John Palmer – Basecamp Manager, Deer Hill Expeditions, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah

My love for the outdoors began at a very early age with family camping trips to Cape Cod. As a kid, I was always up for adventure and loved exploring in the woods around my home. I attended the Great Barrington Rudolph Steiner School where our teachers fostered within us creativity, a love for the arts and an appreciation for the natural world.

My senior project was immersing myself in the world of whitewater rafting; the history, the culture and learning to guide on rivers. I knew then that my future would include sharing the outdoors with young people. After graduating from Brevard College in NC with a degree in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education, I began my search for a place to land and begin my life’s work.

I began at Deer Hill Expeditions several years ago as field staff and now am Basecamp Manager; a position that allows me to support the myriad of workings of Deer Hill and our programs. I live at Basecamp in the summers and am a ski instructor in the winters. My spare time is spent whitewater canoeing, climbing, cooking delicious meals, adventuring in the outdoors and working on my vowels in eurhythmy!

Katie Sagarin, Class of 2004 (Mr. Sblendorio), attended Miss Hall’s School after Steiner, where she realized her passion for science and played soccer and softball. She also interned at the Mead WestVaco paper mill (now Onyx papers) in the R&D lab. As high school graduation approached, Katie looked for a science program with a serious undergraduate research component, and settled on McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec.

In the school of science, which Canadians call the Faculty of Science, Katie focused on biology with a strong interest in geology, accompanying geological field expeditions to Chile (she was there for, although unaffected by, the earthquake in 2010), to Banff, and to west Texas. She developed a love of turtles, including assisting a graduate student from Williams College in banding bog turtles in Berkshire County during the summer of 2009, and sifting earth to find and reassemble fossilized turtle skeletons at McGill. She has worked in the evolutionary biology lab of Hans Larsson at McGill for the past two years, a lab in which researchers are attempting to create–or at least create proteins from–dinosaur DNA that may be found in modern chickens, lightly referred to as the “chickenosaurus.”

Katie enjoyed her time at McGill and in the city of Montreal, picking up what she calls “ingredient French,” which allows her to shop and to cook. She has a broad circle of international friends who gather to cook for each other and to watch “Doctor Who,” a British TV show about a time-traveling scientist.

Katie graduates from McGill this spring, and plans to take a year off from school while applying to graduate school. She will return to Berkshire County to teach life science and math part-time at the Great Barrington Waldorf High School. Although she attended Miss Hall’s, she also considers herself an “honorary graduate” of the Waldorf high school, and is looking forward to imparting her love of science to high school students, especially girls. “All students should love science and math,” she says, “but because the field is still dominated by men, it’s important that women know how beautiful and important this work can be”

Katie remembers her days at Steiner fondly, especially all the folk dancing with Mr. Sblendorio. “He showed us something that he really loves,” Katie remembers, “and I believe that made it easier for us to find what we really love and to pursue it with all our strength.”

Princeton Waldorf School – Kimberton Waldorf School – Waldorf School of Baltimore – Washington Waldorf School – The Waldorf School of Garden City – the Green Meadow Waldorf School – and Association of Waldorf Schools, AWSNA – Presents…

With strength through collaboration
Waldorf Goes To Washington (D.C.)
Please Join Us for a Waldorf Alumni Night!

!!!WALDORF Alums (of one sort or another) from any Waldorf School ever – Attention! If you are in DC – C’mon Down!!!
Ever wonder where everyone is? Here’s a chance to find out in the DC area…
AT
R.F.D. (Regional Food and Drink)
810 7th St., NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
202.289.2030
RFD

Wednesday, May 2, 2012
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

RSVP by April 20 so we have a head count:
alumni@princetonwaldorf.org

Co-sponsored by AWSNA (Assoc. of Waldorf Schools of North America), Waldorf School of Princeton, Kimberton Waldorf School, Waldorf School of Baltimore, the Washington Waldorf School, Green Meadow Waldorf School, and the Waldorf School of Garden City.

Food and a private room will be provided. Cash bar.
Bring your business card for a raffle!
You must be 21 years of age to attend.
Grads and non-grads are welcome!

Fay Lee Thung, Mr. Sansone’s Class of 2009

Fay Lee was enrolled in the very first parent/toddler class at GBRSS and has spent a total of eleven years at our school. In her freshman year at Monument Mountain Regional High School she enjoyed a smooth transition to all honors classes, feeling well prepared and harmonizing easily with new teachers and fellow students. Presently, as a junior , Fay Lee has had the pleasure of performing yearly with Shakespeare and Company’s Fall Festival and the Berkshire Pulse spring dance performances. She is an active member of the National Honors Society and sits on the MMRHS senate.

Fay Lee’s enterprising spirit, that we’d like to say we’ve nurtured since she was a toddler, has helped her to initiate a fundraising dance party raising $1,000 for Haiti Relief in conjunction with Railroad Street Youth Project and the Berkshire Pulse. Fay Lee has been accepted and is looking forward to attending Boston University Summer Theater Institute for five weeks this summer. These varied accomplishments grew from the foundation of confidence, gratitude, compassion and the love of learning that GBRSS instills.

Jack Lee, Mr. Eurich’s Class of 2006 – Driven to Dive
Alum Jack Lee is pulling out all the stops in the University of Michigan’s men’s swimming and diving team. Lee took the platform diving title at the Pittsburg Invitation last November.

“Jack Lee is really dedicated & really driven by the motivation to do everything, to try everything and learn everything,” says head coach KZ Li. Lee has been put into a leadership role as a sophomore “to be a good leader is to encourage people to step outside of their comfort zone. One of the biggest challenges is overcoming the fear of trying…personally, that is something that I really strive at,” says Jack. Jack just took 8^th place at the Big 10’s, it’s the first time a diver from Michigan has made the finals at Big 10′s since 2003. Jack graduated in 2006 and then went on to Berkshire School. He is the son of Michael Lee & Lori Bashour, brother of Chris Lee (class of 1990) and Shannon Lee (class of 2015). GBRSS congratulates Jack on these triumphs.

Student Exchange!

My name is Iolani deRis. I graduated 8th grade at GBRSS in 2009 with open, curious eyes and a creative mind. When the opportunity of being a foreign exchange student was within reach, I immediately worked toward making it happen. I could sense that being immersed abroad would be an extraordinary learning experience and did not want to pass up this opportunity.

I could have never imagined beforehand what I am actually experiencing now. Being an exchange student has turned out to be the most incredible and difficult experience I may ever be fortunate enough to have! I am learning things about myself, other people, a new culture, and the world: all of which are very essential to life.

As a participant in the Rotary Club’s one-year student foreign exchange program, I arrived in Linares, Chile in August, and was warmly welcomed by my host family. They have helped me to adjust during the last 6 months. My host mother, father, and siblings are very loving people and clearly doing everything in their power to make sure I am happy and have the best experience possible.

Learning the language came easily for me and I am now conversing comfortably in Spanish! Learning the culture, however, is more difficult for me. I am finding that the Chileans I am getting to know have such a distinctly different way of thinking and living that it has been a big challenge for me to pick up on many things by simply observing people.
There are many opportunities for me to get more comfortable with the Chilean culture. By studying in a small school I have been able to participate in all the sports available and assist in tutoring the English language. I am also fortunate enough to be going to Patagonia and other beautiful places in this incredible country!

My host family and new friends have been treating me very well here. I hope to absorb everything and learn from this amazing experience to the best of my ability. I am very thankful to everyone who helped me get here, and who made me into the person I am!

Saludos de Chile! ~Iolani deRis

Alum Zoe Barracano(Gangemi) was a student in Torin Finzers graduating class of 1982. Zoe is a mother of 2 daughters, ages 5 & 7 and currently resides in Burlington, VT. Her photos have been published in the Los Angeles Times and the New York Sun; closer to home, one of her photos ran on the cover of the February 2011 Art Map Burlington. Her work was also part of the 2011 juried show at the South End Art Hop. Her work has appeared around Burlington at the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, Vermont Community Access Media and at the headquarters of the American Red Cross of Northern New England.
Recently a photograph of hers was chosen by National Geographic from over 7,000 submissions for their national photo contest “A Story with out Words”. Now the ten finalists including her photo, titled MAGNETISM, are being voted for by the public at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photostories/entries/vote/vote-finalists/

Out of the ten contestants, she is currently in second place. The winner receives a trip to the Galapagos Islands. A three step process of signing up, activating the email and logging in is required to vote. Voting is open until January 15, 2012. Please go on-line and place your vote for Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School Alum Zoe Barracano and her photo MAGNETISM.

To see more about Zoe check out this website:
http://www.wcax.com/story/16401094/a-local-photographer-wins-at-writing-a-story-
without-words