Gordon in the headlines

Yes, that was alumni parent and District Court Judge Melissa R. Dubose sworn in to serve in the U.S. District Court bench, becoming the first person of color and first openly LGBTQ judge to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
 

Yes, that was Henry Kirkman ’18 scoring the winning goal in the second overtime to send Williams College into the third round of the NCAA national tournament. They beat Messiah University 1-0 to make the top sixteen.
 

Yes, that was a pack of Gordon parents rallying get out the vote efforts this fall through Temple Beth-El, phone banking, writing postcards and partnering with Dayenu, a Jewish Call to Climate Action. Gordon parents Jackie Delamatre and Victoria Restler, Heather Mohamed, Sarah Leibel, and Kathryn Dunkelman were co-chairs of the effort.
 

Yes, that was Lower School parent Jonathan James-Perry and his family creating a mishoon dug-out canoe as part of his late-summer residency with the Little Compton Historical Society. Gordon librarian Frances Martindale was honored to be among the first passengers when the canoe launched in September.
 

Yes, that is former Gordon basketball coach John Krasinski named People Magazine’s sexiest man alive for 2024. While studying acting at Brown University, the star of A Quiet Place and The Office coached Gordon’s boys basketball team to an 8-8 record. photo: John at Gordon, left, with former Gordon athletic director Joan Dutt and… could that be Stuart MacGregor on the right?
 

Yes, that was Suha Venkataraman ’24 and her mother Leela Sami reading Diwali stories to children at the Rochambeau Library in November. Throughout her years at Gordon, Suha delighted in visiting younger students’ classrooms during Diwali and sharing her family’s traditions with them.
 

Yes, that was Gordon parent and Brown University political science professor Deva Woodly cited in a New York Magazine recap of a recent episode of Abbott Elementary. Woodly’s description of the politics of care is used to illuminate the method to the apparent madness of the Abbott Elementary principal Ava Coleman’s unconventional choices.
 

Yes, that was a soon-to-be-eighth-grader in Dexter Park in June, performing a poem they wrote in seventh grade humanities class. They’d been invited to perform the piece by the organizers of Providence’s fifth annual Dyke and Trans People of Color march.

 

Yes, that was Gordon parent Ralph Tavares speaking alongside Kaplan Mobray '86 at the graduation of the Rhode Island Foundation’s third Equity Leadership Initiative Cohort this fall. Ralph was a member of this third cohort along with fellow Gordon parent Sharon Morris, part of a series of Gordon extended family members to participate in the program.
 

Yes, that was theater teacher Don Mays among the artists represented in URI’s recent Democracy in Peril gallery show. Don contributed photography to the exhibit, which ran through mid-December in parallel with URI’s campuswide 2024 Honors Colloquium.
 

Yes, that was Gordon grandparent Garry George spelling out the relationship between clean energy and species conservation on the National Audubon Society’s website last summer. George is senior director for climate strategy at the Audubon.
 

Yes, that was Gordon dance instructor Rodney Eric López joined by humanities teacher Viva Sandoval as he led Salsa Night at September’s PVD Fest. 
 

Other Gordon performers at PVD Fest included this first grader performing alongside his father Sidy Maiga as part of the twelfth annual Afrika Nyaga Drum & Dance Festival, as well as alumni parent Rupa Datta, part of Dance BFF Bollywood & Bhangra, and Assi Coulibaly '08 as part of the Haus of Glitter.

 

And yes, that was Assi and her father Seydou Coulibaly presenting at Weeksville Heritage Center’s Dance for the Diaspora event in early January. Seydou and Michelle Bach-Coulibaly have built vital dance and music centers in Brown University’s Theatre and Performance Studies Department and at the Yeredon Centre in Mali.
 

Yes, that is Meg Schimelpfenig '12 appearing in episode one of Netflix’s Man on the Inside. She’s acting and screenwriting on the West Coast, and was last on the big screen as part of Steven Spielberg's film The Fabelmans.
 

Yes, that was Gordon parent Jackie Delamatre in New York Magazine at the end of the year. Her true-life tale of rodents in her apartment’s plumbing—in Brooklyn, not Rhode Island—was among New York’s most emailed articles as January began.
 

Yes, that was Gordon parent and staff spouse Matt Alario speaking to NATO strategists alongside politicians, defense leaders, information analysts and academics at the NATO Edge 24 conference in December. Matt was invited to speak based on his deep experience using tech-driven strategies to combat misinformation and disinformation.
 

Yes, that was Myles Craddock ’20 leading Phillips Exeter Academy to win the 2024 Drew Gamere Bowl this fall. Craddock carried the ball fifteen times for one hundred and twenty-one yards and four scores in the game, the championship match for the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council.

Yes, that was Gordon parent and loyal library volunteer Dr. Carolina Silva Portero at the United Nations in December. A member of the Afro-Latin American Research Institute at Harvard University, Carolina was providing the international law perspective on principles, provisions, and pathways to reparatory justice for people of African descent at the thirty-fifth Session of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, hosted at the United Nations Headquarters.
 

Yes, that was Gordon parent and faculty spouse Eric Palmieri profiled in the Boston Globe’s Innovator Q&A feature this fall. Palmieri talked about his work making pizza art - the pie in the photo above is his salute to Sylvester Stallone.
 

Yes, that was alumni parent and current Gordon aunt Angela Bannerman Ankoma honored with the 2024 Simone Joyaux Leadership Award. The award is given by the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island to a person who has worked to "help make Rhode Island a state free of gender bias and where social justice exists for all."
 

Yes, that was alumni parent Amanda Riegel on Kamrin Huban’s 50, Not Dead podcast. Amanda spoke about her work founding and leading Excelle, a women's leadership collective dedicated to professional and personal self-care.
 

Yes, those were drone photos by Calder Smith-Montross ’22 projected as part of a live multimedia performance at the International Ecoperformance Film Festival: Rhode Island Edition at Brown University’s Granoff Center in June. Calder first learned to fly drones in a fifth grade Gordon elective led by Marlon Henry.
 

Yes, that was Max Frank ’21 and Izzy Ragona ’21 named semifinalists in the seventieth annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships that began in 1955.

 

Yes, that was a Gordon second grader taking the stage at Pawtucket’s Met Cafe during a December show by noise-rock legends Lightning Bolt. His dad, Brian Chippendale, is one half of Lightning Bolt and the creative mind behind the past two Gordon Carnival volunteer t-shirt designs.
 

Yes, that was a sibling pair taking second place for females under five and first place among males under ten at the September IGT race in downtown Providence, and a first grade and fourth grade sibling pair who both placed in the top five for girls aged six to ten.
 

Yes, that was Susanna Fogel ’94 on the Daily Show this fall talking about her work directing Winner, a comedy-drama film about the life of American whistleblower Reality Winner.
 

Yes, that was Season James of Gordon’s after school team with a gallery show at Pawtucket’s Machines with Magnets this fall. In addition to her works on paper, fabric and canvas, Season creates jewelry as Above/Below Jewelry.
 

Yes, that was Gordon parent Manya Rubinstein and her team taking home a gold medal from the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Manya co-founded Providence’s ISCO Spirits, who earned their medal for their Dill Aquavit.

 

Yes, those were Gordon runners fueling Wheeler’s Cross Country teams to success at the New England Preparatory School Track Association championships in November. Ashton Carson '23 and Zoey Frank '22 (top photo, back row) and Evan Atwood '21 (bottom photo, center) were part of the crew that propelled the boys team to the championship and the girls team to third place.
 

Yes, that is Kayla Campbell ’09 who’s been hosting the Sunday Jazz series at Courtland Club. Named Best Local Jazz Night by Rhode Island Monthly, the long-running series (which has included friend of Gordon Marcus Grant) has become a lively scene that sent representatives to the 2024 Newport Jazz Festival. photo: Kayla in fourth grade knitting club
 

Yes, that is Gordon parent Zachary Cunha named Man of the Year by GoLocalProv.com. As United States Attorney for Rhode Island, Cunha has taken on cases that have defended the civil rights of Rhode Island children, sought reparations for environmental crimes, and fought redlining practices in Rhode Island real estate.
 

Yes, that was a team of Gordon graduates behind Wheeler’s fall production. Max Frank ’21, Izzy Ragona ’21, Ivy Linardos ’21, Nora Gresh ’24 and Onyx Highsmith ’23 were five of the twelve cast members in their presentation of Blake Montgomery’s adaptation of Moby Dick in November.
 

Yes, that was Gordon uncle Ángel Alonso Arroba (second from right) joining the cabinet of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (center) as the new chief of staff. The photo above captures his entire family with Sánchez immediately after he was sworn in.
 

Yes, that was friend of Gordon Autumn Rain Johnson advocating for accessibility in the press when Rhode Island was named one of the worst cities in the US for the disabled this fall. 2023’s Miss Wheelchair RI, Johnson visited Gordon’s fifth grade twice last year as they worked on their yearlong accessibility design projects. photo: Ms. Johnson with Gordon teacher Mimi Roterman and RIPIN executive director Sam Salganik.
 

Yes, that is Peter Buonanno ’19 ranked #7 in the nation for incoming freshmen by Inside Lacrosse Magazine. Currently at Princeton, Pete’s profile with Inside Lacrosse emphasized the creativity and joy he brings to the game, which will ring true for anyone who knew him during his formative years at Gordon.
 

Yes, that was Gordon grandparent and longtime Poly Prep staff member Pat Harrigan honored with the Brooklyn school’s Spirit award in the fall. The archival photo above has Pat on the right with her son and daughter-in-law, now on Gordon’s faculty, and her oldest grandson, now in Gordon’s fifth grade.
 

Yes, that was Geoff Cicatiello ’09 named as a Holiday Hero by the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association in December. An officer at the Burrillville Police Department, Geoff was singled out for his work raising awareness of the impact of driving under the influence.

Yes, that was a Gordon sixth grader and a Gordon eighth grader representing their startups at the Mini Kids Entrepreneur Fair in October. They were alongside young creators from across the state, presenting Cousins Extreme Lemonade and their own crochet work.
 

Yes, that was Sofia Clyne ‘21 (captain), Anna Bamford ’21, Stella Jellinek ‘22 (manager), Isabelle Cummings ‘21, Janie Palan ‘22, Peyton Riegel ‘22 and (not pictured) Maddie Powell ‘22 leading the Division I state field hockey championship team. They beat East Greenwich in a decisive 4-1 victory with Gordon coach Afiya Samuel among the Gordon crew that was cheering them on.

And yes, that was Opal Peffer-Liese ’20 and Violet Sutton ’20 who narrowly missed leading Classical High School to the Division III field hockey championships. They lost the final game of the tournament after five shootouts in double overtime after an undefeated season.
 

Yes, that is Lower School Director and alumni parent Minna Ham co-authoring the new book Diversity without Divisiveness, published this past fall. Written for educators, the book promises “to help you move beyond the buzzwords and truly practice diversity, equity and inclusion by fostering a shared vision for inclusive education.”
 

Yes, that was Gordon caregiver Mary Lou Nicholson honored as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s Community Member Civic Engagement Award winner of 2024. Nicholson was celebrated for her grassroots efforts to keep the marine spaces of Southeastern New England clean. photo: Mary Lou with Matt Roy, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Civic Engagement, Chancellor Mark Fuller, and her Gordon fourth grader.
 

Yes, that is Gordon parent Marc Dunkelman being called “a fantastic thinker” by the Atlantic as his new book, Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress—and How to Bring It Back, is being prepared for a February release. The Atlantic review promises “Dunkelman has written an essential book for anyone seeking to understand how Americans have lost faith in democratic institutions that over-promise and under-deliver.”
 

Yes, that was alumni parent Jason Pina authoring an essay in the winter issue of the Putney Post, published by the Putney School, a boarding school in Vermont. Both of Jason’s children, Kayla Pina ’12 and Myles Pina ’20, attended Putney, as have a half-dozen more Gordon graduates from the past two decades.
 

Seen a Gordon person being amazing? Report them immediately to Geoff Griffin at ggriffin@gordonschool.org or 401 480 9933.

Look back at more Gordon names in the headlines - links lead back as far as 2019!