SUMMER 2019 CushingCUSHING ACADEMY MAGAZINE Today These medals “ were made from Cushing.” MEGHAN DUGGAN ‘06 CUSHING’S 144TH COMMENCEMENT OLYMPIAN MEGHAN DUGGAN ’06 DOREEN NANIBAA McPAUL ’91 Dr. Mark Huddleston gives keynote Addresses Girls in Sport Leadership Elected Attorney General of address to the Class of 2019 Summit and Diversity Forum Navajo NationSUMMER 2019 1 CushingToday Cushing Academy exists for students and develops curious, creative, and confident learners and leaders. Cushing Today is a publication of Cushing Academy’s Office of Marketing and Communications. Head of School Dr. Randy R. Bertin P ’21, ’22 Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Brett Torrey ’85 Contributing Writers & Editors Jennifer Cronin Heather Hill ’90 Amy Logan Claudia Markey Photography Jeff Boudreau P ’21 Heather Hill ’90 Kat Lemieux ’15 Claudia Markey Tracy Saunders ’87 Lily Tammik ’18 Brett Torrey ’85 Philip Wexler Design Philip Wexler Cushing Today welcomes your class notes, photography, story ideas, and comments. Please send them to [email protected], call 978-827-7000 or mail to: Communications Office Cushing Academy 39 School Street Ashburnham, MA 01430 In This Issue UP FRONT 2 A LETTER FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL DR. RANDY BERTIN 3 COMMENCEMENT 2019 6 HONORING RETIRING SILVER PENGUINS 7 NEW DORMITORY UNDER CONSTRUCTION PENGUIN PROFILES 8 William Troy 9 Manisah Islam ’20 ON CAMPUS 10 Spring Break 11 Athletics Highlights 12 Visual Arts Highlights 13 Performing Arts in Review 14 Inspiring Change: Meghan Duggan ’06 16 A Semester in Social Media PENGUIN NATION 18 Reunion 2019 20 Q&A with Doreen Nanibaa (Hobson) McPaul ’91 22 Research Earns U.S. Patent 23 Past Cushing Parents: Why We Give 24 Penguin Nation On the Road 28 Class Notes 30 In Memoriam NEW! Certain parts of this magazine link to extra content including photos, videos, and our website. Look for this icon to explore more. on the cover: Meghan Duggan ’06 displays her three Olympic medals during her April visit to campus. SUMMER 2019 1 Dear Cushing Friends, t seems impossible that my year of Cushing “firsts” has already come to a close. Bookended by Convocation in September and Commencement in May, my first year as Head of School was an extraordinary one. What I’ve seen brings to life what students, faculty and staff, alumni, and parents have told me: Cushing impacts and transforms students’ lives. In and out of the classroom, I each aspect of the Cushing experience has reinforced my appreciation for the deep commitment that our faculty and staff bring to helping our students write their own stories, on the way to becoming “curious, creative and confident learners and leaders.” Over the course of the year, we have worked to fulfill and continually assess the school’s strategic plan, which was adopted in 2017. The first four strategic initiatives in the plan focus on the experience we provide to our students: developing a student-centered culture; developing our students’ sense of self-esteem and achievement through visual arts, performing arts, and athletics; enabling students with diverse learning styles to excel developmentally and academically; and providing facilities to support the Academy’s academic and student life programs. I am proud of the progress that we have made in each area and of our ongoing focus on continual improvement. Somewhat behind the scenes, we have met major mileposts in our crucial strategic initiative to build the foundation for long-term financial sustainability, including careful attention to business operations and expenses. Additionally, we have made great strides this year by also having better than expected financial performance through our admissions and development offices having exceeded their targets. We have solid ground on which to move forward together and advance the school even further. I look forward to updating our greater community about the progress of the strategic plan during the coming academic year. Perhaps most immediately visible, the campus and each member of our community continue to benefit from the ongoing improvements generously funded by the E.G. Watkins Family Foundation. This month, another project will launch with the demolition of Cooke Hall, which will be replaced by a residence for 60 students with four faculty apartments. Expected completion will be in Fall 2021. We have known for some time that Cooke would need to be replaced due to long-range structural issues, and we are grateful to the Watkins Family Foundation for making possible this new facility which will further strengthen our residential life offerings and programs. What comes next? We will continue to work on creating opportunities to optimize our students’ education and experiences. We will remain focused on building long-term financial sustainability. And, as a continuation of the listening project that I embarked on in my first year (with the goal of meeting with every member of the faculty and staff, trustees, students, and as many alumni and parents as possible), my door is always open for you to share your thoughts, experiences and questions. I offer my sincere thanks for your support of Cushing this year: through your financial contributions of all sizes, through your admission referrals, and through your support of our students, faculty and staff. I look forward to the coming year and, together, to reaching new heights for Cushing. Sincerely, Randy R. Bertin, Ed.D. Head of School 2 CUSHING TODAY UP FRONT Commencement 2019 Under a bright May sky, 116 graduates of the Class of 2019, their “...I have every confidence that you can and will answer the call. families and friends, and the Cushing community celebrated the ...The world you enter today is full of good, hard-working people Academy’s 144th Commencement. The community was honored to who will welcome, and celebrate, the hope and talent and creativity welcome Dr. Mark Huddleston, President Emeritus of the University you bring to it. The entire Cushing community is so proud of you. of New Hampshire, to deliver the Commencement address. And today, we rejoice in all that you are, and will be.” Assessing today’s often-negative news environment, Dr. Valedictorian Haoran “Simba” Xu shared his own perspective on Huddleston noted, “Today, I would like to offer the Class of 2019 a what the future will hold for the Class of 2019, saying “The process brighter, and more realistic, picture of the world. The fact is, there of getting to know the unbelievable talents that exist in this school are many good things, very good things, unprecedentedly good makes me so proud of everybody here and allows me to see a future things, happening right now, all around us, though they hardly from an angle not presented to me before. The challenges of the ever make it into our media feeds...” world are coming closer to us, posing more problems, but so are chances, chances to discover more about ourselves in the context “Challenges there are, but the world is getting better…exactly of the world, chances to make a difference. because most people in the world are fundamentally good by nature.” Referencing author Steven Pinker ‘s book, The Better Angels Time is short but the world is too big. There’s no time to waste. of Our Nature, he continued, “Throughout history, Pinker says, good And while we are young and brash, dream. Go break the world…” people have been changing the world for the better. Good people have toppled tyrants and ended wars... identified threats to public Reminding the graduates that they have left their mark and that health and found cures for diseases...helped lift whole populations they will always be a part of this community, Dr. Bertin encouraged out of bondage and poverty...crusaded for equality and justice and them to…”keep Cushing Academy in your hearts and minds, as made it possible to bring more and more people from the margins you dedicate yourselves to meaningful new roles in a world that so into the mainstream of our communities. So, inspired by Stephen desperately needs you. Congratulations, and good luck.” Pinker, the message I offer the Class of 2019 today is one of hope and well-founded optimism.” A recording of Commencement 2019 is on our YouTube channel. SUMMER 2019 3 CLASS OF 2019 AWARD RECIPIENTS Sara Katharine Abrahamson Brendan Gregory Samson Vincent V.R. Booth 1923 Award Edward G. Watkins 1956 Scholar Athlete Award Vincent V.R. Booth 1923 Award Arielle Elise Anastasia Auringer Vincent V.R. Booth 1923 Award Yuanyuan Shen Mona Irvine Rice Dance Award Felix Bailly Holden 1888 Prize Victoria M. Slattery Mann Family Award for Excellence in the Arts Dominique Irene Biron Deborah Rhoten 1990 Award Jillian M. Stone Edward G. Watkins 1956 Scholar Athlete Award Deborah Evans 1974 Award Vincent V.R. Booth 1923 Award Mona Irvine Rice Dance Award Wayne F. Sanborn Award Senator Marcus A. Coolidge Award Patrick Borella Yifei Tang Eaton 1900-Dunn 1899 Prize Herbert Hwa-Sen Chen 1960 Prize Vincent V.R. Booth 1923 Award Adam E. Canfield Wayne F. Sanborn Award Daman Tate Holden 1888 Prize Brianna Estelle Coppinger Arthur G. Johanningsmeier Biology Award Yuzhe Wang Mary Graham Fern Award Alumni Salutatorian Award Mildred Dunn Beebe 1936 and Clifford Beebe Prize Fred D. Lane 1908 Prize Webster Moulton 1944 Award Robert Alexander Blauner 1995 Technology Prize Robert B. Taylor Spanish Prize Stewart Deleon Thamnoon Wanglee English as a Second Language Prize Pliny A. Boyd 1894 Award Gabrielle Elena Wexler Anna Eileen Fitzgerald Paul F. Dowling Award for Mathematics Emily Fisher Landau Language Development Prize Jieyi Wu Mamoun Ismail Mohamed Elgzouli Helen Greenwood Prize Pliny A. Boyd 1894 Prize Haoran Xu Holden James Fry Ellen E. Osgood Prize Senator Marcus A. Coolidge Award Frank Prentice Rand 1908 History Prize Vincent V.R.