Nichols Toaxnoes - Winter 2016

Nicholsw i n t e r 2 0 1 6

Mission

“Our aim is to train minds, bodies

and hearts for the work of life, and

to carry into all we do the highest

ideals of character and service.”

– Joseph D. Allen, 1909 (second Headmaster of Nichols School)

Jeremy Jacobs Jr. ’81President, Board of Trustees

William CloughHead of School

Leslie GarciaDirector of Development

Simon ChabelDirector of Marketing & Communications

Editor:Nannie Clough

Class Notes Editor:Blake Walsh ’98

Director of Alumni Relations

Design:Kelley Rechin, Duffy Moon Design

Printing:Cohber

Contributors:Meg Auerbach ’99, Simon Chabel,

Bill Clough, Chelsy Collins, Erin Collins ’09, Paul Errickson, Deb Howe,

Maura Kepper ’06, Andrea Mancuso, Clare Poth ’81, Roddy Potter ’82,

Mary Rech Rockwell, Sandy Smith ’93, Blake Walsh ’98, Laura Yusick ’96

Photography:Simon Chabel, Paul Errickson, Andrea Mancuso, Tom Maynor,

Brynn Wilkins

Class Notes: [email protected]

All other alumni matters:[email protected]

Published by Nichols School’s Marketing & Communications Office and

Development Office for alumni, parents and friends of the School. 50

42

F E AT U R E S

8 Campus Master Plan – Chapter 2

14 Leadership Academy

18 Henrich Family Scholarship

20 Alumni Profile: Holly Constantine Ortman ’96 and Emily Constantine Doren ’00

22 Pathfinder: Seventh Graders Discover Their True North

28 Alumni Profile: Erin Collins ’09

32 Climbing to New Heights: Antigravity Club

38 Classroom Spotlight: Urban Studies

42 Well Advised

4 Campus Clips

6 From Mitchell Hall

10 Meet Our New Faculty and Staff

12 New Alumni Board Members

13 New Trustees

21 Social Media

44 In Memoriam

49 Class Notes

NicholsWINTER 2015

– means “that which is true” and is pronounced “taw alay théss.”

Nichols School 1250 Amherst St., Buffalo, NY 14216 Telephone: 716.332.6300 • Fax: 716.875.3931 • www.nicholsschool.org

Nichols is an inclusive community. Admission granted to qualified students.

D E PA RTM E N TS

14

42

22

www.nicholsschool.org

C A M P U S C L I P S

1

2 3

4 N i c h o l s S c h o o l

1. Seniors cheer for their team during the annual Spirit Day Broomball Tournament.

2. Netsanet Adebebe ’20 and Anthony Tuber ’20 hold a human brain while learning about the vascular system at the Jacobs Institute.

3. The seventh Grade Drama Class performs “The Girl Who Was Asked to Turn Blue” by Ev Miller.

4. Junior girls conclude their team building exercise on Retreat Day by forming a lattice to catch their last teammate jumping through a ribbon circle.

5. Seventh graders enjoy a docent led tour of Silo City as part of their interdisciplinary “Connections” project.

6. Jillian Gately ’16 stars in the title role in the Upper School Play “Alice in Wonderland.”

7. Matthew Glinski ’18 fends off players from Trinity College School.

8. Steven Hall ’21 prepares the Middle School’s Lego robot for the regional First Lego League Robotics Competition.

4

5

6

7 8

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 5

We don’t typically think of boardrooms in the same way as classrooms, but every November, we try to during our Board of Trustees meeting. Recently, Dr. Randall Bass, Vice Provost for Education, Professor of English, and Director of the Designing the Future(s) initiative at Georgetown University, shared some current educational trends in higher education with members of our Board and faculty. We learned how Georgetown is working to shape their curriculum and tested our thinking against theirs.

Convinced that we need to imagine a new paradigm for teaching and learning, Dr. Bass writes, “Our understanding of learning has expanded at a rate that has far outpaced our conceptions of teaching. A growing appreciation for the porous boundaries between the classroom and life experience, along with the power of social learning, authentic audiences, and integrative contexts, has created not only promising changes in learning, but also disruptive moments in teaching.” Place-based and active learning figure prominently in our own Strategic Plan, so we were interested to learn more. In advance of his visit, Dr. Bass asked us to

consider the following questions:• Thinking about the context of

2025 or 2030, what kind of graduate do we need to produce?

• How can a Nichols education prepare students for that world?

• How might we create a more integrated educational experience that prepares students to be both agile and empathetic in a complex, changing world?

• How might we better connect the classroom and the world, academic and personal development?Working in groups and guided

by Dr. Bass, we wondered about the similarities and differences between secondary education and higher learning. How, for example, do we continue to impart important foundational learning we deem necessary for success in college and in life and continue to provide unique learning experiences that look and feel different from what happens in a traditional classroom? Are we teaching the right things, the right way, and in the right order?

As we consider the future, it is gratifying to reflect on the many ways we already blend what we might call a formal curriculum with a more experiential, co-curricular curriculum. Here are a few of the

integrated, team-based initiatives we are currently working on:• Middle and Upper School faculty

enroll in an online inquiry-based learning (IBL) course. Through a series of facilitated modules, teachers learn the principles and practices of this type of pedagogy, and many have now implemented IBL projects.

• The seventh grade teaching team creates a “connections” course that links languages, history, science, technology, art, and English through place-based learning.

• Working with three emerging Buffalo ventures, students in our Entrepreneurial Studies Elective learn and apply new business methodologies to solve real-time business problems.

• Urban Studies students use the City of Buffalo as a laboratory to examine the forces that cause the rise, decline, and re-birth of a great American city.

• Nichols students host their counterparts from France, China, and Spain, and the cultural experience is reciprocal.

• Freshman geometry students design buildings for the Buffalo waterfront using geometric tools. Seniors from the Entrepreneurial Studies course

What better place to ask important questions than at Nichols?

Studying the work of women and men who have helped advance

knowledge and inquiry, we test our ideas against theirs by debating,

listening, and defending (with evidence, of course!) so that we too

can lend our voices and join in the long conversation.

From Mitchell HallHead of School Bill Clough


coach the freshmen on making effective presentations and Urban Studies students judge the pitches determining the semi -finalists. The Mayor of Buffalo is among the finalists’ judges.

• Teachers implement the Harkness method, requiring students to lead discussion and comment on one another’s work.

• Middle and Upper School students learn the value of teamwork, loyalty, and perseverance through participation on athletic teams.

• Seniors work with faculty mentors and write a thesis and defend it before a faculty panel.

• Theater students interview local residents and write their own plays.

• Engineering students apply math and physics to meet challenges in the fields of mechanical engineering, aeronautics, civil engineering and robotics.

• With support from teachers, students organize and run diversity conferences on the Nichols campus.

• Middle and Upper School students participate in FIRST Robotics teams in record numbers.

• Visiting authors inspire students to imagine a creative life.

• Maker spaces now exist in both the Middle and Upper School libraries with 3D printers.

• Members of the dance and robotics programs collaborate with programming students to translate choreographers’ routines into instructions dancing robots (yes, really) can understand.Working with Dr. Bass was an

interesting and welcome exercise. In fact, it was fun! I personally enjoyed the luxury of time and

being asked to let go of what I think I know about school, even for just a few hours. Does a school need departments? What does individualized learning look like? What about blended learning? These are important questions to consider, even if they scare us, even if we can’t answer them. By asking, by imagining, by seeing new models, and by pressing forward, we become

mentor who cared about you, and 2.) having worked on a sustained project. The poll suggests that “when it comes to being engaged at work and experiencing high well-being after graduation the type of institution students attended matters less than what they experienced there.” It’s refreshing to know that, while we are stretching, risking, and applying new methods to enhance (not replace) those we know, Nichols students are already well positioned for success. We are a community full of hardworking people who value – above all – our relationships.

What’s next? While not currently in a capital campaign, we are actively discussing future strategy. We recently completed a Campus Master Plan to support the initiatives outlined in our Strategic Plan. Like our strategic planning process, our Master Plan was conceived by many voices, including trustees, faculty and staff, and parents and alumni, and I am grateful for their support. In the near future, we will double the size of our dining hall, create more common and exercise space for students by adding to the Dann Memorial Rink, and build an innovation center that will include a modern library and space for project-based learning. Finally, and most important, we are committed to supporting our greatest resources: our teachers and students. If not for their hard work and passion, none of this would be necessary or possible, so investing in them will be our highest priority.

Thank you, as always, for your support! n

We will always place a premium on the

classroom experience, on great teaching, on teacher-student

relationships, and on foundational skills

that will support our students through

college and beyond.

open to change and model the way.Of course, we will always

place a premium on the classroom experience, on great teaching, on teacher-student relationships, and on foundational skills that will support our students through college and beyond. A recent Gallup-Purdue University study looking at links among college, work, and well-being suggests that the two most important predictors for success among college graduates are 1.) having an adult

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 7

The previous installment of this series focused on various developments in educational philosophy around the turn of the last century, and how these novel ideas shaped the plans for the Amherst Street Nichols campus in 1908-1909. This article, which will look at the physical changes wrought between 1955 and 1965, will tell a story less of pedagogical ideas than one of bodies and money.

Nichols’ educational tenets during the nearly 40-year administration of headmaster Philip M. B. Boocock were of a fundamentally conservative cast. Taking the reins of the school at the onset of the Depression, Boocock had little interest in maintaining earlier innovations, such as the Dalton Plan, which in the mid-1920s permitted Nichols students to arrange their own courses of study under the direction of an academic advisor. Boocock instead favored a rigorous but traditional approach to instruction, with control of academic matters firmly in the grasp of the teachers, and the teachers firmly in the grasp of the headmaster. This strategy, whatever its other merits, had the effect of assuring parents in the economically and politically tumultuous 1930s and 1940s that Nichols was a stable, reliable platform for their sons’ early academic and social careers, and it remained essentially unchanged

during those two decades and into the 1950s. What did begin to shift during that time, however, were admissions patterns. In the general economic rebound that followed the Korean War, Nichols’ enrollment (which had peaked in 1927 and was in a lengthy low-tide phase) began to surge, approaching a mark in the mid-1950s that was nearly double that of 1935. The school was plainly becoming overcrowded, with an eighth of the student body having to stand during morning Chapel meetings.

By 1950, the school’s planning committees were keenly aware that the athletic facilities had begun to fall into a dire condition. The floor of the old Gymnasium (the present Dance Studio) suffered recurrent buckling and rot due to water vapor rising from the Plunge; the roof

Campus Master Plan: Chapter 2By Roddy Potter ’82, English teacher

and foundation of the rink were crumbling; the squash courts were battered and generally antiquated. While there had long been a desire among trustees for new athletic buildings, economic conditions in the pre-War period had made any real planning impossible. In 1955, however, seeing a greener financial future in years to come, and both prompted and heartened by the enrollment influx, the Board elected to begin plans for a new gymnasium. Boocock was normally chary of fund drives, believing that Nichols’ alumni would resent being “dunned” for donations, but he apparently felt sufficiently sanguine to embrace the initiative and to help propel it toward the $400,000 mark over the course of two years. The new gym opened in 1957 with the campaign having generated funds surplus to

Artist’s rendering of the new gym (1954). The high, pitched roof never came to be. A caption to the drawing emphasizes the problems caused by the substandard dimensions of the old gym, as well as the inadequacy of its shower and changing facilities.

H I S T O R I C A L P E R S P E C T I V E


actual construction costs.Fundamental issues of

overcrowding were still largely unaddressed, however, and as the enrollment continued to climb through the Eisenhower Era, the trustees were motivated to consider further plans. In 1962 they invited preliminary designs for new squash courts, a new rink, and a science building. The renewed capital drives for these projects were eventually to net more than a million dollars, and the Knox Squash Courts, the Dann Memorial Rink, and the Moot Science Building were all complete by 1964. These accomplishments, however, created both a financial residue and school-community issues that had not been encountered in the 1955-1957 campaign. While the 1962 fund drive was able to meet its stated goals, cost overruns and labor problems during the construction of the facilities meant that the school was unable to achieve its ancillary aims of improving Nichols’ historically-weak endowment and paying down the 1908 mortgage. Plans for expansion of the library and refurbishing classroom spaces also had to be scratched, leaving many faculty members deeply disgruntled: About 80 percent of the two capital campaigns, in the end, had gone to purely athletic purposes.

And while few would have predicted it at the time, the rosy financial future that the trustees had forecast for the school was, by 1966, sharply circumscribed. Faculty salaries – in what was increasingly a “seller’s market” for educational professionals – were beginning to climb faster than tuitions could be raised to cover them, and the turbulent economy of the 1970s would expose the school to fiscal pressures that it was ill-prepared to counter after the previous decade’s building spree. It would be nearly another 30 years before further fundamental changes to the Amherst

Campus’ physical plant could be seriously considered.

Though the legacy of the 1955-1965 building campaigns was far from wholly or even generally negative. Aside from the intrinsic value of the expanded and up-to-date-facilities, Nichols proved to itself through these efforts that the broad base of the school community – alumni, parents, staff, and the students themselves, in addition to the trustees and larger-scale corporate donors – could be brought together to help the school meet its goals for physical expansion and improvement, thus avoiding the early-century model of paying for projects through a handful of “heavy-hitting” donors supplemented by very heavy borrowing. The two mid-century capital campaigns set the pattern for those of the 1990s, campaigns that were, as we shall see in future installments of this series, driven less by raw logistics than by a desire to turn instruction and school life in genuinely new directions. n

The new rink under construction (1964).

Moot in its original single-story incarnation (1965). It was designed to be expandable to as many as three floors, but when a second story was added the building developed air-handling and drainage woes that plagued it for decades.

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 9

LauraArribas joins the Language Department as an Upper School Spanish Tteacher. Laura earned her B.A. in Humanities and Historic Preservation at the Universidad de Burgos in Spain, her M.A. in Spanish Literature from the University of Tennessee, and most recently, her Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from SUNY Buffalo. Laura has been teaching at the college level since 2003, most recently as an adjunct faculty member at SUNY Buffalo. Laura has worked with all levels of Spanish students at the college level, and brings a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to the Language Department. Laura also teaches a fitness class as an after school Physical Education option.

SarahJensen received a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Brown University and an MBA from NYU Stern’s Executive Program while working for global insurance firms AIG and CNA in New York City. There she pursued her passion for international business negotiations, and product innovation in markets around the globe. Sarah and her family recently moved to Buffalo from Weston, Mass. Sarah is excited to join the Nichols community as a part-time teacher to launch the Entrepreneurial Studies Elective.

JoelHarden joins the Science Department as an Upper School Physics and Chemistry teacher. Joel earned his B.S. at the University of Rochester, his M.S. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and his Master of Science in Education at Buffalo State College. Joel has been teaching high school science and math since 2009. He has experience with AP Physics, Environmental Science and Engineering. A dedicated STEAM coordinator at his former school, Joel brings his passion for science to the Nichols Upper School. He also works with the Science Olympiad Team.

MegAuerbach’99 is thrilled to be back at her alma mater as the new Director of Planned Giving at Nichols. After Nichols, she attended Trinity College in Hartford, CT and her interests led her to Albany Law School. She spent three years working at the Ayco Company, a division of Goldman Sachs. Several years ago she made the decision to return to Buffalo with her family and accepted a position at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, where she served in several roles, most recently as Foundation Counsel.

MeetOurNewFacultyandStaff


NicholasSwift joins the Language Department as an Upper School Latin teacher. Nicholas earned his B.A. in Psychology at SUNY at Oneonta and his M.A. in Classics from SUNY at Buffalo. Nicholas has been teaching at SUNY Buffalo and SUNY Delhi since 2007. He has taught a variety of subjects including Latin, World Civilization, English Composition and Literature. He looks forward to collaborating with teachers in English and History. In addition to teaching Latin, Nicholas also coaches the Mock Trial Team.

TaylorSchupp joins us from Canisius College, as the new admissions assistant. At Canisius she earned a B.A in English and a M.S. in Communication and Leadership. She is a Buffalo native and worked as a graduate assistant in Admissions for the past two years while pursuing her degree. Outside of work, she enjoys dancing, traveling and getting outside to take advantage of our four full seasons!

JeanLucNgoma joins the Language Department as an Upper School French teacher. Jean Luc spent the first part of his teaching career in secondary schools in the Congo Republic and Gabon Republic in Africa. Jean Luc earned his B.S. in Economics from the University of Brazzaville. After coming to the United States, Jean Luc pursued several other career paths and degrees in Theology and Business Administration before returning to the classroom as a French teacher. We are excited to have him join our community, and look forward to everything he will bring to Nichols.

LeahMorris is the new Middle School Art teacher. She received a bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Boston University in 2010. She most recently taught Studio Art at the North Country School, a junior boarding school in Lake Placid, N.Y. The school has a working farm, a rigorous outdoor education program and a focus on sustainability. She served as a residential life support parent and created a studio arts curriculum for students in grades 4 through 9. Leah is adjusting to life in the city and is looking forward to connecting with the arts scene in Buffalo.

BrynnWilkins joins Nichols as our new Creative Content Coordinator. She recently graduated from the University of Rochester with a B.A. in Film and Media studies. She has worked in content creation for a Rochester advertising agency and has significant video production experience having created dozens of promotional videos for a wide range of clients. She is also a graduate of the Allendale Columbia School in Rochester. She has just moved to Buffalo from Rochester and is eager to be a part of the Nichols community, and to help tell our stories.

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 11

N E W A L U M N I B O A R D M E M B E R S

SiobhanHanley’10Siobhan is a business strategist for Wilmington Trust, part of M&T’s wealth management division, where she supports a team that helps families with their banking, planning, and trust needs. After graduating Nichols, Siobhan attended Yale University where she majored in Classics and graduated magna cum laude in 2014. At school, she played flute in the Yale pops orchestra and served as president of the orchestra for two seasons.

ColleenHeidinger’02Colleen is Director of Events and Programming at 43North, an organization that gives out $5 million in cash prizes each year to some of the best and brightest entrepreneurs and startups from around the globe. The group is part of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion initiative, which is driving new economic opportunities throughout Buffalo and Western New York. In her role, Colleen blends her passions for event planning, entrepreneurship, and the development of Buffalo’s progressive workplace. A graduate of Babson College, she has spent most of her career in the film and television industry in both New York City and Los Angeles, running industry events, program marketing, client sponsorship and partnership development. She is actively involved with the TedxBuffalo Conference planning committee, chairs the Advisory Council for Girls Education Collaborative supporting girls education in developing countries, and is a member of the Pro-Zoo board.

AngelicaRivera’07Angelica is a Bilingual Outreach Associate Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY and is currently completing her bachelors in Business Management and Economics with a concentration Public Administration at Empire State College after taking time off to raise twin boys. She is an active community volunteer at several non for profit grassroots organizations in the city, including PUSH Buffalo and Teens in Progress. She is the education chair for Citizen Action of WNY and she has served as a speaker and participant at several national social justice conferences such as N.P.A, Justice Works and U.S D.O.J. national summit on school climate. Simply put, Angelica is passionate about social justice, specifically as it relates to education.

Siobhan Hanley ’10

Colleen Heidinger ’02

Angelica Rivera ’07


N E WT R U S T E E S

LisaCorrin,Ed.M,LICSW,’83 holds masters degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Simmons College School of Social Work. Her professional experience includes a leadership position at The Lesley Ellis School, a small independent school in the Boston Area where she provided support to families, faculty and young children. She now sits on the Advisory Board of the school where her daughter will be in 5th grade this fall.

For the past 10 years Lisa has worked as a clinician at the Simmons College Counseling Center. This role offers Lisa a chance to combine her commitment to education and mental health. Although she’s lived away from Buffalo for many years, Lisa has stayed connected to and supportive of Nichols and remains ever loyal to both her hometown and her alma mater.

AnthonyHabib’91 and his wife Becky Machado ’91 have been long time supporters of Nichols School. He went on to graduate from Canisius College with a degree in Business Management and Marketing. After college he moved to Washington D.C. where he worked for the House Commerce Committee under the leadership of Representative Tom Bliley. In 2001 he moved back to Buffalo where he became President and CEO of Petri Baking Products until the company was sold in 2012.

He now spends most of his time involved in local organizations and serves on the Board of Directors of Canisius College, Make-A-Wish, Kenmore Mercy Hospital Foundation, Nativity Miguel School, and Kavinoky Theater. Becky and Anthony have four children: Halim 7, Eleanor 5, Amelia 4 and Sadie 1, and reside in Amherst, NY.

AshokSubramanian’93 founded Liazon in 2007 to address the significant challenges he saw in the health care and insurance industries. In seven years, he has grown Liazon to become the operator of the nation’s industry-leading private benefits exchange for active employees.

In November 2013, Liazon was acquired by Towers Watson, a leading global professional services firm. Ashok continues to serve as CEO of Liazon within the Towers Watson organization.

Prior to Liazon, Ashok was an Associate Principal in the New York City office of McKinsey and Co. Ashok received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, a Masters degree from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he graduated as an Arjay Miller Scholar.

Ashok is often sought out for his expert commentary on private and public exchanges, their role in the new health care landscape and their effect on businesses. He has been quoted in many publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Employee Benefit News and CFO Magazine.

Lisa Corrin ’83

Anthony Habib ’91

Ashok Subramanian ’93

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 13

We gathered in a grassy field next to the hut to debrief the epic day. Beginning a mile and a half on the other side of Mt. Washington at Lakes of the Clouds Hut in New Hampshire, we

had hiked seven of the toughest miles in the Northeast: Up and over Mt. Washington, home of “The World’s Worst Weather,” and through some worrisome thunderclouds, fog and rain. The kids were in remarkably good spirits after spending the last three days above tree lines, and the last nine hours-straight hiking.

There were 20 of us in total, 16 middle school students and four teachers. Each volunteered for this five-day hiking trip in the White Mountains over some of the Northeast’s highest peaks in the third week of August, shortly before the start of the school year.

Students sign up for a variety of reasons; some already see themselves as leaders and want to refine their skills and knowledge, others want to have a larger impact on their peers and our school. Some are drawn to the trail by the promise of closer friendships, and others come to connect with nature.

Initially, Gwen Ryan ’20 was reluctant, but supported by her biggest fans:

“Leadership Academy was not my choice, it was my parents. They encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone.” For Lucas Kiewek ’21, whose family moved to Buffalo from China in the middle of his sixth grade year, this experience provided an opportunity to make new friends and feel more a part of the Nichols community: “When I heard about the Leadership Academy, I knew it was the ticket to a new life in Buffalo because I would have more friends to talk to and more experiences to talk about. In the end, it all comes down to making the most out of your opportunities.”

The Leadership Academy focuses on actively building self-confidence, leadership, and understanding group dynamics. The outdoor curriculum is extensive. We model expedition behavior and Leave No Trace principles. We process and debrief daily. We prepare and adjust backpacks, plan nutrition and rations, map out or routes, and follow the compass. But the essence of this experience exists in students taking risks and allowing themselves to be vulnerable. Out of risk and vulnerability comes confidence, grit and perspective – three essentials to navigating life as a teenager.

Five hours earlier, we left the summit of Mt. Washington in good time and perfect weather. The views were spectacular and temperatures were in the 50s – balmy

Leadership AcademySummits and Thunderclouds By Paul Errickson, Head of Middle School


for that time of year. We had ample time to make the trek over to Madison Springs Hut. With the exception of some clouds coming east from Vermont and the mention of possible afternoon thundershowers, we seemed to be in the clear. But within a couple of hours, we hunkered down, searched for routes off the ridge, and reviewed lightning protocol with the group. Thunderclouds and a disorienting wind had socked us in. With 2.5 miles to go along an exposed, ridge trail, or an eight-plus-mile trek down and out through remote forested trails, we – all 20 of us – had a decision to make.

As the clouds dissipated and the thunder rolled on, we trekked together to Madison Springs Hut as efficiently and safely as possible. During that debrief in the field, we asked the students, “Who helped you along the way? Who supported you, lifted you up, made you feel part of the group, or shared something with you to help you get through a tough time?”

The stories of support and encouragement varied. One student talked about sharing her trail mix. Another student helped his peer with his foot placement on the jagged boulders along a particularly complicated section of the trail with encouraging instructions, “Follow my footsteps and we’ll get through this together” and “Be deliberate about your steps, make each one count.”

Some admitted they had been worried that they wouldn’t make it. There were several who had been moved to tears (easily ameliorated with a timely and energizing Snickers bar!) or

frozen in doubt along the way, but it was their fellow hikers who helped them take that next step to get to the next cairn or krummholz. Michael Tuber ’21 coined a useful and prophetic phrase to support a fellow hiker who was struggling with a particularly difficult stretch of the trail: “Leadership isn’t one, leadership is all.” All agreed that we felt part of something bigger than ourselves, an experience earned and now shared only by those who were with us.

As our hikers debriefed the day, they talked about how hard they worked, and how they had to work together in order to make it through the day. “I gained the ability to set my mind to something and – no matter how hard I had to push myself – to accomplish that goal,” said Dean Parentis ’21.

The word perseverance came up a lot. By design, this experience is uncomfortable. All

together we sleep in bunkrooms sharing snores, sores, and stories of the day’s summits and blisters. And, by design, the Leadership Academy has always been about more than the outdoors. The experience provides the perfect canvas for learning about perseverance, perspective and community. Often, we ask our hikers to stretch themselves, physically, socially and personally. They share a lot more than the trail together over the course of the trip, and this makes them both vulnerable and reflective.

Students are pushed out of their comfort zones and into what is pedagogically known

as the stretch

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 15

zone, learning zone, or zone of maximum cognitive efficiency. Here, they learn about grit, perseverance, support, and the need for reflection in order to improve, grow, and learn.

On that day on the ridge we, the leaders, huddled down and shared the seriousness of the situation with the students. Clearly it wasn’t just the students who were learning about grit, perspective, and power of cooperation. We needed those kids to lead each other as much as they needed us to lead them. And they did. That’s the beauty of working with students: They always do.

Joshua Stead-Dorval ’21 hadn’t seen much of the trail before joining us in the White Mountains and was understandably nervous. He reflected on the view of the trail from the top of Mt. Washington: “I had no choice but to keep going. And, through the pain, I kept pushing and pushing to limits I didn’t know I had.”

The perspective that Josh, and many of his fellow hikers, gained up in those mountains, is one that will have a lasting and profound effect on their approach to school and life. Here is Josh’s poem that he shared with the group the previous night, high above tree line on a rocky outcropping adjacent to Lakes of the Clouds Hut at 5,050 feet:


I BelieveI believe that no matter what we do,or where we go,or how we think;I believe that no matter who we meet, or what we face, or what will become;I believe that we can, and that’s all that matters.

We hiked down the next day in good spirits and with stories to share. Students were confident and proud and ready to take their packs off and put their feet up during the long, bus ride home. Creating reflective, thoughtful

and selfless leaders takes perseverance, some stretching, and a change in perspective, but it can have a profound impact on each of the students who join us. As Gwen Ryan shared: “When school started this year, it felt different than all of the other years. Now, when I do my homework I don’t get all stressed and give up; I put a lot more effort into it.”

And that’s just it. Middle school is pretty tough. Having the grit and perspective to navigate the summits and thunderclouds that being in middle school can bring makes our students better prepared for their real work – their “work of life.” n

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 17

Nichols School is extremely fortunate to have many endowed funds, known as Named Scholarships, established by alumni and friends of the School to support our need-based financial aid program. Many of our scholarships honor a graduate or support a particular program. However, some scholarships are developed to encourage an idea or further develop a path of change.

During the 10-year period between 1969 and 1979 Nichols School embraced “New Directions” and underwent an intense examination of curriculum, enrollment, finances, development, athletic programs, facilities, flexibility and social change. In 1970, the Program Development Committee (PDC), led by Albert Sutter, the foreign language chairman, was charged by the Board of Trustees with “dreaming” and presenting a report about the future of Nichols. After a summer of hard work, the PDC focused on three important themes: increased enrollment, coeducation and diversity. The report stated, “Our obligation to offer the broadest possible experience to all our students necessitates that we enroll significantly larger numbers of students from a variety of socio-economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds…We believe that the quality of education at Nichols would be markedly enhanced by the admission of girls in significant numbers.” Sessions, John Millard. Nichols School A Century of Tradition and Change 1892-1991. Buffalo: Nichols School, 1991.

Change commenced. As far as a seamless implementation – well there were the expected bumps in the road and challenges that change often brings. Space needed to be rearranged, dress code addressed, behavior modified and new curriculum developed. The socio-economic landscape changed as well. The PDC report revealed that if our students were to succeed and grow in a more global world, they would need to learn from those with other backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. To meet those enrollment objectives, the financial aid budget would need to grow and endowment dollars invested wisely. Fundraising became an integral part of

The Henrich family

Henrich Family ScholarshipBy Laura Lombardo Yusick ’96

this initiative and the Board reaffirmed their commitment to Nichols School during this campaign.

Often when a board member participates in an exercise of such evocative change, their contributions create a legacy. Ralph E. Henrich served on the Nichols Board of Trustees between 1959 and 1971. His spirit, generosity and determination to make Nichols accessible to women whom he felt deserved more opportunities,

recognition and equal treatment led to the creation of this named scholarship. He wanted to reward those who worked hard and were motivated to advance intellectually.

In 1973, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph E. Henrich made a meaningful donation in the name of change and progression. They restricted their gift to financial aid and scholarship fund to assist a deserving and motivated female student. Their son, John Henrich ’59, makes further contributions to the fund to carry on the tradition


S C H O L A R S H I P S

and continued growth. Reaching families outside of the City of Buffalo, diversifying the Nichols family profile, and making the School accessible to new communities was imperative for its success. The Henrich Family gifts demonstrated a loyalty and belief in the future of the School.

Ralph’s children, John Henrich ’59, Betsy Henrich Biggar and Tom Henrich ’64 describe their father as hardworking, strong-willed, outspoken, energetic and generous. His son Tom states, “My father generated excitement when he walked into a room; things always happened.” Ralph was an astute businessman and managed his finances carefully. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather and was very involved in the community both in Buffalo and in Lake View where he raised his family. Ralph was loyal and supportive of his wife and friends; accepting and open-minded. He had a wonderful spirit and enthusiasm for life.

Since its inception, the Henrich Scholarship has helped more than 20 young women receive a Nichols education. Ava Simoncelli ’16 is our current Henrich

scholar. She shares many of Ralph’s attributes – she is loyal, hardworking and open-minded. When asked about the scholarship she said, “The Henrich family has opened the door to so many opportunities for me. With their support I have accomplished so many things. Each spring, I enjoy lunch with the family and I have gotten to know them and what amazing people they are. They truly care about the Nichols community and want to help me reach my goals.” Ava plans on attending Amherst College next fall.

To be considered for the Henrich Scholarship or any other named scholarship, students must complete the admissions process and the financial aid application to determine eligibility. Please contact Laura Yusick at (716) 332-6329 about the need-based scholarship process.

Those wishing to support the Henrich Scholarship at Nichols are encouraged to contribute to the fund, as it is a part of the school’s permanent endowment. If you would like more information on contributing to the Henrich Scholarship Fund, please contact Leslie Garcia at (716)332-5151. n

Ava Simoncelli ’16, this year’s Henrich scholar

The Henrich Family gifts demonstrate a loyalty and belief in the future of the School.

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 19

Two local alumnae businesswomen are restoring the tradition of the neighborhood specialty boutique. This type of retail experience is a welcome antidote to mall shopping, and serves to enhance our city and the quality of our urban life. As owner Holly Constantine Ortman ’96 shared with Newell Nussbaumer ’86 of Buffalo Rising, “We are thrilled for our business to be a part of the vibrant Allentown neighborhood and to be a part of the resurgence of Buffalo.”

Lace & Day opened to much acclaim this October in a beautifully renovated building at 445 Franklin Street. Owners Emily Constantine Doren ’00 and sister Holly are providing area women the opportunity to find brands of lingerie and sleepwear previously unavailable in Western New York. Most important, women

will have the benefit of being properly fitted for undergarments by a highly trained staff.

Both women credit the years they spent at Nichols as a critical factor in their intellectual and creative development. The skill sets needed to create and develop an independent business were initially fostered in the Middle School. Writing, public speaking, public service, research, mathematics and technology are fundamentals they rely upon each and every day. Both women acknowledge that the culture of Nichols supports risk taking, team building and a sense of achievement. This background, combined with their initiative, and the encouragement of their families, sparked a career shift some would consider quite daring, but a transition they remain confident about.

Establishing Lace & Day gives

LACE & DAY Graces Allentown By Clare Poth ’81

Emily and Holly an opportunity to provide personalized service and unsurpassed quality formerly only found outside of Western New York. Their hope is that the items they offer will not be considered “unmentionables,” but rather essentials, and that they can help all women feel confident and well dressed whether they are presenting in the boardroom or chasing toddlers on the playground. Holly and Emily represent the current trend of successful professional alumni returning to Western New York to reinvest in the city. As female entrepreneurs they serve as excellent role models, and they look forward to partnering with business-minded students in the future by way of Nichols’ Entrepreneurial Studies class and the proposed campus Innovation Center. n


Juniors greet another bus of students from West Hertel. #dayofservice #biggreen15 #homecoming

Thank you to our judges, including @msommerbn & @MayorByronBrown for judging our Geometry class’s building designs!

En solidarité avec notre école jumelée en France – in solidarity with our sister school @StJosephLeHavre in France.

It’s time for Throwback Thursday, Faculty-Alum Edition! Which current faculty member is pictured here from his senior year at Nichols? Sean T. Heidinger ’07: “Rob Greene for sure!” Scott Saperston ’90: “Argyle sock advertisement? Go Greener and the 1990 class!” Liz Fox Keogh ’90: “Greener! That is one of my favorite pictures from high school!”

S O C I A L M E D I A

Connect with Nichols

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 21

Every September, across the country, kids arrive for the first day of school packed and ready.

Some students have known each other since pre-school, and some are anxiously meeting for the first

time. Nichols seventh graders are no different, but their packing lists are. You won’t find pencils,

books, or notebooks in their bags; rather, their bags are crammed with flashlights, water bottles, and a

favorite pillow. Instead of stepping into schedules, classroom rules, and school roles, they board a bus

for a five-hour ride north. “We do this so we can get to know each other in a different environment,”

explains Carson Kania ’21. Students and teachers will hike or paddle a canoe all day; share stories,

songs, and jokes; negotiate a slippery slope; and fight together against the wind. They will disembark

at Nichols four days later – exhausted and ready for a hot shower but also filled with stories and the

knowledge that there are teachers and students to rely on and to inspire them. They and their teachers

have literally been in the same boat and are ready to celebrate and face an invigorating year together.

PathfinderSeventh Graders discover their True NorthBy Deb Howe and Sandy Smith ’93, Middle School English and Science teachers


For the past 14 years, the Nichols seventh grade has begun the school year with four days on Pathfinder Island in Source Lake, 20 kilometers from the west gate of Algonquin Park in Northeast Ontario. A boys’ canoe tripping camp in the summer with more than 100 years of history, Pathfinder and its staff have worked closely with Nichols teachers and administration to build a community experience rooted in risk-taking, responsibility, respect, cooperation, and appreciation for each other’s talents.

At Pathfinder, students and teachers engage in many activities that, while playful, also force us to face fears and frustrations. All year “we reference back to it [because] we are taught to take risks,” states Driena Muca ’21. Sure, zip-lining through the tree line is exhilarating, but one has to climb a 45-foot tree trunk and launch oneself off a tiny platform into space to enjoy the ride. Climbing up a cargo net and walking across a log balance beam looks

PathfinderSeventh Graders discover their True NorthBy Deb Howe and Sandy Smith ’93, Middle School English and Science teachers

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 23

springboard for discussions upon our return and connect to classroom work, such as English class where students write about risks they’ve taken and the challenges of adjusting and assimilating.

For many, daily living at Pathfinder means stepping away from the comforts and familiarity of home. Bathing is a jump in a cold lake during morning or evening swim time. Students have to pick a buddy to make that bedtime trip to the “fort” (outhouse). Sleeping can be difficult as they adjust to the night sounds of lake and loons, not to mention tent mates who want to talk too late and too loudly. Fortunately, there are three meals a day to look forward to, prepared by an amazing kitchen staff who are experienced at cooking (and baking bread) for hungry campers. The dining hall also serves as a comforting

a lot easier from the ground. Many students “give up” multiple times, but their classmates offer new footholds to try or simply words of encouragement and faith in their success. When bushwhacking through brush and swamps, following a seventh grade orienteer with a compass in hand, there are misguided steps, discomfort, and disorientation, followed by the delight in finding the cache of canoes for the trip home. The highlight of the trip for many is the risk and triumph of climbing the 20-foot tower to jump into the bracing cold of Source Lake. For “the new kids [it is] a chance to meet and get to know everyone,” suggests Lily Margulis ’21, but even veteran Nichols students are new to some of these experiences. “It connects to our transformation theme, because I and others overcame [our] fears,” says Michael Tuber ’21. These risks serve as the


beacon for those who struggle as the night gets dark, with the warm glow of its ever-present fire and the possibility of company. Working through these difficulties together “makes us tighter as a class . . .” noted Kiki Greeley ’21.

The faculty collects phones and electronics as we exit the bus and board the boat to the island, so students are challenged to be present and capture their experience in non-traditional ways: photographs, watercolor, poetry, or perhaps only their mind’s eye. Students and faculty adventure on off-island day trips where we might canoe across a lake, picnic on a rock, hike a path to the top of a cliff for an aerial view of the park, bike on the remains of an old railroad bed, spot a moose, view 500-year-old pictographs, or explore the ruins of old hotels and factories. In addition, there are deliberately unscheduled portions of

the day wherein students decide how to spend their time: alone, with friends, or in nature. Do they sit on the dock and watch the sunset? Challenge a friend to tetherball? Walk the circumference of the one-mile island? Sit on rocks and talk to their friends about anime? Help a classmate who is homesick? Throw a ball for Palmer, one of the camp dogs? Students find that, by unplugging, there is beauty in living in the moment, in having nothing to do, and in enjoying friendship –and the value of that extends beyond one afternoon. Sophia Vukas ’21 explains, “We can develop relationships that last long by bonding there.”

After sharing individual and team experiences over the course of three days, all of us regroup the final evening after dinner for an island-wide relay race and challenge. This relay “connects to the whole school year because we

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 25

are in groups all the time working together,” remembers Katherine Higgins ’21. Students choose roles in the race, stepping up to such challenges as solving a math problem, portaging a canoe, participating in a wheelbarrow race, performing a pop song, writing a limerick, swimming to the dock and back, or memorizing and reciting a poem or legend on the spot. Teachers serve as coaches, and students need the courage to publicly say, “I can do this. You can rely on me.” There is tremendous value in the recognition that one leg in the race doesn’t make or break a team’s fate; it is us, running all over the island, cheering and supporting each other, that matters. “We’ve been doing a lot of group projects and knowing each other well helps the project go well,” realizes Julia Yohe. What students have learned about the island and about each other is what wins.

As everyone boards the bus to return home, subtle changes can be observed: Students sitting with different people than they did on the ride up, fewer stragglers when we stop at a restroom, and attention to instructions as we arrive at the U.S.-Canadian border crossing. Back at school the following week, students revisit the community expectations they wrote together just before the trip. They share how being responsible for arriving on time with the right supplies was crucial when they needed a drink from their water bottle in the middle of a hike. Stories of spinning and drifting canoes give authenticity to the need for cooperation. Students speak of the need to respect the space shared, whether a cabin or provincial park. Students speak seriously about their appreciation for the trip: “All of us feel we fit in more,” says Anabel Gicewicz ’21. Pathfinder “teaches us how to take risks and become better,” reports Lucas Kiewek ’21. Elle Ackerman ’21 feels it connects to school because it is about “having trust, confidence, and getting over your fears.” However, if pressed to describe the trip in one word, most seventh graders would simply choose “fun.” n

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 27

Lilongwe

Malawi

MONIAugust15,2015My year in Malawi began just over a week ago when I landed in Lilongwe after a 25-hour journey originating in Buffalo. I’ve been here only a short time and already I have witnessed the kindness that lends way to Malawi’s reputation as the “Warm Heart of Africa.” Malawi as a country is currently suffering from the aftereffects of devastating floods in January, an unnaturally short rainy season, and the devaluation of their currency, so the widespread poverty and food insecurity already plaguing the country is expected to be felt even more intensely over the upcoming months. Despite this reality, a friendliness and kindness accompany the majority of people I’ve met so far – both at work and

during my day-to-day experiences. It’s truly remarkable.

n

WarehouseVisitAugust18,2015My first few days working at World Food Programme’s (WFP) country office were filled with meetings with heads of unit during which it was recommended that I visit one of the WFP warehouses, located in Lilongwe, where a large percentage of the food and non-food items are stored. We were shown the warehouse by our guide Fexter. Immediately I was in awe of the immensity of the warehouse. Since starting work, I have helped with several proposals describing procurement of maize, cooking oil,

Super Cereal, etc., but to be able to see the actual food items and in this quantity made me more fully appreciate the immensity and reach of the programmes operating under WFP. While I continue to learn so much on daily basis in the office, it is visits like these that make working in-country feel so extremely unique. Overall, it was a great day at work and one that ended on a particularly high note: “chimanga” (more commonly known as “corn on the cob”) at my desk.

n

OneMonthinMalawiSeptember2,2015A month ago today I was seeing Malawi for the first time. Looking back I almost can’t imagine what

ErinCollins’09My year in MalawiErinCollinswasrecentlyawardedafellowshipthrough“Princetonin

Africa”togoandworkfortheUnitedNation’sWorldFoodProgramme

(WFP)inMalawi.A2013graduateofGeorgetownUniversity,she

receivedherBAinEnglishwithminorsinFrenchandPsychology.Whileat

Georgetown,ErinstudiedabroadinStrasbourg,Franceandinternedatthe

PeaceCorpsOfficeofInspectorGeneral,theU.S.HouseofRepresentatives

andajuvenilejusticenonprofit,CampaignforYouthJustice.Passionate

aboutworkinpolicyandadvocacy,ErinstayedinWashington,D.C.after

graduatingandgainedexperienceintheU.S.Senate.Mostrecently,

sheworkedatanadvocacyfirm,TheSheridanGroup,whichgivespolicyadviceandstrategy

tononprofitslookingtoadvancetheirmissionsthroughfederalpolicy.Theresheworkedasan

associateonhealthpolicyfortheNationalMultipleSclerosisSociety.Erinhasalsobeenfortunate

tospendtwoseparatestintsworkingwiththenonprofitorganization,OneHeartSource,inHout

Bay,SouthAfricawhereshevolunteeredandhelpedruneducationprogramsforelementary

studentslivingintheImizamoYethutownship.

The following excerpts are taken from Erin’s blog at www.myyearinmalawi.wordpress.com.


Lilongwe

Malawi

must have been going through my head as I touched down on the Lilongwe runway and headed for customs, walking toward a completely foreign place that was suddenly to become my home. My first night here in Lilongwe is best summed up by one word: lonely. Alone in my house and completely disconnected from everyone, I fell asleep wondering what exactly had prompted me to leave D.C. for Sub-Saharan Africa. Now I have been

here a month. Some of the days have felt slow and long – in part because the pace of life here is in fact very slow, which took a few weeks of getting used to, but due more to an impatience for life here to feel as normal and natural as it did before I left. With time, the days have gained momentum, things continue to fall into place and settle, so life itself now feels to be moving at a more comfortable, normal pace. The best addition to daily life in Lilongwe

to date has been my newly begun participation in staff lunches at work when everyone gathers to eat home cooked traditional Malawian food together at long tables outside. As an international staff member, getting to know the national staff has felt to be a bit of a challenge, however, already I feel like I’ve gotten to know some of my Malawian coworkers better and also feel more like a cohesive member of the staff. And of course another perk is the food.

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 29

Lilongwe

Malawi

I tried “nsima” – a corn based food that looks a bit like firm mashed potatoes and is a staple Malawian meal – for the first time today. I am also learning to eat the Malawian way – with my hands!

n

DalekaSeptember11,2015Yesterday was my first trip to the field for a food distribution set to take place at the Dzaleka refugee camp about 45 minutes north of Lilongwe. Dzaleka is home to around 24,000 refugees in Malawi. While there, I met people from Rwanda, the DRC, and Burundi, all who talked about the range of challenges from poor education and schools, insufficient health care systems, sanitation issues, poverty, gender issues and among the most prominent of all, inadequate access to food. I learned more about life at the camp through conversations I had with four individual refugees. After spending a lot of time in the office preparing for our upcoming emergency response – 12 straight days to be exact – the timing of this field visit could not have been better. Overall the distribution was an incredible thing to witness. To see the work we do in the office fully operationalized is pretty motivating and in ways very moving. And the fact that experiences like yesterday’s are a part of my job is what makes me so drawn to this type of work.

n

SeptemberinMalawiOctober4,2015The month of September went so quickly here in Malawi. Part of this probably was in part due to the amount of work we’ve all had to do in preparation for the emergency response WFP that began with the start of October. In a country whose

economy is agriculture-based, the months preceding the next harvest are referred to as “lean season” because food becomes most scarce. Malawi had a particularly bad farming season this past year, and is now facing its first maize deficit as a country in a decade. For this reason, 17 percent of the population is expected to be without proper access to food from now until next March. As you can imagine, working in food security in the wake of this looming emergency made for a very busy month. Aside from work, I spent September continuing to explore Lilongwe, going to “braais,” taking my first trip outside of the city, playing some “football,” and visiting Lake Malawi. “Braai” for those of you who aren’t familiar is a South African barbecue – I’ve quickly learned that it is also the main way of socializing in Malawi.

n

FootballOctober5,2015I started playing small-sided 5-on-5 indoor “football” (soccer) on Tuesday nights and am so grateful to be playing again! On that note, this past Friday night I played in a full field football match with a team organized by my coworker, Portpher. Upon showing up to the field, I quickly realized that I was and would remain the only female both on the field and at the match in general. With very low expectations of girls’ athletic abilities, my team seemed pleasantly surprised when they realized I could in fact kick the ball and complete a pass. In what turned out to be a very physical game (many of the guys I played against seemed to take no notice in our size difference), we won 6-3. During a pause in play halfway through the game, I looked up to see my teammates – both Malawian and international – scattered across the football field with the Lilongwe landscape as our backdrop and a

bunch of Malawian children playing their own game of football off to the side. I could not have been happier.

n

BalakaOctober26,2015I spent most of last week on my first overnight field visit to the southern district of Balaka where many of WFP’s resilience-building programmes are taking place. My days in Balaka spent in the villages installing 15 rain gauges at farmers’ homes ended up being my best days in Malawi so far. Putting faces to beneficiary numbers and seeing their homes, families and lives was both humbling and really put the level of poverty so many Malawians live at into context for me. Overall there was something so wonderfully intimate and personal about the experience. Every family welcomed us in their own way – we were offered fresh mangos by one woman and were welcomed with song at another. Part of why I came to Malawi was for the chance to surround myself with people from vastly different experiences, cultures and ways of life. Working here allows me that and continues to cause me to challenge my own assumptions and beliefs and ultimately to learn more about my own self. We ended our day at a little stand in one of the villages where goat meat was purchased for a small braai. Little did I know that the meat would be cut right off a dead, recently skinned goat hanging directly in front of us. I will admit, I was a bit worried my stomach was not equipped to handle this, but I am happy to say no stomach issues resulted and I really enjoyed it – so much so that we went back for a second one the following day. n

For more on the Princeton in Africa organization, visit www.princetoninafrica.org.


Big Green Homecoming Party a BIG Success! Thank you to all who came to the sold out Big Green Homecoming Party on October 2 which featured a great crowd of alumni, parents (current and past), Board members, coaches, faculty, staff and friends as our community came together to celebrate Nichols Homecoming and athletics. The fabulous evening was filled with great food, great music, great prizes, and great friends! GO BIG GREEN!

Nichols Launches New WebsiteWe are excited to announce the launch of our new website! This new site has all of the content and resources of our older site, but with a number of new enhancements and upgrades:• Increased multimedia content• Streamlined navigation• Improved functionality and usability

We encourage you to explore the site to discover the new ways we are telling the story of Nichols School.

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 31

Climbing to New Heights: Antigravity ClubBy Andrea Mancuso, Upper School Art teacher

“The amazing feeling you get after finishing a hike is not

generated from an audience or an article. When someone

mentions a place you’ve hiked or a mountain you’ve climbed,

you can’t help but express your connection to that place. This

is the standing ovation. The enduring memories that journey

into your thoughts are yours alone, tailored to your personal

experience, imprinted in your memory. The elegance and

satisfaction of a hike is in its mystery.” – Claudia D’Auria ’16

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 33

Winter mountaineering in the Adirondack Mountains has become a tradition for Nichols School. Students and faculty in the Antigravity Club ice climb, ski, snowshoe, and summit the

highest peaks of New York State. Over the past 12 years, Antigravity Club has summited many of the “46ers,” 46 mountains higher than 4,000 feet, including Giant Mountain, Cascade Mountain, Big Slide Mountain, Dial Mountain and Whiteface Mountain, just to name a few. The club embraces the rugged terrain of the snow and ice peaks of New York State as an experiential classroom for life lessons. How do we learn, what can we know, how do we change, how can lessons and events become part of the fabric of what helps us be compassionate, strong, unique and purposeful human beings? The change and the learning that takes place over the course of this five-day wilderness experience comes from within as students and faculty measure themselves up against the environment, the weather and the landscape.

The Antigravity Club is a student-driven outdoor adventure club that promotes wilderness engagement by organizing introductory and intermediate outdoor

excursions, community service initiatives, self-reliance and leadership activities throughout the year. The winter mountaineering expedition is the club’s major annual event, but in the past years the club has planted trees for Re-Tree Buffalo; hiked the Niagara Gorge; climbed in the Nichols Gym, the Niagara Climbing Center and Sky High in Ellicottville; organized movie screenings; paddled the Genesee River; and taught environmental stewardship. The goal of the club is to safely introduce students to these activities and promote a community of individuals committed to environmental conservation, self-confidence, leadership, wilderness engagement and a sprit of adventure.

For the past 12 years, over Presidents’ Day weekend, a group of 15 students and faculty work together to build a temporary community in a small cabin in the heart of the Adirondack Park. The group shops, cooks, cleans, and preps their gear together for three distinct winter adventures. The first day is spent ice climbing, the physics of gravity and forces are laid bare. Axes, crampons, belay devices, and rope management skills are paramount as two students belay one another and work as a team. Climbing ice is aggressive, loud, bright and sharp; it does not have the same gentle balance that rock climbing has. You have to swing the axe and aim it, listening carefully to the sound it makes when it sinks into the ice. Thwack, thwack, thump. Sometimes you can hook the axe gently around a column of ice, a feature


“One moment stood out in particular. It was in the midst of ice climbing, half way

up the cliff. I paused for a moment, and it struck me that the only things that held

me to this wall of ice were the spikes in my boots and the ice picks in my hands.

It seemed so precarious, and yet I wasn’t afraid of falling. It was there that I learned

to keep moving forward, and to have faith in my footing. I needed to step out of

my comfort zone in order to learn, and I am so glad that I did.” – Natalie Jusko ’16

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 35

on the rock, or place it into an existing hole. Stepping up you connect to the wall with the front points of your crampons, on the tips of your toes. You work to focus on forming a rhythm foot, foot, swing, thud, swing thump and up. Climbing is exhilarating, it is not reflective – you are the moment. The past is below and the future is within your field of view.

The second day is the summit hike, the longest and hardest day of the trip. Hiking in the winter is awe-inspiring; snow drapes the mountain like piles of white sugar and catches the sunlight in spectacular refracted light. The hike is a mixture of 10 hours spent mostly alone, in your own head, as the crunch of the snowshoes and the rhythm of the hiking group drowns out most of the small talk. If we are lucky to reach the summit there is flurry of activity to take in the panoramic view while being exposed to the harshest wind and coldest temperatures of the day. Summit chocolate is distributed, the group choreographs a photograph, and then all too quickly begins the descent. The trip down the mountain begins with a gut test – a slide down the steep hiking trail on makeshift sleds and shovels. The terrain that took labored breaths to ascend passes by at a quick pace. Soon the hike levels out and becomes a more reflective trek away from the glory of the summit and breaks into lively conversation about what has just transpired. The pace quickens as the group hurries to reach the trailhead in the

waning light of the day. The third day is a wilderness cross-country ski, often on

the historic Jack Rabbit Trail that is filled with spills, face plants, spread eagles and plain dorky falls. By then, we are exhausted – we flirt with the idea of finding a sled hill or going on a toboggan run but ultimately head back home. The evening is spent together in a simple house, without Wi-Fi, phone reception or television. We pass our time cooking for each other, cleaning, listening to music and sharing stories, talents, and opinions over nightly fireside chats.

Looking back on theses experiences we gain a great insight into both our own character and that of the environment. Henry David Thoreau writes in Walden, “Things do not change; we change.” Thoreau refers to our temporality and ability to adapt and grow. The wilderness and this winter mountaineering trip punctuate the change we see within us against the relatively stable background of natural spaces. Both

of these terrains are precious and profound in assuring the survival of our world and the fulfillment of our lives. The winter mountaineering trip is for some the first of many wilderness experiences they will have in their life. We take this experience with us and are empowered by it as we revisit the wild places in the world throughout our individual journeys. Sharing the solace and camaraderie of the weekend as we bond and learn to depend on each other and ourselves. n

“By trying to absorb everything with the naked eye, everything seemed so much

more vibrant. It made me realize that this is why we have had such a love for nature

long before cameras even existed. In this day and age it may seem primitive to go

a day without a cell phone or taking photos on a trip but I guarantee it’s rewarding.

This is starting to sound like a PSA to put your phones away but I can honestly

say that disconnecting from technology proved to be exactly what I needed to

reconnect with the nature.” – Alison Graziano ’16

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 37

A restaurant owner opens his café for the day. Neighborhood residents head for the bus stop and chat with neighbors on the way. Contractors renovate a house. Volunteers tend a community garden. Nichols students, members of the current Urban Studies class, take in the sights, sounds, and activities of the West Side of Buffalo. Once these streets were less appealing, the houses abandoned and streets littered with trash. But due to the efforts of community activists in movements like PUSH Buffalo and the Massachusetts Avenue Project, the neighborhood is coming back. Through interviews with Burmese refugees in the laundromat or conversations with a bakery owner featuring Puerto Rican specialties, our students learn about the fabric

of a neighborhood and how it can be transformed. They realize they can help make it happen.

Urban Studies is an interdisciplinary, experiential elective for seniors at Nichols. This describes a typical neighborhood walking tour where students conduct research using the city as the laboratory. Students examine the immigrant history of neighborhoods, commerce past and present, and food culture assessing the availability of healthy foods in low income areas. A culminating project requires them to predict whether the neighborhood will make a comeback, remain as is or decline, with evidence based on fieldwork to back up their assertions.

Founded in 1974 by Mrs. J. Frederick Schoellkopf, IV, the gift created a course designed to provide

greater involvement of Nichols students in the community. Mrs. Schoellkopf believed that students should be exposed to the city and its political and business leaders. She hoped the course would encourage students to return home after college and work to improve the city.

Since then, many have done that. Matt Conners ’05 finds creative re-uses for historic building through his work with Sinatra and Company Real Estate. Kaitlin McGee Chmura ’04 managed the light installation on the grain elevator for the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp and works side by side with Chris Catanzaro ’95, a project manager. Harry Zemsky ’07 opened Hydraulic Hearth, a pizza and brewery with a beer garden and shuffleboard in Larkinville. Rick Smith ’79 turned abandoned grain elevators into an event and arts space called Silo City.

Other graduates bring an urban emphasis to their studies or their jobs. Maura Kepper ’06 is pursuing a Ph.D. in public health examining how the physical or urban environment interacts with the social environment to impact physical activity levels and therefore obesity and metabolic disorders in young people. Alyssa Murrett ’09 became interested in real estate through Urban Studies and works at a commercial real estate tech start up. The ability of this course to grab students’ interest and translate into a college major or career path is 100-percent intentional.

The idea, as educational theorist George Kuh describes it, is to provide

C L A S S R O O MS P O T L I G H T

Urban StudiesBy Dr. Mary Rech Rockwell

Urban Studies students at La Flor Bakery, a Puerto Rican bakery on the West Side


Urban Studies: An Alum’s PerspectiveBy Maura Mohler Kepper ’06

An introduction to urban studies in high school is truly unique. As a junior at Nichols, I

could never have imagined the depth of urban studies; I merely thought I was fulfilling an

elective. However, I appreciated that not only were we challenged to consider all aspects

of cities and their suburbs in the classroom, our coursework was integrated with urban

field experiences that lended an even greater perspective to different urban phenomena

impacting Buffalo and its residents. As you may have guessed, my affinity for work in

urban studies didn’t end at Nichols – I went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Urban

Studies from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., and continue to apply urban studies to

my doctoral work in Public Health (Behavioral and Community Health Sciences) in New

Orleans, La.

There is growing emphasis and evidence for environmental change as a means to

impact public health, for example, through bettering food environments and providing

safe places to be physically active. The synergy between public health and urban

planning is evident in street-scale urban design and land-use policies that increase

active transportation and physical activity. I have learned that public health and urban

studies share common goals: They both focus on human well-being, assess community

needs, implement change or intervention, focus at a population-level, and work within

communities and social systems. My current dissertation work focuses on how the

physical, or urban, environment (land use, access to green space, sidewalks, incivilities)

interacts with the social environment (social cohesion, trust among neighbors, etc.)

to impact physical activity levels and therefore, obesity and metabolic disorders in

youth populations. My background in urban planning yields a unique and thoughtful

perspective on what aspects of the neighborhood environment are important to

individual health and how to reliably measure these factors to determine their impact on

health behaviors and outcomes.

The marriage between public health and urban studies and its possibilities is only

one example of the immense applications of urban studies. Urban studies professionals

are many things – professional planners, geographic information specialists, economic

developers, preservationists and environmentalists. An introduction to such an

interdisciplinary field during high school provides perspective on the importance,

complexity, and work needed to maintain and improve the environment in which we live.

“high impact practices” that lead to meaningful learning gains, including:• Investing time and effort • Interacting with faculty and peers

about substantive matters • Experiencing diversity • Responding to more frequent

feedback • Reflecting and integrating learning • Discovering relevance of learning

through real-world application that help students retain knowledge1

1 George Kuh, “High-Impact Practices: Retrospective and Prospective,” foreword to Jayne E. Brownell and Lynn E. Swaner, Five High Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion, and Quality (Washington, D.C.: AAC&U, 2010).

We give students the opportunity to learn deeply as they move “reciprocally or spirally between practice and content,” applying what they read and discuss to actual urban planning scenarios in our city.

Last year, students took on the downtown Buffalo stadium controversy, researching the best location for a new stadium, studying models in other cities and predicting the impact on our downtown. They measured the proposals against the principles of “smart growth” –

Matt Conners ’05 speaks to the Urban Studies class

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 39

walkability, public transit access, mixed use development – and found some of them lacking. They consider issues such as the best plans for calming traffic on the Scajacquada, or what to build on the remaining parcels at Canalside, or how best to use the acres of green space on the Outer Harbor. Learning about farsighted planning practices in other cities like Portland, Ore., with its vibrant, dense, downtown, and public spaces that have a sense of “place,” they want to plan for similar characteristics in Buffalo.

Learning from other cities also informs our research as Buffalo now enters its own Renaissance. According to Buffalo Business First, in the eight counties of Western New York, there are “871 projects either completed or in the pipeline” worth “$19.5 billion.” With Gov. Cuomo allocating a billion dollars in state money to our city, the future of wise city planning is in our students’ hands. Will the rapid development of the medical corridor negatively impinge on the established neighborhoods? Will the new Green Code enhance the ability to redevelop and revive manufacturing centers into mixed-use urban centers? How do we revitalize our neighborhoods without the side effects of gentrification? Walking in our neighborhoods, talking

with elected officials and residents, and observing the physical geography and sociological interactions allows our students to develop informed responses to these questions.

Mrs. Schoellkopf hoped that if our students learned about Buffalo’s rich history and studied real problems in the city, they would think about returning. That possibility is far more realistic today as jobs are created in the Buffalo Medical corridor and our 43 North international entrepreneurship competition seeds the city for innovative new business development. Young people can

imagine themselves enjoying Buffalo’s arts and theatre scene, the livability factors of little traffic and affordable housing. Nichols’ Urban Studies class exposes them to the optimism that exists in Buffalo today, but also educates them about the challenges our city, with its high poverty rate, sub-standard public schools and segregated neighborhoods, poses. By actively engaging them in the issues confronting our city today, we hope they will exert visionary leadership tomorrow. n

“I would say, more than anything, that the Urban Studies class made me appreciate urban areas, and gave

me as a clearer and wider idea about Buffalo’s identity. Before the course, I had very limited exposure

to the whole city of Buffalo. I spent most of my time around Nichols, a little time downtown, and a fair

amount of time in Elmwood Village. Outside of that, I was not aware of what the East Side, Kaisertown,

Black Rock, etc. had to offer. In particular, the field trips created a time for first-hand experiences in these

neighborhoods that I found to be extremely valuable for understanding the different parts of Buffalo. I

think the trips also led to a greater appreciation of the city. Visiting the many different parts of Buffalo

significantly augmented my love for urban life.” — Seth Meyer ’13

Urban Studies students with Saw Win, a Burmese refugee who started The Wash Project.


“I loved Urban Studies and wish I had pursued it in college. Lo and behold, I went on to promising careers

in education, construction, sociology, and community services before coming full-circle to “find” my

career calling with Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation. I can still see the engaging field trips

and discussions regarding the landscape of Buffalo in the late 90s. Those same memories carried with

me in my travels all around the U.S., especially while living in my second home of Boston, Mass. I feel

as though all those interests were clearly piqued with my Urban Studies and History classes at Nichols,

which were true highlights of my time at the school. Thanks to all those who facilitated that career path

for me!” — Chris Catanzaro ’95

“Though I am not pursuing urban planning as a career, it was easily one of my favorite classes while I

was at Nichols, and I did take another class at the University of Maryland to further my understanding

of urban design. For me, the class helped open my eyes to just how alive a city is. It showed me the

importance of a city’s ability to adapt to those living there and how the most successful and thriving

cities develop with their population – not against it. Being back in Buffalo now, the class gave me a basic

understanding of the developments occurring in downtown neighborhoods, and why areas like the First

Ward and Black Rock are rebounding.” — Ari Goldfarb ’07

“Urban Studies was one of my favorite classes at Nichols. Not only did I gain a greater appreciation for

Buffalo’s rich city planning and architectural history, but I also learned the theories behind why many

urban planning decisions were made. As I travel across the U.S. and internationally, I now try to pay

attention to the urban planning of a city: How is the city laid out? Does the public transit serve its citizens

well? Where are the parks located in the city? Do the parks serve the community well? All these questions

and more were discussed in urban studies classes.

Taking Urban Studies definitely helped shape my career trajectory. The basis for my interest in real

estate stems from Urban Studies. I graduated from college with a degree in Industrial and Labor Relations

with a minor in Real Estate. My understanding of urban planning helped me in my real estate development

classes as the terminology and theories were not as foreign to me as my peers (I was the only person to

know who William Whyte was!). Today, I work at a commercial real estate technology startup. I use my

education everyday to knowledgeably converse with clients across the U.S. about the commercial real

estate industry and city planning in their markets. Being able to “speak the language” helps establish

credibility in each market we expand into, driving sales and user growth.” — Alyssa Murrett ’09

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 41

When I began working at Nichols in May 2015 the one refrain I heard over and over was, “Make sure you are an advisor.” The advisor system assigns all faculty and many professional staff to advise gender specific groups of students. The advisor keeps the same advisees for all four years of their high school experience, allowing for growth in the advisee and advisor relationship. Advising, it seems, is acting as both mentor and listener, allowing the student to grow while providing guidance. As the Director of Planned Giving, acting as an advisor provides an unique opportunity for me to connect directly with students and to understand the academic side of the school. That connection also enhances my ability to discuss the value of a Nichols education with alumni, parents and friends.

Nichols wisely assigns seasoned advisors with new ones, and I was lucky to have been paired with Steph. She graduated from Nichols in 2006 and is a product of the advisory system. When Steph and I first met, she recalled, “When I went to college and realized I wanted to be a math teacher, I knew I only wanted to teach math at Nichols. Everything I did in college was an attempt to return to Nichols to teach.” Steph returned to Nichols to teach math in 2011 and currently teaches four sections of math in the Upper School.

When speaking with Steph, you immediately feel her passion for teaching math and for teaching at Nichols, but it’s how she ended up here as a student that I find most interesting. Steph and her mother initially visited the

Nichols Open House on a lark. Previously, Nichols had not even been a consideration; however, after their visit, everything changed. After touring the school, Nichols was the only consideration: “When I attended the Open House I immediately knew that Nichols was different than any other school I’d visited. The students seemed genuinely excited to show me around the school, and the teachers’ passion for their subject matter was readily apparent.” She and her twin sister, Ashley, worked with the school’s financial aid office, who helped make attending Nichols a reality. Steph and Ashley flourished at Nichols, finding artistic and academic success.

Steph credits her advisory experience as a part of her success. Her advisor, and now colleague, Amanda Simmons, continually lifted Steph up giving her the confidence to succeed: “As my advisor, Amanda supported me through difficult classes and helped me make tough decisions about school. [By] senior year, Amanda told me to try AB Calculus with her and I fell in love with the subject. She made it so easy to understand and really brought out the beauty in it.” With Steph’s newfound confidence, she excelled in college math and realized that she was happiest when helping her fellow pre-med peers with their calculus homework. Quickly, she recognized that she wanted to become a teacher and that she wanted to return to Nichols so she could do for other students what Amanda had done for her.

One of my favorite parts of my job is listening to the

Well AdvisedBy Meg Stevenson Auerbach ’99

I’ve been spending most X-periods, the period designated for extra help and homework, in Stephanie

Gautreau’s classroom in Center ’63. Steph and I are co-advisors to a group of 11 freshman girls. As I sit

in one of Steph’s comfortable blue chairs, I hope that my presence means something – really anything

– to these girls. But mostly I am in awe of Steph’s command of the classroom. She seems to have an

innate understanding of what each student is capable of, challenging them to be the best version of

themselves while simultaneously allowing them to discover that very thing.


stories from alumni about their experience at Nichols, and clearly, Steph’s story is one that should be written about. What has been revelatory for me is by watching and working with Steph, I’ve reflected on my own experiences at Nichols, revisiting memories that I had not considered in a long time. I’ve always had a deep respect for Nichols, the education I received, and the tremendous relationships I formed as a student. But it was not until I started working at Nichols – and with Steph as an advisor – that I realized what Nichols really taught me.

When I sit with the girls at X-period and watch them struggle between doing their work and talking with their friends, I empathize with that inherent fight between working and relaxing. When I speak with them about their interests – writing, dancing, sports – I relate to that desire of finding and exploring passions. When I listen to them battling out the answer to an algebra problem, I remember how I felt as a student who found math challenging. But what I see now that I did not see then is that all of the struggle and angst, passion and drama, combine into the person that they will ultimately become. For me, it took an interest in acting on the stage to find my voice in English. It took my soccer coaches, who believed in me on the field, to know that I could perform well in their English and math classes. It took both success and failure to realize what

Well AdvisedBy Meg Stevenson Auerbach ’99

I wanted to do and who I wanted to become. Nichols has a way of simultaneously pushing and

encouraging students, which culminates into a feeling that the student is fully supported. It is my hope that as an advisor I will do the same for my advisees. Steph feels the same way: “Each [student] has their own talents, strengths, and ideas to contribute to the world. I hope they [realize] that hard work and effort are the most important ingredients to success and I hope they know how much we all care about them.”

It amazes me that both Steph and I were compelled to return to Nichols for our professional pursuits. Despite our different paths, we have much in common: The confidence to know that struggling, and maybe even failing, is part of the learning process; a belief that a strong relationship between the student and teacher can lead to success; and a love for the strong sense of community that comes with a Nichols education.

As I sit in the blue chair in her room during X-period and listen to the chattering sounds of the girls, perhaps I should recognize that Nichols has already prepared me for this moment, allowing me to harness the confidence I gained while a student at Nichols, and hopefully pass on a spark of assuredness to the next student generation. n

Stephanie Gaurtreau ’06 and Meg Auerbach ’99 with their advisees.

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 43

I N M E M O R I A M

A L U M N I

George Ostendorf ’59 – July 28, 2015George H. Ostendorf ’59 was a towering figure at his beloved Nichols School for most of the last 60 years. An active class agent who received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2003, he and his wife Callie served as co-chairs for the Grandparent Division of The Nichols Fund for several years. George also served as a member of the Development Committee of the Board of Trustees.

Wearing a green and white Nichols cap atop his 6-foot-4-inch frame, he was a constant presence on campus, cheering on Nichols teams and encouraging student athletes, not only in competition but also at practices and tryouts. “He bled Nichols green,” said his son, George ’83. “I always said there was never another woman,” added Ostendorf ’s wife, Callie. “It was Nichols.”

George, who worked in the local scrap-paper industry for more than 30 years and was a top local racket sports player for decades, died at Buffalo General Hospital after going into cardiac arrest. He was 74. A lifelong Buffalonian, he attended School 56, Campus School and Nichols, where he graduated in 1959. He also attended Colgate University, where he played varsity tennis and was a goalie on the soccer team. In the early 1960s, George started his career working at Buffalo Paper Stock Co. and then its successor, Consolidated Fibers Inc., where he bought and sold scrap paper. He started two other paper companies, the Ostendorf Trading Co. on Franklin Street and Buffalo Sales Ltd., before retiring in the 1990s.

George always found time to spend at Nichols, even after his children and grandchildren were no longer students here. Whether the school’s teams won or lost, he would encourage our athletes, usually with a supportive comment – “good game” or “great effort.” George excelled at racket sports, so much so that he was asked to re-enlist in the U.S. Army so he could continue playing on its table tennis team. A member of the Buffalo Tennis &

Squash Club since 1968, he played squash and tennis there almost every day. He won several city squash championships in singles and doubles, often with partner Bob Rich, Jr. ’59.

Sam Hoyt, his nephew and good friend, marveled at George’s charitable side, but not in the traditional sense. “He quietly helped others,” Hoyt said. “He identified a good number of people who needed a hand, took them under his wing and quietly guided and mentored them.”

George is survived by his wife of 52 years, the former Callie Zeller; one son, George ’83 and his wife, Kelly (former faculty); one daughter, Esslie Hanson ’86 and her

husband, Eric; and five grandchildren, including Bud ’11, Oscar ’14 and Coaty ’18.

This summer, a memorial service was held at Nichols in the Flickinger Performing Arts Center, where George’s friends and family remembered the man they so admired. David Laub ’56 reflected, “George will always be known as one of Nichols’ greatest supporters.” Tom Yorty, senior pastor for Westminster Presbyterian Church, proclaimed, “George was as devoted to Nichols as an acolyte to a Cathedral. Not only did he attend Nichols and join his classmates in supporting its remarkable growth and

development over the years, he visited this campus nearly every day, befriending students and staff, cheering on teams in every season, in every sport, and even at practice sessions.” Eulogist David Franko offered, “[George] especially liked helping young people and took a personal interest in their lives. He was not shy in helping with job searches and used his contacts to try and uncover opportunities for them. One talented young man told me this week that George was responsible for launching him into what is now a very promising career. He just loved to see young people thrive.” Franko concluded: “George, many of us have breathed easier, I have breathed easier, because of you and for this we are so thankful you were our friend. Rest in peace my friend. You will be missed but not forgotten.”


I N M E M O R I A M

Ken Cohn ’68 – June 24, 2015Ken Cohn, 64, formerly of Buffalo, passed away on June 24, 2015. Born in New Haven, Conn., Ken grew up in Buffalo and graduated from Nichols in 1968, where he was an honors student, soccer player and National Spanish Award recipient on multiple occasions. After graduating from the University of Rochester, he earned his M.D. from Columbia University. He completed his general surgery residency in the Deaconess-Harvard Surgical Service, Boston, and his fellowships and residencies at Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm and at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center New York City. He ultimately joined the faculty of SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn, as an Assistant Professor of Surgery. He later served as an Associate Professor of Surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and Chief of Surgical Oncology at the VA Hospital at White River Junction. Thereafter, he remained active as a surgeon in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire, where he covered general surgery practices in rural community hospitals. Ken earned an MBA at the Tuck School of Business, and later founded his company, Healthcare Collaboration. His work empowered physicians and hospital leaders to improve clinical and financial performance through change management and physician engagement. He was a consultant, speaker, a frequent seminar facilitator with the American College of Healthcare Executives and a physician mentor. Also a prolific writer, he wrote and edited more than 50 published articles and four medical non-fiction books for healthcare administration. His latest book, Dead at His Desk, is his first work of fiction. The self-published story is a medical mystery thriller set in a hospital. Ken was also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Association for Physician Leadership, American College of Healthcare Executives and the National Speakers Association. Ken is preceded in death by his father, George Cohn. He is survived by his wife, Diane Stowe-Cohn, of Amesbury, Mass.; son, LT Peter Cohn, U.S. Navy; daughter, Livie Cohn, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; mother, Ann Holland Cohn, of Houston, Texas; brother, Thomas Cohn, of Durango, Colo.; sister, Martha Claussen, of Houston, Texas; and sister, Erica Cohn, of Larchmont, N.Y. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews and countless friends and business associates from all over the world. Ken was a loyal Buffalo Bills fan, who much enjoyed classical music, art and reading.

Edgar Slotkin ’61 – June 21, 2015Edgar Slotkin died at home in Wyoming, Ohio, on June 21 after a long illness. He was 72. An honors student at Nichols, he was a three-year member of the varsity squash team and active writer for the News and Verdian publications. In his 50th reunion biography, Edgar wrote, “Looking back at Nichols, I have some reasons to be grateful. Mr. Ohler taught me how to write. Messrs. Hayes and Davis taught me Latin, which I have used ever since. Mr. Sutter, either out of gratuitous cruelty or a preternatural sense that I might be challenged, told me that I would never be good at foreign languages. I have taught five different languages at the University of Cincinnati and translated a book from a sixth.” Edgar received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. A distinguished Celtic Language and Folklore scholar, he taught for 40 years and served in numerous administrative capacities at the University of Cincinnati’s English Department, retiring in 2011. He was also a Visiting Professor at both the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and the University of Edinburgh. During his career, Edgar taught courses as varied as Modern Irish, Welsh, Folklore, Celtic Literature in Translation, Linguistics, Literary Criticism and World Literature. He was the recipient of the William C. Boyce Excellence in Teaching Award as well as many travel and research grants. Upon his retirement, his students and colleagues published a festschrift entitled, “Narrative in Celtic Tradition: Essays in Honor of Edgar M. Slotkin.” As an active and prolific scholar, he had numerous articles and book reviews to his credit and gave more than 100 lectures and conference papers. Several had a distinctly local focus: “Folklore and the City: Cincinnati Traditions,” “Appalachian Folk Art” and “Irish Immigration in Cincinnati.” In 1984, he served as technical and linguistic advisor to the Playhouse in the Park’s production of Translations by the Irish playwright Brian Friel. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Valerie Shesko; his daughter, Alexandra Slotkin, and her fiancé, Jacob Merk; and his sister, Ellen Lauber, her husband Samuel, and their son Aaron. A celebration of his life was held in late August.

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 45

I N M E M O R I A M

Peter Wilson ’61 – Aug. 20, 2015Peter Wilson succumbed to congestive heart failure at Ballarat Hospital, Victoria in Australia on August 20. A member of the Class of 1961, he was an honors student, captain of the fencing team, and he was remembered in his senior yearbook as the senior who “has done [the most] to disturb the serenity of Old Guard members of the faculty.” Peter attended California Institute of Technology on a National Merit scholarship and moved to Australia in 1965. Confined to a wheelchair in recent years, he continued to read voraciously and maintained his keen in interest in science and world politics. He was a bachelor, survived only by his sister Wilma. A the time of his last contact with Nichols in 2011 on the occasion of his 50th reunion, Peter wrote, “After teaching human biology for many years in Pontianak, Indonesia, I retired in March, 2010, following a serious heart attack. I now live in Australia, am a de facto married man, and enjoy Australian health care very much! I am very sorry to miss the 50th reunion gathering in Buffalo but send my best to my classmates.”

Hugh McLean ’58 – Oct. 25, 2015Hugh McLean, of Buffalo, a retired banker, died October 25 in the Erie County Medical Center Terrace View long-term care facility. He was 75. Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of Nichols School, where he served as class agent for the Class of 1958. An honors student who played soccer, squash and tennis, Hugh was described in his senior yearbook as a humble achiever whom his peers admired greatly. “Hughie wears an immobile expression which conceals much physical and mental vitality,” describes his senior page. Hugh attended Princeton University and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University at Buffalo. He was a member of the first graduating class in the MBA program at Canisius College. Hugh spent his entire career with Marine Bank, later Marine Midland Bank and HSBC Bank, from where he retired in 2003 as vice president for commercial lending. He was a past member of the World Trade Association, a past president of the International Institute, and longtime treasurer of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, which honored him by making him a trustee emeritus. He was also a volunteer at the Darwin D. Martin House. A past president of the Buffalo Tennis & Squash Club, he also was a member of the Buffalo Canoe Club and the Saturn Club. He enjoyed tennis, squash, sailing and traveling. Survivors include his wife of 50 years, the former Margaret “Peppy” Spitzmiller; four daughters, Patricia Ervin, Anne Denman, Ellen Haas and Caroline Burnett; two brothers, Lewis and John; and 11 grandchildren.

Tom Flickinger ’50 – Nov. 15, 2015Thomas Flickinger, 83, passed away peacefully at his home on Sea Island, Ga., on November 15. Tom leaves his wife of 61 years, née Phoebe Raymond; his brother, William Flickinger ’55; four children, Wendy Ross, Geoffrey Flickinger ’76, Thomas Flickinger ’78, and Holly Williams ’83; and 13 grandchildren. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., on July 11, 1932, to Awdry and Glenn Flickinger ’19, Tom attended Nichols and graduated from Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, N.H., in 1950, and Harvard University in 1954. He was a trustee of Nichols from 1990 to 1996, where he and his family funded construction of the Flickinger Performing Arts Center, which opened in 1997. Tom and Penny Flickinger funded the Flickinger Sabbatical Fund to grant sabbaticals to deserving faculty members at Nichols; this has funded 23 recipients to date. After serving in the U.S. Army, stationed in France, he returned to Buffalo to join S. M. Flickinger Inc., the family food wholesaling and distribution company, which became one of the largest companies in Western New York and the biggest private employer in the city of Buffalo. He ultimately rose to become Vice President of Purchasing and Director of Quality Assurance, responsible for all products packaged and sold under the Red & White label, the first full-line private label brand in the country, started by his grandfather, Smith Michael Flickinger. Tom’s charitable work in Buffalo was extensive. He served on the board of the SPCA Serving Erie County and was president for five years. He was also a trustee of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Buffalo Museum of Science, the International Institute of Buffalo, the Buffalo Public Library, the Buffalo Zoo and the Food Bank of Western New York, which he helped establish in 1978 with his cousin Burt P. Flickinger, Jr. ’44. Additionally, he was on the Vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church and served on the board of the Saturn Club, where he was named to a one-year term as dean in 1992. Tom also served for 21 years on the board of his alma mater, Kimball Union Academy, was chairman for two years and where one of his proudest achievements was the establishment of the Flickinger Arts Center. Following his move to Sea Island, Tom was a trustee of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, the St. Simons Land Trust, the Coastal Youth Symphony, and served on the board of the Sea Island Property Owners Association. For almost 40 years, Tom and Penny kept a summer residence in Lorraine, Ontario, and they also spent many summer months at her family house, “Riven Rock,” in Jamestown, R.I. Tom was a member of the Ocean Forest Club and the Sea Island Club on Sea Island, Ga., the Saturn Club in Buffalo, N.Y.; and was for many years a member of the Buffalo Tennis & Squash Club, the Country Club of Buffalo, and the Conanicut Yacht Club in Jamestown,


I N M E M O R I A M

R.I. An jazz aficionado, Tom’s jazz music collection was legendary, and his knowledge of musicians and songs encyclopedic. He especially had an avid appreciation of the music of Oscar Peterson and Count Basie. Tom was also a passionate California wine collector, with a highly refined palate and a detailed knowledge of wineries, varietals and vintages. He was particularly generous with his donations of wine to local charitable organizations, both in Buffalo and Sea Island. An enthusiastic sportsman, Tom played interscholastic hockey and baseball and continued to play golf and tennis all his life.

F R I E N D S

James Birney – June 13, 2015 – Father of Dion Birney ’79

Clifford R. Ousley - July 16, 2015 – Father of Laurie Ousley (faculty)

Sambamurthy Subramanian – July 17, 2015 – Father of Saskia Subramanian ’84

Sylvia DeRosas – August 20, 2015 – Mother of Jorge ’88 and Pablo ’96

Torrey Barnes – September 5, 2015 – Brother of Aisha ’95 and Terry ’99

Irene Torgalski – September 14, 2015 – Mother of Bob (faculty); grandmother of Rob ’83, Ron ’85, Rick ’87 and Randy ’95

Jane Hopkins – September 17, 2015 – Mother of Nick ’61; grandmother or Margie Hopkins Whistler ’87 and Bobbie Hopkins

Alden Ring – September 25, 2015 – Father of Josh (faculty); grandfather of Clare ’23

Susan Blumhagen – October 18, 2015 – Mother of Steve ’99 and Jon Blumhagen ’01

Dr. Charles Anderson – October 24, 2015 – Father of Monica ’84, Brian ’88 and Charlene Anderson ’92

Joseph Tomizzi – November 1, 2015 – Father of Joe Tomizzi ’83

Doris Farmelo – November 4, 2015 – Wife of Neil Farmelo (staff); mother of David ’71, John ’77, Martha ’81 and Allen ’88; grandmother of Peter ’04 and Mark ’06

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 47

The power of giving back to Nichols as a senior class is easily recognizable when taking a short stroll around campus. In particular, the Classes of 2012, 2014 and 2015 have recently left their respective marks on Nichols in artistically pleasing and functional ways:

• Class of 2012 Senior Class Gift to Nichols: modern bike racks

• Class of 2014 Senior Class Gift to Nichols: a new athletic trainer medical cart

• Class of 2015 Senior Class Gift to Nichols: eight new weatherproof Adirondack chairs for use in the Quad

A Great Day for Golf The third annual Nichols Golf Day was held on Monday, Aug. 10, 2015 at Harvest Hill Golf Club in Orchard Park, and it was our biggest showing to date. A crowd of 102 alumni and friends reconnected with one another while enjoying a great day of golf, food and giveaways. Many thanks to the Alumni Board for putting on such an outstanding alumni event, especially event chair, Matt Miller ’95, who presided over all event details and successfully secured more than 20 local businesses as sponsors. Harvest Hill Golf Club General Manager, Brigitte Cellino ’08, and her sister, Annmarie ’05, were also phenomenal hosts!

The Alumni Board is extremely proud to announce that the event raised $9,145.56 to be donated to support students in need with after-tuition expenses (books, calculators, travel expenses, etc.)

Save the date for Golf Day 2016 on August 8, 2016 at Harvest Hill.

Kate Balkin ’80 (after her hole-in-one)

Class Gifts


31 85th

Nichols School’s oldest living alumnus Art Hengerer celebrated his 102nd birthday with his four children in May 2015! Pictured from left to right are: Arthur Hengerer (son), Susan Sneeringer (daughter), David Hengerer (son), James Hengerer (son) and the man himself, Arthur D. “Art” Hengerer.

40Howard B. Graves, Jr. ’40

[email protected]

Sidney G. Robinson ’40

[email protected]

Phil Mugler writes: “Ninety five and still going!!”

41 75th

John P. Halstead ’41

[email protected]

Charles Pearson III ’41

[email protected]

Nothing to report. Please send news.

42No Class Agent


43Allen Short ’43

12EmoryDr.,Jamestown,NY14701

Nothing to report. Please send news. 44Richard W. Dates ’44

[email protected]


45Robert L. Miller ’45

[email protected]


46 70th

Frederick J. Batson, Jr. ’46

[email protected]


47H. Ernest Montgomery II ’47

41SaintGeorgesSq.,Buffalo,NY14222


48Malcolm Strachan II ’48

272RivermistDr.,Buffalo,NY14202


49Russell J. Baker ’49

[email protected]

Bernard D. Wakefield ’49

197BeringAve.,Buffalo,NY14223

Reginald V. Williams, Jr. ’49

[email protected]

Charles L. Yeager ’49

33GatesCirApt1-C,Buffalo,NY14209


50John R. Bray ’50

68BridlePath,OrchardPark,NY14127


51 65th

David G. Strachan ’51

[email protected]


52Charles L. Abell ’52

[email protected]

Jack A. Karet ’52

53DanburyLn.,Kenmore,NY14217

E. Dennis McCarthy, II ’52

[email protected]


53Henry F. Goller ’53

[email protected]

James J. Herlan ’53

[email protected]


54Roger W. Putnam ’54

[email protected]

Frederick D. Turner ’54

[email protected]


55No Class Agent

56 60th David C. Laub ’56

[email protected]


57George C. Morris ’57

[email protected]

Charles A. Smith II ’57

[email protected]

James M. Wadsworth ’57

[email protected]


IfyouwouldliketoserveasaClassAgent,

pleasecontacttheAlumniOfficeat716-332-5151

[email protected].

C L A S S N O T E S

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 49

58 Stuart H. Angert ’58

[email protected]

Howard T. Saperston, Jr. ’58

[email protected]

Stuart Angert reports from his vacation home in the Adirondacks: “In an area covering 6 million acres, what are the chances of having a fellow Nichols classmate, Torch Lytle, who now resides in Philadelphia, rent a lake house 200 yards from our home in the middle of the woods on a private road? We spent time with his family, and I took Torch for a boat ride around Oseetah Lake – part of the Saranac chain of lakes – on which we reside. It was great to reconnect.”

59John W. Henrich ’59

[email protected]

Daniel J. Kraft, Sr. ’59

[email protected]

Jerry Pratter ’59

[email protected]

Bob Rich released his much-anticipated fourth book, “Looking Through Water” (Skyhorse Publishing; November 3, 2015; $24.99) on November 3. The book is described as a heartwarming tale, exploring the complex waters of familial relationships, the bond

between three generations of men, and the transformations that can take place on the water while waiting for a fish. Proceeds from the book sales will be donated to Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, an organization that helps reach disabled veterans and disabled active duty military men and women in all 50 states. The organization supports veterans on their journey to physical, emotional and spiritual health. For more information about Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Inc., visit projecthealingwaters.org. From Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. press release: “Rich, a member of the South Florida Fishing Hall of Fame, fell in love with storytelling at summer camps in Northern Ontario. As he traveled from the shores of Lake Erie to the Florida Keys, he was inspired to write by one of literature’s

greatest storytellers, Ernest Hemingway. Now, after producing three books—Fish Fights, The Fishing Club and The Right Angle—and coauthoring a fourth, Secrets of the Delphi Café, Rich is releasing his first fiction fishing title. Rich is an avid fisherman who has traveled around the

world to pursue his interest. As chairman of Rich Products a family-owned global food company, Rich oversees nearly 10,000 employees. The $3.5 billion company, founded by his father Bob Rich, Sr. in 1945, operates 36 manufacturing facilities spanning six continents and is celebrating 70 years in business.”

60Donald E. Miller ’60

[email protected]

After 50 years with the Department of Defense (21 years in the Army followed by 29 as a DoD senior technical executive), Henry Nathan “finally called it quits” in September and retired. Henry writes, “Afraid I would go nuts moving from 50-60 hour weeks, I have made the adjustment with little difficulty. It was a great 50 years but I think it was time.”

61 55thRichard B. Adams ’61

[email protected]

Frederick B. Cohen ’61

[email protected]

Kevin Lewis writes: “Planning on another six-month research fellowship at Wolfson College in Cambridge, U.K., from January to June 2016.”

62 David H. Desmon ’62

[email protected]


63Warren B. Gelman ’63

[email protected]

Charles F. Kreiner, Jr. ’63

[email protected]

Warren Gelman, who turned 70 on October 25, and faculty member/varsity golf coach Ron Montesano,

C L A S S N O T E S


http://www.projecthealingwaters.org

who turned 50 on October 26, met at Bandon Dunes to celebrate over a round with classmate Clay Hamlin. Pictured from left to right are: Warren, Clay, Ron, Clay Hamlin, Jr. and Greg Koessler (Warren’s son-in-law).

Chuck Hobbie writes: “Work at the Peace Corps is still tremendously enjoyable. As with Nichols, my association with the Peace Corps so long ago as a volunteer still rewards me with unexpected delights. [In October] I met John Kerry and Colin Powell at a banquet for visiting President Geun-hye Park of Korea, who graciously invited 11 former Korea Peace Corps Volunteers and mentioned Peace Corps several times in her speech, even though Peace Corps left Korea almost 35 years ago.”

Ten members of the Class of 1963 and their spouses or significant others gathered for a time of bonding and friendship renewal in Charleston, SC, from November 8-12. As most are turning 70 this year, it was agreed that a happy assembly, sooner rather than later, was a wise thing to do. A few came one day early for golf, lunches, cocktails, sumptuous dinners, carriage rides, architectural tours, and visits to plantations and gardens. The time together was enjoyed by all. Bill and Nannie Clough were kind to join the group at a couple of events as the Class wanted an update on life and success at Nichols. The Class of ’63, with members present from Georgia, Maine, Illinois, Pennsylvania and

New York, came away still convinced that they are a well-oiled friendship machine, happy to support Nichols as the tie that binds them still.

64P. Jeffrey Birtch ’64

[email protected]

Howard L. Schweitzer ’64

[email protected]


65Bruce N. Keiser ’65

[email protected]


66 50thJonathan R. Wright ’66

[email protected]


67George O. Bergantz ’67

[email protected]

Dale B. Haidvogel ’67

[email protected]


68John M. MacCallum ’68

964ParksideAve,Buffalo,NY14216


69John J. Cordes ’69

[email protected]

Arthur W. Cryer ’69

[email protected]

Pictured from left to right: Will Cooke and fiancé, Mollie Reynolds, Betsy Cooke, Lindsay and Brad

Cooke, Jr. Betsy writes, “Greetings from Delray Beach! Enjoying the influx of Buffalonians to the area; makes our season here more fun!”

70Michael K. Walsh ’70

[email protected]

Bill Gisel, President and CEO of Rich Products Corp., was honored by Buffalo Business First as a recipient of the Buffalo 612’ C-Level Executive Awards, which were presented to 20 top local executives during a ceremony at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens on October 8.

71 45thNo Class Agent


72Thomas E. Caulfield ’72

[email protected]

Roland L. W. Hayes ’72

[email protected]

Tom Caulfield and Nancy Krug were married on July 17, 2015 at DiTondo’s Restaurant in downtown Buffalo. Among the guests attending were (pictured, left to right with Tom) Dave Comerford ’73, Theresa McDermott Sokolowski ’04 and Erin Hart ’03.

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 51

73Seymour H. Knox IV ’73

[email protected]

Theodore B. K. Walsh ’73

[email protected]

Henry D. Waters, Jr. ’73

[email protected]


74William T. Jebb II ’74

[email protected]

Peter M. Jones ’74

[email protected]

Gregory D. Stevens ’74

[email protected]

Joseph A. Trimboli, Jr. ’74

[email protected]


75Hon. Thomas P. Franczyk ’75

[email protected]

Charles L. Gurney III ’75

[email protected]

Elizabeth Stevens Gurney ’75

[email protected]

Brad F. Randaccio ’75

[email protected]

Carl Goldfarb, partner at Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP in Fort Lauderdale, was recently awarded the National Child Advocacy Award by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The award recognized Goldfarb for his work as co-counsel representing pediatricians in the Florida chapter’s class-action lawsuit against the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, on behalf of children in the state of Florida in regards to access to Medicaid.

Ann Beltz Rimmler, a partner at Paul William Beltz PC, was honored by Buffalo Business First as a recipient of the Buffalo 612’ C-Level Executive Awards, which were presented to 20 top local executives during a ceremony at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens on October 8. 76 40thTodd W. Brason ’76

[email protected]


77Wende A. Mix ’77

[email protected]

M. Grosvenor Potter III ’77

[email protected]

Harley Spiller’s book “Keep the Change” was selected as one of the best new art books and made the 2015 New York Times Holiday Gift Guide suggested

books list. Time’s critic Robert Smith writes: “This is one of two slim volumes - Howard Akler’s “Men of Action” is the other - that I picked up initially because their slimness made them great candidates for subway reading, and then became riveted. Mr. Spiller, identified on the flap as a “museum professional,” is also known as an inveterate collector of the unnoticed - for example, Chinese menus. His latest book, which is beautifully written and designed, chronicles his collection, started at age 5, of damaged money, mostly bills and coins of the United States of

America. His interest carries us, as it did him, into the world of coin collecting, a realm with its own terminology, quirky habits and venerated experts and connoisseurs. But he dissents from its codes and in so doing demonstrates collecting as a passion that can be satisfied many ways, more or less free, according to one’s own rules.”

Alumna and former Nichols faculty member Helen Ladds Marlette was recently named as the 14th Head of Buffalo Seminary. Her term will begin immediately following the retirement of current Head of School Jody Douglass in June 2016. From SEM’s December 7 press release: “’I am honored to lead the SEM community at an exciting time in the history of our school and Buffalo,’ Mrs. Marlette said. ’The opportunity for our students from Western New York and around the world to be part of the tradition of academic excellence and leadership for women at SEM when our city is resurgent, is extraordinary.’ Mrs. Marlette’s career in education spans more than three decades in independent secondary schools. She has served SEM in a number of leadership positions since 2007. As Assistant Head of School, Mrs. Marlette is responsible for day-to-day operations of the school, working closely with Head of School Jody Douglass on all aspects of the school’s management and planning.”78Hugh M. Russ III ’78

[email protected]

David D. Tiftickjian ’78

[email protected]

Jane Regan is teaching journalism and communications at Salem State University while continuing to work on and off as a journalist and educator in Haiti. Jane writes, “The death of my father, Edward Regan ’48, put me back in touch with a few great

C L A S S N O T E S


friends from my class and era. My family and I are very grateful to see or hear from everyone. Thank you.”

79Wendy Zacher Hammond ’79

[email protected]

Kristin Weber Somers ’79

[email protected]


80Kristan Carlson Andersen ’80

[email protected]

William H. Gurney ’80

[email protected]

William D. Hibbard II ’80

[email protected]

Ian W. Jones ’80

[email protected]


81 35thJennifer Jarvis Hamberger ’81

[email protected]

Stephen Kellogg, Jr. ’81

[email protected]

At the greatest distance from Nichols on his current sabbatical arc, Ron Montesano (Upper School Spanish; varsity golf coach) was able to spend the day at Lakeside School with Debby Heath. Debby is a Spanish teacher who spent a Peace Corps year in Honduras (shout out to former faculty member Steve Moscov, who planted the Peace Corps seed!). Ron writes from the road, “I was able to observe her level four class make Dia de los Muertos presentations, which reminded me of the ofrendas (“offerings”) that Mr. Gerhardt’s students make. My day at Lakeside was wonderful and enlightening.”

82Annette Holzman Fitch ’82

[email protected]

Stephen J. Joyce ’82

[email protected]


83Douglas J. Bradley ’83

[email protected]

Wendy M. Pressman ’83

[email protected]

Katherine B. Roach ’83

[email protected]

This September, alumni board member Wendy Lebowitz Pressman, her husband Michael, and their daughter Emily ’16 hosted a tie-dye get-together for Nichols students and their Spanish exchange guests. Green and white was of course the theme, with tetherball, Kan Jam, card games (especially popular with the Spanish students), s’mores, and hot chocolate serving as a few of the “American” highlights. A great time was had by all.

84Ellen Hassett Cahill ’84

[email protected]

Gregory J. Castiglia ’84

[email protected]

Joy C. Trotter ’84

[email protected]

John P. Weiksnar ’84

[email protected]

Valerie A. Zingapan ’84

[email protected]

Anne Ruh Clauss writes: “Enjoying Philadelphia – it’s always sunny.”

85Mark J. Appelbaum ’85

[email protected]

Mark N. Roberts ’85

[email protected]

Cheryl Camillo will be spending the 2015-2016 academic year at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy in Saskatchewan, Canada, doing comparative health policy research as a Fulbright Scholar. The school is located on two university campuses at the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan.

86 30thMichelle Rosenberg Parentis ’86

[email protected]

In October, Kyle Bacon successfully defended his dissertation, “Academic Motivation and Success: A Phenomenological Study of 8th Grade African American Males in Two Suburban Maryland Middle Schools.”

A strong contingent of Nichols alumni made it across the pond for the Oct. 25 Bills game in London. Pictured from left to right are: Jim Newman ’79, Alex Montante ’86, Josh Feine ’00 (Corporate Sales, Buffalo Bills), Amanda Buchheit ’08, Mark Preisler ’86 (Vice President, Pegula Sports and Entertainment) and Neal McMullen ’94 (Corporate Sales, Buffalo Bills).

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 53

mailto:[email protected]


87Joseph T. Vanini ’87

[email protected]


88No Class Agent


89Mary Giallanza Carney ’89

[email protected]

Josh Nussbaumer started Bison Entertainment Group in February 2014. B.E.G. is a client entertaining and incentives company that handles tickets and suites, corporate hospitality at major sporting events, athlete and celebrity appearances, sales conferences, incentive trips worldwide, and unique ideas in general. For more information, visit bisonentertainmentgroup.com.

Emily Park, a pilates personal trainer and circus skills instructor living in Oakland, Calif., recently reunited with classmate Christen Clifford in New York City while en route to circus performances in London. Christen writes, “We went to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway! I am so happy that Nichols brought us together! We have been friends since fifth grade! My face is not dirty I have a beard on!”

90W. Scott Saperston ’90

[email protected]

Nandita Shenoy’s play Washer/Dryer is being produced Off-Broadway at Theatre Row – Beckett Theatre (410 W. 42ND Street) in New York City. The play’s summary is as follows: “Sonya and Michael’s recent elopement in Vegas seemed like a dream come true for both of them until they try living together in Sonya’s Manhattan studio apartment. As they discover that they haven’t been entirely honest with each other or themselves, their secrets come home to roost along with an intrusive mother, the co-op’s strict Board president, a harsh best friend, and a fabulous washer-dryer. Mayhem ensues as the couple is forced to re-evaluate their relationship and decide whether all really is fair in love and real estate.”

Solomon Siegel writes: “Sam started sixth grade and Ava started third. Sam is giving track & field a shot but his passion right now is tennis. Ava has been accepted to an advanced dance class where her focus is ballet, tap and hip hop. Her last recital was amazing – she’s truly talented and I couldn’t be more proud of her dedication and hard work. Other than that, things are good. The web design and jewelry businesses are keeping me busy. I hope I can make it to Buffalo one of these days and catch up with my classmates.”

91 25thBridget McIntee Bartolone ’91

[email protected]

B. Kevin Burke, Jr. ’91

[email protected]

Target stores announced this summer that they are collaborating with fashion designer Adam Lippes. The Adam Lippes for Target tartan collections, which include clothing, accessories, as well as pet and home goods, began on September 27 at stores across the country.

92Sarah Gelman Carney ’92

[email protected]

Ryan J. Lucinski ’92

[email protected]

Christine Leone Sabuda ’92

[email protected]

Christen O’Mara Smith ’92

[email protected]


93Jodi Priselac de Riszner ’93

[email protected]

Elizabeth Constantine Janowski ’93

[email protected]

Mark J. Travers ’93

[email protected]

Nothing to report. Please send news. 94Amity Lippes Mann ’94

[email protected]

After getting fruit flies from joining the juicing craze and seeing that home remedies and the commercially available products weren’t doing the

C L A S S N O T E S


job, Michael Bernhardt has spent the past two years creating “the world’s best fruit fly trap.” Michael writes, “I’ve been through several designs and filed three patent applications in the process. What I have created, the ActiveGreen fruit fly trap, is the first ACTIVE trap on the market. Our patent-pending active capture technology is what sets us apart from everything else on the market.” Michael is pre-selling the traps via a Kickstarter campaign in order to pay for the tooling to begin manufacturing. “Some of the parts will be made in WNY, and I have talked with Heritage Centers/Allentown Industries about doing assembly and fulfillment. They employ the disabled in downtown Buffalo. Thanks for looking!”

95Elizabeth Kreiner McCarthy ’95

[email protected]

Matthew D. Miller ’95

[email protected]


96 20th

Gregory F. Plumb ’96

[email protected]

Jennie Brinkworth Ramsey ’96

[email protected]

Laura Lombardo Yusick ’96

[email protected]

Tanya Tanhehco married Brent Cantrell in Outer Banks, N.C., on July 25, 2015. Pictured from left to

right are: Brent Cantrell, Alison Roach, Michael Roach ’84, Tina Tanhehco ’01, Ted Roach ’16, Eliza Roach ’20, Tanya Tanhehco Cantrell ’96, Jenny Roach ’14, Christine Roach, Tasha Tanhehco ’97, Dominick Yu ’94, Alise Shuart ’88.

97Elizabeth Walsh Keenan ’97

[email protected]


98Alexis Muscato Agnello ’98

[email protected]

Alexis Agnello (Muscato) and her husband Jon welcomed a daughter, Amelia Rose Agnello to the world on Aug. 28, 2015. Older brother Austin is thrilled to have a little sister.

Gina Wettlaufer Tomenson writes: “On November 7 in Loveland, Colo., Walter and I welcomed our daughter, Ashby Reid Tomenson. We are humbled, blessed and thankful for all those who made the miracle of our family happen, especially to the kindest, most generous, and loving heart of our carrier. Our family will forever be grateful.”

99Margaret Stevenson Auerbach ’99

[email protected]

John T. Soron ’99

[email protected]

Meg Auerbach (Buffalo), Ellie Beasley (Boston) and Evans Geisler (New York City) reunited this summer with their respective children in Rose Hill, Ontario. Pictured, left to right: Grant Beasley, Charlotte Auerbach, Jude Geisler, Colette Beasley, Benny Auerbach, Abe Geisler.

00Robert C. Drake ’00

[email protected]

Ashley Robb Lewis ’00

[email protected]

Patrick Lewis ’00

[email protected]

On Nov. 27, the Nichols Alumni Board was proud to host pARTy, a free trolley tour of 3 local art gallery spaces (stopping for 45 minutes at each location) with complimentary cocktails offered at Resurgence Brewery at the event’s conclusion. Thank you to BT&C Gallery, The Benjamin Gallery and Indigo Gallery in downtown Buffalo for their warm

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 55


receptions of our alumni! Special thanks to event organizer Emily Johnson Tucker ’00 from The Benjamin Gallery for her help in making this event a big success!

Rob Drake and Paige are really excited to welcome Charles Cole 7lbs 3 oz and Parker Jane 7 lbs 12 oz who came into our world November 28th at 8:59PM. Very happy, healthy family of four.

01 15th

Matthew S. Baldauf ’01

[email protected]

Jonathon W. Blumhagen ’01

[email protected]

Sarah Jane Burke ’01

[email protected]

Joanna Penfold Perry was promoted to Craft Brand Manager at Empire Distributors (beer, wine, spirits) in March 2015. In her role, Joanna works to grow product draft distribution in the Charlotte, NC area. She lives with her husband and their kids Cooper (4) and (1) in Denver, NC.02Andrea G. Ward ’02

[email protected]

Jeremy J. Witt ’02

[email protected]

Nick Arnold and his wife Melissa are happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Camille Rebecca, who was born June 15, 2015. Nick has changed careers from the Marine Corps, where he served for nine years, to a civilian attending Georgetown University for his MBA.

Nicole Grew married Charlie Craven in Chicago. In attendance were classmates Leah Kaplan Corradi, Carla Sanderson, Tara DeCarlo, Amanda Gershberg Cocheo and Sara Lewis.

03Erin E. Hart ’03

[email protected]

Playwright Bella Poynton’s Speed of Light had its premiere at Buffalo’s Road Less Traveled Productions in September and has been picked up for 2016 by Quantum Dragon Theatre in San Francisco. Bella addressed the Upper School at a morning meeting in September and visited with several classes at Nichols that same day, inspiring many young playwrights along the way as she passionately described her epiphany like experience in morphing from actress to author. Bella has now developed and produced award-winning plays for a variety of theater companies. Her most recent play Speed of Light is a speculative and science fiction piece, focusing on women in science in technology.

04No Class Agent

Kristen Stone Hutchison and husband Chris “Hutchy” welcomed Bailey Fay Hutchison to their family on September 28, 2015. All are happy and healthy living in Melbourne, Australia. Aunt Wendy Stone ’01 recently spent 10 days visiting in them in Melbourne.

05Jane K. Arcadi ’05

[email protected]

Jesse E. Baier ’05

[email protected]

Annmarie R. Cellino ’05

[email protected]

Patrick M. Hanley, Jr. ’05

[email protected]

Melissa Moran Hughes and her husband, Jay Hughes, welcomed Patrick John Hughes III into the world on August 5, 2015. His godparents are both Nichols Alumni, William Moran ’02 and Katelyn Hubbell ’05.

Brothers Eric Walton ’05, Ian Walton ’06 and Evan Walton ’09 have recently founded gotTRASH?™ ,

C L A S S N O T E S


“Buffalo’s most trusted trash removal service.” gotTRASH?™ proudly serves the Buffalo community with a Big Green attitude. Through recycling, donations and green waste disposal, gotTRASH?™ operates with a responsible and environmentally-friendly vision. Specializing in all debris and waste removal projects, gotTRASH?™ can handle every job, big or small. They provide commercial, residential and special trash removal projects; dumpster service; light moving projects. You can contact them at (716) 800-2000 or visit gottrashusa.com.

06 10th

William S. Gurney ’06

[email protected]

Emily Regan will compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics! Regan’s Team USA crew won the women’s eight title at the 2015 World Rowing Championships at Lake Aiguebelette, France, in September. It was the 10th consecutive world title for Team USA in the event. Team USA finished in 6:05.650 over the 2,000-meter course. Regan rowed at seat five.

07Sean T. Heidinger ’07

[email protected]

Matthew K. Parker ’07

[email protected]

Tyler J. Van Schoonhoven ’07

[email protected]

Chris Arnold and Mary Grode were engaged on August 8, 2015. Chris and Mary met while both were attending University of Wisconsin at Madison and they are currently living in Buffalo.

Brigid O’Gorman is in her second year of medical school at UB. She is looking to go into internal medicine and subspecialize in infectious diseases.

Matt Parker is an associate at Hodgson Russ LLP in Buffalo.

08Brigitte R. Cellino ’08

[email protected]

Allison L. Todd ’08

[email protected]

Leah Christopher Acajabon is working for First Source (formerly Wythe Will Tzetzo, LLC), a leading packager and distributor of confections, nuts, and specialty foods that provides bulk goods for stores like Wegmans. Leah writes, “I am still very active and passionate about the work I did in anti-human trafficking in Washington, DC. I am currently trying to reach out to the anti-human trafficking organizations in Buffalo to see where the community stands on its efforts and understanding of the epidemic, in hopes that I can be an aid in spreading awareness of this issue within our community. I am not sure if the Nichols community is aware of this issue, or has students interested in government or NGO work, but I would be more than happy to share my experiences with these sectors, or as stated above my work in non-profit, if there is a need.”09Joseph G. Trapp ’09

[email protected]

Adele Jackson-Gibson’s article, “Finding My Fangirl: How The Women’s World Cup Taught Me To Sit The Bench”, was featured on Sports Illustrated’s website, the-cauldron.com, in October. In the essay, Adele examines her own proficient soccer career (one ended abruptly by injury) against her thrill ride experience that was following Team USA’s epic path to the 2015 World Cup title.

10Siobhan T. Hanley ’10 -

[email protected]

Stephen Kellogg III ’10

[email protected]

Jacob Stark ’10

[email protected]

Theresa M. Williams ’10

[email protected]

Ari Goldfarb, who goes by the pen name R.K. Gold, released his debut novel “Just Under the Sky” on October 2 with Weasel Press. A 2015 graduate of the University of Maryland, Ari completed this latest work in just one week as response to a writers challenge issued by National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). As described on the University at Maryland’s English Dept. website, “At around 7,200 words per day, Ari survived ’on a diet almost solely of writing for one week.’” The novel follows an artist’s road trip to Maine after recently hitting rock bottom and losing his father.

11 5th

Marissa Faso ’11

[email protected]

SelectOne, a leading staffing a firm in Buffalo, recently hired Marissa Faso as a recruitment associate. She will play an active role in supporting senior recruitment staff to fulfill varied clients’ needs. Marissa Faso is also coaching field hockey for the Clarence Modified Team and completing her master’s at UB.

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 57

Emily Pfalzer took the inaugural faceoff for the Buffalo Beauts, as professional women’s hockey was officially introduced in Buffalo’s HarborCenter on October 11. The Beauts fell to the Boston Pride by a score of 4-1 in the opener. From NWHL.co: “Defenseman Emily Pfalzer has signed with the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) for [this] season, general manager Linda Mroz ’99 announced [on Sep. 24]. In her four years at Boston College, Pfalzer scored 102 points (23g, 79a) in 147 career games. Her 102 career points lead all BC defensemen, as do her 79 career assists. Pfalzer left the Eagles program ranked sixth all-time in assists, notching a career-high 34 helpers in the 2014-15 season. Pfalzer’s 42 points scored in 2014-15 are also the third-most ever put up by an Eagles senior. A First Team All-American in 2014-15, Pfalzer was named the Best Defenseman in Hockey East for a second consecutive season. Pfalzer earned a nod as a Hockey East First Team All-Star in three straight years as a sophomore, junior, and senior, after being named to the conference’s All-Rookie Team as a freshman. A Top-10 Finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award her senior year, Pfalzer is the only defenseman to eclipse the 100-point mark at Boston College. Playing for the U.S. National Team, Pfalzer has earned a gold medal in the IIHF World Championship in 2015 and silver at the Four Nations Cup in 2014. A member of USA Hockey national camps since age 14, Pfalzer led the U.S. to the 2011 IIHF World Championship U18 gold

medal as an assistant captain and was a silver medalist in 2010. Pfalzer has played in 27 total games for the red, white and blue, dating back to 2009, scoring six goals and netting 19 assists since then. ’I’m excited to be a part of this new league,’ Pfalzer said, ’It’s a great opportunity to be involved in the growth of women’s hockey in general, but I’m especially excited to be playing in my hometown and to continue to watch women’s hockey grow in Buffalo.’ Pfalzer’s jersey is now on sale in the NWHL Shop, and Buffalo Beauts season and single game tickets are now on sale.”

12Harrison C. Bacon ’12

[email protected]

Michael D. Gates ’12

[email protected]

Jenna M. Herskind ’12

[email protected]

Spring Sanders ’12

[email protected]

Meredith M. Vivian ’12

[email protected]

Since Jonah Epstein was at Nichols, he dreamed of starting a brewing company in Buffalo. That dream is now coming to life as MyCity Brew, Jonah’s brainchild, was recently selected as a finalist in the 2015 Kenneth A. Freirich Business Plan Competition at Skidmore College, where he is now a senior. Jonah and co-founder Dillon Joseph ’10 are officially ready to launch MyCity Brew and grow it into a brand that the Buffalo community can really

connect with and be a part of. Dillon and Jonah write, “MyCity Brew is a brewing company inspired by the amazing people of Buffalo, and different from any brewery that currently exists.” When Jonah and Dillon began working on this project, they wanted to create a product that their community could identify with. With that idea, MyCity Brew will be the first brewing company to let Buffalo design, test, and select its own beer. Through their website (MyCityBrew.com) and social media (facebook.com/MyCityBrew, @MyCityBrew), they will be asking the community at large to let them know how MyCity Brew should taste. Throughout the course of the campaign, they will post surveys and other material that will culminate in four brewed beers that represent the tastes of the Buffalo community. In the summer of 2016, MyCity Brew will hold a taste-testing event during which the community can come and try each of the four samples. At the end of the taste test, whichever beer is rated highest will become MyCity Brew’s first beer. They are also starting a movement called 1%BackforBuffalo, where they are committing to donate 1% of their profits to charities in WNY. Continuing the promise to keep this a community-based project, participants will get to vote on the organizations that receive proceeds. The initial funding, to brew the four test batches, is taking place through a 60-day Kickstarter campaign, live now. Visit MyCityBrew.com to quickly access the campaign and sign up for updates – one of the campaign rewards is a guaranteed taste and vote at the final selection event.

C L A S S N O T E S


http://shop.nwhl.co/product/buffalo-beauts-jersey/

http://nwhl.co/buy-tickets

http://nwhl.co/buy-tickets

Caroline Fenn spent this past summer in Brooklyn, N.Y., conducting research for Haute Living magazine, writing press releases, fundraising, and celebrating a restaurant week for isabelpratt, a development company. She also helped to plan a book tour for an author under W. W. Norton publishing house.

Emily Janiga and Emily Pfalzer ’11 will be playing for the U.S. Senior Women’s National Team in the IHHF Women’s World Championships. Janiga will be making her national team debut, while Pfalzer will be playing on the team for her second year in a row. Both players have impressive careers, with Pfalzer currently serving as the Buffalo Beauts captain, achieving a goal and an assist at the World Championships last winter, and earning the title of “Best Defenseman” of Hockey East in 2014. Janiga has 132 career points for the Mercyhurst University Lakers, her current team, and was drafted to join the Buffalo Beauts earlier this year.

Nicole Lowe delivered a passionate and inspiring keynote address to more than 900 people at the Bison Scholarship Fund’s Annual Celebration Luncheon on October 20 at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. BISON is a privately funded tuition assistance program for

low-income children living in the eight counties of Western New York. Families awarded a BISON scholarship are able to send their child to a private elementary school of choice. The organization has grown from helping 200 children in its first year to nearly 1,750 children today. These BISON children attend 78 different private or Catholic schools in the Western New York area. A BISON alumna and current senior at Canisius College, where she majors in advertising and public relations, Nicole spoke about the impact that attending private schools had on her upbringing, first at Mt. St. Joe’s Academy and later at Nichols from

sixth through 12th grade. Reflecting on how small class sizes and attentive faculty helped nurture an only child who came to rely on her peers as extended family, Nicole also lauded her Nichols exchange program travels to China and to France as cornerstone life experiences that inspire her to this day. Nicole concluded her remarks by sharing her ultimate desire to become a philanthropist. As she told the BISON crowd, “I am young, but in my short time on this earth I’ve learned that the simple act of giving can have a dramatic effect on someone’s life.”

Meredith Vivian recently finished her spring semester abroad at the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia. She is looking forward to finishing up her collegiate degrees in communication studies and theatre during her senior year at Loyola University in Chicago.

Cat Williams, a senior soccer player at Colgate University, was named to both the 2015 All-Patriot League Third Team and the Patriot League Women’s Soccer All-Academic Team. Cat appeared in 75 games for the Raiders, making 58 starts. She was selected the 2012 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, while also being named to the 2012 All-Patriot League First Team, the 2013 Second Team, and to the 2014 and 2015 Third Team. In total, Williams compiled 22 goals and 17 assists for 61 career points, netting nine game-winners throughout her career as well. Williams finished her Colgate career tied for 15th in career goals, tied for 11th in assists and 15th in points. An international relations major, Williams holds a 3.28 grade point average (as of this publication). To be eligible for the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport.

W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 59

13Joel P. Almand ’13

[email protected]

John F. Faso ’13

[email protected]

Lauren Randaccio ’13

[email protected]

Hillary A. Vossler ’13

[email protected]

Coumba E. Winfield ’13

[email protected]


14Spencer C. Bacon ’14

[email protected]

Christopher B. Bean ’14

[email protected]

Caroline M. Hogan ’14

[email protected]

Marie C. Zaccagnino ’14

[email protected]

Mike Rappaport returned to Nichols in November with the Colgate Thirteen – Colgate University’s a cappella group – to perform for the Upper School at a morning meeting.

Nicole Tomani played field hockey for Mercyhurst University this fall.

15No Class Agent

Lydia Gavner played field hockey for University of Maine this season, finishing the regular season with a 17-3 record and as of this writing, playing in the America East Championships as the No. 2 seed on November 6.

Erin Nebbia, a freshman and University of Maryland, recently accepted a position as a journalist for College Magazine. This online magazine is a “guide to college” written by college students. Erin will be writing weekly articles. She hopes that this will also be a resource for current seniors to help them prepare for college life. You can read Erin’s first article here at collegemagazine.com/6-tips-surviving-first-day-classes.

Ethan Carrow (Hamilton College), Steve Glinski (University of Rochester), and Kenny Williams (Oberlin College) each played college football this fall, having signed with their respective schools last spring. Chris Miner (St. Lawrence University) will focus on basketball as a freshman, but will try to play both sports as a sophomore after being heavily recruited by the football staff.

In July, Ethan Carrow and Kenny Williams were selected to play in the 39th Annual North-South All-Star Classic at Depew High School. They joined a growing list of Nichols Football Alumni who have been selected to play in the game.

1976: Mike Supples1977: John Meegan1980: Tom Hersey, Matt Martin, Mike Sullivan1981: Mark Schmidt1983: Joe Tomizzi1985: Colin Brinson, Mike McDonnell1987: Chris Petrik1989: Jerry Hughes1991: Anthony Habib1992: Jeff Tamulski

1996: Brad Tamulski1997: Ben Andrews, Gregg Barton, A.J. Wright1998: Ashish Lall2007: Tom Juliano2010: Ramsey Gayles, Andrew Toenniessen2011: Matt Benedict2012: Tom Noonan2013: Liam Ryan2014: Jordan Tyson

Nichols Arts Department faculty Andrea Mancuso and Kristen Kelley recently visited NYC and caught up with some former students. Maggie Barrett ’04Elisa Peebles ’08Elena Ciota ’15Spencer Bacon ’14Andrea MancusoPaloma D’Auria ’14Josh Finkelstein ’11Kristen KelleyAlexandra Matthews ’11Maggie Gilbride ’11Sean Griffin ’10

Gifts to the Nichols Fund help bring dozens of authors, scientists, and business leaders into the classroom so students can learn from real-world experts.

Make an impact today online at www.nicholsschool.org/give

C L A S S N O T E S


Mak

e a

gift.

M

ake

an

THE 2015-2016 NICHOLS FUND

“I’ve had many unique experiences in my eight great years at Nichols. My teachers have given me new perspectives, and opportunities to explore different subjects. Engineering and computer programming classes gave me hands-on experience, and I have learned from great authors as I studied a vast array of classic literature. Nichols provides students with everything we need to discover our passion.” — Mathew O’Connor ’16

The Nichols Fund enables us to support

students from all backgrounds and make

a Nichols education more accessible.

Gifts to the Nichols Fund help bring dozens of authors, scientists, and business leaders into the classroom so students can learn from real-world experts.

Make an impact today online at www.nicholsschool.org/give

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDBuffalo, NY

Permit No. 3658

1250 Amherst St.Buffalo, NY 14216

Save the Dates

Boston ReceptionMarch 2, 2016 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Alumni Hockey GameFeb. 6, 2016Dann Memorial Rink: Nicholswww.nicholsschool.org

Derby DayMay 7, 2016Dann Memorial Rink: Nichols

Graduation/ReunionJune 3, 2016

Nichols’ Golf DayHarvest Hill Golf ClubAugust 8, 2016

Classes celebrating at Reunion 2016 end in 6s and 1s

Save the Dates

Nichols Toaxnoes - Winter 2016

Documents

Transcript of Nichols Toaxnoes - Winter 2016