I CAN REMEMBER (0:29)
I CAN REMEMBER (0:29)
The Common School
WINGING. SINGING. SHARING.

our alumni

Common School graduates move on to a wide range of schooling and life experiences. Despite their unique individual differences, a common thread can be found in their determination to embrace and pursue their passions. Whether it is the arts, law, finance, higher education or parenting, Common School “kids” combine their knowledge of self with a curiosity about the world to challenge themselves personally and professionally

The Alumni Council

The Common School Alumni are keepers of the school's history, embody the life-long benefits of quality early childhood education, and strengthen the school for future generations with their continued involvement through the Alumni Council. The Alumni Council of The Common School works to promote a close relationship and understanding between the school and its alumni. To this end, it supports alumni outreach activities, including annual fund participation, communication among alumni and alumni events.

To learn more about the Alumni Council, e-mail its co-chairs: CommonSchoolAlumni@gmail.com.


Susanna Betzel, ’74

High school:
MacDuffie School
Undergraduate:
New York University, Tisch School of the Arts
Professsional:
After a few years working far, far off-Broadway in musical theater, I am currently a writer, under the pen name Susanne Alleyn. Author website: http://susannealleyn.com
Currently lives:
Albany, NY

Rachel Chase Cohen, ’86

Middle school:
Amherst Regional Junior High School
High school:
Northfield Mt. Herman
Undergraduate:
Oberlin College, BA
Graduate:
Rhode Island School of Design, Masters of Architecture
Professional:
Architect, doing both residential and commercial work
Currently lives:
Pioneer Valley
Personal:
I love my work and community in the Pioneer Valley, and I can trace so much of my creativity back to my time at The Common School.

Sonny Farnsworth, ’01

Middle school:
MacDuffie School
High School:
Northfield Mount Herman
Undergraduate:
Currently attending Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts, majoring in Theater and Education Studies
Currently lives:
Brooklyn, NY


Sharon Goldwater, ’88

Middle school:
Amherst Regional Junior High School
High school:
Amherst Regional High School
Undergraduate:
Brown University, Bachelor’s in Computer Science
Graduate:
PhD in Linguistics
Currently lives:
Edinburgh, Scotland
Professional:
Teacher and researcher at the University of Edinburgh
Personal:
No partner or kids as of yet!

Matt Heaphy, ’87

Middle school:
Eaglebrook
High school:
Deerfield Academy
Undergraduate:
Wesleyan University, BA
Graduate:
University of San Francisco School of Law, JD
Professional:
I worked in internet marketing, at a law firm specializing in antitrust law, and served as a legal adviser to judges at the International Criminal Court and the UN International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. I now do policy and advocacy work in the US related to international justice
Currently lives:
Brooklyn, NY
Personal:
I spent four great summers working as a SummerFun teacher at The Common School.

Geoff Hudson, ’79

High school:
Amherst Regional High School
Undergraduate:
Oberlin College, BA in History
Oberlin Conservatory, B. Mus. in Composition
Graduate:
New England Conservatory (Master of Music in Composition
Professional:
Freelance, classical composer (orchestral, vocal, and chamber works, plus a children's opera)
Currently lives:
Vienna
Personal:
I’m married, and my wife and I have a two-year old daughter.

Betsy Hawley Monnot, ’79

Middle school:
Amherst Regional Junior High School
High school:
Amherst Regional High School
Undergraduate:
Oberlin College, BA in German Studies
Graduate:
Harvard Extension School, Master’s in Religion
Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Master’s of Divinity
Professional:
Episcopal priest
Currently lives:
Sacramento, CA
Personal:
Mother of two (coming up on three)

Schools attended by
recent CS Graduates

Academy at Charlemont
Amherst Regional Middle
    and High School
Deerfield Academy
Eaglebrook
Hopkins Academy
Northfield Mount Hermon
Pioneer Valley Performing
    Arts Charter School
Stoneleigh Burnham
The Bement School
The MacDuffie School
Brown
Bryn Mawr
Carleton
Cornell
Dartmouth
Greenfield Community College
Harvard
Holyoke Community College
Marlboro College
Middlebury
Skidmore
The New School
University of Massachusetts
University of Pennsylvania
University of Vermont
Vassar
Wesleyan
Yale