August 1984 - Hammonassetschool.com
Transcription
August 1984 - Hammonassetschool.com
-------------------- Vol. VI ----- No.1 ------ ----- August 1984 Graduation 1984 Few occasions turn a laugh into a tear as quickly and frequently as the graduation ceremony at Hammonasset. The class of '84 and friends took everybody through the emotional wringer on June 8, with an assortment of presentations that has come to typify the character of this evening, and with such pace and aplomb that the overwhelming heat of the Arts Barn was all but forgotten. Well, maybe not forgotten ... Headmaster Donald Grace acted as master of ceremonies and commenced the festivities with a short speech in which he offered "four noble truisms and two ignoble truths," to the graduates. "All my deepest worries must be his cartoons," quoted Grace from the Woodstock soundtiack, suggesting to the graduates that they "become cartoonists so that they may learn how to laugh at the world, others, and themselves." Grace's other choice words of advice were to "make music in your world," "become a synthesizer of the needs of your own, of others and of the environment," and "become an agent for change, and shape that change so that it is positive." On the ignoble side, Grace assured the future parents that "you can never get enough baby-sitters," and quoted a Latin proverb concerning perserverance despite the efforts of those you dislike, "lllegitimi Non Carburundum." The variety of diploma presentations provided a wealth of humor and poignancy as the audience was treated to poetry, both published and personal, gift giving, fond and embarrassing recollections, and even a five minute improvisation about wasting time at the beach. The special quality of a Hammonasset graduation ceremony, and fully evident on this evening, is the way it generates a sharing of love among the members of the community, and very significantly, the reaffirming of care between the graduate and his or her family. Graduation at Hammonasset is more than a ceremony; it is a celebration. And that is certainly a noble truism. The graduates, and their plans for next year, are: John Austin, Madison, University of Vermont; Lisa Brause, New Haven, Roger Williams College; Jennifer Butler, Hamden, Hampshire College; John Campana, Meriden, Computer School; Mat Diamond, Cromwell, undecided; Kris Emack, Madison, Sarah Lawrence College; Chris Goodale, Deep River, Green Mountain College; Annie Harris, Madison, Hampshire College; Kate Kelly, Clinton, Colby College; Dana Lowry, Westville, Simmons College; Nomi Lubin, New Haven, Bennington College; Jessica Miller, North Haven, Undecided; Jodi Miller, Killingworth, Undecided; Lisa Nadel, Chester, Barnard; Damon Pearce, Branford, Undecided; Jennifer Vaughn, Old Lyme, Hampshire College; Linda Weed, Durham, Roger Williams College. John Austin is the subject for a few of Larry Fin man's quips at graduation. Enjoying the humor with Austin are John Dombi and Laura Gibbons. Damon Pearce and friends spend some time at the beach in an improvisational diploma presentation, one of the more creative of the evening. Headmaster's Newsletter By any measure, this has been a watershed year for Hammonasset. Sometimes the signs of that have been boldly stated; sometimes they have been whispers of crucial changes. This was my second year, a year when most headmasters attempt to move a school in asignificantway. My experience was not unique, then, as I witnessed the shaping of a new combination of forces forming the school. Last summer was a good one in admissions-virtually half the school was new on opening day. The faculty retreat is simply the best idea for a start of any school that I have known, and last September was no exception. Opening activities for the rest of the school ensured a positive, wholecommunity spiritfrom the beginning. That spirit was greatly tested with the controversy over the change to letter grades, a controversy that engaged all constituencies of the Hammon asset community-students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni/ae, board, head. Our first parents night will probably never again be so well-attended or energized (you know something is happening when a community meeting on parent's night goes past 11 :00 P.M.!) What bound us together in that crisis was a common respect for other's opinions, a realization that real change had to occur somewhere to stop a fatal slide in enrollment in the last few years, and an awareness of the other special parts of the program that were strong and on-going. The 1Oth Anniversary of the school further bound the school together, with moving ceremonies of past, current and future life of the school. I have never felt such energy in a school, and the flurry of activity in the months that followed seemed to result from that energy. Ambitious school plays, an outstanding alumni/ae art show, an integrating Interim Week, a soccer banquet capping a fair season, an impressive college night series, greatly increased outreach and interest in the school from outside, a major grant of money from a private source outside the school, a new Arts Barn roof (early on), an important Evaluation Week, a fine set of senior masterwork presentations, a weekend of performing arts with dance and mime-these all mix together in my memory to form a vibrant, pulsing fall and winter. Then we shot the rapids and were in to spring so quickly: another successful Interim Week, a better-than-expected college record, a well-timed Silent Auction, another fine play, a unifying Spring Arts Festival. We received a $25,000 grant for a scholarship endowment fund from the Ford Foundation, signaling a new level of outreach by the school. A second major challenge to school unity occurred when the faculty and I closed Open Campus because of some incidences of significant property destruction off campus during school hours and because of a general erosion of student responsibility on Open Campus. But this crisis was resolved much more quickly, with a student-faculty committee writing a new policy that was accepted virtually intact by the faculty and me. This was a different community than the one that wrestled with the grading issue in the fail-a community with new resources for resolving difficult and important community problems. In the midst of all of this, admissions inquiries were tripling, and we were on our way to reversing the enrollment decline of the last few years. With the summer we expect, we should be able to open the school with more students (and more of them committed Ham monas set students) than we opened with last year. The high attrition rates of the last few years can and will be cured. The figures, the accomplishments in the classroom, and the positive reactions from outside have prompted the board to call for a five-year plan, which I have submitted. The year ahead looks to be very exciting in the discussing of the many aspects of that plan. It is a real change to beabletothinkthat far ahead for Hammonasset, and that thinking will generate energy by itself. It has not been smooth. Several members of an unusually dedicated faculty have left the school, along with a few staff members. Some will teach, while others will do graduate work; all of them will be missed greatly by those of us who remain. At the same time, there is an electricity already moving from the new faculty and staff and the new opportunities for individual and group effort. The curriculum will be shaped in new ways by the new faculty. We are due for a full review of that curriculum, and of graduation requirements this coming year. A curriculum development project on humanities/technology is in the works for next summer. The circus comes to Hammonasset, only a few days from this writing. It symbolizes much of the change in the school. We have sought creative new ways to combine excitement and education-having fun while we are improving the quality of a Hammonasset education and ensuring its continuation. Hammonasset has not stood still with its early innovations. We have kept the strongest of these intact; we have eliminated or greatly modified those that were most burdensome; we have improved those that needed work; and we have developed new innovations in response to changing needs. Some of the dreams have changed, but the dreaming has not. Hammonasset continues to be a visionary school, even as it struggles to redefine itself for the late 1980's. How exciting it is to be a witness and a participant in a school that is rejuvenating itself. Tenth Anniversary Of all the year's events, the Tenth Anniversary Celebration on November 3rd and 4th attracted the most fanfare, and the symbolic moment that it observed was indeed worthy of such attention! The vision, determination, and results of the Committee for a Shoreline Secondary School were congratulated in a festivity-filled two days that featured an art exhibit, an evening of one-act plays by Chekov, lonesco, and Williams, and a dinner keynoted by past Hammonasset parent William Zinsser, executive director of the Book of the Month Club, and author of "On Writing Well." By all accounts, the celebration lived up to its hype, and we thank all of you who were able to attend and share in the fun. The Eleventh Anniversary Celebration is not expected to be quite as large. New Trustees and Faculty New Trustees: Richard Adelstein Helen Davis lou Esposito Edward Katzenberger Richard Adelst®in ~Richard is an Associate Professor of Economics at Wesleyan after having served appointments at Northeastern U n iver~ ity, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and Oxford University. A graduate of M .I.T., he has added aM AT. from Harvard and a J.D. and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Richard lives with his wife and two daughters in Middletown, and is currently on the Board of Directors of Equity Housing Inc., a low income housing cooperative there. Georgia Berman- Georgia, a Hamden resident, is a masters candidate in the department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Yale School of Medicine. Berman holds a B.S. in Human Services from New Hamphsire College. She has been a management intern for the Harvard Community Health Plan in Boston, Massachusetts, a controller and member of the administrative cabinet of the Urban League of Greater New Haven, past president of the League of Women Voters of Hamden, and past research committee chairperson and newsletter editor for Parents and Teachers in Unity, in Hamden. Berman has a son who is entering the tenth grade at Hammonasset. He!en Davis~ Helen, a Madison resident, was one of the founding parents of Hammonasset; Jerry, her son, was class of '77. She received her B.A. from Wilson College and has a M.A. in special education from the University of Hartford. A past Chairman of the Board of the Country School and past President ofTem pie Beth Tikvah, Helen is currently on the board of the Madison Library. Nicholas Duke- Nick is presently Assistant Director of Development and Director of Foundation Relations at Quinnipiac College. A resident of Guilford, Nick has a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and a M.Ed. from the University of Hartford. He is on the Development committee of the Salisbury School, the Planning Committee of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, the Finance Committee of the Museum of American Theatre, and the board ofThe Harbor, a social service, educational, and arts agency in New York City. lou Esposito- Lou is currently the president of Futureschool, a computer schooling program, President of International Computer Tours, and a private consultant/lecturer on computer and rehabilitation engineering. Agraduateofthe UniversityofTennesseeand holder of a M.B.A. from Northwestern, Lou is also currently serving as a Ham monasset parent; Kyle will be a senior this year. The Espositos live in Madison. Edward Katzenberger~ Edward,aCiilnton resident, is an alumnus of New York University and the Guggenheim School of Aeronautics at Princeton. An Associate Fellow of the Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, he founded the American Helicopter Society and has worked as Project Engineer, Chief of Design, and Chief Engineer at Sikorsky. Currently he is heading the building committee of the Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Church in Madison. Heather Vaughn- Heather, of Old Lyme, will be the student trustee for the upcoming year. Heather entered Hammonasset as an 8th grader, and after three years, has established herself as a voracious reader, a creative writer, and an effective speaker. Bud Church will serve as faculty trustee this year. New Faculty: Heather Vaughn Paul Birdsall- Paul will be teaching Physical Education, Health, Intramural Sports, Algebra I, Introductory Science, and an interscholastic sport in each trimester. He has a B.S. in Physical Education from Manhattan College and is completing a M.S. in Education (Exercise Physiology) from Iowa State University. Paul has taught at the Harvey School in Katonah, New York the past two years. Meiissa Blacker- Melissa will be offering private piano and voice lessons at Hammonasset. She has a B.A. in Music and Anthropology from Wesleyan University and has studied piano privately for over 20 years. A private instructor since 1979, Melissa (continued) Paul Birdsall Ailene Burt B1.1d lichtenstein Todd Nissen New Faculty (continued) has taught at Wesleyan, and has performed with Wesleyan groups and the Sonomama Improvisation Dance Theater. Allene Burt- Allene has become the Business Manager as of July 1, and she will also be teaching Algebra I in the fall. She has a B.S. in Pathobiology from the University of Connecticut; while at UConn, she tutored hartford innercity high school students. Allene was a compliance accounting officer at Firstbancorp in New Haven before coming to Hammonasset. Michael Givert:z- Michael will be teaching Chemistry, Biology, Pre-Algebra, and a trimester Environmental Studies course, as well as helping in a fall sport. He is a recent graduate of Brown University, with an A.B. in Environmental Studies. He has spent a summer in the Sea Education School-Ship Program atWood's Hole Oceanographic Institute, and he is at Wood's Hole this summer on an Environmental Research Project. Bud lichtenstein- Bud will be teaching Western Civilization, U.S. History, Politics,J unior Independent Research Project, and Outdoor Education, as well as assisting in soccer. He has a B.A. in History from Wesleyan and is currently taking courses toward a masters in American Studies atTrinity College in Hartford. Bud comes to us from the middle school system of Simsbury, Connecticut. Michael Musillami- Michael will be offering private guitar lessons this year at Hammonasset. He has studied guitar at Rutgers University, the Guitar Institute of Technology, and at the Westchester Conservatory. He has taught privately since 19784, has been the guitar teacher at the Hotchkiss School and Salisbury School, and has performed coast-tocoast since 1981. Todd Nissen- Todd has joined the faculty as Public Relations Coordinator and will teach a Modern European History course, along with a section of Junior Independent ALUMNI/AE NOTES It's been great- as always- to see so many of you here at school, either for dropin visits, or for special events. Spring Drama and Arts Performances attracted a lot of alumns, including Sam ('82) and Stuart ('81) Gailey, Justin i\llie! ('83), Rachael Price ('83) and Ulysses Owen-Mankcivich ('83). Graduation on June 8th, in the Arts Barn, brought out a bunch of recent grads- among them Tim Nugent ('82), a presenter for Damon Pearce; Jen Bennitt ('83) who gave a diploma to Annie Harris, and Stacey Arena ('83) who shared the stage as Nomi Lubin received her diploma. Debbie Gan ('83) was also a presenter for lisa Nadel who spent her last trimester studying in Paris. Among other familiar faces at graduation were John Campana's brothers Jimmy ('76) and Luigi ('78), Byron Deloatch ('78), and many others who moved just too fast to be recorded for these notes! We hope that many of you came to see the Big Apple Circus. It was a wonderful, funny, professional show! The Circus Committee has been helped by Mike Maguire (75), and Kathy Armstrong ('82) representing the Alumni/ae. 1975 Margaret Bouhuys Cragg tells us that she is busy raising chickens and children (Michael Arend, 2, and Alexander Richardson, 1) with her husband Steve in Hotchkiss, Colorado. Steve works as a surveyor while Margaret offers her talents to the local Women's Health Clinic, a food co-op, and her garden. They welcome all visitors to the "Hub of Delta County," recommending August if you like Research Project. A history major at Haverford College, Todd served as a feature columnist/reporter/photographer for the Bryn Mawr-Haverford College News. He has also been a columnist for The Columbia Flier in Columbia, Maryland. Molly O'Dell- Molly will be teaching physics, ecology, calculus, and tennis on the interscholastic and intramural levels. She has recently received her B.A. in physics from Carleton College where she was also the captain of the women's varsity tennis team. She was active in a number of organizations there, including the Rock Climbing Club, the Women's Recreation Association, the Nuclear Freeze Coalition, and the Women's Caucus. Joan Pagano- Joan has become the Bookkeeper here after being Bank Manager and Assistant Vice-President for the National Industrial Bank of Connecticut for ten years. She has also been Chairman for the Central Connecticut chapter of the National Association of Bank Women. Joan has studied business management at Quinnipiac College and Post College. Beverly Powers- Bev has been our resident tutor on staff and will continue to serve in that capacity-to be available to families on a separately-contracted basis for tutorial work. She will also be offering a study skills course offered as part of the curriculum. Bev has an M.S. from Southern Connecticut State Uniersity and will be receiving a diploma from the Gillingham Teacher Training course. She has taught levels K through adult for the last 15 years. Dave Rynick- Dave will be teaching pottery, photography, and other arts electives. He has a B.A. from Wesleyan in Sociology and an MAL.S. in studio arts, also from Wesleyan. Dave has taught numerous courses there, has been the studio manager for Wesleyan Potters, has taught akido and dance, and has performed and shown his works for four years. peaches, the fail if apples are your preference. After working first as a miner in South Dakota and then spending some time in South America, David Johnson is an organizer for United Electrical Workers at Smith and Wesson in Springfield, Massachusetts. Liddy Karter got wet with all the other grads at Yale when she received her Master's from the School of Organization and Management on May 28, the rainiest day yet! 1976 Bruce lyon has left his job as store manager for Radio Shack and gone to Brad lees as a department manager for "Mrs. B." Kim Armstrong has graduated from Law School and plans to be married at her family's home in Guilford next October. Someone reports that Greg Wilkins is living in Stony Creek and working at Friends & Co., in Madison. A very outdated note (1 982) from Jon Foote reported he is/was the Founder and Principal in the Architectural firm of Foote, Fox and White Associates in Providence, Rhode Island. More recent word comes from Tricia lowrey lippert in New Jersey. She and her husband Lonnie have just moved, she works as a waitress in a pub and is doing a lot of art work. She's completed four private commissions, and had a solo show at her college in Vermont. Julie Yancey brought her college year to a close this year with a B.A. in Mathematics from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. 1977 Richie Riggs is living in Kew Gardens in New York and working as a banker in Manhattan completing his college education at the same time. Anne Cassidy sends word from Maine that she's working as a travel agent in Portland. She graduated from travel school in Florida, and worked in Dallas before moving to Maine. She has plans to get involved with the Portland Players theatre group. laura Wakem Coyne has moved from the Navy to the Navy Reserves and she and her husband are living in West Hartford. She's a dental receptionist and taking courses at Post College. Steve Pickett is married to Janet Plant ('79) and they're living in Hamden. And for those in the area, be sure to visit the Goodspeed's new theatre in Chester this summer, and next fall you'll find Gerry Davis running things! 1978 Susan Addiss graduated from Oberlin in 1982 after a year studying in France, and is working in Norwalk at a market research company specializing in high-techmarkets. She's living in Bridgeport. Alison Johr!son reports the June 1st floods in Middletown make life pretty messy and travel interesting as only one road was open- in or out. 1979 Apologies to Keith Struve for not reporting sooner on his 1982 (!!)note that he had then just completed the University of Pittsburg "Semester at Sea" voyage around the world. From there he went to the University of Colorado at Boulder for a major in Economics. For any of you who didn't read 1977's notes, Janet Plant is married to Steve Pickett- and has been since November 1981! A quick glimpse of Will Hine brings news of a new job at the Underwater Sound Lab in New London. Keith Comeford is being married on June 30 to Lorrie Hermanson. They live in Waltham, Massachusetts where Keith is a programmer for Digital Equipment Corporation. j 1980 The only news from 1980 comes from Colin Powers who got to California on his bicycle, and is attending U.C. Berkeley. He gets into whitewater kayaking whenever he can. 1981 The best news is that Virginia Hambley has made an incredible recovery from her accident last year. She divides her time between New York City and Old Lyme, and was at Hammonasset quite a bit this spring. It was geat to see her! Jay Van Deusen is finishing his Junior Year at Penn State where he is Vice-president of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity and vn the Inter-Fraternity Council Board of Control. He's still majoring in Agricultural Science, with a minor in Economics. 1982 Jack Chin, a Junior at Wesleyan, majoring in History, is the Founder of a college based newspaper called "Independent Right of Center." 1983 Significant?? Silence at press time! General news of interest is that Tom West is returning to teaching, and will join the faculty of the Independent Day School in Middlefield next fall. It will be good to have him back in the neighborhood. And Doug Macdonald's friends will be sorry to learn of his mother's death at the end of May. Thanks very much-- to all who have helped with news, and/or contributions to the Annual Fund. We can use more of both! Always! And if you'd like to be involved in any way with Alumni/ae activities, be sure to speak up. Mostly wisdom and ideas-not lots of work. So far only three or four people have indicated they're interested, and we need a couple from each class. Planning events, reunions, and generally giving the school your ideas, reactions, comments is what it's all about. Hammonasset Notes The first individual art show by a Hammonasset student occured this year as Nomi Lubin, '84, opened a one-woman show at the Jewish Community Center in New Haven. The exhibition, which featured her art in mixed media on paper, ran for two weeks in March and April. Do' a, a musical duo of Randy Armstrong and Ken LaRoche, returned to the school this year for another evening of imaginative and enchanting music making. The pair play many unusual instruments in addition to the flute, piano, and guitar, and on this evening, they were accompanied by student dancers who performed to a few selected concert pieces. We may well see D'oa again next year. The soccer team is becoming a powerhouse on the independent school circuit. This year's team posted the second winning season in a row for the school by defeating Cheshire Academy 3-1 in the last game of the season to boost its record to 5-4-1. The prospects are bright for next year as John Campana was the only player lost to graduation. Publication continued to be a way of life at Hammonasset. Jennifer Butler of Hamden took it a step further; she published her own book. "A Legacy of Love, An Oral History of My Grandparents," a 39-page text published by The Advocate Press in New Haven, was dedicated to Margie and Steve Cenotti on their 50th wedding anniversary by Butler, who undertook the project as her Masterwork. Jennifer will attend Hampshire College in the fall. On the peace scene, Hammonasset students upheld their reputation as socially active citizens when they sponsored a discussion workshop following ABC-TV's screening of "The Day After." Dr. David London, a local psychiatrist and area coordinator with Physicians for Social Responsibility, led the Monday and Tuesday discussions, addressing not just concerns for life in a nuclear age but also the political issues involved in nuclear proliferaton. Smaller discussion groups supplemented the informal debate and questionnaires were distributed to measure personal attitudes towards nuclear issues, the results of which London said he would use for study. The Big Apple Circus The Big Apple Circus made a triumphant five day appearance at Hammonasset, raising a good sum of money for the school and treating the area to top quality entertainment. The intimate, European style circus dazzled and delighted shoreline residents of all ages, and popular demand may bring it back next year. The faculty remains intact despite the temptations of a few to run away with the troupe. Annual Giving The annual giving drive was a startling success. The $60,000 goal was surpassed by several thousand dollars as the campaign reached its completion on June 30. Connie Pike was, in her word, "euphoric" about the response. A hearty thank you to all who participated. The Hammonasset School Madison, Connecticut 06443 Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID Madison, CT 06443 Permit No. 40 Address correction requested J