alumni events
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There are numerous ways to get involved with other Mountain School alumni and be connected to the School itself, whether it happens where you live or on campus.
The Alumni Office and the Alumni Committee work together to organize annual events around the U.S. and occasionally abroad. For several years Big Idea Day and Mountain School Where You Live were our anchor events in fall and spring. As of spring 2018, the Alumni Committee decided to put these events on hold while taking time to garner feedback from alumni about annual programming and consider potential new formats for events. Read the Fall 2018 issue of Beyond Garden Hill, the Alumni Committee's online newsletter, for a full report on this change.
If you have an idea for an event or would like to organize something, please let us know here. |
upcoming events:San Francisco: date TBA, but around the weekend of October 26, 2019
Seattle: date TBA, but around the weekend of November 16-17 or 24-25 recent events:See below
If you want to be sure to get details on upcoming events near you, please update your address and contact information with the Mountain School. |
recent events:
Taking Action: Perspectives on Putting Environmental Preservation Into Practice
WHEN: Wednesday, May 1, 2019 • 6-9 p.m.
WHERE: Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Sciences, New Haven, CT
New Haven-area alumni and friends came together to learn from members of the Mountain School community who are taking action in the realm of environmental preservation and sustainability, from ensuring access to open spaces to measuring carbon footprints. With the addition of some famous New Haven pizza, the evening was a casual gathering of conversation and connection. Read about the panelists below:
Casey Pickett f95 is Director of the Yale Carbon Charge, where he experiments with, and expands public understanding of, internal carbon pricing systems. He recently served as Director of Innovation for Connecticut’s Economic Development department and is a graduate of the School of Management and School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale. He has a background in startups, green building, and political organizing.
Laura Ostrowsky f11 is in her second and final year as a Master of Forest Science student at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She studies plant physiology, forest ecology, and conservation biology, and her Master’s thesis research is on the physiology and regeneration of red maple in Connecticut forests. In addition to her research, she works as a writing tutor at the Yale Center for Teaching and Learning, a graduate Teaching Fellow for two Yale courses, and a Greenskills team leader at the Urban Resources Institute. Before coming to Yale, Laura worked as a writing tutor, environmental researcher, and music teacher. She holds a BA in English and environmental studies from Bowdoin College.
Suzannah Holsenbeck f99 currently serves as the CT Schoolyards Program Manager at Common Ground, working with over 22 New Haven public schools to help them bring school gardens and outdoor classrooms to their schoolyards to ensure all children have access to meaningful outdoor learning experiences. Suzannah is also a member of the Mountain School Advisory Board.
Walker Holmes, former faculty at the Mountain School (Latin and Outdoor Program in Fall ’01 and Spring ’02), is Connecticut State Director for The Trust for Public Land, where she leads park creation and land protection efforts in Connecticut and beyond. Other career attempts have included: environmental consultant, real estate title assistant, outdoor retailer, and teacher at TMS. Walker graduated from Dartmouth College and Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She is current board chair of the New Haven Land Trust. She lives in New Haven with her partner, two kids, one dog, and six chickens.
WHEN: Wednesday, May 1, 2019 • 6-9 p.m.
WHERE: Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Sciences, New Haven, CT
New Haven-area alumni and friends came together to learn from members of the Mountain School community who are taking action in the realm of environmental preservation and sustainability, from ensuring access to open spaces to measuring carbon footprints. With the addition of some famous New Haven pizza, the evening was a casual gathering of conversation and connection. Read about the panelists below:
Casey Pickett f95 is Director of the Yale Carbon Charge, where he experiments with, and expands public understanding of, internal carbon pricing systems. He recently served as Director of Innovation for Connecticut’s Economic Development department and is a graduate of the School of Management and School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale. He has a background in startups, green building, and political organizing.
Laura Ostrowsky f11 is in her second and final year as a Master of Forest Science student at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She studies plant physiology, forest ecology, and conservation biology, and her Master’s thesis research is on the physiology and regeneration of red maple in Connecticut forests. In addition to her research, she works as a writing tutor at the Yale Center for Teaching and Learning, a graduate Teaching Fellow for two Yale courses, and a Greenskills team leader at the Urban Resources Institute. Before coming to Yale, Laura worked as a writing tutor, environmental researcher, and music teacher. She holds a BA in English and environmental studies from Bowdoin College.
Suzannah Holsenbeck f99 currently serves as the CT Schoolyards Program Manager at Common Ground, working with over 22 New Haven public schools to help them bring school gardens and outdoor classrooms to their schoolyards to ensure all children have access to meaningful outdoor learning experiences. Suzannah is also a member of the Mountain School Advisory Board.
Walker Holmes, former faculty at the Mountain School (Latin and Outdoor Program in Fall ’01 and Spring ’02), is Connecticut State Director for The Trust for Public Land, where she leads park creation and land protection efforts in Connecticut and beyond. Other career attempts have included: environmental consultant, real estate title assistant, outdoor retailer, and teacher at TMS. Walker graduated from Dartmouth College and Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She is current board chair of the New Haven Land Trust. She lives in New Haven with her partner, two kids, one dog, and six chickens.
At the Local and Global Table: Mountain School Culinary Entrepreneurs
WHEN: Sunday, April 14, 2019 • 5-8 p.m.
WHERE: Mei Mei, 506 Park Drive, Boston, MA
Mountain School alumni gathered for delicious food while learning about dishing up flavor, supporting sustainability, and the risks and rewards of being an entrepreneur in today's food industry. Speakers Irene Li s07, co-owner of Mei Mei restaurant in Boston, and Claire Cheney s01, owner of Curio Spice Co. in Cambridge, discussed aspects of local and global food sourcing, the ins and outs of owning a small business, and how conscious consumers can support a sustainable retail food industry.
WHEN: Sunday, April 14, 2019 • 5-8 p.m.
WHERE: Mei Mei, 506 Park Drive, Boston, MA
Mountain School alumni gathered for delicious food while learning about dishing up flavor, supporting sustainability, and the risks and rewards of being an entrepreneur in today's food industry. Speakers Irene Li s07, co-owner of Mei Mei restaurant in Boston, and Claire Cheney s01, owner of Curio Spice Co. in Cambridge, discussed aspects of local and global food sourcing, the ins and outs of owning a small business, and how conscious consumers can support a sustainable retail food industry.
Garden Hill Fund grant recipients present in San Francisco
WHEN: Wednesday, January 16, 2019 • 6-9 p.m.
WHERE: The Plant Cafe Organic, 250 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA
WHERE: The Plant Cafe Organic, 250 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA
More than 60 guests gathered to learn about the work of three local Garden Hill Fund grant recipients—Lara Bazelon s91, Megan Shutzer s05, and Uriel Hernandez f07—and also enjoyed time to connect with each other and Director Alden Smith. Read about the panelists below:
Lara Bazelon s91
Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal and Racial Justice Clinics at USF School of Law
Lara's book--Rectify: The Power of Restorative Justice After Wrongful Conviction—is about “the nascent movement to apply restorative justice principles to wrongful conviction cases and the movement's potentially transformative effect on the criminal justice system.” Her Garden Hill Fund grant helped support her travel and living expenses while writing the book, the proposal for which was based on Lara’s article in Slate Magazine, “Justice After Injustice: What happens after a wrongfully convicted person is exonerated—and the witness finds out she identified the wrong man.” Lara interviewed dozens of people, including crime victims, the men who were falsely convicted of those crimes, their families, the lawyers, and restorative justice practitioners. She then interviewed many more in cities and rural communities across the United States. The book closely examines three wrongful conviction cases: one in which restorative justice was not applied, one in which it was applied, and one in the very beginning of the healing process. Lara tells these stories through the lived experiences of the exonerees, the original crime victims, and the concentric circles of family members, friends, lawyers, judges, prosecutors, detectives and others who were deeply affected by the false convictions. Lara's goal was to show that restorative justice principles, when applied with great care and thoughtfulness, can bring about personal healing and social change in ways that would have otherwise been impossible.
Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal and Racial Justice Clinics at USF School of Law
Lara's book--Rectify: The Power of Restorative Justice After Wrongful Conviction—is about “the nascent movement to apply restorative justice principles to wrongful conviction cases and the movement's potentially transformative effect on the criminal justice system.” Her Garden Hill Fund grant helped support her travel and living expenses while writing the book, the proposal for which was based on Lara’s article in Slate Magazine, “Justice After Injustice: What happens after a wrongfully convicted person is exonerated—and the witness finds out she identified the wrong man.” Lara interviewed dozens of people, including crime victims, the men who were falsely convicted of those crimes, their families, the lawyers, and restorative justice practitioners. She then interviewed many more in cities and rural communities across the United States. The book closely examines three wrongful conviction cases: one in which restorative justice was not applied, one in which it was applied, and one in the very beginning of the healing process. Lara tells these stories through the lived experiences of the exonerees, the original crime victims, and the concentric circles of family members, friends, lawyers, judges, prosecutors, detectives and others who were deeply affected by the false convictions. Lara's goal was to show that restorative justice principles, when applied with great care and thoughtfulness, can bring about personal healing and social change in ways that would have otherwise been impossible.
Megan Shutzer s05
Documentary filmmaker, journalist, storyteller
Meg completed a documentary begun in 2013 about the sole women’s soccer team in Zanzibar, the New Generation Queens, which “captur[es] their stories, both challenges and victories.” The film is regarded as a catalyst for change for women in Zanzibar, where “most women work in the home, many cover themselves when they go outside, and few have the chance to play sports.” There is widespread belief in Zanzibar that “women’s soccer is immoral because of the clothing that one must wear (e.g. shorts) and because women might use this to attract men!” For the women on the soccer team, however, it is “exceedingly important that you can be a woman, a Muslim and a soccer player.” Meg also used the grant to ensure that there is adequate outreach for the documentary in Zanzibar, including screenings in schools, theaters and at the Zanzibar International Film Festival. New Generation Queens is available to rent or buy on Vimeo, Amazon, and Google Play.
Documentary filmmaker, journalist, storyteller
Meg completed a documentary begun in 2013 about the sole women’s soccer team in Zanzibar, the New Generation Queens, which “captur[es] their stories, both challenges and victories.” The film is regarded as a catalyst for change for women in Zanzibar, where “most women work in the home, many cover themselves when they go outside, and few have the chance to play sports.” There is widespread belief in Zanzibar that “women’s soccer is immoral because of the clothing that one must wear (e.g. shorts) and because women might use this to attract men!” For the women on the soccer team, however, it is “exceedingly important that you can be a woman, a Muslim and a soccer player.” Meg also used the grant to ensure that there is adequate outreach for the documentary in Zanzibar, including screenings in schools, theaters and at the Zanzibar International Film Festival. New Generation Queens is available to rent or buy on Vimeo, Amazon, and Google Play.
Uriel Hernandez f07
Southeast Area Manager at San Francisco Parks Alliance
Leveraging the power of hundreds of community volunteers and existing matching funds for trees, Uriel aimed to plan, coordinate, and build a vibrant community orchard in an abandoned corner of Jack Farrell Park in his hometown of East Palo Alto, California. Prior to the installation of a baseball field, this park was run-down and plagued by crime and drugs. The park improved thanks to the ball field, but it still struggled to shake its old image. A nearly 6,000 square foot corner of the park remained barren and unused. The community expressed a desire to transform this empty lot into a vital, tree-filled green space. Fruit trees are particularly culturally relevant and an appreciated form of community greening for East Palo Alto; access to healthy fresh fruit was deemed a highly valued outcome for residents. Working with the Canopy organization and taking advantage of Canopy’s strong community ties in East Palo Alto, Uriel's worked to facilitate bilingual input from residents on additional ideas and improvements for the lot, such as picnic versus play areas. Partnership with Canopy was used to ensure community buy-in, added park amenities, and long-term maintenance.
Southeast Area Manager at San Francisco Parks Alliance
Leveraging the power of hundreds of community volunteers and existing matching funds for trees, Uriel aimed to plan, coordinate, and build a vibrant community orchard in an abandoned corner of Jack Farrell Park in his hometown of East Palo Alto, California. Prior to the installation of a baseball field, this park was run-down and plagued by crime and drugs. The park improved thanks to the ball field, but it still struggled to shake its old image. A nearly 6,000 square foot corner of the park remained barren and unused. The community expressed a desire to transform this empty lot into a vital, tree-filled green space. Fruit trees are particularly culturally relevant and an appreciated form of community greening for East Palo Alto; access to healthy fresh fruit was deemed a highly valued outcome for residents. Working with the Canopy organization and taking advantage of Canopy’s strong community ties in East Palo Alto, Uriel's worked to facilitate bilingual input from residents on additional ideas and improvements for the lot, such as picnic versus play areas. Partnership with Canopy was used to ensure community buy-in, added park amenities, and long-term maintenance.
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Brooklyn event focuses on food systems and policy
WHEN: November 1, 2018 • 6-9 p.m.
WHERE: 61 Local, 61 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY The Mountain School hosted an alumni event in Brooklyn, NY featuring a conversation about food systems, policy, and justice with Emma Clippinger f02 and Curt Ellis s97, both leaders in this arena. Hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and an in-depth discussion about food issues in the U.S. attracted a large response from alumni, with ultimately about 45 alumni attending, plus Mountain School staff and co-founders David and Nancy Grant. Read about the panelists below:
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Emma Clippinger f02 is a food policy lawyer based in New York City. She co-founded Gardens for Health International (GHI), an NGO that works at the intersection of nutrition and agriculture in Rwanda, and served as the organization’s first Executive Director. GHI has received accolades from Echoing Green, Ashoka, and the Clinton Global Initiative, among others. As a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, Emma worked on U.S. federal, state, and local policy efforts to increase access to healthy foods and co-authored policy guides and research papers, including The Blueprint for a National Food Strategy (2017). Emma received her B.A. from Brown University and her J.D. from NYU Law School, where she was a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholar.
Curt Ellis s97 is recognized as a leading voice in America’s food movement. After growing up in Oregon and finding his passion for food and agriculture at The Mountain School and Yale, Curt moved to Iowa to investigate the role of subsidized commodities in the American obesity epidemic. The film he co-created there (with Ian Cheney s97), King Corn, received a national theatrical release and PBS broadcast, shaped policy debate about the Farm Bill, and earned a George Foster Peabody Award. Since 2009, Curt has been busy creating and leading FoodCorps, a national organization that is creating a future where every child gets the nourishment they need to thrive. Curt has been recognized as a Draper Richards Kaplan Fellow, a Claneil Foundation Emerging Leader, a Kellogg Food and Community Fellow, a New Profit Social Entrepreneur, and is a recipient of the Heinz Award and Pearl Award. He has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, and NPR, and serves on the steering committee of Voices for National Service, the advisory board of the Blue Sky Funders Forum, and the Board of Springboard Collaborative.
Curt Ellis s97 is recognized as a leading voice in America’s food movement. After growing up in Oregon and finding his passion for food and agriculture at The Mountain School and Yale, Curt moved to Iowa to investigate the role of subsidized commodities in the American obesity epidemic. The film he co-created there (with Ian Cheney s97), King Corn, received a national theatrical release and PBS broadcast, shaped policy debate about the Farm Bill, and earned a George Foster Peabody Award. Since 2009, Curt has been busy creating and leading FoodCorps, a national organization that is creating a future where every child gets the nourishment they need to thrive. Curt has been recognized as a Draper Richards Kaplan Fellow, a Claneil Foundation Emerging Leader, a Kellogg Food and Community Fellow, a New Profit Social Entrepreneur, and is a recipient of the Heinz Award and Pearl Award. He has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, and NPR, and serves on the steering committee of Voices for National Service, the advisory board of the Blue Sky Funders Forum, and the Board of Springboard Collaborative.
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Seattle alumni gather for brunch and conversation
WHEN: November 4, 2018
WHERE: Seattle, WA Thanks to Megan McJennett f89 for generously hosting a potluck Sunday brunch. Faculty member Ben Tiefenthaler (orchard manager and resident apple expert, Latin teacher, and chore master) attended and connected with alumni from a range of semesters to share a meal and talk about apples and life on campus at the Mountain School.
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Looking for information about annual on-campus events such as reunions and/or Summer Session? Click here.