the quill magazine, spring 2013

The Pike School Magazine Spring 2013

QuillThe

Head of SchoolA Message from the

QuillThe

Volume 19 No. 1Spring 2013

The Quill is a publication of The Pike School Office of Advancement.

Office of Advancement,Tara L. McCabeDirector

Christen HazelAssociate Director

Cliff HauptmanDirector of Communications

Cara KennedyAdvancement Associate

Our MissionThe Pike School seeks to develop within its community a life-long love of learning, respect for others, the joy of physical activity and a creative spirit. A Pike education is a journey that prepares students to be independent learners and responsible citizens.

Editor-in-ChiefCliff Hauptman

Contributing WritersBo BairdJenn ElkinChristen HazelLaura Russell

Design/LayoutCliff Hauptman

The Pike School34 Sunset Rock RoadAndover, MA 01810Tel: 978-475-1197Fax: [email protected]

On the cover: “Pike Blossoming”(Photo: Cliff Hauptman)

Features

K-rationaleWhy all-day kindergarten? 10

DepartmentsMessage from the Head of SchoolUpper SchoolMiddle SchoolLower SchoolAlumni ProfilesMemories and ReflectionsRemembering Connie Cole ’36Alumni EventsClass Notes

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Facing Page

Time to Dance

14

2012-2013 Board of Trustees Lucy Abisalih, ChairMarcy BarkerClaudia BachFirdaus BhathenaRobert BorekAndrew Chaban, Vice ChairHeather ClarkBobbie Crump-Burbank

Shamim DahodScott GinsbergMichele Kerry, SecretaryBruce LandayBrian LawlorRob MacInnis, Treasurer

Mary McKernanIvy NagahiroKim PackardRenee Kellan Page ‘79Leslie RosasKonse SkrivanosRobert SolanoRichard Vieira

Trustees EmeritiGary Campbell ’69Tim Horne ’51

Time WarpWhy new schedules? 12

16

Perspectives on ElectivesWhy a new electives program?

Pike’s 1-to-1 iPad InitiativeWhy?

Innovations:For a recent parent forum where we discussed several changes that will be in place for the fall of 2013, we produced a chart of initiatives that have taken place at Pike over the last fifteen years. The process of creating that list made us reflect on change and innovation and their place in the history of The Pike School. As part of our strategic planning process last year, the Steering Committee saw a video of a young man who began dancing wildly in a public park. After watching for some time, a few others joined in and eventually everyone in the park seemed to have joined the dance. Our committee agreed that Pike has always tried to be aware of what others are doing but wants to spend some time considering the options before jumping in. We do not feel the need to be the first to dance, perhaps making our students guinea pigs for some new initiative, but neither do we want to be the last one to the dance. Let me give you some examples of this mindset at work.

Were you aware that the iPad first appeared only three years ago last month? Within a year, some schools made the commitment to be an iPad school where children all had access to the new device. At Pike, under the able leadership of our Technology Director, Aaron Hovel, we created a committee of Upper School teachers to work with the devices by visiting schools, collecting data, trying out the latest educational apps, and collecting the thoughts of their colleagues. After several months, the group came to the conclusion that our Upper School students would benefit from having their own iPad to learn some valuable skills and to make them better able to demonstrate their understanding of the essential outcomes in their classes. This process allowed us to learn from the mistakes of others, give teachers the training they need to take full advantage of this tool, and create consensus about the value of such a program. This consensus was in full display at the aforementioned parent forum as several teachers were able to share their excitement about the iPads and answer questions that were raised.

Another example of Pike’s approach to change was the revamping of the school’s daily schedule for the first time in recent memory. Every school schedule ends up as a compromise, for there are so many issues and so many possible variants, that no one proposal

meets everyone’s needs. However, as we examined our hopes for the future as part of the strategic planning process, we realized that the current schedule was precluding us from fulfilling aspirations such as passion-driven learning. Once again, we empowered a group of teachers and administrators to look at what existed and consider possible alternatives. Some went to seminars on the topic, while others visited peer schools. All members of the group did a great deal of reading on the subject. The end result of this work was a list of priorities such as having a pace and workload that is developmentally appropriate and having time for students to take what they have learned and apply it. As we considered myriad possibilities, these priorities helped us focus on what was most important. We are excited about the schedule that resulted from this process because it allows for smaller classes in some areas, fewer transitions for students, more opportunities for re-teaching difficult material or providing extra challenge, and more choices for students to experience the passion-driven learning described in our strategic plan.

One other change that I want to mention is our commitment to be a Professional Learning Community (PLC). We have invested a great deal of time over the last four years to put this model in place at Pike, and it has refocused our work from looking at what we teach and how we teach it to spending more time discussing what the children are learning. Establishing essential outcomes, developing rubrics, and regularly assessing students to provide differentiated instruction has given teachers a significantly clearer and deeper understanding of what students are actually learning and how they can help them move forward on their own learning trajectory. The added benefit is that personalizing the learning process increases students’ engagement and excitement about learning.

I believe that if Cynthia Pike were to return to her school eighty-six years after she founded it, she would recognize a commitment to excellence and community, and at the same time, be amazed and impressed by all that has changed to meet the needs of students in the twenty-first century.

It’s Not Easy Being Green (But Worth It!) Non Sibi Solum

Upper Schoolby Colleen Welsh, Head of Upper School

Ask an Upper School student to name the three “R’s,” and the terms Reduce,

Reuse, and Recycle might be the response you hear. From sixth grade composting duties at lunch, to the coordination of school-wide recycling by the seventh grade, to efforts by the Big Green Club to raise awareness about sustainability initiatives at Pike, Upper School students are living out Pike’s mission to become responsible citizens. This year, under the guidance of Big Green, Pike students were challenged to reduce the use of disposable water bottles, both at school and at home. During a fall assembly, students presented some staggering statistics, outlining the environmental impact of the prolific use of disposable drink containers. To jumpstart interest in curbing student use of disposable bottles, the club held a logo

Every child at Pike is familiar with the phrase, “Not for oneself alone.” From

Pre-K to ninth grade, Pike students are encouraged to think about ways in which to be of service to others. Our school motto is not merely words adorning the entryway to the school, but it is a way of doing business at Pike. Pike ninth grade students spend an entire year immersed in a social justice curriculum that explores issues pertaining to people and groups who do not currently have the same rights as others in our society. An integral part of the class involves working with a variety of outside agencies and organizations that support those individuals. This winter, the ninth grade became involved with Northeast Passage, an organization whose mission is to grant individuals with physical disabilities the same freedom of choice, quality of life, and independence

as their non-disabled peers. They offer a wide range of services through adaptive sports, recreational therapy, education, and research. While working with this group, the students decided to support an annual sled hockey event, held in conjunction with Phillips Academy, to raise funds for their adaptive sports programs.

Sled hockey is ice hockey that uses adaptive equipment to allow people with physical disabilities to play the sport. The primary piece of equipment is known as a sled, which allows participants to propel themselves across the ice using two shortened hockey sticks. The event featured a sled hockey game between Pike/PA students and faculty vs. Northeast Passage players. Students took the initiative to meet with Bo Baird, Head of Middle

contest with the winning logo adorning a Pike water bottle that will be made available to all students. The drive picked up enough momentum that students were motivated to reduce the use of compostable cups at school dances by encouraging the use of reusable water bottles. Teachers and parents alike were more than impressed by the level of cooperation students displayed as the water bottle table filled quickly with a variety of personal, reusable containers.

It is every educator’s hope that students will find areas and issues that they are passionate about and become change agents in their communities. If the work of the Big Green Club and the entire Upper School student body is any indication of Pike’s success in creating responsible citizens, we are well on our way to a more sustainable future.

What are the qualities of a hero? Does our world need heroes?

These are two of the questions eighth grade drama students set out to answer in their dramatic performance of Hero in You, performed last fall. A play written and performed by the eighth grade class followed the journey of seven flawed want-to-be heroes as they enter the Hero Academy and learn what it takes to truly be heroic. Through the characters’ foibles and eventual graduation, the audience was

treated to a heartwarming view of the depth of the students’ understanding of integrity, generosity, warmth, humor, and their belief that heroes are not always those who perform acts on a grand stage, but are often those who do the small things at the right time and with the right motivation.

In February, the ninth grade performed Everything I Wanted to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. Students sang, danced, and acted out key lessons of what it means to be part

Pike Students Take the Stageof a community and helped us all refocus on those elements of life that lead to real happiness, such as compassion, generosity, laughing with those we love, and, of course, being willing to share oneself with others. Their delight at being able to get in touch with their inner five-year-old was evident from the first act to the closing curtain. Both performances were exemplary and reaffirmed Pike as a place where a life-long love of learning, respect for others, the joy of physical activity, and a creative spirit are celebrated and nurtured.

School, and Jenn Elkin, Head of Lower School, to promote the event as a school-wide fundraising effort. Armed with Power Point presentations, posters, and flyers, ninth grade students presented at Upper, Middle and Lower School assemblies, covered any available wall space, and wrote articles for Pike Previews. Their commitment and energy was infectious. The night of the tournament, the stands were filled to overflowing with Pike families from across all divisions. While some would claim that many had come to be entertained by the sight of Mr. Waters navigating the hockey rink on a sled, all came away with a profound sense of community and awe at the sheer athleticism and drive of the Northeast Passage athletes. It will be a night that the ninth grade will not soon forget. To know that one’s efforts benefitted others is the essence of Non Sibi Solum.

The ninth graders perform.

Mr. Waters takes to the ice.

4 The Pike School www.pikeschool.org Spring 2013 The Quill 5

Middle Schoolby Bo Baird, Head of Middle School

Crowded around the Lava Pit of Doom, fifth graders intently watched the efforts of their classmates. Each pair of students took their turn, setting out with high hopes of being the first to navigate the treacherous route. This didn’t involve poison darts, secret passages, or writhing snakes—it all took place in Mr. Santella’s fifth grade science class. He had challenged students to build and then program a small robot to enter between two columns, navigate a series of right angles, and then exit through a second set of columns. The first attempts

were reminiscent of unsuccessful flights of early aircraft—failure ruled. Some of the robots barely moved off the starting line before they began to whirl in aimless circles. Others made a couple of precise turns only to veer off course and be picked up by their dejected handlers who had to return to their computers and begin reprogramming. If a robot ran off the course, distances needed to be recalculated. If a sharp turn wasn’t executed, students had to figure out what to tell the wheels to do. Programming one wheel to advance and the other to stop wasn’t enough—the second wheel had to

go in reverse for the robot to turn 90 degrees. Students were tenacious about making their corrections so that they could pass through the challenging obstacle course, skirting the lava pit.

The new robotics unit has put a bounce in the step of science teacher Ed Santella whose students are grappling with this form of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). This interdisciplinary approach engages students in projects that incorporate twenty-first-century skills. Students have the opportunity for creative thinking and problem solving with a less teacher-centered approach. The results are remarkable. Students “train” their robots to use four different kinds of sensors to solve real problems, from navigating a track to scaring crows from a field of corn.

When one project had just started, a quiet hum permeated the classroom as students constructed their machines of computers, sensors, and Lego pieces. It wasn’t hard to tell when our young scientists were ready to start testing. I looked up from my desk when fifth graders spilled out of their science classroom and walked erratically around the hall

clapping. Actually there was a method to their madness If their small vehicle crawling across the carpet changed direction with a loud noise, it meant they’d learned how to use the sound sensor.

Students love this approach to learning. For some it builds on existing interests. As one boy put it, “I’ve been dealing with Legos most of my life, so I’m very experienced.” Many students like the opportunity to be independent and build on their own—“If you do something, it’s your idea.” What a different approach from the “cookbook” approach to science experiments that I remember from school. The difference here is palpable when a student states, “I really like it when the robot reacts to something you program yourself.” Step into the classroom and you see a science workshop come to life—students working at their own pace, collaborating with teammates, and consulting with other teams when they’re stumped. This is like real world problem solving.

Elizabeth Gerber, Breed junior chair of design at the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University

Facing the Lava Pit of Doom

says that the key for STEM students being successful is learning how to fail. “If our students are going to stop deadly pandemics, solve the energy crisis, and cure world hunger and poverty, they will have to be prepared to fail, over and over—and more important, they will need to learn from those failures.” (www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/11/23/stem-students-must-be-taught-to-fail.) In our culture, which strives for perfection, it’s easy to lose sight of what the process of learning really entails. Insights come from making mistakes and learning from them. One fifth grader has it right: “We still have fun and laugh when things go wrong.” To Mr. Santella’s observation, “You’ve had a lot of things go wrong,” the student replied, “Yeah, we’ve been laughing a lot.”

Opposite, left: Students test their robots on the Lava Pit of Doom course. Opposite, right: Some of the proceeds from last year’s Auction and Golf Outing made the purchase of several of these robotics kits possible.

Top, left and right: Student teams correct errors in their programs after a test run; Above: A student teaches a robot to follow a track with a visual sensor.


Lower School by Jenn Elkin, Head of Lower School

Building community is a daily endeavor at Pike. Teachers and students in the

Lower School work actively together to create a strong sense of connection through discussion, collaboration, and action. Programs such as Responsive Classroom and Open Circle encourage anchor classes to develop agreed-upon ways of working together and a common vocabulary for solving problems. Teachers help students build on this foundation through cooperative work and play opportunities, and specialist classes enhance this, as well, by providing interaction among mixed anchor groups.

Building Community at Pike

Buddies!

Have you ever heard your child exclaim, “Our buddies came today!?” Several

times during the year, Lower Schoolers meet with their eighth or ninth grade buddies, much-anticipated events that provide an opportunity for our youngest and oldest students to develop ongoing relationships, while giving the older students the chance to operate as role models for their young friends. At the first meeting in December, eighth and ninth graders chose one or two of their favorite stories from their “youth” and read them to their Lower School buddies. It is such a treat to see these newfound friends lying together on the floor or snuggled together on pillows, sharing the love of reading. As the year progressed, additional activities were planned and implemented, some connected to the Lower School’s environmental literacy curriculum and others with a Non Sibi Solum slant.

Recently, a group of fifth graders graciously volunteered to spend time with kindergarteners during morning table time. This is a wonderfully low-key but important time for connection, when the oldest Middle Schoolers take the lead in helping 5- and 6-year-olds play games, create art, or build amazing structures out of blocks or Legos. It is never too early to learn how to set a good example for others to emulate, and our Middle Schoolers are learning just that.

students who see each other every day but don’t otherwise interact in classrooms. This winter, kindergarten and second grade partners cooperated to create beautiful snow scenes to illustrate poems written during the second grade’s winter poetry unit. During pre-k’s study of construction, pre-k students taught first graders all about cities and then together they built fabulous cityscapes. Every child and teacher enjoys these chances to gather with their grade partners and make our community stronger through collaboration.

Lower School Grade Partners

Beyond the ongoing activities and conversations, additional opportunities

to build community occur through mixed grade interactions, buddy programs, and curricular connections. Our Lower School grade partners program is one way we enhance our sense of community and develop relationships among different age groups. The partnership between the pre-kindergarten class and first grade, as well as that between the kindergarten and second grade provide deeper connections among

Parent Participation

Parent participation plays a vibrant and important part in our Lower

School community. Every Lower School grade’s curriculum includes opportunities for parents to share in their children’s educational experience. The second grade’s wonderful Cultural Heritage Day celebration in December brought family members, traditions, foods, and cultural artifacts together in an engaging and delicious way. During March and April, willing kindergarten parents shared knowledge and engaged students in activities related to their families’ cultures and traditions. Both of these units represent wonderful ways for students to learn about each other, including their similarities and differences, and understand that our

Lower School Assemblies

Our weekly assemblies are a fine example of regular sharing and

learning among our entire Lower School community. Whether we are practicing a new greeting, learning about the school’s mission on Rainbow Day, listening to a presentation about how to be kind or do good deeds, singing together in a concert rehearsal, or singing happy birthday to whomever celebrates a birthday that month, Lower Schoolers learn, laugh, and grow together in joyful, caring ways—a sure sign of a strong and vibrant community.

diversity makes us a stronger community. First graders learned the skills of asking good questions and listening closely during fall interviews with parents and school staff. Parents provided interesting information about their work in the broader community, while demonstrating their commitment to the Pike community. And, when it is a student’s “All About Me” week in pre-k, boy is it fun! Not only do students bring in lots of special items that are important to them, but family members often join them to demonstrate an activity, share a special family tradition, or read a story to the class. In all these ways, parents make a Pike education that much richer.

Left, top: pre-k and first grade partners work together. Left, bottom: grade 2/kindergarten partners. Above, top: grade 8 and grade 1 buddies. Above: grade 9 and kindergarten buddies. Opposite, left and top: On Cultural Heritage Day, parents teach Lower Schoolers the dreidel game and Chinese calligraphy. Opposite, bottom: Lower Schoolers celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday at assembly.


Among the changes beginning next fall at Pike is the initiation of all-day kindergarten. Pike’s current

kindergarten program, which is technically a three-full-day, two-half-day program, has been in effect for as long as anyone can recall and has successfully addressed the particular needs of five- and six-year-olds who, at that age, are soaking up everything they hear and see and gaining independence rapidly. Caring, attentive, and talented teachers have long injected abundant value and quality into fewer than twenty-seven hours per week. So, why fix what appears not to be broken?

Increasingly, during the past decade, researchers in the field of education have been focusing a great deal of their attention on the earliest years of schooling. One recent study, reported by David Leonhardt in The New York Times on July 27, 2010, in an article titled “The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers”(www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/economy/28leonhardt.html?_r=1&), examined the life paths of 12,000 thirty-somethings who had participated in a different study as children in the 1980s. One notable conclusion states:

“Students who had learned much more in kindergarten were more likely to go to college than students with otherwise similar backgrounds. Students who learned more were also less likely to become single parents. As adults, they were more likely to be saving for retirement. Perhaps most striking, they were earning more.”

Other studies, too, show that kindergarten is critical to each student’s future success, but it represents more than a prerequisite to first grade. The longer day will allow us to focus even greater attention on the developmentally appropriate needs of kindergartners, not by adding subject areas, but, rather, by developing a schedule and curriculum that greatly

expand students’ experiences with each other, their teachers, and the world around them, thereby deepening their overall learning. All-day kindergarten provides critical extra time needed for all students to practice the many skills typically taught in kindergarten, be they academic, social, or emotional. Additional time allows teachers to employ a wider range of instructional practices, which ensures that every student is taught and challenged along his/her own learning trajectory. Those practices could include center-based activities, free play and choice options, and intragrade collaborations.

Our vision is that switching to all-day kindergarten will result in deeper learning in key content areas, such as science and social studies, through increased exploration and experimentation during class time and choice time. We look forward to expanded opportunities to interact with the outside world in the study of science and environmental literacy and with technology and media literacy. We anticipate more choice time, where students are offered a range of activities, gradually teaching them how to make choices, develop their social skills with others, and try out new and exciting activities. There will be additional free-play time, both inside and outside the classroom, allowing students to expand the use of their active imaginations and engage in increased physical activity. And the additional time will allow us to provide more opportunities to build community—within the classroom, across the grade, and throughout the school—by extending grade-wide activities in every part of the curriculum, as well as giving kindergarteners the chance to participate in more schoolwide programs.

If, as we are finding, the value of a first-rate kindergarten program is greater than previously thought, then we believe the value of an all-day program to be greater than that of our current program. And that is value worth pursuing.

K-rationale

Why is Pike changing to all-day kindergarten?

by Jenn Elkin, Head of Lower School, and Cliff Hauptman


The continual commitment to improve student learning steered the Pike administration and faculty

toward an examination of class schedules two years ago. The coming academic year will see the fruits of that research in new class schedules at all grade levels.

For the past several months, a committee of eleven Pike teachers and division heads led by Colleen Welsh, Head of Upper School, and Denise Elliott, Director of Learning Services, gathered research and visited other schools that employ sundry scheduling options. It also determined the following priorities Pike hopes to achieve through a change in schedules:

• Pace and workload that supports developmentally appropriate learning

• Instructional time and class size that supports best practices in content areas and aligns with priorities in our mission

• Collaborative working time for teachers within and across divisions

• Student discussions with all teachers• Curriculum discussions• More opportunities for students to take

what they have learned and apply it• Topics include: enrichment, electives,

arts rotation in Upper School• Dedicated time with students to

support PLC work (enrichment, reteaching time)

Clearly, the overarching element here is “time”—how to, in effect, create more time by more efficiently making use of the same time. The solution reached by the committee, after further study of schools that have successfully adopted the system, is the seven-day schedule.

Although it sounds as though the solution is to add two more days to the school week, the seven-day schedule actually rotates over a five-day week. Beginning next September, the first four days of school (school starts on a Tuesday) will be Days One through Four. After the weekend, however, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the second week will be Days Five, Six, and Seven. Thursday will be Day One again; Friday will be Day Two, and, after the next weekend, Monday will be Day Three, and so on. In other words, there will no longer be such a thing as, for example, a “Monday schedule” or a “Friday schedule.” There will, rather, be a “Day One schedule” or a “Day Seven schedule,” where the actual day of the week is ever-changing and, for the most part, irrelevant. The one exception will be Wednesday, which will remain a shorter day than the rest. Every schedule that falls on a Wednesday will have its class blocks shortened accordingly.

The BenefitsAlthough not initially a priority, a significant overall benefit of the seven-day schedule is that Monday and Friday holidays will no longer wreak unequal havoc on a particular subject. Before the academic year begins each year, an official schedule will be created, numbering each in-school day

according to the seven-day rotation. All no-school holidays, vacation days, conference days, and professional development days will be taken into account and will not be numbered. If a Friday was a Day Four, for example, and there is a Monday holiday after the weekend, Tuesday will be Day Five. Only snow days and other unforeseen closings will cause a skip in the numbering for the dropped day.

Schoolwide, the new schedule addresses all the priorities determined to be essential by the committee. Within each division, those priorities manifest themselves in different and beneficial ways.

Upper SchoolThe primary advantages for the Upper School schedule are that class blocks will be lengthened, resulting in core subjects being taught in fifty- or seventy-minute classes, instead of the current forty-minutes blocks. That will create fewer transitions during the day, and although each core subject will be taught for the same total amount of time during a week, classes in each subject will not meet every day, as they do now. Thus, students’ homework loads will become more manageable. The new schedule provides greater opportunities for project-based learning, creating time for the new electives classes (see following article).The new Upper School schedule will also include a dedicated club time, so that, unlike in the past, clubs will not have to meet during lunch or recess.

Reshaping Pike’s schedule to yieldmore time

Middle SchoolIn the Middle School, the new schedule increases both language arts and math time and results in fewer transitions during the day. Social studies, science, and library class sizes will benefit by being smaller. Additionally, in grades four and five, teachers will specialize in content areas, creating a more balanced teaching load for the Middle School faculty. The new schedule will also provide dedicated club times, math and language labs for reteaching and enrichment, and a time for recess before lunch.

Lower SchoolLower School will see a significant reduction in the number of students in specialist classes, such as art, music, library, and language enrichment. The new schedule will also provide an increase in math instructional time to allow for the successful implementation of the new math program. Time will be added in kindergarten and grade one for more practice in writing, and grade two will have both social studies and science throughout the year, rather than alternating as they do now. Dedicated times for intervention and enrichment will also be established. Teachers will continue to integrate movement into their daily class instruction, including a time for early morning physical activity, with specifics to be determined. The new schedule also accommodates full-day kindergarten (see previous article).

We look forward to Academic Year 2013-14 and to the many benefits Pike’s students and teachers will begin to reap when the new schedule makes its debut.

Upper School Sample Schedule

Middle School Sample Schedule (Grade 4)

Lower School Sample Schedule (Grade 1)

The Upper School Sample Schedule (left) shows the typical seven-day schedule for most students, including the shortened times for Wednesdays in the two left columns.

The Middle School Sample Schedule (below) represents the typical seven-day schedule for each of the three classes in grade 4.

The Lower School Sample Schedule (bottom) illustrates a typical seven-day schedule for grade 1, showing all three anchor classrooms during specialist times (the teacher’s names indicate the group of students, not the person teaching the subject).

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by the Scheduling Committee


Definition An elective is a project/experience-based learning opportunity that is centered around academic areas. Elective courses are an opportunity for students to apply classroom learning to solve problems and make new discoveries and/or delve deeper into a specific area of interest. An elective is different from an activity, as its purpose is to provide exploration, application, and expansion of skills and knowledge. An elective might combine the application of several disciplines or skills. Electives are not graded. Most electives do not include work outside of class; however, some electives may require work outside of the class and are explicitly stated in the course description. Student accountability and performance are recorded and communicated via student grade reports utilizing a checklist evaluating criteria such as behavior, participation, and performance or progress.

RationaleThe National Middle School Association recommends, as best practice, “an exploratory experience for adolescents so that they may experiment with a variety of disciplines as they grow and learn about who they are.” With the support of parents and advisors, students rank electives that will meet the growing needs and interests of that student. Pike’s flexibility is such that courses can be introduced or repeated as needs arise, based on teacher observation and student input/interest. The premium is placed on students actively experimenting and problem-solving for themselves and being encouraged to take increasing responsibility for themselves. Selecting courses, fulfilling requirements, and following through with elective choices are also important steps in personal responsibility and great preparation for secondary school classes and activities. Directly supporting Pike’s current Strategic Plan, the elective program is designed to “extend the horizon of our curriculum to prepare our children with tools of technology, problem-solving strategies, and increased knowledge of themselves as learners.” Electives will be driven by the skills, talents, and passions of our faculty, with an emphasis on students ultimately becoming passionate owners of their personal educational journey.

Goals and Objectives for ElectivesEach course will provide specific goals and objectives, determined by the instructors, to ensure a high level of engagement and to outline the student commitment necessary for a successful and rewarding experience. Students are assessed on the attainment of specific goals and objectives, which include the quality of participation. School rules and standards of behavior are to be followed in all electives courses.

Composition of Elective ClassesElectives will be composed of mixed-grade student groupings. Maximum and minimum numbers of students may vary depending upon the elective offered and will be determined prior to the elective becoming a course offering.

Faculty ExpectationsAll Upper School faculty members will be required to lead or co-lead an elective for two out of the three terms each year. Exceptions may be made based on a teacher’s course load. During unassigned terms, teachers will be expected to use elective time for professional development.

Assigning ElectivesEach spring, students will rank their fall Term 1 electives choices for the upcoming school year, using the designated form. For classes with fifteen students, ideally five spots will be given to each grade level for grades 6-8 to provide balance when possible. Every effort will be made to place students in one of their preferred choices, but we cannot guarantee students will be placed in their top choice in any given term.

Grade 6 Fall Study SkillsEach fall, all students in grade 6 will participate in a class during elective time designed to ease their transition into the Upper School. This class is designed to give students study and organizational strategies directly related to their curriculum. This class also allows the grade 6 students the opportunity to find their own voice, become more comfortable with and get to know their peers from grades 7-9 in other capacities before mixing them fully into the elective classes. Starting in Term 2, grade 6 will follow the same assignment protocols as the rest of the Upper School.

“The elective program is designed to extend the horizon of our curriculum to prepare our children with tools of technology, problem-solving strategies, and increased knowledge of themselves as learners.”

by the Electives Committee

• Alternative Process Photography• Anatomy and Physics of a Go-kart• Architectural Design• Battle Bots• Building a Mystery• Calculator Programming• Creative Problem Solving• Creative Writing in Science• Current Events• Destination Imagination Team• Digital Imaging• Environment in the News• Field Natural History• Forensics• Game Theory• Gardrening at Pike• Geography• Green Scholar Program• Hip-Hop: Message and Meaning• Improv• Introduction to Engineering• Introduction to Formal Logic• Kitchen Chemistry• Kites and Flight• Maple Sugaring• Math Movies• Media Images in Pop Culture• Model U.N.• Poetry Publishing• Pop-up Books• Principles of Flight• Printmaking• Rock Climbing Science• Rube Goldberg Machines• Sabor Latino• Science in the News• Science Movies• Sewing with Patterns• Silkscreen• Slam Poetry• Small Business Proposals• Speech Practice• Technology and Social Change• Tesselations and Transformations• Theater and Social Justice• Weather

Subjects for ElectivesTo the right is a partial list of subjects that have been suggested by faculty and students for elective offerings. All proposals will be evaluated for their suitability and feasibility by the committee in determining the elective subjects to be offered next fall.


Pike’s 1-to-1iPad Initiative

by Aaron Hovel, Director of Technology

Beginning in the fall of 2013, every student in grades six through nine will experience the excitement and

benifits of twenty-first-century learning. All students in grades 6-9 will be required to own an iPad to use in the classroom, to collaborate with students and teachers, conduct research, and complete homework assignments. It will be an integral part of every Upper School student’s work each day.

Why 1-to-1?Pike students live in an increasingly interconnected and information-rich world. Our children will have to be skilled collaborators, able to combine multiple disciplines, and incorporate new disciplines into their repertoire throughout their lives. They will need to demonstrate creativity and innovation, as well as critical thinking when solving problems and making decisions. Technology-rich classrooms tend to encourage collaboration, inclusion, participation, and exploration. We want to cultivate twenty-first-century students. While using the iPads at Pike, students will focus on the following twenty-first-century skills:

Curation - develop skills that will help evaluate and organize vast amounts of information, so they can retrieve it later.

Creation - design and share information for global communities.

Collaboration - build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally.

Communication - facilitate creative expression of knowledge and understanding through a variety of media.

We want students to become independent learners. The iPad is a tool that will allow them to search out information and begin to learn how to learn and also relearn information. We want to teach students to communicate with a global audience and to get and give feedback on their work from a global community. The National Council of Teachers of English recommends that twenty-first-century readers and writers develop proficiency with the tools of technology; build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally; design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes; manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information; create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia text; and attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments.

Why the iPad? The iPad is the leading tablet in the industry and a popular choice in many schools. The iPad supports moving towards more student-centered learning by giving students a powerful tool to collaborate, communicate, search for information, and evaluate information. It puts the learning directly in the hands of the students. It is easy to use, supports many different learning styles, and is lightweight, flexible, instantly on, economical, and has a long battery life. Students will have access to the wealth of content on the internet, and the camera, video camera, and audio capabilities will allow students to show what they have learned in a variety of ways. As we move to digital text books and digital notebooks, students’ backpacks will be lighter.

Why the iPad Rather Than a Laptop?The biggest advantages of the iPad are that it is an internet-connected mobile device with a touch-screen and camera/video camera. Students are mobile, moving from class to class, and the iPad is light and easy to transport, yet it can connect to the internet, create documents, take and edit pictures, annotate pdfs, make and edit movies, and perform as an eReader. Students can read books, take notes, highlight text and bookmark pages, search a book, have a section read to them aloud, and have a word instantly defined. The iPad is instant-on (a laptop takes three minutes), which makes the transition from tech-on to tech-off activities seamless. As Muddy Waters points out, “When I ask students to use their laptops in my history class now, I have to waste up to five minutes, waiting for everyone to get up and running. The iPad is ready to go instantly.” And the iPad is easy to learn and use, as well as having a battery that lasts an entire school day. Laptop batteries typically last only three to four hours.

iLearning in the 21st century


ProfilesAlumni by Christen Hazel

Step into the home of Gael Grant ’51 and one is immediately enveloped in a feeling of warmth from the wood stove and

the gentleness of its inhabitants. Hundreds of plants thrive in the windows and hang down from a loft that overlooks the river’s edge. Gael and her husband Bill Henze built a genuine post and beam house with many interior details created from aged wood salvaged from old buildings. When Gael purchased the idyllic property along the Lamprey River in 1982, a 50-mile long river in Southern New Hampshire, she had no intention of living in the tiny, ramshackle cottage located on the road. “I’m a higher-priced girl,” said Gael. “My goal is to build a house down by the river.” She was living in an apartment on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston and teaching English in Brookline and missed the countryside. Gael drove up to her new place on weekends to spiffy up the yard and paint the cottage, a.k.a., “Shackri-La.”

She grew up on a 110-acre farm in West Andover in a house built in 1699. Her father was originally an oculist, but during the war, business screeched to a halt and her father reinvented himself

to teach others the skills she has learned. She enjoys passing along her knowledge to people of all ages. Gael had a successful career in teaching and today enjoys the fruits of her labor and living in the country.

Gael’s passion for lifelong learning began at Pike. “My mother thought Mrs. Pike walked on water. She was a great math teacher”. When Mrs. Pike opened classrooms in the Administration Building of the American Woolen Company, Gael attended first and second grade there. In the middle of her second grade year, The Pike School moved to its third location in 1944, known then as the Forbes’ Mansion on the corner of Hidden Road and Porter Road in Andover. With a fireplace in every classroom, The Pike School had already come a long way from Mrs. Pike’s first school.

Gael left Pike after seventh grade and headed to High Mowing School in Wilton, New Hampshire for grades eight through twelve.

Gael Grant ’51

and became a cabinet maker. He made a living by creating antique reproductions, from old wood and furniture in need of restoration. Today, Gael’s home is filled with his creations.

While dating in the early 1980s, Bill asked Gael if he could come visit her. “If you want to come, wear your work clothes,” she advised. The first time he visited, he wore steel grey Brooks Brothers pants and a button-down shirt. When she raised her eyebrow at him he said, “These are my work clothes.” The two worked together to create the perfect setting to fit their lifestyle. Bill eventually left his high-powered job in Boston and enrolled in woodworking classes at the University of New Hampshire. Today, family members look forward to receiving his one-of-a-kind stools when someone celebrates a milestone. They are family heirlooms to treasure for generations to come.

Gael is best known these days for her lavish garden beds filled with flowers and vegetables. She completed the N.H. Master Gardener’s course in 1995 and heads to the local farmer’s market every week

She matriculated to Sarah Lawrence College, then William and Mary College, and ultimately received her Master’s degree in teaching English from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. Throughout her schooling, Gael was grateful for the foundation she received at Pike. “I learned all my grammar from Mrs. Little. “She was unforgettable; a tall lanky, wonderful English teacher who arrived at school every day, in any weather, in her ancient Model A Ford.”

Gael can still rattle off the names of everyone in her class photo as if it were taken yesterday. She has a colorful story to tell about everyone including Tim Horne ’51. “I don’t know how he did it, but Timmy managed to procure gum during the war.” Gael remembers her years at Pike with fondness and is still good friends with classmate Nancy Eastham ’51. “Nancy and I liked playing baseball with the boys.” Gael’s path in life has brought her back to a simpler and more meaningful time, as she works the land, remains active in the Lee community, and reminisces about her days at Pike.

Gael Grant ‘51 and her husband, Bill Henze, in their home (photo by Lena McClellan)

Pike Class of 1951


Any success that I may have achieved thus far in life certainly began, in large part, with the foundation I was given at Pike,”

said Adam Reeder ’79. Today, married to DeAnnie and with two sons, Ethan (16) and Austin (13), Reeder is Managing Director and Global Head of Building Products and Building Materials at the investment banking firm Credit Suisse. He leads a global team of bankers who cover companies across the breadth of the building products and materials industries. “It’s a seat, an opportunity, a vantage point from which I get to meet and work with CEOs and other senior executives leading businesses of all different types and sizes all over the world – to work with them, advise them, and learn from them in their countries, in their worlds,” said Reeder. For example, he recently advised a client in Colombia acquiring a cement business here in North America from a large French company, and he separately helped investors in Italy sell their construction company to a Japanese buyer. For Reeder, bridging cultural differences to help his clients in business is a critical success factor – seeing the world as they do, through their beliefs and histories, without his own cultural biases. Yet even when feeling very far from where he grew up, and perhaps particularly at those times, he deeply appreciates the skills and love of learning that he gained at Pike.

Having attended Pike from nursery school through eighth grade, Reeder remembers each and every one of his teachers. From reading time on the blanket with Mrs. Spader in nursery school, to batik art with Mrs. Shovan in kindergarten, to reading The Odyssey with Mrs. MacNaughton in Upper School, to creating short stories in Mr. Hopkins’ eighth grade English class – and all between – Reeder cannot isolate just a single favorite teacher. “It’s such a long list. My favorite, if you can call it that, is actually the collective experience of learning from them all, the aggregation of such tremendously different and talented people, all so deeply committed to bringing their knowledge, vision, passion and compassion to their students,” said Reeder. In sixth grade, Reeder recalls, he was chosen to be on the varsity basketball team, coached by Mr. Palmer. “It was one of those experiences you remember for a lifetime,” said Reeder. The shortest and youngest on the team, Reeder took to heart the lesson of what hard work and “playing smart” can bring, gaining personal confidence from this Pike experience and countless others.

“When I graduated from Pike and entered Phillips Exeter Academy, I carried with me valuable gifts from Pike – the ability to think for myself, to read with openness, to write compellingly, to express myself,” said Reeder. With a generous dose of confidence, Reeder

Adam Reeder ’79felt free to take “less-conventional” classes at Exeter, including archeology, photography, and architecture. He developed a passion for art and architecture and went on to earn a B.A. in Architecture from Yale University. “Education, at its best, is about learning to use one’s mind flexibly and full, not cataloguing facts and figures,” said Reeder. “To have real drive and truly pursue and achieve excellence, one must have and feel passion.” For Reeder, it was the beauty and meaning of art and the myriad architectural designs he studied that moved him.

However, after spending a college summer interning at an architectural design firm, he decided not to pursue a career in architecture. “I saw tremendously talented people spending literally the first decade of their careers drawing someone else’s designs and struggling to make ends meet,” said Reeder. In banking, Reeder found the opposite. “I wanted my career to be about my ideas (after proving myself capable, of course),” said Reeder, “and I realized that my career in investment banking could be about my ideas, from a very young age.” He has now been in investment banking in New York City for twenty-six years, and he attributes a meaningful degree of his success to his early education at Pike, developing skills in critical thinking, research, exploration, and communication.

Today, Reeder’s passions also include two organizations for which he serves as a member of their Boards of Trustees: Madison Square Boys & Girls Club and the United Nations International School (UNIS) – both of which are dedicated to youth education and development, but in very different ways. With its mission to “save and enhance lives,” Madison serves over 5,000 at-risk youth (ages six to eighteen) at four clubhouses and three school sites in some of New York City’s most disadvantaged communities. Reeder takes pride in being a part of this organization, providing stability and education and development services, recreation, nurturing, guidance programs and hope in a safe environment that many kids consider a second home – as he says “blessings that we and our families consider ‘basics’ and largely take for granted” and are deeply needed “right here in our own backyard.”

At the United Nations International School, Reeder is one of a few businessmen on a board that consists largely of professionals from the United Nations and its “missions.” Although located in Manhattan, it is a school where Reeder’s son, Austin, as an American, is in a small minority among students from more than 120 countries. Both of the Reeders’ sons, now thirteen and sixteen, previously attended a very traditional all-boys school starting in kindergarten. A few years ago, however, Reeder and his wife, DeAnnie, made a conscious decision to expand the boys’ horizons. “Growing up ‘privileged’ on Park Avenue in Manhattan can easily lead to a rather narrow view of the world – and an under-appreciation of the beauty, value, and importance of diversity of all types,” said Reeder. “UNIS offers its students and their families a uniquely powerful and truly global educational opportunity and community.” At the United Nations International School, students, teachers, administrators, and trustees are compelled to think in new ways. Serving on its board gives Reeder an opportunity to re-energize and to broaden his world view, as well as to reflect on his own independent school education.

“Now that DeAnnie and I have children of our own, I realize how incredibly special a place Pike is,” said Reeder. He greatly values the teachers who, while being true to their own individuality and uniqueness, all shared a like-minded approach to bringing their students into the excitement of their respective disciplines – teachers that Reeder remembers so fondly, like Mr. Vivien (English and Latin), Mrs. Jablonski (science) and Mrs. Palmer (theatre), among so many others. Like his mother, Mimi (Ganem) Reeder ’53, Reeder also remembers learning to read in Miss Cole’s first grade class. “It is so difficult to convey the special beauty and value of Pike in just one sentence, but part of the magic is certainly its rare ability to combine the value of a rich, traditional education with a strongly progressive approach – making learning come alive,” said Reeder.

Adam Reeder ‘79, DeAnnie Reeder, and their two sons, Austin (13) and Ethan (16) during a trip to Alaska for DeAnnie’s birthday


Mr. Waters is like Mayor Tom Menino,” said Daniel Koh ’99. “He’s not the

kind of leader who sits in an ivory tower. He is always out of the office helping people.” The idea of dedicating oneself to helping others resonates with Koh. After graduating from Harvard Business School with an M.B.A. in 2011, Koh was Advisor to Mayor Menino for a year. “There’s a statistic out there that says Mayor Menino has met over half of the residents of Boston, and I believe it,” said Koh. For two summers

in college, Koh was legislative intern to the Office of Edward Kennedy. “I always want to give back to people who don’t have the same opportunities or the platform that I do,” said Koh.

Today, Koh is Chief of Staff to Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post. “I am tremendously fortunate to work with her,” said Koh. “Arianna is open-minded and not just for profit.” At the Huffington Post, Koh has the opportunity to oversee

all projects, helps Huffington prioritize, offers creative ideas, and hires staff. When news reports on the job crisis became too negative last summer, Koh and his team wanted to stem growth and focus on the positive. In July 2012, they launched a new segment called “Opportunity: What Is Working.” They received over 700 examples from mayors, entrepreneurs, and local citizens all over the world who are helping create jobs. The initiative was so successful, that they launched “What Is Working: Small Businesses” in April 2013. This spring, the Huffington Post brought non-profit organizations focused on providing jobs together with donors who believe in these missions. 217 Organizations from 31 states and 110 cities applied for a space on the site. The Huffington Post, utilizing Crowdrise, an online fundraising website, raised over $1.5M for the charities from HuffPost’s 50 million unique visitors per month.

“Pike was what started it all for me,” said Koh. He attended Pike from first grade through eighth grade and matriculated to Phillips Academy. He holds a B.A. in Government and Psychology from Harvard and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. “I am grateful for the care that teachers gave me in my every day life at Pike,” said Koh. Koh still keeps in touch with Hutch, his former homeroom teacher. “The teachers there made me feel like I was the only student,” said Koh. He recalls the time and dedication that Mrs. Waters gave him as he tried to learn math, a subject that came more naturally to some of his peers. “She saw hope in me and believed in me every day,” said Koh. He remembers Mr. Waters playing soccer with the second graders on the fields at recess while carrying a pocket version of the Constitution in the breast pocket of his blazer. “My Pike education taught me what leadership is- It gave me the macro view of the long term impact of my actions,” said Koh. Recently, Koh was selected to join the NYC hub of Global Shapers, a World Economic Forum community, committed to making a difference in cities and states around the world. Members are from all walks of life and are under the age of 33.

Daniel Koh ’99 Naima Amirian-White ’87

Even though Naima Amirian-White ’87 has ten horses, four dogs, one 5-year

old daughter, her life is manageable, thanks to the skills she learned at Pike. Amirian-White and her husband Nick, live on a 40-acre farm in the foothills of western North Carolina. “At Pike, I learned to balance homework, sports, and other activities,” said Amirian-White. “If you don’t organize and prioritize your life, you can get into trouble.” Her love of animals began when she was a child, growing up on a 5-acre farm in Haverhill. Her mother taught her how to ride horses and in eighth grade,

she got her own horse. Today, one of the horses she owns is the same one that has been in her family for generations. Amirian-White’s grandparents, parents, brother, and now her 5-year old daughter have all ridden the horse. Like when Amirian-White was a child, her daughter cleans the stalls and feeds the animals. “My daughter loves all the animals, especially ‘Little Joe,’ the oldest horse,” said Amirian-White.

Amirian-White attended Pike from second grade through eighth grade and then went to Brooks School as a day student. “My

transition to secondary school would not have been an easy one were it not for Pike,” said Amirian-White. “My father told me I needed to focus and I thought, no problem!” said Amirian-White. She received a scholarship to Colorado State, joined the equestrian team, and graduated with a degree in Equine Science, and still managed to work all through her undergraduate college experience. In 1995, Amirian-White went to veterinary school at Oklahoma State.

Today, Amirian-White works for the United States Agriculture Department (U.S.D.A.) during the week and continues her veterinary practice on weekends. She visits slaughterhouses in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kentucky to test boars, hogs, cattle, chickens, and turkeys for diseases that pose a threat to public safety, including: Mad Cow Disease, Bird Flu (Avian Influenza), and Foot and Mouth Disease. For the last six years, Amirian-White has trained new veterinarians at the U.S.D.A. In her spare time, Amirian-White manages a variety of real estate properties. “If Pike students ask, tell them I use the core mathematics every day,” said Amirian-White. “I remember learning what I thought were silly word problems in Mrs. McFarland’s fourth grade class, but now I need those skills.”

Amirian-White remembers her days at Pike with fondness. Her favorite teachers are: Mr. Wales in fifth grade, Mrs. Clark in third grade, Mrs Velishka in art, and many Upper School teachers including Mrs. Bhan, Mr. Vivien, and Mrs. Shovan, just to name a few. “I also liked all the faculty in the P.E. department- Mrs. Regan, Mr. ‘A.’ [Arsenault], and Mrs. ’D.’ [DerAnanian],” said Amirian-White. One of Amirian-White’s favorite memories was Upper School Field Day. “School was winding down, and we got to represent our homerooms, not the usual teams we played on after school,” said Amirian-White. “At the time, I didn’t get it. But now, I truly appreciate my Pike education.”


Courtney “Kit” Harris ’03

Courtney “Kit” Harris ’03 spotted the perfect opportunity on the wall in a

library in London. An ad read: Provenance Researcher Wanted. “And I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s like someone wrote up my dream job,’” said Harris. At the time, she was enrolled at the Courtauld Institute of Art, working on her Master’s dissertation on Italian Renaissance art.

Harris came to Pike as a sixth grader in 2000. She found the assignments at Pike challenging but rewarding. “It was the first time I had to work hard,” said Harris. Alhough she has always been more interested in European history than American history, she thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Lynch’s eighth grade journal assignment of writing a narrative in the first person from the perspective of an escaped slave in the Civil War. Harris became interested in languages, too. She remembers fondly Madame Soule and Mrs. Harmeling’s French classes. “I learned not to memorize; a skill that has stuck with me for years,” said Harris. Today, she speaks French and Italian and is working on her German.

For her admission essay to Phillips Academy, she wrote about wanting to find the missing

Vermeer painting that was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. She entered Phillips in the fall of 2003. While most students take one semester of history in their sophomore year, Harris passed an exam and applied for a three-semester course in European history. Her teacher taught the course through images, and Harris loved every minute of it. When she matriculated at Johns Hopkins University, she initially thought she might major in biology but signed up for an art history course in the fall of her freshman year and was immediately hooked. She graduated from college in 2011 with a dual major in art history and international studies.

Before heading to the Courtauld Institute of Art in London for their one-year Master’s program, she worked at six different museums in the United States, including the Addison Gallery of Art at Phillips Academy. “I just kept looking to the future, hoping to find my dream job.” She answered the ad on the wall in the London library and got the job at the Commission for Looted Art In Europe in London in April 2012. At first, she worked part-time and then was ultimately sponsored for a work visa.

Today, she researches works of art and traces their origins back to the time when they left the families during the Nazi regime in Germany. “Sometimes families come to the Commission and say, ‘We believe we had an art collection.’ Sometimes they can only provide a name of a grandparent and a city where that person lived,” said Harris. “Other times, they come with a photograph of the interior of their ancestor’s home that shows a painting on the wall, and they want to know where it resides today.” As Harris points out though, finding the painting is only half the battle. “Proving it was lost during the period of the war is a more difficult task.”

Each research project takes from nine months to three years to complete, and Harris has only seen one from start to finish. She is one of four people on staff in the London office tasked with tracing works back to their origins. The Commission also has employees in Holland, Germany, and the United States. Harris is a member of seven libraries in Europe and visits them every two months for three to four days at a time to research specific works. She pours over auction catalogs daily, contacts experts to verify a painting’s artist, keeps a visual history in her mind of the thousands of paintings she’s seen, and compiles the documentation. “Without a doubt, the most significant skill I retained from my Pike experience is time management,” said Harris. “At Pike, I learned to organize my thoughts and prioritize my list of things to do.”

In March 2013, The University of Heidelberg completed a three-year project of digitizing all auction catalogues published in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland between 1930-1945. These catalogues, many of which were published for the first time, are searchable using key words. As a result, Harris’ work has become slightly easier. Auction catalogues provide valuable information, sometimes handwritten, regarding the artist, the name of the painting, and in some cases, who bought and sold the painting. “For some families, they just want an acknowledgement that a painting was part of their heritage,” said Harris. “When I find a painting in an auction catalogue, it means that the piece made it out of the war intact. It’s an exciting moment.” The day before the interview, Harris found three paintings, one of which no one knew existed.

Alumni ArtistsAlumni

A Call to Arts!Pike is pleased to offer alumni the opportunity to display their artwork, on a rotating basis, in the beautiful Community Room of the Dahod Center for Community and Creative Learning.

The Community Room is a 15’ x 22’ space with high ceilings, natural light enhanced by track lighting, and beige panels designed for displaying artwork.The room also has a deep ledge in the back, ideal for showcasing sculpture, pottery, ceramics, and other three-dimensional works.

For entry guidelines, send an email to Christen Hazel at [email protected] or call 978-409-6608.

Nick Gates ’08 Ashley Loranger ‘03


Our current news is that my husband, Joe Ewing, and I are alive and well. Two and a half years ago we moved to

Dunwoody Village, a CCRC in Newtown Square, PA. We are happily ensconced and enjoy the activities and new friends here. Fortunately, I still drive and keep up with art classes, book groups, my church, and some board work.

Our three daughters lead full and interesting lives. Our oldest, Mally Lloyd, is Canon to the Ordinary to Bishop Tom Shaw in the Diocese of the Episcopal Church in Boston. Daughter number two, Anny Ewing, is married to Lawrence McCauley, a professor of English literature at the College of New Jersey. Daughter number three, Elizabeth, called Biz, is married to a farmer, Alan Peifer. They live in the beautiful Oley Valley near Reading, PA, and Alan works land that has been in his family for four generations, raising beef steer and growing crops

My husband, Joe, was a Philadelphia lawyer with the firm of Saul, Ewing. He was a trial lawyer and headed the litigation department for many years. He went to the Haverford School, Princeton University, had two hitches in the U.S. Marine Corps during WW II and the Korean War to finally graduate from Penn Law School in 1953.

After I graduated from Pike (I still have my hand scripted diploma) in 1940, I went to the Andover Junior High School even though I lived in North Andover. In 1942, I went to Abbot Academy for ninth and tenth grade. Because of gas rationing, my parents sent me to the Winsor School where there was a five-day boarding arrangement during the war and until 1954. From Winsor I went to Vassar where I had four wonderful years majoring in the History of Art and Architecture. I intended to go on to the Harvard School of Design to become an architect. Instead, I met Joe, and we were married December 22, 1951 during his Christmas vacation from law school.

I’ve had a rich life with great family times, travel, work, (I was the Director of Admissions at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr for fifteen years), and lots of board work including the Chester County Public Library and the Paoli Library, the Shipley School and the Delaware Valley Friends School, the Secondary School Admissions Test Board, the Paoli Hospital Board which led to the Main Line Health System Board. When I stopped working in 1989, I began taking drawing and watercolor classes, which led to a whole new world and wonderful friends. Ten of us have painted together for over fifteen years and display our work in a variety of venues. Two years ago, I published a book, “Carving a Place in the Fox Islands”, about my grandfather, J. Murray Howe II, and his beautiful wood carvings of Japanese designs. These panels, now a hundred years old, were installed in summer homes on the islands of North Haven and Vinalhaven in the Penobscot Bay, ME.

I must comment on what it was like to go to The Pike School in 1934. The school at that time was housed in the executive offices of the American Woolen Company building in Shawsheen. My brother, Archie Howe ’38, two years older than I, and our younger sister, Lee ’44 and I all went to Pike. There was a contingent of North Andover Pike students who traveled daily to Shawsheen. There were carpools. I well remember riding with Harry ’45 and Chuck Dow ’48, Kim and Barbara Dow ’45, Charlie ’38 and Sally McDuffie ’42, Anne Weston ’42, the Barrell brothers, Jack ’38 and

Memories and Reflctionsby Peggy Ewing ’42

Bill ’35 and their sister Katie ’44, Paul Bryant ’42, Jane Whitehill ’44, Sheila Stevens ’44, Tania and Jane Russell ’44, Phyllis Ashburn ’42, the Redmans and others. I have a mental picture of us being let off on the sidewalk to climb up the granite steps into a high ceilinged dark hallway with brown cork flooring going down to our classroom and Miss Butler’s kindergarten. At recess time, we would run out to the large lawn behind the building. There were no swings or playground equipment. I think we just ran around and played tag, enjoying the free time. Back in the classroom we sat at our little wooden desks with foldable legs. You could lift the desks up off the floor with your knees. The Pike girls shared a large rest room with the secretaries to the American Woolen company executives. Listening to their conversations was quite an education.

You can imagine what the classroom looked like when the Shawsheen River overflowed and flooded the building. We were told Mrs. Pike paddled a canoe through a window to retrieve books and other salvageable items. The little desks were floating about in the water. Thanks to Mr. Frank Ashburn, the Headmaster of the Brooks School, Pike temporarily moved to their campus. During this time, there was an epidemic of whooping cough. The three of us missed six weeks of school!

Most of what I remember today of those six years were the friends I made and the teachers, especially Mrs. Pike and Mrs. Little. Anne Weston and Sally McDuffie were my best friends. We played together both in and out of school. Harriet Cole organized sports activities. The boys were called the Andover Bull Dogs. We skied, ice skated, played baseball, tennis, and ice hockey. We went to Westwind, Mrs. Pike’s summer camp for girls. We learned a lot about nature, had wonderful arts and crafts, and lots of swimming. I passed my Junior Red Cross swimming test there and swam a mile for the first time.

Those years, 1934 – 1940 were healthy, fun times. We learned so much and developed skills that enabled us to go on to bigger demanding schools. Mrs. Pike came to our wedding in 1951. I have a photo of her shaking hands with us. I still remember her voice and her many kindnesses to me personally and to all her students.

I’ve rambled on far too long, but I got on a roll and it was fun to think about those years. I wish I could remember more.

Peggy Howe Ewing ’42 and her husband Joe Ewing

Peggy Howe Ewing ‘42 and her husband Joe Ewing visiting with Mrs. Cynthia Pike on their wedding day

The “Andover Bulldogs” Boys Ice Hockey

The “Wildcats” Girls Baseball Team


Miss Connie Cole ’36, former first grade teacher, passed away peacefully on September 18, 2012.

Miss Cole came to The Pike School as a first grade student of Mrs. Cynthia E. Pike. She returned to Pike in 1945 and taught first grade until 1981. While she was here, Miss Cole influenced the life of every student in first grade. She was a respected teacher, colleague, and mentor to children in the Lower School.

Upon her retirement from Pike in 1981, Miss Cole’s parents honored her by giving a gift to The Pike School to start the Constance W. Cole Fund. The proceeds from this fund are used to provide financial aid to a deserving first grade student.

Remembering Connie Cole ’36

Miss Cole (as I will always remember her) was a lovely woman and a gifted teacher. As I recall I had a little crush on her back in first grade in 1956. I also seem to recall that she was my second grade teacher as well. I felt very fortunate. I have nothing but pleasant memories of her. As with so many exceptional teachers she owns a little piece of the many students she has encountered, and I am no exception. I have not forgotten, and will not forget. She was an angel, of sorts, and when I was 6/7 years old I actually loved going to school. Rest in peace Constance Cole. - Steve Brennan ’63

I was fortunate to have Miss Cole for first grade in 1970. She was a fabulous teacher with just the right touch. She had a wonderful way with children, and taught us well! - Ellen Murphy Meehan ’78

Connie was my favorite example of an old school (in the best and purest sense) teacher that I knew. The kids loved her and learned from her and respected her… the nuggets of superb teaching. I taught in the Nursery Program for 3 years with Mary Jo Murray as my assistant from 1967 to 1970, just across the hall from Connie. I learned so much from her and appreciated her support and kindnesses. I later became the Reading Specialist and worked from my “classroom” (the closet next to the cafeteria) so I lost the daily contact with Connie,but I know she will always be remembered by students and faculty alike as the “wonderful Miss Cole.” - Dot Erickson, Nursery School Teacher at Pike, 1967-1970

Top 5 teachers of my life! - George LeMaitre ’78

Rest in peace, Miss Cole. You were a wonderful first grade teacher. - Christine Wrobel Keefe ’88

I remember you, Miss Cole. May you rest peacefully, and thank you for your positive impact upon my life. - Chris M. Troianello ’85

Miss Cole! What a great teacher! I got my start as a writer in her class. - Lisa Chedekel ’74

I remember Miss Cole walking around her/our classroom in the mornings, speaking to each of us first-graders directly for a moment onoe-on-one, telling us each something specific she liked about us that day…Every single day. - Charlotte McDuffie ’81

As a parent of a former student at Pike, I thought Miss Cole was a wonderful teacher. She gave to my son a great enjoyment to learn. - Barbara Barker, mother of John Barker ’83

I am so saddened to learn of Miss Cole’s recent passing. She was my first grade teacher and a family friend for over 50 years. Connie is one of the few teachers that fall into my “most favorites” category. Some of my happiest grammar school memories are from her class...the nurturing environment, and her highest of expectations to always do our very best. Miss Cole pushed me to achieve and her words of encouragement stay with me even until this day. Long after I left Pike, it was a pleasure to see her about town and to catch up on things. Miss Cole always greeted me with a warm smile and kind words. I will truly miss her. - Lou Terranova ’74

I loved Miss Cole. I was in her first grade class and from what I remember, we all loved her. I had the unique experience of taking care of her as one of her physicians. Always sharp as a tack, asking about my family and children, knowing exactly what grades they were in and when. It was remarkable. Of course, at every opportunity she would tell my office staff, my patients, the nurses at the hospital, and anyone else willing to listen what I was like in first grade. Luckily she thought I was smart and adorable with my head full of curls. No one really calls me smart and adorable anymore, although my hair does curl in the rain. Perhaps it’s true, all you ever need to know in life you learned in first grade. I certainly was honored to have been part of her life as she was part of mine and am grateful to have had the opportunity to give her something in return. - Paula Muto-Gordon ’77

I had Miss Cole as a first grade teacher. This was at the old school, at the intersection of Hidden and Porter Rd. I have thought about Miss Cole over the years - always with gratitude for being blessed with an education that included teachers such as Miss Cole. She was a GREAT teacher. She handled the classroom with ease, maintained the proper amount of order while allowing her charges enough rein to explore and learn. I was on the young side for first grade, so I don’t remember much of that age. But I do remember looking forward to school with Miss Cole as my teacher. She made learning fun. I remember practicing writing and learning to read, with great pride, under her tutelage. I did not know that she attended Pike herself as a child. That is amazing that she was connected to the school for so long. She will always endure as one of the great teachers at a great school. She touched so many lives, mine included, in the Andover community. Thank you for allowing us an opportunity to share our thoughts about Miss Cole, a legend of The Pike School. - Steve Andrews ’70

Connie was the most devoted teacher. All of her former students will remember her with fondness as will all of us. - Ruth Hurka Westfall, mother of Joseph Hurka ’74, Former French & Spanish teacher, 1969-1970

Connie is lovingly remembered as our dear friend and as the dedicated first grade teacher of our two sons. - Domenic and Anna Terranova, P’74, ’77


EventsAlumni Visiting Day, November 2012

1. Greg French ’10, Rachel Bolton ’09, Megan Cahill ’10, Benzi Edelson ’10, Clarke Shipley ’09, Tahera Doctor ’09, Angela Lei ’092. Jacqueline Gangi ’12, Katrina Gangi ’12, Jessie Schmitt ’12, Caroline Shipley ’12, Casey Brien ’12, Cassidy Poole ’12, Elyanna Coutracos ’12, Erica Nork ’123. Chiraag Gohel ’12, Trevor Abraham ’12, Darian Bhathena ’12, Lukas Stachtiaris ’12, Jordan Towler ’12, Jacqueline Gangi ’12, Drew Ginsberg ’12, Chase Steer ’12, Olivia Papapetros ’12, Sarah Gilbert, Katrina Gangi ’124. Larisa Kreismanis ’12, Natalie Lopez ’12, Habiba Shaheed ’12, Sitara Rao ’12, Brooke Keene ’12, Elyanna Coutracos ’125. Habiba Shaheed ’12, Sitara Rao ’12, Meghan Tucker ’126. Jacqueline Gangi ’12, Jessie Schmitt ’12, Caroline Shipley, Katrina Gangi ’12, Jordan Towler ’127. Darian Bhathena ’12, Colby Keller ’12, Chiraag Gohel ’128. Stephen Lafortune ’08, Tracy O’Donnell ’11, Nikita Minocha ’11, Jessica Hutchinson ’11, Kelsey Hutchinson ’08

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9. Meghan Tucker ’12, Mihika Sridhar ’12, Habiba Shaheed ’12, Sitara Rao ’12, Natalie Lopez ’1210. Kelly O’Donnell ’09, Tiernan O’Rourke ’1111. Jeffrey Mellen ’12, Luke Nawrocki ’1212. Emily Schwartz ’11 and Alexandra Barr ’1113. Sitara Rao ’12 and Brooke Keene ’1214. Chandler Washburn ’12, Lukas Stachtiaris ’1215. Kathy Foderaro, Susan Wilson, Binbin Zhu, Lori Buseck, Wonjen Bagley, Yin Lu, Gary Campbell ’69, Susan Rochwarg ’69



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16. Susan Wilson17. Lori Buseck and Gary Campbell ’69 18. Kathy Foderaro19. Yin Lu20. Wonjen Bagley and Lori Buseck

21. Steve Andrews ’70 and his daughter, Jessica ’1722. Hilary Field Munroe ’84 and one of her students23. Dana Limanni-Tarlow ’81 and her son, Drake ’2124. Dana Willis ’64 and his daughter, Taylor ’1625. JoAnn Kalogianis Nikolopoulos ’84 and her son Dean ’20


NotesClass

I also remember Mrs. Pike teaching us math and rewarding us with gumdrops for correct answers. Jane Russell, Edna Grieco, and Ann Higgins were the stars. My sister Suzanne, who graduated from Pike with Connie Weldon, Roberta Waterston, and Ann Howes, graduated from Abbot, BU, and the University of Mexico and taught Spanish in California. She passed away at the early age of 43. She had no children.”

1950sWilliam Nichols ’50 writes, “Enjoying the opportunity to have my grandchildren in the Pike community!” Gael Grant Heinze ’55 writes, “Bill and I have been living in NH since 1983. We built a post & beam house on the Lamprey River, which has been designated “wild & scenic” in our section. I taught secondary school English for many years before I took the Master Gardner’s course and became a dedicated gardner.” Lucy Kemper Pieh ’55 I am spending good time with family

and grandchildren. I love the concept of retirement. It gives me permission to slow down. I love having time. I will be certified in May as a Life Coach and time will tell what I do with it. I would love to know about my classemates. I find I think of them often. I see Deborah Hayes Gellette ’56, usually each summer. That is a pleasure! Frank Hirsch ’58 writes, “I am retired and living in Maine with my wife, Barbara. Staying active and enjoying life to the fullest! A big hello to any of my former classmates. I have nothing but fond memories of my Pike years!”

1960s Steven Seeche ’61 Retired eight years and involved in volunteer work in conflict resolution and non-profit boards. Widowed five years ago. Two wonderful daughters and two wonderful grandchildren in Dallas. Stephen Brennan ’63 writes, “I’m up in NH, and I own Exeter Music and still play out occasionally, sometimes with

my buddy Dan Miner ’69 another Pikester.”Raymond Stecker ’68 graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and then Union College in 1978. His business career started at Procter and Gamble with various assignments in Boston, Cincinnati, and Denver. In 1984 he returned to New England where he began his vocation in the financial business. Following his experiences in the brokerage and then bank trust department world, he founded a boutique wealth management firm (Boston Research and Management) which continues to be a thriving business. Ray has two daughters and lives with his wife of thirty-one years in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts.

1970sJudith Stevens Wehrer ‘71 writes, “Live in Arizona, have two grown children, work full time for a company in Arizona.” Kristin Nelson Foster ’72 writes, “Year 30 teaching! Last ten has been in science & health to 1st and fifth graders at our local school. Oldest child’s off to college next fall! Younger two are in middle school. Hubby commutes to Fidelity, R.I. Our free time’s spent outside- tapping trees, chopping wood, tennis & running 5k’s.” Alison Smith Bentley ’77 writes, “I am divorced and living in Chelmsford, MA. My son is an honor student at RIT in Rochester, NY, studying computer game design. My daughter is in high school. I am working as a teacher’s aide at a local elementary school, and I am a self-employed massage therapist and personal coach. My newest project is helping people with insomnia. Very exciting! www.abentley.massagetherapy.com”Adam Reeder ’79 writes, “All is very, very well. Ethan (son, 16) is

attending Hunter College High School, and Austin (son, 13) is in sixth grade at The United Nations International School, where I also serve on the Board of Trustees. DeAnnie and I watch them in awe...”

1980sBradley Winer ’80 writes, “All is well living in the South- Look forward to coming North this summer. All classmates welcome to visit us at the Cape! Suzanne Goldberg Barnhart ’81 Suzanne co-owns a hotel sales & marketing company called “The House of Kooser.” She has lived in Andover for three years with husband Mark and children, Annie (6) and David (5). Nicole Grieco Butterfield ’82 Nicole writes, “ I am about to start my third year as an English teacher at Hackley, and all three of my kids are enrolled there for the year ahead. It has been a very exciting and busy time since our Alumni in the Arts event!” Christopher A. Frothingham ’83 writes, “My wife, Heidi, and I are living in Maine with our three daughters, aged 10, 7, and 4, and a boy due in June. I am on Faculty at University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine doing a mix of teaching and seeing patients

in clinic. We enjoyed 5 years in Portland, Ore., where I got to catch up with Eric Shirazi ‘83, and we are now happily back in New England.” Robin Hessman ’85 film premiered in Moscow. www.myperestroika.com. Naima Amirian-White ’87 writes, “Dr. Naima Amirian-White and husband Nick, and daughter Yasmin (5), currently reside on a horse farm in Western North Carolina foothills. In addition to her vertrinary career, she and husband Nick own 17 rental investment properties. Yasmin went parasailing in Florida in March while on vacation at their beach house.”

1990sCourtney Peck Kenaley ’90 would love to say she will be able to get more involved with Pike stuff, however it may not happen since she had twins and is starting a residency in emergency/critical care at Angell Animal Medical Center in July. She writes, “But at some point I will be more available!” Alyssa Daigle ’91 recently opened a new company in Boston called “Bites of Boston.” By combining sweet and savory food tastings with fascinating stories and a dash of history and architecture,

they have created the perfect recipe for a fun, one of a kind way to explore Boston’s neighborhoods. Check them out at www.bitesofbostonfoodtours.com. Jessica Parr ’92 wanted to report that she has finished her dissertation, and received her PhD in history from UNH in May 2012. She went on the tenure track job market in the fall, and has teaching offers from both Granite State and UNH Manchester. Allison Lowrie Sowers ’92 and her husband Mark were blessed with a second child. Owen MacIvor Seaton was born on October 20, 2012. His sister Harper continues to capitvate everyone with her antics. Kristin Moon Beck ’94 Kristin writes, “My husband, Jeff, and I live outside of Atlanta, Georgia with our two children Jason (3) and Andrew (6 months). I work in hospital administration in Gainesville GA.” Weston Lowrie ’94 moved back East about a year ago, after earning his PhD in Aeronautics/Astronautics at UW/Seattle. His new job is closely related to his PhD research in satellite plasma/fusion energy. He has recently become engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Aruna!

Colleen Boylan Cooper ’95 welcomed twin girls on September 13, 2012. “We are über excited and madly in love with Emma Rose and Anna Grace. They are exactly six weeks tomorrow, and we can’t remember life without them! Emma was 4’13 and Anna was 4’4. All happy and healthy.” Melissa Armstrong Fabick ’95 Melissa writes, “I am enjoying staying home with my one-year-old son. I don’t get back to the East Coast as much as I would like to, but I did get a chance to see the art center at Pike last summer, and it was amazing!” Joseph Giallanella ’95 writes, “My wife, Lucia, and I continue to live and work in Pittsburgh and are having a great time enjoying what this city has to offer! We recently caught up with Pike friends, Christian ’93 & Julie (Petralia) Derderian ’95, at Allison Sullivan ’95’s wedding last September in Boston; Allie looked great on her big day and knows how to throw a party!” Kirsten Lantelme Newman ’95 and her husband Ben, along with their 2 year old son, Graeme, welcome with love Rhys Lantelme Newman on December 6, 2012. Joseph Lovoi ’96 Beppe Lovoi writes,

Cynthia Kimball, ’59, Margaret Kimball ’59, Walter Kimball ’57, Ralph Kimball ’55, Carolyn Kimball Tolles ’54, and Rachel Kimball ’52

Morgen Peck ’95’s baby, Lucas Andrew Lackenbauer

Sasha Parr Corken ’98 wedding photo

1940sGeorge Fraser ’46 writes, “I have a few memories of Pike in Shawsheen. I remember the annual plays, trip to Crane’s Beach in Mrs. Pike’s woody. Also Mrs. Pike would allow Bill Schlott and me to go to the deli at recess for a ham sandwich. Bill was older and a big brother to us. He also would forget his lunch. At Hidden Road, I remember the softball matches between the boys and girls at recess. The girls had a formidable team with players Jane Russell, Ann Higgins, Joan Barnard and the Vinciguerra sisters. The boys had Barry and Ned Rowland, Mark Stefani, myself, and Sammy Waterston in left field. During my last year at Pike, I organized a six-man football team, which played two games against a pick-up team organized by Sid Watson who later played for the Chicago Bears and later became the athletic director of Bowdoin College. We were short of talent, so I convinced Sid to play for Pike. We won one match.


William “Bill” Bride, Jr. ’49 passed away peacefully on September 23, 2012. Bill attended The Pike School, Phillips Andover and went on to study at Brown University before joining the United States Air Force. He was honorably discharged in 1961, having been awarded the rank of Captain. Bill was a community leader in many organizations throughout the Merrimack Valley. Bill will be deeply missed by his wife Ann Bride, children Katharine (Bride) Reed ‘75, Susie (Bride) Luer ‘77, William T. Bride III ‘81, Amy Bride ‘83, and Jennifer Bride ‘84. Bill is the brother of Peter Bride ‘64, John Bride ‘51 and James Bride ‘51.

Wendy Allen Wheeler ’49 of Hingham, formerly of Cleveland, and New Haven, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her husband and children on February 6, 2013. Wendy had a private psychotherapy practice from 1975-1990 in Cleveland, Boston, and in New Haven. From 1980-1984 she was on the faculty at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA where she developed and ran the counseling program. She also served as a trustee of the school for twenty-eight years, including eight years as President. She developed a passion for the arts and tirelessly promoted the importance of arts in education. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 and undergoing treatment, she self-published a book entitled “Path Through the Fire”, describing her journey and the use of inner creative resources as a means of healing.

Carolyn Laaff Nuttall ’58, age 68, died August 12, 2012, after a nine-year battle with cancer. She was a proud Peace Corps volunteer in Africa from 1964 through 1968, serving in Niger and Chad as a bi-lingual secretary in the Peace Corps offices. She also helped teach English to Hamani Diori, the first President of the Republic of Niger. She met her future husband and love of her life, Dennis, while in Chad, and they made Newburyport, MA their home for thirty-three years until retiring to Texas.

Charlotte Flint ’59 Charlotte Eugenia Flint, who was known throughout her life as Carla, died in her sleep on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, CT after a short battle with cancer. She grew up in North Andover, MA, and attended The Pike School and Brooks School. She enrolled at Radcliffe College to study classics and graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a BA in music. She will be remembered for her passion, sense of humor, strong personality, contrarian views, and intelligence. She is survived by her sister Judith; her two children, Kira and Jeremy; two granddaughters; and her beloved West Highland terrier, Malkie.

“My latest news is that I’m approaching seven years with the UN, and most recently I was involved with organizing the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (known as Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I love to stay connected to the alumni community, and am always happy to serve as a reference or a mentor on behalf of the students.” Christopher Britt ’98, founder of “Priviley,” a Delaware Corporation that specializes in “business incubation and works closely with VCS (Venture Capitol Firms) and startup companies, is currently consulting with the US-DOD in forensic accounting and foreign intelligence analysis. No wife or children, but I have a Burmese mountain dog named Farnsworth! Sasha Parr Corken ’98 writes, “On September 1, 2012, I married Ryan Corken. We had a few Pike alums in attendance, including Imran Hendley ’98, Francesca DeMeo ’98, and Angela (Ralph) Thomas ’98. Angela actually performed during our ceremony - she sang the song “Stand by Me” and played the guitar, accompanied by her husband.” Daniel Koh ’99 writes, “Graduated from business school in 2011 and for a year was Advisor to Mayor Menino in Boston. Since then I’ve moved to NYC and am Chief of Staff to Arianna Huffington at The Huffington Post. The job changes everyday and is incredibly exciting. I am very fortunate to be working there.”

2000sAllison McCarthy Carvalho ’00 and husband Luiz welcomed a baby girl, Gabriella McCarthy, on April 11, 2012 at Holy Family Hospital. Ilana Segall ’00 is living in San Francisco and working in Silicon Valley. Sara Helmers ’01 is very

excited to be starting her first year of law school at GW in the fall. Melanie Kress ’01 is now attending graduate school at Goldsmiths College, University of London, pursuing a Master’s Degree in Art History and Critical Art Analysis. She worked most recently in New York at the American Federation of Art. She curated several independent art shows as part of her own gallery, Concrete Utopia, and in association with the group Recession Art. Emilie Lantelme ’02 writes, “Hi All! Have spent the last few years in Aspen partaking in its outdoor beauty- writing for Aspen’s magazine, skiing with Jane Fonda and coaching the Aspen Leafs hockey team (won States this year!). Unsure of what next year will bring but lovin’ life for now!” Hang Xu ’02 is very busy working in NYC now. He says, the ninth grade is one of the best years in school. David Curtis ’03 taught at St. Paul’s, London, and headed to Harvard Law in the fall of 2012. Andrew Lowrie ’03 continues enjoying his job as a nuclear engineer with Knolls Atomic Power Lab in upstate NY. In addition to working full time, he is pursuing a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering at nearby Union College. He has enjoyed lots of hiking, mountain biking, running, xc-skiing and snowboarding. Kevin Kress ’04 graduated this past May from the Eugene Lang College of The New School in New York City in Literature Studies and Creative Writing. (“Mrs. Murphy would be proud”). This fall he earned a certificate as a Wilderness EMT at the SOLO school in Conway, NH. Kevin is now working as a ski instructor at Steamboat Springs, CO. Erica Segall ’05 is in her senior year at Yale. Rosa Valentin ’05 writes, “Channel 9 news lost an associate producer

for the morning shows during weekends, and so they called three weeks ago with the job offer! So, I’m living out yet another dream of mine before I ever thought I would. “Let my Hutch and Mrs. Hills know :)” Morgan Pearce ’06 is living in NYC and is a senior at NYU. She has had AMAZING internships already, including: Madeline Weinrib, Philip Lim, Vanity Fair, Prada, Mui Mui, Gucci and Chanel! She has been very busy! She was recent featured in a Vanity Fair article about the magazine’s interns’ back-to-school fashion favorites! Jared Curtis ’07 is a freshman at Cornell. Emily Brown ’08 is going to Providence College in the fall of 2013. Finishing up at Pingree and will graduate in June. So excited for college and the future! John French ’08 won first place in a field of a hundred preparatory school debaters from throughout the Northeast at the Roxbury Latin School Debate Tournament where he represented the Phillips Academy Debate Team (we call it the Philomathean Society over there). This win qualified John for the World Debate and Public Speaking Tournament to be held at The Clifton School in South Africa in April. Max McGillivray ’08 writes, “School is great. It’s quite hectic though. I made the Hasty Pudding Theatrical Troupe at Harvard. We recently performed in Bermuda and NYC.” Sahil Bhaiwala ’09 was named one of INDIA New England’s top 20 under 20. These awards honor individuals for academic achievement, extracurricular activities, athletic involvement, entrepreneurship, involvement in the community, volunteerism or skills in writing or the arts. Christopher Cortner ’09 starred in Andover High School’s spring musical The Class Notes in this issue of

The Quill comprise those received as of April 30, 2013.

“You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,” where he appeared as Charlie Brown, the lovable loser. Amelia Hulshult ’09, a senior at Brooks School, posted three straight shutouts in the New England Prep, a field hockey tourney, to lead Brooks to the title. Besides being a star athlete, she is also an abstract painter and hopes to major in landscape architecture when she goes to college next year. Harry Wood ’09 won first place in Original Oratory and 2nd place in Humorous Interpretation at the Yale University High School Speech Tournament where he represented Milton Academy. After Nationals, this is the most prestigious speech and debate tournament in the nation. In a field of about 750 students, Harry was first overall. Anna McCabe ’09 will be attending Berklee School of Music in Boston in September 2013.

2010sGeorge Gu ’10 writes, “George here. I thought I’d send a quick update about something very cool that I’ve been working on: PA’s very own speech team! PA finally now has an official speech student organization, with funding and all. After working since last year to get a team running, I just recently took our team to a tournament in Revere, MA - and took third overall in the small school sweepstakes with a group of just ten (almost all new) speechies. It was really exciting for me, and for the entire team - and I just wanted to share it with the school in which my speech experience all started. Best wishes to you, and to all Pikers, past and present!” Matthew Menzie ’10, Lauren Menzie ’12 and members of the Varsity Girl’s Soccer Team and their families volunteered to help set-up and run a skills section for the athletes at Pingree. Members in attendance

were Kat Hodge ’13, Sydney Nagahiro ’13, Morgan Kuin ’13, Hadley Goodman ’13, Hannah Latham ’13, and Amanda Brooks ’15. Other Pike kids that helped out were Claire Nagahiro ’17 and Olivia Hodge ’17 from the fifth grade. Maxwell Novick ’10 Max is thriving at Middlesex. He is doing extremely well in all of his classes, especially math and Latin. Max was recently named squash captain for next year and surprised his parents by landing a role in the spring musical, Guys and Dolls, which he greatly enjoyed! Graham Cook ’11 was cast in the Main Stage play, Six Degrees of Separation that was performed in November 2012. It was directed by the head of Walnut Hill’s theater department. This past summer, he and Tiernan O’Rourke ’11 and Erica Nork ’12 all participated in ACT Andover Jr. Summer Educational which performed How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Rogers Center for the Performing Arts at Merrimack College, to hundreds of audience members. Sharanjit Gill ’11 writes, “Next year, I’m going to be transferring to Phillips Academy Andover! I’ll be repeating sophomore year, and I am excited beyond words!!” Mackenzie Gray ’11 now at Governor’s Academy, collected two gold medals at the Bay State Games in the youth division for the long jump and triple jump. Tatiana Bouchard ’12 writes, “Having fun at BB&N. Just got back from a school science trip over March break to the Galapagos that was awesome!” Katrina Gangi ’12 collected a silver in the triple jump and a bronze in the 100m dash also at the Bay State Games. Katrina Gangi also went to the Junior Olympics

NotesClass

In MemoriamNew England Association meet, placing second in the triple jump and seventh in the 100m dash in the intermediate division, advancing her to the Region I meet in Long Island. There she placed fifth in the triple jump, allowing her to advance to the National Junior Olympics in Baltimore, MD. She will be competing there in late July. Diana Gil ’12 writes, “Everything has been going great so far. I have chosen to explore a plumbing experience in my school. My grades aren’t so great, but I’ll bring them up. I have made lots of friends and everything is perfect. Thank you Pike!” Colby Keller ’12 and Larisa Kreismanis ’12 competed at the Falmouth Maine High School Speech and Debate Tournament. Colby earned first place in Prose Reading and second place in Humorous Interpretation. Larisa took home first place in Humorous Interpretation. Judges’ comments were incredibly positive for these poised and polished speakers! Evan MacHenry ’12 writes, “Hi Guys! Hope all is well at Pike! Just finishing up hockey season at St. John’s Prep in Danvers and now on to golf! Have a good rest of the year! Pax, Evan.”


The Pike School34 Sunset Rock RoadAndover, Massachusetts 01810-4898www.pikeschool.org

Forwarding Service Requested

185 Years at Pike Faculty and staff members honored this April for their years of service at Pike were, from left to right:

Jolene Buttress, 15 years; Judith Lais, 15 years; Cindy Baggeroer, 15 years; Rick Wright, 10 years; Hilary Munroe, 10 years; Kathy Foderaro, 20 years; Katie Feeney-Dowell, 10 years; Linda Spence, 10 years; Paul Heinze, 15 years;Tara McCabe, 10 years; Fran Mellin, 25 years; Not pictured: Rich Noll, 15 years; Marylynne Dias, 15 years.

the quill magazine, spring 2013

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