Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Summer 2007 | Page 12

www.thorntonacademy.org

New President, 2 New Members Named
to Thornton’s Alumni Association Board
herself to these endeavors
Thornton Academy’s Alumni
because, as she says,
Association Board has a new
Thornton is “a progressive
president, and two new alumni have
school that does great
joined the group.
things.” The one-time
Patricia Martin Beaudoin ’71
cheerleader and baton
has been named president after
serving on the board for seven years. twirler was involved with
a centennial football
Kenneth Janson ’72 stepped down
from the position—which he held for celebration at Homecoming
in 1993. She has also helped
five years—but will continue on as a
plan class reunions and
board member and trustee. Joining
assisted at phonathons.
them are George Mendros ’76 and
Involvement with the
Vera Gallant Kalagias ’80, who take
Alumni Association, she
over for Andy Cole ’81 and Terisays, snowballed from there.
Ann Hogan Arenstam ’77, a science
Beaudoin has volunteered
teacher at TA.
as cheer squad advisor, has taken
The new faces on the board and
part in Broadway Deja Vu and has
its new leader will bring a different
assisted the Booster Club with
style and fresh ideas to an already
concession stand sales while her
successful group of dedicated
daughter, Jessica ‘05, was in school.
volunteers. And no doubt they will
“What’s important for me is to
help alumni get
maintain the
involved and
momentum that
stay connected.
we’ve been able
Beaudoin
to pick up in
previously
the past several
served as vice
years,” Beaudoin
president of the
says of her
board for four
new role on the
years and, more
board. “We’ve
recently, was
been able to do
its nominating
a lot of good
chair. She
things, and we
also serves as
—Alumni Association
want to do even
facilitator of
Board President
more.”
the Jump Start
Recent
Advisory Board,
Patricia Martin
initiatives
a communityBeaudoin ‘71
include
sponsored group
establishing
working under
the Athletic
the auspices of
Hall of Fame and planning a new
the Saco Police Department. That
Variety Show, which kicks off in fall
group pairs nonviolent juvenile
2008. Beaudoin hopes to add more
offenders with mentors who teach
activities and social events in the
decision-making skills to teenagers.
future, particularly those geared
At TA, Beaudoin has embraced
toward engaging young alumni.
many opportunities to be involved
The Alumni Association
and is proud to have dedicated

“We’ve been able
to do a lot of good
things, and we
want to do even
more.”

Strings Class in the Gazebo

Photo by Jennifer Hass
The students in Anne Wilkinson’s Introduction to Strings class took to the outdoors
on a sunny spring day in May, including (from left to right) Amelia Croteau ‘10,
Zachary Larrabee ‘10 and Logan Douston ‘08. Everyone was able to improve their
technique and enjoy the warm weather while practicing in the gazebo on campus,
which Wilkinson says has good acoustics for an outdoor space.

12

Patricia Martin Beaudoin ‘71

George Mendros ‘76

Vera Gallant Kalagias ‘80

represents more than 11,000
living Thornton graduates, and
its initiatives are both varied and
wide-reaching. The group organizes
community service projects,
performances and special events;
supports reunions, senior alumni
celebrations and alumni sports; and
sponsors awards that recognize
alumni achievements as well as
fundraising initiatives for the school.
“It really does take a wide
range of people and talents to do
everything that we do,” Janson says,
“and I’m always amazed because just
when you think I’m doing enough,
you see others doing so much, and
that’s inspiring.”
Janson began working with the
Alumni Association in the summer
of 2000. Last year he was named to
Thornton’s Board of Trustees. He
initially became involved with TA
after helping to plan his 25th high
school reunion.
The Alumni Association’s newest
recruits are ready to get involved,
too. Mendros, also a former class
reunion volunt eer, is TA’s substitute
coordinator and a track coach.
He has also led Thornton’s crosscountry and soccer teams. Mendros

says he looks forward to sitting on
a variety of athletic committees and
helping to plan for big and small
events alike, although he’s especially
looking forward to the New England
Regional Track Championship slated
to occur at Thornton next spring.
“It’s just one way to give back to
the school,” Mendros says of joining
the board.
Kalagias was recruited after
volunteering at a phonathon to raise
money for the Thornton Fund. She
has similarly helped with reunions
and has dedicated herself to
volunteer work in the past through
parent-teacher organizations.
“As my kids have gotten a
little older, I thought this would be
another way to get involved,” she
says. Kalagias is married to Michael
Kalagias ’76 and the oldest of her
three children, Peter ‘09, currently
attends TA. She is also a sports
fan and looks forward to helping
wherever she can to help organize
the association’s various events and
activities.
To learn more about Thornton’s
Alumni Association or about
volunteering, call Alumni Director
Nancy Tripp at 282-3361, ext. 234.

From Spotlight story on back page

kind in Maine—links historical
research and online learning in
a unique way. And it’s all made
possible through this educational
partnership.
The Center, meanwhile,
will be able to share the oral
histories with more schools than
is possible today. Once a new
facility for the organization opens
this fall, the digital documents
can also be used in a variety of
public displays.
The Michael Klahr Center is
located at the University of Maine
at Augusta. The major donor for
the project, Phyllis Jalbert, named
the facility in remembrance of
her late husband, who was a child
Holocaust survivor and a Maine
resident. The $2.8 million facility
will have a permanent exhibit,
office space, and a research area
in the building. It also provides
the organization with a place
to hold conferences, teacher
workshops or a series of films. To
learn more about the Center or its
educational programs, go to www.
hhrc.org or call 207-621-3530.

their powerful stories becomes
even more important.
Littlefield recently helped
forge a partnership between the
Center and Thornton to improve
access to materials owned by the
nonprofit. Thornton’s Director
of Information Technology
Ben Nasse ‘93 and Technology
Integration Specialist Chris
Indorf, who’s also a social
studies teacher, are working to
digitize oral histories of survivors
currently stored on VHS tapes.
Once complete, both the school
and the nonprofit can use and
share the materials.
Thornton benefits by having
instant access to valuable
historical documents. Indorf
will teach a class this year
using digital information from
the Center that is loaded into
TAOnline, our interactive content
management system. Students
will be able to download historical
videos and audio recordings from
TAOnline to an iPod, so this new
initiative—perhaps the first of its

POSTSCRIPTS * SUMMER 2007