Basic HTML Version
How has Storm King changed during your tenure?
Others, parents, faculty, and Board members can say and know of the changes during my
tenure. I move ahead a day at a time and have worked with good people here. There was
much hard work to do and we did it. Steve Lifrak, Brian Morgan and I, and soon Jason
Milliren. And now we move on with greatest felicity today’s people: Al, David, Andre,
Jon, Irene, Joanna, Ray, and the faculty. WE have moved on to caring, knowledgeable,
and fully involved adults who undertake the responsibilities with great wisdom, and end-
less caring.
What are your three main achievements?
I do not think of myself in terms of achievements; I do in terms of collaborations that
are ongoing with the admin team and faculty. It is not so important what these are but
that they are and continue to be in honest, thoughtful ways. Of course, the student who
emerges with us as a community member, student, performer, writer, thinker always
stuns me when I remember how tentatively he and she came to us.
Our academic picture is heartier and perhaps the APs reflect this, although I really
prefer to look at stronger writing skills; our students winning the local poetry contests
each year, thoughtful discussions in economics and statistics classes, our slowly emerging
Mandarin classes. An achievement is the lively intellectual discussions the tentative yet
increasingly articulate Friday lunch current events discussions we need to have more time
for we all feel.
While the young women’s and young men’s dorms can be terrifyingly messy at times,
yet the atmosphere is friendly, if wild only wildly good humored, and such solid dorm
parent work by two of our faculty.
The sports teams are growing in talent and the campus cheer they produce. This is
something we have worked carefully to nurture; good sportsmanship is what we now are
known for, as well as talent. Good things are around the corner here.
What are your two or three favorite personal memories?
Among my favorite memories are those conversations with two or three students at a
time about personal or political issues, some which we were able to address creatively,
or discuss and debate until we each were clear what our differing positions were. And in
many ways these conversations never ended. Meeting the parents, both here and abroad,
and talking with them about their children continues to move me.
And now after one of the best dinners I have had with alumni, one in Seattle where
I appreciated the profound influence of SKS, strong and differing for each, with two of
Recognizing a
Decade of Service
Hele
n “
Steevie” Chinitz
18 | on the mountain winter/spring 2012