Derryfield Today, Spring 2005

Independent StudyComing of Age: Derryfield at 40

Commencement Recap

todaySPRING 2005

Derryfield

NEWS FROM THE DERRYFIELD SCHOOL

Peter Pansee details on page 5

contentsTable of

www.derryfield.org 1

Derryfield Today is published by the Advancement Office at The Derryfield School. If you note errors, please notify us at603.669.4524, ext. 123 or send an email to [email protected]. Correspondence may be addressed to: Director ofCommunications, The Derryfield School, 2108 River Road, Manchester, NH 03104-1396. The Derryfield School welcomes students of any race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin. The School does not discriminate in its hiring, admission policies, or programs on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or disabilities.

features

departments

SPRING 2005

FEATURES

Commencement Recap 10by Annie Branch

Coming of Age: Derryfield at 40 16by Chuck Sanborn

Independent Study 22by Annie Branch

What Do You Want to Be? 37by Tom Curley

DEPARTMENTS

Message from the Head 2Around Campus 4Cougar Athletics 18Summerbridge Spotlight 20Update on Alumni 26Life After Derryfield 30Alumni Spotlight 32

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dianne ConnollyChairWindham, NH

Arthur CovielloVice ChairHollis, NH

Steven BurkeTreasurer, Corporate SecretaryBedford, NH

Pamela VanArsdaleSecretaryBedford, NH

Randle RichardsonHead of SchoolConcord, NH

John Allard ’83Manchester, NH

Bradley Benson ’78Derry, NH

James CahillConcord, NH

Jim DavisNew Boston, NH

William Davis IIHopkinton, NH

Nigel DonovanBedford, NH

Dr. Louis FinkBedford, NH

Terry FlahiveBedford, NH

Joseph HortonManchester, NH

Maria Holland Law ’75Bedford, NH

Paul LeBlancManchester, NH

Donna K. LenckiCandia, NH

David LockwoodManchester, NH

Lourdes MaldonadoManchester, NH

Eric NickersonWindham, NH

Jeffrey PollockBedford, NH

Chris Cikaczex officioChester, NH

DERRYFIELD TODAY

Annie BranchEditor

Griffin Bodi KrauseDesign

Puritan PressPrinting

CONTRIBUTORS

Bruce BerkDirector of College Planning

Tom CurleyHistory Faculty

Adam Grodman ’06

Brian Guercio ’97

Andy MoerleinVAPA Faculty

Randy RichardsonHead of School

Chuck SanbornRetired Faculty

Patrick Santoso ’01

ADVANCEMENT

Annie Branch Director of Communications

Gail GordonAdvancement Assistant

Alice Handwerk Director of Advancement

Tracey PerkinsDirector of Alumni Relations

Jen PierceDirector of Annual Fund

FRONT COVER: Graduates proceed to the receptionline.

INSIDE FRONT COVER: The Indians prepare for attackin the Middle School musical Peter Pan.

BACKGROUND: Taylor Goudreau ’11 studies surfacetension though experimentation.

TOP: Connor Garstka ’06 works on a poem with Englishteacher Bob Cole.

ERRATA: The editor regrets that the names of valued contributors Maura Spiegelman ’04 and Eric Spierer ’06were misspelled in the Winter 2005 issue of Derryfield Today. In addition, the recipient of the Hockey Award forHeroic Dedication, Dan LaGuerre ’05, was omitted from the Cougar Update Section. I apologize for these over-sights.

There is so much good Derryfield news, especially dur‑ing this season of celebrations and graduation, that itwould be easy to fill this page exclusively with

accounts of joy and success. It is important to acknowledge,however, that the educational journey is demanding andmore important than the neat package at the end of the jour‑ney symbolized by the award or diploma. Without thisunderstanding, we might not be ready for the obstacles, andwe could lose the full appreciation of the athletic champi‑onships, dramatic and musical triumphs, beautiful artwork,gifted oratory, and inspiring academic feats. These achieve‑ments are largely the result of the determination andstrength required to seek and overcome challenges.

As an extra reminder of the somewhat winding and ardu‑ous path of education, we faced some relatively significantdisciplinary problems in both the middle and upper schoolsthis spring. In the upper school, the problems revolvedaround the use of alcohol and marijuana. In the middleschool, some students were involved in damaging schoolcomputers. These students have faced consequences, some‑times significant and painful, based on what we believe wasfair, appropriate, and most likely to allow the student tolearn.

It is often difficult to insist that students learn from mis‑takes. However, we know that it is far better that students

learn the lessons now so that they can avoid future mistakesthat might have far greater consequences. In this spirit, wecontinue to do all we can to make Derryfield a safe and sup‑portive community with high expectations of all of ourmembers. We also focus on maximizing learning by identify‑ing not only the lesson for the individual but also for thewhole community. One illustration of this effort comes inthe form of a message from Mark Blaisdell, Head of MiddleSchool:

The final lesson is perhaps the most difficult to understand –and certainly to teach. It revolves around the idea that the students themselves share in creating the kind of community in which they live. That their action or inaction will help definewhich behaviors will be tolerated and which ones will not. Asmuch or as little that adults will know regarding studentbehavior, they, the students, have an awesome responsibility inthis regard.There are certainly some mistakes that we wish our stu‑

dents would avoid, but we know that each and every oneprovides an opportunity to learn and forms a vital buildingblock in the educational process. They are also evidence ofour success as a school because our students are acceptingchallenges and taking risks. As you read about graduationand the Independent Senior Projects in this magazine, pleaseconsider all of the mistakes, effort, creativity, ambition, andcourage symbolized by the speeches, reports, and diplomas.

headMessage from the

2 Derryfield Today – Spring 2005

“...the educational journey is demanding and more

important than the neat package at the end of the

journey symbolized by the award or diploma.”

The Educational Journey

Randy RichardsonHead of School

AUGUST

Young Alumni Summer Send Off 11

Fall Varsity Preseason Begins 15

Alumni Golf Tournament 19

Retreats 29 & 30

First Day of Classes 31

SEPTEMBER

Back to School Picnic 9

Back to School Night 22

40th Anniversary Forum Series 29

Make a Difference Day 30

All-School Talent Show 30

Reunion Cocktail Party 30

OCTOBER

Country Fair 1

Reunion Class Parties 1

Gallery Opening 1

40th Anniversary Gala 1

Grandparents’ Day 7

Summerbridge Saturday 29

NOVEMBER

Upper School Play 3-5

Gallery Opening 4

Admission Open House 19

Alumni Games 25

DECEMBER

Winter Concert 9

Summerbridge Saturday 17

A U G U S T – D E C E M B E R

calendarevents


LETTER TO THE COMMUNIT Yfrom Brian Guercio ’97

I don’t know many people whowould truly enjoy working on some‑one else’s art project for twelve

hours a day for a week or who wouldgo on a trip to Park City, but spend vir‑tually the entire time in a garage filledwith fumes so toxic that we had to leaveall the windows of the house open forthree days just to sleep properly.

But, as everyone at Derryfield knows,Andy Moerlein, like many of yourteachers, is a truly rare and special soul. And, in a roundabout way, he is partiallyresponsible for my tackling the project in the first place.

During my first year of Advanced Studio Art with Mr. Moerlein, I came upwith the idea of building an eight‑foot tall Pez dispenser. He and my mother con‑spired to make me finish it, no matter what. A few weeks before the followingschool year began, I turned it in. I still think that it’s one of the best pieces I’veever done. More importantly, I came to learn a simple lesson made famous by asneaker company: “just do it.”

Even if there’s no reason to think that you could ever pull it off. Just figure outhow and make it happen. Don’t worry about having never worked with fiber‑glass or pourable, expanding polyurethane foam or that you’ve never pouredcement, gotten a building permit, researched the strength of 3/8” triple‑zinc bolts,or registered an L.L.C.… just figure it out and do it.

This lesson was reiterated in my art classes at Middlebury, and I have appliedit on a number of snow‑covered mountains, but I first learned it at Derryfield.And it has influenced my decisions ever since. For example, I am in the processof applying to medical school. Does it matter that I studied art in college, suf‑fered badly through Mr. Bradley’s Honors Chemistry class, or that I spent twoyears as a ski patroller out West? No, it doesn’t. In fact, I’m probably better off forit. After all, Derryfield showed me the value of what T.H. Huxley calls a “liberaleducation” and of doing what it takes to have a well‑rounded life. What’s more, Iknow that I am better off for having been connected with Derryfield long enoughto be able to make the transition from “Mr. Moerlein” to “Andy.”

Guercio on a ski break with Cottonwood Canyonin the background. (Courtesy B. Guercio)

campus


STORIES

Defying ‘Classic’ Stereotypes

Rowing to Nationals

Peter Pan

Thespians Inducted

A New Perspective

Founders’ Day

Service Program Profiled

HELP-U.org

The College Fit

CREATIVE WRITING AWARDSNON-FICTION AWARDS

1st: Leslie Stonebraker for Widow’s Walk

2nd: Nick Nardini for Fish in the Sea

3rd: Katherine Myers for Dumb Blonde

Honorable Mention: Isaac Wheeler for

Learning to Run

FICTION AWARDS:

1st: Isaac Wheeler for Dangle

2nd: Elizabeth DeBold for Martini’s Twist

2nd: Leslie Stonebraker for The Man Who

Walked on Water

3rd: Alyssa Faro for Serpentine

POETRY AWARDS:

1st: Elizabeth DeBold for The Naming

2nd: Isaac Wheeler for Human Remains

3rd: Jennifer Cox for Rain

Defying ‘Classic’ StereotypesMiddle school Latin teacher Chris McNeilis once again challenging preconceptions ofwhat a Latin teacher should be. This sum‑mer Mr. McNeil has traveled to Cuba,Poland, France, and California as part of atouring troupe of stunt riders called theUrban Street Bike Warriors. Their trip toperform in a daredevil biking exhibitionfor the troops at the U.S. Naval Station atGuantanamo Bay, Cuba, drew a crowd of3,000. The tour was profiled in both TheUnion Leader and Super Street Bike Magazine,and is being filmed as part of a DVD series.Head of Middle School Mark Blaisdell wasquoted in The Union Leader story as saying,“Chris strikes a great balance with the stu‑dents... it’s great to have a teacher who

epitomizes the idea that you can be and doanything and everything.” Mr. McNeil,known in the bike world as “Teach,” hasgiven bike safety lectures including stuntdemonstrations to the middle school stu‑dents. To learn more about “Teach” andthe Urban Street Bike Warriors, visitwww.stonefilmsnyc.com.

Rowing to NationalsOn June 11th, senior Corey Davison wasn’tsitting on stage with the rest of his class‑mates, ready to receive his diploma; he wasrowing his heart out against the strongestteams in the country with the boys’ firstboat at the 11th Annual USRowing YouthInvitational in Cincinnati, OH. The Derry‑field boat, which included Corey, ParkerMitchell ’07, Tim Jundanian ’06, EricSpierer ’06, and coxswain Chiara Arcidy’06, placed eighth in the United States atthis national championship regatta. Ten ofthe fifteen crews they raced were largecommunity programs that draw athletesfrom several high schools. Coach VinBroderick said of his crew, “They were test‑ed in racing four 2000 meter races in 28hours, something that challenges not onlytheir stamina, but their mental toughness.We were very happy with the results.”Derryfield has competed at the USRowingYouth Invitational once before, in 2003, whenthe varsity girls’ crew placed seventh.

Around

Chris McNeil giving a stunt demonstration to theDerryfield Middle School.

Peter PanThe Middle School Players have onceagain defied expectations in the pre‑sentation of their spring musical, PeterPan. This fantasy story stimulated theaudience’s imagination and drew theminto the story through a number ofspecial effects and the skill of a largeand talented group of actors.

Just as the action of this classic chil‑dren’s story was getting started, PeterPan soared through the air, eight feetabove the stage. The addition of aerialaction enhanced many scenes, includ‑ing the final fight between Peter Panand Captain Hook, when both weredoing somersaults through the air asthey attacked each other. Parent

volun‑teers

mannedthe flying appa‑

ratus that sent the actorsreeling through open space.

To add to the surprise, musicteacher Robb Fogg developed an

impressive percussion number thatinvolved all of the Indians spreadthroughout the audience with drum‑sticks. The astounded spectators weresuddenly pulled into the middle of theaction. Bruce Berk, faculty member andfather of Indian Ariel Berk ’10 says, “Ithink it speaks to the genius of thedirectors that they could make each ofthe 36 Indians become an integral partof the production.”

The Indians and Pirates enhancedthe performances of a talented groupof leading characters. Marcel Robinson’09 played a demonic Captain Hook,constantly haunted by the Crocodile(Camille Smith ’09) who had eaten hishand. Andrew Cox ’10 portrayed anenchanting Peter Pan with a boundlessenergy that led Wendy (Alex Donovan’10), John (Fritz Manson ’09), andMichael (Philip Melanson ’10) on awild adventure into Neverland.

With Philip and Andrew alreadyhaving had roles in the past two upperschool musicals, the Derryfield com‑munity can be confident that evenmore amazing productions are in thefuture as this large group of youngthespians further develop their talents.

Thespians InductedOn May 16th, The Derryfield Schoolwas treated to a lively performance by the current members of the Inter‑national Thespian Society (ITS) as theywelcomed their newest members in around of songs inspired by the musicalGrease. The ITS is the only organizationto honor secondary school students fortheir outstanding contributions to the‑atre. Thespian membership is grantedfor the performance of meritoriouswork in theatre arts that meets theSociety’s guidelines. The 2005 Derry‑field inductees into the ITS are WrightSmith ’05, Chiara Arcidy ’06, ConnorGarstka ’06, Paige Herlihy ’06, NguyenDoan ’07, and Jackson MacKenzie ’07.


AROUND CAMPUS

Peter Pan (Andrew Cox ’10) finds his shadow.Captain Hook (Marcel Robinson ’09) is hauntedby the Crocodile (Camille Smith ’09).

A New PerspectiveFrom February until June of 2005, Ispent a semester studying and experi‑encing life in Israel, living on a kib‑butz, while taking classes in Hebrew,Jewish History, and other standardcourses.

Throughout my travels in Israel, Ilearned so much and feel as though Ichanged as a person. My outlook onlife changed, as well as my personality.I understand much more about peopleand the world in general because ofmy intense physical, emotional, andspiritual experiences.

On the kibbutz, we took classes five‑and‑a‑half days per week. We alsotraveled extensively inside and outsideof Israel. In March, we received a tasteof the army through Gadna, a one‑week basic training boot camp that istypically for high school students inIsrael preparing for the mandatoryyears in the army, or kids with disci‑plinary issues. In my case, it was usedto give 100 Jewish Americans a taste ofroutine Israeli life. While there Ilearned how to fire a machine gun andlive under very strict rules. This armyprogram was physically and mentallychallenging for all of us.

The biggest emotional challenge ofthe trip was traveling to Prague andPoland to visit the concentrationcamps. The size of Auschwitz‑Birkenauwas astounding. In operation, 100,000people were stuffed into the camp.This death factory served as a reminderfor the Jewish past, and brought agreat amount of sadness upon me.Looking upon the gas chambers, cre‑matorium, and old piles of Jewish hairreminded us of these horrific years. Ibelieve that the essential way to try tounderstand as much of the Holocaustas possible is to visit the concentrationcamps.

Our third trip came at the end ofApril when we hiked for four days andfour nights across the northern part ofIsrael (from the Sea of Galilee to theMediterranean Sea). The hiking wasnot difficult, but it was still tiringbecause there were four full days ofhiking. At night we would sleep out‑side in a sleeping bag, and freeze todeath in the morning.

The last of our long excursions cameat the end of May when we traveledsouth to the Negev Desert and hikedfor another four days. The weather wasa bit different this time, as we werehiking in 100 degree dry heat every

day. It was beautiful at night though,looking up at the stars in the middle ofthe desert, sleeping in a perfect tem‑perature.

In addition to the great travels, Imade amazing friends. Sticking togeth‑er in difficult times and celebrating thegreat times created an extremelystrong bond between the group. Thiswas something very unique and spe‑cial that I will cherish forever. Livingthousands of miles away, experiencinga different culture, and seeing theMiddle East from a different perspec‑tive made this trip unique. Overall, myfour months in Israel was a once in alifetime experience that will stay withme for the rest of my life.

‑Adam Grodman ’06


Adam with friends from his exchange group dur-ing their hike across Israel.

Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. (All photos courtesy A. Grodman)

Adam in the Negev Desert.

AROUND CAMPUS

Founders’ Day As the School’s 40th Anniversary cele‑bration heads into its final months, theDerryfield community took some timeout to honor the Founders who made itall possible. Several Founders returnedto Derryfield for Founders’ Day, heldon Friday, April 15th. A moment ofsilence was observed in memory ofFounder Ted Krentzel, who passedaway in August. Founders’ speaker BillGlahn, past parent (Brooks ’91 and Ben’95) and former Board Chair, referredto the Founders as being just as radicalas those who were marching on picketlines in the 1960s. These families riskedtheir children’s futures in the beliefthat students would reap the benefitsof a superior education in the long run.

Both Glahn and Head of SchoolRandy Richardson pointed to the rela‑tionships at Derryfield as a pivotalaspect of the School’s success after 40years. According to Richardson, “Thepeople and the connections – personal,intellectual, athletic, and creative – arethe engines of The Derryfield School.”Glahn elaborated on Richardson’s com‑ments, exploring the relationshipsbetween students and teachers, parentsand teachers, and the students them‑selves. He read one of Jeff Pill’s advisorcomments for his son to exemplify thestrength of the relationships betweenfaculty, students, and parents.

After the induction of new membersto the 2005 National Honor Society,Maria Holland Law ’75, AlumniCouncil President, introduced RichSigel ’81 as the 2005 DistinguishedAlumnus. Sigel, who serves as Chief of

Staff to Governor John Lynch, impart‑ed a few pieces of advice to the stu‑dents. He urged students to take risksfor the things they believe in, andadvised that if they want to change theworld, there is no better place thantheir own backyard. Sigel finished bysaying, “if you could take all the ener‑gy and talent and passion in this roomand transplant it up to the legislaturein Concord, I think we could wrapthings up in two or three weeks!”

Alexa Warburton ’05, the 2004 PeterS. Freedman Founders’ Scholar, thenimparted a lesson to the audience thatshe learned on a trip to Namibia. Shearrived in Africa expecting to learnabout a foreign culture, and discoveredthat there were more similarities thandifferences. “Through examining myown life and the lives of these Africanpeople, some better and some worseoff than I, I find that we are all search‑ing for happiness, and this search

unites us more and more.” Warburtonconcluded by announcing the 2005Founders’ Scholar, Glen Frieden ’06,whom she described as one who hassucceeded in many areas of life, yet isalways looking for room to grow as ascholar, athlete, and friend.


AROUND CAMPUS

The 2005 Founders’ Scholar, Glen Frieden ’06,with the 2004 recipient, Alexa Warburton ’05.

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

inducteesnational honor society

Class of 2005David N. BatchelderDerek C. BoeligChristopher J. KileyEmma F. LeBlancLinda S. PaisteVictoria A. StarrNicholas C.W. Stepro

Class of 2006Emily K. Monty Nathalie M. MorisonIsabel A. PlourdeEric D. SpiererMartin C. TopolIsaac S. Wheeler

Class of 2007Lauren S. BakerNatalie R. CovielloCarl N. CraftsKristin E. Migliori

The following Derryfield students were inducted into the National Honor Societyduring the 2005 Founders’ Day celebration.

Service Program ProfiledCommunity service coordinator KathyHill has spent the last two years culti‑vating an already thriving service pro‑gram that is central to The DerryfieldSchool’s mission. This commitment toproviding meaningful opportunitiesfor service was highlighted in a March28th article in The Union Leader. Thepiece quoted Hill’s goals for the pro‑gram: “We try to create aculture where the kidsrealize this is some‑thing you don’tjust do oneday

out of your life, that donations of timeare lifelong. We’re trying to create alifelong commitment to service.” Thearticle cited the high membership inKey club, the active involvement ofupper school students in Summer‑bridge Manchester, and the creation ofservice learning opportunities in themiddle school as key factors in theSchool’s successful service program.

One of the programs mentioned wasthe middle school Builders’ Club week‑ly trips to the Webster School. EveryThursday during Activities period,members of the Builders’ Club and theAthletic Committee work with 5thgrade students in Webster’s English forSpeakers of Other Languages program.On March 10th, while the 6th and 7thgrades were on a field trip, the Derry‑field 8th grade hosted 40 of the Websterstudents for a day of activities thatincluded math games, physical educa‑tion, crafts, and writing stories. EachDerryfield student was paired with aWebster 5th grader for the day. AdvisorCandy Chaplin reported that the day

“was a wonderful experience, notonly for these Webster School students, but also for our 8thgraders, who truly stepped up tothe plate and discovered the

excitement of teaching.”

HELP-U.orgNot many high school students attractthe praise of kings. Derryfield juniorChiara Arcidy has done just thatthrough the work of a charitable orga‑nization that she founded. HELP‑U.orgis a student‑run charitable organizationdedicated to environmental and educa‑tional causes. Funds are raised throughdonations, grants, and the selling ofapparel, and then donated to otherorganizations in need. While coordi‑nating a fundraiser, Arcidy went insearch of a non‑profit organization thatwould sell t‑shirts at a low cost. Unableto find such a group, she decided tostart one herself. Not only does HELP‑U.org sell low‑priced t‑shirts to non‑profit organizations, they also use eco‑friendly organic cotton in their T‑shirtsand are trying to spread the wordabout the negative environmentalimpact of commercial cotton.

Arcidy raised $700 to donate toSelula Sandla Orphanage in Swaziland,an orphanage that restores, supports,and improves the lives of childrenorphaned by AIDS. Her resolve to helpcaught the attention of Prince CedzaDlamini, whose assistant sent Arcidy anote stating, “HELP‑U.org is just thekind of social and business partnershipthat Prince Cedza advocates, especiallysince it’s initiated by youth.” He wenton to offer his assistance to her organi‑zation. Arcidy accepted, and organizedto have the Prince speak to the 8th gradeat McKelvie Middle School in Bedford.This summer, Arcidy is organizing agroup for the Easter Seals Walk andrecruiting volunteers to HELP‑U.org.


AROUND CAMPUS

Marcel Robinson ’09 trying to find a lego for hisbuddy from Webster School.


AROUND CAMPUS

The College FitThe college admissions cycle for theClass of 2005 is filled with positive out‑comes. Although the admissions pro‑cess remains highly competitive,Derryfield students are accepted attheir programs of choice, among thebest programs in the nation. Each ofthe 55 members of the Class of 2005can tell a unique college selection story.These include a student’s successfulquest for an excellent small liberal artscollege in the far west, a physical ther‑apy program in the mid‑west, a musictheater opportunity in the south or aconstruction management major in thenortheast. Again and again, Derryfieldgraduates are seeking program overname and the best fit for their interestsand goals. Consistent with previousyears, students are declining invita‑tions to schools with stronger namerecognition in favor of schools that bet‑ter meet their academic and socialaspirations. The search process leadsthem to a rural location in New York,an engineering program in the moun‑tains of Colorado, an elite voice majoropportunity at a local college, or aschool “across the pond” in Scotland.Whether a student’s final decision isbased on location, program, a meritaward, or the “fit,” this year’s class istestimony to our students’ ability tofind schools that will inspire and chal‑lenge them.

‑Bruce Berk

Members of the class of 2005 line up for the procession into their commencement ceremony.

Stephanie Kruskol ............ Plymouth State University

Amanda Kutz ........................... University of Vermont

Daniel LaGuerre ... Wentworth Institute of Technology

Melissa Law ..................................... Boston College

Emma LeBlanc ............................... Brown University

Douglas MacKenzie ............................ Bates College

Brittany Marcott ... Wentworth Institute of Technology

Trevor Mathes ............... University of New Hampshire

(Whittemore School)

Mark McCormick .......... University of New Hampshire

Brett McLarnon ....................... Harvey Mudd College

Steven Morgan ....................... University of Colorado

(Boulder)

Alexandra Moser ...................... Connecticut College

Sarah Murphy ........................... American University

Nicholas Nardini ...................... Vanderbilt University

Christina Nyquist ............................... Smith College

Linda Paiste ................................... Emory University

Christopher Pellegrini ............... Lake Forest College

Jessica Pritchard ................ College of the Holy Cross

Alan Raff ....................................... Tulane University

Heather Schofield ............................ Boston College

Wright Smith ............................... College of Wooster

Victoria Starr ...................................... Colby College

Nicholas Stepro ............................... Tufts University

Leslie Stonebraker ..................... Middlebury College

Andrew Todd ......................... University of Edinburgh

(Scotland)

Ashley Travis ............... George Washington University

Alexandra Warburton ................. Middlebury College

Andrew Warren .......................... University of Tampa

Timothy Allen ................ University of New Hampshire

(Whittemore School)

Ryan Audley .................................. Boston University

David Batchelder ................ Johns Hopkins University

Jenna Bee ......................................... Elon University

Noah Benton ................................. Lehigh University

Derek Boelig .................................. Lehigh University

Katharine Bolduc .................... Saint Louis University

Andrew Bonifant ............................ Marietta College

Leigh Cameron ................................. Boston College

Charles Carrier ............................. Colgate University

Claire Churchill ............. University of New Hampshire

Kimberly Cohen ................................... Colby College

Cooper Cunliffe .............. University of North Carolina

(Asheville)

Jeffrey Davison .......................... Wesleyan University

Elizabeth DeBold ........................... Skidmore College

Kendra Decelle ..................... University of Pittsburgh

Kathryn Dewey ............... Loomis Chaffee School (PG)

Nicholas Dupuis ............................ Boston University

Gabriel Duran ............. Franklin and Marshall College

Joshua Enos .............................. American University

Alyssa Faro ............................... Connecticut College

Emily Fritch................. George Washington University

Carolyn Goodwin ......................... Gettysburg College

Julie Grimm ................................... Whitman College

Matthew Jacoby ............ University of New Hampshire

(Whittemore School)

Sabina Khan ................................. Wellesley College

Christopher Kiley ............................... Elon University

Andrew Kosiarski .................. Saint Joseph’s College

Class of 2005 Matriculation List

A common thread was echoed by the student speakers atDerryfield’s thirty‑eighth commencement ceremony: takerisks to follow your passions and get the most out of yourexperiences. Some felt they had done this better than others,but all encouraged their classmates to get the most out oflife.

Leigh Cameron started off the trend in her welcomeaddress. “I think it is safe to say that none of us are the samepeople who walked onto this campus, scared and insecure,our freshmen year,” but, “as much as we have developedover these four years, we are still not even close to being thepeople we hope to become.” Leigh recalled how each year asshe started school, she would vow to be more outgoing andto take advantage of everything life had to offer, but eachyear she would fall back into the comfort of her shy persona.It wasn’t until the last few weeks of her senior year that shehad the courage to make the changes she had wanted tomake for so many years. Leigh spoke of the freedom offeredby reinventing oneself in a new place, with no preconceivednotions of who one is, but she warned, “College won’tchange us unless we first change ourselves.” Leigh conclud‑ed by reminding her classmates that, “whoever we becomeover this next section of our lives, we have Derryfield, ourteachers, our family, and our friends to thank.” She rein‑forced this with a quote from the popular television show,Boy Meets World: “I don’t know what’s going to happen tome, but I do know that I’m going to be a good person whocares about people. I blame you for that.”

The class of 2005 chose Bill Madden to give their com‑mencement address. Mr. Madden started working in thebuildings and grounds department the same year that manymembers of the class arrived at the new middle school, but

recapCommencement


Given to a member of the senior class whose support and service toThe Derryfield School best exemplifies the spirit of Derryfield as deter‑mined by members of the graduating class and the faculty.

Carolyn C. Goodwin ’05

Alumni Service AwardGiven by The Derryfield School Alumni Association to recognize analumnus/a who has made a major contribution to the School.

Kathleen W. Rutty-Fey ’87

Citizens Bank Scholar AwardPresented to an upper school student who is a graduate of theSummerbridge Manchester program, in recognition of academic excellence, exemplary service and commitment in SummerbridgeManchester and The Derryfield School Community.

Robert F. Lemire ’06

Class of 1994 AwardPresented to the member of the senior class whose personal integrity,caring manner, and quiet strength inspire school spirit and higher aspirations in all of us.

Julie E. Grimm ’05

Art AwardGiven to a student who shows outstanding interest, motivation, andaccomplishment in the study of art.

Emma F. LeBlanc ’05

Alumni Award The Class of 2005

knew several of them prior to that from their time atMcKelvie School in Bedford. Mr. Madden lauded theachievements of the class. “Individually, you’re each aninspiration to the underclassmen. Together, you’re an evenbetter example of what it takes to be steadfast, true leadersof the not‑so‑distant future.” He encouraged the graduatesto let the work ethic that they have so clearly displayedshine through in their personal lives. “Be it for a parent,family member, relative, significant other, friend, or evenneighbor, always strive to go that extra mile, or be willing togive that extra time when that ‘extra’ is needed the most.”Having related the graduates’ experiences at Derryfield toseveral Beatles song titles, Mr. Madden closed with a perfor‑mance of a special rendition of the Beatles’ Strawberry Fields,entitled Derryfield School Forever, to honor a promise he hadmade to the class.

Brett McLarnon’s valedictory address echoed Leigh’s ear‑lier sentiments. He read a quote from his yearbook page,which translates to, “It’s time to toss the dice.” Brett admit‑ted that he had followed this advice far less often that hewould care to admit. He regretted pursuing solely academicsduring his time at Derryfield, cherishing the memories ofthe people more than the classes he took. Brett felt that hewas offered a second chance when asked to give the valedic‑tory address. It was an opportunity to tell his story andencourage his peers to learn from his experience. “I am notcalling on you to grieve this change, to fill yourselves withregret. Instead, let us cherish the memories we do have –


COMMENCEMENT RECAP

Honoring those seniors who have given unselfishly of themselves in extending time, interest,and concern to the School and the community.

Jenna A. Bee ’05

Noah A. Benton ’05

Derek C. Boelig ’05

Leigh C. Cameron ’05

Gabriel L. Durán ’05

Carolyn C. Goodwin ’05


Sabina Q. Khan ’05

Trevor P.D. Mathes ’05

Sarah E. Murphy ’05

Victoria A. Starr ’05

Computer AwardGiven to a student who shows outstanding interest, motivation, andaccomplishment in the study of computer science.

Brett A. McLarnon ’05

Dartmouth Book AwardGiven to that member of the junior class who, through pursuit of academic achievement as well as through participation in athletics and other extracurricular activities, has demonstrated a commitment to excellence and has otherwise exerted a positive impact upon thequality of student life.

Isabel A. Plourde ’06

Drama Award Given to a student who shows outstanding interest, motivation, andaccomplishment in the study of drama.

Elizabeth B. DeBold ’05

English Award Given to a student who shows outstanding interest, motivation, andaccomplishment in the study of English.

Nicholas R. Nardini ’05

D.A.R. Good Citizen AwardGiven to a senior in recognition of honor, dependability, service,courage, leadership, and patriotism.


Community Service Awards

Jennifer Melkonian, Head of Upper School, sends the seniors off to the ceremony with some wise words.

F. Alexandra Warburton ’05

for they are all that remain to tie us together as we ventureout into the world – and let us realize that what we havebefore us is another rare second chance. This next yearbrings the opportunity to start again and to take the chanceswe did not take at Derryfield. May we all have good sum‑mers, may our inevitable separation be slowed by futuregatherings, and may we never hesitate to toss the dice.”

Class President Victoria Starr presented the class gift toRandy Richardson after wishing her classmates luck inexploring “the infinite abyss.” The class of 2005 donated$3,500 to complete the purchase of a sound system for thegymnasium, and bequeathed the remaining $610 to the classof 2006 in appreciation of their tireless fund‑raising effortsthis year. After a performance by the Concert Choir seniorsand the presentation of diplomas by Board Chair DianneConnolly, Leslie Stonebraker gave the farewell address.

Leslie discussed the meaning of the word “coy.” Shebelieves that being coy is a way to talk circles around whatone really means, and serves only to protect oneself from afear of rejection. She encouraged her peers to follow theirdesires. “Please, desire to go for your dreams. Desire not tobe coy with yourself. Desire not to forget the past, especiallythose kids sitting to either side of you.”

And with a parting benediction and the singing of theschool song, the most recent members of the alumni bodyrecessed from the auditorium and formed a receiving line toaccept the well‑wishes of their teachers, families, and class‑mates.


COMMENCEMENT RECAP

Given to a student who shows outstandinginterest, motivation, and accomplishment inthe study of French.

Christopher J. Kiley ’05

Christina N. Nyquist ’05

Harvard Book AwardGiven to a junior who “displays excellence in scholarship and highcharacter, combined with achievement in other fields.”

Martin C. Topol ’06

2005 Peter S. Freedman Founders’ ScholarThe Peter S. Freedman Founders’ Scholar Award is presented annuallyto that member of the junior class who has best combined academicachievement with personal responsibility, independence, and ethicalsense.

Glen E. Frieden ’06

Dennis F. Holland Mathematics AwardGiven to a student who shows outstanding interest, motivation, andaccomplishment in the study of mathematics.

David N. Batchelder ’05

R. Philip Hugny Head of School AwardGiven in memory of Mr. Hugny, first Headmaster of The DerryfieldSchool, to that member of the graduating class who, through all‑around service, has made valuable contributions to the School.


History AwardGiven to a student who shows outstanding interest, motivation, andaccomplishment in the study of history.

Emma F. LeBlanc ’05

French Award

Commencement speaker Bill Madden bids a final farewell to members of theclass of 2005.


COMMENCEMENT RECAP

Given to a student who shows outstandinginterest, motivation, and accomplishment inthe study of Latin.

Sarah J. Elfenbein ’06

Martin C. Topol ’06

Lamplighter Athletic AwardGiven to the boy or girl who, through spirit, attitude, loyalty, and over‑all performance, has been an inspiration to his or her teammates and acredit to the School.


Music AwardGiven to a student who shows outstandinginterest, motivation, and accomplishment inthe study of choral music.

Jenna A. Bee ’05 (Choral)

Stephanie A. Kruskol ’05 (Choral)

Mayor’s AwardThe Mayor's Award is presented to that member of the graduatingclass who has, throughout his/her tenure at the Derryfield School,demonstrated a high level of dedication to the ideals The DerryfieldSchool stands for and has exhibited leadership traits worthy of emula‑tion by his/her peers.


Given to a student who shows outstanding interest, motivation, andaccomplishment in the study of instrumental music.

Nicholas C.W. Stepro ’05 (Instrumental)

Latin Award

Marcus D. Hurlbut Head of School AwardGiven in honor of Mr. Hurlbut, fourth Headmaster of The DerryfieldSchool, to the senior who, by caring, leadership and force of character,has been an inspiration to others.

Kathryn G. Dewey ’05

DERRYFIELD SCHOOL FOREVER

by Bill Madden

(inspired by Strawberry Fields)

CHORUS:

Let me take you down,

Cause I’m going to... Derryfield School

Where everyone’s cool,

And so much to be proud about,

Derryfield School forever.

Watching you play, learn, mature, and grow,

I selfishly don’t want you to go,

But you passed the grade and learned from the very best,

I’m sure your parents will agree.

CHORUS

Sometimes I think the graduating class is unreal,

I’ve never met such gifted students,

Artists, Scholars, Athletes, and Literary sorts,

You all will succeed on any court.

CHORUS

Always know that sometimes it’s me

I know your time here’s been a dream,

I think there’s a graduate who will

Rewrite what I have just done,

And my best guess is Jenna Bee.

Let me take you down,

Cause I’m going to... Derryfield School

Where everyone’s cool,

And so much to be proud about,

Derryfield School forever.

Derryfield School forever...

2005 graduates forever...


COMMENCEMENT RECAP

Given to a student who shows outstanding interest, motivation, andaccomplishment in the study of physical science.

Leslie K. Stonebraker ’05

Ken Piatt Memorial Scholarship AwardGiven in memory of D. Kenneth Piatt ’82 to the boy or girl who com‑bines excellence in athletics with outstanding achievement.

Kendra R. Decelle ’05

William B. Pfeifer Head of School AwardGiven in honor of Mr. Pfeifer, third Headmaster of The DerryfieldSchool, to the senior who, by loyalty, presence, and total commitment,has helped make Derryfield a better place to be.

Mark T. McCormick ’05

Rhode Island School of Design AwardJulie E. Grimm ’05

Rotary CupThe Manchester Rotary Cup Award is given to a senior who “is givingof himself or herself through strong community service and whoshows the greatest promise of making a difference in the worldthrough strength of character and qualities of leadership.”


Rensselaer MedalGiven to the outstanding student in mathematics and science in thejunior class.

Sean A. Kehoe ’06

Physical Science Award

From top to bottom: Brett McLarnon ’05 giving the valedictory address. n Chris

Kiley ’05 and Ryan Audley ’05 are ready to go before the ceremony. n Sabina Khan

’05 and Emma LeBlanc ’05 share a laugh during the ceremony.


COMMENCEMENT RECAP

Given to a student who shows outstanding interest, motivation, andaccomplishment in the study of Spanish.


Barbara J. Stahl, Ph.D. Life Science AwardGiven to a student who shows outstanding interest, motivation, andaccomplishment in the study of life science.

Kimberly B. Cohen ’05

Matthew L. Young ’88 Memorial ScholarshipTo perpetuate the spirit and positive influence of Matthew LawrenceYoung, Class of 1988, on the Derryfield family, this scholarship isawarded annually to that member of the junior class who, throughenthusiastic participation in activities, significant contribution to thewell‑being of others, and scholarship, has had an enduring impact onthe Derryfield community.

Katherine F. Myers ’06

Wellesley Book AwardGiven each year to that junior girl who has contributed most to the lifeof the School through leadership and good citizenship, while maintain‑ing a high scholastic achievement.

Anna K. Sims ’06

Spanish Award

Ralph J. Scozzafava Head of School AwardGiven in honor of Mr. Scozzafava, second Headmaster of TheDerryfield School, to the senior student who, scholastically and athleti‑cally, best represents the ideas and ideals of The Derryfield School.


Scholar-Athlete AwardGiven to the senior boy and girl who best com‑bine athletic ability with intellectual curiosityand academic achievement which in the eyesof their teachers and coaches distinguish themas being worthy of Scholar‑Athlete recognition.


Frances A. Warburton ’05

From top to bottom: Commencement speaker Bill Madden congratulates the Class

of 2005 for the example they have set. n Trustee Chair Dianne Connolly and Head

of School Randy Richardson listen attentively. n Some senior girls share a laugh as

they line up for the ceremony. (Portraits courtesy Grondin Photography)

years


40th Fund Raising

The 40th Anniversary endowment fund

raising is off to a great start! With over

$18,100 raised by only 31 donors, the goal

of raising $40,000 is achievable with your

help. Alumni, parents, Founders, and

friends of Derryfield have chosen to honor

the School with their financial support for

the unrestricted endowment fund. Their

contributions will allow The Derryfield

School the flexibility to direct the funds to

the greatest need of the school, whether

that is faculty salaries, financial aid, or

building enhancements. It will ensure the

School’s vitality in the years ahead.

To show your support for the 40th Anniver-

sary fund-raising effort, please visit

www.derryfield.org and click on “make a

gift”. Please be sure to include the words

“40th Fund” in the giving instructions. For

more information about giving to Derryfield,

please contact the Advancement Office at

[email protected] or by phone

at 603.669.4524.

Coming of Age: Derryfield at 40by Chuck Sanborn

In many ways, the coming of age of aninstitution parallels the coming of age of aperson. On the road to adulthood, eachmust pass through birth, childhood, ado‑lescence, and young adulthood, with thejourney shaped by diverse experiences,experimentation, dreams fulfilled andunfulfilled, expected and unexpected chal‑lenges, and changing realities. For both,maturity brings confidence, poise, a will‑ingness to move into uncharted waters,positive response to constructive criticism,the strength of character needed to dealwith ambiguity and to live in the ‘teeth ofparadox,’ and the ability to look beyondself to respond to the needs of others.During the past 40 years, The DerryfieldSchool has passed through these stages andenters its mature years with a strong ethicalfoundation, a clear vision of its future, and

the confidence to respond in positive waysto changing realities. The depth andbreadth of Derryfield’s academic program;its inspiring visual and performing artsprogram; its highly successful athletic pro‑gram; and a community service program,spearheaded by the Key Club andSummerbridge Manchester, which reachesout to the community‑at‑large in meaning‑ful and important ways, are testimony tothe successful coming of age of TheDerryfield School. As the School has grownfrom 105 students in grades 7‑10 to 380 stu‑dents in grades 6‑12, it has brought life tothe founding principle that “...a schoolmust provide effective and inspiring teach‑ing, sound discipline, and guidelines for

Celebrating

Headmaster Bill Pfeifer talks with students on a Head’sHoliday in Boston’s Government Center.

Chuck Sanborn sends the graduates off with some wordsof wisdom. (All photos courtesy Derryfield archive)

both mental and physical develop‑ment...without losing the warmth ofindividual attention to the needs ofeach student.” (1965 catalog)

Imagine the excitement, anticipa‑tion, wonderment and apprehension 40years ago as the Founders, HeadmasterPhilip Hugny, newly appointed faculty,and pioneer students gave birth to TheDerryfield School. Imagine the ques‑tions: Would the reality of the Schoolmatch the vision, dreams, and aspira‑tions developed by Founders and fac‑ulty? Would students buy into thisnew vision and venture? Would theplans and schedule for the curriculumand flow of the school day unfoldsmoothly? How long would it take forall constituencies of the School to iden‑tify with Derryfield and develop asense of community, a sense of belong‑ing, a sense of loyalty? Will we be ableto meet financial commitments? Howwill traditions develop? Will we be ableto find a permanent home? The ques‑tions were undoubtedly endless, some‑times unsettling, and always motivat‑ing, as this infant school began thestages of coming of age.

From the perspective of 2005, it isclear that the pioneers of Derryfielddid their job well. To be sure, therewere ups and downs, successes anddisappointments, and adjustments thathad to be made, but the foundingvision of Derryfield persevered andwas nurtured by generations of loyaland committed trustees, administra‑tors, faculty, students, and parents. Inthis process, traditions developed, con‑sciously and unconsciously, thatembody the essence of the School.

Recently, I read: “Sometimes, tryingto pinpoint the beginning of a collegetradition is like trying to spot themoment of high tide – you only knowit’s occurred in hindsight.” Mythoughts immediately turned to therole of traditions in the developmentand coming of age of Derryfield, andquestions flooded my mind: How dotraditions come into being? Whatdetermines why some events and prac‑tices become traditions and others donot? Can traditions be orchestrated orare they spontaneous, unconscioushappenings that become embodied inthe psyche of a school? When does a

change become a tradition? Do traditionsdefine a school? How do traditionsreflect the values of a school? What isthe relationship between traditions anda sense of community, a sense of belong‑ing in a school? How are traditionspassed down? How do traditionschronicle the history of an institution?Answers to these and similar questionswill offer insight into Derryfield’s com‑ing of age – small, diverse happenings,practices, events knowingly and un‑knowingly, becoming incorporated intothe spirit of the School and carrying itthrough the journey from conception,birth, childhood, and adolescence tothe maturity of young adulthood. Inthe coming months and years, asarchival material is gathered and orga‑nized, I look forward to sharing withyou vignettes of this exciting andinspiring journey devoted to “prepar‑ing students to excel in life.”


Students take part in a trust activity during a fall orientation trip.

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

David Haight tries to keep warm in the dunkingbooth at Country Fair.

Varsity SoftballSeason Record: 10-4NH Championship Quarter-Finalists (Class S)Amanda Kutz ’05, Senior All-Star, All-State (Honorable

Mention)Tory Starr ’05, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 Award, Senior

All-Star, All-State (1st team), All-Conference, Class S Player of the Year

Varsity BaseballSeason Record: 13-3NH Championship Quarter-Finalists (Class S)Derek Boelig ’05, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 Award,

All-State (1st team), All-ConferenceLarry Longo ’08, All-State (3rd team)Nick Stepro ’05, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 Award,

All-State (3rd team), All-Conference

Boys’ Varsity CrewUSRowing Junior Invitational: 1st boat – 8thNortheast Junior Regional Championships: 1st boat – 1st NEIRA: 1st boat – 10thWinner of 2005 Davison CupCorey Davison ’05, First Mate Award

Girls’ Varsity CrewWinner of 2005 Davison CupLejla Kadic ’06, First Mate Award

Girls’ Varsity LacrosseSeason Record: 11-2NH Championship Finalists (Division III)Kate Dewey ’05, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 Award, All-State

(1st Team)Diana Maldonado ’06, All-State (Honorable Mention)Isabel Plourde ’06, All-State (2nd Team)Grace Romanowsky ’07, All-State (2nd Team)Rachel Romanowsky ’06, All-State (1st Team)Alexa Warburton ’05, All-State (Honorable Mention)

Boys’ Varsity LacrosseSeason Record: 9-4Trevor Mathes ’05, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 Award

Boys’ Varsity TennisSeason Record: 16-0New Hampshire State Champions (Class M/S)Doug MacKenzie ’05, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 Award,

All-Conference, Granite State Conference Player of the YearCharles Carrier ’05, Co-Captain, All-ConferenceCooper Cunliffe ’05, All-Conference

Girls’ Varsity TennisSeason Record: 14-2NH Championship Finalists (Class M/S)Christina Nyquist ’05, Co-Captain, Class of 1970 AwardSamantha Mastrogiacomo ’06, Co-Captain, All-ConferenceKayla Sirkin ’04, All-Conference

Clockwise from top: Boys’ first boat pulls together on thesprint at the NEIRA Championships. n Doug MacKenzie ’05gearing up for a serve. n Drew Bonifant ’05 follows throughon a pitch. n Noah Benton ’05 escapes pursuit in a lacrossegame against Kennet High School. n Girls’ first boat takes apower ten during practice. n Saym Mastrogiacomo ’06swings through in a match against Somersworth. n MollyLyford ’06 rounds the bases to home while the opponentsscramble for the ball. n Isabel Plourde ’06 takes a shot ongoal in a game against John Stark Regional High School.

Spring wrap-upCOACHES’ AWARD



ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Kendra R. Decelle ’05

Douglas E. MacKenzie ’05

TOP TEN CLUB


Cooper M. Cunliffe ’05


Nicholas D. Dupuis ’05

Gabriel L. Durán ’05


Andrew P. Kosiarski ’05

Amanda M. Kutz ’05

Melissa M. Law ’05

Douglas E. MacKenzie ’05


Alexandra Moser ’05

Sarah E. Murphy ’05

Christina N. Nyquist ’05

Heather K.H. Schofield ’05

Wright B. Smith ’05

F. Alexandra Warburton ’05

Andrew E. Warren ’05

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN

INDEPENDENT SPORT AWARD

Steven G. Morgan ’05 – Freestyle skiing

athletics


Cougar


COUGAR ATHLETICS

School-Year ReviewBetween the experiential, workshop‑basedSummerbridge Saturday and the Englishand math skill enrichment of School AfterSchool, the past school year has been onefull of great successes for students andteachers at Summerbridge. The close bondsthat form when high school students cometogether to mentor and teach Summerbridgemiddle school students is best described inthe words of those young people who aredirectly affected by the experience:


SUMMER FACULTY 2005

Samantha Allard* – Central High School

Shuyang Bai – Northwestern University

Ben Canning – Stanford University

Farrah Desrosiers ’04* – Boston College

Nguyen Doan ’07* – The Derryfield School

Leah Durán – Brown University

Kevin Finefrock ’03* – Connecticut College

Renée Grinnell* – Cornell University

Kate Hallinan* – Lesley University

Trevor Hancey – New York University

Meggie Harvey ’03 – Wesleyan University

Lejla Kadic ’06* – The Derryfield School

Julia Lehman ’04 – Vassar College

Rob Lemire ’06* – The Derryfield School

Jessie Levesque* – UNH

Diana Maldonado ’06* – The Derryfield School

Cass Mercer – Memorial High School

Peter Nelson – Phillips Academy Andover

Dimitry Pompee* – Memorial High School

Paul Renolis* – West High School

Kate Richey ’06 – The Derryfield School

Laura Rincón – UNC-Chapel Hill

Drew Samuels ’03 – Trinity College

Ethan Schwelling ’04 – Emerson College

Anna Sims ’06 – The Derryfield School

Billy Smith – UNC-Chapel Hill

Maddy Staub* – Central High School

Marissa Strniste – Boston University

Liza Townsend ’04 – Middlebury College

Lisa Wang – Northwestern University

Bill Welsh – Swarthmore College

Matt Witter – San Jose State University

*Denotes a teacher who is also a student

graduate of Summerbridge.

spotlightA BREAK THROUGH PROGRAM

Summerbridge

"I am most proud of the workshop

and game I designed and ran on

my own Summerbridge

Saturday."

– Glen Frieden '06

"I was able to establish a good

relationship with my advisees and

keep them involved."

– Kristen Moran '06

Central High sophomore Beth Lang listens as ChasePerkins reads a story at School After School.

Hale Melnick ’06 explains fractals to Laura Tebbettsand Ngan Hoang. (All photos courtesy Summerbridge)

Sabina Khan ’05 looks on as Bakhan Beg works on anassignment.

Lights… Camera… SB! Four students and graduates fromSummerbridge Manchester were spe‑cial guests on the ManchesterCommunity Television show, For YoungPeople, facilitated by Marty Boldin,Director of Youth Services in the Cityof Manchester. Our students spoke elo‑quently and genuinely about theirexperiences as students in the summerand school‑year sessions, as well theresources they have used as graduatesin high school and college planning.The 30‑minute interview show wasbroadcast during the months of Mayand June and will eventually be avail‑able online at www.ManchesterAccess.com.

Students appearing on the showwere: Nick Oberlies, SB Class of 2005;Kadina Mazic ’10, SB Class of 2004;Khiet Nguyen, SB Class of 1999 andcurrent Summerbridge Saturday teach‑er; and José Maldonado ’03, SB Class of1997 and former SB teacher.

Teach at Summerbridge! Although we are in the thick of our

summer 2005 session, we are alreadyaccepting applications from highschool (grades 10‑12) and local collegestudents for school‑year teaching posi‑tions. Teach in either theSummerbridge Saturday (one Saturdaya month) or School After School(Thursday after school) programs. Formore information about volunteeringto teach for these programs or todownload an application, visit ourwebsite at http://summerbridge.derry‑field.org or call Trevor Munhall at603.641.9426.

Annual Fund Goal AttainedThank you to all who contributed tothe Summerbridge 2004‑05 AnnualFund. In addition to giving to Derry‑field, many individuals and familiesalso choose to contribute to Summer‑bridge Manchester’s separate annualfund.

Summerbridge relies on supportfrom individuals, foundations and cor‑porations to help provide this educa‑tional program for Manchester stu‑dents. Through our partnerships withThe Derryfield School, the Manchestercommunity and the national Break‑through Collaborative, we are able tospread the mission, work and value of“students teaching students.” The program also welcomes any in‑kindgifts that could support an academicprogram (school supplies, art supplies,digital camera, etc.). Give your 2005‑06gift online at http://summerbridge.derryfield.org.

summerbridge.derryfield.org 21

Kate Richey ’06, Meredith Milnes ’06, and Molly Platt ’06 dance to YMCA at the last SummerbridgeSaturday.

SUMMERBRIDGE SPOTLIGHT

"Summerbridge not only helped me grow as a student and a leader,

finding confidence in the classroom and hallways, but I also know

that the relationships formed with my students, especially this

year's eighth grade, no matter how big or small, impacted them in

their formative times." – Carolyn Goodwin '05

A BUSY SEMESTER...

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A BUSY SEMESTER...




studyDiscovering PassionsOutside the Classroomby Annie Branch

Independent

CATEGORY

Each spring, a portion of thesenior class elects to drop theirbooks and head out into the real

world. In most schools, these studentswould fail to graduate, but at Derry‑field, these experiences are encouraged.These students have chosen to do anIndependent Senior Project (ISP). Since1985, seniors have been offered theopportunity to spend the last six weeksof their Derryfield careers pursuing anoutside interest. The ISP committee,currently consisting of faculty mem‑bers Sandy Townsend and Bruce Berk,encourages seniors to weigh the advan‑tages of continued classroom work ver‑sus those of an independent project.This isn’t simply a six‑week vacation atthe end of high school. Participants arefrequently surprised at how muchwork it turns out to be. RebeccaRideout ’00, who put together a pho‑tography exhibit of her own work,comments, “years later I still rememberhow much work it was, but how everyday was fun and challenging.” Theproject involves a total time commit‑ment of 30‑40 hours per week, a dailyjournal, a weekly meeting with a facul‑ty advisor, a final meeting with the ISPCommittee, a short presentation to theschool community, and a final writtenevaluation of the project.

The School believes that an indepen‑dent project is a valuable and logicalconclusion to a Derryfield education,and in most cases the project proves tobe more valuable than time spent inclass. The hope is that seniors will gaina deeper appreciation of their own tal‑ents and of the importance of servingand learning from others. Mr. Berk andMrs. Townsend have encouraged stu‑dents to pursue their passions for thepast 20 years. According to Mrs. Town‑send, “We have seen countless seniorsundergo an awakening as they ventureout of the classroom into the workforce as interns or into other fields thatallow them to explore their artistic andcreative selves. Many marvel at theresponsibility that is immediatelyplaced in their hands, many claim thatthey work harder than they ever did inschool, many grow in stature and con‑fidence from the experience. Studentsare tested in new ways. The indepen‑dence they long for at this stage intheir lives is realized as much throughthe freedom from academics as it isthrough the commitment to the com‑pletion of a specific assignment.”

Because the focus of an ISP is oftenbuilt upon a student’s passion, theseprojects frequently are the first step onthe path to a lifelong career. Professional

actor and comedian Sarah Silverman’89 made a video of the class of 1989with classmate Alex Sturke. CamBrensinger ’94, who hiked and campedin the White Mountains with classmateChris Swift, has founded NEMO, acamping equipment company. BrianGuercio ’97, spent his senior springwelding an original sculpture, and justcompleted his first commissioned workof art in Park City, UT. MorganMelkonian ’00, who participated in amanagement training program at CRSparks, graduated with a degree inhotel management. Rebecca Rideout’sphotography exhibit led to a collegemajor in documentary video and pho‑tography, and she now works at a com‑munity access station. Even for those

OPPOSITE: Dan LaGuerre standing on the scaffoldingaround the house he is helping to build.TOP: Claire Churchill’s 1975 Triumph Spitfire.ABOVE: Andrew Kosiarski and Nick Stepro performingat assembly.


who do not continue in the field oftheir ISP, the sense of empowermentthat is gained by succeeding outsidethe walls of Derryfield has had a pro‑found effect on their future, whether itbe an increased confidence duringfreshman year in college, or skillsapplied later on in the job force.Gerard Murphy ’98 interned with theChairman of the House of Health andHuman Services. He recalls, “I wasshocked to learn that as a 17‑year‑oldhigh school student, I could help shapea piece of legislation that would affectthousands of people and save the statemillions of dollars.” Emily Newick ’00notes, “It is one of the only chancesduring your education where you aregiven a tremendous amount of autono‑my to direct your learning.”

The ISP committee continues toencourage participation and delights inthe ongoing ingenuity that goes intoeach proposal. The success of the pro‑jects is intricately linked with the ini‑tiative of each participant. The follow‑ing is a recap of the five IndependentSenior Projects that were undertakenby six members of the class of 2005.

Claire ChurchillClaire Churchill spent six weeks restor‑ing a 1976 Triumph Spitfire. She andher father had been working on the carsince August 2004, but Claire wantedto have a period of time devoted tomaking it drivable. She and her father,who served as her onsite advisor, setup a detailed list of tasks that seemedstraightforward in theory, but turnedout to be much more complex in prac‑

tice. It was by encountering these set‑backs, researching possible solutions,and often assembling and disassem‑bling some piece of the car severaltimes that she achieved great break‑throughs. There were days when shewas not sure she would reach her goalof driving the car to school. In the end,Claire did reach her goal, but realizedthat “driving the car was not nearly assignificant as what I learned about it.”Her father is confident that, “Clairewill think differently when she getsbehind the wheel of a car... This levelof immersion should give her confi‑dence that will last a lifetime.” Heradvice to future seniors is “to attemptan ISP if they are really fascinated bysomething. It’s not worth all that workif you don’t really care about it. My ISPwas a truly worthwhile experience,and I do not regret one minute of it.”

Andrew Kosiarski and Nick SteproAndrew Kosiarski and Nick Steprospent their ISP playing, which turnedout to be a lot more challenging thanthey had imagined. Known collectivelyas 1100 Union Street, the boys collabo‑rated to record an album of originalmusic. Both had done individual brain‑storming on music in the months lead‑ing up to the project. The challengecame in communicating their ideas toeach other and then making the musicon the CD sound like what they hadimagined. Music teacher Rob Fogggave them weekly technical feedback,after which they would go back totheir equipment and fine tune thetracks. Andrew and Nick were frustrat‑

ed by challenges beyond their control,such as malfunctioning equipment, butfound that the tracks came more easilyas they progressed. They learned thevaluable lesson that one cannot forcecreativity. Their final product, Joyride,has received positive feedback fromtheir peers, and both would recom‑mend a musical ISP to other students,despite the challenges they faced. Nickremarked during his final meeting thatit was easily his best six weeks atDerryfield.

Dan LaGuerreDan LaGuerre decided to get somepractical experience in his future areaof study. Dan, who will be studyingconstruction management next year incollege, spent his senior spring build‑ing a house. His experience was partcontractor, part construction worker.While he put many hours of hard laborinto the house, he also had the oppor‑tunity to do a lot of the organizationthat is involved in coordinating themany facets of construction. Dan wasresponsible for managing the electricalwork and getting state approval for thebuilding. For him, the most gratifyingpart of the project was completing the


“It is one of the only chances

during your education where

you are given a tremendous

amount of autonomy to direct

your learning.”

– Emily Newick '00

INDEPENDENT STUDY

pine tongue and groove floor in themaster bedroom and seeing the fin‑ished product. But he also learned howto deal with the unexpected during theproject. While digging for a founda‑tion, the team hit ledge, and he had tospend many grueling hours drillingaway at the stone. Dan’s ISP hasaffirmed his desire to continue in thefield of construction management, andhe is continuing to work on the housethis summer.

Brittany MarcottBrittany Marcott spent her ISPimmersed in the workings of an interi‑or design business run by Derryfieldparent, Donna Rodanas. Brittany spenthours upholstering cornices, sewingvalances, and installing window treat‑ments. When she wasn’t working in thestudio, she went on sales calls withMrs. Rodanas, which enabled her tofollow the entire design process, frompicking out a fabric to installing thedelivered piece. Through these visits,Brittany learned the importance oftreating a client’s home with respectand building a client base. She alsodeveloped a great deal of patiencewhen projects weren’t going smoothlyor had to be completely redone. “I learn‑ed that things are going to go wrongno matter what. So when somethingdoes go wrong, just stop and figure outhow the problem can be fixed.” Brittanyplans to major in interior design in col‑lege, and believes that her experiencethis spring provided a solid foundationon which to build her future career.

Leslie StonebrakerLeslie Stonebraker has had a storyknocking around in her head for thepast three years. This spring she decid‑ed to get it down on paper. Leslie’sgoal was to create a screenplay, Amber,inspired by the popular children’sstory Peter Pan. For the first few days,she felt aimless, not quite sure how toapproach the momunental task. Butwith the help of Syd Field’s bookScreenplay and the script‑writing soft‑ware Final Draft, she was underway.Once Leslie started writing, the storyflew from her fingertips, and she wroteat least ten pages every day. Leslie alsovisited her “onsite” advisor, film criticAnne Brody in Toronto, where theydiscussed her screenplay and Anne’sagent offered to read the script andshop it around. What began as a highschool project could possibly become afeature‑length movie. Leslie says of herexperience, “I never really believed Icould get this far until now. I havemore self‑confidence and drive fromthis experience than from any other inmy life.”


INDEPENDENT STUDY

PAST INDEPENDENT SENIOR PROJECTS

2001

Zach Bioteau: Volunteer – NH Hospital Children’s Center

Marguerite Congoran: Art Teacher’s aide – Hopkinton

Elementary Schools

Andy Cochran: Intern – airport and flight school

Matt D’Alessio: Intern – Lavallee/Brensinger

architectural firm

Matt Fortier: Restoration and upgrade of a 1985 Jeep

Lori Hendrickson: Research Pablo Neruda and study

Spanish in Chile

Brian Horton: Internship in business and management at

CR Sparks

Andrea Schwartz: Intern – McLane, Graf, Raulerson and

Middleton law firm

Torrey Townsend: Intern and office manager – Hippopress

Lorelei Westbrook: Teacher’s aide – Shaker Road School

2002

Sarah Charpentier: Volunteer at orphanage in Nicaragua

Jamie Feinberg: Direct and produce play

Ryan Fox: Intern – Raytheon, Brazil

Robb Goodwin: Intern – architectural firm

Kristin Kelsey: Intern – interior design

Heidi Lindner: Record vocal selections for CD

Matt Reno: Intern – Fidelity Investments

Martha Stebbins: Intern – Sununu Campaign

2003

Melanie Lindner: Pre-school teacher’s aide – Jewish

Federation

Ashley Millspaugh: Intern – United Airlines

Jessica Saturley: Photography/Philosophy

2004

Laura Desjarlais: Equestrian internship

Shalini Patel: Intern – Concord Feminist Center

David Pham: Record original compositions for CD

Maura Spiegelman: Intern – Planned Parenthood of

Northern New England

Robby Zeller: Create counselor program manual for

Sentinel Baptist Camp

alumni


The news contained in this section coversthe period of March 24, 2005 – June 13,2005. For more recent news, or to post anote, please visit the Alumni Community atwww.derryfield.org.

1969Nancy Ekman Dorner writes, “Our twins,Sarah and Andrew, are completing theirsophomore year in college at Brandeis andNortheastern, respectively. I have returnedto school to complete a Certificate ofAdvanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) atPlymouth State University in MentalHealth Counseling.”

1974Hilary Chaplain writes, “I’ve been per‑forming my solo physical comedy theatrepiece, A Life In Her Day, for the past three‑and‑a‑half years. In that time I’ve performedit in Hong Kong, Prague, Melbourne,Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, SC, and theNew York International Fringe Festival,where I received an Excellence Award forSolo Show. In 2005 I will perform in theUS, England, and possibly Argentina andBrazil. I also have a repertoire of shortcomic pieces that I’ve performed in variety

shows and festivals near and far as well.Maybe Derryfield can be next! I do a bit ofteaching here and there and learned to scubadive last year. Time Out NY calls me, ‘sortof a Lucy Ricardo – Little Tramp hybrid.’My website is www.hilarychaplain.com.”

1983Kristen Norton Mugnai writes, “I recentlybecame part owner of a small animal prac‑tice in Maine where I have practiced fornine years. My daughter started riding thisyear and just got her own horse.”

BirthsTo Robina Gregg O’Rourke ’84 and her

husband, Charlie, a son, Gregg, in June

2004.

To faculty member Mary Perkins and her

husband, Justin, a son, William Charles,

on May 6, 2005.

MarriagesKristin Rand ’88 to Keith Zibolis in May

2005 in Newburyport, MA.

Lisa Tuttle ’95 to Matthew Hultgren in

June 2005.

Jennifer Goodrich ’96 to Tyson Heilhecker

in June 2005.

Elizabeth Jorgensen ’99 to Chris

Nickerson ’01 on May 28, 2005, in

Manchester, NH.

Faculty member Carson Smith to Amy

Howell on July 16, 2005, in Rye, NH.

Update on

Founder Merv Weston with a sculpture he is donatingto the Derryfield sculpture garden. (Photo courtesy A.Moerlein)

1984Robina Gregg O’Rourke writes, “Myhusband, Charlie, and I have been liv‑ing in Portland, ME for six‑and‑a‑halfyears. We have two children, Phoebe (21/2) and Gregg (11 months)! We gottogether with Matt Purington and JayVillani and their families last month,and it was great fun!”

1987Class Correspondent: Kathleen Rutty-Fey

[email protected]

Darin Maier reported to KathleenRutty‑Fey, “Greetings from theMagnolia State. The last year has beenone of tremendous change. Startingaround this time last year, I began amaster’s program in educationaladministration at the University ofSouthern Mississippi, located inHattiesburg. I am slated to finish thissummer with a master’s degree inhand. As it turns out, all this is verytimely, as I accepted an offer thisspring to become the Associate Head

of the Middle School at St. Andrew’sEpiscopal School in Ridgeland, MS,where I have been teaching history,political science, and helping to coacha nationally competitive speech anddebate team. While I will have to retirefrom the coaching ranks, I will still beteaching Advanced PlacementGovernment in my new position. I amlooking forward to the new challengesthat I will have beginning July 1st.”

1988Alexandra Terninko and her husband,Ben, welcomed a baby girl named MiraTerninko Steinberg on March 18, 2005.She was over 7 lbs., happy, andhealthy. n The engagements of twomembers of the class were recentlyreported in The Union Leader. MatthewWasdyke and Rebecca Smukler areengaged to be married on September18, 2005. Matthew is employed as an

architect at Gund Partnership inCambridge, MA. Kristin Rand isengaged to wed Keith Zibolis ofPlaistow, NH. A May 2005 wedding inNewburyport, MA, is planned.

1991James Galluzzo III writes, “Greetingsfrom Dushanbe, Tajikistan! I have beenworking here, on temporary assign‑ment, at the U.S. Embassy in theDefense Attache Office. I am currentlyassigned at the George C. MarshallEuropean Center for Security Studiesin Garmisch, Germany, and expect tograduate in June with a follow onassignment to the United States.During my time here in Tajikistan Iwas afforded the opportunity to writeand deliver a paper/speech on U.S. for‑eign policy in Central Asia. The paperwas printed in both English andRussian. This was a great experience


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

S A V E T H E D A T E

reunion 2005scheduleThursday, September 29th

40th Forum Series, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, September 30th

Service Day, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Reunion Cocktail Party 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 1st

Country Fair 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Reunion Class Parties 6:00 p.m.

40th Gala Celebration 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Reunion will be held for the classes of 1970, 1975,1980, 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000 on September 30and October 1, 2005, in conjunction with the 40thAnniversary Celebration weekend. Individualclass events will be held off site. For more infor‑mation about event details or if you are interestedin helping to plan your reunion celebration, contact Tracey Perkins in the Alumni Office at603.669.4524, ext. 136 or at [email protected].

Daneil Copertino Kuftinec ’87, Robert Kuftinec’87, and their son, Hunter, with Kathleen Rutty-Fey ’87 (center) at commencement.

that, hopefully in the future being clos‑er to New England, I will be able toreturn to Derryfield and share with thestudents. The text that was publishedand ran in a couple of papers is avail‑able on Google.com using the key‑words ‘Galluzzo Central Asia.’”

1992Geoffery Fiedler writes,”I recentlypurchased a house in Charlestown,MA, and am gearing up for a big reno‑vation. I’m still working at CernerCorporation, a health care informationsystems company, in business develop‑ment and sales. Jason Donnelly, TylerMerrill, Jeff Reed, and I are planningan annual trip to see the Red Sox.” n

Amy Holland writes, “I am currently

in London obtaining a MSc in violence,conflict, and development at SOAS ‑University of London. I will be back inNew York at the end of September. Iam about to start my dissertation andwill be traveling back and forth toAfrica to do research.”

1993The Union Leader reports that StacyDenham and Greg Willenbucher wereengaged in March 2005 at a springtraining Red Sox game in Fort Meyers,FL. The experience had many similari‑ties to the plot of Fever Pitch. The twoare living in Baltimore, MD.

1996Jed Van Sciver writes, “After travelingthe west living in Utah, Wyoming, andColorado, I have finally gotten my fill

of 100+ day years of powder riding andhave decided to settle in Denver. I aman estimator and project manager for ageneral contracting firm specializing inproperty loss restoration and remodels.Other than that, I spend my time withmy girlfriend and my dog, playing gui‑tar and snowboarding. All is well hopeeveryone is healthy and happy.” n

Elizabeth Angoff writes, “Well, I final‑ly have news to add: I’m engaged! Mypartner’s name is Jeanne, she’s fromNorth Carolina, a proper southernbelle (or not), and she just got a job at aclinic in Oakland. Looks like I’m stay‑ing put for a good while. Some day wemight actually be able to get married ifpolitics allow. Until then we’ll justmake like a couple and fight over whogets to be the donor when we havekids. Otherwise, I’m still working witha few of the New Small Schools inOakland, which are a grassrootsattempt at reforming public schools,hopefully counteracting any of the


During the middle school trip to Canobie Lake Park, Derryfield faculty members Karen Robichaud andCandy Chaplin ran into AnnMarie Gaffney ’04 (center), who works at the park.

TOP: Greg Willenbucher proposes to StacyDenham ’93 at aspring training game.BOTTOM: Greg and Stacy with Johnny Damon.

UPDATE ON ALUMNI

nightmares of the district (I don’t knowhow many of you have read aboutOakland’s demise). I’ve been helpingthem start up their family centers,which means I get to hang out withparents and support them while theygo out and change the world. It’s agood gig. In another year I’ll be aSchool Psychologist and then all theparents will be afraid to talk to me. I’mstill dancing many times a week – hiphop and swing dancing mostly (astrange combo but it works). Somethings never change. Hope you all arewell.”

1997Brian Guercio wrote to Andy Moerleinto let him know that he will be work‑ing on a project for Park City towngovernment to construct a fiberglassstucture for the city’s bus shelter. Hisproposal was accepted along with ahandful of others to make this one of akind piece. (See story on pg. 32 and let‑ter on pg. 1) n Aaron Rosenthalwrites, “After spending a year inWashington D.C., I moved to sunnysouthern California about a year‑and‑a‑half ago, where I now work for U.S.Senator Barbara Boxer. I keep myselfbusy keeping my year‑round sunburnand exploring as much of California asI can. If you’re ever in the area dropme a note!”

1998Anna Purtell reports that AmelieBaudot is finishing her master’s ininternational relations in Geneva,Switzerland, and will be beginning lawschool in the fall. She hopes to be liv‑ing in New York or Boston. MonishaDandekar is entering her fourth yearof medical school at SouthwesternMedical School in Dallas. She is hopingto move back to the East coast for herresidency. Heather Fine is working inBoston while preparing to attend med‑ical school next year. Megan Crosby isworking at a gallery in Boston afterspending a year getting a postgraduatedegree in art history in London.

1999Faculty member Terri Moyer reportedseeing Laura Reis at a half marathon inWolfeboro. Laura is attendingDartmouth Medical School.

2000Class Correspondent: Laura Hunter

[email protected]

Dena Marrinucci reports, “I movedout to San Diego last August. I wasaccepted into the Biological ChemistryPh.D. program at The Scripps ResearchInstitute in La Jolla, CA. I have joined alab here doing cancer cell biology,specifically looking at circulatingtumor cells in blood samples from can‑cer patients with metastatic disease.” n


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

A large Derryfield contingent at the wedding of Chris Nickerson ’01 and Bitsy Jorgensen ’99 in May.Front Row (L to R): Darren Bishop ’01, Luke Jorgensen ’09, E.J. Nickerson ’08, Nicole PonemonKokhnovitch ’99, and Bitsy. Second Row (L to R): James Jorgensen ’06, Jim Beaurivage ’01, ChristinaHancock ’99, and Chris. Back Row (L to R): Kate Jorgensen ’11, Alex Moerlein ’01, Katie Nickerson ’03,Rory Jorgensen ’97, and Julie Jorgensen ‘02.

continued on page 34...

Patrick Santoso ’01 is a CivilEngineering student at the Universityof New Hampshire. He becameinvolved with Engineers WithoutBorders in the fall of 2004 and wasappointed the chief design engineer foran irrigation bridge rebuilding projectin Santisuk, Thailand. He traveled toThailand this winter to complete theproject. Patrick will graduate inDecember with a BS in civil engineer‑ing and plans to continue his studiestowards a master’s degree.

A fter months of preparation andmore than 24 hours of flight Ifound myself in Bangkok,

Thailand, at 1:10 in the morning twodays after the magnitude 8.7 earth‑quake rocked South‑East Asia andcaused the tsunami that would claimmore than a quarter million lives. I wasexhausted, excited, and without any ofmy luggage which had apparentlybeen misplaced somewhere betweenSan Francisco and Peking. Thailand isknown as the land of smiles and thefirst person I interacted with exempli‑fied this stereotype perfectly. “Yourluggage will be delivered to your hoteltomorrow at 10:00 a.m.”, he assuredme with a broad smile. I did notbelieve him nor did I care.

During the weeks I spent travelingthe country before journeying north to

the tiny mountain village of Santisuk, Iwas overwhelmed by the Thai culture.The smiles are as free flowing as thecourtesy and lightheartedness is a wayof life. When asked about the tsunamiwhich had devastated the country onlydays earlier, the universal responsewas “It is a very sad time in Thailand,”and then immediately the subject waschanged and the smiles crashed backonto the Thai faces. It is almost impos‑sible to dampen the Thai spirit.

To an American it is very strange towalk down a furiously busy metropoli‑tan street with a smile on your face, yetin Thailand it is almost impossible notto. The good humor has an infectiousquality and before you know it you’resmiling at everyone you see.

When we arrived in Santisuk for ourseven day stay after months of plan‑ning halfway around the world, wewere awestruck. All of our researchcalculations and planning did not pre‑pare us for the hospitality and happi‑ness which emanated from the thatched

Patrick Santoso ’01 stands atop a mountain in Thailand. (All photos courtesy P. Santoso)


“To an American it is very

strange to walk down a furi‑

ously busy metropolitan street

with a smile on your face, yet

in Thailand it is almost impos‑

sible not to. The good humor

has an infectious quality and

before you know it you're

smiling at everyone you see.”

LIFE AFTER DERRYFIELD

Building Bridgesby Patrick Santoso ’01

huts and dirt paths of the village. Wehad been told how poor the villagewas and how the deterioration of threecrucial bridges carrying irrigationwater was damaging crop returns andcrippling their subsistence living.These were the facts that were present‑ed to us in the U.S. on clean crispwhite paper. Nothing was said aboutthe feasts we would be given threetimes daily or the afternoon soccergames and nightly dancing to Thairenditions of House of The Rising Sun.To Americans their situation hadsounded depressing and their ‘subsis‑tence’ lifestyle so unfortunate. Nothingcould have been further from the truth.

In the days that followed we laboredin the jungles of Northern Thailandside by side with the villagers todemolish and rebuild their three irriga‑tion bridges. We did all manner ofimpossible tasks with no power equip‑ment, a smile on our faces, and a lightheart, as is the Thai tradition. Wehauled 250 lb. sections of fourteen inch

PVC pipe half a mile through the jun‑gle over rivers and through fieldslaughing and smiling. We pried the ail‑ing bridge piers out of the ravines inknee deep mud using nothing but ourbacks, all the while giggling uncontrol‑lably. The villagers dug trenches fivefeet wide and two feet deep using plas‑tic baskets as shovels in 95 degree heatand their smiles never faded.

Over the course of the seven dayswe constructed three irrigation bridgessuccessfully. The new bridges arestructurally sound and will not bewashed out during the monsoon sea‑son. We also eliminated the 60% waterloss which used to occur over thebridges due to poor splices in the cor‑rugated zinc roofing they had bent intoU shapes to carry the water over theold bridges. Because of the bridges

their crop yield has the potential toincrease 40%, and they no longer needto hastily rebuild the bridges afterwashout in the wet season to ensureenough irrigation water in the follow‑ing dry season.

I have been back in the states for sixmonths now and have been trying tokeep some of the essence of Thai livingwith me. It may seem like a hard task,but living with a smile on your faceand a light heart is the easiest thing inthe world.


ABOVE: Villagers and colunteers carry cement foundation forms across a river.BELOW: A team works on the support structure for the irrigation pipes..

LIFE AFTER DERRYFIELD

Alumni Spotlight


ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

CollaborationBrian Guercio ’97 emailed me in Marchto say that he had been awarded acommission to create a sculpture todecorate a bus stop in Park City, UT.We had been in intermittent correspon‑dence for years, sharing art objectivesand successes, and regularly exchang‑ing ing our latest ski, kayak, hikingadventures, but this commission was aneat opportunity to really learn fromeach other.

Brian had some great ideas for howhis work could be constructed. I hadsome suggestions and experiences tooffer. We began very regular contacts,and the media he was working withinterested me. I suggested a trip toPark City to help him with this hugecommission, and to watch and learn.Brian jumped on the offer of labor andsupport, and Derryfield supported myrequest for travel. I flew out and spentsix days learning and helping. It was

fun to be with a fellowartist. To be an artist,and especially asculptor, one must bepart inventor, part

experimenter andmostly a workerdrone.

Certainly this project was no exception.Brian had scripted his materials, plans,and concept through careful discus‑sions with a variety of resources. Hemet with previous teachers, specialistsin foams, fiberglass and paints, build‑ing inspectors, and engineers. He drewdrawings, planned structures, threwaway ideas, and re‑planned. Yet when Iarrived on the scene, well into the finalsurface application, Brian was still con‑fronted with daily, hourly decisions

about materials, texture, color,strength, fit. It was remarkable to workbeside Brian and share in the excite‑ment and learning process. Art makingis often a solitary and isolating activity.

Being with a fellow artistand sharing the processmade my return to my

own studio somehowmore exciting and

less lonely.Besides learn‑

ing newmedia, Iexperi‑enced a lot

of new sensations. Being in the homeand employ (of sorts) of a personwhom I have known since he was 15years old, it was remarkable to trustinstinctively the values and personali‑ties that we each took for granted.Brian was unchanged, just moremature. I felt comfortably accepted formy role as friend and peer, despite myhaving been Brian’s teacher (and all thatbaggage) in a previous moment in ourlives. It was a comfortable passage foreach of us. I was not present for thefinal result. I actually assisted on onlya small aspect of this monumental project. Brian created a work of impor‑tance that he can be most proud of,and I had an experience that I will treasure and ponder for a long time.Curious? Visit the Alumni Communityat www.derryfield.org for more photosfollowing Brian’s Great SpringAdventure!

‑ Andy Moerlein

Guercio standing outside of the finished product.

“Being with a fellow artist and

sharing the process made my

return to my own studio

somehow more exciting and

less lonely.”

From the Alumni CouncilDear Derryfield Alumni,

I would like to thank the Alumni,The Alumni Council, and MariaHolland Law ’75 for this great oppor‑tunity to serve as President of theAlumni Council. As Maria steps downfrom serving seven full years in thisrole, I would like to thank and acknow‑ledge her for all of the hard work thatshe has put in. Over the past threeyears, the alumni body alone has helpedin raising over $300,000 for the Schooland helped host engaging events.

Over the past year‑and‑a‑half I havefound the Alumni Council serves as atremendous catalyst not only to raisefunds for the School but to share com‑mon experiences. Maybe it was dodg‑ing Mr. Burk’s chalk, or bombing down

Sudden Pitch, or a Mr. Bradley“Celebration!”, or a battle over dresscodes, or a “Say what you mean.” fromMr. Holland, but whatever it was weall have shared them.

Our goal on the council is to help usall recognize these bonds help promotealumni involvement with the Schoolcommunity, and each other. It is funand exciting for us as alums to notonly look back on these experiences,but to share new ones, at a bar, ball‑park, or reunion. With that in mind wehave a partial list of events for nextyear:August 19th – Kickoff Classic Golf

TournamentSeptember 31st – 40th Anniversary,

Reunion, and Country Fair WeekendOctober – Portsmouth ReceptionMarch – Boston ReceptionApril – Senior DinnerSummer – Red Sox Game

If you would like to be a part of thecouncil, or have an idea or suggestionfor a possible alumni event, please contact me at [email protected] or at 603.668.7000, ext. 212.You are also welcome to contact TraceyPerkins, Director of Alumni Relations,at [email protected] or by phoneat 603.669.4524, ext. 136.

Sincerely,

Chris Norwood ’99Derryfield Alumni Council President

The Alumni Service AwardWell‑known as “an energetic, charismatic, consummate DerryfieldCheerleader,” Kathleen Rutty‑Fey ’87was awarded the 2005 Alumni ServiceAward at Awards Day in May.Kathleen attended Hobart WilliamSmith College in New York, and laterworked as a waitress and self‑proclaimed ski bum in Killington, VT.After a brief time in sales at EFEducational Tours in Boston, shereturned to her Derryfield roots.Kathleen has held numerous positionson the Derryfield Faculty since return‑ing to the School in 1996. She startedout as the Development Assistant, andthen spent two years as the Director ofthe Annual Fund before moving to theAdmission Office in 1999. She has beenthe Director of Admission since 2000,focusing her boundless energy on thetask of spreading a positive messageabout the School to prospective stu‑dents in surrounding communities.This spring, Kathleen has once againredefined her role in the Derryfieldcommunity by encouraging the addi‑tion of the position of Dean of Enroll‑ment to the office staff. This position,which will be held by Sarah Edwards,focuses on broader admission issues,allowing Kathleen more time to devoteto marketing and student retention. Itis for her energetic devotion and ser‑vice to The Derryfield School thatKathleen Rutty‑Fey ’87 has beenawarded the Alumni Service Award.


Chris Norwood ’99School Involvements: The Derryfield Players,

X-C RunningCollege: Babson CollegeCurrent Employment: The Norwood Group, Inc.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Joshua Lucas has spent the last yearstudying in Jordan and plans to returnto New Hampshire in June to preparefor GRE’s and LSAT’s. n Laura Hunterreports that Elana Feder has been liv‑ing in Boston and working at a charterschool for the past year. Anja Wallacewrote to Laura, “I’m working forApplied Marketing Science inWaltham, MA, which is a small (whenI say small, I mean 20 people) marketresearch consulting company. We domarket related research for companieshoping to develop new products, andwe also do research for class actionlegal cases and trade dress/productconfusion cases.” Caroline Fosterwrites, “I am a Presidential Intern atthe American University Center forAdult and Continuing Education inCairo. I spend most of my days cov‑ered in dust in the archives at the RareBooks Library, though. I love living inEgypt and have been able to travel allaround the country meeting wonderfulpeople. In November, I went to Jordanto visit Josh Lucas. Besides seeing themagnificence of Petra, the highlight ofthat trip was watching Josh play thebagpipes in a Roman ruin in the northof Jordan. We stumbled across aJordanian piping band and he played adelightful rendition of Scotland theBrave with them!” n RebeccaMaglathlin has spent the last year pur‑suing a Ph.D. at Purdue in Indiana fororganic chemistry. n Rebecca Rideoutreports, “I graduated from BenningtonCollege last June, focusing in docu‑

mentary video and photography. I dida lot of internships and travel duringmy four years there, as part of theirField Work Term program. Now I amliving in Easthampton, MA, working atEasthampton Community AccessTelevision, and also at FlorentineFilms. I live with my boyfriend of fouryears, and I’m loving post‑college life!”n Aaron Baker reports, “After spend‑ing a year working for Yale Psychiatryat the National Center for PTSD in theWest Haven, CT, VA Hospital I havereceived a Fulbright Scholarship tostudy in Israel for a year. I will be par‑ticipating in research with Dr. AriehShalev at Hadassah UniversityHospital in Jerusalem while takingclasses at Hebrew University, Mt.Scopus campus. My wife, Stephanie(Manchester Central ’99), will be join‑ing me when she completes her mas‑ter’s in museum studies at NYU thissummer. My focus in Israel will be onchildhood Post‑traumatic StressDisorder, which is an area I hope to

pursue in a Clinical Psychology Ph.D.program when I return. If you findyourself in Jerusalem during thisupcoming school year, e‑mail me [email protected].”

2001Patrick Santoso writes, “I am graduat‑ing from UNH in December with a BSin civil engineering. This spring, I’mrunning out my term as AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers UNHPresident, as well as student advisoryboard member. I’ve been involved withjust about everything you could imag‑ine at UNH, from designing pre‑stressed concrete bridge decks for afast track bridge repair in Tilton toserving as chief design engineer for theEngineers without Borders studentteam. We designed three irrigationbridges for a small village in northernThailand. We traveled there this winterto construct them. The project was a


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

(Left to Right): Kristen Geiger, Julia Hutchinson, Anne Lucas, and Heather French (all ’02) at anAustralian Rules Football match when Heather visited the three studying at the University of Melbourne.

...continued from page 29

huge success. A documentary will beaired on PBS, and possibly theDiscovery Channel, about this project. Ilook forward to more adventures, andhope everyone is well.” n MatthewD’Alessio writes, “As of May 2005, Iwill be a graduate of The GeorgeWashington University and valedictori‑an of my major, applied science andtechnology. This summer, along with afriend from GW, I will be riding mybicycle from Virginia to Oregon in sup‑port of the James P. D’AlessioEsophageal Cancer Fund at the DanaFarber Cancer Institute. This fund wasfounded as part of the wishes of myfather, who passed away on Easter2005. You can follow our progressacross the country and make donationsto the fund through information pro‑vided at VAtoOR.blogspot.com.” n

Blake Marston is attending StonehillCollege and is playing baseball for thecollege. n The Bow Times noted thatAlex Moerlein graduated from TuftsUniversity in May with a bachelor’sdegree in mechanical engineering.While at Tufts, he wrote for the Tufts

Daily newspaper, was active on thecrew team, was a member of Sigma PhiEpsilon, managed the student take‑outcafe and was on the dean’s list. He willattend graduate school at Penn StateUniversity on full scholarship in thefall. n Board Chair Dianne Connollyreported that Rebecca Connolly grad‑

uates from Boston College with amajor in economics and a minor ininternational studies on May 23rd.She’s furiously apartment hunting nowin New York City, and starts withMorgan Stanley on June 26, 2005.

2002Julie Jorgensen reported to facultymember Ed Lemire, “Things here aregoing well. I don’t know my summerplans for certain yet, but I know I’m incharge of the summer garrison regi‑ment (summer school) for three weeks,and I have a three‑week soccer presea‑son in August. Currently, I’m slated towork with a field artillery unit in FortSill, OK, as a drill instructor for the restof the summer. I have all my fingers


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

S A V E T H E D A T E

tournamentgolf

The Alumni Association’s 11th Annual Kick‑off Classic Golf Tournament will beheld this year on August 19th at Candia Woods Golf Links. Alumni, parents, teach‑ers, and friends of Derryfield are welcome to take part in the tournament. Ananticipated group of more than 150 people, golfers and non‑golfers alike, will meetto celebrate the last few days of summer and to kick off the 2005‑2006 school year.The proceeds from this fundraisergo directly toward student finan‑cial aid. Last year, the tournamentraised $18,550, enough for one fulltuition. For more information onattending or becoming a tourna‑ment sponsor, please contactTracey Perkins at 603.669.4524, ext.136 or at [email protected].

Randy Richardson receives a check from the AlumniAssociation for the amount of one tuition.

Graduate students Ben Glahn and Karen Anderson (both ’95) appeal to their mothers’ emotions in placeof expensive Mothers’ Day cards from the top of a mountain in the Cascade range of Washington State.

crossed that instead I get approved towork at ASU with some new computersoftware that can analyze speech con‑tent. Classes are busy as usual, socceris going well (we have a new assistantcoach), and everyone is counting downthe days until graduation, when weofficially become seniors. I can’t wait.”n The Windham Independent Newspaperreports that Maureen Harrington hasbeen selected for inclusion in the 2004‑05 National Dean’s List. The NationalDean’s List is the largest, most presti‑gious publication in the country recog‑nizing gifted students. She is a juniorEnglish major and scholar field hockeyathlete at Lehigh University. n AllisonMessier performed with the ManchesterChoral Society as the mezzo‑sopranosoloist in their performance on May 7and 8, 2005. n Molly Zink writes, “Iam still at UMass Lowell, and myclasses are going really well. I ammajoring in plastics engineering, but I

have also decided to get a minor inbusiness. Through UML I am able totake part in a great scholar‑intern program. During summer and winterbreaks, I work with engineers. I amcurrently working with Freudenberg‑NOK in Manchester, NH.” n KristenGeiger writes that she, JuliaHutchinson, and Anne Lucas arestudying at the University of Melbourneand having an amazing time!“Australia is incredible and the peoplehere are so nice. It has been lots of funthat the three of us have been able tolive together this semester. Anne and Iwent sky diving on our fall break.”

2003Laura Munoz writes, “I truly enjoyYale, if not always for the very difficultcourses, then for the amazing peoplethat I have the opportunity to interactwith. I have a great group of friendswho get me through tough times, andthey come in handy with the classesI’ve been taking. I often manage to for‑get where I actually go to school, butsometimes when I’m just walkingaround campus, or maybe when I’mreading an assignment and I realizethat the author of the aforementionedassignment teaches one of my otherclasses... that’s when it hits me that I’mhere at Yale.”

2004Drew Moerlein recently returned fromriding in the AIDS Life Cycle inCalifornia, and sent a recap of theevent. “The AIDS Life Cycle is a 7‑day,585‑mile ride down the coast ofCalifornia, from San Francisco to LosAngeles. Each of the 1,600 riders mustraise at least $2,500 dollars each to ridein the event, and they have to havebeen training for months before. Thereare also 400 ‘roadies,’ or volunteers,involved in the ride, who set up signsand rest stops, etc. I got involved in theride because a professor of mine in theDrama Department at SyracuseUniversity. Her father died of AIDS,and and nine other students and Idecided we would partake in theevent. We all trained for months andthen had the time of our lives ridingtogether and bonding. It was amazingto be part of a gigantic group of peoplewho all joined together to raise over6.8 million dollars for AIDS and HIVresearch.”


UPDATE ON ALUMNI

Merritt Smith ’02 playing the bagpipes for hisbrother Wright ’05’s graduation

Drew Moerlein ’04 sporting a Derryfield jacketduring the AIDS Life Cycle in California.

What do you want to be? Wehave all faced this questionfrom the time when the

stock answer is fireman or policeman,through college, when it seems every‑one we meet asks and expects a singleanswer, until we find a job and, magi‑cally, are something. The power of aprofession to define our existence isoften overwhelming, pointed out hereby a simple choice of verbs: “be,”rather than “do.” It is a well‑guardedtruth, however, that an occupation doesnot define a person, and, further, that itis possible to change professions attimes of personal discovery – to shapewhat one does to suit what one is.

Upon graduating from DickinsonCollege, it was clear to an ambitiousand energetic John Bouton that his lifeshould be in the publishing industry.After turning an internship into a posi‑tion at Conde Nast, he found himselfworking in sales and advertising forGQ, Time, and Chief Executive maga‑zines, stepping up the ladder at eachplace. Living the corporate, urban lifein New York was a far cry from hischildhood as “the preppy son of apreppy flatlander,” but it was just thething for him nonetheless. Meeting alike‑minded woman in a class at New

York University only seemed tostrengthen the resolve to keep movingand shaking in the publishing world.Seven years into it, however, somethingchanged. The desire to be somethingelse arose, and in turn created thedesire to do something else – some‑thing more meaningful, which for Mr.Bouton meant teaching.

After a year at Teacher’s College,John and Carrie moved to the KentPlace School in New Jersey, where hetaught for three years. Carrie’s accep‑tance to Antioch College necessitated amove to the wilds of New Hampshire.At the same time, there arose in Mr.Bouton a “Thoreauvian impulse” tofind a simpler, more physically directway of living, and New Hampshireseemed just the place to do it. The chal‑lenge to connect physical skills andspiritual ones became a central one forMr. Bouton.

In the years that followed, he per‑formed quite a few jobs at Derryfield:teacher of World Civ and English,director of publications and develop‑ment, strategic planning, and, finally,department head. These would havebeen challenging changes for anyone,but they did not offer enough for Mr.Bouton, who also earned an M.A. from

Breadloaf in the summers. Thoreau stillbeckoned, however, and the last threeyears have seen him follow.

Two summers ago, to encourage andstrengthen his family’s love of animals,Mr. Bouton built a barn on an existingfoundation next to his house. He milledlumber from his own land and built itfrom the ground up. This summer, withhelp from Derryfield and the OceanClassroom Foundation, Mr. Bouton isgoing on two Outward Bound trips.The first is a sailing course on smallwhaling boats off the coast of Maine.The second is a maritime history courseon the 125' schooner Westward, whichwill see him sailing for two weeks inthe open ocean. He undertook both ofthese programs to “push physical lim‑its, and to spend time reflecting on ath‑letics and the body and what thatmeans for the spirit.”

Mr. Bouton’s is a journey throughimpulses. First doing, then being, andfinally choosing courses of action thatsuit who he is. While the skills he haspicked up along the way make himinto yet another Derryfield facultyRenaissance man, it is the lessons hehas learned that serve as a fine exam‑ple for the rest of us.

‑Tom Curley

John Bouton: Changing Roles With Changing Times

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE?


profileFaculty

2108 River Road Manchester, NH 03104-1396

A D D R E S S S E R V I C E R E Q U E S T E D

NON-PROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMANCHESTER, NHPERMIT NO. 290

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!The April 9th Derryfield Parents Association Auction, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was a

huge success. Chaired by Chris Cikacz and Edith Houlihan and held at C.R. Sparks, the

2005 Auction raised over $65,000 to go towards program needs for the School.

Parents of alumni: If your son or daughter no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the AdvancementOffice at 603.669.4524 of the correct mailing address. Thank you.

Derryfield Today, Spring 2005

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Transcript of Derryfield Today, Spring 2005