July 1981 - Hammonassetschool.com

Vol. Ill No. 3
The Hammonasset School, Madison, CT. 06443
July 1981
Graduation 1981
Hammonasset School staff,
students, families and friends shared
the festive spirit and supportive atmosphere which dominated the annual picnic and commencement on June 5,
1981.
Keynoting the commencement ceremonies, Headmaster Douglas . Macdonald challenged the graduates to
face and grow with the changes that
are to be inevitable in their lives. He
perceived commencement as a beginning for coping with change constructively. Contrasting the state of
economy and industry at the time of
his own graduation from high school in
the '50s with the present, Macdonald
reflected on Hammonasset's educational emphasis in preparing
students for change.
.Ql
5:
:!:!
!II
>.c
rJl
0
0
.c.
ll..
Dana Butler, congratulated by presenters (right to left): Mark Johnson, Matti Barker,· Tom
West, Meva Eringen and David Levit. Douglas Macdonald, Headmaster, applauds.
"Three specific disciplines: courage,
compassion and consciousness, are
built into the Hammonasset experience," Macdonald stated. He continued, "These disciplines help our
students to grow, to cope and to face
change. They learn the courage to persist in face of fear. With courage, our
students take on difficult courses,
Graduating seniors Terry Matheson, Krista Whetstone and Keith Erikson.
Gena Rho (r) with her presentor Diana DeMayo
and friend.
Jearn to admit ignorance, and learn to reach out for help in a
caring community. If they fail, they learn to cope with failure and
continue. They learn to be known for themselves- no one hides
in this school- and with the courage to stand behind their own
convictions, they begin to establish their own identity.
"Our individualized program breeds compassion. Rigorous
academic expectations arrd requirements are arrived at jointly,
in a committee composed of academic advisors and the student. The decisions are made with compassion.
"Our students develop consciousness and awareness as they
deal with self-values, beliefs and use of freedom; tolerate
pressures and conflicts; live up to expectations and examine
convictions."
Following Macdonald's address, each senior received a
diploma and tribute from a presentor. Unique to Hammonasset,
presentors are comprised of family, faculty and friends who
have been instrumental in the student's development. The
students acknowledge this support in choosing their own
Continued on Page 2
Continued from Page 1
presentor. The presentation is a time of
celebration, but also a time tor sharing
values and convictions.
Of the graduates who have finalized
plans tor next year, Brooke Adamson
will attend Lyndon State College;
Melissa Bohn, Dean Jr. College; Jim
Carini, Hartwick; Lincoln Downey,
Colby; Denise Durocher, Hampshire;
Cynthia Echlin, Cedar Crest; Keith
Erikson, Macalester; Gail Feinberg,
University of New Hampshire; Pamela
Fowler, Southern Connecticut;
Stephen Gorin, Hamilton; Eric Greimann, Tulane; Virginia Hambley, Evergreen State; Miranda Hansen, Norwich
University; Douglas London, Claremont; Laurie Manchester, Wellesley;
Todd Murray, Brown; Scott Patton,
Sacred Heart University; Sarah Perron,
North Carolina School of the Arts;
Bruce Robbins, Boston University;
· Jane Stevenson, Emerson; Jay Van
Deusen, Penn State; Krista Whetstone,
Connecticut College; and Jeffrey Kyle,
Hartford State Technical College.
Dana Heinz is presently attending Connecticut College and Melissa Vishno is
presently attending Goddard. Jack
Chin, a junior, will attend Wesleyan
University.
Family picnic before graduation.
Other colleges and universities to
which the graduates have been ac-"
cepted include: Middlebury, Tufts, Hobart, St. Lawrence, Drew, Muhlenberg,
St. Olaf, Russell Sage, Syracuse,
Haverford, Ohio Wesleyan, Kalamoazoo, Franklin Pierce, Ithaca, Bard,
Clark, George Washingtion, California
Institute of the Arts, Eckerd, Tampa,
Redlands, Quinnipiac, University of
Hartford, University of Rhode Island,
Providence, Roger Williams, Green
Mountain, Bradford, Fischer, Mt. Ida
and Lasell.
Graduates who have not yet finalized plans tor next year include: Kenneth Alexander, Lawrence Bellemare,
Dana Butler, Mary Chaker, Joseph
Ennis, Stuart Gailey, Samantha Holbrook, Teresa Matheson, James May,
Suzanne Morse, Kent Nelson, Brad
Reynolds, Eugenia Rho, Kenneth West
and Jane Wickersham.
Friends and family serenade Laurie Manchester. (L·R) Rachel Price, Laurie Manchester, brother John Manchester, Michael Marbaix and Liz Johnson.
The following students will receive
their diploma upon completion of
summer work: Andrew Helander,
Rowena McKee, Deborah Petrillo,
Deborah Pagano and Jeffrey Tischer.
Summer Tennis, Anyone?
The Hammonasset Tennis Association is in operation again tor the summer. For a nominal tee, the courts may
be used throughout the summer. David
Levit, director of the Association, will
be offering lessons and sponsoring
recreational and competitive activities.
For information, call or write David at
the school. Telephone: 245-7303.
Sophomore, LaSharn Cummings congratulates graduating senior.
Macdonald Announces
New Faculty Appointments
l
~atory Summer School Program, and
mstructor at the Yale Summer High
School.
With numerous publications to his
credit, Church has been a contributing
editor to Media and Methods
Magazine. He has also served on the
advisory board of the Connecticut
Council for Open Education and on the
Regional District 13 Board of Education.
At Hammonasset, Bud will teach
history, writing, literature and poetry
courses.
Hollins College in Virginia. She is a
1981 graduate of the Yale School of
Fc:>restry and Environmental Studies
w1~h a masters degree in forest
sc1ence.
Priscilla Morrow Whiteman
Charles H. "Bud" Church, Jr.
Headmaster Doug Macdonald has
announced the appointment of Charles
H. "Bud" Church, Jr. to teach English
at Hammonasset School. Church
comes to Hammonasset from the John
Lyman and Center Schools in Middlefield, Connecticut, Regional District
13, where he has been principal since
1977. He is also assistant professor in
the Educational Studies Program at
Wesleyan University and supervises
student teaching at the University of
Connecticut.
A Haddam resident, Church, who
holds B.A. and M.A.T. degrees from
Wesleyan University, an M.A. degree in
religion and literature from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in elementary education from the University of
Connecticut, has had extensive teaching experience. In the North Haven
Connecticut public school system he
taught high school English for' 10
years, was chairman of the English
department, and .designed and operated the "School-Within-A-School"
Program, an alternative for potential
drop-outs. During this time, he also
taught humanities and literature in the
No~th Haven A~ult Education Program.
While researching open education for
his doctoral dissertation, he taught on
the elementary level in North Haven
and designed and implemented the
Integrated-Day Program at the Ridge
Road Elementary School. On the
University level, Church has been
assistant professor and director of
elementary education at Dartmouth
College, assistant professor in the
Graduate Liberal Studies Program at
Wesleyan University, and an instructor
in the Master of Arts Teaching Program at Brown University. Church has
been involved in educational alternatives as chairman of the Upward
Bound Program's English department
at Wesleyan University, . director of
community action for the Greater Middletown Junior High School Campen-
Barbara Leach
Barbara Leach, who is presently a
candidate for a Masters in Movement
at _Wesleyan University, has been appomted to teach dance at Hammonasset.
Leach majored in English at the Unive;rsity of Pittsburgh and graduated
w1th honors from Central Connecticut
State Co!lege in New Britain, CT. She
has studied the Graham technique in
New Haven, modern dance technique
at the Dance Alliance of New Haven
.and advanced modern dance tec'fmique with Cheryl Cutler, director of the
d~nce department at Wesleyan UniverSity. She has also studied with Jack
Wiener, director of the School for
Creative Movement in New York as
well as with lrmgard Bartenieff at the
Dance Notation bureau in New York
where she concentrated on creative
movement and effort shape analysis.
Presently teaching modern and improvisational dance in the New Haven
and Waterbury areas, Leach is also a
c_hiroprl:!-ctic assistant, instructing patients 1n movement and relaxation
techniques. She has taught modern
dance and creative movement at the
Dance Studio in Darien, Ct, at Mattatuck Community College in Waterbury, CT, and for the Institute for Movement Exploration. As a member of
Dancestreet, she performed and led
workshops in improvisational dance.
Priscilla Morrow Whiteman has been
appointed to teach history at Hammonasset School.
. Whiteman holds a B.A. degree in art
history from Yale University and has
done post-graduate work in the natural
sciences at Columbia University and at
While at Columbia, Whiteman was
an assistant to the curator in the anthropology department of the American
Museum of Natural History. With an
avid interest in environmental and outdoor education, Whiteman participated in both the National Outdoor
Leadership School and the Outward
Bound Program. She used her experience to instruct outdoor wilderness
courses for college students in the
North Carolina Outward Bound Program and direct and organize the
Hollins College Outdoor Program. She
has also interned at a rural health care
center in a coal mining community of
Appalachia for the Frontier Nursing
Service.
At Hammonasset, Whiteman's
courses will focus on American
history, global environmental problems
and outdoor environmental education.
Ruthann Aylor
Ruthann Aylor has been appointed
to teach math at Hammonasset.
. A Clinton resident, Aylor holds a B.S.
1~ mathematics from the State UniverSity of New York and a M.A. in math
and secondary education from Hofstra
University in Hempstead, New York.
. Aylor has taught math for five years
1n the Patchogue-Medford Middle
~chool in Patchogue, New York. Active
1n sports and outdoor recreation Ruthann will also coach volleyb~ll for
Hammon asset.
In Clinton, she serves on the Park
and Recreation Commission.
Robert Weeks
New Businsss Manager
1981·1982 School Year
September
2&3
7th
8th
9-11th
14th
October
8th
12-16th
Robert Weeks
Robert Weeks has joined the Hammonasset School staff as business
manager. "Bob" comes to Hammonasset with 28 years of financial
management experience working for
the Johnson & Johnson Co.
At Johnson & Johnson, Bob held
positions of Credit and Office
Manager, Assistant Controller and
before his retirement, was Assistant
Treasurer for 14 years. Weeks holds a
B.S. degree in accounting from
Rutgers University. An avid sailor, Bob
makes his home in Old Lyme with his
wife, Joan.
November
19th
20th
23-25th
26th & 27th
30th
December 21 ·
January 1st
January
15th
Faculty Meetings
Labor DaySchool Closed
Faculty Business
Meeting
Committee
Meetings
Classes Begin
February
12-15th
March
5th
9-12th
13-28th
29th
End of
Trimester I
Faculty Writing
Day; No Classes
Evaluation
Meetings
Thanksgiving
VacationSchool Closed
Trimester II
Begins
April
9th
30-May 4th
May
31st
June
4th
7th
8th
Martin Luther King 9-11th
11th
Day - School
Closed
14-16th
New Trustees Elected
End of
Trimester II
Faculty Writing
Day; No Classes
Evaluation Week
Spring Vacation
Trimester Ill
Begins
8th
Yom KipperSchool Closed
Interim Week
Christmas
Vacation
Presidents' Birthday Weekend
Vacation
School Closed
Good Friday School Closed
Interim Weekend
Memorial Day School Closed
End of
Trimester Ill
Faculty Writing
Day; No Classes
Evaluation Day ·
Seniors Only
Evaluation Days
Graduation Day
Faculty Meetings
Rachel Price
Student Trustee
Laura Gibbons
Laura Gibbons, a 1978 magna cum
laude graduate in mathematics from
Wesleyan University, has been appointed ·to teach math and physics at
Hammon asset.
Gibbons has taught at Coginchaug
Regional High School in Durham, Ct.
She was the Director of the New Haven
Rape Crisis Center in New Haven from
1979-81. Her responsibilities included
program design and management,
supervision of personnel and
volunteers and counseling.
Laura enjoys bike riding and is an
enthusiastic quilter.
Lois Nadel has been elected to the
board of trustees of Hammonasset
School. Lois is a potter and attended
the High School of Music and Art, University of California and CarnegieMellon University. She makes her
home in Chester and pursues interests
in mycology, organic gardening and
camping.
Lois and her husband, Dr. Martin
Nadel, have two children attending
Hammonasset. Lisa, in 10th grade and
Adam, who will be entering as a 9th
grader in the fall.
Rachel Price was elected by the
Hammonasset student body to fill the
position of student trustee for the
academic year 1981-82. She succeeds
Todd Murray, '81. Rachel is in 11th
grade and her interests include acting,
gardening and dance. In her preelection speech Rachel said she would
present all ~tudent viewpoints to the
Board in a fair and impartial manner
and would report back to the student
body. Rachel is looking forward to
helping shape Hammonasset's future.
Alumni/ae News
1974
Seth Clark back in school after working for
a year in Col. for the U.S. Geological Survey
as a Catographer. Presidently studying for
a Masters Degree in Geographic Information Systems and Computer Cartography in
the Department of Georgraphy at SUNY in
Buffalo.
Janet Graves presently enrolled evenings
for a degree in Electrical Engineering at
GWHSTC and transferring to UNH to be
closer to home and work.
Kathy DeVinne is working at Low-Heywood Thomas School teaching 4th and 5th
grade P.E., 6th grade Health and 7th grade
Earth Science and coaching the J.V. Field
Hockey Team.
1975
Melita Jenkin-Goodwin graduated with
honors from LPN course at Skaqit Valley
College. Has spent much time working with
stroke patients and pediatrics. She advises
nursing is a world of hourly accomplishments, and is now working toward an RN.
1976
James McGann is on tour with the Poodle
Boys Rock Group. Released a record on
Gustav Records and appeared in the June
'80 edition of Life Magazine.
Kathy Morse is attending Central Washington University studying Biology/Medical
Technology. Enjoying living in the beautiful
Evergreen State!
Dianna Noyes is working in a psychiatric
hospital in Brattleboro on the Alcohol and
Drug Abuse Unit. It is fascinating work and
she enjoys it immensely.
Ellen Brown graduated from New England
College with a Major in English, concentration in Feminist Studies, where she was
elected to the model United Nations at Harvard - Spring '80. She plans to go into
Graduate School - Feminist Studies in
Boston, Mass.
1976
Lauren McCann graduated from Pine
Manor Jr. College in '78 and Southern Connecticut State College, class of '80 majoring in Special Education. She is presently
attending Lesley College in Cambridge,
Mass. to obtain a Masters in Special Education and is currently working as a Preschool
Handicapped Teacher.
1977
Elizabeth Fagan attending Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa and is now attending
the University of Illinois majoring in
English. She made the Dean's List at Grinnell and studied English literature in London through the Grinnel program. She has
been nominated for Senior Honors Program
at University of Illinois. She may pursue
PhD and possibly teach college.
Katy Wakeman graduated from Mount
Holyoke College in May of this year majoring in Dance, Minor-biology. Continuing
work in choreography and performance as
well as studying physiology and anatomy.
Heloise Hambley graduated from
Wheaton College with the Class of '81 majoring in Art History and Economics. Upon
graduation she is relocating to Seattle,
Washington and hopes to become involved
in art administration to bring the arts to the
public.
1978
Alex Burack is attending Manhattanville
College and will graduate in '82 with a major in Sociology. She is a former President
of Manhattanville Women's Union; Student
Organization for Political Awareness. She
had a poem published by National Poetry
Press of California, Fall 1978.
Lisa Hannum will graduate. from the University of California at Berkeley in '83 with a
major in History of Art. Danced (ballet) on
scholarship for a year with a Bay Area company, changed course and went to Europe
with the Experiment in International Living
1978
John King is a factory trained Peugeot
technician at Reynold's Garage in Lyme
where he is the Head Mechanic.
1979
Sephie Miel is going back to Harvard after
a year of babysitting for New York rich kids
and counting her blessings.
David Reis is a 2nd year student at Hampshire College, Amherst, Ma. This semester,
Spring '81 he is studying economics at the
City of London Polytechnic and has an internship job in the finance department of
Overseas Containers Ltd. He has been accepted for the fall '81 at The London School
of Economics. He will return to Hampshire
spring '82.
1980
Holly Ardito is attending Johnson & Wales
College in Providence, R.I. where she is majoring in Business Administration.
Leif Nelson hitchhiked to South Dakota to
participate in the 1980 International Survival Gathering at the Black Hills. He is
presently attending the Lyme Academy of
Fine Arts. He has a property management
business and is starting a career in the Fine
Arts.
Lynn Frankes is attending Wesleyan University and will graduate in 1984. She is majoring in Government/Science in Society.
Sue Ganley is attending Mitchell College
and will graduate in '82. She is majoring in
Business Management.
Ken Rode is attending Technical Careers
Institute and will become an Industrial Electronics Technician.
Lynna Stone is attending the University of
Connectir:ut and will graduate in '84. She is
majoring in Animal Science. She ran the
lights for the theatre production of "Ails
Fair: Portraits of Love" and has been active
in the Horse Practicum Program.
Brause,· Todd Little, Jim May, Paul Dana,
Julie Hence, Sam Gladstein, Kathy Armstrong, Julie Jatlow, Pattie Ruhe, Paul
Staley, Jay Van Deusen, Cooper Beg is, Lise
Christensen, Larry Finman, Barbrar
Browne, Diane DiNello, Helen Bidwell, and
Stacey Arena.
Annual Fund Report
Bill Pike, Annual Fund Chairman, is
happy to report that the total reached
for 1980-81 is $101,000. The faculty and
trustees are very grateful for your generosity and continued support.
An Evening of Dance
Departing Faculty
Thanked
Hammonasset owes a great debt of
gratitude to those faculty and staff
members who will not be returning in
September. Their inspired teaching,
their guidance and their willingness to
"jump on the bandwagon" at the beginning of this school contributed a great
deal to the success of Hammonasset.
As Cynthia David, Meva Eringen,
Mark Johnson, David Levit, Dorothy
Muller, Jonathan Rho, Jim Russell,
Tom West and more recent members
Faye Leonardo and Rosemary Oates
. move on to other endeavors we thank
them for their creative energy, their
hard work and their devotion to the
school. We take this opportunity to
wish them well in their new pursuits!
and now intends to go into Arts Management.
The "Hammonasset Gothic" posed by Tony
Scherr and Sara Littlehales.
Death Of A Salesman
An outstanding cast, excellent technical
·crews and fine direction· made Death of a
Salesman a memorable and exciting spring
theatre production on May 16th and 17th.
The fine cast created the sense of tragedy
and loss in this classic play. Scenes were
played with depth and understanding.
Karen Bovard's tight direction was evident.
The set was skillfully designed and worked
well for both the reality and memory
scenes. Members of the fine cast and crew
included: Stuart Gailey, Rachel Price, Doug
London. Joe Ennis, Steve Gorin, Lisa
An evening of dance was presented in the
Arts Barn on May 22 and 23. It was an evening filled with charm and energy with performances danced by talented Hammonasset
students. Students in the intermediateadvanced dance class performed a variety
of selections ranging from classical ballet
to improvisation.
Members of the dance performance cast
were: Samantha Holbrook, Shena Johns
Greta Robinson, f'!ancy Echlin, Jeff Miller:
Pam Fowler, Debbie Gann, Terry Matheson
Samantha Pierce, Susan Romano, Sarah
Perron, Eugenia Rho, Lia Johnson, Laurie
Manchester, Coleen Daggett, Denise
Durocher, Sarah Johnson, Cathy Morrison,
Kathy Armstrong, Lise Christensen, Lise
Nadel, Kate Johnson, Dean Peterson,
Peggy Sorensen, Dana Butler, Jane Stevenson, Kenny West, Monica Keenan, Crystal
Wilson, Jim Russell, Rachel Price, Eric
Greiman, Debbie Pagano, Judy Stevens,
Alice Helander, Kris Frese, and Carolyn
Opper.
The performance was under the direction
of Meva Eringen.
Faculty Plans For 1981·82
Headmaster, Douglas Macdonald (center), discusses curriculum emphasis with
(left to right) Priscilla Whiteman, Karen Bovard and Liz Lapham.
the hammonasset school
madison, connecticut 06443
Address Correction Requested
From June 8-10, the Hammonasset
School faculty met in full day sessions
to schedule courses and plan curriculum for the academic year 1981-82.
Described by Doug Macdonald as
"very productive and rewarding" the
faculty worked together and accomplished their goals.
Several changes lll(ere made in
scheduling. The faculty decided to
make class periods 45 minutes long.
Double periods were scheduled for
science labs, dance, drama and outdoor education. The school will be returning to a two week break in March,
rather than as it was last year, 2 one
week vacations. An interim week is
planned for October 12-16 and a faculty
committee has been formed to plan activities and projects. Another interim
weekend has been scheduled for the
spring.
Throughout the school year special
days have been scheduled for allschool activities, seminars or forums.
The faculty designed courses ranging from Conrad to calculus, from
women's literature to Western Civ. At
the end of the three days a real sense
of accomplishment and relief was felt
by all!
The curriculum course guide and
schedule will be mailed to students at
the end of July. The faculty hopes you
are having a wonderful summer and
looks forward to seeing everyone in the
fall.
Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage
PAID
Madison, CT 06443
Permit No. 40