ShadySideAcademywww.shadysideacademy.org MAGAZINE WINTER 2007–2008 A Time of Beginnings PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear Shady turn, they bring back to the classroom to dation for lives informed by compassion and Side Academy inform work with their students as they service to others through the priceless gifts of Community: model what it truly means to be a lifelong time and talent. Those of us who learner. Compared with other independent We’ve made some strategic additions to the work in education schools in our region — or even in the nation administrative operations at Shady Side. We are fortunate to — Shady Side Academy offers unparalleled have redesigned our Admissions Department have the opportu- professional development opportunities for in order to meet the challenges of a shrinking nity every fall to our faculty. school-age population in Western PA. In this ‘begin again’ with Combining learning with service, nine issue you’ll ‘meet’ Lisa Perry, serving in the the new school Shady Side Academy Juniors and Seniors newly created role of Director of Community year. Students, fac- were awarded Parkin Fellowships to perform and Global Education and you’ll learn about ulty and even independent school presidents environmental and community service pro- Katie Mihm’s new role as Director of return to the task of learning and educating jects in locations around the globe. As these Enrollment Management and Marketing. with renewed energy and commitment. students prepare to enter a world where You will be provided an “early impressions” Many of us took time during the summer to boundaries are becoming virtual and “flat”, it update from Jeremy LaCasse regarding his travel — some for leisure, some for learning is critical that we graduate people who have a first months as Senior School Head and be and some to participate in service projects. broader understanding of the issues and chal- introduced to new faculty and staff. Seven teachers were awarded Wimmer lenges that face citizens of countries around Our Annual Fund is out of the gate with a Grants to engage in professional development the world. Our students traveled to Fiji, great start this fall. Beginning in this issue of the opportunities, seventeen were awarded study Ghana, Haiti, the Bahamas, Indonesia, Magazine , we are attempting to be all the more grants and five were awarded Benedum Slovakia, Vietnam, Nepal and China to build intentional in sharing the connection between Teaching Fellowships. These professional schools, research reforestation, study coral our vision, mission and the impact of the development grants offer faculty members reefs, teach English and music, work in Annual Fund. We have all heard the phrase the opportunity to learn, enhance and expand orphanages and work with disabled children. about how annual funds ‘close the gap’ upon their educational passions which, in We believe these experiences will be the foun- between tuition and the cost of operating the 2 Shady Side Academy Magazine school. However, in this issue, you’ll learn more 2 President’s Message about how Annual Fund gifts help us stage for a future that is changing at an exponential rate. In this issue… 4 A Declaration for a Diverse and Every fall students and faculty join and Inclusive Community rejoin our learning community. We watched 9 Shady Side Academy Rowe Hall as our first-ever Pre-Kindergarten class Renovation Project Acheives a reminded us of the joyful (and sometimes LEED Gold Rating chaotic!) nature of play as learning. While sixth graders — looking like a sea of pastel- 10 2007-2008 Parkin Fellows Reflect colored polo shirts — searched for lockers at on Their Journeys the Middle School — teachers stood by offer- 14 Professional Development: ing reassurances. At the Senior School Mr. Triple Win For Faculty, School Gable’s office was swamped with add-drops and Students and the Kassling College Counseling offices’ computers were quickly occupied by Juniors 17 Admissions Team Evolves to Meet and Seniors preparing for lives beyond Shady Demographic Challenges Side Academy. New faculty members moved 9 18 Head of Senior School Settles In on to the middle and senior campuses and began learning the routines of boarding life. 19 New Members of the Board As September waned into October we expe- of Trustees rienced a glorious Homecoming weekend, 20 Shady Side Academy Welcomes highlighted by celebrations in honor of Bob New Faculty and Staff Grandizio, Director of Alumni Development, who will retire this December after more than 25 Composer Gary Chang ’71 Visits 30 years of service to the Academy and more Senior School than 40 in education. 26 Homecoming 2007 This fall Gary Chang ’71 and Jonathan Zittrain ’87 each made a visit to campus and 38 Sports Briefs delighted our Senior School students by shar- 41 Alumni Events ing their insights in assembly with more than 14 20-30 years removed from their school days 44 Snow Day Reading List here. We’re excited when alumni visit because 46 Class Notes we are reminded that the gifts of time, men- toring and caring that Shady Side faculty 54 In Memoriam extend each day leave an impact that endures throughout a lifetime. We invite alumni to The following are corrections from previous come for a visit and renew your relationship issues of the Shady Side Academy Magazine. We apologize for all errors and omissions. with Shady Side Academy. This 2007-2008 school year has now set- On page 7, in the 2007 College Choices, the list should read, Jesse Ament, Loyola University – tled into a vibrant “hum”. As the calendar Chicago. year draws to a close and we look ahead to On page 15, in the bottom photo caption, beginning a new calendar year, let me offer Michele Ament’s first name is misspelled. on behalf of our community, a Shady Side 26 blessing: May your new year be safe; may you experience spontaneous kindness from On our front cover: Members of the first Pre-K class at Shady Side Academy listen to a story.. others and reciprocate accordingly; may Cover Photo by: Jack Wolf your challenges be addressed with respect Editor: Melinda Miller and honesty, and may you be energized in Associate Editor: Jamie Brush ’98 Contributors: Jamie Brush ’98, Lauren Gilchrist ’03, Bob Grandizio, Sr., Bob Grandizio, Jr. ’90, David Liebmann, Katie Mihm your responsibility toward yourself, your ’83, Melinda Miller, Rick Munroe ’84, Lisa Perry, Anna Sabo ’09, Tom Southard, Tom Trigg. loved ones, your community and our world. Photography: Jamie Brush ’98, Nico Fedusa ’13, Tron McConnell ’71, Melinda Miller, Rick Munroe ’84, Dudley Parr, Lisa Perry, Jack Wolf. Class News photos are submitted by alumni and Class Correspondents. With every good wish, I am, Shady Side Academy Magazine staff seeks writers and contributors. If you are interested in writing an article for the mag- Sincerely, azine, interviewing a fellow SSA grad or have a great idea for a story, we’d love to hear from you. Please email Melinda Miller [email protected]. Please do not send unsolicited feature story or alumni profile submissions. Design Consultant: Peggy Warnock Printed by: Herrmann Printing and Lithography Shady Side Academy Magazine is published by Shady Side Academy for its alumni/ae, parents and friends of the school. Letters and suggestions are welcomed and should be sent to Melinda Miller, [email protected]. Address corrections should be sent to The Alumni Office, [email protected]. Junior School, 400 S. Braddock Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15221, 412-473-4400 Middle School, 500 Squaw Run Rd. East, Pittsburgh, PA 15238, 412-968-3100 Thomas N. Southard, President Senior School, 423 Fox Chapel Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238, 412-968-3000 www.shadysideacademy.org Shady Side Academy Fall/Winter 2007 3 SHADY SIDE ACADEMY ANNOUNCES A Declaration for a Diverse and Inclusive Community An Introduction from Shady Side Academy President Thomas N. Southard n the following pages we entreat the broader community of Shady Side Academy — alum- ni, alumni parents, friends, and current parents — to understand the well-considered ways Iwe are endeavoring to equip and orient our students for a diverse and flattening world. A seminal part of our recent work is our Declaration for a Diverse and Inclusive Community. (See sidebar on page 5.) This statement and its corresponding action plan (page 6), grew out of our Strategic Plan for 2001-2006. Because it concerned addressing complex relationships and matters of school culture, the strategic goal of cultivating a more inclusive and diverse school community was the last plank of that plan to be fully developed. In turn, realizing the goals of the Declaration and Plan with a focus on Community and Global Education has become one of the six areas of the new strategic plan currently being developed. Those areas are: • Academic and Co-Curricular Programs • Alumni Engagement • Community and Global Education • Facility and Campus Configuration • Faculty and Administration — Recruitment and Retention • Safety of Individuals and Campuses As you will see in the portrait that emerges in the following pages, both the goals and language of the Declaration are natural extensions of the well-established Mission of Shady Side Academy and the Guiding Principles of our daily life. In concert and individually, all three of these touch- stone documents convey the imperative to attend to the affective development of our students just as well as the practical matters of skills and knowledge. In keeping with this, our Declaration is a statement of how we live out in an authentic Equipping and Orienting our Students manner the moral imperatives of the Guiding Principles of Respect, for a Diverse and Flattening World Responsibility, Honesty, Kindness, and Safety. When good schools such as SSA any alumni will remember the sign hung in the Junior School which read: DO IT speak of diversity and inclusive community, BECAUSE IT’S RIGHT.