My first Publication 1926874721_Alumni_Magazine_June_2010 | Page 5

Dear Alumni,
ACS Alumni Magazine
Issue 3, June 2010
Published by:
The ACS Alumni Relations,
Development, and Admissions
Office
Editors:
Petia Ivanova ‘97
[e-mail]
Natalia Manolova
[e-mail]
Consultants:
Shannon Savage
[e-mail]
Zornitsa Haidutova
[e-mail]
ACS Alumni Magazine is issued
twice per year (June and December)
for the alumni of the American
College of Sofia. We welcome all
readers’ feedback, submissions and
suggestions.
Letters may be edited for publication.
Issue 3, June 2010
Afraid not to accidentally miss any of the drama productions in the main feature of
this magazine’s last issue, we were so busy counting productions and then counting
again, that we missed something else - mentioning some of the most important
people behind the success of the musicals up to school year 2004/05, namely their
music directors. Our sincerest apologies to Ms. Adela Peeva, music director of
Grease (1997), Hair (1998), and West Side Story (2001), Ms. Maggie Vassileva, music
director of Fiddler on the Roof (2000), and Ms. Neda Kandimirova, music director of
A Celebration of Broadway (2002), Once upon a Mattress (2003), The Music Man (2004),
and Beauty and the Beast (2005). Thank you for sparing no efforts and dedication in
your work on the musicals while at the same time teaching the music classes at ACS.
Extending that look back on the contents of our previous issues, we felt that after
going over major developments at the school in the first issue and ACS drama
productions in the second one, it was now time to dig deeper and get busy with
another field our school has a reason to be proud of - science. In this issue’s main
feature we start off with an attempt to make an overview of the science activities
and achievements in and outside the school. We continue with one of this school
year’s awarded Science Fair projects. Finally, we finish with the responses of some
of our science-loving alumni on the questions of how it all started and where it has
led so far.
Surely, many of you have heard versions of the story of how ACS was re-opened
back in 1992 and about the numerous fights that had to be fought by the first
President of the re-opened school, Dr. Roger Whitaker, and his small faculty and
staff. We know we heard some parts of the true story for the first time on our 10 th
anniversary class re-union in 2007. So we were extremely glad that Dr. Whitaker and
his wife, Susan, agreed to be the former faculty featured in this issue. They share
their priceless memories of those crucial years in the early 1990s.
We were happy to find out that several of our alumni were recently published
here in Bulgaria. Excerpts of Petko Bocharov’s autobiography, „Картини от
три Българии”¹, and Dimiter Kenarov’s second book of poetry, “Апокрифни
животни”², are featured on the pages of this issue, as along with valuable author
input by Mitko Kenarov especially for the readers of the ACS Alumni Magazine.
The other alumni in focus in this issue are Martina Nikolova ’06 and Polina Kocheva
’07, and at the end of the issue you may read the Class Notes. We thank all who
shared with us their news and passionate stories about things that make them happy!
This is the moment to invite you again to write to us – we look forward to receiving
and publishing your interesting stories!
Finally, we believe you have already heard that the Gala Concert dedicated to the 150 th
Anniversary of the founding of the College will take place on December 7, 2010.
The concert will feature world famous violinist, Vasko Vassilev, and his quartet. Make
sure you check the latest news about the concert and the celebration arrangements
on our website (www.acs.bg).
Enjoy your summer!
Petia Ivanova and Natalia Manolova
Warm regards,
Petia Ivanova ’97 & Natalia Manolova
Editors
©All rights reserved.
¹ Sights from Three Bulgarias
² Apocryphal Animals
3