Alumni

Jamie DiGiacomo

Seventh grader Jamie DiGiacomo enjoys being outdoors, loves spending time with animals, and dreams someday being a zoologist. At age 7, she had the opportunity to experience archery for the first time at the Phoenixville YMCA.  The coach for the class was a Paralympian and was very focused on safety and proper form.  Right from day one, Jamie took very naturally to having a bow in her hand.

Age 7 First Archery Experience Hitting Gold

Each week, Jamie was the first to arrive and the last to leave.  Eventually, she got her own equipment, and her commitment really took off. Her style of archery is known as barebow. This involves a simple bow, arrow and minimal number of things attached to the bow’s riser.  Typically, it is the bow (string, riser, plunger, weight, and arrow rest) along with the arrows and the archer. That is it, no sight, no stabilizer, no other aiming aids.  It is up to the archer to put it in the gold! 

After the YMCA experience, Jamie joined a local JOAD club. JOAD is the Junior Olympic Archery Development program that helps archers work with coaches to advance their talents.  The program offers pins for achieving score thresholds.  At the club, archers get to experience indoor and outdoor formats.  Indoor barebow archers shoot 40 cm target faces at 18 meters that have 1-10 points available.  Outdoors, barebow archers shoot 120cm target faces and again have 1-10 points available.  However, the distances change outdoors. Under the age of 14, archers will shoot 30 meters and all other archers will shoot 50 meters. JOAD also promotes local and national completions. At the national level, USA Archery hosts country-wide contest. 

In additional to target outdoor and target indoor, there is an opportunity to shoot field tournaments.  Field tournaments are a bit like golf in the woods shooting target faces worth points that will get totaled.  Jamie probably enjoys field the most although they are not held as often as the indoor and outdoor target contests.

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One of the largest and highest profile tournaments on the East Coast is the Lancaster Archery Classic held typically in January.  At this tournament, over 2000 archers will compete in their respective classes (Olympic recurve, compound, barebow, traditional).  Jamie shot her first classic in January 2019 and won her first major tournament in her barebow female bowman class!

To be successful at archery it takes dedication, a good attitude, knowledgeable coaching and of course the support of friends and family.  Jamie has a very strong mental game as it is important to focus on form rather than hitting the gold (9s/10s). By concentrating on proper form, the higher scores will come.  Fast forwarding to 2021, Jamie has had the opportunity to shoot with world and national record holders, US Archery Olympians, and World Champions. Here in Pennsylvania, we have a very active archery community, especially the barebow class. 

Speaking of records, as of the time of this publication, Jamie currently holds 2 Lancaster Archery Classic first place finishes (2019, 2020), outdoor JOAD bronze, silver, and gold Olympian pins and 8 national barebow female records.  

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In closing, archery is an excellent sport for children to develop confidence, a calm mind, and get some exercise. With her continued dedication, training, and positive attitude, we, as her parents are very excited for her continued archery journey!

Theresa Thornton, KWS Class of 1981

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Black Light Projects 

Theresa has a passion for storytelling in all its forms. BLP focuses their work on the documentation of African American history makers, specifically in the Phoenixville area. They use research, data, records and local resources like the Public Library and Historical Society, as well as first hand accounts to piece together these inspiring stories. Her organization, BLP has developed Black History Educational programs for area schools like Phoenixville Area High School and Valley Forge College. These programs ask the tough questions, like “what stories were people told that they harbor such hatred?” The ultimate dream is for this method to serve as a model to inspire other organizations to rise up and become the record keepers and storytellers of the vibrant African American heritage and histories of their own towns and cities. 

BLP was established by Jay Winston, Co-Founder and Theresa Thornton, Co-Founder and President. Mourning the loss of Jay’s Best Friend, and Theresa’s Brother, Eric Thornton, these two long-time friends began thinking of ways to honor their loved ones along with the many other achievements of Phoenixville’s African American Community. They put a call out to their friends and family within the community presenting their idea and BLP was born. The name Black Light Projects is derived from this inspired light bulb moment. The light is to highlight the achievements of so many, and also to light the path for future history makers and high achievers. 

BLP partners with local organizations like Orion Communities for storefront Black History Exhibits, and other non-profits like Diversity in Action on events like Andre Thornton Day, a free community event held in Andre Thornton Park when BLP held its first ever Legacy award presentations and Senator Andy Dimmiman presented. You can find out more information about this year’s event here. 

It should come as no surprise that Theresa herself is a history maker. She happens to be the 1st African American from Phoenixville to graduate from Yale University. She received her BA from Yale in 1985. She became determined to make Yale her choice as a 9th grader when someone asked her where she would go to college. When she said  “I don’t know…maybe Yale” and the response was “You’ll never get into Yale,” from that point on, Yale became her only choice!

Theresa attended KFS at a time when the school was looking to diversify. In Theresa’s words, “Kimberton staff who influenced me,  Ed Stone – his class on public speaking and his overall kind demeanor still lives on in me, Richard Turner – because he really pushed my overall creativity especially when it came to computer science (which I loved).  That in turn gave me a sense of fearlessness when approaching new technology to this day.  And Ed Matthews – as my guidance counselor at the time, he was impressed that I wanted to attend Yale and even more impressed that it was the only college to which I wanted to apply.  He immediately embraced my decision and helped me apply to Yale’s early admission program.

Attending Kimberton Farms School was not my decision.  Kimberton was looking for more diversification.  Someone reached out to the late Don Coppedge (a prestigious man in the Phoenixville community who happened to be my mentor).  Don contacted my parents and the next thing I knew I was transferring to Kimberton. I did not want to attend because it took me away from all of my friends, it was all white, it didn’t have a marching band and we had to wear dresses!  I was not a happy girl. But I met one of my classmates Sally Umble Lipkowitcz.  Because Sally’s Mom was a teacher at Kimberton,  Sally had come through the entire Waldorf system.  She shared insights which helped me understand the “block system” and main lessons, etc. which was completely foreign to me.   Unknown to my classmates or anyone at Kimberton, I cried in my room every night when I came home from school my sophomore year. I could not let my Mom know because I didn’t want to disappoint her.  But Sally made me feel comfortable in that new, potentially hostile, environment.  Sally and I are still great friends to this day.

The Stories

“One can not erase 400 years of oppression but we can work-now together-to make sure America is home to equity, dignity and justice for everyone.” Curtis Hill

Here are just a few of the stories that BLP has compiled. 

Richard J. Coppedge has a fascinating story. As a student at PASD he was the only African American member of the marching band and his talents shone. He felt very much a part of the group and was affectionately called “hot lips.” The American Legion gave him a trumpet and it was an honor for him. Richard was the first African American in Phoenixville to be allowed to play Taps at Veterans services in 1948 during segregation. He fondly remembers being treated respectfully during that time. He later went on to become the first black police officer in Phoenixville but later the condescension of his Chief led to his choice to resign. He was a pioneer in the community that paved the way for others to stand out from the crowd.

By placing these kinds of stories at the forefront, BLP is able to welcome new minorities to the area and give them a sense of collective history and hope. They believe that to highlight the accomplishments of those who aren’t the majority fosters a well respected African American community. This is so the next generation can see what’s possible. 

Shira Thornton, a member of the board of BLP, mentions that as she grew up before the internet was what it is now and this idea of stories being passed down stuck with her as being so vital. As stories die out and the oral tradition fades, there is a greater need to preserve these precious local histories. In this way, and in so many others, the work BLP is doing is essential. 

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

How Can We Help?

Black Light Projects is a 501(c) (3) Organization

Volunteers are always welcome. Compiling the stories of History Makers is no easy task. The organization is always in need of volunteers for the following: 

• Research 
• Data Collection
• Setup for Events
• Specialized Services (skills in videography, photography, writing, etc.)

Donations are welcome to create Exhibition items, maintain equipment, and sponsor events. 

For more information go to:

BLPPhoenixville.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BlackLightProjects/

Benedict Roemer, Kimberton Waldorf School class of 2015, is currently a senior at the University of Richmond and intern at Campaign for Youth Justice. Click here to read about how he is working to raise awareness for youth justice.

In October of 1941, Kimberton Farms School was founded by Mrs. Virginia Birdsall and Mrs. Elisabeth Grunelius, and others.  Mrs. Birdsall describes this as follows:

“Kimberton Farms Day and Boarding School for Boys and Girls was opened in October, 1941 by Mr. Myrin.  During the preceding year he had enlarged and remodeled one of the old Dutch farmhouses on his property to serve as a schoolhouse and home for the teachers and resident pupils.  In the spacious fields and pastures of Kimberton Farms the Bio-Dynamic methods of farming originated by Dr. Steiner were being developed on a large scale.  A group of young men and women interested in this natural, organic method of cultivating the soil were living in a large farmhouse on the property.   What more fitting home could be found in which little children could live and learn according to the new art of education which was one of Dr. Steiner’s many gifts to humanity!”

Kimberton Farms School graduates became known as balanced, possessing a sense of humor, a wide sense of leadership, and that they were often the most outstanding scholars.

 During a recent Alumni weekend where a plaque was dedicated to a beloved teacher, Ed Stone, alumni came together to sing the Kimberton Farms School song.  It was a very moving moment.

KWS Alumnus Gabriel Hughes ’13,  created a video about his senior project for Prescott College which combines ecopsychology, deep ecology, natural history, and the wonders of the natural world to nurture care for ourselves, each other, and the environment. Gabriel says, “Through learning to love our true home more deeply, we foster ecological literacy, stewardship, and critical thinking skills that are critical at this time on Earth.”

Watch on YouTube

Jharna Jahnavi, a Kimberton Waldorf 2015 graduate, spent the summer working as a clinical research intern at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a direct extension of her academic interests and another step on her path to a career in medicine.  The pre-med biology major, who also minors in neuroscience and health studies at Haverford College has a deep interest in neuroscience and brain development.

When Eva Jaunzemis graduated from KWS in 2011, she was well equipped to pursue a passion for costume design at Parsons School of Design in New York City.

 What I took with me from Waldorf to Parsons was a strong ability to creatively solve problems, and be able to do it just as easily in wood as in yarn, pen and paper, or spatially with my body,” she said.

Now at age 23 and living in Brooklyn, New York, after graduating from Parsons last year, Jaunzemis was most recently engaged in a professional endeavor that combined a variety of artistic mediums. The experimental production called the Loon, by the dance/theater company Witness Relocation, has been gratifying to Jaunzemis on many levels.

“Making the Loon, being able to simultaneously make great dances and then go home and make some of my most favorite costumes, was a bit of a dream come true,” she said.  “I’ve been doing professional costume work since I was a junior in college, but this was the first production that I’ve gotten to work in unison with my two most fulfilling passions.”

Kimberton Star: Do you feel that any aspect of your Waldorf education influenced your professional direction?

Evan Jaunzemis: Being able to create and work in an artistically interdisciplinary manner, was definitely strengthened during my time at Kimberton and is how my professional career operates. The Waldorf approach to a given subject, being able to look at a topic from multiple perspectives and explore through a variety of artistic mediums, has become more than extremely valuable to the way I work, but inherent to it.  I do my best work when I’m not only involved as a dancer or performer in a piece, but also as a creative member of the production team. It’s quite similar to how main lesson assignments are structured- to not only have to write poetry or essays on the subject, but also make a painting or sculpture to delve as deep as possible into the topic and find your own connection to it. Working in so many different mediums while at Waldorf also has influenced me greatly. Not only did I have an array of experience and skills going into college, but curiosity and confidence to explore new techniques and disciplines before fully knowing how I would apply or combine them.

Kimberton Star: What was your role with the Loon and what is the look you went for from a costume design perspective?

Eva Jaunzemis: My professional roles in the Loon are as performer with the company, called Witness Relocation, and as Costume Designer. So, I was in charge of all design and construction of the costumes for nine performers, dancers/actors, as well as performing and being a member of the collaborative choreographing process. The concept of the show started from a record called “Voices of the Loon,” a record the Audubon Society released in 1980. From there, layers of influence from sociologist Erving Goffman and the creation of the Western home, and Bill Bryson’s work studying domestic life came in. That all was then framed narratively with some personal relationships, and a gentle arc of a party over the course of the night. That led me to start designing costumes that were somewhat reflective, and then enhanced, versions of what each dancer would wear to a party, with a bit of a creature/bird influence and glam-rock aesthetic. The show has a very real, emotional grounding for a lot of the creative team, including the company members. So, I chose to stick to a palette that reflected the emotional nature of the show, which ended up being a lot of black and grey, with touches of dark green and blue. The complexity of the designs came with the collaging of textures on the body, as well as layers of clothing.

Kimberton Star: What attracted you to costume design?

Kim Jaunzemis: I grew up as a performer, started dancing around age two, and was always in the choir and musicals at school. I also grew up making a lot of art. It just made sense at a very early age to be involved in both worlds. As both a dancer and a maker, I am extremely interested in the body. I am fascinated with how it works and what I can do with it, but also how our environment and what we put on it affects us not only physically but emotionally and psychologically. The shaping of identity through clothing and style has always been a huge subject of study and exploration for me. I think being able to play with that, and make clothes for all different identities on stage and in films is how I stay curious.

Kimberton Star: How do you feel your Waldorf education shaped you and had an impact on the person you are today?

Eva Jaunzemis: I think a lot of how Waldorf influenced me was creatively, as I described earlier. But, I would stress again that Waldorf gave me the ability to see possibility- especially the possibility to do more than one thing at a time in a harmonious and productive way. When I got to college I was shocked to find myself amongst students who could only work in one specific way, and couldn’t think creatively in any medium or format than the one they were used to. And it held them back when it came to design challenges. Your time at Waldorf gives you so much room to explore, as well as honestly, a whole lot of work, that you leave having learned an incredible amount about yourself. Waldorf made me a hard worker, a self-starter, a risk taker, and fairly self-assured teenage artist. Of course I did a whole lot more exploring artistically and directionally with my career in college, but I kept hold to an incredibly solid foundation that undeniably was the result of my education at Kimberton.

By Courtney Diener-Stokes