Gordonians in the headlines

Yes, that was Natasha Connolly ‘20 representing Rhode Island at the national Poetry Out Loud competition in DC, and winning the national Poetry Ourselves! competition for original poetry. The Classical High junior is Rhode Island’s Youth Poetry Ambassador, and got her start in performance poetry in Gordon’s seventh grade. 
 

Yes, that was Riley Hewitt ’20, above, and Natasha Connolly ’20 honored at the Classical High School honors ceremony last week. Riley was presented with the Alumni of Yale University Book Award, and Natasha earned the Harvard Book Prize, an Award for Excellence in Spanish Language and Literature, and the Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for US History.
 

Yes, that was a long list of many Gordon names included as Wheeler had their annual academic awards ceremony last week, including:
Owen Matheson ’19, honored for academic excellence
Leenah Gibbs ’19, honored for leadership
Myles Johnson ’19, honored for leadership
Ella Kulper ’19, honored for excellence in history
Sophia Blythe ’19, honored for excellence in writing
Audrey Lee ’19, honored for excellence in math

 

Yes, that was friend of Gordon and Newbery winner Jerry Craft hanging with a Gordon fifth grader (pictured) and a Gordon seventh grader at Craft’s signing tonight at An Unlikely Story. Jerry Craft spent three days at Gordon in December 2019, meeting with students, faculty and parents during the Book Fair, along with other visiting authors including Monica Brown; more on that visit at http://ow.ly/LA5050Oxj2M
 

Yes, those were Gordon alumni leading in the cast, crew and orchestra of Moses Brown’s recent production of Mean Girls. From left: Kavi Gasper ’18, Ishan Kahler ’22, William Istok ’19, Myles Johnson ’19 (not in the show, but a proud audience member), Nick Boulay ’19, Levi Gewirz ’19, former Gordon Arts Director Milly Massey, Ebba Karlsson ’19 and Anna Bamford ’21.

 

Yes, that was Tej Singh ’21 named to Zero Gravity Basketball’s Rhode Island Boys Varsity All State team. The AAU tournament circuit recognition is well-earned; Tej has been praised all season for his teamwork and leadership as well as his skills.

 

Yes, that was Kari Buonanno ’16 named first-team All-Ivy and second-team All-Region Girls Lacrosse by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association. A leader since her time at Gordon, Buonanno was one of Gordon’s Student Leadership Council co-presidents, and helped lead championship field hockey, basketball and lacrosse teams her eighth grade year. 
 

Yes, that was Aniah Ankoma ’19 giving a senior performance earlier in May as she finished six years of violin studies at Community MusicWorks. Aniah’s now interning at Gordon as her senior project as she prepares to graduate from Rocky Hill and go on to Connecticut College in the fall.
 

Yes, that is a series of Gordon faces behind the Wilbury Theater’s new production, Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight. The musical was written by alumni parent Darcie Dennigan, Lydia Grosswendt ’16 is in the cast, alumni parent (and former Gordon Arts Director) Milly Massey is the musical director, and her musicians include Sophie Grosswendt ’16, Kavi Gasper ’18, and frequent Gordon theater guest-director Brien Lang.
 

Yes, that was alumnus and Gordon uncle Jonathan Funke ’85 on the Writer’s Guild of America picket lines with Mandy Patinkin. Patinkin’s sign is, of course, a nod to his beloved character Princess Bride character Inigo Montoya.
 

Yes, that was the work of alumni parent Mary Beth Meehan featured on Brown University’s Instagram recently. One of Meehan’s large scale installations, a series in Newnan Georgia, became a stop on Gordon’s Civil Rights Trip in 2020; more on that at http://ow.ly/e1jF50Oz3Wg
 

Yes, that was Ebba Karlsson ’19, William Istok ’19 and Jack McNulty ’19 taking a bow alongside Mr. Beaudoin after the performance of Moses Brown’s percussion ensemble earlier this month. They were three of the four seniors in the ensemble, and each started their musical performance careers at Gordon.
 

Yes, that is Misha Griffin ’19 popping up on your Spotify. One of his senior projects has spawned a podcast, Ars Goetia, in which Misha sets out to explain two thousand years of western occultism and magic to two friends.

 

 

Yes, that was Charlie Enright ’98 serving as skipper as 11th Hour Racing’s boat won the most recent leg of Volvo Ocean Race yesterday. The victory put them into one point of first place in the round-the-world sailing competition; the next leg, which takes them across the Atlantic, is now underway.

In 2014, as he prepared to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race for the first time, Enright told the New York Times that his interest in the race began when he was at Gordon. Read the article at http://ow.ly/evfo50Om0Bb

11th Hour Racing was one of the presenters at Gordon’s Beyond COP21 Symposium in October, alongside Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator Jack Reed and Congressman David Cicilline. More on that at www.gordonschool.org/beyondcop21
 

Yes, that was Salter Arms ’19 and Peter Buonanno ’19 in the photo when Moses Brown celebrated their seniors who were going on to play intercollegiate sports. Salter will be running track at Brown, and Peter is headed to Princeton to play lacrosse.
 

Yes, that was two Gordon Middle Schoolers (above right) among the top thirty-two middle school players in Rhode Island at the state championships hosted by Providence Tennis Academy. The two went on to win the tournament.
 

Yes, that was a Gordon sixth grader earning third place overall in the National Gymnastics Association regionals championships. She is joining her team from Renaissance Gymnastics at the national competition in June. 
 

Yes, that was a Gordon eighth grader (upper right) traveling to Orlando, Florida as one of four Rhode Island representatives at the national MathCounts competition. It was the eighth consecutive year that a Gordon student went to the nationals as part of the Rhode Island team.
 

Yes, that was Calder Smith-Montross ’22, David Battle-Cardemil ’22 and Mateo Cordero-Gagnon ’22 on the eleven-person team that represented Rhode Island at the FIRST Worlds Robotics championship in Houston. They finished tenth in their division, they met teams from all over the world and partnered in competition with teams from Alaska, Hawaii, Saudi Arabia and Taipei, with Mateo and David driving the robot in competition and Calder leading the CAD design of the robot and its parts.
 

More recent Gordon names in the headlines

Seen a Gordon face standing out in the crowd? Tell Geoff Griffin at ggriffin@gordonschool.org or 401 480 9933