Winter2005 - Detroit Country Day School · on Thursday, Sept. 16. Under sunny skies at Oakland...

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DETROIT COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL For Alumni, Friends and Family of Winter 2005

Transcript of Winter2005 - Detroit Country Day School · on Thursday, Sept. 16. Under sunny skies at Oakland...

Page 1: Winter2005 - Detroit Country Day School · on Thursday, Sept. 16. Under sunny skies at Oakland Hills Country Club, the students marched in, welcom-ing international guests to Bloomfield

D E T R O I T C O U N T R Y D A Y S C H O O LFor Alumni, Friends and Family of

Winter 2005

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THE BEEHIVE IS PUBLISHED TWICE ANNUALLY

FOR ALUMNI, PARENTS, PAST PARENTS, STUDENTS

AND FRIENDS OF DETROIT COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

HEADMASTER GERALD T. HANSEN

EDITOR MARY ELLEN ROWE

PHOTOGRAPHY SCOTT C. BERTSCHYCLAYTON T. MATTHEWS

DEVELOPMENT OFFICE STAFF

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SCOTT C. BERTSCHY

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT BARBARA A. MOWERAND PARENT RELATIONS

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS KIRA T. MANN

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS JEAN L. CROSSLEYAND ANNUAL GIVING

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS CLAYTON T. MATTHEWS

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS MARY ELLEN ROWE

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT JACKIE MARTIN

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT DONNA CRONBERGER

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT KIMBERLY A. HART

BEEHIVE DESIGN AND PRODUCTION SUSAN BACHMAN ’76,MARKET ARTS

DETROIT COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL ADMITS STUDENTS OF ANY RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL AND ETHNIC ORIGIN

TO ALL RIGHTS, PRIVILEGES, PROGRAMS, AND ACTIVITIES GENERALLY ACCORDED OR MADE AVAILABLE TO

STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL. IT DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ONTHE BASIS OF RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL AND

ETHNIC ORIGIN IN ADMINISTRATION OF ITS EDUCATIONAL POLICIES, ADMISSIONS POLICIES, SCHOLARSHIP

AND LOAN PROGRAMS, AND ATHLETIC AND OTHER SCHOOL-ADMINISTERED PROGRAMS.

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CONTENTS 1

Contents

A NOTE FROM THE HEADMASTER 2

BEEHIVE CORRECTIONS / FOOTNOTES 3

CAMPUS BRIEFS 3

WELCOME NEW FACULTY AND STAFF 8

CAROL BALGENORTH RETIRES 11

AS SEEN IN…THE DETROIT FREE PRESS: 12SELIGMAN CENTER MOVES TO NEXT STAGE

A DAY TIMES SPECIAL TO BEEHIVE: CLIFTON

TAULBERT SPEAKS AT ASSEMBLY 13

THE STUFF OF DREAMS, STARRING 14COACH FRANK ORLANDO

UPPER SCHOOL: TIGER WOODS 18BRINGS HIS ‘POP’ TO DCDS

MIDDLE SCHOOL: MICHIGAN’S 21VALUABLE WETLANDS

JUNIOR SCHOOL: TALL TALES 22WITH STORYTELLER JUDY SIMA

LOWER SCHOOL: PRE-K 4 23GOES DOWN ON THE FARM

HOMECOMING 2004 24

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS 27MESSAGE

A WORD FROM THE WISE: 28DR. ARMAND SINGER ’31

REUNIONS 30

ALUMNI SPORTS 32

CLASS NOTES 34

IN MEMORIAM 44

BeeHive • Winter 2005

23

21

30 3

14

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BEEHIVE 2

By Gerald T. Hansen, Headmaster

Hard as I try, I find it difficult to believe yet another new year is upon us. While 2005 no doubt holdsexciting endeavors, our school year thus far has been packed with new beginnings for the CountryDay community. We broke ground on a new athletic facility at the Upper School and in its speedycompletion, enjoyed our first fall sports season with all the amenities the building offers. We were ableto fully fund the building largely due to a generous donation by the school’s Blue and Gold Club, aswell as dollars earned from the Ryder Cup facilities rental this fall.

In other campus developments, our youngest students came back to school this fall to new playgroundequipment at the Lower and Junior Schools. The new structures were a much-needed update and oneour students have certainly taken great joy in using. Though not yet fully funded, we decided to placea priority on completing the project and relying on our parent community to contribute throughprivate donations and Annual Giving gifts designated specifically for this purpose. Thank you tothose of you who have already helped further this fund raising effort – we still have a way to go,but your generous support is already making a difference. Read more about these great projectson page 4.

This issue of BeeHive also introduces our new faculty and staff at DCDS, who made a newprofessional start this fall by becoming treasured members of the Country Day family. By now, theyare seasoned veterans, but please continue your warm welcome of these folks as they complete theirfirst year in our classrooms and offices.

And, in the coming months, enjoy all that 2005 has to offer. Happy New Year!

A Note from The Headmaster

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Corrections

In a photo on page 14 of the

Summer 2004 BeeHive, Jessica

Givan ‘03 was misidentified as

Marion Mahone ’02.

The Lower School Flat Stanley

project featured in the Summer

2004 BeeHive involved all second-

grade classes, including Mrs.

Cynthia Rooney and Mrs. Lynda

Ludy’s classes, in addition to those

mentioned in the article.

Summer 2004 BeeHive Class Notes

corrections:

Pat Cunnington ’88 lives in

Bloomfield Hills with his wife Dina

and their children Patrick and

Amelia. Pat is the owner of a

mortgage company, World

Mortgage Corporation.

Susan Bihler ’03 recently complet-

ed her freshman year at Georgetown

University’s McDonough School of

Business where she was inducted

into the co-ed fraternity Delta Sigma

Phi. She has met a close group of

business “brothers” and looks

forward to spending her next three

years in Washington, D.C.

The BeeHive corrects all factual

errors. If you know of an error,

please contact Mary Ellen Rowe,

BeeHive editor at (248) 646-7717

x 1024 or [email protected].

Footnotes

Following the publishing of the

Summer 2004 BeeHive featuring

the late Dr. Richard A. Schlegel,

many readers expressed an interest

in making a contribution in the

former headmaster’s memory. The

school is currently in the process of

launching the Dr. Richard A. Schlegel

Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor

the life of a man who has touched

our lives in a meaningful way. The

Fund seeks to connect worthy

students with an opportunity to

enrich their education with the

Country Day experience. To lend

your support and pay tribute to

“Doc,” please mail your

tax-deductible contribution to the

Detroit Country Day School Dr.

Richard A. Schlegel Memorial

Scholarship Fund at 22305

W. Thirteen Mile Rd., Beverly Hills,

MI 48025 or contact Jackie Martin in

the Development Office at

(248) 646-7717.

CAMPUSBRIEFS 3

campusbriefsby Mary Ellen Rowe, BeeHive Editor

Save-the-Date for

Safari Auction 2005Update your passport for this year’s auction,

Safari Auction 2005. The event provides a

once-a-year opportunity for parents, alums and

friends of DCDS to re-connect with the school in

a number of ways. “How can I play a part,”

you ask?

• Expand your Country Day network by

volunteering your time in any capacity.

Whether it’s helping with our databases,

working on decorations or displays, or even

just “doing stuff,” we’re anxious to see new

faces on our committees.

• Be a donor and/or Auction sponsor: the

Country Day community has tremendous

talents and access to unique opportunities.

Why not consider a professional or personal

contribution to Auction? Or, you can

underwrite an Auction item with a cash

donation or become an Auction sponsor.

• Promote your business to the school com-

munity by placing an ad in the Auction ad

book!

•· Attend the event. Come on and safari with

us. Bring the whole gang to Family Night on

Friday, May 6, 2005! Go for the “big game”

at our Saturday Auction on May 7, 2005!

This year’s chairs, Jeannie Bourget, Carol

Desai, and Loree Meneguzzi are already well

entrenched in Safari planning and can’t wait

to lead the herd to Auction 2005! For more

information about how you can become involved

in the Auction, contact our Auction office at

(248) 646-7717 x 1305.

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BEEHIVE 4

Lower School SupportsNational Denim Day

On Friday, October 8, the Lower School faculty joined more than 27,300 com-panies who participated in the Lee National Denim Day, the largest single-day fundraiser for breast cancer. Teachersdonated $5 each to The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in exchange for the opportunity to don denim atwork, while many Lower School parents also supported the cause with generous contributions to the Foundation.Together, the participants from Detroit Country Day School made a donation of more than $1,000 to the Foundation.Lee National Denim Day was founded in 1996 and has raised more than $50 million toward breast cancer research,education, screening and treatment.

Lower, JuniorSchool StudentsReturn to NewPlaygroundEquipment

Students at both the Lower andJunior Schools returned this fallto new playground equipment,which was constructed over thesummer break. A 17-year-old

wood structure at the Lower School

was torn down andreplaced with twonew swing sets, aplay fire engine,slides, two sandbox-es and more. LowerSchool DirectorRuth Rebold said,

“We built two of some thingsbecause one area is for more cre-ative play, while the other is morefor physical activity. The rubberbase is decorated with a sun, starsand rainbows so it is not only really

safe and spongy, but also nice tolook at.”

Though not yet fully funded, theschool has placed a priority oncompleting the project and relyingon our parent community to con-tribute through private donationsand Annual Giving gifts designatedspecifically for this purpose. To sup-port the new playground equipmenton either campus, please contactScott Bertschy in the DevelopmentOffice at (248) 646-7717 x 1022.

by Mary Ellen Rowe, BeeHive Editor

campusbriefs

The students andfaculty at the LowerSchool (top) andJunior School (inset)are all smiles as theypose with new play-ground equipment attheir respectivecampuses.

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CAMPUSBRIEFS 5

Junior School Sizzles inFirst Annual Family Barbeque

No detail was overlooked as Junior School families came together this fall forthe first annual Junior School Family Barbeque. Students and their parentsenjoyed a Western-themed evening of music, games, decorations andespecially great food at the Village Campus, courtesy of the hard work andplanning of the Junior School Parents’ Association.

DCDS Well-Representedat Ryder Cup

More than 150 Country Day students participated inthe opening ceremonies of the 35th Ryder Cup Matcheson Thursday, Sept. 16. Under sunny skies at OaklandHills Country Club, the students marched in, welcom-ing international guests to Bloomfield Hills andrepresenting the school in grand fashion. Over the last75 years, the Ryder Cup Matches have grown from asmall informal gathering of American and Britishprofessional golfers to the grandest, most closelyfollowed international competition in the game.Among the 24 participating professional golfers wasTiger Woods, who visited our school during Ryder Cupweek to talk with Upper School boys and their fathers atthe annual Father/Son Luncheon sponsored by theUpper School Parents’ Association. For the full story onWoods’ visit, please see page 18.

1 DCDS Ryder Cup volunteers march inthe opening ceremonies amidst a sea ofpatriotic balloons. 2 Headmaster Hansenwelcomes students to Oakland Hills.3 Junior School students enjoy amuch-deserved snack after a longday in the sun.

1 The Lee family dons Western duds for the first annualJunior School Barbecue. 2 CourtneyTrott ‘14 and KelseyThomas ‘13 take a break from the barbeque to pose for aphoto. 3 The day came complete with a good old-fashionedthree-legged race.

1 2

3

1

2

3

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Chase Kojaian ‘09

“This is a quilt that I made when a visiting artist, Mrs. Cindy Cillick-Geist,came to my school. To do this project, my art class learned how to use sewingmachines. Sewing was more difficult than I thought it would be. I thought itwas very funny how my entire art class sat there sewing. To make my quilt, I

placed a sheet of material that stickswhen it heats up behind the fabric.This would hold the fabric until Icould sew it on. Then I would dostitching, and used the sewingmachine. I decided to add the silver,gold, and bronze dots by putting glueon my quilt and rubbing it with gold,silver, and bronze colored foil whenit dried.”

BEEHIVE 6

campusbriefsThis fall, Detroit Country Day School students of all ages dedicated 29 unique works of art theycreated to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan as part of a program sponsored by the Friends of theArts Association. The art will remain the hospital in a permanent collection started by the school lastwinter when 24 students donated their work to this worthy cause. Student artists includeBrett Barr ‘18, Andre Sosa ‘18, Lauren Alshab ‘17, Emerson McCarty ‘17, Wade Lorimer ‘16,

Jonathan Boos ‘16, Josie Teachout ‘16, Marisa Samani ‘15, Sarah Carroll ‘15, Madeline

Bourget ‘15, Meera Mody ‘14, Monica Babcock ‘13, Claire Kojaian ‘13, Anika Alix ‘12, Bobby

Weiner ‘12, Andrew Hoisington ‘11, Lajari Anne ‘11, Patrick Kroenung ‘10, Jennifer Lu ‘10,

Benjamin Weinstein ‘10, Pratyusha Yalamanchi ‘09, Teddie Olender ‘08, Chase Kojaian ‘09,

Aleksa Miskinis ‘08, Michelle Rosin ‘08,Vivian Hirsch ‘07, Emma Cullis ‘07, Leslie Tse ‘06 andAshley Erwin ‘05.

Josie Teachout ‘16

“Right when I got home from school Idrew a boy peacock. I was intopeacocks at the time I created this. Myfriend made one at school andI wanted to make one but a lotlarger. I glued two pieces of papertogether. I used markers to color it in.”

Students Continue “Art from the Heart”

1 Lauren Alshab ‘17 accepts a certificate for her artistic contribution from Headmaster Hansen.2 Sheri and Jonathan Boos ‘16 admire the artwork.1

by Mary Ellen Rowe, BeeHive Editor

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CAMPUSBRIEFS 7

Sarah Carroll ‘15

“I felt like making birds. I used a lotof my favorite colors. When I did thepink and green one, I thought ofwatermelon. For the blue one, Ithought of blueberries. I thought itwould be cool to do two colors forthe background instead of one.”

Emma Cullis ‘07

“This black and white photograph was hand painted with oil paints. Before wetook pictures of Frankie, my photography teacher’s dog, we studied the artistWilliam Wegman. He is a photographer focusing his works on weimaranerdogs. Since Frankie is a weimaraner, Ms. Susan Lucas, my photographyteacher, thought it would be a great idea to do our own impressions of WilliamWegman’s works. I learned a lot about studio photography while doing thisproject. The most important is that taking pictures of animals can be difficultbecause of their short attention span. I chose black and white film to depict thetimeless aspect of All-American sports. Although I chose black and white I likethe timeless image I captured with Frankie. My work is meant to bring joy andsmiles to everyone that looks at it.”

Tradition at Children’s Hospital of Michigan

2

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Administration

Claudia Bowers is the new JuniorSchool nurse. She earned anAssociate’s degree in nursing atOakland University.

Joanne Lukasik joined the DetroitCountry Day School businessoffice as finance manager in 2004.She is a certified public accountantwith a B.B.A. from Baker College.

Carissa McNellen was recentlynamed a media center aide at theMiddle School. She was previouslyemployed by the University ofMichigan in the Kresge BusinessSchool Library. McNellen alsoserved as research assistant for atwo-year Child and Parent

Relations Study with the University. She holdsBachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Japanese from theUniversity of Michigan and is the wife of Upper SchoolLatin teacher, Brad McNellen.

Dana Newman comes to DetroitCountry Day School as an adminis-trative assistant in the MiddleSchool. Previously, she was a sub-stitute teacher in the Royal OakNeighborhood Schools for eightyears. She graduated from FerrisState University with a B.S. ininformation systems.

Upper School

Technical Director of thePerforming Arts Center Jim Davisexpands his role at Detroit CountryDay School this year as a memberof the performing arts faculty. Bypopular demand, Davis will teach aclass in theatre production at theUpper School. His experience inthe subject includes ten years of lighting design andstage management at DCDS, the Warren Civic Theatre,the Jewish Ensemble Theatre, The Roeper School,Walled Lake Northern High School and several local the-atres. He earned a B.A. in Theatre at Wayne StateUniversity in 1999.

Dr. Riccardo Di Pasquo joins theUpper School science departmentas a chemistry teacher. Previously,he taught chemistry, AP biologyand biology at Holy Redeemer HighSchool, where he organized theschool’s first Science Olympiad. DiPasquo also has been a

practicing physician of chiropractic medicine for tenyears. He earned a B.A. at St. Mary’s College – Ontario,a Master’s degree in teaching at Marygrove College anda Physician of Chiropractic Medicine at the CanadianMemorial Chiropractic College.

Robin Murchison-Greene teach-es Upper School mathematics.Previously, she was an adjunctfaculty member at MacombCommunity College where shetaught pre-algebra, elementaryand intermediate algebra coursesfor three years. She earned a B.S.in psychology at Wayne State University and a M.A.in the teaching of mathematics at University ofDetroit-Mercy.

Welcome NewFaculty and Staff

BEEHIVE 8

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WELCOMENEWFACULTY 9

Melissa Kacel joins the UpperSchool foreign language depart-ment with a wealth of university-level Spanish instruction experi-ence. Previously, she was anadjunct faculty member and tutorin Spanish at Wayne StateUniversity. She also has served as

a graduate teaching assistant in several Spanish coursesat Wayne State. Kacel earned Bachelor’s degrees inEnglish and Spanish, as well as a M.A. in Spanish and lit-erature, both fromWayne State University. She current-ly is pursuing her Ph.D. in modern languages, majoring inSpanish and minoring in literary criticism.

Allison Parks replaces the formerUpper School art teacher, MarileeSuomela. With more than 10years of art education experience,Parks has served as an instructorof beginning through advancedjewelry classes at the BirminghamBloomfield Art Center, OaklandCommunity College and Andover High School in WestBloomfield. She also has served as a visiting artist hereat Country Day, where she demonstrated various jewel-ry-making techniques and discussed careers in art withstudents. Parks earned a B.S. in advertising at FerrisState University.

Dr. Matthew Watson comes toDetroit Country Day School as amember of the Upper SchoolEnglish department. Prior to hisappointment at DCDS, he was alecturer in English and Writing atthe University of Michigan-Dearborn for three years. He also

has taught eighth grade English at Weston MiddleSchool inWeston, Mass.Watson earned a B.A. in Englishat John Carroll University and a M.Ed. and Ph.D. inEnglish, both at Boston College.

Middle School

Wayne Wheatley was named aMiddle School science teacher. Hispast experience includes threeyears as a fifth through eighthgrade science teacher at HerlongCathedral School in Detroit wherehe also organized the school sci-ence fair and coached LEGO

League and Future City Competition teams. Wheatleyearned a B.S. in education at Wayne State University.

Cecilia Hernandez-Winchell joinsDetroit Country Day Middle Schoolas a Latin and Spanish teacher.She previously taught Spanish atBenedictine High School in Detroitand Greenhills School in AnnArbor, where she also taughtLatin. She earned Bachelor’sdegrees in Greek and Latin at the University of Californiaand a M.A. in Latin at the University of Michigan.

Junior School

Kimberly Hardin brings a strongmusical background to her newrole as Lower and Junior Schoolstrings instructor. She has servedas a studio violin instructor formore than ten years. Most recent-ly, she was Interim OrchestraDirector at Oakview Middle School

in Lake Orion, where she taught violin, viola, cello andbass at the beginning and intermediate levels. She alsobegan a strings program in the Pontiac School Districtthrough the VH1 “Save the Music” program in 2000.Hardin earned a B.A. in political science at OaklandUniversity.

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BEEHIVE 10

Welcome NewFaculty and Staff

Lower School

Jennifer Bullock comes to DetroitCountry Day Lower School as apre-k 4 teacher. She previouslytaught junior kindergarten at Kirkin the Hills Preschool in BloomfieldHills and preschool at the FCCPlaygroup in Royal Oak. She is agraduate of Bowling Green State

University with a B.A. in elementary education and ispresently pursuing a Master’s degree in curriculum andteaching from Michigan State University.

Sharon Deighton joins the LowerSchool faculty as a first gradeteacher after working as a guestteacher here since 2003. Sherecently completed her studentteaching at Beverly Elementary inBeverly Hills, where she taughtfifth grade. Deighton earned a B.A.from Michigan State University in interior design and apost-baccalaureate elementary teaching certificate fromOakland University.

Cyndi Peltonen teaches LowerSchool music. Her past musicinstruction experience includesworking most recently as ECCMusic Specialist for CranbrookSchools, as well as a musicteacher in the Troy School Districtand at Rochester CommunitySchools. She also currently serves

as music director for Troy’s First United MethodistChurch, where she coordinates the music program forthe church and directs the choirs. Peltonen earned anAssociate’s degree in liberal arts at Oakland CommunityCollege and a Bachelor’s degree of music with avocal music education concentration at WayneState University.

Leah Spanopoulos was hired as ajunior kindergarten teacher at theLower School this fall after servingas a permanent substitute positionwith the school since 2003. Shealso has taught at Troy UnionElementary and the Academy ofAmericas in Detroit. Spanopoulos,

who is fluent in Greek, earned an Associate’s degree inliberal arts at Oakland Community College and a B.S. ineducation at Wayne State University.

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CAROLBALGENORTHRETIRES 11

Carol Balgenorth

JOINED DCDS IN DECEMBER, 1984

December marked the retirement of longtime Middle School

physical education teacher and coach, Carol Balgenorth.

“It is hard to believe it has been 20 years! Working here has been wonderful,tiring, challenging and loads of fun. It has truly been “Country Day and night”for me. Dr. Schlegel hired me and helped mentor me for many years. Weeventually became mixed double tennis partners a couple weekends each sum-mer. I have coached tennis, softball, volleyball, lacrosse and field hockey. Mycoaching memories are numerous, but the one that sticks out immediately inmy mind, is taking the field hockey team to the state finals in 2000. It was anawesome team! There have been so many great moments and young women onthose teams. I cherish every moment.

I will miss my colleagues, peers and friends – Paul Bartoshuk, Frank Orlando and I have developed into a great teach-ing team. We have all mellowed with age, but still care greatly about the children we influence. The other people that Ihave worked with, coached with and those who touched my life will be remembered fondly. I couldn’t have asked for abetter teaching experience.

As for retirement, I can’t wait! After teaching since 1970 and working with more than 10,000 children, I am ready forsome time for myself. I will be moving to Arizona to be closer to my family. My own children, Scott and Sara, look for-ward to visiting Mom in a hot climate – much preferred over Midwestern winters. I plan to play golf, softball and tennisagain and whatever else becomes available. I am not one to sit around, but ‘down time’ will be at my choosing.

I’ve valued my time at DCDS. Thank you for 20 wonderful years and memories to last a lifetime.”

The Country Day community wishes Carol well in her future endeavors!

You will be missed2004 Retirement

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BEEHIVE 12

The Seligman Performing Arts Center

on the campus of Detroit Country Day

School is on the move. The building,

more accurately a wing, isn’t going

any place but, artistically speaking, it’s

laying claim to more territory. The

five-year-old, 672-seat hall, which

enjoys a reputation as a center for

chamber music, is adding profession-

al theater to its public offerings.

“The school always intended the

venue to attract major professional

shows,” says Jeffrey Nahan, director

of the Seligman Center and head of

Country Day’s theater and dance

department, “but the school uses the

facility so much it’s difficult to find

windows to bring these shows in.”

The window is about to open, at least

a little. In November, the touring com-

pany of “A Stoop on Orchard Street,” a

current off-Broadway musical about

immigrants on NewYork’s Lower East

Side, will spend a week at the

Seligman Center. In April, play-

wrights, actors and spouses Renee

Taylor and Joseph Bologna will per-

form a four-day run of their autobio-

graphical comedy, “If You Ever Leave

Me, I’m Going With You,” which the

couple did on Broadway in 2001.

“Theatrically, now we’re on the map,”

says Nahan. “Musically, we’ve been

on the map for a long time.” Almost

since the day it opened on Nov. 13,

1999, the Seligman Center on 13 Mile

at Lahser in Beverly Hills has been

home to the Chamber Music Society

of Detroit’s concerts by nationally

renowned artists; this season the

society is also one of the venues for

the unrelated Great Lakes Chamber

Music Festival, which takes place

each June.

Nahan isn’t just looking to fill the

space. “I say no to more people than

I say yes to.” Aunt Sally’s tap school

won’t find a home at the center, he

says, but Nahan does hope to

increase the presence of professional

theater. His own theater background

is extensive, with acting and directing

credits at local professional theaters

and five years (1982-1987) as artistic

director of the former Actors Alliance

Theatre.

Conveniently, Jay Kholos was seeking

a Detroit-area playhouse for his show.

Kholos is author, composer and pro-

ducer of “A Stoop on Orchard Street.”

“I’m kind of that old style impresa-

rio,” Kholos says. “I used to think it

was a dirty word.”

“Orchard Street” opened in August

2003 at a 199-seat theater in the very

neighborhood it depicts. The show

has had a very successful run, but

that wasn’t enough for Kholos. “In

NewYork we run Wednesday through

Sunday, eight shows a week, which

meant we were dark on Monday and

Tuesday. Being a kind of Type A per-

sonality I said, ‘Why are we dark?

Let’s do something.’”

What Kholos did was order up a trav-

eling version of the set and book a

few Monday and Tuesday

As Seen In…

Reprinted with permission from the Detroit Free Press (September 8, 2004)

Seligman Center moves to next stageBy Martin F. Kohn, Free Press Theater Writer

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CHARACTEREDUCATION 13

Clifton Taulbert, an internationallyacclaimed speaker, spoke at aCharacter Education assembly andparent presentation this August at theUpper School. Mr. Taulbert is theauthor of Eight Habits of the Heart:Embracing the Values that BuildStrong Families and Communities, thisyear’s Character Ed text for DCDSfamilies and students, and the bookthat won the 1997 USAToday’s Bookchoice to Enrich Our Minds. EightHabits provides a framework onwhich to model and to support aneffective and caring community. Itstresses eight virtues: nurturing atti-tude, responsibility, dependability,friendship, brotherhood, high expec-tations, courage and hope.

Beyond author, Mr. Taulbert is alsopresident of the Oklahoma-basedBuilding Community Institute, acompany that attempts to assist peo-ple that meet personal and profes-sional challenges through workshops,books and films. Mr. Taulbert hasexpressed his views on communityand brotherhood, two subjects hefeels strongly about, to many differ-ent audiences around the world;these audiences include the Library ofCongress and Congresses of CentralAmerica.

2004-2005 is the third school year ofCharacter Education at DCDS. Inthe first year, quotations regardinginspiration and character were postedby faculty members in all classes.There were different quotes for all ofthe different courses and subjects.The quotes changed with eachnew goal.

In the second year, Hal Urban’s Life’sGreatest Lessons: 20 Things ThatMatter was sent home for summerreading. In addition, the CharacterEd board set up assemblies with stu-dents answering questions aboutmovie clips, and there was also anassembly with guest speaker “Mykee”who spoke through unique characterson different topics ranging from thesocial lives of teenage girls to beinghomosexual. Taulbert’s book alsobrought many interested students tothe Performing Arts Center.

He spoke to families, faculty and staffabout various topics including com-munity. “The character EducationCommittee is excited to offer severaldifferent discussion and activityopportunities for our school commu-nity to explore the theme of courageduring the 2004-05 school year.”Upper School Media Specialist Carol

Keeler said. He spoke to familieswho attended his speech on August26 in the PAC, all DCDS familieswere invited and encouraged tocome. He spoke to faculty and staffon the following morning in thePAC. His book is available for thosewho would like a copy in theBusiness Office for $11.

Taulbert has written several books inaddition to his Eight Habits of theHeart. These stories, according toClifton Taulbert’s website, “give thecultural lives of African Americans inthe deep south during and after theera of legal segregation.” Thesebooks include The Last Train Northand Once Upon a Time When WeWere Colored.

Clifton TaulbertSpeaks at AssemblyA Day Times special to BeeHive by Adam Bowman ‘07

engagements in the suburbs.

“Stoop” conquered. “Every one of

those shows sold out,” Kholos says.

That encouraged him to organize the

pending tour: 18 cities, beginning

Oct. 10 in Cincinnati.

Add “venue scout” to Kholos’ col-

lection of titles. Arranging the tour

entailed driving to potential theaters

in every city. “I got in the car. I saw

every single venue.” As happens in

show business, somebody knew

somebody and Kholos heard about

the Seligman Center.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Kholos

says. He also likes being the first,

not including Detroit Country Day, to

produce a show on its stage. “That

appealed to me, that we would bring

something that represented out-of-

the-box thinking. Jeff was terrific in

offering support and enthusiasm,

which always makes it nice.”

Two other factors influenced Kholos:

size and location. The touring pro-

duction, with a cast of 23, is bigger

than its counterpart in NewYork and

is playing for no more than a week in

each city; therefore it requires a

playhouse larger than its 199-seat

space in New York. Because the

show holds a special appeal for

Jewish audiences, Kholos is happy

to stage it in Oakland County, home

to a preponderance of the area’s

Jewish population.

Contact Martin F. Kohn at 313-222-6517

or [email protected].

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BEEHIVE 14

A longtime legend on the athletic

playing fields of Detroit Country Day

School, Frank Orlando has a resume

that reads like the script of a feel-good

sports movie. It’s the story of an

Italian American growing up in

Detroit tossing around a ball – and as

one of just 20 boys in his graduating

class at St. Anthony’s High School,

Orlando was a valued member of

every sports team the school offered.

His talent led him to the University of

Detroit, where he earned a football

scholarship and later, when the school

dropped its football program, to

Drake University, where he continued

playing football and earned a degree

in education. In the years that

followed, he became a husband and a

father, a grandfather, teacher and

friend – but just one title earned him

a place in the hearts and memories of

Country Day students a thousand

times over – coach. And to them, he’s

simply known as Coach O.

The

Stuffof

Dream

sby

Mary

Ellen

Row

e,BeeH

iveEdito

r

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COACHORLANDO 15

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BEEHIVE 16

Act One – Breakingin a New Coach

“Do you like coaching basketball?” sheasked. It was an easy enough question.The new Detroit Country Day women’sbasketball coach looked around the trackfor the rest of the team, then answered,“sure, I like coaching.”

“Do you like coaching girls?” she asked.

“Well, I have a couple daughters, yeah, Ilike coaching girls,” he responded, won-dering where this was going.

“Do you like losing?” she asked.

He paused a moment, then shrugged,“Ya know, I’d prefer not to but I guess ithappens, right?”

“You better get used to it,” she said.“Meet the rest of the team.”

It was at that moment in the fall of 1981that a young Frank Orlando looked overto see the others approaching. Hecounted them as they drew forward tointroduce themselves. One, two, three,four. Including the first to make hisacquaintance, Susan Morrow ‘82, thatwas five. The new Detroit Country Daywomen’s basketball coach didn’t wasteany time. “How about a couple laps?”

True to the young Susan Morrow’swords, losing became commonplace forthe basketball team as they endured theshort end of scores like 90-1, 82-2. Itwas no surprise when the DCDS AthleticDirector at the time, Sue Qualls, calledOrlando into her office and told him theschool didn’t expect to enter the statetournament.

“Can we try it?” asked the ever-opti-mistic Orlando.

So the mighty team of five entered theplay-offs and lost in the first game, butnot without a fight. Orlando recalls thata player became ill during the game,ran off the court to take care of businessand then came back without missing abeat. The legacy of never giving uphad begun.

Act Two –The Turnaround

Amazingly, Coach O and his players fromthat era can pinpoint the turnaroundmoment to a single shot in a singlegame. It was 1986 and the team wascoming off a decent season, better thanthe last, but no one could forget the bit-terness of their regional loss by 60points to St. Martin DePorres the yearbefore. Tonight they would face thesame team who stole away their chanceat post-season glory last year. Onlytonight would be different.

It was a last-second shot at the buzzer byMary (Bridges) Radford ‘87 that markedthe turnaround in the LadyYellowjackets’morale and, truth be told, in DCDS histo-ry. It was the moment the young ath-letes began to believe. “Mary had theball,” said Orlando. “But she didn’t wantto shoot it. She did not want to,” he sayswith a chuckle. “She looked at her sisterMarie and from the bench, I heard Mariesay ‘do it!’ and Mary took the shot.” Thecoach, the girls, and everyone in thestands knew they had done it. It wasthat year the now-popular phrase“Believe it” was first uttered. CoachOrlando, his players and their legions offans have been believing it ever since.

But how did he do it? How did CoachOrlando turn around a team of five whohad little interest in the game, who stud-ied their French books during his pre-game pep talks? How did he build alegacy not only of state championshipvictories, but also a long list of studentswho would go on to play their sport incollege and come back to visit the coachthey almost unanimously call a fatherfigure? To Orlando, it wasn’t a pathpaved in stardust and glitter. It was apath laid brick by brick, in which everywin was a gift, and every loss was alesson learned.

“Losses are meaningful because youlearn from them,” says Orlando. “Youlook at what you did wrong; you takethem apart piece by piece and you moveon. In a close game you won, you say‘wow, we were lucky to pull that one

out.’ But in a close game you lost, yousay ‘what did we do?’”

Still, Coach Orlando never takes a losspersonally, and as expressive as he is,never gets upset or dwells on the nega-tive. “If we lost and gave it all we had, I’llfeel the same way,” he says. “It’s notabout me, it’s about the kids. How willthis experience affect their lives, helptheir character?”

“It does hurt, but only because youknow the effort the kids put into it. Ithink losing helps a player learn to handleadversity. Winning is an unexpectedblessing. Same as in life.”

Said Kira Mann ’89, “Worse than losinga game was disappointing Coach. He’dnever yell, he’d just look down, put onehand in his pocket and run his fingersover his hair with the other.” She demon-strates, complete with a long, deep sigh.Orlando nods and laughs at her imitation.“I better stop doing that if I want to haveany hair left!”

With such an impressive record of suc-cess, you’d think the pressure to winwould be a heavy weight for both CoachO and his players.

“It’s not pressure,” he explains. “It’s aresponsibility. We have a responsibilityto carry on the Country Day traditionbecause it gives us pride. And with allGod-given ability comes responsibility.”

No one takes responsibility moreseriously than Orlando who, when diag-nosed with lymphoma in 1998 nevermissed a practice or game. His wife,Yvette Orlando says “When Frank foundout he had cancer, the first thing he saidto me was ‘I know how to fight.’ Then hesaid he was going to use this as a teach-ing tool to show kids that when thingsgo wrong you don’t give up. Life is goingto be difficult sometimes and you justhave to do your best.”

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“When the team found out, we wereworried about his health – but seeinghim in practice every day was an inspira-tion. He’s a fighter,” Jennifer Thomas

’99 told the BeeHive in 1999.

Today, his eyes well up with tears whenasked about getting through his illness.“If you face adversity, you can make it,”he says. “I went to school in the morn-ing to go to practice in the afternoon.You just get through it. And believe it.That philosophy has driven everything Ido in my life.”

“It was a tough time, but it was a greattime,” he remarks, and I nod as if I under-stand, though this is the first time I’veheard cancer described as a great time.

Cut to Present Day

On one game night this fall, Orlando fellvictim to a happy ambush of former play-ers, family and friends who surprisedhim with a reception in honor of hisrecent National High School AthleticCoaches Association Girls BasketballCoach of the Year award. It’s the highesthonor possible for a high school coach towin, but one Orlando is modest about ashe accepts the congratulations of thosewho came out to celebrate with him.The outpouring of love for one personhas never been so palpable, and scan-ning the room of familiar faces, the ever-emotional Orlando tears up again.

His current and former players are all tooeager to share a story or two about theirbeloved coach. Among those present atthe coach’s party is Jennifer Kostecke

’96, who pulls me aside to say, “whatyou should know is he is like a second

dad to most of us. He’s like family…justlook at how many people showed uptonight. He made us enjoy what wewere doing and stay close as a team.We’re all still close and we still gettogether with and without Coach O.”She and the rest of the “Six Pack” sen-iors of 1996 cut up and share insidejokes as they reminisce about their dayson the team.

Twins Mary (Bridges) Radford ‘87 andMarie (Bridges) Rusher ’87 echoKostecke’s sentiments when they say hetouched their lives as a coach, mentorand friend. “He always kept it light,” saidMary. “He has a way of always makingyou feel welcome. He lifts you up. Wekeep coming back to the school becauseof him.”

Player after player will come back to theschool because of Frank Orlando, and hisimpact will resonate long after the lastwhistle is blown on his game.

Coach O’s run is far from over, and sever-al sequels are planned for this feel-goodsports movie – but the collection ofmemorable moments Orlando’s enjoyedthus far speak for themselves. It’s thelast-second shot at the buzzer to win thechampionship game. It’s the gritty diveinto home plate as the call resonatesthroughout the stands…“Safe!” It’s thehome-town crowd going wild. It’s thesweaty players hoisting a Gatorade cool-er full of ice water over the unwittingcoach’s head. It’s the laughter, tears,wins and losses and it’s the game of lifefor this coach.

Roll the credits.

COACHORLANDO 17

Post-script

“But what about baseball?” I ask.

He looks at me as if I am insane, as if it should be under-stood that we only talk about the sport whose season weare in (though he has coached 37 seasons of baseball.) “It’sjust that when I am in one season, it’s all I think about,” hesays. “I give 100 percent to the sport I’m in.”

“So, if we were meeting in May, we wouldn’t be talking

about basketball at all,” I say.

“Exactly.”

Good thing, because the story to tell today is about basket-ball. After defeating Lansing Catholic Central in a nail-biterof a semifinal, the Lady Yellowjackets went on to beat theSaint Clair Saints 49-24 this past December 4 at MSU’sBreslin Center to become Class B State Champions for thethird straight year. The win marks Coach Orlando’s eighthcareer state championship and the second time in recentmemory that he has lead a team to three titles in threeyears (1997-99). In true Country Day team fashion, eachteam member did their part to contribute to theYellowjackets’ win and do their coach proud. This year’sseniors came out each game with something to prove tothemselves and to each other. In a December 2 DetroitFree Press story, journalist Mark Snyder wrote, “It was uglyat first. Four years ago, four freshmen attended their firstDetroit Country Day girls’ basketball practice. The guards,Latisha Luckett ’05 and Tiera DeLaHoussaye ’05, stum-bled through drills and booted balls off their feet. The for-wards, Kristen Morris ’05 and Keri Laimbeer ’05, left withbruised bodies and egos after the upperclassmen bouncedthem like rag dolls.

‘It was a comedy of errors when they first hit the floor,’recalled Orlando, who had won five state titles before thegirls arrived. ‘They weren't sure they could carry on the tra-dition - there were some doubts.’ Four years later, it's clearthose girls have held their own.”

The BeeHive wishes to congratulate this year’s statechampionYellowjackets and Coach Frank Orlando on a greatfinish to a great season.

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18BEEHIVE

When Tiger Woods visited the Upper School campus on

September 13 as keynote speaker at the Father/Son

Luncheon, the topic wasn’t the Ryder Cup

Matches, for which

Woods would begin

practice rounds the very

next day, or even the

game of golf itself for

that matter. It was plain

and simple and at many

times, straight from the

heart. Upper School

students and more than

300 DCDS dads were

offered a personal look

at Woods’ relationship

with his father, Earl

Woods. Though much has been publicized about the pair,

few reports reveal the depth and warmth that Woods

conveyed in his remarks on this day.

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TIGERWOODSVISIT 19

“And Dad was there…”

Woods’ presentation at the annualFather/Son event began with a videointroduction, courtesy of Buick,which depicted the special bond ofthe twoWoods men over the years. Itwas a celebration of the father-sonrelationship and a highlight ofWoods’ esteemed career as a talentedchild-athlete turned pro golfer. Asimages of Woods’ various victoriesmixed with broad smiles and fatherlyembraces, the words “And Dad wasthere” flashed across the screen. Inthe PAC, (where the female studentscaught the show on closed-circuitTV) echoes of “awwww” filledthe room.

When the golfer took the podium(trademark toothy grin fixed firmlyin place), it was clear he was happy toaddress a subject near and dear to hisheart – his “Pop,” Earl Woods.

While his father is widely creditedwith introducing Tiger to the game ofgolf, Woods said it was less intention-al than some might think – and thatan unseasonably cool Californiasummer may actually be to credit.

“We were having an ‘el Nino’ sort ofyear with terribly bad weather, so mydad put a net over the garage and hitballs into that.” His mother, KultidaWoods, was feeding young Tiger (allof nine months) in a high chair near-by, where the infant could take it allin. Each time his father hit the ball,Tiger would squeal with delight. TheWoods’ finally gave in, and handedtheir son a club at 11 months. Hesays, “I dropped the ball in front ofthat garage, just as I had seen my Daddo, and in a mirror-image of hisswing, hit the ball left-handed.And then for some reason, the nexttime I took the club, I used my righthand and have been playing right-handed ever since. My mom and dadsaid, “What do we have on ourhands here?”

Mr. and Mrs. Woods,meet the future worldchampion of golf

Before Earl Woods knew what hithim, little Tiger had out-played hisdear old dad…at the tender age ofeleven.

Tiger Woods BringsHis ‘Pop’ to DCDS

upper

“The fist pump started there,” saidWoods, who celebrated his win atthe club’s bar with a coke and twocherries.

If it seems idyllic, it’s because it is.This isn’t a 28-year-old kid burnedout on a sport he was made to play.There’s no resentment, no wearinessin his voice. Every misconceptionever written about Earl Woods beingover-bearing and pushy disintegrateswhen you hear the soft-spoken golferrevere his father as a hero, mentorand friend.

“He always had a rule, for as long as Ican remember,” says Woods. I wasalways curious as a kid, asked a lot ofquestions. My dad’s rule was thatwhenever I wanted to talk, he wouldstop what he was doing and listen.And he didn’t stand over me, healways came down to my level and wetalked eye-to-eye.”

It’s a relationship he says is the resultof many, many hours of togethernessover the years and one that’s built ona foundation of love, trust andrespect.

by Mary Ellen Rowe,BeeHive Editor

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BEEHIVE 20

“I love my dad because he’s my dad,he created me – it’s just a given. ButI trust and respect him because heearned those things.” The elderWoods earned those things purely intime spent with his son – time spentgetting to know his son and instillingin him deeply rooted family values.And, as Tiger tells it, his father haslong been full of plain-spokengood advice.

As many know, Earl Woods hassuffered from poor health over theyears. In 1997, after a heart attackand open-heart surgery, Woods flewto Augusta, Ga. against doctors

orders to watch his son play in theMasters. The day before the lastround of play, Tiger confessed to hisfather, “I’m nervous.”

“You should be,” responded Earl.“All that nervousness you feel is justhow much you care. Turn it intoconcentration.”

Tiger Woods did just that, and therein his ultimate moment on the 18thgreen, was his father, waiting tocongratulate him on the win. “Ibroke down and sobbed like a baby,”said Woods. “It meant so much forme to have him there.”

“The bond you see on TV is real.”

Champions never arrive

Despite his tremendous talent andcontributions to the sport of golf,Woods remains humble and is veryconvincing when he says he still has alot to learn.

“I’m not playing as well as I played in1999 or 2000. But I think – I know– I have another level to attain.”He says that when he changed hisswing in 1997, people thought hewas crazy. “There’s always room toimprove. I worked on some newthings this summer and it was so coolto play that way. Trust me, I’m soexcited about it.”

It’s this modest work ethic, this silentdedication to doing his best that haspropelled Woods to championship-level success in tournament aftertournament. He says, “You get out ofit what you put into it. If you don’tput in the effort, you don’t deserve it.I know the only way to get there is towork my butt off.”

He laughs when he talks aboutwinning athletes who proudlyproclaim they have arrived. “Truechampions never arrive – you neverget there. Whether it is sports,business or life, just enjoythe journey.”

Our visit with the icon was overalmost before it started, and in afitting fairy tale fashion, Tiger Woodswas whisked away by a helicopter –on to his next destination in thejourney, wherever that might be.

The annual Father/Son event issponsored by the Upper School Parents’Association and has attracted highly-successful speakers including RickWagoner, Dieter Zetsche, Steve Ballmerand Mitch Albom in past years.

Upper School Parents’ Association president Lynette Adkins with TigerWoods and Father/Son luncheon co-chairsAmy Rosenberg, Shari Morningstar and Leigh Ann Mills.

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MICHIGAN’SWETLANDS 21

middle

As obvious as it may sound, theAmerican bald eagle is a really big bird.

It’s one thing to hear that in a classroom or on the Discovery Channel. It’s anoth-

er thing to have one try to take off five feet in front of you. The experience is not

unlike being the target of a well-aimed leaf blower.

That’s exactly the experience Country Day seventh graders had this fall as part

of their year-long study of wetlands habitat. In a presentation by the Michigan

United Conservation Club, “Michigan’s ValuableWetlands,” students were provid-

ed first-hand encounters with the creatures that swim, crawl, slither and fly

through this integral part of the state’s ecology.The presentation covered ecolog-

ical relationships, habitat requirements, species interactions, and Michigan pop-

ulation statistic, as well as species biology.

All the animals used by the Michigan United Conservation Club in their traveling

presentations have been rescued. They are disabled, and cannot be returned to

the wild. But a permanently damaged wing did not prevent their bald eagle from causing quite a stir as it was brought

out of its cage and “stretched” its wings. Students watched as the power of its flapping all but spun the bird’s han-

dler around and tussled hair in the first rows of the audience.

A cornerstone of the seventh grade science curriculum, the study of the indigenous wetlands of Michigan teaches the

students the science of ecology. It also helps make them more aware of the environment around them and their

responsibility to it. This study also includes sixth and seventh grade Outdoor Field Study days on the Schlegel Nature

Trail, a forested area featuring a tributary of the Rouge River

that links the Thirteen Mile Road campus to the Middle

School Campus. Time is spent in activities that range from

measuring water quality to identifying Michigan flora and

fauna. No Middle School parent will forget having to remind

their Middler to pack “OFS” shoes – or boots – for the

Wednesday outings.

The program is capped by a visit to the everglades during the

seventh grade Florida trip, complete with sightings of wild

alligators. But this fall’s presentation proved that there are

plenty of fascinating creatures right here in our own back

yard.

Michigan’s Valuable WetlandsClaytonT. Matthews, Director of Communications

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BEEHIVE 22

juniorJudy Sima squeaks like a door hinge, coos like a baby,wiggles her arms around like a snake and makes skele-tons dance. She teaches kids to sing and clap to herfavorite campfire song about - you are reading this right -fast food restaurants. She is a professional storyteller,and she was in top form this October when she visitedCountry Day’s fourth grade.

Originally a librarian for the Warren school district for 37years, Judy is the now distributing editor for the Voice ofMichigan Storytelling. For the past fifteen years, she hasbeen doing her two favorite things – telling stories andteaching others to tell stories. She came to the JuniorSchool to do just that; to share some of her favoriteHalloween tales, and to take the students through a sto-rytelling workshop.

Judy does not just tell stories,she performs them. Her facechanges like an actor’s; herbody is in constant motion likea dancer. She uses props,jumps out at people; she goesfor the gross-out and the easylaugh. By the time the story-telling portion of her programended, the teachers were asenthralled as the students.

Exploring the oral language tradition may seem anachro-nistic in today’s computer-equipped classrooms. But sto-rytelling remains a valuable experience in language artsdevelopment. It requires students to think carefully aboutplot, character, mood, and all the elements that go intothe written language of “storytelling” that is the normtoday. Additionally, the experience reinforces the explo-ration of Native American oral tradition – as well as the“Tall Tale” tradition of early Michigan settlers – taught inthe fourth grade social studies curriculum.

During the workshop, the fourth graders were challengedto consider what elements of a story make it frightening orfunny, boring or interesting. Within an hour, 80 studentshad paired off to tell each other their own version of thespooky, funny story they had practiced and learned.

You won’t read that particular story here; it belongs onthe voice. But chances are if you are currently the parentor grandparent of a fourth grader, you have heard it foryourself countless times since Judy Sima’smemorable visit.

TALLTALESby Clayton T. Matthews,

Director of

Communications

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FARMTRIP 23

As part of a lesson on thelife cycle of pumpkins, pre-kindergarten 4 students,teachers and parents spent aday at the Bowers SchoolFarm in Bloomfield Hillsthis fall. The children werewide-eyed as they toured thefarm and learned about itsanimals and crops, finishingoff their visit with a snack of donuts and cider.

In preparation for the trip, the children learned about the“pumpkin circle” that keeps this harvest vegetable growingyear after year. From seed comes a sprout, then a blossom,finally a pumpkin full of seeds to grow new pumpkins.Students found the process fascinating, and enjoyed theculmination of their lesson with a hands-on opportunityto visit the farm’s pumpkin patch, where they were able topick a pumpkin of their own. Amelia Smith ‘19 said,“My favorite part was going on the hayride and pickingpumpkins. There were so many pumpkins that I couldn’tchoose. I couldn’t choose ‘til the end!”Said Pre-K 4 teacher Marnie Bailey,

“Visiting the farmwas a great way tosee how a pumpkingrows in a realpumpkin patch. Iliked the way ourguide, FarmerKaren, shared infor-mation about whateach animal on the

farm provides for us. She mentioned the obvious thingsthat the children knew – cows provide us with milk, sheepgive us wool for sweaters; and she shared new facts – pighair is used to make paintbrushes, all different types ofeggs are edible, you can tell a horse’s age by the length ofits teeth, and that horses clean thier teeth by eating straw.The children left the farm with a greater appreciation ofthe things that farms provide.”

There are three Pre-K 4 classes with two teachers each.Patty Morse and Marnie Bailey lead the “Munchkins,”Jennifer Bullock and Patty Weaver head up the“Lovables,” and the “Honey Bears” call Sharon Menton

and Lori Anderson their teachers.

Pre-K 4 Goes Down on the FarmPre-K 4 students pictured: Caroline Peash ‘18, Abby Hoglund ‘18, Sloan Kiriluk ‘18, Kian Bral ‘18 and LaurenWenzel ‘18. “I liked the horses andthe piggies, the running piggies” said Abby Hoglund ‘18. “ I liked my BIG pumpkin” said Heather Zimmerman ‘18, pictured right.

lower

byMary Ellen Rowe, BeeHive Editor

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BEEHIVE 24

Five Things You Missed

For alumni, students,

family and fans of Country

Day in general, there is

nothing like Homecoming

day. The event — and it is

quite an event — has

expanded over the years

and is everything a home-

coming really should be,

and more. So for those of

you who missed it October

9, here is a snapshot of

what you didn’t get to see.

5.The WeatherThere is simply no explaining how beautiful the weather for

homecoming is every single year in recent memory. It is

practically a caricature of what a fall day in Michigan should

be. In the morning, the massive clouds are slate gray and

dramatic. The icy wind turns all the oversized decorations

into impossibly large kites. By noon, there is hardly a cloud,

and the sky is so vividly blue it looks artificial. The sun is

warm, the breeze is cool. People are re-discovering that it’s

okay if your nose is cold as long as your hands are warm. It’s

football weather. It’s cider mill weather. It’s “outdoors with

the family” weather.

by Clayton T. Matthews,

Director of Communications

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HOMECOMING 25

at Homecoming

3.Grown Men ona Little Train

Most days, our alums and parents are

doctors or lawyers or industrial engi-

neers. Not today. Mom is on the ground

with her four-year-old trying to feed a

miniature horse at the petting zoo. Dad

is squashed on to the little train that

takes kids on tours around the school

grounds. Grandparents help children

make it through the challenge of the

Junior Olympics. Everywhere adults are

acting like children, dripping ketchup,

waiving big yellow ‘thunder sticks’ or

wishing they could go on the giant inflat-

able slide. Today, people are simply hav-

ing fun.

One of the best things to do at Homecoming is to just walk

around and take it all in. It is such a spectacle that there is a

palatable thrill just being there. The air smells like popcorn

and the smoke from the outdoor grills. The foliage, the arti-

ficial turf, even the rides and games all seem so brightly col-

ored they look more like cartoons than real life. It even

sounds like a good time. There is the drone of the crowd, the

squealing of kids, and the popgun crack of football pads

crashing together - followed by the inevitable roar of the

crowd. It looks like a carnival and sounds like a pep rally and

smells like a neighborhood barbeque. With so much fun

being had, it’s impossible not to get some of that fun on you.

4.The Ambience

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Athletic competitionAthletic competition

If you ever wondered what athletics really

teaches kids, come to Homecoming and you will

find your answer. In the morning, recent (and

not-so-recent) graduates return to face off against the

current varsity squads in field hockey and soccer. Some

of the older alumni look ready to drop at the end, but

they are smiling. No gulf of time can separate them from

the love of competition they learned at Country Day.

During the football game, a scant 26 young men square

off against one of the great powerhouses in prep sports,

Brother Rice. Their opposing squad fills half the football

field when they spread out to warm up. Touchdowns are

called back on the Yellowjackets three times. But those

young men never flinch, and never, ever give up. They

are teaching the fans what athletics has taught them.

BEEHIVE 26

Five Things YouMissed at Homecoming

There is a huge crowd at Homecoming every year. It fans out

from the packed stands and bleachers, spills out of the alum-

ni tent, and swarms around every ride and activity. It is

young students at the face-painting tent who look like movie

stars in make-up chairs. It is worried moms biting their nails

as they watch the game and whisper back and forth after

each play. It is old men laughing and hugging — old men

who, when they graduated from Country Day so long ago,

had never conceived of growing old at all. It’s the classmate

you just knew was going to strike it rich or go bald or marry

the cute guy on the basketball team. It’s your favorite

teacher who is still here. It’s the couple you always see each

morning at the student drop-off; the one you keep meaning

to get together with. It’s your friends in this crowd. Theywere looking for you. You are what theymissed at Homecoming this year.2.

1.Your friends

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ALUMNIRELATIONSMESSAGE 27

By now, those of you in the alumni community should have received the results ofour alumni survey. Thanks to those who participated and lent a voice to someimportant issues affecting the school today. Among the feedback we received wasa suggestion to focus Alumni Annual Giving on one or two specific programs eachyear – a great idea, we think. We’ll direct funds where they’re needed most, pro-viding financial support to well-defined programs with a clearly stated purpose.Each and every gift will be immediately used to directly benefit DCDS students inan impactful way.

This year, we have selected two programs worthy of support; they are the Dr.Richard A. Schlegel Memorial Scholarship Fund and a comprehensive technologyinitiative to develop a wireless infrastructure at the Upper School. Both of theseprograms are critical to the quality of student life at DCDS.

A Wireless Technology Infrastructure guarantees the long-term ability to commu-nicate, collaborate and connect with the latest educational opportunities available.Already, we’ve made strides technologically – our laptop program is solid and hasstrengthened in the five years since its inception; we’ve introduced a “technologyacross curriculum” committee of faculty dedicated to improving the landscape ofour offerings; and, in 2004, DCDS was among only eight schools nationwide to benamed a Microsoft Center of Innovation for its use of technology in the classroom.Now, more than ever, it is crucial to stay one step ahead by providing students withenhanced access to an interactive curriculum – a wireless technology infrastructureputs us in the position to offer true anytime, anywhere learning.

The Dr. Richard A. Schlegel Memorial Scholarship Fund honors the life of ourHeadmaster Emeritus. It is our goal to raise $50,000 to help launch the Dr.Richard A. Schlegel Memorial Scholarship and pay tribute to a man who hastouched all of our lives in a meaningful way.

As lifelong members of the school community, the support of our alums means somuch and continues to go a long way for our students. Thank you for all you doto preserve our longtime legacy of excellence.

Alumni Relations MessageBy Kira Mann ’89, Director of Alumni Relations

2004-2005 Alumni Council

President Don Nystrom ‘88

Vice President Steven Mann ‘88

Secretary JenniferYanover ‘84

Members

Amit Batra ‘91

David Curtis ‘88

Amit Doshi ‘96

Dale Garrett ‘82

Carol Giles ‘86

Cara Griffin ‘96

Andrea Hofley-Yuhn ‘83

C. Raamin Kashef ‘83

Anita Flynn Laurila ‘78

Rober (Blake) Lindsay ‘73

Karen Plants ‘81

James Rosenfeld ‘77

Matthew Schlegel ‘72

Dawn Schluter ‘82

Timothy Sennett ‘81

At-Large Members

Jeffrey Collins ‘77

Robert Conway ‘87

R. Scott Falk ‘81

Gary Gilyard ‘76

Clifford Prew ‘50

Jeffrey Roberts ‘65

Terry Zangkas ‘72

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BEEHIVE 28

“You won’t know me but I know youall. You’re the me that attendedDCDS from around 1921 to 1931minus a year or two, second totwelfth grade. I see myself reverted toyour experiences and triumphs whenI peruse the BeeHive alumnimagazine I still get after all theseyears. The young aren’t supposed tolisten to the elderly (by the time youread these words I should havecleared my ninetieth birthday andwith luck completed my sixteenthhike in and out of the Grand Canyonto help celebrate it), but theteacher in me has to try. In aword (or three), my advice is,“Live it up.” Most of you enjoynow and can be expected tokeep enjoying a considerabledegree of financial security.Modern medicine promises agood chance of vigorous health.If you weren’t endowed withenviable IQs, you probablywouldn’t be enrolled here. Youhave everything going for you,so make the most of it. Atsports, one and all of you, Itrust, are surely better than I

was (water boy on the football team –Adam Sandler has nothing on me –and unranked member of thegolf team. The 1930 yearbook hasmy picture and the text lists playersranked 1 to 4, then a mention ofyours truly, who never participated ina match.)

I’m not trying to do the confessionalbit, no, the point is, there’s some-thing for everyone at Country Day.

I got into the hiking club and foundmy version of paradise. The NewEngland hills and minor summitsbecame my playground. And eversince, I’ve climbed (or at least hikedor scrambled up) peaks in Colorado,California, the Andes, the CanadianRockies, the Alps, even theHimalayas.

No great victories, but I can countMt. Whitney, Fuji, a lesser summit ofMt. Kenya, and a pass 19,000-plus ft.in Nepal – among a life of

experiences I wouldn’t trade for allthe gold in the U.S. mint. Hikingand climbing represent a virtuallyperfect sport. It’s healthful, allows forcompanionship with friends whiletenting and summiting, involvesbotany, biology, geology and photog-raphy but doesn’t involve the need fora team or much special equipmentbeyond boots, may be a good rope, apack, cooking utensils, and a sleepingbag. A wonderful sport for physicalactivity. If you add the arts, litera-ture, painting, architecture, musicand philanthropy, then your familylife and choice of career are far morelikely to offer lifelong satisfaction. Ican say they have for me. I’ve doneall fifty states, every province and ter-ritory of Canada, most of the coun-tries of the other Americas, virtuallyall of Europe, big chunks of Asia andAfrica, both the North and SouthPoles.

I really think what started me was theinspiration my DCDS teachers gaveme to experience fully this world ofours. Actually, it was a book in theschool library called PicturesqueAmerica that particularly reeled mein. I checked it out and was sofascinated by the illustrations of thepeaks and forests and lakes over thewhole land I couldn’t bring myself toreturn it. I told my mother I lost it,and she was forced to repay the

library. (Don’t tell the librari-an, but I still have the book, aprecious souvenir for all itsnot-too-graphic black-and-white photos). It was what gotme to drive the family Packardover 13,000 miles to just aboutevery state west of Detroit dur-ing the summer of 1930 whenI was only fifteen (you couldget a drivers’ license at four-teen, and I did the day of myfourteenth birthday, thoughI’d been practicing in city

News from an Old GradAn open letter to the DCDS student body from Dr. Armand E. Singer ‘31

Editor’s note: Dr. Singer has been a professor atWest Virginia University since

1940. He was Chair of the Program for the Humanities, WVU, 1963-72. He

is the author or editor of some twenty books on literature and philately and

several hundred articles on literature, philately, education, and travel.

Excerpt from the DCDS1930 yearbook.

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DR.ARMANDSINGER 29

alleys since just before I was twelve).My elderly grandmother, who didn’tdrive, and I had quite an adventure.Tires blew usually one a day, a lot ofthe roads were dirty and impossiblyslippery in wet weather and a baretwo lanes wide.

We encountered many a dubioustourist home and car repair shop.I repeated the experience just lastsummer with my equallyelderly wife, and it was almost eerieto relive a seventy-five year oldmemory. Tijuana hasn’t changed verymuch in three quarters of a century,or the vastness of the western peaksand forests, but my Mercury Cougar2000 enjoyed those blacktops andwhere the older roads were rerouted,the interstates.

Students, alums, parents and friendsof Country Day, I’ve managed tohave a full life as a professor of thehumanities at West VirginiaUniversity, and as you can see,rounded it out with travel and climb-ing. I’ve even had great satisfaction asa philatelist (or, “overly dedicatedstamp collector”), writing booksabout stamp collecting, along withmore on cultural subjects, and a slewof articles on teaching and literature.I owe a lot of it to DCDS (and, asyou will, to the college it helped getme into). All I can hope for at this farend of my span is that you will takeas much or more from your schoolexperiences, get as good a life as I’veenjoyed—no, even more. I trust youdeserve it. And your school is theperfect place to try your wingsand soar.”

DCDS Hockey 1930-31

Front Row: Carl Hicks ‘33, Armand Singer ‘31 (manager), Richard Dawson ‘32 (cap-tain), Jay Robison ‘33, R. Stephens

Back row: Joseph McArthur ‘32, CashTalbot, Jr. ‘32, Gordon Pegall

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BEEHIVE 30

1979

1989

1984

1994

1999

19991999

1979

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19941994

19891989

19791979

CLASSREUNIONS 31

reunionsclass

Far Left:

1994 Maggie (Knight) Barber ’94, Andrea(Bologna) Barringer ’94 and friend are allsmiles at the 1994 class reunion this fall.

1999 Jennifer McGrath ’99,Tanzalea Smith’99, Autumn Bentley ’99, Kevin Richards ’99and friend join in the fun at the WoodwardAvenue Brewery on November 26.

1999 Brett Kaplan ’99, Katie Veraldi ’99,Milan Parekh ’99, Matt Cowles ’99 and AlexWagner ’99 drink a toast to the last five years atthe 1999 class reunion.

Center:

1979 Keith Mohn ‘79 and wife Lisa enjoytheir 25th reunion at the Big Rock Chop Houseon October 9 with Susan Randall ’79, DesireeMehrabian ’79, Pete Pendray ’79 and SteveEpstein ’79.

1989 Ken Frescoln ’89, Rachele (Szot)Lyngklip ’89 and PaulWasson ’89 share alaugh at the 1989 class reunion.

1984 The class of 1984 reunited at Buca diBeppo on October 8. Back row: Drew Shell’84,Thomas Kern ’84, Donna Greenbury ’84,Rich Goldberg ’84, John Matthews ’84, RickSuckiewicz ’84 and Todd Moilanen ’84.Middle: David Jacobson ’84, Peter Lee ’84,Lisa (Zevallos) Grauman ’84, Susan Crawford

’84 and AlanTong ’84. Front: BetsyThomas’84, Maher Ali-Owens ’84, Maureen O’ReillyBaudhuin ’84 and Marie Lundkvist Landfors’84.

Right:

1979 Brothers Tom Stulberg ’79 and DanStulberg ’81 take a break for a snapshot withPaul Van Antwerp ‘79 at the 1979 reunion.

1989 Marlo (Boesky) Scott ’89, Kelly(Schaefer) Shetterly ’89 and SimoneGranville-Pacely ’89 catch up at the 1989reunion.

1989 The class of 1989 celebrated 15 years atthe Beverly Hills home of Kelly (Schaefer)Shetterly ‘89 on October 9. From left: SimoneGranville-Pacely ’89, Nester Deocampo ’89,Ken Burk ’89, Scott Shaw ’89, David Hoffa ’89and Michelle (Carter) Tarkanyi ’89.

1994 Neera (Mehta) Shah ’94 and ReubenColeman ’94 celebrate their 10-year reunion atthe Woodward Avenue Brewery in Ferndale onOctober 9.

Above:

1984 David Jacobson ’84 gets a squeezefrom Maher Ali-Owens ’84 at the1984 reunion.

New friends were made and old ones reacquaintedat this year’s Detroit Country Day School class reunions.

Members of the classes of ’79, ’84, ’89, ’94, ‘99 joined the events,celebrating the past and catching up on the present.Our Alumni Office was on hand to snap these shots.

1984

1989

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BEEHIVE 32

POLO

Top Right: The 2004Homecoming weekend this pastOctober 8-9 set the scene for somefriendly athletic competition amongYellowjackets past and present.Here, the alumni polo team cele-brates the win.

SOCCER

Center Right: It was brotheragainst brother in the alumni soccergame. Ryan Ohlgart ’02 came outto play for the alumni side whileyounger brother ChristopherOhlgart ’06 held his own on thestate championship DCDS men’svarsity squad.

FIELD HOCKEY

Far Right: Desiree Mehrabian’79 takes a shot in the alumni fieldhockey game.

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ALUMNISPORTS 33

Alumni Sports FALL2004

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alumni classnotes

BEEHIVE 34

1931

Armand Singer still writes, teachesand lectures as a humanities professor.He is extremely active athletically, andhas climbed several peaks including Mt.Fuji and Mt. Everest. Most recently, heclimbed 7,700 feet in Switzerland andenjoyed a parachute jump this summer.For more information, see his story inthis issue of BeeHive on page 28.

1943

As one of two winners of the 1941Detroit Country Day School ScholarshipCup, JeremyT. Ball's name was mis-takenly left off the cup for many years.The school is pleased to announced thathis name will be added to the cup (whichis now known as the White ScholarshipCup) along with the name of his co-win-ner,Mr. Louis Sissman '43.

After his junior year at Country Day,Mr. Ball went on to the University ofRochester, then to Cornell University.He also was trained as a Naval officer.Today, he is a proud Country Daygrandfather of third-grader JeremyRocco Ball '14.

1947

Frazer MacKenzie retired two yearsago. He and his wife, Joan, are buildinga house in Prescott, Ariz. They will benear the families of their three sons,Robert ‘80, Keith ‘82 and John ‘85.Frazer and Joan are the proudgrandparents of eight!

1956

James Hawn is currently serving asGrand Commander of the GrandCommandery Knights Templar ofMichigan. The Knights Templar arethe Christian branch of the Masonicfraternity. Jim and his wife, Shirley, havebeen residents of Novi since 1968 andtheir four children (Lisa, Kelly, Kathyand Eric) are graduates of Novi HighSchool. Jim taught mathematics,computers and driver's education atCherry Hill High School for 25 years,and finished his teaching career atWayne Memorial High School, retiringin June, 1995 after 33 years of teaching.Jim has been a member of the EpiscopalChurch of the Redeemer in Southfieldsince 1960, where he has been a LayReader since 1962 and Treasurer since1975. Jim became a Master Mason in1987 and it has been his full-timevocation since retirement. Jim's themefor his year as Grand Commander is"be visible" based on Matthew 5:16 "Letyour light so shine before men, that theymay see your good works, and glorifyyour Father, which is in heaven."

1958

Thomas Garner writes, “A year agomy wife and I moved to Shanty CreekGolf Resort in Bellaire, Mich. I havecontinued my Financial Services practicefrom my new world headquarters inBellaire and still maintain an office inDearborn.

Jon Kingsepp was recently elected fora second time as the chairperson of theSenior Lawyers Section of the MichiganState Bar for 2004 and 2005.

1967

Edward Hru writes, “As you may haveread or seen on TV, Orlando had tocontend with four hurricanes this year.I am happy to report that with theexception of the loss of three trees,Patty and I went unscathed.”

1971

Ronald Leach recently left the practiceof law and graduated in May from theUniversity of North Carolina with aMaster’s in Library and InformationScience. He now works as an archivistfor the State of North Carolina.

1973

Wayne Slomiany writes, “I haverecently enjoyed hearing the advertise-ments for Detroit Country Day’s openhouse on the radio. It reminds me ofthe ‘small school’ that I attended quitesome time ago. And we were a smallschool, the class of 1973 was 37students! I am continuing my ‘mid-lifecrisis’ and should be completing myMaster’s in Theological Studies in May.It was either going back to school orbuying a Harley. I think I made thebetter choice.

I was very saddened to hear of thepassing of Dr. Schlegel. His exampleof sacrifice for others and dedication tothe formation of our youth shouldcontinue to call all of us on.Go Yellowjackets!”

1974

Harry Davis is the director of "MVP,"a film featuring Tony Small's (WoodHarris) rite of passage into the reality ofmanhood. Set against Detroit's diversesocio-economic African Americancommunity, the film follows Tony as hisupwardly mobile dreams are threatenedwhen his only sister, Nia's (N'BusheWright) boyfriend, the notoriousReginald King, a.k.a. "Big Boy" ischarged with a heinous murder.

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1975

Kevin Butterfield is an attorney andpartner at the law firm of Haywood,Denny and Miller, L.L.P. in Durham,North Carolina. He is married toMarion Isbey Butterfield. She is adoctor of psychiatry affiliated withVeteran’s Hospital and Duke UniversityHospital. They have two children,Corrie (eight) and Jack (five).

1977

Jeffrey Collins was recentlyappointed partner at Foley & LardnerL.L.P. in Detroit.

Robert Levy sold his company after afour-year employment contract expired.He is now CEO and partner of HilloIndustrial LLC, specializing in valuationand the sale of business assets throughauctions and liquidation on a globalbasis.

1979

John Genga writes, "We were at aparty a couple of months ago whensomeone fired up the karaoke machine.Our three year old son Jacob grabbedthe mike and belted out the nationalanthem. Everyone was blown away, andseveral suggested that we try to get himto sing at a Laker game. We were kindof hesitant, because we didn’t want toput that much pressure on Jacob, but hesaid he really wanted to do it. So, wemade a video of him singing, sent it into the Lakers and the Clippers, and theClippers called us. Jacob sang at theStaples Center in Los Angeles before theLos Angeles Clippers and the New

ALUMNICLASSNOTES 35

alumniclass

notes

Orleans Hornets NBA game on October24, 2004. He did a great job, and thecrowd loved it, cheering him all the waythrough the song. Pretty neat, huh?"

1980

David Casper writes, “Since 2001, I’vebeen a physics professor at the Universityof California, Irvine. My field ofresearch is elementary particles, inparticular a particle called the neutrino.In 1998, an experiment I worked on inJapan discovered that neutrinos havemass, confirming the results of my PhDthesis. Prior to moving to UC Irvine,I worked for six years at CERN, inGeneva Switzerland, where theWorldwide Web was invented. I nowdivide my research time between Japanand a particle accelerator outsideChicago.” Dave resides in LagunaBeach, California on the ocean.

1981

Sunita Sarin Przybylo writes thatshe and her husband and childrenEmma (two), and Alex (four) moved toCharlotte, N.C. in May. Her husbandPhil works for Britax Child Safety therewhile Sunita is looking for part-timepediatric work. She writes, “Right nowI am quite busy being mom.”

1982

Chava (Stacie)Schiff Bahlewrites, “Things herecontinue to be great;Congregation AhavatShalom is growing.Our meditation andretreat center isthriving; all is well!”

Howard Jacobson was recentlynamed to the Crain’s Detroit Business“Forty Under Forty” list for the acquisi-tion, redevelopment and remarketingof the former Canton Commons intoMeadowood Townhomes. “What I’vefound in the time that I’ve been doingthis is that opportunities arise, and youcan either grab them or just hold towhat you know right now. And we’realways looking to grow our corporateknowledge,” said Howard. He isprincipal and managing partnerof Jacobson Bros. L.L.C., an apartmentownership and management firm inBirmingham which he started withbrother David Jacobson ‘84 in 1997.

Lisa Mancini Saunders continuesto reside in Orlando, Fla. with herhusband, Bart, and three daughtersAlexis Grace (eight), Haley Elizabeth(six), and Sydney Faith (two). She andher husband are both attorneys practic-ing law in Orlando. Lisa writes, “Hopeto make it to our 25th reunion tosee everyone!”

1983

David Albrecht writes, “In highschool, I played for Coach Bartoshuk’sfirst soccer state championship team -I still play on an over-30 team. I am achemical engineer in Minnesota, whereI live with my wife Cheryl and two kidsKatrina (12) and Henry (nine). Westill visit the Detroit area once or twicea year.”

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alumni classnotes

BEEHIVE 36

AnthonyVolpe writes, “On July 16,I got married to Karin Marke inDanville, California (just outside ofSan Francisco). We moved to a newhouse and are happily living inOakland, California.

Keith Duncan writes, “My wifeAshlyn and I recently bought a house inHockessin, Delaware. Ashlyn is a middleschool teacher and I am a biologist forDuPont. I am also the goalkeeping coachfor the University of Delaware Men’sDivision I soccer team. I’m online [email protected].

Susan Stremler-Hines writes,"I happily announce my marriage toWilliam R. Hines, Sr. on June 12, 2004.We reside in Milan, Mich."

1984

Sirasa Surakomol Schonder hasthree beautiful children: Sara (six) Tessie(four), and P.J. (two). Her husband is acardiologist, Dr. John Schonder, andthey reside in Kalamazoo.

1985

Verena Buschman Phillips writes,“I am still living outside of Chicago, inWilmette. My daughter Piper is four,son Robby is two and Conner justturned six months this fall. Life gets alittle crazy once in a while, running

after these three! They are involved inGerman, gymnastics, ballet andpreschool, etc. (Piper especially is doinggreat with her German. They nowofficially understand and speak moreGerman than my husband). Whenthat gets too much for me to handle Iecape to my dental office and performcosmetic dentistry and full-mouthreconstructions. It’s a great balance.I always love hearing from old friends.E-mail me at [email protected].”

1986

Pamela Belyn writes, “My husband,Steve and I live in Chicago with ourdaughter, Hannah (two). Hannah isquite the busy chatter box, but we loveit. I am enjoying the practice of lawwith a Health Care boutique specializingin physician representation.”

Dr. Shella Farook writes, "My hus-band, Jim Homsy and I are still living inDublin, Ohio. We have one child, ourtwo-year-old daughter Alyssa Rose. Wework for ProSan Imaging in Cincinnati.Jim is medical director for the severalMRI scanners in the Columbus area,and I read musculoskeletal MRI fromour home."

Dr. Robert Roth is a general/traumasurgeon in Tampa, Fla. where he resideswith his wife Emily M. Tatum, whomhe married on Oct. 1, 2003.

DawnVassel writes, "Our family wasvery excited this fall when our daughterJolie began pre-k3 at DCDS! After 18years, I was reunited with Sue Marcotte'86, whose son Ryan is also in pre-k3.Now, Sue is our family dentist (and thebest dentist we've ever had!) It has beena wonderful experience coming homeagain."

1987

Lara (Fetsco) Phillip writes, "Imarried Lincoln Phillip on August 4,2001 and we had a daughter, Lauren,two years later on August 4, 2003. Wemoved back to Michigan on St. Patrick'sday of this year and I am now workingas an attorney at Honigman MillerSchwartz & Cohn LLP."

Pamela McCree Sampson writes,"As of July 24, 2004, I am now Mrs.Pamela McCree Sampson, married toRev. Dr. Frederick George Sampson,III."

Kajsa Ferding Backby has beenmarried to Mikael Backby since 1996.The couple has two children, Casper(seven) and Isac (three). They reside inSweden, where Kajsa is a presidentialassistant at ABB Power Technologies.

Robert Conway and his wifeMaribeth Knight announced the birthof their daughter Alexis Knight Conwayon August 17, 2004. Alexis weighed inat 6 lbs, 3 oz. and was 20 inches long.Rob is managing the Michigan marketfor Radian Guaranty, Inc.

Steven Glinski and his wife recentlybecame the parents of a new baby.

1988

James Green is currently an attorneypracticing civil litigation in SantaMonica, Calif. His son Joseph startedkindergarten in September. Jamesreports that he has scheduled a mid-lifecrisis for next year and will keep usposted.

Arveen BhasinThethi writes,"I finished my fellowship inAllergy/Immunology at the Mayo Clinicand am now in private practice inWashington, D.C. My husband and Iare the proud parents of a beautifulbaby boy. Sahib is nine months oldand the light of our lives."

Sulee Stinson Clay gave birth toson Preston on September 14. Shewrites, “Like his sister, he looks justlike his dad.”

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ALUMNICLASSNOTES 37

alumniclass

notes

William Cook lives in Parker,Colorado with his wife Kim, daughterKiely (two) and son Tiernan (one yearold). He is a Master Sergeant in theU.S. Army Special Forces now servingin Iraq.

Kristen O’Reilly is now working forSt. Clair County, Mich. helping thecounty and municipalities meetEnvironmental Protection Agencyregulations that are aimed at protectingand improving the quality of lakes,streams, creeks, rivers and drains alongLake Huron, the St. Clair River, andLake St. Clair. She lives along the St.Clair River in Port Huron now andenjoys sailing, windsurfing, hiking,and skiing. She enjoyed seeing all thealums at last year’s reunion and wouldlove to hear from you if you happen tobe in town or want to go for a sail.

Scott Small’s son Jacob Henry Smallwas born on Jan. 31, 2004.

Lara HonosWebb writes, “I have abook “The Gift of ADHD: How toTransform Your Child’s Problem’s intoStrengths” coming out in March of 2005by New Harbinger Publishers and I havea baby due in February. Also, this isn’tfor sure yet, but Newsweek has beendoing a story on my ADHD book andit may be in the Society section in thenext few weeks.”

1989

Mridu Gulati writes, "My husband,Vikram Bhaskar, and I had a beautifulbaby boy, Armaan Shiv Bhaskar, onMarch 30, 2004.”

Keith Albertie writes, “Things aregreat with Jackie and I. Our kids, Gretaand Emma, are now two years old anddoing well. We are working on theirtennis stroke for the DCDS tennis schol-arship! They have been saying all kindsof words lately...we are trying to teachthem the DCDS chant. Jackie and I

will be going to L.A. again this year forthe Oscars. May be we’ll see the groupat the DCDS L.A. get together again?

My father passed away in June, so thingshave been busy at work. Business isgreat, and growing at a steady pace (any-one want to buy some oil?). On the sideI just recently completed a screenplaythat I am shopping around with my L.A.contacts (‘The A-List’). Keep yourfingers crossed. Jackie is still working atMars Advertising in Southfield, anddoing well. We still are very close withDerek Rundell ‘89, who is living inL.A. still.

Annalisa Behling recently becameengaged when her boyfriend proposedin London. A fall 2005 wedding isplanned, after which she will relocateacross the pond from her Ann Arborhome.

Andrew Cook is the Mazda sales teammanager at Bill Cook Imports in BeverlyHills, Mich. He lives in Birmingham,Mich. with his wife, Elizabeth and thecouple’s two children - son, Riley (two)and daughter Ellie, who is almost oneyear old.

Joseph D’Angelo writes, “We hadour third child, Charlie, on August 30.Madeline is now four and Joey is two. Ialso purchased a company, AcornKitchen and Bath, on Telegraph Road inPontiac. We are a kitchen and bathwholesaler and retailer. We have over60,000 square feet of showroom,corporate office and warehousing.”

Stephanie Lataif writes, “I returnedfrom my honeymoon this fall and withintwo weeks, I found out that I’m preg-nant, expecting in June. So, within sevenmonths, I met and married the man ofmy dreams, and am now expecting.How’s that for making up for lost time?”

Amara Surakomol Prior writes,“I’ve recently gotten married. My hus-band’s name is Don Prior and we weremarried on June 12, 2004 in Ypsilantiand honeymooned in Hawaii. We areliving in Ann Arbor.”

Amy Carson Schlussel and husbandJeff welcomed a daughter, LindsayMadeline, on August 14. Lindsayjoins brother Jacob (two).

RJThompson and wife Jill welcomedthe birth of their first child, Kiera LouiseThompson, on July 28 in Singapore.Unfortunately, their days in Asia arecoming to a close as they will be movingto London in January where RJ willassume the role of Global Head ofAlternative Structured Products forABN-AMRO’s Financial MarketsDivision.

The Cook clan at Harsen’s Island,Labor Day 2004. (L - R) Drew ’89, Bill’88, Bill, Anthony ’94 and Ryan ’97.

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alumni classnotes

BEEHIVE 38

1990

Jason Hillman writes, "My wife and Iran the Detroit marathon in October,and at about the 19 mile mark, we raninto a certain DCDS marathoner...Mr.Glen Shilling!"

James Hurst writes, “I got a new jobat www.inquira.com as a Senior BusinessDevelopment representative. It’s notthat exciting but the technology is.We have clients like AT&T, Bank ofAmerica, T-Mobile, Yahoo, Honda andPayPal, using our search and self-servicesupport software applications. I’m also ahomeowner of a rental property indowntown Detroit! My tenants justmoved in after a $50k top-to-bottom18-month remodel.

I recently saw Jen Cantwell ‘90 inAustin. She’s doing great and has a cutedog. I also got a call from Ernest Mac‘90 and Aaron Klein ‘90 one night.They Googled my name after seeing mein the BeeHive!”

Tamara Lindgren Saunders writes,"Leon and I became proud parents of ababy girl, Savanna, on March 26, 2003.We have sold the home that we builtthree years ago, and are currently remod-eling a new home which is closer toLeon's work so that he has more timewith our growing family.

We are expecting another child inJanuary and I am looking forward to thetime I will have with my children nowthat I am a stay-at-home mother. Leon,Savanna and I traveled to Las Vegas inSeptember to attend Shannon (Curtis)Ferguson's '90 wedding. YvaShenouda '90 was also there, alongwith Alice Dickens '90 who was themaid of honor."

Jennifer Cantwell writes, “I movedfrom New York City to Austin, Texas inearly 2002, and I’m contracting as an ITProject Manager. After designing formyself for many years, I decided to startmy own small business. I create jewelryusing semi-precious stones and sterlingsilver wire. You can find out more onmy web site at: http://jencantwell.com.”

On a weekend in October, Ian Ellisonflew down to Los Angeles from his homein Berkeley, Calif. to hang out with fel-low alums Tim Stough ‘90 andKathryn Lucas ‘90, both of whomlive in the L.A. area. Tim and Kathyintroduced Ian to Roscoe’s Chicken ‘n’Waffles, an L.A. institution. (Yes, thechicken and waffles are on the sameplate!) After a weekend that also includ-ed dinner in Little Ethiopia, an all-you-can-eat Tibetan lunch buffet, and lots ofbeer, Ian was shipped back to the BayArea aboard a cargo jet, as he hadbecome too engorged to fit into thestandard seat of a passenger airliner.Thankfully, he has since made afull recovery.

Shannon Curtis Ferguson writes,“I was married to Michael Ferguson onSeptember 5, 2004. Alice Dickens‘90 and Kristen Curtis Swan ‘95were in my wedding party. Kristen camewith her husband, Nick Swan. YvetteShenouda ‘90 and TamaraLindgren Saunders ‘90 along withher husband Leon Saunders and daugh-ter, Savanna, also attended the event.We were wed in Las Vegas, Nevada andhad a fantastic time!

1991

Kari (Grosinger) Alterman writes,"My husband Eddie and I are the proudparents of two girls, Noa (three) andAdina, almost one year. I'm a fundraiserfor the Jewish Federation, and love whatI do. We have another 'baby' too, amagazine named MPH that is now onnewsstands. It's kind of a Maxim meetsCar & Driver piece - go out and buy it!(But beware: it is a little racy, pardon thepun!) MPH magazine hit newsstandsthroughout the country on October 5th.Check it out online at www.mphmagazi-neonline.com.

I still talk to JulieTaras '91, JessicaThomas '91 andWendy Goldberg'91. Also recently ran into JasonHillman '90 this week, and often seeLori Kaftan Barron '89 and AmyCarson Schlussel '89.

Kayla Marie Bowles was recently born toAlvin Bowles and his wife, Terri.

Timothy Carvell recently won anEmmy Award for Outstanding Writingfor a Variety, Music or Comedy Series onComedy Central’s “The Daily Showwith Jon Stewart.”

Shalini Chandra writes, “I will finishmy fourth and final year of residency ininternal medicine/pediatrics at theDetroit Medical Center in June 2005.(Finally!) Meanwhile, I have been work-ing on several creative endeavors. I wasvery proud and honored to have my firstplay, ‘A Three Three Story’ produced atthe Natural History Smithsonian BairdAuditorium as part of the South AsianLiterature and Theater Festival onNovember 20, 2004.”

Catherine Donkers writes, “ I wasmarried a few years ago and recentlymoved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas;we much prefer the latter. Our daughterturned two years old this fall.We’ve been teaching her sign languaugesince six months old to ease her ability

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to communicate prior to the develop-ment of her verbal skills. At 18 monthsold, she could already make about 40signs, and she recognizes and under-stands about three times that many.Now, at two years of age, she has morethan doubled the signs she can make,and teaching her a new sign takes verylittle effort.”

Wendy Goldberg recently signedwith the William Morris Agency in NewYork City, who will represent her workas a director. American TheatreMagazine recently featured Wendy andcalled her “one of the most promisingtheatre artists working today.” Thoughbased in Washington, D.C., where sherecently bought a condo, she continuesto travel all over the country directingand developing new projects for thestage. She also has also been invited tospeak as a guest lecturer in graduate pro-grams at some of the top theater pro-grams in the U.S., including BrownUniversity, UC-San Diego, Duke, andthe Yale School of Drama. She remainsthe Artistic Associate at Arena Stage inWashington, D.C. where she will directEdward Albee’s new play in March. Andlastly, she recently enjoyed a great mealat fellow class of ‘91 alum JulieTaras’‘91 new restaurant Littlegiant in NewYork City.

David Kuhn writes, “Our son Andrewturned one year old in November. Su-Yen, Andrew, and I moved to Bostonthis past summer where the Navy issending me to MIT to study NavalArchitecture. We recently attended theweddings of Laura Alantas ‘91 andBryan Chen ‘91.”

Laura Alantas Pace writes, “OnSaturday, October 9, 2004, I married awonderful, intelligent, funny mannamed Chris Pace. Chris and I met twoand a half years ago - on a blind date!

We both work for Sprint. Chris is alabor and employment attorney. I am inan executive development program thatoffers me the opportunity to take jobrotations across the company. We weremarried in Mission, Kansas, a suburb ofKansas City, where we live. Our churchceremony was followed by a receptionwith dinner and dancing and six - yes,six - wedding cakes. There were severalDCDers in attendance. My matron ofhonor was my best friend, Preeti(Garg) Schaden ‘91. Celebratingwith us were Tim Carvell ‘91, DavidKuhn ‘91 and Susan (Wolf) Ditkoff‘91 - who was nine months pregnantbut still was able to travel from Bostonto be with us!

Because Neomi Rao ‘91 now livesin London, England with her husbandAlan and young daughter Isabella, shewas not able to join us. However, she,Alan and Isabella happened to bevacationing in Sicily at the same timethat we took our honeymoon. So, thefive of us had a very pleasant lunchin Taormina, Italy celebrating ourwedding and meeting Isabella.”

1992

SapnaVyas was married in Novemberto her fiancé, Sundeep, who is fromEngland. The two not only had a wed-ding in Michigan, but also celebratedtheir marriage in England and in India.

AaronWorsham writes, "This yearI started working full time for myown company, Dynalink(www.dynalinkweb.com), a webdevelopment and network consultingfirm. My wife and I started the businesseight years ago and it has grown slowlybut steadily since. Best part of workingfor myself is the extra time I get to spendwith my three year old daughter,Rachael."

Paul Brodhead writes, “The MarginalProphets, a band I managed for threeyears and recently left (on good terms),won Outstanding Rap Album at thisyear’s California Music Awards! Theybeat out music industry heavyweightsAceyalone, E-40, Too $hort, Paris, andIce Cube’s Westside Connection. Thankyou to everyone who took the time tovote for The M.P.’s. This is a vindicationof all of my hard work, and furthermore,shows that independent music can andwill find a mass audience. Thanks againfor the support.”

Vijay Singh recently started a familymedicine residency program at UCLA.

1993

Rajat Deo married Arati Desai on May23, 2004 at a spectacular traditionalIndian ceremony in her hometown ofLexington, Ky. Tony Kanluen '93,Edy Kim '93, and Peter Lin '92celebrated with Rajat.

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Suzan Asbahi writes, “I am the moth-er of two beautiful girls, Ayah and Sofia.We moved to Dubai, U.A.E. where myhusband practices law. I spent ninemonths there and the summers back inMichigan. We are having a wonderfultime in Dubai! Everyone is invited tovisit and have some fun cruising aroundthe beautiful desert. It’s absolutely amaz-ing and worth taking a trip out here.”

Tony Kanluen ‘93, Edy Kim ‘93,and Peter Lin ‘92 recently attended thewedding of Rajat Deo to Arati Desaion May 23, 2004 in Lexington, KY.

Steven Lepkowski writes, “On July9, 2004 I married Lisa Olstyn ’96 atthe Chapel of St. Hugo of the Hills inBloomfield Hills. The wedding partyincludedMichelle Giorgi ’96, NickGorga ’95, Lisa (Palko) Spiguel‘96, Joe Cassise ’96, JimSpadafore ’95, andMikeMacavage ’93. Many other DCDSgrads were in attendance making for areunion of friends. We spent our honey-moon in Europe traveling to Paris,France and Italy, visiting Venice, Romeand Capri.”

Stephen Myers writes, “My wifeHolly and I are living in Sausalito, Calif.I enjoy working in Sonoma with AlliedDomecq Wines as the Director ofMarket and Consumer Insights.”

Amy Underdown writes, “My broth-er, David Underdown ‘96 recruitedme to join him in running our familybusiness, Douglas Cleaners. It’s nowthird generation and my brother and Iare working very hard. We have manyDCDS alumni and families who comein regularly and it’s great to catch up onall the latest DCDS news. I’m at theOak Avenue and Old Woodward loca-tion so feel free to come in and sayhello!”

Greeshma RaiShetty writes, “We’revery excited to announce the arrival ofour son, Sachin, who was born on July3, 2004. Sachin’s already a NewEngland Patriots and Red Sox fan. Healso loves hanging out with his aunts,Samhitha Rai ‘04 andManishaShenava ‘04 - who are down the streetat Boston University!”

1994

Rosena Pitts is pursuing a Master's ofDivinity degree at United TheologicalSeminary in Dayton, Ohio. She isenjoying new career as a clergyperson,traveling across the country as speakerfor worship services, conferences andretreats.

John Cieszkowski married StephanieCram on August 28, 2004 in Cleveland,Ohio; classmate Tom Lall '94 wasbest man.

Anthony Cook graduated fromMichigan State University and is now afinancial consultant with ABN-AMROFinancial Services. He resides inRoyal Oak.

1995

AndreaTemple Lorey married EricLorey on June 20, 2003. They spent thesummer in France and Nova Scotia.

Elizabeth Khalil writes, “I’m stillin D.C., keeping busy as usual. I justfinished my second year as an attorneyfor the Office of the Comptroller ofthe Currency, which regulates nationalbanks. I’ve been working a lot on theregulations implementing the newamendments to the Fair CreditReporting Act. I’ve also been writingarticles for a number of differentnewspapers and magazines, includingWashingtonian Magazine and theWashington Post. And I’ve startedteaching aerobics.”

Christopher Nogoy writes, “Irecently graduated from the Master ofArchitecture program at UC Berkeleyreceiving the UC Alumni AssociationAward. I’m now living in San Franciscoworking for Zack de Vito Architecturewhile designing/building furniture andother objects through my own studio,Speedwobble, at night. This summer,my friend Jeff Jordan (University ofMichigan Architecture alum ‘99) and Idesigned and built the new trailheadstructure at the base of Mt. Whitney inthe Eastern Sierras of California for theNational Foreset Service.We led a team of friends in the front-country for two weeks building theproject while being attacked by blackbears only once! Mt. Whitney is thetallest summit in the lower 48 states andis hiked by thousands of mountainerseach year. The project may eventuallybe used by the Forest Service as a proto-type for other trailheads along the JohnMuir Trail. I’m learning how to use asurfboard but will always have my eyeout for those powder days this winter!You’re all invited if you want to comeand visit.”

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Maura Duggan Sanders and herhusband Todd celebrated their four-yearanniversary this past July and welcomeda baby girl (Morgan Mary DugganSanders) on February 19. She will bejoined by a baby brother or sister inApril. Maura writes, “We couldn’t bemore thrilled. Todd and I left Hawaiia little over a year ago and are now inMonterey, Calif. We will be here foranother year, then it’s off to WashingtonD.C. It will be nice to be a little closerto home for a change! I heard aboutCoach Orlando’s award and couldn’tbe more happy for him! I wish thatI could have been there to help himcelebrate.”

Steven Shapiro writes, “I work forSony Pictures Imageworks in CulverCity, Calif. doing visual effects work.I worked on Spiderman 2 when I firststarted and I just finished working onThe Polar Express (3D Imax version).My next project will be Ghost Rider, acomic book-based film with NicolasCage. It’s pretty exciting working inthe movies. It’s a very fast paced,interesting environment.”

GrahamThomas is living in Chicagoand working as a set designer for themusical Chicago, which is getting readyto launch the Canadian leg of its NorthAmerican tour. Prior to his foray intothe musical theater, Graham interned forOprah Winfrey’s Harpo productions andworked as an editorial assistant for OMagazine. Before leaving Harpo, hetraveled to Seattle with Oprah for a storyon the Starbucks phenomenon where heran into Todd Doonan ‘94, who isteaching pilates in the area.

KevinWallace currently is a seniorproject accountant at PepperConstruction in Chicago. He recentlybecame engaged to Jennifer Schaaf, asenior art director at Ryan Partnershipand fellow graduate of the University ofNotre Dame. The couple will marry inAugust 2005 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1996

Amber Sadiq Hassan writes "Myhusband and I are expecting a baby girlin February 2005."

Amit Doshi writes, “After gettingmarried in August, I will begin aJD/MBA joint program at HarvardBusiness School and Harvard LawSchool.

Albert Geldres graduated from theUniversity of Michigan in 2000 with aB.S. in mechanical engineering. Heworked for two years as design engineerat DaimlerChrylser AG in Auburn Hillsand now works as a Midwest engineeringsales manager in Chicago. Albert willbegin pursuing his MBA full time atNorthwestern’s Kellogg School ofManagement this fall.

Rebecca McLennan is currentlypursuing her teaching certificate atOakland University and recently becameengaged to Brian Barens, a seniorsupervisor at Kelly Services. An April2005 wedding is planned.

Rakesh Navuluri graduated fromBoston University School of Medicinein 2003 and now works as a residentphysician in diagnostic radiology.

On July 9, 2004, Lisa Olstyn marriedSteven Lepkowski ’93 at the Chapelof St. Hugo of the Hills in BloomfieldHills. The wedding party includedMichelle Giorgi ’96, Nick Gorga’95, Lisa (Palko) Spiguel ‘96, JoeCassise ’96, Jim Spadafore ’95,andMike Macavage ’93. Manyother DCDS grads also were in atten-dance making for a reunion of friends.The couple spent their honeymoon inEurope traveling to Paris, France andItaly, visiting Venice, Rome and Capri.

HelenWojciechowski Sernett wasmarried on Oct. 23 to Matthew Sernett.Jill Zimmer ‘96 was in the weddingparty. Helen writes, “I’ve taken Matt’slast name and we are pleased toannounce that we will continue to makeour home in the Seattle area.”

Stacy Shapiro writes, “In June I grad-uated from the University of Denverwith my Master’s degree in Educationand a 4.0 GPA. My focus strand wasaesthetic education, which basicallyincludes the arts into average education.As an elementary school teacher, thisproves to be very useful. I have alsobeen doing some side work as a stillphotographer, taking photographs ofbands. I recently enjoyed a three-weektrip to China and explored so much ofits amazing history and culture. I alsoremain active on numerous soccer andsand volleyball teams.”

1997

Korbi Ghosh just accepted a positionin Los Angeles with E! Online and E!News Live as a researcher and reporter,assisting Kristin Veitch, their televisionguru. Korbi is thrilled as she gets tocover all her favorite TV shows includingThe O.C., Gilmore Girls and DesperateHousewives!

Janet Blumenfeld writes, “I graduat-ed from Tufts University with a BSMEin 2001 and from the University ofMichigan with a MSBME in 2003. Iam currently working at General ElectricHealthcare in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.”

Emilie Brion is now working atParsons School of Art and Designin Paris as a student counselor for stu-dent services.

Angela Edison writes, “I graduatedfrom Michigan State University with aB.A. in accounting in 2001 and workedas a tax accountant in Chicago forPricewaterhouseCoopers. In 2003, Imoved to Los Angeles, where I currentlyreside and work as a tax accountant for aFortune 500 company. I am currentlystudying for the CPA exam and pursuinga Master’s of science in taxation.

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medical student at the University ofCincinnati and Kristen studies at theLaw School.

1998

Allison Green Klein writes, “Imarried Eric Klein, a fellow Yalie, inMichigan on August 1, 2004. Wekept busy this summer between thewedding and moving from Los Angelesto Washington, D.C., where I havestarted work with a non-profitorganization dealing with health careaccreditation and quality issues.”

Kimberly Ellsworth writes, “I’mstill active in the University of MichiganAlumni Band. I recently accepted aposition on the U of M Alumni BandBoard of Directors. I couldn’t attend theCountry Day homecoming because Iwas back on the field marching at Uof M’s homecoming. One of the perks ofmarching with the Alumni Band is get-ting to watch the game from the side-lines. This year I was able to get a pic-ture with ‘Goldy,’ The Universityof Minnesota’s mascot. It was an awe-some comeback game for Michigan andan instant classic. U of M of course wonthe game. Go Blue! Go Jackets!”

Ten months have passed sinceNikoletta (Nicole) Kanakis hasenlisted in the U.S. Air Force. She iscurrently stationed in Tokyo, Japanworking as a video producer/editor forthe Air Force’s Combat Camera team.She writes, “I had originally thoughtabout joining the Air Force as an officer,but the officer jobs just weren’t appeal-ing. So, I decided to enlist and got anamazing job as a videographer.”Nikoletta has not yet decided if she isgoing to make a career out of the AirForce, but while she is stationed in Japanshe intends to travel East Asia on thecheap. Her first stop is Beijing, China,at the end of November.

Nicole Mechigian writes, “I haverecently returned from vacationing inMadrid and Paris with my boyfriend.We spent ten of the most wonderfuldays in romantic cities celebrating ourone-year anniversary. I am also nowenrolled full-time at a private universityand plan to graduate with my Bachelor’sdegree in health care services. Being aDCDS graduate, I realize the impor-tance of a private school education.Unfortunately, I was side-tracked for anumber of years, but am now doing verywell with my challenging courses. I amalso currently in my third year of assist-ing my father, a podiatrist, at his officein Northville. I am leading a busy andwonderful life!”

Katrina Melonakos writes, “Aftergraduating in February of 2002 with mydegree in Communication Arts with aconcentration in Musical TheaterPerformance, I am nowpursuing a bachelor’s of science degree innursing at University of Michigan.I really enjoying working with familiesand children and hope to begin mycareer in pediatric nursing. I will begraduating (again) in April, 2005.”

1999

Matthew Lambert is working onthe site of a new town with the worldrenowned architecture and planning firmDPZ & Co., where he has beenemployed for four years. He is

Alicia Burg Bolin married JoshBolin on June 19, 2004 inIndianapolis.

Ryan Cook graduated from DenisonUniversity and is now a sales associatefor www.stoneage.com. He resides inRoyal Oak.

Erica Donerson writes, “Thismonth, I got a promotion at my TVstation WNEM-TV5 in Saginaw,Mich. I was promoted from weekendmorning anchor/reporter to weekdaymorning anchor/reporter and noonanchor. Less than a year ago, I movedback to Michigan from Tennessee. Ispent two years in Chattanooga work-ing as a general assignment reporter. Itis so nice to be back in my home state,closer to my DCDS friends.”

Nicole Karchon has accepted a newposition in marketing and will bemoving to London in January.

Christopher Kobet graduated fromthe University of Michigan in 2001.In July 2002, he was married to fellowMichigan grad, Kristen Piangozza inOyster Bay, New York. ChrisSellers ‘97 served as best man at thewedding on Long Island. Chris andKristen reside happily in Cincinnati,Ohio where Chris is a third year

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currently finishing dual majors ofarchitecture and computer scienceand is the Vice President of the Studentsfor the New Urbanism, a new proactivestudent organization which seeks to revi-talize the SNU organization as a nationalentity. He writes that this school yearhas been dedicated to the investigationof cul-de-sacs as his thesis project forMagna Cum Laude undergraduatehonors.

Rebecca Lewis writes, “Sincegraduating from law school I havestarted working for LexisNexis legalpublishers in London. If anyone is inLondon I would love to catch up.”

JenniferThomas made the Dean’sList for her senior year and graduatedin 2004 from the University of NorthCarolina. In June, she was named to theNational Dean’s List, an honor awardedto just one half of one percent of ournation’s college students. She now worksas an intern for Fox 2 Sports in Atlanta,focusing on AAC coverage.

AlexanderWagner ’s photographywas on display at the Oneline Gallery inAnn Arbor, Mich. from Oct. 8 - Nov. 8.His work can be found online atwww.lexgraphy.com.

Kevin Zanjani writes, “In December2002, I completed the BSE ElectricalEngineering from the University ofMichigan, Ann Arbor. In 2003, Irelocated to Orange County, southernCalifornia where I am a fellowshipstudent at the University of Californiaat Irvine. In June 2005, I will havecompleted the MS in EECS and mythesis work will have looked at how RFenergy can be used with microthermaldevices to treat cancers, non-invasively.The Southland has treated me very well.My friends and I enjoy both going tothe beach and also speed boating inSan Diego’s Mission Bay. It’s nearlyimpossible to get bored out here, theregion is busy with activity and manycareer opportunities abound. I hopeto see more Country Day alumniout here soon!”

2000

B.J. Harmon recently joined theMBA/J.D. program at the Universityof Michigan.

Ellen Hector writes, “Currently, I amliving in California doing an internshipwith the United States Marine Corps ina sports medicine/rehabilitation clinic onCamp Pendleton. This will continueuntil my graduation in December fromCentral Michigan University. Afterward,I plan to attend graduate school forphysical therapy.”

Alison Jacob graduated fromWorcester Polytechnic Institute inMay with her Bachelor’s of Sciencedegree in biomedical engineering.She was accepted to graduate school atTulane University, where she is in herfirst year as a Ph.D. student. She isexcited to begin her dissertation researchin cell and tissue engineering.

Shabina Khatri writes, “I graduatedfrom the University of Michigan inAnn Arbor in May, with dual Bachelor’sdegrees in Arts (Spanish) and BusinessAdministration. I now work as aneditor in the Wall Street Journal’sDetroit Bureau.”

Upon her graduation from NYU,Stefenie Sasson’s film “As DaylightBreaks” was screened on Capitol Hill atthe Library of Congress in Washington,D.C. by Senator Hillary RodhamClinton in a campaign for gene therapyand stem cell research. Stefenie hasrecently accepted a position withSotheby’s in New York City.

2001

After a lengthy stint as president of theStanford Republicans, Laurel Robertssecured a prestigious InvestmentBanking job at Goldman Sachs ofmoney. She is currently engaged toCharles Perrins IV, heir of the Lea-Perrins Worcestershire sauce fortune,with whom she hopes to have manyhealthy babies. Her hobbies includepolo, francophilia and apres skiing.

LaurenWolfe is having fun at SmithCollege where she is the Senior ClassPresident and the President of theCollege Democrats of Massachusetts.

2002

Erin Kobet is a junior at theUniversity of Michigan majoring inpolitical science. This past summershe interned with Bush-Cheney ‘04 andparticipated on the team which plannedand executed President Bush’s visits toMarquette and Traverse City, Mich.The highlight of her summer came inJuly when she was selected to greet andchat briefly with President Bush when hearrived in Detroit on Air Force One.

Katherine Rhodes writes, “I am amember of Delta Gamma, a nationalsorority, and am currently a vice presi-dent of the Eta Zeta Chapter here atthe University of Chicago. I also playVarsity softball, and we ended last yearranked eleventh in the nation. Beyondthat, I am a political science major, andI plan to graduate in 2006 and goto law school.”

StevenWine spent the summerinterning in Auburn Hills at a Germanautomotive supplier where he workedprimarily on an online database used totrack costs and engineering informationfor tools and parts. He writes, “I’ve beengrinding it out these past couple of yearsdown at the University of Texas as well.”

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2003

Jessica Givan writes, "I am a 4.0sophomore at UDM, and a film major. Iam currently working on my first film inwhich I am the director, scriptwriter,cameraperson and editor. The story is are-enactment of the Heaven's Gate cultmass suicide with sociological theoriesdealt with in flashbacks. I am also get-ting funding for my first documentaryabout the homeless population inDetroit. I am part of the study abroadprogram and will be attending OxfordUniversity in Oxford, England for threeweeks this summer. I will be studyingthe English way of communicating indebates, public speaking andadvertising."

Beth Adelson is enjoying her sopho-more year at the University of Michigan.She was inducted into the Kappa PhiLambda Sorority last spring and current-ly serves as the chair for the CommunityService and Sister Events. She stayedawake and on her feet for 30 hours whileparticipating in the Dance Marathon inMarch 2004 to raise money for pediatricrehabilitation. She works as a researchassistant in the English department andmay major in English and PoliticalScience.

Nia Batts writes, “I worked for KevinLiles at Def Jam during the summer andlater he became Executive Vice Presidentof the Warner Music Group underEdgar Bronfman and Lyor Cohen, andPresident of Def Jam Enterprises underRussell Simmons. I continue to workabout 20 hours a week for him whilemajoring in film at school. I’m workingon developing the pop and urban labelsestablished and unestablished at Warnerand with Def Jam Mobile at Def JamEnterprises. Not exactly what I thoughtI would be doing but I like it nonethe less!”

Eli Green writes, “I have been cast intwo plays this semester: ‘Oscar andFelix: a New Look at the Odd Couple’(in which I played Vinnie) and I amcurrently playing Arnold Wiggins in‘The Boys Next Door’.”

GarenWolff was recently featuredin the Wellesley College Viewbook forher leadership on and off campus(www.wellesley.edu/admission/pdf/VB41-50.pdf ). She continues to play anactive role in City-Prep, the non-profitorganization she founded while a studentat DCDS to promote leadership andscholarship in middle school girls andin 2005, will launch a division for boys.She says, “Since my own personal goal isto promote women, I thought Wellesleywas an obvious choice for a college.It would enhance my leadership skillsand give me an edge, and I didn’t thinkattending a single-sex school would hin-der my social life.” In October, Wolffparticipated in the annual TannerConference, which represents the experi-ential work of Wellesley students.

2004

Franchesca Gayadan was recognizedthis year in Cosmo Girl as “One toWatch in 2024” for her commitment toeducation. Specifically, she establishedthe “Open a Mind” program to raisemoney and collect books for the con-struction of a municipal library in herfamily’s hometown in the Phillipines.

Stacie Smith is enjoying her first yearat the University of Pennsylvania, whereshe auditioned and made the danceteam, joined Black Wharton (for AfricanAmerican Business Students), and heardJohn Kerry speak during a campus visit.

Robert Reznick writes, "I am lookingfor information or advice about busi-ness-related internships for the summerof 2005. I would like to talk with some-one about what internships are mostbeneficial, and I would also like to findsome internship opportunities." E-mailRobert at [email protected].

In Memoriam

Henry Sobell III ’65 reported that hisfather,M. Henry Sobell, Jr. ’39,passed away on January 4, 2004.

Gladys Hansen, mother of HeadmasterGerald Hansen, grandmother of JanHansen ‘79, Jay Hansen ’81 andJeanne Hansen ’83 and great-grand-mother ofMollie Hansen ‘12,Hannah Hansen ‘16 andWesleyBertschy ‘17 passed away in August,2004 after an extended illness.

David Bratt ‘97 died in England onSeptember 22, 2004. David transferredto DCDS as a tenth grader from hisEnglish school. He was activelyinvolved in swimming as an All-Statediver, president of our ceramics club andan IB Diploma student. Condolencesmay be sent to the family care of Mr.and Mrs. Allan (Jackie) Bratt, 10Ladram Way, Thorpe Bay, EssexSS13PZ, ENGLAND.

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

KENNETH WHIPPLE CHAIRMAN

TERENCE E. ADDERLEY

JAMES E. BARLETT

PHILLIP WM. FISHER ‘69

TOM J. GOLDBERG ‘70

H. SAMUEL GREENAWALT

CYNTHIA H. SHANNON ‘78

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD

JAY ALIX

STEVEN A. BALLMER ‘73

EDWARD CHERNEY

THOMAS W. CUNNINGTON

GARY G. GILYARD ‘76

DANNIELLE HAMILTON

C. MICHAEL KOJAIAN

SKRIKANT C. MEHTA

BARBARA M. MRKONIC

RAJ B. VATTIKUTI

G. RICHARD WAGONER, JR.

Page 48: Winter2005 - Detroit Country Day School · on Thursday, Sept. 16. Under sunny skies at Oakland Hills Country Club, the students marched in, welcom-ing international guests to Bloomfield

Maple Road CampusLower School – Grades PK-23003 West Maple Rd.Bloomfield Hills, MI48301-3468Phone: (248) 433-1050Fax: (248) 433-3729

Village CampusJunior School – Grades 3-53600 Bradway Blvd.Bloomfield Hills, MI48301-2412Phone: (248) 647-2522Fax: (248) 647-8206

Hillview CampusMiddle School – Grades 6-822400 Hillview LaneBeverly Hills, MI48025-4824Phone: (248) 646-7985Fax: (248) 646-3459

Thirteen Mile CampusUpper School – Grades 9-1222305 West Thirteen Mile Rd.Beverly Hills, MI48025-4435Phone: (248) 646-7717Fax: (248) 646-2458

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Royal Oak, MI