The Oliverian School
Haverhill, NH

Oliverian recently received a major gift to establish and support a photography program at the School. Given by Dr. Sue Edbril and Ken Witkin, mother and step-father of Hanni Morgentaler '11 (Wellesley, MA), and other members of the Edbril family and a close family friend, in memory of Dr. Edbril's late father, the gift has given the School the ability to expand our fine arts programming and offer a photography course this fall.

Matthew Brown, Director of Weekend Programming and Co-Director of The Oliverian Summer Program, is teaching the class to 4 avid student photographers. "When Sue Edbril first started talking about establishing a photography program at Oliverian I had no idea that we would be where we are today. Working with Sue on this project has been a pleasure and the generosity of Sue and the entire Edbril family has really been inspiring. Thanks to the generous gifts of the Edbril's, Oliverian students have an opportunity to explore yet another exciting creative outlet and gain confidence in their own abilities as artists and active observers of the world around them. It really has been a gift to me to be a part of a class that students are so excited to take part in and in which together we are finding beauty and wonder in the seemingly ordinary. I am so excited to be a part of Oliverian's fledgling Photography program and look forward to the continued support of our generous Oliverian families to make opportunities like this possible for years to come."

Dr. Edbril, a well-known Boston area psychologist, has been extremely pleased with her daughter's experience at the School, and wanted to support Oliverian in a meaningful way. "Oliverian is an exceptional school with exceptional faculty and, now, students with a passion for photography can pursue that passion. By making this gift, not only were my husband, Ken Witkin, and I able to have an immediate impact on the lives of the students, we were also able to support members of the Oliverian faculty who needed assistance in getting a new, much needed program off the ground. We are very pleased that this vibrant program taps into the artistic talents of the kids, making them feel good about themselves."

When asked if there was special meaning associated with making the gift in memory of her father, Dr. Edbril added, "My father was an exceptional jeweler and businessman, and I always saw the artist in him. I would like to think this gift is a way to celebrate his talent."

The Edbril's support of photography at the school has spurred others to do similarly. In response to requests from Oliverian's Director of External Affairs, Carl Lovejoy, a number of Upper Valley residents have made generous donations of both cameras and darkroom equipment. "As soon as the word got out that Sue and her family were helping to establish a photography program at the school, I became inundated with emails from photographers in the greater Hanover area, eager to get involved. The beautiful cameras and other equipment we received are being put to good use by Matt and our students, and we all thank our generous donors for their enthusiastic support of the arts at Oliverian."

Oliverian student photography can be found on the Oliverian School flickr page, the Oliverian FaceBook page and an on-campus photography exhibition is being planned for Family Weekend on October 17-19, 2009