THE MAGAZINE
OF
ST. PAUL ACADEMY
AND
SUMMIT SCHOOL
FALL 2011/WINTER 2012
In this issue: Alex Starns ’00 leads Google Streetview in Asia The Diary of Coco Irvine ’32 | Day in the Life of a Digital Native
Features 1 12
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Letter from the Head On the cover Plugged In: Technology, Education, and SPA SPA’s academic technology program connects two essential elements of today’s classrooms: acquiring technology skills and fostering relationships.
THE MAGAZINE OF ST. PAUL ACADEMY AND S UMMIT S CHOOL
A Day in the Life of a Digital Native
FALL 2011 | WINTER 2012
Allison Wang ’12—student, writer, cellist, Skyper—chronicles a day in the technological life of an SPA student.
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Street with a View: Alex Starns ’00 At Google, Alex Starns ’00 is changing how we see the world through the Street View project in Asia.
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The Last Word Abe Cass ’10, now a sophomore at Pomona College, reflects on the journey from SPA to college.
Departments 2
Through the Doors
26
Philanthropy
7
Spartan Sports
28
Class Notes
Alumni News
38
In Memoriam
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SPA Magazine is published twice annually by St. Paul Academy and Summit School for alumni/ae, parents, and friends of the school.
On the cover: Middle School students with their Nobi computers in math class. See the cover story on page 12 for more about SPA’s academic technology program. Photo by Scott Streble.
Head of School Bryn S. Roberts Editor Ami Berger Contributing Writers Ami Berger, Abe Cass ’10, Jenni Glick, Dorothy Goldie ’73, Sarah Johnson, Peggy Rader, Allison Wang ’12 Principal Photographer Scott Streble
2011-12 Board of Trustees Officers Charlotte Shepard Johnson ’64, President Tim O’Brien ’77, Secretary Philip W. White ’81, Treasurer
We welcome your comments and thoughts. Please contact us at spamag@spa.edu with suggestions for stories, news, and photos, or write us at SPA Magazine, 1712 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55105.
Members Dr. Fahima Aziz Elizabeth Driscoll Hlavka Ruth Seely Huss ’57 Frederick C. Kaemmer ’88 Sarah S. Karon Dr. Anders M. Knutzen Bruce A. Lilly ’70 Scot W. Malloy Ranlet Miner, Jr. Paul S. Moe Virginia H. Morris Ann Ruhr Pifer ’83 Dr. Brian C. Rosenberg Gail A. Ward Timothy A. Welsh Shannon McNeely Whitaker ’78
Read SPA Magazine online at www.spa.edu > About SPA > News and Media
Contributing Photographers Ami Berger, Greg Helgeson, Carrie Rosema, John Severson, Eoin Small ’09 Design and Layout Kimberlea Weeks Sexton Printing
St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 651-698-2451 info@spa.edu www.spa.edu
Letter from the Head
“The world of rapid and immediate communication is the world in which our students flourish, and they are well ahead of many adults in how they shape their use of technology
T
The debate about the role of computers in the lives of children is as old as the first PCs in the 1980s. Parents worry that their children spend too much time in front of screens instead of interacting with teachers or peers. Teachers work to stay ahead of (or at least on par with) their students’ accelerating technological expertise, and school communities are in constant conversation about how best to incorporate technological tools—which change and evolve at a dizzying pace—into their curricula. I’m happy to report, however, that SPA students approach incessant technological innovation with an admirable open-mindedness and ability to adapt. As you’ll read in these pages, SPA’s classroom technology program is informed by that reality; our students live in a world firmly anchored in laptops, notebook computers, tablets, and cell phones, and as a school we have made deliberate choices after considerable investigation about how to integrate technology into their academic lives. It is no coincidence that a critical component of the school’s Strategic Plan focuses on developing a K-12 curriculum that is appropriately informed by technology. Like all schools, we wrestle with the challenges that flow directly from the omnipresence of technology in our students’ lives. But it does not follow that the presence of technology means the absence of capacity for rigorous thinking, scholarly writing, and articulate debate in the classroom. At SPA we have embraced new technology without deserting our belief in and commitment to the fundamentals of a traditional liberal arts education. We view classroom technology as a tool that enables our faculty to be better at teaching the skills we prize. But in the end, SPA students are still held to the same expectations of proficiency and critical inquiry as they have always been. By the time they graduate, our students have written lengthy and complex research papers; they have read challenging works of literature; they have learned to think like
Scott Streble
to meet the needs of the moment.”
mathematicians and scientists; and they have learned to articulate and defend their intellectual beliefs. The world of rapid and immediate communication is the world in which our students flourish, and they are well ahead of many adults in how they shape their use of technology to meet the needs of the moment. In no way are they passive consumers of technology; they are skilled at compartmentalizing technology into the realm in which it is most useful and appropriate. They will write a disastrously (albeit intentionally) misspelled text message to a friend one moment and turn in a vivid and well-crafted five-page paper on the nature of tragedy in Macbeth the next. To our students, technology is not a symbol of intellectual decline or personal isolation. In fact, it is not a symbol at all: it is a dynamic tool that allows them to live their academic and personal lives to the fullest. For the proof of this one need only turn to the pages of this magazine, to the cogent essay by Allison Wang ’12 on the role of technology in her life or the eloquent musings of Abe Cass ’10 on his journey from SPA to college. Allison and Abe remind us that the power of a liberal arts education is in its insistence on critical thinking and deep engagement with ideas—what Abe Cass so elegantly calls “the value of entertaining a belief without embracing it.” These are the foundational ideals upon which SPA has always stood, and they are ideals that technology enhances, not erodes. I invite you to read more about our K-12 technology program beginning on page 10, and I look forward to keeping you apprised of the ways in which technology will help shape the SPA experience in the future. Best,
Bryn S. Roberts Head of School Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Through the Doors
SPA Athletics welcomes new director and girls’ hockey coach
Peter Sawkins is a member of SPA’s Class of 1981 and a graduate of Yale University. During his time at SPA, he excelled on both the soccer and hockey teams and continued his athletic career at Yale, where he was an All-American soccer player and an All-Ivy and All-ECAC hockey player. Sawkins was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings directly out of SPA in 1981 and he played in the AHL and the IHL. He was also drafted by the Minnesota Strikers of the Major Indoor Soccer League in 1985 after his graduation from Yale with a B.A. in architecture. He left professional sports to earn an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota and pursue a successful career in business and sports marketing. Before returning to SPA as Director of Athletics, Sawkins’ career focused on strategic marketing and brand management with a particular concentration on sports management, including eight years as the Marketing Director of the Sports Division for the Topps Company in New York.
The Rubicon wins national awards for 2010-11 series
“As an alumnus of SPA, Peter understands our school, the importance of athletics, and the intersection between academic achievement and athletic success,” said SPA Head of School Bryn Roberts. “I look forward to working closely with Peter as we refine and shape our athletic program.”
In September 2011, The Rubicon was awarded a national First Place ranking from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) for its 2010-11 series of papers. This is the second year in a row the paper has earned First Place in the NSPA competition, which ranks student newspapers from around the country in a process of evaluation by professional journalists. Papers are critiqued in categories including Writing and Editing; Photos, Art & Graphics; Layout & Design; and Leadership. In October 2011, the paper received a Silver Medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) for the 2010-11 series of issues. The CSPA, a unit of the Columbia University School of Journalism, evaluates student newspapers from all over the country for their rankings; this is the second year in a row that The Rubicon has earned accolades from the CSPA.
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SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
Courtesy Augsburg College
SPA’s student newspaper, The Rubicon, earned multiple national awards this fall for excellence in student journalism.
Carrie Halldorf comes to the SPA/Visitation United team from Augsburg College, where she served as an assistant coach for the women’s hockey team. Holldorf played collegiate hockey at St. Cloud State, where she compiled 26 goals and 46 assists for 72 points in 101 games, the 10th-best assist total in school history and the 13th-best point total. Holldorf later played for the Minnesota Whitecaps, a professional women’s team, for three seasons (2005-08) and served as a team captain for two years. After earning her bachelor’s degree in marketing from St. Cloud State in 2006, Holldorf served as an assistant coach for the U-16 team at Shattuck-St. Mary’s High School in Faribault, Minn., for three seasons (2007-10), with her teams going 123-21-16 in her three years. The team earned the USA Hockey national tournament title in 2009-10, while finishing as a semifinalist and quarterfinalist the two prior seasons. “I am thrilled Carrie has accepted our offer to lead the SPA/Vis United Girls hockey program,” says SPA Director of Athletics Peter Sawkins. “Her playing and coaching experience provide her with tremendous hockey knowledge that will be invaluable and will help elevate the program, and our girls, to new heights.”
Ami Berger
SPA’s Athletics Department welcomed two new faces in September 2011. Peter Sawkins ’81 joined the school as Director of Athletics, and Carrie Halldorf became new head coach of the girls’ hockey team (a cooperative team with the Visitation School).
Ami Berger
Two SPA students selected for Minnesota All-Star Math Team In the spring of 2011 SPA sophomores Henry Swanson and Sam Wood were invited to join the Minnesota All Star Math Team, which competed in the American Regions Mathematics League tournament at the University of Iowa June 3-4, 2011. The ARML competition is a national tournament which draws students from around the country and around the world. ARML teams are fielded by the Minnesota High School Math League. Both Henry and Sam are active participants on SPA’s Math League team, which has been advised by Upper School math teacher Bill Boulger for more than 25 years. Henry Swanson ’13
Left to right: Dina Moradian, Isabel Brandtjen, and Jessica Citron are the creators of inventions showcased at the 2011 Young Inventors’ Fair.
Sam Wood ’13
In order to qualify for the ARML team, students must first be invited to team tryouts; invitations are based on student scores in the Minnesota High School Math League’s regular season and on scores in the annual National Mathematic Association of America exams. Invited students attend three training/qualification sessions over three weeks, which this year took place at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Henry and Sam’s performances during tryouts secured their spaces on one of three fifteen-member teams which represented Minnesota at the national competition. In December 2011, Sam also received word that he was selected as of 16 students for the Minnesota All-State Math team, which will represent the state at the 2012 Harvard-MIT Math Competition on February 11, 2012. According to Bill Boulger, the ARML tournament is an extraordinary experience. “Students make lifelong friends and develop lifelong contacts at the competition,” says Boulger, who also notes that the competition fosters leadership and confidence in the subject matter. “I anticipate that Sam and Henry will be the leaders of the SPA Math Team over the next two years, based on both their talent and the problem-solving ability that’s been developed through the ARML process of tryouts and competition,” Boulger says.
SPA offers new bus service to northeast metro In fall 2011, St. Paul Academy and Summit School launched a new bus route serving SPA families living in the northeast metro. The new route provides a transportation option to and from SPA’s two campuses for families who live in North Oaks, White Bear Lake, Shoreview, New Brighton, Vadnais Heights, Blaine, and the surrounding areas. New SPA parent and Blaine resident Jennifer Degnan is enthusiastic about the bus route. “We were very excited to hear that bus service had been added for the north metro,” says Degnan, whose two children started at SPA in the fall of 2011. “It cuts our transit time to school in half or more,” she says. According to Head of School Bryn Roberts, the creation of the North Oaks route was in response to interest in busing options among SPA families in the northeast suburbs. Roberts also notes the school’s successful launch in January 2011 of bus service to southwest Minneapolis and Edina. SPA has run two buses to and from the Kenwood neighborhood in Minneapolis for several years.
Fifth graders showcase inventions at Science Museum, Mall of America The original inventions of fifth graders Isabel Brandtjen, Jessica Citron, and Dina Moradian were three of the one hundred exhibits showcased at the Young Inventors’ Fair on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at the Mall of America. The girls’ inventions were selected out of more than 7,000 submissions to the program. The girls developed their inventions as part of SPA’s “Imagination Station” event, an annual science and invention program in which students in grades 3-5 create and exhibit original projects. According to Lower School science teacher Andy Power, who coordinates Imagination Station, SPA regularly sends 3-4 fifthgrade students every year to the YIF. Dina Moradian’s invention earned additional accolades from the Fair: her project was selected by the Science Museum of Minnesota to be shown in an extended exhibit during the month of May in the museum entrance. Dina is the daughter of Eddie and Rebecca Moradian, who report that Dina was “elated and honored by this award and especially thrilled to be represent SPA.”
SPA parent and alumna Kathy Spraitz ’80 has used the Kenwood bus service since it began. “We signed up for the Minneapolis bus service when it first began several years ago,” says Spraitz. “The bus has simplified our family’s schedule and streamlined our son’s ritual each day.” Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Ami Berger
Through the Doors
SPA’s eighth grade hosts naturalization ceremony Eighth-grade students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School hosted a citizenship and naturalization ceremony on Friday, May 13, 2011. Twenty-five new American citizens were sworn in during the ceremony, which was presided over by the Honorable Frank Noel, Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota. Family and friends of the new citizens also attended, as did representatives from Citizenship and Immigration Services. The ceremony was held in SPA’s Middle School with the entire eighth grade in attendance; many SPA faculty and staff also attended. The naturalization ceremony was a culminating activity for the eighth grade’s study of immigration and civics. Over the course of the year, students examined both historical immigration to the United States and contemporary immigration to Minnesota.
Holding a naturalization ceremony at SPA has been a long-time goal of SPA Middle School social studies teacher Chris Minns, who taught the immigration unit and has guided the students through the planning of the May 13 event. SPA Middle School principal Dr. Jill Romans notes that the new focus of the school’s service-learning program helped make the naturalization ceremony a reality. “The evolution of our service learning program has been to create experiences for our students that embody the spirit of citizenship and working in collaboration with members of the community to solve problems,” Romans says. “Hosting the naturalization ceremony has given our students the opportunity to study immigrant populations in the Twin Cities, recognize the challenges and benefits for individuals immigrating to the US, and to celebrate those who become new American citizens through naturalization.”
Liberman and Paulus part of “Pianos on Parade” Lower School Art teachers Joy Liberman and Patty Paulus were among 20 local artists selected to transform pianos into works of art for “Pianos on Parade,” a citywide public-art project with installations in dozens of locations throughout St. Paul over the summer of 2011. Paulus’ piano spent some time at Como Park, while Liberman’s piano was located outside the entry of the Ordway Theatre. Liberman was initially tapped for the project by a “Pianos on Parade” staff member who had visited her “Apple a Day” exhibit at SPA’s Drake Gallery [see the Spring 2011 issue of SPA Magazine for more on Liberman’s “Apple” exhibit—Ed.]. “I was racking my brain for an idea for the piano,” Liberman says, “and I told Patty [Paulus] that I was searching for a catchy idea. Right away she said, ‘Chopsticks’! If I were going to paint a piano, I would do ‘Chopsticks.’ At that moment I told her she needed to participate too!” Paulus did just that, creating a piano for the project with a “Chopsticks” theme (pictured above). Liberman’s bicycle-themed piano (below) was inspired in part by the “passion for biking in the Twin Cities community,” Liberman reports. 4
SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
Lower School welcomes three new faculty The Lower School welcomed three new faculty this fall: Jill Chang (3/4B); Regi Santiago (1/2B); and Maria Stalsberg (1/2D). Jill Chang has been working with elementary school students for 14 years. Before joining SPA, Chang was a curriculum specialist and teacher at Footprints Academy in Woodbury and a third-grade teacher at Cowern Elementary School in North St. Paul. She received a Masters of Education degree at University of St. Mary’s in Winona, MN, and an undergraduate degree in kindergarten/elementary education from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Regina Santiago received her certification from the teacher education program at Hamline University and holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from Macalester College. Prior to her appointment at SPA, Ms. Santiago worked as a teaching paraprofessional at College Prep Elementary in St. Paul. She also has volunteered as a teaching assistant, English language learner tutor, and as a “playologist” at Minnesota Children’s Museum. Maria Stalsberg received her undergraduate degree in business at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and worked with Target Corp. “After starting off in the business world, I realized that my passion was in the classroom,” Ms. Stalsberg says. “There is something special about shaping the lives of young children.” Ms. Stalsberg holds an M.A. in teaching at Hamline University.
SPA Spirit Store goes online The Spirit Store has gone online with an expanded array of items and sizes. Students, parents, faculty, staff, and alums will now have the convenience of online ordering, a wider selection, and home delivery. Visit the Spirit Store and show your Spartan pride at www.spa. edu > About SPA > Spirit Store.
Spring Art Party: May 12, 2012 The entire SPA community is invited to join us at the Spring Art Party on May 12, 2012, at 7 p.m. in the Randolph gymnasium. The Spring Art Party is sponsored by the Parent Associations and celebrates student art and creativity. Save the date on your calendar now and look for your invitation in the coming months!
Admission Open Houses in January 2012. Visit www.spa.edu/admission for details. Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Through the Doors
Courtesy U of M Department of Art
Fones honored as debate team excels SPA debate coach Tom Fones received the 2011 “Golden Apple Award” for outstanding achievement and dedication in the debate community. Fones received his award at the MinneApple Debate Tournament Awards Ceremony on Saturday, November 5, 2011.
A collaboration between SPA’s Fine Arts Department and the University of Minnesota’s Department of Art will bring a new exhibition to the Harry M. Drake Gallery in January 2011. “Concordance,” an exhibit of drawing and painting, is on display in the Drake Gallery January 9-February 9, 2012. “Concordance” will feature the work of nineteen educators and artists who teach in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Art, including seven professors who are also well-known Twin Cities artists: Alexis Kuhr; Clarence Morgan; Christine Baeumler; Joyce Lyon; Diane Katsiaficas; David Feinberg; and Lynn Gray. The other dozen artists whose work will be featured are adjunct and graduate instructors in the Department of Art. According to Josh Ostraff, a “U” graduate instructor whose work will be included in “Concordance,” the name of the exhibit was chosen to reflect the groups’ dedication to arts education: “The word ‘concordance’ means to agree or find harmony,” Ostraff says, “and the ‘Concordance’ exhibit is a celebration of our coming together in purpose and motivation to help students realize the importance of an education in the arts.”
In presenting Fones with the award, Apple Valley debate coach Pam Wycoff described him as “a gentleman and a scholar,” and noted his dedication to “helping his students become better debaters, thinkers, and students of argumentation for debate and life.” Fones’ award is one of many triumphs for the the 2011-12 debate team: as of December 2011, the 70-student team is ranked first in the state among all schools— the first time in memory that an independent school has been ranked first—and 43rd in the nation.
Greg Helgeson
SPA and the “U” collaborate on exhibition of drawing and painting educators
Fones, who also teaches history and coordinates the Senior Speech program in the Upper School, has coached debate at SPA since 1996. He has received National Forensics League Diamond and Double Diamond Awards for Outstanding Speech and Debate Teacher, and was declared an Outstanding Inspirational Teacher by Carleton College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University.
Quiz Bowl team vs. Steve Levitt ’85 The June 9, 2011 broadcast of “Freakonomics Radio” on Minnesota Public Radio showcased SPA’s Quiz Bowl team, both past and present. The four-member 2010-11 Quiz Bowl team—Steve Wendeborn ’11, Zac Mohring ’11, Carter Peterson ’11, and Cameron Matticks ’11—challenged “Team Levitt,” made up of Freakonomics author and SPA alumnus Steve Levitt ’85, his sister Linda Levitt Jines ’80, and their father Mike Levitt. The show, which was recorded live at St. Paul’s Fitzgerald Theater, opened the SPA segment with Upper School math teacher George Leiter sharing stories about Levitt’s days at SPA and on the Quiz Bowl team. Leiter’s comments were followed by a ten-minute Quiz Bowl match between Team Levitt and the student team. Although no official score was kept, Leiter reports that the four students more than held their own and kept the audience laughing with their off-the-cuff patter. Peterson got the biggest laugh of the night when, struggling for a world capital starting with the letter ‘v,’ offered the answer “Vashington D.C.” As the winners of the match, the students won a prize of $200—but with a catch. They could either split the money evenly among themselves, or donate the entire sum to charity. The boys chose to contribute their prize to SPA’s Annual Fund. For a photo slideshow of the “Freakonomics” Quiz Bowl match, visit stpaulacademy.smugmug.com/Events/Quiz-Bowl-Challenge.
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SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
Spartan Sports
Baseball The baseball team finished 8-2 in conference play and second in the Tri-Metro Conference with 16 wins and 6 losses overall. Gabe Mast ’11, John Micevych ’11, Chris Pichert ’11 and Matt Fiedler ’13 were named All-Conference, and Alex Petronio ’11 and Spencer Egly ’13 were Honorable Mention All-Conference. Matt Fiedler was named All-State Honorable Mention by both the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune and was selected for the 4AA All Section team.
Boys Tennis The boys’ tennis team finished third in the Tri-Metro Conference with a 5-2 record. All-Conference honors went to Max Hommeyer ’11, Zach Mohring ’11, John Hill ’11, and Birk Mitau ’12. C.J. Whitaker ’12 and Matt Henneman ’13 were Honorable Mention All-Conference. In section play, the team finished second. The doubles team of Max Hommeyer and Birk Mitau finished in first place in Section 1A and qualified for the state tournament, finishing in second place in the State
Girls Track
Class A tennis tournament. John Hill also qualified for State, with a second-place finish in Class A Singles.
The girls’ track team tied for seventh place in the Tri-Metro Conference. All-Conference honors went to Ambrosia Smith ’11 and Ayo Jones ’12. Honorable Mention AllConference honors went to Lily Rogers-Grant ’13, Melanie Luikart ’13, Alev Baysoy ’14, and Sonya Das ’14. The team finished third in Sub-Section and ninth of 22 teams at the Section Championships. Ambrosia Smith represented the team at State in the 800-meter race with a sixth-place finish.
Boys Track The boys’ track team finished eighth in the Tri-Metro Conference. Senior Carter Peterson ’11 and Francesco DiCaprio ’11 were named All-Conference. Josh Gray ’13, Steven Olson ’13 and eighthgrader Michael Destache ’15 were named Honorable Mention All-Conference. Both Michael and Francesco qualified for sectional competition.
Girls Lacrosse
Boys Golf The boys’ golf team finished eighth in the conference with 4 wins and 5 losses. Conor Dowdle ’11 was awarded Honorable Mention AllConference. James Adams ’11 played through both section rounds and qualified for the Class AA State Tournament, finishing 60th overall.
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Courtesy SPA Athletics
The softball team compiled a 6-4 record in conference play and tied for fourth place in the Tri-Metro Conference with an 11-8 overall record. Alexandra Miller ’14, Erica Miller ’12, and Anna Olson ’12 earned All-Conference, and Delaney Middlebrook ’11 and Bari Applebaum ’12 were named Honorable Mention All-Conference.
1 | Track athletes (from left) Alev Baysoy ’14, Lily RogersGrant ’13, Ambrosia Smith ’11, and Ayo Jones ’12 all earned Tri-Metro conference honors. 2 | The 2011 girls’ golf team with coach Jim Tisel. 3 | John Hill ’11 finished second in the state in Class A Singles tennis.
Courtesy SPA Athletics
Softball
The girls’ lacrosse team, a coop team with Visitation, finished the season with a 6-8 record. Five of the eleven starters on the team were SPA students and four will return for the 2012 season. Kristin Knutzen ’12, who will serve as team captain for the 2012 season, was named a Pioneer Press “Athlete of the Week” in spring 2011 for her performance on the lacrosse team. Courtesy SPA Athletics
Spring Sports
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Girls Golf The girls’ golf team finished ninth in the Tri-Metro Conference. Taylor Billeadeau ’12 earned Honorable Mention All-Conference and narrowly missed qualifying for the state tournament.
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Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Spartan Sports
Fall Sports Boys’ Soccer The boys’ varsity soccer team had an outstanding season, finishing with an 18-4 record. The team placed first in the Tri-Metro Conference with a perfect 10-0 record and won the Section 3A championship, defeating Holy Angels in a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory to qualify for the state tournament a second year in a row. The team finished fourth in state competition. Ben Braman ’13 was named to the 2011 Minnesota State High School League State Tournament All-State Tournament Team and received All-Conference honors, as did Gabe Brennaman ’12, Ryan Hobert ’12, Nico Olson-Studler ’12, and Sam Forsgren ’14. Lorenzo Pavoloni ’13 and Josh Gray ’13 received Honorable Mention All-Conference honors. Sam Forsgren and Gabe Brennaman were selected to the MSHSL Soccer Coaches Association All-State Team, with Ben Breman selected as Honorable Mention All-State. The three were also selected as members of the Pioneer Press/ Star Tribune All-State team.
in the semi-final game. Receiving All-Conference honors: Jenna O’Brien ’12, Amanda Hotvedt ’13, Camille Horne ’13, Nina Perkkio ’13, and Molly Fiedler ’15. Amanda and Molly were also selected for First Team All State, and Camille was selected for First Team All State Honorable Mention. Honorable Mention All-Conference went to Mara Walli ’13 and Anya Moradian ’12.
Cross Country The girls’ cross country team finished fourth in the Tri-Metro Conference and the boys’ team finished sixth. Girls and boys earning AllConference honors: Mary Naas ’15, Ellen McCarthy ’15, Michael Destache ’15, and Steven Olson ’13. Wendy White ’12 and Lily RogersGrant ’13 received Honorable Mention All-Conference. Mary Naas and Mike Destache both qualified for State in the individual competition; Mike finished 21st with a time of 16:47 and Mary finished 55th with a time of 15:59. Mike was also selected to the All State Team.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving The swim team, with a 3-4 record for the season, finished fourth in the St. Paul City Conference. Individual conference medal winners were Ceallach Gibbons ’12 (first place, 200 individual medley; second place, 500 freestyle); Jackie Olson ’15 (third place, diving); and Anna Matenaer ’14 (third place, 100 backstroke). In addition, the 400 freestyle relay team of Katiana Taubenberger ’15, Sela Patterson ’14, Anna Matenaer, and Ceallach Gibbons placed third in the conference. Overall, the team took 4th place at conference and 8th place at sections. All-Conference recipients were Ceallach Gibbons, Anna Matenaer, and Jackie Olson; Katiana Taubenberger received All-Conference Honorable Mention.
Football Working hard to overcome a season plagued with injuries, the football team finished sixth in the Tri-Metro Conference West Division
with a record of 0-8. Karl Hommeyer ’13 received All-Conference honors and Honorable Mention AllConference went to Andrew Bradley ’12 , Daniel O’Shea ’13, and David Ristau ’13. David Ristau was also named a Pioneer Press “Athlete of the Week” after his stellar performance against Breck on September 30, 2011; David rushed for 205 yards on 30 carries, including 135 yards in the first half, and also returned four kicks for 84 yards.
Girls’ Tennis The team placed sixth in the Tri-Metro Conference with a season record of 9-7, ending their season with a hard-fought second-round section loss to Breck. Sarah Colton ’14 and Alida Mitau ’14 earned Honorable Mention All-Conference. Sonya Das ’14 and Sarah Hays ’13 received All-Conference honors. In state tournament competition, the doubles team of Gina Nguyen and Sarah Hays took third place in Class A. Singles players Maddie Graham ’13 and Sonya Das both qualified for state. Sonya made a great run for the state singles championship but lost in the finals, finishing second in the state.
Girls’ Soccer
Volleyball
The girls’ soccer team had another excellent season, finishing the year as the highest scoring team in the state. The team took second in the conference with a 9-1 conference record and a 14-3-1 record overall. With a first round bye in section play, the team won against Trinity in the second round, only to lose to Holy Angels
With an improved record of 5-11, the volleyball team shared sixth place in the Tri-Metro Conference with Mounds Park Academy and Providence. Mira Grinsfelder ’15 received All-Conference honors. Catherine Larson ’13, Erica Miller ’12, and Isabel LaVercombe ’12 received Honorable Mention AllConference honors.
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SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
Josh Gray ’13 (#9) fights off a defender during the boys’ soccer team’s sectional semifinal game against St. Thomas Academy on October 15, 2011.
Mike Destache ’15: Cross Country Mike competed in cross country for the first time in fall 2011 and ran like a seasoned pro. He started the season running 17:44 in the 5K, placing ninth in the conference overall. In sectional competition, he beat his own PR with a 16:19, qualifying for the State meet. He ran 16:47 at State, showing great composure for his debut at state-level competition and was selected to the All State Team. Sonya Das ’14: Tennis A dominant singles player, Sonya powered through the 2011 tennis season all the way to the final match in the state championship. She faced—and almost beat—five-time state singles champion Amber Washington in the state finals, losing 6-4, 7-5. Sonya’s second-place state finish this year and her third-place state finish in 2010 put her in prime position to capture the state title in 2012. Karl Hommeyer ’13: Football During the 2011 season, Karl took over the starting quarterback position after injuries sidelined both first- and secondstring quarterbacks. Karl’s maturity, leadership, and hard work made a tough season brighter for the team; he rushed 97 times for 466 yards and went 24 of 44 passes for 239 yards. Jenna O’Brien ’12: Soccer Called the “Cal Ripkin of her generation” by the Highland Villager, Jenna has played on the SPA girls’ varsity soccer team since seventh grade, for a total of 116 consecutive games. She is the Spartans’ all-time leading scorer, with 49 goals and 30 assists. Jenna was named All Conference in 2011 (her 4th such honor) and was voted Most Valuable Player her senior year.
Scott Streble
Spartan Faces in the Crowd
Drew Whitaker ’12 shakes the bleachers as the 2011-12 Spartan Drew Whitaker is on a mission: he wants every SPA fan to have fun at every game, regardless of the score. And as this year’s SPA Spartan, he’s had plenty of chances to fulfill that mission. Drew, a member of the Class of 2012, has wanted to be the Spartan ever since he was a freshman. When the school’s previous Spartan, Conor Dowdle ’11, graduated last year, Drew knew this was his time. “During my Spartan tryout, I stressed that I wanted to show leadership and be at all the games, which I can do because I play spring sports that don’t interfere,” says Drew, who is on SPA’s tennis team. “Being the Spartan just always looked like so much fun. I love watching all my friends play and cheering for them.” A highlight of Drew’s Spartan year so far was the centennial football game against Blake, attended by more than 300 SPA fans. [See page 24 for more on the centennial game—Ed.] Drew amped up his act as the game progressed, doing somersaults on the field, playing tag with the Bear (the Blake mascot), and intercepting a sideline pass by one of the Blake waterboys and “scoring” a touchdown with it. “There was no way I was not going to mess with the Bear,” Drew says. “It was a tough game but I got a lot of positive response from people after that game. They had fun.” Students and faculty appreciate Drew’s enthusiasm: the October 2011 Rubicon profiled him and quoted Student Activity Council adviser Pam Starkey as to why Drew was chosen to be the Spartan: “He goes to all the games, he’s got a lot of school spirit, and he’s got a loud voice,” Starkey said. Drew agrees that he has “always been loud.” The hardest part of being the Spartan? “The costume was really hot during the beginning of the season,” Drew reports. But it’s all worth it, he says, for the chance to get the bleachers roaring and cheering on the Spartans.
7th grade soccer wins CAA championship SPA’s 7th grade boys’ soccer team captured the Catholic Athletic Association Championship to cap off a great season. The boys had a 10-1 record over the fall season, with a single 1-7 loss to St. Thomas Academy. The Spartans boys used that as motivation to defeat St. Thomas in the championship game 2-1. “They are great kids who worked really hard, showed up on time, listened, and were very determined,” says coach Patrick Serebour. “They wanted to do well and they did.” Peter Sawkins, SPA athletic director, adds that “this group is the future of SPA boys’ soccer, and a shining example of overcoming a tough loss to claim the top prize.” Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Homecoming 2011 PHOTOS BY SCOTT STREBLE
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This year’s Homecoming Week came hard on the heels of the start of the school year, so the Student Activities Committee (SAC) only had two weeks to get everyone’s Spartan spirit in shape. The week featured a whirlwind of athletic events, dress-up days, special activities, and plenty of blue and gold. Students in the Middle and Upper School participated in traditional dress-up days during the week, including Twin Day, Jersey Day, Dress as Your Hero Day, and Blue and Gold Day, and this year’s Spartan (Drew Whitaker ’12) made a visit to the Lower School to get the littlest Spartans geared up for Homecoming as well.
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Hundreds of SPA fans cheered on various teams during the weekend. The football team played a strong game against Brooklyn Center but took a 32-12 loss. The boys’ soccer team also took on Brooklyn Center, winning handily 6-1, and the girls’ soccer team also won their Homecoming match, shutting out Visitation 6-0.
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Pictured above, this page: 1 | Ayo Jones ’12 and Maulika Kohli ’12 display their Spartan colors. 2 | Senior boys cheer during Pep Fest. 3 | C.J. Whitaker ’12 and Matt Henneman ’13 take a point in the Ping Pong Tournament. 4 | Middle Schoolers compete in Tug of War at the Homecoming Carnival. 5 | A Lower School Spartan shows off his blue and gold. 6 | Upper School science teachers Tina Barsky (in wagon) and Dr. Steve Heilig in the Chariot Races.
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Pictured above, this page: 1 | The Spartan (Drew Whitaker ’12) leads the crowd in a cheer. 2 | Lower Schoolers enjoy the Homecoming Carnival. 3 | Emily Upin ’12 in her blue and gold regalia. 4 | Claire Foussard ’14 paints the face of Hagop Toghramadkian ’13. 5 | Preparing for the annual “Storming of the Field” just before kickoff. 6 | Karl Hommeyer ’13 eludes a Brooklyn Center defender.
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Technology, Education, and SPA BY PEGGY RADER | PHOTOS BY SCOTT STREBLE
At SPA, academic technology connects two essential elements of today’s classrooms: acquiring the skills needed for working and living in a digital society, and developing strong relationships between students and their teachers, their studies, and the world. Sitting outside the Upper School library, a student points inquisitively at his laptop screen while the teacher on the bench next to him remarks on a detail of the map they’re both studying. On the student’s other side a classmate looks on, taking notes on her laptop and checking references in a textbook. A pod of Middle School students sweeps by. Two girls pause to flip open a Nobi—a smaller laptop designed specifically for younger students—to confer about an assignment’s due date. “Told you,” one says smugly. Her friend snorts and clicks the Nobi shut. Over on the Goodrich campus in a 3/4 classroom, groups of students work together on the classroom’s SMARTboard (an electronic white board that functions as a touch-screen computer) to map the story the class is analyzing. As sound of the discussion fills the room, students fill the SMARTBoard screen with squiggly, hand-drawn arrows connecting their observations about the book’s plot and characters. Technology is an essential piece of classroom life at SPA. This has been the case for nearly two decades; the school has always been a leader in the adoption and integration of academic technology into its curriculum. The school has had a laptop program for the last decade, and was one of the first independent schools in the Twin Cities to adopt a 1:1 model in which students are given individual laptop computers for use at school and home. And laptops are only the beginning. SPA’s classroom technology program encompasses a wide range of devices, software, and curricula across all three divisions, from digital animation in the Lower School to Middle School “Wellnology” classes to the technological sophistication of today’s Upper School students. By the time they reach high school, students use their computers for everything from physics experiments to history research to designing the school newspaper—in addition to Facebooking, Skyping, blogging, texting, tweeting, and living lives that are seamlessly and inescapably “plugged in.”
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The plugged-in lives of the nation’s students has its detractors, parents and educators who are unconvinced that putting students in front of screens has any more educational value than putting pens in their hands. An October 22, 2011 article in the New York Times caused a stir by reporting that some of Silicon Valley’s leading tech professionals are leery enough of classroom technology to send their children to the area’s decidedly non-tech Waldorf School. Parents quoted in the article expressed concern about computers replacing personal relationships in classrooms: “Engagement [in school] is about human contact, the contact with the teacher, the contact with their peers,” says one Waldorf parent in the piece. Tami Brass, SPA’s Director of Instructional Technology, agrees wholeheartedly with that sentiment—but Brass believes that thoughtful and well-designed classroom technology ultimately supports, not supplants, the teacher/student relationship. “Classroom technology at SPA is absolutely about engagement with the teacher and the discipline,” Brass says, “and we are constantly searching for the tools that best support that engagement.” Brass is nationally-known for her expertise in K-12 classroom technology; on Twitter, she has a following of almost 4,000 K-12 educators who look to her for advice about curriculum, programs, and products. She and SPA’s team of academic technology coordinators in each division work together with faculty to find, test, and implement the most innovative and useful academic technology tools available. Although Brass doesn’t dismiss the concerns raised in the article on the Waldorf school, she doesn’t agree that computers and relationships are mutually exclusive. “Modern kids need modern tools,” she says. “Today’s kids are wired differently; they engage differently with information than kids did in the past. As educators, we have to respect that and make sure that we incorporate it into the way we teach. If we keep teaching the way we always taught with the same tools we’ve always used,” Brass says, “we’ll essentially be moving in reverse, and we won’t be serving our students.”
Technology and “the big Cs” “We’ve always taught the big Cs at SPA—creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication,” Brass says. “In a modern world and a modern classroom, technology is an integral part of all of these.” The big Cs loom large in the mind of Lower School Academic Technology Coordinator Joyce Teibel, who works with Lower School students at least once a week in the school’s dedicated computer lab. Teibel’s students use Nobis to explore everything from basic keyboarding skills and solving puzzles to programming using software such as Scratch and Animationish. “People tend to think of technology as the opposite of creativity,” Teibel says, “but the tools and software available to us today are wonderfully open-ended and creative.” Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Teibel’s students have so enjoyed the Animation-ish tool—which allows students to animate what they’re learning in a given subject— that she recently arranged for a Skype visit with Animation-ish creator Peter Reynolds. SMARTBoards in Lower School classrooms keep children engaged with technology outside of Teibel’s lab. When connected to a teacher’s laptop, the SMARTBoards become both a tool for instruction and a critical piece of the classroom community. Students use the SMARTBoards in innumerable ways: they collaborate on math problems (using fingers to “write” on the screen), project their own writing so classmates can view and comment, and check themselves in and out of the classroom throughout the course of the day. 3/4 teacher Rick Magnuson was instrumental in bringing the SMARTBoards to the Lower School after his arrival in 2008. Magnuson (also an SPA alumnus, Class of ’90) says the boards are both a “focal point for students’ learning” and an essential tool for exposing his students to the world about which he’s teaching. “Having the SMARTBoard in my classroom means I can immediately access any lesson I’ve designed on my laptop, any set of student work, lesson plans developed and shared by teachers in other schools, and all the content that exists online,” he says. This gives him the ability to provide appropriate support and instruction to individual students no matter what they’re working on (or feeling challenged by) at any given moment. Magnuson notes that although teachers use SMARTBoards in nearly every academic subject area, he himself uses it most often in math instruction. He says that his students are much more engaged with math lessons when they are interactive, and that they develop skills in group dynamics and collaboration as they take turns working with the SMARTBoard. And it helps with his students’ need to move their bodies during the day: a favorite math activity in Magnuson’s class is hurling Koosh balls (made of soft rubber) at the SMARTBoard to indicate the correct answer to a math problem. “Perfect for eight- and nine-year-olds,” Magnuson says with a grin.
Coming of age in a digital world As students progress through Middle School, the use of classroom technology intensifies—as does a student’s need for close and supportive relationships with teachers and other adults. Technology helps solidify those relationships, says Tami Brass: “We look at everything we do through the lens of relationships, and that’s especially true in the Middle School,” Brass says. “We want these tools to meet the needs of each individual student, and we’re always working to find the tools that make sense for where they’re at developmentally, academically, and personally.” That means providing each Middle Schooler with a Nobi for use in class and and home. The Nobis are equipped with a wide range of software for word processing, research, and audio and video creation and editing. Because the development of organizational skills are such an important part of the Middle School curriculum, each Nobi is also loaded with the OneNote software, which students use to take notes in class, organize their work and assignments in each subject, and communicate with teachers and peers. And starting in sixth grade, students and teachers begin a series of discussions about online safety and personal privacy: Brass’s sixth-grade “Wellnology” class is required for all students
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and covers acceptable use expectations, online safety, cyber-bullying, and digital citizenship. These discussions and the Nobis themselves are part of a Middle School curriculum that emphasizes community norms and strong relationships with peers and teachers. English teacher Andrew Roy points out that the curriculum would not be nearly as effective if students used a variety of laptops and a variety of software. “The fact that we’re all using the same laptops equipped with the same tools makes collaboration easier and more meaningful for the students,” he says. It also allows faculty to adopt new and innovative teaching models such as the “flipped classroom,” an approach in which the traditional split between classwork and homework is turned on its head. In a flipped classroom, the teacher can use audio and/or video software to record lectures that students watch or listen to at home as their homework. The teacher then uses class time to review the material, answer questions, and work individually with students who need extra attention. Middle School teacher Chris Collins uses the flipped classroom technique for her math classes. She videorecords what would be a classroom lecture on her
computer, writing out math problems in OneNote and talking through the material into a headset that records the audio. She then sends the recording and the problems to her students, who watch and listen to the lesson while working through the problem sets at home, often replaying sections of the video when they get stuck on challenging problems. Collins then uses her class time not to lecture, but to give her students time to practice problems and concepts while she is there to answer questions. And for those who need further review on their own, the lecture is always available for the students to review as often as necessary. Collins, an award-winning math teacher who has taught at SPA since 2000, sees many benefits to the flipped model. “Students’ confidence level is much higher when they know they’ll have the chance to work through the material with me,” she says. Collins also relies on technology to keep connected to her students even when they are working on their own: “My students video-record the process of themselves doing their work,” says Collins, who can then watch each student’s progress and “see” where they paused on a problem, where they erased, and where they miscalculated.
Clockwise from upper left: Lower Schoolers in the computer lab; Director of Instructional Technolgy Tami Brass; Middle Schoolers collaborate on a math problem; Upper School Principal Chris Hughes leads his Global Issues class.
“I can tailor my teaching to each student since I can see exactly where they’re having trouble,” she says.
Preparing students “for their world, not ours” By the time they reach high school, students are proficient in using technology in class, for homework, to communicate with teachers, and, of course, to socialize and keep connected to their friends. Although the words “teenager” and “technology” usually evoke images of a wideeyed teen glued to a screen and unable to communicate except through Facebook and texting, a walk through the Upper School belies that image: students talk and laugh in groups, sometimes clustered around a laptop (the use of cell phones or mobile devices isn’t permitted during school hours except for emergencies). In the library, open laptops and open books take up space on tables as students study and chat. And in classrooms, technology is one of many tools faculty use in support of students’ growing intellectual sophistication and the school’s discussionbased curriculum. [For an in-depth look at the technological life of an Upper School student, see page 18—Ed.] The academic community in the Upper School is characterized by deep engagement with ideas, teachers, and peers. According to Upper School Technology Coordinator Chris White, classroom technology at this level helps shape that engagement without defining it, and Upper School teachers are skilled at maintaining this balance. In her advanced biology class, Tina Barsky’s students use a textbook that comes in both paper and e-book formats. The online version includes tools such as animations and flashcards, and Barsky encourages her students to take advantage of those tools when they make sense. “The brain craves novelty, and technology gives students a lot of ways to approach the material,” Barsky says. “I tell my students that if they find themselves reviewing the material and it’s just not sinking in, go ahead and switch to another mode—use one of the more interactive tools to get focused again.” But Barksy also maintains that there are elements of science that can only be learned off-line: all lab work in Barsky’s class is hands-on, and she requires students to take lab notes with paper and pen and not on their laptops. “I tried a fruit fly experiment once that was an online simulation,” Barsky says, “and honestly, it just didn’t work. It has to be the real thing.” Like Barsky, history teacher Ben Danielson uses technology in his class when it deepens students’ understanding of the material, and he’s insistent that students learn what information not to trust online. “We have instant access to a wealth of primary resources, maps, images—and all of that is fantastic,” Danielson says. “But the flip side is exactly due to that ease—how do you evaluate all of that material? Students initially want to grab the first thing they find,” he says. “So the challenge is to make them critical users and not to get sucked in by the first thing they find while doing research. We really focus on evaluating sources and determining reliability.” Tami Brass agrees, noting that an important goal of SPA’s academic technology program in the Upper School is preparing students for the demands of college and work— environments that in this day and age require a high level of technological comfort and skill. “Our job as educators is to prepare kids for their world, not ours,” Brass says.” Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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IN THE LIFE
of a Digital Native
BY ALLISON WANG ’12
Allison Wang ’12 is an SPA senior, an editor and writer for The Rubicon, a singer, and an accomplished cellist. She’s also a “digital native” who has never lived in a world without the internet, mobile devices, and gigabytes of information available in an instant. Here, Allison chronicles a day in her (technological) life.
6:30 AM My alarm goes off, always on the highest volume or I won’t get up. I drag myself out of bed and get ready for school: brushing my teeth, eating breakfast, and checking my cell phone for any new emails.
7:20 AM I arrive at school just in time for Summit Singers practice. After rehearsing, Ms. Klus asks the seniors to stay behind so that she can show us a video of the song the seniors will be singing at the Pops Concert. The YouTube version of Valerie is really helpful because it displays the lyrics while the audio is playing so that you can follow along.
8:15 AM My first class of the day is Honors Physics with Calculus with Dr. Heilig. I use my laptop to take copious notes in OneNote. Whenever I am doing problem sets I always refer back to my OneNote notes, which are all in one place and organized so I never have to worry about losing a page to the abyss of my backpack. I can easily use the “Search All Notebooks” function if I ever forget the specific day we covered a topic. We end the class on YouTube, watching slow-motion videos made by some of my classmates to demonstrate movement within small time intervals. The best one involved water balloons hitting Nico [Olson-Studler ’12] in the face. 9:00 AM Next class: Honors Math Topics with Mr. Leiter, who uses the SMARTBoard at the front of the room to review material from our last class and introduce some new problems. The SMARTBoard makes it really simple for Mr. Leiter to show a 3-D depiction of a “Monkey Saddle Graph” in class. 9:45 AM In Advisory, we have a heated discussion about the design of our advisory T-shirts. If we ever come to a decision, we’ll be ordering them from customink.com. During the last 15 minutes of Advisory, I scour through my digital audio recorder for quotes from an interview the other day to add to the story I’m working on for The Rubicon.
Allison in the Rubicon workroom, where Scott Streble
Google Docs, InDesign, and social media are her primary tools.
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10:00 AM Speaking of The Rubicon, it’s now time for Journalism. The first thing I do is submit the copy I’ve just finished to the paper’s Google Documents account. Google Docs makes editing stories quick and easy because multiple people can to work on a story at once. We can see previous edits and who made them, and a stream of comments on the side of the document helps facilitate communication between the writer and the editor. Once I’ve submitted my copy I get to work on my layouts, which I do in to Adobe InDesign. I also spend some time modifying photos in Photoshop and creating infographics in Illustrator while talking to Rachel [Kinney ’12,
7:00 PM After practice, I head home. At the board in Global Issues class, laptop in hand.
After dinner, I log on to Facebook, browsing through friends’ status updates and new messages I’ve received. I open another tab on my browser, send a couple of housekeeping emails to teachers and Rubicon interviewees, and read some of the college emails that have regularly engulfed my inbox since last year. While I’m finishing up my emails, I call my friend Sarah to confirm plans for the weekend. During our short chat I tweet about the new TV show “New Girl,” read an article on the Washington Post Social Reader (a Facebook application that recommends articles for you based on what’s popular and what your friends are reading), and start typing out my Chinese language essay using the new Chinese language settings I just installed on my computer.
Scott Streble
After hanging up with Sarah and finishing the rest of my homework, I dedicate the rest of the evening to cello. I listen to some of my favorite pieces on Spotify, an online music library that gives you access to millions of tracks on your computer. I also listen to a few different interpretations of the Haydn concerto I’m working on. It helps me clarify trouble spots and provides me with inspiration necessary to determine how I feel the music should be expressed. The Rubicon’s managing editor] about our digital content. To survive the digital era, we have to be what [Rubicon advisor] Ms. Campbell likes to call Multimedia Journalists, issuing and uploading videos, audio, photos, and stories online and updating The Rubicon’s Twitter and Facebook sites.
11:15 AM Time for British Literature. We’re in the middle of Hamlet, and Mrs. Polk fires up YouTube to show us how different productions of Hamlet (including SPA’s production from two years ago) all offer a unique interpretation of the play.
12:00 PM I love my Global Issues class with Mr. Hughes. Isabel [Lavercombe ’12] gives a presentation on the drug trade in Europe and the effect legalizing drugs has had on the Netherlands. She outlines recent updates to the Netherlands policy and then leads us in a discussion of the economic, political, and social implications of the policy. During the discussion, we all consult OneNote for the assigned article that we had read and margin-noted the night before.
12:45 PM Finally, lunch with friends. I’m starving! 1:30 PM Orchestra with Ms. Engelhardt. The piece I’m working on right now is Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major, and it reminds me that I have a Skype date later tonight with one of my cello friends to discuss the piece. 2:15 PM In Advanced Debate, we work on our cases. Using Google for research makes looking for evidence exponentially easier. With the ability to limit my searches to credible sources (usually those ending in .edu or .pdf are worth a look) and news articles published within the last few years, I quickly create a pile of optimal sources from which to draw my evidence.
9:00 PM Time for my cello Skype date. I ask my friend, a fellow cello player I know from All State Orchestra, what he thought of Steve Isserlis’s rendition of the Haydn, a favorite of mine. We discuss whether the piece calls for a more brusque Rostropovich style or a more delicate Isserlis style, debate over which cadenza is most suitable, and eventually, start testing out our different Skyping approaches with fellow on our cellos cellists is an so the other important part can hear, see, and comment. of Allison’s
10:30 PM
repertoire.
Exhausted from the day, I am ready for sleep. I set my alarm clock and make sure it’s on the highest volume.
Greg Helgeson
3:00 PM School’s done for the day but I have dance practice in a little while, so I take my laptop to the library to get a head start on my homework. I also log on to my online Common Application to update some information for the colleges I’m considering. Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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STREET WITH A VIEW: At Google, Alex Starns ’00 is changing how we see the world. BY AMI BERGER
Alex Starns ’00 has clear memories of his senior-year math class at SPA. The class, taught by George Leiter, was a study of abstract mathematical concepts such as knot theory and hyperbolic geometry. “The thing about that class was that a lot of what Mr. Leiter taught us had absolutely no real-world application—even mathematicians who study knot theory have no idea how to apply it,” Starns says. “But there was a valuable lesson in there for me: learning for the sake of learning.” Starns took that lesson to Stanford, where he studied mechanical engineering and—inexplicably even to himself—Japanese. “Japanese was so completely irrelevant to engineering. I would sometimes sit in Japanese class and think ‘wow, this is really a waste of time’,” Starns says with a laugh. “But I found the language so interesting, and at SPA, I learned that if you find it interesting you should do it. You can’t always anticipate the ways in which you might benefit from your intellectual passions.” A decade later, those passions—and his “irrelevant” Japanese language skills—have landed him in the middle of a global technological revolution. As the technical project manager for Google’s Street View project in Asia, he’s part of the team bringing 360-degree views of hundreds of Asian cities to anyone with access to the internet.
Alex Starns
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Downtown Tokyo, as seen on Google Street View.
Photo courtesy Alex Starns
He joined the Street View team in December 2007, just as Google was getting ready to launch the then-new Street View product in Japan. Starns, who had been working as an engineer on Google’s Book Search project, was offered the Street View project because of his knowledge of Japanese language and culture. “It turned out not to be a waste of time after all,” says Starns, who also lived in Japan while at Stanford.
The Street View project, a part of Google’s enormously popular Google Maps product, lets users explore places around the world through 360-degree street-level imagery. Starns’ role is to manage the application Alex (far right) with Google colleagues on site in the Iraqi National Museum. and integration of the technology in emerging Asian markets; over the past four years, he’s traveled to fifteen Asian countries, where he creates Although Street View was originally intended to provide the operational infrastructure to get Street View up and running. better maps and driving directions, Google is now This involves everything from government relations and policy expanding its use: the company’s UNESCO project is reviews to hiring the ground team that will do the actual image using Street View and Google Maps to document some of capture in cars equipped with special cameras. the 890 structures and sites located around the world that have been designated World Heritage Sites by the United “Street View is an incredibly empowering product,” says Starns, Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. citing the number of industries the product is impacting on a daily As part of this project, Starns and two Google colleagues basis: real estate, insurance adjustors, tourist agencies, emergency traveled to Baghdad in October 2009 to set up a Street medcial services. “We’ve gotten nice letters from EMS staff who have View project that would document the National Museum used Street View to get to victims sooner. Those are the best,” he says. of Iraq. Photo courtesy Alex Starns
Alex Starns, far left, with the driving team for Google Street View in Bangkok, Thailand. Behind the team are the camera cars the team had just assembled.
The Iraq project was typical of the “quirkiness” of Google, as Starns puts it. “Not many companies would pilot a project in the middle of a war zone,” he says, “and we had no idea if we’d even be able to get the technology to work—it was the first time we’d ever tried to use the Street View product inside a building.” But the project went beautifully, due in part to the Iraqis who partnered with the Google team. “The museum staff we worked with were wonderful,” Starns says. “I was really impressed with how excited they were to be involved in the project and experience new technology.” The museum’s homepage now features the Street View footage; the default image is a Street View shot of ancient carvings from Babylon and Assyria. “Part of what motivates me is working for a country that will invest in projects like this,” says Starns. He’s also motivated by his part in opening up the developing world: “The biggest developing market for internet technology right now is in southeast Asia,” he says, noting that Street View Asia’s next wave of countries will include projects in Thailand and Malaysia. “We’re now moving beyond the really dense, well-developed countries,” he says. “It’s much more challenging, but much more interesting as well.”
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Class of 2011: Commencement
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BY AMI BERGER | PHOTOS BY GREG HELGESON
The eighty-seven members of the Class of 2011 became alumni/ae at SPA’s 111th Commencement on Sunday, June 12, 2011. Ceremonies opened with the “Graduation March,” performed by Ceallach Gibbons ’12 and Kristin Knutzen ’12 on violin and Melanie Luikart ’13 on piano. Comments from Head of School Bryn S. Roberts, Board of Trustees President Charlotte Shepard Johnson ’64, and Upper School Principal Chris Hughes followed, along with the remarks of Senior Class Speakers Conor Dowdle and Nadja Leonhard-Hooper. A highlight of the ceremony was the Commencement address given by SPA alumnus and civil rights pioneer John Doar ’40. As Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Justice, Doar played major roles in the most significant events of the Civil Rights movement and the Watergate proceedings. In 1964, he was the first federal official notified of the disappearance of civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner and helped draft the Voting Rights Act signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. He also served as Chief Counsel for the United States House Committee on the Judiciary which investigated the Watergate scandal and prepared articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon. Doar’s remarks to the graduates about his career and his beliefs earned a standing ovation from the audience.
Senior Speakers Conor Dowdle and Nadja Leonhard-Hooper address their classmates.
After the presentation of diplomas, the Class of 2011 made the customary recessional through an “honor guard” of SPA faculty, and then celebrated with family and friends at a reception in the Dining Hall. View more photos from Commencement 2011 at stpaulacademy.smugmug.com/Events/ Commencement-2011.
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The remarks of Commencement Speaker John Doar ’40 earned a standing ovation from the audience (below).
Senior Awards
2011 Alumni/ae Bowl Award winner Alexandra Johnson with her award.
Steve Wendeborn after accepting the 2011 Faculty Bowl Award.
The Class of 2011’s three Head of School Bowl winners, from left: Nadja Leonhard-Hooper, Hannah Lutz, and Zachary Mohring (right).
Alexandra Johnson received the 2011 Alumni/ae Bowl Award, which is presented to an individual elected by the faculty from nominations made by the senior class. It is given each year to that member of the class deemed to be most outstanding in many areas of school life.
Nadja Leonhard-Hooper, Hannah Lutz, and Zachary Mohring were the recipients of the 2011 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.
Steven Wendeborn received the 2011 Faculty Bowl Award, awarded to that senior who has shown unusual breadth and depth of intellectual interest and outstanding commitment to academic excellence.
For a complete list of awards and recipients from Spring 2011, visit www.spa.edu > Upper School > Upper School Gallery > Commencement 2011
Left and right: Members of the Class of 2011 with their diplomas.
The Academy Chorale and Summit Singers perform “Corner of the Sky,” directed by Anne Klus.
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Class of 2011: College Choices
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Greg Helgeson
Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Alumni/ae News
2011 Golf Event kicks off fall athletic season
On Monday, August 15, nearly 100 alumni/ ae, parents, and friends of SPA enjoyed a day of golf and evening of fellowship at the White Bear Yacht Club to celebrate the opening of the 2011-12 school year and the fall athletic season at SPA. The golfers enjoyed a beautiful afternoon on the challenging course, and then joined parents and alumni/ae for a cocktail
hour before dinner in the Club’s dining room overlooking White Bear Lake. Following dinner, Head of School Bryn Roberts and new Athletic Director Peter Sawkins ’81 shared their thoughts on the future of athletics at SPA. Save the date for next year‘s Golf Event at the White Bear Yacht Club: August, 13, 2012!
Bob Larson ’90 (left) and John Bradford ’90 get ready to hit the links.
SPA and Blake celebrate 100 years of football rivalry On Thursday, October 6, the SPA Spartans and Blake Bears celebrated the centennial of one of the oldest high school sports rivalries in Minnesota history. According to records, the first football game between SPA and Blake took place on November 3, 1911, with Blake defeating SPA 8-0. Over the next 100 years, the river rivals faced off more than 80 times; SPA and Blake have played each other every year since 1997. SPA archivist Harry Drake ’44 was instrumental in researching and compiling facts about the rivalry in preparation for the event. The two schools collaborated to make the 100th anniversary game—played at Blake—a celebration for alumni/ae, students, and parents at both schools. A reception for SPA and Blake alumni/ ae was held prior to the game, attended by nearly 75 SPA alums, and a pre-game ceremony featuring football alumni from both schools was held on the field before kickoff. More than
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SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
50 SPA football alumni formed a tunnel to welcome the Spartan starting lineup onto the field during team introductions, and many more were cheering in the stands. The pre-game ceremony concluded with a coin toss by the honorary captains from both teams, each one representing multiple generations of football for their schools. The two SPA honorary captains were descendents of players on the original 1911 team: Phil Fitzpatrick ’63, grandson of Philip Wright Fitzpatrick ’13; and Rick Magnuson ’90, grandnephew of Everett Griggs ’14. The game itself was an amazing display of Spartan spirit: more than 300 Spartan fans filled the stands to cheer on the football team. Despite the 49-8 loss, the alumni/ ae, students, parents, faculty, and staff were an enthusiastic crowd, especially when David Ristau ’13 ended an impressive run with the Spartans’ only touchdown and twopoint conversion in the last seconds
of the game. “I was so proud of our students for the way they supported the team and made the game a real celebration,” said Upper School principal Chris Hughes. Football alumni expressed their pride in the team’s performance; one football alumnus from the 1940s sent the following message to the team after the game: “As one of the oldest guys in the stands at Blake, I wanted to send my congratulations and best wishes to the team. All of the alumni sitting around me agreed that you guys did just fine. Feel proud.”
From left, Peter Zelle ’83, Tom Kayser ’80, retired Co-Athletic Director and football coach Dave Montgomery, and Mike Ristau ’85 enjoy the alumni/ae reception before the game.
Meet Jenni Glick, new Alumni/ae Relations and Giving Manager Welcome to Jenni, who joined SPA in July. She comes to SPA from the Northwestern Alumni Association in Evanston, IL, where she served as the Assistant Director of Clubs. At SPA, Jenni develops and supports all dimensions of the alumni/ae relations program, including the alumni/ ae segment of the Annual Fund, the Alumni/ae Council, the Reunions program and volunteers, the Class Agents program and volunteers, Distinguished Alumni/ae program, and SPA’s new online Spirit Store. Jenni earned a Master of Arts degree from Bowling Green State University (OH) and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota. She is enjoying getting to know SPA alumni/ae and would love to hear from you! Contact Jenni at jglick@spa.edu.
Reunion Weekend 2011 More than 250 alumni/ae and their guests returned to St. Paul Academy and Summit School for Reunion Weekend 2011 to celebrate the reunions of classes ending in 1 and 6. The Spartan football game against Brooklyn Center kicked off the weekend’s festivities. Following the game, alumni/ae gathered in the Harry M. Drake Gallery and Summit Center for an alumni/ae reception and to celebrate the work of alumna Norah Shapiro ’81, which was on exhibit in the Drake Gallery during Reunion. The exhibit, entitled “Stories of Transformation,” featured selections from Shapiro’s documentary filmmaking career and included both video and still photographs. The reception was a wonderful beginning to the annual All-School Dinner, held in the Dining Hall. On Saturday morning, Summit alumnae enjoyed an Alumnae Coffee Reception at the Goodrich campus, which featured tours of the Goodrich building—home of the original Summit School—and time to peruse old Summit yearbooks in the Archives. Saturday morning also featured the annual Heritage Brunch, in honor of classes that graduated fifty or more years ago. On Saturday night, individual classes held their Reunion parties at locations throughout the Twin Cities. For photo galleries of Reunion Weekend, visit stpaulacademy.smugmug.com/ AlumniaeandAdvancement/Reunion-Weekend-2011.
Alumni/ae from across the decades mingled at the All School Dinner on Friday, September 16, 2011. Left to right: Sy Ford ’55, Heather Irvine Capuano ’86, Natalie Waters Wright ’86, Jill Magnuson Romans ’86 and Jill’s husband John Romans.
Save the date for Reunion 2012: October 5-6, 2012!
New alumni/ae directory now online SPA has a new online alumni/ae directory that will make it easier for you to find your SPA classmates and friends. But we need you to make the directory as comprehensive and up-to-date as possible! To find your classmates and update your own information, visit www.spa.edu > Alumnni/ae > Log in to the Alumni/ae Center > New User Registration.
You’ll receive your new username and password. When viewing the directory, you’ll see the contact information SPA currently has on file for you; please update your information if there are changes. If you have questions about the new directory, please contact Jenni Glick at jglick@spa.edu.
Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Philanthropy
St. Paul Academy and Summit School receives $4 million gift
St. Paul Academy and Summit School is pleased to announce that in the spring of 2011, the school received an extraordinarily generous lead gift of $4 million dollars for the upcoming capital campaign. The gift, from donors who prefer to remain anonymous, kicked off the quiet phase of capital fundraising in support of new construction, the centerpiece of which will be a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center. Also planned for the first phase of construction projects will be the renovation of Briggs Gymnasium (including new locker rooms and athletic support spaces), relocating the tennis courts, and the creation of a new entrance for the Upper School.
Additionally, the school has received a challenge: raise an additional $3 million by December 31st, and SPA will receive a $1 million gift. If the school is successful in meeting this challenge, it will be 40% of the way toward the $19 million for this stage of the campaign. For more information about St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s capital fundraising plans, contact Director of Institutional Advancement Dorothy Goldie at dgoldie@spa.edu or 651-696-1422.
Give to the Max Day 2011 a tremendous success For the second year in a row, donations to St. Paul Academy and Summit School exceeded $40,000 on “Give to the Max Day,” a 24-hour philanthropic event designed to encourage charitable giving to nonprofits across Minnesota. More than 150 SPA alumni/ae, parents, faculty, and staff donated to SPA on Give to the Max Day, many leaving messages of support and fondness on the SPA GTMD web page: “I still use my Quarto of Modern Literature from sophomore English class. I’m proud to be a graduate of the school.” Alumnus, Class of 1970 “Proud to have four children, all SPA alums and now on four different continents!” Former parent, Classes of 1999, 1997, 2003, and 2005. “As an alum I’m so grateful for my SPA education!” Alumna, Class of 2000. “This is an AMAZING school and I am so grateful that my children are part of the SPA magic!” Current parent, Classes of 2019 and 2021.
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Why I’m part of the equation: SPA alumni/ae and parents share their reasons for giving to SPA
Kirk Gaburo, parent of Julia Clark ’02 and Catherine Clark ’07 Donor since 1993 | St. Paul, MN
“My daughters say that much of what they need to succeed in life they got at SPA. I agree. There they received a world-class education supported by generous financial aid, developed social skills, acquired confidence and poise, expressed artistic sensibilities, tested themselves in wilderness settings, learned to cooperate and compete on and off the field, made lasting friendships, and discovered their passions—all under one roof! In short, SPA helped my daughters become the capable young women they are now. What’s that worth to me? Inestimable. Why do I give to SPA? Gratitude. Extreme gratitude.”
Mayme Hostetter, alumna, Class of 1997 Donor since 2005 | Brooklyn, NY
Tad Lundborg, alumnus, Class of 1981 Donor since 2004 | Red Bank, NJ
“I give to SPA for two main reasons. I am now teaching students who are becoming teachers, and when I think about the kind of teacher I want to be and the teachers I would like my students to become, I’m often thinking of the incredible role models I had at SPA and I’m attempting to emulate them. I also give on a really personal level in honor of the friendships I developed at SPA. Three of my closest friends here in New York are friends I made at SPA. I give so that SPA’s students can have the kind of teachers I had and so they can have the kinds of friends I have.”
“I am a big believer in giving back, and since no institution or group of people have had a more positive influence on me than SPA, giving is a no-brainer. The benefits of the academic program go without saying, but I also had the advantage of the athletics, the music, the arts—and I know none of that is free! I want kids down the road to be able to have that same experience. Plus I don’t think you can talk about the history of St. Paul without seeing what a positive influence the school and its graduates have had on the city. It’s great to be a part of something with so much history and tradition and I’m happy to support it.”
Disciplinary mastery + passion for teaching = inspired learning Your Annual Fund gift to St. Paul Academy and Summit School supports the teachers who make a personal connection and commitment to each and every student. Visit www.spa.edu/giving to make your gift online.
Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Class ClassNotes Notes
MINI-REUNION FOR THE CLASSES OF 1945 AND 1946: In September 2011, eight members of the St. Paul Academy Classes of 1945 and 1946 gathered for lunch at SPA’s Randolph campus. Attending the luncheon were (back row, left to right): John Niemeyer ’46, Dick Bancroft ’45, Al Sedgwick ’45, Bob Bratnober ’46; (front row, left to right): John Jackson ’45, Neal Sedgwick ’46, Henry Brandtjen ’46, Arnie Bockstruck ’46.
Have news to share? E-mail your news to alumni@spa.edu or send it to Class Notes, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, 1712 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55105. We look forward to hearing from you! Become a Class Agent! Class Agents keep in touch with their classmates and provide updates on SPA happenings. Class Agents also help with special events and reunions. All classes welcome additional volunteers and multiple Class Agents are encouraged. To become a Class Agent, please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1366.
1951 CLASS AGENTS:
The Class of 1951 is looking for Class Agents! Please contact jglick@spa.edu for more information.
Members of the Class of 1951 gathered in September for their 60th Reunion. See pages 30-31 for Reunion photos!
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SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
The men of SPA Class of 1951 met this summer for their 12th annual summer lunch. The lunch was hosted by Leo Hauser on August 8 and was attended by Hauser, Bruce Monick, Dick Strand, Stan Hubbard, Jim Rupert, Hugh Klein, and Eddie Emerson.
1954 CLASS AGENT:
Bonnie Mairs bonnie1673@earthlink.net
New Class Agent Alice “Bonnie” Mairs salutes outgoing Class Agent Polly Cross Olmstead for her work and reports that Polly and husband Don have 35 grandchildren between them. “Can anyone beat that number?” Midge Hamm Kirwan and her husband Bill visit the Philippines and Thailand twice a year to teach and counsel with Asian missionaries, and also travel to the Ukraine for two weeks every second or third year. Part of the Manila
work is offering courses in counseling at a consortium of eight seminaries for Asian students seeking doctorate degrees. Midge says, “We get to know them well and have especially warm feelings for the Filipino people. Last year we expanded to a Chinese seminary and a new request from Singapore will have us there on my 75th. Can you believe that we’re all at that point?” Midge keeps up with her children and grandchildren via Skype. Ellen Huse Seymour reports that she and David were headed to Berkeley, Calif., for the wedding of her nephew Charlie to an attorney, Olive Hwang. Charlie and Olive met at law school at UC Berkeley. Liz Freidman Douglas planned
a summer trip with husband Phil from Phoenix to the East Coast. She called it a “nana schlep”, to see three grandchildren in Ipswich, Mass., then a “Road Scholar” (Elderhostel) program at Tanglewood, finishing in Brooklyn to see her daughter’s second baby. Bonnie Mairs spent Hurricane Irene at a YMCA camp in the Catskill Mountains of New York, where she had gone to volunteer for the family camp. That program was cancelled by the very heavy rain and flooding that washed out the road to camp and bridges in both directions. A brook overflowed and changed course, pushing a camper lodge into the water where it crashed into and destroyed a bridge. Bonnie reports, “Though we were trapped for five days until a temporary road could be built, we were very comfortable. The camp
had food for two weeks, bottled water, and old WWII Navy generators for lights at night. The camp roads looked like giants had been taking bites out of them.”
1955 CLASS AGENT:
Minty Klein Piper mintypiper@aol.com Georgia Sommers Wright
reports that she has been working on a book entitled A Catholic Diarist in the French Revolution, a story of the complex and fraught relationship of the Catholic Church and the French Revolution that is little recounted in general histories. She is currently finishing the fourth draft.
1956 CLASS AGENT:
Brenda Raudenbush Griffin braudenbush2@comcast.net Brenda Raudenbush Griffin
was off to Hawaii in early October, in good health and looking forward to hearing from classmates. She still enjoys living in a real log cabin in the woods of Rockdale County, Georgia. She feeds and waters the birds that seem to co-exist at détente with Hoover, her Schnauzer, and Dharma and Sukie, her two cats. She’s reading Vital Involvement in Old Age by Erik Erikson, Jr., and his wife, with a forward by Erik Erikson, Sr., whose psychology she majored in for her MA. She works as a docent in two settings: The Jimmy Carter Center Museum and Library in Atlanta and the Heritage
Center and Museum at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, which connects to 21 miles of wilderness hiking trails along the South River. She attended the class’s 50th Reunion in 2006 and pronounced it “fabulous!”
1963
Allie Roy Krane checked in from Dallas, Tex. Nan Griggs Eklund has
another grandchild making a total of five. She is spending time raising money for The Center for Women’s Health Research and the Colorado Anschutz Medical Center. Susan Herr Hopwood is
CLASS AGENT:
Nancy Leavitt Mulvey nancymulvey@gmail.com Tom Garrett
is the subject of a lengthy article in the December 3, 2011 Pioneer Press, which detailed his long tenure on the board of directors of St. Jude Medical and his current fight with multiple myeloma. The piece quotes St. Jude CEO Dan Starks: “Tom was instrumental in guiding St. Jude Medical through life-threatening issues in the early 1980s…He’s a smart guy with good judgment and he’s very hard working.... He has just had a huge impact through good times and bad times.”
1964 CLASS AGENT:
Cindy Schuneman Piper cindypiper46@gmail.com Cindy Schuneman Piper is still
foxhunting in Minnesota and has been joined in leadership by Lisa Foster ’71. They think they may be the only two people graduating from Summit School to be Masters of Foxhounds. Julie Moles Stephan has
retired to Mesquite, Nev., and is doing her best to learn golf.
working on a retirement plan and dealing with her mother’s failing health. Mrs. Herr lives in St. Paul in a care center. Judy Giddens White survived
the Virginia earthquake and Hurricane Irene. She reports that Cindy Field Tomb had neck surgery and Shotsy Shepherd Johnson and husband Ward have sold the house on Kenwood Place and are moving to Irvine Ave., Minneapolis. Jemie Heiman Thorvig reported seeing Linda Levin Waag in Tiburon, Calif.,
this summer. Sally Millington Thacher
reports that she has finally retired from pastoral duties and is spending as much time with the grandchildren as she can. Liz Wilde Berkenkamp is four weeks into her last year of teaching and is looking forward to spending time in Flagstaff, breaking 100 in golf, continuing to play a mean game of “old lady tennis,” and enjoying the time with her wonderful Tom. Susan Stierwald LaRosa
visited St. Paul this summer for the first time in 17 years. She works for the Law School Admission Council counseling international students applying to U.S. law schools.
REUNION: A YEAR LATER FOR THE CLASS OF 1970! This wonderful photo from the Class of 1970’s 40th Reunion in 2010 didn’t make it into the last issue of SPA Magazine. “We all had such a great time getting reconnected with the school last fall,” says Reunion attendee Terry Gilberstadt. Also attending the Reunion were (standing, left to right) Bruce Lilly, Kate O’Brien, Barry Ross, Rich Cammack, Chris Downey, Steve Flom, Betsy Hannaford, David and Gerry Fuller, Cynthia Davidson Mills, Sara Noah, Lucy Hollinshead, Mimi Ravits, Chip Lindeke, Craig O’Brien, Mary Stockwell Lindridge, Katie Hartzell Blevins, Charlie Greenman; (seated, left to right): Bob Adair, Laura Mobry-Bathke, Lesette Kootz Tousley, Terry Schilling Gilberstadt, Ellen Seesel, Katherine Levin.
Linda Levin Waag reported that Trista, her daughter, has two boys and lives in San Rafael, Calif. Linda and Marty live in Aspen, Col., on a small ranch with horses, mules, and cattle. She enjoys the Aspen Music Festival and volunteers at the Aspen Valley Hospital. Susu Owens Bracco and her husband John are in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and have their two daughters close by. Susu is still playing a mean game of tennis and is on a couple of USTA teams. Her Super Senior team went to Surprise, Ariz., for Nationals.
1966 CLASS AGENTS:
Lewis Brown Griggs is one of sixteen worldwide diversity and inclusion professionals to be awarded a “Legends of Diversity” award by the International Society of Diversity and Inclusion Professionals. Lewis has been a cultural diversity trainer for the past thirty years, since earning his MBA from Stanford. He has also recently earned a Certified Professional Co-active Coach degree from The Coaches Training Institute.
1970 CLASS AGENTS:
The Class of 1970 is looking for Class Agents! Please contact jglick@spa.edu for more information.
The Class of 1966 is looking for Class Agents! Please contact jglick@spa.edu for more information.
Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Class Notes
REUNION 2011 On Saturday, September 17, 2011, classes ending in 1 and 6 celebrated Reunion with class parties at locations around the Twin Cities.
CLASS OF 1951: Top row, left to right: Ella Slade, Stan Hubbard, Bill Schrader, Dick Strand. Middle row, left to right: Scotty Gillette, Genna Anderson, Henny Schoeller, Joanna Victor, Ed Emerson, JoJo Chervenak (partially hidden), Bruce Monick, Leo Hauser. Bottom row, left to right: Hugh Klein, Becky Blodgett, Junie DeCoster, Pat Hart, Bruce Kemper, Jim (Hector) Rupert, Mike Butler.
CLASS OF 1976:
CLASS OF 1971: Back row: Dan Titcomb, Mark Harrison, Kip Kootz. Next row: Endel Kallas, Paul Rogosheske, Tom Wood. Next row: Ted Habermann, Trevor Drake, Dave West (hidden), Bob Hartzell. Next row: Jack Whitaker (blue sweater) Next row: Chris Kusske, Bake Baker, Peter Gilbertson, John Ravits. Next row: Don Lewis, Bob Klas, Peter Myers, Bob Skinner. Standing: Chris Dozier.
CLASS OF 1971: Back row, left to right: Sharon Kennedy, Ginny
Front row, left to right: Doug Whitaker, Laura Aronson Thrane, Sandra Rosenberg, Scott Orr, Jeff Norton. Back row, left to right: Gerry Wimmer, Tomy O’Brien, John Jasinski, Andrew Mohring , Dennis Countryman, John Knox, Tom Bramen, Frank Leslie.
Stryker Brodeen, Alice O’Brien Berquist, Barb Godfrey Kuykendall; Next row: Ginny James Apel, Marion Warwick, Lisa Foster, Mary Manlove, Debby Corrigan; ext row: Sue Headley, Sarah Felder, Mollie Greenman, Nancy Thayer; Bottom row: Marta Ljungkull, Binkie Cammack Closmore, Nancy Mairs, Punkie Wieland.
CLASS OF 1986: At left, from left: Brad Ward, Peter Rupert, Karla Klocow Johnson, Renee Hilmanowski Ochaya, Molli Slade.
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SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
Sasha Aslanian and Gretchen Lilyholm.
David Gretsch, Chris Manlove, Brad Winges.
CLASS OF 1981: Seated, left to right: Andrew Harrison (husband of Norah Shapiro), Ave Green (partner of Beth Lilly), Phil White, Christy Earl White, Beth Lilly, Charlotte Hart, Jim Langford. Standing, left to right: Mason White ’12 (son of Christy and Phil White), Jay Dolan, Andrea Sahlin, Sarah Storvick, Martie Holman Herrick, Sally Lightner, Brian Herrick (husband of Martie Holman), Ann Samson, Norah Shapiro, Peter Sawkins, John Lampert, Joel Moody.
CLASS OF 1991: Standing, left to right: Betsy Rosenberg Schwartz, Stacy Barenbaum, Hilary LeBon, Daniel Markowitz, Shannon McCarty Ingersoll, Estrin Dashe, Alex Dashe, Tasslyn Magnusson, Heather Zehring Hirsch, Eric Peterson, Brice Semmens, Dave Sorensen, Shawn Johnson, Chris Kramp, Brian Vegoe, Jenny Young Boland. Seated, left to right: Julie Cammack Backer, Angelique Holmes, Lydia Conn, Katie Barlow Shilts, Kate Bradford Rodbro.
CLASS OF 1996: From left to right: Ben Reed and friend, Jolie Chehadeh, Anne Cammack, Adriana DiToro Haugen and Anders Haugen, Mike Larson (husband of Anne Cammack), Lou Kohl and Jennifer Laine, Ryan Kelley, Maureen Garrett, Angie Hendrickson Crouse, Lucy Morgan, Jean Kang. CLASS OF 2001: Clockwise from left: Aja Tashjian, Aarom Holmgren (fiancé of Sarah Kromroy), Chris Jarosch, Aram Desteian, Eric Chad (husband of Emily Kraack Chad), Benjamin and Kristina Gorder McKenzie, Justin and Biz Mills Dix, Emily Kraack Chad, Michelle Waste, Sam Nolley, Sarah Kromroy, Jennifer Oliphant (wife of Steffen Moeller) and Steffen Moeller.
CLASS OF 2006: From far left: Meghan Ertl-Bendickson and friend, Jake Heichert, Anna Olson, Alex Gast, Alex Georgieff, Christine Hottinger (partially hidden), Max Morris, Sam Finkelstein.
Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
31
Class Notes
1971
1976
1985
CLASS AGENTS:
CLASS AGENT:
CLASS AGENT:
Alice O’Brien Berquist aberquist@comcast.net Tom Wood woodman53@comcast.net
Doug Whitaker Doug.Whitaker@wedbush.com
Dave Kansas davekansas22@yahoo.com
Members of the Class of 1976 gathered in September for their 35th Reunion. See pages 30-31 for the class photo!
Mini-reunion at the SPA vs. Blake game: A group of
Members of the Class of 1971 gathered in September for their 40th Reunion. See page 30-31 for the class photo!
1975 CLASS AGENTS:
Lit Field lfieldjr@tcfield.com
1981 CLASS AGENT:
Walt Lehmann walt@lehmannstrobel.com
Members of the Class of 1981 gathered in September for their 30th Reunion. See pages 30-31 for the class photo!
1983 CLASS AGENT:
Tracy Cosgrove Lakatua tlakatua@alumni.northwestern.edu
We recently heard from Martin Traaseth, who spent a year at SPA as an exchange student from Norway in 1974-75. Martin, who lives in Oslo with his wife Karin-Marie and their three children (pictured above during a recent vacation to St. Barth), made a generous donation to SPA during this year’s “Give to the Max Day.” Martin had this to say about his experience at the school: “I had such a great time as a foreign exchange student at SPA. It really opened up the world to me as I had never travelled outside Europe. My donation is meant as a thank you to SPA for a rewarding year that in many ways changed my way of thinking.”
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SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
Andre Wakefield
is a history professor at Pitzer College in Los Angeles where he and a colleague are teaching a course on the “history and politics” of the World Cup. It’s become so popular that they’ve had to move the lectures to the nearby Pomona College campus because there’s no hall big enough at Pitzer. Andre ordered a bunch of retro jerseys from Holland to wear during his lectures.
’85ers ran into one another at the 100th anniversary of the SPA/Blake game, “played on the dark side of the river” on October 6. Among those in attendance: Mike Ristau, whose son David played a starring role for the Spartans on both sides of the ball, Jamie Hurley, fresh in from San Francisco, and Cathy Paper, who came with her whole family. The 85ers recall winning their final game at Blake after coming up shy on four previous occasions. [Note: for more on the 100th SPA/ Blake game, see page 24—Ed.] Cathy Paper, founder of RockPaperStar, a marketing, promotion, and training company, has been nominated to the second annual list of “Under the Radar Leaders” in the Twin Cities. The “Under the Radar Leaders” and another list, “Community Connectors,” are sponsored by Pollen, a primarily online community of civic-minded connectors who share ideas, career and civic engagement opportunities, and peer-to-peer recognition to create positive impact and personal and professional growth for its members. Patrick Farrell is staying busy serving as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel, Wichita, Kan., boys’ high school basketball coach at Classical School of Wichita, and, occasionally, as an executive coach/consultant with the Cradlerock Group (a firm he co-founded in 1994).
Patrick and Ann’s daughter is in fourth grade at Classical School where, Patrick reports, she has already mastered more Latin than he managed to absorb in three years at SPA (despite David Sims’ best efforts!). Mark Wittman reports in from
New York where he is living in Brooklyn. He’s spent much of the last 18 years on Wall Street, most recently at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. While he does less magic these days, he retains his mad juggling abilities. Julia Jordan and Katy (Cochrane) Carey also continue to hold down the fort in New York for the ’85ers. Daisy and R.M. Pellant are enjoying their third year at in Tbilisi, Georgia. The kids— Lucy (6), Annie (8), Max (11), and Ruby (13)—are growing like weeds.
The Dave Kansas family–Dave, Monica, and little Henry—have recently moved back to the Twin Cities and Dave has had the chance to catch up with a lot of classmates, including Sam Arnold, Cathy Paper and Daymond Dean. Dave is working at American Public Media/Minnesota Public Radio in downtown St. Paul, not far from Rick Sutherland who is at Travelers. Dave reports that he had the good pleasure of seeing Todd Bomberg in Los Angeles recently. He also ran into Ken Rice in Baltimore. He and his family are enjoying life in the land of Fort McHenry (200 year anniversary of the War of 1812 arriving very soon!) and there are a lot of lacrosse implements in the house, not to mention the early beginnings of a new (expanded) kitchen.
Steve Levitt returned to St. Paul for a live taping of “Freakonomics Radio” at the Fitzgerald Theatre in June. The show included a Quiz Bowl face-off between SPA’s current Quiz Bowl team and “Team Levitt,” which included Steve, his sister Linda Levitt Jines ’80, and their father Mike Levitt. [Note—see page 6 for more on the show—Ed.]
1986 CLASS AGENTS:
Renee Hilmanowski Ochayam theochayas@oh.rr.com John Patterson johnwilderpatterson@yahoo.com
Members of the Class of 1986 gathered in September for their 25th Reunion. See pages 30-31 for photos!
1987 CLASS AGENTS:
Carol Bagnoli cbagnoli@yahoo.com Jay Ettinger jayettinger@comcast.net Rob Mairs robert.mairs@gpmlaw.com Sarah Ward, executive director
of the South Chicago Art Center (SCAC), is celebrating the center’s 10th year. SCAC is now serving more than 2000 children in 11 Chicago schools and three communities. Sarah, who was working in the juvenile court system in Chicago when she came up with the concept for the center, wanted to provide a safe, fun, and respectful place for kids.
1988 CLASS AGENT:
Dan Deuel dhd823@comcast.net Anne Elizabeth Moore has
released a new book, Cambodian Grrrl, a creative nonfiction memoir/ investigative report of life among a group of teen girls just learning to develop their own voices in a developing nation. She was awarded a Fulbright award to complete her work in Cambodia. She travels frequently to Cambodia and to book fairs and book tours across the U.S. Her annual Best American Comics has sold over 100,000 copies. Her previous nonfiction work, Unmarketable:Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing, and the Erosion of Integrity, is in its third printing. Peter Morgan was featured in
a KARE-11 story in November 2011 about Foster My Pet, a Twin Cities foster pet program which aims to reduce the number of companion animals surrendered to shelters due to their owners’ temporary financial hardship. Peter, who lives in St. Paul, is a volunteer for the program. “The goal is to reunite the dog or the animal with the owner when they are ready,” he says in the KARE-11 piece.
1990 CLASS AGENTS:
Debbie Lipschultz Goldenberg goldenlips275@aol.com Darren Strafelda darrens@mlazgar.com
SIMULTANEOUS VISITS FOR 1990 GRAD: Charlie Neimeyer reports that the simultaneous visits of David Belde, Joel Weitzman, and their families to the Twin Cities in August 2011 was the inspiration for an impromptu mini-Reunion. Pictured are Joey Weitzman, Alan Weitzman, Joel Weitzman, Amelia Belde, Jane Neimeyer, Lily Belde, George Neimeyer ’24, Sophie Belde, Dave Belde, Thomas Bradford, Anne Murphy, Jack Bradford, John Bradford, Lucy Bradford, Ellie Murphy ’22, and Sam Murphy ’24.
Manny Lagos was the subject
of an extensive write-up in the Star Tribune on Oct. 31, 2011. As coach of the Minnesota Stars, the state’s NASL soccer team, Manny is enjoying the team’s 2011 NASL championship. The article recalled Manny’s father, Buzz, who led the state’s earlier professional soccer team, the Thunder, to its A-League title in 1999. Manny played for the Thunder and went on to a successful major league soccer career before moving to coaching. The article focused on Manny’s strong advocacy for the sport in Minnesota and his hope that his team’s championship will help to continue building an audience for professional soccer in the state. He was quoted as saying, “It’s gratifying. I have kids who go to school in the community. I really do love it here, and I love raising my kids here. To combine family life with still being involved in the sport ... I just really enjoy it.”
1991 CLASS AGENT:
Josh Kriesel krieselj@hotmail.com
Members of the Class of 1991 gathered in September for their 20th Reunion. See pages 30-31 for the class photo!
1996 CLASS AGENT:
Minette Loula mmloula@gmail.com
Members of the Class of 1996 gathered in September for their 15th Reunion. See pages 30-31 for the class photo! Jessi Halverson and husband
Derrick Pockiak live in Ottowa, Ontario, and Jessi reports that “Canada treats me well.” Jessi works for the Public Health Agency of Canada as a manager for the HIV/AIDS Surveillance Section. In their free time, she and Derrick compete in triathalons and also enjoy international travel—their destination this year is Morocco. Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | SPA
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Class Notes
SUMMIT SCHOOL DURING THE JAZZ AGE Captured in newly-published diary by Coco Irvine ’32 A young girl’s diary from the 1920s, privately Clotilde “Coco” Irvine’s senior published year portrait from the 1932 Summit School yearbook. by family in the 1970s, lay unnoticed in the archives of the Minnesota Historical Society for almost 40 years. Written by Summit School alumna Clotilde “Coco” Irvine ’32 in 1927 when she was twelve and thirteen years old, the diary is a lively chronicle of the life of a wealthy St. Paul girl (the daughter of lumber baron Horace Irvine) on the brink of womanhood. In 2010, Coco’s diary fell into the hands of Peg Meier, a Twin Cities journalist and author well-known for her books on Minnesota’s history. The diary was part of a stack of books and materials requested by Meier during a research project. “I remember sitting in the somber library, trying not to guffaw as I read about Coco’s exploits,” Meier writes in the introduction to the new issue of the diary, entitled Through No Fault of My Own and published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2011. Through No Fault of My Own is a lively portrait of a mischievous and self-assured girl, with as much energy and wit as her family had wealth. The Irvine’s were among the Midwest’s wealthiest families, and the twenty-room Summit Avenue mansion in which Coco grew up is now familiar to Minnesotans as the Governor’s Residence. Coco and her sister, Olivia Irvine Dodge, donated the house to the state in 1965.
As a student at the Summit School, Coco often got into scrapes with the head mistress, the formidable Sarah Converse. Coco complains frequently in her diary about unfair treatment at the hands of Miss Converse as a result of her escapades, writing that events would go awry “through no fault of my own.” Coco’s adventures at Summit included setting off the school’s fire alarm and stealing silverware from the dining hall in protest of what she thought was awful food. Meier says that as soon as she read the diary she knew she wanted to see it republished. She contacted Coco’s daughter, Vicki Churchill Ford (Summit Class of 1956), to inquire about the possibility of a reissue. With Ford’s blessing, photos were gathered, an inviting cover (shown on opposite page) was designed, and the book hit bookshelves and online retailers in 2011.
birthday. SPA’s seventh and eighth grade classes will be attending a morning performance of the play on March 15. In addition, the school is reserving a block of tickets for Torch and Lamp Society donors for the March 11 matinee. “My mother was an amazing woman,” says Vicki Ford, who now lives in New York with her husband Sy. “I remember her telling me some of the stories [from the diary] as I was growing up when we were driving in the car. It was only later that I discovered that they had been documented in that 13-year-old girl’s diary.” Mrs. Ford says she was a much more sedate student than her mother had been, but it took a while for Sarah Converse—still headmistress during Vicky Ford’s first few years at Summit—and some of the teachers to be convinced. “I think they were all waiting to see if I would turn out like my mother,” Mrs. Ford says with a laugh.
Vicki and Sy Ford have sat in on some of the rehearsals of Coco’s Diary during visits In addition, Meier back to St. Paul and will contacted a friend be at the play’s premiere and playwright, on March 3. Mrs. Ford also Ron Peluso, and accompanied Peg Meier to a persuaded him to reading at an area bookstore read the book. Coco with her daughter Vicki in a family when the book was first As a result, a photo from 1941. published. “My cousin and play, Coco’s Diary, her daughter—who is Coco’s written by Peluso great-granddaughter and now 13—came and Bob Beverage, will premiere at the to hear us read,” Mrs. Ford says. “It was so History Theatre in wonderful to feel the generations coming St. Paul on March 3, 2012, which just together through this book.” happens to be Vicki Churchill Ford’s
For information about the play Coco’s Diary at the History Theatre or to make reservations, call 651-292-4323 or visit the theater’s website at www. HistoryTheatre.com.
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1997
1999
CLASS AGENTS:
CLASS AGENTS:
Dena Citron Larson dena.larson@genmills.com
Lisa Stein Rothstein lisaannestein@gmail.com Mark Heinert mheinert18@hotmail.com
Matthew Felt married Chad
Kampe on August 6, 2011, in Washington, Mass., with many SPA classmates in attendance. See photo on page 36! Penny Sheets earned a Ph.D. in communication in May, 2011, from the University of Washington, Seattle. In August she moved to the Netherlands to begin a position as assistant professor of political communication at the University of Amsterdam. In her classes and research projects, she focuses on relationships between politicians, the media, and public opinion.
Anna Stark Kirkness and her
husband Jason are happy to announce the birth of their daughter Stella, born July 31, 2011. They are currently living in Baltimore, where Anna teaches ESOL at Wolfe Street Academy, an elementary charter school in the city.
An excerpt from No Fault of My Own “It is a weird thing but I am again in trouble through practically no fault of my own, as usual. It seems I was merely bouncing a basketball against the wall. It wasn’t my fault that it inadvertently hit the fire alarm and caused all the rumpus. Honestly, it could have happened to anyone. But as Miss Converse (our principal) pointed out, just anyone would not have been bouncing the ball in exactly that spot. I had to agree with her on that, as almost everyone I know is the worst kind of sissy and they don’t have the least idea of how exciting it is to hope very much with one side of you that the ball will hit the fire alarm and the other side is scared to death it will! . . . I did wonder what horrible recompense was in store for me. “Sure enough, I found out very soon. We were all congregated in front of the school and Miss Converse said, ‘Silence.’ The whole school was still, and Miss Converse said severely, ‘Who did this childish prank?’ I knew perfectly I would be the first suspect, so I said meekly, ‘I did, Miss Converse.’ She ascertained my assumption by saying, ‘I thought so.’”
The June 2011 wedding of Bridget O’Connell Ridenour was the occasion for a minireunion for (left to right) Jenny Swanson, Mayme Hostetter, Sarah Nassauer, and Kate DeCourcy Knapp.
Lisa (Stein) Rothstein and Dan
Rothstein announce the birth of their first child, Asher Jacob Rothstein, born July 20, 2011.
2001 CLASS AGENTS:
Tiff Clark tlcpapillon@gmail.com Aram Desteian desteian@gmail.com
Members of the Class of 2001 gathered in September for their 10th Reunion. See pages 30-31 for the class photo!
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Class Notes
WEDDING BELLS WERE HEARD: Matthew Felt ’97 married Chad Kampe on August 6, 2011, in Washington, Mass. The wedding was attended by a number of fellow 1997ers and their spouses, including (back row) Raj Boopathy, Rhys Conlon, Matthew Larson, Alison Crossley, Maria Cubeta, Adam Mills, Jennifer Swanson, Robert Cameron, Tim Piehler; (front row): Dena Larson, Chad and Matthew, Hilary Gebauer, Courtney Herbert Jarosch, Jeff Jarosch.
2002 CLASS AGENT:
Lauren Nuffort lauren.nuffort@gmail.com
Greg Paulus and his father
Stephen premiered their jazz concerto composition, Time Piece for Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra, with the Minnesota Orchestra in late September, 2011. Greg is an acclaimed jazz trumpeter who lives and works in New York. He tours extensively with the electronic production team No Regular Play, which performs in major clubs and electronic music venues worldwide and has released albums on the Wolf + Lamb label. 36
SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
Aaron Brooks Panone recently
worked on a project to build a lightweight and ergonomic harness for a snare drum that allowed a 14-year-old boy with progeria, a rare disease where children age rapidly and rarely live past their teen years, play with his school’s marching band. Aaron said on his blog, “This is the most rewarding project that I have ever worked on. I’m going to see Sam play during the half-time show at a high school football game next month. It is going to be awesome.” Aaron also worked with several partners to use a 3-axis CNC machine retrofitted with a special fixture which holds a marker and mimics typical hand pressure during the act of drawing to create art. Beginning with vector graphics, created by artist Matt W. Moore, the CNC machine converted them into tool paths and then machine language guided the pen. In addition to these projects, Aaron also writes a food blog,
SPARTANS UNITE, TAKE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: A group of alums from the 2000’s get their Spartan spirit on every summer on a coed softball team, and in the summer of 2011, the SPA alum team (which also includes a few non-Spartans) was the Minneapolis Coed Softball Champion. Team members include (back row, left to right): Colin McGuire, Ed Buell ’05, Dan SalidoBuettner ’05, Alex Jones ’05, Mike Conway, James Bachmier ’04, Peter Grinager ’02, Nate Grinager ’05; (front row, left to right): Megan Rheedy, Merritt Swain ’05, Lindsey Giese ’05, Emily SeplerKing ’05, Mills Turner ’04, Sophie Rupp ’05, Marley McMillan ’05. Also on the team but not pictured is Melley Turner ’05.
creates occasional recipes for an online men’s magazine in Boston, Selectism, and recently designed a bicycle component, the 144#47 chain ring, that an online design magazine called “ridiculously awesome”.
2006 CLASS AGENTS:
Lien Bui lbui@gustavus.edu Henry Parker hsparker2001@yahoo.com Rory Collins roryfcollins@gmail.com Alex Gast agast88@gmail.com
Members of the Class of 2006 gathered in September for their 5th Reunion. See pages 30-31 for the class photo! Samson Finkelstein and his
trapeze partner, Shannon Maguire, were among the top 48 contestants on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” during summer 2011. The act was eliminated in mid-July, but
Samson has no regrets. “We gave America and the judges a new theme, new and harder material, and 100 percent of our energy, effort, and smiles,” Samson says. Heidi Chun graduated from
Grinnell College last year and working for the Center for Teaching and Learning in China. She returned this past summer to Shenzhen, China, for a second year teaching oral English in Shenzhen’s public primary and secondary schools.
2007 CLASS AGENTS:
Derek Schaible derek.schaible@gmail.com Etonde Awaah eawaah@gmail.com Nicholas Rosenbaum nicholas.rosenbaum@yale.edu
In May 2011 Devon Holstad graduated from Loyola University-Chicago, magna cum laude in both the School of Communication and the
ALUMS CELEBRATE RETIRING LOWER SCHOOL TEACHERS: The farewell party for retiring Lower School teachers Georgia Bond (pictured second from left), Molly Kleven, and Bob Prunty in the spring of 2011 was attended by several alums, including (from left) sisters Katie O’Brien ’08, Maura O’Brien ’10, and current SPA student Claire O’Brien ’13. Both Katie and Maura had Bond as their fifth-grade teacher; Claire and Maura were both in Kleven’s kindergarten and Prunty’s 3/4 class. Katie, Maura, and Claire are the daughters of Tim O’Brien ’77.
College of Arts & Sciences. In his four years at Loyola, he set the Loyola Mock Trial record for most career individual awards won (12) as well as most appearances in the National Championship (3 times). He was captain for three years for the program, which is currently ranked 13th in the nation. Devon is now attending law school at the University of Michigan, where he was admitted as a Dean’s Scholar. Natalie Albertson, a graduate
of the U.S. Naval Academy, was named Second-Team All-Patriot League in 2008, 2009 and 2010; placed sixth in the 200 IM and 400 IM and eighth in the 200 back at the Patriot League Championship in 2009-10 and also placed 10th in the 100 fly and 15th in the 200 back at the ECAC Meet and won the 400 IM against American and Lafayette during the regular season. In addition, she was named to Navy’s
2011 HANSEN AWARD RECIPIENTS: Louise Buckler ’07 (left) and Merritt Swain ’05, both members of the Carleton College Class of 2011, were the 2011 recipients of Carleton’s Ele Hansen Award. The Hansen Award recognizes two senior female students who bring to their sport the joy of participation and who have positively influenced others through their example, service, and leadership. At Carleton, Louise was a major contributor to the women’s golf team and the swimming and diving program, and Merritt was a key contributor to the women’s soccer program.
Commandant’s List three times and to the Dean’s List once.
2010 CLASS AGENTS:
2009 CLASS AGENTS:
Colin Cowles colin.cowles@gmail.com Grace Ferrara gferrara@pugetsound.edu Liz Moertel emoerte@emory.edu Ashlee Fukushi fuku0035@umn.edu Andrew Magne wowsa2121@yahoo.com
Grace Hartman, who was a
state fencing champion while at SPA, is now a member of Notre Dame’s 2011 NCAA championship team.
Chelsea Hobert is spending the
year in Kenya as an intern in the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID). She is working at an orphans’ school in Kisumu, which is located on the western side of Kenya next to Lake Victoria. At the school, Ring Road Ministries Orphanage & Day School, she is working with the elementary and middle school students teaching lessons as well as helping out around the school and coaching soccer. The school also has a medical clinic on site that focuses spreading awareness about HIV/ Aids and also giving medical vaccines. During student exams and school breaks, she will be working in the clinic.
Katherine Labuza klabuza@gmail.com Paige Owens-Kurtz owenskur@stolaf.edu Elena Miller elena.miller13@gmail.com
A memorial bench in honor of the life of Frances Welke has been donated to SPA by her parents, Barbara and William Welke. The bench has been placed in the second-floor Summit Center, where Frances often sat with friends before her death in April 2010.
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In Memoriam
1932 Lucy Cutler Sargent Fricke died on August 6, 2011. She was predeceased by her husband of 54 years, Walter “Chip” Fricke, and survived by three sons and daughters-in-law, Walter ’58 and Kathy of Boulder, Colo.; Alfred ’62 and Sandy of Half Moon Bay, Calif.; Leonard ’68 and Pam of St. Paul, Minn.; five grandchildren, Sarah, Emily, Elizabeth, Stuart ’02 and Allison ’05; and five great-grandchildren, Jake, Lindsey, Rebecca, Olivia and Alexander. She was a graduate of Summit School in St. Paul and Vassar College, N.Y. She was an avid volunteer with the Junior League, the New Century Club and various arts organizations in St. Paul, including the Minnesota Museum of Art and the St. Paul Council of Arts and Sciences.
1934 Hildegarde “Eunie” Eunice Sanborn Butler died on May 4, 2010. She is survived by her children Barbara Brewster Johnson ’59, Geoffrey Brewster ’63, Vallie Brewster, and Francis Butler ’78; stepdaughters Allison Butler Herrick ’43 and Alida Butler Stange ’45 and stepson David Butler ’48; ten grandchildren, and two greatgrandchildren. She was predeceased by husband Francis D. Butler ’15, sister Conradine Sanborn Burch ’33, brothers Bruce W. Sanborn Jr. ’36 and Theodore Sanborn ’40, stepbrother Carl A. Weyerhaeuser ’19, and stepsister Sarah Maud Weyerhaeuser Sivertsen ’25.
1938 Mary Scott O’Toole died on March 7, 2011. She was preceded in death by her husband, Terrance; parents, John F. Scott and Ednah J. Scott; brother, John F. Scott, Jr. She is survived by her children, Kate, Teresa, Bosco (Gillian), and Michael ’76 (Meridith); grandchildren, Emilie, Jessica, Amy, Ben, and John ’17; also many nieces and nephews.
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SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
1942 William A. Bierman died on April 28, 2011, in St. Paul. Born in Owatonna, Minn., he was a graduate of St. Paul Academy and the University of Minnesota Law School (Order of the Coif). He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in World War II. Preceded in death by his parents, Bernard and Clare Bierman, he is survived by his wife, Janice; children, William ’68 (Ginny), Ann Syverson, and Richard (Pamela); grandchildren, Joseph and Samantha Syverson, William (Leilani) Bierman, Margaret and Thomas Bierman, Daniel and Faith Bierman; brother, Jim (Ingrid) Bierman; other relatives and friends.
1943 Nathaniel S. “Nat” Bangs Jr. died on September 15, 2011. He was born and raised in St. Paul. Following his graduation from St. Paul Academy, he joined the service and was a WWII veteran of the 17th Airborne Division, where he was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge and received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. After the war, he attended Yale University and met his wife, the late Jeanie Gridley of New York City. They were married in 1949 and moved to Algona, Iowa, where he became owner of Western Buyers, a livestock brokerage. He was an avid tennis and golf player, and loved boating. He is survived by his daughters Betsy and Cally, and grandson Peter Pressnall. The Rev. Allen Whitman died on July 16, 2011. He served with the U.S. Army in France in World War II. He was rector of Holy Communion Episcopal Church in St. Peter, St. George’s in St. Louis Park, St. Stephen’s in Edina, St. Andrew’s in Kansas City, and Holy Trinity in Midland, Tex. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Edith; brother, Albert ’29; and first wife, Mary. He is survived by his wife, Janet; sister, Elizabeth ’35; children Jan, Teresa, Cynthia, Peter; stepdaughters Alison and Gail; grandchildren Taous, Forrest, Bryna, Alex, Edward, Rebecca; great-grandchildren Isabella, Maurice, and Mayte.
1944 Roger Kennedy died on September 30, 2011, at his home in Rockville, Md., of a malignant melanoma. After graduating from St. Paul Academy and a stint in the Navy, Kennedy went to Yale, where he was senior editor at the Yale Daily News. He received his bachelor’s degree from Yale in 1949 and a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1952. He became director of the National Park Service during the Clinton administration and was known as an ardent preservationist of the nation’s cultural, historic and artistic heritage for much of his life. Kennedy ran for Congress, served six presidents on boards and commissions, was a Washington correspondent for NBC News, wrote and produced television documentaries, helped reorganize the Ford Foundation and for 13 years led the National Museum of American History, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. He married Frances Hefren in 1958. Besides his wife, he is survived by their daughter, Ruth Kennedy Sudduth of Stow, Mass., and a brother, John ’42, of Boulder, Colo.
1948 Sara “Sally” A. Haynes died on August 19, 2011. She was born in Philadelphia, PA., and spent the first three years of her life in Rio de Janeiro where her father was an American businessman. In the autumn of 1933 the family moved to St. Paul, Minn. where Sally attended Summit School from kindergarten through her senior year. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, class of 1952, she taught at Rye Country Day School, Rye, N.Y., and achieved a Ph.D. from the University of MassachusettsAmherst in the field of movement as therapy. She is survived by her sister, Charlotte Fitzpatrick Brown ’44, of Falmouth, Maine. She was predeceased by her parents, Philip and Kathleen Fitzpatrick of Minnesota; brother, Joseph T. Fitzpatrick ’41 and wife, Persis Weaver Fitzpatrick of Minnesota; and her sister, Phyllis Fitzpatrick Harris ’51 of Watertown, Mass.
1950 Harrison Parry “Harry” Dilworth III died on June 21, 2011. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh until moving to St. Paul in 1945. He attended St. Paul Academy, Georgetown, and the University of Michigan Law School. He practiced probate law more than 50 years and volunteered for many different organizations, but he especially loved working with his therapy dog, Molly. Harry is survived by his wife of 51 years, Rosemary Kenney; by his children Anne Dilworth, Elizabeth Dilworth, Julia (Bob) Manygoats, and Harrison Parry Dilworth IV (Cynthia Levine); grandchildren Pascal, Conan, and Carmen Manygoats; by his sister Stephanie (Charlie) Crane, sister-inlaw Janice Dilworth and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother Everett Dilworth ’52.
reunion organizer, and class agent. He was tireless in his advocacy for his favorite causes, and SPA was privileged to be among them. He is survived by loving wife Karen Mullin Winter with whom he shared 49 wonderful years of marriage, daughter Nicole Tietel ’85, son Norbert Winter III ’87, and his grandchildren Shelby ’17, Riley ’19, Julia, and Addison. His career spanned 50 years in the life insurance industry with his family firm, Winter & Associates, Inc. Deeply rooted in the community, he served on numerous boards of Twin Cities civic and charitable organizations including Children’s Hospital Association Foundation, United Hospital Foundation, St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, Boy Scouts of America, St. Paul Winter Carnival, Compas, and the St. Paul Rotary Club.
1974 1953 Thomas Edward Irvine died on August 6, 2011. He and his wife, Sandra Mundy ’57, were married for 30 years. They loved to travel and chose to live in places where the outdoors and making new discoveries brought joy to their lives. His life was filled with achievements: he led the installation of the first giant computers in the Weismann Institute and NATO; he initiated the introduction of Simmenthal cattle in California; his quarter horses were world champions; and he was a world-class scuba diver, photographer, and fly fisherman. He is cherished and survived by his wife, Sandi; his siblings, Hod II ’55, Jock ’60, Jill ’61, and Billy ’67; his daughters, Tracy (Michael), Cynthia (Hod III), Tara; and several grandchildren.
1954 Norb Winter died on July 19, 2011. He served as an St. Paul Academy and Summit School trustee, alumni/ae council member, annual fund leader, capital campaign solicitor, Class of 1954
Jonathan Edward “Joth” Lindeke died on August 19, 2011. He is survived by sister Cathy Lindeke Daubek ’64, sister Caroline ’67, brother Chip ’70; nieces Erin ’01, Sarah, Tatiana, Jessie; nephews Nathaniel, Sander ’03, Jackson ’07; grand-nieces Maddie, Eliza; and many other friends. He loved his family and all of his forbearers. He was interested in politics, and pursued world peace in all that he did. He left his mark in many places, and will be greatly missed.
1977 James Craig Tobin died unexpectedly on July 14, 2011, of a heart attack in St. Paul. He earned a degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s from the London School of Economics. He is survived by parents, John and Marie Tobin; sisters, Lisa Tenant ’78 and Amy Tobin ’87; nephews, Ian Tennant and Liam Tobin; other relatives and friends. Purveyor of puns, wizard of witticisms, and icon of intellect, he was treasured by all who knew him.
1984 Mark N. Normandin, of Park Ridge, Ill., passed away in April, 2011. He is preceded in death by his father, Larry; and survived by his wife, Carson C. Melder; daughter, Marie E. Normandin; his mother, Veta; brother, Bob Normandin; a loving, extended family from Greece; and many dear friends.
Faculty, Staff, Trustees and Friends Reginald deKoven Hudson died on August 11, 2011, after a full 93-year life. He was a history teacher and football, hockey, and golf coach at SPA’s Upper School in the 1950s. His sons, Bill, Dick, and Charlie, were SPA students, and his daughter, Kathy, was a student at Summit School before the family’s move to Concord, Mass., in 1960. “My dad’s time at SPA was, I believe, the happiest and most fulfilling time of his life as a teacher and coach,” said his son, Bill Hudson. He was preceded in death by his wife of more than 50 years, Joan Reed, and his son, Reginald deKoven Hudson, Jr. (Dick). He is survived by his daughter Kathy, his sons Bill and Charlie, eight grandchildren, Rebecca, David, Daniel, Nick, Reed, Will, Peter and Henry, and his loving caregiver Staci Chipman. Rudolph A. Rousu died on August 13, 2011. He was a custodian for St. Paul Academy and Summit School. He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Elvie; children, Steven (Deborah), Bonnie (Michael) Anderson, Brian (Karen), Scott (Grace) and Timothy; grandchildren, Erik, Rachael, Derek, Kristen, Samantha; greatgranddaughter, Lily. Helen Stokes died on October 20, 2011. She was a fixture of the Upper School for many years, serving as the long-time assistant to the Upper School principal. Survivors include her daughter, Molly Stokes Theisen ’81.
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The Last Word
Most people associate college with a flood of ‘new’: new environments, new friends, new experiences. They’re right, of course. My life at Pomona isn’t regulated by bells; my college friends live minutes— sometimes mere seconds—away; and even the generous resources available at a school like SPA pale in comparison to the wealth of opportunities available to me here and to my SPA classmates at their colleges. While all this newness has been nothing short of exhilarating, I do find myself ruminating occasionally on the “old.” As a high school student, I don’t think I ever could have adequately understood just how important the foundation SPA gave me would be at college. Now in my sophomore year, I’m learning how much my academic and personal success at Pomona has depended heavily on my experiences while at SPA. Looking at things objectively, the rigor of SPA’s academic program is the simplest measure of its value. I worked hard at SPA, and from where I’m sitting now, I can see that all those late nights working on history papers or literary critiques or lab reports were my attempt to perfect the art of communication. Those communication skills—and the time management skills which grew (sometimes painfully) over my four years at SPA–have been invaluable, and have helped me truly thrive in college. But that’s the objective story, the one that looks good on paper. The more subjective benefit of my SPA education, and in my mind the far more important one, is the confidence it gave me in my own abilities—a phenomenon I attribute almost entirely to my SPA teachers. Four years spent in classrooms and around Harkness tables with deeply compassionate and unbelievably qualified teachers work all sorts of wonders on the mind. Conversations before and after class with Frau Crowder examined politics and current events—discussed in German, natürlich. Mr. Boulger’s classes were not simply about geometry or pre-calculus: also included were descriptions of the uses and risks of credit cards, and methods for determining the total cost of a mortgage. Debate classes with Mr. Fones combined friendly competition with fierce intellectualism, teaching me the all-too-important Aristotelian value of entertaining a belief without embracing it. Having instructors whose true passion is teaching and who lend support whenever you need it—inside or outside of class, for academic reasons or otherwise—fundamentally changes the entire school dynamic. The culture at SPA taught me to view teachers as mentors rather than as authoritarian figures, and that view made the transition to college much smoother. Things many of my college peers initially found difficult—asking a professor to lunch, for example, or even just stopping by a professor’s office hours—are second nature to me.
Carrie Rosema
I feel very lucky and privileged to have been taught by a faculty as competent, creative, and caring as SPA’s. If I could give one piece of advice to current SPA students, I would tell them “don’t rush.” College is amazing, and you’ll be ready for it when you get there. But for now, take full advantage of everything your teachers and your school has to offer, and know that SPA is truly an exceptional place.
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SPA | Fall 2011 | Winter 2012
Abe Cass ’10 reflects on the journey from SPA to college
Performances
2011 Upper School Spring Musical City of Angels Private eye Stone (Sam Rosenberg ’12, center) is scolded by Detective Munoz (Johanna Mendelsohn ’11, right) in City of Angels, a darkly comical musical about the blurring of life and art. Photo by John Severson.
2011 Middle School Spring Musical Aladdin Jr. Aladdin (Shaan Bijwadia ’15) and Princess Jasmine (Maddie Flom-Staab ’15) take a ride on the magic carpet (played by Cameron Guest ’16) in the Middle School’s production of Disney’s Aladdin Jr. Photo by John Severson
2011 Upper School Fall Play The Trojan Women In Euripides’ tragedy The Trojan Women, Trojan queen Hecuba (Ella Coon ’12, center) mourns the loss of Troy with Andromache (Hannah Ross ’12, right) and her son Astynax (Jack Wertkin ’18). Photo by Eoin Small ’09.
2011 Middle School Fall Play Charlotte’s Web The adaptation of E.B. White’s classic children’s novel Charlotte’s Web is the story of Wilbur the pig (Enzo Vinholi ’17) and his friend Charlotte the spider (Maggie Vlietstra ’16). Photo by John Severson.
Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 3400
1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105-2194 Address Service Requested
TO PARENTS OF ALUMNI/AE: If this is no longer the current mailing address for your son or daughter, please let us know at alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1366.
Greg Helgeson
An honor guard of SPA football alumni greets the Spartans as they run out onto the field before the centennial game between SPA and Blake on October 6, 2011. The football alums joined more than 300 SPA students, parents, faculty, and staff to cheer on the Spartans at the game. For more on the centennial game celebration, see page 24.
M A R K YO U R C A L E N D A R S MARCH 2012
APRIL 2012
MAY 2012
MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSCIAL: THE MUSIC MAN Friday, March 9, 7 p.m. Saturday, March 10, 4 p.m. Sarah Converse Auditorium Goodrich Campus
MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL BATTLE OF THE BANDS Saturday, April 21, 7 p.m. Randolph Campus
SPRING ART PARTY Saturday, May 12, 7 p.m. Briggs Gymnasium Randolph Campus
UPPER SCHOOL VOCAL/ORCHESTRAL SPRING CONCERT & COMMUNITY CHORALE Friday, April 27, 7 p.m. The Chapel at St. Catherine University UPPER SCHOOL JAZZ BAND CONCERT Sunday, April 29, 2 p.m. Sarah Converse Auditorium, Goodrich Campus
UPPER SCHOOL MUSCIAL: THE DROWSY CHAPERONE Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19, 7 p.m. Sunday, May 20, 4 p.m. Sarah Converse Auditorium Goodrich Campus