stony brook
fall
2013 of
bulletin
supplement
The
Bulletin
The Stony
Brook School
© bob mitchell
Kanas Commons: A Dream Realized
Poised to cut the ribbon in front of Kanas Commons (front, l to r): Head of School Joshua
Crane, former Board Chair Sierd Tilma, John Kanas, John Kanas, Jr. ’09, Elaine Kanas, former
Facilities Committee Chair John Johnson ’58, Director of Construction and Field Operation
Gary Blake, Executive Project Manager Steve Peragallo, and Project Superintendent
Gary Raynor, with multiple donors, volunteers, and contractors gathered behind.
“I
magine who will come in this door in the future; imagine who will go
out the back door—changed forever as a result of their experiences here,” said
John Kanas to over 300 Stony Brook alumni, faculty, and friends gathered on
Saturday, October 12, for the dedication of Kanas Commons with the Hollis Student Center.
Having opened just in time for the start of the 2013-2014 academic year, Kanas Commons has already become a hub of
student life. Named in appreciation of generous donations from Board member Elaine Kanas and her husband, John (parents
of John ’09), and Mark ’67 and Mickey Hollis (parents of Matthew ’14 and Rebecca ’16), this light-filled, 19,400-square-foot
building houses the new campus dining room and kitchen, along with the school store, activities offices, mail center, and areas
for meetings, study, and recreation.
Weather forecasters had predicted rain, but beautiful blue skies set the backdrop for the highlight of Homecoming Weekend,
which drew alumni from 1934 to 2013. Kathy Maselli ’77 echoed a common sentiment, “I have walked this campus since 1973.
First as a student, then as an alumna, then as the parent of a student, then as a staff member. To see this needed facility become
a reality after all these decades is awe inspiring. Kanas Commons is a testament to our Lord’s faithfulness and His timing.”
2
Kanas Commons Dedication (continued)
all photos on this spread © bob mitchell (except where noted)
The
SBS Performing Arts Department Chair Dustin Ramirez leads the
Chamber Singers in a rousing performance outside the main entrance.
Praying during the Dedication
was Linda Lecci, a close friend of
the late Jane Haile. Linda pastors
City on a Hill Community Church
(Middle Island, NY), where the
Kanas family attends.
Head of School Joshua Crane
delivered his opening remarks to
the SBS community.
Meghan Lecci, wife of James Lecci
’91, performed “Your Great Name”
by Natalie Grant.
Former SBS Chief Financial Officer Timothy Cromwell (left) and former
chair of the SBS Facilities Committee John Johnson ’58 were among the
key players who worked behind-the-scenes to bring Kanas Commons
to fruition.
SBS Board Chair Jack Hall ’77
recognized the many generous
class, family, and group gifts.
The Goal is in sight
Your gift or pledge will take us an important step toward meeting the full
$7.8 funding goal for Kanas Commons. Gifts of all sizes matter!
As your means allow, consider naming a table in the dining room, a lightpost in the
new parking lot, or a Student Activity office. Pledges are payable in flexible installments
through 2016. Gifts may be made online at stonybrookschool.org/give, by mail, or by
contacting Director of Development Kathy Sides at (631) 941-1551 or kathy.sides@
stonybrookschool.org. For more information, please see stonybrookschool.org/campaign.
Dedication of the Hollis Student Center.
3
Special Projects
In Honor of
the First AfricanAmerican Student
to Attend SBS
© leslie paige
The family, classmates,
and friends of the late
Laurence Foster ’57, the
first African-American
student to attend Stony
Brook, underwrote the
main interior staircase
in his memory and in
honor of all members
of the SBS community of African descent. (Pictured at
left with Head of School Joshua Crane are Laurence’s niece
Alexis Southerland, his sister Yvonne Foster Southerland,
and project initiators Rachel and Kris Ryan with their
daughter Naomi.)
In Honor of Three SBS “Masters”
Mark ’76, Cheryl ’80, Jean and Karl Soderstrom were among those
joining the Hollis family (Mark ’67, Rebecca ’16, Matthew ’14, and
Mickey) at the ribbon cutting for the Hollis Student Center.
An anonymous alumnus made a gift to name the mail
center in honor of three legendary former “masters,” Karl
Soderstrom (teacher, dean of students, and headmaster),
Peter Haile (teacher, chaplain, and assistant headmaster),
and the late John Holmes (teacher and academic dean).
The ceremony included the unveiling of a portrait (pictured
below) of these three beloved men, whose decades-long
tenure left a legacy of love and commitment. Peter and Karl
were at the ribbon cutting with their families, along with
John’s children, Marna ’73, David ’82, and Wendy.
Many thanks to Stephen Pulliam ’90 for putting together
an amazing time-lapse video of the construction of Kanas
Commons: stonybrookschool.org/kanastimelapse
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More
Homecoming 2013 Highlights
“Lord, we thank you for new
beginnings...We pray that your Spirit
would move in mighty ways around
these tables and in the student center
downstairs, that your name might be
glorified and your kingdom exalted.”
—SBS faculty member Michael Hickey’s
prayer at the 2013 Alumni Luncheon
all photos on this spread © bob mitchell
A full house at the Alumni Luncheon—held in the new
Kanas Commons dining room!
John Haile ’73 and Wayne Pierce ’73 celebrated their 40th reunion.
Sam Wang ’53, his son Max, Max’s wife Kaori, and Dick Walker ’53.
Sam’s 1998 design drawings for a new dining room and student center
set the trajectory for what became Kanas Commons.
At the Alumni
Luncheon, Sharon
Soderstrom ’78 (daughter of former Head of
School Karl Soderstrom)
was the recipient of
the Alumni Achievement Award. Her sister,
Cheryl Soderstrom ’80
(pictured), accepted the
award on her behalf.
The award is given to an SBS alumnus “for extraordinary
achievement and exemplary character in one’s personal
and professional life.” Currently serving as Chief of Staff
to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sharon
was named as one of the “25 Most Influential Women in
Washington” by the National Journal in July 2012. Due to
the recent government crisis, Sharon was unable to attend
the luncheon.
Richard Skripak ’58
received the Athletic
Hall of Fame Award.
The award is given
“in recognition of an
individual who has
contributed to the
athletic tradition of
The Stony Brook School
by his participation and his character.” Born into a family
of competitive athletes, Dick received Varsity letters at SBS
in football, basketball, and baseball. As a student, he also
received the Clyde L. Mellinger Award in recognition of
sportsmanship, courage, and ability. Dick is pictured here
with his daughter, Danielle Skripak Stoffer ’87.
They’ve Come the Farthest & Furthest!
Stephen Montjane ’88 (pictured with Joshua and Jennifer Crane)
travelled all the way from South Africa to Stony Brook! John
Smart ’34 celebrated his 79th reunion—he hasn’t missed one yet.
5
1. Class of ’53—60th
Reunions
(l to r) Butch Springhorn, Joe Carter,
George Moy, Andy Carlson, Sam
Wang, Dick Walker
2. Class of ’63—50th
Front: Jack Dakers, Jack Emery, Bill
Neff; Middle row: Jeff Sawyer, John
Felix, Bob Denton, Dave Kleinschmidt,
Jeff Alexander, Ernst-Egon von Lixfeld,
Doug Darby, Mike Masterson; On
stairs: Warren Tickle, Bill Johnson,
John Kirchmeier, Art Oldham,
Warren Hannas, Ed McDaniel,
Don Bird, Charles Speh, Dick Hillyer,
Steve Geiger
1
3. Class of ’68—45th
2
Front: Bob Barklay, Bob Gow,
Nelson Clemmens, Bill Marshall
Back: John Alexander, D.C. Dreger,
John Hanchett, Steve Jamison
4. Class of ’73—40th
(l to r) Mark Rennard, Sibley George,
Marna Holmes Kaijala, John Haile,
Gary Webster
5. Class of ’78—35th
3
Front: Rebecca Haile Swanson, Sara
Morrison, Frances Knott George,
Laura McCrillis Kessler, Kathryn
Lelah Sides; Back: Hugo Blankingship,
J.D. Hornberger, Dave Wilson, Dany
Tubian, Dave Swanson, Henry Ho
4
6. Class of ’83—30th
Front: Assistant Head of School Jane
Taylor, Ulrica van Deventer, Jan van
Deventer, Leighton Coleman III,
Antoinette Quarshie, Ken Baer; Back:
Ray Camano, Dirk Friedkin ‘84, Steve
Papandon ’84, Adam De Chiara, Raj
Tolaram, Andrew Day
5
7. Class of ’88—25th
6
Front: Joy Carlson Esser, Nicole
Reikert Campbell, Frank Rizzo,
Stephen Montjane, Sheryl Radin
Combs, Banks Shepherd, Paul Ryan,
Richard Hillyer; Back: Glenn Rustay,
Michael Sung Koh, Tonja Brownworth
Detwiler, James Coane, James Russell,
Paul Habibi
8. Class of ’03—10th
(l to r) Elizabeth Pippert, Allison
Seaman, Johnpatrick Marr, Carly Zampariello, Sarah Thomson, Katherine
Jaegar, Catherine Cage, Matt Fumuso
7
9. Class of ’08—5th
8
9
(l to r) Thomas Payne, Alexandra
Van Tuyl, faculty member Erol Altug,
Kirsten White, Rachel Webster,
Michael Pinkerton, Phillip Kim,
Christian Wentling, Allegra Istrati,
David Hickey, Derek Valet, Sharon
Kim, and librarian Michelle Altug.
“My only regret is that I waited
35 years to return.”
—Hugo Blankingship ’78
6
Athletics The Fall 2013 Season Wrap-Up
by jeremy donovan, sbs athletic director
© brad brummeler
As the fall season winds to a close,
there are plenty of success stories
for us to look back on. We knew
coming in that there would be
opportunities for leaders to step
forward this year, and we have
seen positive responses across the
board. Every team captain selected
has been outstanding, and a true
credit to Stony Brook athletics. I
have been proud of our teams on
so many different levels, far beyond
simple on-the-field performance.
Some of our teams and individual athletes
saw their seasons continue on into the
postseason:
Under Coach Mike Hickey, golfer Michael
Worth ’15 qualified for the County Championship match in the spring, while Lucy
Lamb ’17 earned a back-up spot in the
Spring County Championship.
Our girls’ volleyball team returned to the
playoffs for the first time in four years. The
girls showed their resilience when Captain
Sydney Braat ’14 went down with a wrist
injury early in the season. Rather than
hang their heads, Ali Rothaar ’14, Rebecca
Hollis ’16, Katie Dahlseide ’14, Marlee
Painter ’16, Cordae Mattson ’15, Tavia
Jeffries ’16, Hannah Abrahamsen ’15, and
Sammy Petersen ’18 stepped up in her absence to secure second place in the league.
Sydney returned late in the season, capping
a stellar career under Coach Leslie Paige.
The girls’ soccer team beat
Southold in the County Championship, winning their sixth County Title in the last seven years. It
was an exciting game, with the
girls firing back from a 3-1 deficit
with only four minutes remaining.
Julia Shi ’16 unleashed a rocket
to pull us within one goal, and
Emily Pius ’15 played a perfect
corner kick to the foot of Annie
Skorobohaty ’16 just two minutes
later to tie. After four overtimes, the match
went to penalty kicks, where freshman
goalkeeper Fiona Farrell ’17 made two
key saves on Southold’s first two shots and
opened the door for Morgan Pius ’17,
Anna Wadding ’15, and Skorobohaty to
put in the winning kicks. Captain Hannah
Barker ’14 has shown tremendous leadership over her career and will be missed.
Coach Jake Morley’s boys’ cross country
team won the County Championship, with
a narrow 30-31 over the closest competition. Jake Brummeler ’15 and Ayan
Mandal ’14 were outstanding, and the
team showed its depth when Simon Wynter ’14, John Desan ’15, and Luis Irias ’16
cut major time off their best races to finish
just ahead of the competition, securing the
victory. Matthew Hollis ’14 and Darryl
Baker ’14 were steady runners and strong
leaders throughout the season.
The girls’ soccer team after their County
Championship win.
© bruce jeffrey
Captains Tyler Hoegsberg ’14, Erik
Holvik ’15, and Jackson Painter ’15 were
rock-solid for Coach Kris Ryan’s football
team. Captains Nate Hicks ’14, Donnie
Pius ’14, and Justin Shi ’14 were terrific in
guiding Coach Doug Parra’s boys’ soccer
team. And Coach Fran Pistell has had
exemplary leadership in girls’ tennis, with
her captains Alissa Antieri ’14 and Angela
Wong ’15.
© dominic ricciardi
The boys’ and girls’ cross country teams with their County Championship plaques.
Cordae Mattson ’15 and Rebecca Hollis ’16.
7
stony brook
The girls’ cross country team will hang two championship banners in
Swanson Gymnasium after an undefeated League Championship and
their second consecutive County Championship. Margot Rashba ’14
completed her sweep of the individual County Title by winning her
fourth consecutive title. Clara Walker ’18 and Miranda Harrigan ’18
showed us how bright the future can be by finishing second and fourth
in the county, respectively. Anna Brummeler ’17, Elsa Crozier ’15, Sam
Taveras ’16, Nicole Gray ’17, and Sarah Anderson ’16 ran strongly in
the County Championships and the State meet. New Coach Alicia
Brummeler was thrilled by her girls’ performance this season.
The Bulletin of The Stony Brook School
Vol. LXXXIII No. 1, Fall 2013
head of school
Joshua Crane
assistant head of school
Jane A. Taylor P’99, ’01
director of development/editor
Kathryn Lelah Sides ’78, P’07, ’10
assistant editor
Sara Kristin diPierro
Fall 2013 Sailing Programs Update
by capt. george linzee
art director/designer
Rachel Estrada Ryan
SBS sailing programs experienced a large influx of enthusiastic new
sailors with 66 students involved. Instructors Brad Brummeler, Michael
Crandall, and Alex George ran a new novice dinghy program for 16
sailors using the School’s day sailors. Captains Jean Linzee and Jeremy
Linzee ’93 coached 12 novice keelboat sailors on the two 34-foot sailing
yachts, Atlantis and Kalliste. Captains Fran Nilsen and Francis George
instructed the JV and varsity keelboat teams on the matched Alberg 30s,
Mariner, Sea Wind, and Due East. Lauren McGill ’16 and Erika Sobelman ’14 provided outstanding leadership for this developing team. The
JV dinghy team, coached by John Everitt ’00 and Jeremy Linzee, developed well during the season and saw competition against other schools
in two league invitational regattas during October. Finally, the varsity
dinghy team, coached by Rachel Pokorny, a former member of the ODU
nationally ranked sailing team and a US Sail Level 3 instructor, along
with Program Director George Linzee, had a successful season in which
sailors Sam Gallipeau ’15, Kimberly Cataudella ’16, Joshua Martin ’17,
Kadin Via ’17, Ray Specht ’17, and Julia Ray ’17 showed great improvement in interscholastic competition.
The Stony Brook Bulletin, UPS #522-440, is
produced for all alumni, parents, and friends
of The Stony Brook School. The Bulletin is
published by The Stony Brook School, Inc.,
Stony Brook, New York, four times a year.
mission statement
The Stony Brook School is an independent
college preparatory school (grades 7-12) that
exists to challenge young men and women to
know Jesus Christ as Lord, to love others as
themselves, and to grow in knowledge and
skill, in order that they may serve the world
through their character and leadership.
send address changes to
the stony brook school, alumni office
1 chapman pkwy, stony brook, ny 11790
phone 631-941-1550 fax 631-941-1557
email alumni@stonybrookschool.org
website www.stonybrookschool.org
alumni portal alumni.stonybrookschool.org
printed by Corporate Color, Deer Park, NY
In September, Andrew Daniel ’14, Sam Gallipeau ’15, and Joshua
Martin ’17 sailed single-handed lasers in league and district regattas
with Andrew finishing ninth against the top sailors in six states. In
double-handed sailing, the varsity team finished fifth in both league
qualifiers, qualifying for the district team championship, but was unable
to attend due to a conflict with SAT exams. SBS was accepted into the
ISSA Great Oaks Regatta and sent a team of six to New Orleans on
November 21-25 to compete in this national event.
Not sure what to give them
for christmas this year?
© jeremy linzee ’93
HOW ABOUT A SUMMER
OF SOUND LEARNING?
Stefan Kim ’19 (steering) and Daniel Nye ’17, members of the novice keelboat team.
If you have children in your life who are
entering 6th-11th grade next year,
consider giving them a summer they’ll
never forget. Sound Learning is a twoweek academic and recreational
residential program designed to
provide an introduction for those
students interested in exploring boarding
life at The Stony Brook School.
For full details about Sound Learning
and all of the SBS summer programs,
visit stonybrookschool.org/summer
The Bulletin of
The Stony Brook School
stony brook, ny 11790
Periodicals
Postage
paid
Stony Brook, NY
Permit No. 522-440
students are worth your investment
© leslie paige
Our
Middle School Rakefest, November 2013
The Stony Brook School’s Fund for Character Education, our annual fund, is
Fund For
Character
Education
The Stony Brook School
vital to making The Stony Brook School the beacon of secondary education in the twenty-first
century. The 2013-2014 goal of $750,000 is ambitious and necessary—and we’re off to a
promising start. Help keep the wave of momentum strong by donating or pledging before
December 31, 2013. Go to stonybrookschool.org/give, or send your check or pledge to
The Stony Brook School, One Chapman Parkway, Stony Brook, NY 11790.
Your partnership is essential to the current and future health of the School. Thank you!
Note: Securities that have appreciated in value, and which you’ve held for at least one year, offer
a tax-efficient method of giving. For more information, please contact Director of Development
Kathy Sides at kathy.sides@stonybrookschool.org.