CONTENTST A B L E O F

FEATURES

Pine Crest: A Growing School........................................4

The Dormies .....................................................................8

Chaplain McKee Retires...............................................10

Brianna Kahane ’20 (Small Star on a Big Stage) .......18

DEPARTMENTS

President’s Message .......................................................3

Campus Highlights ........................................................12

Athletics..........................................................................22

Arts ..................................................................................26

ALUMNI

Post the Dates ..................................................................2

Profiles.......................................................................30, 32

Alumni in New York .......................................................38

Alumni in Washington, D.C...........................................39

Remember When ..........................................................40

Class Notes ....................................................................44

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4Pine Crest: A Growing School

18Brianna Kahane

Halsey ’92 & Kheel ’91

Toni Marshall, Editor, Writer954-492-4105 toni.marshall@pinecrest.edu

Photography: Toni Marshall and Nick Crisafi

Contributing Writer: Nick Crisafi

Vice President for Advancement: Pat Boig

Associate Director of Development: Susie Ledbetter

Alumni Relations: Jennifer Burnstein

Proofreaders: Nick Crisafi, Evelyn Farner, Susie Ledbetter, Laura McDonald,Candace Moore, Joanne Pelton, and Jane Salimbene

Layout and Design: D3 Advertising of Boca Raton

Publisher: The Magazine is produced by Pine Crest School Development Office.

Special thanks to the Lower School Yearbook Committee for the aerial 75 photo on the cover.

Kyle Mahowald ’0520

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Alumni Weekend 2009

April 17 & 18

All-Alumni Happy Hour/Tent Party

Faculty Courtyard

Friday, April 17, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Join us as we kick off Alumni Weekend

with old friends and Pine Crest faculty.

Alumni Family Picnic

Faculty Courtyard and

Middle School Courtyard

Saturday, April 18

11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

The picnic is a long-standing

Pine Crest tradition, where families

will enjoy a variety of activities

and picnic fare.

Alumni Reunions - Classes of 1959,

1969, 1979, 1984, 1989, & 1999

Hyatt Regency Pier 66

Saturday, April 187:00 p.m.

Celebrate your reunion

with classmates.

Deadline for registration

April 10, 2009

Register online at

http://www.pinecrest.edu/support/

alumni/fort_reunion.asp or

call Jennifer Burnstein

954.776.2177

Check out “Class Notes”online at

https://www.pinecrest.edu/podium

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Pine Crest reserves the right to edit copy to fit

the standards of our publications. Please submit

high resolution (300 dpi) photos. Photos should

be submitted .jpeg, .tif, and or .eps formats.

Dr. Mae McMillan has been designated a 2009

Great Floridian, the highest honor bestowed on an

individual who has had a profound impact on our

state, and in this case, on education. When I received

the news about her honor a few weeks ago, I thought that

it was a befitting salute to Dr. Mae and Pine Crest, especially

during the School’s 75th anniversary.

“This award is presented in recognition of her unwavering devotion to

education for all, regardless of race, religion or color,” read the letter, signed by Florida

Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning. Dr. Mae will join the ranks of other Floridians who

have helped to shape this state, some of whom are well-known to most of us: Congressman

E. Clay Shaw; Senator Connie Mack; City of Miami founder Julia Tuttle; developer Henry

Flagler; writer Zora Neale Hurston; educator and activist Mary McLeod Bethune;

Governor Lawton Chiles; and writer and environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

For this great honor, each year a committee meets to nominate citizens of the state,

living or deceased. It was esteemed Florida State University professor and former Pine Crest

parent Walter Manley, father of Marjorie Manley Posada ’92, who nominated Dr. Mae.

Our Development Office compiled the extensive information Mr. Manley needed and

forwarded the data to Tallahassee.

Now 75 years after the founding of Pine Crest, in cities around the country, Dr. Mae’s

legacy is represented by outstanding professionals. This was certainly reinforced by a recent

trip to Chicago, where alums took the time to come by and express their appreciation. Phil

Hoggatt ’56, a retired banker, came the furthest. He made the three-hour drive from

Champagne/Urbana eager to reconnect with his alma mater and express what a difference

Pine Crest has made in setting him on the path for a successful career in banking.

Another alum was on campus recently. Roland Foulkes ’74 returned at our invitation to

speak with students in honor of Black History Month. Dr. Mae recruited Roland, the first

African-American to graduate from Pine Crest. It was important to her that Pine Crest be

a school where students from every faith and race learn and grow together. “I honestly don’t

believe I would have stayed here without Dr. Mae," Roland told the audience. “I owe a lot

of my success to Dr. Mae.”

Dr. Mae’s vision, mission, and purpose continue on after 75 years!

Lourdes M. Cowgill, Ph.D.

Mark Gilbert ’74, ChairWalter Banks ’61, Vice Chair

Marc Bell

Richard Chestnov

Michelle Mehallis Cibene ’84

Lourdes M. Cowgill, Ph.D.

Bob Fishman

Andrew Gumberg

Jeff Hollander

David Kantor

Arthur Keiser ’71

Albert “Sonny” Kotite

Caryl Mendelsohn

Edward Pozzuoli

Hiromi Printz

Kevin Quinn

Douglas Reynolds ’75

Jeff Roberts

Sheri Sack

Karen Schlesinger

Dan Sheinberg

Dennis Smith

Peter Wittich

Jordan Zimmerman

Emeritus Directors

Robert Friedman, H ’77

Theodore Friedt, H ’81

William H. Grimditch, Jr., H ’67

Richard Ingham

John Leech ’56

William J. McMillan ’45

Paul Roepnack

Henry H. Wheeler

Alumni Council

Marcie (Berman) Bour Patron ’80

Elizabeth Camp ’94

Lucy Friedt Dublin ’72

Norma Martin Goonen ’65

Jeffrey Keiser ’73

Scott Masel ’84

Lara Osofsky Leader ’93

Jon Wiley ’79

PINE CRESTSpring 2009

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2009

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The burying of the 50th Anniversary time capsule in1984 closed the chapter of the School’s early years, yetoffered a challenge to future generations to one day peelback the soil and compare the present to the past.

Founder Mae McMillan passed away the following year,but her optimism was easily implanted in her son andheadmaster, Bill McMillan, who always had his sights seton expanding the 62nd street campus and acquiring otheracreage to create another school. Within a few years, herealized his dream of expansion with the acquisition ofBoca Raton Academy in 1987.

Meanwhile, Pine Crest continued to make its mark. TheInstitute for Civic Involvement, established by Robert and Eugenie Friedman in 1976, attracted world-renownedspeakers. Drama, dance, instrumental, and choral programs claimed numerous awards and recognition, andthe sports program gained local and national attention,with swimming leading the way.

It was time for new leadership to help meet the growing needs of the information era and the generationsexposed to this new kind of progress. In 1988, Dr. Lourdes Cowgill was invested as headmistress while Bill McMillancontinued as president of the Pine Crest PreparatorySchool Corporation. The new leadership roles would allowthe school to flourish academically and focus attention on capital projects that would meet this exploding information and technology-based generation.

“It was an interesting time for schools, when I becameheadmistress,” says Dr. Cowgill. “We needed to embracethis growing ‘information era,’ plus hold on to the valuesand traditions on which Dr. Mae founded Pine Crest.”

That also meant reexamining the school’s curriculumand revisiting instructional classroom models in order tolaunch a technologically savvy generation. “Although Ihave always had a love for the classics in literature, I wasglad to know that we had so many teachers who couldhave resisted change, but instead were able to couple theold with the new,” she says. The School realized most of

these changes in the late 1990s, following Dr. Cowgill’sascension to president in 1995 after Bill McMillan’s retirement. She would continue his and Dr. Mae’s vision.

“I think the School was very fortunate that when I wasabout to retire as the head – that there was total agreementbetween myself and the chairman of the Board who wouldfollow,” says McMillan. “I think Lourdes Cowgill is a very intelligent and capable woman – and she’s carriedthings on.”

The growth experienced at Pine Crest over the next fewyears would not only attract top scholars, but wouldcement the School’s standing as South Florida’s premiereducational institution. Pine Crest increased the numberof Advanced Placement courses and consistently rankedamong the institutions with the highest numbers ofNational Merit Scholars. Computers leapt from stationarycenters to laptops, starting with seventh graders in 1998.Smartboards replaced whiteboards and chalkboards. But acapital project would catapult the School’s visibility, literally.

Dr. Lourdes Cowgill is sworn in as President.

By Toni Marshall

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In 1998, the Huizenga Family Science Center andBienes Courtyard was completed, housing the EganLibrary, the Blosser Gallery, and the Gilbert ConferenceRoom. The copper-domed edifice easily rivals collegiatemedia, science, and learning centers. Pine Crest Schoolstudents in grades six through twelve make constant use ofthe Egan Library. The facility encompasses 12,000 squarefeet of working space. Its spectacular two-story reading/reference area overlooks an outside landscaped patio. Thelibrary has seating for classes, small groups, and individualstudy. All tables and study carrels are equipped with tasklighting and electric power. The library also possesses wire-less technology. With more than 49,000 volumes and anextensive inventory of video tapes, DVDs, and audiotapes, all can be accessed via the electronic card catalogue.Take the stairway to the upper levels to experience theadvanced science and research center. “This transitionfrom the old facilities to the new Science Center is likecomparing the use of a razor blade to a laser scalpel in surgery,” said Jim Lansdale (then chair of the ScienceDepartment) in the Summer 1999 edition of Previews.

Students study in Egan Library.

The copper-domed edifice joins the bell tower as our School’s landmarks.

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But the boom did not stop with the Huizenga building.The Karen and Ashley Palmer Dance Studio was addedthree years later, and the Fort Lauderdale campusembraced a new Middle School in 2002 with a semi-openspace design, team seminar rooms, and labs. The KelleyBoathouse also emerged in 2002, and the School gained amulti-story parking garage. Two years later came theSavage Family Sports and Athletic Complex with theSchlesinger Aquatics Center, the renovated StacyGymnasium, and a new health/fitness center. The BocaRaton campus added the Stevanovich Middle Schoolwhich houses the TV studio and state-of-the-art classrooms. Pine Crest sold Camp Highlander inHenderson, NC in 2001 and closed its boarding programthe same year.

The most recent change has been the Panther Café onthe Fort Lauderdale campus. The Felicia Nutter DiningHall was renovated and enhanced during the 2006 schoolyear. The dining facility provides “no fry” foods and offers two full salad bars, as well as a “hot foods” station, tocomplement three serving centers.

As Pine Crest looks toward the future, the need forenhanced learning centers is inevitable. The Boca Ratoncampus broke ground in 2008 on a new LEED-certifiedLower School and Administrative complex which will beready for use in the fall of 2009. A new Upper School classroom building is on the horizon for the FortLauderdale campus.

Dance practice in the Karen and Ashley Palmer Dance Studio

The dining hall boasts a “no fry” zone.

Language lab facilities State-of-the-art Middle School on Boca Raton Campus

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“I look forward with firm conviction to the prospects of expansion for Pine Crest,” Dr. Mae writes in her biography, My Life Plus a Hundred Years, about the moveto the new 62nd street campus in 1965. “As we celebrateour 75th Anniversary, Dr. Mae’s words continue to ringtrue while we move forward with firm conviction to buildfacilities that will maximize learning opportunities for ourstudents,” notes Dr. Cowgill. “In order to better educateour children in our highly competitive global society, wenot only have to be good, we need to have foresight, andbe both aggressive and progressive.”

The crew team’s Kelley Boathouse

Science Department Chair Dr. Barbara Grosz helps students in the Huizenga Family Science Center.

Students work on computers in the library.

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I remember one of the Emory University Deans giving a

speech my first day of college about how the freshman class

included students from 25 different countries and high-

lighting the class of 2002 as one of the largest and

most diverse in Emory’s history. I thought to myself, 25

countries? I just came from a place with twice as many!

From kids whose commute from Palm Beach was too

long to kids whose commute crossed several continents,

the Pine Crest dorm was a unique melting pot of young

people. From 1993 to 1998, I lived with guys from Saudi

Arabia, Brazil, the Caribbean and Thailand (who could

forget the Thai Scholars with their unpronounceable last

names). The dorms truly added rare, early exposure to a

rich diversity of cultures and people that touched anyone

associated with them.

Everyone had a different experience at the Pine Crest

dorm. For me, it started in eighth grade with big Chris

Chen ’94 (Miami) pointing me to my room. As excited as

I was about the new experience, being in that barren room

for the first time was a bit shocking, and I wasn’t too sure

about this bunk bed thing. That night we had a dorm

meeting in the co-ed lounge and then prefect Andrew

Wetenhall ’94 gave a speech, talking about the rules of

the dorm…rules, roommates, study hall, dorm parents,

shared bathrooms…that was a lot for a 13-year-old from

Peru to handle!

Playing basketball later that first week I met Kush

Parmar ’98 (Mexico), Andrew High (Turks and Caicos),

and Wilson Wu ’98 (Hong Kong), the other eighth graders

that year. While the first weeks may have been a bit tough,

over time, that place did become a home away from

home for many of us. I remember sneaking into my

first R-rated movie with Christoph Look (Germany) and

learning how to shave from David Asari (Saudi Arabia).

For the younger guys, older “dormies” were like big brothers: they had cars, the corner rooms, and later curfews. For the older guys, we were probably notmore than a nuisance. I can’t count the times AndrewWhitaker ’96 (Brazil), David St. Louis ’96 (Atlanta) orDavid Kozloff ’97 (New Jersey) drove us to grab food,saved us from the dreaded short bus ride to the mall, orspared us from the religious conversations with Sam Lin ’97.I also recall always hearing Sandeep Chapalmadugu’s guitar, the arguments in Cantonese between Max ’96 and Wilson Wu (Hong Kong), Leslie Loggans ’97 trying to be funny, the time John Angelini ’97 fell from his bunk, Chi-Hung Jone’s ’95 (Saudi Arabia)unnatural vertical leap, Gordon Chen ’97 and GaryWhitehouse ’97 trying to put me in a wrestling hold,Nacho Larran’s ’96 (Canary Islands) power basketballgame, and June Ro’s ’97 (Korea) lack of any game. Thosedays were a lot of fun, and it was the people at the dormwho made it special.

On a typical dorm day, I’d either wake myself up or myroommate would beat me to it - thanks for participating increw Matt Drossos ’98 (Kentucky). Light sleepers probablywere awakened by the splattering of the swimmers nextdoor. For the hard sleepers, it was Mrs. Blanton bangingon your door as she checked all the rooms every morning.Once you were up, you’d inevitably have to wait for ashower since 64 boys shared 4 bathrooms and everyonetried to get those last precious minutes of sleep before first-period class.

Our school days were very similar to day students’,although the ability to take a mid-day nap back in yourroom was a sure positive. Most of us were involved insports or afterschool activities. Imagine having 20 sonscome back home with dirty football gear and combine thatsmell with the chlorine-soaked swimmers.

By Luis Olguin

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Dinner was served from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m in the cafeteria.I especially remember the days of the breakfast-for-dinneror the left-over chicken patties. Mandatory study hallbegan at 7:45 p.m., but not without placing a food order to be delivered later that night; cafeteria dinners wereinevitably not enough sustenance for growing young boys. It was a daily occurrence to have 10 pizzas and multiple orders of Chinese food and chicken wings delivered every night.

Study hall was a quiet, if not unproductive, time at thedorm. The older proctors and prefect would watch overthe rest of the guys to assure some studying was beingdone. After study hall, most people would gather in the co-ed lounge or television rooms. We had ping pong andpool tournaments throughout the year. The dorm wasclosed at 10:05 p.m. every weeknight with staggered in-room curfews based on your grade and a daily goodnight from the dorm parent on duty.

Life in the dorm was clearly very different from life athome. Living with 63 other guys, having six “parents,”needing quarters for laundry, and having room inspectionsevery Friday by Mr. Turner, Mr. Palmaccio, or Dr.Huebsch – dorm life taught us all responsibility, friend-ship, and tolerance. It was a maturing experience that wewere all lucky to have lived through in our teens because,at the end, we were more than ready for college dorms andnew friends from around the world.

Luis Olguin (right second row) with PC dormies

Luis Olguin (left back) reunites with dorm parents Dr. James and Susan Blanton, and fellow dormies Sheila Parma ’97 and Kush Parma ’98.

Those close to Chaplain Ani McKee know that shecherishes the ritual of opening School programs withprayer. What may seem like words hastily scribbled on a piece of paper calm noisy chatter, and often bring a welcome pause to busy thoughts and crowded days. “Thedistance has just gotten too far for me to travel every day,” says Chaplain McKee, who lives in Davie and drives toPine Crest to perform her duties as chaplain, teachComparative Religion and Values, and oversee communityservice projects.

“I’ve been at Pine Crest for such a long time. I love ithere, but it’s time for me to start a new chapter of my life.”

Chaplain McKee retires this year following more than 25years at Pine Crest. When she arrived at our School in1981, she was the only female math instructor on staff. Alove of math and teaching had always been a part of herlife, even during the days she spent living in a convent. Yes,Chaplain McKee was a nun.

One of six sisters whose family ran a sugar mill in Cubauntil Fidel Castro’s government took over their business,Chaplain McKee graduated from high school in June of1960, and two months later fled her birthplace for theUnited States with an early wave of refugees. “My parentswanted us to be free. Everything was left behind,” she says.“My parents and two younger sisters came a few monthsafter we did. We all thought we would be back in a fewmonths.” A few months turned into decades. In fact, hersisters visited Cuba a few years ago to find the life-size portrait of her family still hanging in their home. The current occupants would not allow them to enter, but theycould see it through a back entrance; family possessionsremain untouched, as if placeholders.

Chaplain McKee arrived with her grandparents inMiami at the end of that summer in 1960 and stayed inSouth Florida to wait for her sisters to follow from Cuba.Once her three sisters arrived, they headed north toPhiladelphia to the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart ofJesus, a Catholic order with schools, health, and outreach

facilities. Chaplain McKee taught for three months andentered the convent in December of that same year. Shewas a nun for 16 years, attending Rosemont College forher undergraduate degree in math and then LasalleUniversity for her master’s in Religious Education. “Ialways taught math and religion, even when I was viceprincipal and principal of the Handmaids’ schools, bothprivate and parochial,” she adds.

When Chaplain McKee left the convent, she went to herparents’ home in Milwaukee where she taught math andreligion again. “Six months later the Pope dispensed mefrom my vows, and I got married.” The next year, herdaughter, Alicia McKee Palelis ’96, was born.

With a move to South Florida, Chaplain McKee soonfound her way to Pine Crest. Her sister, Cristina Sollosso,and Cristina’s husband, Juan, worked at Pine Crest.“Mario Pena was the Upper School Head, and he knew Itaught mathematics at Madonna Academy,” she recalls.She came for an interview and was hired to teach math.The rest is history.

By Toni Marshall and Sara Ganz ’10

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Chaplain McKee was a nun for 16 years.

Ever committed to her faith, McKee embraced the chaplaincy position when it was offered to her. That position also included supervising the School’sCommunity Service program. “I had to stop attendingmany of the fundraisers because it got to be too much,” shelaments. “Our students are involved in so many wonderfulprograms.” Those students have a lot to say aboutChaplain McKee. Overseeing more than 20 programs,teaching classes, and presiding over an interfaith service onFriday mornings keeps Chaplain McKee very busy. “She isat the heart of all the Community Service Projects thathave benefited our community for so many years,” saysjunior Ivana Masimore, who works with Love Out Loud’sStar Tree Project.

Junior Nadia Cajale calls McKee an amazing humanbeing. “She is a genuine person who is always interested inhelping others and puts their well-being ahead of her own.I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to workwith her and learn from her,” Cajale says. “She will begreatly missed at Pine Crest, not just as a teacher, but assomeone who truly cares and wishes to guide students inthe right direction.”

When Chaplain McKee locks her office door for the lasttime, students and colleagues say they will truly miss sitting on her comfy couch, chatting, and talking about life with a woman who has been part spiritual advisor, partcounselor, and best friend.

“I have known Mrs. McKee for more than 25 years, evenbefore I came to work at Pine Crest,” says Elena DelAlamo ’67, Vice President for Admission. “I have neverknown anyone like her. She has earned my respect andadmiration even more as I have gotten to know her better.Her faith, humility, and innocence are rarely seen in thisworld in our time,” she says.

Del Alamo has had conflicting emotions since hearingabout Chaplain McKee’s plans to retire. “I am very happyfor her because she has wonderful plans to enjoy her family and her life, especially with her daughter and grandchildren. We all wish her the best for the future,”she adds.

“On the other hand, we will miss her. She has consis-tently demonstrated her dedication to each task, to every colleague, to all students and parents who have sought andreceived her help and guidance. She has been everythingthat a Chaplain, a caring teacher, an insightful leader, anda good friend should be.”

Chaplain McKee will be missed, but her selfless legacy has transcended generations, putting Pine Crest on themap for hundreds of thousands of hours of communityservice.

“I guess my legacy is what is written outside my office: ‘Islept and dreamt that life was joy. I woke and saw that lifeis service. I served and knew that service is joy.’”

11Chaplain McKee works with students in her sixth-grade Values class.

Christine Khachane has been appointed Head of LowerSchool for the Fort Lauderdale campus and will begin her tenure this fall. Currently, in her role as Assistant Lower School Head, she has proven to be a passionateadministrator whose abilities eclipsed other candidates pursuing the Head position. Khachane replaces BarbaraHollowell, who has graciously served as Interim LowerSchool Head for the past two years. Hollowell is the parent oftwo Pine Crest graduates - Suzanne Hollowell McCawley ’90 and Caroline Hollowell Showers ’94 - and the grandparent of first grader Sam McCawley. She has and will continue tobe an invaluable asset to the School as she returns to her position as Assistant Lower School Head. Khachane, aKlingenstein Fellow (Columbia University) with teachingand administrative experience at Hackley School, holds an undergraduate degree from William Smith College, an M.A.degree in Reading/Writing/Literacy from the University ofPennsylvania, and is currently finishing a second M.A. degreeat Teachers College, Columbia University.

Ivana Masimore ’10 and Alicia McKee Palelis ’96 recentlyteamed up to help bring joy to students with autism at aMiramar Elementary School. Masimore is the leader of thecommunity service project called Love Out Loud. Duringthe month of December, the members of the project madestars with the names of children with autism and the wishesthey had for the holidays. The stars were placed on theGiving Tree in the Upper School Office. Upper School students selected a star and bought gifts which were thengiven to the autistic students at Coral Cove Elementary inMiramar. Palelis works as an autism coach at the school.

Ivana Masimore ’10, Alicia McKee Palelis ’96, and Pine CrestPsychology teacher Elizabeth White

NASA Engineer Kimberly Slater

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NASA Engineer Kimberly Slater recently visited physicsteacher Naeemah Owens’ Science Topics class to talk aboutthe U.S. Space Program. Slater, a project engineer who has two children, Jackson (k) and Max (pre-k), on the BocaRaton campus, spoke about why we go to space and thebenefits of the Space Program. Slater shared a video thatgave us an inside look at NASA training and projects.

NASA Mom Lands at Pine Crest

Pine Crest Fort LauderdaleNames New

Lower School Head

Students, Faculty, and AlumHelp Autistic Children

Rear Admiral Tom Atkin gives a “pep” talk to team.

Frank Abagnale’s story captivates listeners.

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sadly, his father died when he was in that French prison. Through check forgeries and posing as an airline pilot onflights (free flights), Abagnale stole more than $2.5 million.Most of the money was kept in safety deposit boxes and wasultimately confiscated by authorities. The money he spent,roughly $500,000, he repaid over the years. Today, hestresses the importance of sound ethics and good morals.Abagnale is one of the world’s most respected authorities on the subjects of forgery, embezzlement, and secure documents. He resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has three sons,and has worked for more than 30 years for the FBI. A special thanks to the Read family for bringing one of themore poignant speakers in years to Pine Crest.

If you saw director Steven Spielberg’s thriller Catch Me IfYou Can a few years ago, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a 16-year-old con artist who posed as an airline pilot, doctor, andlawyer, then you know the story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. PineCrest students met the real Abagnale, 60, during a morningassembly. Abagnale, who now works for the Federal Bureauof Investigation, spoke about his days of forging checks and changing identities until he was captured by Frenchauthorities at the age of 21. He served time in both Frenchand Swedish prisons and was then remanded to federal authorities in the United States where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. However, he served only fouryears and spent the remainder of his sentence working withthe FBI in their fraud division. Abagnale did not glamorizehis life on the run, as it was portrayed in Spielberg’s block-buster, but gave students an eye-opening account of theworld of fraud and the dangers of living without fear as ateen. “I always knew I would get caught,” he said.

Abagnale left Bronxville, New York and ended up a con artist after his parents divorced. Speaking about therepercussions of his actions, he is sure several employees probably lost their jobs because of the things he did. And

Coast Guard’s Rear AdmiralVisits Varsity Football Team

The Real Frank Abagnale

Rear Admiral Tom Atkin of the United States Coast Guardtook time out of his busy schedule to speak with our varsityfootball team this past fall. Admiral Atkin played tight endand defensive and offensive tackle for the Coast GuardAcademy under Pine Crest Athletic Director Jim Foster.Making the trip from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Atkin said,“What a great honor it is to speak with you about football.This sport will mean so much to you for the rest of your lives.Today, in my career, when I have to send out people for onemission or another, I want football players. They know howto get a job done, they know what it means to take care of the small things. There are four things to remember: alwaystake care of your teammates, take care of your family, be committed to the best job possible - that comes from yourheart and soul, and have fun.”

Senior Ilana Pena won first place in the 2008 HispanicHeritage Local Photography and Essay Contest sponsored bythe Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Servicesand News in Education. For this contest, she took a photo-graph representing Hispanic culture and heritage and wrotean accompanying essay about its significant impact on herlife. The contest was open to students across South Florida.Ilana entered through the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Pine Crest students will return to Scotland to participate inthe celebrated Edinburgh Fringe Festival. From August 10 to23, more than a dozen students will travel to Scotland to perform in the famed arts exposition. “We are currentlyworking on writing an updated, jazzed-up musical version ofthe old Medieval Morality play Everyman. We are calling itEveryChild,” says Drama Director James Patrick. Participantsinclude Faith Connor ’10, Meredith McGowan ’10, JacobSchwartzwald ’10, Melissa Stephenson ’11, Morgan Weiss ’10,Meredith Brown ’10, Hanna Colin ’10, Anna Kerr ’11,Olivia Fabre ’11, Anthony Tranakas ’11, Diana Chen ’12,Elisabeth Crane ’12, and Martina Fouquet ’12.

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Pena Wins Photographyand Essay Contest

Upper School students Caroline Epstein ’11, SarahReitman ’11, and Danielle Rosen ’11 wanted to make a difference and help the people of Israel. They were familiarwith the vital work of Magen David Adom – the name ofIsrael’s national emergency medical disaster, ambulance, andblood bank service. The students organized a fundraisingdance. This vital organization touches the lives of every Israeli.

Deputy Consul General ofIsrael Congratulates Students

for Fundraising Efforts

Pine Crest Returns toEdinburgh This Summer

Paul Hirschson, Deputy Consul General of Israel, with studentsDanielle Rosen ’11, Caroline Epstein ’11, and Sarah Reitman ’11

A busy street in Edinburgh

Ilana Pena

Pine Crest visits Edinburgh in 2006.

Our Pre-Primary students have a new playground! Thefun started right after Pine Crest President Dr. LourdesCowgill cut the red ribbon. It took about 15 minutes of freeplay for our students to test the equipment and figure outthat their new playground is better than okay. It’s fabulous!

“This has been such a long-time coming,” said Pre-Primary Director Shelley Huff-Schultz. She has spentmonths working with project managers and contractors. “I wanted something that takes into account child development,” she said, acknowledging that getting the right equipment was far more than just ‘child’s play.’ It meant having a design which would appeal to children’s senses; something with bouncing, spinning, and moving surfaces. Huff-Schultz also wanted equipment thatimproves bilateral co-ordination. Therefore, several climb-ing walls were built for the use of hands and feet. “The newequipment also helps to promote better balance and spatialrelations and allows students to become more in tune withthe senses of touch and sight, their reflexes, and flexibilityimproving coordination,” said Huff-Schultz. “Withoutgood sensory integration, learning and behavior are moredifficult, and the child often feels uncomfortable about himself or herself,” she added.

Park Structures designed the shaded playground, whichincludes a set of swings, a climbing wall, several slides, a kid-friendly suspension bridge, a spinning seat, a buttonbouncer, and lots of fun. This great new outdoor space waspartially funded by a gift from the Pre-Primary and LowerSchool Mothers’ Club.

Pre-Primary PlaygroundThis year’s Fall Play was a huge success! Kudos to Jim

Patrick and our fine actors: George Fournier ’09, KatelynMcGuirk ’09, Leen Massillon ’09, and Juliana Musheyev ’10.They performed in The Back Porch Gang, a comedy by BenScranton of Springfield, MA. Befriending Bertha, a school-yard drama by Kerry Muir of Los Angeles, California, featured Kris Allen ’10, Meg Baker ’09, Kelsey Flynn ’09,David Manella ’10, and Ilana Pena ’09. Whitney Bachow’09, Gabrielle Mogul ’09, and Jacob Schwartzwald ’10brought us Reid MacCluggage’s The Tutorial, while WhiteStardust, by Joanne Koch of Evanston, Illinois, featuredSamantha Frankel ’09 and Pernell Myers ’10.

Sibling team Aaron ’09 and Sara Ganz ’10 directed theFall Play Chorus with guitar by Jordan Pollack ’09 and thevoices of Faith Connor ’10, Ashley Giorgi ’09, SamanthaTopper ’12, Meg Baker ’09, Caroline Walker ’09, JenniferSeibert ’10, Martina Fouquet ’12, Tiffany Stromer ’12, andNicole Steinberg ’12. Three of the four playwrights visitedclasses before the show and mingled with guests during theFounder’s Council Friday evening reception.

Student Cultural Arts Series

Dr. Lourdes Cowgill opens the playground. This year’s Fall Play electrifies audiences.

The Fall Play features the works of four playwrights.

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1985 Dr. Mae McMillan passes away on April 10, 1985

1987 Purchase of Boca Raton Academy

1988 Dr. Lourdes Cowgill is installed as Headmistress

1989 Student Services Center opens

1995Dr. Lourdes Cowgill adds President title when Bill McMillan steps down as President

1998 Laptop computers for all seventh graders

1998Completion of the Huizenga Family Science Center, Egan Library, and Bienes Courtyard

2001 Karen and Ashley Palmer Dance Studio opens

2001 Selling of Camp Highlander

2001 Boarding Program closes

2002 Fort Lauderdale Middle School Campus Complex dedication

2002 Kelley Boathouse opens

2004Boca Raton campus adds the Stevanovich Middle School and the Mazer Family Dining Room

2008 Varsity Boys’ Basketball team wins its first-ever State Championship

2003 Zimmerman Family Athletic Complex dedication

2008 Dale Smith is appointed Head of School for both campuses

2008 Boca Raton campus breaks ground on new Lower School

A cabbie drives around New York City seeking to pickup his next fare. The unsuspecting passenger scoots inand the meter ticks. In this cab, the passenger gets paid,if he or she can answer a series of trivia questions.

Oddly, coming up with questions for such a wild ridegave Pine Crest alum Brian Greene ’97 his first EmmyAward - writing for the Discovery Channel’s hit show -Cash Cab. “Working on the show was fun, and it was alittle bit tedious,” says Greene, whose major creditsinclude MTV’s Total Request Live and head writer forYouTube Live, a celebration of the best viral videos.

“When I first started, the writers were responsible for 30 questions a day, later 25. It was a lot of pressurecoming up with that many questions.”

Pine Crest had a lot to do with his writing success, headds. “More than anything else Pine Crest always put anemphasis on making sure that we had the best writingskills,” says Greene, who gives English teacher Ann Birra lot of the credit.

“I don’t know of any other school that would have had such a wide array of topics through high school,”says Greene, who notes such electives offered a great foundation for a show like Cash Cab. “If I had gone to apublic school, I don’t know if other schools would haveoffered Art History or Ethics classes or music classes thatwould have given me such a breadth of knowledge.”

Greene is one of roughly a half-dozen students tocome through Pine Crest’s theater arts programs during the90s - a core group of students who danced, sang, and

acted from almost tot to teen. At Pine Crest, he was in themusical both his junior and senior years. He also sang inthe chorus with Mr. Mullin. “I’ve always had a strongmusic background, which may have helped me get my start with MTV,” he says. He was in How to Succeed inBusiness and Hello Dolly. His sister, Jordin Greene ’93, whowas in the musical for three years, spent years as a theater actress but switched careers a few years ago. She isnow Director of Marketing for Todd English, a celebritychef. Living in New York, Brian keeps in touch with Mark Ledbetter ’96, Amir Arison ’96, and other PC professionals in the fields of theatre, film, and television.

Greene’s success came after some very smart moves following a strong internship. He left Pine Crest for theUniversity of Pennsylvania and later snagged an internshipin the Development Department at MTV during hissophomore year. When he graduated, he returned to MTV to write for Total Request Live. “After three years ofintroducing videos, it got to be repetitive. I gave noticeand decided to go freelance. Through an associate, heheard they were looking for writers for Cash Cab. He hadto submit sample questions. One season turned into threeseasons. He was working on another job when he heardabout the Emmy.

“It was funny getting an Emmy for something I wasn’tworking on at the time,” says Greene. The Emmy, whichis a lot bigger than he thought, rests on his bedroom dresser until he can figure out another place for it.

By Toni Marshall Brian Greene ’97 (center) withTotal Request Live VJsDamien Fahey and Vanessa Minnillo

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She appeared on NBC’s Palm Beach county affiliateWPTV during its morning and evening newscasts, wasinterviewed by Kelly Craig of NBC 6’s South FloridaToday Show, and performed for a live studio audience (aswell as millions of viewers) on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. DeGeneres was blown away by her performance(Brianna played the first movement of Vivaldi’s Concertoin A minor).

“I’m not one for labels,” admits Kahane. “There are alot of people out there saying she is a prodigy, others sayit’s too early to tell. I think her ability, talent, and performances speak for themselves. When Brianna per-forms, she touches people. That’s all that really matters.”

Brianna’s passion for music and the violin began whenshe was just a toddler. At about one-and-a-half, she usedto watch Baby Einstein videos. “She was mesmerized bythe artwork, vibrant colors, and beautiful classical musicthat played throughout all of those videos,” recalls hermom. “I remember being in a department store with herand hearing a classical song being played, and she lookedat me and told me she recognized the song from BabyEinstein. She not only told me the name of the video in which she had heard the classical piece, but also thepicture that she had seen on the screen while that songwas playing. At that moment I thought, ‘Wow, this kidreally has a gift.’”

From there, Karen and Robert Kahane began takingtheir daughter to various musical events because sheloved listening to music, especially classical pieces. Oneevening, when Brianna was two-and-a-half, they took herto a Yanni concert where she was enthralled by the concertmaster, Karen Briggs, an extremely talented violinist known for her improvisational skills and cross-genre appeal.

“As soon as she saw that performance,” says Kahane,“Brianna told us, ‘I want to play the violin like that.’”

After repeated requests to play the instrument, theKahanes finally gave in when Brianna turned 3. Theypurchased a 1/16-sized violin for their daughter andenrolled her in lessons at Lynn University’s Conservatory

Eyes closed, foot tapping, her fingers deftly dance up and down the violin’s neck while the bow bounces andslides along the bridge. The resulting sound pours forth with the unyielding grace and energy of a seasonedvirtuoso, yet the musician is only 7.

“I love playing the violin because it makes other peoplehappy and lifts my soul,” says first-grader Brianna Kahane.“It’s like a singing voice.”

At such a young age, Brianna has already made a namefor herself with Palm Beach County cultural and arts aficionados. “I’ve seen people crying after watching herperform or just laughing from sheer delight,” adds hermother, Karen Kahane. It would be easy to chalk up sucha sentiment to the expected gushing of a proud parent, buther mother is hardly exaggerating, especially after Brianna’spremiere in January when she was featured on three different television shows in less than a week – the result of a video post on YouTube of some of Brianna’s violin performances.

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By Nick Crisafi

of Music, one of the few places in the area which accommodates children as young as Brianna. Soon aftershe began violin lessons, it was apparent that she not onlypossessed a photographic memory, but also “perfectpitch” – the rare ability to identify a musical note with-out the benefit of a known reference. As a result, Briannacan easily commit to memory and perform lengthy andcomplex violin concertos in a very short period of time.

At the age of four, she was accepted to Pine Crest as apre-kindergarten student and began playing in the fifth-grade orchestra on our Boca Raton campus. It was at Pine Crest that she received further musical instruction from Strings Co-Directors Karen Evans andMartha Schimelpfenig, as well as strings instructorDebbie Spring.

“Pine Crest has been amazing in nurturing Brianna,”says Kahane, “both through the Middle School Orchestraand Lower School program. Martha, Karen, Debbie,[Fine Arts Chair] Larry [Mellone], and the whole [FineArts] Department have really brought her along andgiven her a lot of opportunities to express her talent.”

Schimelpfenig, who has been a professional musicianand music educator for over 20 years, believes Brianna isquite unique. “She’s very focused, has a tremendousamount of physical dexterity, technical proficiency, and the foundation to be a career violinist,” she says. Inaddition to being a professional pianist and bassist,Schimelpfenig also accompanied Brianna on the pianowhen she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “If Iplay a piece a certain way, Brianna responds musically tothe manner in which I play, which is extremely rare for achild to do at such a young age. However, she’s also a typical first-grade kid.”

To ensure Brianna remains “typical,” the Kahanes havebeen careful not to allow too much exposure too fast.

“Brianna is very much a normal kid in every sense ofthe word,” explains her mother. “She loves [her teacher]Mrs. Savoca, she loves her classmates, she loves riding her scooter, playing with her friends, and having playdates. I would only be concerned about the exposure she’sreceiving if Brianna seemed rattled by it, but she lovesperforming and has really enjoyed the opportunities thathave been presented to her.”

When asked to name the things she really likes otherthan playing the violin, Brianna spouts off about pizza,rock n’ roll, running around on the playground, and hercat (a picture of which was even on The Ellen DeGeneresShow) – pretty routine stuff for a 7 year old. However,her musical talent is undeniable.

In addition to performing with the Lynn UniversityConservatory and Pine Crest’s Lower School StringsProgram, Brianna is Pine Crest’s first-ever Lower Schoolstudent to regularly share the stage with the Middle School Orchestra on the Boca Raton campus. She is also amember of the acclaimed Florida Youth Orchestra andenjoys singing, acting, dancing, and playing piano.

When speaking with her, it’s apparent that she possessesa maturity in regard to her music: “When I play, I usuallysee bees, butterflies, things of nature, especially when I’mplaying the concertos.”

It’s refreshing to see that Brianna keeps from taking her talents too seriously. “I like all the songs I play – theeasiest one for me is ‘Over the Rainbow.’ You’ve probablyheard me play it a million thousand times,” she blurts outwith a smile and roll of her eyes.

For now, the Kahanes are grateful to have Brianna settle back into her life as a student (although Ellen’sshow wants to invite her back and there’s been expressedinterest from Oprah’s producers and a Broadway agent).So Brianna will continue with her school work, playingwith her friends, and, of course, practicing her music. Itseems her future, though, holds the promise of greaterthings yet to come.

“The fact that Brianna is very musically responsive to herenvironment is quite profound,” explains Schimelpfenig.“That is the sign of a musician – not just technical mastery,but the ability to interpret the notes and imbue them withyour own emotions and personality. Brianna has that andthat’s what makes her special.”

To learn more about Brianna or to view some of her performances, simply visit her Web site at www.briannakahane.com.

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Brianna on stage at Pine Crest

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As a student at Pine Crest, Kyle Mahowald ’05 wasknown for creating crossword puzzles. Now a senior atHarvard, the clever cruciverbalist (fancy name for a cross-word creator) will soon be heading to the United Kingdomafter graduation to further his study of linguistics as aMarshall Scholar.

Sponsored by the British government, the scholarshipsoffer a select number of outstanding students from the United States an opportunity to take graduate-levelcourses in a field of their choosing at any university in theUnited Kingdom.

Similar to The Rhodes Scholarships, the MarshallScholarships are highly coveted awards reserved for students of distinguished academic merit and accomplish-ment. The primary difference between the two is thatRhodes Scholars are selected from an international pooland must attend Oxford University.

Kyle, who will receive his bachelor’s degree in Englishthis spring, will be studying linguistics through the program. Although he doesn’t know at which UK university he will be enrolled (he’s hoping for Oxford),Kyle is excited about the prospect of studying overseas.“One of the main goals of the Marshall Scholarship program,” says the Fort Lauderdale native, “is to fosterBritish/American relations. So the program encouragesstudents to travel around the United Kingdom as well asEurope, which I’m really looking forward to.”

As one of approximately 40 Marshall Scholars selectedthis year, Kyle will receive two fully-funded years of studyin the United Kingdom where he hopes to continueexploring the complex science of languages, primarilyEnglish – a subject about which he seems to know a thingor two.

Last summer, Kyle received a Harvard College ResearchFellowship which he used to study Middle English literature, Chaucer, and Derrida’s theory of the gift andDeconstruction. This year, his senior thesis will examinethe origins, literary evolution, and cultural significance of Shakespeare’s Queen Mab, a mercurial figure who has popped up in various literary incarnations through-out history.

“Queen Mab is a really interesting character,” explainsKyle. “She shows up in a lot of different writers’ works.She’s a horse in Sense and Sensibility, a chapter title in MobyDick, so there are all these different, seemingly unrelatedways in which her character appears. I’d really like to traceher prevalence throughout literary history and why she’staken on so many different manifestations.”

By Nick Crisafi

Puzzle wizard Kyle Mahowald ’05 is a 2008-09 Marshall Scholar.

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Not all of Kyle’s studies are quite so esoteric. In fact, oneof the classes he enjoyed most this year was calledWordplay, which challenged students’ lexical doctrines byturning the English language on its head each week. Oneassignment had students read a passage, take out all thenouns, and then replace them with the nouns that comeseven words later in the dictionary – Harvard’s own versionof Mad Libs. “It was fun,” recalls Kyle, “a chance to dosomething a little more creative than just concentrate onthe usual academic approach.”

Where, though, does this wizard of words see himselfbeyond his studies in the UK? “Probably involved in academia,” he muses. “Maybe a professor.” As expected,Kyle spends much of his free time (what little he has) reading for recreation. The last novel he consumed wasRichard Yates’ Revolutionary Road, recently adapted to filmand starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.According to Kyle, the read was “dark, sort of depressing,but good.” Even though he buzzed through the book fairly quickly (“you have to be a fast reader in college”),Kyle found himself picking apart the sentence structuresand words within the fiction, a habit he calls “perpetual,but not to the point of distraction.”

While his passion and intensity for English is palpable,don’t think that Kyle’s nose is buried in books year-roundamongst his Crimson classmates. He founded and is thepresident of the Harvard College Crossword Society, is anactive member of the school’s Oak Club, plays club tennisand intramural sports, and has spent a significant amountof time volunteering with a group called H-LIFE (HarvardLifestyle and Fitness Education) which teaches health andphysical education to a local, Boston-area middle school(and happens to have been founded by alumnus and current Pine Crest faculty member Joshua Cohen ’03).

In addition to being named a Marshall Scholar this year, Kyle was also selected to Harvard's Phi Beta Kappachapter as a junior, our nation’s oldest undergraduate honors society. While such achievements are humbling to Kyle, he is no stranger when it comes to awards and recognition. As a student at Pine Crest, he was nameda Presidential Scholar (along with friends AndrewMalcolm ’05 and Caitlin McAuliffe ’05) – one of ournation’s highest honors for a high school student – and atthe age of 17 became the youngest person ever to have hiscrossword puzzle published in the Sunday New York Times.

“I’ve probably had about a dozen crosswords publishedin the Times now, but I’m not the youngest anymore,”admits Kyle. “I think someone recently broke that record.”However, he’s been known to complete the Times’ puzzlehimself in less than four minutes and still provides SpiritAirlines with its crossword puzzles, a challenge he’s enjoyedsince he was a Pine Crest student.

The unparalleled education and excellence of the faculty at Pine Crest is what Kyle cites as a vital resource in regard to his accomplishments at Harvard. “Pine Crest definitely laid the foundation for me in terms ofpreparation and success. There are a lot of students herewho are the first in twenty years to attend Harvard fromtheir particular high school, but there are a total of five[Pine Crest students] just from my class alone.”

Kyle Mahowald ’05 (center) with Andrew Malcolm ’05 and Caitlin McAuliffe ’05 - Presidential Scholars at Pine Crest in 2005

Who would have thought the seeds for Pine Crest’s athleticprogram sprouted from a tragedy that occurred almost 100years ago on the vast plains of South Dakota? It was there, inthe summer of 1912, that 15-year-old Lawrence Horndrowned while swimming with some friends. His sister, Mae,two years younger, tried frantically to revive him using artificial respiration. However, she couldn’t bring herbrother back.

Twenty-seven years later, when Mae Horn McMillanacquired the property that served as the original Pine CrestSchool campus, one of the first things she noticed was the sizeable pool. It was rare for a school to have such a feature during that time. However, she was determined to preventany family in her care from suffering the same, heart-wrenching fate that befell her.

So began our look back at Pine Crest’s athletic history inthe previous issue of our magazine. Born of that painfulloss was Dr. McMillan’s commitment to swimming education, a focus that eventually produced what isarguably the greatest high school swim program in the

history of Florida. In fact, much of the success of PineCrest’s athletic program throughout the School’s first 50years can be attributed to legendary swim coach JackNelson and Athletic Director Bill Munsey.

However, as our School moved into the ’80s and ’90s,more and more of our athletic teams were beginning todevelop their own winning traditions, adding to the overall scope of success which began to spread throughoutour athletic program. While Pine Crest continued itsdominance in swimming, our Panthers also won regionaland/or district titles in boys’ and girls’ cross country, golf,tennis, track, boys’ soccer, girls’ basketball, girls’ volleyball,baseball, football, and softball.

In addition, when Pine Crest added the Boca Ratoncampus to its fold in 1987, the program received a boostas a result of the broader talent pool and highly competitive Middle School teams annually generated bythe new campus. Under the direction of Boca AthleticDirectors Geoff and Jennie Falbey, Boca’s physical education program and staff of coaches have producedmore than 50 league titles in 10 sports since 1991.

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By Nick Crisafi

Pine Crest:

Building Our Sports Program(Continued)

Yet, while Bill Munsey may be the one who expandedPine Crest’s Athletic Department into a bona fide, competitive program, current Athletic Director Jim Fosterhas made the Panthers an all-around athletic force andbrought the program into the twenty-first century.

In Foster’s seven-year tenure, Pine Crest has won seven state championships in four different sports –boys’ basketball (2008), boys’ lacrosse (2002), cheerlead-ing (2001, 2004) girls’ volleyball (2001-03) – and nabbed numerous regional, district, and conference championships. In terms of multi-sport success, this hasbeen Pine Crest’s most accomplished era in our School’shistory. According to Foster, it was his three-prongedapproach that has allowed the athletic program to flourishacross the board.

“When I came to Pine Crest,” he recalls, “I wanted to implement a very specific plan: upgrade the athleticfacilities, hire the best coaches we could find, and attract top-notch athletes who were also outstanding academic students.”

Foster set to work right away with the first part of his proposal as he oversaw the renovation of Stacy Gym, the addition of lights on the football field, the construction of the Savage Family Foyer, Elliot track, andrenovation of Lane Hall, the latter of which includes a spacious locker room facility, state-of-the-art weight room,and meeting rooms equipped with digital projectors tostudy game film. Not only did these additions make PineCrest more impressive to prospective students, but theyalso allowed the campus to host more regional meets.

“The new facilities have provided us with the opportunity to invite other schools from the area to cometo Pine Crest for various meets and competitions, whetherit’s basketball, swimming, or track and field,” says Foster.“For example, every spring we hold the Panther Relays on our track where 800 to 900 high school athletes from all over the region come to compete. It allows students from these other communities to see our campusand what Pine Crest has to offer.”

Then came the work of hiring outstanding coaches.Foster wasted no time as he brought in people such as Jim

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Pletcher, Denise Sylvester, Pepe Lopez, and Miguel Martinwho brought immediate success to the football, volleyball,and girls’ and boys’ soccer programs, respectively. Foster’snewest hire, Douglas Shanahan, is coaching the boys’ varsity lacrosse team. When it comes to lacrosse, thereseemingly isn’t anything Coach Shanahan hasn’t done. Aprofessional lacrosse player, he was twice selected to theU.S. Lacrosse Team and was also named both the BestMid-Fielder in the World and Best and Fairest Player inthe World.

Shanahan’s counterpart on the girls’ side, Eileen Pliske,is also a part of Pine Crest’s new corps of coaches. HerLady Panthers have won three straight district titles andlast year’s squad produced our School’s first All-Americanplayer in Sterling Champion ’08. Furthermore, The MiamiHerald named Coach Pliske last season’s Coach of the Year.According to her, the kind of athletes she sees at Pine Crestare unique in comparison to those she has coached atother schools. “The girls at Pine Crest are easier to coachbecause they’re smart and they’re disciplined,” she says.“Also, Pine Crest is producing the complete package.Because our girls can compete and have success, we areproducing true student-athletes who can be successful in the classroom and on the field.”

David Beckerman agrees. Another Coach-of-the-Yearwinner last season who was also hired by Foster four short years ago, Coach Beckerman directed the boys’ varsity basketball team to our School’s first-ever statechampionship last winter. “Pine Crest is becoming moresuccessful in terms of its athletics, but it’s not doing so bysacrificing its academic integrity,” he affirms. “Academicsand athletics are not mutually exclusive entities – there’sno dilution of standard here. All the basketball players onthe team can cut it academically, and when a student hasthe chance to play competitive basketball while getting thebest education in the state, how can you pass that up?”

A testament to that fact is Brandon Knight ’10, one ofCoach Beckerman’s players. The highly touted guard fromCoral Springs is currently ranked as the nation’s numbertwo junior and was the key factor in bringing Pine Crestour state title last year. However, his academic abilities

she simply wanted – at the most basic level – to empowerstudents with the ability to swim, not to just merely survive, but to grow and thrive.

Through 75 years, Pine Crest’s connection with athletics has evolved exponentially, like the rippling circlesfrom a swimmer’s sudden entry into the pool. Its reach hasenveloped all manner of sport, stretching across thebreadth of the 60-plus teams on both campuses. Therehave been countless successes, many of which seem to come and go rapidly, like the quickening pace of ameasured stroke slicing through the water.

Yet the one constant has always been the character andleadership of the coaches and administrators who workwith the student-athletes every day. Their primary goal isnot winning, but teaching. Their ability to guide, mentor,and educate the young people they come in contact withis the true measure of success, and it’s not hard to imagineDr. McMillan being pleased to know Pine Crest’s legacy –whether on the field, on the stage, or in the classroom – isstill very much intact.

are just about as sharp as his basketball skills as he’s one ofthe best students in his class.

Students like Brandon Knight were a big reason whyAquatics Director Jay Fitzgerald came to Pine Crest. “Incoming here, the School’s high academic standardappealed to me,” he admits. A U.S. Olympic and Pan-American Games Coach, Mr. Fitzgerald is in his thirteenth year at Pine Crest. He has coached severalOlympic swimmers during his tenure here, and his LadyPanthers’ team was ranked #2 in the nation in 2008.“Coming from the West Coast, I saw how successfulStanford was, and I felt Pine Crest could imitate theStanford model in striving for excellence in academics,athletics, and the fine arts.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Mr. Foster and so far, his formula has worked quite well. “It’s all about life aftersports,” he explains. “No matter how great an athlete youare, you will at some point hang up your cleats. Then thequestion is, ‘What are you going to do with your life?’That’s why it’s all about education.”

It’s easy to believe that if Mae McMillan were here today,she would say the same thing. It was her love of learningand desire to educate children that allowed her dream ofan enriching, academically exceptional school to becomethe reality that is Pine Crest. In the same way, our School’slong, rich history in regard to athletics sprang from her desire to teach, to provide students with a completeeducation, one that provided positive experiences in academics, athletics, and fine arts. When it came to sports,

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The next generation of Pine Crest’s performing and visualartists would prove to be the most prolific in terms of numbersof students to make it “big.” Most of them performed in musicals and plays at Pine Crest; many received the covetedFounder’s Council Award for Excellence. Jeff Marx ’89 led thepack as co-creator of the Tony Award-winning musical AvenueQ. He starts the list of a handful of Pine Crest alums who sing,dance, write, perform, and create works from Tinseltown to theBig Apple. The Pine Crest troupe includes film producers MikeLerman ’90 and Alyson Latz ’91, screenwriter Kate Kondell’91, filmmakers Julian Mark Kheel ’91 and Brett Halsey ’92,theatre actor Jordin Greene ’93, film producer Brie Neimand’96, television writer and producer Curtis Kheel ’94,Broadway actor Mark Ledbetter ’96, film, stage, and televisionactor Amir Arison ’96, Emmy Award winner and writerBrian Greene ’97, filmmaker and producer Paul Germaine’00, Broadway actor Frank Grande-Marchione ’01, and sibling actors David ’97, Lynn ’00 and Daniel Abeles ’03.According to Myrna Feldman, Pine Crest’s Drama ClubDirector during the late 1980s to early 1990s, many of theseactors, directors, producers, and filmmakers were part of theActors’ Frat. She recalls her memories of those days here...

It all began in the mid 1980s. I had third graders thenand was loving every minute of it. The Lower School musicteacher wanted to do the Disney version of Cinderella withmy class. Why Lynn Feely chose that particular class I’mnot sure, but I was certainly glad she did. We had great fundoing it and held several performances in what used to be asmall student lounge (about the size of two classrooms ) inorder to give every Lower School class a chance to see it.

The next year I was teaching fourth-grade math, andLynn came to me and asked if I wanted to do another.“Would I? Yes!” I exclaimed. This time all third and fourth graders were invited to become members of theDrama Club.

Each consecutive year another grade level was added untilDrama Club included fourth, fifth, and sixth graders(dropping third due to the size of the group). Rehearsalswere after school. We did musical productions for the mostpart: Robin Hood, Cinderella, Tom Sawyer, Davy Crockett,etc; and often holiday skits for assemblies. One play, Fairy Tale Court, was written by the young thespiansthemselves. What fun that was - especially when the frog

sued the witch!Then, when the sixth graders were ready to move on to

seventh grade, Jim Mullen, the Upper School ChorusDirector, came to me and suggested I expand Drama Clubto seventh and eighth graders as well because there reallywas no theater for that age group. I had to check it out with Tad Harrington, the Upper School Drama Director. Hestrongly encouraged me to “go for it.” We also got an“OK” from Kathy Pickrel, my Lower School Principal.Everything was now legal and ready for takeoff.

Compiled by Toni Marshall

Cast of Guys & Dolls, 1993

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Some of my philosophies included the following:

■ Give everyone a chance: If you tried out, you werein. Understandably the ones who had been inActors’ Frat longer were given first crack at leadroles. Understudies got to do one performance -that performance to be chosen by the lead actor.

■ Theater is work: Students worked together on sets,costumes, flats, clean up, etc. I thought it wasimportant for them to know theater was more thanjust walking out on stage and saying lines. All thesekids were great at that.

■ Every rehearsal is important: All members wereexpected to be at every rehearsal because I wantedthem to see that every part is important. I didmake rehearsal schedules with acts, scenes, andtimes so that one did not have to stay for the wholetime, just the scenes they were in.

■ Theater is teamwork: I tried for a team atmos-phere - a sharing of good times and responsibility.

■ Theater is FUN: We laughed during every singlerehearsal. We had great times after Friday’s open-ing night performances at TGI Friday’s (of course).Funny things happened all the time - ask AmirArison about opening night of Arsenic and Old Lace.

We were proud that we did our own sets and play-bills; we paid for all the productions ourselves. Wehad bake sales, sold ads in the playbill, and soldtickets. I composed and printed the playbill withstudents writing their own bios and contributingpictures. What a great group!

So, we formed Actors’ Frat, a name suggested by one of the students. We would do a play in the fall and a musical inthe spring - no “Mickey Mouse” stuff - real Broadway plays and musicals like Grease, Damn Yankees, Arsenic and Old Lace,The Man Who Came To Dinner, Oklahoma, etc., with real choreography (Kim Travis) and everything.

Myrna Feldman and the cast of Arsenic and Old Lace

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story and creating the show. The things I learned in those earlyyears were truly priceless. That aspect of teamwork and watch-ing my peers and seeing what they did has continued to serveme in the professional world as I continue to work with my fellow actors and learn from their choice performances.

But most importantly, Mrs. Feldman introduced us to thejoy of the theatre - the joy and love of playing a role, telling a story and doing it all with your friends. To this date, I consider Amir Arison to be one of my closest friends and,although we have not shared the stage since our days at PineCrest, we continue to work together in preparing for auditions,and I have certainly learned so much from watching andworking with him. If you don’t truly love the work both on andoff the stage, and sharing the experiences with your fellow actorsand members of the community - from the auditioning all theway to the closing night - you couldn’t succeed in the business.I am immensely grateful for the Drama Club, Actors’ Frat,Mrs. Feldman’s productions, Mr. Harrington’s musicals, andfor all of the people with whom I shared the stage, workingand learning from them all. I have fond memories of those shows and times, and still laugh when I think of it all.Truly priceless!

Mark Ledbetter ’96

Mrs. Feldman never allowed us to make excuses. She madeus commit to these productions and be at every rehearsal. Therewere no breaks or exceptions, no matter how large or small yourpart. Everyone was in it together, creating and contributing toevery aspect of the production. She created such an ensemble-full company approach to these productions, and no one everfelt left out or that they weren’t an integral part of telling the

Amir Arison, Patrick Drigger, and Mike Becker in Arsenic and Old Lace

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Mrs. Feldman treated me like an adult, and really believed

in me, all of this furthering my confidence and excitement for

acting, heading into Upper School and beyond. Mark

Ledbetter and I still talk about shows we did from grade school

and high school and laugh about them. When I was younger,

doing non-lead roles, Mrs. Feldman used to say keep working

hard and you’ll get your chance. I played my first lead in the

sixth grade, doing My Robot Buddy, and I must say it really

confirmed that this is what I love to do, and started me on the

path for doing comedy as well. I had felt the encouragement

and confidence to make bold choices, but then I started

getting laughs on stage, which is addictive, especially to a

young performer.

With Arsenic and Old Lace and Bye Bye Birdie, I still

remember the scenes, lines, happy accidents, and songs. I can

tell you stories and anecdotes from those shows as if they were

yesterday. We were like a repertory company: anticipating

who would play what parts in shows the next year, planning

productions around the students, growing each year to the next,

and I still remember the hug Myrna Feldman gave me after

our senior year musical production of How to Succeed in

Business… Her pride was that of a parent, and that stays with

you. And my bond with Mark and others is etched in history

at the Stacy Auditorium, the ICI, the band room, Mr. Mullen’s

chorus room, Myrna Feldman’s classroom, Tad Harrington’s

classroom, the backstage dressing room and hallways, the quad

where they posted show casting, the pit, the AV room, etc. The

support of the Pine Crest community like Founder’s Council

was so special; Mr. Jaswinski sent me a detailed note after every

production from Lower School through Upper School.

I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have my

parents, Pine Crest’s faculty, and Myrna Feldman’s early

drama school program - their encouragement truly helped to

create my love for theatre arts. I currently reside in New York

and act in film and television as well, but consider myself a

theatre artist first.

Amir Arison ’96

Left to right: Dean Gockel, Chrisine Conte, Amir Arison, Mark Ledbetter, and Mike Becker

In the winter of 1991, we each decided that in lieu oftaking up our usual winter sports we would audition forthe Pine Crest musical, Anything Goes. Anything Goesis a silly comedy that remains a classic because of its magnificent Cole Porter songs. We had previously sungin church and danced at bar mitzvahs. It is a testamentto the talent and dedication of our instructors that we eventually learned to sing and dance well enough in Anything Goes to keep the audience from fleeing the auditorium.

Tad Harrington was the director, Jim Mullen was the musical director, and Stacy Donovan was the choreographer/costume designer. All three made us feelas though we were professionals putting on a professionalshow. In a sense we were, because at the time the PineCrest musical was the major cultural event of the year.The auditorium was always full, and if you managed toput on a good show, you knew it would be appreciated.The essentials were to get the laughs, hit the right notes,and keep things moving.

Our era at Pine Crest was notable for an abundance of creative talent. Jeff Marx ’89 went on to create the enormous Broadway hit Avenue Q. Kate Kondell ’91became a successful screenwriter. Mike Lerman ’90 and Alyson Latz ’91, both of whom were outstanding Pine Crest actors, now have impressive careers in filmproduction. Dan Goldman ’92 is a widely-read comicbook artist and illustrator. Mark Ledbetter ’96 and AmirArison ’96, who were also in our production of AnythingGoes, are now prolific professional actors. Curtis Kheel’94, another Anything Goes alum, is a television writerand producer. These are only the first names that cometo mind – no doubt more have been mentioned in thismagazine. We took our early creative work seriously notonly because we wanted to impress our teachers, but alsobecause of the people we were surrounded by and thosewe knew were in the audience.

Our first video project was a montage of rehearsalfootage from Anything Goes set to that 90’s classic, RobertPlant’s “Ship of Fools.” We followed that with some videosketches for the Senior Skits, the goal of which seems to have been to thoroughly humiliate ourselves and anyfaculty members who were willing to join us. Soon wewere running around Fort Lauderdale with our friendsshooting whatever came to mind. There were short documentaries that addressed the question of whether onecould pass a lobster through an airport x-ray machine, orif we could order a raw Whopper at Burger King. Themost sophisticated project we made during this period wasa three-minute music video called Home Alone about thehijinks we pursued at a friend’s house while his parentswere out of town. Looking back, it seems our first videoswere not only creative experiments, but also minor graspsat freedom. We were studious and well-behaved PineCrest kids who thought the rules evaporated wheneversomeone hit the “record” button on the video camera.

To some degree this early work also set the tone foreverything that followed. Growing up in the golden age ofMTV and Saturday Night Live, we naturally loved to cutimages closely to music, and we had a healthy appreciationfor the absurd. The results were very similar to what youmight see on YouTube today, but with about a tenth of theproduction value. At the time there was no instant,

By Brett Halsey ’92 and Julian Mark Kheel ’91

Brett Halsey on his way to stardom

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in one film, so we decided that each team of criminalsshould be shot as though they were in an entirely differentgenre, and when they arrived together at the scene of the crime, their genres would clash along with everythingelse. This became the basis for our first independent feature, Capers, which premiered at the Fort LauderdaleInternational Film Festival in November 2008, winningBest Comedy in its category.

Capers cost around $1 million to make, a pittance for amodern movie, but a lot more than we had to make theSenior Skits. Still, our aesthetics and approach to produc-tion haven’t changed much since we began in AnythingGoes. We take what we do seriously without taking ourselves - or the world at large - very seriously at all. Getthe laughs, hit the right notes, and keep things moving.

Bill Bymel ’93 and Julian Kheel ’91 working A/V.

Halsey and Kheel (center front) with the cast of their movie Capers

live-streaming video, no $99 digital video cameras, noiMovie. In fact, computer-based editing systems wererestricted to people with multi-million dollar studio budgets. Julian edited most of our videos using two VHStape decks in a little room at the back of Video Workshopin Pompano, where he had a part-time job.

We continued to work together after Pine Crest inbetween our semesters at various places of higher learning.Julian had a job at a stock footage house in New Yorkwhere we could edit our projects at night. The time wespent there, surrounded by thousands of films of every eraand type, made a significant aesthetic impression on bothof us, as evidenced by our first professional-level short,Exceed. In addition to having our usual broad humor andwall-to-wall music, Exceed made much use of stock footageand ostensibly incompatible formats for comedic effect.

After premiering Exceed at the Fort LauderdaleInternational Film Festival, where it won Best ComedyShort, we continued to the Montreal Comedy Festival andelsewhere, eventually landing at the New York FilmFestival at Lincoln Center. The relative success of Exceedgave us the opportunity to sign with agents in Los Angeles,and so we left New York to work in Hollywood.

But after spending a couple of years with various projectsin development at various Hollywood companies, webecame impatient to return to production. At the time wehad been kicking around a simple idea for a heist comedy:what if three teams of criminals all conspired to rob thesame place on the same night? Exceed had left us excitedabout the possibility of combining very different formats

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When Brittany graduated in 2006, the theme ofher Graduation Ceremony was ‘to those who muchhas been given, much is expected’ (paraphrased).The students were urged to take the wonderfuleducation they had been privileged to receive at PC and go out and do some good for the world.

This paper is a reflection of that sentiment.Brittany initially went to California Institute ofthe Arts as a percussion major in her freshman andpart of her sophomore year. She has changed pathsand is now a junior at Global College which is adivision of Long Island University. She spent herfirst semester in Taiwan and Thailand. Brittanyhas also traveled to India, and will next travel to Turkey...

I’ve been in Thailand for the past month now. For the first three weeks, I felt like I was in a stationary place; I felt no “change” taking place over me that usually happens in travel (though, of course, I know it doessubconsciously). But then last week we went on a “WatSuan Dok Meditation Retreat.”

So this “meditation retreat” did not end up being about meditation at all; we probably meditated at most 20minutes a day. But what we did see were refugee camps onthe Thai and Burmese (Myanmar) border. Visiting one ofthese villages was an “eye-opening” experience - seeing howthese people are being mistreated.

There has been a lot written about the Burmese armyraping, pillaging, and killing ethnic Burmese groups. Tono avail, the Shan has its own army who fight against aBurmese regime that maintains tight control over thecountry’s ethnic groups.

Many Burmese have fled to Thailand and are now “stateless.” Essentially they have no Thai citizenship andhave no rights. They aren’t allowed to leave their villages,they can’t work any jobs, can’t send their children toschools, and are basically helpless. But between staying inBurma and living under the terrible oppression of theBurmese Army, or living in gross poverty but safely inThailand, these people choose Thailand.

The monks have done the most amazing job in this particular village. They have built huts for a village ofaround 400 people, provided them with food and second-hand clothes, and either help the people locate jobs or paythem for simple tasks.

I have, for the most part, been against missionary work after hearing of stories in Africa where children aren't allowed to eat if they don’t accept Jesus as their personal savior.

But after seeing the situation on the border, I realize Idon’t care if the monks are spreading the word of Buddha.At least they’re helping these people.

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The first day we toured the village, a senior monk tookus to meet some of the local people. He took us into a hutthat was inhabited by a man with his three sons, ages 13,9, and 5. We were told that their mother was raped and killed by the Burmese army, and the kids barely hadenough to eat. They were all thin and frail. The father andoldest son looked so sad, but the two small children wereinnocent and smiling, happy we were there to witness apart of their lives.

The senior monk told us he was worried about their future. He told us that the monks helped institute a“one-baht-a-day school” where each child could get aneducation for one baht a day - but it is still too much forsome people (40 Thai baht are roughly equivalent to oneU.S. dollar). He told us how hard it was for the adults tofind jobs, and if they were lucky enough to get a job for theday, at the very most they only made 50 baht.

At this point, I just wanted to pull out my coin purseand press my 1,000 baht bill into this father’s hands. To see the terrible hardship they had to endure, the living situation of their hut, and the meager dinner boiling ontheir stove made my stomach turn. Every human beingshould have the basic right to eat food and not go hungry.Every human being should have the basic right to be ableto sleep with a roof over his or her head and feel safe, to beable to work a job, and to be clothed. I looked around thisvillage, and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like forthese people if the monks hadn’t helped them. So, duringmy short stay I contributed in any way that I could: I taught English to two classes in the refugee camps. I taught one class how to say “I am jumping!” “I amlaughing,” “We are eating,” and made them laugh while Iacted out each verb. Kids who volunteered to do theseactions received candy. I taught the more advanced classhow to say, “That’s cool,” the difference between “weird”and “normal,” and “whatever.” It wasn’t much, but it made them laugh. I made them laugh, but they made me grow.

I learned more about them - discovered that theBurmese (ethnic Shan and others residing in these border villages) are not recognized as refugees by the Thaigovernment; they are “displaced people temporarily livingon monk lands.” When I was able to access the internet, I looked up the Shan and discovered there are about sixmillion, most of them having fled the Burmese Shan states -most of them living in Thailand in statelessness.

How many people know about this situation? Why isn’t anyone doing anything about this? I understand thereare so many problems in the world, so many people needhelp, but I had not known anything about this situationuntil now.

Could the Shan’s plight get any worse, I wondered. Isoon discovered it could when I encountered children inthe village, innocent victims of war.

The sad evidence of war lingered with the children we met. Some were without arms, some had their faces completely blistered and disfigured horribly. Their woundswere the result of landmine accidents following major disturbances on the Thai and Burmese border six years ago.

What I felt over and over again as I looked at these kids was outrage and sadness, and once again the chillingrealization of uneven distribution - that some people are sorich that they can own 50 cars, and then there are childrenwho are literally starving to death.

The fact is this village is one of the good ones. Yes,people can’t find jobs, yes, they go hungry, but the monkshave helped them a lot. I can’t imagine the villages wherethere hasn’t been any help at all.

The abjectness reminded me of my trip to India lastspring with Carpe Diem International, an educational,international youth program. I also saw extreme povertyaround me; it made me wonder (to more of an extent) whywas I born into such a privileged life, with more clothes,food, and material possessions than one person could everneed? Why was I the lucky one chosen to live such a care-free life while others starve and suffer?

The only thing I can do is to look at it and know that Imust have been put in such places to help the ones who arestarving and suffering. It doesn’t really matter how I assistthem, or to what extent, as long as I can help.

Again, Calcutta came to mind where I learned that making a small step can have a big impact, although thosewho we helped may never remember who came to their aid.

My visits to Thailand and India have made me look atthe plight of others and realize that someone has to step up and try to make change. And as small as my efforts may seem, I can make a difference - whether it’s workingon statelessness, world hunger, education, sex trafficking,or anything I can do that will help provide humans theirmost basic needs.

So thank you, Wat Suan Dok Meditation Retreat, for reiterating what my needs are – to be the change that Iwant to see in the world.

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Please forward your e-mail address today to ensure that you receive all the latest information about Pine Crest alumni

news and events.

Send your e-mail address to:alumnioffice@pinecrest.edu

Please include your name and class year in your e-mail.

Thank you for helping us go green!

Pine Crest School Alumni Office954-492-4122

You can now go green with your gift to PC!Visit our website to give online:

www.pinecrest.edu/support/fort/give.asp

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Calling All Memories!Is there a PC teacher you’ll never forget?

What class changed the way you see the world?The next issue of The Magazine will feature the stories you share with us.

E-mail susan.ledbetter@pinecrest.edu by May 1, 2009

Friday, April 176:00 - 8:00 p.m.

All-Alumni Happy HourPine Crest Faculty Courtyard

Adults only, please

Saturday, April 18 11:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m.

All-Alumni Family PicnicFaculty and Middle School Courtyards

Games, Arts and Crafts, andPlenty of BBQ

Alumni Reunion Cocktails and Dinner7:00 p.m.

Hyatt Regency Pier 66Classes of 1959, 1969, 1979,

1989, & 1999Adults only, please

To register online visit: http://www.pinecrest.edu/support/alumni/fort_reunion.asp

Class of ’59 Committee: (not pictured): Leslie Price Fain, Jerry Kreiser, Susan Altwater Kreiser, Joann Wides LaVan, Stuart Lowenthal, Kathie Lindemann Schulz, and Lee Skidmore Wenthe

Class of ’69 Committee: (not pictured): Debbie BoardmanAnderson, Bob Jones, Janice Krauser, and Betsy Seligson

Class of ’79 Committee: Front: Bobby Klassen, KarenQuinlan, St. George Guardabassi

Back: Jeff Steele, Dave Cundy, Jon Wiley, Jim Jeu De Vine,

Class of ’89 Committee: Jeff Blostein, Sara Knapp Medrano,Dave Pascuzzi, and Michelle Smith Santarelli

Class of ’99 Committee: Ashley Palmer Lindsay, Greg Tabor,Jesse Tomalty, and Ashley Pierce Clawges 35

The Alumni Row was held over Thanksgiving weekend and featured fun races between currentand past rowers, as well as a breakfast. Alumni parents also attended the event.

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President Barack Obama, Dani Gilbert ’04, Nancy Gilbert, Liz Gilbert ’07, and Pine Crest Trustee Chair Mark Gilbert ’74 at the Presidential Inauguration.

Ann Serrano Lopez ’79 and her family campaignedfor Barack Obama across the United States. Thisphoto was taken in New Mexico. (L to R) ActorGeorge Lopez, Maya Lopez, Ann Serrano Lopez ’79,and then-presidential hopeful Barack Obama

Photo: Back Row: Coach Jim Richardson (’99-present), Ross Lande ’08; Sean Singh ’08; Charles Snyder ’05; Matt Scheer ’07; James Wilde ’07; Jason Bernstein ’07; Erin Sperry ’07; Adam Boutin ’07, and Sam Stevens ’07 Standing Center: Becca Gelwicks’07. Kneeling: Coach Liza Dickson (04-Present); Gabe Goncalves ’07; Taylor Jordan ’07; Elizabeth Levine ’08; Coach DavidFisher (’06-present) Not Pictured: Veronica Krantz ’07, Lindsey Brown ’08, and Julian Morrison-Sass ’07

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YOLO restaurant served as the perfect gathering place in Fort Lauderdale for PineCrest alumni this past holiday season. Roughly 30 alumni and guests schmoozed, chatted and reminisced amongst YOLO’s urban contemporary décor. While tales of yesterdaymonopolized many conversations, today's happenings piqued even more interest.

Robert Morse ’86 and Dr. Lourdes Cowgill

Glenn Fields ’96 and Heather Geronemus ’97Sean Thompson ’94, Scott Rostock ’92, and Jason Weil ’94

Jack Cummings ’58 and Dianna Collier-Warner ’60 Miles Medrano ’90, Sara Knapp Medrano ’89, and Caridad Wellington Perri ’93

Alumni from the greater New York area recently gatheredat Whiskey Park, a sleek, modern, and cozy bar, in theTrump Park building on Central Park South. Nearly 100alumni from the classes of 1976 to 2006 traveled downmemory lane and exchanged nostalgic moments aboutPine Crest while catching up on the latest news.

Pine Crest President Dr. Lourdes Cowgill, Vice Presidentfor Advancement Pat Boig, Lower School Head BarbaraHollowell, and guidance counselors Estes Carns and MaryMathews were greeted with a lot of hugs.

“What a reception! It was great to hear what our studentshave been doing over the years. Many of them are still incontact with each other,” said Carns, who shared a lot oflaughs with former students and got the scoop on careersand families.

The evening would not have been a success without ourgreat host James Trezza ’90. Thanks again, James, foranother memorable New York alumni gathering. We lookforward to seeing you all again next year and spread theword because our alumni made this such a fabulous event!

Michael Pittari ’85, Lydia Shure Korff ’85, and Greg Beesch ’85

Rachel Nathanson ’03 and Ali Kantor ’03Dr. Lourdes Cowgill and Amber Bianchini Leach ’90

Will Kluczkowski ’99, Jeff Housman ’00, and Bryan Rubin ’00

Jessica Berkowitz ’97, Gillian Christian ’97, KatherineNigen ’97, and Melissa Extein ’97

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A group of Upper School students and faculty recentlyspent three days in our nation’s capital exploring politics,the media, the arts, and meeting with Pine Crest alums.

From start to finish the weekend was a wonderful mixof learning, fun, and fascination in Washington, D.C. Certainly the highlight was a specially arranged tour ofthe U.S. Department of Treasury and a most unexpectedmeeting with former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.

Later, a guided tour arranged by Pine Crest alum BethPowers Provenzano ’98 took the students to the floor ofthe Senate, the Senate Cloak Room, and even the MarbleLounge. On Friday night, the group met up with PineCrest alums at the Hard Rock Café. Saturday and Sundaywere spent exploring the Newseum, Spy Museum,Phillips Collection, Arlington National Cemetery, TheNational Gallery of Art, and the National PortraitGallery. Students on the trip included Nadia Cajale ’10,Caroline Epstein ’11, Ashley Giorgi ’09, HarrisonLieberfeld ’09, Jaime O’Connor ’11, Nicole Russell ’09,Morgan Stemmer ’09, and Ed Waite ’09. TheChaperones were Philip Consuegra, Susan Ledbetter,Barbara Smith, Elizabeth White, and Barbara Zisk.

Pine Crest students and chaperones with former TreasurySecretary Henry Paulson

Social Science Department Chair Barbara Zisk andRoberto Coquis ’89

Left to right: Marc Aaron ’96, Jesse Rosenbaum ’96,Kimberly Schuster Wynn ’97, AP Art History teacher SusieLedbetter, Riki Swanson ’95, and Juliana Meek ’99

Anthony Belotto ’03 and AP Art teacher Barbara Smith

AP Art History teacher Susan Ledbetter with Beth PowersProvenzano ’98

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1959Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.

The United States recognizes theCuban government of Fidel Castro.

Walt Disney releases Sleeping Beauty.

A chartered plane transporting musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper goes down in foggy conditions near ClearLake, Iowa, killing all four occupants.

The Barbie doll debuts.

Hawaii is admitted as the 50th U.S. state.

Pantyhose are introduced by GlenRaven Mills.

1969

Led Zeppelin I, an album consideredby many to be one of the first in theheavy metal genre, is released.

Golda Meir becomes the first femaleprime minister of Israel.

The lunar module Eagle, part ofNASA’s Apollo Program, lands on thelunar surface. The world watches inawe as Neil Armstrong takes his historic first steps on the Moon.

The Everly Brothers, Pat Boone,Chuck Berry, and Little Richardtops the charts, and Connie Francisbecomes the leading female vocalist.

Test your memory and pop culture knowledge of years gone by. Take a look at some world events and happenings from

the year that you graduated:

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The Woodstock Festival is held inupstate New York, featuring some ofthe top rock musicians of the era.

Sesame Street premieres on theNational Educational Television(NET) network.

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The Susan B. Anthony dollar is introduced in the United States.

The Chrysler Corporation asks theUnited States government for $1 billion to avoid bankruptcy.

The Entertainment SportsProgramming Network, known as ESPN, debuts.

The eradication of the smallpoxvirus is certified, making smallpoxthe first, and to date only, human disease driven to extinction.

China becomes the first nation inthe world to register a billion people, while during the same yearimplementing the One Child Policy.

The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale.

The 1984 Winter Olympics close in Sarajevo.

The movie Terms of Endearment wins Best Picture at the 56th AnnualAcademy Awards.

The Cosby Show premieres on NBC.

Dell Computers is founded as PC’s Limited.

Band Aid releases the song “Do TheyKnow It’s Christmas?”

1989

The Simpsons’ first full-length episodepremieres on FOX.

Madonna’s single, “Like a Prayer,”topped the music charts.

1999

The Euro is established.

Apple Computer releases the firstiBook.

Napster, a music downloading service, debuts.

Off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, aplane piloted by John F. Kennedy, Jr.crashes, killing him and his wife,Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister, Lauren Bessette.

World population reaches six billion people. George H. W. Bush succeeds Ronald

Reagan as the 41st President of theUnited States of America.

Rain Man wins Best Picture at the 61st Annual Academy Awards.

The television show Seinfeld premieres.

Disco reigns supreme in 1979, withseveral No. 1 hits from The Bee Geesand Donna Summer.

1984

Britney Spear’s single “Baby One More Time” tops the music charts.

1979

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1959I have a vivid memory of being in the solarium of our

dorm where “Charm School” was held. We young girlswere practicing sitting and walking with books on ourheads so we would have proper posture. We had to learnto bend and swoop in a ladylike position without droppingthe books. What a laugh!

Then came tea pouring somewhere in the middle oflearning good manners. These were some long, agonizingafternoons, I do recall. My parents insisted I needed totake this class. It was not mandatory at Pine Crest.

The day came when we were to hold our tea party. Ourteacher felt we were readyfor the big event…Mrs.McMillan was our guest ofhonor. Why I was selectedto pour her tea, I will neverknow. I just recall pickingup the teapot and as thespout leaned into her cup, Iheard a PLOP! The lid fellinto it. I forgot to hold thetip of the lid with my otherhand. Always graceful, I say!

Mrs. McMillian was gracious, as usual. She whisperedinto my ear, “My dear, just pick it out, no one will evernotice.” I wanted the earth to engulf me at that moment.I did as she said and continued to pour her cup of tea. Shenever missed a beat and smiled all the way through it. Itfelt like an eternity until her cup was full. Somehow Imanaged to get through this fiasco of the day.

Later I told my friends how embarrassed I was. I justwished I had been asked to mix a Manhattan. I was usedto mixing drinks. This tea pouring thing was just not mycup of tea...

I told my parents the story. I let them know that all thecharm schools in the world just would not make mecharming. They definitely did not get their money’s worthout of that class.

To this day I will make anyone a drink, but don't ask meto pour tea...Kathie Lindemann Schulz ’59.

After much deliberation, I have decided to relive two ofmy “best-ever” memorable times at PC, if my memoryserves me right: both involve nighttime at the girls’ dorm.

As the residents in both dorms knew, the girls were notallowed out after sunset during the school week, so we had to be innovative, unique, fun to be with, and makeour own parties. I don’t remember our Friday and Saturdaynights out. Back to the past and Ms. [Edith] Herrington, remember that name. I don’t think we would have been so devilish (in a good way), if Ms. Herrington hadn’t been our dorm mother with her sweetness and love.

Fondest memory…I can remember many nights afterhomework and brushing teeth,the girls gathered on the coldlinoleum floor in the atriumand danced and sang whilerecords played in the back-ground, e.g. White Sportcoat anda Pink Carnation. PJ tops, shortbloomers, and bare feet were the dress of the evening – much laughing and merriment surrounded us. Noel, Leslie, andSuzy were usually my partners

because I liked to lead, and they were shorter than me. Second fondest memory…It probably happened only

once, and I consider it to be a brash experience involvingLeslie and me. There might have been other participants,but I don’t remember. One starry night after the frontdoor was locked at the dorm, and Ms. Herrington turnedoff the lights and said good night, we snuck out and went to the corner drugstore, but I don’t know whatwe were thinking, if we were thinking. Thank goodness we did not get caught by Ms. Herrington, as the consequences would not have been pleasant.

What wonderful friends and times were had by all in thatsingle-story block building with the screened-in atrium wecalled our home away from home. As I have said before,what a wonderful life then and now. I’m looking forwardto a wonderful reunion weekend with all who will be ableto come and enjoy...Joan Wides LaVan ’59.

Dorm Directors

1969As our FORTIETH(!!!) reunion approaches, the teacher

I recall most fondly is Mr. Barry, who taught math and wasmy teacher for both sophomore and junior years. He wasa cross between Mr. Chips and Professor Kingsfield in themovie The Paper Chase. While he was a little gruff, therewas always a twinkle in his eye, and underneath he was asoftie. He gave frequent quizzes that he called “dailies.”He never used our first names, but would call the males“Smith” and the females “Miss Smith,” making us feelolder than high school students. When we started to usethe trigonometric tables, he taught us how to look up sineand cosine, etc. by going down the vertical column on theleft and then moving across to the correct column. Hewanted to be sure we did not use a pencil as a guide, there-by marking up the text book…Betsy Damon Seligson ’69.

1979Homecoming Week was filled with excitement. Who

will be selected as the Homecoming Queen? What willclassmates wear for dress-up day? Nancy Pond wascrowned Homecoming Queen. Bill Wynn and AllisonKurki dress-up as a “Super Couple.”

1984It was a golden year for Pine Crest. Dr. Mae celebrated

the school’s 50th anniversary by taking a ride over the campus in the Goodyear blimp. Below, she saw 700 students in the formation of the number 50.

1989Dr. Lourdes Cowgill is sworn in as Headmistress.

1999Remember when the black olive tree in the senior quad

was mysteriously cut down?

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We’d love to hear from you. Upcomingissues of The Magazine will focus on the arts, humanities, sciences, and math, and we look forward to highlighting alums and their career paths. E-mail the following informationto susan.ledbetter@pinecrest.edu.

Full name

Years at Pine Crest/graduation date

Contact information (address, phone, e-mail)

Career Summary (include research projects,books published, etc.)

Mentor/Internship ProgramVolunteer - are you willing tooffer our graduating seniorsand college-age alumni opportunities to intern orserve as a mentor in your field E-mail:susan.ledbetter@pinecrest.edu

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Bob Nixon ’68 passed away in May 2008after a lengthy battle with melanoma.

Cate Cummings ’72 passed away inJanuary 2008.

Stephanie Feldman Aleong ’90passed away in October 2008.

Marta Rottman ’72 passed away inSeptember 2008.

Philip Keidaish ’79 passed away inSeptember 2008.

IN MEMORIAM

PINE CREST SAYS GOODBYE TO TWO FORMER TEACHERS

Patricia Purinton, 80, passed away Thursday, October 2008 in Ocala after a short illness. Sheenjoyed her 22 years spent at Pine Crest teaching kindergarten from 1968-1990. She will be missedby many, including her loving, husband, Paul, sons, Greg and Steve ’73, and three grandchildren.

Gilbert “Gil” Gregory 1967-2008

Pat Purinton 1927-2008

Gilbert Keith Gregory of Spokane Valley, WA passed away December 4, 2008 from complicationsof Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia; he was 41. Mr. Gregory was employed as a Middle School scienceteacher from 2003 to 2006. He also coached baseball, soccer, and cross country. Mr. Gregoryearned his undergraduate degree from Clemson University. He also held a master’s degree from theUniversity of Kansas. Mr. Gregory worked as a teacher in Texas, California, Japan, and Florida, andas a park ranger in Maine, New Mexico, and California. He worked in Executive Placement inJapan and Hawaii, and most recently as a placement officer with Jivaro Inc. at their office in Coeurd’Alene, ID. Mr. Gregory is survived by his wife, Keiko; his six-year-old son, George; his parents,two older brothers, and many cousins, aunts, and uncles. In lieu of flowers, contributions may bemade to the American Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or the American Cancer Society.

Corrections and Clarifications in the Fall 2008 edition of The Magazine:

Dr. Mae McMillan passed away on April 10, 1985.

The large spotted cat featured on page 21 is not a panther. Save the Panther Day is the third Saturday in March.With the exception of the picture of the large spotted cat, photos were taken by Robert Repenning in the“Panther Saving Panthers” story.

Jeff Marx ’89 is the creator of the Broadway musical Avenue Q.

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