Spring Bulletin 2012 - The Park School

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Bassil Bacare ’11 Spanish student at Roxbury Latin When Bassil joined the Class of 2011 as a seventh grader, he already had taken a year of Spanish at the Washington Irving Middle School in Roslindale. At Park, he embraced Peter Amershadian’s class, noting, “I just fell in love with it!” Bassil, who was born in Khartoum, Sudan, speaks Arabic at home and learned English when he came to the United States in 1997 at age two. Following his three years at Park, Bassil is now in the tenth grade at Roxbury Latin. taking Spanish with Mr. Amershadian was amazing. From the first time I walked into his classroom, I sensed a vibe that was irresistible. The first time I met Mr. Amershadian, I felt a connection almost immediately. The way he taught the class was astounding. He knew exactly what he was doing. In addition to teaching, he is a walking encyclopedia. If you asked him any question, he immediately knew the answer especially about anything related to the Spanish language. The more I learned about the Spanish culture, the more it just felt right. It’s inexplicable really — like falling in love. The ninth grade trip to Spain was the highlight of the language program for me. My favorite memory is our whole group sitting together in Café Novelty in the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca — enjoying the moment, practicing our Spanish together — it was just the best. It was one of the best days of my life. I felt right at home with the way the Spanish people interact with each other. It was easy for me to feel at home with the culture. That’s not to say that it was always easy. In Salamanca, we were placed with Spanish families for a “home stay.” Living with my family who didn’t speak any English was the ultimate test for me. At first, I felt very apprehensive to utter my first Spanish word in Spain. When I met my host mother for the first time, I hadn’t fully adjusted to speaking only Spanish and I spoke to her in English. Realizing where I was, I asked “¿Como ésta, usted?” From that moment on, my host mother and I enjoyed conversing with each other. Every morning and evening, sitting at the table, we would chat the time away. Not only was I able to talk with my host mother, but also in school as well. We spent the morning in classes, and I loved talking with Patricia, my Spanish school instructor. She was very sociable, humorous, and compassionate, and knew how to make the class lively. During the trip was got a fair amount of free time to roam around. Walking the streets of Spain encouraged me to just say “holá” to random people. The people were friendly enough even to say hi back or even talk with 28 The Park School Bulletin | L A N G U A G E me. By the end of the trip, the language “clicked” for me — I couldn’t stop talking! If I were to return with all my friends, I would go in a heartbeat. I felt very prepared for my Spanish class at Roxbury Latin. Although I’m now in a new environment, I feel as if I was still back at Park. I astonished myself by what came out of my mouth. I immediately felt part of the class. This year in Spanish, we are mainly focusing on the Spanish culture, geography, and poetry. We are reading a play about a family living through the Spanish Civil War, Las bicicletas son para el verano by Fernando Fernán Gómez, in Spanish. At times it is challenging with all the different vocabulary, but mostly it’s easy. At RL, all students are required to take Latin as well, which is plus. I can see how Spanish words all have Latin roots. Through the years, I have also developed a love for the French language. Now I’m interested in learning French, too! I am looking forward to returning to Spain this summer to Cádiz to keep improving my conversational Spanish. From everything I’ve heard, the trip will be similar to my experience at Park. We’ll be living with families, attending classes in the morning and visiting important sites in the afternoons. I can’t wait!
Photo by Ellis Gaskell Alumni Notes Eric Schorr’s musical, Tokio Confidential. From left, Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, Jill Paice and Benjamin J. McHugh in the musical at Atlantic Stage 2 in Chelsea. 1938 Class Representative Putty McDowell 1950 Class Representative Galen Clough 1953 Class Representative Bob Bray 1960 Peggy Wolman tells us that benefits her four children “derived from the values and education afforded to them at Park are perhaps the greatest gift we gave Josh ’83, Sarah ’84, Dave ’89 and Dan ’94. Thank you, Park!” Summing up five decades, Roger Knot writes, “I attended Park from 1952 to 1957 and left with most of my classmates after the sixth grade. I then went to Rivers in Chestnut Hill for two years and graduated from St. Mark’s in 1963. After a year as an exchange student in England I graduated with the class of 1968 from Columbia College. Thereafter, I spent two and a half years working in Manhattan for the British-American Educational Foundation before going to North Georgia with VISTA in 1971. I worked for the State of Georgia from 1972 till I retired in July 2006, five years as a child welfare caseworker and twenty-nine years for the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. I have lived on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, for 35 years. I am married to the former Mary Elizabeth (Emme) Broughton, who grew up in Framingham, Brookline, and Wellesley and is a professional musician. She has homes in Ossining and Wappinger, New York, where I spend part of the year. Our children are John Nott, who works as a mechanical engineer in Atlanta, and Katie Kresek, a professional violinist who lives in Manhattan. I am an avid canoeist and volunteer with several canoeing organizations and the Boy Scouts, and as an international Whitewater Slalom and Wildwater judge. I hope we can round up as many classmates as possible for a reunion in the near future.” 1963 Class Representative Amy Lampert 1966 Class Representative Wigs Frank Emily Burr writes from South Africa, “I’m working hard and enjoying being in the Peace Corps.” Emily is teaching English and math in the primary school of the small village where she is living. “I have a blog if you’d like to learn more of what I’ve been doing.” emily-peacecorps.blogspot.com 1967 45 TH REUNION Class Representative Davis Rowley 1968 Class Representative Vicky Kehlenbeck 1972 40 TH REUNION Amy Usen’s line of work is graphic sales. “If anyone is looking for graphic services please be in touch!” 1973 Class Representative Rick Berenson Macy Ratliff reports that she is still living in the greater Seattle area and is “working with ESL students while working on my own language skills—I hope to start learning Vietnamese soon.” Macy loves being in the outdoors and running. In fact, she completed two half marathons last year and numerous 5k and 10k races. “I had a wonderful mini reunion with Julia Talcott and Betsy Leahy in Newton and also was able to visit my brother Nick Lawrence ’75 on my most recent trip to the East Coast. I will be an empty nester this fall as my youngest heads off to the University of Washington. My oldest will be a senior at St. Olaf College.” 1974 Class Representatives Rodger Cohen Margaret Smith Bell 1975 Class Representatives Colin McNay Bill Sullivan Eric Shorr’s new musical Tokio Confidential enjoyed a strong run in February and March at the Atlantic Stage in New York City. For more information, take a look at Eric’s website: www.tokioconfidential.com. Read about Méli Solomon’s adventures in German on page 16. 1976 Class Representative Tenney Mead Cover 1977 35 TH REUNION Class Representative Sam Solomon 1979 Class Representatives Lalla Carothers Sally Solomon Hilary Grinker Musser is the managing director of the new Family Endowment Partners office in Palm The Park School Bulletin | Spring 2012 29
Page 1 and 2: The Park School Spring Bulletin 201
Page 3 and 4: Dear Friends, In this issue of the
Page 5 and 6: “PARK21”: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR
Page 7 and 8: 21ST CENTURY LEARNING • Greater f
Page 10 and 11: � Liga Aldins French and Spanish
Page 12 and 13: Mulian Chen Mandarin After earning
Page 14 and 15: Alan Rivera French and Spanish Alan
Page 16 and 17: G R A D E I X : S T U D Y I N G L A
Page 18 and 19: �anguage A L U M N I P R O F I L
Page 20 and 21: Tracy Slater ’82 Freelance writer
Page 22 and 23: it’s a bit of a mystery as to how
Page 24 and 25: After Grades I through III at Park,
Page 26 and 27: Benjamin Stevens ’00 Candidate fo
Page 28 and 29: After ten years at Park (Nursery- G
Page 32 and 33: Hilary Grinker Musser ’79 and her
Page 34 and 35: Diana, Lisa, and Mark have continue
Page 36 and 37: Hilary Sargent ’94 and son, Dash.
Page 38 and 39: S O U T H E N D P A R T Y Kathrene
Page 40 and 41: 1 Clockwise from top: 1. Mabel Gant
Page 42 and 43: R E M E M B E R I N G . . . Sara Na
Page 44: The Park School 171 Goddard Avenue

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