news for the allendale columbia school community birches · 2015. 2. 5. · the birches. in this...

www.AllendAleColumbiA.org A

BirchesBeyond the

www.AllendaleColumbia.org

FALL 2014

News for the Allendale Columbia School Community

MAKING ANIMPACT

1 BEYOND THE BIRCHES FALL 2014

Dear Allendale Columbia Community:

In a letter I sent to members of AC’s Leadership Team earlier this summer, I described July 14th as one of the best days in my professional career. After being away on a weeklong vacation with no access to email or phone, my plan for my first day back was to meet with each member

of the Leadership Team to catch up with them about projects they were working on and discuss their goals for next year. I found the content of each of these conversations truly inspiring as I listened to smart thinking, new ideas, future projects, current partnerships, and clear action plans that would make a huge positive impact on our students, faculty, program, and school. I was instantly energized.

As I entered my office that July 14th morning, I was greeted by three large trophies won by our Middle School team, who earned second place in the national Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) Competition in Washington, D.C. After being named Best in State in the early qualifying round, AC was invited to compete in the national competition. When it comes to understanding challenging subject matter and applying it to solve real-life problems–a true definition of academic rigor–our students proved that they are amongst the very best in the nation.

We are constantly exploring partnership opportunities beyond our campus, and we launched our new Summer LEAP program in collaboration with Rochester City School District’s School No. 17. In addition to providing high quality learning and enrichment opportunities for the students of School No. 17, the program was the first step in establishing a public-private partnership that is extending into

the school year. Additionally, we collaborated with the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester, Northstar Christian Academy, and the Ivy Academia Group to run an International Summer Program that attracted over 40 American students and 20 students from China for a week of immersion and cultural exchange.

This past year our teachers recognized the need for a new schedule to allow flexibility for more course offerings, important collaborative periods, new clubs, and advisory/advocacy time for teachers and students; thanks to a dedicated group working on this project, we launched the new schedule in September. Additionally, we now also offer a new Middle School elective program that includes courses in: Robotics, Photojournalism, Financial Literacy and Economics, Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation, and a Maker Class (following a successful pilot class in May Term).

These are just some of the accomplishments you will read about in the enclosed issue of Beyond the Birches. In this publication you will also find feature articles by some of our alums, information about programs that are preparing our students for the future, updates on alumni life beyond the birches, and so much more!

While we continue to innovate and focus on providing the best educational experience possible, it is important that we have a clear sense of the vision. To this end, we are actively moving through a nimble strategic planning process through which we will develop a shared vision of the school’s future, and a well-defined path of how we will get there together. I will be providing updates on the strategic planning process throughout the winter and spring months, with the goal of completing and publishing the plan by April 2015.

I hope Beyond the Birches provides you with a good sense of some of the exciting things that are happening at AC and the ways our AC community is making an impact!

Mick GeeHead of School

From the Head of SchoolA Letter from Mick Gee

ALLENDALE

COLUMBIA

BOARD OF

TRUSTEES

2014-2015

Jennifer NewmanChair

Mary Beth ConwayVice-Chair

Robert C. Tait, II ’75Secretary

Thomas M. BartlettTreasurer

Charles F. Bradford ’99Mary Ellen BrowningLisa Campbell ’83Diana Clarkson ’99Thomas DaRinC. Kieran DraperStephen C. Hill ’03Elisabeth W. Judson ’64James McKenna ’94Robert J. MooreDuffy M. PalmerMauricio RiverosBridgette E. Rivers ’81Jon L. Schumacher ’55Charles E. SymingtonElizabeth Wehle ’90Keith Wilson

www.AllendAleColumbiA.org 2

As president of the Alumni Association, I am excited for the future Mick Gee and his leadership team have envisioned for Allendale Columbia School. With the impact of change underway, I would like to highlight some of the exciting Alumni Association developments over this past year as we look forward to continuing and improving events and

alumni involvement for the upcoming year.

The 2014 Reunion weekend was well-attended, filled with a variety of events for alums of all ages. The annual alumni luncheon was held at the Genesee Valley Club, where the Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Tracy Gleason ’80. Tracy has supported the school in many ways in her role as Chair of the Gleason Family Foundation with such initiatives as building the current science wing and spearheading and funding the Opportunity Scholar Program. The Alumni Board is proud to call Tracy an Allendale Columbia alum. If you wish to learn more about the 2014-15 Distinguished Alumni Award, please visit allendalecolumbia.org/alumni.

This year presented a unique beginning to the reunion cocktail reception. A dedication for the late former faculty member, Mary Ellen La Flèche, affectionately known as Mel, was held to honor her life and all of the wonderful memories she helped to create for the AC community. Mel’s family, students, and colleagues shared their favorite moments with her with laughs and smiling faces. I encourage you to remember Mel by visiting the meditative memorial rose garden at the Columbia Circle where you will find the bench from Mel’s personal rose garden. Many alums across several decades raised the funds to support this tranquil space of remembrance.

Throughout the school year, the Alumni Association participated in a variety of community and social events. In the fall, we volunteered at Foodlink to sort and bag food items for those in need throughout the region. This spring, alums gathered at the Blue Cross Arena party deck for an Amerks hockey game. However, Rochester isn’t the only place alums gather. The Alumni Association seeks to connect alums on a national and global level. In addition to the regional receptions in Boston and New York City, the Alumni Association would like to help alums organize other regional gatherings in support of AC’s global endeavors. There is no shortage of ways to engage with your alma mater!

Finally, I had the honor of welcoming the senior class into the Alumni Association in June at the 2014 Senior Dinner. Head of Upper School Diana Gleeson delivered a masterful presentation highlighting the

unique achievements and stories of each member of the senior class. It was exciting to see the transformational impact of the Allendale Columbia experience on the lives of these students.

The Alumni Board is always open to new

membership and ideas. If you have any interest in serving on the Alumni Board, please contact any member or visit allendalecolumbia.org/alumni. Alumni Board membership is not limited to alums in the Rochester area as we can accommodate virtual meetings. Please be sure to visit the redesigned alumni section of the AC website.

Thank you for your continued support of Allendale Columbia School.

Best,

Dr. Stephen Hill ’03President, Alumni Association Board

From the Alumni Association PresidentA Letter from Stephen Hill ’03

in this issue

From the Head of SchoolA Letter from Mick Gee

“Rochester isn’t the only place alums gather. The

Alumni Association seeks to connect alums on a

national and global level.”

“At AC, students learnthey can make an impactas they hear the message:

‘Dream it, then do it.’”— AC Parent Wendy Howitt P’14

Letter from Head of School:Mick Gee1Letter from Alumni Association President: Stephen Hill ’032FEATURE: MAKINGAN IMPACT Preparingour students for the future

3S.T.R.E.A.M. Collaboration in Action5Connecting Globally7Inside the Box, Guest Author: Joshua Brandt ’009Celebrating the Class of 201411AC Now: from Summer LEAP and May Term to a Second International House and Exciting Partnerships

13Education–A passion worth fighting for, Guest Author: Tracy Gleason ’80

15AC Community: The Impact of Time, Then & Now16

THANK YOU: Annual Donor Report 2013-201417AC Forever: A tribute to Excellence in Teaching22Alumni News: Reunion, Class Notes, In Memoriam23


AC’s POWERFUL S.T.R.E.A.M. OF THOUGHTScience, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics

MAKING ANIMPACT

FEATURE STORY


MAKING AN IMPACT AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

Imagine the world in 2030. What will today’s students face as adults? How do we best prepare them for those challenges and opportunities?

These were the questions asked of members of our Rochester community as well as Allendale Columbia School students and parents during a series of THiNK 2030 summits held over the past year. After asking them to envision the world in the year 2030 and collecting their answers, paired with national and international research, we were able to quickly integrate much of that information into day-to-day practices at Allendale Columbia. The information from these summits has strengthened partnerships with public schools, universities, and businesses and informed curricular enhancements throughout our school. As the THiNK 2030 summits generate exciting thinking and discussion throughout the Rochester community, we are preparing children from across our region and the world to collaborate, lead, and succeed in a globally competitive landscape.

At the start of each of the THiNK 2030 summits, we were grounded by the fact that in the year 2030, our 12th graders will be 34 years old, our 8th graders will be 30 years old, and our kindergarteners will be 22 years old.

Most summit participants agreed that as the world becomes more advanced and more globalized, we will have an ever-increasing need to balance and integrate information. At AC, students now have a more flexible schedule including a recurring collaborative block offering time for design thinking, more time for electives such as the new finance class in our Middle School, and countless opportunities across all grade levels for students to apply what they are learning.

The adoption of the new integrated S.T.R.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) studies approach is also making a big impact.

■ AC third graders are working with AP Physics students to collect and analyze AC’s water efficiency. They used results from their experiments to make recommendations to improve the school’s

water consumption, and many of these recommendations have already been

put in place.

■ AP Biology students put their S.T.R.E.A.M. skills to work generating reference DNA barcodes for the Barcoding

Life’s Matrix program funded by the National Science Foundation. The students’ work

was published as part of the International Barcode

of Life (iBol) project and the organization credited them

for their efforts.

■ Students in 2D Art, Digital Design, and Biology collaborated

with local professors and graduate students in medicine and art to depict

and enhance medical illustrations in a visually interesting way. Dr. Hitomi Mukaibo,

a chemical engineer at the University of Rochester, and her graduate student gave AC students feedback as they produced their work.

As one of our teachers defines it, “AC’s S.T.R.E.A.M. program bridges the gap between disciplines in a meaningful and useful way for our students. The initiative intentionally connects the concepts, so they can begin to think on a level more in-tune with the authentic experiences we provide and they will encounter at AC and beyond.”

According to Lisa Campbell ’83, P’18, P’20, and Trustee, “Mick Gee is driving the effort for this unique and powerful approach. Mick’s international perspective has elevated the S.T.E.M. program to a level of complete differentiation by integrating research and arts more fully into the recognized curriculum. Adding these disciplines has made a positive impact on the students, and sets Allendale Columbia apart from other schools.”

“We are so lucky to have found Mick at a time when requirements of an

independent education and the world around us continue

to change dramatically.”— Bob Tait ’75, Former Board Chair, Current Board Member


When Allendale Columbia Middle School students JT, Thomas, Danielle, Rotsirohawi, Giovanni, James, Aditi, and Anjana put their S.T.R.E.A.M. intellect to the test, they made a name for themselves, regionally and nationally.

They are already making an impact, too. In the words of one of the judges watching our students: “That is a better solution than I have seen in all the years I have been teaching this—and I teach college freshmen.” The Allendale Columbia team placed an impressive first place in the nation for this problem-solving portion of the competition and second overall. The NYTSA tweeted, “Allendale Columbia School is a triple threat!”

After achieving Best in State at the regional TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science) Competition sponsored by the international Technology Student Association (TSA), the AC students went on to nationals this summer.

The TEAMS Competition is an annual contest challenging middle and high school students to work collaboratively and apply their math and science knowledge in practical and creative ways to solve real, everyday engineering challenges. Although it was the first time in history that Allendale Columbia School sent a team to participate in the regional TEAMS Competition, they earned a Best in State title. While achieving Best in State, they also earned the fifth highest overall score in the nation. As a result, they were invited to

represent New York State to compete for Best in Nation rights at the annual TSA Conference in Washington, D.C.

Based on the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges, the theme for this year’s national competition

was “Engineering Tomorrow’s Cities—Improving Urban Infrastructure.”

Head of School Mick Gee was excited about sending the team to Washington, D.C. “This is an excellent opportunity for our students, particularly these students who are excelling at the highest level and living our core values every day. They have minds that are curious and creative, they are working collaboratively, and they are making connections across disciplines constantly while mastering strategies for learning. I’m proud of each of them as individuals, but most impressed by how

effectively they worked together; clearly they made an impact on the judges, too!”

Urban infrastructure problems and world energy needs require the ability to make connections between science, technology, research, engineering, the arts, and mathematics. All these disciplines are intertwined into real problems and potential solutions for the engineers and scientists of today to tackle on a national, if not global, scale. During the TEAMS Competition, a group of middle school students experienced firsthand how interwoven these areas can be and succeeded in being part of the next generation of problem solvers.

THE IMPACT OFS.T.R.E.A.M. ON TEAMS

AC Middle Schoolers place second in the Nation overall.

FEATURE STORY

“That is a better solution than I have seen in all the years I have been teaching this – and I teach college

freshmen.” —NYTSA judge about Allendale Columbia Middle School students

stream■ science ■ technology ■ research ■ engineering ■ arts ■ math


AC by the numbers


FEATURE STORY

A world of impact:

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS AC?Here.This fall, AC strengthened our international community by opening a second international house. This residence is home to seven girls from four countries. AC students hail from more than 13 countries and four continents. Our esteemed alums reside in 23 countries including 48 states in the U.S.

There.Last year, AC expanded our international presence with two

Head for External Affairs and Director of Admissions, Karyn Vella, traveled to Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia to interview students and build relationships in South America. During the spring, she and Head of School Mick Gee made an important visit to Asia, connecting with current AC families and developing partnerships. AC hosted events in Shanghai and Seoul. The AC duo also met with prospective families in Vietnam.

Everywhere.AC is making a global impact. Get involved! Tell us where your travels take you, and we’ll help you connect to the global AC family. Let us know if you’d like to host an event in your city. If you’re interested in spreading the word for admissons, contact [email protected]. If you’re interested in gathering alums, [email protected].


AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCESSENIOR STUDY PROJECTS 2014Every year, many seniors at Allendale Columbia School conclude their studies by opting to undertake Senior Study Projects. The program is open to all students during the last month of their senior year. Students design their projects with as little help as possible from faculty. Those seniors whose projects are approved are then given leave to pursue their ideas.

At the end of the school year, each senior gives a presentation to the committee and submits a written report to be archived in the school library, available for anyone to read.

Some students conclude their project with a formal presentation to the Allendale Columbia School community and the greater Rochester community.

During 2014, AC seniors interned with a wide range of organizations including:STUDENT FACULTY SPONSOR WORKSITE

Erin Elise Amborski Mrs. Diane Broberg Dixon Schwabl

Martijn K. Appelo Sr. Ray Perez Allendale Columbia School

Brynne Taylor Colella Mrs. Diane Broberg Noyes Memorial Hospital

Carolyn Marie Dubnik Mme. Dominique O’Donovan Strong Museum

Timothy James Eilinger II Mr. Artie Cruz Wegmans

Ryan Catherine Grimes Sra. Callie Rabe Flour City Bread Co.

Rayan Ifthikhar Sra. Callie Rabe Strong Hospital

Hye Jin Jun Mr. Fred Barnes Satispie

Ethan Kahler Kennedy Sra. Callie Rabe Kyle Farms

Juliana B. Levinson Mr. Tony Tepedino Midlakes Development and Construction

Mallory Laura Mintz Ms. Amy Oliveri Theravet

Elizabeth Morgan Peterson Ms. Heather Hutton Democrat and Chronicle

Emma Louise Rowlands Sr. Ray Perez Democrat and Chronicle

Ruiqi Yin Ms. Lori Kimbrough Wun Teen Empowerment

If you think your place of work would make a good site for students completing Senior Study Projects in the future, please let us know! Simply contact Kristin Merriman at [email protected]!

2013-2014 Senior Study Project Committee:

Dr. Vincent BissonetteMs. Heather Hutton

Dr. Keith JonesMs. Kristin Merriman

Sr. Ray PerezMs. Faye Shea


INSIDE THE BOXAt our annual spring alumni gathering in Boston, Head of School Mick Gee enjoyed a conversation with Josh about the necessity of offering authentic experiences and S.T.R.E.A.M. studies within a global context. Having experienced the challenges of working in a start-up environment, Josh was enthusiastic about AC’s vision to prepare students to excel in college and succeed in a globally competitive society.

BY JOSHUA BRANDT ’00FOUNDING PARTNER, STACK + CO


Starting a business is never easy. But for those of us who ventured out on our own, just before the start of what would come to be known as the Great Recession, the experience ended up being far more challenging—and ultimately far more rewarding—than what we could have anticipated.

In March 2008, I told Shawmut Design and Construction—a reputable and respected company that had employed me since 2005—that I was leaving to start my own business (my soon-to-be business partner gave his notice the same day). In April, Stack + Co. broke ground

secured contracts for two more projects which would start in the fall.

And then September 2008 happened. Lehman Brothers collapsed. The economy cratered. Within ten days, both projects we

All other prospects for new business evaporated. But these extraordinarily trying circumstances ended up revealing capabilities that I didn’t know I had. They were the catalyst for what, in hindsight, is unquestionably the proudest and most productive period of my professional career.

I have always been a very hard worker. It’s just part of my personality (plus how else does one survive Mr. Fujita’s AP Calculus class?). But during this time, the odd combination of passion and fear led me to put time into my work like I never had before. Morning, noon, and night, I found opportunities to advance our cause, despite the fact that none of them were “paying” opportunities.

I networked relentlessly. Professional connections. Personal connections. People who might have a chance of hiring us. People who had absolutely no chance of hiring us. Vendors and subcontractors we might hire. Coffees. Lunches. Drinks. Professional associations. The primary goal was to drum up new business. But even if that failed, I was determined to make sure that everyone knew what Stack’s vision was and where our passions lay.

One of those passions was (and still is) to build buildings that use less energy, but to do so in a way that makes so

most hardened, climate-change-denier would want to. I compiled a library of detailed pricing information on various types of building envelopes and HVAC systems—the interrelated primary drivers of building energy consumption. My business partner taught himself the basics of energy modeling in hopes of quantifying the relative impacts of different envelopes and systems on energy consumption. I started building models that we hoped might allow for a building’s energy performance to be optimized based on cost and expected energy consumption.

I went back and revisited projects that for one reason or another had not come to fruition. One particularly tantalizing project—one of the ones that had been put on hold in September—was a building conceived to be made half of used shipping containers. It was sexy. It was cool. But it was way too expensive for those uncertain times. However, the project’s upside was too much to dismiss. I continued to dissect the numbers and eventually concluded that the shipping container portion could make

of the project—an adaptive reuse of an existing building on the proposed site—that was driving the project away

Sensing a breakthrough, I sat down at our conference table one evening and began to reverse engineer the project into viability; it was our attempt to save our business. Tear down the expensive-to-renovate existing building. Maximize the number of shipping containers on the site to create economy of scale. Apply what

the project’s ambitious energy goals and cut costs.

The passion, the pace, the creativity, the skill—it was entrepreneurism in its purest form. By 3:00 a.m. we had a concept for a building that could work. The entire evening had been catharsis enabled only by months of dedication, desperation, and hope through days of doubt.

Seven months later we broke ground on

one challenging year to execute—a year that called upon all of the same work ethic and skills that we had honed during

during my time at Allendale Columbia). When the construction was complete, Stack + Co. moved in.

Its unique architecture, its obviously “green” qualities, and its highly visible location next to a highway caught the attention of traditional and web-based media, locally and internationally. When interviewed for stories about it, I proudly

building, despite being built for below-market cost.

I didn’t care whether or not anyone knew how much making a building like that had taken out of me; what I had gotten out of it was so much more.


Erin AmborskiVillanova University

Martijn AppeloUniversity of Michigan

Isaac AubWashington University in St. Louis

JaeYeon ChungGap Year in South Korea

Brynne ColellaTulane University

Carolyn DubnikCornell University

Timothy EilingerFinger Lakes Community College

Alexander FrenettAmherst College

Ryan GrimesUniversity of Rochester, Early Medical Scholars Program

Russell HegedornBerklee College of Music

Weifeng HuUniversity of Michigan

Rayan IfthikharUniversity of Rochester

John JamiesonLafayette College

Hye Jin JunUniversity of Texas

Ethan KennedyFinger Lakes Community CollegeCornell University 2015

Olivia KnellerIthaca College

Soo Jeong LeeWake Forest University

Juliana LevinsonAmerican University

Mallory MintzCarleton College

Christina MyersSyracuse University

Jessica PembrokeMiami University of Ohio

Elizabeth PetersonRochester Institute of Technology

Emma RowlandsRoberts Wesleyan College

Joseph ShearerRochester Institute of Technology

Shahil SubbaNazareth College

Jiasi TangThe George Washington University

Ruiqi YinEmory University

Aamir ZainulabadeenPrinceton University

Angel ZayasIthaca College

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2014

“There are 29 of us sitting on this stage. Twenty-nine individuals who have been directly affected by both their interactions with others and the culture at Allendale Columbia. What would a day here be like without casual nods from Mr. Hunt, sass from Mr. Pittinaro, or laughter from Señora Rabe? It’s these little moments that are trademarks of the Allendale Columbia experience, and these are the moments that we will look back on as we step off on our next adventures. And though we may miss these interactions, we know that there will always be a chance to come back and visit.”

—2014 Commencement SpeakerMartijn Appelo ’14


Columbia Class of 1957 Forum Award WinnerSenior Class of 2014Cum Laude SocietyWeifeng HuRyan GrimesCarolyn DubnikMallory MintzMaria RaineroRyan DensEmily PaszkoCornell Essay Contest WinnerEvan BourtisTucker Gosnell ’77 Prize in EnglishAamir ZainulabadeenMénendès-La Flèche French AwardHaley GlazerLatin PrizeSamuel RyckaertElizabeth Coffin Bynum AwardAlyssa MarinoPablo Neruda AwardMartijn AppeloChurchill-Yager Mathematics AwardAlexander FrenettWeifeng HuClass of 1978 Science PrizeJohn Jamieson Bausch & Lomb Science PrizeYanhao “Rick” ZhaoCatherine Nevius AwardMartijn AppeloThe Edwin “Ted” Atwood Prize in HistoryMallory MintzKevin Stein Class of 1982 Art PrizeEmma RowlandsComputer Science Department AwardT.J. EilingerBob Stata Instrumental Music AwardRussell HegedornVocal Music AwardAbi LongDramatic Arts AwardMartijn AppeloGordon Smith ’50 AwardAamir ZainulabadeenNational Merit Commended StudentsIsaac AubOlivia KnellerNational Merit Scholarship Corporation–Xerox Foundation ScholarshipT.J. Eilinger

National Merit Scholarship Corporation–National Merit ScholarAlexander FrenettJeff Huff ’84 Memorial AwardMichael LovejoyCommunity Service AwardAamir Zainulabadeen Sherman Farnham, Jr. ’62 & Anne Morris Farnham ’64 Community Service AwardLawrence RowlandsDella E. Simpson Memorial AwardMaria RaineroUniversity of Rochester Frederick Douglass & Susan B. Anthony AwardEmily YaxRensselaer MedalRyan DensBrown University Book AwardHaley GlazerDartmouth College Book AwardEmily PaszkoWilliams College Book PrizeRicky YatesWilliams CupJessica PembrokeRay Hickok AwardWeifeng HuAthletic Association Sportsmanship AwardChristina MyersGannett CupShahil SubbaHeadmaster’s Prize in Memory of Peter Schwartz by the Class of ’54Erin AmborskiJohn Harrison Alumni AwardMartijn Appelo

MIDDLE SCHOOL RECOGNITIONCEREMONYHelen Monroe AwardFiona LutzElizabeth CotterNicholas Milella AwardJean-Paul KlemMaeve GleesonCygnet AwardCorwin PerryChris Hickok AwardCaroline Mealey Merit AwardIndiia Maring

AC UPPER SCHOOL HONORSCONVOCATION AWARD RECIPIENTS

Ray Perez retired this past June after a teaching career at Allendale Columbia that spanned 28 years. The impact he made on our community is immense. Señor Perez’s colleagues, friends, and family were asked to share a few words about him ...

“I wish you an excellent retirement, and I still expect an email or two during the Duke-SU games.”“Margaret and I will never forget how you made us translate ‘Stayin’ Alive’ into Spanish and sing it in front of the class.

“The school may only need to replace one teacher, but the holes that we

“The most salient things I learned from

him are not old languages or baseball

tactics, but rather, how to be a good

human being.”

“My favorite thing that Ray used to tell me was: ‘Whatever happened to bad luck? Why is everyone always trying to blame someone else for everything? Take responsibility ...’”“My translation skills and my ability to complete ninth grade math homework have suffered over the past 20+ years, but I will always remember how you made me feel. INSPIRED. PLAYFUL. CURIOUS. INSIGHTFUL. SAFE TO TAKE RISKS. INTERESTING. And, TERRIFIED ...”

“He was a constant source of laughter,

support and guidance, and calming

energy. He was there for all the big

stuff ... the little moments ... and

everything in between.”


AC NOW

Summer LEAP is a Life-Changing ExperienceAllendale Columbia School is tackling the problem of summer learning loss head-on with its Summer LEAP program, a part of the Greater Rochester Summer Learning Association consortium. This past summer, first and second grade students (including bilingual learners) from Rochester City School District School No. 17 spent six weeks at AC, participating in an intensive reading curriculum with a 3:1 student-teacher ratio. Breakfast and lunch were provided each day, and field trips focused on utilizing local resources within the City of Rochester.

The partnership is designed to continue during the school year with Upper School students volunteering at School No. 17 and AC faculty providing extra tutoring. Additionally, AC will offer

the program every summer and grow it by one grade level each year. Students

from School No. 17 will be able to participate in Summer LEAP through

grade eight.

The partnership is life-changing for students and teachers alike. “The experience far exceeded my expectations. When reflecting back, I would not say it was work,” said faculty member Stephanie DePaul-Pragel. “The students filled my mind and my heart. I am a better educator and a better person because of this experience. I learned as much as the students did.”

ALL

EN

DALE COLUM

BIA

summer leapB E T H E C H A N G

E

P R O G R A M

May Term Brings New OpportunitiesAt the end of the spring semester, Middle and Upper School students at Allendale Columbia School completed their usual curriculum and began what has come to be known as May Term. With more than 20 new courses to choose from, students are encouraged to take risks, follow their passions, and dig deeper in courses such as

College Workshop, Cinematography, Mousetrap (building Rube Goldberg machines), Health and Biomedicine, Makey Makey, Community Service, Team Building, High Peaks Trip to the Adirondacks, the Science of Food Preparation, and more. May Term at AC exists to provide educational opportunities outside of the normal structures of

the school year to support intellectual discovery, encourage collaboration, and foster community involvement.

May Term courses are designed to emphasize global awareness, interdisciplinary content, and service learning.

Middle School student Dylan Reece works with technology teacher Tony Tepedino and classmates Luke Dioguardi and Cassandra Northrup during the Makey Makey course to build an electronic video game controller.

Upper School students Xin “Lucas” Yao and Eva Appelo examine “evidence” under a microscope in their forensics class.

Middle School students Emilia Granat, AnnMargaret Mealey, and Marissa Frenett capture shots in their stop motion animation class.

Teacher Stephanie DePaul-Pragel working with School No. 17

students during AC’s Summer LEAP program.


AC NOW

An article written by John Sullivan, Head of Lower School, recently appeared in Independent School, a publication produced by the National Association of Independent Schools. In the full-page article, John shares details about AC’s Entrepreneur Day, discussing how students submit business plans, develop products or services, and then showcase and sell them at an annual event, providing a true authentic learning opportunity.

AC’s Entrepreneur DayGets National Notice

We Love to TeachStudents—andOther TeachersAC teachers regularly share their knowledge and passion at leading educational conferences. More than a dozen AC thought leaders—both teachers and administrators—gave presentations at 16 different local and national educational conferences and events during the 2013-2014 academic year. Presentation topics included:

■ Effectively Serving International Students and Families and Developing Global Citizenship in All Students

■ Design Thinking ■ How to Build a Personal Learning Network

You Can Manage ■ iPad 1:1 Deployment: Lessons Learned

in Year 2 ■ Not a Digital Native: Developing the Skills

of a Digital Citizen ■ Statistics and the Nspire ■ Using Videos to Excite, Invigorate, and

Enhance the Math Class

RIT • GCVM • AC PartnershipLast year, our fifth- and eighth-grade students collaborated with researchers from the Rochester Institute of Technology to build tourism apps for the Genesee Country Village and Museum. We were elated to find out that their work is now a fully published academic paper! The paper and project were presented at the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Conference in Great Britain in September, and the paper was also nominated for the Best Paper Award.

Our second annual TEDx event at Allendale Columbia School was held on February 1st, 2014.

Videos of our 2014 participants making an impact are available at tedxallendalecolumbiaschool.org.

Stay tuned for more information about our third annual TEDxAllendaleColumbiaSchool on March 7th, 2015. Information for the upcoming event will be available soon at tedxallendalecolumbiaschool.org.

TEDxAllendaleColumbiaSchoolx = independently organized TED event

This fall, we officially opened our second international house which is designed to house eight girls from around the world. At the September 23rd Ribbon Cutting event, Mick Gee, Head of School, thanked the Mangan family, the Garrett family, and the Tait family for their vision and generosity that made it possible for us to have an international house for boys and an additional one for girls. In addition to

Amy and Bob Tait ’75, two students who live in the houses spoke at the event and reflected on their experiences:

“It is not like other boarding schools ... we are more than classmates now, we are like brothers. This is our home away from home,” said Xiong Yiwei, a senior from China.

Yasmine, a student in grade ten from Cote d’Ivoire shared, “This house, with the help of every girl who lives in it, is a stable community. It is not just an international house, it is our international house ... a place that we all fill with experiences, happiness, generosity, concentration, effectiveness, and success.”

Home Away from Home

House parent and faculty member Dr. Eleanor Sparagana with international house residents Ruixin “Lareina” Liu,

Zhiwei “Germaine” Gu, Manqing “Mandy” Peng, Chenge “Sabrina” Ma, Soo Min Lee, Erykah Yasmine Kangbeya,

and Chung Eun Kim Armijos.


How did your passion for education develop and how did you get involved with educational reform at this level?

My father was working in Rochester

to get charter schools started. He was trying to fix the problems that the Rochester public city schools were dealing with, and he realized that you can’t really fix them externally, but instead from within. He soon realized that if they couldn’t fix the K-12 education crisis, they couldn’t even begin to address any of the other issues at hand. We have to have an educated workforce in order to be a thriving country. As a result of his passion, K-12 education reform had to be the focus of our foundation; since I don’t live in Rochester, I tend to look at the issue as a national issue. I have a 40,000-foot vantage point and there was a disconnect between education reform and the impact it was having on people; it was more of an academic movement. It had extreme white paper data and facts which lacked the emotional component that people really pay attention to. I started marketing the issue to people around the country and that’s where I found my place in the whole movement.

You mentioned in a separate conversation that your work is truly about broad and systemic change. How do you think education reform impacts parents today, if at all?

Overall, when I think about education reform I think about students, teachers, parents, taxpayers—everyone. Whether you send your child(ren) to private school or not, any taxpayer is willing to spend “x” amount of dollars on a public education system. I think we expect that system to provide a good education for everyone, but we are not getting that. We, as taxpayers, pay for a high-end product, but in many cases we get a model that is decades old. My advice to parents and families is, “don’t accept the model that is

decades old, but demand the high end product that has been paid for by society.” Most of us have accepted inferior products and we have become so conditioned to go to the school that we are assigned to unless we have the means or good fortune for opportunity scholarships. I don’t think we should accept this. We’re accepting less than mediocrity in many situations. If you bought toothpaste and it was leaking, you wouldn’t accept it. You would take it back to the store and return it. We shouldn’t be accepting it. For what we spend, we should have a good return.

Are more people joining you in the movement or do you feel like you’re alone as you move forward?

So many people in the education reform world are doing incredible things from different angles. I think we have made headway through marketing recently. Many people think marketing is an expensive national advertising campaign, but it’s not. It’s where you connect with people and sell your concepts and ideas to get somewhere. National School Choice Week is a week in January when people from all around the country come together to do things as a school to celebrate being able to be a part of a great educational environment for children. We make a lot of “noise” this week as a PR campaign and it’s so organic; every school does something different, celebrating their school in their own way. In this way, it is more of a time to celebrate than a time to complain. Consequently, people become more aware of the choices nearby, which in turn inspires parents to consider the best options for their family. We started about four years ago and affected maybe 150 people. We now offer 5,600 events and impact thousands of people during that week.

I have found sometimes schools don’t stop to acknowledge their strengths and that which makes them unique. National School Choice Week is designed to help schools do this for the benefit of students and parents.

Has anything else shifted?

Governors are declaring National School Choice Week and making proclamations about it. People are stopping and thinking about the issue a little bit more. It’s become unavoidable because you hear about it on the news or people are talking about it. More people are paying attention to and appreciating their choices. Never did I stop to think and give thanks to be at AC and I loved AC. It’s really important for people to stop and reflect and appreciate what they have.

Can you share a memory from AC?

At the awards luncheon, I told the story about putting on nail polish and doing our hair during the first bus ride over to the Allendale Campus; we were looking forward to seeing the boys. However, one striking memory was the energy crisis in the 1970s, and because they had to lower the thermostat so much, they temporarily changed the dress code to corduroy pants for the winter.

What impact has AC had on you?

As a family, a whole family, we were very involved in the AC community. I was involved in the student government, my mother was the head of the Mothers’ Counsel, my father was a Chairman of the Board. We lived and breathed AC. He was a big thinker when it came to paying attention to K-12 education; he knew what he was talking about because he was engaged in the lives of his own children at AC. If we weren’t so engaged in AC, I don’t think we would have such a passion for other people to have what we had. If you have no idea what’s possible, how do you fight for it?

Do you have any advice for students or recent graduates?

I would say, “figure out what your personal joy is to really enjoy what you do with your life.”

Making a National ImpactTRACY GLEASON ’80

“If we weren’t so engaged in AC, I don’t think we would have such

a passion for other people to have what we had. If you have no idea what’s possible, how do you

fight for it?” —Tracy Gleason ’80


AC COMMUNITY

Time is a funny thing. When we are so busy that the days run together, time seems to pass by without much notice. Only when things slow down and we allow our thoughts to reflect on all that has happened over the years, do we appreciate the impact of time. Lucky are those who can live in the moment, and appreciate the value of each day.

Last September, Carolyn began her final year at AC. I began the year as most parents of seniors probably do—dreading the “last” of everything. The “last” volleyball game, the “last” Holiday Breakfast, the “last” Costa Rica trip, the “last” Strawberry Breakfast, and so on. I could not imagine making it through the year in one piece—after all, we’ve been an AC family for 14 years. Most of Carolyn’s life has been spent beneath the birches.

And then I made a decision that changed how I viewed the time we had left at AC. I wanted to celebrate each and every moment of the last year, and focus on all that Carolyn had accomplished. I would experience every event through grateful, happy eyes—just as I’d done for all of the previous years. I wouldn’t let the emotions of the “lasts” be what my daughter remembered after graduation.

And how glad I am that I made that decision—as our senior year at AC was happy and memorable. I watched our daughter blossom into a confident, capable young woman who is ready for the next challenge. Looking back at Carolyn as Miss Crowe’s pre-kindergarten student seems unreal—it’s that time thing again. AC has shaped and molded her in so many positive ways, and we are extremely grateful to all who touched our lives over these 14 years. Thank you Allendale Columbia for a wonderful journey.

I distinctly remember being a mother of young children and all that entailed—constant supervision; sharing beds and stories; silly songs; soccer games better described as “clump ball;” fantastic yet exhausting birthday parties; and family trips with car seats, strollers, and as many snacks as one could reasonably carry.

Back then, when I would speak with parents of older children (high school, college, or even (gasp!) living on their own), I would feel a disconnect. That will never be me, I thought with some disillusion. Of course, intellectually, I knew that children grow up and leave home, but emotionally, I was so immersed in the stage of life we were in, I could scarcely imagine anything else.

And now, the inevitable has happened as we experience the first big break—college. My husband and I have officially joined the “Parents of older/adult children group.” For a significant portion of the year, our daughter will reside elsewhere, on the road to adulthood.

What a journey it’s been! They need you so much, then the next minute they don’t (or don’t think they do). And as proud as we are to share in her excitement for the upcoming years on her college campus, there is a tiny voice that wants to whisper, “stay.”

But how could we keep her from all the experiences that await at college? Those incredible, wonderful years!

One reason we can be certain Juliana and her friends are ready to go is simply: Allendale Columbia School. The school challenged them, nurtured them, and encouraged them to speak up for what they believe in and pursue what they want to accomplish. AC provides phenomenal guidance in the college process and unsurpassed levels of personal support along the way. No unnecessary boundaries exist between educators and students, only the expectation of mutual respect. If the halls of AC could speak they would say: “This is your education. Make it special. It’s important.” At AC, students learn they can make an impact as they hear the message: “Dream it, then do it.”

The class of 2014 is well-equipped for what is on the horizon. I know they will make the entire AC community proud to count them amongst its generations of graduates. In turn, it is with great pride our young adults can proclaim, “I graduated from Allendale Columbia School.”

The Impact of TimeClaire Dubnik, parent of Carolyn Dubnik ’14,

Cornell University ’18

Then & NowWendy Howitt, parent of Juliana Levinson ’14,

American University ’18


Cornerstone Society$10,000+Anonymous †*Mr. Andre Langston and

Ms. Wendy Boyde *Erwin and Gertrude Davenport

Private FoundationGleason Family Foundation

Allendale Columbia Founders$5,000–$9,999Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Bartlett †*Ann Garrett ’46 †*Susan Hunter *Mr. Xu Jie and Mrs. Guo Lingling *Tom ’63 and Ebets ’64 Judson †*§Nancy Lee ’48 †*Jennifer Newman †*Mr. and Mrs. Jon Schumacher ’55 †*Mr. and Mrs. Robert Silver ’42 †*Mr. and Mrs. Charles Symington ’76 †Mr. and Mrs. Michael Wilder ’53

Head of School Circle$1,000–$4,999Mr. Qinxin and Mrs. Aihua *Mr. Willem Appelo and

Mrs. Renate Appelo-Prins †*Mr. and Mrs. William Balderston, IV † Mr. and Mrs. Robert Blakley ’89 Charles Bradford ’99 †Brown & Brown InsuranceMrs. Betsy ’64 and Mr. John Carver Diana Rabb Clarkson ’99 †Dr. Margueritte Murphy and

Dr. Brian Cooper *Ted and Claire Curtis ’47 †*

A N N U A L F U N D D O N O R R E P O R TThe following list includes all annual giving to Allendale Columbia School from July 1st, 2013 – June 30th, 2014. Thank you to everyone in the Allendale Columbia community who helped make a difference—your generosity helps AC lead the way regionally, nationally, and internationally. We hope you will join us this year as we continue to advance excellence in education.

Marcia Goodwin Cutler ’82Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Dorschel *C. Kieran Draper †*Mr. and Mrs. Steve Dubnik †Mr. Michael and Mrs. Noreen Falcone *Mr. Sherman ’62 and

Mrs. Anne ’64 Farnham Jr.Fidelity InvestmentsMr. and Mrs. Richard Fox *Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Garrett, Jr. ’70 †*§Mr. Mick and Dr. Amy Gee *§Jane Martin Ghazarossian ’64 Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Glazer ’80 *William Hale ’39 †*Dr. JJ and Dr. Sarah Ifthikharuddin *Mr. and Mrs. Michael King *§Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Lander ’38 *Mr. and Mrs. Norman Leenhouts *Richard A. Mahar ’54Mr. and Mrs. James Martin *Dr. Manuel Matos and

Dr. Stamatia Destounis †*Mr. Gilbert K. McCurdy Jr. *Matthew McEvoy ’86Sally McGucken ’58 *Mrs. Amy ’82 and

Mr. John Mealey *§ Mrs. Janice ’52 and Mr. Bradley

MiddlebrookMr. Thaddeus ’53 and

Mrs. Sherley ’57 Newell III †Mr. and Mrs. Ellison Patterson Jr. *Precision Auto DetailingDr. Gregory and Dr. Colby Previte *Mr. Zhao Qiang and Mrs. Qian Haiging*Dr. John and Dr. Ruth Anne Queenan *Bridgette Rivers ’81 †Mrs. Elisabeth ’96 and

Mr. Mauricio Riveros †* Thomas Siebert ’45 *Robert Sykes ’45

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Tait II ’75 †*The Pike CompanyMarian Todd ’58Kathryn Tsibulsky ’94Mr. Scott Turner and

Ms. Mary Worboys-Turner †Miss Joan Twaddle §Peter von Bucher ’02Elizabeth A. Wehle ’90 †*Mr. Ernest ’58 Whitbeck III and

Mrs. Marie ’59 Whitbeck †*Mr. and Mrs. Keith Wilson *Louise Yamada ’61Mr. and Mrs. Richard Yates *Mr. Dai Yong and Mrs. Qiu Mei*Mr. Chen Xinzhang and

Mrs. Luo Xiaohong*Mr. Liu Zhiwei and Mrs. Duan Min*

Allendale Columbia Benefactors$500–$999Anonymous Per Sven Adamson ’85American Express FoundationAnonymousMr. A.E. Ted Aub and Ms. Phillia Yi *Richard Beattie ’86Mr. and Mrs. Scott Blair ’81Mr. and Mrs. James Blankenship *Mr. and Mrs. Spiro Bourtis *Mr. David Breit and Dr. Maria Aslani-Breit *Mr. and Mrs. Mark Browning *Elizabeth Bynum ’50 *Mr. James ’66 and Mrs. Melissa Clark *Julia Cline ’98Mr. and Mrs. Albert Crofton ’55 *Mr. and Mrs. Thomas DaRin †Mr. Kenneth Dens and

Ms. Mary Beth Conway †*


Mr. and Mrs. Richard Eisenhart, Jr. ’62 †*Pandush Filipi *Mr. and Mrs. James Gleason ’51 †*Jean Miller Gordon ’56Mrs. Georgia Gosnell ’47 *Frank Grosso *Mrs. Suzanne and Mr. Richard Hamell ’64Harter Secrest & Emery, LLPMr. and Mrs. Bruce Hegedorn *Ms. Rita V. Hoard ’88 and

Mr. Sukhvinder SokhiPaul and Eileen Holloway †Mrs. Hugh Hunter ’58 †*The Hwang Family *David and Holly ’68 Jacobstein †*Mrs. Daisy and Mr. Paul Keller *Mr. and Mrs. Donald Kitchen †*Mr. and Mrs. Richard Krenzer *Mr. Jeffrey Levinson and

Ms. Wendy Howitt *Dr. Daniel and Mrs. Dorothy MarionWarren Marsland ’54 *§James McKenna II ’94 †Deborah McLean †Christina Mitchell ’87 and

Shannon E. ManleyMrs. and Mr. Willis Mitchell †Mr. Jeffrey and Mrs. Tracey Morrell *Kameko Nichols ’98Mr. Gregory North and

Ms. Annie McQuilken *Mr. Pierre and Mrs. Marlize du Plessis *Progressive Insurance FoundationSusan Heilbrunn Shapiro ’70 Shirley Shumway ’54 †*Silicon Valley Community FoundationMrs. Wylie ’79 and Mr. Stuart Small †*§Mrs. Beverly ’59 and Mr. Richard Smith †*Martha Staniford ’69The Gleason Family FoundationMr. and Mrs. Stephen Van Arsdale *Vista Teach Instructional ServicesBetsy Mitchell Wallon ’89Patricia H. Wehle *Mr. and Mrs. William Sedor *Dr. M. Firdos Ziauddin *Patricia Y. Zuroski *§

Blue & White Circle$250–$499Mr. Lennard Anderson and

Dr. Saba Abaci *Anonymous *Mr. and Mrs. Peter M. Bagg ’62

Ruth Baltzer ’57 †*Mrs. Laura ’72 and Mr. Charles BarkerMr. and Mrs. Bruce BatesSandra (Goldberg) Berbeco-Coen ’64Mr. and Mrs. John Bilinski *Yum and Yuk BooksMrs. Peggy ’74 and Mr. Edward Boucher †*Mrs. Miranda McGrath ’71 and

Mr. Ted BoylanMr. Ryan and Mrs. Kaileen Burke *§Dr. and Mrs. Robert Brimlow *Charles Clarkson ’03Mr. and Mrs. Spencer J. Cook ’58 *Mr. James Cotter and Dr. Eileen Adamo *Mr. Robert and Mrs. Sally Coupal *Lynne Crofton ’77Don and Judy D’Ambrosio *Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Dandrea *Mr. Jerry and Mrs. Anna Maria DeLuccio *Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Diehl *Gary and Debbie DiFrancesco *Joseph Dioguardi *Young Do ’90Ms. Tricia Hough and Mr. Chris Edwards *Grant Eiselen ’89Mr. and Mrs. William H. English *§Pamm Ferguson † Anne Foulkes ’52 †*§Mr. Hugh Fuller and

Ms. Dawn Williams-Fuller *Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Gallo ’01Deborah Yates Gormly *James Greenidge *Dr. and Mrs. David Grimes *Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Guisto *Sarah Haugen ’51Chuck Hertrick and Joan Gerrity *§Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Hickman ’63Mr. Rich and Mrs. Zina Hocker *

Russell E. Houck, ’81Mr. Edmund and Mrs. Pat Hunt *John Ingle ’37Miranda Johnson-Haddad ’76Barry Jones *Matthew Kepner ’05Lilly (von Bucher) Kesner ’05Ms. Sally Marrer ’77 and

Mr. Stephen LangloisMrs. Amy and Mr. Stephen Leibeck *Frank C. Lillich ’58Dr. Margaret Lindsey *Dr. Scott W. Lisson, MD, FACS ’89Mr. Peter and Mrs. Margot Lutz *Dr. Joseph Marron and

Ms. Rebecca Kendall *Mary McGucken Marshburn ’87Allison L. Marsland ’83Susan Jackson McAnulty ’62Mrs. Lilac Inthavong-McEvoy and

Mr. Philip McEvoy *Microsoft Matching Gifts ProgramMr. Ranlet ’53 and

Mrs. Elizabeth ’56 Miner Jr. Mr. Dana and Mrs. Jeanne Mogauro *Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Montello *§Mr. Robert and Mrs. Maura Moore †§Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Morris ’61Courtney Harrison New ’98 Nancy Northup ’77Mr. Nicholas and Mrs. Lynne Oddo *Duffy Palmer †Andrew Perry *Mr. and Mrs. Andrew PhelpsMr. and Mrs. Michael J. Pinkney *RaytheonDan Reece *Elizabeth Jackson Rhody ’53Mrs. Jodi and Dr. Stuart Sacks *

Linda Boehlert and Paul La Flèche at their sister Mel La Flèche’s rose garden dedication.


Mr. Richard and Mrs. Beverly Comstock *Mrs. Caroline Centner-Conlon ’73 and

Mr. William ConlonAbib Conteh ’96Erin Conway §Kevin and Susan Cooman †*Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Costanzo *§Owen Coyle ’08Mrs. Lisa and Mr. John Crandall §Mr. Gregory and Mrs. Jodi Crego *Michael Crews ’94Tammy Crowe §Arthur Cruz §Katherine Cubeta ’65Mr. Kurt Cylke and Mrs. Anna Kowalchuk *George Dahl ’04Mr. and Mrs. Charles Daly ’62Mr. and Mrs. Bradley M. Damon ’62 *Ms. Pam D’Angelo and Mr. Willam Bills §Mrs. Leah Daniels-Farren and

Mr. Tyler Farren §Helen Shaw Davis ’53Mr. Timothy Davis and

Ms. Mary Ellen West *Mr. Joel ’86 and Mrs. Bridget DeCory *Carrie Deming ’02Mr. Tom and Mrs. Jodi DeRosa *Mr. Andy DeSouza and Ms. Katie Baird *Mrs. Patricia ’60 and Mr. J. William Dibella Courtney Dixon §Irene Dombeck * Ms. Sarah Donovan ’82Rob Doran §Mr. Allen Douglas and

Mrs. Lourdes Marquez-Douglas *David Doyle ’55Mr. and Mrs. Justin Doyle ’66 †Dancy and Jim Duffus ‡*Mr. Derek ’90 and Mrs. Kristen DuncanMr. Michael and Mrs. Kristine Duran *Mrs. Tina and Mr. Frank Duver *§Dr. Cynthia Ebinger *Erin Eder §Mr. David and Mrs. Rebecca Edwards *Amanda Eisenhart ’95Mrs. Sharon and Mr. Scott Ellmaker *§Martius L. Elmore §Matthew English ’89Heather Ferguson ’97Paul Fileri ’02Mr. Phillip Fileri ’02 and

Ms. Nattha ChutinthranondMr. Thomas Flood and Ms. Jane Laskey *Dawn Flowers-Thompson *

Dr. Nancy Brown and Mr. Craig Schmackpfeffer *

Dr. Seshadri Jagannathan and Mrs. Sandhya Seshadri *

Mrs. Ann ’50 and Mr. Cornelius Sewell Mr. Skip ’82 and Mrs. Dawn Shumway *Brett and Elizabeth Swartz *Daniel Szabo ’04John ThomanSalvatore and Marie Timpani *Mr. and Mrs. Donald TrasherShauna Tucker ’76 †*Karin Turturro *Jane and Bob Van Alstyne *Mrs. Lorraine Van Meter-Cline and

Dr. Douglas Cline §Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ward ’85Mr. Peter and Mrs. Kelly Weishaar *Cedric Williams ’86Andrew Wilkinson ’97Mr. Bruce and Mrs. Marianne WilliamsonMr. and Mrs. David Winn *Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Melissa Zell *

Donorsunder $250Muazzez Abaci *Wendy Ahlheim ’72Darrick and Sarah AlaimoCrystal Allen *Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Allen ’64Dr. and Mrs. Justus “Andy” Anderson ’52Rev. Andy and Rev. Nola Anderson *AnonymousMrs. Kelly and Mr. Joe Ardieta *Ms. Rachel Lauber and

Mr. Matthew Ardizzone *Julian Atwater †Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Atwater ’76Brandon Avila ’12Christine Avila-Smith *Mr. Matthew and Mrs. Ashley Babcock §Mrs. Patricia and Mr. Robert Babcock §Mrs. Linda ’57 and Mr. Richard BagbyJonathan and Shelley Bagg ’60John Balderston ’10Maggie Balderston ’07Mr. and Mrs. Peter Balderston ’76Sarah Balderston ’04Mr. Arthur and Mrs. Dorothy Barber *Lisa Barnes §Mr. Fredrick Barnes and

Ms. Tarah Greenidge *§

Mr. Robert ’51 and Mrs. Chloe BarrettJudy Batchelor *Nancy Batty ’64Mrs. Helen ’50 and Mr. Paul BaumgartnerDan Beach ’54Margaret Beattie *Mr. Donald and Mrs. Regina Becker *Lindsy (Croop) Bennage ’04Dr. Vincent and Mrs. Melissa Bissonette *§Mr. Bradford and Mrs. Martha Bjorklund *§Debbie Blake *Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Blossom *Stephen Bohrer ’82Mr. and Mrs. David Bono *Jean Borden ’42Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Bowley *Teddy Bradford ’10Mr. Michael and Mrs. Lisa Brairton ’82Mr. Terence ’85 and Mrs. Tiffany Brairton Jennifer Brazener §C. Pauline Breit *Aedin Brennan ’12Elizabeth Epstein Brenner ’81Cynthia Brewster ’75 *John Brimlow ’07Mrs. Carolyn and Mr. Frank Brockler §Mrs. Diane and Mr. Michael Broberg *§Brockport Teachers AssociationMr. Zack ’97 and Ms. Erin Brooks *Ms. Beth Brown and Mr. Joe Saville * Lindsey Brown *§Nita Brown *Rev. Hoyt and Mrs. Sandra Brown *Kathy Bulkeley ’78Leslie J. Burlingame ’60Mrs. Sharon ’65 and Mr. Westcott

BurlingameD. and Linda K. BurnettMr. Robert and Mrs. Elizabeth Bysshe *Mrs. Lisa ’83 and Mr. Paul Campbell †*Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cansler ’59Crystal Cappon * Mr. Gregory and Mrs. Doreen Castellano *S. Gie Oey ’82 and Todd CavesDonna Chaback §R. Elliot Cherne, Jr. ’55Jane Chiavelli ’75 (Randie Jane Chiavelli)Mr. Harry Clark ’54 and

Mrs. Rhett ThurmanGeoffrey Cline ’01Mrs. Jeannie and Mr. Michael Clinton *§Mr. and Mrs. James Coffey *Mr. Todd and Mrs. Wendi Coleman *Laurie Johnson Colombo ’63 *


Ann Forbes *Julia Foulkes ’81Mr. Vincent and Mrs. Kasie Frassetto *Mr. Murray and Mrs. Sharlene Freeman *Mr. and Mrs. John Frenett *Yoshi Fujita ’02Loriann Furbush § Mr. Michael Galban and

Mrs. Tonia Loran-Galban *Gerda Gallop-Goodman ’86Katie Garrett ’95Mrs. Abby and Mr. Paul Gebel *§Mr. and Mrs. William George ’62Mr. Joel Gerbino and

Ms. Amalia Dache-Gerbino *Kathryn McLean Gertsner ’04Mrs. Vera ’89 and Mr. Aaron GilesMr. Matthew and Mrs. Nicole Glavin §Mrs. Diana and Mr. Jason Gleeson *§Marianna Gonzalez §

Michael Gonzalez ’03Mary Gooding ’06Mr. Gooding and Ms. Capizzi-Gooding †*Rose Gooding ’09Judy Gordon ’57 * Mr. Philippe ’96 and Mrs. Shannah ’96

Gouvernet *Mr. David ’99 and Ms. Yvonne Graham †Virginia Gray §Mr. and Mrs. Newton Green ’44Ms. Barbara Kimbrough and

Mr. Reggie Greene *Peter Gregory ’03Mr. Bryan Grenn and Ms. Jo Bill *Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Greppin ’55Dr. and Mrs. John A. Greppin ’55Emily Gressel ’00

Agnes E. Griffith, Ph.D. ’49Mrs. Beth and Mr. David Guzzetta §Charles and Carolyn Haines †*Mr. Ken and Mrs. Debbie Hampson *Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hargrave ’44Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hargrave ’49Linda Johnson Harris (Dirga) ’63Ms. Brooke Harter-Wheeler ’88 and

Mr. Michael Wheeler *§Mr. and Mrs. Andy Hasselwander ’93Mr. Rodney ’78 and Lydia Hatch, Jr. Audrey Hays ’69Ms. Lindsey Hegedorn and Mr. Dale Vance *Peggy Hellebush *§Mr. Daniel and Mrs. Jaima Herberger *Mr. and Mrs. James Herlan *Rebecca Herlan ’00Sabra W. Hickam ’64Alan Hickok ’61Shelby Hill ’08 §Dr. Stephen ’03 and Mrs. Caroline ’06 HillCarolyn (Dougherty) Hines ’76Ms. Joanna and Dr. Christopher Hodgman §Elena HollandsMr. Scott and Mrs. Tamara Horan *Rev. Rodney E. and Mrs. Joan Houck *Dr. Judith Hunter and Dr. Robert Sutor *Stanley M. Hunting ’54 Sarah Mercier Hurlbut ’79 †*Robert Hurdle ’66Katherine Hurley ’81Dr. Christine Waasdrop Hurtado ’90Heather Hutton §Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ireland *Kathy Irvine *§Raymond Istas §ITX Corp. Mr. and Mrs. John Jamieson *Mrs. Nancy ’72 and Mr. Peter Jeton Mrs. Anne ’41 and Mr. Arthur Johnson William Johnston Jr. ’59Andrew Wing Jones ’95Dr. Keith Jones §Mr. and Mrs. John Judson ’60Karim Kangbeya *George K. Kaufman ’97Mr. and Mrs. Eben Kennedy †Janet Durland King ’79Patricia King ’64Jane Kitchen ’43 *Mr. Aaron Klein and

Ms. Maria Lauriello-Klein †*Ms. Ashley ’92 and Mr. David KolbeMrs. Theresa and Mr. Bill Krieger §Mrs. Donna and Mr. James Kwiatkowski §

Marlowe Hagood Laiacona ’73Lands’ End, Inc. Mrs. Katherine and Mr. Chad Lapa §Michelle LaRussa-Trott *David M. Law ’77Mr. John ’41 and Mrs. Ramsay ’46 Lawless †Dr. Jeff Lawlis §Noel Lawson ’45Mrs. Jean Lee ’43Ann Fisher Leffler ’67Dr. Derek Linton and

Ms. Kim Kopatz Linton *Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lippa *Sandra Lloyd ’65Zachary Lockhart ’05Nancy Logghe §Mr. Michael and Mrs. Christina Lohman *Katrina Hellebush Looby ’60Mr. Daniel and Mrs. Rita LuceyMrs. Carol and Mr. Jason Lustig *John MacMillan ’64Dr. and Mrs. Richard Mains *Mindy Mangan ’81Anne Martin ’42 * Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Martin *Jacqueline Martin *Stephanie Masline ’04Gregory Matos ’12Mr. Robert ’58 and Mrs. Lillian Mazza Mrs. Deborah Harpending McConnell ’64

and Mr. Geoffrey McConnellAdam McCue ’02Mrs. Gilbert G. McCurdy *Mark McDonough ’74Mr. Charles ’85 and Mrs. Jennifer McGuckenMrs. Kristen and Mr. Daniel McKenzie §Tasha McKenzie *Mr. Rennie ’54 and Mrs. Sarah

McQuilkin ’54Mr. and Mrs. Brian Meehan *§Jean S. Meenan ’50Frederick T. Merle ’58Kristin Merriman §Mr. Nathaniel and Mrs. Erin Merritt § Dr. Steven Meyers and Dr. Barbara Weber *Mrs. Sue ’57 and Mr. Walter Millard ’56Michael Milazzo ’02Gail Beere Minkin, ’55Mr. Kurt and Mrs. Lu Mintz *Mr. Stephen Monti and Ms. Christine Sisak *Nancy Kearns Morris ’46Allison Mosley *Mrs. Catherine ’52 and Mr. Hugh MoultonStephanie Mueller §Barbara Myers ’82

Former board member Amy Tait and son Alex Tait ’08


Brent Neeley §Melvin B. Neiser †*Betsy Neisner ’71Mrs. Joan’45 and Mr. Roderick NordellMr. Adam Northrup and Ms. Patricia Hill *Richard and Susan Northrup §Mr. Seth O’Bryan and Dr. Julie Pasternack §Giok Oey *Amy Oliveri §OracleMr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Palmer ’57Frank Panczyszyn ’86Hilda Taylor Parrott ’73Dr. Henry and Mrs. Beth Paszko *Judy Patterson *Robert and Gabrielle Peckham *Mr. and Mrs. Natale Pellegrino *Mr. and Mrs. James Pembroke *Dr. Gay Stebbins Pepper ’60Mr. Ray Perez § and Ms. Rhonda Brown *†Mr. Scott and Mrs. Michele Peters *Mamie Pezzuole *Julien Phillips *Mr. William Pifer and Mrs. Carol Bassett *Mr. Jamie and Erin Pittinaro §Mrs. Stephanie DePaul-Pragel and

Mr. Dennis Pragel §Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Prokupets *Deanna Putnam §Denise Quamina *Callie Rabe §Mr. and Mrs. Keith Rachunok *Sally Radicchi ’66Mr. Andrew and Mrs. Erica Ragan *§Mrs. Anne ’59 and Mr. Michael RalphRobby Ramdin ’04Hannah Ramsey ’04Mrs. Catherine ’74 and Mr. Richard RangerRichard Reddington ’55John and Candice Reese §

Mr. Robert and Mrs. Kathleen ReillyDr. and Mrs. William Remington ’61Jason Reynolds ’02Laura Reynolds-Gorsuch §James Richards *Lynda W. Robeson ’69 *Brian Rodwin ’83Stanley Rodwin *Mr. William and Mrs. Terri Rogers *Yesenia Roman §Jocelyn Rowley ’53Amy Rudich §Dr. John Ruef *Jennifer Ryckaert *Mr. Dave and Mrs. Lynn Ryder *Mr. Stevan ’62 and Mrs. Mary Lee Sayre Mr. and Mrs. Chris Scalia *Dr. Andrew and Mrs. Beth Scheinman *Keri Schneider §Diana Schultz ’04Karyl Bechtold Sears ’65Lissa Couch Seeberger ’82Mallory Messner Semple ’42Charles Sharick ’01Faye Shea §Mrs. Patricia Allen Shellard ’66Lisa Shearing *§Dr. David and Mrs. Helena Shrier *Barbara Siebert ’69Mrs. Karen ’86 and Mr. Paul SimonsPatricia Simpson * Patricia Sladden ’52 *Anne Marie Detweiler Smelzer ’56Mr. and Mrs. Clair Smith *Mr. Clifford W. and Ms. Bernie Todd Smith *Nate Sorrentino § Sue Sorrentino §Amanda Soule ’04Byron Soule ’00Dorothea Soule ’02Eleanor Sparagana §Mr. Tariq and Mrs. Dena Spence *Mr. Ira and Mrs. Maria Stein *Muriel Steinberg *Mr. and Mrs. Peter Stern ’63Mr. Paul and Mrs. Tasha Stevens *Elizabeth Stewart ’46 Ms. Nan Atwood-Stone ’92 and

Mr. Kevin Stone

Mr. Barrett and Mrs. Marianne Sullivan *John Sullivan §Mary Lou G. Sullivan ’65Dr. Ryan and Mrs. Bree Swain *Mr. and Mrs. Allen Swan ’64Anne Sylvester ’48Michael Taillie §Mr. Anthony and Mrs. Trisha Tepedino *§Mr. Ric Thomann and Mr. Brian Hegedorn *Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin Thomas *Dr. Julie Thompson §Lynn Tordella §Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Townson ’49 Mr. and Mrs. Will Trafton *Monica Trevett §Diana (Dini) Tripp ’62Mrs. Jennifer and Mr. Tung Truong *§Mr. and Mrs. Philip Tsibulsky *Alan and Bryn Tucker ’66Sam and Hether Turner ’59 †*Sally Damon Turner ’66John and Maureen Turturro *F. Dann Valenza ’77Judith Van Alstyne ’88 *§Devon and Lisa Van Vechten *Mrs. Karyn and Dr. Joseph Vella *§Ana Verlaine ’65Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. Mr. Mike Wall and Ms. Lori ColellaFlorence Wells *Walter Wells Jr. ’66Jennifer Westerfeld ’96Mr. and Mrs. E. C. Whitbeck IV ’87 *§ Mr. Terence and Mrs. Lindsay Williams *Marques Williams ’04 §Ms. Sally N. ’44 and Dr. R. D. WilliamsMrs. Zoe and Mr. Kevin Wilmot *Amy Freeman Winslow ’85Mr. and Mrs. Craig Wolfanger ’76Sally Wood ’56Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Julianna Wright *Lori Kimbrough Wun *§Mr. Jeffrey and Mrs. Jill Wynn *Ms. Jin Xiao and Mr. Piero Terio *Bichen Xu ’12Mr. Robert and Mrs. Karen Yax *Duffy Zornow ’79Kathryn Zuroski ’97

Key’00 Alumnus/a† Current Trustee* Current and Past Parent/Grandparent

§ Current and Past Faculty/Staffƒ Society for the Future‡ Deceased

Alumna Mindy Mangan ’81 and Head of School Mick Gee


The award was first given in 1973, just after the Allendale and Columbia Schools merged. This year marks the 41st time that the award has been presented. Only two faculty members have received the award on two separate occasions: Joanna Hodgman in 1982 and 1993 and Lorraine Van Meter Cline in 1999 and 2008. This year’s recipient will be the third member of the faculty to receive the award twice. Her first was 24 years ago in 1990. I am delighted to ask Peggy Hellebush to join me on the stage to receive her second Carl L. Stevenson Award.

If you read the words at the beginning of this citation again carefully, you will hear that this particular award is about dedicated service to the school’s community. It is hard to imagine anyone who embodies that more than Peggy. She joined the AC faculty in 1976 and for 38 years has dedicated herself to the school community. She has served thousands of students in her time here and made an impact on each one of them. The five-minute standing ovation that Peggy received at the Lower School Moving

Up ceremony on Friday demonstrates clearly that she is still loved by her students and AC families just as much today as she has been since 1976.

Peggy has been an iconic teacher in our Lower School program. Many families have grown up with her and still stay in touch long after they have left the school. She is respected by her colleagues and known as someone who simply loves children. To borrow a line from her 1990 Stevenson Award citation, “above all, Peggy Hellebush is known for her excellence in teaching,” a statement that is as true now as it was 24 years ago.

When Peggy came to see me a few months ago to tell me that she would not be returning as a full-time teacher next year, we both agreed that we would not use the “R” word. As soon as she told me the news, she insisted on being on the substitute teacher list. She is there, and John Sullivan has moved her up to No.1 so I am sure that Peggy has not taught her last class at AC. Even if she does not come back to teach, I have thought

about creating a Chief Horticultural Advisor position to utilize Peggy’s green fingers and make sure that she is still around.

Teachers who have made such an impact on our school are never forgotten. Their work lives on in the lives and minds of their former students. We are fortunate that Peggy’s 38 years here mean that there are many members of the AC family who will carry a little piece of Peggy’s spirit with them wherever they go. Please join me again in congratulating Peggy Hellebush on her second Carl L. Stevenson Award and her remarkable impact on the Allendale Columbia School community.

AC FOREVER

Excellence in TeachingAs presented by Mick Gee

The Stevenson CitationThe Carl L. Stevenson Award is presented annually to a member of the faculty who has

contributed to the school community in a manner complementary to the dedicated service

rendered by the late Carl L. Stevenson as a loyal and faithful friend to the school.

Mr. Stevenson retired as Assistant Vice-President for Kodak after many years of service. He

was active in the United Community Chest program and received a number of awards for

his service to the City of Rochester and to Monroe County. He was appointed to a state

boards, including our own, where he was president from 1966-1970.


REUNION 2014It was a festive weekend on campus as we welcomed back alums from almost every generation to reconnect to AC and each other. Please visit the full reunion photo gallery at allendalecolumbia.org/alumni.

SAVE THE DATE

however, alumni who graduated in years ending with a “5” or “0” will celebrate


HELENE CASE VERNOU ’46 Many former faculty and alums were delighted to see Helene Case Vernou attend the AC Distinguished Alumni Luncheon that was held for Helene’s former student, Tracy Gleason ’80.

WARREN MARSLAND ’54 was surprised and delighted to attend his 60th year reunion at AC this June. His daughter, Allison ’83, and son, Richard ’85, joined him to celebrate their many years at Allendale Columbia.

GAY (STEBBINS) PEPPER ’60 recently published a book “Memories of Family and Me” describing growing up in Rochester and her life on her own after graduating from the Columbia School.

LINDA HARRIS ’63 and her husband have moved permanently to Ft. Myers, FL. Her sister, Laurie Colombo ’63 is also in Florida.

LUCIA (HELLEBUSH) SHAW ’65 The 50th reunion for Columbia and Allendale grads is coming up next June 12th and 13th. Lucia has assumed the important task of recruiting alums for this big occasion. If you graduated in 1965, contact Lucia through AC and plan on attending your reunion.

MARY DEMOCKER ’80 In a guest opinion piece in “The Oregonian,” Mary wrote a dramatic article about climate change. In her spare time she is a freelance writer and harp instructor.

JUDY (CURTIS) ODHNER ’81 This summer, Judy and her husband Jan opened Zudy’s Cafe, located in an old historic railroad building in Seward, Alaska.

MICHAEL KOLSTER ’81 Michael received a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in 2013 to photograph rivers in the east. The project includes sections of the Androscoggin River in Maine, the James River in Virginia, and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania. With his Fellowship, he plans to continue photographing these rivers and two others in the

American West: the Teton River in Idaho and the Los Angeles River in southern California.

LUKE CORNELIUS ’81 “The Costs of Education” is a book recently co-written by Luke, who dedicated it: “To Warren Marsland ’54: Alumnus, teacher, friend, and long-serving business officer (1958-2001) of the Allendale Columbia School in Rochester, NY. The book sheds light on how schools budget and spend the money they receive.”

LINDSAY BROWN ’82 As a history teacher at St. Andrews School in Delaware, Lindsay has developed a new historical fiction writing class designed around the world travels of 14th century Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan explorer.

RICHARD MARSLAND ’85 In addition to his IT work at the University of Rochester, Richard has become an ardent “agricultural hobbyist,” growing and raising animals, fruits, and vegetables.

CHRIS GROSSO ’85 Chris’s father, Frank, reports that his grandchildren, Nicholas (10) and Caroline (8) are, respectively, talented in tennis and music.

ADAM GOLDFEDER ’89 enthusiastically organized his AC class’s 25th Reunion. Many classmates attended, coming from all over, including Norway and California.

HOLLY VALENTINE ’90 This spring, NYC based Broadway

ALUMNI NOTES:League gave its annual League Educator Apple Award to Holly, who has been working with students for many years. She was one of four teachers in the nation to receive this award this year.

Women from the class of 1981 got together to reminisce. From left to right are Cathy Witherow, Mindy Mangan, Mia Bell, Bridgette Rivers, and Astrid Borgstedt.

DAN CLIFFORD ’93 drops off Brady for pre-kindergarten.

MARY MARSHBURN MCGUCKEN ’87 A few alums enjoyed a mini-reunion in the warmth of Miami, FL at Jane Tatloch Bistry’s house. Those who attended were Jane, Mary, Elaine Gay Pizzarelli, Christina Mitchell, and Kathleen Cleary Bannan.

EUGENIA JENKINS ZUROSKI ’94 Gina is a tenured professor in the English Department of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She is working on her second book and specializes in 18th century fiction.

JULIE DESMARTEAU ’96 Last fall, Julie and her husband, Chris, had a daughter, Lorelei.

SARAH HALE ’96 Sarah is working at Google in New York City and gave birth to a daughter, Emma.

ANNA ZANDY ’96 Anna still resides in Sweden with her husband, Magnus Bjursell. They have two little daughters, Norah and Ebba.

BLAIR IRWIN ’96 Blair finished her medical fellowship this year and began work at Duke University Medical Center as an attending MD oncologist. She is married to Andre Bautista and they have a son, Ben.

JOSH KNORR ’96 Josh has accepted a position as a System Administrator and has relocated to Burbank, California.


UMA (SUD) MCCROSSON ’96 and Mike had a second son, Brian, who joins his older brother, Kevin.

LINDSAY STEINBERG ’96 Lindsay has expanded The Green Zebra Catering Company, located in Rochester, to include food for the home in the form of The Green Zebra Club which are seasonal recipes prepared by Lindsay for weekly home delivery.

JENNIFER WESTERFELD ’96 Jennifer teaches ancient history at the University of Louisville. This spring, she organized an international symposium and is currently working on the manuscript of her first book.

ELIZABETH CROUSE ’97 and husband, Paul, had a second child in January. Little Laura joins her big brother, Nathan.

Paulette, are expecting the birth of their first child on December 22nd, Jason’s birthday.

STEPHEN HILL ’03 is now on the faculty of Nazareth College in the Psychology department. Stephen earned his Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Akron. He eagerly has accepted the role as President of the Alumni Association.

MICHAEL GONZALEZ ’03 Michael is busy working at the headquarters of the family business, which includes Bill Gray’s, Tom Wahl’s, and Hegedorn’s.

ALAINA LYNN ’04 married Aleksander Holzer-Torres and is teaching history at the Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey.

ANDY COHN ’04 After studying and working in several different cities in California, Andy is going to be living near Davis, California. This fall, he began his studies at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

SCOTT HERTRICK ’04 is teaching English and coaching soccer at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School in Bradenton, Florida. In June he married Olivia Posani, and Sam Gatley ’04 served as a groomsman.

LINDSEY (CROOP) BENNAGE ’04 married Matt Bennage last summer. Several AC friends attended the wedding and Diana (Van Vechten) Schultz ’04 was a bridesmaid.

BEN AMBLER ’04 As one of the reps for the Class of 2004, Ben organized a gathering of classmates after the 2014 Reunion to remember the life of their wonderful classmate, Ed Doyle. During the year, Ben is pursuing a Ph. D. in Medieval English at Arizona.

HANNAH (FESSLER) RAMSEY ’04 In an October, 2013 wedding, Hannah married Jon Ramsey. His best man was Alan Lemarque ’98. Several AC classmates attended the wedding.

GEOFF CLINE ’01 Geoff, who is a captain flying for Sky West, recently moved from San Francisco to Salt Lake City so that he would be closer to the mountains for skiing.

JACKIE SAMUEL ’01 Jackie’s daughter Isobel was born last winter.

DENISE MCMANN ’01 Denise joined the full-time crew at the new Trader Joe’s store at Pittsford Plaza.

BRIAN COMPTER ’01 and his wife, Elaina, had their second child, Anastasia, who joins an older three- year-old brother, Maxim.

CARL SMITH ’01 After receiving his Ph.D., Carl joined the Army and now lives in Washington working on chemical defense and developing antidotes to nerve agents. He is married and he and his wife Stephanie welcomed the birth of their first child, a girl, in September.

JASMINE HAWKINS ’01 who teaches art in Virginia, had a daughter Makayla, in the spring.

PHIL FILERI ’02 This fall, Phil received his Ph.D. in European Intellectual History, specializing in late 20th century France, from Harvard.

PETER GREGORY ’02 is engaged to Kaleigh Griffin.

YOSHI FUJITA ’02 The Rivers School of Weston, MA is where Yoshi started teaching in three different departments this fall: math, physics, and engineering. Pictured is Yoshi and Michael Milazzo ’02.

JASON REYNOLDS ’02 Last year, Jason became property manager at Imperial South Apartments on Elmwood Avenue. He and his wife,

LARRY YANG ’98 and his wife, Claudine, who live in Redondo Beach, CA, had a son, Bradley,

born in March. Larry is a vice-president at City National Bank.

BEN HEFFRON ’98 and his wife just had a third child who they named Dallas, and was born in July. Ben recently returned from his military post in Europe and now lives in the US.

JEFF ERWAY ’98 and Laura had a second son, Owen, in the fall of 2013 who joins big brother, Miles, age three.

TED FORSYTH ’99 Ted recently married Ali Fernaays and works for Flying Squirrel, a community group, which is committed to providing a welcoming space that will cultivate and sustain long lasting relationships between artists, activists, and community members in Rochester.

YVONNE (VAN VECHTEN) GRAHAM ’99 and David had a little girl, Teagan, to join their three-year-old son, Luke.

ALI THEUER ’99 Ali is working with patients in a Pulmonary Research Study at Strong Hospital.

CHAD CRAWFORD ’99 After receiving a master’s degree in Medical Health Counseling, Chad has been working at the VA Medical Center in Canandaigua. He is now supervisor of the Veterans Crisis Line, which receives calls from all over the country. He and his wife, Patty, have a four-year-old named Joseline.

ROB RICHARDSON ’01 married Bethany Jones in August and is coaching HAC soccer and basketball.

ERIN BROOKS ’97 drops off her son Tobin for his first day of Nursery School.

JASON THEUER ’97 In 2013, Jay received his Ph.D. in Anthropology and Archaeology from Southern Methodist University. In July, he became Chief of Cultural and Historical Resources at Joshua Tree National Park, CA.

CINDY (KEPPEL) TURNER ’98 and her husband, Harrison, who live south of San Francisco, had a son, Pierce, born in May.

MARY ALICE STRONG ’98 Mary Alice has opened a salon in Chicago, along with her sister Corinna ’05. Gold Plaited Finishing Salon specializes in professional make-up artistry and hairstyling.

ROBERT PAYNE ’98 Robert returned to England and married his wife Gemma in July.


PETER FOX ’05 and his wife, Lauren, had a son, Peter, who was born in February.

JEN ROMANOWICZ ’05 Jen finished medical school in May and is now in Washington, D.C. completing her pediatric residency at Children’s National Medical Center.

LIZ (PARSONS) SACKS ’05 Liz relocated to Indiana when her husband accepted a professorship at the business school at Indiana University. She is pursuing a master’s degree in landscape architecture at Ball State University.

CLAIRE CONWELL ’05 is an RN at the Pediatric Cardiac Center at Strong Hospital. She plans a future collaboration with Jen Romanowicz ’05.

YOUMNA SAKR ’05 graduated with an MBA from Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. She is now working in Boston for Procter & Gamble.

KATE MCCURDY ’05 In September, Kate married Shaun Johnson at the Hochstein School of Music. Many AC alums were in attendance including Claire Conwell ’05 and Jennifer Westerfeld ’96 as bridesmaids. Kate is finishing her last year of law school at UVA.

ALEXA GONZALEZ ’05 Alexa found her passion studying at North Carolina State University

SHELBY HILL ’08 has returned home to Allendale Columbia where she works as the Assistant Director of Admissions.

SANTINO CINOTTI ’08 is coaching the Freshmen Boys Basketball Team at Webster Thomas High School.

KATE DURKIN ’08 This fall, Kate starts a Ph.D. program at the University of California at San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

ALEX TAIT ’08 Alex started his third year of a Ph.D. program in electrical engineering at Princeton. He was the lead author in several articles published in the new field of photonic neurocomputing.

SAM MAZZARELLA ’08 This spring, Sam earned a master’s in Music from Cambridge, England. In the fall, he will be teaching in Vienna on a Fulbright Scholarship.

ROSE GOODING ’09 is in medical school at St. George’s University in Granada, West Indies. Her undergraduate research at Clarkson University will be published in the “Journal of Modern Chemistry & Applications.” For the spring semester, she worked in a hospital in Kenya, visited tribes, and photographed wild animals.

KATELIN SCHUTZ ’10 After graduating this spring from MIT, Katelin has continued on to UC Berkeley for a Ph.D. in cosmological phenomenology. For her undergraduate work, she earned four prestigious awards: a Hertz Fellowship, a National Science Foundation Fellowship, an Apker Award, and a Fellowship from UC Berkeley.

ILANA SHRIER ’06 married Aaron Rosenson in New York City, where they both live and work.

LAURA WRIGHT ’06 Laura and her husband Kevin Erway ’04 moved to Cleveland, Ohio where she began working for Teach for America.

CIARAN BRENNAN ’07 married Katie Chapman in May and Latin teacher Keith Jones officiated. Tim Boucher ’07, Adam Foote ’07, and Dillon Nachbar ’07 were groomsmen. Aedin Brennan ’12 was a bridesmaid. Jeff Lawlis, Chair of the AC Science Department, and his band played during dinner while Lisa Barnes, Chair of the Music Department, sang.

RACHEL MOTSENBOCKER ’07 Rachel had a daughter, Kenleigh “Kenny.”

KATRINA STOKES ’07 With her degree in Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design, Katrina became a CAD Artist for White House/Black Market, a women’s clothing brand. She designs prints and patterns at their headquarters in Ft. Myers, FL.

CHRISTINA GREGORY ’07 Christina is the Marketing Coordinator and Executive Assistant to the CEO at Brighton Securities.

MATT VANDER HORST ’08 was selected to receive the IT Excellence Award from Liberty Mutual Insurance and traveled to Boston to accept. This award is distributed annually to only 12 recipients.

College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh. She enters her third year this fall and hopes to work in a small animal medicine practice.

MORGAN (SMITH) NOBO ’05 married Dr. Christopher Nobo in May of 2014.

ANNA MAZZARELLA ’05 Anna is completing her Ph.D. in Biology at Oslo University (Norway). She will join the faculty at Oslo and plans to remain living there for the next few years.

MARY GOODING ’06 continues to teach math, science, and dance at the New Roots Charter School in Ithaca. Two of Mary’s students plan to dance at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. In the fall, Mary will study at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

CAROLINE (BISHOP) HILL ’06 accepted a position as Financial Advisor at Brighton Securities.

ESTHER REYNOLDS ’06 Esther has decided to follow her dream by entering into the International Culinary Center in Manhattan for a ten-month training program. She is also the communications manager for League of Kitchens, a start-up cooking school in NYC. League of Kitchens collects and preserves old recipes and styles of cooking by employing immigrants to teach private cooking classes in their homes.

Richard Lee ’33Passed in November 2013

Carolyn J. Humphreys ’44Passed on May 30th, 2014

Passed on February 5th, 2014

Dixon Gannett ’48Passed on July 2nd, 2014

Felicia Van Praagh ’52Passed on December 25th, 2013

Xenia Klotz Riegler ’55Passed on June 14th, 2014

William B. Wilmot ’57 Passed on September 8th, 2014

Blondie Grayson Hall ’75Passed on June 3rd, 2014

Passed on July 14th, 2014

IN MEMORIAM

KATIE GERSTNER MCLEAN ’04 married Brent Gerstner in a May wedding at Good Luck Restaurant in Rochester. The wedding was attended by Karimah Hourmanesh, Kyra Girsch, Hannah Fessler, Katie McLean Gerstner, Lindsy Bennage (Croop), Sarah Balderston, and Diana VanVechtan Schultz (all from the class of 2004). Katie started working in March a

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