2013-2014 Annual Report

Annual Report 2013-2014
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2013-2014
Tupper Brown,
Chairman
Swansea Benham Bleicher,
Vice Chair
Bryant Rother,
Treasurer
Dennis Szuhay,
Secretary
Natalie Reed Adams
Tony Cape
Jacqui DeFelice
Lane Hall-Witt
Ruth LeBar
Jed Liebert
Virginia McWilliam
Andrew Moskovitz, M.D.
David Ranen
Leslie Ritchie-Dunham
Anne Woodhull
Arthur Zajonc
Table of Contents
Page 1
Reflections from the Faculty Chair
Page 2
Report from the Chairman of the
Board/New Board Members
Page 3
Strategic Planning
Page 4
Financial Report
Page 5
Alumni Association Update
Alumna Profile: Elizabeth Mealey
Page 6
A School Year
Page 7
Graduating Class of 2014
Page 8
8th Grade Promotion/
Catherine Hopkins
Page 9-11
Donor Listing
Page 12
Support Our School
THE HARTSBROOK SCHOOL
IS FULLY ACCREDITED BY
THE NEW ENGLAND
ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS
AND COLLEGES AND THE
ASSOCIATION OF
WALDORF SCHOOLS OF
NORTH AMERICA.
THE HARTSBROOK SCHOOL
193 BAY ROAD, HADLEY, MA 01035
413-586-1908
WWW.HARTSBROOK.ORG
Photos by Lori Lynn Hoffer and Chip Weems
except where otherwise noted.
Mission Statement
The Hartsbrook School, a Waldorf
School in the Pioneer Valley, is
dedicated to nurturing the unique spirit
of each child. Our program from early
childhood through high school integrates
academic, artistic, and practical work to
awaken clarity of thought, warmth of
heart, and strength of purpose. Through
joy in learning, kinship with nature, and
working in community, we prepare
students to meet the challenges of the
future and to find purpose and direction
in their lives.
Faculty Chair Reflections
The end of the school year offers the gift of reflection, as
we look back and separate the essential from the everyday
happenings of the last year. This activity was brought into
especially sharp focus this June, when Hartsbrook hosted
the annual conference of the Association of Waldorf School
of North America (AWSNA). The theme of the conference
was Cultivating Humanness in a Technological World, and
colleagues from Waldorf schools all over North America
pondered what we offered our students that will really serve
them well in the future. Clearly, we live in a global
community, in which rapid change is a hallmark, and
simply mastering the body of current knowledge will not
be enough.
activities and playgrounds have replaced unstructured time
in nature for children. This year we even hosted a speaker
who runs unstructured camp and afterschool programs
outdoors to combat what she sees as the growing need in
young children for occupational therapy. Our program,
which will be held outdoors on the agriculturally preserved
land behind the school, will offer the young child many
opportunities from the practical ones of being better
integrated into their bodies, and so better ready for formal
academic learning in the grade school years, to the more
systemic ones of creativity and holistic values that come
from a deep immersion in nature.
Finally, the re-enlivening of the Parent Council offered us
an important tool in the adult community. Whether it
fostered community dialogue, as in the presentations of
different tuition models, or engaged in more hands-on
community building as was the case with the Parent Buddy
program or the very successful Music Sharing Evening, the
Parent Council offered us opportunities to work in adult
community that would not exist without it.
It is not surprising to realize that some of our most notable
accomplishments last year were in our early childhood
programs as these programs form the basis for the school.
The completion of the Early Childhood Building in
January completes a certain phase of the school’s biography
as we have finally provided suitable and permanent spaces
for all of our classes on the main campus. The building
itself is both functional and beautiful, reflecting the
community-wide process that went into envisioning it, but
the addition of solar panels at the end of the whole
construction process was especially satisfying. This building
both reflects our commitment to sustainability and can
serve to educate our students and community about the
technologies that make this possible.
So, from the viewpoint of a few months’ hindsight, these
three achievements – the creation of the home on the main
campus for our youngest classes complete with solar power,
the inauguration of a largely outdoor Early Childhood
program, and the new Parent Council offer seeds for
Hartsbrook’s future – a future that we hope will be marked
by students who have learned to work together in
community while also respecting the Earth.
This was also the year when we announced the launch of
the Forest Kindergarten program. Much has been written
and discussed in recent years about “nature deficit
disorder” and about how structured sports and other
Photo courtesy of the rePublican by Don treeger
Louise Spear – Faculty Chair
1
Board of Directors
Report from the Chair
New Board Members
Elizabeth Sustick. Any reflection on the work of the Hartsbrook
Board this year must begin with her. Elizabeth had served the
school in a variety of ways over many years, and more than
anything, perhaps, in her Trusteeship and Nominations roles
on the Board for a long time before retiring last September.
Her final act was to put together a Board of Directors for
2013-14, including six new members, that to my mind is
absolutely spectacular. And I’m glad to report that the entire
Board is continuing in place for the coming year. Elizabeth
has done a huge number of fine things for this school during
her long connection with us, and this was certainly one of her
finest and perhaps most enduring. Thank you from all of us!
NATALie ADAMS
A world traveler, Natalie has been involved in almost every aspect
of Waldorf education: from parent, to teacher, to Faculty Chair, to
Board member. A friend of ekkehard Piening and a former member
of the Hartsbrook Board, she returns after several years’ absence.
She and her husband have recently moved to Amherst. At
Hartsbrook, Natalie is particularly drawn to the benefits that the
Agricultural Arts Program brings to Waldorf education. She will
focus her broad range of experience in development.
LANe HALL-WiTT
West coast “transplant,” parent of Alex in the 4th grade and Lane
in the 6th, Lane has been at Hartsbrook for six years. After owning
a software consulting firm, Lane entered into the academic world
and is currently the director of a graduate program for international
students at Smith College. As both a pragmatist and an idealist,
Lane's objective in joining the Board is to help insure that
Hartsbrook remains a strong, vital institution so it can carry out its
educational mission. He is chair of the Long Range Planning
Committee and helps to oversee the Strategic Planning Group.
In this Annual Report others mention this year’s many and
important accomplishments, but let me here speak of the
Board itself. We are sixteen in number, six of whom were new
this year. There are at least eleven parents of Hartsbrook
students, five current or former Waldorf teachers, and just
look at these new members:
RuTH LeBAR
Ruth started at Hartsbrook as the first kindergarten teacher in the
Ben Smith Tavern in 1984, continuing as teacher and early
Childhood Chair through 1991. Since then, while staying in touch
with what was happening at Hartsbrook, she earned her Master of
Divinity at Yale and served as a pastor in the united Church of
Christ as well as teaching at the Noyes School of Rhythm. Ruth is
excited to return to her roots here in support of Waldorf education
and Hartsbrook. She will be bringing her enthusiasm and skills to
the enrollment Committee.
Arthur Zajonc is a leader of the anthroposophical movement
in the United States, was a founder of Hartsbrook, and served
on the board for many years, now returned home; Ruth
LeBar, legendary early childhood teacher at Hartsbrook, is
hugely grounded in the spiritual life of Waldorf schools;
Natalie Adams has been the Faculty Chair at the Washington
Waldorf School, has started, I understand, Waldorf schools all
over the world as she travelled with her Foreign Service
husband, and finally has settled in Amherst; parent Jed Liebert
is active on the financial side of our work; Leslie RitchieDunham has deep connections with the school and now is
active with Trusteeship; and the irrepressible Lane Hall-Witt,
another parent Board member, is doing absolutely everything
from Chairing the Long Range Planning Committee to fixing
the school’s database and website. The other members of this
Board are no less vibrant, dedicated and hard working, but I
have overrun my allotted space.
JeDeDiAH LieBeRT
Native New englander, parent of Ahnkai in Kindergarten and Anmei
in Cricket, Jed has been at Hartsbrook for two years. He is the
owner and wealth manager of Liebert investment Management.
A Certified Financial Planner and Boston university graduate, Jed
decided to join the Board through an appreciation of his own
Waldorf education at the Monadnock School in Keene, NH. He will
bring his skills to the Finance Committee.
LeSLie RiTCHie-DuNHAM
Texas transplant, parent of Conor ‘16 and Jackie ‘13 Hartsbrook,
Leslie has been a parent in Waldorf education for 15 years. She is
an architect interested in the question, “What is Home?” Currently
she is the Creative Director for Vibrancy LLC, a company dedicated
to helping people see and understand the agreements they enter
into. Her gratitude for Waldorf education inspired her to join the
Board to support Hartsbrook's continued growth. She will bring her
passion to the Trusteeship Committee.
Let me close with the message that every member of this
Board is intensely committed to the Hartsbrook
enterprise based on our conviction that one
thing this world badly needs is more Waldorf
students, and one really good thing we can
do for our children is provide an education
based on the principles of this school.
We are looking
forward to the
coming year.
ARTHuR ZAJONC
As one of the founders of the Hartsbrook School in 1981, Arthur
returns to the Board of Directors with an interest in strengthening
the School's guiding spiritual foundations and its relevance to
education generally. Arthur was a professor of physics at Amherst
College for over 30 years, is the author of several books, and is
now president of the Mind & Life institute. Arthur will bring his vast
experience and knowledge to the Long Range Planning committee.
Tupper
Brown –
Chairman,
Board of
Directors
2
Strategic Planning 2014
Communications & Community-Building
Hartsbrook adopted a Strategic Plan during the
The Parent Council was active throughout the year, with
its immensely successful Music Sharing Evening standing
out as a particular highlight; the Council also conducted
its second annual Parent Survey in June. Work to upgrade
the School’s website is currently underway.
2012-2013 school year, based on input from throughout
the School community, and is making rapid progress in
implementing it.
Pedagogy/Curriculum & Teacher Development
Governance
The School continued enhancement of middle-school
programming and increased professional-development
funding for faculty; a new Forest Kindergarten started in
2014-2015; the Faculty Conference has identified
Educational Support as its top priority going forward.
The School worked to inform the community about
governance institutions and processes – through the
Bulletin, for example. In March 2014, the Board of
Directors hosted a very productive all-School “joint
meeting” of the Parent Council, Faculty Conference, and
Board; it plans to host two similar meetings in 2014-2015.
Enrollment & Marketing/Outreach
A standing Enrollment Committee is supporting the
work of the Enrollment Office; working with the
Parent Council, the School instituted a buddy system to
help welcome new families into the School; the Board
of Directors is studying innovative approaches to
educational affordability.
Campus Planning
The new Early Childhood Building opened on schedule in
January 2014, and work to design and build a new Early
Childhood play yard has begun. An update of the campus
Master Plan is in progress, laying the groundwork for
addressing various School needs: parking, Land
Stewardship, performance space, landscaping, etc.
Development & Fundraising
The Development Office established an Alumni
Association and has taken steps to improve its
communications and information systems; a group of
parents from the Parent Council injected much-appreciated
energy into the School’s SCRIP and fund-raising efforts.
More work remains to be done, but we are delighted with
the progress that has been made to date. Thanks to all who
have worked so hard for the benefit of our School!
Lane Hall-Witt – Chair, Long Range Planning
3
Financial Report
It is no secret that the cost of an independent school
education has risen rather dramatically over the past
decade; we have all experienced that financial burden. For
some families, that burden can account for extraordinary
hardship and stress relating to enrollment decisions. To put
it simply, we get it. The Faculty Conference, the
Administration and the Board of Directors are all
intimately aware of the burdens faced by our school
community. The Hartsbrook School is committed in our
efforts to create a new economic story that will not just
sustain, but enliven our spirit to new heights.
as possible to current and prospective families with the
need to offer a rich program and to pay our employees
sustainably. For the upcoming school year, thanks to some
hard work by the Strategic Planning Committee and the
Finance Committee with input from the Parent Council, a
new tuition schedule has been adopted. The new
schedule is highlighted by its graduated or stepped
approach. As opposed to a previously flat tuition in grades
1-8 and high school, each grade will have a gradual,
escalated tuition rate.
Why Implement the Stepped Tuition Schedule?
How Does the Finance Committee Propose Tuition
and Budgets?
There are two reasons: First, the School has implemented a
successful program to enrich and enhance the program of
the “middle school” years. As part of this effort, high
school faculty have supplemented the class teachers’ work
to provide students with more complex, specialized forms
of academic training and additional teachers have been
hired to teach academic and artistic offerings. The second
important benefit to introducing the new schedule is that it
allows us to close the previous gap in tuition between
Grade 8 and Grade 9 and slow the growth in high
school tuitions.
We start by looking at last year’s expenses, we tweak
elements we know have changed (insurance premiums, the
cost of heating oil, etc.), we adjust salaries for the cost of
living and we accommodate program changes. This
analysis provides an estimate of future expenses and
revenue needs. We then estimate enrollment, based on
typical attrition and conversion rates, paying close
attention to the incoming first and ninth grades.
Additionally, we calculate probable revenues and look at
the bottom line. We try not to raise tuition by any more
than the personnel’s cost-of-living increase, but if
enrollment has dipped without an equal reduction in
overhead, we must decide how much to raise tuition
and/or how much to adjust programs. When we project a
budget surplus, we see how we can keep any tuition rise to
an absolute minimum and/or implement improvements
identified as important by the current Strategic Plan. Be
assured that Hartsbrook’s priority is to ensure that the
School is as affordable and accessible as possible, but that it
has the necessary financial resources to fulfill its mission.
How Does the “Annual Fund” Relate to the
Annual Budget?
We budget for the Annual Fund goal that is set by our
Development Director. Those tax deductible Annual Fund
donations plus income from the school’s tuition as well as
from Hartsbrook Farm Camp and Festivals serve
to yield our total revenue. We are grateful to parents, past
parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends of The
Hartsbrook School who generously contribute to the
Annual Fund.
When we look at setting tuition each year, we must balance
the desire to make our program as affordable and accessible
Bryant Rother – Treasurer, Board of Directors
Expenses: $3,723,005
Revenue: $3,895,718
Donations:
3%
Other
income: 1%
Admin/
General:
3%
Tuition
Assistance:
16%
As of August 2014,
we are still in the final
phase of FY 2013-14.
Audited financial
reports are expected
in December.
Program
Costs: 8%
Tuition and
Fees: 96%
Plant and
equipment:
11%
4
Therefore, the pie
charts included here
describe revenue and
expenses for FY
2012-13 (audited).
Personnel:
62%
Alumni Updates
Alumna Uses Waldorf Experience to Bring New Ideas to
Building Camp Hill Communities
Kenyan project, Jamii Community Village Seme, using her
passion for human rights, her website design talents, her
program development skills and a new fundraising
initiative. [See http://jamiicommunity.wordpress.com]
A Hartsbrook student
from third grade through
high school, Elizabeth
Mealey, Class of 2010,
deeply values her
educational experience.
When she was finishing
eighth grade, Elizabeth
says that she did not even
look at other high schools,
because Hartsbrook
offered the most creative
options for her.
She was and still is a creative person with many talents, so
Hartsbrook’s creative approach and its embracing
community of students and faculty offered the best
opportunities for her.
Elizabeth credits Hartsbrook School’s creative approach
with helping her to be prepared to explore new directions
and become involved in the Jamii Community Village
Seme project. She combines her interests in
cultures/human rights and creative journalism to support
and highlight this project. With a
website that includes English and
German text as well as
photographs, she is focusing her
creative talents (including
photography and multi-media
storytelling on making an impact
on our world and how we
(including developing countries)
can support and include adults
with special needs.
“My eleventh grade trip to the Camphill Community in
Copake, NY has had a major influence on my career path and
how I have come to combine my interests and talents in a way
that serves our communities,” says Elizabeth. After
visiting this Camphill Community, which uses an
Anthroposophical approach for living and working with
adults with special needs, and studying in German the
summer after tenth grade, she chose to spend a gap year at
a Camphill community in Southern Germany (Camphill
Dorfgemeinschaft Hausenhof, near Nuremberg), before
matriculating at Tufts University in the U.S. Elizabeth
speaks about the importance of this time at the German
Camphill Community as being key to enabling her to
understand the benefit of using an Anthroposophical
approach in working with adults with special needs.
She was also able to see how she might use her talents to
serve new or evolving Camphill communities built on that
same concept.
Hartsbrook Alumni/ae Association Reemerges
This past year has seen a revitalization of the
Hartsbrook Alumni Association, starting with an
initiative to invite “Class Agents” to help us discover
more current contact information for alumni and
reach out to these individuals to engage them in a
more dynamic relationship with Hartsbrook.
Class agents readily provided email contact
information for alumni, and together we invited
alumni to join the Hartsbrook community and current
students for special celebrations which alumni
remember fondly: the Holiday Fair and the Solstice
Celebration and additional events to come.
Indeed, a recently identified need for a Camphill-like
community in Kenya to serve adults with special needs has
become a compelling and galvanizing force for Elizabeth’s
many talents. As of this writing, she has been studying in
Tübingen, Germany as part of her Junior Year abroad
through Tufts University, Elizabeth has joined forces with
Joab Omondi Ochoro, a Kenyan, who is studying in
Germany to complete his certification as a Curative
Education Therapist to work with adults with special
needs. He plans to start an organization in Kenya to meet
the needs of adults with special needs there, where such
people are not well served, using an Anthroposophical
approach. His dream has resonated with Elizabeth and she
is now actively involved in assisting Joab in building this
Future plans include inviting alumni to participate in
panel discussions on topics related to their careers and
issues about which they are passionate. We believe that
Hartsbrook alumni have much to contribute to
Hartsbrook, from the perspective of young adults who
have taken their ideas and their passions out into the
world and sought ways to change their communities
for the better.
Meanwhile, please visit the School’s website at
www.hartsbrook.org to see current class notes,
become inspired, update your own information and
add class notes.
5
A S c h o o l Ye a r a t H a r t s b r o o k
SEPTEMBER
FEBRUARY
Fall Welcome Picnic
Valentine’s Day
1st grade Flower Ceremony
Winter Break
First Parent Council Meeting
Viennese Waltz Ball
3rd Grade wins Best in Show
for Gourds at the Franklin
County Fair
JV and Varsity Soccer begin
MARCH
Macbeth
performed by
High School
OCTOBER
Michaelmas
Festival
Multi-grade
Skating
international
exchange
Students arrive
Halloween
APRIL
MidSummer Night’s Dream
performed by 8th grade
NOVEMBER
Holiday Fair and Alumni/ae Café
Parent Council sponsored
Music Night
10th Grade Play
Spring Break/Farm Camp
Thanksgiving Assembly
12th Grade Trip to Costa Rica
Thanksgiving Holiday
MAY
DECEMBER
Grandparents & Special
Friends/May Celebration
St. Lucia Celebration
Senior Projects presented
Solstice Concert for
students and alumni
ultimate Frisbee
Holiday Assembly
Holiday Break
JUNE
Field Day
JANUARY
Final Assembly
8th Grade Promotion
early Childhood Building opens
Graduation
Winter Fun
AWSNA Conference
6
2014 Graduation
Up and Away! Our Seniors’ Plans...
Aubrey CAbot-CAse will be working with
permaculture and consciousness studies
Senior Project: Consciousness and a
Theory of everything
eun Pyo Hong will attend the Art Institute
of Chicago
Senior Project: Fashion Show of Her Own
Designs and Creations
LuCIe LAtuner will attend Connecticut
College
Senior Project: Arrangement for
A Capella Singers
“Let’s go, let’s meet the world!”
“And now as we scatter our own ways out into the world, in everything we do
we bring our own qualities of character and a little bit of each other’s as well.
We bring love; we bring compassion, determination and devotion. We bring
consciousness and sincerity, sensitivity and creativity. I’m so proud to be part
of such an amazing group of people. Maybe we won’t solve all the problems
in the world, but as I see it, no matter what we do in the years to come or
what material gain we acquire, as long as we keep our core qualities of
humanness and apply them to our work, we can make a difference.”
eLIAnA MoskovItz will attend university of
vermont after spending a year working in a
Camphill community for mentally disabled
adults in southern germany
Senior Project: Wheel Pottery
ALejAndrA rojAs will attend greenfield
Community college while working and
apprenticing as a photographer, illustrator
and graphic designer
Senior Project: Songwriting
sydney sHAw will attend warren wilson
College
Senior Project: Fire Juggling
gAbrIeL voIsIn will attend the university
of Hartford
Senior Project: Techniques in Painting
By Lucie Latuner, Class of 2014
norA yAMAzAkI HeIneMAn will attend
bard College
Senior Project: ink Drawing
7
2014 Eighth Grade Promotion
Quotes from the 8th Grade
WHAT WAS UNIQUE ABOUT HARTSBROOk?
“Happy, intense and surprising.” “it’s a great place to be a kid.” “At
remember my classmates and watching them grow up over eight years.”
“The class trips were amazing experiences that we shared.”
working on getting
photo
WHAT WILL YOU REMEMBER ABOUT MRS. HOPkINS?
“Her warmth and charm.” “She knows what kids are feeling and understands
everyone’s strengths.” “A loving, second Mom.”
“She is caring, loving,
patient and helpful.” “i think Mrs. Hopkins wanted to pass on a sense of
adventure so that we would be eager to experience new things.”
Catherine Hopkins Celebration
On June 7th, many students, alumni, alumni parents
and faculty/staff joined together to celebrate
Catherine Hopkins’ many years of teaching and
stewarding students through the Grades. She has the
distinction of having taken three Hartsbrook classes
through eight years of the Grades, shepherding them
as they grew from small children to young adults.
Nearly 150 individuals came to the Celebration to
honor Catherine for her talents as a teacher and for
her love and caring for each individual student
she taught.
Alumni (and alumni parents) from the 8th Grade
Class of 1996, the High School class of 2009 (8th
grade class of 2005) and the current 8th Grade Class
of 2014 gathered at the School to join others in
celebrating their former teacher, Catherine, with song,
skits, music and comradery. Catherine will continue
to be involved with Hartsbrook in a variety of
capacities, so the School community will still have the
benefit of her experience and wisdom.
8
Photo by janet kaPlan bucciarelli
Hartsbrook, you try new things and get out of your comfort zone.” “i’ll
Clarity of Thought
List of Donors
Donors to The Hartsbrook School | FY 2013-2014
Our donors support the Annual Fund as well as a variety of designated gifts, including the Bergen Diaz Scholarship
Endowment Fund, the Agricultural Arts Capital Fund and the Solar Array for the new Early Childhood Building, recently
opened on the Hartsbrook campus. Our Annual Fund reached a record level of $118,478 this past fiscal year, thanks to
Board members (B), Faculty & Staff, Current Parents and Alumni as well as loyal Alumni Parents and Grandparents.
We thank you for your heartfelt support for The Hartsbrook School and the Waldorf educational approach
that the school embodies.
2013-2014 Annual Fund
Early Childhood Building Opens
MT. NORWOTTUCk CIRCLE
$5,000+
MT. HOLYOkE CIRCLE
$500-$999
Anonymous (3)
Gerald Blakeley, The Blakeley
Foundation
Ken Courage
The Folia Fund, Northern Trust
Charitable Giving Program
Tim & Sharon McGee
Gordon Thorne & Anne Woodhull (B)
Gary Felder & Rosemary
McNaughton
edward Ferguson
George & Sandy Garfunkel
Scott Green & Naho TanamuraGreen
Lane (B) & Jennifer Hall-Witt
Caryn & Dr. Kent Hesse
Clayton Jarvis
James & Pamela Kelly
Joe & Dorothy Kennedy
Jed (B) & Mao Mao Liebert
Todd Lynch & Janet Bertucci Lynch
Jose & Angela Martagon-Villamil
Tim McNerney
Clive Mealey & Ruth Rootberg
Kevin & Bonnie Murphy
James Pewtherer & Jan
Baudendistel
Jim & Rachel Piermarini
Dan & Candice Pratt
The Philip and Myn Rootberg
Foundation
Bryant Rother (B) & Suellen
Walsh-Rother
ellen & ira Lee Sorkin
JB Lynch & Louise Spear
Frank Stiebel & Catherine Nagel
BARE MT. CIRCLE
$2,500-$4,999
John & Greta Holbrook
Drs. Andrew (B) & Heidi Moskovitz
MT. HITCHCOCk CIRCLE
$1,000-$2,499
Anonymous
Vidor & Nissan Bernstien
Tupper (B) & Sandy Brown
Peter & Barbara Curtis
Scott & Jacqui DeFelice (B)
Nancy & Stephen Green
Curt & Kelly Hudson
Wal & Hedy Jarvis, The Jarvis
Foundation
eva Lohrer
Jim Reeves & Carol Parsons
Dennis Szuhay (B) & Rosamond
Wulsin
Sarah Todd, Briarwood Foundation
Stephen & elizabeth Volkmann
Arthur (B) & Heide Zajonc
In January 2014, The Hartsbrook School opened its
new, environmentally-friendly Early Childhood
Building on Hartsbrook’s campus. Parents, Board,
faculty and staff envisioned plans for an
environmentally-sensitive building that would help
maintain the good health of its inhabitants and provide
a model for sustainable building from which students
and the community could learn. Designed by architects
Kraus and Fitch and built by Wright Builders, the
building features sustainably-sourced materials, natural
wood elements to create a warm interior and windows
that enable these littlest students look out into the yard
that beckons them to come out to play.
“It’s rewarding for our entire school community to see
our students learning in and from these beautiful green
classrooms, especially knowing that with the building’s
solar array, we are now generating renewable power for
the whole campus,” says Tupper Brown, alumni parent
and Chairman of the Board.
LONG MT. CIRCLE
$250-$499
Karen Bates
Swansea Benham Bleicher (B) &
Dr. Mark Bleicher
Nicholas Dines & Susan Waltner
Mark Fraser & Daphne Bye
Kevin Gallagher & Christy Anderson
Dorothy Hallisey
Jane Hillman
Charles & Catherine Hopkins
Travis Johnson & Jennifer Cook
Johnson
Carol Johnson and Russ Miller
Charles & Kristin Neville
Oleksiy & Taryn Paladiy
Tamer Pepemehmetoglu & Sophie
Latham
German & elyce Perico
Stephen & Liza Pulsifer
Dorothy Rauch
Alan Rice & Holly Wescott
Rockwell Automation Charitable,
matching gift for Stephen Pulsifer
Castle Sinicrope '03 (8th grade)
Randall & Amy Spalding-Fecher
Mark Williams & Lora Grimes
Steve Winn & Lesley Farlow
9
LITTLE TINkER HILL CIRCLE
$100-$249
Asherah Allen
Mark & Jennifer Bixby
David & Frances Cameron
Heather Damon
Alexander & Olivia Dreier
Strength of Purpose
List of Donors
Dr. e. Lary Grossman & Dr. Moira
Brady
John Hallock
Mark Hensley & Karen Thomas
Rachel Hopkins & eric Weinreib
erich Husemoller & Alison Sinkler
Amy Kalman & Jeff Kalman
Bernie & Lisa Kennedy
Dermot Kerin
Fred & Janice Kreitner
Arn Krugman & Meg Fisher-Krugman
Brian & Gwen Leaf
Ruth LeBar (B)
Joseph & Martha Lellman
eliot Levine & Madge evers
Tod & Judy Loebel
Ken & Lizzy Majka
James Major
Russell Mariani & Megan Moore
Helena McCracken & Aimé Bourdon
Natalie McNerney
Jim & Judy McQuade
David & Virginia McWilliam (B)
Amy Mittelman & Aaron Berman
elizabeth Moreland
Andrew Olendzki & Kathryn Fanelli
Alan & Joanna Page
Bridget Pooser
Scott Riordan & Jennifer iannaccone
James & Leslie Ritchie-Dunham (B)
John & Bee Roblee
Jan-Kees & Polly Saltet
Bob Sawyer & Dency Sargent
Otto & Pilar Schmidt
Gretchen Scholl & enrique McDonald
Marty Shaner & edward Hoffer
Jim & Chris Shaw
Kathy & edmund Smith
Andrew & Cecylia Soborski
John & eileen Sorrentino
Albert & Rebecca Storey
Stuart Remensnyder & Nicole
Laurencelle
James & Peg Sullivan
Nathan '96 (8th grade) & Paule
Sustick
Paul & elizabeth Sustick
Barrie & elizabeth Tan
Fritz & Patricia Vohr
Peter Wan & Adrienne Levine
Henning & Karin Winter
Endowment Funds
An endowment is a fund whose principal is invested to
generate interest which is an ongoing source of income
to offset expenses. The principal traditionally remains
untouched.
Bergen Diaz
SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUND
This fund was established in 1996 in memory of Bergin
Diaz, 8th Grade Class of ’94, to support families seeking
scholarship assistance. Scholarships are available in
all grades and are awarded by application on the basis
of need.
GiFTS TO THe BeRGeN DiAZ
SCHOLARSHiP eNDOWMeNT FuND:
Total gifts of $1,300
Anonymous
Heidi Garfinkel
Paul & Karen Horak
Steven Nietupski & Maryellen
DiLuzio
Neal Parks
Bill Stein & JoAnn Lawrence
THe BeRGeN DiAZ SCHOLARSHiP eNDOWMeNT FuND,
GiFTS iN HONOR OF CATHeRiNe HOPKiNS:
Total gifts of $12,669
The 2014 8th Grade
Don Allison & edith Adams
Allison
Anonymous (B)
Michael Award & Jennifer Caron
eric & Cindy Bright
Glenn & Donna Brooks
George & Theresa Catlin
Walter & Susan Cudnohufsky
emily Dines '96 (8th grade)
Nicholas Dines & Susan Waltner
Michael Doherty & Margaret
Ricks
Gary Felder & Rosemary
McNaughton
Arn Krugman & Meg FisherKrugman
Bud, Syd and Julia FlumStockwell
Amy Freed
Kristin Hall
Miles & Penny Herter
Curt, Kelly, erin & Ciara Hudson
Jeff & Amy Kalman
Bob Kanig & Debora Sperling
Herb & Bea Kaplan
Dan & Rachel Kennedy
Dermot Kerin
Priscilla Drucker
Bill Dungey & Jill McCormick
Joyce & Rich eichacker
Peter engel & Lisa Rivera
Caroline & Henry Lederman
Mark & Liz Leibowitz
Catherine Luborsky
elizabeth Moreland
Drs. Andrew (B) & Heidi
Moskovitz
Thomas Murphy & Nan Salky
Julie O'Connor
Andrew Olendzki & Kathryn
Fanelli
James Pewtherer & Jan
Baudendistel
Dan & Candice Pratt
Mark Roblee & Jacqueline
Strauss
JB Lynch & Louise Spear
Dennis Szuhay (B) & Rosamond
Wulsin
Barrie & elizabeth Tan
Ramona Tomlinson
Paul & Alice Vigliani
Magnus Wennemyr
Steve Winn & Lesley Farlow
Lane (B) & Jennifer Hall-Witt
Henry & Annie Woolsey
MaryAnne & Bliss Young
John Fenske & Marie-Dominique
Corbiere
John & Barbara Fibiger
William & Nancy Foster
Amy Freed
10
NIBBLE HILL CIRCLE
Up to $99
Jordan Abbott & Justin Gianesin
Robert & Mardi Abuza
Don Allison & edith Adams Allison
Anonymous (3)
Barbara D’Arthenay
Colee Asia
Michael Award & Jennifer Caron
Jacob & Andrea Ayvazian
Chris Baker & Michelle Hendrick
Clay & Joanna Ballantine
Amanda Barnhart & Susan Murphy
Thomas Benander
Brenden Berge & Andrea Allees
Lindsay Berry
eric & Cindy Bright
Mark Bucciarelli & Janet Kaplan
Bucciarelli
Center For Biography and Social Art
Scott & Kate Cooper
Tom Coughlin & Kate Lytton
Debra Courage
Nick D’Amico & Angela Leclerc
Jason & elizabeth Dirks
Lisa Dufour
Kimberly edwards
Donna estabrooks
eric & Laura Friedland-Kays
Jean Gaitenby
Andranik & Olga Gaybaryan
Katherine Glatter and Paul ita
Ben & Luna Greenwood
Steve & Anne Haendiges
Kristin Hall
Tom & Stasia Hallisey
Rebecca Hard
Robin Harris
Thomas Heineman & Chieko
Yamazaki
Paul & Joan Hellmund
Tim Holcomb & Christine Stevens
Sandra Hoover
Peter & Anna Maria irvine
Bill irvine & Sue Leschine
Mathew Jacobson & Susan Heitker
Alex & Margo Jansen
Peter & Reenie Humpage Jessop
Joyce Kalman
Bob Kanig & Debora Sperling
Stephen Katz & Beth Fairservis
List of Donors
Steven & Leslie Kellogg
Dan & Rachel Kennedy
Dan Kirsch
Suzy Canter Kirsch
Carl Knerr & Hala Abdul-Rasool
Janice Kuhagen & Cynthia Funk
Diane LaBarge
Jesse & elizabeth Lingo
Catherine Luborsky
Joe Lynn & Stacey Temple
Raymond & Nalini Mahoney
Neal Jameson & Alexis Major
Jameson
Luke Meyer & india Adams
Andrew & Nancy Milliken
Amy Mitrani
Tom & Kim Moliterno
Chava Moulton & Matt Therrien
Louise Nicholas
Warmth of Heart
Bill Stein & JoAnn Lawrence
Charles Thompson & Violet Clark
Magdalena Toran
Aleksandar & Vesna Vasovic
Timothy & Amanda Viles
Didier & Gail Voisin
Jennifer Weaver
Chip Weems & Lisa Slocum
Marvin & Lillian Weilerstein
Howard Wein & Jennifer Storey
Magnus Wennemyr
Michael Wojtech & Samantha
Burnell
Jean Zimmer
Anonymous Amount
Donated to the Annual
Fund
Alexander & Olivia Dreier
Alex & Margo Jansen
Arthur (B) & Heide Zajonc
Anonymous
Dylan & Kirsten McGee
Nicki Robb
Tony & Caroline Sabetti
Tribute Giving
Gifts In Honor of:
THe 8TH GRADe OF 2014
Michael Award & Jennifer Caron
Mark Bucciarelli & Janet Kaplan
Bucciarelli
Bob Kanig & Debora Sperling
Ken & Lizzy Majka
Katherine Nickel
Kim & Katharine Payne
Magnus Wennemeyr
Community Gifts/Grants to
the Annual Fund
Amazon Smile
Atkins Farm Country Market
Florence Savings Bank
O’Connell Oil Associates
River Valley Market
Stop + Shop Rewards A+ Program
Target Corporation
uriel Pharmacy
Katherine Nickel
Katarina Noyes
Julie O'Connor
Joseph O'Rourke & Kathryn Brown
Matt & Sara Rose Page
Kim & Katharine Payne
Rosie Pearson, enter the Flow
Healing
Debbie Penzias
David Pesuit & elaine ulman
Christine Pineo
Kim Pisinski
Thomas & Valerie Poplawski
Dan & Michelle Prindle
David (B) & Karen Ranen
Joan Abdul-Rasool
Michelle Regish
Mark Roberts & Andrea Cooper
Mark Roblee & Jacqueline Strauss
Camilo Rojas & Catalina Arrubla
Nicole Romer
David Rozman
elisa Saltet '99 (8th Grade)
Cat Sargent
Kathleen Schindler
Anthony & Michelle Scibelli
John & ellen Serhant
Mark Sims & Mary Hannah
Henderson
Roger Sorkin & eva CamachoSanchez
Jessica Stark
JOAN & CLOPPeR ALMON
Don Allison & edith Adams Allison
Total Annual Fund: $118,478
(gifts and pledges)
GOOD eDuCATiON AND A LOViNG
COMMuNiTY!
Kirsten Hall
Other Designated Gifts:
CATHeRiNe HOPKiNS
Rachel Hopkins & eric Weinreib
AGRiCuLTuRAL ARTS CAPiTAL
FuND GiFTS: Total gifts of $886
Anonymous (2)
Scott Green & Naho TanamuraGreen
Jed (B) & Mao Mao Liebert
The 2014 8th Grade
eLLiN RANDeL
Amy Freed
KATHARiNe W. RiCe
Alan Rice & Holly Wescott
Gifts In Kind:
Brad Allison & Mary Balent
Kyra Bleicher, Swansea Benham
Bleicher (B), Mark Bleicher
Amanda & David Crutcher
Flexcut Carving Tools
Hobart Sales & Service
Tim McNerney
Alan & Joanna Page/Green Diamond
Systems
Pilar & Otto Schmidt
Waterlily Design
Note: (B) = Board Member
MeAGHAN HORAK
Paul & Karen Horak
BeNJAMiN & eLiZAH KiRSCH
Suzy Canter Kirsch
NiCKi ROBB
Karen Bates
Mark Williams & Lora Grimes
SOLAR ARRAY FuND FOR THe
eARLY CHiLDHOOD CeNTeR:
Total outright gifts of $17,000
Anonymous
Anonymous (B)
Tupper (B) & Sandy Brown
STACeY TeMPLe
David Rozman
PHiL & KATHY WeiLeRSTeiN &
KiRA
Marvin & Lillian Weilerstein
Gifts In Memory of:
RuTH & WiLLiAM BAuDeNDiSTeL
Jan Baudendistel & James
Pewtherer
SHeRY COuRAGe
Debra Courage
RuTH LiLiANTHAL
Didier & Gail Voisin
eKKeHARD PieNiNG
German & elyce Perico
11
Editor’s Note: Every effort has been
made to ensure the accuracy of this
donor listing, which was produced at
the end of August 2014.
If you see an error, please contact
Pilar Schmidt, Director of
Development, at 413-586-1908
x129 or pschmidt@hartsbrook.org
so that we may make the
appropriate corrections.
Supporting Our School
Hartsbrook Parent Council: 2013-2014 Activities
SPONSORED ACTIVITIES:
In the 2013-2014 School year, the Hartsbrook Parent Council
came back into being after an absence of several years. To
achieve this, we constructed a mission for the organization:
The Parent Council aims to be a fun, inclusive, and
permanent organization that furthers the School's mission by
helping to build community, support the faculty and staff,
and facilitate frank and constructive communication among
parents, faculty, staff, and the board.
Survey and Results: Many of you will have participated in
the parent survey in June 2013. The results of which have
been presented several times in the Parent Council and to the
Board and Faculty. If you are interest in a copy of the survey
results, please contact anyone on the Parent Council. Based
on these survey results, we have started some key initiatives,
more below. In June 2014 we reissued the Parent survey.
Parent Communication: The Parent Council has
established two methods of outreach: 1) Email lists by class,
and 2) Participation in Parent/Class meetings. It is our belief
that more work is needed to achieve effective parent
communications.
We solicited parents to become involved and serve for
a year as representatives to the Parent Council. The 20132014 roster is below.
Parent Council Reps 2013-2014
Little Wren
Song Sparrow
Bluebird
Meadow Lark
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
Seventh Grade
eighth Grade
High School
Faculty Rep to PC
Board Rep to PC
Council Chairs
Aime Bourdon
Hala Abdul-Rasool,
Michelle Prindle
Andrea Allees
Colee Asia
Joe Lynn, Andrea Cooper
Roger Sorkin
eron Tarail
Stuart Remensnyder,
elizabeth Lingo
Jennifer Hall-Witt
Laura Gonick
Randall Spalding-Fecher
Jennifer Caron
Scott Cooper, Bruce
MacPherson, Alan Rice,
Chris Shaw, Jill McCormick
Virginia McWilliam
David Ranen
Jim Piermarini,
Tara Hoffman
We are
always
interested in
more parents
joining the
team to help
with all the
interesting
opportunities
that will
come up.
If you are
interested,
please
contact Tara
or me or
anyone on
this list.
Buddy System: 2013 saw the beginnings of the buddy
system that pairs new parents with experienced parents. The
Parent Council has assisted the enrollment department with
this effort.
Forum for Tuition Increase Plan: During the year, the
Parent Council provided some important feedback on the
tuition model changes that we recently instituted. We were
pleased to have been allowed to be a part of the process.
Music Sharing & Conversation: The Parent Council
sponsored the delightful Music Sharing evening which
brought together children and adults for an evening of short
pieces, played with joy and humor.
In 2013-2014 the Parent Council took its first few steps along
a path to making Hartsbrook a better place. You can help us
take the next few steps during the 2014-2015 year. Join the
Parent Council today.
Jim Piermarini – Parent Council Chair
12
Why I Support
The Hartsbrook School
At Hartsbrook, I see a school that
promotes a world-view where
personal relationships matter, where
parents matter, where kids matter,
where teachers and administrators
matter. I see a school that is yearning
to improve and expand into its
community. I see a school where
everybody, every day, cares deeply
about the kids, about who they are
and what they will become. I see a
school that wants to make a
difference in the world. And I see a
school that connects the children to
the earth, to the farm animals, to their
friends, to themselves even. In short,
I see a school that I want to exist.
I choose to support this school
because even though I like what I see,
I know that it could be better; so I give
to the school in two ways: financially
and with my time and experience.
I get involved at Hartsbrook to
demonstrate to my son the principle
that involvement matters, and because
that is the way I want to live. To live in
a way that people matter; that
interaction matters; that connection
matters; that involvement matters.
This is what I believe, and I see it in
what the school teaches and how it
conducts itself. I want my son to be a
part of that, and I want to be a part
of that.
Jim Piermarini – Hartsbrook Parent
Ways to Support Hartsbrook
n CAsH, CHeCk or CredIt CArd
Many gifts to the school are cash contributions that are made by
check or credit card. these gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law
and provide immediate funding for the school and its operations.
n PLAnned gIvIng
gifts made through estate planning provide for the future growth of the
school as these gifts, unless otherwise specified, are directed to the
school’s endowment.
n seCurItIes And ProPerty
gifts of stock, other securities or property benefit the institution and
provide the donor with a tax deduction for the fair market value of the
gift when it is made. Additionally, the donor does not have to pay
capital gains tax on the appreciated value of the stock or property.
n gIFts In kInd
Hartsbrook welcomes gifts in kind including donations of goods and
services that meet the educational and programmatic needs of the
school.
n MAtCHIng
gIFts
Many companies provide their employees with the benefit of
increasing their gifts to certain organizations by matching those gifts.
Please check with your employer about their matching gifts program.
n sPeCIAL And restrICted gIFts
Hartsbrook has a number of funds that have been established by
donors for special purposes, such as the support of scholarships or
endowment.
For further information about making a gift, please contact the development department at 413-586-1908 x129.
Non-Profit Org.
US Postage
A Waldorf
School in the
Pioneer Valley
PAID
Permit 200
Springfield, MA
193 Bay Road, Hadley, MA 01035
www.hartsbrook.org
SAVE THE DATE – COMMUNITY EVENTS 2014-2015
All School Open Houses:
saturdays, 10am-12noon on october 25, january 24 & March 7
Holiday Fair:
saturday, november 22, 10am-4pm
Solstice Celebration:
thursday, december 18, 7-10pm, Helen Hills Hills Chapel, northampton
Grandparents & Special Friends Day/May Celebration:
Friday, May 8, 8:15-3pm
Graduation:
saturday, june 6, 10am
14