Dr. Ibram Kendi visited Taft this week for a Morning Meeting talk. Kendi is currently an assistant professor of African American History at the University of Florida. His second book, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, was recently released by Nation Books. 

Kendi was born in 1982 to parents who came of age during the Black power movement in New York City. They were student activists and Christians inspired by Black liberation theology. While Kendi was in high school, his family moved from Jamaica, Queens, to Manassas, Virginia. He traveled further south and attended Florida A&M University, where he earned his undergraduate degrees in Journalism and African American Studies in 2004. After working for a time as a journalist, Kendi purused his graduate studies. He earned his doctoral degree in African American Studies from Temple University in 2010. 

Kendi has published numerous essays in books and academic journals, including The Journal of African American History, Journal of Social History, and  the Journal of Black Studies. He is the author of the award-winning book, The Black Campus Movement: Black Students and the Racial Reconstitution of Higher Education, 1965-1972.

Kendi is currently finishing Black Apple: A Narrative History of Malcolm X and Black Power in New York, 1954-1974, a book under contract with NYU Press. He is also working on an anthology on Malcolm X, and the sequel to Stamped from the Beginning.  

Watch Kendi's full presentation here. 

 The tension in the room was palpable as Michael Scaramuzzino’s AP Computer Science students went through some last minute mental calisthenics in preparation for the ultimate computer science showdown: the hardware build-off.

            Teams of three students went head-to-head in a round robin-style competition that required them to fully dismantle a Dell computer, reassemble it, then reboot the system. Team JIM—Joanna Kleszczewski ’18, Isaiah Jones ’18, and Morgan Sperry ’17—won not only the first round, but the full team competition.

            “That was so stressful,” said Sperry. “I know I sprouted some grey hairs.”

            The trio had practiced the team build in class earlier in the week, and felt ready for the challenge.

            “There were very specific things that each of us needed to do,” explained Jones. “There were eight components that had to be removed then reconnected. We knew what part of the process we were responsible for, and focused on that once the competition started.”

            Scaramuzzino’s students had been studying computer hardware for the past few weeks. They learned to identify the individual hardware components, and to understand how they were connected, both physically and functionally.

            “It is important to understand how the parts talk to one another,” notes Scaramuzzino, “to understand how the computer operates. One of the challenges of this lab was to get the computer to boot-up after putting it back together. If one component was missed or not plugged in correctly, the students would have to open the computer again, find the mistake, and correct it, which could allow the slower, but more precise team to win.”

           Team JIM’s win in the round robin competition was solid, but some of the competitors were not willing to go down without a fight—leading to a second throw down. Working in pairs, students faced off once again, this time in a one-and-done, single-elimination competition. Team Win—Nick Winicki ’19 and Raya Petrova ’17 took home the gold.

            Observed Jones: “You can’t spell Winicki without a win." 

Ben Laufer ’18 has a keen interest in food. What started as a passion for the array of ethnic foods readily available during his childhood in Brooklyn, soon gave way to something much greater.

          “I spent my freshman summer interning at restaurants in Connecticut, New York City, and Martha’s Vineyard,” said Ben. “They were farm-to-table-type restaurants, which got me more interested in agriculture, and where our food comes from. That blossomed into a general interest in sustainability and environmental issues.”

            Ben is an eco-mon at Taft—a student leader and ambassador for the environmental programs and initiatives across campus. He received a Poole Grant last summer to attend the Dartmouth Environmental Leadership Institute, and to study permaculture in Costa Rica. He is also a Global Leadership Institute Scholar, a Global Studies and Service Diploma candidate, and part of Taft’s inaugural AP Capstone program, which explored, in part, the relationship between population and environmental sustainability. But it is his work outside of Taft that has earned him acclaim on the global stage: Ben was recently a delegate and presenter at the youth summit of the 2016 Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium, part of the World Food Prize event in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Road to Iowa Begins in Philly

            Ben’s path to the Borlaug Symposium started more than a year earlier, when he first heard about the Ideas for Action 14-18 competition, sponsored by the World Bank and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. The competition invited teams of two to five students to submit solutions to global problems. Zach Mariani ’18 saw that Ben had liked a Facebook post about the Ideas for Action competition; interest piqued, the two reached out to Lauren Pelosi ’18, a friend and able wordsmith.

          “With Zach’s acumen in finance and credit markets and Lauren’s skill as a writer, I knew we had the potential to develop and present a very good proposal,” said Ben.

          And they did. The team drafted a proposal for a pilot program blending modern microfinance, traditional agriculture techniques, and ongoing education to optimize the productivity of small-scale farmers in Ethiopia. The problem in Ethiopia is staggering, but not unusual in developing nations: Approximately 80% of the population is engaged in agriculture, yet 31 million Ethiopians suffer from malnutrition and food insecurity.

          “A large number of Ethiopians engage in subsistence farming and livestock production,” explained Ben, “but they lack the education and monetary resources they need to yield harvests of more than six to nine months worth of food for themselves and their families. There is not enough to get them through the year, let alone excess to sell in markets. They have no way to generate income that could be reinvested in their farms, so the cycle continues.”

          Added Zach, “We chose to center the project in Ethiopia primarily because of the stability of the Birr deflation (in comparison to the dollar), and the steady GDP and population growth. I brainstormed ideas on how to reliably get capital into our model; Ben was able to help come up with ideas on how to put the money to good use, and Lauren was able to help us merge the two in writing.”

            The model, which proposes improving agricultural productivity by bringing small scale irrigation and water lifting devices to the region, relies on the coordination and cooperation of government agencies in Ethiopia, and the initial financial backing of philanthropic organizations. Ben, Zach, and Lauren met weekly over the course of four to five months, constantly researching, refining, and reassessing their proposal.

            “As is true with most good ideas, the key was in presentation,” said Lauren. “My role on the team was mainly to help articulate our complicated economic ideas. In communicating the modifications of standing economic concepts that we were proposing, and with so many parts to our long-term plan, it was important to write well and concisely. We needed to mix precision with succinctness, and completeness with clarity.” 

           The team was named one of six finalists in the inaugural Ideas for Action 14-18 competition. All of the finalists saw their papers published online by Wharton, with an abstract published in documentation related to the annual proceedings of the World Bank. They also traveled to Penn, where they presented their proposals to a panel of senior fellows and professors at Wharton, as well as World Bank dignitaries.

            “When Ben and Zach invited me to help them develop an essay dealing with the economics behind sustainable farming in Ethiopia, I was initially apprehensive,” said Lauren. “I considered myself to be more of a writer than a businesswoman; to me, economics and humanities were distinct schools of thought.  Ideas for Action and our trip to Wharton taught me that interests in the two are not mutually exclusive: they're in fact inextricable. A good plan for global change requires an empathetic understanding of others' condition.  It requires cooperation.  When an idea is being put to action, it requires clear and persuasive argumentation.”

Borlaug Bound

            Ben, Zach, and Lauren have continued to work on their proposal, building on suggestions from the panel that heard their presentation at Penn. They were also invited to judge next year’s competition. But Ben felt compelled to continue exploring the common question raised throughout the team’s Ideas for Action research: How can countries continue sustainable development and still decrease their dependence on foreign aid? He initiated a new project, this time studying Rwanda. It was that research that earned Ben an invitation to the World Food Prize event in Iowa.

          Established in 1986 by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, The World Food Prize is a prestigious, international award given each year to honor the achievements of agricultural scientists working to end hunger and improve the food supply. It is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture.” Over the past 30 years, The World Food Prize has been awarded to laureates from Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, China, Denmark, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Israel, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Laureates are named each year at the Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium, held this year in Des Moines, Iowa.

           “During my first two days in Iowa I was able to attended a number of the Dialogue presentations. I listened to the US Secretary of Agriculture, the President of the African Development Bank, the current President of Mauritius, and Joyce Banda, the former President of Malawi, considered the "most powerful woman in Africa,” said Ben.

          The program culminated in the youth summit, where 200 student delegates prepared proposals. Ben was chosen by his group to present their findings before a panel of 75 dignitaries that included several World Food Prize laureates, the former President of Malawi, the President of the World Food Prize, distinguished scientists, and university professors.

          “These experiences have helped spark a greater passion for learning in general, Ben said. “I come back from the conferences eager to do more research and reading on the topics and sustainability initiatives I heard about there. It has also made me more appreciative of the situation I am in, and reminds me how fortunate I am. While I am not certain whether I want to work on the policy side or the research side of sustainable development and economics, or sustainable development and environmental advocacy, I do know I want to go into a field dedicated service—a field where I have the opportunity to make some kind of a global impact.”

Boys' Varsity Soccer                                              Girls' Varsity Soccer

It is with profound sadness that we pass along the news that Clayton “Chip” Spencer ’56 passed away on December 9, 2016, after a long battle with cancer. Chip was involved with Taft for every decade up to his retirement in 1997 and changed and bettered Taft profoundly. His roles at Taft included director of development, director of planned giving, history teacher, coach, and dorm parent.

Headmaster Willy MacMullen ’78 said, “It is hard—no, it's impossible—to capture what Chip was to Taft in his years of service here. His love for the school was profound, his service inspiring, and his loyalty unwavering. As director of development and director of planned giving, Chip was instrumental in two capital campaigns. He traveled thousands of miles and spoke to hundreds of alumni, all in service of Taft. So much of Taft’s strength and growth is linked to this remarkable man, who devoted much of his life to Taft. He was a great colleague, a wonderful friend, and an inspiring leader—and, there was no one more fun to work with. There are hundreds of alumni, from Florida to California, and throughout the years, who supported the school because of the efforts of this great man.”

“Chip Spencer was a Taftie through and through,” said Former Headmaster Lance Odden. “A friend to all, his boundless enthusiasm for his school inspired remarkable generosity. Beloved by his colleagues in the Development Office and throughout the alumni body, Chip had a profound impact on those who knew him and on Taft.”

He leaves his wife, Susan, and children Oliver ’85, Jonathan ’88, Jane ’03, and Jennie.

“He loved and cherished his work at Taft having developed long and lasting friendships with the faculty, staff, and countless numbers of donors and contributors,” his family said. “He never considered fundraising to be a job as much as a call to service for the school he loved, attended, and his children attended.”

A memorial service will be held on December 17 at 11 a.m. at St Michael’s Parish in Litchfield (25 South Street, Litchfield, CT 06759). A separate gravesite service will be held in the spring in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

Read his entire obituary online.

Taft’s Music for a While concert series continues Friday, January 6 with a performance by Avery Ensemble in Walker Hall. The one-hour program begins at 7 pm; the concert is free and open to the public, no tickets are required.

     Now in its seventeenth season, the Avery Ensemble is a piano quartet known for its commitment to new music. They are frequently joined by guest vocalists and instrumentalists, and are sought out for premiere recordings of music by many composers. Avery also excels in the historically informed performance of early music, and in February will launch a new CD of works by Biber, Schoenfield, and Creston, as well as Mozart's Quartet in G minor, K. 478, performed as would have been common in 1785, with harpsichord as the keyboard instrument.

     Avery Ensemble is the first place winner of the 2016 American Prize in Chamber Music Performance. The Ensemble was also the focus of an article in the Summer 2016 issue of Chamber Music America's Chamber Music Magazine. The group founded a non-profit organization called Avery Concerts, Inc., in 2008 with a mission to increase access to world-class chamber music. Non-profit activities have included Avery's free concert series at Trinity Episcopal Church in the inner city of Hartford, where Avery Concerts has also sponsored free string workshops for youth. 

     Learn more, and watch or listen to a performance by the Avery Ensemble here.

Marc Thiessen ’85 came back to Taft this week to give a Morning Meeting talk about his experience as a writer and political commentator. Thiessen’s work has appeared in dozens of leading publications, including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and National Review. He is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, and appears regularly on Fox News, CNN, the BBC, C-SPAN, and on numerous talk radio programs.

As chief speechwriter to both President George W. Bush, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Thiessen spent eight years at the center of history. He was in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and collaborated with Secretary Rumsfeld on all of his major speeches during the first three years of the war on terror. After moving to the White House, Thiessen worked closely with President George W. Bush on hundreds of speeches including televised addresses from the Oval Office, and most of the President’s major speeches on the war on terror during his second term. Thiessen helped the President craft his public arguments on issues ranging from defense and national security, to energy, healthcare, taxes, trade, social and economic policy.

Thiessen is a graduate of Vassar College, and completed additional post-graduate studies at the Naval War College. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and in 2004 was awarded the Pentagon’s highest civilian honor: The Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

Watch Thiessen’s Morning Meeting talk here.

Faculty member and alumnus Joseph Zipoli ’84 shares his love for the city of Rome with the Taft community this month through an exhibit in Potter Gallery. Rome: Reflections on The Eternal City features Zipoli’s personal collection of prints, photographs, sculpture, and books celebrating the history, culture, and beauty of Caput Mundi, “the Capital of the World.”

     Please join us for an opening reception Friday, January 13 from 5 to 7 pm. The event is free and open to the public. The show runs from January 12 to February 24.

     Potter Gallery is on the Taft School campus, 110 Woodbury Road, Watertown. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 am to 5 pm when school is in session. 

Taft’s Music for a While concert series continues Friday, January 20 with a performance by Too Blue, an eclectic quintet that brings bluegrass, swing, Celtic, and jazz performances to life. The concert begins at 7 pm in Walker Hall, 50 DeForest Street, Watertown. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.

            Too Blue blends great singing and great picking with fun and creativity as they bring both original music and a few country covers to the stage.

            “With Too Blue, the total is much more than the sum of the parts, and the parts are mighty fine,” says Barry Mitterhoff, a mandolinist with Jorma Kaukonen and Hot Tuna.

            Those parts include smooth vocals, and powerful, adventurous musicianship on the mandolin, banjo, jazz bass, guitar and fiddle. Too Blue’s newest release, “Trouble With the Grey,” has received national radio airplay and enthusiastic reviews from Bluegrass Today and Bluegrass Unlimited.

Learn more about Too Blue here.    

The Taft community paused this week to reflect on the work and passion of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., while celebrating the social and cultural progress achieved through the civil rights movement.

            The multi-day event began on Saturday, January 14 with an annual Taft tradition, WorldFest. WorldFest is an opportunity for members of the Taft community—who hail from more than 40 countries worldwide—to share the customs, culture, food, and traditions of their homeland. Students don native dress, prepare regional foods, and celebrate their heritage in song and dance during the festival.

            On Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Taft welcomed many of our service and program partners from the greater Waterbury community to a Unity Breakfast in Laube Dining Hall. The breakfast featured a performance by Taft’s Gospel Choir, with a keynote address by Waterbury, CT Police Chief Vernon L. Riddick, Jr. Riddick was named Waterbury’s first African-American police chief in 2013.

            Artist and activist Ayanna Gregory also performed her one-woman show on Monday on the Bingham stage. “Daughter of the Struggle” reflects Gregory’s life as the daughter of renowned civil rights activist Dick Gregory, and of Lillian Gregory, who raised ten children largely alone while her husband traveled, and whose lesser-known but equally heroic work as an activist changed many lives.

            Following film screenings and academic workshops, the day concluded with a powerful Taft tradition, the Multicultural Arts Celebration, which featured song, dance, and spoken word performances by students and faculty.

            Enjoy photo galleries from all of the events here.

Four Taft students traveled to New Britain, CT, last weekend to participate in the Northern Regional Music Festival, sponsored by the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA).

     “The festival itself takes the form of a concert,” explains Taft Music Teacher TJ Thomson. “Our students were selected to participate in the concert through a competitive audition process in November.”

     Jennifer Jeon ’17, Louise Gagnon ’18, and Minna Holleck ’18 earned performance spots with the festival orchestra, while Marley Thompson ’18 performed with the choir. All four achieved scores high enough to secure their eligibility to audition for the All State Festival later this month.

     “Jennifer has participated every year during her four years at Taft,” notes Thompson. “Minna, Louise, and Marley have participated for the past two years.”

            The CMEA provides programs and activities for music educators, students, and future music educators striving to enhance the quality of music education for all children. Learn more at CMEA.org

Several Taft student-athletes are one step closer to fulfilling their college aspirations after firming up plans to continue their playing careers this week, with some signing National Letters of Intent, and others committing to schools through the admissions process.

“National Signing Day is an important day for high school athletes nationwide,” explained Head Football Coach Tyler Whitley. “This day is the culmination of a lot of hard work in the classroom, in the weight room, and on the athletic field. Today, several student-athletes will reach their goals and solidify their dreams of playing their sport in college at the highest level.”

Whitley added that Taft football players in the Class of 2017 have earned college placement options that are among “the best in school history.” Members of Taft’s varsity football and soccer teams were among those committing to colleges this week.

From Taft’s football program:

- Team captain Michael Hennessy, a four-year senior from New York, NY will attend Hamilton College.

- Beau Bradley, a postgraduate from Manasquan, NJ, will continue his career at the University of Virginia.

- Captain Alex Akpata, a two-year starter from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, has committed to the admissions process at Franklin and Marshall College.

- Captain Marcus Alleyne, a three-year senior, from Middletown, CT, signed a National Letter of Intent and accepted a full athletic scholarship to Fordham University.

- Elliott Brown, a postgraduate from Odenton, MD, signed a National Letter of Intent and accepted a full athletic scholarship to the University of Virginia.

            - Gerrik Vollmer, a postgraduate from Hamburg, Germany, signed a National Letter of Intent and accepted a full athletic scholarship to the University of Virginia.

Ricardo Llanio, Caleb Martin, and Moriz Schildorfer will all continue their football careers in college. They plan to make a decision on their respective schools in the very near future.

From Taft’s soccer program:

Matteo Mangiardi, Michael Candelori, Brandon Reid, and Miguel Ridruejo will all continue their soccer careers in college and are in the process of choosing their school. Their decisions will be announced at a later date.

Congratulations to all of these student-athletes. 

As part of Community Service Day in October, Tafties created artwork with students from the Children's Community School in Waterbury, CT. It was the second consecutive year that students from both schools worked on the “Let it Be a Quilt” project, conceptualized by Taft art teacher Loueta Chickadaunce.

CCS students in grades K-5 worked with Taft volunteers to create their own, personalized paper quilt squares. Chickadaunce talked to the children about how a quilt is made by many different people that are in a community to benefit another; the individual pieces were combined into quilts representing each CCS classroom. The quilts will be on display in Potter Gallery this Friday, February 10 from 6-8 pm. Guests can meet and greet the artists, and enjoy a wine tasting event. A donation of $25 is suggested, with all proceeds benefitting the Children's Community School.

Friday night also marks Taft’s annual “Art from the Heart” Valentine’s Day concert, featuring talented instrumental music teachers from the Taft community, including pianist Ray Pierpont, violinist Lisa Lacquidara, cellist George Kroqi, and guitarist Fred Krug. This ensemble of exceptional professional musicians will perform a one-hour chamber music program featuring the works of Handel, Beethoven, Albeniz, Skenderi and Popper. The concert begins at 7 pm in Walker Hall. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.

Potter Gallery is located on the Taft School campus, 110 Woodbury Road, Watertown, CT. CCS is a private non-profit school educating Waterbury’s underserved children in pre-K through grade 5. Limited state funding only covers meals and the pre-K program; more than $400,000 must be raised from private grants and donations each year. Learn more at www.ccswaterbury.org.

Walker Hall is located at 50 DeForest Street, Watertown. For more information about the concert please call 860 945-7773.

When winter cast its light upon us, ‘tis time, again, for the bard to cast his long shadow upon our campus. And so it begins. This week lower mids rose before their peers to represent their English classes in the annual Macbeth Soliloquy Recitation Contest. Kudos to all on their exceptional performances:

Nick Baird

Lily Cook

CJ D'Virgilio

Hannah Eliot

Erin Farrell

KG Foley

Diky Izmirlian

Stefan Kim

Lily Thompson

Peter Yu

Special congratulations to the night’s big winners:

1st place: KG Foley

2nd place: Nick Baird

3rd place: Lily Thompson

View a full gallery of photos from the evening here. 

Watch video from the event here.