COURTYARD-2015

thecourtyardNews from Dutchess Day school . wiNter 2015 www.dutchessday.orgDDS TURNS 60HONORINGLONGEVITYDutchess Day is Here to Stay[ page 13 ]LEGACIEStwo DDs families:the Bontecous & the thornes[ page 5 ]EDUCATIONstaying power:faculty and staff[ page 10 ]HISTORYthe Dutchess Dayschool timeline[ page 5 ]

TUNNELTALK!Dutchess Day School is a busy place! Here are some highlights from the school year thus far…scieNceS (science), T (technology), E (engineering), M (math),STEM is pedagogically trending right now -- and for good reason. As the scienceteachers at DDS know, the best approach to teaching their subject is to integrateit into the real world, to connect it to actual experiences, and to access as manyparts of a child’s brain as possible.4th and 5th grade science teachers Julie Murphy and Amanda Ruhe areofficially implementing STEM into every unit they teach. Ms. Ruhe says that “thebenefits of cross-curricular investigation and inquiry based learning have alwaysbeen fundamental to our program, especially in the lower school. We are ensuringthat every investigation in 4th and 5th grades will touch on the 4 key elements.”The science teachers are integrating with the social studies curriculum aswell as connecting to computers, building, and mathematics. For example,when 4th graders were learning in history class how rivers influence patternsof civilization, they were studying rivers with Mrs. Murphy in science. Theyinvestigated river ecosystems (science), conducted internet research toproduce projects about major rivers (technology), built vessels to carry their(hypothetical) families and belongings across a river (engineering), and graphedsettlement patterns from different historical periods (math).theaterMACBETH: THEMUSICAL COMEDYWait, isn’t Macbeth a tragedy?Not in the 6th grade it’s not – atleast not this year when the classperformed a rollicking spoof ofthe classic play. The play andmusic, written by Ron Fink andJohn Heath, and adapted bySherry Pagano, tells the tale ofthe power hungry power-coupleand their machinations toacquire the throne. With singingand dancing, of course. Directedby Mrs. Pagano and Mr.Matthew Woolever, Macbeth:The Musical Comedy providedlaughs for audiences of allages on November 5 and 7.Mrs. Pagano reports that:“The singing and acting abilitiesof these children is incredible,as is their willingness to put inthe time and effort on a challengingpiece of theater.”musica glitteriNg eVeNiNgThe winter concert was held once again in the Bontecou Gymnasium, decorated for the occasion byDDS parent Jackie Montfort. In addition to something offered by every class, the two choruses, a specialK-2 chorus, and 5 instrumental ensembles performed as well. Some special highlights: a 7th gradestudent-created and choreographed percussion performance with found objects in the style of “Stomp,”and an all-community sing-along to “Let it Snow” which capped a joyful and glittering evening of music.the court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 3

TUNNELTALK!BooK fairA WALK THROUGHTHE DECADESGearing up for our 60th birthdaynext year, the Parents Associationtook the school on a walk throughthe decades at our annualDecember book fair down in theBontecou Gymnasium. The fairwas decorated with panels showingphotographs of the school throughthe years, as well as decadeposters showing iconic decadespecificimages, from musiciansto toys to cars. Tables dedicated toeach decade featured books writtenduring, or about, the time period.Vintage commercials looped on amock TV as teachers and theirclasses visited the fair to browse,and “old movies” were featuredon movie night while parents hada chance to shop sans children.A big 60th birthday cake andparty balloons set the stage for theupcoming and ongoing celebrationthat begins now and continuesthrough this and the comingschool year.commuNity serVicegiViNg BacKThree major community service efforts take place in the first half ofthe year at Dutchess Day. Caring for those less fortunate is at the heartof these endeavors, all of which all are undertaken by specific classeswho then enlist the help of the whole school community. The studentsadvertise these events via the Fencepost, homemade posters, andlunchtime announcements.The 5th grade campaign to help the homeless ran throughOctober. As part of their studies in health class, the 5th graders visitedHillcrest House, a homeless shelter in Poughkeepsie. They learned aboutthe simple needs of the homeless – all things we take for granted, froma roof over their heads, to socks, blankets, and toiletries. The studentsdelivered products collected from DDS families.In November, the 3rd grade organized a food drive to support localfamilies so they wouldn’t have to make difficult choices between foodand other necessities, especially around the holidays. Astor Head Startselected six families in dire need. This year the school gathered enoughfood for holiday meals as well as about two weeks’ worth of groceries.The 7th grade holiday drive fulfills a similar need. Working withthe annual “sponsor-a-family” program at the Astor Home for ChildrenFoundation, the 7th graders invited the families of DDS students,faculty, and staff to help parents who otherwise would not be able tobuy gifts for their children. The needs and wants of struggling familieswho participate in the program can include anything from a wintercoat for a child to a coveted toy, or a household item for the parents.The 7th graders delivered the bounty to the Home for Children andthen spent the afternoon helping out as needed.musicDrumbeatThis past October, the school hosted African drummer, Maxwell “Kofi” Donkor, whospent the day teaching a drumming workshop to 4th graders, and then performingwith them in a drum circle at an all-school assembly. He taught the students more thanjust drumming. He also exposed them to the knowledge, music, culture, and art fromhis homeland of Ghana, in West Africa. The hands-on experience of Kofi’s drummingworkshop was part of the 4th grade class’s ongoing study of African cultures and history.4 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

■ DDS LEGACYHERE TO STAY:The Legacy of TwoDDS Families by Vanessa Parkthe BoNtecousAccording to Juliana BontecouPecchia ’91, “The heart of DDS isthe community driven atmospherecreated by the leadership and theteachers who give so much ofthemselves to each child. Middleschool years are such transformingyears, and I feel lucky to havespent my childhood and earlyadolescence at DDS.”Juliana is not the only personnamed Bontecou who has spentsome time at Dutchess Day School.In fact, every Bontecou in thispicture attended the school. Well,all but one. Mr. Jesse Bontecoudid not attend the school becauseuntil he and a few others madeit happen in 1955, Dutchess Daydid not exist.By now, three generationsof Bontecous have been tied upwith Dutchess Day in one way orFRONT ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: Harrison Bontecou, Jesse Bontecou, Lauren Bontecou Reichart,Juliana Bontecou Pecchia BACK ROW: Tim Bontecou, Mark Bontecou, Fred Bontecou,Ruthie Bontecou Lyman, Sidney Wood, Diana Bontecou, Pamela Bontecou Iannucci.another. Jesse and his brotherFrederic (known fondly as“Pete”) were both on the originalboard of trustees. Their children(many of whom are picturedabove) and a fair number of theirgrandchildren attended (or areattending) the school.Back in ’55, Jesse immediatelyenrolled his son, Jay ’63, at DutchessDay. By the time Jay graduated, hisclass was about as big as the entireIn its nearly 60 years, Dutchess Day Schoolhas not changed at all in some fundamental ways. It remains true toits mission. It is now and always has been a school that both challengesand nurtures children and inspires a love of learning. No matterwhat decade it is, it feels cozy inside its walls on a rainy day, thrillingto run across its grassy fields or sled down its snowy hills. But from itsfounding, the school’s physical plant has changed over and over again,often dramatically, always improving, enlarging, and upgrading to meetthe demands of a growing enrollment and to keep abreast of pedagogy,technology, and sustainability. The loving generosity of the DDScommunity at large has been a crucial factor in keeping us going (in theearly years) and keeping us moving always forward. Through the years,from 1955 to the present, the generosity of some of our earliest families—specificallythe Perkins, Thorne, Bontecou, and Dyson families—hascontinued unabated, reflecting the true meaning of the word longevity.the court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 5

ABOVE: Lauren Bontecou with some of her 2007 field hockey team. Back row: JacquelineStahl ’98. TOP RIGHT: Three generations of Bontecou men: Harrison (4th grade) with hisdad, Fred, and great-uncle, Jesse. BOTTOM RIGHT Ruthie Bontecou and Oak Thorne werestudents in Johanna Rosse’s first kindergarten class in 1961.school had been eight years before.By then, the school’s foundersknew that what they had startedhad a life of its own.His three other children, Timothy’65, Mark ’68, and Ruthie ’71, alsograduated from DDS, as did hisbrother’s five children, Pam ’62,Katherine ’64, Michael ’67,Diana ’69, and Fred ’71. Hehas seen three granddaughters,Juliana, Lauren ’93, and Sidney ’05graduate from Dutchess, and hisgreat-nephew, Harrison, his brotherFrederic’s grandson, is currentlyin 4th grade and a member of theclass of ’19. When young Harrisonwas applying to DDS, he exclaimedafter his first visit: “Dad! I gotta gohere! It’s my legacy!”Two of Jesse’s children, Timand Ruthie, have served on theboard as well, and Tim did a stint aspresident of the Parents Association.Two of the Bontecou grandchildren,Juliana and Lauren, have gone on tocareers in education. In fact, Laurenserved as director of development atDutchess Day School from 2003 to2007, coached field hockey, andassisted in 2nd grade.Reminiscing about DutchessDay School and its beginnings,Jesse Bontecou recalls that about60 years ago some parents, interestedin high quality education fortheir children, decided to start aschool in Millbrook. According toJesse, it was “the hope of thefounders that the school wouldattract people with young childrento this area,” and it has. His visionwas to have “a community wherechildren would have to rely on each1955August 19 – Provisional5 year charter createdat the very first boardof trustees meetingmade up of parents“determined to establishin Millbrook the finestschool possible.”(Rosemary Gannon,co-founder)1955September 15 –Millbrook Day School(as it was first named)opened in 3 rented roomsof the Red Pheasant Innon Rt. 343 in Millbrook,with 19 students ingrades K-4 and 3teachers, led by headof school David Harris.1957August – School movedfrom the Red Pheasantto the Tower Houseon 343, purchased for$60,000.00. Classesfrom kindergarten to6th grade were taughtby 3 teachers and thehead of school at thetime, Frank Cooke.1959First boarder moved in.Until there were others,he ate breakfast withthe headmaster’s familyin the residence everyday. Ultimately the schoolhad 15 boarders.1960Fields adjacent to theschool donated to DDSas well as the funds toconstruct our pond.6 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

other.” Enrollment was not alwaysconstant, however. He remembersthe somewhat “desperate years”from 1959 to 1973 when theschool took boarders.Jesse has been a member ofthe Dutchess Day School boardcontinuously since he convened itsfirst meeting as board president in1955, serving as an honorarymember since retiring from “activeduty.” School opened on September15, 1955, in three rented roomsat the Red Pheasant Inn, acrossfrom Bennett Junior College. Threeteachers taught a student body ofnineteen children from kindergartenthrough grade four.Jesse and the other early foundersdid a lot more than try to pay billsand keep the school going. Oncethe Tower House (where theschool has been since 1957) waspurchased, trustees, parents, grandparents– everyone who wantedthe school to succeed – helped.Jesse remembers plowing the snow,mowing the grass, painting, movingfurniture, building shelving units,and just about anything else.The school was quite small for anumber of years. As Tim Bontecouputs it: “It was great for the studentteacher ratio, but boy we couldn’tget away with much!”Dubbed by many the “fatherof Dutchess Day School,” Jesse saysthat playing so many roles in thehistory of the school “has been oneof the most satisfying experiencesof my existence. It took a lot oftime and effort, but it has met allIT HAS MET ALL OUR EXPECTATIONS.YOU CAN’T SAY THAT ABOUT EVERYTHING‘‘YOU DO IN LIFE.’’Second graders with their teacher,Edie Machado, circa 1984. Look forJuliana Bontecou (middle row, second from left)and Eliza Thorne (middle row, far right).our expectations. You can’t say thatabout everything you do in life.”the thorNesFormer Dutchess Dayheadmaster Andrew McLarenreports a conversation he hadwith Mr. Oakleigh Thorne shortlyafter beginning his tenure as headof school. It was about 1974.Oakleigh told Andrew: “It’s abouttime this school had a gymnasium.The students deserve it.”Mr. McLaren was all in favor ofthe idea, but admitted to being1968 1970With enrollment near 75, crowdingwas a problem. The “Master BuildingPlan Phase 1” and a capital fund drive resultedin an L-shaped addition to the school that included“the tunnel” and what are now the lower schoolclassrooms, and the school’s first real stageand dining hall (what is now our library).Also – more athletic fields were donated.Ewing additionconstructed to “elicita feeling of freedomand space conduciveto creative expression” –this addition becamethe science and art wing.1973Enrollment was at115 and busing fromother districts wasincreasingly common.Boarding ended.1975First gymnasiumbuilt at the top ofthe property.the court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 7

FRONT ROW: Matilda Blue, Estella Blue, Oakleigh B. Thorne, Jet Thorne BACK ROW: ElizaThorne, Oak Thorne, Jonathan Thornea novice when it came to gettingbuildings built. Oakleigh said,“I’ll take care of all that.”When Mr. McLaren, still verynew in his position, asked aboutfunding, Oakleigh said, “I’ll takecare of that too.”Oakleigh got in touch witheveryone in his family to raise thefunds for the big red barn-stylegymnasium that still stands proudlyat the top of our hill. He handledthe contractors and essentially sawthe project through from start tofinish. This combination of efficiencyand generosity characterizes theThorne legacy at Dutchess.His association with the school –and his devotion to it – did notstart that year in the 70s whenhe built a gym. And it was wellestablished by the time he agreedto sit at the helm of the board oftrustees in 1984. It began whenhis first child, Oakleigh (Oak) ’71,entered kindergarten just a fewyears after the school moved toits present location. Once a parentat DDS, Oakleigh’s bonds to theschool were forged. His threeother children, Henry, Jonathan,and Eliza, also attended the school.Oakleigh holds the record forlongest tenure as DDS boardpresident, holding that position forten years, until 1994. He continuesto serve on the board, in anhonorary capacity, to this day.When asked if he feels a senseof pride about everything that hisfamily has done for the schoolover the years, Oakleigh’s son,Jonathan ’89, says, “We arepretty humble about it. And itwasn’t just us. Lots of families inthe community have supportedthe school.” All that is true. Theschool has benefited from manyfamilies and their generosity. Andyes, the Thorne family never blowsits own horn. But there alwaysseems to be a Thorne pitching in.They were always the ones stayinglate to help clean up after a dance,1988Von Stirum playgroundbuilt on K-Hill.1993 1998Abu-Haidar dining hall and auditorium constructed, along withmusic room and a new kitchen. Tunnel classrooms and school office renovated.Enrollment reached about 140.Ewing art and sciencewing renovated andnew health, lower schoolscience rooms, andHeasley-Hathawaycomputer roomconstructed.8 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

THE THORNE FAMILY NEVER BLOWSITS OWN HORN. BUT THERE ALWAYS SEEMSdiscreetly writing a check duringthe lean years, or saying “yes”when asked to volunteer, as whencurrent parent, Eliza Thorne ’91,steps up to the plate again andagain. Eliza served as PA presidenttwo years ago, and currentlyco-chairs the 60th gala auctioncommittee. She can often be seenpitching in at school events, just amom lending a hand.What is special about theThornes, like the Bontecous, isthe notable longevity of theircommitment. Families come andgo. Their children grow up andgraduate and commitments andallegiances shift. The Thornes havebeen a steady force for fifty-fouryears, whether there was a Thorneenrolled at the time or not.Currently enrolled in the schoolare Jonathan’s son Jet, currentlyin preschool, class of ’24, andEliza’s two daughters, Estella,in 3rd grade, class of ’20, andMatilda, 2nd grade, class of ’21.As alums and current parents,Jonathan and Eliza both just feelgrateful. Jonathan says, “When Iwas a kid, we always were talkingabout the school and I knew mydad was heavily involved and haddone a lot to get it going, but itwasn’t till I got older that I reallystarted to appreciate what thatmeant. When I had my ownchildren, and Jet started this year,I realized what an amazing place itis. The school does a fantastic job.”Eliza remembers collectingsamples in the pond, adoptingtrees to learn about, and takingwalks in the woods. She knowsher daughters will get to experiencemany of those same definingmoments, and it makes her smile.“The way the school builds andfosters community is unique andwonderful. Older and youngerstudents connect in meaningfulways, never to be forgotten.”Those generations of students,interwoven and connected, leadus right back to the generations ofThornes and Bontecous whosestrong, stable presence within theschool community creates a kindof warp and woof that runsuniquely and reliably througheverything that goes on. Otherfamilies do the same, as do the‘‘TO BE A THORNE PITCHING IN.’’Mrs. Johanna Rosse and her kindergartenclass of 1982. Juliana Bontecou and ElizaThorne can be spotted in the middle andfirst rows.teachers who dedicate their careersto Dutchess, and administratorswho help the school navigate inchanging waters.There are eleven childrenof DDS alums enrolled at theschool now, on the cusp of our60th anniversary. Longevity comeswith loyalty, which is earned.When families return, generationafter generation, you know somethingis right. Dutchess Day Schoolis clearly here to stay. And so,it is clear, are the Bontecous andthe Thornes.1999Three new regulationplaying fields donatedby the Perkins family.2002Bontecou Gymnasiumconstructed on siteof old playing fields,including meeting room,locker rooms, work-outroom, storage, andAD office.2007A preschool programwas reintroduced in2005, and two yearslater, the Lillian GoldmanPreschool officiallyopened in September.2012New playgroundbuilt on K-Hill2014Newly renovatedNancy Hathawayscience wing opened.the court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 9

15 Years or More…Diane Duffus | 1992A true scientist and educator, DianeDuffus has guided and inspired overtwo decades of students, teachingscience and computer to grades 4-7.Win Haas ’07 is struck again andagain by the enormity of the opportunitieshe had in Ms. Duffus’sscience class. “Studying sciencein high school and college, I wasconstantly impressed by what anamazing job she did. So much ofwhat I know about science and theplanet came not from my college andhigh school classes, but from whatI learned in 7th grade. Ms. Duffusnurtured my passion for natureand taught me so much about theenvironmental problems that needto be addressed in the world.”Eileen Shaw | 1992Eileen Shaw has been a fixture inthe administration for 22 years. Herwork in admissions, development,and in recent years as Director ofStudent Affairs, keeps her finger onevery pulse. She can be seen managingdismissal with her clip-board,greeting every student by name in thehallways, and managing to tell childrenthey are in trouble and havethem leave her office smiling.Ashley Lempka ’97 recalls: “Mrs.Shaw always had a warm smile onher face and she felt like such a cozymom who would help you with anythingfrom photocopies to Band-Aids.”■ DDS EDUCATIONSTICKINGAROUNDThree Veteran TeachersVanessa Park27 Years and Countingby Reed Weeden ’95What lasts? After the rush ofthe middle school years are over,when the DDS graduate is a highschool junior, a college student,perhaps a fledgling teacher with aclass of her own, what remains ofthe middle school experience? Ina word: everything. While thememories of these early years maynot always be front-of-mind (andthank goodness for that!), thelessons certainly linger and themoments give shape to our lives.Vanessa Park has been shapingthe experiences of middle schoolstudents at Dutchess Day Schoolfor the past 27 years. In her time atthe school, she has taught 6th, 7thand 8th English, 6th grade homeroom,writing at all levels, and 3rdand 4th grade reading. Along theway, she introduced process writingto the curriculum, a style of teachingwhich enables students to writefreely, while learning how to reviseand edit. She herself has writtenand edited countless articles forour beloved Courtyard and, mostrecently, she took over as Directorof Development, Alumni Affairs,and Communications. Given theincredible scope of her service toour school, it is no surprise thather connection with students andalumni runs deep.Indeed, I was not surprised tohear from Ms. Park when sheMs. Park when the Englishroom was where 5th gradeis now! Taken in the late 80s.reached out about the school’s60th anniversary. I have heard fromher often in the 20 years since Igraduated from DDS; I see her atfriends’ weddings; I email her withmy own questions about teaching,and she sends congratulatory noteson my birthday or on the birth ofmy daughter. These are therelationships that last.And yet, it never dawned on thisincredible friend to the school andimmensely impactful educator thatshe would grow up to be a teacher.Ms. Park is and always has been awriter, one drawn to the classroomby her own experience as a studentand her relationships with herteachers. She attended The BrearleySchool in New York and understandsthe impact teachers can haveat independent schools. She earneda BA from the University of Virginiaand an MFA in fiction writing fromColumbia University. She told methat it was halfway through her10 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

MFA that she felt “pulled” towardsteaching and decided to apply toindependent schools in the HudsonValley region.How lucky we are that thehead of school at the time, MarvinVan Leeuwen, offered her a positionteaching 6-8th English andthat, at twenty-seven years old, shetook the job. Now, twenty-sevenyears and hundreds of studentslater, Ms. Park still describes herjob with palpable enthusiasm.When I asked her what makes DDSa special place, she spoke immediatelyabout its teachers. Though sheis the only one from her “enteringclass” of teachers to still work atDDS, she insists that the caliber ofinstruction has remained consistentand inspiring, encouraging her tocontinually challenge both herselfand her students. She is innovativein the classroom and describes herwork with students as a process ofconnection, building “teamworkand camaraderie.”As a teacher today, I can lookback and understand just how hardMs. Park worked to connect withher students on a daily basis, communicatingall sorts of messagesand lessons: “You are heard”;“Cut it out”; “You’re on the righttrack.” That connection extendedeven beyond the teacher andstudent, reaching across classesand years. Ms. Park remembersso many moments when she’d be“blown away in the classroom—bysomething a student said or wrote”Making a movie with the8th grade was a Ms. Park traditionfor several years. Here she is in 1989having TK a creative tête-a-tête.—and she would keep notes inthe margin of her book with thename of the student and the insighthe or she had offered. If she taughtthat same book another year, shewould share this moment again,connecting generations of studentsand thinkers. These are themoments that last.Ms. Park was the type ofteacher who shared herself withher students. I remember playingwith her toddler son, Win ’04,at recess, and crying in the hallwaywith her when our computerteacher Mrs. Healey tragicallypassed away. She played cardswith her advisees, and followed upwhen one had a hard day. And sheis a relentless advocate for eachperson’s voice and perspective.In the classroom, Ms. Parkencouraged her middle schoolersto consider the voices and lifeexperiences of others. We readThe Elephant Man, The MiracleWorker, The Great Gatsby, TheScarlet Letter, and The Heart isa Lonely Hunter, to name just afew of the powerful stories I firstencountered in her class. She wasnot an easy teacher, challenging uswith thought questions about theinterpersonal dynamics at work ineach text. One question read:“Find as many things (events,images, actions) that show us Mickis definitely a KID.” This question,to a group of kids, encouraged usto think critically about what itmeans to be a kid versus what itRandy Bowen | 1993Randy Bowen joined the DDS family21 years ago. With what seems like24-hour-a-day devotion to the healthof our physical plant, Mr. Bowen isa mainstay of the school. As Directorof Facilities, he is in charge of everythingfrom the playing fields to theboiler, from the water system toplant upgrades. He always has asmile on his face and a kind wordfor everyone he meets… unless he’spulling a prank! He and Virg Shookcan be seen hard at work insideand out, every season of the year.Mr. Shook says, “We have a lot offun and can never stay serious fortoo long. At the end of the day, thejob always gets done. Our motto is:do what it takes.”Jean Cook | 1994Jean Cook, with a history inprivate industry, took to teachingas if she’d been born to it. Shearrived at DDS, 20 years ago, toteach computer and be our allroundcomputer/tech/IT guru.Over all the years, she has keptup-to-the-minute with everychange in technology. In addition,she publishes and lays out theyearbook (with help from the 8thgraders!), runs the school store,organizes our assembly program,and most vitally, is an 8th gradehomeroom teacher and advisor.She knows what the DDS seniorsneed at all the crucial turningpoints in an often tumultuous year.the court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 11

Nancy Pelletier | 1994Nancy Pelletier joined the DDSfamily in 1994 as a first gradeassistant teacher, after which shemoved up to head teacher, andlater, also head of lower school.20 years’ worth of first graders(and a few kindergarteners as shetaught in K for a few years) havehad the blessing of a Mrs. Pelletierclassroom experience. One of herco-teachers, Diane Ritters, remembersNancy as “always having timefor you.” She put it well when shewrote about Nancy: “She had a wayof making everyone feel importantand the students loved her for that.I loved working with her.”Gayle Fedele | 1994Gayle Fedele has worn quite afew “hats” in her years at DDS.She has assisted in art, taught PEand math, served as athletic director,and coached basketball, fieldhockey, boys’ lacrosse, and soccer!Past parent Ash Reifler recalls that,when Mrs. Fedele became assistantto the head of school, she “movedout of the gym and into a deskwith ease. There is strategy, teamwork, compromise, encouragement,discipline, and communication inboth positions, so reflecting onthose qualities it made perfectsense. Her positive spirit, abilityto handle any crisis, and upbeatattitude prevailed. The only bigdifference was her wardrobe!”means to act like a kid. Inthinking about Ms. Park and myexperience in her class, I flippedthrough my old English journalsand binders and found pages ofquestions like this one. Yes, I stillhave those old binders and it’s nosurprise that I kept them; Ms. Parktaught me what is important,encouraging me to hold on to mywords and my thoughts, to listento stories and ideas so that I mightreturn to them and share them.Spending time with these oldbinders and reading the thoughtfulcomments on each essay orvocabulary quiz, I was struck byhow much I remember from herclass. These are the lessons that last.“Longevity” is the subject of thisissue of The Courtyard, and Ihave to laugh that the word itselfmight have easily been on one ofMs. Park’s infamous vocabularyquizzes, the weekly challengethat included complete definitionsand sentences due on Mondayand a lengthy vocabulary quizevery Friday. Other words on herlists included pensive, autumnal,exuberant, to name a few. She gaveus the quiz on Fridays and we gaveher a large stack of personal journals,to which she would devotepart of each weekend. She wroteinteresting, thoughtful comments inresponse to each entry, such as thisone from my 6th grade journal:“Have you spoken—or tried speaking—toyour friend about this?Let me know if you want to talkbeforehand.” Or, “You are not thefirst 6th grader to feel this way,but I have no doubt you will findyour way through.” In responseto my journals, Ms. Park sharedthoughts about her own friendships,about stories she lovedreading, and about current events(I reread one entry on the early1990s situation in Iraq whichI’m certain was in response to anassigned prompt). Ms. Park alsooffered feedback on story ideasand was always encouraging usto write creatively; as a class wewrote a story about three childrengrowing up during colonialtimes and, as an 8th grade project,we created a film in response toa poem. In Ms. Park’s Englishclass, we wrote, debated, discussed,and performed.For example, in the five yearsbefore her sabbatical in 2012-13,Ms. Park taught 6th grade andorchestrated a different springproject each year. One year, theclass wrote, directed, and starredin a film. Another year, Ms. Parkorganized a Hemingway projectin response to the students’enthusiasm about Old Manand the Sea. Another class did a“lost civilization” project afterstudying the ancient Maya,which involved writing, inventing,mapping, and drawing. Such acreative force has inspired generationsof children, including herown. Both of Ms. Park’s childrenplan careers in teaching, outdooreducation and English, and thismakes her enormously proud.Talk about creating a legacy.So…what lasts? Thanks tothe dedication of Ms. Park andother wonderful teachers at DDS,a great deal. We as students maynot always recognize the workbeing done on our behalf, but thelessons, the moments, the connections,and the relationships: thisis the stuff that lasts. Ms. Parkdescribes her role as a teacher asa “stepping stone”—a stone thatI would argue lays the foundationfor all future endeavors.In her 28th year of service,the question to ask might be:what’s next? Ms. Park’s commitmentto Dutchess Day School,its students, and its communityis evident in every conversationI have had with her. She “lovesthe school with all [her] heart”and has a number of ideas andinitiatives that excite her abouther new role in the developmentand communications office.So, here’s to twenty-seven moreyears of service. Sending thanksto Ms. Park with love. We areso lucky to have her.12 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

Ms. Dreier inthe early 90swhen she wasthird gradeteacher.Margaret Dreier26 Years and Countingby Maggie Haas ’07Monday morning, five minutesbefore the first bell. The lowerschool tunnel echoes with shoutsand giggles as students hang uptheir backpacks and coats beforeclass. Amidst the grinning faces,the rattle of pencil boxes, the flurryof activity—sits Ms. Dreier, perchedon a heater, a bear tucked underher arm. Kids swarm aroundher, showing her a picture theydrew, or a particularly hard mathproblem they solved. “Hughbert!”one little boy cries happily,reaching for the teddy bear accompanyingMs. Dreier. Ms. Dreierpasses Hughbert Bear, aka SirHughbert of the Hallway, tothe boy, who hugs him fiercely.“Hughbert wants a carrot,” theboy announces. “I think you’reright,” Ms. Dreier agrees.There are certain things youcan count on Ms. Dreier for.Looking for a riddle to turn yourbrain inside out? She’s got youcovered. Want to know the birthdayof any student or teacher orstaff member at DDS? She can tellyou. And you can always find herin the lower school tunnel beforethe class day begins, talking withstudents while her trusty sidekicks—whetherbear, dog, horse,or platypus—spread comfort andlove to their adoring fans.Ms. Dreier has a magic wayof allowing kids to be kids. Shesees them, and listens to them, andspeaks to them as if they are herequals. Learning from Ms. Dreieris never a one-way street. Shewants to hear about the interestingthoughts in your head. I rememberbeing an eight-year-old in herthird grade classroom, feelingtremendously empowered to learnand share. I have always lovedschool, but Ms. Dreier helped meto fall in love with my brain—forits imagination, its ability toabsorb knowledge, the way itcrafts ideas and shapes thought.All the great teachers I’ve hadover the years loved their jobs andwere passionate about what theywere doing. But there is somethingwonderfully unique about thepure joy Ms. Dreier finds in herstudents. She not only loves usand loves teaching us, but she isLaurie Schoch | 1994The iconic sight of 20 year PEteacher Laurie Schoch walking upthe hill to the gym with her studentsprompts fond memories for generationsof alumni. A scrupulouseducator who understands the developingskills and abilities of children ofall ages, Ms. Schoch gives her all toeverything she takes on -- as a devoted8th grade homeroom teacher andadvisor, and writing “coach” in the3rd grade. DDS alum and athlete,Tess Toland ’13, writes: “Both patientand kind, Ms. Schoch introduced meto sports I really enjoyed and wouldnot otherwise have played.” LauraToland ’13 adds: “My time in the athleticdepartment at DDS would havebeen very different if she had notbeen there to coach and guide me.”Ms. Dreier and Sir Hughbertgreeting students in the tunnel.Eleanor Yates | 1995Her former student Perry Bullock’00 once said of Eleanor Yates:“Of all the teachers and professorswhose classes I took, Mrs. Yateshad the greatest impact on mylearning.” Mrs. Yates, who came toDDS in 1995, has taught 19 fifthgrade classes geography, history,math, English, reading, spelling,and vocabulary. Everyone goesthrough her to get “in shape” forthe rest of upper school, and goodthing too. Nobody puts one pasther, and no one leaves her classunsure of her loyalty and love. Sheis first feared… then revered.the court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 13

fascinated by us. There is so muchto learn from each student—andMs. Dreier wants to learn it. Whenasked the question “Why are you ateacher?” Ms. Dreier gave thisanswer: “It’s the greatest intellectualchallenge I’ve ever found. I’m aperson who loves logic puzzles,math problems, and cryptic crosswords,and teaching is the ultimatepuzzle challenge. There’s so muchto know about how people learn,different methods and materials forDarlene Yager | 1995Darlene Yager joined the faculty in teaching different subjects, what1995 and has never looked back. really works and what doesn’t, asShe has taught math to 5-8, as well as figuring out what’s best forwell as 5th grade science, coached each class and each student at anyvolleyball and the robotics team.She has also been upper school given time, and there’s alwayshead for 13 years, doing thesomething new to learn.”impossible (aka “The Schedule”)Not only can Ms. Dreier figureevery year. Hanna Carlin ’09 loved out how individual students learn,that Mrs. Yager “taught by exampleshe can teach them just about anything.In her twenty-six years atand experimentation. She had a wayof explaining things and showing ushow it all worked. We knew she was Dutchess Day School, Ms. Dreiertruly invested in our learning and the has taught third grade homeroom,way we learned, which is not thesecond grade math, as well as spentsame for each child. I looked forwardto her class because I knew we'd one year teaching upper schoollearn something new and exciting, math, and for the last ten years sheand that she’d make it fun.”has been the lower school readingand math specialist. This positioninvolves everything from doingreading assessments with all firstand second graders to teachingreading and writing to fourthgraders and working on math insmall groups in the third grade.She even co-teaches writing workshopin sixth grade. Not only isMs. Dreier able to fill all these differentroles, she has a way of makingher lessons irresistible to youngMary DeGennaro | 1996 minds. I remember learning aboutBusiness manager, Mary DeGennaro, graphs and time zones in thirdprefers DDS to the corporategrade by plotting the sunrise andaccounting world she left behind18 years ago. Though not everyone sunset times in Barrow, Alaskais aware of her significant presence on a chart each day. Now anin the business office upstairs she English major and aspiring poet, Ihas made a huge impact on the remember some of my earliestschool. Whether she is running“writing epiphanies” happenedpayroll, passing accounting auditswith flying colors, or reporting on under Ms. Dreier’s guidance.the financial health of the school Her ability to inspire her students’to the board, Mary is meticulous imaginations is one of the mostand relentless in pursuit of perfectspecial things about Ms. Dreier.books. Not only that, but as hercolleague Gayle Fedele points out: In one of her emails to me,Mrs. Pagano“Mary keeps the office staff in Ms. Dreier commented that “teachingis one of the jobs in which youstitches with her deadpan humor.”never have to wonder if there’s a14 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015purpose or a value to what you aredoing”—one of the many reasonsMs. Dreier was drawn to teaching.Parker Wayne, a former student ofMs. Dreier’s, illustrates the lastingimpact she has on her students.He wrote in a letter to her: “Youhave always held a small part ofmy heart. With the challengesI had in school, it never seemedto make a difference when I cameinto your classroom. You had agreat outlook on life as well as aphenomenal understanding ofmy strengths and weaknesses.You made learning enjoyable andtaught me to never have any fear.”I cannot imagine DDS withoutMs. Dreier. She and the familyof stuffed animals that lives in herroom make magic happen withinthe classroom. Shy students arebraver with a fluffy friend snuggledin their laps . Sir Hughbert and hiscomrades inspire playfulness andfun in the midst of being intellectual.Not only does Ms. Dreier allowkids to be kids, I learned fromher that it’s important for adultsto be kids sometimes too—to cuddlea bear in a red-striped sweater,ponder the majesty of carrots, andthe glory in all things fluffy.Sherry Pagano(formerly Poholchuk)24 Years and Countingby Charlie Hettinger ’00I have a dream every now andthen that haunts me. In this dream,I am trying to explain something toteaching Americanhistory back in aprevious incarnation!

a group of people who cannotunderstand me. If I try and speaklouder, my voice gets quieter. If I tryto simplify something, it becomesincomprehensible. By the time Iwake up, I am frustrated, exhausted,and relieved that it is finally over.This is what I imagine being ateacher must be like. Day in and dayout, dealing with a class full ofunruly children who care moreabout having fun than the siege ofTiconderoga. I think back to mychildhood and shudder to thinkwhat it was like to be obligated toteach me. Then it occurs to me:when I cared about the lesson, I waseasy to teach.What made me care about something?Science was something that Icould put my hands on: manipulatingslides, swabbing, and growingcultures. Math was about areas, volumes,and answering puzzles.English was about what youthought of a story you read. Musicwas about playing together andmaking something as a group. Whatabout history? History is aboutwhat a bunch of dead people didhundreds of years ago. It is aboutdates, locations, and chronology.There was nothing tangible abouthistory, nothing directly applicableto my life. History should have beena subject I had no interest in andconsequently didn’t learn.Sherry (Poholchuk) Pagano mademe care about U.S. History when Iwas in 7th grade. Let’s considerFifth graders doing a binderreview with Mrs. Pagano in 1994.what this means. I was about 13years old. Britney Spears had a newsong “…Baby One More Time”.“Goldeneye” for Nintendo 64 wasthe most fun and realistic videogame I had ever seen. I had just discoveredthat females existed andwere strangely captivating.Somehow, amidst all of these things,Mrs. Pagano made me care that in1757 some French soldiers brutallycaptured Fort William Henry.How did that happen? How didthis teacher make legal and land disputesinteresting? I have thoughtabout this and it isn’t easy to findthe answer.Was it because I cared about mygrades? That would explain it. Imust have been overwhelminglydriven to achieve a certain mark onmy report card. Unfortunately,though, I wasn’t. I cared aboutgrades when I read them at the endof the term with my parents.Approximately five seconds afterthat, it was the furthest thing frommy mind.Was it that there was a new interactivecomputer program thattricked me into learning the materialand thereby caring about the subjectmatter? Well, no, that didn’t, andstill doesn’t, exist.The reason I cared about learningU.S. History with Mrs. Pagano wasbecause she cared about it. It wassomething important to her. Thiswas so apparent to me that my(Continued on page 23)Barbara Bettigole | 1997Barbara Bettigole arrived at DDSas a reading specialist, taught3rd grade for one year, then tookover as 2nd grade homeroomteacher until she moved into 4thgrade. She also served as headof the lower school for many years.According to her former studentJack Meagher ’17, Mrs. B is thekind of teacher who will pick up abasketball and shoot hoops with thekids at recess. A fierce environmentalist,she is often seen with herstudent Recycling Team aroundthe school or up at the compostbin, creating a greener planet. NoorRahman ’17 says, “She has an airabout her. Everyone listens.” JaylenThatcher ’17 put it this way: “We didn’tjust learn. We experienced things.”Alison Roland | 1998The creative energy is palpable inAlison Roland’s art room, wherethe artistic process and product areboth honored. Since she arrived atDutchess, her energy has neverflagged. She teaches almost everyonein the school, gets student workout into the community, and createsstage sets for two major productionsevery year. DDS alum Chelsea Paglia’11 put it best when she said,“Ms. Mac created an exuberant classroomatmosphere filled with musicand laughter while teaching me thevalue of an open mind and instilling apassion for art.”the court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 15

Glacier, Seattle—but Kansas CityMy twin sister, Danielle, anddid not rate particularly high onI pose at the Grand Canyonthe expectations scale. I had a coupleof historic sites I really wantedof Yellowstone.to see, such as the National WorldWar I Museum, but I had put KCin the category of “while you’re atit….” Suffice it to say, I fell in lovewith Kansas City. The city is secondin the world only to Rome inits number of fountains. Butwait… that’s not all. We were ableto take in the jazz heritage, theNegro Baseball League museum,the World War I national museum,the old Spanish section called “ThePlaza,” and even a Royals game.The good eats at the famous barbequejoint “Oklahoma Joe’s” willnot soon be forgotten either. Thereis a reason the line to this restaurant,tucked inside a gas station,is always out the door.The next leg of the trip was thesingle longest driving day, takingus clean through Iowa to get toRapid City, South Dakota by■ DDS ADVENTUREnightfall. Mount Rushmore hadbeen on the itinerary since the veryHistory Teacherbeginning. For some reason, I hadalways worried that actually gettingto this national monumentHeads Westmight never happen for me. Unlessdoing some type of cross countryby Donna Fedele ’00trip, why would anyone go to theihad never been out West. As a U.S. history teacher and an American, southwest corner of Souththat fact weighed on me. Last spring, I applied for the Andrea Archer Dakota? I found out there aretravel grant, hoping to see the American West at last. Thanks to Nancy more reasons to head out that wayHathaway and the board of trustees I received the grant, and I began than just the national monument.planning. There were two weeks mid-August when all three of my siblings The Black Hills are stunning. Onecould join me. The four of us began an adventure that will provide memoriesto last a lifetime. The journey started for me in Chicago and ended for trip was heading from Mountof my favorite drives of the entireall of us in Seattle. In between, we made stops in Illinois, Kansas, South Rushmore to Devil’s Tower inDakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and finally Washington State. From Wyoming. It is a part of the countryI will never forget. With athe vantage of hindsight, I fully appreciate the oft-quoted sentiment thatpictures cannot do justice to the West. It must be seen.thankful heart for having finallyOne of the highlights of the trip was Abraham Lincoln’s home in seen these four presidents carvedSpringfield, Illinois. In considering possible routes, I could not pass up the into the rock, and for the contributionseach one made to the countryopportunity for a visit. The drive through Illinois made me appreciate thispiece of the country as I thought of Lincoln’s experience in it. As the vast we were traveling, my siblings andflat farmland went on for seamless miles, I thought about Lincoln covering I continued on our journey boundthat same ground as he traveled to debate Douglas for the seat in the for one of those “great expectations”—theLittle Bighorn NationalSenate. It was particularly profound to me, knowing what this countrymeant to the man who would be our 16th president, and how he envisionedits future.My twin, Danielle ’00, and myBattlefield. It did not disappoint.Our next destination was Kansas City. Some parts of my “American brother, Ralph, are also teachers;Road Trip” I had great hopes for—Yellowstone, Battle of Little Bighorn, my brother is even a history16 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

WE STOOD, CALMED BY THE RHYTHM OFTHE OCEAN’S CRASHING WAVES, THINKINGABOUT ALL THAT WE HAD SEEN ANDteacher. But it was my little sister,Michele, who helped me most inthinking about the educationalvalue of this trip to me and mystudents. She asked so manyquestions. The right kind ofquestions. The kind that forcedme to either explain what matteredabout a place or fill the gaps inmy knowledge.With four drivers, we could seemuch more than if I’d gone alone.We broke into two pairs, one navigatingand one driving. As mybrother and I were paired, it freedup Danielle (the only one who waswilling) to read aloud while I drove.On the way to the Little Bighornbattlefield, she read part ofNathaniel Philbrick’s The LastStand. The selection made us allappreciate the history and understandthe people who went beforeus in this corner of Montana.Traveling that landscape drovehome just how important the terrainis, and was, to the people whospend their lives there.Since the battlefield is part of aNative American reservation, wildhorses live there. As we drove atdusk along the ridge to leave thepark, a pack of wild horsesemerged over one of the bluffs.They looked majestic in the settingsun, and I couldn’t help but bereminded of George ArmstrongCuster, the brilliant cavalry commanderof the Civil War whoadored horses, but fatally and enigmaticallytook his last stand here.After Little Bighorn, we headedsouth into Wyoming for the OldTrail Town in Cody and to startour tour of several beautifulnational parks of the Northwest.We were able to see Yellowstone,Grand Tetons, Glacier, and theHoh National Forest. Thank youTeddy Roosevelt of the Rushmorequartet: the preservation of theseparks for the enjoyment of people‘‘EXPERIENCED.’’from all over the globe is anincredible blessing upon posterity.When I was choosing betweenOregon and Washington for ourfinal destination, two things happenedto help me make up mymind. My brother mentionedWashington is home to the onlyrainforest in the continental U.S.,and an article in Outside Magazinelisted the Olympic Peninsula as oneof the top ten drives for anAmerican road trip.There is nothing quite like theforests of that peninsula. We foundout exactly why two of Seattle’sbiggest exports are timber andpaper as every few minutes a truckloaded with logs roared by.Perhaps, for us, Olympic was specialbecause it was there that wefinally reached the Pacific Ocean.Throughout the trip we had beenable to touch upon several key locationsof the Lewis and Clark trails(as Danielle read aloud fromStephen Ambrose’s UndauntedCourage). We were keenly aware ofthe connections to these explorersas we crossed the same lands theydid. Although we knew exactlywhen we would hit shore, withnone of the unknowns faced by theCorps of Discovery, we still couldnot help feeling exhilarated, as theymust have been, to see that sandand sea. We stood, calmed by therhythm of the ocean’s crashingwaves, thinking about all that wehad seen and experienced. Clark saidit best: “Ocian(sic) in view.Oh! The joy!”Thus ended our trip. It is withdeepest gratitude to Dutchess DaySchool that I write about a once-ina-lifetimeexperience. I hope toreturn the favor with the renewedenergy of an excited teacher.ABOVE: Michele, me, Ralph, andDanielle at Mt. Rushmore.BELOW: Last Stand Hill atthe Little Bighorn Battlefield.the court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 17

PLANNEDGIVINGHow Can I Help?Planned Giving Optionsby Robert Anthonyas a longtime Dutchess Day trustee andparent of three alums (Arthur ’03, Mimi ’04,and Sarah ’08) I have been closely associatedwith the school for the past severaldecades. I have come to appreciate the unique rolethat DDS plays in Dutchess County. Our communitywas indeed fortunate when Dutchess Day was foundedin this region in 1955. It has been an invaluableresource for families in the Hudson Valley for nearly60 years. Having a first rate elementary school in ourbackyard has proven to be a tremendous asset forfamilies as they consider the merits of residing in orrelocating to this neighborhood.DDS’s upcoming 60th Anniversary provides allof us with an opportunity. It is a perfect time to askourselves how we might best contribute to the schoolat this time. I encourage all who are in a position todo so to consider a bequest or some other type ofplanned gift which will increase the school’s endowment.The endowment provides funds on an annualbasis for financial aid for deserving young students,for support of the faculty in taking advantage ofprofessional development opportunities, and for themaintenance of the growing physical plant. We canall help in some way and I urge all members of theDDS family to ponder how they might participate inthis anniversary effort to help provide the financialresources that Dutchess Day requires to meet thechallenges of today and tomorrow.Below is a recap of some of the simplest and mosteffective planned giving options.●Gift from your will.A bequest naming DDS as beneficiary of a will orrevocable trust. This can be a dollar amount or apercent of the remainder of your estate after all otherbequests, taxes, and expenses.●Beneficiary of life insurance.DDS becomes beneficiary of a plan that you nolonger need (for example your children are grown).Proceeds not subject to estate tax and may be largeenough to create a named endowment to carry onyour support into the future.●Beneficiary of a retirement plan.Amounts distributed to a non-profit like DDS willbe tax free, which means that 100 cents on the dollarwill be used for a charitable purpose you designate.If you plan to provide support to DDS through yourestate, retirement assets will almost always be the“best” assets to use.If you would like to learn more about planned givingat Dutchess Day School, please contact Vanessa Parkat vpark@dutchessdaysch.org or at (845)677-5014.Did you know Dutchess Day School is on Facebook and Twitter?Visit us there, clicK “liKe,” aND follow us to checK out upcomiNg eVeNts!18 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

NEWTRUSTEESDDS New Trustee Profilesby Vanessa ParkJOHN ALLEN rejoins the boardafter a one year hiatus. John andhis wife, Christine Wagner, cameto Dutchess as parents in 2001when their daughter Charlotte’10 entered kindergarten. Johnhas been an avid supporter ofand volunteer at the schoolever since, most notably servingas a trustee from 2002-2013as treasurer, chair of the financecommittee, and vice-president,and in many other roles. Priorto moving to Sherman, CT, Johnworked in finance in New YorkCity. He was most recently atGoldman, Sachs & Co. asvice president.The product of an independentschool education, as a Hotchkissgraduate John understands thevalue to be gained at a schoollike Dutchess where a close-knitcommunity teaches students thevalue of learning, volunteering,sportsmanship, and supportingone another.John says, “It’s a great honorto return to the board and tobe able to maintain a strong connectionto the DDS community,which has added so much to ourlives and for which my daughter,wife, and I have tremendousaffection, gratitude, and respect.Personally, I have been involvedwith very few organizations thathave been so engaging, reward-ing, and fun. I am looking forwardto being involved with thisvery special place, again.ALICIA DAVIS was born inMilledgeville, GA and lived invarious places throughout theSouth as she grew up. Aliciaattended the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill, withan English major and creativewriting minor, graduating in1991. She moved to New YorkCity where she worked atConnoisseur Magazine in thephotography department.When Connoisseur foldedunexpectedly, Alicia movedsouth again to Atlanta, GAwhere she worked forNationsBank (later Bank ofAmerica) in the outplacementdepartment. In 1995 Aliciamoved to the Hudson Valleyto attend graduate school. Sheearned an MA in teachingEnglish from the State Universityof New Paltz. From 1997-2000,she taught 10th and 12th gradeEnglish at Arlington HighSchool. In addition to teachingcore classes, she designed andtaught three senior electivecourses in poetry, creativewriting, and world literature.Alicia recently joined the CreativeCouncil for Live Arts Bard at theFisher Center at Bard College.Alicia, her husband StevenEllis, and two sons, Jack ’14 andSam ’17 live in Germantown.A tireless volunteer for theParents Association, she joinedthe board in the spring of 2014.Alicia says, “As a trustee,I am honored to support thiscommunity and work withother trustees who give freelyof their time to make surewe stay true to the mission ofthe school: strong academics,fostering natural curiosity, andproviding an atmosphere oftrust and mutual respect.”ANN STETTNER CHARLES joins theboard this year in her capacityas Parents Association president.Ann is co-owner and head ofsales and marketing at WildThymes Farm, Inc. Since joiningthe family company in 1997,she has launched a line ofWild Thymes branded products,developed marketing and salesplans for the products, andadded new channels of tradeincluding private label, foodservice,and retail (consumerwebsite). Under her direction,Wild Thymes has gained areputation for creativity, quality,and superior customer service.Prior to joining Wild Thymes,Ann was a senior executive ata sports marketing firmthe court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 19

■ DDS SCIENCE WING FACTS14The number of weeks it took totear down the old science wingand put up the new one.12the number of 30-yarddumpsters-worth of demolitiondebris hauled away.2800square footage102grand total: how many gallons ofpaint were used for the new addition.31The number of windowsthat let the light into our newscience wing.19The number of steps in the newstaircase that was as dazzling toour students as the sciencewing itself!238the number of science labs peryear conducted by students acrossthe grades in our great newscience classrooms!∞the cumulative value of scienceeducation in an up-to-the-datespace for generations ofDDs students.NEWTRUSTEES(International Sports andEntertainment Strategies), whereshe created and managed a fifteenpersonsponsorship sales division,whose projects included someprestigious sporting events, such asthe World Cup and the ParalympicGames. Ann has traveled theworld extensively and is fluent inSpanish and proficient in Italian.She currently sits on the boardof the Winnakee Land Trust.Ann and her husband NeilCharles live in Staatsburg withtheir daughter Olivia ’17. Whenit came to deciding where Oliviawould go to school, after visitingDDS and meeting some teachers,Ann says, “We never lookedanywhere else!”In her tenure as PA president,Ann is “looking forward to collaboratingwith the wonderful parentbody to make the kick-off to the60th anniversary a great success.”NEW BOARD PRESIDENTDOUG DUNDAS joined the boardin 2011 and this last summerbecame board president whenSarah Stack retired from thatrole. Doug, his wife, JenniferDonnelly, and daughter, DaisyDundas ’17, have been part ofthe Dutchess Day communitysince Daisy entered kindergarten.They were drawn to the school’sreputation as well as its graciousrural character.Though Doug’s true passion iswine and winemaking, which hedoes at Blackbird Hill, a RieslingVineyard in Salt Point, he has animpressive résumé as a writer,editor, and communications andmarketing executive. Originallya journalist working with ABCNews, Money Magazine, andS&P/ Businessweek, he shiftedgears in 1999 to run the editorialgroup at Goldman Sachs WealthManagement. Since then, he hasworked at Citigroup in the globalwealth management sector, servingas global head of investmentresearch and communications,and Marsh Inc. as chief marketingofficer. Along the way healso formed his own boutiqueconsultancy, Doug DundasCommunications, specializingin communications for financialservices firms. Currently Dougstill heads up his own businessand is also chief marketing officerfor Octagon Asset Management.Feeling deeply connected toDutchess Day already, Doug lovesthat the school offers a program“that combines simplicity withsophistication, nature with rigor,collaboration with sportsmanlikecompetition.” What strikes himthe most about the school issomething hard to pin down:“It’s too broad and diverse tocall it family, and besides, there isan overarching sense of academicpurpose that makes this an unmistakablyeducational institution.But at the same time, it’s toopersonal to call it just a school.It’s a community.” Doug is delightedto give of his time to DutchessDay in his new role as boardpresident. He feels that the school,as with “any close-knit community,”is “familiar and comfortable.A place where children canflourish—like home.”20 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

NEWFACULTYkindergarten and first grade formany years. She loves running,hiking, and reading, and playsand coaches soccer. She lives inWassaic, just down the streetfrom Mrs. Yager. Knowing theimportant connection betweenplay and learning, she brings allof her energy and intellect toteaching our youngest children inthe Lillian Goldman Preschooland has already shown herschool spirit by dressing fromhead-to-toe in rainbow colors onRainbow Day during spirit week.KELLI KNAPP started workingat Dutchess Day School in 2013,as a general factotum in thelower school, helping out withanything and everything. Thispast fall, she took on her currentrole as the second grade assistant.From the beginning, Kellisays, she has been impressedwith DDS’ ability to “fosterenthusiasm for learning.” Kelligraduated from SUNY Plattsburgh,and in May of 2014 receiveda master’s degree in literacyeducation from Mercy College.Kelli is a Poughkeepsie nativeand continues to live in her hometown.She has danced since shecould walk; she competed on hercollege dance team and continuesto dance, though these days it ismostly in classes at the gym.MIKE MURRAY joins Dutchess DaySchool after working hard aroundthe edges, leading the after schooljazz band and giving lessonsto our drumming students. Henow leads our music program,coordinating its various aspectsso it runs smoothly. He earnedhis Bachelor of Music from theCrane School of Music at SUNYPotsdam. He teaches third, fourth,fifth, and seventh grade music,while also pursuing his Masters inMusic Education and CurriculumDevelopment at Boston University.Mike is also coaching JV soccer,co-leading the Model U.N. activitygroup and serving as a seventhgrade advisor.Kim Barone works withthird grader Luke Morley.Another Poughkeepsie native,MATTHEW WOOLEVER, is heretwo days a week, directing boththe upper and lower choirs,acting as musical theater director,and teaching music to the sixthand eighth grades. In NovemberMatt co-directed the sixth gradeproduction of Macbeth, theMusical Comedy, and is lookingforward to directing the eighthgrade play next spring. Mattgraduated from the Crane Schoolof Music at SUNY Potsdam andreceived a master’s degree inchoral conducting from BardCollege. He has been the musicaldirector for productions at theCenter for Performing Arts inRhinebeck and at DutchessCommunity College, and hastaught orchestra, chorus, band,and guitar.Kelli KnappMichael MurrayMatthew Woolever22 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

STICKING AROUND: Three Veteran Teachers (Continued from page 15)subconscious told me to payattention. It forced me to care.This is remarkable. But how didshe trick me? How could she makethis happen?She was excited to be in theclassroom, always. How excitedare you every day about your job?On some days do you drag yourselfout of bed? It is just hard to careabout something every day withtotal commitment. Without adoubt, Mrs. Pagano wanted to bethere. She was committed.Every class was unpredictable. Itwas a history class—by definitionhow could it contain anythingunexpected? When we walked toclass, we never knew who wouldbe greeting us. Maybe it would beMrs. Pagano. Maybe it would beMrs. Pagano, proud member of theIroquois tribe. Or maybe shewould be a colonist rebuking theoverbearing grip of England. Shewould become part of what wewere learning and took everyopportunity to wear a costume andact out a scene for us. This madeour lessons real.These elements, above all others,held my interest in the class. Iwould arrive in her classroom onmy toes. We were never sure whatwe would need to do. We would betested on the preamble to theConstitution since we learned itexplained the entire rationale forthe American Revolution. We coulddebate a court decision and beable to back up our positions, asthe characters involved wouldhave. Maybe I would need to dressup as a colonial statesman anddefend my right to govern landagainst a native heathen by thename of Gordon Burdis ’00, otherwiseknown as my classmate.Whatever it was I would be doing,I wanted to do it right. I needed tooffer her the same enthusiasm andeffort that she showed me. It wasimportant to me that I showedMrs. Pagano that I cared too.Maria Montessori once said,“Education should no longer bemostly imparting knowledge, butmust take a new path, seeking therelease of human potentials.” Mrs.Pagano did just that—she createdan environment wherewe could pursue a project withreckless enthusiasm and it wouldbe celebrated. We could pushourselves without her pushing us.She lit the fuse.Let’s stop a moment to thinkabout how remarkable this is fora 7th grade U.S history teacher toachieve. Sherry Pagano is not just aU.S. History teacher, though. Infact, most people reading this mayhave been previously unaware thatshe taught 7th grade at all. In fact,she has taught: 5th grade homeroom,7th and 8th grade Americanhistory, 8th grade chemistry andastronomy, lower school science(K-3), 3rd grade homeroom, 6thgrade homeroom, developed thehealth curriculum across the school,and coached the tennis team. I liketo imagine that this would bewhat an Olympic EducationalPentathlon would look like. I simplycannot imagine one persondoing all of these things and doingthem exceptionally well.Sherry Pagano has been doingthis at Dutchess Day School since1990. If every class had fifteen students,she will have taught 360children over her twenty-four yearscaring and being excited aboutteaching us. When you calculatethe lower school science and healthclasses she has taught, that numberprobably doubles. I can promiseyou that fifteen years from now, thestudents she is teaching today willremember what they learned in herclassroom. They will also learn theindelible lesson that being enthusiasticabout learning is cool.There are a lot of teachers whocare about the material they teach.Between first and eighth grade, Ihad approximately twenty differentteachers involved in my education.All of them cared about me.All of them wanted me to learn.I can only imagine that not all ofthem loved every moment spentteaching me and I honestly can’tblame them.On behalf of all of your students,thank you Mrs. Pagano for helpingto shape us. Thank you for remindingus that learning is something tobe excited about. And thank you,most of all, for all of the fun.DON’T MISS THE CELEBRATION:60 YEARSAT DUTCHESS DAY SCHOOL1955-2015Saturday, September 26, 2015 atThorndale Farm in Millbrook, New Yorkthe court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 23

ALUMNINEWS1987● Shane Murray visited the school inaugust to show her two sons, Kyle, 9,and matthew, 2, where she spent muchof her childhood, as her father, Davidmurray, was head of school from 1980to 1985. shane lives in New lebanon, Nhwith her family, which includes a daughter,Katie, 22. she owns her own business,the murray agency, an insuranceand financial services company. shanesays, “i loved seeing the pics of my dadin the school and all of the changes.such a special place to me.”1993● ms. park met with Beth Boisi for coffeeat slammin’ salmon in millbrook earlyin september while she was visiting hermother. Beth spoke about her recentadventures and upcoming move. sherecently traveled for nine weeks throughthailand and indonesia. she started outvisiting the Blooming yoga retreat on theisland of Koh phangan and while inthailand spent time in seven otherplaces, including Bangkok and phuket.she spent time in Bali as well. theexperience was tremendously “freeing,”Beth reports. “i could go wherever i wanted.i learned that it’s only in the u.s. thatpeople say, ‘what do you do?’ most otherplaces people ask, ‘where have youbeen? what do you love?’ when youtravel, you have common ground witheveryone else who travels.” after livingand working in New york, and prior tothat, Denver, co, Beth moved this pastseptember to charleston, south carolina.1994● Tara Fischer lives in Bismarck, NorthDakota and has a doctorate in clinical psychology.she is engaged to Jason geigle.● Rob Wilkinson is an adjunct professorwho teaches art and design at Kendallcollege of art and Design in grandrapids, mi and at grand Valley stateuniversity. he earned his mfa in studiophotography at Kendall. he also has hisown wedding photography businessrobwilkinsonphotography.com.1995● Scott Vitale reports from Denver abouthis trip to Kilimanjaro this past summer.he writes: “our trip to Kilimanjaro issomething my wife, Kate, has been talkingabout doing since our very first date. weconvinced two friends from Denver to tagalong. the trip included a seven day hikeScott Vitale’95 atthe top ofKilimanjaroof Kilimanjaro using the machame route.our group was the four of us, two guides,two cooks, and 14 porters (no pack animals).Day six was summit day and westarted our final climb at just after midnight.we reached the peak at 6:56 am,shortly after we saw the sun rise throughthe clouds. it was an incredible experienceand a real mental and physicalchallenge. after the hike, we spent fourdays on safari in the serengeti,Ngorongoro crater, and manyara Nationalparks. we saw a ton of wildlife includingthree male lions, a cheetah with cubs,hippos, warthogs, gazelle, hyenas, jackals,giraffes, wildebeests, and countlesselephants. the final leg of the trip wasfive days on the beach in Zanzibar.totally relaxing and a great way to winddown before having to come back to thereal world. the tides on the east side ofZanzibar island are extreme, and at lowtide you can walk out a good quarter milebefore reaching the surf. lots of coraland sea critters to see on the walk andincredibly clear aqua waters. Definitelya trip of a lifetime!”● Parker Wayne and his wife of fifteenyears, Katie huff wayne, live in roundrock, tX. they have two children,Benjamin curtis wayne, 2, and Brooklynann wayne, 7 months. parker owns hisown business, apollo games, whichdeals with all generations of video games,from Xbox one to atari.● Reed Weeden Minor and her husbandstephen welcomed their second child,wellsley weeden minor.● Sarah Zachary grant married stevengrant on april 26, 2014. they live inlisbon, Ny, where steven works in lawenforcement and sarah works on theirfarm. prior to moving to lisbon, sarahworked in television production in Newyork city. she loves the changes in herlife and says her work on the farm is “themost rewarding job i’ve ever had.”1997● Emilie Jean irving married ian irvingon march 21st, 2014 at the city clerk’soffice on staten island; the ceremony wasfollowed by dinner and dancing. they traveledto tangier for the month of august.1998● on september 8, 2014, guitarist AlexNolan debuted (singing and playing guitar)with the all-women band called the mVpsand led by everett Bradley, the percussionistfor Bruce springsteen. the mVps isthe studio band on meredith Viera’s newdaily talk show on NBc. alex also playsgigs in and around New york, includingonce a month in rhinebeck at the shelter.this past summer she backed Jill sobule,for whom she has worked before, in a liveshow at the city winery in New york.● this past october, Jacqueline Stahl ’98was married to Oakleigh Thorne ’71 inmillbrook, Ny.1999● Danielle Knapp turner reports abouther recent wedding to adam turner thispast summer. “my wedding was absolutelyperfect! we got married at west hillscountry club in middletown, Ny on June20th. my cousin, Ryan Ruocco ’00, actedas our officiant. former Dutchess Daystudents Ashley Ruocco andKendal Trefz were my maids of honor.my brother, Shane Knapp ’01, was agroomsman. the wedding was alsoattended by Inga Stots mcKay ’99 andIlze Stots, a former DDs student. wehad perfect weather and an amazingcelebration. adam and i both wrote ourown vows and with ryan as our officianteverything was so personal. adam andi honeymooned in st. lucia and relaxedon the beach, which was so much fun!”● Lucy Knisley married John horstmanon september 13, 2014, in rhinebeck, Ny.she writes: “if you were around thehudson Valley that day, you might rememberit as the one that poureD raiN allDay. But it was still fun! we got hitched inmy mom’s backyard woodworking barn inrhinebeck, and ended the night around acampfire. Now i’m back in chicago to workon my next books while promoting my third(An Age of License) that came out fromfantagraphics [in september]. Busy stuff!”2000● Charlie Hettinger lives in tampa, fland works in engineering and design in24 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

ALUMNINEWSMany alumni attendedgraduation 2014.a company he started with his sister anddad called trim aviation. he got marriedon march 9, 2014 to Jen caron hettinger.Paul Stuckey ’00 was the best man!● Ryan Ruocco is an announcer for espNcovering the Brooklyn Nets. this year heand his broadcast team won an emmyaward for the season coverage. he writesto say: “i’m fortunate to do what i love andthat keeps me stimulated on a daily basis.my Nets broadcast team is an incrediblegroup to be part of and being recognizedwith an emmy is an honor and a wonderfulvalidation of all the hard work we putin. it feels good to know people enjoy thework as much as we enjoy doing it.”● Cynthia Tobey is a doctoral candidatein music and music education atteacher’s college at columbia university,concentrating in college teaching.she is also on the applied piano facultyat columbia and teaches a course onchamber music and democracy. lastyear she was a soloist with the lakegeorge chamber orchestra, performingBeethoven’s emperor piano concerto.2002● Kari Shmaling graduated fromuniversity of Vermont in 2010 with apre-vet degree, but since then has decidedto go into human medicine. after living inrhode island, where she worked in anenvironmental chemistry lab, and thenVail, co for six magical months of skiing,Kari and her now-fiancé, mike willey,moved to portland, me. Kari recentlywrote a newsy update: “in maine, i waslucky enough to land a pretty unique job.the company is called integr8health. itwas a start-up at the time — just me, thebusiness manager, and a doctor. Now wehave three offices, one in mass! the doctorsand nurse practitioners certifypatients to use medical marijuana here inmaine. patients must have a qualifyingcondition to be certified. the physiciansspend a full hour with each patient. ouroffice took off! we started getting hundredsof patients who were tired of thesame old horrible health care and theirdoctors pushing prescriptions on them.the word spread fast in maine that therewere doctors willing to spend an hourwith each patient.“when mike had to move twohours north to Bangor to manage abranch of his company we relocated.instead of letting me go, my bossesoffered to let me work from home.Now i do administrative duties remotely.the best aspect of this company is thatthey are so small and understanding theylet me work my schedule around classes.after seeing the doctors and nursesin the practice i decided to switch gearsand go back to school for humanmedicine. i am taking classes to go tonursing school, possibly medical school.we will see how i do! mike and i havebeen together for five years, since oursenior year of college! we will marry atsunday river on top of a ski mountainnext year. Natasha Menell ’02 andJackson Roesch ’02 will both be inmy wedding party.”in memoriamon July 20th, 2014, Scott Carlin ’07 died tragically in a car accident in millbrook.scott was beloved by all his Dutchess Day school classmates, his teachers, andanyone who crossed his path during his three years at the school. scott wasa natural leader, a loving person who would go out of his way to help in any circumstance.a hard worker, whether hitting the books or plowing fields with hisdad, scott got the job done. after Dutchess, scott attended trinity-pawling schoolin pawling, Ny where he was a resident advisor, guiding theyounger students. honorable, kind, and charismatic, scott was alodestone for the other boys. after graduating from tp, scottattended Virginia tech. scott will always be remembered for hisbeautiful grin and big bear hugs. our hearts go out to his family,parents, sarah and earl carlin, his brother, Rip Carlin ’04, andsister, Hanna Carlin, ’09.2004● Kelsey Reifler lives and works in Nyc.she is a graphic designer in Vogue’s inhousecreative agency. Kelsey reports thatshe is “doing things from invitations forevents to helping art direct photo shoots.Brands will come to Vogue asking forbranding campaigns since they trustthe Vogue voice.”2005 10 YEAR ALUMS!● Andrew Abrams is in his second yearas a doctoral candidate at the graduatecenter, cuNy in New york city, planning tograduate in 2018 with a phD in classics.he writes: “i will be specialized in ancienthistory and will also have a certificate inmedieval studies. i went straight intograd school after graduating from hobartand william smith colleges in 2013.i am currently living in Brooklyn, Ny andhave recently gotten engaged to saraahrendtsen, a classmate at hobartand william smith.”● Danielle Craig majored in sociology atwesleyan with a minor in cultural, critical,and social theory. after graduating, shereports: “i’ve been working as a paralegalat the u.s. attorney’s office for thesouthern District of New york. eventuallyi plan to pursue a career either in socialjustice via impact litigation as an attorney,or in public policy at a non-profit of somekind. at the moment, i am applying tovarious fellowships that will give me theopportunity to work abroad next yeareither in humanitarian development workor at an international criminal justicereform organization.”● Graham Derby reported from Buenosaires, argentina, where he moved thispast fall and plans to teach englishas a second language, for which he iscertified. he wrote about his last year ofadventures in south america: “i had anincredible year last year in southern chile.During the winter months of 2013(July-september) i coached for a chileanfree skiing club on Villarrica Volcano.the court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 25

ALUMNINEWSthe job was a huge kickstart for myspanish, considering the majority of mystudents had never skied before and ihad to talk a lot! if i was lucky i got tospend a day coaching the teenagers andwe would work on off-piste.“During the summer (october –february) i worked for one of the betterrecognized tourism agencies (Kayak chile)in the town of pucon. for me, workingat Kayak chile was a unique experience.i learned about tourism, handled anddiffused various situations in spanish,had my marketing work published inchilean magazines and on the internet,and helped mtV film an episode for areality tV show called “the challenge.”i really enjoyed the job because i alsogot to do all of the activities that we soldsuch as class four rafting and climbingthe volcano. after the season, i went toBrazil for the world cup—a once in alifetime experience.”● Chase Grogg graduated in may 2013from hampden-sydney college. he keptup with his singing all through college,acting as president of the a cappellagroup. he sang the national anthem athis graduation. after graduating, chasewrites, “i got a job as an assistant frontoffice manager at the grand hyattwashington in downtown Dc. after a year,i proposed to my girlfriend back in may2014 and...she said yes. we moved awayfrom fairfax, Va back to williamsburg. inow work back at my old job for seaworldparks and entertainment as a supervisorat water country usa and Busch gardensin park operations.”● as Lynn MacPherson studied for hergre this past summer, she says she kept“having flashbacks to 7th and 8th gradeGraham Derby ’05captured withstop-framephotography.english.” she writes to her old englishteacher: “seriously. i haven’t gotten to theletter V yet but i’m sure ‘veritable’ will bein there and that i will remember yourexact explanation!” she claims to be“a year or two shy of reportable news” buthopes to enter a master’s program in psychologynext fall. currently, she works “inhigher education admissions (which i like)and i also coach rowing (which i love).”● Angela Michos finished Dukeuniversity’s paralegal program and isworking in North carolina.● in 2013, Julian Mundy graduatedfrom Vassar with a degree in film. he iscurrently working for federico castelluccio(formerly of “the sopranos”) who ismaking an indy film. Julian is productionassistant.● Ben Sicker lives in New york andworks at fordham university press doingmarketing and editorial work, and “a bitof freelancing on the side.” over the summer,Ben had a remarkable travel experiencehe wrote to us about: “i went on anabsolutely insane vacation all aroundeurope: i flew into milan, spent a week inVenice, went down to rome and flew overto Dubrovnik, croatia. from there, i wentto split, Zagreb, and the plitvice lakesNational park (which may legitimately bethe most beautiful place on the planet,and i’d highly recommend visiting it ifyou get the chance). from there, i wentup to Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna,each for a few days, before flying tolondon. after london, i flew to amsterdamwhere i met up with my father to go tonorthwestern spain and walk a 130-milesection of the santiago de compostelapilgrimage (though in a purely secularfashion) over ten days. finally, i endedthe trip by spending a few days in hollandby myself, and then a week in Belgium &luxembourg. it was definitely tremendousfun. while i was still in college, i traveledto mongolia with scientists from thewildlife conservation society to look forendangered white-naped cranes.”● Matt Tse sent a newsy report fromBoston, catching us up on what he’s beenup to since loomis chaffee where he wasa tri-varsity athlete, and became aneagle scout with Boy scouts of america.after a year at Dutchess communitycollege while he decided his next step,matt aimed for the biotechnology Ba/maprogram at Boston university. the location,Boston, is a center for biotech industryand seemed like a good place to be.he writes: “while attending Bu, i alsopicked up a part-time job, working in theit help center. after three years of intensebiochemistry focus, getting an advanceddegree just after graduating did not appearworthwhile for my interests and i wantedto move away from academics. i began jobsearching eight months before graduating,and as June came around, i accepted anentry-level software engineer position atBoston children’s hospital. i’ve been workingthere for just over a year. i have beenkeeping an eye open for new opportunitiesthat could further develop my skill in technologyand entrepreneurship.”2006● Mark Colvin graduated last may fromsyracuse university, where he was consistentlyon the dean’s list, with a degree incommunications and rhetorical studies.he now lives and works in New york. he isemployed at the prestigious advertisingcompany Keep holdings, on park avenue.● Adi Fracchia has moved to washingtonDc where she is working on worldwidewater issues for a start-up company.● after graduating from elon with a Ba infinance, Cole Reifler reports from his newlife in Nyc: “i just started working at aboutique asset management and investmentbanking firm called forefront capitalin the city. i am currently working withthe banking department as well as thesales division to market and distributeunique financial products that we havebeen developing. it has already been aneye-opening experience and an incrediblelearning opportunity.”2007● Ben Agrawal, while studying atNortheastern, has had several jobs, called“co-ops” in which he puts his skills andstudies to direct use. he worked last yearfor amory engineers on projects involvingwater conservation efforts for cities, buildinghydraulic models of distribution systemsand figuring out when peak demandoccurs. the goal was to make recommendationsto the water departments in thesetowns about when to implement bans onunnecessary water usage, like car wash-26 www.DutchessDay.org . wiNter 2015

ALUMNINEWSing and lawn watering. in middleboro,mass., Ben and his boss figured out a wayto utilize different water basins at differenttimes of the day to mitigate environmentalimpact, for example on a threatened wetland.another project had Ben correcting adisinfection problem. he explained all themath he had to do to figure out how toget a higher concentration of disinfectantwithout actually adding more chemicals.he did a “lot of calculations to figure outhow the water would be split betweenold and new pipe of different lengths,diameters and hazen-williams coefficients(measure of smoothness) and to figureout volumetric flow rates.” Ben is reallyexcited about continuing his work in“some sort of environmental engineering”perhaps in creating “more space-efficient,water-efficient, energy-efficient buildings,for example collecting and using rainwaterand combining on-site filtration andrecycling systems.”● Monica Cabrera is living and workingin rhode island where she earned hercosmetology license at the euphoriainstitute in lincoln. within the next fewyears, she will test and become licensedin massachusetts.● Elisabeth Constantino is a senior attufts university, majoring in philosophyand minoring in english. she reports thatshe is “working in a lot of the corners ofthe public speaking world,” for exampleteaching and coaching debate at thehotchkiss summer program.● Maggie Haas studied in Bath lastspring with the advanced studies inengland program with a focus on poetry.while there she traveled to edinburgh andst. andrews in scotland, paris, london,and amsterdam. she also had theopportunity to study for a week at oxford.she is currently a senior english major atskidmore college, writing poetry andstudying under poet april Bernard. sheworks at the writing center as a peer tutorand at the skidmore barn, where she alsorides several times a week.2008● Christy Agrawal is a junior englishmajor at suNy geneseo. last year shehad her own radio show on the collegestation, and tutored a 5th grader inenglish. she reports: “i have been anactive member of a student-led experimentalclass called the thoreau hardingproject. i love writing (still - always), in particularpoetry, and i have a website[www.hichristyleighagrawal.wordpress.com]. i love all (most) things related to philosophy,physics, and women’s studies.and i am also in my third semester ofJapanese – and really love the language!”● Zoë Wilson attends elon universityas a theatrical design & production majorwith a minor in marketing. she has completedher requirements already andplans to graduate early. Zoë reports: “i ama member of alpha omicron pi, whichreally helped me find a family at elon. aoiiis without a doubt the best thing that hasever happened to me. i am currently takingmostly marketing and advertisingclasses and absolutely loving them. i haveworked the past two summers at Burlockinteriors, in Beacon, Ny. this summer iwas a junior designer, handling clientsand marketing/promotional materials aswell as doing a ton of social media workfor them. i am studying hawaiian cultureand identity this January for a month asa part of an elon study usa trip, and thenwill finish up my required credits thisspring. post college, i hope to work in marketingor design, either in interior designor events. i am currently applying to jobsall over the world. sydney, australia,london, atlanta, charleston, andcharlotte are currently my top five citiesof preference for post-graduation jobs.”2009● Christian Marzullo is in his secondyear at george washington universityand loving it. he is majoring in politicalscience and minoring in spanish.this past summer, he interned for ahedge fund in New york. this past fallhe interned at a political consulting firmin Dc while attending classes.2010● Roan Gideon graduated fromrhinebeck high school last may as aNational merit finalist and is attendingprinceton university.● Sophie Perekslis, who graduated fromBerkshire last may, is a freshman atmt. holyoke and plays for the varsity fieldhockey team. they ended the seasonranked 13th in the Newmac (the Newengland women’s and men’s athleticconference) division. sophie has consistentlybeen among the top ten scorers inthat conference during her first season.2011● Erica Doyle is a senior at millbrookschool and this year is one of seven peercounselors. as a peer counselor, ericawent to camp Jewel with the othercounselors and all the sophomores fortwo days, and she will head humanDevelopment, a sophomore version ofhealth class, twice a week.in July of 2014 erica competed on aregional pony club team at the Nationalpony club championships in lexington,Ky. the team won the senior c Division ofQuizz, (an unmounted, multi-phase horsemanagement trivia test, of sorts). she andher two teammates (one from Dover plainsand one from rhode island) studied hardover the summer but still were surprisedto win after three days of grueling testing.it was “quite an experience!” she reportsthat she has gotten her hB certification,which is the horse-management portionof the B pony club rating. she is currentlyworking on college apps and right nowVassar is near the top of her list!2012● Alex Chalk, a fifth former at themillbrook school, traveled this past summerto india to do important work with anon-profit organization called sheD—thesociety for human and environmentalDevelopment, based in mumbai. sheD,founded and largely funded by BegumBilkees latif, the wife of former governorof maharashtra, has been working onbehalf of slum dwellers in mumbai andsurrounding areas for 25 years to improveliving conditions, and provide education,health care, family clinics, and nutritionalaid for children and pregnant mothers.alex explained that the city is divided intoneighborhoods, each a poverty-riddledslum with its own significant issues, fromhiV and a total lack of clean water, to malnourishment,and overwhelming numbersof immigrants from even poorer outlyingareas who flood the city daily by the thousands.he remarked on the “strongsense of community among the people.they feel hopeful for themselves, whichwas inspirational, given how much theystruggle.” alex, who traveled to india withhis mother, brought large quantities ofschool supplies that he and his sister,Sarah Chalk ’14, collected, and donatedthem to tribal areas. he had also raised$2,000.00 to take over with him. he commentedthat a water system for a tribecosts $10,000.00. alex volunteered tirelesslyfor nearly a month alongside sheDworkers in all the neighborhoods wherethe organization has a presence, and tookhundreds of incredible photographs ofpeople and settings. while he was there,alex also worked on the website, and thefacebook page, and created a brochure toget the message out about the organization.he even redesigned the logo. hiscommitment to sheD has not ended andhe still donates time to the organization.2013● last year, as a freshman, Peter Fousekmade the varsity wrestling team andvarsity crew team at salisbury, and madethe first honor roll both terms. this year,as a sophomore, peter is running forstudent government.the court yarD . www.DutchessDay.org 27

Dutchess Day school415 route 343 millbrook, New york 12545845.677. 5014 ■ www.dutchessday.orgDDS UPCOMING EVENTS 2015January 19school closed/martin luther King DayFebruary 16school closed/presidents’ DayFebruary 24DDs science fairMarch 123rd grade playMarch 16 - 27school closed/spring BreakApril 16 & 17parent/teacher conferencesApril 27school closed/spring weekendApril 23spring recitalApril 29secondary school fairApril 30Nyc alumni eventMay 14spring concertMay 15ls talent showMay 21 & 228th grade playMay 25school closed/memorial DayMay 29field Day & upper schooltalent showMay 30cocktail partyJune 6graduationSave the Date: DDS 60th Gala Kick-Off Cocktail PartysaturDay, may 30th 2015 . 5:30-7:30pm . eVeNt Details comiNg sooN!!!First week of school:Tyler Albrechtreads to preschoolers.