Nick Sterry

It’s what we hear from our alumni that convinces us a student’s experiences at Touchstone Community School resonate for a lifetime. Here’s one example from Nick Sterry, who attended Touchstone from 1983 to 1990.

Nick says, “I recently re-read a book titled The Hero and The Crown by Robin McKinley. I first experienced this story at Touchstone at our daily story readings. I remembered an adventure involving swords, dragons, danger and more. I was happy to find that the book was just as good as I remembered, but there was a certain vitality and energy that was not there the second time around. It did not occur to me until later that the spirit I associated with the book was something that was provided by the class and not the story. We talked about it everyday and every moment we spent listening to our teacher Chris Lindeman read it became a moment we completely lived in. It was a typical Touchstone experience, but an exceptional one anywhere else. The simple act of reading that book reinforced what a special experience every day was at TCS.

After his time at Touchstone, Nick was the valedictorian of his class at Nipmuc Regional High School. He went on to complete his B.A. in Economics and Film Studies at the University of Rochester, and he earned his M.S. in Information Technology from Bentley College.

Nick reports, “I now live in Maynard with my wife Terry and our puppy Wrigley. I am the Director of IT at JAZD Markets, a startup web company in Andover (www.jazd.net. As my college major might suggest, I watch a lot of movies (or “films” as they say in the academic world). I’m an avid juggler and I play soccer whenever I have the chance.”

Reflecting further on his Touchstone days, Nick says, “I am thankful for so much of what I learned at Touchstone, but one of the most important lessons was the fostering of independent thinking. A huge asset in my career has been my ability to solve problems by thinking ‘outside the box.’ Touchstone also gave me the tools and desire to learn. It is that thirst for knowledge, rather than the knowledge itself, that I thank Touchstone for, among so many other things.”

Nick serves on the Board of Trustees of Touchstone Community School.