The stormy start to the school year, thanks to the passage of tropical storm Irene, temporarily postponed returning student registration and meant a bit of extra planning for faculty and staff. Optimism and community spirit ruled the day, however, as students not only approached a day of being shut inside with good cheer (and plenty of board games), but then volunteered to help clear storm debris from campus the next day.
“More than any damage or difficulties, P&P staff will remember Hurricane Irene as the kick-off of a wonderful collaboration with NMH students,” Plant Facilities Director Trina Learned wrote in an email to the community about the storm's aftermath.
Head of School Charles A. Tierney III had talked about fostering such positive moments among the NMH community when he spoke to faculty during their opening meeting a week before. In his new role as head of school, Tierney said he would make sure that students and faculty all felt welcomed and that doors were open to them.
"It’s an honor and a privilege to both lead and serve the school for the year ahead,” he said. “I see this as a year of possibilities for all of us and a chance to inspire the upward trajectories of all students.”
New Faculty Profiles
“Energetic,” is the first word on Hugh Silbaugh’s lips when he describes the newest additions to the faculty. “They’re fired up,” he says. “I’m completely excited about them.” Silbaugh, dean of faculty, started meeting with the 12 new arrivals the week before students returned to campus. He said the group mixes maturity and wisdom with youth and enthusiasm. Among the hires are music and math pros, an ESL teacher with international experience, and a former U.S. women’s lacrosse team coach. Click here to read their biographies.
Learning to SOAR
Summer Orientation and Academic Retreat (SOAR), a pilot program designed to give new students of color a preview of the year ahead, was held at NMH for the first time, August 8–11.
The brainchild of James Greenwood, NMH’s director of multicultural education, SOAR is a four-day program that allows new students of color to spend time at the school, meet faculty, and learn about boarding school life. Greenwood, who modeled SOAR on established programs at other boarding schools and colleges, said the goal is to create deep and early connections among new students and NMH community members.
The SOAR program complements an extensive roster of early orientation activities, including those for international students, student ambassadors, student leaders, new students, and new faculty. Although the programs share many components, Greenwood said SOAR was created especially to help counter a higher attrition rate among black and Latino boarding school students. Over the coming year, the SOAR group will meet monthly to talk about the program, NMH, and the boarding school experience. Greenwood hopes to expand the program in future years.
“Students who feel a better sense of community and belonging will hopefully be better able to take advantage of all NMH has to offer,” said Greenwood. “This won’t be one-size-fits-all, but it’s a start.”
A Steamy Summer
Backhoes, bulldozers, and more than 150 workers took over the path from the Rhodes Arts Center to Cottage Row this summer as part of a $2.2 million steam line replacement project. General contractors Daniel O’Connell’s Sons dug up old pipes —some of which were between 25 and 50 years old—and replaced them with a pre-engineered, high-efficiency alternative called Perma-Pipe.
Plant and property staff shut down the original center steam line in 2009 after a lack of insulation made the pipes inefficient; the heat stayed on thanks to a secondary system along the edge of campus. Since the central steam line provides heat and hot water to the NMH core campus—including Alumni Hall, Cottages I, III, IV, and V, Crossley, Blake, Hayden, Social Hall, Rikert, Wallace, and the O’Connor Health Center—replacing it became a high priority. The new 1,200-foot steam line is expected to decrease annual fuel consumption by up to 10 percent.
The center steam line project also included the construction of a new pathway from Blake Hall to Thorndike Field. The alternate route has a gentler incline and provides better accessibility from the upper campus to the fields and facilities below for people with disabilities.
Pigs on the Farm
Farm Program Director Richard Odman added two new members to NMH’s livestock over the summer: pigs Gwendolyn and Eustace. Click here to see a video of the pigs.
The two pigs, crosses of Landrace and Duroc breeds, will live at the farm and eat vegetable scraps from Alumni Hall until they each weigh roughly 225 pounds. In mid-October, the pigs will head off to a butcher; a handful of families on campus have signed up to purchase shares of the meat. The last time the farm counted pigs among the livestock was nearly a decade ago, Odman says.
The NMH Farm already produces its own maple syrup, jam, and lavender products, all of which are for sale in the farm’s sugar house. Draft and driving horses are raised on the farm; there is also a small dairy operation that produces milk and cheese.
2011-2012 Annual Fund
The parent giving effort for the 2011-2012 Annual Fund will be spearheaded by our newly formed Parent Giving Committee. Tracy Korman ’81 and Joan Hsaio, parents of Milo ’11 and Sylvia ’14, and David and Kathy Ferguson, parents of Darby ’12, have graciously agreed to serve as co-chairs. They will be looking for parents to assist with class-led calling committees, so your chance to volunteer will be coming soon. If you are interested in helping in this important work, please let me know. We look forward to seeing you at Family Days!
Celebrating Faculty
What do NMH faculty and staff do when school’s out for the summer? On August 22, at the opening community meeting on campus, Dean of Faculty Hugh Silbaugh announced news of a women’s state amateur golf tournament, a musical world premiere, three master’s degrees, seven newborns, and eight weddings.
The opening community meeting was also a time to celebrate faculty members Peter Jenkins and James Shea and staff member Marion Knapp, the new inductees into the Frieda Jordan Society, which recognizes faculty and staff who have worked at the school for 25 years or more. Instituted in 1986, the society was named in honor of Frieda Jordan. Jordan took a summer job at the school laundry in 1919 and continued working at the school for 67 years until the mid-80s, well after her “official” retirement in 1969. An estimated 250 people have been inducted into the society.
Hoggers in Junior World Rowing
Seniors Hannah Solis-Cohen and Ned Benning spent the summer training at elite rowing camps, on their way to record-breaking finishes at the World Rowing Junior Championships in England. In August, Solis-Cohen, in a double, and Benning, in a quad, were racing on the same Dorney Lake course in Eton that will be the venue for the Summer Olympic Games in 2012.
“It was probably the nicest course I’ve ever rowed on,” said Benning.
Benning and his teammates had wanted to make the semifinals at the world championships, which a U.S. quad had not done in 35 years; Solis-Cohen and her rowing partner hoped to place in the single digits, although a women’s junior double had never finished higher than 11th place.
A final push in the 2,000-meter race took Solis-Cohen’s boat, the US double, past boats from Sweden, Brazil, and Romania. Solis-Cohen and Maria Maydan placed third in the B final, behind Netherlands and Norway, and ninth overall.
Benning’s quad also did well as the rowers executed their race plan. Benning said he was extremely happy with the resulting fourth-place finish, which put the quad in 10th place overall.
Gold Medal for Bridge
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association has awarded The Bridge, one of NMH’s student newspapers, a gold medal for the second time in three years. The award honored the paper published during the 2010–2011 school year. Faculty advisor Jim Block noted that student editors Eva Botkin-Kowacki ’11 and Iris Kim ’12 each have “plenty of ink in their blood.” The managing editors were Deenie Schlass ’11 and Bou Lee ’12. The paper last received a gold medal award for the 2007–2008 edition.
Tommy Carpenter ’12 commits to Dartmouth
NMH basketball player Tommy Carpenter '12 committed to Dartmouth College and its head basketball coach, Paul Cormier. Carpenter is the sixth NMH basketball player to commit to Dartmouth in the past five years. He follows Clive Weeden '07, who was captain of the 2011 Dartmouth team; David Rufful '08, who will be named captain of the 2012 Dartmouth team; Josh Riddle '08; John Golden '11; and Jvonte Brooks '11. Carpenter is also the 16th NMH basketball player to commit to the Ivy League in the past five years.
Helpful URLs
Parent Update is a monthly newsletter, but you can also find information about NMH through regular website news stories, features, event notices, and daily photos of campus life. Explore NMH on social media sites such as Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and the award-winning NMH Book. Please let us know what other NMH URLs you find helpful.
Events and Notices
Family Days
One of the highlights of the fall semester is Family Days. This year the event is occuring earlier than in previous years. NMH selected the weekend of September 30–October 1 to maximize the number of athletic teams playing “at home” and to minimize interference with religious holidays. School officials regret that this weekend interferes with a portion of the Rosh Hashanah holiday, but there were few other choices for family days, given that the next appropriate weekend would not occur until October 28th (too late in the semester for parents to meet with teachers for student progress updates). NMH faculty and staff look forward to welcoming parents to campus on September 30, as well as various other times throughout the year.
Online Accounting
Accounting information has been added to the coterie of NMH forms already online. Parents can now pay bills online and learn more about the financial materials that are required by the school in order to complete the enrollment and registration process. Available forms include: a financial checklist, an explanation of school fees, student purchases and spending, tuition refund brochure, tuition refund plan waiver form, and a link enabling the deposit of funds to student debit cards. Click here to read more or download the forms. For further assistance, contact Joanne Graves in the accounting office at 413-498-3268.
Risley Photography
John Risley and his son Matt are on campus throughout the year, capturing the essence of NMH team spirit. To see the Risley Sports Photography’s spring team photos and order copies, click here. The photographers can be reached at: john@jtrsports.net and matt@jtrsports.net.
October
Parents are welcome to attend all NMH events. Check our web calendar to keep up with what's happening at NMH.
September 9-October 9: "When We Weren't Looking," Anna Schuleit, NMH Gallery at the Rhodes Arts Center
September 2–4: Closed weekend
September 4: Opening Convocation
September 9–11: Closed weekend
September 11: On campus rememberance of September 11, 2001
September 30–October 1: Family Days
October 1–4: Fall long weekend
October 4: Students return by 7:30 pm
