Reports
FOR FAR BROOK ALUMNI AND FAMILIES NEAR & FAR
INSIDE
Alumni Giving for
Far Brook’s Future . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Technology the Far Brook Way . . . . 5
Leslie Penny’s Fond Memories
of Far Brook School . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Cashore Marionettes . . . . . . . . . . 9
Development at Far Brook . . . . . 10
Chamber Music & Chocolates . . . 11
Emily Otner’s Passion for Teaching 12
Far Brook History: Where We
Learned to Ski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Cellist David Finckel ‘67
Returns to Far Brook . . . . . . . . . 14
VOLUME XXV / SUMMER 2012
Alumni Giving for
Far Brook’s Future
By LINDA GEORGE
W
hat makes an alumnus whose student days at Far Brook ended more than
50 years ago keep coming back? And what makes that alum eager to give
back in ways that make an enormous difference in the life of the School?
We asked three people who have done that to tell us their stories.
Brad Wiley, Class of ’54 and now a Far Brook Trustee, found at Far Brook
“a distinctive culture [he] couldn’t let go,” and when he returns to the School now,
he finds that the culture still exists: “spiritually the School is still the same.” He
wants to help ensure that everything that is unique and wonderful about Far Brook
endures and that students and families who might not otherwise be able to experience it are invited in, too.
Alumni Gathering – Photos. . . . . 15
Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Alumni News 2012 . . . . . . . . . . 17
Alumni Visit Campus – Photos . . 24
Faculty and Administration
News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
We Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
FAR BROOK SCHOOL
52 Great Hills Road
Short Hills, NJ 07078
(973) 379-3442 • (973) 379-6740 Fax
[email protected]
www.farbrook.org
www.facebook.com/FarBrookAlumni
Reports is published yearly. Letters welcome.
Our Newest Graduates, the Class of 2012, in Costume for
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Brad has chosen to make
his difference at Far Brook
with an expendable scholarship fund named, with
gratitude, the Founding
Parents’ Scholarship Fund.
The Wileys were among the
families present at the birth of
Far Brook in 1948 and were
part of that group whose creative efforts and unwavering
belief in the School saw it
through some difficult times
in the early years. The
Founding Parents’ Fund is
Brad Wiley ’54
one of several scholarship
funds that go a long way
toward furthering the ideal of diversity, an essential ingredient in educating citizens of the world.
For Brad, Far Brook was “the primal educational experience in [his] life.” It was where “the woods were [his]
playground, where [he] could be autonomous and control
[his] destiny.” That early connection with the outdoors and
with great ideas has reverberated throughout his life – he
grew up to be a farmer, growing grapes in northern
California, and has spent his life immersed in books.
Brad came to the Buxton School, Far Brook’s predecessor, as a six-year-old, in 1946. He remembers being
treated as a mature person from the very beginning. The
legendary Winifred Moore, who became director in 1948
when the School became Far Brook, made an especially
lasting impression. Brad couldn’t wait for his turn to sit at
Mrs. Moore’s table at lunch, eager to participate in the
urbane conversation that took place around that table, about
the life of the School and the world beyond. “I wanted to be
an adult at age five,” Brad recalls, “and I was never discouraged; no challenge was discouraged.”
In Seventh Grade, he spent the year doing something at
which he excelled – drawing maps. He covered the walls of
the classroom with maps depicting highlights of the
American Revolution. But the project was never finished; a
fire in the Junior High building destroyed his carefully executed murals. But to Brad, that was a “perfect culmination”
to his Far Brook experience. He and his eight classmates
finished out the year in the Old Library ‒ which he knew
students had built years before ‒ looking out over the
swamp, surrounded by books. “I was addicted to books
even then,” he says. It was a happy addiction, as he was to
join his family’s publishing company, John Wiley & Sons,
Inc., founded in 1807, publishers of Washington Irving,
Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, and other luminaries
whose names and works are Far Brook familiars.
Brad visited Far Brook this spring, on a sunny day in
March. He brought California redwood seedlings and left
them in the care of First and Third Graders, who will tend
them until next year, when Brad returns to see how the
seedlings have fared and to decide whether they are sturdy
enough to be planted outside. It’s an ecosystem experiment,
but it’s more than that. It’s also a living connection,
transcontinental, and trans-generational.
Joe Baker’s Far Brook story is perhaps even more surprising, in that he attended Far Brook for only 27/8 years, as
he calculates it, propelled here by an unsatisfactory match
with the fourth grade
teacher in the school he was
attending. Things were
clearly “not working out”
there, and Joe’s parents
found Far Brook. That was
the fall of 1956.
Joe stayed at Far Brook
through Sixth Grade, when
he left for The Morristown
School (now MorristownBeard School), then Drew
University.
He did not return to Far
Brook until 1988, when he
Joe Baker ’62
came back to see if the
School was still here. “I
wouldn’t have found it without the sign. It all looked so different,” he says. But he did find it. He walked into the
office, and the first person he saw was Helen Finckel, a Far
Brook icon, always warm and welcoming. (Mrs. Finckel
passed away in March. Please see “We Remember” in this
issue.) That was the beginning of Joe’s reconnection to Far
Brook. It was indeed a different place from what he remembered but still the same at the core. He came to know Mary
Wearn Wiener, then Head of School, and credits her with
helping to preserve Far Brook’s traditions and spirit and
moving the School forward.
For Joe, the top priority in his giving is endowment, and
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Nursery children choose to read together.
Emi Ithen reads to her Kindergarten class.
his generous gifts have strengthened the School immeasurably. “If you don’t have an endowment,” he points out, “you
don’t have a school.” That’s especially clear in these uncertain economic times.
Back in 1956, Far Brook was unlike any school Joe had
ever seen. He came to visit and talked with Mrs. Moore. To
his surprise, there was no entrance exam. Mrs. Moore
asked, “Would you like to start today or would you like to
celebrate and come back tomorrow?” He deferred until the
next day, when he joined his class of 14 students. Math
class wasn’t what he expected. In Fifth Grade, with its curriculum focused on the Greeks and Romans, he remembers
doing arithmetic in Roman numerals ‒ no easy feat, since
the Romans didn’t have zero.
In the 1950s, the School was “out in the middle of
nowhere,” and as others, including Brad Wiley, have
remarked, students were encouraged to explore. No one
seemed particularly concerned that students would wander
off and emerge some time later from their adventures in the
wilds of Short Hills. There
were horses, donkeys, and
rabbits. Joe remembers
cleaning the stables,
something he had not
done before, and playing
games of capture the flag
almost every day.
Did Far Brook change
his life? Joe sees Far
Brook as part of his “academic saga … a microcosm
of a liberal arts education.”
He comes from a family of
scientists ‒ his late father
was head of Bell
Jay Hughes ’56
Laboratories and in 1988
was awarded the National Medal of Science ‒ and Joe spent
his own career in computer systems. But he also has a strong
interest in history and political science, the beginnings of
which he traces to Far Brook. Joe is an enthusiastic supporter of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and perhaps
the seeds of that passion were sown during those 27/8 years
at Far Brook, too.
Joe is a Far Brook stalwart. He has just finished his 11year term as Trustee. He’s a regular at Annual Fund events,
writing to fellow alumni in the fall, dialing for dollars in the
Telethon in the spring. “It’s important to get a high percentage of participation,” he points out. “Foundations want to
see not just that an institution has a few donors who give
large sums, they want to see commitment of lots of people,
even if they don’t give much.”
Joe’s own remarkable commitment to the School shines
forth as a challenge and an inspiration.
James E. (Jay) Hughes makes the careful distinction
between being educated at Far Brook and being a graduate
of Pingry, Princeton, and Columbia School of Law. “I am
always connected to Far Brook every day of my life,” he
says. That’s a big statement, coming from someone whose
student days here ended in 1956. “Teaching through the arts
was enormously powerful for me,” he says. “The Far Brook
community was diverse and disparate, and it fostered a way
of being that I’ve never found elsewhere ‒ a culture of gentleness, growing out of the arts, beauty, and harmony.”
That culture means so much to Jay that he has established a fund to provide financial aid to Far Brook students.
Director of Advancement Carol Sargent remembers the call
she got from Jay in October 2008, as the financial world
was crashing. “I don’t want anyone to have to leave Far
Brook because of money,” he said. His own parents had
made serious sacrifices to educate him and his siblings (also
Far Brook alumni), and he was determined to honor them
by passing along that gift.
3
Metropolitan Museum, with sketch pads and pencils, to the
Unicorn Tapestries (which had not yet been moved to The
Cloisters). You’ll sit together and draw everything you see.”
These drawings were to become the blueprint for the sets
the class would build for their play, the medieval romance
Aucassin and Nicolette. “We became the figures in those
tapestries,” Jay recalls.
Family and philanthropy have been central themes in
Jay’s life and his work. A sixth-generation attorney, his passion is working with families around the world to help them
avoid the “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations”
model and instead preserve not only family wealth, but also
human and intellectual family assets. He credits Winifred
Moore and his time at Far Brook as helping him understand
complex systems ‒ which families are ‒ and how to function as part of a system. How often do we hear at Far Brook
the importance of learning to be part of something greater
than ourselves?
Jay’s gift to Far Brook, fittingly, helps preserve the
human and intellectual assets of this institution, which has
been so central to his life.
Giving back is a tradition at Far Brook. Every day, in
ways big and small, the entire community gives back, culminating for Eighth Graders with their presentation of The
Tempest or A Midsummer Night’s Dream as their gift to the
School. In the same spirit, these extraordinary alumni, with
modesty and gratitude, continue that tradition.
Playing teaches collaborative skills in Kindergarten.
“Can I raise $100,000 for scholarships?” Jay asked himself. “We’re not a wealthy family,” he explains. “I didn’t have
the money, but I thought I would try to do this, and, like
Forrest Gump, I started to run.” He reached his $100,000
goal by directing his speaker’s fees to Far Brook and by asking the philanthropic boards on which he sits to make
donations to Far Brook. He not only established the James E.
and Elizabeth Hughes Scholarship Endowment Fund, named
for his parents, but he has also been successful in soliciting
expendable scholarships through a private foundation with
which he is associated.
Jay entered the School in First Grade, in 1948, its first
year as Far Brook. His parents were both deeply committed
to progressive education and had just moved from the Upper
West Side to New Jersey. “You’re going to Far Brook,” they
told Jay and his younger brother, Peter. Jay’s mother, now
93, is a graduate of Mills College of Education in New York
and was particularly interested in early childhood education.
Jay’s father had attended the Lincoln School at Columbia
University’s Teachers College, a testing ground for the ideas
of the famed educator and father of experiential education,
John Dewey ‒ who not coincidentally had been a mentor to
Ellen Geer Sangster, founder of the Buxton School, Far
Brook’s predecessor. Both of Jay’s parents’ educations had
been made possible by scholarships.
Experiential education requires students to stretch,
“doing things [they] didn’t know [they] could do,” as Jay
describes it, and learning through the arts adds to that experience a profundity “beyond anyone’s imagination.” Jay
remembers the morning Mrs. Moore came to his Sixth
Grade class and tapped five or six students and told them to
come outside. “That was always great news here, being
called out by Mrs. Moore,” he says. There was a little bus
parked near the classroom. “You’re not coming to class this
week,” Mrs. Moore said. “You’ll be going to the
TRIBUTE GIFTS
Tribute gifts are a simple and significant way to
express joy or sorrow for events in the lives of relatives and friends – in honor of a wedding, birthday,
anniversary, or other special occasion, or in memory
of a loved one.
To make a Tribute gift, advise the Development
Office of the type of gift and the name and address
where you would like the acknowledgment card to be
sent. You may make your gift by mail, at Far Brook’s
website, www.farbrook.org, or by calling. Please
contact the Development Office, 973-379-3442, for
more information.
Far Brook will send an acknowledgment card to
the person(s) indicated, including a message of your
choice. The amount, of course, will not be disclosed.
Contributions are tax-deductible.
Tribute gifts, unless directed otherwise
by the donor, are added to Far Brook’s endowment.
4
Technology the Far Brook Way
By AMY M. ZIEBARTH, Head of School
(Note: The following is the speech Amy Ziebarth delivered
on Education Night, October 12, 2011.)
Good Evening.
… Tonight you have the opportunity to visit with your
child’s classroom teachers as well as our “specials teachers”
in music, art, sports, woodshop, and library. I hope you note
the substance of our curriculum, the deep connection
between our teachers and students and the power of this
extraordinary community… .
This Far Brook faculty is remarkable. This is my second year working with the teachers and I have spent a great
deal of time observing and reflecting upon what they all
give to this School and to our children. …
When I spoke last year on this night, I mentioned what
I thought were the essential characteristics for healthy
school communities – curiosity, self-reflection, creativity,
compassion, empathy, intellectual honesty, good will, and
sound judgment. I want to add to this [list] a “growth mindset,” which Carol Dweck [author and Stanford professor]
describes so passionately. A mindset of someone who loves
a challenge, who is intrigued by her mistakes, who enjoys
the effort and “grit” involved in accomplishing great things.
Far Brook has long understood and articulated the importance of the growth mindset – often referred to as process.
We praise our students not for being smart or talented but
for what they have accomplished through practice, study,
persistence, good strategies, and “grit.”
Fifth Graders dissect a sheep’s eyeball
during their study of biology.
Of course, it is easy to make such statements and much
harder to live by them. If Carol Dweck [had] joined me on
the Junior High wilderness trip to Pok-O-MacCready in the
Adirondack Mountains, she would [have been] pleased! I
saw tremendous respect, trust, and opportunities for risk,
growth, and great accomplishments. I saw “grit” at Pok-O.
I observed great humor, appreciation of beauty, and a deep
connection to our surroundings. I watched Sophie talk her
peers through two hours of the low ropes course. Just
because Sophie had a sprained ankle and couldn’t climb
didn’t mean she wasn’t part of that team. And then Brian
carried her a quarter of a mile home on his back. During our
night hike, both Ming and Andrew helped a few of us navigate the darkness with confidence and kindness. I saw a
hand on a shoulder, encouraging words, shouts of joy at the
big fish, and humor. Seventh and Eighth Grade parents,
your kids are very funny!
As we were unpacking, I was flipping my mattress over
and over trying to find that clean side. I looked up to see
Isabella’s bunk completely made up with beautiful sheets
and pillows. She saw the look on my face and said, “Amy,
you will learn the system.” Pok-O is truly the culmination
of what our students have experienced during their years at
Far Brook.
The rapid development of technology, however, has
posed some unique questions for Far Brook. How do we
balance the iPad with the Processional? How do we nurture
our taproot and still keep a connection to the fast-paced,
ever-changing world around us? We have a School steeped
Sixth Graders took a trip to the Buehler Challenger
and Science Center, in Paramus, NJ, for their
“Mission to Mars” adventure.
5
technologies and see what works and what doesn’t work. I
want feedback from faculty about using Flip video cameras
in the Third Grade and the variety of ways the students will
use them. Or a Wiki for our students to weigh in on a book
they read on the Kindle or maybe a video clip linked to our
website. How could an iPad be used for the Second Grade
study of the solar system?
All small but very exciting steps for us.
The reality is that today’s students are different from
those of even a decade ago.
My colleague, Liz Duffy (Head of School at
Lawrenceville), wrote a paper on the Head of School’s role
in technology integration that resonated with me. We were
both in college in the early 1980s; we brought our electric
typewriters as freshman and left four years later with something called a computer. Technology seemed to be designed
Eighth Grade geometry includes the use of calculators.
in tradition, ritual, and nature and yet we must coexist with
technology, 21st century schools, and global thinking.
How do we determine what timeless elements of a Far
Brook education should remain exactly the same and those
that must evolve and adapt to our rapidly changing times?
How can we establish the rightful and seamless role for
technology as a compliment to our School’s commitment to
learning through the arts? This is a very exciting question
for me!
Just as we refuse to have children sit passively in rows
of desks listening to a teacher lecture, we will not hand
devices to children trusting that they will receive knowledge electronically. But I do not want to deny them what
technology has to offer them at their fingertips, how it can
infuse our curriculum – and help us become a more responsive community. I want to experiment with new
Fourth Graders collaborate on a writing project.
to test our patience and to give new meaning to the word
“crash.” My most important lesson was to remember to
save my work as I progressed or risk losing it somewhere in
cyberspace. Texting, skyping, and social networking were
still science fiction.
Yes, the world has changed dramatically.
Students are now known as “digital natives” who
acquire knowledge in very different ways than I did, and
most of you did as children. Technology is already a major
force in their young lives. Students resist being directed by
a script or a manual. They don’t consume information;
instead they create, evaluate, synthesize, and share information. They do not want to work alone at their desks.
Instead, they are collaborative learners who want to learn by
doing. They are multi-taskers who are comfortable jumping
into a situation not knowing ahead of time what the outcome may be.
I know you have heard this by now, but a significant
majority of today’s children will find themselves in
careers that do not yet exist, where they will be asked to
Seventh Graders learn to help others and to
work together through community service.
6
solve problems we have not yet imagined.
The good news is that what young children need and
respond to happens on this campus every day. Our themebased curriculum allows our students to make connections,
to work in groups and problem solve, and to study the great
disciplines of art, literature, mathematics, and music. Our
students use art and language to explore history and discover for themselves its relevance in their own lives. We
offer lab science to young students because we know that
experimentation is a powerful learning tool. Our students at
Far Brook experience “soul stirring” learning, they move,
create, sing, dance, and dream here. What Far Brook offers
is a multi-media approach in its most fundamental sense.
But we also have a wonderful opportunity to chart our
course for the future knowing full well that, like any good
tool, technology and digital media must be used in the right
context and must not change who we are at our core.
We will always start our day with Morning Meeting
where we are given the opportunity to listen, learn, and sing.
And I will always ask you to leave your cell phones in the car.
Like some of you, I have a Blackberry. … I had it with
me at a meeting last week. As soon as my mind started to
wander, I checked my email. I stopped listening, was totally disengaged. My guess is that has happened to many of
you as well. But my Blackberry keeps me connected to
ideas and people who are not here; and very simply, it
makes me more efficient, more responsive to all of you.
We all know the importance of connection, engagement,
and focus. Our children do not. They must learn it for themselves. That is one of the greatest gifts of a Far Brook
education. We demand engagement and connection in ways
that are meaningful to our students. Every time I enter into a
classroom, pass a group of students, walk by someone on the
path, I hear, “Hi Amy, want to see what I am doing?” “Guess
what?” “Look at this.” “Want to see what I have in my lunch
box?” I love chatting with the Sixth Graders and hearing
about their lunch selections. I still haven’t gotten over the
sight of Joey’s homemade greenish brown rice crispy treats!
I stopped in the Nursery on Picture Day only to hear
Caius say, “Amy, my pants match my shirt today!” The
ability to make these connections is a cornerstone of educational success and at the heart of who we all are as human
beings.
During our sports report last Friday, Marc quoted Steve
Jobs, “… have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to
become.”
I thought to myself, isn’t that something that we would
say here at Far Brook?
Lunchtime in Second Grade is a good time to
pose for the camera.
All First Graders put the chairs up
at the end of each day.
In Third Grade, students make a “winter count” of
milestones in their lives in the tradition of
Native Americans of the Plains.
7
Leslie Penny’s Fond Memories
of Far Brook School
By HELEN KAPLUS
O
n a rainy summer day in 1977 in East Hampton,
New York, former Kindergarten teacher Leslie
Penny made her first contact with Far Brook
School. There she met Fifth Grade teacher Hillary Barry
who spoke to her about “the charming little school on the
hill” in Short Hills, New Jersey, which sounded too good to
be true! Hillary spoke of Junior High math teacher Mary
Adams, who walked up the hill every day with her cello;
and of Barbara Whiter, the science teacher who incorporated into her curriculum sculpting animals from bread dough
and who taught many of her classes out in the “swamp”
(now the Wetlands Habitat); and of teacher Anne Seeley
whose dog, Nikki, followed her everywhere on the campus,
including into Morning Meeting; and of the new director,
Peter Babcox, who sat on the floor with the Kindergarten
children. Leslie, who was teaching in East Hampton and
taking classes in New York City, was looking to move closer to the City with her seven-year-old son, Erik, and
soon-to-be husband, George. At the same time, Far Brook
was looking for someone to teach in the combined
Kindergarten/First Grade class and for an assistant in the
Nursery. George could work in the Nursery and Erik could
attend the Second Grade with Carol Silver as his teacher!
This move was meant to be, for Far Brook was also looking
for someone to live in the little cottage behind the School,
which had been Far Brook founding director Winifred
Moore’s dwelling.
Leslie and her family moved into the cottage just before
school began and lived there for four years. The cottage
consisted of four small rooms, with a fireplace and two
adjacent rooms that comprised Far Brook’s business
office. Outside was a
medieval bulb garden,
added to each year by the
graduating students, and
bordered by a stone wall
with a nook that was home
to a sculpture by art teacher
Bill Johnson. (That sculpture, a gift from Bill, now
resides on Mrs. Penny’s living room mantle.) Teachers
Former Kindergarten
came to the cottage to visit,
Teacher Leslie Penny
to borrow a cup of sugar for
Kindergartners Dressed for the Medieval Feast
a cooking project in class, or to take shelter from a snowstorm. Leslie especially remembers Drama Director
Richard Carlin and teacher Carol Silver having an
overnight with them when stranded. Occasionally, people
skated on the frozen swamp. The cottage sometimes
became a classroom for the Kindergartners who gathered
around the fireplace. Graduates would knock on the door
looking for Mrs. Moore. They would fondly say, though
they had travelled beyond New Jersey, no place was as
beautiful to them as Far Brook.
Zeke, the Pennys’ Golden Retriever, roamed the
grounds, often landing in the sandbox and allowing the children to cover him with sand. Cats Jessie and Soufflé had the
run of the campus as well, often winding up on top of the
piano in Kindergarten or in a basket of yarn in Mrs. Silver’s
room. Among the many animals Mrs. Penny had in her
Kindergarten over the years was Benjamin Bunny, a blonde
miniature rabbit who gained the freedom to roam the classroom, venture outside to visit the pony and donkey, and
wander as far as the woodshop.
When Nursery teacher Marjorie Bery brought the study
of Monarch butterflies into the class that she co-taught with
George, the Pennys would bring the Monarchs to the cottage on weekends to feed them. Mrs. Penny was happy to
continue the Monarch study in Kindergarten after Mrs.
Bery moved to Italy, beginning each school year with the
colorful butterflies filling the classroom.
Leslie co-taught with D’Ann Ippolito and Marian Davis
8
for a few years until the Kindergarten and First Grades
became separate programs. Leslie remained in the
Kindergarten and, at about the same time, George became
the woodshop teacher, sharing the room with Bill Johnson
and his art classes.
Leslie is proud that she was instrumental in bringing
together the Sixth Graders and Kindergartners to study the
medieval time period (which they still do). Years ago, after
watching the giant puppets used in the Sixth Graders’ presentation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight during
Morning Meeting, the little children couldn’t wait to make
their own giants. Leslie was happy to oblige. She rolled out
long stretches of white paper on the floor and the children
drew giants, knights, kings, and queens to their hearts’ content. She and Sixth Grade teacher Valerie McEntee agreed,
shortly after, to join the classes for the Medieval Feast.
Leslie embellished the medieval theme over the years by
reading books, studying about castles, making puppets with
the Kindergartners, and visiting the Metropolitan Museum
of Art’s Arm and Armor exhibit or, in recent years, The
Cloisters. Each year, the Sixth Graders are still eager to
know who they will be paired with during their medieval
studies, and Kindergartners are excited to be with the older
students. The classes continue to paint shields, make
trenchers, share castle character roles, and eat together in
the spring Medieval Feast.
In the Kindergarten, the spring unit of study became
focused on the Shakespeare play for that year, A
Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Tempest. Leslie introduced age-appropriate activities, readings, and projects to
peak the children’s interest and enthusiasm. Lines from the
plays were recited with the children and, of course, the
songs written to accompany each play were sung in the
classroom as well as in Morning Meeting.
During Leslie’s last three years at School, she was the
library coordinator for the Lower School. She was always
surrounded by children while she read them stories by the
crackling fireplace or helped them find books.
Leslie Penny’s 34 years at Far Brook were magical. She
remembers her first faculty meeting after she moved onto the
campus so long ago. She walked into the Hall and Music
Director Emeritus Eddie Finckel was at the piano playing
“Someone to Watch Over Me.” That’s when she knew that
being at Far Brook was “like stepping into heaven.”
Cashore Marionettes
Delight Students
By CAROL SARGENT
The award-winning Cashore Marionettes presented
their show, Simple Gifts, to Far Brook students on May
22, to the strains of classical music. The Cashore
Marionettes, renowned for their creativity, artistry, and
ability to “touch audiences deeply,” performed vignettes
that depicted scenes of everyday life.
In the hands of Joseph Cashore, the incredibly
expressive hand-made puppets became real life characters, portraying emotions from the tenderness of a lullaby
to the sheer joy of a boy flying a kite. The accompanying
music by composers well known at Far Brook – Copland,
Vaughan Williams, Beethoven, Vivaldi – was the ideal
background for the whimsical, humorous, and sometimes
serious scenes. Described as “wonderful, enlightening,
and fascinating,” the program and subsequent demonstration fostered a creative and imaginative response from
students, so typical of a Far Brook education.
The two performances were made possible by the
Fredda Leff Special Projects Endowment Fund, established by a Far Brook alumni family to provide
exceptional learning experiences for the students each
year. Over the last few years, the students have had special days on world percussion, storytelling, dance,
African drumming and dancing, and music and nature.
On May 15, an afternoon reception was held in the
Segal Library to celebrate Leslie’s 34 years at Far
Brook. Students, alumni, current and former teachers
and other staff members, and friends joined the party to
visit with Leslie and share memories and cake with her.
9
Development at Far Brook
2012 Report
By MICHELLE SWITTENBERG, Board of Trustees Development Co-chair
Note: This address was presented at the Annual Meeting
on May 2, 2012.
On behalf of my Co-chair, Barbara Pagos, and the
Development Office, I would like to extend a big “thank
you” to the Far Brook community for your continued commitment to the development efforts of the School. Tonight I
want to share with you some of the highlights from this year.
As you all know so well, the Annual Fund is vital to the
health of daily life at Far Brook. Your generous giving and
gifts from all constituencies contributes about 7% of the
operating budget of the School. Participation from our
Current Parent community remains strong. Led by our longtime and extraordinarily dedicated Annual Fund Co-chairs,
Kathy Hatfield ’81, Michele Iverson, Dave Melillo, and
Elyse Post ’78, our Annual Fund volunteers have spent
countless hours reaching out to the Current Parents, Alumni,
and Alumni Parents. A special thank you to all the Annual
The Fifth Grade class play was Aristophanes’ Lysistrata
additional $75,000 above and beyond their already generous giving. I am pleased to share with you that we hit our
goal with commitments from 100 new donors – new
Current Parents, new Alumni donors, as well as Faculty and
Staff. This is truly reflective of Far Brook’s community of
giving. Thank you to all Trustees and donors who helped to
make this Challenge a reality.
And we have more exciting Annual Fund news. For the
first time in Far Brook’s history, gifts and pledges total
more than half a million dollars! Of course there is still
work to be done collecting pledges and continuing to bring
in gifts. As of today, funds received total $445,000. So, if
you have not fulfilled your pledge or made a gift yet, please
do so soon. While there is still time to make a contribution,
we are working to close out this year’s Annual Fund by
June 30. Every gift is needed and deeply appreciated.
Another important area of development this year has
been our commitment to raise additional funds for current
use financial aid, scholarships, and technology. With the
recent economic conditions, we have seen a dramatic
Sixth Graders presented Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar,
“Part One: The Death of Caesar.”
Fund volunteers who worked together to make this a success.
This year, we have exciting news! A group of current
and former Trustees proposed a challenge to the Annual
Fund – add 100 new donors and they would contribute an
The last class play of the year, Sokar and the Crocodile, was performed by the Fourth Grade.
10
the process forward, reviewing financing and fundraising
options. Planning for and implementing a Capital Campaign
will be a major development effort for the next few years.
This year, the Development Office worked with
Trustees to visit new families to officially welcome them to
the School. In April, a wonderful alumni event was held in
New York City at the apartment of a 1992 Far Brook graduate. In February, we were privileged to enjoy the
exceptional musical talent of Far Brook’s music faculty and
friends in “Romance in the Air: An Afternoon of Chamber
Music and Chocolates.”
The Development Office also oversees the Parents
Committee Council (PCC) and volunteers, special events,
production of all publications and advertising, public relations, management of the website, and much more. A special
thank you from Development to this year’s PCC Chair
Darlene D’Angelo and Co-chair Miki Beatty and all the
PCC volunteers who work tirelessly on behalf of the School.
In closing, it has been a busy year on the development
front. I would like to extend heartfelt thanks from Barbara
and myself to the Development Office staff –Suzanne Glatt,
Carol Sargent, Jennifer Barba, Peggy Fawcett, and Janice
O’Shea – who are so dedicated to Far Brook and to our children. And I would also like to offer a special thank you to
all our parent volunteers and fellow Trustees who have
made these development efforts and events possible and
successful this year.
The first part of Shakespeare’s
Henry the Fourth, “Part Two: The Contest Begins”
was performed by the Seventh Grade.
increase in the need for financial aid assistance for both current and prospective families. We have responded by
increasing the financial aid available. And in addition,
donors within and friends beyond our community have
responded generously with multi-year commitments to help
meet this growing need.
Chamber Music and Chocolates
A delicious Afternoon of Chamber Music and
Chocolates was held on February 12, 2012, thanks to Far
Brook music faculty and friends.
Eighth Graders in “Thurber Country,” Adapted from
Fables, Stories, Cartoons, and Poems by James Thurber
At more than $4.8 million, our Endowment has
rebounded well from the economic downturn, providing
close to $169,000 this year to the operating budget.
Increasing Far Brook’s Endowment remains a priority for
the School. A strong Endowment ensures that Far Brook’s
faculty salaries and benefits are competitive, increases
professional development opportunities, guarantees technology growth, supports the maintenance of existing and
new facilities, and makes certain that Far Brook will be here
for the next 65 years!
We have several well established Endowment funds.
The Hite Scholarship Fund provides support for educational necessities which fall outside of tuition assistance.
This Fund over the years has enabled scholarship students
to participate in after-school programs, music lessons,
tutoring, and SSAT prep, among other activities.
The master planning process is complete. Amy
[Ziebarth] and the Board will continue their work to move
(l to r back) Erasmia Voukelatos, William Shadel,
Nardo Poy, Milan Milinkovic, Paul DiDario, and F. Allen Artz
(front) Ashley Horne and André Solomon-Glover
11
Emily Otner’s Passion for Teaching
By HELEN KAPLUS
Former First Grade teacher Emily Otner has retired this
June. Emily came to Far Brook 33 years ago because she
loved teaching children and felt that Far Brook supported
her educational beliefs, “the embodiment of John Dewey
and Piaget.” Through the years that Emily has dedicated to
Far Brook, she has certainly supported and enhanced our
educational values as well.
Emily had worked in the public school system in New
York City and moved to New Jersey to raise her family. She
met former Third Grade teacher
D’Ann Ippolito while volunteering at Playhouse Nursery
where their children attended.
D’Ann’s enthusiasm for Far
Brook was palpable and her
recommendation, along with
Emily’s background in education, won her a job co-teaching
with D’Ann in the combined
Kindergarten-First Grade class.
Later, when the grades were
Retiring First Grade
split, Judy Fabian assisted
Teacher, Emily Otner
Emily in their own classroom.
Emily, together with Judy,
developed the child-centered First Grade program. She
always loved art, theater, ballet, and nature and was grateful
that the School supported her interests and allowed her to
incorporate them into the curriculum. The themes were personal, drawn from the world around her and the children, not
from books. There had been a wild, wet area where the parking lot is now and she and her students would pull out frogs
and tadpoles to bring back to the classroom. That would be
the basis for lessons on frogs and nature and everything else!
During the construction of the administration building,
the Middle School building, and the library, trucks and
backhoes became the objects of admiration and discussion.
Emily preferred to base her curriculum on “real” things that
surrounded the children and aroused their interest and built
on that. They would talk about the tractors and count the
wheels, and make experience charts. That was way before
computers! The children made their own phonics books and
the content was always connected to the theme. When they
read stories together, they were somehow linked, too, and
then the children were directed to make their own books to
support the lesson.
It was always a pleasure for Emily to include art and to
apply what the children observed in the pieces to the greater
curriculum. When they looked at a Mondrian painting, the
children talked about color, shapes, and numbers. If it was
Monet’s “First Steps” they talked about brushstrokes, and
color, and the feeling portrayed in the work. This was an exercise in language and observation. Her love for art and music
were woven into the year-long theme of patterns as well.
Emily’s talent for blending math into creative projects
is seen again in her Quilting Across the Curriculum program, which has been shared with First Grade teacher Joan
Angelo. Each year, the students design and sew a baby quilt
that they donate to a women’s shelter or hospital. Several
years ago, Emily and Joan made a presentation of the quilting unit at a NJAIS conference to demonstrate how to
expand a project to include an entire curriculum.
Emily’s passion for teaching is evident when she
speaks about young, struggling readers. Her philosophy to
unlock the reading potential in young children is simple:
“everyone learns in a different way, and if you can find their
mode, you can get them to read.” Learning to read is a
process, and a teacher has to take the time to find a child’s
learning style to perform the magic.
About the Far Brook faculty and the community, Emily
says with a smile, “We all have a different way of giving”
and we provide different talents. “Put us together in a bowl
with a good dressing and we make a good salad!” For the
past six years, Emily has worked mornings supporting the
First Grade teaching team of Joan, Erin Comollo, and
Nancy Ring. Emily says she is sad to be leaving and she
will miss the children. She will, however, be able to travel
and to spend more time in New York City with her husband,
David, playing bridge, and taking advantage of all the exciting music, theater, and art the City has to offer.
A special Morning Meeting and reception were held
on June 5 to honor Emily’s contributions to Far Brook’s
children.
12
Far Brook History: Where We Learned to Ski
By DAVE BERNHARD ’70
Dartmouth hockey game. It was a fun time and also a time
of bonding with classmates and teachers, and yes, some of
us learned to ski there.
Not long ago, I decided I would try to find Ashley
House. A combination of memories, Google, and persistence allowed me to find it. The current owners welcomed
my wife, my son, and me to explore the grounds and the
main floor of the lodge (which was at full occupancy). The
front entry room, living room, and dining room looked
nearly as I remembered them from about 45 years ago! The
rope tow and slope were no longer in operation, but most
features remained recognizable. The rope tow’s engine
house was still standing, though sagging in old age. The
towpath was mostly cleared and was replete with pulley,
instructional and caution signs, and pieces of long-weathered rope hanging here and there. The slope was easily
visible and walkable. We walked up the towpath and then
down the slope and so many wonderful memories came
rushing back. What a wonderful adventure the ski trip had
been for us students! Thank you, Far Brook!
In the 1960s, Far Brook’s Junior High students and
teachers packed their textbooks and ski gear into a school
bus and an equipment van and drove to New England for a
two-week adventure of living together and skiing while also
getting in a little classroom time. In the earlier years we
went to a lodge named Ashley House (remembered by some
as Keene’s House) in Etna, New Hampshire, and later to
another location near Woodstock, Vermont.
Ashley House accommodated everyone in the Junior
High, with dorm rooms upstairs, a cozy living room downstairs, a dining area off to one side, and a rope tow and ski
slope right out the front door! We held class sessions in the
morning, “groomed” the slopes late morning by packing
down any new snow by stomping up and down the slopes
on our skis, skied a bit before lunch, took skiing lessons
(taught by members of Dartmouth’s ski team), had a period
for free skiing in the afternoon, and held a quiet study period before dinner. After-dinner activities were usually
reading poetry or stories aloud near the fireplace in the living room, but one night would be an outing such as to a
Junior High students are off to New Hampshire for their ski trip (circa 1955): (r to l) Rosalind Bjornson ’58, Sally Adams
Chernoff ’57, Jill Siccardi Denio ’59, Joanne Shutt Weiss’59, Elizabeth “Bebe” Graves Miller ’58, Marilyn “Marlo” Jones
’58, Mary Fisher Trachtenberg ’57, Edie Wilkinson Allen ’59, Jeannie Redpath Becton ’59, Judy Porter Zub ’59, Sallie Boring
Satterthwaite ’59, Bob Zeiller ’58, Doug Kendall ’59, John Fort ’59, and Eric Savage ’59 (deceased).
On top of the bus, (r to l), Peter Eisenberg ’59, Dick Holden ’57, and Stuart “Ritchie” Richardson (deceased).
13
Cellist David Finckel ’67 Returns to Far Brook
By LINDA GEORGE
If you happened to be strolling past Moore Hall on
students to this day walk solemnly during the
May 1, 2012, you would have heard otherworldly sounds
Thanksgiving Processional. “It’s scary to play in front of
filling the air, emanating from a gorgeous cello being
people,” David said, “but Mrs. Moore saw the
played by someone equally at home at Far Brook as in the
Processional as a spiritual exercise, a time for giving
world’s great concert halls – Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall,
thanks and giving back. And she equated reverence with
and other music venues, from Berlin to Beijing.
how slowly the students walked.” Accordingly, as David
David Finckel, a member of Far Brook’s Class of 1967,
recalls, he played “Wachet Auf” so many times, and so
had come to Morning Meeting to talk about his years here
slowly, that he learned it really, really well.
and his life as a musician. David is the son of Edwin Finckel,
David went on to Madison High School, and at age 16
Far Brook music director from 1951 until 1990, whose
won a competition to perform as soloist with the famed
vision shaped music at Far Brook, and Helen Finckel, Far
Philadelphia Orchestra. At 17, he became the first American
Brook receptionist for many years “the voice of Far Brook,”
student of the legendary Russian cellist Mstislav
as David put it. David had the full
Far Brook experience, from Nursery
through Eighth Grade, and he
“remembers everything” – his
teachers’ names, their voices, their
mannerisms. “They were the leaders
in my life and I will never forget
them. I’ve had a great life,” he continued, “and a lot of it is because of
what I learned at Far Brook and what
happened to me here.”
The music, the air filled with
song, and being surrounded by the
arts – that’s David’s memory of Far
Brook. To his wide-eyed audience,
David displayed his Kindergarten
drawing of a dinosaur. “I was learnAmy Ziebarth and David Finckel ’67 with Cello Students
ing history,” he said, and when you
translate that learning into art, “it becomes part of you.”
Rostropovich. In 1979, he joined three other exceptional
“Art has to come from inside you. I learned that at Far
musicians and together, as the Emerson String Quartet, they
Brook.”
have collected accolades from around the world, along with
David went on to recount his musical history. In Fourth
nine Grammys, one of which David brought to show Far
Grade, students who had shown any inclination towards
Brook students. David and his wife, acclaimed pianist Wu
music were encouraged to choose an instrument. David tried
Han, the undisputed power couple of classical music, named
the cello and loved it immediately, perhaps because it allows
Musical America’s 2012 Musicians of the Year, are also
for a “personal kind of sound” that seems to imitate the
Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln
human voice. Once he learned that especially human eleCenter and Founding Artistic Directors of Music@Menlo.
ment of vibrato, he “couldn’t keep [his] hands off the cello.”
To become a musician, he told the students, “you need
David Finckel has given back to Far Brook in many,
experience playing in public, and my first public performmany ways. He, his wife, pianist Wu Han, and Emerson
ance was in this room,” David said, looking around the
String Quartet violinist and alumni parent Philip Setzer
Hall with evident affection. The then-director, the “larger
have given several “Tanglebrook” concerts to benefit
than life” Winifred Moore, had asked David to play for the
the Edwin A. Finckel Scholarship for the Arts, “awardProcessional. He played a few bars from Bach’s “Wachet
ed to talented students who have potential to be leaders
Auf,” which the Morning Meeting audience recognized
in the arts programs at Far Brook.”
immediately, since it is the melody to which Far Brook
14
Alumni Gathering 2012
Adam Keil ’92, Liz Plotkin Keil ’93, Adam Abrahams,
Adam Plotkin ’90, Noah Keil ’01, and Heather Keil ’98
Host Dan Pincus ’92 and Director of
Advancement Carol Sargent
Alumni from many classes
gathered in New York City
on April 13, 2012
at the home of
alumnus Dan Pincus ’92.
Director of Development
Suzanne Glatt with Head of
School Amy Ziebarth
Mark Susko ’98
p
Robyn Mick Ryder ’78 with
Elyse Post ’78
15
Valerie Leeds ’72 and
Kevin Knotts ’67
Bess Oransky ’92, Liz Burke ’93, and
Rebecca Wildman Repetti ’93
Letters
April 8, 2011
When I was five years old, I had
the intense pleasure and privilege of
attending a gloriously progressive private school … called Far Brook. There
I learned violin, carved wood, caught
frogs, played with the horse and donkey, ran through the meadows with my
friends, played in sandboxes … you
can tell I loved it. Invited back by the
wonderful [former Kindergarten
teacher] Leslie Penny, my mom and I
hopped aboard the NJ transit for the
short ride. It’s changed a bit, but not
enough to be unrecognizable. In fact …
I wish I were still in school there!
Gabrielle Motola ’90
London, England
December 5, 2011
…I attended Far Brook from 19811984 and even though I was only seven
when I switched schools, Far Brook
was the educational highlight of my
life and I’m so grateful that I was able
to attend if only for a short time. So
many years have passed, and I still
sometimes dream of the School! In fact
last night I dreamt about Bill [Deltz,
Nursery teacher] and Mr. Finckel
[Music Director Emeritus]. …
Rebecca Vinacour ’91
Bowie, AZ
December 8, 2011
I feel so blessed to have been a student of Far Brook. To this day my
memory flashes back to the feel of “living” history carrying my precious
vegetable up to the [Thanksgiving
Processional] altar wearing a piece of
burlap! My involvement in singing,
playing sports, loving the environment
continues to enrich my life. I am using
my talents learned so many years ago
as a photographer.
We lived just up the hill … so my
days were full with all the wonderful
aspects of truly being a part of Far
Brook. My sister and I even fed the
horse and pony on weekends and exercised them. My parents [Don and
Isabel Jones] led the parent organization. My mom taught Nursery, then
Kindergarten. We were very fortunate
to be in the right place at the right time
and I am so thrilled that the School
continues enriching children’s lives.
Geri Jones Appleyard ’55
Chatham, MA
Belle Koven ’98
January 12, 2012
While working for Google, I often
gave a presentation on “engineering” to
groups of students. These groups were
invariably math and science oriented
and often geared towards honors or gifted students. Although I have always felt
that Far Brook was a special place, having a chance to give a variation of this
presentation to the Sixth and Seventh
Grades on January 4 was an extremely
gratifying and eye-opening experience.
The students at Far Brook were far
more engaged than I was used to.
Slides that I had always viewed as
rhetorical suddenly sparked active discussions, and questions that had
stumped so many audiences in the past
were answered, sometimes far more
creatively than I had ever imagined.
Having a chance to see for myself
how energetic, vivacious and downright intelligent the students were was
simply wonderful. I am absolutely
delighted that I had a chance to interact
16
with the students in this way. If I also
managed to interest a few of them in
engineering as a career, it will only be
icing on the cake!
Belle Koven ’98
Hermosa Beach, CA
December 22, 2011
David [Finckel ’67] was my first
ever cello teacher. I started lessons at
Far Brook with David when I was in
the Fourth Grade. I had lessons after
school in the nursery school room.
Mary Wiener (Mary Smith as she was
known at the time) was my Fourth
Grade teacher.
Eva Cherin ’77
Denver, CO
January 31, 2012
Hi Carol [Sargent],
… I do sing off and on and I still
LOVE music. It feeds my soul.
My kids are very musical. My son,
Jordan, is a pianist and vocalist who
especially loves to play jazz. I so wish
he could have known Eddie [Finckel,
Far Brook Music Director Emeritus].
Both my son and daughter attended Interlochen Arts Camp where they
encountered other kids of Far Brook
alumni … This last summer, we spent
time there with Rebecca Yard Questad
’76 and family … I have known
Rebecca since I was eight … we carpooled to Far Brook from Montclair
together and we spent many summers
at Point CounterPoint [Eddie Finckel’s
music camp in Vermont].
… we also met Susie Groisser ’79
… and my son encountered Lilian
Finckel [David Finckel ’67 and Wu
Han’s daughter] … . Suffice it to say,
the music ties from Far Brook are
everywhere and are enduring.
Eva Cherin ’77
Denver, CO
Alumni News 2012
1953
ARTHUR GILLETTE
Attended: The Putney School ’57;
Harvard University ’61; University of
Massachusetts ’76
From Meudon, France, Arthur
proudly announces that he is a “third
time grandpa.” Lunja (a fairy princess
in Arab mythology) was born to his
son, Arthur, and his Moroccan partner
Safia in July 2011. Arthur offers a Paris
guide on the internet: www.netprof.fr.
If you scroll down until you see
L’Histoire de Paris, you may take your
pick of English or French.
1967
Scott Sprinzen, Lucy Marks ’65, and Sons Alex ’99, and Leo Sprinzen ’03
Unlocking Your Natural State of Happiness, is the result of four years of
work with two acclaimed psychologists, Drs. Pratt and Lambrou, from
the Scripps Memorial Hospital in
California. There are already five other
language versions in the works!
1976 - 1977
1971
David Finckel ’67 with Eva Cherin
’77 and Her Son, Jordan Rudman,
in Denver
DAVID FINCKEL
Attended: Manhattan School of Music
Cellist David Finckel and his wife,
pianist Wu Han, have been declared the
2012 Musicians of the Year by Musical
America, recognizing their artistic
excellence and achievement in the arts.
David visited Far Brook in May; refer
to article on page 14.
1969
JOHN DAVID MANN
Attended: Changes High School;
Mannes College of Music
John’s new book, Code to The
World: The Four-Step Solution to
DAVID VON SALIS
Attended: Mendham High School ’74;
Bethany College ’78; Benedict
Language and Business School ’80
As an Elder of the Reformed
Church in America, David represented
the Brooklyn Classis of the General
Synod in Chicago in June, 2012.
1975
ELINORE MORIN
Attended: Oberlin College and
Conservatory; Michigan State
University; Patrick J. McDonald’s
Teacher Training Course (London)
Elinore is an accomplished vocalist
and violist. She plays viola with the
Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra,
maintains a lively private teaching practice in East Lansing, Michigan, and is a
faculty member of the Michigan State
School of Music’s Community Music
School. She is also a frequent guest lecturer on the Alexander Technique at many
universities and assists at teacher training
courses and workshops worldwide.
17
(front) Claire, Carl, and Former Far
Brook Music Teacher Mark Questad;
and (back) Jordan Rudman, Rebecca
Yard Questad ’76, Eva Cherin ’77,
Hannah Rose Rudman
1980
SUZANNE SNYGG
Attended: Montclair-Kimberley
Academy ’84; University of
California, Santa Cruz ’87; Kings
College (London) ’09
Suzanne has been living in the UK
for the past 10 years, in Bath, working
in the international division of Orange,
a subsidiary of France Telecom, and
has had many opportunities to travel
around the world. Suzanne began a
new job in March, Head of Content
Portfolio for Nokia. It is a global
1988
ALEXANDER MACINNES
Attended: Proctor Academy; Hobart
College
Congratulations to Alex and Katie
on the birth of Sadie Pembroke on
August 3, 2011. Son George Shepard,
who goes by Shep, is now three! Tim
Shoaf ’89 is Shep’s godfather and the
MacInnes family went out to Carmel
last November for Tim’s wedding. Alex
was best man and talked glowingly of
the time at Far Brook in his speech – “to
the exclusion of everything else,” he
says. In September, Alex began financial reporting for SourceMedia in New
York covering the private bond market
and leveraged finance. The family lives
in Garrison, New York.
1989
Alex MacInnes ’88 with Katie and
Their Children Shep and Sadie
responsibility (25 different markets
around the world), and she will continue to travel in the future ... “which is
always a good thing in [her] book.” She
has moved to London as her new base.
On the side, Suzanne continues various
linguistic studies – French, German,
and a touch of Swedish – and her martial arts training, as well as charity
work in Kenya and for various ocean
health organizations.
1986
MANDI COHEN MORGAN
Attended: Vail-Deane High School
’90; Pepperdine University ’94; Seton
Hall University
Mandi lives in Darien, Connecticut, with her husband, A.C.
Morgan IV, and their two daughters,
Eloise (9) and Gigi (7). Mandi wishes
she could send her girls to Far Brook!
DWIGHT SCHULTHEIS
Attended: The Pingry School ’93;
Kenyon College ’97; Babson
College ’04
Dwight has been living in Boston
for ten years with his wife, Lauren, and
their two children, Ben (2) and Ellie
(4). Dwight is the vice president of
international sales at Momoco, a
“designer meets consumer electronics
toy company.”
He would love to hear from his
classmates: [email protected].
1990
MATTHEW MANDELBAUM
Attended: The Pingry School ’94;
University of Pennsylvania ’98; New
York University ’03; Bank Street
College ’07
Matthew and his wife, Jamie, are
happy to announce the birth of their second child, Levi Samuel, born on March
6, 2012. He weighed in at 6 lbs. 4 oz.
Big sister Ella is now three. Matthew is
a learning specialist at the Robert Louis
Stephenson School in Manhattan. He
18
has recently passed his doctoral comps
for his PhD in educational psychology
at Fordham University and was featured
in the April 3, 2012, Association for
Psychological Science “Daily Observations” for his research on high school
girls and math. “And to think my first
psychology experiment was for
the Eighth Grade science fair!”
writes Matthew.
1991
ALEXANDRA CHENITZ
Attended: Newark Academy ’95;
Oberlin College ’99; Bank Street
College ’07
Ali lives in Williamsburg,
Brooklyn, and has been teaching at the
University Plaza Nursery School in
Manhattan for 10 years. The co-op is
associated with NYU but accepts a few
non-NYU community members as
well. Ali observed the Far Brook
Nursery a year or two pre-graduation
and still tries to emulate what she saw
Bill Deltz and Paula Levin doing in
their classroom! Ali even sang “’Tis a
Gift” to her class of three-year-olds
around Thanksgiving!
JACOB LEVIN
Attended: Phillips Andover Academy
’95; Princeton University ’99;
The Wharton School
Congratulations to Jacob and his
wife, Diana, on the birth of Joaquin
Morris on December 1, 2011. Jake is
Joaquin Levin, Son of Jacob ’91 and
Diana, Born on December 1, 2011
the CFO of a real estate and natural
resources company in Florida. Golf
and tennis are his main hobbies. The
family resides in sunny Miami Beach.
1992
Bess Oransky ’92, Her Husband,
Craig deLaurier, Baby Eli, and Sam
months off before returning to her
desk at Fitzpatrick Cella. The family
lives in Hoboken.
1994
KARA CHENITZ
Attended: Newark Academy ’98;
Columbia University ’02; University
of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey
Best wishes to Kara and her husband, Todd Jozsa, who tied the knot on
September 10, 2011 at the Highlawn
Pavilion in West Orange. Kara recently
completed her second year fellowship
in nephrology at the University of
Pennsylvania where she is also pursuing a master’s degree in health policy
research. Todd has completed his third
BESS ORANSKY
Attended: The Pingry School ’96; Yale
University ’00
Bess and Craig de Laurier
announce the birth of their second
child, Eli Benjamin, on November 8,
2011. He weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces.
Big brother Sam, now two, has adjusted well! The family lives in Greenwich
Village, New York.
1993
NOAH LEVIN
Attended: Livingston High School ’97;
University of Michigan ’01; Lewis &
Clark Law School
Congratulations to Noah and his
wife, Catherine (Cay) Yanca, on the
new member of their family, Calla Eve,
born June 2, 2011. Noah works from
home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as an
environmental lawyer while tending to
his young daughter. Cay is an environmental scientist with the EPA.
LEILA KAPLUS MARCOVICI
Attended: The Pingry School ’97;
Georgetown University ’01; Boston
University Law School
Leila and Bryan welcomed
Vivienne Sage into the world on
April 14, 2012. Leila has taken three
Kara Chenitz ’94 married Todd Jozsa
on September 10, 2011
year residency in internal medicine at
Cooper University in Camden. The
couple lives in Philadelphia.
MATTHEW KERNKRAUT
Attended: Millburn High School ’98;
George Washington University ’02;
Harvard University
Best wishes to Matt and his partner,
Ethan Leavy, who will be married on
July 14, 2012. The pair lives in San
Francisco.
ANDREW LEONARD
Attended: The Pingry School ’98;
Emory University ’02; Harvard
Business School
19
Andrew Leonard ’94 With His Bride,
Shelley Drake de Alth
Congratulations to Andrew and
Shelley Drake de Alth of Kalamazoo,
Michigan, who met at Harvard and
were wed on August 27, 2011 at Camp
Oneka in Pennsylvania. They honeymooned in New Zealand and Tonga.
Andrew is a principal of Classic
Capital, an investment management
and retirement planning firm, and
Shelley works as a trial lawyer. The
couple lives in Washington, DC.
MATTHEW ORANSKY
Attended: The Pingry School ’98;
Swarthmore College ’02; Fordham
University ’11
Matthew received his PhD in
Clinical Psychology from Fordham in
May 2011. He currently lives in New
Haven where he is completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Yale Child
Study Center, specializing in child and
adolescent trauma.
KATE SCELSA
Attended: Montclair Kimberley
Academy ’98; Sarah Lawrence
College ’02
Kate has been a member of theater
Kate Scelsa ’94
company Elevator Repair Service since
2002, performing in New York City
and on tour in a trilogy of shows
inspired by great works of American
literature. Tours have taken them to
exotic places around the world. “Gatz,”
their seven-hour marathon performance of The Great Gatsby, returned to
the Public Theatre in the spring of 2012
before moving to the Noel Coward
Theatre in London. They will continue
to tour “The Select (The Sun Also
Rises)” and work on their new piece, a
collaboration with playwright Sibyl
Kempson.
Visit
the
website:
http://www.elevator.org/. Kate’s own
original work has been seen in various
New York venues, and she writes fiction for young adults. Kate lives in
Brooklyn with her wife, Amanda, who
is a puppeteer and puppet maker.
1995
MICHAEL CHERNOFF
Attended: The Pingry School ’99;
Princeton University ’03
And
SARAH KEIL CHERNOFF
Attended: The Pingry School ’99;
Brown University ’03; Northwestern
University ’05
Sarah and Mike are loving parenthood and watching Brody develop. He
will be two in October. The family
lives in Cleveland where Mike is assistant general manager for the Cleveland
Indians and Sarah is a speech language
pathologist working in the NICU of a
Cleveland clinic hospital.
JARETT KAPLUS
Attended: The Pingry School ’99;
Georgetown University ’03; New
York University School of Continuing
and Professional Studies ’06
Jarett continues to work for
Lubert-Adler Partners, a real estate private equity firm. He now works out of
their New York City office. He and his
wife, Lauren, have moved to New
York’s Flatiron District.
Bess ’92, Isaac ’00, Jonas ’96, Maisie, and Matthew Oransky ’94
at Jonas and Maisie’s Wedding in March 2011
1996
JONAS ORANSKY
Attended: The Pingry School ’00; Yale
University ’04; NYU Law School ’11
Jonas married Maisie Tivnan on
March 27, 2011 in a small ceremony at
the restaurant One If By Land, Two If By
Sea in New York City. Congratulations!
They currently live in Brooklyn. Jonas is
working in the real estate department at
the law firm Fried Frank.
GARY SILVERSTROM
Attended: The Pingry School ’00;
New York University; NYU College
of Dentistry
Gary and his father, David, comprise the Silverstrom Group, a dental
practice in Livingston. They have been
voted “Top Dentists” by New Jersey
Monthly magazine for many years.
Gary has also been awarded several
honors for his work in cosmetic dentistry. For the past three years he and
his dad have generously donated
mouth guards to the Far Brook sports
teams. Gary married his high school
sweetheart, Allison Weinstein, in
September 2011 at Natirar in PeapackGladstone, New Jersey. The couple
honeymooned in Thailand, Vietnam,
and Cambodia. Allison is an architect
with Kohn Petersen and Fox. The
Silverstroms live in Manhattan. Our
best wishes to them!!
1998
BESS LEVIN
Attended: Livingston High School ’02;
Amherst College ’06
Bess has been living and working in
New York since she graduated from
Amherst. She is the editor of
Dealbreaker.com, a site that covers Wall
Street. She also contributes pieces on Wall
Street to the New York Times Magazine.
2000
Dr. Gary Silverstrom ’96 DDS
20
MELISSA KRONTHAL
Attended: The Pingry School ’04;
Bucknell University ’08
Melissa works in Warren, New
Jersey, at the Developmental Learning
Center of the Morris-Union Jointure
Commission. She teaches high school
age children with developmental disabilities, including autism. She has applied
to graduate schools for a master in special education or occupational therapy.
ISAAC ORANSKY
Attended: The Pingry School ’04;
Trinity College ’08
Isaac recently moved back to New
Jersey and is working as an EMT on
the South Orange Rescue Squad.
2001
CHRISTINA CAPATIDES
Attended: Newark Academy ’05;
Georgetown University ’09
Christina is now a production coordinator for Good Morning America,
Christina Capatides ’01 reporting for
ABC at the White House.
PA. Her work was featured at “SelfPortrait/Autobiography in Art and Music”
at the Ukrainian Institute of America in
New York City during November and
December.
2003
KATHERINE BALDERSTON
Attended: The Hotchkiss School ’07;
Bowdoin College ’11
Kate spent ten months in
Hyderabad, India, with the IDEX
Fellowship program, an immersion into
the field of social enterprise for college
graduates. Kate worked daily with students and teachers in minority districts to
develop new educational opportunities.
CHASE DYER
Attended: Fountain Valley School of
Colorado ’07; Pitzer College ’11
Chase is based in Brooklyn while
at Tomson Reuters in their graduate
work program. Before landing this
post, Chase travelled to 56 countries
including Iraq. Next year he will be
internationally based.
LUCY SEDGWICK
Attended: Lawrenceville School ’07;
Brown University ’11
Lucy’s dual degree from Brown is
in environmental studies and English.
She will be travelling in South America,
and then teaching at the Island School
on Eleuthera for a summer semester
before she starts working in August for
Green Corps, a prominent environmental activist organization.
2004
LAUREN KRONTHAL
Attended: The Pingry School ’08,
Georgetown ’12
Lauren
graduated
from
Georgetown this spring with a
Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. While at Georgetown, Lauren
taught science at a high school and a
general science class of freshmen in a
Georgetown Scholars Program. In
September, Lauren will be teaching
chemistry at Basis, a new charter
school in Washington, DC. All Basis
students are required to take biology,
chemistry, and physics each year
beginning in the sixth grade!
TRISTAN DEFONTENAY
Attended: Dwight School ’09
Tristan is majoring in psychology
at Hunter College and works in
Chatham at Stepping Forward
Counseling Center helping autistic
children gain social skills. Tristan lives
in Astoria, Queens, with his brother.
working in the Washington, DC bureau
of ABC news. She was recently accepted into the NYU Tisch School for the
Performing Arts master’s program called
Graduate Musical Theatre Writing. She
will be moving back to New York to
study at Tisch in September.
2002
KATIA SETZER
Attended: Newark Academy ’06;
Colby College ’10
Katia is a candidate for a master of
fine arts degree at the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia,
Alan ’97 and Eric ’00 Carniol pose with teacher
Valerie McEntee at Fall Family Day.
21
2005
Washington University in St. Louis in
September. He is leaning toward a
mechanical engineering major.
JAMES SEDGWICK
Attended: Lawrenceville School ’09
James has completed his junior
year at Brown University where he is
majoring in computer science.
GRACE TOOLAN
Attended: Villa Walsh Academy ’09
Grace is an art history major doubling with psychology and minoring in
studio art at Bucknell University. She
was elected to the National Leadership
Honor Society in March and is the
Bucknell orientation coordinator.
Grace is also assistant editor of Be
Fashion Magazine and a leader in her
sorority Alpha Chi Omega.
KATHERINE ZEIGLER
Attended: Kent Place School ’09
Kate retired from competitive ice
dancing after competing three times at
US Nationals and at one international
competition. She and her skating partner were guest stars in five ice shows at
the 2011 Winter Festival in Anchorage,
Alaska, and at two shows in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the fall
of 2011, Kate transferred from Bryn
Mawr to Brown University where she
is a math major.
Rose Koven ’06:
climbing is her hobby.
ROSE KOVEN
Attended: Montclair Kimberley
Academy ’00
Rose currently attends Drexel
University studying mechanical engineering. As part of the Cooperative
Learning program, Rose worked at
Siemens in Trenton, New Jersey, as an
2006
ERIK DOUDS
Attended: Seton Hall Preparatory High
School ’10
Eric has completed his sophomore
year at Colby College where he is
studying environmental policy. In
January, he worked with the Alfond
Youth Center in Waterville, Maine, to
establish an educational nature trail for
underprivileged children. Erik is in
Buenos Aires this summer and then
travelling up to Brazil to stay on 100
acres of land studying environmental
policies. He is looking forward to experiencing a new culture and spending
time in a “biodiverse hotspot.”
DANIELA LICALZI
Attended: St John’s High School
(Puerto Rico)
Daniela left Far Brook after Third
Grade to move with her family to Puerto
Rico. They visited the campus last
August on their way to Providence
College where Daniela has just completed her freshman year. She is majoring in
education and minoring in Spanish. This
summer, Daniela will be working as a
camp counselor at Camp Ton-AWondah, a girls camp in North Carolina.
JEFFREY MASER
Attended: Morristown Beard School ’11
Jeff attends Brandeis University
where he was selected the University
Jeff Maser ’07 At His Best
engineering assistant for the Business
Excellent department helping with and
learning about process improvement
and workplace organization during the
winter. Rose resumed her class work in
March. She visited Lisbon, Portugal,
during her week break between spring
and summer terms after attending Far
Brook’s graduation. Rose enjoys rock
climbing in her spare time.
2007
DANIEL KRONTHAL
Attended: The Pingry School ’11
Daniel will begin his sophomore
year in the engineering school at
22
Athletic Association Men’s Indoor
Track Field Athlete of the Week for the
week ending January 16. He earned his
first collegiate victory in the high jump
at the Bowdoin Five-Way Meet on
January 17 with a height of 1.93 meters
(six feet, four inches). Jeff's height is
the second-best in the UAA this season
by two-and-a-half inches. Jeff plans to
be a theater major.
THEODORE MACIOCE
Attended: The Pingry School ’11
Ted has completed his first year at
Columbia University, concentrating on
physics and math. He recalls playing
the role of The Fool in King Lear in
Sixth Grade and is now studying the
play at Columbia, remembering with
pleasure many of the speeches Director
of Drama James Glossman taught him.
PATRICK TOOLAN
Attended: Delbarton School ’11
Patrick is attending the College of
the Holy Cross in Worcester,
Massachusetts, where he was treasurer
of the freshmen class and a greeter in
admissions. He plays on the rugby
team and intramural basketball and
football. He is studying economics and
philosophy.
2008
RYAN STRAIN
Attended: Lawrenceville School ’12
Ryan
was
highlighted
in
TheRoot.com, a daily online magazine,
for his community service work that he
says began in the sixth grade. He was
named one of the Young Futurists 2012
for time spent tutoring, teaching chess
to local children, packing books for
children in Ghana, collecting sneakers
for use as a rubber surface for a
Louisiana playground, and participating in other selfless services.
Brad Hakes ’08
ELIZABETH BALDERSTON
Attended: The Hotchkiss School ’12
Liz has completed her four years at
The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville,
Connecticut, where she played varsity
soccer and junior varsity ice hockey
and lacrosse. She will begin the Global
Liberal Studies program of NYU in
September, studying in Paris.
Rica. In March, he was in Rincon,
Puerto Rico, for a surf photography
class with an Ansel Adams-trained
photographer and the editor of Surfing
Magazine. For his senior project John
organized a photography exhibit based
on his work during the trip. John will
attend Ringling School of Art and
Design with photography as a major –
and a heavy minor in surfing! You can
see John’s work on Surfline.com.
JOHN GILMAN
Attended: The Wardlaw-Hartridge
School ’12
John started surfing when he
moved to New Jersey in 1999 and was
awarded the 10/24/11 Surfer of the
Week accolade by the WB Surf Camp
in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
Of all the places he has surfed, his
favorite break is in Marbella, Costa
BRAD HAKES
Attended: Deerfield Academy ’12
Brad is a recent graduate of
Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts
where he sang in choral groups, learned
Chinese, and excelled in rowing. He was
admitted to Stanford University and will
row on their crew team. He is considering physics or engineering as his major
and plans to continue studying Chinese.
2010
ANNA BALDERSTON
Anna will be a junior at the
Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. She
plays varsity soccer with her sister,
Elizabeth ’08, and junior varsity ice
hockey and lacrosse. She’s in Thiksey,
India, this summer for a month working on a school-building project led by
RoundSquare, a consortium of independent schools. She will also do a
trek in the Himalayas and have a
quick visit to Delhi.
CAROLINA LICALZI
Carolina will be entering her junior year at St. John’s High School in
Puerto Rico in the fall. She is a member of the girl’s varsity outdoor and
indoor soccer teams. Outside of
school, she is an avid equestrian and
has represented Puerto Rico in various
international competitions.
TUCKER IVERSON
Attended: Newark Academy ’12
Tucker began fencing in the fifth
grade and continued through high
school. As senior captain of Newark
Academy’s team Tucker won the
District 3 individual foil competition,
leading his squad to third place in the
team competition and was undefeated
in dual meets this year. He will fence
for Brown University in September.
John Gilman ’08
Tucker Iverson ’08
23
Alumni Visit Campus This Year
Annabelle Patton,
Class of 2010
Ethan Marks ’11
2010 Alumni
Teddy Leithead
and Abby Tizzio
2010 Alumni
Noah Verzani
and Josh Lee
2010 Alumni Harrison Glatt, Tyler Park, Dan Winkler,
Sydney Giordano, and Maia Yoshida
Class of 2011 – Jamie Chartouni, Zoe Filzer, Dominique Escandon,
Hazel Bess, and Ciara Stanley
Julian Chartouni and Noah Wagner-Carlberg
2011 Alumni
2011 Alumni Jack Marsden, Madeline Weisman,
Katherine Kligerman, and Ryan Jones.
Alumni, please come back to campus for a visit!
We are always happy to see you at Far Brook.
Send your contact information to [email protected].
24
French teacher Rosemarie Alagia is flanked
by 2011 alumnae Denver Hinton
and Sarah Maddrey.
Faculty and Administration News
Director of Music F. Allen Artz
has been appointed the music director
of Crescent Concerts, now in their 30th
season. Allen has performed with
Crescent’s Choral Society, the Crescent
Singers, and as guest organist in their
Festival of Organists. Their performances are held at the Crescent Avenue
Presbyterian Church in Plainfield.
Allen is now also the director of music
and organist for the church, and the
conductor of the Crescent Choral
Society and the Crescent Singers. Go to
crescentconcerts.org for information.
Emma Banay joined Far Brook
last September as the science teacher
for grades Three through Eight. She
earned her BA magna cum laude in
history of science at Harvard
University with a secondary degree in
organismic and evolutionary biology.
She was designated Harvard Scholar
in 2010 for placing in the top 10 percent of her class. Emma was a summer
intern at The New York Botanical
Garden where she taught and assisted
school groups and visitors. She also
Science Teacher Emma Banay
developed and implemented curricular
materials for nature education programs for children. Additionally,
Emma led wilderness orientation trips
for students in the New England
wilderness.
Math Teachers Nina Sze and Liz Colleran
Jim Benz and his family will be
hosting a student from France for two
weeks this summer. His daughter,
Chloe, (incoming Far Brook Eighth
Grader) will then be going to France to
stay with the student’s family for two
weeks in exchange.
Liz Colleran came in September
2011 to teach math in grades Five
through Eight. She spent three years
teaching pre-algebra and algebra at
Piscataway High School in New Jersey,
where she led an advisory group and
wrote curricula. Before teaching in
New Jersey, Liz taught math at The Bay
School in San Francisco, California.
She was also a course team leader,
coached JV soccer, and established a
community service club. Liz began her
career at Great Neck South High
School in New York. She earned her BS
cum laude at Cornell University and her
MAT in math, also at Cornell. Liz is an
accomplished equestrian and triathlete.
Our beloved nurse and alumni parent, Rachel Filzer, has left her position
at Far Brook to pursue a career as a
Nurse Practitioner. Rachel joined our
staff as School Nurse in 2005, and
since then she has touched the lives of
our students, parents, teachers, and
staff. We will miss her sense of humor,
wisdom, and caring nature.
25
Suzanne Glatt is now Far Brook’s
Director of Development. Suzanne was
a professional events planner and fundraising consultant for 10 years with
George Trescher Associates in New
York City. Locally, she has served on
the boards of Summit Child Care
Center, Overlook Hospital Foundation,
and the Shakespeare Theatre of New
Jersey. Most recently, she served as
Development Officer for Donor
Relations and Volunteer Programs at
New Jersey SEEDS. She was Current
Parent Chair of Far Brook’s capital
campaign, which raised significant
funds for renovations and for the
School’s endowment. Suzanne and her
husband, Jordan, are the parents of two
Far Brook graduates, Griffin ’08 and
Harrison ’10.
Director of Drama James
Glossman animated the role of
Thomas Edison in Ben Clawson’s
play “The Dangers of Electric
Lighting” on the Luna Stage in West
Orange during November 2011.
Congratulations to librarian Kate
Hewett and her husband, Ben
Steinfeld, who have welcomed their
first child, Leo Calvin Steinfeld, on
April 24. The family lives in South
Orange. Kate plans to return to the
library in September.
Fifth Grade Associate Teacher
James Lambert is heading off to Duke
University where he will enter law
school in the fall.
Art teacher Nancy McIntyre has
been investigating new ways of using
watercolors by creating paintings that
are filled with flat design surrounded
by ink. They are influenced by Arshile
Gorky, one of her many heroes of art.
She also completed a series of owl
drawings inspired by her work with the
Nursery when they study owls. Nancy
has painted 12 small still life oils on
canvas, three of which have been purchased by an alumni parent. Her main
love is still drawing with pencil and
charcoal.
Kindergarten teacher and alumni
parent Debby Richardson has taken
an early retirement after teaching over
the last 10 years in the Lower School,
most of that time in the Kindergarten.
Working closely with her colleagues,
Debby has greatly contributed to the
curriculum and enhanced our young
students’ experiences. In addition, she
has brought her expertise in occupational therapy and helped to create and
design Far Brook’s Action Based
Learning program that enriches and
broadens each child’s school experience. Our students have benefitted
from Debby’s fun and engaging sense
of humor along with her passion and
commitment to Far Brook.
First Grade teacher Nancy Ring
exhibited her recent oil paintings and
drawings at the New Jersey Arts
Incubator Gallery in West Orange in
November and December 2011. Dan
Bischoff of The Star Ledger wrote,
“Ring’s powers of observation are
acute, but … there’s plenty of white
space left for the imagination to roam.”
Nancy completed the MFA program at
the University of Arts in Philadelphia
last December where she was nominated for the Robert Motherwell
Foundation Dedalus Award in Painting.
Nancy has been accepted into the artistin-residence program at chaNorth in
Pine Plains, New York, for the month of
Third Grade’s Debbie Wraight
July on a painting scholarship.
Yolanda Rivera, Far Brook’s
office coordinator, left her position in
mid-March for health reasons. Since
July 2008, she had been a part of our
students’ daily lives and assisted parents in many ways. Her computer skills
helped transform many functions in the
office. She will be greatly missed.
Joining Far Brook as our new
Office Coordinator is Alisha Roig.
Alisha is a graduate of Gibbs College
with a degree in Office Administration.
She has years of administrative support
experience and sees the opportunity at
Jamie Wang, Second Grade Teacher
26
Far Brook as a breath of fresh air.
Nina Sze teaches math in grades
Five through Eight. She comes to Far
Brook from Grace Church School in
New York City where she taught sixth
and eighth grade math for five years.
While at Grace Church she established
a community service elective and a
KNEX elective to help students
explore engineering principles. She
earned her BA in math education from
Althouse College in London, Ontario, a
BMath at the University of Waterloo,
Ontario, and her MA summa cum laude
in math education from Teacher’s
College at Columbia University.
Jamie Wang is a new Second
Grade teacher. She spent the last six
years teaching first and second grade at
The Orchard Hill Elementary School in
Skillman, New Jersey. Jamie developed Books of Hope, a non-profit
organization, using literacy and bookmaking for students in Uganda for the
district of Montgomery, New Jersey.
She also conducted parent workshops
on Everyday Math and guided reading
and writing workshops. Jamie earned
her BA in history and education and
her MA summa cum laude in early
childhood/elementary education at
Rutgers University. She has also been
playing the violin for many years.
Deborah Wraight joined the
School as Third Grade teacher. She
earned her MA in instructional technology and media at Teacher’s College at
Columbia University and her BA
magna cum laude in elementary education and mathematics and computers at
Boston College. She received the John
J. Cardinal Wright award for creativity
and imagination in motivating students
to learn and for dedication to higher
educational ideals. Deborah spent a
year completing her student teaching
practicum at the Edith C. Baker School
in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, collaborating with a third grade teacher.
Additionally, she is fluent in Italian.
Erasmia Voukelatos presented
workshops on Greek folk songs and
dances at NYU in July and at the
Kodaly Eastern Conference at Adelphi
University in October.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
2012-2013
Mary Sue Fisher, Chair
Carmine Fanelle, Vice Chair
Michelle Swittenberg, Secretary
Tony Stovall, Treasurer
Amy M. Ziebarth, Head of School
Carol Chartouni
Janine Kane
Robert Kelly
Anne-Marie Kim
Tom Kligerman
Leah Kronthal
Marybeth Leithead
Krissy Mannello
Megan McCall
Barbara Pagos
Elyse Post ‘78
Christine Susko
Bradford Wiley, II ‘54
Tommaso Zanobini
ADMINISTRATION
Amy M. Ziebarth, Head of School
FAR BROOK’S 2011-2012 ANNUAL FUND
A COMMUNIT Y OF GIVING
THANK YOU!
For the first time ever, Far Brook’s Annual Fund has raised more than
$500,000!
The 2012-2013 Annual Fund is now under way
Annual Fund gifts touch every child,
every day at Far Brook.
• Pay for the School’s operating expenses for this year –
not for future needs
• Sustain the richness of the Far Brook curriculum and
learning through the arts
Jennifer Barba
Director of
Communications
and Volunteers
Mikki Murphy
Director of Admissions
and Placement
Dorothy O'Neill
Director of Finance
s
s
• Preserve the student teacher ratio of 6/1
27
Peggy Fawcett
Development Associate
Paula Levin
Director of Lower
School
• Support Far Brook’s talented and dedicated Faculty
or call the Development Office, 973-379-3442
Suzanne Glatt
Director of
Development
Jim Benz
Director of Upper
Schools
Annual Fund gifts:
www.farbrook.org/onlinegiving
Kathy Ike
Admissions Assistant
Caroline L. Sargent
Director of
Advancement
to our Current Parents, Alumni, Faculty and Staff, Alumni Parents,
Grandparents, and Friends for your commitment and generous support.
PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A GIFT TODAY
Donna Chahalis
CFO/Business Manager
Marcela Figueroa
Executive Assistant /
Placement
Coordinator
Janice O’Shea
Communications
Coordinator
Heather Chaffin ’92
Technology
Coordinator
Alisha Roig
Office Coordinator
Melissa Stampoulis
Kitchen Coordinator
Arthur Gannon
Plant Supervisor
Peggy Weiss
School Nurse
Greg Bartiromo
After-School Program
Director
Mona Boewe
After-School Program
Coordinator
We Remember
Aaron Hipscher
July 9, 2011, Alumni Parent and Far
Brook Trustee 1983-86
Mr. Hipscher graduated from
Rutgers with a BA in economics and an
MBA in accounting. After working for
30 years and becoming a partner at
Ernst & Young LLP, he began a new
career as a clinical professor of
accounting at the Stern School of
Business, NYU. Aaron received
numerous awards as an outstanding
educator and chaired several faculty
and student committees. He is survived
by his wife, Karen; and his children,
Corey ’85, Ryan, and Alison Regan;
and two grandchildren.
x
Alain de Fontenay
July 23, 2011, Alumni Parent
Dr. de Fontenay was an adjunct professor at Queens College where he
taught
Industrial
Organization
(Economics) and Urban Economics
from 2005 until the time of his death. He
was an expert in the economics of
telecommunications and was a founding
member and long-time board member of
the International Telecommunications
Society (ITS). He leaves his wife,
Celeste; his sons, Eric, Sounni, and
Tristan ’04; and two grandchildren.
was asked to begin a graduate studies
program where he remained its director
until 2008. He is survived by his wife,
Joan; his daughters Nancy ’63 and
Alice ’68; and three grandsons.
x
Helen Christodoulou
September 6, 2011, Alumni Parent
Mrs. Christoduolou developed
unique artistic gifts as a violinist, opera
singer, and ballet dancer and graced the
stage of the New York City Ballet and
many of the opera concert halls of
Europe. She was an active member of
the Greek Orthodox community in
Westfield, New Jersey, as a Sunday
School teacher, youth advisor, and later
as the President of the Women’s
Philoptochos Society. Survivors
include Helen’s sons, James ’74 and
Zenon ’79; and three granddaughters.
x
Claudia Koeze ’76
September 26, 2011
Ms. Koeze attended Hampshire
College and the Lee Strasberg Theatre
and Film Institute in Los Angeles.
Claudia had a whimsical approach to
life and loved New York’s theater and
x
Rudolph Deanin
August 7, 2011, Alumni Parent
Dr. Deanin received his Bachelors
Degree from Cornell University and his
PhD in chemistry from the University
of Illinois. After working at Allied
Chemical Corp., and then becoming the
director of chemical research and development at DeBell & Richardson Corp.,
Rudolph began his career as professor
of plastics engineering at the University
of Massachusetts in 1967. In 1969, he
28
art world. She was a gifted actress,
painter, and songwriter. Claudia is survived by her mother, Bettye Musham;
and a step-brother, Jonathan Koeze.
x
Marvin Eisenberg
October 17, 2011, Alumni Parent
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Mr.
Eisenberg had lived in Irvington, New
Jersey, before moving to Denville. He
is survived by his companion, Patricia
Anderson; his children, Steven, Stuart
’77, Bonnie McCole, Erick Anderson,
Megan Knight, and Katie Anderson;
and his many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.
x
Morton Leeds
December 4, 2011, Alumni Parent
Dr. Leeds earned BS, MS, and PhD
degrees in chemistry from the
Polytechnic University of NYU. He
was particularly noted for his work in
the pharmaceutical industry and in the
field of polymers and held over 30
patents. He held positions at
Interchemical Corp., DuPont, Schwartz
Laboratories, Ohio Medical Corp., and
Novartis (Ciba-Geigy). He also established Med-Chem Associates, dealing
with cases of medical malpractice,
drug interactions, and overdoses and
served as an expert witness in cases
around the country. Dr. Leeds also
served as an adjunct professor of chemistry at Fairleigh Dickinson University,
Kean University, Caldwell College,
and Union and Middlesex colleges. He
leaves his wife, Norma; and his daughter, Valerie ’72.
x
Robert P. Tidd ’61
December 7, 2011
Mr. Tidd received his BA in
physics from Reed College and was a
senior programmer and analyst in the
graduate division at the University of
California at Berkeley. In 1976, Bob
developed INP, a database management system that predated many of the
commercial and opensource databases
in use today. Bob’s other interests
included woodworking, gardening,
and English country dancing. He is
survived by his wife, Debra; his children, Evan and Jenna; and brother,
John ’62.
x
Richard Cherin
January 9, 2012, Alumni Parent and
Far Brook Trustee 1975-78
Mr. Cherin graduated Phi Beta
Kappa from Rutgers University where he
was a Henry Rutgers Scholar, and then
from Harvard Law School. He practiced
law in New York and New Jersey and
served on many professional boards and
committees, including the American Bar
Association Business Law Section,
American Law Institute, American
College of Investment Counsel, and
American College of Commercial
Finance Lawyers. Dick also served on
the boards of numerous educational and
other public service organizations. He
authored and co-authored a number of
articles including the revision of Article 9
of the Uniform Interstate Commerce law.
In his later years, he was active in the
American Arbitration Association. He is
survived by his wife, Audrey; his children, Eva ’77, Emily ’81, and Jonathan;
and three grandchildren.
x
William Brooke Tunstall
March 30, 2012, Alumni Parent
Mr. Tunstall was a graduate of
Johns Hopkins where he was a champion lacrosse player. During World
War II and the Korean War he served
in the Marine Corps. He was a corporate vice president at AT&T for four
decades and the author of an insider’s
account of the Bell System break-up.
After retiring from AT&T, Mr.
Tunstall began a career in business
consulting in the areas of corporate
culture and organization design. He
served for many years on the
Conference Board, the Board of the
Institute for the Future in Palo Alto,
CA, and the board of directors for
Brooktrout Technologies. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; his
daughters, Tricia, Leslie, and Paige
Gilberti ’76; and five grandchildren.
x
Frank P. Farinella Jr.
April 11, 2012, Alumni Parent
Mr. Farinella graduated from
Seton Hall University with a BA and
from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
with a degree in architectural engineering. He was a well-know builder
and developer throughout New Jersey
and past president of the New Jersey
Builders Association. He served on
the executive board and board of
directors of the National Association
of Home Builders and on the board of
regents of Seton Hall University.
Frank is survived by his children,
Joseph ’72, Mary ’74, and James ’81;
his brother, Phillip; and seven grandchildren. He was predeceased by his
wife, Josephine, and son, Frank ’80.
29
Ellen Sue Segal
May 30, 2012, Alumni Parent and Far
Brook Trustee (1980-1982)
The Segal family’s relationship
with Far Brook dates back to the late
’70s. Ellen, wife of Peter and mother
of Oliver ’85 and Leslie (Segal) Klein
’88, passed away “after a very long and
courageous battle from the ravages of
treatments she received for Hodgkin’s
Disease almost 40 years ago.” In addition to Peter, Oliver, and Leslie, Ellen
is survived by five grandchildren.
At Far Brook, Ellen served numerous roles – ending as an assistant
teacher. She also served as a Trustee,
as a Class Parent, as an Assistant Chair
of the Parents Committee Council, and
worked on many spring event fundraisers. Mrs. Segal graduated from
American University in Washington,
DC, in 1967 (where she first met Peter)
with a BS in government and public
administration and received a master’s
in museum education from the Bank
Street School in New York City in the
mid-1980s. Later she worked for Lee
Skolnick Architecture and Design
Partnership (NYC), where she specialized in museum education, designing
and implementing many exhibits as
well as preparing docent manuals.
Ellen was a longtime enthusiast and
supporter of Far Brook.
x
Richard George
May 31, 2012, Alumni parent
Richard George, husband of Linda,
a dedicated Far Brook volunteer and
inspiring writer, and father of Alexander
’01, Richard, and Christopher, passed
away suddenly on May 31. Richard’s
family and friends knew him as a
Renaissance man and remember his
“wit, modesty, generosity, and integrity,
which he extended to all who knew
him.” Richard received his BA from
Harvard in 1966 and his JD from the
University of Pennsylvania School of
Law in 1969. His legal career included
several significant positions as assistant
general counsel and general counsel in
the corporate world. In 1986, he became
a partner with the New York firm of
D’Amato & Lynch, specializing in
directors and officers liability, and corporate and securities litigation. In 2002,
he opened the New York office for
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP,
that firm’s first outside California, serving as the managing partner for 10
years. Richard was a friend and mentor
to innumerable young attorneys and
insurance professionals over the years
that relied on his wise counsel.
A long-standing patron of the
Metropolitan Opera, Richard possessed
knowledge of arcane and popular literature, rock ‘n’ roll, and cinema. He
could recite a Verdi aria and a
Springsteen chorus with equal aplomb,
and he proudly described himself as an
Emerson String Quartet groupie.
Richard’s athleticism earned him the
spot as captain of the Harvard fencing
team and gave him years of playing
sports with his family. In addition to
Linda and his sons, Richard is survived
by four grandchildren and his brother,
George Kolombatovich. Linda relayed
how many of their best friends are
those they made at Far Brook.
Wendy Keil
September 27, 2011, Alumni Parent
The Keil family has a long history
with Far Brook – Wendy and Gordon
had at least one child at the School for
17 years! Wendy was a constant presence
around
campus
from
chaperoning class trips, to frying
latkes for the entire School, to serving
as a substitute teacher, and helping in
the office. When her fourth child graduated in 2001, Wendy made her own
diploma, learning calligraphy and
making the wood frame, as all graduating students do!
Wendy is remembered for her
incredible energy and dedication to
her husband, children, siblings, nieces,
and nephews. Professionally, Wendy
was a senior campaign executive for
the Jewish National Fund. Her interests included athletics, philanthropy,
and reading. She was the women’s
tennis champion at the Orange Lawn
Tennis Club for many years, raised
hundreds of thousands of dollars for
her children’s alma maters and for
organizations focused on the Jewish
community, the State of Israel, AIDS,
and most recently pancreatic cancer.
PLANNED GIVING
Including Far Brook in Your Will
A bequest is a simple way to make a significant ‘planned gift’ to Far Brook.
You can specify an exact dollar amount or a percentage of your estate.
If you have an existing will, a bequest may be added at any time by adding
a codicil. A bequest to Far Brook is a way to make a gift to the future and
serves as a permanent reminder of the donor’s generosity and farsightedness.
Even though remembering the School in your will is a simple matter, we suggest you consult your attorney about changes in the tax laws or estate tax
deductions that could affect your will.
Over the coming years, bequests and other planned gifts will become a
way to increase Far Brook’s endowment.
For more information, contact Caroline L. Sargent, Director of
Advancement, 973-379-3442.
30
Wendy Keil made latkes every
year for the students.
A breast cancer survivor, Wendy
participated in many fundraising
walks, but when she was diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer in December
2010, she and her family became
involved with Pancreatic Cancer
Action Network (PanCan) on another
level. Her family’s effort to support
PurpleStride Manhattan 2011 grew
into a team of 130 people who raised
more than $72,000 toward pancreatic
cancer research last March.
Following her year-long battle,
Wendy died peacefully at home surrounded by her family, who went on
to raise more than $100,000 at
PurpleStride New Jersey. They have
had Walking for Wendy teams at
PurpleStride events in Cleveland,
south Florida, and Houston and plan
to have 20 teams in 2012! This is the
greatest tribute to Wendy, a passionate woman who believed in a good
fight. For more information go to
walkingforwendy.org.
Wendy is survived by her husband, Gordon; her children, Adam
’92, Sarah ’95, Heather ’98, and
Noah ’01; and one grandson. As you
may know, Adam married Far Book
alumna Elizabeth Plotkin ’93 and
Sarah married alumnus Mike
Chernoff ’95.
Helen Finckel
Helen Finckel
March 25, 2012, Alumni Parent
and Far Brook School
Secretary/Receptionist
Helen Finckel, widow of Edwin
Finckel (Far Brook’s Music Director
Emeritus), was a remarkable woman
who worked in the Far Brook office
for over 20 years and was the upbeat
voice to greet all those who called
and the smiling face for all those who
visited. She was known as a warm
and generous soul who took others
under her wing. She once described
her position at the front desk as “a
community job,” one where she had to
be “kind of a psychologist and a
nurse,” and a “mother, used to constant interruptions, confusion, and
crises” who could give comfort and
help to everyone.
Helen grew up in a musical family in Washington, DC, played the
piano, and managed a ten-piece
orchestra. That is how she met Eddie
Finckel. He came to listen to her band!
Eddie also played the piano, and
Helen loved listening to his segment
on the Arthur Godfrey Show. A few
years after their marriage in 1939 they
moved to New York City where Eddie
studied music and orchestration with
Otto Luening. They got through the
“hard times” of that era, and when
Eddie started writing for the Big
Bands and playing in clubs on 52nd
Street, things became exciting. He
became the staff arranger for Gene
Krupa; began writing a kind of music
that had never been written before;
and wrote for Boyd Raeburn. When
Raeburn’s band opened at the Hotel
New Yorker, Helen and Eddie sat at
the next table from Duke Ellington
and Frank Sinatra.
31
When Eddie started as music
teacher at Far Brook, Helen was
pregnant with David, and when
David entered Kindergarten, director
Mrs. Moore, enlisted Helen’s help in
the office. Helen found Far Brook
exciting, too
Some alumni will also remember
Point CounterPoint, the chamber
music camp in Vermont that Helen
and Eddie ran for 17 years. Helen did
all the cooking, three meals a day for
as many as 72 people. Helen found
that work rewarding.
Helen and Eddie spanned decades
at Far Brook and touched many lives
in delightful and profound ways. Their
deep and joyous appreciation of music
was at the center of their lives, from
which all else emanated.
Helen Finckel passed away one
day after her 93rd birthday and in the
company of friends. She is survived
by her son, David ’67, and her granddaughter, Lilian. David has created a
memorial website filled with heartwarming tributes to Helen:
www.helenfinckel.com. You may
wish to add your thoughts and
remembrances, as well. Send messages to [email protected].
Reports
Far Brook School
52 Great Hills Road
Short Hills, NJ 07078
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S.POSTAGE
PAID
UNION, NJ
PERMIT NO. 473
Address service requested
[email protected]
www.farbrook.org
4EDITORS
Jennifer Barba
Helen Kaplus
4EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Peggy Fawcett
Janice O’Shea
4PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jim Benz
Ann DeCamp
Stephen Giordano
Todd Goodman
Emi Ithen
Robert Johnson ‘67
Helen Kaplus
Ellen Lincer
Parents of alumni, please send us your children’s current address.
Far Brook Traditions
The Choral Work Stabat Mater Directed By Allen Artz
Thanksgiving Processional Led by
Head of School Amy Ziebarth
2012 Graduates performed in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream