When Megan Shutzer s05 attended the Mountain School, she saw a documentary called “Ghosts of Rwanda,” which

sparked her interest in global citizenship and fi lm as a catalyst for change. Years later, she set out to make her own documentary, “New Generation Queens: a Zanzibar soccer story,” which follows Zanzibar’s only women’s soccer team and explores the culture and history of women’s soccer in Zanzibar.

Shutzer played soccer in high school and has continued ever since. When she was working in East Africa, setting up a study abroad program for the Harvard Summer School in Zanzibar, she noticed that, though most men played, many people viewed women’s soc-cer as immoral due to cultural gender norms. For the women who did play, soccer was very em-powering, as it had been for her in high school.

Although Shutzer had no for-mal fi lm training, her interest in documentaries and international issues inspired her to make a fi lm about the women’s soccer team. Recognizing that Muslim Afri-can women are rarely allowed to tell their own stories in the me-dia, she wanted her fi lm to focus on the subjects’ own perspectives and voices. They (and she) hoped the documentary would expand the women’s soccer movement in Zan-zibar.

Shutzer spent one month fi lming while she was in graduate school, one year translating the footage from Swahili, and one year edit-ing with Corey Ohama f84. After fi nding Ohama, a professional editor, through a shared connection on linkedin (Marilyn Covey!), Shutzer reached out for help completing the fi lm.

One of the soccer team’s (and Shutzer’s) priorities was to screen the fi lm in Zanzibar to show other girls that they could be Muslims and soccer players at the same time. With this goal in mind, she ap-plied for a grant from the Garden Hill Fund to travel with Ohama to screen her documentary and to offer soccer clinics for women.

Shutzer’s project received funding in Spring 2015, and her screen-ings and clinics in Zanzibar sparked debate, changed minds, and empowered women.

At one particular screening in the town of Paje, Shutzer and Ohama witnessed change fi rsthand. The village chief of Paje had refused to let Shutzer set up a soccer clinic in his village because he believed that women’s soccer is immoral. After the screening in Paje, there was a heated debate in the audience about the morality of women’s soccer. Many adult males in the crowd were adamant that they would never let their daughters play soccer, while others defended the girls who play. And when the conversation came to an end, the village chief rose to have the last word. In front of a

hushed crowd he stated, “Soccer is a sport and religion is some-thing inside of you,” and then welcomed the women’s team and fi lm crew to return the next day for a girls soccer clinic. Though Shutzer doesn’t expect every-one’s opinions to change as dra-matically and quickly as that par-ticular chief’s, the experience was gratifying and an outcome of the garden hill grant that she is most proud of witnessing.

After traveling in Zanzibar, Shutzer and Ohama came to the

Mountain School in Fall 2015 to show the fi lm to current students. One of the

students cried after seeing the movie because she was so moved by the women on the Zanzibar soccer team who were overcoming so much to make change in their communities.

Shutzer continues to screen “New Generation Queens” in schools and fi lm festivals across America and in various communities abroad (most recently in Sudan, where she hopes the fi lm will empower women there who face similar challenges to the girls in Zanzibar). She now lives in San Francisco and works for an international development consulting fi rm. She still recalls how engaged everyone at the Mountain School was, and that desire to be conscientious citizens informs the work she does to this day.

Garden Hill Fund Recipient: Megan Shutzer s05

Documenting Social Change By Gemma Sack s16

MLet the daily tide leave some deposit on these pages, as it leavessand and shells on the shore...This may be a calendar of the ebbs and flows of the soul; and on these sheets as a beach, the waves may cast up pearls and seaweed.

–Henry David Thoreau

1

SPRING 2016 PEARLS AND SEAWEED NUMBER 53

New Generation Queens: A Zanzibar Soccer Story

2

Letter from the Director The First Week

By Alden Smith

The opening days of the Mountain School can be more brutal for some students than we like to admit. In the essay below, Director Alden

Smith imagines the fi rst week from the point of view of an anxious student. His English class read an early draft of the piece and suggested edits. The voice borrows from Curtis Sittenfeld’s “Your Life as a Girl,”

an essay in our English anthology.

You had a panic attack the fi rst day of Mountain School. You were on Garden Hill and there were trees as far as you could

see. It was cold and beautiful and terrifying, and you wanted no part of it. You walked toward the dining hall with some other kids, trying to breathe. You pulled your hood over your head to hide the tears. Nobody noticed, thank God, not even your roommate. She was busy talking and laughing with the others. She knew everybody’s name.

You fi nally smiled for real at supper that night. The Spanish teacher’s kids were sitting at your table making faces. You made faces back. The teacher said you had a way with kids. After the meal, you went to your dorm to organize your room and ended up reading notes that former students had scrawled in your desk drawers. You are so lucky. Don’t worry if it’s hard at fi rst. Cherish every moment of this place. Your roommate walked in and you went to use the phone. You didn’t call anybody, just cried a few minutes in the phone closet before walking back to the library.

Monday you learned that everyone was a genius. Your math teacher asked you and a partner to roll a can down a ramp and calculate its velocity at a given point. She praised your work, even though your partner pretty much did it all. After history class, you looked up the word “hegemony” because a kid from New York had used it twice during the discussion. In Environmental Science, the teacher said something that blew your mind, but when you called your mom that night, you couldn’t remember what it was. You told her instead about your humiliation during supper when your English teacher had to remind you to sit at the dish crew table.

Tuesday afternoon you had wood crew. You learned you weren’t so bad with an axe. You were paired with this hilarious kid Sam. He could hardly hold the axe and talked nonstop. Your cheeks hurt from laughing. When the maple fell with a thud, you felt a rush in your chest. But during last period English you could hardly keep your eyes open. You cried on the phone with your mother after dinner. You felt bad not telling her about the maple tree.

On Wednesday the history teacher told you to meet him at the silo during third period, your advisor meeting. You didn’t tell him you didn’t know what a silo was, so when the time came, you wandered until he found you. “Hey!” he said, smiling big. “You okay?” You said yes, same as always, and smiled back. You walked around campus

together and chatted. You felt bad for him afterwards because you didn’t reveal a thing, and he’d tried so hard to get you to talk.

On Thursday you wrote in your English journal mostly about gathering eggs from the chickens and just a little bit about feeling alienated, and in the wrong body. You were proud of the chicken part because you hadn’t missed your chore once or cracked an egg. One of the farmers even said you might have a future in farming. You couldn’t tell if she was serious.

Your English teacher read aloud an excerpt from everyone’s journal during Friday English class. You expected him to read about chickens, but he only shared the feelings part of your journal. You looked down, felt yourself go red, and you knew everyone was looking at you. Two other students wrote about sad things too. One classmate’s father had died earlier that year, and you wondered who it was.

Saturday evening some kids hosted an improv activity. They were funny. You only had to participate once. Afterwards, a big group headed to Garden Hill. You almost joined them but opened your laptop instead and saw that your best friend had fi nally broken up with her girlfriend. You should have called her, but instead you scrolled through the rest of your facebook feed. People seemed to be wearing more makeup than usual. You laughed at your mom’s video of the dog and cringed at your uncle’s comment about your little sister’s new profi le picture. Half an hour passed and you realized it was too late to go to Garden Hill.

That night your roommate told you the stars from Garden Hill were amazing. She said everyone was lying in the snow together, and her head was resting on some guy’s stomach. You started crying and your roommate hugged you. You didn’t even know what was wrong. You had walked back to the dorm on your own, shuffl ing along the dark road, the stars guiding your way. You were confused thinking about it now—the walk had been lonesome and peaceful. Your roommate didn’t ask you to explain. You both just sat there, listening to Taylor Swift. Later, she told you about her aunt’s cancer.

You woke up early on Sunday and ended up in the kitchen. One of the teachers was there and asked you to crack open eggs. It was easy and pleasant and you told him why you came to the Mountain School. You explained how it felt to cut down a tree and have your journal read aloud. You ate too much bacon at brunch.

That night your dorm parent asked everyone to share highs and lows from the week. Two girls cried and you didn’t. You even said something that made everyone laugh.

Rules: The fi rst night of the semester, Alden reminds us all of the major rules, major because a student who can’t live with them may be asked to leave the Mountain School. Here they are:

1. Tell the truth (no cheating or lying). 2. Respect others (no harassment, physical or verbal). 3. Let us know where you are (no slipping off). 4. Have clean fun (no drugs).

The rules come as no surprise to anyone, except maybe #3, the whereabouts rule, which day schools don’t always need. And most of our sending schools expel or suspend students for breaking a major rule, so that’s no surprise either.

But there are a lot of other rules here, some for safety (no cotton on winter hikes), some for living together (keep the library quiet), and others for the work of the place (keep the apples and potatoes away from each other).

A handful of rules that are new for most students:

1. Fill tables counterclockwise as you enter the dining hall; don’t save seats.2. After limbing a felled tree, stack your brush perpendicular to the slope of the hill.3. Blow out your birthday candles with a sheet pan.4. Do not enlist livestock in a prank.

Punishment: Some schools have disciplinary committees that meet only when someone is threatened with dismissal; here, we have the Summit Committee (two teachers and two students, all four drawn from a hat), which can be asked to meet about any kind of infraction, major or minor.

Before soliciting volunteers for the Summit, Alden asks students to share how their schools handle violations of rules. I like to hear what they’ve come up with for punishments. One school sends miscreants “to the tank,” a room in the basement with a guard, another “voids” their lunches, and one has a shadow discipline committee (no one knows which students or teachers are on it), so no one can take reprisals against them. We know who’s on Summit, when it’s meeting, and that the group follows no precedent in their recommendation to the director; it could be dismissal or no consequence at all.

But consequences are important to everyone in the rule game. The consequence for blowing off your math homework this week? A 72% on the Friday test. The consequence for not feeding the wood boiler? Cold showers. Also shivering classmates—glaring at you, fueling your shame.

Shame: As a by-product of letting everyone down, this one is historic—and powerful. Vershire publishes a list of delinquent taxpayers every spring, and it’s the fi rst thing we turn to in the town report. Schools with fi nal exhibitions (instead of graded exams) sometimes invite the whole neighborhood to witness a student’s failure. When someone oversleeps here, we catch it in morning meeting; then someone goes to fetch the poor thing, who slinks into the room, tousled, bleary, shamefaced. We might as

Faculty Notes: Punishment, Shame, Guilt, and Exile

by Jack Kruse

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well have a set of stocks on Derby lawn.

Guilt : Sometimes a student misses his morning chore time and again, resisting even our fi nest cajolery. I ask him, then, if he’d prefer no chore at all, and if he agrees, I eliminate him from the chore program altogether. He can sleep in. It’s easier to do the chore myself than to scold, but people accuse me of guilt-tripping, so I avoid it when I can. Besides, exiling someone doesn’t make for great teaching.

Exile: Nevertheless, schoolteachers have been sending students to Siberia for ages—to the dunce stool, to the principal’s secretary, to the sideline bench, to the tank, or back to their parents. Going away for a time may encourage them to refl ect on their misdeeds, learn from them. Once the Summit had a student spend three days in our guest room, a rare in-house suspension. I don’t remember the infraction, but I remember bringing the boy his meals, thinking they should be on a tin tray. When I taught preschool we called it a time out, which sounded mild then; we know now that solitary confi nement is cruel and unusual. Makes voiding lunch or rapping knuckles feel like a better option.

Natural Consequences: Good for a caribou herd with a few stragglers, not so good for forty-fi ve adventurous juniors. Or for keeping the buildings warm, the grades decent, and the bathrooms clean. Better we come up with some artifi cial consequences and trust the Summit Committee to keep them creative—and maybe not so punishing as the natural ones.

Please send your examples of local rules and punishments or your refl ections on shame, guilt, and exile to Jack.Kruse@mountainschool.org.

Mission Statement

The Mountain School cultivates a diverse and interdependent community of scholars who learn to know a place and take care of it. Through collaborative learning and shared work, students emerge from their semester prepared to reach beyond the self and focus on the common good.

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What Makes a Great Sugaring Season?by Sam Kelman, Sugarmaker

People of Color are not necessarily the fi rst thing on your mind when

you think of Vermont. However, the Mountain School has built a group of intellectual students that contributes to Vershire, Vermont’s diversity.

The Affi nity Group of S’16 has raised lots of awareness about the experiences and cultures that exist uniquely in America. After a small dispute about affi rmative action during a Friday night discussion about language, the group realized that not everyone had the same defi nition of the concept. In order to inform other students, the group decided to create a display in the library. During Wednesday’s school meeting, the group then polled the community’s knowledge about

affi rmative action and also asked what parts of affi rmative action they were interested in learning about. Using the anonymous responses, the group decided which topics to cover in order to answer questions and dispel misconceptions. After conducting individual research, the group congregated and assembled the affi rmative action Board.

When this group of students isn’t working to address prevalent racial issues, the Affi nity Group meets to discuss topics relevant to them. Affi nity Group meetings provide students

of color with a safe space to share and discuss experiences both at the Mountain School and at home. Meetings are open to all students and faculty members who identify as people of color.

Athena Gerasoulis, Darrell Pona, Farid Sousou, Jolaun Hunter, Keerti Gopal, and Wassa Bagayoko. The three faculty members are Kareen Obydol-Alexandre, Kemi Mugo, and Maura Mathieu.

It’s the last day in March, and I just got home from a boil. Look-ing at the calendar, I see we have boiled twenty of the last twenty

three days and not one of those days was there more than a dusting of snow on the ground. As of writing this article we are up to 213 gallons of maple syrup, and there is still over a thousand gallons of sap ready to boil. This time last year we had yet to boil, there was about 3 feet of snow in the sugarbush, and the bitter cold of the winter seemed like it would go on forever. Just goes to show how different each year is, and how unpredictable.

During the Sugaring Alumni weekend, I was asked a great question by Julian Perricone (Fall ‘14), “As a sugarmaker, can you make a great season?” I almost answered “Yes, of course,” without really thinking about it. I quickly realized that, though of course there is skill in making maple syrup, a lot of it is up to mother nature and what she decides to throw our way. I mean, a sugarmaker can defi nitely burn the pan, let sap sit around too long and spoil, or even run on the ground, but in gen-eral, a great season, like this one, is just that, a great season.

However, we humans don’t like to leave much to chance, and once we start relying on something as part of our economy or our diet, we don’t like to see it fl uctuate. Vacuum technology has made it so sugarmakers have a more consistent crop year to year. They can tap earlier and get more sap per tap, often twice as much as buckets.

(This comes at no damage to the tree, according to the research; it just mimics the desired air pressure of a good season.) This year, some sugarmakers tapped in December, when right around Christ-mas, it was 60 degrees. They thought they’d take advantage of the lack of snow, thinking that the snow would some day fall. In fact, the snow never really came, but the sap sure did!

In January I went to a conference with a bunch of sugarmakers, and one of the speakers asked, who there had already tapped their trees. Almost ¾ of the people raised the hands. This was about a month earlier than I was even thinking of tapping. The speaker, who works for UVM Proctor (one of the leading maple research extensions), discussed the possibility that climate change could make one long season of sugaring that could start in the fall and go through the spring. Traditionally, the tempera-ture swings and pressure changes you need for the sap to fl ow happen with the transition from winter to spring. But this year we have seen those swings from November until April. In

the past few weeks, it rained on one end of the week and snowed (a dusting) on the other end. One of things I love about sugaring is how ephemeral it is; one second we are gathering sap on snow-shoes, the next, in our t-shirts on bare ground, and then the frogs are out and it’s time to move on to the Garden. This transition usu-ally lasts an intense few weeks, maybe a month, but a six month season...I think I might just fall out of love.

Spring 2016 Sugar CrewBreaking the record with 225 gallons!

To Affi nity and Beyond Kareen Obydol-Alexandre, French, Student Travel Coordinator, Health Liaison

While it may sound like a grim outlook, our dying garden will not be the failing kind, rather the thriving kind full of plants that produce

natural pigments for plant-based dyes. Hops, hibiscus, purple basil, Japa-nese indigo, madder, marigold, hollyhock and many more. Gwynne plans to spearhead a dye project with students next fall to produce beautifully colored yarns from our sheep’s wool. She asked me to grow the plants, to which I happily agreed. A group of students and I then set about planning the system. First, we calculated the quantity of each plant we’d need to make enough dye to color about eighty-fi ve pounds of yarn, then we de-termined the spacing between plants for a couple of dozen dif-ferent varieties. From there, we found the square footage neces-sary for the whole garden and then chose a location on garden hill, just below the blueberries on the short side.

The students didn’t stop there; they also mapped out the garden, allocating sections for annuals and perennials based on the height of each plant, and made a seeding calendar by counting backwards from the number of days to maturity for each. If beautifying the campus and producing natural dyes weren’t enough, another benefi t of growing these new plants will be increased forage for our pollinators.

Every semester, someone has asked the honeybee question. Do you have hives? Starting in 2017, the answer will be, Yes! It’s been a debated proposition, and in 2010 when I asked Kirk Webster, a Mountain School graduate and one of the premier beekeepers and queen breeders in the country, what he thought about keeping bees here, he said that he’d tried it four decades ago when he was working here on the farm. “There wasn’t enough forage,” he told me, and the bees hadn’t survived our cold

winters. I quickly discovered that we have an abundance of other natural pollinators, so honeybees were not a necessity here for that purpose. But this past fall, Kirk visited again and remarked that a lot has changed around here. He encouraged us to give beekeeping another try, saying it’s quite possible there will be enough forage for honeybees now. Sam Kelman is pioneering our honeybee experiment, starting with two hives. “Sugarman” is a name ever more suited to Sam, after this incredible maple syrup year, to which he’ll now add honey.

It’s the last day of March and the orchards are pruned, the dry beans are being threshed, the next batch of shiitake mushroom logs is curing, and we’ll be growing oyster mushrooms for the fi rst time this year. I have been planning an expansion of our fruit production, to be rolled out over the next two years. This year, we’ll be planting one hundred new blueberry bushes, twenty elderberry bushes, eleven

new pear trees, four plum trees, four cherry trees, fi fty more raspberry plants, twenty-fi ve each of loganberry and boysenberry plants, and ten hardy kiwi vines. Students will also have the opportunity to learn how to graft apple scion wood to root stock, as we’ll be starting a small nursery of apple trees to gradually replace our aging orchard on Garden Hill. One of my main goals in this expansion is not only to provide more fruit for fresh eating (in fall), freezing, jams and sauces, but also for a broader range of juices from here.

The snow is gone, crocuses are up and fi rst lamb of the spring was born this morning. Any moment now, we’ll be in full-on planting mode!

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2016: The Year of the Dying Garden, Bees and BerriesBy Liana Horster, Farm Manager

In College?Join a Mountain School graduate community on your

campus or start one of your own!

In the fall of 2015, the Alumni Committee helped to organize Mountain School gatherings at a number of colleges across

the country. Alumni currently attending Carleton, Brown, and Kenyon hosted events to welcome freshman and build stronger on-campus Mountain School communities. If you are interested in getting together with other graduates who attend your college (or another college near yours), whether as an organizer or participant, please contact Beth Sigman Somerset s97, Alumni Coordinator, at beth.somerset@mountainschool.org.

Mountain School alumni at Carleton College

6

Garden Hill Fund joins Humanities curriculumBy Beth Sigman Somerset s97, Alumni Coordinator

The Garden Hill Fund (GHF) grant program—a means by which alumni can fi nancially support the work of other alumni

toward the common good—completed its sixth round this spring. Alumni and student committees selected fi ve grant recipients who join a list of now 36 graduates who have benefi tted from GHF funds since fall 2013.

In a process change this semester, the GHF program became part of the Mountain School academic curriculum, as Jack Kruse incorporated the student committee’s work into his Humanities class. Also new this semester: students had the fi nal say on which projects received funding and how much, with $20,000 to give away.

In previous rounds, students volunteered to be on the GHF committee, which met outside of classes and work periods. After the student and alumni groups had each read grant proposals, they would compare their funding decisions and reach an agreement. Although this process worked, it was challenging to schedule, time-consuming for students and the lead faculty member, and fi nal negotiations were cumbersome.

Now kids in the Humanities class are automatically on the student GHF committee. This change provides a class project that is relevant to course material, simplifi es scheduling, and allows for consistency in Garden Hill Fund procedures from one semester to the next.

As for the change in decision-making, it was clear after several rounds that the student committees were exceptionally thoughtful, methodical, and thorough when assessing grant proposals. And more often than not, the alumni and student groups made very similar selections for which projects to fund. Consequently, the following question arose: why not allow students to make the fi nal decision about which projects to fund and how much money to give? If the alumni GHF committee takes a fi rst pass at proposals and sends a short list to students consisting of worthy projects, then why not give students more responsibility and lend the experience more real-world weight?

The Spring ’16 students in Jack’s Humanities class, like previous GHF student committees, ably handled the work of selecting grant recipients. They devised their own course of action, including each of 12 students writing an advocacy presentation for one of the 12 proposals received, with the remaining three students in the class charged with challenging the presenters about the proposals’ potential weaknesses. They then polled their semester-mates in a Friday evening activity, during which they presented the top nine proposals. In an effort to remove unconscious bias (which they had learned about in class), they decided not to use the applicants’ names, gender, age, or amount requested. The Humanities students then met on Saturday morning to use their data to decide how to allocate $20,000 toward the top fi ve preferred grant proposals. In mid-March, the alumni GHF committee—represented by Ian Francis f87 and me, visited campus to attend the Humanities class

and listen to the students’ review of their methods. The students said they really enjoyed the project, and they are already curious about the outcomes for alumni recipients. Overall, this revised approach to current students’ role in the Garden Hill Fund was successful and will be continued in semesters to come.

Refl ecting on the process, Jack said, “There were some real surprises for me, one of which was how patient the students were with the process, evaluating it as it unfolded, checking their impulses all the time. I like the project combined with the [Humanities] course work on decision making, and I love how it gets the students to picture themselves as graduates needing help with their work in the world.”

Alumni of all ages are encouraged to apply to the Garden Hill Fund. The next application deadline is September 15, 2016.

Now in the third year of the Garden Hill Fund (GHF), we continue to see a great degree of enthusiasm toward the

program from a wide range of alumni. For the Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 application rounds, we received 26 applications requesting over $140,000. Having met the GHF fundraising goal for this year, we had a total of $40,000 to distribute, evenly divided between the two rounds. We are grateful for the support of many graduates toward the Garden Hill Fund!

Below are the grant recipients from the Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 rounds. Congratulations to all winners! We look forward to hearing about your work and the broader effects of the Garden Hill Fund.

FALL 2015 Grant winners:

Andrew Sloat f93 ($4,000)Printing and distributing an educational income tax poster

for migrant farmworkers in Pennsylvania This grant will support Andrew’s work on an educational

poster that helps migrant farmworkers understand how to fi le an income tax return. The project—a collaboration between Andrew, illustrator Michela Buttignol, the Pennsylvania Farmworker Project, and the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP)— helps the migrant farmworkers, who are a critical part of America’s agricultural economy, navigate the laws that affect them. Andrew states, “When farmworkers fail to fi le they may lose the refund payment they’re entitled to, risk having their wages seized by the IRS, or jeopardize immigration opportunities for themselves and

Garden Hill Fund Grant Recipients Announced

for Fall ’15 and Spring ’16

Matti Sloman f01 ($6,000)Developing art and textile program for developmentally

disabled artists in Chicago, Illinois

The Garden Hill Fund grant will fund the development of a six-month art and textile education program for artists with developmental disabilities. In collaboration with Envision Unlimited, a Chicago social services agency, Matti and her partner, Emily Winter, are creating textile skill-building workshops that will support Envision’s art program. Matti and Emily have also begun revitalizing an industrial weaving mill (aptly named, The Weaving Mill) at Envision’s Westtown Center. Matti says, “Our education program will bring the Envision Art Program and The Weaving Mill into close collaboration, preparing Envision clients to work more independently in the art studio or to take on paid production work with The Weaving Mill. Clients will learn how to use sewing machines, cut pattern pieces, and design, cut, and print with stencils for silkscreen. These workshops will encourage participants to be self-directed and to turn to their peers when they have questions, recognizing and utilizing the skills of others, creating a strong classroom community. By the end of the six month cycle, we will have cemented the workshop curricula, identifi ed individual strengths of Envision clients, and laid the groundwork to start employing Envision clients at The Weaving Mill…. We want to see Westtown become a hub of creative productivity and the Garden Hill grant will allow us to jumpstart an innovative, art-based workshop program.”

Shahbaz Soofi f08 ($6,000)Launching Blackseed Farmers Market

in Worcester, Massachusetts

This Garden Hill Fund grant will provide seed money for a new farmers’ market in Worcester, MA. Working with Muslim Community Link, “a nonprofi t information and referral agency that connects the Muslim community to their community at large,” Shahbaz will help develop Blackseed Farmers Market, which will bring access to fresh organic produce and local, organic halal meat, and in particular will serve Worcester’s refugee, Muslim, and elderly communities. The market will be located at a local masjid (mosque), across the street from a senior living community and a church. Much of the produce will be supplied from a local farm run by refugees from Nepal, Iraq and multiple African states, which will in turn support their livelihoods. Shahbaz writes, “We hope that by bridging the gap between the farmers, the masjid, the refugee community, the elderly community, the church and the community at large, we will be fostering a community of empowered and educated citizens who will be able to make better decisions for their wellness and local economy.”

Spring 2016 Grant winners:

Elizabeth Fair f89 ($7,000)Research tuberculosis stigma in Bangladesh

Elizabeth will work with tuberculosis (TB) patients and health care providers in Bangladesh to better understand the stigma that is associated with having TB, the leading cause of death among infectious diseases globally in 2015. The

their family members. To address this issue, we are designing a visual guide (in Spanish) that helps farmworkers across Pennsylvania (and nationwide) understand how the tax system works, how to prepare for the tax fi ling process, and how to access free assistance.” The grant will allow for printing of up to 5,000 extra copies of the poster for wider distribution to migrant farmworkers in Pennsylvania.

Becky Maden f93 ($2,500) Hosting agriculture information workshops for a community

farm Colchester, Vermont

Becky will be working with the Pine Island Community Farm in Colchester, Vermont hosting workshops on soil fertility, pest and disease management, and cover cropping for Pine Island’s seven-acre community farm. Becky explained, “The group of farmers are New Americans with over eight languages spoken and a variety of farming techniques. There is no comprehensive plan for the seven acre farm plot, nor are there any restrictions on the products the farmers can use. During the fi rst year of production in 2015, a spectrum of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides were applied to the community farm. Furthermore, the land is on a vulnerable fl ood plain along the Winooski River, just a few miles from the mouth of Lake Champlain.” Becky plans to host a series of informational workshops this winter that will help the farmers “develop a comprehensive management plan for the land, to help them source organic materials, and to understand the climate in which they now farm.”

Lara Bazelon s91 ($1,500)Writing a book about restorative justice

Lara is writing a book about “the nascent movement to apply restorative justice principles to wrongful conviction cases and the movement’s potentially transformative effect on the criminal justice system.” Her Garden Hill Fund grant will help support her travel and living expenses while writing the book, which is based on Lara’s recent article in Slate Magazine, “Justice After Injustice: What happens after a wrongfully convicted person is exonerated—and the witness fi nds out she identifi ed the wrong man.” Lara says, “I have interviewed more than two dozen people already—crime victims, the men who were falsely convicted of those crimes, their families, the lawyers, and restorative justice practitioners. Over the next six months, I plan to interview many more in cities and rural communities across the United States. Broadly conceived, the book will closely examine three wrongful conviction cases: one in which restorative justice was not applied, one in which it was applied, and one in the very beginning of the healing process. I will tell these stories through the lived experiences of the exonerees, the original crime victims, and the concentric circles of family members, friends, lawyers, judges, prosecutors, detectives and others who were deeply affected by the false convictions. What I hope to show is that restorative justice principles, when applied with great care and thoughtfulness, can bring about personal healing and social change in ways that would have otherwise been impossible.”

7

continued on next page

8

Self PortraitCollage

on paper

Jolaun Hunter

Sarah Gross s12 ($3,600)Establishing a permanent garden at Seeds of Peace

camp in Maine

Sarah works at Seeds of Peace Camp in Maine, an international camp geared toward bringing together kids who come from places of confl ict, often places that are in confl ict with each other. Despite the camp’s agricultural name, “very few literal seeds have been planted at camp,” Sarah writes. “For the past fi ve years, the camp has had a tiny raised bed in which we’ve planted some herbs, but I intend to use this money to build a full-fl edged garden in an unused area and incorporate a gardening activity into the weekly schedule of every camper.” She also plans to establish activity plans and outfi t the gardening program with tools and maintenance instructions to help keep the garden active indefi nitely without too much maintenance. “I would like to see teenagers from myriad different places in the world connecting to the food system and the natural world and taking a passion for growing food back to their communities,” Sarah said.

Shannon Flaherty f99 ($5,000)Launching Goat in the Schools, a student-written children’s

theater program in New Orleans

Shannon is an educator and co-artistic director for Goat in the Road Productions (GRP). The program aims to improve students’ writing skills and interest in writing, as well as increase students’ creativity, confi dence, and awareness of the art of theater. Shannon and Goat in the Road Productions will “choose four 10-minute plays written by young New Orleans playwrights (these plays will be generated by students of GRP’s young playwrights festival, Play/Write, in the spring of 2016)” to be put together in a “show that can easily travel, but is also vibrant and captivating.” Shannon and her co-director will also create “a 45-minute playwriting lesson, which will accompany the touring show, as well as a professional development for classroom teachers as a follow-up to the performance.” Ultimately, each student in the audience will have the chance to write his or her own original play, inspired by their peers’ work. “For many of the students in the audience, it will be their fi rst experience watching live, professional theater,” Shannon said. Then, by “engaging with writing themselves, students will be asked to think of themselves as artists.”

World Health Organization estimates that more than three million cases of TB go undetected each year. A contributing factor to under-diagnosis is social stigma related to the disease, which disproportionately affects the poorest populations. Elizabeth will collaborate with the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), a development organization founded in 1972, dedicated to alleviating poverty by empowering the poor.

Joseph Schottenfeld s07 ($1,400)Creating a short documentary about migrant laborers from

Tajikistan

Joseph is an ethnographer and researcher who will be working with illustrator George Butler and fi lmmaker Tim Brown. The goal of this documentary is to bring to life a few particular stories of migration from a part of the world that is often out of sight. “Tajikistan is considered to be the most migration-dependent country in the world,” Joseph writes. “…nearly all of Tajikistan’s migrants are men, and nearly all travel to Russia for work. But the weakening of the Russian economy and the introduction of harsh, new visa restrictions have left many of these men in precarious situations, unsure of their status in Russia or if they can even earn enough to send home.” Joseph, George, and Tim will begin in a rural village in Tajikistan, where they will “draw, fi lm, and interview as men part from families and make the long trip—four days by train—to Moscow for work.”

Nate Sloan s03 and Gideon (Grody-Patinkin) Irving s03 ($3,000)

Creating a “Gideon & Hubcap” musical touring show geared toward kids

Nate and Gideon created “The Gideon and Hubcap Show,” a musical/comedy show they describe as about “friendship, technology, and being a 21st century human.” They have performed in homes across the country and at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in addition to appearances on BBC radio and television. Although oriented toward adults, the original show has brought a lot of joy to children, too. This welcomed side effect has “galvanized [them] to make a show expressly for kids, one that challenges and thrills them without ever speaking down to them. We want to approach them as serious audience members and put all the muscle of our craft behind creating something magical and meaningful to share with them and their families.” Nate and Gideon will develop the new piece over the next year, “including two, month-long, intensive workshops, and then begin touring it through homes in spring of 2017.”

9

From the Admissions Desk By Emily Adler Boren, Director of Admissions

It was another great year for Mountain School admissions: so many strong applicants from schools across the country. Again,

I fi nd myself amazed by the amount of work it takes fi nd the 90 students who will join us next year, and confl icted about turning away so many qualifi ed students. I’m also grateful for our larger community, with so many people pitching in to the admissions effort: faculty, alums, current students, families and schools. We gave a total of 85 presentations this year, with 10 faculty and 15 alums from all over the country joining in to help, including Grace McCleary f14, Jared Rubenstein s05, Eliza Booth Paolucci f85, Colleen McCullough s06, Lindsey Cartmell s15, Niki Gruttadauria f03, Rafi Bildner s10, Matt Cerf s10, Elyse Lindahl s14, Marc Elia s93, Liz Niemiec f98, Paul Costello f93, and Kyung Mi Lee f15. This year we also hosted four open houses in different cities with help from Kathy Coleman (Boston area, mother of Annie Weathers s05 and Margy Weathers s11), and the families of Greta Zorn f14 (Seattle), Spencer Janney f14 (San Francisco) and Amir Mamdani s15 (New York). Thanks to all of you who wrote letters on behalf of applicants, and encouraged friends to apply. Still the majority of students learn about the Mountain School from an alum (64% of the applicant pool). Keep spreading the word!

Here are some numbers about our applicant pool for the incoming fall ’16 and spring ’17 semesters:

223 total applicants for 90 spots68% girls, 32% boys

25% of the overall applicant pool from New York City private schools

62% from the east coast23% students of color

39% seeking fi nancial aid18% fi rst generation to college

We continue to push on growth areas for the schools that add important diversity to each semester: geographic diversity, students of color, public school students and boys. This year, we had a noticeable increase in the number of applicants from the west coast (20% this year, 14% last year). Our numbers for students of color are about the same (22% of applicant pool last year, 23% this year), and we saw growth in public school students (32% last year, 38% this year) and boys (26% last year, 32% this year). We rely on our alumni community to keep sharing their experiences and identifying students in these categories who would be a good fi t for our program. Thank you for the time you spend helping to shape future Mountain School classes!

If you’re interested in giving presentations next fall, please let me know. We’re always looking for alumni volunteers to help, and we’ll set you up with a powerpoint presentation, videos, brochures, and more. Contact emily.boren@mountainschool.org to get involved.

Finally, this year, we thought we’d leave you with an inspiring application essay, written by Keerti Gopal, who accepted our offer and is here now. The prompt was: What is one concept--from a class or any other experience--that interests you? Explain how this concept relates to your life and why you fi nd it interesting. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

continued on next page

The Asymptote of Equal Opportunity

When we fi rst learned about asymptotes in math this year they seemed to me a little sad. Asymptote: A line which comes infi nitely close to a given curve without ever touching it. Like an impossible goal, one that you can come close, infi nitely close to achieving, but never quite realize. This concept is one I think about often, inside and outside the realm of math.

I sat in Humanities the other day during a particularly interesting debate on equal opportunity. The majority of the class seemed to feel pretty strongly that equal opportunity in the U.S. is an impossible dream. As I listened to a room full of teenagers basically diagnose our country as terminally ill, I couldn’t help but feel a little discouraged. It was then that I thought of asymptotes. It occurred to me that equal opportunity might be something of a societal asymptote. We certainly aren’t there yet. We still live in a society where the cards are stacked unfairly. Equal opportunity for success - in happiness, jobs, education and safety - is not our reality. Still, isn’t that our goal? A world where your race, gender, body, sexual orientation, or economic standing has no bearing on the opportunities you are given seems like a pretty great place to live. It is a world I would love to see.

But maybe that is our society’s asymptote. Maybe as hard as we try, as close as we get, we never will quite make it. I have heard people say that we have too long a history of oppression and inequality ever to level the playing fi eld, so there really isn’t any point in trying. I’ve also heard people say that because all adult American citizens can vote, and we no longer have color-coded bathrooms, equal opportunity is the reality of the U.S.

Here’s how I see it. In 2015, white women are paid 77 cents to every white man’s dollar, while black women can earn as little as 50 cents. In 2015, while over 40 countries world-wide have had a female head of state, we have yet to make that list. In 2015, many U.S. citizens are unable to marry, simply because of their gender. In 2015, zoning keeps kids from low income families in underfunded schools, making it harder for them to break out of the cycle of poverty. In 2015, a century and a half after slavery was abolished, people of color are killed on the streets by offi cers of the law, and condemned by the media and the courts. If in 2015 our country’s institutions are still so imbalanced, how can we possibly reach the place we want to go? At times, it seems a little hopeless. And yet, it has gotten better. As a country, we’ve made a lot of progress.

10

I arrived at the Mountain School in August 2013 full of ideas from the Diversity Directions Conference in Andover, MA,

which I had attended that summer with Gwynne Durham. Diversity Directions is a weeklong conference for educators of all grade levels from private and parochial schools. We spent part of each day listening to lectures and then would return to our smaller group of about eight to debrief. One of the early exercises we did in our small groups was to each tell our “cultural story” in seven minutes, essentially a brief history of our lives and what defi ned us as people. Gwynne and I found the exercise rewarding and important to facilitating closer relationships with our group. That fall, as we brainstormed ways to make the Mountain School a more inclusive and open place for all students, Gwynne had an idea. What if, she suggested, we have one cultural story in each morning meeting, a chance for every student to share something important about who they are. Six semesters later, it’s hard to imagine that there was a time before cultural stories. We offer a broad range of suggested topics including religious background, race, family history and traditions, gender, sexual orientation, and important memories. Students can reveal as much or as little as they want to, and many choose lighthearted topics (stories about siblings and mentors are the most popular). But for some students, the stories allow them to speak about complicated pieces of their identities that are important but may not otherwise come up in conversation.

I always lead the fi rst morning meeting on Sunday of opening weekend. I explain the concept of cultural stories, and then I tell of an encounter I had at camp when I was little: another girl in my group refused to believe that one of the counselors was my brother. She was adamant that I was lying. I was equally adamant, obviously, that I was telling the truth. In that ridiculous exchange, I learned that many people fi nd it bewildering when different members of the same family have different skin colors, as do the members of my family. I tell the story because its underlying message about assumptions is especially relevant to the beginning of the semester (and the middle, and the end, and life), and because

it is an effi cient way to let everyone know that I am biracial, which is not obvious from the way I look.

Whether the topic is a fi rst hunting trip or an anxiety disorder, the stories allow us to see the students a little more clearly in the larger context of their lives. The stories are not meant to be confessions. Rather, like the texts in the English compendium, they are a way of helping us understand that other people are equally real. The students can share that they, too, have been embarrassed, hurt, excited and mistaken. They love people we don’t know and will never meet.

We hear about growing up in a family with two moms, or with only a mom, or with divorced parents. We appreciate the Little League coach and the uncle-who-is-not-actually-an-uncle who have been consistent role models. We marvel at the life story of the inspiring grandparent. We cheer for the pet rooster who earned the coveted top spot at a laying hen farm. We are delighted by the defeat of the frenemy, even if it seems slightly cruel to have fed candy to her pet chinchilla. We applaud the girl who won the wrestling match on a boys’ team (despite wanting to pee, throw up, cry and run away before the match began). We digest the complex feelings that come from going to the same school as the Tsarnaev brothers, better known as the Boston Marathon bombers. We celebrate the students who come out, offer our support to those who have recently lost a loved one, and fi nd ourselves equally frustrated about the diatribes of the racist older relative.

As the stories become part of the narrative of the semester, the characters in them take their place alongside Julian from “Everything that Rises Must Converge” and Mason from “Electric Arrows.” The Tsarnaev brothers, the rooster, the racist relative, and the wrestling victory all become resources to draw from and refl ect on in conversations , in classes and in journals. Regardless of which aspect of their culture the students choose to share, they add depth to their semesters by offering us a glimpse of the people and experiences that serve as their roots.

Cultural Stories: Another Way of Being KnownBy Maura Mathieu s03, English teacher

Our president is fi ghting to close the gender wage gap, and more women are running for national offi ce.

Gay marriage has been legalized in 37 states. Our high school graduation rate is higher than it’s ever been, and community college may soon be tuition-free. We are moving towards the asymptote, moving closer to a world of equal opportunity.

In math, there was one last thing we learned about asymptotes. Some of them have holes. A hole is the one spot on the line where all the numbers line up, and miraculously, the curve punches through. The impossible becomes possible.

I think we all have a lot of little asymptotes in our lives. I know I do. Some are small, like too many chemistry problems, and not

enough time. Some are bigger, like the fi ght to close the gender gap in my own school’s student government. Some follow me everywhere, like the constant need to prove my identity as American, with my brown skin and Indian name. Still others are huge, like joining millions of New Yorkers in a march against police brutality. When I look at these supposed impossibilities in my life, I try to remember that asymptotes can have holes, and it’s up to me to fi nd them. Maybe we, as a society, can fi nd a hole in the asymptote of equal opportunity. Maybe we can’t. Still, I think even the possibility that we can come infi nitely close to realizing this dream is enough for us to keep trying.

-Keerti Gopal, Fieldston School. Written in February 2015 for admission to the Mountain School.

Digital book:Entrances & ExitsReif Larsen s97

Is a Borgesian love story told through Google Street View.

It’s meant to be read on your phone or tablet. www.entrances-exits.com

White Nights in Split Town City Annie DeWitt s98

When Mother turned up the radio real loud and sang “I Heard It Through

the Grapevine,” I wondered what the grapevine was and what it was they had heard through it.

It is the summer of 1990 on the last un-paved road in a rural American town. Jean is approaching thirteen and the twenty-fi rst century is encroaching from all sides. Des-

ert Storm fl ashes on the television, Microsoft has come out with a new program called Windows, and the horses in the pasture are dropping dead from an unidentifi ed pathogen. Family life at The Bottom Feeder—the only home Jean has ever known—is slowly disintegrating. Jean’s mother leaves, and in her absence, Jean is torn between the adult world and surreal fantasies of escape. She builds a fort with an abandoned boy, Fender Steelhead, to survey the rumors of the town, but as the kids begin to uncover their neighbors’ secrets and desires, Jean discovers her own propensity for transgression.

Both coming of age story and cautionary tale, this lyrical debut delves into the beauties and dangers of what it means to bear witness, the psychology of isolation, and our universal need to belong.

11

I am RadarReif Larson s97

Big, beautiful, ambitious . . . It takes narrative magic to pull off such a loopy combination, and luckily, Reif Larsen has it to spare. His prose is addictive and enchanting. —Los Angeles

Times

The moment just before Radar Radmanovic is born, the hos-

pital’s electricity fails. The deliv-ery takes place in total darkness. Lights back on, everyone present sees a healthy baby boy—with

jet-black skin—born to the stunned white parents. No one understands the uncanny electrical event or the unexpected skin color. “A child-birth is an explosion,” an ancient physician explains. “Some shrapnel is inevitable, isn’t it?”

Drawing on the furthest reaches of quantum physics, forgotten history, and mind-bending art, Larsen’s I Am Radar is a triumph of storytelling at its most primal, elegant, and epic: a breathtaking journey through humanity’s darkest hours, yet one that arrives at a place of shocking wonder and redemption.

Truck FarmIan Cheney s97

What do you call a farm planted in the back of a pickup truck? This is the whimsical tale of young Rumsey Plumb, whose

summer on Grandmums’s farm takes an unexpected turn when a big storm threatens her prize-winning crops. With the help of four old ducks, Grandmum and Rumsey plant a garden-on-wheels and fl ee to higher ground in the big city, where another adventure awaits. Included with the book is a CD featuring Simon Beins’ album of quirky songs inspired by the Truck Farm project, with special musical guest Jack Johnson, who also narrates a reading of the book as a bonus track.

Film:The Search for General Tso

Ian Cheney s97

This mouthwateringly en-tertaining documentary

traces the surprising origins of the iconic Chinese-American dish, from Shanghai to Middle America and beyond.

TMS Bookshelf and Films

Welcome to Spring 2016

12

Purchase Marilyn‛s cookbook of

Mountain School recipes online Rightoffthefarm.com

Food for memories!

• Ornithology: Kai’s homemade birdfeeders (peanut butter, beef fat, sunfl ower seeds and raisins) got highjacked by Ramona and Violet, the Kruse’s dogs.

• Low-clearance cars: A longer than usual mud season has left higher ruts in our roads.

• First time seeing snow: Worst snowfall on record since 1892.

• Weak immune systems: An outbreak of whooping cough has an number of students on antibotics

• Badgers: Three s16 students hail from Wisconsin.

• Maple syrup: Record-setting syrup totals (225 gallons here) all over Vermont. First time ever making maple sugar at TMS

• Ornithology: Student Kai Victor is the President of the New York Young Birders Association and has everyone talking about the migration.

• Celsius awareness: With a student from London this semester, the weather at morning meeting is always announced in both Farenheit and Celsius.

A good semester for: A bad semester for:

13

Spring 2016 Photo Gallery

Spring ’85

Alumni NotesCompiled by Marilyn Covey

14

Susan Timpanosfi tztimpano@gmail.com

No news from s85, but having seen a few of you last sum-

mer, I can attest to the ageless-ness of our class (as well as Jack, Sue, and Marilyn)! I would also encour-age all of you, at some point, to attend the 30+ year reunion that is offered every summer; there are so many cool things happening at the Mountain School!

For me the experience was a bit of stepping back in time, but more profound was observing TMS moving forward (think solar, tech, etc) while maintaining the social and ethical values that we attribute to this particular semester experience. Also, my kids had an excellent time and didn’t want to leave, and the connections made with classmates and other graduates, was really fun. The fresh, outdoor, hardworking aura on campus has not changed. Happy Spring!

Ashley Mattoonatmattoon@gmail.com

Meg Robertson wrote that the big news in her house-

hold this past year was that her wife, Sheila, was granted tenure in the Chemistry Department at Amherst College. They are happy to know they will continue living in Amherst, where their children Banti (14) and Rutesh (11) love the community and have great friends. Meg continues to be happy in her work as recruiter with UNITE HERE (www.unitehere.org). Meg wrote, “now that the kids are get-ting older, I can see a time in a few years when I may be able to get back out in the fi eld with our cam-paigns which I have missed!”

Nick Finn made a job change from Credit Suisse to UBS in November. The transition has been

Spring ’86

a lot of work, but he is enjoying his new role. Like many of us his focus is his children. Sixteen-year-old Caroline completed a three-week exchange program in Rome, and the Finns in turn hosted an Italian teenager, Carlotta, exposing the whole family to another culture.

Cathy Han is to be congratulated on her retirement from private practice as an ob-gyn. After 15 years and delivering more than 3,000 babies, she left her practice in Laguna Hills, CA. Cathy will focus on her three children, the oldest of whom will begin at Exeter in the fall. She reports “he’s already talked about doing the Washington intern program, but no Mountain School for him.” You can look Cathy up on Facebook, which she just joined a few weeks ago.

Abby Solomon continues her career in acting and producing. Her son Jasper started nursery school this year. Abby was pleased to catch-up with Annie in London last June and stays in frequent contact with Leyla Morrisey Bader. Leyla’s four children are now dispersed among 4 different schools in NYC. She wrote, “I am now dwarfed by Ramsay, our 6 foot tall 13-year-old. 11-year-old Quentin is a tennis fanatic, Sophia, at age 8, would forsake everything for gymnastics, and our 3 year old has taken to wearing his Batman costume day in and day out.” Leyla manages to take a day a week to go to a photography class, which she loves.

Still enjoying life in the Adirondacks, Vanessa Houghtlin is “raising giant children and doing various types of work with pregnant and birthing mothers and young children and families.” Her family took a trip to Austria in January where her 13-year-old, Sylvie, competed in cross-country skiing at the International Children’s Games. Then, in February, she took her 16-year-old, Elodie, on a college visit tour. About the experience, Vanessa wrote, “I kept forgetting for a moment that I wasn’t the one looking at colleges; it feels like I just did that.” Vanessa hopes that many of our classmates

Nature Up North: Erika Barthelmess s85By Jacob Hunter s16

Erika Barthelmess is currently a profes-sor of biology at Saint Lawrence Uni-

versity in northern New York. While teach-ing, Erika works with students directly to help coordinate their majors and simulta-neously runs Nature Up North, an environ-mental outreach project that connects SLU

students with the local community. Nature Up North was created with the intention to help locals, primarily youngsters, remember the joys of the natural world and reconnect with the environment that surrounds them. In addition, the project teaches college students valuable skills such as community involvement and leadership while providing them with hands on work that will easily transfer over into the real world.

It’s no secret that today’s children spend several hours in front of a screen everyday. And, as screen time continues to increase, even children who live in more rural areas are choosing to explore the outdoors less and less. Worried about this alarming trend, Erika decided to investigate the ecological knowledge of local St. Lawrence County kids. What she found was that most grade schoolers could not identify their own St. Lawrence River, let alone local plants, trees and animals. Every year St. Lawrence County competes for the poorest, lowest college acceptance, and highest unemployment rates in New York. An unfortunate consequence of the county’s poverty is a sub-par public school system. Nature Up North was Erika’s way to rekindle a bond between traditionally disadvantaged kids and their surroundings.

Nature Up North has three main foci. Through family oriented workshops such as weekly campfi res, orienteering expeditions, and day hikes, Erika and her students get children excited about simply being in nature. For example an upcoming workshop will involve making pesto using garlic mustard, a local invasive species. The second aspect of Nature Up North is a citizen science project called “Monitor My Maple.” This activity allows anyone living in northern New York to record information for maple trees on their property and upload it to Nature Up North’s growing database. Participants measure their tree’s diameter and observe its overall health, record which day its buds break or unfurl, and when the leaves change color in the fall. The fi nal piece to Nature Up North is the rest of its website, which features articles, trail maps, teaching tools for science teachers, and much more.

Erika’s project is centered around understanding a place and focusing on the local environment. It was at the Mountain School that Erika took her fi rst natural science course, which eventually led to a career in ecology. More importantly than the class work, however, Erika found that she and her classmates learned how to take care of a place. The emphasis on working as a collective taught the value and necessity of giving back rather than just taking. It is this “experience of service” that Erika hopes we Mountain Schoolers of today will gain from our time in Vermont. “It is easy to forget that environmental issues are social issues and poverty issues, especially in the incredibly privileged environment of TMS,” Erika says. Erika’s commitment to the environment and to the locals of northern New York is a great example of the capability we all have to positively impact our own communities.

15

will attend our 30th reunion at TMS this summer. She and her 9-year-old had a wonderful time at the reunion last summer and hope to return. She is pleased that the Mountain School has become a special place for her children.

Gus Janeway and his family are living in Ashland, Oregon, where he and his wife, Julia, have both made career changes. Julia moved from teaching to being a full time artist and Gus peeled off from the wine business to start a bike shop, Piccadilly Cycles. Josephine (8) and Theo (10) bring the usual mayhem to their household.

Cesca McInerney continues to love living in Adelaide Australia. The biggest thing to happen recently in her family was that her son turned 5 and started primary school. Cesca noted some characteristics of Australian schools, where, in addition to wearing school uniforms with big brimmed sun hats, “they really do call friends (and strangers) mates. In fact, mateship is not only a word, but an important concept, that seems to encompass being a contributing member of the community and a loyal friend. I think TMS has ‘heaps’ (another common south aussie term) of mateship!”

Matt Bourgault reported that things continue to “cruise along” at his home in Vermont. His son, Perry, is now 11 and his daughter, Zealy, is 13. Matt wrote that “they are awesome kids/tweens/teens and I am glad to share my days with them.” Matt’s wife, Marsi, left her job in education after 20+ years and has started her own clothing business. Matt is still working with low income and fi rst-generation to college middle and high school students. He fi nds his work helping these students get to college both fun and rewarding. He is still working on building up his birding life list, which continues to be some good therapy after his stroke four years ago. Last year he found about 275 different species and he is hoping to best that this year.

Matt, as well as Leyla, Vanessa, and I, are all hoping to attend our 30th reunion in Vershire this summer. I hope you will all consider it as well. The reunion will be held August 12 – 14, 2016. My brother-in-law (Jonathan Mahler f’84) and I went to the reunion with our kids last summer and had a wonderful time. Camping on

Garden Hill, hiking in the woods with Sue, and eating the delicious Mountain School food can’t be beat. My son, Andrew, found the weekend so fun and memorable that he wrote a story about it for his second grade class this year. I will do my best to plan our summer so we can make it back again in August. I hope to see you all there!

Jeanne Philbin HargettJ_philbin@hotmail.com

The winner of this year’s haiku challenge is Anne Barthel.

“From our house we see, Not Russia but a slice of, the Harlem River.” Anne is still in NYC work-ing at Hay House (now as execu-tive editor) on books ranging from spirituality to psychology to health. Recent titles include a guide to holistic veterinary medicine and a women’s empowerment mani-festo with a consciously provoca-tive slang title that’s not fi t to print here!

Liz (Brewer) Redwine’s family—husband Jonathan, kids (Nathaniel, 12, Cal, 10, and twins Lila and Jed, 8), 15 year old lab/pit mix, and lab/husky puppy (Sally Ride)—are all still in West Orange, NJ. Jon is a lawyer in the city who spends weekends working on container gardens. Liz teaches English literature and writing at Seton Hall University, a couple of miles away in South Orange, NJ. “So when it’s not awful out I can bike to school. We loved being back at The Mountain School a couple of summers ago and seeing so many of our classmates. I get together with Laura Morse Shear in the summers, and our kids have a great time together.

Benton Jones writes, “Hello Spring 87ers! Me and my family are still living on Cape Cod in Brewster. My wife Jana and I take care of our 10 year old boy, a dog, tortoise, crested gecko, and three hermit crabs. I am a sculptor (primarily kiln-forming glass), gallery owner at my MillstoneGallery.com and have recently joined the board of trustees at the Cape Cod Museum of Art. Last summer Jim Ziglar

and family visited me during their vacation on the Cape. It was great to catch up! I hope to see more of you in the coming years...stop by on your travels.”

Melissa Davidson wrote from Florida while on vacation, “which is a lovely change from my librarian life in Virginia. I hope all are well.”

Nicole Hoffman and her daughter Carter (8) are also “still in Delray Beach, FL. We love the weather and all the family activities in the area. I teach fi rst grade at a lovely little school near the beach called Gulf Stream School. Carter is a third grader at GSS. We welcome visitors anytime, especially those looking to escape the cold for a few days!”

Finally, I, Jeanne Philbin Hargett, am still in Arlington, VA with my husband and 3 children. I was recently asked to be the coordinator for the grade school vegetable garden which provides both educational enrichment and food assistance to families in our area. We got a grant from the Whole Foods foundation and our goal is a Four Season Harvest!

Sharon Kim Petersonsound.the.yawp@gmail.com

The fi rst to write in is from the farthest away. Our very lovely

Jennifer Ward Woodward sends lots of love from London. “Being a stay-at-home mom for Dillon is thrilling for me but doesn’t make for much to say!!” She is so modest! Dillon is a gem and even with only half of Jenn’s chromosomes, you can imagine what a treat it is to be with him at home.

And speaking of home, Ava Moskin reports that she is switching homes and switching coasts to the Bay Area this year, “partly so I can live closer to Jed Parsons and Elizabeth Steinfeld. If anyone knows of available housing or job opportunities, let me know!” So if you’ve been thinking of moving there, join Ava, Jed and Liz, who are pioneering a TMS cluster for easy re-unioning.

Spring ’87

Spring ’88

I’d move if I could, but then I wouldn’t be as near to Jody Esselstyn who is going on year 16 in Charlottesville, Virginia. “Kids are in 8th, 6th, and 1st grades. This coming summer will be my 3rd summer as camp nurse at an overnight girls’ camp on Lake Michigan; my girls get to be campers and my son comes along for the ride while I help out on the health team. Back at home, I’m doing some volunteer work as a nurse at our local Free Clinic, and also with UVA medical and nursing students who are learning about end-of-life care...”

So Jody lives about 2 hours from me, Sharon Peterson, and how I would love her counsel, not to mention just see her lovely face. I am fi rmly the meat in the middle of the sandwich generation: helping along my aging parents who were able to move in next door while still wiping noses and visiting the principal for offspring’s infractions. My eldest daughter Eva started this spring semester at TMS. Can you believe that? Jack Kruse says it’s just easier to call her Sharon. My divining rod nearly jumped out of my pocket near the Kruses’ residence to indicate that yes, they have indeed been chugging from the fountain of youth.

We are trending upwards friends, with 4 of our class reporting in. Let’s shoot for 10 next go around as we would all love to hear from you. The mundane to you can be sublime to us.

Eva s16 and I are going to try to make it back to TMS this August for that annual open reunion for us old folks. Would love to see you there. Peace.

Self PortraitAcrylic on wood

Thea McRea

16

Spring ’89Eric Morrissey

eomorrissey@gmail.com

Miles roommates Ty Stuelpe and Jon Newton recently

met up briefl y for coffee in Cleve-land during a business trip Ty was on. Ty is living outside Dallas with his wife and two kids, working in marketing for a spin-off start-up. Jon settled with his wife and two boys in the SE Cleveland area in 2014 and continues to do supply chain sustainability work, now for a global diverse industrial compa-ny, after 14 years in SE Michigan doing similar work at Ford.

Jeremy Cohen writes in, “Despite residing in the state that produced the Palins and recently supported Cruz in the primary, we continue to enjoy Alaska. My wife and I still run a tiny environmental consulting business, are parenting our young boys as best we can, and just built a new house in Anchorage. Since the plunge in oil prices, tourism is the state’s big hope. So grab your saddle bag, head north, and come stay in our new guest room. You probably won’t regret it.”

Writing in from out West, Karen Kane notes, “I’m still an Assistant AG, prosecuting cases for Montana DOJ’s Child Protection Unit. I live in Missoula with my family: husband Patrick (fl y fi shing and upland game bird hunting guide), kids Shannon (8) and Seamus (6), and three English setters. Looking forward to a kid-free vacation to the Bahamas this May (the fi rst since our honeymoon 10 years ago).

Melita Mullen fi red in this dispatch: “In the last fi ve years, I survived University of Wisconsin Law School, got divorced, fell in love with tango, and tried my fi rst case to a jury. Above all, I have learned how to lose without getting lost. Like some of you, I now have a teenager in the house (Maisie, 13). This defi es reason, because I am now feeling younger and livelier than I did when she was little. I hope I can get her or her

sister (Elke, 7) to spend some time on Garden Hill someday. Please let me know if you ever pass through Madison, Wisconsin!”

Molly Rauch also wrote in, saying, “I had the opportunity to go to Paris to observe the UN climate talks in December. I was there to represent Moms Clean Air Force and try to bring the voices of American families to the international conversation about climate disruption. Not sure how effective I was at accomplishing that lofty goal, but I did learn a lot about UN negotiations, met climate activists from around the world, ate croissants, oui, and got to see U2 and the Eagles of Death Metal perform in concert. The last was a beautiful collective experience of mourning and resolution over the Paris terrorist attacks. In other news, I have been doing more freelance writing lately—most recently, I got to write about the lead crisis in Flint for Goodhousekeeping.com. I have been enjoying this new outlet. On a personal note, my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah is in a few short weeks. There’s a fl urry of preparations around here, and I am very proud of her (despite her mastery of eye-rolling at her mother).”

And as for myself, Eric Morrissey, I would like to note the following for the record: “I am still living in New York City and writing speeches for the same companies. My wife Bolormaa and I are enjoying watching our 14-month-old son Brendan grow up, and are wondering how much crazier things can get. Both Brendan and Bolormaa are gearing up for a big trip back home to

Melita and Kazuyoshi Yamaha

Mongolia this spring, where I think the plan is to let Brendan run wild on the steppe, eat lots of mutton, and drink milk tea. We just got back from a trial run trip to Italy, where we spent fi ve weeks in Milan making the most out of an all-expenses-paid workation. As always, let me know if you are coming through NYC. I have been pretty bad about organizing anything, but promise to get better at it.”

And that is it! Not a very substantial year in terms of reports, but as a group, s89 continues to have vigorous email discussions about TMS, fund raising, and other matters less serious. We are also very pleased to note that one of our own, Thomas Lembong, is now serving as Indonesia’s Minister of Trade, and we wish him every success.

Ilyssa Birnbach Senailyssasena@gmail.com

Cale Jaffe was bummed to miss the 25th year reunion,

which confl icted with a previously planned trip to Spain. So while his family didn’t make it to the top of Garden Hill, they did make it to the top of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. And while he sorely missed dancing with Seth as part of the Cocina Club, Cale did enjoy seeing his son get completely swept up in the rhythm of fl amenco dancing in Andalucia.

This past winter, the Jaffes sadly said goodbye to the older of their two dogs. The dog had been a wedding present from Cale to his wife, Katie, and had always been a fi xture in the lives of their children. Cale reports that all three kids were amazingly gentle in how they took care of their dog in his fi nal days. It was touching and especially meaningful for Cale and Katie to witness as parents.

Jon Ziglar reports that after selling the business he was helping run at the end of 2014, he and his wife, Christy, moved with their boy/girl twins (8 years old) to Telluride and spent the entire winter of 2015 skiing, snowshoeing, dog

Spring ’90

sledding, and generally messing around. During that time Jon also helped launch a new startup called Roadie, which is a short and long haul package delivery service which utilizes excess capacity in passenger vehicles already on the road and heading the direction you need. They are a cheaper, friendlier, and lower impact way to get your stuff from A to B.

After their time off, the Ziglar family returned to Atlanta and Jon joined Parkmobile as CEO. Parkmobile enables reservation and payment of parking through your mobile phone both on street, in parking decks, and at airports and event venues across the US. They recently won the business for all of NYC, so Jon is hoping to have some TMSers using the service soon.

The biggest news in what has already been a crazy enough year is that on January 5th, Jon and Christy took in 3 foster children, all sisters, aged 3, 5, and 7 and are in the process of adopting them. Their family, now boasting 2 parents, 4 daughters, 1 son and 3 dogs, is fi nally complete. Everyone in the Ziglar house is doing amazingly well adjusting to the new additions and are excited for the road ahead. Jon looks forward to bringing the whole brood up to Garden Hill for the 30th!

In celebrity news, Lea Koonce Ogundiran appeared on an episode of the “Antiques Roadshow” Charleston, SC, Episode1. You can look up her episode to fi nd out how her items appraised!

Desmond of Underwood, Woodblock Print, Elisha Mattoon

Seeing Change: Lacy Austin s89

By Athena Gerasoulis s16

We all want to make a difference. With an increasingly com-plex world of technology, opinions, and politics, knowing

how to do so is the biggest challenge. Lacy Austin has found her own method by blending social justice activism and self-expression in dif-ferent mediums of art, ranging from photography to writing.

Lacy grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts with her family, attend-ing Winsor School in Boston. Going to an all girls’ school and seeing strong female leaders in her everyday life shaped many of the ambi-tious goals that this determined social advocate still pursues today. At Macalaster College and New York University Graduate School, Lacy balanced both her social justice/arts-focused studies with teaching in local public schools and community-based organizations. Working as the Arts in Education Director at The Children’s Arts Carnival, a Visual Arts and Humanities teacher at the Coalition School for Social Change, and the Assistant to the Deputy Director for Programs at ArtsConnec-tion, Lacy grew passionate about using the arts as vehicles for change.

For fourteen years, Lacy has infl uenced and helped many com-munities, both in New York City and internationally, through her role as Director of Community Programs at the International Center of Pho-tography. Classes are available to anyone and everyone interested in storytelling. Lacy’s p rograms are unique in the sense that they bring light to underserved communities across boundaries of race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class.

The programs emphasize the idea of “concerned photography” to express everyday instances of both personal struggle and triumph. By refi ning and critiquing works, students become familiar with their own skills, talents, and future aspirations for what changes they want to see in the world. Lacy adds that this idea of self-understanding within a safe haven is also deeply rooted in the Mountain School, a place she still considers a home. “Whether the students become photographers or not, that’s far from the goal,” she says. “Giving our young people the tools to express themselves is what matters.”

photo credit: Steven Gabriel

17

Spring ’91Regan Brooks

rpbrooks12@gmail.com Liz Rumsey

lizrumsey@yahoo.com

Happy almost-25 years and thanks to all who wrote

in. This spring we’re bringing you a match-the-alum-with-the-update challenge. Answers available at the reunion (and at the end of this update).

1.This mystery alum had a year of transitions. “Kevin and I celebrated the arrival of Vesper Jane McElroy on a September night during a heat wave. She adores her big sister Poppy, who in turn loves her so much that she cuddles Vesper to the point of near suffocation (maybe on purpose?). I started advising start-ups, angel investing with #Angels and joined the board of Gannett (USA Today). The highlight of our year has been spending in depth time with family and friends, especially hosting long dinners at home while the girls sleep. A particularly special recent dinner included Antony, Tara, Josh, and Liz!“

2. He knows all the words to every song on Taylor Swift’s Grammy winning album 1989, is a tiger Cub Den leader, and has recently been doing some crafting with six year-olds. He’s “enjoying the life of being a dad with two kids growing up way too fast.”

3. He’s a budding Adele fan thanks to his limo-chaperoning experience, he got to play Pillow Polo for his 42nd birthday, and he’s still a dodge ball fan. He reports on the discovery of previously unknown grey hairs in his newly-grown beard and asks, “How did that happen?” We don’t know.

4. She recently joined alum #9 in Alaska for “a gorgeous hike up some probably unnamed mountains near the tiny town of Hope, where the general store still purports to sell fi lm. She tried to get The Sound of Music out of her head by channeling current favorite, First Aid Kit, to no avail.”

5. The miniseries he wrote about Bernie Madoff -- starring Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner -- premiered in February on ABC. He writes: “I’m told it underperformed with the coveted

18-35 year-old demographic but did exceedingly well with old rich people. I’m not sure how to feel about that. Otherwise, despite the looming shadow of soul-crushing, hypercharged gentrifi cation, life in Brooklyn is good. Hoping to make it— with my wife, Alissa, and 5-year-old-daughter, Adelaide, in tow—to the reunion in August!

6. She got rid of cable TV this year, now lives for Saturday morning cartoons, and is listening to Stressed Out. She’s also learning to “put fear aside as skiing becomes an amazing part of my family’s winter life.”

7. She‘s working on a book about restorative justice and just sold it. This is “great and scary because now it is real. The good news is that I have a fellowship to go to the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire for two weeks in late March/early April to write a chunk of it. Almost like the Mountain School, at least as far as I can see from the pictures.” She reports a Ben Robbins near miss in NYC and a San Francisco sighting of Liza Studen—who is “doing exceptionally well.” For a beautiful, condensed version of her personal life, we recommend reading the essay she wrote for the New York Times’ Modern Love column, 9/27/2015. We were glad we read it. And glad she wrote it.

8. He recently went to Costa Rica on “one of the best trips ever,” got to see Liz, Tara, Josh, and Chloe in San Francisco last month, and is offi cially a maybe for the reunion.

9. She is thankful to alum #4 for teaching her a little snow science last weekend, she enjoys dancing with her kids to Christine and the Queens’ Tilted, and she recently watched Ben Robbins’ Madoff on iTunes. You can too. It’s good. Even if you’re not old and rich.

10. She still loves John Denver, enjoys hiking with her dog “through the woods or along the seashore,” and stays busy with “a home renovation, a teenager, two big dogs, and a hamster.” She also writes, “I take such pleasure in the small things in life these days: time with my daughter, laughs with friends, making my students smile, a warm day, talking to my parents on the phone, fuzzy socks, and Netfl ix. Life is good.”

11. She recently ordered ready-to-cook meals that came in boxes but we know

18

she’s still Mountain School-y to the core. May be featured in the accompanying photo.

12. His favorite pop song is Spirit by the Strumbellas, he was sighted in February by Stephania Fregosi, and he may be Epic.

13. He’s got tall kids, volunteer tomatoes, and a growing realization that his Airbox lights business is a blessing for family life. “I’m home with my little ones and our garden most of the time, most days of the week. Before I lose my kids to the wilds of schooling, I should appreciate a business that lets me be with them quite a lot of the time.” He also reports on his garden: “We should have kale we can harvest in a few weeks, beans in about a month. My carrots, peas, beets, and edamame have all sprouted and are moving on up.”

14. He’s been listening to S.O.B. by Nathanial Rateliff and the Night Sweats (but does not believe that its lyrics apply to him), went to Australia and New Zealand on vacation, and has been seeing lots of blue jays? (we talking birds?)on his way to work.

15. She’s “working at AthenaHealth, trying to make healthcare work as it should. It’s great to be back at a mission-driven organization, although I do miss the hotel perks I had at TripAdvisor.” She’s also skiing, taking in lots of investigative documentaries, and planning to bring her kids, ages 6 and 8, to the 25th reunion weekend this August. “We tried to tap our own trees last year to no avail, so they have some follow-up questions for Mark McKee.”

16. She is “mommying these days: Ben, 9, and Anna, almost 3. We (along with husband, Nate) live in DC. I have sporadically been a journalist mostly covering politics before and in between kids and may go back to it at some point.” This is the fi rst report she’s fi led for Pearls and Seaweed. Ever.

17. He’s still in Chelsea, still teaching middle school, and he’s hoping to visit the Mountain School this summer. Although I believe he could actually hop to the Mountain School!

18. This yarn-spinning alum is happy to have “put down some roots at long last here in the Willamette Valley”. She’s still loving her work as the Sustainability Coordinator at

Chemeketa Community College. “This year I’m also adding a small Community Service Leadership course based around sustainability, farming, and community engagement to my work. This is exciting and wonderful and terrifying all at once.” She adds: “As I write, Josh Davis is in our student center talking about Spare Parts, which is still rather surreal.”

19. We believe that this alum may have had an unreported Dave Park sighting. She writes: “it turns out our lives don’t change much from year to year—which I guess is a good thing! We’re still living a few towns over from Vershire in Lyme, New Hampshire. Jobs are good, kids are good— Audrey is 13 and Kiran is 9! We run into Alden and Missy Smith and Nancy and David Grant pretty often here in the Upper Valley, which is always fun. We met the Kruses for dinner recently and Sue introduced us to a new favorite game, called Gobblet. We hope to see everyone at the reunion this summer!”

So do we! -Regan and Liz (Who have also been playing Gobblet and also endorse it.)

Answer Key: Ben Robbins (4), Lara Bazelon (7), Claire McNamee (10), Jess McCannon (6), Antony Levine (8), Erik Andersen (17), Tara Kini (11), Regan Brooks (9), Justin Blumenstiel (2), Stephanie Kohn (15), Liz Rumsey (4), Stephania Fregosi (18), Chloe Sladden (1), Lizzy Marlantes (16), Joshua Davis (12), Alex Grossman (19), Josh Robbins (14), Tim Peih (3), Tom Guiney (13)

From l to r: Tara Kini, Josh Davis, Liz Rumsey, Chloe Sladden, Antony Levine at a recent Bay Area dinner

Worth Saying: Ben Robbins s91

By Carson Levine s16

Ben Robbins may not seem like the model Mountain School graduate. He doesn’t have a degree in ecology, nor did he opt for

an outdoorsy profession. But through his work as a screenwriter, Ben, in Mountain School fashion, tries to engage viewers by examining the relationship Americans have with their surroundings.

After leaving the Mountain School with a passion for writing, Ben went to college intending to become a journalist. While earning his degree in Humanities, he took a fi lm and television course and decided to become a director of documentary fi lms instead. Shortly thereafter, Ben began to write fi lms based on true events to afford him the autonomy to portray and embellish stories.

Ben’s most recent project, a four-episode ABC miniseries called Madoff, aired on February 3rd, 2016. Madoff gave Robbins an “exciting chance to talk about fi nancial corruption” through depicting Bernie Madoff’s infamous Ponzi scheme. In 2008, when the news of the scandal broke, Ben observed Madoff’s position in society as a scapegoat— an easy target that made it easy to ignore the systemic corruption at hand. Soon after, Ben set off to create a show that addressed the complexity of Madoff’s story: how his delusions about being admired led him to committing fraud and how he’s merely one person in a cesspool of greed.

Similarly, an upcoming project he’s working on inspects the American tendency to defi ne ourselves in terms of our enemies. He plans on showcasing several recent events, exploring the roles of how justice and the American dream play into our culture.

Ben didn’t follow the “typ ical” post-Mountain School path, if such a thing exists. He didn’t go on to revolutionize the food industry or found an environmental awareness group or an award winning organic cheese recipe, like many of his fellow graduates for whom he still has “incredible respect and affection.” Instead, he affects and informs change through his passion for fi lm. The Mountain School didn’t introduce Ben to an undying fondness of television or a desire to criticize capitalism, but it did give him a voice. “The Mountain School taught me to look hard at what it is you want to say and why,” he says. “Jack Kruse, along with a few other teachers, played a huge role in giving me the confi dence to take that journey.”

Ben is pictured above with his daughter, Addie, 5.

19

Spring ’92Catherine Steindler

csteindler@gmail.com

My fi rst time out as the pearl from seaweed sifter for

Spring ‘92 and what a pleasure it is for me to learn not only what you’re up to, but what you’d say, if you were Jack or Kevin, to your younger self, how the effort to stay found is going, and what you’ve been fi nding as you go along.

John Twiss, who is living in Scotland with his husband Tim, would tell his younger self to chill out and trust that yes, you are gay, and things will work out fi ne. He’s learned that staying found means venturing out and walking away, and feels grateful to have found his husband, his dog, and excellent coffee (which apparently takes some doing in Edinburgh).

Speaking of venturing out, Katie Dropick, who is a creative director at a digital advertising agency in NYC, is planning her next getaway to Pamplona. (Will you be running with the bulls, Katie? If so, Pearls and Seaweed wants a picture for Spring 2017!)

Katrine Lofberg is fi nishing up her pediatric surgery fellowship at Oregon Health Sciences University in July and then embarking on a new chapter. She’s not sure exactly where that will be, but she’s kicking off this next phase by spending the summer in Copenhagen, Australia, and Bali.

Christina Rogers (Hallenbeck) tells me her body is “offi cially breaking down.” I refuse to accept that. She offers evidence—a partially torn Achilles tendon, and two new best friends: a boot and a PT. As far as I’m concerned, she’s energetic, not breaking down; this was an unlucky snafu on the tennis court signifying nothing. Christina wants us all to visit her in Greenville, SC, where she lives with her husband and three children.

Both Christina’s and Jennifer Streams’ (Janke) oldest children are about to be teenagers! Neither can believe it. Jennifer has 3 boys and is an account manager for the Iroquois Steeplechase, a non-profi t event in Nashville that raises money for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. She’s learned how rare it is to fi nd a work-life

balance and, at 41, she fi nds she can accept that. She’s having a little more trouble accepting the wrinkles! (You’re not alone Jenny. Wrinkles came after gray hair as the thing s92ers are least happy to have found along the way.)

Melissa Phillips (Barrett) is staying found in Vermont where she lives with her husband and two children and is starting an education research consulting business. She’s happy to be in a community that shares so many values with the Mountain School.

Anne Allison is also fi ghting the good TMS fi ght, serving on the scientifi c advisory committee for a nonprofi t that monitors their watershed in Charlottesville VA. She is also a member of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Board for NatureBridge, a provider of environmental science education programs, and teaching biology at a Community College. She lives with her husband Tim and their two boys, Henry and George.

Ben Wolbach and his wife Hannah just had a baby. “Her name is Matilda and she’s awesome,” he writes. I bet! Ben fi nds it’s serious business managing both the parental and the farming life.

Jocelyn Hayes Simpson lives in LA, and has two adorable children, Oliver and Elodie, whom I have the pleasure of hanging out with whenever I go out West. She sends everyone her love.

Susannah Bothe lives in Salem with “three furry friends and two small humans of the male variety” which I must say sounds like the recipe for a witch’s brew. She’s working as a freelance photographer, largely on documentary photography for independent schools in higher education. She often sees Lorna Campbell who is living in Boston with her husband and 6 year old daughter. Lorna is a social work manager at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. This is what she would say in Kevin or Jack’s position to her 15-year-old self: “Get out of your head. Don’t take everything so seriously. Hold onto the people in your life that move you toward being the best version of yourself that you can be. They become your true north.” She’s discovered that every time she thinks she knows where she is, she looks around and fi nds she’s lost again. Amen to that,

I say, Staying found is a tall order! Not too far away, in Boston,

Lisa Graustein is living with her 7-year old in “ a semi co-op” with two other families. She leads diversity workshops and consults with area schools on equity issues surrounding race, gender and LGBTIQ issues. If you’re looking for diversity professional development, check out her upcoming workshops at www.beyonddiversity101.org.

Anne Allison is in “babyland” with her 10 month old daughter, Greta. There’s lots of fun and not enough sleep in babyland. She’s also in Boston, where she gets to see Toboldians now and then and is looking for creative, community, and outdoor pursuits. So if any of your Bostonians have suggestions, send them Anne’s way.

Here’s a picture of some of the NYC contingent, at my house for dinner last week. Jessica Yager, an infectious diseases doctor doing HIV work, is delighted to have moved to a high density pocket of s92 alums (Brooklyn), where she gets to do things like have dinner at her apartment with the Lizes, Lucy, and Geoff; trick-or-treat with their families, and see Geoff perform at BAM. She would tell her 15 year old self to stop weeping upon hearing “Jack and Diane.” Life actually has great moments even if you are no longer holding onto 16 as long as you can. She’s been surprised to discover that, as traumatic as 40 still sounds, she would not trade it in to return to 16—as wonderful as it would be to be back at TMS. She has a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son and is psyched to take them to Vershire for reunion next summer.

Liz Lynch, who lives in New York with her husband and two daughters and works in management consulting doing executive coaching for the fi nancial sector in East Africa, would coach her teenage self to stop wearing tie-dye. If she were Kevin, she would gently explain that schoolgirl crushes on your science teacher are a rite of passage and however hard it is to believe, you will move on someday.

Liz Angell, Geoff Sobelle, and Lucy Mayo, didn’t write me, but I warned them I would write for them. Liz Angell just got a very cool new job as content director for the Town and Country

website and Lucy is Senior Vice President of Demos, which is a public policy organization working for an America in which all have an equal say and an equal chance. Geoff’s one-man show, The Object Lesson, at BAM last year and on tour since, was magical—sad, charming, playful, existentially frightening, and yet tons of fun. If I were talking to my 15 year old self, I’d say,” Go see The Object Lesson—that’ll teach you how to face confusion with humor and joy.” Oh wait, it wouldn’t exist yet, because Geoff would still be a teenager himself, honing his comic skills by swinging on a rope swing by his neck over a ditch. Not funny. He’s gotten funnier. I would also tell myself not to swing by my neck, whatever my friends do. Hard to believe, but advice giving is kind of what I do professionally these days. I’m a Dean at Columbia University working with students who are the fi rst in their families to go to college: I advise them and build programs to support them. I also teach a writing class here.

That’s it. Thank you all for being game and answering my questions. Can’t wait to see you all next summer at the reunion! Do come. It’ll be better than garden hill on the 1992 vernal equinox.

Peter Baileypbbconsulting@gmail.com

Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and

remembrances of our classmate Aaron Hess who passed away in December. A memorial service was held for Aaron in Brooklyn in February. Charlie Fiordalis, Marc Elia, Morgan Robinson, Katrina Monzon, Kristen Case, and I attended. Aaron’s friends shared stories of

Liz Angell, Catherine Steindler, Geoff Sobelle, Jessica Yager, Liz Lynch and Lucy Mayo

Spring ’93

20

his kindness, creativity, humor and sharp intellect and played a recording of Aaron performing an original song he wrote. If anyone would like a digital copy of the song, please let me know.

Albeit under sad circumstances, it was nice to hear from so many and reconnect. Here are some updates from our class:

Ari Blum writes from San Francisco that he and his wife are doing all they can to keep up with their two boys Henry (8) and Caleb (5). Ari is currently focused on building a family business in the education and healthcare industries.

Rob Pizem, also chasing after two young sons, is busy juggling life as a schoolteacher and professional climber. This year, both Climbing Magazine and Alpinist featured Rob on the cover and he was nominated for Teacher of the Year in his district. Good thing the Tobold clan came up with the best campaign slogan ever for Rob 22 years ago, so at least he doesn’t have to worry about that.

Margaret Angell writes from D.C. that her two girls (4 & 6) and husband are enjoying an abundance of travel, outdoor activities, and new adventures as a family. Her little one has even started running with Mom, but Margaret says the kid’s form is appalling and those tiny toddler legs just can’t keep up. (just kidding…Margaret lets her win…sometimes.)

Mod Barefoot and her husband Ty are working hard at True North (truenorthwilderness.com), the adolescent wilderness therapy program they started. Mod is also now a published author—contributing a chapter to a book on the history of wilderness therapy this year. Mod’s children Skye (7) and Griffi n (3) love hitting the ski slopes and splashing around with Bernie Sanders in their Vermont backyard pond. Last summer, Mod spent time with Lindsay Anderson and her family in New Hampshire and re-enacted a favorite TMS activity with Marc Elia, hiking up Pine Top and sneaking around campus (stealth attack on strawberry rhubarb pie in the TMS fridge). Marc reports that life is good and that his family is healthy and happy. Marc recently celebrated his 40th birthday in fashionable Greenwich, CT style. Among the throng of his adoring guests was a small s93 cohort of

Charlie Fiordalis and me doing our best to keep up (below).

Justin Cox reported in that he is living in Peterborough, NH with his wife Stacey and three children: Cadel (7), Senja (5), and Cirrus (3). Justin works from home as a Wind Energy Analyst, assessing the energy production of prospective and operating wind farm sites. Justin is keeping TMS themes alive—living in a neighborhood with TMS alum and alumni coordinator Beth Sigman Somerset, s97––and participating in a food network with local farmers.

From the northlands to the big city, Morgan Robinson is living in Brooklyn with his girlfriend. He’s following his passions for making documentary fi lms and telling more stories about climate change.

Vanessa Bennett (Kroll) is thrilled to announce that last year she started Dynamo Girl, a program designed to build girls’ self-esteem through sports and physical activity in Manhattan. Next year, she is expanding to include more age groups and locations. Vanessa says taking on new experiences and challenges, like learning to snowshoe through 2 feet of fresh powder while at TMS - helped inform the Dynamo Girl mission.

Weddings and Births! Kate Berg got married last spring and gave birth in December to her son, Oliver. Dr. Berg continues to see patients and do research at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston. Malaika Thorne got married in June, toasted by Jesse Robinson and Catherine Chanse who were there to celebrate. Malaika lives in Oakland, CA and works for Terracentric Press, making apps, sites, and tools for social and environmental projects.

All is well in my world. My wife Karena and I live in Greenwich, CT and our sons Noah (5) and Silas (3) are a ton of fun but seem to be persistently awake and jumping on us. The company I helped start in 2009 – Dataminr – continues to grow

Change Though Film: Morgan Robinson s93

By Keerti Gopal

“There is nothing like a good story to blow one’s mind and open up a whole world of possibility,” reads Morgan Robinson’s mission statement. Stories have always been an integral part of the human experience. They can entertain, pass

down traditions, and even spark social progress. Today, with 21st century technology, the possibilities for storytelling are multiplying faster than ever before. Morgan Robinson is a media-maker whose mission it is to tell stories through fi lm. He is a writer, director, and producer who creates, casts, shoots and supervises the production of movies and videos. With so many responsibilities, Morgan’s job is a constant adventure. “It’s amazing to be able to have a job where you’re basically still in school,” he said. “I think that’s the thing I love most.”

Morgan fi rst fell in love with fi lm in high school, where he took a class that opened him up to this method of storytelling. At Columbia University, he was geared up to major in religion before he decided to take a different path. He worked odd jobs for several years before getting into the fi lm industry, where he has been ever since. Recently, Morgan has been working on political advertisements to promote solar energy and fossil fuel divestment. He is also diving into a new medium: animation. “There’s something about animation where it’s like you’re really, truly in control of the world,” said Morgan. “With animation, you are creating the world entirely and there’s something really appealing about that to me.” Morgan’s dream is to create more content surrounding climate change and sustainability, and his semester at the Mountain School had a role in fostering this passion. “I think it helped me form values around issues of sustainability,” said Morgan. “Climate change is scary as hell, and I want to tell stories about it.” His fi rst fi lm, Burning in the Sun, was a 2010 prize-winning documentary about sustainable energy and social change in Mali, West Africa . “I love to tell stories that help people think about how to deal with climate change in a way that is just and equitable,” says Morgan. “Film can change our conception of who we are, enabling us to relate to each other and the world in a different, more sustainable way.”

and expand. Karena and I spend a lot of time on B*CURED, a charity Karena runs that raises awareness for brain cancer and funds research for a cure. I’ll be running my 8th marathon this April

in Boston to support the cause. Please stay in touch - if you are planning to visit the NYC or CT area, please let me know and we’ll make up the guest room at Marc’s house. Charlie will come over and hug you.

Here is an excerpt of the eulogy that Kristen Case, his partner of nine years and friend for life, offered at Aaron Hess’ memorial service.

Aaron Hess 1976-2015

Aaron knew better than to hold back what mattered

for the sake of convention or politeness. He just wasted no time with those things when there was something important at stake, something real. It was obvious to him, as a nineteen-year-old, that the real reason to write a paper was not to impress your teacher but to engage in a conversation, just as it was obvious to him that the safety and dignity of all people deserve protection, and that that protection is the personal responsibility of all of us. Aaron had a sort of gift for this kind of vision, this recognition of the real. It was something like a really excellent BS detector, and indeed it could operate that way, but that makes it sound much less kind than it was, for the most beautiful thing about this gift was its utter generosity. In the same way that he was able to penetrate immediately to the kernel of an idea or a situation, he was able to see through all externals to what I can only call the essence or the soul of a person, and meet that person there.

I love more fully, more honestly, more bravely than I ever could have without the strength and the example given to me by his love, for me and for others. Without realizing it, in the years that we were together, and in the years afterward, I was learning from him this habit, this ethic of love, this deep affection for people that is his gift. It was what drove his politics and his writing and his music and his conversations - this tenderness for the world. The world needs that tenderness, and it is still here.

21

Brian Frutigbrian.frutig@gmail.com

The love is still alive in 2016 for Spring ’94! Compiling the

notes this year has once again been uplifting, with semester-mates across the country embracing change, making change, and changing things for the good.

Starting us off, appropriately, is Dinah Shepherd who writes from Boston to share “good tidings and that nothing has changed!” And that, of course, is good news because it means First Teacher is thriving under her leadership and her family is healthy and well. Moreover, she writes that she “loves that everyone is on the email – tempting to start writing everyone!” To that I say, yes, please!

Next, Elena Lewis joins us “with an offi cial update after being absent from the class notes for a little while. The big news is that my husband, Joe, and I welcomed our fi rst child, Axel Ludwig Howell to our family this past January 13th. The pregnancy itself was a lovely one and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I even enjoyed spending almost a full month in the hospital on bed-rest before delivering by C-section. It’s been quite an adventure so far, and we are having a ball while I’m on maternity leave. It’s been a very special time so far in 2016!”

Melissa Jaffe writes to say that her law offi ce is fl owering. “My multi-jurisdictional practice has exploded; I’m now serving clients in CA, WA, OR, CO, and international clientele. Additionally, I’m working with Heather Sky Hilary on a multi-media project for release in Q4 – which I’ll be sure to send to TMSers for a sneak peek.”

Ted Lord writes that there are “no major changes here in Maine. It’s been a strange “winter” this year in New England. Just enough snow to ski every weekend but

Spring ’94more total snowfall in Baltimore than Maine! After 20 years of not running, I was happy to rediscover it last year with several fun races here in Maine, and hopefully more challenges ahead this year. Pretty soon it will be time to get the garden going, which we enjoyed last year: 2015 was undeniably the year of the (massive) cucumber. The fox left our yard, to be replaced by an opossum and an osprey. Our family is well, taking full advantage of the blessings of health and good friends.”

Alex Feleppa harks from Long Island to say: “All well out here on the East End. I am still the horticulturist at an outdoor museum and public garden called LongHouse Reserve, working directly under the founder, an internationally acclaimed textile designer named Jack Lenor Larsen, tending to the 16 acres of gardens. It is a very creative and unique challenge and I am hoping to be here for a long time. In my spare time I have been focusing on my surf photography and having a lot of fun with that. Otherwise my wife Krissy and I have our hands full with Fay, now 2 years old and calling all the shots. If anyone ever gets out to “the Hamptons,” I would love a visit, so give a shout!

Gabe Winkler affi rmatively states: “I got one year older this year.”

Sarah Aldrich “spent a magical day at TMS when I dropped off my stepdaughter, Cecilia Giaimo f15, for the beginning of her semester. It was great to see Marilyn, Jack, Alden, and Missy. Jack snuck me down to the root cellar and gave me a bouquet of fresh broccoli to bring home to New Haven. Other than the covert broccoli delivery, what struck me most was something Alden said to the parents during orientation. He said something to the effect of, ‘One of the most important things we aim to teach your children is how to have real, face-to-face conversation with each other.’ In an era where absolutely everything is digital and we feel more and more disengaged from reality, it was so refreshing to know that TMS has its fi nger on the pulse of exactly what our culture needs.” Moreover, Sarah writes that “life as both a business owner and a mother to an almost two-year old continues to be borderline absurd in its balancing act, but

overall I feel blessed. My primary goal as a Pilates studio owner is to teach people how to move without pain, so I feel lucky to be doing something I love and believe in.”

Jared Liu proves that small changes can be big and exciting. He writes “I have a new job (and a new house) but without the tax benefi ts since my move was about 25 feet.... We moved from 60 Curtis to 59 Curtis Avenue. We stayed in the same town and school district, which was good for the kids. The move was because I left campus housing and am now working in admissions at Yale SOM. A slice of pizza for any TMS riff-raff who say hello when in town for a campus visit.”

Katie Spector writes: “I guess this is old news thanks to Facebook but I had a baby (Malcolm Mitchell Spector) on Nov. 24, 2015. Hopefully a future TMSer with Elena’s new baby! We’re making our fi rst trip to Vermont at the end of March–starting him early!”

Kofi Anku is keeping things busy on all fronts in Ghana: “We’re home-schooling the boys, who are now 2, 7 and 8, and I imported a 5,000 sqm tomato green last month, so we’re hoping for our fi rst harvest in July.”

Moira Chapin writes: “I’m enjoying life in the SF Bay Area. Last year my husband and I welcomed the arrival of a baby boy, so while not much else has changed everything has changed at the same time. He’s one now and keeping us on our toes.”

Paul Alsdorf did not write, but he made the mistake of having lunch with Moira and me today in San Francisco, so I’ll give an update for him! He and his wife are enjoying being parents to Alice, especially going on hikes with her in a carry-pack through the hills of SF. And Alice is going to be a big sister later in 2016!

As for myself, Brian Frutig, so far 2016 has brought a cross-country move from Washington, DC to San Francisco, a new job, a new bar exam, and new places to hike, run, swim, and cycle. As always, if you fi nd yourself passing through the Bay Area, please drop me a line. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year brings–and to hear about the happenings of s94 again this time next year.

Elena and Axel Ludwig Howell

22

Spring ’95Jessica Powers

jessica.lee.powers@gmail.com

Hello, loves. It was amazing to see so many of us at our 20th

Reunion. There is big love in our circle.

John McCrow is still living in San Diego, with tentative plans to move to outer space. Seriously, he just applied to the NASA Astronaut Candidate program. He says, “I’m still doing the science thing. I got to travel to Australia and Germany last year where I presented some of my work on prostate cancer in South African men at a conference in Cairns. I also fi nished up the paper I was writing for the last 2 years, with my Australian collaborators, which is in a journal called The Prostate. I miss all my TMS peeps!” May the force be with you, John.

Meadow Linn moved to LA! Nick Kroll has been touring

the “Oh, Hello Show” around the country this year and caught up with TMS folks in all the cities on the tour. Alice Lee and Christina (Capone) Nagler in Boston. Emily (Bockian) Landsburg and Jen (Harding) Fritz in Washington, DC. Emilie (Jospe) Gruhl, Anna (Ryan) Wolbach, Matt Cuthbertson, Rachel Bobroff, and Sam Singer in San Francisco. Hopefully a few more folks like Paul Hubbard and Jesse Klein and others in Chicago. “Catching up after the shows with all these people has been a true highlight of the tour.”

Anna (Ryan) Wolbach and family “have been living in California for seven years now and fi nding it a mighty fi ne place to be. While my kids (Ella-9 and Kaeden-7) are in school, I teach art at a preschool and then an after school Expressive Arts class from my home. I run for the hills

as often as possible to play under the redwoods. It’s a pretty good setup.” She had a blast meeting up with everyone to see Nick’s show. “I haven’t laughed that hard in a while and being able to catch up afterward (once we could shake off Nick’s groupies) was such a treat. Hope to see more of you soon and please come and stay with us if you’re in the Bay Area. Gwyn Welles and Rachel Bobruff can attest to the comfortable guest accommodations here!”

Rachel Bobruff is also living the good life in sunny California. She loved seeing everyone at Nick’s show.

Omayra Ortega, in Phoenix, says, “I haven’t been up to much of anything for almost a year. I got sick of academia and returned to the lost art of being funemployed. I Netfl ix and knitted for most of that time and eventually got bit by the travel bug. I visited Italy and Turkey last November with my PARENTS, which was an experience in and of itself. But all aggravation aside, it was nice to spend an uninterrupted month with my folks, especially now that they are older (and don’t have as much energy to argue with me as they used to). I am gainfully employed now as a Health Analyst and despite the 8am start time, I really enjoy what I’m doing. I love being part of a team and my co-workers are generally smart, good people who aren’t full of shi* or egoist. I am super extra special stupid dumb excited to see you all again at the 21st reunion in Wingdale!”

Paul Hubbard is in Chicago, working for Unilever (marketing). “I hang with Jesse Klein as much as possible, but kiddo #2 just arrived for him and he was kinda lame even before that. Highlight

of our 4 years in Chicago was seeing Nick Kroll on stage making 50,000 laugh their asses off. Jesse was supposed to be there too, but he blew it. This summer, we’re moving to NYC and excited to reconnect with TMSers there. (To heck with Jesse). Super psyched about the 21 year reunion in June.”

Jesse Klein, congrats on kiddo #2. Jesse has been in Chicago for over 10 years. “I have a brand new, 5 week old baby girl and a not-so-new nearly 5-year-old. I’m a clinical child psychologist – my specialty is treating kids who act out (ah, irony). I’ve really enjoyed reconnecting with Paul and his family over the past couple of years. I’m fatter and balder.”

Hannah Ries is keeping Cleveland cool. “Ada, 4 1/2 and Carlo, 22 months, keep me more than busy. I’m full time momming it at the moment. Ada will be in Kindergarten in the fall so that will give me more time for my ceramics, which I hope to turn into an income-generating venture at some point!”

Jennifer Fritz is in Washington, DC where she’s also a full time mom. “After my son was born last summer, I slowly wound down my children’s clothing line business, Bambeeno, and am focusing on being with my 3 kids- Charlotte, Huntting, and Sammy (7,4,18 mos). Life is good and busy! I saw Nick and Emily (Bockian) Landsburg after Nick’s show and it was great to catch up for a bit. Hope everyone is doing well!”

Amy Shopkorn is still in Washington, DC. “All is good here. I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in the fall followed by an amazing vacation in California with Jen. We also are now fostering a new dog - a cute old guy named Barney - bringing our total to 3 beagle mix dogs in the house. It’s chaos, but awesome. I’ve been really enjoying my time on the TMS Alumni Committee. It

helps me stay more connected to the school and I’m excited about the initiatives we’re planning, including our next board meeting in April which will take place in Vershire.”

Nellie Carter is, I believe, still around DC. “This summer I’ll be starting residency in Psychiatry.” Lucky us – everyone bring your most tantalizing issues to Nellie for practice at our next reunion. She’s totally game.

Luke Deming says “no real updates for me; I am well with few complaints (except the typical ones about adulthood). I am sad that I missed the reunion(s), but thrilled y’all are making the effort to stay in touch.” He also hallucinated seeing me at a wedding on a boat.

Brynn Kusic says, “I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to be with everyone again last August. It opened my heart and revitalized the deepest and truest parts of my being. I am still running the Pocahontas County Opera House, which has continued to grow both as a performance venue and as a community center. I just fi nished planning our 16th performance series and am grateful to be a steward of such a phenomenal community organization in rural WV. The Opera House was just recognized as one of the 9 best places in WV to see live and local music and we also just received special recognition from the governor’s offi ce in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts. All in all, I’m just trying to keep up with myself and fi nd balance in the art of living.”

Gwyn Jones says, “I’m looking forward to another summer of gardening and exploring with my dear children, Silas (6) and Eliza (4). I’m blessed to have begun working in K-12 schools since relocating to my hometown in PA, so this will be my second summer “off”. I was overjoyed to see those who made it to the reunion, and to fi nally return to TMS for the fi rst time since our semester. I’m in awe of the beauty and majesty of the campus and the inspiring energy that TMS brings to the world. I hope to stay in better touch with TMS and all of my lovely classmates in the years to come.”

Gwyn Welles and husband Ben welcomed their son Gideon

Nicks groupies: Emily, and Jen

Nick in San Francisco with Matt, Emilie, Rachel, Anna

Anna Wolbach

23

Welles Gray into the world on 10-13-15. “Gideon is named after my ancestor Gideon Welles who was Secretary of the Navy under Lincoln during the Civil War, so he’s got big shoes to fi ll. We moved to the burbs last spring (South Orange, NJ), so we’ve been adjusting to major life changes in the past year, but so far so good. I’ve been lucky enough to have 6 months maternity leave -- and have enjoyed spending so much time with Gideon, but am excited and ready to return to work at YouTube soon.”

B Chatfi eld says that “after a long time of not much change, everything changed! We moved neighborhoods (still in Brooklyn, but now in Clinton Hill), my husband started a new job, and on November 25, Jane Hayden Howard joined our family! She likes to hang out with Gideon Welles Gray.”

Ben Pomeroy will chair his last meeting with the Alumni Committee in April. “I will roll off after 5 years of rewarding and fun work along-side other Mountain Schoolers. I encourage any of you to throw your name into the hat for the next cohort in spring ‘17. New for me this year is Swell Season, a weekly live radio show dedicated to New Yorkers who surf and our urban waterways. Find it on SoundCloud. Hope to see folks at Josh’s farm in June.”

Sam Janis is “still plugging away at building oyster restoration curriculum for NYC public schools. Still based in Brooklyn but traveling a lot for the mountains (especially this winter, if you can call it that). Highlight of our year was defi nitely the TMS reunion and catching up with you lovely people, and yes, let’s make that happen every year s95!”

I (Jessica Powers) recently moved to Brooklyn, at last, and I love it. I’m nesting, decorating,

using my dishwasher, and enjoying the pace of Brooklyn. I’m still working for myself and also writing. I’m doing my fi rst reading tomorrow. I love going to Josh’s monthly farm gatherings as often as possible. Sun-warmed blueberries. I loved seeing so many of you at the reunion! It was beautiful and you all inspire me.

Josh Viertel is “living on my homestead in a little town called Wingdale, in the Harlem Valley, north of NYC. Life is good. Every month or so I host people for work weekends up here. When I’m lucky, TMS folks join in. Sometimes I get to see Rob Debanne, Ben Pomeroy, Sam Janis, Jessica Powers, Gwyn Wells, Nick Kroll, B Chatfi eld, Noah Riley and others. I’m working to build a Mountain School for grown ups here on a 200+ acre farm that sits between a nice trout river and the Appalachian Trail. I’m hosting a 21st year reunion this spring for our class. Come visit.”

Alice Lee is still in Cambridge and sees Christina (Capone) Nagler and had a lot of fun seeing Nick when he was in town at the beginning of February. “I’m very much looking forward to the June reunion.”

Christina (Capone) Nagler in Boston says, “Nick’s show was amazing (of course). I have the same job in fi nancial services marketing. My husband and I are happily in the same apartment in Boston. I love seeing Alice Lee as often as schedules align. I do some mentoring work for a startup accelerator called MassChallenge.”

Tasha Segool rounds it out in New England, and just got tenure at the University of Hartford where she trains school psychologists and undergrads in counseling and a few other things.

And we all heard about Emily (Bockian) Landsburg running into B Chatfi eld in a dirty bathroom at a gas station on the Merritt Parkway.

It’s life…we are beautiful and mundane, no news and big news, happy news and sad news, or sometimes so busy or removed to write for the year. We all hold each other in our hearts. I wish you all well and look forward to knowing how lives continue to unfold.

Ned Friendned@outlook.com

Great to see so many signed up for our 20 year Reunion Aug

5-7. You should join us, too! Good food, friends, conversation, and re-laxation. Children and signifi cant others welcome, and our trusted faculty will have childcare on hand throughout the weekend. Would love to hear more about the stories below and all the stories that don’t get sent in. To whet your appetite in the meantime…

I caught Rebecca Sanborn Stone in “a rare 5 minutes alone at the computer with no one tugging on me.” The tugging was thanks to her two little ones - Anna (5) and Eliza (3), who are keeping her “busy, inspired, and somewhat crazy.” They live in Bethel, VT - about 45 min SE of TMS - with a big garden and a bunch of chickens. She started a small consulting fi rm last year, called Community Workshop, which also allows her to work at home. They’re hoping to create change in the world, starting locally with projects like creative placemaking, resilience planning, or a town-wide pop-up university. She also has plenty of space if anyone is traveling from afar and needs a place to crash before or after Reunion!

Marina Michahelles is going into her 10th season farming her own farm, Shoving Leopard Farm, and her third season growing exclusively fl owers and garlic. In August she completed her 4-year training in the Feldenkrais method, which has nothing to do with farming but everything to do with physical therapy. That meant her monthly visits with Morgen Peck in Chinatown are sadly over. “The last time I stayed with Morgen, however, she was actually IN China, riding around the country on a BMW bike she won off the founder of bitcoin in a Monopoly game. She claimed that peppermint schnapps gave her the edge she needed in that game. She will be publishing some pretty great stories on the people she meets through her bitcoin reporting work, though she does not yet know through which journal or if it will

be a book.”Kristian Gratton

is celebrating a decade in Birmingham, Alabama. “No one is more surprised by this than me.” He misses New England every day but has found life in the south to be quite comfortable, and is pleasantly surprised at how progressive his city has become over that time. “It’s been exciting to be a part of a youthful movement in the city that now has a great music scene, craft breweries and world class restaurants.” He recently moved with his partner Skye, daughter Olive (3), and son Finley (Finn, 2), from the suburbs to a smaller village just outside of downtown to be closer to the action. His children are just as lively and inquisitive as he is, leading to daily dance parties, building fairy houses in the yard, and spending plenty of time exploring the local scene. He had just gotten back from a backcountry expedition outside of Jackson Hole with some buddies from his Steamboat days. “Skied some of the biggest lines of my life—epic.” He is also still with his ER group practicing emergency medicine in a small community hospital just west of Birmingham.

Jessica Silverman (Biskind) just wanted to “send a warm hello and much love to our fellow S’96’ers, from Novato CA, where we just landed.”

Lydia Pace had her second child in October, a boy, Anders, and his sister Celia turned 3 in April. “They are both doing great and I feel incredibly lucky to have them, Erik, and a job I love!”

Electa Behrens has two boys with her partner Robin: Wolfe (3), and Raven, born July 14, 2015. When she wrote in she was on maternity leave and “soaking up the baby time.” She works at Norwegian Theatre Academy in Fredrikstad, Norway, a progressive conservatory for the performing artists of the future. “Loving life.”

Peter Sheridan and his partner Joanna had their fi rst child early last year, a little redheaded boy named Bodhi Kai Sheridan who’s starting to walk and talk. His remodeling company has had a full calendar scheduled and recently completed some beautiful custom projects. His Burning Man car, The Dusty Rhino, was in the Warriors Parade, San Francisco Pride, and the Simpson’s Burning Man

Gwyn and Gideon Welles GrayRob and Max Debbane

B and Jane Hayden Howard

Spring ’96

Matt Cuthbertson says “My kids are rad. The youngest just turned one and is turning into a real little person. Sort of mind boggling. Gemma is sassy as hell and super fun.” He also had fun seeing everyone at Nick’s show! See you at Josh’s farm this summer!

Spring ’97

24

episode. “As we throw larger and larger parties it is always shocking to see how this impractical art piece is evolving.”

Also in San Francisco, David Jacoby left his job of 13+ years in corporate wellness to start a business, Hostfully. It allows hosts in alternative lodging (e.g. Airbnb or VRBO) to create beautiful guidebooks for their guests, including important home information and favorite local hidden spots, which guests value more than Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc. After he and his wife, Kim, traveled the world for a year and stayed in 37 people’s homes, they became hosts themselves in SF with over 80 guests (including my family), which gave him insight into how different alternative lodging can be. The company is a team of four working full time since last fall. “I fi gured we’re in San Francisco and everyone is doing a start-up here, so why not!?” If anyone hosts in their place, email him at david@hostfully.com to make a guidebook.

In related news, we hosted Dave and his family and had a sort of mini-reunion with Walker Hall and Chuck McNamee. Walker is working as a master carpenter in Seattle. Chuck is still at Amazon in Seattle, which has been a great city for his family. His son just started a new pre-school where he helps care for a pig and collect eggs every morning (sound familiar?). They love seeing him so excited about the animals as he learns what it means to be a good helper.

As for me, I’ve been splitting my time between designing the future of Microsoft Outlook, actively building community through my daughter’s public school PTA including weekend class-wide father/child camping trips, agitating for better school funding through a state-wide wealth tax, and relaxing through meditation and playing guitar. Hope to see you at reunion.

Beth Sigman Somersetbeth.somerset@mountainschool.org

Thanks to all who sent in notes! Congratulations to those who

have new babies, new engage-ments and marriages, new jobs…and to those who are chugging along with no major changes (ah, the “ebbs and fl ows” of life). Unbe-lievably, our 20th reunion is coming up in just over a year, tentatively scheduled for August 4-6, 2017. Please save the date for a trip to Vershire, and plan to bring your families! There is something for everyone at the reunion.

Alex Lloyd lives in New York, “painstakingly seeding Google’s cloud”. He emailed from Laos, where he “saw a bunch of wallowing pigs and goats at a watering hole under a cloud of butterfl ies.” Alex will be at Bard for much of this summer and welcomes visitors.

Anna Goralnick Hopkins writes that her son, Hudson, “is doing great, getting big, and talking up a storm!” She says, “I’m really grateful that I have the opportunity to be a full-time mom. I cherish our time together, and I love that we get to celebrate all of his milestones together. I’m excited to hear what the rest of our s97ers have been up to! Sending love and hugs!”

Writing in while on vacation in Cape Town, South Africa, Catherine Gowl reports that she made the trip to “visit some wonderful artists and for a two week adventure and vacation.” An adventure it was, indeed: “On my fi rst full day, in the midst of blustering winds at the end of Cape Point, my wonderful partner proposed. So now we fi nd ourselves engaged and on a two week engagement-moon.” Congratulations, Catherine! In addition to this “delightful development,” she mentioned that she is still living in New York City, acting and puppeteering, and she “frequently visits Pittsburgh where [her] now-fi ancé lives”.

Georgina Cullman loves getting together with local TMS friends in New York City. She writes, “A cool thing I’ve been involved with recently is

serving on the board of the non-profi t Adirondack Council. I love learning about more local conservation issues and am amazed by how many parallels there are with conservation issues in the tropics.” Another parallel in George’s life: her colleague who works next to her at the American Museum of Natural History is also a TMS graduate, Mali’o Kodis s09

Gordon Christopher continues to live in Lubbock, Texas, teaching at Texas Tech. “I am up for promotion and tenure next year, so I am getting close to that goal post. My wife and I are doing well, and my kids are great!”

Ian Cheney and his wife, Amanda, are living in western Massachusetts, “a stone’s throw from where Maya Machin throws pots!” He reports that he is busy “making fi lms, teaching a class at Yale, and spending time with our son, Kepler, who was born in December. Kepler is learning lots from his Mountain School cousins, like Molly Venter’s son, Otis, and my itinerant Scottish godson, Holt Larsen. I still get into trouble from time to time with future Oregon Governor Curt Ellis, and plan on cheering in Japanese for the indefatigable Thomas Whitney at the Boston Marathon this spring.”

Jen Debane is doing great, still living in San Francisco, and just graduated from a patternmaking and design program. She is “currently looking for a job in the fashion industry and contemplating some side projects”.

Jon Snow lives in Virginia and teaches international relations/political science at Roanoke College. He will be getting married in Rhode Island this summer.

Justin Beeber’s son, William, will be two years old in April. Justin writes, “We are endlessly entertained by his energy and enthusiasm. Tapped 20 trees this February and made enough syrup for the family to enjoy all year. Hope to share this sweet tradition with s97 and our families next year!”

Molly Venter and her husband welcomed baby Otis Pariser on September 10, 2015. “With any luck,” she says, “he’ll be playing percussion for our band before his fi rst birthday.”

Ralph Acosta got married in November after a long relationship

with bachelorhood. Justin Beeber was there to help celebrate, and Ralph says he has “never been happier.” Sara Wasserman and Ralph reconnected with s97 as new class fundraising agents, and they “hope those conversations turn into an excuse for everybody to spend more time together.” Ralph sends thanks to Georgina Cullman and Sarah O’Keefe Greig who “kept the candle burning all these years for our class!”

Reif Larsen resides on the shores of the Firth of Forth in Scotland. He is currently the writer-in-residence at the University of St. Andrews. Reif suggests that if anyone fi nds themselves in Caledonia, drop a line and he “will serve you up a wee dram.”

Sara Wasserman has big news: “I’ll be moving back to Massachusetts this summer to begin a tenure-track position in the neuroscience department at Wellesley College! Also, I’ve launched an exciting outreach program that is opening research labs on high school campuses in partnership with local college or university labs (www.swirlss.org).” Way to go, Sara!

Sarah O’Keefe Greig writes, “At a recent dinner to celebrate Alexis Boehmler’s birthday with Cassie Marlantes Rahm and George, the discussion ranged from environmental law policies to new research on ways to help our dying coral reef systems. I love my TMS friends! We’ve all gathered our TMS mini-mes together for play dates, and they’re all gearing up for their semester in Vermont in 12 years!”

Savala (nėe Hester) Nolan Trepczynski recently moved from Michigan to California with her husband, John, and their baby, Gemma. She says, “My goals for the spring are to sunbathe with sunblock, keep up with my spirited baby girl, and run my Vitamix until it gives out. I’m working at my beloved alma mater, UC Berkeley School of Law, as executive director of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice. Things are good! I’m happy to catch up with anyone whose travels to the Bay Area.”

Shira Entis lives in New York City and has been traveling to India—scouting fabric, closing deals, and feasting on local cuisine—as her tote bag business,

25

Fleabags, expands. She has been hand-dyeing fabrics and leathers for her bags using indigo, onion skins, and logwood. She’s planning to visit Savala in California this spring.

Siobhan Boylan writes, “I’m working in East Oakland, California, teaching third grade and trying to get back into running after breaking my ankle at a Zumba class last year.” Beware of the dangers of Zumba!

Also running is Thomas Whitney, who has completed numerous marathons. “I’m working at the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka, Japan,” Thomas writes. “It’s slightly off the beaten track, but I’m enjoying this wonderful island which has hot spring water coming out of its hills, out of its wherever. The little ones are in preschool and kindergarten, struggling through the sink-or-swim approach to tri-lingualism, while Carolina is struggling with a stay-at-home-mom culture that feels like an episode of Mad Men. Vicente is at Andover searching for a passion, and he applied for TMS for next year.”

Matt Fisken moved to PA, as his wife, Nicole, is beginning a PhD program at Penn State. “Raising my son Milo is still my full-time job,” Matt writes, “while I continue to do freelance work measuring and mitigating electromagnetic fi elds for folks who wish to minimize their exposure. I also volunteer working on riparian buffers and have started a new community garden plot.”

I, Beth Sigman Somerset, am enjoying my work as alumni coordinator for TMS, collaborating with many wonderful graduates. Outside of this, I’m still assistant coaching college running on a season-to-season basis; our women’s cross country team at Keene State competed at the NCAA D3 National Championship last fall, which was very exciting! Mostly, though, when I’m not communicating with TMS alumni, I’m working through high-level negotiations with my strong-willed daughters, ages fi ve and one.

Dan Chiorean dan.chiorean@gmail.com

Madeline Stewart writes, “Sending you a hello from

sunny Santa Monica, CA, where this week, mid-February, has been in the 80s. I love it here. In the past year I’ve spent some time becom-ing a stronger swimmer (one of my personal goals) and have got-ten connected with a great group of women through my church. It’s a wonderful reminder of the impor-tance of community! This is my 6th year working for TMS in the realm of alumni fundraising—such a good pairing of passion and mis-sion.”

Vanessa Gengler says, “Motherhood has pretty much rocked my world in Vermont the past 5 years! I left my job at Circus Smirkus (yes, I worked for a circus for almost 6 years!) and started my own biz, Aligned for Life. I teach natural movement, alignment, corrective exercise and self-care to individuals & groups who want to reduce pain and live better in their bodies. It’s rad!”

Melina Packer is still happy as ever in the SF Bay Area, mid-way through her second year of PhD-ing. She sees Lydia and Alexa every few months, which is lovely, and hopes to see fellow Bay Area dwellers Kelsey, Chris and Thea this year too. “Am I missing anyone?”

Will Shapiro is living in NYC (in the village) “where my wife and I occasionally get to run into Thea Johnson, who just moved back here (though only temporarily). I’m currently the head of research for analytics at Spotify, where I started working in June, and I’ve been teaching architecture at Cooper Union on the side.”

After many years in California, Thea Johnson is back in NYC, doing public criminal defense work again and really loving it. She is heading back to academia in January 2017, when she will start as an associate professor at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland. “I’ll have to try to remember from my Mountain School days how to snow-shoe and cross-country ski (not that I was

ever much good). This year, I got to see Ben Smith, Irene Janis, Jessica Berenbeim (and fi nally meet her beautiful son), and Chris Van Dyke (who is newly engaged! Congrats Chris!)”

Dan Chiorean is happily living in New Orleans with his fi ancée and his 2 adopted boxers. “We are planning on getting married next year in February, and starting to pick out locations. Other than that, I’ve just been busy with work. I continue to practice antitrust class action litigation in the pharmaceutical space (plaintiff side), and fi nd it incredibly interesting, challenging, and rewarding at the same time, but it keeps me busy and working very hard. I’m actually going to start teaching part time at Tulane Law School, likely sometime in 2017, focusing on the intersection of antitrust law and intellectual property law. Finally, I am getting the best birthday present this year: Tomas Baez will be in New Orleans for work during my birthday, and I’m very excited to see him!”

Caleb Maslandcalebmasland@gmail.com

It continues to amaze me how different but productive our lives

have become. The most common word shared in response for update requests was “busy,” which a lot of people paired with “happy.” Work on, busy bees. Our class continues to do Good and do well.

I’m still waiting for everyone to fl ock to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a visit. Boone, NC continues to be a wonderful place to live and raise my two kids (now nearing 7 and 3). I continue to coach about 75 adult runners, and I was fortunate enough to train and stay fi t to win 4 marathons in 2015. It looks like 2016 will be a year of running shorter races for me, and I’ll next venture out to race a marathon in Houston in January 2017.

Tom Eberhardt writes, “My wife Amy and I are midway through our second year in Dubai, where I am a middle school counselor and Amy is a high school English teacher at an American International School.

Spring ’98We are fi nishing our contract in July, and then moving back to the Upper Valley, at least for the time being. We love the benefi ts that international teaching has to offer -- great travel, a worldly student body, and interesting colleagues. We are just back from a long-weekend in Sri Lanka where we spent three nights in Kandy’s hill country, surrounded by lush forests and the longest river in the country. The travel continues to be amazing -- 15 countries in two years -- we are very fortunate.”

Antonia (Thompson) and her husband Thomas recently welcomed a delicious (her description…taste test pending) baby girl named Leo to the world! L e o n o r a Rose Holden W e i s m a n was born in London on January 21, 2016. They are doing great and adjusting well to familyhood.

Colin Kippen is also a new parent, writing “Kirsten and I had our fi rst child on Christmas

Eve. Here’s her stats: Eliza Verne Kippen born 1 2 / 2 4 / 1 5 at 12:53p, 7lbs 7oz, 20.5”. In other news: I received my MFA in May and will have my

fi rst solo show at a local gallery coming this July. I will also have work in the Portland 2016 Biennial of Contemporary Art, which runs from this July through mid-September.”

Chester Areson has been enjoying being a parent for the last year. His son is named “Peter and he’s been a blast. He’s been good about letting us carry him around on hiking and camping trips. I may have taken him skiing once...” Chester is fi nishing up his family medicine residency in Denver, where his wife Katie is working on her OB/GYN residency. Chester also writes, “I keep in touch with Bash (Reeve) and am hoping to

Spring ’99

26

see Betsy (Nesbitt) if not for her wedding, then for a visit soon thereafter.

Not to be outdone on the kids front, Magda (Denes) Miller had a second baby in October, Georgia, who joined big sister Cassidy (7). Magda is moving from Columbia,

MO to Baltimore in June, where she’ll complete her fi nal year of residency in anesthesiology and her husband Daniel will start his residency in pathology.But enough about babies.

Tracy Krueger writes that, “It was a very mild winter here in Maine. I found pussy willows already at the end of my driveway on the last day of February. My family and I are doing well. I am still working for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and have been serving on my town’s planning board.”

Emily Osborne “just started working on a new Netfl ix series that profi les various designers in their work environments. Very cool and interesting -- lots of shooting around the globe and I get to meet and understand some really cool artists. Other than that, I’m getting married in the early fall to a fabulous chef and couldn’t be happier!”

Jaime (Huling) Delaye started a new job as a San Francisco deputy city attorney, and reported that she recently had a mini-reunion with Billy Parish, Beth Mitchell, and Eden Trenor at Billy’s place in Oakland. Said Jaime, “Billy makes a mean salmon!”

Diana Rodin reported recently cross-country skiing up a mountain with hardly any snow on it. “Who knew snow was optional.” She’s planning a trip to Iceland soon, where I am guessing they still have mountains with actual

snow available for adventuring. Maggie Turner “Just

returned from a week in Marfa, Texas which was jaw-droppingly inspiring. The light! So incredible. First trip to the desert and I fell in love. Continuing to adore my job at Calypso - I source and develop beautiful fabrics and yarns for the brand with an amazing group of creative beings. [I am] loving Greenpoint and rooting for a NY-TMS gathering. I occasionally lay eyes on Nick Zamiska, Tess Wheelright, Tony DiCicco and Sebastian. Tess most recently, fl eetingly on a subway car -- a tease!”

More from New England: Jessica Loeffl er writes, “Life is good in Vermont. Time is fi lled with winter hikes, dog walks, cooking, lesson planning and grading. Unfortunately and sadly, with the lack of snow I haven’t even been snowshoeing or skiing once! The silver lining is that I’m hoping that I can start the garden earlier. I’m hoping to start some seeds in the next few weeks.”

Sutton Kiplinger is “still living in Boston and spending my days at The Food Project, working with a brilliant group of teenagers on farming and food systems change. Looking forward to some hiking in the Smokies in April and in Washington State in August (and taking recommendations if anyone has them), and to getting married in October. And I feel lucky that I’ve gotten to see Beth Mitchell a handful of times in the past year, despite living on opposite coasts!”

Also in Boston, Lara Vogel is a resident in emergency medicine. “I work a lot and spend all extra possible time outside having moved to lovely Concord, MA with the husband and two kids. [The kids] are getting impossibly bigger and more fascinating daily.”

Stay busy, stay happy, stay well my friends!

Magda with Cassidy and Georgia

Spring ’00Lauren Rauch

lauren.rauch@gmail.com

So much news this year! Life is in full swing and there are lots

of new additions to our TMS fam-ily—let’s get right to it!

In December, Linzee Amory Feigenbaum and Eric Feigemnaum welcomed Alice Forbes Feigenbaum to the world! “She is a gem and we can’t wait to introduce Alice to all our TMS pals.”

Rachel Kunreuthher Ryan and her husband Sean “made a person! We adore him and/or have developed a lovely case of Stockholm Syndrome. Everything feels very busy, nothing ever seems to get done, and it’s all kind of awesome.”

Rachel’s son is already making TMS connections in his generation! Eliza Ridgeway, typing one handed around a baby, “contributed a daughter to the growing S’00 baby cohort, and unbenownst to all of us, crossed paths with Rachel Kunreuther Ryan’s offspring when both were still in utero—only one of us (Rae)

knew she was pregnant! Ada Ruth Mager-R i d g e w a y ( p i c t u r e d )got to absorb some TMS air (and fudgy oat

squares) in utero and joined the outer world on Jan. 19.”

Caroline Kerr and her wife, Darcy, welcomed William Lawrence Learned Kerr on July 3. They moved to Coral Gables, FL, in August, and are loving parenthood and exploring a totally new world in FL. They also love visitors!

David Vitale-Wolff and his wife welcomed their son, Aviv León, to the world last March, and David loves being a dad. “Lots of other stuff too, but that’s the biggest deal right now.”

It has been “an amazing, busy, fun, and exhausting whirlwind of a year” for Barb Rosen and her husband, Russ. They welcomed Isaac Nelson Berg (“Izzy” for short) on March 23rd, 2015. “He is a very sweet and curious little guy, with curly red hair and an early interest in tasting new foods and the great outdoors.” Izzy’s already met Scarlet Kim in London, and Julia Marsh and her husband, Bruce Wallace (f93), when they visited Seattle in January. Barb and Russ are excited to introduce Izzy to more Mountain School friends (and babies) in the future!

Linzee and Eric’s daughter, Alice Forbes Feigenbaum

Caroline’s son, William Lawrence Learned Kerr

Barb’s son, Isaac (“Izzy) Nelson Berg

27

PortraitsMultimedia-Sharpie on glass, transferred to paper, watercolor

Carson Levine

Josephine Ferorelli s00

By Hannah Soros s16

Josephine Ferorelli is a climate change

activist and a founder of the organization Conceivable Future. She has always been

horrifi ed by the effects climate change has on our environment and on people’s lives and started off her career in activism as a writer and editor for the climate change section of the Occupy Wall Street website. Through these experiences, Josephine became interested in women’s reproductive rights, especially in underprivileged communities, which led her to co found, along with Meghan Kallman, Conceivable Future.

Conceivable Future is an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the impact climate change can have on a woman’s reproductive rights. It encourages people to act against climate change by providing them with a specifi c injustice to organize around and to strive to change. Josephine noticed that people in less privileged communities often experience environmental problems as an immediate threat. Chemical and carcinogen waste dumping in underprivileged areas leads to greater risks of disease and cancer among residents. Limited access to health care has a great effect on a person’s ability to choose to have children. Josephine has been organizing around these issues, trying to reach out to communities and to educate the population on these injustices.

The Mountain School, Josephine believes, helped to shape her activism. She had always been aware of climate change, but the Mountain School really gave her the ability to see its widespread effects and see herself as member of a more global community. She believes it gave her the courage and hope to strive to make a change.

In December, Scarlet Kim moved to London from The Hague where she was working for the International Criminal Court. Her husband, Andrew, had relocated there for a new job so she went over to join him. She’s now working as a Legal Offi cer at Privacy International, an NGO which focuses on human rights issues at the intersection of privacy and technology. Despite living an ocean away, Scarlet has kept in good touch with her TMS friends. In addition to Barb and her family, Pendry Haines visited Scarlet in The Netherlands last year, and Scarlet caught up with Julia and Bruce while home for the holidays. She also met Linzee and Eric’s new baby “over Google Hangout just last week!”

Julia Marsh was “very lucky to celebrate the wedding of Jeff Markowitz and his beautiful and brilliant bride Michele Tsang in NYC in January with Andrew Marks. Proud to say that Marks P. and I were the last two standing with the happy couple in the wee hours after the reception.” Julia and Bruce are still living in Brooklyn where they’re paying tribute to TMS by volunteering at a local community garden and serving on the board of the neighborhood food co-op.

Aarav Sundaresh is holding strong in Rhode Island, teaching and photographing. “My kid, Dhruva, started kindergarten this year, and my biggest update is that I changed my name last spring to Aarav. My students made the shift sweetly and swiftly to Mr. Sundaresh, a daily reminder of their adaptability and fi erce compassion.”

Emily Lowenberg is still living in Boston with her husband and daughter (just entering the wonderfully willful and creative 2-year-old stage), and enjoying her job as a nurse practitioner at a community health center. She recently completed a mini-fellowship in physical therapy, and is trying to move more towards non-narcotic treatment options for chronic pain. She

and her husband plan to take a “sabbatical” from their jobs to live in South America next year, so if anyone knows of an NP job down there, please let her know!

Matt Frutig is “happy, healthy, and newly engaged,” and all is well despite a painful showing by the Georgetown Hoyas this season!

It was a big year for Dave Eisenstadter, who wed his girlfriend of more than fi ve years, Kitty Antonelli, at the Farm and Wilderness summer camp. “It was the perfect environment to celebrate, dance and light things on fi re! Mountain School principles were in practice, as dish crews were assembled and all of the art and activities were put together by those who attended.” Dave continues to write for the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Mass., and was recently promoted to web editor. He is very open to ideas or experience with making journalism work online, so reach out (chorusjig@gmail.com)! Dave is still calling contra dances regularly and has been the vice president and volunteer coordinator for the New England Folk Festival Association for the past two years. He also got to write about Josephine Ferrorelli’s mother, who has been leading a joint-seminar initiative through Amherst College with college students and inmates. “It was fascinating to be at the culminating session involving student presentations from both inside and outside students. Jo also joined Kitty and me at a few local contra dances while she was living in Amherst.”

As for Josephine, she and her man, Chris, are moving back to

Dave Eisenstadter’s wedding to Kitty Antonelli

28

The Right Spice: Claire Cheney s01

By Eva Petersen s16

Claire Cheney is a self-described “plant geek.” During the last fi ve

years Cheney has visited farms in over ten countries, gathering the best spices for Curio Spice Company, a business she started in 2015. By running her business as a Public Benefi t Corporation, Claire exemplifi es the Mountain School ideal of focusing on the common good.

Her interest in spices really took off while she was attending college at Oberlin, where she studied environmental science and creative writing, her senior thesis drawing a connection between conservation ethics and food. A series of poems about plants sparked an interest in saffron, which a few years later led to a stint on a saffron farm in Greece. Curio Spice Company is a Public Benefi t Corporation, which Cheney described as a business that acts like a nonprofi t in a for-profi t framework. Patagonia is a well-known example of a PBC. For Cheney, becoming a PBC was the right thing to do. “I wanted to give back to the farmers where I source my spices,” she said.

At the Mountain School, Cheney learned the importance of playing one’s part in the community. Once she slept in and forgot to harvest the lettuce, jeopardizing that day’s salad. That small lesson on accountability resonated with her years later. “All that stuff is multiplied by how your business is run,” explained Cheney. Cheney also cited the Mountain School’s emphasis on environmental and circumstantial learning as a major infl uence. “I still have that eye for the land that the teachers helped cultivate,” Cheney said.

After the Mountain School, Cheney visited dozens of farms in other countries. Those experiences inspired some of her unique spice blends and shaped her as a person too. “It’s really empowering to know you can be your own boss,” Cheney said. “All that time spent traveling by myself cultivated my independence.”

Right now, Curio Spices can be bought at over twenty New England retailers as well as online at www.curiospice.com. Cheney is considering expanding her business to include the growing of some spices. For now, she is happy to have a business that captures all her interests. “I’m doing what I love,” she gushed, “and everything smells great!”

Chicago in April. Zoë Cullen and her husband,

James, are moving from San Francisco back East, where she will take a faculty position at HBS. “I am horrifi ed to see how outdated my contact information is for loved ones all along the Eastern seaboard (I’ve been away for 10 years!). I hope this serves as an SOS!”

Becca Link is in her last few months of emergency medicine residency in New Orleans. In July, she’ll drive from New Orleans to northern Washington State, where her new job begins in August. “Would love to stop and see folks on the way. My dog Flo and I are very excited to move to mountains and beach!! Any and all are welcome to visit!”

Alex Schoenfeld has taken a new job with an early stage ed-tech company called Copia Class and is thoroughly enjoying spending his time with his two-year-old son, Bryson, and husband, Ryan. Alex and Ryan recently moved to Narberth, PA (outside Philly) so Ryan can join the faculty at Penn this fall.

Chelsea Brennan DesAutels writes: “One year ago today, I was at home on maternity leave with our daughter, June. A few months after that, I was diagnosed with a rare cancer related to my pregnancy. I underwent intense, but successful, chemotherapy (and along the way, I got to see friends like Laurén Rauch, who even helped me shop for a wig). And now my family is embracing fresh starts--including leaving my lawyer job to get an MFA in poetry this fall. I feel immensely grateful for the love and support we’ve received over the last year, much of it from you all. Thank you.” As a side note, Chelsea ROCKED the wigs, and was inspirationally strong through the whole ordeal.

As for me, Laurén Rauch, my fi ancé, Eric, and I are busy planning our Vermont wedding at Okemo Mountain this September. We’re excited to put on ski boots in our wedding venue for years to come! In other big news, I left the law fi rm world last summer

to work as in-house counsel at the international management consultancy, Oliver Wyman. So far it’s a great change! Thanks for all the updates and much love, as always!!

Micah Resnick

micahresnick@gmail.com

Babies are all the RAGE! Spots are fi lling up for Mountain

School Class of 2032. On the east coast, Lauren

Plusch and Ryan welcomed their son, Cooper Sargent Plusch, on 12/26. (below)

Out west, Natalie Teear and Win welcomed their daughter, Leila Mei Teear, on 12/27. (below)

Sasha Harris-Lovett and Felix Partridge welcomed their son, Ezra Lewis Partridge, on 12/31, at 12:31. (below)

Ben Grant is now married to a lovely 2nd grade teacher, Sarah Curtis. They live in New York City, where Ben continues his work in tech.

Spring ’01

Thyra Heder continues her blossoming career as a master children’s book author. Stay tuned for the movie version of Fraidyzoo, as well as her sister’s, Sian Heder f93 feature fi lm debut, Tallulah.

And I, Micah Resnick, am fi nishing residency, joining a small pediatrics practice on Roosevelt

Island, and continuing to raise a happy, healthy, confi dent, and independent daughter.

29

Ben and Sara Grant’s Wedding

R-L: Nick, Ida, Sue and Jack Kruse, Ben and Sarah, David, Nancy and Rob Grant, and Kevin and Kristi Mattingly

Desmond standing

Woodblock printThea McRea

Spring ’02

Fresh and Local: Phoebe Halsey s02

By Livia Kunins-Berkowitz

As a student at the Mountain School,

Phoebe Halsey was inspired by the fresh food all around her. Her favorite food memory from her time here as a student is waking up extra early to help Marilyn make bagels.

Her Mountain School experience, among others, prompted Phoebe to delve into the culinary world as a chef. She spent four and a half years cooking at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, one of the restaurants that pioneered the local and organic food movements. As stated on the Chez Panisse website, “Chez Panisse [is] convinced that the best-tasting food is organically and locally grown and harvested in ways that are ecologically sound by people who are taking care of the land for future generations.”

After working in all the stations in the Chez Panisse Café, Halsey left the restaurant and returned to the Mountain School kitchen to fi ll in as the weekend chef in the fall of 2015. Students and faculty alike raved about the meals she prepared, and it was a particular treat for the Halsey Leckerling family to have Phoebe in residence with them in Underwood House!

Phoebe is currently cooking for a tech company called Thumbtack in San Francisco and is encouraging their chefs to take advantage of the local produce available in California. She noted that cooking in the Bay Area, because of its temperate climate, makes locally grown ingredients incredibly accessible. Ultimately, Phoebe hopes to get more experience menu writing and aspires to learn more about bread baking, pastry, and fermentation, all while incorporating fresh ingredients and motivating those around her to eat locally.

Therese Claxton Fleisherthereseclaxton@gmail.com

Just another year of being apart, LE SIGH. Next year is going to

be awesome—because it will be our 15 year reunion! Please all stop what you’re doing AT THIS VERY MOMENT and put it on your cal-endar (just circle the entire summer just in case so you don’t make any competing plans). Can’t wait to see you all! I can hardly wait! This is what we have been up to…

Lindsay Young fi nished up a master’s degree in environmental science and hopes to begin a career in water management. Golden continues to be a great place to live in Colorado, and she has enjoyed discovering the trails in the area.

Also in Colorado, Paige (Rossetti) Henchen reports that she and her husband have moved to Denver so if anyone is in the area please look them up.

Vijay Viswanathan is working on a MSBA in accounting and trying to get outside as much as possible! He’s also “been volunteering with a great non-profi t called Paradox Sports, check them out online.” He asks anyone visiting Colorado to please get in touch—he would love to catch up.

Hailey (Mackrow) Sammen writes “I spent the past year working in evaluation, and starting this fall I’ll be wrapping up my master’s with a thesis on the social determinants of educational outcomes. I’m still running an

urban farm CSA with my husband, and am soaking up my new daughter, Matilda.”

Colin Smith is currently completing the fi nal year of his PhD in child psychology at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, and in August he will be headed back to Seattle to start a career in private practice. He is still doing improv comedy in his free time, and hopes to see all of you next year at the reunion!

Alison (Neubauer) Miller writes that she had a baby named Owen who she is “freaking obsessed with.” I can confi rm, he is freaking adorable.

Diana Davis spent the summer in Europe, doing math for three weeks and then traveling with her girlfriend for three weeks. Her postdoc at Northwestern ends this year, so she has applied for “lots and lots of jobs”, and I have good news: she will be a visiting professor at Williams College next year! She adds “I wrote 1/4 of a book! I wrote an undergraduate text called ‘Lines in positive genus: An introduction to fl at surfaces,’ which will appear as a section in the book Dynamics Done With Your Bare Hands, published later this year by the European Mathematical Society.”

Victoria (McGeoch) Goulart is expecting a baby boy in May! Also, in March she and her husband are moving back to Little Compton, RI.

Freddy Deknatel is doing well, still living in Brooklyn and is now the senior editor of World

Phoebe with nephew Oliver

30

Politics Review, an online global affairs journal. He is engaged to his girlfriend Emily McGoldrick and are getting married in New York in late June.

Also in NYC, Caroline Biggers reports that she “started online dating again. High hopes for true love and/or some free drinks!” She also says that she and Michael Bogino came to my (Therese’s) wedding last summer, which was awesome.

Over on the West Coast, Amy Strieter is still in Eugene, OR, working on her MFA in poetry at the University of Oregon. She hopes to fi nish this summer, depending on thesis work. She writes “I sit too much. I’d also like Jack and Alden to know that Wordsworth and Emerson are on my reading list for my qualifying exams. If anyone’s passing through Oregon this summer or next year, I’d love a visit! IT’S NOT WEIRD. Last summer I got to see Colin Smith while I was visiting Seattle. He’s a doctor--who signed off on that?--but he’s still him and it was so lovely to catch up. That’s my evidence.”

Sophie Eisner got her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art last spring and now lives in Detroit. She has her own sculpture studio and metal shop there and loves it.

David Greenhouse writes that “after a long stint at IBM, I decided to look for something slightly more dynamic while still keeping a techie focus. For the past year, I’ve been working at ad tech company AppNexus, where I’m on a team managed by none other than Ben Grant s01. My next project is a renovation of the kitchen in our row house. Unfortunately for us, the late Victorians built millions of these houses with no insulation whatsoever and they get pretty cold in winter - so reducing our carbon footprint by keeping the heat in will also be a priority. This year has been a happy one for my travel bug, as we’ve had the chance to enjoy superb hiking and delicious food in New Zealand, Romania, and South Korea. I miss you guys and I can’t wait for our 15th reunion next year

- I will be in Vershire come hell or high water!”

Daniel Greenberg left Boston after a very hard breakup and is fi nishing his contract on the book “(we fi nally published!), and bought a small sailboat with a broken engine, sailed from Tampa to the Keys, to the Bahamas, up the Pamlico, and anchored back in Annapolis. Back at work now until June 1, when I sail for Maine.”

Over in Cleveland, Matt Sinclair writes that “on 12/24/15, I welcomed a beautiful son into the world. His name is Luke and he’s absolutely a wonderful gift. I’m so excited to start this next adventure in life. (Image attached) I’m also still in Cleveland and have recently co-founded the Rainbow Babies and Children’s Foundation Associate Board, an up and coming organization with the goal of raising both funds and awareness for children’s health issues in partnership with Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland.”

Mary Lewine reports “that while Freddy and I continue to think about the environment whenever we watch whales explode we will have fewer reasons to think about the environment in 2016. Go Mets.”

Jake Lassow is living in Greenville, SC where he is pursuing a master’s in education. He writes that “I recently quit my position as a pastry chef in order to student teach in a freshman English classroom. Come this time next year I hope to have a classroom of my own. Restaurant work was great for a number of years but I am ready to have summer vacations and to travel as much as possible with my partner. This summer we will be in London for about a month. Anyone in the U.K. please get in contact!”

Jamie Lincoln and his wife Megan bought their fi rst home in Swarthmore, PA. Visitors welcome!

Robin Wolthausen spent the winter in Telluride skiing and learning more than “I knew was possible about the history of wine,

food and its implements.” He just accepted an assistant fi eld director position at Open Sky Wilderness Therapy in Durango, CO and may be moving to Vancouver, BC at the end of the year. He sends his love to all.

Meredith Denning lives in Washington, DC and is writing her dissertation and moonlighting as the assistant to the director of doctoral studies and as event staff at the Canadian Embassy. Her husband just got his green card and moved to the States, too. She’ll be in Seattle in late March and Beijing in late May – “anyone for catching up over a drink?”

Also in DC, Daphne Kiplinger is one lucky duck. She writes that she “just got back from an awesome trip to Brazil to celebrate the beautiful wedding of TMS classmate Becca Groves and her husband Vinícius Ludovico! You never know where those TMS friendships may take you 14 years later... Other than that, not too much is new – still working at Landon School in communications and all that.”

Speaking of Rebecca (Groves) Ludovico, she reports “I’m doing well. I’m living in Cambridge, MA and teaching 2nd grade in a sheltered English immersion classroom. My students are from various countries and are all English language learners. Also, I just got back from celebrating my wedding in Brazil. My husband is from Brazil and that is where we met so we united the two families and various friends and had an amazing wedding in Brazil. Daphne Kiplinger made the trip with her husband Dave and it was so great to have her there!”

Emily Abrons writes that she is in Los Angeles again, after getting an MFA in fi ction at Brown, and is currently tutoring for work and writing in her free time. She’s living “in a somewhat ramshackle, big craftsman-style house built in 1905, which is fun for now, but dreaming of New England (and hoping to live there soon!)”

I, Therese (Claxton) Fleisher, had a ‘real’ wedding to my husband

Ryan (had a courthouse one earlier) and went on a honeymoon to Kenya. I live in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston with Ryan and my daughter Charlotte and a million animals. I work as a project manager at a community health center where coincidentally Emily Wheelwright Lowenberg s00 is a nurse practitioner. Small world! I have gotten to see Caroline, Michael, and Alison in the past year but would love to see any and all of you if you ever fi nd yourself in Boston.

Cordy Elkinscordy.elkins@gmail.com

Is it seriously already 2016? Where is the time going – we are

all defi nitely still closer to 21 than 30, right? Well, since we cannot stay that young indefi nitely, it sure is nice to hear all of the great things everyone is up to instead!

Coogan Brennan is still in Charlottesville, VA, and spent the last months of his twenties sewing the fi nal seams for his tailoring and alteration shop before handing it off to partners here in town. He gets the amazing opportunity to see Moira Brace and her righteous crew every so often. They are doing amazing work at their homestead in Dillwyn (in nearby Buckingham County). Coogan writes, “People passing through should holler at either one of us to get both!”

Miles Turner is living in Teton Valley, Idaho this winter taking a break from work and enjoying lots of great backcountry skiing (kind of like cross country skiing in the woods in Vermont except more up in the mountains and on bigger skis). He will go back to work later in the spring leading sailing courses in British Columbia and hiking in Wyoming with NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School). Life is great! In addition, he is planning to climb Mt. Rainier in the summer in memory of Eitan Green. If any s03 friends would like to join, let him know because you are all invited.

Gideon (Grody-Patinkin) Irving has continued touring

Spring ’03

31

various shows through peoples’ homes near and far. This past August Nate “Hubcap” Sloan and Gideon brought their two-man show, The Gideon and Hubcap Show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and had a ball. They will return to the UK this summer for a home show tour through islands and small towns and have begun developing a home show for kids. Gideon has also started planning his horse tour where he will travel on horseback across America playing in homes for 18 months beginning in 2020. This has been a long awaited dream and if anyone knows any horse-folk drop him a line. itstruemynameisgideon@gmail.com

Thomas McCosker and his wife are still living in Oxford, UK where they have been since 2013. The timber framing we all learned in ’03 continues to serve him well as he is currently working on a master’s course in sustainable building performance and design at Oxford Brookes University. Thomas is learning all about low energy building techniques and ways to reduce embodied carbon in both new and old buildings. This year Thomas and his wife fi nally got an allotment after 2 years of waiting in a nearby community garden where they are planning to grow all sorts of delicious veggies.

Aleks Stoller is living in New Orleans, LA for the academic year. He is currently a master’s candidate at Tulane University in the department of microbiology and immunology. Aleks is focusing his research on vaccine development against bacteria that cause persistent infections, and is working on new novel antibiotic therapies. If anyone is in town, let him know and you can meet up for chicory coffee and beignets.

Steven McDonald is now through the toughest bit of his emergency medicine residency in New York City. This year he got to take a leadership organized wellness retreat to help residents refl ect on the diffi culties of the year. The setting (a Buddhist monastery on the Hudson River) and the activities (drinking tea and sharing stories) and the weather (negative 1 Fahrenheit) reminded him of Mt. School and our

amazing group. Steven also spent several days vacationing in LA staying with Sophia Lear; and he is lucky to see Emma Haberman regularly; and just had coffee with Emi Neithercut. If you are in New York, let him or Emma know!

Emma Haberman got married in September to her husband Caleb on a farm in Hudson, NY, which was a blast. She is still living in Brooklyn and working at The New School, and thinking of TMS and Spring ’03 often!

Talia Cooper has also been living in Brooklyn, New York for the past two years working at a Jewish youth feminist organization. She has also been very involved with the organization Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ). Talia’s partner, Andrew, is in graduate school in New York, and when he graduates this winter, they will move back to the Bay Area, California. Talia continues to sing and write music. Some of her favorite things about New York are: the Brooklyn Public Libraries, the farmers market at Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park, the botanic gardens, people watching, all the free events, the activist community, the art community, and all the people there. She will certainly miss NY a lot, but is excited to move back to her home.

Elizabeth Gould (Ries) got married this past year on Cape Cod! She now lives in Penland, North Carolina. She is a nurse on a respiratory ICU stepdown at Johnson City Medical Center and could not be more excited about her new career. Being a nurse is incredibly challenging, emotionally and physically draining, yet the most rewarding thing she has ever done. Elizabeth has learned and grown so much already and fi nally feels like she is doing what she is meant to!

Amanda Rook is halfway through training to become a physical therapist and still works as a massage therapist. She is now engaged and happily living in Oklahoma City and gets to see her family often. She is working on renovating her house and you can

fi nd her gardening whenever she gets the chance!

As for me, my boyfriend Andrew and I live in South Boston. I am still working downtown and teaching as many Yoga Sculpt classes as I can fi t in around my “day job.” I am running the Boston Marathon this spring to support the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, an organization I am also on the national board for. Looking forward to checking the marathon off my lifetime bucket list while also supporting a great cause! If anyone is ever around the Boston area, or passing through please let me know! Love to everyone,

Zak Stone Stone.zak@gmail.com

If there’s any lesson from The Mountain School that sticks with

me to this day, it’s the importance of effective and clear communica-tion, with the fi rst rule being, “Be Concise.” Concisely is exactly how I’d describe our semester’s response to this year’s call for up-dates:

In New York City, we have the recently transplanted Jamie Phinney, who started grad school at Columbia for international affairs, and had the privilege of running into Joelle Kellem on the street. Joelle’s pursuing her love of working with children as a full-time nanny, household manager, and personal assistant for a family in Manhattan. “I feel beyond lucky to have found such a meaningful, fun, and colorful job,” she writes.

Another Columbian is John Szymanski, who writes that he is “looking into the workings of the nervous system of the pond creature Hydra vulgaris. We are using new tools to make its neurons fl uoresce when they send signals to each other. Since the Hydra is so basic, this will shed light on what the fi rst nervous systems were doing and help tell the story of how we got here.”

Across the river in Brooklyn, we have the inimitable Zemen Kidane, who blesses us with her fi rst ever update: “I’m working as

Spring ’04

a Consumer Insights assistant for Penguin Random House. In my free time, I curate exhibitions for a community arts organization called ARTs East New York.”

Fellow Brooklynite Ezra Hagerty says he’s escaping the city as much as possible to spend time outdoors. “Looking forward to sugaring season in VT, fl y fi shing this summer, and continuing to learn new dishes to cook.”

Further up the eastern seaboard, Mary French fi nds herself back in Boston, after more than four years in England, where she’ll continue her work as a book conservator. Currently, she’s working on a collection of materials from a WWII prisoner of war camp in Singapore. “Throughout it all, the prisoners maintained a cheerfulness and optimism despite starvation, punishment, and separation from their loved ones, which I have found inspirational and deeply moving.”

Joining Mary in Boston are Ben Mandelkern, Casey Freedman, and Jena Gordon. Ben moved back to the USA last year from India and took a job working for Yo-Yo Ma’s nonprofi t, Silk Road Project. Casey writes that she is “still a high school Spanish teacher in Reading, living in Cambridge and hoping that someone from TMS S’04 will visit!” And fi nally Jenna says she’s fi nishing up her fi rst year of a counseling psychology doctoral program at Boston College, with a research focus on trauma and PTSD. “My student ID card says I will graduate in 2021. Hopefully one day I will be done with school and can get a grown up job!”

Further north we fi nd Corinne Almquist, who says she’s “relieved to be back in Vermont, fi nishing up her midwifery degree,” and Jay Cox-Chapman, who’s getting an MBA at Dartmouth’s business school.

New Hampshire native and apple farmer Emma Loosigian writes that “2015 was a great year for apples. We are planting peach trees this spring, and Mike and I are expecting our fi rst child this summer. A lot to look forward to!”

Caroline Rex-Waller also fi nds herself in New Hampshire, where she’s teaching French and English in the White Mountains. And in Maine we have Ben Woodworth, who got married last

32

Answers in Nature: Mai Ann Healy s04

By Anna Saviano s16

Mai Ann Healy, a former

Tolbodian, works for BioFiltro, an international company that designs and installs onsite patented wastewater fi ltration systems that remove up to 99% of contaminants from wastewater in a natural, four-hour process. The system restores water to irrigation grade quality for reutilization and, overtime, converts the waste from the wastewater into castings, a nutritious fertilizer rich in microbes. Clients such as wineries, food processors, dairies, and sanitary waste facilities are subsequently able to make sustainability goals profi table.

Mai Ann worked in Latin America for six years after college, fi rst at a large multinational corporation and then as a consultant at Endeavor. She met the founders of BioFiltro in Santiago, Chile, where the company is headquartered, a year before joining their team in California. She absolutely loves her job and, due to her fl uency in Spanish, serves as a bridge between the Chilean, U.S., and New Zealand offi ces.

BioFiltro currently has 130 facilities installed worldwide that provide decentralized closed loop solutions. The system emulates earth’s natural process of biofi ltration and is housed within an open top structure that is fi lled, from top to bottom, with wood shavings, river cobble, geotextiles, and drainage basins. The top layer of woodshavings is inoculated with bacteria and worms, tiny soldiers who work 24/7 at breaking down and digesting waste. An automated irrigation system disperses wastewater evenly throughout the bed, which then percolates down by the force of gravity. Wastewater treatment typically demands a lot of energy due to aeration, the process of adding air into water to allow biodegradation of pollutants, but BioFiltro’s natural system enable clients to save up to 95% of their wastewater energy bill as the burrowing worms provide natural aeration and take the process of wastewater treatment back to the simplicity of nature.

Even though this technology has been around for twenty-one years and has processed more than twenty-seven billion gallons, no one could believe it when it was fi rst introduced to the U.S. market three years ago! The idea that complex wastewater technologies, which typically require 30 to 90 days of treatment time, a lot of energy and chemicals, could be replaced with a simple replication of Mother Earth was too good to be true. Early U.S. adopters of BioFiltro’s technology include prominent leaders and pioneers in sustainable practices who seek to reuse and regenerate natural resources.

Mai Ann notes that the Mountain School solidifi ed her love for nature and determination to pursue a career in socially and environmentally conscious work. Ironically, Mai Ann researched the viability of composting toilets for the Mountain School during her semester and today she’s working with composting technology! Through science site studies, Mai Ann discovered that a lot of answers to global problems can be found in nature itself. At BioFiltro, that’s exactly what she and the company seek to demonstrate.

June. He and his wife Sara live in Bangor, where she teaches high school while he practices law in the healthcare space.

Down south, Ruthie Schwab writes “No real updates here. Still doing fi nance and strategy for Walmart US Food, working on fresh supply chain improvements. Still in Arkansas. Trying to survive all the Trump love out here. Would love some Mountain School visitors!”

Somewhat nearby in North Carolina, Liz Huessy Porter is living with her husband Louis. Liz is putting her Masters in Library Science degree to use as a librarian at Carrboro Elementary School.

Only one update came from the midwest: Lizzie LaCroix is working on her MBA at University of Michigan and re-acclimatizing to winter after years in California.

Speaking of: Mai Ann Healy lives in Ventura, California these days, where she’s working for a company that helps wineries, food processors and other industrial clients revitalize and re-utilize their wastewater.

Ben Hartman writes from San Francisco, where he’s living “with my wonderful girlfriend Kelsey, and our debatably wonderful cat, Boris. I just took on a new role as the Produce Buyer at Good Eggs, a grocery delivery start-up, working directly with Bay Area farms to source fruits and veggies grown using ecologically and socially responsible practices.”

Elizabeth Cerny-Chipman is working on her PhD at Oregon State and recently got engaged. “I ran into Skylor Powell the other day at a brunch spot in Portland. Turns out she lives only about a mile from my fi ance, which is crazy.” Liz hopes to fi nd a job working on sustainable ocean policy, possibly in DC, after fi nishing her program this summer.

Sarah Gibson and Jane Ridgeway both recently departed from the Continental 48: Jane to Hawaii, where she’s teaching, and Sarah to Sitka, Alaska last summer, where she had a fellowship to work on audio documentaries. In her free time she tried to “to eat at least half a fi let of salmon per day. The communal meals, place-based work and group hiking misadventures brought back great TMS memories—except for this

time there were Grizzlies.” Last but not least, I’m still in

Los Angeles, working as a writer and editor. My piece “Living and Dying on Airbnb” was featured in the New York Times and NPR, and I recently took a job as executive editor of a new online magazine called MEL. I’m enjoying working a few blocks from the beach in Venice, and I’d love to see all of your familiar faces.

Until next year!

Niki Stelling Hertzbergniki.stellinghertzberg@gmail.com

It is hard to believe that almost a year has passed since our 10 year

reunion. In this time, several de-gree programs were started or com-pleted, engagements and marriages occurred, and just in case any of you were doubting that we are adults, the fi rst s05 baby was born. Hopefully this new year will bring many unoffi cial TMS reunions.

Mark Davenport is teaching in Salt Lake City, still getting outside a great deal, and, best of all, getting married this June!

Rebecca Sigel is living in LA, overseeing the LA Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA) program. Her students were recently on stage with Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars for the Superbowl halftime show (they were the 40 students on stage with violins/violas/cellos and yellow/blue jackets). She is now prepping to leave her job at the LA Philharmonic to begin a program in Public Policy at UC Berkeley in the fall. A window into the process: h t tp : / /www.nf l . com/v ideos /nfl-videos/0ap3000000632171/Young-L-A-musicians-get-the-Super-Bowl-chance-of-a-lifetime

Spring ’05

Rebecca’s students at the Super Bowl

33

Leo Eisenstein is in his fi rst year of medical school at Harvard and just learned how lungs function.

Emily May is working on pollinator conservation on farmland, and is currently based in Vermont but will be moving to New Haven this summer.

Abby Mays got married and now goes by Abby Farnell, thus simplifying the Abby/Emily/May/Mays/Reed/Reid issue our semester had. She is moving to San Francisco in May and would love to connect with any TMSers in or around the Bay Area.

Hallie Coffi n-Gould is in Pittsburgh getting her MBA at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business.

Hannah Broadly (formerly Roebuck) is in the third year of her Ph.D. at UMass Amherst studying invasive forest insects. She added a number of phylogenetic projects to her research program this year and is loving it. She and Abby Reed are aiming to meet up ASAP, but so far have had confl icting schedules.

After two years teaching at an international school in Singapore, Abby Reed moved back to the States and is now teaching English at the Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Western MA.

Sharayah Gilbert and her fi ancé, Stephan, recently bought a house in Old Town Alexandria, in the Washington, DC area, and are looking forward to their wedding in July. Sharayah is still working at the Department of State, currently managing foreign assistance projects in Burma, Bangladesh, and Laos.

Maura Mathieu is in her third year working at the Mountain School. She teaches English alongside Jack and Alden and is the main dorm parent for Tobold. This year, she has enjoyed spending much more time in the woods exploring with her intrepid puppy, Zora.

Rachel Carlin celebrated the birth of her baby girl, Lilette Mary Carlin in September, and will begin her residency training in Neurology

Rachel, Joshua and Lilette

Evan Pulvers is living in the California Bay Area, working as a family medicine resident. Next year she will spend a month in rural Peru providing medical aid. She sees Megan Shutzer and Allegra Thoreson occasionally and reports that Allegra is writing a “badass thesis” for English and Megan is doing the documentary circuit and global democracy consulting.

Willy Stein is still working on urban planning and real estate projects for the City of New York. He lives in a charming apartment on a tree-lined street in Brooklyn. He sees some but not enough Mountain School folks. He misses outdoor activities.

Jared Rubinstein is still living in Minnesota and going to grad school for horticulture.

Jessica Chapman is fi nishing up her second year living and working in South East Asia. “I am currently working in Malaysia, where I have spent the last year running a school for refugee children and youth. This semester we have 120 students enrolled from 6 different countries. As the global refugee crisis continues, we hope our organization can provide best practices and sustainable models for others wanting to provide education to urban refugees.”

Spring ’06 Dan Cohen

dmcohen78@gmail.com

It’s hard to believe it is already been ten years since we were on

campus in Spring ’06. So much has changed since then but our group seems to have stuck to its Mountain School roots.

Leah French is still living in Space City, working as an educator at the Houston Center for

Contemporary Craft. In her spare time, she is exploring the state parks of Texas. On a recent camping trip, she fell asleep to armadillos rooting for worms around her tent, woke up surrounded by deer, and encountered several six foot alligators while hiking.

Abby Larner has been enjoying the sun and sounds in Austin, TX since she moved there last June. She is currently teaching User Interface Design to aspiring “designerds” at a 3 month coding bootcamp. In her free time she has taken up olympic weightlifting and runs her own ultimate frisbee league. She can’t wait to get back to TMS this June!

Clara Rubin-Crump is still working on her PhD in Emergency and Disaster Management at the University of Rhode Island and volunteering as a fi refi ghter and EMT in her spare time. Clara was also engaged to her fi ance Paul in December. They are looking forward to a wedding this fall in Maine! She’s looking forward to introducing him to folks at the reunion in June.

Ben Parks is in his third year of graduate school for geology at Brown doing research in Argentina, and getting hitched in early summer! Colleen McCullough is fi nishing up law school and moving to Philadelphia to work for a judge starting in September. She can’t wait to camp on Garden Hill this June with as many of us as possible!

Marietta Glass is still living in Philadelphia working at Hamilton Lane, a private equity fi rm, where she started working after graduating from Colgate. In August, she began a two year part-time program to earn her masters of Finance. In more exciting events, she married her college sweetheart, Matt, this past June in NYC. She’ll be sad to miss reunion and wish all the best to fellow s06ers.

Anna Provitola is in her fourth year of pursuing her PhD in French and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, which means that when she is not staring at a book or a computer screen, she is galavanting around New York City, traveling to destinations near and far, devising strategies for queer pedagogy, and preening her numerous house plants.

Connie Tancredi Brice had a baby, named Robby. He was

born on October 23rd 2015. She writes - we’re living in Edinburgh, Scotland, loving life. Our days are full of milk, naps, yoga, dance, rainy walks, veg bags, and a bit of haggis now and then.

Alex Johnson is in San Francisco and still working on his PhD at Stanford. “I try to stay balanced by taking long motorcycle rides and maintaining my expansive collection of houseplants.”

Katie Morrison is still working for the same sustainability consultancy in Amman, Jordan. In her free time she tutors, dances, sings in a local choir, and plays ultimate frisbee. She’s starting to think about making a move back to the States, and is aiming to make it back for the reunion in June.

Gaea Campe loves living in Portland, Oregon where she teaches preschool.

Sophie Robinson now lives in Brooklyn, where she is a climate change documentary fi lmmaker. Her latest fi lm explores how climate change impacts national security and global stability. When not working, she is playing with her two cats, doing yoga, playing soccer, and cooking local food!

After a very hot summer in New Orleans, Laura Dismore is enjoying the New England winter. She’s also enjoying performing in her school’s Parody, a musical comedy show making fun of law school (it involves costumes and shenanigans, so it’s kind of reminiscent of a Saturday night at TMS...but with law students). Dismore will be working in Boston at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Offi ce this summer and would love to see anyone passing through!

Nate Glasser is currently in Cambridge, getting a masters in public policy at Harvard in between his third and fourth years of medical school. Every so often, he sees Elsie, Laura Dismore, and Kat, which is great.

For the past 2 years Kat Conway has been living in Cambridge and working for a company that organizes international travel opportunities for middle/high school students and their teachers. Through work she’s had the chance to visit Italy,

34

Barcelona and Madrid, and on her own she’s been lucky enough to explore Paris, Portugal, and the Andalusia region of Spain. Kat also highly recommends watching Sophie’s documentary.

Ben Hellerstein is living in the Porter Square neighborhood of Cambridge/Somerville, just a few blocks from where he and Katie Schaffer once stayed with Connie during a college visit to Boston. He’s working for an environmental advocacy organization and launching a new campaign to repower Massachusetts with 100% clean energy. His life improved immeasurably when he bought a bike last summer, and since then he’s experimented with bicycle commuting and has done a week-long solo bike trip along the Maine coast.

Rebecca Maurer has moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Laugh and make 30 Rock references all you want, but it’s a great town. In fact, Rebecca is thinking of buying a home in the city. If she does, Rebecca is going to be really excited about having a garden to call her own.

Nick Singer is in his second year at the graduate fi lm program at Columbia. He’s enjoying his time there and fi nds himself TAing undergraduates. Matt Mandelkern is living in Somerville studying the philosophy of language. Allie Stroud is enjoying living in San Francisco and all the rain El Niño is bringing.

Steve Beauchamp is living outside of Baltimore, working at T. Rowe Price, and pursuing an MBA. He is enjoying Baltimore’s live music and growing restaurant scene. Laura Tate is living in Jackson, MS and is looking forward to visiting with fellow s06 alumni in June!

Lauren Wiant writes: “I am engaged to the man of my dreams; we’re getting married this coming New Year’s Eve. We have a kitten and a beautiful apartment in an old building in Lakewood, just a few minutes from downtown. I’m training to be a commercial real estate broker, specializing in retail, at a company called Colliers International. So far I really like it—it’s hard work, and stressful, but I’ve grown to love being pushed to test my limits everyday.”

Pauline Abrons is in Nevada

City, CA studying Ayurveda, the ancient science of healing from India. “I am learning to understand body and mind on a deeper level and realigning them with the natural rhythms of life. Nevada City is a beautiful setting for this study - I have been enjoying the green Yuba River and living in a little cottage in the forest.”

Ali Meyers Ohki writes: “One of my dear projects lately has been organizing an improvisational dance space for trans folks, women, and queers. I am working as a gardening assistant for a sustainable landscaping company and loving being outside all day. Other than that, being a homebody and deepening queer familial relationships all day everyday. Hope to see everyone at the reunion!”

Conor Myhrvold is still at Uber, closing in on two years this summer. He moved from data science to a core infrastructure team in mid-2015. He now runs Uber Engineering’s public presence as a program manager, which includes Open Source efforts, Engineering Blog, and other in-person and online social happenings (tech talks and events, Twitter, conferences etc.)

Dan Cohen is still living in San Francisco and continues to snowboard in Tahoe regularly and recently returned from an amazing trip to four countries in Southern Africa and Japan.

Dan would like to pass the torch of class agent. Please let Marilyn know if you would like the job. We’ll announce it at the reunion, and if you are not there, we may just pick you for the agent job!

Corina Chasecorina.chase@gmail.com

Corina Chase is designing and building costumes for theaters

in Providence and Boston. She’s headed to graduate school in the fall, for a costume design MFA.

Joe Harmon is still teachin’ away in CT, still going to Josh Ritter shows, still pickin’ on the guitar (he’s in a faculty band).

Shauna Linn has three rotations left in PA school and is

Spring ’07

most excited for liver transplant. She hopes to stay in NYC on Columbia’s hospitalist service. Listening to The Life of Pablo, practicing yoga, and sending love!

Emily Ausubel has been living in Kampala, Uganda for the past year through an HIV/AIDS and maternal and child health organization, providing health services and building health systems all around Uganda. The year has been eye-opening, challenging, and incredibly rewarding both professionally and personally as Emily has adjusted to living and working in a new country. She has also greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to explore several other African countries during her time here and continues to marvel at the diverse beauty she has seen. Emily has no plans set in stone yet post-fellowship, but hopes to be in the Boston area for at least a little time starting in August and will hopefully see some TMS friends while there!

Lauren Bryant has been working her tail off taking a slew of science courses and getting ready to apply to physical therapy programs in the fall. She moved to L.A. in August, but has been carrying out the Mountain School spirit by taking public transit every day and seeking out local green spaces. After over a year of work, she fi nally published her fi rst children’s book, Earl the Elephant Saves Christmas, this December. It’s available on Kindle and she is currently shopping around for a publisher, with every expectation that fame and fortune will at last be hers by the end of 2016.

Matthew Bock is currently stranded at Charlotte International Airport. He is moving to North Carolina to do brand planning for Mullen, an ad agency. Please let him know if you’re rolling through the south!

Katherine Corwin is an admissions counselor at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx. She just become a mom to Charlie, a 5 year-old dog she adopted from the shelter. You can fi nd them in the dog run by the East River—rain or shine!

Mollie Bedick is on a zigzag path (for sure) through retail to pay the bills and thinking about what’s next… Meanwhile, rock climbing more and more, practicing thai yoga bodywork, and listening

to a ton of interesting podcasts: Millennial is one of her favorites to date. Cheers everyone!

Aaron Freedman quit his sustainable food job in December and is looking for work in software. He spends nearly all his time with his band, Baeja Vu, which is a powerful motorboat in the turbulent sea of being 25 years old.

Judy Amsalem is currently fi nishing up her fi rst year at Yale, where she is pursuing a joint MBA and Masters of Environmental Management. She has been getting back to her Mountain School roots by rediscovering a love of footie pajamas and testing the boundaries of what social situations they can be worn in. She has also learned from the Mountain School Instagram that students now wear protective gear while playing broomball on the pond. This is, in her opinion, a VERY wise development.

Joe Schottenfeld is heading to Central Asia again for another short research trip, but he’ll be back in New Haven permanently for law school beginning in the fall. It would be great to see people!

Max Shafer is still brewing away in the Tetons. As he writes this note, he sits in Chicago at the Siebel Institute of Technology, the oldest brewing school in the United States. Max is excited to further his education in brewing, and is happy to be back in the city he grew up in for the longest period of time since he graduated from high school.

Jen Wenz is (fi nally!) graduating from Harvard Divinity this spring, and jumping into the beautiful waters of total uncertainty. Current half-laid plans and dreams (as of February) include: working kitchen staff at Indralaya, a retreat center on Orcas Island, this summer; turning her thesis on bread baking, healing, and climate change into a book; apprenticing with a baker; trying her hand at teaching and mentoring; and practicing and leading more meditation and yin yoga. She’s beyond grateful for the learning and growth over these last four years at HDS, and is ready for a new adventure!

Mikaela Saccoccio moved to Boston on February 1st to start a new job at a Boys and Girls Club. She lives in Brighton now, in an old building with lots of plants. She’s hoping to delve into the arts

35

Self PortraitInk WatercolorEmma Glazer

and theatre scene here (and to visit Irene’s restaurant)! She’s recently become interested in slam poetry.

Irene Li is still in Boston with her food truck and restaurant and family. She’s about to adopt a dog and just launched a line of bottled sauces with Mei Mei Pantry. Come visit; she’ll feed you dumplings. She still watches Star Trek: Enterprise.

Casey Andersen is transplanting herself from NYC to Portland, ME. She has been reveling in the magic of how whatever life adventure she is on, there is always a way that someone or some memory from S’07 enriches it and ignites it further. LOVE YOU ALL!

Clay Contee is working on a post graduate degree in physics at Illinois Tech in Chicago. He gets to see Isabel Gregerson a lot more now that they live in the same city, which is good. He wishes the best for all his friends from TMS and welcomes visits!

Isabel Gregersen moved to Chicago last fall with her partner, started graduate school in social work, and is slowly catching up to all of the big changes in her life! She loves her new neighborhood, her new puppy, and the new friends and ideas that come with going back to school. Isabel gets to see Clay Contee every few weeks too, sometimes for dancing, sometimes for studying, depending on their mood...let her know if you ever come through Chicago, or if you have any friends who live there who you think she should meet!

Lily Bo Shapiro experienced life-expanding joy this summer when she ran into Mere Allenick in Israel and went hiking through the rainforest in Hawaii with Ali Andrews. This winter she perfected the layers of pants and socks to freezing temperatures ratio as well as the art of grating fresh ginger to brew inner warmth.

Meredith Allenick (Mere!) is still living in New York and is now working at Twitter, where she is super passionate and excited about her job. She doesn’t see any of her old TMS friends hardly enough, but is going to change that! Lots of love to S’07... Can’t believe we’re approaching 10 years.

Ali Andrews is still a happy pineapple in the middle of the big blue, working on sea level rise adaptation for the State of Hawaii and also writing for the website of an amazing polynesian voyaging canoe, Hōkūlea, sailing around the world collecting stories of environmental stewardship (she will be sailing up the East Coast this spring and summer so look out for her!). She brings all of your adventurous spirits with her in her free time exploring the many red dirt and blue ocean nooks and crannies of this beautiful place.

Will Wickham is kaleidoscoping | babies | money | fi re signs | Black liberation | love | Ok

Caroline Dickens is back in Boston after spending some time last year in Antalya, Turkey helping a family friend open a cocktail lounge. Turkey was all-around exhilarating and exhausting and she’s glad to be back home. Now she is working in the less-hectic e-commerce and tech world at Wayfair.

Claire Lafave moved to San Francisco and is teaching third graders! She gets to see Chloe Zelkha once in awhile, which is lovely.

Chloe Zelkha is still reading Mary Oliver a lot! She’s living in Berkeley, two blocks from her work at a Jewish urban farm where she runs their semester program and teaches the justice curriculum. It’s a job where she gets to say “everyone belongs here,” like Susie used to say to us, which is pretty special. She still loves singing LOUD!

Maggie Williams is living in Denver where she likes to bike to work on the Cherry Creek trail, go skiing on weekends, and to make paintings whenever possible.

Clare Vance is still living in New York and working on docs and TV shows. She misses you all and savors the times when she gets to see you guys.

Erin Jones has turned nomadic and escaped New York for the winter. She spent the past two months based in LA, hopping

from there to Utah and Costa Rica and back again. She’s writing this note from a plane en route to Bali, where she’ll be for the next month and a half. She has spent the past year consulting for startups in mindfulness and is now launching a company—By Design—to support small businesses in building their team. She would love to reconnect with TMSers soon (somewhere in the world).

Griffi n Hale does not sleep nearly as much as he did at TMS. On a good day he will tell you he is a rocket scientist or aerospace engineer; on other days he will tell you that he has a dirty job and plays with urine. He is currently working at Bigelow Aerospace and running the water reclamation lab and is transforming pee into water for future astronauts. He has recently gotten into triathlons and completed his fi rst sprint tri, marathon, and century this past year. He also makes time for kite fl ying, slack lining, mountain biking, skiing, kayaking, rock climbing, ice climbing, and trampoline. He will take his second trapeze class this Sunday. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, but tends to avoid the neon lights and opts to spend his time in the beautiful state parks. He thinks of TMS often and anyone is welcome to visit for a Vegas or non-Vegas adventure.

In August of 2015 Danny Smith traded New England for California and moved out to San Francisco to start a doctoral program in Art History at Stanford. It’s been great to start to explore out there but he’s still a little unsure about what to make of a winter without snow.

Faisal Kirdar is enjoying his second year teaching high school chemistry in Mississippi. Highlights include coaching football and running the chess club. He misses y’all (yes, he says y’all now).

Ki Rieffel is living in Ithaca, NY where he recently started work as an engineer at Cornell. Most days are spent in a goofy looking cleanroom suit fabricating microchips for high temperature applications. Besides instructing a

yoga class Monday nights, he and a friend do biweekly haircuts on Fresh Cut Fridays.

Rebecca Hadad is still spending her days studying law, playing with her dog, and dreaming of Pam & Marilyn’s cooking. She is working and staying in Somerville all summer, so let her know if anyone is traveling to town (or near town) for a mini reunion!

Will Stone has settled into life in the Southwest where, for the last year, he’s been reporting for the NPR station in Phoenix, Arizona. He covers natural resources, government, and anything else that comes his way. On the weekends, he’s taking advantage of the great outdoor opportunities, including most recently, a three day hike through the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Hannah Bowling is living on the UWS in NYC and thrilled to be making life moves. After over three years in residential real estate, she’s moving on to new adventures (the exact nature of which are still to be determined...), is newly engaged to her college sweetheart (he took her duck hunting, how could she say no) and is the proud godmother of Rachel Carlin’s (S’05) beautiful baby girl.

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Antlers Negative SpaceCharcoal

Thea McRea

Spring ’08Micha Thompson

michavthompson@gmail.com

Olivia Auld jumped across the pond and is getting her MSc

at The University of Edinburgh in Environment, Culture, and Society. She loves Edinburgh so far, al-though the sun sets around 3pm…

Lara Bernstein lives in Brooklyn and works for a tech start-up. She enjoyed running into Liz Moore at her last job when she was working at Fordham Law School. Thinking of you all and would be glad to meet up with those of you in NYC!

Trevor Brown currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin and works in special education. He is enjoying his time in the Midwest and spends a lot of his time biking around the state. He is excited to do Ironman Wisconsin this September and fi nish with a smile! He hopes Vermont has good sugaring weather as he still consumes massive amounts of maple syrup.

Paul Clements is living in Tulsa, OK after accepting a position at an architecture fi rm. He is hoping to become a licensed architect within the next couple of years.

Sara Davenport is halfway through veterinary school and dreams of working in a practice specializing in ornery goats and old dogs. She and her fi ancé, Charlie, hope to visit Vershire and TMS in June while in Vermont for Mark Davenport’s s’05 wedding!

Tyler Eldridge has been living between Japan and the Philippines for the last year, fi nancing solar power systems. In December and January, he went trekking in Uganda with Nick Bailey to see mountain gorillas, and also stayed with Nick for a week at his home in Togo.

Carey Favaloro spent another year living in Colorado, leading hikes and snowshoe tours as a naturalist with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. She has loved exploring the mountains around Aspen by hiking, mountain

biking, and skiing; there are so many adventure possibilities! True to her Mountain School roots, she’s also gotten involved in several small farms in the Aspen area, and spends a lot of time growing, cooking, and thinking about food.

Jocie Fifi eld moved from Boston to NYC in September to start her Master of Public Health degree at Columbia. She’s studying contraceptive and abortion access and is working as a data analyst in the department. She lives in a sunny, plant-fi lled Harlem apartment with fellow TMS alum and old friend, Mali’o Kodis s’09; come visit!

Brian Huser teaches high school math in Oakland, with two recent TMS grads among his current and former students! He plans to start working towards a PhD in fi lm and media studies this fall.

Linus Ignatius splits his time between Berlin and New York. He is beginning his professional career as an actor (currently acting in an Off-Broadway show called Johnny), while developing fi lm and theater projects on the side. This past year he produced large-scale art/installation/party events in Berlin involving dozens of artists and thousands of attendees— before deciding the party life wasn’t for him. He is now working survival jobs as he continues to grow his passion projects and a humble attitude.

Elise Javetski is currently living in Somerville, MA teaching high school math and special education in Lawrence, MA. She fi nished her Teach for America commitment last year, as well as her masters program at BU, and is continuing to teach at her placement school, Lawrence High. She’s looking forward to s08’s 10-year reunion, which will be here before we know it! If you’re in the Boston area she would love to reconnect and catch up.

Eliot Knudsen is moving to New York City in April. He also proposed to his girlfriend of 2 years, Michelle Leeds, on February twelth.

Maddie Loughridge has spent the year getting her Masters in Education and certifi cation as a Reading Specialist at Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is hoping to fi nd a teaching position somewhere in the Boston area or maybe out west!

Isaac Maze-Rothstein recently joined a solar company called Solstice Initiative focused on making solar accessible to low and middle income Americans. He lives in Somerville Massachusetts, and spends his spare time cooking and dancing. He is happy to be staying in touch with Sal Greenberger, Ben Chute and other Mountain School students.

Zoe Pehrson is in Denver teaching third grade but planning to move farther east to Ann Arbor, Michigan this summer. She is skiing as much as she can! She is considering taking a trip east this summer and would love to meet up minus the one big mistake made with Ben, Paul and Bryan!

Elizabeth Pikaart has had a crazy few years moving around the country working as a modern day carnie in the festival world. She just fi nished up her second year working at the Sundance Film Festival and is now back home in New York City. In April she will start her dream job working as the Front of House Manager with Intellitix, the leading provider of technology-driven solutions for festivals and live events. Keep your eyes peeled she might be coming soon to a festival near you!

Jackson Saul is living in Brooklyn and still working for Restless Books.

Alexander Schults is living in Chicago working as an assistant in an animal hospital. He likes the city but misses mountains and forests. He is continuously striving to fi nd ways to be of service to others.

Arya Samuelson lives in Brooklyn, NY, has spent the last three years working at Neighbors Together, a community-based organization combating and reforming homelessness. These days, she is especially invested in and excited about herbal medicine,

anti-gentrifi cation organizing, yoga teacher training, oral history, and working on a creative nonfi ction writing project about the housing crisis in NYC.

Emma Thomas is living in Providence, RI, where she teaches 5th grade at an awesome little N-8 school dedicated to empowering kids to be agents of social justice. TMS inspires her teaching all the time. She’s been doing some pottery, practicing a lot of yoga, going on bike adventures, and playing music with friends whenever she can.

Micha Thompson has been loving her fi rst year of medical school at Weill Cornell in New York City. This past summer she took a family vacation to what is essentially the Italian counterpart to Mountain School called Spanocchia in Tuscany– check it out!

Camilla Vogt lives in Washington, DC. She has been working for U.S. Congressman Jared Polis on healthcare, agriculture, and foreign policy for the past two years. She often mentions TMS in meetings with Colorado farmers. Outside of the offi ce, she makes time for fruits and veggies as a summer volunteer for the DC-based Produce Plus program.

Hannah Walchak is studying wildlife friendly agricultural management at Yale School of Forestry and hoping to spend the summer somewhere hot and sunny and far away doing the same. She is enjoying being back in New England!

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Isabelle Rivers McCuemcriv617@gmail.com

After graduating in May with a Bachelors in English,

Corinne Keer has returned to the Bay Area where she regularly en-joys avocados, foosball league, and her new job as a content strategist for Study.com. She hopes this year brings lots of growth, community, and good health. The Mountain School is still very present in her thoughts, and all of you are contin-ued sources of inspiration (exhibit A: the recent Googlechat about so-cial privilege and resource genera-tion!). Cheers to another good year. If anyone visits the Bay, her couch is your couch!

Scott Milliman is happily living back home in Seattle. He is working at a child care center for the Boys and Girls Club while he plans a Pacifi c Crest Trail hike for the summer of 2016! Let him know if he’ll be in your neck of the woods!

Cora Went graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in May, and she’s taking a year off before starting grad school. For now, she’s living in Durham, NC and working two jobs: she is a nanny for a family of four, and she works at a restaurant that serves South American food. Next year, she’ll be moving back to California to start a physics PhD program at Caltech. She plans to research new types of solar cells based on two-dimensional materials.

For Abby Emerson, the fi rst year after college was a lovely and warm one in New Haven, CT. She made a t-shirt quilt (s09 T-shirt featured), lived with pets for the fi rst time since she was 15, and volunteered with the Amistad Catholic Worker House. During the day, she was working for a female-professors advocacy group at Yale. Since then, she has been (back!) to VT to study Hebrew at Middlebury, and currently she’s living in Jerusalem and studying at the Pardes Institute, a co-Ed yeshiva (school for studying classical Jewish texts). Send her your address if you would like a postcard.

Henry Cammack has left

Spring ’09his job at Shelburne Farms and partnered with Bread and Butter Farm (also in Shelburne) to start his own raw milk micro-dairy. He should be milking between 4-6 cows of his own by mid-May. As always, anyone is invited to come visit him in Burlington or at the farm.

Evan Mullen remains Parisian, having decided to make use of France’s Bernie-Sanders-approved educational system to get a master’s degree in public health and come out—he kids you not—in the black. Nevertheless, he’ll be throwing in the towel on ceiling moldings, unrefrigerated milk, and Vespas and moving back into glorifi ed dorm rooms come August, when he (fi nally) begins medical school in New York.

After graduating from Yale in May, Jesse Schreck spent six months working as a Production Assistant for a new Hulu series called “The Path.” He learned that a “martini,” in industry-speak, is the last shot of the day (because: “the next shot is in the glass!”), that New York State requires a permit for a baby to act at night (as, let’s be honest, it should), and that TV/fi lm production is a pretty fascinating site for analysis. So, on March 10, Jesse zipped his L.L. Bean duffel—the same one he brought to Vershire seven (!) years ago—and fl ew it across the country, to sunny Los Angeles, with the hopes of becoming a Real-Life Writer. Wish him luck! He misses you all immensely.

Meredith Sopher is fi nishing up her fi rst year of a MA in French Translation and Interpretation. At this stage of development, all of this creature’s original thoughts are slowly being replaced by economics and fi nance terms (this semester’s focus). Meredith is also working part-time in project management at a translation company. Her typical diet consists of fro-yo, large batches of stir-fry, and pocket clementines. Her natural habitat is the MIIS library, although this rare creature may also be spotted running before dawn while muttering to herself in French.

Emily Auran is loving her fi rst year of medical school at Columbia! She’s working in a pediatric orthopedic surgery lab on the side and is so happy to be

back in NYC. She’s enjoyed seeing Mountain Schoolers here and there, and she sends all her love to Spring ’09!

Charlotte Greene moved to Greenpoint. Every morning, her room is briefl y graced by spastic fl ashes of light as the sun rises in perfect perpendicular alignment with the BQE and a big blue storage building. Work is good, inspiration comes and goes, and you are always welcome on her couch.

Eric Coffi n-Gould is living in Oakland, working at a public relations company in San Francisco, and loving the beautiful places to hike in the Bay Area.

Phoebe Papademetriou decided last July to take her work abroad after working as head baker and back of house manager at Levain Bakery in New York City for a little over a year. She worked at a B&B in France for a little bit, and afterwards traveled around Europe until arriving back home in time for Thanksgiving. After spending the holidays with friends and family, Phoebe decided to take a big leap and move out to the west coast. She moved to San Francisco, CA mid-January and has been working as a baker at Arizmendi Bakery. It is a worker-owned cooperative which has its ups and downs since everyone is “the boss.” Just last week she had a “small world” moment while she rang someone up while wearing her classic ‘wicked good’ t-shirt who turned out to be a former TMSer as well. She is also interning for a local food and beverage PR group as well as doing work for a new food+tech app which launched March 8th.

Bayley Mullan just got back from a trip to Seattle, where she was fortunate enough to go on a double date with Max Birger! She also had a great time visiting Lily Adler and Emily Auran in NYC last October. Bayley moved to Los Angeles in January after completing an intensive, yearlong program in sustainable agriculture. Since relocating to L.A., she has been super busy going to juice bars, eating too much Mexican food, and doing a lot of yoga. She is looking forward to the next Mountain School Beach Picnic in Santa Monica!

Sarah Minahan graduated

from Middlebury in 2014 and spent the year after that living in New Hampshire working with all sorts of kids in the great outdoors. She’s now living in New York City and working at a school for students with autism. She works with a group of six amazing high schoolers whom she loves! Other than that, she spends her days playing rugby and researching the best breakfast sandwich in the city.

Isabelle Rivers-McCue is now living in Chicago where she does visual merchandising for her local Patagonia store and remotely reads college admissions applications for small liberal arts schools. She spends as much time as she can walking through Lincoln Park along Lake Michigan (in head-to-toe Patagonia, of course) to get some fresh air in the middle of a big city. She sends love out to the TMS community and her fellow Spring ‘09ers and implores you to visit her in Chicago!

Rachel Blackrachbee93@gmail.com

Adrija Navarro graduated from Princeton University in

June 2015 with a BSE in Chemical and Biological Engineering. She moved to Cambridge, MA, where she works as a Research Associ-ate in the Hahn Lab in the Cancer Program at The Broad Institute. In her free time she still enjoys sail-ing. She both volunteers for the Learn to Sail Classes at the MIT Sailing Pavilion and is a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the MIT Rac-ing Team.

Becky Hamilton is currently living in Boston and teaching a class of rambunctious 8-year-old children with special needs. She is constantly exhausted, but she loves her job. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, and wants to start doing trapeze!

Chelsea Davidson works at the Humane Society of Chittenden County and frequently fi nds that the mop skills gained from her time at TMS have given her a competitive edge. When she is not medicating or playing with dogs and cats, she can be found in the studio at UVM either practicing, coaching, or struggling with new

Spring ’10

38

for Overland Summers, leading backpacking trips for high schoolers throughout the Alaskan wilderness. After this, she began a teaching residency program with the Hillbrook School in Los Gatos, CA, where she teaches 5th and 6th grade science classes. She is living in the Bay Area and would love to reconnect with past Mountain Schoolers who are also in the area. Let her know if you’d like to catch up with good food or some time spent outside!

Rachel Black is completing her fi nal semester at Brown and will be moving to Somerville, MA and doing data analysis for large public school districts next year. Luckily she doesn’t start work until September and can roam the southern hemisphere with Rosii Floreak in the summer months!

Rebecca Celli is currently working in documentary fi lm distribution. She was excited to bond over TMS with her younger brother Andrew who was in Vershire in the fall. She is sad to not be spending much time outdoors but is looking forward to attending TMS events in NYC this spring!

Rosii Floreak doesn’t have a plan for next year and is feeling pretty okay about it. She knows for sure she’ll be spending part of the summer gallivanting around South America with Rachel.

After a brief stint way way upstate, Shizue Roche Adachi has become a temporary transplant to Hudson, NY. She can be found toting around gnome-loving Waldorf children while doing the post-grad work of Figuring It Out. She plans to move to Montana or Wyoming come June (because, why not?) and would love to have friends in this foreign land besides her long-anticipated puppy and her partner. So holler!

Zara Corzinezarafcorzine@gmail.com

Last summer, Hailey Kennedy and Olivia Kivel reunited in

Spain and walked 550 miles from San Sebastian to Santiago on el Camino de Santiago. Although back at their respective schools on opposite ends of the U.S., they con-tinue to reminisce on the adventures, friends they made, and

choreography.After graduating from

Washington University in St. Louis last May, David Parker moved to Chicago to begin working for Deloitte Consulting. He’s patiently awaiting the day that he has a client who’s a maple sugarer.

Now in his last semester at UVM, Isaac Sacca fi lls his time with community planning/design and making sculptures, and of course plenty of days spent at the mountain or backyard terrain park.

Kate Hamilton graduated from Middlebury in February in their famous ski-down ceremony, and is now living in DC working on media strategy for the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Kyra Morris loved seeing so much of s’10 at the reunion in June! She is spending this year at the University of Cambridge doing an MPhil in English Literature. She has been thinking about TMS a lot this term because one of her courses is titled “Literature Post-Pastoral: or, Investigating the Anthropocene.” Reading Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain and Robert Macfarlane’s The Wild Places has made her curious to explore the wilder landscape of Britain. She is currently planning trips to Mount Snowdon in Wales and to the Cairngorms in Scotland.

Lex Corwin graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon in May. After graduation he embarked on a 7 week trip that included visits to Cuba, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Croatia, and Scotland. In September Lex moved to Southern California to work in acquisitions for a real estate development fi rm. Lucky enough, his roommate, Matt, happens to go to school an hour away. He is looking forward to his next TMS reunion.

Megan Butterfi eld graduated from Ithaca College in May with a degree in Television-Radio. She spent two months roadtripping around the country and enjoying life in Los Angeles. After much consideration and the setting in of post-grad realities, she moved back to Keene, NH and accepted a job with the Center for Population Health, Strategy, and Practice at Cheshire Medical Center.

Maddy Scheer graduated from Colby College in May and spent the summer working

copious amounts of chocolate, bread, and coffee they consumed.

With a refreshed perspective, Hailey has dropped her Spanish minor (which was disappointingly useless in Spain) to make time for more fulfi lling things like teaching yoga three times a week and intern-ing at her school’s garden.

Annabel Buckfi re can’t believe it’s senior year already and 5 years have passed since our time at TMS. She has loved living in Chicago and is looking forward to spending another 2 quarters there, fi nishing her Master’s degree. In her free time, she has been taking cooking classes and watching Netfl ix.

David Andersen is currently studying abroad in Valparaiso, Chile, his third semester abroad! He is triple majoring in Spanish, Latin American studies, and Environmental Studies and minoring in Public Health. He recently fractured his foot and had to get surgery in Argentina to get screws, but all is better now.

Marissa Perez is in her second to last semester at Middlebury and trying to make good art. She is also making a whole set of dishes in the pottery studio and trying to fi nd many ways to eat butter. This summer, she will be working at Farm and Wilderness summer camp in Plymouth, VT. Come visit!

Christiano Boria is fi nishing up his fi nal semester at Brown before graduating with a BA in Economics. Upon graduation he will be backpacking around Southeast Asia before he begins working in investment banking in New York.

Walker Cammack plans on continuing his wild foods business--Walker’s Goods From The Woods--after graduating from Connecticut College this spring. He will be providing restaurants and farmers’ markets in the Lake Champlain area with local wild foods that he forages himself. His business model focuses on educating the local community on ethical foraging practices, as well as working with land conservation groups to help protect both public and private land. Walker will also help his brother Henry start his raw milk dairy in Shelburne, VT. He also did a TED Talk last year on the art of foraging, titled “Foraging

for Mushrooms and Reconnecting with Our Food.” Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFyilPoY3y0

Phoebe Kranefuss is fi nishing up her English major at Bowdoin, and capping off senior spring with some super interesting classes, a good deal of slacking off, and one last hurrah on the lacrosse fi eld. Next year, she’ll be teaching fi rst grade in Oakland, California. Will anyone else be in the area?! She’d love to connect with some San Francisco Bay Area TMSers next year!

Wesley Hertz is currently the program development director for Brown Market Shares Program, an on-campus food distribution program that sources produce from local farms in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He’ll be working in NYC this summer as a Software Engineer for Flatiron Health, a startup that builds oncology software, and was a teaching assistant for intro computer science at Brown last fall.

Caleb Fujimori has once again mostly been climbing and kayaking. He’s been working on designing and prototyping a directional listening device and is also looking for a job. He hopes to see everyone at the 5-year reunion this summer!

Anna Smith has been continuing her work with bees, studying viruses and reactions to pesticides. She hopes to have a huge garden next year after she graduates, and misses all of the members of TMS Spring 2011!

Susanna Billingsssb@sover.net

Nelson Mugabo is still trying to fi gure out the college thing.

Recently, he attended the North-western University Conference on Human Rights where he met good folks and learned about corporate social responsibility in different contexts. He has since been think-ing about how to channel his pas-sions into positive actions. Nelson is excited for his courses this term; he is looking to inject more liveli-ness into his academics and fi nd his spaces on campus. All in all, he is trying to also stretch his comfort and put himself in vulnerable situ-

Spring ’11

Spring ’12

39

ations. Nathan Lobel spent the

fall semester studying social movements in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he ran into Susanna Billings by chance while she was on a weekend trip from Santiago, Chile. He’s back at Yale now, trying to learn how to convince people that it’s worth doing something about climate change. He can’t decide whether four years seems like a really long or a really short time since we were all sitting together at morning meeting in Vershire.

Zoe Huber-Weiss has nothing new to report, except that she fi nds it odd being in the spring semester of her junior year and not being at the Mountain School with the rest of s12. She likes this state of affairs decidedly less than she did the last time she had a junior spring.

Kelly Tellez is still spending a lot of time in the biology lab. A highlight of her winter study was running in the rain to fi nd her TMS roommate Mila Rostain at the Williams College Museum of Art! She has gotten involved in student activism on campus—specifi cally pushing to increase transparency between students and trustees.

Maya Delany is currently writing from Brisbane, Australia where she is studying at the University of Queensland for a semester! She is excited to take classes on global population issues, indigenous history, contemporary Australian issues, and America through fi lm. Since last spring’s update, Maya spent a summer in NYC with Amnesty International, became a student activist coordinator to work with AI chapters around Western Massachusetts, and put her school efforts into clubs such as the Undocumented Immigrant Alliance, Asian American Students in Action, and the Multicultural Campus Life Committee.

Anya Katz just returned from doing research on HIV in Amsterdam and is taking the semester off from Oberlin. During her semester off, she is working with an organization called LEIMAY to produce a dance and visual art performance called Borders in Brooklyn, doing freelance photography for the Dutch magazine, Hello Gorgeous, and fi guring out how to get back

to Amsterdam before the end of April.

Penelope Ganske is studying abroad in Athens, Greece this semester and enjoying traveling around Europe!

This year, Khatiti Harper added music as a second major and believes that this entitles her to sing Disney songs in public because if anyone questions her she can just say “chill, I’m a music major.” Currently, she is studying abroad in Paris where she has come to the ultimate conclusion that gummy bears in Europe taste better than those in the US (specifi cally the pineapple ones). She is looking forward to seeing fellow TMS alumni on this side of the globe, and to all of the adventures the semester holds!

Colby Lewis is thoroughly enjoying the latter half of her junior year at Lawrence University. This year she is interning for the Offi ce of the Historian at the State Department while she is at school, and will continue her internship in person this summer (pending security clearance). She is also spending her free time focusing on her music and performing at different venues around campus. Life in the Wisconsin tundra is similar in many ways to TMS, but without the friendly sheep and hip-checking cows she misses so very much. And without Marilyn and Pam’s cooking. She would kill for some of that turkey potpie and those biscuits right now. Love to all!

Isaac Schultz is still playing bassoon at Rice University in Texas. He is busy as always with concerts, chamber music, and orchestra rehearsals. Last summer he hiked another month on the Appalachian Trail, completing 800 total miles. He’s going out again this summer: get in touch with him if you want to join! He misses all of you greatly and would love for you to get in touch.

Nina Sayles is fi nishing her junior year at Brandeis where she continues to study health: science, society, and policy, and music. She fi nished another long but successful fencing season in which her team won a share of the conference title, and she continues to gain more leadership within the Brandeis Mountain Club. Living in the Metro Boston area hasn’t stopped her from being true to

her Mountain School roots—last summer she helped establish the Brandeis Rooftop Garden, and looks forward to leading volunteers in the garden during its second season. She is also glad that she is no longer the only TMS Brandeisian, as she is joined now by Zoe Zelkha f12.

Sarah Gross has been spending her days learning how to drive on the unforgiving streets of New York City while taking the semester off from Yale. She will be a counselor at Seeds of Peace again this summer and is incredibly excited to be starting a garden and gardening program there. She will be driving up to Maine in May to build and plant it and would love some company, so let her know if you want to help out! Recently, she was wearing her Mountain School sweatshirt and someone shouted, “go Mountain School!” and ran away. She is still trying to decipher this interaction.

Over the summer Jasper Barbash-Taylor worked for author and agro biodiversity expert David Buchanan on his organic farm and cider apple orchard/conservation site in Pownal, Maine. This spring, he is living with his pops in Cambridge, MA. Through courses at Harvard University, he has been rediscovering his passion for environmental science that fi rst began at the Mountain School. He recently discovered quora—essentially a combination of Reddit, Yahoo Answers and Wikipedia—and is now still trying to fi gure out whether it would be better to grab the hunting knife or the baseball bat when battling a nun who may or may not be a bear in disguise.

Noah Mostow has been working his butt off studying mechanical engineering here in Burlington. He has been having a great time snowboarding, hiking, and hanging out with friends. He is the Vice-chair of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) at UVM, and is also a tour guide and leader for the Outing Club. Besides that, he has been hanging out with friends just doing some shenanigans.

During the fall 2015 semester, James Rau was in a cooperative program working at Mack Truck’s manufacturing facility, where he gained further insight into engineering and project

management. Outside of work, he has enjoyed time with friends and is nearing his 100th skydive and will soon tackle wingsuit fl ying.

Ana Maria Trivino has been hiking a lot and is still working toward becoming a sustainable engineer.

Abby Bowling’s life is interesting and fi lled with dogs, friends, and camping.

Charlotte Edelstein is spending the semester studying abroad in Ecuador. So far she has spent time in a homestay in Quito and traveled to the Intag Cloud Forest, where she learned about sustainable farming and a powerful anti-mining movement. She’s working hard to improve her Spanish, and is excited for the rest of the semester.

While studying abroad at the University of Seville, Lizzy Marks has forgotten what winter is, and now believes 50ºF to be “freezing.” Her Spanish is coming along, but the locals have an uncanny talent for identifying her as a foreigner before she opens her mouth (it must be the shoes, Spanish women wear very nice shoes?!). She would not recommend maple syrup as a host family gift–it will sit in the cabinet, neglected. She loves and misses you all!

Max Sopher is struggling to realize that for the past month he’s been living in Rome, where he feels perpetually awe-stricken and usually underdressed.

Jonathan Adler has had a busy past year—over the summer, he spent six weeks doing research as part of the history major through Yale at UCL in London, England. He then fl ew back across the Atlantic and the North American continent to work for two months as an intern at the Sitka Local Foods Network in Sitka, Alaska - a city of 9,000 on Baranof Island in the SE section of the states—growing lots of greens, helping to run the bi-weekly farmers’ markets, and biking through torrential Pacifi c northwest rain storms. He had a great semester back in New Haven in the fall, and is now in northern Israel for the semester as part of an Arabic and Hebrew language program. He wishes all of his fellow s12 friends well on their wide-ranging adventures!

Grace Stonecipher is spending a lot of time at the rock climbing gym, training

40

for competition season and a spring break trip to climb in Nevada. She’s hoping to spend the summer in Alaska, maybe doing some senior thesis research, but mostly hanging out with bears.

August Rosenthal is a philosophy and political science major at Middlebury College. He is writing a joint thesis on prison reform and the morality of punishment. To cheer himself up from that depressing topic, he is still doing improv and started dipping his toes into stand-up.

Joanna Lynch is back at Carleton where she has declared a sociology and anthropology major.

It’s Andrew Gong’s sophomore year at Washington University in St. Louis. He is having a great time playing ultimate frisbee, exploring St. Louis, and studying marketing and computer science. Andrew will be in Seattle this summer, and hopes to get the chance to visit the Mountain School soon.

Lauren Volpert can’t believe that the Spring ‘12ers are rising seniors in college! She is so excited for our fi ve-year reunion and wants to throw away her phone in anticipation. Lauren will be working in NYC this summer doing science research, so please let her know if you want to hang out!

In his junior year, Cooper Vincent is conducting research at Gonzaga University on magnetic resonance contrast agents!

Jane Jacoby is doing research on fi sheries management and perfecting the art of the raspberry smoothie.

David Elitzer was in Copenhagen in the fall studying

urban design and eating Danish cinnamon rolls (not to be confused with danishes). He is back at Brown, where he now just eats danishes.

Hannah Celli is living in Berlin for the semester. She is learning German, babysitting, and eating really great Turkish food.

Erin Van Gessel is studying abroad this semester at the University of Cape Town. It has been a change of pace for her from Middlebury, VT, but she is enjoying studying the politics of South Africa and exploring the country by fork and foot…so lots of eating and (when there’s enough energy) hiking. She misses the TMS crew, though, and is looking forward to the fi rst big reunion!

Susanna Billings spent the fall semester in Santiago, Chile studying Latin American political systems and felt lucky to be able to explore South America, where she randomly ran into Nathan Lobel on a trip to Buenos Aires. This spring, she is continuing her studies abroad in Paris, France and hoping for a similar ratio of time spent ‘studying’ to time spent ‘abroad’ (traveling).

Recently, Charlotte May joined the ranks of the other six s12 alumni at Brown University. She transferred from Haverford College outside of Philadelphia to Brown via a semester studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. So far she has had lunch with Jane Jacoby, drinks with David Elitzer, a dinner run-in with Hayley Flug, breakfast with Noah Henry, and street passes with Dan Schreck and Nelson Mugabo. She’s offi cially concentrating in history and continues to miss Marilyn’s cooking at every university she has attended.

Hayley Flug is back for the spring of her junior year after an internship semester abroad in Paris, where she worked at a human rights NGO and an elementary school for immigrant children. Hayley cannot wait for the s12 fi ve-year reunion, even though there’s an ever-present mini reunion at Brown!!!

Zelda Wengrod is adjusting to life back in the States and at Oberlin after going abroad to study English at Trinity College Dublin (which was amazing!) last semester. She also just started working in the dining hall—

obviously trying to get back to her dish crew roots. She can’t think of anything particularly interesting about her life right now, so she’ll just end by saying she misses you guys tons!

Beth Minahan spent the fall working on the facilities team at a camp, then went to Boston to intern at Jobs with Justice and food-run at a restaurant/music venue. She passed the food-running torch on to fellow s12 alum Katy Lee in January in order to go back to school at Oberlin. They overlapped for two days, which was a blast.

Katy Lee is taking a semester off from Barnard to travel around the country with Lowry Bass and eventually settle in Yaak, Montana for a few months.

Lowry Bass is taking this semester off from Middlebury College. She is heading to Tennessee where she will meet Katy Lee to travel around the south for an independent study, which she is really looking forward to.

Kelan Nee is taking the semester off from Colorado College, building boats, and hoping to travel around the USA.

Mario Sacca is living in Vermont, working with his hands: welding, building, woodworking, and generally learning life skills—it’s sweet, you should try it.

Dan Schreck is thinking about getting a used car. How does that work? Let him know. And another process he doesn’t understand? Settlers of Catan. He loses a lot. Help him out. The tutelage of Mila Rostain has proven questionable.

Mila Rostain is still happily at Yale, where she spends 80% of her time dreaming of Morano Gelato and 20% playing games. Here she is with her least favorite Mountain School parasite from Valentine’s Day.

Kenny Shapiro has been at Bowdoin living with Michael Butler f11. He briefl y had plans to live with Andrew Cawley f11

and Michael in the upcoming academic year, but—with two days left to sign the lease—got cold feet and thought better of it. Needless to say they are no longer friends. This was ghost-written by Andrew.

Noah Henry Goodman does a primal scream when he gets the chance. The rest of the time, he sits and reads and fi dgets. Or rides a bicycle.

Ethan Savelesavel@wesleyan.edu

Bram Kyer will be returning to Vershire this summer to work

on the farm crew.Lately, people (out of the blue

and unrelated to each other) keep giving Fiona Harbert quotes from “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver. What is it with this poem? Has it followed anyone else?

After a wonderful and exciting gap year (traveling in Bolivia with Where There Be Dragons and expeditioning around New England with the Kroka Expeditions Vermont Semester), Hazel Edwards has settled into her fi rst year at Smith College. She’s studying environmental science and education. In her free time, she contra dances, rock climbs, and goes for bike rides on the Northampton rail trail. She’s looking forward to spending another summer working as a counselor at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Camp! Yvonne Mickens is enjoying her second semester of sophomore year at Allegheny College!! Her weekdays are spent in biology labs and psychology lectures. She is currently the secretary of her school’s Association of Caribbean Students and a member of Orchesis, which is her school’s dance company. While her weekdays are hectic, she loves to spend her weekends amongst friends having movie nights or just dancing around her dorm room.

Marie Vaine is at Warren Wilson College studying environmental studies and outdoor leadership. She’s working at a killer recycling program that is moving her entire campus toward zero landfi ll waste! She’s also on the Warren Wilson road cycling team and is gearing up for her fi rst race. David suning himself

Spring ’13

41

She will be doing three triathlons this summer and working as a Lake Host.

Ella Caplin is studying marine science abroad in Townsville, Australia, right by the Great Barrier Reef.

Eliza Thomas is writing from Auckland, New Zealand, where she’s studying abroad with SEA Semester. She is setting out for a month at sea, heading down the east coast of New Zealand doing oceanography and marine biology research. She loves her time there so far. Being abroad has reminded her of what an important piece of her life TMS has been—it helped her develop the sense of adventure and curiosity for the world that has led her to New Zealand this semester. She hopes everyone is doing well—big hugs!

Gabe Weisbuch spends his time trying to make people feel good about themselves and expressing himself creatively. He shares a room with a fi sh named Kenny, whom he loves dearly, has endowed with his ideal personality, and considers far superior to any other being.

Sequoia Scavullo is living in Boston now. She is now in a fi ve year dual degree program with Tufts and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. This is much better for her because she has so much more time for her art. It’s amazing how not doing something she loved so much can really make her not feel like herself. She also made her fi rst website for her paintings http://cargocollective.com/SequoiaRoseScavullo and would love to know what people think. Thinking of you all often. Forever forever forever in her heart.

This year, Kalaina Thorne has been busy with fi guring out her major and sleeping through classes. This summer she hopes that she can do some ecology research somewhere through an REU program. She’s dropped the acapella group but has tentatively started a band with some friends:). She also has joined the Equestrian Club while staying in her dance group.

Lauren Black loves having the s13 contingent at Brown growing with Lily Meyersohn, Charlotte Haslett, and Sam Mayer all joining this year! Most of her life right now is absorbed

in an independent study: she’s spending an entire semester reading the diaries of this random guy who lived in Rhode Island from 1920-1986 and was a recluse and a hoarder and a bit of a stalker (he never let anyone into his house until after he died, when he left it and all of its contents to one of the women he was obsessed with). That woman has now also passed away but Lauren tracked down her daughter, who still has several boxes of this man’s stuff. As she’s writing this, she should be studying for an accounting exam. Why is she in accounting????? Her dad requires it. She’s already looking forward to the fi ve year reunion and hopes the weather where you are is less psycho than where she is: nine degrees when she woke up yesterday, mid-fi fties today.

Kipling Haviland-Hack is currently at Cornell studying environmental science with a minor in environmental engineering (try saying that ten times). He’s loving the major but still fi guring out his life. He is still in a fraternity, Delta Upsilon, and is now the house manager which it has been fun. He recently joined a project team called Cornell University Sustainable Design, and is leading a team of people to design a new green parking lot on campus. Its aim is to test out new technology like Solar Road Tiles, hopefully, using a million dollar grant. He somehow was able to get a job working for the Appalachian Mountain Club at 3 Mile Island on Lake Winnipesaukee. It’s a beautiful 44-acre island with a family camp. Jack and Sue talked about it a lot at TMS because they were managers there for a long time. It’s similar to TMS in a lot of ways, (Marilyn also cooked there) which is a big reason he loved it so much. He was also able to work with Gabe Weisbuch and Julia Carpenter while there, as well as many other Mountain School alums.

Alex Bynum is still at Carleton college where he plans on declaring a geology major come springtime. Much to the displeasure of his parents, Alex has started playing ice hockey again after a many year hiatus. He sends warm thoughts to friends spread far and wide!

Sophie Draznin-Nagy is

at Mills College working toward a degree in anthropology. She’s loving Oakland and hanging out with her sister, Rachel f07. Still working at the art museum on campus, she and coworkers are photographing and cataloguing the museum’s entire collection (over 10,000 pieces). She’ll be spending the summer in southern Italy working on an archaeological excavation of a 3rd Century winery. She also misses the Morris mug more than anyone from our semester.

Madeline Frank is currently a sophomore anthropology major and English minor at Kenyon College and has had a great year so far! She is planning to study abroad in Paris next spring and is still running cross country and track! Missing all her TMS loves every day!

Ethan Savel is still at Wesleyan, trying to fi gure it out, like everyone. He spent last summer doing public health research in Cape Town, South Africa for three months and now spends most days yearning to get back there. He spends most of his time napping and watching television, like he used to do at TMS as well. Sending his love to his whole spring ‘13 family all across the globe.

Julia Pikejuliacpike@gmail.com

Baird Acheson is happily set-tling into his second semester

at Brown University. Lowlight: dislocating his shoulder while sled-ding on a dining hall tray. High-light: taking the same tray down a much much bigger slope the next week.

Violet Cole is enjoying hav-ing the same initials as Vassar College. At Vassar, she spends her time aimlessly checking her mail-box, doing crossword puzzles, and wearing the exact same sneakers as the elderly men at the gym. Though she likes New York, Violet misses California for its warmth, avoca-dos, and Olivia Burke-Tomaeno.

Sophie Frank is happy to be back on the east coast for her fi rst year at Haverford College. She takes real maple syrup to the din-

ing center, reads from her Robert Frost collection at Poetry Reading Group, and is currently knitting a sweater with Mountain School yarn.

Ellis Fredella is loving life up in the northern reaches of the (unusually warm) Green Mountain state at UVM. Studies toward a BS in civil engineering are going well. He’s on the ultimate frisbee team here, Vermont Chill. Lots of fun times being had up here!

Stef Hernandez is currently in the midst of her exciting fi rst year at Williams. She has been rock climbing, sunrise hiking, and making endless coffee runs with her friends.

Eliza Klein is having a phe-nomenal year in Williamstown, MA. She is going on frequent sun-rise hikes, working on a fossil fuel divestment campaign, playing lots of frisbee and bananagrams, and (obviously) feeling the Bern.

Elyse Lindahl is enjoying her fi rst year at Scripps College in Southern California, playing ulti-mate frisbee and eating avocados. She hopes to major in economics with a minor in Italian language. Elyse can’t wait to return to Ver-mont for the summer to teach wa-terskiing at Camp Billings and visit TMS!

Ariana McGinn is a fresh-man at Penn, and she’s having a great time. She writes for a sketch comedy troupe, and is a part of the divestment club.

Katie Morse-Gagné is liv-ing two fl oors above Anna Blaus-tein and going on outing club trips whenever possible. She loves Bowdoin so far, and living in a quint reminds her of Derby (but

Spring ’14Eliza Klein and Ruby Edlin drop Violet Cole off at her fi rst day of

college at Vassar.

42

can never compare). She still miss-es s’14 a ton, loved seeing a lot of you over winter break and living on Grant and Andy’s fl oors for a week, and can’t wait for spontane-ous summer reunions.

Sarah Newberger really en-joyed her fi rst semester at Brown, which consisted of many Monday pho dates with Clare Steinman. Sarah heard a rumor that Baird Acheson goes here too, but she’s still not sure. Sarah’s also been having a good time interning at Year Up this semester and wants s14 to visit Providence ASAP!!!

Julia Pike is thoroughly en-joying her freshman year at Am-herst College, where she spends her time playing Ultimate Frisbee, singing in an a cappella group, and rock climbing at a local gym. Julia, like most Mountain Schoolers, is involved with her school’s divest-ment club, and, like some others, mourns the lack of s14ers at her school.

Rayna Solbeck is currently at Oberlin in OH (and loving it despite the cornfi elds and distinct lack of anything close to a moun-tain). She’s working as a managing mechanic and new member trainer in the bike cooperative and student union bike share at her school, as well as living in a dining and housing cooperative. Every time she does the pot sink she thinks of Mountain School and chan-nels master Jack Kruse, King of Pot-Sinking-in-Record-Time. She sends love to all and would like to add that if any alums want to come visit her in the middle-of-nowhere Ohio, she would be so delighted and buy them vegan pancakes and tea.

Josie Souza is currently: lov-

ing Notre Dame but missing foot-ball! Settled in and working intra-murals and playing in intramural sports, spring break in Florida and volunteering this summer.

Clare Steinman is loving freshman year at Brown Univer-sity. She spends her time trying to play ultimate frisbee, writing opin-ions for the Brown Daily Herald, and enjoying weekly pho dates with Sarah Newberger where they complain about being at the only Ivy that doesn’t compost. College has driven her to question her beliefs, and she is now unsure if GMOs are a good thing.

Leo Stevenson just left a per-fectly good carpentry job in NC (with Matthew Sevilla) and drove north to start school at Middlebury with one Ruby Edlin. Leo is en-joying the fresh new challenges of having to remember which day of the week it is and being surrounded by other humans all the time.

s14 at Ariana birthday dinner

Rena Simkowitz, Sarah New-berger, and Clare Steinman on

a bike trip in Ireland

Rachel Scharf f13, Eliza Klein, and Stef Hernandez at

Williams College.

Spring ’15Amir Mamdani

amir.mamdani16@trinityschoolnyc.org

Winslow Ferris has just wrapped up her last season

on the Concord Academy ski team. Her team took second place over-all so that was very exciting. She is also doing an independent study this semester on healthcare in Bos-

ton and is raising money for a med-ical clinic for the homeless. Lastly, she is looking forward to enrolling in the class of 2020 at Middlebury!

Izzy Kotlowitz is really missing Derby dorm, Pine Top, and everyone at TMS... However she is excited to be in the spring musical at her school and working as a counselor at a camp this summer. She sends her love to Spring ’15 and all of the Mountain School faculty.

Livi Bokor can be found reading Jhumpa Lahiri, playing with her dogs, or running along the Hudson River with Sara. She is editor-in-chief of her school’s newspaper and a peer mentor for eighth graders. Livi is currently making a dress out of bobby pins for her school’s annual fashion show and is looking forward to a summer of friends and travel.

Beyond Garden Hill, Emma Seevak continues to adventure through the woods (a high point was Half Dome), drink Earl Gray tea, and talk with TMS friends. She’s spent senior year running, editing the school newspaper, and enjoying one last cotton-clad California winter. She’s dripping with excitement for the sugaring reunion!

Oceanna Schnirman is living in Andover, MA and is starting the fi rst community garden in Andover in over 20 years. She hopes all of Spring ’15 is doing well and cannot wait for the reunion!

Lindsay Cartmell is looking forward to this year’s lacrosse season and hearing back from all of her colleges, and is looking into gap year opportunities.

Francesca Farris is enjoying the end of her senior year with her weekly tuna melts… You will most likely fi nd her at Warren Wilson College next year, but she is still deciding.

The fall was tricky for Ben Gross, because of the college process, but he has found that a deep appreciation for shirt pockets and rereading Harry Potter has helped him get through it all. Ben also helped bring composting to Dalton, which has lessened its regular trash load signifi cantly! Also, meat has mostly disappeared from his diet.

Zoe Grodsky is spending the end of her senior year rehearsing for Fiddler on the Roof, running the

Feminist Coalition at Watertown High School, commuting to New York, listening to First Aid Kit, and making hummus with Aida Muratoglu.

Carmen Ribadeneira has spent the majority of her fall baking vegan goodies and spending time in Connecticut. She can often be found spending time with friends or freaking out about the new Michael Pollan Netfl ix series.

Jacob Kiely-Song has spent his year in a state of perpetual motion. He whiles away the time writing poems, boxing, thinking about irony in detention for his poor attendance, and hiking around New Hampshire by himself. He also has started drinking far too much Coca Cola because it is free at Za, the restaurant he seems to fi nd himself working at most nights. Hopefully this addiction, along with Breaking Bad and driving too fast, will prove beatable. Cob would like the TMS community at large to know that he carved his initials into a bench in Conard BEFORE Sue got up to instruct us not to do such a thing.

When Aida Muratoglu isn’t teaching herself guitar or making brunch with Mountain Schoolers, Aida is leading her school’s Environmental Action Club, serving as editor-in-chief of the literary magazine, or nannying for two adorable babies. She is looking forward to taking a gap year, during which she plans on living in Turkey, farming, and backpacking.

Ruby Mayer lives at the Paint Bar, where she works for eccentric patrons who want to explore their artistic sides. Once in awhile she will see mountain friends, but she mostly just drives around in her Honda CRV, listening to Late Registration. She goes on occasional runs and leads a streetball league for non-committed yet somehow competitive athletes in Newton.

Shani Berkowitz is fi nishing up her second semester of senior year at Gann Academy, babysitting for her three little cousins, and spending time with friends and family. She is looking forward to interning at an architectural fi rm in the spring before she graduates. She still does not know where she will be attending college but knows that next year will be full of fun and new experiences.

Robby Lamont has been

Reunions2016

5-10-15 years

Fall ’00, ’05, ’10Spring ’01, ’06, ’11

June 10-12

***************20 year

Fall ’95, Spring ’96

August 5-7***************

25 years + overFall ’84-Spring ’91

August 12-14***************

2017 tentative

5-10-15 yearFall ’01, ’06, ’11

June 9-11***************

20 yearFall ’96, Spring ’97

August 4-6***************25 years & over

Fall ’84, Spring ’92

August 11-13

43

spending time reading and learning to cook. He is captain of the math team and is doing ultimate frisbee for the fi rst time this year. He is enjoying senior year, especially his engineering class. He also just got his learner’s permit and has started learning how to drive at the tender age of 18.

Yaritza Amado has been playing squash, missing Mountain School, and listening to J. Cole (as per usual). She is looking forward to working in the summer and attending college in the fall.

Anna Cooksey is enjoying the end of her senior year at Myers Park High in Charlotte. She is looking forward to seeing all of her friends and the faculty at the sugaring reunion. In her free time, Anna has been playing with a bluegrass band and watching movies.

Will Kolling has found himself swept up in local live theater. Rent, Hamlet, American Idiot and more. He remains closely connected to TMS and is lucky enough to have this amazing shared experience with his younger sister Elizabeth, who is a current student.

Christina Duval is for the most part just shuffl ing through the year. She spends a lot of time with her cats because she has no time to go out. In her free time, she’s organizing the poetry festival and working. The highlight of her year was going to Abu Dhabi. Her favorite activity is sleeping.

For those wondering, Liam Hefta has still not built the guitar he has promised he would, but continues to play music and enjoy a nice cup of tea on occasion; he has also picked up the wonderful sport of volleyball, and is straight up terrible.

Sam Huston is enjoying life in the wild mountain ranges of the Pacifi c Northwest. He is currently spending as much time as he can safely climbing rocks, buildings, and other large objects.

Gary Friedle recently moved to Palm Springs, California from New York City because his parents bought a hotel. When he isn’t playing football or rugby, he is helping his parents run their hotel or going hiking with friends in the mountains.

Liam Zeya is living peacefully in McLean, Virginia, happily adjusting to his temporary

lifestyle of near-absolute academic indifference. He can often be found learning outside of the classroom though— chess, harmonica, and photography are his interests of late, and he still loves making videos. After graduation in late June, Liam is planning on working in New York.

Over the summer, Losel Yauch wrote and directed a short fi lm which she is now editing. She is excited to say it will be done soon! For the remainder of high school Losel hopes to focus on music and the visual arts. She is currently trying to teach herself the banjo, and has also just signed up to volunteer at the Wild Bird Fund, a wildlife rehabilitation center in New York. She is very excited to start and can’t wait to see everyone at the sugaring reunion.

Jamie Pitman has been missing TMS and all of the people tremendously, but has been enjoying her time at home on the coast. She led her school’s tennis team to its best year in school history this fall and is planning to start Christmas tree farming in western NC this spring. She’s been working hard in preparation for her gap year in Patagonia and can’t wait to take a weekend off to see everyone at the reunion.

Overall, Remi Godinez has had a happy start to her senior year. She dislocated her ankle this fall but was able to compete bars at two gymnastics meets this season! She will be learning to tap dance this May for her senior project and is looking forward to graduating high school and whatever may come beyond!

Ginger Adams is enjoying her last semester at Trinity school and is looking forward to her gap semester before beginning college at Middlebury.

Ray Moss-Cousin has been working and doing “the regular school thing.” She is looking forward to going to an out-of-state school in the fall and continuing to dance and step in the meantime but also working on getting her doctoral degree. She can’t wait to see everyone!

Henry Pearson has had a lot to do besides yearning for the days where he was a student at the Mountain School. He has taken the lead in his school play, The Music Man. He has spent an equal amount of time playing the saxophone for

various events, including being selected to play in the Inter-School Music Association’s Honors Jazz Band. While he is having fun in the play and in the band, he still misses everyone from s15, and cannot wait to see them soon!

As president of the Women’s Issues Club, Sara Santiago has been organizing the club’s annual dinner whose theme is Women in Criminal Justice. After the bittersweet end to her high school volleyball career, Sara decided to audition for her fi rst high school musical. Since the conclusion of the show she has spent her afternoons running, cooking, and painting with friends. Sara is excited about travelling and enjoying her friends’ company during the coming months.

Amir Mamdani has greatly enjoyed receiving updates from all of his classmates as class agent of the s15 semester. He has also been soaking up the fi nal semester of his 13 years at Trinity School. In his spare time, Amir has been travelling to Boston to see Mountain School friends and as usual, obsessively following any and all sports.

Anna Barnes is looking forward to senior spring when she will be bird watching with her ornithology class, running her *hopefully not broken* legs around the track, and staying up past her bedtime.

For the fi rst time in his life, Theo Elliman goes to school for the entire school day and eats lunch in the cafeteria. He manages the girls basketball team, but still does not know what a foul is or how to work the scoreboard. Although he is missing some art credits, he hopes to graduate. He is the head of his high school magazine, but in his free time enjoys Monday crossword puzzles and his brother’s cooking.

Donald Welsh has had a busy year of cross country, school, college applications, retreat, and learning about the universe. The highlight has been helicopter skiing in Canada. Donald looks forward to a crammed summer of traveling and spending time with friends.

These days, James Wedgwood spends most of his free time running, playing piano, and making mischief with his friends. He just fi nished re-reading One

Hundred Years of Solitude (and highly recommends it), and has also developed interests in biking, quiz bowl, and swamp exploration. He is looking forward to backpacking and traveling to India this summer.

Queen Esme Valencia Zodrow-MacDonald (the fi rst of her name) has spent the past year fi guring out her schooling and destroying all who stand before her. She is currently attending Portland Community College, where she is known for being brilliant, regal, and attractive. She also really misses her loyal subjects (aka friends) at The Mountain School.

44

The Mountain School of Milton Academy

151 Mountain School Road

Vershire, Vermont 05079-9655

www.mountainschool.org

info@mountainschool.org

Non Profi tU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit #165

Burlington, VT

Are you getting this newsletter and don’t want it?Let me know please. Marilyn.covey@mountainschool.org 802-685-4520x114

Rob Benson and Delphinium,

sidekicks since 2004 at TMS

Delphine at her best.

The campus watchdog,

woodchuck hunter and

now Guardian Angel

Rest in peace sweet dog. November 2001-February 2016