belgrade lakes, maine february 2014 GRACIOUS LIVING IS THEIR GOAL: PINE ISLANDERS TAKE PINE ISLAND WITH THEM TO CLASSROOMS FAR AND WIDE It is always a bit jarring to move in- Our Goal, for the Pine Island dining doors to a classroom after a summer hall. Montague’s motto spread quickly at Pine Island, but over the years many beyond the dining hall to other areas Pine Islanders have made the logical of camp life and then off the island and transition from counselor to teacher, out into the world beyond Great Pond. and nearly every one of them cites his The motto was enshrined permanent- or her early training as a counselor at ly on a sign presented to Montague at Pine Island with preparing them well a gala event at the Explorers’ Club in for the rigors of the classroom. Three of New York a few years ago where dozens the only five directors Pine Island has of alumni and parents gathered to cel- had since it was founded in 1902 have ebrate his many contributions to Pine been teachers. Jun Swan taught at the Island Camp. These days one can even Collegiate School in New York City for celebrate the goal of Gracious Living nearly twenty years and then taught at with a gracious living bumper sticker. the Kingswood School and the Junior Pine Island’s current director Ben School before becoming the assistant Swan taught at the Episcopal High headmaster at the then brand new Ren- School in Alexandria, Virginia for five brook School in West Hartford, Con- years and then taught in Maine public necticut. Jun landed his first two teach- schools for a year before departing the ing jobs with Pine Islander headmasters classroom to become Pine Island’s first Wilson Parkhill and Nelson Farquhar. year-round director. Ben’s training at Montague Ball was also a teacher and Pine Island under director Montague assistant headmaster for each of the Ball gave him great appreciation for just Matt Clarke and his science students. twenty years he was Pine Island’s direc- how valuable the principles of Gracious tor. Monte taught at the Shattuck School Living are to the Pine Island community in Faribault, Minnesota and then went that is built each summer. Respect, good Longtime assistant director to Mon- high school in southern France. While to work with former Pine Island as- manners, thinking about others, doing tague Ball, Tim Nagler, taught at the she was there she found Alex Toole in sistant director Chip Handy, who was any task you are given to the best of your Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connect- town on his semester abroad and then headmaster at the Lawrence Country ability, taking responsibility for your icut, and Tim Holbrook, who was assis- found that Tasha Yektaki’s Bowdoin Day School in Lawrence, Long Island. own actions, and the belief that every- tant director in the 1960s, was a teacher rugby team was playing a game at the Next Monte went to Christ Church one has something to offer are the core and head of school for many years. Rex very school where she was teaching. Episcopal School in Greenville, South of any successful community and are Bates, Tom Macfie, and Ken Howe, also Then she and Alex went to a concert and Carolina and finished his career at Fay- principles that have never gone out of assistant directors under Montague, all found Whitehead Lightkeeper Abby etteville Academy in Fayetteville, North style for any good teacher or school ad- taught school, and Ken is still at it at Wills in attendance! Carolina. While serving as director of ministrator and especially for the many the Fessenden School in West Newton, Andrea Hollnagel has taken on the in- Pine Island, Montague established the who have been trained at Pine Island Massachusetts, where he is head of resi- terim librarian position at the Berkshire oft-repeated motto, Gracious Living Is over the years. dential life. The words Gracious Living School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, but Is Our Goal have been enshrined in the will retire again at the end of this year, dining hall there for more than twenty having been involved in secondary edu- years. Ned Bishop has been a coach and cation for over forty years. Andrea has teacher at Connecticut College in New held positions in schools in Minnesota, London, Connecticut for 30 years. Matt Texas, Pennsylvania, Greece, and Spain. Clarke teaches 8th grade physical science She has been a librarian, media special- at Wellesley Middle School in Wellesley, ist, teacher, dean of students, head of Massachusetts, and his wife Gina Yarm- school, and high school principal! After el teaches 3rd grade in the Somerville a year in South Korea teaching English public schools, specializing in English with her sister Amanda, Cecily Pulver as a Second Language students. Lindsay is now in Shanghai, China teaching Clarke has been teaching at the Wayn- English. Robert Brent is currently the flete School in Portland, Maine for sev- assistant director of after-school activi- eral years. Lindsay is currently teaching ties for low-income students in Chicago. 7th grade history (Cultural Geography), Harry Swan has accepted the Whitney 11th grade US History, and 7th grade Fisher Professorship in Kababalogy at French at Waynflete. She is also an advi- the Yale University School of Kababal- sor in the 7th grade, with nine students ogy, endowed by a gift from Charles and for whom she serves as advocate and the Martin Hale. Start date is uncertain. central hub for communication about Both Andrew and brother Jonathan their academic and social well-being at Irvine are teaching at the Harker School school. Ben Mini is also at Waynflete, in San Jose, California. Jesslyn Mullet where he teaches history and is an up- is teaching middle school in the public per-school advisor. Eve Whitehouse is school system in Brattleboro, Vermont. in her first year at the Millbrook School She says teaching sailing at Pine Island in Millbrook, New York, where she is was valuable preparation for her ca- teaching upper-level French (mostly AP reer path. Jesslyn has brought gracious and literature courses), coaching field living, working to a high standard, the Anne Stires with one of her students at the Juniper Hill School, hockey and lacrosse, and serving as a idea of being a responsible member of a which she founded. dorm parent. She taught last year at a community, and the humor and music 1 Andrew Irvine with his science students at the Harker School. Lindsay Clarke with her students at the Waynflete School. The sign over the door in Will Webb’s Portland, ME classroom. Cecily Pulver in her classroom in Shanghai. of campfire to both her classroom and person behind me.” “It took more than a the person behind them.” Will’s current to new heights. Perhaps the US Con- a summer job as one of the directors of month but the result was 23 nine-year- Manner of the Month reads, “When gress will be next… Village, a five-day-per-week program olds holding the door for their peers someone holds the door for me, I say, for children in which they “homestead” and adults,” Will reported recently. “East ‘Thank you.’ ” and “build” a village from scratch. End is a very busy school. Students have Anyone who knows Montague Ball Campfire is frequently listed as their fa- a ton of energy and seem to want to run will immediately know that he will be vorite part of the week. John Nagler is everywhere. But before they run, they very pleased to hear of Will’s having tak- in his second year teaching history and make sure they hold the door open for en gracious living to his classroom and serving as a dean at the Pacific Ridge school outside of San Diego, California. Sarah Mason is in her first year teaching kindergarten on Vinalhaven Island off the Maine coast. Joe Kovaz is teaching chemistry and physics at the A.C. Flora High School in Columbia, South Caro- lina. Anne Stires is in her third year as head of the Juniper Hill School in Alna, Maine. She founded the school and it won the Maine Environmental Educa- tion School of the Year in 2013. Juniper Hill is fully enrolled in pre-K through 3rd grade. Will Webb may be the first teacher to bring the Gracious Living motto direct- ly to his classroom. When Will moved into his own 4th grade classroom this past fall at the East End Community School in Portland, Maine, one of his first acts was to establish Gracious Liv- ing Is Our Goal as the class motto and to put up a sign made from a PIC bumper sticker over the door. Will then went a step further and established the Man- ner of the Month. The first Manner of the Month was expressed in a sign that read, “I can hold the door open for the Will Webb and his students. 2 EBAY YIELDS ANTIQUE PINE NEEDLES Only a few things that were lost in and 1922. This fall Ben Swan received eventually secured all 22 copies. They the Needle was often published, in print, the Great Fire of ’95 were impossible an email from Anthony Robeson, father are now safely in Brunswick and will during the summer. The camp season to replace. One such loss was a bound of former camper Moss Robeson, alert- eventually make their way to the Pine was ten weeks long in those days. collection of Pine Needles that had been ing him to a particularly Pine Island-rel- Island Collection, the extensive Pine Is- published in the early days of the camp.