Julie-Ann Baumer
Hey, Class of 1986 friends! I just checked the old mailbag and found a few surprises tucked in with the bills.
Dedham School’s PE and health teacher, Tim Pearson ’00G, helped secure a $25,000 grant from Specialized Bikes that allowed the pre-K through 8 school to purchase 27 mountain bikes, helmets, curriculum, and training for the staff. A group of volunteers also built mountain biking trails behind the school. Tim pointed out that the overall purpose of the project was just to get kids on bikes, but also “to help students that may have focus issues such as ADHD.” The entire experience has been extremely positive with students, and Tim is planning to expand the program in the future.
Peter Ehni ’83G, ’86 Ph.D. recently joined the faculty as a visiting professor of math and science at Bethany College in Bethany, WV. Peter holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Wheeling College and got both his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Maine. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the office of Naval Technology at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. Following this, he taught for 19 years at Wheeling Jesuit University.
A few summers ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Michael Boardman at an event at Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport. Michael, a watercolor artist and avid naturalist, has had a lifelong interest in the outdoors. His career started soon after graduation, when he started Coyote Graphics, a company that sold wildlife T-shirts featuring his artwork. Since 2010, he has been awarded numerous artist-in-residency positions, including Baxter State Park, Acadia National Park, and Glacier Bay National Park. His most recent residency, at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, provided him with a unique opportunity to create a bird migration map that will be used by the Arctic Refuge’s website and other social media sites.
Until we meet here again, fill the steins to summer fun and stay in touch.