April`77 At Hammonasset

vol. I, no. 3
the hammonasset school, madison, conn. 06443
Evaluation
Tom West
or Student
riting
Hammonasset has received a grant
of $8,500 to support research and
publication to improve student writing
in secondary schools.
The grant was made by the Edward
E. Ford Foundation of Lakeville, Conn.
which devotes the major part of its
philanthropy to independent secon­
daryeducation.
The project will be directed by Tom
West, Hammonasset English teacher,
whose material will comprise some
6,000 compositions which he has ac­
cumulated from students since school
opened in 1973.
In announcing the grant Gordon
Schofield said: "I want to thank and
congratulate Tom West for all the time
and thought that have gone into this
idea. That we have received this grant
from the Edward E. Ford Foundation is
testimony to the project and to his
work in preparing the proposal."
Bases for Proposal
Tom describes the theses on which
his proposal was based as follows:
"that English teachers throughout
generations have gone about the
teaching of English entirely back­
wards: i.e., grammar first, written
passages last.
Can't on page 8 col. 3
This spring Hammonasset is to be
evaluated by the New England
Association of Schools and Colleges as
the final step towards its full ac­
creditation by that body.
The formal aspects of this process
have been under way for about a year,
but Hammonasset from its beginnings
has been meticulous in taking all
preliminary steps to support its -ap­
plication, which normally encompass a
full five years. Even before it first
opened, because of the thorough
preparations made by administration,
faculty, and trustees, it had been ac­
corded "correspondent status" by the
NEASC. About a year later ,it was
recognized as "a candidate for ac­
creditation." This year represents the
final phase.
As the guidelines issued by the
NEASC state: "The school will be
evaluated, to a considerable extent, in
terms of its own statement of purposes
and objectives. This self-evaluation is
vital to the total process of evaluation.
Can't. on page 8 col. 2
April 1977
Pike Guest Panelist
At Baltimore Seminar
William M. Pike, Chairman of the
Board of Trustees of the Ham­
monasset School and a founder of the
school, was a guest panelist at a
seminar in Baltimore sponsored by the
Assoc!ation of Independent Maryland
Schools in mid-February_
The subject was "The Responsibility
of Trustees for Long-Range Planning",
and 120 trustees attended, all from
Maryland, and a preponderance from
independent day schools.
Other panelists were Pat Acheson,
Westover School trustee and Chair­
man of the Educational Policy Com­
mittee of its board, and Donald But­
tenheim, President of the Board of the
Emma Willard Scheal and Chairman af
the Trustee Committee of the National
Association of Independent Schools.
Pike discussed the Hammonasset
approach to teaching and plant
management, emphasizing the im­
portance of keeping tuition at levels at­
tainable by its constituency in the
Shore Line community.
•
Dave Murray wins the tipoff, Hammonasset the game. Near season's end our record was
somewhat mixed. Wins: Becket Academy (twice); Hopkins JV's; St. Thomas More; Clinton
Boys' Club; and Williams. Losses: St. Dunstan's; Marianapolis (twice); Hopkins; Hopkins JV's.
The Hammonasset JV's - wins: Hopkins 3rd; Foundation School; Broatch; and Becket
Academy. Losses: Marianapolis JV's (twice); St. Thomas More (twice); Choate Freshman;
and Foundation.
Dr. Douglas Heath
Self-Education Stressed
Douglas Heath, professor of
psycholo9'Y at Haverford College, a
long time friend of Gordon Schofield
and one whose philosophy of
education has had a substantial in­
fluence on many schools, including
Hammar,asset, recently visited the
school. He spoke to an evening
meeting of parents, students, and
friends in the Arts Barn and the next day,
after visiting classes and' talking with
students at Hammonasset, he ad­
dressed a joint session of the faculties
of the Country School and Ham­
monasset.
On both occasions Dr. Heath spoke
on "Educating Today for Adult Com­
petence Tomorrow," a subject on
which he is a specialist and on which
he has published extensively. He is a
consultant to the National Association
of Independent Schools and of the
Friends Council of Education and has
served the Ministerial Project for the
Seventies of the National Council of
Churches. His latest book is "Maturity
and Competence: A Trans-Cultural
View."
Self-Education
"America needs a much more
powerful and humane conception of
educational purpose than only to
promote academic excellence," he
said. "Rather we must more
systematically teach for self-education,
self-teaching, and adaptability. We
demand excellence, but we must
locate that demand within a larger view
of what it means to be an educated
person livin9' in the 21st century."
Trends and Changes
Dr. Heath outlined predictable trends
relating to population changes and
our declining birth rate as they w,ill in­
fluence job opportunities, on the one
hand, and to changing societal values
such as the alteration in the traditional
male/female relationship, smaller
families, continued marital instability,
and a greater variety of intimacy pat­
terns with more pluralistic long-term
relationships, on the other.
"Each generation is basicaUy the
caretaker generat'ion for the one to
follow," he said. "We have the largest
generation in our history charged with
caring for the smallest up-coming
generation in several decades. To
maintain unemp'loyment at 4/5% we
must create about 20 million new jobs,
40% more than dur,jng the 'golden six­
ties' - with the increased possibility
that youth may not be ab'le to find self­
fulfilling jobs. The educational im­
plication is that we dare not educate too
narrowly for we risk creating more
dysfunctional persons. We must
educate deeply and generally.
"We have become locked into a
conception of education that is
becoming out of phase with the needs
of today's youngsters. Why? Because
we operate within a self-contained,
closed system of evaluation and never
follow up our st'udents to discover
what becomes of th m as adults. We
assess our efforts in terms of our own
self-generated academic measures of
achievement and do not know whether
such measures have any functional
relationship to subsequent activity as a
competent adult.
"As a parent, a teacher, a board
member or even a tax payer what
I would want to know about the
effectiveness of my school is not just
achievement test scores, which are im­
portant, but the answers to questions
like these - which are, incidentally, as
all really enlightened adults already
know, the pertinent questions to ask
about their own competence:
Ideas and Attitudes
"What kind of attitude does that
student have about himself as a learner?
What is his particular prophecy about
himself that he is consciously or un­
consciously living out?
"What ideas and interests excite
him? What does he want to learn as a
result of the education he has just had?
What does he want to explore, read,
search out?
"Just how open is he to learning
from others, his colleagues, peers, his
teachers, his boss? How willing and
open is he to searching out what
others know and open to learning from
them?"
-2­
Chamber Music Concerts
Hammonasset this summer will
make available its Arts Barn for a series
of chamber music concerts sponsored
by Chestnut Hill Concerts which for
the past seven summers has offered a
rich variety of both established and
modern classical works in a modest
barn in Killingworth.
This announcement was made join­
tly by Gordon Schofield and Yoko Mat­
suda, musical director for the concerts.
The concerts will begin July 7 and 8
.and will last for six weeks on Thursday
and Friday evenings.
They will feature The Sequoia Quar­
tet, which is the quartet in residence at
the California Institute of the Arts, as
well as a number of guest artists.
In addition tentative plans are being
corlsidered to combine the Maypole
Dance and Musical Happening curren­
tly scheduled for May 1st by Meva
Eringen, Hammonassefs dance and
music teacher, with a preview concert
by the Sequoia.
Meva's program will feature a
madrigal choir, voice solos, recorder
music, and a Maypole Dance, all plan­
ned in the meadow back of the Arts
Barn.
The Sequoia Quartet will play af­
terwords inside the Arts Barn.
Biz Valentine, Hammonasset's first full
semester exchange student. is spending the
second semester at the Catlin Gabel School
in Portland, Ore. under arrangements work­
ed out by Gordon Schofield and Manvel
Schauffler, Headmaster of Catlin Gabel. So
far the exchange is one way. but Gordon is
hopeful the Oregon school will reciprocate
in the near future.
During the first two tri-mesters these new teachers joined the faculty: left to right: Diane Charney who during the fall was awarded her Ph.D.
from Duke University - French; Herbert Noyes of Herbert Noyes Associates. Guilford. an architect of extensive design experience - architec­
tural design; Peter landsman. a pilot with Braniff International Airlines - ground school and flying; Sallie Hancock. a 1975 graduate of
Evergreen State College (literature. music. films. anthropology) who spent a year of research in anthropology in Nepal and was the first
white-water woman kayaker to run the Himalaya-fed rivers of Nepal - English; Steve Rimar. teaching fellow from Wesleyan - science; Dave
levit. teaching fellow from Yale - math; and Dick lehr. teaching fellow from Harvard - theatre.
Annual Giving
Humanities Seminar, a Popular New Course
This Year, Emphasizes Self-Education
Forty-five Hammonasset students
this year are spending all morning
Thursdays and Fridays in a new and
wide-ranging course called Humanities
Seminar. devised and taught by Tom
West, Mark Johnson, and David Aron­
stein.
Its purpose is to reach as many
students and heir interests as possible;
to open doors to art, music, history,
phi osophy, sociology, politics; to allow
time and space for students to create,
to use their imaginations; to expand on
their curiosity, and to discover that
man has a history.
The course is based in part on slide­
tape shows produced by the Center for
the Humanities in New York and on the
explorations and discussions led by the
students; by Tom. Mark, and David; by
other acul y and special guests.
Unique Aspects
Its unique aspects are emphasized
by its great encouragement for self­
education. To a substantial degree
students become their own teachers in
the variety and scope of their in­
dividual enterprise.
One student comments on this: "By
far the finest experience I had this term
in Humanities Seminar was doing my
painting project on the process of
creativity. It taught me not only how to
communicate with people in ways
other than verbally, but also how I
came across in those means of com­
munication."
In the first trimester the following
concepts were investigated: the
American cinema - how it reflects this
society's values. The creative process:
writing and the arts - how and why
does Man create? What is imagination?
Values: an exploration of the good and
evil in human nature. Aggression: its
cruelties and its positive aspects. Sur­
vival in the "Future Shock" of 2000
A.D. The Utopian Ideal: is it create­
able?
Students direct their own efforts and
shape their own experiences in this
course, with the encouragement and
consultation of their teachers. who
already have evidence that any
student, even if he just attends classes
and workshops, will experience many
insights of value, not only in other
courses at Hammonasset, but in in­
tellectual pursuits elsewhere.
Varied Reactions
Students reactions to the course
were many and varied. One wrote:
"The class always made me think. As
when we were studying good and evil
in man. It's hard to believe this is
something I would avoid thinking
about. I just always had the twisted
idea that a man would choose that
which held the most truth. Almost all
the subjects we studied were problems
I assumed were meant for others to tax
their brains with. The possibility of a
Utopian society in particular. I still
don't believe it would work. I'm not
even a cynic - it just wouldn't mean
anything to me unless it included
everyone earth."
Another wrote: "In this course I ex­
perienced past, present, and future
problems of people and life that have
seen what the world is really like. The
facts of life were thrown right out in
front of us. And we were meant to deal
with the problems that were to come in
life. It was sort of a warning to what
kind of fools we will have to deal with
in life."
-3­
Hammonasset's annual giving cam­
paign for 1976-77 now totals
$40,377.00 (as of February 15), con­
tributed by parents. alumni, faculty,
trustees, and friends.
This year a variation from the
traditional area committee format was
worked out by which all parents were
invited by letter from Gordon Schofield
to attend a series of meetings at the
school during December, each group
invited for specific dates according to
geographical lac tion.
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Lombard of
Branford are co-chairpersons of the
Parents Committee.
At each meeting Gordon gave a brief
but thorough history of how and why
Hammonasset came into being, with
particular attention to original funding,
present balance sheet, its balanced
budget, and its future needs.
Jim Young, Assistant to the Head­
master, then discussed the traditions
of alumni and parent support of
independent
secondary
school
education in this country, with par­
ticular emphasis on the independent
day school whose problems differ sub­
stantially from those of the boarding
variety.
Jim Young. Assistant to the Headmaster
m\
Left to right: Kim Armstrong, Mike Mayfield. Libby Kingsbury. all 76.
Mike Mayfield. '76, Jennifer Thurber, 74.
Hammonasset alumni/ae held their annual meeting at the
school in late December, timed for the benefit of those who
might be home for college vacation. Forty-seven graduates
attended, elected new officers, heard a few informal words
about the school from Gordon, exchanged a lot more with
each other, and fully enjoyed the hospitality of the house.
After a brief period of low key, instant electioneering Mike
Mayfield '76 was a clear choice for the new president; Ed
McDonnell, '74, for vice-pres'ident; and Jennifer Thurber, '74,
for secretary-treasurer. There were no set speeches, but at
the request of Bud Ruhe, '75, retiring president, Gordon
spoke briefly on the importance of alumni support of the
schaar, not so much financially, but by spreading the word
about Hammonasset and by referals of new students.
Kathy Ford. Betsy Fagan. '77
Mark Eastwood. '76, Todd Walker. 'nl!!. Jamie McGann. '76. Liza
Cuthbert. '74.
....-::
Bridget Mooney, Beth Strong, 76.
Betsy Baker. '74, Bridget Mooney, '~6, Cynthia Cahouet, 76.
Liza Cuthbert. Sam Wells, 74.
A Note from England
Justus Addiss, 76, Bev Richardson, Hope Ruhe 75. Bud Ruhe, 75,
Gordon.
Dawn Thomas, '74, was in London this fall studying, com­
parative politics and economics as one of about 50 American
students enrolled in the Drew University (Madison, N.J.)
London Semester. The program is open to political science or
related social science majors at Drew and other American
universities. It is taught by full'-time senior staff of the London
School of Economics and Oxford. Dawn, who lives in New
York City, is a junior at Drew.
-4­
Some Observations and Travel Reports from Near and Far
From Chit Ide, 76
A few months have passed and
I thought it would be nice to write
and inform you of my progress . . .
I miss Hammonasset so much. I
do like the people (At Mt. Holyoke)
very much and I haven't run into
many that haven't been very warm
and helpful. .. lt's just very shocking to
be in a sc~ool full of girls! 'In the
tradition of liberal arts education each
student is required to fulfill seven
distribution requirements .... Iike many
freshmen, I made the mistake of taking
four out of seven distributions this
semester... so I am taking four courses
that I like, but nothing that I really love.
. . . . I only wish that academic ad­
v,isors were more full of advice . .
. . Academically I have not found
the work overwhelming or hard, just
time-consuming .... If
Hammonasset
taught me anything, it was how to
budget my time (which a surprising
amount of people can't dol and to
have pride in myself and my work ­
how to think in a positive way ... 1 will
never regret a minute that I spent at
Hammone
t. I think , am really
prepared to make my own decisions
and to cope with school and whatever
else comes along with it - and after it.
Perhaps my biggest problem is putting
Hammonasset behind me. I keep
wishing I could walk back in those
doors and be with you all again ... 1tried
out for some student-directed scenes
and have enjoyed them very much. I
have received some nice compliments
from students as well as from the theatre
department's staff. So I have been
doing something that is really en­
joyable .... lt is also very nice to have
four other colleges in the immediate
area - it offers variety as well as other
places to take courses. I am very in­
terested in doing something at Hamp­
shire College.
News and Pictures About
Alumni are at a Premium.
Send Them Now.
From Jamie Winik, 76
Well, I'm sitting here at Ithaca, and
thinking of you all. I'm here because of
you guys, and I can't begin to thank
you for all the help you've been.
Anna, you helped me so much, in
taking the right courses and helping
me deal with the ones I didn't like. I
couldn't have made it if it wasn't for
you.
Gordon, you have helped me to
become a stronger person in every
shape and form, and through my good
and bad times, and when people began
to doubt me, you were always there to
make sure I had the chance I deserved.
To the School, I love and miss you
all. You were all such great friends, and
I will never forget you. Hammonasset
was the school of my dreams, and I
miss it dearly. Take care of it. I don't
know who wrote this, but it applies to
Hammonasset:
"Here we do not impress each other
with our clothes, our status, or our
money. Here we impress each other
with each other."
Lee, the theatre in the Arts Barn was
my true learning experience at Ham­
monasset. You were a big part (if not
the biggest part of my life for two
years), and I grew as a person because
of it. Encourage people, like you en­
couraged me. It's so very important. I
feel that I'm already allead of a lot of
people here and feel badly that they did
not have the training that I did. Make
them believe in themselves, for a lot of
people here don't, and I know I do.
January students can work on
anything they like: pottery, theatre,
dance, writing, cross country skiing,
going to lectures and seminars, or just
enjoying the country. You can also
leave the campus and do something
elsewhere.
Hammonasset prepared me very
we~1 for atl my classes and I never
regretted going to Hammonasset .... I
got what I could from Hammonasset
and it was time for me to leave and go
on to other things. At times I think of
you all and I miss you incredibly. I
won't deny that. Sometimes sitting in
class my mind wanders and I wonder
what you're doing. I can picture a fire
in the fire place, teachers goofing off in
the faculty room, frisbees in the com­
mons room, town meeting, art classes,
plays, the dogs, the office - so many
good times come back to me.
For Best Reproduction
Send Black & White Pictures
From Diana Noyes, 76
Dad sent me a copy of Chit's letter
.... and it was strange reading it
because her school is so much dif­
ferent than Marlboro. Marlboro is very
small (200 students), very isolated (15
miles out of Brattleboro, Vt.), and very
much like Hammonasset. The com­
munity is very close, teacher student
relationships are excellent, and the at­
mosphere is a very healthy one.
The work is hard, very hard. I
average writing at least two papers a
week, especially now around mid­
terms. Unfortunately I never took a
"How to Write a Term Paper" and
regret it now.
I'm taking dance classes (how
strange it is to be taking instead of
teaching!), and will be working all
January on a few pieces. During
-5­
Leigh with her kiln.
From Leigh Kimball, 74
It's kind of difficu1lt, this business of
writing about myself. For me, it seems
everything, really began at Ham­
monasset. There I became aware of a
very magical, positive way of thinking.
Con't. page 6 col. 1
From Leigh Kimball, '74
(Continued from page 5)
I will quickly tell the story of what I
have done since Hammonasset as a
result of Hammonasset.
Over my two-week Spring vacation
project in 1974 I visited Happy Valley
Farm 'n Farmington, Ga., a farm
owned by Jerry Chapelle. Jerry had
been at Hammonasset in the Fall,
giving a clay workshop. The farm was
small, somewhat shabby in an arty
way, abundant in clay, kilns, studio
space, and enthusiastic people. I was
slightly overwhelmed by it and asked if
I could return to study for a year. Jerry
said "Sure."
The year at Happy Valley was
fascinating, frustrating, most unique,
and totally unforgettable. I became in­
volved in the complete working of a
production pottery and in a new
lifestyle - home for me was a revamped
chicken coop. The people I met ranged
from local farmers to national artists.
Anyway, after a year of clay coops
and crazy people I wanted books and
studying again. I moved into town and
went to the University of Georgia for a
year - 1975-76. But with Hammonasset
and Happy Valley behind me it was
hard to feel satisfied there. I looked for
other :;chools and finally decided to
transfer to Antioch in Ohio. It seemed
to thrive on t'he Hammonasset spirit,
one of individuality and integrity.
Over this past summer I was able to
use the clay studio at Hammonasset,
which gave me inspiration to build a
small raku kiln (an acient Japanese
firing technique). Allen Buck can
testify to the efficiency of the kiln ­
constructed of old barrel bricks, fired
with gas and a vacuum cleaner. It
wasn't exactly predictable, but it
always got the job done eventually.
Now I am at Antioch, a little
disillusioned by dorms (I'll take my
chicken coop), but finding the school
excellent and open to many, many
possibilities. I have plans to travel to In­
dia this winter to photograph and
study Indian potters. Looking ahead
two years I will hopefully be in Japan,
sponsored by Antioch, to continue my
studies in clay. Antioch isn't as warm
and close as Hammonasset; with more
students it is necessary to push hard to
get what you want. But it's a place
which encourages curiosity (in all
aspects, not just books), and I am sure
here I will be able to carryon the ideals
which had their beginnings at Ham­
monasset during the first golden year.
From Karen Gervasoni,
teacher at Hammonasset
'last year and now
married to a GI in Korea.
Korea is a trip! We're stuck in a little
village way out in the sticks. My first
month here was miserable, but after I
got used to it it wasn't too bad. My
"stove" is a one-burner kerosene
cooker. Have you ever tried to make
coffee, toast, home fries, bacon and
eggs on a one-burner? My "sink" is a
plastic basin. When it's warm out I
wash dishes at the pump. We really
have "running water" - when we need
water we run out to the pump! All
water has to be boiled before you can
drink it. At least I don't have to wash
clothes. We pay the Korean laundry
$10 a month to do it - on a rock in a
stream. It's the only way here. My
"toilet" is an aluminum pot, that Tom
empties every morn,ing, and some
Iyso!. I refuse to go near the filthy,
smelly outhouses that all the Koreans
use. We have a two-room "hooch".
Each room is about 8' by 12'. The walls
are cement covered with wall paper.
Wood and wood products are scarce
and expensive. There's a space under
the cement floor so that it can be
heated by cylindrical charcoal blocks.
The electricity is off as much as it is on.
Some times it is off four hours. We
keep a box of candles handy in case it
goes out after dark. Like I said, it's a
trip. But it's great just to be with Tom.
He's getting terribly homesick these
days but it hasn't hit me yet. So how's
everyone back there ,in the real world?
(That's how GI's refer to stateside, like
it's all a bad dream.) We just got back
from our monthly trip to Seoul. We go
up there to buy food from the com­
missary and just to get away ....
Editorial Note
Virtually all the alumni who
answered the questionnaire sent
out in connection with Ham­
monasset's evaluation said,
among other things, that they
would like to be kept better in­
formed about the school
through some sort of news let­
ter.
This issue of "at hammonas­
set" makes a very modest begin­
ning toward that end through a
few photographs, some un­
solicited testimonials, and an
article or two.
But this is only the begin­
ning.
lin the next issue, due shortly
after Commencement, we want
to carry a lot more alumni news.
IResponsibility for a fair share
of this devolves, strangely
enough, on the alumni.
People have no greater inter­
est than in each other and in
themselves. So tell us what
you're doing, where you're do­
ing it, and why. Report on your
classmates - and don't spare the
pictures!
Send your information to
Gordon, or just mark it for "at
hammonasset. "
A Look Ahead
The Opening of School 1977-78
Trimester /
Read News About
Your CI'assmates
in the columns of
"at hammonasset"
-6­
Faculty Meetings -
Aug. 31,
Sept. 1
Student/Faculty
Scheduling
Conferences - Sept. 6, 7,
8 - and 9 if needed
Classes Start Monday,
Sept. 12
Canoe Trip
During the summer of 1976 many
from Hammonasset sought the wider
horizon, among them Lorry Spitzer
who led a canoe trip in Canada with
the goal of reaching Hudson's Bay. (In
the picture Lorry is the man coiling a
hawser). This account of the expedi­
tion was written exclusively for "at
hammonasset" by Jim "Captain Ahab"
Russell (see insert) who might also
qualify as Lorry's Boswell. It may be
read with or without a grain of salt.
It was sometime during the winter of
1975-1976 that Lorry first ca me up with
the idea of a canoe trip down one of
the rivers which drain from Northern
Ontario down into Hudsons Bay. All I
knew about Hudsons Bay was that the
explorer had died there but the thought
of a voyage of several hundred miles
down a wilderness river scared me half
to death. I told Lorry that I thought it
was a great idea - for him - but to count
me out. As usual, he was undeterred
by either my superior wisdom or my
rejection
and he plunged en­
thusiastically into planning.
Jim of the Jaundiced Eye
S
_
h
Issenaibi River which flows north
from Mattice on the Trans Canadian
highway some 200 miles to Moosenee,
an old Hudsons Bay Co. post on James
Bay. Despite my determination to
remain uninvolved, he cunningly bom­
barded me with material depicting the
Missenaibi as a placid, beautiful river
with virtually no rapids and almost no
portages. When I pointed out that
some stretches of the stream bore
names 'like "Hells Gate", he insisted
that such titles were more poetic than
descriptive. When I calculated that
canoeing 200 miles in seven days
meant paddling 30 miles a day he in­
sisted (with a straight face, yet) that
the current was of such strength that
all I would have to do was sit at leisure
and be borne along through the
beautiful countryside. At no time was
there any mention made of mosquitoes
the size of humming birds, campsites
so soggy that it was like walking on a
waterbed or of three mile portages.
Reassured by these evasions and
downright misrepresentations, I agreed
to go. In early August Lorry, Kathy
Morse and I set off for Canada in a van
loaded down with two canoes and a
ton of supplies and equipment.
Lorry's Death Wish
Now canoeing with Lorry (who has a
death wish) is chancy at best but just
to make every expedition even more in­
teresting, he stubbornly insists upon
doing everything the hard way. With
the introduction of modern equipment
and freeze-dried foods, the effort in­
volved in wilderness travel has been
much reduced. Lorry, however, regar­
ds all these innovations with cool con­
tempt and insists upon packing flour,
canned goods, sa s of moldy bacon,
reflector oven, cast iron pans and four
foot steel fireplace irons. All of this
stuff is carried in a "wannigan" - a fien­
dish wooden box which may weight up
to 100 pounds when loaded and is tran­
sported by (unbelievable as it may
seem) means of a "tump strap" - a
leather harness which is borne on ones
forehead! When one is carrying a wan­
nigan each step is agony - pain shoots
down your spine and one is distracted
only by the fact that the bottom of the
box is removing the skin from the small
of your back.
Afloat at Last
On August 10th Lorry, Kathy and I
set off on the Missenaibi with three
other in three canoes. It quickly
became obvious that we were not
going to make 30 miles a day without
considerable effort. The river was full
of rocks (my sternsman hit everyone).
rapids and portages. The description of
the river, furnished by the Ontario
Government, bore so little resemblance
to the terrain that some cynics in the
group began to openly question as to
whether Lorry has gotten us on the
wrong river. As the days passed with
too little progress the spector of star­
-7­
vation arose. Talk turned increasing,ly
to the subject of cannibalism and many
of us, eyeing Lorry malevolently, con­
cluded that, when hungry enough, we
could overcome our scruples.
By some miscalculation, the weather
remained surprisingly good - the sun
came out occasionally and there's
nothing more beautiful than frost on
your tent in the morning. The wind,
however, blew strongly and con­
sistently against us - which was
probably just as well (On the ne c­
casion when the wind came out of the
South Lorry rigged a sail and at­
tempted a whole series of rapids at six
knots and half blind).
Decision at Moose River
By dint of several long days and a lot
of paddling we arrived, on the seventh
day, at Moose River Junction, a
depressing huddle of shacks where the
railroad crossed the Moose River on its
way to Moosenee. At this point,
exhausted, dirty, bad tempered and
short of supplies, the group voted five
to one to abandon the trip, fifty miles
short of Hudsons Bay {the one dissen­
ter wanted to carryon "on principle"
but was silenced by the threat of his
drowning "on principle"!. So we put the
canoes and ourselves on the train the
next morning and headed south to
Cochrane.
No sooner had we gotten on the
train (which goes under the misnomer
of the "Polar Bear Express") than
Lorry leaned back, sighed with con­
tentment, and announced (while the
group gazed at him in astonishment
and horror) that it was the best canoe
trip he'd ever been on! "I wonder", he
added, "where would you get in­
formation about the Yukon?".
The Hosay Porcelains
For Student Writing
Evaluation
(Continued from page 1)
Sandy Hosay
Norm was the first to begin working
with porcelain, and that was just five
months ago. Ceramics was not new to
us - we had been working with
stoneware off and on for several years,
but having decided we wanted to make
ceramic jewelry, we discovered that
the properties of procelain were per­
fect for creating beads and pendants of
many shapes, sizes and designs. We
started with the natural, off-white color
of porcelain, which has a wonderful,
translucent quality after firing, but we
were soon experimenting with a variety
of colors added directly to the clay.
Each bead and pendant is carefully
made by hand, allowed to dry, and
then all pendants and certain beads are
sanded. When we have a full kiln,
everything is fired once to Cone 8,
which takes about fourteen hours. For
further variety, we occasionally fire
some pieces a second time at lower
temperatures in order to add glazes
and stains to surfaces. The final step is
to design and assemble a variety of
necklaces and earrings from all that
has been made.
The whole process takes a lot of
time and energy, but it has been a hap­
py experience for us, especially when
we see our pieces being worn and en­
joyed. After a summer of selling at
fairs, we are now working and selling
directly from our home in Killingworth.
Norm and Sandy Hosay
This is the aspect of the procedure
which is of most vallue to the schools,
and also provides the material that is
necessary to the work of a visiting
committee and an appropriate review
body."
Thus the year 1976-77 has been one
of special review and introspection,
culminating in formal written reports
by select committees of faculty, and in
some cases students, parents, and
trustees, and involving in varying
degrees just about everyone in the
Hammonasset community.
The NEASC evaluation report will
cover six sections and they are listed
here together with the faculty who
chaired them: I. Purposes and Ob­
jectives - Mark Johnson; II. Students,
Parents, Graduates, Community - An­
na Bowditch; III. Professional Staff ­
Tom West; IV. Program - J~m Young;
V. Decision-Making Process - Doug
Wood; and VI. The Administration of
the School- Gordon Schofield.
Assessments
Four sub-committees were of in­
valuable assistance in completing their
assessments under section II. Anna
Bowditch chai:ed the committee ,;on­
cerned with students. Edwina Zanes of
Madison, a former parent and trustee
of
Hammonasset,
supervised
preparation and ultimate evaluation of
a questionnaire sent to all parents. Liz
Murphy, class of 1976, did the same for
all alumni. Ellen C. Burt of Guilford and
Constance A. Pike of Old Lyme, both
trustees,
co-chaired
the
sub­
committee on the community.
The various reports comprising
(Continued from page 1)
"that students can write, given the
chance and proper environment.
"that a humane atmosphere is
essential, insuring confidence and
mutual trust between teacher and
student.
"that the student must know that
what is well-written may be read
aloud in class with student per­
mission - as examples of good
writing - but never the bad, which
humiliates, breaks down con­
fidence, destroys the sharing
process.
"that workshops and tutorials are
proven effective as vehicles for con­
crete, imaginative written ex­
pression. "
The end result of this project will be
a book of about 200 pages containing
student writings - essays, poems, and
short stories from the classes Tom has
taught over the past three and one half
years. It will be printed by a local Shore
Line press ana about 500 copies
distributed to selected schools,
colleges, universities, educational
associations, and publishers - nation­
wide.
Hammonosset's self-ev luation will be
forwarded to the NEAS shortly. In
April a visiting committee of he
NEASC will spend hree da s al the
school. Their recommenda ions ill be
reviewed by the NEASC committee on
membership who will subsequently
recommend action to the governing
body of the association. The actions of
this body are final, subject to approval
by the NEASC annual meeting in
December.
Hammonasset was host earlier this year to more than 100 Shore line high school students at
a "Colloquium oh Leadership". sponsored by Project Learn. Former Governor John Dempsey
of Conn. shown above. second from left. led a discussion on the "Leadership in Government
and Politics." Others in the picture are Hammonasset seniors, Jerry Davis of Madison and
Una Dietel of Killingworth, who organized the meeting. and Dr. Everett Heidgerd. Project
Co-ordinator. Programs for Exceptional Children of Project Learn. High Schools represented
were Guilford High School; Daniel Hand; Lyme/Old Lyme; East Lyme; Valley Regional;
Morgan School. Westbrook; and Nathan Hale-Ray in East Haddam.
-8­
Facu'lty Art Show
The Hammonasset Arts Faculty will
give an exhibition of painting and
photography which will be open to
the public and held in the school Com­
mons Room from March 28 through
April 3.
Exhibitors will be Maggie McCurdy ­
work in relief; Judy Streeter - drawings
and prints; and Jonathan Rho ­
photographs.
The exhibition wi'li be open from 5:30
to 8 on weekdays and from one to five
on the weekend, and all works will be
for sale.
A private opening by ,invitation only
will in.troduce the show on Saturday
and Sunday March 26 and 27.
On these days the show will be sup­
plemented by a program of in­
tenpretative dance by Meva Eringen
and dramatic readings by Lee Drew.
Dance and Music
Programs
Additional programs in dance and
music are scheduled in the Arts Barn
this spring under Meva Eringen's direc­
tion.
November's "Evening of Dance",
which brought an enthusiastic audien­
ce a bright variety of solos, duets, and
group pieces, is planned again for May
26 and 27, but with entirely new
choreography and music, though
many of the performers will be familiar.
In mid-February a select group of
Meva's students gave a recital at the
Pierson Elementary School in Clinton ­
two performances in sequence for
about 100 students at each one, duets
and solos only. These involved Lisa
Hannum, Maureen Dolan, Suzanne
Smith, Susan Addiss, Diane Rho, and
Ellen Feitelson.
News and Pictures
About Alumni
are at a
Premium.
Send Them
Top. Alison McGuire. as the malicious child.
Below. Charmagne Eckert. left. and Anne
Cassidy as the slandered teachers.
I Rehearsal photos)
A Testing Choice
Two
Hammonasset's major dramatic
presentation this spring was Lillian
Hellman's "The Children's Hour" which
played to full houses the last weekend
in February.
The large cast of thirteen students
and two faculty promised a compelling
and sensitive reading of this disturbing
theme in which a young girl's charge of
lesbianism against two of her teachers
threatens to destroy the very school
which the two teachers had spent their
entire adult lives building up.
Lee Drew directed. The players
were: Diane Rho, Suzanne Houghton,
Sheila Mayfield, Alison McGuire, Diana
De Mayo, Laura Wakem, Laurie Fusco,
Lisa Morris, Lisa Wenderoth, Chris
Teluk, Charmagne Eckert, Pat Dillon,
Jonathan Rho, Diane Charney, and
Anne Cassidy.
Assistant directors were Andy
Mellins and Richard Lehr. Jay Ives was
technical director.
Two Hammonasset juniors have
been selected for the "Frontiers of Ap­
plied Science'" program offered by
Yale University's Department of Ap­
plied Science and Engineering.
They are Sarah Lyons of Madison
and Priscilla Spencer of Orange. They
are among 150 high school students
chosen for the program from 45
schools throughout Connecticut and
Rhode Island.
They will shortly begin a series of
Saturday lectures covering such sub­
jects as: The Concorde - Problems in
the Field of Supersonic Air Transport;
The Long Road to Absolute Zero; This
Matter of Molecules; Air Pollution
Levels in New Haven - Their Effect on
Heal,th and Well-Being; Controlling the
Unknown - A Systems Approach;
Computer Applications in Science; and
How Do Bacteria Sense and Respond
to Information about Their En­
vironment?
uniors Selected
-9­
Top, Liz Molumphy. and Maureen Dolan. as
seen through Dan Harder's lens at the fall
"Evening of Dance."
IN 'REVIEW. Last fall Hammonasset rounded out a very successful soccer season with a total of 9 wins. 2 ties. and two losses. High scorer was
Brad Whiteman and the outstanding defensive player was Dee Kimball. These were strongly backed by Joe Sciarini. Bill Dempsey. Steve
Johnson. and Mark Lonnegren. Owen Querfield was a, standout in the goal. The wins: Guilford Freshmen. Williams. St. Thomas More. Hopkins­
Day Prospect. Becket Academy. and Foote; ties: Oxford and Marianapolis; losses: Saybrook and Choate J.V.'s.