Berkshire Waldorf High School

Waldorf education in the Berkshires of Massachusetts

David McCarthy, Angel Investor

by Ellie Kanz, Class of 2023

On Wednesday, December 1, David McCarthy (BWS Class of 2005 parent and former BWS Board member), investor and former hedge fund manager, visited Ms. Stier’s Economics seminar. He spoke to eleventh and twelfth grade students about the stock market, hedge funds, and investing, as well as about some of his personal experiences starting his own business and investing. One topic he explained in depth was “angel investing.” An angel investor is someone who provides capital for a business, usually in exchange for partial ownership of the business. He even went so far as to share two pitches sent to him by startups he invested in.

Each student asked Mr. McCarthy a question. These ranged from “What is a hedge fund?” (a fund that uses risk and borrowed money to yield high returns–investors hope) to “What are some signs a business is worth investing in?” In return, he asked students for their opinion about companies he has invested in (we won’t publish these–proprietary information!), and offered students advice on any investing they might do in the future.

Students enjoyed meeting someone as engaging and knowledgeable as Mr. McCarthy, someone who lives and teaches what he knows.

McCarthy, PhD, MBA, runs a Stockbridge-based consulting and advisory firm. In 2002, he co-founded Martello Investment Management, an advisory firm concentrating on absolute return hedge fund strategies. He has taught at several universities in the US and Ireland.

“A Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor”

A dozen Berkshire Waldorf High School student volunteers joined life science teachers Elizabeth Orenstein and Lee Magadini, and thousands of students and teachers up and down the river, for “A Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor.”

Shorefronts along the Hudson River and the piers of New York Harbor were busy with activity as thousands of students armed with seine nets, minnow pots, and water testing gear collect data on the Hudson’s fish and invertebrates, track the river’s tides and currents, and examine water chemistry and quality, during DEC’s 19th annual A Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor.

Students from elementary through college partner with DEC and environmental educators to collect scientific data using hands-on field techniques to capture a snapshot of the river’s ecology at more than 60 sites along the Hudson. The data collected by students provides insights into an ecosystem spanning 160 miles of the Hudson River and New York Harbor and is posted online after the event. Participating classes represent the diversity of the school population in urban and rural communities along the estuary. This year, more than 3,800 students and educators from more than 68 schools participated.

More than a field trip, “Day in the Life” gives students the opportunity to don waders or use a fishing rod to collect data on many of the Hudson’s 200-plus species of fish. Most are young fish, evidence of the Hudson’s importance as a nursery habitat. Some years students catch surprising fish like seahorses, conger eels, and needle fish. Students also examine the physical and chemical aspects of the river with a wide range of equipment, including dissolved oxygen and pH kits, refractometers, and simple plastic hydrometers to measure salinity and find the salt front – the leading edge of dilute seawater pushing up the estuary.

“Day in the Life” is sponsored by DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program, in partnership with the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. (Adapted from a NYS DEC news release. Photos by Lee Magadini.)

Two Winners in Young Writers Contest

Congratulations to Mattie Vandiver, Class of 2021, and Jin Fernbacher, Class of 2023, prize winners in the 2021 Spencertown Academy Young Writers Contest.

Mattie won Third Place in Fiction for a story called “The Science of Friendship.” Judges’ comments included, “Nice characterizations. The author experiments with 2 points of view, to poignant effect. Empathic rendering of how two lonely children, who feel excluded from more conventional circles, find kinship and understanding in one another.”

Jin won Honorable Mention in Fiction for her story, “A Single Orange.” Judges said, “Vivid writing, distinctive voice. Nice details: takes a small scene, brings it to life.”

You may read stories by all the winners here.

Ornithopter by Oskar Hurst

Ornithopter, based on a Leonardo da Vinci design, built and flown by Oskar Hurst, Class of 2022, for Dr. Sagarin’s Medieval and Renaissance History course. (In case you can’t see, there’s no propellor–it flies by flapping its wings!)

 

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