Reports
for far brook alumni and families near and far
VOLUME XIX
W
SUMMER 2006
Far Brook Life
By HELEN KAPLUS
beloved leader. In Mary’s Education Night speech given on
October 19, 2005, she talks about Far Brook’s past, present,
and future. Mary urges us to “HOLD FAST to [Far Brook’s]
unique and inspiring vision. TREASURE the mission of Far
Brook … KEEP ALIVE in [our] hearts the overarching
purpose of Far Brook and the magic this school can create
… MAINTAIN the distinctive excellence which sets this
little School apart from all others.” Mary asks us to promise
to uphold Far Brook’s achievements, uniqueness, and
excellence so that she “will rest more easily” and so that Far
Brook will continue to prosper in the years to come. If we
“hold fast” to all of Mary’s suggestions, we will be just fine.
For the present, for 2006, please join me for a peek into
each classroom at Far
Brook during my winter
tour.
hen my children were at Far Brook (they graduated in
1993 and 1995, respectively), there used to be an
evening called “Life After Far Brook.” (I just found
out that there still is!) I don’t know if that was the official name or
one we just chose to use. It was a September evening designed for
Eighth Grade students and their families, when representatives
from area high schools came and talked about what their schools
had to offer our students as the next step in the educational process.
It was like a job fair, of sorts. This came to mind when I thought
about Head of School Mary Wearn Wiener’s retirement. Now we
need a “LifeAfter Mary” seminar. Of course, we are all happy that
Mary, while still young,
and after all of her years of
dedication, has the
opportunity to move with
her husband, Louis, to
Savannah, Georgia, and
enjoy warm weather and
being near her family. For
her, “Life after Far Brook”
may be difficult at first,
perhaps even lonely, but it
will also be full and happy,
and she promises to come
back and visit!
But what about us,
who are left behind? We
all – parents, students,
alumni, and faculty
members – have gotten
Class of 2005 in Costume for “The Tempest”
so attached to our
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DAY 1 –
JANUARY 18
Heavy rains, extreme
wind, the possibility of a
thunder-storm, and 60
degrees – what a day to
start my tour!! When the
alarm clock went off
and I saw the treetops
violently swaying and
the rain pelting my
bedroom windows, I
wanted to hide under the
covers. When I realized
that Far Brook students
were getting up, I
and asking them to point to the sentences on the pad which
contained the answers.
Finally, as the lesson drew to an end, Emily handed out
paper with the same sentences printed in large-sized text
and another page with directions: “Find 5 words that have 1
syllable. Find 4 words that have 2 syllables … .” Linda
explained the assignment carefully and asked if they all
understood the directions. The First Graders had been
sitting still for so long that they got a short break to stand
and stretch. I left when they were seated in their circle once
again with their crisp white papers on the floor in front of
them. Soon the classes would be separating and the children
dispersing to their own tables to do quiet work.
I rushed through the rain to the Administration Building
to pick up more film and returned to the Lower
School building in time to join MRS. PENNY’S
KINDERGARTEN class, also seated on the floor, tracing
the letter R in the air with their fingers. The children were
facing Mrs. Penny and a large pad she calls the experience
chart, its open page blank except for the letter R and the
word “rectangle.” The Kindergartners were asked to
suggest R words for the chart. One boy said, “Rocket.” A
classmate raised her hand and said, “Renée,” and giggled.
That is her name. Her face gleamed as Mrs. Penny wrote
her name on the next blue line. “Roller coaster” was the
next, even though it is two words. “What fun that will be to
draw!” Mrs. Penny commented. The children would be
illustrating their R books later, as is the custom. Mrs. Penny
said she would accept “rollerblades,” as well. Then Mrs.
Penny stopped the lesson and introduced me to the children
and told the story about when my daughter, who was in her
Kindergarten class many years ago, told her that her middle
name was Raspberry, and Mrs. Penny didn’t believe her.
The children loved the story and insisted that “raspberry” be
included on their list! One girl’s middle name is Rose and
First Graders review sentences about explosion patterns.
dragged my lazy self out of bed and dressed for the worst!
I even wore my long, black, hooded raincoat that not only
covers me from head to ankle, but can protect my camera
and my notepad, if necessary.
The drive to Short Hills from Warren was slow. I
missed Morning Meeting, but I arrived on the wet,
windblown campus in time for classes to begin. FIRST
GRADE resource teacher Emily Otner was gathering First
Graders from teachers Joan Angelo and Linda Josephson’s
classes into a large circle on the rug in Linda’s room. The
two classes often work together. “Today is a good day to
talk about our theme, and what is that?” Emily began. Little
hands shot up all around the circle. “Explosion patterns!”
they exclaimed. The children took turns sharing what they
remembered about previous discussions. An explosion
pattern is “the splash when you jump into the pool” … “the
heat one [explosion] with popcorn” … “fireworks!” “The
magic word,” Emily told them, “is pressure.” When Emily
related it to the day’s weather, their responses included
“Clouds can explode raindrops” and “There’s too much rain
in the clouds.” Next, Emily diverted their attention to the
large white pad standing on an easel next to her that
contained sentences about explosion patterns. She asked the
children to take turns reading the sentences out loud. Some
needed help sounding out the words “pressure, explosion,
and pattern” and others sailed right through the words. So
the lesson about their theme of patterns turned into a
language arts lesson, as well. Some words were underlined
in yellow. Those were words with silent E’s where the “E
makes the vowel say its own name.” Linda mentioned
words with a soft C sound and asked several children to go
up to the chart and circle those words in pink. The teachers
took turns questioning the children about explosion patterns
Mrs. Penny writes new words on the
Kindergarten R Chart.
2
be no opportunity for outside play, an activity so important
in a Kindergartner’s day. The aliens ranged from ten inches
to four feet high. Some were shiny, some speckled. Some
had multiple eyes and arms or legs, or wheels. Most had
antennae, and one had a remote control box. This is the first
long-range project in a child’s Far Brook education, and
each Second Grader’s handmade alien was accompanied by
a detailed description of its imaginary planet. The
Kindergartners slowly filed by the creatures, pointing and
staring at the fantastic figures before them. Mrs. Penny’s
class followed Donna’s and they, too, enjoyed the
otherworldly spectacle. Then all the Kindergartners
returned to their earthly work, soon to have lunch.
I dashed through the rain to the Junior High to check
their schedule, and I jotted down their whereabouts for the
next few days. They were having lunch, too, and many
students were taking their musical instruments and heading
toward orchestra rehearsal. I paused in the shelter of the
landing between the French room and Ed Solecki’s room,
where I usually sit on a sunny day. This time, I listened to
the sound of the constant rain hitting the rooftops,
walkways, and drive, and watched the water running down
the library eaves into the gutters and pooling on the uneven
spots on the black walkways. The treetops were dancing
overhead to a rapid beat. The sound of unseen doors closing
as students moved in and out of the buildings punctuated
the steady rain.
Once again I clasped my raincoat over my camera and
notebook and headed to the Laurie Arts Center. I noticed
that the Hall was temptingly dry, but empty, so I completed
my wet walk to join Director of Music Allen Artz and the
ORCHESTRA at rehearsal. Mr. Artz was standing in front
perched on a small platform, sheet music before him. I
sneaked a peak at the music on the violinist’s music stand
Kindergartners pose at the art table.
that was her addition to the list. One of the little boys
suggested “recycle.” Good word! When the list was long,
Mrs. Penny asked the children to stand. Each said an R
word and sat once again. It was snack time, and a plastic tub
of apples and oranges was passed around. I moseyed over
to the next room.
In DONNA DELTZ’S KINDERGARTEN room,
Donna was overseeing multiple activities. At the round
table, four children were working with thick pencils on the
first page of their R books, beginning with the word
“rectangle.” When I asked what they were doing, the
children eagerly responded. They were going to draw a
picture to illustrate the R word and color it in. At the
rectangular table, Kindergarten assistant teacher Debby
Richardson sat with four other children who were cutting
out triangles which they had previously designed and
colored with deep-hued magic markers. What were they
making? Puzzles. They were piecing together their triangles
to form a larger rectangle. At the art table, four
Kindergartners were picking small colorful foam shapes out
of a box and arranging them to create pictures – two
butterflies, a house, and a moose (respectively). Donna
suggested, “You might want to draw in scenery after you
glue the main figure to the paper.” They all worked so
quietly and seriously, asking for Donna’s approval every so
often, “Donna, look!” or “Donna, how’s this?” And she
always responded with positive encouragement.
Soon after this, the Kindergartners stopped their work
for a “special treat.” Donna announced that they were
invited to visit the Second Grade classroom to see the aliens
the older children had created and displayed in their room.
Donna reminded her children to “look with [their] eyes
only.” I realized that in this rainy weather, a “trip” into
another classroom was a good divertissement. There would
First Graders visit the Second Grade aliens,
seen behind them.
3
nearest to where I stood. They were playing Themes from
the First Symphony by J. Brahms, Op 68. Mr. Artz had
stopped them so he could tell them where to mark their
breathing on their music – on the 17th, 18th and 20th
measures. “Mark that with a comma, even if you are not
[playing] a wind instrument, then lift your bow.” One
violinist was asked to demonstrate the way the section
should sound, and it was beautiful! Mr. Artz sang along and
stressed the parts in question. Then the orchestra was asked
to begin again at the eighth measure. “I want it beautiful and
exciting,” Mr. Artz directed. The oboe began, and the flutes
joined in. Then another suggestion, “Mark between the
half-note and quarter-note.” Mr. Artz moved to the side of
the room and made notations on the board to make sure
everyone understood. They played again, and he stopped
them again, complimenting them, and then asked for a
crescendo. He asked the students what they thought was
“propelling the music.” Yes, it was the cellos, and he asked
the cellists to play alone while everyone listened. “This is
one of the most beautiful pieces of music,” Mr. Artz told
them in hopes of inspiring them. He worked tirelessly with
his students on “all the subtle things” in the piece, as he
always does. I got carried away with the music when it was
finally played in its entirety at the end of rehearsal. Mr. Artz
looked pleased by the improvement and smiled over at me.
I am ever impressed by Mr. Artz’s treatment of the young
musicians and by the serious attention they give to him and
to their music. Allen ended the session with a big “Thank
you!” and the musicians quietly filed out, carrying their
instruments and stands into the next room.
Outside the rain had ceased, but it was about 20 degrees
colder! I followed a few of the students from the Laurie Arts
Center into one of the closest rooms, teacher Sally
Chernoff’s ’57 math and science room. In there,
Seventh Graders “Building” Atoms with
Beans, Clay, and Cotton
SEVENTH GRADE BIOLOGY students were seated at
their black lab tables making atoms out of small white
beans (protons, electrons and neutrons, marked with +, - , or
0, respectively) and blue clay to hold the protons and
neutrons together in the nucleus. Sally handed out cotton so
her students could create the electron cloud more
realistically. They quickly filled their clouds with electron
beans and arranged them around the nucleus until it was
hidden from view. Then each pair of students identified its
atom and unwrapped it, while counting the number of
electrons, protons, and neutrons it contained. Everyone else
in the class watched. There were boron, neon, carbon,
lithium, fluorine, and helium atoms. When Sally was sure
that everyone understood what an atom is, she announced
that there would be a short quiz the next day. After the
students filed out of the room, Sally explained to me what
she called “a teachable moment.” The lesson was supposed
to teach how electrons and protons attract each other and
how electrons repel electrons, in preparation for learning
how ATP is made in plant or animal cells via the electron
transport chain. The students were not clear about the basic
structure of atoms. So, Sally introduced a new hands-on
lesson on atoms with ingredients she had stored in her room
– beans, clay, and cotton.
I passed through the locker area between Sally and
teacher Ed Solecki’s rooms where the Junior High students
stow their books and took a seat in the back of Ed’s room to
listen to him talk about issues that came up while he was
reading the first draft of essays his EIGHTH GRADERS
had written for ENGLISH class on “My Antonia” by Willa
Cather. “What tense do you use to write about literature?”
Ed asked. “Present tense, literature is eternally present.”
Many neglected to include the necessary information in the
opening paragraph – the title of the book, author, and
capsule summary. Several students didn’t use supporting
quotations, which they had been asked to do. For each
paragraph, a topic sentence was required, as well. Ed spent
time reading some first sentences in paragraphs from the
Orchestra Rehearsal
4
essays he held in his hands and asked the students if they
thought they qualified as effective topic sentences. “Can
you ask, ‘Prove it?’” That is the test. Judging by their
answers, it seemed to me that they understood what was
needed to improve their essays. Ed handed the essays back
to the students, one by one. Another draft was due the next
week, and Ed “invited” the students to ask questions and “to
hand in intermediate drafts.” Ed and his class spent the
remainder of the time discussing a front page story from
The New York Times, headlined, “Justices Reject U.S. Bid
to Block Assisted Suicide.” Ed asked them to note who the
dissenters on the Supreme Court were and asked what the
vote might have been if Samuel Alito had been one of the
Justices in place of Sandra Day O’Connor. From the
ensuing discussion, it seemed that Eighth Graders have a
good grasp of the situation.
Just beyond the Junior High windows, at a few minutes
before three o’clock, cars were already lining up for pickup. The sun was out for a few brief moments, but
threatening clouds were rolling in. I could hear the sounds
of students’ voices coming from the gym, Ed telling his
students that they would be discussing the Battle of
Saratoga in their next history class, Sally laughing at her
computer (e-mail?), and the wind blowing. The youngest
students were lining up to go home.
flag fluttered in the wind. Mary greeted the quiet
assemblage and called librarian Sandy Blackwood to the
front of the large room. With the bare stage as her backdrop,
Sandy took the lone chair and began her introduction of
John Trelease, “the read-aloud person of the world.” She
read a comic selection from “The Land of Wits, Sages,
Oracles, Muckrakers, and Insiders,” about Mike Royko, a
columnist who “ruffled the feathers of those on high.” Then
Mr. Artz led us in song. He began with Yes, Yes, No, No,
followed by Lollipops, both three-part canons. All the
students stood at Mr. Artz’s direction and silently filed past
the watchful eyes of Mrs. Wiener, out into the cold sunshine
to the sounds of a piano sonata.
The previous afternoon, French teacher Alice Fournier
had invited me to return after Morning Meeting and join her
SIXTH GRADE FRENCH CLASS, so that was my first
stop of the day. Technology assistant and computer teacher
Heather Chaffin ’92 was at a laptop preparing for a video
conference with a class in Queven, France. How exciting!
Last year, when these Far Brook students were in Fifth
Grade, they corresponded with French students by mail,
old-fashioned mail, and this year they have a weekly video
conference. Alice called this a “true cultural exchange” for
all the students to discover things about day-to-day life in
each other’s countries. The Sixth Graders entered and
quickly sat at their desks. Alice began by asking questions
about the weather, in French of course, while waiting for
France to come on-line. Two students moved their chairs in
front of the small spherical web camera and the long, thin
microphone. Suddenly, Philippe, the teacher in France, was
on-screen. He explained the plan: first, his students would
ask questions in English, then in French. Our students
would respond in the same language. Delphine very slowly
introduced herself and asked about favorite colors and pets.
She was so cute and a little younger than our students. Then
Jessie (in Short Hills) did her best to respond. A similar
dialogue followed between Samuel and Tucker. The French
DAY 2 – JANUARY 19
The day was heralded by a bright, blue sky and a
temperature of 33 degrees. I thought I was late for
MORNING MEETING, but I ran up the hill and entered
Moore Hall right behind Head of School Mary Wearn
Wiener. All the students were seated in neat rows on the
floor facing the stage. The morning sun slanted through the
windows and sprinkled the heads and shoulders of those
sitting on the right side of the room. Outside, the American
Ed Solecki leads his Eighth Graders in discussion.
5
at the map. “The Visigoths and Ostrogoths look stronger.
This,” she emphasized, “is the issue of the whole book.”
The students were excited by this question and had many
ideas. The Franks were stronger “because of the king,” one
girl observed. Yes! The two Gothic kingdoms remained
distinct and had no strong roots based on a ruling class. The
Franks’ identity survived dynastic partition because their
land was always regarded as a single realm. Valerie helped
the students understand this concept by rereading the text
slowly, word by word. Then, as quickly as you can say
Visigoths, the Sixth Graders packed up and were off to the
Hall for choral Group.
In the next room, one FIFTH GRADER was reading
aloud a passage that she had written about how she thought
people who are “different” should be treated. (The topic, I
discovered later, was about making inferences.) Then other
students shared the inferences they had made and what they
had written about the importance of equal treatment of
others. I listened carefully and looked over several
shoulders to see that they had written their thoughts in their
copies of “The Daybook of Critical Reading and Writing.”
One girl quietly explained that they had read a passage
about a Chinese girl, Yingyi, and her experience with
racism when she moved to America. Then they wrote about
their personal feelings and shared their written reflections
with the class. The assignment was to pretend to be Yingyi
and write a journal entry about something that might have
happened to them at school and how the incident made
them feel. They were to be creative. Many children read
their entries aloud. Some were serious, some humorous.
One was a story of forgiveness, and one was about making
best friends. After their discussion, teacher Lauren ViscoRigal introduced a new subject. “Let’s talk about
personification.” One boy gave an example, “When animals
Alice Fournier and her Sixth Grade French class
wait for France to come on line.
students stuttered through their English, just as ours did
through their French. When students spoke in their native
languages, they forgot to speak slowly and spoke at their
regular fast rate. Of course, that made it difficult to
understand! Time passed too quickly, and Heather held the
camera up so all of the Sixth Graders could be seen waving
“au revoir.” Then we saw the scene in the French classroom
blur, until the camera was focused on those students waving
back. It was the end of the school day in France and just the
beginning of ours.
I decided to follow the Sixth Graders into the Middle
School building. They were about to take a quiz, so I
checked to see what was going on in the Fourth Grade
classroom first. These students were working on
mathematical word problems and talking about ways to
solve them. They worked in pairs. This is a difficult topic to
write about, though an essential skill for children to have. In
the Fifth Grade room next door, workbooks were open, and
a language arts lesson was in progress.
I returned to the SIXTH GRADE room to find the
pupils engaged in a history lesson with their teacher, Valerie
McEntee. Valerie greeted me and told me that I just missed
a talk about food, very much related to their study of the
early migrations of the barbarian tribes of Asia and Europe.
The discussion about food was prompted by an article in
The New York Times Dining Out section about restaurants
in Queens, New York, where many Bukharian Jews and
other people from the Central Asian area known as the Silk
Road have settled. Each student had a copy of McEvedy’s
medieval atlas open, and the children took turns reading
about the Visigoths and the Franks. The map on the righthand page was labeled 528 A.D. Valerie interrupted the
reading every once in a while to talk about vocabulary, as
well as historical points. She suggested that her students
highlight the important sentences. “Who are the stronger
landowners?” she asked. “Why?” She directed them to look
Fifth Graders take a break from a project.
6
Mr. Artz exclaimed. “And Ode to Joy so much easier!”
Then he played Wild Horseman, a piece by Schumann, they
would be playing on percussion instruments for their spring
music concert. They talked about what the music sounds
like – horses galloping – and what percussion instruments
would be used – wood blocks or claves. On their way out of
the room, Mr. Artz gave each student a workbook in which
to do the note-reading homework assignment.
I rushed across the cold campus to watch the FOURTH
GRADERS work on their social studies projects. Teacher
Rebecca Campbell began, “What are the ways we learn
about other people?” All hands were raised, and all answers
were correct: books, pictures, interviews, movies, bones,
encyclopedias, and of course, timelines! The students were
making personal timelines in order to understand the
concept of a timeline and in preparation for creating
timelines of Egyptian pharaohs. This is just one part of the
yearlong core curriculum of Ancient Egypt. Fourth Graders
do extensive research on a pharaoh of their choice and write
a report on him, as well. Most of the students had already
printed out the list of what they considered to be the most
important dates in their ten years of life and had collected
photographs of these events. Some students were waiting to
use the computer to print out their own lists. The next step
in the process was to choose paper on which to draw the
timeline and lay out the dates and photos. Some students
chose to work on the floor, where there was a lot of room to
spread out; some stayed at their desks. They all enjoyed
showing each other pictures of themselves as babies, sports
players, birthday celebrants, on vacation, with friends and
family, or with a pet. Teachers Marnie Stetson and Rebecca
helped the children crop their photos and guided them as
they planned the placement of the many elements of their
projects. I left them at work. It was time for my late lunch.
It was afternoon, and I visited one more class. In the
multi-use room on the lower level of the Middle School
Sixth Graders wait on stage for Stabat Mater tryouts.
seem like people.” Lauren read a poem, “The Desert
Tortoise,” and asked the students to jot down what human
aspects were included in the reading. She told the class that
they would be using personification in their own writing
and that they would be reading fables. A general gasp
emanated from the group. “Oooh, I love fables,” remarked
one girl. It was time to put their books neatly away and go
outside. All ran gleefully out the door.
Piano music was coming from the Hall, and I was
happy to enter its warmth – physical and musical warmth.
Allen Artz and his piano were in the center of the linoleum
floor. Oops! I was just in time for the Junior High members
of GROUP to leave! That left ten Sixth Graders on the
stage with their music books open. I seemed to be following
them all day. They were trying out for solo parts for the
seventh movement of Stabat Mater by Pergolesi. Each
student sang a few measures on his or her own, while Mr.
Artz played the melody and took notes on their auditions.
These students can all read music and have been listening
to Stabat Mater for their whole Far Brook careers. Some
dreamed of singing certain parts when they were younger,
and here was their chance! After each student had a turn,
they were all off to the library.
Mr. Artz asked me to follow him to the Laurie Arts
Center to watch him with the SECOND GRADERS. He
teaches them MUSIC once a week in their first ensemble
experience, the Lower School Philharmonic. When the
children were seated on the floor, Mr. Artz began talking
about patterns – patterns of the windows and doors in the
room and in music. (In First Grade they learned all about
patterns!) “Close your eyes and listen,” he instructed. He
played parts of a familiar melody, Ode to Joy, and helped
them name the first part, A; the second slight variation, A1;
the third part, B; and the final part, A1 again. He played
another song they all knew and helped them name the nonrepetitive parts, ABCD. “That’s why it’s so hard to sing!”
Fourth Graders learn about timelines.
7
building, I found THIRD GRADERS having a FRENCH
lesson with teacher Shagufta Hassan. These children were
busily drawing pictures of a town, real or imaginary,
complete with buildings, a road down the center, and
French signs. “Every French town needs la maison, l’école,
la mairie, le café, l’eglise ou le temple, et le cinéma!”
Shagufta cajoled. There was a long list of French words on
the small chalkboard standing in the room, and as the
children asked for words for police department, hospital,
doctor, candy store, animal hospital, library, and post office,
the list grew longer. “Please write la rue on your small
street and le boulevard on your large street,” Shagufta
requested. “Madame, come see!” exclaimed one boy
needing her approval. Shagufta wanted her students to
stretch their towns out to cover two pieces of paper and
include more vocabulary words. Next class meeting, they
would color their towns, but right now, it was almost time
to go home.
Nursery children are ready to chassé
across the room in dance class.
Lydia started by speaking about “‘eight for nothing,’ which
means, ‘we are getting ready to dance – not dancing yet, but
listening to eight counts.’” She clapped “two different kinds
of eights,” slow and fast, and asked the little ones if they
thought the dance would be fast or slow. They listened to
the “eight for nothing” beat of their warm-up music; then
they all stretched, rolled, crouched, pointed and flexed their
toes, etc., to the slow music. After warming up, the Nursery
children were ready to chassé one by one, arms stretched
out, across the room to fast music by Moby. Next, each
dancer stopped in the middle and struck a pose, which
Lydia called a shape, and then continued to chassé to the
other side to the beat of the music. One little boy shouted,
“I’m really using my muscles!” Finally, all the children
chasséd to the center of the room and struck poses together.
What a sight! They applauded each other and chasséd over
to get their shoes. When Bill met them at the door, the other
half of the class ran into the gym to take their places. I
gathered my coat, camera, and notepad together and
followed Bill and his entourage out. The blue sky had been
obscured by dark clouds. The day was not going to warm up
after all.
I headed towards the Laurie Arts Center in hopes of
seeing an ART class. Teacher Nancy McIntyre was seated
at one of the rectangular tables surrounded by five First
Graders. She had a paintbrush in hand and a small box of
dry watercolor paints, a cup of water, and a sheet of paper
on the table in front of her. She was explaining about
watercolor techniques. “What happens when you mix the
paint with more water?” “It gets lighter,” all the children
answered in unison. “Less water?” “Darker,” they replied.
She showed the children what happens when you paint on
dry paper and on wet paper. (“It expands,” they observed.)
Nancy had already drawn some squiggles with crayon, and
they watched what happens when the wax resisted the paint.
When the crayon color was white, the squiggle seemed to
appear magically through the paint. She showed them how
to mix colors, how to clean the brush in between colors, and
DAY 3 – JANUARY 25
I began late, after my morning yoga session. It was
Third Graders create French towns on paper.
another beautiful sunny day. My car’s thermometer read 41
degrees. I made a short visit into the Nursery room, where
teacher Bill Deltz gave me a quick tour of the class’s current
interests – winter birds, world geography, and Greek
mythology. Does this sound like Nursery?
I followed half of the Nursery class as they meandered
over to the gym for DANCE with teacher Lydia Johnson.
They waited by the door with assistant teacher Kate
Kratochvill until the class inside was finished, but I barged
right in. First Graders were dancing slowly in groups of
four. The class came to an end, and the children quietly
chatted, while putting on their socks and shoes. Lydia
applauded their “exciting class.” In came the Nursery
children, who quickly removed their socks and shoes and
sat in a circle in the middle of the shiny wooden gym floor.
8
DAY 4 – JANUARY 27
I arrived early on this crisp 23-degree day to help the
Recruiting Committee give tours to prospective parents,
and I attended Morning Meeting again. The Hall was
packed with extra visitors. In filed the children all bundled
up against the cold. They slowly took their seats on the
floor. It was Mozart’s 250th birthday, and music teacher
Jeanné Brown chose the overture to “The Magic Flute” as
the beginning music. Mary Wiener greeted the assembly,
with a special welcome to the visitors. Then Jeanné read the
poem “Barter” by Sara Teasdale, talked about Mozart, and
walked over to the piano to lead the children in song. They
sang Bona Nox and Alleluia by Mozart, in three-part canon;
the Alphabet Song; another canon, Magnificat, “one Mozart
would have liked;” and Twinkle, Twinkle, a piece Mozart
wrote variations on. Then all rose to the sound of more
Mozart, and silently passed in front of Mary who stood in
the rear of the aisle like a guardian angel. The children were
off to their first classes, and we adults were off to tour
the campus.
At 11 o’clock, I dropped off my guest parent and
stepped through the sandbox, over the wooden walkways
and the sand-covered stairs, and into the NURSERY. The
Art teacher Nancy McIntyre demonstrates
watercolor techniques to First Graders.
stressed the importance of keeping the water clean. After a
quick review to make sure the First Graders understood the
techniques, Nancy handed out textured paper used
expressly for watercolor and pointed out the deckled edge.
She wanted them to divide their paper into grids and
experiment with the different styles they just learned about.
They began by drawing designs in the boxes with crayons.
Class was over shortly afterwards, and I’m sure that during
the next meeting, they painted wonderful watercolor
designs in the boxes.
At two o’clock I had a “date” with the SECOND
GRADERS who were going to be celebrating the Korean
New Year with Jessica Park, mother of one of the class
members. When I entered the room, teacher Sue Levenson
was going over the math homework assignment, while
teacher Joan Rabinowitz greeted me. Jessica arrived
dressed in traditional garb, a stunning magenta dress with
embroidered flowers called a hanbok. The children sat on
the rug in the front of the room and listened attentively as
she told them about the lunar calendar used in Korea as well
as in China and about special customs observed during the
New Year celebration. Second Graders especially liked the
tradition of children staying up late on New Year’s Eve, in
the belief that if they fall asleep before midnight, their
eyebrows will turn white. Of course, this leads to many
sibling-assisted, artificially-colored eyebrows! Jessica
explained that everyone dresses in his or her best clothes
and visits elder relatives to pay respects. Then, all the First
Graders stood up and practiced the special deep bow used
to honor one’s elders. Traditional games like wrestling, kiteflying, and see-sawing are played, as well. Of course there
is a special food, duk mandu gook, a soup with rice cakes,
dumplings, shredded eggs, seaweed, and ground meat, and
Jessica brought a big pot to share with the children. The
soup signifies longevity. The students excitedly returned to
their tables and waited for the soup to be served. I was
fortunate – before going home I got to try some, too.
Sue Levenson doles out duk mandu gook while celebrating
the Korean New Year with her Second Graders.
littlest Far Brook students were sitting in a big circle with
teacher Bill Deltz and assistant teacher Kate Kratochvill on
a rug with a map of the world in its center. Bill was cutting
up apples and oranges for snack. He then took out “The
Orchard Book of Greek Myths.” “Guess what happens
when you read a story,” he began. “The story goes from the
book and into your head.” Then they played a little game.
Bill asked what they remembered about the myths he had
read them, the name of a god, or a special power. He asked
9
students continued through the scene, speaking their lines
as Jim coached which words or lines to emphasize. He
asked them to enunciate clearly. All this work, all this
repetition is necessary for the process. Far Brook plays are
always the showcase of student-teacher cooperation. The
performance was two weeks, nine rehearsals, away. At the
end of rehearsal, Jim reminded the Fifth Graders to go
home and practice with the cues, because “only knowing
the lines is not enough.” By working together with someone
cueing them at home, they would fully master their text.
During my saunter over to the LIBRARY, I noticed
that the clouds had rolled in again. I entered the book-lined
building and found librarian Sandy Blackwood and a parent
volunteer waiting for the Fourth Graders. When they did
arrive, the students nestled into the small, cozy, carpeted
reading room, where Sandy was going to read to them from
“Ida Early Comes Over the Mountain” by Robert Burch.
First, Sandy asked one of the boys to bring me up to date.
The book takes place in Georgia during the Great
Depression and is about a family with four children. All the
other students eagerly helped to fill in the details. Ida just
shows up one day to be the babysitter. The problem is that
Ida is different. She doesn’t dress like everyone else. But
she has some special talents, I learned. She is a checkerplaying champion, she can do rope tricks, and she can throw
things with great accuracy. Once they reviewed the story,
Sandy read the rest of the chapter, while the Fourth Graders
listened attentively. After she read the part where Ida ropes
a runaway bear and saves the day, Sandy allowed the
students to get up and choose books to take home. Two boys
headed for the computers to use the catalog program; two
other boys were searching the upper shelves for books
about magic tricks. Two students were looking through the
poetry section. One smiling girl told me her favorite books
are fairy tales and mysteries and that she always borrows
Nursery Children at Play
them to close their eyes and say, “G-r-e-e-k m-y-t-h-s,” as
if conjuring up the stories. The first boy remembered that
“Pluto took Persephone into the Underworld,” and he got
up and chose a slice of apple for snack. A girl next to me
said, “Persephone lived with Demeter.” She chose an
orange segment. And so it went with the children
remembering that “Pegasus can fly.” … “Persephone ate a
pomegranate.” … “Zeus throws down thunder and
lightning.” … “Arachne turned into a spider.” Oh, the
things that these children remembered! If anyone needed
help remembering, Bill and Kate were right there to help
them along, giving hints. And Bill gave them plenty of time
to think. As soon as they had all eaten, Bill directed them to
get their coats so they could go outside to play. They all
jumped up, helped each other zip up, and ran out into the
warming sunshine. I followed them with my camera.
A little while later, I walked over to the Hall and looked
in through the rear windows. Perfect – there was a rehearsal
going on. Director of DRAMA James Glossman was seated
on the right side of the Hall near the stage, directing every
moment of a play, but which play? I looked over at an open
script resting on a chair near a Fifth Grade actor who was
not on stage. They were rehearsing Sophocles’ “Antigone,”
and Jim was talking to the student who was playing Creon,
the King, about how to memorize a long speech. “You must
go home and study the lines over and over. … You must
glue each sentence to the end of the sentence that comes
before it,” Jim coached. “It’s tedious, boring repetition, but
it works!” Creon was speaking to Antigone. “Deliver that
more intensely. It has to sound like you mean it,” was
another direction. Jim explained the plot situation to the
Fifth Graders. It is after the civil war between the two sons
of Oedipus, and Creon is talking about a traitor. Jim wanted
the students to understand why the character was saying
those lines so that they could deliver them believably. The
Fourth Graders listen attentively to a story read by
librarian Sandy Blackwood.
10
Luncheon day, provided by parent volunteers. The featured
soups were black bean chili and vegetable soup with
floating goat cheese crustini, along with salad and dessert,
served in what I still consider the shiny “new” kitchen.
Most teachers took lunch back to the classrooms, but
several ate at tables set up in the Hall. Staff members are
always invited, too, so I joined the party.
After lunch, I bundled up and made my way back past
the Junior High, down the stairs and into the COMPUTER
LAB. There, Fifth Graders were working on a digital
architecture project with the MicroWorlds EX program.
The students were designing Greek temples, with columns
and an altar – first the floor plan, and then the elevations.
Their core curriculum is Ancient Greece. One girl was
creating a pink and purple temple, obviously dedicated to a
goddess, and one of the boys wanted his temple to be
elliptical, with statues set between the columns and an
interior garden with more statues inside. Computer teachers
Heather Chaffin ’92 and Judy Hnat were circulating among
the students and were available for any questions or
assistance needed. The challenge was to have the elevations
line up with the floor plan. The next stage of the project was
to print out their designs and cut out the pieces. Afterwards,
the students would glue them onto foam core with the help
of teacher Nancy McIntyre in the art room, and finally, they
would glue those pieces together to form three-dimensional
models of their temples. When it was time to log-off, some
students were still working on their elevations, while many
were ready to move on to the next phase.
I lucked out again. In the next room, math teacher Jill
Bauer was reviewing a chapter on solving systems of linear
equations with her Seventh Grade ALGEBRA class. She
was talking about the use of matrices to solve systems of
equations. This is a concept I don’t remember ever learning,
and I always loved math. The students were very excited
Lunchtime in Third Grade
three or four books at a time. The students waited in a short
line to have their borrowed books recorded and then were
off. It was almost two o’clock, the end of the day on Friday.
DAY 5 – JANUARY 31
The last day of January was a gray, cold, and damp
Tuesday, and I arrived at around 11 o’clock. I stopped at the
Development office for the camera and tried to begin my
day in the next building, downstairs in the computer lab, but
my timing was bad. A robotics class was just ending, and
the Middle School science room was empty. In hopes that
my luck would change, I headed upstairs to the THIRD
GRADE classroom, where I found assistant teacher JoAnn
Tutino in the green rocking chair and her class seated in a
big circle on the rug around her. She was reading “Hau Kola
– Hello Friend,” the autobiography of Paul Goble. She was
showing her class photos in the book of Native American
children and tipis made of cloth and buffalo hides. Mr.
Goble is a writer and illustrator of Native American tales,
especially those of Iktomi, the Trickster of the Plains. Over
the years JoAnn and teacher D’Ann Ippolito have read his
delightful books about Iktomi to the Third Graders. (I am
assuming that you remember that the core-curriculum for
these children is the Native Americans.) In this non-fiction
book, Mr. Goble explains to his readers about the research
– of plants and animals, the native people, the geography,
and artifacts – that goes into his stories. When JoAnn
finished reading, it was time for math, and about a third of
the children left the room for a lesson with Ellen Flamm.
Those remaining took seats at their desks. Since Ground
Hog Day was approaching, JoAnn chose math word
problems with that as the theme. For example: If
Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow at 7:29 a.m. in 1980, and
at 6:55 in 1981, how much later did he see his shadow in
1980 than in 1981? The children worked together with
JoAnn to solve the word problems. A few questions were
assigned for homework.
It was lunchtime and Teacher Appreciation Soup
Judy Hnat helps a Fifth Grader design her Greek temple.
11
about the study, too. They all enthusiastically participated in
the exercise, answering questions and sharing ideas. On the
board was 3x + 2y = 8 and x + 4y = -4. I paid close attention
and learned that to build a matrix, you use the coefficients
from the equations – 3, 2, 8 and 1, 4, -4. Then you have to
“make zeros” by adding opposites. If you don’t have
opposites, you can create them by multiplying an entire row
by a constant. That’s only the first step. Confused? Jill asked
the students to use the small white erasable boards that were
in their desks to show that step. As you can see, it is very
difficult to reconstruct this dialogue. Jill worked with the
Seventh Graders until they understood how to get the
solution by this method. Then the class reviewed the other
two ways of solving systems of linear equations –
elimination and substitution. And how do you know when
you have the right answer? By “checking,” of course.
During their next meeting, there would be a quiz. It was
three o’clock and we all rushed out.
Sixth Graders display nasty-looking microorganisms
grown on bread samples in science class.
At 12:30 p.m., I waited in the MIDDLE SCHOOL
SCIENCE room for teacher Jennifer Grolemund and the
Sixth Graders to arrive. Wooden stools were upside down
on the black lab tables. All was quiet, but oh, the ruckus
from above rattled the room. Lunch was over up there!
Jennifer and the students soon entered, and the last three
oral presentations on a scientist or inventor of each
student’s choosing were presented to the class. The first
Sixth Grader told us about a contemporary, Graham
Hawkes, who builds submarines with wings. Hawkes’
underwater vehicles are used to study shipwrecks and ocean
trenches. The presenter made a wooden model of a Deep
Flight 502 submarine to accompany his talk. The second
presentation was about Elizabeth Blackwell, the first
woman doctor of medicine in the modern era; and the last
related the life of Marie Curie, winner of two Nobel prizes
for her work in physics and chemistry. A shift in focus then
occurred. The children collected their bread samples from
the shelf along the rear wall to compare results of a lab
experiment. Inside the plastic bags were some very nastylooking specimens. Some were black; some were green;
others, orange. The purpose was: “To examine the growth
rate of microorganisms on bread and determine what factors
might help or hinder the growth rate.” Each student was
given three slices of white bread which were rubbed over
different surfaces in the room, i.e. the floor, the radiator, the
desk. Then one was dipped in water; one in sugar water; and
the last in vinegar. Of course, there was a control group –
untreated bread. Jennifer took a poll of the results and asked
the class why they thought the most mold grew on the water
and sugar water-soaked bread. They agreed that the food
and water encouraged mold growth and that the vinegar
inhibited it. Then they decided to keep the most colorful
specimens for further study and threw out the rest. Class
was over, and the room quickly emptied out.
I was on my way to the Laurie Arts Center to join a
DAY 6 – FEBRUARY 1
It was February. Where had the time gone? I got a late
start on this cool, cloudy morning. Upon arrival at school, I
walked the length of the campus and saw not one student.
All must have been inside their warm classrooms. Then I
heard distant screams of glee coming from the playground,
but I was on my way to the Laurie Arts Center and did not
have the time to detour. I was looking for a Lower School
music class and caught the last two minutes of the Eighth
Grade handbell mini, instead. The bells were already in
their velvet-lined cases. In woodshop, other Eighth Graders
were cleaning up, too. Timing, or lack of timing, is
everything! In the gym, a dance class was in session, but I
needed to observe sports. I made a note of the schedules and
planned return visits.
Jill Bauer and Seventh Graders talk about
solving systems of equations.
12
LOWER SCHOOL MUSIC class and, fortunately, peered
into the Hall as I passed. There was Jeanné Brown with the
entire Third Grade class on the stage with their recorders. I
could barely see their little faces. They were partially
obscured by the large, black music stands! The children
were rehearsing for a performance during the next Morning
Meeting. One row of children announced the first songs,
“Hot Crossed Buns” and “Merrily, Merrily We Roll Along.”
They all played, as Jeanné directed. I watched their dainty
little fingers cover the holes of their white recorders. Au
Claire De La Lune, The Big Bass Drum, and The Triangle
Song were next. ”Follow my lead,” Jeanné reminded them.
“Don’t speed up. You can’t breathe if you speed up.” She
sang the notes as they played to help them get the right
tempo. They played beautifully, and they all can read music.
To me this is a big accomplishment, since I cannot. They
played 11 songs in all, while standing in pairs with their
sheet music. Reading music and playing a recorder at their
age is one feat, but playing in a group under the direction of
a conductor is another, and these 25 Third Graders did
rather well.
I left among the children. They were headed toward
their classroom and I toward the gym for a SPORTS class.
There was a game of newcomb in progress, but there were
two balls! I must have looked confused, because teachers
Nancy Muniz and Greg Bartiromo came over to explain
that the Fourth Graders were playing a game that Greg and
Nancy devised – turbo newcomb! It’s an elimination game
that builds hand-eye coordination. When two balls are
coming your way, you’d better pay strict attention. There
are two teams on opposite sides of a high net. As in
newcomb, the ball is thrown over the net and the opposing
team tries to catch it. In turbo newcomb, if you drop the
ball, or if you are closest to the ball and fail to catch it, you
are out and go to the other court to practice. When either
team is down to one or two players and one of those players
Nancy Muniz (left) supervises Fifth
and Sixth Graders at turbo newcomb.
successfully catches the ball, the entire team is back in the
game. The game is over when all players from one team are
out. It looked like a lot of fun, very fast, and very loud!
When the Fourth Graders’ class was over, the Fifth and
Sixth Graders took their place and played a supercharged
game, which was played over the length of the entire gym.
Fifth Graders were on one side of the net and Sixth Graders
on the other. Balls were flying; children were jumping and
lunging; voices were raucous.
It was 2:30 p.m. when I exited the gym, and it took a
few minutes to get used to the quiet outside. I had one more
class to observe and it would have to wait until Friday.
There was a little spare time in my schedule, so before
leaving for the day, I perused the growing collection of
photographs of Far Brook children and events taken so far
this year and kept in the Development Office.
DAY 7 – FEBRUARY 3
In past years I have written about the snow-covered hill
by the playground, but on this mild morning, as Third
Graders ran outside to play, their teacher warned them to
stay out of the mud! Birds chirped and bulbs were already
forcing their way up through the soil in front of the
Kindergarten rooms. It felt like spring.
In WOODSHOP, eight Eighth Graders were in
various stages of making wood frames for their diplomas.
One of the boys was sanding the pieces in preparation for
the staining and polyurethaning stages. At the same table, a
classmate was tracing a design onto the wood. In addition
to printing their names on one side and the words “Far
Brook School” on another, the students were able to choose
designs or the years they attended Far Brook to embellish
their frames. The next step is to scribe the words and
designs into the wood with an electric pencil engraver, and
Jeanné Brown leads Third Graders in a recorder rehearsal.
13
Eighth Graders make the frames
for their diplomas.
Students engrave frames with their own designs.
at the next table, a boy worked diligently on this task,
accompanied by the steady buzz of the engraver. There was
one boy who was making something other than a frame. He
had already finished his frame, and he was making a
penguin for his brother. He was filing away on a shaped
wooden piece held in a vise. In another area of the room
two students, wearing large protective shirts, were
polyurethaning their frames which had previously been
nailed together. They told me that after the finish dried, the
frames must be sanded again before they could apply the
second coat of polyurethane. Behind those two, a girl was
staining her assembled frame a rich brown. The students
chatted and laughed while they worked, all under the
watchful eye of their teacher, Pam Rosenberg.
Stain is applied.
❦
I sat for a while on the green, wooden benches just in
front of the Junior High building. It was a quiet moment. No
one was around. I basked in the warmth that must have been
close to 60 degrees. It had been a very mild winter, over all.
I mused once again about next year, after Mary has retired.
I was sure it was on everyone’s minds. The homey red
buildings will look the same, the bare tree branches rustling
in the wind will sound the same, the learning going on
behind me in Ed’s English and history room and all around
the campus will be the same high quality, supportive
education we have come to love and respect. I cast my gaze
toward the windows of Mary’s office just down the path, a
bit past the library. There will be a different Head of School.
Murray E. Lopdell Lawrence will have taken the helm, but
as Mary expressed in her Education Night speech, the
vision of Far Brook’s founding families will go on.
Applying polyurethane is the final step.
14
T
Mary Wearn Wiener Looks Forward
(Annual Meeting Speech, May 3, 2006, condensed and
edited)
his is the 27th year I will have reported atAnnual Meeting
on the state of Far Brook School and its educational
operations. How far we’ve come in those 27 years! I’m
not sure most of you have any idea!!
Just to put into context the rest of my report, please
indulge me as I reminisce about the “state of Far Brook
School” at the time of my first Annual Meeting as Director –
April 9, 1980.
In 1980, Far Brook was just emerging from an
extremely difficult six-to-seven-year period of declining
enrollment, deferred maintenance, and ongoing financial
struggles. There was growing concern that the School might
even have to close.
Wisely, in the spring of 1979, the Board had hired
school management consultants (Browning Associates) to
help them. The consultants had been working for about a
year with the trustees to strengthen the structure of the
Board and its governance. In the summer of 1979, they had
identified and the Board had appointed an “administratively
naïve” Far Brook teacher – Mary Wearn Haigh – as Interim
Director for the 1979-80 school year. They made her
official Director that December, and together the Board and
she began work on a long-range planning effort to turn the
school around.
I realize it must be hard for many of you to believe that
the picture I just painted of the Far Brook of 1979-80 was
based on reality – especially when you have been
accustomed to the vibrant, thriving Far Brook of recent
years. But believe me it was real – and several “old timers”
here tonight can vouch for that. We remember the Far
Brook of 27 years ago vividly, and that memory makes our
enjoyment of Far Brook’s remarkable journey and its
outstanding success today all the more satisfying!
There were two main reasons that Far Brook was able
to achieve its current success, and I want to make sure you
all hear them and remember them tonight.
Firstly, those of us at Far Brook then knew that
something unique had been created in the education offered
here, that we had inherited what could be a great legacy, and
that we had to ensure its survival and carry it forward into
the future. We could not let Far Brook cease to exist. We
could not let it be anything other than the best it could be.
Secondly, we had people who were willing to roll up
their sleeves and put in extraordinary hours of commitment,
working together to support the school and help it move
forward.
Far Brook’s unique mission and spirit galvanized all
constituencies – the Board, faculty, administration, and
current and past parent volunteers. We came together to
accomplish great things and accomplish them we did!
To have been a part of that process has been aweinspiring, humbling, and extremely gratifying for me. I
thank you ALL from the bottom of my heart for giving me
the honor and privilege of being a part of something so
fundamentally worthwhile.
WE HAD MUCH TO DO AND A LONG WAY TO GO!
15
NOW – ON TO THE FAR BROOK OF TODAY –
OUR CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE.
provide exposure to great material, which stretches the
imagination, stimulates ideas, deepens values, and fosters
spiritual depth.” Ibid.
There are some things I believe you should keep in
mind as you move into the future without me!
The greatest and most obvious challenge will be the
transition to a new Head of School after 27 years of me! I
believe we have found a very good person in Murray E.
Lopdell Lawrence. He is a seasoned Head, used to running
schools. He seems to value all that Far Brook stands for. He
is a good man and a man of character! I am comfortable
leaving the School in his hands.
I am sure you all will welcome Murray. You are also
going to need to support him – to give him time to really get
to know the School and experience it. Allow him even to
make a mistake or two! It is one thing to visit a place and
read about it. It is quite another to actually live it. And Far
Brook is full of so many wonderful quirks and subtleties
that it takes at least a year to have a true “feel” of it. Murray
will certainly have the support of a wonderful Board, a
dedicated faculty, and a solid administrative infrastructure
behind him! I am hopeful he will be able to count on the
support of Far Brook parents, who understand and value the
uniqueness of Far Brook as a school.
The second most important thing is to make sure that,
as Far Brook moves into the future, it remains true to its
unique and inspiring mission, which has stood the School
extraordinarily well for many, many years. It is what makes
the School distinctive, what sets it apart from all other
independent schools. Return to Far Brook’s mission again
and again as you make decisions regarding the future.
Do your best to maintain and support the excellence
that we worked so hard for and have attained to such a
remarkable degree. Do not assume that it will automatically
continue. It takes energy and vigilance to keep a good thing
going. Don’t rest on your laurels.
Make sure that Far Brook is able to attract and keep top
quality teachers and administrators who understand and are
committed to the School’s values.
Continue the good work that has been done on retention
of students through the Junior High. In order for Far Brook
to be Far Brook, it must have a strong Junior High. The
Junior High students are the leaders and models for the
younger students, who look up to them and aspire to be like
them! The older students pass on the legacy of the School
to the younger students!
Last but not least … continue to grow Far Brook’s
endowment. That is the key to a healthy future for the
School. It will enable the School to get through difficult
times and will help keep Far Brook a diverse community of
students and families.
That’s it! Do all that and more and I’ll rest more easily
in Savannah! But … I’ll be watching!
Far Brook is as strong as it has ever been. It is in an
excellent position to manage the transition to our new Head
of School, Murray E. Lopdell Lawrence, who will assume
his duties on July 1st.
We have a faculty of outstanding professionals who are
“second to none” as teachers, who truly understand Far
Brook’s philosophy of education, and who know how to put
that philosophy into practice expertly. Every day and every
year it is these teachers who recreate the excellence and
magic that is Far Brook.
Any visit to Far Brook bears witness to the vitality and
excellence of the school’s academic and arts programs and
to the excitement and involvement of our students and
faculty. This School is simply incredible – an absolute joy
to be part of.
The Far Brook traditions, Thanksgiving Processional,
The Masque, Stabat Mater, and Shakespeare – along with
Morning Meeting (really the “fifth Tradition”) – are as
important as the classroom experiences in the education
children receive at Far Brook.
These traditions “overarch our curricula and provide
the ritual framework for our school days and years.” They
“embody our dedication to learning through the arts,
provide a unifying element over time for our community of
students, teachers, alumni, and parents. They both define
and exemplify the particular spirit that is Far Brook.”
Winifred Moore, “Roots of Excellence.”
“The value of our traditions is not merely in the
‘performances.’ The preparation and rehearsal for these
celebrations also constitute profound learning experiences,
for they touch and influence the rest of the child’s life. They
require self-discipline, respect for others, and the
willingness to strive for accomplishment and mastery. They
A Far Brook Tradition –
Thanksgiving Processional
16
Annual Volunteer Reception
May 3, 2006
Judy Lin Wu
Donna Deltz, Judy Yoshitsu,
Mary Wearn Wiener, and Kate Lee
Kathy Van Deusen Hatfield
’81 and Jennifer Barba
Ileana Martin with
Michele Iverson
Mary Wearn Wiener
with Helen Kaplus
Jim Benz and Mary Murphy
Niv Miyasato and
Roselie McNair
Joy Cox, Leslie Penny, and
Leslie Winnerman
Gigi Loh, Valerie McEntee,
Ellen Hakes, and Karl Loh
17
L
Mary Wearn Wiener: Her Legacy
By LINDA GEORGE
ast spring, Mary Wearn Wiener announced her plans to
retire at the end of the following school year, in June 2006.
That time has arrived. A new Head of School has been
chosen, and Mary has introduced him to students and faculty.
Faculty, students, parents, and alumni have been trying to say their
goodbyes.
Mary has been part of Far Brook for 40 of the school’s
58 years, 13 years as a teacher and 27 as Head of School. It
is difficult to imagine Far Brook without her. Her imprint is
everywhere. Perhaps the one trait those of us who know
Mary could agree upon is her uncompromising striving for
excellence in everything. Mary has never settled for less.
Mary came to Far Brook in 1966, hoping to teach
French. She had graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Agnes
Scott College, a women’s college in Atlanta, also her
mother’s alma mater, and had spent a year studying in
France. She had taught French for a year in Virginia and the
following year had moved to New York, working as an
assistant to Virginie Fowler, the children’s book editor at
Alfred A. Knopf. But despite the heady atmosphere at
Knopf, she was not happy. “It was a long, boring day,” Mary
says. She missed the contact with children. “When I’m with
a group of kids, it’s 100% engagement of every part of my
mind and body. I just can’t think about anything else.”
And so she sent her resumé to Far Brook and was
Mary With Students Circa 1984
invited for an interview. She knew next to nothing about the
School, even though she had grown up in Short Hills. She
did know that her high school classmate Sally Adams (now
Chernoff) ’57 had gone there. Mary had shared with Sally
the honor of being class salutatorian at Millburn High
School. Sally was the daughter of Mary Adams, Far
Brook’s long time math and computer teacher. And, as it
turned out, it was Mary Adams, then Acting Director, who
interviewed Mary. The school’s founder and Director,
Winifred Moore, was indisposed, recovering from a
hospital stay, brought on, it was rumored, by too much
Coca-Cola and too many candy bars.
Mrs. Adams met with Mary on a Saturday in the old
Library, then took her to meet Mrs. Moore, who lived in the
house behind the Hall. Mary remembers being quite taken
both by Mrs. Moore, who by all accounts was a very
colorful character, and by the setting. The whole house felt
open, with windows all around, overlooking the woods and
trees, and there was a fireplace. “Winifred had an aesthetic
sense, and with very little she made a very interestinglooking place.” The couch now in Mary’s office, on which
many parents and students have sat, belonged to Mrs.
Moore. Mrs. Moore’s dictum: “She projects. Hire her.”
After some deliberation, Mary accepted a position
teaching Sixth Grade. It was a “trial by fire.” There was no
formal curriculum, and faculty were on their own. Mary’s
class of 16 boys, some of whom were bigger than their
teacher, and two girls, provided for some interesting
moments, but Mary persevered. She was invited back
(teachers were either invited back or not – there were no
contracts), and went on to teach Fourth Grade for ten years,
then taught Third Grade for two years.
Meanwhile, the years 1970-71 had seen a nationwide
recession and Far Brook, along with most other
Mary entered the world of computers years ago
with teachers Sue Levenson, Althea MacWhorter,
and Marian Davis.
18
independent schools, had experienced a decline in
enrollment. In 1973, Winifred Moore retired. Mary Adams
agreed to be Acting Director and the search was on. The
next four-and-a-half years saw two new Directors come and
go. With this rapid turnover, coupled with internal and
external financial problems, the School was in serious
trouble.
It was August 1979. The last Director had left, a new
one had not been hired, and the search committee could not
agree upon a candidate. There was a real fear that another
mistake could kill the school. Mary was a member of the
search committee and had been asked to head the Middle
School that fall. Members of the Board of Trustees had
gotten to know Mary well and to observe her intelligence
and her passion for the School. Nevertheless, she was taken
aback when Barrett Flanders, then Chairman of the Board
and member of the search committee, asked if she would be
Interim Director.
“I was being asked to help a school I had grown to
believe in and love. I knew that I had the follow-through
and the strength of character to do it. … I had this vision of
a golden egg that had been placed before me. I asked myself
whether I would have the courage to pick it up and carry it
out into the light of the world or was I going to let it sit in
darkness and regret it for the rest of my life?”
That first Education Night, Mary went back to The
Roots of Excellence, written by Winifred Moore, that sets
forth the principles of a Far Brook education. For the
ensuing 27 years, that book has been a continuing source of
inspiration and direction for Mary and for the School.
Major problems had to be solved in those early years.
There was no significant written curriculum; there were no
comprehensive lists of skills to be developed sequentially;
there were no guidelines for teachers that would help them
ensure that the curriculum progressed logically from year to
year. A recruitment committee was formed to get the
School’s name known. Standardized Testing was reviewed
with an emphasis on helping teachers assess how students
were learning.
“I didn’t want to have to apologize for the School. I
wanted the world to recognize this way of learning and that
this was as good as any other and better. I wanted people to
come to Far Brook in preference to other independent
schools in the area. I wanted Far Brook to be their first
choice. I saw every parent who applied to Far Brook. I
knew I could sell the School. I had never wanted to sell
magazines or Girl Scout cookies or anything else, but I
believed in the School and I could sell it.”
During those first years, crews of parents, faculty, and
the Director painted and repaired classroom buildings. Very
soon a long-range plan was put in place. In 1982 a full-time
development position was established, and Carol Sargent
was hired (and has been at Far Brook ever since). A faculty
pension fund was established in 1984. By 1986, the first
Capital Campaign was underway, and in 1990, the Middle
School (now the Mary Margaret Wearn Wiener Middle
School), the Administration Building, and the Segal Family
Library were dedicated. In 1992, the Laurie Arts Center was
completed. In celebration of Far Brook’s 45th Anniversary
in 1993, the Far Brook community joined together to build
the new playground. By 1997, the Junior High and French
room had been completely renovated.
Most recently, Moore Hall, the very heart of the school,
has been expanded and renovated. The building was
reopened with a dedication ceremony October 9, 2003. That
renovation was made possible by the School’s most
ambitious Capital Campaign ever, which raised $4,825,526,
for the Moore Hall rebuilding and for the endowment.
Meanwhile, Far Brook’s reputation for excellence is
undisputed. Far Brook graduates are sought after by the
most prestigious secondary schools and enrollment is
strong. Mary brought this golden egg out into the light of
the world.
Mary Margaret Wearn Wiener has been a force in the
history of Far Brook. Driven by an unwavering vision, she
led the school from an uncertain future to where it is today.
All of us thank her for her courage, her energy, and her utter
devotion to Far Brook School.
19
T
Dear Friend: Saying Goodbye to Mary
By LINDA GEORGE
his has no doubt been an unusual year for Mary Wearn
Wiener, who retires as Head of School at the end of June
2006. Over her 27-year tenure as Head (and, with 13 years
of teaching, a total of 40 years at Far Brook), Mary has been very
much the hands-on Director, involved in nearly every aspect of
the School. Very little happened at Far Brook without Mary’s
direct input. How curious, then, it was for her to “have no idea
what’s going on,” as Mary put it at the special Morning Meeting
held May 31 to honor her. “All year long,” Mary said, “I’ve come
upon closed doors. People hear my footsteps and they close the
door. And if the door is open, and I walk in, people stop talking.”
Far Brook has been abuzz with projects to honor Mary.
Faculty, students, parents, alumni, and friends have all
worked very hard, with Mary’s own high standards as the
guide. At the special Morning Meeting, held under the tent
erected for the June 3rd Gala, some of those secret projects
cooked up behind closed doors were revealed.
Second Grade teacher Joan Rabinowitz, on behalf of all
the students, presented Mary with a book of “memories
collected with love and appreciation from Far Brook
students.” The book includes pages from each class, some
with specially selected quotes – “You will always be part of
our rookery,” from the Kindergarten penguin-themed page;
“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” from the Second
Graders; a saying from the Oglala Sioux from the Third
Grade – all with special memories for Mrs. Wiener. On the
Sixth Grade pages, along with miniatures of the medieval
shields, is a quote Mrs. Wiener had asked the class to
memorize in Fifth Grade, an adage she had learned from her
Kindergartners performed a Renaissance dance.
own mother and clearly taken to heart: “If a task is once
begun/Never leave it ‘til it’s done./Be the labor great or
small/Do it well or not at all.” CDs from each music event
of the year, a miniature photo of each student, and lots of
other wonderful things fill the book of memories.
Another gift to Mary, organized by parent Marcia
Zweig, is a big, framed canvas, to which each current
student contributed a painted square. Among the items
students chose to depict are a tube of mascara (waterproof,
of course), a “No left turn during carpool” sign, a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich, and a box of Kleenex. One
student painted herself crying as Mary leaves.
“This is glorious, incredible,” Mary said.
Other gifts were more ephemeral treasures. The Sixth
Grade and the Kindergarten performed their Renaissance
dance, the latest addition to the Medieval Feast. Seventh
Graders performed some of Mary’s favorite poems, and
Sixth Graders put on a play they wrote for their papier
mâché creations, which included a life-size Mary figure,
complete with some substantial “gold” jewelry. The
morning was complete as voices joined together in singing
that filled the early summer air.
“It has been such a joy to have kids like you,” Mary
said. “I want to thank you all for this remarkable Morning
Meeting, one I will never, ever forget. I am stunned by the
amount of work that went into this. It shows what an
incredible school this is. … Murray [the incoming Head of
School] will be so thrilled to be here!”
The festivities continued at “A Midsummer Night With
Mary,” the Gala held June 3rd to celebrate her remarkable
career. Every detail was perfect – from the green boughs and
fresh flowers that decorated the tables, to the stars strung
Mary with Memory Book
20
toward a marsh and that wonderful landscape of the Deep
South seacoast. In a hallway of the Wieners’ new home,
there is a large grandfather clock and in the dining room sits
another clock, an elegant, French enameled timepiece. Both
clocks chime, one with a deep resonance like Westminster,
the other, with a more delicate ding-ding.
Mary imagines sitting in Savannah, having her
breakfast, when the clocks begin to strike. Maybe the clocks
won’t be perfectly synchronized, so first one will start
chiming, then the chime of the second clock will start – first
eight o’clock, then a quarter past, then eight-thirty – and
Mary will think of Morning Meeting. She’ll picture Moore
Hall, the children filing in. She’ll wonder who is reading,
what everyone is singing.
“Morning Meeting is imprinted on my soul,” Mary
says. “Students who attend Far Brook from Nursery
through Eighth Grade go to something like 2,000 Morning
Meetings,” Mary says. “Imagine how many I’ve seen!”
And we’ll be thinking of Mary, too. She will always be
with us at Far Brook – in the classrooms, in the music, in
the words – even in Savannah.
Inevitably, the line from The Tempest comes to mind:
“Our revels now are ended… .” But it’s a joyful ending.
Mary has done what she set out to do. Far Brook is
flourishing, and she leaves the school in most capable
hands – we have a faculty and staff second to none,
anywhere; a dedicated Board of Trustees; students and
parents who love the school; and a talented, energetic new
Head of School, Murray E. Lopdell Lawrence, all ready to
work together to make sure that Far Brook remains the
astonishing place that it has come to be.
Farewell, dear, and peace be with thee!
Every student painted a square on the large canvas.
across the tent (one for each Far Brook student of the past 40
years), to the words alumni, faculty, staff, and trustees found
to say. A highlight of the evening was the airing of a
spectacular video produced by videographer Bayleh Lewis
with the guidance and assistance of parent and Board
member Lisa Dworkin. In the video, faculty, alumni,
parents, friends, trustees, staff members – people who have
worked with and admired Mary over these years – described
some of the magic she has brought to the school. Mary was
surrounded by her loving family, who are no doubt looking
forward to seeing more of her in the coming years. Photos of
the Gala can be found in this issue of Reports.
Mary and her husband, Louis, will be moving to
Savannah, to a lovely low-country style home that looks out
Mary received a diploma from the Eighth Graders on the last day of school.
21
Wednesday, May 31, 2006, at 9:00 a.m.
A Special Morning Meeting Under the Tent
Michael Horowitz ’98, Grant Yoshitsu ’01,
Christina Capatides ’01, Bess Levin ’98, and
Jesse Deltz ’01 with Mary
Mari Plotkin and son, Adam ’90,
chat with Mary
Osaretin Eboigbe, Precious Okungbowa ’99,
Mary, and Beatrice Akhabue
Allen Dobbins, Nick Bethlem, and Ryan
Stevens, all Class of 2005, pose with Mary
22
Mary with
Shelley ABRAMOWITZ
Barbara Keller reminisces
with Mary
Kate Lee, Lisa Dworkin,
Mary’s Papier Mâché Clone,
and the Original!
Ute Tellini and Mary
Sixth Graders and Their Art Project
Mary and Joan Rabinowitz With
the Student-made Memory Book
Mary with Alumnae
Gail Pokorney and
Kate Wolf,
Class of 1996
23
A
Midsummer N
To Celebrat e t he Legacy
Saturday, Ju
Jay Hughes ’56 and Classmate
Sally (Adams) Chernoff ’56
at The Podium
Third Grade Teacher
D’Ann Ippolito
Sally (Fryberger) Braley ’75
Junior High English/History
Teacher and Head of Junior High
Ed Solecki
Under the
Director of Drama
James Glossman
The Hughes Family
Mina Curtiss, Lisa Dworkin,
and Mary Wiener
Jeni (Miller) Schwartzstein ’77
and Her Brother Noah Miller
’75 with Mary
Jonathan Greene and Cynthia Eller
24
M
Mary and Former Tea
Rabinowitz and S
Ni
gh
t w
ry
ith Ma
of Mary W earn W iener
une 3, 2006
Judy Armstrong, Joe Baker ’62,
and Phil Fryberger ’69
Jim Benz and Mary
Mary and Chris Susko
Sarah ’04 and Talia Gross with Mary
e Tent
Mary with Yudit Terry
achers Barbara
ue Magidson
Louis and Mary Wiener react to
$1,000,000+ endowment announcement
Mary and Board President
Jeff Kronthal
Sports Teachers Past and
Present: Ken Inglis,
Nancy Muniz, Greg Bartiromo,
and Larry Hart
Mary’s family celebrated with us.
25
M
Murray E. Lopdell Lawrence Arrives
As New Head Of School
Murray went on to quote a phrase that has become
central to his thinking: “A student is not a vessel to be filled
but a flame to be ignited.” Attributed to Plato and recast by
philosophers and poets ever since (and often quoted at Far
Brook), these words were carved into the lintel over the
doorway at Hill House School in England, where Murray
once taught. “We’ve tried for thousands of years to live up
to that motto, but most schools are still trying to cram
students full of information. But now content and
information are so readily available, it’s not a question of
information but, rather, a question of how to sift through it
and how to use it. Children need to learn how to think.”
“Morning Meeting was an absolute delight,” Murray
says. He went on to describe the highlight: Mr. Artz asked
the students to sing a 15-part round. “My jaw dropped,”
Murray recalled. If that weren’t enough, then Mr. Artz went
on to remind students that they hadn’t done this particular
round for some months. But for Murray, while 15 parts was
astounding, what he found truly astonishing was how
quickly and calmly the students organized themselves,
turning to one another, agreeing among themselves who
would take which part. “When Mr. Artz asked the students,
‘Does anyone remember what a D sounds like?’, one child
sang it pitch perfect from memory.” Then the school sang
together in what Murray remembers as “a flawless rendition
of 15 parts.”
Music is an important part of Murray’s life. His wife,
Nikki Li Hartliep, is a critically acclaimed soprano who has
sung leading roles with the San Francisco Opera, the Lyric
Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, and other
companies around the world. She is a member of the
teaching faculty at the Eastman School of Music in
Rochester, NY. The two met at the San Francisco
Conservatory of Music.
“Through music,” Murray says, “I started to appreciate
what it feels like to be ‘learning different.’ Academics had
always come easily for me, but with music it was a struggle.
I had to work hard at it. I could see that for other people it
was much easier. I took lessons for a number of years
because I loved music. I came to realize, though, I enjoyed
teaching others – I enjoyed their success more than my own
performing. I came to appreciate how learning is not always
easy for everyone.”
This musical adventure has made him all the more
determined “not to lose the opportunities for children to
experience, to try, to take chances. Children are so
pressured about moving ahead. We must take that pressure
away, so that we can challenge them to take risks, to step
By LINDA GEORGE
urray E. Lopdell Lawrence became Far Brook’s new
Head of School on July 1, 2006. His visits to Far
Brook have generated a flurry of eager anticipation –
from the Search Committee, who unanimously voted to
recommend him; from the Board of Trustees, who unanimously
accepted that recommendation; and from outgoing Head Mary
Wearn Wiener, who accorded the new Head the ultimate praise:
“He’s a good man.” In the midst of preparing for the move back
East – he comes to us from Marin Primary & Middle School, in
Larkspur, California, where he was Head of School – Murray
chatted with us about his impressions of Far Brook, his
experience as an educator, and his expectations.
“When I first visited Far Brook,” Murray relates, “I
Murray E. Lopdell Lawrence (center) with
Jim Benz, Director of Upper Schools, and
Paula Levin, Director of Lower School.
came with an open slate. I didn’t know what to expect. But
wonderful, positive images kept jumping out from
everywhere. I was surprised and delighted by the way the
teachers teach – the way they ask questions – the inquirybased teaching. For many of the teachers here it is an
ingrained and natural way of dealing with children. They
pose questions to the kids; they encourage students to think.
It’s not about the curriculum content – it’s the way they
teach.”
He describes being struck by “an expectation of
excellence,” as he observed sitting in on a drama rehearsal,
a recognition in the children and in the teachers that “there
are layers and layers to learning, that you don’t settle along
the way, but that you strive for the very best you can do.”
26
out into the void and see what happens. Perhaps they’ll find
a stepping stone in that void, then another. If they can’t do
that when they’re children, when can they?”
Another of Murray’s loves is literature. He has always
read a great deal and has a special love for history. At
Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, where he
did his undergraduate work, he double majored in English
and political science. He was awarded a post-graduate
Diploma of Teaching from Wellington Teacher’s College.
That love of reading first translated into an editorial job at
Highlights for Children, the distinguished children’s
magazine. Highlights sent him as representative to the
National Council of Teachers of English, starting a close
working relationship of ten years with that organization.
Through that connection he met writers of children’s books
and developed a great enthusiasm for that genre. “That’s
where a lot of the most creative writing is happening. There
is so much creative energy there.” While he has always
loved historical fiction, he tells of being introduced to
science fiction by an 11-year-old with whom he was trying
to connect. “What shall I try?” he asked her, and she ended
up by becoming his teacher, introducing him to such writers
as John Christopher, author of the “Tripods Trilogy,” and
Orson Scott Card and his “Ender’s Game.”
To Murray, the most important room in a school is the
library. His goal is to get children hooked on reading, to have
them love it, to create a habit that will last a lifetime, and in
his career he has certainly practiced what he preaches. At the
St. Thomas Choir School in New York City, where early in
his career Murray taught English, he also became the
Fourth Grade adaptation of “The
Contendings of Horus and Seth”
from the classroom texts of
Geraldine Harris
librarian. (Over the years, at other schools, in addition to
English, he has also taught math and physical education.) He
visited the school’s library and discovered a beautiful room
that was filled with an unappealing collection of student
discards. He took it upon himself to create a proper library,
at first by visiting the local public library every week and
borrowing 90 books for the Choir School library. When
those books had to be returned, he would cart them back and
charge out another 90. By the time he left the Choir School,
the school’s beautiful library was filled with a hand-picked
collection of fabulous books. “I wanted my students to be
able to read and to be able to write. If I had taught them that,
then I had achieved my goal.”
Following a long-term Head – and Mary is not only
long-term but also, as he put it, “a legend” – Murray sees
his role as one of “helping to form a calm continuation of
what was and what’s to be – to revere and respect those who
have come before and their contribution, to follow their
drive and their vision, to understand, to clarify, and to keep
doing what’s going really well.” Far Brook has thrived, and,
as Murray put it, “the most important thing for me is [that
I] reassure people that they can keep working on and
continuing with what has made the school so renowned.” A
change of Head is a time to “consolidate and [for faculty
and staff] to be intentional about why they are there and
what they’ve been doing, to reconnect and remind each
other, ‘This is why we do things as we do.’” He looks
forward to getting to know Far Brook “as it continues as
wonderfully as it has been.”
Fifth Grade presents “Antigone”
by Sophocles.
27
Seventh Grade performs “Twelfth
Night, or What You Will”
by William Shakespeare.
Former Trustee Dinner
November 10, 2005
Blair MacInnes,
Charles Oransky,
and Gordon Keil
“Was it something I said?”
– Jeff Kronthal
Suzanne Glatt,
Joyce Baldinucci,
and Wendy Keil
Chris Susko and Ellen Hakes
Patrick and
D’Ann Ippolito
Marian Davis with
Carol Sargent
Barbara Pagos with
Jessica and John Park
Ellen Segal, Joan Guryan,
Brooke Gardiner, and
Julia Averett Peet
Mary Flanked by
Host Barry Fisher
and Peter Segal
28
Lisa Dworkin, Joe Baker ’62,
and Juliet Sutherland
Mary Wearn Wiener Having a
Good Laugh with Current and Former Trustees
The Hostess, Irene Fisher,
between
Bill and Donna Deltz
Julia Averett Peet
with Mary
Mary with Leslie Penny
and Marian Davis
Mary with Justin
and Lana
(Gold) Walder
Sybil Hite
Mary Sue Fisher and
Ellen Hakes
Abby, the Fishers’ dog, with
Peter and Ellen Segal
Wendy Keil, Dee Hellring, Alice Golin,
Jay Leonard, Leslie Penny, and Iris Leonard
29
H
A Banner Year for Far Brook Philanthropy
team of Annual Fund solicitors and a banner year for Far
Brook!
Far Brook’s Endowment is also a significant piece of
the school’s financial picture. In 2004-2005, following the
previous capital campaign that largely funded the
renovation of Moore Hall, the Board of Trustees identified
the Endowment as a major priority for Far Brook. A healthy
Endowment enables Far Brook to operate with stability and
flexibility so we can provide the best education for our
children. Income from the Endowment contributes to the
operating budget each year, thereby helping to reduce
pressures on tuition increases. It is a source for scholarships
and for faculty and program enrichment. It is a cushion for
economic downturns and unforeseen maintenance issues. In
short, the Endowment is critical to sustaining a unique and
rich educational environment for the Far Brook students of
today and tomorrow.
After the previous Capital Campaign, the Board set a
goal to raise $1,000,000 in three years for the Endowment.
With the news of Mary’s upcoming retirement, we
challenged ourselves to reach $1,000,000 an entire year
earlier – by the time of the Gala in June 2006! Thanks to the
efforts of many folks who devoted much time and energy in
raising funds, and the generous donors in the Far Brook
community, we surpassed our goal with a total of
$1,033,977! In this past school year alone, Far Brook raised
over $725,000 for the Endowment. A Former Trustees
Matching Challenge of $75,000, established by Joy and
Kevin Cox, The Hite Foundation, and the S. I. Newhouse
Foundation, raised over $150,000, and demonstrated the
continued allegiance of former members of the Board of
Trustees. Congratulations to Suzanne Glatt, Vice President
of the Board of Trustees, for her unflagging leadership and
sensitivity in this Endowment effort. Kudos, too, go to Leah
Kronthal and Helen Macioce for all their enthusiastic
persistence and hard work in making the Tribute Journal a
wonderful memento of achievement all around.
Sincere thanks to Far Brook’s Development staff team
– Carol Sargent, Director of Advancement; Patricia Lawler,
Director of Development; and Peggy Fawcett,
Development Associate – who worked so closely with me
and all our volunteers in these exciting fundraising
challenges.
As we enter the 2006-2007 school year, we look
forward to working with Murray E. Lopdell Lawrence as he
arrives to take the helm at Far Brook. Upon his arrival in
July, Murray will find a school more financially secure than
ever before. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, thank you
to everyone who participated in giving this past year.
By LISA DWORKIN
Chair, Development Committee
ats off to the Far Brook community for a wonderfully
successful 2005-2006 philanthropic year! Giving
opportunities were in abundance, as the 2005-06 Annual
Fund cracked the $400,000 “ceiling” for the first time, and the Far
Brook community came together to raise over $1,000,000 for the
Endowment in honor of our long-time Head of School, Mary
Wearn Wiener. The surprise announcement was made at the Gala
in her honor on June 3, 2006.
In April 2005, when Mary announced her upcoming
retirement, those of us responsible for fundraising knew we
were going to have a busy year. Certainly, there were many
people who wanted to celebrate with Mary and honor her
accomplishments: 27 years as Head of School, 13 years as
teacher, and the successful leadership that has made Far
Brook what it is today. We also knew this would be an
excellent opportunity to raise funds for the Endowment, a
cause near and dear to Mary’s heart. At the same time, we
could not lose sight of our need to provide the best
education possible for today’s students This means
continued generous support of the Annual Fund to sustain
this education “of uncommon quality.”
To make the most of these opportunities was a tall order
and we – the Far Brook community – did it! The 2005-06
Annual Fund was the most successful ever, having raised
$415,612, a first in Far Brook’s history. The school relies on
the Annual Fund for nearly 10% of its budget to support
day-to-day operations. The continued success of the Fund
enables Far Brook to competitively compensate our faculty
and staff, provide innovative materials and programs that
support a stimulating classroom environment, maintain Far
Brook’s campus facilities, and more. With outstanding
current parent participation of 96%, and with many of these
gifts at the level of Fair Share ($1,500 per student) or
greater, our results surpass many schools of our size and
age. The School also received many generous gifts from
alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, faculty, and staff.
Such participation and giving clearly demonstrate shared
commitment to this extraordinary institution and the
creative and remarkable education it offers our students.
The success of this year would not have happened if it
weren’t for the dedication and efficient guidance of a
wonderful Annual Fund team of leaders – Co-chairs, Carol
Chartouni and Kathy (Van Deusen) Hatfield ’81, and
Current Parent Campaign Co-chairs, Nanette DiTosto and
Frank Macioce. Their leadership – and the generous
response of Far Brook donors – has meant success for our
30
LETTERS
July 28, 2005
Dear Carol [Sargent],
I’ve just finished reading my latest Far Brook Reports
with a mixture of delight and dismay. The latter because
changes are occurring too rapidly for me ... . When I think
back to our first Reports, on stapled paper and the wonders
of my newly discovered Xerox machine (thanks to my
cohort-partner [and aumni parent], Phyllis Halpern), I can
scarcely believe our development. I had loved the wonderful
“art scraps” and children’s artwork we included ... .
Helen Kaplus and Pat Lawler did a great job on
Reports. And what nostalgia to read news-bits of some of
the people I remember so wistfully – Belle Linda Halpern
’76, her brothers, Sam ’83 and Isaac ’84, Jonathan Littman
’78; Bob Wolpert ’62; [alumni parent] Laura Levin
(Mardyks); Mary Ritter; Lisa Paddon ’69; Charlie Miller
’81; Noah Levin ’93; and Emily Solecki ’04.
My Far Brook child, Janet ’75, is in the real world of
business now, after so many years of work in the non-profit
fields … working for a large corporation that produces
industrial shows.
My dearest love to you all on this successful voyage of
the next part of your educational adventure … .
Mimi Berkow
Bradenton, Fla.
[Alumni parent and co-founder of
Reports]
Decorated Pumpkin on Fall Family Day
October 21, 2005
Dear Mary [Wiener],
I have been thinking back on my years at Far Brook,
and while I remember moments of my earliest years, it is
from Fourth Grade on that my memories are clear. I
remember the excitement of moving into a new building
across the courtyard … . But mostly I remember a very
special teacher.
Far Brook faced another pivotal moment in 1973, when
Mrs. Moore retired. Her two successors left questions as to
whether such a strong, respected, and remarkable woman
could ever be replaced. Twenty-seven years later, those
questions are once again being raised.
Far Brook has taught its children not to mourn the loss
of one of our family but celebrate their lives and
contributions. In a career that has been so productive, the
sum of your work is difficult to measure. Most of Far Brook
cannot imagine the School without Mary Wiener. No one
can deny your need to be with your family. Forty years is a
long time to be away from a parent, siblings, nieces, and
nephews. However, Far Brook is also your family, the
teachers, staff, and parents, but mostly your students. We
are your children, children who have traveled far in the
world: the heirs of the knowledge, guidance, and teaching
you have imparted about the gods of Egypt and working on
their multiplication tables. We have marveled with [the
students] at the life of the brine shrimp and sung the songs
of our Far Brook childhoods to them. Some of us have been
fortunate enough to have our children share in the gift of Far
Brook firsthand.
When you sit on your porch and reflect on your
accomplishments, you must realize how important you are
to so many people. You have touched the lives of so many
children, and the impact you have made on them is
everlasting. There are many different perceptions of Mary
Wiener: teacher, director, colleague, and friend. The thread
(Sadly, Mimi died on July 27, 2006. See her obituary on
page 47.)
–––––––––––
–––––––––––
October 19, 2005
Hello,
I was only able to attend Far Brook for that one year
(Seventh Grade); after that, my family relocated to
Texas … . However, the influence of the education I
received at your school has remained quite strong. It was a
fantastic opportunity to explore academics and the arts, and
I loved having such a small class and great teachers!
I took many, many, different paths after that year. I am
now starting a new career as a bilingual kindergarten/first
grade public school teacher here in Texas, and that’s
probably why Far Brook is on my mind. I want to instill
some of that same love of learning in my students that I got
from my experience there … .
Sincerely,
Astrid Jernick Felter ’81
Conroe, TX
31
that binds them all is a lady of strength, elegance, and
integrity.
With my affection, respect and gratitude,
Noah Miller ’75 [and Current Parent]
Maplewood, NJ
–––––––––––
fond memories of Far Brook … .
Sincerely,
Cybele Harris Botran’79
Coral Gables, FL
–––––––––––
December 14, 2005
November 2005
I had fun finding Far Brook “by instinct” last month. I
was in West Orange for our fiftieth high school reunion, so
I just tried to remember how our carpool used to get to
Short Hills. How things have changed. The School looks
great!
Polly Graves Groff ’51
Brookfield, CT
Dear Pat [Lawler],
We are finally settling down in our new house. The kids
are very happy at their new school … we do miss Far
Brook, though. We are planning to visit sometime before
the end of this school year.
Fondly,
Suzana Bethlem
Sao Paulo, Brazil
[Alumni Parent]
November 19, 2005
Dear Far Brook:
I was happy to find your website. My sisters and I
attended Far Brook from 1970-1975 … . My sisters are
Jessica ’81 and Josie (Josephine) ’82 Harris. In 1975 we
moved to California. … I remember my teachers were Mrs.
Learner (2nd) and Mrs. Smith [now Mary Wiener] (4th) and
Mrs. Wiser (5th). I remember the library, lunch, watching
sheep being sheered, French class down in a lower building,
doing artwork in shop, and doing sports (field hockey and
soccer). In Fifth Grade, we had a wonderful culminating
project after studying Greece, and we held an Olympics and
I ate octopus. I was Peasblossom in “A Midsummer Night’s
Dream” play. I was delighted to see that you still do the
Thanksgiving Processional! My sisters and I have many
January 9, 2006
… the process of investigating schools for my children
has brought back a rush of memories about Far Brook … .
My mother located a file with all of my “progress reports”
and “report cards” from Far Brook. My wife and I had a
great time reading them. In fact, we see in my son, Lucan,
many of the personal characteristics noted by teachers about
me approximately 30 years ago. It certainly is true – the
apple doesn’t fall far from the tree … . We do intend to
apply to Far Brook for Kindergarten in 2007 … .
Sincerely yours,
Noah Franzblau ’83
Upper Montclair, NJ
32
children in Mrs. Penny's class were studying monarch
butterflies which are attracted to the milkweed flowers. I
guess a part of us still lives on at Far Brook and that makes
both of us feel good. We got lots of hugs and smiles as we
made our way around the campus. We left Far Brook
feeling loved, well remembered, and happy for our years
there. It’s a good feeling.
In a recent phone conversation, Whitney told me how
much it disturbed her that a new found friend at Auburn was
speaking of Shakespeare in a rather derogatory way,
commenting that his plays were just too hard to understand
… . I reminded her of how she saw her first Shakespearean
play at the age of 4, and she recalled how after seeing “A
Midsummer Night’s Dream” for the first time she came
home all excited and wanted to know if we had a book of
Shakespeare's plays. I told her we did and she asked if we
could read it together. We did and she was absolutely
delighted … . We talked about the positive effect of having
Shakespeare’s work touted as the wonderful work that it is
right from the very beginnings of one's education. If it is
assumed that you will understand and love the plays and
look forward to being in one or more of them during your
years at Far Brook, how could you ever think of these
works as anything short of wonderful? I told Whitney how
lucky she was to have had the kind of education which had
Look at those faces!!
January 27, 2006
Dear Carol [Sargent],
Even though Whitney ’96 is in graduate school and
very much enjoying her studies in animal behavior, Far
Brook is still so much a part of our lives. Whitney and I
often refer to various Far Brook incidents or people. Those
10 years were a very big and influential part of our lives. We
are left with good friends and good memories from those
early formative years in Whitney's life. In some ways, I
think that as a parent I learned more than I ever expected to
just because I, too, could not help but be involved just
because of Whitney’s attendance at the school. I cannot
begin to tell you all the positives that came from our years
as being part of Far Brook School, as I would undoubtedly
be writing for days!
During our recent Thanksgiving visit for Processional
we were warmly greeted by so many of the Far Brook
community. As we wandered around the campus looking
over the plantings to see what things were still surviving of
what Judy Kohlhaas and I had planted, we encountered
various friends and each had such warm greetings to offer.
Mrs. Ipp [D’Ann Ippolito, Third Grade teacher] told me that
the marigolds we planted back when Whitney was in third
grade only recently died out once the barrel we planted
them in rotted out. The seeds of those original plants kept
reseeding for many years after we left Far Brook. We made
dye from their petals to color yarn that was spun from
sheared wool. When I saw Mrs. Penny, she pointed out the
remnants of some milkweed plants which had grown from
the original plants we had planted back when Whitney was
in Donna [Deltz, Kindergarten teacher] and Joan's
[Rabinowitz, Second Grade teacher] Kindergarten, and the
Fall Family Day Pirate
33
March 9, 2006
I was a student at Far Brook School from 1961-64,
attending Fourth through Sixth Grade. My sister Kathy ’70
also attended, and my mother [Susan] taught [Nursery]
there for one year. It was an enriching experience on which
I have always looked back fondly. I wonder how to get in
contact with some of the students that I knew at the time.
Warren Allen ’67*
[email protected]
Santa Monica, CA
March 9, 2006
Carol, [Sargent]
It was wonderful for me to come back to Far Brook
and, although I wish the circumstances of our
reintroduction were different, I most certainly want to take
this opportunity to make a positive impact on the Far Brook
community. Being in that conference room and hearing the
enthusiasm, as well as compromise, reminded me of how
committed everyone at Far Brook is to the education of the
children there. I was also so impressed and pleasantly
surprised to see how extremely knowledgeable [percussion
teacher] Glen Fittin was and how much he embodies the
spirit of the work being done there. I believe, like my
mother did, that Far Brook played and continues to play an
important role in my life, and I greatly appreciate the
chance to be a part of this institution and the process of
education, if only for just a moment. My father and I will do
our best to come out to see the [percussion] program. Either
way, I know the outcome is assured and it will be enjoyable
and educational for everyone.
Thanks again,
Matthew Leff ’94
West Orange, NJ
Junior High Girls Between Classes
you believing right from the earliest years that you could
understand Shakespeare and you could love his work. We
agreed that her Auburn friend had missed out on the
positive input Whitney had received at Far Brook, and that
positive input like this can last for the rest of your life.
Carol, as you can see, Far Brook will undoubtedly be
with us always. I am sure Whitney will one day tell her
children about Far Brook and, if she isn't nearby, I am sure
she will be looking for a school that will offer her children
something close to the education she had while part of that
wonderful community called Far Brook.
With fond remembrance,
Florence Brown
Essex Fells, NJ
[Alumni Parent]
March 7, 2006
I truly believe that one of the reason’s my siblings and
I have been successful in our lives is because of our solid
foundation we received from Far Brook. There is not a
week that goes by that I don't think about the amazing
experiences and knowledge I gained from being educated at
Far Brook. I wish every child was as lucky as we were to
have attended such an amazing institution. There was so
much love, support, and encouragement given to us as
children that it will seriously last us a lifetime.
With that said, thanks again for e-mailing me ... stay in
touch!
Lucia Salese ’92
Chatham, NJ
–––––––––––
–––––––––––
Kindergartners in Class
34
May 2006
[Our daughter] Vicky ’88 is a qualified dentist and
married Neil Poyser on November 6, 2004. They now have
baby daughter, Hannah, born March 30th this year. Philip
’89 is a project manager, also studying for an M. Sc. He was
married to Natsuyo Yamazaki on September 17, 2005. With
many fond memories of our years at Far Brook (only four
and amazingly, 20 years ago!). We do wish you, Mary, an
unforgettable Midsummer Night, then a long and active
retirement.
With love,
Eleanor and Tony Rycroft
Essex, England
[Alumni Parents]
May 24, 2006
Hi, Pat [Lawler].
The photo I sent was taken during my recent visit to
England to meet my grandson, Charles Shoaf, age 3 weeks
old in the picture. He was born to Laura Shoaf ’85 and John
Mansell on April 29, 2006. They live in Kinver, a village in
the West Midlands of England. Laura is an urban planner on
maternity leave from her work with GVA Grimley
Associates in Birmingham, and John is a financial consultant
who works mostly in Europe. During my visit we took
Charlie to the American Embassy in London to register him
as an American citizen (he will have joint citizenship) and
also visited the magnificent gardens at Powis Castle in
Wales, Charlie safely snuggled in his “Baby Bjorn.”
Cordelia Manning
Madison, NJ
[Alumni Parent]
The percussion program with Glen Fittin was made
possible by the Fredda S. Leff Special Projects Fund.
March 23, 2006
Dear Carol [Sargent],
I must tell you that yesterday was one of the most
enjoyable days I have had in a long time. [Percussion
teacher] Glen Fittin was phenomenal, and the way all the
kids were so interested in what he had to say, I will never
forget it. The way all the teachers reacted to seeing Matthew
’94 and how he feels about Far Brook just proves what a
wonderful place it was for him and Fara ’98 to begin their
education.
A day like this is why Fredda loved Far Brook so much.
Now I am sure that this endowment [The Fredda S. Leff
Special Projects Fund] was definitely the right thing to do in
her memory. Can’t wait for the next program.
Bruce Leff
Livingston, NJ
[Alumni Parent]
April 7, 2006
I loved my time at Far Brook. It is a school like none
other, where I truly enjoyed going to school each day.
Special thanks to Mrs. Wiener who helped make Far Brook
one of a kind.
Nadia Hankin ’99
Barrington, IL
Cordelia Manning With Her Daughter,
Laura Shoaf ’85 And Grandson, Charles.
35
LEE VAN DOREN ’82
Attended: Newark Academy ’85; Johns Hopkins University
’89; Johns Hopkins, M.A. ’92
Lee has moved to Woodinville, Washington, in the
Seattle area. He works for Sungard Consulting Services and
does information technology consulting for Constellation
Energy in Baltimore, Maryland, leading various projects
related to energy trading. He works in Baltimore, traveling
from Seattle every other week, and works at home the other
weeks. Lee and his wife, Heidi, are happy to announce the
birth of their third son, Adam, on March 21, 2006. Owen is
now four, and Erik is two. Lee would love to hear from any
of his old classmates, especially from the “infamous last
Ninth Grade” at Far Brook, with a class of four! Other
alumni or faculty members are invited to contact him, as
well: [email protected].
ALUMNI NEWS
[*An asterisk denotes alumni who graduated from Eighth
Grade rather than Ninth in the year noted, prior to 1983.]
ARTHUR GILLETTE ’53
Attended: The Pitney School; Harvard University ’61;
University of Massachusetts ’76
Arthur is still living in France and is a journalist and
tour guide in Paris, the City of Light. Check out his website:
paris-eiffel-tower-news.com.
MARTHA BICKNELL GOSS ’63
Attended: Kirkland College
STEVE GOSS ’64
After Steve visited Martha on Little Deer Isle in Maine
in August 2002, Martha says they realized “that what [they]
started in Junior High was still strong.” They were married
on June 21, 2003, in Maine, surrounded by their siblings
and other family members. Belated congratulations to them
both!
LAURA WENDELL ’83
Attended: Oberlin College ’90
Laura trained as a biopsychologist at Oberlin and as a
fisheries expert by the Peace Corps. She was sent to Togos,
West Africa, as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1991. She found
herself establishing a village library instead and
subsequently discovered that similar needs exist worldwide.
She has since initiated the World Library Partnership, a
nonprofit organization that provides financial help and
advice to libraries in developing nations. WLP launched a
librarian volunteer program, Inform the World, in 1998.
Laura lives in Bahama, North Carolina, with her husband,
Jurgen Henn, and their two children.
SALLY FRYBERGER BRALEY ’75
Attended: Watchung Hills Regional High School;
University of Massachusetts ’82; Northwestern University
Medill School of Journalism, M.S.J. ’85
Sally and husband, Peter, proudly report the birth of
their son, Philip Winslow, on January 24, 2006. He weighed
in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces. Big sister Meg, now almost three,
has adjusted to the competition. The Braley family lives in
Upper Montclair, New Jersey.
JON FISHER ’87
Attended: Morristown-Beard School ’91; University of
Denver; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Johnson and
Wales
Jon lives in Denver, Colorado. After receiving several
degrees, including a culinary degree from Johnson and
Wales and an M.B.A. from UNLV, Jon is now working in
the motorcycle industry.
RICHARD FISHER ’87
Attended: Proctor Academy ’92; Denison University ’96
Congratulations to Richard and his wife, Molly, who
had a baby on March 12, 2006. His name is Wyatt James,
and he weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces at birth. Richard is
working for a large real estate company in the Vail,
Colorado, area. Richard, Molly, and Wyatt live in Edwards,
Colorado.
Sally Fryberger Braley ’75 With New Son,
Philip Winslow, And His Big Sister, Meg
36
LEE GAMBONI ’89
Attended: Millburn High School ’93; University of
Delaware ’99
Lee has been fishing since the age of 10, and on
June 25, 2005 he and three mates placed second in the
Mako Mania Tournament at the Jersey Shore. The trio
hauled in a 270.5 pound mako shark. Lee resides in Summit
and is a pharmaceutical sales representative at Pfizer.
MELISSA FABIAN FRIEDMAN ’90
Attended: Kent Place ’94; University of Rochester ’98;
Hunter College
Congratulations go to Melissa and her husband,
Michael Friedman, who met in college and were wed in an
interfaith ceremony on September 4, 2005, at Mayfair
Farms in West Orange, New Jersey. Head of School Mary
Wearn Wiener and her husband, Louis, attended. Melissa is
a human resource manager at Parexel International, a
pharmaceutical company in Boston. Mike and Melissa just
bought a house in Dedham, Massachusetts, a town near
Boston on the Charles River.
Richard Fisher ’87 And Baby Wyatt
LEITH NIPPES ’87
Attended: Trinity Pawling ’91; Gettysburg College
Leith is living in Portland and attending the Oregon
College of Oriental Medicine, where he is studying
traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture. He has just
completed his second year of the four-year program. Leith
is learning the Chinese language, as well. He has traveled
extensively, for extended periods of time, in Asia and South
America. There is a good chance that he will do his
residency requirements in China.
KASSIE SIEGEL ’87
Attended: The Pingry School ’91; College of William and
Mary ’95
Kassie directs the climate program for the Center for
Biological Diversity, a science-based non-profit
conservation group. She works on decreasing U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions and protecting species, like polar
bears, that are threatened by global warming. She lives in
Joshua Tree, California, with her partner, Brendan, and her
dog, Trina.
Matthew Mandelbaum ’90
And His Bride, Jamie
MATTHEW MANDELBAUM ’90
Attended: The Pingry School ’94; University of
Pennsylvania ’98; New York University
Best wishes to Matthew and his bride, Jamie Cohen,
from Roslyn, New York. They were wed on March 19,
2006, at the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, New
Jersey. Matthew is currently pursuing his second master’s
degree, a dual certification in childhood and special
education at Bank Street College. He teaches second grade
at the Bank Street School, and Jamie teaches third grade at
Columbia Grammar School. They live on the upper west
side of Manhattan.
TRICIA STERN ZELKOWICZ ’88
Attended: Montclair Kimberley Academy ’92;
Wesleyan University ’96; Columbia University Graduate
School ’02
Tricia is the Domestic Violence Program coordinator
for New York Presbyterian Hospital. She has been
instrumental in securing a substantial grant for their
program to assist battered women and children.
37
York City. Judge Loretta A. Preska of the United States
District Court for the Southern District of New York, for
whom Wendy clerked in 2003 and 2004, officiated at the
ceremony. Wendy currently works in New York as a senior
counsel in the enforcement division of the Securities and
Exchange Commission. John is a producer for ABC News
Now, a 24-hour news service for users of computers,
cellphones, and other wireless devises. He is also a former
actor who played a lead role in “Arcadia” at Lincoln Center
in 1995 and a featured role in the 1996 Woody Allen film
“Everyone Says I Love You.”
LUCIA SALESE ’92
Attended: Kent Place School ’96; Fairfield University ’00
Lucia says that “married life is amazing, especially
because [she] lives with [her] best friend.” She was recently
promoted to associate analyst in the Private Wealth
Management division at Goldman Sachs in New York City.
She and her husband, John L. O’Donnell, live in Chatham,
New Jersey, and commute to Manhattan, where they both
work.
Third Graders Enjoying December’s High Tea
LENNY SALESE ’91
Attended: Delbarton School ’95; Colgate University ’99;
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School ’05
After graduating from medical school, Lenny began his
residency at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. He is
specializing in internal medicine with a concentration in
gastroenterology. Lenny is engaged to Catherine
Wallgunda, a lawyer at the Skadden Arps law firm in New
York. Their wedding date is set for March 10, 2007.
Congratulations to both of them!
ERIN SEGAL ’91
Attended: The Pingry School ’95; Amherst College ’99;
Columbia University, School of Social Work
Erin lives with her husband, Michael Sachse, in
Brooklyn where she is a social worker. One of her projects
is developing a support group for Spanish-speaking
mothers.
ALEX BROUNSTEIN ’92
Attended: The Pingry School ’96; Emory University ’00;
Emory University Law School ’05
Alex graduated from Emory Law School in December
2005 with a J.D./M.B.A. (after receiving a B.B.A from
Emory two years prior) and took the Georgia Bar Exam in
February. After returning from a month-long trip to Japan
and Thailand, he started working for Weinstock & Scavo, a
medium-sized law firm in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm
specializes in litigation and commercial real estate
development law. Alex is in the real estate group.
Lucia Salese ’92 And John O’Donnell
on Their Wedding Day
BRIAN CHERNOFF ’93
Attended: Andover Academy ’97; Harvard University ’01
Brian is still living in Washington, D.C., and is now
working for Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) on budget and tax
policy. He had previously been working for Senator Jon
Corzine, but when Mr. Corzine left to become governor of
New Jersey, Brian decided to stay in D.C. and began
working for Senator Dodd.
WENDY TEPPERMAN GRIFFIN ’92
Attended: University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated
cum laude; Columbia University Law School
Congratulations to Wendy and John James Griffin, who
were wed on March 4, 2006, at the Plaza Athénée in New
38
LEILA KAPLUS ’93
Attended: The Pingry School ’97; Georgetown University ’01
Leila has completed her second year at Boston
University School of Law. While at B.U., she is a staff
editor for the American Journal of Law & Medicine, the
country’s leading health law journal. It is published by the
B.U. School of Law, in conjunction with the Society of
Law, Medicine & Ethics. For the journal, Leila edits articles
written by professors, attorneys, and other professionals
covering topics ranging from health law and policy, to the
legal, ethical and economic aspects of medical practice,
research, and education. Leila has a summer position at
Arent Fox in Manhattan.
Melissa Fabian ’90 and Michael Friedman
ELLEN STERN ’93
Attended: Kent Place School ’97; Brown University ’01
Ellen has completed her second year at Georgetown
University Law School and is spending the summer as an
assistant at the law firm of O’Melveny Meyers in
Washington, D.C. Ellen married Oliver Griswold of Old
Lyme, Connecticut, on June 3, 2006. It was a lovely outdoor
wedding at the Griswold family home, overlooking Long
Island Sound. Congratulations to the new couple! They will
continue to live on Capitol Hill.
REBECCA WILDMAN ’93
Attended: Millburn High School ’97; Barnard College ’01
Becca married her high school boyfriend, Michael
Repetti, on January 7, 2006, at the Maplewood Country
Club, Maplewood, New Jersey. In attendance were Far
Brook alumni David Horowitz, Jennifer Pomerantz, Scott
Rempell, and Ellen Stern Griswold, all members of the
Class of 1993. Becca continues to work at Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center and attends Columbia School of
Nursing in pursuit of her nurse/practitioner’s degree.
Congratulations to Becca and Mike, who live in Manhattan.
THOMAS BRADSHAW ’94
Attended: Newark Academy ’98; Bard College ’02;
Brooklyn College ’04
Tom, the “provocateur playwright,” has been busy. Last
August his play, “Strom Thurmond is not a Racist,” ran at
the 46 Walker Street Theater in New York City and won him
the 2005 American Theater Coop’s National Playwriting
contest. His play, “Prophet,” was presented at Performance
Space 122 in December. He performed in Richard
Maxwell’s new play, “The End of Reality,” at The Kitchen
in January, and he will be touring Europe in the fall with that
play. He’ll be acting in London, Dublin, Sweden, and
Austria. In April 2006, “Purity,” Richard’s new play, was
read as part of the Soho Repertory Writer/Director Lab at the
46 Walker Street Theater. The magazine Time Out New
York profiled his work in the June 5, 2006 issue. In addition,
Tom still teaches at Brooklyn College and Medgar Evers
College. He is initiating the playwriting/screenwriting
program at Medgar Evers, which will launch in the spring of
2007, and he will also be teaching the undergraduate
playwriting course at Brooklyn College next spring.
Rebecca Wildman ’93 and Michael Repetti
on January 17, 2006
AMY BROUNSTEIN ’95
Attended: The Pingry School ’99; University of
Pennsylvania ’03
Amy has completed her first year in the three-year
masters in education program at Seton Hall University,
specializing in marriage and family therapy. She is
particularly interested in the dynamics of the whole family
unit. She must complete an intense internship in addition to
a full course load every year. Amy commutes from her
home in West Orange.
ANDREW LEONARD ’94
Attended: The Pingry School ’98; Emory University ’02
Andrew has been living in Boston for the last four
years. He is currently attending Harvard University
Business School. He is working toward an M.B.A.
39
LAURA GASSMAN ’96
Attended: Phillips Exeter Academy ’00; University of
Pennsylvania ’05
Laura graduated from University of Pennsylvania
magna cum laude, with a B.A. in international relations.
She was an alternate for a Fulbright Scholarship to study in
Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She is now working in the office of
Ambassador Richard McCormack at the Center for
Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
EVAN STERN ’96
Attended: Sandy Spring Friends School ’00; Vanderbilt
College ’04
Evan, who moved to Maryland with his family in 2005,
is working for a computer engineering firm in Nashville,
Tennessee. He installs and maintains robotic assembly
lines, mostly in the auto industry. He loves to mountain
bike, kayak and rock climb, and he cooks, too! Attention
Pam Rosenberg (woodshop teacher)! Evan is still
woodworking, too, and recently built a bed.
MICHAEL CHERNOFF ’95
Attended: The Pingry School ’99; Princeton University ’03
Mike has been working for the Cleveland Indians in the
baseball operations department for the past two-and-a-half
years, since graduating from college. As assistant director
of baseball operations, he supports the general manager, the
assistant general manager, and the baseball operations staff
in all financial, statistical, and contractual matters, along
with all aspects of player procurement. Mike also
coordinates the club's major league and professional scouts
and supports the general manager and assistant general
manager in the understanding and implementation of the
major league rules and collective bargaining agreement.
Mike enjoys living in Cleveland, although he says “the
winters can certainly be a little bit rough.” Luckily, he gets
to travel to spring training in Florida with the club for seven
weeks. Mike works out of the spring training executive
offices until opening day in April.
JARETT KAPLUS ’95
Attended: The Pingry School ’99; Georgetown University
’03: New York University School of Continuing and
Professional Studies ’06
Jarett earned his Master of Science degree from NYU
in January, graduating with distinction. He majored in real
estate finance and investment. He is currently working in
Short Hills, New Jersey, as an associate in the finance group
at Roseland Property Company, an urban and waterfront
developer concentrating on apartments and homes in the
northeast. Jarett continues to live in New York City and
reverse commutes.
Alumna Belle Koven ’98 With Mary Wiener
LEA SALESE ’98
Attended: The Pingry School ’02; University of
Pennsylvania ’06
Lea has graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
this spring, where she had an incredible collegiate field
hockey career. Lea led her team to win the Ivy League
championship in 2004; she was named All-Ivy each of her
four years; she was captain of the team in 2005; and she was
named an All American this year. Lea also received all
academic honors for maintaining a high GPA as a studentathlete. Lea is thinking about following in her brother
Lenny’s ’91 footsteps and will be studying for her MCATs
this summer.
MAX MOORE ’95
Attended: The Pingry School ’99; Northwestern University
’03
Max has been living in New York City since June 2004
with his girlfriend, Kellie Farrah, and their dog, Baxter.
They are considering moving out of the city, perhaps as far
as Portland, Oregon. Last year Max started a company
called MCM Consulting which designs custom software.
He says it’s been an uphill climb, but things continue to
progress well, well enough to get engaged in March!
Congratulations to Max and Kellie.
40
JESSICA SARACENO ’98
Attended: The Pingry School ’02; Dartmouth College ’06
Jessica is a fabulous field hockey player. She was one
of two field hockey players placed on the first team in the
All-Ivy League last fall at Dartmouth, and she finished on
the All-Regional and All-American teams, as well.
Unfortunately, she ended the season with a shoulder injury
which forced her to miss most of the final games. Jessica
has just graduated and plans to attend law school in
September 2007.
JASMINE THURMOND ’01
Attended: Orange High School ’05
Jasmine began her school year at the Art Institute of
New York City and has recently transferred to American
Intercontinental University in Los Angeles, where she is
studying media production.
CARINA LORENZ ’03
Carina has completed her third year at Phillips Exeter
Academy where she has earned high or highest honors for
her academic work. Classes are small, and Carina’s
favorites are math, Spanish, and chemistry. She is working
on getting one of her history papers, on the 1918 flu
pandemic, published in the Concord Review. This summer,
Carina plans to prepare her college applications, while
working at Far Brook’s Mini Camp.
LAURA SOLECKI ’99
Attended: Montclair High School ’03
Laura is attending Wesleyan University as an English
and Italian major. She studied medieval and Renaissance
history and art at the University of Bologna in Italy during
the fall 2005 semester, where all classes are taught in
Italian. While in Europe, Laura had a chance to travel to
Sicily, Amsterdam, Paris, and Prague.
JONATHAN WINNERMAN ’00
Attended: Montclair Kimberley Academy ’04
Jon has completed his sophomore year at Princeton
University and will be spending the month of July on an
archeological dig in Syria. The dig is funded by Princeton
and is run by Jonathan’s professor, Thomas Leisten.
NOAH KEIL ’01
Attended: The Pingry School ’05
Noah is attending the University of Pennsylvania as an
international relations major. Noah’s favorite class is music
theory. In March, Noah was pledging a fraternity. He is
guitarist for the Mask and Wig Club band, one of Penn’s
oldest traditions. Noah says he is able to see Far Brook
classmate Billy Schultz ’01 a good amount because of the
close proximity of their college.
Lauren Kronthal ’04, Taylor Deltz ’04,
and Dana Ellis ’05 on Fall Family Day
SHEKIDA SMITH ’01
Attended: Kent Place School ’05
Shekida is attending Princeton University, where she is
a French major.
PHOEBE STERN ’01
Attended: Sandy Springs Friends School ’05
Phoebe has completed her first year at Earlham College
in Richmond, Indiana. Phoebe especially enjoys her art
history classes and is registered for a museum studies
course. In addition to her regular classes, Phoebe prepares
and reads news bites on the college radio station.
Liz Mazzarisi ’05, Rose Koven ’06, Kevin Buczkowski ’05,
and Max Arnell ’05 at the Book Fair
41
A
Learning” and “Technology and Metacognition.” Judy also
took a fabulous two-day seminar in 3D-modeling with
Patrick Slater, which rekindled her long dormant
architectural muse. She plans to take the summer off from
her studies to do some design work at home. Judy says she
“can't wait to build [her] greenhouse – even if it’s only a
‘virtual’ one!”
Kindergarten’s Leslie Penny has a trip planned with
former Far Brook secretary Helen Finckel to travel to the
third annual Music@Menlo in Menlo Park, California, this
summer. The chamber music festival, held in the San
Francisco area, will run from the last week in July through
the first week in August. Helen’s son, David Finckel ’67,
and his wife, Wu Han, are the artistic directors.
Music@Menlo is an annual chamber music festival that
presents a comprehensive music program, including a
concert series at two venues (Menlo School in Atherton and
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Palo Alto), master classes,
lectures, young performers’ concerts, workshops, symposia,
an open-house for amateur players, and extensive print and
electronic educational materials.
Congratulations to Fifth Grade teacher Lauren ViscoRigal and her husband, Michael Rigal, on the birth of their
first child, Alexandra Elizabeth, on March 16, 2006. Lauren
is happy and excited about being a mom and looks forward
to bringing her daughter to Far Brook to visit with the
children. The Rigals live in Millburn.
More exciting news! Ryan Mary waw born to Middle
School Science teacher Jennifer Grolemund and her
husband, Michael Gallagher, on July 17, 2006. They reside
FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS
ssistant Director for Grades 4-8 Jim Benz competed in
a Concept II rowing machine marathon held on
April 8th to raise money for People to People
Student Ambassadors, an educational travel program for
students in fifth through twelfth grades. His final time was
3:01.52. Jim said it was “a great experience training for the
marathon and summoning the mental and physical energy
to focus for that duration of time.”
This has been an extremely busy professional year for
Nursery Teacher and Director of Lower School
Paula Levin with Director of Upper Schools Jim Benz
Director of Drama James Glossman. He directed the “Gin
Game,” with William Schallert (from the Patty Duke Show)
at the Bickford Theater in Morristown in the fall, then two
world premiers – “Sunrise at Monticello” at the Playwrights
Theatre in Madison and “Tour De Farce” at the New Jersey
Repertory Theatre in Long Branch during the winter. Jim
directed workshops with Stephen Colbert, Edward
Herrmann, and Austin Pendleton, also in the winter. In the
spring, Jim directed the world premier of Yasmine Rana’s
“Returning” in Baltimore. In May, Jim directed a new
production of “Circumference of a Squirrel” at Shadowland
Theatre in Ellenville, New York. He also directed
workshops at the George Street Playhouse in New
Brunswick with Jack Klugman and Eli Wallach. During this
coming fall 2006, Jim will be directing Jack Klugman in
“The Value of Names” about the Black List, also at the
George Street Playhouse, and the New York and New
Jersey premiers of “The Good German” by David Wiltse,
opening in September in Ellenville and in October at the
Playwrights Theatre in Madison.
Technology coordinator Judy Hnat is working toward
a masters degree at Teachers College (Columbia
University) in the department of Communication,
Computing, and Technology in Education. This past term
her coursework included: “New Technologies for
Director of Drama Jim Glossman is arranging
Sixth Grade actors for a photo call.
42
Medieval Feast
in Farmingdale, New Jersey, which is just minutes to the
Jersey Shore. Jennifer will take a maternity leave of absence
for the 2006-2007 school year, but she will be working as a
consultant to the new Middle School science teacher,
Debbie Snyder, during that time.
Jennifer Grolemund With Her Daughter
and Husband, Michael
In November 2005, Ed Solecki, who is the Junior High
English and history teacher and Head of Junior High,
traveled to Italy with his wife and daughter Emily ’04 to
visit his elder daughter, Laura ’99, in Bologna, Italy, where
she was studying for the fall semester. Ed especially
enjoyed seeing some of the art that he’s been teaching the
Seventh Graders about in his Renaissance history class for
the last 24 years. Last summer, Ed began work on a
master’s degree at Bank Street College in New York City.
The program in educational administration is called
Leadership for Educational Change. Ed took two classes
during the summer of 2005, one during the fall and one this
spring. Now he is one-third of the way toward his diploma.
Ed Solecki Teaching
An Eighth Grade History Class
43
research trials. He eventually received several grants that
enabled him to pursue his work full time. In 2003,
the F.D.A. appointed him a patient advocate for kidney
cancer clinical trials, and he was co-administrator
of an online resource specific to kidney cancer:
[email protected], which is accessible at
www.acor.org. Until last year, Steve enjoyed remarkable
health. He resumed hiking and climbing and, in 1996, he
completed his goal of reaching 54 peaks in Colorado that
are at least 14,000 feet high. Steve is survived by ex-wife,
Kristin Swihart; his daughter, Shasta Rose; his mother and
father, Nancy and Robert Dunn; his sister, Susan Dixon ’73;
and his brother, Jeremy ’77.
IN MEMORIAM
Nancy Fryberger, alumni parent and former President
of Far Brook’s Board of Trustees, died in her Warren, New
Jersey, home on June 17, 2005. The cause was cancer,
complicated by Parkinson’s disease. She was 75. Nancy
grew up in a large family in Lebanon, New Jersey. She
earned her undergraduate degree in comparative literature
from Indiana University and her master’s in library science
from Rutgers University. She served for 27 years as head
librarian at the Warren library and was a strong advocate for
the library’s expansion to its current size. She continued to
volunteer her time there after her retirement. Nancy was
also an accomplished athlete who ran, skied, and played
paddle tennis, even during her illness. She served as the
vice president of Far Brook’s Board of Trustees from 1970
to 1972 and again from 1975 to 1976. She served as its
president from 1972 to 1974. Mrs. Fryberger was also a
longtime member of the Unitarian Church in Summit. She
volunteered at the Rape Crisis Center of Union County as a
counselor and for the Food Bank of New Jersey. She is
survived by her husband, Charles (Ted); their four children,
Philip ’70, Susan ’73, Sally Braley ’74 and Peter ’77; six
grandchildren; and two step-grandchildren.
x
Martha Collins Johnson, former Far Brook interim
director and trustee, passed away on September 19, 2005.
She was 91. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mrs.
Johnson graduated from Greenwich Academy and Vassar
College. In her long career as educator, she was head of the
lower schools of Low-Heywood School, in Stamford,
Connecticut; Bedford Rippowam School, in Bedford, New
York; Brookside (now Montclair Kimberley Academy) in
Montclair, New Jersey (1962-73); and interim head of Far
Brook School in 1979, between the terms of Peter Babcox
and Mary Wearn Wiener (then Mrs. Haigh). While on Far
Brook’s Board of Trustees, Martha served on the Search
Committee and the Educational Policy Committee. At
Heath Village in Hackettstown, where she lived, Mrs.
Johnson founded a tutoring program connecting senior
residents with students, leading to her election to the
Hackettstown Senior Citizen Hall of Fame in 1997. She
leaves three children, Elizabeth Glaeser Chaitman, Edward
Bayne, and Sarah Bayne, six grandchildren, and two great
grandchildren.
x
Stephen Dunn ’71 died in Denver, Colorado, on August
19, 2005, of complications from bacterial meningitis. He
was 48. Steve earned degrees in math and biology from
Middlebury College in Vermont, and was a computer
programmer and avid sportsman. In August 1989, at age 32,
Steve was diagnosed with an advanced stage of kidney
cancer. He underwent surgery but was given little hope of
survival. While researching post-operative treatments,
Steve discovered an experimental therapy which helped
sustain his life for ten years. He created
www.cancerguide.org to document his experiences and to
help others find assistance. He also created
www.kidneycancertrials.org to help people learn about
x
Eric D. Savage Jr. ’59 died on October 17, 2005, of
melanoma. He was 61. Dr. Savage was born in Sioux City,
44
Iowa, and spent his youth in New Jersey. He attended the
University of Pennsylvania and completed his engineering
degrees at the University of Massachusetts and University
of California at Berkeley. He served with honor for three
years in the United States Army in Vietnam. Dr. Savage was
a civil engineer who studied earthquakes and worked on the
Alaska pipeline. While working toward his Ph.D. in
engineering, he built his first computer. In the late 1970’s
and early 1980’s, he founded two computer companies. For
the last fifteen years, he had written and tested software for
various technology companies in Silicon Valley. Eric was a
tireless volunteer, donating time to the American Red Cross
and as an Emergency Medical Technician for bike races,
soccer matches, air shows, and other events. Eric was also
a participant in several cancer clinical trials in various
locations and encouraged many people to look for
alternative treatments for their cancer. Dr. Savage is
survived by his wife, Fran; his daughter, Victoria; his stepson, David Paredes; his stepdaughter, Deborah Bankston;
his sister, Marion Kvidahl ’65; his stepsister, Susan Halenza;
his stepbrother, Alexander Lyon III; and five grandchildren.
his inventions. In an organization packed with geniuses, he
was looked upon with awe. Dr. Baker was an advisor to five
U.S. presidents and won many national awards. He retired
from Bell Labs in 1980, but he continued advising various
foundations, academic institutions, and government
agencies, and pursuing the cause of eliminating scientific
illiteracy. He is survived by his son, Joseph ’62, who is a
member of Far Brook’s Board of Trustees.
x
Virginia P. Combs, alumni parent, passed away on
November 16, 2005, at her residence in Wickenburg,
Arizona. She was nine days shy of her 87th birthday. Mrs.
Combs was born in Summit, New Jersey, and graduated
from Chatham Hall in Virginia. She married Frederick
Gilbert. Following their divorce, she moved to Denver,
Colorado, where she met and married Harry B. Combs.
They made their home in Denver and had been wintering in
Arizona for the last 30 years. Ginney was extremely active
in the Kenmore Foundation in Virginia. She is survived by
her daughter, Victoria Gilbert ’54; her son, Timothy Gilbert
’57; stepchildren Terry and Tony Combs and Clara Moore;
11 grandchildren; and nine great grandchildren. Her son,
Christopher (Kip) Gilbert ’60, died in 2002.
x
William Oliver Baker, alumni parent, passed away on
October 31, 2005, after a long illness. He was 90. Dr. Baker
grew up on the eastern shore of Maryland on a farm and
attended a one-room grade school. He earned his bachelor’s
degree in chemistry from Washington College in Maryland.
He received his doctoral degree in physical chemistry from
Princeton University in 1938. He joined Bell Telephone
Laboratories in 1939, and during his long career there, he
created the model for modern industrial research. He was
named president in 1973 and was elected its first chairman
of the Board in 1979. Under his leadership, the research and
development arm of AT&T yielded the transistor, the laser,
the UNIX operating system, and 11 Nobel Prizes. Dr.
Baker’s own research at Bell Labs during World War II
produced synthetic rubber. He also designed the nuclear
“button,” the command-and-control system for the nation’s
defense during the Cold War. He was issued 13 patents for
x
Virginia Kent, alumni parent and former member of
Far Brook’s Board of Trustees, died on November 19, 2005.
Born in Meriden, Connecticut, Mrs. Kent received a
bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College in New
London. She later lived in East Orange and Chatham
Borough for 50 years. She was a former member of
the Chatham Borough Board of Education and of the Board
of Connecticut College. She was the recipient of a Junior
Chamber of Commerce Award for her service to
the Chatham community. She was a past president of the
Chatham Community Players and vice president of Twigs
at Overlook Hospital. She also ran the Fishawack Festival
in Chatham. Ginny moved to Maplewood seven years ago.
45
Ginny is survived by her husband, Donald; her daughter,
Susan Cakars; her son, Jeffrey ’59; four grandchildren and
a great grandchild.
late wife, Evangeline, taught music and French at Far Brook
from 1962 to 1972. Professor Bicknell is survived by his
daughters, Martha Goss ’64, Edith (Ish) ’69, and
Evangeline Dollemore ’70, and his sons, Eugene ’63 and
Jonathan ’67. His son Christopher died in 2000.
x
Alexandra Johnston Meaders ’79 died of cancer on
January, 13, 2006. Alexandra grew up in West Orange,
where she attended West Orange High School after
graduating from Far Brook. She went on to Drew
University, where she graduated cum laude in 1986 with a
B.S. in zoology. Ms. Meaders later earned her masters in
human genetics and became a genetic counselor at Brigham
and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She is survived by her
parents, Frances Ogden and Wilson Meaders, and her
brother, David Meaders.
x
Arnold Segal, alumni parent, died in his home in
Maplewood, New Jersey on March 1, 2006. He was 90.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and a graduate of Columbia
University, Mr. Segal and his brothers Charles, Joseph,
Hyman, and Max founded Segal and Segal, a real estate
development company in Morristown in 1950. He retired in
2004. Arnold and his wife, Hattie, were founders of the
Children’s Institute in Verona, where he served as president
from 1975 to 1979. The couple supported the Weitzmann
Institute in Israel, Johns Hopkins University, and Mount
Sinai Hospital. Mr. Segal also served as vice president and
chairman of the building committee for Congregation Beth
El in South Orange, and was active in the Jewish
Federation, State of Israel Bonds, Interns for Peace, the
American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Welfare Board,
and B’nai B’rith. He is survived by his wife, Hattie; his
brother, Charles; his sons, Richard, Kenneth ’57 and
Stephen; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren
(and many nieces and nephews with Far Brook
connections).
x
John W. Bicknell, alumni parent, died of heart failure
and lung disease in Little Deer Isle, Maine, on January 14,
2006, at the age of 93. Dr. Bicknell received his Ph.D. from
Cornell University in 1950 and taught there for four years.
He taught at Drew University in the College of Liberal Arts
and in the Graduate School from 1954 to 1978. He chaired
the Department of English from 1957 to 1971, was Acting
Dean of the Graduate School from 1967 to 1969 and served
on many standing committees of the CLA, the Graduate
School, and the University. He was a principal architect of
the graduate English program, which he convened from
1962 to 1977. John was a scholar and specialist in British
Victorian literature and, although he retired from teaching
in 1978, he continued to publish and was internationally
known as the editor of the two-volume set of the letters of
Leslie Stephen, another renowned Victorian scholar. John
was also a regular participant at the Northeast Victorian
Studies Association and a frequent visitor and lecturer on
the Drew campus. He also lent his singing voice to the
Baroque Ensemble at Drew and the Summit Chorale. His
x
Evan O’Neill Kane, of New Providence, passed away
on March 23, 2006, at Overlook Hospital. He was 81. Born
in Kane, Pennsylvania, Dr. Kane graduated from Princeton
University in 1948 and earned his doctorate in physics from
Cornell University in 1953. He served in the Army during
World War II. Dr. Kane was a research scientist at General
Electric Research Laboratory in Schenectady, New York,
where he studied the electronic properties of
semiconductors. In 1957, he published findings on solids
that continue in use as pioneering reference material in
scientific literature and textbooks. A specialist in solid state
physics, Evan worked at Bell Labs in the theoretical physics
department from 1961 until his retirement in 1985. He then
started a day care center in his home and operated it for
several years. He also volunteered at the Summit Day Care
Center and at the Christ Church nursery. He became active
in the care of his grandchildren and involved in the Far
Brook community. Evan is survived by his wife, Anne; his
daughters, Ruth Kane-Levitt and Martha Savage; his son,
Daniel; his sister, Aletheia; his half-sister, Michelle Farnam;
and six grandchildren, including Danielle ’01 and Jillian ’09.
46
Carol A. Yeramian, who taught at Far Brook for 21
years, passed away on March 29, 2006. Carol attended
Montclair State University, where she earned a B.A. in
Social Studies and Language Arts, and she received a
master’s in education from Rutgers University. While
working in Berkeley Heights, Carol was interviewed by Far
Brook’s acting director, Martha Johnson, in 1979 and was
hired for the position of Fifth Grade teacher. Nine years
later, she switched classrooms and curricula with Fourth
Grade teacher Alice Golin – Fourth Grade for Fifth Grade,
the study of Ancient Greece for Egypt. Carol retired in
2000, after discovering that she had breast cancer. She
loved to travel and purchased artwork and small mementos
wherever she went. Carol is survived by her husband, Bill;
daughters Sharon Heimbaugh, Lesley Yeramian, and
Tracey Wade; son, Bill ’85; and two grandchildren. (Her
husband, Bill, died in July 2006, and his obituary appears
below.)
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
2006-07
Jeff Kronthal, President
Alice Davison, Vice President
Chris Susko, Secretary
Barbara Pagos, Treasurer
Murray E. Lopdell Lawrence, Head of School
Joseph Baker ’62
Kevin Cox
Donna DeLorenzo Deltz
Lisa Dworkin
Mary Sue Fisher
Suzanne Glatt
Ellen Hakes
Gordon Keil
Tom Kligerman
Kate Lee
Kevin Lorenz
John Park
Catherine Rush
Gina Strain
ADMINISTRATION
Murray E. Lopdell Lawrence, Head of School
Donna Chahalis
Business Manager and
Transportation Supervisor
Caroline L. Sargent
Director of Advancement
x
Linda Grandis Blatt, alumni parent, died on Friday,
April 21, 2006, at her Convent Station, New Jersey, home
after a long and valiant battle against lung cancer. She was
57. Linda was born in Richmond, Virginia. She earned a
B.A. in education from the University of Georgia and a
master’s degree in business administration from Virginia
Commonwealth University. She was known for her
commitment to many Morristown-area institutions and
organizations, notably Project Acorn, the Morris Museum,
Battered Women’s Service of New Jersey, and her
synagogue, Temple B’nai Or. Mrs. Blatt is survived by her
husband, William; her children, Jonathan, Benjamin ’95,
Lauren, and Charles; her father, Harry Grandis; and sisters,
Nancy White and Betty Sue LePage.
Patricia Lawler
Director of Development and
Public Relations
Mary Murphy
Director of Admissions and
Placement
Jim Benz
Director of Upper Schools
Paula Levin
Director of Lower School
Marcela Figueroa
Secretary to the Head of School /
Secretary to the Directors of
Lower and Upper Schools
Kathy Ike
Admissions Assistant
Peggy Fawcett
Development Associate
Janet Furchak
Receptionist / School Secretary
Melissa Stampoulis
Kitchen Coordinator
Arthur Gannon
Caretaker / Maintenance
Rachel Filzer
School Nurse
Dorothy O'Neill
Director of Finance
x
Miriam Berkow, 83, died on July 27, 2006, in
Bradenton, Florida. Mimi was an devoted, active volunteer
at Far Brook, both as a current and an alumni parent. She
was co-founder, with Phyllis Halpern (now Phyllis
Miriam), of this alumni publication, Reports, and was its
editor and driving force for many years, until she and Paul
retired to Florida. Mimi was born in New York and moved
to Newark at a young age. She attended Douglass College
for Women, where she majored in psychology. She was a
nursery school teacher and director at the Millburn
Cooperative School and a teacher at the Summit Jewish
Center and the Playhouse School, West Orange. Her
survivors include her husband, Paul; her daughters Janet
’75 and Hanna; her son, Daniel, and her brothers, Arthur
and Herbert.
William Yeramian, alumni parent and husband of a
former Far Brook teacher, the late Carol Yeramian, died on
July 23, 2006, at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State
College, Pennsylvania, while visiting his daughter Sharon
Heimbaugh. He was 76. Bill was born in the Bronx, New
York, and lived in New Providence for the past 30 years. He
earned a bachelor’s degree from Upsala College in 1957.
He was a field representative for the Social Security
Administration for 30 years and also served as a business
manager at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital for 10
years. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
In addition to his daughter Sharon, Bill is survived by his
daughter Lesley; daughter Tracey Wade; his son, Bill ’85;
his sister, Alice Musurlian; and grandchildren Jason and
Melissa Wade.
47
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Far Brook Life ..........................................................................1
Mary Wearn Wiener Looks Forward......................................15
Annual Volunteer Reception ..................................................17
Mary Wearn Wiener: Her Legacy ..........................................18
Dear Friend: Saying Goodbye to Mary..................................20
Breakfast with Mary ...............................................................22
A Midsummer Night with Mary...............................................24
Murray E. Lopdell Lawrence Arrives......................................26
Former Trustee Dinner...........................................................28
A Banner Year for Far Brook Philanthropy ............................30
Letters ....................................................................................31
Alumni News..........................................................................36
FA R B R O O K
Faculty and Staff News..........................................................42
WELCOMES
In Memoriam..........................................................................44
Murray E. Lopdell Lawrence
ITS NEW
HEAD
OF
SCHOOL
Board of Trustees/Administration...........................................47
(See article, page 26.)
Reports
Far Brook School
52 Great Hills Road
Short Hills, NJ 07078
Address service requested
Far Brook School
(973) 379-3442
52 Great Hills Road
(973) 379-6740 (Fax)
Short Hills, New Jersey 07078
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Address: http://www.farbrook.org
Editors:
Helen Kaplus
Patricia Lawler
Editorial Assistant:
Peggy Fawcett
Principal Photographers:
Helen Kaplus
Will Winburn
Special thanks to photographer Will Winburn
for his commitment to chronicling events at
Far Brook.
48
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U.S. Postage
PAID
NON-PROFIT
Short Hills, NJ
07078
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