Beech TreeCONNECTION

Stewardship & Community

The theme of the IDS Annual Report for 2010 - 2011 is stewardship. One of the privileges of participating in IDS is that each of our families chooses to join our community. Our parents, teachers, alumni, and friends embrace the shared values of an IDS education.

Generosity of spirit, time, energy, and of resources is evident at IDS and is reflected in these pages. From the seemingly limitless energy of our volunteers to the generous financial support, IDS is sustained by a vibrant and caring community.

In this issue, we share images, moments and stories that share the stewardship of our community and school - from the care that teachers give to our children and the fruition of efforts to care for our campus to the care that our trustees and leaders give to the institution of our school. We conclude with a review of our finances and our gratitude for the gifts made to IDS during the 2010-2011 year.

Collaborative Leadership Renews IDS Campus

To hear it from the veteran trustees, “we’ve been talking about the roofs for decades.” Efforts undertaken by school leaders - former Board President Marijke Kehrhahn, Facilities Chair Mike Garner, former Treasurer Keith Laursen, current Treasurer Robin Diamonte, joint Facilities and Finance committee member Gary Laskowski, and Head of School John Barrengos - fueled planning efforts dating back to the spring of 2010.

A confluence of factors resulted in a unique opportunity to upgrade the facility. In fact, while the campus has grown over our history, this is the first time that the buildings have been

renewed. This summer’s projects resulted in improved energy efficiency, enhanced exterior appearance, a new Design Thinking Lab, a new Middle School Science Lab and classroom, completely renovated bathroom and locker rooms on the grade 3-5 corridor, and what looks like a nearly new gymnasium.

When the school originally built the Galluzzo Center for the Performing Arts, the financing was secured for five years, so the debt needed to be reviewed before the summer of 2011. Interest rates remained attractively low and the need to better protect the aging building from rain and snow and heat loss was more pressing with each passing year.

For some schools, such a confluence of factors might seem daunting. For the IDS team, it was seen as an exciting opportunity to solve problems. In the end, the school refinanced and augmented its debt with Liberty Bank.

IDS News and 2010-2011 Annual ReportA Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

November, 2011

Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends of IDS,

I hope this issue of the Beech Tree Connection finds you and your family enjoying a healthy and prosperous autumn. With the unusual and early storms this fall, I send wishes from your IDS family that any weather-driven challenges have been overcome.

This issue of the Beech Tree Connection shares a bit about the 2010-2011 school year at IDS, expresses gratitude for the generosity and spirit of all who invest their lives in our special school, and it offers brief updates about the new 2011-2012 school year - our school’s 50th anniversary year!

The year concluded in June was filled with excitement. The 2010-2011 year ended well. During the year, enrollment grew by 8 new students to 185. Trustees and the Head of School worked to refinance the school’s long-term debt and to update and improve our campus. Improvements included re-enveloping our oldest buildings and installing new windows and roofs. In addition to enhancing the school’s physical appearance, the renewal project increased safety, security, and energy efficiency. Bathrooms and locker rooms in the Grade 3-5 corridors were renovated. Perhaps the most exciting update is the renewal of the All Purpose Room into a Design Thinking Laboratory.

You can learn about Design Thinking, one of the features of the IDS Strategic Plan, by watching a thorough presentation by teachers, trustees and administrators and by exploring the Design Thinking at IDS page under Curriculum (click here). Design Thinking is a method for teaching critical thinking through collaborative problem solving.

Trustee Will Hunter ’94 kicked off our 50th Anniversary when he addressed the Class of 2011 at their graduation with a heart warming talk which reminisced about his days at IDS and how the values he learned here have helped him throughout his further education and career. You may remember the picture of Will in last year’s Beech Tree Connection, standing on the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, IDS flag in hand and looking as if climbing a 19,000 foot mountain was part of his weekly workout routine. His wonderful speech can be seen and heard by clicking here.

As our 50th Anniversary is underway, there is a great opportunity for you to personally participate in the Stories of IDS project. Start by reflecting on your own stories of IDS and taking the online survey (there is a link to it on our Alumni web page and through the “Invest in IDS” button on the school’s home page (www.independentdayschool.org). If you are reading this Beech Tree Connection electronically, just click here.

Finally, mark down Saturday, May 19th, on your calendar and join us for the 50th Anniversary Gala. The evening offers all the generations of our IDS family the opportunity to reconnect over a lovely dinner on campus. We will share a compilation of the Stories of IDS project presented by students and alumni/ae. Hold the date and keep your eye out for an invitation.

Best wishes,

John Barrengos, Ed. D.

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

Jack B. Takes Invention Convention to State Capitol

IDS Sixth Grader Jack B. represented the Connecticut Invention Convention (and IDS) at the “Beyond Business as Usual” program on October 5th. Jack was one of three student inventors showcased from the May 14, 2011, finals at the University of Connecticut.

Jack’s invention is called TOT Temperature on Tap: “To help prevent children from burning their hands, while washing, by providing a temperature reading and symbol alert.” His invention will be on display (along with his display board….which includes IDS) at the Hartford Science Museum beginning in December.

Jenna B. at the Big E!

Jenna, and her Morgan horse, Answer the Call, won the walk/trot championships at CT and MA Morgan Horse Shows held at the Big E in West Springfield, MA.

Call to the Heart 2012Since 2007, the Spring Auction’s Call to the Heart has made possible a number of capital projects including the four square play area next to the Galluzzo Performing Arts Center, the IDS Sign that welcomes visitors to our campus, and the renovation of the Middle School Bathrooms. In 2011, the Call to the Heart helped to underwrite the costs of transforming our All Purpose Room into our new Design Thinking Lab. Seven new windows pour light into the space which has been opened up to offer an industrial design finish to a very flexible space.

Volunteerism at IDS - Generosity & Leadership

Volunteer service is a shared value educationally and a part of the fabric of our school community. Service is evident in every Parent Association program, in the Middle School’s Inter Act Service Club, and in the Warm the Children and Read to Grow programs. Service at IDS is activated in the very way in which our school is governed. Like most non-profit private schools, IDS Trustees are volunteers, who invest countless hours to support and help our school thrive over the long term.

Campus Renewal Launches 50th Anniversary Year

The school’s earliest buildings - housing the middle school, grades 3-5, and the Gymnasium - were re-wrapped this summer. New roofs, exterior walls, and windows can be seen across campus! Peek into the new Design Thinking Lab (left), and at the Gym (right).

Looking into the new Design Thinking Lab from its (new) southwestern window:

Looking into the new Design Thinking Lab from its (new) southwestern window:

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

Since the school’s founding in 1961, IDS has always benefitted from the dedication and commitment of its volunteer leaders who emerge from among alumni/ae, parents of alumni/ae, and current parents. Strategic direction, communication, and financial stewardship have been traditional responsibilities for the trustees. Today’s board includes 17 members. Of those, seven are parents of current students; three are alumni of IDS, one serves as a head of school at a different independent school and one serves as VP for Development at a major CT Hospital. Eight trustees are parents of IDS alumni/ae. The Head of School, the Faculty Representative, and the Parent Association Co-Presidents all serve as ex-officio members.

Trustees depart at the conclusion of their terms of service or when life circumstances draw them away from what amounts to a tremendous commitment of service to our school. We are enormously grateful to Thom Esposito whose service concluded at the end of June, 2011.

We are delighted to welcome new Trustee, Grace Krom, to the IDS Board. Grace and her husband Paul are parents of alumnus Stephen Krom ’08.

In her nomination of Grace to the board, Vice President of the Board, Nadine Brennan, wrote that, “Stephen’s time at IDS proved to be a turning point in his life that came at the right time.” For this reason, Grace has a passion and energy level for our school that is refreshing. Grace earned her B.A. in Theatre from Fordham University (NY) and has worked in church and theatre organizations in her community for many years. Grace is a true advocate for who we are and what we stand for. Grace has a nurturing, gentle, and warm spirit that draws people to her. “

Welcoming IDS Faculty - New & New PositionsWe are happy, as well, to welcome new faculty and staff to the IDS community.

Dan Kollmer joined IDS as Middle School Science teacher this summer. Dan grew up in Deep River and taught for thirteen years at Rippowam Cisqua School in NY.

Shifting Assignments. In the spring of the year, senior administrators at IDS shifted responsibilities. Chris Wilkes continues to work part-time in admissions. He is teaching mathematics in sixth and seventh grades as well. Robin Nichols, who has led the lower school since 2006, has taken up the reigns as Director of Admission. Frann Ravid, who had worked in admissions and who has taught in 8 of our 11 different grade levels, now serves as the Head of Lower School.

The dedication of each of these professionals is a great gift to our school. The efforts they have invested in learning their new roles while helping to ease the transitions of their successors, has made for a seamless transition for IDS.

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

FACULTY PROFILESCurrent parent, Christine Foster, shared her interviewing and writing skills when she contributed these three faculty profiles.

Laura Cooley has a reputation for being strict. She has clear boundaries – both for her young pupils and their parents. But she is also the classic kindergarten teacher, nurturing, mothering, showering the children with hugs.

A mother of five and grandmother of two, Mrs. Cooley has been at IDS for 15 years – 10 of those in kindergarten. Her most famous limit might be at the threshold of her classroom, where she turns away lingering

parents, telling them when it is time to go and leave her in charge. “Kids respond to limits,” she says. “Parents, too. It is all for the good of the children. Goodbyes are a necessary part of development.”

Mrs. Cooley has seen huge changes during her teaching career in

terms of what is asked of the children. High expectations have trickled down and kindergarten is now more academic, more challenging, and more enriching. Kids now are expected to be reading independently and doing basic math much earlier than used to be the case. In some cases, the task is beyond what a student can do, developmentally speaking. For example, higher math isn’t possible until a child understands conservation of numbers – a skill that comes when it comes. Mrs. Cooley’s attitude about the changes is calm and measured: “The goal isn’t mastery. The goal is introduction. It’s not something you can teach. It is something you help them learn.”

One challenge, though is that the range of abilities is now so huge. She had one student who slept with an almanac by his bedside and would quiz her on facts, but didn’t know how to write his letters.

She appreciates teaching at IDS “because here I have creative carte blanche to implement things the way I want,” she says. “I can throw music and art in. I use Open Court Phonics, but it’s just a guide…I can mix and match. I have flexibility to switch at the drop of a hat.”

Mrs. Cooley has clear limits in her own life, too. She is in bed early – usually by about 7 o’clock and up early, arriving in her classroom before the campus fills up. Her energy level seems nearly limitless.

Outside of school, Mrs. Cooley also maintains a busy life. She and her husband love renting movies, seeing musicals, and she enjoys gardening, tending to the miniatures in her dollhouse, sewing, reading fantasy novels, and working on craft projects.

One highlight of each kindergarten year is the play. Mrs. Cooley writes each one herself, drawing on her gifts to write something special from scratch for each group of students. “I know music and I know words,” Mrs. Cooley says. ”I have these needs for creative outlets. I can hear the music in my head and words just come to me.”

Each play touches on many pieces of the curriculum. In addition to the obvious reading and music and dance (helps kids learn left from right), Mrs. Cooley used last year’s project to expand children’s vocabularies, to look at the science of insects, and to touch on geography, by looking at how butterflies migrate from here to Mexico.

Her real joy, though is seeing her little students grow and change. “Kids are the best part of kindergarten. They are so excited about everything. That’s the joy – when you see that light bulb go on.”

Liz Warner is an IDS legend. Since the mid-1980s, she has taught, planned the rite-of-passage trip to Washington DC for middle schoolers, taught history, and helped students set their life course by doing high school advising.

Warner, who spent years doing work on historic preservation at the Middletown Trust, was moonlighting at a restaurant in Middletown when an IDS gym teacher, who was a regular patron, suggested she check out an opening at the school for a history teacher. “It was just a natural fit for me” she says. “I like kids. I like history. I like getting kids to like history.”

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

Faculty Profiles

Since 1985, she has been a fixture here, with the exception of a half-dozen years when her daughter was very young.

Most recently, Warner has scaled back her time at IDS to two days a week, but she continues to hold a special place in the lives of middle school students. She now co-teaches the eighth grade history seminar on local place. Last year they focused on Middletown and its neighborhoods and old mills. The students interviewed older town residents about their lives during World War II. The resulting oral histories were made into documentaries and were featured in a local newspaper.

Seeing kids get excited about history is a joy, but so is the process of working with parents and students to find the right high school. “I love placement,” Warner says. “It’s a growth opportunity. It’s a process, not an event. It’s a process when they learn about themselves.” Under her guidance, IDS hosts a major high school fair that draws more than 60 participating schools each year.

Over her decades at IDS she has observed some changes in what the students are like. “There used to be enjoyment to learning. Now you have to get them to enjoy learning – you have to make it tantalizing.” She advocates both for using the Internet, which she does a significant amount, but also for teaching kids to use primary sources, helping them to dig through old censuses and city directories.

Eclectic in her passions, Warner also writes for Patch.com, a local news website, and helps Turkish students find spots in American boarding schools. She also taught Bollywood dance to kids during an IDS summer program.

“I’ve been here forever. I have a reputation for being scary,” Warner says, laughing. “Really it’s just a rite of

passage to be grown-up enough to not be afraid of Miss Warner, to say ‘I’m not afraid of Miss Warner anymore. She’s really great.’” The proof is the longevity of the relationships Warner has with her students: she estimates that she is still in contact (God bless ---Facebook!) with about 70 percent of those she has taught.

Chris Doyle may be the most educated, erudite facilities manager at any school, anywhere. He holds a classics degree from the University of Chicago, trained as an undergraduate to translate ancient Latin texts.

Doyle made his way into facilities work when he was still an undergraduate. After graduation he needed health insurance and took a facilities job at the University of Chicago Law School, then home to now-President Barack Obama. He then took a similar job at the Latin School of Chicago, where he met his future wife. After 10 years there, he was ready to move on and saw a listing on the website for the National Association of Independent Schools. “Why would you ever leave Chicago?“asked Head of School John Barrengos.

Apparently convinced by Doyle’s answer, Barrengos flew the family out for an interview. Doyle distinctly remembers the first All-School Meeting he and his wife, Gwen Conner, and daughter Ardelia, then 3 attended. Even a cynical

Chicagoan was touched by the students, arms slung over each others’ shoulders, swaying as they sang the school song. Later, they were even more reassured about their comfort with IDS when Ardelia, then 3 and fairly shy, refused to leave the classroom she visited. Later she ran over and gave Kate Knopp, Barrengos’ wife, a hug at the end of a lunch. This place “hooks you,” he says.

Coming from Chicago, the challenges of a rural school were definitely a change: “The first things I had to fix were the well and the tractor,” Doyle remembers. “There is something different every day.” He also returns to his roots as a college football player and plays a role in coaching middle school sports teams.

Although very different from his education, Doyle still finds intellectual challenges in his job here. “It’s something like a game of chess –you prioritize and move pieces around.” Sometimes he is doing hands-on work. On other days he is optimizing the systems, like last spring when he did a space assessment survey to see how the limited space in the school can be used most efficiently.

Doyle loves the freedom he gets. He says Barrengos is most concerned that people are happy and that the budget is in place, so he isn’t micromanaged. He also gets to do crazy things like create a mascot for Spruce-Up Day. (As a side note, Doyle groans when he remembers choosing Spruce Jenner. Adults laughed. Kids said, “Isn’t that Kim Kardashian’s step-father?”)

The biggest challenges Doyle faces are having dreams and ideas and not having the money to accomplish them. He hopes someday to build an amphitheatre, so all-school meetings could happen outdoors, near the sledding field. He dreams of building Janet Sisson a workout room, and of connecting the two buildings so

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

people could stay warm and dry in the winter.

“I am enjoying myself thoroughly,” Doyle says. “I love this place.”

The Board’s Finance Committee, led by Treasurer Keith Laursen, met regularly through the ’10-11 school year to advance the mission of IDS through thoughtful stewardship of the school’s finances. The committee included Giovanna Weller, Eric Ravid, Gary Laskowski, Robin Diamonte, Will Hunter ’96, Board President Marijke Kehrhahn, and Head of

School John Barrengos. The Finance Committee oversaw the development of the ’11-12 operating budget and the stewardship of IDS investments.

Finance Committee work typically begins in September with a review of the final opening day budget to guide the school’s finances through the current school year, incorporating any adjustments for changes in summer enrollment and staffing. Late in November, efforts begin

in earnest to build a budget for the following school year. Budgets are designed to allocate school resources to support the mission of IDS and to strengthen the capital structure of the school over time.

Financial Results 2010 - 2011During the 2010-2011, IDS exceeded its budget targets. Net tuition of just over $3.0 million combined with other earned revenues and gifts to generate nearly $3.7 million in total revenues. Careful oversight of expenses resulted in prudent allocations to the school’s reserves. At the end of the 2010-2011 fiscal year (June 30, 2011), the school’s assets

approximated $5.8 million, and its debt included a mortgage of $799,622 and deferred revenues and accrued expenses totaling $2.2 million, resulting in a net funds balance of $2.8 million, centered primarily in land and buildings.

Commitment to Families & TeachersAs IDS weathers the challenges of the larger shifts in the economy, financial management remains very conservative, with prioritization always given to ensure that the key elements to the school’s mission - nurturing excellence in the classroom - are supported. Salaries rose modestly by 2% in the FY11 budget and the school’s commitment to families was well reflected in need-based financial aid budget. The 2010-2011 budget achieved break-even results while supporting the school’s strategic objectives.

Report from IDS Treasurer, Keith Laursen

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

CURRENT PARENTSAbera Abay and Susan PriceShamsuddin Akhtar and Naseema MerchantDaren Anderson

George Antonopoulos and Alessia DonadioDaniel Auclair and Diane Plessis-BelairJohn Barrengos and Kate KnoppLarry and Hilari BelloradoKevin Berean and Jeanine Dames-BereanDan and Gwen Beaudoin

Paul and Marie BenedettoPaul and Carolyn BergantinoTerrence and Nadine BrennanJennifer ButlerRichard and Rebecca BurrellJohn and Jill CasertanoTom and Donna ChemelliGarret and Susanne CookJane Cooper and Fran RollandKevin Cronin and Francine AugeriSteve and Karen CultonCandace CunninghamChris Diamond and Di LongleyRobin Diamonte and Lori IannucciLou and Carmela D’AmicoFrank and Shannon DemarestDave DeMeo

2010 - 2011 Donor ListingsGifts received between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011

We are incredibly grateful to the many generous donors who have invested in the future of our students and the mission of our school. Thank you for your wonderful support! IDS gratefully receives philanthropic support in the form of operating, capital, and in-kind gifts. These support the ongoing work of the school in many ways. During the 2010 - 2011 fiscal year, IDS received a total of $160,680 in operating and capital gifts, as summarized below.

Campaigns\Impact Supporting Operations Enhancing Buildings/Campus

Annual Fund $75,215 $7,072

Auction - Silent & Live Bidding $53,433 $0

Graduating Families Campaign / Call to the Heart to create the new Design Thinking Lab

$0 $24,960

Total Support $128,648 $32,032

Investing in ChildrenAs parents, alumni/ae and friends invest in IDS, they make it possible for IDS to invest in childhood and in building tomorrow’s leaders.

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

Myra Sachs DeMeoJane DeVriesMatthew Dorf and Megan GibsonChris Doyle and Gwen ConnerDerek and Jodie DudekDan and Stephanie DwyerTed Esselstyn and Anne BinghamFrances Evans and Lisa FaccadioFranklyn and Jenny CutroneBrian and Kathleen FarrellMichael and Eleanor FarrellRhonda FenioloSean Finney and Gina MerrittJoseph Flood and Liz Grace-FloodDavid and Christine FosterBrian and Anne GouinBryan and Kristen GrasTJ Grover and Manmeet KaurMarc and Amy HadarikSerge and Dina HalvorsenBrett and Julia HasbrouckRobert Hennessey and Ruth VeletaDan and Robin HettrickGreg and Dalesa HolgersonTodd and Debra HouleJeff Hoyt and Rene RoselleRobert and Barbara HughesSteven and Cindy HuveldtMatthew and Angela JacobsonJosef and Ann JindraDinesh and Rosy KapurDino and Robin KaratzasChris Lanser and Ishita MukerjiSeb and Erica LeonardiKevin and Nicole LoSaccoTim and Jennifer MahrPaul Marottolo and Elisa GriegoRobert and Marie-Estelle MearsSean and Stephanie MismasBruce and Carol MoeckelBrent and Kristen MulberryHolly Nicolas and Liza McAlisterVincent and Judith PepeDerek and Julie PhelpsJames and Erin PickettLou and Vicki PiscatelliRay and Christina RealeBrenda ReillyBrad and Alyssa RotmanDavid Radcliffe and Chaucey PerreaultMichael Roth and Kari Weil

Braulio and Sandy SantiagoDan and Dawn SchmitzChris Sheehan and Laurel ColeRichard and Bethanne SheeleyJim and Jere SirkisLisa ShubatMartin and Barbara SmithDan Stebbins and Catherine Branch StebbinsKen and Jennifer SwerdlickBruce Taillon and Marci SwedeRay and Daneen TerminiMichael and Maria TurnerConny Vergara and Fei WangDan and Laurie WebbBill and Linda WeissRon and Giovanna Weller

CURRENT GRANDPARENTSRichard and Margretta AndersonGeorge and Valentina BeaverDavid and Anne BinghamJules and Dede CohenCaldwell and Ann EsselstynWilliam and Marguerite GriegoMike and Patti JuhaseJohn and Genevieve KapelewskiAngela LambriolaMia Cascini OrrPatrick and Lauren RussolilloBarbara SaundersCatherine SmithJane SochaBruno and Karen SuraciGuido and Gail Weller

ALUMNI/AEFrancine AugeriChristopher BackesDavid BrennanDavid BrooksNicholas ButlerKim Nourse ClarkNicole D’AmatoKurt DeckoAlessia DonadioRider DoolittleStephanie DouglasJulie FlaggSarah GrundyHayden Hard

Will HunterKim KlopferGage LaskowskiRyan MarinelliGreg MarinelliErica OhanesianHeidi PascucciVincent PepeDaniel ReynoldsJohn ReynoldsDionna RiversCharles SalasDouglas and Ann Wallace SharpeJ. Frederick StillmanAlyse VinoskiNancy Williams WardFred Wasch

PAST PARENTS & GRANDPARENTSRae-ann AllenRichard and Beverly AndersonChris and Robin BackesBruce and Maggie BingeLewis and Dana BowerStanley and Nancy BrittinghamMatt and Rose ButlerGerry Crean and Cathy KiesCraig and Marilyn DouglasKaren ElstonTom and Toni EspositoChris and Martha FickeAllan and Barbara FriedlandMike and Lynne GarnerFrank and Lee GrangerWilliam and Elizabeth HolderDavid Hyman and Dana GoldbergMelvin and Marianne JacobsonRuth KahnMarijke KehrhahnPaul and Grace KromGary and Deborah LaskowskiKeith and Susan LaursenSteven and Susan LiebertGeoff and Paul MansfieldRich and Valerie MarinelliThomas and Elsee McEachinTom and Robin NicholsSheila NievesStanislaus and Kayoko OpalaczStuart and Kathryn Porter

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

Eric and Frann RavidJohn and Simone ReynoldsKeith and Carolyn RiversDavid Sauer and Priscilla HarneskLars and Julia SelbergLiz WarnerKrishna Winston

CURRENT AND FORMER FACULTY & STAFFRae-ann AllenBeverly AndersonJohn BarrengosMaggie BingeCarrie BoyceNancy BrittinghamTiffany ByrneDeb CarrasAdriana CastilloLaura CooleyLaurie DickersonMaureen DorseyChris DoyleMartha EffgenRobert CoombsStephanie DwyerMartha FickeMary JemiolaMargot KaweckiPaula MansfieldSharon McLaughlinKathy MeyeringRuthann MontgomeryRobin Nichols

Amie PowellFrann RavidJoAnn RiderElisa RootJanet SissonShelley SpragueKate ThibodeauShaleen ThodyHeather UrsoMargaret WardLiz WarnerAndrew WattChris Wilkes

CURRENT & FORMER TRUSTEES

Chris BackesAnne BinghamLewis BowerJohn BrackerJeje BrantNadine BrennanRose ButlerGerry CreanRobin Diamonte Marilyn DouglasKaren ElstonThom EspositoMike GarnerDana GoldbergFrank GrangerWill HunterRuth KahnTara Knapp

Marijke KehrhahnGary LaskowskiKeith LaursenErica OhanesianStuart PorterSimone ReynoldsCharles SalasMaurice SchwarzBraulio SantiagoBarbara SmithGiovanna WellerKrishna Winston

Former Trustees:Chris BackesLewis BowerRose ButlerGerry Crean

FRIENDS of IDSBill and Christine AitkenBrian DonahueJohn and Kirsten MisnerDavid Silverstone

COMPANY, CORPORATE, FOUNDATION & MATCHING GIFTSAetna FoundationArchitectural Services Office 305, LLCBristol-Myers Squibb FoundationsCovidienEIS Foundation, Inc.Honeywell Hometown SolutionsKane-Barrengos Foundation

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

Parker Hannifin FoundationStanley WorksTravelersUnited TechnologiesWatt Family Foundation

GIFTS IN KINDFrank and Shannon DemarestFrank and Lee GrangerDavid Hyman and Dana GoldbergGage LaskowskiSharon McLaughlinBruce and Carol MoeckelDavid Sauer and Priscilla Harnesk

Errors and OmissionsDid we make a mistake? We work hard to acknowledge all of our wonderful donors correctly. If you see errors, please notify the Development Office, ids@independentdayschool.org. Thank you for your help!

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

Class NotesLizzie Fischbein ’86 married Dr. Andrew Bennett Brown in March. Lizzie is an independent photography agent in New York with i2i Photography. She graduated from Boston College and has a certificate in graphic design from the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.

Erica L. Ohanesian ’97 is engaged to Michael A. Lamson. Erica graduated from the Ethel Walker School, and then from Kenyon College. After serving as director of admission at Foxcroft School (VA), Erica began a new assignment this summer as the associate director of development at Flint Hill School. Erica is in her 4th year of service as a Trustee of IDS. Mike graduated from Potsdam Central School, then from Tufts University, and most recently from the University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, with a doctorate in law. He serves as a senior associate in the securities department at Wilmer Hale LLP, Washington. The couple are planning a summer 2012 wedding in Connecticut.

David Osborne ’97 has been working as the NYC Director of the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) Project, a national Gates Foundation study that seeks to develop fair and reliable measures of teacher effectiveness. David came to the MET Project after two years managing the NYC School Survey for the NYC Department of Education. Prior to joining the NYC DOE, David worked as a field

organizer on political campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Megan Scott ’00 wrote late last fall that she graduated from USC in '08 and then “spent the last two years working in post-production on Hannah Montana, which was a ton of fun but the job ended with the show in early September.” Since then, Megan shares that she’s spent time working at a wildlife rehabilitation center in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, “which has been incredible.”

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Middle School History Teacher and Design Thinking Director Andrew Watt attended Nueva School’s Design

Thinking Institute with Second Grade Teacher Maureen Dorsey in August.

• Head of School John Barrengos helped to lead a workshop for aspiring school heads at the 2011 NAIS Annual Conference in Washington, DC.

• Kathy Meyering, Madeline Smith, Jen Bergin, Heather Urso, and Shelley Sprague participated in the Seedlings program this summer.

• Laurie Dickerson participated in a conference about the brain and learning in August.

• Robin Nichols participated in the ISM Admissions workshop in July and serves as a member of the CAIS Professional Development Commission.

• Jane Kinkead and Armela Toro participated in Apple Education Technology seminar at Choate Rosemary Hall.

• Paula Mansfield participated in the Lego Serious Play Conference last Fall and in the National Science Teachers Association Area Conference this Fall.

IDS Class of 2011 at High SchoolHannah Bellarado! ! Suffield AcademyWill Cutrone! ! ! Choate Rosemary HallAaron James! ! ! Plainville High SchoolTyler Mulberry ! ! ! Loomis Chaffee SchoolRicky Murphy! ! ! Xavier High SchoolInsisa Naqvi! ! ! Miss Porters SchoolJenna Pepe! ! ! Miss Porters SchoolOlivia Ransohoff! ! Mercy High SchoolCory Schide! ! ! Watkinson SchoolDanielle Shubat!! ! The Ethel Walker SchoolJazz Swerdlick! ! ! Gr Hartford Acad of ArtsPresley Termini! ! ! Mercy High SchoolPaige Warren! ! ! Mercy High SchoolSophie Weil-Roth! ! Choate Rosemary Hall

IDS Class of 2007 at CollegeDerek Bertolini !! Univ of Maryland, BaltimoreTenzin Norbu Bhumba! Elmira CollegeWill Bronson! ! Bates CollegeCharlie Calatayud! Univ of MassachusettsPhilip Crean! ! Univ of ChicagoHayley DeBerry!! Brandeis UniversityMatt Gauthier! ! Davidson CollegeAlan Ge! ! Northwestern UniversityLily Goldberg! ! Sarah Lawrence CollegeAmanda Herron! Middlesex Community CollegeJulia Hillbrand! ! Connecticut CollegeMike Humphreys! Providence CollegeTyler Littmann! ! Muhlenberg CollegeRyan Marinelli! ! Bentley CollegeShayna MacDonald! Emmanuel CollegeJake Slade! ! Univ of Colorado, BoulderHope Turner! ! Penn State UniversityAmy Whitehead! University of Rhode Island

A Seasonal Magazine for the Independent Day School Community! ! Issue 1 Volume 14 Fall, 2011

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 4

Middlefield,CT

FROM:T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A Y S C H O O L1 1 5 L a u r e l B r o o k R o a dM i d d l e f i e l d , C T 0 6 4 5 5w w w . i n d e p e n d e n t d a y s c h o o l . o r g

Members of the Class of 2018

during the first days of our

school year...helping the

Sunflower to...grow?