Fifty years after graduating from Falk Laboratory School, alumnus Ben (Benjy Dinovitz) Dines says he still remembers it like it was yesterday. As a newly appointed School Board member—the first ever alumni representative—he’s excited to bring this perspective to the board’s proceedings and to give back to the community that has brought him so much joy. 

“I can remember every day of Falk, I can remember every teacher of Falk, I can remember kids I went to school with. Falk was just special. Unless you’ve been through it, it’s hard to explain,” Ben says. From his very first day of Kindergarten, he was struck by the school’s openness and the sense of community fostered by everyone in it. “The first time I came back here, my jaw dropped. Everything about it—the love you felt from the parents and the teachers—it was definitely a family.” 

“I think it [was] the openness of the class, not just the number of students in it,” he continues, reflecting on why his experience felt so intimate and impactful. “You see classrooms now, and there are five rows of [desks], and the kids all face [one way]. At least when I was at Falk, we used to face each other. You weren’t in a basic, standard classroom with rows. It was open.”

This collaborative, student-focused approach remains at the heart of Falk’s teaching philosophy today and is one of the biggest reasons Falk friendships thrive even after students graduate. “I have tons of friends still from Falk,” Ben shares. “The friends you make [at Falk] are lifetime friends. Even though in high school, you [go separate ways], you still keep in touch.” 

As a student, Ben says he was introverted and passionate about all things sports. Some of his most vivid memories revolve around gym class with Mr. Wagner, along with teachers Dr. MacDonald and Mr. Early, whom he says felt like family. At recess, “I remember being able to hit a softball over the fence and running down the hill to try and get a kickball that rolled all the way down." 

When his daughter played on the Community Day School basketball team in elementary school, Ben had the opportunity to visit Falk for an away game. “I couldn’t wait to bring my kids here,” he says. "I was like, ‘Guys, look at these classrooms, and this is the field I played on, and this is the gym I played in.’ When I walked into the gym, and I saw that big Falk logo on there, I mean, I didn’t want to leave. All these amazing, amazing memories [came rushing back].” 

After Falk, Ben graduated from Central Catholic and the University of Pittsburgh before starting a career in retail and sales. “When I went to Pitt, I used to drive by [Falk] sometimes and just look over at the field. As soon as you see the building—the little gray building on top of the hill—memories come flooding back.” 

Now, as a sales executive for Spin Master, an international toy company, Ben says it’s "important to have relationships. You have to get people to trust you.” Luckily, coming from Falk, an environment that values social-emotional education and building meaningful relationships, Ben says this skill is one he began developing at a young age. “I can talk to people, all kinds of people, and I think it definitely [stems] from here. Falk certainly helped me open up.” 

Although nothing can top the joy Ben felt the first time he returned to Falk as an alum, every visit reminds him of the happy days he spent at Falk—an experience he can’t wait to embrace as a member of the board this school year.