

The Saints Life
ST. STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES SCHOOL MAGAZINE
ALUMNI REUNION

On Friday, April 22, the Classic Saints celebrating more than 50 years gathered at the Lower School for a special luncheon, which included a song and commemorative pins from the kindergartners. The School Store was open in Macan Hall, and Archivist Erica Williams shared an amazing array of historical items, photos, yearbooks, newspapers, and more, in Lloyd House. In the evening all reunion classes were invited to a reception at the home of Head of School Kirsten Adams.











WEEKEND 2022!






Saturday, April 23, began with the annual Alumni of Color Brunch and a screening of Ted Adams' '82 St. Stephen's documentary. Later, alumni enjoyed watching the boys varsity baseball team win 5-1 over Episcopal High School. After the game, the players signed Saints baseballs for all attending children. The 25th Reunion classes had a special lunch with Mrs. Adams. Saturday night the reunion classes celebrated together at their class parties. Sunday included an alumni homily and service in the Chapel/ Performing Arts Center with The Rev. Edie Beardall Weller '72. The weekend festivities concluded on Monday, with the 30th Sleepy Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament!


WHAT'S INSIDE
REUNION ALUMNI FEATURES
28 Life in the Fast Lane: Ted Geschickter '81 deals in fractions of a second
32 Miatrai Brown '07: Making Immigration More Accessible
8 Lower School Saints Explore Empathy
Delving into Understanding to Make Connections
12 Jahkil Jackson
Working for a Better Tomorrow and Making the Mythical a Reality
14 You Don't Know Until You Know
How Judy Heumann Opened My Eyes ON CAMPUS
DEPARTMENTS
6 Headliner
17 Saints in Action
26 Saints Athletics
62 An Episcopal School
66 Class Notes
92 In Memoriam
94 Milestones
34 The Lure of Nature: How Nathaniel Gillespie '92 turned a passion into a career
40 The Flâneuse: In Conversation with Artist Constance Mallinson '66
46 Tommy May '12: Balancing Creativity with the Business of Art
50 Thearapy for the Invisible Wounds of War: Malika Rasheed '87 is leading a unique dog-training program for soldiers with PTSD
ALUMNI IN THE SPOTLIGHT
54 Go Ahead, Hit Me!
Don Theerathada '93 talks about his career as a professional stunt coordinator and fight choreographer for 87 Action Design
CATCHING UP WITH YOUNG
ALUMNI
58 Revolutionizing Urban Student Housing
Harry Dubke '15 and Perry Griffith '15 talk about building their startup, Cortado

Saints love to visit the SSSAS Rolling RhomBus, an educational vehicle fully equipped with engaging math activities for students to explore. Learning games include a giant-sized Connect 4 that’s also fun to peek through! ON THE COVER
THE MAGAZINE IS ONLINE!
Now you can easily share or read The Saints Life at any time on our new magazine site, sssasmagazine.org.
THE SAINTS LIFE
EARLY SAINTS VALENTINE BALL
Our youngest Saints, age 3, celebrated Valentine's Day by talking about love and kindness, dancing with their friends, and just having








Head of School
Kirsten Prettyman Adams
Director of Communications
Jen Desautels
Editor
Director of Design & Production
Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76
Design
Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76
Director of Digital Media and Marketing
Mandi Sapp
Director of Brand Management and Marketing
Marcia Mallett
Alumni News
Advancement Office
Photographers
Jameson Bloom '13
Jennifer Lust
Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76
Marcia Mallett
Kat Moore
Cory Royster
Mandi Sapp
Contributing Writers
Andrea Dawson
Elise Gibson
Jessica Yarmosky
Susie Zimmermann
Questions/Comments
Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76 mmaas@sssas.org
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Published by SSSAS for alumni, current parents, friends, and other regularly supportive members of the school community. © 2022
St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. As a related organization of the Episcopal Church, St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School respects the applicable policies and governing principles of the Episcopal Church pertaining to nondiscrimination.

Dear Saints,
“Is that a circus tent?!” I heard one young student excitedly exclaim to another as they stared in awe at the large white tent that had been erected on the field at the Upper School. White flags waved in the gentle spring breeze on the top of the tent, the bustle of activity below fueling anticipation for the weekend events ahead. Though it wasn't an actual circus tent, but rather a (quite large and impressive!) party tent to house the celebrations of alumni celebrating their reunions, the excitement it generated was, undeniably, almost circus-like.
Reunion Weekend is always a special time on our campuses, and this weekend, the first time since the fall of 2019 that our alumni were able to gather together in-person for Reunion, was extraordinary. We hosted more classes than ever before, honoring classes ending in 1, 2, 6, and 7. Set against the backdrop of a glorious spring weekend, our campuses were alive with activity, our alumni thrilled to be together to celebrate their shared histories and reconnect with teachers and one another.
Reunion has historically taken place during the fall, but this year was scheduled for the spring, one of the unexpected opportunities presented to us after two years of managing the restrictions and limitations of Covid. Though there were certainly some uncertainties around moving the weekend to a different time of year, looking back now at the energy and joy of the last few days, I cannot imagine a better way for our community to kick-off the final weeks of the school year. As our students and faculty immerse themselves in final projects and performances, culminating events and traditions, they do so with the generous support and loyalty of all those Saints who have come before them.
Go Saints!
Warmly,

Kirsten Adams Head of School

Lower School Saints Explore Empathy
Delving into Understanding to Make Connections
BY JULIE ESANU Head Lower School Librarian and Interdisciplinary Curriculum Coordinator

EEmpathy—the ability to attempt to understand what someone else is feeling or experiencing—is now a core competency in the socio-emotional content of many independent schools' curriculum, including St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School. At SSSAS, we also continue to prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives. One aspect of our Action Steps for Racial Justice focuses on the curriculum, with the goal of equipping “students with the lens and skills to understand experiences outside of their own and to use this understanding to make the world a more inclusive place.” Enter the Lower School's Saints Explore Empathy (SEE) initiative. SEE was born in December 2016 during an after-hours conversation with Donna Ryan about how to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in January. At the time, Donna was a kindergarten teacher and head of the
Lower School's multicultural committee. As we were discussing how to form our conversations and explorations around the important work of Dr. King, Donna felt that the most important concept was empathy.
This idea was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s profound statement that “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?,” as well as African-American writer and activist James Baldwin's notion that the “The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.” Congressman John Lewis, who marched with Dr. King at Selma, noted that “When you see something not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to speak up, speak out—to find a way to get in the way.” In supporting our school's mission, it is our goal to act on these statements and “instill a social consciousness”* in
each of our Lower School Saints so they see others' perspectives and understand that they have the power to make a difference and change society. Empathy provides the foundation for this work because we need to understand the perspectives and experiences of other people in order to “be better,” as James Baldwin suggests.
In January 2017, the Lower School Multicultural Committee decided that in order to “Be Better,” it is essential that we SEE and understand each other. As we explore empathy, we first must define our own experiences and emotions to identify the similarities and differences to connect with others. At the Lower
National Book Award and Coretta Scott King Award Winner Andrew Aydin addressing the School Library Journal Leadership Summit, October 15, 2016; Mr. Aydin is the co-author of the “March” trilogy and was digital director for Congressman Lewis.
STUDENT PHOTOS BY KAT MOORE Early Saints Teacher
School, empathy stems from the following enduring understandings:
1. Each student is an individual with unique attributes and perspectives, some of which are visible and others are invisible.
2. The Saints community can grow if each person shares his or her unique attributes and perspectives, and is willing to listen and learn from others.
3. Each student can use his or her unique attributes to make a difference at the individual and community level by developing understanding, expanding perspectives, and creating connections.
During our first Saints Explore Empathy engagement, we held classroom discussions around three essential questions that continue to define the initiative today:
• Who am I? What are my unique attributes? How do others see me? What can I teach or offer to someone else?
• Who are you? What are the unique attributes of your classmates? What can I learn from you?
• How can we answer Dr. King's most persistent and urgent question: What can I/we do for others (each other, our classroom, our community)?
In the interim years, Lower School Saints have continued to have powerful discussions around these questions beginning with our youngest Saints. Starting with our 3- and 4-year-old students in Early Saints and junior kindergarten, children explore aspects of identity and perspectives in developmentally appropriate ways. This work continues throughout a child's experience at the Lower School through Responsive Classroom and the social studies curriculum. Fifth graders return to the concepts of identity and experiences, as well as perspectives, as they explore the big
idea of what it means to be American. Fast forward to 2022, and the Saints Explore Empathy initiative continues to evolve to explore the concept of community and empathy in order to understand that they have the power to make a difference and change society, especially within our community. This year we've focused our work on the concept of social responsibility, specifically on community and service learning. At SSSAS, social responsibility includes the intersection of our service learning; diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) work, and environmental sustainability and is informed by the Enduring Understandings of Social Responsibility.

We challenged the Lower School students, faculty, and families to participate in the “Saints 30 Days of Kindness Challenge,” in January to share small acts of kindness with others and our community. This set the stage for the February X-Day (special Lower School days that provide opportunities for deeper learning and capitalizing on “moments yet undiscovered”), and expanding interdisciplinary learning. In February Lower School students visited with young change maker and author, Jahkil Jackson. When he was eight years old, Jahkil noticed that there were people in his Chicago neighborhood experiencing homelessness and wanted to help

“Goodness as well as Knowledge” Social Responsibility at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes
“Episcopal schools integrate ideals and concepts of equity, justice, and a just society throughout the institution.” ~National Association of Episcopal Schools
We believe that social responsibility begins with the understanding that our individual and institutional actions impact our community now and in the future. We believe that social injustices are best resolved when we challenge the systems and structures that cause the perpetuation of injustice.
Firmly rooted in our Episcopal identity, our work is through and with others across all academic disciplines, grade levels, and departments.
Our mission is to foster a culture of learning, action and reflection around our world's most complex issues and challenges. We support the development of thoughtful and engaged citizens who will strive to transform injustice and heal the brokenness we find within ourselves, in our community, and in our society.


them. He created Project I Am and initiative to distribute“Blessing Bags,” which include toiletries such as toothpaste, hand sanitizer, and shampoo–items that people need everyday to stay healthy and for selfcare. Lower School Saints worked with Jahkil to learn about Project I Am and made 435 Blessing Bags for our community partner, ALIVE! [For more information about Jahkil's visit, see David Yee's article on p. 12.]
In addition, Saints families were stewards of Alexandria's fresh water streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed as they participated in a clean up of Timber Branch Run in February. These efforts support our school's mission of pursuing goodness as well as knowledge; it only takes one person or idea to make a change in the community, and there are many ways to serve and support our Saints community. Our Lower School Saints realize that they have potential to be change makers, and can be inspired by role models such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jahkil Jackson.
These conversations look different depending on age and classroom. For example, during music classes, our
third through fifth grade students spent time learning about jazz great Troy Andrews (Trombone Shorty) and his experience growing up in Tremé, a neighborhood in New Orleans. We danced to his music, “Hurricane Season,” practiced improvising on xylophones, and read his autobiography, Trombone Shorty. The students were fascinated by the fact that although Trombone Shorty became a world renowned musician traveling the globe and playing with some of the biggest names in jazz, he continues to spend much of his time back in New Orleans working with young musicians beginning their own musical journeys. Troy Andrews created his organization, The Trombone Shorty Foundation, to provide outstanding musical training to the youth of New Orleans.
Growing up, Troy Andrews would play alongside brass band musicians on the streets of New Orleans. They were always willing to give him a tip or help him learn a new technique, and his musicality blossomed thanks to the community's guidance and support. Trombone Shorty felt it was his responsibility to work with
the next generation of New Orleans jazz musicians and honor the New Orleans tradition of “playing it forward.” After exploring Trombone Shorty's music and learning about his journey and his youth music foundation, one SSSAS student noted, “He is a role model because he never forgot how important his community was even when he made it big.” Another young Saint reflected, “If Trombone Shorty helps a kid in his community become a great person
Lower School Reading on Refugees in Preparation for Saints Mission Day




Jahkil Jackson reading his book, “I Am,” during his February visit to the Lower School. He wrote “I Am” to help young people implement values that can help to navigate being bullied and build a strong sense of self-worth. His book is a creative display of how to have belief in oneself and to not be concerned with negative influences.
Early Saints-Kindergarten: “That's Not How You Do It!” by Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar
First and Second Grades: “Lubna and Pebble” by Wendy Meddour and Daniel Egneus
Third Grade: “What is a Refugee?” by Elise Gravel
Fourth and Fifth Grades: “Stepping Stones” by Margriet Ruurs


and musician, and then that kid remembers to help the next kid, and then that kid remembers to help the next kid, there will be generations of people in New Orleans helping each other and keeping jazz music going for generations.”
In fourth grade, children discussed ways they could be changemakers using their hearts, minds, voices, and hands to effect change. The students enjoyed learning about Jahkil and his love of basketball as well as his drive to make change. In addition to making Blessing Bags, Students wrote letters to the people they are serving. In addition, fourth graders are learning about philanthropy through The Giving Square's Kids for Kids Fund. This program provides a curriculum that nurtures the spirit of philanthropy and service in our students. Through the Kids for Kids Fund, students explore the rights of all children, develop perspective-


taking and empathy skills around various challenges, and learn about great local solutions to solve community problems. The program culminates in the children collectively deciding how to allocate $1,000 to a local organization and writing personal giving pledges.
SEE is also a connector across the SSSAS campuses. On April 14, the entire Saints community came together as one to celebrate Saints Mission Day. Our theme for this year's event was “Small Change Can Make a Big Difference,” and borrows from the “caring community” phrase in our mission statement; this event also supports the Lower School's Saints Explore Empathy initiative. We focused on small efforts that our all Saints can make to deepen and strengthen our relationship with the local refugee community in partnership with the Refugee Ministry at Christ Church Alexandria. To prepare for Saints Mission Day, Lower School students explored how all Saints can make small efforts to deepen and


strengthen our relationship with the local refugee community. Fifth graders in Mr. Finan's reading classes learned about refugees in their historical fiction book clubs this year, and to activate and build schema for the day, Lower School Saints learned about who refugees are and read and discussed age-appropriate picture books. Working in cross-divisional groups, they wrote postcards to the children in Christ Church's Refugee Ministry and created origami Story Boats with notes of hope to refugee children.
Saints Explores Empathy continues to be a powerful way to connect Lower School children with each other and our community. It also provides a way for each Lower School Saint to live the SSSAS mission. It is our hope that the initiative will continue to evolve and provide the vehicle for our Saints to attempt to understand the human condition and make connections to strengthen our community.

U Jahkil Jackson Working for a Better Tomorrow and Making the Mythical a Reality
BY DAVID YEE Director of External Engagement and Service Learning
Usually, when we try to find models of inspiration for our students, we look to the news from the world outside of our walls. One such source of inspiration is TIME Magazine's “Kid of the Year,” and who TIME has chosen for the past two years. In 2020, TIME chose 15-yearold Gitanji Rao who used science and technology to speak to the crises of the day: opioid addiction, dirty drinking water, and more. This past year, the magazine chose 11-year-old Orion Jean who works to combat lack of education access in his local community through spreading awareness and the habits of kindness. These students are chosen because they are exceptional, and TIME highlights them to indicate to people young and old that there is hope for the future. We point to these students to say that there are young people in the world that are working towards a better world, and that our students can do the same. However, when we read about these
individuals in magazines, they often seem far away. This distance becomes dispiriting, and those role models become mythical. Given that, it was surprising when our own associate athletic director, Vashon Winton, reached out to us in the fall to say that he has a cousin who is one of these inspirational young people, a model of Black Excellence, Jahkil Jackson. We were fortunate to host Jahkil, who came to our school to help us wrap up our celebration of Black Excellence and Black Joy during Black History Month. He had become wellknown in Chicago and nationwide for his commitment to finding a way to make his community a better place through his “Blessing Bags,” small ziploc bags that contain the necessities like soap or first-aid supplies that the unhoused may not have at their disposal. These bags are ways in which he spread kindness to a community he believed was unseen.
Jahkil shared his story with the
entire school through assemblies on each campus during which he gave a presentation and then engaged in a question and answer session. He began by saying that he started his work at the age of eight after puzzling through ways that he, at a young age, could act to make the unhoused feel seen. His parents had explained to him the experiences of homeless people when he was five, and he initially wanted to figure out how to provide housing to all of those who did not have access to it. However, he quickly realized that he was not in a position at such a young age to buy or build houses for those in need. Through a process of problem solving and research with his parents and his local community, he found a small way through which he could contribute. Ever since then, he has been building a new community by giving people who have similar
Jahkil Jackson speaking at the Upper School.



passions the opportunity to help him construct these blessing bags. His community stretched far enough to garner the attention of one particularly influential Chicagoan: President Barack Obama.
Though Jahkil would share that meeting the former president was one of the best moments of his life, in watching him and in following his story, I would argue that one of the more defining moments of his young career has been his response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though many activities stopped or suffered from the effect of quarantine and social isolation, the pandemic actually gave him an opportunity to build on his idea and grow his community even larger. Since he could not host the creation of Blessing Bags in-person, he hosted virtual “Blessing Bag Parties” where people across the nation and world could join his mission to provide visibility and extend kindness to the unhoused. His platform grew exponentially, and to date, he has helped people create and distribute more than 70,000 Blessing Bags around the world.
Of course, given his mission, he helped our Lower School students to join in this mission as they created more than four hundred blessing bags for our community partner, ALIVE! However, more importantly, his visit and his story provided our students with a model of what it means to strive for excellence. Though our students want to effect positive change in the world around them, oftentimes, they see this task as daunting. First, he demonstrated that no
one goes about this daunting work alone. At each of his speeches and throughout the creation of the Blessing Bags, Jahkil did his work alongside his mother and his grandmother. When students asked him who his role models are, he named them. He credits his success to them for empowering him and being constant guides and mentors.
Additionally, Jahkil connects his work to the broader field of social entrepreneurship. Jahkil, who identifies as a social entrepreneur and who teaches classes in this topic to his peers, helped students to see that they should never stop striving towards a world that treats all people more justly and equitably, no matter their race or status. He encouraged them to start small and to keep innovating. A Blessing Bag is a small expression of his overall vision. The end goal for him is not a Blessing Bag; rather, it is to make all people feel included in our collective success. It's why he saw the pandemic not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity to expand his work beyond his local area. It's why he's since identified youth empowerment as a priority, and why he's lent his voice to combat the pains of childhood bullying. In the end, the more people who feel the acceptance of the world around them, the more people there are who can be vehicles for this change. This vision, of collective success based on careful and thoughtful iteration, is his vision of what it means to be a successful social entrepreneur.
Before the end of his time at SSSAS, he had the opportunity to speak to both our Upper School Social Entrepreneurship Club and our Middle School Social Entrepreneurship class. The Upper School
students told him that they see his success as an inspiration, saying that his story was proof that the idea of making a positive difference as a teenager wasn't just an abstract idea, but something that they could see in front of them. The Middle School students asked him questions about how to do the work that he does when faced with social pressure to be a “normal” student. He didn't sugar coat his life to either group: he stated that it has been hard having separate ambitions from his peers, and that it hasn't been the easiest social road. However, it's by telling his story and helping others through it that he hopes that it will become more normal.
For us at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School, it's about using our platform as a school to demonstrate to students how normal his model of excellence can be and how approachable it is. We don't need to look for successful role models solely within the glossy pages of magazines, and we don't need to think of people who reach this success as exceptional. Exceptions seem mythical, and Jahkil was real and breathing in front of us as he posed for countless pictures with the Middle School students as he tried to make his way towards the door. Not a myth, he is a real fixture we can see that exists within our own extended community, and by witnessing his example, maybe we can begin pushing ourselves to reach for that success as well.
You Don't Know Until You Know How Judy Heumann Opened My Eyes

BY JOE WENGER Associate Director Institutional Equity & Diversity
OOn Monday, January 24, 2022, the Upper School hosted its third Colloquium for the Common Good. Designed as a day of learning and deep thinking around some of the most challenging and important social issues of our day, this year's event featured 28 different workshops hosted by a variety of outside speakers, alumni, and current teachers from all three divisions. To give you a sense of the offerings, the following are some of the workshop titles:
• No Place Like Home: Experiencing the Refugee Journey
• StrongerMEMORY: Understanding and Combating Cognitive Dementia
• Magic: A Window into Unconscious Bias
• Your Voice, Your Story: Advocating to Help Save the Chesapeake Bay
• Climate Change and the Impact on Native American Communities
All Upper School students attended three different workshops and a keynote address over the course of the day which allowed them to explore a variety of ways in which to “pursue
goodness as well as knowledge.” For me, however, the most impactful part of the Colloquium was learning from the keynote speaker, Ms. Judith Heumann. Preparing for Ms. Heumann's visit was an eye-opening experience that proved the cliche, “You don't know what you don't know.”
If you are unfamiliar with Judy and her story, please allow me to share a brief biography. Since contracting polio at the age of two in 1949, Ms. Heumann has required a wheelchair for mobility. After being denied access to school at the age of five because she was
Director of Institutional Equity & Diversity KiKi Davis (left) on stage with Judy Heumann during her keynote presentation at the Colloquium.
considered a “fire hazard,” Judy learned from an early age that she would have to advocate for herself and fight against the discrimination of disabled people. Over the course of her life, she has founded several disability rights organizations, held positions in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, worked for the World Bank, and played an integral role in the development and implementation of many key pieces of legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In 2020, she published “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist,” and she featured prominently in the Oscar-nominated, Netflix documentary, “Crip Camp: A Disability Rights Revolution.”
This is all to say that it felt like a big deal to have a living civil rights legend like Ms. Heumann visit our school and share her story.
You
can't help but feel inspired by Judy's bravery when you watch “Crip Camp” and see her—along with a couple dozen other disabled people— occupy the San Francisco offices of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) for nearly 30 days in April 1977, in an effort to push the government to enforce Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (a law that had passed in 1973).
You can't help but feel moved by her courage when you see her choking back tears as she tells government officials to their faces that disabled people will no longer accept separate but equal treatment or when you see her and her fellow activists travel around Washington, D.C., in the back of a rented box truck because accessible transportation was so difficult to find. As Judy writes in her memoir, “We were beginning to see our lack of access as a problem with society, rather than our individual problem. From our perspective, disability was something that could happen to anyone at any time, and frequently did, so it was right for society to design its infrastructure and systems around this fact of life. We had grown up with the civil rights movement. I was eight when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the whites-only section of the bus and just starting college when the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. Wasn't it the government's responsibility to ensure that everyone could participate equally in our society?”
Learning about Judy Heumann's story and the history of the disability rights movement introduced me to the curb cut effect, according to which investment in one group can have a greater impact on the broader community. So while disabled individuals who rely on mobility equipment such as a wheelchair may need a curb cut to get onto a sidewalk, many other people also benefit from that curb cut whether it is a parent with a stroller, a delivery driver with a dolly, or a teenager on crutches who sprained their ankle in last night's lacrosse game. Likewise, while the hearing impaired rely on closed captioning, many of us might also benefit from it when trying to keep the volume low or attempting to understand a character with an accent. This concept of the curb cut effect reminds me of Fannie Lou Hamer's statement, “Nobody's free until everybody's free.” While Judy and her fellow activists were fighting for equity, they were also fighting for the
common good, for a better world for everyone.
Learning to see the world through different eyes is one of the great joys of working in a school. Whether reading a high school student's writing or having a short conversation with a kindergartner, I regularly have the opportunity to hear a fresh perspective. Seeing the world around me with a lens for accessibility felt no different.
I didn't know what I
didn't know… but now I do.
When Judy Heumann visited “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” in 2020 and stated that the likelihood of a non-disabled person acquiring a disability even temporarily is high, Trevor Noah responded, jokingly, with “Did you just threaten me?” While that line produced a good laugh, Ms. Heumann's point should give us all pause at that reality and perhaps even enrich our sense of empathy.
To be clear, disability rights was not the main focus of the Colloquium for the Common Good as the workshop titles above intimate but it was the topic that opened my eyes the most. And since Ms. Heumann's visit, we have started having more conversations about accessibility on our campuses and discussing improvements from which we all will benefit.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the tireless efforts put in by Director of Institutional Equity and Diversity KiKi Davis and Director of External Engagement and Service Learning David Yee in organizing the Colloquium. It was no small feat to organize the event, and we've already started thinking about the next one in January 2024.

Beth Barrow
What is your most treasured object and why?
I love walking along the beach looking for shells. Since I can remember, I've been looking for the elusive junonia. When I find one, it will be my most treasured possession!
If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one ability, what would it be?
I have always wanted to be able to sing. If not on Broadway, then as a backup singer for Billy Joel or Elton John. When I was little, my dream was to be a backup singer for Barry Manilow.
What are you obsessed with?
Animals! Chuck is terrified that when Ali goes to college, I'll bring home a new pet every month. Dogs, cats, hamsters—anything soft, furry, and cuddly. My dream is to breed goldendoodles and have puppies around all the time!
What is the biggest adventure you've had in your life?
A college friend and I drove out to Colorado and Utah in my two-door Honda Civic the summer we were 24 years old. When I think about what we didn't have—cell phones,
Native Jersey girl Beth Barrow always wanted to be a teacher. Inspired by her mom, who taught instrumental music for 25 years, Beth would set up her stuffed animals for a lesson or a story. In high school, she was a teacher's assistant in a local elementary school for her senior project. In addition to teaching fourth grade at SSSAS for 29 years, Beth has served as the fourth grade team leader and the grade brigade committee co-chair, directed the Eco Adventures summer camp, and coached JV lacrosse. Beth is seriously passionate about the Philadelphia Eagles and gives her class an extra ten minutes of recess when they win. She claims Super Bowl LII was the third best day of her life. Also at the top of her list is marrying husband Chuck and having daughter Ali '23, who just committed to play D1 soccer at the Naval Academy. Beth loves spending time with Ali—watching her play soccer, shopping together, and laughing at the jokes she doesn't get. To relax she reads, walks their goldendoodle, Moose, and snuggles up with their cat, Squirrel. Her hobbies include photography, doing jigsaw puzzles, and traveling—and when she travels, she's not averse a walk on the wild side. On a trip to Switzerland in 2019, Chuck signed them up for a Via Ferrata. Issued a harness, a couple of carabiners, and a tiny little helmet, they spent the day traversing the rock cliffs on a climbing route consisting of very small metal steps hammered into the rock face 2000 feet above the Swiss valley. Although she wasn't sure she'd make it, they survived and went paragliding the next day! She finds great satisfaction in having a clean car and hitting the submit button when report cards are finished. She has watched every season of “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” and also loves “Ted Lasso,” “Abbott Elementary,” “This Is Us,” and, although embarrassed to admit it, “The Bachelor” (and all of its iterations)! She loves all kinds of music, but especially '80s, classic rock, and Broadway tunes. In fact, she confided that she can name pretty much any song from the '80s in five notes or less, but wonders how come she can't remember why she walked into the next room.
Google maps, any clue how to put up the tent we borrowed—it's a miracle we made it there and back alive!
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
Ever since 9/11, I've tried to never take the gift of a regular day for granted. From that day on, I have thought of my life as “before” and “after.” Not long afterwards, snipers in our area forced us to have indoor recess and speed-walk in zig-zag patterns when changing buildings. I often tell my students that every normal, “boring” day is a blessing.
What work of art inspires you and why?
When I was in high school, I was inspired by Ansel Adams' black and white landscape photography. I took a class and learned how to develop photos in a dark room. To this day, I love taking photographs of nature, especially when we travel. It's a whole lot easier with digital photography, but I do miss my old camera sometimes.


COMMUNITY HELPERS
Early Saints (age 3) were excited to have a visit from the Alexandria City Fire Department in conjunction with their exploration of transportation through the lens of community helpers. They learned that each helper has a different type of transportation—from police vehicles to sanitation trucks—with different responsibilities, and then shared all the different ways that they can be community helpers in the classroom, on the playground, or at home.

A COMMUNITY CREATION
Alex Deas '24 hosted an invasive plant/ storm debris cleanup at Fort Hunt Park to support the National Park Service. It was a thoughtful way for Upper School students to spend time outdoors while earning service hours.

DIGESTING SCIENCE
Seventh graders conducted a lab to investigate how the surface area of our food plays a role in efficient digestion as part of their study of the digestive system. The goal was to test the dissolving rate of Alka-seltzer in three different conditions, whole, broken, and crushed. The Alka-seltzer represented the food we eat, breaking down the tablets was mechanical digestion, and the dissolving of the tablets was the act of chemical digestion.

TWOS DAY
Everything was coming up twos! It was Tuesday, on the 22nd day of February, in 2022. Did you notice? Of course, our second graders did, and Head of School Kirsten Adams joined the fun and helped them celebrate their special day of twos, 2/22/22!

HEXAGONAL THINKING
To study for their upcoming test, ninth grade Saints used hexagonal thinking to find connections between terms before writing their responses! Hexagonal thinking is a way to review material and make connections between people, events, and key concepts. History Teacher Kate Hardwick uses hexagonal thinking in a variety of ways, including as warm up and review activities before a test. She either gives her students terms in the hexagons or the students create their own terms and then connect them together in a logical way and with explanations for each of the connections. This engaging activity is a great way to have the students demonstrate their understanding of the key terms and concepts.

TAKING THE LEAD
Fifth grade students presented the play, “I Am a Thief” for their kindergarten buddies! The plays were student-run and required creativity, dedication, and teamwork to make blocking decisions, painted the flats, and designed the costumes!

SPACE MISSION
Honors Chemistry students learned what it's like to be a NASA scientists when they analyzed CheMin energy emission data to solve for the empirical formulas of Martian rocks! The Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument, or CheMin for short, performs chemical analysis of powdered rock samples to identify the types and amounts of different minerals that are present. The CheMin was installed in Mars Rover.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
In the sixth grade Academic Skills class, students learned about growth vs. fixed mindset. A growth mindset means that you believe your intelligence and talents can be developed over time. A fixed mindset means that you believe intelligence is fixed—so if you're not good at something, you might believe you'll never be good at it. With this lesson in mind, students created bumper stickers to encourage their classmates to be positive and do their best!



ARTSTRAVAGANZA!
Lower School students enjoyed the 19th Annual ARTStravaganza, a day devoted to the arts. Professional artists joined our teachers in sharing their energy, passion, and knowledge with our students. Saints attended an array of lively workshops which gave them hands-on opportunities to learn about percussion instruments, shadow puppetry, magic, fiber art, theater improv, Hawaiian Music & ukulele, and much more. The students also had a chance to talk with the artists about their lives, how they discovered their passions, and the dedication required to master their crafts. The day culminated with a concert presented by Delta Spur, one of the Washington D.C. area's hottest country bands.


SENIOR COUNTDOWN
March 3 marked 100 days until graduation for our seniors! The faculty cheered them as they arrived at school, where they were greeted with a huge balloon arch, banner, and bubble machine. At lunchtime, there was a pizza party and a photo booth, and the seniors were presented with commemorative baseball hats.

COMPOSTING MATTERS!
To relaunch our composting program after the pandemic, the Sustainability Committee invited all students to submit creative and educational posters or videos about composting. More than 60 students from all three campuses participated. Each participant chose from a variety of Green Saints Award, including sustainable stainless-steel water bottles and straws, reusable tote bags, nature books and games, winter hats, stuffed animals, and pens all made from recycled plastic.

Ricky Drummond
What one piece of advice would you offer anyone who asks?
“Every pizza is a personal pizza if you try hard enough and believe in yourself.”
What is something you could happily fail at?
Not eating cookies when they are placed in front of me.
What is the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?
Fight to be kind, don't fight to be right.
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
I feel most grateful to have an incredible support system surrounding me. My fiancée pushes me to be the best version of myself, while constantly showing me love. My family has always been there for me whenever I needed them, and they are there at every show. I am also very fortunate to have a number of friends who are basically family as well.
Ricky Drummond started at SSSAS as a long-term substitute teacher in the Middle School…and by the time that role was over, a mutual love had formed. He has applied his easy going, enthusiastic character to a number of jobs, as the librarian's assistant, a musical co-director, a member of the Fun Committee (yes, spreading joy is of paramount importance!), and finally this year, as the Middle School drama teacher he was born to be! Ricky has a bachelor's in musical theater from James Madison University, and his main career has been in theater as an actor, playwright, and director. He has graced numerous stages, including the Keegan Theatre, Signature Theater, and The Kennedy Center. The art of teaching was not unfamiliar to him. His mom is a music teacher in Manassas, Va., where Ricky was born and lived in the same house until he left for college. Ricky slipped into education after working with the drama teacher from Robinson Secondary School on a production at the Keegan Theatre, who let him know Robinson was looking to hire an additional drama teacher. He applied and landed the job. He fell in love with teaching kids, inspired by the excitement he witnessed as they learned the craft of acting and prepared to perform. At Robinson he directed 55 students in “The Little Mermaid, Jr.” and thoroughly enjoyed it, learning to celebrate the little victories and to always have a sense of play. Working in the Middle School, many members of the Saints community were amazed to hear Ricky sing for the first time at an all-school event. He has a diverse musical taste, but most often listens to pop, rock, and Broadway. Music is everything to Ricky. For him it is an incredibly versatile language that can explain feelings and situations that words never can, but his greatest passion is theater—making theater, watching theater, and talking theater. Naturally, Ricky met his fiancée, Emily, who was working in wardrobe on a Signature Theater production. She has an equally bright personality and, Ricky says, the absolute best laugh. No doubt he makes her laugh a lot. He is a huge fan of puns and dad jokes and enjoys watching comedies “Ted Lasso” and “Parks and Recreation,” because they are warmhearted, optimistic, and celebrate friendship. The craziest thing he has ever done was agreeing to assistant direct two shows back-to-back, while performing in a third and also directing and playing bass for a new musical he wrote. His greatest accomplishment to date was directing “Legally Blonde” at the Keegan Theatre with a cast of 20 performers and two dogs. The production sold out and was nominated for seven Helen Hayes Awards (D.C. theater's version of the Tony Awards).
What in life makes you smile?
Seeing family and friends succeed always makes me smile. I love my people, and there is no better feeling than watching them achieve what they deserve and what they have worked so hard to get!
What is something one of your parents said that you will never forget?
My dad shared the poem “Desiderata” with me when I was a senior in high school and I will never forget it. One of my favorite lines is: “Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.”
We were very excited to welcome Dr. Celeste Jamison McDaniels, Ph.D. as the associate director of Upper School and chemistry teacher this year. Her colleagues describe her as thoughtful, honest, diligent, super-smart, perceptive, funny. She jumped into her new job without hesitation, and joined both the steering committee for Antiracist Programming and the Faculty of Color Affinity group. Celeste has dedicated her working life to education, teaching on the collegiate, middle, and upper school levels. She loves when her students ask probing questions, and confides that they have taught her patience, to love them for who they are, and to always give them all of her support and encouragement. Being in a school community that loves each other's company, as well as serving locally, is very important to Celeste. She volunteers at church, with a food donation program, as an evaluator and scholarship applicant reader, and also helps raise funds for underprivileged students and women's health. She is happiest seeing the cumulation of her hard work benefit others. Celeste started life on the Ft. Bragg military base and grew up to marry an active duty Army officer, Myron, who is a pediatric doctor. She and Myron were married in her childhood church, St. Joseph's on the Brandywine, the same church President Joe Biden attends in Wilmington, Del. She moved 10 times in 26 years, including two stints in Seoul, South Korea, but she still loves to travel! Celeste puts her all into every endeavor and has received four military awards for her dedication to helping improve the lives of military families. Celeste's favorite thing in the world is hanging out with her family—daughter Amanda, a treasury management analyst, and son Ian, a freshman at Cornell University, and spending time with her 95-year-old grandfather, because they keep her grounded. Celeste enjoys Pilates and has recently taken up needlepoint. To unwind, she likes listening to R&B love songs, taking her goldendoodle, Moose, on walks with Myron, and watching suspense and sci-fi movies. Her favorites include the “Predator,” “Star Trek,” and “Blade.” Whew, scary! On the quirky side, she admits to wearing animated earrings to class every day when she taught middle school (favoring farm animals and food), and she and her kids have matching moles on their feet, arms, and neck! Her greatest accomplishment? Raising her beautiful children and being married to her best friend for nearly 27 years.

What is your most treasured object and why?
A green jade bracelet and ring given to me by my paternal grandmother, Phyllis. She passed the year of my wedding, and it felt like fate that she stayed on this Earth long enough to see me get married.
What is the biggest adventure you've had in your life?
Traveling to the Great Barrier Reef and swimming with barracudas and sharks in Australia; riding an elephant in Thailand; walking on the Great Wall in China; and watching wild animals in their natural habitat in South Africa.
What makes you feel like a kid again?
Getting a Slurpee at 7-Eleven.
Celeste McDaniels
What helps you persevere when you feel like giving up?
My parents, based on the sacrifices they have endured and what they expect from me.
When did you first really feel like an adult?
When I bought my first home and earned my master's degree at age 25, I looked in the mirror and told myself how proud I was.
What is something interesting about you that almost no one knows?
I ministered to prisoners in a federal penitentiary as part of a Catholic ministry.

SAINTS READ!
Lower School students came to school in comfy pj's and snuggled up with books to celebrate Read Across Saints Day! There were drop-in story times, mystery readers, and members of the Upper School Book Buddies Club, who stopped by for a reading visit. Local author Kristi Guillory Reid (“Harper Counts Her Blessings”) visited with first graders and author Amina Luqman-Dawson (“Freewater”) visited with the fourth and fifth grades. What a day!

OPEN DISCUSSION
An open forum on the Ukraine was hosted by the Upper School History Department. Students and faculty asked excellent questions about the historical context, causes, and future implications of the current crisis.

DO THE TECH TANGO
The Middle School MERIT team, a group of tech-savvy teachers, offered a series of lunchtime activities called “Tech Tango” to Middle School faculty and students. The focus of the MERIT team (Making Education Relevant & Interactive through Technology) is to support the technology curriculum integration program and enhance the use of educational technology on their campuses. The first activity, “Loving Logo,” gave participants an opportunity to blend their creative and “techyside” together. The Merit Team was on hand to support them while they designed a key chain or pet ID tag using the online design program, Canva, to later be engraved on wood using a laser cutting machine. During the process, students and faculty had to figure out how to get their information onto the small surface in both a functional and aesthetically pleasing manner. To produce their masterpieces, they had to consider contrast, layout, and other design elements, as well as learning how to use the design software and format their final projects to the correct specifications. Other Tech Tango sessions included “Spring into Action” and learning how to make a gif and “Top Spin” in which participants used LEGO robotics kits to design a top that would spin the longest.

WORKING TOGETHER
During a Middle School Saints Advisory bonding activity, students had to build the tallest tower with tape, marshmallows, and spaghetti. A fun, collaborative exercise!

ALL ABOUT ANIMATION
Kindergarten students used the Stop Motion Studio app to create an animation to illustrate their chosen word or phrase—in Spanish! In an innovative project using skills learned in their art, technology, and language classes, the students drafted a storyboard that included a character who solved a problem by using the four Lower School character traits, honesty, respect, responsibility, and compassion. Next, they created a clay character during art class to animate using green screens in the technology lab. Everything was put together using the app, including an audio recording of the title in Spanish.
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS WEEK
Students, faculty, and parents took the lead in “green” efforts across the school from April 18-23, celebrating both onand off-campus.
The Saints community made an effort to reduce their carbon footprints by biking, walking, skateboarding, or carpooling to school. The school also ran a “no idling” campaign, encouraging SSSAS drivers to turn off their engines while waiting in carpool lines. The school recommends idling for no more than ten seconds, to help protect the health of our community and environment.
Other activities included a community mural painted by Lower School Saints with some help from the Upper School Branching Out Club who stopped by for a visit; junior kindergarten classes had a live presentation from a local group about “Who Polluted the Chesapeake” including a Live Oyster Demo; kindergarten Saints learned about the benefits of worms and planted beans, cucumbers, and spinach in their garden; the fifth graders visited Huntley Meadows Park to take a guided hike with a wildlife expert through the wetlands habitat; Lower School Girl Scouts had a clean-up at Lucky Run Stream; and the Middle School held an Earth Day chapel in the Fort Ward amphitheater. Additionally, students and faculty on all campuses wore green/blue for Earth Day on April 22.
Whether in the classroom, at a chapel service, or on a bike ride to school, our students, faculty, staff, and parents aspire to fulfill the mission of living a more sustainable life. Through education and a belief that every positive action makes a difference, our Saints aim to contribute to a healthier planet for future generations.







CINDERELLA — DREAMS DO COME TRUE
The Upper School Stage One Players presented four magical performances of the musical, “Cinderella,” by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics) based upon the fairy tale “Cinderella” by Charles Perrault.






WINNING ARTISTS AND WRITERS!
Fourteen Saints received top honors for their artistic and literary skills in local and regional contests and exhibitions.

Silver


IN THE NCECA EXHIBITION
Makayla Jones '25: “Cookies' Jar”
Makayla's piece was selected by the the National Council on Education of the Ceramic Arts to be exhibited at the 25th Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition at the NCECA 2022 Conference.

Gold

Ellie


IN THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION
Jack Gans '25: “A Fall Day”
Jack's sculpture was submitted and accepted into The Phillips Collection current exhibition, “What a Relief” in Washington, D.C. Visit phillipscollection.org/event/2022-01-24-whatrelief



WRITING AWARDS
Regional Scholastic Awards
Zoe Coval '23: Honorable Mention, Poetry
Zoe Coval '23: Honorable Mention, Poetry
Elona Michael '24: Honorable Mention, Personal Essay
Oliver Nichols '23: Honorable Mention, Critical Essay
Oliver Nichols '23: Honorable Mention, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Alexandria Library Teen Winter Creativity
Contest
Ariya Harrington '26: Silver, Poetry
Ella Schneider '27: Honorable Mention, Poetry
William Mount '25: Gold, Prose (Short Story)
Grace Hendy '25: Honorable Mention, Poetry
Read more award-winning writing.
Ella Joshi '25: “Solemnity”
Key, Printmaking Regional Scholastic Award
Ellie Minor '23: “Windy Day”
Key, Sculpture Regional Scholastic Award
Minor '23: “Get with the Times” Honorable Mention, Comic Regional Scholastic Award
Emma Lacy '23: “Ace” Honorable Mention, Printmaking Regional Scholastic Award
Charlotte Barnes '27: “Bliss” Gold Award, 2D Art Alexandria Library Teen Winter Creativity Contest
Reesey Lai '26: “Over the Bridge” Silver Award, Photography Alexandria Library Teen Winter Creativity Contest
Allison Kleeblatt '26: “Under the Tree” Bronze Award, Photography, Alexandria Library Teen Winter Creativity Contest
Micah Gura '25: “ Various” Gold Award, 2D Art Alexandria Library Teen Winter Creativity Contest
u-u-u-unfinished.
By William Mount '25
S-s-s-stuttering is something that most people d-ddon't understand.
“Just speak,” “Slow down,” “No rush.”
T-t-t-these are some of the worst things to say to somebody with a speech impediment. I've had to fight many battles in my life, but s-s-s-stuttering is probably the one that I h-h-h-hate the most. Imagine being too s-s-s-scared to even ask to go to the b-b-b-bathroom; your bladder feeling like an o-o-o-overfilled waterballoon about to p-p-p-pop, yet still not going to the b-b-b-bathroom. That was me last year. I barely spoke a w-w-w-word to people outside of my immediate group of f-f-f-friends. Every word that c-c-c-came out of my mouth was like a p-p-p-piece of steel trying to be blended.
“C-c-c-can I use the b-b-bathroom?”. Wow, you did it. C-c-c-congratulations. Now everybody is staring at you and you look like a kid with special needs. Maybe I am? As the teacher waves you off, you see a t-t-tthousand pairs of eyes glaring at you, like those m-mm-monsters that you see in your darkest nightmares.
T-t-t-this was my subconsciousness last year. I was just starting t-t-t-therapy for my impediment and I despised myself. I thought of my s-s-s-stutter as similar to somebody that nobody likes, including yourself. But that somebody will never leave you alone, no matter what you do. I-i-i-it lurks in the corner of every conversation, like a m-m-m-monster in your closet waiting until you turn your lights off, eager to destroy you.
As my therapy went on, however, I began to think of this annoying friend as part of m-m-m-me. It would always be with me. The best thing that I can do is accept it into my life. Slowly, the stuttering began to become less and l-l-l-less frequent. In fact, just last week, I memorized a script and read it out loud to my French class. I didn't stutter once.
I asked a friend of mine if he even knew that I had a s-s-s-stutter in the beginning of this school year.
“What? I didn't even notice it. Sure you kinda spoke fast but I didn't know you stuttered.”
All of that bottled up fear had felt like the scourge of my existence. Yet, m-most people didn't even know that I had it. I was, quite literally, flabbergasted.
So, just live your life without fear of judgment. People are always more worried about themselves than you. Don't worry, it only took me 14 years to figure this out.
the egg
By Ariya Harrington '26
the egg. always sitting, always still. waiting for its time to come, for the moment that is the beginning and the end. content to be locked away from the world it so desperately wishes to join. overlooked and forgotten, those who notice it consider its existence insignificant. yet it remains eternally faithful in the hope that one day, what confines it will cease. it will burst forth from the remnants of its former cage and join its kin in the vast world of the living. it will experience the movement and vigor it can only dream of. and still it remains trapped in a dark, lightless realm, a mere shell of what it is meant to be.
Sunset
By Grace Hendy '25
Happiness, anger, sorrow, confusion. Days filled with them.
Some good, some bad.
For better or for worse, the sun sets. For women, for men the sun sets.
For children, for elderly the sun sets.
For the rich, the poor the sun sets.
For the conservatives, for the liberals the sun sets.
For people Black, White, Latino, Asian, and Native American the sun sets.
The sun rises, the sun falls.
The day ends, the night begins.
A time to start over.
A time to reflect.
The sky fills with pastels, neons, and darks of orange, red, pink, blue, and yellow.
Colors fill the sky, colors fill your life. Colors vary, days vary.
Some are electric, some blue, some contrasting.
We have our differences, we have our arguments, but when the sun sets, nature takes control and we stand as one house, one city, one nation, one globe, putting our differences aside as we stare and observe the sunset.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Final Record: 20-4
Final IAC Standing: Tied for 1st
Final VISAA Standing: 2nd
Finished tied for 1st in the IAC regular season and beat EHS in the IAC Tournament Championship game. Impressive postseason run advancing to the VISAA Division I State Championship game.
ALL-IAC: Devin Ceaser '22, Garrett Brennan '22, Elliott Black '22
VISAA First Team All-State: Devin Ceaser '22
VISAA Second Team All-State: Garrett Brennan '22
All-Met First Team: Devin Ceaser '22
All-Met Honorable Mention: Garrett Brennan '22
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Final Record: 11-11
Final ISL Standing: 4th (A Division)
Final VISAA Standing: 10th
Defeated EHS in a VISAA Division I first round match-up to advance to the VISAA quarterfinal for the first time in school history.
ALL-ISL: Nya Mason '23, Belle Akeredolu '24
ICE HOCKEY
Final Record: 12-8
Final IAC Standing: 4th
Final MAPHL Standing: 3rd (A Division)
Defeated Good Counsel in the MAPL quarterfinal to advance to the MAPHL A Division semifinal against Gonzaga. Alexandria Sportsman's Club Athlete of the Month: Calum Wayer '22
ALL-IAC: Calum Wayer '22
MAPHL A Division First Team Forward: Calum Wayer '22
MAPHL A Division First Team Goalie: Jack Sibbald '25
MAPHL A Division Second Team Forward: Trey Knott '24
MAPHL A Division Second Team Defense: Will Woodruff '23
SWIMMING & DIVING
Boys Dual Meet Record: 5-2
Girls Dual Meet Record: 4-5
IAC Championship Meet Finish: 4th
ISL Championship Meet Finish: 7th
Boys WMPSSDL Championship Meet Finish: 13th
Girls WMPSSDL Championship Meet Finish: 10th
Boys VISAA Championship Meet Finish: 17th
Girls VISAA Championship Meet Finish: 24th
Kylie Payne '23 set a new school record in 1M Girls Diving with a score of 430.10.
ALL-IAC: Evan Ingraham '25
VISAA Diving State Champion: Kylie Payne '23
WINTER TRACK
Boys Final VISAA State Ranking: Tied for 8th
Girls Final VISAA State Ranking: 19th
VISAA Boys 1600M All-State Honorable Mention: Noah Cummings '22
VISAA Boys 4x200 Relay All-State Honorable Mention:
Bradley Cruthirds '24, Magnus Ellehuus '22, Myles Sandy '23 and Matthew Bezuneh '23
WRESTLING
Final Dual Meet Record: 7-5
Final IAC Standing: 4th
Final VISAA Standing: 7th
National Preps Finish: 36 Overall (4th among VISAA Teams)
Andrew Lavayen '22 earned the 100 Win Club and was voted Outstanding Wrestler at the VISAA Tournament.
ALL-IAC: Andrew Lavayen '22
VISAA State Champion: Andrew Lavayen '22
Alexandria Sportsman's Club Athlete of the Month: Andrew Lavayen '22
National Prep All-Americans: Andrew Lavayen '22 and James Blackman '24
All-Met First Team: Andrew Lavayen '22
All-Met Honorable Mention: James Blackman '24




ELLIOTT BLACK '22
KYLIE PAYNE '232
ANDREW LAVAYEN '222








GARRETT BRENNAN '22
DEVIN CEASER '22
EVAN INGRAHAM '25
NYA MASON '23
NOAH CUMMINGS '222
CALUM WAYER '222
SENIORS ELIZABETH SHERMAN, RACQUELL GREY, BRONWYN CHESNER,2 MORGAN LEWIS, ALEXANDRA BOTTONARI, AND ALEXANDRA JONES2
BASKETBALL: SENIORS CATHERINE ONORATO, AMELIA DUNCAN, EMILY PASCAL, AND AMANDA EDGE2
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
Tad Geschickter '81 deals in fractions of a second


BY JESSICA YARMOSKY
Tad Geschickter is so disarmingly polite and soft-spoken that it's almost hard to believe he once held one of the most stressful jobs in the world: in the pit crew for NASCAR.
For a few hours—the time it takes the cars to race 500 miles around and around a track—Tad had to be on alert, ready to move with less than a second's notice. While one crew member hauled a 20-pound jack to lift the car up for a tire change, another had to position a gas hose at just the right location—down to the centimeter— to be able to quickly fill the car's tank. Others replaced tires and quickly repaired any damage the car had sustained while flying around the track at up to 200 miles per hour.
“I tell people the difference between first and second in a race is often less than two tenths of a second,” Tad says. “So we're running 500 miles, and at the end, it comes down to two tenths of a second.”
One faulty move in the pit, one stray elbow out of place, or one tool a centimeter off track could mean the difference between a win and a loss. “We're competing on fractions of a second,” he says.
Read Tad's page in the 1981 St. Stephen's yearbook and you might not guess at the underlying
intensity and drive he has for competition. A three-sport athlete, he's described on his page as a “nice guy,” a “hard worker,” and “innocent.” Three terms you might not expect for someone who's spent the majority of his career working in the cutthroat, high-drama world of NASCAR.
“It's literally the most competitive sport on the planet,” Tad says.
And if it wasn't for the foundation he built as a Saint, his athletic prowess off the racetrack, and, in his own words, “one miracle after another,” he might never have experienced it.
“I THOUGHT I'D GIVE IT A TRY”
Tad, who joined the Saints community in seventh grade, thought he had his life pretty much planned out. While he considered entering the priesthood at one point during his time at St. Stephen's, his plans shifted as graduation loomed. Instead of the seminary, Tad decided he'd go to college and study to be a teacher and a coach; this dream was heavily influenced by the relationships he made at the school while playing football, basketball and baseball.
“Everything I loved about St. Stephen's, a lot of it centered around the teachers who I became close with, and the coaches I played for,” he says. “I always thought it would be fun to go back and coach there one day, and teach there.”
After graduating in 1981, Tad went on to the College of William and Mary and joined the school's Division 1 baseball team. While Tad flourished on the baseball diamond, his coach was eyeing him for another opportunity. Tad's coach, who was also a professor on campus, had a good relationship with Procter & Gamble recruiters. Two months before graduation, Tad got a call out of the blue. He was asked to come in for an interview.
The six-week interview process was arduous. “I had never considered a career at a company like that,” Tad says, “But [I thought the interview process] would be a fun thing to do.” Two weeks before Tad's graduation from William and Mary with his degree in physical education and kinesiology, Procter & Gamble offered him a sales job in Knoxville, Tennessee.
For someone who'd long had his career planned out, Tad says the job offer turned his world upside down. Still, there were definite perks—like the starting salary.
“I was pretty broke finishing college,” Tad says. “So I thought, well, I can always go back to teaching and coaching, because I've got my degree and my certificate. But I thought I'd give it a try.”
That “try” turned into ten years at Procter & Gamble, rising through the ranks of sales management across the Southeast U.S. and winning multiple awards for being one of the company's top sales managers.
If not for what happened next, Tad might have stayed with the company until he retired. But once again, an opportunity came knocking that pushed Tad off his pre-planned track: Procter & Gamble started looking into sponsoring NASCAR cars.
At the time, all of NASCAR sponsorships were for roughly three things: cigarettes, motor oil, or automotive products. For a consumer products company like Procter & Gamble to sponsor a car was almost unheard of.
According to Tad, NASCAR's fan base is second in number only to the NFL, and approximately 40 percent of NASCAR fans are female, Tad explained. If Procter & Gamble could reach them, they could build brand recognition and loyalty with almost half of what was already a gigantic fan base.
Sponsoring NASCAR is different from sponsoring other professional
SAINTLY FACTS
Favorite St. Stephen's event: Any Saturday football game.
Favorite tradition:
Spring dress. We didn't have to wear ties. We still had to come with that button-down shirt and slacks, but the ties and the coats came off. It's the little things, at that age.
Favorite subject:
Theology and English. Mr. Willis Wills and Ms. Frances Owens taught me to write, think critically, and convey my thoughts, and I'm forever grateful for them teaching me how to do that. It's what kept our company alive, even today. Mr. and Mrs. Wills made the trip to Knoxville for my wedding!
Outstanding memory:
We had a senior lounge, and that was a big deal. I think the times just hanging out in the senior lounge, talking about life with my friends, that was probably my favorite.
Teacher or coach who had a profound impact on you: Coach Gardiner used to always yell at me on the football field, “Go to your area of responsibility first and work from there.” And we still talk about that on the race team.
How St. Stephen's prepared you for life in general:
SSS taught me how to socialize and to think critically in a highly competitive environment, and provided the discipline of wanting to compete and not being intimidated by challenges. And boy, when you rise to a challenge, it certainly builds your self-confidence, which serves you well for life.
What kind of car did you drive in high school and what do you drive now? Went from driving a family station wagon to a Cadillac XT4.
sports. Tad explained it this way: “If you put your [company] name on the stadium in D.C., people may or may not associate you with the team [that plays there]. If you put your name on a jersey in the NBA, you're not going to change the name of the team to the Cincinnati Tides. But literally, when you put your name on NASCAR, that's how people identify the team. It's the Tide car. Or the Dawn car. So, I was really intrigued.”
Intrigued…but not experienced.
would require the couple to relocate every few years. Jodi, says Tad, “was not intrigued” by that. “She didn't sign on to be a military wife. So I had to make a tough decision.”
Tad was thirty years old. He could stay with Procter & Gamble, call on the same customer base he'd been calling on for a decade, and, in his words, “quit challenging myself.” Or, he could do something different. He could take a risk.
The risk?

He says higher-ups “dumped” the NASCAR sponsorship program in his lap, but there was one issue. “I'd never been to a race,” Tad says. Procter & Gamble didn't see that as a problem. “They said, we're gonna spend the money, and we're gonna figure it out.”
Turns out, that money was wellspent. Tad thrived at the helm, and the company's NASCAR sponsorship program grew.
At the same time, Tad's family was growing, too. He married his now-wife, Jodi, and suddenly was at a crossroads. Tad's position with Procter & Gamble
Building his own NASCAR team.
Turns out, the idea had roots at St. Stephens and a saying Tad heard from one of the Reverends there— either Reverend Marlin or Reverend Gibson: “Where your God-given talents and your passions collide, that's your mission field.”
“I loved team sports, and I missed them,” Tad says. “I love sales and marketing. And NASCAR's the perfect confluence of those two things. So I decidedly naively, well, I understand how sponsorship works. Certainly I can start a race team.”
With wisdom from the Reverends and a sharp skill set from a decade as a sales manager, Tad set out to build a team with Jodi.
Their beginnings were humble, to say the least.
“We started at a barn with dirt floors and a toolbox,” Tad says. “We started dialing for dollars, and taking what we learned at P&G and trying to entice sponsors to come on board and be involved with our team. And the rest is history.”
If “history” sounds easy - think again.
“There were lots of starts and stops along the way,” Tad says. “And lots of ramen noodles during the lean months,” he adds, laughing.
But Tad says their continued success —despite the challenges—is “proof that it's the Lord's will that we do it. There's no way we should have survived this far, and thrived this long. It's been one miracle after the other, through the years, that has kept us going.”
Tad and Jodi slowly signed sponsors and brought on former NBA player Brad Daugherty as a partner. Tad's earlier career only helped.
“The uniqueness of what I learned at Procter & Gamble with marketing and sales allowed us to put together a brand that resonated with consumer packaged goods companies and retailers,” Tad says. “So that was really how we grew.”
In 1995 JTG Daugherty Racing debuted at NASCAR's Nationwide Series at Daytona. The Nationwide Series, now called Xfinity, is considered the “minor league” of NASCAR. For several years, JTG Daugherty raced in that circuit.
In 2004 the company was at a crossroads. They had to decide whether and how to grow and what the future looked like. Tad and Jodi began working with a business consultant, who took them on a retreat to the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, and had them do what Tad thought was a meaningless exercise.
Jody and Tad with driver Marcos Ambrose (center) celebrating the 2008 win at Watkins Glen, New York, their first year in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“He gave us a big piece of paper and crayons and said, 'I want you to draw what your business looks like in 10 years.' I thought, this is stupid. I can't draw,” Tad says. But he followed directions and drew a white building with lots of windows and big trees in front among which employees could sit and eat lunch or take a break.
The exercise may have seemed nonsensical at first, but something about it stuck. “If you took a picture of our shop today,” Tad says, “that's what it looks like.”
“THAT'S THE SPECIAL PART”
Today, a barn with dirt floors has become a 130,000-square foot facility in Harrisburg, North Carolina. “Almost every piece of equipment in there,” Tad says, “I can think about the decision we made—do we buy it, or can we live without it?”
In addition to owning a NASCAR team, Tad and Jodi also run Brand Activation Maximizer, which helps brands that want to sponsor NASCAR teams optimize their return on investment.
Since 2008 JTG Daugherty has been racing in NASCAR's Cup Series— the “major league” of the sport. The series includes 36 races a year at dozens of tracks all over the U.S.
As the facility has grown, so has the company. Besides Tad and Jodi and a few co-owners, JTG Daugherty also employs structural engineers, aerodynamic specialists, mechanics, PR experts, accountants, and fabricators. Oh, and several former college and professional athletes—not to drive, but as part of the pit crew. Those are the folks who have seconds to refill gas tanks, change tires, and repair anything that's broken multiple times during the 500-mile, three-and-a-half hour races.
Tad says he's experienced every job possible within JTG Daugherty racing —yes, even the pit crew. For the first few
years of the team's existence, Tad said he figured he was a good enough athlete and could save the team some money. Back then pit stops took 14 seconds, he says. But they were brutally physically demanding. “That's why I limp around a lot,” Tad says, laughing.
Today, pit crews can get Cup cars through pit stops in about ten seconds, thanks to a deeper understanding of kinesiology. Tad is no longer among them—he's busy finding and retaining sponsors.
And of course, winning races is gratifying, too. Tad says it reminds him to be grateful for the people he works with.
“I tend to like to step back at Victory Lane and just watch all the people who we've lived through births, deaths, baptisms, and Little League home runs together,” he says. “We work seven days a week. So watching them enjoy the fruits, that's what I really enjoy. That's the special part.”

While the team gets some money from winnings and ticket sales, most of JTG Daugherty's operating costs are paid for by sponsors, in exchange for helping the brands grow their business through the size, scale, and passion of NASCAR fans.
“It's really fun,” Tad says. “And the critical thinking I learned at St. Stephens is critical now, because I can connect the dots between what a sponsor's trying to solve for and put together a program that makes sense for them.
“Anytime you get those sponsors, or a renewal from those sponsors,” Tad says, “it's gratifying and a special day.”
Tad's senior yearbook page in 1981 featured this quote by former professional baseball player Steve Garvey: “If, during your life, you can make this world a better place, not only for yourself, but for your friends and family, then you've been a winner.”
Safe to say that even when JTG Daugherty's car doesn't cross the finish line first, Tad still feels like a winner.
You can watch JTG Daugherty's car race in the NASCAR Cup Series on most Sundays through November. Their car, #47, is driven by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Miatrai Brown '07 Making Immigration More Accessible
BY SUSIE ZIMMERMANN

In tenth grade at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes, Miatrai Brown traveled to Nicaragua for a service trip. The mission of this trip was to participate in an authentic cultural exchange by living with local families and participating in the community through clean up efforts. Miatrai experienced daily impactful moments; however, one instance became particularly memorable.
One day, during a meeting with a town official, Miatrai noticed that he had a large jar of honey, complete with bees, sitting on his desk. Upon learning that Miatrai had a sore throat, the official suggested she try some honey to soothe it. This honey was not just any honey, his wife's grandfather had harvested the honey shortly before his passing. A bit concerned about all the bees in the jar, Miatrai was reluctant; however, she was so moved by the origin of the honey, she tried it. “Of course it helped,” she remembers with a laugh.
That simple exchange, a passing moment in the day, made a large impact
on Miatrai. She recounts her thoughts at the time of “how different cultures are, and yet at our core how kind, similar, and interconnected we all are.” She says this “opened me up to think of the world beyond my own awareness, and made me begin to realize that the more interconnected our world is, the better off we will be.”
The service trip to Nicaragua opened her eyes to just how different children's lives around the world could be. “We had great teachers [at SSSAS], and a comfortable environment, strong education and so many resources, but it was so different in Nicaragua,” she recalls. “There, the kids sold items on the street and did not have much food, but were still smiling and happy. That really changed my perspective, and encouraged me to get out of our bubble of privilege and into the broader community through volunteer work and helping others.” From that point, Miatrai knew then that she would always want to be “a positive influence in [her] community and beyond.”
Miatrai's travels were not only service oriented, but also sports oriented through a lacrosse tournament in London. This further shaped her belief in the importance of cross cultural and cross intellectual exchange.
Fast forward 17 years later, and this exchange catalyzed Miatrai into opening her own law firm, Direct U.S. Immigration. Her purpose is to help people realize their dreams of coming to the U.S. and help companies improve their performance capabilities by bringing in talent from overseas.
Beyond the impact of the service trip, opening her firm has required a combination of talent, determination, focus, and hard work, all attributes Miatrai believes were first developed at SSSAS. One of three siblings who are alumni, Miatrai remembers the strong and steady work ethic that the school instilled in those early years, “something I've since applied throughout my life.”
Miatrai also enjoyed playing a wide variety of sports in her early school
“
By incorporating my core principles of equity and access, which was fostered during my time at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes' School, my firm helps individuals attain their immigration dreams and allows U.S. companies to increase their performance capabilities.
”
years, and settling into a year-round schedule of basketball, lacrosse, and track in upper school. “SSSAS fostered your ability to both do what you liked to do and also to take chances trying new things,” she says. “Just being encouraged to try, fail, and pick yourself up, made even new things fun to learn about and enjoy,” she says.
Upon graduation, she attended Virginia Tech where her prior experiences had given her a strong idea of what she wanted to do—something with an international orientation that would allow her to help people and positively impact the world. She majored in international studies with a business concentration, studied Spanish as well as Arabic, and after graduating worked as an executive legal assistant and paralegal for a Mclean law firm. Within one year she embarked on law school and graduated from American University.
The law degree combined with her interest in business guided her subsequent steps. She worked in Virginia and D.C.-based law firms, working on cases for tech firms, financial institutions, and small companies including filmmakers and securityoriented entrepreneurs. The combination of experiences on the client-side, coupled with a wish to deliver quality work more efficiently led Miatrai to soon begin designing how her own firm might operate.

Within six years of earning her law degree, she opened that firm, grounded in the core tenets of strong communication, empathy, focus, and determination. With a small team of attorneys, consultants, and specialists, the firm is staffed to cover every time zone so someone can be working at any time of the day to address client needs. Miatrai believes in surrounding herself with “motivated, inspired, and openminded individuals,” and providing them with the training and support they need along with a comfortable and happy work environment.
Together the Direct U.S. Immigration team is committed to handling cases quicker than other firms to deliver client success. Careful attention to quality control ensures that her standards are equal to that of larger firms so that her clients, no matter what size, are always receiving the best service and support.
Along with a focus on the internal workings of the business and needs of her clients, Miatrai also must keep an eye on building the business and nurturing a strong and visible public profile. She is active in the local legal and business community, and has been recognized as one of Northern Virginia's Top 40 Under 40, the National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 and one of Northern Virginia's 40 Under 40 Emerging Women Leaders
in Law. Her pro bono work has been honored by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and she regularly publishes in major legal outlets including Bloomberg Law and Law 360.
“It also helps that my name is unique and noticed,” she quips.
Outside of work, Miatrai cherishes living nearby her sister and mother— whose entrepreneurial spirit in running her own businesses helped to ignite Miatrai's drive. She is also grateful to only being a phone call away from her brother whose continued success and ambition is motivating. SSSAS continues to be a part of her life as she remains close to friends she developed at SSSAS, and she remains appreciative of the school for setting her on her path. “You don't realize how wonderful it was until leaving,” she says. “SSSAS prepared me for the future. The teachers were thoughtful and cared about us, our education, and the trajectory of our lives. We felt it then, but I appreciate it even more now.”
Most of all, Miatrai thanks SSSAS for instilling in her a curiosity about learning and about the world, and an ability to accept feedback and failure and learn from every experience. She encourages today's students to absorb this as well. “Be curious in every area of your life and use your education and curiosity as a foundation to springboard into new opportunities.”
The Lure of Nature
How Nathaniel Gillespie '92 turned his passion into a career.
On his senior page in the 1992 SSSAS “Traditions” yearbook, Nathaniel Gillespie mentions treehugging, fly fishing in Montana, Cocoa Beach, and a shark. Nat picked two photos to accompany his senior portrait, one of his family standing by water on an outdoor adventure complete with binoculars and one of him fishing. The things that were most important to him then, are still close to his heart now— family, fish, and the environment.
provides leadership in coordination with the National Fisheries Program leader in developing and implementing fisheries related strategies, providing guidance, coordination, and direction among a large, geographically dispersed staff of nine regional office fisheries programs. He has experience leading team-based, collaborative approaches to developing policy, communicating ecological and socioeconomic values, and

Today Nat is a passionate and visionary conservation professional working for the U.S. Forest Service as their assistant fish program leader. With a focus on freshwater fish, he
solving complex aquatic and social challenges in aquatic, recreation, and infrastructure arenas. He currently works with eight regional offices that manage almost 200 million acres,
including 155 spectacular national forest and grasslands in 42 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Nat loves his job and wants to inspire people to respect, celebrate, and conserve our aquatic environments to benefit the natural world and the communities that depend on them.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Nat's description of his youth is pretty idyllic. “As a kid I was really interested in fish and the outdoors, and that interest was cultivated over a whole lifetime by my parents and grandparents. My grandfather was a fly fishing expert, so I fished with him in the summer in the New York Catskills.” Sometimes his family took him farther afield, to some of our county's most beautiful locations. Nat's reference to Montana on his senior page is about an outstanding fishing trip he took with his dad and grandfather when he was 14. “We went fishing for a week outside of Yellowstone National Park, which was mind-blowing,” he recalls. “Not only was the scenery amazing, but fishing together is always a great bonding experience.” When he was 16 and 17, he returned to work at the same fly fishing shop for two summers where he sold fishing gear, explored Yellowstone National Park on his bicycle and soaked in everything about the
From Nat's senior page in the 1992 yearbook.

recreational fishing industry from the professional guides.
Nat's interest in the environment was enriched and encouraged at St. Stephen's. As he talks about his teachers, he grows more and more animated. “When I think about St. Stephen's, I immediately think about some of the teachers that were so influential and supportive,” he says. “My friends and I still talk about our Middle School teacher Mr. Atwood today, because he was so passionate.
He was like a leprechaun figure with his giant red beard, and he was so dynamic with such a curious, detailed mind.” Fred Atwood also supervised the unusual Upper School Bird Banding Club. Nat founded and coled the Recycling Club with classmate Greg Gallagin, which kept him busy, but he participated in the Bird Banding Club whenever he could. “It really influenced me,” Nat says. “It was incredible to me that you could set up these very fine mesh nets in
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
The U.S. Forest Service vs. National Park Service
The U.S. Forest Service, which manages our country's National Forests and Grasslands, is under the Department of Agriculture, while the National Park Service is within the Department of the Interior. The greatest difference between the two is the multiple-use mandate for National Forests. While National Parks are managed with preservation as a top priority, barely altering the existing state, the goal of the National Forests is to achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to meet the diverse needs of people. The U.S. Forest Service tagline is the Land of Many Uses. The U.S. Forest Service provides protection for water, timber, and fish and wildlife, but also allows, with fairly high regulation, mining and cattle and livestock grazing. Visitors can go camping, fishing, hunting, and horseback riding.
Find a forest or grassland and explore the U.S. Forest website at fs.usda.gov.
the woods or in a field to catch the birds, measure them, put little metal bands on their legs, and track their movements across the east or even the country. I ended up learning all about local species, like the pileated woodpecker and darkeyed junco.”
That was just one of many real wildlife biology experiences Nat enjoyed at school. In Upper School Nat was captivated by science teachers Anna Vascott and Douglas Bryant. “I had several incredible outdoor experiential
Nat in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., in front of the Pierce Mill Dam where a fish ladder exists.

“I've witnessed so many changes in the places I fished as a boy, places I take my children to fish now. This has greatly contributed to my understanding of the environment, how nature works, and how we influence it.”
classes,” Nat says. “In Field Natural History, for example, we would go outside for two to three hours visiting local public lands and parks to chronicle the wildlife and learn about the different environments. We frequented the wetlands at Huntley
Meadows and the stream systems at Prince William Forest, which were pretty intact compared to the local streams that were so degraded by the urbanization and stormwater.”
In Roger Barbee's English class, Nat was surprised to discover a number of books on fly fishing on his classroom shelves. “There are more books on fly fishing per capita than any other subject in the world,” Nat explains. “People who fly fish love to talk about it and what they've learned, and how it relates to life and God and everything. Since Mr. Barbee exposed me to this fly fishing conservation literature I've read hundreds of these books.” Roger Barbee remembers Nat well, “I have such a fond memory of Nat's interest in fly fishing. He read every book I gave him, always shared his experiences with me, and even presented me with some fly lures because he had learned to tie them himself.”
Nat says he is grateful to all his English teachers because writing has

been very important to his career. “They forced us to learn how to write short stories, which was very hard, but it's helped me in my professional career,” Nat says. “I've written a lot of popular level conservation articles for a broad audience and I take a lot of pride in that.” Nat has also written a number of more scientific manuscripts that were peer-reviewed. He credits two years with Dr. Judy Brent as his foundation for learning how to think critically and analytically, and to question the author's voice and context of historical time.
“That kind of thinking has also played into my career as a conservationist, because having an analytical mind and exercising the powers of observation are qualities of a naturalist, and qualities of such legendary conservationists like E.O. Wilson and Jane Goodall,” Nat continues. He feels that one of the most important things he's learned
Left: Nat fishing in Rock Creek Park near his home in Washington, D.C.
Above: Nat makes his own fishing lures and carries this collection with him on his fishing adventures.
over time is the value of intense observation, paying attention to his surroundings, and chronicling the changes—which he has spent years doing while fishing locally. “I've witnessed so many changes in the places I fished as a boy, places I take my children to fish in now,” Nat says. “This has greatly contributed to my understanding of the environment, how nature works, and how we influence it. So, a lot of those childhood adventures fishing and observing, and wondering why things are the way they are, have really stuck with me.”
For instance, Nat vividly remembers the invasion of the hydrilla on the Potomac River when he was a boy. “This giant mass of dark green vegetation covered the entire river in the 1980s,” Nat says. “It's an invasive species that helped process all the phosphorus and nitrogen in the water. That improved the water quality to the point that native plants which weren't thriving could come back. Between the hydrilla, the upgrades at Blue Plains treatment plant, the enforcement of the Clean Water Act, and other best management practices happening across the Bay, the Potomac really improved.”
EXPLORING LOCAL WATERS
Nat and a group of friends enjoyed fishing together and found the local area had much to offer. He and classmate Hossein Nosirvani, who lived on Lake Barcroft, would meet at dawn, grab the amazing Iranian lunch Hossein's mom made for them, and fish all morning. There were other happy times spent with classmates Jimmy Blackburn, Andrew McCain, and Luke Taylor fishing at Dyke Marsh. He and Luke became so intrigued they decided to do a water study for their senior project.
GO FISH!

SMALLMOUTH BASS

LARGEMOUTH BASS

STRIPED BASS





“The opportunity to do a senior project was such an amazing part of the education,” Nat says. “Luke and I compared a relatively small stream in an urban environment— Four Mile Run—with a relatively small stream in a much more agricultural and forested watershed environment—the Thornton River in Sperryville at the base of Shenandoah National Park.”
They took water quality samples and looked at the aquatic insects, employed fish traps and went fishing to catch and catalog fish, and used what they had learned from their classes to determine what kind of environmental conditions they could likely point to based on their data. Nat says the difference was staggering. “Four Mile Run was clearly impaired and polluted evidenced by the types of fish that were in there and the lack of different types of insects and fish species,” Nat explains. “The stream near Sperryville was in much better shape, although not perfect. There was some impairment from the town, and probably some from agriculture as well, but that's the kind of science experiment that's real.” Nat has returned to the same streams 20 and 30 years later to find that the condition of both have improved based on the data from his observations over time. In fact, when he worked with Trout Unlimited, he led the removal of an old mill dam on the Thornton River on a farmer's property to help migrating fish.
Nat, his wife Elaine, 9-year-old daughter Eva, and 12-year-old son Darren live in Washington, D.C., not far from Rock Creek Park. They love to be outside as often as possible, hiking, exploring, and of course, fishing.
“Although it's a polluted urban stream, it is still full of life!” Nat said. “I have fished it for almost 20 years and caught many
WALLEYE
REDBREAST



“The Forest Service manages some of the most amazing fish habitats across the country. I'm involved with stream and floodplain restoration, as well as fixing up old mines from the gold rush from 100 years ago.”
species of sunfish, smallmouth and largemouth bass, fallfish and catfish, and even striped bass and walleye. I also see many herons and eagles visiting the creek alongside the roar of commuting traffic. The creek is a gem in this urban area.”
One surprise to discover in Rock Creek is a fish ladder. As part of the mitigation for the impacts to the Potomac River when the Wilson Bridge was expanded a decade ago, The National Park Service built the ladder at Pierce Mill dam and replaced a number of other barriers to fish migration, like old concrete fords and sewer lines. “As a result, Atlantic Ocean fish like river herring and sea lamprey, and fish from the Chesapeake Bay, like gizzard shad, can swim up the little water staircase past the dam and beyond into many more miles of Rock Creek,” Nat explains. “There they can spawn and make lots more baby fish, who then travel downstream into the Potomac River and back to the Bay and ocean.” Over the years Nat has watched the stream recover. Each spring you can find him at the ladder or walking the creek watching schools of hundreds of herring fight their way upstream.
There are also many non-native fish, mussel, and plant species making their home in the Potomac River and Bay area, of which Nat says one of the most infamous is the snakehead. “I have seen them at Little Falls above Chain Bridge and in Rock Creek above the zoo. They are big and scary looking and can reach 15 pounds or so, but research suggests they have not really upset the food web in the river.”
However, according to Nat, the much larger character in the Potomac is the invasive blue catfish. Between 1974 and 1985, blue catfish were stocked in the James, Rappahannock and York Rivers in Virginia. Since then, their population in the Potomac River has exploded. Apparently, they can grow to more than 100 pounds, eat anything they can fit in their mouths, and are blamed for the decline of several species of fish like redbreast sunfish and shad.

Two years ago, Nat and Darren had an unforgettable encounter. “We were fishing for catfish from a boat at Fletcher's Cove and Darren hooked a long green hand fishing line on his hook,” Nat says. “I was barely able to haul in the line as we were drifting downstream in the current and quickly realized there was a large fish attached. Suddenly a mouth as big as a five-gallon bucket greeted me at the surface—a blue catfish about three feet long and around 40-50 pounds that looked like it had swallowed a watermelon!” The fish was too heavy for Nat to lift into the boat and way too big for their net, so he reached into the giant mouth with his pliers and cut the hook to let the beast go.
Fishing family fun, Nat and his wife, Elaine, daughter Eva, and son Darren.
Looking back at his childhood, Nat hopes to encourage the same love and respect for nature that his parents gave to him. “I really give my mom and dad a ton of credit because they gave me the independence and the opportunity to explore,” Nat said with a grin. The first time Nat ever saw a blacknose dace was at Taylor Run. He had never seen any in the stream behind his house, which was too polluted and too shallow, but he would catch the little fish at Taylor Run, take them home, and observe them in his fish tank for years. Discovering that incredible world underneath the surface of the water inspired one of the most amazing partnerships Nat has helped develop and manage with the forest service, an underwater film NGO, Freshwaters Illustrated. “We've done many films with them about the life on waters in the national forests, which are oftentimes very, very well protected, and all the wondrous things that happen with the unseen biology underwater,” Nat says. Because most people are not exploring under the freshwater surface, they developed a youth snorkeling program using a wonderful program from the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee. Nat helped expand the program and U.S. Forest Service biologists now work with schools, including elementary grade students, to outfit them with wet suits, snorkels, and other necessary gear for underwater exploration.
Nat's advice to students is to focus on something they feel passionate about. “When you love what you do, it's not work, it's a joy and a gift,” Nat said. “That's the bottom line with my whole career. I feel so fortunate to be working in a field that I really care about with other like-minded passionate, dedicated people. I get to be outside once in a while too, which is something that I really value, and I feel like I'm contributing in a small way to making things better for our public lands.” And, of course, he says everyone should spend a little time fishing.
RECREATIONAL FISHING IS FUN AND BENEFICIAL
Fishing is a very healthy pastime that can be enjoyed at any age! From lowering cortisol levels to increasing physical strength, fishing comes with a host of benefits. There's a reason that fishing is one of the most popular recreational activities in the world.
Gets You Outside
Being in the sun boosts your vitamin D, improves healing times, concentration, and mood.
Fishing is Relaxing
Time spent in nature can reduce blood pressure, improve your focus, and help you develop more patience, and you only need to spend about 30 minutes each week to start seeing the effects.
Improves Cardiovascular Health
Fishing is a great low-impact exercise that can help keep you fit or shed a few pounds. People who are actively fishing can burn an additional 200 calories per-hour walking to find the best spots, recasting the line, and (fingers crossed) reeling in a fish.
A Breath of Fresh Air
Nature helps expose your lungs to more fresh air and clears your head. Being around water is shown to positively impact oxygen levels, as moving water can improve air quality.
Improves Your Self-Esteem
Fishing requires you to master a variety of different skills and set goals. Attaining those goals is a sure-fire way to improve self-esteem.
Teaches Self-Reliance
The more involved you get in the sport the more you'll learn: from driving a boat to hunting down tackle to cleaning, cooking and eating a fish.
Improves Balance and Dexterity
As anyone who has ever reeled a catfish into a canoe can tell you, fishing requires some acrobatic maneuvers. Balance requires core strength and benefits flexibility, both of which help offset back pain.
It's a Day Well Spent!
No matter what age you are, fishing is a great way to spend a day bonding and connecting with friends and family, enjoying Nature and being outside.

The Flâneuse
In Conversation with Artist Constance Mallinson '66 BY ANDREA DAWSON
For a painter, sculptor, and critic at the helm of the Los Angeles artmaking scene for more than 40 years, Constance Mallinson '66 is disarmingly tender. She laughs easily. She explains the sociopolitical nuances of Postmodernism to a naive reporter with nary a hint of annoyance. It should come as no surprise that she has been a skilled teacher of her craft for nearly as long as she has been a successful practitioner.
By her own admission, however, her gentle manner belies a contrarian streak. Fake ID in hand, she began sneaking into the beatnik coffee houses of Washington, D.C. in the early 1960s, one of the few venues at the time daring to showcase contemporary art, a stone's throw from the National Gallery of Art. Ever since, she has channeled a certain edge, an intense desire to remain engaged, relevant and curious; to make her viewers think. As one Los Angeles Times critic wrote, her interest is “in exploring art that [lies] outside the dominant canon.” She often counsels her students: It's ok to be a little angry. Los Angeles in the 1970s and '80s was fertile ground for artists, and Constance—who relocated to California with her filmmaker husband in 1979— flourished. Before long, she became an integral contributor to the largely female-driven Pattern & Decoration Movement, which sought to question the rigid norms of Minimalism by injecting feminist flair. At a 2020 Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art exhibition, the first of its kind—“With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art, 1972–1985”—she was among the artists featured. Acknowledging the nature of the exhibition as a historical survey, she laughed, “I never anticipated being historical!”
Constance's involvement in the movement is but one chapter in a fearless and ever-evolving artistic career. Over the last four decades, her repertoire of work and accolades in Los Angeles—not to mention prolific teaching at numerous colleges and universities in southern California— are testament to her enduring mark on the West Coach art world. From the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art to the San José Museum of Art, her paintings can be seen in major private and public art collections across California.
Here, Constance, 73, a mixedmedia representational artist and a committed flâneuse (her word), shares early career memories at St. Agnes and in D.C.; the challenges she has faced as a female artist and mother; her deep concern for the environment; and what keeps her pursuing her craft, nearly 50 years after her first gallery exhibit.
Your St. Agnes senior yearbook entry indicates how admired you were among classmates and faculty alike for your artwork. As art editor of the 1966 “Lamb's Tail,” you designed and drew the cover and dividers. Clearly, art was important to you at an early age. What led you to pursue art as a career?
CM: It was a combination of factors. My parents were very encouraging and, later, my schoolmates. I had art lessons from a very early age with a local art star in Alexandria. There was an older woman, Ms. Downs, at St. Agnes who taught art, but it was extracurricular. Art was pretty marginalized in those days at school; it took a back seat to music. I remember staying up late working on my oil paintings on the kitchen counter just because I wanted to. It was really important to me. I sold my first painting at St. Agnes, to an
administrator, I think—it was a pastoral scene with some big trees and sheep. I'll never forget how excited I was. So, you combine my passion with the encouragement and serious instruction I received, and it all adds up to a drive. I was pretty confirmed by the middle of high school that this is what I really wanted to do. Washington, D.C. is also a great museum town. I would often take the bus for an hour to get to the Mall and spend the whole afternoon at the National Gallery, looking at the Rembrandts and Monets. And I'd sneak into the beatnik coffee houses, where they hung edgy art and played bongos and jazz. For a 14-year-old that was an amazing eye-opener. I realized then that there was this very cool contemporary art scene going on. That was a big part of my early education as well.
You received a BFA from the University of Georgia in 1970. What led you to Los Angeles?
CM: I had planned to pursue a master's degree after college, but I got married and my husband, Eric, and I started a business. He was a filmmaker and we made documentary and informational films for the government. It was really fun. I have a picture of Eric with Jimmy Carter for a film we did for the Department of Energy. I also had my first serious studio right after college, which I continued to maintain while we worked. And I was exhibiting. Then I got a lucky break. I entered a competition and the head curator of the National Gallery was the judge. The award, which I received, was an exhibition at the Alexandria Athenaeum. He also recommended me to a renowned gallerist who owned a contemporary gallery in D.C., Henri Gallery. I started showing with her pretty regularly. We had our film business for 12 years, but my

“What's most important to me as an artist is to stay engaged and excited about what I'm doing— to feel that there's still room to explore, that painting is not mired in tradition. There's still a lot to say.”
husband got antsy to be in Hollywood. In 1979 we moved out to California. I was out of the film thing at that point, but I continued to do my art. It proved to be a very good move for me— Los Angeles had a much more lively, exciting contemporary art climate. I met a lot of artists, a lot of galleries were opening up. It was booming. I didn't look back.
It was a provocative time in Los Angeles, not to mention across the United States—the Women's Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, the Feminist Art Movement, Minimalism, the Pattern & Decoration Movement. In what ways did these movements factor into your early career?
CM: They factored into my career quite a bit. Contemporary art is really about channeling the zeitgeist through your personal lens into the artwork. I was very involved with Feminism, which had a big presence in Los Angeles. The Pattern & Decoration Movement was based in a lot of feminist theory, arguing that Minimalism was entrenched at the time and pretty male-dominated; it was against any personal narrative. Art had to be cold and clinical. Then the feminists came along and said hey, we want to get personal here and tell our stories. Pattern & Decoration artists introduced color and pattern, and influences from women's crafts, like weaving and textiles. Things that were considered lowly pursuits in the world
of high art were radically introduced. In the early 1970s it was very difficult for female artists and artists of color to get museum shows. It was necessary to kill that system of “this is the movement and if you don't fit into it, we're not interested.” The idea that any one movement could prevail at any given time came to an end then. Pattern & Decoration was one of the last major art movements of the 20th century.
Critics have praised your work for its willingness to push against and question artistic conventions. Do you agree? And what are you most interested in exploring through your work?
CM: You have to consider that
contemporary art, or the tradition of Modernism, relied on positioning itself outside of the prevailing taste. That notion of progress—of moving culture forward—has always attracted me. I've always wanted to have my finger on the pulse of the moment. I'm a bit of a contrarian. It fit. Hopefully I still have a bit of that in me. There are consistent threads you can point to in my work. It has constantly played on the line between abstraction and figuration. Most if not all of my work has figurative elements to it, but it also includes that “all-overness” of abstraction. The environmental crisis weighs so heavily on me, so I want to address those themes in my work. Sure, you can just make something nice for a wall, but that's not enough for me. I like challenging content. What am I saying with this painting? How do I harness my formal strengths—the color, my technical skill and rendering, my composition—and say something at the same time? That's the dance.
The tension between the natural environment and global consumerist forces are an obvious through line in your work. You are well known for transforming cast-off plastic and other detritus found on your daily walks around Los Angeles into arresting, largescale landscapes. How much of artmaking is for you, personally— a way to process your feelings and worries—and how much is intended as a statement for others to respond to?
CM: As an artist, it's your job to make people look at a painting. And once they're looking at it, your job is to make them think. Ultimately, gauging the efficacy of what I'm doing is very hard, unless you have an opportunity to talk to viewers. Art viewers are pretty smart; they wouldn't be [in a gallery or museum] if they didn't want that kind of experience or

“There have been times when I've wiped off an entire day's work of painting. But you have to be able to do that. You can't be too precious about your work.”
enrichment. Artists aren't going to stop Exxon from drilling for oil. We're not going to stop corporations from cutting down the Amazon. But we are a link in the chain, the cultural chain that consists of artists, musicians, writers, journalists, politicians, volunteers. We're
contributing to the dialogue. It's easier for me to process [environmental concerns] when I think of myself as part of something rather than as a sole actor. Artists are in a fairly unique position to bear witness to what's going on.

“The support that you get and also give to your fellow artists is really important. That's something that took me a long time to find out.”
In an interview a few years ago you addressed the challenge of being a female artist—and a mother— and navigating the perceptions surrounding those two identities. What was that like?
CM: Very challenging. I was raising two daughters and balancing my professional life, and I was teaching, too. I just powered through it. I don't know how I did it, frankly. Then there is the undeniable dissing of mothers. And a desire to be taken just as seriously when you're driving your kids to soccer practice as before you had children. There was a long stretch when I was
not finding a lot of opportunities to exhibit. I had my studio at home, so I was fortunate. While they were at school I would work for six hours. What fell off for me was the socializing and the connection-making. You can't keep going to art parties when you're raising kids. Once they're through college and they leave the house, your time is your own. It's important to communicate to young women and students that [motherhood and a professional life] are not mutually exclusive but mutually supportive. But you've got to be really organized and determined.
I'm sure you had a notion when you graduated from college—or perhaps earlier—of what life as an artist might look like. What part of that vision has come true, and what has ultimately been different from what you anticipated?
CM: When you're 21 it's like, bring on the world! I never really questioned myself significantly in terms of my drive and my desire to be in the studio. That was always number one. I knew I had to focus and create the work in order to have a career. I also knew I wanted to have a good time. Artists are a lot of fun—there's lots of partying and a lot
of camaraderie. I made it a point to meet other artists and still do to this day. I love the social life that goes along with knowing these incredible people. As far as expectations of fame and glory, we lived through the Warhol fascination and The Factory. That was the popular sense at the time of what an artist's life was about. That wasn't why I felt I was in it; I've never been a celebrity person. It doesn't interest me. But at the same time, if that's the prevailing age, you have to struggle with how you see yourself versus what the culture expects. Do you want to be a TikTok star or do something else? That is today's analogy. It takes a little courage to follow your own instincts and do what you think is important, what is more you. The community part I was also not prepared for as a younger artist, where it's all about “me.” Then you find, of course, that community is really important. Today, the art world is much bigger than I ever thought it would be, and there is so much more competition. More MFAs are graduating. Not only are you trying to maintain the momentum of your own practice, you have these upstarts who are trying to knock you off the mountain! The main things I have always been so gratified by are how much I personally love making art, the fabulous community of artists I belong to, and the never-ending excitement for the work that comes out.
What are you working on now that excites you?
CM: I just finished a piece that's going to a big show next week [“Mapping the Sublime: Reframing Landscape in the 21st Century,” at the Brand Library & Art Center, through June 11]. It's a hybridization of painting and sculpture, which is really intriguing to me at the moment. I've never worked in three dimensions before. I gathered blocks of styrofoam that I found on my walks and I painted on them all these endangered landscapes and animals. I got so sad making this thing I just
had to quit at times! These little animals would be looking at me... It was very emotional. Hopefully the viewers who engage with the piece will be moved, too. That's all I can do, really, is to move people to bear witness to our consumptive greed and habits. Also, as I get older, and now that I have had two children of my own, I want my artwork to engage younger people. This styrofoam piece will be mounted at kid-height on a pedestal. I'm still doing two-dimensional paintings as well. There's a lot of freedom to experiment in the air, which appeals to me rather than sticking to tradition so strictly. One of the nice things about being at this stage in my career is that I just want to do what I want to do. I don't need to please anyone but myself right now.
When you look back on your career today, and remember yourself on the cusp of graduating from St. Agnes, what are some bits of wisdom you wish you had known then? CM: Well, there are all the clichés... cultivate your passion, water that garden, make sure it grows and is fertilized. There is no career without that. Have patience, gratitude, a good sense of humor, a willingness to erase and start over. Be curious. Be furious. Be mad when it serves you well. And remember, artmaking is meant to be enjoyed. If you're not enjoying it, you shouldn't be doing it. You will get discouraged. You will think you're the worst artist in the world. That's natural. Sometimes the plants that you're watering every day will just die. But if you keep planting and nurturing, they will flourish. If you stick with it, it is a tremendously gratifying life to be an artist.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Selection of Solo Exhibitions
• Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles)
• Museum of Art & History (Lancaster, Calif.)
• Jason Vass Gallery (Los Angeles)
• Armory Center for the Arts (Pasadena)
• Pomona College Museum of Art
• Culver Art Center (University of California, Riverside)
• The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery
• Angles Gallery (Los Angeles)
• National Academy of Sciences (Washington, D.C.)
Public Collections/Art
• Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles)
• San José Museum of Art
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• EXPO Line MTA Bergamot Station permanent artwork installation (Los Angeles, in conjunction with her eldest daughter, a digital artist and animator)
• MTA Red Line poster series (Los Angeles)
• Newport Harbor Art Museum
• “Coolglobe” artist
• Wilshire Grand Hotel mural (Los Angeles)
Awards
• National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient
• City of Los Angeles Artist's Grant recipient
• Santa Fe Art Institute Residency Award
• Djerassi Foundation Residency Award
• California Supreme Court mural finalist (San Francisco)
Andrea Dawson is a freelance writer, editor, and storyteller.

Tommy May '12 is Balancing
When we hear about driving in Los Angeles, we typically think of freeways, traffic, and smog. To Tommy May, who has lived in LA since 2016, driving in LA is beautiful inspiration for his current artwork, which he calls “velocity paintings.”
Tommy lives in the Hollywood Hills with his partner and fellow artist Gwen O'Neil. The road behind their home runs along a ridge and heads west leading down to the ocean. Tommy takes this beautiful drive nearly every day, observing
how the landscape and horizon blur together as the car moves along.
From this, Tommy begins his pieces on small canvases to work on colors. From there he scales up to much larger canvases on which he physically blends colors and builds layers, often painting over the canvas entirely. This careful and patient process has evolved, along with the style of the finished works, from his compositions of a few years ago. Yet all of his work evokes his love of nature and the environment and his vision as he moves through it.
Balancing his artistic work is an active interest Tommy has in the business of art. He takes time to study and engage with a
“Some days I wear my dealer pants and other days I put on my painter pants.”
wide network of advisors, galleries, collectors, art writers, and others in the field to learn and build his career as an artist.
“Some days I wear my dealer pants,” he laughs, “and other days I put on my painter pants.” The result is a career he
Tommy and partner Gwen O'Neil were included in a group exhibition, “Mixed Feelings,” at the F2T Gallery in Milan, Italy from December 17, 2021 to January 29, 2022. Tommy's work is on the far left and Gwen's is on the far right. “Mixed Feelings” was a journey along five different aesthetics, strongly recognizable as the essence of the main message, which is often in opposition to the first impression that a colorful and almost lighthearted painting can arouse.


Creativity and the Business of Art
BY SUSIE ZIMMERMANN
never imagined as a young teenager at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes.
Tommy started at SSSAS in ninth grade and played baseball and cross-country. He particularly valued the mentorship of CrossCountry Coach Scott McLeod, and forged strong friendships with his teammates. Outside of the challenge of running, those teammates shared creative interests in art, music, and photography, and as soon as they could drive, they would head into D.C. to go to the Hirshhorn and other museums, photographing everything along the way.
“Finding this group of people was my favorite part of high school,” says Tommy.
He also took every art class offered at the time, and remains particularly fond of and grateful for his 3D art teacher, Terry deBardelaben. She encouraged Tommy to consider the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) to continue his studies, develop his photography, and consider a career in the field.
At SCAD, Tommy focused on analog photography and spent most of his time in the dark room making prints. Gwen was a fellow student at SCAD who also spent time experimenting in the dark room, and the two first met and fell in love under the red light.
Tommy's photos became increasingly abstract, focusing
on light, shadow, and shapes. In the dark room, he also explored applying painting techniques and other alternative approaches in the development process to create new and interesting images.
Outside of school, he began to study painting on his own, researching other painters and their processes and drawing inspiration from them while practicing. Admittedly obsessive when he becomes interested in something, Tommy says, “Once I have an idea, I have to figure every single thing out about it.”
He created a great number of pieces and approached the SCAD store, which bought and sold student

Selected Exhibitions
• Merrick Adams, Tommy May, Dani Tull At Blue Door Gallery, Los Angeles, April 30, 2022
• Mixed Feelings, F2T Gallery, Milan, Italy, December 17, 2021
• Office Group show, BOZOMAG, Los Angeles, September 2021
• 2020 The Blue Door Show, Blue Door Gallery, Los Angeles, 2020
• Tommy May, Field Gallery, West Tisbury, Mass., 2020
• Tommy May, Field Gallery, West Tisbury, Mass., 2019
• Tommy May, Solo Show, Quote Gallery, Quogue, N.Y., 2018
• Act 1. One Art Space, Tribeca, N.Y., 2018
• Tommy May, Field Gallery, West Tisbury, Mass., 2018
• Emerging Spaces, 530 Burns Gallery, Sarasota, Fla., 2018
• New Works, Tommy May Sylvester and Co, East Hampton, N.Y., 2015
• Grand Opening, Lee O'Neil Gallery, Savannah, Ga., 2015

work, with his paintings. The store bought 20 pieces—his first sale!— and that encouraged him to step aside from photography and focus exclusively on painting.
While the SCAD teachers were supportive, they also challenged him with what he now appreciates as “some of the best and most important advice that shaped me as an artist.”
At the time, however, he decided to step away from the structure of school and focus exclusively on his art. Tommy and Gwen open the Lee O'Neil Gallery in Savannah to exhibit their work and that of their peers.
The couple loved Savannah, and the small size of the community and cost of living enabled them, for the first time, to begin to imagine they could be working artists.
Soon though the couple decided to move to Los Angeles in 2016 to join a much larger and thriving arts community. They worked hard on their work as well as forging business connections, and returned
“Once I have an idea, I have to figure every single thing out about it.”
periodically to the East Coast for visits to Martha's Vineyard where Tommy's parents live and which inspired much of his early work. Driving around the island—much like today's drives in LA—led him to create paintings featuring fields of color, lines, and symbols depicting his favorite landscapes.
The couple would also visit Gwen's family in East Hampton, and ultimately landed a show there which would connect Tommy with designers who began buying his work as well as Gwen's, for commercial and residential projects.
“Practice what you love and don't stop exploring and learning.”
Other galleries also then began showing his work and a full-time sustainable career was emerging. However, Tommy learned that business success could also be fleeting. When a large show was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he quickly had to replace
his disappointment with a drive to find new opportunities through even more research and networking. “Being obsessive about stuff to paint, while also hunting down business opportunities like a hawk,” continues to be a driving force for Tommy today.
Tommy and Gwen decided to apply some of their recent success into opening an exhibit space for themselves and other artists. They converted their garage and opened Blue Door Gallery in February, and the space flexes between shows into studio space for both of them.
While Tommy's art and business has been very busy, he also took time to return to SCAD for online courses to complete his degree. And through

it all, he's discovered some important lessons.
“First, practice what you love and don't stop exploring and learning more and more,” he says. “Be patient and allow things to evolve.”
Most of all, a strong work ethic is perhaps at the core of Tommy's success in building a career in a field that many others struggle to thrive in. Following the observation of film producer Robert Evans who said in his autobiography “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity,” Tommy says “I work very hard, so I'm ready when opportunities arise.”
He's also appreciative—and amazed— that he can have a career doing what he loves and says, “Isn't it so bizarre that we can make a living making art?!”


Therapy for the Invisible Wounds of War MALIKA RASHEED '87
Leading a unique dog-training program for soldiers with PTSD
BY ELISE GIBSON


When Malika Rasheed '87 began bringing rescue dogs to the memory-care facility where her mother was living, she expected a positive response. But what she saw astounded her. “I knew there was something more happening on a neurological level. It wasn't just that petting a dog makes you happy,” she said of watching the instant connection between the dogs and the dementia population.” There was this neurologic shift in the brain, a neurochemical cascade that happens when oxytocin is released. It's an amazing phenomenon.”
After her mother died in 2020, Malika had already sold her longtime integrative-medicine practice and began to consider her next steps. The dramatic bond she had witnessed between dog and dementia patient lingered in her memory. “There's something more to this,” she recalls thinking. Then she made a promise to herself. “I want to devote the next 20 years of my life to helping a fragile, vulnerable population,” she says.
Malika, who holds a doctorate in physical therapy, found that population in an innovative program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, that provides intensive outpatient neurological treatment in the form of multidisciplinary therapy for activeduty military personnel with traumatic brain injury. These conditions are notoriously difficult to treat and can leave veterans isolated, depressed, angry and suicidal. They hinder a
veteran's attempt to return to civilian life and can tear families apart. The program was looking for a doctoratelevel healthcare professional to fully develop a nascent animal assisted therapy program that follows a unique model known as “Mission Based Trauma Recovery.”
Malika had found her mission. “These soldiers are risking their lives every day, 24/7, for us and our safety, and they are continuing to suffer from severe invisible wounds of war,” she says. “They have run through the gamut of treatment options without a successful outcome and now they have an opportunity to try an option which is proving to be successful.”
The therapy program that Malika directs is in the neurology department at the NICoE (National Intrepid Center of Excellence) building. It's one part of a four-week intensive and individualized treatment plan that includes the creative arts (music, visual

arts, dance and movement, writing), occupational and behavioral psych therapy, and any medical tests or scans that are needed. It's called outpatient care, but the participants live on the Bethesda campus in housing that can include their families in weeks three and four.
As lead practitioner for the animal assisted therapy program, Malika assesses incoming patients and creates a neurological plan of care to treat what she calls “the invisible wounds of war.” Every Monday a cohort of four new wounded warriors from all over the world arrive to begin the program. Many have waited a long time for this unique therapeutic approach. “At least 50 percent of PTSD patients still show signs or still have a diagnosis of
PTSD even after all the interventions they've received,” she says.
Malika's work involves service dogs—specifically labradors and golden retrievers—that are trained to provide mobility and behavioral assistance to veterans with a wide range of disabilities. For instance, a dog may be trained in the “brace command” so that an amputee patient can lean on the animal while transferring from bed to wheelchair.
A dog trained for behavioral assistance might help with a patient's nightmares by jumping off the bed, turning lights on to wake the patient, and then using its weight to comfort and calm the patient. But all of those amazing skills come later; first, they must be trained in
basic commands. The program from infancy to completion usually takes 24 months, at which time a graduate canine will be paired with a Veteran with limited functional mobility.
In Malika's program, the therapy for these active-duty military personnel, who are suffering from debilitating cases of PTSD and TBI, is to train the dogs. That's their therapeutic intervention. And in some cases, they don't even realize it. All they know is that they've been asked to train future service dogs to help a fellow veteran. For the soldiers, Malika says, it comes down to the “warrior ethos.” “Once they find out that they will be helping a fellow battle buddy, It's just ingrained in their brain to always, always look out for their fellow soldier,” she says. “When I say, 'Hey, how would you like to help a fellow veteran by helping us train these service dogs?' They're like, 'Hell, yes.' It's a no-brainer for them.”
It may seem like a job rather than therapy, but Malika says the benefits are apparent and measurable. “You see this amazing connection between human and animal, and the minute they bond, when they have eye contact with the dog, there's an immediate oxytocin release,” she says. “This has been demonstrated on MRIs in the left auditory cortex, a region of the brain that scientists recently discovered has neurons that produce oxytocin.”
Documenting and reporting successful outcomes can lead to clinical trials and further acceptance as a treatment, and so measuring the efficacy of the program is central to Malika's work. Documentation of success, she says, can “show clinical appropriateness and effectiveness for treating traumatic brain injury and PTSD.”
The key to successful treatment, she notes, is to alter the body's response to stress. Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury live in a state of sympathetic overdrive. “They're constantly on the ready: ready to fight, ready to battle. They can't sleep because their minds are just wired, wired, wired,” she says. “When oxytocin gets released, it switches the nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic; that's what allows us to relax, to be able to be grounded and focused. It allows us to better regulate our emotions.”
Malika promotes a sense of calm from the moment she meets each new patient. The NICoE building on the Walter Reed campus is new and modern; by contrast her office is cozy and serene. The lights are low, soothing music and the scent of eucalyptus fill the air, and Persian rugs are underfoot. “I want them to feel that they can walk into a calm, healing and most importantly safe space,” she says.
She includes postural corrections and breathing exercises, but a dog is never far away. “Sometimes when I find patients to be depressed, or they just can't make eye contact, I have them lie on a foam roller on the floor, with a dog lying next to them,” Malika explains. “I teach them diaphragmatic breathing and the dog begins to sync with the patient. The genetic code of a dog is synchronization. Once the patient has engaged their parasympathetic nervous system, they can find calm connection and even improve sleep. If they're not sleeping, they are not healing.”
The intensive program runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, with back-to-back therapies throughout the day. For Malika, the regular hours are a break from the 12-hour days she kept for 17 years as a business owner. She credits her husband of
“Patients come back to us and say, 'I can't believe it, I'm not screaming at my kids anymore. I'm able to be more affectionate and supportive and respectful to my wife.'”

28 years, Emad Nekoo, a software engineer, with keeping the house running and the children fed during that time. Their 20-year-old daughter is an environmental science major at the University of Maryland and will be studying abroad in Singapore this summer. Their 22-year-old son is completing a master's in aerospace engineering at Virginia Tech, Malika's alma mater. During her years at St. Agnes, Malika was on the tennis team, and tennis remains a big part of her life.
After fostering rescue dogs and finding homes for ten of them, Malika found a dog for her family, a Jack Russell terrier that had been dumped in a dumpster by a breeder. Connecting with dogs, it seems, is in her blood. The dogs in the therapy program—three black Labs and a Golden Retriever— live off-base with their “puppy
parents,” who also serve as the canine instructors.
As the patients work with the dogs, they learn to become benevolent leaders, to harness the power of positive reinforcement and patience, even in the face of frustration. Malika describes how a patient might respond: “No matter how many times I have to train this dog to sit, if I start getting upset or raising my voice, the dog is not going to sit. I have to be calm and cool. And I have to do the same thing with my kids at home. That is how it transitions into their personal life.”
She recalls one recent patient with multiple tics. Every 15 seconds he blinks his eyes, smacks his lips, clears his throat. It happens no matter what he's doing—except when he's with the dogs. “Five minutes into the session, the tics have disappeared,” she says. “This is the one program that we're finding is make or break. This is the one that's making the difference for them.”
Upon completing the program, the patients write a letter to the dog they've trained. At a final ceremony, the staff gives the dog the letter. “The dog salutes them as they walk,” Malika says. “It's very emotional and gratifying.”
Results like that have made Malika passionate about her work. She's so passionate, in fact, that she hopes the program model will be adopted at military treatment centers around the world.
“My mission is to make this program, here at NICoE, global. I would like to educate practitioners at military bases in Germany, Norway, and other bases around the world.
There are a lot of veterans suffering everywhere,” she says. “It's what I want to do until I can't do it anymore.”
Elise Gibson, former editor of the Smith [College] Alumnae Quarterly, is a freelance writer.
HIT
Go Ahead, Me!

DON THEERATHADA '93 talks about his career as a professional stunt coordinator and fight choreographer for 87eleven Action Design
INTRO BY MELISSA ULSAKER MAAS '76 AND INTERVIEW BY ADRIENNE LAI '21
Don doubling as the character Po, played by Doua Moua in the 2019 Disney film, “Mulan.”
Don Theerathada loves jumping off buildings and getting hit by cars. A good day includes hitting the ground hard and taking a punch in the face.
During his 28-year career, Don has worked as an actor, stuntman, stunt coordinator, fight choreographer and second unit/action director on more than 100 feature films and television shows in the U.S. and Thailand, as well as commercials, music videos, and highend video games.
It all started in 1984 after Don saw “Karate Kid” and immediately wanted to start Tae Kwon Do classes. By the time he reached Upper School, he was competing in the 1992 WKA World Championships on the U.S. team that won the championship and personally placing fourth in sparring. In 1993 his team took the championship again and he won the bronze medal in sparring. At that point he retired from competing professionally in the martial arts to focus on running track and field for George Mason University and to train and prepare for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. At GMU Don competed in the 110m High Hurdles for the Thai National Track and Field Team. Unfortunately, he blew his knee out for the second time while training for the 1995 Southeast Asian Games and found himself at a fork in the road. Already a national hero in Thailand, he was representing Nike, Tag Heuer, Ray-Ban, and Oakley in commercials. His notoriety as an athlete had brought in multiple offers to work in film and television, so
without looking back, he decided to stay in Thailand and take up acting.
Although he was successful as an actor, Don quickly discovered he was not a “fan of fame and what came with it.” Meeting Jackie Chan inspired him to change his career path and pursue what he really loved doing. Stunt work combined his athletic prowess with acting, but outside the heat of the spotlight. In 1999 Don made another monumental decision to relocate to California, where he had to start over and rebuild his career. Today his credits include stunt and fight work on “The Fast and the Furious,” “The Expendables,” “The Matrix Resurrections,” “Aquaman,” “Mulan,” and most recently as the fight trainer for Ana De Armas and the stunt coordinator on the Russo Brothers film, “The Gray Man” (July 2022 release date). He is currently stunt coordinating additional photography on a Russo Brothers series for Amazon streaming and is already scheduled to stunt coordinate the next Russo Brothers film.
In 2014 Don married his wife, Mimi, who graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. They own and operate a dental practice in Westlake Village, California. When he has time off the set, Don loves motor racing. He used to prefer taking his motorcycles, but is now racing his cars. He enjoys barbecuing at home, watching movies, and, of course, working out, boxing, and sparring.
Adrienne Lai '21 interviewed Don about his career in the following Q&A.
What do you have to keep in mind when designing a stunt/fight sequence/action sequence?
Those are three different things, stunt wise, first priority is safety. Figuring out how to execute a stunt gag and designing it to be the safest way possible. If the scene calls for someone to jump off a building, the questions are–how far do you want

the fall, is he falling out of frame, is he going all the way to the ground? If we have time we try and possibly reinvent a method to give the director something that hasn't been done. It all depends, some people want to do something different and some people don't or we just don't have time and we follow the tried-and-true techniques.
For fight sequences we have to see who the artist is and who we have available to double that artist. We design according to their strengths. No point in designing something we know won't look good doing both artist and double. Then we have to develop a style for that person and try to come up with something new that is not played out.
For action sequences we have to help design something that would help compliment the story and characters of that story. I feel everything has to make sense in that world. If we are making a sci-fi film in space and these two aliens get into a fight, it doesn't make sense, to me at least, for them to be doing kung fu on each other.
What was the most exciting project you have worked on?
Wow, it's hard to say, I've worked on a lot of projects from big to small, I would say, working on a project or with
Don and his wife, Mimi, at their wedding in 2014.

people that inspired me when I was younger that offers the nostalgic feel. For example, in Expendables 1 & 2, the script wasn't the greatest, but all the old action stars I grew up with were in it. I was giving direction to these superstars and they were listening to me. It was really trippy. Matrix 4 was a project based on a series I grew up with. If I can work on a project that can inspire a new generation—which is what I'm striving for—that means more to me than the money they pay you. I love working on film more than a TV series because I like working on new stories and solving new problems.
What is it like working for a big-name movie series—is there a lot of pressure/ attention?
Yes, the biggest pressure is failing. I always want the project I'm on to be amazing, but it's not always up to me. Time, money, unforeseen issues are always coming into play, and everyone has their own vision. Some people on the project want to make it for the cheapest and fastest amount of time possible, but I want it to be the best movie we can possibly make. It's stressful when you're redoing a project or working on a famous series. There's an expectation the audience is looking for and you're already at a disadvantage as they expect a lot and want to be blown away. Again,
everyone has a vision. We'll design and create something and the directors or producers don't want it. It's not that they're wrong cause it's their project, but the answer to that is just making your own project. We at 87Eleven designed action for “John Wick” and pitched it for many other action films but in a way, it was turned down due to the risk of making your money back on an R rating. So, we eventually made our own “John Wick” film series and were part of the revolution showing that R movies can make money as well and that there is an audience for that. People are always scared to be the first to take a risk because it's their career on the line, but you also don't grow without taking risks. I'm a risk-taking guy, after all, I'm a stuntman.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your job, and how do you overcome them?
The biggest challenge is that every new film is like opening a new company. It's a new story, new actors, a new production team, and a lot of times a new action team. I always say I'm only as good as my team. Unfortunately, in each job, we can't always carry the same team due to budget constraints. For instance, the project might take place in Asia and need an Asian majority team or need
other ethnicities. The people I hire have to be able to do multiple duties to justify the money spent to carry them onto a project. Then you have the crew, which is a different team. In an ideal world we would keep working with the same team, crew, and actors, because after spending a lot of time with them, we all start to get into a good groove, and then the movie is over and we all move on to our next project and start all over again. The only way to overcome this is to understand this happens, problem solve, and learn how to incorporate everyone into a team mentality. Division never works and will hurt the final product, especially since we are all cogs in this intricate machine.
What is it like working with famous actors/actresses?
It's not always what it seems. I work in a world full of alphas while managing and having to be alpha myself at times. I've been fortunate to work with a lot of really nice and cool people who listen and work with me to accomplish our goals. It's always nice when working with stars that I idolized growing up, like Jackie Chan, Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, cause there's a nostalgia to it. The newer actors are cool and seem to always want to hang out with us, whereas with the long-established stars I mentioned, we kind of have a different type of respect when with them. Working with the ultra-famous is a bit more annoying due to paparazzi issues. For example, working with people like Taylor Swift, you're going to be dealing with a big posse and paparazzi hiding a mile away in a tree with ultra-long lenses trying to get shots. We have to constantly try and hide them and keep them from harm, which adds extra bodyguard type of work for us to deal with as opposed to just the creative aspect.
How does your job change with each project and medium you work with (movies, music videos, video games)?
The biggest difference is prep time. In big films we have a lot of time to prep and train artists and more time to enhance and polish concepts, whereas
Don working on the set.
in music videos, TV, and commercials, we are very limited in time and money. For some films, we would have up to six months or more in prep. It's funny, since we created the “John Wicks,” there was a point in time everyone said to make it like “John Wick,” but we have only one week to prep. They don't realize we trained Keanu for nine months before we did the first “John Wick,” so working with someone who's never done action before and getting them to look like “John Wick” is not a reasonable ask. It's also funny because they ask for bigbudget concepts that cost us hundreds of thousands to make, but want us to do the same thing for $5,000. Video games are cool and fun because we get to work in a nice air-conditioned controlled environment, and you can be very creative with execution since we can hide a lot of things with motion-capture cameras that you wouldn't be able to hide with regular cameras. The hardest part is the amount of time to complete a video game. It's sporadic. We could work a month on a video game, then they have to do the coding, rendering, and programming, and five months later see if we are available to come back and work more. The work timeline is not consistent and they can't afford to keep us on hold for a three-year project.
What advice would you give to anyone interested in the movie industry (actor/ tech)?
Really know and love what you want to do, and want and love it for the right reasons. A lot of people come into the business wanting fame and money, but if that's your driving force you won't last very long in this business. My team and I make good money, but when a paid project is done, we don't just go play golf and party all day. We wake up at 4:00 a.m. to drive hours to train together for eight hours a day on our days off and we are constantly studying and expanding our skill set.
What does it feel like to watch the final project for the first time?
It can be scary, whether or not we are the ones who edited the footage or

Working as part of the fight team on the set of “Aquaman” in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
the final project. Everyone's vision is different and a lot of times we are hoping the audience understands the outcome of the final product. We are constantly guessing if the audience truly understands and enjoys the execution of the product.
Do you have any on-set traditions? I have a few, but I will share one. Before personally performing a very dangerous stunt, like jumping off a building or something, I am super focused on the task at hand, do a big yell to psych myself up, and right before I jump, I shrug my shoulders
and in my head I say “go for it,” and I jump.
What is something that most people do not know about the movie industry, especially in relation to action films?
I don't think anyone ever truly understands the workforce and prep time that goes into an action project, at least our projects since we do ours differently. People are starting to see more and more of the behind-thescenes thanks to social media, but I don't think it's at the point where people understand what we do yet.

Revolutionizing Urban Student Housing
Harry Dubke '15 and Perry Griffith '15 talk about building their startup, Cortado
ARTICLE BY Melissa Ulsaker Maas ‘76 PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jameson Bloom ‘13
It all began in Dr. Klein's tenth grade English class, where SSSAS classmates Harry Dubke '15 and Perry Griffith '15 were first paired together on a group project. The two became fast friends, buoyed by a shared interest in languages and the fact that their childhood homes sat less than a mile apart.
In 2015 the two parted ways for college, but remained steadfast friends throughout their undergraduate years. Harry headed to Hamilton College, receiving a bachelor's in world politics
and hispanic studies, while Perry graduated from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce with a bachelor's in finance and real estate. During their undergraduate studies, they also attended a summer session at the London School of Economics alongside several other SSSAS alumni; an experience that would spark the travel bug in both of them. Perry soon returned to Europe to live and study in Barcelona, Spain, for a semester, while Harry spent
nearly five months at the University of Buenos Aires, attending classes entirely in Spanish on everything from social protest to genocide studies. After graduation, Perry worked for several years in real estate private equity in New York City, while Harry joined a nonprofit focused on Latin America. It was their experiences abroad, however, that ultimately planted the seed for their leap into startup life. In 2021 the pair co-founded Cortado, a DC-based startup providing flexible,
“The concept came from my own experience searching for housing in Barcelona— despite the popularity of the city among Americans and Europeans studying abroad, there was no way for international students to consistently find safe, affordable housing in the city center.” ~ Perry

fully-furnished stays for the city's visiting interns and students. They envision Cortado as a disruptor in the $2.4 trillion global student housing market by tapping into growing demand for short-term stays in popular urban centers like Washington, D.C. Short-term experiential learning has exploded both in the U.S. and overseas—with study abroad growing 7% annually for the last five years—yet traditional student housing companies focus on university towns and rural campuses, leaving urban markets vastly undersupplied.
With Cortado, they aim to address this massive undersupply by providing professionally managed, apartmentstyle living at a competitive price, with elegant software to make the housing coordination and management experience frictionless from anywhere in the world.
I talked to Harry and Perry about their startup journey, hopes, and dreams for the future of Cortado.
MM: How and when did you decide to form a partnership and how/why did you focus on intern/student housing? What inspired this?
HD: Perry came to me with the idea for a study abroad housing platform back in 2020, while we were still
working our first post-grad jobs. The concept really emerged from our own experiences studying abroad together in London and then later separately; myself in Buenos Aires and Perry in Barcelona.
PG: The concept came from my own experience searching for housing in Barcelona—despite the popularity of the city among Americans and Europeans studying abroad, there was no way for international students to consistently find safe, affordable housing in the city center. My classmates and I ended up staying in a youth hostel for nearly three weeks before finding a local landlord who would only accept rent payments in cash-stuffed envelopes! Needless to say, I began to suspect there was a better way to handle housing abroad.
MM: What background and skills do you each bring to the table?
PG: Harry's background in international development and exceptional communication skills— in English and Spanish!—have been instrumental in building customer relationships and generating brand awareness. I'm thankful I can add
value from a finance and real estate perspective, which has facilitated our conversations with property managers and early-stage investors.
HD: Perry certainly has the bulk of the experience when it comes to real estate, so I really lean into my non-profit experience and prior work with Latin American youth groups to appeal to the academic programs that we work with in D.C. and beyond. It can be really difficult to sell a new product to big universities, so my familiarity with the bid process and student-faculty relations has really been a boon for us early on.
MM: How much time did you put into researching the need, opposition, and viability of starting Cortado?
HD: Once we had a rough idea of the business model, the first thing we did was to cold call as many study abroad programs as possible to see if this was a product that they needed. I am constantly surprised by how much information people are willing to volunteer about their jobs if you just ask politely! My advice to any wannabe founder is to first, write down your idea, and second, start calling as many people as possible who know more than you about the space. We've since spoken with

students and program administrators from Bilbao, Spain, to Lausanne, Switzerland, and we keep getting the same response: “Let us know when you have units in my city, and we'll rent from you.”
MM: Why did you name the company after the coffee beverage? What's the story behind that?
PG: So the story behind Cortado... well Harry and I both enjoy coffee— we sussed out most of the business model while heavily caffeinated—but the real appeal comes from the word's connotations in Spanish. For Spanishspeakers, “cortado” describes something that is clipped or shortened; much like how Cortado the company provides a simplified way to find short-term stays in a new city or country! Harry and I also like how the name can be easily pronounced in romance languages, which are spoken in many of the countries where Cortado will soon be operating!
MM: Where is the greatest growth in need for intern/student housing? What's your target market?
HD: Washington, D.C., is a perfect case study for this type of student and
intern housing. We have the highest concentration of off-campus programs in the country here (Perry and I have counted nearly 50), and the housing market is horrendously difficult to navigate. After D.C., we see a huge potential in western and southern Europe, where the bulk of U.S. study abroad ends up alongside hundreds of thousands of European students traveling through the EU's ERASMUS+ exchange program. Cities like Granada, Milan, and Grenoble have huge student populations with almost no studentdedicated housing options, which make them perfect sites for Cortado's first units abroad.
MM: Your plan is to work directly with university programs to supply housing, is your marketing strategy working?
PG: So far we've seen a ton of interest from D.C.-based programs (in the form of several RFPs), but our early experiences with programs will be huge for proving out Cortado's business model! I think the key here is snagging B2B contracts in D.C. as soon as we can; we really see that as the golden ticket to expansion.
HD: Exactly, many of the university administrators running programs in
“My advice to any wannabe founder is to first, write down your idea, and second, start calling as many people as possible who know more than you about the space.” ~ Harry
D.C. also run their schools' programs abroad. We had one program director tell us that if we could successfully house her program's students in D.C., she would like to use Cortado for her university's programs in Boston and Berlin, too!
MM: There are a number of options for intern/student housing in D.C., Boston, and New York, what makes Cortado different?
PG: In a few words: design, service, and community. We are really the only provider to relentlessly focus on this slice of the student and intern housing market. The incumbents we face are mostly crowded, old-school dorms and stuffy, overpriced corporate housing companies —two options that students and administrators alike have repeatedly lambasted in our customer interviews.
HD: Cortado focuses on creating spaces designed from the bottom up for young people like ourselves. Centrally located, tastefully furnished with plenty of space to work from home, all at an affordable price. In an industry like real estate that naturally distrusts the under-30 demographic, Cortado is creating a space for our generation to get on their feet in urban centers like D.C. and beyond.
MM: Is your plan to launch first in Washington, D.C., and then expand to New York and Boston? What is your goal for each location?
“This business truly works best at scale, where we can expand alongside study abroad programs and create a network of housing for young people everywhere.” ~ Perry
PG: Each new city brings its own unique set of challenges and opportunities for expansion; differing short-term rental laws, supply constraints, and even local customs have to be taken into account. Yet our initial approach is always the same: 1) Identify the customers, 2) Listen to their needs, 3) Source and design spaces that consistently exceed expectations. From day one of operation, our goal is always to create spaces that we wish we could have lived during our own time abroad.
MM: What are the projected unit economics and when do you expect to be profitable?
PG: Today, it's common to see earlystage companies incur persistent losses in pursuit of high growth rates and dominance in a particular market. Thankfully, Cortado's unit economics in Washington, D.C.—one of the tightest housing markets in which the startup will operate—support profitability by month four of operations. Of course, this assumes we successfully lease out our units!
MM: How much funding do you need to raise to make Cortado a reality this summer?
HD: We've already hit our pre-seed funding goal to get our first units up and running by May 2022. That said, we are always interested in speaking to

anyone in the SSSAS network who is looking for an opportunity to invest in a couple of young alumni!
MM: If Cortado is successful in D.C., Boston, and New York, will you consider expanding to other cities?
PG: Absolutely! We have our sights set mainly on continental Europe for the 2023-2024 academic year, but hope to open up less traditional study abroad markets in places like South America and Southeast Asia. This business truly works best at scale, where we can expand alongside study abroad programs and create a network of housing for young people everywhere, opening up travel and exchange opportunities for the next generation of students and young professionals, while expanding access for those who might not otherwise have the chance to see the world.
MM: What is your ultimate dream for Cortado? If it's successful, where do you see yourselves in ten years?
HD: This is our most important question as founders… It is an oft-repeated truism to claim that “globalization has flattened the
world” in terms of communication and the exchange of goods and services, but what about cultural exchange? Cultural exchange—sitting down face-to-face with somebody from a wildly different upbringing and background than yours—is a deeply personal experience, and not one that is reproduced easily through a computer screen.
PG: I see Cortado as fostering this type of cultural exchange by allowing more and more young people to travel to foreign places and to interact with the diverse cultures that inhabit them. I want us to look back in ten years and count the thousands—millions—of young people that Cortado helped bring overseas through an ever-growing network of stays around the world.

Visit Cortado at livecortado.com and reach the founders at perry@livecortado.com harry@livecortado.com
In Aid of God's Children
BY THE REV. SEAN CAVANAUGH Head Chaplain

Over spring break, head chaplain, The Rev. Sean Cavanaugh, flew to Romania to help resettle more than 100 Ukrainian refugees who found their way to the Pro Vita community.
“Papa, Papa.” These two simple words came from the voice of a 10-year-old Ukrainian boy that I had the gift and privilege of getting to know during my brief time in Romania during spring break in March. The young boy was calling out to me and using the only words that he knew were recognized in Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian, and English. He was beckoning to me, asking me to spend a few precious minutes of time playing with the soccer ball that he had somehow managed to wrestle away from the other children. “Papa, Papa“ became his crucial connection to me in the midst of so much upheaval and uncertainty in his young life. This scene was echoed and repeated many times with many different young Ukrainian children during my short stay. The time I spent with these incredible children touched me deeply, evoking so many emotions and thoughts. Thoughts and emotions best described as heartbreaking, sacred, hopeful, and angry—angry that these Ukrainian children were not in the Odessa region of Ukraine where they belonged, but instead were in Romania fleeing for their young lives.
This trip to Romania was to help resettle more than 100 Ukrainians refugees taken in by the Pro-Vita community. I have been traveling to Romania and taking St. Stephen's and St. Agnes students on service trips to work with the extraordinary Pro Vita Orphanage for the last 17 years. I currently chair the American Friends of the Pro Vita Orphanage foundation, which was established with the help of Saints alumnae Ruth Geiger '09, Paula Trahos '09, and Shelby Stowers '08 and Saints parent Merle DeLancey,

an attorney who graciously helped with the legal aspects of setting up the foundation as a 501(c) 3 charity ( afpvo.org ). Most of the trips to Pro Vita have been co-lead by incredible faculty and staff (including current faculty Tim Doyle, Shannon Fusina, Nicole Harding, Rev. Chris Miller, Ashley Stone, and Carl Johnson among others) and attended by hundreds of caring and empathetic students. Pro Vita was created by a Romanian Orthodox priest, Father Tanase, and the community works with marginalized Romanians, both young and old. Perhaps what makes Pro Vita so unique, and why students and faculty keep going back year after year, is that the central mission of this community is rooted in a profound belief that love and grace can overcome much of the world's brokenness. It's also a community where Romanians eat, work, share, sleep, and support each other in ways that are counter cultural to Western values.
The Ukrainians at Pro Vita have been forced to flee their country because of the war launched by the Russian government under its leader Vladimir Putin. It was
shocking to realize that just six short weeks before I arrived there, the Ukrainians had been going about their everyday lives, attending school, sharing meals together, drinking coffee at their local cafe, and just living life. When I was there, nearly four million Ukrainians had fled the war in search of safety. Tragically, half of the Ukrainians I met at Pro Vita were children who were living in an orphanage near the city of Odessa. In addition to the extra needs these children had before being displaced, none of them spoke any English or Romanian. During my time with these children, there was a fascinating cacophony of Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, and English being spoken. Google translate was often the only language tool we had to communicate. It was unlike any other experience I have had before.
Although these are very difficult days for Pro Vita, their amazing staff, and the Ukrainians, there is also hope that flows within the walls of this community. Hope that these young Ukrainians will find a way to settle into their new Romanian home and hope that with God's grace the war will end and they and the rest of the Ukrainians

can go home. Although I left Romania with a heavy heart, I am proud of the work that St. Stephens and St. Agnes has done to strengthen the Pro Vita over the last 17 years. As I worked to help resettle these young Ukrainians, my thoughts were also with the Saints community and our mission, our deep belief in goodness, and that it was a privilege to have this opportunity to care for each member of this small Ukrainian community and honor their unique value as children of God.

What is My Call in the World?
The Rev. Chris Miller '05, our Middle School chaplain, gave this homily in chapel on February 1.
Our text this morning comes from the Prophet Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
(Jeremiah 1:5)


What day is it, Piglet?
It's today Pooh.
Those of you in my eighth grade religion class know that I love children's stories. I think the way we tend to engage children's stories—with joy, splendor, wonder, and curiosity—is the best way to approach stories from the Bible.
I'll begin with a brief story from Winnie the Pooh. One day Pooh and Piglet are talking. Pooh turns to Piglet and says, “What day is it, Piglet?” Piglet says, “It's today, Pooh.” Pooh's response: “My favorite day.”
The beauty of having a “today” mindset is that we can approach
today, this day, Tuesday, February 1, as an opportunity. Winnie the Pooh's favorite day is “today” because today is where Pooh is in the moment. So, let's enter our text from Jeremiah with a “today” mindset.
How does this text from Jeremiah apply to us in the Middle School today?
In order to understand what Jeremiah is telling us, we have to understand a bit of the context.
Jeremiah is a prophet who preached approximately 2,500 years ago. His primary means of communication is not the written word. Jeremiah would have preached to crowds gathered before him. And Jeremiah is speaking specifically to the people of Judah. These people in Judah had reason to lose hope. The people of Judah were soon to be scattered about—they were losing control of their community, their worship, and their territory. They were losing their identity as they had known it up until then. Despair was a common feeling among Jeremiah's people. So, Jeremiah, affirming the realities of despair, set out to offer words of comfort and hope to bring his people along. What we hear this morning is the call of Jeremiah to be his most authentic self.
Have you ever asked the question, “What is my call in this world?” It might be in the modern form of, “When I grow up, who do I want to be?”
Deep down Biblical call is about much more than one's profession. Biblical call is about our core identity. At St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School, we believe that everyone who enters this community is welcome here. We believe that everyone who is a part of this community is a beloved child of God, worthy of our time and commitment, with a unique identity. You are in a stage in life when you are experiencing rapid change. The world around us is changing quickly. You are changing quickly.
Eighth graders, just think how much you have grown intellectually since you arrived at the Middle School two and a half years ago. While the flood waters of change wash over you, think about who you are. Think about the core of your identity.
What is it that you want others to know about you?
What is it that matters to you, above all else?
What is your identity?
When Jeremiah hears God's call for him to be a prophet, he is told that he was known even before he was in the womb of his mother. When Jeremiah hears God's call for him to be a prophet, he is told that he was made holy and loved before he was born. And when Jeremiah hears God's call for him to be a prophet, he is told that the core of his identity is that of a truth telling, hope spreading prophet.
The other day, one of my students rightfully asked to learn a bit more about me. Not the resume stuff but what I might describe as real call stuff. Identity stuff. In a respectful and appropriate way, this peer among you was asking me, “Who are you, Rev. Miller?”
I am a devoted father of two boys—Peter is almost 5 and Andrew just turned 3. These boys bring me tremendous joy. I love them. Right now, I especially love running around with them at the Lower School playground on Sunday afternoons.
I am a devoted husband to my wife, Sarah. Sarah is an Episcopal
priest as well. We met in seminary just down the road. She is an extremely gifted preacher who I hope we can one day convince to preach among us.
I am an Episcopal priest. By leading worship services, administering sacraments, and accompanying people through the highs and lows of life, I constantly see the beautiful presence of God. I am most alive when I am with other people journeying through life.
I am a graduate of St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School. All of you do not need to come back and work at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes to have as much appreciation as I have for this community. But my presence here among you this day is a testament to my love for this place and its people. St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School is where I found my identity.
St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School is not perfect. At its best, though, we are a school community that values individuality within community. We value compassion alongside excellence. And we support each other, most especially, in the unexpected trials and tribulations of life.
My identity would not be what it is today if it weren't for the teachers and coaches and staff at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School who, each in their own way, took time to get to know me and my peers.
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1953 ST. AGNES
Harriet Doub: Harrietdoub85@gmail.com
Harriet Doub reports that she has lived in Virginia Beach for many years and loves the community. All of her adult kids and her grandchildren live in Virginia Beach except for her daughter who lives in the Atlanta area. She is very active in the Methodist Church. Harriet sold real estate for 32 years and loved helping folks find the best and most detailed locations in the community! She just retired and loves keeping in touch with her fellow St. Agnes alumnae.
Sally Ringle Hotchkiss writes that she is still living in Lynchburg, Va. after 62+ years! She has two married daughters in Mississippi and one daughter in Courtland, Va. Sally shares that she has seven grandchildren, six boys and one adorable granddaughter. Sally says, “We are in good health mentally and physically, except slower!” If anyone makes it down to “real Virginia” do look Sally up!
Ann Parish Jackson just took a trip to Colorado in December 2021 with the Pentagon Ski Club. Her son, Peyton, who lives in Denver, extended his trip a few days so that they could ski together over the weekend. He even surprised her by showing up with all of his siblings!
Joanna Dodson Camarata says that she is happy and busy in Florida. All is good!
Nancy Price Dunton writes: “I am living in Crystal City/Arlington, Va., that has been recently renamed by Amazon as National Landing and is developing a huge presence here. I have two granddaughters at SSSAS, one in tenth grade and one in eleventh grade. The eldest is big into theater/drama at SSSAS. The theater is lovely and very up to date, a great addition to the school. I regret to tell you that I have nothing of interest to report with current Covid restrictions. I do have a group of friends here in my condo building, and we get together to play card games and go out to dinner occasionally. Hopefully, this will be a better year for all of us!”
Mary Lou King writes: “Here we are, seniors, having lived these last few years in our own little 'bubbles' caused by Covid-19 and its attendant variants. What a world from our teenage years. Two years ago I moved into a retirement home, still in San Rafael. I'm in my own small apartment, a little 'casita' really, with a neighbor on either side, a patio, and view of Mt. Tamalpais. The campus is gorgeous, has lovely plantings, my bird feeder attracts a multitude of birds, and our chef is fantastic! I am so lucky, even if I do sound like an ad! I'm 30 miles from my daughter, Teresa, who after a successful business producing shows and events for corporations, retired to enjoy her true passion: a love of animals. Christopher and Caroline are still in Litchfield, Conn., (where Robin and I lived for 20 years before moving West to be near Teresa when Robin was ill with Parkinsons). Chris and Caroline still work, she in the library and he at his desk! Ian Ramsey King is the newest family member and will turn two years old on January 23. He is in Boston with Stuart and Alyssa King. He is my great grandson, of whom I am very proud! Though, because of Covid and travel, I know him only on Zoom.”
1958 ST. AGNES
Julia Shields: habija@aol.com
Julia Shields says, “My first year of teaching was also the first year of total integration in the Charlottesville schools, and it was a wild year, with dozens of bomb threats giving us unexpected days off. The teachers and

St. Agnes 1957 classmates, Eleanore Saunders Sunderland, Marianna Erisman Martin, Anne Kincheloe Mandros, Sandy Johnson Taylor, and Heather Strachen Foley, met up in June 2021.


















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the conscientious students tended to love these days off, but others hated them, complaining how boring life was when they unexpectedly had to entertain themselves. I have thought of that experience a lot during the pandemic, feeling very grateful once again for the education that St. Agnes offered that has enabled us to survive, and sometimes to enjoy, this longlasting pandemic.”
Marcia Kendzie Evans describes herself, having lived in Atlanta for fifteen years, as “almost a Georgia peach” and as the “Poet Laureate for the Dunwoody High School football and baseball teams, a loyal Georgia Bulldog fan—with a lot to cheer about this year, a Butter Brat and a Grammar Snob, and even at eighty, one in whom SAS Spirit is alive and well.
Lina Fippin White has put together a third poetry collection this year. I have very much enjoyed her first two volumes and look forward to reading this one.
Carol Noel and her husband Bob live













in the tropical forest of Hawaii Island, where Lina grows and sells Hoyas and some Aroids. Carol had a total hip replacement in July and reports that she feels wonderful.
Sally Engh Reger has moved into a wonderful addition to her daughter's house in Ohio. She is enjoying the cozy place and the freedom it gives her to travel.
Sue Peery Moore and Bill have been grateful to be in Lost Tree during the pandemic, where they can still have a social life in relative safety. They did rent a house in Bethany Beach this summer where all the family—Julia and Tom and their children and Sue's sisters Brooke and Linda—could all visit. Her grandchildren: Rick is due to graduate from Georgetown this spring and has lined up an internship on Wall Street, Ellie is at Dartmouth, and Will is at Hotchkiss. Walker and Ellie are in Bronxville schools. And the two dogs long to meet my Gracie!
Our deepest sympathies to Cary



at nmorrell@sssas.org or 703-212-2715.
Lamond Courier whose son Francis Patrick Dillon Jr. (Rick) died in September. At a job interview once, Rick was asked what his proudest achievements were, and he replied, “My three children.” Heartfelt sympathies to Cary and to her family.
My brother likes to remind me that we had a cousin who on returning from World War II became a recluse. “We were made for this!” my brother declares. Though I have enjoyed the fact that houses don't need to be clean if you don't have guests and the same three outfits serve me well in rotation for months at a time, solitary confinement does get old.
1961 ST. AGNES
Anne Williams: awilliam@bates.edu
Our deepest condolences to the family of Frances Bowersock , who died in December 2021. Also to Vicki Carberry Hurd , Mary Lynne Chalfant Huggins , Fair MacRae Gouldin , Niki Neese Lallande , and Page Proctor Hagan , all
of whom lost their husbands since they last wrote.
Joshan Backus Wise and Sandy are planning a spring move to a senior living community in Pittsburgh to be closer to their daughter.
Dorothy Bellinger Grimm sends best wishes from downtown Honolulu, where she and Jack have lived since 2018. Despite the pandemic they have been able learn more about Hawaiian culture and history pre-1898 (when the US annexed the kingdom). They have toured the royal Iolani Palace, met Hawaiian author Norm Winter, attended performances by the Royal Hawaiian Band, and joined the Hawaiian Lawn Bowls Club. They welcomed a new grandson, Logan, in June and enjoyed a recent visit from son Dwight and his wife Leigh.
Vicki Carberry Hurd lost her husband Peter to Alzheimer’s in 2016. Vicki rises at dawn to work in the local Rose Garden. She sings with classical groups and in Gregorian Chants at Mass. She awaits the end of COVID so she can proceed with the piano recital she has ready.
Mary Lynne Chalfant Huggins has gone through some big and difficult changes in recent years. After husband Bob died in 2017, she sold the house and moved to a beautiful retirement community in nearby Matthews, N.C. She lost her beloved younger daughter, Ellen, in November 2021 after five years of arterial pulmonary hypertension. She sends love to all.
Jean Cotter Spaans and David defied the pandemic with a four-week Viking cruise from Barcelona to Buenos Aires in the fall; daily PCR tests aboard kept them safe. Son Jonny finished his doctorate at Hood College last May. The middle four grands are thriving in college. Katie, the eldest, is working as an R.N. locally, and 12-year-old Audrey is a talented ice skater.
Joni Edwards Jones is finding life good in Annapolis. Many of her four children, 10 grands and five greatgrands have had COVID, but all have
survived with no serious complications. Her Academy Realty business is going like crazy in the current housing boom. Joni and her good friend Charlie love to travel, but the pandemic has made that difficult.
Anne C. Foster Hindman writes she is in good health and has been staying close to home. She has two grands, ages 4 and 12.
Lynn Goodman’s son Heath reports that she has moved to assisted living near Berkeley, Calif., where he lives. She would enjoy hearing from classmates.
Chris Hayes Moe and Tom enjoyed getting away from home in 2021. In June they drove to Colorado Springs to see Ryan and family, and for a reunion with Tom’s Hanoi mates. In October in West Virginia they rode trains to savor the beautiful autumn foliage. She has recovered from COVID-19 and sends love to all.
From Fair MacRae Gouldin : “I write with sadness of Fred’s death last May from dementia, which he fought with dignity and courage for 10 years. We had a small family memorial at our daughter’s house in Washington, with burial in Alexandria. I continue to live in Ithaca but am now at our Sea Oaks home in Vero Beach, Fla., where sunshine, warmth, and many friendships continue to sustain me. Our two wonderful daughters have been unceasingly caring through this change and those of COVID. All that and daily tennis games keep me active, cheered and moving forward. I’m a lucky gal all in all.”
Julie McMillan Daniels and Joe have booked a Viking Cruise for spring 2022, and are keeping their fingers crossed that it won’t be cancelled. They are also looking forward to the oldest granddaughter’s graduation from Duke Law School in just a few
Sara Rankin Stadler and Allan have retired to Woodstock, Vermont and revel in all the outdoor winter activities. Son Justin is a tennis coach in New York. He, along with daughter Amy and granddaughter Layla, joined them for the 2021 holidays. Sara is an active
volunteer for local organizations and sings in the church choir. She and Allen both take Osher Lifelong Learning Institute courses via Dartmouth College.
Leslie Smith Ariail has moved to a smaller house in Alexandria and loves it. She is active in the Garden Club, is chair of her family foundation, is on the Board of the Historic Alexandria Foundation, and continues as a partner in the B.M. Smith real estate and development company in Arlington. Son Jay and family visited over Christmas from Indonesia; they will be moving to Rabat, Morocco soon to teach at another international school. Her three children have produced six grands, ages 3 to 17. Leslie spends a lot of time at her farm and is pleased that the siding is finally replaced, after 1.5 years of work.
Margaret Somerville and Bill have been staying close to home during the pandemic. She says “I have done a lot of reading, and Bill still enjoys his 25,000 album record collection. We have ventured out with caution with a few close friends for tea or wine or a meal, but that’s about it. We are optimistic that the situation will improve.”
Jan Sutherland Guldbeck is well in Rochester, N.Y., but doing a lot of caring for family members. Husband Dick is recovering from December bypass surgery and daughter Eleanor is awaiting a stem cell transplant.
Sarah Sydnor Talbot retired from California realty to Sun City, Ariz., two years ago and is delighting in all the activities there. Her favorites are dancing and card games. Her grands are marrying off, three during the pandemic and one more coming up in June. She continues to mentor a 10-year old boy in foster care in California via FaceTime and monthly visits.
Ingrid Utech continues to enjoy writing for the Sebring, Fla., newspaper and preparing writing assignments for individuals and non-profit organizations. She also serves as an officer in the local Democratic Women’s Club.
I, Anne Williams , am pinch hitting as class notes compiler this year. Chris Hayes Moe has taken a well deserved retirement. Heartfelt thanks to Chris for serving as class secretary for about half a century!
As for my own news, I had my five minutes of fame at the start of the pandemic as a puzzle historian on the CBS Sunday Morning Show. I caught up with Leslie and Margaret last spring during a quick trip to Virginia. July brought the big move to a senior living community just two miles from my old house. I like the new place and am thrilled to be out from under home maintenance! I am so grateful to be reasonably healthy, retired with a steady income, and (at least so far) spared from all the devastation that COVID-19 has wreaked on our world.
1962 ST. STEPHEN'S
Doug Hotchkiss: dmhbythec@comcast.net John Williams: john.fulcrumpt@gmail.com
Both Joan and I, Doug Hotchkiss , got vaccinated early. Afterwards I went snowshoeing and cross-country skiing to the White Mountains. We stayed at an oceanside resort on Cape Cod for my birthday in May. I played golf while Joanie visited with an old Skidmore classmate. This summer we attended a 55th mini reunion of my Bowdoin classmates in Maine where we enjoyed a traditional lobster bake. I also worked part-time interviewing households for the Census Bureau to generate statistics on housing in America. My golfing buddies now have formed The Polar Bear Golf Club which plays in any kind of weather. You can get an extra 40 yards on frozen fairways. That is great for us old guys. In addition, I volunteer as crew on the Schooner Adventure. It is a fully restored 120-foot dory fishingboat built in 1926. Like any wooden boat she requires lots of maintenance and TLC. Joanie still sits on the town board of health. They have spent many hours dealing with Covid issues and protocols. Fortunately, Manchester


has experienced very few cases. And vaccination is almost 100%.
I heard from Mary Berry, wife of former faculty member and football coach Bill Berry, who reported that Bill turned 90 on January 18. He is still mobile and active around their house of 20+ acres in the foothills of the Organ Mountains outside Las Cruces, N.M. Mary says they are thankful he still has the energy to putter and enjoy the fresh air. Coach Berry was the defensive coach of the 1960 I.A.C. championship football team which was undefeated and ranked 6th in the Va., Md., and D.C. area. In nine games they only had 20 points scored against them. The class of 1962 and the members of the 1960 team wish the Berrys all the best. If anyone would like to make contact with Coach, please email Mike O'Donnell or Doug Hotchkiss.
Ben Bryce says: “As I write this, I am
awaiting news that two of our three trips, which have been rescheduled three times, will occur. We are up to date on Covid inoculations. The iffy trip is 14 days to Ireland in late June. Recreational activities have taken a nosedive in 2021 with diagnoses of arthritis in both hips. I do not rotate well, have no back swing and now have an index over 30! Our two Labradors have crossed the Rainbow Bridge and have been replaced with a 21-pound Havanese bark machine named Dogan. Our sense of humor keeps us going. Our two single adult children are employed in the Seattle area but no grandchildren, but we now have a grand dog.”
Dave Davidson writes: “After attending the celebration of Bill Hunter's life in mid-October in Berlin, Md., along with Warren “Leo” Andrews , I ask that we all take a moment to remember our classmates no longer with us: Randy Peyton , Jeff Mills , and Vic Woerheide , past teammates Chuck Shepherdson '61 , Bob Lynch '64 , John Tiedeman '61 , and Coach Al “Sleepy” Thompson. May they all rest in peace.”
David S. Bill writes: “All good with, 2021 has been a good year. Navy beat Army that is all that counts. I am healthy, staying fit and playing golf. I traveled to the East Coast and spent a month in Rhode Island and in D.C. for a family reunion. Spent several months in San Diego and the Palm Springs area playing golf and visiting friends. Back in Pebble Beach for the holidays with my daughter's family. My grandsons, four and one, are my pride and joy!”
John McRae says: “I suggest naming the next Covid mutation Xi, thereby bringing us full circle with the origin. We continue to do our part by hoarding toilet paper, paper towels, bottled water, Pop-Tarts, and Gummy Bears. The family has stayed healthy and happy. Vermont lockdowns prevented our usual winter cross-country trips. New Hampshire remained open and thrived. Two weeks hiking in Telluride, Colo., was superb. Still trading stocks/options,
Jim Howard '62 and his wife, Kathy, with their grandchildren on Christmas 2021.
Mary and Coach Bill Berry celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary.
and added bitcoin derivatives (but not NFTs).”
Jim Howard says: “We had a wonderful Christmas celebration with the grandkids and their parents. It's nice to have these moments at the end of such a difficult year. Things are starting to get dicey again in Southern California, but I hope that all is well at SSSAS!”
Landon Davis writes: “We are moving to a condo with no yard work. I am packing up the house since it is impossible to have anyone inside. I am immunocompromised so life as a hermit continues. Working on the yard, now to get it in shape. Almost have given up inside but it will get done.”
John Williams reports that all is well with his family, which enjoyed a normal Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Their grandson, Gray, now seven, is heavily into lacrosse and attends Alexandria Country Day School, while granddaughter Kira is busy learning how to walk and is otherwise thriving. Both sets of parents have moved or plan to move this year—daughter Alison and husband Franz moved into a new house in the Fort Hunt area while son Kenton and wife Hilary have newly relocated to N.W. Washington. John and Phylis are distinctly enjoying having both families so close. John and classmate Doug Hotchkiss enjoyed getting together at Mystic Seaport this past summer for the boat show there.
Warren Andrews says: “End of last year I ran into David Bill, who was hosting an NFL alumnus gathering at the Pebble Beach Country Club, great fun. Last January I had 10 days in the beautiful Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic, and in June a deluxe cruise to Western/Northern Iceland. I'll be back in August for a land tour around the whole perimeter—fascinating country. In October I attended the memorial service for our classmate Bill Hunter in Ocean City, Md. Went on a 2-week cruise in December through the Captivating Canary Islands off Western Africa. Still painting and biking. Life is
great—get out there and enjoy it.”
Mike O'Donnell says not a whole lot to report. “Pat and I go to lunch at one of five places and get carryout. We drive to the water and have lunch and feed the waterfowl. I still do a lot of cartoons and give or send them to people. I enjoy giving them a laugh in these sad times. Looking forward to getting together with my classmates for our reunion. Looks like we will have to wait till things get a little better.”
Nick Hoskot reports: “We have been living on a 37-acre ranchette we purchased in 2009 near Moulton, Texas (population 800). Until 2017, except for the house/barn/horse pasture, it was a hay field. In 2017 we planted phase one of a three-phased olive tree project and by 2020 we had approximately 8-10 acres planted with three varieties of olives. Olives are normally ready to harvest in three to five years. So, for the spring of 2020, we were ready to begin our first picking…until Valentine's Day (2/14/20) when the temperature dropped to 10 degrees and basically froze everything above ground! Fortunately, almost all of the olive tree root balls survived and we now have good growth sprouting throughout the grove. We're looking forward to getting olives by 2025. Plus, the horses, cats, dogs, chickens, and ducks just shook off the cold as a minor inconvenience. Oh, and I just bought a 'new' '83 Ford tractor to complement the much smaller Kubota that we got in '05…the Ford is 72 hp vs 19 for the Kubota, a significant difference when using the blade or pulling a shredder.”
Dick Fisher reports: “After entering UVA, I started working for various architects with a creditable start date for my licensure of 1965. I fully retired as of Memorial Day weekend (2021) after 25 years of private practice, 22 years full time and 11 years part time with two State of Virginia agencies. For the last five year, Cathy and I have spent about 16 weeks between mid-March and early November each year at our house on the outer part of Cape Cod
(Eastham). We plan now to increase this. I am still recovering from back surgery in early June 2021. Rehab is taking some time now as I am trying to get back to my ability to walk several miles at any time. I am up to a little over a mile now.”
John Caldwell reports: “I have been a neuroscientist in Denver for the past 45 years. Deciding what I wanted to do when I grew up was not a straight path. I graduated from Princeton with a degree in physics and then worked for the Naval Research Laboratory near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in D.C. for five years, mostly doing classified research to detect submarines. Two important decisions happened in those five years. I decided that I was more interested in neuroscience than physics and I met my wife (a nurse) on a blind date. We moved to St. Louis where I did my Ph.D. work at Washington University. We moved to Denver for postdoctoral research and have been here ever since. I am a professor at the University of Colorado Medical School. We have two sons, one who works at Goddard Space Flight Center just outside the D.C. beltway and one who has a nonprofit theater company in Los Angeles (socially good work with the blind, veterans, and underprivileged) and was also the manager of bartenders at the Playboy Mansion.”
Robert K. (Kim) Fisher reports:
“I have spent the last year as vice president of my collegiate fraternity's housing corporation. That means I oversee answering the phone and figuring out how to solve a problem related to one of the plethora of building operating systems or sudden utility fixture failures. I put my hand up and was volunteered for the job. Fortunately, the sentence, er, uh, term of office, is only eight years. It has been an interesting trip down memory lane, considering I graduated in 1967, and completed graduate school between 1981 and 1987. Suffice it to say the undergraduates of today are quite different. We knew
way more about many things dealing with hand and garden tools, but only a sliver of what they know about electronically motivated entertainment and communication devices. They are better founded educationally for the demands of a major university than I was. Music, TV, and movie preference are different, but we do prefer the same food entrees three times daily. Now the issues faced by a major university fraternal organization are much broader than those back in the mid-sixties. Guys today are generally well brought up and have a pretty good ability to distinguish right from and wrong, which is very refreshing.”
Cabot Caskie reports: “I retired at the ripe old age of 56 after three heart attacks and four abdominal surgeries. Moved to Northern Virginia to fish, crab, golf, and raise oysters. Six years ago, my wife of 56 years (Sara) and I moved to Hillsborough, N.C., to be under the observation of three of five children and four of eight grandchildren. I am a rabid Democrat (yes, Davy!), a Nats and Caps fan, and will be a Washington Commanders fan again when ownership changes.”
John Oberdorfer reports: “We are doing well. Hunkered down in Washington and fortunate to be healthy. Leslie and I have a daughter and her family is in Stockholm for this academic year, but yhey usually live here. Our son teaches at Churchill High in Montgomery County, where he, his wife, and 3-month-old daughter live. So, in total we have three hockey playing grandsons and one granddaughter, ranging in age from 3 months to 15 years old. Leslie keeps our nuclear and larger family together. I jump in on that, watch movies at home, take walks, and read. I spend most of my 'retired' time leading a thriving foundation affiliated with my old law firm. It is called the Squire Patton Boggs Foundation and provides fellowships to law students at 19 law schools so they can do public interest work during their law school summers. We had 28 fellows last
summer and 298 in total. It is great fun to build and continue building it.”
Good to hear from Davey Davidson , albeit in the sad circumstances of our loss of Bill Hunter
Jim Harris writes: “We were in Alexandria for 34 years and four years ago decided it was time to move closer to one of our children. Our son, who lives in North Carolina, 'won the lottery,' as our daughter lives in too-cold Ohio. We actually sold our house to two SSSAS teachers! The North Carolina move has been a good one for us, although there are a few things we really miss about the D.C. area. Until Covid shut things down in 2020, we were active in our local YMCA, joined a bridge club and played regularly, supported the Durham Bulls, ate at excellent restaurants, and attended local live theater. Sadly, we both had serious Covid toward the end of 2020, but now we're vaccinated and boosted and trying to be cautious. In the virtual world I joined a men's book club and continue to enjoy reading as much as I can. Carolyn continues her sewing and quilting and singing (virtually). We see our son and his family weekly and our daughter comes to visit every month. We feel very fortunate with our lives.”
Pete Hanes reports: “By God's grace only, I am still teaching at Regent University, almost entirely online, and I still greatly enjoy the opportunity to work and learn with my students and faculty colleagues. This is a challenging time for the school of education, and I hope that the good Lord will help us respond well to the needs of both K-12 and higher education. I pray that Christ will keep all of us safe and well in the days ahead.”
Bill Hannan reports that he is still living in San Francisco and enjoying life.
Thomas Jensen reports: “I retired in 2003 after 30 years selling managed data network for Sprint. During those 30 years my wife of nearly 50 years raised two wonderful daughters, now both in their 40's, who in turn have

given us three granddaughters 10 and 6 and the newest member of the clan, Jackson, age 6 months. All are quite healthy and live within five miles of us in Northern Virginia. Having retired, what do you do with all your time? Well, you buy a second home at 9000 feet altitude in western Colorado and spend nearly half your year fly fishing, mountain biking, downhill and Nordic skiing. Well, you get the picture. To keep up with all that activity I have just had a full right knee replacement.”
1963 ST. STEPHEN'S
Thomas E. C. Margrave: tecmargrave@gmail.com
Andrew Kreutzer writes: “ Barbara and I have both retired to our lake house (now a rink house) in St. Albans, Maine, and are just three hours from our kids and grandkids in the Boston area. During the pandemic we have watched the rest of the country adapt to our normal lifestyle and enjoyed hosting our family and friends. We do stay in contact with our SSSAS classmates and lifelong friends...a tribute to the critical roles that SAS and SSS played and continue to play in our lives.”
Thomas Edmund Clare Margrave reports: “I spent almost three weeks in Honolulu, Hawaii, and managed to have lunch with Arnie Phillips . It was great to catch up. I was visiting a friend
1963 classmates Thomas Margrave and Arnie Phillips catch up over lunch in Honolulu, Hawaii.
from high school years and will be going back to help with her recover from hip replacement.”
1963 ST. AGNES
Margie Davenport: margieinva@gmail.com
Hello Everyone! It was great to connect with so many of our classmates! Here's the “scoop!”
Althea Ball Morrissey says: “Busy and crazy says it all! Everyone in my family is well. We enjoy San Diego with the sun and watching the bay and ships. We have a second grandson born in July to our eldest son, a navy commander stationed just outside of Memphis. He now has two daughters as well as Zachary. We get to see our three local grandkids more often (ages 2, 3, and 5).” In Oct 2021, Althea says she became “pretty housebound” after misjudging a step and breaking her left humerus. As of mid-January, Althea was still in a cast but had started PT. She says husband Richard is a “saint and hero.” He “cooks and cleans and we have even managed my contact lens with three hands.” (Lucky girl!) To occupy her time Althea has “lots of books to read and TV.” Barbara Wiles Kreutzer tells us that she and Andy “are in central Maine on a Lake with fish for the fly fisherman, boats, and water toys for visitors.” They are “enjoying life and lobsters.” She says they are “doing well during Covid, as the rest of the nation is adopting our life style.”
Walda Cornnell Wildman writes, “My husband Mack had his first grandchild! Daughter Kelly and her husband Gabe welcomed Abigail Elizabeth Takacs in August. We drove up to New York to help out her first week and they visited us before Thanksgiving. Mack FaceTimes frequently. Sadly, the new family has moved permanently to Gabe's home outside of Toronto. Kelly insists that it is no farther than New York, but crossing an international border these days is not a walk in the park. Walda has visited son Michael and his family a few times in Alabama.
She says it was “refreshing to tag along to outdoor soccer matches and football games where life seemed normal.” Granddaughter Brianna, Walda says, “is now 15 and plays saxophone in her high school band. Her sister, Sarah Grace, is 12 and plays on a travel soccer team. She certainly didn't get her athletic gene from me!” Walda, an accountant, says she continues to retire a few of her clients each year, but knows she will still work two or three days a week during the tax season. She finds her work on the South Carolina Board of Accountancy to be rewarding. This busy lady is also treasurer of her neighborhood HOA, and even did a 4-hour continuing ed webinar on Homeowners Associations. She is also the Bible moderator for her monthly church circle. She says, “We are studying Elijah and Elisha and what they have to say about how to live in a world of apostasy. I am grateful that God has led me to serve in this capacity.”
Marilyn “Mimi” Hoppe says she has retired from real estate, but still finds a lot to fill her days! She has been in Scottsdale now for 34 where there were no freezes and it's beautiful every day. Mimi can see the city from her home and says, “I can look down and see the city and see the lights. I love it every day!”
Carol Simon Leach seemed hesitant to write saying, “it's just that life goes on without anything very monumental.” You may remember that a couple of years ago she ended up with GuillainBarre. She says she will probably never walk the same and that “I have limited use of my hands and arms.” But then she continues to tell me all she is doing! “I do about three hours of exercise a day to keep mobile. The nice thing to come out of it is that I started Equine Therapy and in better weather go once a week, learning to ride FiFi.” Unfortunately, early in November, she had a fall as she started trotting for the first time is better now and can't wait to give it a go again. Carol and Dennis went to Hilton Head last May with her sister and
my brother's wife. “We ate in outdoor restaurants and brought in delicious meals. We girls went on bike rides-they on regular bikes, myself on a tricycle, that was a sight. Between the Guillain Barre and Covid, life has just become simpler.” We can see what a fighter this lady is! Carol, I know you will keep-onkeepin' on!
Katherine Toepfer reports from Charleston that she retired some years ago after 39 years of teaching middle school and now spends a lot of time at home. She says she watches a lot of TV, goes walking in the neighborhood to get out of the house, is doing well, and is very happy!
Margy Britt Lim says she retired from Stanford University four years ago, where she worked as a family therapist. “A few months later, my husband and I moved from the Bay Area to Bend, Ore., where our daughter and her family live. I love the slower pace and the nearby access to trails where we hike and snowshoe. Our son and his family (two grandchildren, 3 and 5) are in the Bay Area and before Covid we visited frequently; less so since Covid, sadly.” Margy's daughter lives “just around the corner” in Bend. Margy stays out of trouble through community involvement, studying piano—by zoom—and spending time with her 3-year-old grandchild who lives just five houses away!
When I heard from Marion Macrae she was dealing with a mild case of Covid. Due to that, she said she didn't have much news to report. Although she usually has six or eight for Christmas dinner, this year she only had one, her “platonic” friend and roommate, John. She says they “help each other in many different ways.”
Sara Godshall Peterson writes: “I am doing really well in all ways. I am too busy doing the Granny Nanny thing for my daughter Abby's family to be a lonely, bored, useless widow! I deal with bus pick up and drop off, provide transportation, feed, and comfort when the parents are working. Abby is a
terrific teacher and has been working all through the pandemic. Her school district was in person all through the pandemic, but the kids' school was all virtual! Fortunately, dad was often able to help with the technology. When she is at home doing FaceTime with the teachers she coaches and I bring her coffee. We kid that every working mom should have a mom to take care of the home front.”
Mary Tolbert Matheny writes: “The past year of my life has been mostly uneventful. For me personally (vaccinated & boosted), the pandemic has been little more than a long-term inconvenience. One eventful thing did happen to me in October 2021 while visiting my years of friends in Louisville, Ky. Almost one year after fracturing my pelvis in a fall, I fell again, fracturing my right wrist, hand, and two fingers. I am grateful to live near many good friends who have helped me with everything! Both my son and his wife, Bhavya Lal, hold positions in the Biden Administration in D.C. After teaching at the same school for 23 years, my daughter in Pennsylvania has begun working toward a master's degree in clinical counseling of children and adolescents.”
Madeleine Long Tellekamp writes: “My granddaughter brings me great joy. She is 13 and is managing middle school well. This is a different world from the one in which I matured. I wouldn't choose to be 13 today. I actually cannot believe what is happening in our country and in the world. As I reflect on things that made me the person I am today, it occurs to me that I owe a huge debt of gratitude to St. Agnes School. I was lucky and was totally oblivious to the gifts the school showered on us. I wish God's blessings on each of you. May 2022 inspire each of us to anticipate new challenges and remember the past with thankfulness, a simple message.”
Libbie Shackleford Mull lives in Tallahassee with daughter Rebekah and grandkids, Sam, Emmy and
Sarah. Libby and Rebekah have had the virus but did very well getting through it and the grandkids have had it twice. Granddaughter Rachel is in the Army and lives in Hawaii. During the pandemic, Libbie has been attending virtual church services and having Zoom Bunco games with church friends! She has been getting out more and is now taking a Dial-a-Ride to the Senior Center for exercise classes and a social life! Libbie's son, Jamie, lives in Palatka and has two kids, Autumn and Bobby. Mary Anne Smith Gertson and I have both gone for months without a refrigerator due to supply issues! She says “I hope by the end of January my refrigerator comes and I can start cooking and freezing food again.” She had Covid for Christmas through New Year's Eve. She fared well, saying “I did nothing but rest and sleep. It was like a really bad head cold.” She had her right knee replaced in May and cataracts from both eyes removed and now has perfect vision! (She brings to mind that this may be the perfect time, during this “hiatus,” to go take the body in for repairs!) Mary Anne, who worked for the airlines for so many years, says she has not gone anywhere. “I really miss work and meeting so many different people. That was the best part of the job.” In her spare time, she “also opened up a small HVAC company, just to have something to do!” She surprised me by saying she is very glad for the really cold weather. “I might head out to Sweden and visit some friends” and “in May I plan to head to Alaska and take a cruise.”
Stephanie Connor Pullen writes, “I am living in Raleigh with my husband of seven years and enjoying retirement. I am close to my daughter and only granddaughter who live in Cary, N.C.” Her whole family had Omicron. She was very concerned that she hadn't been able to reach her SAS bestie, Susan Walp, for over a year. Since both of us were concerned, we did some sleuthing...with success!
I was happy to find and chat with Susan Walp French , who sounded
vibrant and happy. She still is involved with the National Day of Prayer and had to run because she was off to participate in her church's efforts to feed the poor!
Louise Knox Livinghouse writes, “We are still enjoying our winter and spring here in Florida, but spend summer and fall between Woodbridge and our cabin in Pennsylvania. We feel so fortunate. Autumn and Tom are still safe thank goodness. Our 15-year-old black and tan cocker, Katie, has issues but is doing so well. You can imagine how much Lowell and I love her and she is so spoiled (as she should be).”
Dagmar Giffen Cosby is doing fine! She had Covid but survived it well. She still lives in Winston Salem and loves it. Dagmar has two grandchildren—one is in Hawaii at a surfing hotel and the other one rides a hunter, a division of horse showing in A-rated shows. Dagmar continues to do her artwork, which you can check out on Instagram (Designs by Dagmar). When we talked, she had just sold 60 floor cloths to a Briard Club for their nationals. In conversation she mentioned that she made a Christmas skirt with lambs on it and thought of us. I went online to see it and actually, it looks perfect for SAS alumnae!
Anne Bodman writes: “We've stayed mostly at home, finding pleasure in our own company and with the dogs, and dutifully getting our shots. It's been a quiet year. We hope you have weathered it well and will be ready to welcome a happier 2022.” Anne tells of “the excitement of felling the big dead tree by our house” and says there was a “fire at our eastern edge that was scary!”
Polly Hagan Sandridge says she finds the pandemic “very boring at the moment.” She says, “I did tackle wine making in a small way, and my son presented me with '12 days of Cabernet,' some of which are quite good, and others, not so much.” Polly's son, James, is working for Luminar in Orlando, helping them develop selfdriving cars. She says, “my husband, Gerald, has been retired a couple of
years and is enjoying it by assisting in new developments by FlightSim, the computer flying people. He came down with Covid on Christmas Eve, so our Christmas celebration had to be put off considerably. We had Christmas beef and New Year's black-eyed peas in the same meal.” Polly says Gerald is fine now but has some “lingering problems with taste and smell.” About herself, Polly says, “I am trying to stay busy any way I can, book clubs, yoga, volunteering at the library, reading, exploring local parks, and puttering around in the yard.
Norvell Jones reports: “Bob and I are well, Covid free and vaccinated, and still hunkered down at our apartment across from Lake Barcroft with occasional forays back to West Virginia to check on things at the house. I read, sew a bit, cook, and have started writing poetry again after a 55-year break. It is fun. There is something contemplative about all this. I have recently been thinking of you all, and what a strong and interesting group of women we have turned out to be.”
I, Margie Fifer Davenport , am still living in the Charlottesville area. I continue to represent USA Pickleball as an “ambassador,” but obviously things have slowed down due to the virus and because I had a knee injury followed by a back injury! I am working at getting back on the court as outdoor play continues! I maintain my associate brokers license for real estate but I just do referrals now. I'm finally going to sell my sailboat. At this point, I want to get back to some artistic endeavors. I have a picture hanging on my wall from when I was 12. Pretty good, I'd say, except I think Mrs. Downs, the SAS art teacher, probably helped me with it! Still, I have often wanted to paint and write, but pickleball has taken up all my hours. As they say, “Times-a-wastin.”
I want to close with a note from Walda Cornell , that I think we all feel. She says, “I treasure my time at SAS and the ladies in our class of '63. As we get to senior citizen “elderly” status, the ties
I have with SAS ladies, though only by email and alumni news, mean so much.” (She adds that she is happy to host any lamb who makes it to the Columbia vicinity”)
From our first reunion years ago, I remember, to my surprise, that in seeing our classmates again, I had a feeling of family. Let's plan to be together again in 2023! There are more stories to tell, more laughs to have, and more hugs to give! Be safe, be happy, stay in touch and God bless!
1965 ST. AGNES
Lee
Vosper Dorman: lvn4smr@comcast.net
Hello from the St. Agnes Class of 1965! This past year has been one for the book for me! In May I fell and broke my right tibia, was unable to walk or do much of anything until October. I learned how to order almost anything online and the Amazon crew and I are on a first name basis! I became close with my various therapists and continued to exceed their expectations as to my individual goals! In October after two vaccinations, I was hospitalized for six days with internal infections and back in the hospital for two different bouts with pneumonia from Delta Covid. My doctor told me that the only reason I am still alive, in her opinion, is because I did have two vaccines! I learned how to order groceries and drive to the store, pull in to a designated spot, and have my groceries placed in my car! I am getting pretty handy with cooking and have this really cute, smart seven-year-old granddaughter as my able sous chef. Dodging Covid quarantine has become the new game here! I am still teaching and going strong.
Missy Huggins and her husband, Roberto/Hugs, continued to spend as much time as possible in daughter Samatha's apartment in Firenze. She did a LOT of therapeutic cooking and enjoyed lovely car trips in July seeing many family members and longtime
friends in Tenn., Ohio, Del., and Va. “Got to see Donnie Wintermute , Ann Spitler , Candy and Anne Kreutzer ! What a joy to be OUT! By this last fall we were itching to get back to a more normal life so we returned to Italy in the fall and stayed until mid-December. Seeing Samantha after two years was a priority. We have the resulting Covid charity cookbooks to prove it! Had a really terrific time over Thanksgiving entertaining friends from all over the world who had planned to be there for a wedding that changed into a celebration of support and friendship. We thought we would be spending Christmas there until our visa ran out, so we came home to spend a quiet holiday with a few dear friends and son Drew. Now we are looking forward to returning in March. I will go to London to play with Sam for a couple weeks, take a very delayed river cruise down the Rhône with a dear friend, six weeks in Firenze, and then in May off to another delayed tour of castles, food, and whiskey in Southern Ireland with USNA classmates arranged by a dear foodie friend from Calif.” Elizabeth Shortley Rogers reports: “I am still taking care of my husband at home with his Alzheimer's. It can be rough at times but as long as I can keep him home, the better. We have been almost hibernating due to Covid only going out to run a few errands, and have not gotten sick. I do miss traveling and have hopes for future trips. I am still busy working for Wells Fargo (yes, I am 74 and have not retired!) and doing my decorating projects. My latest project is new carpet for the house and hardwood flooring on all the stairs (with a runner) and in the first level hall. The carpet definitely needed replacing because of our Great Pyrenees dog and three kitties. I also love feeding two feral kitties one block away each night at our neighbors. Their house is on the water so the sunsets are magnificent, an added pleasure! Luckily last year we had no hurricanes in the Outer Banks, N.C. Tourists came here last season setting records, most probably as a
result of Covid. Our town had too much traffic and restaurants were full, but no complaints as they keep our economy going.”
Sally Jones Brodie says, “Lawrence and I moved into our new small home on the Indian River Lagoon in Jensen Beach, Fla., three years ago. We have 2.5 acres, which I have turned into a native plant park, so we have had wonderful air and nature to get us through these difficult times. We are happy and healthy.”
Jane (Tinka) Adams reports: “This year has been quiet for both Dan and I. My oldest granddaughter is graduating from college with a major in theater arts. I am still working but will stop in a few months. Still dance when I can move my knees. I would love to see everyone but travel is still a nightmare these days. I'll have to buy an SUV and drive everywhere.”
Susan K. Haggerty and Jane Matthais wish everyone contentment, joy, and good health in 2022.
Anne Kreutzer reports: “All members of our family, save the ineligible 3-yearold twins, have been vaccinated, and are very careful. My son and his wife, who own a plumbing business in Carrboro, N.C., were concerned that the virus could wipe out their business. Fortunately, they were able to get all 12 plumbers vaccinated and until December no one had gotten it. As I write this on January 1, two more have been infected, so they are worried. All three had thrown caution to the wind and attended holiday events. No travel to speak of during all this, but a Viking cruise originally scheduled for June 2020 is rescheduled for second time, now for 2022. Clueless if it will take place.”
Sad news from Annie Davis Spitler , as she lost her husband, Glenn, in early September and her brother, John, in late October. Her happy news was the birth of her first grandchild, Tucker, to son Glenn and his wife, Mollye.

1966 St. Agnes
Carter Flemming: carterflemming@gmail.com
I hope by the time you are reading this we will have had a successful 55th Reunion in April. Covid has delayed or canceled so many events for all of us, but if we can come through with our health, we can consider ourselves very lucky.
Leslie Ferrell Kauffmann was finally able to travel to the U.S. in July to meet their first two grandchildren. Son Alex welcomed Santiago and daughter Ana welcomed Elena. They were able to return to the U.S. for the arrival of their third grandchild, Gabriel (GG). As Leslie reports, “being able to stay well this year and meet their grandchildren makes any other news insignificant in comparison.”
Star Bales Alterman was able to go to Miami to see Leslie during her visit and got to meet Elena and GG, whom Star says are “adorable.” Star and her husband, Hal, have been able to travel to Conn., to see their own adorable 3 grandchildren.
I enjoyed lunch with Chris Motley when she came to D.C. to visit their son, Daniel. Chris continues her fantastic fiber art work and loves being able to spend time with her three grandchildren, who now live two blocks from her house. Chris' daughter, Catherine, who has worked for JP Morgan in Manhattan for many years, was asked to work in their San Francisco office for a period of time, much to the delight of Chris and her husband, Neil. Like many of us, Chris is thankful for
Zoom, but hopes we won't have to look at that little picture of ourselves at the top of the screen much longer!
Margie Dumas Worden was also able to have lunch with Chris and said they shared many laughs about our SAS days. Margie said she always loved the Christmas program and “singing all those songs like “Dona Nobis Pacem” in Latin, and others in French. Margie reports that granddaughter Taylor is now an assistant lacrosse coach at Elon University. It appears that Taylor has inherited the coaching gene from her grandfather, Jimmy, who was a longtime basketball coach at TC Williams, now renamed Alexandria City High School.
Susan Whittington writes that she and her husband were able to travel to Paris and London in November and had a great time. April is their 40th wedding anniversary and they have planned a trip to Italy.
Erica Kessler Lodish retired from Georgetown Prep in June 2021 and moved to Lafayette, Calif., (near Berkeley) to be closer to her family. Her daughter, Maya, lives in Berkeley with her husband and their two daughters. Erica's brother, Michael, lives in Sacramento. The decision to leave the D.C. area was hard, but after her mother died, Erica decided it was time to relocate.
Gina McKinnon reports all is well with her and “her SAS connections from a long time ago are special and she looks forward to our reunion.”
Diane Haldane says she and husband Dick are spending the winter in Fla., as they usually do. Last summer they took a road trip to Montana, stopping at the Badlands, Black Hills, and Teddy Roosevelt National Park. She said all of that was amazing, but the most interesting drive they took was through Ted Turner's ranch south of Bozeman, where he has amazing herds of bison along with elk, deer, and wolves.
Petey Cosby continues to enjoy retirement in Annapolis. Her daughter and family live nearby in Davidsonville,
Carter Flemming '66 with her family.
Md., and son Will and his family live in Winchester, so it is fun to have grandchildren nearby. She “values continued relationships with her SAS alums” and is looking forward to our next reunion.
Lee Vosbeck continues to work in property management for McEnearney. She sadly lost her father at age 97 in December.
Jeanette Tracy reports that she and husband John are enjoying retirement while “doing all we can to stay safe and healthy.” Tracy's mother just celebrated her 100th birthday and is able to live at home with caregivers. She is quite a remarkable lady.
Sara “Pinky” Caples writes that her architectural firm has been “insanely busy” this past year on projects from new high school and college buildings in Brooklyn to finally completing the Louis Armstrong Museum this spring. Pinky and her husband, Everado, were the Davenport Professors at the Yale School of Architecture last spring. Pinky is busy finishing the first draft of a book entitled, “Many Voices: Social Equity in Architecture” to be published by RIBA this October. Pinky and her husband are redoing their apartment of over 40 years for the fourth time, since like many people, working at home made them rethink how they live. Their son, Esteban, is 32 and a successful artist. Another artistic and talented classmate, Connie Mallinson, continues her highly successful career as an artist with a heavy exhibition schedule as well as writing and curating. In a recent interview in the art magazine, Artillery, Connie discusses her current artistic style as successfully using both abstract and representational figuration, which have been thought to be in opposition to one another, to create paintings that reflect our world of climate change and excessive trash. And the Lamb's Tale staff can take credit for recognizing Connie's talents at SAS and using her Winnie the Pooh drawings as the theme for our 1966 yearbook! Connie and her husband, Eric, celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary last year. Their daughters are thriving in their careers–Ariel is an animator with a show in production and Mallin is teaching first grade. Read more about Connie on p. 40.
Liz Anglin Simmonds writes that her travel schedule with husband Terry was put on hold last year when Terry flunked a routine EKG which led to open heart surgery with five bypasses last September. She writes that Terry is finally starting to feel better after three months of recovery. They have stayed busy with their volunteer activities and have high hopes for 2022, starting with a trip in their trusty Tin Lizzie RV to the Creole Nature Trail in Louisiana and up the Natchez Trace. They also hope to see their grandchildren at a May wedding after two years of not seeing them.
Ann Martyn has found that music has been a great help to “scatter the feelings of isolation” during the pandemic. She still sings and works on pieces on the piano and guitar with neighbors and friends, albeit with one friend at a time. She and Frank continue to enjoy music together and Ann will have a hip “renovation” in February.
And I, Carter Dudley Flemming , continue with my civic and volunteer activities, while Mike continues to work, though retirement is now on the horizon for him. We feel very lucky to have been able to see our grandchildren a few times over the last two years of the pandemic, and hope to share many more family times together once Covid loosens its grip on all of us. Stay safe and healthy!
1967 ST. AGNES
Alice Reno Malone: tammyarm@aol.com
KC Church reports: “2021 turned into a worse year than 2020 when my then 31-year-old son was found to have colon cancer. The good news is that six months of chemo and three surgeries later, he is now well! It's been a draining year, but I kept my sanity by playing lots of pickleball when possible and online bridge, otherwise all is good. Would love
to hear from anyone visiting the Denver area!”
Another author in our midst! Our own Jill Strachen has published a memoir, “Waterfalls, The Moon and Sensible Shoes: One Lesbian Life.”
Beth Grosvenor Boland and Elizabeth Herbert Cottrell were honored to be beta readers and can recommend it highly.
Robin Coffin Sadler welcomed another grandchild, Elinor Wilson Cople, born on January 12, 2022. “She joins her two-year-old brother, Benton, and moms Trelsie and Sydney. I just bought a house in Boulder where they live, so that Bob and I can commute from Florida and watch our grandchildren grow up.”
Jane Grenfell Duffy reports: “2021 was also a momentous year—50 years of married bliss to Tom. We escaped to central Italy in November managing all the Covid protocols—great time and no crowds. We were also able to travel to see son Matt graduate from law school and watch our oldest granddaughter, Grace, 'virtually' graduate from a local high school this year. We still love being in Charlottesville with our two daughters and five grandkids nearby. I was able to keep up my work with students with learning challenges in and out of schools throughout the year, very thankful for vaccines.”
Beth Grosvenor Boland reports: “Like many of us, I'm sure, my favorite thing about 2021—at least while Covid abated—was the ability to gather in person with family and friends again, which for me included many Saint Agnes sisters. Elizabeth Herbert Cottrell and I met for lunch several times, each driving halfway between our respective suburban D.C. and Shenandoah Valley homes. In June Frank and I drove to North Carolina to spend several fun days visiting Vicki Smith Wadlow and her husband.
Elizabeth Herbert Cottrell reports, “Life is good here in the Shenandoah Valley. Even in the midst of a pandemic, I find so much for which to be thankful, not the least being my SAS classmates! Beth Grosvenor Boland and I have



managed a couple of in-person lunches and Pamela MacRae-Dux is wonderful about staying in touch by phone.”
Laura Hannan Price says, “Hope all is well with y'all. Fine here. Have a new pup, Jigger, a red Wheaten Scottish Terrier.”
Robin Hirst reports: “Eric Ericson and I got married in a tiny wedding in the front yard garden on June 26, 2021. He is a master woodworker and his work is displayed in museums and the Library of Congress. All the hand carving, hand forging, and hand hewn work is his—very high-end interior designer pieces. We are in the process of building a workshop on the farm for his private commissions. I am learning a lot from him.”
Christine Holter Reynolds has pursued varied careers, including nursing, carpentry, interior design, and book binding, but most especially Granny-nanny for Erik while his parents worked. The past six years she has been volunteering at River Bend Park along the Potomac, specifically picking up trash. “It's horrifying what people do with their discarded debris. To date, I've found two refrigerators and a bag of human cremains. Yikes! In the meantime, I've built two buildings in my yard and 200 sq. ft.+ of decking rebuilt with my three grandsons during the summer of 2020.”
Betsy Knox Peters reports: “St. Agnes instilled in me the love of learning and perhaps adventure. I've tried to learn something new each year. Here's my list: how to ski (still do and love it), play bridge and tennis, travel, historical preservation, epidemiological studies


through a job, not a formal degree, and right now how to make my dogs behave.”
Genie Mallinson Applegate says: “We are still enjoying the move to our 'new' 300-year-old colonial house on the North River in Gloucester, Va. We enjoy being there with Rocky and Molly, two Great Pyrenees mixes who literally wandered into our lives last February. I spend most of my time in the garden, growing primarily weeds, daffodils, and daylilies. I also still knit. I do get up to Northern Virginia to work a few days about twice a month and to see our son, Austen, so reunions/get-togethers are often possible.”
Pamela McRae-Dux says: “I am happy to report good news for our household this year. While 2021 has been another Covid year, Jon and I continue to enjoy Missouri. I started 2021 in a new art room in the house and published a number of books available on Amazon.”
Alice Meyer says: “Last year marked a year of transition and reconnection for me. I retired as a mentor at Suncoast Hospice after 18 years and now work part time in the IT department, still focusing on helping clinical staff with our EMR rollout. I still live in St. Petersburg, Fla., near my daughter and

her husband and cousins in Tampa. Last summer I visited Betsy Knox Peters and her husband outside of McCall, Idaho, overlooking a river and surrounded by mountains. It was such fun to be together again reminiscing, taking pictures, cooking delicious meals, and laughing—lots of laughter. While Lissa Stevens's death was a sad event, her celebration of life brought many of us together again in Virginia.
Betsy Peters '67and Alice Meyer '67
Alice Reno Malone '67, Kathleen Malone Gallen, Virginia Malone in Nantucket.
1967 classmates Beth Grosvenor Boland, Deborah Androus, Genie Mallinson Applegate, Betty Mills, Alice Meyer, and Jane Grenfell Duffy at Celebration of Life for Melisssa McDowell Stevens.
Vicki Smith Wadlow '67, Clark Wadlow, Frank Boland, Beth Grosvenor Boland '67 in North Carolina.
1967 classmates Elizabeth Herbert Cottrell and Beth Grosvenor Boland
Crystal Wampler Span '67 with husband Robert on their 50th wedding anniversary




She was always keeping us in touch with each other and it felt like she was there through our shared stories and memories. I loved being with my SAS classmates again!”
Becky Orme Russell reports: “I continue to live in Roanoke with my husband of 50 years, Bill, whom I met at a senior dance at St. Agnes. I got a bachelor's in English from Hollins and a masters of education in reading from the University of South Carolina. After almost 10 years of secretarial work and teaching, I stayed home to raise our three children. All three live in the Roanoke area so we're thrilled to be able to see them frequently, as well as our daughter-in-law and grandson.”
Alice Reno Malone says: “All is well in Charlottesville. Jim is back to teaching in person at UVA Law and I am trying to catch up on things that didn't get done in the past two years because of work on my Dartmouth class's 50th reunion book—all 1,032 pages of it in color and hardback! All-nighters don't get any easier as you age! Excited to report that daughter Katie married James Gallen on October 9, 2021. We dodged Covid completely, requiring all who attended
to be fully vaccinated!”
Crystal Wampler Span reports: “We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in May—in love and loving New Hampshire!”
A Celebration of Life for Melissa McDowell Stevens who died on April 19, 2020 was held in Arlington in November 2021. Deborah Androus , Jane Grenfell Duffy , Beth Grosvenor Boland , Genie Mallinson Applegate , Alice Meyer , and Betty Mills represented our class.
1968 ST. AGNES
Barbara Leonard: bbleonard7@gmail.com
Sherrie Rook says: “My activities during the pandemic have been limited to say the least. I walk, read, visit museums when they are open, and keep in touch with friends and neighbors.” Sherrie also mentioned that she stumbled upon two of the St. Agnes 1968 reunion photos in her albums. Denya Clarke says: “2021 was not kind to me. I lost my precious Jack Russell Terrier, Gamble. My daughter and son-in-law both had Covid in January. I volunteered at our vaccine
clinic, then I had appendicitis surgery... stress and anxiety driven. In August I had eye lens replacement surgery and four months of dry eye ensued. My family is well and we live in a beautiful part of Caledon, Ontario, with plenty of country to hike. Having Christmas with my family was precious.”
Marcia Williams says: “I'm moving from Mississippi to a Birmingham, Ala., suburb called Alabaster to be close to my brother's family. As you all know, at our age we start having health concerns and though I am fine, I do not want to be a burden on my friends. However, I have no problem being a burden on my brother...that's what siblings are there for. I think about all of you and realize daily how much you mean to me.”
Mary Anne Warner says: “The only news I have fit to print is that David and I have had a studio at the Torpedo Factory since January. It has been a lot of fun talking with people from all over the U.S. and the world. We're all wearing masks so you don't really get to see their reactions to the art work. Sales have been slow, but steady. Son Warner has passed the Virginia Bar and is looking for a job on The Hill.” Visit maryannewarner.com to see her artwork.
It seems Harriet Sewell and Bob have been canceling trips, including a fishing expedition to the Bahamas, due to Covid and back surgery Harriet had this winter. Son Andrew married and she's now expecting a first grandson in April and is “over the moon.” She has taken up piano again and loves it. I remember how really good she was way back 60 years ago.
Holley Del Giudice says: “My third grandchild, Ena, was born in June at only 25 weeks. After weeks in neonatal ICU followed by the preemie ward she came home in September. Ena is healthy on target for a baby of her adjusted age. Our two other grandchildren, Naoki (10) and Émilie (14 mos), are a joy for Gilbert and me, so we babysit whenever possible! Last year we mostly ate, read, and bingewatched like the old folks we are, when
Susan Snodgrass Wynne '68 with her family in Woodstock, Vermont.
25th Reunion of the St. Agnes Class of 1968 in October 1993.
Susan Snodgrass Wynne '68 and her husband, Dubby, with their six grandchildren at Christmas.
20th Reunion of the St. Agnes Class of 1968 in May 1988
JULIA MURRAY '69

After many years of research and writing, Julia Murray's latest book, “The Aura of Confucius,” on the use of relics and images in the veneration of Confucius, has been published by Cambridge University Press. Julie says, “I reconstruct the suppressed history and features of a shrine that was built near Shanghai, at a place where his robe and cap were allegedly buried over 1,000 years after his death. The topic is a bit controversial, since standard accounts nowadays downplay the religious aspects of Confucianism, but my unconventional approach would not surprise my St. Agnes classmates!” Julia is an emeritus professor in Chinese art at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
not babysitting. I've taken up piano again after 40 years, taking German in view of a future trip, doing Pilates, and walking to avoid the worst consequences of all that eating. My sons live in Nice, have lovely wives, steady jobs, and sweet kids. I slipped and fell off a 10-foot ledge and tumbled down a hill while out power walking with friends. I got off with only a fractured vertebra, but I am mending and by the time this is published should be fit again.”
Lucie Morton Garrett says: “My hope is to travel this year to California,
the Czech Republic, Portugal (Azores and Madeira Islands), New York, and Missouri, all to do with grapevines. Filming a possible prequel to the film Vitis Prohibita about repatriating the Cunningham grape, one of two native Virginia wine varieties back home. It is a Morton family grape and can come back to our family vineyard at Morland ( morlandfarm.com ) after being liberated in a few years from USDA quarantine at Cornell. My girls, Katie in D.C. and Julie in San Francisco.”
Helen St. John says: “I am singing again. The (National) Cathedral Choral Society, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary, resumed masked rehearsals in October and gave its annual Christmas concerts in December, just before the new surge. The so-called Zoom concerts were just a screen full of singers singing solos—unsatisfying.”
Mary Leslie reports that she and Dick had an interesting trip to Virginia last fall, a history tour that included Winchester, Richmond, Middleburg, and more, and also went to see their kids in Boston and Atlanta.
Susan Snodgrass Wynne is fortunate to live near sons and their families, including six grandchildren. She has been fundraising for a pediatric mental health facility near Norfolk, and for hospice in Virginia Beach. She is also co-chairing her 50th Sweet Briar College reunion.
Barbara Leonard writes: “We bought and sold a house during Covid, moved, settled into a new community, and we're starting to meet new friends. Love the peace of living outside of the D.C. area! I have four grandchildren, one on the way, all living far away in Denver, Austin, and Seattle.”
1972 ST. AGNES
Edie Beardall Weller: ebweller53@Q.com
Greetings to all from SAS '72! It's been good to hear from several of you after another unique year for everybody.
Cindy Peake is teaching Algebra 1 and 2 at Elizabeth Seton High School in Maryland, but said this will be her last
hurrah as she plans to retire in June. Beyond that, she is looking forward to playing golf regularly and offering math tutoring. Last year's major project of renovating her parents' home is complete, and Cindy says she's grateful for a great tenant who helped clear the way after the big snowfall there! Best pet-buddies Jojo and two kitties have provided lots of good company this past year as well.
Linda Bauknight Franklin happily reports that she and her husband, Fred, are enjoying their new “downsized” life in Venice, Fla. She adds, “We have great peace of mind and don't plan to ever move again. We hope to get out more in 2022. Most importantly, we are so excited about our class's 50th reunion!”
Linda and Margaret Goldstein Janney continue to be in close touch. Margaret drove up to Venice from Naples, Fla., to spend several days with Linda and Fred over Thanksgiving. Betsy Brownfield Fay enjoyed the chance to connect with Stephanie Yeonas Ellis last summer while Betsy was visiting family on the East Coast.
Betsy and I, Edie Beardall Weller , live about an hour's drive from each other and have also been blessed with chances to get together over the past year. It's been pretty amazing for us to have seen each other's family “grow up” and to welcome two beautiful grandchildren into the mix. At the turn of this new year, I'm grateful to say that all in my clan are relatively healthy and adapting as needed in this unusual time. I continue to be fairly involved in volunteer ministry and give thanks for all the ways people have created community and helped one another out. I'm delighted to share that several members of our class worked energetically on plans for our 50th Reunion celebration in late April. We were very excited and, honestly, a bit incredulous that it's been 50 years since we graduated!


1973 ST. AGNES
Marion Robinette: marion.robinette79@gmail.com
Greetings from Maryland's Eastern Shore where Dan and I, Marion Robinette , continue to reside and enjoy life that has returned to somewhat normal, well, kind of, sort of, despite the occasional Covid variant popping up. I'm still busy with our two long haired dachshunds. 7-year-old Stanley and I ring the Salvation Army bell at Christmas at the local Ace Hardware store with a friend who has a beautiful Sheltie. We raise a lot of money because of the dogs. Stanley is now competing in agility trials in the novice division with his novice handler (me). We have a lot of fun and continue to take classes at the Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club. Jeter is doing scent work and starting agility. I am now regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Samuel Chase Chapter here in Salisbury. Suzanne Ives Dunkley says that she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer last summer, but is very happy to report




the winery is lots of fun to visit.
that a relatively new medication has been extremely effective, resulting in a normal level of a particular cancer marker in the blood. We have been praying for Suzanne and excited for her progress. Suzanne wants to emphasize our class text group has been a tremendous boon of support to her and it is an easy way to stay in touch.
Jane Kincheloe Wiles is a new grandmother, Gigi, and reports that besides babysitting her precious grandson, Anderson, at the drop of a hat, Paradise Springs Winery is growing again! This year they bought a large vineyard/farm outside of Charlottesville, Va., where they plan to plant more grapes under the supervision of alumna Lucy Morton Garrett '68 . Their third tasting room will open sometime in 2022! Meanwhile their Solace Brewing Co. is opening its third location any day now—another brew pub near the Nationals Stadium in Washington, D.C. Go see them! I can have made several visits to Paradise Springs Winery and can report that the wine is excellent and
Leslie Treece Fairbairn , our official class travel agent, is always ready to organize a class get together. She arranged several gatherings at Paradise Springs Winery this past year, including a fun time with her, Jane Kincheloe Wiles , Cary Reardon Nunnally , Karen Claussen Shields and her husband Mark. On another occasion we welcomed Pam Brislin and husband Mark. On the Fourth of July weekend we got together in Alexandria with Annie Groves Odell , Emily Cole , Liz Bostick , Jane Kincheloe Wiles , Leslie Treece Fairbairn , and me! Annie's husband made a very brief appearance and then headed off with a childhood friend.
Madeline Cooley Flagler is a new grandmother, welcoming Olivia in March. Terri Shelton welcomed granddaughter Riley in November. Of course, I am thrilled for two future Camp Alleghany campers!
Pembroke Moreau Roeder retired from the U.S.A.F. civil service after 10 years, which was preceded by two years as a contractor and 28 years in uniform for the same employer. She is living in
Meg Babyak Tucker '73 and her grandchildren.
Marion Dawson Robinette '73 with her husband, Dan.
Jane Kincheloe Wiles '73 with her grandson, Anderson.
Madeline Flagler '73 with granddaughter, Olivia.
Dr. Terri Shelton '73 with granddaughter Riley.
1973 classmates Liz Bostock, Emily Cole, Jane Kincheloe Wiles, Annie Groves Odell, Marion Dawson Robinette, and Leslie Treece Fairbairn.
Bossier City/Shreveport, La., for the foreseeable future. She plans to spend more time volunteering at the Renesting Project, becoming a master baker, and traveling if Covid ever goes away.
Sarah G. Utke-Ramsing Herron retired from the Salt Lake school district after 21 years as a secondary teacher librarian and moved with husband Lee to Bozeman, Mont., to enjoy skiing, hiking, and fishing. Unfortunately, Lee passed away from FTD-ALS a year after they moved. Sarah is excited to explore Montana though without her best friend.
Liz Bostck is still in private practice as a licensed clinical social worker in Alexandria. She was finally able to visit her two granddaughters, Rowyn and Remington, in California this past summer.
1975 ST. AGNES
Effie Dawson: effiedawson00@gmail.com
Our class had a wonderful virtual reunion in the spring of 2021. It would have been nice to meet in person, but the Zoom evening allowed for some who would not have made it. As Betty Boatwright Crowley said afterward, we all “could have talked all night.” Many thanks to Mary Gotschall and J an de Regt for organizing this. Betty's big news is that she is retiring after this school year. She's been teaching for 15 years and said it's been a wonderful second career and that she is looking toward her next chapter.
Marie Toler Raney checked in from Mexico. She and her husband enjoy a “double life,” half the year in the hot watery parts of Mexico on their sailboat “Eurybia,” and the other half in the dry warmth of central Mexico at their house Casa Caprichosa in San Miguel de Allende. They also get back to Washington state each year to see grandkids Killian (3) and Amelie (2). You can follow their travels at SailingEurybia.com
Sharon Snow Nicholson had a busy year, with her son Henry having a
big wedding celebration in August in Atlantic Beach, N.C. Sharon's first grandbaby, Grove, arrived in July.
I also have wedding and baby news. My son, Wrightson, was married in September and my daughter, Laura, and her husband welcomed my first grandchild, Madison, in December.
1976 ST. AGNES
Melissa Ulsaker Maas: mmass@sssas.org
Mary Connally and husband Bob are looking forward to the wedding of their daughter, Miranda Martini, to Will Tenney in November 2022 in Newport, R.I. Mary writes: “Miranda handles marketing for the Private Wealth Management group at Goldman Sachs in NYC. Will was just named to Forbes's 30 Under 30 List in music for 2022. Among his many ventures, Will is founder of SunPop Music, a NYCbased record label and management consulting company that has independently sold more than 200,000 records.”
Nancy Combs Cook married Jim Cook on November 11, 2021 at Trinity Bible Church in Severna, Md. It was a small wedding followed by a lively dinner at Café Mezzanotte. An SAS/ SSS table included Saints friends and spouses Susan Archer DeVine and husband Mike, Stacy Holleder Jones and husband Carter '75 , Ruth Hazel Little, Herb Hughes '76 and wife Tammy, and Nancy's brother Pete Combs '79 and fiancée Kim Marie.
Cate Dean reports that little has changed for her. Her veterinarian practice continues to be very busy, with everyone getting pets during the pandemic. She and husband Hillary are empty nesters, leaving her wondering how to stop cooking “for five people, the struggle is real!”
Christina Larson wrote that she and husband Mike Unwin traveled quite a bit in the southwest in 2021, including Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. “Some of the most beautiful and interesting landscapes I've ever



seen. We managed to travel the entire month of September. We have never been away from home that long! We just love hiking and being outdoors. I love retirement!”
Amy Goers Rhodes says her life is all about “grandchildren, grandchildren, grandchildren!” She writes: “On
SAS and SSS alumni guests at Nancy Combs Cook's '76 wedding, (seated) Carter '76 and Stacey Holleder Jones '76, Mike and Susan Archer Devine '76, (standing) Ruth Hazel Little '76, Herb Hughes '76 and wife Tammy, Jim and Nancy Cook
Christina Larson '76 and husband Mike Unwin
The Bloom/Maas Family: Brent Maas, Melissa Ulsaker Maas '76, Alex Bloom '11, and Jameson Bloom '13
September 15, 2021 Cooper Blake Rhodes joined William (9), Emma (6), Atticus (4), and Elliott (2)! My daughter Tala welcomed a baby boy in early January. I traveled out to Missouri where she and her husband are stationed for a couple of weeks. In addition, my stepdaughter Jessica, and daughter Aya are due this summer. Four new grandchildren in 10 months! My blessings are overflowing!” The second biggest news for her and husband Dave is that their new RV delivered in midJanuary, but they are waiting on a truck to pull it due to the current delivery issues. She is sad to miss our 45th Reunion, but excited to finally be taking a river cruise in Portugal that they booked in 2020, rebooked in 2021, and have now rebooked again for 2022.
Sharon Huhn Dennis retired from her bookkeeping responsibilities in July 2021. She still plays music with friend Doris (as The Braided Chord), doing mostly outdoor venues because of Covid with occasional opportunities to lead worship. They are excited about the release of their seventh CD, “The Sky's Still Above!” Her husband, Craig, has been on an incredibly frustrating health journey recovering from mold toxicity. Their middle son, Joe, is engaged and has moved his wedding a few times because of Covid, but they are hoping the ceremony will be in May 2022.
Ruth Hazel Little is a grandmother for the first time. Daughter Christina and her husband, George, welcomed son Tripp on November 9.
Grace Tiffany is still teaching Shakespeare at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and just became a step-grandma! Her new grandson is named Milo after the boy in “The Phantom Tollbooth” (and also for a character in “Catch-22”).
Mary Burton Willis writes: “Got lovely notes from my SAS friends after my mother died in July. Love you guys. Life seems super busy with my little half day Montessori preschool in its 20th year and helping with the two granddaughters. Trying to imagine what the next 30 years should look like.”
As for me, Melissa Ulsaker Maas , all is well with my family. Husband Brent and I have evaded Covid so far. Son Alex Bloom '11 quit his job with a financial consultancy to work full time with a best friend from college acquiring real estate to flip and rent. So far so good! Son Jameson Bloom '13 just finished a UX certification and is actively looking for a new job. He's definitely found his niche and passion within the design world. Summit and Ripley, our “house ponies,” as we affectionately call our giant dogs, are happy, healthy, and impervious to the very cold temperatures we experienced this winter. Amazing that we are celebrating our 45th Reunion this year!
1977 ST. AGNES
CB Bell Guess: edenhouse3@gmail.com
The class of 1977 is looking forward to our 45th Reunion and celebrating in person! It's hard to believe it has been 45 years since we graduated. We can't be “that old” can we?!? We are all grateful to St. Agnes School for the education we received and for the longlasting friendships. Jenifer Shockley encourages all members of the Class of 1977 to give to SSSAS in 2022 in honor of our 45th reunion. Here's some news from our class:
Harriet Yancey writes that the third highlight of her life this year was when daughter Elizabeth gave birth to Madeleine Rose McGuirk on February 2. Harriett says, “Miss Maddie is spunky and adorable. She has such a fun personality and I love her so much!” Harriet still works for Fairfax County Public Schools and has about three more years to go before retirement. Brenda Bertholf loved spending more time in Virginia after being locked down in Paris. She took a great road trip from New Jersey to South Carolina last summer and then took a first-time trip to Mexico over Thanksgiving. Brenda is enjoying an interesting consulting project with the French American Cultural Foundation. Both of her daughters live and work in New York.
She writes, “I can't believe it has been 45 years, seems like yesterday!”
Melanie McCrady Page writes that she has no updates except they're doing well.
Linda Scheer Williams continues to teach remotely on the Outer Banks, and she has a permanent case of “headphone hair” from hours upon hours of Zoom classes and meetings. She has successfully survived the first year of Myrtle, the English Bulldog, who has moved from the piranha puppy stage to the “stubborn as a bulldog” stage of her young life. They are training to compete in an upcoming AKC Rally event. “In the spring, we will begin agility training ...Westminster here we come!” Linda continues to write and publish openly licensed content (textbooks) and hopes to have a statistics textbook openly and freely available to students by fall 2022. The open license “Introduction to Business” textbook that she wrote has now been used by over 500,000 students nationwide. She writes, “It's hard to wrap my head around that sometimes. So, I have no complaints about how life is treating me. I am fortunate to have a job I love and be surrounded by wonderful friends and family all while living at the beach.”
Glenis Riegert Pittman sends news that her older son married in 2019 and moved to Sacramento, Calif. Both her husband and younger son started new jobs. Glenis continues to co-teach or team teach classes with Healing Center International that includes brain science, the Bible, and personal relationship with Jesus. Ken and Glenis enjoyed visiting the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam. They live in Northern Virginia and care for her 95-year-old mom-in-law in Texas.
Kim Keleher writes that she doesn't have “anything exciting to report which is probably good.” Her mother, Murney, lives at Goodwin House in Alexandria and is doing well. Kim says, “They have done an amazing job in these challenging times.” Kim continues to train puppies and dogs. Her husband
Tom is completely retired.
Anne Yoder writes that she has had a year of ups and downs. The big “down” was losing her mom, Mary Jane Warwick Yoder, in July. She was much loved by her family, so the loss has been acute. As for the “ups,” her son Dylan Warwick Blankenship is thriving at Appalachian State University on an athletic scholarship for track and field. He will graduate in May 2022 with a degree in math and finance. Anne's husband Dave Hart is also well, having recently been promoted to director of editorial services for Duke's School of Medicine. Anne's work life has been a great distraction and pleasure. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences last spring and will be inducted this spring in Cambridge, Mass. Most recently, she was notified by the National Science Foundation that her proposal for speciation genomics and conservation outreach in Madagascar was recommended for funding. She is thrilled to know that she will soon return to Madagascar after a long absence, her last trip there was in 2013!
Jenifer Shockley is “over the moon the Atlanta Braves won the World Series, and the Georgia Bulldogs won the college football championship!” She can't make it to the reunion this spring but will be at our 50th with bells on!
Mimi B. Larsen writes that she still loves living in beautiful, rural South Dakota. She still loves the flexibility of a retired husband, and loves being a grandmother. She still loves being a staff writer for two local weeklies, which “takes up just the right amount of time to keep me from getting bored, to keep my brain working, and includes my delight in visiting with people, researching, teaching, and cheerleading for the communities to be the best they can be which is something I learned at SAS.” She still loves all SAS classmates and can't wait to see everyone again at the 45th reunion.”
Martha Carr is still writing urban fantasy books and “having a great time.” This past year her son, Louie,
became engaged to Jackie Venson and they bought a house “not too far away, but far enough that we're not on top of each other.” Martha put in gardens in the back of her house that have the neighbors peeking over the fence and some are even referring to it as 'the Forest.'”
Kiki Marnane writes, “The support of my dear, brilliant, and funny SAS friends— Fran Robertson Butler , Deeme Katson , J enifer Shockley , and Harriet Yancey — has gotten me through what might have been a terrible year after my husband, Philip, had a stroke. They and the school that brought us together are amazing. Our collective five children, two are mine and three are Philip's, have also been wonderfully supportive both practically and spiritually. I love my work as an executive coach and am 'lucky' that Covid proves the concept of virtual working. We are happily ensconced in West Cork, Ireland, with a warm community and beautiful wild coastline.”
Jamie Beverly Waldrop writes that they still live in Roanoke, where they have been for more than 30 years now, with two dogs and a bird. Their children are spread out, Preston, Jr. is in Raleigh, Chris is in Austin, and Tess and her husband are in Morocco. Covid has made it a bit difficult to see Tess, but they see the boys frequently. Preston is still busy with orthopaedic practice and Jamie is still busy with the Rescue Mission in Roanoke. “Life is good. Love and good health to all!”
Fran Robertson Butler enjoyed seeing Deeme , Harriet , Kiki , and Jenifer on Zoom calls during the pandemic. She has a new grandchild—”finally a little girl after having two wild boys, haha.” She gets to see Jack, Sonny, and Clara almost every day. They have named her Zazu, which she much prefers to Fran! Deeme Katson hopes all classmates are coping well during these strange times! She continues to live happily in Arlington, Va. She still works as the admin/office manager at Williams Legal Group trial law firm in D.C., where they seek justice for those harmed or injured
or denied their civil rights. Deeme's next musical performance is on a Linda Ronstadt tribute show at Wolf Trap Barns in April with dozens of other area musicians, postponed three times due to the pandemic. She sees her three siblings and three nephews in Virginia whenever she can but is long overdue for a trip to California and Texas to visit the other two siblings and niece. She stays in close contact with Jenifer , Kiki , Fran , and Harriet on a years-long What's App thread that is “wonderfully sustaining.” Deeme hopes “that in 2022 we'll see less upheaval in our day-to-day lives and a commitment to democracy, small d. To quote the wise Elvis Costello, 'What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding?'”
I, CB Bell Guess , have moved! Our plans changed again due to the pandemic. We finally sold our house in South Carolina in May 2021 but instead of moving to Raleigh, we moved to my family's home in Windsor, N.C. It was my grandparents' house, and my father was born here. My parents lived here after they retired, and Keith and I had our wedding reception here. My siblings and I kept the house as a place for all of us to gather but are now at a point where we are able to empty the house and sell it. I am the only “retired” sibling so Keith, our daughter Julia, and I are living here and emptying the house. We have thrown things away, donated items, sold things at a yard sale, and are working on organizing items to sell at an auction. There are multiple generations worth of furniture, china, artwork, and other items in this house, so it is probably going to take time to get rid of everything. We enjoy the smalltown aspects of rural life and definitely do not miss the traffic we dealt with daily in South Carolina! I have many cousins and friends here. Windsor and this house were “home” when my family was living in South America so living here is like coming home. We have traveled to South Carolina a few times to visit our older daughter, Meg, and to see our granddaughter, Salem. She is an absolute delight! Until next year…
Credit: Matt Mendelsohn
1981 ST. STEPHEN'S
John Leiner: jgl3a@virginia.edu
Bill Bavin lives close to school and is involved with private equity in the area of educational innovation. His son is headed to Clemson.
Taylor Chess reports a great career with the Peterson Companies and four kids, living in a beautiful new home on the same lot that they grew up on. Taylor remains even busier by serving on the board of Flint Hill.
Tad Geschickter is starting his 28th season of NASCAR racing in February. Tad and family have hosted Biff Barber a few times at the races and would be glad to do the same for any of his SSS classmates! Read more about Tad on p. 28.
John Repetti also lives close by and reports that both boys attended SSSAS. He and Marnie have enjoyed some time as empty nesters at Isle of Palms recently. Thank you to John for continuing to serve SSSAS on several committees.
Tony Womack is the executive vice president of Transwestern Real Estate in Houston.
Brian Freedman and Doug McGee are both in the private practice of law, Brian in Greensboro and Doug in Richmond.
Josh Cooper hosted Peter Katson and myself in December for a “working lunch” in D.C. Josh is the executive vice president for the American College of Radiology. His daughter is in Nashville after a great college career at Alabama. Peter and his wife Angela both work at the Pentagon. They have three boys who are accomplishing great things.
Thank you to Pat , Yasar Ozberknen , Phil , John , Allen , Josh , and Peter who are helping me with reunion planning.
1983 ST. STEPHEN'S
Chris Geschickter is excited to spend more time in the Alexandria area now that his oldest son, Ryan, is working part time for the Washington Capitals Marketing Team! Ryan is hoping to
join full time soon. Chris caught up with Tom Repke and his wife, Karla, in Rehoboth Beach this summer and Chris Lindsay's family was able to join them. He runs into Brian Ashby as well around the boardwalk from time to time. Chris also gets to spend time with brother Tad '81 , helping out with Tad's NASCAR teams when they're in the area. Tad '81 , B ear Geschickter '85 , and Chris met up this December in Charlotte to celebrate their dad's 90th Birthday! We are excited to catch up with everyone at this year's reunion.
1985 ST. AGNES
Taylor Kiland: taylorkiland@gmail.com
Jessica Bernanke and her husband, Neil Ewachiw, have relocated to Ottawa, Canada, while Neil is posted at the U.S. Embassy. They are learning to embrace the winter and enjoy maple butter!
1987 ST. AGNES
Mary Elizabeth Paul Duke: maryelizduke@hotmail.com Shelly Webb: shelly.webb.108@gmail.com
This is Mary Elizabeth Paul Duke covering for our beloved class ambassador, Shelly Webb , who is on vacation. I think I can speak for all of us in thanking Shelly for serving as our class ambassador. She has done the job, and done it well, for a very long time so we're delighted that she is escaping the January chill for some sun and fun!
Malika Rasheed wrote with some exciting career news: “I took some advanced courses for my doctorate and was offered a position at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) located in Bethesda on the campus of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. I am program manager for the Traumatic Brain Injury department and assist Veterans in their rehab recovery. Some of these patients assist me in helping train service bred dogs for other service members who require help with mobility or stress reduction. It is a very fulfilling position and I am humbled to be working with such a fragile population. We also welcomed a new furry friend, Finley,
AMY ARGETSINGER '86


Amy Argetsinger's first book, “There She Was: The Secret History of Miss America,” was published in September 2021 by Simon & Schuster. Featured on NPR, C-SPAN and Time, among other media, the book is a poignant, funny and deeply reported account of the rise and fall of the iconic pageant through decades of social change, exploring both the conflicted lives of the young women it launched to fame and the quirky subculture of devotees who kept it alive. Amy is a longtime staff writer and editor for The Washington Post. To learn more visit amyargetsinger.com
to our family whom we love and adore.” Read more about Malika on p. 50. I also heard from Mindy DePalma Helms who asked me to pass along a big “hello” and her “well wishes” to all of you. Della Pace Patteson's update, I think, reflects how many of us might be feeling after the past two corona-crazy years, “Nothing to report on my end—same old, same old around here but without a doubt grateful for it all.”


1988 ST. AGNES
Cristin De Silva: ccdesilva1@gmail.com
Alexandra Scott Thompson sends greetings from Seattle. “My kids are finishing grade school and middle school this year, which is very exciting for all of us. We had a wonderful summer, the highlight of which was fostering a dog and her three puppies. Wonderful things come in small packages!”
Sharon Dewey Cassidy shares: “I continue to work in network marketing with Monat, a beauty company that specializes in clean vegan products. I love the flexibility that it affords me, as I am able to coach my daughter's basketball and lacrosse teams, and be mom chauffeur to all. I will also start training to be a lacrosse and field hockey referee again after a 15-year hiatus. We were thrilled to see Carlin Porter Mihm and family in Rehoboth again this summer, as well as a number of SAS '88 gals at Cristin de Silva's dad's beautiful memorial service.”
Kathleen Hobson Davis is still living in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, outside of Cleveland and would love visits from anyone heading that way. “As a clinical social
worker, I work for Courage to Caregivers (couragetocaregivers.org), a nonprofit supporting and empowering caregivers of those living with mental illness and other brain differences. Since the pandemic began, this work has gone online reaching caregivers nationwide. I'm also loving my work as a mental health advocate with the American Academy of Pediatrics, involving collaborative teaching, writing, and legislative advocacy on topics related to pediatric mental health. I've spent more time over the past couple of years visiting family in Alexandria and have loved the opportunity to reconnect with local SAS classmates. I especially appreciate the support so many near and far provided while my father was ill and also following his passing on May 23, 2021. SAS bonds run deep. So grateful for you ladies!”
Claire Jenkins Porter shares, “It was good to catch up with SAS friends, Karen Snyder, Sabrina Gilmore Scanlon, Allison Herr Christmas, Alicia Herr Jensen, Sharon Dewey Cassidy, and Kathleen Hobson Davis, although a sad occasion as we were together to mourn the passing of Cristin's father. Life continues despite more than two years of
pandemic. We have a soon to be 18-yearold daughter in the full college decision stage of her life and a surly sophomore son who thinks he would like to make a career out of e-sports. I continue to love working for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as a consultant in the Office of Charter Schools. Husband Stephen continues in his 10th year as a full professor at North Carolina State University. We celebrated 20 years with a trip to Greece and spent Christmas in Spain. Can't wait to see all the lambs again soon!”
Sabrina Gilmore Scanlon writes, “Although I was really sad to see everyone for the reason, I was so glad to catch up with people I hadn't seen in forever at Cristin's dad's wake. So sorry for our classmates losing parents; so happy to see how many rally and come out in support.”
1989 ST. AGNES
Amanda Edwards: acefoto@aol.com
It's probably safe to say that most of the members of the SAS Class of 1989 are well and truly in the thick of Covid fatigue. While a few of us have actually had it, all of us seem to be completely exhausted by this not-so-new normal. As a result, I don't have much news to share with you this time around but I'll do my best to stretch out what I have managed to gather.
After a year of really playing it safe, I, Amanda Edwards, let my vaccinated guard down in early July and was soon hit with a vicious case of Delta. Thankfully, I was able to recover at home although it did put quite a damper on my 50th birthday plans. In a year when most of us reached the proverbial 5-0, we found ourselves having to re-evaluate what really matters in life. In my case, an outdoor dinner with friends at a local pizza joint replaced dreams of white water rafting on the Zambezi River. After almost 18 months of little to no socializing by that point, it ended up being really lovely. Based on what I've seen unfold on social media, it would seem that most of us had similar, low-key experiences—proving that the best things
Alexandria Scott Thompson '88 sends greetings from Seattle with the dog she is fostering.
Tanya Dobrzynski '89 and Angela Miller '89 on one of their many skiing and hiking trips together.
in life are sometimes the simplest things. Plus, we all now have a built-in excuse for a do-over! A few of us attempted to gather in-person for a joint 50th birthday toast over the Christmas holiday. With Tanya Dobrzynski at the helm, we found an outdoor cafe with heater lamps and were ready to rock. Or at least roll. Unfortunately, one by one, most everyone either tested positive or had been in recent close contact with someone who had. In the end, we decided it best to postpone our plans until life is less hazardous. My plan had been to collect as much gossip as possible that evening but it just wasn't meant to be.
I did, however, manage to see Mridu Chandra in Los Angeles the week before. Mridu is a producer on a fascinating documentary profiling the life and legacy of famed ocean explorer, Jacques Cousteau. “Becoming Cousteau” is streaming globally on Disney+ and recently won the Critics' Choice Awards for best Science/Nature documentary. Mridu was in town for a screening of the film at the esteemed Directors Guild of America and then participated in a Q&A session with the film's director, Liz Garbus, and moderator Rory Kennedy. Though Mridu was swarmed by wellwishers, we were able to quickly catch up over a drink at the post-screening reception. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend that you do. Well done, Mridu!
Finally, Angela Miller traded in her computer for a healthy dose of Mother Nature this past year. Taking a break from work, Angela hiked a number of parks in Southern Utah, including Capital Reef and Bryce Canyon. Her oldest daughter, Camila, is a freshman at Cornell and the two of them enjoy hiking the gorges of beautiful Ithaca, N.Y., when Angela visits. She also regularly meets up with Tanya to hike and ski together. If only those trails could talk…!
That's it from sunny LA. Here's hoping I'll have more news for you next time around. In the meantime, be well and stay safe!
1990 ST. AGNES
Sarah Goldsmith: slgoldsmith@yahoo.com
This year when I asked for class notes, there was not much response. I am guessing because, like most of us, we've been at home just taking one day at a time. Although, this year we did get to travel! In spring 2021, we had our 30th (!) Reunion–albeit virtually. It was so fun seeing everyone and, perhaps because of its nature, the turnout was amazing! We definitely missed those of you who couldn't join. Consider joining next time so we don't talk behind your back! (Just kidding, there was none of that). It was a really lovely event and, again, really fun to see everyone who could join. Last summer I was able to make it quickly to the U.S., where I went on a whirlwind tour of the Southeast, beginning in Weaverville, N.C., and ending in Washington, D.C., with stops in Shrine Mont, Isle of Palms, and Davidson, N.C. Among SSS/SAS alums I got to see and catch up with were our classmates Kimi O'Halloran-Perez, Olivia Titus Dalu, Jennifer Steinberg Levine, and Kristen Gaulrapp Krieger. I am looking forward to seeing more next summer!
Noor Kirdar has written that during this time she was able to start an Etsy online shop. It was “a pleasure combining my passion for design as an entrepreneur.” You can visit her shop, UniqueDesigNoor.etsy.com. Additionally, she is busy with her girls who are now in fifth and second grades.
In milestones, Jody Carlberg Astrom and husband Mika have added a beautiful baby boy, Niko, to their family. He was born on February 9, 2021.
1993 ST. STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES
Caroline Worsley: caroline.worsley@gmail.com
Stephen Lastelic: lastelic@gmail.com
Hello from the class of 1993! We had some exciting “bright moments” in this past year. While we all continue to push forward during these crazy times, love continues to win!
Montez Anderson and his wife, Kelly,
welcomed a daughter, Kinsley Madison Epps Anderson, on June 21, 2021.
Eddie Chu has left HBO after almost five years and winning two Emmy Awards to join Apple in California as the creative innovation lead, currently working in Apple TV developing future things.
Denny Cordell and his wife, Sarai Johnson, welcomed a daughter, Margaux Mae Johnson Cordell on August 26 at 6lbs 7oz.
Tiffany O'Hara is engaged to her longtime partner, Alisa, and finished her Ph.D. They live in sunny California.
In addition to being a reluctant horse mom and semi-professional teen wrangler, Erin Wallace, as a vice president at thredUP, is still surprised that her lifelong thrifting habit turned into an actual career, complete with a pandemic IPO!
Dara Brunelli O'Hara stays in touch with Coach Betsey Rice and Coach Kathy Jenkins.
Gautam Gulati has a health and wellness focused media company, Well Played (wellplayed.health/ superhumans), which won a 2021 GOLD W3 award for original podcast series called SUPERHUMANS, where they share stories as a form of medicine.
Ryan Foster is living in Seattle. He writes that he has been masked up for two years, Covid-free, and dying to get out to a Latin night club so he can dance with hundreds of strangers until dawn.
Don Theerathada just finished “The Gray Man” directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, staring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana De Armas. It will stream on Netflix in July. Read more about Don on p. 54.
Trent Nichols is enjoying life in Richmond, Va., and recently spent time in person with Bettina Wiedmann on her visit to Washington, D.C.
I, Caroline Worsley, had a busy year exploring new destinations for research on brand development, especially interesting during a pandemic. It is fascinating to see a celebration of individuality during this cultural shift,
KATE GREGG '99


Kate Gregg published her first book,“Paradise City,” in September 2021, a literary work of philosophical fiction. Kate artfully weaves the story of Grace as she embarks on an existentialist journey in search of meaning, happiness, and peace. Despite building a successful professional and social life, Grace wakes up on her birthday feeling empty and alone. Travel with her as she gathers wisdom from friends, lovers, and strangers, that shifts her perspective and leads her round the world and back to California. To learn more, visit kegregg.com.
as people continue to exit the traditional workplace and head out to follow their dreams. Looking forward with optimism to 2022, and hoping this will be one that families can spend more time together and long-lost friends can be reunited. Peace!
1994 ST. STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES
Melissa New: melissafootenew@gmail.com
Adam Roy reports: “While 2021 definitely had its challenges, our family had some positive milestones. Gretchen
and I celebrated our 20th anniversary, our daughter Preston turned 10, and I sold my analytics business. Free time is now spent planning for retirement in a couple years.”
1997 ST. STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES
Thomas Croker: tcroker@arlingtonheating.com
Kelly Radford writes: “I have continued my volunteer work with the master's candidates at George Washington University, where I help the students complete their required tasks in route to completing their requirements. It provides a positive interaction and offers valuable help to those who have helped me.”
1999 ST. STEPHEN'S
AND ST. AGNES
Hannah Prentice Traul: hannah@jacksonprentice.com
Pender Ellet Koontz: penkoontz@gmail.com
In February 25 the Saints Legal Affinity Group joined Upper School History Teacher Bud Garikes' AP Government class to share their professional career paths. Thank you to Zach Terwilliger '99, Erin McConnell '99, Jessica Bigby '00, and current parent Clay Alspach.
2000 ST. STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES
Elizabeth Donatelli: elizabeth.donatelli@gmail.com
Andrew Keen: adk79@cornell.edu
The class of 2000 held its first virtual reunion attended by nearly half of our class! Co-organizers Madia Willis, Andrew Keen, and I, Lizi Donatelli, hosted our (belated) 20th reunion via Zoom which included a short cocktail


making class, watching a slideshow of high school photos, playing 2000s trivia, and catching up on the past two decades.
This year was a big one for me as my husband, Matt, and I welcomed our first child, Reagan Correna Clark, into the world.
Tyler Gray started a new job as corporate secretary of Placid Oil and he and wife Sarah welcomed their third child, Townes.
Andrew Keen is still baking. By the time you read this, his appearance on Great Chocolate Showdown will be airing in the U.S. on The CW Network.
Allison Swindell Guzman joined the National Audubon Society as director of institutional giving. She's thrilled to raise funds to address climate change, promote conservation and restoration of natural areas, and advance environmental science and education.
Niko Papademetriou spent some magical time with his wife, Sara, and their son, Luca, in Montana, Vermont, and Maine, as well as hopping across the pond to Paris for Thanksgiving. Niko is the chief revenue officer at his company, which he joined when there were only three members. Over the past eight years, it has grown to 140!
Fatima Ravat moved from Atlanta, Ga., to Nairobi, Kenya, to continue her work in global health with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the U.S. Embassy Kenya. It's been a busy year to be an epidemiologist!
Glenn Spitler and his wife, Mollye,
The Saints Legal Affinity Group, parent Clay Alspach, Erin McConnell '99, Zach Terwilliger '99, and Jessica Bigby '00. talking to students about their professional careers.
Tyler Gray '00 and wife Sarah's third child, Townes Ryder Gray
welcomed a baby boy, Tucker Thomas Spitler. Glenn's father, Glenn Spitler, Jr., passed away in September. He was loved by many SSSAS alumni.
2003 ST. STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES
Adam Justus: arjustus@gmail.com
Kathleen Miller O'Gara: khmogara@gmail.com
In July 2021, Mary Stewart Malone gave birth to twins Charles and Georgina Schneider. Their older sisters, twins Beatrice and Eleanor, are thrilled with the new additions. Mary Stewart, husband Brian, and their children reside in New York City.
Cameron Hellmuth writes, “We just had our second baby, a girl. Her name is Kessler Cameron Hellmuth. She was born on January 7!”
2004 ST. STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES
Scarlett Bermingham and Andrew Rhymer were married in Biddeford Pool, Maine, in June of 2021. After fifteen years of partnership (and one pandemic postponement) they were happy to celebrate love in an outdoor ceremony with 100 of their friends and family in their favorite place in the world. The rest of the year they live in Los Angeles where they work together as filmmakers.
2005
ST. STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES
Emily Hewitt: ebhewitt@gmail.com
Justin Hughes and his wife Laura welcomed their third child, James, in April. James made a speedy arrival in the family's minivan in their driveway. Quite the neighborhood excitement, the Hughes family even graced the front page on the Mount Vernon Gazette!
Jen Holden checked in from Colorado where she married Thomas Hollingsworth in June. Jen, Thomas, and their dog Bridger regularly enjoy outdoor adventures in the Rockies.
Abby Humphrey and husband Charlie live in Portland, Maine, and are so excited to be parents to their daughter, Tolley Louise Coit, born on February 22, 2020.


2007 ST.
STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES
Anne Culvahouse Teague: anne.teague@rockwellautomation.com
Although Covid is still around, the 2007 team has made lots of moves!
Micaela O'Toole and her husband, Jared, recently moved from Kansas City back to St. Louis. Micaela is happy to be back in St. Louis, near her extended family and medical school friends.
Miatrai Brown says: “I am excited to announce that I opened an immigration law firm, Direct U.S. Immigration, which is tailored to the unique needs of immigrants and U.S. companies who employ foreign workers. Over the years as an immigration attorney, I have seen the challenges that many have to overcome. What worked then, continues to work
now—communication, empathy, focus, and a determination to obtain favorable results. Read more about Miatrai on p. 32. Katherine Denkler and Michael White moved to Mount Vernon and have a little son who is running the show! They live down the street from brother Mark White and his wife, Katie, who also have a little boy. Michael and Mark are still crushing the real estate market as they carry on the family tradition at Long and Foster. They also recently started painting portraits of cats which have been a hit. Guess those SSSAS art classes really paid off!
Bryant Smith is deploying to Japan for two years.
Kevin Teague, who now lives in San Francisco with his new wife, Allie, will go visit Bryant before he climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro this summer. Good luck Kevin!
STEPHEN’S AND ST. AGNES
2011 Fall Gathering: Jonathan Hererra, Sam Teague, Danielle Mayall, Connor Jackson, Hannah Mullen, Tohfe Beidas, Matty Heller, Rebecca Dickerson, Reyna Pilapil, Laura Good, Hayley Teague (Sam's wife), Kendall Swenson '15, Kyle Swenson, and Erik Romanin
Wedding of Chip Phillips to Molly Phillips with fellow Saints in attendance: John Quarles '10, David Murray '11, Will Humphrey '10, Ben Levy '10, Kathleen Williams '12, Molly Phillips, Chip Phillips '10, Jack Powers '12, Michele Phillips '12, Timmy Phillips '15, Will Holden '11, Upper School Science Teacher Tim Dodds, Erin Phillips '18, Larry Jenney, Upper School History Teacher Trae Humphreys, and Stephen Upton '10.


Dudley Locke, who still lives in Denver, got married in March of 2021 in Memphis, Tenn.
Stephen Dewey got married in November 2021 in Richmond, Va. Caroline Nuckolls now lives in Vermont with her husband, Colin, and their cute pups.
Mike Teague '05 and I, Annie Culvahouse Teague, are now living in Belle Haven down the street from Kendall Davis, Lizzie Culvahouse '03, Caroline Rabbit '05, Megan Donahoe '04, Karla Herrera '04, Taylor Mitchell '05, and Meredith Mitchell '08. It's a party!
2009 ST. STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES
William Whitehurst: williamgwhitehurst@gmail.com
Kristin Brinckerhoff owns and operates Compassion Counts LLC (compassion-counts.com), a tutoring company in Colorado that serves middle school and high school students. Kristin reaches students nationwide (including Alexandria and Fairfax County) through virtual and in-person tutoring sessions. Kristin is passionate about preparing students for a successful life by combining math and subject tutoring with executive function coaching.
2011 ST. STEPHEN'S AND ST. AGNES
Mathias Heller: mfitzheller@gmail.com
Meredith Bentsen: meredithbentsen@gmail.com
Mallory Bell started her MBA at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business in fall
2021. She is excited to be back in school and hopes to get into impact investing. In a crazy coincidence, she saw fellow Saint Caroline Blair on the Berkeley campus!
During these difficult years of the pandemic, David Budway continues to fight the good fight in Australia as a nurse.
Adele Norton has been back in the D.C. area since 2016, when she joined Urban Teachers, a four-year teacher preparation program. After graduating from Johns Hopkins with a master's in secondary literacy and special education and working five years at a charter school, she is now teaching eighth grade English at Alice Deal Middle School in Tenleytown. She is also mother to a calico cat, S'more.
Chris Shields writes: “Last year I moved back to Washington, D.C., with Raven Bolding '13, where I work for a Democratic fundraising organization. I am also finishing up my last semester in the political communications master's program at American University.”
Josh Smith writes: “My wife, Stacia, and I welcomed Charlotte James Smith to our family in July 2021. My drive for baseball has been repurposed toward my latest pursuit, jiu jitsu. Our family is living in Ann Arbor, Mich., while Stacia completes her surgical residency and I work for a Nashville-based consulting company.”
Jack Tokarz has moved to Brooklyn. He says it is good.
This January, Janet Yieh was appointed director of music at Church
of the Heavenly Rest on the Upper East Side in New York City. She previously served as the associate organist at Trinity Church Wall Street working with choirs of all ages for seven years. She has recently co-founded a new platform called “Amplify Female Composers.” This summer she will perform at the American Guild of Organists' National Convention in Seattle, the Association of Anglican Musicians Conference in Richmond, and The Episcopal Church's 80th General Convention in Baltimore.
2012 ST. STEPHEN’S AND ST. AGNES
Michele Phillips: phillips.michele16@gmail.com
Paige Patterson Armstrong and Brent Armstrong welcomed their first child, a daughter, Ainsley Brent Armstrong, on November 12, 2021. She was 8lbs 7oz and 21 inches.
Joseph Lindsay and his wife Elizabeth welcomed their daughter, Annabeth Lindsay, on May 10, 2021.
2013 ST. STEPHEN’S AND ST. AGNES
Brett Williams: brettwlms11@gmail.com
Claire Malkie: clairemalkie@gmail.com
Hope Gallagher Ogden: hope.gallagher13@gmail.com
Brett Williams has just embarked on a new career journey, becoming the new scholar programs coordinator for the Honors College at his alma mater, the University of South Carolina. This follows his 3.5-year run as the radio and television play-by-play voice of
Greg Roland '12 helped Andy Sidle '78 sell his condo.
Wedding of Katy Jones-Powe '12 with guests Chris Beatley '10, Caroline Christner '12, and Taylor Galloway '12
JAMES KUNDER '15

James Kunder '15 was recently commissioned an officer in the U.S. Navy and assigned to a destroyer patrolling the Pacific. James graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2019, where he majored in public policy and served as a member of the university's Honor Council. He is now based at Navy Station Everett in Washington state.
JACOB FOSTER '18

Jacob Foster '18 serves as
women’s sports at Western Kentucky University. Brett’s tenure in the sports broadcasting industry was everything he had always dreamed it would be, and while he will still call some games on the side for various outlets, he is looking forward to making an impact in a new way, providing advisory and logistical support for USC’s top scholar population to which he belonged and which gave him his start. He will also continue to pursue his online master’s degree in organizational leadership from WKU. 2022 feels like a year of new horizons, and Brett can’t wait to see what it has in store!
2014 ST. STEPHEN’S AND ST. AGNES
Natalie Revers: nrrevers@email.wm.edu
Sarah Shaw: sarah.shaw13@gmail.com
Hello Saints! I am excited to share updates for the Class of 2014. Aaron Brackett has firmly planted his roots in Pittsburgh with a new house and a job at the Pittsburgh Google office. Despite the change of location, he still keeps up with making music, writing, and his other hobbies. There is one new addition however—his brother, Taurus Brackett ‘09, has become a father, and Aaron claimed the title of “cool uncle” before his brother, Ryan Brackett ‘11, could. Though publishing “Leah Grace Bedtime Adventure” in 2020 could still make Ryan the favorite uncle.
Darby Philbrick is a senior client manager at Bulletproof Inc., a global branding and design agency located in New York City. As a fully remote employee, at the onset of the pandemic, Darby moved back to Washington, D.C. She now lives with one of her best friends from her SSSAS days, Kendall Swenson ‘15. In her free time, Darby is an avid runner, enjoys trying new restaurants around D.C. (Chiko takeout, a personal favorite!), and spends time cuddling with her two new kittens, Mookie and Kya. While the pandemic has prevented much travel from occurring, Darby has
enjoyed getting to know D.C. better and visiting her parents who still reside in Alexandria.
Yousef Beidas is currently in his second year of medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, Va. He hopes to become a cardiac anesthesiologist or a cardiologist in the future. In his spare time, Yousef helps coordinate uninsured patients to have their teeth cleaned for free at various clinics down in Norfolk. He still enjoys playing basketball, soccer, video games, and hanging out with his family when possible. Yousef looks forward to traveling around the world this summer after his board exam in May!
CJ Tyerar has been going back and forth from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, helping a family friend with commercial real estate, and doing community work for the underprivileged. He brings his grandparents along from time to time, giving him great Tik Tok content. CJ made a deal with MTV’s “Ridiculousness” and they will air a few of his clips this coming summer. Keep an eye out for that @cjtyeryar!
Mirza Suleymanov is in his final year of a joint MBA and master of science in applied finance from George Washington University. He also works full time at the Wilson Center, which is a congressionally chartered, foreign policy think tank located in Washington, D.C. In his spare time Mirza enjoys playing soccer, seeing his friends and spending time with family.
Hannah Singerling and Nate Jones got married January 8, 2022 at Potomac Presbyterian and celebrated their reception at Congressional Country Club with fellow Saints: Katie Armstrong, Julia Keefe, Graham Lian, Thomas Coward, Andrew Arnold, Darby Philbrick, Nick Cargas, Sarah Shaw, Ashley Jones ‘15, Kendall Swenson ‘15, and the best man and grooms brother Sam Jones ‘16. They have started their lives together in Orange County where Nate is a
second in command at the United States Naval Academy.
Share Your News
To tell us more about the milestones in your life, please email Meredith Robinson, Senior Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement, at mrobinson@sssas.org.
she works for Del Ray Artisans and Barnes & Noble.
Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton and Hannah is working for Travelers Insurance. They spend their free time enjoying the sunny California weather along with their yellow lab, Hobie. Congrats to Hannah and Nate!
I, Natalie Revers, have been grateful to reconnect with many Saints through work, social events, and travel. I started the year determined to revamp my weekend fun after the 2020 shutdown. Sophie Reardon, Sibet Partee, and Sarah Goode helped me celebrate the re-opening of New York restaurants last spring. I now spend my free time enjoying new restaurants and bars in D.C. and coordinating various parties and social outings. I continue to pursue my career in the commercial real estate industry but hope to perfect a social blog that features my favorite food, drinks, and experiences over the next few months. I wish everyone the best in 2022. Let the countdown to our next reunion begin!
2016
ST. STEPHEN’S AND ST. AGNES
Sarah Lowe: sarahelowe20@gmail.com
Katie Connor graduated from James Madison University in May 2020 with a degree in English and minors in French and art history. From January to August 2021 she had the opportunity to intern with Creative Media Agency, a literary agency focused on representing authors of commercial/genre novels. She loved getting the chance to learn the ins and outs of the publishing industry and helping the agents select exciting, pageturning projects to represent. Currently,
After graduating from Carnie Mellon University, Serena Gillian decided to stay in Pittsburgh. She’s currently working in the healthcare industry as a product strategy consultant. She recently adopted two kittens, Chestnut and Gamora. They just turned six months old in early January. She’s also started doing some Covid-friendly volunteering in her local community. Right now, that means baking and delivering lasagna to families in need!
After graduating from The University of Virginia in 2020, Reed (Bit) Brown started working as a scribe in the Emergency Department at Herndon and Reston Hospitals. She loved the team and environment so much she took up a position a few months ago as an ER technician, placing IVs and splints, taking EKGs, and getting patient vitals along with being able to assist in the trauma bay. Becoming a frontline worker has been an eye-opening experience for her and also extremely rewarding! She has otherwise been enjoying seeing friends from SSSAS and college while she starts the process of applying to medical schools this upcoming summer.
Cecilia Kane graduated from Colgate University in May 2020 with a double major in geography and Spanish. She has since been living in northwest D.C. and working with the government solutions leasing team at Colliers International, a commercial real estate brokerage firm. Her pandemic hobbies include cooking, collaging, and dog walking.
Sarah Lowe is currently in her second year at the Duke University School of Law. She has really enjoyed exploring Durham more, especially in the fall. She spends her time in between classes hunting for the perfect oat milk vanilla latte and hopes she will find it soon. She will be spending this upcoming summer as an associate at Ropes & Gray in Boston, Mass., and plans to move to Boston full-time after graduation.
2017 ST. STEPHEN’S AND ST. AGNES
Jessica Edwards Walton married Joshua Walton on July 10, 2021 in Memphis, Tenn., and several Saints alumni were in attendance!

Jessica Edwards Walton '17 wedding with Saints classmates James Pugh, Nathan Pugh, Jessica, Emma Somer, Margaret Fergusson, Mila Lubeck, Olivia Pugh, and Jason Carroll.

Grace, Strength, and Love of Learning
BY ROGER BARBEE
English
Teacher
from 1976-1995
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...,” wrote Dickens in what could be the most famous beginning sentence of any novel. However, when I think of Clifton Titus, Jr. , what I remember of Dickens' words is, It was the best of times,… Those six words describe the time, that of Saint Stephen's Episcopal School for Boys during the late 1980's and early 1990's; but what words describe an educator like Clif Titus who led the school by preparing it for another chapter of growth that began in 1944 with its founding?
Does the ever-present pipe describe him? Or his appreciation for golf? What of his skill at Dick Babyak's poker nights? Does his service for Emmanuel Episcopal Church define him?
What of his love of family-does that describe him? Does his coaching of several sports? Or his willingness to be dunked in a water-tank during a school play day? What of his admiration and knowledge for science-is that what Clif Titus was? Or does his intellect satisfy the need for an accurate description?
Clifton Titus, Jr. 36
Years of Service
Clifton Titus, Jr., a beloved former Saints faculty member and administrator, died on February 15. Clif, husband of Mary Lou, and father of Olivia '90, Katherine, and Clarke '96, joined St. Stephen's School in 1961, retiring in 1997. At St. Stephen's, Clif served twice as acting headmaster, and once as headmaster of St. Stephen's School. He also served as the assistant head of school for St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School from 19911992, as well as acting head of school in 1994-1995. Also during his tenure, Clif taught math and science, was a golf, basketball, and JV football coach, and served as an academic dean and the assistant director of admissions.
When Clif received the Faculty Excellence Award from the SSS Alumni Association in 1987, the following was shared:
“The embodiment of an educator in the truest sense of the word is summed up in a name – Mr. Clifton Titus. This gentleman sets himself very high standards as he does his students, who in turn, strive to meet them.”
For many years as a teacher I taught under Clif the able administrator, and for a brief time I was fortunate enough to be his assistant when he was Headmaster of Saint Stephen's School. Since our offices were separated by just a few feet during that time, we were always near each other either literally or figuratively. That brief time was a privilege for me because of Clif, a gentle man whose waters ran deep, who was gracious to all, and who believed that he could teach any student his great academic love-mathematics.

Clif was a great supervisor because he did what all good ones do—explain what needs to be done and then step back, out of the way, as the work gets done. Now, I made some boneheaded mistakes, but Clif just continued to encourage me during those tumultuous times, and his gentle, guiding manner made me feel capable of and
desiring to do better. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but I was simply another one of his students, just one with an office next to his.
Because Clif identified as a teacher before any other role, he taught a class even with all his duties as Headmaster. One day he walked into our offices after his class and said to me, “I gave my class a test and the boys didn't do well. So, I told them that I was tossing their tests, and we were starting over. They can do better, so we'll cover that material again and then they will take a new test.” With that he tossed the bundled tests into the trash can and walked into his office. Clif Titus refused to believe that he couldn't teach any student any subject he chose. It wasn't arrogance of Clif's but faith in his training, wisdom, and ability to explain the most complex aspects of mathematics to even the most reluctant student. He was the teacher who went to where his students were and then brought them forward.
During his thirty-six years serving our school, Clif filled many roles. Every one, from junior varsity football coach to headmaster, was done with a grace and strength and love for learning that defines Clif. We, his colleagues and students, are better for having shared those years with him.
In Memoriam
(Listings received prior to March 4, 2022)
Alumni
Lenore Dorsey-Henry '41
February 7, 2021
Elspeth Jean Bannerman '50
January 5, 2022
Frances Bowersock '61
sister of Carol Bowersock '61 (deceased)
December 2021
Deborah “Debby” Day Lind '69
November 11, 2021
Mark Fox, Jr. '71
October 30, 2021
The Rev. Winston Baldwin '76 brother of Alan Baldwin '79
January 30, 2022
Family and Friends
Samia Bentley grandmother of Michael Dziuban '04, Daniel Dziuban '07, and Matthew Dziuban '09
April 22, 2021
Glenn Spitler, Jr.
husband of Ann Davis Spitler '65 father of Glenn Spitler III '00 and Elizabeth Spitler '06 September 6, 2021
Raymond Curry father of Allison Curry McVay '87, Cristin Curry De Silva '88, and Meaghan Curry '90 September 15, 2021
John Litchfield
husband of Anne Havard Litchfield '55
September 16, 2021
Lora Riggs Wadsworth wife of Steve Wadsworth '80
October 9, 2021

James Herron husband of Sarah Utke-Ramsing Herron '73
November 25, 2021
The Rev. William “Pegram” Johnson III father of The Rev. Matt Johnson '96 November 25, 2021
Stanley Ebner
father of Steve Ebner (Upper School History Teacher)
November 26, 2021
Robert “Bob” Devine father of Maddy Devine '05, Becca Devine '07, and Rory Devine '11
November 29, 2021
William “Bill” Vosbeck father of Lynn Vosbeck Kunkel '70, Lee Vosbeck Hagan '66, and Jim Vosbeck '68 (deceased)
December 15, 2021
Anne Hazel and Til Hazel parents of Til Hazel, mother of Jack Hazel '75, James Hazel '76, and Richard Hazel '80
December 18, 2021 (Anne Hazel)
March 14, 2022 (Til Hazel)
Jennie Trapasso mother of Michael Trapasso '87
December 21, 2021
Dr. Edward Werner father of Leslie Werner Krauland '83, Mary Ellen Werner Rotondo '84, Tony Werner '88, and Adrienne Werner Roughgarden '93
January 6, 2022
Deborah Screen mother of Andre Screen '20
January 12, 2022
Demetrios Papademetriou father of Niko Papademetriou '00
January 26, 2022
Stephen “Steve” Rupp father of Lizzie Rupp '06
February 4, 2022
John Blalock father of Kirk Blalock (Campaign Committee Co-Chair) grandfather of Makin Blalock '23 and Maddie Blalock '19
February 24, 2022
Isaiah “Ike” Dow father of Susan Dow Orndoff '05
March 2, 2022
Weddings
(Listings received prior to March 4, 2022)
Alumni
Robin Hirst '67 and Eric Ericson, June 26, 2021
Nancy Combs Therrien '76 and Jim Cook, November 20, 2021
Tom “Kit” Marnane '80 and Michelle June Phillips, December 8, 2021
Jessica Maitland '03 and John Price, October 26. 2021
Scarlett Bermingham '04 and Andrew Rhymer, June 25, 2021
Jen Holden '05 and Thomas Hollingsworth, June 5, 2021
Alex Couture '06 and Franziska Hauck, December 12, 2021
Stephen Dewey '07 and Elizabeth Layfield, November 20, 2021
Dudley Locke '07 and Jane Sayle, March 6, 2021
Zachary Warder '08 and Alexis Lorenze, October 30, 2021
Gabrielle Richichi '11 and Joseph Gower, October 22, 2021
Carter Micklem '12 and Lauren Slater, September 5, 2021
Alex D'Elia '14 and Michael Blumenthal '14, November 19, 2021
Hannah Singerling '14 and Nate Jones '14, January 8, 2022
Jessica Edwards '17 and Joshua Walton July 10, 2021
Faculty and Staff
Brionna Ricks (Athletic Trainer) and Kent Auslander, November 6, 2021
Trae Humphreys (Upper School History Teacher) and Lauren Candelora November 6, 2021
Ashby Anderson (Middle School LongTerm Substitute) and Lisa Brennan November 26, 2021
Jade Xia (Lower School Visual Arts Teacher) and Manfred Gnoss December 13, 2021





Jim and Nancy Combs Therrien '76
Michelle June Phillips and Tom “Kit” Marnane '80
John Price and Jessica Maitland '03
Andrew Rhymer and Scarlett Bermingham '04
Jen Holden '05 and Thomas Hollingsworth








Elizabeth Layfield and Stephen Dewey '07
Jane Sayle and Dudley Locke '07
Alexis Lorenze and Zachary Warder '08
Gabrielle Richichi '11 and Joseph Gower
Alex D'Elia '14 and Michael Blumenthal '14
Jessica Edwards '17 and Joshua Walton
Trae Humphreys and Lauren Candelora Ashby Anderson and Lisa Brennan
New Additions
(Listings received prior to March 4, 2022)
Alumni
Montez Anderson '93 and Kelly, a daughter, Kinsley Madison Epps, June 21, 2021
Audra Swanberg Giordano '01 and Joey, a son, Alistair Patrick, January 25, 2022
Peter Hilton Labovich '10 and Aisha Keiko, a son, Luke Taka, November 29, 2020
Hayley Deavel Gregory '07 and John, a daughter, Taylor, November 5, 2021
Cameron Hellmuth '03 and Alexandra, a daughter Kessler Cameron, January 7, 2022


Denny Cordell '93 and Sarai, a daughter, Margaux Mae Johnson, August 26, 2021
Caitlin Griffin Penny '01 and Carlos, a daughter, Chloe James, January 14, 2022
Todd Knisley '02 and Kelsey, twins, Chase Cameron and Caroline Parker, January 13, 2022
Paige Patterson Armstrong '12 and Brent Armstrong '12, a daughter, Ainsley Brent, November 12, 2021
Elizabeth Donatelli '00 and Matt, a daughter, Reagan Correna Clark, 2021
Josh Smith '11 and Stacie, a daughter, Charlotte James, July 2021
Joseph Lindsay '12 and Elizabeth, a daughter, Annabeth, May 10, 2021





Justin Hughes '05 and Laura, a son, James, April 13, 2021
Lindsay Washington Veliz '01 and Angel Veliz '01, twin boys, Angel and Nasir, January 12, 2022
Megan Roberson Jennings '04 and Matt, a son, William Roberson, July 10, 2021
Faculty and Staff
Vashon Winton (Associate Athletic Director and Assistant to the Upper School Dean) and Lauryn, a daughter, Zara, December 17, 2021
Maura Freund (Third Grade Teacher) and Ahren, a son, Forest Nelson, February 8, 2022





Kinsley Madison Epps Anderson Alistair Patrick Giordano Luke Taka Labovich Taylor Gregory Kessler Cameron Hellmuth
Margaux Mae Johnson Cordell
Chloe James Penny Ainsley Brent Armstrong Reagan Correna Clark James Hughes
Angel and Nasir Veliz
Forest Nelson Freund

INTRODUCING OUR NEWEST SAINT!
If you missed the news on social media, Head of School Kirsten Adams has a new fluffy, gentle, and cuddly family member she's willing to share, Aggie the St. Bernard. Aggie is already a big hit on campus.
