Alumni Reunion

Young Alumni Gather ‘Round The Pizza At Winter Reunion

The next Alumni News & Notes will be in the April issue. Send your information now!

The fire was crackling and Father Martin’s delicious pizza at the young-alumni reunion held on Dec. 17, 2004 in the Father Christopher Room. After comparing notes on college life, alumni took a few minutes to share advice with this year’s seniors as they head off to college. Asked what they wish they had known about college when they were students at WPS, here is what they had to say. More great comments are on the school web site — www.woodsidepriory.com. Click on ‘Publications’.

I wish I’d known better than to take 20 units (right away), and I wish I’d known I could just relax a bit more. What would I advise this year’s seniors? Enjoy senior year! Take Priory Robotics! And just relax, relax, relax— you’re going to get into a good school! George Schnurle, Class of 2004, Stanford University

I wish I’d realized that college would be a little bit easier than I thought. It’s different…I like the setup. The tests are harder, but there is less busy work and I’m more a test kind of guy… I’d advise people to apply to a good selection of colleges… At University of the Pacific, so far I’m just having a blast. I’m on a radio show, I’m on club soccer, I’ve met a bunch of great people, and it’s a really good time. Leon Johnson, Class of 2004, University of t he Pacific

All the preparation that they give you here, although fabulous, doesn’t hold a candle to what you learn on your own the first two days that you are there. Educationally, there isn’t any more the Priory could have done to prepare us—emotionally, it isn’t possible to prepare us. Liesl Yost, Class of 2001, St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame

I wish I’d known that it would be hard to be away from my family for the first time. I’d advise students to take a trip without them, just to prepare. Jill Simons, Class of 2002, Regis University

I went to college 20 years too soon! When I went, they didn’t offer the wonderful experiential opportunities, like travel, that students have today. My advice? Carpe diem! Live for the day! Make every day count. Martin Mager, OSB, Class of 1953, St. Benedict’s Preparatory School

At first, college was pretty hard… Getting a lot of sleep was really important and it took me awhile to figure that one out… I’d advise this year’s class to go for something that they love, not for what they think is some hot new field. Harvey Jones, Class of 2002, MIT

14

Harvey Jones, Jill Simons, Kevin Yost and Liesl Yost reach for Father Martin’s fresh, hot pizza. He makes it himself every year for the young alumni reunion.

Aimee Epstein, Class of 2003, is in her sophomore year at Stanford where she is a member of the Equestrian team. She will be studying abroad in Paris this spring.

Kathryn Calvache, Class of 1995 and her daughter spent a morning on the campus in December—an apt reminder that this class is planning a special 10-year reunion in the spring. Contact Father Martin Mager for information (mmager@woodsidepriory.com)

Recent alumni enjoy the chance to swap college experiences. Read more of their advice to this year’s class on the WPS Web site.

Father Pius chats with his friend Megan Noice, Class of 2004, now at UC San Diego.

Brother Edward catches up on the news with last year’s seniors Sammi Nutall and Kimberly Chow. Sammi is studying at Drew University and Kimberly at Loyola Marymount University. These WPS fans had t-shirts made to cheer alumna (and Priory volleyball legend) Cassie Perret at a Santa Clara University game. Cassie, a junior communications major, plays outside hitter for the Broncos. As an all-WCC player this season, she made the cover of SCU’s match day program. Cassie was a leader on the Priory team that won the state championship in 2000; the players in the photo are on this year’s CSS championship team (except for Marie, who is in seventh grade). Pictured from left are Marie and Chrissa Trudelle, Katie and Alexa Zappas, Laura Trudelle, and Cassie.

Above: Laura Brent, Carolyn Hayes, Aimee Epstein and Monika Varga, all from the class of 2003, chose private mid-sized universities located on the mid-Peninsula, Southern California and Massachusetts, which makes for an interesting discussion. At right: Ally Coats and Leon Johnson, both from the class of 2004.

The last home game of the soccer season was the setting for WPS Alumni Association’s first homecoming event. The association sponsored a pool party for the swim team, and members also dropped in to watch the final home game of the boys soccer season. That match, against Valley Christian, was one of the most exciting of the year, with Blaine Tehaney scoring a great goal from 20 yards out. The Panthers lost 2-1, but put up a good fight against a team that won every game but one that season. Victor Aguirre’s friends turned out with a banner to cheer him on.

15

Wayne Davison, Chair of the Golden Jubilee Campaign and member of the Board of Trustees Finance Committee

WPS’s Golden Jubilee Campaign Hits The Five-Year Mark— Facilities, Enrollment, Endowment Are The Targets

This year marks the fifth anniversary of our Golden Jubilee Campaign, and it is a good time to sum up where we are and where we’ve been. Our end date, the Priory’s 50th anniversary in 2007, is in sight.

If you can imagine yourselves in 1999 for a moment, you will see a surprising and speeded-up mid-Peninsula. Demand for admission at the Priory and other private college prep schools skyrocketed. The tech boom caused local incomes—and the cost of living—to fast-forward. Teachers were in high demand and competition for the best was reflected in double-digit salary increases.

The WPS Board of Trustees reacted quickly to this unexpected situation with a self-study of this campus’s position in the educational world. This study led to a strategic plan, a master plan, and finally a $15 million campaign to provide a variety of facilities improvement and endowment support.

The board determined that to prepare for the next fifty years, the campus needed to:

• Expand enrollment to 350, a size that can support the broad curriculum and co-curricular opportunities that families and universities expect of a high-quality college prep school

• Secure funding to protect faculty—the heart of the academic program.

• Provide facilities that support our contemporary curriculum and larger campus community. Specifically, we immediately needed a larger auditorium, facilities appropriate for performing arts (which has blossomed and thrived despite a complete lack of appropriately designed performance space and classrooms); a bigger, modernized library/tech center, and a student center. All of these projects are crucial because they free space throughout the campus with which we will create more offices and classrooms that are also desperately needed.

Our most pressing issue then was to protect our faculty, and in that we have been quite successful. We completed faculty housing, which provides an important competitive edge. Our endowment is growing. Endowment funds provide the cushion to see us through changes in economic times. Our campus (because it is relatively young and small) has an endowment at least ten times smaller than those of the schools with which we compete locally, so it is important that this fund increases. (Although the annual fund is not related to the campaign because the entire proceeds are spent in the next fiscal year, our community’s admirably high rate of giving continues to sustain faculty salaries and small class size.)

The economic slump of a few years ago put a bump in the path of our next goal, the academic facilities mentioned above. We originally thought our master plan would be complete, including the Portola Valley town review process, by 2001. In reality, we are holding our second public hearing this month. We may gain approval in early spring. Without sure approval, both funding and facilities options are curtailed. We expected to sell our land behind the school and use the proceeds to secure the monks’ retirement and bolster the endowment fund. In reality, the real estate market slowed and the last two years have not been good years for sale.

16

Economy and political process are realities we must respect and can’t control. However, we haven’t changed our internal commitment, which is to achieve a final plan for Phase One by 2007. Despite this look backwards, hindsight does not dictate our decision process. The past five years have taught us a lot about the facilities we need to support our students and faculty. We are in a better position now to review those needs carefully and complete our plans. I am looking forward to taking a fresh look with the Campaign Leadership Team at our “trinity package”—the performing arts, library and student center facilities.

This campus is blessed with generous parents and friends . Your rate of giving is among the highest in the Bay Area. Dozens of you give generously of your time and talents. The vision that began our campaign study—to promote each student’s strengths, preserve community values and provide for a secure future—is well within our reach. If you are interested in learning more about the campaign, go to our Web site: www.woodsidepriory.com/campaign/. Or, you can reach it by clicking on the campaign logo on the campus Web site home page.

I am looking forward to taking a fresh look with the Campaign Leadership Team at our “trinity package”—the performing arts, library and student center facilities.

—Wayne Davison, Golden Jubilee Campaign Chair

Thanks Again! First, we want to add Stanley Kwong and Judy Koh to the list of Directors Club donors in the annual report printed in the Oct. 2004 Priorities magazine. An inconsistency in posting dates resulted in their names appearing in a different fiscal year for print purposes (although it was correct for accounting purposes). Stan and Judy are great friends of the Priory, and we sincerely regret this omission. A few people phoned to ask about the In-Kind Donations list, which wasn’t in its usual place in the annual report. It was there (behind Honors and Memorials), but we are including it again here for other who may have missed it. —The Develoment Office Staff

In-Kind Donors James and Loren Archer William Theodore de Bary Edward Goodstein and Francesca Eastman Susan Falaschi John and Kate Greswold William and Michelle Green Henry and Dona Hoge Stanley Kwong and Judy Koh Dina Richert Linbeck Jeffrey and Jennifer Martin Lynn Noble Richard Gray and Abbe Patterson Edward Oates and Jennifer Hammer James Ransohoff Robert and Patricia Reed George Schnurle Daniel and Tamara Turner WeLoveMacs.com

17