Celebrating Roz Zanides’ life on the ice

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the magazine for yorkies

to you

Chuck Harmon, York’s head of school, has seen a whole lot of drivers pull into the Head’s residence driveway, pause in confusion, and then back out. !ese are not hesitant visitors scared away by their black lab; Buck is far too mellow and friendly to scare anyone. No, they’re actually lost alumni.

After years of driving up York Road and taking the first right following the curve, the collective motor-memory of York alumni kicks in. Expecting to drive right through, they meet two roads diverged in a wood. But unlike Frost’s roads in the poem, these alumni cannot take either of them. One dead ends into the Head’s garage, and the other dead ends into a large foreign building with photovoltaic cells on the roof.

!e three-point turn that follows has become a rite of passage for an increasing number of alumni who journey back to York, negotiate the changed landscape, and return as active members of the York community.

Last summer, Je"rey Tolhurst Ph.D. ’77 stopped by to discuss the York School curriculum. Dr. Tolhurst, a professor of geology at Columbia College in Sonora, is an advocate for teaching the principles of holism and balance, a topic that is often a concern for our students who live such busy lives. Henry Park ‘81 also drove up from Manhattan Beach to discuss ways he could help unify the large number of York alumni in Southern California. A group of recent graduates came back in January to share their college experience with current parents and students preparing for the application process. Amy Herbig, whose sculptures of marine wildlife are permanently on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, came back to speak to our current art students. And this spring Shara McIntyre (Movahedi) ’95 substituted for Frau Da"ner’s German classes. Camilla Mann ’91 is working with a group of parents, teachers, and other friends of York to plan for the school’s 50th anniversary in a few years.

We invite all of you to come back for a visit. You’ll be amazed at some of the changes, but as Shara said, the essence of York is still the same.

In the past, York has posted on its website a list of “lost alumni,” those who have been in one way or another disconnected with the school. While the number of York alumni grows every year, the number of “lost” alumni is shrinking. We are thrilled that many of you are coming back to York to reconnect, even if you do get briefly lost behind the new science building in the process.

Kevin BrookhouserHumanities TeacherDirector of Communications

P.S. Take the second right after you climb the hill.

breakthe magazine for Yorkies

editor and designerKevin Brookhouser

kevin@york.org

director of developmentKipra Heermannkheermann@york.org

thank youBeth Brookhouser

Jessica CalzadaDenise Cardona at Printworx

Carmel PineconeKim Cohan ‘81 and Family

Adrienne Cousineau ‘06Aimee Fuller-Cuda

Joanne DoyleMaggie Finnegan ‘02

Chuck HarmonPaul MillerKelly Nix

Robert PucciJoyce Sherry

Deidre SmallwoodNicholas SturchMiggles WallaceBobby Wright

Break is published by the York School Alumni O#ce. Send correspondence to York School Alumni O#ce, 9501 York Rd. Monterey, CA 93940, 831.582.9512.

We would love to hear from you. Please send letters to the editor and submissions to kevin@york.org. Visit our website at alumni.york.org.

As we approach the end of the school year - to borrow a favorite phrase from Calvin and Hobbes - “the days are just packed.” !e calendar is filled with activities, deadlines, and milestones. Many alumni will remember a mixture of feelings, including joy, relief, and exhaustion. Our current seniors and their families encounter a curious combination of anticipation, as they look toward graduation, and sadness, as they approach the diverging paths of their future. We often talk about York as a family, and we know that families experience transitions and change. Children grow up; we all get older, but along the way we welcome babies and new family members and manage to simultaneously celebrate the past and look forward to the future. Many of these celebrations are well documented on the growing online community of York alumni on our website. !ese are natural passages in life and in school. Students graduate, go o" to college, new students enter; we make new friends, but we do not forget those who have left us; they remain part of the family. One of the best friends York School has ever had is approaching such a transition. Joanne Doyle, our beloved Director of Admissions, who has, perhaps more than anyone else, shaped York School with her ability to be a friend, to invite and welcome families to become a part of our family, is making her own transition to a new phase. It’s hard to imagine Joanne actually “retiring,” and we hope that she remains an active part of the School community, but having made York feel like a family, she deserves more time to spend with her own family. I know you’ll share in expressing our appreciation, admiration, and a"ection.

Chuck HarmonHead of School

In 1982 the York School Peregrine staff dedicated the yearbook to Joanne Doyle. It reads:

Her talent and skill at work are well known to all of us, but it is her

charm and the genuine warmth of her personality which have endeared

her to everyone. Grace, dignity and a sincere concern for others are

her trademarks. We hope that you will continue to direct affairs at York

for years to come.

We all thank Joanne for her making York School what it is today.

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from the hill

!is spring York School will dedicate the “Lewis L. Fenton Student Center” to honor the memory of our beloved trustee and great friend who was remarkably dedicated to seeing that the excellent York School education be available to all qualified students.

Lewis was one of the founders of York in 1959 and remained on the board and active for 45 years. He single-handedly saved its existence more than once during its formative years.

Friends of York School and Lewis have already raised 80% of the $250,000 goal for the celebration. Donations will go toward scholarships, an essential element of York School’s mission and Lewis’s legacy.

York’s financial aid program is over double the national average for independent schools, which ensures a student body with diverse economic backgrounds.

KSBW awards Mr. Sturch Crystal Apple

On April 20, Dan Green of KSBW surprised Mr. Sturch’s art history class to announce his winning !e Crystal Apple Award presented by Dole Fresh Vegetables.

!e award recognizes local teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. Mr. Sturch certainly represents teaching greatness, and we are thrilled that the broader community sees that too.

!e presentation aired on KSBW can be seen on www.theksbwchannel.com. Congratulations Mr. Sturch!

If you go anywhere in this country and you run into another York School graduate, everybody is going to have a Mr. Sturch story. Dan Green, KSBW News Anchor

Dr. Pucci wins grant to study in ItalyYork French teacher Dr. Robert Pucci has been granted a place in National Endowment for the Humanities Institute this summer: Houses of Mortals and Gods Latin Literature in Context. After an introduction to Latin literature and civilization by leading Latin scholars in Baltimore, the group will spend two weeks in Rome and two more in Cuma (near Naples in Campania) imbibing Latin literature and culture while ingesting the glories of current Italian cuisine.

Fenton Student Center Dedicated

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Red Cross honors

York School

!e Monterey-San Benito chapter of the American Red Cross recognized York School as the Educator Hero during the 2006 Heroes Breakfast. !e award was presented to Head of School, Chuck Harmon, for York’s enrollment of two boys turned evacuees by Hurricane Katrina. York o"ered the cousins, Steven, 16, and Devin, 15, the chance to turn a tragedy into a remarkable opportunity.

!e two boys evacuated their New Orleans homes during Hurricane Katrina, packed up a few of their personal belongings and left for safety. After anxiously watching the news and finding their loved ones, they eventually recognized that they were without a home and without a school.

Steven and Devin’s parents eventually made the di#cult decision to send the teens to Salinas to live with their uncle, Randall Washington and Aunt Glenda. Randall, father of York School alumna Alana Washington ‘04, asked the school if the students could be enrolled. While York normally does not enroll students mid-year, the faculty unanimously agreed not only to admit the students, but also to o"er them a complete financial aid package worth $38,000.

Since their arrival, Devin and Steven have been integral members of the distinctively warm York School community. While their parents are back in Louisiana patching their lives together, Devin and Steven are building new friendships and maintaining their education thanks to the dedicated students, teachers and administrators at York School.

In April, the students at York organized a dance in honor of Devin and Steven and to say farewell to two close friends and new alumni of York School.

Kelly Nix, Carmel Pinecone

When York School senior and brainiac Bobby Wright won the Monterey County Science Fair in March, not only did he uphold his school’s winning tradition, he netted himself a slot in a national science competition.

Wright, who won the March 17-19 competition with a hypothesis on optimizing rocket stability, will compete at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Indianapolis, Ind. in May.

“I wasn’t really expecting it,” Wright said of the first-place finish, which marks York School’s seventh consecutive win in the county event. “It was kind of a shock.” Wright, 17, used a rocket simulation program and something called the “one caliber rule” to predict rocket stability.

He built eight almost identical rockets with varying spin heights to test his hypothesis, which he said was “kind of complicated.” However, Wright said the testing wasn’t all smooth sailing.

“I had di"erent predictions for each of the rockets and I launched them all,” he said. “I had some faulty motors during testing. Some motors blew up. I was continually repairing rockets on launch day ... but I got enough up to get a valid data sheet.”

Wright beat about 400 students in the county competition, some of whom entered as teams. !e competition is divided into junior and high school entries, and categories range from applied mechanics to plant biology. During the annual fair, students display their research projects and present their findings orally and through written journals to a team of scientists who volunteer as judges.

!e judges confirm students’understandings of the scientific concepts and the research methods involved in their projects.

At the Intel science fair May 7-13, Wright will face 1,400 students from more than 40 countries to compete for scholarships, tuition, grants, internships and the grand prize — a $50,000 college scholarship. “I’m sure the competition at the Intel fair will be very tough,” Wright said.

Lance Wright, Bobby’s father and a retired government accountant, said his son has always been fascinated with science and is very hands-on. “He likes to build new things and try them out,” Lance Wright said. “He has had a long-term desire to work for NASA as a space scientist.” !e younger Wright has already been accepted to UCLA and UC San Diego, and plans to study aerospace engineering.Wright said his top finish in the county science fair is that much sweeter considering he missed winning last year’s event by just a tad.

Pam Durkee, a teacher at York and a facilitator for the science fair, said there is a reason students at the private school continue to excel at the science fair, which is sponsored by the Monterey County O#ce of Education. “Many of the kids are self-motivated and often conduct their projects outside of school,” Durkee said. “I think we have a unique blend of curiosity and tenaciousness. !ey are just very committed to doing something, and doing something well.”

Wright o"ered his own explanation for the school’s knack of producing talented young scientists. “I guess everyone there works very hard,” he said. “And everyone is very smart.”

York wins county science

fair for seventh year

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When I was asked to write an article about Roz, my first thought was why me? I felt as if I was being given the task to tell everyone’s story about Roz in one article, something I did not feel worthy of.

Roz Zanides

Last fall, York School

paused to celebrate the

memory of one of our

most inspiring teachers:

by Maggie Finnegan ‘02

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After all, I only knew Roz for one year, and there are so many students and faculty members who knew her for so much longer. I spent many days contemplating about how to approach this article, and I even requested guidance from Roz’s spirit. At a point when I was particularly overwhelmed with my task, I heard Roz’s voice say to me, Maggie, the only story you can tell is your own. If you speak from your heart, you will be telling everyone’s story. So get over your fear and tell it! Just as countless times before, Roz showed me the truth, and she had done it simply, compassionately, and with that kick in the butt to snap me out of what was keeping me from moving forward. It is because of Roz that I am now able to step out of my fear and into my heart.

When I look back on my eighth grade year, certain experiences and images of Roz flood my memory. I remember arriving at York every morning at 7:40, whether or not I had choir, always in hope of spending that extra time sitting back stage with Roz talking about nothing and everything. !ere she’d be perched, wearing her uniform of grey sweat pants, tan uggs, and a Wallace and Gromit sweatshirt. I spent many mornings that year soaking in the wisdom and humor that this woman radiated. !ere was a

small group of students who made that ritualistic morning pilgrimage back stage. I think many of us felt more like devotees than English or theater students; I know I did, and still do. Another memory from that year is how Roz took our class out to the lawn between the library and chapel to play some connection games before every English class. One of our usual games was the Brown University Game. !e game involved passing a phrase and action

since eighth grade. Roz introduced into my life, and the lives of many students, the practice of candling before every York show. In this ritual, the cast gathered in a circle and passed a candle around, the light illuminating each painted face. !ings we wished to leave behind while on stage were put into the candle, and things which we wanted to take with us were taken out . And of course after each candling session Roz set us free with the words, “See you on the ice.” As a performer, I hold my own private candling session every time I get up to sing, and lately this has extended to any time I prepare myself for a situation requiring an extra bit of personal strength. !ere may not be a candle, but I take a moment to reflect what I can leave behind, and what I want to take with me, and say to my own self, “See you on the ice.” !rough this practice, Roz still encourages me to mine for the gems in my past and present, so they can inspire me as I move forward.

Somehow, in that short year Roz prepared me for everything I have encountered in my life. She even prepared me for her own death. !rough Roz s illness, one literary passage gave me solace and comfort. It was the ending passage from !e Little Prince,

around our circle. Every time it was Roz’s turn to make up a phrase and action, she enthusiastically pointed her finger and said you’re great! She seemed to have endless tricks up her sleeve to remind us every moment of this fact. Out of all the Roz memories I have, there is one that has remained a living part of my life ever

she enthusiastically pointed her finger and said, “you’re great!”

During the celebration honoring the memory of Roz, Maggie Finnegan, as she often did as a student, shared her vocal talents in the York School Chapel. While she is able to sing a variety of styles, Maggie chose folk music to celebrate Roz. Two days later, back in New York, she saw one of her heroes, Joan Baez perform. She felt inspired to come back to York. “It was clear that I was intended to make something happen!” Roz had wanted all donations for the celebration of life to go toward the humanitarian rights organization, Amnesty International. Maggie wanted to continue Roz’s support for Amnesty by organizing a folk concert at York. Many alumni, friends, faculty, and family came back to hear Maggie sing once again.

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a book Roz read to my class toward the end of the year. In this passage, !e Little Prince comforts his grieving friend before returning to his star, far o" in the evening sky,

You- you alone- will have the stars as no one else has them- In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the stars at night... And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content to have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me...I shall look like I were dead; and that will not be true...

I remembered Roz speaking these words to us at the end of my Eighth grade year, and once again heard them ringing in my ear. Roz tried to help us realize that although

someone may appear to be in pain, seem to be dying, death is simply our natural return to the source, back home. And once a person has touched our lives, once a friendship has been forged, the bond is eternal. Roz lives on in the seeds of inspiration she planted, in the students she empowered, in the incredible women she raised, and in the legacy she entrusted to us all, to live truthfully and compassionately. So thanks from all of us, Roz, and we’ll see you on the ice.

Joyce Sherry, Director of York’s drama department

remembers a fellow actor and friend

For my part, I am thankful to Roz for so many things, not the least of which is my job here at York. In 1997, Roz decided it was time to move on from teaching and to relocate to her beloved Ashland, Oregon. As the candidates for her position filed through, teaching

classes, talking to students, she thought of me.

Roz thought of me because we were both professional actors and directors who had worked together many times before. It was she who, when I first arrived in

Monterey twenty years ago, gave me a standard to attempt to live up to. She directed Sally and Marcia, a two character play, with joy and fervor, a combination not uncommon to Roz. The night we opened, she came up to my fellow actor and me as we took off our makeup and said, “That was great. I’ll see you for rehearsal tomorrow.” We actors looked at each other, then back at Roz. “Rehearsal?” we asked.

“Why rehearsal?” Roz gazed at us with her patented expression of innocence, then dropped the bombshell: “Because next weekend, you’re going to switch parts.” We were struck dumb, but we did it. We did it because it never crossed Roz’s mind that we couldn’t. What she could conceive of was, by definition,

possible.

While I had the joy of working with her several other times, there is one experience that stands out in my memory not only as a “Roz story,” but as a “great acting story.” We were working on a production of Chekhov’s The Seagull. I was playing Nina, the young would-be actress, Roz was playing Madame Arkadina, the great stage star. In the play, Arkadina’s lover, Trigorin, becomes attracted to Nina. When Arkadina sees the attraction, she goes all out to seduce Trigorin back to herself. The director was a well-known fellow from Southern California whose standards were astronomical. Suffice

it to say that, as he directed it, the re-seduction scene ended with Arkadina pinning Trigorin, flat on

his back, to the dining room table. At the end of the scene, the first

time they ran it in rehearsal, there was a long silence, then in a tone of awe and admiration, the director murmured, “That was amazing. That was some of the bravest acting I’ve ever seen.” I learned from Roz that day that theatre, and life, should be approached with no holds barred, without timidity. There is no testing the water with one’s toe; one has to dive in and splash around. A lot.

And so I was willing to come to York for an interview when Roz thought of me. I had never considered teaching at a high school; I was a professional actor and director. But if Roz taught there, it had to be something special. So I went. That was eight years ago, and I have been thanking Roz ever since.

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Roz was a remarkable woman and I feel honored to have had the chance to work with her at York and to have been a part of some of her productions. To see her on stage was to know what real acting was all about.

Roz had the fantastic gift to be so convinced of your ability to do something that it never occured to you to ask yourself if it was possible. You just did it!

I loved her dearly and will miss her. I hope to see many of you on October 29th.

Nick Hart, York Teacher

I was blessed to have taught along side Roz from 1994-1997. God has blessed my life in many ways, including those three years with Roz. Roz was a friend of my mother and father. She held me when I was a baby and she held me when I needed the support that a teacher at any school needs. One of the wonderful life lessons she gave me was the power of “the candle.” Till this day, 9 years later and two schools later, I still end our weekly rehearsals with “candle time.” Now, her light will shine in every candle I light or one of my students lights. We were all so blessed to have had Roz be a part of our life. !ank you, Roz for bringing some light to my life. God Bless, Roz.

Paul D. Everts, Music Teacher

I remember the new student/parent orientation

night that occurred at York each fall. All the teachers

would stand up, introduce themselves, and speak in

turn about their classes, teaching philosophy, etc.

!e parents and new students would nod and listen

attentively, but there wasn’t much excitement...

the mood in the room was quite ordinary. When it

was Roz’s turn to speak, everything changed. Her

beautiful, resonant voice projected to the farthest

corners of the library, and suddenly everyone -

- parents and students -- sat up straight and craned

their necks to see her. Roz always spoke with grace

and humility and humor, and by the end of her brief

remarks, the audience was captivated, electrified.

Countless York drama converts were won in those few

short minutes.

Miki Terasawa ‘94

!ank you, Roz, for teaching by example and boldly being yourself. I didn’t know who I was until you taught me how to become someone else. !ank you for giving us a safe place.Shara Movahedi McIntyre ‘95

!anks for believing in me when I

was at York. You created a place where

we could all feel safe going through

whatever it was we were going

through - while at the same time

making something to show the world.

You are one of the main reasons I’ve

dedicated my life to the craft and I’ll

always be grateful for your influence

on my life, and for always treating us

like people, vs. “kids”.

I’ll miss you. I know you’re up there

looking down. !anks for all you

gave to us.

Dave Tenenbaum ‘93

Roz was, without a doubt, one

of the biggest influences on

who I was when I was at York,

and who I’ve become now. My

involvement in York drama gave

me confidence, support, and

grounded me. And though I no

longer act or work in the theater,

Roz was always the first to teach

you to dig deep in yourself to find

what brings you joy, and what

you can do to bring joy to others,

and that strength and direction

helps me to this day. Rest in

peace.

Maret Orliss ‘93

To honor the memory of Roz, several of her friends planted a Japanese Maple tree near York’s theatre entrance.

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10 1When York alumni reflect on their time on the hill, the diverse voices begin to unify. An alumnus from the class of ’92 said:“I do have very fond memories of my time there; I think it’s a very special place and allowed me to explore who I was and who I wanted to be in a safe environment. It was excellent academically and prepared me well for college and life in general. !e teachers are great, care about the students, and are actually engaged.”

“!e curriculum is both classic and creative,” says another alumnus.

Without question, a vast majority of alumni place value in York, and they believe in the school. Results from an online survey of York grads seem to confirm an all but unanimous enthusiasm for this school on the hill.*

Loved High School?!e overwhelming positive feelings our alumni have for York is unusual, but then York is an unusual school. Not only do alumni feel like they got a good education, they actually liked high school. While speaking to a group of current students during a lunchtime forum, Rachel Dart ’03 shared how her York high school experience compared to her peers in college. “I can safely say that I am the only person that I know of at NYU who loved high school.” And as for York’s role in preparing her for the rigors of college, she laughed, “Be prepared to be over-prepared.”

Larry Suh ’04 recalls fondness for the unique sense of community at York, especially while adjusting to Berkeley. “!e first thing that I noticed was that you learn to appreciate the sense of community that York fosters because we had a class of 45 or so and you get to know all of the people in your class. You get to know all your teachers. You’re able to form relationships with everyone . . . You learn to appreciate what we had over here at York. Once you get to college, it is very unlikely you are going to be able to have that again.”

Big DealNo one who knows York is very surprised about how much alumni like it, but it is a big deal. !is is a very special place. While it is unusual for a group of people to be so fond of their school, what’s really strange is the tiny number of dedicated and philanthropic alumni who support York financially. A few of these alumni wanted to find out why, and they began to ask around. Below are some of the reasons alumni have given for not giving to the school.

tenreasons

don’tgive

to York

the york alumni mystery

:) :) :) :) :|:) :) :) :) :):) :) :) :) :):) :) :) :) :)

:| :| :| :| :|:| :| :| :| :|:| :| :| :| :|:) :) :| :| :|

How much do alumni value York’s programs?

How much do alumni support York’s annual fund?

*About 95% of alumni surveyed reported that they believed that York provides a college preparatory education of the highest intellectual quality, that York develops personal responsibility with respect and concern for others, and that York teachers are outstanding. 97% would recommend York to other qualified students and parents.

On average, about 10% of York alumni give regularly to the annual fund. This percentage is lower than most schools like York, and it is seen as a weakness of the school.

alumni

by KEVIN BROOKHOUSER

10

354

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“With tuition, York doesn’t need my help.”As an independent school, York’s operating budget is funded through a combination of tuition dollars and support from people who believe in the mission of the school. Tuition alone does not cover the costs of running this school. One of the qualities that makes York unique is that it welcomes a diverse community without being economically exclusive. To that end, York has a financial aid

program that is double the national average for independent schools. 38% of York students receive some form of financial aid, a program that

is supported by donors to the school. We do need your help.

“I don’t have the time.”OK then. We’ll keep this short. Giving to York is fast. To prove it, we timed Camilla Mann ’91. It took her 3 minutes and 25 seconds to make a donation to the annual fund online. Please pencil us in your schedule.

“I’m more likely to participate in some other way.”Terrific! Many alumni give back to

York by sharing their experience with our current students. Some alumni volunteer by stuffing envelopes, and

others by sleuthing out “lost” alumni. A couple alumni even serve on the board of trustees. However you want to help the school, give us a call.

“I don’t have a checkbook.”Every year fewer and fewer people actually write checks. Many alumni pay bills online and make purchases with ATM cards or credit cards to earn frequent flier miles. Giving to York

online is fast, secure, and easy. Just go to http://alumni.york.org and click “give.” It only takes a couple minutes. You can also make your gift over the phone—give us a call.

“I’m not a dot-com billionaire.”Apparently not everyone made fortunes during the high-tech economic boom of the late nineties, and many of those who did have since seen those fortunes slip away. Lots of York alumni write saying that they’re just paying the bills. They don’t have the resources to write a seven-digit check to build a new theatre. We understand. Since the school is still relatively young, the vast majority of alumni out there are building careers, raising families, and keeping to a budget. But the reality is that you don’t have to be wealthy to make a huge difference for your school. Your participation in the annual fund, whether big or small, sends an inspiring message to others. That message says, “I value the education, teachers, and mission of York. Part of who I am is the result of my York School experience, and I want others to have that experience as well.” When others hear that message, they’re inspired. If, by the way, you do want to write a seven-digit check to build a new theatre, call our drama director, Joyce Sherry immediately; we’ll give you her cell phone number.

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6 10

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8 “I gave to the victims of Katrina.”York alumni have big hearts. Just because some have not given to the York School annual fund in the past does not mean they are uncharitable. We have heard from many alumni who are heroic advocates of worthy causes. Kelly English ’97 who helped people escape from the tsunami in Thailand continues to help raise money for the American Red Cross. With the help of Lia Ivison ‘96, Habitat for Humanity is helping to build homes for families displaced by hurricane Katrina. We know how important it is to help people in crisis, which is why we enrolled two evacuees from New Orleans, offering them a complete financial aid package. Do we say York

School is a more worthy cause than these other organizations? Of course not. However, we know that investing in top-notch education is a long-term solution to solving many of the world’s problems, and with more York alumni out there like Kelly and Lia, our world will be a better place.

“York is an evil place and has ruined my life forever.”Just kidding. No one has told us that. But sure, there is a miniscule number of alumni who reflect on their high

school experience with less fondness than the rest. We don’t think we’re going to get a lot of financial support

from them, but we’re always willing to listen.

“I already give to my college.”Kudos. We’re also big supporters of higher education, which is why we work so hard to prepare students for it. Like York, your college is probably a non-profit organization that depends

on alumni to keep the institution strong, and it makes sense to give back to a school that played a major role in your life. When doing so, please also consider how your York School education made a difference in your years as a college student and beyond.

“I’m overwhelemed with donation requests.”Non-profit does not mean non-

competitive. Countless organizations work very hard to earn your donations, and often the result is a mountain of mail, glossy brochures, and tear-jerking requests to “give to our important cause.” Many organizations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on market research and slick design to get you to dig as deep as you can. We don’t. Much of what we do in the development office comes

from teachers, parents, alumni, and generous volunteers. While our requests for support may not look as fancy as other high-profile big-budget

organizations, our request is authentic. We do need your support, and if we didn’t ask for it, we would be failing our school and our students.

“I’m still in college.”There are about 200 York alumni who are continuing to pursue their education. Perhaps the last thing on their minds is, “What am I going to do with all this disposable income?” We’ve been there, and we know that college is many things. A time for fiscal extravagance, it is not. York

is smart enough not to depend on college students to balance the budget, but we do depend on your participation to keep York strong. Take our beloved college counselor Dr. Pete Campbell’s advice: One evening during the school year when you are about to pick up the phone to order pizza, hang up and cook some ramen noodles instead. Then as you’re savoring the MSG, get online and invest your evening’s savings in the York School Annual Fund. In the donor comments write, “I gave up my pizza for Pete.” We’ll make sure that he hears about your sacrifice.

We do need your support, and if we didn’t ask for it, we would be failing our school and our students.

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Philanthropy is not easyWe’ve spent enough time around Mr. Murray’s English students to understand the di"erence between sympathy and empathy, and in the development o#ce, we can genuinely feel both when it comes to York alumni and giving. We know that it is all too easy to find reasons not to give to York. While we adamantly vouch that the actual process is painless, we understand that the York School development o#ce is not necessarily the number one priority in your lives. With all of the other pressures, it may not be easy to find a reason to give, but we are proud that one of the lessons York students learn here is that there is profound value in pursuing those parts of life that are not easy.

If you have already given to the York School annual fund this year, thank you. To give now, please call us at 831/373-4438 or donate online at http://alumni.york.org.

Four Ways York is

like the Aquarium

They do great things. Both the Aquarium and York are premier institutions with inspiring missions.

They charge admission. A ticket to get in the aquarium is $21.95. York School tuition is much more.

The admission price does not make ends meet. Running one of the finest

aquariums in the world isn’t cheap. And $21.95 per person is not enough to pay for all that the aquarium does to inspire conservation of the oceans. Nor is the tuition at York high enough to cover the costs of running the school.

They depend on the vision and generosity of others to survive. The aquarium would not be here if it were not for the people who support it through financial contributions. These

individuals find a profound value in

supporting a worthy institution. York also needs people who believe in the school to support it as well. Without the generosity and vision of people who believe in York, it wouldn’t be here.

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!e envelopes are festive this year. Two contain Mylar confetti. One contains a bumper sticker. Seven yes’s and seven no’s. Ellen has a choice to make. We scramble to arrange travel and track down York alumni who presently attend the colleges.

We slave over the financial aid applications. !ere is no way we could possibly a"ord York or college without financial aid. We dread the possibility that the decision be based on economics rather than academics.

Money has always been in short supply. Even Ellen’s visiting trips this month will be a stretch for us. I don’t mind. We can always scrounge up the money somewhere. For the last several years, in order to save money, I’ve been driving Sarah’s $600 high school Chevy wagon, Bubba, until he died last month.

I enrolled at York in 1977. Finally, for the first time in my life, I felt happy at school. I was interested in computers and

checking in

My daughter fired meKim Cohan ‘81 lets go in the college admissions battle

astronomy and founded the computer club. Greg Limes, Tony Li and I built the first school PC from a kit. Pre-assembled PC’s hadn’t been invented yet. But the nascent Internet had, and we accessed “DARPA-net” on the sly through the school account at the Navy School. Fifteen years later, Al Gore deemed DARPA-net the “information superhighway.”

At dress rehearsal for As You Like It, I met Laura Bennett ’80 and fell madly in love. She was the first girl I ever summoned the courage to telephone. How convenient that York has a school directory.

Raised by a single mom in rural Carmel Valley, Laura was able to attend York because of a full financial aid package. She augmented her income by selling eggs, rabbit and chicken meat that she raised on her mom’s one-acre farm. Mr. Sturch was one of her best customers. Laura can disassemble a goat carcass in something less than five minutes and proved it once again

In early April, my daughter Ellen, in a wonderfully written email, o#cially fired me from her college decision team. She reminded me that she was a smart girl, that she would be a success in life wherever she attended, and she, not I, was going to have to live with the consequences of her decision.

In a coincidence of birth, next month, Ellen will graduate from York on the same weekend that her big sister, Emily ’02 will graduate from Johns-Hopkins University. My middle daughter Sarah ’03 will graduate from University of Chicago next year.

!e mailman brings his burden each day around lunch. If I’m working at home, I’ll hear the tinny scrape of the mailbox lid open and shut. I drop everything and scramble outside to see what, if anything, he has brought for her. Is it a thick yes packet bearing good news or a thin envelope with a flowery rejection? Four years of experience doesn’t make this any easier.

Emily ‘02, Sarah ‘03, and Ellen ‘06 from the Peregrine

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last year at our employee barbeque. She took five years of Latin, and four years of Ancient Greek, and aced the Latin AP test.

Laura was co-valedictorian of her class. Mr. Sturch gave her a copy of the New Testament in Ancient Greek as a graduation gift, which she still reads from time to time.

I spent exactly six happy months as a York student when disaster happened: I was yanked out of York after my mom abruptly moved our family from Salinas to Magnet Cove, Arkansas. My formal education ended at 17 when my mom’s financial situation and health problems made it better for me to move back to California to live by myself and earn my own money. I started my business, which Laura and I still own 25 years later.

Laura and I married three years after she graduated from York. Emily was born 8 1⁄2 months after our wedding, and then Sarah came along 19 months later. I was a teenage dad.

By the time Ellen was born in 1988, we decided we had enough practice with birthing babies that we should have her at home. And since midwifery was banned in California at the time, we elected to deliver her ourselves. I signed the birth certificate.

At 42 years old, I think about our decision to send the kids to York and to make education such a high priority in our family.

It’s not the money. If it were, we might have done better investing tuition dollars

in the market and then giving the girls the proceeds, as suggested by “!e Millionaire Next Door” author !omas Stanley. !ere’s more to education than making lots of money, although I hope that happens, because right now my kids are my best hope for my retirement security.

It’s not even about happiness. Education o"ers options, but not necessarily happiness. Options, according to recent studies, actually undermine happiness. !ese days a happy frame of mind can come from the right combination of pharmaceuticals and ignorant bliss.

!ere are a lot of reasons for a father to want to see his kids at top schools like York, Hopkins and Chicago. But above all else, I hope that my children will lead a reasoned and thoughtful life.

!e children pursued a liberal arts education, which may deserve some explanation. Even though college campuses are accused as being hotbeds of liberalism, a liberal arts education isn’t about politics. A liberal arts education is one that is freed from the ‘servile arts’ of specific knowledge of say engineering, medicine, law, or commerce. Leon Kass, Professor of Social !ought at Chicago, says that a liberal education should “awaken habitual thoughtful reflection about weighty human concerns, in a quest of what is simply true and good.” !e compelling thing, as I see it, is that a liberal education also leads one to frequently question the definition of ‘good.’

Emily, Sarah, and Ellen will be equipped

with the intellectual tools to be skeptical of what they watch on TV and read in the papers. !ey will have studied enough history to find parallels from the past that relate to what’s going on right now. !ey will be open minded to new points of view while able to defend their own beliefs. !ey will have the heart to laugh at life’s absurdities. !ey will have the confidence to be provocative. !ey will have the courage to stand up and attempt to steer the course of society. !ey will be well practiced in these skills from their experience at campus newspapers and organizations.

!ey will lead with heart and compassion, and eventually they may even begin their most important role of all, raising their own kids, and maybe even sending them to York.

!is graduation, Ellen joins the 1,500 member universe of York alumni. My status will change back from parent to alumnus, and the five of us will forever share the common bond of attending the greatest high school in America.

So, rather than be heartbroken that I got kicked o" Ellen’s team, I was delighted. !e persuasive reasoning she dropped on me in my termination letter tells me she’s ready to make her decision. In a few days, she’ll tell me.

Is it a thick yes packet bearing good news or a thin envelope with a flowery rejection? Four years of experience doesn’t make this any easier.

Kim Cohan is surrounded by four York women. To celebrate his youngest’s graduation, he has sponsored a faculty coloquium with local academic and scientific experts.

Laura ‘80 and Kim ‘81 from the Peregrine

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My Spanish teacher once carelessly flung this quote on the board: “Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres” (Tell me whom you walk with and I will tell you who you are). Since then, I have noticed it everywhere. I find it in old yearbook quotes, on friends’ senior pages, in Spanish literature I read. Somehow, I cannot manage to get it out of my head. With each subsequent reading, I have come closer and closer to examining its truth as it applies to my life. And thus, I begin to reveal who I am through the description of Rachel Jones and Rachael Negron, the two who are mostly likely to show up at my side.

I met both my Rachels through dance in the eighth grade. Since then, I have spent each summer at a six-week long ballet intensive (program where we dance nearly six hours a day, six days a week) with one or the other Rachael, rotating a Rachel a year. Since that is not enough, we manage to see each other every weekend on our trips to San Francisco for more ballet classes.

Although I have spent an equally long period of time with each Rachael, my relationship with each di"ers. Rachel and I both possess an obsessive drive to learn. Symptoms of this disposition display themselves as we spend the two-hour long car ride home from dancing in San Francisco trying to stump each other with the meaning of vocabulary words or the correct usage of the English subjunctive.

As Rachael starts to fade away into a deep slumber induced by disinterest and confusion, we continue our academic chatter, as I then yell at Rachel in Spanish and she responds in French. We then turn to practicing our analytical skills on how to use the corrections we received in ballet and why certain steps are not working for us. Conversely, with Rachael (after she wakes up and tells Rachel and me to shut up) I connect on a di"erent level. For Rachael, academics have never been her strong point. Her relationship with people is her highest priority. Our main commonality (besides dance) stems from our faith. My conversations with Rachael almost always lead to talking about God and the areas in which we are currently struggling spiritually. Countless hours of bouncing thoughts and ideas o" of Rachael about God have strengthened my faith immensely.

!is year, Rachael moved permanently to San Francisco, and now Rachel and I take turns driving ourselves to our weekend classes in SF, sadly without our third wheel. Although we no longer bandy about vocabulary words or talk about English’s subtle subjunctive, our conversations still turn to an academic note. Both of us cannot wait until we reach the point when straight A’s will no longer matter. We share the feeling that doing equally well in every class hinders our opportunity to truly go as in depth

student voice

Adrienne Cousineau will persue International Studies at Fordham University in New York.

in a certain subject as we would like. I complain that I never have the opportunity to read all the intriguing psychology books my teacher mentions, because my grades would then slip in Chemistry or English. Rachel mentions she has to skim through her chapters in Biology to make time for Calculus homework. How has high school come to the point that getting good grades impedes true scholarly learning? Rachel rants and I rave, and then we turn to talk of ballet as we walk up the stairs to the studio and find our Rachael waiting for us.

Rachael embraces me and says nothing of school, but asks me how I am, and how well the talk I gave at church went. After class the three of us head to Rachael’s apartment and Rachael and I stay up late sharing prayer requests and concerns for people we care about. Morning comes and we drive back to the studio for four more hours of ballet. As we travel across the floor together during grand allegro we smile at each other in the mirror, and I realize how much my Rachaels mean to me. Each one contains one half of the two things that I consider most important: my faith and the expansion of my mind through learning. !ese two things, along with my intense love of dance (a passion both Rachels share), define me. “Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres.” I proudly acknowledge that I am my Rachaels.

Two halves of meby Adrienne Cousineau ‘06

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. . . come to where it’s always G-day between second and third period

now that you’ve given up this schedule . . .

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student muse

Linoleum Cut Self PortraitsTeacher: Susan Giacometti

Arthur Richardson ‘09 Me

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Kris Harklerood ‘06 Dude, Where’s My Hair James deWitt ‘07

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