Elijah Grammas ’20 & Lindsey Lucas ’18 Named Athletes of the Month for October 2017

Elijah Grammas ’20

Golf

From Golf Coach Alec Newell ’88:
Over the course of the fall, Elijah has really elevated his game. He played all the time this past summer and all that practice paid off. In October, Elijah was 3-1 in MAISAD match play, playing in the #1 position, losing only to the eventual MAISAD individual champion. He beat that same player in an unofficial playoff hole during our regular season match, putting his approach shot about 1 foot from the hole. In mid-October Elijah earned a 10th place medal in the Maine State Golf Championship, playing against students from every high school in the state.

Elijah anchored his Gould team placing 2nd overall in the MAISAD Championship Match, missing the top spot by 1 stroke and helping his team win the overall Team Championship for the first time in four years. He is a quiet leader who pushes his teammates by showing up every day and being a great example of what it means to be a person who wants to perfect his craft. At the beginning of the season, we would joke that Elijah has to play with the big dogs each match. It is now no joke, he is one of the BIG DOGS!

Lindsey Lucas ’18

Mountain Biking

From Mountain Biking Coach Katie Casey:
Lindsey has a blast riding her mountain bike, but for her, it’s not all fun and games. She is disciplined and focused on getting stronger, faster, and better at handling her bike.  She stays late to study the terrain and put in extra practice time on technical features like the rock garden, always looking for the fastest lines.  She thrives on challenges and pushes herself every single day. Gould is fortunate to have this student-athletes anchor the Mountain Bike team this Fall.

As a result of her handwork and consistency, Lindsey was the leading points scorer for her class this race season. Why stop there; out of over 400 total athletes in the league this year, Lindsey was second in total earned points. Lindsey’s individual success this season greatly contributed to Gould’s NEPSAC East win and second place team finish in Northern New England (East-West).

Just what is true grit?  It’s returning from parents’ weekend break a day early to race at New Hampton School even with a nasty head cold. True grit is never giving up, racing with every ounce of energy all the way to the finish line, even if it means sprinting with your bike the last few hundred meters at the championship race to win by 6 seconds.

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Deep in discussion during AP Lit

Name: Denise Manning

High School: Masconomet Regional High School

College/Grad School: Simmons College, BA in English, BA in Education

What are your roles at Gould? I’m the Dean of Students and the chair of the English Department. Right now, I’m teaching AP Lit.

Proudest Achievement: Being Alec’s mother is easily my proudest achievement.

Pinning a “four-year” rose on her son Alec’s ’14 graduation gown with her husband, history teacher, Rob Manning.

Last book I read: Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving. Sadly, I don’t recommend it.

My soundtrack is: James Taylor’s Greatest Hits—I’ve loved it since high school; it always puts me at ease.

Movie I would recommend: “Gran Torino”

Favorite food: I LOVE baozi, jiaozi, shumai, and tangbao (Chinese dumplings).

One word that describes me: Loyal

Best advice I ever received: Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.

Why Gould? We came to Gould because it was a great school and a wonderful place to raise our son.

What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list? Going on Safari in Tanzania! It was beyond amazing.

Making friends with a student at the Tumaini Junior School in Tanzania.

What are your interests/hobbies? I love to read and cook. I enjoy spending time with the people and animals I love.

What is your spirit animal? Seriously? Maybe Dory?

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Mike Lowe, Dean of Community Life and retired Naval Officer addressed students at Friday morning’s assembly to talk about Veterans Day. He delivered a powerful, personal message, that won’t soon be forgotten. Thank you, Mr.Lowe, for your service, your sacrifice, and for being a strong leader in our community. The transcript of this morning’s talk is below.

“Good Morning, I am honored to have a few minutes to talk to you about Veterans Day. As a member of the History Department, I do feel obliged to first give you a brief history of the holiday before telling you what the day means to me. In 1938, the U.S. Congress passed legislation establishing Armistice Day, a holiday recognizing the end of World War I and honoring its veterans. WWI hostilities were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. In 1954, in the wake of World War II and the Korean War, Congress – at the urging of veterans service organizations – passed legislation changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day and establishing Nov. 11 as a day to honor all American veterans. Not to be confused with Memorial Day, a U.S. public holiday in May; Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who died while in military service.

For many Nov. 11th is just another day on the calendar. While the majority of Americans wholeheartedly support the troops, most have never served themselves. Only .5% of the current U.S. population are currently on active duty and roughly 7% of the American population are veterans. As a result, most Americans have little understanding of the sacrifices that service members and their families make to defend our freedom. As a combat veteran myself, I have conflicting emotions on Veteran’s day. The first emotion is Pride. Pride in being apart of something much greater than yourself. Pride in being a part of a team where your livelihood depended on the man or woman to your left or right and them being at their absolute best, and knowing their expectation of you was exactly the same. The reason I did 20+ years of service and multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan had nothing to do with the job, it was 100% because of the people I worked with. While our political system might be in complete disarray and down right embarrassing at times, never lose sleep wondering if our armed forces are up to a task sent down by their civilian masters, as they are always ready, willing, and capable of answering our nation’s call, and if required will die in order to complete the mission. This brings me to my second emotion on Veteran’s day….sorrow. I am deeply saddened by the sacrifices made, lives lost, and families affected in carrying out the missions this nation has mandated that our uniformed service members do. There is nothing more humbling than sitting having dinner with friends one night, only to send them home in a casket 3 days later to a family wondering what if….There is guilt and humility in the reflection of knowing the reason you lived, and your teammates did not, was the helicopter assignment that you got for that evening. And finally, there is no pride, no personnel glory, in sending a young man home in a box at the age of 18 yrs 9 months, and 6 days for his mom and dad to ask you,  “was it worth it.” So when I relay to you during a moment at formal dinner that time and life is precious, and not to waste it, I truly mean it. For many of the servicemembers on active duty today, they have been in and out of combat for almost 17 yrs….more than any time in history. Wife’s, Husbands, children, moms and dads have shouldered the burden of the unknown, hoping and praying that their loved one will return unharmed. I say this to you because there is no doubt in my mind that there are students sitting in this auditorium that one day will have leadership positions within your respective Government. Remember that armed conflict is nothing more than violent means to a political end. Don’t ever waste your nation’s treasure on something that can be settled at the negotiation table, or in the end is really not that important. To all the men and women currently serving, their families, and all the men and women who have ever worn the uniform, I solute you for your sacrifice. Thank you.”

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Name: Aramy Cho

High School: Indian Hills High School

College/Grad School: Cornell University

What are your roles at Gould?
Science teacher, road and mountain bike coach, advisor

Proudest Achievement: Working with young people outside. I hit the 10-year mark at Outward Bound last summer.

Last book I read: Elena Ferrante’s Neopolitan Novels. I became slightly too attached to the characters and became upset when they were having a bad time, which is pretty much the entire four-book series. I still recommend it.

My soundtrack is: The original Terminator theme.

Movie I would recommend: Evil Dead 2

Favorite food: I am a free food fanatic. My favorite food group is the sandwich, followed by fats and oils.

One word that describes me: Immoderate. I tend to have an all-or-nothing approach to things.

Best advice I ever received: My friend Anita used to say, “If you’re bored, think more interesting thoughts.”

Why Gould?
Location, the freedom to create engaging class curricula, and skiing. The location is beautiful and it’s close to where I want to be – the Mount Washington Valley, the coast, Vermont. I have the flexibility to develop projects and to structure class in the way that I think will best interest students. This flexibility lets us go deep rather than broad. The winter schedule allows me to ski pretty much every day, as long as there’s snow. Fingers crossed.

What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list?
This idea has always been perplexing to me in that there is almost a consumeristic connotation to this phrase as if experiences can be collected. Most of the things I want to accomplish in my lifetime involve learning. Next up is unicycling.

What are your interests/hobbies? I only have one hobby at a time and right now it’s mountain biking.

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Students take in and give feedback on the single page graphic novel displays.

“You are a prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks for your forgiveness. What would you do?”

This prompt has been the driving question behind our work in European Literature all trimester. Through purposeful dialogue and thoughtful reflection, we have complicated our ideas of what it means to forgive someone. Looking critically and carefully at context, intent, and outcome, we further explored this idea through an in-depth project-based assignment.

Sahla ’20 engages the crowd during her group’s presentation.

For the past three weeks, European Literature students have been working collaboratively with one another, honing their creative and critical thinking skills through the creation of original, historically accurate graphic novels. Tasked with developing a setting that is the source of a modern-day genocide while the conflict explored a question of forgiveness, the assignment challenged students in all four areas of Gould’s academic mission: engage with the world, inquire using disciplined critical thinking and research skills, collaborate with peers and mentors, and demonstrate the virtues of purpose, action, excellence, and compassion.

Chaia ’20 provides feedback on a single page display.

The final products included a title page, back cover synopsis, an introduction, a 12-18 page storyboard, MLA citations, and individual self-reflections. The project culminated in an Exhibition Night held in the Marlon Family IDEAS Center. In lieu of a traditional exam, each group delivered a 60-second pitch to both the entire tenth grade class and guest faculty judges with the goal of convincing the audience to read their publications. The published graphic novels along with a large, single page print were on display for the entire community.

Parents, faculty, and students take a closer look at the graphic novels.

The judges had their work cut out for them as all of the graphic novels displayed creativity, insight, and quality collaboration within the groups. Prizes were awarded in four categories: Best Overall, Best Pitch, Best Cover Art, and Best Single Page. It cannot be stressed enough how difficult a task the judges took on as each group demonstrated tremendous courage and pride in their pitches and in their exhibition of their novels. After much deliberation between the judges, prizes were awarded to the following groups:

Best Single Page: Cargo

Steffi Ordway, Caroline Newell, Aidan Ryan, and Finn McLaughlin

Best Cover Art: The Truth Will Always Be Revealed

Taylor Mull and Austin Colby

Best Pitch: Breaking the Silence

Sylvia Shi, Russell Zeng, Eamon Wakefield, and Dylan Rivard

Best Overall: Reminiscence

Cammy Simard, Chaia Alford, Sam Dickinson, and Myles Barrett

The overall winning group basks in their glory.

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Name: Adam A. Leff

High School: Deerfield Academy

College/Grad School: Middlebury College (BA), University of Pennsylvania (MA), Pennsylvania State University (PhD-ABD)

What are your roles at Gould?
I chair the World Languages Department and teach a gamut of French courses and senior history electives such as American Myths, Global Migrations, and our Great Decisions course. I also am the head coach of the Cross Country Team and an assistant coach on the Cycling Team. I am the faculty advisor to the Academic WorldQuest Team (a foreign policy quiz bowl team that competes in the Maine state tournament) and to the French Club. On the weekends you can find me screening French films as part of our ongoing French film festival (this winter we are a site of an international online French film festival and will screen 20 films in 30 days) or teaching English and Citizenship classes at MEIRS (Maine Immigration and Refugee Services) in Lewiston. I live in Davidson dormitory along with Madame Leff and am the proud advisor to a gaggle of high achieving students!!

Adam and Gould students volunteering at the Maine Immigration and Refugee Services.

Proudest Achievement:
#A. Watching my XC teams climb the podium at New England’s knowing that my runners have learned how to accomplish anything they set their sights on in life!
#B. Watching as my wife was recently sworn in as an American citizen!

Last book I read:
How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle by Matt Fitzgerald
Making Refuge: Somali Bantu Refugees and Lewiston, Maine by Katherine Besteman
I am currently in the middle of Journal of a Voyage to Nowhere by Charles Fenn

My soundtrack is:
Simon and Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Favorite Song – The Boxer)

Movie I would recommend:
Algiers (Hedy Lamar and Charles Boyer)
The French Connection (Gene Hackman)
Any Hitchcock Film

Favorite food: Tofu – on anything!! Crêpes!! Cassoulet!! Paëlla!!

One word that describes me: Passionate!!

Best advice I ever received: When the best in the world are nearby, no matter the domain, make it a point to go and attend a performance/game/speech. You will always be able to take away something that you can use to improve yourself.

Adam presenting the French award at Commencement to his daughter Alexandra ’15

Why Gould?
Because it is an opportunity to develop many sides of your personality instead of specializing. Because Gould encourages excellence in all we do. Because those people who choose the Gould lifestyle are authentic and grounded!!

What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list?
I don’t have a bucket list – I prefer to squeeze all I can out of each day!

What are your interests/hobbies?
I love to cycle and run and have to one or the other each and every day to feel grounded. I tried pursuing cycling as a living after college and instead found that living means choosing a lifestyle that incorporates these activities each and every day!

What is your spirit animal?
A combination of a cheetah (with its need for speed) and an Owl (that comes out all night long)

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There are two main goals in Honors Precalculus. Number one is to help students become sophisticated problem solvers by using a variety of mathematics in unique ways, and the second is to help students learn about transcendental functions.

A small snippet of the functions that were used recreating American Gothic.

This “recreating artworks” project is designed to help students with the first goal. By intentionally creating functions and equations, and manipulating their domains, students were able to control the curves to recreate famous works of art. The fact that they could choose which piece of art they desired to recreate, and how they attacked the problem allowed them to experiment and play with the shape and location of functions independently. This also allows them to become more confident with the concepts of functions, domain, and range, as well as function notation. Take a look at some of their work below. Can you name them all?

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Name: Jay Riley

High School: Noble and Greenough School

College/Grad School: Bates College, BA, English (w/plenty of French and Bio), Northwestern University, MBA, Marketing

What are your roles at Gould? English teacher, Winter Outing Club Coach, Road Cycling Coach, Holden dorm, Advisor, Junior Four Point leader, Orientation Trip leader, Bandit Camping trip leader, and whatever else they ask!

Proudest Achievement: Helping three lovely children grow into lovely adults (28, 31, 34). Finding I can still keep a smile on my face while asking questions and expecting a lot from life.

Last book I read: Lucifer’s Banker: The Untold Story of How I Destroyed Swiss Bank Secrecy by Bradley C. Birkenfeld

My soundtrack is: Allman Brothers, Derek and the Dominoes and other Clapton, Marshall Tucker Band, The Mallett Brothers, annnnnd The J. Geils Band!

Movie I would recommend: Beverly Hills Cop, The Eagle Huntress, The Beckoning Silence.

Throwback to Orientation 2014.

Favorite food: Saba – mackerel sashimi, any cold-ocean small fishy fish, all shellfish, nachos at home with Betsy after dorm duty, and I believe the French when they say, “the best sauce is a good appetite!”

One word that describes me: Logical, active, seeking enjoyment, and learning that one-word answers are often incomplete

Best advice I ever received: The sooner you figure out that your dad is usually right, the better your life will go.

Why Gould?
Where better?! From the life of the mind to sunrise skinning up the mountain, living and learning here offer a superior range and variety of students, opportunities, and activities. I’ve loved my Gould roles as a parent, a Trustee, and now as a teacher.

Impromptu bike repair in Colmar, France.

What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list?
Oh boy, Betsy and I maintain a six-page Google doc, all of which is summarized on the only item stuck on the ‘fridge door: an annotated pencil sketch on a wrinkly piece of scrap paper! Let’s see… learning to bake crusty dinner rolls, cycling across all Europe (Belgium to Turkey), staying a few weeks in Durango to see if we could live there.

What are your interests/hobbies?
Developing a beautiful life with Betsy (my wife), while skiing, alpine ski touring, bicycling and bicycle touring, visiting five children and four parents, hiking all over the place, making kitchen magic, getting lost.

What is your spirit animal? Originally the leopard—a big, strong, fast mammal that can crush it in almost every climate zone. Lately, those tortoises that live peacefully for over a century are gaining my curiosity and admiration.

Getting lost in Chamonix with Betsy.

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Name: Katherine Crockett Stack

High School: North Yarmouth Academy

College/Grad School: St. Lawrence University B.A., University of New England M.A.Ed.

What are your roles at Gould?
Tenth and Eleventh grade History teacher, advisor to nine wonderful advisees, Outing Club and Ski Patrol activity leader, Tenth Grade Program Director, and evening duty in the library.

The Stack family on the coast of Maine.

Proudest Achievement: I have been lucky enough to have a lot of great experiences however so far, my proudest achievement is being the Mom to Gwen and Preston…and surviving.

Last book I read: I read children’s books daily. Sheep in a Jeep, My Truck is Stuck, anything Pete the Cat, Click Clack Moo. However, in the last year, Gwen has developed a longer attention span and I have enjoyed reading Charlotte’s Web and James and the Giant Peach to her.

My soundtrack is: Lumineers, Barr Brothers, Strumbellas, Wild Child, The Devil Makes Three

Movie I would recommend: I haven’t had a lot of time to watch movies. Some of my classic favorites are Legends of the Fall or A River Runs Through It – maybe I just have a thing for Brad Pitt. Lately, I have been watching a lot of Anne With an E, Stranger Things, and This is Us.

Favorite food: Eggplant Parmesan and Swiss Chard but not together.

One word that describes me: Sarcastic

Best advice I ever received: “Never defend yourself” from a great college friend and coincidently a Gould alum.

Why Gould?
After college, I got my first teaching job in western Massachusetts and liked the boarding school life but had a yearning to get back to Maine and accidentally fell in love with a guy who was working and living in Western Maine. When the opportunity presented itself I jumped and haven’t looked back. I am a Mainer through and through!

Ski Patrol selfie!

What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list?
Last spring I earned my ski patrol jacket, that was something that I never envisioned achieving.

What are your interests/hobbies?
When I find a few minutes of downtime I am outside in the garden pulling weeds or in the colder months knitting. I also love to spend as much time on the coast as possible but this is more than a hobby.

What is your spirit animal?
Harbor Seal – sweet and salty.

On a trip with tenth graders at the Outward Bound School on Hurricane Island.

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Maddie Lamontagne ’19 & Duncan Forbes ’18 Named Athletes of the Month for November 2017

Maddie
Lamontagne ’19

Field Hockey

From Field Hockey Head Coach Kelly Hood:
Fit, feisty, and fast, Maddie Lamontagne has become a stand out right forward on the field hockey team. She showed commitment, enthusiasm, and a competitive spirit all season long, giving 100% at every game and practice. Throughout the fall, she developed her ball control and stickhandling skills, making her an offensive threat. Maddie’s hard work culminated in a timely goal against Hebron, securing the 1-0 win during the MAISAD championship game, ending a 17-year-long drought for the Huskies. She is deserving of this award for many reasons but mainly because she beat me in a plank contest mid-season, an impressive feat that I am still upset about. Get ready for a rematch this spring, Maddie. Game on.

Duncan Forbes ’18

Cross Country Running

From Cross Country Running Head Coach Adam Leff:
Duncan has excelled as captain of our team – he serves as a mentor to all our younger runners, is able to support and bring the entire team together, and he puts his heart and soul into each and every training session. Everything we do has a purpose and Duncan pays attention to all the details be it preparation, strategy, and even shortening his race by taking turns full speed by following the apex. He runs with heart and is a model of determination on the course! At New Englands, Duncan ran a strategic race that had him purposefully take it out from the start a little easier than normal so that he could finish hard, run by people on the completely uphill middle mile, and contest the end of the race with a lot of energy in the tank! Duncan carried out this strategy to perfection, finishing 22nd overall on a hard and hilly New England course, leading our team to a third-place finish in a field that comprised 45 schools! Duncan’s leadership helped Gould to a podium finish in each of his four years here and we wish him all the best for the next leg of his career at the college level!

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Name: Nancy Eaton

College/Grad School: UMass (undergrad) and Wesleyan University (grad)

What are your roles at Gould? Teaching Astronomy, upper-level and AP Physics, and a little bit of Chemistry. Running the McLaughlin Science Center in the evenings. Managing outdoor gear and leading Junior Point trips.

Recent Achievement: This summer I finished hiking the Colorado Trail and then got to watch the total solar eclipse in Wyoming.

Last book I read: Artemis by Andy Weir. Good, but not as good as his first book, The Martian.

My soundtrack is: Pretty diverse.

Movie I would recommend: Arrival. It’s a beautiful piece of science fiction.

Favorite food: Sweet potatoes, bananas, chocolate, and peanut butter. Not necessarily all at once.

Best advice I ever received: It’s better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.

Junior Four Point crew – 2017

Why Gould? It’s surrounded by mountains, lakes, and trails.

What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list? My friend took me up in his powered parachute – basically a flying go-kart. I’m afraid of heights so it was pretty exciting.

What are your interests/hobbies? Thinking about the Universe and playing around in the outdoors. I’m probably going to start chasing eclipses.

What is your spirit animal? It’s cultural appropriation for a non-indigenous person to claim a spirit animal. I feel a kinship with fruit bats though.

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Name: Rob Manning

High School: Brooks School

College/Grad School: St. Lawrence University, Tufts University

What are your roles at Gould? I’m a History Teacher, Ski Patrol, and Baseball Coach.

Patroller Manning ready for duty.

Proudest Achievement: I won’t know that for awhile.

Last book I read: Reread Howard Zinn’s A Peoples History of the United States

Movie I would recommend: Casablanca

Favorite food: Pizza

One word that describes me: Energetic

Best advice I ever received: Speak less often, so when you do speak it has more impact.

Coach Manning talks to his team after a MAISAD Championship win.

Why Gould? The Faculty. I am always amazed by my fellow faculty members

What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list? Don’t have one

What are your interests/hobbies? Skiing, both up and downhill.

What is your spirit animal? My dog, Mookie.

This outtake perfectly captures Mr. Manning.

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Mr. Southam, the Science Department Chair, explains the REMUS project at Assembly.

The Science Department announced a partnership today with Ryan Marine in connection with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, MA to refurbish a decommissioned REMUS 100, an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) donated to Gould by the U.S. Navy.

The project came to fruition thanks in part to Aidan Ryan ’20 and his family when they saw the potential for collaboration. Ryan Marine, their family business, specializes in the launch and recovery and the research and development of the REMUS and other UUV’s. They were instrumental in putting the pieces together to get this project off the ground, and getting the REMUS to Gould.

The REMUS 100 displayed at Assembly, while Mr. Bernier, Aidan Ryan ’20, and Mr. Murphy look on.

The REMUS was funded by the U.S. Navy and developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for mine identification and detection. The REMUS has almost unlimited applications. They can be used for everything from collecting data for underwater geological surveys and pipeline surveillance to studying great white sharks and monitoring grouper fisheries off the coast of Belize. The current Marine Science – Explorations of the Gulf of Maine elective is just one of the many ways Gould hopes to leverage the sophisticated submersible.

Currently, the project is in its infancy. The group needs to discover what’s necessary for the rebuild, and what the UUV is capable of. And they’re looking for more students to get involved. Here’s a short list of a few of the positions the team is currently seeking.

Project Engineers & Students with an interest in Marine Biology

The team needs ideas for projects that will fully take advantage of the REMUS’ capabilities. Do you have an idea for a marine science research project, or would you be willing to manage one?

REMUS Programmers

The team needs programmers and coders to instruct the AUV where to go, what to do, and to interact with sonar software.

Mechanical Designers

The REMUS needs a nose piece that will seal the unit, and house the various sensors and cameras it will have on board for collecting data. It also runs on electricity, so battery packs need to be designed and installed.

Documentation & Marketing

Maybe you’re not so into science, but you really want to be a part of this cool project. The team is also looking for students who can document and keep records, as well as social media specialists who can share the work with the rest of the world via blog posts, video, photos, and more.

The REMUS 100 Project is going to be a rich experiential learning opportunity for students who want to learn more about the world of marine tech. If you want to get involved contact any of the team members or fill out this form.

The REMUS Team is:

Jerry Bernier
Matt Murphy
Peter Southam
Todd Seikman
Aidan Ryan

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As we come to the close of 2017, and the temperature drops, I find myself reflecting on the warmer months. Summers are a time for rest and relaxation, but also growth for teachers. Some of my summer highlights were family time traveling out of state to see our grown-up sons, taking long walks on the beach with my wife Beth, backpacking in the White Mountains with my dad and daughter, coaching my son’s baseball team and my daughter’s ski team, along with getting a Corgi puppy named Odessa! However, a key part of many teachers summers is valuable professional development. I went to a workshop called “Cities and Our Urbanizing World” at Harvard University which was part of their global outreach program. My experience was supported by the Stowell Family professional development award, which is given to a Gould faculty member each year.

The workshop at Harvard was both a journey into the future of our globalizing world and a journey into my past. One afternoon as I ran along the Charles River, my mind wandered from the workshop topic to my involvement in urban issues in college in the last 1980’s. As I walked upstairs in the “squat,” I was shocked to see dozens of people living in the abandoned city-owned high-rise apartment building. In hushed tones, the squatters explained to me how they had illegally tapped into the NYC’s power and water lines. They pointed out the gentrification that was sweeping across the Lower East Side. As I interviewed them and filmed the anti-gentrification protests and marches at Tompkins Square Park, my mind grappled with the complex issues of gentrification and squatting in New York City in the 1980’s. These issues would reach their climax in the Tompkins Square Park riots of 1988. In some ways, it was a long way from my “Law and Society” class at UMass-Amherst with Professor John Brigham, but in other ways, it was not far at all. Professor Brigham had suggested that I go down to Manhattan and help create a documentary on the squatter’s rights movement. While in his class, I was working at UMass’s student-run television station and I loved filming politically charged documentaries along with musical events like when Phish played at the student union ballroom.

The Tompkins Square Park Riots of 1988. Photo by Q. Sakamaki.

I hadn’t thought a lot about my collegiate involvement with urban issues like gentrification and squatting on the Lower East Side of New York City until my experience at a workshop for teachers at Harvard a few weeks ago this summer. This experiential learning, or “learning by doing” was some of the most powerful learning of my college career. It came back to me in waves as I took part in the workshop at Harvard. For me, it was both a journey into the future and a journey through the past.

I was working alongside 40 to 50 excellent teachers from all over the country—from public schools in big cities and private schools in rural areas. Experts on urbanization spoke about the growth of slums, urban architecture, informal economies, globalization, poverty, and environmental sustainability. In 2010, the world passed a tipping point, over 50% of the world’s people now live in urban areas. The most rapid urbanization in human history, and it’s reshaping our world. We discussed urbanization issues like inequality, housing, transportation, and environmental sustainability in small learning groups and thought about how to incorporate the ideas into our teaching. Teaching at a boarding school in a small town in a rural corner of the most rural state in the US, with students from some of the biggest cities around the world is a great opportunity for growth on both sides.

Because curating new and old music is one of my hobbies, I created a soundtrack for the conference on our urbanizing world to share with my fellow participants. The Talking Heads songs “Cities” and “Once in a Lifetime” are bookends to the playlist. Like literature or journalism, music for me is a way to gain perspective about political ideas, historical concepts, and economic processes. It’s also a way for me to gain perspective on the world and my place in it.

I came away from the workshop with many ideas on how to incorporate the important contemporary issues of urbanization into our curriculum at Gould. I’ve already shown the short film “The Future of Cities” by Oscar Boyson in my AP Comparative Government and Politics class. The film was part of my homework for the workshop at Harvard and gives a very relevant and thoughtful perspective on the future of global urbanization. Focusing on urbanization, I was able to bring to life the somewhat abstract concept of the “state” in political science. My students were quickly able to connect the role of the state in shaping urbanization in the cities of our future. They were also able to see the role of the state in shaping the post-American World through our summer reading book of the same name by Fareed Zakaria. I will be using some of the readings from the workshop, and I also picked up several thinking routines from Harvard’s Project Zero program. 

Perhaps most personally, the workshop gave me a deeper appreciation of the privileges of my life. Chance and old-fashioned good luck play a huge and often overlooked, role in our lives. Someday, you may find yourself in a large unfamiliar city, left to wonder how you got there. It is easy to shut the door and get lost in your own life, and not to look at your life from a global perspective. I was reminded this summer that the best education is that which starts in the classroom but then extends to action in the world and enriches the purpose and meaning of our lives.

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Submitted and written by SA-KRED staff Mia Shifrin ’19, Maddie Williams ’19, and Will Maloney ’18

The SA-KRED principals, Mia, Will, and Maddie, ready for hungry customers.

Working at Gould’s SA-KRED cafe is learning by doing. When the donuts are placed on the counter and the first cup of coffee is dripping in the single pour station made by CMO (Chief Maker Officer) Will Maloney ’18, it is game on. Students working the counter transform into donut hustlers, coffee makers, and crowd controllers. The learning is “unlike what is found inside a classroom” says one CEO, Maddie Williams ’19. “Students are asked to manage the cafe’s budget, products, schedule, employees and working hours. The students have to motivate themselves to put in the work and are working directly with tangible ideas. The sense of responsibility and productivity is unlike any test.”

Maddie managing a busy morning in the cafe.

SA-KRED’s beneficiary, Neema in Tanzania.

Mia Shifrin ’19, CEO and founder of SA-KRED, prefers to work behind the scenes getting the coffee and donuts to the cafe before it opens and building external partnerships. Through her social entrepreneurship lens, Mia sees “It’s smart to promote local to help globally.” She’s secured an arrangement with Carrabassett Coffee Company from Kingfield, Maine and Sunday River Brew Pub, in Bethel, Maine, for the coveted “Brew Pub donuts.” And Mia is in it for more than providing cafe snack convenience for the Gould community. Through her two trips to Tanzania—one as a ninth grader through the Four Point Program and an in the field English class—Mia understood first hand the importance of secondary education for girls. Working with Gould’s partner Tanzania Education Corporation, 100% of SA-KRED’s profits support Neema George at Tumaini Senior Secondary School in Tanzania.

Mia serving up ice coffee.

CMO, Will Maloney, whose title is a spin on Mr. Ayotte’s maker-in-residence, sees SA-KRED as putting the IDEAS Center studios into action. Last spring he volunteered to build a movable cafe counter, which elevated the look and feel from bake sale to cafe. This year he again put his SketchUp and building skills to work and designed a three pour station. “I’m always down to build something. Especially if it makes things easier and look better. Having the knowledge and experience using my hands in the IDEAS Center I am able to improve our business with custom built tools that are the best fit for us. Having access to these working spaces enables us to make pretty much anything we could possibly need.”

Will utilizing the “three pour” coffee station he designed in the Marlon Family IDEAS Center.

Under the leadership of Maddie, Mia, and Will, SA-KRED is scaling well. Design thinking methods overlap business strategy, forcing the founders to prototype before scaling—it’s a process that is growing the “fail often and fast” mindset without compromising the tuition fee goals for Neema. What’s the next iteration for SA-KRED? Currently, they are prototyping a delivery system so students are not late to class if the line for coffee is long. Also, they are contracting Brett Shifrin’s Financial Matters class as book-keepers.

So, stop by the IDEAS Center cafe Wednesdays 9:25-10:25 and Thursdays 2:30-4:35 for a coffee and donut for a cause!

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Name: Andee Alford

High School: Sacred Heart Academy (Hamden, CT)

College/Grad School: AB: (Yes, it really is an AB, not a BA) Princeton University (Math) MA SUNY Stony Brook (Math)

Gathering firewood on Junior Four Point

What are your roles at Gould? I am (like all) an advisor and teacher, and also the Math Department Chair and the girl’s JV tennis coach. I alternate between Sophomore and Junior Four Point and hope to get to do Freshmen Four Point again someday.

Proudest Achievement: Being the parent of two awesome kids

Last book I read: Origins by Dan Brown

My soundtrack is: Celtic folk – I have a Celtic soul

Movie I would recommend: There are so many, but if you haven’t seen Singing in the Rain, that is probably where I would start.

Favorite food: Mashed Potatoes and really good chocolate cake (not necessarily together)

One word that describes me: Friendly (which my son tells me is NOT a college essay approved word)

Best advice I ever received: Start putting money into your retirement account as soon as you can.

Why Gould?
I came because they were the first ones to offer me a job, and I stayed because I met the most wonderful man in the world here. It is a beautiful place to live and I love the community.

Andee with her husband Doug, and daughter Chaia ’20 in Spain.

What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list?
I don’t really have a bucket list, but six years ago we spent the year in Spain and that was pretty awesome.

What are your interests/hobbies? Reading, baking, kayaking, hiking, spending time with my family.

What is your spirit animal? Panda Bear

Andee recharging on the river.

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Maxx Parys ’20 & Grace Schierwagen ’18 Named Athletes of the Month for December 2017

Maxx Parys ’20

Alpine Ski Racing

From U16 Alpine Coach Jeff Lathrop ’09:
“I’d like to nominate Maxx Parys for the athlete of the month. He is ranked #1 in the country in slalom for his age group and has qualified for a National Project where only 15 skiers are selected throughout the country. From that project, he has a chance to represent the USA in a race series in Lichtenstein later in the year.”

Grace Schierwagen ’18

Alpine Ski Racing

From Assistant U19 Girls’ Alpine Coach Anne Rockwell:
“Grace is always the first female athlete out on the hill. She constantly offers her help and jumps in when extra hands are needed on the hill. In December she had results that greatly improved her slalom standings. Always positive, hardworking and it shows. Great student-athlete.”

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Name: Dave Lynch

High School: Scituate High

College/Grad School: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

A past AP Calculus calculating the volume of a lacrosse goal

What are your roles at Gould? Math Teacher, Assistant Comp Snowboard Coach, Assistant JVA Soccer Coach, Advisor, Math Center

Proudest Achievement: Watching my daughter snowboard!

Last book I read: Currently rereading The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

My soundtrack is: Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head

Movie I would recommend: It

Favorite food: Pulled Pork Burrito

One word that describes me: Eager

Best advice I ever received: You can be tight on concept and loose on details, or loose on concept and tight on details, but you can’t be loose or tight on both.

Coaching on the hill

Why Gould? It is near snowboarding and passionate people.

What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list? Riding in the Gulf of Slides, near Tuckerman’s Ravine.

What are your interests/hobbies? Snowboarding, Reading, Learning

What is your spirit animal? Fuzzy Duck

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For Gould, Martin Luther King Day isn’t a day off, but a “day on.” It’s become tradition to utilize the time as an opportunity to give back to the community. Classes break into groups to work together and with faculty on service projects that the History Department has arranged with non-profit organizations in Bethel, and around the state of Maine. History teacher Katie Stack took on the substantial task of organizing our efforts this year.

Maia ’20 stacking canned goods at the Bethel Food Pantry

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

While MLK Day comes only once a year, the hope is that giving back will plant a seed with students, and encourage them to make service for others a lifelong endeavor. “[We’ll be] putting Martin Luther King’s message into action, hopefully giving them experience with community service, and pushing them towards living lives of purpose and action.” says Ms. Stack.

Noah ’18 & Andrew ’18 sorting through medical supplies at Partners for World Health.

Non-profits that Goud partnered with for the day of service included:

1. Good Shepherd Food Bank
2. Bethel Food Pantry & District Exchange
3. Partners for World Health
4. New Beginnings (Teen Shelter)
5. Trinity Jubilee Center (soup kitchen)
6. Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation
7. Maine Veteran’s Homes around the state
8. Maine Immigration and Refugee Services

Grace ’18 & Derick ’18 on the production line at Good Shepherd Food Bank.

“We really value giving back to the community,” said Grace Schierwagen ’18 who was helping to package food at the Good Shepherd Food Bank. “MLK Day is just one day where we can take a moment and realize what kind of privilege we have, and the kind of things we can do to give back to the community, it’s really special.”

Ms. Stack reflecting on the experience added, “Everyone returned to campus with smiles, stories to tell, and feeling proud of their contributions. I am always impressed with how Gould students are accepting, engaged, and compassionate young adults. Martin Luther King Day was a success and I am looking forward to next year!”

Taylor ’20 & Ella ’20 working the Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation race

See more images from the day here

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Name: Kristen Drew

High School: Town of Webb H.S. in Old Forge, NY

College/Grad School: I received a BS in Biology from St. Lawrence University and a Masters in the Art of Teaching Secondary Science from SUNY College at Cortland

Mrs. Drew and the Equestrian Team from Fall 2017.

What are your roles at Gould? I am a Biology teacher and an advisor (to the best advisory group). I do dorm duty in Gehring. I coach the Equestrian program in the fall and Prep Alpine during the winter. I have been a part of Freshman, Sophomore and Junior Four Points (Junior was my most recent and I loved it!!).

Proudest Achievement: Finding the most amazing husband ever and having our three amazing children.

Paddling and fishing with her husband Ian P ’13, ’17, ’20

Last book I read: I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven. I’m not sure how many times I’ve read it but I love it every time!

My soundtrack is: Singer/Songwriter or Indie.

Movie I would recommend: So many, but I love American Flyers.

Favorite food: It’s a tough choice but I think it has to be Chicken Picatta.

One word that describes me: I’ve been called stubborn – I really don’t like to give up or to ask for help!

Overseeing biology students while they monitor blood pressure readings.

Best advice I ever received: Hope for the future, don’t dwell in the past. Live in the present, and make today last. Pray for tomorrow, let your life live on. Hope for the future ’cause yesterday’s gone.

Why Gould? I love the community feel of Gould and the opportunity to work with amazing students and colleagues. I will always appreciate the amazing opportunities that my children and I have had by being a part of this community.

Adventuring in the Adirondacks with daughters Kim ’17 and Lily ’20, and Marcus Wentworth ’17

What’s the last thing you crossed off your bucket list? Road trip across the country with stops at Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Zion, Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks and Muir Woods National Monument. Completely amazing!!

What are your interests/hobbies? Family time, hiking, camping, skiing, fishing…I love to be outdoors and find my happy place on a mountain or a lake.

What is your spirit animal? Common Loon…I belong on a lake in the mountains.

Fire tower photo op while hiking in the Adirondacks with her son John ’13.

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