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Tell Me Your Story
Tell me your story—did Mercersburg have a part in defining your life or the life of a family member? I’m asking this question to alumni, parents, and friends to get to know you better. My Mercersburg story began in 1999 when I joined the Alumni & Development staff. My son, Sam, loved his Mercersburg experience and graduated in 2006 and my daughter, Anne, is a member of the class of 2011. Each of their experiences feels unique to me yet they are connected by the constancy of excellent faculty leading them in deep discussions through very busy days towards independence. The tapestry of Sam’s and Anne’s and your stories expresses the variety of experiences of generations of alumni and their families and illustrates how Mercersburg values and traditions have remained constant. Please share your Mercersburg story with us. How have you defined your life? Did Mercersburg have a significant part?
The stories of alumni, students, and faculty here will give you a glimpse of the tapestry. I hope future issues will feature more of your lives today and will foretell students’ stories of their lives and how Mercersburg is helping them define the future.
Thank you for your loyalty to Mercersburg and for all the ways you support this great school.
— Mary Carrasco, assistant head of school for external affairs
Photo by Ryan Smith.
Burgin Center Garners Architectural Award
 The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has recognized outstanding works of architecture through its annual Design Awards Program each year since 1968. The program celebrates achievements in design excellence by New York State architects; generates greater public interest in architecture; and honors the architects, clients, and consultants who do the work. In October 2007, a jury awarded an AIA New York State Merit Award to the Burgin Center for the Arts. The 65,500 square foot building, designed by New York-based Polshek Partnership Architects, was officially dedicated in November 2006.
“Our students now work and learn in spaces within the Burgin Center that inspire them to create at the highest level,” says Laurie
Mufson, director of theatre and chair of the fine arts department.
“It is always a great pleasure to be recognized by one's peers as we have been with this AIA New York State Award. However, it is far more gratifying to see the Burgin Center being well used and appreciated by all those who are now exploring and teaching the arts at Mercersburg Academy,” says Todd Schleimann, the Polshek Design Partner for the Burgin Center.
Finucane Takes MAPL Crown
 At 7 a.m. on Wednesday, November 7, the Storm cross country teams packed lunches in the dining hall and boarded a bus bound for New Jersey’s Peddie School to compete in the MAPL meets. The weather was a bit cold and windy, but that didn’t stop Storm runners from racking up a whole host of personal records (PR’s).
Leading the pack in the men’s varsity 5k run was Storm standout James Finucane ’08 who smashed the course record to post an incredible time of 15:55. Richard Lafferty of the Hill School came in second with a time of 16:37, while Mercersburg’s Ellis Mays ’10 placed eighth with an impressive time of 17:25. “In my tenth-grade year,” joked Finucane, “I placed eighth just like Ellis. So he’s next up for winning the race in 2008!”
I spoke with Finucane and with Annie Spencer ’08, who finished third with a time of 19:40, just ten seconds behind the winner, Katherine Warren of Peddie. Finucane said, “I knew there were five guys who could run under 17:00. I won the race last year, so I really set my sights on beating the course record this time. For the first mile, I stayed behind the leaders and at the first mile marker I was right on track at 4:50. At the 1.25 mile mark, I decided that breaking the course record meant taking the lead and keeping it. The course was fairly flat, and the wind was the only thing that was slowing us down. I really didn’t want to ‘sit and kick’ too late. It felt great to finally break 16:00 because there were other meets in which I thought I could have done it.”
More....
Events
 Mercersburg Area Community Chorus and Orchestra on December 1and 2 in the Academy chapel at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday.- Loyalty Club Christmas Candlelight Service Weekend, December 15-16. For more information contact De-Enda Rotz, director of alumni & parent programs (717-328-6178) or Jessica Glass, assistant director of alumni & parent programs (717-328-6140).
- Golf Outing at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach, Florida on January 26. For more information contact Jessica Glass (717-328-6140).
- Save the Date: Mercersburg night at The Birchmere with country music recording artist Phil Vassar. Reception following the show with Phil and Mercersburg alumni, families, and friends. Contact Carol Swinehart, assistant director of alumni & parent programs, for details (717-328-6204).
- Save the Date: Mercersburg is coming to Philadelphia in February. Contact Jenn Flanagan '99, assistant director of alumni & parent programs for details (717-328-6141).
Meet a Torchbearer
 English department chair Matthew Kearney is a Torchbearer; he is also a torchbearer for verse. In class and through his blog, Kearney shares with students both the palpable pleasure of the form and the diversity of its expressions.
Kearney practices what he preaches. The Talking River Review has just accepted Kearney’s "The Broken Giant," "Queen of Monday," and "Book Club" for publication.
Also within the last year “Shipwreck” appeared in Plainsongs, “I Know the Still Flat Earth” was in The Broken Bridge Review, and “The Last Set of Tests” appeared in The Saranac Review. Here, read “The Last Set of Tests”:
Assume the worst of the last
Set of tests, while the hour turns,
Turns flat like the stone weight
Of nostalgia. Again, we’ve crept
Up on ourselves by trying
To hide from it all, and we’ve
Paid for the room, abstract
And fierce, where we’ll be staying.
Like cliff-divers we cherish
The fall, the headlong leap
Into the nothing where we’re
About to arrive. The O.E.D.
Doesn’t have the word for it.
Different arrangements might have
Been made by friends or relatives
Had they known what we know
About heat lightning or lilacs
Or sycamores casting off
One more layer of their bark.
It is like that with the self—
Easily abandoned by degrees.
Keep Us in the LoopDo you know a Mercersburg graduate with an interesting personal
background or a cool job? We're always looking for ways to tell the
stories of Mercersburg alumni. Please share your ideas with us.
Ideas
are encouraged in—but not limited to—the following categories:
politics, government, environment, journalism/media, sports, creativity.
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Flanagan Painting Becomes Part of Permanent Collection
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Members of the Class of 1974 presented Restless Sky #52, a
painting by Steve Flanagan ’74, to the Academy for its permanent
collection. On, November 9, 2007, archivist Jay Quinn and dean of
students and Flanagan classmate Tom Rahauser ’74 accepted the gift on
behalf of the school.
Flanagan’s recent group exhibits include
TRASH at the Atlantic Gallery in New York and a showing of the new
Mercersburg acquisition, Restless Sky, at a 9/11-themed exhibit at the
Earlville Opera House Gallery in Earlville, New York.
“Don
Hill is, in fact, a true scholar and teacher,” said Head of School
Douglas Hale on Friday, November 9, as Mercersburg feted Hill and his
37 years at Mercersburg. “He’s taught us all about caring for people.
He’s taught us all about striving for something bigger and better than
we might easily imagine… He’s taught us all a lot. And for that, Don,
we’re deeply grateful,” Hale said.
Hlll, assistant head of
school for external affairs, also served the school as baseball coach,
member of the math faculty, and director of admission. In addition to
Hale, former Head of School Walter H. Burgin Jr. ’53, President of the Board of Regents Denise Dupre '76, and faculty member
and longtime baseball coach Karl Reisner paid homage and shared tales
of times with Hill and his wife, Linda.
In advance of the November 9 event, alumni from all over the world told Mercersburg what a difference Hill made to them.
“Don
was able to engage anyone, important or not so, large donor or small,
and make them feel valued and important to him and thus to the 'Burg,”
wrote Larry Lattomus ’51. “That's because Don doesn't think in terms of dollars and cents but in terms of establishing personal relationships.”
“Classy
is a word that I would use to describe Don,” wrote Chip Nuttall ’92.
“I’m truly grateful that Don and others appreciated me as a growing
young person first, and a student second.”
A documentary of Hill
at Mercersburg, by faculty member Kristy Higby, is due for late
November release. Please also watch the coming issue of Mercersburg magazine for additional words about Hill.
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See Students’ Stories on Film
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It may not be a full 15 minutes of fame—but we have no doubt that these and other Mercersburg students will be esteemed for their service, athleticism, political astuteness, and myriad other contributions.
Among the 18 students who tell stories of how Mercersburg defined them are six who talked on camera to upper-middler and 2007 Declamation winner Evan Pavloff. Browse the profiles to spot the videos. Or go “straight to video”:
Chuck’s interview
Sarah’s interview
Maggie's interview
Madeleine’s interview
Sam’s interview
Lorraine’s interview
Evan’s interview
If you haven’t yet read all 18 question-and-answer profiles, you can also hear how a global economics conference in Taiwan can change your view. Why swimming for Yale seems like a good idea. How it feels to perform for a national radio audience of 750,000. What it’s like to meet Benicio Del Toro ’85. And why we all should care what in the world Irving-Marshall Week is.
In August 2007, the Academy introduced a new viewbook in which students tell how academic, creative, and athletic opportunities grant them a chance to define who they are and want to become. The "Definitions" pages complement the new book.
Know a student who might be interested? Request a viewbook.
Video segments are directed and edited by Isaac Brody ’99 with an appearance by Julia Wiedeman ’98 and support from Colleen Corcoran ’99 and Michael Davies ’85 of Embassy Row, a New York City production company.
A good time was had by all at Alumni Weekend 2007. Check out this slide show to see some of the fun!
We need reunion volunteers to start planning next year's weekend Classes ending in 3 and 8 will celebrate special anniversary reunions during Alumni Weekend 2008 on October 16-19. Reunion committees are now forming. If you're interested in helping to plan your reunion, please contact De-Enda Rotz, director of alumni & parent programs in the Alumni & Development Office (717-328-6178)
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