions were decidedly friendly. After all, I’d bought the drinks. One hundred fifty students. Six places available. I was number six.

And here’s an example of what you might call “extreme conviviality.” It comes from the life of one of Washington’s best arm twisters—President Lyndon Baines Johnson. When he first came to the nation’s capital as a young congressman in 1937, he lived in a large boarding house with other members of Congress, and they had a community bathroom. Things were tougher for Congressmen back then, I guess. We might be better off if they lived that way today!

Anyway, knowing how important relationships were to getting things done in politics, LBJ made a point of lingering in the bathroom each morning, pretending to be brushing his teeth and shaving over and over and over again, simply so he could strike up a conversation—and a friendship—with as many of his new colleagues as possible.

That kind of conviviality, practiced over decades, helped President Johnson amass one of the best legislative records in history, including passage of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and Medicare.

The third word I ask you to remember is commitment.

I am often asked how did a kid from South Wales, whose parents were forced to leave school at 15, end up running CBS and Sony. I promise you I didn’t have a plan. I did have commitment.

After my university education, I drove a truck all over England for six months simply so I could earn enough money to buy a ticket on a transatlantic ocean liner. I fled to America with $150 in my pocket. How dangerous was that? I had $10 left when I got a job as a clerk typist. I didn’t know how to type. I have rarely known what job was coming next, but no matter what job I took I was never going to be outworked, and no one would be more enthusiastic.

I had setbacks. I got drafted and went to Vietnam. I came back and worked as a news researcher for all of five years, which seemed a long time, but I hid my frustration and impatience and stayed committed to the job, waiting for my luck to turn.

As Ben Franklin once observed, “The U.S. Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”

But what truly defines your generation—the millennials—and the words which sum up your DNA are creative, self-expressive, smart, innovative, and resourceful. That’s encouraging. And navigating the minefield of your tomorrows will require every one of those traits, and a bit of patience and humor as well. So do not worry—take the future for the thrilling ride of a lifetime that it really is. And commit yourself heart and soul to your efforts. Catch hold of the ideals in your heart today and try not to lose them, because at the end of whatever path your life takes, that’s what’s going to count.

It’s not what you accumulate in the way of money or job titles or Twitter followers or Facebook friends that matters in the long run, though I know it has value today. What really matters is what you mean to the people, and the world around you, along the way.

I hope I’ve meant something good to your classmate David, my son. I know he has meant the world to me and his mother. Just as all of you do, to those who raised you and who are all gathered here so proud of what you’ve accomplished.

“Don’t be afraid to push the heavy rocks that litter the landscape of your lives. You just might clear a path that makes it a little easier for others to follow.”

It’s not the first day of the rest of your life, but it is a very good day, and I know many more will come your way. Good luck, and Godspeed. With a little bit of courage, a dose of conviviality, and a commitment to follow your dreams, you will not only pursue happiness, you’ll catch a fair amount of it, too.

So be assured: the best is yet to come.

summer reading

SUFFIELD asked several faculty members for summer book suggestions.

Tanya anDrySIak (EngLISh DEparTmEnT ChaIr)

Tanya suggests parents choose one from Suffield’s summer reading list and then discuss with their daughter or son.

Her top picks include the following:

Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

aLLISon hEnLE (maTh DEparTmEnT ChaIr)

Feed by Mira Grant

The Killing Moon by NK Jemisin

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George

Faith by John Love

Bossypants by Tina Fey

ron SChILDgE (hISTory DEparTmEnT)

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

Affluenza by John DeGraaf

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by Alan Durning

gErry LapLanTE (SCIEnCE DEparTmEnT)

That Used To Be Us by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum

Storms of My Grandchildren by James Hansen

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

John Lennon: The Life by Phillip Norman

The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein

amy hEaLy (LIbrary)

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

DavID roCkwELL ’58 (LEaDErShIp program DIrECTor)

Steps To An Ecology Of Mind by Gregory Bateson

Brain Power: Improve Your Mind As You Age by Michael Gelb

Rez Life by David Treuer

The Abstract Wild by Jack Turner

The Way of Zen by Alan Watts

The AcAdemic ProgrAm

There is currently a car commercial airing that shows a truck rumbling through the mud, tackling the steepest, snowy hill, triumphantly pulling another vehicle, while the voiceover says, “A leader gives more than anyone else.” Our goals in the academic program are to teach, to encourage, and to instill passion as we create leaders.

As you know from the last issue of SUFFIELD, we are working on plans to expand and reconstruct our science facility, Holcomb Hall. As the Suffield community has worked through this exciting project, we have centered our focus on teaching and the classroom of the future. Ultimately, the faculty recognize there are two pillars that are future-proof: teaching students how to lead and teaching students how to learn to solve problems. Academics are a means to an end, not an end. Teaching is no longer about delivering facts that are unavailable in any other format. In today’s world, we are able to look up nearly anything instantly. At Suffield, you don’t see teachers standing in front of a class lecturing on how to find the square root of a number. You see enthusiastic professionals persuading young people that they want to learn those things, and pushing and encouraging our students. Suffield teachers are energetic educators who communicate emotion and engage our students in learning. Our goal is for students to leave our classes dreaming big and learning for learning’s sake, to be artists—someone who brings new thinking and generosity to life and does work that changes another for the better. An artist builds values.

We have a deep and sustained commitment to serving the talents and interests of a wide range of students, and we believe in the close, individual focus on each student. Our students have great talents, and our academic program reflects this in a deliberate way. In many respects, the program is as it big as can be for a school our size.

Suffield has a solid range of Advanced Placement course offerings (14 this year), and we offer other highly advanced courses–French V, Spanish VI, Chinese V, Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations in Linear Algebra, 2nd year AP Physics, and an Electricity & Magnetism course—just to name a few. And I should note here just as an aside, we do not put a cap on the number of honors or AP courses a student may take. I know that many of our peer schools do in the hopes of avoiding burnout. However, we have found that being overly prescriptive is limiting, so we tend to avoid formulas. We encourage students to challenge themselves and reach far—106 students took 213 AP exams this spring.

But perhaps our greater strength is in the diversity of course offerings within our curriculum. For those students not taking an AP science course, we have advanced courses in astronomy, an honors level environmental science course, electives in forensics and biomedical ethics. For those not taking an AP history course, we have a Business & Economics class, a Business Ethics course, and courses in the history of the Middle East, and modern world wars. We have three levels of Algebra II, and the same with Chemistry. Through it all, we still stress the fundamentals of reading and writing. Reading leads to more reading, and more writing leads to better writing. Our academic program is big and robust, and it’s all with one goal in mind: our academic program should allow each child to find great success as a student. They should be challenged; they should be stretched; they should be inspired; and they should find new areas of intellectual interest and success. Leadership is initiative, so we teach students to step up and begin.

earth day

On April 30, 2012, the Suffield community celebrated Earth Day. After a regular morning of classes, students and faculty gathered for a lunch featuring an organic menu and divided into their advisory groups for activities to recognize the day. Groups headed out to different parts of the campus and the Suffield town community. Projects included traditional Earth Day events and other activities to increase awareness for energy efficiency. Advisee group outings included working on a CSA organic farm, nature walks, environmental awareness scavenger hunts, an exploration of the local vernal pools, recycling activities, trail clearing, and more.

“The day provided our community the opportunity to practice on campus the four R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rethink,” said faculty leader Bill Sullivan. “Reduce what you use and what you throw away; Reuse as much as you can; Recycle everything that can be recycled, and rethink how you use things.”

from farm to school

by Stephanie Dellaquila Greco

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Peanut-Free, Organic, Vegan, Raw—What does it all mean?

It is estimated that nearly 200 people die from food allergies each year. For comparison, that figure amounts to 1/3 of the number of people who die from bicycle accidents in the same time frame, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The rise in food allergies and neurological diseases like autism and ADD are being largely attributed to the increase in the amount of processed foods we consume. Pick up any food today and actually read the label. It is astonishing to see how many ingredients most products contain. It is even more disturbing to see how many of the ingredients are not natural. Tantalizing commercials combined with labels like “whole-grain” and “organic” fool us into thinking we are eating something healthy, but if one of the first three ingredients is sugar, does it really matter if it is whole grain?

I was stunned when my 7-year-old came home from a school field trip to a farm, only to inform me that candy is made on a farm. When I argued with her she politely disagreed by telling me that as part of her field trip she was planting corn for the hungry, and the farmer announced that corn is not only used as a food, but is found in most foods in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. Horrified, I decided to go on a field trip of my own. I took my daughter and a group of her 7-year-old friends to the grocery store. I sent them off to pick foods they would choose for a snack. The result? I found that most of the foods they selected did indeed contain high-fructose corn syrup. I tried to tell myself I didn’t realize how prevalent this addition of “fillers” had become because my own

child is plagued with allergies and I tend to stay clear of anything that has more than 5 ingredients, but upon further reflection I guess I know how bad the issue has become. Americans, for the most part, just don’t have good eating habits.

Childhood obesity is on the rise. Even New York City is trying to regulate sugar consumption. Diseases that are directly linked to food additives are becoming a great cause for concern. That is why my frequent dining experience in Suffield’s Brewster Hall suddenly became an adventure in good nutrition. I began to recognize how fortunate we are to have a great variety of local food sources in and around Suffield. I was even more impressed that the dining services department makes use of these local resources. Moreover, they are keenly aware of the United States Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, and they have taken into consideration the dietary needs of those who have allergies to milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy. Yet, they have gone far beyond this basic requirement. They have started to focus on changing the way we think about food as a community.

This goes hand in hand with the overall concepts of healthy living that already exist on campus. Certainly, the mandate to participate in the Leadership Program gives students a foundation for managing their time and balancing their commitments. Alumni frequently make note of how well-prepared they are for college and how they are able to make time for exercise because they are used to playing 2 or 3 sports a year. So, combining healthy, local food choices in the Suffield dining experience was a natural next step.

The chefs at Suffield Academy are focused on the “Farm to School” concept. Not only are they making tasty, healthy foods, but they are obtaining them from local suppliers. The benefits are two-fold: creating a dining experience with fresh, local food and reducing the overall impact on the environment. As the Director of Food Service Sean Hennessey states, “We believe the members of our community should eat a variety of foods, including more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, eat lower fat, calcium rich foods, and that all this food should taste good.”

We are all rational enough to know if you eat junk your body feels like junk. Eat well—try it—for two days or two weeks and you will notice a difference. Get inspired by the Suffield dining practices like “Meatless Monday” that not only help the environment but also contribute to an effort to consume less saturated fat and cholesterol than people on an average American diet. It is widely recognized that increasing vegetarian experiences leads to higher levels of fiber, magnesium, folate, and vitamins C and E. More specifically, studies have shown a positive link between less meat and processed foods and a reduced risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and some types of cancer. Evidence of this can be found in lifestyle changes that are promoted by the medical profession, like The Mediterranean Diet, The Breast Cancer Diet, even The China Study.

In this fast-food society that we live in, where everything and anything can be found 24-hours a day, it is becoming vitally important to literally return to our roots. Each day the Suffield community is treated to a wide variety of healthy food choices. On any given day, you

may find a delicious gluten-free muffin, grass fed burger, vegetarian entrée option, fresh salad bar, soup bar (including miso soup), and many other fresh food entrees. Serving a community of over 500 takes great care and planning. Members of the Suffield community are extremely fortunate that the food service team is devoted to providing a healthy dining experience that contributes to the Suffield ideology of nourishing the body, mind, and spirit.

Did you know...

that the all-natural hamburgers served at Suffield come from Hastings Farm?

Hastings Farm is a multi generational dairy farm located in Suffield, Connecticut. It is adjacent to the SOLO barn, and they plant and harvest some of our fields in this area. Learn more at www.hastingsfamilyfarm.net.

that our milk comes from Garelick Farms Dairy and that it is rBGH* free?

* No rGBH means the cows that provide the milk are not given artificial growth hormones. Learn more at www.garelickfarms.com.

that the Greek yogurt we love comes from just over the river at Trinity Farms Dairy in Enfield, Connecticut?

Learn more at www.smythstrinityfarm.com.

that Carla’s Pasta is located just 12 miles from school and that they are a family owned local business?

Learn more at www.carlaspasta.com/home.

that the Suffield student union has healthy-vending machines from Berkshire foods?

Learn more at www.bfoods.com.

Discover a bike trail

Join a CSA

Go without your phone or “screen fast” for a day

Wear sunscreen with an SPF over 15... reapply every 2 hrs

Drink a cup of coffee: recent studies show it reduces skin cancer by 5%

Go on a weekend camping trip

Sign up for a road race

Practice Yoga

Inspire someone

Read outside

Watch the sunrise

Buy local... shop at a farmers market

Use only fresh vegetables for a week

Go for a hike

Drink 8 glasses of water each day

Go blueberry picking

Digging Into Suffield History

By Bill Sullivan’s

American Studies Class

Although it is human nature to want the origins of a town be a simple “in the beginning” story, the lessons of history teach us that things in the beginning are usually complicated. The shock of learning colonial slavery existed on the very ground where Suffield Academy now stands resonated deeply with our American Studies class. In fact, the very first structure in the town of Suffield was a mill built by two of John Pynchon’s slaves, Harry and Roco.

Intrigued by this finding, we looked at the Academy’s own Gay Manse (built 1742) and discovered that the Reverend Ebenezer Gay owned two generations of slaves during the 18th century. This led us to the realization that our nation’s “peculiar institution” was not only present in the South but also an important part of life in the North. Upon further discovery, one of our classmates found the 1774 Census for the Colony of Connecticut, and we decided to focus on trying to learn all that we could about the 37 slaves listed as residing in Suffield in that pivotal year.

We began our investigation just north of us in Deerfield, Massachusetts, with the help of Professor Robert Romer, author of Slavery in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. He gave us a personal walking tour of Deerfield and explained how he researched 25 colonial slaves. Crafting narratives for these invisible residents of Deerfield in 1752, Professor Romer’s meticulous methods and plan to focus his research on one specific year proved to be a model for our class. Professor Romer’s work revealed colonial New England was more complex than we had learned in our studies to date. Walking us along the west side of Deerfield’s historic Main Street, Professor Romer paused at each 18th century house and brought to life the slaves who inhabited these residences. He shared research methods and ways to cross-reference the town store’s account books for evidence of how slaves were equipped or hired out for labor. He went on to explain that there are emotional peaks and valleys that naturally occur when researching colonial

documents, given their lack of depth with regard to New England slaves. In fact, despite keeping diaries, the only time New England slave owners typically took the time to describe their slaves was when they composed runaway ads in colonial newspapers. The proliferation of these runaway ads lends more evidence that slavery was as cruel and unjust in the North as it was in the South. We employed Professor Romer’s model in our own research, and it yielded great results. We discovered the existence of two additional slaves in Ebenezer Gay’s house, making the known total to five slaves. Documents revealed the names as Titus (Old Ti), Ginny, Dinah, Rose, and Prince. We added another interesting text to our research: Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged and Profited from Slavery Our class wrote blog posts about this text and used its critical framework to examine diaries of merchants like Thaddeus Leavitt, who wrote about his ship, the Brigg Mercury. Leavitt, like most entrepreneurial merchants in Southern New England, profited by selling raw materials to plantation owners in the Caribbean.

Having extracted as much as we could from our local documents about the slaves in 1774, we were hungry for more information about how archeology could help our research. We attended an important lecture by Dr. Bruce Stark at the State Library in January. A retired archivist for the state library, Dr. Stark delivered an impeccably researched address about the historiography of colonial slave issues in Salem, Connecticut. He personally helped our research after the talk, and his meticulous bibliography provided key sources for our search for Old Ti in our east campus, which was Ebenezer Gay’s “Ministry Lot.” At the lecture we were also fortunate to meet Ruth Shapleigh-Brown, Executive Director of the Connecticut Gravestone Network. Ms. Shapleigh-Brown, who also works at the state library, heard of our research on slaves in 1774 and suggested we try finding evidence of them in the ancient burial ground. We began our research in Suffield, and later conferred again with Ms. Shapleigh-Brown. When spring term began, we had enough documented information to begin looking for evidence in the burial ground, but the task in front of us seemed daunting for just one class.

The class often discussed previous Project Based Learning environments, and Sophomore Leadership service projects were a touchstone for our seniors. Out of these dialogues came the idea to invite Mr. Gamere’s Sophomore Leadership class to join us in the ancient burial ground. The sophomores developed an even stronger appreciation for our project after two of our seniors, Joanna McElnea and Remington Lyman, visited their class and shared more important information about colonial slavery in Suffield.

Project Based Learning (PBL)

21st

The Buck Institute for Education defines Project Based Learning as “an extended process of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem, or challenge. Rigorous projects help students learn key academic content and practice 21st century skills, such as collaboration, communication critical thinking” (Source: http://www.bie.org/). Our seminar discussions empowered students to develop and pursue interests. Once students defined their specific curiosity, they worked in small groups to achieve the class objectives. At the close of the winter term, students wrote 3-4 page reflection essays on what they learned in the PBL environment and what direction they wanted to pursue in the spring term. From these essays, the class embarked on two major goals in the spring term. First, we partnered with a Sophomore Leadership class to create the service-learning project for the ancient burial ground in an attempt to discover 18th century African American graves. We also searched for 18th and early 19th century evidence of slavery east of Gay Manse, which culminated in having the State Archeologist assess our site at the end of our spring term.

Presented

to us by Ruth Shapleigh-Brown, documented image of18th century African American gravestones that we used as

a model.

Directly above, right and below are fieldstones we discovered that resembled other 18th century African American models.

The service project was a success, and by the end of May, the two classes found many fieldstones along the boundary that resembled documented 18th century African American gravestones.

With the help of faculty member Brett Vianney ’70, we pursued our second goal of searching for evidence of Old Ti’s labor for Reverend Gay. Hiking in the eastern woods, we eventually located an interesting chimney site with a sunken foundation. We examined it more closely with the lens of a disenfranchised dweller in the early 19th century. In addition, we studied articles from the Connecticut Historical Society publications suggested by Dr. Stark that looked at slavery trends in the early 1800s. Based on our research and reading, we theorized that after his manumission in 1812, Old Ti might have lived east of Gay Manse at the edge of Ebenezer’s 18th century Ministry Lot. Then we considered Ebenezer Gay’s prodigious travels listed in his diary entries, his duties of tutoring young men into Yale, and the stewardship of the first town library in his home, as well as his general duties of minister, and we reasoned that the daily operations of colonial Gay Manse required a labor force to cultivate and manage its eastern fields and pastures. Who else would live at the edge of the minister’s property?

On May 21, we hosted Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni and Dr. Bruce Greene, an archeological consultant, to make an assessment of the old chimney and sunken foundation site. Mr. Smith also accompanied the class for his second visit. Dr. Bellantoni and Dr. Greene were unable to date the structure during this visit and gave us suggestions for conducting more research. As the site warrants more study, they offered to return in the fall when the vegetation declines and help us begin more formal archeological testing of the area.

The class and the archeologists spent over an hour discussing and probing the site for more clues. Dr. Bellantoni and Dr. Greene helped us see multiple viewpoints, figuratively and literally. In fact, they found even more stones associated with the site. Our next steps will include removing underbrush and clearing a larger area around the remnants of the foundation, as we

learned that typically the more compelling artifacts are the ones outside the dwelling rather than in it. Such a step will enable us to gather domestic debris to better understand the inhabitants. Then, with guidance from an archeologist, we can make a grid of the area and begin looking for surface artifacts before digging for more evidence. We will also consult with an historical architect who might know more about this colonial chimney. Lastly, as the local historical documents do not tell us anything about this dwelling, an oral history project involving alumni and townspeople who knew the area well in the 20th century could provide more evidence for this intriguing residence.

Though this year’s American Studies class may not be on site for the mapping and digging next fall, we did appreciate the process of archeology as it complemented our research in learning more about the 37 slaves from 1774. Instructor Bill Sullivan says, “The class rightly considers themselves 21st century pioneers on the east campus and in the ancient burial ground, as they responded to our Project-Based Learning challenges with thoughtful enthusiasm. It was their interest that led us to these fascinating and complex projects.”

We used 21st technology to begin old fashion conversations with experts and life-long learners. The class published many of their writings on Mr. Sullivan’s class blog. These transparent documents and our Flickr Photostream simultaneously enabled us to share our research with experts outside of class. One memorable moment involved the Middletown Historical Society members finding the location where Ebenezer Gay purchased one of his slaves named Rose, whose elaborate tattoo created the town lore that she was from royal descent in Africa. We also shared a presentation of our east campus research with our state archeologist, Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni, which precipitated his archeological assessment. We communicated many findings, documents, slides, and questions to Lester Smith, town historian; Ed Chase, President of the Suffield Historical Society; and Suffield Historical Society trustees Anne Borg, Nancy Noble, Jim Reeves, Art Sikes, Barry Sisk, and Bob White. The American Studies curriculum purposely involved complex questions and problems that required extensive research in local documents and interaction with experts in local history. This design also imparted lessons of preservation because students constantly interacted with passionate learners whose common goal was to cultivate a sense of community through preservation.

For more on Place-Based Education visit www.promiseofplace.org

For more on our service project in the ancient burial ground visit http://digitalcrowsnest.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/our-service-project-in-the-graveyard

For more about upcoming research on the chimney site, follow the class blog at http://digitalcrowsnest.wordpress.com

spring chapel

suffield academy’s chapel series featured programs that touched on the 2011-2012 community theme of gratitude.

The first chapel program of the spring term focused on the issue of homelessness in the United states.

The Suffield community welcomed members of the Bridge Over Troubled Waters organization, based in Boston, Massachusetts. The mission of Bridge Over Troubled Waters is “to enable high-risk, runaway, and homeless youth to achieve a healthy and productive adulthood through prevention, intervention, and education services.”

The group included three individuals who have personally experienced homelessness. They discussed the many contributing factors that lead to this situation and shared personal narratives. Each of the speakers candidly recounted tragic personal details which ultimately led to periods of homelessness. Their thoughtful, compelling remarks made a positive impact on the education of Suffield students.

guest speaker patrick henry inspired the suffield community with his original music and delightful sense of humor.

His energy inspired the audience as he effectively conveyed his message about leadership and the benefits of a positive attitude in life. Mr. Henry professed the “three E’s”: exceed, excel, and embrace, which he encouraged students to apply in their everyday lives to enhance the overall Suffield Academy experience.

“His motivational speaking and his song writing were not only entertaining but also had a strong and clear message,” said Josh Gallant ’12. “He gave me the hope and understanding that I can make a significant difference in my life, as well as with others, through ordinary, everyday actions.”

suffield academy’s final guest speaker of the 2011-2012 chapel series was faculty member patrick shanahan. patrick, who also teaches leadership, has been part of the suffield academy counseling team since 2006.

Patrick shared with the community his harrowing story, in which he was the victim of an armed robbery and suffered a single gunshot wound in his back in July of 2010. Despite the tragic event and the challenges of paralysis, Patrick has unbelievably high spirits and exudes gratitude each and every day.

His outlook on life has remained positive, and he has continued to pursue his interest in poetry. Dreams became reality for Patrick and Cheryl Kuo ’13 when they recently published a children’s book titled The Bird Song, which started as a project in a Freshman Leadership class Patrick taught.

“Our class centered around the idea of goal setting and looking at how to accomplish dreams by breaking the process into small steps,” said Patrick, who gave an example of his dream to publish his poetry as a children’s book. This had always been a passion of his, but his next step in the process was to find an illustrator. Cheryl, a freshman at the time, approached Patrick outside of the class and shared a similar dream of publishing her illustrations. She presented several illustrations and the duo’s partnership blossomed. They worked together in class and during study halls, and Cheryl ultimately

worked on several sketches that summer. “I was instantly struck by Cheryl’s illustrations,” said Patrick. “From then on, I let her do it on her own and let her creativity and talent come to the surface.”

The next step was to find a publisher, and Cheryl’s mother was very influential in finding King-Am Publishing in Taiwan. “This all started in the classroom, but it is really a testament to the personal relations that are built outside of the classroom and evolve in this type of learning atmosphere,” said Patrick. “At Suffield, we are allowed to work together outside of the classroom during study hall and throughout the summer, and this allows students to better understand the time and effort it takes to realize their dreams.”

The Bird Song is the first of a three part series, with Love and Time to follow. Patrick said, “The goal is to move forward with the next two children’s stories and continue the dream.”

The Bird Song can be purchased at the school bookstore and on the website www.suffieldacademy.org

alumni leadership awards

The Alumni Leadership Awards were created nine years ago by the Suffield Academy Alumni Association to recognize alumni for outstanding leadership in their chosen field. Alumni Leadership Day brings the Suffield Academy community together to honor the remarkable contributions of some of our most exceptional leaders. These individuals are invited back to campus to share their experiences and insights with the Suffield community. We honor them as examples of ethical leadership with the hope that they will inspire current Suffield students to emerge as leaders in their own endeavors.

jeffrey white ’65

Since 1972, Jeff has served the Boston Red Sox as the financial advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, treasurer of the Red Sox Foundation, and a vice president of the parent company’s real estate operations.

He has also consulted for financial firms, investors, Madison Square Garden, Liberty Media, and the Tampa Bay Rays. From 1991 to 2002, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Major League Baseball. Prior to this, Jeff was the Vice President of Finance for CBS News, the Chief Financial Officer for BMI Broadcast Music, and President of the Child Growth and Development Company.

Jeff graduated from the University of Southern California in 1969 with a degree in History, Northwestern University with a Master’s in Business Administration in 1972, and the University of San Francisco School of Law with a JD in 1978. He has served on Suffield Academy’s Board of Trustees since 1995.

Jeff shared his thoughts with the Suffield community. “I am happy to say that I continue to try to make this tiny slice of the landscape in northeastern Connecticut relevant to the task that has consumed it for decades, the education of young people. That education has never been solely about the subjects. It’s about you and your development. Suffield really was the start, but hopefully not the end, of taking a 13-year-old personality and starting to make it into something. It is that task that consumes the faculty, staff, headmaster, and board. Though the dress code may be less strict, chapel may have morphed into something more secular, and activities have multiplied beyond imagination, those same rules of civility that are violated daily elsewhere, survive here. They survive and co-exist alongside the celebration of the individual spirit and initiative.”

“I have been blessed with many opportunities, not the least of which are the particularly wonderful colleagues I have had at CBS and Major League Baseball. One cannot understate the importance of my family in contributing to my development. The third leg of this stool is the education I have had. I like to think that the last two years of college, graduate school, and law school, provided the tools, but Suffield is the vehicle that allowed me to process it all, doing so confidently, and with a sense of fairness and steadfastness.”

peter kinnear ’65

Peter Kinnear graduated from Suffield in 1965 and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

Shortly after graduation, he enrolled at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, graduating in 1971 with an MBA. Peter then joined FMC Technologies, where he spent the next 40 years earning the position of President and CEO of the company in 2006.

FMC Technologies, Inc. is a leading global provider of technology solutions for the energy industry. Named by FORTUNE® as the World’s Most Admired Oil and Gas Equipment Service Company in 2010, FMC has approximately 13,500 employees and operates 27 production facilities in 16 countries. It designs and manufactures equipment and technologies to explore, drill, and develop offshore oil and gas fields and tools to maximize safety for the oil and gas industry.

Peter is also on the Boards of Directors of Stone Energy Corporation, Superior Energy Services, Inc., The Business Council, The United Way of Greater Houston, and The American Heart Association.

saudia davis ’96

Born in Jamaica, Saudia moved to the United States as a child. Through hard work and an uncanny self-awareness, she took advantage of an opportunity to attend Suffield Academy as a senior through Upward Bound, an organization that supports qualified candidates in their quest for college preparation. Not many female students can say they had a stint as a Suffield Academy football player, but that is one of the many things Saudia did during her year at Suffield.

After graduating from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, Saudia spent the next decade as a movie publicist, working closely with stars like Reese Witherspoon, Matt Dillon, Felicity Huffman, Daniel Day-Lewis, and other celebrities in the entertainment industry.

The death of her grandparents prompted Saudia to change her life and start an eco-friendly cleaning company, GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning. The company provides clients and cleaning specialists with supplies that are safe and healthy for them and the environment. GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning has provided green cleaning services to more than 1,000 homes and businesses throughout New York City.

Saudia’s success led to recognition as the 2011 winner of the American Express OPEN “Make Mine A Million Dollars” Business Program. She is a graduate of the Kauffman Foundation’s Fast Trac program, has her LEED certification, and is a recent graduate of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses, which is a national initiative to assist qualified business owners meet their full growth potential. Saudia currently sits on New York State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Small Business and MWBE Subcommittees. She is also an active volunteer of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a program focused on providing entrepreneurial education in public school classrooms.

the inspiration of Colin Dowd ’12

Colin Dowd’s Suffield journey has been remarkable and unusual. Colin began looking at prep schools after a successful experience at the Salisbury Summer School in 2008, just after his sophomore year at Smith Academy in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Colin is one of Bill and Bonnie Dowd’s three children, along with his sister Shannon and twin brother Aaron. “I am not exactly sure how I ended up at Salisbury Summer School, said Colin. “I think my father thought it would be a good way to prepare for my final two years of high school.”

Colin was what he calls “an average student” at Smith Academy. “I was not that engaged in my academic life at that point. Most of my focus was on skiing and baseball. I liked Salisbury and began to picture myself at prep school.” So did Salisbury. They encouraged Colin to apply, and the idea appealed to him. He quickly saw the benefits of a boarding school and liked the teachers and coaches he met at Salisbury. But he was not yet ready to take the jump and move away from home.

The next fall, Colin was getting his ski racing boots fitted by John Grush, a ski technician from Mt. Snow, Vermont. Colin told John about his interest in applying to Salisbury as a repeat junior and said he will never forget John’s response. “Have you heard about Suffield and Hillary Rockwell Cahn? You should go meet her and check out Suffield. It would be a great fit for you.”

So Colin asked his parents if he could expand his search, and he arrived at Suffield for an interview in the winter of 2009. He loved it and was now torn between schools. “As soon as I stepped on campus, I just had the feeling this was the place I saw myself for the next two years. The gut feeling of how Suffield fit me has never left.” During the visit, Colin reconnected with Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, Suffield’s ski coach, whom he and his father had met at a USSA ski race. He also met Bryan Brissette, head coach of Suffield’s baseball team. “Both of them struck me as people who could help me excel. They are not only great coaches but are now lifelong friends and people I really look up to.” Colin was accepted to Suffield and Salisbury in March 2009 and revisited both schools. “It was kind of a close call, and my parents were not convinced I would get into Suffield. I knew I wanted to carve out an identity away from my twin brother, and I could tell Suffield would be a great place for me.”

the 2009-2010 academic Year

In 2009 Colin began his Suffield experience. “My adjustment to Suffield was a little different than I had anticipated,” said Colin. “I had never been at boarding school, and it was so different than Smith Academy.” He had to establish new relationships after having been with the same group of peers since elementary school. “I had a great roommate (Javier Sanz Moxo ’11) who was from Spain and was a terrific guy. It was the first experience with boarding schools for both of us, and it was the first time I had spent so much time with someone who was not from America. I loved it.” That fall, Colin took part in the SOLO program with Dave Rockwell ’58 and recalls making several friends who helped ease his adjustment. “The school work was more intense than I was used to, but the teachers and the structure really helped me stay focused and grow as a student.”

In the winter of 2009-2010, Colin joined the Suffield ski team. “I was hopeful this would be a great experience, but I could have never guessed what an important time in my life this would be.” Colin, Mateo Gaviria ’10, Ben Adams ’10, and Mark Paton ’12 led the team to the first New England championship in Suffield’s ski racing history. Colin finished in the top three at New Englands in both the slalom and giant slalom, earning All-New England honors.

an Unexpected turn of Events

In the latter part of the season, Colin noticed a shortness of breath after one of his competitive USSA Tri-State races. He went to the hospital with his father after the race, thinking he might have pneumonia. X-rays revealed a tumor in his chest wall, but the doctor thought it was something Colin may have been born with and encouraged them not to worry. The doctor referred Colin to a team of specialists at Baystate Medial Center. Results from an MRI led doctors to think this was an abnormal growth they could remove with arthroscopic surgery.

The Dowds opted to confirm the findings with a second opinion from a chief surgeon at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Colin had a biopsy in early March, just before heading to a Florida trip with the Suffield baseball team over March vacation.

The Dowds were told they would have test results within a week, but three weeks later there was no news. Finally, while finishing the trip, Colin’s parents got a call saying he had a malignant tumor that was either in his chest wall or lungs. “My father was with our team on the trip,” said Colin. “By the end, I could tell something was wrong, but he didn’t want to tell me until we returned. My parents sat down with me at home, told me the news, and said we would head to Boston Children’s for surgery in the coming days. All I could think about was baseball and Suffield, but as it all unfolded, I realized I had to change my focus to never thinking I would lose this battle.”

“Team Dowd” was formed at Boston Children’s with eight doctors, and the surgery and recovery process were underway. On April 2, 2010, Colin had a seven hour surgery. The doctors hoped to remove the tumor with clean margins and enable Colin to resume his normal life with only rehabilitation.

They found the tumor in his right lung and removed both the tumor and a portion of the lung. The doctors were unclear if cancer cells had moved to other parts of his body and proposed a treatment plan of both chemotherapy and radiation therapy to kill any cancer cells that remained. This took place between April and September of 2010. Colin finished his junior year as a day student and by correspondence, and he earned the finest grades of his life. “I wanted to be here whenever possible. My family and Suffield—especially the people here—really helped keep me going during this difficult time.”

In the fall of 2011, Colin Dowd returned to Suffield as a senior, and in late October he received a clean bill of health.

the senior Year

As Colin proceeded through his senior year, he loved being back at Suffield but worried that he had not focused closely enough on his college search. He said, “By the time I was fully comfortable and re-engaged in school life, it was just about ski season in my senior year. Right after Thanksgiving I came to see Mr. Cahn and ask if it might be possible for me to do a postgraduate year so I would have more time to find the best college situation. I missed out on some recruiting after my junior year and had some things I wanted to focus on before college. He could not have been more supportive or helpful. He’s a great headmaster.”

The senior-year ski season was a highlight of Colin’s life, as he won the New England Championship in the giant slalom. “Winning the GS was terrific, but the best part of skiing at Suffield has unquestionably been how great our team and coach are. It is such a special experience to ski for Hillary, and all of us realize how fortunate we are.”

The spring brought baseball and Colin’s starting role as catcher of the league champion team that ironically beat Salisbury school in the final game. “I still see teachers from Salisbury and they go out of their way to say hello and make me feel comfortable. I’m sure I would have loved it there, but being part of Suffield will always be the best decision of my life.”

the postgraduate Year

After receiving his Suffield degree in May 2011, Colin returned as a postgraduate last fall. “I had mixed feelings, to tell the truth. Picturing another year of high school was a little frustrating.” Yet, Colin was determined to be a leader and an inspiration, and to make the best out of the extra year. “As the year unfolded it became very clear to me this was the right decision. I will never look back on it.”

A thorough college search helped Colin identify a handful of schools that interested him. After careful thought, he applied early decision to St. Lawrence University. His acceptance came in early December. “I felt like I was finally starting to get good news again in my life,” said Colin. “My hard work paid off in getting into a school I loved and wanted to be part of for the next four years. I want a similar community feeling to Suffield and only wish St. Lawrence was a little closer to home.”

When reflecting again on his years at Suffield, Colin first talks about a few people. “The special relationships I have formed, especially with Mr. Brissette, Mrs. Cahn, Rocky, and the whole community really hit me. Hillary and Mr. Brissette will always be the best coaches I ever had, and Suffield is so lucky they are here.”

Colin noted, “This school showed great concern for me during a challenging period, and I would never be at the point I am right now without this place. I will do all I can to help Suffield during the rest of my life.”

At the 2012 Baccalaureate service, Colin addressed the Suffield community. You can view his speech online at www.suffieldacademy.org/commencement.

Two members of the Suffield Academy family share an uncommon and exceptional connection. By this time next year, Kate Pistel ’09 will join Suffield’s Academic Dean Sara Yeager as a twelve-letter varsity athlete and three-sport captain at Colby College. Not surprisingly, Sara and Kate are among the finest athletes in the history of the Colby Mules.

Given the serious and intense commitment required to be a college athlete, the notion of playing three varsity sports for years is incredibly rare. Even more unusual is the fact that these women have a connection to both Suffield and Colby.

Colby lacrosse coach Karen Henning is effusive in her praise about the past and present Mule stars. Kate, she says, is “amazing at balancing it all. she is truly respected above and beyond by her teammates... because they know she is fully committed to them.” Henning continues that the respect is not just due to Kate’s athleticism, but as a person: “people want to play with her, to be with her.” though Henning did not coach sara, she was impressed by sara’s ability to coordinate the demands of playing three sports along with her studies. these days, Henning says, sara has found yet another way to contribute to Colby athletics. “sara really reaches out and mentors anyone interested in education. she sends guidelines and advice, and the players are grateful for a connection to an alum.” Henning concludes, “sara and Kate are invaluable to the program as alums and players.”

Getting to Colby

Sara Bunnell (now Yeager) was a talented scholar-athlete when she arrived at Colby in the fall of 1977. Looking for a small college in New England, she had visited Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby, before applying early decision. It was a time of transition for intercollegiate athletics; the recently enacted Title IX was still being implemented at colleges and universities around America. In 1972, Congress passed legislation to require gender equity in every educational program that received federal funding, a law with far-reaching effects.

Sara said, “In many ways, my athletic career at Colby was a product of Title IX. Schools were elevating women’s athletics and adding many varsity programs. My freshman year was the first year of varsity lacrosse and varsity ice hockey at Colby. They had existed for three to five years, but as club sports. Previously, field hockey and basketball were the only varsity sports for women.” In this new environment, Sara had the chance to play field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse.

Kate’s interests paralleled Sara’s, and it was no wonder she ended up at Colby. Kate grew up in Amherst where her father, John Pistel, was a long time leader at Amherst College. “I liked NESCAC schools and wanted to be away from home, but not too far,” said Kate. “I also wanted an environment that felt similar to Suffield.” Kate looked at Bowdoin and Colby and applied as part of the Early Decision II program. She knew she wanted to play squash and lacrosse, but as the fall of her freshman year approached, she decided to head up for preseason soccer practice as well. Three years later, she has been a varsity starter and leader on each team.

scholar-athletes

In reflecting on some of the positive aspects of college athletics, Kate remarked, “I enjoy having a schedule. It helps me take advantage of the time I have to get work done and forces me to be productive with those hours. It is very similar to Suffield’s schedule in that I go from class to practice to dinner, and finish the day with homework. Of course, I do find time to have fun, too. I love having a team. Some of my best friends are my teammates.”

Sara’s comments are strikingly similar, “Athletics kept me grounded and focused. I did best academically when I was most focused athletically, for example, each year during the month or so when I played two sports at once. I’d go to field hockey practice in the afternoon, and hockey practice at night; or, hockey at night, and lacrosse in the afternoon. It meant I had to carefully organize my time so that I could get my academic work done. I had to be a highly organized and detail-oriented person.”

Their comments make it clear that even for the most gifted athletes, it can be challenging to find the balance between excelling as a scholar-athlete and fully enjoying the college experience. Yet, Sara and Kate seem to have figured it out. “While it is difficult, it is not impossible. I am able to get my work done, always attend practice and games, and of course spend time with my friends. A lot of my best friends are on my teams, so it makes spending time with them easy when I’m in season with them,” says Kate.

In a similar vein, Sara noted, “My experience at Colby was one of great personal growth. My focus wasn’t always academic (ironic as the Academic Dean), but I believe I learned something every day. My classes were important, but my friends and teammates were the center of my life. The people that I played on teams with, won and lost championships with, had the ultimate high with in winning big games, and the ultimate lows with in tough losses—these are still my friends today. When you’ve laughed your hardest, cried your hardest, and spent many, many hours on long bus rides together, you’re like family.”

They both have highly decorated athletic backgrounds. Sara earned accolades throughout high school and college, be it team MVP, Best Team Player, or several league, state, and national all-star teams. She was a national champion in speech and debate in high school and at the top of her class academically. She remained a Dean’s List student at Colby, while her athletic achievements were so impressive that her number was retired by the school. At the 1981 Colby College Commencement, Sara earned the Marjorie Bither Award for academic ability, athletic ability, and leadership in athletics and on campus.

Kate is following a very similar path. At Suffield, she was an honorable mention All-American in lacrosse, a New England champion in squash, and an all-state soccer player. She won the George A. Butler Cup for Athletics, which honors the top female athlete in the graduating class. Like Sara, she was a consistent presence on the honor roll and recipient of several academic prizes. At Colby, it has been more of the same for Kate, as she has been first-team member of the NESCAC lacrosse and squash teams, a two-time All-American in lacrosse, and a member of the All-Sportsmanship team for squash in her sophomore and junior years.

So what had Kate and Sara heard about each other, given this connection? “I heard Kate was a wonderful person,” Sara said, “and that she is a talented athlete, a great student, and star at Colby.” Kate said, “I thought it was pretty cool to learn Sara worked at Suffield. I knew her Colby number was retired, and she was a fantastic athlete.”

three sports?

Headmaster Charlie Cahn remembers meeting with Sara during Suffield’s national search for an Academic Dean in 2009. “I was impressed by Sara right away—especially her positive energy and obvious commitment to working closely with students, parents, and teachers. I could tell she had a terrific work ethic. The only thing that surprised me was I had never met someone who earned 12 varsity letters in college. I jokingly told her it was the only red-flag in her file.”

Sara said, “I knew I wanted to play three sports because I enjoyed them—it was fun. I didn’t want to choose; I’d always played multiple sports. In middle school I often played more than one sport during the same season. As a family we skied, played tennis, played pick-up games of wiffle ball, swimming, badminton, or horseshoes during all gatherings. Playing sports was something I always did just to have fun and enjoy myself. I didn’t start with the goal of earning 12 varsity letters, but after earning six, and people talking about it as a ‘big deal’, and getting recognition as a sophomore (Colby had an award for five varsity letters, and I was one of the first to earn it as a sophomore), I set it as a goal. It impacted my decision not to do a term abroad as a junior—which most of my friends, and even my parents talked about as important. I decided I wanted to be loyal to my teams, my coaches, and earn 12 letters—and play every minute of every game in field hockey and lacrosse, and every shift possible in ice hockey.

Not surprisingly for athletes with this type of dedication and commitment, Kate’s remarks about this are similar. “I could never think of quitting one. I love all three. Going off to Colby I thought I was only going to play squash and lacrosse, but then as the soccer season approached and I realized how much I was going to miss it, I decided to play. I love the variety throughout the year and I am so happy that I decided to stick with all three.”

suffield

“Suffield taught me all about how great it is to be in a close community,” Kate said. “Everyone knows each other and genuinely cares how you are doing. All of the teachers are there to help you and will do whatever they can to make sure you are successful. The coaches are the same; they always pushed me and helped me improve every single day. Even three years out of Suffield, I still feel so welcomed whenever I come back, and it feels as though nothing has changed. When looking for a college, I knew I wanted a very similar feeling, and that is exactly what I found in Colby.”

Sara commented, “I was drawn to Suffield because of Charlie Cahn’s leadership, the commitment to nurturing students, and the sense of community and shared values. This is a place that wants to help students grow—to be the best to them. It believes in young people. It was clear that this was a place, like Colby, that cares about people and is invested in their success. Our greatest joy at Suffield is in seeing our students succeed—in all arenas —and that was what I felt at Colby. I guess I’m a little like “Rabbit” in Updike’s novels. We live through our students to help them reach their potential and be their best selves, the way the adults in my life at Colby did. I want to give that same passion to all the students I encounter, to help them find the best in themselves and realize their potential. I want my students to feel accomplished, or good at something—to feel smart. Even if they’re not ready to receive what we’re offering, we keep trying.”

enrollmenT And Admissions

I hear similar themes as I see admissions colleagues from peer schools. Given the somewhat unsettled financial landscape, we are all seeing more families being cautious about investing in a private secondary school education. Fortunately, the nearly 1,000 families that interviewed at Suffield see what our school offers as a high priority. Suffield’s philosophy and dynamic leadership impress them. The heart of our program—centered on significant attention to each child from gifted teachers in a beautiful setting—clearly resonates with students and parents. The group that will join us in September is filled with well-rounded, talented, and happy students.

Next fall, students from 25 countries—from the Bahamas to Thailand—and 21 states will be part of the Suffield community. They distinguished themselves in our applicant pool as young people who have succeeded academically, athletically, and artistically, and who have a wide range of interests, ranging from bassoon to volleyball. To a person, they all share an interest in making a positive impact, whether volunteering in community service, refereeing and umpiring younger children, mentoring, tutoring, participating in Special Olympic events, or being junior camp counselors, Best Buddies, or Big Brothers and Sisters. These are caring, involved young people who want to excel and also help others succeed.

The volume of students interested in Suffield Academy has increased over the years due to many factors, including the school’s major campus projects, excellent marketing initiatives, and strong leadership by the headmaster, faculty, and Board of Trustees. Another factor has been the ease of the SSATB online application, as some students have sent this common application to as many as 33 schools. Suffield’s wonderful website helps us reach families around the world, using both traditional and innovative ways to appeal to candidates. We work with educational consultants and junior boarding schools, and attend educational fairs around the country and the world to find students who will flourish here. Yet, our best recruitment tool continues to be word-of-mouth from alumni and current and past families who spread the word about Suffield Academy. Established relationships still help to bring us our best students.

Next year, 28 of our students are alumni children, 68 are current siblings, and 150 students have a relative who has been or is currently at Suffield Academy. This symbolizes the strength of our community and helps us sustain our many wonderful traditions.

While our financial aid budget is generous, each season we unfortunately cannot help fund some students who would enhance the quality of our school and benefit from the experience. The financial realities of independent schools have made a challenging admissions process even more difficult. That said, we are pleased that the wonderful diversity of our student body is reflected in their socioeconomic backgrounds as well, with 34% of our families receiving some need-based financial assistance.

In this complex environment, predicting our yield on accepted students has become more important and challenging. A premium is placed on the early-April revisit Program for newly accepted students and their families. Our goal is to provide a clear, transparent view of Suffield so students fully understand life in our community, and parents support our philosophy and mission. This year was our most successful program ever, with the majority of our current students hosting visitors and helping produce a 62% yield for students attending the program.

All of us at Suffield are proud of the young women and men in this community. Thank you for helping encourage families to join our school.

jake de ane ’02

on march 28, Jake Deane ’02 held a clinic for the members of the Suffield boys’ lacrosse program. Jake’s visit came near the start of Suffield’s season, as both experienced players and those new to the game were working on honing their fundamentals while preparing for a tough upcoming schedule. with this in mind, Jake covered a host of topics, including throwing, catching, and shooting; ground ball play; dodging; individual defensive play; uneven situations; and facing off. both the varsity and Jv teams attended the session, and Jake’s advice was applicable to those of all skill levels. he also spoke about the passion he has for the sport, and the drive players must have to push themselves to raise their game.

Team captain Dominic Fiallo ’12 described the clinic as a “great experience,” adding, “It’s inspiring to see someone who came from the same program as you to go on and achieve such tremendous success. It shows me there is no limit to what members of this lacrosse team can achieve.” Coach Dave Pillsbury called it, “a wonderful opportunity for our athletes to be exposed to a top-notch clinician.” He continued, “Each of them took away points to improve their skill and understanding of the game. We all enjoyed Jake’s energy and enthusiasm.”

While at Suffield, Jake led the Tigers to the 2002 Western New England Division II Championship. Headmaster Charlie Cahn, who was a coach for that team, remembers Jake as a gifted athlete who made the most of his impressive abilities, saying, “Without question, Jake had the most unbelievable work ethic of any athlete I have ever coached.”

This work ethic has served Jake well. Upon graduation, Jake traveled up I-91 to UMass, where he starred for four years for the Minutemen. He holds the UMass single season ground ball record, was honored as an All-American, and captained his squad to the 2006 National Championship game.

Jake is now in his seventh year playing professionally in Major League Lacrosse. He loves having the opportunity to play against the best players in the world while traveling to different cities, but he also enjoys playing close to home. After four years playing in his adopted home for the Chicago Machine, Jake spent the last three seasons with the Chesapeake Bayhawks, who are based in Annapolis, where Jake grew up. After spending his high school and college years playing in New England, Jake has loved the chance to continue—and hopefully finish—his career in front of his hometown fans.

Jake is also the co-founder of True Lacrosse, an organization creating opportunities for youth lacrosse players to improve their games. Jake founded True Lacrosse in 2008 with fellow professional lacrosse player Mike Gable, who was his teammate on the Machine at the time. In four short years, the company has grown from a single Illinois-based travel team to a nationwide lacrosse power. True Lacrosse has arms in 11 states, supports over 100 travel teams, and runs over 50 fall, winter, and spring leagues for youth and high school-aged players. Through the expansion, though, the goal remains the same; True Lacrosse aims to grow the game and help players reach the next level.

Though he now runs clinics and camps around the country, Jake acknowledged it was special to return to Suffield in March. It was great, he said, to see teachers and coaches—people like Kim Wiggin, Dave Godin, and Headmaster Cahn—who profoundly influenced him as a student and athlete. Jake was also glad to be working with the current generation of Tiger lacrosse players, whom he described as “eager to learn with a ton of potential.” With role models like Jake, they’ve got a great chance to reach it.

ONE ON ONE three inspiring suffield academy teachers

DEmETRIUS TOUTOUNAS

WhAT INFLUENCED yOU TO WORK AT A PRIVATE SChOOL, AND Why SUFFIELD ACADEmy IN PARTICULAR?

I’ve never taught in public schools. I can’t imagine doing so. Growing up, I was a student in both public and private schools. I never liked school, but I especially found public school education unpleasant, both here and in Greece. I was naturally drawn to teaching in private schools, although it took me many years to come to this realization.

FROm yOUR PERSPECTIVE, WhAT mAKES ThE SUFFIELD ACADEmy EDUCATION AND ExPERIENCE SPECIAL?

What has always made Suffield comfortable for me are the students. They are a very special blend and concoction of all types, yet they have many traits in common—they are respectful, sincerely courteous, very warm and welcoming, and very intelligent.

hOW DID yOUR PREVIOUS EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND OR WORK ExPERIENCE LEAD yOU TO SUFFIELD? TELL US ABOUT yOUR UNIQUE hISTORy AND LIFE ExPERIENCES ThAT yOU ARE ABLE TO BRING TO ThE CLASSROOm. Before Suffield, I had over 20 years of teaching experience in both middle and upper schools in New York City and at a Quaker school in the Hudson Valley. I began teaching Latin and French, then added Spanish, and after some 10 years left languages almost entirely to teach history—ancient, European, world, and American. It was at the time a much needed diversion or digression. I’ve lived in several countries, and I grew up bi-national, so I have a good sense of the world that I bring with me to the classroom.

WhAT IS yOUR hISTORy AT SUFFIELD? WhAT COURSES AND DEPARTmENTS hAVE yOU TAUGhT IN AND hOW WOULD yOU DESCRIBE yOUR TEAChING STyLE/PhILOSOPhy?

I have been at Suffield for 10 years, during which time I have taught and continue to teach French, Spanish, and Latin. I also taught European History here for one year. My teaching style, I suppose, would be a kind of relaxed academic.

TELL US SOmEThING WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT yOU

My favorite dishes are Neapolitan pizza, Lebanese and Israeli Falafel, Spanish paella, stuffed grape leaves with egg lemon sauce (a Greek standard), and Moroccan couscous with lamb. I love Nicoise and Ligurian olives, good feta cheese, and the Italian soft drink Chinotto. I had a great aunt named Pitsa, and for years the sound “pizza” for me was associated solely with this great aunt, who was not a very pleasant sort. I was introduced to “pizza” when I was around 10 or 11 years old by a girl named Loukia in Glyfada, a seaside community south of Athens. She held a square red and white object in her hand and asked me if I wanted some. I asked her what it was, and she said “pizza.” I thought immediately of my aunt Pitsa, whose real name was Calliope, so I was naturally offput, but Loukia, who was a recent arrival from Egypt insisted, so I tasted it and it was “un colpo di fulmine,” Italian for “love at first sight.” Outside of the classroom, my favorite activity is going to New Haven or Manchester for Frank Pepe’s Pizza, the best I have ever tasted along with the Trastevere pizza in Rome and pizza from Trapani in Sicily. During the baseball season, I listen to Yankees games on the radio, but when they are losing, I turn the radio off. At a certain point, there are limited pleasures in life, so why eat bad pizza or root for a losing team?

Amy PENTz

WhAT INFLUENCED yOU TO WORK AT A PRIVATE SChOOL, AND Why SUFFIELD ACADEmy IN PARTICULAR?

I like the autonomy of a private school and had several friends growing up who were attending various prep schools; their English classes sounded so interesting to me that I thought I’d like to teach classes like that some day. Suffield’s emphasis on bringing the students we have as far as they can go meshed with my own teaching philosophy. I really enjoy watching young adults realize their potential, and so many students do that for the first time in our classrooms. Teachers work here because we love what we do, not because it is the only job opportunity we have, and students see our passion. Alumni come back to visit because they understand they were not just a job to us; we are invested in their success in all its definitions long after they leave our classes. That is what I wanted in terms of a meaningful life for myself. Getting a note or a comment from a student about how they finally feel smart or understand something they never had before, that can make my entire year; their success is our success, and that never gets old.

FROm yOUR PERSPECTIVE, WhAT mAKES ThE SUFFIELD ACADEmy EDUCATION AND ExPERIENCE SPECIAL?

I try to give my students the best foundation. I know the attention I am able to give my students enables them to head into college with stronger skills and a better understanding of what is expected of them. It is nearly impossible for a student to slip through the cracks here. If a student is struggling in my class, for instance, they are on my mind the rest of the day and into the night because their struggles bother me. I also think about ways to challenge students who are not struggling; every student needs something from me every day. Some need lessons broken down into smaller steps, some need their ideas to be pushed to get them closer to college-level thinking, and some just need encouragement to keep working hard. To be encouraged to find your highest intellectual self in adolescence is not the typical experience and I think that is what makes a place like Suffield special.

hOW DID yOUR PREVIOUS EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND OR WORK ExPERIENCE LEAD yOU TO SUFFIELD? TELL US ABOUT yOUR UNIQUE hISTORy AND LIFE ExPERIENCES ThAT yOU ARE ABLE TO BRING TO ThE CLASSROOm. After college, I worked at a large advertising agency for a few years before getting my master’s degree in literature. I don’t think I fully appreciated how much I would be using that experience in teaching. For instance, did you know that understanding Shakespearean sonnets can make your teeth whiter? Seriously, though, anyone who has ever tried to convince a teenager to read a classic work of literature over a sunny weekend has had to use marketing. Teachers use advertising all the time because you need to convince your consumer why it is in their best interest to buy what you are selling. I believe in being very open about why I am doing what I am doing, explaining how the skills and techniques I am showing the class will benefit them later. It is not really going to matter later in life if you have read The Scarlet Letter, but working through that sophisticated and dense piece of literature is going to train your brain to engage in difficult challenges in the future. That is what I am selling, and a cool course title like “The Literature of Evil” doesn’t seem to hurt either.

WhAT IS yOUR hISTORy AT SUFFIELD? WhAT COURSES AND DEPARTmENTS hAVE yOU TAUGhT IN AND hOW WOULD yOU DESCRIBE yOUR TEAChING STyLE/PhILOSOPhy?

Besides my work in the English department, I served as the Director of Residential Life and I was the Academic Coordinator for the Class of 2007 for two years. Recently, Phil Riegel ’87 and I worked together as advisors for the Class of 2011. Currently, I teach Honors English I, Honors English III, English IV, and the senior elective “The Literature of Evil.” I have also taught English III and an elective on Women Writers. I guess I would describe my classes as a relaxed but rigorous discussion of literature. I don’t think hard work has to be unpleasant. Students generally rise to the level of expectations and it is fun watching them surprise themselves. I am not the most technologically advanced teacher. Though I do enjoy using the projector and my laptop in class, it is all in the name of the basics—reading critically and writing analytically.

TELL US SOmEThING WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT yOU

There is not much people don’t know about each other at Suffield. Some of my hobbies are traveling and music (I was a licensed DJ on my college radio station). I guess people are often surprised to learn how much I love baseball—from spring training to the World Series. Our youngest son plays in a league in Springfield, and my husband is one of the varsity coaches here, so I get plenty of spectating. I would watch any little kid play ball anywhere, though. I hardly miss a Red Sox game all season and I have been known to listen to sports talk radio even when alone; it is a sickness. Oh, and I have an unnatural childhood fear of the model T-Rex at the Boston Science Museum. There, now you know.

hAT ThOmSEN

WhAT INFLUENCED yOU TO WORK AT A PRIVATE SChOOL, AND Why SUFFIELD ACADEmy IN PARTICULAR?

Even though I majored in engineering at Tufts and was accepted at a graduate architectural program, I always thought I would like to be a teacher. I was good friends with several teachers at Kingswood Oxford and I really thought they were special people who truly affected my life. I thought it would be great being in the classroom and coaching. So, I was headed to Syracuse to do architectural graduate work and then my dad died. My mom was devastated and I had been offered a job at KO so I decided to “postpone” my graduate work for a couple of years, earn a few bucks, and get everything settled. Well, that was the spring of 1975, so I guess time flies when you’re having fun, as here it is, 2012. After 20 years, I needed a change, and some of my best friends were people like Dennis Kinne, Dave Godin, George Pervear, Barry Cleary, and Vince Durnan. Plus, I always liked the vibe I felt at Suffield when I came up here, and I liked the kids I coached against. Vince said the school was in a great place and things were really happening, including the school’s first computer initiative. Throw that all together and bang, zoom, I was the new math chair at SA in 1995.

FROm yOUR PERSPECTIVE, WhAT mAKES ThE SUFFIELD ACADEmy EDUCATION AND ExPERIENCE SPECIAL?

Having been here for a while now, I think the number one factor that makes the education special is the faculty and administration. The people are unique, committed to the school, and really like being here. Additionally, the students are psyched to be here and are involved in their classes. Plus, the campus is really well cared for, which is definitely an aesthetic pick-me-up. The school revolves around people, and the people relate well to each other, which makes for a positive atmosphere.

hOW DID yOUR PREVIOUS EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND OR WORK ExPERIENCE LEAD yOU TO SUFFIELD? TELL US ABOUT yOUR UNIQUE hISTORy AND LIFE ExPERIENCES ThAT yOU ARE ABLE TO BRING TO ThE CLASSROOm.

I worked at KO for 20 years and have now worked here for 17, but also have held an array of summer jobs. I was trained as a structural engineer and had a couple of jobs in that arena. I have spent most of my summers doing work that revolves around a completely different theater: painting houses, landscaping, and building things. These jobs teach a vivid practicality that academics often circle around. When I teach math, I try to make the material interesting, and to do that with math, you have to make the work more relevant. You must use modern examples: people, TV shows, movies, pop culture, and athletic teams. Additionally, I have taught some of the courses so many times, it is easy to anticipate the harder topics and help the students avoid the pitfalls that might be there. I am able to incorporate questions from different resources and prepare the students for the future, be it the next week, the next course, the SATs, or college.

WhAT IS yOUR hISTORy AT SUFFIELD? WhAT COURSES AND DEPARTmENTS hAVE yOU TAUGhT IN AND hOW WOULD yOU DESCRIBE yOUR TEAChING STyLE/PhILOSOPhy?

I have been in the math department since I arrived at Suffield, twice serving as the chair. I taught more than just math at Kingswood, including physics, geography, architecture design, and graphic/engineering drawing. These courses helped mold my teaching style. At the core is the notion “the class is half full, not half empty”. When I started teaching, many students thought they were not able to do math, and I felt this notion could change. Confidence breeds success, and success can be created through repeated application and experience, with proper nurturing, instructing, and diligence. Once a student starts to believe, the battle is mostly won. Thus, the first big step is to create that type of success. And in the process of creating success, hopefully, the class will be fun because it is easier to be interested and invested in a pursuit that is fun. I had some math courses with a teacher who was nice, but severe and dry. Therefore, when I started teaching, I promised myself that I was going to reverse that, and this single goal has driven my teaching for 37 years. Along the way there has been a lot of extra help, teaching people at strange hours and in different circumstances, and lots of work addressing the individual talents of hundreds of students.

TELL US SOmEThING WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT yOU

My most obvious hobby is my love of golf. For me, the golf course is a place I can go and immediately leave behind all the pressures, responsibilities, and tribulations that were on my mind. If there is one hobby that I have that few people know, it is my passion for music. My wife and I have thousands of albums, tapes, CDs, and recordings. I do all my work in the summer with the ever-present sound of music. Most people know I love sports so that passion, probably my greatest, is not disguised. Whether it is the Giants, Celtics, Yankees, or Notre Dame, I love watching sports and people are amazed at what I will actually watch. I love movies. I could go to a movie every day. Movie quotations are a big part of math class. Ditto TV shows, especially cop shows, adventure shows, and comedies. I also I really like reading. And, all that info filters into my brain in an incredibly random order and creates the world that is my vast appreciation of knowledge and trivia.

suffield’s finAnciAl mAnAgemenT

I frequently speak with students about topics adolescents do not often think about. I try to prepare them to understand two basic concepts:

1. perspective on needs is critical.

2. It is helpful to know the perspective of people talking to you, or trying to influence you, so you can make up your own mind about what they are saying.

In order to do this, I look back to my own days in high school and a psychology course that introduced me to Abraham Maslow’s Theory of Motivation and the Hierarchy of Needs. This concept constructs a pyramid of needs, with physiology and safety as the foundation, love and belonging in the middle, and the transcendental concept of self-actualization at the peak. I often jokingly mention to students that I don’t particularly care about their self-esteem, or if they “feel like they belong,” although I think they all know I care very much. I find it interesting that most students do not laugh or recognize the satire, even though we may have become very close, and I hope it is obvious to them how much everyone at Suffield cares.

To me, this underscores the point I am trying to make. My role as Suffield’s CFO is to focus on the bottom of the pyramid. I am the finance guy, the facilities guy, the health and counseling guy. I am not trying to move students to a transcendent state of self-actualization through the transfer of tremendous pearls of wisdom, or what my own children call “Dad’s life lessons.” Instead, my motivation and role at this school are to help keep all students, faculty, and staff safe, fed, and comfortable, in order to allow for excellence in the classrooms, on the athletic fields, and in the theater. I am trying to help ensure we have great facilities and resources, which will allow faculty members with far greater wisdom than me, to teach and inspire. My point is that students should know the needs and perspectives of the people teaching or influencing them, and they should understand their motivation.

So with these two points accomplished, I am happy to notify you that the foundation of the “Hierarchy of Needs at Suffield Academy” is stronger than ever. The capital base of the school is in fantastic shape. The endowment has grown to over $34 million (up from just under $13 million in 2002) and the physical plant is well maintained and beautiful. As you will see in this issue of SUFFIELD, we have recently completed a new campus master plan to guide the next 10 to 15 years of capital planning. Suffield has resisted the temptation to take on any significant additional long-term debt and will see the school’s debt load normalize to under $9 million by July 1, 2013. In January 2011, Standard and Poor’s upgraded the school bond rating from BBB+ to A-, an impressive accomplishment coming on the heels of one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression.

Suffield’s budgets are conservative, which allowed us to be much more successful than most schools during the recent recession. We did not cut financial aid, staffing, or benefits, as many of our peers did during this time. Instead, we continued efficient and effective resource management and maintained the core of what a Suffield Academy education represents. We focused on the needs of the learning community and maintained the approach that has allowed us to move this school to its current position—specifically, great people executing a great program, guiding terrific kids who love being at Suffield Academy.

I find mostly that when students don’t really notice what we have accomplished in these areas, we have probably done our best job. We want and strive for the foundation of the pyramid to be strong, and while not taken for granted, totally reliable. I am confident the graduates ringing the Bell each year on Memorial Day weekend feel quite content with the world, and maybe even a little self-actualized.

Spring 2012 Sport S

Suffield Softball

Western n ew e ngland Champions

Softball

The softball team tore through western New England en route to a 22-0 record and the WNEPSSBA Class B Division championship. The Tigers conceded just 13 runs all season and beat Ethel Walker School 10-0 to clinch the title behind senior Annie Pitkin’s one hit, 16 strikeout performance. Suffield was thoroughly dominant this year, as the Lady Tigers were held below seven runs just twice. The Massoia sisters, Angelina ’13 and Marysa ’15, were offensive sparks, getting on base frequently and wreaking havoc on the basepaths. Sluggers Alexis Page ’12 and Lauren Booth ’12 consistently provided pop, while junior catcher Val Schwein, a defensive stalwart, also recorded four RBIs in the championship game. Freshman centerfield Kira Demitrus was a revelation, flashing a steady glove and hot bat. Pitkin even helped her own cause with two home runs in the 12-0 semifinal victory over Marianapolis. The team bids goodbye to seniors Pitkin, Booth, Page, and Emma Cohen but returns a strong core for next year’s title defense.

girlS’ laCroSSe

Winning four of five to close the season, the girls’ lacrosse team finished with an 8-8 record. Victories over Kent and Northfield Mount Hermon were high points for the Tigers. The team was led by senior co-captains Kim Nault, who tallied an incredible 87 goals, and Emily Doran. Nault and classmate Lucy Sheresky were selected for the NEPSAC All-Star Game. The Tigers bid goodbye to seniors Nault, Doran, Sheresky, Victoria Ames, Jackie Keyes, Carly Smith, and Alyssa Fruce.

boyS’ laCroSSe

The boys’ lacrosse team finished with a 6-9 record, capped by road wins over Rye Country Day and King School. The King victory closed the season, and with it the Suffield careers of seniors Reed Barbe, Dominic Fiallo, Thayer Smith, JC Murtaugh, Mark Paton, Mike Murphy, Zac Czikowsky, Conrad Mish, and Dan Bailey. Barbe and Smith were named WNESSLA senior all-stars, while junior Austin Cunningham, who led the team with 32 goals, received first team all-league recognition, and classmate Seth Magoon was honorable mention all-league.

girlS’ traCK & field

The girls’ track and field team finished 5-8 and came in 11th in the New England Championships. The year’s best stretch included an impressive win over Cheshire Academy and a tri-meet sweep of Wilbraham & Monson and Hyde. At New Englands, Amanda Leonard ’14 and Filippa Brandolini ’13 led the Tigers. Leonard and Brandolini finished sixth in the 800 meters and 1500 meters, respectively, and the two teamed up with Jordyn Gonsor ’15 and Susannah Ferris ’15 to place sixth in the 4 x 400 meter relay.

boyS’ traCK & field

The boys’ track & field team raced to a 9-4 record and a ninth place finish at the Class B New England Championships. Freshman distance runner Kaison Ifill captured the 800 meter title in 2:04.49, while classmate Christian Wilkins was runner-up in the shot put with a throw of over 52 feet. Hurdler Dylan Downes ’12, throwers Ben Freeland ’12 and Stephen Leo ’13, and jumpers Eric Chen ’13 and Erik Sanders ’12 also placed for the Tigers.

golf

The golf team braved gray weather and tough competition en route to a 5-7 record. The team was led by junior captain Geoff Lowe, but got contributions from a host of golfers throughout the year, including Andres Fernandez ’13, Jay Fields ’13, Kyle Cholawa ’12, Larke Nimocks ’13, and Parker Regan ’12. As the squad only loses Cholowa and Regan to graduation, the future certainly looks bright.

girlS’ Water polo

The Tiger water polo team completed the season with a strong final week, winning three of their last four games to finish at 4-12. It was a fitting end for the careers of seniors Chloe Calder, Ciara Beaulieu, Brooke Kelsey, Molly Port, and Joanna McElnea. Captains Calder and Beaulieu were offensive leaders all season, while netminder Kelsey backstopped a tough defense. Pure Maleenont ’15 and Kiley Caravella ’13 lead a fast-improving returning crew.

baSeball

The baseball team rang up an 11-3 record, capturing the Cleary Division title and advancing to the semifinals of the WNEPBL Championships. The Tigers found success on the arms of ace pitchers Jack Patterson ’13 and Spencer Stall ’12, as the team compiled an impressive 1.13 ERA. Senior Joey Teed racked up a .548 on-base percentage and flashed a strong arm behind the plate. Suffield loses seniors Chris Sonberg, Colin Dowd, Stall, Teed, Paul McCarthy, Alex Driscoll, Andy MacPherson, and Alex Apkin, but thanks to underclassmen like Patterson, Ryan Tettemer, Jamie Johnson, Paul Metscher, and CJ Moore, the future looks bright.

girlS’ tenniS

The girls’ tennis team had its best season in recent memory, recording a 9-3 record and a second place finish against tough competition at the Suffield Academy Tennis Tournament. The Tigers’ one-two punch of Sarah Berchuck ’13 and Briell Smith ’12 was more than most teams could handle, and impressive depth served Suffield well throughout the season. Alex Matalon ’12, Emily Hudson ’14, Lexi Bicknell ’13, and Lucy Zimmerman ’14 were among the consistent contributors all over the ladder. The team loses only Smith, Matalon, and Jaclyn Chalke, so the Tigers look to be a force in the seasons to come.

boyS’ tenniS

Under first year coach Peter Stein, the boys’ tennis team compiled a 5-8 record. The Tigers’ season was highlighted by wins over Salisbury and Kent. The Salisbury match was particularly dramatic as the team trailed early before storming back behind victories from David Balcar ’13, Daniel Berchuck ’14, Matt Gollust ’12, and Peter Derby ’14. Captain Pat O’Brien ’12 was the steady emotional leader for the Tigers, while Nick Hudson ’13 held down the number one spot. The team bids goodbye to O’Brien, Balcar, Gollust, Alex Hendrickson, Kota Hotta, Andrew Jacobs, and Jason Chiang.

performing arts

spring play

“you can’t take it with you”

one act plays: “it’s not you, it’s me”

vocal concert

Defending america & cherishing suffield

Dan Matchett ’08 is on a fascinating, successful life journey. Dan and his sister, Kristin ’04, both graduated from suffield and Boston college. Dan earned his Ba in economics this spring.

In reflecting on his years at Suffield, Dan says, “It was an unbelievable experience. I had teachers, opportunities to pursue my interests in music, and there was nothing better than playing sports with my friends. Those were the best four years of my life so far. I have no regrets—other than that the field house wasn’t there yet.”

About halfway into his freshman year at BC, Dan talked to an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) recruiter. He was told he would have to catch up with the training requirements but could join as a sophomore and still complete the program by the end of his senior year. This was the beginning of a story that is still unfolding.

“I wanted to play collegiate lacrosse and make sure I could handle everything at school before getting into and committing to the ROTC program,” commented Dan. So in February 2010, Dan was officially contracted by earning a full scholarship in exchange for a minimum of four years of active duty service in the Air Force after completing the program. Dan said he loved Boston College, but his experience was far from typical. “I took terrific classes, loved being in Boston, and made great friends, but my college experience was pretty unusual.”

The ROTC program has many different components including early morning wakeups for physical training, instructional classes, “Leadership Laboratories”, summer field training, and community service work in and around Boston. It is an intense commitment in every sense possible. It requires time, unbelievable levels of fitness, and mental resilience and strength.

Twice each week Dan had to be at Boston University by 6 AM for physical training. He also had to take several 3-credit courses including Air Force History, War Tactics, Leadership Skills, and Preparation for Active Duty. On top of these classes, each week Dan was part of a two-hour weekly block of instruction called a Leadership Laboratory. Juniors and seniors train sophomores and freshmen, and Dan recalls, “In many ways it was similar to Suffield’s Leadership Program with upperclassmen teaching assistants. In ROTC, this role goes even further, with juniors and seniors planning and executing all of the training as outlined by the very strict requirements the program mandates.”

TO RIgHT

Sophomore Air Force ROTC cadets attend Field Training Preparation (FTP) almost every weekend throughout the year. In the summer after their sophomore year, they compete to earn a slot in a four-week basic training program at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. The cadets who successfully complete Field Training then lead FTP training as juniors and seniors, helping the new sophomore class to perform well while at Maxwell.

Yet, the requirements outlined here are just part of all that an Air Force ROTC cadet experiences. As Dan said, “Things pop up all the time, like my detachment commander telling you are having physical competitions against other detachments, iron man competitions, or training at 5 AM. It is possible to still enjoy college, but it is intensely demanding.”

He commented that “the mental challenges are the most significant. You are bombarded with information and have to retain it all. Public speaking is also a large part of being an Air Force officer. You have to quickly grasp information and be able to communicate it. Suffield’s Leadership Program really helped me in this area.”

At the beginning of his junior year, Dan was selected to be a pilot candidate. This increased the military commitment to ten years (from four), but came with the benefit, as Dan says, “of getting paid to fly.”

One year later, at the start of his senior year, Dan was selected for ENJJPT, the Euro-NATO Joint-Jet Pilot Training. This is a prestigious honor earned by only 40 American ROTC-commissioned students each year, and this summer Dan will begin 18 months of ENJJPT at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.

ENJJPT is an advanced, international pilot training program. Standard pilot training occurs in four different areas around the country, with all pilots beginning on a T-6, propeller-powered airplane. However, with ENJJPT, the next plane is guaranteed to be a T-38 supersonic jet aircraft. It prepares pilots to fly fighter planes, bombers, or Special Operations aircraft. Those in ENJJPT are essentially being set up to fly fighters or bombers for their careers.

Following ENJJPT, Dan will head to survival school (SERE) and then report to a base to learn about his actual aircraft. He tries not to think of this experience as a job, but rather as following his heart. “I want to serve the United States. I’m very passionate about being an American. I love this country and think it is the best. My parents, family, and friends have helped me see how fortunate I have been to go to Suffield, Boston College, and grow up in such a nice community. Now it is time to give back.”

When speaking with him, Dan’s focus and commitment to excellence are palpable. His final comments were about both the ROTC program and Suffield Academy. “The intensity of the ROTC training builds such self confidence and focus that you never question whether you are strong enough or have chosen the right direction for your life. A lot of the training is centered on making sure people around you are successful, and if they are not, it is on you to help pull them back up. I think Suffield is a lot like this, from music to sports to discipline committee to the Leadership Program. When I came back here today I parked my car and some members of the grounds crew came up to give me a hug. This is just a really special place.”

class agent

WhAT Were you involved WiTh AT suffield?

sAri biddelman ’02

I was a proctor, I captained the tennis team, and I skied and played field hockey. I still can’t believe they gave me playing time in field hockey, I was awful! I’m pretty sure I was put in for comic relief. I have a picture somewhere of my kilt coming off and my mouthguard almost poking me in the eye. I was also a tour guide and, while intelligently giving a tour down Stiles Lane in Birkenstock clogs in the middle of January, I slipped and fell about five feet. I earned that bagel card.

WhAT WAs your fAvoriTe PArT of suffield? WhAT Are your fondesT memories?

Because of Suffield, I have a lot of positive memories about high school. One of the best was projecting a movie on the side of Nathena Fuller. Another memory I have is coming back from a weekend my senior year and needing to call Phil Riegel to give me directions, crying because I was afraid of missing study hall, and when I got there… he laughed at me. The first snow my sophomore year was also memorable. I was coming from New York, and it was unreal that this was happening at school.

hoW hAs suffield shAPed your life AfTer school?

While working for a summer at Summer Academy, I got into doing one-on-one work with this really great kid. He had lots of friends, was really funny, had a big personality—but he couldn’t figure out how to write. One day he came to me, and after trying several different ways to explain the writing process, it finally clicked! That is why I’m a teacher, and more specifically, a special education teacher. Without feeling the strong connection to Suffield that I do, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to spend my summer there.

Currently, I teach middle and high school special education in NYC and I love it. School was hard for me; I was not a natural student. But the teachers at Suffield taught me how to be successful with it; now I get to do that for other students who don’t find school easy.

WhAT fAculTy members hAd A PArTiculArly sTrong influence on your suffield exPerience?

The Cahns are the reason I came to Suffield. From my interview—when I knew if I was going to go to boarding school, it would have to be this one—to my most recent Suffield visit in April, they made me feel like Suffield was my home. The Riegels—the community of Suffield definitely has the family vibe, no question. But, in my mind, all through high school, the Riegels were my family. I still think of them as the people who taught me how to get through everything. They will always be the ones to shape my high school experience, and so much more. I am very grateful to them. And WB! Carrie Waldron-Brown, my sophomore English teacher taught me how to write.

Why did you become A clAss AgenT, And Why is iT imPorTAnT To give?

I became a class agent to make sure I could always be connected to Suffield. I try to remind friends of what Suffield did and continues to do for them. As far as giving to Suffield goes, I know that we need to preserve it and develop it so that it enriches the lives of students there (and hopefully my kids one day!) and maintains the tradition that is still so important to me now.

hoW do you remAin connecTed To suffield?

I still talk to most of my friends from Suffield on a daily basis. I am obviously a class agent, and I visit campus about three times a year.

WhAT chAnges on cAmPus Are you mosT jeAlous of? [There’s goT To be A beTTer WAy To sAy This]

The Tisch Field House is unbelievable! The Hoffman College Counseling Center is also a huge upgrade—what a great way to get students invested in choosing a college!

Parents’ AssociationAuction

The 13th annual Parents’ Association Auction was held on April 13, 2012. It was an unprecedented success, with net proceeds exceeding $400,000. These funds will help support projects identified in Suffield’s campus master plan, beginning with the new science facilities. Over 260 parents, faculty, and trustees attended the auction festivities. The school wants to particularly thank the many parent volunteers and the auction co-chairs, trustee Susan Autuori, P ’06, ’08, ’10, ’13 and Mary Deliso P ’13. The event served as yet another reminder that Suffield’s work is very important and is deeply valued by parents.

alums in

Andy forresT ’66

featured in A Picture of the South DownS: Art in the nAtionAl PArk

george colli ’97 foxct reporter

George Colli ’97 has worked as a general assignment reporter for FoxCT for the last two years. George regularly covers breaking stories, including the Bridgeport tornado and the resignation of hartford mayor

Andy Forrest ’66 continues to work as an artist. Principally working in acrylic and watercolor, he draws inspiration from the landscape around his home in Sussex, England. Andy will be featured in a new book, A Picture of the South Downs: Art in the National Park, to be published by halsgrove Press in October.

www.andrewgforrest.co.uk

Eddie Perez. George also reports annually live from Suffield’s Dance-a-thon. you can read about George online, while viewers in Connecticut can obviously catch him often on television.

www.ctnow.com/about/newsteam/george-colli/

PAm AuTuori ’08 And serenA reynolds ’06

make a music video for xny

Pam Autuori ’08 and Serena Reynolds ’06 have teamed up behind Pam’s band xNy. Pam sings and bandmate Jacob Schrieber supplies the instrumentation, but according to one critic, “xNy have managed to build a world larger than most ensembles plenty times their size.” The band’s first release, Through the Wall, came out this June, and Pam, Serena, and Jacob recently completed a music video for the song “Another Way.” Coming soon: a new video that will be filmed on the Suffield Academy campus.

http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/media/entry/watch_xny_find_another_way_filter_premiere

hAnnAh goTWAls ’09 studying in rabat

hannah Gotwals ’09 is spending the summer in Rabat, morocco as part of her study of Arabic through AmidEast. A junior at Swarthmore College, hannah is an experienced traveler, having split the last academic year between France and Jordan. She cites her welcoming host family and journeying to Fes for the World Sacred music Festival as highlights. you can read about hannah’s experiences on her blog.

travelingbassoonist.blogspot.com

the news

Kristin Hostetter ’86

author: The CompleTe Guide To ouTdoor Gear mainTenanCe and repair

Kristin Hostetter ’85 has written her second book. The Complete Guide to Outdoor Gear Maintenance and Repair is part of a series for Backpacker magazine, where Kristin serves as gear editor. Wise in the ways of fixing outdoor clothing and equipment, Kristin is also tuned in to the world of new gear: Backpacker says she’d make a great personal shopping assistant for those in the market for backpacks, sleeping bags, and tents. You can order her book at

www.amazon.com/backpacker-magazines-complete-outdoor-Maintenance/dp/0762778318/ ref=la_b001KMMies_1_1?ie=UtF8&qid=1339607070&sr=1-1

Jenny scHnaaK ’07 focused on sustainability

Jenny Schnaak ’07 is the development director for the Abundance Foundation, a North Carolina-based organization dedicated to sustainability. The group hopes to teach the importance of local food, renewable energy, and community. In addition to educating children through camps and tours, Abundance sponsors local gardens, festivals, and co-ops. Now the foundation is up for a grant from Cultivate, a California winery that gives away $400,000 a year to democratically chosen non-profit causes. You can vote at cultivatewines.com/give.

Jay cooK ’78 bridging the musical divide

Based in Brattleboro, Vermont, Jay’s musical performances reach across genres, from West African to jazz to funk to R&B. Jay regularly plays bass with the twelve piece Afrobeat band Fenibo and the new eclectic acoustic group Atom Planet. You can see Fenibo live every month throughout New England—visit their website for dates at www.fenibo.com. You can also check out their recently released promotional video on YouTube

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVj8dsP8pn4&feature=youtu.be

MereditH Zeller towbin ’94

author: The Boy wiTh The Broken halo

Meredith Zeller Towbin ’94 recently completed her second book, a young adult novel titled The Boy with the Broken Halo. It tells the story of a girl in a psych ward and her unlikely friendship with a young man who just may be an angel. Meredith writes about writing, family, and travel at her blog meredithtowbin.com

The armatas

Kevin ’77 | Montana ’13 | Kyler ’15

Why Suffield?

Kyler Ever since I was a little boy, I drove by Suffield Academy and I could picture myself attending the school.

Montana I wanted to get a great education.

What is the best part of the Suffield Academy experience?

Kevin Camaraderie, mentoring, enriching experience, willing to support some students with learning disabilities

Kyler Getting to become friends with people from all over the world

Montana Meeting people from all over the country and the world

What was your most memorable experience at Suffield?

Kevin There was no one experience, but cross-country, theater, class, even the DC5 and Wasky.

Kyler Spring training for baseball

Montana Dance-A-Thon

Who has been the most influential faculty member?

Kevin Mario Vincenti, Brad Gooch, and Gordy Glover

Kyler I’ve really enjoyed my first year here at Suffield and there are a lot of great faculty members, but I have three more years, so I think I will hold off on answering this question.

Montana David Rockwell. He is such an inspiration to me and my family.

What is/was your favorite place on campus?

Kevin Holcomb Hall because of art, science, and the radio station

Kyler Tisch Field House because of its athletic feel

Montana Centurion Hall because of its open and welcoming atomosphere

Did your father share with you any great stories about Suffield Academy?

Kyler My father is dyslexic and growing up many teachers told him he was never going to amount to anything; but when he came to Suffield, the faculty helped him and taught him new methods of learning.

Montana My father used to be the DJ on WSAR (Suffield Academy Radio).

Alumni lA crosse

The following is an excerpt from Liberty Mutual’s Responsible Sports Moments article:

On June 1 Cathedral High’s lacrosse team lost not only all of its equipment, but also Catherdral itself was destroyed by the tornado that ripped through the western part of the state. In an act of generosity, nearby rival Suffield Academy donated uniforms, helmets and gloves to help Cathedral finish out their season. This friendly act of one athletic director, Dave Godin, helping another “for the sake of the students”, led to Suffield being recognized by Liberty Mutual and the Positive Coaching Alliance. Suffield Academy received a leadership award from the “Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments”, part of the larger Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports™ program.

“Youth sports provide a great social and character-building experience for children, and our ‘Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments’ campaign highlights great examples of how these positive values come to life every day on our playing fields.”said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual Insurance senior vice president, Consumer Marketing.

marketwatch.com/story/liberty-mutual-insurance-and-positive-coaching-alliance-launch-search-for-top-10-responsible-sports-moments-of-2012-2012-05-01

Class Notes

1939

ErnEst Ball

I’m recovering from hip replacement surgery in October 2011.

1946

CL ASS AG e N T

Sandy MacNabb | amacnabb@aol.com

sandy MacnaBB

Kathy and I now have 11 grandchildren. Daughter Margo and her husband, James Nederlander, Jr. had twins, Kathleen and James on November 28, 2011. Kathleen, named for Margo’s mother, came first. Six pounds. James, named for his father, weighed 5 lbs 4oz. Typical Nederlanders, both emerged making a big noise. The Nederlander family owns a chunk of Broadway. Theaters like the Palace, Marriott Marquis, Neil Simon, and Brooks Atkinson.

1948

CL ASS AG e N T

Gene Spaziani | genespaz@aol.com

ralph hEMingway, Jr.

All is well in Lehigh Acres, Florida.

gEnE spaziani

The Class of 1948, with only 25 members left, enthusiastically participated in the recent donation competition with Williston and Berkshire. Fourteen classmates stepped up, joined in the competition, and donated to make the Class of 1948 one of the leading classes in the competition, featuring a 56% participation rate. What is more amazing is that this is the first time the class has participated as an organized group. Some interesting notes were sent to the newly designated class agent, gene spaziani of Mystic, CT, updating the lives of several classmates. gus Bodin of Guilford, CT, sent along the names and addresses of many former classmates. Francis Klay (NH) reports that he is recovering from a skiing accident. Bill waldon (MA) stated that he spent 42 years in the insurance business, retired in 1996, and is now living the good life. Bob Flaxman spent most of his life in West Hartford and enjoyed a successful business career, although he suffered the loss of a leg. He was able to contribute to the U of Hartford, University of Texas, Suffield, and Lynn University and has lived a full life. Bob Bashevkin, now living in Williamstown, MA, spent 43 years working for the Ford Service Distribution Company covering all of New england. He retired in 1995. Bob fondly remembers his three years at Suffield. We are looking forward to hearing from our other classmates, and we are very proud of our classmates stepping up and making the Class of 1948 one of the leading alumni groups at Suffield.

1955

CL ASS AG e N TS

Al Gesler | alcog58@mchsi.com

Bob King | rking@kingcpas.com

BoB King

My pro bono work includes serving as director on the Highlander Fund, the Connecticut Academy for the Arts, consulting on the creation of the Children’s Museum, and serving on two committees of the Connecticut Society of CPAs.

1958

CL ASS AG e N T

Bruce Glass | bruceglass@rocketmail.com

BrucE glass

This month I completed a long-time task: visiting every state capitol. After attending a conference in Nashville,Tennessee, I drove to Jefferson City, Topeka, Oklahoma City, and Austin. Next project: visit every stadium the Red Sox play in.

1959

CL ASS AG e N T Paul Grimmeisen | paul24wor@aol.com

Eliot Mag

My wife and I are both retired from human resources careers and I have been gainfully retired for the past three years. I have not regretted my decision to step away from the day-to-day grind of business. After 42 years in the retail sector, having operated my own menswear stores, to working as a merchandising analyst for a national consulting company, to founding a consulting firm which offered credit and merchandising support to small specialty stores across the country, finally to serving as district manager for a national womenswear conglomerate, I decided in 2009 that I had seen enough to last a lifetime. I have been keeping busy with various volunteer activities, have become more active in our small Synagogue (in Wethersfield, CT), and, with my wife of 45 years, attempting to keep up with our grandsons who live nearby.

rich gErMan

Holly and I are sky-diving with Navy Seals in San Diego next month and touring the Seal training compound. Just got back from a 2000 mile motorcycle trip in Australia with stop over in Fiji (Cousteau’s place). My daughter Lauren just finished her time on Hawaii 5-0 and you will next see her on Chicago Fire

paul griMMEisEn

I plan to travel to South Africa in October to visit a close friend, who is mayor of Vereeniging, a large city south of Johannesburg. We will be taking three safaris. This is my sixth time to South Africa. We will then travel to Stuttgart, Germany, to visit some cousins. Presently, I have three grandchildren, Carter, Faith, and Nathan. My father, erwin, is 101 and is presently a resident at Suffield House in Suffield. He continues to read both english and German books and is in excellent health.

1962

CL ASS AG e N TS

Paul Connor | pacnoank@aol.com

Andy Spector | andrew.e.spector@mssb.com

don livingston

I married eulalia Paiz, a medical student in Guatemala, and we have an 18-month-old son Noah. We have a non-profit Computers for Hope, which sends used computers to schools in Guatemala. We have almost finished building a high school in one of the poorest areas of Guatemala, a result of my positive experiences at Suffield, which convinced me how important schools are. We just need donations to finish the roof and bathrooms. Visit our website www.computersforhope.org to see a video of the students pouring concrete to help build their old school. Wasky and his work squad would be proud. Must report the Academy is magnificent! The fall before, Boots came out to New Mexico and visited.

1963

CL ASS AG e N T

Sandy Prouty | charles.prouty@gdit.com

davE schulz

I continue to work in Human Services, helping people with intellectual disabilities do their jobs and enjoy leisure activities. My wife Noreen and I were blessed with the birth of our first granddaughter, Audrey evelyn Schulz, on early Sunday morning, May 20. She will join our three-year-old grandson as his sister, and no doubt, that’ll be a challenge for her! Mother and baby are doing fine. In a contested primary election, my wife was elected Democratic Party precinct committee person. We’re working hard for Obama!

dicK anthony

Dick is putting together the Charity Classic at Shelter Harbor Golf Club on June 11th for Dana-Farber and the Westerly Hospital Foundation. Lots of work for a first time event.

1965

CL ASS AG e N TS

Tim Hemingway | ttheming@comcast.net

Bill Kelly | william.kelly@himco.com

tiM hEMingway

Just finished a great road trip out West. Stayed with Molly and Larry Hyde in Santa Fe. Larry and I drove out to southern Utah to visit Monument Valley. Then we hiked in the Grand Canyon and the Canyon de Chelly in Northwest Arizona before returning to Santa Fe. Great golf in Santa Fe.

JaMEs lo dolcE

Still working full time as a family physician and medical IT specialist for a large company in Syracuse. Looking forward to seeing everyone at our 50th. Jon Booth ’64 and I, along with our wives, got together for an evening a few weeks ago. He had moved to Syracuse to work for Syracuse University over 15 years ago, and we never connected until now. We only live a couple miles apart. It was great seeing him. He looked the same except, like me, his hair was a different color and he had less of it. It was great to see him.

larry hydE

Tim Hemingway visited, and we journeyed to the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, and Monument Valley. Played golf at one of the best courses in the country. Bear won. Oh well.

1966

CL ASS AG e N TS

Charlie Claggett | ceclaggett@gmail.com

Bruce Fletcher | bfletcherdmd@gmail.com

Chris Frost | frostchris@verizon.net

david chasE

Memory—fuzzy Jim’s comments on what a thought a trendout, inspired, and eloquent essay on Huck Finn; “Sloppy, vague, maudlin, unanalytical—you simply emoted for five pages and did Huck a great disservice”—Gymnosperm’s finest effort.

charliE claggEtt

Our oldest daughter elissa, a teacher, is getting married August 10th, the first of our three daughters to take the leap. Her fiance teaches biology at John Burrough’s School. Our middle daughter, Julia, was just awarded a Ph.D. in molecular biology at UCSD. And our youngest, Phoebe, is living in Nashville as a singer-songwriter. Wife Katie is continuing to work on a novel. And I am working to pay for it all!

andy ForrEst

Andy Forrest (www.andrewgforrest.co.uk) hopes very much to attend the 50th Reunion in 2016. He continues in retirement to work as an artist and will be featured in a new book A Picture of the South Downs—Art in the National Park to be published by Halsgrove Press in October. With best wishes to all in the Suffield Academy community and to my former classmates and teachers.

1967

CL ASS AG e N T Chris Harlambakis | chris.harlambakis@aerojet.com

JEFF McElnEa

Our daughter Joanna graduates from Suffield this May—a mere 45 years after her father. Those distant school memories are almost as sweet as the parental experience. It’s fun and rewarding to see a legacy ring the Bell!

1968

CLASS AG e NTS

Tyler Bumsted | jtb@embarqmail.com

Brian Hersey | herseyr@att.net

don cohn

I am presently in my 16th year of marriage to my wonderful wife Beth. We love our son/dog DJ. Beth and I reside in Miami Beach, Florida. I remain a County Court Judge and am presently assigned to the civil division in Coral Gables, Florida.

1969

CLASS AG e NT

Greg Putnam | serena3162@aol.com

grEg putnaM

I would like to thank all of you who generously and competitively participated in the April Challenge vs. Williston and Berkshire. Much to John Groo’s liking, we “vanquished” them. Really great job. Some of you stepped up twice in your donations to achieve victory. Very commendable. As well, we had some donations from a few mates who had not given in a while, obviously having forgotten just where their checkbooks are kept. To them, many thanks. In all, your support made all the difference. Have a great summer. Y’all be well.

1970

CLASS AG e NTS

Charlie Gallucci | cgallucc@yahoo.com

Leo Letendre | chrisweeden@yahoo.com

Kit Warner | cwarner@convergex.com

charliE gallucci

Charlie is retiring from his full-time position at Columbus State and hopes to spend more time traveling.

1971

CLASS AG e NTS

Pierre Genvert | genvert@verizon.net

Leo Letendre | leo.j.letendre@pfizer.com

Brian Morris | bmorris1000@yahoo.com

John watson

I am enjoying my role as director of Operating effectiveness at Cigna. Lauren (a ’71 adjunct) is director of Volunteer Services at Hospice of Southeast Connecticut. Our kids have fledged, and we are loving life in our old home on the coast of Noank, CT.

lEo lEtEndrE

Leo and Diane Letendre were happy to host Deri and Spencer Beard this spring. Spence and Deri were in town to attend their son’s graduation from Mitchell College. It was great to have a classmate stay; it gave us a chance to reminisce about the times we had now some 40 years ago.

1972

CLASS AG e NTS

Chip Spear | Charles.spear.CTR@navy.mil

John Therriault | john.therriault@janostech.com

chip spEar

Guys, this is our 40th! I’d like to think we all will have the same opportunity to come back to our 45th or 50th, but somehow I think our numbers will be less! So, the opportunity is now! This is the year you will want to come back for! Over the last two years, I have received e-mails/calls from Richard Parker, Bobby Byrne, George Vann, Ron Rivard, Joe Lavoie, Bob Macy, and of course, I see Leigh Harrison three or four times a year! All of these classmates have expressed an interest in coming back for the 40th Reunion. In addition, I have seen John Adler, John Therriault, Guy Morgan, Nemo Niemann, Tim Parsons, Tommy Tisch, Jeff Hindman, Tim Woolsey, Bill Scott, and Tom Cox at past reunions. So, I would expect you will all want to come back for our 40th! Last year’s Reunion Weekend was my wife’s 35th, which was also the Class of 1971’s 40th. It was great seeing and reminiscing with these guys, and I can’t help thinking nobody had any regrets coming back to see the school and to reconnect. especially when you consider it was the weekend of the early snowstorm that devastated the area. I will be reaching out to engage all of you who have an email address to come back for the 40th. Make plans now to return. The 40th Reunion will be an opportunity to enjoy and celebrate a period of time that is unique to only us. If anyone needs help getting in touch with one of our classmates, I’ll be glad to coordinate this endeavor. As Mr. Clark (my Latin teacher at SA), or more appropriately, the Roman lyric Horace said, “Carpe diem”: seize the day, and in this case, seize the moment!

Beth Tyler ’77 with granddaughter Abbey Marie Grondahl.

1975

CLASS AG e NTS

Carey Fiertz | cfiertz@exportrisk.com

Mark Teed | mark.teed@wfadvisors.com

don Bard

I’m currently living in Santa Cruz, CA. I am married and have two children. I am working for the University of California at Santa Cruz as a research lab manager, and I teach biology and yoga classes part-time for a nearby community college, Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA.

1977

CLASS AG e NTS

e d Kaplan | eddiemyboy@aol.com

Beth Tyler | beth_tyler@msn.com

dEBorah dyEr lEroux

Married Ken Leroux on April 7, 2011, hence the name change!

BEtty corsaK BradEn

My husband Gene and I have closed our Dallas haunted house and are in the process of developing the property to sell as ten live/work spaces. Our San Antonio attraction, Nightmare on Grayson, will open for its 26th season this fall. Our kids, Hailey (16) and Mason (14), are healthy, active, and keep us on our toes.

sara whitaKEr

Sara is a certified massage therapist and reflexologist and has been practicing professionally since 1999 in Danville and Livermore, California.

MEgan rEddish

Proud to announce that my son Kyle Reddish is entering Suffield Academy in fall 2012.

BEth tylEr

On April 28, I became a grandmother! Abbey Marie Grondahl is here, and I couldn’t be happier.

richard tuttlE

Hello, Gang of ’77. I remember all the “fun” we had the year of 1977. Wow, a lot of changes in all our lives since those days—for sure in my own. Some interesting, some rewarding, some trecherous and tricky. But I hope that most of us survived the challenges and are “still in the hunt” and look back on that experience as a “life prep” time. Perhaps our first set of armor was attained at Suffield to prepare us for the outside world. In my case, I think my experiences at Suffield prepared me in a few ways for the difficult challenges that lay ahead in life. This is especially true as I view the world today and the lack of social graces, creativity, and discipline present in so many people.

Hope to see many of you at the reunion!

1978

CLASS AG e NTS

Ben Davol | bdavol@me.com

Lisa Longo | lml33060@gmail.com e d Palomba | edward_palomba@banksi.com

Ed paloMBa

I am excited to be chairman of a large, accessible playground project to be constructed by the enfield Rotary Club on the grounds of the enfield Public Library. I also will be president of the Rotary Club beginning July 1, 2012.

roB spindlEr

Still making music, working hard at the University, and enjoying life’s changes in sunny Arizona!

Jay cooK

My wife Julie and I are now empty nesters! Daughter Zoe is off to college (working on the Cape this summer), and our three boys have chosen to rebel against their fine rural Vermont upbringing and settle in the NYC area. Julie is executive director of a human services organization, and I’m teaching and playing music with a few different bands. Looking forward to a slower-paced summer than past years—long woods runs, gardening and swimming. Feel free to stop by Brattleboro if you’re headed north! Bill Joyce: I must see you.

1979

CL ASS AG e N TS

Matt Cartmell | mcartmell@kw.com

Steve Dutcher | Stephen@stuart-FL.com

Ruth Kennedy | ruth.kennedy4@gmail.com

Bob Stanley | bob@assist-inc.org

Bill KiEgEr

Our family has moved back to Boulder, Colorado, just in time for our daughter Hana to start high school. I started Front Range Veterinary Relief Services and am quite busy but am still able to find a little time here and there to get in some fly fishing and a little hiking. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy year.

1980

CL ASS AG e N TS

Mary Carroll | maryecarroll@optonline.net

Linda McCullagh O’Leary | lmoleary@rcn.com

Joe Palomba | jcpmd@townisp.com

roBin sMith

Hi everyone, I am now living in Hancock, NH, on what use to be a sheep farm and is now a horse farm. My horse Wally and I compete in competitive distance riding. I am working in the Keene, NH, school district as an occupational therapist, as well as at a local rehab unit. This summer I will be competing in Vermont and Maine. If you are ever in southern NH, stop on by.

1982

CL ASS AG e N TS

David Carangelo | dlcarangelo@yahoo.com

John Cook | jwccomp@earthlink.net

Margaret Figueroa Hern | ahern@snet.net

Madeline Phillips | mkphil@hotmail.com

david carangElo

This year, my partner Gerardo Rivera and I traveled to Cuba on an Art and Architecture trip organized by the Corcoran Gallery in Washington. The only way to get to Cuba legally is to join a Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control licenced trip, and there was pretty stiff enrollment competition—the trip was fully subscribed within a few hours of being announced. So imagine the type-A characters that were thrown together for 10 days. Not only was Cuba fascinating, the group dynamics were as well. I feel for the tour guides! Contrary to what one might think, we did not encounter any hostility as Americans. In fact, the Cubans were very welcoming. I am looking forward to seeing folks at Reunion. I’m hoping Jim Ubertalli, Dave Babcock, and Flip Drinker will be able to make it too.

1983

CL ASS AG e N TS

Bob Churchill | rlchurchill@comcast.net

Marybeth DiBuono-Riley | marybethriley@verizon.net

david Mcausland

Hello, Suffield. Way to kick butt in the Annual Fund Challenge. We’re still living outside Atlanta. I can hardly believe we’ve been down South for 13 years. We try to get back to Connecticut a couple times a year, and I always try to take a ride by campus to see how things look. I’m still working with Logical Choice Technologies helping modernize America’s classrooms. I have taken on a new, awesome adventure and will be coaching my son’s football team this fall. Thanks to Coaches DeSalvo and LaPlante for planting the seeds to my coaching career. Hello to all those 1983 alums that I “see” on Facebook. I look forward to actually seeing you at our next reunion.

1986

CL ASS AG e N TS

Sean Federowicz | sdfed@aol.com

Brinley Ford e hlers | brinleysf@aol.com

Kristin Hostetter Pandit | khostetter1@gmail.com

Niko Mosko | niko@ntmosko.com

JolinE Jodoin scott

Had a great time at our reunion. I’m still having difficulty processing that it’s been 25 years since our graduation. I don’t feel that old. It was heartwarming to see and hug former teachers and friends, especially roommates. Special thanks to Brinley Ford ehlers for her enthusiasm that led to a high attendance and also to Joe Goethe for organizing a tailgate amidst a snowstorm. My husband Robert and I are residing in Glastonbury, CT, with our daughter Logan (8) and son Kai (1). Although we work full time (practicing law and psychology, respectively), we always have time for friends and would love to connect with anyone living near or passing through Greater Hartford.

1987

CL ASS AG e N TS

Betsy Coughlin Tod | betsytod@gmail.com

Jeff Martini | martini.jeffrey@gmail.com

Phil Riegel | priegel@suffieldacademy.org

pat willcutts

2011 was an eventful year for our family. After surviving the tornadoes of June that came through our neighborhood in Springfield, my wife ellen gave birth to our first child, Colin Patrick Willcutts, on October 27, 2011. He was a good size boy, weighing in at 8 lbs, 8 oz. and measuring 21 inches. We brought Colin

home from the hospital just as the snow began to fall during the freak October snowstorm of 2011, and then we lost power and heat for seven days—what a start to parenthood! Luckily, SA classmate Dan Mastella came to the rescue, taking us into his home in Farmington, CT, where he and his family kept us warm and sane during our first week as parents! 2012 brings a new address for our family. We moved to West Hartford in January.

phil riEgEl

Mark your calendars Class of ’87. Our 25th Reunion is October 12-14! I hope to see everyone back on campus.

1989

CL ASS AG e N TS

Tom Burton | trburtoniii@gmail.com

Michelle Motta Stewart | mottastewart@yahoo.com

Jed Nosal | jmnemo@gmail.com

Aimee Scherer Hodgkins | aimeehodgkins@mac.com

rosE yap thoMas

I gave birth to my second daughter, Reed Pitney Thomas, on January 23rd. My oldest daughter, Campbell, is now 3 and delighted to have a little sister.

1992

CL ASS AG e N TS

Marigrace Canter Morris | marigrace.morris@verizon.net

Ntsekhe Moiloa | foggfrog@hotmail.com

Sarah Nosal Smith | sarah@sarahsmithdesign.net

Wadiya Peterson | diya.wynn@verizon.net

MarigracE cantEr Morris

A warm hello to the Suffield community. My family is doing well. My husband and I live with our three children William (8), Laura (7), and Grace (3) in NYC. Thankful for all the blessings I have, my wonderful family, friends and good health. I completed the NYC Marathon this year and the half marathon this spring. What a thrill! I am hoping to reconnect with old friends at our reunion this fall. Happy summer to you all! If you are ever in New York, please contact me. Marigrace.morris@verizon.net.

1993

CL ASS AG e N TS

Pam e isen | PA e 7535@aol.com

Alexa e conomou Rice | alexaae@aol.com

Lauren Roginski | laurenrvet@aol.com

Marla Zide | mzide_2000@yahoo.com

gina-MariE scudiEri

Todd Szwed and I completed our first Tough Mudder May 5th at Mount Snow, Vermont. Though we did not compete as teammates, in the months preceding the event, we stayed in touch for support and to keep each other focused on training. We both agreed that completing the Mudder was one of the most significant accomplishments of our lives. Todd is heading back to Mount Snow to compete again in July, and I will be heading out to Arizona to compete again in February. Wish us luck!

1994

CL ASS AG e N TS

Alison Kennedy Auciello | kennedy.alison@gmail.com

Scott Sartwell | ssartwell7@gmail.com

Chris Saven | csaven@gmail.com

grEg gallivan

I’m working on the Mitt Romney campaign—traveling to many states. It’s been an exciting experience.

1996

CL ASS AG e N TS

Tabitha Bliven Heidorn | tabithakb@gmail.com

Ryan Dowd | rydowd@comcast.net

Sarah Knapps | Saven sksaven@gmail.com

saM anthony

Sam is getting married June 16 to erica Lee. They live in Brooklyn and play in a street hockey league. Sam is getting his master’s from Hunter College on May 29th.

1997

CL ASS AG e N TS

Amy Blake Cook | abcook1979@gmail.com

Lewis Dunn | lewis.dunn@gmail.com

Brian Hetzel | brianhetzel@gmail.com

Danielle Therriault | dtherriault@zappos.com

Brian hEtzEl

I’m still working in the prep school world, down at a small school in southern CT. Still running a ton and am training for my first ultra race. I am entered in the 2012 Transrockies Run, which is a six day, 120-mile stage race through the Colorado Rockies in August. Should be a blast, although 120 miles is quite far. I am running on behalf of the Petit Family Foundation, an organization started by a good friend of mine in honor of his family. Great guy, amazing cause, so worth the effort all around.

1999

CL ASS AG e N TS

Steven Darling | stevenjaydarling@gmail.com

Maura Deedy | maura.deedy@gmail.com

Larry Griffin | lgriffin@gmail.com

Patrick Stone | prstone7@yahoo.com

Mark Soticheck | mark.soticheck@dhgllp.com

larry griFFin

Although I haven’t been able to make it back to the Suffield campus in a long while, I have been fortunate enough to cross paths with several classmates. Most recently, I spent some quality time with Seamus Durkin and John Singleton in Bermuda while in Hamilton for business. I was able to meet Seamus’ lovely wife Maddie, and Seamus and Johnny introduced me to some great local color (and the infamous rum swizzle). earlier this year, Jeff and Dan Beaudette braved the elements for a few days here in Chicago. We tortured Jeff’s wife Lyndsey and my wife Mollie with all of our old jokes and stories. They seemed really curious

about this “Nellie” character. Last but certainly not least, Patrick Stone and I got together for some scorching hot Thai food and reminiscing. I can only hope that I’ll see as many Tigers in the second half of this year.

2000

CL ASS AG e N TS

Michael Coleman | mfc.coleman@gmail.com

Carmine Petrone | carmine@carminepetrone.com

Andrea Rich | andrearich3682@yahoo.com

Manny Simons | manny.simons@gmail.com

Meagan Ward Jenkins | meagward@gmail.com

schuylEr cunninghaM

My wife Hope and I are still living in Washington, DC. Hope is opening a private massage practice, and I’ve taken a job as an oncology social worker at the National Institutes of Health, where I work primarily with patients and families who have blood cancers. I’ve also been cooking at a 3-star restaurant, Seasonal Pantry, for fun in the evenings. Please let me know if you’re in the Washington, DC, area. My email is schuylercunningham@gmail.com.

MEghan o’rEilly

I was recently at a party for my friend’s cousin who just graduated from Wilbraham & Monson Academy. While there, I was introduced to his baseball coach and to his grandfather—both of whom happen to be Suffield grads! John Boozang ’83, Robert Marcus ’50 and I had a great time reminiscing about our times at Suffield. I loved hearing how things have changed from generation to generation!

2001

CL ASS AG e N TS

Paige Diamond | paige.diamond@gmail.com

Greg Hearn | ghearn82@gmail.com

Russ Hearn | russ@dangeruss.us

Ashton Jones | ashtoncjones@gmail.com

Katherine Pratt Coleman | kepratt@gmail.com

noEl von Kohorn sicat

My family and I are so excited to be moving back to the east Coast! I am graduating with an MSW this June from Loma Linda University and soon after will be working as a fellow at Yale University with their Cedarhurst School branch this July. Looking forward to being back home in Connecticut and reconnecting with friends and old classmates.

2002

CL ASS AG e N TS

Sari Biddelman | sari.biddelman@gmail.com

Alison Carey | carey.alison@gmail.com

Hilary Golas | hilary.golas@gmail.com e rin Orr Ligay | e.orr@comcast.net

Lynx LaCroix (Ty Watras) | lisheli@me.com

JEFF dEpEltEau

I am currently in my fifth year in the admissions office at Suffield, and it was another great one. The school is so strong right now. I hope that everyone in the Class of ’02 can make it back for Reunion this fall to see for themselves. I am still working on my master’s in education through George Washington University, which has been really interesting. My son Max is now two years old and is a lot of fun. The sports I am used to watching have been substituted for Disney Channel, but it is a lot of fun. My wife and I enjoy watching him grow and learn. I have really enjoyed coaching the varsity basketball team with Dave Godin, Sean Atkins, and Kyle Vigneault ’09. Kyle joined the coaching staff and the players immediately connected with him. He is going to be a great head coach someday! The Tigers made their fourth consecutive trip to the New england Tournament and third to the New england Final Four. Hopefully, next year we can win the whole thing. This summer I am heading out to Colorado Springs, CO, for the USA Basketball U-18 National Team Trials, where we will pick the U-18 National Team that will compete in the FIBA

Americas Tournament, a qualifier for the World Championships next summer. It should be a great experience! Hope everyone in the class is doing well! I can’t wait to catch up in October!

chris collins

I was recently accepted to the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University and plan to graduate in 2014 with a master’s degree in business administration.

aManda MurdocK MaxwEll

My husband Andre and I recently welcomed our first baby, Andre Xavier Maxwell, on April 24 in Olympia, Washington. We also recently published a children’s book, The Chicken and the Dog, about the adventures of our two backyard chickens and black lab, Sean Connery. Keep up with us on our website chickenandthedog.com.

saM dudEK

After graduating from Northwestern Law in 2010, I practiced general corporate law with Skadden Arps’ Chicago office from early 2011 until April 2012. I took some time off in April to go snowboarding in Whistler Blackcomb with classmate Chris Jarzabek and to visit St. Thomas. In early May, I transferred to my firm’s New York City office. My practice has become more concentrated, and I now focus on mergers and acquisitions of financial institutions. I have recently spent time with classmates Alison Carey and Sari Biddelman, and I am looking forward to catching up with others in the area!

2003

CL ASS AG e N TS

Lydia Pillsbury | LydiaPillsbury@gmail.com

Lindsey Pell | lindsey.k.pell@gmail.com e ric Yale | eric.yale@gmail.com

Lindsay Rousseu | Lindsaymrousseau@aol.com

Bronya Shillo | shillo21@yahoo.com

zachary Faas

Zack has a master’s degree in professional psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. He is currently enrolled in an APA-accredited doctoral clinical psychology

program at MSPP and will be completing his Psy.D in the fall of 2012. Zack works for Children’s Charter and O’Connor Professional Group. He is still great friends with several SA alums from ’03, including erik Westerholm, Chad Aiken, erik Hoagland, and Dave Schnaak. He lives in the Boston area with his girlfriend Steph and their dog Dibs.

chris stonE

Ashleigh and I are coming up on the second year of marriage, and it could not be any better! Our three dogs take up most of our time, along with our jobs. I recently started a custom golf company, D’Tomasso Custom Milled Putters. It specializes in Custom CNC milled putters that are all handmade and hand finished. I also do club building and repair services. Check me out on Facebook and like the page! Congrats to the 2012 graduating class!

lydia pillsBury

This fall I’ll start a master’s of social work program at the University of Pittsburgh. It’s also been fun reconnecting with Jamie Senk ’05 now that we’re both living in Pittsburgh.

2004

CL ASS AG e N TS

Jessica Aiken | jaiken08@yahoo.com

Kate Braden | kate.braden@gmail.com

Alex Naboicheck | alexnaboicheck@me.com

Andrew Scully | arscully@gmail.com

William Taylor | william.r.taylor17@gmail.com

Anthony Rousseau | roo0686@aol.com

JEna grEasEr

The spring has been very busy! My boyfriend and I are moving to Ketchum, Idaho. Last year I attended Mountain Biking Nationals in Ketchum and fell in love with the place. I knew it was the perfect fit to spend the rest of my life. I ran into former headmaster, Dr. David Holmes ’60, while I was there and we will be reunited again in July. I will be competing in the Nationals again this year but now in the professional division. This opportunity brings lots of nerves, yet excitement! I was accepted into the self-designed masters program through Lesley University. My focus is on environment, education, and psychology. My title is yet to be decided, but that is the great thing about the program; you design the program as you go and figure out what works best. I will implement my work in Ketchum. We are working on the “Transition Town Movement: from oil dependency to local resilience.” Ketchum is working towards this movement, and they are calling it “Community Rising.” We are selling our car to be less dependent on fossil fuels and will only be using our bikes and public transportation as a means for movement. I encourage you all to think seriously about our future and support local businesses! Grow your own food, compost, and most importantly, build resilience in your community by becoming as involved as possible. Of course, if you have a bike, dig it out from the garage and use it! Take the 2-Mile Challenge (ride your bike or walk to places within a two mile radius from where you are). We will miss everyone east Coast side, but for those of you West Coast, hopefully I will see you along the journey.

carla FranciosE

I hope everyone has been doing well and wish you all continued luck & success. For the past year I have been the design and product development manager for eA International Ltd. We specialize in packaging design in all different markets, especially the home textile market. I get to work with our salesmen based around the world to create unique designs for our clients. The company is based in Georgia so I travel a lot, but I am fortunate to still live in Brooklyn–a city I have fallen in love with since my days at Pratt Institute. I hope one day soon to come back & visit because I will always cherish my time at Suffield. Please feel free to say hi anytime: carla.franciose@gmail.com is the easiest way to reach me these days. Take care! Go, Yankees!

BoBBy lally

I am finishing up my time working on Coast Guard ships. Our ship was just decommissioned and is being sold to the Filipino Navy. I will be in Charleston, SC, through the summer but am moving back to New england in the fall, where I will be starting grad school for my MBA at Northeastern University in September.

I will still be in the Coast Guard but look forward to hanging up the uniform for two years to attend school. I look forward to seeing some SA classmates once I am back up North.

MichEllE aaron

I am still living and working at Ford Models in NYC. I just got back from Cochella, which was amazing, and am looking forward to the summer time.

will taylor

I recently accepted a full-time position at Christchurch School, a co-ed episcopal boarding school in southeastern Virginia, as the assistant director of development, coaching varsity basketball and varsity lacrosse, and teaching the business strategy and management elective. Best of luck to all the alumni in the 2012 Alumni Lacrosse Game! Go, Tigers!

2005

CL ASS AG e N TS

Rick Devlin | rickdevlin10@gmail.com

Dan Fisher | daniel_a_fisher@yahoo.com

Steph Shaker | shaker.steph@gmail.com

Casey Shanley | cshanley@suffieldacademy.org

tEd FullEr

I’m starting my second year working for APT, an energy efficiency consultant, where I work with Frank Molander ’88. I live in Northampton, MA, with my girlfriend.

JaMEs ansorgE

Just finished my first year at Brooklyn Law School. Spending the summer doing freelance consulting and working as an associate at a government affairs law firm in NYC. Still also growing a non-profit that engages youth with the UN which is planning a major conference in Kenya this November. Have run into some Suffield alumni recently and had great times!

2007

CL ASS AG e N TS

Mike DiPietro | dipietro@gmail.com

Sydney Greenberg | sydney.greenberg@gmail.com

Katy Heydinger | katy.heydinger@gmail.com

Charlie Huck | charlesrhuck@gmail.com

Matt Jones | jonema06@gmail.com

Catherine Mis | cjmis@bu.edu e rik Osborne | Fao615@gmail.com

Meredith Rarus | rarus.meredith@gmail.com

Tyler St. Pierre | tjstpier@gmail.com

Rob Zammito | rzammito@me.com

harry MElEndEz

Things are shaping up! I’ll finally be walking at graduation after completing my credits at Trinity College in December. I founded a running group (I’m Running for Holyoke) in my hometown, which is

having a huge impact on the community—bringing us together and promoting physical activity. On a personal note, I am engaged. On May 11, I proposed to my high school sweetheart, Kimberly Velez on the star of the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. I was in Dallas for a Canadian Football League tryout and seized the moment. Things are exciting, and I hope to be back on campus soon. I am planning on attending Suffield at Fenway! Hope all is well at the Academy. As we all know, the spring season is when Suffield is at its best. Go, TIGeRS!

hannah thoMpson

Working in a contemporary art gallery in Aspen, CO. Loving life! Come say hello if you are in the area.

chris diaMond

All is well for this Suffield alumnus. I am still working for Bloomberg LP. I have recently moved to a fixed income specialist in our analytics department. I am taking the CFA Level 1 in June. My summer plans are to be enjoying NYC and Hoboken, NJ (where I currently live). I plan on attending Pat Donahue’s wedding in August. Additionally; I intend to spend time on the Jersey shore and will be moving into NYC in the fall. Hope all is well at Suffield.

alEssandra pErna

I’ve been living in Tampa, FL, working for the 2012 Republican National Convention, which is August 27-30th! I absolutely love the Tampa Bay area, the warm weather, and all my new friends and coworkers! It’s been an opportunity of a lifetime to work for the Republican Party, and I’m taking advantage of every networking opportunity. I work for external Affairs and am in charge of members of Congress, governors, VIPs, and affiliated groups! Once the Convention is over, I’ll continue on to the campaign trail!

2008

CL ASS AG e N TS

Becca Bathrick | Rebecca.Bathrick@gmail.com

Kirsten Chalke | chalke.kirsten@gmail.com

Thomas Drummond-Hay | thomasdhay@gmail.com

Barbara Kaplan | bkaplan1287@gmail.com

Kaela Keyes | makeyes@loyola.edu

Lindsay Life | lklife@gwmail.gwu.edu

harrison KraMEr

Harrison graduated from Syracuse University in May.

KirstEn chalKE

I graduated from Johns Hopkins University on May 24 with a double major in international studies and economics and a minor in Psychology. I will be moving to NYC shortly after and starting at JP Morgan at the end of June in the public finance department. I will be at SA for my sister’s graduation and can’t wait! It’ll be the seventh SA graduation I have attended in seven years! Hope all is well!

BEcca BathricK

I have just graduated from Seton Hall University with a bachelor’s in nursing. I have accepted a RN position at Yale-New Haven Hospital and am very excited to start my new career! I hope all my fellow classmates are enjoying graduation!

Erica sivEr

I graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.S. in nutrition and dietetics. I can’t believe it’s been four years already! In the fall, I will be doing my dietetic internship at St. Joseph’s College in West Hartford to become a registered dietitian. If anyone else is going to be in the area we should catch up! This past October my long time boyfriend proposed. We will be getting married in the summer of 2013. I hope everyone is well!

2011

CL ASS AG e N TS

e mily Aiken | emily.aiken@trincoll.edu

Joe Begley | begley_bren@bentley.edu

Serge Derby | sergederby@me.com

Kachenta Descartes | kdescartes93@gmail.com

Karoline Hegbom | khegbom@hotmail.com

Didi McDonald | dem252@cornell.edu

Joe Palomba | palombjo@bc.edu

James Park | thelastradiance91@gmail.com

Shamier Settle | shamier.settle@vzw.blackberry.net

Lester Taylor | lctaylor1992@gmail.com

taylor pEucKEr

2012 will be a great year for me as I finish up my postgraduate year at Taft and head to Colby College in the fall! I hope things are going well for you!

JoE paloMBa

I am a freshman at Boston College. I am finishing my first year and have declared chemistry as a major. I am also on the BC cycling team and a part of the pep band.

In Memoriam

MILDReD HASTINGS FeHeR ’35 passed away on May 1, 2012

ARLeNe MCCARL FLOOD ’36 passed away on October 9, 2011

NeLSON W. BABB JR. ’36 passed away on March 15, 2012

BUDD STRATTON ’39 passed away on May 24, 2012

GeORGe FIeLDS ’42 passed away on April 2, 2012

DONALD HeRMAN ’47 passed away on May 21, 2011

JOHN LAMBeRT ’65 passed away in August, 2011

DAVID GROSe ’68 passed away on February 27, 2012

Births

1 To NTsekhe Moiloa ’92 and wife Birgit, a daughter, ella karabo, January 21, 2012

2 To elise Grady Carrier ’92 and and husband andre, twin boys, levi eugene and owen daniel, on January 9, 2012

3 To rosaliNa yap ThoMas ’89, and husband Justin, a daughter, reed pitney, on January 23, 2012

4 To aMaNda MurdoCk Maxwell ’02, and husband andre, a son, andre xavier, on april 24, 2012

5 To MeaGhaN leahy palMer ’97 and husband Todd, a daughter paige Molly, on November 8, 2011

6 To aMy NewMaN VauGhN ’90 and husband Monty, a daughter, Genevieve Violet, on May 24, 2012

7 To MarioN kassler CaNaVaN ’87, and husband paul, a daughter, Charlotte Grace, on april 26, 2012

8 To MaNNy siMoNs ’00 and wife, Caroline, a son hugo william, on March 9, 2012

9 To saNdy MCNaBB’s ’46 daughter Margo and husband, James, twins, kathleen and James, on November 28, 2011

10 To kaTie sChelliNG sloCuM ’98 and husband doug, a daughter, kai, born on February 18, 2012

Not shown:

12 To BrysoN TilliNGhasT ’95 and wife elisabeth, a daughter, Millicent reed, born on May 12, 2012

13 To GeNeVieVe sTeFaNi sTaiB ’00, and husband robert, a daughter, Madeline

14 To JusTiN riChTer ’00 and wife, amanda a son, Gavin James, on May 4, 2012

15 To paTriCia riordaN ChaliaN ’93 and husband, shant a daughter, emma rosalie, on May 30, 2012

deBorah dyer ’77 to ken leroux on april 7, 2011

JasoN weiss ’01 to andrea Norton on april 14, 2012

eriN leeCh ’04 to richard simon on June 2, 2012

kaTie FlaTh ’00 to Matthew Carr

payal Jhawar ’00 to Nishan shah

MaTT dow-alleN ’02 to pamela adams

MaTT weaVer ’03 to kristen Budney

harry MeleNdez ’07 to kimberly Velez

eriCa siVer ’08 to alexander Taupier

www.suffielda C ademy.org /bookstore

alumni

seoul,