MOUNTAIN DAY ADVENTURES are still fresh in everyone's minds, but now we turn our attention to the second half of the semester. Athletic competition is in high gear; the Pie Race is just around the corner; and NMH seniors are deep in college-application mode, attending to every little detail in their personal essays. We are attending to a few little details, too. You may notice that this newsletter has a new name, as well as a slightly new look. The title Inside NMH is a more accurate description of what we provide in this space: a look at what’s been happening on campus, with links to stories that invite you to explore further. Please let us know what you think. And let's not forget about NMH's newest arrivals! Read about the farm babies here.
Crowned
The NMH barn got a new cupola on Oct. 8, with a small crowd observing as a handful of carpenters and a crane operator maneuvered the red-and-white structure—complete with a cow weathervane—into place. “It looks like it was always supposed to be there,” said Mary Mayshark-Stavely, who helped fund the construction of the cupola and dedicated it to her father, Jim Mayshark ’32. Check out a time-lapse video of the cupola-raising made by faculty intern Eleanor Conover and read more about the event here.
Speaking Chinese
NMH senior Bou Lee (on left) is currently appearing on national television in China, representing the U.S. in the “Chinese Bridge,” an international language competition for non-native high school students. Lee, who is Korean and from Brooklyn, began studying Chinese as a freshman at NMH with teacher Jing Liu (on right). Last spring, she qualified for the three-student U.S. team after participating in a regional speaking contest at the University of Massachusetts’ Confucius Institute in Boston. Read more.
Dedicated to the Arts
This week, the end stage theater in the Rhodes Arts Center will be dedicated and officially renamed the Lois C. Chiles Theater, in honor of the actress and arts advocate. Chiles is married to philanthropist Richard Gilder ’50, who has given NMH $1 million to support the school’s arts programs. Chiles has appeared in off-Broadway plays and films, including “The Great Gatsby,” “Moonraker,” and “Broadcast News.” Read more.
Homecoming
Come back to campus for a day of spirited activities, including mini-classes with NMH faculty, a kids’ festival, student performances, and a slate of athletic contests between NMH and Choate. Whether you visit NMH regularly or haven’t seen the campus in years, we look forward to welcoming you for Homecoming 2011. Find details here.
Remembered
The 10th anniversary of September 11 was observed quietly and communally in Memorial Chapel. Students, faculty, and staff recognized four NMH community members who died in the attacks and heard a story of lost friendship from history teacher Ted Kenyon. Faculty and students also heard a carillon concert and discussed in classes the events of that day (Read more). An extra, off-campus, note: A particularly powerful 9/11 story came from writer Geraldine Baum ’73 in the Los Angeles Times. Baum recollected her experience working as a reporter on the streets of Manhattan that day. Read her story.
Have Teachers, Will Travel
NMH’s popular Faculty on the Road program begins a new series of events with a gathering at the Museum of Science in Boston on November 17. Come visit with Vicky Jenkins, math teacher and crew coach, and Peter Jenkins, English teacher, director of college counseling, and crew coach. Find details here.
Speak Up
Building a school in Afghanistan, making volunteerism the new patriotism, coming out as a gay professional athlete—these are the experiences that visiting speakers have shared with the NMH community this fall. On the roster: Don Goodrich of the Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation, journalist and activist Stephen Kiernan, and scientist and former pro athlete Andrew Goldstein. Upcoming speakers include Lia Gladstone, a writer and filmmaker who taught theater in Afghanistan; Ted Widmer, a Civil War scholar from Brown University; and Amy Toensing, a National Geographic photojournalist. The lectures are free and open to the public.
Fall Calendar Highlights
Pie Race and more! Keep up with NMH events, both on and off campus. Find a full calendar
here.
Oct. 21: Fall Faculty Recital, Rhodes Arts Center, 8 pm
Oct. 25: NYC phonathon, 6 pm
Oct. 29: Homecoming
Nov. 10: Northfield School for Girls luncheon, Madison N.J., 12 pm
Nov. 16: 121st Bemis-Forslund Pie Race, 3 pm
Dec. 4: Christmas Vespers, Memorial Chapel, 3:30 and 7 pm
Dec. 16: Christmas Vespers in New York City, The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin
