LREI News 2015

L e a d i n g P r o g r e s s i v e E d u c a t i o n S i n c e 1 9 2 1

SUMMER 2015

Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School | lrei.org

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newsSUMMER 2015

Letter From the DirectorDear LREI Community,

Poised, as we are, between the blank slate of the coming school year and the receding glow of last year’s successes, I bring you greetings from the students, faculty, and staff of your school. Last year ended with the graduation of our largest senior class ever, with 61 graduates. Was Commencement 2015 ever awesome! The ceremony not only celebrated the seniors’ successes and their plans for the future, it applauded the hard work and dedication of our

amazing faculty and their 650 committed students. Only a few days before the Class of 2015 joined LREI’s Alumni Association, the school held its annual Reunion Weekend. This year’s festivities attracted a record number of participants, with many more “young” alumni attending than ever before. The unofficial leaders of this event were the members of the school’s first graduating class. The class of 1945 gathered, along with their loved ones, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their graduation. As I commented to a group of seniors, “Look around and imagine being friends with your classmates 70 years from today.” While I don’t think they can even fathom how long 70 years is, the twelfth graders seemed excited by the possibility.

While Commencement and Reunion are hugely exciting moments, I invite you to read, in the pages of this publication, about the excitement of LREI’s program day-to-day, grade-to-grade and across its 14-year span. I invite you to meet some of our students and graduates and to hear their stories, and I invite you to meet members of the faculty and read of their efforts. The goal of this magazine is to give you a complete view of the progressive LREI experience, from the early childhood through graduation, and beyond. It is quite a journey.

I wish you the best of everything and look forward to our continued association.

Warmly,

IN THIS ISSUE 3 14 YEARS

Student projects central to LREI education

6 SUMMER IN THE CITY Alumni, students return to lead Summers at LREI camp

6 LREI IN THE WORLD Q&A with Celi Khanyile-Lynch ’09

8 CELEBRATING LREI Memorable moments from 2014-2015

10 GRADUATION 2015

12 MEET OUR NEW TRUSTEES

14 REUNION WEEKEND 2015

16 STORYLAB Alumni record oral histories

18 CLASS NOTES

19 ALUMNI CALENDAR

COVER ART By Cameron King ’16

LREI NEWS DESIGN By Jessica Sokol Monaco and Katelyn Baker

PHOTOGRAPHY Thank you to freelance photographers: Briana Heard, Steve Neiman, and Ted Rodriguez.

LREI NEWS welcomes reader submissions. Send your article suggestions and photos to Director of Communications Lexie Clinton at [email protected] or by mail to the school’s address. We look forward to hearing from you!

LREI NEWS | Summer 2015 3

If you wanted to take a snapshot that captured the 14-year progressive LREI experience, where would you point the lens? Senior Project Evening, which happens every June at LREI, might present the perfect opportunity.

During Senior Project Evening you will witness the final moments of an LREI student’s academic experience as they present to their families, teachers and peers. The projects vary in discipline (science, writing, art, music, sports, dance, film, fashion, business, education, and more) and in practice (internship, apprenticeship, independent study, mentorship, and so on.) What they have in common is that they embody student curiosity, passion and purpose.

The trimester-long project, deeply rooted in student choice, is experiential and interdisciplinary. Seniors have written computer code, lived the life of an artist, become a published reporter, and founded a start-up company. They have been interns at the Shubert Organization, the CBS Evening News, Edible Schoolyard NYC and the City of New York. (View the full list of the 2015 Senior Projects at lrei.org/SP2015). Students learn volumes about their particular areas of interest, but also about themselves as learners through the research, action, reflection, and presentation stages of the experience.

Students value the process as much as the product the project may produce. “You figure out

The LREI Experiencea lot about how you work and how you want to work,” Finley ’15 said about her time spent writing and illustrating a book. “It’s a lot of fun, whether it’s something you want to do the rest of your life, or something you just want to try for the first time.”

While the Senior Project is the capstone experience for an LREI student, many other culminating moments precede. “The Senior Project is the icing on the cake of being at LREI,” said Trust ’15, who spent his project shadowing a designer at a product design firm. “You’re in the classroom doing hands-on work and experiential learning over the years, and then kind of as reward you get to go out of the classroom and have these experiences as a real person.”

Those milestones of learning, growth and leadership begin in Lower School. A major culmination for a lower school student is his or her turn to “emcee” the weekly Lower School Gathering. After years of spirited participation and watching older peers lead the group, every fourth grader, along with three of his or her peers, hosts the assembly, highlighting an issue of importance to the community, such as a grade-wide project, a celebration, or a subject that touches the lives of students. The emcees determine a theme, conduct research, create a script and props, and find novel ways to engage with their audience. >>>

Culminating experiences begin early at LREI, build over 14 years

Students value the process as much as its finished product.

Finley shares artwork and writing from her

finished Senior Project.

Jerel channelled his interest in style to an internship at a major fashion label.

Second graders culminate their study of the Brooklyn Bridge by writing and acting in a play.

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“Wonder” and the eponymous Percy Jackson and Eloise—who embody LREI’s “Four Cs,” Creativity, Critical Thinking, Courage and Citizenship. With the emcees role-playing these age-appropriate characters, the presentation resonated with the audience, sending them into fits of laughter and generating many questions. This performance was so impressive that Director Phil Kassen invited the emcees to perform an encore at the Founder’s Day assembly for the whole school, producing an equally engaging experience.

The Lower School Gathering emcee experience foreshadows many of the leadership skills and community responsibilities that students develop in middle school. In the Eighth Grade, for example, students take on a yearlong Social Justice Project, emerging from their humanities studies of post-Civil War U.S. history. Rather than solely examining others who have had a significant impact on their community, the students become active participants, seeking to positively impact the lives of others.

Years of crowning moments underpin the confidence building, public speaking, persuasion, and teaching that shine at Lower School Gathering. In the Fours, students lead their classmates on tours of their homes. In First Grade, children design and run their own fully functioning restaurants. After a year of intensely studying New York City, second graders teach through performance in their annual Brooklyn Bridge play, while third graders wrap their understanding of the city’s history into their development of a culminating “City of the Future” share.

This year, one Lower School Gathering was particularly indicative of this developmental arc. After reading a New York Times article about finding a literary mascot for New York City, the fourth grade emcees of the week brainstormed book characters that would make good mascots for LREI. They turned to the library and LREI’s Mission Statement for clues, and selected four characters from familiar children’s literature—Hermione Granger from “Harry Potter,” Summer from

Before designing their play, second graders visit the Brooklyn Bridge many times to study

its history and construction.

First graders prepare food for their classroom diner.

Fourth graders lead a Lower School Gathering about their favorite literary heroes.

Jarrett debuts his fashion line during Senior Project Evening.

Students become active participants,

seeking to positively impact

the lives of others.


Jarrett Founded and designed NYCLO clothing brand

important social innovation work, and will continue to be of service in the future. Fundamentally, these projects are about cultivating student voice and leadership in the service of making the world a better place. In reflecting on the impact that their participation in the social justice project had, and continues to have, two recent LREI graduates agreed, “Be the change you want to see in the world. You have to feel something. So whether a topic makes you feel angry, inspired, or concerned, you can turn that feeling into action.”

These wise words are an affirmation of the value and purpose of these important projects, both for the institution and its mission, and for the individual students. They also provide a window into our students’ growth and development as learners and doers, as classmates and active citizens, as emcees in Fourth Grade, and as they prepare for their Senior Projects a lifetime later, where the true depth and meaning of their LREI educational experience, powered by intellectual inquiry, takes center stage.

With the goal being to better understand a relevant social justice issue, the project entails identifying a human rights cause that speaks to them and studying it in-depth with a small group of classmates over a period of several months. The students research the issue, volunteer with a local organization, interview experts in the field and blog about their experiences (Read at: blog.lrei.org/social-justice). The culmination of this work is the planning and leadership of our annual Social Justice Teach-In, during which eighth graders share what they have learned with the rest of the middle school students. The eighth graders challenge their middle-school mates to think deeply about a range important social justice issues and ask them to consider how they too can make a difference.

Through this process, the eighth graders come to better understand the rewards and challenges of active citizenship and the need for all individuals to choose to participate. They develop crucial leadership, collaboration, problem solving and design skills that allow them to engage in

Eighth graders design activities to teach

younger peers about social issues.

Small groups collaborate for months on a social justice topic.

The Social Justice Project encourages active citizenship.

THE SENIOR PROJECT

EXPERIENCEWatch these LREI seniors describe

their Senior Projects in an online

video series at lrei.org/SPstory

Mei-An Shadowed teachers in classrooms across

New York City

Finley Wrote and illustrated her

own children’s book

Sage Explored the 24-hour

news cycle through painting

Here’s who you’ll hear from:

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SUMMERS AT LREI

What led you to a career in municipal government?At Brown, I studied international relations & Africana studies, which led me to a summer internship in Washington D.C. at the Embassy of the Gabonese Republic. During my internship, I participated in forums at the State Department that were focused on the U.S. strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa. The big takeaway for me was actually the way the policies affected the U.S. partners. I discovered that international policies like

LREI alumni, students hold leadership roles at camp

Every summer LREI classrooms are transformed into Summers at LREI, a progressive summer camp that welcomes children ages 3-13 from the New York City area and the world (campers travel from as far as China and Japan!) to campus. Of the 120 staff members who guide the young learners through activities, games and trips, over 25 percent attended LREI at some point during their educational careers. For many, working at Summers at LREI is like attending an informal alumni reunion for seven weeks! Three staff members share why they choose to return to their alma mater every camp season.

CALLY GUASTI ’09 was an LREI student from the Fours until the Fifth Grade and has been a counselor at Summers at LREI for four-year olds for the past four summers. The experience is incredibly nostalgic, she says, describing the similarities of the games and community-building activities she learned at LREI with the ones she teaches her campers. The impact LREI had on Cally as a student is what motivated her to return as a counselor. “My experience going to LREI was so influential. It shaped me into the person I have

become,” Cally said. “Social justice, fostering community wherever you go, being a leader… I attribute all of these important things to lessons I learned at LREI.” While exploring a possible career in environmental science, Cally says she believes she is destined to become an educator professionally. “My path will always involve working with kids.” Cally will work in LREI’s Afterschool Program during the upcoming school year.

WOOBENS CELONY ’10, who began LREI as a four-year-old student and has been working at the camp for seven years, says Summers at LREI allows him to embrace his youthful energy. “When I started working here as a junior counselor I couldn’t believe how invigorating it felt to lead games and run around all day,” he said. Being an alumnus has made Woobens, now a head counselor, a stronger teacher, he says, because he knows how students respond to LREI’s progressive philosophy and he remembers what guidance he needed as a student here. After graduating from Wesleyan University in 2014, Woobens began working in the Afterschool Program. This fall, he will continue in Afterschool, while exploring a career as a full time teacher.

SADIE STERN ’17, an eleventh grader who has been going to LREI since she was four, works as an engineer at Summers at LREI. Much like the stage crew of a play, the engineers help camp run efficiently. The spontaneity of the job is what Sadie likes best. “We never know what to expect. From helping out in classes, to setting up games, to picking up supplies, each day is a surprise,” Sadie said. When she was a camper Sadie remembered the exciting, extravagant theme day celebrations. As an engineer, she is now instrumental in making sure campers have that same positive experience. As an LREI student, she looks forward to when the school is transformed into Summers at LREI. “The homework disappears, but the people and the incredible energy stays.”

LUKE SCHIMMEL ’18, a tenth grader, has been an LREI student since the Fours and was a Summers at LREI camper for as long as he can remember. While attending Summers at LREI’s Musical Theater Workshop specialty camp, he developed a passion for acting. Last summer, Luke became a counselor-in-training, which involves assisting with every aspect of production and instruction for the camp’s plays and musicals. “Camp was my first introduction to theater and I went on to take a lot of acting classes because of it,” he said. For Luke, working at camp is as fun as going to camp. “The staff are always laughing and dancing. It feels like a camp within a camp.” Luke looks forward to returning next summer as a junior counselor and continuing to act and sing on the LREI stage during the school year.

WHERE SHE IS NOWSpecial Assistant to the Director at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Appointments. Before working for Mayor de Blasio, Celi, a 2013 Brown University graduate, was the operations coordinator for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

LREI in the WorldNearly 30 staff members at

the Summers at LREI camp

are current or former students.

Celi Khanyile-Lynch ’09


these could have a large impact on American trade and U.S. stakeholders. I realized that I didn’t have to go abroad, per se, to engage in and have an impact on international issues.

Your first job after graduating from Brown was with Governor Deval Patrick, primarily working on his operations team. What was that like?I was his Operations Coordinator. In the role, I processed the 100+ meeting requests and invitations that we received from constituents on a weekly basis, assessing which ones would be worthwhile and presenting a condensed list to his staff.

Any memorable moments that stand out?Yes, in October 2013 President Obama came to Massachusetts to rally support for affordable health care with Governor Patrick. It was memorable to witness two progressive leaders bringing attention to the roll out of the historic health care law at Faneuil Hall, where, in 2006, former Governor Romney signed the state’s health care reform bill. I also took a lot away from

Governor Patrick’s commitment to international trade missions. In my role as operations coordinator, I prepared for many of the trips, including one he took to Mexico and Panama that focused on clean energy and transportation.

If a governor’s role is focused on the individual state, why are international trips like these important?Beyond increasing trade, the trips are about building partnerships abroad. Often times the solutions we find for issues we’re experiencing locally provide unique links abroad. For example, Mayor de Blasio shared his environmental plan for New York City, OneNYC, with Italian leaders during a speech he made at the Vatican. International trips also encourage our local leaders to be forward thinking by exposing them to ways in which countries are thinking outside the box.

Sounds like a ‘progressive’ way to see the world. Did your upbringing as a student at a progressive school shape how you view political leaders?Yes. The most effective leaders, in my experience, ask the best (and toughest) questions. As an LREI student I was encouraged and challenged to ask questions rather than just come up with answers. There was an emphasis on the steps you took to get to a solution. That mindset has been so important in my job as I push myself to come up with the best questions.

Describe the work you do in Mayor de Blasio’s Office of Appointments.My team helps Mayor de Blasio research and find leaders to appoint to the city’s boards. It’s more than about appointing people though. We’re driving the

idea that city government should reflect the people it serves. In many ways, that means diversity. The mayor has taken a very strong stance on creating a workforce that represents all people of New York City.

What teachers and courses at LREI sparked your interest in government?Tom’s (Tom Murphy, HS history teacher and tenth grade dean) classes inspired me to study political economy. I was fascinated by his ability to bring big economic theories down to a high school level. Also, I remember Sarvjit’s (Sarvjit Moonga, high school vice principal) organic chemistry class having an impact. I never thought of myself as a science and math person, but he took his time with me so that I wouldn’t feel intimidated by such an intimidating subject. Aside from those smaller moments, Nick O’Han (LREI’s school historian) was one of my greatest mentors at LREI. If anyone drove me and inspired me to get engaged in government it was him and his appreciation and energy for community service. Nick was so passionate about New York City and building community

from the ground up. I joined a community service group he started at a garden in Brooklyn called East New York Farms. I would leave there feeling fulfilled. The idea of service as a way to see and experience what people are doing in their communities gave me a sense of purpose.

You’ve gained experience in some different levels of the public sector. Do you see a continued career in government service in your future?I am considering multiple future career avenues that advance my goal of giving back to society. I am interested in pairing my public sector experience with private sector experience because I see a connection between them and recognize how they can both have a social and economic impact.

You started LREI as a ninth grader. Any words of wisdom for incoming freshmen?When I started LREI I was very focused on grades and making sure that I got into college. I wish I had spent less time blanketed by my anxieties and more time focused on the process of learning. I would tell any LREI student to embrace the process! Be bold and don’t be afraid to be different. Be excited about having unique opinions and share them.

LREI in the WorldCeli with former Massachusetts Governor Deval

Patrick. She worked on his

operations team in 2013 and 2014.

Celi with her mentor from Brown University, Kate Cook, who introduced Celi to opportunities for women in local government.

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Accomplishments 2014-2015

IE, LREI’s literary magazine comprised of works by high school and middle school students, received the rank

“Excellent” from the National Council of Teachers of English for its 2014 edition.

Pitcher and twelfth grader Jonathan P. made LREI baseball history, twice! He threw not one, but two, complete-game no-hitters, including one in the semi-finals.

Chorus teacher Susan Glass, who has worked at LREI for 22 years, received the 2015 Outstanding Educator Award from the Organization of American Kodály Educators for demonstrating years of superior music teaching using the Kodály philosophy.

On December 12, 195 LREI high school students walked out on classes to join the many demonstrations occurring around the grand jury decisions surrounding the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in Staten Island. The group marched over four miles, from the high school to the Sixth Avenue campus, to Washington Square Park, and from there to the NYPD Sixth Precinct. After staging a “die-in” at the precinct, they marched to Union Square Park, into Midtown, past Penn Station, and rallied on the steps of the Post Office before heading back to LREI.


Accomplishments 2014-2015 The Western European Symphony Orchestra performed original pieces composed by LREI fifth graders and streamed them online from Portugal for a worldwide audience! WATCH http://bit.do/lreimusic

Robots rejoice! At the Manhattan Qualifier Robotics Competition this winter, LREI’s fifth and sixth grade team placed second for programming and the seventh and eighth grade team earned the 1st Place Robot Performance Award for earning the highest score out of all the competing schools.

What makes a successful 10 year old? LREI fourth graders shared their thoughts on-air with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer. Their answers wow! LISTEN http://bit.do/lreiwnyc

Twelfth grader Vicki S. took her feminism studies beyond the classroom and was appointed associate editor of thefbomb.org, a feminist blog created by and for teens.

LREI sent seven students and five faculty members to the National Association of Independent Schools 2014 People of Color Conference in Indianapolis. Director Phil Kassen and Director of Diversity and Community Sandra (Chap) Chapman presented about their partnership around diversity.

The Girls Basketball Team had the best season in LREI history, going 20-0 during the regular season and winning the post-season ISAL League Tournament.

Lower School Librarian Stacy Dillon was elected by her peers to serve on the 2017 Caldecott Medal committee, which will award the Caldecott Medal to the best American picture book of 2016.

LREI’s runners were unstoppable this year! The Girls Cross Country Team

won their second straight ISAL League Championship, and the boys won their

third in a row. Tenth grader Otilia O. was awarded individual league champion.

The New York Times Magazine featured a painting by 3-D art teacher Shauna Finn ahead of the New York Academy Art Exhibit this spring.

The music-themed LREI Unplugged Big Auction raised $334,000 for the school, making it LREI's most successful auction ever!

One of the 30 most influential women on social media is LREI feminism and English teacher Ileana Jimenez, according to Wear Your Voice magazine. Follow her twitter feed @feministteacher.

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Graduation2015

This graduation ceremony marks the end of our journey together through high school, but it is just the beginning of your next adventure.”

- Micah Dov Gottlieb, High School Principal

“You all have written policy briefs, business plans, and TED talks. I’ve seen many of you become artists. Some of you became activists and advocates for social justice. I am amazed at how much you have accomplished in four short years.”

-Tom Murphy, High School History Teacher


We would not be the school we are if we did not focus on your intellectual growth, and community and diversity. We would not be the school we are if we did not have one eye fixed on the school we are going to be.”

-Phil Kassen, Director

When I see how open minded and curious my classmates are, I don’t think it’s just a coincidence that we all turned out this way.”

-Cara Colasanti, ‘15

Elisabeth Irwin and this school survived the Depression and a political climate that viewed her experiment as radical. She kept finding new ways to accomplish her goals, and the school is still standing and thriving almost one hundred years later. Don’t give up.”

-Amy Zimmerman, Board Chair

LREI has seeded our souls. The seeds that have been planted at LREI have blossomed into smart, active citizens of the world. Our roots will always be here.”

-Rehana Hirji, ‘15

Where is the Class of 2015 studying this fall? View the 2015 College List at http://bit.do/lreicollege2015

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NEW TRUSTEES

DECLAN KELLY is CEO and co-founder of global advisory firm Teneo. He advises CEOs from many of the world’s leading companies and organizations and is recognized for his experience with crisis management. Prior to Teneo, Declan served as the U.S. Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland. Appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009, he helped bring substantial U.S. investors to the region and played a significant role in supporting efforts that led Northern Ireland to receive fully devolved political governance. Previously, Declan was executive vice president and CIO at FTI Consulting and chairman and CEO of Financial Dynamics. He graduated from the National University of Ireland and worked as a journalist for more than a decade. Declan has received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the American Irish Historical Society’s gold medal for his commitment to Irish-American issues. He created and oversees the Northern Ireland Mentorship Program, which provides graduates from Northern Ireland opportunities to train with leading U.S. companies, and serves on the board for Sesame Workshop. His son Adrian is in the second grade and daughter Charlotte starts LREI this year in the Fours.

2015-2016

EUNU CHUN is a partner in the corporate practice at Kirkland & Ellis and covers a wide range of transactions, including leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, and venture capital and growth equity investments. He has worked with such clients as Bain Capital, Warburg Pincus, Catterton Partners, Apax Partners and others, as well as numerous portfolio companies. Eunu has been recognized in Chambers USA and the IFLR 1000’s Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms and Guide to the World’s Leading Private Equity Lawyers. He earned his AB, magna cum laude, from Harvard University, and his JD from Columbia University School of Law. He has previously served on the boards of the Council of Urban Professionals, First Presbyterian Nursery School and the Greenwich Village Little League. Eunu’s son Linus is a tenth grader.

KERRY DONAHUE is the director of the radio program at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she has taught audio journalism for more than a decade. She is a former executive producer at WNYC and was an early podcasting pioneer in her role as a producer of original content at Audible.com. Kerry has been an active member of the LREI community since 2011, serving as co-chair of the PA Community Service Committee for three years. Originally from Maine, Kerry lives in SoHo with her husband, Guy Story, and two daughters, fifth grader Stella and third grader Margot.

KEN CORNICK ‘90 is the president and CFO of Clear, a security management firm. Ken re-launched Clear in 2010 and oversees operations, finance and technology. Prior to Clear, Ken was a founding partner of Arience Capital. In building Arience over a seven-year period, heavy emphasis was placed on its unique research process, culture and team. Ken attended LREI from 5th to 8th Grade, went on to Stuyvesant High School, and Bowdoin College, where he received his BA in economics. He also serves on the Board of Jewish Community Project Downtown. Ken has three children in Lower School in the Fours, second and fourth grades.


I am so proud of our Board of Trustees— a group of 35 men and women with vastly varied experiences and talents, but united in our common passion for LREI’s mission. Please join me in welcoming our newest eight trustees.”

—Amy Zimmerman, Chair, LREI Board of Trustees

JAMAL YOUNG is a national education leadership and management consultant with broad experience in education from pre-kindergarten to higher education, including expertise in strategic planning, school and program evaluation, leadership and management evaluation, team building, and leadership development. He has served as a charter school authorizer while leading the financial analysis team for the New York State Department of Education. Over the past ten years, Jamal oversaw all aspects of charter school development across the state, from new school applications, to renewals, to replications and mergers, to closures, as well as supporting schools in all phases of operations. Jamal specialized in board governance, financial analysis of charter networks, and formalized the state’s analytics on fiscal performance. He also played a major role in crafting a New York State Board of Regents policy on parent involvement and community engagement. His children Jade and Jasiri are both in the third grade.

LIZ KURTZMAN is an illustrator and designer who has worked in the fashion and textile industry for over 20 years. She attended Parsons School of Design and has designed textiles and accessories for numerous international fashion houses, including Perry Ellis, Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi, and with companies Burberry and Coach. Among many accomplishments in the art and design fields, Liz has created her own neckwear line, contributed art to more than 40 cookbooks, and founded an arts program for families with autism. She has a background in costume design and has worked with world-renowned choreographer Mark Morris’s Brooklyn-based dance company. Her talents have taken center stage at LREI as well, where she has designer over 200 costumes for five LREI student productions. Liz has served as a PA representative, co-chair of the LREI school store, and on numerous PA committees during the time her daughter Lucinda ’17 has spent at LREI.

KIMBROUGH TOWLES, CFA, is managing director of the wealth management firm Fiduciary Trust Company. In her role, she serves as a senior portfolio manager responsible for the investment management of client portfolios, including asset allocation and selecting securities based on the objectives of individuals and families. She previously worked at U.S. Trust for 19 years where she was a senior portfolio manager for 35 client relationships, the majority of which were multi-generational. At U.S. Trust, Kimbrough launched and served as editor-in-chief of the publication Capital Acumen, which showcased the firm’s best thinking on global markets, investment themes, portfolio strategies, and financial planning. She received her BA from Yale University in classical civilization and her MBA with honors from Columbia University, where she has taught a class on applied value investing. Her daughter Chloe is a tenth grader.

MANJULA NAIR is a high school mathematics teacher at LREI and a PhD candidate in mathematics education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Majula has taught at a variety of public high schools and private colleges and began teaching at LREI in 2011. She received her BS from Simmons College, with a triple major in education, mathematics and Spanish. She has served on LREI’s Strategic Planning Committee, High School Admissions Committee and High School Principal Search Committee. A true teacher at heart, Manjula began her teaching career very early on tutoring family members and classmates while she was still in grade school. She is an avid reader and lives in New York with her husband Steve.

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REUNIONWEEKEND

2015The 30th Annual Alumni Reunion Weekend took place June 5-6. We kicked the weekend off on Friday evening by welcoming former faculty and students to a cocktail reception on our brand new rooftop terrace at the high school. As the sun went down in SoHo, the enthusiastic young alumni (no surprise here!) were the last to leave. Saturday afternoon featured LREI-style learning opportunities. A special Reunion Edition of Adult rED courses (Visit lrei.org/adult_red for fall course offerings) included a class about Buddhism taught by Mark Bledstein and a sing-along inspired by the Little Red Songbook taught by Susan Glass. Alumni also took to the mic and archived their special memories for the LREI StoryLab radio project (read more on page 16). A member of the 50th Reunion class, cinematographer Tom Hurwitz ’65, screened his new documentary “Tiger Tiger,” and was honored as this year’s Distinguished Alumnus for his work as one of the film industry’s most accomplished documentary cinematographers and for his social activism during the Vietnam War. Associate Director Michel de Konkoly Thege, who played a significant and instrumental role in LREI’s expansion projects, was recognized as the school’s Honorary Alumnus. Michel will return this year as a special assistant to the administration and as a high school teacher. Read excerpts from the weekend’s speeches below and access the full remarks at lrei.org/reunion.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS TOM HURWITZ ’65 ON LREI’S INFLUENCE ON HIS CINEMATOGRAPHY CAREER

My work is grounded in EI. The best documentaries, in some way or another, strive to make the world better – more just, most fair, more conscious of the lives of the people who one tends to overlook, more aware that our common hopes and desires unite us vastly more than our differences divide us. In this, EI was an inspiration.”

Young alumni reconnect at the rooftop cocktail party.

The Class of 1965 celebrates its 50th Reunion!

Alumni dive into the archives.

We’re digitizing all LREI

yearbooks this year. Learn

more at lrei.org/archives.

Alumni enjoy the newly finished rooftop terrace.


ROBERT ROSENTHAL ’80, SPEAKING ABOUT ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR MICHEL DE KONKOLY THEGE, HONORARY ALUMNUS

Michel has his hand in most things that go on here. From the boiler to the roof, to the balance sheet, to the classroom, he has influenced every part of our school. He has treated it as if it was his own. And, he has made it his own.”

View these pictures and more from the weekend at lrei.org/reunion

INTRODUCTION BY ALUMNI COUNCIL PRESIDENT TAMAR GARGLE KRAKOWIAK ’88

Five gentlemen have joined us from the first graduating class of 1945. Congratulations on your 70th Reunion! Here is a note that was sent from New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia to Elisabeth Irwin when you entered high school back in 1941...

Dear Ms. Irwin: I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Little Red School House on its development and growth during the past few years and on the opening of the new high school, for I think the work you have done is most admirable and deserves wide recognition. Sincerely yours, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, Mayor”

Members of the Class of 2015 were welcomed into the LREI Alumni Association during a reception with their little buddies from the Fifth Grade.

Director Phil Kassen shows alumni the high school’s newest features during a tour of 40 Charlton Street.

Former teacher Cleo Banks (left) watches a video interview eighth grader Cameron Krakowiak (right) recorded for LREI StoryLab.

Center: Alumni Council President Tamar Gargle Krakowiak ‘88

Associate Director Michel de Konkoly Thege (second from left) is the 2015 Honorary Alumnus.

The Class of 1945 have been friends for

over 70 years.

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DAVID POLACHECK ’65 remembers a concert Pete Seeger gave in the PAC at the high school in 1960.

“I really wanted to go because my father was a folk singer in his younger days and would sing to myself and my brothers when we were little. That type of music was something I grew up with, and later became very involved in,” David said. A big part of Pete Seeger concerts, he explained, were about trying to get the audience to sing along. When Pete Seeger came to LREI though, it was not an issue. “From the moment he stepped on stage and played the first notes of the first song, everybody in that auditorium was singing with him for the whole evening. I was singing at the top of my voice and I could not hear my own voice at all. That’s what it was like in that room. Everybody in that room was signing as loud as they

possibly could. That’s the only time I’ve ever had that experience. It made such a great impression on me.” LISTEN at lrei.org/storylab

StoryLabLREI

In celebration of LREI’s rich history, the school has started an ongoing oral history project, LREI StoryLab. Modeled after the popular NPR-supported StoryCorps, the LREI StoryLab is a pop-up radio booth where alumni record memories of their time spent at LREI. The project’s goal is to build an oral history archive as we near our centennial celebration in 2021. During Reunion 2015, a dozen alumni recorded their stories. Read excerpts below and listen to the full versions at lrei.org/storylab.

Do you have an LREI story to share?Contact Director of Advancement L.J. Mitchell at 212-477-5316, ext. 236, or at [email protected].

JOE GUILFORD ‘70, recalled the LREI community’s role in politics in the late 1960s and ‘70s. He remembered one week in particular during the aftermath of the Kent State University

shootings and the revelation of plans to expand the Vietnam War into Cambodia. “We closed the school for one week in honor of the victims. The administration allowed us to take over the school. We [the students] taught the classes for five days. I taught a film class because I was a filmmaker, and still am a screenwriter. Everyone taught something from their expertise,” Joe said. “It was an incredible week. Most kids [in the country] were demonstrating against their administrations, we were demonstrating with ours. When we went on anti-war demonstrations, we’d meet our teachers there. It was very troublesome because parents used to show up too. You’d get to a demonstration, thinking oh cool, I’ll get to hang out with my friends, but no, there are your parents marching alongside you. It was so embarrassing! You couldn’t get rid of your parents or your teachers, but that was the incredible thing about LREI. I’d never seen such a unity of student body and teachers and administrators in my life. I think everyone really cherishes their days here at LREI. Of course you don’t know it when you’re here, but believe me, a few years after you graduate, you’ll love to come back.” LISTEN at lrei.org/storylab.


THE CLASS OF 1945, LREI’s first graduating class, shared many laughs and this historical memory about founder Elisabeth Irwin, as told by Ray Steinberg ’45: “I can still see Elisabeth Irwin walking around the Bleecker Street building visiting classes. She knew everybody. Around the time she died, it was announced that we would have a high school, the Little Red School House High School,” Ray said. “We thought that was an awfully long name for a high school. Elisabeth Irwin was the founder and we wanted her name it be on it. As I recall, four or five of us in my class got together, and without telling the teachers or faculty, organized a campaign. At an assembly sometime during that year, a couple of us got up and made a speech about calling the school Elisabeth Irwin High School. The teachers were stunned and didn’t know it was happening. I feel that my classmates and I were responsible, in some way, in naming this school.” LISTEN at lrei.org/storylab

JUDY GRUBER ‘60, AND JACQUELINE SHABOT ‘60 were nostalgic about how music played a big role during their time at LREI. “There was a lot of singing a lot of the time while we were here,” Jacqueline said. “In the student lounge we would play music and sing our hearts out.” Music was also a learning tool. Jacqueline and Judy described studying for quizzes by rewriting the lyrics of Motown songs from the late 1950s. “We would record things on this huge Webcor recorder. It was like a suitcase that you opened up and the speakers would come up,” Judy said. “We read history books onto the recorder and then we played them in our sleep, thinking we would learn by osmosis. I don’t know if we did, but we did make it through high school!” Over fifty years later, Jacqueline and Judy remembered (and sang!) nearly all the words to an LREI original song they performed on stage with classmates in the late 1950s that combined what they learned in physics and with what they learned in a course called Problems of Modern Living. LISTEN at lrei.org/storylab.

RICHARD GOLDBERG ’50, told a story about an influential teacher he had at LREI. “I

remember them all, but there was a wonderful French teacher who also lived in the Village who we adored, Quentin Hope,” He was tall and he had driven an ambulance during the war. He taught us a lot of French and gave us a real feeling for France before we ever got near the country. He would sit at his desk and swing his feet and I remember once something hilarious happened. He was swinging his foot and it accidentally got caught in the wastebasket and he couldn’t disentangle himself. He was a tall man with gangly feet and he couldn’t get it out of there. It was hilarious! A real slap stick moment for the class.” About five years ago, Richard tried to contact Quentin Hope, but learned that he died a few weeks earlier. “He made a deep impression on me,” Richard said. LISTEN at lrei.org/storylab

LUCINDA (SMITH) HUGHEY-WILEY ‘64, shared memories of what it was like to be the daughter

of LREI’s then-director Randolph Smith (1943-1968). During the 1950s when communism was big topic of discussion in the country, it was off limits on campus, according to Lucinda. “I was advised as a six-year-old not to talk about anybody’s parents in a political way because somebody might be with the FBI or overhearing me. We never talked about it. Never then,” Lucinda said. “My father got so mad about the idea that everybody was a communist or needed to be investigated. When the Meeropols joined the school, Mike and Robbie, who were the Rosenberg sons, there was a lot of difference of opinion among the staff as to whether they should be allowed in. Being called the Little Red School House, emphasis on ‘red,’ the whole communist thing became so horrendous during those years.” Communism was never mentioned among the students, Lucinda said, even a dozen years later. “I learned only a year ago that one of the teachers had been a member of the communist part, but big deal, so what.” LISTEN at lrei.org/storylab

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Stanley Adelman ’38 and his wife moved to a retirement home in Redding, Conn. “At 90, I still have fond memories of Little Red,” he writes.

Well into his eighties, Dr. Roy Kahn ’40 is a three-time World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters World Champion for his age group. Due to an injury, he missed the world championships in 2014, but is headed to nationals this year and hoping to qualify again for worlds.

Alexander Elwyn ’45 and his wife Shelia live in a retirement home in Chicago overlooking Lake Michigan. They enjoy photography, going to museums and attending theater events at Chicago’s Second City, and visiting their three children.

Lyn Campbell MacFarlane ’46 cares for husband Alan in Memory Care and spends her free time writing. She started her 20th novel, a mystery about a newly retired 65-year-old female police detective who will not tolerate age discrimination. “I love getting the information about the exciting changes that have occurred at LREI!” Lyn writes.

Mona Pine Monroe ’48 is “still in good health and enjoying retirement!”

Now retired, Jeanne Gould Bloom ’50 takes care of her husband, who still teaches full time at Yale. She enjoys sharing tea and cookies with his wonderful students.

Stephen Earl ’51 writes, “My firm, The Merit Corporation, which I founded, is now 53 years old. My sons are running it. We are hoping a grandchild will be joining soon.”

CLASS NOTESIlsa Gilbert ’51 is still a busy writer (poetry, plays, opera librettos and musical theater) and also create collages which are shown at the Westbeth Gallery in the West Village where she lives.

Geoffrey Heywood ’51 is “still alive and kicking.”

During a tribute this spring, friends and colleagues in St. Catharines, Ontario, celebrated Peter Feldman ’54 for his accomplishments as an associate professor at Brock University’s Dramatic Arts Department. Peter has directed many productions both on campus and off campus with Stray Theatre, a fringe theater group made up of many of his former students. He also welcomed his first great-grandchild, Lucas, this April.

In honor of its centennial this past October, the Fordham Law Review republished and named an article written by Naomi Sheiner ’54 one of its six most influential articles of the past 100 years. “DES and a Proposed Theory of Enterprise Liability” was originally published in 1978 and is available at fordhamlawreview.org.

In his eleventh year of retirement, Mike Salmon ’55 continues to guide graduate students in biology to Masters degrees. This past winter he traveled to Australia to research sea turtles with his wife. “Life continues to be a joy and interesting!” Mike shares.

Susan Kranz Rosentstein ’56 writes, “I have three children and seven grandchildren and retired last year as a real estate broker-salesperson. My husband, Harold, is an attorney from Connecticut who is now a licensed building contractor in the glass business in Miami. We live in a lovely community.”

Susan Meyer ’58 shares, “I’ve been working with the Alumni Council to bring the school archives into the 21st century. Progress has been made.” Learn more at lrei.org/archives.

Lucinda (Smith) Hughey-Wiley ’64 writes that she and Peggy Bone Miles ‘58 got together for a few hours this summer. “It was the first time that we were face to face since the summer of 1962 (!) and it was delightful. We really are lucky to have this community of people still in our

lives over fifty years later. It’s special. Thank you, LREI.”

Virginia Segal Shipley ’59 is living in the Village and still in practice as a psychoanalyst and psychotherapist. “I think of my years at LREI fondly and often,” Virginia writes.

Jimmy Tarlau ’66 was recently elected to the Maryland State Legislature. He joins fellow LREI graduate, Maryland state Sen. Roger Manno ’84.

Bo Tep ’70 writes, “I continue to enjoy my retired pace of life (reading, studying, gardening, cooking, traveling to visit families and friends, home repair, and just plain being at ease). I do spend some time praying every day for peace and understanding. I am grateful to have been a student of EI.”

Alan Soloway ’73 reports that he is e ntering his 26th year with the U.S. Department of Justice in Connecticut. His wife Elizabeth Marsh recently became Professor Emeritus at Quinnipiac University School of Law, his son Michael Marsh-Soloway is a doctoral student at UVA in Slavic studies, and his daughter Kathryn Marsh-Soloway is a special education teacher with Teach for America at the Latin Academy Charter School in Atlanta.

Barbara Martinez ’74 wrapped another successful year volunteering at World AIDS Day in NYC. “On my professional side, I am looking forward to another year of communications training and development locally and abroad,” Barbara writes.

Marc Abrams ’75 sends an update from Oregon. He is treasurer of AFSCME Council 75, which represents some 25,000 workers in the state, and is Assistant Attorney in Charge in the civil litigation section of the Oregon Department of Justice.

Paula Davis-Mulderrig ’80 checks in from sunny California. “All is well. Just sent my firstborn off to college and am muddling through the trauma! Life is good!”

Rabbi Brian Zimmerman ’83 is the Rabbinic Director of the Union for Reform Judaism for the southern part of the country. He lives in Dallas with his wife Mimi, son Saul (who just celebrated his bar mitzvah) and daughter Molly.

In MemoriamArthur Soybel ’39

Flora Friedland Bryant ’56

Dr. Stephen Firestone ‘70

David Ilchuk ’72

David Shapiro ’72

Sharon King, former trustee and mother of Martha King ’97

Alumni parent Tom Slaughter, father of Hannah Jocelyn ’05 and Nell Jocelyn ’08


Dr. Kara Stern ’84 was named Head of School at the Woodstock Day School, a progressive preK-12 day school between Woodstock and Saugerties, New York.

Caitlin Meister ’98 “My husband Edward D’Amore and I welcomed our first baby in May. His name is Rowan and he is the joy of our lives!”

Nat Towsen ’03 writes that he recently won the Grand Prize at Comedy Hack Day, a hackathon that pairs comedians with developers to create funny apps. His team’s winning app, Got This Thing, fills up your Google Calendar with real events in your area so you have an excuse for any date and time. Try it at GotThisThing.com.

Laura Protzel ’05 graduated this spring with an MFA from the School of Visual Arts.

After working as a cook for five years, Margot Protzel ’07 is now learning front-of-the-house operations at Gramercy Tavern.

Elle King ’08, an RCA recording artist, performed two shows in NYC this past fall as part of Lincoln Center’s “Downtown Goes Uptown” program. She released her debut album “Love Stuff” in February, a follow-up to 2012’s acclaimed “The Elle King EP,” which was praised by Esquire, Vanity Fair, and Entertainment Weekly, among many others.

Celi Khanyile-Lynch ’09 is working in the NYC Mayor’s Office as special assistant to the director of appointments. She was previously the operations coordinator for Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. Read more Celi in LREI in the World on page 7.

This past fall, musician Harry D’Agostino ’10 visited a music class at LREI. He is currently leading his own band, Upstate Rubdown, an acoustic pop group with creative rhythms and harmonies, and an original gospel song in the upcoming film “Good Friday.”

Edie Duepner ’10 graduated from Central St. Martins in London with a major in jewelry design. View her work at ediecharles.com.

Alumni Parent Cynthia Loomis sends her special thanks to LREI’s history and academic support departments. Her son Ben Neuhaus ’10 is studying at Yale Law School and son Robbie Neuhaus ’12 is a senior at Dartmouth. Visit lrei.org for upcoming events throughout the year.

9/17Young Alumni Cocktail Party6:30-8:30 p.m.40 Charlton Street

10/1Alumni Council Meeting6:30 p.m.Alumni Archive Room





6/3-6/4Reunion Weekend 2016Celebrating classes ending in sixes and ones


2015-2016

Alumni Calendar SAVE THE DATE!

GIRLS GOT GAME This year, the Alumni Council is inviting alumnae athletes to face off against the Girls Varsity Basketball Team during our annual Alumni Basketball Game event.

12/18Alumni Brunch & Alumni Basketball GameTime TBD40 Charlton Street and Thompson Street Gym

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❤ LREI

First ClassPresorted

U.S. PostagePAID

New York, NYPermit No. 487

272 Sixth AvenueNew York, NY 10014

❤ 84 likesLREI Varsity Girls Basketball are ISAL champs! Congrats on an incredible undefeated regular and post season. Wow!

❤ 70 likesIt’s a good day for a buddy! Buddy time @lrei field day.

❤ 66 likesCheck out

LREI in #China

in this spring break

snapshot!

❤ 55 likesFirst grade hot chocolate baristas show off big grins at their first grade restaurant this morning!

❤ 78 likesTime to move up! Eighth graders cut the ribbons on the Bleecker Street door and move up to high school.

❤ 99 likesLREI students marching for #blacklivesmatter during a walk out today

Here’s what our community “liked” most on our Instagram account this year.Follow us and tag your shots @lrei, @lreilowerschool and @lreicollegeoffice.

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Documents

LREI News 2015