Winter 2018
The
Caller
The magazine for alumni, parents, and friends of Catlin Gabel School
Taking Responsible Action Leading with empathy— on campus, in the community, and out in the world
2016
2017
Annual Report on Philanthropy Issue pg. 24
LYLA BASHAN ’98 HOW CATLIN GABEL SPARKED A 20-YEAR CAREER IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, PG. 10
Catlin Gabel is an independent, non-sectarian, progressive coeducational day school serving 760 students from preschool through 12th grade. Its roots go back to the Portland Academy, founded in 1859. The school occupies 67 acres on Barnes Road, five miles west of downtown Portland. Our mission: to support inspired learning leading to responsible action through dedicated teaching, caring relationships, a challenging curriculum, and community service.
Tim Bazemore Head of School Miranda Wellman ,91 Director of Advancement and Strategic Initiatives Marcella Fauci Director of Communications Ken DuBois Director of Public Relations and Publications, Editor duboisk@catlin.edu Holly Amoako Graphic Designer Contributing Photographers Holly Amoako, Lindsay Babbitt, Lyla Bashan ,98, Ken DuBois, Emma Hayward ,17, Larry Hurst
Catlin Gabel School 8825 SW Barnes Road Portland, OR 97225 (503) 297-1894 www.catlin.edu
DIGITAL EDITION
With The Caller online enjoy everything in the print magazine– every feature, class note, and photograph–and more. Get the full contents of the magazine, with multimedia extras, designed for readability on any laptop, smartphone, or tablet.
Upper School San Juan kayak trip, June 2017
Access the digital edition at: www.catlin.edu/thecaller
Doughty Point on Orcas Island
Students review navigational charts at
1 Tim Bazemore: Learning How to Take Responsible Action
6 Making Community Connections
10 Lyla Bashan ’98: Becoming Engaged with the World
WHAT’S INSIDE 14
Alumni & Homecoming Weekend 2017
16 Alumni Interview: Nkenge Harmon Johnson ’93
18 Class Notes
24 2016-17 Annual Report on Philanthropy
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Learning HOW TO TAKE RESPONSIBLE ACTION Our students' journey from self-awareness to community engagement
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by Tim Bazemore Head of School
n 1981, headmaster Steven Prigohzy wrote that founder Ruth Catlin was “convinced that capable, concerned young people could enhance their society…make the world a better place… [and]…be effective agents of positive change.” That conviction has been a hallmark of our school since its inception, shaping how we educate young people and who they become. From Honeybees taking turns in morning circle to seniors interning with local businesses, we teach students to be responsible for themselves, for our school community, and for the world around us. Learning how to take “responsible action” is just as important here as learning how to read and write. Children generally are not born with a disposition to act responsibly in the world. They learn it just as they learn math skills, over time, with careful guidance and frequent practice. At Catlin Gabel, this begins in the Beehive with an explicit focus on social-emotional
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Follow Tim’s blog at catlin.edu/TimsBlog. Follow him on Twitter @TimBazemore.
This is experiential learning at its best: applying what you know and can do to achieve something that has relevance and meaning to you and others.
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skills. Using teachable moments and thoughtful questions, teachers help children develop self-awareness, social skills, and responsible decision-making. Children first learn to care for themselves, then for family, friends, and schoolmates, and eventually for others they do not know. This ever-expanding sense of responsibility helps students to understand the impact that their decisions and choices have on others and their environment. It helps them to recognize that education is not merely for personal benefit. The intentional instruction that begins in the earliest grades continues into the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. New students entering each division appreciate the opportunities to practice making choices and developing agency. Inspired by Ruth’s belief in children, the “working community” ethos of Black Mountain College, and a clear-eyed view of inequity and injustice in the world, many opportunities for responsible action at Catlin Gabel involve learning through social justice activities. Volunteering with young children at Albina Head Start, Elana Gold outdoor service work on Mt. Hood, and building InvenTeam solar-powered “Juice-
Boxes” for Portland’s houseless citizens are vivid examples of direct social impact. Responsible action takes many forms, however, and is evident in daily activities as much as public projects. When I ask current students how they define responsible action, the answers reveal the step-by-step journey from self-awareness to community engagement. “You should use nice words, not mean.” (Kindergarten) “You put back the tool after you use it in the woodshop.” (Grade 2) “You follow the rules and are kind.” (Grade 5) “Caring about people who are suffering and need food or shelter.” (Grade 7) “Standing up and speaking out when something is wrong.” (Grade 9) “Responsible action is taking what you learned here to do good for the planet and other people.” (Grade 12) Every day, students make choices that express their intellectual and moral growth. They develop their work ethic and strive to improve the quality of their schoolwork. Team captains motivate and encourage teammates. Stage directors guide actors through rehearsals. CGSA members meet to address the concerns of the
student body. Students serve on the board of trustees and community task forces. Student teaching assistants help teachers prepare labs. And when they leave campus, Catlin Gabel graduates serve in the Marine Corps and the Peace Corps. Alumni build businesses that serve consumer needs, employ workers, and pay taxes. They vote, volunteer, and donate their resources. Across grades, disciplines, and decades, Eagles learn and model principles that have the power to make the world a better place. In this issue of The Caller, you will read about examples of responsible action in every division. What these stories have in common is students who recognize a need or opportunity, utilize their academic skills and knowledge, and work with others to effect positive change. This is experiential learning at its best: applying what you know and can do to achieve something that has relevance and meaning to you and others. Over the decades we have encouraged students to aim for “purposeful living” (1929) or “useful living” (1946). It is through responsible action, learned through experience, that they will best achieve and appreciate that life.
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Making Community Connections Six stories of how Catlin Gabel students identify issues and find ways to make a difference
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The Golden Box Beginning School
Beginning School students sit down with art supplies every month to create pieces that they hope will bring cheer to someone in need in their community. They’re continuing a longstanding Catlin Gabel tradition by creating cards for patients at Hopewell House, a hospice facility in Portland. Beehive students have been creating art for residents at the house for over 20 years. It’s one way young students are learning to think beyond themselves, expand their world view, and engage in sympathetic understanding—the developmental stage in which children learn to consider the needs of others, including people they’ve never met. They place their cards in the ceremonial Golden Box with the knowledge that their art will be delivered (by a parent volunteer) to people at the hospice. Teachers don’t provide details about the circumstances of patients or the specifics of hospice care, but do ask students to think of the project as sharing love with “very sick people, and with their families and caretakers.” The Golden Box project teaches responsible action, but it's also a manifestation of a larger objective in the Beehive: helping children build social-emotional skills. In terms of developing empathy, they are asked to consider how others might feel, and how they can use their skills and knowledge to help them. The Beginning School team is even considering ways to extend the learning experience in future years by providing students with opportunities to interact directly with card recipients in appropriate settings, such as with seniors at a nearby residential home. “It’s about helping them understand that we are part of a larger community and that you can have an impact on those people,” says Beginning School teacher Leondra Brackett. “I do think that it is making a small difference in people’s days.” 6
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Nature Trail Lower School
In the wooded west end of campus, hidden among dense foliage and trees, Lower School students are carrying out a community service project that will benefit our school and the surrounding neighborhood for years to come. They’re working with school neighbors to reverse the decline of a fragile ecosystem, and develop a nature trail in a narrow stretch of woods—the last natural barrier between residential development and the St. Vincent Medical Center campus. To contribute to the effort, the entire Lower School got involved in ivy-pulling as an Earth Day service project in spring 2017, and a smaller group has continued the work on a weekly basis. But the project goes far beyond the removal of invasive species. Plans are underway for students to plant new foliage and trees that will crowd out invasives; create vernal pools that back up to encourage invertebrates; design and construct bridges, kiosks, and birdhouses; and meet with neighbors to learn about why this project might be meaningful to them. “It’s experiential learning in action,” says woodshop teacher Ric Fry, who has organized the effort. “We’re doing things that benefit the community, and they’re learning about real life issues. Especially as the project progresses, it cycles back to projects they’re doing in class.” Students are seeing how their work in the woods relates to other areas of interest—biology, hydrology, geology, physics, and engineering, for example—and making meaningful connections with longtime residents, with whom they’re working side-by-side. “It’s a chance to start building really interesting connections,” says Ric, “between something we want, something they want, and this natural resource, and what that means to every one of us.”
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Harvesting Responsibly Middle School
In the Middle School Garden, sixth graders are studying the nature of planting and harvest cycles, and in the process increasing their understanding about food issues that affect communities around the world. It’s an empathy-building project that helps students connect with others around the most basic human need: healthy food, and sustainable practices, to support communities everywhere.
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Veterans Day Letter Writing Campaign Lower School
Hundreds of veterans in the Portland VA Hospital, and veterans on active duty around the world, received a special Veterans Day message this year: a letter from a Catlin Gabel Lower School student. Every child in the Lower School—all 205 students in grades 1-5—reached out to veterans with messages that were forwarded through Operation Gratitude. Some examples: Dear Veteran, Thank-you for serving our country in war. Wishing you luck. You’re awesome. Smiles and hugs, from Ellery (grade 3) Dear Veteran, We truly appreciate you for protecting our homes, our families, and our hearts. You protect our freedom, and our love for the USA. Thankyou for changing and protecting the world for my generation and many more. Sincerely, Erik (grade 4)
It was the first year for letter writing, but awareness of the service and sacrifice of veterans has been part of the Lower School experience for several years. In the weeks leading up to Veterans Day each November, a symbolic “White Table” is on display in the front hallway, honoring all veterans, and especially those missing in action or held prisoner of war (the table is set for one person, with an empty chair leaned against it to symbolize missing soldiers). Lower School students have another opportunity to act responsibly at this time of year, and many choose to participate: through Operation Gratitude, they donate their Halloween candy to service men and women. 8
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Building on that central concept—and the educational possibilities of a hands-in-the-dirt experience—teachers in the Middle School came together to incorporate dozens of lessons from multiple disciplines for the “Harvest Festival” unit. Math teacher Michele Hoang had her students calculate the area of the raised beds and the volume of compost needed to fill them; science teacher Larry Hurst tasked his students with measuring the drainage rates of clay, silt, and sand to determine the best type of soil for growing vegetables; Carter Latendresse, language arts teacher and garden coordinator, had his students study seed-saving and the life cycle of seeds; and students in Jeff Smith’s social studies class learned about the rise of civilizations after hunter-gatherers began domesticating plants and animals. It all came together at the harvest, when students prepared foods from the crops they grew and set aside seeds and kernels for next year’s planting. Students harvested red bell peppers from their aquaponics station, ground corn to make cornbread and tortillas, baked delicata squash in the garden cob oven, and harvested lettuce and kale toppings for quesadillas.
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Palma Seminar Social Impact Projects Upper School
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Project Prelude Upper School
While writing a sophomore English essay about community engagement, Isabelle Zheng ’18 decided to do more than just write about it: she teamed up with Cammie Lee ’18 and formed an education program that has changed the lives of hundreds of Portland-area children. Through their non-profit, Project Prelude, they’re providing free music instruction to middle schoolers who otherwise might never have the chance to pick up an instrument. “Playing music was growing increasingly inaccessible,” says Isabelle, a dedicated flutist. “Private lessons and instruments can cost thousands of dollars a year.” Cammie, a violinist since age four, adds, “I was struck by how much and how often music programs were getting cut. It is amazing to me how little music is valued in the education system.” Today, three public schools—McKinley Elementary, Aloha-Huber Park, and Raleigh Hills K-8—have free music programs run by Isabelle (as Executive Director) and Cammie (as Music Director), along with dozens of volunteers. Project Prelude collects and distributes used instruments as well, so every part of the experience is cost-free. This year, 140 students are engaged in the program, which includes individual instruction, group lessons, and opportunities to perform for concert audiences.
“It’s inspired me to pursue things on my own,” Sid Pai ’18 says of his Social Impact Project, an essential aspect of the Palma Seminar “Revolutionaries” course that brought students into direct contact with issues they care about in the community. “I realized, I don’t have to just talk about the things I wish I could do. Now it’s time to actually do them.” As part of the interdisciplinary Palma Seminar experience, Sid was tasked with developing a project that reflected a personal interest and allowed him to have a real impact, and he chose to create Thrive, an integration program for refugee youth. Other students worked directly with ACT PDX Suicide Prevention, and organized for “Liberation Literacy,” a book drive to benefit inmates at Columbia River Correctional Institution. Projects that focused on issues more generally included the “We Are Human PDX” video series, which featured stories of homelessness in Portland, and student-produced youth drug prevention videos, which were distributed to 57 area schools as a curriculum tool. “This was a really valuable opportunity to take what you’ve learned about how to make a social movement and actually apply it in the real world,” says Lila Fenner ’20, whose Social Impact Project involved collecting and distributing imperfect produce through Food Waste Prevention PDX. “It allowed me to come back to the classroom with a deeper understanding of not only the facts behind the issues, but also what it’s really like once you go out and experience it.” Video: Students discuss their Social Impact Projects in the video "Making Impact." catlin.edu/makingimpact
“Many of our students have expressed that they otherwise would not have the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument,” Isabelle says. “It is a joy to bring that opportunity to them.” Media Gallery: Access TV, radio, and print articles and interviews about Project Prelude. catlin.edu/projectprelude
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Becoming engaged with the world How Catlin Gabel helped me learn about the world and the roles we can play in it 10
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by LYLA BASHAN ’98 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD HONOREE Director of the USAID Sustainable Development Office, Armenia
It’s hard for me to believe I graduated from Catlin Gabel almost 20 years ago! Alas, I’m not sure if I’ll make it to the reunion, because it would mean flying halfway around the world. That’s because I live in Armenia, a small country sandwiched between Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. But I’d love to make it back because the foundation of my international career can be traced back to my time at Catlin Gabel. When I was young I wanted to save the environment. But it was Catlin Gabel’s academic rigor, high expectations, and commitment to excellence that taught me to direct my passion in specific, practical ways. While at Catlin Gabel, I learned about the field of peace and conflict resolution and later, in college, I learned about humanitarian development. I realized that people wouldn’t and couldn’t care about the environment if they couldn’t provide food, shelter, and safety for themselves and their families. That is why I’ve committed my career to conflict resolution and humanitarian development. Ultimately, it’s a way of helping individual people, the environment, and the world. I’ve spent my entire professional life working on, travelling, and living throughout this big, beautiful world of ours. And let me tell you, it never gets boring! But my international career started in our very own, beloved Portland. After my sophomore year at Lewis and Clark College, I began interning at Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian relief and development NGO. After going to grad school in Washington D.C. and interning and working for a few other awesome NGOs, I became a diplomat working for the State Department. My favorite job at the State Department was as a conflict prevention officer for Sub-Saharan Africa. I loved it because I got to travel throughout that region working on a wide range of conflict prevention activities. I met so many interesting people who had The Caller | Winter 2018
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Whether through a career in international affairs or not, it’s important to have a basic understanding of what is going on in the world in order to create positive change.
to respond to myriad challenges, but ultimately were all trying to just live their lives. I loved living in Washington, D.C., and travelling all over the world, but I always wanted to live abroad more permanently. So, after a few years, I left the State Department civil service to join the foreign service of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Being a diplomat of any stripe is interesting work, but I thought USAID would be a better fit for me because I could focus more on humanitarian development. USAID is the U.S. Government’s lead development agency and works in developing countries around the world to help alleviate poverty and suffering, promote good governance and human rights, support economic growth and food security, and improve health care and education. My first tour with USAID was in Guatemala, which is still recovering from its decades-long civil war and facing the crippling effects of the drug trade. My next tour was in Tajikistan, which is a fascinating, isolated country in Central Asia, to the north of Afghanistan. And now, after a few years back in D.C., here I am in Armenia where I serve as Director of the Office of Sustainable Development. My office manages all of USAID’s programs in Armenia. I do this work because I believe that development is the most effective way to create global stability and prosperity. Now more than ever, global issues affect all of us. Issues that once seemed far away—health epidemics, financial crisis, conflict—are now intertwined with our everyday lives. Because of America’s political, military, and financial power, it is important for Americans to be engaged with the world. Whether through a career in international affairs or not, it’s important to have a basic understanding of what is going on in the world in order to create positive change. Today, everyone’s voice counts. Catlin Gabel helped me learn more about the world and the role my voice could play in it. 12
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We can all work to make the world a better place. Whether it’s volunteering in your community, calling your congressional representative, or donating money to an NGO—all of this is helping. You don’t have to fly off to a Bangladeshi refugee camp, but you do need to care. That’s what Catlin Gabel taught me, to direct my care in real ways. Sure, you’re not going to alleviate global poverty and suffering by volunteering at a local homeless shelter, but you are going to make a difference in someone’s life. And that matters. The ripple effects of positive change can be immense. That’s why I wrote Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes. I want to give people a way to easily understand the complexities of the issues and systems that comprise what we call “global affairs.” And it has good career advice! Global is the book I wish someone had written 20 years ago when I was starting my career in international affairs. My only goal is to get others involved! What most inspires you? Is it working on preventing human trafficking, getting more girls in school, improving sweatshop labor conditions, increasing food security, reducing female genital mutilation, building climate change resiliency, and on and on? All of these issues and more are just waiting for ordinary heroes to focus on them. Domestically and globally there are tons of great organizations out there doing amazing work. The opportunities are endless. All you need to do is take the first step. Lyla Bashan ’98 serves in the diplomatic corps for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is the author of Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes (Red Press, 2017). Over the course of her nearly two-decade career in international affairs she has crisscrossed the globe, living in Armenia, Tajikistan, and Guatemala and working throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Working for USAID, the Department of State, and non-governmental organizations, she has committed her career to being an ordinary hero and strives to help others to do so too. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not reflect the position of the U.S. Government.
Previous page: A USAID water project opening in Tajikistan, 2012; inset: Lyla in Guatemala, 2011. Opposite page: Girls in a madrasas (a religious school) in Timbuktu, 2009; a girl in Guatemala shows her school project, 2010. This page: Downriver from Timbuktu, 2009
LYLA BASHAN's Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes Rather than chronicling her world travels and accomplishments, Lyla wrote Global as a way to help others understand how the international system works, and inspire them to get involved. A portion of proceeds from the book are donated to social justice causes. [L]et’s agree on one thing: lucky doesn’t mean better. We don’t go out into the world
An Excerpt because we are superior. We go out into the world because we want to serve. Because
we can serve. I didn’t grow up in a wealthy family, but I lived in safety, I had a warm bed, enough food to eat and access to quality education and healthcare. I am grateful for my good fortune, and I spend my life working to help those less fortunate than me. It’s an honor, and a privilege. Nothing more; nothing less.
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Alumni & Homecoming Weekend September 15-16
visit the photo galleries at catlin.edu/alumniweekend
2017
Distinguished Alumni Award Winners Cynthia Johnson Haruyama '77
Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award Cynthia was recognized for raising the quality of life in Portland through decades of leadership in developing and managing public gardens. She currently serves as Deputy Director of the Portland Japanese Garden.
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David Recordon '04
Distinguished Younger Alumni Award David has built and led engineering teams in a variety of organizations, and was appointed the first Special Assistant to the President and the Director of White House Information Technology by President Barack Obama. (With Head of School Tim Bazemore).
Se-Ah-Dom Edmo '94
Distinguished Alumni Service Award Se-ah-dom has played a major role in raising awareness and understanding about Tribal justice and Native American issues in the Northwest. She currently serves as Movement Building Director for the Western States Center in Portland.
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CLASS of 1993
Nkenge Harmon Johnson The head of the Urban League of Portland talks about keeping her perspective in Washington, D.C., returning to Catlin Gabel as a Trustee, and why it's best to stop when the President is walking by
» President and CEO of the Urban League of Portland » Catlin Gabel Trustee » Distinguished Younger Alumni Award Honoree 2015 » Served as a strategic staff member in communications, campaigns, and legislative matters for U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada); U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan); and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee » Served as President Obama's Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative focused on the Americas and China » BS from Florida A&M University; MBA from Trinity University; JD from Howard University School of Law
by Ken DuBois Editor
You chose Catlin Gabel for high school and graduated when you were sixteen. How did you know, as a preteen, that this was the right school for you? I visited Catlin Gabel along with a number of other schools, and it was the one that interested me the most. I was good at school, but grades didn’t mean anything to me. At Catlin Gabel, they didn’t have grades, so I liked that idea. It was a small school but you had access to a lot of different kinds of activities. If something interested you, you could have a club of one at Catlin Gabel, and you could have a faculty adviser who would advise that club, which doesn’t happen at other schools. That was why I chose Catlin Gabel: anything that you could dream of, you could create. With your experience and education you have a lot of career options, but you’ve chosen public service. When did you decide that responsible action was going to be your focus? Well, I knew that I wanted to help people, and I went to law school because I wanted to be a lawyer for people who couldn’t afford a lawyer. But when I decided to work in the public interest, in service and in other ways, rather than practicing law, was after 9/11. Patriotism was being renewed everywhere and certainly, being in D.C., I was in the heart of a lot that sentiment. I was born to a captain in the army, my mom, and have many other 16
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members of the military in my family. So the first thing I thought was, “I’m going to go be a Marine.” And my mother said, “You know, that’s an idea, see if you can think of any others.” And I did. I looked up one day and saw the U.S. Capitol as I was driving away from court, and I said, “Oh, I can serve my country right there.” And that’s when I decided that I would work as a staffer in Congress. Working in politics must be gratifying when you win, and help people, but difficult when things don’t go your way. How did you stay motivated? It’s the same with the job I have now, quite frankly. Working in politics you don’t win on all the issues that you know with all of your heart that you should be winning on. And even if you do win you know it’s not a big enough victory to help all the people who need your help. Being passionate about the underlying issue is important. Knowing that the people that you are able to help matter, that makes all the difference on the days when you’re not successful. When I worked in the Senate, we were working to pass the Affordable Care Act, now known as Obamacare, and it was during a set of snowstorms in D.C. I literally walked from my apartment three miles to my office a couple of days in the snow because transit was shut down, and we were working in my office just days before Christmas. And the goal was to get this thing
Nkenge (far right) visits the White House as Urban League of Portland CEO, alongside fellow Urban League CEOs, during a federal policy briefing.
passed before Christmas or it was never going to happen. The Majority Leader at the time, he wasn’t going to let anyone leave until we got the vote to the floor. And we did it. There were some things we won on and other things we didn’t win. But overall it was a victory for millions of people. So I think that keeping that perspective makes all the difference. You had some big wins when you worked for the White House as well. Would you share an Obama story? I worked in global trade, and on one occasion we were victorious in a case over China. They had been cheating on trade and we sued them and won, and we won big. It was a big deal. And the president held a press conference in the Rose Garden, and my boss, who was the U.S. Trade Rep at the time, was with him, and I’m there as well. We were going to be doing press all day about this. It’s not very often that the president is reading my words or talking about something that I had worked on. And when the press conference is over, I went to get my boss because I need to get him three blocks away to the next press event. And then the president walks out, he’s coming from the East Wing, and I was like, “Oh, it’s the president, we better move.” My boss says, “No, I think when the president’s coming you have to stop and let him pass.” “No, that’s not a thing. Let’s go, we have to be there on air live in seventeen minutes.” He said, “No, I think we have to stop.” So we stop, the president stops, and he introduces
himself, which is hilarious. I introduce myself likewise, again, and he’s talking about what I’m working on that day, this victory in China, the press event that we’re about to do, the substance of our victory. And we talked for just a few minutes, but it was very cool because he knew what I was working on and took the time to engage and discuss it with me. And my boss laughed at me and said, “You see, I told you you’ve got to stop when the president is walking by.” Last year, you accepted Tim Bazemore’s invitation to join the Catlin Gabel Board of Trustees, which is a substantial commitment. Why was it important to you to give back in this way? I did have a good experience here, and there are some things I’d like to give back to current students and families. There’s a good concentration of Catlin Gabel alums working in a field similar to mine, working in social responsibility, working nonprofit. I go to some of these trainings, I run into Catlin Gabel people and it’s weird, because there’s not that many of us out there in the world, and yet we’re doing this do-gooder stuff. That’s something special that we really have to be proud of. We’ve got a secret sauce. the extended interview with Nkenge Harmon Johnson '93 at: catlin.edu/nkenge
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CLASS NOTES Liaisons are listed for each class. Please send your class notes for the next issue of The Caller to your class liaison or submit to: alumni@catlin.edu See photos and more Class Notes online at catlin.edu/classnotes
1970s ’71 liaison: Muffie Latourette Scanlan muffie130@comcast.net ’73 liaisons: Ted Kaye and Debbie Ehrman Kaye djek53@aol.com Steve Swire reports that, “Life is good here in Marin, California. Our daughter, Aislinn, is a junior at American University in D.C., spending a semester at Tel Aviv University...son Sam is a freshman; yes, in high school. I continue to pursue things of interest, mostly in real estate. Have also enjoyed keeping up with some—but never enough!—of our classmates!” Allen Schauffler writes, “After 30 years in the TV news business I am navigating the joys and sorrows of semi-retirement. Cyndy and I have moved out of Seattle and taken up residence in ‘Sagebrushestan,’ better known as Powell Butte, Oregon, east of Bend. It is a delight to be an Oregonian once again after a hiatus of more than a quarter-century.” Melet Whinston reports, “I’m still working, one daughter a freshman at U. of O. Honors College, the other working in healthcare in rural Alaska while applying to med school. My singing group (the Beaconettes) will sing with the Seattle Symphony for the Holiday Pops concert series.” Brian Saucy writes, “I've been the Pastry Chef at The Benson for 35 years now (and counting). I hope to see everyone at our next reunion!” Kimery Wiltshire writes, “As Carpe Diem West celebrates their tenth anniversary, their (gorgeous!) new report Climate Chaos & Local Resiliency – Water Solutions in 18
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the American West is out! These seven stories highlight what we know works and what are the cornerstones of success for this organization and leadership network: partnership, equity and sustainable choices.” ’75 liaison: Len Carr carrl@catlin.edu Elaine Mathies writes, “I'm grateful for my
Catlin Gabel education in so many ways. Today I want to give a shout out to the music programs. I am a founding member of a community choir in Seattle, The Market Street Singers, now in its 14th year and about 80 strong, and have increasing appreciation for the role of music in my life.” Barry Ludlow is traveling to Nairobi, Kenya, this June to help build a primary school in Nairobi’s Kibera slum. He will be joining a group sponsored by Crossing Thresholds, a not-for-profit active in Kenya. Susan Sammons Meyer writes, “I have been working on our family tree and it has been quite the adventure. I am up to 17,000 names and counting. We are even related to Chaucer...” Robert Deering writes, “I'm still teaching Middle School science in Hillsboro, where I've worked hard over the last few years to implement new online science curriculum on Chromebooks in my classes and in the district.” Margaret Park Bridges reports that while in Portland at Thanksgiving she had a great time seeing Catlin Gabel classmates again, including Tara Spurlock and Sally Bachman, as well as Ann Shoemaker, Len Carr, and Jon Lee at Ann's cider press party. Margaret still works at Cengage Learning in Boston, and still misses both daughters, one of whom
lives in Portland and the other in Seattle. Danny Schauffler writes, “I'm still teaching band and music at Valley Catholic, getting Pep Band ready for basketball season. The Crazy 8’s are rehearsing for our first gig in 20 years in Seattle. Annie and I are going strong, remodeling our house, traveling when we can, and singing as we go. Lily (27) has a great job at Amazon and Mia (25) is a successful improv comic in L.A.” Alan Hay writes, “Doing well. Grandfather to a 7-month-old boy who is the apple of our eye. Daughter and son-in-law live in Portland, son and daughter-in-law live in Eugene, so family are close, although Duncan and his wife live in Cambridge, England. Working still although stepping down from Willamette Urology in April next year.” Leslie Hallock Minacova writes, "My husband, Jan, is still working full-time as a pure mathematician at the university here. I help Jan with all things related to his mathematical work, except for proving theorems and working on solutions to various mathematical problems!” Sarah Kelley writes, “The big headline is that Jerry and I have relocated to Boise, Idaho. We already owned a home here so the transition has been relatively easy. Jerry's two sons live here along with their families, so our Boise world includes two very cute grandchildren.” Sally Bachman will be helping two schools: Catlin Gabel, trying to connect with alums from her mother Eve and aunt Virginia MacVeagh's era (1940s), and Lincoln High School, which in 2018-2019 will be celebrating its 150th anniversary.” John Bishop writes, “While on vacation from my new job as president of Pendleton, had dinner
in Shanghai with two Catlin Gabel ex-pats, Eli Friedman '11 and Rob Bishop '08, along with Mary '11 and Suzanne Bishop '76. Rob is working for a Belgian brewer while Eli is prepping Chinese students for college in the U.S.” Len Carr writes, “After nearly 40 years teaching and working in schools I left Catlin Gabel in June only to return part time as Summer Camps Director as well as subbing, coaching, and bus driving. Spare time sees me at the coast, mountains, Puget Sound and NYC. Daughter Emily Carr ’02 and son-in-law Alex Bellos ’02 and their children (my grandchildren) Noah and Lily relocated to Brooklyn where Alex runs West Elm. Daughter Julia Carr ’05 has returned to Portland after a number of years in L.A. She is working in the food, education, and environmental justice field; and Hannah Carr ’07 lives at the beach and is a 4th grade teacher at Seaside Heights Elementary—she married Soren Clark in July at her grandparents Tom and Joan Buell’s hilltop home, Penybryn.” Ann Shoemaker von Ofenheim writes, “After 19 years of teaching at OES I have earned a sabbatical this year. I hope to travel and volunteer in Central or South America in the spring and visit my son who works and lives in Canada. In July I have the opportunity to be a part of an orchestra tour to Spain and Portugal. While in that part of the world I will catch up with my daughter who lives and works in Hatay, Turkey.” Joel Ivey writes, “I am clearing my desk in Indonesia after conducting geological work here since May of 1988. Thailand will be home base from now on. Next stop is some consulting work in southern Ethiopia early December [2017].” Nessa Elila (formerly Annette Rickles) is thriving in Portland, and involved in many things including combining mindfulness, joy, and political action. Although she is a member of Nasty Women Get Sh** Done, she still considers herself a basically Nice Woman. Ann Vollum reports that Dan Vollum “lives in Livingston, Montana, where he finally can wear his cowboy hat every day and fit right in. He has a small herd of cattle, a Border Collie to chase ‘em, and a wife who’s a crack shot for elk season. In short....he’s in heaven.”
Patty Black Boday writes, “My husband,
David Estes, and I are still running our spice company. It was my big 6-0, David’s 65th, and our daughter Mika’s 30th this year. We took a family vacation to Tuscany, Italy, for a couple of weeks this September. We rented a big house….Plenty of beautiful scenery, sightseeing, good food, wine and conversations.” Frederick (Rick) Hecht, M.D. writes, “I’m pretty excited about the birth of our first grandchild, Luca! So as not to feel too decrepit in the grandparent role, I just finished my goal of completing a 100-mile running race (Javelina 100)—and had a great time (most of the time!) during the race.” Pamela Rinehart Sears writes, “Having been an expat family for over 20 years (the past 15 in England and gaining British citizenship), we are finally returning to the U.S. [Houston]. All three girls are now studying or working in the States: eldest Emily, a recent Hamilton College grad, in Boston at Wayfair as a software engineer, and younger Charlie and Gwen starting their first years at University of Richmond.” ’76 liaison: Hester Buell Carr hbc58@aol.com Teresa Edwards Allen writes, “Many years ago I moved to McMinnville and my husband and I raised our two children. Our son is a senior at OSU majoring in business. Our daughter is a junior at OSU with plans of getting her nursing degree. For the last 13 years I have loved my job working as an assistant in kindergarten.” David Seres writes, “I’m still at Columbia University Medical Center in NY, practicing nutrition support and clinical ethics. I continue my research and policy work toward changing the way nursing homes unnecessarily require surgical feeding tubes for patients unable to eat. This past year I was elected a Fellow of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. It is their highest honor—for lifetime achievement and service.”
’79 liaison: Jim Bilbao jimbilbao@gmail.com
1980s ’82 liaison: Mary Rondthaler maryrondthaler@gmail.com The class of ’82 celebrated its 35th reunion this summer and fall with two reunion events. Several met in August at the Folkestad family’s coastal getaway near Cascade Head, and they also had a small gathering at Catlin Gabel on Alumni Weekend. Beachgoers included Nicole Stanton
Mott, Roman Raimondo, Sharla Settlemier, David Cory, David McKay, Adam Lane, Emily von Hinckeldey, Tod Wood, Paul Folkestad, Mary Rondthaler, Andy Finch, and Matt Galaher. Alumni weekend attendees included Adam Lane, and sons James ’20 and Caleb; Dan Tilden, Paul Folkestad, Roman Raimondo, George Gates, and Mary Rondthaler. Andrew Finch is still designing homes in the Seattle area, and Joe Wessinger ’01
has been working in Andrew’s architecture studio. Sharla Settlemier retired from Nike after 27 years with the company. Her last eight years she served as Vice President of Sustainable Manufacturing and Sourcing, where she led a global team focused on improving labor and environmental per-
Save the Date
Night at the Museum: The 2018 Catlin Gabel Auction March 17, 2018 Portland Art Museum Purchase tickets. Gather your classmates, family, and friends for a fun evening to benefit our school community. Donate. Contribute items, experiences, event tickets, services, and gift certificates to help make our auction a huge success. Volunteer. Sign-up to help with procurement, catalog editing, week-of auction preparations, and more. Purchase tickets, make a donation, or volunteer at catlin.edu/auction. Questions? Email auction@catlin.edu
The Caller | Winter 2018
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formance in Nike’s contract manufacturing facilities around the world. She now owns an independent consulting firm (Infinity Strategic Business Consulting, LLC). Chef Paul Folkestad has moved on from many years of teaching at Le Cordon Bleu and currently does cooking demonstrations at Sheridan Fruit Company, in addition to various culinary adventures including cooking classes, catering, and consulting. Mary Rondthaler is still working as a scheduler and pursuing her passion of music in her spare time. Her daughter is a junior in high school and she recently completed and passed her driver’s ed class, so she will soon be able to drive the car her cousin and Catlin Gabel alum Helen Jolley ’08 loaned to her. ’83 Maria Pope became president of Portland General Electric Co. on October 1 with the retirement of its current president and chief executive. As SVP, Maria previously oversaw PGE’s energy supply portfolio, thermal, hydro, and wind generation plants, and long-term resource strategy. ’84 liaison: Victoria Patrick Lloyd victoria.s.lloyd@gmail.com ’85 liaison: Bryan Ward bryan@skywardconstruction.com ’87 liaison: Megan Sullivan Shipley shipleymegan@gmail.com ’89 liaison: Robyn Rhodes Rogers hicktownmom@gmail.com
1990s
’90 Liaison: Heather Gaudry Blackburn hblackburn13@gmail.com Anna Conklin Donovan writes, “I'm living
in Colorado Springs. After Brian (my husband) finished his Ph.D. at Stanford about a year and a half ago, he got a job here as a research scientist. Bodi (our kiddo) is almost 8 years, in second grade at a Catlin Gabel-like school here. I'm in graduate school, getting an M.A. in counseling—ei-
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The Caller | www.catlin.edu/thecaller
ther school counseling or marriage and family.” Pippa Arend writes, “p:ear (my nonprofit for homeless kids) is celebrating its 16th school year. We are thinking a lot about "Rites of Passage" this year; what are the rites / rights we cling to as we grow up into a healthier adulthood.” Jennifer Shirley continues to live in Brooklyn with her husband and kids. She teaches for Lincoln Center Theater, BAM, Theater for A New Audience, and MCC Theater, and runs her own education company, Creative Stages NYC, with her husband Albert. She will be in Portland this summer to teach the Portland Actors Conservatory Youth Programs (for 8-18 year olds). Heather Gaudry Blackburn writes, “I'm still in Portland, but was able to sneak out to NYC for a visit in June and saw Jennifer Shirley. We were able to see Bette Midler in Hello Dolly! It was fantastic to see Jen...and Bette! We also were able to get a group together when Maril Davis was in town. It was great to see Doug
deWeese, Miriam Marx, Tiffany Hutchinson, Heather Keyes, Amy McDevitt Maki, and Bill Flores.”
’92 liaisons: Jamie Bell jamico1974@hotmail.com Ashley Tibbs tibbsashley@gmail.com ’93 liaison: Jen McDonald jenmcdonald74@gmail.com Damin Spritzer begins her third year as
a professor of organ at the University of Oklahoma. This year her recital tours have taken her to Italy, Germany, and Israel. Her children are now in 8th grade (Soren, 12), 5th grade (Rowan, 10), and kindergarten (Stellan Morgan, 5), and her husband James continues to work for Deloitte. ’95 liaison: Lisa Kleinman lisa_kleinman@hotmail.com ‘97 liaison: Sarah Coates Higgins sarahlcoates@gmail.com ‘98 liaison: Will Decherd wdecherd@gmail.com
Ty Rogers writes, “I’m living in Seattle with my wife and our two kids, Ben (6) and Madeline (4). I’m a recovering lawyer who’s now the director of corporate communications at Amazon, and we’re moving to Luxembourg next year for a two-year stint leading corporate communications for Amazon in Europe.” Abbie Liel writes, “My husband, Rob, and I welcomed our first child, a daughter named Flora, in March. I am an associate professor in civil engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder, focusing on earthquake engineering."
‘99 liaison: Nasim Gorji ngorji@gmail.com
2000s
‘00 liaison: Natasha Stoudt secretnatasha@gmail.com Alex Youssefian married Tracie Ward on November 18 in downtown Portland. Alex, who earned a degree in Justice from American University, now works in Portland for Banfield Animal Hospitals, where he is in charge of hiring veterinarians. The newlyweds are both avid hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.
‘01 liaison: Tyler Francis catlin@tylerf.net Kari Jaspersohn accepted a promotion at
Playboy Enterprises as their new Director of Marketing & Brand Strategy. She and her husband relocated to Los Angeles so that she could work alongside the brand’s Chief Creative Officer, Cooper Hefner, to guide and implement brand strategy across all of the organization’s creative departments. Timur Kocaoglu and his wife Dara still live in New York. They had their first child this summer, Tycen Evren Kocaoglu. ‘02 liaison: Kelsey Rotwein Schagemann kelsey.schagemann@gmail.com Amelia Templeton has joined the Catlin
Gabel Board of Trustees. She's particularly interested in working with alumni who want
A message from Hillary Patterson, Director of Alumni Relations
to stay involved with the school. Templeton still works for Oregon Public Broadcasting, producing stories about city politics, housing, and homelessness. This fall, she enjoyed making 50 gallons of apple cider and lots of homemade donuts with a tireless crowd of family and friends, including Erica Silva, Aidan Krainock, and Alina Black. ‘03 liaison: Lauren Collins laurencollins03@gmail.com ‘04 liaison: Hannah Aultman Hannah.aultman@gmail.com Ella Dutton Campbell and her husband Alex
had an exciting 2017, starting with buying a house just outside of NYC. Ella started a new job at the biotech firm Regeneron this summer, and this fall they welcomed their second daughter, Matilda. “Big sister Penelope is taking her new role very seriously.” Danielle Marck graduated from the Pacific University Physician Assistant Program in August and will be working in inpatient neurosurgery as a physician assistant at Stanford Hospital. Jonathon Parker is just finishing his PGY-3 year in neurosurgery and starting an in-folded fellowship in epilepsy surgery at Stanford using robotic and minimally invasive approaches. He is hoping to eventually make it back to Portland to do Neurosurgery and Neuromodulation research. Valerie Coit Luckenbill and her husband Jamie welcomed their second child, Graham David Luckenbill, on May 20, 2017. They live in the mountains outside Denver and enjoy skiing, hiking, and watching the local elk herd travel through their neighborhood. ‘05 liaison: Taylor Kaplan taylorashleykaplan@gmail.com Rollyn Stafford writes, “My first feature film as a director, Road to Bob, is nearly complete. It will be ready for the festival circuit by January 2018.” Katie Ferguson writes, “My husband Ian and I are living in Petaluma, California. I recently celebrated my five-year anniversary of working for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, where I work in the Human Resources Department at the de Young Museum.” Rachel Weinrib writes, “I am moving
Dear Catlin Gabel Alumni, I want to get to know you. I’m a new member of the Catlin Gabel community. Alumni Weekend was my second week in this new job. What a way to get started! I’ll never forget the warm reception I received at the Pine Cone Guild luncheon for graduates of 1969 and earlier. And then the amazing experience of the Celebration of Leadership and Service, where I was blown away by the presentations from our Distinguished Alumni Award winners and our AlumniTalks speakers. What amazing representatives we have out in the world. I’m learning what makes this place tick. Teachers whose dedication goes way beyond expectations. Friendships forged in shared experience that last decades. Students and alumni are courageous in their inquiry and curiosity, and hard questions are the rule of the day. The perfect alumni office for a place like this is clued-in, creative, dynamic, and always listening. I love to brainstorm, and I keep bringing up engagement ideas (Outdoor Ed for alumni in National Parks...start-up incubation on campus…social media accounts for archives content…concerts on the soccer field…Peppers vs. Terrors trivia invitational…). Sometimes I get a smile and a “that’s really Catlin-ish” from a teammate or Alumni Board member, and I know I’ve hit on something good. So how can I best be educated on what a Catlin Gabel education is all about? I turn to you, Caller reader, dedicated Alumnus/a. Where do we start? Sincerely, hillary patterson Director of Alumni Relations 503-297-1894 x5033 pattersonh@catlin.edu P.S. When I say that I want to get to know you, I mean it! Alumni Research is a big part of Catlin Gabel’s Strategic Plan. Alumni are our ambassadors out in the world, and exemplars of the Catlin Gabel lifelong learning philosophy. This spring, we will be distributing surveys to our Alumni constituency and we hope you will participate. Stay tuned!
Catlin Gabel Alumni Association Board Members Katie Wisdom Weinstein ’86, Briana Britton ’07
President
Mike Malone ’95,
Vice President
Sprinavasa Brown ’02,
Secretary
Louis Le ’18,
CGSA representative
Lilian Ongelungel ’07
Len Carr ’75
Anushka Shenoy ’04
Chris Dorough ’03
Irfan Tahir ’87
Meg Patten Eaton ’58
Tom Tucker ’66
Joe Hall ’97 Debbie Ehrman Kaye ’73 Deni Mei ’04
The Caller | Winter 2018
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to Barcelona in the spring for a project management job in health research. I plan to have a guest room and would absolutely love to host any visitors who want to come stay and enjoy that beautiful city!” Matt Lundeberg completed his postdoctoral residency at Reed College’s Health and Counseling Center. He is now a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Oregon and recently started his new job at the Portland Autism Center. ‘06 liaison: Casey Michel casey.michel@gmail.com Megan Amram writes, “I am now writing for The Simpsons, which was a dream of mine back in my Catlin Gabel days. Recently Fox News did a hit piece about me, which felt like a true pinnacle of my career.” Stephi Blank just completed her first season as the head of digital and social media for the New York Yankees. She is looking forward to this offseason, where she will travel to London, India, and a month in Florida for Spring Training.
‘07 liaisons: Ben Dair zencellist@gmail.com Rob Kaye robert.e.kaye@gmail.com Kayce Coulterpark Hawks spent five months in Columbia, South Carolina, before moving to El Paso, Texas, where she and her husband enjoy the everlasting
Stay in Touch Address update? Class note? We want to hear from you! Check out our new online form at: catlin.edu/alumni Is your class missing a liaison? Liaison service is a great way to stay in touch and strengthen the connection between classmates and Catlin Gabel. Email alumni@catlin.edu to learn more or nominate a friend.
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The Caller | www.catlin.edu/thecaller
sunshine and warmth and all but live at the park, where her daughter Emma loves to play. McCall Vollum was married in June to Nick Renold and is living in California where she works at Apple in New Product Introduction Strategy. The newlyweds honeymooned in New Zealand and French Polynesia. Stew Towle traveled by converted school bus to peacefully protest at Standing Rock where he was arrested and will soon be standing trial. Meanwhile he is writing a Harry Potter fan fiction from a muggle point of view for National Novel Writing Month. Whitney Goodman’s store in Portland, WM GOODS, just celebrated its two-year anniversary. She got married in September in Los Angeles and began doing branding/marketing/PR consulting as Well Made Consulting. Corey Morrow is still teaching personal defense and living in the country with his wife and menagerie of animals. Jens Tamang still lives in Minneapolis and is finishing up his M.A. in Occupational Therapy at St. Catherine's University. Chris Pierce Wright continues clerking in Tacoma and spent the summer traveling with his girlfriend to Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Jasper Weinrib has started teaching 2nd grade in Oakland. Ben Dair lives in Portland working on forestry and energy projects for the nonprofit Sustainable Northwest. Evan Caster lives with his significant other in Colorado Springs caring for their brand new puppy. Virginia Stone is in her third year of leading a classroom at Sunstone Montessori. This summer Virginia and her partner Nicholas traveled to Prague for the International Montessori Congress, and then traveled around Germany and Amsterdam. Alyssa Bonini is finishing up law school at the University of Oregon with a focus on environmental law. Her M.S. is in Conflict and Dispute Resolution. Andy Moerer is in Los Angeles directing Creative Resources for an ad agency with offices in both L.A. and Amsterdam. Evan Matsuda has been building his house full time in Bozeman, Montana, with the occasional construction project for family and friends on the side. Claire Stewart and
her husband Matt have moved into the tiny house they built and are remodeling a “real” house next door. She’s been rafting and mountain biking a lot and is loving being out of the city. Cam McClure is wrapping up her M.B.A. and likely moving somewhere on the Eastern seaboard. Dorothy Haruyama is in her second of six(ish) years of a counseling Ph.D. program at Colorado State University, where she co-authored a publication last year in the Journal for Feminist Family. ‘09 liaisons: Christopher Skinner christopher.r.skinner@gmail.com Caitlin Utter caitlinmichaelriley@gmail.com On June 17, 2017, Caitlin Utter married Zachery Glanz in a ceremony at Bridal Veil Lakes in the Gorge. Caitlin and her new husband bought their first home in Medford. Caitlin is now a licensed real estate broker running the Medford branch of her mother's company, O’Donnell Group Realty. Christopher Skinner continues to live in Arlington, Virginia, and works in consulting, but has recently switched from federal to financial services clients. He traveled to London and Spain this summer for opera and culture.
2010s
‘10 liaison: Ingrid Van Valkenburg icvanvalkenburg@gmail.com Maddy Weissman is graduating from
University of California Hastings College of the Law in May 2018. ‘12 liaison: Kate Rubenstein rubinske@whitman.edu
‘14 Liaison: Nick Rhodes nbrhodes@gmail.com ‘16 Liaisons: Ellie Nakamoto White ellienw98@gmail.com Christina Spires christinadspires@gmail.com
in MEMORIAM Margery Churchill Adams ’37 Edward E. Atiyeh
Husband of Karen Vedvei Aityeh ’43
Maribeth Wilson Collins
Mother of Terry Collins ’66, Tim Collins ’66, and Cheri Collins Smith ’68
Charles Case Dixon
Brother of Sara Dixon Huntington ’73
Lynne Berthiaume Dwyer
Mother of David Dwyer ’90
Jeanette R. Egger
Wife of Paul Egger ’48; mother of Rebecca Egger ’83
Eleanor Frank Heinz ’40
Shirley Margaret Moore
Anne Stanbery Hogben ’39
Sister Hilary Mary , C.T. (Mary Moores) ’48
Sister of Jean Frank Woodell ’33, Nancy Frank Coddon ’37, and Margery Frank Crist ’41 Marcus Horenstein, M.D.
Sister of Arminta Moores Collins ’44
Nancy Kosterlitz
Brother of Anne Mount Hay ’47, Evie Mount Hofer ’40 (dec.), and Virginia Mount Rankin ’41 (dec.)
Sally Clark Lawrence
Mother of Omar Noles, Jr. ’59 and Jeffrey Noles ’61
Husband of Babette Baruh Horenstein ’49 (dec.) Mother of David ’70, Amy ’71, and Julie ’74
Wife of Lee Emery, D.M.D. ’57
Wife of former faculty member John Lawrence; mother of Nancy Judd ’86, stepmother of Maia Lawrence ’81 and Dylan Lawrence ’83
Norma Marie Epley
James Douglas "Doug" Macy
Susan Mitchell Emery
Mother of Cathy ’76 and Cynthia ’79 (dec.) Molly Blair Fitzgibbon ’45
Sister of Jean Blair O'Neill ’38 (dec.) Marilyn Fulop
Mother of Gretchen Fulop Darnell ’72
Janet Martin Gadsby
Wife of Walter Gadsby ’35; mother of Anna ’68 and Elizabeth ’76
Mary Jane Hirschberger Goeth
Mother of Wendy Hirschberger Weigman ’67, Laurie Hirschberger Pink ’70, Emily Hirschberger Gordon ’72, and Hans Hirschberger ’75
Grace Elizabeth "Betty" Guyer
Mother of Ann Guyer Brown ’77 Patrick Hayashi ’85
Mother of Jennifer Moore ’82 and Royal "Bud" Moore, III ’84
Principal architect (firm of Walker Macy) for campus development in the 1980s Norman Malbin ’67 Melvin "Pete" Mark, Jr.
Father of Linda Mark Andrews ’70 and Cynthia Mark Murphy ’72
Nancy Lou James Menefee
Stepmother to Sally Menefee Moore ’68, Caroline Menefee Sheahan ’70, Cornelia Menefee Lafferty ’71, and Elizabeth Menefee Rickles ’73 Prudence Miller ’52
Mother of Catherine Miller ’76, Andrew Miller ’78, and Sarah Miller Meigs ’79; sister of Joanne Miller Lilley ’48 and "Bobsy" Miller Graham ’54
John Wallace Mount
bj Noles
Francine Gail Reingold
Mother of Jacob Reingold ’07 Miriam "Micki" Rosen
Mother of Mike ’71 and Bill ’75 Jennifer Holtz Seton
Daughter of Anne Grieve Holtz ’53 Rosalie Libbey Swanson ’47 Caroline Owens Wann ’46 Margaret L. Veazie Webber
Sister of Joanna Veazie ’59 Michael King Wells
Father of Maya Wells ’89 and Melissa Wells ’89; grandfather of Chloe Jahncke ’23 and Justin Jahncke ’26; father-in-law to Herb Jahncke, current faculty Donna Claire Jaxtheimer Winchester ’41 Arthur Zbinden, M.D.
Father of Amy Zbinden Tone ’88
Brother of Michael Hayashi ’84 Correction: An In Memoriam notice for the passing of Eve MacVeagh Bachman ’44 listed family members incorrectly. Her surviving family members are daughters Elizabeth ’74, Sally ’75, and Laura ’77.
The Caller | Winter 2018
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2016-2017
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The Caller | www.catlin.edu/thecaller
Today, we have a new strategic road map, and it’s time to forge ahead, fearlessly. The challenge that lies ahead is to sustain what makes Catlin Gabel special and successful, while we EMBRACE NECessary change. We will do that by staying focused on our strategic goals and seeking ongoing feedback from all stakeholders in our community‌.You will be proud of who we become. Tim Bazemore, Head of School
The Caller | Winter 2018
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P H IL ANT HROPY REPORT
TO SEE A FULL LIST OF 2016-17 DONORS , GO TO:
CAT LIN. EDU /DONORS ( PASSWORD: donor s)
FI S CA L YEA R S E P T EM B ER 1 , 2 0 1 6 - AU G U ST 31, 2017
Catlin Ga bel En do wmen t
TOtal G ifts and p l e dg e s r e ce i v e d g ros s $2, 132, 040 net $ 1, 989, 643 ( N E T OF E V EN T EXP E N S E S )
AS OF AU GU ST 31, 2017
$34,386,720 GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES-UNRESTRICTED
44%
19%
OTHER *
RESTRICTED TO FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
37% * Includes professional development, faculty salaries, Lower School experiential learning days, and environmental restoration.
OPERATIN G R E V E NU E s $20, 381, 000
8%
85%
6% 1%
NET TUITION GIFTS USED IN OPERATIONS ENDOWMENT TRANSFER OTHER INCOME
OPERATIN G E X P E NSE S $20, 381, 000
6% 6% 4% 4% 2%
78%
SALARIES AND BENEFITS INSTRUCTIONAL COSTS CONTINGENCY AND RESERVES FACILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
N e w st u dent ENROLLMENT TRENDS ( A L L S CH O O L EN RO L L M EN T IN 2 0 1 7 - 2 0 1 8 : 763 ST U DENT S)
2017
SCHOOL YEAR
07/08
08/09
09/10
10/1 1
1 1 /12
1 2 /13
13/1 4
14/1 5
1 5 /16
1 6 /17
APPLICATIONS
359
396
345
325
420
479
583
585
542
557
STUDENTS ADMITTED
143
Financial Assistance provided in 2016-17: $ 4 , 1 49 , 9 0 5
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2 0 0 7-
The Caller | www.catlin.edu/thecaller
152
159
163
156
Students receiving financial assistance in 2016-17: 28%
168
155
126
127
152
Applications have grown by 55% over the past decade. Last year 27% of applicants were admitted.
YEAR in REVIEW 2016-2017
OCTOBER » As part of the Alumni Weekend and Homecoming celebration, the school presents Distinguished Alumni Awards to Foreign Service Officer Lyla Bashan ’98, artist and teacher Margot Voorhies Thompson ’66, and environmental policy expert Andrew McCartor ’98.
» The 37th annual Lower School Harvest Festival takes
SEPTEMBER
place in the Fir Grove with a bonfire and seasonal songs, followed by the traditional roll of the oat cake to predict a mild or harsh winter (the cake accurately predicted the latter).
» Mitchell Jackson’s memoir, The Residue Years, was summer » For our traditional start-of-year assembly, the entire
school gathers in Schauff Circle, and Head of School Tim Bazemore introduces a theme that will inspire discussion throughout the year: "Tell your story."
» In Preschool, the year starts with the teacher visiting
each family at home; they begin to know children within the context of their families. In Kindergarten, teachers listen and learn at "Getting to Know You" meetings with parents and guardians.
» As part of Global Online Academy, co-founded by
Catlin Gabel, Media Arts teacher Brendan Gill launches the “Where We Are” filmmaking course, in which our students share their work and interact with peer-aged filmmakers around the world.
» Building on the Strategic Planning effort of the previous
year, which included input from over 150 community members and nine months of work group discussions, the work now focuses on two main initiatives: Deepening experiential learning and becoming an unrivaled educational laboratory.
reading for the junior class, and in fall they meet the author in person when he comes to Catlin Gabel as part of our Distinguished Writer Series.
» “Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age,” a documentary that includes the latest research about the impact of screens on child development, is presented in Cabell Center, and interested parents, guardians, teachers, and students fill the hall.
» In the Beehive, Beginning School students dive into their
Fall Study project by collecting samples from the natural areas on campus and choosing their topic of interest (squirrels), then developing study skills and the confidence to explore any topic they choose.
» The second annual PFA-led Heritage Day is held in the
Creative Arts Center, and hundreds of community members gather to celebrate roots, history, traditions, and heritage through music, art, storytelling, displays, and food.
» The Catlin Gabel Upper School Robotics team hosts Girls’ Generation, a girls-only competition that draws 24 teams from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Caller | Winter 2018
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YEAR in REVIEW 2016-2017
November » In our Beginning and Lower Schools, Grandparents and Special
Friends Day brings hundreds of loved ones to campus for a chance to enjoy music, presentations, and student-led tours of the school.
» Newbery Award-winning author Victoria Jamieson, whose book
Roller Girl was a Middle School summer read, meets students in a book signing and Q&A event in the Middle School Commons.
» Daniel Chiu '17 wins a gold medal at the International Olympiad for Informatics for the second consecutive year. The event is held this year in Kazan, Russia, and includes over 300 students from around the world.
» The varsity girls cross country team caps a remarkable season by
winning the state championship with stellar performances on the track at Lane Community College in Eugene.
» For their invention of a solar-powered light and power source for
Portland area “pod” houses, called JuiceBox, the Catlin Gabel InvenTeam earns top honors from the national Lexus EcoChallenge, and a cash prize of $10,000, which they re-invest in the project.
» The varsity boys soccer team becomes state champions after beating
Portland Adventist in the finals and finishing the season undefeated. The varsity girls team also had a great season, and finished as the number two team in the state.
» Alexander Yu ’19 returns from Warsaw, Poland, with three gold
medals from the World Tai Chi (Taijiquan) Championship, where more than 300 people, representing 30 countries, competed.
DECEMBER
» Six Upper School students travel to Atlanta to engage in the
national Student Diversity Leadership Conference, where they have opportunities to develop cross-cultural communication skills, learn strategies for social justice, and practice networking principles.
» Catlin Gabel hosts the Intel Oregon FIRST LEGO League 2016
Qualifying Tournament, with three Catlin Gabel teams competing.
» For the 72nd year, St. George and the Dragon is presented by our
Middle School students and faculty, and audiences once again cheer and jeer throughout this wildly unpredictable and amusing “mummers” play.
» Jennifer Thompson, a nationally-known advocate for criminal justice reform whose work focuses on the human impact of wrongful convictions, presents a talk in Cabell Center.
» Catlin Gabel is awarded a $50,000 grant from the E.E. Ford Foundation to enhance and expand PLACE (People Leading Across City Environments), a collection of experiential learning programs that empower students to be engaged citizens.
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JANUARY » After four snow days in December, a second record snowfall forces
the school to close for an additional six days at the start of the new year.
» Seniors meet with their first grade buddies for a card and gingerbread cookie exchange. It’s one of many opportunities throughout the year for young students to interact one-on-one with their teenage mentors.
» Catlin Gabel sponsors the 27th Annual Cascade Festival of African Films, an event that includes films representing different countries and cultures and a range of lifestyles from pre-colonial to modern times.
» Upper School students present Portland’s premier scholastic chess tournament, the 2nd Annual Catlin Gabel Chess Festival, which draws players from schools throughout the region.
» Milagro Theater presents El Payaso for Middle Schoolers in Cabell Theater, a stage play that brings to life the dramatic story of humanitarian Ben Linder.
FEBRUARY » Catlin Gabel soccer players and coaches top The Oregonian’s All-
State Team roster, including Coaches of the Year Pete Shulman (boys) and Chris Dorough (girls), Boys Player of the Year Charley Ward ’17, and Girls Player of the Year Sam Slusher ’17.
» The Student Diversity Leadership retreat in Seattle includes eight Catlin Gabel Upper School students, who attend with support from the school’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
» The annual Lunar New Year Celebration takes place in the Barn,
immersing Beginning and Lower School students in Asian cultures, arts, language, music, and food, both as performers and audience members.
» Children’s book author Patricia Polacco joins us on campus to talk with students and sign books. The prolific writer of over 60 children’s stories received an enthusiastic response from both Lower and Middle School crowds.
» For three days, student entrepreneurs team up to develop and
launch original products at the third annual Startup Camp, a Catlin Gabel event that lets teens work directly with adult experts in the fields of software, design, engineering, marketing, and investing.
» Seniors Andrew Park, Daniel Chiu, and Adolfo Apolloni are
named National Merit Scholars, an honor that recognizes outstanding achievement in academics, SAT scores, and other factors. Winners represent the top 1% of approximately 1.5 million student entrants nationwide.
» The school’s annual Diversity Conference includes a full day of
workshops, discussions, affinity group meetings, and featured speakers, including Mic Jordan, a hip-hop artist and member of the Ojibwe tribe in North Dakota. The Caller | Winter 2018
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YEAR in REVIEW 2016-2017
MARCH
» During Wonder Week Preschoolers and Kindergarteners work together in small groups to travel through the inquiry cycle— Notice, Wonder, Research, and Share.
» Middle School students welcome Evelyn Banko, a Holocaust
survivor born in Vienna in 1936, who shares her touching story and helps all of us to understand the importance of remembering. Zombie Prom, this year’s Upper School musical, opens on the
» Cabell Theater stage, with students singing and dancing their way through a campy story of love and irradiation in 1950s America.
» The annual Lower School Hispanic Celebration takes place in
the Barn, with student performances and recitations that showcase many cultures from Spanish speaking countries.
» The Catlin Gabel Varsity Chess Team wins the Oregon High-
School State Championship, and the Junior Varsity team ties for first.
» Global trips take students into learning experiences far beyond
the classroom, with 80 Upper and Middle School students traveling to Cuba, Nicaragua, Morocco, Taiwan, France, Nepal, and Guatemala.
» At the 2017 Catlin Gabel Auction, hundreds enjoy an evening of
food, wine, and live music at the Portland Art Museum, and raise a over $660,000—a record amount—for financial assistance.
» Experiential Days in the Lower School takes place over four days, as educators lead small groups of students from multi-grades in focused, in-depth exploration on topics of interest and projects, such as creation of the original play Catlindia.
» Two Upper School students take top honors in the Scholastic
Art & Writing Awards, a national competition that attracted over 330,000 entries: Annika Le ’17 wins the Gold Medal Award for poetry, and Ameya Okamoto ’18 takes Gold for digital art and Silver for painting.
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APRIL
» For the 43nd Annual Middle School Invitational Track Meet, a day of community building and school spirit, Catlin Gabel hosts over a dozen schools, including several groups from Seattle who sleep over on campus for the event.
» For the tenth time, the Catlin Gabel FIRST Robotics team, the Flaming Chickens, competes at the World Championships in Houston, and comes away with a major award: Engineering Inspiration.
» Fourteen Upper School students, along with teens from many
Portland schools, attend Culture Shock at Oregon Episcopal School, a day dedicated to celebrating diverse backgrounds and becoming more supportive peers through intercultural competency and understanding.
» At the all-school Tuition the Track event, students from every
grade walk and run to raise funds for financial assistance at Catlin Gabel—including many who ran five miles or more—along with parents, teachers, retired teachers, alumni, and staff.
» Upper School students launch the Common Ground panel discussion series at The CENTER, our coalition-led learning space in North Portland, to “create productive political discourse in a polarized society.” Topics include reproductive rights, immigration, and the environment.
» With the Urban-Rural Exchange, a pilot student exchange program, Sydney Palmer ’17 spends several days living with another senior in Days Creek, Oregon, shadowing and experiencing her counterpart’s rural life at home and school.
MAY
JUNE
» The Beehive is filled with parents and guardians on Eagle Day,
» At the annual Lifers celebration, our graduating senior class
» Fifteen Upper School students attend the Asian American Youth
» The Eagle Olympics introduces Beginning School students to the
as kindergarten students share out their specific knowledge about eagles, and in the process show what they’ve learned about collecting evidence and presenting findings. Leadership Conference in Portland, a 24-year-old annual event designed to inspire Asian American high school students to develop leadership qualities and pursue leadership positions.
lifers—students who have been at Catlin Gabel since 1st grade or earlier—join with current first graders to sing songs and share lessons learned while growing up at Catlin Gabel. fun and pageantry of friendly athletic competition, with a flag parade and torch ceremony followed by kid-sized versions of the long jump and hurdles, an obstacle course, and running races.
» The student-led “Police Peace PDX: A Community Conversation” » Head of School Tim Bazemore updates the community on our takes place at The CENTER, Catlin Gabel’s learning and event space in North Portland, as a forum for community members, activists, and law enforcement to discuss police use-of-force issues.
» The annual Honeybee Circus, our preschool-sized Big Top,
features amazing feats and amusements, including jugglers, rope climbers, balancing acts, clowns, and comedy skits.
» Nikhil Murthy ’17 is named a Presidential Scholar, one of the
nation’s highest honors for high school students. Nikhil is one of only 161 students nationwide to receive the honor out of 3.5 million U.S. high school seniors.
» For the 50th year, sixth graders spend a week camping at Cape
Arago on the Oregon coast, exploring tide pools, learning about small town life, and documenting their experience in words and pictures.
» Our annual Spring Festival celebration takes place with the traditional Maypole dance in the Paddock, and with music, art, food, arts and craft, a dunk tank, and the Plant Exchange.
» Pet Day, a Catlin Gabel tradition for over half a century, is expanded this year after Lower School students’ make a formal request to division head Vicki Swartz; to make the event more inclusive for non-pet owners, it’s renamed Pet and Plant Show.
Strategic Initiatives with a digital tour that details progress and plans in our key areas of focus: social-emotional learning, environmental sustainability, and financial health and operational excellence.
» For the 17th time, and the third consecutive year, Catlin Gabel
is awarded the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association All Sport Champion Award. The honor is awarded for overall sports accomplishment—the combined effort of all Catlin Gabel teams and individuals.
» The Viewfinder Student Film Festival, held at the Hollywood
Theater in Portland, features films by Catlin Gabel Middle and Upper School students, along with work by other young filmmakers from throughout the metro region.
» Upper School Honors Statistics students pool their research on stressors and potential causes to produce the research report, “Game of Stress: The Challenge of Fostering a Culture of Achievement While Balancing Student Reactivity to Daily Stressors.”
» The Catlin Gabel Class of 2017 graduates with a Cabell Center
ceremony that includes student speeches and musical performances. The 79 graduates head off to 60 different schools.
JULY
» The campus is buzzing with activity as students of all ages engage
in the 23rd year of Catlin Gabel Summer Camps, a variety of teacher-led learning experiences that range from Summer Beehive to a College Essay Writing Workshop.
» On a five-day Outdoor Education sea kayak expedition, Upper
Schoolers explore the San Juan Islands of Sucia, Patos, and Matia, watching for marine wildlife and cooking meals out of whole foods at their island campsites.
» Maya Rayle ’18 competes at the 20th Maccabiah Games in Israel,
the third largest sporting event in the world, and wins a gold medal and two silver medals as a member of the US Junior Track Team.
» A group of Catlin Gabel students, guided by two alumnae and
history teacher Dave Whitson, walk the Via Francigena pilgrimage trail from Montreux, Switzerland, to Rome, a distance of 500 miles over five weeks. The Caller | Winter 2018
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OUR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES: ProgressandPlans In 2016-17, after years of careful planning, the work of executing our Strategic Initiatives began. The foundation of this work was input we received from across the school community, which led to our two main strategic priorities: Focusing on powerful experiential learning and establishing Catlin Gabel as an unrivaled educational laboratory.
Expanding Op portunities for E xperiential Le a r ning
COMPLETED: To redesign Experiential Learning Weeks for our students, Upper School faculty spent fall 2017 engaged in the same experiential learning process they use in the classroom—a cycle of direct experience, reflection, analysis, and experimentation. Their goal was to create new experiences for students that would encourage deep learning, inspire personal growth, and promote active citizenship. The experience empowered faculty to re-establish learning goals and teaching practices. Together, they became immersed in experiential learning project
Culti vating Extraordinary Talent
COMPLETED: The educational laboratory approach that drives student learning can also be used to elevate professional learning, and that work has begun at Catlin Gabel. We’re redesigning our professional learning program for all employees to be collaborative and flexible across subjects, classes, and divisions. The effort began in spring 2017 with the launch of an educator-led Ed Lab Team, a crossdivisional program that engages teachers in “action research” that benefits student learning. The team guides their peers through an itera-
Le a di ng Edu cation i nto t he Fu tu re
COMPLETED: As co-founders of the Mastery Transcript Consortium, Catlin Gabel is establishing itself as a pioneer in education reform. This national alliance of over 150 independent schools aims to dramatically redesign teaching and learning in the high school and ensure that transcripts accurately reflect what our students know and can do. In October 2017, we hosted the Mastery Transcript Consortium site directors meeting at Catlin Gabel. For two days, 74 upper school heads, academic deans, college counselors, and heads from 52 U.S. and international schools gathered on our campus to learn
design, opened up cross-disciplinary collaboration, and developed new differentiation strategies across student grade levels and interests. upcoming: For four days in late January 2018, students will engage in “The Future of Portland” Winterim projects, each focused on a specific topic, such as housing, public health, immigration, and industry, and each with a clear path to engaged, active citizenship. Every project will provide an opportunity for students to gain understanding about complex social issues and recognize opportunities for meaningful engagement.
tive, self-reflective process, in which they develop research questions, collect and analyze data, take action, and evaluate results. upcoming: Results from a fall 2017 survey are helping us look at the big picture of adult learning at Catlin Gabel—how it happens best for each and all of us. In 2018 we will act on that information by introducing new coaching resources for faculty and staff, as well as reexamining processes for funding, collaborative grants, and personal growth related to professional learning.
how we can begin to move away from the traditional system of credits and letter grades and toward mastery/ competency-based learning in grades 9-12. Learn more at www.mastery.org. upcoming: In June, 2018, we will host Traverse Portland, a national conference on experiential learning for over 100 independent and public school educators. The conference corresponds to our strategic plan goal of being an educational laboratory, and playing a leadership role in student-centered education innovation. Learn more at www.traverseconference.org.
Stay informed about our Strategic Initiatives progress and plans. Visit our microsite, and take a tour of the initiatives from early concepts to recent accomplishments to plans for the years ahead: catlin.edu/strategicinitiatives. 32
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Thank You.
The Caller | Winter 2018
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