Winter 2013 - Baldwin School

BALDWINECHOES
THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNAE, STUDENTS, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF THE BALDWIN SCHOOL
Technology:
Empowering
the Next
Generation of
Thinking Girls
W I N T E R 2 0 1 3 A T H L E T I C S H A L L O F F A M E | F A C U L T Y F O O T N O T E S | A L U M N A E A R T S H O W

Special thanks to Trina Twyeffort Greene ’54, who recognized many of the faces in this photo and reconnected with her classmates after
seeing it: a true Baldwin Sisterhood nearly 60 years later. Pictured: Carol McClave Duncan ’54, Natalie Keen Van Bront ’54,
Carol Littlepage Stefanik ’54, Trina Twyeffort Greene ’54, Dinny Lishon Biddle ’54 and Kitty Barclay Heilman ’54.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BILL HARRIS COLLECTION AT THE LOWER MERION HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
THEN&NOW
T
he Baldwin Sisterhood transcends generations and has been a driving force of the
School’s strong alumnae network. Though their gathering spots may have changed,
Baldwin girls still enjoy off-campus time together.
“Then, it was customary for us Baldwin girls to meet at Parvin’s [Pharmacy] and
have hamburgers and shakes on a weekend. Here we are celebrating our new
blazers as Class of Purple.”
– Trina Twyeffort Greene ’54
Though Parvin’s Pharmacy is still in
operation, today Baldwin girls can be
found sipping smoothies and lattes at
Starbucks on Montgomery Avenue.
“Starbucks is just a short walk from
campus, and there are plenty of chairs
and tables to do homework or hang
out. We wear our Baldwin kilts with
pride.” – Nellie Shields ’14 and
Kennedy Johnson ’14
A group of Grade XI advisees connect over Starbucks drinks.

FEATURES
Technology and Tenacity:
From Baldwin to Jolly
Good Fellow
Margaret Scott “Scottie” Robinson ’69
shares how persistence and new
technology took her from playful
“science groupie” at Baldwin to
distinguished Fellow of the
Royal Society.
Tech Time:
Balancing
Tradition With
Technology
A look at how technology
is enhancing traditional
teaching at Baldwin.
ECHOESCONTENTS
DEPARTMENTS
2 UPFRONT
5 ALUMNAE NEWSMAKERS
6 ACADEMICS
Editor: Jessica Covello
Design: acquireVisual.com
Photo credits: Eileen Bilynsky, Laura Blankenship, Jessica Covello,
Kimberly Kaufman, Jay Gorodetzer, Jen + Ashley Photography,
Linda Mullen, Olga Quejada, Mary Pat Staats.
All photographs are identified left to right unless otherwise noted.
BALDWINONLINE
8 ARTS
10 ATHLETICS
12 HOMECOMING
21 FACULTY FOOTNOTES
22 CLASS NOTES
48 CLOSING THOUGHTS
ON THE COVER:
Adaptation of Baldwin Art Teacher
Kenny Delio’s dictionary cover made of
porcelain computer keys and copper.
The original work is pictured here.
We welcome letters regarding the contents of the magazine
and/or issues pertaining to the school. Letters must be
signed. The editor retains the right to edit at her discretion.
Please send correspondence to:
Jessica Covello, editor, Echoes
The Baldwin School
701 Montgomery Ave.
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Or jcovello@baldwinschool.org
For general alumnae requests or information,
please contact the Development Office:
Mary Pat Staats, director of alumnae relations
mstaats@baldwinschool.org or 610-525-2700, ext. 268
Echoes is printed on recycled paper.
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BALDWIN EVENTS
From weddings to corporate events, Baldwin’s historic setting and
renowned catering partners can set the stage for memorable occasions.
Did you know Baldwin community members receive exclusive
pricing? Visit baldwinevents.com for more information or to check
availability. Photo courtesy of Jen + Ashley Photography.
A
HEAD OF THE CLASS
s lifelong learners, Baldwin girls continually seek new
experiences, resources and information. Our recent
campus and curriculum enhancements, as a part of
Baldwin’s strategic plan, help foster this quality.
On campus, the smart-wired Learning Commons in
the Lower School sets the stage for inquiry, collaboration,
creativity and communication. Middle and Upper
School students are experimenting in the
Multimedia Studio, equipped with a green
screen, professional sound and lighting, and
capabilities for video conferencing, graphics
production and more.
In the classroom, individualized courses and
new electives are helping our students pursue their
passions with expert support, and learn life skills like
budgeting and investing.
Our “thinking girls” are thinking in
new ways, and we cannot wait to
see what’s next.
Recommended
Reading
Viewpoints from faculty,
alumnae, students and parents
makes for lively discussion at the
Baldwin Book Club meetings.
Join us in the Anne Frank Library
at 7 p.m. or via live stream. Visit
www.baldwinschool.org/bookclub
for details.
Thursday, Feb. 7:
How Great Women
Lead by Bonnie
St. John and Darcy
Deane. Facilitator:
Deb Surgi, director
of athletics.
Thursday, Mar. 21
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins.
Facilitator: Maria
Berger, Grade IV
teacher.
Tuesday, Apr. 16
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho.
Facilitator: Jill
Brown, Upper
School English
teacher.
2

BROTHERLY LOVE
Baldwin girls and their Haverford brothers stand side by side –
in the classroom, on the playing field and on the stage. Nearly
120 sibling families gathered at The Haverford School in the
fall for this photo celebrating the longstanding partnership
between Baldwin and our brother school. Share your own
Baldwin-Haverford photos or memories on our alumnae
Facebook page: facebook.com/baldwinalumnae.
GREAT LENGTHS
In support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 13
Baldwin Lower School students participated in Pantene Beautiful
Lengths. The girls donated more than 114 inches of hair to make
wigs for women undergoing cancer treatment. This is the second
year Grade II Teacher Gabrielle Daley has led the service project.
See the video on our blog: blog.baldwinschool.org. Not pictured:
Grace Kirwan ’21.
PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD
Claudia Baldassano (Lower School Representative, PK-Grade II),
Bill Brown (Technology/Communications), Darlene Tobin
(Upper and Middle School Representative), Trine Vanderwall
(Secretary), Sejita Page (President), Beth Zemble (Executive
Vice President), Barbara Sprague (Past President), Pat Coler
(Vice President), Jennifer Cross (Assistant Treasurer).
Not pictured: Susan Ryszka (Treasurer), Lisa Cook
(Lower School Representative, Grades III-V).
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Members new in 2012-2013 are bolded.
Lisa Ameisen ’76, Rev. Robert T. Brooks, A. Steffen Wright
Crowther ’68, John Dewey (Chair), Patricia Dietrich (Secretary),
Jeffrey Goldader, Thomas P. Gerrity, Marcy Gringlas, Brian
Halak, Deborah Hilzinger, Ruth Hochberger ’68, Tracey
Holgren Ivey, Rachel Funk Jenkins ’44, Peter Leone (Treasurer),
Christopher Marr, Alexis Egan McCarthy ’81, Andrew Mozino,
Sejita Page, Sally Powell, Kristin Rodriguez ’88, Jane Ellen Rosen ’63,
Eric Ruoss, Marlon Satchell ’94, Stephanie Cohn Schaeffer ’85,
Samuel R. Scott, Anne C. Shoemaker, Caroline M. Simon,
Blair D. Stambaugh, Terry Steelman (Vice Chair), Warren Thaler,
Margaretta Walton ’97 (not pictured).
FLORENCE BALDWIN DAY
The second annual Florence Baldwin Day took place on campus Friday, Oct. 12. The Dining
Room took on a Victorian era motif with menu items to complement. Students enjoyed
cupcakes and alumnae around the world took
pause to remember the woman who founded
Baldwin nearly 125 years ago. Sally Powell
traveled to London to toast with more than a dozen alumnae at the home of
Lady Marion Norton Marks ’70. In attendance were: Mimi Chandler Watt ’66,
Carolyn Cummings Addison ’96, Sally Powell, Marion Norton Marks ’70,
Ellen Butler ’70, Pamela Russell Walford ’70, Lola Murphy Dineen ’04 (seated);
Margaret S. Robinson ’69, Alicia Skubick ’90, Lauren Skubick ’92, Paris Carlin
Christofferson ’77 (standing); Julia Sennitt Randall ’52 (not pictured).
WINTER 2013 ECHOES
3

NEW FACULTY/STAFF
If you’ve visited campus lately, you may have
seen new faces sporting Baldwin blue. Join
us in welcoming:
Row 1 (Front): Aly Underwood, school nurse;
Elizabeth Becker, director of Lower School;
Erin Timm, Middle School English; Lauren
Friedman-Way, librarian & media specialist;
Stacy Gallagher, director of development;
Pam Przybylski, executive assistant to the
assistant head of school; Jennifer Cutler,
Upper School history.
Row 2: Kelly Schonour, Grade II; Julie
George-Carlson, associate director of
development; Lisa López-Carickhoff,
director of libraries & information services;
Kristen Kopf, science; Rebecca Best ’01,
Mandarin & history; Sherri Farenwald,
School Store manager; Caryn Sucharski,
executive assistant to the head of school;
Gretchen Boger, Middle and Upper
School history.
Row 3: Dona Irwin, Lower School math;
Olga Quejada, website coordinator;
Jackie Harkins, development assistant;
Jessica Dalcanton, Upper School drama;
Taylor Jordan, Pre-K assistant; Naté Hall,
college counselor; Stephanie Wujcik,
Middle School history; Fran Walish, director of
marketing; Fred Kountz, Upper School history.
Not pictured: Barbara Cass, math;
Maddie Kropp, development associate.
To read more about these newcomers,
visit www.baldwinschool.org/news.
ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD
The Alumnae Association Open Membership Meeting was held on Oct. 10.
Row 1 (Front): Emily Klebanoff ’85, Sophia Tareen ’13, Alexandra Stein ’06,
Allison Wiener ’89, Jamilia Hudson ’03; Row 2: Eleanor Zito, Laura Zito ’72,
Marlon Satchell ’94, Margaretta Walton ’97 (AAEB President), Lisa Ameisen ’76;
Row 3: Margie Tranger Walton ’63, Annmarie Cappalonga Bunn ’85, Debbie
Greenfield DeLauro ’69. Attending but not pictured: Charlotte Matthai ’13
and Marcia Reiver ’78.
NATIONAL BOARD
OF ADVISORS
Among those attending the
National Board of Advisors (NBA)
fall meeting held Oct. 26-27 were:
Row 1 (Front): Maisha Smart ’90,
Kristen Dunseth Rodriguez ’88
(NBA Chair), Peg Fritz Schneider
’50, Amy Sobel ’86 (NBA Vice-
Chair) and Elizabeth Yusem Fuerst
’65; Row 2: Florence “Florry”
Hubbard Lloyd ’55, Heather Young ’92. Melanie Sheerr ’96 and Margaret Schneider
Maclay ’77; Row 3: Jennie Silverstein ’86, Annmarie Cappalonga Bunn ’85,
Weatherly Ralph Emans ’93, Jennifer Porges ’83 and May Geggis Holgren ’55.
Attending but not pictured: Steffie Wright Crowther ’68.
The Sixth Annual National Board of Advisors Award was
presented (in absentia) to Jane Ellen Rosen ’63. Jane was
recognized for her exceptional dedication to the NBA
|through her volunteerism, leadership as an NBA chair, and
commitment to the board and the larger Baldwin community,
currently as a member of the
Board of Trustees. Jane
attended Baldwin as a
boarder and has many great memories
of her life during that time. Following
her years at Baldwin she earned a B.A.
from the University of Pennsylvania
and an MBA from New York University.
Read more on our website:
www.baldwinschool.org/NBOA.
4

ALUMNAENEWSMAKERS
Julie E. Wollman ’77 was recently named the 17th president of Edinboro
University in Pennsylvania, bringing a successful background in higher education
academics and administration. She is the first woman to be named president of
Edinboro University.
Julie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American literature and
language with a minor in French from Harvard University in 1981. She has a
Master of Science degree in elementary education from the University of
Pennsylvania and a doctoral degree in elementary education from New York
University. She also attended the Institute for Education Management at the
Harvard Graduate School of Education.
She is married to Dr. Dan L. King, the Provost of the Massachusetts School of
Professional Psychology, and the Executive Director of the American Association
of University Administrators, a national professional organization. She has two
daughters, Sara Bonilla, 21, a recent graduate of Wesleyan University, and
Rosa Bonilla, 17, a senior in high school.
Emily Chesick ’77 and Marcia Reiver ’78 headlined this year’s
Alumnae Art Show, Nov. 11-Dec. 21. Emily showed intricate
landscape quilts made from cotton fabric, cotton batting, appliqué
and thread. Marcia works in the demanding Japanese-based process
of raku pottery.
Although they work in different media, a strong commonality runs
through Marcia and Emily’s work: nature. Emily, who has a Master
of Science degree in Forestry, celebrates
everything from National Park scenes to soil
structure. Marcia works directly in and with
nature: her pottery is made in the open air,
rendering her work contingent upon the
day’s weather. The pottery bears traces of
the specific atmospheric condition, be
it wind, humidity or temperature.
Each piece, therefore, is an
unrepeatable blend of intent and
circumstance.
Emily is the daughter of longtime
Baldwin science teacher
Elizabeth Chesick. Marcia is active
in BRAVA, Baldwin’s
parent-led arts committee.
Marcia Reiver ’78, Art Department Head Janice Wilke, Elizabeth Chesick and
Alumnae Arts Coordinator Penny Lisk ’77.
Emily Chesick ’77 displays
one of her quilts.
Point The Way, a raku
pottery creation by
Marcia Reiver ’78.
WINTER 2013 ECHOES
5

Academics
B A L D W I N
CIAO, GRADE IX
The first annual Grade IX trip to Italy took students and faculty on
a week-long journey to enhance their studies. Sponsored by the
School, the trip featured stops in Rome, Milan, Florence and
Pompeii. Students visited the Iceman Museum in Bolzano and
received a new kind of Room with a View lesson in Edwardian-era
Florence. Visit ciaodaitalia.wordpress.com to follow their travel experiences in the form
of blog posts, photos and videos.
The famed Roman Coliseum.
A group of students gather at Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s town hall.
The Spanish Steps in Rome.
MODEL STUDENTS
The Middle School Model United Nations (UN) Club is busy building
on the success of its inaugural year. Last year, girls participated in the
Global Classrooms International Middle School Model UN Conference
with representatives from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Turkey, Italy and
Ghana. In April, the students will head to New York City to take part
in The 8th Annual Global Classrooms ® International Middle School
Model UN Conference.
6

TREKKING ON
Computer Science Coordinator Laura Blankenship took a two week trek to India
with Kristine Rojo ’14, Heather Brown ’14 and Eric Petersen ’15 of Haverford. They
marveled at sites including the Taj Mahal, Himalayan Mountains and Ghandi
Memorial. In this photo, the group and their drivers pose at 14,000 feet, nearing
the top of the world’s highest mountain pass. Read Dr. Blankenship’s blog post:
blog.baldwinschool.org/2012/a-trek-through-india.
HIGH HONORS
Fifteen members of the Class of 2013
have been recognized by the National
Merit Scholarship Corporation. Only
50,000 of the 1.5 million high school
students nationwide who took the
2011 PSAT received recognition from this
program. The top 16,000 scoring students
are awarded Semifinalist designation.
Baldwin National Merit Semifinalists
include: Hannah Bao, Amalia Bowen-
Sicalides, Julia Fournier, Connie Li, Erin
McCloskey and Sarah Tupchong. The
remaining 34,000 Commended Students
include Baldwin students Jessica Fan,
Alexandra Grizos, Abigail Grosskopf,
Charlotte Matthai, Maya Patel, Jasmine
Schlichting, Charlotte Solmssen and
Paige Tobin. Jaslyn McIntosh is a
National Achievement Semifinalist.
TRAVELS NEAR AND FAR
The 10-day Grade VIII trip to the Perse
School in Cambridge, England was once
again a huge success. The girls returned
full of tales of punting on the river, visits
to London and new friendships. They later
headed to Williamsburg, Va. for a tour of
historical sites, a mock military training
session, African American storytelling and
more. Grade VII girls harnessed their inner
outdoorsman at South Mountain YMCA
camp in the form of high ropes courses
and campfires. Grade VI students
(pictured) enjoyed new experiences in
New York City, visiting the Museum of
Modern Art and seeing Wicked.
LYRICAL GENIUS
Baldwin was the host of this year’s
Honors Seminar held in partnership with
Haverford, Shipley and Agnes Irwin.
Juniors applied to be one of the four
students from each school chosen to
participate in year-long interdisciplinary
workshops. Every year, two different
disciplines come together to plan unique
learning experiences for 16 students, with
this year's departments being English and
Languages. Students learned about the
evolution of the ode from Horace, to
Shelley, to Neruda and were asked to
define, create and perform the ode of
their generation.
BEGINNING BALDWIN
Funded by Nancy Corbit Lewars ’60, the 2012 Lewars Academic Preseason
helped more than 70 students make the transition to Middle and Upper School
at Baldwin. This four-day summer program, now in its fifth year, focuses on
study skills, research strategies and more. Students also have ample time for an
introduction to the school’s social and recreational opportunities. The personal
connections made with classmates and faculty during this experience give them
a head start once school begins.
WINTER 2013 ECHOES
7

Arts
B A L D W I N
HEAD OF SCHOOL
ART GALLERY
The Upper School
digital photography
work was on display
in Head of School
Sally Powell’s office in September.
Middle School art followed in November.
Pictured: Cashel McCarthy ’14’s
photograph from “water in motion”
studies in Digital Photography I.
Carolyn Pyfrom
Deirdre Murphy
MUSICAL MASKERS
The Maskers heated up the stage in
the fall with their performance of
Once Upon a Mattress. This musical farce
is an adaptation of the Hans Christian
Andersen fairy tale The Princess and the
Pea and defies all previous notions of
what a princess is, where the beautiful
nightingale came from, and just how
funny a jester can be.
STEPPING OUT
The Performing Arts Department was invited by the Pennsylvania Ballet to review a
performance of Giselle, an opportunity seized by seniors Paige Tobin and Abby
Grosskopf. Also, the new Advanced Acting class saw How I Learned to Drive by Paula
Vogel at Villanova University and met with the cast to discuss the show.
Aubrey Levinthal
AN ARTFUL COLLABORATION
The first art exhibition of the 2012-2013
academic year celebrated the friendship
between Baldwin and the Pennsylvania
Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). In
support of PAFA's exhibition of the
Linda Lee Alter Collection of Women Artists,
Baldwin exhibited women artists
associated with The Pennsylvania
Academy as either faculty or former
students, including our own Janice Wilke.
8

FLYING HIGH
Vicky Gold, Baldwin’s longtime ceramics
teacher, is exhibiting her signature clay
pigeons at the Philadelphia International
Airport. The display case, filled with her
birds pecking at the ground, conversing,
looking quizzically at the viewer, or about
to take flight, is located in Terminal D.
This high-profile exhibition will be on
view until April.
BUDDING ARTISTS
Maria Berger’s Grade IV class used tempered paint to create sunflowers as a part of
the girls’ study of plants. The students wrote a complementing creative piece in
which they took on the “persona” of a sunflower.
THE “WRIGHT” WORDS
Emily Clark ’14 earned second place in
the Philadelphia Young Playwrights
competition for her play, The Three Sisters.
Winners were selected from 850 play
submissions at over 50 public and private
schools in the Philadelphia area. The
Three Sisters describes the relationship
between sisters who represent the three
fates in Greek mythology: Birth, Life and
Death. Each woman struggles to adapt to
the realistic world on Earth: Lela chases
love, Cyra keeps the peace, and Ara
attempts to control her loneliness and
power. The play develops into a battle of
passion as each woman learns the extent
of her “humanity.”
MUSIC TO OUR EARS
The sweet sound of Baldwin’s Firenze group was the backdrop for the Philadelphia
Business Journal’s 30 Women of Distinction event in November. The holidays
were also made merrier by the Baldwin B-Flats, who caroled in Manayunk and
participated in a “sing-off” with the Haverford Notables under the Christmas
tree during Bryn Mawr’s First Friday event.
WINTER 2013 ECHOES
9

Athletics
B A L D W I N
V
Gold medalist
Connie Wang.
ARSITY TENNIS EARNS SHARE
OF 2012 INTER-AC TITLE
The varsity tennis team earned a share of the
Inter-Ac title, the team’s second Inter-Ac title in
three years. Baldwin, Episcopal and Agnes Irwin all
finished the season 5-1, to share the title. In addition,
nine varsity tennis players earned medals at the
2012 Inter-Ac Individual Championships. Leading
the Bears was Connie Wang ’14 who captured the
Gold at 2nd Singles. Kristine Rojo ’14, at 1st Singles
and Victoria Gevurtz ’13, at 3rd Singles, were
Bronze medalists. In Doubles play, 1st Doubles
Selena Maity ’14 and Ali Thaler ’15 captured the
Silver. The 3rd Doubles team of Julz Vaccaro ’13
and Emilie Wache ’13 and 4th Doubles pair of
Tarlan Daryoush ’13 and Haley Weiss ’14
captured Bronze.
Row 1 (Front): Connie Wang ’14, Connie Li ’13, Haley Weiss ’14,
Kristine Rojo ’14 and Abby Grosskopf ’13; Row 2: Selena Maity ’14,
Emilie Wache ’13, Julz Vaccaro ’13, Victoria Gevurtz ’13, Ali Thaler ’15,
Tarlan Daryoush ’13 and Coach Jeff Sacks.
The panelists: Katie LeGrand, compliance director,
Villanova University; Amanda Janney, head field hockey
coach, Temple University; Stephanie Campanaro, former
Cabrini College field hockey player and current Baldwin
assistant varsity field hockey coach; Jen Ward, assistant
compliance coordinator and head softball coach, Haverford
College; Emma Hamm ‘07, former Duke University lacrosse
player; Deb Surgi, Baldwin director of athletics; and Martha
Allen, Baldwin director of college guidance.
SPORTS SYMPOSIUM:
NAVIGATING THE
RECRUITING PROCESS
Hosted by Blue Gray,
Baldwin Athletics’ annual
Sports Symposium featured
seven experts in the field of
collegiate athletics recruiting.
The symposium was attended
by Baldwin student-athletes
interested in continuing
their athletic careers beyond
Baldwin. Panelists shared
their expertise and answered
questions from the audience.
Currently, 29 Baldwin alumnae
are participating on NCAA
teams.
VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY
TEAM RUNS TO VICTORY
Sophomore Miriam Jaiser (pictured)
medaled and placed 5th overall
at the 2012 Varsity Inter-Ac
Cross Country
Championship and
was named to the First
Team All Inter-Ac. In the
junior varsity race, Alice
Douglas ’14 finished 4th
overall, and Meagan
Cohen ’15 placed 6th.
The varsity team also
captured 4th place in a
field of 23 varsity teams at
the Salesianum Invitational.
10

MAKE YOUR MARK: ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
We know your Baldwin Blue runs deep. Alumnae, memorialize your school spirit and athletic accomplishments by nominating
yourself or a former classmate for Baldwin’s inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame. For award criteria and the nomination form, visit
www.baldwinschool.org/athleticshalloffame. Award recipients will be inducted during the 2013 Baldwin Homecoming.
BALDWIN ATHLETICS FACEBOOK
Like us! We’re 500+
strong and growing.
Be sure to check
regularly for
Athletics news and
important updates.
MIDDLE SCHOOL A VOLLEYBALL:
UNDEFEATED
The Middle School A volleyball team
is undefeated (8-0), losing only one of
24 games all season.
BALDWIN GIRLS NAMED
U.S. SQUASH SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
Baldwin U.S. Squash Scholar-Athletes
include (as pictured): Rachel Zachian ’15,
Alexa Horwitz ’15, Selena Maity ’14 and
Maya Patel ’13. Marina Crowe ’12, who is
currently playing on the men’s squash
team at MIT, also received the honor. The
award is open to high school students
who have a GPA of at least 3.5 at the end
of the school year and have played in
four U.S. Squash sanctioned tournaments
between April 1, 2011 and May 31, 2012,
or an approved number of U.S. SQUASH
Scholastic Squash Program (SSP) matches.
JUNIOR VARSITY TENNIS: UNSTOPPABLE
The junior varsity tennis team finished with an undefeated Inter-Ac record of 6-0.
Row 1 (Front): Janny Wang ’15, Julia Greitzer ’16, Jasmine Syed ’15, Nellie Shields
’14, Claudia Hogg ’14, Isabel Senior ’16 and Genie Dubay ’16; Row 2: Alicia Song
’15, Rachel Dichter ’15, Jessica Levit ’16, Davis Madeja ’16, Musu Taylor ’14, Rebecca
Haley ’14, Quinn Funston ’16, Amanda Kichline ’16 and Coach Roni Sacks.
BALDWIN ATHLETICS:
BLUE, GRAY AND GREEN
Baldwin Athletics’ new bicycle is not
the department’s only green practice,
but it is the newest. As a way to scoot
around campus easily to catch more
games and connect with students,
the Athletics department purchased a
bike this fall, instead of a more costly
golf cart or gator. The cross country
and track team coaches also have the
bike available to ride alongside
athletes during training. “It’s a green
and cost-effective way of getting
around campus and the
community,” commented
Deb Surgi, director of athletics.
“We’re very committed to a green
world here in Athletics.” In addition
to the bike, the Athletics Department
recently donated old uniforms
from six teams; the Salvation Army
will shred them and put the fabric
to new use.
UPPER SCHOOL CREW
Members of the Upper School crew team
raced as part of Team Undine, competing
in four regattas in the fall.
Sophomores Elizabeth Grubman, Bridget Pansini
and Noa Schork with juniors Abigail Lemmon and
Storey Wanglee.
UPPER SCHOOL ATHLETIC
ASSOCIATION IS STRONG
The Upper School Baldwin Athletic Association
hosted a party on the Athletic Center back porch
for the 98 Upper School fall athletes on the final
day of pre-season. The girls celebrated their hard
work and kicked off another spirited year for the
Athletic Association.
Athletic Association
representative Krista
Hinchman ’15 displays the
t-shirt “Where the Weak
Become Strong and the
Strong Become Great,
Baldwin Pre-Season.”

Homecoming
T
he 2012 Homecoming themes
of “LAST BEAR STANDING”
and “SURVIVORS” were played
out in true colors. Baldwin’s
varsity teams took to the courts
and fields with pride and were victorious in
soccer, tennis and volleyball. The field hockey
team stood tall after a tough game and the
varsity cross country team conquered and
survived the hills at the Pennsylvania
Independent Schools Athletic Association
(PAISAA) State Championship. Homecoming
activities kicked off on the evening of Friday,
Oct. 26 with the traditional fall team skits,
barbeque and bonfire, and unveiling of
the ever-popular gear, all presented by the
Upper School Athletic Association. Saturday’s
festivities featured the fourth annual Pancake
Breakfast, presented by Blue Gray, Middle
Field activities for all ages, and varsity
games. Throughout the day, Baldwin
students, families and friends stood proud,
waving banners and pom-poms and cheering
loudly for their Bears. 2013 Homecoming
will include the induction of Baldwin’s
inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame members.
See the Athletics section on page 11 for
more information.
The varsity cross country team at the start line.
The varsity field hockey team in the pre-game huddle.
The varsity soccer team celebrates a goal.
12

Baldwin mom, Heather Andrews.
Varsity and JV tennis players join forces for a Homecoming match.
Members of the Athletic Association:
Arden Simone ’13 (Head), Fiona McCanney ’13,
Cashel McCarthy ’14 and Morgan Steelman ’16.
Kayla Watkins ’16, Leslie Brown and
Imani Brown ’16.
Sisters Olivia ’15 and Alexa Horwitz ’16
with Winnie and Spotty.
Head of School Sally Powell and her husband, Frank.
The varsity volleyball team celebrates a point.
WINTER 2013 ECHOES
13

TECHNOLOGY
A N D
TENACITY:
From Baldwin to
Jolly Good Fellow
In seventh grade, my first year
at Baldwin, I became something of a science
groupie. My classmate Charla Thompson and I
used to hang out in the science building after
lunch, watching the teachers prepare for their
afternoon labs and asking them questions. But
I was interested in a lot of other things as well,
especially theater (I was never happier than
when working with my fellow Maskers on our
latest production), and I didn’t start to focus on
science until I was a freshman at Smith taking
General Biology. The lectures on cells were all
given by Associate Professor Jean Powell, who
used to teach at Baldwin. Using images taken
with an electron microscope, she showed us
that the insides of our cells are amazing
miniature worlds, containing beautiful
structures that are only visible with this
technology. I would look at these structures
and ask, “What is that made of, what does it
do, how does it work?”. More often than not
the answer was, “Nobody knows.” I found it
exhilarating to think that there was so much
still to be discovered, and when I graduated, I
took a job as a research assistant. Although I
really enjoyed doing lab work every day, I
started wishing that I could call the shots more.
So I decided to apply to graduate school, and in
1976 I joined the Cell and Developmental
Biology Program at Harvard Medical School.
Graduate school was a mixed experience for
me, but I had one wonderful summer when I
took the physiology course at the Marine
Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, where we
were encouraged to do research of our own
choosing. I had become fascinated with tiny
objects called coated vesicles, which had
14

Electron microscope image of coated vesicles budding
from a membrane.Each coated vesicle has a diameter of
around 150 nm (0.000006 inches).
recently been purified from pig brain by Barbara
Pearse at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular
Biology (LMB) in Cambridge, England. Barbara
had shown that they were mainly made out of a
protein that she named clathrin, but I speculated
that they might also contain a protein called
tubulin, and I wanted to test this. So I located a
pig slaughterhouse in Boston, traveled there by
bus with a cooler, collected a couple of brains,
and then took the bus back to Woods Hole. I sat
next to an elderly woman who was concerned
that my “lunch,” as she called it, which I’d placed
on the floor under my feet, might tip over and
spill. I didn’t enlighten her about what was really
in the cooler. And I did manage to purify coated
vesicles and I did find tubulin (using what would
now be seen as a very low-tech protocol),
although later on I realized that the tubulin had
been a contaminant. It was present in the
preparation, but not actually associated with the
coated vesicles.
But although I had become completely
captivated by coated vesicles, I was in the wrong
place to work on them. So after receiving my
Ph.D., I decided I wanted to work with the world
expert, Barbara Pearse herself. I was very nervous
about approaching her, but she turned out to be
the least intimidating person in the world. She
told me that she would be happy to house me in
her lab, provided I could come up with my own
funding. Surprisingly, because I didn’t have any
publications from my Ph.D. work, I managed to
get a postdoctoral fellowship, and started
working at the LMB in 1982.
The LMB was a real eye-opener. It has more
Nobel Prizes per capita than any other place in the
world, and the quality of the science is
astonishing. A number of important new
techniques were developed there that I was able to
tap into, including monoclonal antibodies and
methods for sequencing proteins and DNA.
However, I got a bit sidetracked during my first few
months there, because I spent a lot of my time
working backstage for the Cambridge University
Opera Society, together with my Baldwin Maskers
friend Leslie Dunn ’70. But then I started going
out with one of the junior group leaders at the
LMB, John Kilmartin, and he worked practically
around the clock, so I started keeping the same
hours. With the extra time that I put in, my work
suddenly took off. I published a couple of papers
and got a second postdoctoral fellowship, and
during that time John and I got married.
But then I hit a brick wall.
Although everything was still going well
scientifically, and the LMB gave me a short-term
position, they made it clear that they weren’t
going to offer me a permanent job. John was
amenable to looking for jobs in the States, but
this wasn’t the best time for him because he had
recently changed fields. So I started looking for a
job in Cambridge. The closest I came was when I
was shortlisted by the Biochemistry Department.
However, my interview was disastrous - among
other things, I accidentally walked off with the
handbag of the only other women in the room,
a very distinguished professor - and they didn’t
offer me a job.
Fortunately, another option eventually
materialized. The Wellcome Trust had recently
launched a Senior Fellowship scheme, which
Scottie Robinson (third from left
on the stage) with fellow Maskers
in 1969. Mary B. Robinson ’71
(Scottie’s sister) is on the far left
standing below the stage, and
fellow science groupie, Charla
Thompson Bendas ’69, is in the
middle below the stage. Scottie
still enjoys going to the theater
and opera in her spare time.
WINTER 2013 ECHOES
15

allowed people to set up as independent
investigators, as long as they could find a
department to accommodate them. There
was a Clinical Biochemistry Department,
where several groups were working on the
kinds of problems I was interested in, and
one department member in particular,
Paul Luzio, was very enthusiastic about
my joining them. So with Paul as my
“sponsor,” I managed to get a Senior
Fellowship, and in 1989 I started working
in Clinical Biochemistry, in spite of not
being clinical or even really a biochemist.
I thought that this move
would mean that instead of being a small
fish in a big pond, I would become a
bigger fish in a smaller pond. However,
most people (Paul was a notable
exception) still saw me as a small fish,
mainly because all of the other senior
members of the department were men.
My work continued to go well, and I even
managed to get a paper into Cell, the most
prestigious of all the biomedical journals.
Still, I remember thinking that even if I
won a Nobel Prize, the department would
probably still see me as Paul’s sidekick.
Eventually, of course, it all worked out. I
was given a lab of my own and started to
take on graduate students and postdocs.
I’ve recruited some exceptionally talented
individuals over the years, and they have
become the lifeblood of the lab. In the
meantime, other cell biologists (including
several women) joined Clinical
Biochemistry with Wellcome Senior
Fellowships, and in 1998 we all moved to
a new building, where Paul is the director.
So I am now in the enviable position of
16
TOP FIVE
TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCES IN
CELL BIOLOGY,
AS TOLD
BY SCOTTIE
being able to do work that I love, in a very
supportive environment, and surrounded
by the best colleagues imaginable.
And surprisingly enough, I am still
working on coated vesicles. They have
turned out to be even more fascinating
than I supposed when I first fell in love
with them 35 years ago. I’d been drawn to
them partly because they’re so beautiful
(the clathrin coat forms a network of
hexagons and pentagons over the surface
of the vesicle) and partly because it seemed
that they might hold the key to what at
the time was called The Sorting Problem.
The gist of this problem is that every cell
contains numerous membrane-bound
compartments, each with its own set of
proteins, and somehow all of these
proteins manage to get to the right place
and stay there. There was evidence from
work by Nobel Prize winners Brown and
Goldstein that coated vesicles can select
proteins from a particular compartment,
package them as cargo, and ferry them to
a different compartment. But how does a
coated vesicle know which proteins to
include and which ones to leave out?
My work in Barbara’s lab led to the
discovery of the adaptins: components of
the coat that physically interact with
membrane proteins and can discriminate
between proteins that need to be taken
somewhere else and proteins that need to
stay put. When I set up my own lab, we
went on to find other adaptins associated
with other types of coated vesicles. Some
of the adaptins turn out to be mutated in
patients with particular genetic disorders;
and by using a technique called RNA
interference, we were able to show that
HIV can hijack adaptins in order to wreak
MICROSCOPY
Although electron microscopy of biological specimens
has been around since the 1950s, this technique can
now be combined with different types of labeling
(e.g., using antibodies coupled to colloidal gold
particles), to show the exact location of individual
molecules. The advantage of electron microscopy over
optical microscopy is that it is possible to get 1,000
times the magnification without losing resolution.
However, only optical microscopes can be used to look
at living cells, because electron microscopes bombard
the specimen with a powerful electron beam
in a high vacuum. Advances in optical microscopy
include many new methods for doing live cell
imaging (e.g., using green fluorescent protein
fused to a protein of interest).
Outside the Royal Society headquarters with
husband and Royal Society Fellow John Kilmartin,
and daughter Claire.
havoc with the immune system. In fact,
adaptins are so important that it is now
speculated that they may have played a
key role in the evolution of eukaryotes
like ourselves (i.e., organisms with
compartmentalized cells), as distinct from
prokaryotes (e.g., bacteria), some 2 billion
years ago.
But although I’m still working on
coated vesicles, I’m now using approaches
that weren’t even conceivable when I was
a student. Probably the most important
technological breakthrough for my own
work has been the Human Genome
Project. We now know the sequences of
every single one of our genes, and
although I said in my graduate school
interviews that I didn’t want to work on
DNA, nowadays every cell biologist works
on DNA, as a way of getting at the
proteins we’re interested in. For instance,
we can attach the gene encoding a green
fluorescent jellyfish protein to a clathrin
or adaptin gene, and then watch the
coated vesicles in living cells as they bop
around delivering cargo proteins to
different destinations.
DNA MANIPULATION
The technology for piecing together different bits of
DNA, to make recombinant DNA, is now 40 years old.
It is used, for instance, to attach the green fluorescent
protein gene to a gene encoding a protein of
interest. Recombinant DNA technology led to other
technological advances in the late 1970s and early
1980s, such as DNA sequencing and polymerase
chain reaction (a method that amplifies as little as
a single molecule of DNA into millions of molecules).
These advances in turn facilitated the Human
Genome Project and other genome projects. To date,
over a thousand human genomes, from individuals
all over the world, have been sequenced; and the
genomes of over a hundred other organisms have
been sequenced.

The Robinson lab at the Orchard Tea Garden
in Grantchester. One of the lab members
couldn't make it so he was pasted in, wearing
his lab coat and hat. David Hasselhoff takes a
break from his schedule to serve tea. Some
playful teasing among her students resulted
in Scottie amassing a decent collection of
Hasselhoff memorabilia in her office.
We can also now identify proteins from
tiny amounts of material, partly because of
our knowledge of the human genome,
and partly because of advances in a
technique called mass spectrometry,
which can be used to identify proteins
definitively. I have recently revisited my
first experiment on coated vesicles, but
instead of just looking for tubulin, our aim
was to make a complete list of coated
vesicle proteins. We were able not only to
identify over a thousand different
proteins, but also to tell which ones were
contaminants, because these proteins
didn’t go away when we silenced the
clathrin gene by RNA interference. And
once again we found tubulin, five different
versions of it, and they all behaved like
contaminants. But we also found over a
hundred genuine coated vesicle
components, most of which were
previously unknown.
It’s not easy to keep up
with this fast-moving field, but I was
educated to be a “thinking girl,” and I
enjoy the challenge. Baldwin also gave
me self-belief, which I think goes much
deeper than self-confidence. I know of
several women who ran into difficulties
similar to mine and became so
discouraged that they left science. But
when I was having problems as a
graduate student, or when I was unable to
find a job as an independent investigator,
it never occurred to me to do anything
other than hang in there. Baldwin also
gave me many, many examples of really
excellent teaching, which I try to follow
now that I’m the teacher. Classes at
Baldwin were not only instructive and
inspiring, they were also a lot of fun, and
I try to work that element into my
teaching as much as I can. I like to think
of our lab as an enjoyable place to work,
not only for the science but also because
of all the lab outings, lab traditions
(which usually involve food, especially
chocolate), and lab jokes (which often
feature David Hasselhoff).
When I found out last spring that I had
been elected a Fellow of the Royal
Society, it was really the icing on
the cake. I already felt that I had
the best job in the world, and
to join a society whose
members included people like
Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin
and Albert Einstein was an
unbelievable honor. I was
allowed to bring four guests to
the signing ceremony, so both
of my sisters (Mary B. Robinson
’71 and Lolly Robinson) were able
to fly over from the States, to join John
and our daughter Claire for a wonderful
day. The Royal Society Charter Book is
already 350 years old and is expected to
last several centuries more, to be signed by
44 new Fellows every year. My signature
will always be there, ink blot and all. There
is a joke that “FRS” stands not only for
“Fellow of the Royal Society,” but also for
“Further Research Suspended,” because
some Fellows feel that they have now
reached the pinnacle of their careers, and
there is nowhere to go but down. But
Baldwin did too good a job with me, and I
intend to keep on learning.
Margaret Scott “Scottie” Robinson ’69 is Professor of
Molecular Cell Biology at the Cambridge Institute for
Medical Research at the University of Cambridge. In
April 2012 Scottie was elected a lifetime Fellow of the
Royal Society by a peer review process based on excellence
in science. Only 5 percent of Fellows of the Royal
Society are women. She is considered the leading expert
on adaptins, proteins that facilitate a process
that allows other proteins to be transported between
various organelles of the cell. Her research has made
significant contributions to the understanding of how
these processes affect health and to the identification
of potential targets for new therapies for diseases
such as HIV. Scottie’s research has been widely published
in peer-reviewed journals, and she is a frequent
speaker at major scientific and medical
conferences. Scottie is married to cell biologist
John Kilmartin, who is also a Fellow of the Royal
Society, and has a 16-year-old daughter,
Claire, who is an avid soccer player.
RNA INTERFERENCE
Knowing the sequence of the human genome doesn’t tell
us what each individual gene actually does. However,
RNA interference (RNAi), a naturally occurring process
first described in 1998, can now be used to silence individual
genes and give us information about the functions
of the proteins they encode (but in order to do this,
you first need to know the sequences of the genes). Our
lab recently completed a human genome-wide RNAi
screen on HeLa cells (a widely used type of cell that
came from a woman named Henrietta Lacks, who died
over 60 years ago). The screen involved silencing over
21,000 different genes in turn, in order to find new
genes that contribute to coated vesicle function.
Psst: Search “HeLa” on our blog for a post by
Dr. Dorfman on her AP Biology HeLa cells lab.
MASS SPECTROMETRY
Mass spectrometry measures the mass of individual
molecules with extraordinary accuracy. For studies on
proteins, the protein is first broken into fragments
with an enzyme. These fragments are then ionized
(i.e., given a positive electric charge) and further
fragmented, then the mass-to-charge ratio of each
fragment is determined. Because every single one of
our more than 21,000 proteins is different, this
information can be fed into a database and used to
determine protein identities, even from very complex
mixtures. Mass spectrometry is also extraordinarily
sensitive. For instance, from 20 micrograms
(0.0000007 ounces) of HeLa cell coated vesicles, we were
able to identify and quantify over a thousand proteins.
BIOINFORMATICS
There is now so much data about genes and proteins
that modern information technology is essential.
Numerous databases are available on the Internet,
which can be mined to analyze protein and DNA
sequences. These databases are used to identify
proteins detected by mass spectrometry. They can
also be used to predict the structures of new
proteins, and to search for evolutionary relationships
between genes, and therefore between organisms.
For instance, we now know that humans are
surprisingly closely related to fungi, and not all that
distant from amoebae, when compared with, say,
plants. (And all of us – humans, fungi, amoebae,
and plants alike – have coated vesicles!)
WINTER 2013 ECHOES
17

TECH
TIME
ENGAGE, EXPLORE,
LEARN AND CREATE:
THE LEARNING COMMONS
AND IPAD PROGRAM
By Linda Mullen,
technology coordinator
Balancing Tradition
With Technology
It’s no secret that dynamic
technological innovations have
fostered tremendous discoveries
in science, communications and
myriad other fields. Technology
can improve efficiency, provide a
competitive edge and help us
succeed. Today, its use inside the
classroom is a logical, necessary
part of a comprehensive education.
At Baldwin, students learn how to
use technology responsibly and
ethically. They work with faculty and
classmates to navigate and explore
many forms of technology. The
growing use of technology in the
classroom, from iPads to video
conferencing, in support of the
curriculum is helping students
adapt to an ever-changing world.
New tools are vehicles for
experimentation from an early
age and integrate seamlessly into
lessons. Imagine: simulating a
science experiment that would
have previously only been possible
in a controlled, multi-million dollar
lab, or fine-tuning motor skills in
Pre-Kindergarten by tracing letters
before taking to pen and paper.
Read on for a look inside
technology at Baldwin.
18
The Baldwin School philosophy is
grounded in an idea that “academic
excellence begins with the ability
to think logically, independently, and
imaginatively.” At Baldwin, this philosophy
means continually seeking innovative
approaches to learning that engage students.
In 2011, teachers and administrators
finalized plans to integrate technology into
the Lower School curriculum. This led to
the development of two initiatives that
have been implemented for the 2012-2013
academic year: an iPad program for students
in Pre-Kindergarten-Grade II and The
Learning Commons, a unique space of
learning and discovery for students in
Grades III-V.
Fifteen iPads are available in the Early
Childhood Center and 32 are reserved for
Grades I and II for one-to-one use. iPads are
easily integrated into existing curricula,
utilizing games and apps to support math,
writing and creative projects. For example,
in math class, Coin Critters helps students
iPad Program—Pre-Kindergarten-Grade II
• Provides a variety of experiences – tactile,
auditory, visual
• Enhances engagement and learning
• Integrated into curriculum
• Opportunities for anytime, anywhere learning
Learning Commons—Grades III-V
• Learning Commons is an extension of the library
• Students have a wide range of resources for
research, learning and creation
• Equipped with Smartboard, MacBook Air
laptops, document camera and whiteboard
identify coins and learn to count change.
iPads provide tactile, auditory and visual
experiences and their portability creates
opportunities for learning anytime,
anywhere.
The Learning Commons is a colorful,
comfortable environment that is an
extension of the Lower School library. The
flexible space and furnishings are designed
for small group activities or an entire class.
With the library at its core, students have
access to a wide range of resources and
equipment for research, learning and
creating. Thirty two MacBook Air laptops
reside in the Learning Commons and are
available for Lower School student use
anywhere on campus to support and
enhance their classwork. As a result of this
initiative, the role of the librarian is evolving
into one of a technology specialist, guiding
students through a variety of media choices
to help them find the information and
platform that best supports their projects
and imagination.
The Learning Commons is designed to accommodate
small group activities or an entire class.

Unveiled at the start of the
academic year, the Multimedia
Studio and Lab is an open,
dedicated space for students to
collaborate and work creatively. In
addition to a green screen and black and
white production backdrop area, the
space is outfitted with professional sound
treatment and lighting. Students enjoy
the hands-on approach and learning the
ins and outs of the audio-visual
equipment through experimentation.
Teachers have found that the space
generates more excitement and creativity
around completing assignments. “In
addition to having an online course
management supplement, the girls can
record some of their work as a Google doc
and share it with both me and the
students,” said Jennifer Cutler, Upper
School history teacher. “The students can
share documents, create presentations,
research, blog, watch videos and more –
it definitely facilitates collaboration and
real-time feedback.”
The Multimedia Studio and Lab is also
home to The Baldwin Television Club
(BTV Club). The club has both an Upper
and Middle School group, each with the
objective of producing a newscast. The
girls will determine the format of the
production: broadcast news,
eyewitness/journalistic news, a talk
show or editorial format.
The approach to developing a
MULTIMEDIA
STUDIO
AND LAB
David Pulli, Help Desk specialist
newscast is slightly different for each
group. Middle School students are
learning first about various technical
aspects of news production: the use of
audio, video and graphics. Next, they will
apply their newly learned skills to the
format they have selected for their
newscast. The Upper School girls are
working on format, style and technical
aspects simultaneously—developing a
complete news program all at once.
The girls take cues from female
newscasters they have identified as role
models, including Ann Curry, Diane
Sawyer and Robin Roberts. The
Multimedia Studio and Lab allows
students to build a competitive digital
portfolio, or just have fun.
Students learn presentation skills utilizing the latest
technologies, customized to the audience or topic.
“I’m so glad we can enjoy this
environment. It’s impressive and
useful. As BTV becomes bigger and
grows, it will become a very vital part
of the Baldwin community.
Aside from the multimedia space,
technology in science is continuing
to grow. We recently tracked our
ancestors’ pasts by using our
cheek cells.”
- Sara Tupchong ’13
The BTV Club gives students a hands-on opportunity to learn the technical aspects of producing a news program.
WINTER 2013 ECHOES
19

What you can do with
Computer Science skills:
• Bioinformatics
• Computer Animation
• Computer Scientist/
Professor
• Computer Systems Designer
• Data Analysis
• Game Design
• Graphic Design
• Robotics &
Artificial Intelligence
• Software Engineer
• Web Development
And much more!
The Middle School Robotics Club.
Vriti Khurana ’16 programmed a robot to draw.
The field of computer science
is rapidly growing with an
abundance of rewarding job
opportunities. Young women who thrive
on puzzles, meeting challenges, and
expressing themselves through creative
problem-solving can test drive how
rewarding a career in computer science
can be. Though the field is very strongly
math- and science-oriented, it also
demands a high amount of creativity.
In Middle School, students focus on
computational thinking skills by
building websites, programming in
Scratch (allowing for interactive stories,
animations and more), and creating
infographics. In Upper School, students
can take Computer Science classes in
which they learn to program robots,
create graphics and program video
games.
Both divisions offer an after-school
Robotics Club. Middle and Upper School
students in the Robotics Club meet every
week to work on building a robot. Their
hard work culminates with a local
competition through VEX, a robotics
design system. The competition gives the
girls a goal. In order to compete, there are
many criteria they need to meet because
judges look for well-rounded
presentations – not just the complexity
of the robot. The judging includes a
review of the girls’ engineering journals
and oral presentations during which
they talk about robotics, their design,
how it came about, and how it was
implemented. Both the Robotics Club
and the competition offer Baldwin
students a chance to use their
imagination, as well as their math and
science skills, to solve problems and
build a functioning robot.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
AND ROBOTICS
Laura Blankenship,
computer science coordinator
20
Grade VI students learn programming language Scratch to create their
own interactive stories, art, music and games.

FACULTYFOOTNOTES
Each year faculty and staff are invited to apply for grants that provide opportunities to explore new areas of
their discipline, or to recharge after a busy school year. The following grants were awarded in 2012.
THE AGNES AND
SOPHY DALLAS IRWIN FUND
JENNIFER LEE, MATH TEACHER
Established in 1916 by the Board of the
Agnes and Sophy Dallas Irwin Fund, and
awarded to teachers of women from
Baldwin, Agnes Irwin, Shipley and
Springside, this fund aims to enrich a
teacher’s life.
Baldwin recipient
Jennifer Lee
completed a sewing
class at Moore College
of Art and Design,
creating a vest and
skirt.
ANNE C. SHOEMAKER FUND
ANGELA BENSINGER, LOWER SCHOOL MUSIC
TEACHER; KAREN SALVITTI, DIRECTOR OF
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND PARENTS’
ASSOCIATION LIAISON
Established in 1980 by the Board of
Trustees, this fund includes two grants
to be used for personal enrichment or
refreshment of self and spirit.
Angela Bensinger
traveled to
Cooperstown, NY
with her family to
visit the Baseball Hall
of Fame. Her 12-yearold
son played in the
Tournament of Champions and was
inducted into the Youth Baseball Hall
of Fame.
Accompanied by her
husband and
daughters Stephanie
’09 and Tina ’11,
Karen Salvitti
ventured to Italy.
In addition to taking in the country’s
vast history and architecture, she was
able to trace family roots and visit
distant relatives.
FRIENDS OF RUTH FIESEL FUND
JANE FARELLA, MATH TEACHER
Established in 1986
to enrich a teacher’s
intellectual or cultural
life, the Friends of Ruth
Fiesel Fund was
awarded to Jane
Farella. She traveled
to New York City
with her family, spending time at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art and
seeing two musicals.
BALDWIN BENEFITS FUND
BECKY BEST, LOWER SCHOOL MANDARIN
TEACHER; DR. CARRIE CHRISTIANSEN,
CHEMISTRY TEACHER; DR. SUSAN DORFMAN,
SCIENCE TEACHER; DR. JOHN O’CONNOR,
MATH TEACHER; CYNTHIA SCHMALZRIED,
MATH DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Established in 1991 by the Parents’
Association, these awards are given
for curriculum development or
enhancements.
Becky Best enhanced
the new Lower School
Mandarin program with
curriculum materials,
décor and visual aids,
including opera masks,
a koi pond rug and a
companion for Winnie
in the form of a tunicdonning
panda bear.
Dr. Susan Dorfman and
Dr. Carrie Christiansen
developed the new
courses that will
replace the AP science
curriculum.
Dr. John O’Connor and
Cynthia Schmalzried
designed new Grade
XII math electives. Dr.
O’Connor’s The
Mathematics of Finance
exposes students to
financial planning
from first-job to postretirement.
Ms.
Schmalzried’s Logic and
Critical Reasoning covers
deductive and
inductive arguments,
geometric proofs and
more.
THE BLAIR D. STAMBAUGH AWARD FOR
STUDENT AND FACULTY ENRICHMENT
DR. DIANE SENIOR, ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
CHAIR; EMILY CLARK ’14
Established in 1999 in honor of
Blair D. Stambaugh’s 20th anniversary
at Baldwin, this award recognizes
cooperation, ingenuity and enrichment.
Dr. Diane Senior collaborated with
Emily Clark ’14 and her Roman Candle
co-head, Rachel Coler ‘14, to facilitate
in-house magazine production. The
girls studied graphic design at the
University of the Arts in Philadelphia,
learning the fundamentals of visual
design and graphic concepts,
typography and typeface.
WINTER 2013 ECHOES
21

CLOSINGTHOUGHTS
Throughout her 15 year tenure at Baldwin, Science Department Chair Christie Reed has been a driving force of student
empowerment and technological innovation when it comes to the classroom experience.
What do you enjoy most
about teaching?
The most invigorating part of
my day is when I’m in the
classroom. The students are
interested, engaged, passionate
and always eager to learn.
They’re curious and involved,
which has led to tremendously
insightful discussions.
Which department initiatives are
shaping positive learning
experience for Baldwin girls?
Because we meet regularly as a
Pre-K through Grade XII
department, we have an
incredibly cohesive curriculum
that builds year over year.
Additionally, Baldwin follows
the Physics First Program,
which means that in the
Upper School we teach physics
in Grade IX, chemistry in
Grade X, biology in Grade XI
and electives in Grade XII.
Only about 10 percent of
schools nationwide follow this
model, but it has been very
successful at Baldwin.
Science has traditionally been a
male-dominated field. Does this
enter classroom discussion?
The students don’t know that
science is male-dominated.
They are in an all-female
environment with very strong
role models. Our students
believe anything is possible.
They know what they want to
do and who they want to be.
We make sure to teach about
influential women in science.
For example, in my class we
discuss Rosalind Franklin, a
somewhat hidden scientist in
discovering the structure of
DNA. Watson and Crick
should not get all of the credit!
What do students
take away from your class?
They learn to take risks freely.
They are not quiet, they are
not shy. They shout out their
answers whether they are
wrong or right, and they are
confident doing so. They learn
to think critically, and they
know that their ideas are
valuable. Our girls leave the
sciences – and Baldwin –
poised to take on the world,
male-dominated or not.
Since you have been at Baldwin,
what would you consider to be the
department’s greatest triumph?
We secured a $100,000 E.E.
Ford Grant. Jeff Goldader and
Susan Dorfman wrote the
grant application, an initiative
that was led with strong vision
“Our students have made incredible
discoveries, even been published in
international journals. “
for the future of sciences at
Baldwin. The department was
given $50,000 and had to
generate a $50,000 match.
Parents and friends stepped
up, enabling us to establish
major technology
improvements and support
professional development.
We were the first department
to have smart boards in every
classroom. Some lessons
incorporate iPad apps,
allowing students to simulate
technological processes that
we don’t have the equipment
to do.
I am also proud of the large
number of Baldwin girls who
do independent summer
research at the University of
Pennsylvania, CHOP, Temple
University and elsewhere. I am
working to formalize a
summer research program to
connect students with parents
and alumnae who are working
in labs on exciting research
projects. Although our
students have been doing
summer science research for
years, 2012 marked the first
time they had an opportunity
to share their work with our
community. On Nov. 5, some
seniors gave lectures on their
research to students in Grades
VIII-XII and their parents. Our
students have made incredible
discoveries, even been
published in international
journals. Now we are helping
them make connections and
celebrate these amazing
achievements on a larger scale.
48

Because of Baldwin…
A Baldwin girl is not only intelligent and curious; she is adventurous, eager, assertive
and creative. Because of Baldwin, she has been given the encouragement and resources
to grow into a strong, independently thinking woman with a voice to be heard.
After nearly 125 years, Baldwin thrives today because of you. The Annual Fund
is the lifeblood of the school that allows us to ensure that the curriculum, faculty,
technology and extracurricular programs expand and improve each year. Your
support of the Annual Fund allows Baldwin to continue offering a transformative
education to our thinking girls.
Because of Baldwin, our students will become tomorrow’s leaders.
Because of you, they will have limitless opportunities to succeed.
Please make your gift to the 2012-2013 Annual Fund today
by returning the enclosed giving envelope or online at
www.baldwinschool.org/gift. You may also contact
Director of Annual Giving Kaitlin Devine at
kdevine@baldwinschool.org or 610-525-2700, ext. 275.
Thank you for your generosity!

701 Montgomery Avenue
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Nonprofit Organization
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Conshohocken, PA
ATTENTION:
ALL CLASSES
OF GOLD
If your class ended in
3 or 8, this is your year!
SAVE THE DATE for
Alumnae Weekend 2013.
More information is coming
your way. Watch your mail,
email and our website:
baldwinschool.org/reunion_weekend
ALUMNAE
REUNIONWEEKEND2013
MAY 3-4
50TH REUNION DINNER FOR THE
CLASS OF 1963 - THURSDAY, MAY 2