Cyrus Winter/Spring 2026 (issue 18)

School

Andrea Carla Michaels’ ʼ76 puzzling life

School Houses Rock Middle School cultivates culture Feeling Groovy On tour with Javi Reyes ʼ10

Cyrus

a magazine for alumni and friends of The Blake School

Editor

Kristin Stouffer

Managing Editor

Tracy Grimm

Graphic Designer

Lora Aadalen Joshi

Thanks to the many Blake community members who have contributed to this publication.

Mission

Blake engages students with a dynamic, academically challenging education in a diverse and supportive community committed to pluralism and a common set of values. Students pursue an integrated program of academic, artistic and athletic activities, preparing for college, lifelong learning and purposeful lives as community and global citizens.

Core Values

Curiosity | Kindness Inclusivity | Resilience

Commitment to Pluralism

A vibrant learning environment springs from a diverse school community. For this reason, Blake seeks and values students, families and employees with a wide range of backgrounds, identities and life experiences. Individually and collectively, we strive for understanding across differences in an inclusive environment where everyone can belong, contribute and thrive.

Why Cyrus?

Cyrus Northrop played a formative role in one of Blake’s founding institutions. In 1915, Northrop Collegiate School was named in his honor to recognize Dr. Northrop’s achievements as a nationally regarded educator and as president of the University of Minnesota. His legacy of educational excellence continues at Blake today.

cyrus@blakeschool.org

Creative Connections

This Cyrus issue captures many kinds of creativity—colorful murals, clever crosswords, theater workshops, letters of love, sorting ceremonies, pop music, novels, documentaries and personal essays—to name a few.

Across their various forms, these creative endeavors bring people together. Andrea Carla Michaels’ ’76 crosswords have created an international community of puzzlers (page 6). Middle School students and adults come together in four different “houses,” complete with seals, chants and mottos (page 12). Javi Reyes ’10 creates music with friends that attracts thousands of fans to his vibrant shows (page 18). Upper School media arts teacher J Jolton ’78 shares observations about Blake then and now that you likely will relate to no matter when you graduated (page 29).

I’d like to invite you to connect with teachers, alumni, families and friends— and make a creation of your own at an ice cream bar—at Sundae Funday. This informal all-ages Blake community celebration is on Thursday, May 28, 3:30-5:30 p.m. on the Blake campus in Hopkins (details on page 28). I hope to see you there!

Anne E. Stavney, Ph.D. Head of School

The

Blake School

Four Houses, One School

The Middle School house system strengthens school culture and defines a common purpose.

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Javi Reyes ʼ10 finds his groove on the road making music with friends.

Andrea Carla Michaels ’76 thinks outside the box to craft fan-favorite puzzles for the New York Times and other publications.

6

IN BRIEF

ARTS HIGHLIGHT

MURAL ARTIST CURATES, COLLABORATES AND CULTIVATES COMMUNITY

“Engagement, engagement, engagement,” are the three words Ver Ikeseh uses to describe his art, and the muralist proved it during his two weeks on campus as Blake’s 2025-26 McGuire Visiting Artist. Ikeseh led a team of Middle School students in creating a new mural in the division’s main corridor. He worked with Upper School students on a different, but thematically tied, mural for the Carlson Commons. Students were instrumental in the entire process, from generating design ideas to prepping the walls and painting the murals. To prepare for Ikeseh’s visit, students who participated on the Middle and Upper School mural teams, led by art teachers Bill Colburn ʼ88 and Brooke Vertin, visited murals around the Twin Cities. The students met with Ikeseh by Zoom to provide input for the designs. The murals reflect the thought, creativity, hard work and school pride of every community member who contributed to the project.

FACULTY, STUDENTS

SERVE UP LIVELY MATCH

Upper School teachers gave it their all, but a team of juniors and seniors proved too great a match when the squads went head to head in a faculty-student volleyball game. In a preliminary round, upperclassmen defeated a team of ninth and tenth graders for the chance to take on their teachers. Girls’ varsity volleyball captains coached each of the competing teams and cheering fans filled the gym.

DOG

Finals week can be doggone stressful! That’s why juniors Michelle Pham and Lara Ibrani, leaders of the Upper School club Inner Peace Project, arranged a visit from North Star Therapy Animals during the test- and project-heavy week leading up to winter break. Students welcomed, with celebrity-like fanfare, therapy dogs Boots and Otto, who happily accepted pats, scratches, hugs and photo ops—and successfully lowered the stress and raised the joy on campus.

SCHOOL FOREST EXPANDS CLASSROOM OPPORTUNITIES

Located behind the Early Learning Center, Blake’s school forest provides nearly five acres where students can learn, play and enjoy nature. Designated an official DNR School Forest by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 2017, the area has been busy this year, thanks to the dedication of Lower School teachers Ali Clare and Nick Seme. Over summer 2025, the two visited other school forests to observe best practices. “We learned how to keep our forest a safe place for the Blake community, how to encourage play and learning in the spaces and how to encourage more community members to spend time in the forest.” Clare and Seme began an interest-based after-school program, Forest Protectors, that offers students the opportunity to help with preservation and sustainability. A group of about 30 student protectors remove invasive species, identify plants, create maps, make preservation signage and enjoy the forest by playing games and building forts. Blake’s pre-kindergartners, who visit the forest weekly throughout the school year, also take responsibility for looking after the woods. Pre-K teacher Lisa Small says, “The first plant they identify is burdock, which they joyfully dig up. When spring arrives, we await the squill. The children quickly learn the phrase ‘Dig the squill!’” In the spring, new additional learning spaces will allow several classes to be in the forest at the same time. These efforts support Blake’s priority to develop students’ thinking around the environment, climate science and their agency as leaders now and beyond Blake.

SERVICE

LETTERS OF LOVE AND BEAR HUGS

Following the tragedy at Annunciation School in Minneapolis, students in every division at Blake wondered how they could help bring comfort to Annunciation students and staff. At the Upper School, the Letters of Love Committee set up a station for students to make cards. In Middle School advisories, students made “Bear Hugs,” paper bears holding small hearts on which they wrote messages of support, and the Middle School House Council collected snacks for Annunciation faculty and staff. Fifth graders made pop-up dove cards, representing peace, kindness and joy, for International Peace Day. The cards were distributed through Letters of Love to Annunciation and other organizations.

MIDDLE SCHOOL PRESENTS FALL THEATER WORKSHOP

This year’s Middle School fall play was comprised of four short plays all written, directed and performed by talented student artists. As part of the theater workshop, student playwrights were prompted to base each play on a different Blake core value. The results? A tribute to childhood imagination, a journey of self-acceptance, a Sesame Street-inspired satire and a mystery about a school cheating scandal.

AWARDS

STAFFORD, BERKOWITZ INDUCTED INTO DEBATE HALL OF FAME

As director of debate, Shane Stafford is known for his enthusiastic devotion to his program and students. (His license plate even reads “BL8KDB8.”) Stafford’s significant contributions as a coach, mentor and advocate for diversity and inclusion, at Blake and beyond, have earned him high respect among a tight-knit community of national coaches and induction to the National Speech and Debate Association Hall of Fame, the highest honor bestowed on high school speech and debate coaches. Among the 2025 inductees is Sandy Berkowitz, former Blake assistant debate coach, speech communications teacher and Stafford’s wife, whose own four-decade career reflects a deep commitment to education and student empowerment. Together and individually, Stafford and Berkowitz have inspired countless students and coaches, including Deserea Lampe-McCoy, Upper School senior seminar and program director: “They have both been wonderful mentors to me in the debate community for years, and our Blake community is really lucky to have them.”

ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHT

FIELD TRIP TO THE PAST

Upper School science teacher Ilian DeCorte took his geology class 10 miles away and hundreds of million years into the past during a field trip to Hidden Falls Park. Students spent the morning exploring the geology and modern rock-making and rock-breaking processes in the area. “We traveled back in time to a moment when Minnesota was a shallow equatorial, continental sea, teeming with marine life. We hiked through the St. Peter Sandstone, then up through a bit of the Glenwood Shale, finally making our way to Uŋčí Makhá Park [‘Grandmother Earth’ in Dakota],” DeCorte says. At the park, the group observed a stratigraphic section that includes the boundary between the Platteville Limestone formation and the Decorah Shale formation, which contains two ash layers from massive volcanic eruptions that occurred 450 million years ago. That afternoon, in the labs at Macalester College, they chemically analyzed fossil samples they had gathered in the field.

SERVICE

STUDENTS SUPPORT LOCAL VETERANS

Tom Lyons is board chairman of the Minnesota Veterans Pantry, a community-supported fund that provides a confidential way for veterans to access food and other resources. Lyons, a Vietnam-era Air Force veteran, talked with fifth graders about his experiences and ways they could support the local veteran community. Inspired by Lyons and by a book they read in which the main character experiences food insecurity, students helped fill the shelves at the Minneapolis VA Community Resource and Referral Center. They organized a food drive, collecting 600 pounds of food that went directly to Minnesota veterans and their families.

NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM SAYS EVERYONE IS A DANCER

A new Middle School dance program is built on the philosophy that all people are movers and inherently creative. And the seventh and eighth graders taking the inaugural yearlong course, developed and taught by Katelyn Derricott, are testament to that thinking. More than half had never taken a dance class before, but by the end of first semester every student had participated in an on-stage performance, including pieces they helped choreograph. The course explores historical and contemporary choreographers in a wide variety of dance styles to study movement as a means of storytelling, expression and advocacy. Some students have become dance mentors to Blake’s pre-kindergartners, teaching them the elements of dance (body, space, time, energy, action) through creative movement games. The older “dance buddies” invited their young protégés to a sneak preview of their end-of-semester show before their performance for family and friends.

Celebrates 25 Years

Breakthrough Minneapolis at Blake (BMB and formerly LearningWorks) is an educational enrichment program for Minneapolis Public School middle school students that also provides high school and college students the opportunity to explore teaching as a profession. In celebration of BMB’s 25th anniversary, people reflect on what this impactful program has meant to them.

“Young women tend to shrink themselves or pretend to not be as smart as we really are, but not at BMB. I learned to take up space, to speak up and to be myself.”

Eva Motolinia ’18 student 2012-14, summer intern 2017

“[BMB] and Teach for America have really helped me see how important it is to be culturally responsive to your students. Knowing your community, knowing each student, understanding their background and embracing what each person brings to the classroom—these are all things that made a difference for me. I want to bring that perspective into my teaching.”

Marcus Berg ’14 student 2008-10, teaching fellow 2016-17

“It is a place that combines the best aspects of school and summer camp…Students are able to see what school can feel like when they are enthusiastic learners in a place that supports them.”

Nick Palombo ’08 teaching fellow 2007-10, staff 2011, instructional coach 2020-23

Andrea Carla Michaels (née Eisenberg) ’76 has crafted hundreds of puzzles for the New York Times and such publications as the Wall Street Journal and LA Times. What makes her crosswords especially engaging, fans say, is her ability to think outside the box.

ANDREA CARLA MICHAELS ’76

CROSSWORD QUEEN

By Joel Hoekstra

On Monday, June 12, 2000, New York Times crossword enthusiasts opened the paper and discovered a truly puzzling puzzle. Three columns in the center of the grid were shifted upwards on the page, as if the crossword had been rent asunder and stitched back together. Many readers assumed it was a misprint; some called the paper to report an error.

But for puzzlers who dove in, a surprise slowly revealed itself. Working across and down as usual, they encountered clues like “catastrophic event” and answers like “aftershock” and “San Andreas Fault.” The theme of the crossword eventually became apparent: earthquakes. The rift down the middle was a visual clue.

The author of this clever disruption was San Francisco resident Andrea Carla Michaels. The puzzle was her first for the New York Times, but not her last. Over the past 25 years, the paper has published 93 of her crosswords, making Michaels

among the top-ranked contributors to the daily feature. She has also contributed puzzles to the Wall Street Journal (20), the Los Angeles Times (30) and dozens of other publications. Regular solvers, as crossword aficionados are known, may recognize her signature references to the Bay Area and the Beatles. Among New York Times crossword superfans, she is known as the “Queen of Mondays,” since her puzzles are often selected for the first day of the work week.

Monday crosswords are considered the easiest to solve, notes Will Shortz, crossword editor of the New York Times, but that doesn’t mean they are easy to construct. For starters, Monday puzzles must have a theme (which isn’t true of the paper’s end-of-week puzzles). The clues need to be challenging but not too challenging. And Monday crosswords shouldn’t contain words like apse or epee or suq—terms that are rarely used in everyday chat but frequently appear in puzzles.

“Andrea is a master at coming up with themes that make you smile,” Shortz says, “and

she writes fresh clues—they’re not just dictionary definitions.” What’s more, he observes, she’s innovative: her earthquake crossword opened the door to all sorts of new visual variations. “It was the first time we’d ever done that,” he says. “It was literally and figuratively a groundbreaking crossword.”

NO BUSINESS LIKE _ _ _ _ BUSINESS

Michaels has lived in San Francisco since 1993. Her apartment, a block away from Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill, has a stunning view of the city. Inside, on the fireplace mantel, are faded photographs of her relatives and friends. A westward-facing windowsill is filled with orchids and leafy houseplants. A halfcompleted crossword sits next to an iMac, and a tall shelf brims with books and games: Roget’s Thesaurus, The Dictionary of Cliches, The Complete Word Finder, playing cards, Monopoly, Sorry, Careers, two sets of Boggle and multiple forms of Scrabble.

“I love words,” Michaels says. “I love how we use them to communicate, but I also love

their meanings. They’re our link to other people and ideas.”

One of three girls born to a couple transplanted to Minnesota from New York, Michaels grew up in a house overlooking Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. A bright and precocious child, she read avidly, worked puzzles and learned chess, playing competitively and winning multiple championships and titles before the age of 15.

Initially, she attended public schools. But her quick mind allowed her to skip a grade, and after her sixth grade teacher suggested Michaels needed a more challenging education to keep her engaged, her parents enrolled her at Northrop Collegiate School (which merged with the Blake School for boys in 1974). “It was a big shift, moving to an all-girls school where we had to wear a uniform,” she recalls. “But I loved it. I was curious about everything, so it was a terrific fit for me.”

She graduated at 16 and enrolled at Harvard, majoring in psychology with plans to attend law school. But at the last minute, she balked. “I thought,

Is this what you really want to do with your life?!” Instead, she embarked on a series of adventures that ultimately led her west to Los Angeles, where she used her skill with words to build a career in entertainment. She tried every angle of the business. She wrote for such game shows as Wordplay and The Challengers and sold a script to the sitcom Designing Women. She served as a chaperone on The Dating Game and eventually earned a spot on the other side of the camera, appearing as a contestant on The Weakest Link, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Jeopardy! and Win Ben Stein’s Money. Her biggest triumph, however, was an appearance on Wheel of Fortune in 1989. Solving the puzzle (C-A-B-B-A-G-E was the answer; the unhelpful clue was “Thing”) earned her $11,000 in cash, a motorcoach and a trip down the Amazon. “Unfortunately, rebels had taken over Peru at the time, and it was too dangerous to go,” Michaels recalls. “Plus, I had to sell the motorhome because, well, what was I going to do with a motorhome?”

“I LOVE WORDS. I LOVE HOW WE USE THEM TO COMMUNICATE, BUT I ALSO LOVE THEIR MEANINGS. THEY’RE OUR LINK TO OTHER PEOPLE AND IDEAS.”

Leveraging funny stories from her game-show misadventures and other odd encounters, Michaels also worked nights as a stand-up comic, taking the stage at the Improv and other famed LA clubs. In 1984, the Showtime network dubbed her “Funniest Person in California.” She rubbed shoulders with Chris Rock and met Jerry Seinfeld. At one point, after a meeting

with producer Lorne Michaels, a deal with Saturday Night Live seemed to be in the offing, but the job never materialized.

After eight years in Los Angeles, Michaels was ready for something new. She moved back north to San Francisco, working temp jobs and doing standup. When a friend suggested her clever way with words might be applied to marketing

and branding, she began to look for opportunities and landed some freelance gigs. “I got hired to name a salad dressing, an Italian clothing line, an airline—remember People Express? That became Vanguard,” she says. “I even named a parasite-proof potato: New Leaf.”

For Michaels, the assignments felt more like fun than actual work. It was wordplay that came with a paycheck. “But I’ve never been a very good businessperson,” she says. “I couldn’t believe how much they were charging clients. It seemed like a scam. They’d charge the client $50,000 for something that only took me 10 minutes to do. It’s true I only got $1,000 of that sum, but it was something I would gladly do for free!”

She eventually established her own firm, ACME Naming, a nod to the Roadrunner cartoons. The letters also cleverly matched her initials (Andrea Carla Michaels, plus Eisenberg). Originally, she considered launching her company with no name at all. “Wouldn’t that be funny?” she says. “A naming

“UNFORTUNATELY, REBELS HAD TAKEN OVER PERU AT THE TIME, AND IT WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO GO. PLUS, I HAD TO SELL THE MOTORHOME BECAUSE, WELL, WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO WITH A MOTORHOME?”

company that doesn’t have a name? That’s maybe too clever by half…”

ANGRY DEMEANOR OR TYPE OF PUZZLE: _ _ _ _ _

The standard dimensions of a daily New York Times crossword are 15 by 15 boxes, expanded on Sunday to 21 squares across and down. The number of black blocks in the

grid varies, but the pattern must be symmetrical: rotated 180 degrees, the design appears identical.

The streets of San Francisco were platted in the mid-1800s in similar fashion, a grid laid out first on paper then rigidly applied to the landscape without regard for its rolling terrain. But as neighborhoods have grown

and shifted, blocks have changed from desirable to destitute, beautiful to blighted, occupied to empty—and then back again—in no predictable pattern. During Michaels’s four decades in San Francisco, as both real estate wealth and homelessness have skyrocketed, the contrasts block by block have only grown starker.

Each day, Michaels circumnavigates a nearby neighborhood, handing out food or clothing. It began in 2015, when she walked into a local pizzeria at closing time and asked if she could have any leftover pies destined for the trash. In time, she became known as “Pizza Lady” among “neighbors on the street,” as she calls them. In 2023, the

city’s board of supervisors recognized her efforts with a special commendation.

Nowadays, she mostly gives away bagels, socks and T-shirts that people have donated directly to her or given away on websites like BuyNothingSF. Walking through the Tenderloin on a recent afternoon, she scanned for people sitting on a curb or slumped in a doorway. “Do you need a shirt?” she asked. “How about this one? Or maybe something blue? Do you need socks too?”

Almost always she offers individuals a choice. Sometimes they decline the clothes, but most accept the items and voice their gratitude. Many recognize her, and some she knows by name. She rarely encounters hostility, but she does stay clear of dark alleys and potential dangers. From past encounters, she knows how to distinguish individuals who are high from those who are drunk, those on crack from those on heroin. “I try not to get too involved in people’s stories because it breaks my heart,” she says.

“I GOT HIRED TO NAME A SALAD DRESSING, AN ITALIAN CLOTHING LINE, AN AIRLINE—REMEMBER PEOPLE EXPRESS? THAT BECAME VANGUARD. I EVEN NAMED A PARASITE-PROOF POTATO: NEW LEAF.”

INFORMAL TEACHER OF SORTS: _ _

One day last fall, Michaels took the bus downtown to meet several other crossword creators. The group of “constructors,” as makers are known in the crossword community, gathers monthly for lunch at a public sculpture garden to talk about recent work, share tips and tricks and trade information about editors and publishers.

Themes and words are regular topics of discussion. Repeating a theme (three or more answers that are linked conceptually) is generally frowned upon, while debuting a new word or phrase brings applause. Legend has it that all words and themes must pass the “breakfast test”—an arbitrary standard that disallows the use of coarse language and upsetting topics on the grounds it might provoke ire or indigestion among readers of the morning paper. Former New York Times crossword editor Margaret Farrar allegedly banned words related to death, disease, war and taxes.

For her part, Michaels tries to avoid controversial

words, but it isn’t easy. A name like Idi Amin, while perfect crossword fodder because of its short vowel-rich makeup, is sure to sour your breakfast (“Honey, what was the name of the Butcher of Uganda?”). Referencing former baseball star Alex Rodriguez, Michaels jokes: “Every day I say, ‘Please A-Rod, don’t get canceled!’” Michaels’s puzzles are clever—a reflection of the delight she takes in making them—and her friends have come to recognize her signature moves.

“Andrea’s puzzles have a bounciness in their clues,” says Rich Proulx, a friend and fellow constructor. “It’s clear she loves wordplay.”

Michaels is well-regarded in the Bay Area’s crossword community not only for her accomplishments but also for her encouragement of others. “Andrea is not just Queen of Mondays, she’s also Queen of Collaboration,” says Dena Verkuil, who met Michaels a few years ago and has partnered with her on two New York Times crosswords with Verkuil crafting the grid and Michaels conjuring clues.

With her contributions to the New York Times nearing 100 puzzles, you might think Michaels would be eyeing a triple-digit goal. (Her Monday crosswords rival, Lynn Lempel, has 103 New York Times puzzles under her belt.) But her current bucket list includes other items: doing a one-woman show about comedian Gracie Allen, returning to Jeopardy! and rewriting The Odyssey as told through a young girl’s eyes.

“I don’t mind not knowing what’s next,” she says. “The last thing I want is to know what’s happening tomorrow.”

Joel Hoekstra, a Minneapolis writer, is a frequent contributor to Cyrus.

Answers Show, Cross, Mentor

FOUR HOUSES, ONE SCHOOL

THE MIDDLE SCHOOL HOUSE SYSTEM STARTED THREE YEARS AGO AS A WAY TO STRENGTHEN SCHOOL CULTURE AND DEFINE THE DIVISION’S COMMON PURPOSE.

16 15 14

HOW’S JAVI? ROCKIN’ ON

GUITARIST, SINGER AND SONGWRITER JAVI REYES ’10 FINDS HIS GROOVE ON THE ROAD MAKING MUSIC WITH FRIENDS.

Reyes spent much of 2025 on tour with his band Post Animal, opening for and playing with Djo (the musical persona of Stranger Things actor Joe Keery). In the midst of a worldwide tour with stops in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and the U.S., Post Animal released its fourth album, Iron, and Reyes put out How’s Javi?, his second solo album. He hits the road again this spring with Djo’s South American tour and expects to drop new albums later this year.

Question: You’ve had a busy year creating music and touring. How are you feeling?

Answer: I’m feeling really lucky to be doing this, especially with friends I’ve known for over a decade. That we’re still doing this in our 30s is kind of surreal because at a certain point the narrative is you hang it up. I’m very thankful we’ve kept going and seem to be thriving more than ever.

Q: How did the Post Animal/ Djo tour collaboration come about?

A: Joe used to be a member of Post Animal until about 2016 but couldn’t tour with us because of his filming schedule. Despite not playing with

him for a while, we’ve always been in each other’s orbits and remained friends. A couple of years ago, Joe texted us, “Hey, what if we went and rented a house and made some music?” He just wanted to hang out and have time together. We made plans to go to Bloomington, Indiana, where we recorded our latest album, Iron. Joe also recorded his own album [The Crux], which came out this year, that I worked on too. He suggested we put out both records and then tour together. Post Animal opened for Djo. It’s all kind of a big happy family.

Q: What have been the most meaningful moments for you during this tour?

A: We did our first headlining slot at Austin City Limits in front of a crowd of about 50,000. I’ve played music festivals earlier in the day, but to close the stage is exciting and kind of surreal. I get this sensation whenever I think the band reaches a new milestone where I’ll feel what I’m seeing is like a camera lens filming my experi-

“IT ALMOST DOESN’T FEEL REAL, LIKE I’M WATCHING A MOVIE THAT IS MY LIFE. AND, YOU KNOW, THE FOG MACHINES DON’T HURT. THEY KIND OF ADD THIS SORT OF MAGICAL SURREALISM.”

ence. It almost doesn’t feel real, like I’m watching a movie that is my life. And, you know, the fog machines don’t hurt. They kind of add this sort of magical surrealism.

Another highlight was having my mom [Upper School teacher JJ Kahle] and [Middle School teacher] Maelene Krig in the audience in Amsterdam. They were chaperoning a Blake trip and came to the show at a venue called Paradiso, which is a renovated church with beautiful stained glass. It was cool to be able to play for my mom in Amsterdam. Like, what?! In a lot of ways I’m still very much who I was at Blake playing open mic nights.

Q: Every member of Post Animal contributes to the songwriting and you also create as a solo artist. How do you balance the two?

A: We’re very flowy and collaborative. When we’re together I’ll strum on the acoustic guitar and sing a little bit for the band and see how they react. Some-

times they’ll say, “That’s cool. What else?” And then I’ll strum something else and eventually they’ll go, “What’s that? That would be cool.” I try not to be too precious and claim a song just for myself. If [the band] wants to do a song, I trust them to make it something great. And then the things I do at home or by myself often end up being my own thing.

Q: How have you evolved as a musician?

A: I used to be more fearful of how an idea would evolve with the band because of how they would switch things around in my song. I just had more control issues. I think we all kind of did; there’s a lot more ego when you’re younger. Now I let [other band members] make their own part—if it’s good, great! If it feels like it needs a little adjusting then we adjust. The intention is to make the best thing we can. Everybody’s secure with how they feel. When I was younger I thought there was a perfect version of everything, and that’s just not

the case. You feel crazy trying to get the perfect take. I don’t feel like that anymore. If it feels right, I’m not going to question it too much.

Q: Any advice for aspiring professional musicians?

A: Try your best to follow what you think is good, even if people you trust musically or artistically say, “Oh that seems corny.” Don’t ever let that sway you if it speaks to you and is coming from an authentic place. Be true to yourself and don’t be afraid to take swings and try things. Also, there’s no magic button or connection to be instantly successful. You have to enjoy making the music—keep doing it. Don’t overthink or spend too much time on one song thinking it’s going to be your breakout song. Just perform as much as possible, write as much as possible because you love it, and do it with people you love.

Do you know Blake alumni doing interesting work? Let us know at cyrus@blakeschool.org.

IN PRINT

& PRODUCTION

JANEL RIEGER-CHÁVEZ,

LOWER SCHOOL ENGINEERING AND

PROGRAMMING

SPECIALIST Flow: Women’s Counternarratives from Rivers, Rock and Sky

(Rocky Mountain Books)

For several years, Janel Rieger-Chávez, a member of the Otomi Tribe in the Nahua Nation, has shared her passion for climbing through teaching mountaineering skills to other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) individuals. This anthology features stories of women who use their love of extreme sports to contribute to their community. In the chapter Mountains in My Blood: Tracing Ancestral Paths, Rieger-Chávez writes about leading a group of nine BIPOC climbers from Minnesota to the 10,871-foot summit of Washington’s Mount Baker (or Koma Kulshanhow), after teaching them the skills to pursue alpinism.

HENRY GOULD ’70 Green Radius

(Contubernales Press)

In her praise of Green Radius, Victoria Moul, professor of early modern Latin and English at University College London, says, “This huge, slowly-rolling poem of the Mississippi draws us in the course of its 132 individual pieces (plus coda and preface) from January to December 2023. Broadly modernist in its blend of myth, history, scripture, quotation and personal material, its sinuous length is made beguilingly readable by the recurring form of its wave-like stanzas. This story of the river—of the trees that become vessels upon the river, of the men and women on those vessels—is also a story of the river of time and of song.”

GAIL ERNSbERGER SCOTT ’80

Double Lives

(Mount Hood Publishing)

Double Lives tells the story of Willy Briggs, a rising televangelist and proud Texan, and his three teenage daughters. Television producer Derrick Lewis and his wife, Carla, immediately spot Willy’s potential, coaching and developing him into one of the most watched televangelists in the world. As Derrick and Carla embed themselves ever deeper into the Briggs family, key players begin to keep secrets and lead double lives. The lust for power corrupts Willy’s initial desire to uplift the downtrodden and give them hope. Double Lives is an evocative glimpse into the secrets that can drive a family to splinter, the shattering impact of sexual trauma and the power of love to bring redemption, forgiveness and healing.

ANNIE

SUNDbERG ’86

Nutcracker at Wethersfield

(Cargo Film & Releasing)

When COVID restrictions force the 2020 cancellation of Lincoln Center’s annual holiday production of The Nutcracker, a group of New York City Ballet dancers stage a groundbreaking reinterpretation of the classic ballet, performing for a masked and largely outdoor audience. Filmed entirely on location at the historic Wethersfield Estate in New York’s Hudson Valley, this documentary blends ballet, cinema, history and storytelling. Through behind-the-scenes footage of dancers, creators and musicians, The Nutcracker at Wethersfield showcases the creative process that brought 17 immersive performances of the production to life at a time when stages were dark.

Alumni are encouraged to inform Blake of their publications, recordings, films, etc., and, when possible, to send copies of books and articles. Contact us at cyrus@blakeschool.org.

Charles Baxter ’65 Blood Test: A Comedy (Pantheon)

In this comic novel, divorced Midwestern dad Brock Hobson finds his equilibrium disturbed when he takes a cutting-edge medical test and learns he has a predisposition to murder. From his gentle girlfriend to the macho subcontractor his ex-wife left him for, the characters in Brock’s life all contribute meaningfully to the drama, as challenges to his sense of self crash over him.

Norm Rickeman P’13, ’17, former trustee

Unsung: William Moultrie and the Battle of Sullivan’s Island (Palmetto Publishing)

Going beyond the battlefield, this book offers readers a deeper understanding of the societal and political contexts that set the stage for the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, a critical juncture in the American Revolutionary War that occurred near Charleston, South Carolina.

Dougie Padilla ’66 40 Feet Down (Luna Brava Press)

The third book in a quartet of poetry and memoir centered along the Mississippi River in Pepin, Wisconsin, 40 Feet Down focuses on the natural world, Padilla’s coonhound, painting, sports, writing, love, climate change, the nastiness of contemporary politics, aging and a spiritual life.

Romy Ackerberg ’11 and Annabel Cater ’11 Paperback Pleasures

In this weekly podcast, hosts Romy Ackerberg and Annabel Cater discuss and unpack books from a genre that has historically been underestimated due to its strong link to female sexuality and pleasure. Their goal: “destigmatize the most popular yet most underrated genre of literature.”

CLASS NOTES

Class notes and photos received after November 2025 will appear in the next issue of Cyrus. Notes are provided by alumni or their friends and family, and some have been edited for length and style.

55

Sandy Ellsworth Gridley shares that she attended Sarah Lawrence College for a year before transferring to Harvard College. She married Roger Gridley, who graduated from Princeton University and with whom she had two daughters. She writes, “Our first born graduated from Georgetown Law School and is a lawyer. Our younger daughter is a civil engineer. Roger and I moved to Florida in 1981. By that time I was a computer programmer, and a company in Tampa offered me twice what I was earning in Cleveland. I’ve been here in Dunedin, Florida, half my life. After being a programmer I got my real estate broker’s license and not only sold houses but bought the ones I thought would be good investments. My income is great. Lucky for me our daughters decided to move here—the civil engineer takes care of my rentals; the lawyer drives me to medical appointments. I had always been nearsighted but now have macular degeneration. Roger died five years ago, but I am doing well.”

59

Steve Lewis has relocated to Leawood, Kansas, near Kansas City.

62

Sherm Malkerson was named the 2025 recipient of Blake’s Mary MacPhail Taylor Class Rep Award. Recipients of this award are recognized for going above and beyond the responsibilities of a volunteer class representative. In the nomination submission, Sherm was recognized for “always adding a personal touch to the messages he sends to classmates, encouraging them to respond and let the class know what they are up to. The emails start flowing, and a single response turns into an entertaining thread. Sherm is always thoughtful about the Blake Fund and rallies his class around supporting the school.”

64

Al Pollock and Helen, his wife, have gone on about 40 cruises since 2015, beginning with a trip around New Zealand and including a 14-day Royal Caribbean cruise. He writes, “Our favorites were Iceland, Croatia and Madeira (an island of Portugal about 250 miles north of the Canary Islands. It is 35 miles long, 14 miles wide and over 6,000 feet high.) River cruises are great such as Budapest to Amsterdam or the Douro River in Portugal during the port wine season. Most of the cruises do an

extra four-day [excursion] before or after the cruise such as Lake Como (Italy), Lake Bled (Slovenia) or Madeira.”

65

Charles Baxter (See In Print and Production)

Henry Doerr, who now lives in Auckland, New Zealand, reports that he “remains (almost certainly) the only person in the antipodes who knows Daniel D. Danielson’s middle name.” He’s also confident he is the only Blake graduate with a life-sized pygmy hippopotamus in their front garden. Please write in if he’s wrong!

Pam Forman Reitman’s debut novel, Charlotte Salomon Paints Her Life, won the PenCraft 2025 Fall’s Best Book Award for historical fiction.

REUNION

66

New York University’s the Latinx Project, a national center for Latinx culture and academics, named Dougie Padilla’s book 40 Feet Down to its La Treintena 2025 list of the 30 best books and chapbooks of Latina/o/x/e poetry. After 40 plus years, Dougie returned to writing poetry when

he moved his art studio to the Mississippi River valley, an area he notes for its natural beauty and winter isolation. In the following decade, he created and published three full-length books of poetry, four chapbooks and one art catalog. Over the last three years, he has done 30-plus poetry readings in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota. This fall, he resumed his poetry tour with numerous events across the region. (Also see In Print and Production)

70

Henry Gould (See In Print and Production)

72

Felicity Peacock Caramanna is counsel at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, focusing on power, infrastructure and energy projects including the multi-billion dollar, multinational Empire Wind project. She recently visited Linda Wohlrabe for wine tasting in Dry Creek Valley, California.

74

Jim Stock was honored as Blake’s 2025 Outstanding Alum during this year’s Reunion and Homecoming Weekend. Jim is Harvard University’s vice provost

DURING A FLIGHT TO KAUAI, HAWAII, PASSENGERS VIVI ALYESHMERNI ’94 AND FRANK KEMERER ’59 (FORMER bLAKE TEACHER) DISCOVERED THEY ARE FELLOW bEARS, THAT THEY LIVE NEAR ONE ANOTHER (VIVI IN ORANGE COUNTY AND FRANK IN SAN DIEGO), AND THAT VIVI WAS AT STANFORD (FRANK’S ALMA MATER) THE SAME TIME AS FRANK’S DAUGHTER.

MARCIA bAUR MOON ’63 (STANDING) AND MISSY GIbSON CARY ’63 AND THEIR HUSbANDS, bILL AND JEFFREY, MET UP IN SEATTLE IN JULY.

for climate and sustainability and director of the Harvard Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, established in 2022. He leads a coordinated university-wide strategy to address climate change and bring greater visibility to Harvard’s climate and sustainability work. He was named vice provost in 2021. Jim spoke at the

WILL JOHNSON ’64, AUTHOR AND MEDITATION TEACHER, AND EMMA bRUGGEMAN IACONO ’07, MANAGING PARTNER AT YLANG YLANG bEACH RESORT, MET AND bOTH RESIDE IN THE SMALL COASTAL bEACH TOWN OF MONTEZUMA, COSTA RICA. THEY HAVE bECOME DEAR FAMILY FRIENDS.

reunion edition of Breakfast at Blake; watch his presentation at blake.mn/stock.

78

Pam Hensel Johns writes, “I couldn’t be better! We’re moving to Akumal, Mexico. It’s a sweet little village in the Riviera Maya about an hour south of Cancun.

Finn-Olaf Jones shares the following remembrance of friend and classmate Edward “Scott” Forbes, who died unexpectedly on Aug. 22, 2025.

Remembering Scott Forbes Decades after many of us had forgotten the lyrics for the Bears fight song, a new class rep introduced himself to our inbox with this opener: “Dear Blake’s Smartest Class.” Thus began the reign of Edward Scott Forbes, class of 1982, Tolstoyan emailer and relentless letter-writer. Through sheer force of personality, Scott not only resurrected our class—he made it better than we ever were. Across the globe, guest rooms opened. Dining tables lit up. Vines and trellises of interlocking friendships bloomed with people we barely remembered from sophomore gym. Through Scott’s tireless encouragement, our fragmented tribe transformed into a sprawling community built on goodwill, insider jokes, networking, family-style reunions and a new appreciation for our collective brilliance.

HENRY DOERR ’65 FEELS CONFIDENT HE IS THE ONLY bLAKE GRADUATE WITH A LIFE-SIZED PYGMY HIPPOPOTAMUS IN THEIR FRONT GARDEN.

Pat, my husband, has been going there for 40 years. We have been vacationing there for the past five years with the intention of staying longer every year. We’re renting from his dive buddy of 35 years, Jorge Gonzalez, an IMAX movie star. It’s been a magical unfolding of events that are meant to be. We both felt the pull and said yes.

Other Blake classes might take issue with Scott’s frequent lovingly crafted epistles about why we were smarter than them. But Scott had the rare gift of making a group of people, many who hadn’t laid eyes on each other for 40 years, recognize how privileged we were to have been in each others’ company, even if we didn’t appreciate it at the time.

It’s painful to accept the sudden loss of someone so eloquent, generous and fully alive. Scott died of a heart attack in August in Denver, and it’s hard to imagine our world— or inboxes—without him.

Over the years, Scott regularly sent a growing number of his classmates funny, personalized notes about how great they were doing, extolling published work (with editorial tips), professional milestones, funny tales about his own adventures, encouragement or memes just to let someone know he was thinking of them. Many were flattered that this Pied Piper would single them out, but Scott was a machine gun of written “attaboys”

Come visit. We’re leading dive retreats and couples retreats: doubledolphin.pro and 2diamonds.pro.”

80

Gail Ernsberger

Scott (See In Print and Production)

to almost everyone in the class. He was such an outstanding class rep that he was the inaugural recipient of Blake’s Mary MacPhail Taylor Class Rep Award.

“He made me feel special.” That phrase has been echoing across social platforms from every corner of Scott’s overlapping worlds: New Hampton School, St. Lawrence University, the ad and marketing firms where he worked. The grief is enormous—but so are the hilarious memories, love and gratitude for a man who shared his epic passions: blues music, exotic whiskeys and beers, terrifying ski runs, great books, Kerouac-like road trips with his patient wife, Julie, and, of course, those unforgettable missives he flung into his ever-expanding universe. His existence was too brief. But he lived fully and large, as detailed in his personal messages urging his classmates to seek out (Forbesian ski metaphor alert!) life’s deepest powder even as their aging knees are beginning to ache— preferably with each other.

JIM STOCK ’74 (PICTURED WITH HEAD OF SCHOOL ANNE STAVNEY) WAS HONORED AS 2025 OUTSTANDING ALUM DURING REUNION AND HOMECOMING WEEKEND.

PICTURED, L TO R, bECCA NASH, LIZ THOMPSON FOSTER, MARIS ALLEN MOORE, KERRI bIEbER MCAFOOS, ELLIE SCHMIDT HUMPHREY AND ANGIE FOX DAHLOF—ALL CLASS OF 1993—GOT TOGETHER FOR HIKING AND OTHER FUN IN THE MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO IN JULY TO CELEbRATE THEIR 50TH bIRTHDAY YEAR.

bLAKE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME 2025 INDUCTEES LESLIE DOLLAND ’99, JACK FECHT AND bEN HUGHES ’08 WERE HONORED DURING REUNION AND HOMECOMING WEEKEND. PICTURED, L TO R, WIN AND SHIRLEY DOLLAND (PARENTS OF LESLIE, WHO WAS UNAbLE TO ATTEND), JACK, bEN AND HEAD OF SCHOOL ANNE STAVNEY.

SORAYA DARAbI ’01 AT HOME WITH HUSbAND bERTRAND AND THEIR CHILDREN, CLARA (5) AND CÉLESTE (3).

PETER ORMAND ’01 IN DUSHANbE, TAJIKISTAN, #100 IN HIS QUEST TO VISIT EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

83

Daniel Rosen, a commercial litigator with more than 30 years experience at the federal and state level, was selected by President Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in October as U.S. Attorney of Minnesota.

Maggie Linvill Smith, president and CEO of Linvill Properties, was one of 12 leaders named to Twin Cities Business 2025 Notable Women in Commercial Real Estate and Construction, which recognizes the contributions of women in a historically male-dominated field. Twin Cities Business notes “[Maggie’s] experience, such as consulting for the World Bank and USAID, contributes to her mastery of complex real estate investments, market cycles and financial objectives.”

86

Annie Sundberg (See In Print and Production)

87

Chris Passi, a third grade teacher at Blake, received the 2025 Juliet Nelson Award, which recognizes a faculty member who has taken the time to give of themself to students in a special way—as mentor, confidant, tutor or friend.

In their nomination of Chris for this recognition, one family wrote: “We have been fortunate enough to have Chris as the teacher for both our daughter and son. Throughout both academic years, Chris went above and beyond in fostering our children’s academic success, as well as their personal growth and confidence. He brings enthusiasm, humor and a deep understanding of children into the classroom, creating an environment that is structured, intellectually stimulating and emotionally supportive. His expansive and precise vocabulary, paired with an engaging and thoughtful teaching style, has made learning a joyful and rich experience for our kids.”

99

Leslie Dolland is a 2025 Blake Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. She played on Blake’s girls’ basketball team (1996-99) and served as co-captain in 1998 and 1999 when the Bears won back-to-back state championship titles. Leslie was also co-captain of Blake’s track and field team in 1998 and 1999, participating in shot put and discus. She played basketball at Northwestern University (1999-2003) where she was a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. In 2002, she

represented Northwestern on the Big Ten Foreign Tour. Leslie went on to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology and earned a degree in women’s fashion design, as well as a master’s degree in education from the Relay Graduate School of Education. She currently works as a school leader in the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Education and as a learning experience designer. Watch Leslie’s inductee tribute video at blake.mn/dolland.

00

Julia Connors Soplop’s book Information Crisis: How a Better Understanding of Science Can Help Us Face the Greatest Problems of Our Time won a 2024 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award, taking home the gold medal in the Science and Technology category.

01Soraya Darabi lives in New York City where she leads TMV, a venture firm she co-founded a decade ago to invest in early-stage innovation across healthcare and bio, supply chain and logistics, and AI and automation. TMV recently raised $100 million to fund two complementary projects—TMV III, their third main investment, and TMV: Lifecycles, which focuses

on mental well-being. Soraya also serves as development chair on the board of trustees for the Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center. She keeps in daily touch with many Blake classmates and feels fortunate to have invested in two Blake alum startups. She co-invests with Stephanie Rich and her go-to startup lawyer is close Blake friend Sonia Farber

Peter Ormand writes, “I recently reached an exciting milestone in my quest to visit every country in the world, arriving in Dushanbe, Tajikistan—country 100. It’s exciting to be past the halfway point but still a long way to go on this lifelong journey. I love sharing my travels and connecting with fellow Blake alums on my Instagram @eclectic__wander and at eclecticwanderer.blog

Patrick Wetherille married Prianka Bhatia in Sintra, Portugal. He writes, “We held an Indian wedding at the Palacio Seteais in August and couldn’t be happier. We were so excited to celebrate with some of our 2001 Blake friends: Saya Dempsey, Corey Shelton, Matthew Flores and David Thome.”

JOHN RObIN HELLER-RObERTS, SON OF JUSTINA RObERTS ’02, WAS bORN ON OCTObER 26, 2024.

bECCA SCHALL ’03 (AT LEFT) AND CO-CREATOR JESSICA

WERE RECOGNIZED AT THE 2025 SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL FOR THEIR WEb SERIES

VICTORIAN LADIES

KATHARINE WOODMAN-MAYNARD ’04 RELEASED HER SECOND GRAPHIC NOVEL, TUCK EVERLASTING , IN SEPTEMbER. (PHOTO: KEREM YÜCEL)

03

Becca Schall is a Brooklyn-based actor, writer, director and one half of the comedy duo Accountable Comedy, along with co-creator Jessica Taylor. Their web series Victorian Ladies was an official selection of the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival, where it took home the Summer Chastant Episodic Award. Becca voices the characters Caroline and Daphne in the series, which “blends the fun you had playing with paper dolls as a kid with the timeless travails of living and dating as a single woman in [1890s’] New York City.” You can watch Victorian Ladies and their other award-winning short films, sketches and more at accountablecomedy.com or at @accountablecomedy on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

04

Katharine Woodman-Maynard celebrated the release of her graphic novel adaptation of Tuck Everlasting with a launch event at her childhood bookstore, Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul. Since its release in September, the book was named to the Indie Bestsellers for Early and Middle Grade Readers List, based on sales in hundreds of independent bookstores nationwide,

recognized as one of the Best Books of 2025 by School Library Journal and named one of Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Books of 2025. Katharine’s first graphic novel adaptation, The Great Gatsby, was recently on display in two places at the Library of Congress— one for the 100th anniversary of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and another spotlighting comics.

05

Samantha Engler married Bedros Najarian on January 4, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California. In attendance to celebrate were Steven Engler ʼ70 and Alexandra Engler Morgan ʼ02, father and sister of the bride, and friends and classmates Lauren Byrd Jones, Natalie Newman Katari and Steven Zwick. Samantha has relocated to Los Angeles after 17 years on the East Coast and is getting used to palm trees in place of snowflakes.

06

Kate Aizpuru is a partner at the class action law firm Tycko & Zavareei LLP and lives in the Washington, D.C. suburbs with her husband, Richard, and their son, Robert, who turned 1 in November. Kate shares, “I would

love to reconnect with any alumni in the area.”

08

Ben Hughes is a 2025 Blake Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. He played boys’ hockey and baseball at Blake, receiving all-state honors. Ben attended St. Olaf College where he played baseball. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies where he was a minor league pitcher from 2011 to 2013. In the 2014-15 season, he played for the St. Paul Saints. Then he pivoted to life-after-baseball in 2016 and has since worked for Accenture Strategy and Consulting, specializing in corporate finance, CFO strategy, data and analytics. Watch Ben’s inductee tribute video at blake.mn/hughes.

Lydia Sutton was inducted into the first class of the Minnesota Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

09

After three years in Milwaukee, Joe Ali and his wife, Ali, moved to Tampa. Joe has been working in independent school administration and currently serves as the head of auxiliary programs at Carrollwood Day School, where he oversees summer camps, after-school programming,

tutoring, rentals and other programs that generate additional revenue streams for the school. He is the head of operations for Subler, an education technology startup that helps schools manage facility rentals. He also consults with independent schools on auxiliary programming and operations. Joe and Ali enjoy life in Tampa with their golden retriever, Mason, and take advantage of the weather for golfing and traveling.

Kylie Potuznik lives in California and recently launched her own luxury travel company, Travel by Kylie (travelbykylie.com), which designs bespoke itineraries, VIP hotel bookings and curated experiences for leisure and corporate clients. Kylie helps travelers discover the world in comfort and style, and she’s excited to be turning her passion for exploration into a new venture.

Chloe Rekow was named a Tom Clements Award winner, which recognizes state employees who go above and beyond in service to Coloradans. Chloe received honorable mention for Outstanding Service in Government for her strategic leadership behind the launch of the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line.

LIbbY FRANCHOT ’17 CELEbRATED HER MARRIAGE TO SHONAL GANGOPADHYAY WITH A HINDU CEREMONY IN NEW JERSEY IN AUGUST. JOINING THE COUPLE WERE LIbbY’S MOM, ZAMbIE FRANCHOT ’92 (SECOND FROM LEFT) AND GRANDMOTHER POLLY FRANCHOT (FAR LEFT).

WALLIN ’18 MARRIED WILLIAM bIDDLE COTTER AT THE KITCHI GAMMI CLUb IN DULUTH, MINNESOTA, IN JULY WITH MANY bLAKE FRIENDS IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDING (FRONT ROW, L TO R) NELLE JOHNSON ’18, LUCIA WARNER ’18, CHARLOTTE OPP ’23, ELIZAbETH OPP ’18, SARA MCCLANAHAN ’18, PHOEbE WARNER ’16, MADDIE TIX ’19, CARLY bULLOCK ARGUE ’16, EMILY HYKES ’18, LUCY GRAHAM ’18, (bACK ROW, L TO R) AUSTIN RAE ’14, COLEMAN DRESSEN ’14, ADITYA SHEKHAR ’18, bEN HYKES ’23, ROWAN WALLIN ’23, WILLIAM COTTER, CLARISSA WALLIN COTTER ’18, PRESTON WALLIN ’14, SYLVIA WALLIN DAVIDSON ’16, SOPHIE SMITH ’17, SAMANTHA MONAHAN ’18, LUKE ENGQUIST ’14 AND CLAYTON RAE ’16.

Thea Traff, an acclaimed freelance editorial photographer, was honored as the 2025 Young Alum during the October Breakfast at Blake, where she talked about photographing some of the world’s most famous people. “I know that no matter what happens [during a shoot] the photos will be printed over a million times, and on Instagram it will be shared with around 20 million followers. That’s just so nerve wracking and so deeply uncomfortable, but when all that goes well it is exhilarating and the best feeling imaginable.” To watch Thea’s Breakfast at Blake presentation visit blake.mn/traff25.

10

Kinsey Allen Mens and Marc Mens welcomed their first child, Archer Mens, on June 6, 2025.

11

Romy Ackerberg and Annabel Cater are the creators and co-hosts of the Paperback Pleasures podcast, which was a finalist for Best Indie Podcast and a Listener’s Choice Award winner in the 2025 Signal Awards. (Also see In Print and Production)

14

Lauren Rondestvedt Eddelbuettel and her husband, Nico, welcomed their first child, Oskar, in August. They live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Lauren reports they are enjoying being a family of three.

15

Lilly Bendel-Stenzel received her doctorate in psychology, specializing in developmental psychopathology, from the University of Iowa’s department of psychological and brain sciences, becoming the first graduate of this individualized track.

16

Tyler Kossila married Frances Jacob on July 26, 2025. Blake classmates Brandon Boyd, Ryan Brazner, Will Kaback, Caroline O’Connell, Stuart Patterson and Cal Slavitt attended as did Tyler’s brother and best man, William Matzke ʼ22, and Reina Ackerberg ʼ22. Tyler writes, “My wife and I currently reside in Cincinnati, Ohio, with our dog, Moody. I’m a fifth through seventh grade special education teacher. Whenever possible we enjoy visiting premier rock climbing areas in the U.S., but nothing compares to our home crag at the Red River Gorge in Kentucky.”

17

Libby Franchot married Shonal Gangopadhyay in Eden Prairie on July 6, 2024, followed by a Hindu ceremony in New Jersey this past August. The two live in Bloomington with their cats, Luffy and Fern. Libby works as the associate lead advisor at HunterGroup for Northwestern Mutual. She is a fifth degree black belt at National Karate and teaches at the master level around the Twin Cities with her husband while remaining active in competitive karate. For the 2025 season, Libby finished first in Minnesota for ages 18-39 women’s weapons forms. She also volunteers as an assistant coach for the Blake’s girls’ varsity soccer team, which took second place in the 2025 state tournament.

18

Clarissa Wallin Cotter married William Biddle Cotter (Hackley School, Tarrytown, New York, class of 2017) on July 26, 2025, at the Kitchi Gammi Club in Duluth, Minnesota. Many Blake alumni were in attendance. The couple met at Williams College, where she played ice hockey and he played football.

Family Additions

Justina Roberts ’02 a son, John Robin October 26, 2024

Kate Aizpuru ’06 a son, Robert Alexander November 13, 2024

Kinsey Allen Mens ’10 a son, Archer June 6, 2025

Lauren Rondestvedt Eddelbuettel ’14 a son, Oskar August 2025

Marriages

Patrick Wetherille ’01 and Prianka Bhatia August 23, 2025

Samantha Engler ’05 and Bedros Najarian January 4, 2025

Tyler Kossila ’16 and Frances Jacob July 26, 2025

Libby Franchot ’17 and Shonal Gangopadhyay July 6, 2024

Clarissa Wallin ’18 and William Biddle Cotter July 26, 2025

THEA TRAFF ’09 (PICTURED WITH bLAKE PK-12 ARTS DEPARTMENT CHAIR ILAH RALEIGH) WAS HONORED AS THE 2025 YOUNG ALUM IN OCTObER.

LAUREN RONDESTVEDT EDDELbUETTEL ’14 WELCOMED HER FIRST CHILD, OSKAR, IN AUGUST.

LILLY bENDEL-STENZEL ’15 RECEIVED HER DOCTORATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA’S DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND bRAIN SCIENCES.

20

Lauren Smith is founder of Nature Yoga Club, which offers classes and retreats for all skill levels. This summer, Nature Yoga Club partnered with Ralle Movements to host accessible outdoor events in the Twin Cities to inspire community connection. While promoting the events, Lauren spoke with KARE 11’s Belinda Jensen about the importance of yoga in her life and why she created space to bring people together through movement, nature and connection.

22

Frida Illescas is a fourth-year mechanical engineering

major at Marquette University’s Opus College of Engineering. Last summer she worked as a new product development intern with Rehlko (formerly Kohler Energy) focusing on the home energy sector. Opus College highlighted Frida and her experience of which she says, “I learned how to apply classroom knowledge to realworld engineering by fabricating prototype components, testing generators, and collaborating daily with mechanical and electrical engineers. I was also able to learn the importance of cross-team communication while supporting burn tests and prototype builds.” Frida is currently working on her capstone senior design project.

TYLER KOSSILA ’16

MARRIED FRANCES JACOb IN JULY WITH SEVERAL bLAKE CLASSMATES IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDING RYAN bRAZNER (SECOND FROM LEFT), bRANDON bOYD (THIRD FROM LEFT), CAL SLAVITT (FOURTH FROM RIGHT) AND WILL KAbACK (FAR RIGHT).

She is captain of a five-member team making an affordable noise enclosure for portable generators. “We are focusing on countries with power instabilities that often rely on portable generators for most of their power and as a result have a lot of noise pollution,” Frida explains. The team will present the final results to a group of students and professors.

Molly Liston, a senior on the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s cross country team, was named a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Athlete of the Week when she placed 13th out of 319 competitors at the Augustana Twilight. Her 5K time of 17:43.59 made her the top NCAA Division III finisher in the race and first-ranked among all MIAC women’s cross country runners at the 5K distance at that point in the season.

After graduating with a degree in archaeology from Durham University, Clare Wagner is back at Durham undertaking her master’s by research in a joint archaeology and psychology degree. Clare writes, “I have spent my summers working on a research-led dig in Moldova excavating mammoth remains

and am looking to continue my career in experimental psychology research on cave art of the European Upper Palaeolithic. Outside of my academic career, I have also been captain of Durham’s softball team and have spent time traveling within the U.K. and around Europe with friends.”

25Jasir Zerwes competed in the 2025 TruArtSpeaks poetry slam where he was one of six students named a top Minnesota youth poet. As a finalist, Jasir received a scholarship and the opportunity to participate in a summer education program with public performances and coaching from poets such as Pulitzer Prize finalist Danez Smith. “I’ve come a long way in poetry and spoken word after just a year of putting my mind to it,” Jasir says about the experience. “If I had anything to say, it’d be that it’s very important to be brave and take risks. Sometimes you find yourself doing things you never thought you could.” Jasir is a freshman at Tuskegee University studying environmental science and furthering himself in poetry and writing.

In Memoriam

Stephen Altman ’59

January 19, 2025

Polly Andrews Angeli ’63

November 15, 2025

Joseph Bakken ’22

May 20, 2025

Jean Geggie Brooks ’47 October 28, 2025

Merritt Hustad Campbell ’65 November 22, 2025

Julia Warner Carlson ’55 October 13, 2025

Benton Case Jr. ’53 former parent and grandparent December 16, 2025

Joan Berg Cline ’69 March 14, 2025

Franklin “Muzzy” Crosby III ’51 former parent May 7, 2025

Susan Sandy Curtis ’55 former faculty October 21, 2025

Elizabeth Barnwell Didier ’85 November 4, 2025

William Driscoll Jr. ’65 September 8, 2025

Richard Edmonds ’65

October 5, 2025

Walter “Bud” Fink Jr. ’47

September 15, 2025

Ruth Schirmer Fleming ’46 former faculty November 14, 2025

Robert Fliegel ’57 December 17, 2025

Edward “Scott” Forbes ’82

August 22, 2025

Wendee Walling Fortman ’67

June 21, 2025

Marian Fronk former faculty

September 4, 2025

John “Jeff” Fullerton ’80

May 31, 2025

Jesse Hajicek ’90

June 18, 2025

William Hartfiel Jr. former parent, grandparent and trustee

February 11, 2026

Stanley Heller ’62 October 21, 2025

Charles Hommeyer ’49 former parent

August 1, 2025

William Howard Sr. ’45 former grandparent and trustee

December 5, 2025

Virginia Kelley former faculty

April 28, 2025

Eve Barbatsis Konstantine ’66

January 18, 2025

Mary Ann Levitt ’60

August 28, 2025

Rostislav “Slava” Leykind ’00

July 02, 2025

Stephanie Kerr Lundsgaard ’50 former parent

November 29, 2025

Margaret McMillan ’17

June 24, 2025

Shanti Mittra current parent

September 26, 2025

Mollie Morse Nickelson ’50

March 24, 2025

William “Ted” Noll Jr. ’62 February 5, 2026

Ann Mitchell Pflaum ’59 former parent and trustee September 26, 2025

Wendell “Tony” Phillippi ’64 former parent

September 7, 2025

David Phillips ’47 former faculty February 19, 2026

Harriet Jaffray Pratt ’44 former parent

December 26, 2025

Catherine Preus ’70 August 30, 2025

Heidi Rahr ’82

November 1, 2025

Harrison Randolph Jr. ’60 former faculty December 15, 2025

Helen Read ’58 June 20, 2025

Joseph Ritchie ’53 June 23, 2025

Katherine “Kay” Bertram Rogowski ’59 former faculty December 16, 2025

Vsevolod “Seva” Safris ’99 May 1, 2025

Donald Salisbury ’64 July 9, 2025

William Savage ’93 September 9, 2025

John Scholz former parent and trustee August 5, 2025

John Sheldon ’63 former faculty January 21, 2026

Eric Shogren ’84 former parent December 24, 2025

Frances “Chickie” Leslie Siftar ’45 former parent February 15, 2026

Anne Dodge Simpson ’53 former parent and grandparent December 2, 2025

Samuel Slater ’92 October 2, 2025

Thomas Smullen Jr. ’57 former parent May 13, 2025

Barbara Stock ’49 former parent, faculty, administrator and trustee February 21, 2026

Michael Thorpe ’71 August 3, 2025

Tadd Tuomie ’82 former faculty February 1, 2026

Ralph Tully ’54 November 12, 2025

Sarah “Penny” Rand Winton ’49 former parent and grandparent June 19, 2025

Please inform Blake of community member deaths at (952) 988-3440 or cyrus@blakeschool.org.

SEVERAL bLAKE bEARS JOINED LAUREN SMITH ’20 AT ONE OF HER YOGA EVENTS IN MINNEAPOLIS.

PICTURED, L TO R, KRIS HAUG P’19, ’22, KK HAUG ’19, LAUREN, JACKSON HAUG ’22, JEN VANCE (UPPER SCHOOL FACULTY) AND LIAM VANCE ’20.

Former Faculty

FRIDA ILLESCAS ’22 SPENT THE SUMMER AS A NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT INTERN WITH REHLKO (FORMERLY KOHLER ENERGY) FOCUSING ON THE HOME ENERGY SECTOR.

Tami Butters, former first grade teacher, writes, “After officially retiring from teaching 10 years ago, I have tried not to let the dust settle. My husband (of over 40 years) and I began our retirement in a 28-foot, fifth wheel camper for five months, traveling over 1,600 miles around the United States. We’re still married! After moving to Flagstaff, Arizona, we hiked in the amazing Grand Canyon 14+ times and explored countless trails near Sedona and the incredible national parks of Utah. Our international travels have included hiking and camping on the Inca Trail in Peru, swimming with sting rays and penguins and hanging with tortoises that are over 100 years old in the Galapagos, hiking up and on glaciers in Argentina, sipping port in Portugal, learning to bake rye bread in the ground in Iceland, biking through the Julian Alps in Slovenia and walking the wall surrounding Old Town Dubrovnik in Croatia. We now live in Evergreen, Colorado, and are enjoying skiing and hiking in the

CLARE WAGNER ’22 GRADUATED WITH A DEGREE IN ARCHAEOLOGY FROM DURHAM UNIVERSITY AND CELEbRATED WITH HER FAMILY (PICTURED, L TO R) TOMMY WAGNER ’19, NAT WAGNER (FORMER FACULTY), CLARE, CHRISTY WAGNER (MIDDLE SCHOOL FACULTY) AND SAMMY WAGNER ’17.

Rockies and lots of great concerts at Red Rocks. Never stop moving. Never stop learning.”

Jack Fecht, former teacher and administrator, is a 2025 Blake Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. During his Blake tenure from 1964 to 1998, he served as the director of junior school athletics and, in 1969, became the athletics director. He coached Blake’s state-winning soccer teams in 1965 (assistant coach), 1966 and 1967. In 1970, he led the wrestling team to Minnesota Independent School League (MISL) and regional titles, winning the MISL title again in 1971. Over decades, Jack coached many teams at various levels including boys’ soccer, football, wrestling, basketball, track and field and tennis and girls’ soccer, softball, volleyball and basketball. The Jack Fecht Assistant Coach of the Year Award, first awarded in 1999, is named in his honor to an “assistant coach who exhibits sportsmanship and excellence in coaching on and off the field.” Watch Jack’s inductee tribute video at blake.mn/fecht.

JASIR ZERWES ’25 WAS ONE OF SIX STUDENTS NAMED A TOP MINNESOTA YOUTH POET IN THE 2025 TRUARTSPEAKS POETRY SLAM.

RETIREMENT HAS bROUGHT RAINbOWS, SUNSHINE AND ADVENTURE FOR FORMER bLAKE FIRST GRADE TEACHER TAMI bUTTERS AND HUSbAND PAUL.

SUNDAE FUNDAY (on a Thursday)

Blake community members of all ages are invited to celebrate Dr. Anne Stavney for her 14 years of service as Head of School. On Thursday, May 28, 3:30-5:30 p.m. on the Blake campus in Hopkins.

Interested in making your annual Blake Fund gift in honor of Dr. Stavney? Go to blakeschool.org/give or use this QR code:

If you are interested in contributing to the Anne Stavney Endowed Scholarship, please call Rebecca Schubring at (952) 988-3432.

VOICES

Joseph “J” Jolton ʼ78 was part of the first graduating class to go through all four years after the merger of Blake and Northrop. He was a television commercial producer and director for most of his career, moving into interactive media and game development. Blake snapped him up again in 2003, where he has been ever since, bringing his skills and experience to new generations. He also grows Carolina Reapers because, as he says, “reasons.”

Then and Now

Once upon a time, I was a Blake student. Class of 1978. I’ve been a Blake teacher since 2003. There are some differences between how things were and how they are now.

Then: One kid of color across four graduating classes.

Now: A beautiful spectrum up and down the hallways.

Then: Cliques.

Now: Still cliques. Although I think they’re called “friend groups.”

Then: If someone was really disruptive (for no pathological reason), a teacher could pick you up while you were still at your desk, carry you into the hall and set you down.

Now: Never happens.

Then: Petrochemical solvents all over the printmaking room with accompanying brain-damaging odors that you kind of grew to like.

Now: No odors, and you retain your sentience through commencement.

Then: No senior pranks or stampede at the end of the year.

Now: Both, despite every attempt to prevent them.

Then: A noisy teletype with a phone handset in a closet in the back of an English classroom that could dial into a timeshare mainframe computer, where we could play Star Trek, using rolls and rolls of paper because there was no screen.

Now: Laptops. That let you do anything, including play Star Trek.

Then: Anxiously and quietly working up the nerve to ask someone out to prom and dreading the response either way.

Now: Going out with the crew—much better, in my opinion.

Then: Never knowing if you’d ever stay in touch with your teachers or anyone besides your closest friends.

Now: Being in touch with everyone you knew, everyone THEY know, and any teacher savvy enough to use social media. As a teacher still in touch with many former students, I consider this my favorite.