"When the awards for my event were finally announced, I listened as everyone’s name was called…except mine."

Read more about Gabe's participation in a student business competition.

How do you get 30 intelligent and independent-minded people to form a consensus? If you're Adam Spector '86, you use skills learned at Shipley to help you do it. Read more. 

Meg Biddle '68 was one of Shipley's very first art majors. Now, she divides her time between crafting new projects and mentoring aspiring artists. Read more about Meg and her art.

Beginning next year, all Shipley middle and upper school students will be equipped with their very own school-issued laptops, providing universal access to learning. Read more about this exciting initiative.

When Sarah Gilbert ’00 entered Rhode Island School of Design as a freshman, she felt dissatisfied with the art school’s focus on making at the expense of thinking. She decided to fill the gap by enrolling at Brown University, simultaneously earning degrees in glass (RISD) and modern culture and media (Brown). Read more about Sarah and her art.

In Jessie Willing’s Upper School Bioethics senior science elective, there are no right or wrong answers. Students explore difficult issues through ethical inquiry: asking questions, gathering relevant background information, reasoning through a dilemma, making a decision, and evaluating the outcome. Read more about this fascinating class.

What can you do with $50,000 and a semester’s worth of economics under your belt? If you’re in Char Weigel’s Honors Macroeconomics class you can start your own business. Find out how complex economics concepts and creativity led to her students’ success.

In 2012, Shipley completed Phase I of an exciting campaign – raising more than $6 million for endowment and completing significant improvements to campus facilities. Shipley’s Board of Trustees recently voted to move forward with Phase II of the campaign, which will include the construction of a new building. Read more about the School’s exciting plans for the future.

Last week I competed at the DECA district competition in King of Prussia. DECA is an organization that holds business conferences across the country, and high school students compete in various business, marketing, and hospitality events. Each competitor is required to take a written test and interview in a role-play situation with industry professionals.

This was the second year that I competed in DECA, and it is one of the activities that I enjoy the most at Shipley. I chose the marketing management event, which was a new subject for me. After my test and role play were complete, I felt that I had done well and waited eagerly for the results. The awards finally began at 6 p.m., and when the awards for my event were called, my heart began to beat faster as names other than mine were called. My emotions quickly turned to surprise as I was called up for first place. It was awesome!

This year Shipley students had a dominant presence at DECA. Our impressive performance and our overall Shipley turnout would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of Mr. Reiman, our DECA advisor. The only awkward part of the day was when Mr. Reiman had to ask for a box to transport our multitude of trophies. The next step for Shipley's DECA students will be to prepare for the DECA State Championships, which are held at Hershey Park. States at Hershey are always a blast, and I look forward to competing for a spot at Nationals in California.

When this Shipley Upper School math teacher entered Yale as a freshman, he signed up for courses in linguistics and international studies with the intention of becoming a spy. Read about how he became a math teacher instead, why he chose to teach at Shipley, and more interesting facts about David Reiman.

This University of Michigan graduate, National Championship team field hockey player, and avid surfer is your Director of Alumni Programs and Events. Read more about Ashley.

With the delivery of a 7-foot Steinway & Sons concert grand piano in Riely Theatre, Shipley is thrilled to announce its intention of becoming an “All-Steinway” school - a unique distinction for a PreK - Grade 12 institution. Read more.

The 1979 Iranian Revolution forced his family to leave the Middle East. Now he reports news from the region for CNN.

Discover what Reza Sayah ’87 thinks makes for good reporting.

Robb Armstrong ’81, author of the nationally-syndicated Jump Start comic strip, credits his success to Shipley. The lessons he learned at Shipley, both personal and professional, have guided him throughout his life. Read more.

At Shipley, the hope for each student is to embody the school’s motto of Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing, and young alumni Helen McCann ’07 and Peter Lisle ’07 accomplish just that in their tireless work with Generation Enterprise, an all-volunteer non-governmental organization devoted to helping impoverished street youths become entrepreneurs and community advocates. Read more.

After graduating from Williams and before starting his job as a Business Analyst at Deloitte Consulting LLP, Matthew Piltch ’08 decided to spend a term volunteering at the Brain Tree School, Shipley’s African sister school in Uganda. We asked him some questions about his experience there and what inspired his trip. Read more.

Karl LaRocca ’91 is an artist, musician, graphic artist, white crane kung fu instructor, and so much more – including a businessman. He is the owner of Kayrock Screen Printing in Brooklyn, NY. Since 1998, his studio has specialized in the production of hand-printed fine art editions, posters, cards, books, shirts, tote bags, graphic design, and custom projects. After seeing some of Shipley art teacher Steve Baris’ work, he contacted his former teacher about collaborating on producing a silkscreen edition at his studio. Read more.

Sarah Megan Thomas ’97 may look familiar. The Shipley alumna, actress, writer, and producer has appeared on screen alongside such personalities as Sigourney Weaver, Kate Bosworth and, most recently, James Van Der Beek of Dawson’s Creek fame. Now on the verge of releasing her first feature film—which Thomas not only stars in, but also wrote and produced—the multitalented filmmaker is poised to become a household name herself. Read more.

When David Corenswet ’11 got “the call” offering him a coveted spot in the Julliard Drama Division, he telephoned Phillip Brown, his Shipley theater teacher and mentor. “My favorite reaction was Mr. Brown’s,” says Corenswet. “He kept saying over and over, ‘YOU WHAT! YOU WHAT!’” Indeed, the news was almost overwhelming for Brown—the culmination of four years of participating in most every aspect of David’s journey from young teenage actor with loads of ability to witnessing what he describes as a true freeing of the mind. “It was the perfect moment,” says Brown, “we had put so much work into it… I know the gravity of what Julliard means.” For David, it means four years in the storied conservatory program that is the training ground for many of America’s most revered actors, with such alumni as Robin Williams, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Kline, Viola Davis, and Patti Lu Pone. Read more.

Fundraising is in Arden Williams Saligman’s blood. And Shipley’s Annual Fund is in her heart. She remembers vividly a phone call from her father when she was a freshman in college. “He gave me a lecture about Shipley,” she says. “‘People before you have given to support the school’ he said. ‘Now that you’ve graduated, it’s your turn.’” So Arden started giving to the Shipley Annual Fund and helping with phonathons. Read more.

If you want to be inspired: read this story. Paolo Malabuyo came to Shipley in ninth grade, just two years after he, his parents, and three older siblings fled the turbulence of Manila under Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos. With a dream of a better future for their children, the Malabuyos promised to enroll their kids in the best schools, but the deal was they had to work hard and do well. Read more.

When Shipley’s 38th annual Secret Gardens Tour gets underway May 16, Michelle Kroiz Winn ’91 will be watching it unfold like a proud parent. With friends and fellow second grade mothers Rebecca Bramen and Carol Fisher, Michelle has spent the better part of this year stalking gardens in the Berwyn-Paoli area and otherwise preparing for this one special day when upwards of 600 garden enthusiasts, maps in-hand, will enjoy the wonders of the selected private gardens that are open for public viewing. Read more.

“When my mother told me where babies come from,” says Dammun Pierce, “I was like, ‘No Way! You’ve got to be kidding me. That does not happen.’” Dammun is now a physician in obstetrics and gynecology on the staff of Hilton Head Regional Medical Center, practicing physician with Hilton Head OB/Gyn Partners, and Assistant Medical Director of Genesis Prenatal Clinic. Read more.

“Develop tact and you will go far.” These were the words Shipley’s head of school, Mrs. Epes, had inscribed on the index card she handed to Fredricka Brecht at her graduation in 1968. “I think it was her way of telling me to work on the grace part (of the school motto),” says Brecht, who now herself coaches CEOs to become better leaders. As an independent contractor for Vistage International, a support network for about 14,000 business leaders world-wide, she belongs to an elite group of former executives who have been “converted” into team leaders. Read more.

Can you sleep at night if you are responsible for overseeing $619 billion of other people’s money? Yes, if you are David Hunt ’80, who actually does just that in his new position as CEO of Prudential Investment Management—one of the world’s largest asset managers. “It is a large amount (of money),” says Hunt, “but it is broken down and managed by strong, well-performing teams… I have a lot of confidence (in them).” Read more.

Erin Klingsberg ’08 is currently a senior at Emerson College in Boston earning a BFA degree in Film Production with honors. Erin embarked on a journey to complete a year-long film project of her choosing with a semester of script development and pre-production last spring. She shot the film over the Fourth of July weekend on Shipley’s campus. Now, in its post-production stages, she has turned to Kickstarter.com to try and raise $10,000 that originally came out of her own pocket to produce the film. Read more.

As the current front-runner in the race for State Assembly in a district that includes the tonier parts of Southern California, Torie Osborn intends to win in 2012: “My passion is renewing the California dream, which is the American dream of equal opportunity for all." Read more about Torie and how she got to where she is today.

Shipley alumna Ellie Andersen '11, a first-year student at Amherst, is already making headlines there for her contribution to the school's field hockey program. Read about Ellie and Amherst field hockey.

Sarah Megan Thomas '97 recently returned to Shipley to film Backwards, about a female rower with a chance to make it to the Olympics. Sarah wrote, directed, and stars in the film alongside James Van Der Beek. The Philadelphia Inquirer featured an article about Sarah and the film. Read the article here.

Get more information about the film.

Please join Shipley alumna, Erin Klingsberg '08, on Thursday, June 2nd, for a special screening of Elia Kazan's East of Eden. Erin is screening the film in order to help promote her BFA thesis film, The Lonesome Animal, which she is currently writing, producing, and directing for Emerson College.

The screening begins at 7:00 pm in the Riely Theatre and will be accompanied by a short Q&A with Erin afterward. A bake sale and concession stand will be available in order to help raise funds for her own film.

Please email erin.klingsberg@gmail.com with any additional questions.

Becky Snyder Fawcett '88 was named this week's CNN Hero for her work in establishing Help Us Adopt, anon-profit grant organization offering adoption financial assistance.

Watch and read CNN's report on hero Becky Snyder Fawcett '88.

Visit www.HelpUsAdopt.org.

Dark skies, heavy winds, and the forecast of thunderstorms did not dampen high spirits in Shipley’s Yarnall Gymnasium, where the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Phase 1 of the school’s Upper Campus Master Plan took place on Thursday, April 28. Shipley alumni, trustees, parents, grandparents, and friends joined students and colleagues for the celebration, which followed the end-of-year All-School Assembly. Read more.

Sally McCawley Fridy ’61 had a story to tell and she thought she could tell it through film. She signed up for a screenwriting course at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. Little did she know that it would set her on a path to executive produce an award-winning independent film. That film, Lebanon, PA, is slated for release on Friday, April 29 in Philadelphia and New York.

In the last two weeks in April two alumni from the class of 2005 died tragically: Nathaniel Asselin and Bradley Strange.

Nathaniel Asselin, the son of long-time revered faculty member, Denis Asselin and Denis’ wife, Judy, and the brother of Carrie, was a student at Shipley in fourth and fifth grades. He left us after fifth grade to return to Westtown School.

Nathaniel (age 24) was the Assistant Director of the Westtown Middle School After School Program, where he ably served his young charges as they settled down after school and got started on homework. An avid runner, he was also an assistant coach on the Westtown Middle School Cross Country Team.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, May 1 at 2:00 p.m. at Westtown Meeting House on the Westtown School campus. A reception will follow the service.

Bradley Strange, son of Lynn and David Strange and brother of Tori ‘02 and Whitney, joined Shipley in ninth grade and graduated in 2005. He went on to Bard College and was living in Northampton, MA.

A passionate and thoughtful student, Brad was among Shipley’s most gifted performers A member of the Madriguys, he was an anchor in all of our theater productions. Former faculty member Emily Miller ’96, who directed him in an extraordinary performance of King Lear, wrote: “Brad was an incredible young man, and I am saddened beyond words that his light is no longer in this world. I cannot believe that he is gone.”

The memorial service for Bradley will be held on Friday, May 6 at 2:00 pm at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church with a reception afterwards at the church fellowship hall. 

Tori Schelling, a dance performance senior at Oklahoma City University, is hoping to join a list of alumni who have become Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Read more: http://newsok.com/ocu-student-hopes-to-become-member-of-famed-rockettes/article/3557370#ixzz1JKWrmgAd

Saturday, April 9 10:00 am
PPL Park in Chester, PA

The Will Trippley Youth Development Foundation is teaming up with Shipley spring athletics for Will’s 5K race on Saturday, April 9 at 10:00 am outside of PPL Park, the home of the Philadelphia Union. The WTYDF, created in honor of Shipley alumnus Will Trippley ’02, serves at-risk youth in the Chester, PA area through education and soccer programs. Proceeds from Will’s 5K Race will directly benefit the foundation. Get more information.

Former Shipley attackman Nick Sterge has committed to play NCAA lacrosse at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Sterge, who is currently doing a post graduate year at Loomis Chafee in Windsor, CT, graduated from Shipley in 2010 after a standout senior season in which he finished with 53 points on 12 goals and 41 assists, including a career high and school record 7 assists against Friends’ Central School. Read more.

Doctor M.E. Hecht, a 1946 graduate of The Shipley School, recently published A Practical Guide to Hip Surgery. Dr. Hecht’s book, her fifth in the non-fiction genre, is a concise and practical resource for anyone undergoing a hip replacement. Get more information about Dr. Hecht and her book.

Lenny Hirsh ’95 recently released his first album, self-titled Lenny Hirsh. The seven-song EP is a demo of contemporary country music which sometimes verges on rock and roll. From the tender "When I'm Gone" to the gritty "Can't Take the Country Outta Me," the album shows a range of songwriting ability. In Lenny’s words, “there is a track for everyone on this album.” We asked Lenny some questions about his new album and his budding music career. Here’s what he had to say...

Phillip Moore and Joy Smith, both Shipley alumni from the class of 1994, recently put out a call for art for the COLLAGE Collaborative Arts Festival, to be held in a 12,000 square-foot warehouse in Philadelphia in May, 2011. We asked them some questions about what they were up to. Here’s what they had to say...

Many Shipley alumni joined Joan Lebold Cohen ’50 and her son Ethan for a Gallery Talk in honor of the opening of the Post-Mao Dreaming: Chinese Contemporary Art show. The show was curated by Joan and hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Arthur Ross Gallery. Read more.

Shipley alumna and West Chester University girls’ basketball forward, Alex Lennon, was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Player of the Week. Read about her collegiate athletic accomplishments on West Chester University’s website.

Even before Major League Soccer came to Chester, PA, Shipley alumnus Neal Regino ’03 and the Will Trippley Youth Development Foundation were working to improve the lives of Chester’s youth through soccer. The program ran its first camp in the summer of 2006 and has celebrated many milestones since then—including the recent $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Grant won in coordination with MLS team the Philadelphia Union. The organizations are hoping the grant will give them something else to celebrate—a new soccer field for the 300+ Chester children who benefit from the Will Trippley Youth Development Foundation’s Chester City United Soccer Program. Read more.

When Shipley alumna Allison Manley ’89 and her husband Rob Coleman saw their son chewing on his baby books, they wondered what was in them—and whether they were safe to eat. They did some research and were surprised by the lack of regulations and environmentally-friendly options for children’s books. Eco-conscious Allison and Rob found they had lots of options for cloth diapers, low-voc paint, and organic food—but not for books. Read about how they changed that with Squishy Press.

Shipley alumni Anna Adler ’07, Charlie Thompson ’07, David Karp ’07, and Jordan Greenberg ’06 celebrated a mini-reunion at Franklin Field, where they gathered to cheer on former classmate and Lafayette College soccer star BJ Glenn ’07, who was in town for the Penn vs. Lafayette soccer game.

In April, 2010, the Class of ’64 gathered in the Philadelphia area for a “Class of ’64 Turns 64” mini-reunion. Most members of the class were born in 1946, and 2010 marked their 46th reunion. They dubbed the reunion, “46-64-64-46.” About 20 class members travelled from North Carolina, Vermont, Texas, and other distant locales to be together. Read more.

Liz Kittleman ’94 was recently named head coach of Columbia University’s women’s lacrosse team. Prior to taking the job with the Lions, she helped lead the University of Pennsylvania Quakers to four consecutive Ivy League Women’s Lacrosse Championships while serving as the team’s assistant coach. Before coaching at Penn, Liz was assistant women’s lacrosse coach at Haverford College in 2005 and 2006, and managed the United States Women's Elite Lacrosse Team from January 2006 to October 2007. Prior to that, Liz was the assistant women's lacrosse coach at Stanford University from 2001-2004, and helped lead the Cardinals to their first top-20 ranking in school history.

While earning her bachelor’s degree in art history at Union College in New York, she was a four-year letterwinner (1994-98) in lacrosse and earned first-team UCAA honors as a senior.

Read more about Liz and her appointment at Columbia.

Shipley alumna Adele Cunningham Johnson ’51 and her husband, Carl, were recently honored by Avalon, NJ mayor Martin Pagliughi for a successful quarter century as owners of the Anchorage Marina. The Anchorage, a full-service marina with 31 boat slips, also serves as a popular breakfast destination on the bay of the Jersey shore resort town. Adele and Carl purchased the Anchorage, originally built in 1957, from a friend in 1985.Today, they run the business with help from their son, Charles, and grandson, Devon. Plans are in the works to expand and improve the facilities in the next two years.

Get more information about the Anchorage.

After serving as Radnor High School’s assistant girls’ lacrosse coach under Phyllis Kilgour for the last three years, Brooke Oliver Fritz ’88 was named head coach of the two-time PIAA state champions. Brooke, a graduate of Bates College, was Assistant Athletic Director and varsity girls’ lacrosse coach at Springside School for nine years before joining the Raiders.

Read an article about Brooke at www.phillylacrosse.com.

You’ve probably seen the commercials. The kaleidoscopic collage of happy images selling positive social change and … soda? Yes, that’s right. The Pepsi Refresh Project is giving away $20 million to individuals and organizations with the best ideas to positively impact their communities. Clint Randall ’01 wants a piece of that and he needs your help to get it. How? Cast your vote for the Reclaim Concrete for Park Space Project, an initiative to transform a busy intersection in the East Passyunk section of South Philadelphia into a public gathering space. Read more.

Former Shipley physics teacher Paul Tierney, who retired in 2009, is one of three teachers to receive Amherst College's prestigious Phebe and Zephaniah Swift Moore Teaching Award in 2010. He was nominated by former student and Amherst physics major David Wadden '06. Get more details.

Andy Holdsworth ’90, founding member of the Shipley Jazz Ensemble, returned to hear the 2010 edition of the band at the recent Alumni Weekend Reception on Friday, April 30. It was a bittersweet moment for Jazz Ensemble Director Bob Rowland and Holdsworth, as they recalled that the group was the brainchild of Dan Caesar ’90, an avid jazz guitarist... Read more.

Paintings by Shipley alumna and Lower School parent, Elizabeth Evert Orr ’85 are now on display in Speer Gallery. Stop by to see her work during school hours or join us for an artist’s reception on Saturday, May 1 at 4:30 in the Speer Gallery. Read more.

Shipley alumni and fashionistas stepped out mid-week to celebrate the talent and 2010 Spring Line of budding designer Katie Ermilio ’04. Co-sponsored by Boyd’s, Philadelphia Style, and Shipley, the event was a perfect entre into spring and the topnotch fashion driving the season’s trends. View photos from the event. Get more information about Katie Ermilio ’04.

On Wednesday, March 24, local Shipley alumni, including Alumni Board members, Shipley faculty and staff, current Shipley parents, Shipley Trustees, and local leading Shipley volunteers gathered for cocktails in Haverford at the home of Elizabeth Evert Orr ’85 to celebrate their unique connections to the School and each other. View photos here.

Alumni and guests gathered in Midtown Manhattan to curb the January chill with warm conversations and sudsy treats. Old friends and new, esteemed faculty, and delicious ale made the evening a winning combo for those in attendance. Read more.

On Wednesday, January 20, David Michel ’97 visited Shipley’s Upper School, just hours before boarding a plane to Haiti. Find out what he'll be doing there and what he shared with the Shipley community.

The late Gwendolyn Grant Mellon ’30 and her husband, William Larimer Mellon, Jr., dedicated their lives to the care of the Haitian people at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital that they founded in 1956 in Deschapelles, Haiti. Read more.

Elizabeth Schafer Vale ’72 and Michael Block ’99 are both working in the White House. Find out how they got there and what they're doing. Read more.

Charlie Biddle ’05 had never rowed before he showed up to a Shipley crew team recruiting practice in the fall of his freshman year. Now, he's training with the hopes of making it onto the U.S. National Team. Read more.

Heather Lisle '03 participated in the five-day three-hundred-mile-long bike ride from New York City to Washington, D.C. Read more.

Two years ago, Becky Snyder Fawcett ’88 launched HelpUsAdopt.org, a national non-profit financial assistance grant program that helps qualified couples and individuals cover adoption expenses. To date, the organization has helped over 22 families adopt children. Read more.

Tad Friend ’80’s memoir, Cheerful Money: Me, My Family, and the Last Days of WASP Splendor, was published by Little, Brown and Company in September. Read more.

Samantha Bennett ’84 is an award-winning columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Read more.