Duke School Under the Oak Magazine, Fall 2017

Under the Oak
FALL 2017
VISION 2022: DUKE SCHOOL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
Five-year plan to continue moving Duke School forward
THE DUFFER BROTHERS –
LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK
Matt and Ross Duffer’s journey from Duke School to Netflix
2016-17 DRAGON FUND REPORT
Celebration and Recognition of the Honor Roll of Donors
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Under the Oak
DUKE SCHOOL CORE VALUES
WHAT WE DO
Inspire learners to boldly and creatively shape their future.
IDEAS WE LIVE BY
LEARNER-CENTERED
Learners are the center of a dynamic and collaborative
learning, inquiry and discovery process.
ACTIVE INQUIRY
Intellectual curiosity through project-based learning
propels learners to explore multiple paths to creative solutions.
BOLD THINKERS
A deep love of learning and respect for our community
forms bold, critical thinkers for life.
WHY WE DO IT
To prepare the next generation of problem solvers
for our complex world.
EDITORS
WRITERS
MAGAZINE DIRECTOR
HEAD OF SCHOOL
DESIGNER
Lucy Bradshaw
Deryle A. Daniels, Jr.
Lea Hart
Lia Manos
Ashley Schlax
Irecka Smith
Dave Michelman
Gina Lorsson
Duke School publishes Under the Oak annually for its
alumni, parents, grandparents and friends. If you would
like to add someone to our mailing list, please e-mail
communications@dukeschool.org. We also welcome
news about alumni for future publications; please e-mail
alumni@dukeschool.org with this information.
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INSIDE this issue
MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL . ..................4
Duke School – turning 70-years-old and continuing to expand its
possibilities.
FROM THE DESK OF HARVEY “SMOKEY” DANIELS . ......... 5
Smokey Daniels reflects on his partnership with Duke School and the
school’s features in his book The Curious Classroom.
VISION 2022: DUKE SCHOOL’S STRATEGIC PLAN . ........ 6-10
Duke School’s strategic plan, FIRE – offers a five-year plan to continue
moving the school forward.
SAME FUND, NEW NAME . ........................... 11
Duke School’s Annual Fund has been named the Dragon Fund.
TED-ED IN THE MAKING . ........................12-13
The making of a Ted-Ed video: Q&A with student Sydney Siegel.
LACROSSE JOINS DUKE SCHOOL’S ATHLETICS ROSTER . .....14
Lacrosse is now an optional sport for middle schoolers.
CREATING…PROBLEM SOLVERS . ..................... 15
Hannah Wilkins ’13 receives the Chancellor’s Science Scholarship
from UNC.
IN A CLASS OF HIS OWN . .......................16-17
Adam Woolley ’99 speaks about his organization, Circus Now.
THE “QUEEN OF USEFUL JUNK” . .................. 18-19
Katie Dektar ’00 reflects on her kindergarten experience
that led her to Google.
5 THINGS I LEARNED FROM SYLVIA CHARD . ........... 20-21
Teacher Natalie Cicero shares lessons from Sylvia Chard’s PATEN training.
LIFE AFTER DUKE SCHOOL: PRINCETON IN AFRICA . ..... 22-23
Shan Nagar ’08 reflects on his Princeton in Africa program.
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS: ALWAYS A DRAGON .......... 24-25
Celebrating the destinations of 2013 and 2017 grads.
THE DUFFER BROTHERS –
LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK . .............. 26-31
Matt and Ross Duffer share their journey from Duke School to Netflix.
2016-17 DRAGON FUND REPORT . .................. 32-43
Celebration and recognition of the Honor Roll of Donors.
ON THE COVER:
Welcome to Duke School!
INSIDE OF THE COVER:
Oak tree on Duke School’s campus. Students and faculty use
the oak tree as a regular meeting place and refer to it as
U.T.O.T. (under the oak tree).
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Message from Dave Michelman, Head of School
Duke School will
turn 70-years-old this
year. What began
as a nursery school
for 30 students has
evolved into a
nationally renowned
We are excited to teach other educators how
to bring project work into their classrooms.
International consultant and mother of The Project
Approach, Sylvia Chard, has designated Duke
School as an official Project Approach School
– trusting and training many of our faculty how
to teach Project Approach to other teachers.
preschool
through
Similarly, Harvey “Smokey” Daniels, a national
eighth-grade school, serving about 500 students.
While the original nursery school’s purpose was to
provide fodder for Duke University’s psychology
department, today’s school is totally committed to
preparing our students to succeed in high school
and more importantly in life.
All would agree that today’s world is very different
from the one 70 years ago, and yet the core of
who we are remains the same. From the school’s
beginning through today, teachers perceive and
treat students as autonomous individuals who are
on a shared learning journey. We treat students
and their ideas with respect and encourage
them to take intellectual risks. Ironically, many of
the schools that discounted this approach for a
more conventional one are now striving to mirror
Duke School. Finally, we have all realized that
empowered students are more likely to succeed
in today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and
ambiguous) world.
educational consultant, recognized Duke School
as a partner school in his latest book, The Curious
Classroom. These esteemed consultants highly
recognize both the strength of our program and
our teachers.
Yet, we cannot rest on our laurels. Our latest
strategic plan, FIRE, lays out a blueprint for an
even brighter future. We will focus on helping
students generate increasingly creative solutions
to a range of problems. We will help them become
self-aware and be able to care for themselves
including knowing when to unplug and set aside
technology. We will work to ensure our school is
equitable and just while sharing our knowledge
with other educators.
A rapidly changing world can create a sense of
dislocation; it also opens the door to amazing
possibilities. Duke School is ready to trail blaze
again by taking advantage of those possibilities.
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from the desk of...
Harvey “Smokey”
Daniels
To my Duke School friends:
far beyond any other school in my research. This
was a chance to learn from true experts.
We continued to work in varying capacities over
the next four years, sometimes including my
with MICHAEL GILBERT
amazing co-author Sara Ahmed.
Earlier this year, Heinemann published my
book The Curious Classroom: Ten Structures
for Teaching with Student Directed Inquiry. If
you flip through that volume, much of it reads
like a tribute to the amazing teachers at Duke
School. There are stories, pictures, and lessons
from many different classrooms, from primary
to middle school. The book is finding a wide
audience among educators who
love learning from what happens
on your campus every day.
My relationship with Duke School
began in 2013, when Kathy
Bartelmay and Jenny Murray asked
me to come and do a workshop
with the faculty. Once I got to see
the campus, meet the
people, and hear the
school’s history, I was
hooked. My own kids
went to an independent demonstration school
with a very similar history and outlook; Duke
School was right in my sweet spot as a researcher,
a teacher, and a parent. But most of all, Duke
School’s inquiry-driven curriculum was advanced
Photo: The Heinemann
Smokey Daniels’ The Curious
Classroom features the work
of 16 Duke School educators!
The Curious Classroom features stories from 12
different schools around the U.S.; Duke School
is one of three that are specially featured. Every
Duke School story in The Curious Classroom
was written by the teachers who made these
remarkable lessons come alive. Featured topics
include: electricity, the flu, creating “noticing
books,” running a theater company, interviewing
an expert, and getting stitches.
I served as editor, coach, and
cheerleader—but the reports are
100% teacher-sourced.
Perhaps my fondest memory
of all this work is that, even as
a national leader on inquiry
teaching, Duke School teachers
are leaders—educators
who are relentlessly
focused on getting
better, moving ahead,
and experimenting with their practice. What a
wonderful model for the kids you serve every
day. And what wonderful guidance you are now
offering, remotely but powerfully, to schools and
teachers around the country.
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VISION 2022:
DUKE SCHOOL’S
STRATEGIC PLAN
By Lea Hart, Duke School Parent
When Duke School’s Board of Trustees began
to consider a new strategic plan for the school,
a number of questions ran through the minds of
board members.
What should our priorities be? What voices need
to be heard in the process? What are the keys to
staying true to Duke School’s mission? And some
even asked, do we need a new strategic plan?
“There are a bunch of people who say, ‘don’t
bother, life changes too fast,’” Head of School
Dave Michelman said of strategic planning.
But in the end, the answer to that last question
was, yes.
Duke School’s previous strategic plan had come
to an end. For two years following, the board
decided to implement strategic goals, which they
would monitor, but wouldn’t encompass a full
strategic plan.
“After two years of that, we realized we liked the
old-fashioned way,” Dave said. “A strategic plan
allows you to accomplish longer term goals.”
BEGINNING THE PROCESS
Though the board had hired a consultant to assist
with the previous strategic plan, it felt this time
around that it knew the community well enough to
take on the planning in-house. At the same time,
Dave said the board knew it wanted widespread
buy-in for the plan and for the community to take
an active role in the planning process.
Dave, usually accompanied by a board member,
met with Duke School’s various constituencies
– including parents, faculty and staff, parents of
alumni, and others – to talk about the school’s
strengths, what they saw as being critical to
Duke School staying true to itself, and what areas
of growth needed to be addressed. In those
meetings, participants were also asked a big
question: What did they think the future held.
Several themes arose out of those conversations,
and the board created four task forces to take a
deeper look. Forming the acronym “PINE” the
four taskforces included: Promoting Student
Agency, Institutional Sustainability, Neighborhood
Engagement, and Education Experts.
Each taskforce included employees, current
parents and two taskforces included students.
They began researching over the summer of 2016,
and by fall, planning was in full swing. Taskforce
members visited other schools, talked to experts,
gathered data, and engaged in conversation.
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A DIVERSE SET OF VOICES
Throughout the process, taskforces listened to a
diverse set of voices and regularly called for input
from the larger Duke School community. The
widespread involvement helped make the plan a
success.
“I was so impressed with the ideas generated
by the committees,” said parent and Steering
Committee member, Julie Shermak. “What I
found fascinating was the way those
ideas evolved throughout the
process as a result of the
discussions among the
committee chairs
and the Steering
Committee members
who brought to the
process their widely
varied backgrounds
and areas of expertise.”
Duke School parent and board
member, Jeff Welty, agreed. He
chaired the Institutional Sustainability taskforce.
“They add experience, background and
perspective that balance and enrich the plan,”
Jeff said. “That was invaluable in strengthening
the plan.”
Institutional Sustainability examined topics
including, a potential future high school, Indexed
Tuition and new land acquisition for the school.
“We wrestled with some big issues,” Jeff said.
“People engaged in that with so much energy; it
was just so great to work with all those folks.”
The group formed sub-committees for each topic
area, and according to Jeff, most of the work took
place in those subcommittees.
“They really took things very seriously and did a
lot of research,” he said.
In exploring the possibility of
a high school, the group
contacted other high
schools Duke School
students were likely
to attend, as well
as schools across
the country that are
similar to Duke School.
“Almost everyone had
thoughts and opinions and
experiences that were pertinent,” said
Jeff. “As we worked toward recommendations,
we used the voices of the full committee.”
They executed a parent survey covering all of the
Institutional Sustainability taskforce’s topics to
determine parents’ opinions.
“That data turned out to be really valuable,” said
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Jeff. “We had some data from about eight to ten
years ago, so we could track changes in attitude
over time.”
Jeff was proud of the job the committee did in
gathering information.
“Because of that, our recommendations were
not just knee-jerk reactions,” he said. “They were
based on a lot of data; a lot of factual information
that made us feel they were well thought through,
and in the best interest of school.”
Elizabeth Hays, a parent and board member,
chaired the Neighborhood Engagement taskforce,
and had a very similar experience.
“One of the best parts for us, and the committee
and the health of it, was the fact that the committee
members were varied in their backgrounds,”
she said.
Elizabeth, too, credited the voices of the student,
teachers, board members, and parents who
served on the taskforce.
“The variety of constituents really contributed to
the health of the conversation and the direction,”
Elizabeth said. “Certainly, only one viewpoint or
one outlook would not have yielded appropriate
results.”
THE END RESULT
By the beginning of 2017, and following a
series of meetings sometimes lasting half a day,
each taskforce had prioritized its goals, and the
Steering Committee created a vision statement
and strategic plan for the school. The board
reviewed it, sharing its questions and comments,
and the plan was finalized in March.
In keeping with the spirit of the Duke School
Dragons, the four areas of focus that created the
PINE acronym became FIRE: Future orientation,
Innovative approaches and students, Results that
are impactful, and Equity and justice.
“The board is really proud of the process,” said
Board Chair M.C. Ragsdale. “It was so thorough
and thoughtful, and in the end, really produced a
mission-consistent plan.”
SETTING DUKE SCHOOL APART
Duke School’s strategic plan reflects cohesiveness
and a bold direction at a critical time in our society.
“This plan holistically drives a progressive school,
and continues it down a cutting-edge, progressive
road, which is also what I think sets it apart from
other schools,” said Elizabeth.
M.C. agreed, saying the plan is about substance
rather than the current “buzz words” in education.
“It reflects a lot of real thinking, and what the
school wants to do versus what it thinks will sound
good,” she said. “It’s very consistent with the
school’s real values.”
Jeff believes the plan also does a good job of
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staying true to what makes Duke School unique.
“For those that chose to come here, it’s the
distinctive approach to learning that makes
people chose Duke School,” Jeff said. “We didn’t
want that to get lost.”
“Get excited and get involved,” she said. “That’s
what we’re all hoping. To the extent that we
have a consultant that wants to talk to people, or
training, or someone on campus, if parents are
excited about it and want to participate, there will
be opportunities.”
MOVING FORWARD: GET EXCITED AND GET
INVOLVED
Now comes the time to make the plan a reality.
Steps have already been taken to ensure the
larger Duke School community can play a role,
Dave said.
An implementation plan is in place, mapping out
the timeline, resources, and necessary manpower
to make things happen.
Throughout, the board remains cognizant of the
fact that there’s a limited number of staff, and that
teachers need to focus on teaching, so plans are
to take next steps at a reasonable pace.
M.C. said the board is working to offer equity
and justice training to all Duke School full time
employees and to as many parents as possible
– as part of the equity and justice portion of the
VISION STATEMENT 2022
Duke School graduates are leaders
who are prepared to excel in the next
steps of their education and contribute
productively to a global, knowledge
economy. They exhibit the selfawareness,
competence, and confidence
to be upstanders by putting innovative
ideas into action for the greater good.
Duke School is recognized as a national
leader in project-based education
and design thinking and is impacting
education by influencing non-Duke
School educators.
Duke School is a diverse community and
a model for equity and justice for all
students, families and employees.
plan. The board itself has also committed to every
board member taking part over the next year.
“It’s just one way parents and other members
of the Duke School community will have the
opportunity to participate in implementing the
plan, with other opportunities coming in the shape
To view the Vision 2022:
Duke School’s Strategic Plan,
scan the QR code or visit
www.dukeschool.org/vision2022.
of volunteering and voicing opinions,” M.C. said.
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FIRE – Future orientation, Innovative approaches and students, Results that are impactful, Equity and justice
To celebrate the launching of Duke School’s Strategic Plan, parents and sponsors:
Meihua Chen and Denis Kalenja, Kelly and Jeff Powrie, Jenny and Panna Sharma,
Rona and Craig Spitzer, hosted an event on the rooftop of the Durham Hotel.
“Ignite the FIRE” not only promoted community among Duke School families,
but it also helped raise money to fund immediate needs for the strategic plan.
From left to right - Jenny and Panna, Kelly and Jeff,
Meihua and Denis, Craig and Rona, and Dave.
Members of Duke School’s
Middle School Jazz Band performed at the
“Ignite the FIRE” event.
More than 100 people attended the event!
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Same Fund, New Name - Dragon Fund: IF only
“Lots of spirit! Lots of zeal! We are Dragons! We are real!” Almost every member
of the Duke School community has heard these words said at least once and, this year, the Duke School
Development Office is engraining them in the title of the annual fund.
The “Dragon Fund” is the annual fund, reinvented and reimagined. It renders a more dynamic and schoolspecific
identity. Until this year, though differing in function from the annual funds of
numerous other non-profits across the nation, Duke School’s Annual Fund
had no identity. All independent schools have some form of an
annual/general fund. But to be a dragon, and more specifically
a Duke School Dragon, is special. It is to be a problem
solver for our complex world. Having an official name
for our fund reminds us of why we give.
For several years, the annual fund has supported
professional development, Indexed Tuition,
Lots of spirit!
Lots of zeal!
We are Dragons!
We are real!
and technological enhancement. With
the rebranding of our name, we have
also expanded the fund to include gift
preferences of athletic enhancements,
campus signage, diversity training,
electric car charging stations, facilities
improvements, Lower School library
furniture, the music program, and the
Supplemental Gap Fund.
This year’s campaign theme is IF - “Investing
in the Future.” IF we Invest in Duke School’s
Future, the sky is the limit. So, IF you believe in
our collective ability to make this world a better
place, join us and support the Dragon Fund in its
inaugural year.
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TED-Ed
in the Making
with Sydney Siegel,
Duke School Student
Q. Before joining the Middle School TED-Ed
club in 2016, you had already learned a lot about
Europa, a small moon of Jupiter. When did you
become interested in studying the cosmos?
A. Knowledge of the cosmos has always been
an important friend of mine. I began to first
wonder about the universe when I was about
three-years-old, but it became an all-consuming
pursuit in fourth grade. I first encountered
Europa at approximately this time, in mid-2015
(I still remember the clarity of the first time I
came across it featured on the cover of a Popular
Science magazine in the Duke School Library). I
believe that the cosmos is a universal rabbit hole,
and once you begin to fall into it, you can only fall
farther. But I couldn’t fall past Europa, a beautiful,
bizarre moon and the most likely place beyond
Earth to find life. I would say the real journey
started there.
Q. In the TED-Ed club, you explored
something you were passionate about, then
decided how to best share it with others.
What was your topic and how did you decide to
present your work?
A. My TED-Ed video started as an idea. I wanted
to explore possible connections between Europa
and Earth. By using our home planet, the one
we currently inhabit and are most familiar with,
as a window into extraterrestrial oceans outside
of Earth, we can gain a preview into and ideas
about what may actually make up the chemical
compositions and environments of an Europan
ocean before ever sending a human-created
spacecraft of lander to physically explore a moon
of Jupiter. The biomes of Earth are some of the
most diverse in the solar system, and very few
areas provide the insight and connections I wanted
to present in my TED-Ed video. Antarctica —
thought as the most southern polar region of our
planet, holds many similarities with Europa, over
390 million miles apart. Both moon and continent
are representative of icy shelves with liquid water
beneath them. In places unlikely to sustain life,
some half a mile under an ice sheet, thousands of
species of thriving microbes have been found on
the continent Antarctica. If this primitive life can
flourish under such harsh conditions, my theory
went, can even the most primary life exist on
Europa? From this statement, the rest of my TED-
Ed video evolved.
Q. What was involved in the making of your
TED-Ed video? What did you learn in the
process?
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A. To create the physical animation for the
TED-ED video, I worked with Katie Christo, the
director of technology curriculum and innovation,
to create a stop motion animation, drawn on a
white board. Though it was a bit of a risk for my
prior experience, it was extremely rewarding. The
animation is not a fluid video, but a collection
of approximately 1,500 photos, taken over the
course of seven hours at my kitchen table. The
process was an enormous learning opportunity
that I was only able to complete with the help
of incredible teachers and the patience of my
parents as our kitchen table turned into a tech
studio for a weekend.
Q. You were the only student to complete
and share your video publicly at Duke School.
Your video sparked a lot of interest on social
media amongst Duke School students, parents,
administrators, and even the TED-Ed team! What
did it mean to you to be able to share your
research with others?
A. I remember, a little while ago, someone
asking me why astrobiology mattered. Sure,
it could be interesting, but similar to a topic
like quantum mechanics, it can also become
tiresome if you are not a physicist with multiple
degrees and an incredible attention span. Why
should a person with no personal affiliation care
deeply about astrobiology? I found this question
fascinating, and quite legitimate at that. Truthfully,
it’s hard for me to say why I find the search for life
beyond ourselves so dazzling — why I feel that
the answers to it all will illuminate human origins,
that we are not separate, but a part of this wider
world. To truly understand your connection to all
of it, astrobiology must be experienced, not told.
But I tried my best to answer the question. Since
the human species had even the slightest idea
of how to make sense of it all, we have looked
for life beyond ourselves. It is not that Europa is
simply a passion of mine, it is that Europa is part
of something bigger, something timeless and
universally true. Europa is one part of trying to
find something bigger than ourselves. To truly
understand what it means to be human, we
must realize our unthinkable insignificance within
the cosmos, an insignificance so huge it cannot
be contemplated, but an insignificant just as
beautiful because of what we are part of. Sharing
my TED-Ed video with others meant that maybe
some small piece of this would unearth itself, and
maybe change people in the process.
Q. Will you continue to be a part of Duke
School’s TED-Ed club? If so, do you have an idea
of what you’ll like to explore next?
A. The TED-Ed club experience at Duke
School was an incredible one. With the support
of wonderful teachers and an idea, I was able
to create something that represents me and my
passions, and this gave me the ability to unleash
this upon the world and community around me.
I continue to attempt study of the cosmos, and I
have upcoming projects focused on connections
between hydrothermal ecosystems on Earth
and possible habitable areas on Europa and
Enceladus, a moon of Saturn. I hope to continue
using the TED structure and ideas in my research,
and to share my passions with others, providing
our beautiful insignificance within the cosmos. I
can’t wait to see where it takes me!
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Lacrosse Joins Duke School’s Athletics Roster
Just a few miles in each direction from
Duke School, two of the country’s
top collegiate lacrosse programs
compete at Duke and UNC-Chapel
Hill.
The sport, once mainly popular in
the Northeast, has made its way into
colleges, high schools and middle
schools in the South.
Last spring, Duke School joined the
trend by welcoming a Middle School
boys’ lacrosse team, thanks in large
part to the efforts of parents Richard Griffin, Clint
Harris and Joe Cooley.
“Lacrosse is such a great game,” said Richard.
“We’re here in Durham, we’ve got Duke and
North Carolina – two top lacrosse programs – so
we should just keep spreading the game to boys
and girls.”
There were some hurdles early on, with questions
about where the team would practice, how the
school would cover the cost of equipment and
gear, and who would coach.
But Richard, Clint and Joe saw the
potential in a Duke School team,
and not only raised the funds to
cover the cost of equipment, but
also provided pre-season clinics
and coached the team themselves.
At the same time, Middle School
Athletics Director Brian Greene had
recently come on the job and quickly
realized the popularity of the school’s
spring sports season.
“I did have a desire to try to add
something on to the spring plate
and balance out those numbers,” he
said. “The more I thought about it,
and spoke to people on campus, it
felt like lacrosse was something that
should be pursued.”
It turns out he was right: 15 boys
participated in the inaugural season.
Some had played on club teams in the area, while
others had never picked up a lacrosse stick.
“The interest and the development of the team
goes back to the kids on the team,” Joe said.
“They got their friends excited about it. This year,
we have kids thinking about doing it because last
year looked like so much fun.”
The future indeed looks bright. Brian expects to
see more students try lacrosse this year, as the
team continues to welcome both experienced and
novice players. Those involved hope to see a girls’
team added to the roster.
“Part of my job is continually
thinking of what’s the next step
in growing the athletic program,”
Brian said. “I would like to think that
one day girls’ lacrosse could be a part of
our program as well, as long as it’s the
right fit.”
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CREATING...
PROBLEM SOLVERS
Since graduating from Duke School in 2013,
Hannah Wilkins has found her passion within
science. She is currently a freshman at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a
recipient of the Chancellor’s Science Scholarship.
The Chancellor’s Science Scholars Program
“seeks[s] to maximize student success by building
a community of learners who work collaboratively
to succeed academically and in research.” This
program will prepare her to move into PhD and
MD/PhD programs after graduation as well as
give her access to jobs in the fields of STEM.
At an early age Hannah’s learning difficulties
made it hard for her to do math and science.
With the help of Duke School and The Hill Center,
she learned how to embrace the material from
her classes and was encouraged to discover
and explore her interests. When she was in high
school, she traveled to South Africa to work with
children with HIV/AIDS. The devastation she
saw there made her want to become a pediatric
infectious disease specialist.
“I could not be where I am now without Duke
School. When I was first diagnosed with my learning
disorder, both my parents and I were worried how
far I would go in my academic career. However,
Duke School and all of its amazing faculty never
gave up on me and most importantly, they taught
me to never give up on myself. I have found that
a majority of my greatest strengths and passions
were first established and developed at Duke
School as a result of its extremely supportive
environment, a project-based curriculum, and a
common love for learning. “
Hannah’s application to the Chancellor’s Science
Scholars Program included an independent
research component. She looked at the effect of
toxicity on vibrio fischeri -bacteria that glow in the
dark, and bioluminescence and quorum sensing
- the way the bacteria glow. Hannah looked
specifically at the Hawaiian Bobtail Squid
and the way it communicates using different
intensities of bioluminescence. This research
gave her the competitive edge to be granted
the scholarship. Not only will she have a chance
to continue this research, but she’ll also connect
with other like-minded individuals seeking a
profession in the medical field.
“It is because of Duke School’s unceasing devotion
to my academics, despite the obstacles that I have
faced as well as to me as an individual, that I have
excelled in the International
Baccalaureate Program,
became a Chancellor’s
Science Scholar at
The University of
North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, and
will pursue both a
MD and a PhD in
the future.”
Hannah Wilkins
Duke School Alumna
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15

Adam Woolley ‘99
IN A CLASS OF HIS OWN
It is the end of an era for the circus as we
know it — Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Circus have closed, and the climate has changed
for the traditional circus production, causing its
reception to wane.
But this change is not the final nail in the circus
coffin. Instead, it has cleared the stage for
more nontraditional circus performers to gain
momentum.
artists with funding and support for creating
new work, as well as oversee the social media
presence and act as a conduit through which the
organization can educate the public about circus,
where it’s coming from and where its headed,”
he says.
Recently featured in a Weekend Edition article,
Adam is helping pave the way for the new wave
of circus performances.
“The power of live performance is that it can bring
people actually into a room together to share
an experience. If we only ever gather discrete
groups of people—which happens when ticket
prices are inaccessible or the image presented of
the work is exclusionary—then the echo chamber
of American culture isn’t broken,” says Adam
Woolley.
Adam is co-founder and managing director of
the national circus arts advocacy program, Circus
Now, and head coach at the Philadelphia School
of Circus Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“As the managing director, I work to connect
CIRCUS NOW
Adam founded Circus Now in 2013 with Duncan
Wall, author of An Ordinary Acrobat.
“Coaching, teaching and directing have always
been more central to my passion than performing,
and in circus the role of the coach, teacher and
act-director are all deeply intertwined,” says
Adam.
“Coming from a theater background
and into circus, I was
astounded at the lack of
infrastructural support
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for the creation of new circus work, and
the general attitude of the public and
of arts foundations towards circus.”
integrated forms like the circus, and as I got more
and more into that community I felt more and
more at home,” he says.
CIRCUS THEN
Adam’s mom, Patti Rieser, believes that
Adam grew up in Durham, and is an only child.
“My interest in theater started at Duke
School, with Act One Act Now, a small
youth theatre run by Cindy
Blackburn,” he says.
From Duke School Adam
went to the Durham School
of the Arts, and completed
his senior year in the high
school drama program of the
University of North Carolina
School of the Arts (UNCSA).
He attended Emerson
College for two years before returning to UNCSA
to ultimately complete his bachelors of fine arts in
directing in 2007. After college, he went to circus
school at the New England Center for Circus
Arts, and then the Circus Center in San
Francisco.
Duke School had a lot to do with her
son’s success. “He deeply benefitted from and
embodies the mission and core values of Duke
School,” she says. “He’s become an excellent and
“I think the thing that
Duke School has most
given me is a sense
that I can solve my
own problems; I’m an
independent learner and
I understand both how
I learn and how best to
direct my own learning.”
well-loved teacher, a
creative artist, and a
leader in his field.”
“I think the thing that
Duke School has most
given me is a sense
that I can solve my
own problems; I’m an
independent learner
and I understand
both how I learn and how best to direct my own
learning,” says Adam. “In my life, I’ve taught
myself website creation, social media marketing,
financial management and strategic planning—
not on my own, but because I’ve always felt
empowered to pursue my own learning and
“My interest in theater was
always towards populist,
unintimidated to seek out experts or resources to
learn from.”
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17

The
“QUEEN of
Useful Junk”
When Katie Deckar was in kindergarten, the
corner of her classroom was filled with Scrap
Exchange materials called “useful junk.” She
played with it so much that she eventually earned
the nickname the “Queen of Useful Junk.”
Born and raised in Durham, Katie attended Duke
School from preschool to fifth grade in 2000.
She graduated from the North Carolina School
of Science and Mathematics before moving to
California to attend Stanford University.
“I feel like a lot of my favorite parts of myself, the
parts of me that like to sew and build and make
and create, came from my time at Duke School,”
Katie says. “Maybe I had those parts anyway, but
Duke School gave me a chance to discover them.”
“Ever since Debbie in kindergarten named me
the ‘Queen of Useful Junk,’ I have been able
to self-identify as someone who can make,”
Katie says. “And because I thought of myself as
someone who could build stuff, that gave me the
confidence not just that I could be an engineer,
but even that I should be.”
Now, Katie is a software engineer at Google and
part of a team that helps other people define
themselves as makers and scientists.
“That name always stuck with me, and been
important as I defined myself as someone who
can make stuff with my hands, and later as an
engineer,” Katie says.
AN UNEXPECTED PATH
In college, Katie first studied biology, preparing to
become a doctor or a researcher. But that changed
her sophomore year. “I got the opportunity to take
a three-week seminar class called ‘The Intellectual
Excitement of Computer Science,’” she says.
“That class was so much fun that I signed up for
the ‘Introduction to Programming’ class.”
She changed her major to biomedical computation
and, after completing two computer science
internships, Katie was sure she wanted to work in
a technical field. Upon graduation, she began her
career at Google.
“I’ve been at Google now nearly six years, and
have moved around in the company,” she says. “I
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finally converted to a software engineer two years
ago.”
to do real science with the device that is already
in their pocket.”
Katie is now a part of the Making & Science team
at Google. They are encouraged to do projects
such as “Hugbot”—her entry at a Maker Faire last
year—a design created by welding a tricycle out
of a unicycle, a bicycle and steel tubing.
“My team wants to inspire and empower people
to consider themselves scientists and makers, so
we do things like run the Google booth at Maker
Faires and we worked with scientists to organize
a Megamovie for the 2017 eclipse,” she explains.
On her team, Katie focuses her work on an open
source app known as
the Science Journal.
“It’s a tool that lets you
observe real-world data
by using the sensors
in the phone. It also
records data, organize
experiments, and take
Coming full circle, Katie has not only worked to
help other students explore science, but also
remembered the teacher who helped her define
herself as an engineer. Earlier this year, Katie
sent a message to Debbie, thanking her for
the kindergarten experience. Even after years
since Duke School, she still vividly recalls her
exploratory learning.
“Now that I’m on the Making & Science team
at Google, I feel once again like the ‘Queen of
Useful Junk,’” she says. “From preschool to fifth
grade, we were always
making and building—
sewing, knitting, sawing,
cooking, building fences,
gardening, sculpting,
painting,” she says.
“Always learning handson,
by doing.”
notes,” she says. “We
want to enable students
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19

Telling Stories,
Letting Go, and
Holding On:
5 Things I
Learned from
Sylvia Chard
By Natalie Cicero,
Duke School Teacher
This summer I was given the opportunity to join
the Project Approach Teacher Education Network
(PATEN). PATEN is a group of educators who
work with Lilian Katz and Sylvia Chard to offer
support to teachers in Project Approach through
consulting, coaching, and workshops. For the
next two years, I will learn how to best support my
fellow Duke School teachers in improving Project
Approach at the Middle School and extend our
school’s influence beyond our walls. I learned a
lot during my time with Sylvia this summer; here
are some highlights:
1. “The real world” should
not be a scare tactic.
When I was in middle school, “the real world”
was two things: a TV show that my parents didn’t
want me to watch (which I watched anyway), and
a terrifying place where I was guaranteed to fail
if I didn’t figure out how to solve for ‘x’ or arrive
to class on time. Project Approach should tell
students a different story of the real world. They
are already in it; it’s not lurking around a corner
somewhere, waiting. The things that matter to
them right now - from dogs to democracy - can
be worth honoring as a part of our bigger world.
There is power in prioritizing relevance. Project is
about connecting what is outside school to what
we can do within the school, not preparing kids
for something they can’t yet see or experience.
2. Middle school brains
are remarkable.
“Remarkable” is Sylvia’s word, though I don’t
at all disagree. Middle schoolers do not accept
“because it’s always been this way” as an
answer. They “waste time.” They want to create
completely wacky things (Don’t believe me? Watch
a seventh grader left to his or her own devices at
a soda fountain). Sure, these superpowers can be
used for evil, but they can also be used for good.
Typical middle school traits make our students
perfect problem solvers and project pupils. Sylvia
taught me that innovation and exploration are
naturally embedded in Project Approach. This
can often involve frustration, from students and
their teacher collaborators, and what sometimes
appears to be wasting time is actually discovery
and time to sit with challenges. Embracing the
“remarkable” middle school brain can lead to
meaningful results.
3. Project is not about
coverage. It’s about
uncoverage.
Piaget said, “Every time we teach a child
something they can discover for themselves,
we undermine their opportunity to learn.”
As teachers and collaborators within Project
Approach, it’s important for us to sometimes
focus less on the end result and more on what
is happening right in front of us. Often, this will
mean choosing to encourage the uncoverage -
autonomy, discovery, inquiry - that makes Project
Approach significant, and choosing to let go of
our desire to cover a specific topic, meet our own
deadlines, and perfect “The Plan.”
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4. It’s not just okay to show
off, it’s necessary.
exemplified collaboration, assessment, and depth
and relevance of topic. We sat in a circle and
shared like storytellers, often recalling specific
Students, teacher collaborators, parents, and the
community all need to be encouraged to brag on
students who had important revelations or truly
connected with the work they were doing.
themselves. For adults in the equation, this might
look like telling personal stories, visiting as a
guest expert, inviting kids to visit their workplace
for a field experience, or being critical visitors
themselves culminating event, asking questions
of students when they themselves are the experts.
For students, this means not only showing
clearly what they learned, but how they learned
I learned that launching a project about soil is
a small way to help a preschooler feel big, and
that first graders aren’t too young to learn about
democracy. I learned that digging deeper into
the story of Durham can help a third grader
who already loves their home understand why
someone in a different part of the world might
it, and putting
love their home
great consideration
just as much. Duke
into what that
School fourth graders
representation looks
discover - with Legos!
like (insert longwinded
- that engineers don’t
pontification
work alone; fifth
about accuracy of
graders are learning
information, spelling,
how to empathize
grammar, and
with people and
legibility here). Sylvia
animals on this
Chard taught me that
project is, at the end
planet; by the time
sixth graders move
from the C building to
of the day, a six-toeight-week-long
story; it
Lunch-And-Learn event with Dr. Sylvia Chard
and Duke School faculty.
the A building, they not
should have a beginning,
middle, and end, and every component should be
a masterful demonstration of craft and care.
only know how to live in
a community, they know how to stand up for it.
Eighth graders go to high school knowing how to
isolate a problem in their world, uncover solutions
and implications, and think, research, resolve, and
present with intention and compassion.
5. Duke School teachers
and collaborators are
doing amazing, inspiring
project work.
Okay. So, Sylvia didn’t exactly teach me this part,
but she was instrumental in helping me discover
it for myself (leave it to her to perfectly model
coverage versus uncoverage, right?).
On the final day of our PATEN training, each
teacher shared a project from the past year that
Sylvia Chard’s mentorship and guidance revealed
to me how our students not only do well, they
do good. She also nurtured my need to keep
asking questions about how we can make Project
Approach even stronger, more relevant, and more
suited to this next generation of problem solvers
in our care. There is so much in our Duke School
community of learners to hold on to, celebrate,
and share.
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21

Life After Duke School: Princeton in Africa
PRINCETON IN AFRICA
Shan’s interest in Africa began when he studied
abroad in Tanzania during his junior year at
Bowdoin.
“My academic focus has been in conservation
biology and wildlife conservation, and I was really
captivated by the biodiversity of the region as
well as the issues surrounding conservation and
human-wildlife conflict.”
Princeton in Africa (PiAf) is an independent,
nonprofit organization that offers year-long
fellowships in partnership with organizations
across the continent.
Shan Nagar has always loved being outdoors
— something that contributed to him finding
his current role as Volunteer Coordinator and
Sustainability Fellow at Nyumbani Village in Kenya
through the Princeton in Africa program.
A self-proclaimed Duke School “lifer,” Shan began
Duke School as a preschooler and graduated
in 2008. From Duke School he graduated from
Durham Academy in 2012, and Bowdoin College
in 2016. He is the oldest sibling of three, who are
all Duke School graduates.
“I have such a deep, deep fondness for Duke
School,” he says. “So much of my ability to work
and live independently, think critically, and be
creative, I attribute to the 11 years I spent as a
student there.”
“When they saw that I was comfortable living
and working in rural conditions, and that I was
interested in environmental work, they put me
up for consideration with Nyumbani Village,” he
explains.
NYUMBANI VILLAGE
Nyumbani Village is a sustainable HIV/AIDS
community in Kenya that spans more than 1,000
acres and houses roughly 1,000 children and 100
grandparents affected or infected by HIV/AIDS.
They use a family group model — each household
consists of ten children and one grandparent. The
village boasts a robust Sustainability Department,
in an effort to be completely self-sustaining.
“These programs focus on both waste reduction
and generating revenue, and include raising
livestock for food and to sell in market, a 500-
acre agroforestry project, and large complex of
greenhouses, and a variety of water harvesting
systems,” Shan says.
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Shan managed the Rainwater Harvesting Program.
Funded by Johnson & Johnson, it consists of 150
roof-mounted gutters and collection systems
around the village, allowing 1.5 million liters to be
held simultaneously. “Because Nyumbani village
is located in an arid/semi-arid environment, this is
crucial,” Shan explains. “The groundwater that is
harvested by boreholes drilled below the village
is slightly saline, meaning that rainwater is the
best source of safe drinking and cooking water
for the children.”
Shan supervised the maintenance of existing
structures, found new locations to build them,
and worked to find ways to improve the project
and maximize its efficiency.
He also had the freedom to implement his own
projects, and he aimed to finish his biofuel
briquette program before his fellowship ended in
July.
“Biofuel briquettes are small, hockey-puck
sized charcoal substitutes that are made from
a combination of any number of combustible
wastes,” Shan says. “These materials can be
mixed with water and mashed into a pulp, which
is then poured into a mold and pressed hard to
remove the water and compact the materials into
the briquette shape.”
AFTER AFRICA
Shan is excited for the next phase in his life. Since
returning from Africa, he has recently taken a job
with an adventure travel company in Boulder,
Colorado, and is looking forward to continuing to
help spread his love of travel and experiencing
new parts of the world.
“What really resonated with me was Macs
Adventure’s philosophy of independent, active,
and meaningful travel, and helping travelers
establish strong connections with the places
around the world that they visit,” he says.
Along with his new job, Shan says his time will
also be spent catching up with old friends. “Some
of my closest friends are people who I met in
preschool at Duke School, and we continue to
stay in touch and see each other whenever we are
home in Durham,” he adds. “I will carry with me
the skills and experiences that Duke School gave
me for the rest of my life!”
Once the briquette dries in the sun, it can be
burned as fuel.
“These briquettes are more efficient than raw
firewood, and I believe they can have a significant
impact on the firewood consumption of the
village,” he adds. “My plan is to start using the
briquettes in the village’s high school, with the
hope that they are a success and can then be
used by the families throughout the village!”
Shan visiting a safari.
To read more about Shan’s work in Kenya, visit his blog
at shannagarkenya.blogspot.com.
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23

Alumni Connections: Destinations of 2013 Grads
Congratulations, Duke School’s Class of 2013!
We wish you much success at the following colleges and universities:
Amherst College (3)
California College of the Arts
Carleton College (2)
Carnegie Mellon University
College of Charleston
Duke University (2)
Elon University
Guilford College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT
North Carolina State University (5)
Oberlin College
Princeton University (2)
Scripps College -
The Women’s College, Claremont, California
Stanford University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2)
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of Vermont
University of Washington
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Tech
Wellesley College
Western Carolina University
AARON BALLEISEN
Valedictorian at
Riverside
High School
CLASS HIGHLIGHT
Duke School’s Class of 2013 Reunion.
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Alumni Connections: Destinations of 2017 Grads
Congratulations, Duke School’s Class of 2017!
Please keep us updated on your continued success at the following high schools:
American Hebrew Academy
Cardinal Gibbons High School (4)
Carrboro High School
Cary Academy (2)
Cedar Ridge High School (2)
Carolina Friends School (4)
Durham Academy (4)
Durham School of the Arts (8)
East Chapel Hill High School (7)
Jordan High School (9)
Panther Creek High School
Riverside High School (4)
Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill
Join Duke School’s Alumni Facebook
and LinkedIn Group forums for
reconnecting with former classmates while
keeping in touch with Duke School.
Duke School’s Class of 2017 sporting their class t-shirts.
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25

The Duffer
Brothers –
Looking
Forward,
Looking
Back
By Laura Thompson,
Duke School Alumna
It’s early June.
Matt and Ross Duffer, Duke School Class of 1999,
have just returned to Los Angeles after spending
much of the spring in and around Atlanta,
Georgia, filming the second season of their hit
Netflix series Stranger Things.
The past year has been busy and a bit surreal for
the twins—known professionally as the Duffer
Brothers. The first season of their 1980s-inspired
science fiction series gathered a worldwide
following and has collected a bevvy of industry
awards and nominations.
Now the brothers are immersed in editing the
second season’s nine episodes after writing the
scripts and overseeing production days that often
began at 5 or 6 a.m. Visual effects sequences are
being created, and soon sound mixing, coloring,
scoring, and publicity will be in full swing in
advance of the series’ October 27 global release.
But in some ways, not much has changed since
the brothers were kids growing up in Durham.
It’s summer, and the Duffers are making a movie.
‘More than a hobby’
Photo Credit James Minchin/Netflix
Long before the Duffer Brothers introduced
audiences to the residents of Hawkins, Indiana,
and the Upside Down, Matt and Ross told stories
in their own backyard. Their film career began in
the third grade when their parents, Allen Duffer
and Ann Christensen, gave them a Hi8 video
camera for Christmas. Their earliest efforts mostly
starred their stuffed animals. Soon they moved
on to “feature” films of about an hour long,
filmed over the summer with their Duke School
classmate and neighbor Tristan Smith.
“Our summer movies in middle school were all
generally comedies because we didn’t think we
had the chops to make something serious,” said
Ross.
Editing was rudimentary, with the young
filmmakers cutting scenes together in camera.
They played cassette tapes over the action as a
soundtrack.
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“The movies we made—I mean, they were pretty
bad,” said Matt. “And then in seventh grade we
made a movie that wasn’t so bad. That’s when
the parents in our lives were like, ‘oh, OK.’ They
started to see that we were learning what we
were doing and maybe this was actually going to
be more than a hobby.”
While some of their classmates spent summers
away at camp, the Duffers stayed in Durham to
create their movies. They sometimes engaged in
what Matt called “guerrilla filmmaking,” stealing
shots at locations around their hometown—and
at least once getting shut down by management
at a local mall.
Their parents followed up the gift of the camera
with an iMac computer, with which the boys
learned to edit their movies digitally. They made
movies for school projects in addition to their
summer films.
“In high school, when grades were introduced,
[a video] was an instant ‘A,’ we realized,” said
Matt. Their classmates realized it, too, and soon
the brothers were highly sought-after directors at
Jordan High School. “Then it became like every
weekend we were doing a video for somebody.”
In 2001, their short thriller Mad Cell, created
with Tristan, took home top prize in the under-18
category at the “Real to Reel” festival in Shelby,
North Carolina. By now, inspired by some of their
favorite John Carpenter and Stephen Spielberg
movies, they had waded into the horror-suspensescience
fiction genre that has defined much of
their work since.
They also knew they wanted to be professional
storytellers.
‘Extremely determined —
and a little delusional’
After high school, the brothers attended
Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and
Media Arts in Orange, California.
“I remember talking about going to California for
film school back in at least sixth grade,” said Ross.
“So it’s been quite a time that we realized this is
what we want to do.”
“At that point we were just extremely
determined—and a little delusional,” said Matt.
“Which is good. You have to be, a little bit.”
Although filmmaking was an uncommon pastime
among their peers in Durham, the Duffers quickly
realized that was not the case in California.
“You move out here and you realize, ‘Wow, a lot
of people want to do what we want to do,’” said
Matt. “Meaning a lot. So it’s super competitive
and really scary.”
The Duffers studied directing while also writing
and editing film projects. Their senior thesis
film, Eater—about a man-eating, shape-shifting
creature that might foreshadow Stranger Things’
menacing Demogorgon—is full-on horror. Their
parents are credited as executive producers.
“I think our parents always believed that we were
serious,” said Ross. “And we were.”
After leaving the supportive bubble of film school,
however, things got harder.
“We got an agent right out of film school, so
it felt like you’re doing everything right,” said
Ross. “But to actually get paid to tell stories is a
different challenge entirely.”
The brothers worked on some short films, but
success did not come easily. They saw many of
their film school classmates leave the industry
after a few years.
“It’s hard to pay your rent, you can’t order a
Coke with your meal,” said Ross. “It’s a bit of a
struggle.”
“It’s kind of like a clubhouse,” Matt said of the Los
Angeles film industry. “It’s really hard for them to
open the door to you to start getting paid work. It
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27

was hard for people to take us seriously, especially
when we were first out of college.”
Finding a new direction
Eventually, after trying unsuccessfully to find
work as directors, the Duffers decided to make
their own opportunity. They wrote the script for
a feature-length film, Hidden, about a family
sheltering in an underground bunker after their
town is devastated by a mysterious outbreak.
They pitched it to film studios with the condition
that they themselves would direct it.
“It was kind of the only path available to us—to
write something original and then not let anyone
else have it,” said Matt. “We basically held the
script hostage.”
Warner Bros. purchased Hidden and filmed it in
2012 with the Duffers directing. However, the
studio decided not to give the finished film a wide
release.
Nevertheless, Hidden’s script had caught
the attention of director-producer M. Night
Shyamalan, creator of contemporary thrillers like
The Sixth Sense and Signs. Shyamalan invited the
Duffers to join the writing staff for the Fox scifi
television series Wayward Pines, based on the
novels of Blake Crouch.
“We were really hired to just consult for a few
weeks,” said Ross. “And then a few weeks turned
into like six months of intense work.”
Wayward Pines became a training ground for a
number of young screenwriters and filmmakers
who, like the Duffers, had never worked in
television before.
“It was really just a boot camp for television,
because we didn’t understand television at all,”
said Ross. Being “thrown into the deep end, a little
bit” on a big-budget project for a major network
was an intense experience, “but I remember at
the end of it, Matt and I looked at each other like,
‘We think we can do this on our own now. We
think we can put something together.’”
Ordinary meets extraordinary
Feeling more confident in their abilities and more
secure in their prospects of finding work as writers
in a pinch, the brothers again began to dream of
their own storylines.
“Growing up, we were movie people,” said Matt.
“The genre films from the ’80s—the Spielberg
stuff, the John Carpenter stuff—particularly in
high school we became obsessed with some
of the horror films from the ’80s. So we started
talking about what a long-form version of those
movies would feel like. And we got excited about
that.”
The idea that eventually grew into Stranger
Things began with a single script. The Duffers
drafted a pilot episode with a rough outline for an
eight-hour, single-season series. Recognizing that
the television industry was trending away from
limited series, they later revised their outline into
a story that could sustain multiple seasons. They
began to pitch the series to studios.
“It was not an easy sell,” said Matt. More than a
dozen studios passed on the project in a week
of pitches. “We came away from the first week
feeling like this was not going to work.”
“It was hard. We were very inexperienced. We
didn’t have a track record. The one movie we had
was dumped by its studio. Our producers had
never done television before. It was an ensemble
of kids, but it wasn’t for kids. These executives are
looking for reasons to say no, and we had about
10 to 20 reasons for them to say no.”
When the brothers heard that the online video
streaming service Netflix might be interested in
their series, they brushed up their pitch and went
in for a meeting.
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“It’s kind of scary,” said Matt. “They don’t give a
lot of reaction in the room, so we actually came
out of that pitch having no idea.”
But Netflix called the following day with an offer
to make the full first season. “We just were beyond
ecstatic when we got that phone call,” said Matt.
Stand By Me had such an impact on us. That’s why
the Spielberg stuff and Stephen King stuff had an
impact on us, because it felt like they were stories
about us and our friends.”
Despite the nostalgia factor, 1980s film buffs are
just one part of the show’s fan base.
Stranger Things, a tapestry of 1983 suburban
childhood threaded with otherworldly creatures,
supernatural power and Cold War-tinged
government conspiracy, clearly showcases the
Duffers’ cinematic influences.
“The meeting of the ordinary and the extraordinary
is our favorite thing
in the world,”
said Ross. “When
you’re a kid in the
suburbs of North
Carolina, when
you see movies
about kids in the
suburbs going on
these extraordinary
adventures, that
just really opened
our minds and
excited us because
we’re like, ‘oh
my God, my life could be amazing.’ You start
daydreaming about finding that treasure map in
the attic or whatnot.”
When Netflix released the first season of Stranger
Things in July 2016, early reviewers were quick to
point out homages to films like E.T.: The Extra-
Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
and Firestarter. For the Duffers, the story also
echoes real life.
“People go, oh, when we have the kids walking
down train tracks, we’re referencing Stand By
Me,” said Matt. “Which, yes, but we also walked
down train tracks with our friends. That’s why
“What was really nice and surprising was that it
found an audience way beyond that, especially
younger audiences who did not even know
those films, who did not grow up on them, that it
worked for them” said Matt. “And it worked for
even older people who don’t have a fondness for
those films. You don’t have to have those films as
reference to enjoy
the show. And that
was always our
hope.”
With the show’s
rapid success,
Netflix confirmed
a second season
of Stranger Things
within weeks of
the first season’s
Photo Credit James Minchin/Netflix
On the set of Stranger Things, Season 1
release.
“We were just
hoping some people were going to watch it
and we could keep telling this story,” said Ross.
“Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine
what was going to happen with it.”
“It’s funny—when you’re in the middle of making
the show, it’s just this little family and we all
thought we were making something cool that we
were excited to show people. You sort of forget
that you’re making this for a wide audience until
suddenly it goes out there in the world. All eight
episodes dropped, and then suddenly people are
binging it. It was a really sort of surreal experience
as the audience grew and the word of mouth
spread.”
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Since then, the Duffers have been immersed in
expanding the story, taking their characters to
new places and trying to improve on their own
work.
“It’s not like you watch season one and you’re
like ‘Wow, we knocked that out of the park,’”
said Matt. “Even when we first finished it, you
basically just see everything that’s wrong with it.
The good thing about being successful is you get
another chance at bat, and the hope is that you
do it better.”
said Matt. “It’s starting to happen. You get the
kernel of an idea—wouldn’t this be cool, wouldn’t
this be interesting, wouldn’t this type of a world or
concept or setting lend itself to a cool story? And
then you just kind of dream about it. Eventually
we’ll sit down together and start hashing out
what it would look like.”
“But that’s so far off right now because Stranger
Things is our lives—it’s our weekends, it’s often
our nights. So you don’t have a lot of time to think
about other things.”
The Duffers estimate they have story ideas to fill
at least four seasons. For now, though, they are
focused on season two.
“We really just try
to do what we did
first season, which
is block everything
out and all the
noise and just try
to focus on telling
a story we thought
was cool and put
everything into it,”
said Ross. “I don’t
think we’re going
to keep doing this
if we think we’ve
nailed it. I think the
hope is that we can
keep doing it better and better.”
Looking forward, looking back
The process of writing, directing and producing
an original story can be all consuming, but the
Duffers still want to make room for the kind
of spontaneity,
excitement and
wonder that first
drew them to
filmmaking.
“I think there’s
a sense of fun
where it’s not
overly planned,
where there’s an
opportunity to
surprise yourself
Photo Credit James Minchin/Netflix
On the set of Stranger Things, Season 1
every day and
to try to have as
much fun as we can
making it,” said
Ross. “That’s what it was when we were making
those movies back in middle school and high
school.”
The success of Stranger Things has opened doors
for the Duffers to continue expanding their career
possibilities. Offers to direct other projects have
started coming in, and the brothers are also
thinking about new stories they want to create
themselves.
“You just start to daydream about other ideas,”
The world of Stranger Things draws a number of
details from the Duffers’ early life. Viewers familiar
with the brothers’ hometown will notice that the
fictional Hawkins bears some resemblance to
Durham. The Byers family, for example, lives near
the corner of Cornwallis and Kerley roads, a reallife
intersection not far from Duke School and
from the brothers’ childhood home.
30
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“I like that we actually ended up shooting down
in Atlanta because a lot of the landscape, a lot of
the neighborhoods—it looks like where we grew
up,” said Matt. “So it makes it feel more personal,
in a way. The woods look like the woods we grew
up with.”
The show’s 1980s horror-film atmosphere
and predominantly school-aged cast further
underscores the connection to the brothers’
childhood.
“I think that’s why the show’s been so fun for us
and so much easier for us to write than other
things, because so much of it is so personal,”
said Matt. “The first thing we wrote was the kids
playing Dungeons & Dragons [in episode one],
and it just wrote itself in like 10 minutes. It was
so much fun because we grew up playing fantasy
games with our friends.”
(A second Dungeons & Dragons scene in season
one’s final episode includes a shout out to the
brothers’ early filmmaking partner Tristan Smith,
as the characters complete a mission for “King
Tristan.”)
Minor characters and locations in the Duffer
Brothers productions often take the names of
people and places the brothers know. In their
feature film Hidden, the young protagonist Zoe
wears a maroon jacket featuring her school’s
dragon mascot—a reference to Duke School. The
Duffers attended Duke School from kindergarten
through eighth grade.
“It’s interesting to think about if any of this
would have happened without Duke School, just
because it’s a place that allowed you to explore
your interests and really use your imagination,”
said Ross. “Obviously a lot of it came from our
parents—our dad’s a movie buff, and they’re both
so supportive of this—but certainly Duke School,
I’m sure, helped lead to this.”
Filmmaking is essentially “doing something
creative with a group of people, which is basically
what Duke School trained us to be able to do,”
said Matt. He also recalled one of his teachers
telling him he could do and be whatever he
wanted.
“That always stuck with me,” he said. “I have
this dream, and I want to be a director, and this
teacher is telling me that I can actually do that.
And I think it’s important to hear that when you’re
a kid.”
Wherever their future leads them, the brothers
continue to be driven by their backyard filmmaking
roots. Above all, they said, they hope to continue
doing what they have done since they were in the
third grade—telling stories that excite them.
“It’s so much work that you have to have fun
doing it, or else why are you doing it?” said Matt.
“Sometimes you forget though, and then you
take a step back and take it in and you’re like,
OK, we’re basically a bunch of children playing
with expensive toys. And all these actors, all these
kids, everyone—it’s just make believe. It’s sort of
silly in a way.”
“But, you know, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Laura Thompson ’98, attended Duke
School from second through eighth
grade. She began her journalism career
as a writer and co-editor for the Middle
School newspaper, “The Dragon’s
Roar.” She is now a writer and graphic
designer living in northern Virginia.
In 2001, Matt, Ross and their friend
Tristan Smith, made a short film, the Smuffer
Brothers, and entered it in a film festival in Shelby,
NC. Laura, an aspiring journalist at that time, saw the
potential for a “hometown boys make good” feature, so she
traveled to the film’s showing and awards ceremony. Not
only did the film win first place in its division, but Laura’s
article also won a national youth journalism award. Now, 16
years later, Duke School wanted to rekindle this magic by
having Laura—once again, write a feature story about her
Duke School friends!
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31

UNDER THE OAK
32

Friends share their
experiences about Duke School.
It was a huge honor to be able to come back to Duke School and see students in
the same place I sat when I graduated. It was a very powerful experience to be
able to speak about my experiences at Duke School and after, and hopefully let
the Class of 2017 know what I wish I had known in their position.
Zain Clapacs ’11
Graduating Class of 2017 Alumni Speaker
Being able to share special times like Grandparents Day at Duke School
with Alex (5th) and Tori (1st) fills my heart with joy. This special day
affords the perfect opportunity to experience all Duke School has done to help
my grandchildren develop their special gifts and be ready for each next step.
Listening to school leaders and teachers, enjoying the children’s performances
and artwork, and seeing students and teachers in the classrooms validates that
Duke School succeeds - ensuring that our grandchildren will, too.
“Nana Penny”
Penelope Dempsey Dietz
2017 VIP Silent Auction Chair Recipient
Grandparents Day has always been an opportunity to experience first hand
what my grandchildren are accomplishing at Duke School. Over the years, I
have come to realize this has been my chance to see both grandchildren create a
valuable foundation for themselves.
Margaret Kohring
2017 VIP Silent Auction Chair Recipient
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DUKE SCHOOL
ANNUAL REPORT
2016 -17
INCOME
EXPENSES
Net Fund Raising
4.4%
Auxiliary Programs
9.0%
Net Tuition and Fees
86.6%
Classroom Resources
and Other Admin Costs
18.3%
Salaries and Benefits
70.7%
Debt Service
2.1%
Facilities
4.6%
Auxiliary Programs
4.3%
NET TUITION & FEES
This income is derived from student tuition, The Learning Center
and certain fee charges.
AUXILLARY PROGRAMS
This is income from all camps, after school programs and
educator workshops.
NET FUND RAISING
This category embraces our fundraisers and
Dragon Fund net figures.
2016-17 Fundraising Campaign Highlights:
$485,498 total dollars raised
72% parent participation
28% grandparent participation
*Data is based on a June 2017 year-end forecast.
If you have questions about this budgetary information, please contact Russell Rabinowitz,
director of finance and operations, at russell.rabinowitz@dukeschool.org.
SALARES & BENEFTS AND CLASSROOM &
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS
These categories include all expenses related to instructional and
academic activity, including faculty and staff salaries and benefits,
programmatic expenses, student support services, classroom
materials and supplies, media centers, faculty development,
technology and laptops, and special programs. All included are
expenses related to Duke School Admissions, Marketing and
Communications, Human Resources, Business, and Development
Offices, etc.
FACILITIES
This category includes all costs related to operations and the
repair and maintenance of school-owned facilities and grounds. It
includes: utilities, waste removal, supplies, repair and maintenance
of campus buildings, grounds, streets, fields and related machinery
and equipment.
DEBT SERVICE
This category represents the payment of interest and principal
on outstanding tax-exempt revenue bonds. The bonds were used
to finance the costs of construction, improvement, renovation,
furnishing, and equipping the existing school.
AUXILIARY SERVICES
These are the expenses of auxiliary service functions such as after
school, camps and similar operations.
34
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2016-17 DRAGON FUND HONOR ROLL OF DONORS
Board of Trustees
Lisa Andrews-Lanier
Judith Bell
Kisha Daniels
Elise Dunzo
Christopher D. Gergen
Richard Griffin
Mark Hale
Elizabeth Hays
Sheronda Jeffries
Joel Lipsitch
Gary Monroe
Beth Murgitroyd
Josh Parker
M.C. Ragsdale
Mark Scullion
Condict Semans
Panna Sharma
Cassandra Taylor
Tina Valdecanas
Jeff Welty
Alison Windram
Advancement Committee
and Class Agents
Will Anderson
Lisa Andrews-Lanier
Judith Bell
Mary Cooley
Blue Dean
Tania Desrosiers
Dana Thompson Dorsey
Gray Ferguson
Julia Fiore ‘00
Neva Howard
Scott Huettel
Sheronda Jeffries
Lisa Kahan
Joel Lipsitch
Tom Maultsby
Kristin McNealy
Jason Mudd
Beth Murgitroyd
Gary Pellom
Erin Reiter
Kara Richards-Baker
Charique Richardson
Kelly Robinson
Erin Sarver
Craig Spitzer
Lewanda Taybron
Pretty Terrell
Erin Wills
Alison Windram
1947 Society (Consecutive Giving)
20 Years
Kathy Bartelmay and Roger Perilstein
Marya McNeish and Robert Robinson
Jane Shears
Candy and John Thompson
15 Years
Elaine Cameron
Ayesha Chaudhary and Terry Clapacs
Harris Teeter
Madeline Horrigan
Hui Li and Fan Yuan
Debbie Marshall
Marilyn and Peter Ornstein
John Pinto
Margaret and Tim Rauwald
Marki Watson
Becca and Julian Wooldridge
10 Years
Dr. Nadia Anderson
Brenda Berlin and Kevin Schulman
Melanie Bonner
Mary Boshkoff and Paul Meisner
Kate Brady
MargEva and Stephen Cole
Rebecca Dexter
Mr. and Mrs. Gene Doyle
Melissa Ellis and Jeff Doyle
Duke University Medical Center
Emily Feldman-Kravitz and Richard Kravitz
Ida and Dennis Greenhill
Kris and Kerry Gustafson
Jane and James Hales
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hilser
Kay Kohring-DaSilva and Keith DaSilva
Rex Jeffries
Sheronda Jeffries
Susan Sugarman Kirsch and David Kirsch
Carolynn Klein
Lori Leggatt and Andrew Foster
Corinne Linardic and Ned Patz
Dave and Claudia Michelman
Cindy and Gregg Pacchiana
Russell Rabinowitz
Kara Richards-Baker and Drew Baker
Gilda Rodriguez and John Villani
Darielle and Lee Ruderman
Fern Szulgit and Erick Peterson
Emily and Lee Taft
Cassandra and Wayne Taylor
Melanie and Lars Trost
Les Webster
5 Years
Ms. Sandra Adams and Mr. Fred Adams
Lisa and Elaine Andrews-Lanier
Sumi and Dan Ariely
Stephanie and Vince Aurentz
Katie Bailey and Adam Wenzlik
Geoff Berry
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Betuker
Tia and Martin Black
Jeannine Borzello
Mr. and Mrs. David Bowers
Kristin and Steve Bradley-Bull
Lucy and Tom Bradshaw
Tamara Branca and Wolfgang Wagner
Erika and Sam Buell
Maria Cassinelli-Bernstein and
Fernando Bernstein
Susan Cates and Scott Warren
Tanya Chartrand and Gavan Fitzsimons
UNDER THE OAK
35

Aria Chernik and Michael Delafield
Katie Christo
Mary and Joe Cooley
Linda Cronenwett and Shirley Tuller
Molly Cronenwett
Donna Culton and Arun Manikumar
Rachel and Jonathon Cummings
Kiersten and Clint Dart
Mark Dunzo
Maureen Dwyer
Sarah Ellestad and Ron Przybycien
Eman Elmahi and Husam Hasanin
Lisa Fail and Michael Pignone
Jeanne Gatling
Victor Gatling
General Mills Box Tops for Education
Annie and George Gentithes
Victoria Goatley
Jennifer Goulet and Michael Wade
Heather and Bret Greene
Tery and Michael Gunter
Leslie Hamilton
Robin Hardie-Hood and Thomas Hood
Sue Harnett
Beth and Jeff Harris
Jennifer Harris
Kylie and Clint Harris
Helen Harrison and Tom Truscott
Laurie Ann and Scott Harvey
Melanie Hatz-Levinson and Howie Levinson
Elizabeth and David Hays
Wendy and Paul Henderson
Mary Beth Hes
Kerry Holbrook
Beatrice Hong and Ziad Gellad
Carla Horta
Brian Horton
Lisa and Scott Huettel
Andrea Hussong and Patrick Curran
Kristin Ito and Charles Gayer
Tekla Jachimiak and Thomas Brothers
Nancy and Timothy Joyce
Kay Kohring-DaSilva and Keith DaSilva
Alexis and Jason Kralic
Tiffane Land and Jonathon Jurusik
Amy and Jamie Lau
Ms. Ann Lawrence and Mr. Steve Leinwand
Joel Lipsitch and Abbie Melnick
Julie Marshall
Kristi and Chris Martin
Joy Martin and Ben Philpot
Kristin and Corum McNealy
Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Melnick
Gary and Carelyn Monroe
Karen and Steve Munsat
Beth and Ed Murgitroyd
Jenny and Craig Murray
Miriam Ornstein and David Luks
Sari Palmroth and Ram Oren
Judy Panitch and Andrew Hart
Kirstin and Gary Pellom
Michelle and Brian Reich
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Richards
Kelly Robinson and Lawrence DeGraaf
Anna and Tuck Satterfield
Connie and Truman Semans
Julie Shermak and Steve Goodman
Naz Siddiqui and Casey Jenkins
Courtney and Don Smith
Irecka Smith
Renee and Joseph Smith
Kim Spancake and Drew Snider
Karen Springer and Alex Herskowitz
Jessica and Albert Sun
Pretty and Rodney Terrell
Nicole Thompson
Mary Townsend and Jon Stiber
Linda Toyama-Yee and Linton Yee
Tina Valdecanas and Doug Aitkin
Sarah Wagdy and Tamer Mahmoud
Amy Warren
Marki Watson
Rebecca and Robert Wilgus
Alison and Soren Windram
Suzanne and Chris Woods
3 Years
Krissy and Will Anderson
Love and Ian Anderson
Ruth Anderson-McGranahan
and Mike McGranahan
Karrie and Nathan Andrews
Rachel Bachenheimer and Richard Stilwell
Meytal Barak and Micky Cohen-Wolkowiez
Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Bausell
Sarah and Kenneth Bausell
India and Ryan Bayley
Sylvia Becker-Dreps and Chris Dreps
Anjanée Bell
Mrs. Judith Bell and The Honorable William Bell
Alisha and Eric Benner
Angie Bolz and Anthony Castleberry
Mr. and Ms. John Bolz
Mrs. Ruth Boshkoff
Dayna Brill
Kathryn and Seth Brodkin
Mrs. Brenda Brown
Dr. Kenneth W. Chandler
Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Chartrand
Mr. and Mrs. Dick Claar
Robyn and Jamie Claar
Heather Clarkson and Sean Wilmer
Pamela and Marc Cohen
Heidi and Jason Cope
Natalie and Emiliano Corral
Jim Covington
Lisa Criscione-Schreiber and Eric Schreiber
Blue and Robb Dean
Mrs. Lynn Delicio
Tania and Justin Desrosiers
Dr. Agnes DeWitt
Mrs. Penny Dietz
Lauren and Scott Drake
Blake Foley Dyson
Alison and David Eagle
Rose and Zubin Eapen
Lori Etter and Jeff Welty
Julia Fiore ‘00
Daphne Friedman and Josh Granek
Ana Garcia-Turner and Mark Turner
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Generelly
Michael Gilbert ‘96
Jennifer and Michael Gilchrist
Silvia Glaubach and Federico Bugni
Cathy Gracey and Steve Smith
Rachel and Rich Greenup
36
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Dr. Vasudha Gupta and Dr. Bhupender Gupta
Mark Hale
Mrs. Sylvia Harlen
Lea and Alan Hart
Keijuane Hester
Pamela Hester
Melinda and Michael Hill
Tyler Hill ‘17
Sunshine and Joel Hillygus
Dr. and Mrs. Jack Hollenbeck
Julie and Scott Hollenbeck
Diane Hom and Chris Larson
Neva Howard and Shahar Link
Ji-Yeon and Hun-Yong Jo
Lisa Kahan and Duncan Higgins
Stefanie Kandzia and Ralf Michaels
Richard and Lisa Kern Griffin
Bridget and Jason Koontz
Sue Kreissman and Philip Breitfeld
Sarah and Ryan Lamb
Jodie LaPoint and Chris Weymouth
Charlotte Lee and David Siegel
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lemuth
Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Leubuscher
Lingyun Long and Hao Li
Mimi Lukens and Mark Hansen
Ms. Judith Lynch
Mollie and Chad Mather
Ms. Brenda Matthews
Tiffany Matthews
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Maultsby
Mr. and Mrs. Pat McNease
Beverly and Keith McRae
Beth and Tim Miller
Catriona Moore and Kyle Lundby
Meghan Morris
Willie Nicholson
Josh Parker
Dana and Keith Pearsall
Mr. and Ms. John Philpot
M.C. Ragsdale and Karen Popp
Susie Post-Rust and Adam Rust
Kelly and Jeff Powrie
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Proctor
Mrs. Kathleen Przybycien
Robyn and Richard Putnam
Linda Raftery and Phil Spiro
Shalini Ramasunder and Scott Buckel
Fatima Rangwala and Yousuf Zafar
Shelby and Stephen Reed
Erin and Jerry Reiter
Charique and Johnathan Richardson
Laura and Barak Richman
Michelle Roy
Whitney and John Sandor
Erin and Todd Sarver
Anna and Tuck Satterfield
Rich Scher
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Schoene
Gita Schonfeld and Marvin Swartz
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Selder
Ann Schoene Skye and Jami Norris
Dr. and Mrs. James A. Smith, III
Janet and Roy Smith
Jamie Steck
Jinda and Kevin Stoll
Sandy and Robert Taylor
Dana Thompson Dorsey and Doug Dorsey
Stacey and Eric Tisch
Stephanie and Nathan Vandergrift
Linda Vargas
Danielle and Samuel Wellman
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Welty
Erin and Waller Wills
Jen Wu and Shane McSwain
Mel York and Lake Lloyd
Giving Clubs
Founder’s Club ($10,000+)
Duke University Medical Center
Richard and Lisa Kern Griffin
Beverly and Keith McRae
Oak Foundation
M.C. Ragsdale and Karen Popp
Alex Tolstykh and Ricardo Sanchez
Under the Oak Club ($5,000-$9,999)
Anonymous (1)
Lisa and Elaine Andrews-Lanier
Sumi and Dan Ariely
Kylie and Clint Harris
Gary and Carelyn Monroe
Josh Parker
Florence and James Peacock
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Proctor
Kelly Robinson and Lawrence DeGraaf
Anna and Tuck Satterfield
Panna and Jenny Sharma
Hull Avenue Club
($2,500-$4,999)
Anonymous (2)
Lawrence and Sharon Baxter
Mrs. Judith Bell and The Honorable
William Bell
Christopher Gergen and Heather Graham
Robin Hardie-Hood and Thomas Hood
Elizabeth and David Hays
Kristin Ito and Charles Gayer
Leann and Gavin Jocius
Jin Yi Kwon and Larry Moray
Sarah and Ryan Lamb
Joel Lipsitch and Abbie Melnick
Dave and Claudia Michelman
Beth and Ed Murgitroyd
Cindy and Gregg Pacchiana
Kirstin and Gary Pellom
John Pinto
Fatima Rangwala and Yousuf Zafar
Claire and Mark Scullion
Connie and Truman Semans
Julie Shermak and Steve Goodman
Naz Siddiqui and Casey Jenkins
Rona and Craig Spitzer
Alison and Soren Windram
Erwin Road Club ($1,000-$2,499)
Anonymous (2)
Ms. Sandra Adams and Mr. Fred Adams
Krissy and Will Anderson
Dr. Nadia Anderson
Stephanie and Vince Aurentz
Kathy Bartelmay and Roger Perilstein
Chuck and Judy Bausell
Mary Boshkoff and Paul Meisner
Laurie Braun and John Taylor
Joel and Beverly Brown
Cathy Bryson
UNDER THE OAK
37

Dr. Kenneth W. Chandler
Tanya Chartrand and Gavan Fitzsimons
Ayesha Chaudhary and Terry Clapacs
Meihua Chen and Denis Kalenja
MargEva and Stephen Cole
Donna Culton and Arun Manikumar
Kay Kohring-DaSilva and Keith DaSilva
Melissa Ellis and Jeff Doyle
Lori Etter and Jeff Welty
Kathryn and Pierce Freelon
Katie Garman
Mr. and Mrs. Barna Gibson
Jennifer Goulet and Mike Wade
Sue Harnett
Helen Harrison and Tom Truscott
Keijuane Hester
Tyler Hill ‘17
Jen and Peter Hoff
Julie and Scott Hollenbeck
Diane Hom and Chris Larson
Sheronda Jeffries
Bridget and Jason Koontz
Breitfeld Family
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lemuth
Corinne Linardic and Ned Patz
Susan and Ian Lipsitch
Mimi Lukens and Mark Hansen
Dr. Javad Malek and Mrs. Effat Malek
Mollie and Chad Mather
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Maultsby
Sandy McCay
Beth and Tim Miller
Jenny and Craig Murray
Susanna Naggie and Chuck Gerardo
Shital and Nilay Patel
Eric Poon and Mike Pelletier
Kelly and Jeff Powrie
Tina and Mitch Prinstein
Russell Rabinowitz
Erin and Jerry Reiter
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Selder
Dr. and Mrs. Edward Sugarman
Melanie and Lars Trost
Tina Valdecanas and Doug Aitkin
Sarah Wagdy and Tamer Mahmoud
Jen Wu and Shane McSwain
Dragon’s Club ($500-$999)
Anonymous (3)
Dan and Tanja Bauer
Brenda Berlin and Kevin Schulman
Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein and Eric Rubinstein
Yuan Cao and Dawei Li
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Deryle and Desirée Daniels, Jr.
Tania and Justin Desrosiers
Gene and Betty Doyle
Lauren and Scott Drake
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Meghan Fitzpatrick
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Mr. and Mrs. John Gardner
Jeanne Gatling
Victor Gatling
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Sandra B. Greene
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Dr. Vasudha Gupta and Dr. Bhupender Gupta
Dr. April Harris-Britt and Mr. James Britt
Lea and Alan Hart
Melanie Hatz-Levinson and Howie Levinson
Lisa and Scott Huettel
Ji-Yeon and Hun-Yong Jo
Susan Sugarman Kirsch and David Kirsch
Amy and Naveen Kumar
Kristin and Corum McNealy
Chiara Melloni and Pierluigi Tricoci
Karen and Steve Munsat
Linda Raftery and Phil Spiro
Dr. Shalini Ramasunder and Dr. Scott Buckel
Margaret and Tim Rauwald
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Whitney and John Sandor
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Les Webster
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Marlo and Dirk Wilcox
Maroon Club ($250-$499)
Anonymous (8)
Susan and Bill Andrews
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Molly Cronenwett
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Rick and Sharon Deason
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Penelope Dempsey Dietz
Rose and Zubin Eapen
Louise and Sean Flynn
General Mills Box Tops for Education
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Gilchrist Family
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Harris Teeter
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Liss Family
38
UNDER THE OAK

Shelby and Stephen Reed
Helen and Barry Reiter
Mike Strauss and Harmony Salzler
Rich Scher
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Jinda and Kevin Stoll
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Danielle and Samuel Wellman
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Ling Zhen and Wei Zhang
Donor (Up to $249)
Anonymous (23)
C.S. Adams, III (Trey)
Natalie and Chris Aho
Mr. and Mrs. John Aitkin
Madeline Allen ‘08
Amazon Smiles
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Anderson Family
Ruth Anderson-McGranahan and Mike
McGranahan
Rachel Bachenheimer and Richard Stilwell
Ms. Diane Bailey
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Baker
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Grace and Mattie Beason
Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Becker
Sylvia Becker-Dreps and Chris Dreps
Geoff Berry
Tia and Martin Black
Dr. and Mrs. Dan Blazer, II
Mr. Ed Blocher and Ms. Sandy Powers
Jeannine Borzello
Mrs. Ruth Boshkoff
Mr. and Mrs. David Bowers
Lucy and Tom Bradshaw
Kate Brady
Dayna Brill
Mrs. Brenda L. Brown
Mrs. Brenda S. Brown
Patricia Brown
Leslie Bryan
Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn Bryson
Mara Buchbinder and Jesse Summers
Stephen J. Buchbinder
Sabrina Burmeister and Keith Sockman
Judy Byck and Eric Mlyn
Elaine Cameron
Maria Cassinelli-Bernstein and Fernando
Bernstein
Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Chartrand
Aria Chernik and Michael Delafield
Katie Christo
Natalie Cicero
Mr. and Mrs. Dick Claar
Wesley Clegg
Noah Clapacs ‘14
Zain Clapacs ‘11
Coastal Federal Credit Union
Pamela and Marc Cohen
Mr. Larry Colker
Mary and Joe Cooley
The Cope Family
Bob and Allyn Kay Cornwell
Jen Crawford Cook and Steve Cook
Jack and Debra Cronenwett
Linda Cronenwett and Shirley Tuller
Mr. and Ms. Roland M. Crowell
Mr. and Mrs. Juan Cruz
Dianne Cruz and Douglas Williamson
Mr. and Ms. Bill Culton
Kiersten and Clint Dart
Mrs. Lynn Delicio
Tracie DeLoatch
Rebecca Dexter
Dan Divis
Ms. Hope Dooley
Florence Dore and Will Rigby
Mrs. Darcy Downing
Mrs. Norma Drummond
Dani Duma and Jeff Weiss
Mark Dunzo
Ashley Durham and Jason Harris
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Durham
Maureen Dwyer
Foley Dyson
Linda and John Eads
Alison and David Eagle
Charles Ebel
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Edwards
Ms. Carol Elliot
Eman Elmahi and Husam Hasanin
Raina Elsner and David Andrews
Dan Epperson
Dr. Anabelle Estrera and Dr. Clemente Estrera
Cleo Estrera and Matthew Etherington
Emily Feldman-Kravitz and Richard Kravitz
Ben Felton
Andrew Fiore ‘91
Julia Fiore ‘00
Abby Flynn and Kevin Walker
Dr. Sarah Friedman
Holli and Brandon Gall
Larry and Penny Gall
Jennifer and Dave Gardner
Eva Garland
Mr. and Mrs. Joel Gaya
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Gayer
Annie and George Gentithes
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Gentithes
Michael Gilbert ‘96
Silvia Glaubach and Federico Bugni
Cathy Gracey and Steve Smith
Gail Aronoff Granek
Heather and Bret Greene
Ron and Phyllis Greene
Sarah Greene and Ian Cundiff
Ida and Dennis Greenhill
Rachel and Rich Greenup
Tery and Michael Gunter
The Gustafson Family
Lauren Hagan
Emma Hales ‘15
Jane and James Hales
Sean Hamel
Leslie Hamilton
Mrs. Sylvia Harlen
Beth and Jeff Harris
Jennifer Harris
Laurie Ann and Scott Harvey
Mary and Stephen Harward
Karen and Colleen Heller-McLaughlin
UNDER THE OAK
39

Wendy and Paul Henderson
Mary Beth Hes
Amy and Jamie Lau
Daniel Heuser
Susan and Richard Hilser
Lauren Hiner
Sima and Michael Hodavance
Laura and Jason Hodgson
Kerry Holbrook
Caren and Jack Hollenbeck
Ms. Sammie Holloway
Madeline Horrigan
Carla Horta
Brian Horton
Neva Howard and Shahar Link
Tonya Hunt
Sandra and Peter Jacobi
Pamela Jarvis-Miller
Jahmarie Jean
Rex Jeffries
Stefanie Kandzia and Ralf Michaels
Sara and Nico Katsanis
Kevin Kearns
Phadej and Sachivalai Keopunna
Hélène and Alex Kirshner
Carolynn Klein
Koerner Family
Kralic Family
Sharon and Vib Kshettry
Sharon Laisure
Tiffane Land and Jonathon Jurusik
Ms. Paula LaPoint
Mr. and Mrs. Greg Lau
Charlotte Lee and David Siegel
Frederic and Naomi Leubuscher
Hui Li and Fan Yuan
Catherine Linford
Jian Liu and Jia Li
Ms. Joan Lloyd
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Longnecker
Andrew Lovett
Dr. Victoria Lubkov
Sharon and Ed Lunk
Judith Lynch
Mr. and Mrs. John D. MacAulay
Elizabeth and Mike Malinzak
Mr. and Mrs. David Malinzak
Mr. and Mrs. Millard Maloney
Lucia Marcus
Julie Marshall
Mr. and Mrs. David Martak
Kristi and Chris Martin
Brenda G. Matthews
Octavia Matthews
Tiffany Matthews
William K. Matthews
Margaret and Richard McCann
Dr. and Mrs. Sushil Mehrotra
Melvin and Susan Melnick
Joyce Miller
Robert Mills
Jeffrey Ayers Monroe ‘15
Jeannine Montgomery
Mr. and Mrs. R. Leonard Moore
Ms. Cathleen Morawetz
Vin and Ann Morgan
Meghan Morris
Vicki and Gilbert Muller
Pedi and Ruth Neta
Bonnie E Nevel and Richard G Newell
Willie Nicholson
Marilyn and Peter Ornstein
Miriam Ornstein and David Luks
Judy Panitch and Andy Hart
Alessandra Pavesio and Steven Singer
Natalie and Emiliano Corral
Dana and Keith Pearsall
Mr. and Ms. John Philpot
Jake and Lisa Pope
Rust Family
Mr. and Mrs. Max Powrie
Kathleen M. Przybycien
Robyn and Richard Putnam
Rakuten Loyalty
Michelle and Brian Reich
Richards-Baker Family
Charique and Johnathan Richardson
Laura and Barak Richman
Heather and Patrick Ritchie
Marya McNeish and Bob Robinson
Gilda Rodriguez and John Villani
Michelle Roy
David and Pegeen Rubinstein
Darielle and Lee Ruderman
Dr. Judith Ruderman
Mr. and Mrs. John Rushing
Grechen and Jonas Sahratian
Laura and Chris Sample
Jonatan Sanchez
Leah Sansbury and Trip Boyer
Elizabeth Sasser and Daniel Sasser
Paula Scatoloni and Andy Ovenden
Schechter Family
Barb and Don Schoene
Gita Schonfeld and Marvin Swartz
William Settle
Jane Shears
Lisa Simmons
Ms. Karen Simon
Joe and Charlene Skorjanec
Ann Skye and Jami Norris
Irecka Smith
Dr. and Mrs. James A. Smith, III
Janet and Roy Smith
Renee and Joseph Smith
Darryl Spancake
Kim Spancake and Drew Snider
Mr. and Mrs. John Spangler
Karen Springer and Alex Herskowitz
Jamie Steck
Betsy Strauss
Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Strauss
Laura Streitfeld and Cyril Lance
Ms. Nina Streitfeld
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Summers
Michael J. Szott
Emily and Lee Taft
James and Doris Taybron
Sandy and Robert Taylor
Dana Thompson Dorsey and Doug Dorsey
Kizzy Thompson-Lynch and Jason Lynch
Mary Townsend and Jon Stiber
Stephanie and Nathan Vandergrift
Amy Warren
Marki Watson
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Weinberger
Bea and Bill Welty
Rachel Wertheimer
40
UNDER THE OAK

Sarah Wessell and John Bley
Megan Whitted
Rebecca and Robert Wilgus
Deja Williams
James M. Williams
Ms. Karen Williams
Kia Williams
Jenner and Libby Wood
Becca and Julian Wooldridge
Nancy Worsham
Iain Wright ‘13
Harriet Bogin Yogel
Mel York and Lake Lloyd
Grandparent Giving
Anonymous (15)
Dr. Sandra Adams and Dr. Fred Adams
Kamau and Vida Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Anderson
Dr. Nadia Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. Bolton Anthony
Ms. Diane Bailey
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Baldwin
Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Bausell
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Beason
Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Becker
The Honorable William Bell and
Mrs. Judith Bell
Dr. and Mrs. Dan Blazer, II
Mr. and Ms. John Bolz
Mrs. Ruth Boshkoff
Mrs. Jane Bourne
Mr. and Mrs. David Bowers
Mrs. Brenda L. Brown
Joel and Beverly Brown
Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Chartrand
Mr. and Mrs. Chi-Cheng Chen
Mr. and Mrs. Dick Claar
Mrs. Helen Clyde
Mr. Larry Colker
Charlotte and Ron Craig
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Cronenwett
Linda Cronenwett and Shirley Tuller
Mr. and Ms. Roland M. Crowell
Dr. Nancy Day Adams and
Dr. Thomas Sinsteden
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Deason
Mrs. Lynn Delicio
Dr. Agnes DeWitt
Mrs. Penny Dietz
Mr. and Mrs. Gene Doyle
Dr. and Mrs. Stanley Etersque
Mr. Albert Feldman
Dr. Sarah Friedman
Mr. and Mrs. John Gardner
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Gayer
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Generelly
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Getman
Mrs. Gail A. Granek
Ms. Cleme Grant
Mr. and Mrs. James Gray, III
Dr. Sandra Greene
Dr. Vasudha Gupta and Dr. Bhupender Gupta
Mrs. Sylvia Harlen
Dr. April Harris-Britt and Mr. James Britt
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hays
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Hesselschwerdt
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hilser
Dr. and Mrs. Jack Hollenbeck
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hurtgen
Mr. Gad Janay and Mrs. Marlene Janay
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Kirk
Mrs. Margaret Kohring
Ms. Paula LaPoint
Ms. Ann Lawrence and Mr. Steve Leinwand
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Lee
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lemuth
Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Leubuscher
Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Lewis
Dr. and Mrs. Ian Lipsitch
Ms. Joan Lloyd
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Longnecker
Dr. Victoria Lubkov
Ms. Judith Lynch
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Markey
Ms. Brenda Matthews
William Matthews
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Maultsby
Mr. and Mrs. Pat McNease
Melvin and Susan Melnick
Dr. and Mrs. Towson Moore
Mr. and Mrs. Vin Morgan
Mr. and Mrs. Ian Murgitroyd
Dr. Pedi Neta and Mrs. Ruth Neta
Dr. and Mrs. Franc Noel
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Olich
Marilyn and Peter Ornstein
Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Orstad
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Patz
Florence and James Peacock
Mrs. Barbara Pope
Mr. and Mrs. Max Powrie
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Proctor
Mrs. Kathleen Przybycien
Robyn and Richard Putnam
Anita and Dale Pyles
Dr. and Mrs. Barry Reiter
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Richards
Mr. and Mrs. Epes Robinson
Mr. Ira Robinson
Mr. and Mrs. Randy Rollins
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Schoene
Ms. Meyressa Schoonmaker
Dr. and Mrs. James A. Smith, III
Mrs. Sue Smith
Darryl Spancake
Mr. Gad Janay and Mrs. Marlene Janay
Betsy Strauss
Ms. Nina Streitfeld
Dr. and Mrs. Edward Sugarman
Mrs. Sallie Taylor
Mrs. Norma Thompson
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Tisch
Mr. and Mrs. Ron Trzcinski
Dr. Virgilio Valdecanas and
Dr. Erlinda Valdecanas
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Welty
Ms. Karen Williams
Gifts in Kind
Ad Resources, Inc.
Favor Desserts
Alex Herst ‘08
Anne Lawrence and Steve Leinwand
King’s Red & White Super Market, Inc.
The Mad Popper
Chris Marshall and Moira Smullen
Lee Miller
Katayoun Tabrizi and Scott Lindroth
UNDER THE OAK
41

Gifts Made (IHO/IMO/ICO)*
Trey Adams IHO: Dave Michelman
Natalie and Chris Aho ICO: Cameron Aho
Mr. and Ms. William Andrews
ICO: Noah Andrews
Kathy Bartelmay and Roger Perilstein
IHO: Ann Lawrence for her ongoing
leadership and Professional Development
with our math teachers
Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Bausell
ICO: Ayers Bausell
Sharon and Lawrence Baxter
IMO: Rea and Gerald Baxter
Brenda Berlin and Kevin Schulman
IMO: Edward Berlin
Geoff Berry
IHO: Rock - N- Roll
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Betuker
IHO: Mary Hayward and
Madeline Horrigan
Mr. and Ms. John Bolz
IHO: Staff at Duke School
Mary Boshkoff and Paul Meisner
IHO: Ava and Jackson Meisner
Mrs. Jane Bourne
ICO: Stephen, Gavin and Ally Lamb
Kate Brady IHO: Holly and Alice
Ms. Patricia B. Brown
ICO: Taylor and Elena Mills
Karen and Chris Carmody
ICO: Ayla Carmody
Dr. Manas Chatterji and Ms. Pradipta Chatterji
ICO: Anya Chatterji
Natalie Cicero
IHO: 3 brave 7th grade slam poets
Coastal Federal Credit Union
IHO: Jason Mudd
Mr. and Ms. Roland M. Crowell
ICO: Emma and Lila Wills
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Davies
ICO: Carson Turner
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Deason
IHO: Jane Shears and Grechen Sahratian
Mrs. Lynn Delicio, ICO: Amelia Hart
Dr. Agnes DeWitt, ICO: Keila Hester
Mrs. Penny Dietz, IMO: Amelia Marie Dietz
Mr. and Mrs. Gene Doyle, IHO: Marki Watson,
Julie Marshall, Brian Greene, Michelle
Reich, Claudia Michelman, Annie Gentithes
Mark Dunzo, IHO: Constance and Elise
Rose and Zubin Eapen, IHO: Rose Payyapilli
Melissa Ellis and Jeff Doyle,
IHO: Mollie Doyle’s teachers
Raina Elsner and David Andrews
IHO: Dragons
Emily Feldman-Kravitz and Richard Kravitz
IHO: Martha Kravitz ‘16
Meghan Fitzpatrick
IMO: Dan Heuser’s father
Meghan Fitzpatrick
IHO: Dyson/Coleman Family
Meghan Fitzpatrick
IMO: Ida Greenhill’s brother
Meghan Fitzpatrick
ICO: Brian,Elizabeth, and Noah Greene
Meghan Fitzpatrick
IMO: Irecka Smith’s grandmother
Meghan Fitzpatrick
ICO: Charlie Michelman
Meghan Fitzpatrick
ICO: Rachel Wertheimer’s wedding
Meghan Fitzpatrick
ICO: Tonya Hunt’s first granddaughter
Meghan Fitzpatrick
IMO: Frank and Norma Carmody
Meghan Fitzpatrick
IHO: Rebecca Riley Dexter
Abby Flynn and Kevin Walker
ICO: Wyatt Stillings
Dr. Sarah Friedman
IMO: Yair Granek’s great grandparents
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Gall
ICO: Caroline Gall
Ana Garcia-Turner and Mark Turner
ICO: Miranda and Nathaniel Turner
Mr. and Mrs. Joel Gaya
ICO: Kylee Lynch
Mr. and Mrs. Barna Gibson
ICO: Kate Brady, Kerry Holbrook
and Lucy Bradshaw
Jennifer and Michael Gilchrist
IHO: Eman Elmahi and Emily Taft
Mrs. Gail A. Granek, ICO: Yair Granek
Dr. Vasudha Gupta and Dr. Bhupender Gupta
IHO: Great School, philosophy, teachers,
Director and Development Officer!
Mrs. Sylvia Harlen, ICO: Adeline Delefield
Beth and Jeff Harris, IHO: 4th grade team
Kerry Holbrook, IHO: Kate Brady
Dr. and Mrs. Jack Hollenbeck
ICO: Zeph and Charles Wiley
Ms. Sammie Holloway, IMO: Myrtle Holloway
Madeline Horrigan, IHO: Alexis Davis
Pamela Jarvis-Miller, ICO: Emmett Flynn
Ji-Yeon and Hun-Yong Jo, IHO: Bonnie Nevel
Cara and Ravi Karra, IHO: Vija K. Karra
Sara and Nico Katsanis
IHO: Angelina Katsanis
Kevin Kearns, ICO: Humphrey Kearns
Mrs. Margaret Kohring
ICO: Kate and Christopher Kohring
Sue Kreissman and Philip Breitfeld
IHO: Emily, Lee, Crete and Gray Taft
Dr. and Dr. Kshettry, ICO: Meera Gupta
Amy and Naveen Kumar
ICO: Mia and Anya Kumar
Ms. Paula LaPoint, ICO: Norah Weymouth
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lemuth
ICO: Jack and Greta Wellman
Mr. and Mrs. David Malinzak
ICO: Patrick Malinzak
Moira Smullen and Christopher Marshall
IHO: Duke School Commuinity
Ms. Brenda Matthews, ICO: Nia Stroud
Octavia Matthews, ICO: Nia Stroud
Mr. and Mrs. Pat McNease
IHO: Ada Catherine Hays
Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Melnick
ICO: Sara and Leah Lipsitch
Dr. Pedi Neta and Mrs. Ruth Neta
ICO: Sophia Bahna-Neta
Marilyn and Peter Ornstein
IHO: 8th grade teachers
Miriam Ornstein and David Luks
IHO: Sivan and Adin’s past
and present teachers
Florence and James Peacock
ICO: Isabella and Lucia Corral
Eric Poon and Mike Pelletier
ICO: Claire Pelletier-Poon
Mrs. Kathleen Przybycien
ICO: Lily and Max Przybycien
Robyn and Richard Putnam
IMO: Bill Weaver and Crete Putnam
Linda Raftery and Phil Spiro
IHO: Adriane Spiro
Shalini Ramasunder and Scott Buckel
IHO: Miriam Ornstein and Maureen Dwyer;
Jeannine Montgomery and Carolynn Klein
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Richards
ICO: Painter and Walker Richards-Baker
Dr. and Mrs. David Rubinstein
ICO: Xavier Rubinstein
Dr. Judith Ruderman, ICO: Ethan Ruderman
Paula Scatoloni and Andy Ovenden
IMO: Pip and Raja
42
UNDER THE OAK

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Schoene
ICO: Hayley Skye
Ms. Meyressa Schoonmaker
ICO: Zadie Schoonmaker
Mark and Claire Scullion
In support of the Strategic Plan
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Selder
ICO: Chloe and Lily Gilchrist
Julie Shermak and Steve Goodman
IHO: Jane Shears and Grechen Sahratian
Ms. Karen Simon, ICO: Noah Andrews
Dr. and Mrs. James A. Smith, III
ICO: Lila and Emma Wills
Mrs. Mary Stoll
ICO: Bryan, Collin and Sara Grace Dock
Betsy Strauss, ICO: Cam Strauss
Dr. and Mrs. Bernard Strauss
ICO: Carly and Ali Marshall
Emily and Lee Taft
IMO: Mary Scott Hoyt
Nicole Thompson
IHO: Lower School Faculty and Staff
Stacey and Eric Tisch, ICO: Lucy Tisch
Stacey and Eric Tisch, ICO: Lily Tisch
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Weinberger ICO:
Gemma Weinberger
Mr. James Williams, ICO: Kennedy Williams
Ms. Karen Williams, ICO: Kennedy Williams
Kia Williams, ICO: Kennedy Williams
Nancy Worsham, ICO: Lillian Boyer
Harriet Bogin Yogel, ICO: Simon Summers
Matching Gifts
Cisco
GlaxoSmithKline Foundation
IBM Corporation
McKinney Matching Gift Program
NVIDIA
Smith Gardner, Inc
TRUiST
Wells Fargo Foundation Educational
Matching Gift Program
Organizational Giving
Coastal Federal Credit Union
Duke University Medical Center
Favor Desserts
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
General Mills Box Tops for Education
Harris Teeter
Mynt LTD
Oak Foundation
Progressive Business Solutions
Target
Triangle Community Foundation, Inc
TRUiST
Event and School Sponsors
Connie Semans
Favor Desserts
G. Alan, Inc.
Global Aspect Human Capital Advisors LLC
Hilton Garden Inn - Medical Center
Lanier Law, P.A.
New Hope Animal Hospital
Progressive Business Solutions
Sergio Rosa
Sun Trust
We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of information contained in the
annual Honor Roll of Donors. If you have a question about a listing, please
contact a member of the Development Office at (919) 493-9968.
*IHO - In Honor of, IMO - In Memory of, ICO - In Celebration of
UNDER THE OAK
43

Follow us on...
Last year, Duke
School parent Richard
Griffin presented an
idea of a scoreboard
in hopes of improving
the overall game
day experience for
students and fans of
soccer and lacrosse.
With special thanks
to the Griffin family’s
sponsorship, this
vision was brought
to life in 2017. Not
only has it been well
received by the Duke
School community,
but it also adds pride
and character to our
campus.
44
UNDER THE OAK