The Landscape of Mx2 Transformation and Tradition
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MiddlesexFall 2016 The Landscape of Mx2 Transformation and Tradition MIDDLESEX FALL 2016 i From the Head of School Cultivating Communal Values The more things change, the more they stay courage, values that our community centers the same. This fall, Middlesex has brought on in its conversations about growing up together students from 27 states and 14 coun- well. tries to live, work, and grow in a community What does it mean to engage the entire that is first and foremost a school, but a school in work on kindness? It means to school that defines its purview to include discuss kindness as a value—the way of students’ hearts, bodies, and spirits, as well kindness, an openness and generosity of self, as their nascent intellectual selves. In my with empathetic and sympathetic outreach ninth grade English classroom, we have and a desire to do the right thing by someone discussed parts of speech (confound those else—and how kindness manifests itself in subordinating conjunctions and relative our lives in gestures as simple as a personal pronouns!), and we have discussed the soul- acknowledgement in passing or as complex rending conflicts of choosing between family as confronting a friend about a difficult but and justice, the ways racism and prejudice important truth. Respect, respect, respect crush identity, and the democratic values is our mantra; we have been working on the that discussion and debate protect, even if “make good choices” idea for some time, on they make us uncomfortable. These ideas the idea that the School doesn’t tell students are presented in great literature, and they what to think but offers alternatives—and are presented in our community’s life and some great coaching. We are planning to Middlesex in our lives as citizens and people; they have share more about our community life curric- Fall 2016 been true throughout Middlesex’s history, ulum and work in the next Bulletin issue, Head of School and they are true today. but as we go to press, I think it is important Kathleen Carroll Giles The phrase “culturally relevant curricu- to note that the school community is at Director of Development Heather Parker lum” permeates much of current literature work in these ways. Director of Advancement about education. While the phrase might be It has also been a fall of transition and George Noble Editor trendy, the truth for us is that the community celebration; while the old central steam plant Maria Lindberg life curriculum that we have developed for is gradually transforming into the Rachel Design our students has taken on added urgency this Carson Music and Campus Center, Landry NonprofitDesign.com Photography year, in conversations that range from sexual House was officially opened. On a campus Joel Haskell, Tim Morse, assaults on campuses to political discourse like ours, perhaps the best compliment about Robert D. Perachio, Tony Rinaldo to world events. Learning to be an ethically, a new building is that people hardly notice Letters to the Editor Letters to the morally strong person has always been criti- it—“it looks like it has been here forever.” editor are welcome and may be edited for clarity and space. Please send your cally important; but, the work we do in our Landry House garners that praise and more, letters to Editor, Middlesex Bulletin, advising program, our house meetings, our and the boys and faculty families who are 1400 Lowell Road, Concord, MA 01742, or e-mail [email protected]. class chapels, our leadership meetings with its first occupants have enjoyed a bright, Alumni News We welcome news from all seniors, our all-school read and lectures— warm, beautiful fall in its embrace. alumni, parents, and friends of Middle- sex School. Please send your news and all of this work provides invitations to our labeled photographs to Alumni News, Middlesex School, 1400 Lowell Road, students to engage in work on the values of Concord, MA 01742, or e-mail alumni@ mxschool.edu. honesty, gratitude, kindness, respect, and Address Corrections Please notify us of your change of address. Write to Middlesex School, 1400 Lowell Road, Concord, MA 01742 or e-mail alumni@ mxschool.edu. Parents of Alumni If this magazine is addressed to a son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please advise us of his or her new address. Thank you! Contents Mission Statement Features Middlesex School is an independent, non-denominational, residential, 14 Alumni Weekend college-preparatory school that, for Alumni, family, and friends set another over 100 years, has been committed attendance record as they celebrated reunions, to excellence in the intellectual, renewed connections, and recognized the ethical, creative, and physical devel- 40th anniversary of Middlesex alumnae. opment of young people. We honor the ideal, articulated by our founding 18 Fond Farewells Head Master, of “finding the promise” Beloved teachers and exemplary administrators, in every student, and we work Alex Banay and Carmen Beaton leave a legacy together in an atmosphere of mutual of wisdom and compassion as they retire from trust and shared responsibility to significant Middlesex careers. help students bring their talents to fruition as knowledgeable, capable, 22 Graduation responsible, and moral citizens With rain in the forecast, the class of of the world. As a community, we respect the individual interests, 2016 nonetheless maintained the tradition of strengths, and needs of each stu- processing from the Chapel to the ceremony, dent. We also value the rich diversity held inside the Atkins Athletic Center. of belief and experience each of us brings to the School. We expect that each student will bring his or her best efforts to the Departments shared endeavor of learning and that the School, through its faculty, 2 Life 360 will engage and encourage each Welcoming Colleagues; Serving the Community; student’s growth, happiness, Designating the Giles Chair; Pippin; Under- and well-being. We aspire for all standing Climate Change; Pioneering Women Middlesex students to develop Scientists personal integrity, intellectual vitality and discipline, and respect 8 Middlesex People for themselves and for others. Landry House Dedication; Joe Kahn ’83 We expect each student to engage energetically and cooperatively in Moves with The Times; Distinguished Alumnus the life of the School, and we seek Hiroshi Ishibashi ’66; Graduation Speaker to inspire in all students the desire Bret Stephens ’91; New Trustees to seek understanding of them- selves and the larger world, 12 Team Highlights both now and in their futures. Three Lacrosse All-Americans and two Track Champions capped a strong spring season. On the Cover 25 In Memoriam An autumn view from the Circle, looking toward Higginson House 28 Back Story and Landry House. Photo by Tony Rinaldo. MIDDLESEX FALL 2016 1 360° Life on the Circle A former research technician at Tufts University, Steven Whitt is teaching biology and chemistry, which he taught for the past three years at Lowell High School. Steven is a graduate of Appalachian State University and recently completed an M.S. in biological science at UMass Lowell. He will assist with coaching boys’ basketball. Well known to many on campus, Nathan Canniff ’12 has returned to Middle- sex to teach chemistry after receiving a B.S in biochemistry at the University of Chicago. An accomplished varsity athlete and 2011 football captain, Nathan is assisting with coaching football, wrestling, and track. And thanks to Lab Technician Kelly Klein, a former middle school science teacher, Middlesex’s science faculty will be ably assisted with the preparation and dismantling of their classroom experiments, giving them more time for their students. Assembled on the steps of LeBaron Briggs House are this New People and Posts Middlesex’s Humanities Division has year’s newest faculty members. been bolstered by three new language teachers. In front (from left to right) are Retirements, relocations, and curricular Maxwell Fabiszewski joins the classics Mandy Irwin, Tiantian Wang, department and will coach boys’ squash and César Pérez, and Max Fabiszewski. enrichment brought 14 new faculty and staff Standing behind them are Tyren members to Middlesex, invigorating the crew. A graduate of Bullis School and the Bynum, Leah Humes, Caroline school community with their energy and University of St. Andrews, Max recently Heitmiller, Nathan Canniff ’12, expertise. completed an M.Phil. in classics with dis- and Steven Whitt. The STEM Division welcomed tinction at the University of Cambridge. several new colleagues, including Caroline An instructor at Harvard-Westlake Heitmiller, who is teaching math and com- School for the last five years, Tiantian Wang puter science, allowing the latter program is now Middlesex’s second teacher of Chinese, to develop further. A graduate of St. Paul’s as more students have taken up the language. School and Lehigh University, Caroline With a B.A. in English and an M.A. in applied comes to Middlesex from the faculty of Cul- linguistics from Guangdong University of ver Academies. She will serve as an assistant Foreign Studies, Tiantian also holds an coach for girls’ JV ice hockey and lacrosse. M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania. With extensive work experience at many She will assist with coaching girls’ basketball. grade levels, Mandy Irwin is teaching biology César Pérez is a veteran Spanish teacher and environmental science, and coaching who was born and raised in Cuba. A graduate girls’ soccer and squash. Most recently, she of Universidad de La Habana, he earned was co-director of the New Teacher Program master’s degrees at the University of Iowa at Cardigan Mountain School, where she and at Harvard University, where he is about taught biology and coached. Mandy is a grad- to complete his Ph.D. César is assisting with uate of Colorado Rocky Mountain School coaching boys’ JV soccer and baseball.