School News

On the evening of April 21, 900 guests attended “A Night at The Met Honoring Headmaster Stephen M. Clement, III” in The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Thanks to the generosity of underwriters from The Browning School, all those in attendance – especially the guest of honor who will retire after 28 years as Headmaster at the end of June – marveled at the spectacular setting and opportunity to mark this milestone.

A shared champagne toast to Mr. Clement by former Board President/Honorary Trustee James Chanos and current Board President Samuel Weinhoff was part of the festivities, along with tribute videos produced by Browning parent Ken Metz; a string quartet led by Vincent Lionti, a Browning parent and violist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; a musical tribute by Lower School music teacher Lucy Warner; remarks by Bodie Brizendine, head of The Spence School; a performance by the legendary Whiffenpoofs of Yale University (Mr. Clement’s alma mater); and months of detailed planning by event Chair Sharon Jacob, Trustee Deborah van Eck (both Browning parents) and Director of Institutional Advancement Jim Simon combined for a poignant and unforgettable evening. Click here to view the tribute videos, photos and remarks from the evening.

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The Form II boys visited the United Nations headquarters in midtown Manhattan as part of their studies in Spanish and history regarding the formation of the United Nations. The boys were led through the complex comprised of the General Assembly Hall, Conference and Secretariat Buildings, where they learned about protocol, the issues regularly discussed there, and details of the impeding election of a new Secretary General. They were fascinated to discover that the land the U.N. occupies was donated by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., a student in Browning’s first graduating class in 1893. The docent helped the boys appreciate the peacekeeping mission and sustainable development goals of the U.N. Click here to view photos and details of the class’ tour.

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On Wednesday, April 20, Headmaster Clement and Alumni Association President Michael Beys '89 hosted Browning's Class of 2016 at a nearby private club for the annual Form VI Alumni Association Breakfast. As is tradition at this event, the senior class was formally inducted into the Alumni Association and presented with engraved money clips to commemorate their upcoming graduation. The boys had a chance to hear from the following officers and Alumni Council members: Mr. Beys '89, Vice President of the Alumni Association Stuart Orenstein '00, Secretary of the Alumni Association John Moran '97 and Alumni Council Member John Hutzler '86. Alumni faculty members Mr. Pelz '71, Coach West '92 and Mr. Katz '04 also spoke about staying involved beyond graduation. The Alumni Association looks forward to having these 26 new members officially join its ranks in June! Please click here to view photos.

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The second annual Panther games at Randall's Island, held on Wednesday, April 13, were organized by physical education teacher David Watson. Three color teams, Red, Black and White, were involved in various events and activities throughout the day.

The morning started with a human pyramid race involving all members of all the teams, followed by running events. There were other activities as well, including tug of war, beanbag toss, potato sack race and wheelbarrow race, allowing the teams to score points before heading to lunch. In the afternoon the captains of the teams rallied their members to play and score more points in three team sports, including soccer, modified softball and touch football. After all the games were completed and the points collected, the Red team was declared the victor for the day. Click here to view photos.

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On April 11, the entire Middle School ventured out to Randalls Island on a blustery day for Field Day. Coach Michael Cohn reports: The cold weather didn't dampen the boys' spirits, as you could feel the energy and enthusiasm among them. The morning events included various track and field activities, tug-of-war, relay races and a "World Cup" soccer tournament. After two exciting hours of play, the boys enjoyed a picnic pizza lunch and then proceeded to participate in any activity of their choice, including soccer, kickball, touch football and capture the flag. A great day of competition and fun was had by all, and Middle School Field Day 2016 was a huge success. Go, Panthers! View photos.

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On Friday, April 8, more than 180 alumni and guests returned for Browning's annual Alumni Reunion, a full day of festivities. Alumni from the Classes of 1950 through 2013 attended along with their guests, as well as a number of faculty and staff. The Alumni Association's highest distinction, the Charles W. Cook '38 Alumnus Achievement Award, was presented to Wall Street Journal columnist Ralph Gardner, Jr. '71 during the evening reception.

The day began with an Alumni Career Panel featuring four alumni: Benjamin D'Innocenzo '06 (Environmental Protection Agency), Max Levai '06 (Marlborough Chelsea), Alexander Sheridan '04 (Riverdale Country School) and Alexandros Theodorou '93 (Virgin America). These alumni spoke to Upper School boys about their lives after Browning, shared words of wisdom and advice, and proudly discussed how well their Browning education has served them. They also expressed gratitude to a number of faculty members who still work at Browning. Following the Career Panel, the annual True Grytte Society and Consecutive-Year Donor Luncheon was held for the 10th year in a row at a nearby private club. The highlight of the luncheon was a special performance from the Upper School Chorus, led by Music Department Chair David Prestigiacomo. Please click here to watch. 

The main Reunion event, a cocktail reception held in the Lower Gym, saw a record turnout of alumni and guests. The Stephen S. Perry '76 Memorial Class Representative Awards were presented to three outstanding alumni: Sanford Pelz '71 (Most Outstanding Class Representative), Justin Kingson '98 (Most Outstanding Class Correspondent) and William Selden '65 (Most Outstanding Class Fundraiser). Following the Alumnus Achievement Award presentation to Mr. Gardner, Headmaster Clement was made an Honorary Member of the Alumni Association in recognition of his final year as head. President Michael Beys '89 led the special presentation and was joined on stage by past presidents Jeffrey Landes '83 and Richard Weaver '75. 

Throughout the day, alumni visited classes and toured the newly renovated facilities. A special archival display in the lobby was also popular. Please click here to view photos from all 2016 Alumni Reunion events. The Alumni Association is grateful to the many alumni, faculty and staff who made this event possible!

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On March 4, the Athletic Department held its annual Winter Sports Assembly for the Middle and Upper Schools in the Upper Gym. The 2015-16 winter season at Browning was filled with highlights and rebuilding. From the very beginning, the basketball season marked a new era here at Browning, in which outside coaches joined Browning coaches to offer experienced instruction and strategies that enhanced the hoops experience for our students. Also joining the Browning coaching ranks as the new squash coach, Roland Lafontant, the head squash professional at the Harmonie Club, who has successfully taken on the task of building a cadre of players interested in learning the game and coaching Browning’s first competitive squash team. Click here to view video and photos from the season, and read individual reports from each team’s coach. 

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In conjunction with their unit on the Vikings in history class, the fourth graders visited the interactive Discovery Times Square Vikings exhibition. The boys explored the largest collection of Viking artifacts ever displayed in North America, learning about the many different roles of Viking men and women, their religion and mythology, craftsmanship and voyages abroad. The exhibition featured more than 500 treasures, some never before seen outside of Scandinavia, including full-scale model Viking ships, jewelry and clothing, swords and armor, and religious iconography. View photos and details.

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On February 22, Headmaster Clement experienced one of the greatest surprises of his 28 years as leader of The Browning School. Walking through the massive doors of the Park Avenue Armory and into its 55,000-square-foot drill hall, he was met by the boys of Browning, their teachers and all the other staff members of the school community who greeted him with a loud “Surprise!” followed by singing of the school song. Even before Mr. Clement arrived, the Lower, Middle and Upper School boys got into the spirit of this special day by partaking in a carnival, complete with climbing wall and basketball hoops, all in the massive hall filled with games, prizes and fun food galore. Click here to view photos and details.

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Their teachers report that the Middle School offered its annual salute to the Greek gods, demi-gods and heroes on February 23, as Olympians walked the halls of Browning. Boys in sixth grade history and Form I English were costumed as their favorites. The devotees of Hermes and Apollo were out in force with caduceus and lyre in hand, but Zeus and Poseidon held their own in popularity. Ares and Hades glowered a bit, but Bacchus kept everyone happy. Atlas maintained his balance, Daedalus took flight, and Hercules performed his labors without harming the Nemean Lion. Click here to view photos and details.

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The Browning Robotics Club, comprised of four boys, competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) NYC Regional Qualifying event last weekend at host school Horace Mann. FTC is an international competition in which students grades 7-12 are challenged to design, build, program and operate robots to play a floor game in an alliance format (teaming up with other school teams). Out of 23 teams in the competition, the Browning Robotics team advanced to the finals and nearly pulled off an upset against a much more experienced team alliance led by Mamaroneck High School. 

In the finals, Browning formed an alliance with Holy Cross, pushing them up the "mountain" to pull off a match upset against Mamaroneck High School. While the team lost the next two matches, the exciting finals run taught the team much about preparation and hard work coming to fruition. I am confident this team will continue to work hard and show grytte when preparing for competition next year. We were one match win away from qualifying for the Regional FTC Competition, which is nearly unheard of for a Rookie team. Go Browning Robotics! Click here to view photos and video.

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As part of their study of the history of New York and Black History Month, the second grade boys traveled uptown to Harlem to visit the Apollo Theater, where they the opportunity to perform on the legendary stage. This landmark music hall rose to prominence during the end of the Harlem Renaissance years, when black entertainment (poetry, music, etc.) was becoming popular in the neighborhood. The Apollo has launched the careers of such music legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, who made her singing debut at 17 at the Apollo, November 21, 1934. Click here to read more details and view photos.

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Math-Science Night is an opportunity for boys in Grade Five through Form II to proudly present the projects they have been working on for many months under the guidance and structure of their math and science teachers, as well as their homeroom teachers, librarians and technology team. The boys design and execute original science projects, incorporating mathematical analysis of their data as a central component that drives their conclusions. Prior to welcoming their families on the evening of February 10, they showed their work to Headmaster Clement and faculty members who were enthusiastic and eager to understand and appreciate the boys’ hard work. Click here to view photos and details.

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On Saturday, February 6, students and teachers from nine different schools along the east coast as far as Buffalo and Pittsburgh came together at Browning for the CS50 AP Hackathon led by Harvard’s computer science professor David J. Malan and his team, who led the students through different problems sets. Though students were at different spots throughout the curriculum, everyone was working together in a relaxed environment, helping each other, and having a great time. The event was full of music, candy and learning. Students left the event with lots of “swag,” including T-shirts, stickers and bags, all with the Browning name emblazoned on it. I hope we can do more collaborating like this in the future. Click here to watch a video about the computer science movement at Browning and for more details on the hackathon.

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On February 5, Browning's mock trial team presented an assembly for the Upper School student body. The Lower Gym was transformed into a spectacular court room, and 11 young men displayed their knowledge and skills as orators, lawyers and witnesses. This year’s case involves the arrest of a suspected drug dealer, seeking to press charges for possession and intent to sell. Each side was represented by two lawyers, and each called three witnesses to the stand. The team has been masterfully coached for the past 11 years by Katherine Weinhoff, a former Browning parent and current law professor at Fordham University. Click here to view photos and a detailed report from Browning math teacher Marcia Wallace, sponsor of the team.

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Once again Browning parent Vincent Lionti, violist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, returned on February 4 for the ninth time to present a concert with an ensemble of fellow orchestra members during a Lower School assembly.

The audience of over 170 boys was enthralled with the music, which featured works by composers the students have studied in music class, including Haydn, Schubert, Beethoven, and Dvorak. The boys were especially pleased to hear an excerpt from Haydn’s “Surprise Symphony.” Click here to view photos and details.

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On January 30, Browning’s Form II French students participated in the annual Middle School theater festival at the Lycée Français de New York.

French teacher Dominique Bernard reports: The imposing amphitheater was packed, the tension was palpable and the boys a little nervous but very motivated. Their assignment was to present a short performance of five to seven minutes based on this year’s theme, “Disgust and Desire.” The quality of all the plays was remarkable and perhaps even better than in the past. Well-assisted by his talented peers, a Form II Browning boy was awarded the “best non-French speaking male actor trophy.” Browning also won a “Coup de Coeur” (difficult to translate in English, but it means “loving something impulsively”) for Humor. This was a superb achievement indeed! The festival was, as it is every year, an enjoyable and engaging activity. The numerous Browning parents who attended the event had every reason to be proud of their children! View photos.

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Even in a crowd of 3,000 Model UN delegates from around the world, Browning's determined delegation of 20 made its presence known in large and small committees and won recognition at the closing ceremonies. During four days at the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference (ILMUNC) in Philadelphia, Browning's seasoned and novice participants worked hard, topping off the weekend with the annual dinner at the Imperial Inn in Chinatown.

History teacher Gerald Protheroe observed: "It was the biggest ILMUNC I have experienced since we first attended -- a veritable United Nations in fact. This was a truly global affair with schools from China, including the prestigious Shanghai High School, as well as from Canada, Venezuela, Peru, India and the Dominican Republic. Some of the Committees had as many as 250 students on them. Our delegation representing Saudi Arabia performed exceedingly well." View photos.

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Lower School music teacher Lucy Warner reports that on January 21 and 28, recital assemblies featured Lower School boys playing instrumental pieces on piano, guitar, violin, and cello, with selections ranging from Bach to Eric Clapton. Headmaster Clement praised the young Browning musicians for their talent and courage to perform in front of such a large audience. Ms. Warner notes that the final such Lower School Assembly Recital, attended by all Lower School students and faculty during the school day, is scheduled for the morning of March 10. View photos.

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Every January, the Browning Form IV boys and Form VI Peer Leaders make the trek to the Frost Valley YMCA camp in the Catskills to engage in three days of programming with the Interschool community to discuss issues surrounding their shared identity as high schoolers and New Yorkers. Students have the opportunity to participate in outdoor activities such as tubing, cross-country skiing and broom-ball. The boys also look forward to an Open Mic night and square dancing with students from Brearley, Chapin, Collegiate, Nightingale and Spence. Click here to view photos and read additional details from Dean of Students Mr. Keany.

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