Alumni
Alumni Profiles
Saving the World, One Boat at a Time
For Alex Walsh ‘88, every day is the Science Fair. Owner and president of ePaint, Alex is involved in the research, development and marketing of environmentally friendly boat paints and other marine coverings that inhibit the growth of bio-fouling organisms. Twenty years ago, Alex founded ePaint Company to develop paints that are safer to apply and better for our environment. Read more.
2010 Classmates Ride Across France
It takes character for two young men to travel by bike the length of France, setting daily goals and reaching them, eschewing creature comforts in favor of a simple life, making every action and word count. But it took characters they met along the way to make the trip that much more memorable. In early September, Falmouth Academy 2010 classmates Ben Bianchini and Mike Deasy set off for a fourteen-week adventure of a lifetime. Read more.
Smooth Sailing for Falmouth Academy Grad
To a sailor, the America’s Cup is the Super Bowl and the World Series all wrapped into one passion- and excitement-filled sporting event. Every heat leading up to the final challenge has NBA Game 7 adrenaline pumped into it.
To a boat designer, the America’s Cup is the epitome of style and grace and technology. The competing vessels set the bar for all future boat design.
To Nat Shaver ’04, it’s a dream job – and it’s his for the next year.
Read more.
60.07 N by 149.26 W: Stokey’s Amazing Alaskan Adventures
Living out a childhood dream, Sarah Stokey ‘06 is now in Alaska and training to be a dog musher under the tutelage of a former Iditatrod winner. Read more about her adventures in Alaska.
Alyssa Gantz ‘03: Script for Success
As Anna and her family arrived at the airport in San Jose, California, the story of their dangerous journey from Iraq was ending. But for Alyssa Gantz ’03, a new chapter had begun. Read more.
The Tale of the Travel Writer
Ray Bartlett ‘88 always knew he wanted to be a writer, even early on when he was a student in Janet Kearsley’s 10th Grade English class at Falmouth Academy. At a recent talk to a group of about 30 people at the Marstons Mills Library, Ray explained how he became a travel writer, with work published in many travel guides and magazines, including Lonely Planet, Budget Traveler, USA Today. Read more about Ray’s travel writing adventures.
Lauren McCormack ’07: Giving the gift of life
One year ago Lauren McCormack ’07 registered with the National Marrow Donor Program to see if she matched a need. She did. Lauren’s bone marrow matched that of a 51-year old woman, who today has been cancer-free for a year. “I’m so, so happy to learn that my recipient is doing well and is disease-free,” said Lauren, who is currently in the pre-nursing program at the University of Hawaii. “Saving a life is a rare opportunity that not many people are able to experience, especially when they are just 20 years old. The whole process was so incredible and I’d really like the opportunity to encourage others to join the registry!”
In her own words, Lauren describes her experience.
Hayward ’86 mobilizes for Haiti relief
When Mark Hayward ’86 of King George, Va., heard about the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, he knew he had to help. A physician’s assistant specializing in tactical, operational and emergency medicine in Maryland, Mark had lived in Haiti for three months in 2009 as a medical officer with a team of U.S. law enforcement personnel. That experience, combined with 16 years in the U.S. Army—including four years as a Special Forces medic and five years as a combat-arms battalion physician’s assistant—made him an ideal candidate to offer aid. Read more.
The Science Behind the Politics of Climate Change
In December as thousands of world leaders, scientists and advocates gathered in Copenhagen for the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference, two Falmouth Academy alumni on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were putting their own stamp on the science of climate change policy. Tim Cronin ’02 is conducting modeling to determine the usefulness of second-generation biofuels, and Zoli Szuts ’97 is monitoring climate change effects on ocean circulation. Read more.
Tony Bowen ‘05: Lasting connections to help others
Tony Bowen ’05 is considering a career in helping others. That’s not too much of a stretch. He’s a lifelong volunteer with a passion for connecting people with the organizations that need them most. In June he graduated summa cum laude from William Jewell College in Kansas City; today he is pursuing a degree on a full scholarship to Indiana University-Purdue University, working toward a master’s in philanthropic studies. Read more.
Kate Oler ‘89: Benchmark Decisions
Since she was a child, Kate (Ellsworth) Oler wanted to be a judge. After attentively practicing the arts of both prosecution and defense counsel within the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Kate was recognized for her expertise and got her wish. Last year, she was named the Deputy Chief Trial Judge of the Air Force, and this fall she was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Read more.
Science Research: Alden ‘06
Jessie Alden ’06, a senior at Roger Williams University, spent her summer involved in what could be life-changing research at the Brown University Medical School Molecular Medicine Research Lab. A double major in biology and chemistry, Jessie is also minoring in French and hopes to attend medical school in the future. Click here to read more.
Dave Ellis: Hitting the Right Notes
Surrounded by music as a child—his parents managed a folk club in Kingston—Dave Ellis ’94 started singing at open mikes and talent shows at age six, and practiced guitar and singing throughout his years at Falmouth Academy. In July, he released his first studio album. Read more.
Teacher and Student in Africa
Employed by the French government to teach conversational English at a middle school and high school in the town of Trois-Bassins on La Réunion, Rachel Allen 04 spent seven months on the island, located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, and southwest of Mauritius. Since the actual teaching didn’t take up a lot of her time, Rachel became a volunteer monitor for Reef Check and was also able to travel. During a trip to Madagascar, Rachel received a “love” offer, visited the zebu market, was drenched by a cyclone, and was delighted to teach the Kookaburra song to a group of village children. Read the full story.
Melillo joins Amherst College faculty
Edward “Ted” D. Melillo ‘92, a recently appointed assistant professor of history at Amherst College, was named the 2009 Sherman Emerging Scholar by the History Department of University of North Carolina, Wilmington, in mid-May. At Amherst College, Melillo will help develop a new interdisciplinary environmental curriculum and will teach courses on global environmental history, the history of the Spanish Empire in the Pacific World, and an upper-level seminar titled “Commodities, Nature, and Society.” Read more.
Doing a job that’s out of this world
Is there life on Mars? Max von der Heydt ’02 is looking to answer the question that has fascinated scientists and science fiction fans for years. Max and a team of engineers and scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California are working on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), the next in the line of rovers deployed to the Red Planet. Scheduled to launch in 2011 and reach Mars in 2012, the MSL will help determine whether Mars has ever had an environment capable of supporting microbial life. Read more.
Kate Sundquist: A true FA Mariner
Kate Sundquist ’00 is living a life many of us only imagine. Chief mate and instructor on the Sea|mester vessel S/Y Argo, she has traveled a good portion of the world and learned the value of patience. “I’ve grown patience for the little things that seem big to others, for conversations that go round and round before going forward, for the value of trying again and again until it’s done right, and patience for the wind.” The most amazing place she has been is Borneo, “where we took the boat up a narrow river and saw children who had never seen white people before paddling out to us in an old refrigerator.” Read more.
A Passion for Asia:
Alumni Living Beyond the Far Horizon
Asia can be at once a smoggy, crowded Seoul cramming traditional fortune teller tents in the shadows of hyper-modern buildings, and a shrine set peacefully atop a mountain just outside Tokyo. The mad clash of global business and the soft splash of an onsen. Lured in part by those contrasts, and, for some, by the lessons on Eastern culture taught at Falmouth Academy, several alumni call Asia home. Read more…
Toe Schmooze:
Alumna Blends Dance and Teaching
Performing has always been a way of life for Carol Hong ’99. From the age of seven, she has danced. Later, as an advanced student, she took on the role of teacher as well, and her life changed forever. Now returned from a year in Hong Kong, Carol said she has never forgotten that feeling of euphoria when she first connected with a student. “Ask any of my FA classmates. I was so alive, so upbeat after teaching.” Read more…
Changing Lives, One Position at a Time
Jayme (Winokur) McDonagh ‘88 and Mandi Page ‘89 who co-founded the Bikram Yoga Studio in Stoughton, MA may not have cornered the market on stress relief, but their program has proven life-changing for many of their students, including another Falmouth Academy alum. Read full article.
Spreading the Word:
FA Alumni Involved in the Election
Read about the experiences of five alumni involved in the 2008 elections, and see how they energized others to ensure the success of their candidates. Read full text of article.
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