2009 October Newswire

Welcome to Newswire, NMH’s quarterly alumni newsletter. On August 31, 630 students started classes for the new academic year. At opening convocation, Head of School Tom Sturtevant encouraged them to approach the challenges here with an open mind and a collaborative spirit, attitudes that will enrich their own experiences and ultimately support the growth of all. Later that day, the NMH community gathered across from Memorial Chapel for the dedication of Bolger House, the new admission building. It’s been a busy fall on campus, so read on to find out more. View photo gallery.

CAMPUS NEWS

New Admission Building Dedicated

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On a perfect early fall day, David Bolger ’50 and his extended family officially opened NMH’s newest cottage in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the lawn in front of Bolger House. The new admission building, which completes the strand of cottages along the crest of the hill just below Alumni Hall and Ford Cottage, hearkens back to the earliest architecture of the school with an old-fashioned porch and a sweeping view across the valley. A lighted flagpole in front of the building flies US and NMH flags 24-hours a day.

In the giving the lead gift for the building, Bolger wanted to provide a warm and welcoming presence for prospective NMH students and their families and to honor his parents and his family’s long history with the school. Other members of the Bolger family who attended NMH include William J. Bolger ’44, Betty Bolger Fleming ’46, Barbara Bolger Collett ’50, and Stuart Fleming ’81. View photo gallery.

Weston Playhouse on Campus

The Rhodes Arts Center (RAC) staged its first professional production in October when the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company came to campus for three performances of A Raisin in the Sun. NMH students and faculty found the play about racism, poverty, and the pursuit of the American dream as compelling and relevant today as it was when it premiered on Broadway in 1959.

For several years, NMH had been taking 9th graders to Vermont for Weston’s riveting fall performances. When NMH Trustee Barbara Tweedle Freedman ’66 told the company’s artistic director about the new Rhodes Arts Center, he asked about bringing his group to campus. The coordination efforts came together in time for the fall production of A Raisin in the Sun.

Performance Poetry

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Mayda del Valle, a celebrated spoken word poet, kicked off Hispanic Heritage month with a performance at all-campus meeting in early October. Her rapid-fire recitations—in a style that has been compared to Latin jazz and hip-hop—brought her Memorial Chapel audience to their feet. Del Valle, who comes from a Puerto Rican background, told the crowd to always be proud of their heritage. She also encouraged students to forge careers out of what they love to do, even if the path doesn’t seem practical to other people. “Never believe them when they say that you can’t be an artist because you can’t pay your bills,” she said. “It’s not true.”

A Williams graduate, Del Valle won both the 2001 Nuyorican Grand Slam Championship and the individual National Poetry Slam Championship. She performed at the White House in May. View photo gallery.

Blog Your Love

Do you love NMH? Tell us why at 130reasons.nmhblogs.org. We are compiling the top 130 reasons alumni, students, and parents love NMH to celebrate the 130th birthday of the school in November, so share what you think is special about the school. And while you’re there, check out the other NMH blogs and join the conversation.

130reasons.nmhblogs.org

The Proof in Art

For almost three decades, Peter Pettengill has walked the fine line between maintaining artists’ visions and reproducing their work for wider distribution. The results are on view in the gallery of the Rhodes Arts Center through November 23.

“Printer’s Proof – Selections from the Wingate Studio Archive” features 27 prints representing Pettengill’s work with 11 artists in a wide range of approaches to contemporary art.

Artists traditionally present printer’s proofs to a master printer in recognition of his role in the process. Wingate publishes and sells these prints in small editions to collectors, galleries, print dealers, museums, and other institutions.

Six members of the Pettengill family are NMH alums, including Carroll Gillespie Pettengill ’50, Alma Gillespie Niemiller ’53, James Gillespie ’55, Sallie Pettengill ’77, Samuel Pettengill ’80, and James Pettengill ’04. Visit www.wingatestudio.com for more information.

Soccer Alumni Score

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In September, the boys and girls varsity soccer teams took on squads of seasoned NMH alumni in the annual alumni soccer game. For the first time in several years, women returned to play and proved they still have the stuff of winners, beating the girls team 2 to 0. The men settled for a good game and camaraderie. Alumnae announced two new awards—the MVP award for the girls team, named for Catherine Kleiner ’84, and an award for commitment and dedication to soccer named in honor of Mark Jander ’50, longtime girls soccer coach. View photo gallery.

Win a Pie

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Apple pies in October enticed a strong contingent of alumni back to campus to run in the 119th Bemis-Forslund Pie Race. On a rainy Sunday afternoon, 66 alumni and guests ran the familiar route around campus with students, faculty, and staff, and 120 earned pies. First place overall went to William Reid, brother of Anna Reid ’12. Kevin Bravo ’10 and Anna Reid ’12 finished first among students. Aaron Lanou ’98 and Leslie Krichko P ’08 finished first among alumni and guests, and Kevin Prest ’76 and Sheila Mason ’84 finished first in the masters group. View photo gallery.

ALUMNI IN THE NEWS

In Business

J. David Marley ’76 has turned a distressed office building in Amherst into a showcase for energy-saving measures. Using state and federal grants, Marley installed 420 photovoltaics and 20 heaters controlled by computers as part of his renewable energy efforts and has established a database that will demonstrate how much energy is saved. Read more

When Nadine Storky Curtis ’92 went to live in South Africa in 2003, she was captivated by the colorful handmade accessories made by local women. The women had limited markets and made poor wages, so Curtis decided to help market their work in this country and help create stable work environments where they could earn a fair wage. Through her company, Be Sweet, Curtis sells their work to boutiques and yarn shops in this country and around the world. Curtis works with 12 women’s groups in South Africa and donates part of her profits for educational program support in Cape Town. Read more .

In Politics

J Street, a Jewish lobbying group with progressive views on US-Israel relations was recently featured in the New York Times Magazine. Isaac Goldstein Luria ’01, campaigns director for the group that supports a balanced approach to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, is included in the story. Read more

In the Arts

Photographer and installation artist Erika Blumenfeld ’90 spent last January in Antarctica documenting rarely seen details and patterns of the frozen continent’s landscape, light, and natural environment. Three portfolios of photographs from that visit, a video installation, and a text installation were on display in Albuquerque in October. The work is part of her Polar Project, a series of environment-focused installation artworks focusing on light, sky, and sound in the Artic and Antarctica. Read more.

In Humanitarian Efforts

A six-week vacation in paradise has turned into a major relief effort for Aubry Koehler ’03 after a tsunami slammed into Samoa, where she is visiting friends. Thousands were left homeless and entire villages were destroyed on the southeast coast of the island after the September 29 disaster. Koehler is helping to raise funds and reestablish village businesses on the island. Read more.

FROM THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE

Alumni Council Comes to Campus

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Thirty-eight members of the NMH Alumni Council came to campus recently to catch up on school news, visit Bolger Family House, the new admission building, and continue their committee work. The group also met with Tom Sturtevant, head of school, and a group of current students.

The council's on-campus meeting sent a strong message of support to current students and set just one example of how alumni give back to NMH long after graduation. View Photo Gallery.

2009-10 Executive Committee

• Elizabeth Hall Olszewski ’87, president
• Kristin Steele ’90, vice president
• Dorrie Susser ’56, secretary
• Carrie Niederman ’78 strategic planning chair
• Al Burnett ’62, Annual Fund chair
• Jean Fuller Farrington ’53, awards committee chair
• Estelle Burgess ’79, reunion advisory committee chair
• Lloyd Mitchell ’57, diversity committee chair
• Paige Landry ’06, young alumni committee chair
• Shirley Eng ’90, area association chair
• Marggie Slichter ’84, director of alumni and parent programs

Moody Society Recognition Dinner

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Special student performances and a talk by an award-winning author and father of a current NMH junior were on the program for the Moody Society dinner celebration in October. The Chamber Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and the Nellies, a girls a cappella group, entertained the 125 donors in the Rhodes Arts Center and at Alumni Hall during the event. Amitav Ghosh, the international bestselling novelist and essayist and father of Nayan ’11, spoke to the gathering in Raymond Hall. On Sunday Ghosh presented the inaugural address of the Wantman Family State of the World Speaker Series, which will bring noted experts to the school in an effort to generate thoughtful and wide-ranging discussions.

S. Prestley Blake ’34 and Charles Wantman ’59 were honored for their recent gifts to the school. The Moody Society event recognizes donors who have given $1,879 to NMH during the previous fiscal year. View photo gallery.

NMH 130th Anniversary Campaign: Ways to Give

With $80 million raised, we are well on our way to meeting the NMH 130th Anniversary Campaign goal of $83 million by June 2010. Please make an investment in NMH today, starting with a gift to this year’s Annual Fund. To learn how, click here.

Thank you!

Visit the campaign website for updates, news, and photos.

QUICK LINKS

The Better to Browse With

Want to keep up-to-date with the latest news at NMH? Come and visit This Week at NMH often. You’ll find lots of links to other great information, such as Athletes and Contest of the Week, and the school calendar of events.

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