Alumni Award: Rick Ackerly

By Mayze T. 

Out of the 3,000 or so Country School alumni in the world, one is chosen each year to receive the Alumni Award, recognizing him or her for achievements in a field. This year a man named Rick Ackerly received the award. He transferred to Country School in the sixth grade, graduating about fifty years ago. His message for students is “everything you know about success is wrong; you should do what is in your heart.” His first job was teaching math in Virginia for two years. He then went on to teach history at Eaglebrook School for four years. Although he enjoyed teaching, he wanted to do something else. He went back to school to get a Masters in Education and decided to consult a career counselor. The counselor told him to help in a Catholic school that was going co-ed. He decided that this was a good plan and became the headmaster. He remained as headmaster for eight years, until the school got on its feet. He went to many other schools that were, to use his words, “on the rocks,” and helped them turn around. He claims that although he has been successful with the schools he has also had many failures. He says, “Failure is just as important [as success] if you learn and grow.” His most recent endeavor was a book that he wrote. He first began to write ten years ago, when he woke up with a poem in his head. He then began to write daily, trying to finish a report a week. He finally decided that he should make a book. His book, The Genius in Children, means not genius in the sense of a prodigy, but genius in the sense of the spirit of a person or place. He believes that children are “getting prisons instead of schools. It is an inconvenient truth; education has gotten worse and worse. We are a country in crisis. Teaching is the place to go if you really want to make a difference.”

David Rohde

Interviewed by Mayze T.

David Rohde, a New York Times reporter who was kidnapped while reporting in Afghanistan, came to talk to students in the Upper and Middle Schools on Friday 5/20.

Q: What inspired you to keep going while you were imprisoned?

A: My family. I knew that they would do everything they could to help me. My five aunts and uncles who went to this school did everything they could to help me while I was imprisoned in Bosnia, so I knew that they would do everything they could to help me while I was imprisoned in Afghanistan. 

Q: Were you surprised that Osama Bin Laden was found in Pakistan, and what kind of help do you believe he received?

A: I was surprised that he was found so close to the capital. I think he definitely received help from either current or retired Pakistani officials. I don’t think there’s any way he could have been so close to the capital without someone helping him. 

Q: What are your views on women’s rights in the Middle East and Southeast Asia?

A: Most of my friends are moderate Muslims, and they are very eager to have women in schools and have women study, and they point out the passages in the Quran, the Prophet’s daughter was educated as well, and I think we should let Muslims solve this dispute inside Islam on their own and back moderate Muslims. I think that they represent most Muslims. We should back Muslim moderates who have a more liberal interpretation of the faith, but we should respect them because it’s their religion and their countries and let the Muslim moderates do the pushing. It doesn’t help when we lecture other countries, it’s better to step back and be respectful.

Q: How do you think your kidnapping changed you, your outlook on the world, and your outlook on the Middle East and Southeast Asia?

A: It made me relish the small things in life, having coffee with my wife in the morning, seeing my family on holidays; it just really made me relish being home. In terms of the region, it made me believe even more that moderate Muslims are the majority, that moderate Muslims helped me escape, and it made me believe even more that we need to help moderate Muslims defeat extremists. 

Q: What was the most frightening moment for you during your kidnapping?

A: The first moment of the kidnapping and thinking everything’s gone wrong and worrying what my family would go through. That was the worst moment.

Q: What do you think the ultimate outcome of the “Arab spring” will be?

A: I believe it will lead to democracy in the region. I believe there’s a new generation of young Muslims who want change, who want accountability and I think it’s very exciting and very positive. The biggest message I would have is that we have to trust Arab moderates and we have to help them when they push for democracy and they push for women’s rights. Supporting dictators will not work in the long run. We have to support the new generation. 

Q: Do you think that democracy will ever become prevalent in the Middle East and Southeast Asia?

A: Democracy already is prevalent in South Asia, in India, and I do think it will emerge. We need to be patient. There needs to be enough education and a strong economy and strong court systems and strong free press [in a country]. When you have those four things together it will work. It’s working in Turkey and Indonesia. Turkey and Indonesia are examples of Arab countries where democracy is working already. 

Q: What do you think the greatest misperception is that people in America have about the Middle East and what do you think the greatest misperception is in the Middle East that people have about America?

A: I think people in the Middle East think that Americans are just greedy and selfish, and we have no values and no decency. I think that the greatest American misperception is that all Muslims are crazy fundamentalists and they’re not. They want good schools for their kids, good jobs to support their families, and governments that support their families instead of praying. 

Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring journalists?

A: Don’t take my story the wrong way. There are many peaceful things to cover in journalism that aren’t dangerous. I think it’s a very exciting time in journalism to work with iPads and Kindles and the Internet. You are the generation that will revitalize and reinvent journalism. It’s a great opportunity. 

Swimming with Sharks

By Mayze T. 

It’s impossible to deny that sharks are intimidating. Before I traveled to Florida this Trips Week, I, like many others, felt anxious where sharks were involved. After hearing about Jaws and seeing news reports on shark attacks, it was hard for me to view sharks as anything less than cold-blooded killers. Yes, I had heard the occasional environmentalist demanding the protection of the animals, but I believed that they could protect themselves perfectly well. Almost immediately after we arrived in Florida we were sent to a “shark workshop”, where I had my first face-to-face encounter with one of these animals. In this case, the sharks were frozen, so face-to-face was a relative term.

Still, I had no intention of seeing one of these creatures in the wild. Soon our instructor, Danielle, explained to us the purpose of this workshop. She told us that because so many civilians and fishermen believe sharks to be dangerous, many kill the sharks if they encounter one. Disgustingly, people will remove the shark’s fins in a process known as “finning” and leave the shark to die in the water. Danielle explained to us that the sharks rarely attack people, and usually only pursue surfers who look strangely similar to seals. This put the sharks in a completely different light. Instead of an animal on a murderous rampage, the shark was given a bad reputation due to a few simple mistakes. I found myself wanting to help in any way I could, and even though I had a few misgivings, I realized the importance of protecting these animals. It was a miraculous turn of events when, two short days later, I found myself swimming within a few feet of a reef shark. 

        My heart was beating fast, not from fear but from excitement. I swam down near the ocean floor, getting a close look at the gills, rough skin, and the famous fin. In a few moments, much to my chagrin, the shark began to swim away. My group followed, determined not to lose sight of the creature. We swam into a very shallow area, and there was a second shark with the first! The new shark was larger, a little over five feet.

Although we were enthused, the sharks seemed a little annoyed. Soon they started circling. Danielle had explained to us that this meant the sharks were getting anxious, and wanted privacy. We respected that they wanted space and left quickly. This encounter will remain with me for many years to come. Not only were we able to see an incredible animal, but we were also able to respect its needs when the time came. My Expanded Studies trip gave me a new perspective on an animal which once terrified me, allowing me not only to face my fear, but to care for the very sharks which I was once frightened by.

Solar Powered Skin?

By Mayze T.

Think about the robots of the future. Your mind might conjure images of futuristic robot maids, robotic cars, and other such fanciful items. These developments may seem like something out of a science fiction novel, set in the distant future. However, scientists are working on a variety of uses for robots that, although they seem fantastic, could become a reality very soon.

            One of these incredible inventions came, very recently, from a researcher at Stanford by the name of Zhenan Bao. He has developed a substance that could take the place of skin for people who have prosthetic limbs. Not only is this robotic skin flexible, but it is touch sensitive and even solar powered. This would allow people with prosthetics to actually feel when people high-five them or brush against their arm.

            This skin is made of a combination of elastic and rubber, molded in the form of very tiny triangles, which are not visible on the surface of the skin. The skins with the highest level of sensitivity can even tell when a fly lands on the arm. The purpose of the solar cells is to allow the skin to be stretched to cover the joints, and to bend with the limbs themselves. This is a remarkable progression in the field of robotics, and could have myriad benefits in the years to come.

Ms. Oakes: Extreme Game Show Contestant!

Mayze T.

Ms. Oakes is acting as the director of secondary school placement this year, filling in for Mrs. Victor. Essentially, she is helping seventh, eighth and ninth graders find their next schools. When she isn’t helping all of us out, she likes reading, going to craft fairs and antique shows, and watching movies and TV. Her favorite shows include 24, Glee, Grays Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, and Friday Night Lights. Her all time favorite movies are Gone With The Wind, My Cousin Vinny, Dr. Zhivago, Schindler’s List, and Mr. Holland’s Opus. Before she came to NCCS, she was a chemistry teacher at Staples High Schoolfor ten years. She was in admissions at NCCS for seventeen years. Ms. Oakes says that she is “the proud mother of two Country School graduates.” Her son, Ryan, is a professional magician, and he has performed at school several times. Her daughter, Lauren, is currently in a PHD program at Stanford, studying environmental issues. Ms. Oakes also has two cats. Her favorite books are Three Cups of Tea, The Kite Runner, and Water for Elephants. Ms. Oakes says that this year she is enjoying working with the very students that she first met during the admissions process and “seeing how wonderfully they have grown and matured in their years here at Country School. That’s one of the most fun things about the job…being in the energy of the Upper School building and working with parents and students that I’ve known for years.” A little known fact about Ms. Oakes: in 1980 she was a contestant on the $20,000 Pyramid!

Culture Shock (TIB)

Mayze T. 

It was certainly the longest time I had ever been on an airplane. Eight long hours, none of which I slept through. When we finally touched down, I was exhausted. As we disembarked, a man came up to us and convinced us, in our disgruntled state, to allow him to drive us to our hotel. Needless to say, we were ripped off and charged three times the usual fare. Despite the scam, the drive into Istanbul was beautiful. Here was a city where two thousand year old buildings stood alongside newly constructed skyscrapers. Smells of spices filled the streets, people were yelling to each other in the bazaar, and taxis were speeding down narrow roads. It seemed like something out of a movie, or an adventure novel. Turkey was culture shock, to be sure, but it changed my perspective on the world and often pushed me out of my comfort zone.

            Getting to Turkey was, in essence, an accident. If you remember, last spring a volcano erupted in Iceland. We were originally going to go to Sicily, to go biking and look at the ancient Greek ruins. Then, about two days before our plane was scheduled to leave, that volcano erupted. So my dad booked the last two seats on the last flight available to Turkey, an area unaffected by the ash cloud, booked got us a room in a hotel, and left. We had no plans and no understanding of the culture. The only thing that we had to tell us about Turkey was a guidebook, purchased that very day. But, one plane ride later, we were in one of the greatest cities on earth.

            One of the most difficult parts about being in Turkey was the language. The written language of Turkish has little resemblance to the spoken language, so the guidebook that we had was essentially useless.  Unlike some other European tourist destinations, it was very difficult to find people who spoke any English other than “Hello” This was more than a little uncomfortable and unnerving. I didn’t know anybody, and I couldn’t even ask for directions in Turkish. Throughout the trip, with the help of a few very kind taxi drivers, we learned a few basic phrases, although my intonation left something to be desired.

            There are many, many differences between Turkey and America. The language, the religion, the headscarves, and the foods, to name a few, but to me the most obvious was the bargaining.  Instead of going into a store, reading the price on a label, and paying for an item, most stores in Turkey are the sites of intense price wars. The first example that comes to mind was during a trip to the Grand Bazaar. We had made our way to the middle of the shopping area, to a t-shirt stall. There, we found a shirt that my brother would love. It was blue, with the word “Istanbul” on it, and a picture of a mosque and red fish. We went over to the man sitting behind the counter. “Melhaba,” my dad greeted him, “How much for this shirt?” he asked. The man gave us a once over, and said, “Forty Lira.” My dad just laughed. “How about ten?” he replied. There was a long back and forth in English and a smattering of Turkish that resulted in us walking away, the shop owner threatening to close down his shop, and us finally buying three shirts for twenty-five lira. Throughout the course of the day, we had tea with a Pakistani man, I was supposed to be married in two years, and we got free ice cream. Now that I had seen the “master” at work, it was supposed to be my turn to try bargaining. I was more than reluctant, because I was purely uncomfortable with the situation. However, my dad convinced me, and thus, we went over to the bookstalls. There I found a pretty neat Turkish cookbook that had English translations. This was where I learned that the one thing that you cannot haggle for in Turkey is a book. I went up to the owner, who looked very confused when I tried to haggle. Despite the fact that everything else has a negotiable price tag in Turkey, a book does not. Still, I’m very glad that I tried, because, let’s face it, there are not a lot of chances to argue over the price of things in New Canaan, Connecticut.

            After about five days in Istanbul, we took a plane down to the more rural area of Turkey, the area closer to Greece. A friend of my dad’s had a house here, and he let us stay in it for the few days that we were there. What struck me about this area of Turkey was the kindness and friendliness of the people. In case you didn’t already know, Turkey is a primarily Muslim country. We heard the Imams calling, saw minarets on the skyline, and I was one of the very few girls not wearing a headscarf. Thanks to Mr. McDonough’s World Cultures class, I already knew that the majority of Muslims were not radical extremists, but if you turn on the news, you’ll hear about terrorist groups and bombings in the Middle East. News giants, such as CNN, NBC, and FOX, seem intent on making all Middle Eastern Muslims out to be evil. Although the actions of terrorist groups are cruel and terrible, what these stations fail to mention is that the majority of Muslims are not evil. They are normal people, going about their lives and practicing their faith. They were perfectly fine with the fact that I was not a Muslim, and with the fact that I was an American.

            So on this trip I learned a few things. To start I learned smattering of Turkish and what not to haggle for in a bazaar. However, what Turkey really taught me was that, no matter what the newscasters have to say, and no matter where you are, people are able to get along. Muslim, or Christian, or Jewish, or Buddhist, or Atheist, we can overlook our differences, and accept each other. This, I believe.

The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

By Mayze T.

On Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:13. I got dressed, packed my backpack, and ran out the door. My mom was waiting for me in the car. We drove to Penn Station, a trip of about one hour, and boarded our train. When we sat down, we heard the passengers in front of us. “We want to prove that old people can be sane too!”one of them was saying. I whispered to my mom, “They’re going to the rally!” and she nodded. From then on, it was a three hour train ride before we finally arrived at our destination, Washington D.C. After leaving Union Station, we tried to find a taxi. We waited in line for about a half an hour, before finally getting a cab. I was dressed as Waldo and was getting some strange looks. One man even hopped out of his car to take a picture of me! We took the cab to our hotel, and on the way, we could see lines of people walking in costume, carrying signs. Once at the hotel, we checked our bags. Then we attempted to find a cab. There were no empty cabs. We walked around for a bit, but every cab was full.When we finally found a taxi, we embarked for the rally. Traffic was at a standstill, and on the streets coming up to the rally we saw tons of people in costume, carrying ridiculous signs. “Zombie party – we want politicians with BRAINS!” and “This is not a sign” were two of my favorites. I wasn’t the only Waldo either; we saw two or three other people in the same costume, along with Hogwarts students, Sarah Palin, giant bananas, and – the most fantastic one of all – the capsule that brought up the Chilean miners. When we left the cab, we walked up the street. There were some policemen out presumably to make sure that the rally didn’t get out of control. They too were enjoying the rally, laughing at the signs and costumes that people had. Even though we arrived a bit late, we managed to cut in through one of the side streets and found ourselves in the first quarter of the audience. Next to us was a group of people wearing the “Rally to Restore Sanity” logo shirts. John Legend played first. Unfortunately, we could not hear him, and we did not know that he was the one playing. Next up were the hosts of Mythbusters, who proceeded to stage what was, presumably, the largest “wave” ever done at a political rally. Finally –finally– Jon Stewart came on stage, followed by Stephen Colbert. Not that we could hear them, or see them. It didn’t matter, anyway. The point of this rally was not to listen to Stewart and Colbert, and the point of this rally was not to mock the rallies created with serious intent. The point of the rally was to bring together like-minded people; to bring together people who don’t want to blow tiny issues out of proportion; to bring together people who can talk about issues and think about them; and, most importantly, to bring together people of both parties, from all across the country, who just want a little sanity.


Here is Jon Stewart's wrap up of the rally, as shown on C-SPAN:

(video courtesy of youtube)

World Traveler Comes to NCCS!

By Mayze T.

Mrs. Platt has the new role of school counselor for the Upper School and the Middle School. She also teaches Life Skills to the ninth grade. Before she came to New Canaan Country School, she was the school counselor at a school in Washington D.C., and prior to that she was a middle school teacher in Hawaii. Outside of school, she likes to run, read, bake, and travel. In the past years she ran in several triathlons, including Ironman triathlons and she has been to many different countries. She has been to every continent except Antarctica, and her favorite place that she has visited is Nepal. Last year she spent New Year’s Day at the base of Mount Everest. She enjoys a variety of books; her favorites range from

Water for Elephants to Into Thin Air, a book about Mount Everest. Her favorite movies are Elf, Christmas Vacation, and Serendipity. When asked about OAT, she says, “OAT was so much fun! It was definitely a highlight [of the year]. [It was also] a great way to get to know some of the students and staff. We were incredibly lucky with the weather.”

New Teacher - Ex- Punk Rock Diva

By Mayze T.

Mrs. Carroll is the new English teacher in the Stevens building. Outside of school, she likes to read, write, cook, and walk.  She has two dogs, one named Toast and one named Ziggy. When she was a student, she said that at first she went to a “very proper girls’ school in London where we had to write with fountain pens and go for prayers every morning.” However, in high school she went to a more “non-traditional” school where students called their teachers by their first names. She says that NCCS is a good blend of non-traditional and traditional schools. She likes the school because it values “curiosity, community, and a nice balance of work and play and high standards in everything.” Her first job after college was as a “Photo Stylist.”  A photo stylist is “a person who gets all the props and wardrobe that you see in pictures.” She has, apparently, chosen the wardrobes for several famous people. “I’ve seen Martha Stewart and Al Roker in their underwear,” she says and laughs. She worked as a photo stylist while she was in graduate school in New York. After graduate school, she was a writer and editor for about a decade. She had three books published and edited a variety of others. She also had articles published in the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times Magazine, and several literary magazines. A Fun Fact about Mrs. Caroll: She was in a punk band when she was younger. She played keyboard and wrote the lyrics. When her father came to one of their concerts, he said, “The popcorn was very good!”

New Teacher - The Amazing Unicyclist

By Mayze T.

Mr. Kucher is the new Upper School Student Services teacher.  He teaches the English Lab classes for all of the grades in the Upper School. He says, “I try and help students find their learning strengths and use their strengths to come up with strategies to work with some of the more challenging areas of their learning.”

 Outside of school, Mr. Kucher enjoys reading and writing. Last year he wrote a play that was produced in Massachusetts. This play is going to be produced in Manhattan in March 2011. As for what he likes to read, Mr. Kucher enjoys reading all fiction. He says, “I have my guilty pleasures, like John Grisham, but I equally like reading more well-reviewed literature. The most recent book I read was Freedom (by Jonathan Frantzen). It’s a tough read, very similar to The Great Gatsby. I go between erudite and easy to read books.” He says that after he finished Freedom, he read a more mainstream book that was the fourth in a series. Any guesses?

Before he came to New Canaan Country School, Mr. Kucher worked at the Southfield Center in Darien, which he helped open. He was their executive functions/ADHD coach. In high school, he did several television commercials.  Many years later he was the spokesperson for a plumbing company. He estimates that he did about twenty-five commercials for them in the last six to seven years. As for a strange talent - “I can ride a unicycle,” he says.

Super-Tough Hockey Relation of Jesse James

By Mayze T. 

Ms. Elmore is the new seventh grade math teacher in the Upper School. She is usually found in Ms. Sherwin’s room, teaching her class, or doing a crazy project like the “Barbie Bungee Jumping.” She grew up in Long Island, where she played ice hockey. There weren’t any girls’ teams where she lived, so she played on the all-boys’ team. She has been teaching for about seventeen years, in places that range from New York to Michigan and Texas. She loves to travel around the country. She met her husband around the same time that she started teaching. He is now the head of the Upper School at GFA, the school that her eight-year-old daughter attends. She is an avid reader. Her favorite books include The Little Prince, The Velveteen Rabbit, All The King’s Men, The Book Thief, and To Kill a Mockingbird, and she has written two math and science books! She also enjoys listening to music and is a pianist herself. She enjoys playing pieces by Debussy and Michael Nyman (a more modern composer). Her movie of choice is “Billy Elliot”, which she has seen as both a play on Broadway and a movie. Why does she like it so much? “The dance and the storyline”, she says.