Windows Into Shore

My favorite part of Read Away Day was...

From Mrs. Thomson's Grade Two students at Shore Country Day School. My favorite part of Read Away Day was... ...everything! -Jack ...quiet time because I got to rest. -Julia ...cozy reading. -John S. ...reading and still doing most of our subjects. But I loved reading and sharing books. -Juliana ...when I almost fell asleep at quiet time. -Claudia ...reading. -Costas ...that we got to wear our pajamas and bring our sleeping bags. -Anoosha ...when we had "share a book." -Sam ...when we read alone. -Madeline ...when we got to share a book because I had my best friend next to me. -Garrett ...sharing a book. It was fun because I like sharing books. -Lillie ...when we had cozy reading. It was fun and warm. -Kiara ...when I slept during quiet time. -Kyle ...that we put sleeping bags on the floor. -Elizabeth ...when we got to sleep in our sleeping bags at quiet time. -Dallion ...was when I read Cherry the Pig with Mrs. Thomson. -Harrison

Teaching in East Africa

Jesse McKenna '01

Water, food, clothes, shoes, teachers, and a family. As a child growing up on the North Shore, I took these things for granted; however, after the seven months I spent this year in East Africa, I realize how fortunate I was to have all of these things during my childhood. During my time abroad, I volunteered at two orphanages and one tribal school. Initially, I decided to volunteer in Tanzania because I wanted to deliver care to orphans and teach English; however, I had no idea how much help was truly needed. I returned only three months later because I saw how much of an impact I could make in these children’s lives and how much assistance is required on an everyday basis at schools and orphanages throughout Tanzania and Kenya.

The children at the orphanages have survived neglect, abuse, and starvation. It is upsetting to learn their pasts, yet inspiring and uplifting to see that with proper care and attention, they can flourish. Both orphanages provide the children with good nutrition, clothing, and an education. The children are incredibly bright, and the majority of them are at the top of their class at school while also excelling in arts and athletics. Most importantly, the kids go to bed at night with full stomachs and smiles on their faces.

The orphan crisis that I witnessed first hand during my first trip to Tanzania in August 2008 left a permanent imprint on my life. I realized how truly fortunate I am to have not one but two parents who care deeply for me. During this trip, I lived at an orphanage that cared for forty-two children ages two to twelve (as of July 2009, there are sixty-seven children). The children had been orphaned because of disease, accidents, and cultural clashes.

During my last week at the orphanage, a fifteen month-old girl weighing fifteen pounds with no name was brought to live at the orphanage. Her father was unknown, and her mother suffers from severe mental illness and was unable to care for the girl. During the week I spent with this girl, she cried non-stop unless she was held. It was clear that no one had ever cared for her during her lifetime. If the social workers had not found her, she likely would have starved to death.

Natalie, the name she was given upon arrival, is now doing better than could ever have been expected. She turned two years old in April and is learning to speak both Kiswahili and English. It’s hard to find a baby anywhere as chunky as Natalie now is. Natalie’s story is just one of many that makes me beyond appreciative for the care given to me by family and friends.

My time at the tribal school was very different than at the orphanage. I dealt with children whose only meal was the school lunch and whose uniforms were tattered beyond belief. The children, ages two to sixteen, some of whom walked up to seven miles each way, were often barefoot and filthy due to the drought. These children had a strong desire to learn, and despite their struggles, still managed to smile and laugh throughout the day. The time I spent volunteering gave me a new outlook on life and made me thankful everyday for the little things in life I once took for granted.

The struggling education systems in both Tanzania and Kenya remind me constantly of how lucky I was to attend schools with incredible teachers. At three of the schools I taught at during my time in East Africa, I saw how the education system fails students from nursery school up through secondary school on a daily basis. Teachers fail to show up on many days, and beating students is legal, so even when teachers are present the classroom, the learning situation is hardly ideal.

My volunteer experience made me aware of how fortunate I was to have received a Shore education. At Shore I had teachers who showed up everyday, made sure I understood each lesson, and truly cared about me as an individual. The lessons I learned at Shore went far beyond the classroom. Shore’s commitment to teaching children about caring, kindness, and giving is extraordinary and makes an impact on its students. I believe Shore’s dedication to character development and moral responsibility has impacted my commitment to helping disadvantaged people throughout the world.

My experiences in the orphanages and schools I volunteered at have shaped my life and forever changed the way I see the world. I have chosen to pursue my masters in international public health so that one day I will be able to make a significant impact on the health of those who currently are silently suffering. I was inspired by my college president to lead a life of meaning and consequence, one that would make a difference, and I only hope that I can fulfill this goal through my work.

This article first appeared in the Fall '09 Bulletin at Shore Country Day School. 

Alex Rigopulos '84, Rock Band Creator

Alex Rigopulos, class of ’84, was featured in a 2003 Shore Bulletin Alumni Profile. Since then, his company, Harmonix Music Systems, has gone on to create and produce the blockbuster games Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Retired faculty member Joanne Harder, who taught Alex when he was in the Upper School, remembers him as “a bright and creative young man with a curly head of hair who was always smiling”. Recently, she shared with Alex the following list of questions generated by members of Shore’s graduating Class of ’09 who see him as someone who, in the words of Robert Frost, has succeeded in “making his avocation his vocation.”

How did you come up with the idea for your company?
Like most people, I’ve felt the urge to play music my whole life, and like most people, I’ve tried and failed to become a skilled musician. When I was in graduate school at MIT, my officemate (who is a skilled musician) and I became motivated to solve this problem, to invent new ways to let people who are not musicians experience what it feels like to make music. After graduating, starting a company was really our only option. No one would have paid us a salary to work on something so strange!

Do you play guitar or any other musical instruments? Do you have a favorite?
I play many instruments — all of them badly. My favorite is the one I’m best at, which is the drums.

How did you come up with the idea for Guitar Hero? Did something or someone inspire you?
The idea of guitar games is not new; it’s been around for at least fifteen years. There was a guitar game in Japan many years ago called Guitar Freaks, and there was another guitar game in the US many years before that called Quest for Fame. But in our view, none of the earlier guitar games had “done it right”, so Harmonix — a company full of rock musicians — had been dreaming of making its own guitar game for a long time. In 2004, a small game publisher called RedOctane offered us the opportunity to make a guitar game (they would manufacture the guitar controller), and we jumped at the chance.

How did you choose the colors of the buttons?
The player’s first finger (index finger) is the most dexterous, and so in the game shell (the menu screens), we wanted the player to be able to use this finger to express “enter” or “move forward”. We chose green, because green = “go”. Similarly, the second finger was meant to express “no” or “go back”, so we chose red. For the rest of the buttons, we chose a sequence of colors where the goal was to maximize the contrast between adjacent buttons, so that players wouldn’t confuse them on the screen (e.g. if red and orange were adjacent, they would be hard to distinguish).

What is your favorite song on Guitar Hero?
In the original Guitar Hero? That’s tough, but I guess I’d say that back then my favorite song to play was Helmet’s “Unsung”.

Do you play the games you create? Are you good?
I do play the games we make, all the time! Yes, I’m pretty good, by which I mean, I generally play on Expert. However, the best players I know of are in Harmonix’s testing department, because those folks play the game all day every day, and they are much better than I am.

Do you have any new ideas you are working on? Will you be creating new games?
We worked hard on the Beatles game, which was released in September, and yes, we have lot of new ideas, and we hope to be creating new games for many years to come. I’d like to believe we’re still just at the very beginning of what music games will eventually become.

Do you like music? What is your favorite kind of music?
Yes, of course! It’s why I do what I do. I don’t have a favorite kind, per se, as my taste in music is pretty eclectic. I enjoy all kinds of music from all over the world, everything from rock to bossa nova to Balinese gamelan.

When you were a student at Shore, did you have any idea that you would one day have your own company?
Nope. However, when I was a student at Shore, I did see my first live rock show (a band called The Fans, which played at a Shore dance when I was in ninth grade), which left a deep impression on me and started me on the path of learning to play drums. And also when I was at Shore, I got hooked on programming computers (in Mrs. Nel’s class). Merging my love of music with my love of computer science is what led to me starting my company, so in that sense, you can trace some of Harmonix’s roots to my time at Shore.

Did you get good grades when you were at Shore?
Honestly, I don’t clearly remember. I think my grades were pretty good but not great. Maybe some of the teachers will check their files and tell you!

How long did it take you to design and execute the plans for Guitar Hero and Rock Band?
Well, we developed the original Guitar Hero in only about nine months, during 2005. But the design ideas and technology had been brewing since we started the company back in 1995, so in a sense, it was over ten years in the making.

Editor’s Note: This piece originally ran in the Shore Bulletin

What Happens to the Good Guys?

Brian R. Walsh, former Head of School (1969-1982)

Mr. Walsh was recently interviewed in Shore's Bulletin about his time at Shore, what he has learned in his years working in independent education, and his new book titled Boys Will Be Boys. Below is an essay he wrote in 1977 that appeared in the Shore newsletter (now known as the Bulletin).

Our schools glibly record a child’s average in history but rarely consider his “average” in interpersonal relationships. Students are told again and again that grades really are not that significant and that they should be concerned with being kind, considerate, industrious, obedient and “themselves.” They are also told in one way or another that board scores really are not important, but what really matters is effort. What information, however, is meticulously recorded on all transcripts?

Perhaps the one tangible measuring instrument for those qualities we like to hold in such high esteem is the recommendation form used for colleges and prep schools. Almost all of these instruments include references to character, personality, appearance, concern for others, participation in the community, and leadership. Often the forms involve a checklist for these categories which are measured via the terms outstanding, excellent, good, fair or poor. Invariably there is also some space provided for elaborating comments, but what is most limiting about the use of these recommendation forms is that they are rarely seen by anyone except the person actually making the recommendation and admissions officers. Virtually all the information on the transcript, however, is easily accessible and often deliberately delivered to students, parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators.

Maybe we should have all the teachers of a given student fill out recommendation forms anonymously and include the composite results with the student’s academic report cards. Maybe we should be finding some ways of conveying to students our observations of their growth as people. This need is particularly significant for the strong student-citizen. These are the people who are the most difficult to reward with praise, for their modesty always affects our credibility.

When it comes to the uncomfortable topic of morality-or even that of humanity-we seem to be more obsessed with punishment in our efforts to meet the needs of our students. While certain forms of punishment may be effective elements of motivation, too often application is well intended but badly misguided or poorly timed.

Most of our independent school kids have been thoroughly conditioned to the second chance syndrome. From infancy they learn that the first mistake always brings no more than a warning, and that even thereafter other warnings are likely before they experience the consequences of their actions or of their lack of responsibility. There appears to be some evidence that this pattern continues through adolescence ;e.g., despite the frequently heard complaints of parents, teachers and administrators that “nobody enforces basic rules anymore” -it seems that more students are being expelled from schools than ever before. What happens is that early warnings go unheeded by many young people until they are into some major difficulty where the most severe form of punishment must apply in the interest of the community.

A soccer, football or field hockey team is penalized if one of its players is offside -even for the first time. For most players the lesson is learned quickly. Without this appropriate form of enforcement, it is not inconceivable to imagine a player being expelled from the game after several flagrant violations that were accompanied by mere warnings. If we are to refer to the lessons of life learned on the field in our independent schools, perhaps it is high time we applied some of the more elementary ones. The offside penalty approach to learning personal growth seems immensely more humane than that of the second chance syndrome, particularly when you consider where each is likely to lead.

But what happens to the good guys? When much of our time is expended sympathetically helping transgressors with their problems and providing opportunities for that second chance, how much stronger must those be who never need another chance. There must be some way of reinforcing or, more importantly, spreading the self-discipline and commitment of young people whose values are such that they selflessly resist the temptations of immediate gratification at the expense of others. Perhaps by being more alert to acts of consideration and courage, we would be in a better position to reward them.

Maybe if we rendered at least equal weight to the development of personal characteristics as to those of athletic prowess our schools would move closer to the objectives confidently expressed in our catalogs. Every reward we extend to athletic success should be at least matched with reinforcement for success in developing responsibility. The argument of equating these rewards to academic achievement might be more difficult for some schools to accept if they maintain a set of purposes and objectives that is primarily “academically oriented”, but there seem to be very few educational institutions that do not express personal growth as a priority goal. Probably fewer ever reach this goal as successfully as those of academic achievement. The reasons seem clear-our level of tolerance for failure seems enormously higher for the growth of personal values than it has been for academic stagnancy or-God forbid-losses on the playing field.

The Shore Newsletter, Shore Country Day School, Fall 1977

Colleen Parenteau, Lower School Science Teacher

The Shore Learning Garden is a pilot project for grade 4 students that began in the spring of 2009.  Funding for the the program was awarded through a focus grant to research how gardens and growing food can benefit the Shore community and beyond. 

Grade 4 students are learning through a year-long interdisciplinary curriculum entitled Sustainable Food Systems around the World: Linking Geography, Culture, Community, and the Environment.
Students will be involved in hands-on activities such as planting & harvesting vegetables, learning how food is grown in New England and around the world, and how food systems affect our health and the environment.

The vast majority of vegetables are donated to Beverly Bootstraps and some are used in preparing special snacks and lunches. 

Professional development for the project will benefit many grade levels and encourage teachers to use the garden as a learning tool. 

M.L.K., Jr. Multicultural Alliance Annual Dinner

Susan Fortin, current parent

The M.L.K., Jr. Multicultural Alliance is a group of parents, guardians, administrators, faculty, and staff, who come together to support diversity at Shore.   The Alliance embraces Shore’s commitment to develop responsible, well-rounded students who find strength in diversity, appreciate differences, and recognize the need for mutual respect among all individuals.  Diversity at Shore takes many forms – racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, gender, sexual orientation, family structure - and we strive to address all of these in some way in our programming throughout the year. Each year, the Alliance holds a special dinner.  

On Monday, January 19, 2009, members of the Shore community gathered to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and celebrate our own diversity at Shore.    

The Dinner, the twelfth annual and my fourth, is one of my favorite events every year at Shore because it draws together such a large group from all parts of the school – Upper and Lower School families, new families, alumni families, administrators, faculty, and staff.   On this important day, we take the opportunity to step outside our daily routines to enjoy each others’ company and reflect on the values of Dr. King and how we embrace them in our own lives.

Setting the tone for a wonderful evening, Ar and Thor Vutcharangkul, and Krittapong Masaard, delighted us with traditional Thai music selections, while students made homemade instruments at their tables.

Student performances are always a highlight.  This year, we heard poetry selections from three students, ranging from Kindergarten to Grade 8, who eloquently shared with us their thoughts on the heroes most important to them.   The fifth grade sang spirituals, and cast members of Mulan treated us to a preview of their upcoming performance. 

Perhaps the most moving part of the dinner is the Libation ritual, which centers on a pouring of water into a vessel, a ceremonial tradition that honors those who have come before us.    We were fortunate to have Omar Sekou Longus ’04, and son of M.L.K., Jr. Multicultural Alliance Founder, Dr. Pharnal Longus, share this tradition with us.   Many alumni families joined us for the evening; their deep affection for and connection to Shore makes it a richer community. 

This year was my first as a volunteer helping to plan the dinner, and it was eye-opening to see the enormous number of volunteers from the parent community and school faculty and staff who work to make this large event –imagine 200 people fed potluck style! – so memorable.   It is truly the work of many who represent and who value diversity at Shore.

The Dinner is sponsored each year by the M.L.K., Jr. Multicultural Alliance, a group of parents, guardians, administrators, faculty, and staff, who come together to support diversity at Shore.   We embrace Shore’s commitment to develop responsible, well-rounded students who find strength in diversity, appreciate differences, and recognize the need for mutual respect among all individuals.  Diversity at Shore takes many forms – racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, gender, sexual orientation, family structure - and we strive to address all of these in some way in our programming throughout the year.    I hope that all Shore families will take part and would like to invite parents, faculty, and staff to join us at one of our two remaining meetings this year.   On Tuesday, February 17th, at 7:00 p.m., we will view a portion of a film entitled The House We Live In, and discuss the legacy of government policies in the 20th century that differentiated among people based on race and our perspectives on them today.    On Monday, May 18th, we will host Dr. Jennifer Bryan, a psychologist who helps schools understand how issues of gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation, and diverse family structures relate to school life.   I hope you will join us in strengthening diversity at Shore! 

The Inspiration Garden

Kelly Sheehan '00

Shore is creating an Inspiration Garden. The garden will stand as a tribute to all Shore alumni who lost their lives before the age of thirty. The garden will offer all who enter it a quiet place for reflection, remembrance, and inspiration. For more information about the Garden and to learn about the special event, please click here. 

When I came to Shore in the third grade, my first thoughts were: how am I going to make new friends? will I like my new teacher? and most importantly, who am I going to sit with at lunch? Being an eight-year-old girl, of course I was not worried about my homework or the difficulty of classes, but about what I was wearing and whether anyone would like me. Luckily, my teacher, Lynn Pisanelli could not have been sweeter and more welcoming and during our gym class on the first day, a girl with bright red hair came up to me and asked if I would be her partner in blob tag. From that day on, Taryn and I were inseparable, and even when we both attended Brooks School many years later, she loved to retell this story to me and all of our new friends.

Taryn King was not only my best friend, but she was also a role model for me and continues to be, even today. She was always the most friendly and outgoing person, not to mention a diligent student (which is one of the many reasons why I loved being her partner for any type of project), and an incredible athlete. We played field hockey and lacrosse together, and she encouraged me to try ice hockey with her even though there were only four girls on the entire combined Shore/Brookwood team. Taryn’s radiant personality was infectious and truly brightened everyone’s day.

During the frigid winter of my sophomore year at Holy Cross, I heard the devastating news that my dear friend had passed away only hours before while abroad in Ireland. I was dumbstruck and immediately reached out to my friends from both Shore and Brooks. Over the next few days, while my fellow classmates and I gathered to say goodbye to our amazing friend, everyone agreed that something needed to be done to remember Taryn and all the wonderful moments we spent with her.

Over the next few years, members of the Shore faculty and staff began brainstorming ideas to create a special place on campus that would memorialize Taryn, Peter Bildner, another beloved member of my class, and other students who passed away before the age of thirty. Every one of these students had a profound impact on the Shore community and I was thrilled to learn there would finally be a beautiful place on campus to remember them by.

After I graduated from college this past spring, I was unsure of what I wanted to do, but was intrigued by the constant updates about the Inspiration Garden from my family. I knew that I wanted to help in any way I could and when I heard from Marge Cregg, Director of Advancement at Shore, I knew that volunteering in her office would not only be a great experience for me, but would also ensure that this garden, which is so important to me, would get built.

Taryn was like a part of my family, and I know that so many people feel the same way about the other young Shore alumni who lost their lives too early. This garden is a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to our dear friends and will be a perfect place to reflect on the past, present, and future. Losing a member of your family is truly devastating, but by banding together to create something the entire Shore community can enjoy will help us all to heal.

Inspiration Garden & Holiday Greeting

Larry Griffin, Head of School

This letter was sent to current families, and a similar version went to past families and alumni. In addition to sending a holiday greeting, Larry announced an exciting new project at Shore, the creation of the Inspiration Garden. Information regarding the Inspiration Garden and An Evening with Julie Messervey is available on the Shore website.

Dear Shore Parents,

Greetings to all Shore families, past and present! I hope that you are able to take some time to gather with those closest to you during the vacation break and share family traditions. For me, family gatherings are punctuated by leisurely meals, evening conversations, and occasional fireside board or word games with all generations animatedly engaged. Friends are always welcomed, and being together is what counts the most. We simply celebrate the opportunity to share memories, hopes, and dreams with each other.

For many, including me, the Shore community is truly a family with traditions that bring us together with a common purpose. The Giving Tree is the most significant signal at Shore that the holidays are approaching. As a community, we share our blessings in life by reaching out to others less fortunate to make their wishes come true. Dedicated volunteers, students, parents, faculty, and staff come together and provide gifts for hundreds of children in need. On the final morning of classes before the holiday break, we celebrate yet another tradition when we gather as a Shore family for an hour of musical celebration. Our tradition honors and respects the diversity of our community as we unite in a common cause to celebrate the joys of life. At the end of our assembly, heartfelt wishes for a happy holiday fill the air, and members of the Shore family exchange farewells knowing that they will reunite in the New Year.

The New Year is a time for reflection and renewal. We honor the past, and we look forward to the possibilities ahead. I want to share just a few brief thoughts about a new initiative that will enrich the entire Shore community. In January, we will unveil plans for the creation of an Inspiration Garden on our campus. This garden will be a place for both contemplation and celebration, and it will honor young alumni whose untimely deaths took them from our family before the age of thirty. World-renowned garden landscape artist Julie Messervey’s design is an inspiring vision for a space that will capture the wonder, exuberance, and goodness of those we honor. I look forward to inviting you to join me for a special evening with Julie Messervey on January 29 as we begin to celebrate the creation of this wonderful garden and the memory of those it will honor. Details of the evening will be forthcoming, and I hope that you will see this event as an opportunity for Shore families, past and present, to come together and reconnect.

With warm wishes for the happiest of holidays to you and your family,

Lawrence A. Griffin

Why I Support the Annual Fund

Anneke Tryzelaar, Upper School math teacher

For thirteen straight years, 100% of Shore employees have supported the Annual Fund. The Annual Fund is the cornerstone of all fundraising programs at Shore. As an independent school, Shore does not receive any government funding. Tuition and tax-deductible charitable gifts are our only two sources of financial support and the Annual Fund helps us to bridge the gap between what tuition dollars generate and the actual cost of educating each child. Anneke was asked why she supports the Annual Fund.

I came to Shore from a background in public schools. The Washington Post reported five years ago that teachers spent an average of $589 of their own money on supplies for school, but I spent more when I taught math in Revere. Like my colleagues, I bought my own photocopy paper, markers and pencils. Without a real whiteboard – or even a chalkboard – I had to move quickly to snag one of the school’s overhead projectors for my classroom. When I first visited here, Pamela Braverman (Chair, World Language Department, Dean of Student Life) told me that Shore would supply tissues and anything else I might need. When I first started here, Bobbi Whiting (Director of Finance and Operations) told me the same thing. I couldn’t believe it.

I still can’t.

Shore’s funds have enabled me to purchase oranges to model the surface area of spheres. When students in Grade 8 studied distance, rate and time problems, Shore purchased model cars for the final project . Shore renovated my classroom and everything I’d dreamed of – from cabinets to mailboxes – arrived without question. Thanks to the laptop program, I can work from home or school seamlessly. I have taken classes, created new projects, and developed curriculum, all thanks to the support from Shore’s funding.

It is one device in particular that has made teaching – and communicating remarkably better. At conferences many years ago, presenters used a new invention – a Smartboard – that not only serves as an oversized computer screen, but also captures any notes written on it. Right after I first saw a Smartboard at a college campus, we had our first two at Shore. In my room, the Smartboard has lured students deeper into algebra through interactive games; within a few weeks, students in Grade 7 have handled problems we usually reserve for Grade 8. The Smartboard has allowed me to project worksheets for classes and send notes home for students. I can save presentations for the future and I can refer back to them if questions come up. Because of Shore’s funding, we have the technology to stand with prestigious secondary schools and colleges.

I have not forgotten my days of shopping for spare calculators and pencils for students. I was proud to work with students who don’t have the advantages of well-funded schools. But thanks to Shore’s Annual Fund, more of those students have found their way here. And thanks to Shore’s Annual Fund, I have more resources to teach those students.

I still can’t believe it.

 

New Parent Dinner

Katherine Mittelbusher, new parent of a Readiness (pre-Kindergarten) student

The New Parent Dinner is held every fall and welcomes families that are new to Shore to campus for dinner in the Dining Hall. The families hear from the President of the Board of Trustees, the Head of School, and the Chair of the Parents Committee. In a long-standing tradition, the new parents are served by the ninth grade students. 

I had a fantastic time attending the New Parent Dinner.  Guests were greeted by trustees and administrators in the historic Winslow Building for cocktails, followed by a very special meal in the Dining Hall served by the Shore 9th grade class.  The students were terrific hosts; they were eager to welcome us to Shore and it is clear that they take great pride in their school. 

We heard from the Head of School, Larry Griffin, President of the Board of Trustees, Sam Philbrick, and  Karen Tilson, the Chair of the Parent's Committee about their roles at the school, the opportunities that exist for parents to become involved at Shore and the ways in which we as parents can contribute to the enrichment of the Shore experience for our children.  What a warm reception for those of us who are new to the Shore community!