gordonsum09news - The Gordon School

Dear Gordon Friends,
“This is a home that you may not go to every morning, or even once a year, but it will
always be a part of who you are. So please come back to campus, stay involved and
never lose the connection to this community. After all, we will want to see you back on
this stage in another twelve years.”
These remarks given by Rob Glancy ’97 at the 2009 commencement are so poignant,
especially as Gordon School’s Centennial year begins. We want our entire alumni and
parent of alumni community involved in the celebration of the school’s 100th anniversary.
We hope that you will find time this year to reflect on your memories of Gordon and
reconnect with your classmates and friends.
We have so many opportunities for you to stay engaged throughout the Centennial year,
thanks in large part to the work of our Head’s Advisory Council. The Council—
established this year—is a working group of twenty-three alumni and parents of alumni
led by Co-chairs Sally Lapides (parent of Ian ’99 and Emmett ’03) and Annie White ’87.
The Council met this year, discussed Gordon’s plan for the Centennial and strategized
ways to strengthen the school’s work with alumni and their families. The Council also
recommended several ideas that are now in place and we encourage you to take part!
The Gordon School Facebook page is up and running thanks to a little help from Karl
Dunkelman ’97. We hope that all of you will join this group and learn more about
upcoming alumni events and news, visit www.facebook.com. There is also a flickr page
featuring the archived photo collection from the 1920s-1990s. Feel free to take a look
and comment on any photo, visit www.flickr.com.
More information and details about the Centennial celebration on Sunday, October 10,
2010 will be sent soon. So, please visit the online alumni directory at www.gordon
school.org and update your contact information. Also, send along any names of faculty
and staff you would be interested in seeing that evening.
Thank you again for all your participation and involvement this year. Please continue
to stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Siobhan Sheerar Welsh
Associate Director of Development
1

Congratulations
to the Class of 2009!
Gordon held its commencement on Wednesday, June 10th. Thirty-six eighth
graders received their diplomas surrounded by friends and family.
Rob Glancy ’97 was the commencement speaker and shared with the class
reflections of his experiences at Gordon and beyond. Rob graduated from the
University of Colorado at Boulder where he earned a BA in journalism with
honors and distinction. He currently works as a small business banker at Bank
of America in Boston’s financial district.
Student Leadership Council Co-Presidents Brandon Bowman ’09 and Rebecca
Bendheim ’09 also spoke about their memories of their class and experiences
at Gordon.
“Congratulations Class of 2009, we did it! As we prepare to embark on the next
stages of our lives, I want to take a few minutes to think about how it is we got
to be here, on this stage, at this moment. What and who were the driving forces
in preparing us for this next step? While we know that we could not have done
it without the support, love and guidance from our parents and the great teachers
at Gordon School, we sometimes overlook the important factor in the equation
—each other. Throughout our time at Gordon, and sometimes below the radar
screen of our teachers, we have been taking care of each other, resolving
conflicts, developing our imaginations and just learning how to be in the world
beyond Gordon.” —Brandon Bowman ’09, Student Council Co-Chair
STUDENTS OF THE CLASS
OF 2009 ARE HEADED
TO THE FOLLOWING
SECONDARY SCHOOLS:
Bishop Connolly High School
Jacqueline A. Walsh School for
the Performing and Visual Arts
LaSalle Academy
Lincoln School
Miss Hall’s School
Moses Brown School
Mt. Hope High School
Mt. St. Charles Academy
Palos Verdes High School
Phillips Academy, Andover
Pomfret School
Providence Country Day School
Roxbury Latin School
St. Mark’s School
Wheeler School
2

campus
notes
Head’s Advisory Council
Institute on Multicultural Practice
The third annual Gordon School
Institute on Multicultural Practice
was held this June at Roger Williams
University. With over two dozen Middle
School educators, from thirteen different
schools, the roster of participants
testified to the national recognition
that this program, developed entirely
by Gordon faculty, now receives.
At the Institute, the visiting teachers
worked together to critique parts of
their classroom curricula that they
wish to sharpen by applying basic
principles of multicultural education.
A highlight of the final day was the
panel discussion in which seven recent
Gordon graduates answered questions
about their experiences at Gordon and
in high school. Pictured left are (back
row): Corrine Barrett ’08, Brandon
Bowman ’09, Alix Bowman ’05, Assi
Coulibaly ’08; (front row): Adrian
Stone ’08, Vivian Liu ’08, Shung-En
Pappas ’08.
Elizabeth Mermel ’00 returned to
Gordon in June as the guest speaker
at the annual CJ Buckley Experiential
Learning Night. Elizabeth graduated
from Vassar College with a BS in
biology. She is now working as a
Clinical Research Assistant in the
Pediatric Gastroenterology department
at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and is
applying to medical school.
The Head’s Advisory Council
(photo above) led by Co-Chairs Annie
White ’87 and Sally Lapides met this
October and April to discuss the
Centennial celebration and strategize
ways to reconnect with alumni and
their families.
Alumni Members
Annie White ’87, Co-Chair
Roz Rustigian ’65
Ted Widmer ’76
Ben Rhodes ’78
Laura (Strandberg) Bennett ’84
Lara Ewens ’88
Cara Camacho ’93
Ted Trafton ’94
Rob Glancy ’97
Nick Wall ’98
Parent of Alumni Members
Sally Lapides, Co-Chair
Johnnie Chace
Gray Coale
Carl Freedman
Cate Gilbane
Suzanne and Al Hall
Patsy Liao
Judy Mann
Carlos Medina
Linda Shumate
Susan Stevenson
Jonathan Stone
Kelly Allen Kujawski ’01, Courtney
DeStefano ’01, Gillian Lang ’01,
Bethany Pine ’03, Philippe Dwyer ’04,
Alix Bowman ’05, and Matt Shumate
’05 were guest speakers at the eighth
grade induction luncheon this June.
They each encouraged the Class of
2009 to stay in touch and reflected on
the importance of their Gordon
experiences.
3

Here’s where some of the members of the Class of 2005
are headed this September:
Megan Almeida
Rhode Island College
Nate Ardente
Denison University
Parker Barry
Roanoke College
Zoe Bogus
Brown University
Dana Bourque
Bates College
Alexandra Bowman Spelman College
Alexandra Carney Bentley University
Paul Dwyer
American University
Lilly Esposito
Johnson and Wales University
Amanda Gaynor
Wellesley College
Rachel Gibson
University of Rhode Island
Ilana Goldstein
Northwestern University
Elliot Green
Syracuse University
Chris Janigian
Brown University
Neil Kelly
Saint Michael’s College
Allison Krollman
Marquette University
Anna Mack
Middlebury College
Allie McCahan
Gettysburg College
Nick Miller
New York University
Liam Miner
Davidson College
Denyel Monroe
Rhode Island College
Jessie Parsons
Franklin and Marshall College
Alex Patinkin
Babson College
Alexandra Picerne DePaul University
Patrick Rock
Drew University
Maggie Sawdy
Smith College
Matt Shumate
Suffolk University
Anjuwon Spence Ohio Wesleyan University
Karan Takhar
MIT
Coby Unger
University of Vermont
Susannah Wales
Hamilton College
Emily Whitney
Mt. Holyoke College
Nzingha Williams-Eugene American University
Marcel Young-Scaggs Syracuse University
This June, second grade teacher Cendhi
Arias brought Sam Adrain ’07, Isabella
Ingendahl ’07, Corrine Barrett ’08,
Alexa Bourque ’08, Vivian Liu ’08,
Morgan Rainey ’08, Adrian Stone ’08,
Malcom Chace ’09, Manny Guerzon
’09 and Holden Rhodes ’09 to
Honduras. They were part of a group
of eighteen who spent nine days living
and working in small rural farming
communities in Surbirana and Rosara.
This is the third consecutive year
Gordon has supported Sustainable
Harvest International through the
Smaller World Program.
The Gordon Community Garden
was built this spring with the help of
students from Kindergarten through
eighth grade. The students laid out
gravel on an underused plot of land,
built eight garden beds atop the
gravel, filled them with soil and began
planting flowers and vegetables. Some
of the plants were planted from seed,
others were transplants from projects
begun in the classroom. The Community
Garden project was spearheaded
by Elizabeth Bakst, Preschool teacher
and Jacqui Ketner, science teacher,
and will be used by the entire school
community throughout the school year.
4

youngALUMNI REUNION
ALUMNI FROM CLASSES 2005-2009 CAME BACK TO GORDON ON SATURDAY,
JUNE 6TH FOR A CELEBRATION WITH OLD FRIENDS, FAVORITE TEACHERS AND
TREATS FROM BEN & JERRY’S AND SPIKE’S JUNKYARD DOGS.
1
Sarah Cantor ’07, Jane Lupica ’07
2
1
Amanda Gaynor ’05, Sarah Whinery,
Alex Carney ’05
3
Katie DiPrete ’07, Caroline Miller ’07
4
Lauren Andrade ’06, Sam Rhodes ’06
5
Morgan Rainey ’08, Sasha Mandle ’08,
Assi Coulibaly ’08, Simone Leon ’08
6
Aidan McCarthy ’08, Adrian Stone ’08
7
Will Burbank ’08, John Connolly ’08,
Eric Kravitz, Doris Xu ’08
8
Kali Ridley ’09, Stephanie Pabis ’09
9
Sara Hall ’07, Stephen Hall ’06
10
Nick Mirza ’07, Ben Fine ’07, Jacob
Orson ’07, Jay Lopes ’07, Jonathan
Pine ’07
2
11
Emily Fitts ’09, Ellie Myers ’09, Ariana
Wood ’09, Rebecca Kerner ’09
12
Graham Watkins ’08, Shung-En Pappas
’08
3
4
5

5
6
7
8
9
10
12
11
6

4Os
Susie Langdon Kass ’48 writes:
“I recently visited Providence to attend
my fiftieth college reunion at Brown.
I still work at the University of San
Francisco fitness recreation center part
time teaching preschoolers to swim.
I just received my 30 years of service
award. My husband Sid and I travel
every year to Hawaii for vacation, Ann
Arbor, MI to visit our granddaughter,
and Massachusetts to visit family.”
Alexander Merriman ’49 and his
wife Julia are enjoying traveling
especially to their house in Seabrook,
SC. They still live in Rhode Island with
their horse and two sussex spaniels.
5Os
Ann R. Langdon ’56 writes: “Our
granddaughter Frida is now 2 1 /2 and
always surprising us with what she
observes about her world. Daughters
Alison and Elizabeth continue to
progress with their respective careers
(pediatrician and NYC actor). Drew is
still teaching at Yale Law School as
well as consulting with Mattison and
Foerster Law Firm in DC (Supreme
Court Division). I spend time on the
Board of Creative Arts Workshop and
on the condo-association, traveling to
Texas and occasionally doing art.”
and Alice Stallknecht Wight—whose
lives changed the course of the town’s
history. For more information visit:
historypress.net.
Lauren Wolk ’73 (photo above) writes:
“I am an assemblage artist and writer.
As the former, I believe that the world
is full of cast-off treasure that deserves
a second chance to be interesting,
beautiful and meaningful. I therefore
search for old remnants and incorporate
them into my work. I also write
novels and poems, some published:
Those Who Favor Fire (novel, Random
House 2000) and Forgiving Billy (novel).
I received the Hackney Literary Award
and have been nominated twice for
the Pushcart Editor’s Book Award. I
currently give readings, teach classes
and create literary programs for young
people as part of my work as the
Associate Director at the Cultural
Center of Cape Cod in South
Yarmouth. If any Gordon alums,
R
class notes
G O R D O N A L U M N I C O N N E C T I O N
G7Os
Debra Aaronson Lawless ’73 recently
3Os
published Chatham in the Jazz Age.
Rosamond Siggins ’31 writes: “I am
still living in Wyoming with my husband
Don of 72 years. I am 93 years
old and have wonderful memories of
Gordon School.”
Her book reveals the impressions
and innovations of five outstanding
Chatham, MA residents—Harold C.
Dunbar, Alice Walker Guild, Heman
Andrew Harding, Joseph C. Lincoln
especially those from the Class of 1973
are ever in the neighborhood, please
stop by. I would love to see you!”
Claire Beckman Morgan ’75 is directing
a free performance of the Tempest
with her theatre company, Brave New
World Repertory at Coney Island on
September 26th and 27th. This free
site-specific event is open to the public
and will feature the talents of another
Gordon alum, Emily Glinick ’98, who
is the stage production manager for
this performance. For more information
visit: bravenewworldrep.org.
8Os
Ina Anderson ’82 is completing a
masters at Tufts University in urban
and environmental planning and
policy. She is also a consultant for
the Annenberg Project at Brown
University. Her son is a freshman at
Rhode Island College and her daughter
is in the tenth grade at the High
Mowing School in Wilton, NH.
Cyd McKenna ’83 finished a two year
masters program in urban planning
and policy at MIT in 2008. She is completing
her second masters at Harvard’s
Graduate School of Education in 2009.
Her son is in the sixth grade at
Belmont Day School.
Dana Bradley ’84 and his wife Robin
are living just outside of Charlotte, NC
with son, Colin (born September 3,
2006) and daughter Maya (born March
11, 2009).
7

R
9Os
Nola Riedel Kopfer ’91 and her
husband Torrance welcomed their
daughter, Cassia Renee Kopfer (photo
above), on February 23, 2009.
Georgia Hunter Farinholt ’92 (photo
above) writes: “My husband Robert
and I are still living in Seattle, WA. I
am working as a freelance writer in the
adventure travel industry and starting
a book on my family history. We welcomed
a newcomer to the Farinholt
family this year—a horse named
Cooper.”
Christine Isidoro ’94 was promoted to
Senior Manager, Internal Audit at A.T.
Cross in Providence, RI.
Georgi Vogel Rosen ’94 has a new
website for her freelance survey
research consulting work: vogelrosen.
com. In addition to freelancing, Georgi
works with Kiley & Co., a Democratic
public opinion research and consulting
firm in Boston, MA.
Sam Fleischner ’96 and Ben Chace ’97
won the Target Filmmaker Award at the
2009 Los Angeles Film Festival for their
narrative feature film, Wah Do Dem
(What They Do).
In bestowing Sam and Ben with
the Target Filmmaker Award, the judges
stated: “A film that could feel anecdotal
but through its musical shifts and tone,
and its vision of the world as a newly
optimistic place, Wah Do Dem
D
(What They Do) creates a strong
and profound emotional narrative.”
The story of Wah Do Dem is detailed
on the film’s website: “Wah Do Dem
co-creators, Ben Chace and Sam
Fleischner have been friends since
Kindergarten. Two years ago, Ben won
a cruise in a raffle and invited Sam
along for the vacation. Both young
filmmakers, they decided to turn the
trip into a project.” For more information
visit the film’s website:
wahdodem.com.
Evan Goldstein ’98 is attending graduate
school at the Boston Architectural
College and working at a design firm
downtown.
Brooke Alam Beach ’99 (photo above)
married Daniel Beach on May 25,
2009 in Las Vegas.
OOs
Kelly Allen Kujawski ’01 married
Nathan Kujawski on June 20, 2009.
Caroline Thomas ’01 graduated from
Bates College in May with a double
major in economics and history. She is
working this summer as the head sailing
instructor at Barrington Yacht Club.
Caroline’s successes were profiled in
the July 1st edition of the Barrington
Times.
Sam Fleischner ’96 and Ben Chace ’97
at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival.
S U M M E R 2 0 0 9
Ethan Wolston ’01 writes: “I just graduated
from Bowdoin and am gearing up
for a cross country road trip with some
roommates, including Ben Freedman
’01. I plan to work through the summer
and fall in Crescent, OR for the
US Forest Service.”
Sidra Scharff ’01 graduated from
Wheaton College this May and is
now working as the Programming
Coordinator for the Samaritans of
Rhode Island Organization.
Jonas Mikolich ’02 writes: “I am
interning this summer for Rolling Stone
Magazine, training for the Chicago
triathlon and playing polo matches for
the Newport International Polo team
on weekends.”
Matthew Osofisan ’02 and his clothing
line Annie Mulz were featured on
boldfacers.com. Matt and his business
partner, Michael Toney sell their
clothing line online at anniemulz.
blogstop.com and in kiosks set up
in Harvard Square and Newbury Street
in Boston, MA.
Crystal Spence ’02, a junior at Emory
University, was named All-American as
a member of the Emory women’s track
and field 4x100 relay team. Crystal
and her teammates came in second at
the Division III track and field finals
this May.
Jaymi Feeney ’04 writes: “For my
senior project at Rocky Hill School,
I interned with Beast TV, an advertising
editorial company, in New York City.
I will be attending Ithaca College next
year.”
Alex Carney ’05 a graduating senior
at Wheeler School, was named to the
SENE Girls Lacrosse All-League Team.
8

Anna Mack ’05
Ilana Goldstein ’05 and Karan Takhar
’05, graduating seniors at Wheeler
School, earned 2009 National Merit
Scholarships.
Anna Mack ’05 (pictured above)
received the St. George’s Medal at
St. George’s commencement in June.
The St. George’s Medal is the school’s
highest award, given to a member of
the sixth form who through effort,
character, athletics and scholarship has
best caught and expressed the ideals
and spirit of St. George’s. An honorroll
student, Anna earned enthusiastic
praise for her contributions to the
school community.
“When I think about what we want for
our students it becomes obvious why
Anna is the perfect choice for the SG
Medal,” said Anna’s advisor Katie Titus.
“We hope our students will engage in
their learning both in the classroom
and beyond; we want our students to
be motivated learners with a genuine
desire to make connections between
their classroom efforts and the world
around them; we want them to be
determined athletes with an appreciation
for their opponents; we want them
to be kind and generous in the way
they interact with others. Anna embodies
all of these things and I couldn’t be
more proud of her growth and accomplishment.”
Maggie Sawdy ’05 will be attending
Smith College this fall where she will
be a part of Smith’s STRIDE Scholars
Program. Through the Student Research
in Departments Program (STRIDE), high
achieving students are teamed up with
Smith faculty as paid research assistants
in a wide variety of research
areas, from the ecology of coral reefs
to the study of plays written under
political censorship.
O N
Marcel Young-Scaggs ’05 will attend
Syracuse University in the fall and is
enrolling in the five-year engineering
architecture program. Marcel also just
recently returned from a six week trip
to Kenya.
Andrew Bower ’06 was recognized as
a star volunteer by the Genesis Center
in Providence, RI. Andrew began volunteering
at Genesis in a family literacy
class for his service learning project at
Gordon. The Genesis Center provides
adult educational programs including
literacy and ESL classes.
Andrew Bower ’06, Andrew Creamer
’06, Stephen Hall ’06 and Kathy
Silvestre ’06 were inducted as junior
cum laude honor society members at
Wheeler School this May.
Jesse Frieder ’06 was named to the
Providence Journal Boys Tennis All-
State First Team. Jesse posted the
best record in the state playing at
the number one singles spot with an
undefeated regular-season slate.
Sam Adrain ’07 has finished a gondolier
apprenticeship with La Gondola
Providence and is now the youngest
gondolier in Waterplace Park. To book
a ride with Sam this summer visit:
gondolari.com.
Graham Watkins ’08 (pictured below)
writes: “My ninth grade year at
Providence Country Day went really
well. I was the assistant coach to the
boy’s varsity basketball team and we
ended up winning our division this
year. I also made a lot of new friends,
both ninth graders and upperclassmen.”
FACULTY AND
FORMER FACULTY NOTES
Sarah Whinery, Middle School faculty
member, had the opportunity to travel
to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in June
with three other teachers to mentor a
group of Zulu teachers. The Zulu teachers
work in a remote town in Zululand
with AIDS orphans in an after-school
program. Sarah and her colleagues
provided the Zulu teachers with curriculum
support by sharing lesson plans
and ideas on their practice. Sarah did
a writing workshop with the teachers
using photographs from National
Geographic modeling how to create
many lessons from a single photograph.
Barbara (Rhem) Masters writes:
“I was the music teacher at Gordon
from 1975-1986. I now live outside
Chicago, I direct four choirs at
Visitation Catholic Church and teach
piano at Elmhurst College. I loved my
years teaching at Gordon, made wonderful
friends and got a chance to help
in over 25 productions. My son, Dylan
Rhem ‘94 is a music teacher and performer
in the Chicago area. My third
son, Joe Packhem is a sophomore at
Marquette. My best to the Gordon
community!”
9

ALEX UNGER ’O3
Alex, a junior at Brown University, is
interning at Facebook headquarters in
Palo Alto, CA this summer. Despite his
busy schedule, we were able to find
some time to talk about this extraordinary
opportunity.
How did you get the internship at
Facebook?
The process started with a long all
night recruiting event at Brown called
a hackathon. Facebook had a mini
hackathon at Brown to attract and find
potential hires. After my team won
the prize for most interesting project,
Facebook was interested in my whole
group. I had an on-campus interview,
a phone interview and two interviews
out in Palo Alto.
What are your responsibilities during
the internship?
I’m working on the Platform team which
supports applications on Facebook
like Causes and Connect sites like
Digg. So far, I have built and modified
some of the ways in which applications
access data from Facebook. I also have
a main summer project related to
Events. This project is about unreleased
features and therefore I can’t tell you
more than that.
What are you enjoying?
I love working with a group of highly
talented people. Many times I feel that
almost everyone here is smarter than
me, which is a good thing. It forces me
to strive to be better and learn more.
It’s also been interesting to see how a
software company works and what it is
like to work there. The sheer amount
of code used to run Facebook presents
unique challenges that I had never
been exposed to before. I also love the
weather out here. It’s beautiful all the
time and I’m able to travel often.
How did your Gordon experience
prepare you?
Gordon taught me how to think and
experiment. Facebook is very focused
on developers being self-sufficient
and independently creative. One of
Facebook’s mantras is “move fast and
break things.” The focus is on being
innovative and cleaning up minor
mistakes made along the way after
the feature is prototyped. My Gordon
teachers encouraged me to be intellectually
curious by challenging me to
take risks and form opinions.
Were there any teachers in particular
at Gordon that made a lasting impact
on you?
All of my teachers at Gordon were
memorable and I could say things
about each one but there are a few that
really helped me with what I’m doing
now. They are Karla Harry, Deb Cusack
and Dave Macdonald. Those three
people taught me four important
things; if you’re excited about something
and express that interest enough
someone will notice (and let you
re-shelve books in the library); trust
and reliability are valuable things (and
if people really have faith in you they
might give you the password to the
whole network); don’t worry about
tinkering, experimenting and learning,
(they are only computers and they can
be fixed often by just restarting), and
most importantly, compassion and
dedication to others and their ideas are
the most valuable qualities in a person.
What are your plans after your
internship at Facebook?
I’ll be going back to Brown in the fall
for my junior year and I will be a Head
Teaching Assistant for CS15, Andy van
Dam’s intro computer science course.
Over the last several years, I also worked
as an engineering intern for Afferent
Technology, a web site programmer
for Embolden Design, a programmer
for VAEIS, Inc. and a head teaching
assistant in Brown’s Computer Science
department, as well as running my
own small business akutech.com.
Technical aspects of programming and
engineering, teaching, and the business
and team management parts of the
work I have been involved with have
all been interesting. I’ve enjoyed and
learned a lot working for startups and
for a larger firm like Facebook, as well
as running Akutech and working for
Brown. I am not sure where I am headed
after college or even next summer.
But I am pretty confident there are a lot
of great opportunities ahead. Gordon
did a really wonderful job teaching me
how to take advantage of opportunities
and I am really thankful for that.
Don’t forget to join Gordon’s
Facebook page and reconnect
with your classmates, view
archived photos and learn
about upcoming events. We
also love hearing about your
successes so please email
Siobhan Sheerar Welsh at
swelsh@gordonschool.org
with any class notes and
photos. We will share them
with your classmates in the
Winter 2010 issue.
10

45 Maxfield Avenue East Providence RI 02914
www.gordonschool.org
Save the Date 1O.1O.2O1O
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #365
Providence, RI
thanks to you WE’VE
REACHED NEW HEIGHTS!
We are pleased to report the 2008-2009
Annual Fund raised a total of $330,046
for Gordon School. Thanks to the
721 alumni, parents and friends who
participated in our efforts this year.
By giving to the Annual Fund, you
celebrate the teachers, friendships and
lifelong lessons that define the Gordon
experience. We are ever so grateful
for your support and couldn’t have done
it without you.

GORDON ALUMNI CONNECTION Summer 2009