The Magazine of Friends' Central School
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8:1 Fall 2016 THE MAGAZINE OF FRIENDS’ CENTRAL SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT 2016 REUNION 2016 ANNUAL REPORT OF GIFTS 2015-2016 2015-2016 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Stephen Yarnell Robert Gassel ’69, Clerk Peter Arfaa, Emeritus Karen N. Horikawa ’77, Vice-Clerk Barbara M. Cohen, Emerita Matthew S. Levitties ’85, Hillard Madway, Emeritus Recording Secretary Joanna Schoff ’51, Emerita Craig Owens, Treasurer Melissa Anderson Quinn Bauriedel Elizabeth Cohen ’83 2015-2016 ALUMNI/AE BOARD Jonathan Fiebach ’82 Lauren Collier ’99, President Christine Young Gaspar ’70 Bess Collier ’96, Vice President Jim Groch Janice Decker Frohner ’60, Susan Holt Secretary Steve B. Katznelson Jesse Amoroso ’04 Fariha Khan Jeffrey Brody ’98 Kristin Kimmell Kimberly Kurtz Lent ’87 Merlin Muhrer Patrick Lord ’90 Andrew Newcomb ’87 Clio Mallin ’96 Nancy A. Sanders ’83 Latifah McMullin ’99 Philip E. Scott ’73 Alex Rolfe ’01 Joy Takahashi Jessica Zeldin ’88 A student embraces the fall morning sun on the Lower School campus. Photo by Kim Parris Letter from the Head of School The Magazine of Friends’ Central School 8:1 Fall 2016 Dear Friends, Head of School Craig N. Sellers Each year at Friends’ Central, throughout the School, we focus on one Quaker testimony. For the Editors 2015-2016 year, that testimony was Community, Lisa D’Orazio and while community is important every year, it is Director of Communications particularly gratifying to reflect on the year past Clare Luzuriaga through this lens. Assistant Director of Communications The school year ended, as every year does, with the Contributors graduating Class marching into Commencement Lydia A. Martin Director of Strategic Initiatives as students and processing out as newly minted members of our alumni/ae community. This was a Bob Cotter Director of Development remarkable year for the Class of 2016. They brought Matthew Cohen home awards in areas as diverse as debate, math modeling, drama, and athletics. Assistant Director of Development As we faced the poignant moment of “letting go,” we could only marvel at their Kim Emmons-Benjet readiness and take heart in the fact that, while their role has changed, they are no Director of Annual Giving less a part of our community. Linda Waxman Wasserman ’75 Director of Alumni/ae Affairs The idea that graduates are forever part of Friends’ Central was evident as our alumni/ae from the “1s and 6s” gathered for Reunion 2016. Time and distance Jody Mayer Communications Associate fell away for devoted classmates from destinations ranging from England to Wynnewood as they celebrated their connection to one another and to their alma Printer mater. Witnessing the passion they feel for this community and for their classmates CRW Graphics and hearing about the extraordinary ways they are living out our School’s Mission and Vision bolsters my feeling that the Class of 2016 will stay connected, and we Photography will be wowed. Anneka Allman, Michael Branscom, Geoff Campbell, Matthew Cohen, Lisa D’Orazio, In our opening meetings for faculty and staff in August, we began our focus on Jay Gorodetzer, Clare Luzuriaga, Caroline Maw-Deis, Jody Mayer, Paola Nogueras, the testimony of Simplicity with a talk by Eileen Flanagan ’80. Eileen – who is Kim Parris, Mike Tolbert an author, speaker, and FCS parent – delighted, challenged, and affirmed our community’s efforts. She urged us to consider simplicity as a way to identify We welcome any comments, letters, what isn’t important, let go of it, and make space for the most important elements photographs, and suggestions for future issues. of our lives. Please send all communications to: Editor, Quaker Works: The Magazine As you read through this issue of Quaker Works, I urge you to examine its Friends’ Central School contents through the lens of Community. I believe that, like me, you will be 1101 City Avenue Wynnewood, PA 19096 excited and inspired by our students, by our faculty, by our alumni/ae, and by [email protected] the extraordinary generosity displayed in the Annual Report. Visit Friends’ Central on the web at Thank you for being part of the Friends’ Central community. I hope to see you friendscentral.org on campus soon! Connect with us on social media facebook.com/friendscentral twitter.com/friendscentral instagram.com/friendscentralschool youtube.com/friendscentralschool Craig N. Sellers Read past issues of Quaker Works at friendscentral.org/publications Head of School PLEASE RECYCLE 2 FRIENDS’ CENTRAL SCHOOL CAMPUS LOG CONTENTS FEATURES Lettuce Feed You 13 The New Lower School Food Initiative Commencement 2016 14 The Spirit of the Class of 2016 Reunion Weekend 20 A little rain, some sun, and plenty of good spirits marked Reunion 2016. 25 Annual Report of Gifts DEPARTMENTS 2 OPENING Comments Letter from the Head of School 4 CAMPUS LOG 10 ATHLETICS ON THE COVER On a beautiful, sunny June morning, the 95 members of the Class of 2016 graduated from Friends’ Central. Pictured is Zaakiyah Rogers (right) receiving her diploma from Head of School Craig N. Sellers, as classmates Joey Lawall, Matayia Mapp, and Ellis Kimmell applaud. Ryan Barrett and Alex Rolfe from the Class of 2001 were happy to reconnect at Reunion 2016. Read about Reunion on page 20. Fall 2016 magazine 3 For more School news, visit the FCS Campus Log Pressroom at friendscentral.org/news Breaking Ground at the Lower School In March, Lower School students helped get things started at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Lower School Ulmer Family Light Lab. (Read more about the Light Lab on page 28.) Mission to Mars In science class this spring, 5th graders studied Astronaut Scott Kelly’s one-year mission to the International Space Station as part of their space exploration project – Mission to Mars. To culminate their study, they held a flight simulation to Mars, accompanied by a Fair where they presented their extensive and impressive research. In March, Dr. Mathias Basner (pictured above at left) visited Tiffany Borsch’s class to talk to the students about his research related to the Year in Space. Dr. Basner is one of the leaders of the Penn Medicine research team who developed a cognitive Middle School test battery, called Cognition, for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), which measures the impact of spaceflight stressors (microgravity, Mini-Courses a Hit! radiation, confinement, isolation, high CO2 level exposure, and sleep loss) on This spring, students in grades 6-8 took astronauts’ cognitive performance. part in mini-courses - a favorite annual tradition. Directed by Middle School teachers, students engage in interactive learning on a range of extracurricular topics in and around FCS and the city of Philadelphia. These projects are intentionally structured to foster creative, cross-divisional learning and to encourage collaboration between older and younger students. From left: Jiwei Cheng, Sam Levitties, An American Talia Rosenberg, Matt Nguyen History Lesson for New Student Grade 8 Students Council Leaders Middle School teacher Jacob Fogel In March, the Upper School elected a invited Masaru Edmund Nakawatase to new Student Council President, Talia speak to his 8th grade class about his Rosenberg, and three Vice Presidents: life and his social activism. Nakawatese Jiwei Cheng, Sam Levitties, and Matt was born in an Japanese American Nguyen. All four “took office” in April. internment camp in Poston, Arizona during WWII. 4 FRIENDS’ CENTRAL SCHOOL CAMPUS LOG Spring Concerts This spring, the Instrumental and Choral concerts in Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools were a huge hit, with the 30 Reasons Not To Be In A Play many talents of musicians and singers on full display. 30 Reasons Not To Be In A Play, a one-of-a-kind comedy by Alan Haehnel about the horrors and hardships that befall those who feel the call of the stage, was this winter’s Middle School Drama production. Actors and stage crew members worked hard to present this hilarious play, which was a big success. Saleana Copeland ’18 A Midsummer Night’s Dream The landscape of New Orleans provided a magical backdrop for Upper School Drama’s modern retelling of Shakespeare’s favorite comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the students and staff alike were very excited to share their high-energy and highly creative version of the production with audiences this February. CAPPIES Triumphs It was another outstanding season for Upper School Drama, who received 17 nominations and top honors at the Greater Philadelphia Cappies (Critics and Awards program) in May for best production of a play (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Alex Bessen ‘17 also won Best Male Vocalist, and Naomi Detre ‘16 won Best Featured Actress and Best Hair & Makeup Design. Fall 2016 magazine 5 CAMPUS LOG Students Gain New Perspectives through Cultural Immersion For three weeks every other summer, Friends’ Central Upper their experiences working with the children in the clinic and School students have the opportunity to travel to Cuzco, Peru, orphanage this year, “Playing with the children was one of where they live with Peruvian host families, participate in the most direct ways of feeling that you were helping out. community service, and attend four hours of Spanish classes The children covered a wide range of ages, and most had daily. The culmination of their trip is a rigorous four-day hike disabilities that placed them in wheelchairs and/or limited along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, “the lost city of the their ability to speak ... The time we spent at the clinic was very Incas,” which includes three nights of camping and ends with a rewarding – just knowing that we were helping people.” spectacular view from 7,970 feet above sea level. Every afternoon, the FCS students had four hours of Spanish This summer was the eighth trip for faculty member Cristina school, then they returned to their host family’s home for Perez, who began the program in 2002.