I thought the hard work was over. We had finally selected a group of incredibly talented students to profile in this issue’s cover story, “10 Teens with Bright Futures.” With our terrific ten identified, we exhaled, and then went about the business of setting up a photo shoot. Yet that’s when things got really complicated.
If you’re the parent of an overscheduled child, you know it can be a logistical nightmare to find an open window in a day packed with studies, sports and umpteen other extracurricular activities. Imagine, then, trying to corral ten beyond-busy teens in one place at one time, when each student operates on a timetable that seems to be as flexible as Metro North’s. You get the picture.
On the day we photographed our teens, Jenifer Jonson was in the studio to interview these young and disarmingly charming adults for the feature (page 54). Jen, who is a Darien resident and mother of two, was most impressed by the global views of our terrific ten. “I was taken by the fact that they’re all so knowledgeable about what’s going on in the world beyond their communities, and they want to do something about it,” she says. Julia Tuttle, for instance, a senior at New Canaan High School, founded an organization that raises money to help children in Ghana receive an education. Greg Zales of New Canaan is on a mission to speak fluent Esperanto. All ten of our teens are forward thinking, hard working and passionate about the causes and topics they’re interested in.
While we’re on the subject of passion, be sure to read “Life in a Landmark” by Judy Ostrow (page 68). Judy has been writing about home design and architecture for twenty years and has more than a passing interest in the subject. As a resident of Pound Ridge, New York, she spends a lot of time passing through the neighboring town of New Canaan, where a trio of historic homes have long captured her attention—on more than one occasion, Judy has pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park simply to take in their façades. She reports here on these three cultural icons, and the families who live in them.
“I’ve always admired these houses and I discovered that many other people share my appreciation,” says Judy. “Each one has a presence that sets it apart from its neighbors. As a writer, it’s a treat to have the privilege of a closer look.”