THE MAGAZINE OF NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL WINTER 2019
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Nobles
THE MAGAZINE OF NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL WINTER 2019
Data as the Throughline:
Andrew Cencini ’97
Breaks Barriers
PHOTO OF THE DAY October 26, 2018 Noa Fay ’19 sings the national anthem before the Friday Night Lights field hockey game. Varsity field hockey and boys varsity soccer both defeated Lawrence Academy in their FNL matchups, 4–0 and 2–0, respectively. PHOTO BY BEN HEIDER
contents WINTER 2019
Chalk drawing by Lindsey Qian ’19, IN EVERY
as part of the Spring Awakening set
design. See page 34. ISSUE
2 Letter from the Head
3 Reflections
hat Nobles folks
W
are saying on campus
and online
4 The Bulletin
News and notes
10 Development
Closing the Be Nobles
Bold campaign with
Nobles Night
11 By the Numbers
Classics and
modern languages
12 Sports
Another Nobles first
18 Off the Shelf
All about the books
we read and write
20 Perspective
The bucket list
40 Graduate News
What, when, why, where
and how grads are doing
FEATURES
64 Archive
22 Driving the Data 34 Spring Awakening Morning bells are ringing
Making meaning from statistics Art is a powerful thing
Cover Photograph by Kris Qua
letter from the head Nobles WINTER 2019
Diving Into Data Editor
Heather Sullivan
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Assistant Editors
I HAVE COMPLETED MY FIRST 18 MONTHS at Nobles as a learn- Kim Neal
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
ing tour, getting to know the culture, people, programs and OF COMMUNICATIONS
traditions that have shaped Nobles and contributed to the
Ben Heider
“secret sauce” of this special place. I have also begun to DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCER/WRITER
unpack our potential challenges and opportunities as we Alexis Sullivan
look ahead to the next chapter in the Nobles history book WRITER/CONTENT MANAGER
and think about the next strategic plan. Design
The bulk of my learning tour has been, of course, rela- 2COMMUNIQUÉ
WWW.2COMMUNIQUE.COM
tional. I am collecting stories from colleagues, students,
Photography
parents and graduates. I am seeking opportunities to form
Tim Carey
and deepen relationships, and I am asking lots and lots of questions! As part of this learning jour- Louise Contino
ney, I have also sought ways to gather and study data from our community. I recognize a unique Michael Dwyer
Ben Heider
opportunity in my first few years at Nobles to seek feedback and information that can serve as a Leah LaRiccia
way to better understand Nobles and where future priorities may emerge. Doug Mills
Kim Neal
Over the past several months, we have conducted surveys of our students, current parents and Kris Qua
graduates. We entered into a partnership with Stanford’s Challenge Success last year and worked Paul Rutherford
with them to survey our students around their experience, including measures of student well- Sport Graphics
ness. We also surveyed students this fall around substance use. In the spring, we partnered with The Editorial Committee
SimpsonScarborough to conduct parent and graduate surveys. Brooke Asnis ’90
John Gifford ’86
Now comes the fun part! Tilesy Harrington
We are now identifying and examining emerging themes and correlations, seeking areas we Bill Kehlenbeck
may need to address and recognizing opportunities. We are also using this data to engage our Nobles is published three times
a year for graduates, past and
community in conversation. We are gathering our faculty around important and challenging current parents and grandparents,
issues highlighted in the data, using this as a tool for growth and engagement. We are inviting our students and supporters of
Noble and Greenough School.
parents in to explore ways to best support our students together. The data also affords us impor- Nobles is a co-educational,
tant insights around new ways to connect with our graduates. non-sectarian day and five-day
boarding school for students
The data also feeds into my understanding of what makes Nobles “Nobles,” offering insight into in grades seven (Class VI)
through 12 (Class I). Noble and
how Nobles is seen and has been experienced by our community over the past several decades. Greenough School is a rigorous
This data allows us to consider what we need to preserve and deepen in the decades to come. academic community that
strives for excellence in its
Another perspective comes through INDEX, a benchmarking group we have joined. This classroom teaching, intellectual
is a network of top-tier independent schools across the country, all similar to Nobles. INDEX growth in its students and
commitment to the arts,
facilitates the sharing and benchmarking of key data points, such as academic outcomes, human athletics and service to others.
resources costs and student demographics. This group affords us an opportunity to understand For further information and
our data in a broader context and to reflect on our priorities and decisions to ensure that our mis- up-to-the-minute graduate
news, visit www.nobles.edu.
sion is reflected in daily life at Nobles.
Letters and comments may
At the end of the day, the data that matters most to me can’t be asked through a survey, nor is be emailed to Heather_Sullivan@
it something that we can quantify. I care that we live out our mission every single day for every nobles.edu. We also welcome
old-fashioned mail sent c/o
single student. I care that our commitment to building relationships with our students makes Noble and Greenough School,
10 Campus Drive, Dedham, MA
a meaningful impact while our students are on campus, and that it still remains decades after 02026. The office may be
graduation. I care that our commitment to “leadership for the public good” is a promise we keep reached at 781-320-7268.
in all that we do. © Noble and Greenough School
2019
—CATHERINE J. HALL, PH.D., HEAD OF SCHOOL
2 Nobles WINTER 2019
I hope that you see in yourself
and you see in others value
that is entirely separate
from accomplishments.
—BETH REILLY ’87, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, IN ASSEMBLY
We’re going to do what
we always do in this
The future is being shaped in
beautiful community, our own backyard.
which is help people out. —ALYCIA SCOTT-HISER, DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC
TECHNOLOGY, ON HER EXPERIENCES
—EDGAR DE LEON ’04, AT HUBWEEK 2018, IN ASSEMBLY
DIRECTOR OF UPWARD BOUND,
ON THE MASSACHUSETTS GAS
EXPLOSIONS, IN ASSEMBLY
What could be more inspirational than a picture of me?
—MAX VON SCHROETER ’19, IN ASSEMBLY
He was sobbing, obviously, because he
was just born, and that’s a lot to go through.
—HENRY DOLGOFF ’19, ON MEETING HIS YOUNGER
BROTHER HARRISON ’23, IN ASSEMBLY
I hope you will lean in, especially OCTOBER 5, VIA NOBLES
INSTAGRAM: Science faculty
OCTOBER 11, VIA THE NOBLEMAN
ONLINE INSTAGRAM: Tommy
when it seems easier to be silent.
member Deb Harrison collects Kantrowitz ’21 working in the
data on the health of the academic center’s quiet room.
Charles River with Class IV
biology students.
—ERICA PERNELL, DEAN OF DIVERSITY
AND INCLUSION, IN ASSEMBLY
The painting that was taken down bears witness to our time.
—NAYDA CUEVAS, FOSTER GALLERY ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE,
ON THE CHOICE TO REMOVE ONE OF HER PAINTINGS, IN ASSEMBLY
WINTER 2019 Nobles 3
the bulletin
cessful,” but who were often unhappy.
Dan Lerner, professor at New York
University, discussed happiness
In addition to his function as their agent,
and success in long assembly. Lerner also served as their performance
and life coach. (In some cases, this
meant taking 2 a.m. crying-client calls.)
“What’s the divide?” Lerner asked.
“What allows some people to obtain
both success and happiness?”
Lerner’s work as a teacher and coach
to professional athletes, Fortune 500
companies and prominent musicians
explores that question, suggesting that
people with positive attitudes are bet-
ter equipped to enjoy life and achieve
meaningfully in their specialties. He cited
studies that express how something as
small as recalling a happy moment for
45 seconds can have a big, quantifiable
impact on performance. In one study,
5-year-olds were asked to build a Lego
project. Some were asked to think of a
sad part of their day, some were asked
How to Be Happy to think about a great moment, and
some received no prompt. In terms of
accuracy and collaboration, those with
Understanding the Science of Happiness no prompt performed 30 percent bet-
ter than those with a negative prompt.
DAN LERNER TEACHES New York personal lives. In contrast, he noted Kids with a positive prompt performed
University’s largest and most popu- Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, 50 percent better than those who were
lar elective course, “The Science of and her excitement and optimism about asked to recall a disappointing moment.
Happiness.” In long assembly on her life and sport. He also quoted Virgin This same principle played out in myriad
September 26, Lerner introduced Atlantic founder Richard Branson, situations. Another study showed that
his subject to Nobles students and who said: “The reason I’m successful is when students sitting for the GRE read
faculty members. because I’m happy.” a statement acknowledging the stress
“I’m not going to argue that you have Lerner did not begin his career as a of taking exams—but also asserting that
to be happy to be successful,” he said. professor and author. He was a talent stress supports better performance—they
He cited celebrities who are “success- agent for opera singers, conductors and performed better than those who did not
ful” yet clearly confront chaos in their other artists who were nearly all “suc- read the paragraph.
assembly highlights build our commu-
nity and change
science faculty
member Michael
cousin Scott, lost
in the World Trade
do we sing out the
Hallelujah? . . . I, for
Building Community to welcome new someone’s life.” Polebaum ’08 marked Center that day. “Grief one, choose hope.”
Head of Upper School members to the com- the anniversary of is hard, but it presents
Michael Denning munity: “You have The Hallelujah September 11, 2001, all of us a choice: Do Between
asked students the opportunity to History and social by remembering his we tuck it away, or Sammi Janower ’19
4 Nobles WINTER 2019
NEWS FROM OUR CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
“What you do with stress is you “It’s about just exploring what you are on the outcome can be motivating for
reframe it,” he said. “Once you tame it, interested in without putting pressure students and others.
it can help you.” He also suggested that on yourself,” he said. Lerner’s work with artists led to his
simple changes in syntax—from anxious In a Q&A session in Towles interest in more formally learning about
to excited, for example—can be helpful. Auditorium following assembly, Lerner performance psychology. He studied
“Our brains absolutely work dif- explained that happiness, or well-being, with Nate Zinsser, the director of West
ferently,” said Lerner, when positive is typically measured on the Positive Point’s highly regarded Performance
emotions are in play. For students, he and Negative Affect Schedule, a self- Psychology Program, and earned a
said, more positive emotions translate to report questionnaire. He also men- master’s in positive psychology from the
higher GPAs and improved memory. tioned the Diagnostic and Statistical University of Pennsylvania, where he
Lerner also presented some strategies Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), studied with Martin Seligman.
for getting to a happier place: grati- a tool introduced in 1952 to uniformly Ultimately, Lerner is interested in
tude journaling, meditation, pursuing diagnose disorders, as well as its newer identifying how and when success and
our interests with focus and—no huge counterpart, Character Strengths and happiness coexist and helping others
surprise—exercise, which produces Virtues, which helps individuals better find that remarkable intersection.
endorphins and a feeling of well-being. understand their strengths. Lerner Lerner’s book, U Thrive: How to
Through expressing gratitude and these said that understanding and magnify- Succeed in College (and Life), which he
other habits, we begin to change our neu- ing the positive attributes of yourself co-authored with his teaching partner
ral pathways, he said. Lerner noted that and others can be empowering. He also Alan Schlecter, was published in 2017 by
pursuing interests does not necessarily noted that recognizing the inherent Little, Brown Spark. Learn more about
require one to have a defined passion. value of process rather than focusing Lerner and his work at daniellerner.com.
The Published Painter
In his article “Black Commencement and the Value of within the minority group, where, swaddled in the sanctuary of
Affinity Initiatives,” visual arts faculty member David common experiences, members start to feel whole again.
Roane offers a thoughtful defense of Harvard’s Black As a result, members emerge galvanized and stronger
Commencement and similar affinity initiatives. and better able to engage the second step, which
The article, published in the summer 2018 edition of must be re-entry within the larger community. The
the National Education Association’s Thought & Action first step is analytical in nature, involving a descent
journal, details the importance of these initiatives and into ‘I’; the second step is synthetic, commanding a
their benefits to healing the wider community in which reformulation back into ‘We.’ Indeed, Harvard Black
these groups have been marginalized. Commencement 2017 was conceived with this two-step
As Roane argues, “The process governing any affinity process in mind, as Black students also were slated to attend
initiative involves two steps: First is a necessary retreat inward Harvard’s regular commencement two days later.”
performed “Me and the of a plane diverted I Don’t Care McPherron ’19 shared remembered marvel- The boy’s parents
Sky,” from the musical to a small town In preparation for the memories from Camp ing at the chutzpah later explained their
Come From Away, a in Newfoundland Jimmy Fund Walk, Sunshine, a retreat of a young boy with son’s hairstyle: “He
song written from during the a 13.1-mile walk to for children with life- long blond hair danc- doesn’t want to cut
the perspective terrorist attacks fund cancer care threatening illnesses ing wildly to Icona it because two years
of the female pilot on 9/11. and research, Ben and their families. He Pop’s “I Don’t Care.” ago he lost it all and
WINTER 2019 Nobles 5
the bulletin
their Summer 2018 Legal Institute
Anushka Harve ’20
at the Supreme Court
in Springfield, Massachusetts. JTB
states, “For many students, particularly
students of color and those from low-
income backgrounds, the path to law
school or a successful legal career is not
always clear,” and that they endeavor
“to illuminate that path by lighting the
spark of recognition that it is possible to
become a lawyer and a leader.”
During the institute, Harve learned
about the law and potential professions
within the field, and participated in a
mock trial in Springfield Federal Court.
She has long loved history and explains
that the legal profession runs in her
family, from her grandfather, who was
a high-court judge in India, to several
lawyers. “To me, the best thing about the
law is the visible impact you can have. It
can be so noble, especially when you do
pro bono work,” Harve says.
Nine students from the JTB program
were selected to go to Washington, D.C.,
on Thursday, October 25. Coincidence?
When There Are Nine Ginsburg is well known for saying,
“There will be enough women on the
Supreme Court when there are nine.”
THE ASSEMBLY CROWD let out a collec- Harve, who joined Nobles’ Class of Harve is modest about the honor
tive gasp when Anushka Harve ’20 took 2020 as a sophomore last year, shares and lights up when she recounts meet-
the stage to say she had just returned Ginsburg’s legal passions, among them, ing her role model. “I love women’s
from Washington, D.C., from a meet- women’s rights. After she and her rights. That’s why it was so amazing to
ing with Supreme Court Justice Ruth mother researched summer opportuni- meet RBG. I would specifically want to
Bader Ginsburg. Her iconic status has ties, Harve applied to pipeline program help women who have been victims of
indisputably reached rock-star levels. Just the Beginning (JTB) and attended domestic abuse and rape. Issues like
Acclaimed 2018 documentary RBG,
produced by an all-female filmmaking
team led by Betsy West and Julie Cohen,
chronicled Ginsburg’s determined “We all have to take up the charge for change to occur and
ascent in the face of constant sexism, to bring about equality.” —ANUSHKA HARVE ’20
and often, anti-Semitism.
was worried it would for her Congressional The award recognizes Rodriguez ’19 spoke not have been born recently marched to
never come back.” Award Gold Medal, initiative, service about her passion in Puerto Rico, but protest the privatiza-
which is the United and achievement. for Puerto Rico. She Puerto Rico was born tion of the island.
Got the Gold States Congress’ remembers her in you.” Rodriguez
Cathy Hall congratu- highest award given One Star mother telling her, spoke about Hurricane The Piano Man
lated Calli Bianchi ’19 to a young person. In a NedTalk, Maya “Maya, you may Maria and why she On piano, Dylan
6 Nobles WINTER 2019
these should not be partisan.” Her first
impression upon seeing RBG was that Who You Are in a Hurricane
“she looks like my great-grandmother
in India.” Upon going up to ask a Foster Gallery Artist-in-
question, Harve tripped, and she and Residence Nayda A. Cuevas
Ginsburg laughed together about it. spent the fall deeply immersed
Harve remembers crying when she in the Nobles community. She
left, thinking, “It was such an honor and continually produced beautiful
a privilege. It gave me some renewed and challenging work that hung
faith about the world and how impor- on walls across campus.
tant the law is and our systems are. #FluidIdentity, displayed in
There has been a lot of controversy Foster Gallery since September
about what’s moral, and while we have a Nayda Cuevas (right) discusses her 11, includes three main sec-
lot of faith in RBG, we have to take a lot exhibit PUERTO ameRICANS: The untold tions that examine Puerto Rican
story of Albizu Campos, Angel Ramos Torres
of responsibility and fight for our rights. & the U.S. with Cate MacDonald ‘19. history and latin@ identity.
Whether I choose to become a lawyer PUERTO ameRICANS: The untold
or not, this is such an impressionable story of Albizu Campos, Angel
tenet of the United States.” Ramos Torres & the U.S. analyzes her great-grandfather’s involvement in the
Harve praises the JTB program, Puerto Rican Nationalist movement and his suspicious death. On the back wall,
which, because it is offered at no #MurrietaProtest, #DREAMers and #Inbetween2worlds explores the selfie art
charge, is “helping kids who don’t have form and its contemporary historical context. #Latina: Reclaiming the Latina Tag
the systemic advantages to see the compiles 100 painted re-creations of selfies and words shared on a Tumblr blog
opportunities they have and to go into that encourage reflection on what it truly means to be or look Latina.
the field of law. They taught us it doesn’t “I aim to create a conversation about identity . . . to cultivate an awareness
so much matter what your background of otherness,” Cuevas said in a morning assembly talk on September 13. She
is; the world is your oyster. It really invited the community to engage with her, welcoming Spanish, history and
provides a continued relationship and art classes to test their language skills, discuss Puerto Rican history and learn
valuable networking.” While she would about her interdisciplinary work.
love to do it again, true to the sense of On September 20, the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, classes found her ex-
social justice that runs in her veins, hibit immersed in darkness and filled with the roaring sounds of hurricane-force
Harve says, “I would want every kid to winds. Speaking over the sounds of the hurricane, visual arts faculty member
have this opportunity—I wouldn’t want Betsy VanOot reminded her Drawing II students of the practical issues raised
to take that from someone else.” during the storm—surgeries performed by flashlight, limited food supplies and
Arnav Harve, Anushka’s younger near-total destruction.
brother, is a member of the Class of 2023. The exhibit inspired even more conversation and debate when Head of
She would want him and everyone to School Cathy Hall requested that one image from the exhibit be removed. The
know, “The issue of women’s rights is not image featured a profane hand gesture in front of a political banner. Dr. Hall
just for women, because it’s not about leveraged the decision as an opportunity to use art at Nobles to provoke, chal-
being above men, but equal to men. We lenge and engage. The community was involved in great discussions around
all have to take up the charge for change censorship and the limitations on content that can be displayed within a
to occur and to bring about equality.” secondary school.
Cleverly ’21 accompa- Grande’s “My Smith’s “Too Good Awareness announced believe this is an Tribute Band,
nied Lily Jaczko ’21 Everything.” at Goodbyes.” their plans to host issue of both gender with lead
as she sang Rihanna’s an open discus- equality and politics.” vocals by Joe
“Stay” and then Every Time Today Is History sion ahead of the Harrington ’19,
Vivian Li ’21 while Ali Castro ’20 The Debate Club and Kavanaugh hearings. So Don’t performed Ed
she sang Ariana crooned Sam Students for Gender They explained, “We The Mac Porter ’17 Sheeran’s “Dive.” N
WINTER 2019 Nobles 7
the bulletin The Dining Room For the Nobles Theatre Collective’s production of A.R. Gurney’s The Dining Room, an ensemble cast of 13 performed a provocative series of vignettes of the vanishing culture of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Scenic Designer Erik Diaz and crew transformed Vinik into a black-box theatre, immersing the audience in their world as actors assumed various identities throughout the play. As families clashed about marriage and money, parenting and propriety, they also yearned for and celebrated connection. The spectrum of scenes—from the grandmother suffer- ing from dementia, to the daughter who pleads to return home with her children in the midst of relationship turmoil, to the man indignant that his brother has been “outed” at the country club—all provided a window into a culture both foreign and familiar. While The Dining Room portrays “the 1 percent,” it explores universally human problems, not just first-world ones. Director Dan Halperin said, “A very experienced, talented cast collaborated with a wonderful, committed group of designers and technicians to bring the community the best show we could.” The play’s program cover featured a quote by enigmatic street artist Banksy: “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” 8 Nobles WINTER 2019
WINTER 2019 Nobles 9
development Nobles Night 2018 NOBLES NIGHT, held on November 10, chairs Helen and Neal Goins. For the 2018, in the Castle, marked the success- 2019 FCFF, Hall thanked the committee ful conclusion of the Be Nobles Bold and co-chairs, including Holly Haseotes campaign and celebrated the continu- Bonomo ’86 and Richard Bonomo, ing strength of the First Class Fund for Sandy and Paul Edgerley, Meredith and Faculty (FCFF) and the Annual Nobles Matt McPherron, Jennifer and Keith Fund (ANF). Over nine years, the Be Palumbo, and Kristin and Tobias Welo. Nobles Bold campaign has raised $137.5 Longtime volunteers Christy Bergstrom Head of School Cathy Hall million. From September 1 to Nobles ’90 and Peter Gates ’69 won the Richard addresses the Nobles Night crowd. Night, the FCFF totaled $1,128,165, T. Flood award for their dedication to the and the ANF reached $3,217,320. At a ANF. Pfannenstiehl Bergstrom has vol- gathering before the main event, Head unteered in a variety of capacities, serv- of School Cathy Hall thanked campaign ing as a class agent and on the Graduate First Class Fund Committee in 1998 co-chairs Karen and Brian Conway, Council, the Graduate Council By-Law and 2001, Campaign Parent Committee Sandy and Paul Edgerley, Tom and Review Committee, her 20th and 25th from 1997 to 2000, as a graduate phone- Kristen Roberts, and Allison and Tom reunion committees, the ANF Executive a-thon caller and as a class agent. Sargent ’78. She also thanked the ANF Committee and, in the 2017–2018 fiscal During his term as a trustee, from 1997 co-chairs Erin Keith Epker ’90, Mark years, as the ANF co-chair. For the 50 to 2003, Gates also served on the Trustee Epker ’89 and Scott Johnson ’02; young years since his Nobles graduation, Gates Committee and the Development graduate co-chairs Matt Bezreh ’08 has served as a trustee and on many Committee. During the course of and Ryan Ederle ’08; parent co-chairs committees and in multiple volunteer Nobles Night, all donors, volunteers Caroline and David Ryan, and Lori and roles, including the ANF Executive and supporters of the school were Jon Shaer; and the parents of graduate Committee, reunion committees, celebrated with good food and cheer. Big Plans for Lawrence Auditorium After years of struggling to fit students and faculty members into the space for as- sembly, a new and improved Lawrence Auditorium will debut in early 2020, featur- ing additional seating, upgraded technology and acoustics and an expanded stage. 10 Nobles WINTER 2019 RENDERING BY BAKER DESIGN GROUP
by the numbers CLASSICS AND MODERN LANGUAGES
>437 Mark Sheeran in Paris
million
30
People speak Spanish as
a native language
7 Female faculty members
Years since the
beginning of the French
exchange program
16
teach Spanish at Nobles
Gustave Ducrest ’18 and Sami
Times faculty member Mark
Alves ’18 as young Spanish Sheeran has led a Nobles
students with faculty member language immersion trip
Violet Richard
(10 to France, 6 to Senegal)
~7,000
Characters commonly used in
Mandarin, although knowing
3,500 is passable
2,770
Years since the beginning
37
of the Latin language
ALMOST
5
Number of Hispanic
countries Nobles has
visited (Spain, Cuba, Times Mark Harrington
Chile, Guatemala has taught Ovid’s
and, in 2019, Peru) Metamorphoses
text_whitney_book_noindent
WINTER 2019 Nobles 11sports
Ahead at the Charles
NOBLES PAST, present and future had the country across all youth events. faced the best clubs and schools
an impressive showing at the 54th Other successful Nobles crews in the country, the vast major-
Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), included the boys four, which fin- ity of whom row daily in the fall.
which took place October 20–21. The ished 38th out of 85 crews. Their The HOCR is the largest two-day
standout performance came from placement earned them automatic rowing event in the world, with nearly
the Nobles girls’ first boat, which qualification in next year’s HOCR 11,000 competitors. Over a quarter of
finished third out of 85 crews. They race. The girls’ second boat and boys’ a million spectators crowd the banks
earned the Metropolitan District double scull both finished ahead of the Charles River to watch the
Commission trophy for the highest- of many other teams’ first boats. three-mile race. In terms of Boston
place finish by a Massachusetts high As one of the few remaining sporting events, the HOCR is sec-
school team across all men’s and “spring only” crew programs, the ond only to the Boston Marathon
women’s youth events, and were the Nobles crews competed in the race in terms of size and prestige.
highest-placed high school crew in outside of their regular season. They This year saw the largest number of
12 Nobles WINTER 2019Nobles at the 54th
Head of the Charles
CURRENT STUDENTS: Harvard University Women’s
Nobles Women’s Youth Four, Lightweight Eight: Hannah
First Boat: Sammi Janower ’19, McNeill ’17
Julia Trull ’19, Alex Poole ’19,
Caroline Kinghorn ’19 and Harvard University Lightweight
Sarah Averill ’19 Club Four: Aidan Crawford ’16
Nobles Women’s Youth Four, Bowdoin College Club Four:
Second Boat: Lucy Del Col ’20, Calvin Kinghorn ’17
Nalani Dziama ’19, Kat Poole
’20, Molly Connors ’19, Dartmouth College Women’s
Amar Scherzer ’19 Club Four: Annie Blackburn ’16
Nobles Men’s Youth Four: Sarah Boston University Club Eight:
Jubber ’19, Charles Guerra ’20, Hayden Folgert ’16
Cam Nelson ’19, Riley Kramer
’19, Adam Qu ’19 Brown University Club Eight:
Lachlan MacKenzie ’18
Nobles Men’s Youth Double: Nick
Hazard ’20, Charles Gatnik ’19 Bowdoin College Women’s
Collegiate Four: Katherine
Danske Studenters Roklub (DK) Cavanagh ’15
Women’s Youth Coxed Quad:
Emma Skelly ’22 Cornell University Alumni Eight:
Finn Putnam ’14 (Event Winner)
NOBLES GRADUATES,
COACHES AND PARENTS: Men’s Senior Master Eights and
University of Virginia Women’s Director’s Challenge Quad:
Championship Eight: Lizzie Trull ’16 Kurt Somerville ’75
entries ever for Nobles crew, with four
current crews in the youth events and Harvard University Women’s Women’s Grand Master Singles:
20 graduates, coaches and parents Championship Eight: Katherine Lisa Heavey Evans ’79
also competing. Several graduates Paglione ’16
earned selection for their teams’ first Dartmouth Alumni Women’s
varsity boats, some in top Division 1 Yale University Lightweight Eight: Eight: Coach Margo Cox
and Division 3 programs, and seven Geoff Skelly ’17 and Jamie
graduates won medals at this year’s Patterson ’18 UMass Alumni Women’s Eight:
regatta. Emma Skelly ’22 represented Coach Lizzie Antonik
the Nobles crew, coxing for Denmark’s Dartmouth College Lightweight
Danske Studenters Roklub. Their Four: Iain Sheerin ’17 Cambridge Senior Masters Eight:
boat earned third place in the Coach Adam Balogh
youth quadruple scull event. Stanford University Women’s
Lightweight Eight: Hillary Senior Masters Double Scull:
Umphrey ’17 (Event Winner) Coach Blair Crawford P ’16 ’20
WINTER 2019 Nobles 13sports
Cross Country
Championships
Nobles hosted the boys and girls ISL cross
country championship meet on November
2. The varsity girls won and the varsity
boys finished 7th. At the end of the sea-
son, girls head coach Mark Sheeran was
honored with a plaque at the finish line
to celebrate his many years of successful
coaching and teaching. Don’t worry, he’s
not retiring. The Mussafer family, who
spearheaded the initiative, just wanted to
give him some well-deserved recognition
Girls varsity cross country at
by starting an endowed fund in his name the ISL championship race
to support experiential learning.
New head coach Panos Voulgaris Varsity Volleyball
Plays 100th Game
gathers the team after beating
Milton Academy.
Varsity volleyball’s first game of the
season was the 100th game in the short
history of the program. They finished the
season first in the ISL.
VARSITY FOOTBALL
Varsity football had its best record in more than a decade with new head
coach Panos Voulgaris at the helm. They won the Mark Conroy Bowl over
Kingswood Oxford on a Jack Schwartz ’19 field goal as time expired to Lauren MacDonald ‘19
claim the NEPSAC Class C championship.
14 Nobles WINTER 2019Friday Night Lights
Varsity field hockey and boys varsity
soccer both won their Friday Night Lights
games over Lawrence Academy.
Girls
Varsity
Soccer
Girls varsity soccer
finished first in the ISL
and won the NEPSAC
tournament in the final
season for coach Amy
Joyce ’03. Class I for-
ward Allie Winstanley
’19 scored 21 goals with
13 assists over the course
Girls varsity soccer
of the season and earned with the NEPSAC trophy
All-America honors.
WINTER 2019 Nobles 15sports
On the Playing Fields
Hayward, Eliza McPherron, all ’21
BOYS VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY VARSITY FOOTBALL
Awards: Coaches Award (to the athletes
Overall Record: 10-7 who demonstrate significant ability, Overall Record: 8-1
ISL Record: 9-6 improvement and commitment to the ISL Record: 7-1
ISL Championships: 7th place team): Delaney Callaghan and Mark Conroy Bowl Winners: New England
New England Division 2 Championships: Grace Santoro, both ’19 Class C Champions
7th place 2019 Captains: Maeve Connolly, All-ISL: Sam Folse ’19, Leighton Graham
All-ISL: Finn Crawford ’20, Emily Orscheln and Devon Tyrie, all ’20 ’19, Cam Large ’20, Casey Phinney ’21,
Lev Sandler ’19 Will Welch ’19
All-New England: Finn Crawford ’20, Honorable Mention: John Grady ’19,
VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY
Lev Sandler ’19 Drew Kendall ’21, Mike Lukasevicz ’21,
Awards: Coaches Award (to the athlete Overall Record: 11-2-3 Jackson Phinney ’20
who demonstrates significant ability, ISL Record: 9-1-2 (2nd Place) All-Scholastic ISL: Cam Large ’20,
improvement and commitment to NEPSAC Class A Tournament: Casey Phinney ’21
the team): Lev Sandler ’19 Quarterfinalists Awards: Coaches Award (for best
2019 Captains: TBD All-ISL: Schuyler Edie, Lily Farden, improvement and team contribution):
Courtney Hyland, all ’19 John Grady and Jack Schwartz, both
Honorable Mention: Charlotte Epker ’20, ’19. E.T. Putnam Award (for excellence,
GIRLS VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY
Madison Michals ’21, Julia Palumbo ’19 leadership and dedication to the team in
Overall Record: 15-0 NEPSAC All-Star: Schuyler Edie and honor of the former Headmaster Eliot T.
ISL Record: 12-0 Lily Farden, both ’19 Putnam): Casey Phinney ’21. Marinaro
ISL Championships: 1st place Awards: Walker Cup (to the player 12th Player Award (to the players whose
New England Division 1 Championships: who demonstrates a high degree of contributions and spirit exemplify excel-
5th place skill, love of competition and desire lence): Sam Folse and Will Welch, both ’19
All-ISL: Celia Cheng ’22, Grace Hayward to play within the spirit of the game): 2019 Captains: TBD
’21, Olivia Hayward ’21, Eliza McPherron Schuyler Edie ’19
’21, Emily Orscheln ’20, Grace Santoro ’19 2019 Captains: Charlotte Epker and
BOYS VARSITY SOCCER
All New England: Grace Hayward, Olivia Caroline Higgins, both ’20
Overall Record: 9-3-5
ISL Record: 8-2-5
NEPSAC Class B Tournament:
For the first time Quarterfinalists
All-ISL: Mike Balleani ’21,
Harry Roberts ’20
ever, all seven Honorable Mention: Chris Collins ’19,
Skye Henderson ’19, Harri Sprofera ’21
varsity sports teams
All-State: Harry Roberts ’20
NEPSAC All-Star: Skye Henderson ’19
and Harry Roberts ’20
advanced to New Awards: Coaches Award (for leader-
ship, sportsmanship and skill): Brendan
England post-
Collins and Chris Collins, both ’19. Wiese
Bowl (for contribution to team spirit, in
memory of Edward Wiese ’54):
season competitions. Skye Henderson ’19
2019 Captain: Harry Roberts ’20
16 Nobles WINTER 2019Casey Phinney ’21 Allie Winstanley ’19
Schuyler Edie ’19 Lev Sandler ’19
I whose talent, hard work, humility, joy- MacDonald ’19, Alex Poole ’19
GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER
fully competitive spirit and qualities of All-NEPSAC: Lauren MacDonald ’19
Overall Record: 18-1 character have led most directly to the All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention:
ISL Record: 15-1 (1st Place) success of the girls varsity soccer team, Alex Poole ’19
NEPSAC Class A Tournament: Champions in honor of beloved mentor and coach Awards: Coaches Award (to the player
All-ISL: Kiley Bertos ’20, Ava Lung ’19, Tim Carey): Ava Lung, Emily St. John, who demonstrates commitment to
Emily St. John ’19, Allie Winstanley ’19 Allie Winstanley, all ’19 team and exemplary sportsmanship):
Honorable Mention: Lily Bryant ’21, 2019 Captains: TBD Calli Bianchi ’19, Kat Poole ’20. Forever
Ella Midura ’20 Bulldog (to the player whose spirit and
ISL MVP: Allie Winstanley ’19 dedication exemplifies the ideals of
GIRLS VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
All-American: Allie Winstanley ’19 the volleyball program): Ali Castro ’20,
Awards: Ceci Clark Shield (for a player Overall Record: 12-5 Sophie Eldridge ’19
who best embodies the qualities, char- ISL Record: 9-0 (1st Place) 2019 Captains: Sydney Jones ’21 and
acter and camaraderie that Ceci Clark NEPSAC Class A Tournament: Kat Poole ’20
represented): Alexandra Weinsten ’19. Quarterfinalists
Tim Carey Award (to a member of Class All-ISL: Sydney Jones ’21, Lauren
WINTER 2019 Nobles 17off the shelf
Sara Farizan ’03 during the
graduate authors discussion at
Nobles in 2017, with Dick Baker,
English faculty member and
former head of school
HERE TO STAY complaining while not white” to sympathetically portray
SARA FARIZAN ’03 when asking the school’s lead- Bijan, who is of Persian and
Algonquin Young Readers, ership, “How do you plan to Jordanian descent.
an imprint of Algonquin make [my son] feel welcome?” In an interview with
Books There’s the social activism of Entertainment Weekly,
Bijan’s friend Stephanie and Farizan discusses how her
The latest novel by Sara the unbothered confidence own background informed
Farizan ’03, Here to Stay, of his friend Sean. Bijan’s the book: “Bijan and I have a when, like any other teenager,
debuted on September 18, father shares “stories where lot in common in that we are you just want to read comic
2018, to critical acclaim. The love comes out of hate.” both asked the same ques- books and figure out how to
novel centers on Bijan Majidi, Meanwhile, Bijan learns to tions over and over again. talk to your crush. Thankfully,
a student in a New England think critically about the sys- ‘Where are you from?’ for I have not had to endure the
prep school struggling tems that surround him while example, which is usually not things Bijan does in this book,
with newfound popularity, supporting his friends and asked in malice, but I under- but what does happen to him
romance and racism. speaking up for causes bigger stand in my own case people had been informed by current
Farizan’s novel depicts the than himself. don’t mean Massachusetts. events, news stories and sto-
various forms and expres- Nobles served as an inspi- Bijan and I also share a reluc- ries from family friends.”
sions of bigotry: The char- ration for Farizan, who turns tance to be a token represen- Here to Stay is a quick read
acters encounter racism, a critical eye on the fictional tative for a group of people in with long-lasting lessons. The
classism, sexism, heterosex- Granger School in her novel a Western environment and characters are complex, and
ism and more. Their indi- while also praising the brav- for a Western audience. It’s the plot is engaging. Farizan
vidual reactions build a young ery of its students. Farizan, an unfair for a teenager to have has written two other novels:
adult fiction manual for the Iranian American, attended to educate and teach other If You Could Be Mine and Tell
different forms of resistance. Nobles during the attacks on students and adults, be a Me Again How a Crush Should
There’s the “quiet rage” of 9/11 and through the tense model student, and represent Feel. All three books can be
Bijan’s mother, cognizant aftermath. She draws on a whole group of people that found on Amazon or in your
of the “unspoken rules of some of her own experiences the West sees as a monolith local bookstore.
18 Nobles WINTER 2019my books... THE BOOKSHELF TEMPLE
BY KIM LIBBY, ENGLISH FACULTY MEMBER
Maybe it was the popularity of Marie Kondo’s The Art of Tidying Up or the
documentary I watched on tiny houses, but in early August, I decided to purge
my living space and I attacked every shelf, cabinet and deep, dark recess of my
apartment. I was brutal. I made no excuses.
I was feeling pretty good about my progress until I reached the bookshelf.
Every previous attempt to cull the shelf had failed. I’d moved a half dozen times
since college with more backbreaking boxes of books than I—or my generous family
members—would like to remember. This time I would be intentional. Instead of buying another
bookshelf, I would lessen the load to 200 texts, getting rid of more than half of my collection.
Any reader, writer, teacher or lover of books knows how hard it can be to let a book go. In Susan
Orlean’s most recent work, The Library Book, she writes, “In Senegal, the polite expression for
saying that someone died is to say that his or her library has burned.” The library, in this sense,
treats the mind as the shelf, and all that we have lived and remembered and read is stored on its
shelves. I think the impulse to hold on to our books—like photographs and letters—comes from the
satisfying sense of being surrounded by the tangible evidence that we contain stories.
No wonder it’s so hard to part with these pages.
In the end, I went through my stack a dozen times. I kept the books that meant something to me,
and the shelf became a kind of temple. Here are five of my sacred objects:
MRS. DALLOWAY, BY VIRGINIA WOOLF me. Black-bound and yellow-paged, it still smells like the used
I have three copies of this book on the shelf. I got rid of exactly bookstore in Portland where I picked it up more than a decade ago.
none of them. This book is a beloved place. I often return to it in It cost me 50 cents. In this story, loyalty to family and a creative
June, when the school year is wrapping up (“What a plunge!”) and calling battle for dominance in young Asher Lev as he confronts a
Clarissa Dalloway is setting out on the streets of London to buy collision between religion and art.
the flowers herself. The seamlessness with which Woolf moves
through narrative, thought and memory is the stuff of a lifelong HOUSEKEEPING, BY MARILYNN ROBINSON
study in both writing and the human experience. It never ceases Set in a haunting and fictional Idaho town, three generations of
to inspire awe. women redefine how we “keep” or care for the homes we cre-
ate, both figurative and literal. On the first page, a friend penciled,
THE RATTLE BAG: AN ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY “You should read this. I think you’ll find joy in it.” It was a sincere
My college English professor gave us strict instructions: We were recommendation—and a gift. Robinson’s style has a quiet intensity
to purchase The Rattle Bag at the Grolier Poetry Shop in Harvard that resonates with me. I read the pages slowly. I pause at single
Square. In what became a lesson in both small business support sentences. It’s a text that’s taken up residence in me.
and poetry, she sent us on a journey to find this anthology arranged
in alphabetical order by Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes. The OUTLINE, BY RACHEL CUSK
arrangement fosters unexpected partnerships. A poem by Emily This book isn’t on the shelf. It’s the absence that I notice. This sum-
Dickinson lies opposite one from the Galla tribe in Ethiopia. Plath mer, Cusk completed her trilogy (Outline, Transit and Kudos) about
sits next to Shakespeare. Gwendolyn Brooks shares a leaf with a woman who is rebuilding her life after the end of her marriage. A
Thomas Hardy. The delightful randomness of the pairings reminds writer and teacher of writing, she spends a great deal of time listen-
me of what I love most about poetry: its capacity to surprise. ing to other peoples’ stories, and in the bizarre and beautiful and
vulnerable accounts that others give about their lives, the protago-
MY NAME IS ASHER LEV, BY CHAIM POTOK nist begins to reconstruct a new version of her own. I haven’t been
When my students don’t like a particular text, I encourage so affected by a series since Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels. My
them to give it another shot in 10 years—and 10 years after that. desire to return to them is strong enough that someday soon, I will
Sometimes timing is everything. Potok’s novel arrived on time for make a trip to the bookstore and add it to my library.
WINTER 2019 Nobles 19perspective
The Black Kaweah
Use your arms—your opportunities—to lift others up
BY NICK NICKERSON, SENIOR MASTER, MATH FACULTY MEMBER
Editor’s note: On September 14, Senior Master Nick Nickerson gave his annual talk to begin
the year, describing his goal to reach the summit of Black Kaweah. He asked, “What’s on your
bucket list? What’s your Black Kaweah?” Demonstrating that actions matter, he pulled up
members of the audience, inviting each of them to pull up the people around them. Soon, the
entire assembly crowd was standing, and Nickerson said, “God gave you two arms. You can
use them to lift up rather than to pull down.” Here are his remarks from that morning.
F
or many summers, I trav- mers later, but a two-day storm came in games to be won, prizes to be claimed,
eled to the Sierra moun- and I had to bail. And so Black Kaweah our summits, our Black Kaweahs. But
tains in California to hike has remained on my bucket list. As I age, the real bucket list is a lot shorter, a lot
and climb, sometimes I am now beginning to accept that I will simpler, than that. Have you found joy
connecting with friends, never set foot on its incredible summit. in your life? Have you brought joy to the
other times on solo ventures. This peak is I have lived a charmed life, and there lives of others?
Black Kaweah, one of the most majestic are many mountains I have climbed, When I started my teaching career, I
summits in the Sierras—far from main but Black Kaweah has eluded me. thought about “school” mostly in terms
trails, almost 14,000 feet high, with no I thought of this when Michael of books and equations, chalkboards and
easy route—it is a summit prized by Polebaum ’08 talked about his cousin formulas. As I near the end of my career,
many mountaineers. No, I have never Scott on 9/11, and as students remem- I understand much better that education
climbed it. One summer, I climbed all bered their friends who passed too soon. is more than just sharing knowledge.
of the other mountains in this remote I think of this daily as my good friend Bill Make no mistake; what happens in our
area—Mt. Kaweah, Kaweah Queen and Kehlenbeck summons his energy to fight classrooms is important. It takes only a
Red Kaweah. When I tried to climb Black cancer. Life is short; opportunities go by cursory glance at the news to realize that
Kaweah, I couldn’t find a safe route up in a blink. You always think, “I’ll do that there are a lot of problems in the world
the mountain. I tried to go along the tomorrow” or “I’ll come back to that next crying out for a solution. We need more
ridge, only to be confronted with severe year.” What do you want to accomplish doctors to cure diseases, more engineers
overhangs; I tried to drop down and inch this year? What is your “Black Kaweah”? to build safer pipelines, more visionary
along a ledge system, only to find a blank In the movie The Bucket List, it is leaders of business to lessen our environ-
wall. Supposedly, I was on a route that said that you are asked two questions mental footprint, more social workers to
was within my abilities, but I couldn’t before you can pass through the gates help mitigate poverty, and more lawyers
figure it out. Running low on food, I had of heaven: “Have you found joy in your and judges to help promote justice. Make
to abandon my attempt and head to life?” and “Has your life brought joy to no mistake about it; you are very, very
town, so I added the Black Kaweah to my others?” As Beth Reilly ’87 said, we focus much needed, so study hard and please
bucket list of mountains I hoped to climb a lot on achievements at this school, on learn a lot. This world needs you.
in the future. I tried again several sum- accomplishing certain checklist items, What you do matters. It might not
seem like a lot, but make no mistake—it
matters. I write thank-you notes now
because colleagues such as Ben Snyder,
“Make no mistake about it; you are very, very much Mark Sheeran, Vicky Seelen and Jenny
needed, so study hard and please learn a lot. This world Carlson-Pietraszek wrote me notes. I
needs you.” —NICK NICKERSON pick up pieces of trash I see on the way
to the castle because Bill Kehlenbeck
20 Nobles WINTER 2019caption_whitney_
right
always picked up trash when we walked is to arm you with knowledge, hope time. It’s our job to encourage each other
together. If you remember nothing else and values. Then when you do travel to discover that uniqueness and to pro-
from my speech today, I want you to the world beyond these walls, you can vide ways of developing its expression.” I
remember that your actions matter, not combat hatred with persistent kind- have talked in the past about your inner
only to those around you, but to the com- ness, dishonesty with unflinching light and letting folks know your true self.
munity as a whole. integrity, and racism with respect for To be honest, I tend to shield my light too
God gave most of us two arms. These self and others. With what you learn much. I shield my light not so much for
arms are opportunities. You can choose here, you will be able to help solve the sensibility, but in truth out of fear—fear
to use your arms, your opportunities, to many problems this world faces. of folks not accepting me, fear of being
lift others up or to pull others down. We I close with one more movie refer- too raw, fear of showing how imperfect I
can use them to hug and to support or we ence. Near the end of Won’t You Be My am. Well, news flash, we are all imperfect.
can use them to keep others away or to Neighbor, Fred Rogers states what should We don’t need to hide away as we strive
push them down. Your choice matters. be central to the mission statement of to improve ourselves. So, my bucket list
Hope is contagious, optimism radiates any school: “As human beings, our job this year is to find joy and to share that
outward, and one act is passed along in life is to help people realize how rare joy with others, to keep singing that old
and lifts everyone up. Together we can and valuable each one of us really is, that camp song, “This little light of mine, I’m
change the world. each of us has something that no one else gonna let it shine.” My very best wishes to
The purpose of a Nobles education has, something inside that is unique to all you as you continue your journey.
WINTER 2019 Nobles 21I LLUST RAT I O NS BY JO N AT HO N CA LUGI
DRIVING
THE
DATA What time will the next bus arrive? What opportunities exist
beyond prison? Where’s the best pizza in the city? And who is
funding our elections?
The following graduates collect all the information, all the data,
behind these questions and hand over the answers in quickly
comprehensible ways. For Will Geary ’08, the data behind transit
systems and arms sales works best in short video models that can
be easily understood, used and shared. For Andrew Cencini ’97,
data comprehension and computer science represent opportunity
within and beyond the prison cell. For Loi Sessions Goulet ’01, the
data that informs TripAdvisor also reveals the most popular pad
thai within 5 miles. And for Rachel Shorey ’02, reporters for the New
York Times need to know and be able to share who is supplying the
billions of dollars that help determine who will be our next president.
Data can be complex. It can be unwieldy. These graduates
make it make sense and make it usable to improve our roads, our
opportunities, our vacations and our nation.
22 Nobles WINTER 2019VISUALIZING
FLOW
Will Geary ’08 was a senior
at Duke University studying
philosophy and economics when
his Nobles friend and Duke
classmate Matt Grape ’08 was
killed in a car crash. While trying
to process the loss, Geary
developed an interest in
transportation. “I learned that
over 40,000 people are killed in
motor vehicle crashes in the U.S.
each year, and from there I got
interested in transportation safety
BY B E N H E ID ER
and sustainability,” he says.
24 Nobles WINTER 2019After graduating and working a couple That challenge of examining flows
of finance jobs focused on data analysis, required him to start presenting data in
Geary wanted to connect his experience more powerful ways. “I think that data
with his interest in transportation, so can be a useful lens through which you
he decided to pursue a master’s degree can ask questions. It’s not perfect. It’s
in data science at Columbia University’s a reductive representation of the real
School of Engineering. During his gradu- world that can propagate human biases,
ate studies, Geary focused on transporta- so it’s important to maintain a healthy
tion modeling and visualization. At an skepticism,” he cautions. “But I think
internship with the San Francisco-based that visualizing data can make informa-
mapping startup Mapzen, Geary devel- tion more interesting, more intuitive and
oped TransitFlow, a tool for visualizing more useful, and my hope is to promote encing an immigration crisis at its south-
scheduled transit movements around the curiosity and critical thinking through ern border is not supported by data from
world. He explains that “how frequently maps and data visualization.” CBP. Border apprehensions in 2017 were
transit comes impacts how useful and While transportation is his passion, the lowest since 1971 despite increased
liberating it is for riders. The motivation Geary has maintained a strong curios- border security post-9/11.” While he’s
behind TransitFlow is to make it easier ity that he discovered at the U.N. for striving to inspire critical thought and
to analyze transit frequency.” visualizing data to better understand conversation, he says he has to keep in
While Geary is trying to make data geopolitics. “I was familiar with the term mind that “data is the result of human
visually intuitive, he’s also committed to ‘military industrial complex,’ but I didn’t systems, so you can’t take it as objective
making it accessible. He shared Transit- have a good mental picture of what that truth. The map is not the territory.”
Flow as open-source software so other meant.” For his own understanding, he Geary’s work has extended into the
coders could provide feedback and make used publicly available data from the arts, as well. He recently worked with
their own updates. Geary is now a data Stockholm International Peace Research Laura Kurgan, a design professor who
scientist and head of data visualization Institute’s Arms Transfers Database to heads the Center for Spatial Research
at CitySwifter, a business-intelligence create a video depicting the flow of U.S. at Columbia’s architecture school, and a
platform for urban bus networks. international arms sales from 1950 to team of artists and architects on a project
CitySwifter helps bus network opera- 2017. The result is a compelling two- called In Plain Sight. They analyzed satel-
tors analyze their internal data, and uses minute video where thousands of col- lite imagery to map places around the
machine learning to forecast key metrics, ored dots representing trend-indicator globe that are well-lit at night but devoid
such as passenger travel demand and values—a unit to standardize the volume of people, and conversely, places that
bus journey times. These predictions of various weaponry transfers—flow are poorly lit with lots of people, calling
are then used to generate optimal bus from the U.S. to recipient countries. The attention to global inequality of electric-
schedules. The goal is to better match video quickly gained traction through ity consumption and access. In Plain
the supply of bus frequency with pas- Twitter, and Geary followed it with a Sight made its debut at the 2018 Venice
senger demand, improving efficiency, video comparing U.S. versus USSR/Rus- Architecture Biennale.
reliability and the rider experience. sian arms sales over the same period. When Geary needs to take a break
Geary’s work has extended beyond With more than 5 million views, the from work, he gets on his bike and heads
transportation to other areas of geograph- videos were selected for the 2018 Kantar out for a ride. “The bicycle has changed
ic analysis. In 2017, he worked at the Unit- Information Is Beautiful Awards longlist. my relationship with space and time and
ed Nations as a conflict analyst, focusing “I’m trying to understand how helps me think more clearly about how
on peacekeeping efforts in South Sudan. complex systems change over space and they relate to each other,” he says. During
“I was doing spatial analysis and map- time,” he says. He has since released two the summer of 2016, Geary bicycled solo
ping to help better understand political videos visualizing the breakdown of the down the Pacific Coast from Vancouver
conflict,” he says. “I learned that you can’t U.S. federal government’s budget over to Los Angeles. That patience required
just look at events as static entities on a the last half century, and another show- to slow things down and travel under
map. You need to think about flows—the ing apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico his own power gives him the freedom to
flows of people, the flows of money, the border. His description of the latter explore and connect with a world con-
flows of weapons—over space and time.” reads, “The notion that the U.S. is experi- stantly in motion.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LOUISE CONTINO WINTER 2019 Nobles 25You can also read
