Class Note 2004. Hi, ’04s, and happy fall! Some of my fondest memories of Dartmouth were when we would come back to campus to a cacophony of fall colors. So I hope you, too, are surrounded by vibrant colors and crisp weather wherever you may be! I also know the fall season keeps many of us on our toes, so between this and that, I’m crossing my fingers that you can find a few minutes to catch up with some old friends.
To begin, I am excited to share that Ted Knudsen is helping to redefine New York City’s role in America’s founding. Ted is now a professor of history at the City University of New York Queens College and part of the team behind the app, Echoes of Revolution: NYC, a city-scale augmented reality experience that brings to life New York City’s defining role in America’s founding (see more, page 58). The app offers a walking tour of lower Manhattan and features audio narration and site information as well as an online classroom featuring short, standard-aligned lesson modules for middle school, high school, and college students. The app officially launched in June.
Damon Grant also happily reported that the school he founded in 2015, Oakland Unity Middle School, was named a California Distinguished School this year—the only school in the city of Oakland to receive this honor! Oakland Unity is a Title I public charter middle school located in the heart of East Oakland, and Damon is one of the co-principals. Damon can very easily pinpoint when his desire to work in public education started: taking Education 20 with professor Andrew Garrod. Damon has been working in Oakland public schools for 20 years as a teacher, instructional leader, and principal.
Additionally, Andrew Hanauer shared that he is now the CEO of the One America Movement, a nonprofit trying to make the United States less divided, which admittedly is quite the task these days. He recently spoke at the University of Oxford about the nonprofit’s work, which I hear was pretty amazing. Andrew is also married with three kids and three small dogs and coaches youth baseball (a second, unpaid, full-time job).
Joanna (Giordano) Wagner reported that she and her family are doing well in White Plains, New York. During the summer, she and Jennifer Sy had a mini-reunion when they attended a wedding for a Dartmouth classmate. She also spent her summer working hard to convince her older son, Finn (age 6), to catch World Cup fever with a Panini sticker book. Her younger son, Philip (age 2), is also doing well and speaking a language only the family can understand. These days Joanna is spending time serving on the neighborhood association board, as a class parent for a rising second-grade class, and as administrator of her local Buy Nothing Project chapter (if you know, you know).
Finally, let’s raise a glass for Hannah Fries, as she is releasing a new book at the end of September! The book is a collection of micro essays on the ecology and poetry of trees and forests, with a foreword by Maria Popova. For those in New York City, the launch will be on September 29 at McNally Jackson Books’ Seaport location at 7 p.m. Hannah will also be at the Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vermont, on October 7.
Thanks to all for the wonderful updates, and now, I must bid you adieu. Please enjoy these first months of fall, and I look forward to catching up right before the holidays. Until then, stay well, ’04s!
—Johanna Thomas, 14 Logan Circle, NW, Washington, DC 20005; johannarthomas@gmail.com