Nonprofit Org. US POSTAGE PAID SummerSummer 20201917 Permit No. 259 Newburgh, NY Address Service Requested ONEWSLETTER FROMa OAKWOODk FRIENDS SCHOOL • CELEBRATINLG OVER e210 YEARS OaF FRIENDS EveDUCATION IN THE HUDSOsN VALLEY 2019-2020 Fall/Winter School Calendar October 22 Workshare Day October 25 Parents’ Weekend. Reception at Entering its fourth year of production, the the Meeting School’s multi-decade commit- Oakwood solar array has generated over 2.25 ment to sustainable practices. In phase one, Head’s House, 4:00pm A Sustainable Future by Chad Cianfrani, Head of School GWh of energy to date; an equivalent offset this grant will help expand our greenhouse November 6 Breakfast with the Head, 8:30am to the greenhouse gas emissions from over production, increase the number of garden November 14 Middle School Dinner, 5:00pm 340 cars or CO2 emissions from 90 homes plots and variety of plants, support faculty November 15 Parents’ Dinner, 6:00pm annually. Entering into a multi-year purchase professional development, expand our com- agreement, and with no initial cash out- posting program and enrich our curriculum. November 15-16 Fall Production, 7:30pm lay, Oakwood produces and offsets our an- December 8 11th grade College Planning, 1:00pm nual electrical consumption and has secured Multiple small projects and initiatives over December 17 Parents’ Dinner, 6:00pm known electricity costs for the next two de- the last several years have also supported Holiday Concert, 7:00pm cades. Sized to produce over 100% of our Oakwood’s commitment to sustainable prac- annual consumption, Oakwood receives cash tices. Beginning in 2014, oil-burning heating January 10 Winter Reunion rebates for excess production. The produc- systems were converted to higher-efficiency January 25 Wine Dinner & Auction, 6:30pm tion also provides future capacity for new ini- and cleaner natural gas systems. An energy February 28 Parents’ Dinner, 6:00pm tiatives such as an electric vehicle program. audit coupled with several NY State incen- February 28-29 Winter Production, 7:30pm tives allowed for cost-effective replacement Chad Cianfrani at the dedication of the campus Related to electric vehicle usage, Oakwood re- of campus lighting and the installation of solar array ceived grants this spring through the ‘Charge new HVAC control and circulation systems. Visit us at www.oakwoodfriends.org Ready NY’ program. At no cost, we were able Window replacements and several insulation As a young child, I distinctly remember my to receive and install two dual-port stations, upgrades provided further efficiency gains father following me around the house turning one located in front of Main building and and helped keep the dorms toasty warm. lights off. By the age of seven, I could rattle one behind Turner Math and Science Build- 16 SuSummermmer 20172019 NEWSLETTER FOR ALUMNI AND MEMBERS OF THE OAKWOOD FRIENDS COMMUNITY off utility cost per kWh and the estimated life- ing. Oakwood now has fast, reliable charging The aggregate of these projects, large and small, cycle of the various incandescent bulbs illu- for several community vehicles and capacity have impacted both our carbon footprint and minating our home. Whether it was getting for the addition of an Oakwood electric ve- our annual expense line, yielding over $130,000 produce from a modest home garden, heat- hicles fleet. With running costs less than half in annual utility savings. We may not be fol- Oakwood’s Commencement on June 7, 2019 ing our living room with a wood-burning of traditional gas-powered vehicles, instal- lowing students around turning lights off be- stove, or having the entire house dark except lations of this nature help green the cam- hind them, but we are taking positive steps to- the room currently occupied; there seemed pus while reducing annual fuel expense. wards a cleaner, more sustainable Oakwood. to be an intersection between what is sus- tainable, what is good for the environment, In support of our sustainable gardening ini- and what yields measurable cost savings. tiatives, Oakwood was honored to receive a $50,000 grant this spring from The Meet- Over the past five years Oakwood has under- ing School in New Hampshire. Founded in taken several initiatives focused on environ- 1957 and closed in 2011, The Meeting School mental stewardship. Some of the projects were was a community-based Quaker school locat- small in nature, while others were large in scope ed on a working organic farm. Funds spent and vision. In weighing environmental impact over the next several years will help honor and return-on-investment, we have deployed our finite resources, both human and financial, with an eye towards a more sustainable future. Thank you! 2018-2019 Annual Fund Exceeds Goal! Front row (l-r): Caitlin Amann; Mitashie (Mishy) Olmo; Mahdia (Hadi) Daqiq; Xinling (Clare) Wang, Xinli (Heidi) Wang; and Denique (Abbie) Tulloch. 2nd row from bottom (l-r): Victoria Allen; Anne Kronenberg; Yicheng (Annice) Liu; Thomas (Sage) Perkins; and Sean (Xiao) Kirchner. See Annual Gifts Report 3rd row from bottom (l-r): Joseph Spence; Eli Pollard; Olivia Castanza-Leasure; Terkala Gray; Katarzyna (Kasia) Tomporowska; Nafisa Rashid; and Vera In center section. Faculty vehicle charging in front of Main Building Pablo Ramos installing the new charging station in (Rosie) Kilby. front of the Main Building 4th row from bottom (l-r): Ye (Joe) Chen; Donglin (Layton) Liu; and Jaymee Cordova. Back row (l-r): Adam Feldman; Zhesen (Jason) Wang; Youyin (Benna) Su; Yifeng (Evan) Qian; and Ian Musumba. 2 SSummerummer 20192017 NEWSLETTER FOR ALUMNI AND MEMBERS OF THE OAKWOOD FRIENDS COMMUNITY CELEBRATING OVER 210 YEARS OF FRIENDS EDUCATION IN THE HUDSON VALLEY SummerSummer 20192017 15 Remembering Mac Simms New Board Member Remembering Jonathan Flaccus ’58 and Head of School, 1980 to 1988 Dawit Zeleke ’81 Richard Knapp ’58, Acorn Society Members of dogs must have passed to him because he owned Doberman pinschers for years, When Mac served in Korea, his command- Oakwood Friends School mourns the loss flag for the strange and curious, and thereby but as he aged, he was the owner of Dachs- ing officer wrote, "His intelligence, tact, and of two exceptional members of the class of allowed all the rest of us to live in that same hunds. When he died in January, I knew that unusually cooperative attitude have gained 1958, Jonathan Flaccus and Richard Knapp. free space, to indulge our own eccentricities. I would miss him terribly, for he was always for Mr. Simms the respect of the officers Both chose to continue their generous legacy I found that side of him deeply comforting.” capable of making me laugh and smile. And, and men alike." In his academic career, he of support for Oakwood students through memorably, he had the uncanny ability to would similarly have the respect of the stu- the establishment of endowed funds. Jonathan established the Native American make me aspire to his level of scholarship. dents, teachers, members of the Administra- Fund at Oakwood in 2017 inspired by the school’s celebration of Lakota Culture and the tion, parents, and members of the Boards of Jonathan Flaccus ’58 Through a bequest, Dick made a sub- and his wife Marcy activism of Shai Blackbird ’18 from the Rose- Trustees. As a public servant volunteering on stantial contribution to the John Hud- Hermansader were bud Reservation in South Dakota. Jonathan countless committees, Mac always did extra son Knapp’53 Scholarship Fund, estab- long-time residents traced his life-long interest and concern for work to build consensus and get things done. lished in 2000 through his brother’s estate. of Putney, Vermont, the rights of indigenous people to his grand- The Fund will now be called the John H. and more recently mother who put aside clothing to contribute He was a proud liberal who loved politics. At and Richard G. Knapp Scholarship Fund, of East Dummerston. to indigenous people in need. We are grate- The Gunnery, he ran mock political conven- as Dick requested. Oakwood was fortu- Jonathan was the ful to Jonathan for his philanthropic spirit tions every four years. In 1970, he ran for a nate to call him a distinguished alum- son of Violetta Flac- and affection for Oakwood Friends School. nus and wonderful friend of the school. seat in the State Senate in Connecticut. Mac's cus, an artist, and the opponents were adversaries -- not enemies. poet Kimball Flaccus. Dr. Richard Gilbert Raised by his grandparents in rural Pennsyl- Knapp ’58 taught IN MEMORY Mac is survived by his partner in life since 1980, vania, he spent much of his childhood explor- French and general his wife Chase; and the four children of their The Oakwood Friends School community ing the fields and forests around him. He later studies at Mars Hill Marjorie Glenn Thompson ’37 blended family: Jonathan, William, Amanda, stated that these memories were the source College for 31 years. January 25, 2019 mourns the loss of Clark M. Simms, former and Leonardo and their families. Rest in peace, teacher and head of school, who died on for many of his drawings and paintings. Dick’s colleague, Dr. Greg Clemons, Span- Thomas R. Kane ’41 July 12, 2019. Below, Amanda Junquera In his own words: February 16, 2019 Downing ’86 writes about her step-dad. Oakwood Friends School is delighted to During his high school years at Oakwood, ish Professor, wrote Jonathan developed a love of music, par- “Au Revoir Mon Ami” Mac Simms reflected on his appointment as welcome Dawit Zeleke, class of 1981, as Christina Gidynski ’50 Clark M. “Mac” Simms passed away on the newest member of the Board of Man- ticularly jazz, which lasted throughout his for publication in Oakwood’s head of school and his marriage life.