ssfs community news: summer 2013

S A N D Y S P R I N G F R I E N D S S C H O O L

Community News Summer 2013

Footprints:How SSFS Leaves Its Mark on the World

... AND How It Doesn’t!

• How our teachers help students leave a positive mark on the world

• Howouralumniarelettingtheirlives speak

• How SSFS seeks to reduce its carbon footprint

Community News is a publication for the alumni, faculty, parents, students, and other friends past and present who make up the many communities of Sandy Spring Friends School.

Published twice a year by the Advancement & Communication Offices:

Lauren MossmanDirector of Advancement

Judy AverbachDirector of the Annual Fund

Dave BurgevinSchool Archivist

Mimi YoumansDirector of Alumni and Parent Relations

Margaret RosserDirector of Communication

© 2013 Sandy Spring Friends School16923 Norwood RoadSandy Spring, Maryland 20860301.774.7455www.ssfs.org

Change of Address: Please send all changes to: Mimi YoumansSandy Spring Friends School16923 Norwood Rd.Sandy Spring, MD 20860or [email protected]

Cover: Artwork by Alexys Cohen '14. Alexys's artwork was also used for this year's "Walking On Sunshine" PA Auction.

Table of Contents

Get the Community News delivered electronically!

Message from Tom Gibian, Head of School 1

SSFS's Commitment to Sustainable Growth 2

A New Upper School Building: Preparing for a 21st Century Education 3

Our Virtual Footprint: A New Website! 5

SSFS Footprints: How Our Students, Faculty, and Alumni Make Their Mark 6

Lower School Footprints 6

Middle School Footprints 8

Upper School Footprints 10

Faculty: Inspiring Students to Make Their Mark on the World 12

Alumni Footprints 14

The Alterman Family Farm Fund 19

Snapshots from Sandy Spring 20

Board of Trustees Update 22

Class of 2013: Our Most Recent Alums! 24

SSFS's First 50th Alumni Reunion 25

Alumni Weekend 2013 26

Alumni Notes 28

Alumni Get-Togethers in 2012-13 32

2012-13 Annual Fund: Thank you! Inside back cover

The SSFS Community News is now available online: http://issuu.com/ssfs_comm_news/docs/cn_summer_2013. If you would like to have the Community News delivered to your e-mail inbox instead of your home mailbox, please send an e-mail request with your full name to [email protected], and for each subsequent

issue, you will receive an email with a link to the new Community News. We’ll save resources, as

well as printing and mailing costs, and you can receive the Community News hot off

the virtual press!

To request one of our newly-designed SSFS magnets, please contact Mimi Youmans at [email protected].

1Summer 2013

MessagefromtheHeadofSchool

Tom GibianHead of School

On June 8, 2013, Sandy Spring Friends School unleashed another 72 young adults into the world, each with the conviction that she/he will make a positive difference. Graduation came at the end of a week that included Alumni Weekend (where we celebrated our first 50th reunion), the 5th Grade Moving On ceremony (welcome to Middle School), and the 8th Grade Meeting for Worship and Recognition Night (Upper School, here we come). As is our way, graduation included student and faculty speakers, music, and a moving Meeting for Worship, where messages were shared in four languages. It was, as always, a wonderful experience, and one that reminded me of the transformative power of a Sandy Spring Friends School education – not only on our students, but, through their experience, the families and friends of all who have attended.

So I am pleased that this edition of the Community News, beginning with its delightful cover, describes both past and present Sandy Spring students and how they are letting their lives speak. Political advocacy, scientific invention, government affairs, wildlife conservation, social justice, green businesses, teaching, and philanthropy are all recognized. Mary Lillian Moore wrote that Brook’s primary goal in founding Sandy Spring Friends School was to start a school that develops a well-balanced individual, embodying the living philosophy of Quakerism. This autumn, SSFS will begin its 52nd year of doing just that.

Please stay in touch as we always look forward to hearing from you, welcoming you back to campus, and learning how you are letting your life speak.

2 SSFS Community News

SSFS's Commitment to Sustainable Growth

Sandy Spring Friends School was founded in 1961 with the belief that a school firmly grounded in Friends val-ues could help to make the world a bet-ter place by graduating young men and women thoroughly educated in what Brook Moore called "the living philoso-phy of Quakerism." For more than 50 years, through the School’s expansion from a (mostly) boarding school for grades 10-12 to a place of learning for students from pre-K through grade 12, SSFS has looked to Quaker values—in-cluding simplicity and stewardship—as its lodestar.

SSFS’s commitment to sustainabil-ity was evidenced in its most recent building campaign, “Kindle the Spirit.” Out of that campaign grew a master plan whose first phase brought

about the construction of the new Middle School, the Performing Arts Center, and the Ath-letic Complex, as well as an expanded din-ing room and a Lower School library. Those buildings, which opened in 2005, made every effort to minimize their impact on the campus and the

environment. Simple materials were used, and, wherever possible, envi-ronmentally-friendly materials—low-VOC paints, high-efficiency lighting, and rubber rather than vinyl flooring, for example—were chosen. The build-ings were constructed to maximize natural light; over the past few years, duct work and insulation upgrades have made the buildings more heat efficient, too. Further, the grassy area that replaced the parking lot at the center of campus—another part of Phase One of the campus plan—pro-vides cleaner air for our students throughout the day and maintains the natural permeability of the soil, leading to less run-off.

Today, as we consider the next phase of SSFS’s campus improvements, the School’s needs point us clearly to-

ward the construction of a new Upper School building. In the decade since Sandy Spring Friends School’s last major construction endeavor, environ-mental sustainability has come to the forefront of construction practices. The accessibility and availability of earth-friendly products is greater than ever, as the rest of the world catches up with the long-held Quaker commitment to environmental stewardship. This heightened awareness of the impor-tance of sustainable building allows our school the opportunity to do far more in the way of designing and con-structing an affordable, environmental-ly-friendly Upper School than would have been possible just ten years ago.

Over the past several months, the Board's Buildings & Grounds Commit-tee has met to discuss the construction of the new Upper School and what that will mean for the next parts of the campus master plan. A critical piece of environmentally sustainable construc-tion is the ability to take the long view. To that end, the Board must consider topics such as the repurposing of Moore Hall, once the new Upper School is complete. What purpose will Moore Hall serve? As we look to the future of education, should we update our vision of the library? Will a new Upper School include space for studio art and science labs? If yes, how can we best use our current studio art and lab spaces? Thoughtful consideration of these questions is essential for the suc-cess of a truly environmentally sustain-able master building plan.

3Summer 2013

21stCenturyEducation&ANewUSBuilding

At the same time, the Board Sus-tainability Committee has met with members of the building design team, including green buildings consul-tant Peter Doo, to learn more about various green construction standards (including, but not limited to, LEED) and what each entails. While some factors—such as the positioning and placement of the building to take advantage of natural sunlight—are simply matters of good design, others are contingent upon funding estimates and balancing the best use of the School’s financial resources. At this moment, the sense of the Commit-tee is that the School should seek to construct an Upper School that will, at a minimum, reduce energy consump-tion by 70 percent and be capable of being made Net Zero-ready (consum-ing zero net energy and producing zero carbon emissions annually) in the future.

Maintaining the balance between envi-ronmental and fiscal priorities is a core responsibility of the Board of Trustees. In the coming months, as the general concept for the Upper School is refined and shared with the community, siting discussions move forward, and input from faculty, parents, students, and friends of the School is sought, the fundamental task of balancing fidu-ciary and environmental goals will re-main at the forefront of the discussion, ready to inform the detailed construc-tion drawings that the design team will develop in the coming academic year.

By David Hickson, Assistant Head of School for Academic Innovation

Moore Hall has served Sandy Spring Friends School well over the School’s first 51 years. As the first academic building on campus, Moore Hall has included, at various times, dormitory rooms, offices, classrooms, the original dining hall and kitchen, the library, the stu-dent lounge, faculty housing, the school archives, and other func-tions. As SSFS grew and changed, Moore was increasingly used as the central academic building for the Upper School, its current main function, rather than for its original design function, a residence hall. However, adapting Moore Hall in this way has involved many compromises. Most classrooms in Moore were created by removing a wall between two adjacent dormi-tory rooms, resulting in shallow classrooms with approximately 280 square feet: a very tight classroom even with our small class sizes. Current standards for secondary classrooms specify a classroom of at least 600 square feet to accommo-date SSFS classes of 10-16 students.

Moore Hall’s neoclassical envelope, while aesthetically pleasing, and its structural inflexibility are not up to the demands of education in the 21st century. Moreover, its design and systems came out of an era when fossil fuels were cheap and believed to be harmless and endless.

The Upper School space crunch is more than one of comfort and convenience. Teachers in Moore Hall are compelled to rely on tightly-spaced rows of desks just to accommodate even our intimate classes. The educational conse-quences are dramatic: teachers are physically discouraged, or even unable, to circulate freely around their classroom to provide the level of individual student attention that SSFS strives for. Teachers seeking to use different classroom configura-tions, such as a discussion circle, tables for projects, or small group-ings of students, are hampered by a simple lack of space to rearrange the classroom to meet the needs

Moore Hall, where currently most Upper School classes are held.


of different instructional styles. Display space is limited, breakout space for diversifying instruction (allowing different students to be working on different kinds of ac-tivities in the same class) is almost non-existent. Technology resources are appended to these small spaces instead of being integrated into the building’s design. In short, cur-rently at SSFS, our spaces shape the educational experience, rather than the educational experience shaping the space. SSFS teachers deliver a quality educational experience in spite of the physical limitations, but they do so within inflexible spaces that fail to support learning diversity and quality instruction.

SSFS prides itself on the dedication and quality of its faculty, provid-ing each the intellectual freedom to shape the classroom experience to the needs of the subject, the student, or the moment. Research on learning and brain function support a diversity in learning

environments that SSFS teachers have used intuitively for years. Students learn best when they can move about, adapt classrooms and furniture to the task at hand, work in spaces that connect to the sur-rounding environment, and promote interdisciplinary collaboration. It is no accident that the most desirable classrooms on campus are those that allow enough space to, for example, place student chairs in a circle or in some other collaboration-oriented way, coupled with an abundance of natural light and adequate ventila-tion. Every teacher and every student at SSFS deserves this kind of high-quality instructional space.

Today’s students need to acquire skills that, in some cases, didn’t even exist ten years ago. Meeting the needs of students today, and ten years from now, requires learning spaces that are flexible and adapt-able. SSFS teachers seek to provide students with a variety of learning experiences ranging from traditional

21stCenturyEducation&ANewUSBuildingBy David Hickson, Assistant Head of School for Academic Innovation (continued from previous page)

didactic experiences to highly participatory, constructivist learning that teaches skills which are increasingly im-portant in the interconnected, collaborative, global environ-ments of today’s higher educa-tion and work environments.

Such teaching is best delivered in high quality, flexible learn-ing spaces where students and

teachers can match the space to the learning, not conforming the learning to the space. A new Upper School is likely to be designed around clusters of classrooms, where each cluster includes traditional classrooms paired with breakout rooms, a shared collaborative space, and faculty work spaces so that groups of various sizes can select different kinds of spaces for different kinds of learning activities. Each space will be sup-ported by technology, furniture, and furnishings that allow for flexibility and making technology immediately available when needed.

The SSFS Upper School needs in-structional facilities that match the quality and diversity of its academic program, allow for effective use of technology tools for learning, are lit and warmed by the sun, connect harmoniously to the campus environ-ment, and provide good air circula-tion for health, where the building itself teaches about sustainability.

US SUCCESS FACTORS• The Upper School must serve as a catalyst for advancing the mission of SSFS.• The Upper School must support evolving programs and pedagogies that pro-

mote collaboration, integrate technology, and serve a broad range of learning styles by providing a richness and variety of learning spaces.

• The Upper School must foster a strong sense of place and meaningful connec-tions within the SSFS campus and community.

• The Upper School must honor and reflect Quaker Values. The Upper School must be a model for sustainable living.

5Summer 2013

Our Virtual Footprint: A New Website!

SSFS is excited to announce the launch of its new website. The new site of-ficially went "live" in mid-March, and features many new changes. Some of the highlights of the new site include the following:

A redesigned school logo: Our cur-rent logo has a vertical orientation, which makes it difficult to read when resized to fit inside a narrow top header. Therefore, with the help of some design professionals, we have developed a new school logo which uses the same colors, font, and tressle graphic, but has a horizontal orienta-tion for use along banners and in other electronic formats where a horizontal orientation works best.

A “mash-up” page with all the latest

info: The “Beest Bulletin” provides a

one-stop Web page with links to ev-erything SSFS families need to know for the week: athletic calendars; school events; featured articles, photo galler-ies, videos, and other highlights of the week; the weekly newsletter; lunch menus; division calendars; links to Moodle, MyBackPack, SSFS blogs and other social media; and more.

New site navigation: The website navigation now reflects a whole-school approach. Instead of “Lower School,” “Middle School,” and “Up-per School” top navigation items, we now have Academics, Arts, Athletics, and Student Life. From here, users are able to see the School-wide overview of each, and then will be able to view details about each division’s specif-ics. Please note that if you have school web pages bookmarked, you will need

to update your book-marks, as most of the page names and URLs have changed.

Alumni Web pages:

The home page features four graphical buttons just below the main header image, one of which is dedicated to SSFS alumni news and events. This links to the alumni section of the site, which has been recently updated. We plan to develop the alumni section further in the coming months. In particular, we would love to feature more

profiles of our alumni. If you would be willing to be profiled, please contact Mimi Youmans, Director of Alumni and Parent Relations, at [email protected] or 301-774-7455 x162.

Calendar items: Users are able to import calendar items directly to their Outlook or iCal calendars. If a change is made to an event, the change au-tomatically populates in other school calendars, allowing for more consis-tency and accuracy throughout the site. You may also view select calendar items, i.e., only alumni calendar items, LS/MS/US calendar items, art or ath-letic calendars, etc.

We hope you enjoy exploring the new site! Questions, comments, or sugges-tions? Email Margaret Rosser, [email protected].


SSFS Footprints: SSFS Students, Alumni, & Faculty MakingTheirMarkontheWorld

TRANSFORMATIVE.

That is a word that is often used by SSFS students and alumni when describing their experience at Sandy Spring Friends School. As a school that places a premium on developing global competence and embracing Quaker values, SSFS is a place that changes perspectives, offers life-changing opportunities, and encourages each mem-ber of the community to be an active agent for positive change. This means that students who attend SSFS are not only themselves transformed; it means that they, in turn, go out and transform the world.

From our own backyard here in Sandy Spring to coun-tries across the globe, our students, alumni, faculty, and staff are demonstrating their commitment to “letting their lives speak.” Their dedication to leaving a positive mark on the world is shown in many ways, whether it be through work in political policy-making, sustainable agriculture, coaching, education, business, art, medical studies, or wherever their life's passion takes them.

The following pages highlight just a few of the ways in which SSFS teachers inspire students at every grade level to leave their footprints on the world. Also included are a number of profiles of SSFS alumni who are leaving their own legacies as they travel and work to ensure a sustainable and positive future for generations to come.

LOWER SCHOOL

Lower School students seem to understand perhaps with even more clarity than any age group the common-sense im-portance of taking care of the earth and treating one another with respect. From trips to the compost bin to deposit the lunch waste for future use in the Community Farm gardens to caring for animals in the classroom and examination of dif-ferent cultures and family heritages, Lower School students get a foundational understanding that their actions matter, and a recognition and appreciation of various perspectives. Lower School students had some unique opportunities during the 2012-13 academic year to learn and apply ways to have a positive impact on the world as future scientists, naturalists, anthropologists, and stewards of the earth that they will inherit.

7Summer 2013

Lower School Footprints

Terrapins in the Classroom Grade 5 students participated this year in the National Aquarium's Terra-pins in the Classroom program, which combines animal care, research, and field work. Students have face-to-face interactions with baby diamondback terrapins in an effort to foster respect and stewardship for the Chesa-peake Bay. On September 21, after education by program instructors, our fifth graders became caretakers of a their own hatchling terrapin. Using Quaker decision-making, the students named the turtle “King Atlas Tuttles I.” During the turtle's stay, the students collected growth data, observed behaviors, learned animal care techniques, and researched the natural his-tory of the species. In early spring, King Tuttles was taken for examination in preparation for his release. At that time, he was correctly re-identified as “QUEEN Atlas Tuttles I.” On April 24, 2013, the terrapin was released back into its natural habitat on Poplar Island. The combination of scientific applications, hands-on involvement, and the emotional attachment to the terrapins provides an unprecedented opportunity to inspire a meaningful connection with the Chesapeake Bay and its inhabitants. Students begin to understand the direct impact the health of the Chesapeake Bay will have on the animal. We hope these little hatchlings spark a lifelong sense of environmental stewardship and respect for the natural world.

Archeology Studies and the Mastodon Matrix Project

As LS students watched the excavation of their playground this fall in preparation for their new natural playground, many students partici-pated in their own studies of excavation and archeology. Fifth graders participated in interdisciplinary studies of ancient world civilizations and created their own archaeological "dig" in the sand area of the playground. Meanwhile, students in grades 1 – 5 embarked on an exciting paleonto-logical journey by participating in the Mastodon Matrix Project, a Citizen Science Program from the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) and its Museum of the Earth in conjunction with Cornell University. Citizen Science projects provide active opportunities for the public to understand the process of science by doing research as a scientist would. During the Mastodon Matrix Project, students in grades 1-5 participated in actual scientific research in understanding past environments by helping to create a Pleistocene reference collection for the Paleontological Research Institu-tion. Each group, which had older and younger students working together, processed and documented the contents of one kilo (2.2 pounds) of matrix found at the Hyde Park Mastodon site. Our future scientists experienced the thrill of finding twigs, feathers, seeds, shells, and fossils in the matrix while gaining an appreciation of ancient and prehistoric environments.

Students measure their baby diamondback terrapin and collect the data for the National Aquarium.

5th graders created an archaeological dig site as part of their studies of ancient civilizations.

Students sift through material found at the Hyde Park Mastodon site.


Middle School FootprintsMIDDLE SCHOOL

Head of Middle School Jen Cort was inspired after reading a magazine article about parenting middle schoolers that seemed to suggest that kids really needed to be older to make meaningful contributions. Jen, however, didn't feel that way, and she set out to prove she was right by establishing a "Do One Thing" theme for the 2012-13 year. The MS stu-dent ambassadors embraced the theme, creating t-shirts that proudly bore the "Do One Thing" logo. During the year, the MS saw increased participation in volunteer opportunities and an increased number of students who participated in the Diversity Leadership Conference. Students also created a "Do One Thing" board in the MS Smith Collection Space where all students and faculty were invited to share ways in which they did "one thing" to make the world a better place. Responses ranged from volunteering at a homeless shelter and helping out at a nursing home to making someone laugh and helping a sibling with homework. "Because middle schoolers are inherently defined by their feelings of the moment, they tend to be very passionate," says Jen. "We give them LOTS of opportunities to demonstrate their passion to make the world better." Below are just a few ways that the Middle School has taken the School's motto and their MS theme to heart.

6th Grade Kiva Loans

by Victoria Trapani, MS Social Studies teacher

Earlier this year, the sixth grade World Cultures and Geogra-phy classes worked through Kiva, a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect people through lending to allevi-ate poverty, to invest in small businesses on three continents. Using the internet and a network of microfinancing organiza-tions around the world, Kiva investors can lend as little as $25 to help small business owners help themselves out of poverty. Kiva was founded in 2005 and since then it has had 938,987 lenders making $437,667,925 in loans with a repayment rate of 99.01%. Kiva works with 194 field partners and 450 volunteers around the world in 68 countries.

Each 6th grade class chose a small business in which to invest $25 after investigating a number of possible choices. Social Studies class 6A chose Thermie in the Philippines, who wanted to buy supplies to expand her small banana farm. Sonia, a food stall vender who is part of Nueva Esperanza, a communal bank in Bolivia, needed working capital to expand her busi-ness. She received a loan from class 6D. Class 6B loaned money to Sam in Uganda, who wanted to buy more products to ex-pand his small general store. The loans made by the 6th grade were combined with loans from other lenders to fund these businesses. As of May 20th, all three loans were fully funded and are being repaid. Thermie has repaid 53% of her loan, So-nia has repaid 46% of her loan, and Sam has repaid 40% of his loan. The 6th grade will continue to work with Kiva next year, and we look forward to doing so for years to come.

9Summer 2013

Middle School Footprints

7th Grade Solar Cars

by Trish Cope, MS Science teacher

The seventh grade at Sandy Spring Friends School has been building solar cars for 16 years. In keeping with the School's mission and Friends' commitment to steward-ship, this signature project was started in 1997 by Toni Evans, after she made a connection with local lawyer and environmental activist, Charlie Garlow. He got her connected with local schools, who have an annual competition in the DC area for which they build and race solar cars. Her interest was primarily driven by the connection this project has with the curriculum in which climate change and alternative energy sources, includ-ing solar, were a part of the students' learning. This pro-vided a natural application of some of their knowledge while allowing them to collaborate with other students about the design and building of a model solar car.

Over the years, our seventh graders have done very well in this competition, earning trophies that ranged from fastest car, best use of recycled materials, and best team spirit to name a few. The project has evolved from a class assignment to an interdisciplinary project that in-cludes learning about building a strong chassis, gear ra-tios and aerodynamics that will complement speed, and overall design and aesthetic – a true STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) project. This project is one that many students remember with fondness, and we hope that they carry these positive experiences with them and use them to Let Their Lives Speak.

< MS students in their "Do One Thing" t-shirts and by the "Do One Thing" board, where they were invited to share something they did to make the world a better place.

Students race their hand-built solar cars.


Upper School FootprintsUPPER SCHOOL

With their increasing maturity and independence, SSFS Upper School students have even more opportunities to initiate and follow through on school-based projects that often end up shaping future career paths. As you can see in the alumni profiles that follow, many graduates are pursuing careers and passions that first blossomed from a class or project here at SSFS. From student-initiated projects such as writing a grant proposal and then building a rain garden here on campus, to internship programs that give students the opportunity to experience a job first-hand and intersessions that allow for international travel, hands-on community service, and education about local and national politics, SSFS continues to inspire and transform lives. Following is an article by Takisha Reece, Upper School A.P. Environmental Science teacher, who provides just one example of how our curriculum takes classroom material and allows students to apply it in the real world to make practical changes that can improve the lives of all.

LEARNSERVE: At the beginning of 2012-13, sophomores Haley Crim and Sirah Bah created Team Change as part of their one-year fellowship with LearnServe International. The mission of Team Change is twofold: 1. Set up clubs in local high schools to educate students about malaria, hunger, and lack of access to clean water; 2. Fundraise for charities that aim to eradicate those issues. Haley and Sirah have already identified their first major goal: to build a well in a village in Rwanda through a partnership with Charity:Water. Team Change recently received a $200 seed funding grant from Ashoka’s Youth Venture, which will be allocated for fundraisers, volunteer days, and making Team Change self-sustaining. In order to secure the grant, Haley and Sirah gave a 15-minute speech outlining their plan, wrote formal budgets and proposals, and raised a matching $200. In the future, they hope to partner with Youth Venture, Nothing but Nets, and Action Against Hunger.

In the spring of 2012, then-junior Gillian Kramer '13 and other members of the Roots and Shoots club wrote and submitted a grant proposal to Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection's Rainscapes Program to fund the building of a rain garden on campus to help capture and filter rain water, preventing pollution runoff and erosion. The proposal was accepted, and the rain garden is operational today.

Intersessions: Upper School Intersessions such as "NY & DC: Immigration Past, Present, and Future" gave students a chance to meet with refugees and asylees, and learn first-hand about immigration policies.

11Summer 2013

A.P. Environmental Science Class

Builds Electric Car

by Takisha Reece, US Science teacher

In December, my students and I began considering building a battery pow-ered electric vehicle as a class project, and in March our first components arrived. The journey was challeng-ing, and at times I wondered if I had signed us up for a larger task than we could handle. We hit several road-blocks, but I quickly embraced them, realizing that each challenge enhanced the overall student experience as an opportunity to learn while building problem-solving skills and collabora-tion. In only two months, through many weekend building sessions with a group of dedicated students, and a supportive community, we were ready to compete in the 2013 DC Electric Vehicle Grand Prix on Saturday, June 8th, at the National Harbor.

The Sandy Spring Friends School Elec-tric Vehicle won several accolades in our debut competition, including:

• Best Technical Innovation• Best Graphics• Best Team Photo• 4th place overall

My determination to take on this chal-lenge was fueled by my belief that this collaborative project could highlight the strengths of each of my students:• The artists worked on graphics

and our promotional video (Di-pesh KC and Jeremy Gordon).

• The engineers and scientists focused on building (Brian Wu, Michael Josell, DJ Park, and Lau-ren Stettz).

• The entrepreneurs and politicians focused on fun-draising and se-curing sponsors (Emil Kunkin, Jason Lu, Sherifa Fofonah, and Nathalie Har-rod).I learned skills alongside my students—me-chanics; how to read electrical

schematics; and how to solder, wire, and safely use power tools, just to name a few. I made the decision to sacrifice AP Exam prep time (at least 20 minutes per week) to devote to team meetings, fundraising planning, and building.

This is my 7th year of teaching, and only this year did I have the courage to step so far away from my curricu-lum. Without a doubt, this is the most educational and practical project (in terms of life skills development) I’ve done with my students in my entire teaching career.

Special thanks to our sponsors: SSFS Annual Fund, FASTSIGNS of Rock-ville, MD, D & D Auto Body, and Sport Chevrolet Co. You can see more about the competition online at http://glo-baleee.org/DCEVGP.html and see the race results at http://globaleee.org/DCEVGP-RaceResults.html.

If you are interested in donating mon-ey to the SSFS Annual Fund on behalf of this Electric Vehicle project please contact [email protected].


If you haven’t had a gangly, bearded man in a yellow polo call you a “worthless sack of woe” or tell you that he doesn’t “make this stuff up on the way to work,” you truly missed out on something special that only Sandy Spring Friends School has to offer. I recognize this may sound odd at first, but those who took a class or had advisory with Bob Hoch surely smirked as they read that.

Bob Hoch has been teaching history in the Upper School for years. Not as long as Ari Preuss (who was deemed by Bob “so old he taught German to God”), but long enough that he claims he “[doesn’t] even buy green ba-nanas.” And through the years, he has made history come to life for scores of lucky students. I know that there have been many clichéd pieces written about teachers who inspire and use non-traditional tactics, and every good teacher deserves commendation. Yet Bob would be the first to tell you that his classes are not Stand and Deliver, and he will not be rapping about the War of 1812 anytime soon.

Instead, Bob is a storyteller. His characterizations of the pillars of history help students relate by reminding them that history is the story of real people. Sometimes they were incredible egomaniacs. Sometimes they were complete “mama’s boys.” Sometimes they were “so lost they couldn’t find their own a** with their own two hands.” And sometimes their actions had extraordinary consequences that shaped great nations and the future of the world.

The success of the movie Lincoln demonstrates the curiosity Americans have for the true story behind the characters of history. Bob’s illustrations create a similar, personal connection for students, making the lesson memorable, the material relatable, and the classroom fun. Bob could probably create a dramatic soap opera series about the War of the Roses that would put Downton Abbey to shame.

Bob is a storyteller. His characterizations of the pillars of history help students relatebyremindingthemthathistoryisthestoryofrealpeople.

Gabrielle Greenfield gives Bob Hoch a hug at her graduation in 2006.

""

SSFSFaculty:InspiringStudentstoMakeTheirMarkBy Gabrielle Greenfield '06

13Summer 2013

After forty years of teaching, thirty-four of them at Sandy Spring Friends School, I am often asked: How much longer are you going to do this? The short answer is that I can’t imagine not doing this.

Youth is contagious. Being around the en-ergy and high spirits of high school students makes me forget about my age. There is an optimism and innocence that I find incred-ibly appealing. One of things I love the most

about this profession is hearing about former students and the things that they have taken on, and believing that in some small way I may have contributed to their life choices. Like the Enlightenment philoso-pher John Locke, I believe that man is basically good... but SSFS alumni are even better.

Former students have opened a school in a South American city dump and have run a group home for troubled girls. Others are operating a rape hotline, practicing environmental law, participating in Teach for America, are involved in activism of all sorts and helping to run political cam-paigns. These are dedicated individuals who clearly wish to serve others.

When I look out across my classroom at the end of every school year, it’s like I can see a bubble floating over my students' heads, and in that bubble appear words like “teacher,” “doctor,” “social worker,” “Presi-dent of Korea,” “ambassador,” and “noted environmentalist.” Occa-sionally the words “fund manager” or “corporate lawyer“ appear, and I contact the Development Office to make sure they track these kids!

I see history as one continuous story, and every year our alumni become part of that story. Some believe that the company you keep cre-ates “guilt by association,” but for me the young people I interact with every day create “innocence by association,” and as long as that is true, I plan to be in my classroom telling stories.

Almost a decade ago now, I could be found sitting on or in a desk in Bob’s classroom multiple hours a day, either in a class or as part of his advisory. I knew at the time that I was interested in government, but I wasn’t sure what avenue I would take. I recall now complaining when we got to certain sections of the history text: “All these inventions and social stuff! When can we get to another war or presidential election?” I’m no fan of war, but I now work on Democratic political cam-paigns for a living.

It is hard to put your finger on exactly how Bob has touched your life, but you know it is special and you know it is lasting. If nothing else, there are two Bob-isms I plan to hold onto throughout my political career: first that “whining will not be tolerated,” and second, that as history treks on, “women and minori-ties continue to do important things.”

Gabrielle ’06 went on to receive a degree in

Public Policy and American Institutions at

Brown University. She has been involved

in Democratic politics since 2010 and is

currently working on a Lieutenant Gover-

nor’s race in Virginia. The piece was writ-

ten with input from her sisters, Isabel ’07

and Amelia ’11 (pictured below at Amelia's

graduation), and SSFS classmates.

FortyYearsandCounting:Bob Hoch, US History Teacher

SSFSFaculty:InspiringStudentstoMakeTheirMark


SSFSAlumni:MakingTheirMarkontheWorld

Brenda Balenger '78 spent five months in Addu Atoll, the southernmost group of

islands within the Maldives, coaching rowing to kids there and living on an island

that was almost never frequented by foreigners. "As a rule, foreigners do not visit

the inhabited islands but stay on resorts that are uninhabited by Maldivians. As a

minority of one, I endured constant open-mouthed stares," writes Brenda. Below

are some photos and recollections from Brenda of her time there.

Every day or so another kid showed up to row. We only had enough seats for eleven on the water at a time, so Sharuu, my assistant coach, and I decided to split the group in half so the kids could have more time on the wa-ter. After much positioning and changing of minds, 12 kids were scheduled to row three days each week, and 11 the other three days. Maldives is a Muslim country, so our day off was Friday. The first day of the new practice schedule, everyone showed up anyway. And the second. We abandoned our plan.

Many more boys than girls rowed on the team, as the girls could only come if they were escorted to and from practice. Their families felt that it was better for girls to stay home than to take part in potentially unsupervised activities that might mar their reputations as good girls. I learned quickly that if I wanted Rayya and Nani to show up consistently, I had to pick them up on the way, and see them home after practice. The first time Rayya took my hand as we walked, I was surprised, but then happy that she felt close enough. Naufa came with her brother Ali, and often their mother came to supervise practice. Hasna, a school leaver (a gradu-ate) usually arrived on the back of her mother’s cycle. She was my main source of information, and a valuable friend. Her outstanding English and willingness to

teach me Dhivehi, show me around, and include me in family events took away some of my loneliness.

At one of Hasna’s family’s birthday parties, I sat next to her ten year old cousin, Osama. I’d seen him several times on the street, and we’d smiled at each other but had never spoken directly. He proudly introduced himself as Osama, announc-ing that he shared a name with Osama Bin Laden, with an admonition that not enough had died on 9/11, and added “Death to Americans!” “Oh, you mean, like me?” I asked. “You’re not American. You’re Australian,” he protested. “No, I am from America. I am an American.” Osama did not take back his anti-American sentiment, but there is hope that our introduction might have introduced an element of doubt to his cultural frame of reference. He rowed out to the picnic island with Hasna and me a couple of times, but we never spoke again about my country of origin.

15Summer 2013


From Hampshire College's Family Relations Blog: http://sites.hampshire.edu/family/?p=6723

Martha knew before entering Hamp-shire College that the issues of climate change and sustainability were central for her. During her time [at Hampshire] she has worked at Mixed Nuts (Hamp-shire’s student-run food co-operative), lived in the Greenhouse Mod for a year, worked with Summer Solutions: Pioneer Valley to collaborate with vari-ous organizations on issues of sustain-ability and community development, and even met with Al Gore before his speech at President Jonathan Lash’s inauguration.

While Martha said she de-cided to devote her Div II to studying and exploring the larger picture surrounding environmen-tal issues, she has come back to this central concern in her Div III, La Madre Tierra

no se vende se cuida y se vende: For-est Carbon in Chiapas, Mexico. The project began on her semester abroad in Chiapas – during which she focused on studying Spanish and her inter-est in migration – when she attended an exhibit at a museum of traditional medicine. At the museum, Martha was first introduced to locals’ critique of UN-REDD+, a UN climate inniative which aims to create global trade in “carbon credits” from forest conversation in developing countries. By restricting access to the forest, the program has a severe negative impact on indigenous communities, especially their ability to practice traditional medicine.

This January she was able to return to Chiapas with funding from the Presi-dent’s Office, the Critical Social In-quiry Office, and the Sander Thoenes Grant, to conduct semi-structured informal interviews with the conserva-tion groups implementing REDD+ and socially-orientated environmental and peasant groups organizing opposition to the UN initiative. For her, Martha said, the problems with REDD+ really encapsulate many of the common problems she sees with environmental initiatives which still rely on a capitalist market model. “It views the forest as a place to store carbon [for profit], rather than as a dy-namic eco-system where people live,” Martha explained. In her Div III, Mar-tha explores the question of whether we can use capitalism to overcome environmental problems, eventually coming to her own conclusion that such a strategy is not viable or ethical. Martha was nominated by Betsy Hartmann for her work with PopDev, where she is the coordinator of the Black Sheep Journal, PopDev’s political writing blog.

SpotlightonMarthaPskowski'05



We recently caught up with SSFS alum-

nus Connor Stedman '04 to talk to him

about what he has been doing since gradu-

ation to make his mark on the world, and

how SSFS helped inspire and shape his

subsequent education and career.

What is your current occupation?

That's a bit of a hard question to answer, actually! My overall work is about building deep, healthy, recipro-cal relationships between people and the natural world. Over the past six or seven years, I've been approaching that mission from basically two differ-ent angles.

First, as a nature educator, I facilitate experiences where people can grow that relationship with the land for

themselves, through nature explora-tion, building knowledge of place, practicing traditional skills, and edge experiences like survival living. My role is more as a mentor or guide than a traditional teacher – it's much more about peoples' learning and growth than it is about passing on informa-tion. Right now I'm beginning a new job as the Executive Director of the Vermont Wilderness School, a non-profit in southern Vermont that does this type of nature-based mentoring work for all ages of students.

Second, I'm part of a large network of people working to build a more sustainable, just, and resilient farm-ing and food system. I'm particularly interested in redeveloping traditional farming practices, like agroforestry and the use of heritage crops. I re-

cently (May 2013) completed an M.S. degree in Ecological Planning at the University of Vermont, focused on agroforestry and multi-resource land management. Right now I mostly do this part of my work as an educator and consultant, helping people learn regenerative land care practices and apply them in their farms and forests.

In what way(s) did SSFS help shape your career path?

SSFS's ecological setting gave me a lot of nature connection during my six years there. I walked a mile and half to school through the fields and woods of Sandy Spring, and that daily experience connected me with plants, animals, weather, and seasons in some very deep and important ways. SSFS also supported me to do some unortho-dox things – independent studies, tak-ing a semester off to go to a naturalist school in North Carolina – that played a big role in shaping my life and work.

Was there a particular SSFS course/faculty mem-ber/experience that was especially transformative for you?

During my junior year, my friend Gavin Cotterill (SSFS '05) and I started the SSFS Community Garden with support from longtime facilities staff and blueberry grower Robert True.

Connor Stedman graduated from SSFS in 2004.


17Summer 2013

Gavin and I continued to maintain and develop the garden during my senior year and then passed it on to future students and community members. That project was a real confidence-builder for me; it showed me that new and hopeful things can really happen, and I can be part of initiat-ing and creating them. It also was an important early experience getting my hands dirty with agriculture and food production.

Also, in my senior year, studying Na-tive American history with Bob Hoch and African-American history with Karen Cumberbatch added a lot to my understanding of the world. Those classes began to reveal to me the role that colonialism and racism have played in shaping our culture and eco-nomic system in the US, in ways that had been largely hidden to me grow-ing up in a middle-class white family. And those questions of historical and ecological justice have only grown in importance for me since my time at SSFS.

How do you feel you are “letting your life speak”?

In the mentoring work that I do, there's a strong understanding that conduct is more important than con-tent. Content – the "what" – is all about knowledge, information, skills, topics, etc., but conduct – the "how" – is really all about connection. It's about people being able to connect with themselves, with each other, with the land, and

with their stories and history. And what I've experienced over and over again is that connection absolutely rules. It's the trump card that leaves the biggest impression and the most lasting impact. So my colleagues and I really put our focus on facilitating connection, and setting up conditions where connection can flow between people and with the natural world. I've seen that choice – to make conduct and connection our top priority – speak for itself so many times, in the quality of experiences and relationships and learnings that happen as a result. I also think a big part of my work – both in nature education and in ecological farming and land manage-ment – is to hold out a clear, hopeful picture of the future. The stories about the future we tell ourselves and each other can become very self-fulfilling! So I spend a lot of time and energy as a storyteller articulating a positive vision, equipping people to par-ticipate in it if they want to, and also supporting people to find their own visions and work towards them. And it's tricky, because some very painful things have happened and continue to happen all over this planet. Those traumas continue to be with us in the form of injustice, and ecological deg-radation, and in our minds and hearts and bodies knowing and remembering that things aren't quite right. So there's so much healing work that's needed personally, socially, ecologically, and culturally as we work towards our positive visions of the future. In a whole range of large and small ways,

my work tries to acknowledge this need and contribute to that healing, even when the focus might seem to be on naturalist skills or ecological farm-ing practices.

What do you hope to leave as your legacy/footprint on the world?

That's definitely something I'm still chewing on and figuring out. What I do know is that there is a massive move-ment underway on this planet right now. Paul Hawken has called it the "blessed unrest," and says it's the most widespread social movement in human history, with small groups of people all over the world working for ecological and social healing in a thousand differ-ent ways. I want for my work to make a lasting contribution to that process.

At this point in my life, I'm not sure exactly where that intention will lead me. Undamming rivers to bring back salmon runs, slowing climate change by planting tree crops on millions of acres of degraded land, repatriating land and legal rights from the mod-ern state to indigenous communities, transforming agriculture from an ex-tractive industry to something regen-erative and resilient, raising the next generation of children to be deeply connected to the earth and each other...those are some planet repair visions I have. I'm very curious and excited to discover how my path continues to unfold, and how it interconnects with other peoples' efforts and visions.




Josie Johnson ’01 is part of a growing community of SSFS alumni – includ-ing Matt Benning ’02, Kip Kelley ’02,

and Shawn Connell ’01 – who have dedicated their lives and careers to sustainable agriculture. Josie Johnson returned to Sandy Spring Friends School in January 2012 as Community Farmer in charge of setting up and es-tablishing the School’s new Commu-nity Farm. Shawn Connell joined her as Community Sustainability Coordi-nator while he completed his Master’s degree in Sustainable Communities and Socially Responsible Business at Goddard College. Both Shawn and Josie have worked with Matt, Kip,

Robert True (SSFS Director of Facilities and local organic blueberry farmer), and other Sandy Spring-area farmers in the past two years to collaborate, coordinate, and promote the idea of local, organic, and sustainable farm-ing. Shawn recently took a job at GrowNYC, a non-profit organization that encourages local food production and environmental stewardship in New York City; Josie joined Shawn in June and recently accepted a position as Lead Farmer at Battery Urban Farm in Manhattan.

“Most of who I am is because of Sandy Spring,” says Josie. “Ultimately, it

taught me to have an open mind, to always think about alternatives, and to think creatively about my choices.”

A photography major at Frostburg University, Josie started out with a different major but was drawn to the community feel and creativity of Frost-burg's art depart-ment, which she felt was very similar to the community feel at SSFS. Over time, her interest in envi-

ronmental concerns, in eating healthy and sustainably-grown food, and in plant-

ing and growing led her to a career in farming. Josie and Shawn started and ran Truffula Seed Produce in 2009 before returning to SSFS to start up the Community Farm, which began as part of the Ken and Jan Smith Sustain-ability Fund.

“I hope to be a part of communities that are changing our lifestyles to ones that consider the environment, each other, and an increased awareness of every area of the world," says Josie. "As part of that commitment, I am in-terested in teaching others how to get and grow food that has been grown sustainably.”

Josie Johnson '01 and Shawn Connell '01 doing a hands-on lesson with SSFS 1st graders, who were learning about the life cycle of plants. Josie and Shawn ran the School's Community Farm this year, and worked collaboratively with fellow alumni and Sandy Spring-area farmers Kip Kelley '02 and Matt Benning '02 to promote sustainable farming and agriculture.

19Summer 2013

The Alterman Family Fund for the Community Farm

This year, three generations of the Alterman family—Toby Alterman, David Alterman ’66, Bill Alterman ’69, Sue Alterman, Alexander Alterman ’97, and Hershel Alterman ’12—came together to establish The Alterman Family Fund for the Community Farm. The Fund, started with a gener-ous gift from Bill and Sue Alterman, will provide resources over the next several years to support the needs of the Community Farm, from seeds to hoop houses to materials to continue the Farm’s educational work at the School. The Altermans made this gift specifically to the Farm because of its unique nature as both a teaching tool and as an ex-ample of a school being more than just about academics. The Alterman Family Fund for the Community Farm is a wonderful example of the impact alumni giving has on the daily life of SSFS—and of the continuing relationships between SSFS and its alumni across generations. The Fund will provide a solid foundation for the Farm’s continued role in the life of the School, ensuring that SSFS has the resources available to maintain and expand the work ac-complished by our farmers and volunteers.


SnapshotsfromSandySpring

Lower School Grandfriends Day

Winterfest

Upper School Winter Dance Concert

All-School Holiday Assembly

<< Young Alumni Luncheon (See more photos on page 32. )

See more photos online: www.ssfs.org/news-media/online-photo-gallery/

21Summer 2013

US Sophomore Olympics

US International Assembly

Community Play

Middle School Diversity ConferenceCelebration of Science


SSFS Board Of Trustees Update

By Curt Moffatt, this year's Clerk of the Board of Trustees

The SSFS Board of Trustees continues its focus on development of long-term strategic goals for the School, includ-ing developing a strong culture of phi-lanthropy at SSFS and implementing the goals set forth in the 2012 Strategic Plan. Included among the many ac-complishments and continued efforts of the Board are the following:

• Adoption of a Board Diversity

Statement. To further demonstrate our commitment to diversity, the Board adopted a Diversity State-ment at its May 14 Board meet-ing. The statement (found on the School’s website, www.ssfs.org, under About > Board of Trustees) is a culmination of a two-year process, beginning with the AIM (Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism) survey conduct-ed during the 2011-2012 academic year. It speaks to the action points

in the 2012 Strategic Plan about enhancing the School’s cultural competence and “maintaining a steady and sustained focus on is-sues of equity with the School.”

• Continued development of a cul-

ture of philanthropy at SSFS. The Board’s Fall 2012 retreat was dedi-cated to strengthening the Board’s commitment to philanthropy and its responsibility to the School to ensure that it remains a strong and stable institution for generations of students to come. The Board is excited to welcome SSFS’s new Director of Advancement, Lauren Mossman, in partnership with these efforts.

• Enhancing connections with

SSFS alumni. As outlined in Ellen Campbell Pskowski’s article in the Fall 2012 Community News Update from the Board, the revi-talized Alumni Council has been meeting regularly to generate ideas and initiatives “to strength-en linkages and engagement with all past and present members of our School community – with a special focus on alumni.” Our most recent Alumni Weekend (see pages 26-27) can attest to their efforts!

• Working in partnership with

faculty and staff on the AIMS ac-

creditation process. Spearheaded by Assistant Head of School for Academic Innovation David Hick-son, the AIMS accreditation pro-

cess has been underway through-out the 2012-2013 academic year. The Board will review the docu-mentation of the self-study that was conducted, and next year, an AIMS team (composed of repre-sentatives from peer independent schools in the region) will visit the School to make recommendations. We recognize that SSFS’s contin-ued accreditation represents a fundamental responsibility of the Board.

• Preparing for an upcoming com-

prehensive campaign, including

the development of a new Upper

School. The Board’s Building and Grounds, Advancement, Finance, and Sustainability Committees have been actively engaged in discussions on how best to move forward creating a dynamic new space for our Upper School stu-dents, as well as repurposing and maintaining our current buildings to ensure that all of our facilities are being used in the most effec-tive and sustainable way. (See “SSFS’s Commitment to Sustain-able Growth" and "21st Century Education and a New US Build-ing," pages 2-4.)

Finally, we would like to recognize the service of the members whose terms expired this year, and to welcome our new Board members. We also want to extend thanks to new Board member Phil Schwarz ’63, who was instru-mental in rallying the first graduating

23Summer 2013

SSFS Board Of Trustees Update

B.O.T. Profile: Deepika Mehta

Deepika Mehta joined the Sandy Spring Friends School communi-ty as a parent in 2000 and became a member of the Board of Trust-ees in 2010. With the graduation of her oldest son, Neil Advani ’13, she is now also a parent of an SSFS alumnus. Deepika’s young-est son, Nicky Advani ’17, gradu-ated from the Middle School in June and will enter the Upper School in the fall. Before joining the Board, Deepika was active in

the SSFS Parents Association, serving as a member of the Head Search Advisory Committee as well as a class and grade rep. Born and educated in Mumbai, India, Deepika immigrated to the United States in 1992. She has lived in the Washington area since that time and has found the journey of navigating the two cultures to be an ongoing path of exciting discovery and immense growth. Deepika has been self-employed since 1995, running a full-service visual communications firm, serving clients in strategic message development and execution. As a member of the Board of Trustees, Deepika is clerk of the Sustain-ability Committee and co-clerk of the Advancement Committee. She also serves on the Trustees Committee. Deepika’s professional experience in strategic communications has brought – and will continue to provide – valuable perspective to many of the Board’s most immediate issues: adoption of the Strategic Plan, branding and marketing strategy, and the School’s upcoming fundraising initiatives.

classes at SSFS to come back to campus for the first-ever 50th year class reunion this spring. We are grateful to him for his enthusiasm and support of the School.

For more information and updates about Board activities, please visit the “Board Blog” at http://wordpress.ssfs.org. Please also visit "About the Board" on the SSFS website for board member profiles and bios.

Board members for 2013-2014:• Elisabeth Benson "Ben" Booz• Mochiko DeSilva• Jeanne-Marie Duval Pierrelouis• Steve Eller '87• Alan Fetter '80• Chris Gearon• Louis Harrington• Scott Henry• Anne Hirshfield• Rick Honn• Kip Imlay '71• Jodi Leeser• Jim MacPherson• Hunter McKay• Deepika Mehta• Sandra Michaels• Curt Moffatt (Clerk)• Ken Pollack• Laurita Portee• Ellen Campbell Pskowski '71• A.J. Robinson• Phil Schwarz '63• Cynthia Terrell• Geoff Yates '82


TheClassof2013:OurMostRecentAlums!

Allegheny College American University Bates College Boston College Bowdoin College Brandeis University Bucknell University College of Wooster Colorado College Columbia College (2)Community College of Aurora Florida Southern College George Mason University Guilford College Haverford College Hollins University Hood College Ithaca College Kenyon College Lake Forest College

Loyola University, New Orleans McDaniel College (2)Muhlenberg College Northeastern University Occidental CollegeOhio State University Ohio University Pace University Pennsylvania State University (2)Purdue University (2)Rider University Roanoke College Rollins College Sarah Lawrence College Skidmore College St. Mary’s College of Maryland (4)Suffolk University Syracuse University (2)Temple University University of California, Irvine

University of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, Santa Cruz University of Illinois, Chicago (2)University of Illinois, Urbana University of MD, Baltimore CountyUniversity of Massachusetts, AmherstUniversity of Missouri, St. Louis Univ. of North Carolina, Asheville University of Puget SoundUniversity of Rhode Island University of Richmond University of Southern California University of Toronto Vassar College Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia State University Waseda University, JapanWashington College (2)Wesleyan University Worcester Polytechnic Institute Yale University

Congratulations to SSFS's most recent graduates! The 72 members of the 2013 Senior class are attending the colleges and universities listed below. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors, and we hope that they will come back to visit us often!

25Summer 2013

Alumni Weekend 2013 was especially meaningful, as Sandy Spring Friends School celebrated its first-ever 50th Reunion with members of the Classes of 1963 and 1964. Seventeen of SSFS’s First Grads—many of whom hadn’t been back to SSFS in decades—returned to campus for a special weekend of events, starting with a gathering in Rockville on Friday night, continuing through a day of music and the Strawberry Cowbake during the day on Saturday, and culminating with a wonderful dinner that continued long into the evening. Highlights of the weekend included a practice session—guided by Bryan Seith—of classics “Mon Coeur” and “Silver Swan,” followed later in the day by a recorded performance in the Per-forming Arts Center; time spent gathered in Scott House with Anne Morley, where the former students and teacher remi-nisced about SSFS at its very beginning; the unveiling of “First Grads,” a book of memories and updates from the Classes of 1963 and 1964 compiled by Bob Mimura ’63; and, of course, the Saturday night dinner.

Special thanks are due to Bob Mimura ’63 and Phil Schwarz ’63, without whose determined efforts the First Grads celebration would have been impossible. Their hard work, organization, and communication brought to life a marvelous event—the first of many 50th Reunion celebrations at Sandy Spring Friends School!

TheClassesof1963-64:SSFS'sFirst50thReunion

The Class of 1963 (left) and Class of 1964 (below)

Back Row (left to right): John Meyer '63, Karl Richmond '64, Lee Wilson '63, Phil Schwarz '63, Roger Curtis '64, John Houghton '63, Steve Solomon '64, Jim Livesey '63, and Bob Mimura '63

Front Row: Susan McGovern Rowen '64, Debbie Hansen Trunrzo '64, Janet Lester Gafael '64, Peggyann Hargrave Noel '63, Anne Morley, Barbara Cheeseman Bason '64, Debbe Regen '63, Martha Sharp Menestrina '64, and Andrea Taylor '64


AlumniWeekend2013

The weekend was extraordinary. The weather was perfect for Friday's Aerial Park Adventure and BBQ, followed by Saturday's brilliant (hot!) sunshine.

For me, two memories from many ex-emplify what was so special about the reunion, and what is is so remarkable about SSFS:

In the afternoon as the Strawberry Cowbake festivities and lacrosse and baseball games proceeded despite the heat, I visited with members of several classes in Yarnall Library and then strolled around campus. The door to the old "barn" (now home to wood-working and weaving) was open, and I peeked inside. Takisha Reece, Upper School Science faculty, was hard at work with one of her AP Environ-mental students putting the finishing touches on the electric car the class team was to race at the DC Electric

Vehicle Grand Prix at the National Harbor the following weekend. That's vintage Sandy Spring, and today's Sandy Spring as well as fifty years ago: teaching and learning going on, all the time, the campus a quiet hubub of celebration and work at the same time.

Then, at the close of the day, a motley chorus of alumni, friends, faculty and former faculty gathered to sing the two madrigals we reprised at every graduation for the first decades of the School. Bryan Seith channeled Barry Morley (letting us breathe a bit more often, fortunately!) and Rex Riley '80 recorded, as we sang "Mon Coeur" and "The Silver Swan" – how wonderful it felt to sing together.

I know there are many other stories to share, but thanks to everyone who created these days.

Some Notes on Alumni Weekend from EllenCampbellPskowski'71:

^ Climbing and BBQ at the Adventure Park

< Meeting for Worship and ^ Wildebeest Stampede

27Summer 2013

Music, food, and friends at Strawberry Cowbake

The annual "Beestball" game pits alumni against the current Varsity baseball team; many showed up for the annual Lacrosse Challenge, as well.

The singing/recording of "Mon Coeur" and "Silver Swan"


Alumni Notes

1963

John Meyer writes: "The George Fox quote, Let Your Lives Speak, reso-nated with me when first mounted over the doorway to Moore Hall, and has continued to do so these past 50 years, plus. No one said it would be easy, but following that quote has been the right thing to do through a 30-year military career, and now as a private business owner."

Phil Schwarz writes: "With the ret-rospect of fifty years, Sandy Spring was clearly a defining experience for me. The opportunity to be in the first class allowed us to be pioneers in setting traditions, standards, school spirit and a sense of adventure for future classes. It is satisfying to come back after fifty years and see a num-ber of those pioneering footsteps a part of the school’s culture, from the Morley games and emphasis on mu-sic and dance, to The Silver Swan and Quaker traditions. Those qualities certainly served me well throughout my life and career, be it arriving in a small town in the central Iranian

alumni notes...

Sandy Spring Friends School reserves the right to edit Alumni Note submissions. Editors strive to ensure that the content of the edited submission retains the key points of the original message. Alumni Notes are submitted to Sandy Spring Friends School from various sources. While Sandy Spring Friends School strives to ensure the accuracy of Alumni Notes, the School is not liable for false or incorrect submissions.

Alumni Notes are a snapshot of what’s happening with your fellow alums!

If you have a milestone in your life, please send updates and photos to [email protected]

We are also collecting alumni profiles to post on our new website, www.ssfs.org/support/alumni/.

Alumni notes are compiled by Mimi Youmans, Director of Alumni and Parent Relations.

In anticipation of the first-ever 50th reunion this year, Bob Mimura ’63 put together a collection of reminiscences from the first students at SSFS – the classes of 1963 and 1964. This wonderful book includes photos and memories from the School's opening days, a timeline of historical and pop culture events from 1961-1964, and reflections and updates from class members. Some of these are excerpted below. There are a limited number of these books still available; if you would like a copy, please contact Mimi Youmans, [email protected] or 301-774-7455 x162.

29Summer 2013

deserts as a Peace Corps volunteer or opening new offices for my company around the world."

1964

Martha Menestrina writes: "Septem-ber of 1961, I did not appreciate how lucky I was to be one of the 77 people to pass through those doors with the inscription 'Let Your Lives Speak' for the very first time. Now in 2013 at the age of 66, I have such great memories of building a new school together, side by side with new friends and teach-ers. For me, SSFS was a life-changing event. Painting fences at the Quaker Meeting House, dish crews, Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas, dynamic teachers and wonderful classmates... I am so grateful for the experiences we shared together at Sandy Spring and to have known you all!"

Alix Morris writes: "Rarely does a week go by that I do not remember one of you, or something one of our teachers taught us. At Sandy Spring

Molly Farquhar Tacoronte'74 and Bim Schauffler '74 at SSFS Lina Khouri '02 with husband Scott Bush

I learned so much more than history, geometry, physics, science, art, music and literacy. Many good schools will teach those things. I learned compas-sion for the downtrodden, the value of hard work, and the importance of hon-est communication and cooperative living. Yes, I learned values. Thank you to all who have touched my life. I hope I have given back to the world in some way. I feel that everything I learned at SSFS has helped me to help others in my career as a teacher and special educator."

1970

Carol Wichers writes from Min-neapolis, MN, where she moved for graduate school in Counseling in 1976. Carol writes, “Slowly, I have become a Midwesterner! I really enjoy the land of 10,000 lakes.” Carol has her own private practice, goes regularly to a Zen Center, and has received mindful-ness psychotherapy training. She is married to a fantastic partner, and has a daughter, Elena, who will be going

to grad school in the fall. Carol says, “I often reflect on my years at Sandy Spring and again, I have enormous gratitude for the opportunity to have attended the school and I look back at the teachers, their dedication, depth and wisdom and there is even more gratitude. And of course, the amaz-ing student body, what a group, so much fun, so many great memories...someday I HAVE to attend another Strawberry Cowbake!”

1973

Maria Jensen Burrington writes in that fellow classmate Melinda Paul

recently visited her in California. Ma-ria writes, “We both reflected on how lucky we were to have known people like Thorny and Margot Brown and other teachers at Sandy Spring.”

1974

Molly Farquhar Tacoronte is currently living in Fort Collins, CO, where she and her husband have two rescued huskies. She was recently in town to


Alumni News

attend the marriage celebration of her sister Cindy Farquhar '65 to her longtime partner, Sharon Jones. Molly visited SSFS and stayed with Bim Schauffler '74 and family at their home on Goldmine Rd.

1976

Cindy Carter writes: “I have been Executive Director of Cancer Sup-port Foundation, Inc., since 2005. We are a 501c3 foundation that helps all cancer families in the state keep their families together while undergoing treatment. CSFI is the only founda-tion in the country with our mission. We spearheaded the passage of a task force bill to get temporary disability for cancer families as well as changing the social services process for these families to get help. Next session there will be bills introduced to make some big changes for all cancer families in the state.”

2002

Lina Khouri and Scott Bush were mar-ried May 19, 2012, at Nassau Valley Vineyards in Delaware. The couple met while studying at Carleton Uni-versity. SSFSers in attendance includ-ed: Maya Khouri ’03, Amelia Greer ’02, Kimberly Knudson Wetherille ’02, Nicole Helme ’02, Miranda Oakley ’02, Sarah Whittam ‘02, Will Tipton ‘02, Tobey Samuel ‘03, David Devecchio, and Amaya Henry ’02.

2009

Rachel Conrad, who was interviewed in the Fall 2012 Community News

about her work with socio-environ-mental study of a watershed in Ecua-dor, received a Fulbright Fellowship to continue her work. Her Fulbright will build on experiences she gained on study abroad programs in Mexico and Ecuador. Conrad also received a Katie Lawson Memorial Endowed Award and a 2013 Napier Award for Creative Leadership. She is a self-de-signed double major in environmental analysis and Latin American society and environment at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA.

Ben Hollander graduated from Goucher College with a major in phi-losophy and a minor in history.

Ellen Campbell Pskowski '71 traveled to Cuba in January with Hampshire College Alumni and Friends, and met up with Tom Miller ‘65, who was leading his annual tour of literary Havana.

Bim Schauffler '74 met at his home in early June with four of his advisees from the the class of 2009, Martha Pskowski, Luke Carneal, Eamon Deeley-Wood, and Leah Burnside – unfortunately Tom Palley was unable to attend. Known as the "Red Scare" between 2006 and 2009, this group has worked tirelessly to find a path to economic justice for all. Each summer and winter break since their graduation from SSFS, this group has met to continue their pursuit of economic justice – as well as take saunas, swim, and eat the "Best Grilled Chicken You'll Ever Eat." This time, however, they met primarily to celebrate the group's graduation from college. All agreed that they would need to continue to meet at least annually as all concurred that economic justice for all still eludes us. ~Bim Schauffler '74

31Summer 2013

Alumni News

In Memoriam It is with great sadness that we report on

the passing of the following SSFS commu-

nity members. Please hold their families in

the Light during this difficult time.

Jane Schwarz, mother of Phil Schwarz ’63 and Nan Schwarz ’67, passed away on April 18, 2013. A great friend of Sandy Spring Friends School, Jane was a staunch supporter of SSFS and its Quaker mission. She is survived by Phil and his brother, Andrew Schwarz.

Jeremy Mott '63 died of an intestinal hemorrhage on September 2, 2012, in Roanoke, VA. Jeremy was a lifelong Quaker; he met Judith Franks at New York Yearly Meeting in 1969 and they married in 1970 under the care of Summit (NJ) Friends Meeting. Their daughter Mary Hannah was born in 1974. Jeremy was extremely knowl-edgeable about many subjects and passionate about sharing his interests. His daughter notes that she could hap-pily listen to him talk for hours about

history, geography, transportation, and music, and that many of his interests are now hers.

Catharine

Bell Wet-

teroth ‘97

died on June 25, 2013, at the age of 33 from lung adenocar-cinoma, an aggressive

kind of lung cancer that hits non-smokers. She was only aware of being sick for two months. Catharine was working at Montgomery College as an Instruc-tional Assistant in the Writing and Reading Center. After Sandy Spring, she graduated from Hampshire Col-lege, where she wrote her senior thesis on ancient Sumeria. She was looking forward to starting graduate school at the Oriental Institute of Oxford Uni-

versity in the fall and rekindling these studies.

In high school, college, and after, she was very involved in Quaker activities with Baltimore Yearly Meeting Young Friends and Young Adult Friends and at Friends General Conference. She served on the FGC Central Commit-tee and the Board of Friends Journal. She was always pleased with the fact that she never got a driver’s license or bought a car. She did have a license to operate of motor boat, which she very much enjoyed doing at the family summer cabin in Ontario. She learned to sail with DC Sail.

Catharine enjoyed writing fiction and participated in a number of online communities. For several years she participated as a screen writer in the 48 Hour Film Festival. She was a bold solo traveler, visiting Ireland, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Florida, among other places.

Catharine Bell Wetteroth

"Ignite" is a series of presentations that are fast-paced, fun, and thought-provoking – think "TED talks" on steroids. Each talk lasts 5 minutes and includes 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds. Ignite presenta-tions can inform, entertain, and inspire! Visit http://www.igniteshow.com to learn more. To become a presenter or for more information, contact Mimi Youmans, [email protected], or Aaron Meisner '84, [email protected].

Saturday, September 21st7:00 p.m.SSFS Performing Arts Center


AlumniGet-Togethers,2012-13

Alumni News

Parents of SSFS Alumni gathered for a light lunch just before the Sunday matinee performance of this year's Community Play.

Alumni, alumni parents, and current families attended the annual Alumni Soccer Game, which takes place every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Alumni from the classes of 2008-2012 enjoyed lunch and a visit with friends and former teachers at the Young Alumni Lunch on Jan. 9th.

The2012-2013AnnualFund:WEDIDIT!

When asked which three words best describe Sandy Spring Friends School, alumni from across the decades submitted the words and phrases you see to the right. Among

the most popular choices: life-changing, challenging, and

community.

The transformative, memorable, and enlightening experiences offered at Sandy Spring Friends School are funded in part by contributions to the Annual Fund.

This year, the generous support of our community made it possible for SSFS to meet and surpass its fiscal year 2013 fundraising goal of $600,000.

Many, many thanks to all of you who helped SSFS end 2013 on an inspiring and awesome note!

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Upper School AP Environmental Science students with the battery-powered vehicle that they built themselves. The team competed at the DC Electric Vehicle Grand Prix at the National Harbor, where they won Best Technological Innovation and 4th place overall, among other awards.

ssfs community news: summer 2013

Documents

alumni footprints

upper school footprints

middle school footprints

ssfs footprints

alumni weekend

alumni reunion

lower school footprints

alumni notes