TheGAMGAM: a social meeting of whaleships…with all the

sympathies of sailors [and] all the peculiar congenialities arising from a common pursuit.

Volume XXVI, Number iii January-February 2012

In thIs Issue: New tech guru…3 FA Curling…4 E. Martin ‘12…4 Gala: Children’s Cove…5 Head’s List…6 Ms. Beams…13 Faculty Grants…7 Scholarship Exam…9 Pappas grant …12 Music Festivals…12 Bianchi ‘12…13 Dorris ‘07…14 WHOI Interns…15 McDermott ‘07…17 Besse ‘06…18 Alumni News… 16, 19-20

A science update from FA“Mr. A.” takes FA support to

Thailand & South Africa

Mr. Pusit Attahoraek returned to scenes of devastation and hardship on his annual trip to his home in Thailand. Fortunately, his house was not in the hardest hit zones of Bangkok, so Mr. A. turned his hand to helping others, as-sisting to package foodstuffs for distri-bution by the Thai Red Cross Society.

He was proud to wear his Falmouth Academy T-shirt, he said, because “I am

As our students and teachers spend evenings and weekends preparing for our annual science fair on February 16, I am reminded that the process of creating and carrying out a science fair project is a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary learning. And it is challenging. While students are learning how to do science, they are combining a science project with a writing project, a math project, a time-management project, and an oral presentation.

Each year our teachers, in all de-partments, look closely at the value of having our students devote time and en-ergy to an independent science research project. And each year they agree that the skills students gain from this work are important for all disciplines: • Hands-on, creative problem solving• Clear and concise writing• Ability to organize ideas and manage

time• Ability to understand, compile, and

compute accurate data to highlight results

• Ability to articulate complex ideas• Ability to support a hypothesis persua-

sively and to think on one’s feetFA students will use these skills

(continued on page 2) (continued on page 3)

From the Headmaster

Mr. Attahoraek and friends at a school in Africa, where he delivered pencils and other school supplies purchased with funds donated by the FA Honor Society.

The GAMPublished six times a year for the community of Falmouth Academy

Integrating science, humanities, athletics & arts for grades 7 through 12

David C. Faus, HeadmasterMichael J. Earley, Director of Admissions

Sarah Pring, Director of DevelopmentBarbara Campbell, Alumni Director

Tucker M. Clark, Assistant to the HeadElenita Muñiz, Publications Director

In its admissions and financial aid programs, hiring process, and in all school programs,

Falmouth Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender,

national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, or physical handicap.

7 Highfield Drive t Falmouth, MA 02540508.457.9696

thegam@falmouthacademy.org2

repeatedly at FA and beyond. Formu-lating, researching, and defending a hypothesis based on their own ques-tions, data collection, attempts, failures and analyses and then explaining their work clearly and concisely — these are tremendously important skills: the same skills a lawyer uses in the courtroom, an investment banker with a client, and a CEO in the boardroom. The work our students do for the science fair will stretch their own abilities and help prepare them to be problem solvers and critical thinkers.

In other science news:Students, faculty, and staff fol-

lowed online the daily adventures of Dr. Ginny Edgcomb, our life science and Taekwondo teacher (and a microbial ecologist at the Woods Hole Oceano-graphic Institution), who was the chief scientist on a 15-day WHOI cruise in the Mediterranean in November and December. She also helped design the equipment the scientists used to sample microbes living in some of the harsh-est environments on earth: brine lakes, totally dark with no oxygen and saline content 10 times that of normal seawa-ter. The lakes are two miles down where the pressure is 350 times higher than at the surface. Another scientist on board was Bill Orsi, whose wife, Tine Hohm-ann, is our other life science teacher.

Before they could even deploy their instruments, the ship was ordered off course to rescue 93 Egyptian refugees from a ship sinking in rough seas. We followed them on the WHOI Web site Dive and Discover, and read riveting daily reports, describing the hours the crew spent in lockdown while the starv-ing male refugees were brought aboard, fed, and taken to Greece. Another intersection of research and life!

Two juniors won a second place with their team project at the Massachusetts Junior Academy of Sciences Symposium this fall

and will represent the Commonwealth at the American Junior Academy of Sci-ences Symposium in Vancouver.

One of our seniors is the lead au-thor of a scientific abstract that will be published by the Society for Integrative and Comparative biology (SICB). She will present her project at a poster ses-sion at the SICB conference in Charles-ton, South Carolina in January. Three WHOI scientists are co-authors.

We are inaugurating a joint WHOI/Falmouth Academy internship pro-gram. These unpaid positions offer our students valuable research experience beyond what they can achieve through our long-standing, informal program of students working with WHOI and MBL mentors on their science fair proj-ects (at least 20 this year alone).

The science fair is an important inter-disciplinary and all-school event, but it is only one of many events, accomplish-ments, and activities that engage our students and teachers and make this a thriving community.

- David C. Faus

A science update from FA(continued from page 1)

3

a representative for our [FA] communi-ty which I admire. I want to carry these spirits as far as I go.” He donated to the relief efforts funds that were collected by faculty and staff before his departure in November.

In December, he wrote, “I am leav-ing for Africa this evening with small gifts for young students in the rural farm areas where I will be searching for tractors. These gifts came from money

that the Honor Society left in my mail box before I left FA.”

Although his home was not flooded, his wife Oy had prepared for the worst by moving all the belongings from the first floor up to the second floor to protect them. She had also

put a bar-rier around the house and wrapped her car in a plastic bag!

While Mr. A. had a considerable amount of work to do on his house and helping others, he still had time to worry about whether it was snowing here on Cape Cod, leaving all the plowing to Mr. Sperduto and Mr. Rakutis to handle without him. Although we’ve enjoyed balmy weather here, we are sure there will be plenty of snow for all as the winter progresses.

Safe journey home, Mr. A., and thank you to all in the FA community who donated to his work. Ω

With the departure of Mrs. Victoria Centurino for graduate school, the FA community has been without a “tech guru” to help solve systems issues. Mr. Doug Jones ably filled in but admits that technology is not his field of exper-tise.

Now, Mr. Jason Weinstein [right] has joined FA as our director of technol-ogy. He’s on campus two days a week and is within easy email contact with faculty and staff on the other days when he is running a tech support and training business for individuals and businesses (www.JPWSolutions.com).

He became interested in computers as a child growing up in Connecticut and maintained that interest even as he graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in anthropology. He later earned an M.Ed. from Boston University where he focused on policy, planning and administration. He also took computer information systems courses toward an MA program at Bent-ley University.

He worked as an Internet coordina-tor or technology consultant at several-Boston firms and also taught technol-ogy at high schools, in the Sandwich Community School, and at Cape Cod Community College.

“Coming to Falmouth Academy was a unique opportunity,” said Mr. Wein-stein. “I missed being in a school.”

“Jason’s eagerness to get back into a school setting and his expertise and problem-solving skills are well suited for Falmouth Academy,” said FA headmas-ter David C. Faus. “Being a Yankee fan didn’t hurt him either,” added Mr. Faus. “I think that means there are now two us in the building!” Ω

Mr. A in Thailand Technical troubles?Mr. Weinstein to the rescue(continued from page 1)

A street near Mr. A’s house in Bangkok.

4

The Falmouth Academy curling team [above] Coach Paul Rogers, Allisa Dalpe, Thomas Aviles, Headmaster Da-vid Faus, John Faus, Christie Brake and Coach Paul Ketchum, had a great time at the Cape Cod Curling Club’s Charity event, Saturday, November 19.

The Mariners played two games, winning one against the Falmouth school principals and friends, and losing a close one to the Falmouth Fire and Rescue team.

The Mariners were one of 12 teams that helped the Curling Club raise $19,000 to benefit Recovery With-out Walls, an organization that helps individual women in Barnstable County achieve lasting recovery and return to employment as they reenter the com-munity following inpatient treatment for alcohol and drug abuse.

“Our Falmouth Curling Club coaches were enthusiastic and helpful and we thank them,” said Mr. Faus. Ω

Senior Ella Martin goes through two pairs of running shoes a month. Running every day on the streets and at Chapaquoit Beach, and at a win-ning pace, will do that to shoes. And although she only started running four years ago, Ella is one of the up-and-coming runners in the region.

“I started after seventh grade,” Ella said, “and did the Falmouth Road Race two years ago. I had been timing myself and I just got hooked.”

This fall, she competed in Franklin Park in Boston, against a field made up primarily of college students, and ran the cross-country 5K race in 19’40”. That time qualified her for the Nike Run in Wappinger Falls, NY, against high school runners.

She also competed in the U.S. Track & Field New England 6K run in Franklin Park, against an all-woman field, where she “did pretty well.” She’ll attend more track meets this winter, running the mile among other events.

Ella is also talking to track coaches at the colleges where she’s applying Her top choice is Bates: “They’ve got a very nice indoor track.” Her coach, Ken Gartner of the Falmouth Track Club, is very encouraging, she said.

About those shoes: Ella buys her own (New Balance or Brooks), with money she earns from teaching sailing during the summer. This Headmas-ter’s List student certainly isn’t lacking for ways to fill her time. Good luck in the winter meets, Ella!

Ω

Ella Martin: “hooked on running”

Ella Martin ‘12

Curling for Charity

Legal Notice

In compliance with the Com-monwealth of Massachusetts DOS, members of the Falmouth Academy community are being notified that FA has an asbestos management plan and you may review it at any time.

Of course, our campus is of quite recent construction, which does not contain asbestos. Ω

5

On Friday, January 27, Falmouth Academy will host its annual Gala char-ity event. Organized by the Student Council, Gala is an extravagant family night for food, games, dancing and a silent auction. Gala is also a great opportunity to show off your style by wearing formal attire and conversing with your friends and family as well as many members of the wider commu-nity.

There is something for everyone at Gala. From the popular carnival games for the younger guests, to the beloved dance competition that squares stu-dent couples against each other in an epic clash of swing dance maneuver-ability, Gala Night is always full of fun. Parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends are all wel-come.

All of the pro-ceeds benefit one charity, chosen each year by the members of Student Council. This year, we decided to benefit a local charity, Children’s Cove in Barnstable. Children’s Cove is a freestanding facility designed to assist children who have been victims of sexual or physical child abuse. This wonderful agency provides a bevy of free services including coun-seling and support to abuse survivors and their families, medical help in col-laboration with Cape Cod Healthcare Pediatric Department, and assistance in sexual and physical abuse investiga-tions. Its specially-designed interviewing facilities allow an abuse survivor to tell her or his story only once, rather than having to repeat it to doctors, thera-pists, and police.

With many cases in the news right now, it is a sad fact that child abuse is always a prevalent issue. In fact, one in

four girls and one in six boys in the U.S. are sexually abused before the age of 18. As students and as children, the topic of child abuse is an especially frighten-ing one for us, and Student Council decided on Children’s Cove due to the prominence of the issue as well as the organization’s impeccable track record.

Back in 2001, Gala Night also ben-efited Children’s Cove. The proceeds purchased an imaginative playground for the young agency, a playground that Falmouth Academy students helped to construct.

Our beneficiaries are not always so near by. Last year, Gala benefited

Heifer International, which combats world hunger by providing malnourished families around the world with an opportunity to raise animals. The offspring are sold to other families in communities and used for much needed food and to earn money. Gala 2011 was a great success, as we reached

our goal of donating a $5,000 Ark, which provided more than fifteen pairs of animals to families around the world. Thank you very much for making this accomplishment possible!

We are equally excited about this year’s charity. Children’s Cove provides free services, so come support Children’s Cove while having a fun-filled evening and experiencing the classiest side of Falmouth Academy! The Gala event is open to everyone. Please join us and help a wonderful cause.

Cost is $10, which gives you 20 tickets to use for games, food and fun. It’s truly a family night. We hope the generations will come together to help us support Children’s Cove.

Ω

FA students host benefit for Children’s Cove

Alex Trotter ‘15 entertains at Gala Night 2011, which benefited Heifer Inter-national with $5,000 for a complete ark.

by Dan Eder, vice president, Student Council

6

SeniorsThomas Aviles, East SandwichAimee Church, North Falmouth Allisa Dalpe, East FalmouthSara Dorr, North FalmouthSamantha Doyle, MashpeeRachel Dragos, SandwichDaniel Eder, Falmouth Brittany Feldott, WaquoitAyla Fudala, MashpeeGianPaula Hulten, FalmouthMarius Karolinski, West FalmouthKeegan Krick, FalmouthTariq Maroofi, Kabul, Afghanistan & FalmouthElla Martin, Woods HoleGwen Martin, Woods HoleDavid Pickart, FalmouthMarney Rathbun, ForestdaleJustin Waller, Sagamore Beach

JuniorsRyan Ackell, East FalmouthChloe Brake, East Falmouth Isabelle Camarra, West FalmouthLuka Catipovic, Woods HoleAlexandra Friedman, East SandwichAngela Hodge, Sagamore BeachLauren Hoyerman, North Falmouth Christina Nunley, PlymouthJessica O’Malley, North Falmouth Daniel Sakakini, PocassetKatherine Shachoy, Marion Emily Skehill, East Falmouth Elizabeth Stimson, HatchvilleRonna ten Brink, FalmouthSummer Tompkins, East Falmouth Elizabeth Wadman, North Falmouth

Caitlin Walsh, North Falmouth

Nathan D’Angelo, West TisburyGrant Doney, FalmouthHannah Gaffey, MarionMolly Houghton, Vineyard HavenGregory Pickart, Falmouth Sintra Reves-Sohn, Falmouth Oliver Silberstein, West TisburyCharlotte Van Voorhis, Mattapoisett

7th gradeStephanie Aviles, East SandwichPatrick Best, Vineyard HavenLuisa Bocconcelli, Woods HoleLachlan Cormie, Vineyard HavenIsabel Davern, East FalmouthCollin Delsignore, East FalmouthTomasz Dvorak, Woods HoleElizabeth Feldmann-Demello, West FalmouthSamuel Graber-Hahn, Vineyard HavenThéo Guérin, Edgartown & TeaticketLena Hanschka, Vineyard HavenSydney Johnson, West TisburyRegina Ledwell, FalmouthMichael Mangalo, OstervilleSophia McCarron, Vineyard HavenEthan Mendez, Vineyard HavenCelia Patterson, FalmouthMeghan Remillard, East FalmouthQuinn Van Tol, East FalmouthEliza Van Voorhis, MattapoisettPearl Vercruysee, AquinnahWilla Vigneault, West TisburyPalma Walko, Osterville Ω

Record Headmaster’s List starts off the 2011-12 year

Mr. Faus has announced that 95 students were named to the Falmouth Academy Headmaster’s List for the first trimester of the 2010-2011 academic year. These stu-dents earned at least three As in their five core subjects and had no grade lower than a B-minus.

SophomoresCatherine Aviles, East SandwichCarlo Bocconcelli, Woods HoleRuth Collins, FalmouthJulia Guérin, Edgartown & TeaticketLucas Johns, MattapoisettHelena Oldenbourg, West FalmouthLily Patterson, Falmouth Cassidy Reves-Sohn, Falmouth Emma Rogalewski, Falmouth Nicholas Russell, Mattapoisett

FreshmenEthan Altshuler, North Falmouth Victoria Avis, MashpeeNathalie Cavallo, West Falmouth Alec Cobban, Edgartown & East FalmouthQuinn Cobban, Edgartown & East FalmouthMatthew Delaney, Falmouth Robert Eder, Falmouth Sam Giancola, PocassetDaniel Higgins, East FalmouthGiuliana Hulten, FalmouthPai-Lin Hunnibell, FalmouthAidan Huntington, West TisburyNuma Karolinski, West FalmouthGuy Knapp, Falmouth Alaina Plueddemann, North Falmouth Hannah Smith, Sandwich 8th GradeHannah Beams, MattapoisettZachary Bresnick, West TisburyCharles Colt-Simonds, Woods Hole

7

History, stars and galaxies, and the mosaic of Quebec are being brought closer to FA students through their teachers’ awards from the 2011 Senior Parent Gift Fund.

Mr. Don Swanbeck used his grant to investigate the use of technology in history classrooms at a three-day conference at Harvard. “We reviewed how to search for information, store and organize it, and communicate it, sometimes through animation schemes with a lot of flash,” Mr. Swanbeck reported. “Most of the information was new to me and I found it very helpful to be aware of what other schools are doing. Many large schools are seeking ways to make teaching more cost-effective and to make their schools feel smaller, and I can see the benefits for them.”

He observed that many of the applica-tions he learned about are designed to increase the quantity of informa-tion, not necessarily the quality, a dis-tinction he will make clear to students. Mr. Swanbeck plans to choose the most useful techniques. “We already use computer projection and streaming of videos,” he said. “I can show a segment from 60 Minutes or PBS News Hour as a prompt and then have a class discus-sion. Now I’m posting both homework assignments and lists of resources on the FA website. The data bases in our library are really helpful, especially for things like the Athens/Sparta debates. I can also supplement or replace various textbook readings. It was good to have gone to this workshop.”

[To see the resource list for the freshmen’s Athens/Sparta debates, go to http://falmouthacademy.org/index.php/academics/western_civ._i/]

“My goal was to reinvent my astronomy education,” said Mr. Peter Conzett about his grant to purchase a telescope and photographic equipment for the school. “I took a summer read-ing course in astronomy and then did my graduate work in astrophysics, but missed the information in between.”

He is thrilled with the new tele-scope. “It’s a huge, very high-tech instrument – it weighs 80 pounds!” he said. “I’ve gotten to the point where I can set it up in about 12 minutes on the desk in my study and have it ready to observe with in another 15 minutes.”

Because it is so high-tech, he explained, the tele-scope has to be aligned with a motor drive that compensates for the rota-tion of the earth, “oth-erwise objects move out of your field of vision in about 30 seconds.”

He is looking for-ward to suitable observa-tion weather this winter. “In the nice weather – i.e., summer – there

are not many good nights to observe because of haze. The best observation weather is in the deep of winter when the sky is nice and clear. Thus, most observations require standing around in the cold in the middle of the night fid-dling with the controls, finally finding something to look at, and then spend-ing time watching it -- until it gets too cold! It’s great fun.”

What has changed for Mr. Conzett and his students is that he thinks about astronomy all the time now. “It has changed my courses because I have much better examples for the class.”

He hopes to take photographs of the sky eventually, once he figures out how to overcome the tremendous light

Of history, heavens, and mosaics:Senior Parent Gift Fund grants inspire faculty

(continued on page 8)

Mr. Conzett and the new telescope

8

pollution of the Cape. He’s especially excited about observing the transit of Venus on June 5, when the planet will appear as a tiny dot crossing the face of the sun. “It will be the last opportu-nity in our lifetime to see this,” he said. Clearly, that’s an opportunity he’s glad he will have, thanks to the SPGF grant.

“What is the difference between a melting pot and a mosaic?” Dr. Debo-rah Bradley pondered this question as a result of her trip to Québec to attend the annual conference of the American Association of Teachers of French, in Montréal. Both the U.S. and Canada are nations of immigrants, but while the U.S. idealizes the concept of “melting pot,” “Québec has refused to ‘melt,’ imposing biculturalism and bilingu-ism on the vast Anglophone country of which it is a part,” Dr. Bradley wrote in a report on her grant. “The city of Montreal in particular uses a different metaphor to describe its diversity: the mosaic, an image that suggests many in-dividual pieces fitting together without losing their individual shape, or color, or identity.”

Two perspectives offered at the conference particularly intrigued Dr. Bradley. One was a talk by Kim Thúy, whose family, refugees from Vietnam, ended up in Québec. “Kim Thúy’s first novel, Ru, tells the saga of her immigra-tion and integration into the mosaic of Québec in delightful short vignettes offering insight into French colonial Vietnam, the plight of refugees, and their ultimate place in the mosaic of Montréal.”

On a very different note, the second perspective is a recorded sit-com called Pure laine. This is about a family that is the Québec mosaic in miniature: a mom with deep roots in colonial Nou-

velle France, a Haitian dad who has exchanged his dreadlocks

for a suit and tie as a teacher, and their adopted Chinese daughter. The series, Dr. Bradley wrote, brings “the viewer up short with his or her own stereo-types.

“One of the philosophic missions of foreign language teaching is to open the eyes, minds and hearts of our students to cultural differences and to seek the roots of a shared human experience beneath the faces and stereotypes.” She intends to add these two perspectives to her students’ study of quebecois texts in French IV.

“To the parents of the class of 2011, my deep appreciation for making it pos-sible for me to attend this fascinating and enriching conference.”

We will report on the remaining 2011 Senior Parent Gift Fund grants in a future GAM. Ω

Of history, heavens, and mosaics:Senior Parent Gift Fund grants inspire faculty

(continued from page 7

French V students began the year by reading Voltaire’s philosophical no-vella, Candide. Then the class attended a spectacular performance of Leonard Bernstein’s musical based on the novel. Students felt that reading Candide and class discussions enhanced their enjoy-ment of the performance. Ω

Samantha Doyle, Dr. Bradley, Abby Hollander, Aimee Church, Tyler Barron, Ayla Fudala, Brittany Feldott, Marius Karolinski, and Thomas Aviles enjoying the splendor of the Huntington Theater.

French V attendsperFormance oF CandIde

9

The Falmouth Academy team of Ryan Ackell and Emily Skehill won second place at the Massachusetts Ju-nior Academy of Sciences Symposium, becoming one of six winners selected to represent Massachusetts at the American Junior Academy of Sciences Symposium held in Vancouver, British Columbia in February.

The state symposium for high school students was held at the Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology in late October. Among the students invited to present their research projects to a panel of judges were the 28 first-place winners from the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair last spring. Ryan and Emily, both juniors, were two of five FA students who had won a first prize.

Their research was on the effect of nicotine on memory retention in the sea slug Hermissenda crassicornus. To conduct their study, they trained the sea slugs to associate light with move-ment. They left one group free of drugs, treated another with nicotine, and a third with the drug Bryostatin. Then, after four and 24 hours, they tested the slugs’ memory of the association and found that nicotine enhanced their memory at the same level as Bryostatin, which is in clinical trials for the treat-ment of Alzheimer’s disease.

The AJAS symposium is affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and meets in conjunction with the AAAS annual meeting. The high school students cho-sen by each state are invited to spend five days in Vancouver meeting with the scientists and touring labs at the University of British Columbia.

The AJAS is “the only national honor society recognizing America’s pre-mier high school students for outstand-ing scientific research.” Ω

FA students to representMassachusetts in Canada Please join us !

2012 Scholarship Exam and Open House

Saturday, January 21

Visitors will have the opportunity to hear from every member

of the FA faculty, ask questions of a panel of students,

and explore the school.

We encourage all interested fami-lies to attend the open house, student panel, and faculty forum, whether their child plans to take the exam or not.

This event is for those prospective families who are already well along in the application process, as well as those who are just starting to consider applying to FA for 2012-13.

The schedule of events is:8:30 a.m.--Registration9:00-10:00 a.m.--Student Panel

Discussion A panel of current students will discuss their experi-ences at FA and answer questions from prospective students and their parents.

10:00-11:30 a.m.--Scholarship Exam The exam is open to all candi-dates for admission for September 2012. Based on the results of the exam, we will award three $2,000 scholarships toward first year tuition at Falmouth Academy. The exam is optional and is not part of the admissions or financial aid processes.

10:00-11:30 a.m.--Faculty Forum for parents While students take the exam, each member of the Fal-mouth Academy faculty will speak briefly to parents and guests, pro-viding a sense of the expertise and collegeality of our teachers and the value of a Falmouth Academy education.

Please register in advance for the exam by calling the Admissions Office at 508-457-9696.

10

Falmouth Academy Refrigerator Calendars January 2012 February 2012

Midwinter ConcertFeb. 24 (snow date Feb. 25)

All FA music groups will perform, including a set of class Gershwin tunes from the chorus. Please join us to stave off the midwinter blues!

Admission is free. We will gratefully accept a non-perish-able food item for the Falmouth Service Center.

FA as a High School -- Tues. Jan 10, 6:00 p.m

A chance for 8th grade parents to learn more about the Upper School years at FA. Hear from a panel of FA juniors and seniors plus Upper School faculty and enjoy a delicious dinner with fellow 8th grade parents. Bring your questions!

RSVP to Donna Garcia at 508-457-9696, ext. 221.

Gala Silent Auction needs donations! Past contributions have included paintings, quilts, photos, jewelry, collectibles, afghans, event tickets, gift baskets, donations of time or lessons, original art or crafts... All proceeds benefit Children’s Cove.

Call Rachel (508-566-3470) with questions. Donations may be left in the Tower Room, with your name & phone number attached. Thank you!

Falmouth Academy Refrigerator Calendars January 2012 February 2012

11

Snow Days!f First, check our web site:

www.falmouthacademy.orgAnnouncements will be posted by 6 a.m.f Or you can hear our announcements

on WPLM-AM (1390), WQRC (99.9), WOCN (104.7), WKPE (103.9), WFCC (107.5), WPXC and their affiliates (102.9, 101.1, 95.5), and WMVY (92,7).

f Or you can find our listing on WCVB TV (Chan. 5)

f Or you can call FA at 508-457-9696, ext. 222.

Prof. Zuccini’s Traveling Tales

-- middle school drama production --Feb. 3-4, 7:00 p.m.

The professor’s traveling troupe presents three charming folk tales, complete with heroes, tricksters, pretenders, and a prince who must solve riddles to win his bride.

Admission is free. We will gratefully accept a non-perishable food item for the Falmouth Service Center.

Falmouth Academy Science Fair 2012

• 1:30 -- Judges’ Orientation • 2:00-5:00 -- Projects Judging• 5:00 -- Dinner for judges, mentors, sponsors, & faculty

Parents, families, and friends are invited to join us at• 6:00 -- Public Viewing of projects

• 7:00 -- Awards Ceremony

Midwinter ConcertFeb. 24 (snow date Feb. 25)

All FA music groups will perform, including a set of class Gershwin tunes from the chorus. Please join us to stave off the midwinter blues!

Admission is free. We will gratefully accept a non-perish-able food item for the Falmouth Service Center.

Calendar change: the date for the Massachusetts State Science Fair will be May 4-5. Please note on your school calendar. Thank you!

12

A grant from the Thomas Anthony Pappas Charitable Foundation has enabled Falmouth Academy to purchase new equipment for the computer room, the yearbook/photo classroom, and the faculty room. It also allowed improve-ments to the FA network and updated Microsoft Office software across FA.

“For the yearbook staff,” said advi-sor Ms. Elenita Muñiz, “it’s wonderful to have large screens for processing photos and designing layouts, as well as the facility to work with our on-line publishing system. These new iMacs are large enough for two students to work together on a single spread, allow-ing everyone to be busy during class.”

Ms. Susan Moffat’s photo students are also enjoying the clear and detailed graphics for processing digital photo-graphs. Although all photo students work in the darkroom, they have also become very proficient and creative with digital prints. The new high qual-ity photo printer has been a boon to all the photography students.

The faculty are delighted with their four new workstations in the faculty room. These replace an assortment of computers that were over a decade old and incapable of accepting updates. Faculty can also connect to the Web for email conversations with parents or to locate resources for lesson plans.

“These improved resources touch every part of FA’s core curriculum,” said Development Director Sarah Pring, “from math and science to French and German to history, English and rhetoric as well as the arts and electives such as photography, cross cultures, the Stock Market Challenge and yearbook. We are tremendously grateful to the Thomas Anthony Pappas Charitable Foundation. They have enabled us to make a very significant overhaul of the

school’s technology.” Ω

Pappas grant fundsnew computers for FA

Falmouth Academy students have earned 14 spots in regional music festivals.

•Cape and Islands Music Festival to be held at Barnstable High School in February (2-4):Band:

Chase Gibson, ‘14, trumpetJessica O’Malley ‘13, flute Nicholas Scharr, ‘13, timpani

Orchestra: Ronna ten Brink ‘13, principal sec-

ond violin)James Abdu ‘13, violinAidan Huntington ‘15, violin Numa Karolinski ‘15, violin Guy Knapp ‘15, violin

Treble Chorus:Abigail Hollander ‘12, soprano

Mixed Chorus:Catherine Aviles ‘14, soprano

•Senior Southeast District Music Festival, which will be held in North Easton in January (6-7):Orchestra:

Guy Knapp ‘15, violinRonna ten Brink ‘13, violin Because of their high scores in the

district auditions, Ronna and Guy were recommended for the invitation-only all-state music festival auditions

• Junior Southeast District Music Festival, which will be held in Attle-boro in March (9-10):

Sam Graber-Hahn, ‘17 violin has been named concertmaster

Aidan Huntington ’15, violin

The next opportunity to hear these fine musicians perform at Falmouth Academy will be the Midwinter Con-cert on February 24. All FA’s music groups will take part in this concert: the Chamber Orchestra, Chorus, Chamber Ensemble, and both the Jazz I and Jazz II groups. Ω

Music festivals to includeFA musicians

13

Bianchi ‘12 is lead author for science abstract

Clare Beams, who teaches ninth-grade English at Falmouth Academy, has been published in the 2011 edition of The Best American Nonrequired Read-ing. The collection of 31 pieces, about half fiction and half non-fiction, is edited by author Dave Egg-ers, who worked with a panel of students in California and Michigan to select the stories.

In addition to Ms. Beams’ story “We Show What We Have Learned,” the collection includes fiction by best-selling novelist and winner of the Na-tional Book Award Joyce Carol Oates.

Last year, Ms. Beams earned a special mention in the Pushcart Prize XXXV 2011 edition, which features written work from small presses around the country. She has also been pub-lished in Inkwell, a literary magazine produced at Manhattanville College, Hayden’s Ferry Review, published by Ari-zona State University, and recently on the website of the magazine N + 1.

Ms. Beams earned an AB in English from Princeton University and an MFA in fiction from Columbia University, and joined Falmouth Academy six years ago. In addition to freshman English, she teaches a creative writing elective and advises the students’ literary maga-zine Resonance. She teaches part time so she can have time to write. In fact, she started a new novel this summer.

“Clare is an inspiration to her students and also to her peers,” said Ruth Slocum, chair of the English de-partment. “She possesses that rare but unbeatable combination of traits: talent, discipline, and humility. She shows her students that great stories are born from wide-open creativity and from difficult editing and revision.” Ω

Ms. Beams published in “Best of…” collection

Ms. Clare Beams

FA senior Katherine Bianchi is the lead author of a scientific abstract that will be published by the Society for Integrative and Comparative biology (SICB). She will present her project at a poster session at the SICB conference in Charleston, South Carolina in January.

Katherine’s project, The Effects of Experience on Shelter-Seeking Behavior of Early Juvenile Homarus americanus, (lobsters), is the result of her research in Dr. Jelle Atema’s Environmental Systems Laboratory at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution last sum-mer. For two months, she observed the tiny lobsters and collected data for nine hours a day.

Dr. Atema, and his colleague Dr. Molly Jacobs, with whom Katherine also worked, are listed as co-authors of her abstract. Another scientist, Skylar Bayer, is also listed, said Katherine, “because although I didn’t use her data, it inspired me.”

Katherine also had guid-ance, encour-agement, and on-going conver-sations with her biology teacher, Dr. Alison Ament. “She has really done a lot for me, and her own background is in biology, so she knows the field and has done research herself,” said Katherine.

Katherine is a member of the National Honor Society, sings in the FA chorus and has played the piano with the FA chamber orchestra. For several years she also played FA soccer. Kather-ine hopes to go to a college that offers courses in bioethics as well as biology.

Ω

Katherine Bianchi

14

When Charlotte Dorris ’07 visited China for the first time, she thought it might be her last…but there was something about the country that lured her back, so much, in fact, that she has accepted a job in Shanghai and will live there for the foreseeable future.

Charlotte joined a group of students on a January Term to China during her freshman year at Eckerd College. An international business ma-jor but not yet speaking any Chinese, Charlotte set out on her month-long adventure to Beijing and Shanghai touring Western businesses.

“I discovered that the environmen-tal degradation and the great Chinese firewall I had read about were real! But the intrigue of a different culture and language, on top of the blossoming business opportunities and the general pace of life in China, drew me back.”

When Charlotte returned to Eck-erd, she couldn’t forget her fascination with the Chinese culture. She minored in Asian Studies and Chinese Language and opted to visit China again, this time for a whole semester. She studied in Xiamen, once known as the old port city of Amoy, where she took classes in Chinese economic policy, social poli-cies, and Chinese language at Xiamen University. Charlotte also took classes in calligraphy and Kung Fu.

“My favorite experience was visit-ing a school and meeting third and fifth graders. We were surprised to be met by a television crew and a marching band. We had been invited there to showcase their English study program for a local television station. They made us feel like celebrities.”

She also enjoyed the novelty. “Ev-ery day you see something unexpected. One morning I saw employees outside their restaurant building doing exer-cises. They were all in synch and it was

very beautiful to watch.”The next year, Charlotte

attended Middlebury College’s

9-week Chinese immersion program, which she says prepared her well for living in China. The school requires students to speak exclusively in their target language for the duration of the program.

Now, with some Chinese study under her belt, Charlotte is excited to return to Shanghai, where she will teach English for Education First. She joins other Falmouth Academy gradu-ates who are currently living in China: Donald Swanbeck ’01, teaching English in Hangzhou and Michaela LeBlanc ’03, working in finance in Hong Kong.

Ω

Dorris ‘07 calls China home

Will DeCroce and Kai Herbst up-date their journals during the seventh grade field trip to explore the watershed of the Upper Cape. Like many class projects, the watershed trip gives the students a hands-on experience with scientific data collection and a close look at our local environment. Ω

Charlotte Dorris with Mrs. Olivann Hobbie, whose World Cultures class first introduced Char-lotte to China. She revisited the class this fall as guest lecturer..

An early exposure to hands-on science

15

Internships at WHOI bring science closer for FA students

Falmouth Academy and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have announced a formal internship program for FA students at WHOI. Motivated upper school students (grades 9-12) will work after school for one trimester in the laboratory of a WHOI scientist. The students have been selected by their FA science teachers from among those who applied. The internships are unpaid and offer our students valuable research experience beyond what they can achieve through mentored science fair projects. (Cur-rently, more than 20 FA students are working with WHOI and MBL scientists as they develop and re-search their projects for the 2012 FA Science Fair.)

The FA/WHOI internship program offers another entry point into the local scientific commu-nity for FA students as well as a way for them to build professional connections in their area of interest.

Students will be working in an

active research laboratory, performing a wide range of functions ranging from day-to-day laboratory maintenance and data management to assisting with on-going experimental work. The goal is for them to gain a better understanding of what it is like to work day-to-day in a laboratory research setting.

Three internships are available in this first year, one each for a biol-ogy, chemistry and physics student.

The minimum commitment is three afternoons per week not to exceed 12 hours a week.

Dr. Vir-ginia Edgcomb, a WHOI scientist who also teaches at FA, is the pro-gram coordinator and will be work-ing with both the

scientists and the students. The internships will take place

during either the winter or spring 2012 terms, depending on the focus. At the end of each internship, the WHOI scientist will write an evaluation of the student’s performance and potential to succeed in science. If the student wishes, this evaluation may be included as part of his/her college application portfolio.

For the first year, the participating scientists are Dr. Ben Allen (physics), Dr. Dan Repeta (chemistry), and Dr. Edgcomb and Dr. Joan Bernhard (biol-ogy).

The FA students participating in the first year internships are Alec Cobban ‘15 (biology); Daniel Sakakini ‘13 (chemistry) and Justin Waller ‘12 (physics).

Watch for updates on the intern-ships in future issues of the GAM. Ω

Dr. Edgcomb [left} with new interns Alec Cobban, Justin Waller and Daniel Sakakini.

Handsome new bleachers welcome parents and other fans to the girls’ field for soccer and lacrosse games. They were designed by Chris Buccino ‘02 and Steve Stimson P’11, 13. A portion of the cost of the materials was donated by Wood Lumber. Ω

New bleachers gracegirls’ athletic field

Scenes from the Alumni-Varsity Soccer Game 2011

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Alumni News(continued from page 19)

[at left] Colleen (Bul-man) Dunn ’93, Sara (Johnson) Heath ’92 and Tristan (Williams) Young ’93 display their future Mariners.

[at right] Heather (Mas-tromatteo) DiPaolo ’90 [left] joined her sister Sarah Spillane ’94 and ’94 class-mates Phill Arnold and Rob Meharg [far right] at the Alumni Soccer Game. Alumni won 4-2, their 8th win in this 9th year of play.

[at left] Nikolai Howe ‘04, Joey Smith ‘04, Doug Grainger ‘05, Tristan Wickersham ‘04 (alumni team captain), and Josh Soby ‘08 en-joyed the game and the chance to get together. Nik is a fighter pilot, on his way to Afghanistan, Joey is an engineer of bridges at Aecom, Doug

is job-searching, Tristan is a 2nd lieutenant in the Marines and Josh is work-ing with Joey’s father, making a boat delivery to a southern port.

The Alumni Office recently received this update from Molly McDermott ‘07 and wanted to share it with GAM read-ers. Molly is among the many FA alumni who choose to spend a college semester abroad.

I am in southern Germany in Kon-stanz, right on Lake Constance, until January for my semester away from St. Olaf. I can literally see Switzerland from my apartment. In fact, the city wasn’t bombed during the war because the citi-zens left their lights on and flew Swiss flags to disguise themselves.

I’m in two language classes for German language learners, a Ger-man history class in German and one English course on German history. The history classes are really interest-ing and although they share similar themes, the teachers focus on different issues and perspectives. It’s interesting being in Germany and learning about the wars and Holocaust all over again. The material isn’t new, but I get a new feeling learning about it because all of a sudden it hits really close to home.

I’ve definitely acquired a new appreciation for Germany’s post-war struggle.

I have an internship at the Interna-tional School of Kreuzlingen Konstanz to gain experience teaching. I go a few times a week to work one-on-one with students on reading and I assist in the 2/3 grade classroom. ISKK is an English immersion IB-certified school. It’s been an interesting experience so far. It keeps me busy and makes life in Germany a little more well-rounded.

Because I’m studying in Germany right now, I feel like this is a very “because of FA” moment. I definitely wouldn’t be in Germany without FA!

Read Molly’s blog about her experiences in Germany at http://mollysbollsblog.blogspot.com/ Ω

McDermott ‘07: Assignment Germany

17

Molly and St. Nicolas

GIVE ON-LINE: Look for the

“Donate Now” button on the home page:

www.falmouthacademy.org

As a volunteer for Flying Kites Lead-ership Academy, a children’s home and school in Njabini, Kenya, Phil Besse ‘06 was challenged to design a project that would benefit the school and the children. He tells us here about the experience.

Flying Kites cares for 26 amazing children, and you could never imagine what they have become in the face of adversity. I have seen the humbling and heartbreaking effects of poverty here in Kenya, and I have likewise discovered an extraordinary re-silience and optimism among the people who live here. The Flying Kites kids embody this attitude.

My first night here I was talking with the Country Director. In a casual get-to-know-you conversation, he asked about my childhood and I found myself talking about the importance of the ocean to me as a child and adult. He told me he dreamed of taking the children to the ocean some day, because none of them had ever seen it beyond the pages of a storybook.

I tried to imagine never having seen the ocean or living in a village where no one had ever seen it. I was excited

to think that because of a handful of strangers, these children would be able to have that experience.

Part of the Flying Kites Volunteer Program is to draw on particular inter-ests or strengths in the volunteers for them to execute a self-driven project that will impact and benefit the children or community. Volunteer projects have included creating a group that knits items for sale, creating small businesses that distribute solar technologies and

clean water, build-ing compost boxes, teaching classes in yoga, computer and creative arts.

My project has been to take these children to see the ocean.

Phil led a fund-raising campaign that brought in $9,000 from friends, relations and an anonymous donor. In December, Phil and all 26 kids travelled to Mombasa by train, also a first. Not only did they experience the ocean for the first time; they also learned about their heritage and themselves. If you’d like to learn more about Flying Kites, please visit their Web site at

www.FlyingKitesGlobal.org Ω

Besse ‘06: Giving the ocean to Kenyan children

Alumni Day Features Roundtables, PanelAlumni Day will include a panel discussion called “The Write Stuff: Essen-

tial Writing Skills Pay Off.” It takes place Friday, January 6 at 10:45 a.m. in the Falmouth Academy Performance Space and all are welcome to attend. The dis-cussion, moderated by English Chair Ruth Slocum, will address why good writing skills matter so much in the professional world.

The panel will consist of Ray Bartlett ’88 (published author), Elizabeth Dean ’98 (insurance company manager), Colleen (Bulman) Dunn ’93 (Human Re-sources Manager, Falmouth Hospital), Yuki Honjo ’90 (Chief Operating Officer, McLane Research Laboratories), Katharina (Plumb) LiVigne ’01 (Media Manager, New York City Ballet), Alex Walsh ’88 (President, e-Paint) and Brian Miskell ’06 (Literary Associate and actor, Rattlestick Theatre).

The panel follows our traditional roundtable session for juniors, seniors and alumni before All-School Meeting. In the afternoon, the varsity basketball teams will take on the alumni: girls at 4:00 and boys at 5:00. The day caps off with Mariner Night (a 21+ event) at the Captain Kidd in Woods Hole at 7:30 p.m. Hope to see many of you on the 6th! Ω

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Alumni News

hoping I impressed the coach,” Xandy said. “He asked me about the Landfall in Woods Hole, which was pretty sur-real, as I was in Glasgow! He actually said, ‘Anyone from Falmouth is all right in my book.’ This is a really awe-some opportunity, and by playing for a national team I get something called a blue ribbon that raises my academic grade at St Andrews.”

Kristin Jochems ‘05 and her col-lege friend Julia Rowe were thrilled to be photographed with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at “Global Political Challenges: Women Advancing Democracy,” a Wellesley College event in London. It was sponsored by the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs in partnership with the London School of Economics. Secre-tary Albright spoke about promoting

women in global affairs. Kristin said, “Her speech was inspiring and thought-provoking and she fielded questions for almost an hour afterwards! At the recep-tion following the event, I got a chance to meet her. It was a wonderful week-end of discussing issues women face in global affairs with Wellesley alumnae from around the world.” (140 alumnae from 13 countries attended the event.) Kristin is serving in the U.S. Air Force and is stationed in Germany.

Tracy (Olson ‘96) Chait [center above] reported that she and her hus-band Michael and their daughter Etta were delighted to welcome Maren Eliza-beth Chait, born December 1, weighing 7 lbs. 2 oz. and measuring 20 inches.

Bene Webster ‘09 is a recipient of the Danish Institute for Study Abroad Intercultural Leadership Award. Bene, who is away from Mt. Holyoke College this semester and studying at the Insti-tute, was told that she had worked hard to immerse herself in Danish society and culture and her essay describing her experiences was impressive. Her award letter stated, “You are among an elite group of students here at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad students who stand out for outstanding commit-ment to immersion.” Congratulations, Bene!

Xandy Walsh ‘11 defends the FA goal in the 2010 championship game versus the Hyde School.

Kristin Jochems ‘05, Secretary Mad-eleine Albright, and Julia Rowe,Wellesley alumnae all.

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Nell (Ament ‘00) and her husband Aaron Hiller [above] dropped by to introduce baby Joseph to Falmouth Academy. They were accompanied by proud grandmother Alison Ament and uncle Seth Ament ‘99.

Elin Nelson ‘09 and Zach Roth-stein Dowden ‘08 are both studying in Varanasi, India this school year. Elin is a South Asian studies major at Wellesley and Zach is a classics major at Brown.

Correction: Ellie Sayre ‘98 is teach-ing physics at Kansas State University and not the University of Kansas as

mentioned in a previous issue of The GAM. (We apologize for any rivalry consequences!)

Jonathan Mayo ‘91, was awarded a $25,000 Fellowship Grant from Suffolk University. He is working on a Master’s in Public Administration. The gradu-ate fellowship award is merit-based and includes both a grant and employment. Jon will be working 16 hours a week for the university while working on his degree program. Check out Jonathan’s blog: http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/Poet

Xandy Walsh ‘11, a freshman at the University of St Andrews in Scot-land, was chosen for the U19 Scottish National Lacrosse team! As a result, he is eligible for selection to be on the team for the World Cup Championship in Finland this summer, and the UK Championships in the spring. Xandy will learn in February if he’s been se-lected for the championship team. “I’m