Fascinated by an interview with the playwright ... - Newark Academy

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24 2005 Cooking Class Emeril’s Got Nothing on Them! by Debra Marr SENIOR PROJECTS 2005 For Jackie Dorsky, Pallavi Doddakashi, Amy Sherman and Dani Blake, the quest to find the “right” senior project evolved in a most unexpected way. At an NA bake sale fundraiser in support of Ms. Luxemburg’s advanced dance class, the girls purchased some chocolate raspberry brownies that were fantastic. The rich, mouthwatering mounds of chocolate, teeming with the luscious, savory berries were prepared by pastry chef Dolly Rosen, mother of ninth grade student, Charlotte. The senior girls, convinced that they would love to learn how to cook like that, asked Dolly to sponsor their senior project. Now for some, the thought of baking brownies and scones might seem frivolous. Not so, with Dolly Rosen in charge. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, Dolly enthusiastically planned a serious curriculum for her “students” that not only included preparing sumptuous feasts (omelettes, spiced waffles, cakes, gelato, popovers and cheesecake) but also included taking a number of field trips (even to see a movie) to expand and enhance the overall experience. “We visited Raymond’s Restaurant in Montclair, said Jackie, “And when we took a tour of the kitchen, I was shocked to see how small a space the chefs had to work in.” Dolly’s kitchen, on the other hand, is of mammoth proportions for a residential one, but with all the charm of a French bistro. Two large bookcases overflowed with every type of cookbook imaginable, confirming that an avid cook lived there. Clearly, Dolly’s home was the perfect venue for the four girls to learn the art of cooking and Dolly was the quintessential teacher. Reflecting on her senior project, Pallavi said, “The experience was unbelievable! From trips to the city to visit a cooking school, the chocolate factory and a cake store, to the imaginative tea parties and pizza days– I would not have traded projects with anyone.” Jackie, Amy and Dani agreed that their last experience at NA together was not only a unique learning adventure but a chance to solidify their friendship before heading off to different colleges in the fall. N A 25
26 1974 SENIOR PROJECT 1974 In 1974, the senior project at Newark Academy shared the same objective that it does today. It had to be a learning experience in something that you had not done before. The variety of project ideas for our class ranged from the practical to the extraordinary. One student elected to take a course in typing, many others worked in family businesses and several more, the adventurous types, mapped out challenging hikes and camping trips. Jeff Pollack and I agreed to do a project together but the idea was not entirely our own. In fact, we would become the unskilled labor in a brilliantly crafted plan conceived by one of Newark Academy’s most well-traveled, worldly and gifted thinkers, Blackie Parlin. Our senior project would be a bike trip. But Mr. Parlin’s idea was not without a motive! An Unforgettable Ride by Jon Olesky ’74 “The Sting” Mr. Parlin had just bought a new bike, a Schwinn Paramount, to make a transcontinental trip that summer. Blackie’s new bike cost what some people would spend on a nice used car. Of course he needed to sell his old bike, and that’s where I came in. His bike was a three-year-old Raleigh Professional with Campagnola Neuvo Record components and 15,000 miles on it. I was the buyer; a kid new to biking, who just found out that he needed a good road bike for his senior project. It was the Newark Academy senior project equivalent of “The Sting.” Jeff and I planned a trip that would involve two bikes, two round-trip plane tickets, two foreign countries, two international student IDs, over a dozen youth hostels, one boat ride, one hitched ride in the back of a tractor trailer (actually the bikes were in the back… with the beer… we were up front), 250 miles of cycling, 80 more in a beer-hauling 18-wheeler and, most importantly, a learning experience in something that we had not done before. Biking Through The Netherlands Our itinerary began at Newark Airport three hours before flight time. We arrived early, not for security reasons, but rather to allow ourselves enough time to pack our bikes in the large cardboard boxes provided by the airline. In general terms, our trip would take us to the Netherlands for two weeks and to the southern part of England for a third. We would fly into Amsterdam and home from London. For the entire period, we stayed in youth hostels, where guests were expected to help with basic chores like cleaning bathrooms, sweeping floors, preparing meals and cleaning up. We packed light enough to carry all of our belongings in two panniers and one handlebar bag. Breakfast and dinner were served at the hostels and we bought lunch each day so that we did not need to carry any food as we traveled. We mapped out a large clockwise circle through the Netherlands. Beginning in Amsterdam we headed west to the coast where the countryside rests dangerously low against the North Sea. From there we traveled north, up the coastline and then inland to Den Oever. There we cycled northeast across one of the world’s longest dikes, the Afsluitdijk. Over 20 miles long, it separates the North Sea from the IJsselmeer. Continuing with our circle, we traveled south into the rolling pine forests of the Sand Plains, one of the most central regions in the Netherlands and one of the few that is above sea level. We passed through delightful little towns where residents went out of their way to make us feel welcome. I recall one man who approached us while we were looking at a map on the side of the road and offered some freshly baked chicken and local directions. Both the directions and lunch were unexpected yet greatly appreciated. He was a complete stranger and a perfect host. The towns all had memorable names, some funny and some odd; Sneek, Wolvega, Meppel, Zwolle, Epe and Arnhem. Arnhem would be as far south as we would go. From there we turned right and headed east to the industrial city of Utrecht, continued on to The Hague and then turned south for a short leg down to the coastal city of Hoek Van Holland. There we would get off our bikes and board a ferry for Dover, England nearly six hours away. From Dover, we made our way up to London where, in a completely tourist frame of mind, we stayed for several days. The British Route by Train We were more stationary in England, and if we traveled, it wasn’t by bike. We were losing our fascination with biking. Despite all of the “training” that we had done prior to our trip, we were tired from the last two weeks of pedaling our 60-pound plus bicycles all over the Netherlands. We even talked about “accidentally” losing them in one of Holland’s many inland canals; a freaky cycling mishap where both bikes would be lost forever in a watery crash, while both riders escaped dry and unharmed! We didn’t think anyone would believe us, but the fictional exercise kept our minds off our growing dissatisfaction with the sport. When we found ourselves in the mood to travel again (by some means other than bicycling), we took the train from London down to Canterbury, spent the afternoon visiting all the obvious attractions and caught the last train back to London at the end of the day. Back in London we started making preparations for the trip home. We debated again about leaving our bikes behind and even though I had just purchased mine from Mr. Parlin, I was especially tempted, thinking I would be completely content if I never rode it again. Thankfully, better judgment prevailed and we brought them home. The trip was over, it was a fantastic experience but we were tired – tired of biking, tired of living out of pannier bags, tired of eating youth hostel food and quite frankly a little tired of each other. We had met the requirements of our senior project and we were ready to come home. Mr. Parlin’s Bike Lives On Culturally, this trip was a gem. Most unforgettable were the Dutch and English people, the ones who gave us directions and food, who shared wonderful stories about their lives, who always spoke English because we could not speak Dutch and who made us feel as welcome as family. For nearly a year after I was home I did not ride Mr. Parlin’s bike. We needed a little time apart. I am happy to report however, that over the past 30 years I have remained actively involved with cycling and I can thank Mr. Parlin for sparking that interest in the spring of 1974. I still have his bike. It is a beautiful example of cycling from a generation ago; the sport and equipment have changed a lot in 30 years. I have repainted it and maintain it carefully. It has been with me on dozens of bike trips throughout New Jersey and New England. Today the bike has nearly 30,000 miles on it and while I own two newer bicycles, I still ride Mr. Parlin’s occasionally. NA 27
Page 1 and 2: Newark Academy 91 South Orange Aven
Page 3 and 4: outreach SPRING 2005 Elizabeth Penn
Page 5 and 6: 6 we had eaten every one of our imp
Page 7 and 8: 10 PERFORMING ARTS A Funny Thing Ha
Page 9 and 10: 14 From the Archives The play, whic
Page 11 and 12: From Blackie Parlin on his son’s
Page 13: 22 Lindsy Rollenhagen Zook ’93 Se
Page 17 and 18: 30 by Tracy Robinton ’05 rebuildi
Page 19: 34 Alumni Gatherings Alma Mater Lun

Fascinated by an interview with the playwright ... - Newark Academy

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