Taft is pleased to welcome renowned botanist Dr. Scott A. Mori back to campus Friday, April 10, as part of our ongoing New York Botanical Garden Seminar Series. Dr. Mori’s lecture, entitled “Botanical Exploration in My Backyard,” begins at 6:30 p.m. in Laube Auditorium. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend this program, which is also open to the public.

Dr. Mori’s research on flowering plants focuses on the taxonomy and ecology of trees of the lowland New World tropics. He is especially interested in co-evolution between plants and their pollinators and seed dispersers. Dr. Mori’s taxonomic research on the Brazil nut family takes him to tropical destinations including French Guiana and the Amazon. With his wife, Carol Gracie, Dr. Mori has prepared an electronic checklist of the flowering plants of the Caribbean island of Saba in the Netherlands Antilles and, with several other scientists, initiated an e-flora of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. Dr. Mori’s latest book, Tropical Plant Collection. From the Field to the Internet, shares knowledge and experiences designed to make it both easier and safer for others to conduct biological research in the tropics.

Recently retired, Dr. Mori was the Nathaniel Lord Britton Curator of Botany at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), Dr. Mori’s affiliation with NYBG dates back to 1975, when he joined their staff as a research associate. He held a variety of posts at NYBG, including both senior curator and director of the Institute of Systemic Botany. Dr. Mori is also former executive director of the Organization for Flora Neotropica, a past president of the Torrey Botanical Society, and a member of the adjunct faculties at the City University of New York, the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University, and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He holds the David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration and the Asa Gray Award by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists for lifetime achievement based on his studies of the classification, ecology, and conservation of New World tropical plants.

Nineteen Taft students traveled to the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus on March 28 to participate in the annual Connecticut Science Olympiad, a series of science challenges organized like an Olympic track meet.

The Tafties were among some 500 students from 39 teams from across the state competing in 23 events designed to encourage student interest in science. The Connecticut Science Olympiad is sponsored by the University of Connecticut’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and led by science professors from UConn, Yale University, and Connecticut science and engineering businesses.

“Some events focus on knowledge and recall, some test various skills at designing experiments, and some require the students to build an apparatus to perform a given task,” explained faculty member Jim Mooney, who coached the group of Taft students. “The students have been preparing since the fall term and have put in quite a bit of time, mostly working during their free time,” he added, noting that some competitor teams have entire programs geared toward preparing for the Science Olympiad.

Faculty members Ranbel Sun, David Hostage, Jim Lehner, Laura Monti ’89, Michael McAloon, and Amanda Benedict also served as coaches for the event.

Team Taft did very well again this year, with the school’s “A team” placing third overall in the state. (The Taft team placed third overall in 2014 as well.)

Taft students medaled in the following events during the 2015 competition:

Air Trajectory

2nd place; Leon Vortmeyer, Harry Wang

Teams build and calibrate a device that uses a falling mass to compress air and project a ball at a target.

Astronomy

1st place; Tong Cheunchitra, Bohan Gao

Teams demonstrate knowledge of math and physics applied to star and planet formation.

Bridge Building

4th place; Leon Vortmeyer, Daniel Yi

Teams build a bridge from wood and glue to support up to 35 lbs.

Compound Machines

2nd place (A team) and 3rd place (B team); Pen Naviroj and Daniel Yi; Lexi Walker and VietAnh Tran

Teams build a compound lever system and use it to determine the ratios of three unknown masses.

Disease Detectives

2nd place; Srinidhi Bharadwaj, Carter Taft

Teams use investigative skills to study disease and disability in populations with a focus on population growth.

Forensics

4th place; Srinidhi Bharadwaj, Ezra Levy

Given a scenario and possible suspects, students perform a series of tests to solve a crime.

Fossils

4th place; Tong Cheunchitra, Bohan Gao

Teams demonstrate knowledge of ancient life in a lab practical type of test.

Mission Possible

2nd place; Sonny An, Cauviya Selva

Teams build a "Rube Goldberg" type device that lifts golf balls into containers while initiating a series of other tasks focused on energy transfers.

Team A Roster: Bohan Gao ’15, Carter Taft ’16, Cauviya Selva ’17, Daniel Yi ’18, Ezra Levy ’15, Jackie Tyson ’15, Kelvin Xu ’16, Kevin Won ’15, Natasha Batten ’15, Pen Naviroj ’15, Sonny An ’17, Srinidhi Bharadwaj ’15, Tong Cheunchitra ’15, Harry Wang ’16, Leon Vortmeyer ’16

Team B Roster: Ben Roberts ’18, Lexi Walker ’16, Sophia Dawn ’16, VietAnh Tran ’16

Special thanks to Kelly Park ’15 and Jona Vithoontien ’17 who helped the teams prepare for the competition.

Professor Lawrence Douglas of Amherst College will visit Taft on Thursday, April 9 as this year’s Albert Family Holocaust Study Fund speaker.

Douglas is the James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence & Social Thought at Amherst College. A graduate of Brown University and Yale Law School, he is the prize-winning author of several books. His titles include The Memory of Judgment: Making Law and History in the Trials of the Holocaust (Yale, 2001), a widely acclaimed study of war crimes trials; and two novels, The Catastrophist (Harcourt 2007) and The Vices (Other/Random House 2011), the latter a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Professor Douglas has lectured in many countries, and has served as a visiting professor of law at the University of London and at Humboldt Universität, Berlin. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including, The New Yorker, The Times Literary Supplement, and Harper’s.  His most recent book, The Right Wrong Man: John Demjanjuk and the Last Great Nazi War Crimes Trial, will be published by Princeton University Press later this year. 

The Albert Family Holocaust Study Fund was created by Burt and Sylvia Albert, parents of Eric Albert ’77, Jonathan Albert ’79 and Deborah A. Rosmarin ’82, to enable the school to bring to campus once a year guest speakers who are recognized authorities on the study of the Holocaust during WWII.  It is hoped that this experience will help engender a continuing knowledge enabling us all to learn from this tragic lesson in history.

Members of Taft’s girls’ crew team spent two days learning from Olympic rower Lindsay Shoop last month while on a spring break training trip in Tampa.

Shoop, who won a gold medal in the women's eight at the 2008 Summer Olympics and is also a five-time U.S. national team rower, was a tremendous resource during the training trip, helping the girls build their skills. The team had two practices a day during the six-day trip, spending about five hours each day rowing on the Hillsborough River.

“Lindsay’s direction was imperative to instructing technique to the girls,” said faculty member Carly Borken, who is head coach of the girls’ crew team. “The whole focus of the two days was developing the best technique for efficiency and power. She was so calm but precise, really focusing on how to coach the girls to make positive changes in their stroke... She went back to basics and broke down her instruction in a very applied manner.”

In addition to working directly with the girls’ team in Tampa, Shoop also gave an evening lecture to both the girls’ and boys’ teams.

Tri-captain Athena Wilkinson ’15 was impressed and inspired by the fact that Shoop came to rowing relatively late in her college career, not picking up the sport until she was a junior at the University of Virginia. Wilkinson also appreciated the hands on work with Shoop and the fact that Shoop’s technical tips and drills quickly helped Wilkinson build muscle memory.

"Working with Lindsay gave me an entirely different perspective on the sport of rowing, especially when it comes to technique,” tri-captain Talley Hodges ’15 agreed. “She focused on what seemed like the minor part of the stroke in tedious drills, but when pieced together in full I was able to apply more power with better technique than I have over any of my seasons. It was amazing how rowing could feel so different after just a day.”

The crew team’s work with Shoop was made possible by the financial generosity of Brandt and Terri Handley, parents of Sophie Kamhi ’17.

Drummond C. Bell III ’63, who has served Taft as a dedicated and hardworking trustee for 30 years, is this year’s recipient of the Horace D. Taft Alumni Medal.

The school’s highest alumni honor is given annually to a person whose life work best exemplifies Taft’s motto of serving others.

“It all started at Taft, because everybody cared,” Bell says. The seeds planted at Taft drew Bell to his decades-long interest in philanthropic work and in particular, the heart of his service efforts: educational opportunities for minorities.

Faculty were key to his time at Taft. Lance Odden, then a young faculty member, was a valued mentor to Bell and remained an influence in his philanthropic work after Taft. “What John Small, my track coach, taught us,” Bell says, “was ‘keep it up,’ grit, and perseverance.”

While in Pittsburgh with U.S. Steel, where he spent 20 years as one of their youngest officers, he became a board member of Family House, a “home away from home” for patients and their families seeking medical treatment in area hospitals. He was also involved with the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

So began Bell’s trajectory of nonprofit work, while he also served as board member and vice president of the Arthritis Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, which honored Bell with their Most Distinguished Service Award.

After coming back to NYC and Connecticut in 1987, Bell became involved with education of minorities in Bedford Stuyvesant through Decatur Clearpool, a program that provides year-round education to underserved youth in Brooklyn as well as giving them further educational resources with a year-round facility in Carmel, New York. Lance Odden had asked Bell to become involved with the program, and, with the support of Mike Osheowitz, another mentor to Bell, and the Gould Foundation for Children, Clearpool was born and prospered. Peter Rose ’74 was its executive director and a leading force of the school they took over.

One of Bell’s current interests is ReadWorks in New York City, where he’s been a longtime board member. Its mission is to close the achievement gap throughout the United States by providing K-12 educators with an online reading comprehension curriculum and methodology.

“And we don’t charge a dime for it,” Bell proudly says; growing daily, over 2 million teachers have visited or are using ReadWorks’ website.

For 20 years or so Bell has worked with Sponsors for Education Opportunities (SEO), which helps young people from underserved communities gain admission to college and find jobs. He has helped them to find corporate sponsorships. SEO, also founded by Osheowitz, is “an exceptional organization,” Bell says, with over 8,000 graduates.

He is a past board member of the Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO), which enables small business owners and budding entrepreneurs from underserved communities to start and operate successful businesses. Bell was so impressed with WIBO’s success that he brought it to Bridgeport, Connecticut, through Family Services Woodfield. Through the efforts of Hord Armstrong ’59 and Bill DeWitt ’86, a chapter of WIBO was started in St. Louis, Missouri.

And, as if he didn’t have enough on his philanthropic plate, Bell also serves as a board member of the National Urban Squash & Education Association, which runs after-school programs to help young people from economically disadvantaged households fulfill their academic and athletic potential. This summer, eight NUSEA students will attend Taft Summer School for the first time.

Bell’s conviction that others can achieve their dreams, regardless of their circumstances, and his own success is underpinned by his belief in “street smarts” and “trusting your gut.” “You always have to depend on other people,” he says. “You can’t do it yourself.” Advice that has served him well as he continues to serve so many others.

As a Taft trustee spanning three decades, Bell has served on the Board Development Committee, Governance Committee, Major Gift Committee, Board Building and Grounds Committee, the Board Nominating Committee, Taft Executive Committee, and the Citation of Merit Committee (now known as the Horace D. Taft Alumni Medal Committee).

“Many of us know of Drum’s tireless efforts on behalf of Taft. He has been one of the most effective and hardworking trustees in the last 50 years,” says Holcombe Green ’87, chair of the Horace D. Taft Alumni Medal Committee. “He is not only Taft’s biggest cheerleader, but also the heart and soul of the alumni body. His efforts on behalf of many other philanthropic institutions have been no less tireless and his impact has been quite far reaching.‎ Drum’s life is an excellent example of our school’s motto at work.”

Bell is an alumni parent representative for the Admissions Department and interviews prospective students. He was reunion chair for the Class of 1963’s Fifth Reunion, president of the Alumni Association in the late 1970s, chair of Annual Fund, and an assistant class agent. Bell and his family have established three endowed funds at Taft: the Drummond C. Bell III Endowment for Faculty Support, the Drummond and Ruth Bell Fellowship, and the Bell Family Scholarship. He is president of the Drummond C. & Ruth A. Bell Foundation, which provides grants for educational programs for children in underserved areas.

His business experience covers many sectors over decades. He started his career at U.S. Steel, where he became one of the youngest division presidents. After 20 years he left to run a real estate firm, worked in private equity, became a venture partner of a New York firm, ran small businesses, and served on many boards. Today, he serves on the board of WineDirect and has recently become CEO of a start-up venture.

Bell earned a B.A. from the University of North Carolina in 1967 and attended Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program in 1982. Among other awards, Bell received the Woodfield Award twice for his service to Family Services Woodfield, now Lifebridge Community Service, an Educational Opportunities Award from Sponsors for Educational Opportunities, Partners in Entrepreneurship Award from Alliance for Children and Families, and was an honoree at National Philanthropy Day in 2010.

“Taft served my brother, Richard ’71, as well as my daughter, Rachel ’92, and my son, Drum ’90,” Bell says. “We have all been lucky to have gone to this great institution whose motto is certainly followed by many Tafties.”

Learn more about the Horace D. Taft Alumni Medal and previous recipients of the Medal and its precursor, the Citation of Merit.

American blues musician James Montgomery, best known as the lead singer, blues harp player, frontman, and bandleader of The James Montgomery Blues Band, will perform in Taft’s Bingham Auditorium on Friday, April 17 at 8 pm. The concert is free and open to the public.

While growing up in Detroit, Montgomery learned first-hand from the masters — James Cotton, John Lee Hooker, and Jr. Wells — at the legendary "Chessmate." Over the years, he's carried on in the tradition and continues to be a vital presence in Blues as one of the most dynamic performers on the scene. (Read a profile of Montgomery that appeared in the Rhode Island Monthly.)

In 1970, while attending Boston University, Montgomery formed the James Montgomery Band. Within two years, the band was among the hottest acts in Boston along with J. Geils and Aerosmith, and they were quickly signed to a multi-album deal with Capricorn Records.

Since that time, Montgomery has recorded six albums. His first, "First Time Out" has been remastered and re-released by MRG/Capricorn. Others include "James Montgomery Band" on Island Records, which was number nine on Billboard's national playlist; "Duck Fever" with members of the David Letterman Band; "Live Trax," with the Uptown Horns (the Rolling Stones' horn section); and his release on Tone-Cool, "The Oven Is On."

Throughout his career, Montgomery has collaborated with many star performers and recording artists. He has toured with many major artists, including Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, the Allman Brothers, and Steve Miller. He has jammed on stage with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Jr. Wells, James Cotton, Charlie Daniels, Bonnie Raitt, Greg Allman, Laverne Baker, Patti LaBelle, and Peter Wolf among others, including an impromptu session with Mick Jagger.

“Shadow boxes become poetic theater or settings wherein are metamorphosed the elements of a childhood pastime." - Joseph Cornell 

Mark. W. Potter’s eponymous Taft gallery will feature his own work in a new exhibition running Friday, April 17 through Tuesday, May 26. “Boxes, Constructions, and Collage" will be celebrated with an opening reception Friday, April 17 from 5 to 7 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

The work in this show will come as a surprise to some; it is seemingly dissimilar to his larger body of work. To those who knew him well the boxes will remind of his intrepid experimentation, his freewheeling demos in the Art Room, his theatrical efforts to waken the creativity and open the minds of his students.

Mark’s previous shows have included oils, drawings, and watercolors.  His subject matter was usually landscapes, interiors and occasional portraits. The work was done with a condensed realism that focused on what he wanted the viewer to see.

With his foray into “art” boxes, collages, and constructions, Mark found focus and inspiration in the work of Joseph Cornell, Kurt Schwitters, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg.

“As an artist, his boxes and constructions, kindled by memory, colors, and shapes, freed Mark to recapture a childhood,” notes Bobbie Potter. “Remnants of a radio, a model plane, toys, a shell, a broken piece of glass, or metal, an image, a scrap of paper, a Coca-Cola logo created a three-dimensional world of light and shadow.   He believed that if you got them right, shapes spoke the strongest language. And as a teacher, Mark used these mixed media to free his students from the tyranny of the picture plane, allowing them to revel in time and space.”

Potter was released from all constraints when assembling a box, a construction, or collage.  To him it was a less serious but worthy exercise – it was fun, a game, a gift, a journey into the past. Since the year of his death, they have been held in a family collection and are shown here for the first time.

The Mark W. Potter '48 gallery is open Monday through Saturday, from 8 am to 5 pm; admission to the gallery is free. For more information visit TaftSchool.org.

This show is made possible by a gift from the Andrew R. Hemingway '47 Endowment Fund.

"Reflection" by Allie Davidge ’15

Photographs by Taft students Allie Davidge ’15 and Emma Howie ’16 were recently juried into the Shoreline Arts Alliance’s IMAGES 2015, a statewide competition and exhibition open to all Connecticut photographers. Now in its 34^th year, the IMAGES competition received close to 700 photographic submissions by 121 photographers this year.

“It’s a difficult show to get into and I know many professionals and artists whose entries have been rejected in the past,” said photography teacher Yee-Fun Yin. “I couldn’t be more proud of Emma and Allie.”

Davidge’s digital pigment print “Reflection” was accepted into the exhibition as was Howie’s print titled “Mayna.”

Howie’s photograph also won the Arts Alliance’s Ann Christensen Award.

A panel of three judges selected photographs for awards and exhibition based on creativity, photographic excellence, and the ability to evoke reaction.  The Ann Christensen Prize (named for the Shoreline Arts Alliance’s longtime director) is given to a photographer “whose work makes a lasting impression.”

“Music for a Great Space” (the final concert in Taft’s Music for a While series for this academic year) will take place Sunday, April 26 at 5 pm in Woodward Chapel. The concert is free and open to the public.

Taft’s Collegium Musicum will perform selections from Vivaldi’s Gloria and choral works from many lands with Saecula Chamber Choir and Baroque Orchestra.

Tom Brand will conduct and Joseph Jacovino will serve as accompanist.

For more on Taft’s Music for a While series, please visit the concert series web page.

The spring play at Taft is a fixture of the end of the year calendar, but this year the actors, technical crew, designers and directors have been working on a project that adds fresh purpose to the traditional offering by embracing Taft’s tradition of community service.

“Androcles and the Lion,” is adapted for young audiences from Aesop’s fable by Aurand Harris.  It tells the story of a “friendship that was won by a kindness that was done.”  The production will play twice on campus, and then embark on a tour to local elementary schools and libraries.

The play features performances by Peter Dzubay ’18 as the slave, Androcles; and Natasha Batten ’15 as the Lion. The two form an unlikely friendship.  Ai Bui ’16 and Gerry Calles ’18 play the star-crossed lovers Isabella and Lelio.  Kelly Park ’15 and Gaines Semler ’15 play the miserly Pantalone and the boastful Captain, whose selfishness stands in the way of everyone’s happiness. 

“Everyone benefits from an undertaking like this,” says director Susan Becker Aziz.  “The actors are working in a broad style that requires high energy and lots of physicality, which is new for many of them.  The technical crew is building a flexible setting that can be set up easily in many different locations.  It is always tons of fun to create a performance that entertains — this time we’re excited to have the added good of reaching audiences off campus that we have never played to before. That has made this production pretty special.” 

Actress Natasha Batten adds, “Being able to give back and represent the school motto through my passion for performing is the best way to finish my four years with theatre at Taft.”

Tour Schedule

Taft's Black Box Theater                    Wednesday, April 29, 1 pm

Taft's Choral Room                            Wednesday, April 29, 6 pm

Carrington Elementary, Waterbury     Thursday, April 30, 3:15 pm

Litchfield Montessori, Northfield       Friday, May 1, 2:30 pm

St John the Evangelist, Watertown     Wednesday, May 6, 1 pm

Goshen Public Library, Goshen         Saturday, May 9, 12:30 pm

Performances are free.  The Taft on-campus and Goshen Public Library performances are open to the general public.

The play is being staged by Susan Becker Aziz P’11, settings designed by David Kievit, costumes designed by Lesley Neilson-Bowman, music direction by TJ Thompson, with shadow puppets designed by Tong Cheunchitra ’15. Stage management by Allison Hsu ’16  and Tong Cheunchitra ’15. Technical crew: Ryan Rothfuss ’16, Harry Wang ’16, RJ Susi ’16, Maya Shrestha ’16, John Comai ’17, and Dot Harrop.

Drummond C. Bell III ’63, who has served Taft as a dedicated and hardworking trustee for 30 years and is this year’s recipient of the Horace D. Taft Alumni Medal, spoke about life at and after Taft during Morning Meeting on April 30.

Bell, who has been a great champion of expanding educational opportunities for minority and financially disadvantaged students, spoke about the meaning of the school’s motto: Non ut sibi ministretur sed ut minister.

Watch a video of Bell’s Morning Meeting remarks.

Read Bell’s remarks.

Read more about Bell and the Horace D. Taft Alumni Medal.

Each summer, all Taft students and faculty read a book in common. This all-school reading selection acts a shared experience to build community and foster discussion at the beginning of the new academic year. This year the Summer Reading Committee (composed of members of the faculty and student body) has chosen Mudbound by Hillary Jordan as the all-school reading selection.

Winner of the 2006 Bellwether Prize for Fiction, Mudbound is a powerful novel of two families, white and black, in the Jim Crow south immediately following World War II. Author Stewart O'Nan has called the novel "a real page-turner — a tangle of history, tragedy, and romance powered by guilt, moral indignation, and a near chorus of unstoppable voices."While Barbara Kingsolver said of Mudbound, "this is storytelling at the height of its powers...Hillary Jordan writes with the force of a delta storm."

Jordan will visit Taft as a Morning Meeting speaker in October 2015 to continue discussion of the book and its themes with Taft students and faculty.

In addition to Mudbound, all students are required to read an additional book chosen from a list of faculty-sponsored books. Both Mudbound and the sponsored books will be discussed in small groups in the fall.

Of course, we hope that students will read more than just these two books over the summer, because reading expands one's perspective on life, besides being entertaining. And we hope the list of faculty-sponsored books will provide many options and ideas and create an opportunity for many discussions in school and beyond.

View the full list of Summer Reading options.

View a video introduction of Hillary Jordan's Mudbound (video created by Summer Reading Committee member Lauren Fadiman ’17).

Read more about Mudbound and about Hillary Jordan.

On May 5, Taft had an amazing day of giving, celebrating the school’s 125th Anniversary! We are excited to announce that 266 donors from the Taft community contributed $148,805 to the Annual Fund, more than doubling our original goal of 125 donors.

Congratulations to the Class of '84 for having the highest number of donors. And kudos to the parents of the Class of '16 for having the highest participation. Olé! Their kids enjoyed a taco truck feed in recognition of their parents’ gifts.

A huge thanks to all of the volunteers who made the day a success, especially Sawnie and Jim McGee, Parents' Fund Chairs; Dylan Simonds ’89, Annual Fund Chair; Class Agents; Jean and Stuart Serenbetz, Former Parents' Fund Chairs; and our student telethon volunteers.

View a full photo gallery of Alumni Weekend 2015

More than 700 people--a new record--returned to Taft May 14-16 for Alumni Weekend 2015. Tafties came to Watertown from all over the world, including one graduate, Don Spencer ’55, who biked more than 500 miles over 10 days from west Virginia to attend his 60th reunion.

The weekend kicked off on Thursday, May 14, with the 50^th Reunion Dinner for the Class of 1965 and the 60^th Reunion Class Dinner for the Class of 1955. Family members of the acclaimed late artist David Armstrong ’65 attended Alumni Weekend for what would have been his 50^th reunion.

On Friday, Tafties gathered for an early morning alumni golf outing, attended open classes across disciplines, and gathered for a few class luncheons and the Old Guard Luncheon before the annual Service of Remembrance. The Horace D. Taft Alumni Medal and Citation of Merit was awarded to Drummond C. Bell III ’63 during Friday's Old Guard Dinner.

Highlights of Saturday’s festivities included “Back to Class” sessions on “AP Capstone: The 7 Billion Person Question”; “Oil and Despotism: An Examination of the Links Between Oil Wealth and Autocracy”; and “Admissions 101.”

Following the 125^th Year Celebration Parade and alumni luncheon, Tafties gathered for alumni soccer and alumni lacrosse games as well as a special performance and reception of the Woodward Chapel’s newly renovated organ.

The weekend wrapped up with the traditional headmaster’s barbecue and additional reunion class gatherings. Record numbers of alumni returned for parties for the Class of 1975 and the Class of 1995.

For more photographs from the weekend, including reunion class photos, visit http://www.taftphotos.com/Alumni-Weekend-2015

The second Zoë B. Klimley ’15 Run to Remember—a two kilometer loop around the Taft campus—took place on Sunday, May 17. The race was held in memory of Zoë Klimley, a member of the Class of 2015 who died unexpectedly in January 2014.

Hundreds of students and faculty joined with the Klimley family and friends for the 2K, many wearing t-shirts designed by Zoë’s friend, Madison Haskins ’15.

As was the case last year, the money collected from this year’s run will go to a scholarship created in Zoë’s memory. 

“Heading into my 34th year of teaching, having been involved in the planning of Zoë’s Run to Remember has been one of the most meaningful endeavors I can recall,” said faculty member Ginger O’Shea. “Working with the family, students, and faculty in this capacity has really brought out the best that Taft can be! I hope the recipients of Zoë’s scholarship will possess her love of life.”

Read more about Zoë

View photos of the 2015 ZBK Run to Remember

View a video of the 2015 ZBK Run to Remember

Taft will celebrate its 125^th Commencement on Saturday, May 24, 2015.

A welcome from Headmaster William R. MacMullen ’78 and full details about the weekend are available on the Parents pages of the website.

Mr. Brooks Klimley, parent of the late Zoë Klimley ’15, will serve as Commencement speaker for the Class of 2015.

“It is a tradition at Taft to have someone close to the Taft family ‑ a parent, a faculty member ‑ offer the address, and it is hard to think of a parent with deeper ties to the class than Mr. Klimley,” said Headmaster MacMullen ’78. “After Zoë's tragic death, Mr. Klimley has remained incredibly close to the school and this class, and his spirit has been an inspiration for all.”

Mr. Klimley holds a dual BA/MA in Jurisprudence from Oxford University where he studied under the auspices of the Euretta J. Kellet Research Fellowship, which he received from Columbia University, where he graduated magna cum laude and received Phi Beta Kappa recognition in his joint Economics and History major.

For many years, he has served as Adjunct Professor at both Columbia University Business School and also at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, where he teaches graduate courses on energy and power financing markets. He also active in the Global Energy Policy Center.

Mr. Klimley has had a three-decade career in investment banking with a focus on the energy and natural resources sector. Prior to founding his own energy advisory services firm (Brooks J. Klimley & Associates), he was president of CIT Energy and held leadership positions at a number of Wall Street firms, including Citicorp, Bear Stearns, UBS and Kidder, Peabody.

Mr. Klimley sits on the Advisory Board of the Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers at Phillips Academy, as well as on numerous local organizations in his hometown of Bronxville, NY.

Congratulations to the 177 members of the Class of 2015 who officially became Taft graduates on Saturday, May 24, 2015.

Linked below is the full listing of Commencement Awards as well as information to purchase a Commencement video and to view and purchase photos from the big day.

Also available here are the remarks of the 2015 Commencement speakers who spoke eloquently about paying it forward, following the inner id, tradition, growth, and their love of the Taft community.

Read remarks by Taft's Commencement speakers:

Brooks J. Klimley, Parent '15

Quentin A. Harris '15

Vienna A. Kaylan '15

Charlotte T. Klein '15

Ezra W. Levy '15

William R. MacMullen '78, Headmaster

Commencement Video

A video of Taft's 125th Commencement will be available for purchase from Essenelle Studios.

View a preview montage of the Commencement video. 

Commencement Photographs

To order photographs directly from the photographer, visit Highpoint Pictures (available later in June).

A photo gallery of Commencement 2015 is also available at www.taftphotos.com.

Andria Marie Benvenuto

Caroline Cusick Borzilleri

Patricia Adeline Ewing

Anna Regan Farrell

Henry Finn Froland

Richard Gus Gilland

John Philip Gribbin, Jr.

Zoheb Hossain

Vienna Ayla Kaylan

Jenna Nicole Longo

Olivia Ilse O'Malley

Isabella Jalenak Ordway

Isabelle Beatrice Shafran

Solange Celeste Soward

Ryan Evan Tetro

Anjali Clara Thakor

HARRY W. WALKER ’40 "NON UT SIBI" AWARD

The "Non ut Sibi" Award, given by Harry W. Walker, Class of 1940, goes to that senior whose service and work outside of Taft best exemplifies the School's motto. We are awarding a book and $1000, $750 of which will go to a charitable cause of the winner's choice. For volunteer work throughout their Taft careers, the awards go to:

Fjordi Mulla

Christian John Thompson

THE HEMINWAY MERRIMAN AWARD

The Heminway Merriman Award, given by the friends and family of Junie Merriman, Class of 1930, is awarded to those young men whose gentle concern for others best reflects the qualities of Junie Merriman.

Jesse Alexander Calder

James Mark Putko

THE BERKLEY F. MATTHEWS ’96 AWARD

Given by family and friends in memory of Berkley F. Matthews, Class of 1996, this award recognizes those young women whose loyalty, concern for others, and gentleness captures the remarkable spirit of Berkley Matthews.

Colleen Mary Iannone

Zoë Brooks Klimley (In Memoriam)

Isabella Jalenak Ordway

Athena Marie Wilkinson

THE CLASS OF 1981 AWARD

In recognition of students who during their time at Taft have displayed exceptional personal growth and perseverance. 

Tiffany Victoria Bushka

Naima Fu'ad Caydiid

James William Matons II

Iliana Ariel Smith

SALUTATORIAN

Sae Eun Eugene Lee

VALEDICTORIAN

Alicia Shirley Wang

THE JOSEPH I. CUNNINGHAM AWARD

This award honors Joseph I. Cunningham, a member of The Taft School faculty for thirty-nine years. The award is presented to the seniors who, in the opinion of the Headmaster and faculty, have worked selflessly for the betterment of the entire Taft School community.

Elisha Hilliard Cooper

Rio Malika Dennis

Lauren Adele Drakeley

Jane Talley Hodges

THE AURELIAN AWARD

This award is offered at several preparatory schools by The Aurelian Honor Society of Yale to that senior who, in the opinion of faculty and classmates, is outstanding in sterling character, high scholarship, and forceful leadership.

Pensiri Naviroj

THE 1908 MEDAL

This award is made each year to that member of the Senior class whose influence has done most for the School.

Quentin Alexander Harris

Vienna Ayla Kaylan

View a video of the Spring Dance Showcase.

View a photo gallery of the Spring Dance Showcase.

The Spring Dance Showcase was presented on Sunday, May 17, 2015 in Bingham Auditorium featuring all of the Taft School dance classes.  Directed by Sarah Surber, the diverse program was the culmination of the semester, and much of the work was created by, or at least influenced by, the students themselves.  Highlighted in the Showcase were senior advanced students Natasha Batten and Anna Farrell, who have been active members of the dance program for four years. 

Participants:

Dancers:  Natasha Batten ’15, Rivers Cahee ’15, Anna Farrell ’15, Dan Harrington ’15, Nick Lavezzorio ’15, Eugene Lee ’15, Emily Axelberg ’16, Makari Chung ’15, Allison Hsu ’15, Kayla Kim ’16, Mat Maier ’16, Sam Okpan ’16, Ryan Parcells ’16, Sophie Pulver ’16, Ellie Smith ’16, Parinaz Dastoor ’17, Libby Dawe ’17, Gabby Gonzalez Carpio ’17, Reece Olmstead ’17, SeArah Smith ’17, Sarah Taylor ’17, Michael Wasserstein ’17, Kimberly Wipfler ’17, Elizabeth Baratta ’18, Craig Cagner ’18, Phoebe Cook ’18, Grace Dreher ’18, Shamir Johnson ’18, Emma Kresch ’18, Angie Narvaez ’18, Lily Thebault ’18, Lily Turner ’18, Pearl Young ‘18

Stage Crew:  

Tiffany Bushka ’15, Tong Cheunchitra ’15, Ryan Rothfuss ’16, Maya Shrestha ’16, RJ Susi ’16, Harry Wang ’16, John Comai ’17, Jack Elrad ’17

For the first time ever, Taft’s boys’ track team has won the Founders’ League championship. And in their best finish ever, the team was runner–up to Exeter at the Division 1 New England Tournament. (Read about the New England Tournament.)

Team records set this year include:

Nick Wignot ‑ discus

DJ Woullard ‑110 high hurdles and the 300 hurdles

Jimmy Putko, Alex Salytchev, Marcus Alleyne, Jevaughn Sinclair ‑ 4 x 100 relay

Jimmy Putko, Matteo Mangiardi, Nadir Pearson, Jevaughn Sinclair ‑ 4 x 400 relay

Jevaughn Sinclair ‑ 100m (tied record)

Click here to view the complete list of record holders.

“The 2015 season was a very memorable one for the boys track,” said coach Steve McCabe, “and the credit for the team’s accomplishments, which at times reach historic levels, goes to the athletes. The team followed the lead of its veteran core of returning athletes, embraced the talents of the newcomers to the program, and pushed extremely hard to raise the program’s ranking at both the league and New England levels.”

“It’s such a tribute to Steve’s good work as a coach,” said assistant coach Karla Palmer. “I’ve never witnessed a Taft track team that worked with such focus and determination. It was just so cool to see their work pay off.”

A summary of the team’s accomplishments:

*The team’s regular season record improved from 6-5 in 2014 to 14-1 in 2015.

*Team members equaled one and set five other school records (see list above). The discus record was the longest standing of these, previously set in 1994 and broken this spring by Nick Wignot.

*At the Founders League Championship Meet, the team moved up from fourth place with 45 points in 2014 to 144 points and the Team’s first-ever Founders League Championship.

*At the NEPSTA Division I Championships the team vaulted from ninth place to second place, the highest ranking earned by a Taft Track Team since the Girls Team placed second in 1990.

The latest issue of Red Inc. consists of artwork, photographs and various written works by a diverse group of students and faculty of The Taft School. Students may submit extracurricular work or art and writing completed for class assignments. Red Inc. aims to unite and share the literary and art talents of the Taft School.

Read Red Inc. online.