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The Morristown-Beard School Magazine
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2011
70 Whippany Road
Morristown, NJ 07960
(973) 539-3032
www.mbs.net
WINTER
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WINTER 2011
Crimson
REMARKS FROM THE HEADMASTER
The Morristown-Beard School Magazine
DEAR FRIENDS of MBS,
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
M. Thomas Conway, President
Michael Ranger, Vice President
Katherine Rohrer, Vice President
John Taylor, Treasurer
Richard Markee, Secretary
During the past decade, the advances that have taken place at
Morristown-Beard School have been nothing short of
transformational.
BOARD MEMBERS
John Adams
Penny B. Boorman ’51
Patrick Burke ’84
Mary-Ellen Campbell (Honorary)
John M. Egan
John F. Fay
Linda S. George
David V.H. Hedley ’64 (Honorary)
Allan P. Kirby, Jr. ’49 (Honorary)
Sheila Klehm
Michael Magner
Betsy Patterson
John Peirano
Debra Roth
Lee Kellogg Sadrian ’89
Barbara Sandelands
Donnell A. Segalas
Haleh Shafaie
Joseph Stefani ’81
Monya Taylor ’88
Siobhan A. Teare ’77
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Contents
WINTER 2011
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2
6
p.6
Director of Communications
Crimson Corner
Director of Alumni Relations
Alumni Spotlight: Jeff Grace ‘92
Steve Patchett
Lisa Bevacqua
Features Writer
Carol Selman ‘64
Photography
David Kramer ‘69, Steve Patchett
Designer
Jennifer DeAngelis
Printer
AJ Images
Remarks from the Headmaster
MBS News Briefs
iPad Pilot Program
“Following the Vision: True to the Mission”
Director of Development
Alison Cady
SPIR10
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P. 18 K!
Class Notes
MBS Celebrates
the Legacy of Rose Koch
Lehman Lecture
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Spirit Week
From the renovation of Beard Hall, Grant Hall and South Wing to
the construction of Founders Hall, the new athletic fields and a new
Middle School building, there is hardly a corner of campus that has
not been significantly upgraded. As you can imagine, such dramatic
physical improvements to our facilities make for wonderful moments
as alumni and friends visit today’s MBS. To see their eyes light up
with pride is one of my great pleasures as Headmaster.
Not necessarily discernable on campus tours, but of the utmost importance, are the advances that are taking place within the classroom
walls. We have been committed to expanding and enhancing the
curriculum with an eye toward student-centered learning, encouraging interdisciplinary teaching opportunities, decreasing teaching loads
for faculty, and spearheading new technology initiatives such as the
Apple iPad pilot program. All the while, we have been dedicated to
increasing the financial aid budget, ensuring that an MBS education remains accessible to all qualified students.
These bold initiatives have been forward-thinking while staying true to the School’s mission, values and tradition – and
they are the direct result of thoughtful strategic planning. So I am particularly pleased to present to you the 2010
Strategic Plan within this issue of Crimson Magazine. This document sets forth our School’s goals and objectives and
will serve as our beacon for the next five years. The adoption of this Strategic Plan is a significant step toward realizing a
shared vision for Morristown-Beard School.
This plan is the culmination of a year-long collaboration and is the result of broad involvement, reflecting the contributions of hundreds of individuals. I thank the trustees, faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni and friends who participated
in this process. Their involvement has shaped a strong plan that is highly ambitious yet certainly achievable.
As we reflect on the accomplishments of the past decade, it is clear that the School’s successes would not be possible
without the commitment, energy and creativity of the entire Morristown-Beard community. With your ongoing support
and dedication, MBS will continue to rise to new heights and meet the challenges of the next 10 years...and beyond.
With all best wishes from campus,
Special:
Strategic Plan 2010 booklet inside!
p. 20
Dr. Alex Curtis
Headmaster
MBS
News Briefs
Literary Magazine Earns Silver
Medalist Award
Morristown-Beard School’s Upper School literary
magazine, Mariah, was recently honored with a Silver
Medalist rating by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
The 2010 issue of Mariah received the recognition in
an evaluation that examines the magazine’s organization, content and design. Positive comments included,
“There is good variety…Your writers take emotional
risks… There are some promising young writers represented here. Emily Price’s memory piece in tribute
to her grandmother is very moving and descriptive.”
The 2010 edition of Mariah was edited by Nina
Cammarata ’12 and Rebecca Saltzman ’11 under the
guidance of faculty advisors Michael Dundas and Samara Landers. The literary staff included Riddhi Amin
’10, Reva Dhingra ’10, Rachel Donahue ’12, Ruth Frankel ’11, Harrison Kronfeld ’12, Charlotte McAuley ’10,
and Emily Young ’10.
The 2008 and 2009 editions of Mariah were awarded “Excellent” ratings by the National Council of the
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Teaching of English program to recognize excellence
in school literary magazines.
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association, a program affiliated with the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York City, was established in 1925 to help improve student publications.
A Powerful “Diary of Anne Frank”
Morristown-Beard School staged a moving and powerful production of “The Diary of Anne Frank” as its
Upper School fall play in the Theater at Founders Hall.
Performances were held on November 3rd through
November 6th.
Poignant and emotionally rich, “The Diary of Anne
Frank” tells the story a young Jewish girl and her family’s concealment from the Nazis during the Holocaust. Only 13 years old when she went into hiding in
the Secret Annex, this gifted young girl kept a diary of
the daily events which has since been translated into
67 languages and presented countless times on stage
and screen.
The original stage play by Frances Goodrich and
Albert Hackett was further adapted by Wendy Kesselman into a transcendently powerful study of courage,
love, and humanity.
Director Susan Speidel, Chair of the MorristownBeard Performing Arts Department, explained that the
decision to stage the play was inspired by Holocaust
survivor Tova Friedman who visited MBS last spring.
“At the end of her presentation, she looked out from
the stage at Founders Hall and said ‘I am a witness of
the Holocaust, but there are not that many of us left.
You are our legacy. You must pass the lessons onto future generations.’ In discussing her presentation with
several students that day, I found that they were as
moved by her words as I had been. When I went home
that night, I moved “The Diary of Anne Frank” to the
top of my pile of scripts,” said Ms. Speidel.
Morristown-Beard’s talented cast featured Samantha
Cocuzza ’12 as Anne Frank, Susanna Mathews ’12 as
Mrs. Frank, Alex Fetchko ’11 as Mr. Frank, Rachel
Donahue ’12 as Margot Frank, Ciara Devereux ’11 as
Mrs. Van Daan, Christopher DeBono ’12 as Mr. Van
Daan, Harry Kronfeld ’12 as Peter Van Daan, Austin Fernandez ’12 as Mr. Dussel, Kyle Fisher ’12 as
Mr. Kraler, Pooja Aggarwal ’14 as Miep Geis, Kevin
Glancy ’12 as the S.S. Officer, Spencer Zubrow ’12
and Charles Hill ’12 as Nazi Soldiers, and Jeffrey
Maser ’11 and Sailesh Doraiswamy ’12 as Dutch Informers.
Understudies included: Rachel Moss ’13 (Anne
Frank), Rachel Butensky ’13 (Mrs. Frank), Kevin
Glancy ’12 (Mr. Frank and Mr. Van Daan), Erin
Hargrave-Kerns ’14 (Margot Frank and Miep Geis),
Charles Hill ’12 (Peter Van Daan), Rachel Butensky
’13 (Mrs. Van Daan), Spencer Zubrow ’12 (Mr. Dussel), and Sailesh Doraiswamy ’12 (Mr. Kraler).
The stage manager for the production was Danielle Ciccodicola ’12. The behind-the-scences crew
included: Neela Asaadi ’11, Daniel Collins ’13, Alex
Dranetz ’11, Eric Fernandez ’14, Gioia Kelleher ’14,
Elisabeth Maranca ’11, Margaret McDonagh ’12, Eric
Schlossman ’13, and Nina Zwarycz ’12.
In addition, Morristown-Beard students created a
lobby display for the show that highlighted the life
of Anne Frank and the themes of her story.
PA Fundraiser
Shows the
“Passion for
Fashion”
Guests at the annual MorristownBeard School fall
fashion show clearly
showed a “Passion
for Fashion” on November 9th at the
Birchwood Manor
in Whippany.
The entire MBS
community is grateful to co-chairs
Terry Passione and
Janie Rakow as well as the many parent volunteers,
faculty, staff and friends whose hard work and generosity made the day a success.
More than 20 MBS seniors appeared on the runway alongside professional models, highlighting
fashions by Saks Fifth Avenue. In total, more than
80 members of the senior class also participated by
walking the runway and presenting a member of
their family with a special gift.
Morristown-Beard models included: Jashiel Apolinario, Neela Asaadi, Anna Balliet, Taina Bey, Caroline
Bouillon, Kevin Brennan, Jack Desmond, Jake Fishter,
Neale Gadde, Will Gerhard, Stephen Gianis, Anthony
Guerrieri, Andrew Hartel, Kathryn Hentenaar, Dylan
Joskowitz, Molly Radin, Allison Silvershein, Samantha Stathis, Nicholas Strunc, Jaime Summers, William
Vandeveer, Cristal Vivanco, Clarence Williams, Kwadwo Woods-Lokken and Derek Zambon.
Guests enjoyed getting a jump on their holiday
shopping, winning fabulous raffle prizes and baskets
of goodies, and catching up with old friends. The fall
fashion show is one of the Parents’ Association’s major fundraisers. Proceeds from this year’s event will be
used to directly benefit the students and programs of
Morristown-Beard School.
History Students
Discover What Lies
Beneath
Morristown-Beard students got
an inside look at local history
and archeology on October 7th
as Upper School history teacher and resident archeologist
Dr. Alan Cooper discussed his
work at the Lord Stirling Manor
House and the Lenape Meadow excavation sites in Basking
Ridge.
Dr. Cooper has been working at these sites for nearly 30
years as part of projects sponsored by the Somerset County Parks Commission. He
explained that Lenape Meadow, located in the Great
Swamp, is an area long known for prehistoric occupation and is the site of a Late Archaic/Early Woodland
village. Students were able to examine many of the
hand tools, scrapers and points that Dr. Cooper and
his team recovered there.
“One of our biggest finds there was a spearhead
made of jasper. It’s an early Woodland artifact and is
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approximately 2,000 years old,” said Dr. Cooper.
Students learned about the methods, tools and
techniques used in field archeology, from laying out
a grid system to meticulously cleaning and cataloguing each item. Dr. Cooper told the students that while
it’s thrilling to unearth an ancient fire pit or projectile
points, the real satisfaction comes from discovering
the stories that the artifacts can tell.
“From looking at these objects you can reconstruct
a day in the life of someone who lived 5,500 years
ago,” said Dr. Cooper. “Some hunter built a small fire
in a hearth, faced west, sat down with a block of argillite and made tools.”
Dr. Cooper also showed the students several colonial artifacts that he discovered at Lenape Meadow,
including a carriage step, a handle from a dresser,
pieces of ceramic and a pair of scissors.
Morristown-Beard School Trustees Penny Boorman
’51, Patrick Burke ’84, Tom Conway, Linda George,
Betsy Patterson, and John Taylor visited campus on
October 25th to see what a typical day at MorristownBeard School is really like.
Each Trustee was paired with a student host for
the day and was able to get an accurate glimpse of
campus life by sitting in on activities and classes.
Students Anna Balliet ’11, Lauren Capo ’11, Jacqueline McGinley ’12, Rebecca Saltzman ’11, Olivia Schreiber ’15, and Tyler Smith ’15 served as tour guides
for the day.
Although test-taking was strictly optional, the
Trustees participated in many typical activities including classes, advisory, recess and lunch.
received a top ranking
for her age group by
USA Climbing. Earlier this month, she
competed in the IFSC
Youth World Cup in
Edinburgh, Scotland,
where she placed 33rd
out of 64 athletes in
the 13-15 age group.
“I was really happy,”
said Steinberg. “Especially considering I was
one of only two 13 yearolds in the age group.”
Steinberg qualified for the tournament after placing fourth at the Sport Climbing Series Nationals. She
also placed second at the American Bouldering Series
National Championships held in Alexandria, Virginia,
where she beat 30 top competitors from around the
country.
Steinberg was introduced to the sport only four
years ago after her brother, Mike Steinberg ’17, attended a birthday party at the Gravity Vault, an indoor rock
gym just 15 minutes from her home. She gave climbing a try and was immediately hooked.
“It’s motivational. There’s always something new to
try,” said Steinberg. “If you can’t do one thing you can
always move on to the next climb.”
Climbing has become a year-round sport for Steinberg, who practices two or three times a week at the
Gravity Vault in Upper Saddle River and loves to get
outside in the spring and summer. Locally, she enjoys
climbing in the Shawangunk Mountains in New York
State, and she has also climbed in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky.
She credits her success to her conditioning and
physique as much as her mental game.
“Generally, rock climbers don’t have really muscular builds – it’s more of a wiry thing,” she said. “You
also need a lot of patience and determination. You
have to want to get up the wall and not stop until you
reach the top.”
Steinberg plans to keep competing in the sport and
hopes to take it as far as she can. For her, the sky truly
is the limit.
This November, she planed to compete again internationally when she travels to the Pan American
Games in Ecuador.
vocal music teacher
Bruce Van Hoven
had an idea. He asked
if the group’s members ever wrote arrangements for other
groups - specifically
school groups. Amy
Englehardt, the lone
female member of the
group who is known
as “Amy Bob,” responded affirmatively and agreed to
create something specifically for the MBS a cappella
group, The Crimsingers.
Before the end of the year, the members of
Crimsingers discussed various songs and eventually
chose “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen as
the piece to be arranged for them. After some preliminary conversations via email with Mr. Van Hoven,
Amy took the song and gave it her own special treatment. That included referencing other songs in the arrangement including Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” and
Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”.
Mr. Van Hoven noted, “I’ve been a Bobs fan for
the past 20 years, and was so impressed with how
good she was with the students last year. I gave her
the basic parameters but, was happy to give her carte
blanche to write the arrangement as she saw fit. I figured she was the a cappella pro.”
Amy joined The Bobs in 1998 and can be heard on
their recordings “The Best of the Bobs” (2003), “Rhapsody in Bob” (2005), “Get Your Monkey Off My Dog”
(2007), “Live at the 20th Century” (1998), and “The
Bobs Sing!” (2001). Originally a classically trained
theater artist, Amy appeared in over 50 productions
ranging from the European tour of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Fiddler on the Roof”
and appeared with MBS Performing Arts Department
Chair Susan Speidel in a production of “Annie” back
in the 1980’s.
By September, Amy’s arrangement of “Crazy Little
Thing Called Love” was completed - tailor-made for
MBS! The Crimsingers will rehearse and prepare it
for performance in this Spring’s Vocal/Instrumental
Concert and the Spring Arts
Festival.
The Sky’s The Limit for MBS Rock Climber
A Special Arrangement for Crimsingers
Morristown-Beard freshman Zoe Steinberg ’14 knows
what it’s like to overcome obstacles and reach new
heights. Steinberg is an avid rock climber and
When the award-winning and slightly eccentric a
cappella group “The Bobs” visited Morristown-Beard
School last year to conduct workshops for our chorus,
Dr. Edward Sherman wears
many hats at Morristown-Beard
School – history and religion
teacher, advisor, grade dean,
Trustees Spend a Day on Campus
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MBS Teacher Publishes
Book on Perceptions
of America
and cricket guru. Now, he has added another title: published author.
In his new book, America Through the Eyes of China and India: Television, Identity, and Intercultural
Communication, Dr. Sherman offers a stimulating,
fast-paced look at the way two Asian superpowers,
China and India, look at the United States via the lens
of television. America has long exported its network
and cable programming abroad, but with a changing
world comes a changing dynamic.
According to Professor James Mark Shields of
Bucknell University, Dr. Sherman’s book is “part travelogue, part academic analysis, topped off with unrelenting black humor. America through the Eyes of India and China is sure to engage anyone interested in
intercultural relations and (mis-)communication.”
Professor Robert Paul Churchill of George Washington University says “Dr. Sherman’s book offers
valuable lessons on culture, identity, and what it
means to be an American in a world in which pluralism continues to be important despite globalization.”
Dr. Sherman joined the MBS History department in
2007. He holds a doctorate in Religious Studies from
Vanderbilt University and earned a B.A. and M.A. from
McGill University.
The book is currently available on Amazon.com
and Barnesandnoble.com.
How do you Spell
Excitement?
S-p-e-l-l-i-n-g-B-e-e
There is an inherent sense
of drama and suspense in a
spelling bee, and that was
certainly the case on November 3rd as more than
20 MBS Middle School students took center stage in Founders Hall to battle it
out in the annual spelling bee.
One by one, the students approached the microphone to stand in front of
an eerily silent audience and wrestle with words like
“alliteration,” “daffodil,” “mongrel” and “ambivalent.”
When the smoke cleared, six Middle Schoolers
were left standing and will represent MorristownBeard School at Delbarton School in a competition
against other area students.
Congratulations to six grader Amogh Anakru ’17,
eighth grader J.D. Parker ’15, and eighth grader Renee
Terry ’15 who will comprise Morristown-Beard’s “varsity” team of spellers. The MBS “junior varsity” team
will include eighth grader Maggie Collier ’15, eighth
grader Mahdiyyah Karriem ’15 and eighth grader Ben
Schreiber ’15.
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The iPad
enhancing students’ learning.”
BY STEVE PATCHETT
An Apple for the Teachers AND the Students
Dr. Curtis said that the iPad’s tablet design was a conscious
choice over traditional laptops.
“When the clamshell comes up on a
laptop, it’s literally a barrier between the
teacher and student. That barrier gets in
the way. You want eye contact,” he said.
With a flat design and long battery life, the iPad seems to be
integrating seamlessly into Morristown-Beard School’s discussion-based classes. Already, it’s easy to see how the technology
is transforming the classroom as students have instant access to
a wealth or information and resources.
“I have so much more information that I
can use,” said Anna Balliet ’11. “Just for one
simple assignment, I have so much information in front of me.”
In classrooms around campus this fall,
the rustling of paper has been replaced
by the quiet tapping on iPad screens.
Instead of being asked to open their
textbooks, students are now being
asked to open apps like Google Earth,
graphing calculators and image programs for art history.
It’s all part of Morristown-Beard School’s Apple iPad pilot
program, as 60 students began using the devices in courses
across the curriculum including Early Modern World, Baroque Art History, Advanced Geosciences, A.P. Calculus, and
Freshman English.
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In embarking on the program, Morristown-Beard School has
become one of the first schools in the nation to integrate this new
tablet technology into its curriculum.
“The iPad pilot program is in keeping
with our philosophy of using technology
to serve the curriculum, not the other way
around,” said Headmaster Alex Curtis.
“We deliberately waited for the right device to come along. We believe the iPad
is that device and it will help the School
fulfill its curricular vision by aiding the
emergence of new teaching methods and
Stephanie Ironson ’11, who is also enrolled in the Baroque Art
History class with Balliet, agrees. “We have an entire gallery of
pre-loaded artwork for our course. You can easily research different time periods, artists, and types of art. You can click on the
pictures and zoom in on details,” she said.
Paul Fisher’s Advanced Geosciences course takes a simulation approach to the curriculum, and students are using a variety
of scientific apps and resources on their iPads as they become
consultants in a geo-science firm faced with real world issues.
As students grapple with topics like global climate change, mud
slides and wild fires, they use computer tools including 3-D modeling systems obtained from NASA and the Goddard Institute
for Space Studies.
Elsewhere, freshmen in Roger Richard’s Early Modern World
class have researched topics such as mercantilism and given
group presentations using the Keynote app on their iPads. The
students’ presentations were enhanced by the many visual elements they found to illustrate their ideas. Mr. Richard said the
iPad can be a very effective tool for group projects.
Students are not just using the iPads in classroom, however.
Since they have them 24 hours a day, there is plenty of time to
explore the device’s possibilities and be creative.
“It’s not just in the classroom where you’re
learning on the iPad,” said Brandon Baron
’11. “If you need extra help with it, you have
it right in front of you whether you’re sitting on your bed at home or sitting on the
couch.”
Weighing in at just a pound and a half, the iPad also means
heavy textbooks and bulging backpacks may be a thing of the
past. A lighter load is definitely welcome news to Taina Bey ’11
who is enrolled in the Advanced Geosciences class.
“The iPad gives us a whole database of
books that are printed by the U.N. on climate
change that are really, really thick and would
be a huge pain to carry around,” said Bey.
For freshman Travis Nardin ’14, the iPad helps keep his backpack not only lighter, but more organized.
“I really like it,” said Travis Nardin. “It helps
me with my homework because my notes
are all right there and the organization is
key for me. With a regular binder, my notes
used to get all out of control.”
Senior Ruth Frankel ’11 agrees, saying she would be lost without the iStudiez Pro app that helps her keep track of her classes,
activities and “to do” list for the day. Frankel, who is enrolled in
both the Baroque Art History class and the Advanced Geosciences class, says,
“I find the iPad very helpful in class, but for
“It’s extremely versatile for the students to some students it can be distracting,” she
have their textbook, notebook and Internet said. “If you are an attentive student, you
access in one device,” said Mr. Richard.
can certainly make the most out of it.”
“The students are able to work collaboraAt the end of the semester, students and faculty will report
tively and creatively, and the technology
back their experiences and if the program is successful, schoolreally helps to speed the process.”
wide implementation is eyed for 2011-12.
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Following the Vision:
True to the Mission
10 Years of Guided Change and Growth
BY Carol Selman ’64
Culture is always changing. Schools
must evolve and meet new challenges while holding true to their
core values. They must prepare their
students for an ever-quickening
pace of technological and informational change.
Morristown-Beard School is
proud of its evolution over the past
10 years. Changes can be seen on
the campus and in the classroom.
Change can be felt in the growth
of School spirit and pride. Change
can be sensed in the maturity and
achievements of students in class
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discussion, on and off the playing
fields, on stage, or far afield in Peru
planting trees or in Alabama building houses.
Morristown-Beard is proud that
this evolution has come from indepth discussions and strategic
planning which asked who we are,
who we want to be, and how we can
achieve our goals.
Since 2001, the most visible
change is the new campus. The
School’s physical structures and site
plan have been transformed with
new and retrofitted buildings, traf-
fic patterns and an orientation to a
western quadrangle.
More subtle is how each renovation and new structure serves the
educational vision of the School.
Central to this vision is curriculum and how to teach and assess
students. Here the strategic planning teams asked: “How do we best
prepare our students for the future?”
“Who is each student and how can
he/she best learn?” “What are the
key components of critical thinking
and assessments?”
The 2010 Strategic Plan identi-
“When you stand on Senior Circle
today, every building around you – the
entire face of the campus – has been
renovated,” said Dr. Curtis. “It’s quite
striking, really, that apart from the
Math Building and the Dining Hall, the
entire campus has been rebuilt in the
past 10 years.”
The cover story headline of the
winter 2001 issue of Crimson magazine
cried “Bare Beard! Beard Hall Gets
Skinned and Gutted while a New Grant
Grows to New Heights.” More conservatively put, the 1891 Beard Hall - once
Morristown School’s Old Main - was
being lovingly retrofitted, expanded
and transformed to include the new
Anderson Library, modern classrooms,
reception rooms, meeting rooms and
an inviting student commons that
would open onto a patio to the west
quad. Meanwhile, Grant Hall – formerly
known as Old North - was also undergoing significant renovation.
Under the guidance of Headmaster Laird Davis, the $13 million campaign for the
Beard and Grant Hall project set a new precedent
for fundraising at the School. Davis called the
physical plant needs at the time “genuine and
urgent” and anyone who navigated the buildings’
narrow corridors or witnessed the leaking roof and
pipes strongly agreed.
“There is excellence at Morristown-Beard
School,” Davis said as the campaign began.
“Among our riches are a dedicated faculty and a
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talented student body, but our school is not rich in
library and classroom space.”
By the end of the campaign, all that had changed.
Beard and Grant Halls provided spacious classrooms
and new opportunities for
learning while the Anderson
Library had nearly doubled
available study areas and
provided “Internet access
and word processing through
optically-wired computers” –
a revolutionary concept at the
time!
The summer of 2004
welcomed Dr. Alex Curtis
and his family to MBS. In
short order after the arrival
of our new Headmaster, there
were many more changes to campus. By the fall,
the School had made significant progress on the
“Fields of Excellence” campaign to upgrade its
athletic facilities along Whippany Road. Plans
were drawn for a new FieldTurf playing surface
for Burke Field, a new rubberized track, and the
creation of The Crimson Terrace for spectators.
One year later, eager to complete renovations
to the School’s exterior athletic surfaces, plans
were made to upgrade Billings Field, the playing
surface located between the Simon Athletic Center
and Grant Hall.
Then, in 2007, the School launched its “Ahead
With Confidence” capital campaign and Crimson
magazine headlines declared “New Middle School
Moving Ahead,” and “Excitement is Building on
Campus.” The $16.2 million project would fund
three major construction initiatives: the renovation
of South Wing, the expansion of the Middle School
and the creation of a performing arts center.
After a complete overhaul, South Wing became
home to the School’s Learning Center, visual arts
department and nurse’s office.
Meanwhile, the Middle School was undergoing
a thorough renovation and extensive expansion.
The division’s previous home was both antiquated
and inefficient with narrow hallways and staircases, cramped lockers in the classrooms, and a floor
plan that often forced students to contend with
:
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fies five central areas: curriculum, technology, sustainability, accessibility and communication. Each
is important in the context of the School’s mission:
“To nurture the academic, social, emotional and
physical well-being of its students while helping
to shape their knowledge and contributions of a
global community.”
Or, more simply put, what do we want our
students to learn, how do we want them to learn it,
and who do we want them to be?
THE VISI
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VI
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9
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inclement weather when moving between classes.
The new facility boasts a central hallway and
commons area for gathering, more classroom
space, upgraded science and art rooms, and display space for student work.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony in September 2008, Head of Middle School Darren Burns
spoke about the impact the project would have on
generations of students. “We couldn’t be happier
about the opening of the new building. The pieces
have really come into place to provide our Middle
School students and teachers the resources and
space they need to support the meaningful learning that is taking place here.”
Also by 2008, ground had been broken on,
perhaps, the crown jewel of MBS’ strategic planning, Founders Hall. “A new performing arts
facility has been a part of the School’s Master Plan
for the past 20 years, and a dance studio was first
promised to the Beard School in 1972, shortly after
the merger with Morristown Prep. Fulfilling that
promise would not have been possible without the
determination and guidance of our Board,” said
Dr. Curtis at the gala reception that marked the
opening of Founders Hall.
Boasting an impressive 630-seat theater,
Founders Hall has become the new home of
Morning Meeting. For the first time in decades,
the School community can gather together in one
room. Additionally, the facility boasts two levels of
lobbies which provide wonderful spaces for receptions, gatherings and art exhibitions.
And don’t forget the Headmaster’s Cottageturned-Alumni House. The charming Dutch Colonial Revival built in 1916 had for generations been
the home of Morristown and MBS headmasters
and their families. It is now home to the School’s
Alumni and Development offices and offers comfortable gathering rooms for intimate receptions
and events.
What is most important is that each of these
new and renovated structures is the successful
fulfillment of a comprehensive Strategic Plan. Ten
years ago, five years ago, MBS had the foresight
- the vision - to create the physical facility where
the mission of a true community of learning could
and does flourish.
SUPPORTING A CREATIVE FACULTY
Changes have not been limited to the School’s
buildings and grounds. Indeed, some of the most
meaningful enhancements have been those inside the
walls of our campus buildings.
A cornerstone of the Morristown-Beard experience
has always been a personal approach to education
supported by a caring and creative faculty. “Simply
put, people are the heart of Morristown-Beard School,
and we take great pride in the talented teachers we
have here,” said Dr. Curtis.
One of the main objectives in the last Strategic
Plan was to attract, reward and retain the highest
caliber of faculty. Since 2005, the number of teachers
at Morristown-Beard School has grown by 20 percent.
This calculated increase in faculty, ensures that MBS
is able to maintain its commitment to small classes,
strong teacher-student relationships and individual
attention.
Steps have also been taken to create interdisciplinary teaching opportunities, emphasize faculty de-
Dean of Faculty John Mascaro
Walk into John Mascaro’s office in Beard Hall
and view posters of the life of his mind: novelist Thomas Pynchon, jazz great John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie and singer/songwriter Bob Dylan are among the icons celebrated on his walls.
In 2000 Mascaro joined the MBS faculty as an English teacher
after many years of university teaching and as a writer. In 2003,
with his growing awareness of the new world of technology and
new research on how students learn, Mascaro approached the
then Head to create a Dean of Faculty with responsibilities of
overseeing curriculum, faculty development and hiring.
Mascaro recently paused in his discussion of strategic planning
and the new curriculum to share some more personal thoughts
“I would say that
faculty course reduction has easily been one
of the most important
advances at the School
in the past 10 years,”
said Dr. Curtis. “It may
not be as flashy or noticeable as the physical
plant, but it has had a
huge impact on how our
faculty teach, and ultimately, on how our students
learn.”
“I give our Board of Trustees tremendous credit
for being so far-sighted and recognizing the value
of course load reduction. If we wanted to be one of
the best schools in the country, we knew we had to
adopt this plan,” said Dr. Curtis.
CURRICULUM
velopment, provide the latest tools and technology in
the classroom, and – perhaps, most notably – decrease
the teaching course load.
The course load reduction initiative, affectionately known as “The Mascaro Plan,” grew out of a
concept spearheaded by Headmaster Alex Curtis and
Dean of Faculty John Mascaro.
“We need to shift the focus from how we teach
to how students learn,” says Dean of Faculty John
Mascaro. Dr. Mascaro, an experienced university
and secondary educator, is discussing the philosophy and practices of the MBS curriculum. “We
can’t educate for an uncertain future, we must
foster the critical thinking skills that prepare our
students today for rapidly changing knowledge
tomorrow.”
Simply put, the MBS curriculum is the required
course of studies. That said, the theory and practice underlying the curriculum can be complex.
about education:
“I care deeply about MBS and I care deeply about students
and education,” Mascaro said. “What I realized in my own past
was I learned from the teachers who validated who I was and
what I was learning.”
Mascaro, who holds a PhD in English literature and is always
ready to talk about what he is reading and why, continued:
“Many of us in education become lifelong learners. We want
to carry some of the gifts we were given by specific teachers to
the next generation,” Mascaro said. “We must all think critically
and challenge our own assumptions.”
Since his 2002-2003
appointment as Dean,
Mascaro and a dedicated
core of School community members have been
exploring how best to promote the cognitive growth
of every student while
meeting their emotional,
social and academic
needs.
“In the past decade
there has been an explosion of cognitive studies on how people actually learn,” Mascaro said.
“These studies reinforce what we are doing at
MBS. We ask. ‘What are the habits of mind, the
essential skills, that each student needs in order to
flourish in college and beyond?’”
The School brought in Dr. Daniel Sullivan,
president emeritus of St. Lawrence University and
a former sociology professor, as an advisor. Dr.
Sullivan has published groundbreaking research
on education.
“We can now study and measure student progress in higher order learning, moral reasoning and
multicultural understanding,” Sullivan said during
a recent visit to MBS to discuss faculty development programs with Mascaro.
Sullivan, who was also a valued facilitator at the
MBS Strategic Planning Retreat, explained that
schools can measure how their seniors will actually perform at the colleges they will be attending. “This is more important than students being
11
12
admitted to elite colleges. We can now demonstrate how and why MBS student succeed at these
colleges,” Sullivan said.
“I keep returning to MBS, as they don’t just pay
lip service to studies of how students learn. They
implement real programs,” Sullivan added.
Here is an example of the new thinking: If you
want young people to be lifelong readers, give
them choice for their summer reading.
“We jettisoned the traditional summer reading
list in favor of asking the whole faculty to sponsor two books and letting students chose two
titles from this varied selection of titles,” Mascaro
explained.
Students then met with the faculty member
sponsoring their choices and had real conversations about each book. The concept here is that
guided choice leads to deeper learning.
Another innovation is the creation of collegelevel advanced seminars in topics such as religion, problems in medicine or ethics led by
faculty with deep knowledge of each subject. One
such faculty member is world history teacher Ed
Sherman who holds a PhD in religion and recently
published America Through the Eyes of China and
India: Television, Identity and Intercultural Communication. “What is important is not just the
facts of history but how we handle them, use them,
explore their meaning and significance,” Sherman
said.
His colleague, Joanne Goldberg, a former lawyer with graduate degrees in history and education, offers an example of the new curriculum in
practice (see sidebar on right).
Real to Reel is an elective course
with content similar to a college-level Introduction to
American Government and Politics course. It loosely follows the outline provided by the AP level textbook, The
Logic of American Politics. There the similarity with many
traditional AP Government courses ends.
“I use the textbook as a reference tool and I integrate
more stimulating visual media and experiential exercises
wherever possible,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg’s students recently viewed lectures by social
psychologist Jonathan Haidt on the moral roots of liberals and conservatives and by Harvard professor Michael
Sandel on the lost art of democratic debate. Students
were given guided viewing questions. Post film discussion explored both the current political spectrum and the
Aristotelian analytical process.
“The discussions were extremely high level and the kids
were very engaged in the learning process,” Goldberg
said.
Engagement is the key here. For further follow up,
Goldberg made up her own version of the classic game
theory problem called “Prisoner’s Dilemma” to demonstrate the difficulty of reaching collective action.
“We used this activity as a springboard for discussion of impediments to collective action: the prisoner’s
dilemma, the free-rider problem, the tragedy of the
commons, transaction, the cost of conformity and more.
We also talked about possible ways to combat these
impediments such as punishment, incentive, negotiation
and delegation.”
Asked about her educational philosophy, Goldberg replied, “It is important to recognize that students today are
used to processing information in a multi-sensory manner
- quite frankly, we all are. With all of the technology that
MBS is offering to teachers and students right now, it is
paramount that we try to incorporate these multi-sensory
experiences into our classrooms.”
“It is an extremely exciting time to be an educator and
I feel lucky to be teaching at a school at the forefront of
the new wave in pedagogy,” Goldberg concluded.
technology
As to the students, listen in:
Think back to the computer or mobile phone you
had in 2000, if you had one. Think about how you
used these devices then as compared to now. Using a portable phone to find your way with a GPS
app, locate a friend or take a photo of that unfortunate fender bender you just had - all these actions
were beyond what many of us imagined ten years
ago.
Similarly, Morristown-Beard’s use of technology has snowballed in the past 10 years. From the
classroom to the E-Bulletin, how information is
“The simulations make things more hands on. The fact
that we can compare our schoolwork with things that we
see on a daily basis, makes it easier to understand.” --Ciara
Devereux ’11
Real to Reel:
“Our goal
A Case Study in
Critical Thinking and
Student-Centered
Learning
“This type of teaching is beneficial to all different learning
styles because it is not the simple reading of a textbook,
but it includes video and audio aspects.” -- Jaynie Seigel ’12
The geosciences courses make use of a simulation
approach. Fisher and Turner’s students become
consultants in a geoscience firm and complete a
30-40 page collaborative risk assessment of an
actual situation facing a town council, such as wild
fires and mud slides in Los Angeles or potential
problems arising from future climate change
Northwest Washington state.
“Students use computer tools as common as
Google Earth or as esoteric as the STELLA
dynamic systems modeling system and a three
dimensional climate model obtained from
Columbia-NASA/GISS (National Aeronautic and
Space Administration/Goddard Institute for Space
Studies),” Fisher said.
In addition, students read widely in primary source
material and write many individual essays in addition to the final report.
The Honor sections of Advanced
Geoscience are participating in
the iPad pilot program. The iPads
allow higher levels of information access.
Steve Patchett also contributed to this article.
“The assignments are creative and promote a more versatile and creative mind. That is essential for learning. Taking
this class has inspired me to consider a career in politics.”
--Will Gerhard ’11.
is to develop a scientific approach to
problem solving,” Fisher said. “Most of
our students won’t become scientists,
but they will be living on this planet, so
we are preparing them for real world
situations.”
received and processed and the uses of technology
as a means to learn have changed dramatically and
will continue to evolve. In the next five years, MBS
will continuously examine what are the best new
technologies and how they can serve the School’s
mission and curricular goals.
The Advanced Geosciences (AGS) 12th grade
courses offered by Brad Turner and Paul Fisher are
lively examples of technology serving knowledge,
critical thinking and real world experience:
Both students and faculty rate the simulation approach as both highly effective and enjoyable.
“These courses are just plain fun
to teach. It’s the real world, with
real issues that will affect all of
us, but especially the students. It’s
why Brad and I went into teaching,” Fisher said.
13
Building
On
Our
Success:
The Evolving Campus
Beard & Grant Hall
On January 27, 2000
Grant Hall crumbled to
the ground in a pile of
historic rubble as the capital
campaign was officially
underway. Four years later,
MBS had given the front of
the School a much needed
facelift – renovating Beard
and Grant Halls and adding
the Anderson Library.
Middle School
A completely renovated and redesigned Middle School opened in September 2008 with spacious classrooms, upgraded technology and common areas
designed to foster all kinds of new interaction.
Athletic Fields
Athletic Fields are now turf
Between 2004 to 2006, MBS installed FieldTurf on
Burke and Billings Fields, added a new rubberized track
and created the Crimson Terrace for spectators. The
Athletic Fields Campaign marked the most significant
athletic improvements on campus since the construction
of the Simon Athletic Center in the 1980s.
Founders Hall
Funded as part of a $16.2 million campaign, Founders Hall opened in the winter of 2009, boasting a
630-seat theater, rehearsal space, classrooms, and
lobbies for exhibitions and receptions.
South Wing
In 2007, South Wing was completely
remodeled to become the new home of the
MBS Learning Center. The renovated facility
also houses visual arts classrooms and the
School nurse.
14
15
An Interview with
Tom Conway
Board of Trustrees President
on this campus and always wanted to attend.
Her experience has surpassed even her own
lofty expectations and is a pleasure to watch.
Q: Why is the Strategic Plan so
important to the School?
A: The Strategic Plan is a road map of what
we will strive to achieve over the next five
years. It provides a transparent list to the
entire community both externally and internally about our areas of focus and where our
energies as a board, staff and faculty will be
during this time frame. As a board, we begin
sketching out ideas that have 10 and 15 year
lives to them and as we meet throughout the
year, we begin to narrowly define what broad
objectives are possible through funding
and policy perspectives over the near term.
That “near term” for us is 5 years. These
thoughts are done in concert with open discussions with the Headmaster and faculty
and staff who provide presentations to the
Board throughout the school year. That
accumulated knowledge provides much of
the framework that we use to project out to
much longer term horizons.
Q: How important is it to have
community buy-in to the Strategic Plan?
BY STEVE PATCHETT
Tom Conway third from the left
Tom Conway and his wife Kim have been an integral part of the
Morristown-Beard community since their daughter Jennifer ’06 first
enrolled in 2002. Tom served as President of the Crimson Club for
two years, joined the Board of Trustees in 2004 and has served as
President of the Board since 2006. His younger daughter, Lauren,
is now a 7th grader at MBS.
Q: What first attracted you and your
family to Morristown-Beard School
and what led you to become so
involved in the MBS community?
A: As Jennifer was going through the interview process in the winter of 2001/2002
– and we were sitting in the trailers speaking with then-Director of Admission Alison
Cady, it seemed clear that the School was
just beginning to emerge into its own. Previous boards and faculty had worked hard
to upgrade much of the campus and while
much of that was just taking shape, the core
of the School was beginning to shine and was
evident in the many folks that I spoke with
during the process.
It did not take long for Jennifer to emerge
16
and blossom herself. As parents, we knew
that energy and passion inside of her, but it
was a combination of terrific classmates and
an extraordinary faculty, staff and coaches
that brought out her full potential. As I have
said many times, we saw a competent but
shy girl emerge into an outgoing, confident
and energetic young lady right before our
eyes, and all in just a few weeks.
I have told many people who asked why
I got involved that it was this “loud sucking
sound” into the School. And that is correct,
but more to the point, I really wanted to be
able to give something back to the School
that was so clearly giving so much to my
daughter. Kim and I are seeing the very same
result with Lauren. She has nearly grown up
A: One of the many things that I am most
proud of is that our community is engaged in
the Plan from inception and assists in every
aspect of accumulating an in-depth analysis
of who we are, what we do and what the final
result may be.
The Strategic Planning Committee put in
hundreds of hours of work meeting with parents, alumni, peer schools, faculty and students to gain insight on how MBS is seen in
the community, their experiences, and areas
that they feel that we may focus on. Our recent alumni reflected on their experiences at
the School and spoke about how it prepared
them for college, not just in the application
and acceptance process, but how well-prepared they were to succeed.
In short, every constituency of the community has the opportunity to provide input.
That knowledge is collected and assembled
into a briefing book for the trustees, faculty,
administrators and current students who
comprise the strategic plan committee. The
briefing book approached 150 pages and
presents a holistic view of MBS. Then the
entire committee meets in an effort to narrow our discussion into some main areas of
focus. The steering committee uses that
information to form discussion points for a
two-day, off-campus retreat. It is an incred-
ible event and I am struck at how profoundly
each person thinks and projects from “36,000
feet” all with one goal in mind: to make MBS
better in five years. About 60 days later, a
Committee of five has narrowed hundreds
of pages and hours into a working document
and presented to the entire Strategic Plan
committee. Literally, each word is parsed to
ensure that everyone feels that this document reflects exactly who we are, what we will
do and why. In short, the community buy-in
is critical. It’s part of the fabric and culture of
who we are. And we have it.
Q: How do you gauge the success of
a Strategic Plan? How is it evaluated?
A: That is a great question and I am glad
that you asked that. Many times, in the
corporate world, very well articulated plans
are vetted out, presented in three ring binders and then put on the shelf until it’s time
to do another one. We take ownership of
these plans. At our March board meeting
each year, a member of the senior team goes
through the Strategic Plan, just as you have
here, and we review bullet-by-bullet and in
detail, what has been done and what areas
are in progress or remain open. This board
is constantly searching for ways to evaluate
and measure the success in every area of the
School. Well into the next Strategic Plan, we
continue to monitor the effectiveness of previous ones.
Q: What are some of the most dramatic changes you have seen on campus since the 2005 Strategic Plan?
A: Among the many initiatives that Plan
mapped out are the very visible and tangible
changes on our campus and ones that we
now enjoy everyday.
Over the last six years, we have invested
nearly $22 million dollars in new buildings,
renovations and fields. We now enjoy a
beautifully renovated Alumni House, new
Learning Center, and of course the Middle
School and Founders Hall. It is nearly impossible to drive onto campus and not be
impressed with the beauty of our facilities
and grounds, all of which were laid out in the
2005 Plan.
Q: While improvements to the physical plant are instantly noticeable, what
are some of the other more subtle
changes that have been equally important to the life of the School?
A: The physical plant is one of six areas of
focus in the last plan. While that is the most
visible, we worked hard in other areas to
create meaningful improvements in a wide
range of other areas, and there were many.
As a board, we instituted a 360 degree review of our Headmaster, including peer and
feeder schools with input from the senior
team and the board. That review process
extends to the board as we anonymously
evaluate ourselves, our processes and the
President.
We invested in the School through a program that allows our faculty to teach four
sections rather than five. This gives them
more time with each student and helps
keep class size down to approximately 11
students. This was a significant investment
but arguably the one that touches our students the most.
We also focused on doubling the availability of financial aid which increased access
to Morristown-Beard School and helped
ensure that our community is open to all. I
am proud to tell you that 10 percent of our
operating budget is now dedicated to this
effort. Other areas included increasing, focusing and improving our marketing efforts
such as this publication, and a thorough review of the daily schedules and our curriculum review that began in the 2005 Plan and
will be executed in the 2010 Strategic Plan.
Q: How satisfying is it to see a
Strategic Plan goal go from the
planning stages to reality?
A: The real satisfaction comes when I speak
to our parents, alumni, faculty and staff, but
perhaps most importantly, when I see the
faces of our students and their reaction to
being a part of our community as these programs and buildings literally unfold before
their eyes.
The ideas develop in small discussions and
then manifest themselves in architects’ renditions and drawings, faculty presentations
and many meetings and reviews, so many
times it seems that it develops quite slowly.
Then, I find myself in Founders Hall with our
entire community, or in a classroom watching a very talented faculty member educate
our students seamlessly using the very latest
technology and their well developed skills.
I have said many times, as a board, by the
time that a Strategic Plan is built, we should
be looking forward to the next one as the
cumulative effect of all of these is what our
School will become. It is enormously exciting, gratifying and humbling to be a part of
MBS during this extraordinary time.
Q: What are some of the highlights
of the 2010 Strategic Plan? What do
you find exciting as we look toward
the next five years at MBS?
A: You pointed out quite correctly that our
last Plan had many visible components to it,
and at that stage in the life of our School,
that is exactly what it needed. Now as we
look forward, we want to continue to be a
leader on many fronts. The next plan may
be a little less bricks and mortar, but no less
important. Arguably, it may be more visionary and impactful on our educational philosophy and students. As I referenced earlier,
the beginnings of a curricular review began
in the 2005 plan, and now will be fully developed by invoking critical thinking, writing
and risk taking in the learning environment
by applying those skills across all disciplines.
We are not here simply to get our students
into the best possible colleges and universities, but must equip them with the skills that
allow them to succeed once they have left
our campus. The committee has developed
avenues to implement this as a school-wide
effort.
We have already introduced a revolutionary iPad program and will continue to
explore ways that we can incorporate the
advances of technology to enhance our
teaching methods. Additionally, we must
continue to explore ways to increase accessibility for new students, recognizing how
diversity positively affects our entire community. We will explore all of our options in
sustainability and look to our students to be
leaders in this regard. As a board, we have
already begun evaluating alternative energy
sources to lower our carbon footprint and
examine any new projects through LEED
parameters. We will also continue to tell
our story and develop new marketing and
measuring vehicles to ensure that we have
explored every opportunity.
I am fortunate to be a part of a board,
administration and faculty that takes great
pride and satisfaction in MBS and all that
we try to accomplish for the benefit of the
students. I am grateful to all those who have
come before and laid the foundation that
has allowed us to witness great successes
over the last five years. I am excited to see
where we are going and look forward to all
that is about to come not just in five years,
but in the next 10, 15 or 20 years.
17
mbs
Community
Shows Its
Crimson Pride
BY STEVE PATCHETT
As several giant chickens,
a gorilla and a sloth approached the podium at Morning
Meeting on October 12th, one thing became abundantly clear - Spirit Week had arrived at Morristown-Beard
School!
This year’s activities featured a full slate of events
aimed at promoting class unity and boosting School
pride to a fevered pitch!
Throughout Spirit Week, students were asked to
dig deep into their closets to participate in Crimson Zoo
Day, Relax To The Max Day, Class Movie Day, Class
Color Day and Crimson Spirit Day. Special thanks to the
Crimson Club for generously donating the Class Color
Day T-shirts.
The entire MBS community gathered to join the fun
on October 18th as the junior and senior girls took to
the gridiron for a flag football game followed by the annual running of the Kirby Mile. Senior Mackenzie Keck
’11 captured first place overall with a time of 5:08 while
freshman Micaela Reilly ’14 was the fastest girl in 6:10,
and Steve Patchett won the Master’s Division in 6:06.
On the football field, Morristown-Beard cruised to an
easy victory over the Hopatcong Chiefs while the MBS
Pep Band entertained a very enthusiastic crowd. Adventurous fans also enjoyed a climbing wall that was set
up on the Crimson Terrace.
Earlier in the week, the seniors and the juniors squared
off in boys’ field hockey and dodgeball in addition to
girls’ flag football. Morning Meetings featured a Jeopardy game as well as the annual students vs. faculty Quiz
Bowl competition.
18
16
2010
SPIRIT
WEEK!
Crimson Corner
Varsity Sports Round-Up
Fall 2010
Cross Country
The cross country team worked incredibly hard throughout the season
and saw a number of huge improvements in times, culminating in a race
at Whippany Park where 17 of 19
runners ran personal best times.
Four runners received recognition from the NJAC as Nick
Cornine ’13 and Micaela Reilly
’14 earned First Team All-Conference honors while Ryan Casey ’12
was named to the Second Team and
Mackenzie Keck ’11 earned Honorable Mention. The team finished
with a 2-3 record in its division with one loss coming
by only a single point to
Whippany Park. Captains Greg Scott
’11 and Jack
Fleming ’11
provided
leadership
throughout the season and the
team was paced
by co-MVPs Nick
Cornine and Micaela
Reilly. Cornine placed
third in the state prep
meet while Reilly finished
second in state preps
and was the only freshman in the division to
be selected First Team
All-Conference. Kyle
Larsson ’14 showed a
great deal of promise
and was named the team’s Most Improved runner.
Field Hockey
The field hockey team played hard all
season long, and their overall record
did not reflect the talent and determination they exhibited throughout
the year. Co-MVPs Maggie McDonagh ’12 and Caroline Bouillon
’11 both showed tremendous work
ethic and tenacity. McDonagh was
awarded First Team All-Conference,
Third Team All-County and First
Team All-Prep honors while Bouillon
earned First Team All-Conference,
third Team All-County and an Honorable Mention on the Prep Tournament All-Star squad. Elizabeth Pellicane ’12 earned a Coaches Award
and was also awarded First Team AllConference, First Team All-Prep and
an Honorable Mention All-County.
County and Conference accolades
were also given to senior goalie Ruth
Frankel ’11, senior defender Jaime
Summers ’11 and senior forward Hilary Smith ’11. Summers, a team captain, was also awarded the Girls’ Fall
Sportsmanship Award.
Football
This fall, Morristown-Beard School
competed on the junior varsity level
due to a lack of players. Thanks to
the positive attitude, enthusiasm and
dedication of the entire team, the
Crimson enjoyed a very successful season and will resume a varsity
schedule next fall. The team had sev-
the seventh best player in the conference. The team looks forward to a
bright future since they are still young
and played with a roster of mainly juniors and sophomores this season.
eral memorable games, particularly a
dominating win over the Hopatcong
Chiefs to cap the Morristown-Beard’s
Spirit Week celebration. Senior John
Fay ’11 earned the team’s Most Valuable Player Award while Alex Bruno
’12 stepped up on defense to be
named Most Improved. Senior Forrestel Nugent ’11 was given a Coaches Award for his leadership and willingness to help the program succeed.
He also earned the Boys’ Fall Sportsmanship Award. The team is looking
forward to playing an independent
varsity football schedule for the fall
2011 season. “We are extremely excited about the news and about the
future of our football program,” said
Head Coach Tim Fell.
Girls’ Soccer
Despite having a very young squad,
the girls’ soccer team (4-11-1) played
with heart and progressed throughout
the season. The team’s first win of the
season was a 2-0 shutout of Hopatcong as freshman goalie Dana Riback
’14 turned away 10 shots. The Crimson posted two wins over Boonton
and also defeated Butler. They tied
a powerful Whippany Park team and
played strong games against Pingry
and Gill St. Bernards, falling just 2-0 to
Gill in the opening round of the North
Jersey, Non-Public B Tournament.
Freshman Kathryn Bregna ’14 showed
offensive spark and earned a Coaches
Award along with sophomore Allison
Aiello ’13. Freshman Mikhaela Schultz
’14 earned the team’s Most Improved
Player award. Sophomore Victoria
Gonzalez ’13 also played well for MBS
in goal.
Boys’ Soccer
The boys’ soccer team had a very
good season this year, finishing with
an 8-11 record. The team advanced
to the prep quarterfinals and the state
quarterfinals, and also recorded an
impressive 3-1 win over Whippany
Park - the first win against this team
in five years. The team recognized
three players with MVP Awards this
season: Jacob Schreer ’12, Doran
McManus ’12 and Tyler Terens ’12.
Schreer was named to the Second
Team All-Conference and was a solid
performer all season. McManus was
also named Second Team All-Conference and was an enthusiastic cocaptain of the team. Terens, the other
co-captain, earned First Team AllConference honors and was ranked
Girls’ Tennis
As their blazing 5-0 start to the season indicated, the Morristown-Beard
girls’ tennis team quickly became a
team to watch this year. In the County
Tournament, MBS finished 6th among
22 schools. They advanced to the
State Tournament for the second
consecutive year and were seeded
fifth among teams like Newark Academy, Dwight Englewood and Gill St.
Bernard. MBS recorded a 10-4 record
and finished second in their conference to powerful Villa Walsh. Junior
Emily Gruenberg ’12 fought her way
up to second singles and earned the
team’s Most Improved Player award.
Gruenberg pulled out huge wins
against Mountain Lakes, Whippany
Park and Montclair Kimberley, among
others. Fellow junior Jaynie Sigel ’12
also earned a Most Improved Player
award for her dedication and tenacity. Senior Lucy Donnally ’11 was presented with a Coaches Award for her
positive attitude and leadership on
and off the court. The future continues to look bright for the girls’ tennis
team as freshman Maria Sapozhnikov
’14 enjoyed a tremendous season,
pulling out two first singles wins in the
State Tournament before falling in the
Round of 16.
Volleyball
The success of this year’s volleyball
team can’t be measured in terms
of wins and losses. Thanks to hard
work and dedication, it was a recordbreaking season for the Crimson as
they recorded the most kills, aces, and
blocks of any season at MorristownBeard. The team notched a huge
win at the end of the season against
Warren County Vocational Technical
School, and also had nail-biting games
against Newark Academy and Morris
County Vocational Technical School.
Captain Diana Williams ’11 racked up
40 kills, 14 aces and a record-breaking
23 blocks this season and received a
Coaches Award. A second Coaches
Award was given to Tatiana Johnson
’12, who tallied a record-breaking 62
kills and 29 aces. Freshman Patricia
Del Colle ’14 quickly became a starter
on the team thanks to her dedication and initiative and was named the
team’s Most Improved player.
BY STEVE PATCHETT
21
Adsit, Kevin Dorff, Rachel Dratch and
Jim Zulevic. It blew my mind. I never
had any idea of how artists and actors
get started. I just thought that’s what
other people did. The fact that I could
take classes to be funny on stage, well
that was a very exciting concept to me.
By the way, Rachel Dratch was the undeniable star of the show I went to –
and went to again a month later. Tina
Fey wasn’t that memorable, but apparently she wrote all the best sketches.
Makes sense now.
JEFFCE
GRA
’92
While working days as a Leo Burnett ad
executive, Jeff secretly dabbled in comedy at night on the Chicago stages of
Second City, IO and various stand-up
clubs. Having won several competitions
as a stand-up comedian, he moved to
Los Angeles and was hired to write for
The Henry Rollins Show. Today, Jeff
continues his comedy in L.A., having
done stand-up shows with Seth Rogen,
Jonah Hill, and Louis C.K.. When not
performing, Jeff runs Vacationeer Productions with long-time friend and business associate Kevin M. Brennan. You
may have seen him as an actor recently
on the Nickelodeon show iCarly, videos
online with his group The Vacationeers
or the Emmy winning series Mad Men.
Do you remember your first time
doing stand-up comedy on stage?
How did it go?
My first gig was upstairs at this Irish dive
bar in Chicago called The Red Lion. It
was pretty much an open mic. I have an
audio tape of it somewhere. I remember there was a cut out of Bob Newhart’s
head on stage and I remember my first
off-the-cuff joke was about him. I remember that and a bit about Ivy League
students being annoyingly coy in telling
people where they went to college. I still
do the Ivy League bit from time to time
these days. That show went great...there
was so much energy, preparation and fo22
The popularity of your comedy
group The Vacationeers really
skyrocketed thanks to YouTube
exposure. Were you surprised
when your videos started
getting so many views?
cus. But like most comedians, the shows
after your first are often the hardest because you can’t recreate that magic. I’m
pretty sure I bombed my second show.
Did you do any acting or comedy
writing when you were a student
at Morristown-Beard?
I didn’t do any acting or comedy writing
at Morristown-Beard. I was more into
playing hockey and student government
- I was Senior Class President. On the
nerdy side, I was in Model U.N. as well. I
saved most of my comedy for detention
– generating from performances in Math
and Language classes. God bless
Dr. Farlow. Living in L.A., I could have
really used the Spanish she was trying to
teach us.
Were there any particular
comedians who influenced you?
I have always loved Bob Newhart for
how dry he is. I really love the storytelling comics like Richard Pryor, Eddie Izzard or Woody Allen. It was just set up/
punch line with those guys.
How did you decide to pursue
a career in acting, writing and
comedy?
I was working at Leo Burnett, an ad
agency in Chicago, and the HR rep
came to remind me that the deadline
for the company to pay for 75 percent
of “continuing education” was coming
up. I remember asking her which schools
were covered and she said, “University
of Chicago, Northwestern, Second City,
DePaul...” My mind locked on the third
because I just saw my first (and still best)
show at Second City called “Paradigm
Lost.” The cast had Tina Fey, Scott
The first video we did that got “viral” was
one I wrote called “Google Maps.” Yes,
it really did open a ton of doors. The
good news was we had a lot of other
funny videos on our site up until that
point, but no one checked them out until that “Google Maps” video blew up.
We eventually got flown up to Google,
and we secretly wondered if they were
just going to dump our bodies in the
San Francisco Bay because our video
depicted them as Big Brother. Instead,
they asked us to make more Google videos and in return donated to us a very
expensive camera to shoot them. They
just asked to approve the scripts - which
were very dark in tone - and that was it.
Google is one cool company. Thanks to
the success of those Google videos, we
raised money to shoot our first feature
film, “The Scenesters”.
How has the Internet shaped
your work in comedy? Is most
of your work with Vacationeer
Productions produced for the
Internet?
Yes, most of our work is produced for the
Internet, but we have shot one feature
film, “The Scenesters”, which won a prize
at Slamdance and has played over 25
festivals. We have also shot some music videos, industrials and festival short
films. We are currently making
a top secret 3D horror film with
the guys who made “Quarantine” and “Devil”. That might be
our first studio film, or we may
raise money ourselves to keep
more creative control. We begin
pitching in two weeks.
How did your new film “The
Scenesters” come about?
We knew that the Internet comedy space was becoming crowded and we really felt like making
a feature would set us apart. We
sort of felt that a “found footage” movie would be the easiest to
shoot, and we thought we could make
it really funny. One of the guys in our
group, Todd Berger, came back to us in
a few weeks with an amazing script that
mashed up film noir, found footage and
hipster murder. We loved it. In fact, the
very first investors in the film are the
guys I was best friends with at Morristown-Beard: Gene Stull, Mike Culnen,
Mark Hebeka and Cardie Saunders.
What do you enjoy most acting, writing or doing
stand-up comedy?
Stand-up is by far my favorite because
of the immediate crowd reaction, but
unfortunately, it’s really hard to make
money in stand-up these days. I really
do love it all. I guess that’s the writer/
actor tradition of Second City in me.
With acting, you might think you were
funny, but then you sometimes have to
wait a year to see it in the theater. Then
some stranger comes up to you after
the movie and says “great job” and you
think to yourself, “But I didn’t do anything, that was like a year ago, I just ate
popcorn and drank soda tonight.”
What’s next on the horizon?
What future projects can we
expect to see?
As I mentioned, a 3D ghost horror
film called “Specter” is a movie I’m
producing with the team behind The
Scenesters that has a lot of industry excitement. The Vacationeers also have
a TV pilot that we are currently pitching to various networks. We also want
to raise money to shoot another small
budget indie at some point next year.
Other than that, still acting, auditioning
and doing stand-up a few times a week.
It’s a really fun career that is way more
work than I would have ever imagined
and you just hope that you kind of get
a bit of luck and one of your projects
gets you to that “I wonder if we could
get Jeff Grace to be in this movie” level. Right now I’m at the “That guy with
the curly blonde hair was pretty funny...
maybe he could play Waiter #2?” level.
23
CLASS
notes
1942
’56, lives in Australia so we will visit her next
year.”
Ann Palmer Bayliss says, “No
1954
European trips this year, but I’m looking
forward to being in New England for 10
days over Thanksgiving with family – three
sons and wives and three grandchildren.
A delightful group! I hope at least a few
members of the 1942 class will send news.”
1944
Barbara Franks Yatsevitch
1930
Randolph “Pat” Jenks
Alison Cady and Lauren Lentine recently
visited with Pat in beautiful Tuscon, Arizona.
Pat is 98 years old and recently published his
fourth book, The Adventurous Life of Randolph Jenks. Pat has generously donated
a copy of each of his books to the MBS
Library -- stop by and check them out!
1945
1937
Joan Ferris St. John and her
Alfred Jaretzki is retired from his
surgical practice but is still active in the field
of myasthenia gravis, in which he developed
a surgical technique for complete removal
of the thymus gland.
1938
Dorothy Eisele Graesser
writes, “It makes me very happy at age 90
to be able to say that I still have four close
friends who were classmates of mine at
Beard’s. They are: Ann Lounsbury Brundage ’37, Virginia Bittles Warnock ’38, Peggy
Tobin McKenna ’38 and Jane Peabody
Zillessen ’38.”
1941
Lauren Lentine had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with George de
Schweinitz in beautiful
Albuquerque, New Mexico. George, a
retired French teacher, loves to travel, is active with his German ancestry, and is an avid
outdoorsman.
24
is extremely grateful to be able to donate
blood to the Red Cross regularly. “It’s the
best thing I do. Anyone can write out a
check, but to give one’s life blood is a gift. I
give thanks that I can.”
Rita Crespin Willens is enjoying
life in California.
1948
husband Bill have nine wonderful grandchildren. “We wish everyone good health and
happy holidays!” she writes.
1949
Phoebe S. King and her husband Bob
are enjoying life in Florida. “The weather
is gorgeous, golf games are improving and
there are lots of bridge players here!”
1951
Diane Rinaldi is saddened to report
the death of her husband of 53 years on
September 26 after a short illness. She now
lives iin a retirement community in West
Caldwell, near her youngest daughter and
her family. She has eight grandchildren and
two great-grandchildren.
1952
Fran Ford Morse and her husband
Dave are retired and are enjoying their
three children and six grandchildren. “We
recently traveled to Europe and to Hawaii
with family. My sister, Alison Ford
Susanne K. Albert remains in close
contact with members of her class and
Morristown-Beard School. She is retired and
lives in Cape Cod.
Penny Dunn Alexitch is a real
estate investor who owns a house in New
Hampshire as well as several condominiums
in Florida.
Anne Overman Bunn and her husband live in Vero Beach, Florida as do Pete
and Kathy Meglaughlin Ferris.
Anne still has a condominium in Chatham,
New Jersey near her two sons and their families. She also has a son in California and a
daughter in Gulf Stream, Florida. “We all got
together in August with our 13 grandchildren.
Great fun!” Anne is in close contact with her
cousin, Fran Overman Mercer,
who lives in New York and spends the summer in East Hampton.
’56 had a great
luncheon during the summer and reminisced
about their years at the Morristown School –
including a memorable canoe trip that they
took down the Delaware River in 1952.
1960
Melinda Mitchell Lyon writes
that she was “lucky enough to fly with my
husband in a DC3 and land on the dry lake
bed at Edwards Air Force Base, where the
Space Shuttle sometimes lands.”
1961
Tobi-Sue Wobbe Graham just
returned from “keeping” her seventh
lighthouse – this time on Lake Superior in
Minnesota. She now has three grandchildren with the birth of her grandson Thomas
on October 6, 2010. Another thrill this year
was seeing her son, Jove Graham, become a
Jeopardy champion on TV!
Ellie Newman Caulkins, Denver’s
“First Lady of Opera,” received the Mayor’s
Cultural Legacy Award (as did her husband
George, posthumously) in the opera house
that bears her name. The Ellie Caulkins
Opera House opened with a grand concert
celebration in 2005 and is now a cornerstone
of Denver’s flourishing arts scene. Ellie has
served as Chairman of the Metropolitan
Opera National Patron Program. Her tireless
dedication has earned her the title of Lifetime
Honorary Chairman of Opera Colorado.
Carin Asbach Gordevitch and
Sally Rogers Epstein had a great
visit with Anne Overman Bunn in
Florida last summer.
with Anne Overman Bunn in Vero Beach,
Florida. Jenny travels a great deal due to her
participation in a time
share plan.
1955
Fred Greenberg
and Dick Stinson
1975
Susan Fortunato Carter
1962
writes that her son Jeff is a senior at
Morristown-Beard School this year.
Alison Cady and Lauren Lentine
were recently treated to a wonderful tour of Sedona, Arizona by
local resident and Beard almuna,
Gail WISS Heyer. Gail and
her husband John greatly enjoy
the splendor of the southwest.
1977
Loretta
Porter James hosted a
lovely Luncheon with honorary trustee Polly Campbell and
Alumni Office staff Lisa Bevacqua and Lauren Lentine at the
Madison Beach Club in August.
1965
Laird Johnson retired in 2007 and
Jenny Warner Laughlin visited
held on June 10th. Among the honors
presented to Tom were: Special Congressional Recognition for outstanding and
invaluable service to the community from
Congressman Frank Pallone, a proclamation honoring him from the Ocean
Township Municipality, a proclamation from
the Ocean Township Board of Education, and an award from the New Jersey
State Department of Education. Tom now
moves on to his golf game, surf fishing, and
“whatever may come my way.” He takes
great satisfaction that Ocean Township
High School is again listed among the top
public high schools in New Jersey by New
Jersey Monthly magazine and Newsweek
magazine. He somewhat wryly notes
that Ocean Township’s Quiz Bowl Team
defeated their counterparts from Morristown-Beard School in a contest that was
televised statewide last spring.
enjoys traveling around the world with his
wife.
1967
Thomas Pagano recently retired as
Superintendent of Schools after 38 years
of service in the Ocean Township School
District. A testimonial banquet honoring
him for his service and achievements was
we’ve shared,” said
Amy.
1981
Bill Scarlett
successfully completed the Vermont 50-Mile Ultra Run in
Ascutney, VT. “It took me 11 hours and
52 minutes to complete it, but I’m proud
to report I finished,” Bill said. “This brings
back memories of MBS cross country
coach Andy Gill and all of the great guys I
ran with back then.”
1986
Kim Brower Barton and her
family are doing well since moving to
upstate New York. “We still get back to
New Jersey to visit my parents often,” Kim
writes. “I hope to see my classmate, former
teachers and fellow MBS alumni for our
25th Reunion in the spring.”
1987
Duncan Buchanan is currently
Leader Position on the Democratic County
Committee in South Orange, NJ. Ellen
still lives in Orange and hopes to represent
Orange and all of the Beard women in her
new position.
living in Holly Springs, North Carolina
and working as a Network Infrastructure
Engineer with Rex Healthcare in Raleigh.
On April 17, 2010 he married Melinda Jo
Horn. “Hello to all my MBS classmates and
friends!”
1978
1991
John Budlong served in Iraq and
Sallie Oakes O’Connor and her
suffered some injuries, but has recovered
and is doing well. His wife of 12 years,
Kimiko, unfortunately passed away on September 20, 2009. John is attending Rogers
State University in Claremore, Oklahoma
and would love to hear from fellow classmates. His e-mail address is
[email protected]
1993
Ellen Wing was elected to the District
Florence Giannone Faul,
Donna Ward Johansen and
Amy Chaiken Wolffe got together in Palm Beach, Florida last April for
a Morristown-Beard girls’ weekend. They
had a great time remembering Rose Koch
and all their friends from their days at MBS.
“We laughed for hours over the good times
husband recently welcomed a son, Sean
Thomas O’Connor on September 17, 2010.
He weighed 8 lbs., 11 oz. and was 20 inches
at birth. Sean joins big sister Nicole, who is
now 2 years-old.
While in Arizona, Alison
Cady and Lauren Lentine enjoyed a great visit
with Evan Mann.
Evan and his family
reside in Scottsdale.
25
Alumni Enjoy Boston
Reception
Morristown-Beard alumni gathered for a festive evening of cocktails at the Algonquin
Club in Boston on October 7th.
The event provided a great oppor tunity
for MBS grads to gather with old classmates, chat with Headmaster Alex Curtis,
hear the latest news from campus and learn
more about Morristown-Beard’s next fiveyear Strategic Plan.
Watch for more regional trips in the
coming months. If you are interested in arranging an alumni get-together in your area,
please contact Lisa Bevacqua, Director of
Alumni Relations, at (973) 539-3032 ext. 549.
Randy Beard ’78
Remembered at Golf
Outing
The Class of 1978 lost a dear classmate last
year when Cameron Randolph “Randy”
Beard III died suddenly on December 2,
2009. He will be remembered as a loyal
friend, dedicated athlete and a former Class
President at MBS. Randy was a 6th generation member of the Annin family and
worked at Annin & Co. for 25 years.
In Randy’s honor, fellow Morristown-Beard
classmates organized a golf outing and dinner at the Essex Fells Country Club, where
he was a lifelong member. MorristownBeard classmates who attended the event
included: Tripp Billings ’80, Jon “Gump”
Cunningham ’78, Tim Cutting ’79, John
Fusco ’77, Steve Fusco ’79, Tom Fusco ’77,
Robbie “Shifty” Shieffenhaus ’78, and Peter
Van Der Graff ’79.
“Randy touched all of us with his leadership, friendship and sense of humor,” said
Amy Chaiken Wollfe ’78. “He will be truly
missed. Those who knew Randy were lucky
to have been part of his life.”
26
1999
to pursue a career in the field of education including: Afi
Daitey (Las Vegas, NV), Jenny Guempel (New
Providence, NJ), Sarah Maione (Boston, MA) and
Greg Williams (Newark, NJ).
Sofia Bajwa is currently a third year
medical student attending Arizona College
of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern
University. “I am enjoying my clinical rotations and hoping to get back to New Jersey
after I graduate in 2012 to pursue an internal
medicine residency and ultimately a gastroenterology fellowship. Fingers crossed!”
Alan Cooper just took a promotion
which led him from New Jersey to New
Hampshire. He is now the Senior Vice
President of Finance for Pike Industries, a
stone, asphalt and construction company in
Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. “It’s
a different country up here but I think I can
get used to it. I’ll just have to get more into
skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing,” he
said. “I also am on the board of the Lakes
Region Child Care Services, a non-profit
aimed at providing child care for the surrounding towns at affordable costs.”
Anjali Tatta Fehon and her husband Brian Fehon ’02 bought a house
in Morristown, where they live with their
two dogs. Anjali reports that she is working
in marketing at Pricewaterhouse Coopers
and is working towards an MBA at Fairleigh
Dickinson University.
Ridgely Harrison took a job as a
Development Officer at The College of
Saint Rose in Albany and is cultivating major
gifts from the college’s alumni. “Saint Rose
has never had anybody dedicated to visit
with alumni, so I basically get to start with a
blank sheet and build the program,” he said.
“I am very excited to take advantage of this
great career move.”
Scott M. Robertson
recently received some great news on a
grant application. “The Autistic Self Advocacy Network – the international nonprofit
organization for which I serve as Board
Chairman – is partnering with the Arc of the
U.S. and several other national and regional
organizations on the new National Autism
Information and Resource Center. An approximately $2 million grant from the U.S.
Administration on Developmental Disabilities will fund this national autism center over
the next three years,” he writes. In other
Second Lieutenant Jack Ingber graduated from the
University of Miami last spring and is proud to be serving in
the United States Air Force as a student pilot.
after the fall tryouts. She was captain of the Morrstown-Beard
girls’ lacrosse team in 2010 and earned First Team Prep B honors
as well as All-Morris County Honorable Mention in 2009.
20 Years After:
Life, Lessons and MBS
By Lynn Saliba Moronski ’90
Christine Gallagher performed
news, Scott is completing his dissertation research in information sciences and
technology at Penn State University. His
dissertation study is investigating cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying of autistic
adolescents in K-12 education. Last spring
and summer, Scott had an opportunity to
participate in two invitation-only disability
meetings at the White House: the White
House World Autism Day Forum and the
White House Americans with Disabilities
Act Technology Innovation Forum.
on the NBC TV show “The Sing Off” as
part of “Pitch Slapped,” a 16-member a
capella group from Berklee College of Music
in Boston. Since first competing in 2008,
Pitch Slapped has earned the title of ICCA
(International Competition of Collegiate A
Cappella) Quarterfinal champion, each subsequent year. Earlier this year, Pitch Slapped
earned the ICCA First Runner Up title at Lincoln Center in
New York City.
2006
2000
Drew Barry graduated from Fordham University and is
attending a Post Baccalaureate Science Program at LaSalle
University.
Darnell Parker and his wife Marcie
2007
are happy to announce the arrival of their
son, Grant Mitchell Parker, on October 29,
2010.
2001
Tiffany Halo plans to
defend her thesis for a Ph.D.
in chemistry at Yale University
in December. She will pursue
post-Doctoral studies at
Northwestern University.
2003
Allen G. Castner and Allison
J. Gioia were married on July 17, 2010
in Bohemia, N.Y. Allen is employed by
Wyndham Worldwide as a human resource
management system administrator. Allison
works as a school psychologist in Mt. Olive.
The couple enjoyed a wedding trip to St.
Lucia and now resides in Denville.
2005
Great experiences at MBS have influenced
many graduates from the Class of 2005
Laura Lee Barry graduated from Montclair State University Summa Cum Laude and is attending the University of
Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
2008
While in Tuscon, Alison Cady and Lauren Lentine were
able to visit with Jackie Hollander, a junior at the
University of Arizona.
2009
Alex Gelbert is enjoying life in Montreal, where he
attends McGill University.
Justin Kundrat and Cassandra
Postighone were both inducted into the National
Society of Collegiate Scholars at Villanova University. The
NSCS is an honor society inviting high-achieving freshmen
and sophomores. Members must rank in the top 20 percent
of their class.
2010
Alex McDonough secured a roster spot
on the Lafayette University women’s lacrosse team
As you may know, I am not a fan of
crowds. Last week I decided last minute to attend a wine and hors
d’oeuvres gathering, and so, I braced myself when I walked into
the room for what I thought would be a meet-and-greet night.
To my surprise, a fellow MBS classmate greeted me the moment
I came through the door. Confused, I asked, “Did you know that I
would be attending?” His answer, “No, it’s facial recognition. Hey,
didn’t we go to kindergarten together?” Yes, in fact, we’ve known
each other for over 33 years, including our time at MorristownBeard. And, so, the friendship begins anew, or does it just pick up
where we left off?
In contrast, at the same gathering, I was asked by a non-MBS
graduate, “How did I not know you in high school?” Frankly, I
was shy enough that I probably would have run away if we’d been
introduced, and while this answer was good for a party laugh, in
essence, it’s true. At MBS, because of the small number of us, we
really did all know each other, including each person’s strengths
and weaknesses. Dedicated teachers also made a distinct impact,
from the accelerated driving skills of the late Art James to the
wise advice of recently retired Rose Koch. All of us had a unique
collective experience that still bonds us and continues to grow our
friendships over time.
Have we changed since graduating? It depends…. Each of us
was chosen to be a part of the MBS Class of 1990 for our uniqueness, and our mixed and matched qualities created a strong
whole. We’ve been through the first round of life, and there are
many events in our varied experiences that are not reflected in
the Crimson pages: dating, college, marriage, divorce, babies or
none, grad school, business ventures, good health, illness, employment, promotions, unemployment, anniversaries, celebrations, and graduations. We don’t feel much older, but now we
have an interesting assortment of labels, including doctors, execu27
many years to come. She wanted to know
Alumni
Hit the Gridiron for
“Turkey Bowl”
how long this would take, and I answered, “If
you wait long enough, your parade will come
by.” Suddenly, I realized these are the exact
words of advice that Phil Anderson had given me many years ago. And, so, the MBS experience that began all those years ago spins
off into the future…
An enthusiastic group of alumni hit
the gridiron on Thanksgiving morning for some fun and excitement
at the annual Turkey Bowl football
game on campus.
The event was organized by MBS
football coach Tim Fell and included
a friendly game of touch football as
well as plenty of reminiscing and
lots of coffee, cider and donuts for
the spectators.
Once again, this year’s Turkey
Bowl was played in honor of Todd
Rothpletz ’92, who passed away in
2000. Todd’s classmates have requested that this be a celebration of
Todd’s life and a day of thanks.
Parker ’00 and
Williams ’05 Join
Alumni Board
Traditional
Day Camp
Weekly Sessions
June 20 to August 5, 2011
Plus...
Arts and Crafts Camp - Mountain Biking Camp
World Languages Camp (French, Spanish & Latin)
History Adventures Camp - Math Skills Camp
The Morristown-Beard Alumni Board is
pleased to welcome Darnell Parker ’00 and
Greg Williams ’05 to its ranks.
Darnell Parker graduated from MBS in
2000 and received a bachelor’s degree in social work and psychology as well as a master’s
degree from Syracuse University. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in higher education at Widener University and works as the
th
Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs
Writing Workshop - College Essay Camp
Digital Film Editing - Graphic Design Camp
TeenXtreme Camp - Musical Theatre Boot Camp
Strength and Conditioning Camp
Crimson Sports Clinic
Joanne Dzama, Camp Director
[email protected]
View our complete camp offerings online at
http://summer.mbs.net or call 973 532-7569
Morristown-Beard Day Camp
70 Whippany Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
at Washington College in Maryland. In the
community, Darnell serves as co-chair of the
Kent County Human Relations Commission
Totton Golf classic
and corresponding secretary of the Washtives, attorneys, employees, parents, househusbands, homemakers, producers, piano
players, teachers, actors, travelers and business owners.
The take-away lessons are two-fold: 1.)
reaching a worthy goal takes longer than
anticipated and, 2.) handling anything that
comes our way has now been proven! We
are young enough to correct our course if we
wish, and yet, old enough to have the experience to recognize how lucky we are to have
our friends, family and education. What began as an MBS experience over 20 years ago
continues to strengthen and evolve. From
chance meetings to scheduled get together,
we still celebrate our collective experience
and are the sum of all our parts.
At bedtime the night before starting first
grade at a new school, my daughter asked
me, “Why should I get to know these new
kids?” I told her that she’ll be playing with
them and enjoying their friendship for many,
28
ington Regional Task Force Against Campus
Prejudice. He is also a board member of For
Please join us for the
All Seasons, a community mental health clinic
and rape crisis center. Darnell looks forward to
working with the Alumni Board in the coming
year.
34 thLarry totton
golf classic and crimson night
After graduating from Morristown-Beard
School in 2005, Greg Williams earned a
Monday, May 23th, 2011
bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College in
Carlisle, PA, with a major in political science
and a minor in psychology. At Dickinson, he
served as president of his fraternity and was
inducted into Order of Omega, an honorary leadership society. Greg is currently the
Athletic Director and a gym teacher at Link
Community School in Newark, NJ. In addition to working at Link, Greg is very excited
be a member of the MBS Alumni Board.
at Morris County Golf Club
in Morristown
MBS Celebrates the Legacy
of Rose Koch
“She gave her help to any and all with no reservation,” said
Dr. Cooper. “She has a joy of life and a tireless spirit.”
At a special Morning Meeting on December 3rd, members of the MBS community celebrated the remarkable legacy of history teacher Rose Koch and
expressed collective gratitude for the
many ways she served the MorristownBeard community.
Rose Koch, who retired last spring
after 41 years of distinguished service,
was praised by Headmaster Alex Curtis
for her dedication to the students and
for how she “imbued Morristown-Beard
School with a social conscience.”
“The world really was her concern,”
said Dr. Curtis. “She had a global perspective for all the right reasons – to
help those who are less fortunate.”
Dr. Alan Cooper, Mrs. Koch’s longtime colleague in the History Department, said that she was “a constant
source of inspiration for all of us.”
“She gave her help to any and all with
no reservation,” said Dr. Cooper. “She
has a joy of life and a tireless spirit.”
Mrs. Koch joined the Beard School in
1969 to teach courses in African, Asian
and European history. Before that, she
taught in North Carolina and under-
went Peace Corps training in Watts,
just after riots hit the area. She was a
teacher in the Peace Corps in Nigeria
and neighboring Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War.
When the Morristown School and
the Beard School merged in 1971, Mrs.
Koch was among a small number of
Beard faculty who made the transition to the new School. She was instrumental in the creation of a new
Student Government Association and
remained as SGA advisor throughout
her entire teaching career. She also
29 27
“Mrs. Koch was the heart and soul
of the students ...”
brought the Model United Nations to
MBS and was a motivating force behind the Service Learning Program.
The Board of Trustees presented a
resolution of gratitude and appreciation in honor of Rose Koch “for her
more than four decades of teaching
at the Beard and Morristown-Beard
Schools, for her selfless devotion of
time and energy to all student activities, for her dedication to her colleagues and friends, and, above all,
for her commitment to the thousands
of students she has educated and
mentored both inside and outside the
classroom throughout a long career in
service to others.”
In addition, the Morristown-Beard
Alumni Association inducted Mrs.
Koch as a lifelong member, and the
History Department presented her
with a framed photo and plaque for
“bringing the past and the world to
generations of Beard and MorristownBeard students.”
Morristown-Beard students, faculty,
staff, alumni and friends created a
memory book for Rose filled with stories, memories and good wishes –
illustrating the many lives she touched.
The sentiments were also echoed in a
video tribute created by Ben Goland
’10, which was shown during the assembly.
“Students are the heart and soul of
the School,” said Dr. Cooper. “Mrs.
Koch was the heart and soul of the students whether or not they have had direct contact because of the impact and
influence she has had on the entire
ethos of the School.”
2010
ALUMNI
BOARD
President: Patrick Burke ’84
Secretary: Monya Taylor ’88
Vice President: Loretta Porter James ’62
Treasurer: Jonathan Wort ’64
Board Members:
Penny Boorman ’51
Taz Brower ’47
Corey Douglas ’02
David Genova ’02
Thompson Grant ’69
Fred Greenberg ’55
30
Jackie Griffith ’86
Peter Hedley ’97
David Kramer ’69
Hilary Morris ’97
Peggy Nelson ’59
Darnell Parker ’00
Cardie Saunders ’92
Brian Sheridan ’90
Jane St. Lifer ’74
Louise van der Does ’87
Greg Williams ’05
In Memoriam
Henry Potts ’48, June 26, 2010, age 81. Henry attended
the University of Kentucky and was a long time resident of
“Popodicon” in Shepherdstown, WV. He is survived by a sister and nieces and nephews.
Arthur (Art) M. Dudley ’49, August 6, 2010, age 79. Art
grew up in Morristown and lived in Basking Ridge from 1976
until his death. His and his late wife’s favorite place was their
summer home on Long Beach Island. After Morristown, he
graduated from Marietta College, served in Italy with the US
Army from 1954-56 and worked for Exxon for 33 years until
retiring in 1986. He is survived by his son, two daughters, 6
grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Johannah (Hannah) Marie Dwyer Weinhofer ’53 age
75, July 29, 2010. A long time resident of Raritan Township,
Johannah was a licensed realtor and past president of the
Hunterdon County Board of Realtors. Predeceased by her
former husband, she is survived by two sons, a daughter, two
grandchildren and sister Kate Dwyer Corvaja, ’55. Hannah
was an active volunteer in civic, environmental and child welfare organizations including as a board member of both the
Board of the South Branch Watershed Association and the
Raritan Township Planning Board. She was a mediator for the
Raritan Township Court, guardian in the Volunteers Guardianship Office “One-On-One” program and for many other
organizations.
Susan Hancock Rose Clark ’59, June 9, 2010, age 69. Susan was born in Morristown, grew up in Millburn and Short
Hills and after Beard graduated from Skidmore College. She
earned a M.A. from SUNY Albany and long taught elementary school art in that area. She later worked in student activities, first at SUNY Albany and then at the Fashion Institute
of Technology in New York where she was Assistant Dean
for Students Activities. After a hiatus from work to raise her
son, who survives her, she opened the Bay Head Shoe Shop
in 1982 and owned and operated it for 15 years, as well as a
shoe shops in Fair Haven and Sea Girt. She was instrumental
in helping to form the Bay Head Business Association. Susan was best known for her hat design business, Brims of Bay
Head, which included many of her famed original designs.
Jonathan (Jon) A. Vlachos ’66, Sept. 24, 2010, age 62.
A former resident of Far Hills, Jonathan lived in Bridgewater with his wife of 30 years. They reared two sons and two
daughters there and had two grandchildren. All survive him
as does his brother Robert “Nick” Vlachos,’65. Jon was an
avid ice hockey player. At Morristown he was the MVP his
senior year and won the Halvoran trophy. He was later elected to the MBS Hall of Fame. After Morristown, he graduated
from Norwich University in Vermont and was an insurance
broker at Willis, Inc. of NYC.
Barbara Jaehnig Blauvelt, former President of the MBS
Parents’ Association, July 1, 2010, age 65. Barbara attended
the Short Hills Country Day School, the Kent Place School
and received a B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan. In addition to
heading the Parents’ Association at MBS, she was the first recipient of the Foley Award. She is survived by her husband,
two children, Reginald “R.T.” Blauvelt ’99 and Abigail (Abby)
Blauvelt Sheridan ’00, and three grandchildren.
Send
Us Your News!
If you have a Class Note that you would like
included in an upcoming issue of Crimson
Magazine, please contact editor Steve Patchett at
[email protected] or the appropriate Class
Agent listed below:
Nancy Tazman Brower ‘47:
[email protected]
Stephanie Bush ‘91:
[email protected]
Richard Palmer ‘47:
[email protected]
Sallie Oakes O’Connor ‘91
[email protected]
Emma Joy Linen Dana ‘49:
[email protected]
Whitney Brussman ‘94:
[email protected]
Penny Boorman ‘51:
[email protected]
Heather Daur ‘96:
[email protected]
Anne Overman Bunn ‘54:
[email protected]
Hilary Morris ‘97:
[email protected]
Fred Greenberg ‘55:
[email protected]
William Phillips ‘62:
[email protected]
Loretta Porter James ‘62:
[email protected]
Nancy Wenz ‘63
[email protected]
Carol Selman ‘64:
[email protected]
Jonathan Wort ‘64:
[email protected]
Jody Kennard ‘69:
[email protected]
David Kramer ‘69:
[email protected]
Jane St. Lifer ‘74:
[email protected]
Amy Chaiken ‘78:
[email protected]
Valarie Riback ‘82:
[email protected]
Patrick Burke ‘84:
[email protected]
Jackie Griffith ‘86:
[email protected]
Louise van der Does ‘87:
[email protected]
Monya Taylor ‘88:
[email protected]
Lisa Kaugher Humphreys ‘89:
[email protected]
Lynn Moronski ‘90:
[email protected]
Peter Hedley ‘97:
[email protected]
Rachel Hicks ‘98:
[email protected]
Ridgely Harrison ‘99:
[email protected]
Brian Dougherty ‘99:
[email protected]
Darnell Parker ‘00:
[email protected]
Katie Harrison ‘01:
[email protected]
David Genova ‘02:
[email protected]
Corey Douglas ‘02:
[email protected]
Dennis Madigan ‘03:
[email protected]
Catherine Thomas ‘04
[email protected]
Mark Leonardis ‘04
[email protected]
Greg Williams ‘05:
[email protected]
Jennifer Conway ‘06:
[email protected]
Lisa A. Bevacqua
Director of Alumni Relations
Morristown-Beard School
70 Whippany Road
Morristown, NJ 07960
(973) 539-3032 x549
[email protected]
31
Marta
McDowell
Acclaimed
Historic Garden
Authority & Author
“Cultivating History: Unraveling the History
and Mystery of Morristown Gardens and the
Morristown-Beard School” BY Carol Selman ’64
2010
Lehman
Lecture
Marta McDowell likes smart, stubborn, literary women
who garden; she’s written about Emily Dickinson and is currently doing research on Beatrix Potter. Morris County’s Caroline Foster of Fosterfields is another of McDowell’s favorite
subjects.
Marta herself is a smart, stubborn, literary woman who
gardens. She is also an historic landscape and garden detective: The New York Times recently reported on her solving
the “Mystery of the Delbarton Marbles.”
You can hear her solution on campus this spring. Ms. McDowell is bringing her wit, erudition and gardening wisdom
to this year’s Lehman Lecture: “Cultivating History: Unraveling the History and Mystery of Morristown Gardens and the
Morristown-Beard School.” Her talk, which will be held on
Saturday, May 14, 2011, is part of the Alumni Weekend celebration.
“My favorite work is historic landscape research and resto32
ration. Then, I like to guide others to see familiar landscapes
through a new lens,” Ms. McDowell said. “I intend to weave
pictures of the Beard School gardens in Orange and of the
Morristown campus into the Morris County story.”
Ms. McDowell has been combing the School’s photographic archives and yearbooks to recreate the landscape history of
the Schools. She will also work with students from the architectural classes at MBS prior to her talk.
You can count on this: the talk will inform, fascinate and
delight.
The indomitable Caroline Foster is the key to Morris County garden history. In middle age, she designed and built her
own cottage gardens at her father’s farm, Fosterfields, which
Ms. Foster bequeathed to the county upon her death at age
102 in 1979. Ms. Foster knew all the quiet millionaires who
transformed the Morris County countryside. In 2008, Foster’s
1928 “visiting garden” list set Ms. McDowell on a successful
quest to uncover both the gardens cited and a few more, too.
Her talk will also include stops at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum - built as Whippany Farms, the 1891 summer estate of
George G. Frelinghuysen; Twombly—the Vanderbilt/Twombly mansion restored by the Friends of Florham for Fairleigh
Dickinson University; and the Luther Kountze estate that became Delbarton.
“It’s a multicultural story, too, McDowell said, “Immigrant
Italian-American gardeners and masons brought their old
world experience here.”
An in-demand writer, lecturer, garden designer and historic garden investigator and consultant both locally and
nationwide, Ms. McDowell is a 1979 Phi Beta Kappa, honors
graduate in American Studies of Douglass/Rutgers. She also
holds a Certificate in Landscape Design from the New York
Botanical Garden (NYBG) where she was the advisor and
featured speaker for their 2010 exhibit, Emily Dickinson’s
Gardens: The Poetry of Flowers. Ms. McDowell’s book, Emily
Dickinson’s Gardens, was published by McGraw-Hill in 2005.
In 2007, she created a landscape interpretive plan and wrote
the script for the audio garden tour at the Emily Dickinson
Museum in Amherst.
Closer to her Chatham home, Ms. McDowell was a horticulturist for five years at Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit,
NJ and currently teaches gardening classes at the Van Vleck
Gardens in Montclair. She is presently working on the restoration of a 1920s garden in Morristown and the history of
Willowwood Arboretum in Chester. She is on the Board of the
NJ Historical Garden Foundation at the Cross Estate.
Ms. McDowell teaches landscape history and preservation at both NYBG and the Historic Preservation Program
at Drew University. Prior to following her gardening passion,
she was the Vice President of Information Systems at Prudential.
The Lehman Lecture was established in 1989 by Emily
Lehman Smith ’56 and Gail Lehman Harty ’59 to honor their
father and grandfather, architects and builders. It brings leading figures in art and design to campus each year. The lecture
will be held in the Theater at Founders Hall at 10:30 a.m, on
May 14. There will be an opportunity to speak with Ms. McDowell after her talk.
sav e t h e date !
Alumni Weekend
Graduates of Class Years Ending in 6s and 1s!
MBS Sweet 16 Reunion Giving Challenge
May 13-14, 2011
Morristown-Beard welcomes all alumni back for our
Alumni Weekend in May!
Weekend HighliGHTS:
Friday
Athletic Hall of Fame
Honoring Jyles Tucker '02, Taryne Barnes Peppo '86
and Amy Arnold '97
Saturday
Lehman Lecture • Alumni Bar-B-Que • Alumni Cocktail Party
For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at
973-539-3032 ext. 549.