LREI News 2014

L e a d i n g P r o g r e s s i v e E d u c a t i o n S i n c e 1 9 2 1

newsSUMMER 2014

Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School | lrei.org

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newsSUMMER 2014

Letter From the DirectorDear LREI Community,

This summer’s LREI News shares with you just a glimpse of all that made the 2013-2014 school year such an exciting one. Last year saw the conclusion of our high school construction project (the building is now twice as big as when we started and filled with classrooms, labs, arts studios and meetings spaces where our 250 high school students can learn). The past school year saw a

variety of athletic and artistic victories and student activities of all types. And, of course, the year saw countless moments in classrooms, between friends, colleagues, teachers and students that helped all involved to better understand the world and to more effectively participate in it.

June also saw our largest alumni reunion ever, over 150 former students reconnected with LREI. So great to see you all. Over the course of two days we had graduates from as recently as the class of 2013 and as long ago as the class of 1945 return to the school to see old friends and to meet new ones. These “students” went to LREI some 70 years apart yet in so many ways their experiences were very much the same.

On these pages you will read about our progressive science program, our fantastic Afterschool division, and a number of individual stories about our passionate, engaged students. And, or course, no year-end publication would be complete without a celebration of commencement. We are so proud of our seniors and of their successes.

LREI is a vibrant educational community and I hope that this volume gives you a view of all that happens throughout the year.

Warmly,

IN THIS ISSUE4 INSIDE THE LAB

Experiments drive science learning

6 SUMMERS AT LREI Young artists take risks

6 ROOFTOP OASIS Student garden thriving

7 TIME AND THE CLASSROOM Faculty collaborate at Innovation Institute

8 GRADUATION 2014

11 LREI REIMAGINED Campus expansion is complete

12 MEET OUR NEW TRUSTEES

13 LOST ALUMNI Do you know these grads?

14 LREI IN THE WORLD Q&A with Surayya Diggs ’13

16 REUNION WEEKEND 2014

17 REMEMBERING PETE SEEGER

18 CLASS NOTES

19 CLASS OF 2032

COVER ART By Paris Adorno ’15 Pictured: Marcelo Jaimes-Lukes ’15 (left) and Ben Trachtenberg ’15 (right). This photo is one in a series of photographs Paris shot for her final photography project “Welcome to the Lake.” The series was inspired by the movies of filmmaker Wes Anderson.LREI NEWS DESIGN By Jessica Sokol MonacoPHOTOGRAPHYThank you to freelancephotographers: Briana Heard, Steve Neiman, Gil Rivera and Ted Rodriguez. LREI NEWS welcomes reader submissions. Send your article suggestions and photos to Director of Communications Lexie Clinton at [email protected] or by mail to the school’s address. We look forward to hearing from you!

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SoftballThe Varsity Girls Softball Team celebrated their second undefeated season and were regular season and playoff champions.

LREI athletes celebrate achievementsVICTORY!

Basketball All of this season’s Varsity Boys starters have played together since LREI Middle School, some since they were five years old. Varsity Girls placed second in the ISAL and won the playoffs, 7/8 Boys were DISC Tournament champions and 7/8 Girls went undefeated for the sixth year in a row.

Cross Country & TrackBoth the Boys and Girls Cross Country Team and the Boys and Girls Track Team won the ISAL Championships.

VolleyballThe Varsity Girls Volleyball Team were ISAL league and playoff champions and competed in the NYSAIS tournament.

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LOWER SCHOOLLower School students experience science as a hands-on discovery process. Through engaging projects and materials, they gain an excitement for and experience in the discipline. As they embark on these projects at each level, they cultivate the habits of mind of the scientist.

This spring, early childhood students observed seeds germinating into plants, caterpillars metamorphosing into butterflies and eggs transforming into chicks, all while taking careful observational drawings and notes at each stage. First graders tinkered with circuits, second graders tested out the strength of bridges made of Legos and cardboard, third graders operated pulleys, and fourth graders built and programmed robots to accomplish tasks, like playing cymbals, dunking a basketball or sweeping the classroom floor.

At every stage, they share, listen, ask questions and test hypotheses. Students move on to middle school with a mindset of inquiry and with real experiences of making things with their hands and seeing science happen before their eyes.

MIDDLE SCHOOL Science in the middle school has always been grounded in a spirit of inquiry,

collaboration and hands-on work. Through this course work, students discover key scientific concepts and principles and come to better understand the key habits of mind that define what it means to be a scientist. But how, middle school faculty asked, can we connect this inquiry to real questions and real purposes to develop not only young scientific minds, but, active and engaged citizens?

Teaming up with the Cloud Institute for Sustainability, middle school faculty embarked on their second year of redesigning the curriculum to include emerging scientific concepts and skills that are becoming essential tools for exploring and understanding our relationship with, and our responsibility to, the world.

Part of this work included creating a new set of narratives to define the middle school science experience that resonated with essential themes in our humanities program. Inquiry and learning are now better integrated. This is aligned with a larger divisional goal to view the subject areas as lenses through which students can investigate essential questions and topics that are interrelated.

Here is a sampling of these emerging narratives for each grade level >>>>>

INSIDE THE LABInquiry-based curriculum builds eager scientists

LREI NEWS | Summer 2014 5

HIGH SCHOOLThree high school students dreamed of going to space, but that was too far to travel over a long weekend. So, instead, they planned to launch a weather balloon carrying scientific equipment and a camera into the Earth’s stratosphere. This ambitious mission— dubbed “Project LEO” was a science honors project that juniors Alex Daley, Trust Martin, and Wally McLallen took on for two trimesters this past winter and spring. Honors projects at LREI are independent courses of study that extend beyond the normal scope of the curriculum and allow ambitious students to explore their passions under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

In addition to the three aspiring astronauts, junior Ben Trachtenberg signed on to do an honors project in which he would make a documentary about the Project LEO adventure.

The students worked with high school physics teacher Preethi Thomas to design and build the balloon and its capsule, which included GPS locators, weather sensors, and cameras. After passing the tests required to become certified ham radio operators, and receiving clearance for launch from the Federal Aviation Administration, their balloon was cleared for take off on Sunday, May 11, in Western Pennsylvania. The

spaceship reached a height of over 101,000 feet before the balloon and its payload, which took measurements of atmospheric pressure and temperature, as well as pictures and video, began its descent back to Earth.

Part way into the ship’s ascent, the students lost contact with it. Based on weather and wind patterns, they calculated the balloon’s possible path and determined the landing site was somewhere near Parkton, Md. They searched the area, but sadly the balloon appeared to be lost.

After two months of waiting, Alex received a phone call from a woman living on a farm in Parkton. She had found the Project LEO capsule on her farm, less than a mile from their original, calculated search area. Film crew in tow, Wally, Trust, and Alex where able to retrieve their data, and shared their pictures from 101,000 feet on their Twitter account @LREI_ProjectLEO. Project LEO defines what an honors project at a progressive high school should look like: student-centered, experiential, challenging, collaborative, creative, and fun.

5th GradeEVOLUTIONStudents develop an operating manual for our planet, beginning with the Big Bang. They wrestle with why Earth emerged, explore the parallel development of human culture and civilization and develop a deep understanding of how the Earth’s systems are balanced on an atomic level.

6th GradeINTERACTIONBuilding on their knowledge of the origins of Earth, sixth grade students examine the increasing complexities of Earth’s systems. Using a systems thinking approach, concepts of interaction, flow, movement within and across boundaries, conflict, compromise, and empathy define these investigations.

7th GradeTRANSFORMATIONA key theme of the seventh grade year is transformation, and through science, students explore the transformation of our natural world and the concurrent challenges of making our unsustainable practices sustainable. The Manhattan biome and the modern city serve as investigation subjects.

8th GradeSUSTAINABILITYAs a continuation of social justice work explored in humanities courses, students take on a compelling and personally relevant sustainability design project that is grounded in key scienctific concepts and connected more broadly. Students present projects and engage with LREI and local community members at the end of the year.

All of these ongoing redesign efforts seek to bring a new sense of meaning and purpose to the investigation of foundational ideas in biology, chemistry, earth science and physics. Come visit us in the lab!

The Project LEO spaceship captured this picture at 58,000 feet.

GPS tracking data shows that the students’ predicted flight path (yellow) was very close to the balloon’s actual path (blue).

View the full narratives at lrei.org/msscience.

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filled with rich planting soil, and several seasons to experiment with crops that fare well in a rooftop environment.

Now, the Charlton Street garden is successfully growing large grape vines, peas and fruit such as raspberries and strawberries. The garden’s oregano and sage have helped season dishes in the cafeteria and the rooftop roses have helped decorate tables for school events.

The urban farmers have experienced some challenges. Lettuce plants have flopped over in the dirt, carrots have been plucked too early, and the vegetable growing calendar works in the opposite direction of the school year, making planting and harvesting difficult to plan. Another challenge is surviving the summer heat. Because of their direct exposure

X-BLOCK

Urban agriculture class creates rooftop oasis

vegetables and flowers flourish.The student farmers

are members of the Urban Agriculture X-Block (electives), started three years ago with the help of faculty advisor and history teacher Peter Heinz. It took several seasons to build the garden into what it is today, a series of 4x8 raised plywood beds

SUMMERS AT LREI

Progressive program celebrates the artist withinWho’s the better pop artist, Warhol or Lichtenstein? Why are so many famous artists men? How would you paint a portrait if you didn’t have a paintbrush?

Inside art specialist Matt Mahler’s Summers at LREI studio, young artists participate in these types of discussions, in addition to working with clay and perfecting their painting skills. Building the engaged, contemporary artist is what Matt emphasizes most at the specialty camp for campers ages nine to 13 held at LREI’s Charlton Street Arts Pavilion.

Campers don’t only learn technique or observe great works of art, they talk about their meaning. “The art classroom provides a beautiful entry point for larger ideas to come into the conversation,” says Matt, a trained painter and working visual artist himself.

Open-ended assignments enforce this notion, calling for observation, experimentation and problem solving. For example, campers create their own versions of master art works, sculpt intricate self-portraits, and use non-art materials on canvas. “I encourage the kids to step out of their comfort zones and take risks with different materials,” Matt says.

Art Camp’s two-week sessions (one focused on Sculpture and Installation and the other on Drawing and Painting), allow campers to discover how to translate their artistic ideas through instructional and exploratory approaches, which is important at this transitional age level.

“Teaching techniques, along with reinforcing a positive attitude about the creative process can keep children interested in art,” Matt says.

Both sessions culminated with an open studio show where students presented their work to an audience of family and friends.

Matt will continue in the Afterschool Program this fall, teaching a number of art classes to different ages. View Matt’s work at MatthewJMahler.com.

The sweeping views of Midtown Manhattan will draw you out to the fifth floor balcony of the Charlton Street Math & Science Center, but the taste of the sweet, wild strawberries are sure to keep you coming back. Nestled in a quiet corner on the top floor of the high school is a student-run roof garden where fruits,

Matt has a B.F.A. in art education and a master’s degree in painting and is co-founder of Small Black Door, an experimental art space located in Ridgewood, Queens.


Time and the ClassroomFaculty use design thinking to find creative solutions

What do you get when you bring together faculty teams from each division and frame mission-focused inquiry around a design thinking framework?

You get our wildly successful inaugural Innovation Institute. For five days this summer, a diverse group of faculty came together to explore the concept of time and its impact on teaching and learning at LREI. With facilitation by two designers (@InquiringMonica and @playlabinc) from the School of Visual Arts Design for Social Innovation program, LREI educators explored how a design thinking mindset can be used to forward our mission through the cultivation of empathy connected to purposeful action. Within this framework, participants identified questions connected to problems whose solutions will have a positive institutional impact on our work and culture.

Design thinking, as explained by Tom and Dave Kelley in their book Creative Confidence, combines “empathy for the context of a problem, creativity in the generation of insights and solutions, and rationality in analyzing and fitting various solutions to the problem context.”

Throughout the Institute, participants worked on division-specific projects and engaged across divisions to discover connections that are essential to LREI as a 14-year institution. For example, faculty prototyped a variety of solutions addressing

the creative use of time and space, support for student-driven inquiry, and ways to enhance teacher collaboration.

The Institute also provided valuable time for colleagues to explore and learn together in ways that are central to the mission of the school. The Innovation Institute is one tangible outgrowth of the school’s Strategic Plan and the community is eager to explore its continued development and evolution as a learning space for LREI faculty.

“Like our students, we can take risks to move our work forward,” said Innovation Institute organizer and Middle School Principal Mark Silberberg. “The design thinking approach pushes us toward high frequency and low amplitude change efforts. It is a cultural shift and much needed for us to move towards fast prototyping of ideas and away from getting stuck just talking about process.”

to the sun, the plants need at least two heavy soakings a week—a challenge when school is on summer break.

When the Urban Agriculture X-Block returns this fall, one of the goals is to focus on sustainability in the LREI community. The idea is to take leftover food waste from the cafeteria and convert it into compost soil rich with microbes. On top of reducing the school’s overall waste output, the compost creates a healthier living soil, which can grow better crops.

According to Peter, consistent student involvement and a commitment from the community can make a compost sustainability system successful at LREI.

The farmers also hope to explore indoor growing in terrariums and take field trips to other urban farms.

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Graduation

2014

I am so glad to know this class, my last senior class at LREI, and it is a pleasure to ‘graduate’ with you today. Be good, be strong, stay encouraged, and thank you for all you have left the school.”

–Ruth Jurgensen, High School Principal

Have a plan, but don’t plan on sticking to it. Embrace happy accidents. The unintended often times has the most wonderful outcomes. That is the magical part of the artistic process.”

–James French, High School Art Teacher


I’ve never met more talented, smart and outright amazing people than the ones I’ve known at LREI.”

–Emmett Dienstag ’14

The Class of 2014 does not plan to settle and get comfortable. We plan to continue to expand, grow and to continue to dominate.”

–Nyasa Hendricks ’14

Your challenge is to look for those moments in your lives when you can blossom along with others, completing the beauty of others. Don’t wait for these moments to come to you by chance.”

–Phil Kassen, Director

Since the very first day that I stepped into LREI as a parent, and then as I got to know LREI even better as a trustee, I have suffered from a case of mild, and then more serious, envy. A case of persistent wondering… ‘Wow. What would have it been like to go to school here?’”

–Amy Zimmerman, Board Chair

See where our 2014 grads are going to college.


WE’VE GOT BIGGER PLANS AHEADRead about them in our new Strategic Plan at lrei.org/strategic_plan

SOME OF OUR PROGRAM ADDITIONS• Electives in all

subject areas

• Two levels of Mandarin

• Advanced math sections

• Swim Team

• 3-D Arts Program

• Wind Ensemble

Six hundred fifty! 650! DCL! No matter how you write it, LREI is fully enrolled. It has been a long time coming but our construction is over and all grades, preK-12, are full. Over the past few years the most significant growth has been in the high school, where we have increased from 45 students per grade to 60+ students per grade—the culmination of many years’ hard work and focus by a large number of LREI community members. The incoming ninth grade has 67 members, almost evenly split between students rising from our middle school and students coming from other schools. The students rising from LREI’s eighth grade represent approximately 75 percent of last year’s oldest middle school group. Those students who are coming from other schools were selected from 240 applicants, coming to us from 25 schools. Good luck class of 2018!

This growth has been made possible by the phased expansion of our Charlton Street campus. Over the past six years we have more than doubled the size of the high school building adding two science labs, math rooms, a variety of arts rooms, seminar rooms, an alumni and conference room, student spaces and an enlarged and renovated theater. In addition, there are now a variety of indoor and outdoor gathering spaces for small groups of students to work. In addition to the enlargement of the high school we renovated all of the middle school classrooms and a number of lower school spaces. (Stay tuned for our newest lower school addition, a dedicated lower school science lab, debuting this September!)

Growing out of the school’s last strategic plan, and as envisioned by past board chair Michael Patrick ’71, the impetus for enlarging the high school was to ensure the long-term viability of LREI as a 14-year, three division institution. In addition, a high school of 240 students has allowed for significant growth and variety in our academic and co-curricular program. With the growth that the high school has experienced in the past few

LREI ReimaginedExpansion plan adds more students, facilities and program offerings

years we have added a variety of electives in all subject areas, two levels of Mandarin, advanced mathematics sections, an expanded 3-D art program, a wind ensemble to our longstanding jazz band, a swim team, and much, much more. While the student body is unlikely to grow significantly in the future, there will continue to be targeted additions to the program in response to student interest and faculty expertise.

Undoubtedly the most important component of our growth has been the opportunity to add so many fantastic, intellectually engaged, passionate students to the ranks of our high school grades. Our high school students, as do their 400 lower and middle division schoolmates, give life to the school’s mission and allow us to honor our heritage as a leading progressive school.

Now that we are a full school of 650 students in the Fours-Twelfth grade, what does it mean for the institution? Were the authors of LREI’s 2003 Strategic Plan correct in having the growth of the school’s population be the centerpiece of the plan? Without question. A full school—filled with hard working, creative, thoughtful students who are actively engaged in activities that help them to better understand the world—is a vibrant, generative community. A school filled with families who see LREI as their child’s educational home through graduation allows our talented faculty to focus on program development and on sharing our progressive ideals with colleagues from other institutions. LREI is in a terrific position to continue to grow and to refine what it means to be a progressive school in the 21st Century. Thank you to all—students, faculty/staff, alumni, parents, trustees—who have made this growth possible.

2007Purchase of townhouse adjacent to high school building at 40 Charlton Street

2008Remodeling of middle school classrooms, Construction begins at Charlton Street

2009Renovation of third grade classrooms, Charlton Street lobby and science lab

2010Charlton Street expansion—new student center, college guidance office, admissions office, music suite, faculty offices, seminar room,Greening of second grade classrooms, new Sixth Avenue Cafeteria floor

2012Charlton Street Arts Pavilion opening—new digital film lab, art studios, seminar rooms, learning center, alumni archive

2013Charlton Street Science & Math Center groundbreaking

2014All projects complete

TIMELINE

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Meet our

NEW TRUSTEESDawn Eig is a stay-at-home mom who maintains an active role at LREI. She volunteers regularly for LREI school events and serves as an Annual Fund co-chair and as a lower school PA coordinator. In a diverse former career in finance, Dawn worked for a variety of firms, including Merrill Lynch, Credit Agricole Indosuez in Brazil, and Standard and Poor’s Investment Advisory Services group. After her mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2009, Dawn took on the role of affiliate coordinator for the NYC Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Dawn earned her B.A. in psychology from University of Colorado at Boulder. She has an MBA from Pepperdine University. She and her husband Andy live in Chelsea with their son Oliver, 10, and daughter Lucy, 5.

Tamar (Gargle) Krakowiak ’88 has over 20 years of journalism experience and is currently the Director of Graphics Operations at ABC News. She oversees graphics technology and manages the artists who create the packaging and information graphics seen on the ABC News broadcasts “World News with Diane Sawyer,” “Good Morning America,” “20/20” and “Nightline.” She also plays an active role in breaking news coverage. Tamar began her career assisting famed Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein, moving on to ABC in 1993, where she has held several production roles in the network’s news, special events and graphics

departments. She has covered 12 national elections and has received a variety of prestigious awards. Tamar attended LREI from the Fours through the Eighth Grade and graduated from Kenyon College. Her father Alan Gargle is a 1946 Elisabeth Irwin graduate and a former trustee. She and her husband Thomas have one son, Cameron, a member of the class of 2020.

María Gutiérrez has been working for the past 14 years with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat and other UN organizations. She started working in the Adaptation, Technology and Science Program at the secretariat’s office in Bonn, Germany, a role in which she continues. Her work entails supporting negotiations on forests and land use in the context of the Kyoto Protocol and the Climate Change Convention. María has her PhD in Anthropology from the Graduate Center, CUNY, and is a current board member and chair of the Center’s Visiting Committee of the Advanced Research Collaborative. In the past, she has taught human ecology and cultural anthropology at Fordham University and Lehman College and worked at the Museum of Natural History. María was born in Mexico in a first-generation family of Spanish immigrants. She lives with her husband Gabriel Orozco and their 9-year-old son Simón, five minutes away from LREI – which means they are always late to school.

Wilnelia Gutierrez is a graduate of New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service where she earned a Master of Public Administration with a specialization in non-profit management. Wilnelia currently serves as chief of staff to the Dean at Liberal Studies at NYU. A native of the Dominican Republic, Wilnelia has lived in New York City most of her life. She is the mother of Zariel, 9, and Luis Jr., 3. Wilnelia has been an active member of the LREI community since 2009. She served as co-chair of LREI’s Parents of Children of Color Committees for two years and will be co-chairing the Annual Fund for the third year.

John Maloney is an established New York-based startup entrepreneur, angel investor and advisor. John was most recently Tumblr’s President and managed the company from a two-person startup to a $1.1 billion acquisition in 2013. Prior to Tumblr, John was co-founder/CEO of UrbanBaby (acq. 2006). Past experiences include Endeavor Agency training program and Touchstone Pictures. John is currently an investor in dozens of startups and acts as an advisor/board member to numerous companies and founders. An active speaker and industry supporter, John is a TechStars NY mentor and was named to the 2013 Silicon Alley 100 list. John was a member of 2012 Tech for Obama Re-election Committee. John lives and bikes daily in New York City with his wife Susan, daughter Claire, 17, and son Beckett, 12.


1945Barbara Sykes CohenMary Jane CrawfordRobert DonawaRacquel Klein DowagerRobert EscoettFred FisherJay FrancisCharles KaplanPatricia Frank KatzDelores KempnerMartha MeekerJoan Grudin SpectorJune Thayer

1950Dr. Richard Atkinson Myra Gould BadiaHerbert BruchMadge GellmanKent GordisAnita Carlin GreisdorfSusan L. HarrisRobert RibackMaureen Wellen SchwartzSusan Schoenbaum SmithShulamith SpeevackJacob ToddMacGregor Wales

1955John BeauchampPosey BlackAnne BloodgoodRochelle FortgangDena Fox YverElizabeth Grossman HammondJoan MathewsMichael PhillipsPaul RosofskyBarbara StreetNancy Kurz VoynowLinda White Wilson

1960Sandra Tyler ClarkeGail FoilJohn HammondPenny HaysRoger LevinAlice Rosenfeld PerezVera Tinsley-SpragginsMark M. WeinsteinJoshua WhiteLafayette WoodPeter Zorach

1965Kenneth AltmanLeonard BartonClaudie Chaneles BenjaminPeter GallwayPamela GilfondJohn J. McSorleyJoshua Rosenberg

Ronni Solman RushtonJulian Zukmann

1970Steven Friedlander AndersonGrace Cummings GunningCharles DavidmanJoyce FisherJonathan GibbsMike GreeneJudith MeyersSteven MorrisMichael MurrayNancy Pelvin

1975Susan AaronJoAnn Berman Amy BibbJeffrey CylkowskiJoseph DiamondTerence GoodwinDevorah HahnDavid HymanWilliam LenihanLeslie MarksJessica MillerNicholas MorganDavid B. SandersRobin SapersteinRebecca SchilitAugusta ScribnerGene SeidmanEllen Marie SimonRegina SterlinTina Wood

1980Mark AbelmanLaura AndersonSam AptKatharin Barr HogenTrish DowneyMark Feldman Jill GewirtzArthur GoelmanKim HalpernAndrea Rosen Jacobson Terry McGarryLaura PatrickSeth RuffinsJanet SobelJoshua Wright

1985Rachel AxinnJamil BlackmonKristin BogdanoffNina ChristopherCecelia CruseKristin Harpster C. Elizabeth HollisterAlexandra LawrenceStephanie Hunt MaHayato MatsushitaAdam Powers

Marc SchvartzOrianne SharirSean SilleckGregg P. SteinAllison TimmonsDiane Wallach

1990Camara AlfordManya du HoffmannJoy FortuneSamuel KingstonSusana LlanioRandy LowensteinMatthew Pitta

1995Zara FernandesJennifer FungRuby GaynorNatalie Lozada Jide MorrisDavid PiscatelliCorey RandCatherine Berke SchulmanSusannah ShepherdLynn TrueRussell Wimberly

2000Macky Bergman ClarkCole BrennerMara TischlerKevin CorteseJesse GrossmanJanelle HughesJodie Ince Tim Jones-YelvingtonJeremy KohnJacob KrupnickErik LindbergRoxanne MarieNicole MarxAlixandra MathiosAndrea PollackAlex SareyaniAvinash SinghEmma Smith-StevensSophia SolowayStephanie LauKatherine Torn

2005Alphonzo DanielBrandon DawsonJanel FrazierHannah JocelynMatthew LevinsonMeredith MartinBibeane MetschYana Teitel

2010Anthony M. Edwards-DewaldManolo Gonzalez VergaraSteven P. Wolff

Lost Reunion Year AlumniAt LREI Reunion 2015, the school will celebrate classes ending in fives and zeros. Below is a list of alumni with whom LREI has lost touch. Contact our Advancement staff with information you have about these alumni at [email protected] or 212-477-5316, ext. 291.

Tim Merjos ’80, a lifelong New Yorker, has worked in the advertising business as a producer of TV commercials for over 25 years. He currently heads up the New York office of production company MJZ, and works with some of the most high-profile brands in the world. Tim also stays very involved with LREI. He is currently president of the Alumni Council, and has served as co-chair of the Annual Fund. Down time is often spent on weekend excursions with his daughter or at his cabin in the Berkshires. His daughter, eighth grader Rose, is one of a handful of third generation students who have attended the school.

Ceci Van Blerkom was born in Lima, Peru, and moved to the United States with her family at age 13. She attended the Tulane School of Architecture where she graduated with honors in 1996. After practicing architecture for over 12 years, she embarked on a new path as a food stylist. Her work can be seen in a variety of food magazines, cookbooks and advertisements. Ceci lives in Chelsea with her husband Larry and their two children. As an active member of the LREI parent community since 2008, she has served on numerous committees and been a class parent several times. For the past two years, she chaired the Parent Association’s Halloween Committee. Ceci is very much looking forward to her new role as co-president of the PA.

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Beyond being the most populous country in the world, why is China an important organic food market?Globally, consumers are concerned about pesticides and will pay more for organic food, so farmers in China see an economic advantage to maintaining an all-organic farm. China first became the world’s leader in organic agriculture in 2006 and Qimei helped supply vegetables for the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing. Even though there’s a high demand for organic foods, there is not a lot of farmable land per capita in China, so by helping the farmers maximize the space they already have to produce the highest yields, we can help them succeed.

You attended LREI beginning in kindergarten and grew up with an urban school experience. How did you develop a passion for farming?During my junior year at LREI, I spent a semester abroad studying at the Island

What led you to apply for an agriculture internship in rural China?Even before I began studying international agriculture and rural development at Cornell, I was interested in maximizing yields for farmers in developing nations. I have traveled to poorer regions in the past, most recently Ethiopia and Brazil, and I wanted to be able to do hands-on development work in a foreign country.

You’ll be doing �eld research for Qimei Co., an organic vegetable company. What will your work entail?Qimei gives farmers the opportunity to grow crops and then sell them back to the company for a profit. My role will be helping the farmers. I will be doing tests on soil quality as well as cover crops to see how they can improve soil quality. The goal is to directly help the farmers maximize the quality and quantity of the crops they produce.

WHERE SHE IS NOWSpending her summer working on an organic farm in Handan, China, as part of her major in international agriculture and rural development at Cornell University.

LREI in the World

Surayya Diggs ’13 and LREI Lifer


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For part of her research, Surayya conducted interseeding tests on crops.

Surayya transporting manure with a Qimei company worker on a farm in China.

Meeting with company leaders at the Hebei Qimei Agriculture Science and Technology Co, Ltd. headquarters in HeiBei, China. From left: Surayya, fellow intern Mahi, Cornell Professor Robin Bellinder, Qimei CEO and co-founder Yuqi Zhao, Cornell Professor Jane Mt. Pleasant and her daughter

School in the Bahamas. LREI was very supportive of me going, and I was able to earn school credits while I was there. For part of my time in the Bahamas, I did a group farming project where we had to build a farm from scratch in an area where soil was very poor. A lot of the land is limestone, but with careful planning we were able to get a grant for a backhoe to water the plants. Within two days we saw plants starting to grow. I was the only one in my group who hadn’t done farming before, but I liked how the farming process made me think critically and ask the right questions. The process of problem solving and the freedom to do my own thing definitely came from my experiences at LREI.

After returning to LREI from your study abroad experience, how did academic work in�uence your decision to pursue farming in college?I took a human rights class my senior year

that was very influential. It taught me notions such as everyone has the right to food and the right to water. That’s really what I want to work towards with my agriculture major, creating an equal playing field for everyone.

You mentioned that your agriculture program at Cornell is not only focused on crops and yields. Describe some of the other areas you are studying.Last semester I took a class called “Perspectives in International Agriculture and Rural Development” where we talked about the best ways for developing countries to progress. My favorite aspect ended up being something I studied in my feminism class at LREI, gender. We looked at gender and how it affects poverty. Several studies showed that when a woman is uneducated, her kids are more likely to be malnourished and that educating women could really improve these poor countries’ overall health.

I identify as a feminist, so it was exciting to be able to connect something I’m passionate about with my concentration.

What are your goals for your next three years at Cornell and beyond?Immediately after college, I want to join the Peace Corps or do a Fulbright Scholarship. My goal is to improve food supplies in developing countries, but I’m not sure what ultimately that will look like. One thing I know is I want to work at an organization that cares about developing countries. Too often in my field of study, organizations are focused on rich countries and profits.

Go to lrei.org/intheworld for more Q&As with LREI alumni.

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Reunion Weekend

2014Over 150 graduates, faculty and friends across many LREI generations came together this spring for the school’s 29th Annual Alumni Reunion Weekend, held May 30-31. Young alumni filled our Alumni and Student Networking Luncheon and Young Alumni Cocktail Reception on Friday evening, while alumni from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s reminisced at the alumni-led Pete Seeger Music Tribute (see opposite page) and toured the freshly completed Charlton Street Arts Pavilion and Science & Math Center. During the distinguished alumni reception, the Alumni Council honored Richard Eady ’79, Kindergarten Teacher Luise Halady and Receptionist Cheryl Reid.

50th Reunion Class of 1964

Distinguished Alumnus Richard Eady ’79

(Right) Honorary Alumnae Luise Haladay, Kindergarten Teacher

Three Generations of LREI: Alan Gargle ’46, daughter Tamar (Gargle) Krakowiak ’88, and grandson Cameron Krakowiak, current LREI seventh grader.


LREI students grow up singing Pete Seeger’s songs, so when alumni learned about his death, they began planning a celebration of his legacy with a sing-along for LREI Reunion 2014.

A musically talented group of alumni—Mickey Vandow ’57, Eric Weissberg ’57, Peter Spelman ’64, Joe Solomon ’64, Joshua Gallup (spouse of Josie Segal Gallup ’64), Max Vazquez ’69 and Eytan Mirsky ’79—performed a range of songs, from the Pete classics “Down By the Riverside” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” to more personal picks like “Guantanamera,” a Cuban song Pete sang that touched Max, who arrived at Little Red in the 1950s not knowing a word of English.

Pete’s songs have been a fixture at LREI since the 1940s when the legendary folksinger, who lived nearby in the Village, would visit lower school music classes at Little Red. Students sang some of the first versions of Pete’s biggest hits, including, “If I Had a Hammer” and “We Shall Overcome.”

Mickey and Eric, now both professional musicians, were two of the students influenced by Pete. “Pete invited us come to his house on MacDougal Street on Saturday mornings. We were about six [years old] then,” Eric told the crowd at the sing-along. “He had guests who joined him. We listened to Lead Belly. We listened to Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston and Sonny Terry.”

Beyond his music, the essence of Pete’s message lives on at LREI. Susan Glass, LREI music teacher and choral director who was part of a 1986 concert in which LREI students performed with Pete at a sold-out Carnegie Hall, sees it every day in her class. “What makes this school’s relationship to Pete Seeger so special is that to this day, we are all, children and adults, committed to working for social change,” Susan said.

Performing for PeteAlumni host Reunion sing-along honoring folksinger

Visit lrei.org for upcoming events throughout the year.

9/17Young Alumni Cocktail Party 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.Charlton Street Courtyard

9/23Alumni Council Meeting6:30 - 8:30 p.m.Alumni Archive Room


11/26Young Alumni Brunch(Classes 2011-2014)10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.Charlton Street Cafeteria

1/8Alumni College Panel6:30 p.m.Charlton Street PAC

1/9Alumni Basketball Game 6:30 p.m.Thompson Street Gym



6/5 – 6/6Reunion WeekendCelebrating classes ending in fives and zeros

6/24Alumni Council Meeting6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

2014–2015Alumni Calendar Save the Date!

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Joan Fields Berg ’45 reports that she is happily living with her husband Jerry in an assisted living community in West Hartford, Conn., where they enjoy movies, poker and meals in the dining room with their fellow residents.

Bob Weinberg ’45, a founding partner of Washington-based law firm Williams & Connolly, continues to teach criminal procedure at the University of Virginia and George Washington University. He reports that the class of 1945 is still “very close.”

After reading the Summer 2013 LREI News, Judith Garb Kaleko ’46 wrote in. “So nice to see those four handsome men from the Class of ‘45 in LREI News. They were just one year ahead of me! What a grand time it was!”

Leila Blum Alexander ’48 is happily retired and enjoys going to concerts and the theatre, taking courses and traveling. “I have nine grandchildren and am hoping someone will make me a great grandmother while I still have strength to run around!”

Anne Epstein McWilliams ’49 is still singing with two choruses, Vukani Mawethu and the Berkeley Community Chorus, taking ceramics classes, and enjoying her three daughters and sons-in-law, six grandsons and two great-grandkids.

CLASS NOTESAn essay written by Michael Sperber ’49, “John Milton Cage, Henry David Thoreau & the Sound Music Paradigm Shift,” appeared in the Thoreau Society Bulletin. Another piece, “John Williams’ Stoner: Guilt, Shakespeare & Sisyphus” appeared in Psychiatric Times.

Poet, playwright and opera librettist Ilsa Gilbert ’51 shared her affection for LREI. “I enjoyed all my years (from 6s through high school) going to school at LREI. It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

“I always think of Little Red with great affection!” writes Luba Kaplan Paz ’53.

F. Carter Bancroft ’54, a retired faculty member of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is now teaching physics in an adult education program at Stony Brook University. He lives in Huntington, N.Y., and enjoys taking improv and Shakespeare classes and playing tennis and softball.

Bill Rothman ’55 reports he is “working on progressive issues,” including encouraging consumers to avoid buying products from companies lobbying against GMO labeling.

Vicki Cobb ’56 science author, LREI alum, grandmother of twelfth grader Ben Trachtenberg, was recently reposted by Diane Ravitch in a blog posting titled “Putting the Joy of Learning Back Into the Classroom.”

Judith Ogull Kenedy ’58 is enjoying her southwest lifestyle in Albuquerque and still makes the occasional trip to NYC.

Stephen A. Wandner ’58 is working as an independent economic consultant. He is a visiting fellow at the Urban Institute and a visiting scholar at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

Sandra Hoeh ’59 is enjoying retirement by staying active in her Hanover, N.H., community and traveling to Belmont, Vt., where she spends time with fellow LREI alumni.

Emmy Barish Josephs ’59 is enjoying practicing massage therapy after 31 years in the profession. “I am going to retire when I can no longer move!”

Josie Segal Gallup ’64 writes from the West Coast that her husband Joshua is retired and she is working as a psychoanalyst. “I still love and think about my EI classmates and look forward to our next gathering!”

All’s well in the Village for Jill Rubin Kron ’65. “Looking forward to planning our 50th (yikes!). Need help from anyone and everyone (June ‘15 for those weaker math students).”

Ellen Blutman Bien ’66 is “looking forward to 50th reunion in 2016!”

Marcia Cohen ’68 published a text “Empowering Workers and Clients: A Contemporary Reader in Organizational Change Practice” with Lyceum Press and is an academic advisor for students pursuing masters in social work.

“I have reached some sort of détente with retirement,” writes Linda J. Spector ’68, who

In MemoriamMorton Benjamin ’40Ann Wiseman ’40Stephen Prigozy ’48Barbara Spector Karr ’49Marc Merson ’49Hugh Thurschwell ’49Andrew Goldstein ’52Frank Fuchs ’65 Alan (Felix) Schaefer ’68 Elisabeth “Liz” Whelan ’73 F. Coit Johnson II, former LREI Director (1968-1975)

We can help you design a gift that fits your personal financial and philanthropic goals and has a lasting impact on LREI. With your legacy gift, LREI will proudly recognize you as a member of the Elisabeth Irwin Heritage Society. Contact the Office of Advancement at 212-477-5316 to learn more.

Before you make your next gift, consider creating a lasting legacy for LREI.

SUPPORTLittle Red School House &

Elisabeth Irwin High School students by endowing

a scholarship fund.

ENSUREthat your annual

support to LREI will continue

in perpetuity.

BENEFITfrom an estate tax

deduction by naming your school in your will or living trust.


Elizabeth Carper Calabrese, daughter of Lower School Teacher Alston Calabrese, born May 3.

Emilio James Hernandez, son of Lower School Teacher Tasha Hernandez, born November 15.

May Leonte Yeskel, daughter of High School English Teacher Heather Brubaker, born March 31.

Class of

2032The littlest faces of LREI! Faculty and staff welcome new babies this year.Felix Emil Keimig, son of

High School English Teacher Chris Keimig, born April 4.

Reed Asher Brewer, grandson of Human Resources and Business Manager Tema Tischler, born May 1.

Ava Lily Hall, granddaughter of Administrative Assistant/Receptionist Cheryl Reid, born February 10.

Ezra Farkas, son of Director of Technology Jacob Farkas, born October 27.

Gray Fox Portella, son of Middle School Dean of Students and Programs Frank Portella and former Middle School Math Teacher Ana Fox Chaney, born September 10.

misses working with children and teachers. She now volunteers at Mott Children’s Hospital and is co-chair of volunteer services for the University Musical Society Advisory Committee.

Ronald Balter ’76 was honored as District Representative of the Year by the New York State Bar Association’s Tort Insurance Compensation Law Section.

Rosa Silver-Russell ’82 recently moved to Portland and wants to reconnect with classmates for a reunion.

Paula Davis-Mulderrig ’84 writes from California that she is still booking guests for Conan O’Brien and enjoying life with her husband Kevin and two sons. “Grateful for my happy life and sweet family and missing NYC always.”

“Thanks for everything,” says Adrienne Zabriskie ’84. “Wishing I could give my kid exactly what I got from LREI. Still trying!”

Emi Resnick ’87 is playing violin all over Europe and has two young boys.

Teacher Nina Rich ’87 spent the past eight years teaching early childhood education. In 2012 she received her M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College and now teaches pre-K at the Horace Mann School.

Daniel Borok ’94 married Abbe Franchot last June in Chatham, Mass.

Ama Birch ’95 moved from Chicago to Alaska to work for the Democratic Party.

Jenna Samotin ’02 writes, “My experience at LREI continues to inspire me as an educator, an artist and a member of my community!”

Garrett Bradley ’03 Garrett’s first feature length film, Below Dreams made its world premiere at the TriBeCa Film Festival. Garrett lives and works in New Orleans.

Phillip Ellison ’05 was recently a director of Reshma Saujani’s race for New York City Public Advocate. After working for President Obama’s campaign, fundraising, and urban education (City Year), he is now at Tufts University studying political science, leadership and Africana studies.

After being campaign manager on Ben Kallos’s successful New York City Council race, Jesse Towsen ’08 was named Kallos’s chief of staff, making him the Council’s youngest chief of staff.

ALUMNI! Send us pictures of the new additions to your family at [email protected].

Nathan Samuel Hearst, son of Kelly Eudailey, former Associate Director of Afterschool and faculty yoga teacher, born December 31.

Amira Marie Jevicki, daughter of Afterschool and Summers at LREI faculty member Adrian Jevicki, born March 8.

Maya Sydney Amado, daughter of Lower School Teacher Rebecca Amado, born November 24.

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Here’s what our community “liked” most on our Instagram account this year. Follow us and tag your shots @lrei, @lreilowerschool and @lreicollegeoffice.

❤ 45 likesCongratulations, Fourth Grade! You are moving on up to LREI Middle School!

❤ 58 likesYour LREI Class of 2014 showing off where they’re off to next year! #lrei14

❤ 52 likesMoving Up filling the sidewalk on Bleecker Street as eighth graders step out as high schoolers!

❤ 46 likesCan you catch a kindergartener? #fieldday

❤ 47 likesCongratulations LREI Robotics! Big wins today. High School Team: First Place Alliance Award and First Runner Up Innovation Award!

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LREI News 2014

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Transcript of LREI News 2014