THE MURAL
VILLAGE COMMUNITY SCHOOL • SUMMER 2025
LETTER FROM JEN
Engaging Minds and Hearts
Dear Community,
Each edition of The Mural offers a snapshot of the life, learning, and spirit that define VCS, and this issue is no exception. As you turn these pages, you’ll find stories that reflect the curiosity of our students, the dedication of our teachers, and the joy of being part of a community that embraces growth in all its forms.
From the intentional work of our Election Design Team to the expressive power of music, drama, and athletics, this issue captures the many ways our students engage both their minds and hearts. You'll travel with us to Taiwan, witness our commitment to service, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the academic and creative rigor that shape our curriculum. Whether through the analytical lens of math, the energy of our Soirée, or the impact of our community partnerships, the throughline is clear: learning at VCS is dynamic, purposeful, and deeply human.
We come together for joyful traditions like our Spring Musical and meaningful milestones like Graduation. As we stay connected through alumni stories and high school transitions, we’re reminded that education is a lifelong journey. We are proud of all that our students have accomplished and grateful to the faculty, staff, and families who guide, challenge, and champion them every step of the way.
Thank you for being part of this vibrant community. We hope this issue of The Mural leaves you inspired and full of pride for all we’ve done—and all that’s yet to come.
VCS’s Election Design Team Prepared for Anything
Before the school year began, a team of teachers and administrators were already strategizing how to handle a polarizing election season.
By Richard Rodriguez Douglass
The idea to form a committee that would strategize how VCS would approach an inevitably contentious presidential election came from the Upper School directors, Jessica Romero and Helen Huang. When Jessica and Helen asked for volunteers at the end of the 2023–2024 school year, hands were raised, and the Election Design Team was born. The team, which included myself, Jessica, Helen, Sarah Williamson-Broadman (Lower School Director), Naomi Schlesinger (5th Grade Homeroom Teacher), Buster Coen ’10 (5th Grade ELA and Homeroom Teacher), Jenn Gladkowski (Library Teacher), and Christina Pelekanos (6th Grade Advisor), quickly set about our first order of business: answering the question should we even be teaching the 2024 presidential election?
Why Teach the Election?
The 2024 election promised (and proved) to be an extraordinarily controversial topic, stirring a range of intense emotions in just about anyone paying attention. We discussed the pros and cons of bringing such a fraught subject into our classrooms and ultimately decided that avoiding the election would do a disservice to our students, who would still find themselves immersed in our country’s political tumult but without the tools, context, and support we as educators can provide to help them make sense of it all. Moreover, we have always trusted VCS students to tackle difficult topics with maturity, curiosity, and nuance, and they have always lived up to that expectation. After all, our oldest students will be of voting age for the next presidential election, shouldn’t they be prepared?
And so the Election Design Team decided unanimously to teach the 2024 election in school, carefully customizing our approach for each grade.
What did we hope to accomplish by teaching the 2024 Election at VCS? Teaching about elections builds empathy, encourages civic engagement, and celebrates the democratic process. For students, our goal was to
help them to understand how elections work in the United States so that when they absorb news about the election, they aren’t just picking up the salacious, personality-oriented dramatics; they are thinking about the role of the president, the ramifications of policy, and how each campaign fits into the wider context of the American electoral process.
Studies have shown that when middle- and high-school students learn about elections and the electoral process, they are more likely to vote as adults. As a Social Studies teacher, I believe that helping to create a better-informed electorate will lead to a healthier, more effective democracy. I believe in education as a way of preparing young people for democratic participation and to become informed, active citizens, not by telling them what to think, but by teaching them how to think for themselves.
And our preparations for the 2024 election extended well beyond classroom curricula. We anticipated questions, concerns, and potential anxiety from the entire VCS community, so we set about creating strategies and resources to support parents, staff members, and students outside of the classroom. We held multiple workshops for staff, in which we provided strategies for addressing difficult topics and even role-played worst-case scenarios. We also held an evening event for parents to learn about what and how we’re teaching the election and how our staff is being equipped to respond to any contingency.
Preparing Staff
Staff workshops began in August, well before the first day of school. And we weren’t making up the program as we went. The Election Design Team researched resources designed to equip educators with tools and strategies for difficult discussions, political and otherwise. We decided to adopt a series of modules created by Leadership + Design, an organization that provides goal-oriented professional development experiences for educators. Since our goals fell into two categories— student-facing and staff-facing—Leadership + Design created modules to address both concerns.
For staff, our primary goal was to prepare teachers to facilitate dialogue across difference—a critical component of the VCS philosophy—with a toolbelt full of strategies to keep conversations respectful and productive. In September, we held a full staff professional day dedicated to election preparation. We discussed how staff members should intervene if they hear students arguing. We gamed out difficult scenarios. We discussed how and how not to address our own political opinions within the school. And this training wasn’t just for teachers; every adult who works at VCS—from the business office to the maintenance staff—participated so that everyone felt well equipped to handle any difficult situation that may arise during election season.
Preparing Students
The curricula we designed for students varied by grade. In Upper School Social Studies and Advisory classrooms, election-related topics were taught through a weekly series of lessons about political polarization, media-bias, cancel culture, and “dangerous ideas.” We worked with students to build a deeper understanding of the election process, and we equipped them to engage with election-related topics productively and respectfully both inside and out of the classroom.
For younger students, our goal was to teach them the basics of the electoral process so that they can grow into informed voters in the coming years. Lower School students learned what a president does, how voting works, and where voters can get information about the election. Lower School teachers gathered Scholastic magazines and picture books from the Library to support their lessons. They emphasized the importance, excitement, and responsibility of participating in democracy.
Election Day
On Election Day, Upper School students engaged in a mock election, in which students voted on a set of eight bills covering a range of topics. Drawn from bills written by former VCS Model Congress students, those topics included immigration, veterans benefits, environmental justice, gun control, racial justice, and gender equality. Students had opportunities to vote before school, during Snack, during Lunch/Recess, and after school. Representatives from the Student Advisory Board created the ballots and were in charge of administering the polls on Election Day.
This process introduced students to a range of critical issues in our current political landscape and gave them an opportunity to actually engage in both the electoral and governing processes, rather than just simply reading about them.
Embracing Different Opinions
Our ultra-divisive political climate has led to a moment where even adult friends and families avoid speaking about elections. There is a fear that people simply cannot engage with differing opinions. But engaging with differing opinions is exactly what we encourage our students to do, and it’s what sets VCS apart from so many other elementary schools. We believe that the synthesis of perspectives makes for a more enriching and lively learning environment. We have always believed our community to be adaptable, brave, and strong enough to weather whatever is happening in the world beyond West 10th Street. Our willingness and ability to tackle the 2024 presidential election head-on is a wonderful example of that adaptability, bravery, and strength. We could have avoided the discourse—many schools did, as a matter of policy—but we saw the challenges of the 2024 election cycle as an opportunity not only to educate our students about electoral politics but also to reinforce key components of our school philosophy.
By engaging in thoughtful discussion on difficult topics, grappling with real-world current events, and thinking critically about what’s going on in the world, VCS students grow into adults who are capable of putting the world’s many challenges into perspective and making productive, well-informed decisions. We encourage students to voice their opinions, consider diverse perspectives, and understand that their ideas and the ideas of others matter. As they grow, our students carry with them a sense of responsibility and purpose, knowing that they are equipped not only to succeed academically but also as engaged and compassionate citizens.
Upper School students held a mock election to vote on eight bills written by former VCS Model Congress students.
CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT: MATH
After his first year as VCS’s Math Department Coordinator, Tim Head reflects on a curriculum that prioritizes “creativity, adventure, collaboration, and fun” unlike any other math program he’s seen.
By Tim Head
In one corner of the 1st Grade classroom, two students roll three dice, challenging each other’s planning skills in a game of Guess My Two-Digit Number on their designated carpet spots. At a Quiet Table, a pair of students calculate monetary values on iPads with headphones. Nearby, at a small desk, their Lead Teacher uses individual and bundled popsicle sticks to review place values with a group. She pauses briefly, allowing a student to relocate to her preferred spot in the hallway to solve a Whodunnit Math Mystery. This is the modern VCS Math classroom directed by Andrea Couch, our K–1 Math Specialist, and it perfectly exemplifies the type of rigorous, multi-faceted, and curiosity-driven programming that defines our school’s approach to math.
With just a glimpse into the world of mathematical discovery Andrea creates for her students, we see how
structure and understanding blend with joy and creativity from the earliest stages. Here, our students choose from four options on their Math Choice Board and construct their own learning itineraries, each divided into manageable 10-minute blocks. The environment and structure encourage planning one’s learning, self-advocacy, and collaborative group work, which are essential ingredients for both a successful 40-minute math session and a successful math student.
In my first year at VCS, I’ve observed beautiful learning experiences unfold across all grades, from our youngest mathematicians in Kindergarten to our 8th Grade students preparing for Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, and beyond in high school. Having the opportunity to peek into math classes to see how different programs are unfolding with different age groups has inspired in me
a deep appreciation for how our school’s mission comes to life in the classroom. Personally and professionally, this was a year defined by immense joy as I discovered and supported a math program that speaks to everything I believe a child needs to succeed as a strong math student and thinker.
One day, I’m in Arthur’s 3rd Grade classroom calculating the area of irregular “Ninja Warrior” obstacle courses designed by students in small groups. Next, I’m observing Danielle’s 7th Grade Algebra class, where students are creating snowflakes on a coordinate plane using different function equations and domain parameters (one student used seventy-eight!). Later that same afternoon, I’m walking through the second floor with a group of Emily’s 2nd Graders, polling students about their favorite lunches or animals before we sort the data and construct data displays to proudly showcase in the hallway.
In all my years of teaching, I’ve never encountered a staff so dedicated to extracting creativity, adventure, collaboration, and fun from a subject that we were
“I’ve observed that when students are given choices, they take more ownership of their learning and become more invested.”
—Andrea Couch, VCS K-1 Math Specialist
once taught was rigid and rooted in perfection and memorization. Instead of seeking a singular approach, our team celebrates multiple perspectives from math-minded individuals who each view numbers uniquely, fostering shared exploration and appreciation. By encouraging creativity, the math student who embraces freedom of choice will develop stronger skills and be more capable due to this instructional design.
After my first year at VCS, I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to continue working with this team to find new and exciting ways to challenge and inspire the young mathematical minds we have here at our school.
5th Graders Usher in New Musical Era for VCS
Last year’s Fund-a-Need kickstarted a new daytime music curriculum for the 5th Grade, and students are quickly finding their rhythm.
By Kristina Vaskys and Jeannette Miller
At the 2024 VCS Soirée, our community raised $150,000 in support of the performing arts at VCS. One of the centerpieces of that fundraising effort was a new pilot program to bring instrument lessons into the 5th Grade Music curriculum. That program kicked off this year, and music teachers Kristina Vaskys and Jeannette Miller tell us how it went.
This year saw the start of an exciting new music program at VCS, thanks to last year’s Fund-a-Need. As part of the daytime Music curriculum, all 5th Grade students now learn a woodwind or brass instrument throughout the year. In the fall, students chose their instrument: trumpet, clarinet, flute, or saxophone. Then, under the able guidance of teachers Tim Byrnes (trumpet), C.G. Medina (clarinet), Laura Dreyer (saxophone), and Kristina Vaskys (flute and program director), students began learning the basics.
Students quickly learned how to produce sounds and play their first notes, and the progress continued from there. By January, students were prepared for their first recital. On a wintry Thursday morning, 5th Grade families and 4th Grade students gathered to hear the 5th Graders play familiar tunes, including Bill Withers’s immortal “Lean on Me” and Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” The grand finale was a performance of “Hot Cross Buns” performed by the entire 5th Grade class.
The students continued their lessons through the spring, collaborating between instrument classes and practicing both individually and as a full band. We cannot wait to see how they carry their newfound passion into the Upper School, and we are thrilled to welcome a new band of 5th Grade instrumentalists in the fall. Bravo, 5th Grade!
We’re Here for the Drama
Drama Director Liz Thompson reflects on the year in VCS stage performances.
By Liz Thompson
The rustling of the audience settles down as the lights slowly dim. Darkness fills the space, and a quiet stillness blankets the crowd. As the curtains slowly open, the audience’s hearts speed up. They know magic is about to be revealed. They are united in anticipation. And then someone steps onto the stage. This is how it starts.
The journey of a theatrical performance is not unlike that of a school year. Whether it's nerves on the first day starting a new grade or the pulse-quickening excitement over auditions, the start of something new offers that thrilling sense of stepping into the unknown. As students crack open a new school book or a script, they begin the process of creating a story. There will be highs and lows, comedy and tragedy, a whole host of new and fascinating characters to meet, and in the end we are forever changed. Just as it takes a full ensemble of different kinds of artists to create a performance, it takes a diverse community to create each and every school year.
The 2024–2025 Drama season at VCS was no exception. In the fall, our cast and crew of 50 VCS community members brought us “This Murder Was Staged,” a sophisticated comedy that lovingly parodies the murder mystery genre and toys with our expectations around drama, mystery, and comedy. Our Design and Production Elective Upper School students set the tone for this tongue-in-cheek whodunnit with a trailer they directed, styled, filmed, and edited.
Our spring musical, “Xanadu,” brought to life the joy and exuberance of the classic, Olivia Newton-John-starring, 1980 musical. Again, our Design and Production Elective led the charge, all through a lens of glitter and roller skating magic set to Jeff Lynne’s iconic score.
The student-run Design Crew conceptualized and created the set pieces and costume choices for both shows, which helped support our incredible cast (with a few surprise performances by members of the staff). As always, our incredible student-run Stage Crew were busy backstage working spotlights, lining up sound effects cues, opening and closing curtains on time, all while keeping both shows seamlessly moving forward to that final moment.
And then, just like that, it's over. The lights fade, and the curtain closes on another year in VCS Drama.
The Year in VCS Athletics
The first-ever Flag Football season and a Volleyball championship win were highlights of two fantastic sports seasons at VCS.
By Ahmad Nicholson
This year’s fall, winter, and spring athletics seasons at VCS were nothing short of spectacular, showcasing the dedication, talent, and sportsmanship of our student-athletes. From the exciting highs of our championship-winning Volleyball team to the introduction of our first-ever Flag Football season, this year was a true celebration of school spirit and athletic excellence.
VOLLEYBALL
Through hard work and rigorous training, our Volleyball players delivered an extraordinary performance on the court to secure the D.I.S.C. Championship title this season. Our players’ teamwork, determination, and skill were on full display as they navigated a tough season marked by daunting competition. Their championship win highlights not only our Volleyball students’ athletic ability, but also their dedication to supporting each other, proving that collaboration and leadership are keys to success. The entire school community came together to cheer them on, making the victory even sweeter and reinforcing the importance of teamwork both on and off the court.
SOCCER
The fall Soccer season was filled with standout moments. Our 6th Grade and 7th & 8th Grade Soccer teams demonstrated a combination of grit and sportsmanship that made us proud. Both teams played with spirit and determination, and while we did not bring home a championship title, our teams' growth, discipline, and commitment to their sport were evident in every match. Our Soccer players displayed tremendous sportsmanship, and their ability to work together, support each other, and improve week by week has laid the foundation for
future success. The fall season proved to be an excellent opportunity for our athletes to develop skills and grow as players and teammates.
BASKETBALL
As we transitioned into winter, our Basketball teams took center stage, with both the boys' and girls' programs excelling on the court. The girls' Basketball teams had fantastic seasons, filled with strong performances and lots of growth. The teamwork and leadership demonstrated by both of our girls teams was inspiring.
The boys' Basketball teams were equally filled with talent and ambition, and the 7th & 8th Grade team nearly took home our second D.I.S.C. Championship of the year, falling just short in the playoffs despite a passionate and skillful performance. Their focus, athleticism, and commitment to the game were inspiring. Their success is a testament to what can be achieved through relentless effort, discipline, and teamwork.
FLAG FOOTBALL
As the weather warmed up, we were thrilled to begin a new season of VCS sports, this one with a brand-new offering: Flag Football.
Our first-ever Flag Football team brought energy and competition to the field, with practices focused on
agility, strategy, and teamwork. Our coaches developed a range of challenging drills to help our players develop, and each and every one of them rose to the occasion, executing precise plays, key defensive stops, and jaw-dropping throws and catches.
TRACK & FIELD
Our Track & Field program continued to grow this year, giving students more opportunities to shine in a variety of events. From sprints and relays to long jumps and shot put, our student-athletes trained hard and pushed their limits. Track & Field not only builds individual endurance and strength but also fosters team unity and school pride. We were thrilled to witness personal bests, powerful finishes, and plenty of VCS spirit throughout a season that culminated in a Fun Run with the other D.I.S.C. schools, where we were so happy to celebrate with the families of our athletes.
LOOKING AHEAD
This year in VCS sports was a celebration of athletic excellence, sportsmanship, and community pride. Our athletes, coaches, and supporters worked hard to create a thriving sports culture that will only continue to grow. As we look ahead to next year, there is so much excitement about what our athletes will accomplish next. With the full support of our community, we are confident that our sports programs will continue to reach new heights, creating lasting memories and fostering a sense of pride and achievement. Go Blue Jays!
The Taiwan Travelog
For two months leading up to Spring Break, five VCS 8th Graders met with Upper School directors Jessica and Helen to prepare for a once-in-a-lifetime guided adventure in Taiwan through VCS’s “Beyond the Classroom” program. They strategized physical, mental, and emotional awareness and emphasized DEIB work to ensure they made the most of their nine-day trip with full respect for their surroundings. Our young travelers prepared to approach the adventure not as tourists but as guests, eager to understand a new culture and learn more about their place in the world.
During the trip, students immersed themselves in Taiwanese culture and history, sharpened their language skills, and explored many of the incredible sites in Taipei and Yilan, all while staying with Taiwanese homestay families. The following travelog provides just a taste of their incredible experience.
The Journey Begins
On the evening of Sunday, March 16th, we met at the airport for our 1:00 a.m. flight. We were so excited for this journey, but also a little nervous and sad to be leaving our families. As we crossed the international date line, we joked, “Did we just lose a full day?” It’s an odd thing to depart on Sunday night and arrive on Tuesday morning, but once we landed in Taiwan, the excitement took over. We couldn’t believe we were really there!
First Impressions of Taipei
On the morning of March 18th, we arrived in Taipei! After dropping off our bags, we explored a local neighborhood, strolling through parks where elders exercised, wandering through traditional outdoor markets full of vibrant fruits, snacks, and street foods. We even visited a supermarket and naturally started comparing it to the ones back home.
Later, we followed the itinerary we had built together at school, including an incredible lunch at Din Tai Fung, where we enjoyed soup dumplings and many other delicious dishes. (We were so full and sleepy afterward!) The evening brought a welcome dinner with our homestay families and school partners— a warm, joyful gathering that made transitioning to our new homes feel much easier.
School Life and Cultural Exchange
Our host school designed a thoughtful schedule for us. Each day, we attended hands-on classes taught in a mix of English and Mandarin, practicing our language skills and learning about Taiwanese life from the inside out. One of the most meaningful experiences was our "internship" in the school library, where we read beloved childhood books to younger students. It was a sweet trip
Follow our 8th Grade Students on their Spring Break trip through the cities of Taipei and Yilan.
down memory lane for us, and the younger students listened intently, took notes, and hugged us afterward, thanking us for sharing.
Family Time and Daily Life
Our homestay families welcomed us with open arms, eager to introduce us to their favorite foods, places, and traditions. They went out of their way to show us around, and we felt deeply cared for and embraced as part of their families. These experiences gave us a glimpse into everyday life in Taiwan — the routines, the values, the spirit of the people.
Exploring Yilan:
A Student-Led Adventure
When it was time to visit Yilan, we followed the plan we had crafted ourselves back at school. First, we explored the National Traditional Arts Center, participating in three hands-on
workshops to experience traditional crafts, costumes, and theater. We marveled at the beauty of Bamboo Lake and compared its nature to what we know at home. That evening, we savored local dishes at a bustling night market.
The next day, we visited our pen-pal school. We took group classes together, made dumplings for lunch, and even met the nationally-ranked middle school baseball team—an unforgettable highlight! Before returning to Taipei, we relaxed in a local hot spring, soaking in the experience.
Closing the Journey
On our last day, with our flight scheduled for 7:00 p.m., we decided to make the most of our time. We visited the National Palace Museum to admire centuries of art and history, and we set out lanterns carrying our good wishes. We reflected with excitement on all that we’d seen and done
in Taiwan. We are world travelers now, and we can’t wait for our next adventure!
VCS trips abroad are part of our Beyond The Classroom programing, which provides unique, out-of-school experiences to students across all grades. This year, VCS families came together to bolster and expand our Beyond The Classroom programming through our 2024–2025 Fund-a-Need, which raised more than $132,000 for Beyond The Classroom. Thank you to everyone who contributed!
Monsters in the Margins:
The Singular Creative
Career
of Brendan Lorber ’84
The poet, visual artist, and fantasy map-maker joined us for a wide-ranging, funny, and sometimes self-deprecating look back over a unique artistic journey that began at VCS.
Brendan Lorber ‘84 has two memories of getting in trouble at VCS. The first was in a math class. His teacher was helping students wrap their heads around some tricky concepts in geometry by having them draw shapes on grid paper, but, as often happened when a pencil was in his hand, Brendan got carried away.
“We were meant to draw these shapes with very specific lines and vectors, but I started drawing creatures all over the page, hanging off the shapes and crawling in the margins,” he said. “I had to stay late and redo the assignment because whatever math might have been on the page was made unintelligible by the creatures.”
The second time Brendan remembers getting in trouble (though he admits the math incident was probably not an isolated occurrence) was years later, long after he had graduated from VCS. Brendan had already established himself as a successful poet and visual artist, and VCS invited him back to teach a poetry workshop for Lower School students. A polymath with personal and professional interests ranging from journalism to astronomy—his Brooklyn home is known to friends as the Kensington Observatory—Brendan quickly found that classroom management was one skill that lay firmly outside his expertise.
“I was trying to teach these big, needlessly complicated ideas about poetry to a room full of seven- and eight-year-olds, and I just couldn’t keep their attention,” he said. “I ended up bribing them
with Skittles and M&Ms to keep them from running around the room.” Unsurprisingly, the administrative team did not approve of that method. “They told me that’s not really how they do things around there. So that was a short-lived experiment.”
Those incidents, decades apart, trace a throughline of Brendan’s creative life: an artistic passion that is often too big, too exploratory for the confines of a single academic or professional pursuit, which may explain why Brendan, once adamant about becoming a journalist in high school, instead found himself writing poetry, publishing a literary magazine (Lungfull, “an Annual Compendium of Horrible Mistakes,” publishes rough drafts of creative work to shine light on the creative process), hosting a “fake meteorologist” YouTube channel (the “Acculorber” forecasts far more than just the weather), and most recently, creating custom fantasy maps that reimagine, for example, the discography of Celine Dion as a vast and varied geographic landscape (“She’s not exactly my personal musical preference, but I listened to everything she’s recorded for that project.”)
Even if Brendan’s artistic inclinations were sometimes ill-suited for some classrooms, he credits VCS with inspiring and nurturing his creativity. “I vividly remember my art classes. I felt so comfortable in that environment, and not just in creating art, but in all the interactions that revolved around art,” he said. “I liked painting and drawing, of course, but I also really loved talking about
painting and drawing and connecting it to the other things going on in our lives.”
Brendan’s artistic interests were equally supported at home. His mother and father, an abstract impressionist painter (“at a time when that was considered passe; now it’s come back around”), encouraged Brendan to lose himself in drawing. “They loved that I was drawing all the time, and they were excited that I was passionate about it.” At nine, with his parents’ help, Brendan submitted a drawing he’d made of an underground city—“one of the many weird environments I would draw”—to an art contest in Cricket magazine, which he won.
After graduating from VCS, Brendan attended Stuyvesant High School, where his primary creative interest shifted from drawing to writing. “I was still taking art classes, but I wasn’t very advanced and didn’t see myself going in that direction,” he said. “I was the editor of the school newspaper, and that’s really where I saw myself headed in life.”
Still, Brendan admits that much of the fun of running a newspaper for him was in the graphic design. “Back then, you had to print out the text of columns and literally paste it onto grid paper to create the layout of the newspaper. That’s where I really started to explore what I could get away with.” It’s also where Brendan learned to embrace mistakes, a tendency that would become a sort of mission statement for Lungfull years later. When
Stuyvesant was preparing to move campuses after years of false starts, Brendan's editorial team debated whether their article should take the school at its word. "We were trying to decide if the headline should be ‘This Is It’ or ‘Is This It?’” Brendan doesn’t remember which headline they chose, but he remembers the headline that was printed: “Is This Is It?” “At first, we were mortified,” he said. “But then we realized it was so terrible that we had better lean into it. We had it printed on t-shirts and everything.”
After high school, Brendan attended the University of Chicago for one year before transferring to Wesleyan. “I’m very affected by the mood around me, and the mood at University of Chicago—and I think there’s even some pride around this—was pretty miserable,” Brendan explained. Before he transferred, Brendan took a class in astrophysics, and once again, he found himself pulled into a new area of fascination. “I was convinced that I was going to be a writer or an artist of some sort, but I was so excited by astrophysics and astronomy. It was this huge class for non-majors, like 150 people, and I fell in with a group of classmates who were also extremely interested in the subject despite not being majors. We got to take a trip to Fermilab and see a lecture by Stephen Hawking, who we all got to meet. It was just an incredible experience.”
Today, Brendan’s work draws from all of his disparate passions, perhaps most explicitly in the fantasy maps he
began drawing during the Covid pandemic. “In the early months of Covid, I drew two maps inspired by poets I love as a way of inviting them into my home when I couldn’t actually have people over,” he said. Brendan posted those maps, which reimagined John Ashbery and Gertrude Stein’s emotional themes and literary motifs as rolling seas, lush valleys, and vast deserts, on Instagram and quickly found an audience eager for more.
“It made me realize this could be something more than just a personal meditation,” he said. “People started asking me for prints, so I reached out to some friends of mine who have a printing press, and we ran off like 50 hand-cranked, letter-pressed prints of the two maps I had created.”
Brendan’s maps sold well, inspiring him to open shops on Etsy and Uncommon Goods, where he sells his maps and takes commissioned orders, like one from a Beatles fan who asked Brendan to make a map of the band’s discography for her 75th birthday.
A few years ago, the Museum of Modern Art reached out to acquire a map Brendan had made depicting the work of Frank O’Hara. The poet had been a curator at MoMA, and they wanted Brendan’s map for a collection they were building about O’Hara’s work at the museum. In February, the production company behind a new stage production of “The Lord of the Rings” at Radio City Music Hall contacted Brendan to create a map that overlays
New York’s five boroughs over Middle-Earth. He has even started teaching courses to help people make maps of their own emotional lives or relationships.
So, has Brendan finally found a permanent niche as a map-maker? Not likely. These days, Brendan has leveraged his tendency to follow new and diverse inspirations—the same tendency that had him staying late in math class to redo his work so many years ago—into a beautifully idiosyncratic artistic career that never seems to settle into one place, or even one medium, for long.
But even as his work and passions evolve, Brendan says he remains firmly rooted in the VCS community. “I am still in touch with so many VCS classmates,” he said. “I’ve lived in New York my whole life, and those relationships are still important to me.”
Brendan’s journey from somewhat distracted VCS student to somewhat distracted professional writer and artist is a testament to the holistic nature of artistic inspiration. His passion for exploring interests, wherever they lead, and incorporating them into his art proves that no knowledge, no curiosity is superfluous. VCS students are taught to consider how the subjects they engage with in different classrooms commingle and inform each other. Any student who is curious to see how that philosophy may be leveraged into a successful career in the arts would do well to check out a map of Brendan’s life.
Community Service
This year’s Canned Food Drive garnered a record-breaking 440 pounds of food and 281 Fresh Direct bags! 2024-2025
Thanks to 3rd and 4th Graders and our parent volunteers, we donated 600 packets of seeds to City Growers!
For this year’s Toiletry Drive, we created 600 kits in benefit of The Door, a non-profit that supports NYC youth.
During this year’s Winter Coat Drive, we collected 161 coats and winter accessories for Homes for the Homeless.
During this year’s Halloween Costume Drive VCS collected 259 costumes to ensure that kids around NYC could have a special and spooky Halloween!
Highlights From the VCS Soirée
This year’s Western-themed Soirée was a rootin’, tootin’ celebration of the VCS community, which came together to raise more than $132,000 for Beyond the Classroom programming.
From the Fall Festival to the Summer Send-Off, our community has no shortage of opportunities throughout the year to come together and celebrate all things VCS. But there’s only one annual event that’s just for adults: The VCS Soirée, and with food, music, dancing, and mingling, we always make the most of it. This year’s Soirée, however, had just a little extra flair thanks to a Western theme, which had our families partying in their finest cowboy and cowgirl attire.
Held on a Tuesday evening in February and hosted by Co-Chairs Wendy Amsterdam, Jill Preschel, and Sarah Rueven, this year’s event saw current parents, incoming families, and staff eating, dancing, bonding, and crucially, raising money in support of a critical component of the VCS experience: Beyond the Classroom.
Every year the Soirée offers an opportunity to support the annual Fund-a-Need—a collection of programming or resources that can be uplifted with additional funding outside of our annual budget—through a paddle raise, auction, and raffle.
This year’s Fund-a-Need was directed at Beyond the Classroom, our suite of off-campus learning experiences. Beyond the Classroom experiences are designed to help students apply the skills and concepts they’ve learned in the classroom in the real world through a wide variety of field trips, overnights, camps, and trips abroad. The Fund-a-Need proposal included new and upgraded Beyond the Classroom experiences, designed in coordination with teachers, for every single grade. Those experiences include trips and overnights to museums, farms, theaters, fashion classes, and so much more.
With some encouragement from our intrepid emcees David Amsterdam and Dan Rueven, our community raised more than $132,000 in support of Beyond the Classroom, ensuring that students across all grades benefit from the expansion of this vital programming.
This year’s Soirée was a fantastic success by any measure, and we’re particularly grateful for the way it reminds us of the strength and dedication of the VCS community. We owe an enormous thanks to everyone who supported this year’s event. We tip our ten-gallon hats to you!
AN INSIDE LOOK AT VCS SUMMER DAY CAMP
Teacher and Camp Counselor Rosalie Rivera-Chacon walks us through a day in the life of a VCS camper.
By Rosalie Rivera-Chacon
Who wants to stay at school over summer? At VCS, the answer is quite a few students! But “school” is definitely not the right word. Starting after commencement in June, VCS transforms from a school into a full summer camp—complete with arts & crafts, day-trips, sporting events, and all the other hallmarks of the camp tradition.
Led by a team of VCS teachers turned counselors, VCS Summer Day Camp allows rising 1st–6th Grade students to spend two extra weeks with their friends, engaging in the kind of creative, vibrant fun our community cultivates throughout the year, but with more treats and fewer math problems.
Each camp session also included a field trip to get our campers out of the school building and engaged with nature and wildlife. This year’s field trips were to the Central Park Zoo in the first session and to Battery Park and the Playscape in the second session. Campers were delighted to get their exclusive VCS Camp t-shirts to wear on the trips!
Now, let’s take a closer look at what a typical day at VCS Camp looks like.
9:00–9:15 a.m.
Morning Arrival and Welcome
The day begins early as parents drop off their campers, greeted by music and cheerful counselors. Because camp is led by VCS teachers, campers skip the learning curve of adjusting to new adults that can sometimes hamper early camp experiences, especially for younger children. This welcoming atmosphere sets the tone for an exciting day ahead. Campers gather in their designated areas to meet their counselors and fellow campers. They greet
one another, go over the schedule, and share important announcements. Then they play some ice-breaker games to foster friendships among students who may not have had a chance to get to know each other throughout the school year.
9:20–10:45 a.m.
Papier-Mâché, and Sports, and More
After morning greetings and games, it’s time to get into the real business of summer camp: activities! Our counselors have planned a variety of experiences that cater to different interests and skill levels. Kids choose from a range of activities, including arts and crafts, sports, cooking, and gardening among others. Each camp session offers a different selection of activities, and our teachers have curated experiences that they are passionate about exploring with campers.
Activities are tailored to specific age groups, some broad and some narrow, allowing campers to do activities with a variety of different groups. For example, a 2nd Grade camper may enjoy an activity geared towards younger children with their Grades 1–3 group before joining a 1st-6th Grade group for a more all-ages-friendly activity.
One morning, 1st–3rd Grade campers start the day by heading to the cafeteria for a Kids in the Kitchen exploration to make rainbow fruit kabobs followed by a visit to the Art Room to create papier-mâché sculptures that resemble delicious desserts. Meanwhile, campers in 4th-6th Grades, begin their day with a Creative Gardens exploration before breaking a sweat in the gym during Multi Sports.
10:50–11:30 a.m.
Mid-Morning Snack and Game Room
As the morning winds on, campers have worked up an appetite, so now it’s time for a snack. While enjoying their snack, campers spend a little down time in the Game Room listening to music and chatting with other campers. Sharing snacks, stories, and laughter strengthens friendships and promotes a sense of belonging.
Following snack, campers will continue to have fun in the Game Room, a space designed to allow campers some autonomy and enjoy some free time with their friends engaging in activities of their choosing. You might see campers making friendship bracelets, playing air hockey, drawing pictures, playing board games, or simply chatting with their friends during this time.
11:35 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Creative Gardens and Kids in the Kitchen
After finishing their snack and Game Room fun, the group heads off to their next activity. Now it’s time for 1st–3rd Grade campers to work on their Creative Gardens, while 4th–6th heads over to the cafeteria for their Kids in the Kitchen exploration.
12:20–1:10 p.m.
Lunchtime and Recess
By noon, campers have already had a jam-packed morning and are ready to take a break, relax, and enjoy their lunch. Our kitchen staff stays on throughout the two camp sessions to ensure that all campers have nutritious meals that meet their various dietary needs. Once lunch is cleaned-up, we head over to the Sky Yard or Gym for Recess activities, where students can select or create their own activities and games to play with their friends under counselor supervision. After Recess, some quiet time is encouraged. Campers may read, chat with friends, or participate in a mindfulness activity, giving them time to unwind and recharge.
1:15–1:55 p.m.
More Sports and Art
In the final rotation of activities, 1st–3rd Grade campers have their turn to play Multi Sports, while 4th–6th Grade students create designs using resin in their Resin Art class.
2:00–2:40 p.m.:
Electives
One of the most exciting parts of the VCS Camp experience is the electives. Here, campers split into self-selected groups to explore a variety of activities, such as Act It Out, Volleyball, Game Design, and Painting. In this final part of the day, campers can work together with those who share a similar interest to learn how to design a board game, collaborate on putting on a show, paint a beautiful portrait, or simply play a game together. This allows them the opportunity to connect with someone over mutual interests and make new friends.
2:40–3:00 p.m.
End of Day Dessert and Dismissal
As the day comes to an end, campers gather once more in Gym B to get ready for Dismissal. Before we go, we are treated to a surprise snack from the kitchen staff. Maybe it will be ice pops or mini cupcakes today! Campers are encouraged to share their favorite moments, what they learned, and what they’re looking forward to tomorrow as they enjoy their treats. This reflection fosters a sense of closure and accomplishment.
Parents arrive to pick up their campers with smiles (and maybe frosting) on their faces. With plenty of stories to tell, kids leave eager to return the next day for more fun at VCS Camp.
Exploring a World Beyond the Classroom
Off-campus learning is central to the VCS experience. Thanks to this year’s Fund-a-Need, there are new and revitalized off-campus experiences for students in every grade.
In his 12 years at Village Community School, Richard Rodriguez Douglass has held a number of roles at the school. He’s been an Advisor, an English Teacher, a Social Studies Teacher, a Basketball Coach, a Trustee, and a Dean of Educational Leadership. He’s also been a bear, a serial killer, and a demon baby. Those last few were not official titles, but his roles in the traditional jump-scare at the annual Upper School Overnight are some of his most cherished experiences at VCS. “It’s one of my favorite parts of the year,” he said. “The kids love it. There is always so much laughter, and maybe a little bit of shrieking. It’s just so fun and cathartic, even when they see it coming.”
Held in September, the Upper School Overnight is one of the first major events of each school year, and Richard says that timing is critical. “We kick off the school year with the Overnight so that we can instantly instill a sense of community among our Upper Schoolers. It’s an immediate bonding opportunity, and for teachers, it allows us to observe social dynamics and really get a sense of what we’re working with for the year.”
It is fitting that one of the first and most important events of the school year takes place off campus. VCS has long prioritized off-campus learning as a way to engage students not just with their coursework but with
the world at large. This year, off-campus learning at VCS got a major boost thanks to community contributions to our annual Fund-a-Need campaign, which raised more than $132,000 to expand and revitalize Beyond the Classroom programming.
Beyond the Classroom is VCS’s extensive—and as of 2025, far more extensive—suite of off-campus learning experiences. The programming is sweeping in scope, including everything from museum visits to science camps to week-long international journeys. According to Head of School Jen Mitchell, Beyond the Classroom represents one of the crucial differentiators between VCS and our peer schools.
“What sets us apart is that our outings aren’t just field trips; they’re thoughtfully curated experiences that are specifically rooted in our mission and curriculum,” Jen said. “We are intentional about having our students engage with hands-on, real-world experiences.”
Jen points to John Dewey, the philosopher and psychologist whose work inspired much of modern American academic pedagogy, as an inspiration for our school’s emphasis on off-campus learning. “Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results,” Dewey wrote.
“We want our students doing, not just observing, not just listening,” Jen said. “We want to provide them with real exposure to diverse communities, creative spaces, complex histories, and vibrant cultures.”
VCS’s newly revitalized Beyond the Classroom programming includes brand new or expanded off-campus experiences for students in every grade, including some that kicked off in the spring, just weeks after the VCS Soirée, where a paddle-raise in support of the Fund-a-Need raised the vast majority of the funding required for the new programming. Before the Fund-aNeed campaign, Jen and the Division Directors worked closely with Homeroom Teachers to build a wishlist of trips and experiences that would best complement their curricula. Using that wishlist as a guide, they established the following new and revitalized programming, all directly supported by funding from the Fund-a-Need:
• A Kindergarten day trip to the American Natural History Museum.
• A 1st Grade day trip to the Queens County Farm Museum.
• A 2nd Grade day trip to the Galli Theater.
• A 3rd Grade day trip to The Fashion Class.
• 4th and 5th Grade overnight trips to Hawthorne Valley Farm.
• A 6th–8th Grade overnight trip to Bryn Mawr Mountain Retreat.
• An 8th Grade end-of-year trip to Washington, D.C.
• An 8th Grade trip abroad.
• A 6th–8th Grade science camp.
The Perfect Off-Campus Experience
Every trip outside the classroom should be relevant to the coursework, but it’s equally important that the experience is relevant to students’ lives. “We really want to use these trips as an opportunity to show students how what they’re learning in the classroom is applied in the real world, ideally to things that they are interested in or inspired by, which they may have never before even associated with the in-class curriculum,” said 5th Grade Teacher Naomi Schlesinger.
“A trip that doesn’t excite students in some way is a waste of time,” said Assistant Kindergarten Teacher Josh Gomes ’15. “We want to show kids what the world has to offer. And what’s inspiring or thrilling to students is different at every grade, which is why it’s so essential that we have different trips specifically designed for each grade. They have to feel novel.”
In the winter, 7th Grade Advisor and Drama Director Liz Thompson chaperoned a trip to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where students explored the museum’s “Flight into Egypt” exhibit, which examined how Black artists have engaged with ancient Egypt through an array of art forms over more than 150 years. “It’s hard to describe how impactful that experience was,” Liz said.
“It was about really feeling something that just could not be expressed in a book or a classroom. It was beyond academics. You could see the way students were registering their own place in history and their role in this ongoing story. It was incredibly powerful.”
Applying VCS Values in the Real World Trips off campus also challenge our students to live up to the values and expectations of our community in real-world scenarios—a challenge they are eager to meet. “We treat our students as real, full people, deserving of all the respect owed to an adult, and we teach them to treat others with the same respect, so it’s always inspiring to see them bringing that respect out into the real world,” said Richard. “I love to see our students ask tough questions and really listen to the answers given by the people we interact with on trips, and I’m always so proud of the way VCS students expect to be treated with respect. They don’t like being talked down to or treated like they can’t understand something. They know how capable they are, and they are determined to prove it.”
Upper School Spanish Teacher Rosario Campos says her 8th Grade class trip to El Museo del Barrio is a demanding experience that her students always make the most of. “Confronted with real people and real issues, students are challenged to apply their knowledge in unfamiliar contexts,” she said. “These moments allow them to reconsider what they’ve learned in class and how it applies to identity, representation, and community values.”
According to Naomi, the values of respect and curiosity that our students live up to outside the classroom tend to stick with the people they meet.
“At the end of almost every trip, someone pulls me aside to tell me how impressed they are with our kids,” she said. “You know, they have seen well-behaved kids before, they’ve seen polite students, but they are struck by how eager our students are to really engage with whatever is being presented to them. When you are explaining something that you care deeply about to a group of students, it’s fine if they nod their heads and smile and move on, but you really hope that they are fascinated and ask questions and try to relate what
they’re learning to things they already know, and that’s what we always see from VCS students.”
A New Way of Seeing the World
Each year, Julia Attie’s 2nd Grade class walks across the Brooklyn Bridge. As they make their way across the bridge, they fill out “I Spy” activity sheets to mark the NYC landmarks they spot. Julia says she loves students’ excitement when they identify something they know from their classwork. But what really makes the trip profound, she says, is how the kids see New York afterwards.
“I love how I can see students thinking critically about the landscape after that trip,” she said. “Most pedestrians might marvel at the beauty of the buildings and bridges, but our 2nd Graders have this vocabulary that allows them to think about these structures beyond just how they look. They really are experts. It’s so incredible to see them teach their parents new information as they’re walking around.” Same goes, she says, for her street-sign outing at the beginning of the year, in which students walk around the school building to fill out a map of the block. “After developing this skill at school, you see students starting to look more at street signs in their everyday lives. They love to bring their observations back to the classroom.”
“The main thing I want students to take away from any trip is that school is not the only—maybe not even the best—place for learning,” Josh said. “You don’t come to school for seven hours and then the learning is done when you leave the building. The best learning happens out in the real world.”
Rosario says her immersive Spanish language and culture trips—including a 10-day Spring Break trip to Spain for 8th Graders that occurs every other year (alternating years with a trip to a Mandarin-speaking country)—give students a new perspective on themselves and their place in the world.
“By participating in these immersive projects, students begin to see themselves as global citizens,” she said. “Learning becomes more than academic—it becomes personal. The Spring Break trips are particularly transformative. They offer the rare opportunity for students to step into a new culture and really live in it, not just study it. They return with greater confidence, empathy, and independence. These are defining experiences that stay with them long after graduation. These trips speak to and inform who our students are and who they are becoming.”
“By participating in these immersive projects, students begin to see themselves as global citizens. Learning becomes more than academic—it becomes personal."
—Rosario Campos, Upper School Spanish Teacher
Why Now?
This year’s reinvestment in Beyond the Classroom is part of a strategic effort to ensure our school is broadening students’ perspectives at a time when technology risks narrowing them. “We live in a time when many young people’s experience of the world is filtered through screens and algorithms,” Jen said. “It is more important than ever to guide our students to develop real-world awareness and cultural competence. Our Beyond the Classroom programming is designed to cultivate curiosity and help our students understand their place in and contributions to a diverse and dynamic world. We want them to truly experience the richness and complexity of the world beyond West 10th Street.”
In Their Own Words: Excerpts from the Class of 2025’s Graduation Speeches
Each year’s graduation ceremony is an opportunity to honor our graduating 8th Graders as they receive their diplomas and prepare to embark on the next chapter of their academic careers. It’s also an opportunity for our newest graduates to speak on their VCS experience in their own words, reflecting on their time here—in many cases nearly a decade—and offering their perspective on the value of a VCS education.
In June, the Class of 2025 took to the podium in our auditorium to address an audience of family, staff, and fellow students. Their remarks offered a revealing glimpse into the life of VCS students and what it means to embody our mission as a student and person.
We couldn’t be more proud to have these young graduates represent VCS as they head into high school and beyond. Congratulations to the Class of 2025, our newest VCS alumni!
“Along with the students there are so many teachers at VCS who care so deeply about our well being and accommodating all of our learning needs.” — Ahana G.
“VCS has not only been the place where I grew up, but the place where I found unexpected friendships and a community that truly feels like home.” — Aino H.
“I’m not just excited for the future; I’m grateful for the past. And more than anything, I’m thankful for this moment.” — Lux V.
“Of course, VCS has taught me how to multiply and divide, how to use ethos, logos, and pathos, how to calculate velocity, and how the US became a country. But, more importantly, VCS has taught me what it means to be a part of a community.” — Haley L.
“I loved being able to see how I could make a difference on topics I cared about like climate change, wealth inequality, and more.” — Shirley K.
“Between the teachers, faculty staff, and students, I feel comfortable being myself around everyone at VCS. And I love how our whole grade feels like a big family. “ — Savannah L.
“I came to VCS in third grade, but people think I’ve been here since kindergarten. I have the VCS vibe. The certain energy people pick up here. The mature, responsible, funny personality that we collectively share.” — Francis S.
“VCS taught me so much. It taught me how to be kind, how to connect with people, how to listen, and how to lead. It taught me that mistakes are just part of the journey and that growth often comes when we least expect it.” — Noah K.
“The best parts of VCS weren’t always on the lesson plan. It was the laughs in class, the awkward presentations, the quick “did you do the homework?” whispers before class started. It was those moments that made this school feel like a community, not just a place to learn.” — Ryan R.
“Throughout my time at VCS, I have always had a sense of belonging. I have always felt it is my school, my community, and a place I have belonged. I feel I have been committed to our community—we are all a part of a greater community, and all our actions have an effect on all of us—I doubt I will find this anywhere else. I have been given a voice, I have been allowed individuality, while being embraced.” — Lucas B.
“My experiences at this school have taught me who I am and how I want to move forward in the world. Time will always march forward and things will always change; VCS has helped me learn to march and change with it.” — Margot G.
“It didn’t happen overnight, but VCS helped me believe in myself again. It helped me see that the right environment— one filled with support, kindness, and understanding—can completely change your life. And for me, it truly did.”
— Josephine G.
VCS Alumni
Mark Kriegel ’76 is the author of “Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson,” which is his latest book. It has been described as “a masterpiece bound up with such deep reporting that you’ll feel at the end like you’ve crawled into Mike Tyson’s skin, tunneled into his soul, until the iron myth slips away and a man in full, broken but also intact claws off the page.”
Cassandra Neyenesch ’83 is very excited to share that “I’m publishing my debut novel, ‘A Little Bit Bad,’ with Simon and Schuster in May of ‘26.”
Jody Sperling ’84 recently returned from a two-week, three-city tour of Egypt, where she performed in a concert with the Time Lapse Dance ensemble in partnership with The New York Society for Ethical Culture, the site of their Eco-Artist-Residency. The company followed in the footsteps of Loïe Fuller, who toured Egypt with her dancers in 1905.
Maggie Pisacane ’90 writes, “After VCS, I attended UNIS for high school, Harvard for undergrad,
and then Columbia Law School. After several career changes, including being a partner at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz specializing in entertainment law, I moved over to the talent agency WME as an agent, and I am now a senior partner and run the documentary department, representing some of the most lauded and successful documentary filmmakers, producers and IP generators in premium nonfiction. My older son, Graydon Goldbarg, graduated VCS in 2024 and is now a freshman at Fieldston, and my younger son, Dash, is in 5th grade (class of 2028). My husband, Seth Goldbarg, is an electrophysiologist and the director of EP at one of the NY-Presbyterian hospitals. We live in the West Village next to my parents (and my childhood home!)”
Elijah GoodFarm ’91 writes, “After an unexpected departure from my friends at VCS, I relocated to Santa Fe, where I spent two decades immersed in the beauty of the Southwest. Following that chapter, I moved to Wasilla, Alaska, where I established a dog rescue and am currently working on completing a community healing center. In my leisure time, I take
full advantage of Alaska’s stunning natural landscapes through activities such as backcountry skiing, sailing, fly fishing, hiking, and gold prospecting. I often think of my friends from VCS and wonder where life has taken them. Sending you all my warmest wishes and hoping that our paths will cross again in the future!”
Along with his family, Jordon Ferber ’92 held the 20th Annual Russell Ferber Foundation Comedy FUN!draiser on June 25th, 2025, at VCS! “We are so proud to be able to carry on Russell Ferber’s (Class of ‘94!) spirit and help young people continue to achieve their dreams!”
Natasha Leitch Huggins ’93 has been hired by Cathedral High School in Boston, MA to be their next Vice Principal of Academics. “It’s an exciting time in Cathedral’s history because they will celebrate their centennial anniversary in 2026. I’m thrilled to join the Cathedral community during this milestone and historic moment.”
Melanie Sackheim Stern ’94 writes, “lots of great things are happening in our blended family. My husband, Jordan, and I are trying to age gracefully and will be coming up on six years of marriage in September. We have been living in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, for the past four years. We love our Brooklyn community.
Our five-year-old, Audrey, will be going to kindergarten next year at
Class Notes
the Mary McDowell Friends School. Our 18-year-old, Asher, will be going off to Emory University, and our 20-year-old, Avery, is finishing up her sophomore year at Dartmouth College.
I embarked on a career transition in 2015 and have been in private practice as a psychotherapist since 2020. I focus my practice on alcohol and substance use/recovery and individual adult therapy. I am also with my five-year-old part time and feel so thankful to have time to be both a mother and a therapist.”
Taylor Peden ’00 works as a professional photographer. He recently visited the VCS woodshop to photograph students at work. These photos will be used in a book that Judy Kashman is writing about woodworking for kids and will feature some of the all-time favorite projects at VCS.
Haley Gewandter ’06 has been teaching a mural elective class in the Upper School in preparation for the next iteration of VCS’s mural on the wall of the Sky Yard. Keep an eye out for opportunities for alumni to participate in mural events in late summer and fall.
Sam Taffer ’06 is moving to Tokyo for a three-month work rotation with Google’s Strategy & Operations team. Sam started his Japanese language journey in the 9s–10s at VCS, so this is a special full circle moment. Feel free to reach out if you’re in the area!
Christian Noll ‘14 plays guitar in the band Boxxer. Boxxer recently performed at Baby’s All Right in Williamsburg and released an EP, Sally.
Andrew Bastone ‘14 works in the admissions office at the Berkeley Carroll School and coaches the high school’s cross country and track teams. He is also “thrilled to be a member of the VCS Alumni Council this year!”
Amber Pongrass ’15 works for Andrew Azoulay P’22 at his company, The Firm. “I am currently working as his creative director, doing everything graphic design and marketing based. I work on his logos, website, and social media. I’m thoroughly enjoying this opportunity so far and cannot wait to see what is next for my real estate adventures!!”
August Castelli ’21, who just graduated from Friends Seminary, had his research paper accepted for publication in the March 2025 issue of The Concord Review, a quarterly journal that recognizes and prints exemplary history essays by high school students in the Englishspeaking world. August’s paper
explored the relationship between university research scientists and the U.S. military during World War II and the Cold War. Well done, August!
London Hensch ’21 was an intern in the VCS Library as part of the Trevor Day Senior Bridge Program. She assisted with Library organization, read to students, recommended books, and helped students with their work as needed. Thank you, London!
Charlotte Ogilvie ’24 attended the Grand Finale event concluding the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year New York City fundraising competition. Her team, the Brooklyn Blood Battlers, raised over $50,000 toward patient advocacy and support. She writes, “seeing the great work all of the teams did and hearing from families LLS has helped was so moving and inspirational! I’m excited to be a team leader next year and raise more funds to help eradicate blood cancers.”
Class of 2025 High School Acceptances
American School in London
American Studies at Lehman
Art & Design High School
Avenues The World School
Bard Early College
Baruch College High School
Berkeley Carroll School
The Brearley School
Brooklyn Friends School
Brooklyn Latin
The Calhoun School
Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School
Concord Academy
Convent of the Sacred Heart
The Dalton School
Dwight School
Ethical Culture
Essex Street Academy
Fieldston School
The Frederick Gunn School
Friends Seminary
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts
Grace Church School
Hewitt School
Horace Mann School
Kent School
The Lawrenceville School
Loyola School
LREI
Manhattan Early College for Advertising
Marymount School of New York
Millbrook School
The Nightingale-Bamford School
Notre Dame School of Manhattan
NYC Museum School
The Packer Collegiate Institute
The Pingry School (NJ)
Poly Prep Country Day School
Putney School
Richard R. Green High School
Riverdale Country School
Rudolf Steiner School
Saint Ann’s School
Saint Mary’s School (NC)
Saint Peter’s Prep (NJ)
The Spence School
Science, Technology and Research at Erasmus
Trevor Day School
Trinity School
United Nations International School
Unity Center for Urban Technologies
Wardlaw + Hartridge School (NJ)
Westminster School
York Preparatory School
Colleges and Universities Currently Enrolling VCS Alumni
Amherst College
Babson College
Bard College
Barnard College
Bates College
Bennington College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brown University
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University
Chapman University
City Tech College (CUNY)
Colby College
Colgate University
College of Wooster
Colorado College
Cornell University
Duke University
Eckerd College
Elon University
Emory University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Haverford College
Howard University
Indiana University
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Loyola Marymount University
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
McGill University
Middlebury College
MIT
Naropa University
New School
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Olin College
Otago Polytechnic
Pitzer College
Point Blank Music School Los Angeles
Princeton University
Purdue University
Rhode Island School of Design
Rice University
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Scripps College
Skidmore College
Smith College
Southern Methodist University
Spelman College
Stanford University
Stony Brook University
SUNY Albany
SUNY Binghamton
SUNY Purchase
Syracuse University
Temple University
Tufts University
Tulane University
UCLA
University of Chicago
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Florida
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of North Carolina
University of Pennsylvania
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of Southern California
University of St. Andrews
University of Texas at Austin
University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
Vassar College
Washington University in St. Louis
Wesleyan University
Whitman College
William & Mary College
Williams College
Yale University
New York, NY 10014
www.vcsnyc.org
