Issue link: https://trevordayschool.uberflip.com/i/1295455
Emily Walker Bracchitta, Director of Alumni Relations In Memoriam: Marty Sternstein 0 7 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n S U M M E R 2 0 1 9 – 2 0 2 0 Marty Sternstein, longtime and beloved teacher, passed away on April 18, 2020. Marty taught generations of Walden and Trevor students, inspiring them through his teaching, writing, wisdom, and stories. He embraced creativity, asked unanswerable questions, and transformed young minds in his classrooms—which were filled with joy and curiosity. Many of his former students and colleagues stayed in touch with Marty after his retirement in 2010. His loss is deeply felt throughout our community. We have received scores of remembrances from alumni. In honor of his retirement, Sam Fichtner '10 wrote this yearbook dedication from the Class of 2010 in a request to dedicate the yearbook to Marty. He shares it here: Dear Mr. Sternstein, If there is one true thing about Trevor High School since it began, it is that somewhere up in e Center there has sat a magician, a writer, a teacher, and a friend, ready and willing to inspire creativity in the malleable minds of all passersby. For four years, we have embraced, indulged, and learned from your insight—many of us in your class, others beside your desk, even some from afar. For those of us who know many of your stories by heart and others who are mystified by the few passing words that we hear, you have shown us your unfailing ability to awaken a special kind of energy in all of us. You have dared us to go into the corners of our universe to find something true about ourselves. Every year, without fail, the first lesson you taught your incoming batch of students was always a simple story imploring us to 'look at the fish,' an idea about perspective and the ever-changing nature of things, which you returned to time and again. You have dared us to look at this fish, and after a certain amount of time, we all came to realize that the fish was us—that, all along, you had been pushing us to understand the world, not just through the words of the great writers to whom you introduced us, but with our own perspective. When we were so often encouraged by others to continue with our given interests, you were there to widen our perspectives: to tell the poets among us to write plays; to tell the dancers to take pictures; the politicians to act; and for all of us to listen to Bob Dylan. For all the inspiration you have given us, it is often hard how to find a way to give back properly. What do you give a man who seems to know everything? But you don't know everything. What makes you the perfect mentor to a young mind is that you have always been right there learning with us. And after some time, we began to realize that it makes you happiest to watch students astonish themselves alongside of you. Like us, you move into the next stage of life, ready and eager to challenge what we know. ank you, Marty. It has been an unbelievable journey with you, and we hope you never stop looking at the fish. We won't. Arianne Kailas Vitrano '02 shared this tribute: Mr. Sternstein had an enormous impact on my abilities as a reader, writer, and philosopher. He had an absolutely brilliant mind that I was in awe of as a student. He always inspired me to do my deepest thinking. It wasn't until I was a teacher myself that I had a renewed appreciation for the genius of Mr. Sternstein's craft as a professional. He would give us a quote or a poem, and then fade into the background as he allowed us the chance to ponder, discuss, and push each other's thinking. His teaching style led to some of my all-time favorite peer dialogues. I will always remember him for encouraging us to consider multiple ideas and perspectives. He challenged us to 'look at the fish,' as we worked to appreciate outside-of-the-box thinking and our classmates' different perceptions. As someone who is a very linear thinker, I found his lessons provided me with the freedom and structure to think differently.