bulletin board | fall/winter 2007/2008

bulletin boardFall/Winter 2007-2008

For Alumni, Families, and Friends of Elmwood Franklin School www.elmwoodfranklin.org

2007 • 2008 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Alice Jacobs, PresidentPhilipp L. Rimmler, Vice President

Michael Hogan, TreasurerGrace Walsh Munschauer ’70, Secretary

George BellowsMatthew Enstice

Annette FitchArthur Glick ’71

Alison KeaneGeorge Kermis

Seymour Knox IV ’69Madeline Ambrus Lillie ’64

Eric LipkeElizabeth Duryea Maloney ’70

Gail MitchellTrini Ross

Michele Trolli

2007 • 2008 A LUMN I COUNC I L

Stephen Kellogg, Jr. ’77, President Amy Decillis Bard ’86

Gitti Barrell ’71Tricia Barrett ’92

Kristin Schoellkopf Borowiak ’82Kary Fronk Clark ’91

Rob Drake ’96Charles Hahn ’68

Susie Lenahan Kimberly ’64Madeline Ambrus Lillie ’64

Kim Rich Lupkin ’80Elizabeth Duryea Maloney ’70Samantha Friedman Olsen ’00

Howard Saperston III ’85Mary Franklin Saperston ’60

Eric Saldanha ’85

The Bulletin Board is published twice a year by the Development Office for alumni, families,

and friends of Elmwood Franklin School.

Julie Raynsford Berrigan, Director of Development

ED I TOR /WR I T E RSally Jarzab, Communications Coordinator

DE S I GN AND L AYOUTRebecca Murak, Development Associate

COV E R A RTWatercolor inspired by the

Eighth Grade trip to Camp Pathfinder.

Elmwood Franklin School is Western New York’s oldestpre-primary through eighth grade independent school,

emphasizing high academic achievement, good studyskills, and positive character development. Elmwood

Franklin accepts qualified students without regard torace, color, religion, or national origin.

The hostess of an 18th century replica home showsEFS third graders the ways of the past.

[ TABLE OF CONTENTS ]

4 FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Tony Featherston asks, “What is Elmwood

Franklin School?”

6 FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT

30 COME ALONG AND LEARN

Third graders take a trip to Genesee

Country Village.

44 ON THE MENU: A BIGGER, BRIGHTER, AND BETTER

DINING ROOM

10 MARK SALDANHA ’90 MAKES US LAUGH

12 A BEACON IN BOSTON: CHRIS GABRIELI ’73

Chris and Hilary Gabrieli host the Fall Alumni

Regional Gathering. See who else was there.

14 ALUMNI CAREER SPEAKER SERIES BRINGS

RICK SMITH ’75 BACK TO EFS

48 THE ELMWOOD FRANKLIN EXPERIENCE

Caitlin DeRose ’98 reflects on the distinction

of an Elmwood Franklin education.

8BLUE-GRAY ALL THE WAYAs Blue-Gray turns 60 years old,the competition wages on.

16TWO WORLD VIEWSMeet Lauren McHugh ’97 andDuncan Sisson ’94, two alumni whoare travelling – and changing – theworld.

24ALL TOGETHER NOWRead how music education makes adifference.

36 NEWS OF NOTE

37 NAMES IN THE NEWS

38 DAY TO DAY

41 JUST FOR FUN

42 FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

46 ANNUAL FUND UPDATE

50 ALUMNI SUBMISSIONS

51 UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS

52 EFS REMEMBERS

53 CLASS NOTES

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

4

[ FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL ]

ELMWOOD FRANKLIN SCHOOL BULLETIN BOARD|

THAT IS THE FIRST AND MOST CRITICAL QUESTION WE ARE ASKED FOR THE EXHAUSTIVE

self-study process around which EFS is evaluated for reaccreditation by

the New York State Association of Independent Schools. Throughout this

school year, the faculty, staff, board, and parents are engaged in self-

examination, taking a critical look at every aspect of the school. In the end,

however, it all comes back to that first, simple question: What is Elmwood

Franklin School? It is our mission that best – and most succinctly –

provides the answer, and many of us at school have been busy reaffirming

and updating the mission to ensure that it reflects the long and successful

tradition of EFS, the current 21st century reality, and the school’s future

head of school T O N Y F E A T H E R S T O N A S K S ,

“ W H A T I S E L M W O O D F R A N K L I N S C H O O L ? ”

[ FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL ]

5ELMWOOD FRANKLIN SCHOOL BULLETIN BOARD|

direction. Our mission speaks to academicexcellence to be sure. But it also specificallyacknowledges the importance of character, oflifelong learning, and the development ofconfidence. We believe that each is importantand will serve our students well in future pursuits.While we’re clear about who we are, there aretimes when it seems that we’re swimming againstthe current of educational and societal values.

Increasingly, our children are being pressured tospecialize, and it’s happening earlier and earlier.As college admissions become more competitive,applicants who’ve demonstrated excellence andcommitment to a particular activity or area ofinterest for many years are often valued abovestudents who’ve sampled a wide variety of thingsthey may never have the chance to do again. Andthe résumé-building begins earlier and earlier.Youth coaches want seven-year-olds to commit toone sport year-round. No Child Left Behind andstate testing across the country emphasizeEnglish and math at the expense of social studies,music, art, and physical education. Even as anindependent school, not required to teach togovernment testing standards, we are not immunefrom the greater societal pressures that seem todemand specialization.

Concerned about the direction of highereducation, Dartmouth College hosted a gatheringof academics in 2005 for two days of discussionentitled “The Liberal Education: Dead or Alive,” atwhich they debated the merits of a liberal artseducation. Many prestigious colleges, longbastions of liberal education, have increasingly

felt the influence of a more market-driveneducational model, one that specifically preparesstudents for professions. It is that same pressurethat our students and parents feel certainly inhigh school, but even in middle and elementarygrades. Martha C. Nussbaum, Ernst FreundDistinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethicsat the University of Chicago, wrote in CultivatingHumanity (1997) of “an education that is liberalin that it liberates the mind from the bondage ofhabit and custom, producing people who canfunction with sensitivity and alertness as citizensof the whole world.” In other words, a liberal artseducation produces thinkers, questioners, thosewho are comfortable with and thrive on the freeexchange of ideas. While it may be difficult toascribe these habits of mind to our students inPrep and at times difficult to recognize inadolescents, I hope and believe that ElmwoodFranklin fosters just this sort of learner.

As you read through this edition of the Elmwood Franklin Bulletin Board, particularly thealumni profiles, I trust that you will recognize thestrength of our brand of liberal education. While later pursuing wildly different paths, each ofthem benefited from the exposure to the world’sgreat ideas and thinkers, the empowerment oflearning to think for themselves, the values thatproduce good citizens of the world, and theability to understand, communicate, and work withothers of different backgrounds. In the end, I thinkthat’s the answer to my original question.Elmwood Franklin School is a place that makesanything possible.

G

6

[ FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT ]


reetings from the Board of Trustees. Since last spring the Boardhas been actively engaged on many fronts. The Board works hardto ensure that despite the challenges involved in decisions for theschool today, we keep at the forefront of our minds the importanceof preparing Elmwood Franklin to continue to provide an excellenteducational foundation for children of Western New York well intothe future. To this end, our Strategic Planning Committee carriedout a survey of parents of former fourth and eighth grade studentsto help us identify our strengths and weaknesses and tounderstand what our community holds dear and what they wouldlike to see improved. The biggest message that came out of theexercise is that, overall, parents are highly satisfied with theeducation their children receive at Elmwood Franklin. While the

from the B O A R D P R E S I D E N T

A L I C E J A C O B S

[ FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT ]


quality of the academics and the teachers arejudged to be the most important factors, thestrong sense of community, the caring andnurturing environment of the school, the emphasison character development and individual andcollective responsibility are clearly what helps setEFS apart from other educational options. As wego forward in our strategic planning efforts, theBoard is aware of the need to ensure that theseaspects of the school continue despite the everpressing desire in our society for more goal-oriented education. We will continue to surveydifferent groups of parents and alumni on aperiodic basis to help guide our decision making.

Our Buildings and Grounds Committee hasundertaken the much needed expansion andrenovation of our cafeteria, which we are trying toget used to calling the dining room, a name morefitting to the end product. The cafeteria hasremained unchanged since the school was built in1951. While some of our more nostalgic alumnimay miss seeing the space in its original form, ourfaculty and kitchen staff are looking forward to alarger, brighter environment, which will seat all ofour students more comfortably and provide forimproved serving areas as well as hand washingstations. We hope to have the work completed bythe end of February. In the meantime, plenty ofchildren are greatly enjoying watching theprogress of the big hole that was dug and the

construction process taking place outside of thewindows. Many thanks to those donors whohelped support this much needed project.Without you, we would not be able to undertakethese improvements.

Our Development Committee together with ourdevelopment team has continued to work onexpanding our development efforts with greatsuccess. The Annual Fund was restructured toform a Campaign Cabinet, involving moremembers of our community in this effort, thesuccess of which is critical to helping keep tuitionincreases to a minimum. Alumni outreach has beenincreased through a reinvigorated Alumni Council,as well as alumni events in both New York City andBoston. Attending these events with Tony andother Board members, I was struck by how happyWestern New York natives are to reconnect witheach other, reflecting the sense of community Ifind at Elmwood Franklin.

Elmwood Franklin is fortunate to have a thoughtfuland hard working Board which I am privileged tolead. Combining the work of the Board andoutstanding administration with the generoussupport of our community, I am confident we arecontinuing to strengthen the school’s foundationthat will allow us to keep pace with the needs offuture students while maintaining the core of whatmakes Elmwood Franklin special.

“...WE KEEP AT THE FOREFRONT OF OUR MINDS THE IMPORTANCE OF

PREPARING ELMWOOD FRANKLIN TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE AN

EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN OF

WESTERN NEW YORK WELL INTO THE FUTURE.”

8

[ BLUE GRAY RETROSPECTIVE ]


B L U E - G R AYAll the Way!IF YOU WERE A STUDENT AT ELMWOOD FRANKLIN, NOT ONLY DO

you most likely remember if you were Blue or if youwere Gray, you might even still identify with that color,and – five, ten, twenty years later – still carry the gloryof your team’s victory (or the agony of its defeat)around with you today.

That’s because Blue-Gray is more than a tug-of-war. It’sa 60-year tradition that inspires school spirit, buildscharacter, bonds friendships, and teaches everyonehow much fun a little healthy competition can be.

F R O M L E F T T O R I G H T : B L U E - G R A Y I N 20 07, 19 83 , A N D 19 87

[ BLUE GRAY RETROSPECTIVE ]


BLUE-GRAY YESTERDAY AND TODAY

Blue-Gray has its origins in ElmwoodFranklin’s two-pronged history. TheElmwood School’s colors were scarletand gray; the Franklin School’s blue andbuff. When the schools merged in 1941,their colors merged too – Blue-Graycould just as easily have been Scarlet-Buff! The competition itself waslaunched in 1947-1948, when the twoteams started vying for possession ofthe coveted Blue-Gray Cup. Since 1980,two trophies have been awarded eachyear, one for the girls and one for theboys. And the results are a lesson inprobability: since 1948, wins for thegirls have been nearly tied between thetwo teams.

This October, as in many years past,fifth grade students and those studentsnew to the Upper School werewelcomed onto a team at the UpperSchool picnic at Beaver Island StatePark. The entire Upper School uses theday to familiarize newcomers, appointcaptains, enjoy a cook-out, andcommence the year’s competition, whichstarts (and ends) with a tug-of-war.Then, points are accrued throughoutthe year in a variety of activities, whichare often sports-related, but alsoinclude class games, written work, andexhibitions of effort, enthusiasm, andsportsmanship. Blue-Gray givesrecognition for trying as well as forsucceeding: students get points for theirprospective teams by just participatingin after-school sports, regardless of theirskill level. Over the years, the Blue-Graycompetition has had contests in soccer,field hockey, flag football, volleyball,basketball, badminton, softball, and evena spelling bee. Nowadays, points arecompiled from the usual events, as wellas activities such as dodge ball,

asteroids, capture the flag, ping pong,and even juggling. In earlier days,students really got their backs into therivalry with a posture contest. A trackmeet with ten events used to be thefinale of the year, which has now evolvedinto Field Day, a highly anticipated dayof fun outdoor games in early June.

Sixty years since its inception, Blue-Grayis still going strong, maybe strongerthan ever. “It just amazes me to see howmuch enthusiasm these kids have overthis,” said gym teacher Debby Clark ’63,who has helped oversee parts of thecompetition for more than 30 years.The announcement of the winner at theUpper School closing program in June ismet with cheers and screams that canprobably be heard from blocks away.Debby credits much of the enthusiasmto the camaraderie the competitioncreates for students. “A team is like aninstant family for students,” she said.“Half the school is on your side.”

Whether you’re blue or you’re gray isnot really the point (though someenthusiasts may argue with that), nor iswhether you win or lose. The point isthat, with Blue-Gray, you’re a part ofsomething, something bigger thanyourself, something that makes history.

BLUE-GRAY MEMORIES

A few alumni wrote in with nostalgia (aswell as a little gloating) about their Blue-Gray wins and losses.

“I was Blue team captain for the class of’93 and have many great memories ofthose years and competition. Iremember feeling such a bond with myfellow teammates throughout the yearsand remember looking forward to theannual track meet showdown at the end

of each school year. Will Irene, who wasGray team captain in ’93, and I still talkabout the rivalry we had nearly 15 yearsago and keep up that rivalry today, onlynow it is over our golf game instead. Bythe way, Blue team won in ’93!”

John Cunningham ’93

“I was on the Gray team and I rememberour Gray team captain was Pam Smithand Blue team was Annie Wilton.Everything we did revolved around ourallegiance to our teams (unfortunately Ithink Blue team won by a small fractionin our 8th grade year). I think we evenchose clothing based on our assignedcolors (I preferred to think of gray as“silver.”) I can’t believe Blue-Gray is 60years old…way to keep the healthyrivalry alive!”

Kim Rich Lupkin ’80

“What I remember most about the Blue-Gray years was my beloved Gray beingvictorious my 6th and 8th grade years.Graduating with a victory was sweet,and, I'm pretty sure, gives me eternalbragging rights over the Blues in myclass. At least until they start some kindof Real World-Road Rules-Inferno typechallenge series for alumni. Until thattime we shall remain victorious forever.”

Matt Mariconda '92

“I was on the Blue team. We participatedin everything: field hockey, basketball,running broad jump, and Posture Week.(They couldn't possibly still have that,though I must say I have great posture!)The only thing I didn't like about it wasthat my best friend, Jennifer Johnston,was on the Gray team and we were verycompetitive and often wouldn't talk toeach other after contests. I always wantedher on my team, but c'est la vie. We're stillvery good friends in spite of it all!”

Jennifer Rand Griffis '71

10

[ ALUMNI PROFILE ]


M A R K S A L D A N H A ’ 9 0 is used to getting

heckled. As a professional stand-up comic who’s been

performing all across North America for nearly a decade,

he’s quite familiar with audience members who, either

supportively or maliciously, try to become part of the

show. But there’s been only one time, we’re sure, that he

actually got heckled about Blue-Gray.

M A R KS A L D A N H A

makes us

laugh

[ ALUMNI PROFILE ]


After performing at the Montreal Comedy Festival

(the “Sundance” of stand-up comedy) this past June,

playing Elmwood Franklin’s Johnston Theatre should be

no big deal. But for Mark Saldanha, it was still a little

nerve-wracking.

“I’m kind of nervous. I wish they’d turn the house lights

down – I’m standing up here looking at my mother!” he

told the crowd. He needn’t have been nervous.

Comprised of family, friends and fellow alumni, not to

mention a few of Mark’s former teachers, it was perhaps

the most supportive audience a comic could ask for.

Several EFS jokes got things off to a good start: memories

of history class, Spanish lessons, art projects, and lunch in

the cafeteria (“I still remember the goulash. You know, you

just can’t find goulash like that anywhere else in the

world. Well, maybe prison.”). It was his recollections of

gym class with Mr. Ryan and Ms. Clark that prompted the

Blue-Gray interjection. (“I was Gray captain,” he said to

applause, “and I was a total dictator.”) Mark then went into

some of his regular material – the jokes that he’s been

crafting and performing over the past ten years. Earlier in

the day of his visit to EFS, he talked with the eighth grade

students about his transformation from a wise-cracking

Upper Schooler giving his teachers a hard time (“Who

invented the cotton gin? Who cares?”) to a seasoned

stand-up working with the likes of Chris Rock, Dane Cook,

John Stewart, and Dave Chapelle, to name a few.

“I got bitten by the comedy bug when I was still a

student here,” he told the eighth graders. “I used to give

funny responses in class and sarcastic answers on tests.

One my teachers told me, ‘If you think you’re so funny,

you should be a comedian.’”

It wasn’t until after graduating from Canisius College,

though, that Mark made comedy his serious business. “I

was watching Pauly Shore on TV, and I thought, this guy

is so bad, there’s no way I couldn’t do better. So I went to

an amateur night at a local comedy club, and I got one

laugh in my entire routine.” Not exactly a rousing success,

but for Mark, it was a test in perseverance. “I knew if I

could get one laugh, I could get more.” It took him the

better part of a year to write five minutes of good

material, and with networking and practice, he took his

show on the road. “I think for my first real gig, I got paid

in chicken wings.” Perseverance has paid off for Mark: his

near decade of performing in 40 states and three

countries has gotten him featured in USA Today and

The New York Times, and his comedy writing published in

Harper’s Weekly. Mark made his television debut in 2004

on SiTV’s “Latino Laff Festival”, and also appeared on

NBC’s “Last Comic Standing 2” and “Girls Behaving

Badly” on the Oxygen Network. His work will also be

featured in an upcoming episode of Comedy Central’s

“Live at Gotham.”

“No matter what you do in life,” Mark told the eighth

graders, “you’re going to face failure at some point.

Probably not as publicly as I have in comedy – for

stand-ups, it’s really awful. But no matter what, you just

need to accept it, and keep going. It takes a lot of

practice to succeed.”

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Did you miss the show? Don’t worry, Mark’s performance

is available online. Visit www.elmwoodfranklin.org and

select “Upcoming Alumni Events” from the “Alumni”

dropdown menu to watch the show!

[ AT THE ALUMNI REGIONAL GATHERING ]

Alumni gather at the home of Chris ’73 (lower right) and Hilary Gabrieli in Boston, Mass. for the fall 2007 EFS Alumni Regional Gathering.In attendance were alumni Sarah Acer Allen ’73, James Duryea ’73, Paul Howard ’64, Lauren Jacobs ’95, Liz Duryea Maloney ’70, GeorgeDewey Michaels ’80, Adrian Quackenbush ’89, Elizabeth Waagen ’71, Annie Wilton ’80, Katie Wilton ’85, former headmaster andcorporation member E. John White with wife Kathryn, and Board president Alice Jacobs.

a beacon in boston: C H R I S G A B R I E L I ’ 7 3


This November, Elmwood Franklin helda gathering for alumni living in theBoston area, welcoming 19 alumsspanning the classes of 1964 to 1995.Certainly, some part of the event’s drawwas its hosts – alumnus Chris Gabrieli,and his wife Hilary – and the chance tospend time in their gorgeous LouisburgSquare home.

To those who live in the area, Chris iswell known, perhaps most prominentlyfor his 2006 Democratic candidacy forgovernor of Massachusetts. It was achallenge he did not win, but one thatbrought into the public eye the high-flying story of a man who went frompropping up the family business, to hisown soaring success, wealth, andambitions in a number of other arenas.

After graduating from Harvard, Chrisattended Columbia University medicalschool, but quit in 1983 to save hisfather’s financially-struggling business.Chris succeeded in developing a newbranch for the company, medical billingsoftware, that was able to hoist it backin the black. Chris was later hired by oneof the company’s investors as a venture

capitalist, specializing in drugdevelopment and medical services. Hespent fifteen years as a general partnerat Bessemer Venture Partners, duringwhich time his firm invested over $1billion in start-up high-tech and biotechcompanies, creating more than 100,000new jobs. Chris is currently managingdirector of the Ironwood Equity Fund, asmall business investment corporation(SBIC) that provides growth capital toexpansion and later-stage businesses inthe Northeast.

It was in capital investment that Chrisfound his fortune, but it has been incivic activism that he has found hispayback. With aspirations towardpolitics, he has also becomeincreasingly involved over the pastdecade in public policy. He served aschairman of MassINC, a leading non-partisan, independent think tank. Heserves on the governing boards of TheBoston Foundation, the Boston Plan forExcellence, the Initiative for aCompetitive Inner City, the BostonPublic Library Foundation, and theHarvard University and the BostonUniversity Schools of Public Health.

In 1999, Boston Mayor Tom Meninoappointed Chris to be chair of theMayor’s Taskforce on After-school Time.A year later, Chris co-foundedMassachusetts 2020, a non-profitfoundation devoted to expanding after-school programs. In citing its mission,the foundation notes that today, as hasbeen the case since the founding ofpublic education in America, childrenspend only 20 percent of their wakinghours in school. The hours beyond theschool day and year can be either filledwith activities that promote learningand development or fraught with riskand lost opportunity. Massachusetts2020 is dedicated to “ensuring thatthese hours are ones of promise, notemptiness and danger.” Next on theorganization’s agenda is improving timeuse and learning within the publicschool system in Massachusetts.

Chris is thoroughly rooted in theenvirons of Boston and Massachusetts(he and his wife are raising five childrenthere), and it is a wonderful fit: it’s aplace, much like Chris himself, full ofproud past accomplishments and manypositive possibilities.

when Chris Gabrieli was a first grader at Elmwood Franklinin 1966, he lobbied the headmaster to allow him to skip to second grade, thus beginning a hard-won devotionto educational opportunity and improvement.

Toward that end, Chris, along with the foundation he co-founded, has helped to launch several major initiatives,including Boston’s After-School for All Partnership, the largest public-private partnership dedicated to childrenin Boston’s history. As the chairman of Massachusetts 2020, an education non-profit based in Boston, Chris isdedicated to expanding after-school and summer learning opportunities for children.

All this is in addition to a history of transforming his struggling family business into a lucrative medical softwarebusiness and a highly successful career as a venture capitalist. Oh, and there was that Massachusettsgubernatorial bid he made this past year. There’s just so much to catch up on!

Legend has it that

[ AT THE ALUMNI REGIONAL GATHERING ]

14

[ ALUMNI COUNCIL SPEAKER SERIES ]


RICK SMITH ’75 VISITED THE UPPER SCHOOL IN NOVEMBER FOR

the Alumni Career Speaker Series, which brings EFSalumni back to talk to current students about their livesand career paths. From rock bands to squash to brandingcattle in Colorado, Rick shared the roundabout story ofhow his own future in business was galvanized.

During his college years (he majored in economics andminored in comparative religious studies at the Universityof Pennsylvania), Rick spent a summer building fencesand branding cattle in Colorado, where he lived in ateepee and learned to ride horses. After college, Rickfaced an important crossroad: work in sales andmarketing for Proctor & Gamble (which translated to re-arranging boxes of Tide on the shelves of grocery stores– at eye level, of course), or go to Africa. Rick chose thelatter. After two years in Africa, where he helped a newfriend in the safari business make tall tree houses so thatelephants would not step on humans, Rick felt a littlehomesick and decided to come back to the states. Hemoved to Denver, working for Federal-Mogul, driving52,000 miles a year covering a territory from Canada toMexico. (He got to know the Rocky Mountains very well.)

From Denver came a move to San Francisco to work insales for Rigidized Metals, a company his grandfatherfounded in 1940. Today, Rigidized Metals is a leader indeveloping and producing deep textured three-dimensional metals. The metals are used in a variety ofapplications within the architectural, industrial andtransportation field: helicopter flooring, elevators,restroom partitions, and residential and commercialbacksplashes. In Buffalo, the company’s work can befound in the court buildings, on gas pumps, and on thebacks of trucks.

Much like Rigidized Metals, Rick's career experiencecovers a plethora of applications. He spent three years inSan Francisco and then moved to Ireland during the ’90sto be a songwriter. Rick played many gigs from Cork Cityto Galway. When he wasn't booked for a live show, thestreet corners served as his practice and performancearea. After Ireland came Nashville and New York City. Rick recorded his first album In the Leavin’ and traveledfrom Denver to San Francisco playing various shows. Inthe process, Rick also taught squash at the Denver Club.A second CD was recorded, and at the age of 37, Rickfinally returned home to Buffalo to work full-time forRigidized. The company is very active in the Western NewYork community. Two big projects it supports areBoomDays and River Fest. BoomDays celebrates thelifting of the Lake Erie-Niagara River ice boom in April,and the River Fest is a two day family festival with livemusic, a river regatta, classic car show, kids’ activities, andmore, that highlights the revitalization efforts being madealong the Buffalo riverfront and the recreationalopportunities that exist.

Rick, who is married and has a two-year-old daughter, toldthe students his favorite part about his job is watchinghis employees develop over time and gain confidence intheir work. Next up for Rick is a 20,000 ft. expansion toRigidized’s Ohio Street facility in Buffalo and having localartist Larry Griffis incorporate a sculpture for the newlyexpanded building.

EFS alumni from all backgrounds and professions areinvited to take part in the Career Speaker Series. Formore information, contact Julie Raynsford Berrigan,Director of Development.

Alumni Career Speaker Series presentsR I C K S M I T H ’ 7 5

[ ]

Rick Smith ’75 keeps a captive audience withhis tales of rock gigs, cattle branding and life inthe family business.

16

[ ALUMNI PROFILE ]


T W O W O R L

Duncan Sisson ’94 and fellow riders Biking fora Better World pass through Canada as theymake their way to Argentina this spring.

All images are courtesy of Duncan Sisson and Lauren McHugh.

[ ALUMNI PROFILE ]


DViewsTHERE ARE TWO WAYS OF LEARNING

ABOUT THE WORLD: reading about

it or experiencing it firsthand. AND

THERE ARE TWO WAYS OF TRYING TO

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD:

talking about it or actually doing

something. HERE ARE THE STORIES

OF TWO EFS ALUMS WHO ARE

TAKING THE LATTER APPROACH.

[ ALUMNI PROFILE ]


Lauren is in the middle of a 27-month commitment with the Peace Corps,working as an English resource teacher in a primary school in Macedonia, arepublic on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, bordered by Serbia,Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria. It’s a long way – and a long time – away fromhome, but for Lauren, it’s also a long-held dream.

“It was always in the back of my head as something I would do after college,”said Lauren. “I wanted to learn about another culture by really experiencing it.The Peace Corps gives you the chance to really give back, see more of theworld, and help those that are less fortunate. It was a simple decision for me.”

A simple decision, maybe, but by no means a simple endeavor. Lauren isbusily engaged in a number of projects.

“My main role is as an English resource teacher in a primary school. I'm thereto support the other English teachers and to provide them with new anddifferent teaching methods and activities,” explained Lauren. “The secondaryprojects I'm working on include beginning the first-ever girls soccer team inmy town, assisting with the Women's Football Federation in Macedonia topromote women's soccer, building an English library at my school for thestudents, holding workshops all around Macedonia on HIV/AIDS education,and I was a counselor at a girls’ leadership camp this summer and helpedprepare a boys’ leadership camp. I also run sixth to eighth grade Spanish andEnglish clubs for the students that want extra help.”

Lauren said that she enjoys seeing the direct benefits of her work – childrenwho improve their English, girls who gain confidence in sports (which are stilllargely considered a boys-only enterprise in Macedonia), and other teacherswho use new ideas and techniques that Lauren has shared with them.

PICTURED AT LEFTMacedonian girls taking part inCamp GLOW (Girls Leading ourWorld), a Peace Corps initiativethat aims to develop leadershipskills and self-sufficiency among

young women in countriesaround the globe.

FOLLOWING PAGE (left to right)

Traditional Macedonian dress isworn during a parade.

Lauren, pictured here teachingin a Macedonian school, is

spending 27-months with thePeace Corps.

Lauren (center, standing) poseswith a group of students in

Macedonia.

BACK WHEN LAUREN MCHUGH ’97

WAS A STUDENT AT ELMWOOD

FRANKLIN, SHE WOULD WATCH WITH

AWE THE PEACE CORPS COMMERCIALS

ON TV. NOW, SHE’S LIVING THEM.

20

[ ALUMNI PROFILE ]


Her most satisfying experience so far, she said, has been herinvolvement last summer with Camp GLOW (Girls Leading OurWorld), a Peace Corps initiative that aims to developleadership skills and self-sufficiency among young women incountries around the globe. Lauren’s experience involved sixty-five girls from all over Macedonia, participating in classes ondiscrimination and gender roles, leadership, the environment,first aid, HIV/AIDS education, higher education, andvolunteerism, along with sports, arts and crafts, and other funcamp activities.

“I was so impressed by the girls at the camp, and it gave mehope that Macedonia does have bright young women who willhelp in the development of the country,” Lauren said.

Working hard has made her time with the Peace Corps passmore quickly than she ever imagined. “Twenty-seven monthsseemed like forever when I joined the Peace Corps, but time isflying by,” she said.

It’s true that Lauren has come a long way, and in more waysthan one. She’s surprised by how well she has acclimated toher new surroundings. “I was nervous to move to my site aftertraining. I was moving to a town of 17,000 and I was going tobe the only American. The closest American was an hour bus-ride away. … But it’s really amazing how easy it is to adjust tolife over here. I didn't really know anything about this countrybefore I came here. I was surprised by what a collectivistsociety Macedonia is. Success here isn't measured by what

you accomplish at work, but by the relationships you have.Macedonians are extremely friendly, welcoming and selfless.”

Lauren’s future goals once she completes her Peace Corpswork include traveling back to Vietnam, where she didvolunteer work in 2005, running a marathon, coaching soccer,and traveling more. She also wants to finish graduate school.(She graduated from Lake Forest College near Chicago, andstarted her master’s in education before joining the PeaceCorps.) Her experience with the Peace Corps has affected herplans somewhat, however.

“Now I'm thinking of possibly studying international studieswith a focus on human rights, international development, ornational security. I would really like to work with anorganization such as UNICEF, or any organization that ishelping to stop poverty, make education available to allchildren, or deals with women's rights or conservation. I'm alsointerested in working with the UN and the Foreign Service.”

Down the line, Lauren would like to have a family and ameaningful job she enjoys. The American dream, you couldsay, although not necessarily in America.

“I think it would be neat to spend a year or so with my familyliving abroad,” she said. “I think so much can be gained fromliving in another country.”

To learn more about the Peace Corps, visit www.peacecorps.gov.

21

[ ALUMNI PROFILE ]


Duncan and three other riders are currently in the final leg of a 16,000mile journey by bicycle. They started in June in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska and willend some time this spring in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina – going throughmore than a dozen countries along the way, across mountain passes,deserts, and jungles, averaging nearly 60 miles a day – all in an effort toraise consciousness (their own and others’) and, more importantly, to raisefunds to build a school in Nicaragua. The word ambitious doesn’t begin todescribe the effort. Astonishing comes a little closer. Epic, or heroic, justabout says it all.

Their goal is to raise $18,000, the amount needed to build a school inNicaragua. The team is partnering with Building with Books, an organizationthat aims to provide safe and functional schoolhouses for children indeveloping countries, where educational opportunities are sorely lackingdue to facilities that are dilapidated, overcrowded, inaccessible, or, in somecases, completely non-existent. Thus far, the team has raised $14,000toward their goal through corporate sponsorship and individual donations.

Unbelievably, the team had wanted to attempt this feat even without itshumanitarian aspect. Collectively, the four riders combine diversebackgrounds of athletic accomplishments, including charity bike tours,professional free-skiing competitions, endurance sports events, climbingand mountaineering achievements, and wilderness certifications. This ridewas to be yet another notch on their “extreme sport” tallies.

“We were already set on taking this incredible journey; however, we wantedto do more with our trip,” wrote Duncan in an e-mail from the road. “Weknew that it could easily get recognition. We figured it would be best touse it to improve some community along our path. That would tie thingstogether nicely. Where we were going and who we were helping would allmake sense.” In fact, it made such good sense that they established aformal non-profit, called Biking for a Better World.

PICTURED ON NEXT PAGE(left to right)

Duncan and fellow riding-matesmeet with the mayor of theNicaraguan town where the

school is located.

The riders meet with a teacher from the Nicaraguan school they

are biking to support.

Duncan and fellow riders spendtime with the students. Herethey are passing out candy.

LAST JUNE, DUNCAN SISSON ’94

WENT FOR A BIKE RIDE. SIX MONTHS

LATER, HE’S STILL PEDALING.

22

[ ALUMNI PROFILE ]


The team posts a blog on their website, describing theincredible experiences they have traveling an entire continentby bicycle, unsupported (meaning it’s literally just the guysand their bikes, their packs, and a map or two). The journalsare an interesting read, telling tales of riding across desertland and dangerous, on seemingly endless roads, throughjungle humidity and incessant rain; of camping amongmosquitoes, cockroaches, beetles, poisonous tarantulas,snakes, and packs of wild dogs (both alive and dead); ofstaying the night in houses of friends and of strangers, or outin public places or in the wilderness under the stars; ofsmashed bicycle frames and inexpert repairs, worn parts andflat tires; of border crossings and language barriers; of wakingup in the morning not knowing what country they were in, orwhere they were going, except south.

When Duncan’s excursion is over, after nearly a year of ridingfrom sunup to sundown – what then?

“Good question,” answers Duncan. “Who knows what willhappen, where I’ll want to live. As for now, I plan on returningto Lake Tahoe [Duncan’s place of residence in California for thepast several years]. That will be crazy in itself. I will have nohome; I sold my car, and all of my belongings are under afriend’s house. I would like to put more time into themountains, ski-mountaineering, which is climbing mountains,summiting, and descending on skis. A combination of climbingand skiing. It’s great.”

As for his long-term plans, Duncan is equally down-to-earth.“Hopefully this non-profit will grow, and I’ll continue to work onit. I’d love to get married someday and have kids. A dog, aswell. Though I’m sure these long trips will have to come to anend. I’ve already learned the hard way that girls don’t have thepatience for these kinds of trips. Maybe some smaller trips.”

Duncan, who majored in philosophy at Hartwick College inOneonta, New York, believes that his taste for adventure waskindled during the three years he studied abroad. “I was luckyenough to visit South Africa, Ireland, and Australia. I think thatit opened a can of worms – I wanted to see more and more. Itprobably had a serious impact on my decision andpreparations for this trip.”

It’s truly an indescribable journey that Duncan is on. Peoplethey meet in South America often don’t believe that the teamstarted all the way in Alaska. Those that do ask the samequestion, Por qué? It’s a hard question to answer in brokenSpanish, and not exactly simple in English either.

“I do it to scare myself, to push myself, to hurt, to cry, to feellike dying and then to feel alive, bursting, on top of it all,”explains Duncan. “To feel stupid, to learn, to feel strong asever. … I do it to see what’s inside. I do it for answers aboutmyself and the world. I do it, and I have more questions.”

For updates on Duncan’s progress, or to make a donation, visitwww.bikingforabetterworld.org.

HEADING UPHILL Duncan Sisson ’94 and fellow riders are biking from Alaska toArgentina to raise funds for a Nicaraguan school.

24

[ MUSIC AT EFS ]


Without music, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, life would be a mistake.And school, he forgot to add, would be a much gloomier place. For at Elmwood Franklin, music

fills the rooms, the halls, and the hearts of students.

Music is one of the first ways we communicatewith our children – just think of the lullaby. Aschildren grow, and lullabies are replaced bythe soundtrack to “High School Musical,” theimportance of music as a way of learning,developing, and making connections doesn’tdiminish. In fact, many educators consider theability to enjoy and make music a basic lifeskill. Listening, singing, and playing are rightup there with reading, writing and ’rithmetic.Music has the ability to refresh the spirit andimprove the mind.

A L L T O G E T H E R N O W

the many sounds of

music educationTHE EFS MUSIC PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

Prep: daily music instruction exploressinging, listening, movement, musicappreciation, and performance and is afavorite of children this age.

Lower School: dedicated, pull-out generalmusic class includes vocal technique, musictheory, introductory instrumentation, andperformance. Musical awareness andappreciation is stressed, along with generalterms, techniques and skills.

Upper School: all students choose betweenchorus and band (some do both), aspecialized, performance-based program withweekly instruction and rehearsal sessions. Anall-inclusive approach stresses preparation,effort, practice, and improvement.

[ MUSIC AT EFS ]


Case in point: On the day before winter break, fourthgrade students file into the music room, excitable and –understandably – more than a bit distracted. TeacherPat Petersen has something a little different planned forthe day, and much to the kids’ delight, it involves agong. After a little practice, the students are expertlyaccompanying a recording of a Tchaikovsky symphonywith tambourines, triangles, maracas, hand drums, andother simple instruments (as well as the coveted gong),and a room full of jumpy nine and ten-year-olds hasbeen transformed into an impromptu orchestraexhibiting remarkable concentration, cooperation andcontrol.

While the urge to make music is inborn in just abouteveryone, it’s the music faculty’s job to expose andinform, to instruct and inspire, so that children gainconfidence in understanding musical terms andtechnique, so that everyone can “find their voice,” so tospeak. From posture to breathing techniques, fromrhythm and beat to tone quality, the whole point is tolearn and improve.

“We don’t have hand-picked vocalists here. Everyonecan take part,” said Pat, who teaches general music toLower School students and vocal music to UpperSchool choir students. “So we always aim forimprovement, rather than perfection. That way,everyone can feel they’ve accomplished something.”Concert times (Thanksgiving and spring are the bigtwo) are when the students can show off theiraccomplishments – Pat’s proudest moment. “I get tosee how far everyone has come, how much they’velearned. One boy started the year able to sing only fivenotes. By the end, he could sing a full octave. I was justso excited about that!”

While singing is often the first and foremost way foryoung children to make music, learning an instrumenthas a wealth of benefits all its own. By the time theyreach Upper School, students are ready to take on therigors of learning to master a musical instrument andare able to choose from eleven options, including flute,trumpet, tenor sax, and trombone. Teacher Cheri Truaxheads up the instrumental music department, whichfeatures two bands, a jazz ensemble, and a percussionensemble. Two concerts, one in fall and one in spring,allow students to experience the power of publicperformance. Even beginners take part.

“The fall concert is a real challenge for the beginningstudents – at that point in the year, they haven’tlearned a whole lot more than how to put theirinstruments together,” says Cheri. “But it’s a goodlesson in how to get through your first concert, and byspring, everyone has grown and improved.”

Started ten years ago, the Upper School’s dedicatedband-chorus format was designed to be a“performance-based” program. By making music thestudents are learning music, and by learning music,they are gaining even more: spatial-temporal reasoning,problem-solving, personal expression, even teamwork.

“An ensemble is a team,” Cheri stresses to her bandstudents. “Each student is a like a link in a chain, allworking together.”

“We’re trying to make one sound,” Pat likewise tells heryoung vocalists. “We need all voices. If only the bestsingers in the forest sang, think of the beautifulbirdsongs we’d never get to hear.”

Years at EFS: 19Place of birth: Buffalo, New YorkEducation: Bachelor of Music, Frost School of Music (University of

Miami), graduate work in elementary education at SUNY Collegeat Buffalo

First job: teaching general music in the Dade County public schoolsin Miami

Most enjoyable aspect of job: “I get to play music on differentinstruments all the time. If it weren’t part of my job, I would nevermake the time to do it.”

Most challenging part of job: The hardest part for Cheri isworking within the limited amount of rehearsal time for the band.

If Cheri wasn’t a teacher, she’d probably be: in television/movie/radio production, or directing community theater. She alsodreams of traveling the clogging workshop circuit.

Favorite kind of music: Cheri lists country, bluegrass, Broadwayshow tunes, and folk-rock as her top picks. Vince Gill, JohnDenver, and Jean Pierre Rampal are a few favorite performers.

Heroes: “My mother, because she takes care of everyone andmanages everything! Someday I’d like to be able to do half ofwhat she does.”

Hobbies: clogging, scrapbooking, and knitting. Someday, she’d liketo RV across the country with her family.

A few things you may not know about Cheri: She’s directed nearly30 musicals in various schools and community theatres. She alsoteaches clogging four times a week and directs three cloggingperformance teams. “And I love to cook Chinese food!” she adds.

CH ER I T RUAXUpper School band/instrumental teacher


[ MUSIC AT EFS ]

Years at EFS: 20Place of birth: Charlottesville, VirginiaEducation: BA, Westminster CollegeMost enjoyable aspect of job: “When concert time comes, I get

to see how much the students have all learned. It’s veryrewarding.”

Most challenging part of job: Pat says that working with olderstudents takes a different approach than with the younger kids.Finding songs that accommodate boys’ changing voices isn’teasy!

If Pat wasn’t a teacher, she’d probably be: a performer inmusical theater. In fact, in the 1960’s, she moved to NYC topursue it. “I wanted to be a star,” she recalls. She did get towork with greats such as Hal Davis and Burt Bacharach.

Favorite kind of music: Broadway show tunes are a favorite forsure. “Really, I like all kinds of music,” she says. “Except classical – it puts me to sleep!”

Heroes: Julie Andrews has been an icon for Pat since she wasyoung. She also mentions a special aunt, who served as hermentor in singing and in life.

Hobbies: reading, gardening, and a new pursuit: modeling. Pat hasbeen featured in commercials and print ads for Aspen Dental,Kodak, Independent Health, and others.

A few things you may not know about Pat: She sang andperformed for the troops at the Thule Air Base in Greenland in1968. And it’s no surprise that singing is in Pat’s genes: JudyGarland is her third cousin!

PAT P E T E RS ENLower School music teacher and Upper School choral teacher


[ MUSIC AT EFS ]

“Music speaks to everyone,” says Molly

Clauss, who teaches a daily music class to

Prep’s four, five, and six year olds. “I love

how happy it makes the children and how

engaged they become.”

Activities include simple instruments,

dance and improvisational movement,

singing, rhyming, games and more. Basic

theory, such as rhythm and beat,

instrument identification, and multi-cultural

awareness, is also covered, along with

performance skills. A highlight each year is

the annual “Prep II Nutcracker,” which

combines music appreciation and dance

performance in a narrated, abridged

version of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.

More than seventy nutcrackers line the

stage, on loan from Prep families, behind

which the Prep students perform their own

take of the Nutcracker March, the Dance

of the Sugar Plum Fairies, the Russian

dance, the Arabian dance, the Chinese

dance, the Dance of the Reeds, and the

Waltz of Flowers.

From Raffi to Tchaikovsky, the goal of the

Prep music program is to expose the young

children to as many different types of

music as possible, “and to have fun doing

it,” says Molly. Of course, having fun is

never hard in Prep. “The kids enjoy the

symphony as much as traditional children’s

music. It’s all about exposure.”

Calling All Nutcrackers!Are you a student or alum who performed in

the Prep Nutcracker? Teacher Molly Clauss,

who has been producing the performance

since 1992, would like to compile a

scrapbook chronicling fifteen years of Prep

pirouettes. If you have photos from past

performances that you can share, please

email Molly at mclauss@

elmwoodfranklin.org or send by mail to:

Molly Clauss

Elmwood Franklin School

104 New Amsterdam Avenue

Buffalo, NY 14216

(Photos will be scanned and returned.)

M U S I C for munchkins

2828

[ MUSIC AT EFS ]


MOL LY C L AU S S ’ 74Prep music, gym, and

Friendship Club teacher

Years at EFS: 22 (more, if you counther days as a student!)

Place of birth: Buffalo

Education: BS, elementaryeducation, Lesley College; MS,

elementary education, Buffalo State

If Molly wasn’t a teacher, she’dprobably be: involved some way in

art, perhaps as a graphic artist.

Hobbies: pen and ink architecturaldrawing, furniture painting

Something you may not knowabout Molly: “I am working on

getting my second children’s bookpublished, this time (perhaps) with

my own illustrations.”

MUSICAL STUDY ISN’T LIMITED TO THE UPPER GRADES – AT ELMWOODFRANKLIN, MUSIC APPRECIATION STARTS IN PREP.

Molly Clauss (center) prepares for a music classwith Prep I students.

[ LEARNING ALONG ]


HAIR WREATHS. ICEBOXES. BATHTUBS IN THE

KITCHEN. LITTLE BOYS IN DRESSES? LIFE SURE WAS

DIFFERENT DURING AMERICA’S OLDEN DAYS. AS KIDS

PRETTY WELL IMMERSED IN THE GIZMOS AND

GADGETRY OF THE 21ST CENTURY, OUR EFS THIRD

GRADERS WERE BRIMMING WITH QUESTIONS ON

THEIR VISIT TO THIS 19TH CENTURY PRESERVE, THE

MOST PREVALENT ONE BEING What’s that?

Comealong&learn

with the third graders

on their trip to

Genesee Country

Village

[ LEARNING ALONG ]


THE OCTAGON HOUSEOn the way over to the eight-sided residence knownas the Hyde Octagon House, the tinsmith stoppedto warn us that it was haunted – a ghost had oncebeen seen in the mirror near the stairway. Ourstudents didn’t see any ghosts, but they did seemany other kinds of relics from the past, includingan icebox, the pre-refrigerator way to keep foodcold. During the winter, men would cut blocks of icefrom ponds and streams and store them in an icehouse (or just a hole in the ground, if that’s all thatwas available). It was the children’s job to pack theice in sawdust. If properly stored, the ice would lastthroughout the summer. The water pump at thekitchen sink also caught the students’ attention:used for laundry, bathing and housekeeping, thepump drew from an underground cistern thatcollected rainwater.

THE FARMHOUSEHow long does it take to make butter? A lot longer thanit takes to buy it at the store: try 40 minutes of steadychurning next time you want to butter your bagel.Students were able to try their own hands at butterchurning at the Jones Farmhouse, where a farmwife washard at work in the kitchen, making green corn pudding,frying sage fritters, chopping ham, and pressing a roundof cheese. “Why do you think they made so muchcheese?” she asked. “Because there’s a cow outside!”one student quickly answered. And there were indeedcows in the backyard (abundant amounts of cheese weremade to preserve their milk), seen through the largekitchen window of the simple frame house with hand-stenciled walls. The Jones Farmhouse, originally built inthe 1820’s by pioneer Ezra James in Ontario county, istypical of the small early 19th-century Genesee Countrytimber-framed and clapboard-covered farmhouses.

located 20 miles outside of Rochester, is New York

state’s largest living history museum and among the largest in the entire nation. Opened in

1976, the village was assembled from authentic, functional 1800’s buildings and artifacts from a

score of surrounding towns to recapture and portray the character and atmosphere of the village

era. There are 68 restored and fully furnished buildings – homes ranging from the simple frontier

cabin to the elaborate Victorian mansion, along with shops, schools, and churches – equipped

with authentic period fixtures, furnishings, tools, and utensils. Stationed in every building are

village hosts dressed in period garb, who explain the history of the building, demonstrate its

workings, and answer any questions visitors may have (which, with our curious third graders, were

plentiful). No wonder the trip lasted all day! Here are highlights from a few of their discoveries:

GeneseeCountryVillage,

34

[ LEARNING ALONG ]


THE BLACKSMITH SHOPThe clanging and banging from the cobblestoneshop could be heard from way down the path.Inside, students saw the blacksmith hard at workheating and shaping iron rods. When the rod glowsred, he explained, it’s hot, but when it glows orangeit’s even hotter, and when it’s white, it’s ready tobend – and he held up a glowing orange iron rod sothat the kids could feel the warmth on their faces.The iron was heated in a beehive-shaped furnacewith a fire fueled by charcoal and forced air pumpedin with hand-held bellows. Though weaker than steel,iron is very malleable, making it very useful. Back inthe 1800’s, the blacksmith was the first tradesmanto set up shop in an emerging village. The smithshod horses, made hardware, repaired wagons andplows — everything of iron that the farmer or thevillager could not repair himself.

THE SHAKER BUILDINGIn this building, acquired from an 1837 Livingstoncounty Shaker settlement, the students learned howto treat a 19th-century boo-boo: wash withsoapwort, apply an ointment of calendula, beeswaxand oil, and bandage with lamb’s ear (from thefuzzy-leafed plant, not the animal). They also wereable to see the simple process for making comfreyoil: place the comfrey leaves into a bottle, close itup, and watch as slowly over two years, the contentsare reduced to a thick, dark brown liquid once usedfor healing skin abrasions. The Shakers were knownto work wonders with their herbal medicines (anherb garden outside was full of plants similar tothose propagated by the Shakers for their seedbusiness: bayberry, feverfew, lavender, and rue, toname a few) as well as for their many inventions,such as the flat-cut broom, the clothes iron, thewashing machine, and waterproof fabric.

“Why do you think they made so much cheese?”

the farmwife asked.

“Because there’sa cow outside!” one student quickly answered.

36

[ NEWS OF NOTE ]


C LOCKW I S EA Fifth Grader Rules the SchoolEmma Yates served as Head for a Day on November 16,handling such pressing matters as dress code and lunchmenu. Under her expert leadership, everyone wore jeansfor the day and enjoyed French toast sticks for lunch!

Global CompetitionA team representing Elmwood Franklin, comprised ofparents Akram Talhouk, Christine Human, JennyBlack, and Adrian Black, history teacher Dee Drew,and head of school Tony Featherston, competed atWorldQuest 2007 in November at Kleinhan’s Music

Hall, placing in the top ten of 28 teams fromorganizations in the Buffalo area. (The winner wasBuffalo Niagara Enterprise.) WorldQuest is anannual trivia competition and fundraiser for theInternational Institute of Buffalo. Teams grappled with48 questions on global politics, business, religion,sports, arts, literature, and history.

Corporation LuncheonLife members of the EFS Corporation, a groupcomprised of former Board presidents and othervenerated affiliates, gathered for a luncheon in theschool library in October.

N E W S of note

[ NAMES IN THE NEWS ]


STUDENT NEWSStudent Coordinating Committee Officers for the year are Nickolaus Osinski, president; Christine Stephan, vice president; Sarah Millerand Ivey Spier, secretaries; and Erica Dalton andHannah Elsinghorst, treasurers.

Blue-Gray captains for the year are Taylor Gillespie,girls Blue captain; Melissa Jacobs, girls Gray captain;Lucas Walsh, boys Blue captain; and Louie Jacobs,boys Gray captain. First semester co-captains areMolly Mathias, girls Blue co-captain; Allie Viti, girlsGray co-captain; Tino Tomasello, boys Blue co-captain; and Dan Scully, boys Gray co-captain.Second semester co-captains are Jaci Smith, girlsBlue co-captain; Charlotte Jacobs, girls Gray co-captain; Noel Andersen, boys Blue co-captain; andJoey Todaro, boys Gray co-captain.

Pushing Up the Sky awards were presented inNovember to fifth graders Tyler Otterbein and Sophie Westbrook; sixth graders Rachel Piazza and Caroline Hogan; seventh graders Alexis Bruzgul,Emily Glick, Sarah Duncan, Maxcy Gayles, and Joey Todaro; and eighth graders Eliza Kaye and Ryan Tick.

James Blackwell ’08 was named 2007 Player of theYear by the New York State Junior Golf Tour.

Melissa Jacobs ’08 was named Champion ofChildren’s Hunters at the 2007 National Horse Showthis past fall.

PARENT AND ALUMNI NEWSThe paintings of EFS parent Sonia Taggart were ondisplay in the Anderson Lobby of the Johnston

Theatre throughout the fall.Elmwood Franklin is proud tocelebrate the artistictalents of ourcommunity with thedisplay of originalartwork in any media inthis space. Works are presentedon a rotating basis throughoutthe year.

Contact Julie RaynsfordBerrigan in the DevelopmentOffice for information. AlumnaJennifer Dref ’03 currently hasdesign work on display throughthe spring.

FACULTY AND STAFF NEWSTony Featherston, Shellonnee Chinn, and MariaPesquera participated in the National Association forIndependent Schools People of Color Conference,held in Boston in late November. This conference is agathering for people of color to expand their sense ofbelonging in independent schools, and for all peoplecommitted to diversity work to learn how to advance,build, and sustain inclusive school communities.

Director of Development Julie Raynsford wed JamesBerrigan on September 15 in McConnellsville, NY.

Jeff Wannemacher of Sodexho has assumed therole of dining services manager at EFS.

Detail of ink drawingby Jennifer Dref ’03currently on display

in the AndersonLobby.

N A M E S in the news

38

[ DAY TO DAY ]


The world inside the classroom: Seventh graders share their historyresearch projects, for which they studied the geography, culture,history, and social issues of an African country of their choice.

Please release me: Second graders had a bittersweet momentwatching the painted lady butterflies that they watched hatch fromchrysalises in the science classroom fly away into the open air.

Story sharing: Prep student Scotia Snyder performed for herclassmates with others from the Seneca Nation of Indians’Cattaraugus Reservation in November. Storytelling, dance and musicwere part of the presentation.

Halloween parade: Students dressed in their Halloween finestparaded up and down New Amsterdam in October.

You’re it!: The seventh/eighth grade theatrical production of “FiveChildren and It” took place in December. Based on the belovedchildren’s book by Edith Nesbit, the play is an enchanting tale of fiveyoungsters who can have their wishes granted by a peculiar fairy.

DAYto day

[ DAY TO DAY ]


About the author: Children’s book author Susan Schapiro visitedthe fifth grade English classroom in October to discuss the processbehind writing and publishing her book Brigadoon’s Luck. The writer isnow at work on a sequel to the story and invited the students towrite the title for it.

The power of song: The Seventh Grade chorus performed atRoswell Park Cancer Institute in December as part of the hospital’s“Music in the Lobby” program, which promotes music’s capacity tomodify mood, soothe pain, calm nerves and relax the mind and body.

Boxing up a feast: Students loaded the bounty from the annual EFSfood drive in support of the Food Bank of WNY and the RonaldMcDonald House. The Thanksgiving food drive is a school traditiondating back at least to the early 1900’s.

Four-alarm fun: Prep II students walked over to nearby Fire EngineHouse #38 in October. Children got lessons in fire safety from real-life firefighters and a chance to climb aboard a fire truck.

Family fun: The Fall Family Picnic in October went indoors to thegym, where kids took turns on a giant bounce slide. Games, activitiesand a cook-out for students and their families made the afternoonmemorable.

French friends: Students visiting Buffalo from France in Novemberspent the day at Elmwood Franklin, touring the building, meeting thestudents, and making a big splash in French class.


[ DAY TO DAY ]

Planning for the future: Dr. Samina Raja, mom of Hijab Khan ’08,from UB’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning spoke to EFSeighth graders in October. The class is taking part in the Future CityCompetition, a national contest in which students will create andbuild a city as it might be in the year 2150.

How pumpkins stack up: Prep students picked up some new mathconcepts by measuring pumpkins with inch-cubes.

Alive and kicking: The girls’ soccer team played against NardinAcademy in October on the EFS field.

Peace, man: Lower School students celebrated International PeaceDay on September 21 by handing out peace sign stickers, sharingand illustrating stories about peace, and, best of all, enjoying a hugfrom a friend.

Faces in a crowd: Prep I students composed self-portraits that wereincorporated into a community mosaic that graced note cards andmatted prints to raise funds for the Parkinson’s Wellness Group ofWestern New York.

[ JUST FOR FUN ]


1. What is the area in your mouth right behind yourupper front teeth called?

c the soft palatec the hard palatec the epiglottisc the gullet

2. Which of these is not a part of a clarinet?c bell c thumb restc barrelc frog

3. Which is the smallest flute?c small flutec bass flutec alto flutec piccolo

4. What is the main resonator of the voice?c the pharynxc the larynx c the lungsc the diaphragm

5. In vocal terms, the word “phrasing” refers to what?c the song’s lyrics c a style in which singers use wordless

sounds and improvised notesc the breaths or stops between notesc the steady pulsation of a sustained note

6. What kind of cymbals are opened and closed with apedal by the drummer’s foot?

c crash cymbalsc hi-hat cymbalsc ride cymbalsc splash cymbals

7. What language do most musical terms come from?c Latinc Greekc Italianc French

8. What musical family is the trombone in?c brassc percussionc woodwindc string

9. The five horizontal lines on which music is written arecalled a what?

c stairc staffc scalec spectrum

10. A series of eight notes played consecutively is known as a what?

c octavec scalec octetc signature

H O W M U C H H A V E YO U L E A R N E D ( O R F O RG OT T E N ) A B O U T M U S I C ? Take our quiz to see where you land on the musical scale.

1. the hard palate, 2. frog, 3. piccolo, 4. the pharynx, 5. the breaths or stops between notes, 6. hi-hat cymbals,7. Italian, 8. brass, 9. staff, 10. scale

RATINGS:10 correct: maestro7 to 9 correct: virtuoso4 to 6 correct: accompanist1 to 3 correct: greenhorn0 correct: tone deaf

ANSWERS:

M U S I C

trivia

42

[ FROM DEVELOPMENT ]


Tony Featherston and I appreciated the

opportunity to meet some of our Boston-area

alumni this past November. In addition to

greeting the group that gathered at the home of

Chris ’73 and Hilary Gabrieli, we also met with

a graduate of the Franklin School from the

1930s. (Thank you, Mrs. Julia Viele Hines ’35!)

I always enjoy talking to our graduates from the

30’s and 40’s because they hold an important

part of our past in their memories. They are our

living history, really, and yet this is a group that

may not be able to visit our school as often as

we or they may like. It’s our hope that our

Bulletin Board publications bring these alumni –

and all alumni – “back” to Elmwood Franklin.

a message fromD E V E L O P M E N T

Julie Raynsford Berrigan, D I R E C TO R O F D E V E LO P M E N T

“”

[ FROM DEVELOPMENT ]


Whenever I talk to alumni, no matter what theirclass year happens to be, I’m always amazed tosee how their experiences are still remarkablysimilar to those of our current students. Even nowin 2008, Elmwood Franklin continues to graduatestudents with similar goals and values as we did inthe 1930’s. Yes, technologies advance, teachingmethods progress, resources evolve, andopportunities expand, perhaps, for our graduatestoday. Yet the mission of our school – to fosterhigh academic achievement, good study skills andpositive character development – has notchanged. If anything, our mission has onlycrystallized, and the EFS community is just ascommitted to it now as ever before. This is due tothe guidance we have received from our Boardmembers and the total support and generosity ofour collective constituents. We are most gratefulto our graduates, our current families, our alumnifamilies, our grandparents, our Corporationmembers, and our Board members, who give somuch of their time, talent and resources. We are113 years old and going strong due to all of you!

To our alumni, please take note of the All-AlumniOpen House to take place the weekend of June 6-7, 2008. The Alumni Council is still hammeringout the details but one thing is for sure: everyoneis invited back to catch up with classmates, meetHead of School Tony Featherston, tour the school(including the newly expanded and renovateddining room), and take part in a memorial tributeto former headmaster Russell Anderson. Moredetails will be sent to our alumni in April.

One alumna we welcomed back during open houselast year was Celesta Kowalski Serio ’37. Inaddition to her energy and fond memories of theFranklin School, Celesta also brought hernotebook and a few textbooks from her days as astudent in the 1930’s. What a gift it is for us tohave Celesta share these experiences and to helpus hold on to the rich history of our fineinstitution. Thank you, Celesta! We sincerely hope that other alumni follow in your footsteps by visiting this June and sharing more of ourhistory with us.

Whenever I talk to alumni, nomatter what their class yearhappens to be, I’m alwaysamazed to see how theirexperiences are still remarkablysimilar to those of our currentstudents.

44

[ BUILDING BEYOND ]


O N T H E M E N U :

abigger, brighter, andbetterdining room!

Elmwood Franklin is proud of its long history –

but not of the fact that much of it shows in our

cafeteria, a space that has gone virtually

unchanged since the building’s original

construction in 1951.

That’s about to change, as a renovation project is

underway that increases the square footage and

legal occupancy rate and improves the look and feel

of the space, creating a more enjoyable dining

experience for students and expanding functionality

for special events and other activities. With

additional and larger exits, the new dining room will

be a safer place for students as well.

Students from Prep through eighth grade, and

even many teachers, staff and parents, have spent

time with their noses pressed to the window,

watching the crew and the heavy machinery dig,

haul and build. Ground was broken just prior to

Thanksgiving, and work is expected to be

completed by late February. With work taking

place during the school year, disruptions to

student dining are being kept to a minimum.

Elmwood Franklin School is grateful for the

contributions from several families and alumni,

as well as local foundations and corporations,

including the Seymour Knox Foundation, the

M&T Charitable Foundation, the Dreamcatcher

Foundation and the Cameron Baird Foundation. If

you would like to make a gift toward the dining

room expansion and renovation, please contact

Julie Raynsford Berrigan, Director of

Development, at (716) 877-5035.

Breaking ground

Trustee members Eric Lipke (far left) and

Matthew Enstice (second from right) join

Head of School Tony Featherston and

Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Ziggy

Piadlo for the ceremonial shoveling.

T H E E L M W O O D F R A N K L I N S C H O O L A N N U A L F U N D

Worth your support.AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2008 GOAL

$200,230.29 raised (74%) $271,000

61% parent participation 100%

100% trustee participation 100%

14% alumni participation 20%

89% corporation member participation 100%

21% grandparent participation 25%

15% alumni parent participation 18%

The chart at left shows the progress of this year’s Annual FundCampaign. Take a look and you’ll see that we’re making good stridestoward our overall goal of $271,000. What you can’t tell from thechart, however, is how much our participation goals have increasedfrom past years – and so, despite a strong showing so far, we needeveryone’s participation like never before.

If you haven’t already, we urge you to join our many donors bymaking a tax-deductible gift to the EFS Annual Fund, in whateveramount you choose. To make a gift, simply use the enclosedenvelope or visit www.elmwoodfranklin.org.

To the hundreds of donors who already made a gift, we sincerelythank you for showing us that EFS is worth your support.

THE ANNUAL FUND CABINET HARD AT WORK.

This year’s Annual Fund campaign has instituted a

formal fundraising cabinet, made up of parent, alumni,

alumni-parent, grandparent, and alumni-grandparent

volunteers who work throughout the year to

demonstrate the importance of annual giving and to

ask others for their support.

ANNUAL FUND CO-CHAIRSJennifer Prince Bronstein ’74Shashi DavaeLiz Duryea Maloney ’70

CABINET MEMBERSGrandparents and Alumni ParentsPenny Banta ’61 Keith and Lin Blakely Holly Donaldson ’57 James How Kitty Marcy ’54 Trudy Mollenberg ’61S. Warren Prince, Jr. Betsy Sanders Sally Vincent ’60Sally WalshMary Saperston ’60

AlumniPenny Schoellkopf Banta ’61Amy Decillis Bard ’86Gitti Barrell ’71Kristin Schoellkopf Borowiak ’82Jennifer Prince Bronstein ’74Holly Augspurger Donaldson ’57 Cynthia Keating Doolittle ’46Rob Drake ’96

Archie Glick ’71Charles Hahn ’68Steve Kellogg, Jr. ’77 Susan Lenahan Kimberly ’64Madeline Ambrus Lillie ’64 Kitty Richard Marcy ’54 Rosemary Smith Marlette ’37Liz Duryea Maloney ’70 Trudy Adam Mollenberg ’61Grace Walsh Munschauer ’70Samantha Friedman Olsen ’00 Eric Saldanha ’85 Stephen Sanders ’78Mary Franklin Saperston ’60Sally Spitzmiller Vincent ’60 Darcy Donaldson Zacher ’84

Alumni ParentsCynthia Doolittle ’46Marita DuryeaMadeline Lillie ’64Liz Maloney ’71Rosemary Marlette ’37

Current ParentsPrep IShashi DavaeMichael and Gretchen Galvin

James and Heather StephenPrep IIDavid and Amy ’86 BardMichael and Gretchen GalvinNina JuncewiczTed and Nena RichDarcy ZacherGrade 1Buddy and Kristin ’82 BorowiakJohn and Tina Bialkowski Michael HoganMichael and Marcy Newman Dan and Laura Rifkin Grade 2Sarah AmbrusKeith Frome and Ermi BonaccioTed and Nena RichDan and Laura RifkinJames and Heather StephenGrade 3John and Tina Bialkowski Annette FitchMichael and Marcy NewmanStephen ’78 and Wendy SandersKevin and Mindy ShineGrade 4Kristan Andersen Buddy and Kristin ’82 Borowiak

Dan and Laura RifkinGrade 5John and Tina Bialkowski Jennifer Prince Bronstein ’74Shashi DavaeKeith Frome and Ermi BonaccioHarold and Andrea HardenMichael Hogan Alison KeaneGrade 6Archie Glick ’71Michael HoganAlice Jacobs Grace Munschauer ’70 Grade 7Kristan Andersen Archie Glick ’71Charles Hahn ’68Lou and Joan JacobsAndrea KuettelDarcy ZacherGrade 8John and Tina Bialkowski Alice Jacobs Lou and Joan JacobsSteve Kellogg, Jr. ’77Darcy Zacher

CENTER: Cabinet members gather for the Annual Fund

kick-off breakfast in October. FAR LEFT: Chairs (from left

to right) Shashi Davae, Jen Bronstein ’74, and

Liz Maloney ’70 take part in a skit emphasizing the

importance of annual giving. ABOVE: Cabinet members

spend the afternoon writing letters to alumni seeking

their support.

48

[ ALUMNI PERSPECTIVE ]


CAITLIN DEROSE ’98 looks at how Elmwood Franklin shapes

its students’ pasts and futures.

T H E

“elmwood franklinexperience”

I S N O T S O O N F O R G O T T E N B Y I T S G R A D U AT E S .

“They’re good kids”—A PHRASE NOT OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE MUCH OF

MODERN DAY’S YOUTH, BUT A PHRASE USED QUITE APTLY TO DESCRIBE THE YOUTH

THAT FILE THROUGH THE HALLS OF ELMWOOD FRANKLIN. EFS KIDS ARE DIFFERENT

FROM THEIR PEERS; AS A GRADUATE OF THE SCHOOL, I WOULD KNOW. BUT I DIDN’TFULLY COME TO THIS REALIZATION UNTIL WELL AFTER I HAD ALREADY GRADUATED

AND THOUGHT MY EFS DAYS WERE BEHIND ME. PERHAPS THIS IS BECAUSE EFS ISA SAFE HAVEN THAT NURTURES ITS STUDENTS IN ITS OWN UNIQUE WAY. OR

PERHAPS THIS IS BECAUSE EFS IS SUCH AN ENJOYABLE, ALL-INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE

THAT ITS STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES COME TO FIND THAT EVERYTHING THEY

NEED AND WANT CAN BE FOUND WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THIS INSTITUTION.

Caitlin DeRose (left)

poses with sister and alumna,

Molly DeRose ’00 (right).

[ ALUMNI PERSPECTIVE ]


Aside from kids I met while enrolled at otherschools before I came to EFS or friends wholived down the street, every friend I had beforeI graduated I made at or through EFS. Evennow, some of my best friends are those whodate all the way back to my Prep II days withmy Day Bear and Night Bear buddies. EFS kidswho weren’t even in my class I now recognizeabout town, or out of town, or really anywhere,because I remember seeing their faces walkingthrough the halls or performing at holidayprograms in the old auditorium (which pales incomparison to its extreme-makeover modernself). This is such a special thing to me becausethere is a bond between EFS kids that perhapscannot be put into words, but is felt betweenalumni and faculty who share in the experiencethat only we were fortunate enough to have.

As I’ve heard and witnessed, the ElmwoodFranklin experience is unlike that of any otherschool in the country. And as an animal lover, Ihave fond memories of visits from wildlifecenters and endangered species refuge centersthat no one else I’ve met can share. Where elsecould your child have the opportunity to pet awolf? Or stroke the feathers of a bald eagle?Or have the science teacher’s pet fox hang outin the classroom while she was explainingtheories of natural evolution—all in anabsolutely safe and trusting environment?What other schools allow and encourage thirdgraders to care for and be completelyresponsible for their own baby chick? Theamount of trust and respect earned by thestudents of EFS is equal to the amount theygive in return, and little by little, it growsexponentially over the years and the babychick days eventually turn into CampPathfinder days, when Outdoor Educationsignifies a level of maturity and developmentthat brings us even closer to our facultycounterparts.

The fact that EFS is so small is a large part ofwhat makes it so great. It also allows for thedevelopment of strong bonds between everyone

from the smallest Prep I student all the way upto the Head of School, who always greeted us inthe morning at the old library entrance with asmile and a handshake. When I was in thirdgrade, headmaster John White used to gathermy entire class on the floor in a circle aroundhim and tell us some of the greatest stories acurious child would want to hear, and we couldnever wait to hear which story he would tellnext. Those were special and rare occasionswhen everyone’s imagination was at play.

Looking back at my EFS experience now, I justwant to say thank you to everyone who made itwhat it was for me. EFS set me up with afoundation for life far beyond anything I couldexpect from any other school, even highschool. The principles I learned, the mannersand respect I was taught, the education Ireceived—and not just what I read in books—is, as far as I know, unlike anything elseavailable to children. I feel lucky to haveparents who were so dedicated to theirchildren’s education, and who found a suitablyexcellent place, that just happened to be rightin their backyard. Elmwood Franklin is amazing,and it’s only getting better.

CAITLIN’S “GREATEST HITS” OF EFS MEMORIES:

Picking out what I wanted for lunch everymorning in Prep I with wooden clothespins—the choice was between the main lunch or oneof two sandwiches, one of which was alwayscheese. (I love cheese.)

Naptime in Prep II with the Raffi tape playingand everyone lying on beach towels. You don’tappreciate naptime as much as you should untilyou don’t get it anymore.

Being the line leader in first grade—the first ofmany roles in responsibility and navigation EFSattempts to teach, because, hey, you can take awrong turn on the way to gym class—there area lot of hallways and at seven years old, youonly have half the view.

Colonial Day in third grade, with actual inkwellsand feather quills—yet another demonstrationof trust, as both of those things had a lot ofpotential to poke eyes and ruin outfits.

The Blue-Gray competitions and track meetsmarked the beginning of Upper School and astep towards adulthood; after all, competitionis a part of life.

Blob tag, believe it or not, appears to be anEFS original. I was talking with someone theother day who had mentioned corner tag, and Ibrought up blob tag, and he had no idea what Iwas talking about. And he’s a personaltrainer—gym is his life.

All of the programs that were produced in theauditorium, whether it was a closing program, aholiday program, a musical, or a specialpresentation—no one else does things likethat, in that sort of capacity, to that extent.EFS had us marching, turning, hand motioning,and singing in sync—an entire school ofchildren, of all ages. That, to me, is quite a feat.

My first grade play, Mary Poppins, wasparticularly memorable to me because it wasthe only one in which I was granted a starringrole. I blew it big time in the first scene, and Iwas tree number four or background singernumber two from that point onwards. Rightfullyso, however.

Eighth grade began with a great Outdoor Ed tripto Pathfinder, where we all bonded as we racedcanoes together, hiked, jumped off the watertower, swam in the ice cold water, sat around thecampfire, and had only ourselves and our facultysupervisors to hang out with for about a week. Itwas the best Outdoor Ed trip of all. Too bad Iforgot how that Moose song goes…

Graduation. I cried a little, only because I felt likeit was the first time I was really leaving home.

By Caitlin DeRose ’98

WHAT ’ S I N YOUR AT T I C ?

The Elmwood Franklin School “archives” are sadlydeficient, due to a basement flood nearly a decadeago in which we lost many old yearbooks,photographs, and other school memorabilia towater damage.

If you have hung on to any old yearbooks, annualreports, newsletters, or scrapbooks through theyears that you wouldn’t mind unloading, pleasecontact the Development Office at 887-5035.While we don’t want to take away your treasuredkeepsakes, please think of us if you are in theprocess of cleaning out, so that we may begin torebuild our archives.

We promise not to keep them in the basement!

50

[ ALUMNI SUBMISSIONS ]


Alumni are invited to write personal essays

on themes relating to their experience at Elmwood Franklin. We are

seeking pieces between 500 and 1500 words that deal with memories,

tributes, opinions, or ideas relevant to the EFS community. If you’re

interested in submitting for a future issue, contact Sally Jarzab at

[email protected] or (716) 877-5035.

S H A R E Y O U R

elmwood franklin experience

Invitations to arrive this spring.

ALUMNI REGIONALGATHERING FOR NYCAREA ALUMNI SPRING2008 INVITATIONSWILL BE MAILED TONYC AREA ALUMNIAND INFORMATION TOREGISTER WILL BEONLINE IN MARCH!

52

[ IN MEMORIAM ]


in memoriam1920’sCharlotte Albright passed awayNovember 27, 2007 at the age of97. A former artist, she wasrenowned locally for her portraitand landscape painting.

1930Joan W. Alford passed away onOctober 30, 2007. A former EFStrustee, she also volunteered fornumerous non-profit organizations.She is survived by daughter Anne Alford Surdam '71 and sonDavid Alford '61.

1945Elisabeth Zeller Hughes passedaway on September 12, 2007 aftera brave battle with cancer.

Former FacultyGertrude E. Cook, who taughtFrench at Elmwood Franklin formore than 25 years, died December 8, 2007 at the age of99. Mrs. Cook has been credited as a pioneering teacher who helpeddevelop the use of audio recordingsand language labs to teach French,as well as being the first femaleteacher at Elmwood Franklin to wear slacks.

efs R E M E M B E R S

We are saddened to share with all of ouralumni and friends news of the death offormer Elmwood Franklin Schoolheadmaster Russell A. Anderson onJanuary 1, 2008 at the age of 83.

Mr. Anderson assumed his position withElmwood Franklin in 1956 and wascommended throughout his 23 years ofhis service to the school for hisoutstanding leadership and personalinvolvement in all aspects of the school.

He is survived by his wife Jean, a formerEFS faculty member. Their five childrenare EFS graduates: Tom '63, Michael '65,Sarah '68, and Cathy '72. Mary Ann '66died in 2005. Condolences may be sentto Mrs. Russell Anderson, 450 OceanDrive, #404, Juno Beach, FL 33408.

Elmwood Franklin owes much to Mr.Anderson, who will be remembered forthe legacy of his tenure – a refurbishedfacility, a refined and well-roundedcurriculum, full enrollment and a healthyfinancial state – that continues to shapeour school today.

Those who worked, studied, orvolunteered at EFS with Mr. Anderson areinvited to share their memories andtributes for a memorial book ElmwoodFranklin is compiling in his honor. Thebook will be presented to his family atthe All-Alumni Open House this summer.Please forward correspondence to JulieRaynsford Berrigan, Director ofDevelopment, 104 New AmsterdamAvenue, Buffalo, NY 14216 or [email protected].

Russell A. AndersonHEADMASTER OF ELMWOOD FRANKLIN SCHOOL 1956-1979

[ CLASS NOTES ]


1945R. Natalie Kellogg, daughter of formerinterim headmistress Ruth Kellogg, livesin Ann Arbor, MI where she works as aphysician assistant at a student healthclinic. She has four grown children andsix grandchildren. Natalie writes, “[Ihave] many fond Elmwood Franklin andBuffalo Zoo memories.”

1964Lisa Gillespie is still teaching at the RossSchool in East Hampton, NY, where she works as a learning specialist formiddle school students. She writes, “My oldest daughter, Hartley, justgraduated from Georgetown University’snursing school and starts work atGeorgetown Hospital in the pediatricintensive care unit in January. My youngerdaughter, Eleanor, is pursuing an acting

career in New York City and tutoring SAT math.”

Joan Howland and her husband WilliamWebber are grieving the death of theirson Christopher, who was killed in apedestrian accident in New York City lastspring. Joan lives in Andover, Mass.

1966Penny Matthews currently lives inCoconut Grove, FL where she is a teacher.Penny has been teaching for 30 years now,and still has many fond memories of EFS.

1969Ellen Griggs has been appointed ChiefOperating Officer for New EnglandPension Consultants, overseeing marketing,information technology, performanceanalytics, and administrative support.

1970Melinda Burgwardt Gibson writes, “Mynephew and godson Garrett ClarkBurgwardt graduated from EFS this year!Glenn and I just moved into a beautifulnew home next door to my veterinaryclinic. Life is awesome!”

1974Edward (Ted) Dillaway Putnam writes,“I’m alive and well (happy, go figure)!After a very happy time at EFS, I went toNichols for one year, and then off to SanFrancisco for 6th grade and beyond. Inow work in the SF public schools(grades 3-5, Speech and LanguageImpaired, Special Ed.). I am unmarried,except to my five-year-old RhodesianRidgeback dog, Emma. After trying tochange the world for twenty-some oddyears through punk rock, I still write rock

FROM LEFT TO R IGHT: Alums gather outside the Johnston Theatre after Mark Saldanha’s performance on November 7. Pictured here (from l to r) KellyFermoyle ’92, Rob Drake ’96, Mark Saldanha ’90, Justin Blum, Perry Marlette ’96, Sarah Marlette ’99, Alison Drake ’96, andEric Saldanha ’85. • Monique Chantelle Leigh ’89 toasts with husband Brian C. Goodwin after their wedding on May 5, 2007. •The Jacobs family poses for a photo after the wedding of Eliza Jacobs on June 2, 2007. Pictured here (from l to r) Caroline ’01,Charles, Eliza ’92, Brian Fiore, teacher Jill Jacobs, and Lauren ’95.

class N O T E S

54

[ CLASS NOTES ]


music in my spare time (as well as otherartistic endeavors). So nice to see EFSstill so vibrant and committed.”

1982Newell Nussbaumer was recognized byBusiness First of Buffalo as a “Forty Under40” award recipient.

1985Monica Barnett is a director with TheAdvisory Board Company in Washington,DC. In January, she transitioned to a newposition as a partnership director in themarketing division.

1987Adam Lippes has opened a flagshipstore in Manhattan for his fashion line,now named ADAM. The store's address is678 Hudson Street. The new webaddress is www.shopadam.com.

1989Monique Chantelle Leigh wed Brian C. Goodwin on May 5, 2007. Shelives in Hoboken, NJ and works as aSenior Analyst in product developmentfor Tiffany & Co., New York City.

1990Mark Saldanha recently performed atthe “Just for Laughs” Festival, the world'sbiggest comedy festival, held this July inMontreal. He performed alongside LewisBlack, Harland Williams and others. Twoof his jokes made the critic's list for “BestJokes of the Fest.”

1991Katharine Fronk Clark writes in, “OnApril 21, 2007, I married Ted Clark '89.In attendance were Catie Clark-Dixon'92, Rumsey Clark '92, Meg Stevenson'95, Emily Stevenson '97, EvansMitchell '95, Carolyn Gioia '97, Talley Wettlaufer '91, Lori Decillis '91,

Robert Stevenson '65, CathyWettlaufer '62, Josh Nussbaumer '85,and probably a few others I've forgotten.The wedding was at WestminsterPresbyterian Church with a reception atThe Garret Club. We will continue to livein the Buffalo area.”

Lori Decillis married Garth Tiedje onSeptember 9, 2007. She lives in NYC.

1992Christine Lillie is a second-year lawstudent at Case Western Reserve inCleveland, Ohio.

Paul K. Taefi is currently a realtorworking with John R. Wood Realtors inthe Naples and Bonita Springs areas onthe southwest coast of Florida.

1994Duncan Sisson and three other bicyclistshave formed the nonprofit organizationBiking for a Better World, Inc. to benefitcommunities along the Pan-AmericanHighway. Duncan wrote with an updateon his "Biking for a Better World" journey,a 16,000 mile bike tour from Alaska toArgentina to benefit communities alongthe Pan-American Highway.

“We have travelled nearly 3,500 milessince we began on the Arctic Ocean inAlaska seven weeks ago, through theYukon Territory, British Columbia,Washington, and now coastal Oregon.Everything is running smoothly andaccording to plan both on our ride andwith the construction of the school inNicaragua, which Building with Books isin the process of building right now. Butwe still need more than $4,000 to finishfunding it! For those of you who havesupported us in the past, thank you somuch for helping this project become areality, and for those of you who have not

donated but have been meaning to, nowwould be great time to help us meet ourgoals! Please visit our website atbikingforabetterworld.org to check outour blog, photos, and fundraisingprogress, and tell everyone you canabout us!”

1995Lauren Lowowski married AnthonySlawiak in September of 2006. She iscurrently a counselor at Buffalo GeneralHospital's psychiatric emergency dept.

1996Sarah Lillie is a research fellow at theNational Cancer Institute in Bethesda,Maryland.

Jolie Roetter is the new AssistantDirector of Off Campus Programs withThe Center for International andIntercultural Studies at St. LawrenceUniversity in Canton, New York. Jolie, agraduate of St. Lawrence, class of 2004,received her BA in French and History.

1997Lauren McHugh is currently teachingEnglish, soccer and leadership skills toVlado Kanpardjiev Elementary Schoolstudents in Gevgelija, Macedonia (of theformer Yugoslavia) with the Peace Corps.Since graduation from Lake ForestCollege in 2005, she worked withorphans in Vietnam, she worked on areserve in Ecuador, and she taught in theBronx with Teach NY. She would love tohear from her former classmates! EmailLauren at [email protected].

1998Kevin Kaminski graduates in June with aBS in architecture from Drexel University.Following graduation he will be employedwith Venturi, Scott Brown and Associatesin Philadelphia.

[ CLASS NOTES ]


2000Marisa Kaminski is currently a senior atDenison University in Granville, OH andwill graduate this coming May. Followinggraduation she plans to attend graduateschool for medicine.

Andrew Simmons is currently a junior atBoston College and continues to alpineski race for BC in the USCSA. In March,Andrew skied for BC at the USCSANationals held in Winter Park, Coloradoand was All American (top 15 men). InAugust, Andrew attended ski race trainingcamp in Melboune, Australia.

Ian Simmons is a junior at WilliamsCollege, Williamstown, MA and continues to alpine ski race for Williamsin the NCAA Division I. In March, Iancompeted in FIS races in Panorama,British Columbia. In June, Ian and hisfather participated in the Derby Dragonsailing regatta in La Baule, France, placing 10th out of 45 boats. ThisNovember, Ian is attending ski racetraining camp in Winter Park, Coloradowith the Williams ski team.

2001Karen Lillie is a junior at PrincetonUniversity.

Brendan Swift is a junior at BucknellUniversity majoring in civil engineering.He is also an avid rugby player. During hisfreshman year, Brendan was instrumentalin starting up the sport, which Bucknellhad not been playing for many years. Henow serves as both manager and player.

2002Eric Lux writes, “I’m still at JacksonvilleUniversity in Jacksonville, Fla. I just signeda contract with a new professional raceteam: Farnbacker-Loles. It’s my fourth

season in the Grand-Am Rolex SportscarRacing Series.”

2003Daniel Swift is a freshman attending theUniversity of Colorado at Bouldermajoring in psychology. He has met upwith many friends from Buffalo there,including Brian Brunsing '03 and theFarmelo brothers.

2004Julia Friedman was elected editor-in-chief of the yearbook at Miss Porter's,where she is a senior. She was also namedco-head of the Miss Porter's DanceCompany. Julia recently studied with theLimón Dance Company and at TheBoston Conservatory.

Shahirah Gillespie was elected co-headof Watu Wazuri, the diversity club at MissPorter's School. She spent this pastsummer volunteering at Hôpital AlbertSchweitzer in Deschapelles, Haiti andinterning at Roswell Park CancerInstitute's Research Participation Programfor Young Scholars.

Rachael Kermis has been named to theAll Western New York Scholar-AthleteTeam for field hockey. She will attendCornell University in the fall joining hersister Amelia ’03.

Emily Simmons is a senior at Northwood School in Lake Placid, NY and continuesto alpine ski race in both USSA and FIS,Eastern USA. She was recently named aCommended Student by the 2008National Merit Scholarship Program. Of the more than 1.4 million studentstaking the PSAT/NMSQT test in October 2006, only 34,000 high-scorers were named CommendedStudents. Emily was also elected Student

Council President in September.

2006Ed Spangenthal is a sophomore atNichols School where he runs on thecross country team, plays on the lacrosse team, and has written for theNichols News and the literary journalLeviathan. Ed travelled to RedwoodNational Park this past summer to doconservation work.

2007Alison Johnston writes, “I am enjoyingmy freshman year at The Taft School inWatertown, Connecticut and am playingon the soccer and squash teams.”

CorrectionsJames Dryden ’07 was left out of the“Family Ties” feature in thespring/summer 2007 issue of the BulletinBoard, which featured graduates withalumni parents. James should have beenpictured with his mother, Peggy, who is amember of the EFS Class of 1966. Weapologize for the omission.

Share your news!Alumni are invited to share their news withfellow alums and the EFS community! Sendin updates about school, promotions,marriages, births, etc.

MAIL TO:Development DepartmentElmwood Franklin School104 New Amsterdam AvenueBuffalo, NY 14216

EMAIL TO:[email protected]

SUBMIT ONLINE:www.elmwoodfranklin.org

104 New Amsterdam AvenueBuffalo, New York 14216-3399

phone 716.877.5035fax 716.877.9680

www.elmwoodfranklin.org

Non Profit Org.U.S. PostagePAID

Permit No. 1818Buffalo, NY

TO PARENTS OF ALUMNI:If this magazine is addressed to your sonor daughter who no longer maintains apermanent address at your home, pleasenotify the Development Office by phone716-877-5035 or by [email protected] withthe correct mailing address.Thank you.

Building beyondStudents look on as constructionbegins on the expanded dining roomwhich will create a bigger, brighterand better dining area!

bulletin board | fall/winter 2007/2008

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