SPA Magazine - Spring 2026

SPRING 2026

Shaping the minds and the hearts of the people who will change the world.

SPA The Magazine is published annually by St. Paul Academy and Summit School for alumni/ae, parents, and friends of the school.

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

CELEBRATING THE ARTS AT SPA

When I first toured SPA, I remember feeling a sense of awe when I stepped into the stunning Huss Center for the Performing Arts for the first time. It was only a few years old, but it carried the majesty of historic and grand theaters with its large stage, sloped seating, and striking red-paneled walls. I remember realizing how lucky SPA students were to use this space as part of both their daily lives at school — for assemblies, rehearsals, or class gatherings — and as a space for the special performances that make our school years memorable.

This past fall, Upper School students had the opportunity to put on a theater-in-the-round experience with their performance of The Dining Room, a first for the Huss Center. To have the space to accommodate this experiential learning is part of what makes the auditorium so important to the overall educational experience at SPA. It’s a one-of-a-kind facility that, paired with an excellent

educational program, truly shapes our students’ minds and hearts.

I’m proud to support, observe, and learn from both our faculty and our exceptionally talented young students as they bring their stories to this shared space.

To me, the Huss Center brings our school’s values to life: when we gather there, we’re together in community for a shared experience. We listen. We learn. And we lead.

We are deeply grateful to Ruth ’57 and John Huss, whose visionary lead gift created this remarkable space. As the Huss Center celebrates its 10th anniversary, we invite you to see how it continues to shape the present and future of our school.

Sincerely,

Dr. Luis Ottley Head of School

Primary

Scott Streble

Design

OFFICERS David A. Kristal, President; Philip McKoy, Secretary; Lit Field, Jr. ’75, Treasurer MEMBERS Mark W. Addicks; Cristina Arellano; Bake Baker ’71; Marcheta P. Evans; Brian Harrison; Varun Kharbanda ’92; Bruce Lilly ’70; Lara Livgard ’93; Barb Naramore; Chip Pearson; Tony Sanneh ’90; Sarah Pennie Thompson ’03;

’86

THROUGH THE DOORS

MUSIC MATTERS: HONORING MEGAN TIETZ

Many Spartans fondly remember their time in Ms. Meg’s Music and Movement class at the Lower School — and with good reason! Megan Tietz, one of SPA’s Lower School Music and Movement teachers,

won the 2026 Minnesota Music Educators Teacher of the Year Award. This accomplishment honors the power of incredible music education and the ways in which it shapes a child’s educational journey. Lower School

Principal Beth Melin shares that, “The caliber of artistry our students achieve under her care is truly exceptional. We are fortunate to have an educator of her skill, talent, and creativity at SPA.”

NAVIGATORS VOLUNTEERING AT THE VA

At an academically rigorous school where achievement often takes center stage, the Navigators group offers male-identifying students a space to slow down, connect, and grow with intention. The Navigators group focuses on helping students develop confidence, compassion, and purpose through conversation, reflection, and service. One of the most meaningful components of the group is its ongoing partnership with a local VA nursing home, where students regularly share lunch with veterans in the day program.

About every three weeks, a small group of Navigators visits the VA to sit down with veterans for a shared meal and conversation. These lunches are not structured around presentations, but around presence — listening to stories, exchanging perspectives, and building genuine relationships over time. For the veterans, the visits bring connection and

continuity; for the students, they offer rare opportunities for intergenerational dialogue and reflection on values such as service, resilience, and integrity.

“These lunches have become a powerful reminder that simply breaking bread with someone and truly being present with another person can be healing by building empathy and strengthening community,” says Upper School counselor Jake Turnbloom, who helps run the Navigators group. “Seeing our students bring joy to these veterans, and seeing the excitement in our students’ faces as the veterans share their stories, warms my heart. I am grateful for our partnership with the VA, and I am grateful for these students who are eager to be good citizens.”

SENIOR ELIZABETH TUTTLE TO RUN TRACK AT YALE UNIVERSITY

St. Paul Academy and Summit School senior Elizabeth Tuttle committed to run track at the Division I level at Yale University. Elizabeth is a four-time SPA record holder in the long jump, triple jump, and 100 & 300m hurdles. She is a three-time team MVP and All-Conference honoree and captured three state championships in the 300m hurdles in 2024 and 2025 and the 100m hurdles in 2025. She also earned a state runner-up finish in the 100m hurdles in 2024, placed third in the long jump in 2023, and finished sixth in the hurdles that same season. Good luck to Elizabeth as she continues her career at Yale!

“Figuring out new ways to express themselves in Spanish while living with their host family is sure to evoke a range of emotions and deep cultural learning.

PETER DANIELS ’02 UPPER SCHOOL SPANISH FACULTY

THE EXCHANGE: LANGUAGE, LEARNING & LIFE

Back in September 2025, SPA welcomed twenty students and two teachers from Colegio Malvar in Arganda del Rey, Spain, our exchange partner for over 20 years. These students stayed with SPA host families for two weeks. Our exchange families helped their Spanish student navigate school and home life here at SPA, build their English communication skills, and develop lifelong memories through cross-cultural connections.

In addition to attending classes, students from Colegio Malvar toured the Twin Cities, tried their hand at kayaking and apple picking, and even cut loose on the dance floor at the Upper School Homecoming dance. Twenty SPA students and three

teachers (Señora Piñero, Señor Castellanos, and Profe Daniels) are preparing to travel to Spain in June 2026, where they will spend two weeks living with their host siblings’ families. Figuring out new ways to express themselves in Spanish while living with their host family is sure to evoke a range of emotions and deep cultural learning.

They will experience different approaches to daily life while visiting Colegio Malvar and touring historic cities, including Madrid, Toledo, and Segovia. Our World Language exchange programs are typically offered every other year, and SPA is set to host students from our longstanding German exchange program in September 2026.

FROM THE MN CUP TO THE WORLD STAGE: A

SENIOR’S JOURNEY IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

To senior Huxley Westemeier, working in science and software couldn’t wait until the future. He started at SPA as a sophomore after having been homeschooled, and his time at SPA has been dotted with local, national, and even international science and technology competitions — with great success.

In March 2025, Huxley submitted his project Enkrypticom to the MN Cup — the largest statewide startup competition in the country — along with 3,617 other applicants. After refining his pitch deck and business plan and presenting before numerous panels of judges, Huxley advanced through successive rounds, winning the Youth Division in August 2025, presenting at a trade show, and ultimately pitching his product at the Grand Finale Event in October.

This year, Huxley was also named a prestigious Davidson Fellow. He won a 2nd Place

Grand Award in Systems Software from Microsoft and five 1st Place Special Awards — believed to be an all-time record — at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) for his project Integrity, a self-made technology tool that detects AI-created imagery and fights the spread of misinformation.

At SPA, Huxley has enjoyed the ability to do further research and explore his individual projects in many advanced science and math courses, including Advanced Topics: Discrete Dynamical Systems and Advanced Topics: Differential Multivariable Calculus. Huxley joins a long line of successful student scientists at SPA. Since 2018, there have been 11 finalists at the International Science and Engineering Fair and 13 finalists at the Twin Cities Regional Science Fairs, as well as four Top 300 Scholars at the Science Talent Search since 2014.

This winter, Huxley was one of two students chosen out of the 1,079 ISEF Finalists to represent the United States and compete with 30 countries at the Taiwan International Science Fair (TISF) in Taipei. He also presented his work at the 40th annual Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Undergraduate Consortium in Singapore.

Scan the QR code to watch Huxley’s interview on Fox9 from August 2025.

MIDDLE SCHOOL MAGIC

The time between Lower School and Upper School isn’t just “the middle.” It’s magical. It’s team-building retreats to connect with your classmates.

It’s studying the work of Yayoi Kusama and trying your hand at making your own colorful, textured pumpkins out of clay. It’s calculating the density of water and researching nutrients to understand food labels. It’s running across Lilly Courtyard on your way to lunch. It’s personal growth, artistic exploration, and academic inspiration. It’s SPA magic.

SPARTAN SPORTS SPRING 2025 SEASON RECAP

BOYS TENNIS

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR-PEAT!

Boys tennis capped off another strong regular season by clinching the Section 4A team title with a 7-0 win over Mounds Park Academy and earning a return ticket to the State tournament for the fourth year in a row and the program’s eighth state title. At State, the boys dominated the tournament once again, going 21-0 and earning the Class A State team championship for the fourth straight year after defeating Rock Ridge 7-0. Spartan tennis also dominated individual play, with the doubles team of Allan Wang ’26/Isaak Senaratna ’27 qualifying for the State doubles tournament for the second straight year, along with Jacob Colton ’25/Ben Macedo ’25. Joining them was Winston Arvidson ’28, who qualified for State in singles competition for the third year in a row. After a remarkable run at State and in an all-SPA doubles final, Wang and Senaratna won the doubles Class A State Championship, defeating Colton and Macedo 6-3, 6-4 for the title. In singles competition, Arvidson defeated a singles player from Rochester 6-1, 6-1 to capture the singles title.

All-Conference: Ben Macedo ’25 and Aidan Williams ’25

All-Conference Honorable Mention: David Schumacher ’25 and Isaak Senaratna ’27

TRACK & FIELD

At the Section track and field championship meet, multiple Spartans ran their best times of the year, and nine Spartans qualified for the State meet in the following events: Langston Thompson ’27, Oliver Thompson ’25, Roman Hozalski ’27, Nico Martin ’27 (Boys 4x400 Relay); Lucy Byrnes ’28, Sophie Kannapiran ’28, Maren Overgaard ’26, Paloma Good ’27 (Girls 4x800 Relay); Elizabeth Tuttle ’26 (100 & 300m hurdles); Langston Thompson & Oliver Thompson (400m); and Good and Kannapiran (800m). At State, Tuttle and

Thompson were State champions. Tuttle finished first in both the 100m and 300m hurdles, and Oliver Thompson finished first in the 400m.

All-Conference: Sophie Kannapiran ’28, Nico Martin ’27, Clare Ryan Bradley ’26, Oliver Thompson ’25, and Elizabeth Tuttle ’26

All-Conference Honorable Mention: Paloma Good ’27, Roman Hozalski ’27, Ike Obi-Walker ’27, Maren Overgaard ’26, Jocelyn Rog ’28, Julia Taylor ’25, Langston Thompson ’27, and Patrick Wall ’26

SOFTBALL

In its second year, our cooperative program with Minnehaha Academy had a challenging 2025 season. The team received the #8 seed in Section 4AAA play and fell in the opening round to the #1 seed, Cretin-Derham Hall. In the elimination round, the team played hard but fell 18-17 to St. Paul Johnson/ Como.

All-Conference Honorable Mention: Helen Frost ’26

GIRLS GOLF

Girls golf finished fourth in the conference after a solid regular season on the links. In Section 4AA competition, Alyda Overgaard ’28 and Peony Steele ’27 advanced to the second round of section competition after shooting 92 and 84, respectively.

All-Conference:

Peony Steele ’27

All-Conference

Honorable Mention: Alyda Overgaard ’28

BOYS LACROSSE

TrIMAC lacrosse, a cooperative program with Concordia Academy, DeLaSalle, Minnehaha Academy, St. Agnes, South St. Paul, and St. Croix Lutheran, spent the 2025 season sharpening their individual skills and improving team chemistry. In postseason play, the team received the #8 seed in Section 3A and battled hard but ultimately fell in the opening round 13-12 to the #9 seed, Eagan.

Peony Steele ’27

All-Conference: Henry Hartllyn ’25, Josh Holloway ’25, and Richard Romans ’27

All-Conference Honorable Mention: Dylan Bump ’25

BOYS GOLF

Boys golf finished fifth in the conference after a solid regular season on the links. In Section play, Will Fenlon ’25, Ethan Peltier ’25, and Quentin Sentz ’27 all advanced after shooting 84, 82, and 82, respectively, on opening day. In the second round, team members were very competitive and fell just short of a State tournament appearance.

BASEBALL

Developing their individual skills and improving team chemistry was the focus for the 2025 baseball season. The team posted exciting wins over Nova Classical, Brooklyn Center, and St. Croix Prep. In postseason play, they received the #11 seed in Section 4AA and fell in the opening round to the #6 seed St. Croix Lutheran Academy.

All-Conference: Liam Huddleston ’25

All-Conference Honorable Mention: John Grimsrud ’27 and Soren Lillegard ’29

GIRLS LACROSSE

Girls lacrosse took big victories over Tartan/North St. Paul, Columbia Heights, Bloomington Kennedy/ Burnsville, and Minneapolis Lacrosse Club this season. In the postseason, they received the #9 seed in Section 3A and lost to the #8 seed, St. Paul Two Rivers Ducks 16-15 in overtime in the opening round.

All-Conference: Dia Chaney ’26

All-Conference Honorable Mention: Lucy Thomas ’25

Academic All-State: Naomi Glozman ’27

Academic All-State Gold: Girls Varsity Team

SPARTAN SPORTS FALL 2025 SEASON RECAP

BOYS SOCCER

Spartan boys soccer had another solid season, finishing the regular season with an 8-8-1 record. SPA headed into the postseason as the #3 seed in the Section 3A tournament. They defeated the #6 seed, Hiawatha Collegiate, 1-0 in the opening round, but fell in the semifinals to the #2 seed, Minnehaha Academy, 2-1 in double overtime.

All-State: Miles Vogenthaler ’27, IMAC Goalie of the Year

All-State Honorable Mention: Erik Bjorgvinsson ’27 and Max George ’28

All-Conference: Erik Bjorgvinsson ’27 and Miles Vogenthaler ’27

All-Conference Honorable Mention: Max George ’28

GIRLS SOCCER

After finishing the regular season with an 11-6-2 record, girls soccer peaked at exactly the right time to power through the postseason. The Spartans earned the #1 seed in Section 3A and marched through section competition, defeating Hiawatha Collegiate 6-0 in the quarterfinals and Visitation School 2-0 in the semifinals. In the section final, the team defeated St. Croix Lutheran in dominating fashion 5-0 to earn a spot at the State tournament for the fourth consecutive year. At State, the girls were unseeded and fell 1-0 in the opening round to the #3 seed, St. Cloud Cathedral.

All-State: Lucia Gonzalez ’26 and Elizabeth Tuttle ’26

All-Conference: Lucia Gonzalez ’26, Sofia Johnson ’27, and Elizabeth Tuttle ’26

All-Conference

Honorable Mention: Hazel McCarthy ’26 and Maggie Sampsell-Jones ’27

CROSS COUNTRY

Cross country had another strong season, capped off by solid performances at the IMAC conference championship: the girls team finished second and the boys team finished sixth overall. Top 10 finishes included Sophie Kannapiran ’28 (5th), Maren Overgaard ’26 (7th), and Paloma Good ’27 (10th). At the

Section 3AA meet, the girls team placed all seven runners in the top twenty, sending the team to the Class AA State meet for the first time. At State, the team placed eleventh in Class AA. Top 100 finishes included Kannapiran (82) and Alyda Overgaard ’28 (89).

All-Conference: Paloma Good ’27, Sophie Kannapiran ’28, Alyda Overgaard ’28, and Maren Overgaard ’26

All-Conference Honorable Mention: Isla Kim ’30

All-State Team Academic Gold Award Academic All-State: Paloma Good ’27, Sophie Kannapiran ’28, Alyda Overgaard ’28, Maren Overgaard ’26, and Leah Passe ’26

Section 3AA Coach of the Year: Ben Bollinger Danielson

VOLLEYBALL

Spartan volleyball took big victories over Humboldt, Mounds Park Academy, and IMAC rival Breck School this season. In the postseason, the Spartans received the #5 seed in Section 4AA and fell 3-1 in the opening round to a solid Visitation team.

All-Conference: Louise Mahoney ’28 and Murphy Miltner ’27

All-Conference Honorable Mention: Nora McKoy ’26 and Jayden Tilton ’28

Miles Coates Cush ’28

FOOTBALL

The SMB Wolfpack, a cooperative program between SPA, Minnehaha Academy, and The Blake School, had a strong season, finishing with a 7-3 record and big victories over Winona, DeLaSalle, and Richfield. In the postseason, the Wolfpack received the #3 seed in Section 5AAAA and defeated the #6 seed, Minneapolis South 51-6 in the opening round. In the semifinals, the team competed hard but fell in a close 22-20 contest to the #2 seed Benilde-St. Margaret’s.

GIRLS TENNIS

After a strong regular season featuring big wins over Highland Park, Harding, and Minnehaha Academy, girls tennis defeated Mounds Park Academy 4-3 in the opening round of postseason competition in Section 4A. In the semifinals, they fell to Breck 6-1. In the individual section competition, Elle Williams ’26 and Nabeeha Qadri ’27 placed third. Nellie Larson ’26 advanced to the State meet, where she placed third after defeating athletes from Le Sueur-Henderson (6-1/6-0) and Staples-Motley Co-Op (6-3/6-0).

All-Conference: Nellie Larson ’26 and Elle Williams ’26

All-Conference Honorable Mention: Annalise Atkinson ’26 and Yasmin Khan ’27

All-State Team Academic Gold Award

Academic All-State: Elle Williams ’26

Section 4A Coach of the Year: Jono Martin

Section 4A Assistant Coach of the Year: Shannon Browne

GIRLS SWIM & DIVE

The Sparks swimming and diving team, a co-op between SPA and Highland Park, had another solid season, finishing second in the St. Paul City Conference. At the Section Final meet, two students advanced to State: Anh-Na Le ’30 in the 200 IM and 100 Fly and Avi Coleman ’27 in diving. At State,

Anh-Na finished 18th in the 100 Fly and 21st in the 200 IM, and Avi finished 23rd in diving.

All-Conference: Anh-Na Le ’30 and Avi Coleman ’27

HOMECOMING 2025

Homecoming 2025 was a joyful celebration of Spartan spirit. All grades gathered on a clear September morning to celebrate the third annual All-School Assemby on Lang Field. It was a beautiful moment of unity as students and faculty sang “Stand Up” together, celebrating all that it means to be part of SPA.

From the inaugural Upper School game of tug of war to the energy of the Middle School assembly and face paint at the Lower School, Homecoming week is a special time to celebrate SPA pride across divisions as the year begins.

2 3 2

4

1 Students across all divisions convene on the Randolph Campus during Homecoming week for our All-School Assembly. 2 Middle School Spartans happily welcome Lower School students to campus for the All-School Assembly. 3 A cinematic deluge led to the cancellation of both the Homecoming soccer game and the carnival. 4 Upper School students huddle up before the highly anticipated students vs. faculty dodgeball game. 5 School spirit, hand-painted by seniors, is on full display as they celebrate their last SPA Homecoming. 6 Spartan school spirit is on display as Lower School students line up for face painting by Upper School students to kick off Homecoming. 7 Our first Pre-Kindergarten class arrives to All-School Assembly in their class color. 8 New this year was the tug of war, where students showed their strength against SPA faculty and staff. 9 The Spartan welcomes one of our Lower Schoolers on the morning of the Lower School Homecoming assembly at the Goodrich Campus. 10 Upper School Student Council Co-Presidents Carys Hsiung and Thomas Chen address the SPA community at the fall All-School Assembly. 5 7 10 6 8 9

LESSONS FROM THE HUSS CENTER: A DECADE OF COMMUNITY & CREATIVITY

BY LAURA BILLINGS COLEMAN

For the annual spring orchestra concert, SPA students pick their own program of classical pieces, a school tradition that encourages them to take ownership of their musical journeys. But on the first read-through of the “Hallelujah” chorus one Monday morning in January, it’s clear that the triumphant crescendo of Handel’s Messiah has a long road ahead.

“Let’s try something new,” orchestra director Almut Engelhardt says, setting down her baton after a few flat and discordant measures. Moments later she returns to the podium with her own violin, demonstrating the bowing style she wants to hear from each string section.

“We have to sing it on our instruments,” she tells the group. “Haaa-le-lu-jah, Haa-le-lu-jah, long short, long short. Let’s try it again.”

Like any first rehearsal with young musicians, there are wrong notes, unsettling squeaks, and false starts. But a few months from now, when it’s ready to play before an audience of parents, siblings, teachers, and community members, “Hallelujah” will have undergone a nearly miraculous transformation at the hands of SPA’s hard-working orchestra members, proving once again the magic of practice and persistence, the joy of working as a team, and the power of making yourself heard.

For the last decade, these have been the lessons of the Huss Center for the Performing Arts, a 39,000-square foot addition to SPA’s Randolph Campus that opened to the school

community in 2016. The home of SPA’s Middle and Upper School orchestras, choirs, and small ensembles, and the stage for plays, musicals, senior speeches, and community gatherings, the Huss Center has become both the main entrance to SPA’s Upper School and the heart center of SPA’s creative life. In April, it’s even transformed briefly into a nightclub atmosphere for the Jazz Cabaret.

“When it first opened it was like we’d landed in paradise,” says Engelhardt, adding that the effect hasn’t faded over time. “It’s not just an auditorium, but it’s this fabulous palace that gives us all the options of doing anything and everything that one could dream of.”

Made possible by a lead gift from longtime SPA supporters Ruth ’57 and John Huss, the $20 million Huss Center was the first major capital improvement to the Randolph Campus in decades, and received enthusiastic financial support from SPA’s families and alumni/ae. “I had been a trustee, and we were often in discussion about how there was no place at the school for everyone to get together,” Ruth Huss remembers. School plays were performed on stage at the Goodrich Campus in the Sarah Converse auditorium, while music ensembles migrated to O’Shaughnessy Auditorium on St. Catherine University’s campus to perform. “Building a space like this seemed like a good way to get it all done,” she says.

While the addition was practical—finally creating a comfortable and dedicated space for performances and celebrations— it was also pedagogical, calling attention to an innovative academic program where the performing arts are central, not peripheral.

“To have a space of this caliber at an institution of our size sends a pretty clear message [about the value SPA places on the arts] and that we’re proud of our academic program,” says Dr. Luis Ottley, SPA’s Head of School. “It’s a stunning space, and [...] it’s aligned with our values of purpose and excellence.”

In fact, the facility rivals that of many elite college campuses, with a 650-seat auditorium, and a professional-grade theater with high-tech lighting, two catwalks, a full orchestra pit, and a 50-foot fly space for managing complex set changes. Created by HGA’s Tim Carl, the design principal behind the University of Minnesota’s Northrop Auditorium, Macalester College’s Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, and the Ordway Concert Hall, the Huss Center also features strong acoustic design, making it possible to showcase solo performers and musical casts of 50 students or more.

Jack Romans ’16 was one of the first students to experience the full potential of the Huss Center when it opened. Playing the lead role of Jean Valjean in the school’s production of Les Misérables, an ambitious musical staging

“ When it first opened, it was like we’d landed in paradise. It’s not just an auditorium, but it’s this fabulous palace that gives us all the options of doing anything and everything that one could dream of.

ALMUT ENGELHARDT DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL ORCHESTRAS

that would have been impossible in the school’s previous Lower School venue, he says the professional features of the space elevated students’ performance in every way.

“It was an incredible honor to be able to give back to our school community with a production in a space made possible by alumni/ae who were also choosing to give back to the school,” says Romans, who went on to study theater at Williams Col-

lege. Now pursuing a graduate degree exploring theater for young audiences at the University of Hawai’i, Manoa, Romans says “learning by performing was deeply woven” into his SPA experience, from unpacking a text around a Harkness table, to presenting a senior speech. While those experiences are important for students wherever they go in life, the advent of the Huss Center is one of the ways that SPA demonstrated to him that the arts are a serious pursuit. “The Huss Center is a legitimate performing

“

In the world of theater, the director is the one who turns chaos into art. Since September, our theater office has felt a little too quiet and far less chaotic without Seves. For many years, he has been the heartbeat of the theater department, bringing his art and his vision to countless productions and mentoring generations of young performers. What we miss most, though, is his laughter that echoed through Huss and the joy he brought to the SPA community. Seves, know that we are all rooting for you during this next act. We are holding your spot at the production table, ready to collaborate, problem-solve, and laugh together once again.

MIDDLE SCHOOL THEATER TEACHER & DIRECTOR ED WILLIAMS, JR., SPEAKING ABOUT HIS COLLEAGUE, UPPER SCHOOL THEATER TEACHER & DIRECTOR, ERIC SEVERSON, WHO HAS BEEN AWAY ON MEDICAL LEAVE

arts space,” he says. “It’s not softened or lowered in any way for the sake of being an educational space. The type of theater work I do now is very much attributable to the message and the education that I got at SPA.”

SPA’s arts faculty say the Huss Center has inspired them to take on more complex work, from staging demanding Broadway plays like Hadestown, to attempting more challenging ensemble works that take full advantage of the growing numbers of participating students.

“I wouldn’t try a Shostakovich symphony with just 10 people,” says Engelhardt, Brooks Chair in Visual and Performing Arts, who remembers starting her tenure at SPA in the early 1990s with fewer than a dozen musicians in each division. But as SPA’s orchestra enrollment has grown, more significantly since the opening of the Huss Center, “Now we can play anything. It’s completely blown open the possibilities of the kind of music we can expose our students to and gives them options that we could have only dreamt of before.”

Choral Director Tim Kraack ’05 says that having a musical home has also encouraged students to “really take ownership of the space,” and to create performances that reflect the culture and interests of SPA students. “Our Middle School spring choir concerts have become this really special thing where I program choices around a theme, and then I have students do poetry in between songs, and we project artwork above us, or super titles above the performers,” he says. “It’s the kind of experimentation that can happen because we’re right here.”

Having a professional-level theater has also encouraged SPA to stage home-grown projects like the 2024 Spring Musical The Logic Pit, an original work written by

Kraack, that included parts for 36 students from Grades 1-12. One of the cast members was Rowan Moore, an SPA senior who has been cast in many plays and productions during their High School experience.

“Arts can get overlooked a lot, for sports, or just academics in general, so it makes me grateful that SPA wanted to invest in the arts, to have this really nice performing space for us,” they say. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today without theater. I’ve learned to push myself, I’ve become a better leader and support people to create a welcoming space. I’ve learned to be less afraid of showing who I am and who I want to be, and I’ve become more comfortable in myself and in embracing things that might seem too weird or too strange or too out there, because that’s sometimes what you have to do in theater.”

Engelhardt says these are some of the most powerful lessons she’s seen her students learn in the Huss Center, as they find their own voices, and combine them with their classmates in performances that can never be repeated. “A successful performance is incredibly satisfying, and it’s an experience unlike any other except maybe athletics,” she says. “We practice, practice, practice, and then it’s now or never.”

Having arts so deeply embedded in our curriculum gives SPA students the chance to transcend academic demands, and to explore questions that go even deeper. “Coming to choir or orchestra or to practice in a play is a really good reset for the kids in the middle of their school day,” Engelhardt says. “It’s good to deal with something that expresses the human experience. Our job is not to play correctly so that you get an A, but to tell the story of what it’s like to be human, and what it’s like to be you.”

COMMENCEMENT CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2025

June 8, 2025, marked our celebration of the St. Paul Academy and Summit School Class of 2025. On a beautiful day, we gathered with families and friends to honor the 95 members of the graduating class on the North Lawn. Rolando Castellanos, beloved Upper School Spanish teacher, spoke to the graduating class about how the education they received at St. Paul

Academy and Summit School was never about being smart or successful; it was about becoming good human beings who can change the world. He urged the graduates to lead with both intellect and compassion, and recognize their responsibility to care for others, listen deeply, and act with empathy in the communities that they are in.

6: Bora Mandic received the 2025 Faculty Bowl, awarded to the senior who has shown unusual breadth and depth of intellectual interest and outstanding commitment to academic excellence. 2 3 4 6

5

1: Commencement ceremony.

2: Ben Macedo, PJ Bohjanen, Rohan Kharbanda, Amir Dahm, Caden Burns, Bora Mandic, Jacob Colton, Aidan Williams, Elliot Cooper, Arlo Zirps, Humza Jameel, Andrew Evens, and Daniel Schumacher.

3: Cerena Karmaliani received the 2025 Alumni/ ae Bowl, presented to an individual elected by the faculty from nominations made by the senior class. It is given each year to the member of the class deemed to be most outstanding in many areas of school life.

4 & 5: Aarushi Bahadur and Serene Kalugdan were the recipients of the 2025 Head of School Bowl, awarded to those members of the senior class who have been recognized by their peers and teachers for significant contributions to the school.

ONWARDS 2025 COLLEGE CHOICES

Berklee College of Music

Boston University

Bowdoin College (2)

Brandeis University

California Polytechnic State University

Carleton College (5)

Carnegie Mellon University (2)

Claremont McKenna College (2)

Colby College (2)

Colgate University (2)

Colorado College

Columbia University

Dartmouth College (3)

DePaul University

Fordham University

George Washington University

Grinnell College

Harvey Mudd College

Johnson & Wales University

Loyola University Chicago

Macalester College

Michigan State University

Minneapolis College

Mount Holyoke College (2)

New York University

Northwestern University

Oberlin College

Occidental College

Princeton University

Queen’s University

Santa Clara University

Smith College

St. Olaf College (3)

Stanford University (2)

Trinity University

Tulane University of Louisiana

University of California (Berkeley)

University of Chicago

University of Colorado Boulder (3)

University of Denver (6)

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota (7)

University of New Hampshire

University of Oregon

University of San Diego (2)

University of Southern California

University of St Thomas

University of Washington (3)

University of Waterloo

University of Wisconsin (9)

Webb Institute

Wesleyan University

Williams College

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

ALUMNI/AE NEWS

ALUMNI/AE EVENT CALENDAR

June 2026

COMMENCEMENT FOR THE CLASS OF 2026

Sunday, June 7, 2026, 4:00 p.m. Randolph Campus

July 2026

ALUMNI/AE DAY AT THE ST. PAUL SAINTS VS. LOUISVILLE BATS

Sunday, July 19, 2026, 2:07 p.m. CHS Field, St. Paul

September 2026

REUNION WEEKEND 2026

Friday and Saturday, September 25-26, 2026 Randolph Campus, Goodrich Campus, and other locations

2026 ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CEREMONY

Friday, September 25, 2026, 5:00 p.m.

Huss Center, Randolph Campus

November 2026

YOUNG ALUMNI/AE GOLD

REUNIONS: CELEBRATING THE CLASSES OF 2016 AND 2021

Friday, November 27, 2026

Various times and locations

Visit www.spa.edu/alumni or contact Kate Bogdan, Assistant Director of Alumni/ae Engagement, at kbogdan@spa.edu for more information.

ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME WELCOMES NEW CLASS

On Friday, September 5, 2025, SPA welcomed the fourth class of honorees into the St. Paul Academy and Summit School Athletics Hall of Fame. During the ceremony, kicking off the Reunion Weekend 2025 festivities, eleven outstanding athletes and one very notable coach were inducted. Head of School Dr. Luis Ottley and Athletics Director Paul Moyer welcomed honorees and guests, and retired teachers and coaches Mickey Scott and Jim McVeety emceed the program. The 2025 inductees honored at the ceremony were Mark Krinsky ’60, Robin Larson ’74, Julia Lane Weyerhaeuser Heidmann ’77, Julia Mairs Weisbecker ’84, Jesse Bradley ’88, Manuel “Manny” Lagos ’90, Leo Cullen ’94, Gina Suh Howell ’94, Sarah Russell ’95, Erica Olson ’97, Thomas “TJ” Prunty ’00, and coach Clifford “Cliff” Caine.

REUNION WEEKEND 2025

Thank you to all who attended Reunion Weekend 2025! We had an amazing weekend welcoming back so many alumni/ ae and friends to campus. Guests had the opportunity to enjoy delicious food, reconnect with classmates, listen to live music from current students, take a few fun photos, record some special school memories, and pick up new spirit wear and school swag! Alumni/ae and their guests were guided through the new spaces at the Goodrich Campus on Saturday morning and we welcomed the Class of 1975 into the Heritage Society while celebrating all classes who have graduated fifty years ago or more at the Heritage Brunch. This year, we also recognized alumni/ae classes ending in “0” and “5” and most of those classes gathered for

their class parties on Saturday evening. See page 45 for photos from class parties.

ALUMNI/AE COUNCIL SPEAKER SERIES

LIVING BY DESIGN

The SPA Alumni/ae Council hosted the Speaker Series event, “Living by Design: A Conversation on Inspiration, Process, and Purpose,” on Monday, April 7, 2025. Ana Panone Baker ’06 led an inspiring and interesting discussion with Mary Bemis ’90, founder of Reprise Activewear, and Joan Nahurski-Dionisio ’01, Head Design Manager for Pottery Barn, as they spoke about their businesses, where they find design inspiration, and the processes that they follow to develop a concept into a final product.

“ When I think about SPA, I think about...embracing the moment of relationships, creating curiosity, and, most importantly, being open-minded about what’s going to happen next.

ALI HUSSAIN ’07

PLANNING YOUR FUTURE IN THE WORLD OF AI

On Monday, January 12, 2026, Ali Hussain ’07, Founder and CEO of Tabs, was the featured speaker at the SPA Alumni/ae Council Speaker Series program, “Planning Your Future in the World of AI.” Guided by Laura Martini ’04, the discussion explored Ali’s journey to founding an AI-based revenue platform and how we can prepare for this uniquely fast-moving technological shift. Ali reflected on how his experiences at SPA shaped the way he has navigated his life and career since graduation, and he shared valuable insights into the growing role AI will play in our everyday lives.

Inspiring Wonder: The Camp Widjiwagan Tradition

“I was one of the lucky kids to attend Widji in 1975, during only the second year of the program. Back then, the ‘EcoHike’ required an overnight outdoors. It was -17°F, and we all miraculously survived! Decades later, Widji remains a rite of passage for our 7th graders. It’s always a joy to hear their ‘tall tales’ upon return: stories of new friendships, the daring sauna-dip, and discovering the treasure of the Boundary Waters. Year after year, the highlights remain the same: the night hike, Predator/Prey, crosscountry skiing, the amazing food, and that irreplaceable cabin bonding.”

KRISTIN FLOM ’80 MIDDLE SCHOOL FRENCH FACULTY

Additional operational support from the Annual Fund helps to make these kinds of life-changing experiences possible.

To support student programs like Widji, make your SPA Annual Fund gift by June 30 to the “Student Support” designation.

CLASS NOTES

1933

Robert Eliot Matteson’s (d. 1994) selfpublished booklet, originally written in 1993 for family and friends, about his part in the extraordinary capture of Ernst Kaltenbrunner in the Austrian Alps at the end of the war in 1945 was released in June 2025 as a full memoir with appendices and historic photos added by his sons Sumner and Fredric. Robert was a member of General Patton’s Third Army and Capturing Kaltenbrunner: The Pursuit, Capture, and Trial of Hitler’s Hidden Gestapo Chief details the mountaintop ambush and postwar Nuremberg trial of Kaltenbrunner, the head of the Nazi Gestapo.

1942

1951

Class Agent Harry McNeely Jr.

Betsy Turner ’65 regularly meets up with Leila Poullada and shared this photo of Leila from one of their lunches this past spring.

Class Agent The Class of 1951 is looking for a Class Agent. If you’re interested, please contact us at alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

Hector Rupert writes that he is an honorary life member of his local Boy Scouts Council and reached 50 years of registration with the Boy Scouts of America in February 2025 — a milestone considering that he was out of Scouts for 30 years! Some health issues have ended his birding hobby and ability to drive, but he has an electric tricycle that he rides for short errands, adding that he once managed to fit over $100 worth of groceries into his cargo basket on one trip!

1965

Class Agent The Class of 1965 is looking for a Class Agent. If you’re interested, please contact us at alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

Members of the Summit School Class of 1965 met up for lunch in St. Paul in November to catch up with a classmate who was not able to attend Reunion Weekend. Pictured left to right are Mary Ann Barrows Wark, Betsy Bertholf Parish, Katie Davis Eddleston, Betsy Turner, and Barbara Clark Vlacich.

1970

Class Agent Charlie Greenman

Members of the Class of 1970 frequently meet up around the Twin Cities.

Pictured here on one of their walks are Gates Blodgett, Charlie Greenman, Bob Adair, Barry Ross and dog Roscoe, and Bill James

After 25 years working in banking, and 20 years working for nonprofits, Bookie Read-Orr retired from the Texas Department of Agriculture to

become a part-time volunteer, home rehabber and gardener, and dog parent. She and her retired husband sold their Austin home and split their time between homes in St. Paul and Plano, TX. Their daughter and her fiancé, and four adult grandkids live in Anoka County, so they enjoy time with them as well as friends from Summit School.

1975

Class Agent Lit Field

1976

Nick Scott enjoyed the Christmas lights in London and made sure to represent SPA along the way!

Class Agent Doug Whitaker

After teaching stints and community organizing in Duluth, Edward France moved to Austria in 1995 with his wife and two daughters. He has trained as a Montessori educator and taught and directed a Montessori kindergarten for twenty-one years. In retirement, he has pursued his longstanding political interests by writing a recently published book: A Different Way Forward: Social Market Capitalism & Social Partnership in Europe, Austria and the USA. The book surveys and appraises the historic and recent trajectory of American ‘market capitalism’ in comparison to the development of ‘social market capitalism’ in Europe and Austria. Learn more at edwardfrance.com.

1986

Class Agent John Patterson

Robert Plant and his band Saving Grace recorded a version of “Higher Rock,” a song written by singer-songwriter Martha Scanlan, for their latest album. The band has performed the song live, including at an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, which aired November 2025. Plant praised Martha’s work, calling it part of a “song book of the lost and found.”

1991

Class Agent The Class of 1991 is looking for a Class Agent. If you’re intersted, please contact us at alumni@spa.edu or 651-6961308.

SPA welcomed the Jarfalla Hockey Club, a Swedish U18 team, to campus this winter as part of their visit to Minnesota for the World Juniors Exhibition Showcase. This visit was especially meaningful because it was a reunion between David Landes ’92 and Dan Nyberg, who accompanied the team with the goal of exposing their sons, Tim and Niklas, and 16 high school-aged Swedish players to Minnesota hockey. David’s family hosted Dan, a Swedish foreign exchange student, during the 1990-91 school year and David and Dan forged a friendship and a strong bond around their love of hockey. The Swedish team enjoyed a week of games, practices, and experiences while they were in Minnesota, including a jersey swap and a joint practice at Drake Arena with the SPA team. In a reversal of roles, David has lived in Sweden for nearly 20 years and Dan lives in the DC area. Photo credit: Olivia Hicks/The Minnesota Star Tribune

1993

Class Agents Ben Beach, John Cosgriff, Jim Delaney, Mary Dickinson MacDonald

David Coggins is a regular columnist for Artful Living magazine, where he provides sophisticated guidance on men’s style, travel, and the “art of living” with a focus on classic elegance and personal expression. His columns often blend sartorial advice with cultural observations, drawing on his experiences as a Minnesotan living in New York. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Men and Style.

1995

Class Agents Katie Kirschbaum Frisch, Kris Weum

Anil Menon is a NASA astronaut who will be launching on his first mission to the International Space Station in June 2026. In a story done by KARE 11 in the fall, Anil credits faculty and staff at SPA, especially former teacher George Leiter, for challenging him and launching him to where he is today.

1997

Class Agents Dena Citron Larson, Jeff Jarosch

Dr. Mayme Hostetter was formally installed as the twenty-second president of Hamline University on November 6, 2025. Mayme attended Harvard University and Columbia University and most recently served as president of Relay Graduate School of Education, a private Manhattan graduate school for teachers, which she also helped found. Photo credit: Hamline University

2004

Class Agents Ashley Anton, Andria Mann, Tyler Olson, Sarah Raisch

Sarah Raisch has been named a partner at Romanucci & Blandin, a national personal injury firm primarily based in Chicago. In September 2025, she was named to the 40 Under Forty list of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and she is also featured on the Best Lawyers in America list for 2026. Sarah focuses her practice on cases pertaining to survivors of sexual abuse, medical malpractice, and civil rights & police misconduct.

2010

Class Agent Anne Walli

Claire Redhelm (née Wilhelm), the Risk Manager for the Lunar Gateway Program at NASA, toured the Neutral Buoyancy Lab where astronauts train for spacewalks at the Johnson Space Center in Houston with her husband Josh in August 2025. Claire and Josh were lucky enough to catch suit up at the beginning of the day and were allowed to take a photo with one of the astronauts before he went on his training run. They later googled the astronaut and were surprised to discover that the astronaut was fellow SPA alumnus Anil Menon! Anil is training for his June 2026 mission to the International Space Station.

2012

Class Agent Bari Applebaum

Thomas Moyers and his wife, Maggie Raemer Moyers, welcomed their first child, Ruby Margaret Moyers, on April 4, 2025, in Boston, Massachusetts.

2013

Class Agents Sophia Myers-Kelley, Reid Kett

Steven Olson and his wife Madi (a former Lower School teacher), welcomed Arlo Odin Olson in June 2025.

2015

Class Agent Luke Bishop

Sheila Sullivan married Isaiah Welckle (son of Kirsten Wedes ’77) on August 9, 2025. Several classmates were in attendance, including Ben Pettee, Mychal Morris, Delaney Carter, Isaac Forsgren, Jackie Olson, Maddie Flom-Staab, and Molly Fiedler.

2016

Class Agent The Class of 2016 is looking for a Class Agent. If you’re interested, please contact us at alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

Patrick Commers married Caitlin Tycz on Great Diamond Island in Portland, Maine on July 12, 2025. Caitlin is from Brunswick, Maine, and is currently completing her internship year to complete her Psy.D at the University of Nebraska, where she lives with the couple’s French Bulldog, Casco. Patrick is currently living in Denver, finishing up his MBA at the University of Denver, and working as a Product Analyst at bet365.

2021

Class Agent The Class of 2021 is looking for a Class Agent. If you’re interested, please contact us at alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

Jonas Bray, one of the founding members of the SPA ultimate frisbee team, continued to play collegiately at Lewis and Clark College. Last spring, his team won college nationals.

IN MEMORIAM

1952

Austin Knight Pryor (February 21, 2025)

1953

William Langford (June 1, 2025)

1954

Theodore “Ted” Koch (July 5, 2025)

1957

Thomas H. Patterson (March 6, 2026)

1960

Robert Greenman (June 7, 2025)

Janice Goodwin Rupert (September 19, 2025)

1961

Catherine Pawlcyn Magnuson (December 20, 2020)

Donald Bruce (January 19, 2026)

1962

Guy Chase (February 3, 2019)

1964

Bruce Myers (June 11, 2025)

1965

Cal Brown (May 28, 2025)

Scott Fredrick Peterson (May 8, 2025)

1970

Lucia Fellows Palmer (October 22, 2025)

1971

Endel Kallas (May 10, 2025)

1974

John Randall Tiffany (June 11, 2025)

Correction: In the last issue of the SPA The Magazine, we incorrectly noted the passing of Joan Drury ’63. She reached out to us and is currently living in Connecticut. We apologize for this error.

CLASS REUNIONS

Who’s who? Scan the QR code to find out who was in attendance at each party.

SUMMIT SCHOOL

TOGETHER FOR SPA: THE POWER OF OUR COLLECTIVE GIVING

At St. Paul Academy and Summit School, we are at our best when we work together to build a stronger community and an environment of belonging. The Annual Fund is the cornerstone of this effort, providing the margin of excellence that tuition alone does not cover. These philanthropic gifts from parents, alumni/ae, and friends make the most quintessential parts of the SPA experience possible: from the depth of courses in the Upper School and a two-teacher model in our Lower School homerooms, to the transformative seventh-grade trip to Camp Widjiwagan. By contributing to the Annual Fund, we ensure our programs maintain the extraordinary breadth that allows our students to thrive.

Our collective gifts, regardless of size, are what make the full SPA experience a reality. High participation levels are more than just numbers: they create a pow-

erful energy and serve as a vital sign of confidence in our mission and values. We believe in Together for SPA, a collective effort that moves us beyond the basics to ensure our students receive a truly exceptional education.

We invite you to live out this Together for SPA belief by joining us for Spartans Give Day on Thursday, April 30, as we come together to celebrate and support our school. Your participation on this day helps us reach our annual participation goals and unlocks additional challenge funds, amplifying the impact of your generosity. Together, we can ensure that SPA remains a place of belonging and excellence for all our students and families.

Scan here to learn more about Spartans Give Day and make your gift.

Annual Report 2024-2025: Updates and Corrections

Please note the following updates and corrections to the 20242025 Annual Report. We extend our apologies for these errors and we thank these donors for their generosity.

Missing from the Class of 2026 parent donor list:

Christen Tarantino and Aric Bieganek

Jinhua and Sharon Wang

Timothy and Liz Welsh

Joseph and Tracy Wetternach

Dina Wolkoff

Jack and Anne Wussler

Middle School Jazz Cabaret

Upper School Spring Musical May 2025: Hadestown

April 2025 Middle School Spring Showcase May 2025

Middle School Fall Play

October 2025: A Monster Calls

Upper School Fall Play

November 2025: The Dining Room

Middle School Winter Choral Concert

December 2025

Middle School Winter

Instrumental Concert

December 2025

Upper School Pops Concert

December 2025

1712 Randolph Avenue

St. Paul, MN 55105-2194

TO PARENTS OF ALUMNI/AE: If this is no longer the current mailing address for your alumni/ae child, please email us at alumni@spa.edu or call 651-696-1308.