The Magazine of Church Farm SchoolSPRING 2016

ACROSS GENERATIONS

THE CESCHANS Page 6

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL 1

JACK AND JOHN KISTLER 2

WALT AND CAMERON LYBRAND 4

JOHN CESCHAN, JR. AND JOHN W. CESCHAN 6

THE BUCK FAMILY LEGACY 8

RAHSAAN HARRIS AND ZION BALDWIN ’17 10

OLDEST AND YOUNGEST ALUMNI 12

CLASS NOTES 14

ALUMNI WEEKEND 16

MARK, STEVE AND TOM CARROLL 18

JANET HARTZELL AND LORI MCDERMOTT 20

COVER: The iconic view of the

Church Farm School Chapel of the

Atonement, with a mile marker

showing the distance to Philadelphia.

MAROON & GREY

Spring 2016

The Magazine of Church Farm School

EDITOR

Stefanie Claypoole

LAYOUT & DESIGN

Harp and Company Graphic Design

PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Betsy Barron Photography

MISSION

The Church Farm School prepares

a diverse group of boys with

academic ability and good character

to lead productive and fulfilling

lives by making a college preparatory

education financially accessible.

Learn more: gocfs.net

ADMINISTRATION

HEAD OF SCHOOL

The Rev. Edmund K. Sherrill II

ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL/

DIRECTOR OF ACADEMICS

Christopher Seeley

DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION

Brandon Zeigler

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

Gregory Thompson

DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE GUIDANCE

Tiffany Scott

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Peter Corrado

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND

OPERATIONS

Neil Fanelli

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT LIFE

Randy Noll

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he theme for this issue of Maroon & Grey—Across Genera-tions—intends to evoke a sense of continuity, strength and shared

purpose across the span of time and within the embrace of familial commitment and love for those things that are meant to endure. As we near our 100th anniversa-ry, we are mindful of many individuals who are part of marvelous families that have stood by this mission over many years, sharing across the ages a conviction that this school, this work and these boys remain worthy of our collective attention, love and faithful support.

Not long after my tenure as Head of School began, a young man appeared at my office door and with a warm and broad smile offered a most sincere greeting, “Hi! Welcome to Church Farm School.” Return-ing his greeting, I invited him to sit for conversation. Taking a seat, he continued,

“Actually, I’d like to talk to you about a job as I would like to get one here.”

“Great!” I said, “but why not tell me a little about yourself and experience first? I don’t think I even know your name, yet.”

“Charles Wesley Shreiner IV,” was his reply. “You can call me Chad.”

Well, I knew enough by then that I was in the presence of special company and that I had better listen well. I’m glad to say that Chad did indeed come to work for not just his alma mater, but he made a joyful and important contribution of his own to the magnum opus that had been his father’s, grandfather’s and great grandfather’s gift to generations of boys. A true “labor of love” we might call it, and what an incredible achievement across four generations! We are honored that this tradition continues with Stacey Shreiner Kley serving on our Board of Directors.

No other collection of souls can really match the witness and service to God’s love that the Shreiner family has laid down here on this campus. Yet, many other families do get close to this shining example, laying their own gifts and

talents at the same altar of devotion to one particular purpose—the betterment and welfare of boys who have every God-given right to make something of themselves if only given the opportunity to do so. Those of you reading these words know, perhaps more than I do, what I mean because you are the direct benefi-ciaries of such care and love. Look back, come back, give back!

The pages that follow recount just a few of the many personal stories that enrich our heritage and strengthen our resolve across our several generations as we effectively move into the future. We hope that these perspectives will give rise to your own memories and that you will send word of them as part of the Church Farm School family narrative, adding them to the great story we have to tell.

Thank you for your continuing faith in, and commitment to, the work of Church Farm School. We look forward to seeing you back on campus soon.

With best wishes,

The Reverend Edmund K. Sherrill II

Church Farm School founder The Reverend Dr. Charles Wesley Shreiner with students.

T

LOOK BACK,

COME BACK,

GIVE BACK!

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JTHERE IS NOTHING LIKE THIS … THE OPPORTUNITY

THAT CHURCH FARM SCHOOL PRESENTS TO ITS

KIDS AND ITS ADULTS. IT’S NOT A COOKIE CUTTER

SCHOOL BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION.

— JOHN D. KISTLER, JR.

ohn “Jack” D. Kistler II calls Dr. Charles “Charlie” Shreiner, Jr. the

“hero of my life.” While the two men never knew each other as students at Episcopal Academy—where Jack was a star athlete in football, basketball and track—their paths crossed nearly two decades later.

After graduating from Episcopal, Jack competed in football and track at Duke University, and was even drafted by the Detroit Lions. Instead, he opted to serve in the U.S. Navy from 1954-56

before returning to Episcopal to teach and coach various sports. In 1966, Jack attended a track meet at Church Farm School and his life changed forever. “I was terribly impressed and thought the kids were terrific. They were so well-behaved.” Jack told Charlie that if a teaching spot ever opened up for him, he would be honored to join the community. In 1968, he was brought on as a math teacher.

During Jack’s 26-year-tenure at Church Farm School, he served as English and math teacher and as the principal. Back then, being the principal meant you wore an awful lot of hats: admission director, academic director and athletic director, too. He remembers his first year, commiserat-ing with the 9th graders in the milk squad who would show up to his class at 9 a.m. after working on the farm since the wee hours. “They were all falling asleep. I didn’t blame them!” He did, however, appreciate them. “The kids at Episcopal had every-thing and knew everything. These kids had nothing. I felt I could do so much more here.”

THE KISTLER FAMILY

3

Jack’s passion for the school was felt on campus, and most particularly within athletics. In addition to coaching basketball and track, he helped create the Wrestling Invitational with his son, John, a teacher at the school since 1980. Under his purview, Church Farm School teams won 79 championships: 20 in track, 25 in wrestling and 34 in other sports. Even though he retired in 1994 and has a permanent home in Maine with his wife Beckie, Jack remains present on campus, especially at basketball games. Most recently, he and Beckie were honored with a game ball at the 2016 varsity basket-ball senior ceremony.

Jack and Beckie raised their four children in a “magnificent old house” on Ship Road that eventually became John and his wife Marilyn’s after his father retired (and remains a Church Farm School residence, today). As a teen, John did not fit the mission of Church Farm School and instead attended Henderson High School in West Chester. As a member of the extended community, however, he and his siblings were present at the annual Christmas Pageant and John even worked on the farm for a few summers during high school and when he was home from Millersville University.

Out of college, John got a job at Perkiomen School: living in the dorm,

teaching math and coaching sports. When a position opened up at Church Farm School after two years, he jumped on it. “As a 24-year-old, the opportunity seemed great,” John recalls. Eventually, he lived in the row of homes on Swedesford Road known as “The Colony,” and the faculty who lived there—including his future brother-in-law Art Smith, who married John’s sister, Padgett—were all very close. “It was a great place to raise a family,” John says. “And I came in with a lot of people my age – the Smiths, Lunardis, Holtons, Wentzels and Taylors.”

When Jack transitioned out of the Athletic Director role, John happily took it on. He has also coached soccer, track and field, tennis, golf and basketball, where he led the Griffins to 10 KSAC playoff appearances and two championships as Varsity Head Coach from 1980 to 1992. John also enhanced the athletic program through helping guide the design of the Founder’s Pavilion and introducing the baseball, golf, JVB and winter track programs. He also ran the school’s day camp (now managed by the YMCA) for 17 years.

Today, John teaches Algebra 1 and 2, coach-es soccer and was instrumental in the school’s recent Middle States Reaccredita-tion process. “When I started out, we didn’t have any kids going to Princeton. Our students have gotten way more talented over the years,” he said. And despite broadening the mission to accept boys of a variety of circumstances beyond those from broken homes, Church Farm School retains its uniqueness. “There is nothing like this … the opportunity that Church Farm School presents to its kids and its adults. It’s not a cookie cutter school by any stretch of the imagination.”

John and Jack Kistler working at the 2015 CFS Wrestling Invitational, which they created.

John “Jack” D. Kistler II worked at CFS for 26 years.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We are sad to report that Jack Kistler passed away on March 21. Says Head of School Ned Sherrill, “Jack was a stalwart servant of CFS. Few souls will have had as much impact on the success of this mission as Jack and while we mourn his passing, we also give thanks to God for having the benefit of his friendship and devoted service to all we care to uphold in our own generation. Our work today is honorable and noble because he helped make it so.”

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I

THIS IS ABOUT MORE THAN AN ‘A’ ON A REPORT

CARD TO ME. HERE, HE IS ABLE TO EVALUATE

PEOPLE AND LEARN THEIR CULTURES. THAT IS A

GREAT SKILL IN LIFE AND ESPECIALLY IN

COLLEGE. THERE ARE A LOT OF ROLE MODELS

FOR HIM HERE.

— WALT LYBRAND ’81

t wasn’t fated for Cameron Lybrand ’19 to attend Church Farm School like his father Walt Lybrand ’81, but you’d be hard-pressed to find two more wonderful ambassadors for the school. Walt’s arrival at the school in 1978 was much less of a choice than

Cameron’s decision to enroll more than 35 years later. When his father fell ill when Walt was 13, and subsequently passed away from a brain tumor, his grandmother suggested Church Farm School. “Between my mom not knowing how to raise two sons alone and me having a hard time at public school, I ended up in Mr. Jack Kistler’s office taking an entry test,” Walt remembers. “Shortly after returning home, my mom said ‘here’s your accep-tance letter and laundry tag number.’

The next time I was at CFS, I was being dropped off at Woodside Cottage.” While the tale is sad, anyone who knows Walt Lybrand knows his stories are told with a large dose of humor and self-deprecation capable of making your jaw hurt for hours from laughing.

It is likely these stories, and the visceral fondness for Church Farm School that emanates from Walt, that prompted Cameron to ask his father if he might

attend the school, too. “[In 2013], he said to me, ‘I know you went to CFS because your dad died, and I don’t want you to die, but do I qualify to go there?’” Walt recalls. It just so happened that there was an open house coming up, so the two attended. “I was interested in making a change from public school, and I took a tour from Stephen Zarycranski ’16 and I loved it,” Cameron says. Walt and his wife Joanne also have a 12-year-old son named Nathan-iel, who has Down Syndrome. “I don’t think Cameron ever felt like he took a backseat to Nathaniel,” Walt says. “We made sure of that. But I think he wanted something that was his.”

Cameron has easily integrated into Church Farm School in his two years here. He is an Admission Tour Guide, the Class of 2019 Student Congress Representative, a member of the CFS Choir, the DECA and Bible clubs and a participant on the golf and bowling teams. He is eager to try tennis this spring. “It’s a lot different here than my old school, but not in a bad way. It’s more diverse. The food is better. You grow to be so much closer to your teachers and friends,” Cameron says. Although it’s not required for day students, Cameron usually stays on campus through study hall at 9:30 p.m. every night. “I really like it here. I look forward to it,” he says.

For his part, Walt is extremely proud of the dedication his son has shown toward the rigorous academic workload, and his ability to take chances. “He is constantly putting himself out there. And who wouldn’t be proud of their son singing at Carnegie Hall,” Walt says, referring to the Choir’s April 4 performance there as part of the Masterworks Festival Chorus.

“He could be at public school getting better grades, but this is about more than an ‘A’ on a report card to me. Here, he is able to evaluate people and learn their cultures. That is a great skill in life and especially in college. There are a lot of role models for him here,” Walt says.

THE LYBRAND FAMILY

5

Walt came into CFS with a lot more reservations than his son did. “There was a level of anxiety at first,” he says. “I thought, ‘Should I have bombed the entrance test?’ But I took to the community pretty well, and by the end of the first year, I told my mom I wanted to come back.” Even though the famous milk squad was phased out, the farm still had steer and pigs to manage, and fields that needed planting. Walt worked his first few years in the meat shop, cutting and packaging Scrapple for donors and freezing hams for Thanksgiving and Christmas deliveries. “There were a lot of city kids who had never seen a pig. They’d come to their first work detail dressed all wrong. They learned pretty quickly, and a lot of them ended up really liking it.”

“There was a camaraderie that came from working on a farm. It leveled the playing field. No matter the life you came from, we were all physically contributing. It also taught you how to get along with people from other backgrounds and cultures. But there was an understanding among us. Most of us were there because we were trying to put the pieces of our lives back together in some way.”

Today, the farm does not exist, but Walt says the school is doing a great job replacing that camaraderie with clubs and group projects. “The overall objective is the same.” He adds that today’s CFS has a guidance system in place, along with advanced academics, that are proving a huge benefit to the students.

Walt left CFS in 1981 to attend Johnson College and then work as an engineer, but his heart never quite left Exton. When his sister’s apartment in Downingtown came up for rent in the 90s, he jumped at the chance to move back to Chester County. “I used to come here often to watch the sunset. I love the fall nights here.” A holder of three patents for self-contained breath-ing apparatus, Walt currently works as a medical device engineer at Merit Medical, and is always happy to help promote the school to other families alongside Camer-on. “I’m glad my son wanted to come here.”

Walt Lybrand ’81 and his son, Cameron Lybrand ’19.

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Following his parents’ divorce in the 1980s, John W. Ceschan ’94 began to have a difficult time in school. His family thought he might benefit from a boarding school environment.

“My stepbrother went to The Hill School, and he was an incredible athlete. I didn’t want to live in his shadow there,” John W. remembers. So when his father, John J. Ceschan, Jr. suggested they take a look at Church Farm School, they did. “It was the kind of structure I needed at the time,” John W. remembers. “The one-on-one experience with the teachers … especially being able to go to them when you had questions. It was such a benefit. Now, I’m the one up teaching my kids the new math when they come home from school.”

Clearly, the attention paid off. “I went from being a C or D student to getting almost all

‘A’s,’” John W. says. He also excelled at multiple sports. Although he was a good wrestler prior to Church Farm School and able to join the varsity team in his first year as an 8th grader, he also liked that he could try sports that were new to him, too. He ran cross country, track and field and played soccer and baseball.

John W. had a great wrestling record: 103-10, but his career was cut short during his senior year, when he broke his leg during a soccer game. “They called it the

‘crack heard round the world,’” he jokes. For his amazing athleticism, John W. was inducted into the school’s Hall of Athletic Honor in 2006. After Church Farm School, John W. went to Delaware Valley College,

THE CESCHAN FAMILY

7

THE ONE-ON-ONE EXPERIENCE WITH THE

TEACHERS … ESPECIALLY BEING ABLE

TO GO TO THEM WHEN YOU HAD QUESTIONS.

IT WAS SUCH A BENEFIT.

— JOHN W. CESCHAN ’94

where he was a dual major in ornamental horticulture and environmental science. Today, he lives in Sellersville with his wife and three daughters and works in King of Prussia for a Dutch company that finances green energy projects for organizations. He has given up the singlet for a black belt, which he recently earned after three years of practice. He is also now teaching karate, which he really enjoys.

John W. remembers recommending his father to the school as a woodworking teacher in the 1990s. In 1992, then head-master Terry Shreiner gave John J. a call and told him there was a position for him. “It was a fabulous opportunity for me. The school set you up to be a teacher,” John J. says. “They paid part of my tuition to attend Temple University, and I graduated in 2001 with an industrial education degree.”

In addition to woodshop, John J. also taught robotics, design and engineering and coached cross country, wrestling and track. He is also well-known as the most recent director of the school’s Christmas Pageant, “Why the Chimes Rang,” for the past six years. A true family affair, John J.’s wife, Patricia, also worked for the school in Admissions and Athletics until retiring in 2014.

John J. retired at the end of the 2014-2015 school year, although he continues to coach golf and direct the Pageant. He remains appreciative of the school and its transformational effects. “I think the school helped my son an awful lot, and the school always treated me and my family very well. I don’t know that I was the best teacher, but I got to do what I love, which is working with wood, and share that passion with others.”

John W. Ceschan ’94, pictured with his father John and stepmother Pat, was inducted into the school’s Hall of Athletic Honor in 2006.

John J. Ceschan, Jr. and his woodshop students built a bridge to the baseball field in spring 2015.

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JRECONNECTING A LEGACY: JAMES BUCK AND CAROLINE ROGERS

ames “Jim” Buck III and his sister, Caroline “Cackie” Rogers, remember Church Farm School as a constant presence in their life growing up in Devon and then Haverford. In fact, Jim says they believe their grandfather, Mahlon Buck, was one

of the school’s very first board members, having run in the same circles as the school’s founder, The Rev. Dr. Charles Wesley Shreiner. Jim and Cackie’s father, the late J. Mahlon Buck, Jr. (who also went by “Jim”), expanded this

legacy by serving on the school’s Board of Directors under all three Shreiner headmasters—including Dr. Charles Wesley (“Charlie”) Shreiner, Jr., and then his son, Terry (C.W. Shreiner III)—for nearly 40 years. Charlie Shreiner and Jim Buck were contemporaries who got to know each other at Princeton, and in neighboring summer homes in Cape May, New Jersey. Buck joined the Church Farm School Board in March 1959, and remained on it until January 1997. He

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CFS DOESN’T JUST WANT THESE BOYS TO GO

TO COLLEGE. IT IS TEACHING THEM TO BE LEADERS.

— CAROLINE ROGERS

passed away in 2011 at the age of 85. “The Board was made up of a bunch of men our father really admired,” Jim says, noting early supporters of the school such as Tyler Griffin, Jack Dorrance and Sam Ballam, Sr.

As a result of this longstanding relation-ship with Church Farm School, the Buck family (including their mother, Elia) attended the school’s “Why the Chimes Rang” Christmas Pageant almost every year. “I remember at the time, thinking the Chapel was as grand and impressive as Versailles,” Cackie says. “It was a tradition each year, and my father would explain how much it meant to him.” Adds Jim, “I loved the Pageant; most especially because for us, it meant Christmas.”

The Buck family is well-known in Philadelphia and beyond for its passion for music, education and philanthropy. Cackie says she didn’t realize until she was older that listening to her father play piano every evening for two hours was not the norm in her friends’ homes. That love of music has carried on through generations, with Cackie working at the Academy of Music after she graduated from Princeton, and serving as a volunteer with the Phila-delphia Orchestra for the past 26 years, recently as President. Jim followed in his father’s musical footsteps by singing throughout high school and college, including in the Triangle Show at Prince-ton. Today, he sings with The Tonics, a men’s a cappella group he co-founded in 1990. The group, comprised of 16 men from the Philadelphia area who also sang in college, performed in May 2015 with the Church Farm School Choir at the school’s “Broadway Bound” Gala. “We all came away from that night thinking, [choral director] ‘Gary Gress has this program on fire,’” Jim says. “Dad would have loved it!”

The Bucks’ 25th Century Foundation, on which Cackie serves as the Chairman of the Board and Jim as President, provided a challenge gift at the 2015 Gala that is helping fund the Choir’s performance at

Carnegie Hall on April 4, 2016. The event was also attended by Jim and Cackie’s aunt and uncle, Laura and Bill Buck, longtime advocates of Church Farm School in their own right.

Beyond being impressed by the choir, Cackie and Jim are equally attracted to Church Farm School’s mission, students and leadership. Despite their family’s long legacy with the school, Jim says he and his sister’s recent reconnection with the school, beginning with their Foundation’s support of the Church Farm School Organ Restoration Challenge in 2013, has more to do with the school’s present than with its past. “I don’t think it’s an accident that we’ve been deeply engaged since [current Head of School] Ned [Sherrill] got there,” Jim says. “He’s an incredibly appealing man of character and his aspira-tions for the school are so great.” Cackie adds, “CFS doesn’t just want these boys to go to college. It is teaching them to be leaders.”

In addition to her work with the Orchestra, Cackie also tutors inner-city children at her local church, and Jim serves on the Regional Board for Teach for America. Jim and Cackie agree that Church Farm School seems to be hitting the mark when it comes to education issues they champion: classroom engage-ment, literacy and teacher readiness.

“I was at an event recently with some students. I have a predisposition to love the school and be impressed, but they really blew me away. The school is really helping these boys to make the most of their lives,” Cackie says.

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This excerpt from a new book by Dr. Rahsaan Harris, CEO of the Emma L. Bowen Foundation, is based on an essay Church Farm School 11th grader Zion Baldwin wrote in 8th grade about his relationship with Rahsaan—his

mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City (BBBSNYC) since he was eight-years-old. Rahsaan wrote “Me & My Big Brother” in the hopes that others

could learn what a powerful role mentor-ing plays, particularly for underserved youth such as Zion, who grew up in a single-parent family in the South Bronx.

“Since I didn’t have a male role model in my home, I found it difficult to relate to my friends and their experiences with their dads,” Zion says. His mother thought he would benefit from the BBBSNYC program, and signed him up. At the same time, Rahsaan, who grew up in nearby Piscataway, New Jersey, was looking for a way to give back. Having decided with his wife to put having children on hold for a bit, he thought becoming a “Big” might be the next best thing. A lifelong friendship was born.

Zion says the essay on which his book is based was actually his application for private school. This application eventually led to his acceptance at Church Farm School as a ninth grader in 2013 and, ironically, ended his “official” Big Brother/Little Brother relationship with Rahsaan,

MENTORING THROUGH GENERATIONS

“We were different,

but I learned we had things

in common.”

Zion Baldwin ’17 and his mentor for nearly a decade, Dr. Rahsaan Harris.

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since he is now considered a resident of Exton where Church Farm School is located. The distance hasn’t stopped the duo from forming a tight bond and connecting multiple times a year, whether Rahsaan stops by the Church Farm School campus when he’s in the area (he resides in Harlem); chatting via phone and text; and, of course, getting together when Zion returns home to the South Bronx. “I always saw my commitment to BBBSNYC as a lifetime commitment,” Rahsaan says. “Zion is a part of my family.”

Rahsaan, the son of an educator and a politician, grew up in a comfortable middle class household. He attended public school in New Jersey, was active in his family’s church and watched his father’s strength at organizing their community around issues of race. Through the advice of his own high school mentor—his track coach—Rahsaan ended up applying to Princeton University, where he majored in ecology and evolu-tionary biology (he also holds Master’s degrees in nonprofit management and high school science education from New York University and Columbia Teachers College, respectively, plus earned his doctorate in Public and Urban Policy from the New School). He did a stint in the Peace Corps before becoming a teacher in New York City public schools, which ultimately led him to philanthropy. As the CEO of the Emma L. Bowen Foundation, Rahsaan oversees its program to diversify media by partnering with leading companies such as Comcast, NBC Universal, Arris (Technology) and FleishmanHillard (public relations) to offer paid internships and opportunities to college students of color beginning the summer before their freshman year. The Foundation currently has more than 200 students working in companies across the country.

Rahsaan has shared many of his passions with Zion over the years—especially for track, which Zion now enjoys at Church Farm School. Three years ago, he started a college fund for Zion, and over the

recent Christmas break, they worked on a spreadsheet of potential schools that might suit Zion’s interest in computer programming. “Rahsaan always inspires me to do my best at everything … and to go the extra mile if I don’t understand something,” he says. This wisdom has helped Zion greatly at Church Farm School, which has very challenging academics.

“I was struggling a lot early on, but now I feel like I’m getting used to my classes,” he says. He’s also wisely focusing hard on the courses he needs to do well in to pursue his passion of being a game devel-oper, such as Pre-Calculus. Zion thanks his teacher, Mr. Chris Gramlich, for working hard with him to succeed in this class. This summer, he participates in the All-Star Code Program, a prep program connecting young men of color to the tech industry. He hopes to pursue an internship with Rahsaan’s Foundation once he is in college.

Zion’s experience with Rahsaan has led to his own realization that he, too, hopes to be a mentor someday. “Recently, I just started thinking about everything he’s done for me and how he’s impacted my life. I wouldn’t be in these circumstances without him,” Zion says. The impact is mutual, Rahsaan says. “Zion reminds me how important it is to slow down and be present. And when I hear him repeat things I say verbatim, I realize, it truly matters what I say.”

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HAMPTON SCHOCH ’38: CHURCH FARM’S OLDEST LIVING ALUMNUS

sharp since he graduated in 1938. Originally from West Philadelphia, Hampton and his older brother, George, were shuffled around to various relatives in their earlier years following their parents’ separation. The minister of the Episcopalian church where the siblings sang spoke with Church Farm School founder and headmaster The Reverend Dr. Charles Wesley Shreiner about the boys’ situation, and George was admitted in 1929. Four years later when Hampton was in 7th grade, he joined his brother at the school. Hampton remembers meeting “The Colonel” for the first time.

“He said he’d be glad to take a chance on me,” says Hampton. “He was strict but fair. And he seemed to take a shine to me and my brother.”

Hampton remembers the farm, and his fellow 11 classmates from the Class of 1938, fondly. “The only time we didn’t enjoy was September, when the potato crop came in,” he laughs, painting a picture of young boys stooping over infinite fields for hours on end each day. Hampton, like so many alumni, appreciates the skills he gleaned on the farm, such as learning how to cook and cut meat in the butcher shop. He remem-bers helping out at the roadside stand—selling vegetables, flowers and meats from the farm—and working in the kitchen doing the pots and pans. Hampton was surprised (and pleased) to learn that current Church Farm School students continue to help out in the kitchen today, with 9th-11th grad-ers assigned to work a shift each semester.

Not tall enough for basketball and too slow for track, Hampton says he enjoyed playing tennis but his favorite sport was football. Academically, Hampton says “the teachers were as good as you could find anywhere,” noting Earl Wilkins ’26 in particular, as well as the math and history professors of his day. Socially, the students were allowed to travel to Downingtown once they were juniors, and could add West Chester to their weekend rotation in 12th grade. “We never

“Iguess you’re calling because I’m the oldest living graduate of Church Farm School,” Hampton Schoch says when he answers a phone call, just three weeks shy of his 95th birthday on March 30, 2016. Hamp-

ton is currently residing in an assisted living facility in South Carolina, but his memories of Church Farm School have remained

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had any trouble getting there using our thumbs,” he said. “Everyone in the community knew what our maroon jackets stood for. They knew we were a bunch of good guys.”

After graduation, Hampton took a job for a textile company in Philadelphia, working his way up over 40 years from the mailroom to sales. His work often had him traveling, most frequently to North Carolina, an area he found he really enjoyed. He and his wife, Elora, retired to Greenwood, South Carolina, 11 years ago. Although Hampton says he won’t likely make it back to Church Farm School again, he did enjoy celebrating his 50th reunion on campus in 1988. He was fascinated to see all of the new buildings and the new uses for existing spaces, such as the gym being converted to the senior lounge (aka

“The Pit.”)

“When you first go to some place, you’re not used to being alone and away from your family,” he says. “As time went along, I realized what a great opportunity it was to get an education taught by good teachers. I don’t think I could have done any better than going to Church Farm School.”

Growing up in San Jose surrounded by his mother and his sisters, it isn’t a huge surprise that the one thing Uche Egonu ’15 wanted most, he found at Church Farm School: brothers. On June 6, 2015, Uche said goodbye to his CFS brothers and entered the next chapter of his life at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

Uche was referred to Church Farm School in 2010 through the program “A Better Chance.” “My mom wanted all of us to go to private school,” Uche says, “so that we could have a better education that would help us more in the future.” Church Farm School resonated with Uche because it was so different from what he knew in California, in respect to weather, certainly, but also diversity. “At my old school, I was used to being one of the few African-American students. At CFS, there were people from all over the country and even the world. The first person I met was Kelechi Umunna ’14,” Uche recalls. “My mom said, Yay!

A fellow Nigerian. You are going to be OK!’”

Uche was better than OK. He quickly made new friends and was able to enjoy activities he’d only seen in the movies: sledding, snowball fights, building snow forts and igloos among them. In ninth grade, Uche joined Yearbook even though he didn’t know anything about graphic design. Thankfully, he had spent the entire summer teaching himself Photoshop. Participation in Yearbook, as well as the DECA and Interact clubs, helped him gain confidence he wasn’t naturally blessed with. “At CFS, I went from being a wallflower to a leader. I was not used to having an impact in that kind of way. CFS helped me realize that I’m no longer scared of giving my opinions and I don’t want to stay in the background anymore. I don’t think I would have that opportunity at a larger school where I’d be lost in the crowd. I’ve thrived at this small place.”

YOUNGEST CFS ALUMNUS: UCHE EGONU ’15

Hampton Schoch is the oldest living Church Farm School alumni. He graduated in the Class of 1938 and is pictured in the top row, second from left.

Uche Egonu ’15 (right) with classmate Osiris Nicholson ’15.

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Congrats to some of our alumni on their recent nuptials! MICHAEL AGYEI ’96 married Isis Walker on July 18, 2015, and G. WEBBER LEWIS ’80 married Grazyna Plawecka on November 21, 2015, in the school’s Chapel of the Atonement.

Congrats to MARCUS PEREIRA ’14, who will be taking a break from his studies at Princeton University this summer

working as a paid intern on the global marketing strategies team at Face-book’s California or New York City headquarters.

GORDON SCHLEICHER ’62 (left) and JOE JOINER ’62 recently met to share Church Farm School stories and current events in their lives. Gordon and his wife Margie drove down from Michigan and Joe and his wife Dottie drove from Alabama to meet in Tennessee. At CFS, Gordon sang in the choir and was an altar boy at St. Paul’s Church. Ten years ago he retired with more than 30 years as a United Methodist Pastor. Joe worked with the plumber at CFS and then spent more than 30 years in the water business before retiring as manager of the city water treatment facility.

Since March of 2015, PAUL HEMBEKIDES ’08 has served as the show researcher for Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio. His daily tasks include providing stats and information to hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic along with building full-screen graphics that appear on

the ESPN2 simulcast. Affectionately nicknamed “Hembo” and “The Greek God of Stats” by Greeny, Paul has become an integral part of the show group amidst its transition to a new studio in Febru-ary. “I couldn’t be happier with my role at ESPN, specifically with our team on Mike & Mike. Every day, I’m provided a platform to use my back-ground in sports and communication to make our listeners smarter through statistics and historical context. I developed those passions during my time at CFS, and will forever be grateful to those at the school who urged me in the right direction.”

After completing his three-year rotational program at Air Products, MICHAEL LENAU ’08 took a new position as a Controls Engineer at M.C. Dean (a specialty electrical contractor). In this role, he has worked as the lead controls engineer for projects designing and maintaining control systems for the Baltimore MTA, Luke Paper and the Social Security Administration.

ALEX KIRWIN ’02 and his wife, Katie, welcomed son Grant Robert Kirwin on Aug. 17, 2015, at 8:40 p.m. at The Birth Center in Wilmington, Delaware. Grant weighed a healthy 6 pounds, 9 oz and was 19 inches long. Alex says he loves exploring, making funny faces and trying to crawl.

FORMER FACULTY NEWS

Former CFS English teacher RAY GREEN-BLATT and his wife Sue recently returned from a month’s voyage of 1,000 miles down the unspoiled coast of Chile to Tierra del Fuego. They saw glaciers, fjords, volcanoes, waterfalls, albatross, condors, whales, dolphins, sea wolves, penguins and myriad flora.

We are extremely saddened by the passing of Chimdi Mbonu ’87 (pictured left with fellow alumni Peter Goda ’60 and David Zimmerman ’88) in March 2016. Chimdi truly exemplified the very best of Church Farm School, continuing to give of

himself to today’s boys and alumni as a member of the Alumni Association and always looking for ways to keep his brothers informed and involved in advancing the welfare of others.

RICHMOND P. JOHNSTON ‘54

MICHAEL PAHL ’68

RONALD SCHATZ ’68

EVAN STARR ’05

RUTH PROSSER (WIFE OF ORVILLE ’38)

CHIMDI O. MBONU ’87

LESLIE H. MCNEMAR ’48

LORRAINE NELL (WIFE OF ROBERT ’44)

MARTHA SOUTHWICK (WIFE OF C. DAVID ’54)

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CHIMDI MBONU ’87

IN MEMORIAM

“YOU KNOW, IT’S OK FOR US ALUMNI TO LOVE EACH OTHER AND ADMIT IT WHEN WE

SPEAK OF EACH OTHER. FOR MANY, THE BONDS OF BROTHERHOOD WE SHARE WITH EACH

OTHER OFTEN INCLUDES A LEVEL OF LOVE AND APPRECIATION UNMATCHED IN OUR

LIVES. FOR ME, AND THE MANY WHO KNEW HIM, CHIMDI REPRESENTED THIS. HIS PHYSICAL

PRESENCE, HIS BOOMING VOICE WERE WRAPPED IN A LOVING, CARING, GENTLE AND

DECENT MAN. CHIMDI’S PARTICIPATION AT OUR ANNUAL DINNER AND OPINIONS DURING

HIS YEARS OF SERVICE TO ALUMNI EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS WILL TRULY

BE MISSED. HIS MEMORY WILL NOT FADE EASILY FOR ANY OF US. HE LOVED CHURCH FARM

SCHOOL, AND SHE LOVED HIM BACK. LIKE SO MANY OTHERS I WILL ALWAYS THINK OF

HIM WITH GREAT FONDNESS AND LOVE; THE GENTLE AND THOUGHTFUL MAN THAT WAS

OUR FRIEND. REST OUR BROTHER, YOU ARE HOME NOW.”

— DON BURT, PRESIDENT, CFS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

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WE HOPE YOU PLAN ON JOINING US BACK AT CHURCH FARM SCHOOL APRIL 29–MAY 1

FOR ALL OR PART OF ALUMNI WEEKEND 2016. THIS YEAR, WE CELEBRATE ALL

THINGS ATHLETIC, PLUS HONOR THE REUNION CLASS OF 1966 AND PRESENT THE

INAUGURAL NEWTON R. DISNEY SERVICE AWARD TO JAMES TATE ’52!

ALUMNI WEEKEND 2016: APRIL 29–MAY 1, 2016

GAME CHANGERS:CELEBRATING CFS ATHLETICS

RSVP ONLINE AT

GOCFS.NET/ALUMNI-WEEKEND

OR BY CONTACTING LORI MCDERMOTT,

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS, AT

LMCDERMOTT@GOCFS.NET OR 1.610.363.5338

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ALUMNI WEEKEND 2016: APRIL 29–MAY 1, 2016

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Career Day

3:45 - 5:15 p.m. Home Sporting Events:Lacrosse and Baseball

5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception (Location TBA)

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2016

9:00 a.m. • Relay for Life 5K RunSupporting Team Lunardi(see website for fees)

• Varsity/JV and AlumniGolf Outing at KimbertonGolf Club ($54/person)

• Outings to the WyebrookMusic Festival ($40 atgate) or Wharton EsherickMuseum ($15 onsite)

2:30 p.m. Alumni/Student Sporting Competitions: Tennis, Softball and Lacrosse

4:30 p.m. Alumni Association Annual Meeting

5:30 p.m. Chapel Memorial Service with Presentation of Bibles to Class of 1966

6:00 p.m. Alumni Reunion Dinner ($20/person or $35/couple) Featuring:• Installation of Alumni

Association Officers• Presentation of James Tate

Award (winner TBA at dinner!) • Presentation of inaugural

Newton R. Disney Service Award to James Tate ’52

• Hall of Athletic Honor Inductions:

Keith Ferguson ’83 (posthumous),

Kwasi Gyambibi ’96 and Eric Horsey, former CFS track coach

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2016

11:25 a.m. Chapel Service

Noon Brunch

KEITH FERGUSON ’83: Keith was an exceptional soccer and basketball player at Church Farm School, but where he really excelled was track. During his three years at Church Farm School, he set the school records for the 100m (:11.3) and 200m (:22.7) dash. He ran track at Allegheny College in Erie, PA, after Church Farm School, and then spent nearly 20 years with

the NYPD. A decorated officer with the Emergency Services Unit, he died on the job on January 31, 2004.

KWASI GYAMBIBI ’96: Kwasi was an incredibly successful Church Farm School student, both on the athletic field and in the classroom. He joined the school’s basketball team in 9th grade, the same year as Coach Marc Turner began coaching at CFS. He received an academic scholarship to University of Connecticut, walked on with the UConn Huskies as a senior point guard and was part of the National Championship team in 2004.

ERIC HORSEY: As the Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach at Church Farm School from 1996-2010, Eric trained, motivated and developed athletes to reach their optimal potential. During Eric’s tenure, the CFS Cross Country team had more than 50 wins and the Track and Field team had more than 100. Eric’s accomplish-

ments didn’t go unnoticed: in 2001, he was named the Inquir-er’s Delaware Valley Coach of the Year and in 2004 and 2009, he was named the Daily Local News’ Coach of the Year.

2016 HALL OF ATHLETIC HONOR INDUCTEES

INAUGURAL NEWTON DISNEY SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT: JAMES TATE ’52

JIM TATE has set the standard in terms of giving back to the school. For more than 60 years, he has remained a dedicated graduate, active in alumni affairs, fundraisers and serving on the board of direc-tors for 44 years. Jim gives gener-ously not only of his time, but of his

many talents and treasure, too. He has likewise made equally significant investments and contributions to the Alumni Association, working hard to keep fellow graduates connected, quite often with the interests of current students in mind.

One of Jim’s more memorable and lasting alumni contribu-tions had to do with the production of Vision and Ability, The History of CFS, The School at Church Farm. Jim organized, promoted and managed this heroic endeavor, and following nearly a decade of continuous and tireless efforts, the book was finally published in 2002.

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ITHE SMALL NATURE OF THE CLASSROOMS

GAVE MY SONS A LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE TO GO

INTO THE BIGGER WORLD.

— MARK CARROLL

n the mid-1990s, Joanne Carroll of Downingtown was getting ready to recycle some junk mail when a brochure for Church Farm School caught her eye. Coincidentally, Joanne and her husband, Mark, were looking for a better schooling option

for their two sons—Tom and Steve. Large classes in their then-current school weren’t benefiting either boy. “We were drawn to

the small class sizes and individual attention at Church Farm School,” Mark says. “Combined with a faculty that is extremely dedicated to the kids, that was a

‘deal-maker’ for us.” Tom, now a Director of Service at Panasonic Enterprise Solutions in Grapevine, Texas, after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps for almost eight years, adds, “To say my years in grade school had their ups and downs may be a bit of an understatement. I often had a difficult time in class and never had an extracurricular that I really dove into.” Steve and Tom entered Church Farm School as day students in 1995, in 8th and 7th grade, respectively.

As it turned out, Church Farm School was exactly what the boys needed, and they flourished. “It was a bit of a leap of faith that my parents took and for that I will be forever grateful,” Tom says. “I immediately started to do better in school and felt I was in an environment where I could excel.” Steve believes the school afforded him opportunities that wouldn’t have been

THE CARROLL FAMILY Mark, Tom, Steve and Joanne Carroll.

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possible at a larger school, such as playing varsity sports and singing in the choir.

“The small nature of the classrooms gave my sons a level of confidence to go into the bigger world. For Stephen, singing in choir really encouraged him to come out of his shell. And for Thomas, the discipline he learned wrestling with Art Smith served him well at the Naval Academy,” Mark says.

Speaking of wrestling coach (and longtime science teacher) Art Smith, Tom remem-bers his tough approach with appreciation. When he took up wresting in 7th grade, he lost all 11 of his matches. “The best thing that happened was that no one ever said

‘at least you tried your best.’ I remember Mr. Smith telling us on the last day of wrestling season that the next year’s season began that day and the only way to be successful was to put the time in during the off season,” Tom says. “I took that to heart and over the next few years would go to wrestling camps in the summer, lift weights, started running cross county and by my senior year I placed third at the private school state tournament. By facing actual failure and not being given a false sense of it being OK and working hard to overcome it, I learned a very valuable lesson.”

The diversity of the school was also extremely beneficial to the boys, as their existing neighborhood and school district was somewhat “monolithic,” Tom says. “Being exposed to students from so many backgrounds, differences in upbring-ing, geography and ethnicity ended up serving me well,” Tom says, “especially when I served in the military which is notorious for taking people with the most varied backgrounds and putting them in scenarios that require teamwork.”

“I see CFS as being on par with the more well-known private schools in the area but with its doors being more open to students who would otherwise not have the chance to attend such a great school,” Steve says. Steve is currently relocating to Atlanta with his wife, Christin, and their two dogs, after completing his recent tour

at Fort Hood, where he has been practicing Emergency Medicine for the Army at San Antonio Military Medical Center. He also deployed for three months in 2014 to a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Mark says he wishes more of the community knew about the school and its mission, and that is another goal of the Board. “Not enough people know about this incredible resource in their backyard. If they only knew about its heritage and what it is offering to boys from disad-vantaged backgrounds, Chester County would puff up with pride.”

After his sons graduated in 2001 and 2002, Mark was asked to serve on the school’s Board of Directors. Working closely with Sam Ballam, former Chairman, Mark and the rest of the Board were integral in the school’s technology initiatives and in the search for a new Head of School. In 2013, he took the reins as Chairman. “My chairmanship has been entirely under Ned [Sherrill’s] tenure,” Mark says. “We’re very fortunate to have someone as dedicated as Ned leading the school and its students.”

“My mom and dad have always taught us the importance of giving back to your community. The contributions my dad and the other board members have made to Church Farm’s mission has been a great opportunity to see those teachings in action,” says Steve.

Steve Carroll during his deployment in 2014 to Kabul, Afghanistan.

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Her voice was the one that parents and callers to Church Farm School recognized. Her smile the one that greeted guests for nearly two decades. Like mother, like daughter. Since

2006, Lori McDermott has followed in the beloved footsteps of her mother, Janet C. Hartzell, as the friendly voice answering alumni calls or beaming her lovely smile

at graduates that drop by to visit their old stomping grounds.

Janet, who grew up in New Jersey, began her career as a bookkeeper for the Edmund Scientific Company while taking evening classes at the University of Pennsylvania to earn her degree in accounting. In February of 1974, she was hired to oversee Church Farm School’s payroll. She served in the business office for many years, moving on to a position in student services until finally serving as receptionist until she passed away peacefully in 2010. Because her death was sudden and in advance of her planned retire-ment, her daughters—Lori, Ginny and Diane—established the “Angel Fund” in her honor using an initial

investment of what Janet would have received in added incentive had she been able to take advantage of a retirement package being offered by the school.

Janet enjoyed being able to work alongside her family at Church Farm School; her daughter Diane worked for two summers in the rose garden and then two summers in the pig barn. Lori joined Church Farm School full time in 2006 in the Development office and began her role as the director of alumni relations a year later. She also oversees the CFS Parents’ Association, the Student Ambassa-dor Program and serves on the board of West Whiteland Township’s Friends of the

Parks. Even Janet’s grandchildren have been involved with the school: Lauren worked at CFS for a number of years, and attended the summer camp along with her brothers Michael and Chris. In her eulogy, grandson Chris said, “Janet Hartzell loved four things dearly in life: her family, her friends, her Church and the Church Farm School.” Added grandson Michael, “She worked at the school for 36 years, and in the latter part of her career, it wasn’t for the paycheck. Rather it was for the joy of helping others.”

As a result of her mother’s longtime relationship with the school, and her own passion for the mission, Lori is a fount of Church Farm School lore. Ask her any bit of trivia about the school, past or present, and she is eager to share. Her enthusiasm for the students, the faculty and staff and especially Church Farm School alumni is contagious.

“Like my mother, my love for Church Farm School has always centered around the boys and the unique opportunity this school provides to so many. The joy and satisfaction we have both received is far greater than the time we have invested. Continuing my mother’s service to CFS is just a small way to pay it forward,” Lori says.

JANET C. HARTZELL AND LORI MCDERMOTT

Janet C. Hartzell

Lori McDermott

It is through your generosity that we bridge the financial gap that enables us to send all boys of promise and ability to Church Farm School.

There are many ways to give a hand-up to a deserving student:

• Contribute to the ANNUAL FUND which provides unrestricted scholarship support. • Sponsor a student through our GRIFFIN SCHOLARS PROGRAM or MILITARY SCHOLARSHIP FUND and make an immediate connection to an exemplary young man.• Support an area of SPECIAL INTEREST, such as the chapel, the athletic program or the arts, or become a sponsor or patron of a FUNDRAISING EVENT. • Create a NAMED ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP and build a permanent legacy. • Honor the Church Farm School mission by naming the school in YOUR WILL. • Make a CORPORATE GIFT for scholarships and receive a 90% tax credit through the PA Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) or the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) program.

IMPACT“OF ALL THE THINGS TO WHICH

YOU CAN DIRECT YOUR EXPERIENCE

AND PHILANTHROPY, EDUCATION

MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.”

— Richard H. Gherst II, CFS Board Member and Shreiner Society Member

MAKE AN

DONATE ONLINE AT GOCFS.NET/DONATE

Church Farm School1001 E. Lincoln HighwayExton, PA 19341www.gocfs.net

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSOUTHEASTERN, PA

PERMIT #2040