Putney Post is our alumni magazine, published once a quarter throughout the school year.
Featured Editions
Before you read this issue, close your eyes and think of the barn—the smell of hay and manure, the sounds of animals and of work, the cows’ liquid eyes. Put yourself there if you can, and ask, “What’s my barn story?” We hope you’ll think about it. We hope you’ll share your story with a friend. In this issue, we endeavor to capture the reach of The Putney School’s barn in both scope and depth: China, California, the New York Times, the school’s fiber arts studio, science labs, and history classrooms, even a bright pink sweater from The Gap.
Pete Stickney bids farewell after 27 years on the farm.
"New York Times" reporter Alice Callahan '98 on the gifts of the farm.
Cyane Dandridge '84 found her love of leadership in AM Barn.
Four stories of connection.
Excerpt of Joan Hinton '39 letter, "From a Farm Near Sian."
Members of the fall crew give three words to describe their experience with PM Barn.
Putney people frequently ask how the school responds to the important topics our society wrestles with. Equity and inclusion, climate change, rising tuition costs, and more. In the last year, the questions have centered, overwhelmingly, on artificial intelligence and the recent explosion of ChatGPT and its ilk. What on earth will we do about this? How do we teach our students to use technology responsibly? Is it an asset or a threat? In this issue, we dive into that question.
Darius Shaoul '18 on art, technology, and his award-winning AI film.
"We can engineer, design, and build the things we love, but if we're a community, we have to think about the needs of others.
Spanish teacher Abelardo Almazán-Vázquez regularly presents about inclusivity in the classroom at regional and national conferences.
Here's an aerial view to help you see the shape of the campus today.
Marin Higgins '23 built a telescope and did much of the creation work during Project Weeks.
Many students find ways to explore the art of craft using one's hands.
Award-winning filmmaker Bronwyn Maloney '09 on the illusion of time and hand-drawn animation.
Geoffrey Hinton's journey from AI groundbreaker to doomsayer marks a remarkable moment for the technology industry.
Lydia Davis '65 might be the most celebrated writer you've never heard of.
We have a lot of alumni who graduate into the world and live lives guided by their love for and connection to the natural world. In this issue, we meet a small handful of them, including siblings Rayna ’93 and Soren deNiord ’96, landscape architects whose work centers around ecological resiliency; Clara Rowe ’07, CEO of Restor, a mapping and open data platform that supports, promotes, and connects a multitude of environmental causes; and soon, Henry Stephenson-Ryan ’23, whose work understanding the population dynamics and ecosystems of the forests that surround the campus will reverberate for decades to come.
We honor Libby, who died of cancer in January, for her decades of work protecting open spaces.
Putney embarks on a long-term scientific study on wildlife population dynamics and the chestnut tree.
Putney's two new dormitories are moving the school closer to its goal of a net-zero campus.
Clara Rowe '07 is building a greener future.
Two Putney grads on the theory and practice of landscape architecture.
Students are working toward a more inclusive future.
In this issue we explore the concept of growth through a few lenses. We meet Putney’s new head of school, Danny O’Brien. We check in on the literal growth of this little school in the form of two new dormitories. We witness the growth of our students through their work growing our food. We reflect on the life and work of longtime Putney faculty Brian Cohen, who helped students grow into artists as he honed his own skills and pursued his artistic passions.
For most of his 35 years at Putney, Wender Arts was Brian Cohen's domain.
Perri Meeks '12 and Natalie Silver '12 are rocking it in the beyond-Putney world.
Students work to rebuild arms cabin.
Construction on the two new dorms has officially (and finally) begun!
Getting to know Danny O'Brien, Putney's new head of school.
Putney's gardens are the site of much joy and learning.
In this issue, we intentionally slow down, slice the Putney cake to show you its layers. As we publicly launch our next campaign, Sing it Forward: A Campaign for Putney’s Future, we tell stories of timeless student experiences rooted in nature, in art and exploration. And we take one last time with Emily, whose steady presence has grounded our work.
One of Putney's two new dorms will be named for Hep Caldwell '46. It's arguable that Putney would not be Putney without her.
"I felt very understood by Gordon, he had the same gift as Shakespeare, an innate understanding of human nature. And I miss that. I miss him."
The need to replace Old Boys is the stuff of legends. With that in mind, Putney will erect two new dorms to house students and faculty.
This campaign invites the Putney community to come together in celebration of the past, present, and future.
For 16 years, librarian Sarah Wiles has worked to build representation and inclusivity into the school's library culture.
The current moment demands us to use the study of history not just as a tool to understand what happened in the past, but to give our students agency and power in the future.
Working on campus and off toward a civilization worthy of the name.
A fond farewell for Emily Jones.
At Putney, we teach failure. We teach for failure. We teach about failing often, and well. There is, as you will learn reading this issue’s stories, more to learn there than there is in straightforward success. This issue’s theme—Drive—captures the energy that sees people through challenging situations, “failures,” and creative dilemmas.
In July, Putney will welcome Danny O'Brien as its tenth head of school.
After an accident left Alicia Brelsford Dana '87 paralyzed from the waist down, she turned to hand cycling.
Gentara Yokoyama '96 knew he wanted to be a ceramicist after Putney. But he also knew he wanted to push what that meant.
Merou Rosner '21 wanted to fix up a 1965 Volvo during her first project week as a commuter vehicle. After four years of stops and starts, it made the commute.
There's no success like failure, according to Oscar-winning filmmaker Darius Marder '92.
Emily Jones and Christopher Barnes '85 in conversation.
Amid the chaos, fear, and sadness that the pandemic brought, the single thread—the siren—of racial injustice rests at the heart of that pain, and 2020 illuminated the absolutely non-negotiable truth that we, Putney—the institution and its people—must commit to change.
Hallie Herz ’07 Takes Action in the Fight for Equity
Reopening Campus After its COVID-19 Closure
Is it a Time of Rebirth for Putney?
C. Lee Cohen '03 Brings Order to COVID-19 Chaos
We were willing to take the risk of addressing a big topic and maybe not getting it quite right—whether by leaving out something obvious, or being too fluffy, or being too serious. Still. Democracy. Yes
Head of School Emily Jones on this Deeply Complex Challenge
Innocent Obi, Jr. ’12 Empowers and Informs in the Modern Age
Josh Laughlin '82 Bridges Putney Town and School
Caitlin Baggott Davis ’95 Fights for Democracy and the Planet
What does it mean to be the alumni of a school? Does it make you kindred with the other alumni? Does it mean you forever have another home, regardless of the many changes in staff that occur? Can a school know you? Love you?
