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<strong>Under</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Oak</strong><br />
FALL <strong>2017</strong><br />
VISION 2022: DUKE SCHOOL’S STRATEGIC PLAN<br />
Five-year plan to continue moving <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> forward<br />
THE DUFFER BROTHERS –<br />
LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK<br />
Matt and Ross Duffer’s journey from <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> to Netflix<br />
2016-17 DRAGON FUND REPORT<br />
Celebration and Recognition of <strong>the</strong> Honor Roll of Donors<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
1
<strong>Under</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Oak</strong><br />
DUKE SCHOOL CORE VALUES<br />
WHAT WE DO<br />
Inspire learners to boldly and creatively shape <strong>the</strong>ir future.<br />
IDEAS WE LIVE BY<br />
LEARNER-CENTERED<br />
Learners are <strong>the</strong> center of a dynamic and collaborative<br />
learning, inquiry and discovery process.<br />
ACTIVE INQUIRY<br />
Intellectual curiosity through project-based learning<br />
propels learners to explore multiple paths to creative solutions.<br />
BOLD THINKERS<br />
A deep love of learning and respect for our community<br />
forms bold, critical thinkers for life.<br />
WHY WE DO IT<br />
To prepare <strong>the</strong> next generation of problem solvers<br />
for our complex world.<br />
EDITORS<br />
WRITERS<br />
MAGAZINE DIRECTOR<br />
HEAD OF SCHOOL<br />
DESIGNER<br />
Lucy Bradshaw<br />
Deryle A. Daniels, Jr.<br />
Lea Hart<br />
Lia Manos<br />
Ashley Schlax<br />
Irecka Smith<br />
Dave Michelman<br />
Gina Lorsson<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> publishes <strong>Under</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Oak</strong> annually for its<br />
alumni, parents, grandparents and friends. If you would<br />
like to add someone to our mailing list, please e-mail<br />
communications@dukeschool.org. We also welcome<br />
news about alumni for future publications; please e-mail<br />
alumni@dukeschool.org with this information.<br />
2<br />
UNDER THE OAK
INSIDE this issue<br />
MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL . ..................4<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> – turning 70-years-old and continuing to expand its<br />
possibilities.<br />
FROM THE DESK OF HARVEY “SMOKEY” DANIELS . ......... 5<br />
Smokey Daniels reflects on his partnership with <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> and <strong>the</strong><br />
school’s features in his book The Curious Classroom.<br />
VISION 2022: DUKE SCHOOL’S STRATEGIC PLAN . ........ 6-10<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s strategic plan, FIRE – offers a five-year plan to continue<br />
moving <strong>the</strong> school forward.<br />
SAME FUND, NEW NAME . ........................... 11<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Annual Fund has been named <strong>the</strong> Dragon Fund.<br />
TED-ED IN THE MAKING . ........................12-13<br />
The making of a Ted-Ed video: Q&A with student Sydney Siegel.<br />
LACROSSE JOINS DUKE SCHOOL’S ATHLETICS ROSTER . .....14<br />
Lacrosse is now an optional sport for middle schoolers.<br />
CREATING…PROBLEM SOLVERS . ..................... 15<br />
Hannah Wilkins ’13 receives <strong>the</strong> Chancellor’s Science Scholarship<br />
from UNC.<br />
IN A CLASS OF HIS OWN . .......................16-17<br />
Adam Woolley ’99 speaks about his organization, Circus Now.<br />
THE “QUEEN OF USEFUL JUNK” . .................. 18-19<br />
Katie Dektar ’00 reflects on her kindergarten experience<br />
that led her to Google.<br />
5 THINGS I LEARNED FROM SYLVIA CHARD . ........... 20-21<br />
Teacher Natalie Cicero shares lessons from Sylvia Chard’s PATEN training.<br />
LIFE AFTER DUKE SCHOOL: PRINCETON IN AFRICA . ..... 22-23<br />
Shan Nagar ’08 reflects on his Princeton in Africa program.<br />
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS: ALWAYS A DRAGON .......... 24-25<br />
Celebrating <strong>the</strong> destinations of 2013 and <strong>2017</strong> grads.<br />
THE DUFFER BROTHERS –<br />
LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK . .............. 26-31<br />
Matt and Ross Duffer share <strong>the</strong>ir journey from <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> to Netflix.<br />
2016-17 DRAGON FUND REPORT . .................. 32-43<br />
Celebration and recognition of <strong>the</strong> Honor Roll of Donors.<br />
ON THE COVER:<br />
Welcome to <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>!<br />
INSIDE OF THE COVER:<br />
<strong>Oak</strong> tree on <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s campus. Students and faculty use<br />
<strong>the</strong> oak tree as a regular meeting place and refer to it as<br />
U.T.O.T. (under <strong>the</strong> oak tree).<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
3
Message from Dave Michelman, Head of <strong>School</strong><br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> will<br />
turn 70-years-old this<br />
year. What began<br />
as a nursery school<br />
for 30 students has<br />
evolved into a<br />
nationally renowned<br />
We are excited to teach o<strong>the</strong>r educators how<br />
to bring project work into <strong>the</strong>ir classrooms.<br />
International consultant and mo<strong>the</strong>r of The Project<br />
Approach, Sylvia Chard, has designated <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> as an official Project Approach <strong>School</strong><br />
– trusting and training many of our faculty how<br />
to teach Project Approach to o<strong>the</strong>r teachers.<br />
preschool<br />
through<br />
Similarly, Harvey “Smokey” Daniels, a national<br />
eighth-grade school, serving about 500 students.<br />
While <strong>the</strong> original nursery school’s purpose was to<br />
provide fodder for <strong>Duke</strong> University’s psychology<br />
department, today’s school is totally committed to<br />
preparing our students to succeed in high school<br />
and more importantly in life.<br />
All would agree that today’s world is very different<br />
from <strong>the</strong> one 70 years ago, and yet <strong>the</strong> core of<br />
who we are remains <strong>the</strong> same. From <strong>the</strong> school’s<br />
beginning through today, teachers perceive and<br />
treat students as autonomous individuals who are<br />
on a shared learning journey. We treat students<br />
and <strong>the</strong>ir ideas with respect and encourage<br />
<strong>the</strong>m to take intellectual risks. Ironically, many of<br />
<strong>the</strong> schools that discounted this approach for a<br />
more conventional one are now striving to mirror<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>. Finally, we have all realized that<br />
empowered students are more likely to succeed<br />
in today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and<br />
ambiguous) world.<br />
educational consultant, recognized <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
as a partner school in his latest book, The Curious<br />
Classroom. These esteemed consultants highly<br />
recognize both <strong>the</strong> strength of our program and<br />
our teachers.<br />
Yet, we cannot rest on our laurels. Our latest<br />
strategic plan, FIRE, lays out a blueprint for an<br />
even brighter future. We will focus on helping<br />
students generate increasingly creative solutions<br />
to a range of problems. We will help <strong>the</strong>m become<br />
self-aware and be able to care for <strong>the</strong>mselves<br />
including knowing when to unplug and set aside<br />
technology. We will work to ensure our school is<br />
equitable and just while sharing our knowledge<br />
with o<strong>the</strong>r educators.<br />
A rapidly changing world can create a sense of<br />
dislocation; it also opens <strong>the</strong> door to amazing<br />
possibilities. <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> is ready to trail blaze<br />
again by taking advantage of those possibilities.<br />
4<br />
UNDER THE OAK
from <strong>the</strong> desk of...<br />
Harvey “Smokey”<br />
Daniels<br />
To my <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> friends:<br />
far beyond any o<strong>the</strong>r school in my research. This<br />
was a chance to learn from true experts.<br />
We continued to work in varying capacities over<br />
<strong>the</strong> next four years, sometimes including my<br />
with MICHAEL GILBERT<br />
amazing co-author Sara Ahmed.<br />
Earlier this year, Heinemann published my<br />
book The Curious Classroom: Ten Structures<br />
for Teaching with Student Directed Inquiry. If<br />
you flip through that volume, much of it reads<br />
like a tribute to <strong>the</strong> amazing teachers at <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong>. There are stories, pictures, and lessons<br />
from many different classrooms, from primary<br />
to middle school. The book is finding a wide<br />
audience among educators who<br />
love learning from what happens<br />
on your campus every day.<br />
My relationship with <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
began in 2013, when Kathy<br />
Bartelmay and Jenny Murray asked<br />
me to come and do a workshop<br />
with <strong>the</strong> faculty. Once I got to see<br />
<strong>the</strong> campus, meet <strong>the</strong><br />
people, and hear <strong>the</strong><br />
school’s history, I was<br />
hooked. My own kids<br />
went to an independent demonstration school<br />
with a very similar history and outlook; <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> was right in my sweet spot as a researcher,<br />
a teacher, and a parent. But most of all, <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong>’s inquiry-driven curriculum was advanced<br />
Photo: The Heinemann<br />
Smokey Daniels’ The Curious<br />
Classroom features <strong>the</strong> work<br />
of 16 <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> educators!<br />
The Curious Classroom features stories from 12<br />
different schools around <strong>the</strong> U.S.; <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
is one of three that are specially featured. Every<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> story in The Curious Classroom<br />
was written by <strong>the</strong> teachers who made <strong>the</strong>se<br />
remarkable lessons come alive. Featured topics<br />
include: electricity, <strong>the</strong> flu, creating “noticing<br />
books,” running a <strong>the</strong>ater company, interviewing<br />
an expert, and getting stitches.<br />
I served as editor, coach, and<br />
cheerleader—but <strong>the</strong> reports are<br />
100% teacher-sourced.<br />
Perhaps my fondest memory<br />
of all this work is that, even as<br />
a national leader on inquiry<br />
teaching, <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> teachers<br />
are leaders—educators<br />
who are relentlessly<br />
focused on getting<br />
better, moving ahead,<br />
and experimenting with <strong>the</strong>ir practice. What a<br />
wonderful model for <strong>the</strong> kids you serve every<br />
day. And what wonderful guidance you are now<br />
offering, remotely but powerfully, to schools and<br />
teachers around <strong>the</strong> country.<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
5
VISION 2022:<br />
DUKE SCHOOL’S<br />
STRATEGIC PLAN<br />
By Lea Hart, <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Parent<br />
When <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Board of Trustees began<br />
to consider a new strategic plan for <strong>the</strong> school,<br />
a number of questions ran through <strong>the</strong> minds of<br />
board members.<br />
What should our priorities be? What voices need<br />
to be heard in <strong>the</strong> process? What are <strong>the</strong> keys to<br />
staying true to <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s mission? And some<br />
even asked, do we need a new strategic plan?<br />
“There are a bunch of people who say, ‘don’t<br />
bo<strong>the</strong>r, life changes too fast,’” Head of <strong>School</strong><br />
Dave Michelman said of strategic planning.<br />
But in <strong>the</strong> end, <strong>the</strong> answer to that last question<br />
was, yes.<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s previous strategic plan had come<br />
to an end. For two years following, <strong>the</strong> board<br />
decided to implement strategic goals, which <strong>the</strong>y<br />
would monitor, but wouldn’t encompass a full<br />
strategic plan.<br />
“After two years of that, we realized we liked <strong>the</strong><br />
old-fashioned way,” Dave said. “A strategic plan<br />
allows you to accomplish longer term goals.”<br />
BEGINNING THE PROCESS<br />
Though <strong>the</strong> board had hired a consultant to assist<br />
with <strong>the</strong> previous strategic plan, it felt this time<br />
around that it knew <strong>the</strong> community well enough to<br />
take on <strong>the</strong> planning in-house. At <strong>the</strong> same time,<br />
Dave said <strong>the</strong> board knew it wanted widespread<br />
buy-in for <strong>the</strong> plan and for <strong>the</strong> community to take<br />
an active role in <strong>the</strong> planning process.<br />
Dave, usually accompanied by a board member,<br />
met with <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s various constituencies<br />
– including parents, faculty and staff, parents of<br />
alumni, and o<strong>the</strong>rs – to talk about <strong>the</strong> school’s<br />
strengths, what <strong>the</strong>y saw as being critical to<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> staying true to itself, and what areas<br />
of growth needed to be addressed. In those<br />
meetings, participants were also asked a big<br />
question: What did <strong>the</strong>y think <strong>the</strong> future held.<br />
Several <strong>the</strong>mes arose out of those conversations,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> board created four task forces to take a<br />
deeper look. Forming <strong>the</strong> acronym “PINE” <strong>the</strong><br />
four taskforces included: Promoting Student<br />
Agency, Institutional Sustainability, Neighborhood<br />
Engagement, and Education Experts.<br />
Each taskforce included employees, current<br />
parents and two taskforces included students.<br />
They began researching over <strong>the</strong> summer of 2016,<br />
and by fall, planning was in full swing. Taskforce<br />
members visited o<strong>the</strong>r schools, talked to experts,<br />
ga<strong>the</strong>red data, and engaged in conversation.<br />
6 UNDER THE OAK
A DIVERSE SET OF VOICES<br />
Throughout <strong>the</strong> process, taskforces listened to a<br />
diverse set of voices and regularly called for input<br />
from <strong>the</strong> larger <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> community. The<br />
widespread involvement helped make <strong>the</strong> plan a<br />
success.<br />
“I was so impressed with <strong>the</strong> ideas generated<br />
by <strong>the</strong> committees,” said parent and Steering<br />
Committee member, Julie Shermak. “What I<br />
found fascinating was <strong>the</strong> way those<br />
ideas evolved throughout <strong>the</strong><br />
process as a result of <strong>the</strong><br />
discussions among <strong>the</strong><br />
committee chairs<br />
and <strong>the</strong> Steering<br />
Committee members<br />
who brought to <strong>the</strong><br />
process <strong>the</strong>ir widely<br />
varied backgrounds<br />
and areas of expertise.”<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> parent and board<br />
member, Jeff Welty, agreed. He<br />
chaired <strong>the</strong> Institutional Sustainability taskforce.<br />
“They add experience, background and<br />
perspective that balance and enrich <strong>the</strong> plan,”<br />
Jeff said. “That was invaluable in streng<strong>the</strong>ning<br />
<strong>the</strong> plan.”<br />
Institutional Sustainability examined topics<br />
including, a potential future high school, Indexed<br />
Tuition and new land acquisition for <strong>the</strong> school.<br />
“We wrestled with some big issues,” Jeff said.<br />
“People engaged in that with so much energy; it<br />
was just so great to work with all those folks.”<br />
The group formed sub-committees for each topic<br />
area, and according to Jeff, most of <strong>the</strong> work took<br />
place in those subcommittees.<br />
“They really took things very seriously and did a<br />
lot of research,” he said.<br />
In exploring <strong>the</strong> possibility of<br />
a high school, <strong>the</strong> group<br />
contacted o<strong>the</strong>r high<br />
schools <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
students were likely<br />
to attend, as well<br />
as schools across<br />
<strong>the</strong> country that are<br />
similar to <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>.<br />
“Almost everyone had<br />
thoughts and opinions and<br />
experiences that were pertinent,” said<br />
Jeff. “As we worked toward recommendations,<br />
we used <strong>the</strong> voices of <strong>the</strong> full committee.”<br />
They executed a parent survey covering all of <strong>the</strong><br />
Institutional Sustainability taskforce’s topics to<br />
determine parents’ opinions.<br />
“That data turned out to be really valuable,” said<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
7
Jeff. “We had some data from about eight to ten<br />
years ago, so we could track changes in attitude<br />
over time.”<br />
Jeff was proud of <strong>the</strong> job <strong>the</strong> committee did in<br />
ga<strong>the</strong>ring information.<br />
“Because of that, our recommendations were<br />
not just knee-jerk reactions,” he said. “They were<br />
based on a lot of data; a lot of factual information<br />
that made us feel <strong>the</strong>y were well thought through,<br />
and in <strong>the</strong> best interest of school.”<br />
Elizabeth Hays, a parent and board member,<br />
chaired <strong>the</strong> Neighborhood Engagement taskforce,<br />
and had a very similar experience.<br />
“One of <strong>the</strong> best parts for us, and <strong>the</strong> committee<br />
and <strong>the</strong> health of it, was <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong> committee<br />
members were varied in <strong>the</strong>ir backgrounds,”<br />
she said.<br />
Elizabeth, too, credited <strong>the</strong> voices of <strong>the</strong> student,<br />
teachers, board members, and parents who<br />
served on <strong>the</strong> taskforce.<br />
“The variety of constituents really contributed to<br />
<strong>the</strong> health of <strong>the</strong> conversation and <strong>the</strong> direction,”<br />
Elizabeth said. “Certainly, only one viewpoint or<br />
one outlook would not have yielded appropriate<br />
results.”<br />
THE END RESULT<br />
By <strong>the</strong> beginning of <strong>2017</strong>, and following a<br />
series of meetings sometimes lasting half a day,<br />
each taskforce had prioritized its goals, and <strong>the</strong><br />
Steering Committee created a vision statement<br />
and strategic plan for <strong>the</strong> school. The board<br />
reviewed it, sharing its questions and comments,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> plan was finalized in March.<br />
In keeping with <strong>the</strong> spirit of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
Dragons, <strong>the</strong> four areas of focus that created <strong>the</strong><br />
PINE acronym became FIRE: Future orientation,<br />
Innovative approaches and students, Results that<br />
are impactful, and Equity and justice.<br />
“The board is really proud of <strong>the</strong> process,” said<br />
Board Chair M.C. Ragsdale. “It was so thorough<br />
and thoughtful, and in <strong>the</strong> end, really produced a<br />
mission-consistent plan.”<br />
SETTING DUKE SCHOOL APART<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s strategic plan reflects cohesiveness<br />
and a bold direction at a critical time in our society.<br />
“This plan holistically drives a progressive school,<br />
and continues it down a cutting-edge, progressive<br />
road, which is also what I think sets it apart from<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r schools,” said Elizabeth.<br />
M.C. agreed, saying <strong>the</strong> plan is about substance<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r than <strong>the</strong> current “buzz words” in education.<br />
“It reflects a lot of real thinking, and what <strong>the</strong><br />
school wants to do versus what it thinks will sound<br />
good,” she said. “It’s very consistent with <strong>the</strong><br />
school’s real values.”<br />
Jeff believes <strong>the</strong> plan also does a good job of<br />
8<br />
UNDER THE OAK
staying true to what makes <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> unique.<br />
“For those that chose to come here, it’s <strong>the</strong><br />
distinctive approach to learning that makes<br />
people chose <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>,” Jeff said. “We didn’t<br />
want that to get lost.”<br />
“Get excited and get involved,” she said. “That’s<br />
what we’re all hoping. To <strong>the</strong> extent that we<br />
have a consultant that wants to talk to people, or<br />
training, or someone on campus, if parents are<br />
excited about it and want to participate, <strong>the</strong>re will<br />
be opportunities.”<br />
MOVING FORWARD: GET EXCITED AND GET<br />
INVOLVED<br />
Now comes <strong>the</strong> time to make <strong>the</strong> plan a reality.<br />
Steps have already been taken to ensure <strong>the</strong><br />
larger <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> community can play a role,<br />
Dave said.<br />
An implementation plan is in place, mapping out<br />
<strong>the</strong> timeline, resources, and necessary manpower<br />
to make things happen.<br />
Throughout, <strong>the</strong> board remains cognizant of <strong>the</strong><br />
fact that <strong>the</strong>re’s a limited number of staff, and that<br />
teachers need to focus on teaching, so plans are<br />
to take next steps at a reasonable pace.<br />
M.C. said <strong>the</strong> board is working to offer equity<br />
and justice training to all <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> full time<br />
employees and to as many parents as possible<br />
– as part of <strong>the</strong> equity and justice portion of <strong>the</strong><br />
VISION STATEMENT 2022<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> graduates are leaders<br />
who are prepared to excel in <strong>the</strong> next<br />
steps of <strong>the</strong>ir education and contribute<br />
productively to a global, knowledge<br />
economy. They exhibit <strong>the</strong> selfawareness,<br />
competence, and confidence<br />
to be upstanders by putting innovative<br />
ideas into action for <strong>the</strong> greater good.<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> is recognized as a national<br />
leader in project-based education<br />
and design thinking and is impacting<br />
education by influencing non-<strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> educators.<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> is a diverse community and<br />
a model for equity and justice for all<br />
students, families and employees.<br />
plan. The board itself has also committed to every<br />
board member taking part over <strong>the</strong> next year.<br />
“It’s just one way parents and o<strong>the</strong>r members<br />
of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> community will have <strong>the</strong><br />
opportunity to participate in implementing <strong>the</strong><br />
plan, with o<strong>the</strong>r opportunities coming in <strong>the</strong> shape<br />
To view <strong>the</strong> Vision 2022:<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Strategic Plan,<br />
scan <strong>the</strong> QR code or visit<br />
www.dukeschool.org/vision2022.<br />
of volunteering and voicing opinions,” M.C. said.<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
9
FIRE – Future orientation, Innovative approaches and students, Results that are impactful, Equity and justice<br />
To celebrate <strong>the</strong> launching of <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Strategic Plan, parents and sponsors:<br />
Meihua Chen and Denis Kalenja, Kelly and Jeff Powrie, Jenny and Panna Sharma,<br />
Rona and Craig Spitzer, hosted an event on <strong>the</strong> rooftop of <strong>the</strong> Durham Hotel.<br />
“Ignite <strong>the</strong> FIRE” not only promoted community among <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> families,<br />
but it also helped raise money to fund immediate needs for <strong>the</strong> strategic plan.<br />
From left to right - Jenny and Panna, Kelly and Jeff,<br />
Meihua and Denis, Craig and Rona, and Dave.<br />
Members of <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s<br />
Middle <strong>School</strong> Jazz Band performed at <strong>the</strong><br />
“Ignite <strong>the</strong> FIRE” event.<br />
More than 100 people attended <strong>the</strong> event!<br />
10<br />
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Same Fund, New Name - Dragon Fund: IF only<br />
“Lots of spirit! Lots of zeal! We are Dragons! We are real!” Almost every member<br />
of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> community has heard <strong>the</strong>se words said at least once and, this year, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
Development Office is engraining <strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong> title of <strong>the</strong> annual fund.<br />
The “Dragon Fund” is <strong>the</strong> annual fund, reinvented and reimagined. It renders a more dynamic and schoolspecific<br />
identity. Until this year, though differing in function from <strong>the</strong> annual funds of<br />
numerous o<strong>the</strong>r non-profits across <strong>the</strong> nation, <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Annual Fund<br />
had no identity. All independent schools have some form of an<br />
annual/general fund. But to be a dragon, and more specifically<br />
a <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Dragon, is special. It is to be a problem<br />
solver for our complex world. Having an official name<br />
for our fund reminds us of why we give.<br />
For several years, <strong>the</strong> annual fund has supported<br />
professional development, Indexed Tuition,<br />
Lots of spirit!<br />
Lots of zeal!<br />
We are Dragons!<br />
We are real!<br />
and technological enhancement. With<br />
<strong>the</strong> rebranding of our name, we have<br />
also expanded <strong>the</strong> fund to include gift<br />
preferences of athletic enhancements,<br />
campus signage, diversity training,<br />
electric car charging stations, facilities<br />
improvements, Lower <strong>School</strong> library<br />
furniture, <strong>the</strong> music program, and <strong>the</strong><br />
Supplemental Gap Fund.<br />
This year’s campaign <strong>the</strong>me is IF - “Investing<br />
in <strong>the</strong> Future.” IF we Invest in <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s<br />
Future, <strong>the</strong> sky is <strong>the</strong> limit. So, IF you believe in<br />
our collective ability to make this world a better<br />
place, join us and support <strong>the</strong> Dragon Fund in its<br />
inaugural year.<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
11
TED-Ed<br />
in <strong>the</strong> Making<br />
with Sydney Siegel,<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Student<br />
Q. Before joining <strong>the</strong> Middle <strong>School</strong> TED-Ed<br />
club in 2016, you had already learned a lot about<br />
Europa, a small moon of Jupiter. When did you<br />
become interested in studying <strong>the</strong> cosmos?<br />
A. Knowledge of <strong>the</strong> cosmos has always been<br />
an important friend of mine. I began to first<br />
wonder about <strong>the</strong> universe when I was about<br />
three-years-old, but it became an all-consuming<br />
pursuit in fourth grade. I first encountered<br />
Europa at approximately this time, in mid-2015<br />
(I still remember <strong>the</strong> clarity of <strong>the</strong> first time I<br />
came across it featured on <strong>the</strong> cover of a Popular<br />
Science magazine in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Library). I<br />
believe that <strong>the</strong> cosmos is a universal rabbit hole,<br />
and once you begin to fall into it, you can only fall<br />
far<strong>the</strong>r. But I couldn’t fall past Europa, a beautiful,<br />
bizarre moon and <strong>the</strong> most likely place beyond<br />
Earth to find life. I would say <strong>the</strong> real journey<br />
started <strong>the</strong>re.<br />
Q. In <strong>the</strong> TED-Ed club, you explored<br />
something you were passionate about, <strong>the</strong>n<br />
decided how to best share it with o<strong>the</strong>rs.<br />
What was your topic and how did you decide to<br />
present your work?<br />
A. My TED-Ed video started as an idea. I wanted<br />
to explore possible connections between Europa<br />
and Earth. By using our home planet, <strong>the</strong> one<br />
we currently inhabit and are most familiar with,<br />
as a window into extraterrestrial oceans outside<br />
of Earth, we can gain a preview into and ideas<br />
about what may actually make up <strong>the</strong> chemical<br />
compositions and environments of an Europan<br />
ocean before ever sending a human-created<br />
spacecraft of lander to physically explore a moon<br />
of Jupiter. The biomes of Earth are some of <strong>the</strong><br />
most diverse in <strong>the</strong> solar system, and very few<br />
areas provide <strong>the</strong> insight and connections I wanted<br />
to present in my TED-Ed video. Antarctica —<br />
thought as <strong>the</strong> most sou<strong>the</strong>rn polar region of our<br />
planet, holds many similarities with Europa, over<br />
390 million miles apart. Both moon and continent<br />
are representative of icy shelves with liquid water<br />
beneath <strong>the</strong>m. In places unlikely to sustain life,<br />
some half a mile under an ice sheet, thousands of<br />
species of thriving microbes have been found on<br />
<strong>the</strong> continent Antarctica. If this primitive life can<br />
flourish under such harsh conditions, my <strong>the</strong>ory<br />
went, can even <strong>the</strong> most primary life exist on<br />
Europa? From this statement, <strong>the</strong> rest of my TED-<br />
Ed video evolved.<br />
Q. What was involved in <strong>the</strong> making of your<br />
TED-Ed video? What did you learn in <strong>the</strong><br />
process?<br />
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A. To create <strong>the</strong> physical animation for <strong>the</strong><br />
TED-ED video, I worked with Katie Christo, <strong>the</strong><br />
director of technology curriculum and innovation,<br />
to create a stop motion animation, drawn on a<br />
white board. Though it was a bit of a risk for my<br />
prior experience, it was extremely rewarding. The<br />
animation is not a fluid video, but a collection<br />
of approximately 1,500 photos, taken over <strong>the</strong><br />
course of seven hours at my kitchen table. The<br />
process was an enormous learning opportunity<br />
that I was only able to complete with <strong>the</strong> help<br />
of incredible teachers and <strong>the</strong> patience of my<br />
parents as our kitchen table turned into a tech<br />
studio for a weekend.<br />
Q. You were <strong>the</strong> only student to complete<br />
and share your video publicly at <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>.<br />
Your video sparked a lot of interest on social<br />
media amongst <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> students, parents,<br />
administrators, and even <strong>the</strong> TED-Ed team! What<br />
did it mean to you to be able to share your<br />
research with o<strong>the</strong>rs?<br />
A. I remember, a little while ago, someone<br />
asking me why astrobiology mattered. Sure,<br />
it could be interesting, but similar to a topic<br />
like quantum mechanics, it can also become<br />
tiresome if you are not a physicist with multiple<br />
degrees and an incredible attention span. Why<br />
should a person with no personal affiliation care<br />
deeply about astrobiology? I found this question<br />
fascinating, and quite legitimate at that. Truthfully,<br />
it’s hard for me to say why I find <strong>the</strong> search for life<br />
beyond ourselves so dazzling — why I feel that<br />
<strong>the</strong> answers to it all will illuminate human origins,<br />
that we are not separate, but a part of this wider<br />
world. To truly understand your connection to all<br />
of it, astrobiology must be experienced, not told.<br />
But I tried my best to answer <strong>the</strong> question. Since<br />
<strong>the</strong> human species had even <strong>the</strong> slightest idea<br />
of how to make sense of it all, we have looked<br />
for life beyond ourselves. It is not that Europa is<br />
simply a passion of mine, it is that Europa is part<br />
of something bigger, something timeless and<br />
universally true. Europa is one part of trying to<br />
find something bigger than ourselves. To truly<br />
understand what it means to be human, we<br />
must realize our unthinkable insignificance within<br />
<strong>the</strong> cosmos, an insignificance so huge it cannot<br />
be contemplated, but an insignificant just as<br />
beautiful because of what we are part of. Sharing<br />
my TED-Ed video with o<strong>the</strong>rs meant that maybe<br />
some small piece of this would unearth itself, and<br />
maybe change people in <strong>the</strong> process.<br />
Q. Will you continue to be a part of <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong>’s TED-Ed club? If so, do you have an idea<br />
of what you’ll like to explore next?<br />
A. The TED-Ed club experience at <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> was an incredible one. With <strong>the</strong> support<br />
of wonderful teachers and an idea, I was able<br />
to create something that represents me and my<br />
passions, and this gave me <strong>the</strong> ability to unleash<br />
this upon <strong>the</strong> world and community around me.<br />
I continue to attempt study of <strong>the</strong> cosmos, and I<br />
have upcoming projects focused on connections<br />
between hydro<strong>the</strong>rmal ecosystems on Earth<br />
and possible habitable areas on Europa and<br />
Enceladus, a moon of Saturn. I hope to continue<br />
using <strong>the</strong> TED structure and ideas in my research,<br />
and to share my passions with o<strong>the</strong>rs, providing<br />
our beautiful insignificance within <strong>the</strong> cosmos. I<br />
can’t wait to see where it takes me!<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
13
Lacrosse Joins <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Athletics Roster<br />
Just a few miles in each direction from<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>, two of <strong>the</strong> country’s<br />
top collegiate lacrosse programs<br />
compete at <strong>Duke</strong> and UNC-Chapel<br />
Hill.<br />
The sport, once mainly popular in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>ast, has made its way into<br />
colleges, high schools and middle<br />
schools in <strong>the</strong> South.<br />
Last spring, <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> joined <strong>the</strong><br />
trend by welcoming a Middle <strong>School</strong><br />
boys’ lacrosse team, thanks in large<br />
part to <strong>the</strong> efforts of parents Richard Griffin, Clint<br />
Harris and Joe Cooley.<br />
“Lacrosse is such a great game,” said Richard.<br />
“We’re here in Durham, we’ve got <strong>Duke</strong> and<br />
North Carolina – two top lacrosse programs – so<br />
we should just keep spreading <strong>the</strong> game to boys<br />
and girls.”<br />
There were some hurdles early on, with questions<br />
about where <strong>the</strong> team would practice, how <strong>the</strong><br />
school would cover <strong>the</strong> cost of equipment and<br />
gear, and who would coach.<br />
But Richard, Clint and Joe saw <strong>the</strong><br />
potential in a <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> team,<br />
and not only raised <strong>the</strong> funds to<br />
cover <strong>the</strong> cost of equipment, but<br />
also provided pre-season clinics<br />
and coached <strong>the</strong> team <strong>the</strong>mselves.<br />
At <strong>the</strong> same time, Middle <strong>School</strong><br />
Athletics Director Brian Greene had<br />
recently come on <strong>the</strong> job and quickly<br />
realized <strong>the</strong> popularity of <strong>the</strong> school’s<br />
spring sports season.<br />
“I did have a desire to try to add<br />
something on to <strong>the</strong> spring plate<br />
and balance out those numbers,” he<br />
said. “The more I thought about it,<br />
and spoke to people on campus, it<br />
felt like lacrosse was something that<br />
should be pursued.”<br />
It turns out he was right: 15 boys<br />
participated in <strong>the</strong> inaugural season.<br />
Some had played on club teams in <strong>the</strong> area, while<br />
o<strong>the</strong>rs had never picked up a lacrosse stick.<br />
“The interest and <strong>the</strong> development of <strong>the</strong> team<br />
goes back to <strong>the</strong> kids on <strong>the</strong> team,” Joe said.<br />
“They got <strong>the</strong>ir friends excited about it. This year,<br />
we have kids thinking about doing it because last<br />
year looked like so much fun.”<br />
The future indeed looks bright. Brian expects to<br />
see more students try lacrosse this year, as <strong>the</strong><br />
team continues to welcome both experienced and<br />
novice players. Those involved hope to see a girls’<br />
team added to <strong>the</strong> roster.<br />
“Part of my job is continually<br />
thinking of what’s <strong>the</strong> next step<br />
in growing <strong>the</strong> athletic program,”<br />
Brian said. “I would like to think that<br />
one day girls’ lacrosse could be a part of<br />
our program as well, as long as it’s <strong>the</strong><br />
right fit.”<br />
14<br />
UNDER THE OAK
CREATING...<br />
PROBLEM SOLVERS<br />
Since graduating from <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> in 2013,<br />
Hannah Wilkins has found her passion within<br />
science. She is currently a freshman at <strong>the</strong><br />
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a<br />
recipient of <strong>the</strong> Chancellor’s Science Scholarship.<br />
The Chancellor’s Science Scholars Program<br />
“seeks[s] to maximize student success by building<br />
a community of learners who work collaboratively<br />
to succeed academically and in research.” This<br />
program will prepare her to move into PhD and<br />
MD/PhD programs after graduation as well as<br />
give her access to jobs in <strong>the</strong> fields of STEM.<br />
At an early age Hannah’s learning difficulties<br />
made it hard for her to do math and science.<br />
With <strong>the</strong> help of <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> and The Hill Center,<br />
she learned how to embrace <strong>the</strong> material from<br />
her classes and was encouraged to discover<br />
and explore her interests. When she was in high<br />
school, she traveled to South Africa to work with<br />
children with HIV/AIDS. The devastation she<br />
saw <strong>the</strong>re made her want to become a pediatric<br />
infectious disease specialist.<br />
“I could not be where I am now without <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong>. When I was first diagnosed with my learning<br />
disorder, both my parents and I were worried how<br />
far I would go in my academic career. However,<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> and all of its amazing faculty never<br />
gave up on me and most importantly, <strong>the</strong>y taught<br />
me to never give up on myself. I have found that<br />
a majority of my greatest strengths and passions<br />
were first established and developed at <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> as a result of its extremely supportive<br />
environment, a project-based curriculum, and a<br />
common love for learning. “<br />
Hannah’s application to <strong>the</strong> Chancellor’s Science<br />
Scholars Program included an independent<br />
research component. She looked at <strong>the</strong> effect of<br />
toxicity on vibrio fischeri -bacteria that glow in <strong>the</strong><br />
dark, and bioluminescence and quorum sensing<br />
- <strong>the</strong> way <strong>the</strong> bacteria glow. Hannah looked<br />
specifically at <strong>the</strong> Hawaiian Bobtail Squid<br />
and <strong>the</strong> way it communicates using different<br />
intensities of bioluminescence. This research<br />
gave her <strong>the</strong> competitive edge to be granted<br />
<strong>the</strong> scholarship. Not only will she have a chance<br />
to continue this research, but she’ll also connect<br />
with o<strong>the</strong>r like-minded individuals seeking a<br />
profession in <strong>the</strong> medical field.<br />
“It is because of <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s unceasing devotion<br />
to my academics, despite <strong>the</strong> obstacles that I have<br />
faced as well as to me as an individual, that I have<br />
excelled in <strong>the</strong> International<br />
Baccalaureate Program,<br />
became a Chancellor’s<br />
Science Scholar at<br />
The University of<br />
North Carolina at<br />
Chapel Hill, and<br />
will pursue both a<br />
MD and a PhD in<br />
<strong>the</strong> future.”<br />
Hannah Wilkins<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Alumna<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
15
Adam Woolley ‘99<br />
IN A CLASS OF HIS OWN<br />
It is <strong>the</strong> end of an era for <strong>the</strong> circus as we<br />
know it — Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey<br />
Circus have closed, and <strong>the</strong> climate has changed<br />
for <strong>the</strong> traditional circus production, causing its<br />
reception to wane.<br />
But this change is not <strong>the</strong> final nail in <strong>the</strong> circus<br />
coffin. Instead, it has cleared <strong>the</strong> stage for<br />
more nontraditional circus performers to gain<br />
momentum.<br />
artists with funding and support for creating<br />
new work, as well as oversee <strong>the</strong> social media<br />
presence and act as a conduit through which <strong>the</strong><br />
organization can educate <strong>the</strong> public about circus,<br />
where it’s coming from and where its headed,”<br />
he says.<br />
Recently featured in a Weekend Edition article,<br />
Adam is helping pave <strong>the</strong> way for <strong>the</strong> new wave<br />
of circus performances.<br />
“The power of live performance is that it can bring<br />
people actually into a room toge<strong>the</strong>r to share<br />
an experience. If we only ever ga<strong>the</strong>r discrete<br />
groups of people—which happens when ticket<br />
prices are inaccessible or <strong>the</strong> image presented of<br />
<strong>the</strong> work is exclusionary—<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> echo chamber<br />
of American culture isn’t broken,” says Adam<br />
Woolley.<br />
Adam is co-founder and managing director of<br />
<strong>the</strong> national circus arts advocacy program, Circus<br />
Now, and head coach at <strong>the</strong> Philadelphia <strong>School</strong><br />
of Circus Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<br />
“As <strong>the</strong> managing director, I work to connect<br />
CIRCUS NOW<br />
Adam founded Circus Now in 2013 with Duncan<br />
Wall, author of An Ordinary Acrobat.<br />
“Coaching, teaching and directing have always<br />
been more central to my passion than performing,<br />
and in circus <strong>the</strong> role of <strong>the</strong> coach, teacher and<br />
act-director are all deeply intertwined,” says<br />
Adam.<br />
“Coming from a <strong>the</strong>ater background<br />
and into circus, I was<br />
astounded at <strong>the</strong> lack of<br />
infrastructural support<br />
16<br />
UNDER THE OAK
for <strong>the</strong> creation of new circus work, and<br />
<strong>the</strong> general attitude of <strong>the</strong> public and<br />
of arts foundations towards circus.”<br />
integrated forms like <strong>the</strong> circus, and as I got more<br />
and more into that community I felt more and<br />
more at home,” he says.<br />
CIRCUS THEN<br />
Adam’s mom, Patti Rieser, believes that<br />
Adam grew up in Durham, and is an only child.<br />
“My interest in <strong>the</strong>ater started at <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong>, with Act One Act Now, a small<br />
youth <strong>the</strong>atre run by Cindy<br />
Blackburn,” he says.<br />
From <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Adam<br />
went to <strong>the</strong> Durham <strong>School</strong><br />
of <strong>the</strong> Arts, and completed<br />
his senior year in <strong>the</strong> high<br />
school drama program of <strong>the</strong><br />
University of North Carolina<br />
<strong>School</strong> of <strong>the</strong> Arts (UNCSA).<br />
He attended Emerson<br />
College for two years before returning to UNCSA<br />
to ultimately complete his bachelors of fine arts in<br />
directing in 2007. After college, he went to circus<br />
school at <strong>the</strong> New England Center for Circus<br />
Arts, and <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> Circus Center in San<br />
Francisco.<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> had a lot to do with her<br />
son’s success. “He deeply benefitted from and<br />
embodies <strong>the</strong> mission and core values of <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong>,” she says. “He’s become an excellent and<br />
“I think <strong>the</strong> thing that<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> has most<br />
given me is a sense<br />
that I can solve my<br />
own problems; I’m an<br />
independent learner and<br />
I understand both how<br />
I learn and how best to<br />
direct my own learning.”<br />
well-loved teacher, a<br />
creative artist, and a<br />
leader in his field.”<br />
“I think <strong>the</strong> thing that<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> has most<br />
given me is a sense<br />
that I can solve my<br />
own problems; I’m an<br />
independent learner<br />
and I understand<br />
both how I learn and how best to direct my own<br />
learning,” says Adam. “In my life, I’ve taught<br />
myself website creation, social media marketing,<br />
financial management and strategic planning—<br />
not on my own, but because I’ve always felt<br />
empowered to pursue my own learning and<br />
“My interest in <strong>the</strong>ater was<br />
always towards populist,<br />
unintimidated to seek out experts or resources to<br />
learn from.”<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
17
The<br />
“QUEEN of<br />
Useful Junk”<br />
When Katie Deckar was in kindergarten, <strong>the</strong><br />
corner of her classroom was filled with Scrap<br />
Exchange materials called “useful junk.” She<br />
played with it so much that she eventually earned<br />
<strong>the</strong> nickname <strong>the</strong> “Queen of Useful Junk.”<br />
Born and raised in Durham, Katie attended <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> from preschool to fifth grade in 2000.<br />
She graduated from <strong>the</strong> North Carolina <strong>School</strong><br />
of Science and Ma<strong>the</strong>matics before moving to<br />
California to attend Stanford University.<br />
“I feel like a lot of my favorite parts of myself, <strong>the</strong><br />
parts of me that like to sew and build and make<br />
and create, came from my time at <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>,”<br />
Katie says. “Maybe I had those parts anyway, but<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> gave me a chance to discover <strong>the</strong>m.”<br />
“Ever since Debbie in kindergarten named me<br />
<strong>the</strong> ‘Queen of Useful Junk,’ I have been able<br />
to self-identify as someone who can make,”<br />
Katie says. “And because I thought of myself as<br />
someone who could build stuff, that gave me <strong>the</strong><br />
confidence not just that I could be an engineer,<br />
but even that I should be.”<br />
Now, Katie is a software engineer at Google and<br />
part of a team that helps o<strong>the</strong>r people define<br />
<strong>the</strong>mselves as makers and scientists.<br />
“That name always stuck with me, and been<br />
important as I defined myself as someone who<br />
can make stuff with my hands, and later as an<br />
engineer,” Katie says.<br />
AN UNEXPECTED PATH<br />
In college, Katie first studied biology, preparing to<br />
become a doctor or a researcher. But that changed<br />
her sophomore year. “I got <strong>the</strong> opportunity to take<br />
a three-week seminar class called ‘The Intellectual<br />
Excitement of Computer Science,’” she says.<br />
“That class was so much fun that I signed up for<br />
<strong>the</strong> ‘Introduction to Programming’ class.”<br />
She changed her major to biomedical computation<br />
and, after completing two computer science<br />
internships, Katie was sure she wanted to work in<br />
a technical field. Upon graduation, she began her<br />
career at Google.<br />
“I’ve been at Google now nearly six years, and<br />
have moved around in <strong>the</strong> company,” she says. “I<br />
18 UNDER THE OAK
finally converted to a software engineer two years<br />
ago.”<br />
to do real science with <strong>the</strong> device that is already<br />
in <strong>the</strong>ir pocket.”<br />
Katie is now a part of <strong>the</strong> Making & Science team<br />
at Google. They are encouraged to do projects<br />
such as “Hugbot”—her entry at a Maker Faire last<br />
year—a design created by welding a tricycle out<br />
of a unicycle, a bicycle and steel tubing.<br />
“My team wants to inspire and empower people<br />
to consider <strong>the</strong>mselves scientists and makers, so<br />
we do things like run <strong>the</strong> Google booth at Maker<br />
Faires and we worked with scientists to organize<br />
a Megamovie for <strong>the</strong> <strong>2017</strong> eclipse,” she explains.<br />
On her team, Katie focuses her work on an open<br />
source app known as<br />
<strong>the</strong> Science Journal.<br />
“It’s a tool that lets you<br />
observe real-world data<br />
by using <strong>the</strong> sensors<br />
in <strong>the</strong> phone. It also<br />
records data, organize<br />
experiments, and take<br />
Coming full circle, Katie has not only worked to<br />
help o<strong>the</strong>r students explore science, but also<br />
remembered <strong>the</strong> teacher who helped her define<br />
herself as an engineer. Earlier this year, Katie<br />
sent a message to Debbie, thanking her for<br />
<strong>the</strong> kindergarten experience. Even after years<br />
since <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>, she still vividly recalls her<br />
exploratory learning.<br />
“Now that I’m on <strong>the</strong> Making & Science team<br />
at Google, I feel once again like <strong>the</strong> ‘Queen of<br />
Useful Junk,’” she says. “From preschool to fifth<br />
grade, we were always<br />
making and building—<br />
sewing, knitting, sawing,<br />
cooking, building fences,<br />
gardening, sculpting,<br />
painting,” she says.<br />
“Always learning handson,<br />
by doing.”<br />
notes,” she says. “We<br />
want to enable students<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
19
Telling Stories,<br />
Letting Go, and<br />
Holding On:<br />
5 Things I<br />
Learned from<br />
Sylvia Chard<br />
By Natalie Cicero,<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Teacher<br />
This summer I was given <strong>the</strong> opportunity to join<br />
<strong>the</strong> Project Approach Teacher Education Network<br />
(PATEN). PATEN is a group of educators who<br />
work with Lilian Katz and Sylvia Chard to offer<br />
support to teachers in Project Approach through<br />
consulting, coaching, and workshops. For <strong>the</strong><br />
next two years, I will learn how to best support my<br />
fellow <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> teachers in improving Project<br />
Approach at <strong>the</strong> Middle <strong>School</strong> and extend our<br />
school’s influence beyond our walls. I learned a<br />
lot during my time with Sylvia this summer; here<br />
are some highlights:<br />
1. “The real world” should<br />
not be a scare tactic.<br />
When I was in middle school, “<strong>the</strong> real world”<br />
was two things: a TV show that my parents didn’t<br />
want me to watch (which I watched anyway), and<br />
a terrifying place where I was guaranteed to fail<br />
if I didn’t figure out how to solve for ‘x’ or arrive<br />
to class on time. Project Approach should tell<br />
students a different story of <strong>the</strong> real world. They<br />
are already in it; it’s not lurking around a corner<br />
somewhere, waiting. The things that matter to<br />
<strong>the</strong>m right now - from dogs to democracy - can<br />
be worth honoring as a part of our bigger world.<br />
There is power in prioritizing relevance. Project is<br />
about connecting what is outside school to what<br />
we can do within <strong>the</strong> school, not preparing kids<br />
for something <strong>the</strong>y can’t yet see or experience.<br />
2. Middle school brains<br />
are remarkable.<br />
“Remarkable” is Sylvia’s word, though I don’t<br />
at all disagree. Middle schoolers do not accept<br />
“because it’s always been this way” as an<br />
answer. They “waste time.” They want to create<br />
completely wacky things (Don’t believe me? Watch<br />
a seventh grader left to his or her own devices at<br />
a soda fountain). Sure, <strong>the</strong>se superpowers can be<br />
used for evil, but <strong>the</strong>y can also be used for good.<br />
Typical middle school traits make our students<br />
perfect problem solvers and project pupils. Sylvia<br />
taught me that innovation and exploration are<br />
naturally embedded in Project Approach. This<br />
can often involve frustration, from students and<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir teacher collaborators, and what sometimes<br />
appears to be wasting time is actually discovery<br />
and time to sit with challenges. Embracing <strong>the</strong><br />
“remarkable” middle school brain can lead to<br />
meaningful results.<br />
3. Project is not about<br />
coverage. It’s about<br />
uncoverage.<br />
Piaget said, “Every time we teach a child<br />
something <strong>the</strong>y can discover for <strong>the</strong>mselves,<br />
we undermine <strong>the</strong>ir opportunity to learn.”<br />
As teachers and collaborators within Project<br />
Approach, it’s important for us to sometimes<br />
focus less on <strong>the</strong> end result and more on what<br />
is happening right in front of us. Often, this will<br />
mean choosing to encourage <strong>the</strong> uncoverage -<br />
autonomy, discovery, inquiry - that makes Project<br />
Approach significant, and choosing to let go of<br />
our desire to cover a specific topic, meet our own<br />
deadlines, and perfect “The Plan.”<br />
20 UNDER THE OAK
4. It’s not just okay to show<br />
off, it’s necessary.<br />
exemplified collaboration, assessment, and depth<br />
and relevance of topic. We sat in a circle and<br />
shared like storytellers, often recalling specific<br />
Students, teacher collaborators, parents, and <strong>the</strong><br />
community all need to be encouraged to brag on<br />
students who had important revelations or truly<br />
connected with <strong>the</strong> work <strong>the</strong>y were doing.<br />
<strong>the</strong>mselves. For adults in <strong>the</strong> equation, this might<br />
look like telling personal stories, visiting as a<br />
guest expert, inviting kids to visit <strong>the</strong>ir workplace<br />
for a field experience, or being critical visitors<br />
<strong>the</strong>mselves culminating event, asking questions<br />
of students when <strong>the</strong>y <strong>the</strong>mselves are <strong>the</strong> experts.<br />
For students, this means not only showing<br />
clearly what <strong>the</strong>y learned, but how <strong>the</strong>y learned<br />
I learned that launching a project about soil is<br />
a small way to help a preschooler feel big, and<br />
that first graders aren’t too young to learn about<br />
democracy. I learned that digging deeper into<br />
<strong>the</strong> story of Durham can help a third grader<br />
who already loves <strong>the</strong>ir home understand why<br />
someone in a different part of <strong>the</strong> world might<br />
it, and putting<br />
love <strong>the</strong>ir home<br />
great consideration<br />
just as much. <strong>Duke</strong><br />
into what that<br />
<strong>School</strong> fourth graders<br />
representation looks<br />
discover - with Legos!<br />
like (insert longwinded<br />
- that engineers don’t<br />
pontification<br />
work alone; fifth<br />
about accuracy of<br />
graders are learning<br />
information, spelling,<br />
how to empathize<br />
grammar, and<br />
with people and<br />
legibility here). Sylvia<br />
animals on this<br />
Chard taught me that<br />
project is, at <strong>the</strong> end<br />
planet; by <strong>the</strong> time<br />
sixth graders move<br />
from <strong>the</strong> C building to<br />
of <strong>the</strong> day, a six-toeight-week-long<br />
story; it<br />
Lunch-And-Learn event with Dr. Sylvia Chard<br />
and <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> faculty.<br />
<strong>the</strong> A building, <strong>the</strong>y not<br />
should have a beginning,<br />
middle, and end, and every component should be<br />
a masterful demonstration of craft and care.<br />
only know how to live in<br />
a community, <strong>the</strong>y know how to stand up for it.<br />
Eighth graders go to high school knowing how to<br />
isolate a problem in <strong>the</strong>ir world, uncover solutions<br />
and implications, and think, research, resolve, and<br />
present with intention and compassion.<br />
5. <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> teachers<br />
and collaborators are<br />
doing amazing, inspiring<br />
project work.<br />
Okay. So, Sylvia didn’t exactly teach me this part,<br />
but she was instrumental in helping me discover<br />
it for myself (leave it to her to perfectly model<br />
coverage versus uncoverage, right?).<br />
On <strong>the</strong> final day of our PATEN training, each<br />
teacher shared a project from <strong>the</strong> past year that<br />
Sylvia Chard’s mentorship and guidance revealed<br />
to me how our students not only do well, <strong>the</strong>y<br />
do good. She also nurtured my need to keep<br />
asking questions about how we can make Project<br />
Approach even stronger, more relevant, and more<br />
suited to this next generation of problem solvers<br />
in our care. There is so much in our <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
community of learners to hold on to, celebrate,<br />
and share.<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
21
Life After <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>: Princeton in Africa<br />
PRINCETON IN AFRICA<br />
Shan’s interest in Africa began when he studied<br />
abroad in Tanzania during his junior year at<br />
Bowdoin.<br />
“My academic focus has been in conservation<br />
biology and wildlife conservation, and I was really<br />
captivated by <strong>the</strong> biodiversity of <strong>the</strong> region as<br />
well as <strong>the</strong> issues surrounding conservation and<br />
human-wildlife conflict.”<br />
Princeton in Africa (PiAf) is an independent,<br />
nonprofit organization that offers year-long<br />
fellowships in partnership with organizations<br />
across <strong>the</strong> continent.<br />
Shan Nagar has always loved being outdoors<br />
— something that contributed to him finding<br />
his current role as Volunteer Coordinator and<br />
Sustainability Fellow at Nyumbani Village in Kenya<br />
through <strong>the</strong> Princeton in Africa program.<br />
A self-proclaimed <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> “lifer,” Shan began<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> as a preschooler and graduated<br />
in 2008. From <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> he graduated from<br />
Durham Academy in 2012, and Bowdoin College<br />
in 2016. He is <strong>the</strong> oldest sibling of three, who are<br />
all <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> graduates.<br />
“I have such a deep, deep fondness for <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong>,” he says. “So much of my ability to work<br />
and live independently, think critically, and be<br />
creative, I attribute to <strong>the</strong> 11 years I spent as a<br />
student <strong>the</strong>re.”<br />
“When <strong>the</strong>y saw that I was comfortable living<br />
and working in rural conditions, and that I was<br />
interested in environmental work, <strong>the</strong>y put me<br />
up for consideration with Nyumbani Village,” he<br />
explains.<br />
NYUMBANI VILLAGE<br />
Nyumbani Village is a sustainable HIV/AIDS<br />
community in Kenya that spans more than 1,000<br />
acres and houses roughly 1,000 children and 100<br />
grandparents affected or infected by HIV/AIDS.<br />
They use a family group model — each household<br />
consists of ten children and one grandparent. The<br />
village boasts a robust Sustainability Department,<br />
in an effort to be completely self-sustaining.<br />
“These programs focus on both waste reduction<br />
and generating revenue, and include raising<br />
livestock for food and to sell in market, a 500-<br />
acre agroforestry project, and large complex of<br />
greenhouses, and a variety of water harvesting<br />
systems,” Shan says.<br />
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UNDER THE OAK
Shan managed <strong>the</strong> Rainwater Harvesting Program.<br />
Funded by Johnson & Johnson, it consists of 150<br />
roof-mounted gutters and collection systems<br />
around <strong>the</strong> village, allowing 1.5 million liters to be<br />
held simultaneously. “Because Nyumbani village<br />
is located in an arid/semi-arid environment, this is<br />
crucial,” Shan explains. “The groundwater that is<br />
harvested by boreholes drilled below <strong>the</strong> village<br />
is slightly saline, meaning that rainwater is <strong>the</strong><br />
best source of safe drinking and cooking water<br />
for <strong>the</strong> children.”<br />
Shan supervised <strong>the</strong> maintenance of existing<br />
structures, found new locations to build <strong>the</strong>m,<br />
and worked to find ways to improve <strong>the</strong> project<br />
and maximize its efficiency.<br />
He also had <strong>the</strong> freedom to implement his own<br />
projects, and he aimed to finish his biofuel<br />
briquette program before his fellowship ended in<br />
July.<br />
“Biofuel briquettes are small, hockey-puck<br />
sized charcoal substitutes that are made from<br />
a combination of any number of combustible<br />
wastes,” Shan says. “These materials can be<br />
mixed with water and mashed into a pulp, which<br />
is <strong>the</strong>n poured into a mold and pressed hard to<br />
remove <strong>the</strong> water and compact <strong>the</strong> materials into<br />
<strong>the</strong> briquette shape.”<br />
AFTER AFRICA<br />
Shan is excited for <strong>the</strong> next phase in his life. Since<br />
returning from Africa, he has recently taken a job<br />
with an adventure travel company in Boulder,<br />
Colorado, and is looking forward to continuing to<br />
help spread his love of travel and experiencing<br />
new parts of <strong>the</strong> world.<br />
“What really resonated with me was Macs<br />
Adventure’s philosophy of independent, active,<br />
and meaningful travel, and helping travelers<br />
establish strong connections with <strong>the</strong> places<br />
around <strong>the</strong> world that <strong>the</strong>y visit,” he says.<br />
Along with his new job, Shan says his time will<br />
also be spent catching up with old friends. “Some<br />
of my closest friends are people who I met in<br />
preschool at <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>, and we continue to<br />
stay in touch and see each o<strong>the</strong>r whenever we are<br />
home in Durham,” he adds. “I will carry with me<br />
<strong>the</strong> skills and experiences that <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> gave<br />
me for <strong>the</strong> rest of my life!”<br />
Once <strong>the</strong> briquette dries in <strong>the</strong> sun, it can be<br />
burned as fuel.<br />
“These briquettes are more efficient than raw<br />
firewood, and I believe <strong>the</strong>y can have a significant<br />
impact on <strong>the</strong> firewood consumption of <strong>the</strong><br />
village,” he adds. “My plan is to start using <strong>the</strong><br />
briquettes in <strong>the</strong> village’s high school, with <strong>the</strong><br />
hope that <strong>the</strong>y are a success and can <strong>the</strong>n be<br />
used by <strong>the</strong> families throughout <strong>the</strong> village!”<br />
Shan visiting a safari.<br />
To read more about Shan’s work in Kenya, visit his blog<br />
at shannagarkenya.blogspot.com.<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
23
Alumni Connections: Destinations of 2013 Grads<br />
Congratulations, <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Class of 2013!<br />
We wish you much success at <strong>the</strong> following colleges and universities:<br />
Amherst College (3)<br />
California College of <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
Carleton College (2)<br />
Carnegie Mellon University<br />
College of Charleston<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> University (2)<br />
Elon University<br />
Guilford College<br />
Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT<br />
North Carolina State University (5)<br />
Oberlin College<br />
Princeton University (2)<br />
Scripps College -<br />
The Women’s College, Claremont, California<br />
Stanford University<br />
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2)<br />
University of North Carolina at Charlotte<br />
University of North Carolina at Greensboro<br />
University of Vermont<br />
University of Washington<br />
Vanderbilt University<br />
Virginia Tech<br />
Wellesley College<br />
Western Carolina University<br />
AARON BALLEISEN<br />
Valedictorian at<br />
Riverside<br />
High <strong>School</strong><br />
CLASS HIGHLIGHT<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Class of 2013 Reunion.<br />
24<br />
UNDER THE OAK
Alumni Connections: Destinations of <strong>2017</strong> Grads<br />
Congratulations, <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Class of <strong>2017</strong>!<br />
Please keep us updated on your continued success at <strong>the</strong> following high schools:<br />
American Hebrew Academy<br />
Cardinal Gibbons High <strong>School</strong> (4)<br />
Carrboro High <strong>School</strong><br />
Cary Academy (2)<br />
Cedar Ridge High <strong>School</strong> (2)<br />
Carolina Friends <strong>School</strong> (4)<br />
Durham Academy (4)<br />
Durham <strong>School</strong> of <strong>the</strong> Arts (8)<br />
East Chapel Hill High <strong>School</strong> (7)<br />
Jordan High <strong>School</strong> (9)<br />
Pan<strong>the</strong>r Creek High <strong>School</strong><br />
Riverside High <strong>School</strong> (4)<br />
Trinity <strong>School</strong> of Durham and Chapel Hill<br />
Join <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Alumni Facebook<br />
and LinkedIn Group forums for<br />
reconnecting with former classmates while<br />
keeping in touch with <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>.<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Class of <strong>2017</strong> sporting <strong>the</strong>ir class t-shirts.<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
25
The Duffer<br />
Bro<strong>the</strong>rs –<br />
Looking<br />
Forward,<br />
Looking<br />
Back<br />
By Laura Thompson,<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Alumna<br />
It’s early June.<br />
Matt and Ross Duffer, <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Class of 1999,<br />
have just returned to Los Angeles after spending<br />
much of <strong>the</strong> spring in and around Atlanta,<br />
Georgia, filming <strong>the</strong> second season of <strong>the</strong>ir hit<br />
Netflix series Stranger Things.<br />
The past year has been busy and a bit surreal for<br />
<strong>the</strong> twins—known professionally as <strong>the</strong> Duffer<br />
Bro<strong>the</strong>rs. The first season of <strong>the</strong>ir 1980s-inspired<br />
science fiction series ga<strong>the</strong>red a worldwide<br />
following and has collected a bevvy of industry<br />
awards and nominations.<br />
Now <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs are immersed in editing <strong>the</strong><br />
second season’s nine episodes after writing <strong>the</strong><br />
scripts and overseeing production days that often<br />
began at 5 or 6 a.m. Visual effects sequences are<br />
being created, and soon sound mixing, coloring,<br />
scoring, and publicity will be in full swing in<br />
advance of <strong>the</strong> series’ October 27 global release.<br />
But in some ways, not much has changed since<br />
<strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs were kids growing up in Durham.<br />
It’s summer, and <strong>the</strong> Duffers are making a movie.<br />
‘More than a hobby’<br />
Photo Credit James Minchin/Netflix<br />
Long before <strong>the</strong> Duffer Bro<strong>the</strong>rs introduced<br />
audiences to <strong>the</strong> residents of Hawkins, Indiana,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> Upside Down, Matt and Ross told stories<br />
in <strong>the</strong>ir own backyard. Their film career began in<br />
<strong>the</strong> third grade when <strong>the</strong>ir parents, Allen Duffer<br />
and Ann Christensen, gave <strong>the</strong>m a Hi8 video<br />
camera for Christmas. Their earliest efforts mostly<br />
starred <strong>the</strong>ir stuffed animals. Soon <strong>the</strong>y moved<br />
on to “feature” films of about an hour long,<br />
filmed over <strong>the</strong> summer with <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
classmate and neighbor Tristan Smith.<br />
“Our summer movies in middle school were all<br />
generally comedies because we didn’t think we<br />
had <strong>the</strong> chops to make something serious,” said<br />
Ross.<br />
Editing was rudimentary, with <strong>the</strong> young<br />
filmmakers cutting scenes toge<strong>the</strong>r in camera.<br />
They played cassette tapes over <strong>the</strong> action as a<br />
soundtrack.<br />
26<br />
UNDER THE OAK
“The movies we made—I mean, <strong>the</strong>y were pretty<br />
bad,” said Matt. “And <strong>the</strong>n in seventh grade we<br />
made a movie that wasn’t so bad. That’s when<br />
<strong>the</strong> parents in our lives were like, ‘oh, OK.’ They<br />
started to see that we were learning what we<br />
were doing and maybe this was actually going to<br />
be more than a hobby.”<br />
While some of <strong>the</strong>ir classmates spent summers<br />
away at camp, <strong>the</strong> Duffers stayed in Durham to<br />
create <strong>the</strong>ir movies. They sometimes engaged in<br />
what Matt called “guerrilla filmmaking,” stealing<br />
shots at locations around <strong>the</strong>ir hometown—and<br />
at least once getting shut down by management<br />
at a local mall.<br />
Their parents followed up <strong>the</strong> gift of <strong>the</strong> camera<br />
with an iMac computer, with which <strong>the</strong> boys<br />
learned to edit <strong>the</strong>ir movies digitally. They made<br />
movies for school projects in addition to <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
summer films.<br />
“In high school, when grades were introduced,<br />
[a video] was an instant ‘A,’ we realized,” said<br />
Matt. Their classmates realized it, too, and soon<br />
<strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs were highly sought-after directors at<br />
Jordan High <strong>School</strong>. “Then it became like every<br />
weekend we were doing a video for somebody.”<br />
In 2001, <strong>the</strong>ir short thriller Mad Cell, created<br />
with Tristan, took home top prize in <strong>the</strong> under-18<br />
category at <strong>the</strong> “Real to Reel” festival in Shelby,<br />
North Carolina. By now, inspired by some of <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
favorite John Carpenter and Stephen Spielberg<br />
movies, <strong>the</strong>y had waded into <strong>the</strong> horror-suspensescience<br />
fiction genre that has defined much of<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir work since.<br />
They also knew <strong>the</strong>y wanted to be professional<br />
storytellers.<br />
‘Extremely determined —<br />
and a little delusional’<br />
After high school, <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs attended<br />
Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and<br />
Media Arts in Orange, California.<br />
“I remember talking about going to California for<br />
film school back in at least sixth grade,” said Ross.<br />
“So it’s been quite a time that we realized this is<br />
what we want to do.”<br />
“At that point we were just extremely<br />
determined—and a little delusional,” said Matt.<br />
“Which is good. You have to be, a little bit.”<br />
Although filmmaking was an uncommon pastime<br />
among <strong>the</strong>ir peers in Durham, <strong>the</strong> Duffers quickly<br />
realized that was not <strong>the</strong> case in California.<br />
“You move out here and you realize, ‘Wow, a lot<br />
of people want to do what we want to do,’” said<br />
Matt. “Meaning a lot. So it’s super competitive<br />
and really scary.”<br />
The Duffers studied directing while also writing<br />
and editing film projects. Their senior <strong>the</strong>sis<br />
film, Eater—about a man-eating, shape-shifting<br />
creature that might foreshadow Stranger Things’<br />
menacing Demogorgon—is full-on horror. Their<br />
parents are credited as executive producers.<br />
“I think our parents always believed that we were<br />
serious,” said Ross. “And we were.”<br />
After leaving <strong>the</strong> supportive bubble of film school,<br />
however, things got harder.<br />
“We got an agent right out of film school, so<br />
it felt like you’re doing everything right,” said<br />
Ross. “But to actually get paid to tell stories is a<br />
different challenge entirely.”<br />
The bro<strong>the</strong>rs worked on some short films, but<br />
success did not come easily. They saw many of<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir film school classmates leave <strong>the</strong> industry<br />
after a few years.<br />
“It’s hard to pay your rent, you can’t order a<br />
Coke with your meal,” said Ross. “It’s a bit of a<br />
struggle.”<br />
“It’s kind of like a clubhouse,” Matt said of <strong>the</strong> Los<br />
Angeles film industry. “It’s really hard for <strong>the</strong>m to<br />
open <strong>the</strong> door to you to start getting paid work. It<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
27
was hard for people to take us seriously, especially<br />
when we were first out of college.”<br />
Finding a new direction<br />
Eventually, after trying unsuccessfully to find<br />
work as directors, <strong>the</strong> Duffers decided to make<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir own opportunity. They wrote <strong>the</strong> script for<br />
a feature-length film, Hidden, about a family<br />
sheltering in an underground bunker after <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
town is devastated by a mysterious outbreak.<br />
They pitched it to film studios with <strong>the</strong> condition<br />
that <strong>the</strong>y <strong>the</strong>mselves would direct it.<br />
“It was kind of <strong>the</strong> only path available to us—to<br />
write something original and <strong>the</strong>n not let anyone<br />
else have it,” said Matt. “We basically held <strong>the</strong><br />
script hostage.”<br />
Warner Bros. purchased Hidden and filmed it in<br />
2012 with <strong>the</strong> Duffers directing. However, <strong>the</strong><br />
studio decided not to give <strong>the</strong> finished film a wide<br />
release.<br />
Never<strong>the</strong>less, Hidden’s script had caught<br />
<strong>the</strong> attention of director-producer M. Night<br />
Shyamalan, creator of contemporary thrillers like<br />
The Sixth Sense and Signs. Shyamalan invited <strong>the</strong><br />
Duffers to join <strong>the</strong> writing staff for <strong>the</strong> Fox scifi<br />
television series Wayward Pines, based on <strong>the</strong><br />
novels of Blake Crouch.<br />
“We were really hired to just consult for a few<br />
weeks,” said Ross. “And <strong>the</strong>n a few weeks turned<br />
into like six months of intense work.”<br />
Wayward Pines became a training ground for a<br />
number of young screenwriters and filmmakers<br />
who, like <strong>the</strong> Duffers, had never worked in<br />
television before.<br />
“It was really just a boot camp for television,<br />
because we didn’t understand television at all,”<br />
said Ross. Being “thrown into <strong>the</strong> deep end, a little<br />
bit” on a big-budget project for a major network<br />
was an intense experience, “but I remember at<br />
<strong>the</strong> end of it, Matt and I looked at each o<strong>the</strong>r like,<br />
‘We think we can do this on our own now. We<br />
think we can put something toge<strong>the</strong>r.’”<br />
Ordinary meets extraordinary<br />
Feeling more confident in <strong>the</strong>ir abilities and more<br />
secure in <strong>the</strong>ir prospects of finding work as writers<br />
in a pinch, <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs again began to dream of<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir own storylines.<br />
“Growing up, we were movie people,” said Matt.<br />
“The genre films from <strong>the</strong> ’80s—<strong>the</strong> Spielberg<br />
stuff, <strong>the</strong> John Carpenter stuff—particularly in<br />
high school we became obsessed with some<br />
of <strong>the</strong> horror films from <strong>the</strong> ’80s. So we started<br />
talking about what a long-form version of those<br />
movies would feel like. And we got excited about<br />
that.”<br />
The idea that eventually grew into Stranger<br />
Things began with a single script. The Duffers<br />
drafted a pilot episode with a rough outline for an<br />
eight-hour, single-season series. Recognizing that<br />
<strong>the</strong> television industry was trending away from<br />
limited series, <strong>the</strong>y later revised <strong>the</strong>ir outline into<br />
a story that could sustain multiple seasons. They<br />
began to pitch <strong>the</strong> series to studios.<br />
“It was not an easy sell,” said Matt. More than a<br />
dozen studios passed on <strong>the</strong> project in a week<br />
of pitches. “We came away from <strong>the</strong> first week<br />
feeling like this was not going to work.”<br />
“It was hard. We were very inexperienced. We<br />
didn’t have a track record. The one movie we had<br />
was dumped by its studio. Our producers had<br />
never done television before. It was an ensemble<br />
of kids, but it wasn’t for kids. These executives are<br />
looking for reasons to say no, and we had about<br />
10 to 20 reasons for <strong>the</strong>m to say no.”<br />
When <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs heard that <strong>the</strong> online video<br />
streaming service Netflix might be interested in<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir series, <strong>the</strong>y brushed up <strong>the</strong>ir pitch and went<br />
in for a meeting.<br />
28<br />
UNDER THE OAK
“It’s kind of scary,” said Matt. “They don’t give a<br />
lot of reaction in <strong>the</strong> room, so we actually came<br />
out of that pitch having no idea.”<br />
But Netflix called <strong>the</strong> following day with an offer<br />
to make <strong>the</strong> full first season. “We just were beyond<br />
ecstatic when we got that phone call,” said Matt.<br />
Stand By Me had such an impact on us. That’s why<br />
<strong>the</strong> Spielberg stuff and Stephen King stuff had an<br />
impact on us, because it felt like <strong>the</strong>y were stories<br />
about us and our friends.”<br />
Despite <strong>the</strong> nostalgia factor, 1980s film buffs are<br />
just one part of <strong>the</strong> show’s fan base.<br />
Stranger Things, a tapestry of 1983 suburban<br />
childhood threaded with o<strong>the</strong>rworldly creatures,<br />
supernatural power and Cold War-tinged<br />
government conspiracy, clearly showcases <strong>the</strong><br />
Duffers’ cinematic influences.<br />
“The meeting of <strong>the</strong> ordinary and <strong>the</strong> extraordinary<br />
is our favorite thing<br />
in <strong>the</strong> world,”<br />
said Ross. “When<br />
you’re a kid in <strong>the</strong><br />
suburbs of North<br />
Carolina, when<br />
you see movies<br />
about kids in <strong>the</strong><br />
suburbs going on<br />
<strong>the</strong>se extraordinary<br />
adventures, that<br />
just really opened<br />
our minds and<br />
excited us because<br />
we’re like, ‘oh<br />
my God, my life could be amazing.’ You start<br />
daydreaming about finding that treasure map in<br />
<strong>the</strong> attic or whatnot.”<br />
When Netflix released <strong>the</strong> first season of Stranger<br />
Things in July 2016, early reviewers were quick to<br />
point out homages to films like E.T.: The Extra-<br />
Terrestrial, Close Encounters of <strong>the</strong> Third Kind<br />
and Firestarter. For <strong>the</strong> Duffers, <strong>the</strong> story also<br />
echoes real life.<br />
“People go, oh, when we have <strong>the</strong> kids walking<br />
down train tracks, we’re referencing Stand By<br />
Me,” said Matt. “Which, yes, but we also walked<br />
down train tracks with our friends. That’s why<br />
“What was really nice and surprising was that it<br />
found an audience way beyond that, especially<br />
younger audiences who did not even know<br />
those films, who did not grow up on <strong>the</strong>m, that it<br />
worked for <strong>the</strong>m” said Matt. “And it worked for<br />
even older people who don’t have a fondness for<br />
those films. You don’t have to have those films as<br />
reference to enjoy<br />
<strong>the</strong> show. And that<br />
was always our<br />
hope.”<br />
With <strong>the</strong> show’s<br />
rapid success,<br />
Netflix confirmed<br />
a second season<br />
of Stranger Things<br />
within weeks of<br />
<strong>the</strong> first season’s<br />
Photo Credit James Minchin/Netflix<br />
On <strong>the</strong> set of Stranger Things, Season 1<br />
release.<br />
“We were just<br />
hoping some people were going to watch it<br />
and we could keep telling this story,” said Ross.<br />
“Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine<br />
what was going to happen with it.”<br />
“It’s funny—when you’re in <strong>the</strong> middle of making<br />
<strong>the</strong> show, it’s just this little family and we all<br />
thought we were making something cool that we<br />
were excited to show people. You sort of forget<br />
that you’re making this for a wide audience until<br />
suddenly it goes out <strong>the</strong>re in <strong>the</strong> world. All eight<br />
episodes dropped, and <strong>the</strong>n suddenly people are<br />
binging it. It was a really sort of surreal experience<br />
as <strong>the</strong> audience grew and <strong>the</strong> word of mouth<br />
spread.”<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
29
Since <strong>the</strong>n, <strong>the</strong> Duffers have been immersed in<br />
expanding <strong>the</strong> story, taking <strong>the</strong>ir characters to<br />
new places and trying to improve on <strong>the</strong>ir own<br />
work.<br />
“It’s not like you watch season one and you’re<br />
like ‘Wow, we knocked that out of <strong>the</strong> park,’”<br />
said Matt. “Even when we first finished it, you<br />
basically just see everything that’s wrong with it.<br />
The good thing about being successful is you get<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r chance at bat, and <strong>the</strong> hope is that you<br />
do it better.”<br />
said Matt. “It’s starting to happen. You get <strong>the</strong><br />
kernel of an idea—wouldn’t this be cool, wouldn’t<br />
this be interesting, wouldn’t this type of a world or<br />
concept or setting lend itself to a cool story? And<br />
<strong>the</strong>n you just kind of dream about it. Eventually<br />
we’ll sit down toge<strong>the</strong>r and start hashing out<br />
what it would look like.”<br />
“But that’s so far off right now because Stranger<br />
Things is our lives—it’s our weekends, it’s often<br />
our nights. So you don’t have a lot of time to think<br />
about o<strong>the</strong>r things.”<br />
The Duffers estimate <strong>the</strong>y have story ideas to fill<br />
at least four seasons. For now, though, <strong>the</strong>y are<br />
focused on season two.<br />
“We really just try<br />
to do what we did<br />
first season, which<br />
is block everything<br />
out and all <strong>the</strong><br />
noise and just try<br />
to focus on telling<br />
a story we thought<br />
was cool and put<br />
everything into it,”<br />
said Ross. “I don’t<br />
think we’re going<br />
to keep doing this<br />
if we think we’ve<br />
nailed it. I think <strong>the</strong><br />
hope is that we can<br />
keep doing it better and better.”<br />
Looking forward, looking back<br />
The process of writing, directing and producing<br />
an original story can be all consuming, but <strong>the</strong><br />
Duffers still want to make room for <strong>the</strong> kind<br />
of spontaneity,<br />
excitement and<br />
wonder that first<br />
drew <strong>the</strong>m to<br />
filmmaking.<br />
“I think <strong>the</strong>re’s<br />
a sense of fun<br />
where it’s not<br />
overly planned,<br />
where <strong>the</strong>re’s an<br />
opportunity to<br />
surprise yourself<br />
Photo Credit James Minchin/Netflix<br />
On <strong>the</strong> set of Stranger Things, Season 1<br />
every day and<br />
to try to have as<br />
much fun as we can<br />
making it,” said<br />
Ross. “That’s what it was when we were making<br />
those movies back in middle school and high<br />
school.”<br />
The success of Stranger Things has opened doors<br />
for <strong>the</strong> Duffers to continue expanding <strong>the</strong>ir career<br />
possibilities. Offers to direct o<strong>the</strong>r projects have<br />
started coming in, and <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs are also<br />
thinking about new stories <strong>the</strong>y want to create<br />
<strong>the</strong>mselves.<br />
“You just start to daydream about o<strong>the</strong>r ideas,”<br />
The world of Stranger Things draws a number of<br />
details from <strong>the</strong> Duffers’ early life. Viewers familiar<br />
with <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs’ hometown will notice that <strong>the</strong><br />
fictional Hawkins bears some resemblance to<br />
Durham. The Byers family, for example, lives near<br />
<strong>the</strong> corner of Cornwallis and Kerley roads, a reallife<br />
intersection not far from <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> and<br />
from <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs’ childhood home.<br />
30<br />
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“I like that we actually ended up shooting down<br />
in Atlanta because a lot of <strong>the</strong> landscape, a lot of<br />
<strong>the</strong> neighborhoods—it looks like where we grew<br />
up,” said Matt. “So it makes it feel more personal,<br />
in a way. The woods look like <strong>the</strong> woods we grew<br />
up with.”<br />
The show’s 1980s horror-film atmosphere<br />
and predominantly school-aged cast fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
underscores <strong>the</strong> connection to <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs’<br />
childhood.<br />
“I think that’s why <strong>the</strong> show’s been so fun for us<br />
and so much easier for us to write than o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
things, because so much of it is so personal,”<br />
said Matt. “The first thing we wrote was <strong>the</strong> kids<br />
playing Dungeons & Dragons [in episode one],<br />
and it just wrote itself in like 10 minutes. It was<br />
so much fun because we grew up playing fantasy<br />
games with our friends.”<br />
(A second Dungeons & Dragons scene in season<br />
one’s final episode includes a shout out to <strong>the</strong><br />
bro<strong>the</strong>rs’ early filmmaking partner Tristan Smith,<br />
as <strong>the</strong> characters complete a mission for “King<br />
Tristan.”)<br />
Minor characters and locations in <strong>the</strong> Duffer<br />
Bro<strong>the</strong>rs productions often take <strong>the</strong> names of<br />
people and places <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs know. In <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
feature film Hidden, <strong>the</strong> young protagonist Zoe<br />
wears a maroon jacket featuring her school’s<br />
dragon mascot—a reference to <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>. The<br />
Duffers attended <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> from kindergarten<br />
through eighth grade.<br />
“It’s interesting to think about if any of this<br />
would have happened without <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>, just<br />
because it’s a place that allowed you to explore<br />
your interests and really use your imagination,”<br />
said Ross. “Obviously a lot of it came from our<br />
parents—our dad’s a movie buff, and <strong>the</strong>y’re both<br />
so supportive of this—but certainly <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>,<br />
I’m sure, helped lead to this.”<br />
Filmmaking is essentially “doing something<br />
creative with a group of people, which is basically<br />
what <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> trained us to be able to do,”<br />
said Matt. He also recalled one of his teachers<br />
telling him he could do and be whatever he<br />
wanted.<br />
“That always stuck with me,” he said. “I have<br />
this dream, and I want to be a director, and this<br />
teacher is telling me that I can actually do that.<br />
And I think it’s important to hear that when you’re<br />
a kid.”<br />
Wherever <strong>the</strong>ir future leads <strong>the</strong>m, <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
continue to be driven by <strong>the</strong>ir backyard filmmaking<br />
roots. Above all, <strong>the</strong>y said, <strong>the</strong>y hope to continue<br />
doing what <strong>the</strong>y have done since <strong>the</strong>y were in <strong>the</strong><br />
third grade—telling stories that excite <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
“It’s so much work that you have to have fun<br />
doing it, or else why are you doing it?” said Matt.<br />
“Sometimes you forget though, and <strong>the</strong>n you<br />
take a step back and take it in and you’re like,<br />
OK, we’re basically a bunch of children playing<br />
with expensive toys. And all <strong>the</strong>se actors, all <strong>the</strong>se<br />
kids, everyone—it’s just make believe. It’s sort of<br />
silly in a way.”<br />
“But, you know, it’s been a lot of fun.”<br />
Laura Thompson ’98, attended <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> from second through eighth<br />
grade. She began her journalism career<br />
as a writer and co-editor for <strong>the</strong> Middle<br />
<strong>School</strong> newspaper, “The Dragon’s<br />
Roar.” She is now a writer and graphic<br />
designer living in nor<strong>the</strong>rn Virginia.<br />
In 2001, Matt, Ross and <strong>the</strong>ir friend<br />
Tristan Smith, made a short film, <strong>the</strong> Smuffer<br />
Bro<strong>the</strong>rs, and entered it in a film festival in Shelby,<br />
NC. Laura, an aspiring journalist at that time, saw <strong>the</strong><br />
potential for a “hometown boys make good” feature, so she<br />
traveled to <strong>the</strong> film’s showing and awards ceremony. Not<br />
only did <strong>the</strong> film win first place in its division, but Laura’s<br />
article also won a national youth journalism award. Now, 16<br />
years later, <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> wanted to rekindle this magic by<br />
having Laura—once again, write a feature story about her<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> friends!<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
31
UNDER THE OAK<br />
32
Friends share <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
experiences about <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>.<br />
It was a huge honor to be able to come back to <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> and see students in<br />
<strong>the</strong> same place I sat when I graduated. It was a very powerful experience to be<br />
able to speak about my experiences at <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> and after, and hopefully let<br />
<strong>the</strong> Class of <strong>2017</strong> know what I wish I had known in <strong>the</strong>ir position.<br />
Zain Clapacs ’11<br />
Graduating Class of <strong>2017</strong> Alumni Speaker<br />
Being able to share special times like Grandparents Day at <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
with Alex (5th) and Tori (1st) fills my heart with joy. This special day<br />
affords <strong>the</strong> perfect opportunity to experience all <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> has done to help<br />
my grandchildren develop <strong>the</strong>ir special gifts and be ready for each next step.<br />
Listening to school leaders and teachers, enjoying <strong>the</strong> children’s performances<br />
and artwork, and seeing students and teachers in <strong>the</strong> classrooms validates that<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> succeeds - ensuring that our grandchildren will, too.<br />
“Nana Penny”<br />
Penelope Dempsey Dietz<br />
<strong>2017</strong> VIP Silent Auction Chair Recipient<br />
Grandparents Day has always been an opportunity to experience first hand<br />
what my grandchildren are accomplishing at <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong>. Over <strong>the</strong> years, I<br />
have come to realize this has been my chance to see both grandchildren create a<br />
valuable foundation for <strong>the</strong>mselves.<br />
Margaret Kohring<br />
<strong>2017</strong> VIP Silent Auction Chair Recipient<br />
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33
DUKE SCHOOL<br />
ANNUAL REPORT<br />
2016 -17<br />
INCOME<br />
EXPENSES<br />
Net Fund Raising<br />
4.4%<br />
Auxiliary Programs<br />
9.0%<br />
Net Tuition and Fees<br />
86.6%<br />
Classroom Resources<br />
and O<strong>the</strong>r Admin Costs<br />
18.3%<br />
Salaries and Benefits<br />
70.7%<br />
Debt Service<br />
2.1%<br />
Facilities<br />
4.6%<br />
Auxiliary Programs<br />
4.3%<br />
NET TUITION & FEES<br />
This income is derived from student tuition, The Learning Center<br />
and certain fee charges.<br />
AUXILLARY PROGRAMS<br />
This is income from all camps, after school programs and<br />
educator workshops.<br />
NET FUND RAISING<br />
This category embraces our fundraisers and<br />
Dragon Fund net figures.<br />
2016-17 Fundraising Campaign Highlights:<br />
$485,498 total dollars raised<br />
72% parent participation<br />
28% grandparent participation<br />
*Data is based on a June <strong>2017</strong> year-end forecast.<br />
If you have questions about this budgetary information, please contact Russell Rabinowitz,<br />
director of finance and operations, at russell.rabinowitz@dukeschool.org.<br />
SALARES & BENEFTS AND CLASSROOM &<br />
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS<br />
These categories include all expenses related to instructional and<br />
academic activity, including faculty and staff salaries and benefits,<br />
programmatic expenses, student support services, classroom<br />
materials and supplies, media centers, faculty development,<br />
technology and laptops, and special programs. All included are<br />
expenses related to <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Admissions, Marketing and<br />
Communications, Human Resources, Business, and Development<br />
Offices, etc.<br />
FACILITIES<br />
This category includes all costs related to operations and <strong>the</strong><br />
repair and maintenance of school-owned facilities and grounds. It<br />
includes: utilities, waste removal, supplies, repair and maintenance<br />
of campus buildings, grounds, streets, fields and related machinery<br />
and equipment.<br />
DEBT SERVICE<br />
This category represents <strong>the</strong> payment of interest and principal<br />
on outstanding tax-exempt revenue bonds. The bonds were used<br />
to finance <strong>the</strong> costs of construction, improvement, renovation,<br />
furnishing, and equipping <strong>the</strong> existing school.<br />
AUXILIARY SERVICES<br />
These are <strong>the</strong> expenses of auxiliary service functions such as after<br />
school, camps and similar operations.<br />
34<br />
UNDER THE OAK
2016-17 DRAGON FUND HONOR ROLL OF DONORS<br />
Board of Trustees<br />
Lisa Andrews-Lanier<br />
Judith Bell<br />
Kisha Daniels<br />
Elise Dunzo<br />
Christopher D. Gergen<br />
Richard Griffin<br />
Mark Hale<br />
Elizabeth Hays<br />
Sheronda Jeffries<br />
Joel Lipsitch<br />
Gary Monroe<br />
Beth Murgitroyd<br />
Josh Parker<br />
M.C. Ragsdale<br />
Mark Scullion<br />
Condict Semans<br />
Panna Sharma<br />
Cassandra Taylor<br />
Tina Valdecanas<br />
Jeff Welty<br />
Alison Windram<br />
Advancement Committee<br />
and Class Agents<br />
Will Anderson<br />
Lisa Andrews-Lanier<br />
Judith Bell<br />
Mary Cooley<br />
Blue Dean<br />
Tania Desrosiers<br />
Dana Thompson Dorsey<br />
Gray Ferguson<br />
Julia Fiore ‘00<br />
Neva Howard<br />
Scott Huettel<br />
Sheronda Jeffries<br />
Lisa Kahan<br />
Joel Lipsitch<br />
Tom Maultsby<br />
Kristin McNealy<br />
Jason Mudd<br />
Beth Murgitroyd<br />
Gary Pellom<br />
Erin Reiter<br />
Kara Richards-Baker<br />
Charique Richardson<br />
Kelly Robinson<br />
Erin Sarver<br />
Craig Spitzer<br />
Lewanda Taybron<br />
Pretty Terrell<br />
Erin Wills<br />
Alison Windram<br />
1947 Society (Consecutive Giving)<br />
20 Years<br />
Kathy Bartelmay and Roger Perilstein<br />
Marya McNeish and Robert Robinson<br />
Jane Shears<br />
Candy and John Thompson<br />
15 Years<br />
Elaine Cameron<br />
Ayesha Chaudhary and Terry Clapacs<br />
Harris Teeter<br />
Madeline Horrigan<br />
Hui Li and Fan Yuan<br />
Debbie Marshall<br />
Marilyn and Peter Ornstein<br />
John Pinto<br />
Margaret and Tim Rauwald<br />
Marki Watson<br />
Becca and Julian Wooldridge<br />
10 Years<br />
Dr. Nadia Anderson<br />
Brenda Berlin and Kevin Schulman<br />
Melanie Bonner<br />
Mary Boshkoff and Paul Meisner<br />
Kate Brady<br />
MargEva and Stephen Cole<br />
Rebecca Dexter<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Gene Doyle<br />
Melissa Ellis and Jeff Doyle<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> University Medical Center<br />
Emily Feldman-Kravitz and Richard Kravitz<br />
Ida and Dennis Greenhill<br />
Kris and Kerry Gustafson<br />
Jane and James Hales<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hilser<br />
Kay Kohring-DaSilva and Keith DaSilva<br />
Rex Jeffries<br />
Sheronda Jeffries<br />
Susan Sugarman Kirsch and David Kirsch<br />
Carolynn Klein<br />
Lori Leggatt and Andrew Foster<br />
Corinne Linardic and Ned Patz<br />
Dave and Claudia Michelman<br />
Cindy and Gregg Pacchiana<br />
Russell Rabinowitz<br />
Kara Richards-Baker and Drew Baker<br />
Gilda Rodriguez and John Villani<br />
Darielle and Lee Ruderman<br />
Fern Szulgit and Erick Peterson<br />
Emily and Lee Taft<br />
Cassandra and Wayne Taylor<br />
Melanie and Lars Trost<br />
Les Webster<br />
5 Years<br />
Ms. Sandra Adams and Mr. Fred Adams<br />
Lisa and Elaine Andrews-Lanier<br />
Sumi and Dan Ariely<br />
Stephanie and Vince Aurentz<br />
Katie Bailey and Adam Wenzlik<br />
Geoff Berry<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Betuker<br />
Tia and Martin Black<br />
Jeannine Borzello<br />
Mr. and Mrs. David Bowers<br />
Kristin and Steve Bradley-Bull<br />
Lucy and Tom Bradshaw<br />
Tamara Branca and Wolfgang Wagner<br />
Erika and Sam Buell<br />
Maria Cassinelli-Bernstein and<br />
Fernando Bernstein<br />
Susan Cates and Scott Warren<br />
Tanya Chartrand and Gavan Fitzsimons<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
35
Aria Chernik and Michael Delafield<br />
Katie Christo<br />
Mary and Joe Cooley<br />
Linda Cronenwett and Shirley Tuller<br />
Molly Cronenwett<br />
Donna Culton and Arun Manikumar<br />
Rachel and Jonathon Cummings<br />
Kiersten and Clint Dart<br />
Mark Dunzo<br />
Maureen Dwyer<br />
Sarah Ellestad and Ron Przybycien<br />
Eman Elmahi and Husam Hasanin<br />
Lisa Fail and Michael Pignone<br />
Jeanne Gatling<br />
Victor Gatling<br />
General Mills Box Tops for Education<br />
Annie and George Genti<strong>the</strong>s<br />
Victoria Goatley<br />
Jennifer Goulet and Michael Wade<br />
Hea<strong>the</strong>r and Bret Greene<br />
Tery and Michael Gunter<br />
Leslie Hamilton<br />
Robin Hardie-Hood and Thomas Hood<br />
Sue Harnett<br />
Beth and Jeff Harris<br />
Jennifer Harris<br />
Kylie and Clint Harris<br />
Helen Harrison and Tom Truscott<br />
Laurie Ann and Scott Harvey<br />
Melanie Hatz-Levinson and Howie Levinson<br />
Elizabeth and David Hays<br />
Wendy and Paul Henderson<br />
Mary Beth Hes<br />
Kerry Holbrook<br />
Beatrice Hong and Ziad Gellad<br />
Carla Horta<br />
Brian Horton<br />
Lisa and Scott Huettel<br />
Andrea Hussong and Patrick Curran<br />
Kristin Ito and Charles Gayer<br />
Tekla Jachimiak and Thomas Bro<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
Nancy and Timothy Joyce<br />
Kay Kohring-DaSilva and Keith DaSilva<br />
Alexis and Jason Kralic<br />
Tiffane Land and Jonathon Jurusik<br />
Amy and Jamie Lau<br />
Ms. Ann Lawrence and Mr. Steve Leinwand<br />
Joel Lipsitch and Abbie Melnick<br />
Julie Marshall<br />
Kristi and Chris Martin<br />
Joy Martin and Ben Philpot<br />
Kristin and Corum McNealy<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Melnick<br />
Gary and Carelyn Monroe<br />
Karen and Steve Munsat<br />
Beth and Ed Murgitroyd<br />
Jenny and Craig Murray<br />
Miriam Ornstein and David Luks<br />
Sari Palmroth and Ram Oren<br />
Judy Panitch and Andrew Hart<br />
Kirstin and Gary Pellom<br />
Michelle and Brian Reich<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Richards<br />
Kelly Robinson and Lawrence DeGraaf<br />
Anna and Tuck Satterfield<br />
Connie and Truman Semans<br />
Julie Shermak and Steve Goodman<br />
Naz Siddiqui and Casey Jenkins<br />
Courtney and Don Smith<br />
Irecka Smith<br />
Renee and Joseph Smith<br />
Kim Spancake and Drew Snider<br />
Karen Springer and Alex Herskowitz<br />
Jessica and Albert Sun<br />
Pretty and Rodney Terrell<br />
Nicole Thompson<br />
Mary Townsend and Jon Stiber<br />
Linda Toyama-Yee and Linton Yee<br />
Tina Valdecanas and Doug Aitkin<br />
Sarah Wagdy and Tamer Mahmoud<br />
Amy Warren<br />
Marki Watson<br />
Rebecca and Robert Wilgus<br />
Alison and Soren Windram<br />
Suzanne and Chris Woods<br />
3 Years<br />
Krissy and Will Anderson<br />
Love and Ian Anderson<br />
Ruth Anderson-McGranahan<br />
and Mike McGranahan<br />
Karrie and Nathan Andrews<br />
Rachel Bachenheimer and Richard Stilwell<br />
Meytal Barak and Micky Cohen-Wolkowiez<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Bausell<br />
Sarah and Kenneth Bausell<br />
India and Ryan Bayley<br />
Sylvia Becker-Dreps and Chris Dreps<br />
Anjanée Bell<br />
Mrs. Judith Bell and The Honorable William Bell<br />
Alisha and Eric Benner<br />
Angie Bolz and Anthony Castleberry<br />
Mr. and Ms. John Bolz<br />
Mrs. Ruth Boshkoff<br />
Dayna Brill<br />
Kathryn and Seth Brodkin<br />
Mrs. Brenda Brown<br />
Dr. Kenneth W. Chandler<br />
Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Chartrand<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Dick Claar<br />
Robyn and Jamie Claar<br />
Hea<strong>the</strong>r Clarkson and Sean Wilmer<br />
Pamela and Marc Cohen<br />
Heidi and Jason Cope<br />
Natalie and Emiliano Corral<br />
Jim Covington<br />
Lisa Criscione-Schreiber and Eric Schreiber<br />
Blue and Robb Dean<br />
Mrs. Lynn Delicio<br />
Tania and Justin Desrosiers<br />
Dr. Agnes DeWitt<br />
Mrs. Penny Dietz<br />
Lauren and Scott Drake<br />
Blake Foley Dyson<br />
Alison and David Eagle<br />
Rose and Zubin Eapen<br />
Lori Etter and Jeff Welty<br />
Julia Fiore ‘00<br />
Daphne Friedman and Josh Granek<br />
Ana Garcia-Turner and Mark Turner<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Generelly<br />
Michael Gilbert ‘96<br />
Jennifer and Michael Gilchrist<br />
Silvia Glaubach and Federico Bugni<br />
Cathy Gracey and Steve Smith<br />
Rachel and Rich Greenup<br />
36<br />
UNDER THE OAK
Dr. Vasudha Gupta and Dr. Bhupender Gupta<br />
Mark Hale<br />
Mrs. Sylvia Harlen<br />
Lea and Alan Hart<br />
Keijuane Hester<br />
Pamela Hester<br />
Melinda and Michael Hill<br />
Tyler Hill ‘17<br />
Sunshine and Joel Hillygus<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Jack Hollenbeck<br />
Julie and Scott Hollenbeck<br />
Diane Hom and Chris Larson<br />
Neva Howard and Shahar Link<br />
Ji-Yeon and Hun-Yong Jo<br />
Lisa Kahan and Duncan Higgins<br />
Stefanie Kandzia and Ralf Michaels<br />
Richard and Lisa Kern Griffin<br />
Bridget and Jason Koontz<br />
Sue Kreissman and Philip Breitfeld<br />
Sarah and Ryan Lamb<br />
Jodie LaPoint and Chris Weymouth<br />
Charlotte Lee and David Siegel<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lemuth<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Leubuscher<br />
Lingyun Long and Hao Li<br />
Mimi Lukens and Mark Hansen<br />
Ms. Judith Lynch<br />
Mollie and Chad Ma<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Ms. Brenda Mat<strong>the</strong>ws<br />
Tiffany Mat<strong>the</strong>ws<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Maultsby<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Pat McNease<br />
Beverly and Keith McRae<br />
Beth and Tim Miller<br />
Catriona Moore and Kyle Lundby<br />
Meghan Morris<br />
Willie Nicholson<br />
Josh Parker<br />
Dana and Keith Pearsall<br />
Mr. and Ms. John Philpot<br />
M.C. Ragsdale and Karen Popp<br />
Susie Post-Rust and Adam Rust<br />
Kelly and Jeff Powrie<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Proctor<br />
Mrs. Kathleen Przybycien<br />
Robyn and Richard Putnam<br />
Linda Raftery and Phil Spiro<br />
Shalini Ramasunder and Scott Buckel<br />
Fatima Rangwala and Yousuf Zafar<br />
Shelby and Stephen Reed<br />
Erin and Jerry Reiter<br />
Charique and Johnathan Richardson<br />
Laura and Barak Richman<br />
Michelle Roy<br />
Whitney and John Sandor<br />
Erin and Todd Sarver<br />
Anna and Tuck Satterfield<br />
Rich Scher<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Schoene<br />
Gita Schonfeld and Marvin Swartz<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Selder<br />
Ann Schoene Skye and Jami Norris<br />
Dr. and Mrs. James A. Smith, III<br />
Janet and Roy Smith<br />
Jamie Steck<br />
Jinda and Kevin Stoll<br />
Sandy and Robert Taylor<br />
Dana Thompson Dorsey and Doug Dorsey<br />
Stacey and Eric Tisch<br />
Stephanie and Nathan Vandergrift<br />
Linda Vargas<br />
Danielle and Samuel Wellman<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Welty<br />
Erin and Waller Wills<br />
Jen Wu and Shane McSwain<br />
Mel York and Lake Lloyd<br />
Giving Clubs<br />
Founder’s Club ($10,000+)<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> University Medical Center<br />
Richard and Lisa Kern Griffin<br />
Beverly and Keith McRae<br />
<strong>Oak</strong> Foundation<br />
M.C. Ragsdale and Karen Popp<br />
Alex Tolstykh and Ricardo Sanchez<br />
<strong>Under</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Oak</strong> Club ($5,000-$9,999)<br />
Anonymous (1)<br />
Lisa and Elaine Andrews-Lanier<br />
Sumi and Dan Ariely<br />
Kylie and Clint Harris<br />
Gary and Carelyn Monroe<br />
Josh Parker<br />
Florence and James Peacock<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Proctor<br />
Kelly Robinson and Lawrence DeGraaf<br />
Anna and Tuck Satterfield<br />
Panna and Jenny Sharma<br />
Hull Avenue Club<br />
($2,500-$4,999)<br />
Anonymous (2)<br />
Lawrence and Sharon Baxter<br />
Mrs. Judith Bell and The Honorable<br />
William Bell<br />
Christopher Gergen and Hea<strong>the</strong>r Graham<br />
Robin Hardie-Hood and Thomas Hood<br />
Elizabeth and David Hays<br />
Kristin Ito and Charles Gayer<br />
Leann and Gavin Jocius<br />
Jin Yi Kwon and Larry Moray<br />
Sarah and Ryan Lamb<br />
Joel Lipsitch and Abbie Melnick<br />
Dave and Claudia Michelman<br />
Beth and Ed Murgitroyd<br />
Cindy and Gregg Pacchiana<br />
Kirstin and Gary Pellom<br />
John Pinto<br />
Fatima Rangwala and Yousuf Zafar<br />
Claire and Mark Scullion<br />
Connie and Truman Semans<br />
Julie Shermak and Steve Goodman<br />
Naz Siddiqui and Casey Jenkins<br />
Rona and Craig Spitzer<br />
Alison and Soren Windram<br />
Erwin Road Club ($1,000-$2,499)<br />
Anonymous (2)<br />
Ms. Sandra Adams and Mr. Fred Adams<br />
Krissy and Will Anderson<br />
Dr. Nadia Anderson<br />
Stephanie and Vince Aurentz<br />
Kathy Bartelmay and Roger Perilstein<br />
Chuck and Judy Bausell<br />
Mary Boshkoff and Paul Meisner<br />
Laurie Braun and John Taylor<br />
Joel and Beverly Brown<br />
Cathy Bryson<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
37
Dr. Kenneth W. Chandler<br />
Tanya Chartrand and Gavan Fitzsimons<br />
Ayesha Chaudhary and Terry Clapacs<br />
Meihua Chen and Denis Kalenja<br />
MargEva and Stephen Cole<br />
Donna Culton and Arun Manikumar<br />
Kay Kohring-DaSilva and Keith DaSilva<br />
Melissa Ellis and Jeff Doyle<br />
Lori Etter and Jeff Welty<br />
Kathryn and Pierce Freelon<br />
Katie Garman<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Barna Gibson<br />
Jennifer Goulet and Mike Wade<br />
Sue Harnett<br />
Helen Harrison and Tom Truscott<br />
Keijuane Hester<br />
Tyler Hill ‘17<br />
Jen and Peter Hoff<br />
Julie and Scott Hollenbeck<br />
Diane Hom and Chris Larson<br />
Sheronda Jeffries<br />
Bridget and Jason Koontz<br />
Breitfeld Family<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lemuth<br />
Corinne Linardic and Ned Patz<br />
Susan and Ian Lipsitch<br />
Mimi Lukens and Mark Hansen<br />
Dr. Javad Malek and Mrs. Effat Malek<br />
Mollie and Chad Ma<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Maultsby<br />
Sandy McCay<br />
Beth and Tim Miller<br />
Jenny and Craig Murray<br />
Susanna Naggie and Chuck Gerardo<br />
Shital and Nilay Patel<br />
Eric Poon and Mike Pelletier<br />
Kelly and Jeff Powrie<br />
Tina and Mitch Prinstein<br />
Russell Rabinowitz<br />
Erin and Jerry Reiter<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Selder<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Edward Sugarman<br />
Melanie and Lars Trost<br />
Tina Valdecanas and Doug Aitkin<br />
Sarah Wagdy and Tamer Mahmoud<br />
Jen Wu and Shane McSwain<br />
Dragon’s Club ($500-$999)<br />
Anonymous (3)<br />
Dan and Tanja Bauer<br />
Brenda Berlin and Kevin Schulman<br />
Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein and Eric Rubinstein<br />
Yuan Cao and Dawei Li<br />
Karen and Chris Carmody<br />
Susan Cates and Scott Warren<br />
Garry and Keisha Cutright<br />
Deryle and Desirée Daniels, Jr.<br />
Tania and Justin Desrosiers<br />
Gene and Betty Doyle<br />
Lauren and Scott Drake<br />
Lisa Fail and Michael Pignone<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
Jennifer and Michael Frakes<br />
Mr. and Mrs. John Gardner<br />
Jeanne Gatling<br />
Victor Gatling<br />
Brian Greene<br />
Sandra B. Greene<br />
Rajan, Preeya, Meera and Siyona Gupta<br />
Dr. Vasudha Gupta and Dr. Bhupender Gupta<br />
Dr. April Harris-Britt and Mr. James Britt<br />
Lea and Alan Hart<br />
Melanie Hatz-Levinson and Howie Levinson<br />
Lisa and Scott Huettel<br />
Ji-Yeon and Hun-Yong Jo<br />
Susan Sugarman Kirsch and David Kirsch<br />
Amy and Naveen Kumar<br />
Kristin and Corum McNealy<br />
Chiara Melloni and Pierluigi Tricoci<br />
Karen and Steve Munsat<br />
Linda Raftery and Phil Spiro<br />
Dr. Shalini Ramasunder and Dr. Scott Buckel<br />
Margaret and Tim Rauwald<br />
Eileen and Gerald Richards<br />
Whitney and John Sandor<br />
Lewanda and Pierre Taybron<br />
Candy and John Thompson<br />
Stacey and Eric Tisch<br />
Linda Vargas<br />
Les Webster<br />
Jill and Ben Weinberger<br />
Mr. Andrew Widmark<br />
Marlo and Dirk Wilcox<br />
Maroon Club ($250-$499)<br />
Anonymous (8)<br />
Susan and Bill Andrews<br />
Alisha and Eric Benner<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Betuker<br />
Mr. and Ms. John Bolz<br />
Melanie Bonner<br />
Mrs. Jane Bourne<br />
Kristin and Steve Bradley-Bull<br />
Libby and Lee Buck<br />
Robyn and Jamie Claar<br />
Hea<strong>the</strong>r Clarkson and Sean Wilmer<br />
Charlotte and Ron Craig<br />
Lisa and Eric Schreiber<br />
Molly Cronenwett<br />
Angela Davis<br />
Rick and Sharon Deason<br />
Dr. Agnes L. DeWitt<br />
Penelope Dempsey Dietz<br />
Rose and Zubin Eapen<br />
Louise and Sean Flynn<br />
General Mills Box Tops for Education<br />
Vicki and Peter Generelly<br />
Gilchrist Family<br />
Mark Hale<br />
Harris Teeter<br />
Janet and Paul Hesselschwerdt<br />
Pamela Hester<br />
Sunshine and Joel Hillygus<br />
Beatrice Hong and Ziad Gellad<br />
Chun Hu and Jun Yang<br />
Tekla Jachimiak and Thomas Bro<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
Lisa Kahan and Duncan Higgins<br />
Cara and Ravi Karra<br />
Ms. Jane Kirsch<br />
Mrs. Margaret Kohring<br />
Jodie LaPoint and Chris Weymouth<br />
Ann Lawrence and Steve Leinwand<br />
Lori Leggatt and Andrew Foster<br />
Marin Levy and Joseph Blocher<br />
Lingyun Long and Hao Li<br />
Claudia and Steve Markey<br />
Debbie Marshall<br />
Catriona Moore and Kyle Lundby<br />
Anne and Phil Napoli<br />
Liss Family<br />
38<br />
UNDER THE OAK
Shelby and Stephen Reed<br />
Helen and Barry Reiter<br />
Mike Strauss and Harmony Salzler<br />
Rich Scher<br />
Ms. Meyressa Schoonmaker<br />
Courtney and Don Smith<br />
Moira Smullen and Chris Marshall<br />
Jinda and Kevin Stoll<br />
Fern Szulgit and Erick Peterson<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Linton Yee<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Virgilio Valdecanas<br />
Danielle and Samuel Wellman<br />
Suzanne and Chris Woods<br />
Ling Zhen and Wei Zhang<br />
Donor (Up to $249)<br />
Anonymous (23)<br />
C.S. Adams, III (Trey)<br />
Natalie and Chris Aho<br />
Mr. and Mrs. John Aitkin<br />
Madeline Allen ‘08<br />
Amazon Smiles<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Anderson<br />
Anderson Family<br />
Ruth Anderson-McGranahan and Mike<br />
McGranahan<br />
Rachel Bachenheimer and Richard Stilwell<br />
Ms. Diane Bailey<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Baker<br />
Sarah and Kenneth Bausell<br />
Grace and Mattie Beason<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Becker<br />
Sylvia Becker-Dreps and Chris Dreps<br />
Geoff Berry<br />
Tia and Martin Black<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Dan Blazer, II<br />
Mr. Ed Blocher and Ms. Sandy Powers<br />
Jeannine Borzello<br />
Mrs. Ruth Boshkoff<br />
Mr. and Mrs. David Bowers<br />
Lucy and Tom Bradshaw<br />
Kate Brady<br />
Dayna Brill<br />
Mrs. Brenda L. Brown<br />
Mrs. Brenda S. Brown<br />
Patricia Brown<br />
Leslie Bryan<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn Bryson<br />
Mara Buchbinder and Jesse Summers<br />
Stephen J. Buchbinder<br />
Sabrina Burmeister and Keith Sockman<br />
Judy Byck and Eric Mlyn<br />
Elaine Cameron<br />
Maria Cassinelli-Bernstein and Fernando<br />
Bernstein<br />
Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Chartrand<br />
Aria Chernik and Michael Delafield<br />
Katie Christo<br />
Natalie Cicero<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Dick Claar<br />
Wesley Clegg<br />
Noah Clapacs ‘14<br />
Zain Clapacs ‘11<br />
Coastal Federal Credit Union<br />
Pamela and Marc Cohen<br />
Mr. Larry Colker<br />
Mary and Joe Cooley<br />
The Cope Family<br />
Bob and Allyn Kay Cornwell<br />
Jen Crawford Cook and Steve Cook<br />
Jack and Debra Cronenwett<br />
Linda Cronenwett and Shirley Tuller<br />
Mr. and Ms. Roland M. Crowell<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Juan Cruz<br />
Dianne Cruz and Douglas Williamson<br />
Mr. and Ms. Bill Culton<br />
Kiersten and Clint Dart<br />
Mrs. Lynn Delicio<br />
Tracie DeLoatch<br />
Rebecca Dexter<br />
Dan Divis<br />
Ms. Hope Dooley<br />
Florence Dore and Will Rigby<br />
Mrs. Darcy Downing<br />
Mrs. Norma Drummond<br />
Dani Duma and Jeff Weiss<br />
Mark Dunzo<br />
Ashley Durham and Jason Harris<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Durham<br />
Maureen Dwyer<br />
Foley Dyson<br />
Linda and John Eads<br />
Alison and David Eagle<br />
Charles Ebel<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Edwards<br />
Ms. Carol Elliot<br />
Eman Elmahi and Husam Hasanin<br />
Raina Elsner and David Andrews<br />
Dan Epperson<br />
Dr. Anabelle Estrera and Dr. Clemente Estrera<br />
Cleo Estrera and Mat<strong>the</strong>w E<strong>the</strong>rington<br />
Emily Feldman-Kravitz and Richard Kravitz<br />
Ben Felton<br />
Andrew Fiore ‘91<br />
Julia Fiore ‘00<br />
Abby Flynn and Kevin Walker<br />
Dr. Sarah Friedman<br />
Holli and Brandon Gall<br />
Larry and Penny Gall<br />
Jennifer and Dave Gardner<br />
Eva Garland<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Joel Gaya<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Gayer<br />
Annie and George Genti<strong>the</strong>s<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Genti<strong>the</strong>s<br />
Michael Gilbert ‘96<br />
Silvia Glaubach and Federico Bugni<br />
Cathy Gracey and Steve Smith<br />
Gail Aronoff Granek<br />
Hea<strong>the</strong>r and Bret Greene<br />
Ron and Phyllis Greene<br />
Sarah Greene and Ian Cundiff<br />
Ida and Dennis Greenhill<br />
Rachel and Rich Greenup<br />
Tery and Michael Gunter<br />
The Gustafson Family<br />
Lauren Hagan<br />
Emma Hales ‘15<br />
Jane and James Hales<br />
Sean Hamel<br />
Leslie Hamilton<br />
Mrs. Sylvia Harlen<br />
Beth and Jeff Harris<br />
Jennifer Harris<br />
Laurie Ann and Scott Harvey<br />
Mary and Stephen Harward<br />
Karen and Colleen Heller-McLaughlin<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
39
Wendy and Paul Henderson<br />
Mary Beth Hes<br />
Amy and Jamie Lau<br />
Daniel Heuser<br />
Susan and Richard Hilser<br />
Lauren Hiner<br />
Sima and Michael Hodavance<br />
Laura and Jason Hodgson<br />
Kerry Holbrook<br />
Caren and Jack Hollenbeck<br />
Ms. Sammie Holloway<br />
Madeline Horrigan<br />
Carla Horta<br />
Brian Horton<br />
Neva Howard and Shahar Link<br />
Tonya Hunt<br />
Sandra and Peter Jacobi<br />
Pamela Jarvis-Miller<br />
Jahmarie Jean<br />
Rex Jeffries<br />
Stefanie Kandzia and Ralf Michaels<br />
Sara and Nico Katsanis<br />
Kevin Kearns<br />
Phadej and Sachivalai Keopunna<br />
Hélène and Alex Kirshner<br />
Carolynn Klein<br />
Koerner Family<br />
Kralic Family<br />
Sharon and Vib Kshettry<br />
Sharon Laisure<br />
Tiffane Land and Jonathon Jurusik<br />
Ms. Paula LaPoint<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Greg Lau<br />
Charlotte Lee and David Siegel<br />
Frederic and Naomi Leubuscher<br />
Hui Li and Fan Yuan<br />
Ca<strong>the</strong>rine Linford<br />
Jian Liu and Jia Li<br />
Ms. Joan Lloyd<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Longnecker<br />
Andrew Lovett<br />
Dr. Victoria Lubkov<br />
Sharon and Ed Lunk<br />
Judith Lynch<br />
Mr. and Mrs. John D. MacAulay<br />
Elizabeth and Mike Malinzak<br />
Mr. and Mrs. David Malinzak<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Millard Maloney<br />
Lucia Marcus<br />
Julie Marshall<br />
Mr. and Mrs. David Martak<br />
Kristi and Chris Martin<br />
Brenda G. Mat<strong>the</strong>ws<br />
Octavia Mat<strong>the</strong>ws<br />
Tiffany Mat<strong>the</strong>ws<br />
William K. Mat<strong>the</strong>ws<br />
Margaret and Richard McCann<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Sushil Mehrotra<br />
Melvin and Susan Melnick<br />
Joyce Miller<br />
Robert Mills<br />
Jeffrey Ayers Monroe ‘15<br />
Jeannine Montgomery<br />
Mr. and Mrs. R. Leonard Moore<br />
Ms. Cathleen Morawetz<br />
Vin and Ann Morgan<br />
Meghan Morris<br />
Vicki and Gilbert Muller<br />
Pedi and Ruth Neta<br />
Bonnie E Nevel and Richard G Newell<br />
Willie Nicholson<br />
Marilyn and Peter Ornstein<br />
Miriam Ornstein and David Luks<br />
Judy Panitch and Andy Hart<br />
Alessandra Pavesio and Steven Singer<br />
Natalie and Emiliano Corral<br />
Dana and Keith Pearsall<br />
Mr. and Ms. John Philpot<br />
Jake and Lisa Pope<br />
Rust Family<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Max Powrie<br />
Kathleen M. Przybycien<br />
Robyn and Richard Putnam<br />
Rakuten Loyalty<br />
Michelle and Brian Reich<br />
Richards-Baker Family<br />
Charique and Johnathan Richardson<br />
Laura and Barak Richman<br />
Hea<strong>the</strong>r and Patrick Ritchie<br />
Marya McNeish and Bob Robinson<br />
Gilda Rodriguez and John Villani<br />
Michelle Roy<br />
David and Pegeen Rubinstein<br />
Darielle and Lee Ruderman<br />
Dr. Judith Ruderman<br />
Mr. and Mrs. John Rushing<br />
Grechen and Jonas Sahratian<br />
Laura and Chris Sample<br />
Jonatan Sanchez<br />
Leah Sansbury and Trip Boyer<br />
Elizabeth Sasser and Daniel Sasser<br />
Paula Scatoloni and Andy Ovenden<br />
Schechter Family<br />
Barb and Don Schoene<br />
Gita Schonfeld and Marvin Swartz<br />
William Settle<br />
Jane Shears<br />
Lisa Simmons<br />
Ms. Karen Simon<br />
Joe and Charlene Skorjanec<br />
Ann Skye and Jami Norris<br />
Irecka Smith<br />
Dr. and Mrs. James A. Smith, III<br />
Janet and Roy Smith<br />
Renee and Joseph Smith<br />
Darryl Spancake<br />
Kim Spancake and Drew Snider<br />
Mr. and Mrs. John Spangler<br />
Karen Springer and Alex Herskowitz<br />
Jamie Steck<br />
Betsy Strauss<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Strauss<br />
Laura Streitfeld and Cyril Lance<br />
Ms. Nina Streitfeld<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Summers<br />
Michael J. Szott<br />
Emily and Lee Taft<br />
James and Doris Taybron<br />
Sandy and Robert Taylor<br />
Dana Thompson Dorsey and Doug Dorsey<br />
Kizzy Thompson-Lynch and Jason Lynch<br />
Mary Townsend and Jon Stiber<br />
Stephanie and Nathan Vandergrift<br />
Amy Warren<br />
Marki Watson<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Weinberger<br />
Bea and Bill Welty<br />
Rachel Wer<strong>the</strong>imer<br />
40<br />
UNDER THE OAK
Sarah Wessell and John Bley<br />
Megan Whitted<br />
Rebecca and Robert Wilgus<br />
Deja Williams<br />
James M. Williams<br />
Ms. Karen Williams<br />
Kia Williams<br />
Jenner and Libby Wood<br />
Becca and Julian Wooldridge<br />
Nancy Worsham<br />
Iain Wright ‘13<br />
Harriet Bogin Yogel<br />
Mel York and Lake Lloyd<br />
Grandparent Giving<br />
Anonymous (15)<br />
Dr. Sandra Adams and Dr. Fred Adams<br />
Kamau and Vida Anderson<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Anderson<br />
Dr. Nadia Anderson<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Bolton Anthony<br />
Ms. Diane Bailey<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Baldwin<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Bausell<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Beason<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Becker<br />
The Honorable William Bell and<br />
Mrs. Judith Bell<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Dan Blazer, II<br />
Mr. and Ms. John Bolz<br />
Mrs. Ruth Boshkoff<br />
Mrs. Jane Bourne<br />
Mr. and Mrs. David Bowers<br />
Mrs. Brenda L. Brown<br />
Joel and Beverly Brown<br />
Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Chartrand<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Chi-Cheng Chen<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Dick Claar<br />
Mrs. Helen Clyde<br />
Mr. Larry Colker<br />
Charlotte and Ron Craig<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Cronenwett<br />
Linda Cronenwett and Shirley Tuller<br />
Mr. and Ms. Roland M. Crowell<br />
Dr. Nancy Day Adams and<br />
Dr. Thomas Sinsteden<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Deason<br />
Mrs. Lynn Delicio<br />
Dr. Agnes DeWitt<br />
Mrs. Penny Dietz<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Gene Doyle<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Stanley Etersque<br />
Mr. Albert Feldman<br />
Dr. Sarah Friedman<br />
Mr. and Mrs. John Gardner<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Gayer<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Generelly<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Getman<br />
Mrs. Gail A. Granek<br />
Ms. Cleme Grant<br />
Mr. and Mrs. James Gray, III<br />
Dr. Sandra Greene<br />
Dr. Vasudha Gupta and Dr. Bhupender Gupta<br />
Mrs. Sylvia Harlen<br />
Dr. April Harris-Britt and Mr. James Britt<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hays<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Hesselschwerdt<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hilser<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Jack Hollenbeck<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hurtgen<br />
Mr. Gad Janay and Mrs. Marlene Janay<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Kirk<br />
Mrs. Margaret Kohring<br />
Ms. Paula LaPoint<br />
Ms. Ann Lawrence and Mr. Steve Leinwand<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Lee<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lemuth<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Leubuscher<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Lewis<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Ian Lipsitch<br />
Ms. Joan Lloyd<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Longnecker<br />
Dr. Victoria Lubkov<br />
Ms. Judith Lynch<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Markey<br />
Ms. Brenda Mat<strong>the</strong>ws<br />
William Mat<strong>the</strong>ws<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Maultsby<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Pat McNease<br />
Melvin and Susan Melnick<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Towson Moore<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Vin Morgan<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Ian Murgitroyd<br />
Dr. Pedi Neta and Mrs. Ruth Neta<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Franc Noel<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Olich<br />
Marilyn and Peter Ornstein<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Orstad<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Patz<br />
Florence and James Peacock<br />
Mrs. Barbara Pope<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Max Powrie<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Proctor<br />
Mrs. Kathleen Przybycien<br />
Robyn and Richard Putnam<br />
Anita and Dale Pyles<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Barry Reiter<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Richards<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Epes Robinson<br />
Mr. Ira Robinson<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Randy Rollins<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Schoene<br />
Ms. Meyressa Schoonmaker<br />
Dr. and Mrs. James A. Smith, III<br />
Mrs. Sue Smith<br />
Darryl Spancake<br />
Mr. Gad Janay and Mrs. Marlene Janay<br />
Betsy Strauss<br />
Ms. Nina Streitfeld<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Edward Sugarman<br />
Mrs. Sallie Taylor<br />
Mrs. Norma Thompson<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Tisch<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Ron Trzcinski<br />
Dr. Virgilio Valdecanas and<br />
Dr. Erlinda Valdecanas<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Welty<br />
Ms. Karen Williams<br />
Gifts in Kind<br />
Ad Resources, Inc.<br />
Favor Desserts<br />
Alex Herst ‘08<br />
Anne Lawrence and Steve Leinwand<br />
King’s Red & White Super Market, Inc.<br />
The Mad Popper<br />
Chris Marshall and Moira Smullen<br />
Lee Miller<br />
Katayoun Tabrizi and Scott Lindroth<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
41
Gifts Made (IHO/IMO/ICO)*<br />
Trey Adams IHO: Dave Michelman<br />
Natalie and Chris Aho ICO: Cameron Aho<br />
Mr. and Ms. William Andrews<br />
ICO: Noah Andrews<br />
Kathy Bartelmay and Roger Perilstein<br />
IHO: Ann Lawrence for her ongoing<br />
leadership and Professional Development<br />
with our math teachers<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Bausell<br />
ICO: Ayers Bausell<br />
Sharon and Lawrence Baxter<br />
IMO: Rea and Gerald Baxter<br />
Brenda Berlin and Kevin Schulman<br />
IMO: Edward Berlin<br />
Geoff Berry<br />
IHO: Rock - N- Roll<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Betuker<br />
IHO: Mary Hayward and<br />
Madeline Horrigan<br />
Mr. and Ms. John Bolz<br />
IHO: Staff at <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
Mary Boshkoff and Paul Meisner<br />
IHO: Ava and Jackson Meisner<br />
Mrs. Jane Bourne<br />
ICO: Stephen, Gavin and Ally Lamb<br />
Kate Brady IHO: Holly and Alice<br />
Ms. Patricia B. Brown<br />
ICO: Taylor and Elena Mills<br />
Karen and Chris Carmody<br />
ICO: Ayla Carmody<br />
Dr. Manas Chatterji and Ms. Pradipta Chatterji<br />
ICO: Anya Chatterji<br />
Natalie Cicero<br />
IHO: 3 brave 7th grade slam poets<br />
Coastal Federal Credit Union<br />
IHO: Jason Mudd<br />
Mr. and Ms. Roland M. Crowell<br />
ICO: Emma and Lila Wills<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Davies<br />
ICO: Carson Turner<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Deason<br />
IHO: Jane Shears and Grechen Sahratian<br />
Mrs. Lynn Delicio, ICO: Amelia Hart<br />
Dr. Agnes DeWitt, ICO: Keila Hester<br />
Mrs. Penny Dietz, IMO: Amelia Marie Dietz<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Gene Doyle, IHO: Marki Watson,<br />
Julie Marshall, Brian Greene, Michelle<br />
Reich, Claudia Michelman, Annie Genti<strong>the</strong>s<br />
Mark Dunzo, IHO: Constance and Elise<br />
Rose and Zubin Eapen, IHO: Rose Payyapilli<br />
Melissa Ellis and Jeff Doyle,<br />
IHO: Mollie Doyle’s teachers<br />
Raina Elsner and David Andrews<br />
IHO: Dragons<br />
Emily Feldman-Kravitz and Richard Kravitz<br />
IHO: Martha Kravitz ‘16<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
IMO: Dan Heuser’s fa<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
IHO: Dyson/Coleman Family<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
IMO: Ida Greenhill’s bro<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
ICO: Brian,Elizabeth, and Noah Greene<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
IMO: Irecka Smith’s grandmo<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
ICO: Charlie Michelman<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
ICO: Rachel Wer<strong>the</strong>imer’s wedding<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
ICO: Tonya Hunt’s first granddaughter<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
IMO: Frank and Norma Carmody<br />
Meghan Fitzpatrick<br />
IHO: Rebecca Riley Dexter<br />
Abby Flynn and Kevin Walker<br />
ICO: Wyatt Stillings<br />
Dr. Sarah Friedman<br />
IMO: Yair Granek’s great grandparents<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Gall<br />
ICO: Caroline Gall<br />
Ana Garcia-Turner and Mark Turner<br />
ICO: Miranda and Nathaniel Turner<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Joel Gaya<br />
ICO: Kylee Lynch<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Barna Gibson<br />
ICO: Kate Brady, Kerry Holbrook<br />
and Lucy Bradshaw<br />
Jennifer and Michael Gilchrist<br />
IHO: Eman Elmahi and Emily Taft<br />
Mrs. Gail A. Granek, ICO: Yair Granek<br />
Dr. Vasudha Gupta and Dr. Bhupender Gupta<br />
IHO: Great <strong>School</strong>, philosophy, teachers,<br />
Director and Development Officer!<br />
Mrs. Sylvia Harlen, ICO: Adeline Delefield<br />
Beth and Jeff Harris, IHO: 4th grade team<br />
Kerry Holbrook, IHO: Kate Brady<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Jack Hollenbeck<br />
ICO: Zeph and Charles Wiley<br />
Ms. Sammie Holloway, IMO: Myrtle Holloway<br />
Madeline Horrigan, IHO: Alexis Davis<br />
Pamela Jarvis-Miller, ICO: Emmett Flynn<br />
Ji-Yeon and Hun-Yong Jo, IHO: Bonnie Nevel<br />
Cara and Ravi Karra, IHO: Vija K. Karra<br />
Sara and Nico Katsanis<br />
IHO: Angelina Katsanis<br />
Kevin Kearns, ICO: Humphrey Kearns<br />
Mrs. Margaret Kohring<br />
ICO: Kate and Christopher Kohring<br />
Sue Kreissman and Philip Breitfeld<br />
IHO: Emily, Lee, Crete and Gray Taft<br />
Dr. and Dr. Kshettry, ICO: Meera Gupta<br />
Amy and Naveen Kumar<br />
ICO: Mia and Anya Kumar<br />
Ms. Paula LaPoint, ICO: Norah Weymouth<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lemuth<br />
ICO: Jack and Greta Wellman<br />
Mr. and Mrs. David Malinzak<br />
ICO: Patrick Malinzak<br />
Moira Smullen and Christopher Marshall<br />
IHO: <strong>Duke</strong> <strong>School</strong> Commuinity<br />
Ms. Brenda Mat<strong>the</strong>ws, ICO: Nia Stroud<br />
Octavia Mat<strong>the</strong>ws, ICO: Nia Stroud<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Pat McNease<br />
IHO: Ada Ca<strong>the</strong>rine Hays<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Melnick<br />
ICO: Sara and Leah Lipsitch<br />
Dr. Pedi Neta and Mrs. Ruth Neta<br />
ICO: Sophia Bahna-Neta<br />
Marilyn and Peter Ornstein<br />
IHO: 8th grade teachers<br />
Miriam Ornstein and David Luks<br />
IHO: Sivan and Adin’s past<br />
and present teachers<br />
Florence and James Peacock<br />
ICO: Isabella and Lucia Corral<br />
Eric Poon and Mike Pelletier<br />
ICO: Claire Pelletier-Poon<br />
Mrs. Kathleen Przybycien<br />
ICO: Lily and Max Przybycien<br />
Robyn and Richard Putnam<br />
IMO: Bill Weaver and Crete Putnam<br />
Linda Raftery and Phil Spiro<br />
IHO: Adriane Spiro<br />
Shalini Ramasunder and Scott Buckel<br />
IHO: Miriam Ornstein and Maureen Dwyer;<br />
Jeannine Montgomery and Carolynn Klein<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Richards<br />
ICO: Painter and Walker Richards-Baker<br />
Dr. and Mrs. David Rubinstein<br />
ICO: Xavier Rubinstein<br />
Dr. Judith Ruderman, ICO: Ethan Ruderman<br />
Paula Scatoloni and Andy Ovenden<br />
IMO: Pip and Raja<br />
42<br />
UNDER THE OAK
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Schoene<br />
ICO: Hayley Skye<br />
Ms. Meyressa Schoonmaker<br />
ICO: Zadie Schoonmaker<br />
Mark and Claire Scullion<br />
In support of <strong>the</strong> Strategic Plan<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Selder<br />
ICO: Chloe and Lily Gilchrist<br />
Julie Shermak and Steve Goodman<br />
IHO: Jane Shears and Grechen Sahratian<br />
Ms. Karen Simon, ICO: Noah Andrews<br />
Dr. and Mrs. James A. Smith, III<br />
ICO: Lila and Emma Wills<br />
Mrs. Mary Stoll<br />
ICO: Bryan, Collin and Sara Grace Dock<br />
Betsy Strauss, ICO: Cam Strauss<br />
Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Strauss<br />
ICO: Carly and Ali Marshall<br />
Emily and Lee Taft<br />
IMO: Mary Scott Hoyt<br />
Nicole Thompson<br />
IHO: Lower <strong>School</strong> Faculty and Staff<br />
Stacey and Eric Tisch, ICO: Lucy Tisch<br />
Stacey and Eric Tisch, ICO: Lily Tisch<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Weinberger ICO:<br />
Gemma Weinberger<br />
Mr. James Williams, ICO: Kennedy Williams<br />
Ms. Karen Williams, ICO: Kennedy Williams<br />
Kia Williams, ICO: Kennedy Williams<br />
Nancy Worsham, ICO: Lillian Boyer<br />
Harriet Bogin Yogel, ICO: Simon Summers<br />
Matching Gifts<br />
Cisco<br />
GlaxoSmithKline Foundation<br />
IBM Corporation<br />
McKinney Matching Gift Program<br />
NVIDIA<br />
Smith Gardner, Inc<br />
TRUiST<br />
Wells Fargo Foundation Educational<br />
Matching Gift Program<br />
Organizational Giving<br />
Coastal Federal Credit Union<br />
<strong>Duke</strong> University Medical Center<br />
Favor Desserts<br />
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund<br />
General Mills Box Tops for Education<br />
Harris Teeter<br />
Mynt LTD<br />
<strong>Oak</strong> Foundation<br />
Progressive Business Solutions<br />
Target<br />
Triangle Community Foundation, Inc<br />
TRUiST<br />
Event and <strong>School</strong> Sponsors<br />
Connie Semans<br />
Favor Desserts<br />
G. Alan, Inc.<br />
Global Aspect Human Capital Advisors LLC<br />
Hilton Garden Inn - Medical Center<br />
Lanier Law, P.A.<br />
New Hope Animal Hospital<br />
Progressive Business Solutions<br />
Sergio Rosa<br />
Sun Trust<br />
We make every effort to ensure <strong>the</strong> accuracy of information contained in <strong>the</strong><br />
annual Honor Roll of Donors. If you have a question about a listing, please<br />
contact a member of <strong>the</strong> Development Office at (919) 493-9968.<br />
*IHO - In Honor of, IMO - In Memory of, ICO - In Celebration of<br />
UNDER THE OAK<br />
43
Follow us on...<br />
Last year, <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> parent Richard<br />
Griffin presented an<br />
idea of a scoreboard<br />
in hopes of improving<br />
<strong>the</strong> overall game<br />
day experience for<br />
students and fans of<br />
soccer and lacrosse.<br />
With special thanks<br />
to <strong>the</strong> Griffin family’s<br />
sponsorship, this<br />
vision was brought<br />
to life in <strong>2017</strong>. Not<br />
only has it been well<br />
received by <strong>the</strong> <strong>Duke</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> community,<br />
but it also adds pride<br />
and character to our<br />
campus.<br />
44<br />
UNDER THE OAK