Putney Post

Putney Post
Alumni Edition

“The only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him.” This is possibly what Putney does best. However, the concept of trust is neither simple nor straightforward. It’s a practice, a neurological/emotional state, a religious experience, an evolutionary fact. We asked alumni to grapple with the concept and it’s consequences from various vantage points.

Featured Stories

Reflections from a Putney Parent

Peggy King Jorde ’76 and the Work of Reparative Justice and Preservation

We Are Actually Better Off if We Don't Trust Each Other

Alumni Bid a Fond Farewell to Old Boys Dorm

Faith & the Ties that Bind

Land, Community, and Learning

Putney Post
Alumni Edition

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.

Featured Stories

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.

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.

Putney Post
Alumni Edition

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.

Featured Stories

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.

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.

Putney Post
Alumni Edition

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.

Featured Stories

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.

Two Putney grads on the theory and practice of landscape architecture.

Students are working toward a more inclusive future.

Clara Rowe '07 is building a greener future.

Putney Post
Alumni Edition

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.

Featured Stories

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.