curiosity stepping into the classrooms far brook`s

REPORTS
VOLUME XXVI SUMMER 2013
FOR FAR BROOK ALUMNI & FAMILIES NEAR & FAR
CURIOSITY
The Creative Spark of Science
STEPPING INTO
THE CLASSROOMS
A Photo Tour of Nursery Through
Eighth Grade
FAR BROOK’S
PROGRESSIVE ROOTS
Head of School Amy Ziebarth’s
Education Night Remarks
REPORTS
VOLUME XXVI SUMMER 2013
18 Graduates / 20 Events / 24 Development / 27 Alumni News / 33 Faculty News / 35 We Remember
4
12
16
CONTENTS
4
CURIOSITY
The Creative Spark of Science
12
STEPPING INTO THE CLASSROOMS
16
FAR BROOK’S PROGRESSIVE ROOTS
A Photo Tour of Nursery Through Eighth Grade
Head of School Amy Ziebarth’s Education
Night Remarks
Editors
Jennifer Barba
Helen Kaplus
Editorial Assistants
Peggy Fawcett
Janice O’Shea
Principal Photographers
Emma Banay
Jim Benz
Michelle Bradley
Ann DeCamp
Stephen Giordano
Todd Goodman
Julie Hack
Emi Ithen
Helen Kaplus
Penny Sokolowski
Megan Wetherall
William Winburn
A MESSAGE TO FAR BROOK ALUMNI AND FAMILIES
ANOTHER INCREDIBLE YEAR HAS COME TO A CLOSE AT FAR BROOK. During the last month
alone, I have witnessed the depth and breadth of a Far Brook education in events and activities that
reflect months of work as well as year-long themes: the Middle Ages, Ancient Greece, Child and Universe,
Choral and Instrumental Music Nights, and the Eighth Graders’ emotional, humorous, and always-inspiring
graduation speeches, followed by The Tempest.
In the spirit of creativity and wonder, we are presenting this annual issue of Reports in color for the
first time, so appropriate for a school filled with vivid experiences. You can see the students’ artwork in
rich and vibrant tones. Below you see the stage backdrop, designed and painted by the students for
Harmonia, the new winter celebration. Look for the colors in the garden and the Wetlands Habitat, the
“Far Brook red” of the buildings, and the vibrant classroom energy in science, math, English, literature,
and history.
You will read within these pages some of the science presentations faculty shared with parents this spring,
outlining the thread of scientific inquiry, questioning, and creative problem-solving woven throughout the
School. At the end of my third year, I am still struck by the multi-layered teaching that takes place, and how the
arts deepen and enrich the learning experience for all.
Also in this issue are exciting plans for Far Brook’s campus. Our architects, Centerbrook, have shared their
vision – with considerable input from faculty – with the parents for dramatically improving the facilities in music,
art, woodshop and science, and sports. We are moving forward and we will update the community in the
coming months. I hope you enjoy this edition of Reports and welcome your feedback. The pictures and articles tell much of
our story, and what a tale we have to tell. The Alumni News portion reveals next steps for our graduates as
they move throughout their lives. The range of schools, colleges, majors, multiple degrees, and careers is great
reading. Thank you for joining us in this journey that is Far Brook School. Send us news of your adventures. We
love to hear from you.
WARMLY,
AMY ZIEBARTH
Head of School
Student-created art hung
on Moore Hall stage for
Harmonia 2012.
“SCIENCE IS A CREATIVE
search for
order and harmony in the universe...our woods,
fields, brook, and marsh are a continuous
laboratory...No child is too young for science.
The subject matter lies in their daily
experience and follows their exploration in
“
the natural environment.
From Far Brook Founding Director Winifred Moore’s The Roots of Excellence.
In physical science class, Eighth Graders
prepare a sample for fractional distillation to
determine the properties of a mixed liquid.
CURIOSITY:
THE CREATIVE SPARK OF SCIENCE
O
n the evening of February 13, 2013, parents
gathered in Moore Hall for Transition Night,
a time when they get a sense of what the
next year will hold for their children. Six Far
Brook teachers shared their vision of teaching scientific
inquiry and problem-solving skills through myriad creative
experiences in the classrooms. From Nursery through the
Eighth Grade, these experiences are woven throughout
a Far Brook child’s daily life in intriguing and thoughtful
ways.
HERE IS A GLIMPSE OF
THE FACULTY PRESENTATION,
ENTITLED “CURIOSITY.“
1
AN OVERVIEW: EMMA BANAY – SCIENCE TEACHER,
FIFTH – EIGHTH GRADES
It is a pleasure to hear every day in the questions
your children ask the ingenuity, inquisitiveness, and
unexpected insight with which they approach their world.
It is a privilege and responsibility to give students the
experimental framework, habits of mind, and the tools
necessary to, rather than simply be told the answers,
discover them for themselves.
Anyone who has visited the Middle School science lab
knows that, on the wall by the door, the “Question Parking
Lot” is teeming with the questions that students conjure
up during science class. Often unrelated to the current
unit, questions gather as proof of our students’ constant
curiosity about and engagement with their world. A
sampling of the current selection, students wonder:
4Could you completely re-grow a bone if you lost more
than half of it?
4Why do your ears hurt on a plane?
4How can the brain gather memory?
4What makes flowers keep their color?
Our primary purpose over the course of the Nursery
through Eighth Grade science program is to create
students who love science. Whatever aspect excites their
interest, from mold to molecules, our job is to uncover it.
By the time they graduate, our goal is to develop students
who are able to channel their lively and wide-ranging
interests into self-directed, independent inquiry, where
the application of prior knowledge, a robust experimental
method, mathematics-integrated data analysis, and
reasoning skills are second nature.
CURIOSITY / 5
In the younger grades, science class focuses on skills like
observation, classification and sorting, pattern-recognition,
and prediction-making. Open-ended and structured
exploration, indoors and outdoors in the Wetlands Habitat,
garden, or playground, enlivens children to the world
around them and increases their exposure to phenomena
and organisms that excite their curiosity and interest.
In Middle School, students become proficient in the
experimental method. They develop hypotheses and
perform and create experiments; they collect data and
learn how to best represent it, creating a strong math/
science integration. It is not uncommon to hear a surprised
Fifth or Sixth Grader ask whether they are in science or
math class.
In Junior High, students are increasingly asked to apply
the skills they have acquired. While still guided in more
traditional experiments, there are more opportunities
for them to create their own. As independence in
experimentation increases, so, too, does the burden of
explaining how and why things happen. They learn to
write explanations and formal lab reports that are not only
accurate but deep, thoughtful, and meaningful.
2
JOAN ANGELO – FIRST GRADE TEACHER
Our Core Curriculum in First Grade is Patterns, and
specifically, Patterns in Nature. As students try to define the
term, they tend to use examples. [Branches are … ] “Well
– like the trees outside” or “Look! On my arm, I have a
branch.” Around the room there are books and photos,
and children begin to make the connections. They begin
to wonder and question. They want to know why deer
antlers branch out and not goat horns, why snowflakes
all have six branches, why a tree stretches out. Someone
remembers when they studied butterflies in Kindergarten
but now focuses on those black lines that permeate the
wings. Someone else notices that the photo of a bat’s
wing is very similar to the butterfly pattern. Suddenly the
whole class is talking about this. They have uncovered the
curriculum rather than just covering facts and in doing
this they achieve ownership of what they learn, and they
see themselves as people who can make things happen.
Their excitement and enthusiasm extends beyond the
class activities. During outdoor play someone notices the
roots of the old tree on the hillside spreading across the
playground. They run to us. “Look!! We found a branching
pattern! A tree has a branch on the top and the bottom!”
And the inevitable question, “Why?”
Our activities are student-driven – their interests lead
the way. This year our students started collecting leaves.
We set up an area of the room where they could sketch,
draw, and use magnifying glasses to look very closely
at the structure of leaves. Art is such an integral part of
science, observing details and recording what we see. In
our class the children recreated their leaves in the manner
of Georgia O’Keeffe – large so they could capture every
color and detail. To do this, they worked in groups. They
learned about quadrants and assigning parts; how to work
together. The conversation among the group is interesting
in itself – keeping each other true to the real leaves they
have observed, pointing out different variations for each
class of leaf.
Lower School science teacher JoAnn Tutino leads First Graders in a
discussion about turtles, part of a larger study of reptiles and other
invertebrates.
6 / CURIOSITY
3 CHRIS MURPHY – WOODSHOP TEACHER
At Far Brook, we know learning is an active experience.
Scientific thinking comes into play in the woodshop,
where students learn to become makers and inventors by
having the freedom to create open-ended projects of their
own designs. Sixth Grade projects incorporate movement
utilizing simple mechanics, requiring students to integrate
a wide variety of skills including science, technology,
engineering, art, and math. Already having mastered an
array of technical woodworking skills using hammers, nails,
and saws, they have also developed sophisticated thinking
from their years in science and other classes. To accomplish
a successful project, a student must rely on observation,
experimentation, analysis, and revision.
Far Brook’s new 3D printer has enabled a collaborative
project between the Sixth Grade science and woodshop
classes. Students study climate change in science class
and learn about renewable energy resources. For their
joint project, they are tasked with fabricating wind turbine
blades using computer-aided design programs, including
the 3D printer, which gives students the ability to rapidly
prototype their designs.
[Ed. note: Chris has received a Faculty Endowment
Fund grant this summer to develop a new curriculum with
the 3D printer. He will also purchase a second and faster
3D pinter, necessary to extend this curriculum, with the
assistance of the Fund and a grandparent donor.]
IN THE YOUNGER
“GRADES,
Young students are always curious about nature.
science class
focuses on skills like
observation, classification and
sorting, pattern-recognition,
and prediction-making.
“
CURIOSITY / 7
Posters by Fifth Graders document their investigation into activities that affect heart rates.
4 MARNIE STETSON – JUNIOR HIGH ENGLISH
TEACHER
How Do We Teach Students to Find Answers?
Our students, to be prepared for the future, must have
the intellectual flexibility that allows them to generate
questions, formulate answers, and evaluate a subject from
multiple perspectives. These are the kinds of skills they
develop in science, but also across disciplines. Students
further flex some of the muscles they have developed as
scientists during our nature-writing unit in the Junior High.
This unit begins with two questions that teacher Ed
[Solecki] and I ask of the students: The first is: “What is
nature writing?” … It is a question that the students will
disagree about. However, with that question in mind, we
set out to hone some sophisticated higher-order thinking
skills. As the students work their way through a series of
complex, and very different texts, they get practice with
the following skills: reading and understanding challenging
texts; identifying shared characteristics of these texts;
and finally, much like the Third Graders sorting seashells
at Sandy Hook, the Seventh and Eighth Graders sort the
characteristics of the texts according to which ones they
believe are most important to making something into
“nature writing.” Students read essays and articles, write
about them, and discuss their ideas with their teachers and
classmates. They ask and answer, “What do Henry David
Thoreau and Annie Dillard, Wendell Berry, and Barbara
Kingsolver have in common?”
The next question that Ed and I ask is: “How do your
interactions with nature affect you?” This is where Far
Brook’s experiential learning meshes so well with the rigors
8 / CURIOSITY
of the intellectual inquiry with which we begin the unit.
Now that students have unearthed what they think nature
writing is and what nature has meant to other writers,
they must mine their own experience. Over the course
of the unit, students write about many different nature
experiences, some they have had at home, at School or
at Pok-O-MacCready. It could be canoeing, climbing a
wall blind-folded, or cleaning up the Far Brook Wetlands
Habitat. Nature experiences can be as diverse as swimming
to a remote island or thinking about the streets of Newark.
Each Junior High student sifts through his/her multiple
experiences, living in nature and writing about it, and
crafts a single essay that encapsulates the effect nature
has on him/her. The students learn in concrete ways the
power and necessity of close observation, much like the
observations they make during science. As one writer
remarked in her essay:
“As I looked around, feeling the frosty air sting my
cheek, I searched for those small things that make a
person feel connected to a place. I saw a rut on the side
of the street, formed from many hikers traveling the
trail, a cluster of leaves whorled in the wind and softly
settled down, a green inchworm wiggled off a branch.
In the woods these things were everywhere around me,
almost overwhelmingly present, but having the smaller
things noticeable on the road made it more special. I
can see the faint glint of light from the camp up ahead.
I look behind me at the long street and I wish for the
winding black pathway to go on, but just as Robert Frost
said, ‘Nothing gold can stay.’”
5
JOANN TUTINO – SCIENCE TEACHER, NURSERY –
FOURTH GRADE
As the students grow, so does our inquiry process.
Throughout Lower School, students observe, question, and
often make models of what they observe. We also sort and
classify our models or natural objects we have collected.
The First Graders are sorting pictures of birds by feet type.
Our conclusions center on why birds need certain types of
feet. Is it because of the surfaces they land on? Do they
need to catch and hold onto their food?
The Third Graders do a sorting activity with shells they
collected on their seining trip to Sandy Hook. A small
group of students is given a container of shells and they
choose the criteria for sorting. Some sort by species, some
by texture, and some by size. This leads us to discussions
about scientific classification.
Students also explore and evaluate leaf veins and edges.
Why do some trees lose their leaves and others do not?
What do trees need to grow? How can trees help humans
and how can we help them? In Second and Third Grades,
students record their data in a science journal. Questions
about the world around them may include: Do plants need
light to grow? Do they need light to be green? Why do
some objects fall quickly while others sort of flutter to the
ground? Students make predictions and construct
and label diagrams as they record the data from our
experiments. We analyze our data and make conclusions
and hypotheses based upon it.
“ OUR STUDENTS,
to be prepared for the future, must
have the intellectual flexibility that allows
“
them to generate questions …
In Third and Fourth Grades, we make careful
measurements during our experiments. We obtain and
evaluate information on all aspects of our topic. Students
gather information about the anatomy of plants and
trees, including plant cells, the process of photosynthesis,
and the importance of soil. They collect soil samples from
different areas of Far Brook. They perform a clumping test,
measure the pH of their soil, and determine its composition
by utilizing a settling test and by measuring and identifying
the layers. They generate and research questions such as –
What types of plant and animal life might my soil support,
and why? What type of ecosystem might evolve from this
soil type?
Fourth Graders make hypotheses
about the magnified object under
the microscope.
CURIOSITY / 9
“...WE OBSERVE CURIOSITY
“
at its best in class discussions,
everyday small moments, and
conversations.
6 JAMIE WANG – SECOND GRADE TEACHER
How does one measure curiosity?
Some may say that to measure a student’s curiosity is
difficult, but in Second Grade we observe curiosity at its
best in class discussions, everyday small moments, and
conversations. I see it when students ask questions like,
“What would happen if we took DNA from a narwhale’s
horn and a horse’s body? Would we get a unicorn?” Or,
“What would happen if the world tilted upside down?
Would we feel it?” We sense their awe and wonder on our
way to sports when we see the faint reflection of a pale
moon in the sky.
In our Second Grade classroom, we value inquirybased teaching. Questions about the natural world and
phenomena begin with the student. As Alfred Novak, a
leading researcher on inquiry-based science, says,“One
implication is that inquiry-oriented teaching begins
Sixth Graders enjoy identifying dominant and recessive
traits – in this case attached and detached earlobes –
during their genetics unit.
10 / CURIOSITY
with stimulating curiosity or wonder…Inquiry involves
activity and skills, but the focus is on the active search for
knowledge or understanding to satisfy a curiosity.”
Fortunately in Second Grade, with our curriculum
focusing on “Child and Universe,” what better way is there
to inspire awe or wonder than with subjects like the first
mission to the moon, the Milky Way galaxy, and the stars
and planets?
In light of awe-inspiring topics such as the universe, our
hope is that students, like scientists, get a small glimpse of
how big, how great, and how endless our universe is. And
this means that the amount of unanswered questions to
explore are equally great and numerous.
In our study of the planets, students divide a large
sheet of construction paper into three sections. The first
is labeled, “What I know,” the second, “What I want to
know,” and the last, “What I learned.”
Students write down what they think they already
know about the planets and questions they have. These
authentic questions, derived from the students, are what
drive their research. One student exclaimed, “Jamie, I don’t
have enough room for all my questions!”
Some questions include: “Why is Mars red?” “How
many dwarf planets are there?” “Why is Jupiter so big?”
“Is there life on other planets?” “How many galaxies are
there?” Interestingly enough, these are the very same
questions that NASA scientists are asking.
In addition to the research our students conduct, we
extend our learning by meaningful, memorable, and
sometimes delicious ways. When students asked about
the sizes of each planet, we chose fruit to represent the
relative sizes of the planets and made fruit salad to help
them visualize just how much bigger Jupiter (the size
of a honeydew melon) is to Earth (a green grape). This
year as we made our salad, the students gasped, “I can’t
believe Earth is that small!” “Jupiter can crush all the
other planets!” These are not just “fun” or “cute” science
activities, but the students are participating in what real
scientists do: they make models, make observations,
and use the power of analogy to help them wrap their
minds around something as huge as craters on a moon’s
surface or the size of planets to something observable and
tangible.
“The Far Brook curriculum is a balance of the
sciences and the arts for at their deepest level,
both rely on original questioning and on a
penetrating imagination...the scientist, along
with all creative thinkers, is full of curiosity and
holy intuition...”
From Far Brook Founding Director Winifred Moore’s
The Roots of Excellence
[Ed. note: The above presentations were edited by
Carol Sargent.]
TOP and BOTTOM: All students have the opportunity to
go into the Wetlands Habitat for classes.
MIDDLE: Seventh Graders list evidence of the way
energy causes change in the world.
CURIOSITY / 11
STEPPING INTO
THE CLASSROOMS
A PHOTO TOUR OF NURSERY THROUGH
EIGHTH GRADE
By Helen Kaplus
There’s nothing better than having the opportunity to
become a character in a favorite nursery chant or song.
Here the NURSERY children are reenacting “Five Little
Monkeys Jumping on the Bed,” a story everyone knows.
These smallest students see Fourth through Eighth Graders
present plays in Morning Meeting and they put on their
own plays in the classroom. While having fun, the class is
developing literacy skills, such as rhyming, sequencing, oral
memory, and prediction. Stories and songs are an integral
part of the Nursery day. In addition to their twice-weekly
music class, music and dramatic play occur throughout the
day as part of the Nursery classroom activities.
NURSERY
12 / STEPPING INTO THE CLASSROOMS
KINDERGARTEN
When FIRST GRADERS look at a new pattern in
nature, they are often presented with a problem to help
them understand how that pattern develops, “How can
you cover the greatest amount of space on the classroom
rug by using your bodies?” After a lot of guessing and
regrouping, the children discover that if they stretch out
their bodies they cover the most space. One child said,
“We branched out our bodies!” Voilá they understand
what a branching pattern is! From there the children
begin to notice other branching patterns in nature and
often transfer their knowledge to things they see in the
man-made world. Have you ever noticed that an umbrella
has a branching pattern?
KINDERGARTNERS are always eager to engage in
block building and free-form construction, which are
important parts of the whole development of the child.
Physically handling objects gives children a tangible
understanding of concepts across all disciplines such as
understanding spatial relationships, making comparisons,
discovering balance and proportion, and learning decisionmaking and collaboration. Kindergartners (as well as
Nursery students) build with different kinds of blocks, large
and small, and of varying shapes and materials.
FIRST GRADE
In this photo, SECOND GRADERS in music class
prepare for their Instrumental Music Night debut. Rhythm
patterns from the classic hand clapping game “Lemonade,
Crunchy Ice” are combined with Director of Music Emeritus
Ed Finckel’s “Ladybug” to create a unique and whimsical
version of “Far Brook Animals.” Other ‘playground games’
ranging from American culture to traditions from every
corner of the world allow our children to experience
another dimension of the core curriculum, “Child and
Universe,” through the simple and timeless joy of hand
clapping games, balls, sticks, and jump ropes.
SECOND GRADE
STEPPING INTO THE CLASSROOMS / 13
THIRD GRADE
The core study in the FOURTH GRADE is Ancient
Egypt. Students begin to investigate the animals of
northern Africa in the classroom where they learn about
the important status the animals held for the ancient
Egyptians, especially the role they played in the myths
and stories of the time. The study extends in science
class where they further research the animals and create
field guides. As a culminating project, student use their
original sketches of the Nile River Valley animals to create
silkscreens and print the images onto t-shirts and felt with
the help of a visiting artist. At the end of the year, an
Egyptian Feast is celebrated, and the children wear their
silkscreened shirts and taste the cuisine that they have
prepared based on recipes written thousands of years ago.
Students in THIRD GRADE are involved in the yearlong curriculum about Native Americans, which unfolds
from historical, cultural, and contemporary points of
view. This study is explored through several experiences
in the classroom, including the reading of Louise Erdrich’s
Birchbark House, which tells the story of Woodland
Indians. When they study the Plains Indians, they create
their own personal shields, choosing powerful icons to
represent what they believe is important in their lives, and
write their own Iktomi stories. Third Grade conversations
about how Native Americans are represented today
has led to important and meaningful discussions about
stereotyping.
FOURTH GRADE
FIFTH GRADERS are immersed in the study of Ancient
Greece all year. After reading about different aspects of life
in the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, each child chooses
a topic that he or she is interested in, such as medicine,
government, theater, women, or war. They learn the stepby-step process of writing a research paper: how to take
notes, how to write an outline, how to write a draft, and
how to revise and edit their work. They do their drafting
and editing on laptops in the classroom. The class then
studies the ancient Greek Olympics and holds an Olympics
of their own out on the sports field.
FIFTH GRADE
14 / STEPPING INTO THE CLASSROOMS
SIXTH GRADE
This year in history class the SEVENTH GRADE focused
on Ancient China and the Italian Renaissance. English and
history merge when the students write research papers.
They spend classroom and homework time honing their
outlining skills as they develop their reports on topics such
as the terracotta warriors, Renaissance cuisine, and the
inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. In preparing their outlines,
students learn how to condense their thoughts into topic
headings instead of sentences, and how to break down
their ideas into sub-categories. These are essential tools
for Eighth Grade and beyond. Here, teacher Ed Solecki
chooses a former student’s outline on the Ming Dynasty as
an example to discuss with his class.
SIXTH GRADERS started the school year studying
the Roman Empire which was complemented by their
class play, Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Part II. The students
explored the Barbarian tribes of Europe, Africa, and the
Middle East during the Dark Ages and enjoyed moving
their desks to simulate tribe migrations and aggressions.
This year, as part of their studies about the height of the
Middle Ages, the students worked with alumni parent
and artist Liz Demaree to create authentic medieval
illuminations, making their own ink from oak gall and their
own paints from tinctures and dyes using a mortar and
pestle. The stunning results were framed and displayed in
Moore Hall.
SEVENTH GRADE
In addition to the heavy and diverse EIGHTH GRADE
course load of English, American history, physics, French,
algebra, drama, and music, in the last year at Far Brook
students put on two performances of a full-length
Shakespeare play, either The Tempest or A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, as their graduation “gift” to the School.
They also make their own diplomas with calligraphic
lettering and build, engrave, and stain the frames in
woodshop. The diplomas hang in Moore Hall during the
final week of school and the students take them home
after the last performance of the play.
EIGHTH GRADE
STEPPING INTO THE CLASSROOMS / 15
FAR BROOK’S
PROGRESSIVE ROOTS
By Amy Ziebarth, Head of School
[Ed. note: What follows is the bulk of the speech Amy Ziebarth
delivered to parents on Education Night, October 17, 2012.]
A
typical day here at Far Brook might be considered
quite extraordinary anywhere else. Through our
core curriculum, the pervasive influence of the
arts, the opportunities we have to dig deeper and to slow
down, we continue to strengthen our community and
ourselves. The interactions and reciprocal relationships
between adults and students on this campus are both
simple and profound. ...We celebrate the power of our
entire ensemble – the joy that comes from contributing to
something bigger than ourselves.
Our School grew out of an educational community
formerly known as Buxton Country Day School, founded
in 1928, which was one of the first progressive schools in
New Jersey.
Winifred Moore, formerly the Lower School Director at
Buxton, was encouraged by several parents to become
Far Brook’s first Director, which she was from 1948-1973.
She, indeed, has left a legacy. As our school history says,
“Her contributions ranged from the mundane – she had
the buildings painted red – to the truly sublime – she wrote
The Roots of Excellence, an eloquent statement of Far
Brook’s philosophy.” Her educational philosophy was in line
with and influenced by such worldly philosophers as John
Dewey, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Albert Einstein.
One paragraph from The Roots of Excellence...illustrates
our commitment to learning through the arts and our
16 / PROGRESSIVE ROOTS
interdisciplinary approach to teaching. “No learning takes
place unless the child himself makes the connection … No
discovery of a new concept, of seeing the ‘interrelatedness’
of things comes without a leap of the imagination. Schools
should cultivate the imagination. Therefore, the Far Brook
curriculum is a balance of the sciences and the arts, for at
their deepest level both rely on original questioning and on
a penetrating imagination – on creative thinking.”
Far Brook’s deep commitment to language, literature,
scientific inquiry, Nature, the power of metaphor and
the arts, and our progressive roots, is who we are. Our
educational approach is multi-layered and engaging, by
intention and design. Experiential teaching and learning
through the arts are at the heart of who we are and are an
important aspect of a progressive education.
John Dewey, many would argue, was one of the most
influential thought leaders on education in the 20th
century. One quote of his really resonates with me and
with our work at Far Brook.
“The world is moving at a tremendous rate. Going no
one knows where. We must prepare our children, not
for the world of the past. Not for our world. But for their
world. The world of the future.”
Dewey believed, as we do here at Far Brook, that the
student initiates learning.
Dewey wrote about four primary and common
natural instincts of children:
4Children’s innate desire to solve the mysteries before
them. We could simply call this our natural curiosity
about how things work.
4The proclivity children have to communicate orally – and
we all know that!
4The delight children find in the construction of things,
real and imagined
4Their natural gifts of artistic expression
These values are as relevant in our school today as
they were when John Dewey was writing in 1916.
You can witness these principles here in every
classroom, every day. They are:
4An integrated curriculum and our focus on project-based
learning
4Emphasizing problem solving and critical thinking as
higher order skills
4Collaborative work and the development of cooperative
social skills
4An education for further social responsibility
Increasingly today, one hears about the “Four C’s”
needed for success in life – creativity, critical thinking,
collaboration, and communication. In your children’s
future, admission directors and prospective employers will
be looking for tenacity and grit, your child’s contribution
to the group, to the team, to the larger community. They
will also want to know about character – persistence,
patience, resiliency, and flexibility, and, most importantly,
the development of empathy, a sense of justice and ethics.
We work hard on developing all of these attributes at
Far Brook.
Our mission and philosophy are strong. Far Brook
continues to evolve and grow from the foundation
established by Winifred Moore. Such growth is part of
what happens when a community is creative, flexible, and
collaborative.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Fourth Graders dramatized The Tale of the Two
Brothers, a story set in Ancient Egypt.
THIS PAGE LEFT TO RIGHT: Fifth Graders presented Aeschylus’
Agamemnon. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Part II, was the Sixth Graders’
class play. Seventh Graders staged Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I.
Eighth Graders presented Who Am I This Time? by Kurt Vonnegut.
PROGRESSIVE ROOTS / 17
CLASS
OF
2013
We present the newest Far Brook graduates, the Class of 2013. Most have been here since Nursery
or Kindergarten, the majority of their young lives. A consistent theme runs through all of their
thoughts – that Far Brook is a very special welcoming place, a community that has supported and
guided them. They have completed their Eighth Grade year by gifting their school community
with two productions of Shakespeare’s The Tempest in June. Now that they have left the nest, we
wish them luck in their high schools and beyond, knowing that they are ready to continue on their
educational journey.
5OUR NEWEST GRADUATES, THE CLASS OF 2013,
IN COSTUME FOR THE TEMPEST
LEFT TO RIGHT BACK ROW: Shane Iverson, Benjamin Barba, Andrew Tartaro, ShaBria Clark,
Lily Mynott, Leila Curtiss, AJ Bernstein
LEFT TO RIGHT MIDDLE ROW: Matthew Melillo, Henry Kraham, Roggi Chuquimarca,
Matthew Hawkins
LEFT TO RIGHT FRONT ROW: Elijah Chilton, Chloe Benz, Amanda Celli, William Klein,
Laila Shushtarian, Nathaniel Bess, Sophie Ricciardi, Gavin Branch
18 / CLASS OF 2013
BENJAMIN BARBA was one of the eight ensemble actors who
portrayed Prospero in The Tempest. He also played the Boatswain. Ben
will miss “knowing everyone so well” and remembers his First Grade
teacher, Joan Angelo, who took extra time to help him learn to read.
Next semester, Ben will begin at Newark Academy.
LEILA CURTISS will miss being able to do everything at Far Brook
– play sports, be in the play and sing every year! One of her favorite
memories is going to Pok-O-MacCready Camp in Seventh and Eighth
Grades. Leila was also part of the Prospero ensemble in the play and
will be off to Morristown-Beard School soon.
CHLOE BENZ shared the role of Prospero in The Tempest. Chloe
fondly remembers the Medieval Feast shared by Kindergartners and
Sixth Graders and making the costumes. She also had fun during the
Third Grade sleepover. Chloe will miss singing at Morning Meeting and
feeling so welcome at School. Chloe will attend David Brearley High
School next fall.
MATTHEW HAWKINS came to Far Brook in Third Grade. He will miss
the strong sense of community at School and keeps as his favorite the
memory of the Medieval Feast. Matt played Alonso in The Tempest and
will be heading off to the Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music High
School in New York City.
AJ BERNSTEIN was a member of the ensemble that portrayed
Prospero in The Tempest. He says he will miss his friends and remembers
watching the Junior High baseball games when he was younger. AJ will
be going to The Pingry School in September.
NATHANIEL BESS also shared the role of Prospero in the play.
He will miss the small classes and his teachers and friends. One of his
favorite memories? Playing in the sandbox! Gill St. Bernard’s School is
Nathaniel’s next educational stop.
GAVIN BRANCH started at Far Brook in the Fourth Grade and will
miss his teachers and friends who supported him through his five years.
Gavin enjoyed playing the Lord of the Manor during the Medieval Feast
in Sixth Grade when he dubbed the knight. His role in The Tempest was
Gonzalo and he will attend Seton Hall Preparatory School.
AMANDA CELLI was Miranda in The Tempest. Amanda loves that
at Far Brook she did everything – played sports, acted in plays, created
art, and sang in the choir. She says that each morning she was excited
about what she was going to do that day. The Pingry School will be the
next step in her education.
DANIELLA CHARTOUNI will miss knowing the nams of everyone
at School. Daniella likes best that at Far Brook the older and younger
students can be friends. She still remembers her Thanksgiving
Processional partner when she was in Nursery and knows that she will
be remembered by her Nursery partner in the same way. She is headed
to The Pingry School next. (not pictured)
ELIJAH CHILTON played Ferdinand in June’s play. Eli came to Far
Brook in Sixth Grade and appreciates the intimacy at School. He found
the community welcoming and supportive and remembers the feeling
of being part of a whole. He will attend West Orange High School in
September.
ROGGI CHUQUIMARCA also joined the class in Sixth Grade and
will miss many of the “little things that make Far Brook unique.” His
favorite memories are of the trips to Canada and to Pok-O-MacCready
Camp. Roggi played the part of Antonio in The Tempest and will start at
Delbarton School in the fall.
SHABRIA CLARK began her Far Brook years in Sixth Grade. She
will miss the close-knit friendships she has made and says she enjoyed
playing dodgeball in sports class. ShaBria also played Prospero in
The Tempest and will attend Saint Vincent Academy next semester.
SHANE IVERSON enjoyed singing every day in Morning Meeting.
He loved his teacher, Donna, in Kindergarten and drew pictures of her
while other kids played with blocks. Shane was Caliban in the play and
will attend Newark Academy next.
WILLIAM KLEIN’s favorite memory is the Kindergarten trip to
Central Park! He will miss his friends and is excited “to enter a new
environment and make new friends” at the Fieldston School in New
York. Will played the role of Sebastian in The Tempest.
HENRY KRAHAM joined the class in Fourth Grade. Henry also
speaks of the “welcoming and helpful” community at Far Brook. Henry
remembers watching the Eighth Graders cry last year on their last day
of school. This year was his turn. He was part of the ensemble that
played Prospero in the play and will be off to The Pingry School next.
MATTHEW MELILLO has the funny memory from Nursery when
teacher Bill Deltz asked his class to clap their feet and stomp their
hands! Matt says he will miss the encouragement to “always be your
best.” Matt played the part of Ariel in The Tempest and will attend
Newark Academy in the fall.
LILY MYNOTT loves the small size of Far Brook and will miss being
friends with everyone. She shares her memory of the Red Hot Swingin’
Peppers, a “swinging team” she and her girlfriends created on the
playground. Lily also played the role of Prospero and will be found
“swinging” at Millburn High School next year.
SOPHIE RICCIARDI played the role of Adrian and will miss the
traditions at School and communicating with the younger children. Her
favorite memory is the all-day hike at Pok-O-MacCready Camp when
her classmates told each other stories to motivate each other to keep
hiking. Sophie will be at The Pingry School next year.
LAILA SHUSHTARIAN calls Far Brook home and will never forget
its special sense of community. Her favorite memory is of the Eighth
Grade sleepover at School when Matt H began playing “Don’t Stop
Believing” on the piano and everyone broke into song. Laila was
Stephano in the play and will attend Newark Academy in September.
ANDREW TARTARO will miss all of his friends and teachers the
most. He remembers playing the Cock in the holiday Masque when
he was in Fifth Grade and befriending the older students also in the
Masque. Andrew took the part of Trinculo in The Tempest and will be
off to Millbrook School in Duchess County, NY.
CLASS OF 2013 / 19
STUDENT ART SHOW
20 / EVENTS
GRAND FRIENDS MORNING
April 5, 2013 – Grandparents and Other Special Friends Visited Far Brook
EVENTS / 21
MUSICAL JOURNEY
AN AFTERNOON OF CHAMBER MUSIC AND CHOCOLATES
A Benefit Concert for Far Brook’s
Music and Instrument Fund
Sunday, January 27, 2013
LEFT TO RIGHT: Ashley Horne, violin; Paul DiDario, piano;
F. Allen Artz, piano/Far Brook Director of Music; Erasmia
Voukelatos, piano/Recital Coordinator; Daryl Goldberg,
cello; Orlando Wells, viola; Laura Karel George, flute;
Claire Chan, violin; and William Shadel, clarinet.
David Amram Visits Far Brook
By Megan Wetherall
If you are not familiar with David Amram, just Google
him and your jaw will drop. He has composed more than
100 orchestral and chamber works as well as film scores,
and there seems to be no instrument he cannot play. He is
also, as our community had the privilege to discover during
his two-day residency on campus in March, a soulful
gentleman who lives and breathes music in the most
infectious way. [This experience was made possible by the
Fredda S. Leff Special Projects Endowment.]
Mr. Amram led a special Morning Meeting and workshopped with every grade, introducing the students to his
vast collection of percussion instruments from around the
world, and teaching them about song writing. “We are
all born with a song in our hearts and a heartbeat with a
rhythm,” he told them, “and if you can sing it, you can
find a way to play it on any instrument.” He demonstrated
how playing a reedy pipe from Egypt or another from
China can whisk you right to that part of the world
without a visa or a passport. And that playing a piece of
music from a thousand years ago or longer can create a
22 / EVENTS
sense of timelessness. “Did you hear that?” he asked. “We
were there and there was here.”
On the evening of the second day, Mr. Amram
collaborated with staff and students to present a concert
to the extended community. The music and joy created
that night in Moore Hall left a deep imprint on us all. Mr.
Amram finished by paying tribute to an old friend and
fellow musician: “Finally, at the age of 82, I found out
where Ed Finckel [Director of Music Emeritus] spent 30
years of his life! And I know why … Far Brook is something
really special. This is a place where everyone sings.”
Alumni Gathering
IN UPPER MONTCLAIR - APRIL 28, 2013
Learning Specialist Nicole Fabian
Engelke ’88
Host Juliet Sutherland and Daughter
Rose Koven ’06
Rose Koven ’06 with John ’53 and
Elena Santoro
Robert Johnson ’67
Robyn Mick Ryder ’78
Glenn Ollendorf ’78, Ann Pollack ’72,
and Dan Wesson ’78
History Teacher Ed Solecki, Pache
Barcliffe ’92, Technology Coordinator
Heather Chaffin ’92, and Math
Teacher Sally Adams Chernoff ’57
Philip Fryberger ’70 with
Sally Fryberger Braley ’75
PARENT SOCIAL
MARCH 1, 2012
This painting was one of the many auction items generously donated by parents
More than 130 Far Brook
parents gathered in Moore
Hall amidst twinkling lights,
paper lanterns, café tables,
and a myriad of auction
items for friendly bidding
and socializing. Over $20K
was raised to enhance our
playground and play spaces.
EVENTS / 23
PLANS FOR FAR
BROOK’S FUTURE
TOP TO BOTTOM: Music and
Arts Building - Centerbrook’s
Rendering of the Orchestra
and Choral Room
Science and Environmental
Center - Centerbrook’s Rendering
of the Junior High Science Lab
24 / DEVELOPMENT
I
n 2011, Head of School Amy Ziebarth and Far
Brook’s Board of Trustees undertook a Master
Planning process for Far Brook to develop the
campus in ways that are consistent with the mission
of the School, its desire to remain a leading academic
institution, and its commitment to sustainability. This
process was designed to meet the current and future needs
of our students and also allow the School to consider how
new, much needed facilities, will enhance the curriculum
and the extraordinary learning that makes Far Brook
unique.
In the fall of 2012, Far Brook hired Centerbrook
Architects, a highly regarded architectural firm based
in Connecticut with more than 30 years of experience
in institutional and school design. Their clients include:
The Collegiate School, Buckingham Browne & Nichols,
Colgate University, Williams College, and Yale University.
Centerbrook truly understands Far Brook’s philosophy
and culture. Amy Ziebarth, the Board of Trustees, and the
Faculty and Administration have been collaborating with
Centerbrook over the last nine months on designs for a
new Science and Environmental Center, a Music and Arts
building, and a multipurpose Athletic Facility.
These buildings are in the design phase and will be built
in stages beginning with the Science and Environmental
Center and the Music and Arts building. The designs for
the Music and Arts building include a larger and more
functional orchestra and choral room with direct access
to an outdoor amphitheater, a larger Lower School music
room with flexible space to accommodate dance and
instrument storage, and a larger, more functional fine
arts room with direct access to the outdoors. The Science
and Environmental Center includes three separate labs
with breakout lecture space for Lower, Middle, and Upper
Schools science, all with age-appropriate furnishings,
layouts, and equipment. Attached to the science building
will be a new Woodshop. The buildings are to be
constructed toward the back of the campus, facing the
Wetlands Habitat, our wonderful natural resource.
Quiet fundraising has already begun, and construction is
currently planned for 2014. The architects were on campus
this spring sharing plans with Far Brook’s current parents
and also with our neighbors. Feedback from these sessions
was extremely positive. Work will continue throughout the
summer, and Centerbrook will be on campus this fall to
update Alumni and Alumni families.
THIS IS AN EXCITING TIME
FOR FAR BROOK, AND WE
LOOK FORWARD TO UPDATING
YOU AS THESE PROJECTS
MOVE FORWARD.
FAR
BROOK
DEVELOPMENT / 25
SIMPLE GIFTS
CAN BE EXTRAORDINARY
Over the years, we have been the proud recipient of
bequests from members of our community who hold
Far Brook so close to their hearts. As a way to recognize
and encourage planned gifts to this extraordinary School
and community, Far Brook has initiated The Simple Gifts
Society, to highlight how easy it is to create such a gift, as
it provides significant funds for the Endowment and for
Far Brook’s future. More recently, we have been pleased to
learn of those who included Far Brook in their estate plans
many years ago. We encourage you to do the same!
A bequest is the simplest way to do this, by specifying
a gift amount or percentage from your estate. You can be
included in future planned giving lists for creating such a
gift or you can remain anonymous. There are other ways to
direct planned gifts to Far Brook as well.
Mary Sue Fisher, Chair of the newly established Simple
Gifts Society, remarked, “Although there are many ways
to support Far Brook, planned giving is an effective and
convenient way to help the School in years to come.”
Bequests are vital to increasing Far Brook’s Endowment
and ensuring that the School is here for generations,
long into the future.
If you would like a copy of the Simple Gifts
Society brochure or more information,
email Carol Sargent at [email protected]
or call her at Far Brook at (973) 379-3442.
FAR BROOK’S 2013-14
ANNUAL FUND,
A COMMUNITY OF GIVING,
IS NOW UNDERWAY
EVERY GIFT MATTERS!
VISIT...
www.farbrook.org/onlinegiving
MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY
Thank you to our generous donors
who supported the 2012-13 Annual
Fund raising $500,674
487% of Current Parents
447% Gave at Fair Share Level or Above
470% of Faculty and Administration
4$58,881 in Matching Gifts
Participation from Alumni, Current Parents,
Alumni families, Faculty and Administration,
and Grandparents is key and vital to our
success.
SUPPORT FAR BROOK’S
ANNUAL FUND TODAY!
26 / DEVELOPMENT
ALUMNI NEWS
SHARE YOUR ALUMNI NEWS!
Graduation, wedding, birth, promotion, anniversary, award, or retirement?
Submit news of your major life events via email at [email protected]
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1953
1962
1971
1986
Attended: The Putney School
’57; Harvard University ’61;
University of Massachusetts ’76
From Meudon, France, Arthur
offers guided strolls through
Paris on the internet: www.
franceonyourown.com and www.
netprof.fr/Histoire-de-Paris/Tousles-cours-en-video,21,0,0.aspx.
Attended: Morristown-Beard
School ’66; Ohio Wesleyan;
Northwestern University
Laird is enjoying retirement. He
flew Boeing 737s for Continental
Airlines. He still loves to travel and
has recently been to Alaska and
western Europe.
Attended: Bethany College ’78;
The Drama Studio ’79; Benedict
Language and Business School
’80; Ohio University ’82
As an Elder of Old First Reformed
Church and the Classis of
Brooklyn, David attended the
General Synod of the Reformed
Church in America in Chicago in
2012, a business, educational,
and communal gathering of
representatives of Reformed
Churches from across the country
and Canada.
Attended: The Pingry School
’90; American Academy of
Dramatic Arts
Sanjiv is an actor of television,
film, and theatre. During the
month of December 2012,
Sanjiv’s Bumbug the Musical
enjoyed its world premier at the
Clurman Theatre in New York.
The rock opera, co-written with
Samrat Chakrabarti, is a musical
reinvention of A Christmas Carol
told through the eyes of New
York City immigrants.
1975 & 1977
1988
ARTHUR GILLETTE
LAIRD JOHNSON
1954
CHRISTOPHER
MATHEWSON
Attended: Case Institute of
Technology ’63; University of
Arizona ’65 and ’71
Chris retired as Regent Professor
in May of 2011 from a long and
distinguished career of teaching
at the College of Geosciences of
Texas A&M University in College
Station, TX. During his tenure,
he developed and nurtured the
Engineering Geology Research
Program involving exposure to
classical geology, fundamental
engineering, agricultural soils,
geotechnical engineering, soil and
rock mechanics, hydrogeology,
and site investigative techniques.
This research program evolved
into the Center of Engineering
Geosciences, of which Chris
became director in 1992. He
currently serves on the Council
of Examiners of the National
Association of State Boards
of Geology. Governor Rick
Perry recently appointed Dr.
Mathewson to serve on the
Texas Board of Professional
Geoscientists, 2012-2017.
DAVID VON SALIS
RACHEL ROTHENBERG
Attended: Newark Academy
’92; Tufts University ’96
Solomon Bodhi was born to
Rachel and her husband, Ross
Singer, on November 18, 2012.
The family, which includes their
first son, Leo, resides in Wakefield,
RI. Congratulations to all!
John David Mann ’69
1969
5JOHN DAVID MANN
Attended: Changes High
School; Mannes College of
Music
John’s latest book, The Red
Circle: My Life in the Navy SEAL
Sniper Corps and How I Trained
America’s Deadliest Marksmen,
was released by St. Martin’s Press
in April 2012 and immediately hit
the New York Times bestseller list.
It is coauthored by John and is the
true story of Brandon Webb and
his behind-the-scenes look at the
SEALS sniper program. Brandon
and he are working on their next
book together.
SANJIV JHAVERI
Kate Paddon ’77 and Jamie
Paddon ’75
1984
Blair Gardiner ’90 Visits Far Brook
With His Neices and Nephew,
Children of Allen Gardiner ‘84
PATRICIA STERN
ZELKOWICZ
Attended: Montclair-Kimberley
Academy ’92; Wesleyan
University ’96; Columbia
University ’02
Congratulations to Tricia and her
husband, Steve, on the arrival
of their second son, Caleb, born
May 20, 2013. Caleb joins his
brother Matan who is in Far
Brook’s Class of 2022. The family
lives in South Orange, NJ.
ALUMNI NEWS / 27
ALUMNI NEWS CONTINUED
MATTHEW
MANDELBAUM
1990 Alumna Melissa Fabian
Friedman’s Children Jason and
Hannah with Cousins Will ’19 and
Alec ’22 Engelke
1990
5MELISSA FABIAN
FRIEDMAN
Attended: Kent Place School
’94; University of Rochester ’98;
Hunter College
Melissa, husband Michael, and
big brother Jason welcomed
Hannah Elizabeth to their family
on November 19, 2012. Hannah
was also welcomed by her cousins
Will Engelke ’19 and Alec Engelke
’22, sons of Nicole Fabian Engelke
’88.
John Brooke Junior, son of Blair
Gardiner ’90, in His Far Brook Cap
5BLAIR GARDINER
Attended: Newark Academy
’94; Lafayette College
Blair and his wife welcomed
J. Brooke Junior into the world in
August 2012. Blair and his family
live in West New York, NJ.
28 / ALUMNI NEWS
Attended: The Pingry School
’94; University of Pennsylvania
’98; NYU ’03; Bank Street
College ’07; Fordham
University ’13
Congratulations to Matt who
has just received his PhD in
educational psychology from
Fordham University and a DBT
(Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
Team Building Intensive Training
Certification for 2013-2015. Matt
continues as Director of Outreach
at the Robert Louis Stevenson
School and as an adjunct lecturer
at Hunter College’s Department
of Educational Foundations and
Counseling. His daughter, Ella, is
now four, and Levi is a toddler of
just over one year old.
1992
ALEX BROUNSTEIN
Attended: The Pingry School
’96; Emory University
Alex is busy building his
hamburger empire in Georgia. He
has franchised his original lunch
counter restaurant, Grindhouse
Killer Burgers, in Atlanta and
opened a new one in terminal D
of Hartsfield Airport. In addition
to the free-standing Grindhouse
in midtown Atlanta, Alex recently
opened another in Athens near
the University of Georgia. A last
venture is a sandwich shop called
Villains, a collaboration with two
other chefs. They serve Wicked
Heroes.
ADAM KEIL
Attended: The Pingry School
’96; The Wharton School
Congratulations to Adam and Liz
’93 who welcomed Naomi Sydney
Keil into the world on January 21,
2103! She weighed in at 6 lbs.,
9 oz. The family lives in Summit.
1993
Laurie Burgdorff ’94 with Her
New Book
1994
5LAURIE BURGDORFF
Leila Kaplus Marcovici ’93
with Her Husband, Bryan, and
Vivienne, on Her First Birthday
ELIZABETH PLOTKIN KEIL
Attended: Principia Upper
School; Middlebury College;
Lesley University
Laurie has written and illustrated a
children’s picture book, Lewis the
Lamb, published by Shaggy Dog
Press. In her story, the spunky and
playful Lewis dreams of leaping off a
ski jump! Laurie is currently working
on a new book about a balloon.
Attended: Morristown-Beard
School ’96; Lafayette College;
Parsons School of Design
Congratulations to Liz and Adam
‘92 on the birth of Naomi Sydney
in January!
KATHARINE
BURGDORFF TYLER
Attended: Principia Upper
School; Middlebury College
Katharine had been living in
Perth, Western Australia, for
almost six years, and then
relocated back to the States in
2009. She married Andrew Tyler
on August 21, 2011 and they
now live in Washington, DC,
where she is a geology consultant
for Baker Hughes working with
the Asia Pacific team. Katherine
still travels to the office in
Australia a few times a year.
Amy Brounstein ’95 and Nate
Carota on Their Wedding Day
1995
5AMY BROUNSTEIN
CAROTA
Attended: The Pingry
School ’99; University of
Pennsylvania ’03
Amy married Nathaniel (Nate)
Carota on October 21, 2012,
in an Audubon, PA, apple
orchard followed by an elegant
reception in an historic barn. Amy
currently works at LEK Securities
in the Financial District as a FIX
specialist. Nate works in postproduction TV and films. The
20th Reunion of the Class of 1993!
4On Saturday, April 27, seven members of the Class of 1993 met in
the Old Library to reminisce thanks to energetic organizer Liz Burke and
Director of Advancement Carol Sargent. (Liz’s son, Alex, is in Far Brook’s
Kindergarten!) Photos of their Far Brook days were posted and the DVD
of the 1993 Masque was played. Elizabeth Plotkin Keil brought her
husband, Adam ’92, and their new baby, Naomi; faculty members Ed
Solecki, Bill Deltz, Valerie McEntee, Nancy Muniz, and Heather Chaffin ’92
dropped in for short visits, too. Afterwards, the alumni reconvened for dinner at Martini’s in Millburn.
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Jennifer Pomerantz,
Becca Wildman Repetti,
Liz Burke, Brian Chernoff,
Katharine Burgdorff Tyler,
Leila Kaplus Marcovici,
and Elizabeth Plotkin Keil
newlyweds reside in New York
City. Congratulations to them and
to their families!
MICHAEL CHERNOFF
Attended: The Pingry School
’99; Princeton University ’03
And SARAH KEIL
CHERNOFF
Attended: The Pingry School
’99; Brown University ’03;
Northwestern University ’05
Mike, Sarah, and son, Brody,
welcomed new baby Owen
Benjamin on June 2, 2013!
Congratulations to the family,
who lives in Cleveland, OH.
1996
WHITNEY BROWN
Attended: Montclair Kimberley
Academy ’00; Kenyon College
’04; Auburn University ’06;
Auburn College of Veterinary
Medicine ’11
Whitney is spending two years
at Cornell University College of
Veterinary Medicine fulfilling
her residency in theriogenology
(animal reproduction). She will sit
for the specialty board exam at
its completion in August 2014.
Whitney loves her specialty
because she works with mostly
healthy patients and cute babies!
Amanda Richardson speaks on
women’s issues
1998
5AMANDA
RICHARDSON
Attended: The Pingry School
’02; Amherst College ’06;
Columbia University Law
School ’10
Amanda is a land tenure specialist
at the Landesa Rural Development
Institute, based in Seattle. In
June she spoke about women’s
land tenure rights and women’s
empowerment at various events
in Geneva, Berne, Zurich, and
to United Nations agencies in
Rome. Amanda works to secure
land rights, impacting women’s
financial, social, and domestic
status, and resulting in increased
food security and nutrition.
1999
ALEX SPRINZEN
Attended: Summit High School
’03; New York University
Alex started in December as a
full-time aide in the special
education program for grades
one through five at the Jefferson
School in Summit. He loves
working with children. Alex
also runs a sports nutrition and
wellness-related business. He lives
in New Providence.
Jonathan Winnerman ’00 Along
the West Bank of Luxor, the
Nile Valley and Temples in the
Background
2000
5JONATHAN
WINNERMAN
Attended: Montclair Kimberley
Academy ’04; Princeton
University ’08
Jonathan is in his fifth year of
graduate school at the University
of Chicago and is currently
preparing his dissertation
proposal. He was in Edfu, Egypt,
during the winter as a member of
the Tell Edfu project. Most of the
archaeological work at the site
is centered on the hill or “tell”
adjacent to the large temple.
Jonathan’s work focused on
approximately 350 stone blocks
scattered near the base of this
hill, inscribed with texts or reliefs.
He will return this fall to complete
the project.
Christina Capatides ’01 Married
Doug Vollmayer
2001
5CHRISTINA CAPATIDES
VOLLMAYER
Attended: Newark Academy
’05; Georgetown University ’09
Best wishes to Christina, who
married high school sweetheart
Douglas Vollmayer on October
20, 2012. Doug is a television
editor for various shows that air
on PBS. Christina worked for
several years as a producer at
ABC News, but recently went
back to grad school to pursue a
master’s degree at NYU’s Tisch
Graduate Musical Theatre Writing
Program. At Doug and Christina’s
wedding, the bridal party dressed
in the colors of the Processional
and processed into the church to
“Simple Gifts.”
ALUMNI NEWS / 29
ALUMNI NEWS CONTINUED
2002
EMILY ABRAMOWITZ
ADAM
Attended: Kent Place School
’06; Gettysburg College
Our congratulations to Emily
who married Justin Adam
on December 30, 2011 and
who gave birth to a daughter,
Brooke Michelle, on January
24, 2012. Emily works at
Tronex International, a medical
disposables company, in Mount
Olive, NJ. The family lives in
Hackettstown.
THAYER CASE
Attended: Phillips Exeter
Academy ’06; Georgetown
University ‘10
Thayer will be entering her
second year at Washington and
Lee University Law School in the
fall.
4HALEY DOUDS
DEVON MCINTYRE
ZACHARY OPPERMAN
Attended: Kent Place ’06;
Colby College ’10
Devon recently learned of her
acceptance to Cooper Medical
School, the medical school of
Rowan University. She is elated!
Attended: Montclair Kimberley
Academy ’10
Zak is majoring in criminal justice
and English at the University of
Pennsylvania. Last summer he
interned for the public defender
in Washington, DC, and is
considering a career in law.
2003
LEO SPRINZEN
Attended: Summit High School
’07; Oberlin College ’11
After graduating, Leo stayed
in Ohio for training in green
construction, housing systems,
and energy assessments. He
recently moved to Burlington, VT,
to work in those fields.
2006
SPENCER CASE
Attended: Phillips Exeter
Academy ’10
Spencer is enrolled at the
University of Manchester in
England.
Attended: Newark Academy
’06; Amherst College ’10
Haley is in Boston working as an
asset manager for a commercial
real estate firm, Long Wharf
Partners. In May, she and her
family visited her brother, Erik ’06,
in Copenhagen and stopped in
Stockholm as well.
Haley Douds ’02 and Erik Douds ’06
5ERIK DOUDS
Attended: Seton Hall
Preparatory School ’10
Erik attends Colby College where
his dual major is environmental
policy and science. During the
spring semester, he lived with a
family outside of Copenhagen
while doing an internship with
the head oceanographer of NASA
at the University of Copenhagen.
30 / ALUMNI NEWS
2009
2010
6ANNABELLE PATTON
Annabelle attends Columbia High
School and spent the past year at
Woodstock School in Mussoorie,
India, which is in the foothills
of the Himalayas. While on the
subcontinent, she toured Delhi,
Agra, and parts of south India.
She will return to Columbia High
for her senior year.
ANTHONY BRODEUR
Attended: Shattuck-St. Mary’s
School ’13
The New Jersey Devils drafted
Anthony in the NHL finals pick in
June. Anthony had been tending
the goal for the Shattuck-St.
Mary’s hockey program in
Minnesota. He will be playing
with the Gatineau Olympiques
while attending the University of
Ottawa in the fall.
COLE FUTTERMAN
Attended: Montclair High
School ‘13
Cole was on campus during the
final weeks of school helping
out with the Sports program as
part of the “senior option” at
Montclair High School, which
allows students to intern during
their final weeks of high school in
a work setting. Cole wanted to be
at Far Brook because he believes
the school gave him so much,
and he is hoping to give back to
Far Brook. He will attend Williams
College in the fall.
Annabelle Patton ’10 in India
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
CONGRATULATIONS
TO THE CLASS OF 2009,
WHO WILL BE ATTENDING
THE FOLLOWING COLLEGES THIS FALL:
Bucknell University
Colby College
Duke University
Elon University
Franklin and Marshall College
Georgetown University
Gettysburg College
Haverford College
Millersville University
Mt. Holyoke College
Newcastle University (England)
New York University
Northeastern University
Syracuse University
University of Hawaii
University of Ottawa
University of Wisconsin
Washington University in St. Louis
Williams College
Yale University
2013-2014
Tommaso Zanobini, Chair
Robert Kelly, Vice Chair
Michelle Swittenberg, Secretary
Tony Stovall, Treasurer
Amy Ziebarth, Head of School
Carol Chartouni
Carmine Fanelle
Mary Sue Fisher
Janine Kane
Anne-Marie Kim
Tom Kligerman
Leah Kronthal
Marybeth Leithead
Krissy Mannello
Megan Martin
Elyse Post ’78
Christine Susko
Bradford Wiley, II ’54
ADMINISTRATION
2013-2014
Amy Ziebarth, Head of School
Marcela Figueroa, Executive Assistant/Placement
Coordinator
Paula Levin, Director of Lower School
Jim Benz, Director of Upper Schools Student Life
Nicole Engelke ’88, Director of Upper Schools Faculty
and Academic Support
Admissions
Mikki Murphy, Director of Admission, Placement and
Financial Aid
Kathy Ike, Admissions Assistant
Business Office
Donna Chahalis, CFO/Business Manager
Janice O’Shea, Accounting Manager
Development
Suzanne Glatt, Director of Development
Caroline L. Sargent, Director of Advancement
Jennifer Barba, Director of Communications and Volunteers
Peggy Fawcett, Development Associate
Heather Chaffin ’92, Communications Coordinator
Front Office
Alisha Roig, Office Coordinator
Jerilyn Campbell, School Nurse
After-School Program
Greg Bartiromo, After-School Program Director
Mona Boewe, After- School Program Coordinator
Facilities
Arthur Gannon, Plant Supervisor
Melissa Stampoulis, Kitchen Coordinator
ALUMNI NEWS / 31
THANKSGIVING
PROCESSIONAL RECEPTION
3
1
2
6
4
5
8
7
32 / ALUMNI NEWS
TOP TO BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT:
1) Tori Murphy ’09 and Nicholas Strain ’07
2) Julian Chartouni ’11, and Noah Wagner Carlberg ’11
3) Gavin Branch ’13, Grace Schwartzstein ’11, Jeremy
Brodeur ’11, and Brian Miller ’12
4) Noelle Broussard ’12, Isabella Zanobini ’12, and
Dayna Beatty ’12
5) Nick Fazio ’12 and Nick Celli ’12
6) Ming Goetz ’12 with Shane Iverson ’13 and Maeve Price ’12
7) The Miller Siblings: Noah ’75, Jeni ’77, and Charlie ’81
8) Nina Yoshida ’12, Charlotte Fisher ’07, Lauren Burr ’12,
Duncan Fisher ’04, and French Teacher Rosemarie Alagia
Profile: Dorothy O’Neill
Dorothy O’Neill is retiring at
the end of the summer. Dorothy
has been the Director of Finance
since 1998, and before coming to
Far Brook, she was the business
manager at Oak Knoll School in
Summit for 25 years. Dorothy
has brought so much wisdom,
common sense and humor to
the office and to many teachers,
past and present, over the years.
She has been a professional and
personal mentor to CFO and
business manager Donna Chahalis
and many others. Dorothy will
‘graduate’ from Far Brook and
receive a diploma created by an
Eighth Grade student.
First on Dorothy’s list
of Things to Do is to “spend
lots of time” with her twelve
grandchildren of all ages who are
spread from NY/NJ to Boston and
to Chicago. She is researching
volunteer opportunities that will
enable her to “pay forward” or
“pay back” for the good fortune
she has had throughout her life.
And she may just “take the time
to smell the roses!”
FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATION NEWS
French teacher Rosemarie
Alagia is expecting a baby in
July. Rosemarie and her husband,
Anthony, live in Jersey City.
In January, Director of Music
F. Allen Artz, conducted the
Carrollton Chorale singing a
program of all a cappella music
for Christmas and also on the
theme of flowers, entitled “And
Still It Blooms” in Morristown and
Cranford. He also conducts five
large choral concerts each year
at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian
Church in Plainfield, where he
serves as both Director of Music/
Organist and Artistic Director of
Crescent Concerts.
6Congratulations to physical
education teacher/athletics
coach and After School Program
director, Greg Bartiromo, and
his fiancé Erin Kelleher who will
marry in August in New Vernon,
NJ. Best wishes to the happy
couple.
6Congratulations to math
teacher Liz Colleran, her
husband, Jon, and three-year-old
Sean upon the arrival of Landon
Beckett on May 28. Liz and her
growing family live in
New Providence.
Executive Assistant/Placement
Coordinator Marcela Figueroa
announces the birth of her
grandson, Liam Gregory
Lepore, born Feb 7, 2012. The
happy parents, Ann Marie and
Greg Lepore, and Liam live in
Philadelphia.
Sally Chernoff’s Granddaughter,
Katrusian McPeek
5Junior High math teacher
Sally Adams Chernoff ’57 is a
grandmother six times over! Her
son, Rob, and his wife, Natalka,
welcomed Katrusia Halyna
McPeek into the family on August
8, 2012. And on May 25, 2013,
her son, Mike ’95, and his wife
Sarah Keil ’95, and son Brody,
welcomed Owen Benjamin into
their family.
Landon Beckett Colleran
First Grade teacher Erin Comollo
has two exciting pieces of
news. An essay featuring her
mom’s letters to her and to her
siblings about their adoptions
has been included in Carried in
Our Hearts, a book by Far Brook
parent Dr. Jane Aronson. Jane
has committed 10% of all the
proceeds to go to Worldwide
Orphan Foundation. And Erin
has been accepted into Rutgers
University’s Educational Doctorate
program for Teacher Leadership,
which focuses on professional
development and teacher
education.
Kathy Freeman
5Former teacher Kathy
Freeman moved to Point
Pleasant, NJ. Kathy was a
Kindergarten teacher for one
year, then a Nursery teacher for
four more years. A wine and
cheese reception for faculty and
administration members was held
in her honor at school in October.
Greg Bartiromo and his fiance
Erin Kelleher
FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATION NEWS / 33
FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATION NEWS continued
Director of Drama James
Glossman’s adaptation of
Raymond Chandler’s Trouble is My
Business had its world premiere at
the Portland Stage Company (ME)
in January. He directed a sold-out
April performance of Unexplored
Interior, a new play by Jay O.
Sanders about the Rwandan
genocide produced by the Public
Theater and the Flea Theatre, at
the Museum of Jewish Heritage
in New York City. Jim was named
associate artistic director of the
Shadowland Theatre in New York
and is directing Bruce Graham’s
The Outgoing Tide there in June.
Jim also received a commission to
adapt the award-winning novel
A Crime in the Neighborhood by
Suzanne Berne for City Lit Theatre
in Chicago. It premieres in the fall.
Art teacher Nancy McIntyre was
part of an invitation-only group
art exhibit which opened on April
6 at Coldwell Banker in Morris
Plains. This first exhibit was a
launch of what they hope to be
an annual event. Look for her
signature, Nancy Katzenberg, on
ten oils and pastels. In addition,
Nancy has begun cutting
silhouette collages that include
various subject matters, including
a series of dancing cats.
Former math teacher Anna
Maria Licameli is now Anna
Maria D’Ippolito. She married
Frank on June 22, 2012, with
Junior High English and history
teacher Ed Solecki, math teacher
Sally Chernoff ’57, and Director
of Music Allen Artz in attendance.
Anna Maria teaches eighth grade
math at Brookwood School in
Manchester, MA. The couple lives
in Arlington, MA.
Nancy Ring
5First Grade teacher Nancy Ring
had a painting included in the
Summit Visual Art Center’s Blank
Canvas Benefit Auction in April.
She plans to spend this summer at
the artist-in-residence program of
the iPark Foundation in Plantsville,
CT, and in August as artist-inresidence at Ucross Foundation
for the Arts in Wyoming. Several
of her paintings and a fabric
sculpture will be exhibited in a
solo show at 73 See Gallery in
Montclair in the fall.
Megan McCall and Kojak Martin
Caroline Sargent
5Caroline Sargent, Director
of Advancement, was honored
by her choir, Schola Cantorum
on Hudson, at a gala evening on
April 24 at Amanda’s Restaurant
in Hoboken. Tribute was paid
to Carol as a founding soprano
member, former long-time
member of the board, and a
committed supporter.
6Congratulations to former
Junior High math teacher
Dominic Seals and his wife,
Camille, on the birth of Astrid
Emilie on October 11, 2012. He
says she sings already! The family
lives in Cleveland, OH.
Astrid Seals
Erasmia Voukelatos
5Last summer, Lower School
music teacher Erasmia
Voukelatos spent two weeks
examining and evaluating Greek
language pedagogical materials
for the University of Rethymno
in Crete, and hopes to return
this summer to research Greek
folk songs and to devote time
to transcribing and choral
arranging. In October 2012, she
performed the Concerto No 23
in A, K. 488 by Mozart with the
Antara Ensemble at St. Peter’s
Church in the Citicorp building,
New York City. Her performance
can be found on YouTube. This
March, Erasmia was a presenter
in a teacher workshop titled
“Listen! The Lyrics are Singing”
for the Organization of American
Kodaly Educators (OAKE) National
Conference held in Hartford, CT.
6Second Grade teacher
Jamie Wang is busy planning
her wedding to Robert Yang on
September 1, 2013 in Somerset,
NJ. Congratulations to the happy
couple who were engaged earlier
this year at the same spot where
Jamie first agreed to start dating
Rob – right outside the Princeton
Library. This photo was taken in
the Far Brook wetlands.
5Third Grade teacher Megan
McCall travelled to Jamaica
with Kojak Martin for their
wedding this summer. Later,
they celebrated with family and
friends back home in Kansas City
where they had been high school
classmates.
Far Brook Student Artwork
34 / FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATION NEWS
Jamie Wang and Rob Yang
WE REMEMBER
MALCOLM WARNOCK
SHEPARD PHILIP
POLLACK
MARY ELIZABETH
(BETTY) CRUM
November 26, 2012
Peter Hughes graduated from
The Pingry School, Lafayette
College, and Rutgers Business
School. He and his late wife,
Agneta, attended the Gala at
Far Brook in 2006 with the entire
Hughes clan. His mother, Betty,
and his siblings Jay ’56, Betsy
Templeton ’63, Barbara Gibson
’65, and their families celebrated
Peter’s life at a memorial service
on Long Island shortly after his
passing.
December 24, 2012,
Alumni Parent and
Former Trustee
Shep Pollack’s career began in
President Truman’s executive
office, as an advisor from 19491953. He worked in Ford Motor
Company’s finance department,
and later at Curtiss-Wright
Corporation before joining Philip
Morris USA in 1959. In 1977,
he was named CFO and led the
acquisition of 7-Up. In 1978,
Shep became president and COO
of Philip Morris USA. In 1985,
Shep joined American Express
Life Assurance Co. (formerly
Fireman’s Fund) in San Francisco
as President and CEO. In 1993,
he became chair of advertising
agency Mandelbaum Mooney
Ashley. Mr. Pollack is survived
by his wife, Paulette Long; her
son, Claudio Saunt; his children,
Susan ’70, Ann ’72, and Peter
’78; their mother, Arlene Pollack;
his sister, Ethel Cohen, as well as
seven grandchildren, including
John ’08 and Trevor Gilman ’12,
and two step-grandchildren.
May 9, 2013,
Far Brook’s Former Business
Manager and Transportation
Coordinator 1974-1997
Betty Crum was a valued
presence at Far Brook during
years of major growth for the
School. She managed the overall
transportation system in the days
of Far Brook’s little yellow school
buses and the new building
construction, the first since
the 1950s. She was a standing
member of the Finance and
Scholarship committees and was
a constant and valued presence
at Board meetings. Betty’s sound
judgment, wise counsel, and
great sense of humor were
ever-present traits in her life and
work at Far Brook. After retiring,
Betty returned for familiar events
and as a volunteer for many
years until her family moved to
the shore area. She lived there
with her daughter, Far Brook
alumni parent Catherine, and
son-in-law Fred Sandler, and
her granddaughter, Elizabeth
Mazzarisi ’05.
MARY SOVEREL
IRENE TRAVIS
December 4, 2012,
Alumni Parent
Mary Soveral most recently lived
in Brunswick, Maine. She is
survived by her children, Frances
’67 and James ’69.
April 28, 2013,
Alumni Parent
Irene Travis taught pre-K through
third grade at the Kentopp
School in East Orange, NJ, for 26
years. She then moved to Texas
where she became a minister at
the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas.
She is survived by her daughter,
Nancy Travis Kofie ’77; her son,
David Jr.; her sister, Frances
Ehrhardt; former husband, David
Sr.; and one grandson.
October 9, 2012,
Alumni Parent
Malcolm Warnock went to
Princeton and graduated
from Columbia University and
Columbia Law School. During
World War II he worked on
the Manhattan Project. Until
he retired in 1973, he worked
for the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
Malcolm continued to play
tennis into his 90s. He is survived
by his daughters Margaret
Carlough ’57 and Eleanor ’62;
and grandson, William Carlough.
PETER HUGHES ’59
WE REMEMBER / 35
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“ Inside
Is a story that never ends.
“
-FAR BROOK FIRST GRADER