Fractals - Waring School

a publication of waring schoolvolume 5 no. 2 summer 2008F r a c t a l sSteve Bjork and the Waring math elective spent the last few weeks of the spring semester exploringfractals, particularly the Mandelbrot Set. The Mandelbrot Set is a set of complex numbers—thatis, numbers which may involve the square root of negative one. When these numbers are plotted aspoints on the complex plane, the boundary of the set forms a fractal. It has an infinitely detailedstructure, meaning that you can zoom in on any one point on the boundary and discover ever finerdetails, no matter how far in you go. Determining whether or not a particular number is in theMandelbrot Set is surprisingly simple: the group was able to program their graphing calculatorsto do it. Graphing the set is a little trickier; one needs to let the calculator “think” for a few hours.The pictures of the Mandelbrot Set shown [above] were generated by James Leahy using a freefractal-drawing program called GNU Xaos. The pictures show some of the amazing variety offorms and patterns that can be found within the boundary of the Mandelbrot Set.

From the EditorAh, summer. The birds are chirping,the lilacs have bloomed, and the Waring campushas become still, as both the studentsand faculty have recently gone on vacation.The news never vacates though, and as such,we are happy to present you with the Summerissue of Journal, in all its packed glory.From cover to cover we offer you an explosionof literal and visual energy. Steve Bjorkand the math elective present us with Fractals,which look much like coastlines; PeterSmick reproduces his much lauded 2008Commencement speech on Natural Authority,(naturally); and Alum Notecards spotlightsCaroline Baxter, who has been doingsome interesting work since her graduationfrom Waring in 2000.We are also privy to John Wigglesworth’sdream for the ultimate greeningof Waring; Neil Glickstein reports on thesenior class visit to the National Council forScience and the Environment (NCSE); andCharles Newman tells us why Waring’s writingprogram accounts for our long-standingdomination in the Beverly Library PoetryContest.If you are thirsty for more we have alsoincluded the three winning High Schoolpoems, as well as one of the Middle Schoolhonorable mention winners, written byCORE student, Dustin Ferzacca. End Termis highlighted in both photographs and writing,with three groups reporting from outabroad: the Junior Class America Trip, theQuébec End Term, and the Yeehaw! NorthCarolina End Term. Also featured are thisyear’s departing senior class, who leave uswith words of wisdom that permeate thesepages and, like those before them, show thatthe class of 2008 will leave a permanentmark on Waring and its surrounding community.Much like the graduating seniors, wehope this issue finds you similarly movedand perhaps catapulting (or meandering)toward the next stages of your lives. Wehope, as you are reading this, you are restfuland happy, perhaps sitting under a brightblue sky, appreciating the sounds of the city,the steady hum of the great unknown, or thecalling birds and the blooming lilacs.-SLNJournala publication of waring schoolEditorial Committee:Peter Laird SmickSieglinde Levery-NicholasMichèle MannPhotographs by Camille Vicenti orSieglinde Levery-Nicholas(unless otherwise noted)Send correspondence and addresschanges to:Editor, JournalWaring School35 Standley StreetBeverly, Massachusetts 01915communications@waringschool.orgwww.waringschool.org978.927.8793 x335 waring school journal summer 2008

From the Headmaster...On Natural AuthorityGenerally speaking, Americans are not allthat comfortable with the concept of authority.We are willing to tolerate it for some purposes.But, on the whole, we tend to think ofit as an idea whose time is past. And we certainlywant to banish it from such occasionsas graduations, where we prefer to strike anoptimistic tone around topics like freedom,belief in oneself, and a future bright withunlimited possibility. But, is there anotherway of thinking about authority, a way thatdefines authority as a source of growth andcreativity? And, is such authority a characteristicof Waring graduates?Seniors, just a few more minutes, that’sall the time we’vegot! Sounds a bitmelodramatic, I know. Butit’s true; that’s the situationwe’re in. As much as weare all holding you close toourselves at this moment,you are about to step awayfrom us in a way that youhave never done beforeand set off for destinationsnear and far, but foreverpast this point in space andtime. Those few steps thatyou will take to receive your diplomas willprofoundly redefine your relationship tothis community, to the teachers and friendswho have surrounded, supported, and sustainedyou for a significant chunk of youryoung lives. You are ready and eager for thischange, and—let’s be honest—you are not. Ifit’s any consolation, you should know thatwe are all—your teachers, your classmates,your parents—feeling pretty much the sameway. That is how it is with the big events inlife—we’re ready for them, and we’re not.That is how we recognize them for whatthey truly are.“We Americans, afterall, have always hadan uneasy relationshipwith the conceptof authority...”This being Waring, words have flowedwith abandon, a long libation of lively andlovely talk to bless you on your way. But evenat Waring words can reach their limit, and I,you’ll be relieved to know, am about to reachmine. Before all else, however, I was and ama teacher. I am going to assert my pride ofplace to make just one last point.During the last week, we have heardand seen again and again how wonderfullyequipped you are to leave Waring and to takeon all the new challenges that lie glisteningbefore you. You are taking with you extraordinarygifts of learning and skill. We haveutmost confidence in your ability to distinguishyourselves in the fine institutions ofhigher education to whichyou have been accepted,and beyond.But there is somethingmore that we recognizein you, that youwill be taking with you,and that I believe sets youapart from the vast majorityof high school graduateswho will be receivingtheir diplomas in ourcountry this month. It isyour authority.To some this may seem an odd thing tosay. We Americans, after all, have always hadan uneasy relationship with the concept ofauthority, originally, of course, as embodiedin hereditary monarchs. But even now wetend to view authority as something generallyto be avoided, a necessary evil at best,unless, of course, we have it for ourselves!As for high school graduates having authority,that really does seem a bit far-fetched.Any real authority that they might have issurely a long way off.(continued on page 4)Peter Laird Smick joined the faculty in 1978 and has served as Headmastersince 1990.Waring School Mission: To create and sustain a community of lifelonglearners who are working together for the individual and common good.peter laird smick

(headmaster, continued from page 3)But let’s not be so fast to place the ideaof authority out of sight and out of mind. Intheir provocative book, Authority: The MostMisunderstood Idea in America, EugeneKennedy and Sara Charles conclude thatone of the reasons that Americans so distrustauthority, a thing that is both neededand good in our society, is that they haveconfused it with authoritarianism, which isdefinitely bad. In properly rejecting authoritarianism,which is the use of power to controlpeople and events for personal or ideologicalgain, we have, in effect, thrown thebaby out with the bath water.Kennedy and Charles go on to defineinternal or ‘natural authority’ as the dynamic,generative, and nurturing force by whichindividuals ‘author’ growth in their relationshipswith others. The dynamic and creativeessence of this understanding of authority isreflected in the Latin word augere, ‘to create,to enlarge, to make able to grow,’ fromwhich we get such English words ‘authorize,’‘author,’ ‘augment,’ and, of course, ‘authority.’Understood this way, authority is muchmore like ‘writing a book’ than it is like ‘givingorders.’There is a place, of course, for whatKennedy and Charles would call external ordelegated authority. This kind of authoritymust always be accountable and present inamounts needed to do the job at hand, withnot a lot left over. But, it is natural authoritythat we are most concerned to foster here atthe Waring School. After all, what summarizesgood teaching better than the abilityto author intellectual, creative, and personalgrowth through relationship? And it is thiskind of authority that we seek also for ourstudents. For, remember, at Waring learningand teaching are part of the same continuumin which the one is always issuing from andleading to the other.So, graduates, you see that when I talkabout your authority, I mean it. I know thatwe have been successful with you becauseI have seen your natural authority comingthrough again and again in your relationshipsand endeavors throughout our community.Not always in the same ways, ofcourse, for natural authority comes fromwithin; it is personal by nature and thereforeis reflected differently through your differentpersonalities. But I know it when I see it. Itis there when you speak and write; it is therewhen you direct plays; it is there when youcompete on the playing field; it is there whenyou make music; it is there when you lead inyour tutorials; it is there in your communityservice, in your stewardship of our resources,and in your care of younger students and ofeach other. It is there in your teaching. It isthere when you play, and when you sing, andeven when you dance. Your natural authorityhas become your voice when we are togetheras the Waring School, and we have no betterdemonstration of this than the words thatyou have bestowed on us today.Earlier this week at the Senior Dinner,Tatiana’s dad, Paul Matthews, spoke abouthow, when Tatiana first came to the school,he hoped that Waring would rub off on herand how grateful he was that this had happened.What rubbed off on Tatiana and onall the rest of you was natural authority. It’snow our turn to acknowledge that you havebeen rubbing off on us, to thank you for this,and to encourage you to develop your naturalauthority to its fullest and to rub it off ona world that desperately needs it.PLSCommencementMay 2008Upcoming Calendar Items8/25: 6/7th Grade Potluck8/26: 9th Grade Potluck8/28: Orientation9/1: Labor Day9/2-5: Camping Trip9/27: Convocation &Fête10/17: Grandparents &Special Friends Day10/21: Open School11/7-8: Fall Theater12/19: Winter Concert waring school journal summer 2008

Toward a Greener Waring: A VisionJohn C. Wigglesworthbeverly, maSeptember, 2018: I just returnedfrom my much needed summer breakto begin my 20th year of teaching atWaring. As I negotiate the driveway to theparking lot I can not help but reflect on howmuch has changed at the school since I beganback in 1998. In particular, I am pleasedwith what has gone on since we formalizedour school-wide Stewardship and SustainabilityProgram (SSP) 10 years ago. NoahKellerman ‘07, humanities and environmentalscience teacher, and director of SSP, hasbeen doing a wonderful job since filling thatrole. I was very pleased with the speech hegave last spring while accepting, on behalf ofWaring, the prestigious Green School Awardfrom the National Association of IndependentSchools.As I walk to my office, I am proud of thepersistent efforts we have made to reduce ouroverall carbon footprint since we first analyzedthe print in my 2008 Group 1 scienceclass. So many years were spent just tryingto get students to pick up their own trash,recycle properly, and turn off the lights whenleaving a room. Now, thanks to the thrivingStewardship and Sustainability Elective,the Hands-to-Work Program is not only amajor focus of the school, but also a “habitof mind” deeply embedded into the cultureof the student body and fully integrated intoall aspects of our academic program. I ampleased that this culture has finally spreadto all levels of the organization and inspiredthe initiative to systematically improve theenergy efficiency of our buildings and takeadvantage of the many renewable sources ofenergy that are now readily available, suchas wind and solar power. A significant portionof our energy demands are now met bythe solar arrays that are installed on the gymand theater and by the wind turbine constructedon the hill behind the Forum. Thatthese changes and improvements were fundedentirely by donors inspired by a combinationof Waring’s academic excellence and commitmentto stewardship and sustainability isa compelling example of why the school is anationally recognized leader in the country’sGreen School Initiative and is attractingrecord numbers of admission applicationsfrom all over the country.Toward a Greener Waring is a simplevision of what could be. It is not the onlyvision of this kind; nonetheless, it is a vision.Schools much larger than us are moving rapidlyin this direction and I remain convincedthat the nature of our small communityshould enable us to identify common, significantand achievable goals around stewardshipand sustainability: the low-hangingfruit as well as that which is at the top of thetree. But we need a vision. Just like a ship atsea, we need a destination in order to knowwhat course to steer.From 1972 to 1997, John has had a variety of roles—captain, teacher, administrator—andwas engaged in several organizations operating sailing schoolvessels, conducting oceanographic research and giving students the opportunityto live, work and study at sea. He joined the Waring Math and Science Departmentin 1998 and has been serving as chair of the department since 2005. Johnwill be going on sabbatical for the upcoming year.john wigglesworth

e n d t e r mf r o m t h e f i e l dYeehaw! North CarolinaWhen I get home, finally gethome, I want to rememberthis. I want to keep thecool mornings and the hot afternoonsthat made my shirt stick to my back. Iwant to keep the flashing lights floatingagainst the soft shape of the treesand the waking up to the high-pitchedcall for Blue Boy. I want to keep thewhispers, the giggles, and the snores.I want to keep the feeling of watchingmy photo paper fade into images. I wantto keep the flowers sprinkled on me inTrashville and the sensation of dippingmy hands into dirty, soapy water, Caitlinscrubbing next to me. I want to keepthe fat raindrops that quickly drenchedthe deck and Peter’s forearms turningthe fiery color of his hair. I want to lookback and keep everything.-Megan Clasby’ 13A few members of the Yeehaw! End Termsketching on top of Roan Mountain.We stand in a line and holdhands. Not like the way youdo when you’re in kindergarten.We are not doing this becauseour teachers think we will run away,or get lost in the hallways of a schoolbuilding. We are holding hands becausewe are walking toward the unknown. Ilareaches out until our palms touch, andthen she wraps her fingers and tugs.Teddy quickly realizes that I am movingand grabs hold. As we reach the beginningof the forest, Ila holds tighter. I’mafraid of having my back to the woods.I’ve seen enough scary movies to knowwhat lurks in the dark. It’s a comfort tohave someone squeeze my hand, sendinga pulse through my fingers.-Tory Leach ’08The Québec End Term poses near the Kabir Koubawaterfall on the Huron-Wendat Reserve.Québec 1608-2008The Québec End Term set offnorthward to learn more aboutthe ramifications of Québec’s400th anniversary for the native populationof 1608 and later. Having lookedat the clash between Europeans andnatives in our own area, we then visitedOdanak, an Abenaki reserve midwaybetween Montreal and Québec, andtheir museum and chapel. In Québecitself, we looked at the evangelization ofthe natives by the Jesuits and Ursulines,and at the Museum of the Ursuline Sisters,who ran a school for settler andnative girls. We also went to the Muséede la Civilisation to learn about Québec’shistory and about First Nationcommunities then and now. Finally, wewent to a Huron reserve just outsideQuébec. In between, we explored thecity, we cooked dinner at the hostel,we picnicked and ate at restaurants, wetook a ferry across the St. Lawrence,we watched street performers, and wefantasized about awful tortures for thenoisy co-tenants of our hostel.-Alison Fraser ’06 waring school journal summer 2008

l to r: Dan Kessler, Shea Alterio, Brendan DeWolf,Megan Clasby, and Marcella Felde as Lincoln looks on.J u n i o ra m e r i c a n t r i pFaulkner once said, “and the veryold men—some in their brushedConfederate uniforms—on theporch and the lawn, talking of MissEmily as if she had been a contemporaryof theirs, believingthat they haddanced with her andcourted her perhaps,confusing time withits mathematical progression,as the old do,to whom all the pastis not a diminishingroad but, instead, ahuge meadow whichno winter ever quitetouches, divided fromthem now by the narrow bottle-neck ofthe most recent decade of years.”An elderly native Selma manmade that quote come quite alive tome today. He had a stack of confederatebills in his hand, insisting that weeach have a sample ten, one hundred,and a one dollar. There was a communalpause among our group of 20 as werealized we weren’t in Kansas anymore.In that humble downtown Selma restaurantFaulkner’s quote finally madesense. I looked the Southerner up anddown, his white hair, his worn denim,and his cowboy belt. He was sincere inhis gesture, the bills were a token of hiseagerness to teach us about the South.After all, the confederacy is still a part ofhis life; it isn’t history.-Erica Salazar-Greenstein ’09Charles Newman leads an outdoor discussion.Today we visited the Houseof Representatives offices inWashington D.C. Our objectivewas to visit our representatives andask them about a variety of issues, rangingfrom the composition of their constituents,the projects and bills they’recurrently fighting for, and most importantly,where we can get a great burgerin Topeka. Unfortunately, our test ofcongressional transparency wasn’t quiteas dramatic as we’d hoped: nearly everyrepresentative was absent for the weekto do work in their home districts.Ultimately, it was not the activityitself, but rather what it represented thatstuck with me that day. Our country isfounded on the basis of ordinary peoplecreating extraordinary change. Theright to “petition one’s government” forredress at any time is a manifestationof this founding principle, and was thereason that we were not hastily escortedfrom the premisesupon bursting intoRon Paul’s officewithout a knock. AsCharles has oftenreminded us, Americanslive in a stabledemocracy, one inwhich elections donot lead to war, onein which transitionsof power are peacefuland expected,and one in which the rise of one partyor another does not mean the political,economical, and physical eliminationof that party’s opponents. It is a rarething in this world that the open doorsof one’s representatives are mandated ina country’s founding documents; let usnot make it a rare thing to walk throughthem.-James Pouliot ’09The Vietnam War Memorial.end term from the field

e n d t e r mf r o m H O M EF o o d !The Food End Term volunteered at soupkitchens and got down and dirty in the fieldsat the Food Project and other local farms.The group, led by Stéphanie Williams andSteve Bjork, explored many of the economicand social issues regarding food and fooddistribution in America. Among the questionsthey considered: How is food produced?How do you make food available topeople who don’t have the money to buy it?To answer these questions and more, Foodspent time prepping meals in soup kitchensin Lynn and Boston and prepped food oftheir own, learning to make simple cheeses,yogurt, and bread.L e t ’ s Ta k e a Wa l kBiting off as much as they could chew, theTake a Walk End Term, led by Allegra Smick,Christiane Jedryka-Taylor, and Matt Taylor,created walking tours for Waring, HarvardSquare and Copley Square. They chose andresearched various routes, learned about thesites they visited along the way and developedcreative and interactive scripts for eachtour. Using both archived and new photos,as well as exciting and detailed descriptions,the group created a slideshow which canbe viewed and downloaded to your ipod oranother mp3 device. Take a walking tour ofWaring at:www.waringschool.org/visitors/walking tourA c t i v e C u l t u r e sTony Boisvert and Robine Vaneck askedtheir End Term to consider some of the followingterms and phrases: high culture, popculture, active culture, horticulture, cult-following,agriculture, consumer culture, andmore. The group examined these and manyother aspects of culture and cultivation bymaking homemade cheese and yogurt, visitingthe Peabody Essex Museum to learnabout Maori culture, re-imagining the Mug-Up shack, planting a vegetable garden behindthe back field, and replacing bricks and pathwaysin long-forgotten spaces in back of theHouse.Ione Barrows ’11, Liza Calkins’ 10, & Anita Richardson’12 stand behind Waring’s new vegetable garden.M a r i t i m e S a l e mIn an effort to learn more about Salem’srole in the maritime history of the U.S.,John Wigglesworth, Mike Kersker, and SilasStreeter ’08 led their End Term in an explorationof the rich and varied roles of thepeople, places, and traditions of the town.Through discussions, readings, sketching,walking tours, volunteer work, day sails, andan overnight stay on the SV Friendship, theMaritimers learned and experienced the historyand traditions of this seafaring town.Maritime Salem photo courtesy of J. Wigglesworth waring school journal summer 2008

Parker Bruce and Charlotte Greenbaum, rehearsingTwelfth Night on the Quad.S h a k e s p e a re & C o .The Shakespeare End Term’s engaging performanceof Twelfth Night left the Waringaudience in stitches and in awe. Very fineperformances by Charlotte Greenbaum, asthe troubador clown, Parker Bruce as Malvoliothe silly steward, and Martha Snow asthe dreamy-eyed Olivia carried a strong castthrough the twists and turns of unrequitedlove and comedy. In addition to their perfomance,the End Term group also cast theroles together (with the aid of group leadersJosh Webb and Tim Averill), wrote interludescenes for the work, played baseball with thePlay Ball! End Term, and participated in atheater workshop with Joseph Stiliano.P u b l i c A c c e s sWith help from Holly Little and Rich Stomberg,the Public Access End Term spentthree weeks at the Beverly Public Accessstation. The group learned how to operatecameras and editing equipment, work withsound mics, and prepare to be on-stage talent.Their final presentation, a short segmenton the American middle class, (written, produced,and executed by the students), utilizedtheir newfound skills.A r t i s t B o o k sWaring alumna, Johanna Smick, and writingteacher, Miriam Lawrence, focused theirEnd Term on literacy and visual literacyand how the two concepts affect a reader’sTess Matthews ’11 book display.connection to, and experience of, a book.The books include 1st, 2nd, and 3rd foliodecorative bindings, and each student createda large journal that was filled with writingand drawing assignments and exercises.At the end, everyone had made one artistbook filled with their own writing and art,and each book was printed and bound (seebottom left). Throughout the three-weekterm, the group offered each other feedbackon their writing and art, and attempted toredefine how each person saw and read theirown books.P l a y B a l l !“Baseball is the sweaty hats protectingyour face from the sun. Baseball is theindividual and team struggle, it is thechemistry and relationships that are notalways there, but sometimes are. Baseballis late summer nights, throwing a tennisball off a wall to yourself. Baseball is theicy gatorade you drink when your mouthis so dry it’s slimy.-Celia Balf“What is more American than gettinga four-seamer in your eye and putting acold steak to it?”-Jack Stanton“If there’s a baseball game on the TV, Iknow that home can’t be far away.”-Devin Hunt“With the exception of Robert Redford,there are no naturals in baseball.”-Adam Levineend term from home

p o e t r ya w a r d w i n n e r sHigh SummerThe ice in the glasses meltedbefore we even left the kitchen.That’s how hot it was,but we took them with us anyway.My father called us the wild thingsfreckled as we wereto the point of solid color,our salty, unwashed hairintertwined with chicory.Now, if you were to tucka periwinkle blossombehind my ear,I’d swat your hand away,citing allergies.That day, we searched for a fresh breezeor a cool shadow,and found it beneath the blooming privet hedge.Honeybees buzzed ceaselessly.The dirt was dry and we spread quilts—tired, threadbare ones from the library—upon the ground.We lay like the dead,too hot to breathe.And you said;Yes you, my wise older sister,before you lost faith in the classics,that we were like the lotus eaters,in a coma of blissful intoxication.There is no smell in the world likeprivet at high summer.1st Place, Charolotte Greenbuam, Group 3The GuitarLast month I changed your strings:Extracted every brittle, metal fiberUntil your neck was brown and empty,Took soft cloth to each fret and fingerboardEven into your great sounding bellyWhere it snagged on your cheap insides.I confess:It’s been five years and I don’t know you,The names for parts that twist like insects,The varnish of your body, the teardrop of your pick guard,The round of your neck in my palm, your seams.But I rebind you taut till my fingers blush,Wind your strings into snakehead coils,And so your first strum sounds—A naked cry.2nd place, Tatiana Matthews, Group 5* * *On the Ashoken FarewellWhen I put down my rifleit falls heavier than when I heft it.I run across the scorched alley,flying faster than my bullets.Breath bubbles from lips,drowning my crackling radio.And when he sees me coming,he knows he will die.I put my gloves under his head,wipe the blood from his beard,pour water into his mouth,but I do not know him.He starts to speak, and looks past my helmet,my camouflage and my pistol.Tells me about his wife, and his family.His town, his God.I keep saying Ana Aasif, Ana Aasif,I’m sorry, I’m sorry,but he has closed his eyes.3rd Place, Eli Barrows, Group 4Charlotte Greenbaum ’10waring presents11

***At Waring we are not onlyasked to tell our stories, we are encouragedto tell our stories. We are encourcl a s s o f 2 0 0 8From left to right: Caite O’Brien, Sharna Brzycki, Lucas Diehl, Rachel Kalman, Ian Helmar,Gabby Marangell, Kennan Masters, Emily Kopp, Karl Roth, Tory Leach, Laurel Ganem, ErikSnow, Monty Sherwood, Nick Geron, Hilary Sherratt, Jessica Colby, Sam Allen, Silas Streeter,Archie Zietman, Joyce VanderMolen, Toni Wynn, Tatiana MatthewsQuand je cherche le mot pour “butterfly,” lepremier mot qui me vient à l’esprit est “papillon.”Quand je compte les pas de danse, jecompte en français. Quand je dois sortir, jedis, “On y va!” La langue française a infiltrétoute ma vie—et je la parle parce qu’il y a desmoments où le français exprime mes sentimentsplus justement que l’anglais. Le Françaisn’est pas uniquement une autre façon deparler difficile et compliquée. Le Françaisnous fait entrer dansun monde plus grandque le nôtre. Le Français,avec ses jolis sonset ses phrases élégantes,nous invite à communiqueravec unautre monde—et ici àWaring, la communicationest vitale.In translation...When I am trying tofind the word for butterfly,the first wordthat I think of is theFrench“papillon.”When I count dancesteps, I count them inFrench. When I haveto go out, I say, “On yva!” French has infiltratedevery part ofmy life, and I speakFrench because thereare moments when French describes myfeelings better than English could. FrenchPhoto by Tom Underwood, Underwood PhotoS e n i o r s S p e a kisn’t just another way of speaking that’s difficultand complicated. Speaking Frenchbrings us into a world that’s bigger than ourown. French, with its beautiful sounds andelegant sentences, invites us to communicatewith this other world—and here at Waring,communication is vital.-Hilary Sherratt***I realized that these speeches aren’t supposedto be a summary(how veryWaring). They are acompilation of whoyou are, of what Waringhas made you, ofa creativity that wasalways inside you, butthat Waring perhapspushed you to bringout in yourself. So Ithought about what Iloved the most at thisschool, what reallymade me get up everymorning and bravethe gaping potholesof Route 128.I love the people atthis school.-Laurel GanemPhoto by Tom Underwood, Underwood Photo12 waring school journal summer 2008

Photo by Allegra SmickPhoto by Tom Underwood, Underwood PhotoSam Allen University of AberdeenSharna Bryzcki The New SchoolJessica ColbyClark UniversityLucas Diehl University of Illinois-UrbanaLaurel Ganem University of VermontNick GeronBoston UniversityIan HelmarRPIRachel KalmanSwarthmoreEmily KoppEmersonTory LeachWash. College, MDGabby MarangellBryn Mawraged to share, connect, engage. And that istruly a gift.-Rachel Kalman***I’ve been looking forward to this day eversince I first saw graduation when I was in7th grade. But now that I’m here on thestage, I don’t think I’m ready to leave, andI think I’ve figured out a way to stay here.(Get phonebook from Peter and slam it onlectern). Does everyone know what a filibusteris?...-Silas Streeter***I hope that now, as I stand before you for thelast time, students, and maybe even faculty, ofthis community can look up to me as someonewho allowed this school to change herfor the better. So, Waring students—openyour minds and let it do the same for you.-Toni Wynn***It’s not the eight to five school day, the twoperiod Physics labs, or the Grand Concoursthat I’ll necessarily take away when Iam handed my diploma today. It is the lastperiodmath classes when John [W. ]looks atme and says, “Sharna, you off riding in theprairies again?” It is walking on the beachesof Normandy with my class. It is sleeping onthe quad through a downpour, or under thestars on your last camping trip.-Sharna Brzyckiwherearetheygoing?Kennan Masters George Wash. UniversityTatiana Matthews University of VirginiaCaite O’Brien University of S. CaliforniaKarl RothSt. Michael’sHilary SherrattGordonMonty SherwoodKenyonErik SnowVassarSilas Streeter St. Lawrence UniversityJoyce VanderMolen University of Mass.Toni WynnUniversity of MiamiArchie ZietmanHampshirePhoto by Tom Underwood, Underwood PhotoPhoto by Tom Underwood, Underwood Photoclass of 200813

allschoolmeetingTom Kelly ’14 and guest Anita Greenberg.Grandparent’s DayIn October, Waring hosted our 12th annualGrandparents and Special Friends Dayevent. Activities with visitors includedmorning coffee, hosted by Group 1 parents,classroom visits, a seminar discussionon this year’s reading (Through theTunnel by Nobel Prize winner DorisLessing), and a lovely luncheon hosted bythe CORE parents.B o r d e a u xGroup 2 and chaperones in Bordeaux, Francethis past spring. (Photo courtesy of A. Smick).C’est vraiment incroyable, how a showercan make a savage wholly civilized, a coldman warm, and an exhausted traveller,—dishevelled by hours in a foul-smellingand entirely public place—wholly humanagain. I am that traveller, damp hair fallingaround my face, simply feeling fresh.My French counterpart, the sharply angledand soft smiling Apolline, is pouring herselfover various notes, pages of them, whileher father Pascal endeavors to start a fire.He is using bellows, of which I have notseen a working pair in years. The fireplaceis small and black, its glass front stainedfrom heat and flame. Apolline’s motherfinishes a portrait of her brother, detailedin shading if not exact in form. She placesit delicately into a frame, beaming withpride, even as Apolline suggests that “Cen’est pas exactement lui de tout.”-Kate CarlsonEli Barrows, Dan Kessler, & Brendan DeWolf,’09, help visitors find parking at the auction.J u n i o r A u c t i o nThis year’s Junior class held an auction tohelp raise funds for their trip across Americathis summer. The auction was successfuland its theme, Westward Ho!, made fora fantastic evening of casino games, Contradancing, and food from varying regions.With the help of both the live and the onlinesilent auction, the junior class has embarkedon a tour that is sure to be memorable.S c i e n c e F a i rThis past March, Waring School held itsannual Science Fair, featuring sophomorestudent projects such as how temperatureaffects hydrogen fuel cells, whether gumkills bacteria in the mouth as well as badbreath, how to measure the sound intensityand density of drumheads, and how onefinds environmentally sound interventionsafter an oil spill. Some highlights includedMichelle Ammerman, who tested the effectof alcohol on flower bulbs, Walker Staples,who hypothesized that there is a higher cutoffpoint for the amount of light needed togrow plants in artificial light, and ChristineBinzel, who calculated the melting point ofice cream. An evaluation team assessed allprojects and each student shared his or herfindings with the visiting members of thecommunity.Nate DiMauro at the 2008 Science Fair.14 waring school journal summer 2008

Emma Behnke ’10 meditates in one of the wintertheater production of four short absurdist plays.Waring TheaterThis year, Waring Theater once again puton an astonishing number of plays andperformances. Holly Little directed the fallshowing of four absurdist plays, includingThe Actor’s Nightmare. She also directedthe winter play, The Masque of Beauty andthe Beast, which incorporated work by thisyear’s visiting artist, Michael Stasiuk, (whoworked with students to make masks to animatethe production); and the Spring play,The Kitchen. Also on the calendar were thestudent directed play, The Real InspectorHound, the CORE production of Peter Pan,and the Group 1 production, Our Town.Gus Egan ’12 carries Thomas Rodde ’12 overthe finish line at the 2008 Run, Walk, Crawl.Run Walk CrawlWaring ended the school year with its usualflourish. After a rousing Aprés Midi in theTheater, which included many seniors intheir final Waring performances, the entireschool body participated in the annual Run/Walk/Crawl. The two-and-a-half-mile racemarks the last all-school event before Baccalaureateand Commencement, and ends withstudents and faculty signing year books onthe Quad.Rebecca Patey ’11, Molly Colehower ’11, &Anita Richardson ’11, contemplate the moonlightin Our Town.Caroline Glaenzer ’10 flies in the 2008 Run,Walk, Crawl.08CommencementWaring DVD’sDuring the school year, DVD’s ofthe shows (including the Spring andWinter Concert) are recorded andcan be ordered through the WaringParents Group.Waring bagpipers lead the 2008 Commencementprocesional. (Photo by Tom Underwood).On Friday, May 23, Waring held its 28thannual graduation ceremony. In a large tenton the Quad, the community enjoyed musicalperformances, readings, and speechesfrom Headmaster Peter Smick, Chairman ofthe Board Andy Calkins, and, of course, thegraduates themselves.all school meeting & waring theater15

Waring Students Visit NCSEby Neil Glicksteinbeverly, maThis past January marked thesixth consecutive year thatWaring seniors have traveledto Washington D.C. to attend the annualconference of the National Council for Scienceand the Environment (NCSE). Thisyear, the group was fortunate enough to beable to hear informed professionals speakon their areas of climate expertise in lectureand plenary round table formats. Studentsalso selected breakout sessions, which theyprepared for before leaving Beverly, withtitles like: Carbon Sequestration, Fertilizingthe Ocean; Green Building; The Future ofTransportation; Forests and Markets; Wildlifeand Populations; and Disease Dynamics.After three hours of small-group discussion,each break-out session developed a short listof recommendations to be included in thefinal report, intended for the desks of Congressand the cabinet. Senior Rachel Kalman’08 made the cut and her recommendationwill be included in the final draft.Billed as an “important public forum atthe intersection of scientific findings and thedevelopment of public policy,” our studentsonce again found themselves surrounded byequal numbers of working researchers andgovernment and NGO officials. Rich Stomberg,rounding out his second year teachingscience at Waring, accompanied me andtwenty seniors to the conference this year.Each year the Group 5 Ecology classincorporates the theme of the conference intoas many of its activities as possible. Investigatingthis year’s theme, Climate Change,the class found that we needed to activelylimit how much Waring drew from popularsources due to the wealth being published.Though the potential for climate disruptionto have a major impact on our future isof serious concern, the class discovered thatit was comforting to encounter the 1,200conference attendees, most of whom wereactively engaged in mitigating the effects ofwhat poses to be the most significant changein the human environment since the end ofthe last ice age.As the conference wound down the studentsheard presentations from representativesof the three front-running Democraticcandidates and from Dennis Kucinich oneach of their candidate’s respective environmentalplanks. And, in an election year, itwas especially important to know what thecandidates thought of the preponderance ofenvironmental evidence collected so far.The person responsible for organizingthe conference, Dr. David Blockstein, introducedhimself and said that not only had hebeen looking forward to our arrival, but theWaring School now had a separate line itemin the conference reservation software. Hisgenuinely enthusiastic welcome includedan invitation to each student to have lunchat special mentoring tables on Friday. Dr.Blockstein continued to ask what NCSEcould do to further the education of Waringseniors. He suggested that since there weremany professors in attendance, representinga wide spectrum of colleges and universities,we might be interested in connectingour seniors with professors from colleges ontheir application list. Dr. Blockstein offeredto write a letter for any student to include inan application for school or internship, certifyingthat they had attended the annual conference.He asked that the group construct aparagraph on how Waring incorporates theconference into their Ecology curriculumfor the NCSE website.Soon after, Rich and I were informedthat NCSE was in the process of developinga clearinghouse for information on environmentalinternships for college students, andwe were encouraged to remind our alumsthat they were especially invited to takeadvantage of this service.Neil Glickstein has been teaching at Waring for eighteen years. Heteaches chemistry, math, and environmental science. He recently helpedlead an adventure to North Carolina with the Yeehaw! End Term.16 waring school journal summer 2008

alumnotecardsL i f e a f t e rW a r i n g :CarolineBaxterAfter graduating from the Universityof St. Andrews in 2004 with a degreein international relations, Waring alumCaroline Baxter ’00, worked forthree years in Washington, D.C. at theNational Democratic Institute (NDI),which monitors elections and promotesdemocracy and political participationin the developing world. The thoroughcommand of French she learnedfrom the French department at Waringhelped her land the job and enabled herto travel extensively in North Africa andthe Middle East. For three years Carolineorganized workshops on politicalparticipation for women in Algeria andMorocco. She also helped monitor thefirst presidential elections in Palestineafter Yasir Arafat’s death; she spentElection Day in Jericho, where shehad tea with an armed delegation fromHamas. In the spring of 2007, as partof Caroline’s work at NDI, she movedto Mauritania to co-organize and managean international election monitoringeffort for the country’s first presidentialelection (after the August 2006 coup).She was in charge of selecting and invitingthe delegates, one of whom was theArchbishop of Congo, Bishop AbrahamDjamba. Caroline and Bishop Djambadeployed on March 24 to Boghe, ElectionDay was March 25 (her birthday),and they returned to the capital a fewdays later. Caroline is spending thissummer as an associate at The ScowcroftGroup, an international businessconsulting firm headed by Brent Scowcroft,and will return to New York Cityin August to finish her graduate studyin international security policy at theSchool for International and PublicAffairs at Columbia. In her off time,Caroline kayaks, plays tennis, sings in achoir, hangs out in art museums, travels,and enjoys reading heavy (yet interesting)books about U.S. foreign policy.Mike Zarren ’94 is living in Boston, and theCeltics statistician has been enjoying quitethe ride with this year’s NBA playoff champions...AnnaCabot ’99 is back in the U.S.after spending a year living in India on a FulbrightScholarship. During the school yearAnna is studying law at American University.She is spending the summer working inAsylum Litigation at a law firm in WashingtonD.C., (Maggio and Kattar, a firm specializingin complex and routine immigrationlaw)...Alice Woodman-Russell ’04 graduatedthis past May from Wesleyan Universitywith a double major in French Studiesand Psychology. She was elected to Phi BetaKappa and won the Mann Prize for excellencein Romance languages. Barack Obamaspoke to the graduates...Micah Myers ’97recently finished his Ph.D. in Classics atStanford. He will soon be moving to Indianato take up a position in the DepartmentB. Richardson sailsof Classical Studies at Indiana University,Bloomington...This year Ben Richardson’93 passed his 3rd CFA exam, got married(with Tim Dahl ’93 in attendance), and finished8th at the Olympic Sailing Trials. Benis now a partner at an investment firm, TheBoston Family Office...(continued on page 18)neil glickstein and alum notecards17

...This past May, Katie Hunt ’02 graduatedfrom the University of Houston with a Mastersin music and was awarded top honors.She was recently appointed Associate Directorof Music at the Archdiocese of BaltimoreCathedral Mary Our Queen where she willplay all service music for mass, accompanythe adult choirs, direct the youth and boyschoirs, direct the contemporary ensemble,and manage the Cathedral Concert Series.As of July 1, 2008, Katie will be living inBaltimore...When this year’s Waring seniorsleft the NSCE in Washington, they had afarewell dinner and were joined by threealums in the area: Morgan Elbot ’07, whois studying at American University, (and isthinking about majoring in environmentalstudies), Kasey Kimball ’04, who is premedat Johns Hopkins, and Zach Glickstein’03, who graduated from RPI and hasbegun his career as an electrical engineerat NPR Corp. in Alexandria, VA...Shannon(Rogers) Gamble ’85 graduated fromAntioch University in New England in May2007 with a masters degree in CounselingPsychology. She is currently working atMSPCC, (Mass. Society for the Preventionof Cruelty to Children) in Greenfield, MA asa therapist for children and adults. She livesin Leverett with her partner Mark and twodaughters, Sierra, 14, and Maya, 13. In earlyThe very musical Katie Hunt.June, Shannon and her family drove downto visit Hanne Weedon ’85 who, along withhusband Chris Miller, welcomed new babyAnika Weedon-Miller on December 26,2007. Hanne and her family live in Lansdowne,PA. As president of her neighborhoodassociation, Hanne enjoys being involved inmaking grassroots changes happen on theneighborhood level...Oliver Lutz ’91 hasan exhibition this summer, called PAINTIT BLACK, at ArtSpace in San Antonio,Texas. If you are in the the Lone Star State,you should consider swinging by. The showruns until August 17th. For more information,please visit http://www.oliverlutz.com...Nathan Bramhall ’96 is currently livingin Burlington, VT with his wife, Heidi,and two step-sons, Hank, 13, and Jesse, 7.Nathan is a manager at Music Contact Internationaland organizes and leads music andMilan KambampatiSierra & Maya GambleOlin, Felicity, & John DayHillary Hewitt Dayart tours around the world. Email him at:nbramhall@gmail.com...Jesse Stowell ’04,graduated from Franklin & Marshall Collegethis past May and will be staying inLancaster, PA for the next year as volunteerstaff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowshipat Millersville University. Last summer, Jessewas in Cairo, Egypt, working and living withSudanese refugees, and is currently trying tofigure out how to help support friends whoare building schools and running teachingworkshops in South Sudan. Others interestedin getting involved with these projectsshould contact jstowell@fandm.edu...BritaZitin ’99 is currently living in Portland, MEand is still working at the Maine HumanitiesCouncil, now developing their newpodcast, “Humanities on Demand.” Hearit for yourself at : http://mainehumanities.org/podcasts...Sam Hoffman ’04 graduatedfrom Hampshire college this past May...Gregor Hoffman ’07 thinks that, “After allthat time spent in humanities class philosophizingabout the good life,” he’s finallyfound it. Gregor has been traveling withfamily and both old and new friends andis interning with an innovative health foodcompany...Katy Gall ’97 and her husband,Vikram Kambampati, welcomed son MilanJames Kambampati on October 22, 2007...Valerie Ushakoff Rubino ’83 and her husband,William, adopted a baby, Dylan HarringtonAxton Rubino. Born April 2, 2008and placed in their arms April 4, 2008...Jessie (Trieff ) Reardon ’01 was marriedtwo years ago. She and her husband, Sean,welcomed their first baby, daughter SadieRose, on December 27, 2007. They are livingin Newburyport and Jessie is currently18 waring school journal summer 2008

pursuing her Masters in Education, specializingin Applied Behavior Analysis, andworking with children with autism...AngelaJernigan ’91, and Sadie Jernigan Valeri’89 both live in the San Francisco Bay area.Angela and her husband, Kevin Farrell, havea 1-year-old baby, Leah, born May 25, 2007and own a house in Berkeley. Sadie returnedto traditional painting and drawing full timea couple of years ago, and her husband,Nowell, is a visual effects artist for movies.Sadie’s personal blog can be read at: sadievaleri.blogspot.com.For a look at the Jernigan/Farrellfamily blog, check out at www.leahjerniganfarrell.com...John Day ’93 isstill working as an architect and is the designdirector of a 40-person residential firm calledHutker Architects. John will be heading upa new Boston office for the growing firm inthe Fall. He lives in Dover where he and hiswife, Felicity, now have two children, sonOlin, 3, and new daughter, Hillary HewittDay...Heidi (Kriteman) Janock ’88 livesin Marblehead with her husband and threeboys: Izaak, 9, Cameron, 5, and Jayden, 21months. She teaches 2nd grade in Marblehead...PamMaslen ’95 recently welcomedbaby girl, Fiona, with her husband, JohnathanNellis. They plan to move to BuenosAires this coming summer...Norrie Gall’95 lives in Beverly and will wed Mike Johnsonthis fall in Gloucester...Cecily (Beane)Cullinan ’95 was married to Jonathan Cullinanin September of 2007. Kate (Allen)Schultz ’95, Chanel Anderson ’95, DavidButman ’95, Matthew Beane ’92, OwenBeane, and Lesley (Abdullah) Tavareswere in attendance. Cecily and her new husbandlive in Easton, NY and are expectingtheir first baby in early November...Heather(Hernon) Renzi ’00 was married on August25th, 2007 at the Warwick Country Club toBrian Renzi. She was recently promoted toNational Sales Manager for Clear ChannelRadio...Wendy Malament ’97 is engaged tobe married as we go to press, June 28, 2008,to Alex Glosband, brother to Oliver Glosband’99. Her maids of honor will be LexieAverick ’00 and Molly Minturn ’98. Theywill be married at Turner Hill in Ipswich...This past year, Waring was visited by a plethoraof Waring alum. Rory Pelsue and NoahKellerman of ’07, Meg Woodman Russell’06, Bridget Heersink ’95, Dorothy Zarrenand Andrew Wray, ’99, Seth Pocknett ’02,Brendan Pelsue, Alice Woodman-Russell,Kasey Kimball, and Jesse Stowell, allof ’04, to name just a few who came to theannual holiday gathering...Keep us updatedon your life by emailing us at alumni@waringschool.org.We look forward to hearingfrom you!Cecily (Beane) Cullinan and Waring alums, at her wedding.L: Karen VanderMolen ’01 at the 2008 Waring Commencement.(Photo courtesy of P. Gentleman) R: Sadie Jernigan Valeri in Paris.A Bit of the PastOliver LutzHeather (Hernon) Renzi and new husband, Brian Renzi.Clicking,The old picturesBrowned and water markedOf an ancient time,Whose pictures were of black and whiteWhose little boys dove into a dust coveredRiver of memoriesThat flows back to the old peoples minds,Remembering them to those daysWhen a picture projector seemed like a luxury.But now the fan stuttersThe light flickersAnd all that is left is those little squaresOf photo paper memories.-Dustin Ferzacca ’13alum notecards19

special featuresvolume 5 no. 2 summer 2008Steve Bjork on FractalsThe Headmaster on Natural AuthorityCharles Newman Explains the WaringWriting ProgramEnd Term: From the Field and HomeNeil Glickstein on the NCSEJohn Wigglesworth Has a VisionPoetry Award WinnersThe Class of 2008Alumni NewsWaring School35 Standley StreetBeverly, Massachusetts 01915BULK RATEU.S. POSTAGEPA I DPrides Crossing, MA 01965Permit No. 10