FALL 2019
The Magazine of St. Paul Academy and Summit School
A TRANSFORMED RANDOLPH CAMPUS:
THE UPPER SCHOOL HUMANITIES WING
Scott Streble
>> LETTER FROM THE HEAD
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Eliz
HUMANITIES TEACHING AND LEARNING In reflecting on our renovated Upper School Humanities Wing, Upper School English teacher Dr. Emily Anderson emphasizes the fundamental connections between physical space and intellectual exploration:
the ability to read and analyze sophisticated texts; the writing skills to produce crisp and enticing prose; and the capacity to make a nuanced and evidenced-based argument, whether in a discussion or in a research paper.
The biggest challenge of our previous classrooms was always just space to move around…The new classrooms are so much more spacious and flexible. The Harkness table has become what I think it was always meant to be—a focal point, but not the single domineering element of the room. Now we have smaller breakout tables and a lot of open floor space in addition to the Harkness table. I know it’s a cliché, but we really are going to be able to bring text alive more successfully.
Like the quantitative fields of math, science, engineering, robotics, and computer science that are served so well in the Schilling Center, our Upper School humanities faculty now have seminar rooms that support the full expression of our exceptional curriculum. The Harkness table, although still the centerpiece of the discussion-based coursework in the Upper School, is now complemented by flexible breakout spaces and state-of-the-art technology. Common areas for studying and socializing are a salient feature of the Humanities Wing, and support the vibrant sense of community that defines the Upper School.
Architecture matters. Dr. Anderson and her colleagues know that students’ learning environment—the shape and organization of a classroom—helps to inform their academic experience, whether they are in a chemistry laboratory or a literature class. This insight was developed and nurtured over time as the school embarked upon its five-year re-imagination of the Upper School. This ambitious project began in 2014-15 with the construction of the Huss Center for the Performing Arts and continued in 2018 with the opening of the Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center. Construction concluded in the spring of 2019 with the completion of the Upper School Humanities Wing, which now includes Old Main and two floors of classrooms that were designed by Ben Thompson in the 1970s and formerly housed the departments of math and science.
It is through this community that students find their own voices and answers to the broad questions that the humanities have always posed: what constitutes good and evil, truth and falsehood? How do we balance the needs of the individual and the interests of the broader community? How can the stories of others, from countries and historical time periods very different from our own, help us to understand what it means to be human? Advances of the twenty-first century have only made these questions more complicated. These are the issues that will animate our students’ lives in the years ahead. We know that we need the humanities now more than ever, if we are to fulfill our mission of shaping the minds and the hearts of the people who will change the world.
The new spaces are a bright and spacious testament to SPA’s devotion to the liberal arts. The school has never wavered from this commitment; it remains the centerpiece of what we do. Through their study of the humanities, our students learn the foundational skills they will need after they leave SPA:
Bryn S. Roberts, Head of School
2019-2020 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS Timothy A. Welsh, President
Contents
The Magazine of St. Paul Academy and Summit School
Let’s be friends. Follow us at facebook.com/ StPaulAcademySS
Fall 2019
William M. Beadie ’58, Secretary Elizabeth Driscoll Hlavka, Treasurer
Features
Follow us on twitter.com/ StPaulAcademySS
MEMBERS Mark W. Addicks John W. Cosgriff ’93
2 Letter from the Head 12 Class of 2019
SPA celebrated the Class of 2019 at the school’s 119th Commencement on June 9, 2019.
Litton E.S. Field, Jr. ’75 Anne Larsen Hooley David W. Kansas ’85 Allan Klein ’64 David Kristal Amanda Kay Liu Scot W. Malloy Philip McKoy Barbara L. Naramore Tim O’Brien ’77 Thomas H. Patterson ’57
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On the cover
THE TRANSFORED RANDOLPH CAMPUS:
The Upper School Humanities Wing
St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s new Upper School Humanities Wing, completed in spring 2019, is a testament to the importance of literature, history, and world languages to the SPA experience.
J.P. Peltier
COVER STORY, PAGE 16
Departments 4 Through the Doors 8 Spartan Sports
See what we are doing at youtube.com/user/ StPaulAcademy
30 Alumni/ae News 34 Philanthropy 36 Class Notes 44 In Memoriam
Check out our photo galleries at stpaulacademy. smugmug.com
On the cover: A transformed Randolph Campus has given the Upper School humanities the flexible and innovative spaces to match its vibrant curriculum, which has always been at the heart of the academic experience at SPA. Photo by Scott Streble.
Head of School >> Bryn S. Roberts Editor >> Ami Berger
St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 651-698-2451 (phone) info@spa.edu www.spa.edu
Principal Photographer >> Scott Streble Contributing Photographers >> Murphy Byrne, Greg Helgeson, Alex Loveland, John Severson Design and Layout >> Kimberlea Weeks, CEVA Design
SPA Magazine is published twice annually by St. Paul Academy and Summit School for alumni/ae, parents, and friends of the school. 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.
Read SPA Magazine online at spa.edu/ SPA_Magazine
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>> THROUGH THE DOORS
Zach Dyar ’20 and Liam Will ’20 Finish 12th at 2019 National Debate Tournament Eric Lagos ’19 Wins 2019 Winfield Award Eric Lagos ’19 was named the 2019 recipient of the Dave Winfield Award. He is the first SPA athlete to win the award since 2010.
In June 2019, SPA debaters Liam Will ’20 (pictured above left) and Zach Dyar ’20 competed against the country’s top debaters in the 2019 National Speech and Debate Tournament in Dallas. The pair went 11-1 in the preliminary debates, and won 3-0 in their four elimination rounds. Their overall tournament record was 25-5 and they eventually placed 12th out of 266 teams—the best finish by a SPA team at Nationals in school history. The pair is now automatically qualified for the national tournament in 2020.
The Winfield Award, named for baseball legend and Saint Paul native Dave Winfield, was created in 1977 to honor outstanding studentathletes of color in the Twin Cities. Candidates for the award are first nominated by their school, and then submit information regarding their athletic, academic, and community activities. After an interview, 10 finalists are named, with one boy and one girl selected as the Winfield Award winner at a special banquet and ceremony held in early June. Lagos was named the winner, along with Eva Langenbrunner from St. Paul Central High School, on Sunday, June 2 at the Winfield banquet. Lagos was a force at forward for the Spartan soccer team, which he co-captained in 2018. He scored 8 of the Spartans’ regular-season 18 goals and was a finalist for the Minnesota State High School League’s Mr. Soccer award. He was also a member of the school’s Debate team and Chess Club, as well as a Les Farrington “Best 100” Art Show award recipient. He is now a first-year student at Yale University, studying Engineering and Computer Science, as well as playing for Yale’s Division I soccer team.
Upper School Math Team Ties for Second Place in Class AAA State Tournament The 2019 Upper School math team finished their best season in years with a tie for second place at the State Math meet in spring 2019. Because of the team’s past success in the Minnesota State Math League, the Spartans were moved up to Class AAA this season, competing against the largest and best high schools in the state. At the State competition, the SPA team consisted of Noel Abraham ’21, Tommy Allen ’20, Richard Chang ’20, Jack Hlavka ’22, Jeffrey Huang ’19, Michaela Polley ’19, Jonathan Pomerantz ’19, Matt Pauly ’19, and Eric Zheng ’20. Overall, the Spartans tied for second with Mounds View, with both teams scoring 99 points. The team is coached by Upper School Math teachers Dan O’Loughlin and Olaf Lakin. 4
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Three SPA Student-Scientists Compete in International Science Fair At the 2019 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held in Phoenix in May, three SPA student-scientists— Ethan Dincer ’19, Melissa Nie ’20, and Nitya Thakkar ’19— were among the more than 1800 high school students from 80 countries to present their original research and compete for awards in twenty-two disciplinary categories in science and engineering. ISEF is is the world’s largest international precollege science competition. All three students developed their original research as part of SPA’s Advanced Science Research seminar, and earned a spot at the ISEF finals through their exceptional performances at regional and state science fairs. At ISEF, Melissa Nie’s project, “Applying Thermopile Array Sensors and Machine Learning to Detect Falls of Older Adults,” was awarded a thirdplace award in the Biomedical Engineering category. The ISEF judging team includes university faculty and scientists, industrial engineers and scientists, representatives of private and federal research centers and agencies, medical researchers, and post-doctoral fellows. Nie’s award carried a prize of $1000 and puts her among the top high school scientists in the world. Upper School science teacher and department chair Karissa Baker, who accompanied the students to Phoenix, calls ISEF “a once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity. Baker and the three students spent the week in Phoenix, attending symposia on a wide range of scientific topics, learning how to effectively
present research to judges and the public, and meeting peers from all over the world. “It’s a truly international experience,” Baker says. “The students interacted with kids from all over the world who share their interests. It was great to watch them engage with each other’s work.” “I met so many talented people at ISEF who shared my passion for science, from the enthusiastic Puerto Rico delegation to the new friends I made on Team Minnesota,” says Nie. “Our schedules were very busy throughout the week, but that didn’t stop us from making connections with people around the world. Everyone was really friendly and they were clearly passionate about their projects. I’m very grateful for this opportunity and it definitely motivated me to keep pursuing science.”
Melissa Nie '20
Saying Farewell to Retiring Faculty and Staff At the end of the 2018-19 school year, SPA bade a fond farewell to four long-time faculty and staff members: Judy Johnson, Middle School English; Bill Mayson, Middle and Upper School music; and Kathy Olson-Studler, Lower School Spanish. Pam Dykstra, the school’s Director of Finance, also retired in summer 2019.
Judy Johnson
Bill Mayson
Kathy Olson-Studler
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>> THROUGH THE DOORS
Gabriel Konar-Steenberg ’19 and Lily Nestor ’19 Place in the Top 3 of the Mondale-Quie Essay Contest SPA students took two of the top three spots in this year’s Mondale-Quie Essay Contest. In this year’s competition, students were asked to analyze the 14th Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause in the wake of the 150-year anniversary of its ratification. Gabriel Konar-Steenberg ’19 (first place) and Lily Nestor ’19 (third place) wrote the winning essays as part of their History of Law class, taught by Tom Fones. The Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society sponsors the Mondale-Quie Essay Contest. The competition is open to Minnesota high school juniors and seniors and participating students have an opportunity to receive up to $1,000 in scholarship money as they examine the role of the judiciary in our society. Gabriel and Lily (pictured at right with a Supreme Court representative) were both awarded scholarship funds and honored at a luncheon hosted by the Court in May 2019.
RubicOnline Editor-In-Chief Mimi Geller ’19 Named Minnesota Journalist of the Year In March 2019, the Journalism Education Association, the nation’s largest scholastic journalism organization for educators, selected SPA senior Mimi Geller ’19, Director of RubicOnline, as the Minnesota Journalist of the Year. RubicOnline is the digital partner publication to SPA’s printed student newspaper, The Rubicon. Geller was the sole winner from Minnesota, selected from among nominated student journalists from around the state. Candidates for the award must submit a portfolio of journalistic work that highlights their writing, design, photography, videography, and multimedia skills. “There are so many things that make Mimi a standout journalist: her passion for our work, her leadership by example,” says SPA faculty member Kathryn Campbell, who nominated Mimi for the award, “but what stands out most is Mimi’s abiilty to create opportunities for other students interested in journalism to excel.”
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In March 2019, SPA’s Grade 5 Girl Scout troop participated in a t-shirt design contest for the University of Minnesota gymnastics team. From more than 80 designs submitted by troops across the state, the SPA troop’s design was selected. The t-shirts were worn by the Gophers during one of their Big Ten meets.
Max Moen ’19
Ethan Asis '19
The ensemble Spotlight Awards for Into the Woods include: Overall Performance: Honorable Mention Overall Production: Honorable Mention
Into the Woods Wins 14 Awards from Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Program SPA’s production of Into the Woods, the 2019 Upper School spring musical, was the recipient of 14 awards from the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Program. Spotlight is an awards program for high school musical performances; throughout the school year, Spotlight evaluators attend participating high school’s musical performances and award honors to selected productions, ensembles, and individuals. This is the fifth year in a row that SPA’s spring musical has earned more than a dozen Spotlight commendations. The 2018 musical, Rent, earned 19 Spotlight Awards, the 2017 musical, Guys and Dolls, earned 18 awards, the 2016 musical, Les Miserables, earned 14 awards, and the 2015 musical, Urinetown, earned 16.
Ensemble Performance: Honorable Mention Acting Performance by an Ensemble: Honorable Mention Overall Technical Team: Honorable Mention Technical Crew: Honorable Mention Light and Sound Board Operators: Honorable Mention
The individual Spotlight Awards for Into the Woods include: Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Ethan Asis as Baker Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Ananya Narayan as Witch Honorable Mention Performance in a Leading Role: Max Moen as Jack Ben Atmore ’19
Outstanding in Technical Leadership: Zoe Hermer-Cisek as Board Operator Outstanding in Technical Leadership: Ellie Dawson-Moore as Hair/Make-Up Design Evaluator Shout Out: Ben Atmore Evaluator Shout Out: Henry Vliestra
Ananya Narayan ’20 Henry Vliestra ’20
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>> SPARTAN SPORTS | WINTER 2019 SEASON RECAP
Bailey Donovan ’19
Symbol denotes team or athlete competed at the State level
BOYS’ BASKETBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
ALPINE SKIING SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The girls’ alpine team had a strong season, which included being named IMAC Conference Champions and qualifying for State as a team. In addition to the girls’ team state berth, Bailey Donovan ’19, Isabelle Wolpert ’21, and Sam Steinhacker ’20 represented the Spartans at State as individuals. At State, the girls’ team finished fifth overall and individually, Bailey, Isabelle, and Sam placed 5th, 9th, and 58th, respectively.
Boys’ basketball got off to a strong start this season, winning 7 of their first 10 games. Overall, the team finished 15-10 in the regular season with big wins coming over Legacy Christian, Christ’s Household of Faith, and The Blake School. The Spartans were seeded #6 in the Section 4AA tournament and earned two wins, including an upset over #2 Cristo Rey Jesuit for the second year in a row, before their season came to an end in a close semifinal game.
ALL-CONFERENCE: Ryan Moore ’19, Adam Holod ’21
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Andrew Johnson ’19
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Over the last several years, girls’ basketball has continued to grow as a team and build its program. In 2018-19, the Spartans finished with a regular season record of 10-13, which included several wins over rival IMAC schools Mounds Park Academy and Breck. The team was seeded #8 in sections and beat Twin Cities Academy in the first round before losing to the section champion Minnehaha team in quarterfinals.
ALL-STATE: Bailey Donovan ’19, Isabelle Wolpert ’21
ALL-CONFERENCE: Bailey Donovan ’19, Julia Scott ’21, Jennifer Sogin ’19, Sammy Ries ’19, Nikola Barkwell ’23, Sam Steinhacker ’20
ALL-CONFERENCE: Isabelle Wolpert ’21, Claire Hallaway ’19, Phin Tait ’21, Wyatt Tait ’23
Ryan Moore ’19
Annie Kristal ’19
ALL-CONFERENCE: Kennedy Herndon ’23
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Annie Kristal ’19
FENCING SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: It was another championship season for Spartan fencing, which dominated the regular season and finished the year by defining its Mens’ Team State Championship for the sixth year in a row. In addition to the overall team title, the Spartans earned first place in men’s foil and second place in men’s saber, men’s epee, women’s saber, and women’s epee, as well as four top-five individual State performances:
MEN’S EPEE: Mason Brooks ’22 | 1st place
WOMEN’S SABER: Iris Shaker-Check ’19 | 2nd place
MEN’S FOIL: Jackson Wittenberg ’21 | 3rd place, Ezekiel Lam ’19 | 5th place
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BOYS’ HOCKEY
2018-19 Dance Team
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Boys' hockey improved their regular season record to 13-12 and put up impressive wins against traditional rivals. A highlight of the regular season was the team’s 7-3 victory over Breck; other conference victories included wins against Minnehaha and Providence. In section play, the Spartans beat Highland Park 6-0 in the first round to advance to the Quarterfinals, where they defied the odds and earned an underdog 2-0 win over St. Paul Johnson. The team lost to Totino-Grace in the Semifinals to end their season.
DANCE
ALL-CONFERENCE: Nolan Gifford ’19, Adam Zukowski ’19, Jake Hosszu ’20
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The dance team had their best season in program history in 2018-19. In their third year as a cooperative program with Minnehaha Academy, the team grew in size and improved their competition skills, scores, and finishes. The group looks forward to continuing to develop as a program in the coming years and building on their successes.
Michael Bagnoli ’21
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Duncan Fleming ’20, Thomas Kuriscak ’20, Will Rathmanner ’20, Michael Bagnoli ’21
Peter Moore ’19
ALL-CONFERENCE: Nina Starchook ’22
BOYS’ SWIMMING AND DIVING SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The Trojans, a co-op with Highland Park, continued its history of excellence with several top postseason finishes and record-breaking swims. The team was named St. Paul City Champions for the fifth year in a row and qualified for State in two individual events and two relays. Cesar Gallagher ’20 and Noah Rice ’20 represented SPA at the Class 2A State Swim Meet; both advanced to the Finals where the pair’s 200 freestyle relay team placed 10th and, as an individual, Gallagher placed 12th in the 200 freestyle and 13th in the 100 fly.
NORDIC SKIING
Kenzie Giese ’19
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Despite a season of canceled competitions due to the winter’s odd weather, Spartan Nordic had another accomplished year. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams raced well in the IMAC Championships, bringing home four conference awards and a handful of Top 20 finishes. At the Minnesota State Nordic meet, Peter Moore ’19 put together two exceptional races, finishing first and winning the Minnesota State Nordic championship title: the first boy in SPA history to place first at State.
ALL-STATE: Peter Moore ’19
ALL-CONFERENCE: Maddy Breton ’20
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Jasper Green ’19, Jonah Spencer ’19, Matt Pauly ’19
ALL-CONFERENCE: Aidan Lanz ’20 (diving), Cesar Gallagher ’20 (swimming), Noah Rice ’20 (swimming)
GIRLS’ HOCKEY SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: St. Paul United, a co-op with Visitation, had an up-and-down year and finished the regular season 10-13. The team rallied in the post-season, however, with two great wins in the Section 4A tournament: a 3-1 victory over Mahtomedi 3-1 in the semifinals and a 2-1 nailbiter of a win over rival South St. Paul, in which United scored a late-game goal to advance to the State Tournament for the fourth year in a row. At State, the United lost in the first round to top seed Warroad and were pushed to the consolation bracket, where they lost in OT to Rochester Lourdes, 4-3.
MOST IMPROVED: Cesar Gallagher ’20
Lucie Bond ’22
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>> SPARTAN SPORTS | SPRING 2019 SEASON RECAP
BOYS’ TENNIS
Jeffrey Huang ’19
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The boys’ tennis team continued its tradition of excellence in 2019 by advancing to the Team State Tournament for the fourth year in a row and finishing second overall. The Spartans also swept the Individual Section 4A tournament to send six Spartans to the Individual State Tournament, including singles players Kai Sih ’22 and Nathan Sobotka ’20, and the doubles teams of Jeffrey Huang ’19/Brennan Keogh ’20 and Liam Lynch ’21/Luka Shaker-Check ’21. At State Individuals, Huang and Keogh were crowned champions of the Class A Doubles Tournament.
TRACK AND FIELD SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Spartan Track and Field competed hard all season and saw their work pay off at the Section 4A Meet, where four Spartans qualified for the Class A State Track and Field Meet. Tommy Allen ’20, Koji Gutzmann ’19, Jasper Green ’19, and Jonah Spencer ’19 represented SPA at State in the 4x400m relay. Additionally, Tommy also competed individually in the 800m race.
ALL-CONFERENCE:
ALL CONFERENCE:
Jeffrey Huang ’19
Tommy Allen ’20, Annie Kristal ’19, Mia Schubert ’21
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:
Nathan Sobotka ’20, Max Soll ’20
Michael Moran ’21, Jack Hlavka ’22, Koji Gutzmann ’19 Jonah Spencer ’19 (left) and Matt Degnan ’21 Greta Magnuson ’23 William Christakos ’19
SOFTBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
BASEBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Spartan baseball had a strong season highlighted by a good starting pitching rotation, leadership from a talented group of seniors, and balanced talent in all parts of the field. The team was 9-9 on the year, earning exciting conference wins over Blake, Breck, and Mounds Park Academy. In the first round of the Section 4AA tournament, SPA lost a rainy and heart-rending game to Nova Academy to end their season.
ALL-CONFERENCE: Andrew Johnson ’19, Ryan Moore ’19
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Ethan Richman ’20, Judah Thomas ’22
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It was a rebuilding year for the SPA softball program, which spent the season focused on skill development and growing as a team. The Spartan’s highlight of the year was beating Breck on their home field to earn their only conference victory. SPA was eliminated in the first round of the Section 4AA Tournament by St. Croix Prep.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Claire Hallaway ’19, Jane Christakos ’21
2019 Girls’ Golf Team
BOYS’ GOLF SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The boys’ golf program had a great spring due to its depth of talent and veteran leadership. The Spartans earned exciting wins over Minnehaha, Breck, and Mounds Park Academy, and throughout the season, four different players earned top competition scores for the team. At sections, SPA advanced four golfers to the final round of play, but finished just short of state qualification.
ALL-CONFERENCE:
William Welsh ’19
Quinn Appert ’20, Thomas Reinhart ’21, William Welsh ’19
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:
GIRLS’ GOLF
Will Rathmanner ’20
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The girls’ golf team was a tight-knit group who spent the season focused on skill development, course strategy, and growing as a team. The Spartans were led by Lily Nestor ’19 who represented the Spartans in the postseason. The team also looks forward to continuing to develop the young talent coming up through the ranks.
GIRLS’ LACROSSE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The St. Paul United cooperative team between SPA and Visitation found their momentum at the beginning of May, earning solid wins over St. Croix Prep and back-to-back victories over Hastings and St. Louis Park on their home field. In section play, the United were seeded #6, but were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by Cretin-Derham Hall, the ultimate section champion.
Duncan Fleming ’20
BOYS’ LACROSSE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The TrIMAC Blackhawks, a cooperative between SPA, Concordia Academy, DeLaSalle, Minnehaha, St. Agnes, and St. Croix Lutheran, saw individual and collective development throughout the season. The team finished 3-10 and ended the regular season with two wins over North St. Paul and St. Paul.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Duncan Fleming ’20
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Betsy Romans ’19
ALL-SECTION (SECOND TEAM): Erin Magnuson ’21 Betsy Romans ’19
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Graduation Photos | Murphy Byrne and Kristen Jones
Senior Speakers Gemma Yoo (below) and Nora Povejsil (inset) were selected by their classmates to speak at Commencement.
CLASS OF 2019
COMMENCEMENT The 107 members of the Class of 2019 became the school’s newest alumni/ae at SPA’s 119th Commencement on Sunday, June 9, 2019. Highlights of the ceremony were remarks by Senior Class Speakers Nora Povejsil and Gemma Yoo, and Dr. Eric Kaler, President of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, who served as Commencement Speaker.
Eric Lagos
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Commencement speaker Dr. Eric Kaler addresses the Class of 2019.
Jeffrey Huang
Nitya Thakkar
Zoe Hermer-Cisek
2019 BOWL RECIPIENTS
The Class of 2019 waits backstage at the O’Shaughnessy for the processional to begin. Max Moen received the 2019 Faculty Bowl, awarded to that senior who has shown unusual breadth and depth of intellectual interest and outstanding commitment to academic excellence.
Mimi Geller received the 2019 Alumni/ae Bowl, 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.
Ellie Nowakowski, Tessah Green, and Anna Perleberg show off their diplomas.
The instructions for the processional (above) were followed by Kieran Singh (below) and Jazz Ward.
Gabe Konar-Steenberg and Isabel Saavedra-Weis were the recipients of the 2019 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.
Tristan Hitchens-Brookins and family pose for a photo.
Kelby Wittenberg (center) greets friends at the post-Commencement reception. www. spa.e du
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CLASS OF 2019 COLLEGE CHOICES
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Murphy Byrne
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A TRANSFORMED RANDOLPH CAMPUS:
THE UPPER SCHOOL HUMANIT IE
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IT IES WING BY AMI BERGER | PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT STREBLE
A transformed Randolph Campus has given the Upper School humanities the flexible and innovative spaces to match its vibrant curriculum, which has always been at the heart of the academic experience at SPA.
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Natural light fills Pam Starkey’s Spanish classroom.
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A late-summer stroll down the stretch of Randolph Avenue between Davern Street and Wheeler Avenue is a testament to the transformation of St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s Randolph Campus over the past five years. At the corner of Randolph and Wheeler is the stunning Huss Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in 2015 and is now the centerpiece of SPA’s renowned performing arts programs. To the east, at Randolph and Davern, sits the Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center, which debuted in the fall of 2018 and is home of the Upper School’s science, math, engineering, robotics, and computer science curricula. In the
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middle of these two elegant new structures, set back from the newly-landscaped North Lawn, is the renovated Upper School Humanities Wing, which encompasses both Old Main, the original home of St. Paul Academy built in 1916, and the Thompson Wing, built in the 1970s after the merger between the Academy and Summit School. For Head of School Bryn S. Roberts, it’s appropriate that the new Upper School Humanities Wing sits at the center of the Upper School. “A broad and deep study of the humanities has always been at the center of the academic experience at SPA,” says Roberts. He notes that the lessons of the
humanities disciplines at the core of the SPA curriculum—English and literature, history and social studies, and the world languages— include but are not limited to the critical skills of close reading and sophisticated writing. “The humanities are essentially about making fundamental connections between the individual and the larger world. Academic study in the humanities gives students the tools to understand and address some of the most urgent challenges we face today.” Roberts also notes that the proximity of the Schilling Center to the new Humanities Wing—the two spaces flow into each other— is fitting, since the study of the humanities is a fundamental complement to the study of the quantitative fields, and vice-versa. “Science, math, engineering, and technology are addressing the big questions of ‘Can we do this?’” says Roberts, “while the humanities have always engaged with the questions of ‘Should we?’ The accelerating changes around definitions of privacy and the rise of artificial intelligence, for example, raise questions that will be answered principally around seminar tables in humanities classes.” The Randolph Campus Humanities Wing encompasses 38,000 square feet and 20 spacious classrooms, all of which are designed to accommodate Harkness tables (the large seminar tables around which most humanities classes are held), small-group work, and classroom technology. The two floors of the old math and science wing now house the Upper School English Department and the Upper School World Languages Department (which includes courses in French, German, Chinese, and Spanish). Around the corner is the renovated Old Main, now the home of Upper School History, Wellness, and Debate classes and faculty. All the renovated areas include lounge spaces with comfortable furniture for student socializing and studying, as well as small study rooms and faculty offices.
Honoring the Past Historical elements from Old Main and the East Wing (demolished to make way for the Schilling Center) were preserved and are now showcased in the renovated spaces of the Upper School. Historical plaques (above) are displayed in the hallway connecting the Schilling Center and Old Main, and the “spider window” (below) is installed in a specially-designed space between two History classrooms.
The size and layout of the classrooms in the new wing are designed specifically to accommodate and support the Upper School’s approach to humanities learning. In addition to every classroom’s flexible seating arrangements, there is open floor space for more active project work and built-in classroom technology. Every classroom is outfitted with a Smartboard—a 75-inch touch-screen monitor that can interface either with the built-in computer or with an external laptop or device. There are wireless access points in every classroom, advanced audio capabilities, and document cameras (the 21st-century version of the overhead projector) on rolling carts that can be moved in and out of classrooms. The new spaces are impressive, but their true impact is in the teaching and learning taking place within their walls. SPA Magazine asked Upper School English, History, and World Language faculty members to share their thoughts on the space, how it has changed their teaching, and why the humanities remain at the heart of the SPA experience.
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English teacher Matt Hoven leads a pre-discussion icebreaker exercise.
“A PLACE TO TAKE RISKS AND STILL RECOVER”:
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Dr. Emily Anderson teaches Journeys in Literature, Speculative Fiction, and Gender in Literature. She joined the Upper School English faculty in 2014. “The biggest challenge of our previous classrooms was always just space to move around. If we wanted to do any kind of breakout work, we’d have to send students out into the hall or shove ourselves into corners of the room around the Harkness table. The new classrooms are so much more spacious and flexible. The Harkness table has become what I think it was always meant to be—a focal point, but not the single domineering element of the room. Now we have smaller breakout tables and a lot of open floor space in addition to the Harkness table. I know it’s a cliché, but we really are going to be able to bring text alive more successfully. “There is all sorts of research now that shows that incorporating movement into the study of literature increases understanding. Many of our English lessons have become at least partially movement-based and performance-based— that’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time and now can do because we have the space. There’s an exercise we do where we take a line of text, and without talking, the students get into groups of three or four and make a human tableau out of that text— they physically embody the words, and then they observe the other groups. You’ll see five different interpretations of text in a way that is very different from, say, reading five different response papers. It’s a powerful way to connect to text; it’s physical as well as emotional and intellectual.”
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Matt Hoven has taught English at SPA since 2014. This year, he is teaching American Literature, Playwriting, and a writing seminar on Public Discourse. “The element of the new classrooms that I enjoy the most is the technology. I love the Smartboard, and I’ve been playing around with all the ways we can use it in class. I’ve put quizzes up on the Smartboard; I use it to project the Kindle version of whatever poem or text we’re working on, or play an audio version. I’ve started using Poll Everywhere [an online tool for real-time classroom response exercises] as a way for the students to interact with text. I might pull a group of words or phrases from a particular poem, for example, and use the Smartboard to put them up in Poll Everywhere and project it, and the students use their laptops to create a new poem out of those words, which are then projected on the screen in a scroll for everyone to see and think about and respond to. It becomes a concrete manifestation of the discussion we’re having—it takes concepts that can be very abstract and gives them meaning. It’s a very spontaneous and inspiring way to think about poetry and language. “I like the idea of an English classroom being a place where you can take big risks and still recover. Good literature is inherently risky. It can be ambiguous and complicated, and that’s what we’re teaching our students. They need to get used to ambivalence, to analyzing ideas instead of merely accepting them—playing with them, tinkering with them, testing them. If it’s well-built, literature is resilient enough that when you cut it open and really look at what’s inside, it will spring back to life. And I want our students to understand that there is joy in talking about and really understanding a thing that is well-built.”
Quick Look: Upper School English Electives The English curriculum in the Upper School is built on required, yearlong courses in Grade 9 (Journeys in Literature) and Grade 10 (American Literature). Starting in Grade 11, English electives are semester-long courses that focus on expository and creative writing and sophisticated, nuanced literary analysis. In the 2019-20 school year, English electives include: Classics in Society Playwriting Craft and Criticism Creative Writing: Poetry and Poetics Literature of Migration Literature of Love and Marriage Poetry: Connection and Community Speculative Fiction Writing Seminar: Critical Contexts Gender in Literature Literature of the Asian Diaspora Topics in Literary Analysis: Visual Narrative Writing Seminar: Public Discourse
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Aaron Shulow poses a question in his Government and Citizenship history elective.
“CREATING THE SPACE FOR COLLABORATION”:
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Aaron Shulow joined the Upper School History faculty in 2013. He teaches United States History and Government and Citizenship, and coordinates the Senior Speech program. “The new space makes it possible for us to really dig into the big historical ideas that we ask students to think about. If you have 12 to 15 students in a class, and you want them to really process and synthesize information in a meaningful way, they need to do it at all levels—individual, paired, small group, large group. That takes a lot of time and a lot of space. We’ve had the time since we moved to the block schedule [which allows for 75-minute class periods] and now we have the space. “A unit that comes to mind from U.S. History is our discussion of the causes of the Civil War. We’ll have two readings for that class: Lincoln’s first inaugural speech, in which he’s talking about the states that have already seceded and about what’s at stake for the country; and South Carolina’s Declaration of Immediate Causes, which outlines why that state left the Union. We’ll start individually with a journal prompt—what did you personally take away from what you read? Then we’ll break into four small groups—two focused on Lincoln’s speech and two focused on South Carolina. Those groups will discuss their individual answers and then maybe join forces with the other group discussing the same topic. Now how do our answers change? What new perspectives do we have? Then we’ll put all the pieces back together around the Harkness table, and the discussion is always much richer because now they’ve had a chance to see the material through multiple lenses. And it’s much more efficient and productive because we can all be in the same room during the breakout work. In our old space, I would have had to chase after groups in the hallways rather than spending time with each group on the substance of the analysis.”
Students gather in the History Commons for studying, socializing, and relaxing between classes.
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Quick Look: Upper School History Electives
Dr. Andrea Sachs has taught History in the Upper School since 2000. She teaches United States History, including the Honors US History Seminar. “Teaching in the new space is so much calmer, because the bodies don’t fill up the entire room. In our old classrooms, if I was walking around the Harkness table checking in on group work, for instance, I would sometimes have to literally un-tip a student’s chair, because they’d be up against the wall. Once upon a time, I had a very tall, lanky junior who would periodically lean back and stretch, and his arm would erase half of what was on my whiteboard. There is much more of a sense of focus now. If it’s the end of the day and everyone’s tired and someone needs to just get up and move a little bit, they can do that without disrupting everyone. “The study of history is more important right now than it’s ever been. My favorite definition of history is that it’s the story of how change happens and how decisions are made, and I think change and decision-making are central to living in the twenty-first century. Right now my juniors are studying the colonial era, and I’m asking them to think about why someone would get on a boat and sail across the ocean to somewhere totally foreign—they’ll never see their family again and they might die of malaria when they get there. What would it take to get that person to leave? These are not just questions of ‘history.’ We’re living in a world right now where 25 million people are refugees. So if we’re going to solve the problems of the world, and understand the human experience in 2019, we need to think about how people saw the world in their own time, how they made decisions, and how different stakeholders could react to the same situation in completely different ways.”
Upper School History includes three year-long, required courses: World History I in Grade 9, World History II in Grade 10, and US History in Grade 11. Juniors and seniors may also elect semester-long courses on a broad range of historical topics. In the 2019-20 school year, History electives include: Economics Government and Citizenship History of Refugee Communities History of Thought U.S. Foreign Policy since World War II Honors US History The Ancient World Global Issues Gender in the Americas History of Law History of Race World Religions
Mollie Ward ’83 joined the Upper School History faculty in 2002, taught Middle School social studies from 2005-2010, and rejoined the Upper School in 2010. She teaches World History, US History, History of Refugee Communities, and History of Race. “Creating the space for collaboration is a big part of what we do in the humanities generally and in the History Department specifically. The Harkness tables are great for discussion, and most of our students respond really well, but for some it’s hard to find their voice in a big group. Now that we have the breakout space in our rooms, all of us in History will incorporate little warm-ups into our classes—you’ll start by having everyone talk to a partner, then you talk to a small group, and then you come back to the big table, and that gets more students involved. It allows me as a teacher to get all the voices in—I can call on that one student who might be more reluctant to talk, because I know they’ve had a chance to think and process already. In our old rooms, there just wasn’t space for that to happen.”
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In her Grade 9 German class, Jutta Crowder checks in with individual students.
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Sophie Kerman joined the Upper School faculty in 2012. She teaches French in Levels I, II, and V. “Your physical space can really influence how you interact with other people. If you’re in an open, inviting, comfortable space, it creates an environment where you can be open and inviting and comfortable with other people. And so much of language learning, especially in the beginning levels, is breaking through self-consciousness— moving past that affective barrier and getting students to actually talk to each other in the target language. Space plays a huge role in that. “Our new rooms have big chunks of empty floor space—it’s wonderful, particularly for our Level 1 classes. It’s so good to get the students on their feet, make them get up and move around the room and talk to five different people. They might use the same five sentences in every instance, but as they move they’re practicing French and building a community at the same time. Language learning is more than just the mechanics—being able to make connections with other people is just as important as your verb tenses agreeing.”
The spacious Language Commons is filled with colorful flags and comfortable furniture.
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Chinese teacher Tian Wang joined the Upper School faculty in 2012. “As a language faculty, we have been thinking a lot about how to create community around language learning. We’ve added a lot of visuals to the language commons, to help our students feel like they are in an immersive environment. So we have the different flags, and books and posters from the countries represented by our languages; we’re working on having the Smartboard in the commons have a scroll of news from across the world. This is especially important for our Chinese students, I think, since being here may
be the only time they’ll hear or speak Chinese. I want our students to feel that language is an important part of their high school experience, and when they come and sit in the language commons that they’re within a community where that experience is valued. “I like to remind my students that our Chinese classroom used to be a math area. I think that’s powerful: to have our students think about the history of this building, and have a sense of their own place in that experience. This school has been teaching math and science, and English and history and many other subjects for so many years, and now Chinese is a part of that history as well.”
“…And so, I begin my appeal for the continued relevance of the humanities in the 21st century” by Max Moen ’19
In his Senior Speech, SPA alumnus Max Moen ’19—who excelled in both German and French during his time at SPA—made an impassioned plea for the humanities generally and world language learning specifically. Below is an excerpt from his speech, given to the Upper School community in October 2019. It may be easy to write off my affection for language as mindless folly, but to cast it aside would be to throw away a big part of my identity. The languages I have learned have taught me significant lessons about myself and the world; lessons that I’ve noticed too easily fade into the background in this era of noise and distraction. And so, I begin my appeal for the continued relevance of the humanities in the 21st century. Specifically, the continued importance of world language education. What amazes me about language is the potential that it has. The feeling that something will never be the same after you speak. The fact that the slightest change in punctuation or vocabulary can entirely change the effect of what is said. World language expands our critical judgement, giving us the skills to mold the tough clay of society into a form that we can understand. Learning a world language trains our minds to filter the necessary elements of a situation and process them critically so we can perfectly express our
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intent in both the target language and our own. In a matter of seconds, you have to determine whether or not to use the formal “you” which adjective ending is appropriate, and if your sentence structure is correct. And it’s not only concerning words or symbols- it is how they are said; the tone, the inflection, and the pronunciation all being subconsciously sped through the synapses of our brain before our tongues spit out the mass of letters and symbols that we were aiming for. True communication forces us to be present- to understand that life is not black and white, but that there are shades of grey; shades that can’t just be placed into a box. The humanities make the grey area in everyday life become a rich rainbow spectrum of perspective. In reflecting on how my multilingual life has changed, I realize that I haven’t just learned a language; I’ve learned life lessons, I’ve learned about new peoples, and I’ve learned about myself. I’ve uncovered the joy that my teachers carry in teaching their language, showing me l’élégance de la langue française, die Schönheit der deutschen Sprache. I’ve gotten to know Jan, Maxime, and Daniel, my exchange students who brought me strolling through the cobblestone streets of Hamburg and Toulouse, bridging the Atlantic and our cultural differences. Most of all, I’ve learned that languages are living entities, shifting based on how they are spoken, testifying to a people and a generation, not at all meant to be trapped on whiteboards and quizlets. Language is about pushing the boundaries, whether they be national, cultural, ideological, or political. The essence of language is to find strength through uncertainty, and unity through difference.
Whiteboards are a prominent feature of all classrooms in the Humanities Wing, and are used for both collaborative work and individual exercises.
Jutta Crowder has taught German at all levels in the Upper School since 1996 and served as Department Chair for 12 years. “I have a fabulous classroom. It’s an incredibly inspiring space. We can move around, we can get up and stretch and then sit down again and get back to work, which is what we always envisioned with our longer class periods [in the block schedule]. We have light and windows, and a beautiful view—we’re doing a lot more German vocabulary related to the weather, nature, and climate now that we can actually see outside! “In all language classrooms, we have white boards that cover almost all the walls, which makes them an extremely helpful tool. We do a lot of collective work using the white boards. For example, in German V, we’re currently talking about the European Union—the challenges and benefits, and where might this organization go in the future. We started out by brainstorming different themes that the students might want to investigate. We made lists of possible research areas on the white boards all around the room. Then the students walked around, with everybody contributing their ideas and questions to the lists, and we then compiled the information into a plan for our research projects. It was a focused, creative exercise that allowed everyone to be active and engaged. This engagement is an important part of learning any language. Obviously I want my students to be able to communicate in German, but I also want them to be able to work with other people, to understand different perspectives, to think critically about what they see and hear and put it in a larger context.”
Pete Daniels ’02 teaches Spanish in Levels II and III. He joined the Upper School faculty in 2016. “The Smartboards are amazing tools for language learning. They give us a beautiful window into what’s actually happening in the Spanish-speaking world. YouTube videos, especially, are a fun catalogue of communication from native speakers for native speakers, and that’s the mindset we want our students to have. We want to expose our kids to real, live, fast-paced communication. That's what builds their skills in the target language, and the self-assurance that they can navigate any situation. “The most universal takeaway for learning in any of the four languages that we offer in the Upper School is a sense of building confidence in your own voice. I think this is especially important during the teenage years, when students sometimes need more encouragement to take chances and risk messing up. I feel like a lot of our work—not just in Spanish but across the entire curriculum—is building a supportive classroom environment where students are allowed to make mistakes. When I look at some of our more courageous and entrepreneurial students in Spanish, they’re the ones that are willing to try and try and try and maybe get it wrong, but also keep that inner sense of ‘I think I’m going to be okay here. This is all part of the learning’.”
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>> ALUMNI/AE NEWS
ALUMNI/AE EVENT CALENDAR November 2019 Alumni/ae Council Speaker Series: “From the Ground Up: Young Entrepreneurship and The Future of Work” Wednesday, November 6, 2019 Huss Center for the Performing Arts, Randolph Campus Networking Reception at 5:30 p.m. Program at 6:15 p.m
Panel featuring Tyler Olson ’04 and Jory Schwach ’03, moderated by Sasha Aslanian ’86 Visit www.spa.edu/speakerseries for more information.
Class of 2004 Reunion Party Friday, November 29, 2019, 7 p.m. Can Can Wonderland 755 Prior Avenue, St. Paul
Visit www.spa.edu/reunion for more information.
December 2019 Alumni/ae Holiday Party Thursday, December 26, 2019, 7 p.m. Sweeney’s Saloon 96 Dale Street, St. Paul
Visit www.spa.edu/events for more information.
ALUMNI/AE
COUNCIL CORNER Alumni/ae Council President Jonathan Brenner ’92 It has been an exciting and busy six months for the Alumni/ae Council! In February, we kicked off our 2019 programming with our final 2018-2019 Speaker Series event, “A Conversation on Art Crime and Fraud,” featuring Laura Ballman Patten ’89 and moderated by Melissa Krasnow ’85. In April, the Council hosted the fifth annual Alumni/ae Day of Giving—our oneday fundraising event in support of SPA. In May, we volunteered as a group at the Ronald McDonald House in Minneapolis, serving breakfast to families and patients. Finally, the Council was thrilled to welcome the Class of 2019 to the SPA Alumni/ae community at Commencement in June. Over the summer and in early fall, the Council was excited to work with the Office of Institutional Advancement to support the SPA Golf and Tennis Classic in mid-August and Reunion Weekend 2019 in September—both hugely successful events. In early November, we were pleased to offer the fall 2019-2020 Speaker Series event—a fascinating conversation about “The Future of Work” with Tyler Olson ’04 and Jory Schwach ’03, moderated by Sasha Aslanian ’86—more about this event on the next page. We’re also looking forward to offering more Alumni/ae community volunteer engagement opportunities!
2019-2020 COUNCIL MEMBERS Jonathan Brenner ’92 President Kate Logan ’04 Fundraising Chair Sarah Radosevich ’02 Volunteerism Chair Matt Gollinger ’96 Events Chair Hilary LeBon ’91 Immediate Past President Adina Allen ’09 Sarah Crandall ’02 Jamie Forman ’77 Lindsay Giese ’05 Roberta Heine ’77 Mercedes Henderson Clark ’88 John Moore ’95 Meaghan Moriarty ’99 Hayley Peterson ’08 Craig Smith ’87
Finally, I want to extend a special welcome to the five new members of our Alumni/ae Council: Adina Allen ’09; Jim Delaney ’93; Roberta Heine ’77; and Hayley Peterson ’08. Our new members bring a wide range of experiences and ideas to the Council and we are looking forward to their contributions to our mission of representing and supporting our SPA alumni/ae community. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if you are interested in getting involved!
The St. Paul Academy and Summit School Alumni/ae community celebrated the fifth annual Alumni/ae Day of Giving on May 2, 2019. The Alumni/ae Day of Giving is a one-day fundraising event sponsored by the SPA Alumni/ae Council in support of the Annual Fund.
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This year, alumni/ae were encouraged to make a gift in honor/memory of a teacher, coach, or staff member who made a difference in their lives. We received dozens of heartfelt messages in memory and in honor of our incredible faculty and staff. We are grateful for our generous alumni/ae community.
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FALL 2019 ALUMNI/AE COUNCIL SPEAKER SERIES EVENT “From the Ground Up: Young Entrepreneurship and The Future of Work” All SPA alumni/ae and friends were invited to join the SPA Alumni/ae Council for our first Speaker Series event of 2019-20. “From the Ground Up: Young Entrepreneurship and the Future of Work” featured a panel discussion with Jory Schwach ’03 and Tyler Olson ’04. Tyler is an entrepreneur and the founder/CEO of multiple tech companies; Jory is the founder and CEO of software company Andium. Tyler and Jory were joined by panel moderator Sasha Aslanian ’86 of Minnesota Public Radio, who led a conversation about the fast-moving world of technology start-ups and the different paths of entrepreneurship.
Jory Schwach
Tyler Olson
Sasha Aslanian
ALUMNI/AE REGIONAL CAPTAINS PROGRAM New this fall! St. Paul Academy and Summit School Office of Institutional Advancement is excited to launch the Alumni/ae Regional Captain Program. This program provides the opportunity for alumni/ae outside of the Twin Cities to connect in cities and regions around the country. The Regional Captain Program will kick off this fall in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and South Florida. Please visit www.spa.edu/alumnicaptains for more information on the Alumni/ae Regional Captain Program or email Chris Jenkyns, Director of Alumni/ae Programs, at cjenkyns@spa.edu if you are interested in becoming an alumni/ae regional captain.
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI/AE AWARD: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS St. Paul Academy and Summit School is currently accepting nominations for the Distinguished Alumni/ae Award (DAA), founded in 1987 to honor SPA alumni/ae whose achievements reflect major contributions to their chosen fields and/or communities. The program is designed to recognize outstanding role models in the hope that the accomplishments of the DAA recipient will encourage current students to develop high aspirations and goals. Nominations for the award are accepted from all members of the school community. The selection process is conducted by SPA’s Office of Alumni/ae Relations, in partnership with a committee of alumni/ae and current and former Trustees. To submit a nomination, please contact Chris Jenkyns, Director of Alumni/ae Programs at cjenkyns@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.
An exhibit of photographs and biographies of past winners of the Distinguished Alumni/ae Award hangs in the corridor leading to the renovated Old Main on the Randolph Campus.
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2019 Reunion Weekend 2019 kicked off on Friday, September 6, with the dedication of the Bill Boulger Math Commons. The dedication was attended by more than 100 alumni/ ae, faculty, staff, and friends, who gathered in the Boulger Commons on the second floor of the Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center to celebrate Bill Boulger’s 49 years of teaching and the space named in his honor. The festivities continued Friday evening at the All-Alumni/ae Reception and Art Show, held in the Lilly Courtyard and the Drake Art Gallery. Attendees enjoyed the beautiful weather at the outdoor reception, and the gallery exhibit featuring works by Sally Duback ’64, Victoria Guest ’14, Ruth Schilling Harwood ’69, Kevin Sudeith ’84, and James Vose ’69. The Heritage Brunch on Saturday morning honored classes celebrating 50 year reunions and better, and Reunion parties for classes ending in “4” and “9” were held around the Twin Cities on Saturday evening (please see pages 38-39 for photos from Saturday’s class parties).
PHOTOS BY SCOTT STREBLE & GREG HELGESON
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>> PHILANTHROPHY
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE: $500,000 MATCH LAUNCHES COMMUNITY PHASE OF BUILDING FUTURES CAMPAIGN With almost $33 million raised, the Building Futures Capital Campaign is now entering its final phase. The Community Phase of the campaign, which launched in October 2019 at the Upper School Grand Opening Party (see below), will raise the final $5.9 million over the next year.
the gift will match all Community Phase campaign gifts dollar-for-dollar. In addition, Community Phase donors who give at the $3,000 level or above will have the opportunity to personalize an Upper School locker in honor of their family, their student, a favorite SPA teacher, or another individual they choose to celebrate.
The Building Futures Campaign has been the most successful fundraising effort in the school’s history. A total of $32.6 million has been raised from 162 leadership-level donors, including gifts from 47 families of current students; 60 alumni/ae, and 55 former parents, current and former grandparents, and friends. The campaign funded the construction of the Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center and the renovation of the Upper School, including both the Humanities Wing and Old Main.
The Building Futures Campaign Core Committee (see committee list below) continues its outreach to the community throughout the next year. For more information about the Community Phase of the Building Futures Campaign, please contact Dorothy Goldie ’73, Director of Institutional Advancement.
All members of the community are invited to participate in the Community Phase, which includes a $500,000 matching gift from several generous campaign leaders;
Building Futures Campaign Core Committee Libby Hlavka ’82, Co-Chair Tim Welsh, Co-Chair David Kristal Anne Larsen Hooley Mrunalini Parvataneni Tom Patterson ’57
UPPER SCHOOL GRAND OPENING PARTY The SPA community gathered on the evening of Saturday, October 12, to celebrate the transformation of the Upper School. More than 300 parents, alumni/ae, faculty, and students attended the Upper School Grand Opening Party, which featured building tours, student demonstrations, and the official kickoff of the Community Phase of the Building Futures Campaign—including the announcement of a $500,000 matching gift from several generous campaign leaders.
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WHY WE GIVE: Q&A
With Kathleen Caoyonan and Chris Colbert Even before they had children, Kathleen Caoyonan and Chris Colbert pictured themselves as SPA parents. Now, with daughter Julia '23 a student in the Upper School, Kathleen and Chris spoke with SPA Magazine about what the school has meant to their family—and why giving back to the school is a family priority. SPA Magazine: When you were first looking at schools for Julia, what drew you to SPA? Chris: Julia’s first two years of school were while we were living in Singapore, and her school there really helped us define what we wanted for her: small class sizes, a focus on the whole child, and an appreciation for true learning and understanding—not just memorizing facts for a standardized test. We wanted her in a place where she would be known and where she could leave a legacy in her own way. Kathleen: I remember our tour of the Lower School very well: we walked into Goodrich, saw the Living Room with the fire going, and immediately knew that this was the school where she needed to be. But honestly, I knew it even earlier than that: when we first got married and started our first jobs in St. Paul, we often drove
by the Randolph Campus, and I would tell Chris that our future children would be going to SPA. He said, “Let’s get through the first year of marriage first.” SPA Magazine: What was the transition to SPA like for Julia as a new student, and for you as new SPA parents? Chris: We relocated six times during a four-year period, so transitions generally don’t phase us, but the transition to SPA was by far the easiest one for Julia. Looking back, having Julia begin SPA in Grade 5 was the best decision we made. We are thankful she was able to experience the Lower School and make friends before entering the Middle School. That fifthgrade year made everything easy for her. Kathleen: I picked her up after the first day of fifth grade and before I could ask any questions, she
said, “Everything was great today. I like it here.” And as a parent, the community was so welcoming. Our buddy family was so helpful. I was very involved in volunteering at Julia’s previous schools, so I was looking for ways to help when we came here. The Lower School Parent Association took me in and let me volunteer to my heart’s content. I’ve continued to stay very involved with the M/USPA as Julia has gone through Middle School—which was everything we hoped for. We saw so much academic and personal growth and maturity this last year in Grade 8. All of us are ready for the Upper School! SPA Magazine: You were still Middle School parents when the Capital Campaign to renovate the Upper School began. Why was giving to the campaign a priority for you? Chris: We heard Bryn speak about building the Schilling
Center two years ago. At that point, we knew this campaign was going to be a philanthropic priority for us. It is very rare to be able to give to a project that will have such a direct impact on Julia and her classmates. Even though they were in Middle School when the campaign began, we understood immediately that it would transform their entire Upper School experience. Kathleen: After listening to Bryn give that talk, there was absolutely no question that we were going to be making a gift to the campaign. We know that these new buildings and facilities are key to preparing Julia, not just for college but for jobs that aren’t even created yet. We want her to see that we support her in all ways we can. We only have her at home for four more short years, and we want to do everything we can to help SPA prepare her to change the world.
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Have news to share? Email 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 651-696-1308.
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’57 CLASS AGENTS Dutton Foster duttonfosters@comcast.net Susan Rose Ward cswsrw@comcast.net
The Class of 1957 class notes listed below were mistakenly omitted from the Winter 2019 magazine. Walter Andrews had a
difficult year health-wise but is back in relative good health and has been busy playing golf, running, and playing tennis. Walter still runs his “digital humanities” undergraduate research project at the University of Washington, which employs about 15 undergraduates from humanities, social sciences, and technology disciplines. He is also still teaching children and writing curriculum for the Unitarian Church. Don Drew turned 80 and is enjoying life. He did most of his world travelling before age 40, including living for extended periods in Cambridge, England and Vienna, and now is happily living with his “wonderful, understanding and patient” wife Paula in Adelaide, Australia. He wishes all the best to his classmates in the Class of ’57!
Dutton Foster spent two
weeks in southwest England visiting friends, including a former SPA AFS student from 1969-70 who lived with the Shepard family and graduated from SPA. Dutton and wife Caroline ’60 loved the English countryside and small towns. Back in the States, Dutton and Caroline are back to their usual activities: making art and music, enjoying theater and concerts, volunteering here and there, and visiting and Skyping with their children. Ruth Huss and husband John took a trip through the Northwest Passage, beginning in Greenland where they boarded a ship to Nome. After stops at several Greenland villages, they sailed west, spotting polar bears and whales, but a third of the way through the trip, the ship was “stopped” by the ice and Ruth and John spent the week’s delay wandering around the ship and enjoying lots of good food and wine. They were eventually sent back to Greenland to board a charter plane back to the US. “It was a great adventure, but I still want to see Nome!” Ruth says. Tuck Langland and his wife
completed their 48th trip to Europe and traveled home on the Queen Mary II. Tuck is happily retired but works in his studio every day, and in the last year unveiled a large sculpture of Father Hesburgh (long time president of Notre Dame) linking arms and
singing with Martin Luther King. He recently received a prize in a national sculpture show, and was awarded the Outstanding Alumnus award from the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. He has also been writing, and has recently completed a collection of fables called Fifty Fables for Fun, Fantasy and Filosophy and is working on a sequel, Fifty Further Fables; he is also the author of Hannah, a novel about the old west with a feisty heroine. He has two daughters, one of whom is an immigration lawyer in Washington state and the other is a professor at the University of Michigan. Tom Milton recently published his 14th and 15th novels, The Godmother and The Last Resort. He continues teaching full time at Mercy College in New York. Sandi Mundy Irvine-Pirtle
lives in Nashville but misses Minnesota! She has one grandson, Shane and his wife still there, but her daughter CeCe and Hod Irvine and son Julian moved to British Columbia two years ago. Her daughter Tara still lives in McKinney, Texas and is flying all over the world with Delta. Sandi is sorry she missed the 2018 reunion but plans to be there for 2019 and more if she can make it! She still keeps up with the theater and also stays busy in Nashville, and spends the winter months in Boca Raton.
Grant Nelson is Professor
Emeritus at three law schools—the University of Missouri-Columbia, UCLA, and Pepperdine, representing a total of 50 years of teaching. He is still teaching one course at UCLA. The Nelsons spend significant time with grandchildren—three in Tacoma and three in Los Angeles. Marna Page and husband Bob are politically active, working to support House candidates in California and a few out-of-state candidates.
Ellen Widmer is still teaching at Wellesley College and living in Cambridge. She keeps up with all things Minnesota, including politics and the symphony, and hopes to visit again sometime soon.
’69 CLASS AGENT Kristine L. Burton klbminn@hotmail.com
90.1FM, a public radio station based in Philadelphia. She is now having an excellent time clearing a varied bucket list, including seeing an occasional comedy act with Liz Dow.
’70
s After re-discovering each other four years ago, David A. Godolphin and Jill M. Sandeen ’76 were married on March 16,2019 in the coziness of their living room in Concord, Massachusetts. The pair feels lucky to have found one another again after so many years and is grateful to SPA for their shared roots.
CLASS AGENT Elizabeth Perna betsy.perna@comcast.net
John Ratigan and his partner
Barbara recently went on a two-week venture into Louisiana, Mississippi, and Memphis, which began with a train ride from DC to New Orleans and ended with a tour of Elvis’s Graceland. He is now looking for a good gumbo recipe. Patsy Spadavecchia continues
to manage her house on an island off of Sicily (Salina), an apartment in Florence, and her beloved loft in New York not far from Washington Square Park where she can do “the Little Old Lady thing” and watch break dancers and listen to jazz groups. She also recently had a hip replacement. She encourages classmates to stop in whenever in Italy. Susan Ward had an Eastern
European trip planned for last fall, as well as her annual week in Key West. She always looks forward to seeing classmates from Summit and SPA.
’76 s Liz Dow is the CEO of Leadership Philadelphia, a training program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Recently, she completed a project called “Move In Closer,” a series of master classes in empathy, compassion, and common ground conducted for regional leaders in honor of the organization’s 60th anniversary. Liz is pictured here at the Philadelphia International Airport with replicas of 12 mini-murals by artist Nile Livingston; the murals appeared around the city as a means to greater understanding and respect through uplifting conversations. Meridee Duddleston retired in September 2018 from her role as a news anchor and arts reporter for WRTI
s Charlie Greenman and his wife met Axel Janik ’69 and his wife Susanne in Berlin in mid-May before starting a Rick Steves tour. Axel lived with Charlie’s family during his senior year, and the two families have kept in contact for the last fifty years. Paul Kroeger teaches linguistics to Bible translators at a small college in Dallas, Texas. He recently published his third textbook, Analyzing Meaning: An Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics.
’74 CLASS AGENTS The Class of 1974 is looking for Class Agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or
CLASS AGENT Douglas R. Whitaker drwhitaker21@gmail.com
Dr. Gerald “Jerry” Wimmer and
his professional dental partner were the recipients of the Minnesota Dental Association (MDA) Humanitarian Service Award in spring 2019. The pair are very involved with organized dentistry, including the MDA, the American Dental Association, and the Minneapolis District Dental Society. They volunteer their time and talents to events and organizations in need in Minnesota and around the world; Jerry is a strong supporter of the Give Kids a Smile events and Sharing and Caring Hands Dental Clinic.
651-696-1308.
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2019 >> Reunion 2019: Class Parties
Classes ending in “4” and “9” celebrated their Reunions with Class Parties on the evening of Saturday, September 7.
1949 | Standing L to R: Meg Poulton, Ted Weyerhaeuser, Nancy Weyerhaeuser, Kathy Lewis, Piers Lewis. Seated L to R: Jean Ambler, Jim Stronge, Marlene Stronge.
1959 SPA | Front row L to R: Andy Holt, Jim Gardner, Steve Asbury. Middle row L to R: Tom Broadie, Steve Rosenberg, Peter Burgwald, Tom Roe. Top row L to R: Stewart Fobes, Todd Freeman, George May, Dan Willius. 1959 Summit | Bottom row L to R: Julianne Lansing, Connie Kunin, Jane Bennett, Mary Lou Schreiner, Ruth Otto. Middle row L to R: Mary Denzer, Judy Diedrich, Lucy Jones, Ginny Magnuson, Ethel Griggs, Stephanie Smith, Hilary Magnuson, Penny Pipkin, Margie Byers, Debbie Begner. Top row L to R: Charlotte Foster, Susan Cross. Sandra Roe, Katy Heeren.
1964 | Front row L to R: Robin Platt Roderick, Judy Giddens White. Middle row L to R: Allan Klein, Gady Cyr Blake, Cindy Schuneman Piper, Shotsy Shepard Johnson, Susan Owens Bracco, Susan Stierwald LaRosa, Ward Johnson. Back row L to R: Carl Smith, Rick Moore, Jack Goldenberg, Andy Power, Bill Geery.
1969 SPA | From L to R: Thomas Greenman, John Mundahl, Ward Gill, Chip Allen, Paul Schilling, Tom Vangsness, Mike Sprafka, Dick Fellows, Craig O’Brien, Ned Foster, Toff Linsmayer, Chuck Berde, Huck Cammack, Chuck Griggs, Curtis West, Bob Slattery, George Tesar, Charlie Owens, John Fitzpatrick, Phil Villaume.
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1969 Summit | Back row L to R: Nancy Knutson Stendahl, Ruth Schilling Harwood, Chrissie Napier Cammack, Cathy Corrigan, Alison Felder Gagliardi, Debby Fulton, Barbara Herr Harthorne (partially blocked), Meridee Duddleston, Laura Tiffany. Front row L to R: Patty Barrows Rosbrow, Thea Johansen, Julia Bertholf Stark, Lynda Leahy, Kristine Burton, Anne Berg, Nelle Johansen, Peggy Patterson Sands, Alida DeCoster.
REU
1979 | From L to R: Doug Hartnett, George Slade, Leif Magnuson, Jeff Day, Steve Buscher, Tom Rasmussen, Michelle Hoffman, Petra Brokken, Chris Munholland, Julie Zelle, Sandy Scott, Carol Kayser, Charlie Cummins, Kathy Harstad, Charlie Hart, Dawn Errede. 1984 | Back row L to R: Jay Desai, Caroline Corrigan, Jeanne Cochran, Julia Weisbecker, Benita Dieperink, Leslie Haltiner, Mark Ristau, Tim Commers, Beth Scanlan Czerwinski, Sarah Bullard, Amy McKenzie, Brian Lipschultz, Sara Mairs, Joe Bagnoli. Second Row (Couch) L to R: Kal Grant, Sarah Hale, Christine Madsen, Kirsten Long, Emily Greenberg, Lisa Neary, Karin Barnes. Not pictured: Julie McGlincey, Carrie Kelley.
1989 | Back row L to R: Joe Levitt, Jim Dickinson, Brian Lucas, Chris Bond, Steve Russell, Steve Rice, Mike LaFave, Jason Ross (Julie Duckstad’s husband), Husam Ansari, Micah Bly. Middle row, left to right: Thad Ingersoll, Tina Garrett, Thore Bergman, Anupam Kharbanda, Jean Kim, Jason Burgwald, Alicia Kunin-Batson, Elena Giannetti, Lisa Cass, Mike Anderson. Front Row: Maria Fragomeni Vanzyl, Julie Duckstad, Susie Druck Kyle, Jessica Benton Kelty, Martha Burton-Santibanez, Sera Markoff, Sara Maruska. Lower left: Nancy Dickinson (Jim’s wife) and Nicole (Paster) Putzel.
1994 | Back row L to R: Keren Gudeman, Remi Eichten, Jeannine Befidi, Robert Befidi, Timothy Scobie, David Gapen, Bryan Smith, Maren Eggert, Reena Singh, Dan Price, Katharine Rowe, Christopher Hilton. Front row L to R: Jason Broberg, Jessica Egyhazi, Rachel Zimmerman Scobie, Claire Sorman, Alice Asher, Molly Burke.
1999 | Back row L to R: Wes Dopkins, Becky Wilson Hernandez, Ben Kremanak, Mike Davis, Brent Lucas, Mark Heinert, Zach Pettus, Harrel Perrez. Front row L to R: Ty Thompson, Abby Caperton, Beth Whitaker, Kathryn Grande, Meaghan Moriarty, Anna Kirkness, Marin Nelson, Lesley De Paz, Nate Trobiani. Forefront: Evora Olson Wellman. Not pictured: Lisa Stein.
EUNION To view more photos from Reunion 2019, visit www.spa.edu > Alumni > Publications > Photo Albums.
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Tim O’Brien hiked “The
’77
Mittens” in Monument Valley.
CLASS AGENT
Chuck Strouse celebrated his
Hank A. Brandtjen hank@bf-lp.com
birthday by completing a 170mile bike ride across Florida. He also cut fifteen minutes off his best time in the South Beach Triathlon. Amy Unger opened an Airbnb
in her Twin Cities home, thus ending the excuse for out of towners who claim they have no place to stay while attending a reunion! Julia Weyerhauser Heidmann
s Hank Brandtjen was recognized as the 2018 recipient of the Association of Print Techonolgy (APTech) Harold W. Gegenheimer Individual Award for Industry Service. His family’s business, Brandtjen & Kluge, was a founding member of the National Printing Equipment Association, APTech’s forerunner, in 1933.
completed the Rim Hike in Dead Horse Canyon in addition to lots of hiking in Zion, Bryce Canyon, Moab and Arches National Park.
Bill Driscoll reports that not
’80 CLASS AGENT Thomas C. Kayser tckj@chicagobooth.edu
Mike Erickson continues to
embrace all the seasons by hiking and skiing and does his best to not “eat a tree.” Cecily Harris has moved back to Marine on St. Croix, and welcomes visitors. Catherine Holm has taken
time out from writing and is working part-time for the state of Vermont in the Vocational Rehab Department. She is also now a certified massage therapist. Sam Kuller enjoyed rocking out
to Alice Cooper, Blue Oyster Cult, and Holleywood Vampires while Julia Parranto saw Pink. Ben Millard invites everyone to come by and use the fleet of kayaks he and his wife have on St. Paul’s Lake Como.
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Denise (Lilyholm) Callahan and Chris still live in Gladstone, New Jersey, about 45 miles west of Manhattan, in the beautiful, rolling hills of Somerset County. Their oldest son Andrew graduated from St. Lawrence University in May; middle son James is a rising junior at Trinity College in Hartford; and their youngest son Brady is a high school senior at Seton Hall Prep. James plays NCAA hockey at Trinity and Brady plays both high school and travel hockey, so the pair spend lots of time traveling in their spare time. Beyond life’s everyday little bumps in the road, Denise reports they are all healthy and happy.
Tory (Smith) Burrows and
her husband Bill are slowly transitioning to full time residency in South Haven, Michigan after over 30 years in the Chicago area. Their oldest son Jack is a senior at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and their younger son Charlie is a second year student at P.A.C.E. at National Louis University in Chicago. Geoff Buscher and his wife
and two kids have lived in the same house in the same city (Seattle) for 11 years now, a new record for the family. He invites classmates to come visit, especially once the state gets its new NHL team in a year or two, which he hopes will be named the “Seattle North Stars.”
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much has changed in the Driscoll/Hoffman household other than getting “step slower.” Bill’s son John Saul is in fifth grade and loves to hear about his dad’s scholastic struggles at a similar age; daughter Anna is a proud third grader. Bill’s mom visited them in Tacoma, Washington recently where the family enjoys the “vertical relief and lack of biting insects.” Bill also recently spoke with Tom Paper whose company is doing some cool mapping work to help, among others, real estate investors. Mark Duvall is a Senior
Engineer at Metal-Matic and his wife Evelyn is an Art Director with the White Bear Press. The couple still lives in White Bear Township at their home on Bald Eagle Lake and enjoy their empty nest with daughter Jessica and grandchildren, Gerard (7) and Samuel (4), child Qwill, and daughter Julia all out on their own. Mark and Evelyn enjoy sailboat racing,
competitive water skiing and downhill skiing. John Erickson and his wife Jill built on Newfound Lake in New Hampshire on family land in 2015 after 20+ years of life in Vermont. Since 2010, John has taught data analytics and web science at Rensselaer in Troy, NY. He has two granddaughters, Elsa and Ellie, who keep him busy, and he enjoys the Class of 1980 chatter on Facebook. Victor Gaultney has lived in England for almost 20 years, and three of his four kids have decided to stay in the UK; two of the four married Brits and he now has a British grandson. He also has a son in aviation who lives and works in Atlanta as a Delta dispatcher. Victor is a font designer with SIL International and also teaches font design to MA students at the University of Reading, England. He is also doing some research there and thinks the University might give him a PhD in the end. In his free time, he also directs a seasonal choir and is involved in his local church. Tom Kayser is still working for United Airlines and living in the Chicago area with his wife of 24 years, Claire. The two are empty nesters now that their youngest has gone to college. They are looking forward to traveling to more of the spots where United flies. Bruce Leslie and Carolyn are
living in Edina. Their daughter Anna recently graduated from Hamilton College and is working in Washington DC doing campaign work; son Cam is a junior at Davidson College and is preparing to study in London; and son Andrew is
a senior at The Blake School where he plays hockey and golf. Bruce is still working at Cargill and is approaching his 35th year with the company.
Caragh O’Brien has two granddaughters, age two, whom she watches once a week. She also continues writing young adult novels.
Dan Levitt’s two sons graduated
Immediately after graduating SPA, Kirk Scott biked to Colorado to work trail crew and construct solar houses. That year of service led to undergraduate and graduate degrees from Yale in philosophy and design, several years in media and teaching on the East Coast, and then 25 years in Silicon Valley software startups. Kirk has now returned to green building and architecture, and advocates for transportation and bicycle infrastructure in and around San Francisco. He has also become a big-wall climber in Yosemite, which he credits to the climbing wall in the Upper School gym and outings to Taylors Falls. In recent years, he has enjoyed back-country telemark ski trips with Leif Magnuson ’79.
this spring: one from college and one from high school. He is trying to figure out what he’s going to do as an empty nester! Sheila (Delaney) Moroney
and her husband sold their Mendota Heights house after 19 years, and Sheila says “I am now the oldest boomerang kid alive, moving back in with my parents temporarily while we build a new house just steps from The Happy Gnome in Cathedral Hill!” Sheila has worked for twelve yaers as the Patient Experience Officer at Hennepin Healthcare; oldest son Jack attended Boston College and now lives in Boston with his girlfriend and puppy; middle child Patrick recently graduated from Iowa State and currently resides with his “fun-loving” parents; youngest son Colin is a senior at Marquette and is planning on a job with Deloitte in the Twin Cities after graduation. Her parents are well and are happy to have all six Delaney kids and their 24 offspring in the Twin Cities area. John Moody retired and now spends all his time catching up on chores he didn’t have time for while working. He has not completed the transition of homestead from Farmington Hills to Traverse City but hopes to someday. Last fall, he went to Italy with a Carleton College alumni tour which he enjoyed greatly. John reports he has no grandkids or kids-in-law yet and that his cat is now deaf.
Jamie (Jim) Thomssen retired in January of this year after 35 years in the banking business. He and his wife Melissa plan to continue to reside in Nampa, Idaho and to travel for as long as they can. They recently took a 15-day jaunt with Viking Ocean Cruises through the Baltic sea. He hopes to visit every classmate with a spare room as they travel around the country and world the next few years. He also has a side gig as the “Idaho Wine Ambassador” with the Idaho Wine Commission.
’91
’83
CLASS AGENTS
CLASS AGENT
The Class of 1991 is looking for Class Agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or
Tracy Cosgrove tlakatua@mac.com
Ilana Cass has been named the Chair of OB/GYN at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire after practicing for 20 years in Los Angeles. When asked in media interviews if she would be able to handle the weather in New England, she answered, “I grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. I can do snow.”
’90 CLASS AGENT Debbie Lipschultz Goldenberg goldenlips275@aol.com Darren Strafelda Darrens@mlazgar.com
651-696-1308.
Sean Flahaven won a Tony Award on June 9 as a coproducer of the Best Musical winner, Hadestown, which picked up eight Tonys in all. Sean is President of Concord Theatricals, which also represents the Tony-winning Best Revival of a Musical, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, and Best Revival of a Play, The Boys in the Band. Sean also won a Grammy Award in 2016 as an associate producer of the Broadway cast album of Hamilton.
Tony Sanneh '90
was inducted into the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame in October 2019. Tony led SPA to two Minnesota State soccer titles and a runner-up finish in the late 1980s. After graduation, he played for the US National soccer team and had a successful professional soccer career. He is now the president and CEO of the Tony Sanneh Foundation. He was joined at the MSHSL Hall of Fame induction ceremony by SPA French teacher and alumna Kris Flom ’80, SPA math teacher Jim McVeety, and SPA alum and Tod Herskovitz ’91, who now serves as the Director of Communications for the Sanneh Foundation.
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’92
’98
CLASS AGENT
CLASS AGENT
Andy Droel adroel@gmail.com
Mara R. Schanfield maraschanfield@gmail.com
Summit School. Pete has taught Spanish in SPA’s Upper School since 2016; his five-year term as Department Chair began in Fall 2019.
Emma Page recently started
a real estate career with Keller Williams in Maple Grove, in addition to her business rehabbing houses. Emma recently moved to Golden Valley, and is enjoying remodeling and redesigning her own home and having her own yard to garden in. s Josh Meyers, CEO of Slickdeals, received the 2019 Los Angeles Entrepreneur Of The Year award in the Consumer Technology and Services category. The award recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities, while also transforming our world. Slickdeals is a crowdsourced shopping platform used by 11 million users.
’96 CLASS AGENT Minette Loula mmloula@gmail.com
Gene Suh currently owns
several restaurants/bars in the Twin Cities including Hammer & Sickle, The Fremont, Lyndale Tap House, and Aloha Poke Co. and plans to take over the former Scena Tavern space at on Lake Street in Uptown with a new Asian restaurant called Enji, in partnership with SPA friends Travis Prunty, Greg Geller, and TJ Prunty ’00.
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Leah (Dozier) Krumpholz
moved to Pennsylvania after nearly 10 years in Southern Africa. She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband Mark and children Ethan (3.5) and Zoe (2), and is working for No Means No Worldwide, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing global sexual violence. Mara Schanfield lives in
Chicago and is working for the American Institutes for Research, helping improve public school systems. She is the lead author of “Chronic Absence: A Sign to Invest in Conditions for Learning,” a chapter in the Handbook of Student Engagement Interventions: Working with Disengaged Youth, published in May 2019.
’99 CLASS AGENT Lisa Stein lisaannestein@gmail.com
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’03 s Nathan Trobiani was promoted in March 2019 to Vice President, Private Client Associate for Bank of America. He was previously an Assistant Vice President, Financial Solutions Advisor, for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
CLASS AGENTS Kendra Ackland Thomas Christ kiselblat@gmail.com Jillian Degerness Brenden Goetz brendengoetz@gmail.com Aleksander K. Sims aleksander.sims@gmail.com
’00 CLASS AGENTS Jesse Markman markman.jesse@gmail.com Noah Mehlan nmehlan@hotmail.com Megan Sullivan
s Evan Berquist works as an attorney at Cozen O’Connor in Minneapolis and was promoted this spring from Associate to Member.
’02 CLASS AGENT Sarah Crandall crandall.sarah@gmail.com
Pete Daniels has been
appointed to serve as the K-12 World Language Department Chair at St. Paul Academy and
s Allyson Leslie was inducted into the Minnesota State Softball Hall of Fame in June 2019. Allyson received her award at an induction ceremony with former SPA softball coach and PE teacher Bill Ross (pictured above with Allyson) in attendance.
’04 CLASS AGENTS Ashley Anton antonashley@gmail.com Andria Mann andria.m.cornell@gmail.com Tyler M. Olson tylermolson@gmail.com Sarah M. Raisch sarah.m.raisch@gmail.com
s Tyler Olson was busy this summer hiring a CEO to run his marketing company, launching a kickstarter campaign for a cybersecurity academy, and expanding his short-term rental management company into new geographies. Last year, he practiced the “digital nomad” life by living out of a backpack and working from a laptop for almost a year. “Being able to live within other cultures, seeing history being made, and challenging conventional ways of living seems to be what SPA is all about... and I’m extremely thankful to have been given the gift of going to an incredible school,” Tyler says.
’08
s Alanna McFall’s debut novel, The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus was published in June 2019 with Atthis Arts publishing. The novel is the story of the “paranormal road trip” of a woman who is determined to attend her brother’s wedding despite her death two years earlier.
and two naescent fashion lines, Sourcery Label and Reprise Activewear, the two decided to throw an event celebrating their connection and bring together their friends and family in Minnesota for Mothers’ Day 2019. The event was held at the Minneapolis Club, with many SPA alumni and parents in attendance.
’10 ’14
CLASS AGENTS Katherine Labuza klabuza@gmail.com Anne M. Walli awalli@spa.edu
CLASS AGENTS
Elena (Miller) Scott married
’09 CLASS AGENTS Colin Cowles colin.cowles@gmail.com Grace Ferrara graceferrara2@gmail.com Ashlee Fukushi ashleefukushi@gmail.com Andrew Magne andrew.magne@ordergroove.com Elizabeth Moertel lizmoertel@yahoo.com
CLASS AGENTS Nolan Filter nolan.f.filter@gmail.com Jessica Garretson Jessiepiper@gmail.com Vanessa Levy vanessa.s.levy@gmail.com Ariella Rotenberg rotenberg.ariella@gmail.com
The play opened last fall at the Hairpin Arts Center in Chicago and was also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2019. Nadja played Ophelia in the Upper School’s production of Hamlet in 2010. She was intrigued by the character before that production, studying the play in junior/senior electives, and then developed the first iteration of the script as a student at Vassar.
Doug Scott on April 13, 2019. The ceremony was officiated by Upper School theater faculty Eric Severson. Elena is currently living and working in the film and television industry in Vancouver, BC as a production makeup artist. Wyatt Wenzel represented
Team USA in the 2019 Bandy World Championships hosted in Vänersborg, Sweden in winter 2019. The US finished sixth overall and highlights included a 13-2 victory over the Netherlands and a 3-3 tie with Germany.
The Class of 2014 is looking for Class Agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.
Lucy Li graduated in June with a master’s degree in computer science, ending a total of five years spent at Stanford. She began a PhD program at the University of California-Berkeley’s School of Information with a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in August 2019.
’15 CLASS AGENT Luke P. Bishop lukebishop@gmail.com
’11 CLASS AGENT s After connecting at the New York Women’s March, Mary Bemis and Nicole (Callahan) Rattner ’03, discovered their shared career path (they both work in the sustainable fashion industry) and their shared history as alumnae of SPA with many mutual friends. With a mutual interest in sustainability
Taylor R. Billeadeau shootingstars262@hotmail.com Kaia Wahmanholm kwahmanholm@gmail.com Robert Whitaker bobbywhitaker@me.com
Nadja Leonard-Hooper is the
author of a Hamlet-inspired play focused on the character of Ophelia entitled Here Comes the Tide, There Goes the Girl.
s Eliot Tong and Jordan Hughes met up at their graduation from Washington University in St. Louis in spring 2019. Not pictured is SPA and Wash U classmate Will Merriam.
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Cochrane ’37, Richard (Kay) Ahern ’50, and Lydia ( John) Moore ’50. He is survived by
’37 Elizabeth “Liz” Turner of St. Paul died on June 2, 2019 at the age of 100. Liz attended Summit School and graduated in 1937. She was a lady of great strength, character, and wit. Thanks to all who showed her good care. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Frances B. Turner and many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins.
’41 John Ahern Jr., age 96, passed away on December 22, 2018. After graduating from St. Paul Academy, John attended Dartmouth College but his education was interrupted by World War II, during which he served as an officer on a destroyer in the Atlantic. When he returned, he graduated from the University of Minnesota. John’s eclectic and entrepreneurial business career drew him to various industries and services as Chairman, President, or owner of companies both domestic and abroad with diverse banking, commercial, and charitable directorships along the way. When not operating businesses, John developed and was involved in real estate and was a member of many leadership organizations. John enjoyed tennis and golf, skiing on the world’s great mountains, sailing on Lake Minnetonka, and snorkeling in the British Virgin Islands. John cherished friends in the many groups he was involved in and, above all, loved his wife of 70 years, family, friends and country. John was preceded in death by his parents John and Laura Ahern and siblings Lorle (Arthur) Cumming ’39, Rosemary (Archie)
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his wife Annette; children John III (Denise), Phillip, and Paul (Mary); five grandchildren and one great-grandson; and brother Walter Ahern ’45.
’44 Elizabeth (Wisty) DeCoster Moseley died at the age of 92 on November 30, 2018 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. She was born in St. Paul, MN, graduated from Summit School and Wellesley College in 1948, majoring in Art History. After college, Wisty taught English in post-war Paris for a year, and later taught art in local Connecticut schools. She worked as a commercial artist and art director with her own business—at home and later as co-founder of MS Advertising in Rowayton, CT. She was also a prolific writer and painter, with local exhibitions and the publication of poetry, short stories, and travel articles. Her love for sailing began as a child and she continued as a competitive sailor in Connecticut and Massachusetts. She was also an enthusiastic tennis player and golfer, and enjoyed traveling with Tom around the world in order to be present at every important family event, including the beloved family reunions at Madeline Island and Sanibel Island. Finally, she gave back to the community by serving in leadership and volunteer positions for many local organizations that were important to her. She is survived by her children Christine (Mark) Moseley Milloff, Lisa Cole Moseley, and Peter (Lisa) Livingston Moseley. She is preceded in death by her husband of 67 years Thomas
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Clark Moseley, Sr., who passed away just two months prior to her passing. Together, the pair had 11 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren and were long-time residents of Darien, Connecticut; Naples, Florida; and Woods Hole, Massachusetts. She was also preceded in death by her son Thomas Clark Moseley, Jr; parents Marie and Donald W. DeCoster ’13; and brothers Donald (Carolyn) ’39, Douglas ( Jean) ’40, Norman ’42, and Stephen (Anne) ’51.
’45 Peter Anson died peacefully on January 17, 2019 at age 91 surrounded by family, following a long struggle with dementia. Peter was born May 6, 1927 in St. Paul, Minnesota to parents Emerit and Olga Waller Anson and brother Cordelia Anson. Upon graduation from St. Paul Academy, he was drafted and served in the Navy for one year before enrolling at Princeton University. After college, Peter worked for his family’s work glove manufacturing company before returning back to school to study law. He began at New York University and ultimately graduated from Yale Law School where he was a member of the Yale Law Review. Peter married Sally Ankeny in July 1955 and settled in New York City. During their time in NYC, Peter began his law career and the couple had three children. In 1961, he and Sally returned “home” to Minnesota where they had another child; Peter became a corporate lawyer and, later, partner. Following retirement, Peter embarked on many adventures to the Himalayas, Morocco, Patagonia, the Arctic, the American West, and Europe. He also loved reading and taking classes into his 80s, fixing
and building things, designing jewelry, and camping, canoeing, fishing and hunting with his family. Peter’s land near Marine on St. Croix was his love and passion for decades; ultimately, in order to protect it, he gifted it to the people of Minnesota as part of Wm. O’Brien State Park. Peter is survived by his wife of 63 years Sally; his children and grandchildren Catherine (Peter Vaughan) Elliot, Angus, Carl; Michael (Nancy) Paul, Nora; David (Nancy) Colin, Trevor; Leslie von Wangenheim (Detlev) Theresa, Constantin, and one great-granddaughter (Molly Anson). Robert Power Mairs passed away on May 15, 2019 after a brief illness. Born in St. Paul on June 9, 1927, Bob lost his father at an early age. A few years later, his mother united her family with George A. Mairs, Jr. and his four children. Bob attended St. Paul Academy, Yale University, and the University of Minnesota. He served his country as a naval hospital corpsman near the end of World War II. In 1950, Bob began his career with the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (currently Travelers, Inc.) where he served for 40 years. Upon retirement, Bob became involved with many organizations that were close to his heart. He was also an avid outdoorsman; he loved Lake Superior’s North Shore and Encampment Forest Association (EFA), hunting and fishing, and wood cutting in Marine on St. Croix. Bob developed and maintained strong relationships over his lifetime, including his close knit family, cousins, extended family at EFA, SPA classmates, and co-workers. He was preceded in death by his parents Robert Ellsworth Power, Louise Ritchie Mairs ’21, and
George A. Mairs, Jr.; four siblings; and his beloved grandson Charles (Chip) Slater. He is survived by wife Helen; children Heide ’78, Elizabeth ’80, Julia ’84, and Rob (Aimee) ’87; grandchildren Joe and Will; sister Louise (Teedie) Frankenbach ’47; brother-in-law George W. Gephart and sister-inlaw Doris (Topsy) Preus; and numerous nieces and nephews.
’46 Winslow Briggs died on February 11, 2019 at Stanford University Medical Center at the age of 90. After graduating from St. Paul Academy, he attended Harvard for his PhD and arrived at Stanford University in 1955 as an instructor in biological sciences. He left Stanford to take a faculty position at Harvard for a few years but later returned to Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences in 1973, when he also became the director of the Department of Plant Biology at the Carnegie Institution, a position he held for two decades. Briggs established himself as a global leader in plant genetics and physiology, publishing landmark research on the molecular mechanisms and photoreceptors that plants and other organisms use to sense and respond to light. After retirement in 1993, Briggs remained extremely influential in science as he pursued
research on photoreceptors in plants and bacteria until the day of his death. Briggs spent time volunteering at Henry W. Coe State Park for 40 years and was a member of numerous national scientific communities. In 2007, the American Society of Plant Biologists awarded him the Adolph E. Gude, Jr. Award for his “service to the plant science community” and in 2009, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science awarded him the prestigious International Prize for Biology for his “outstanding contributions to the advancement of basic research.” He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Ann; his daughters Marion, Lucia and Caroline; and his four grandchildren and one greatgrandchild.
’51 Joanna Victor, age 84, passed away on December 4, 2018. Joanna was born on December 31, 1933 to Frank Jr. and Helen (Reilly) Rarig in St. Paul, Minnesota. Joanna’s lifelong career was teaching history at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. She was a loving mother who enjoyed spending summers at her Deer Lake home. Joanna was preceded in death by her husband of 41 years Hugo Victor Jr. ’46, who passed in 1997, and her long-term companion Raymond Rantala, who passed in April of 2018. She is survived by her siblings Marty Rarig ’56, Patricia ( Jack) Peverill; daughters Elizabeth (Mark) Victor-Slind ’78, Carolyn (Howard) Lee ’80, Pamela (David) Libertini ’80; grandchildren Reilly (Nicholas) Karlisch, Robin Slind, Matthew (Kate Lommel) Slind, Victoria (Nicholas) Hausladen, Timothy Libertini, Robert Libertini; and several great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and many other family members and friends.
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Judith Blake, born September 1935, passed away on April 16, 2019. Judy graduated from Summit School in 1953. She loved to travel and spent her life visiting over 43 countries, including Zihuatanejo, Mexico with her beloved sister-in-law Gady and friend Jean. Her favorite activity was visiting the family cabin at Marine with her extended Sharpe Family. She was preceded in death by her parents Ruth and H. William Blake, and ex husband John Medelman. She is survived by her brother William Blake; children John, Blake (Lisa) Medelman, and Kyle; grandchildren Hannah and Ava; and friends throughout the world. Richard (Dick) Reitz was born December 17, 1934 and passed away on April 5, 2019. Dick loved racing amateur class formula cars in the SCCA and motorcycling. As a member of MSRA, he spent years modifying a 1947 Fiat Topolino into a street rod. In 1994, he retired after a 30-year career in the Electrical, Electronic Products, and Commercial Graphics Divisions at 3M. He continued an active life as best he could after a 2009 diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. Son of Martin H. and Glady M. Reitz, Dick is survived by wife Frances Niles Reitz; children Martin (Madeleine Skypala) Reitz, and Christine (David) McDaniel; granddaughter Mattison McDaniel; and sister Nancy (Everett) Rotenberry.
Peter Michael Justinian Frenzel, Wesleyan University Professor Emeritus, died on May 20, 2018 after a brief illness. He was born in St. Paul, MN on August 6, 1935, the fourth son of Paul and Paula Frenzel. He attended St. Paul Academy and graduated from Yale University in 1958 with a BA in English. He received his Master of Arts from Middlebury College and his Ph.D. in German Language and Literature from the University of Michigan. He also did graduate work at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. Following three years of teaching German at his preparatory school, he joined the German Department at Wesleyan University in 1966. After his attaining tenure, he was appointed Dean of Arts and Humanities for four years and was awarded the Marcus Taft Chair of the Department of German Language and Literature. He taught beginning and advanced German and worked with the Music Department and the Medieval Studies Department. At Wesleyan, he wore many hats including board member, editor, glockenspiel player in the Wesleyan Pep Band, and bell ringer. Outside of work, Peter belonged to several community committees, trusts, and boards, attended the opera, and enjoyed cooking his “Famous Frenzel’s Mustard.” He was preceded in death by his brothers William ’46 and Thomas ’49; children Kathleen, Will and Paul. He is survived by his wife of 56 years Laurie Neville Frenzel; daughter Kim Frenzel and partner John Lucey; grandchildren John Frenzel and Rita Frenzel; and older brother Robert ’44.
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Joseph Fligelman “Jeff” Levy of New Richmond, Wisconsin, died on April 20, 2019 at the age of 82. Jeff was born on April 20, 1937 to Miriam F. Levy and Irving Levy. He attended St. Paul Academy and graduated from American High School in Mexico City, Mexico. He studied at Kenyon College, Indiana University, Northwestern University, and San Francisco State University. Jeff began his college teaching career at Moorhead State College and retired from Metropolitan State in St. Paul, MN in 1998. He also worked with many community groups throughout his life and was an active participant in local and state political organizations. As a believer in lifelong learning, Jeff’s love of languages and travel led to one of his best adventures: the opportunity to travel to China and teach at the Banker’s College in Hangzhou where he made lifelong friends, immersed himself in the Chinese culture, and learned the Chinese language. He was preceded in death by his parents and grandson, Daniel Levy. He is survived by his wife MaryEllen “Acey” Stewart; children Adam, Joshua, Noah ( Judy) Levy, Nate (Summer), and Anna Stewart; grandchildren Esther, Ava, Isaac, Clara, Austin (Maria), James, Ethan, April Stewart ’08, Christina Sallis ’09, Vaughn (Aaron); siblings Judith Levy Sender (Ramon) and brother John Levy ’58; friend Wang Jiayong, of Hangzhou, China; and many great-grandchildren, cousins, friends, and in-laws.
George Bremer Benz was born on January 14, 1940 to George W. and Louise Bremer Benz ’25 in St. Paul, Minnesota and passed away on February 1, 2019. He was a descendant of the Hamm’s Brewing, the Jacob Schmidt Brewing, and Bremer Bank families. George was a graduate of St. Paul Academy, Williston Academy, University of Munich and Goethe Institute (Germany), Colgate University, and University of Minnesota Aeronautical Engineering and Business Law. George married Karen Bassett of Mora, MN in September 1972. As a professional, George was the chairman, director, CEO and owner of many banks and consumer organizations. He also cared deeply for many local associations, to which he gave countless hours of service. George also had a great love of flying, earning his first pilot license at age sixteen. Together, he and Karen dedicated their lives to various philanthropic endeavors and traveled the seven continents. He also loved golfing, skiing, sailing, hunting, boating, fishing, and hockey with his family. George was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Josephine Benz Carpenter ’53. He is survived by his sons George and Theodore (Derek); daughtersin-law Stephanie and Elizabeth; grandchildren Theodore (Finn) and Hendry; and sister Louise Benz Plank ’56.
Thomas Tongen, age 78, passed away peacefully on January 30, 2019 with family at his side after a short illness. Tom was born September 22, 1940 and graduated from St. Paul Academy in 1959. He and his family appreciated those who called and visited. He loved dogs, the cabin in Canada, and beautiful old things.
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’66 Herbert (Herb) Bigelow Ward passed away on May 10 at the age of 71 after a short battle with cancer. Born in St. Paul, Herb was educated at St. Paul Academy and University of Minnesota (undergrad, medical school, PhD, surgery residency and cardiovascular fellowship). Herb spent the greater part of 50 years of his life performing surgery, conducting research, and teaching at the University of Minnesota and Minneapolis VAMC. He was the Chief of CardioThoracic Surgery at the University of Minnesota. He was also awarded the Lillihei Chair by the Lillihei Heart Institute. Herb took great pleasure in training and educating surgeons and was loyal to his team or staff. As the son of Charles Allen Ward and Yvette Hennig Ward, Herb spent childhood summers working at the Arizona family cattle ranch where he learned to ride horses and play the mandolin. Herb also liked to fly planes and helicopters, play in his band “One Brown Shoe,” cheer on the Twins, go to the opera, round up cattle, travel the world, ride his bike
and motorcycle, hunt, boat and canoe, take photographs, run marathons, and spend time with his family and friends. He is survived by his wife Lori; son Charlie ’16 and daughter Jazz ’19; sisters Vida (Dejan) Dordevich, Kiki Platt and Charlene Nederlander; motherin-law Nancy Harris and brotherin-law Michael (Corinna) Harris; and many nieces and nephews.
’67 Michael “Sandy” O’Brien Jr. passed away peacefully on March 19, 2019 at the age of 70 after an extensive illness, fighting side by side with his wife Judy. Sandy attended St. Paul Academy and the University of St. Thomas. He and his wife reconnected after being high school sweethearts and married in 1983. Sandy had a successful career in the commercial insurance business for 50 years. In addition to time spent with his family, Sandy loved to golf, boat, watch Drew play hockey, argue politics, and enjoying good food and drinks. Even as a lifelong resident of St. Paul and Minnetonka, a big piece of Sandy’s heart was also on Madeline Island. Sandy’s great-great-grandparents came from Ireland and settled on Madeline Island in 1857 and Sandy continued the lifelong family tradition of summering on Lake Superior. He is preceded in death by his father Michael A. O’Brien, Sr. ’40 and is survived by his wife of 36 years Judy; children Andrew (Carrie Valverde) O’Brien, Tara (Rob) Cain, and Katie (Benjamin) Dillon; mother Polly O’Brien; siblings Craig O’Brien
’70 and Elizabeth O’Brien ’73; grandchildren Ella, Amelia, Charlotte, and Walker; and more cousins and close friends than can be counted.
’76 Robert H. Ebert II died of a cardiac arrest on June 17, 2019, at his home in North Little Rock, Arkansas, at the age of 61. He was born in Little Rock on March 29, 1958, to Richard V. Ebert, M.D., and Shirley F. Ebert. He graduated from St. Paul Academy and Summit School in 1976 and from Harvard College in 1981, with a B.A. in Biology. He received a M.A. in Neurobiology from the University of California at Berkeley. His Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and subsequently his M.D., were both from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Robert’s internship and residency in Psychiatry were at the University of OklahomaTulsa, and his fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry was at Duke University. His awards included the Richard V. Ebert Award from UAMS and an Outstanding Clinical Service award from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa. He was certified in both Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Robert’s last and most rewarding academic position was as a geriatric psychiatrist at the Central Arkansas Veterans Administration Healthcare System and as a faculty member of the Department of Psychiatry, UAMS. He was an outstanding clinician and was highly respected by his colleagues and his patients. He loved the outdoors and especially the North Woods of Wisconsin, often visiting the family summer home in Cornucopia, Wisconsin. He relished fishing in the icy water of Lake Superior and its tributaries. He was an avid reader of both fiction and nonfiction, and was an expert on Ernest Hemingway. He was having fun with his newest hobby, cooking classes. Robert is survived by his siblings, Constance A. Ebert of St. Paul, Minnesota; Susan L. Ebert of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Richard V. Ebert, Jr., (Seyin) of Fayetteville, Arkansas; his half-brother, Michael H. Ebert, M.D., (Ellen) of Guilford, Connecticut; and his former wife, Margaret McLellan of Little Rock, Arkansas; as well as many nieces and nephews.
’86 Charles Moss III died at the age of 50 on February 14, 2019. Charlie attended St. Paul Academy and Summit School, the University of California in Santa Barbara, and graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School. He became a psychiatrist after completing six years of residency in psychiatry and neurology at Tulane University in New Orleans. Charlie was fluent in Spanish, enjoyed skiing, mountain biking, and fishing. He will be remembered for his intelligence, knowledge of many subjects, opinionated nature, and for his twisted sense of humor. He is survived by his parents Michael and Miriam Moss; brother William Moss; sister-in-law Ashleigh Moss and niece, Scarlet Moss.
’89 Mark Jordan Robinson died on April 15, 2019 from a heart attack at age 49. Mark was born in St. Paul to Yvonne (Robinson) Harrington and Jim Robinson. He grew up in the Rondo community and belonged to Pilgrim Baptist Church. Beginning in first grade, Mark attended St. Paul Academy and Summit School. He went onto Morris Brown College and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a major in African American and African Studies. He also
became fluent in Spanish. As a child, Mark was a member of the Metropolitan Boys Choir that toured in the United States and Europe. He was also a Cub Scout/Boy Scout and loved skiing and playing basketball for SPA. As a young professional, Mark worked in Minneapolis and New York City before he was recruited as a financial consultant at the Wellness Center in St. Paul. Later, he moved to Middleton, Wisconsin, consulting with public schools. At the time of his death, Mark operated an insurance agency. Mark is survived by his parents Yvonne (nee Robinson) Harrington and James Robinson; his sister Kathleen (Robinson) Anderson and brother Dr. James Robinson; his children Jordan Allen, Naya Robinson, and Julian Robinson; his partner Katia Malone and her children Devin, Alana, and Ariella; and many other nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
’97 Charlie Knutson passed peacefully on April 18, 2019 after a two-year bout with colon cancer. Charlie lived and loved 80+ years worth in his short 40 years of life. He is survived by his parents Barbara Dotty and Robert Knutson ’65; sisters Tracy Knutson and Lindsay Bejblik ’95; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
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Faculty & Friends Clifford James Caine, age 84, died on April 12, 2018 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester. Clifford was a 1955 graduate of Macalester College. He earned a law degree and a doctorate in American Studies from the University of Minnesota. He was the youth director at the House of Hope Church and an administrator and men’s tennis coach at Macalester College. He spent the majority of his career at St. Paul Academy and Summit School as a college counselor and tennis coach. In 2007 he was inducted into the Minnesota Tennis Hall of Fame. He published two books concerning the college selection process and a book of poetry. He is survived by his two brothers Alan and Stanley (Karen). Ki Ki Gore, who taught at SPA’s Lower School from 1985 until her retirement in 1996, died on June 25 at the age of 85. A friend to all she met, Ki Ki was born to Greek immigrants who landed at Ellis Island and settled in Evanston, Ill. She graduated from Evanston Township High School in 1951, then received her B.A. from Northwestern University in 1954 and two master’s degrees, in education and guidance and counseling, from Northwestern in 1956. Ki Ki began her teaching in 1954 at Evanston Township High School,
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Evanston, Ill., and went on to teach at Arlington High School and Prospect High School in Illinois; Westside High School, Omaha, Neb.; the YMCA of St. Paul; Como Park, Harding, and Central high schools in St. Paul, before ending her formal teaching career at St. Paul Academy and Summit School from 1985 to 1996. Ki Ki was a multi-year nominee for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. She continued working at the University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service until 2016. Ki Ki taught adult Spanish classes from 1970 until shortly before she died. Ki Ki was preceded in death by her parents and sister, and her loving husband of 58 years, Warren Y. Gore. She is survived by daughter Lia (Frank Haluska), son Paul (Tracy Fischman), grandchildren Alex, Talia and Jacob; four nieces; brother-in-law Jim; sister-in-law Xenia; and countless friends, cousins, extended family, students, and colleagues on at least five continents. Bob Jewett, who retired from SPA in 2014 after teaching ceramics for 41 years, died on July 18 near his childhood home on Martha’s Vineyard after a long illness. His wife, Peggy, was with him at the time of his passing. Bob was an extraordinary artist and teacher who introduced generations of SPA students to the practice of ceramics and the sublime joy of making art. He was beloved both by students
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and by his colleagues, with whom he worked tirelessly to build SPA’s fine arts curriculum and department over four decades. SPA’s renowned fine arts curriculum is a reflection of Bob’s fundamental goal as an art teacher: to give students the space to find and explore their own creative voices. In an interview with The Rubicon, SPA’s student newspaper, a few months before his retirement, Bob remembered his own introduction to ceramics: "When I first saw someone sit down at a wheel and pull a pot out of clay…it was the most magical thing I’d ever seen,” Bob said in the piece. Before Bob’s death, the school was in the process of creating an award in his honor, which will be given annually to an Upper School student with exceptional talent in the clay arts. The school is pleased that this award will continue to honor Bob’s legacy as an artist, a teacher, and a leader. Wesley Schultz passed away on October 9, 2018 at the age of 73. Wesley was a humanities teacher at SPA. His children, Kelly Schultz ’96 and Keri Schultz ’93, also attended St. Paul Academy and Summit School. Rob Woutat died on January 11, 2019 at the age of 80. Rob was born in 1938 to Philip H. and Helen Woutat. He grew up in Grand Forks, North Dakota and earned degrees in literature from the University of North
Dakota and the University of Iowa. Rob married his first wife, Syb Sanders, in 1961, and together they raised two sons, Philip ’81 and Jonno ’85. For much of Rob’s working life, he taught literature and writing at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, where at various times he was also Dean of Students, coached track and cross country, directed plays, and led numerous wilderness expeditions. In 1987, Rob moved to Bremerton, WA where he married Marilee Hansen and gained a stepson, Tracy. The pair became beloved and influential members of their community, with many friends, including dozens of exchange students that they took in over the years. In addition to being a weekly newspaper columnist at the Kitsap Sun for 15 years, Rob taught at Olympic College, was a commentator for KPLU radio, and worked for Washington Special Olympics. He also wrote several books, volunteered often, loved classical music, cooking and entertaining, and meaningful conversations with friends and family. Rob was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Paul Woutat. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Marilee Hansen; sons Philip Woutat ’81 and Jonno (Sassy) Woutat ’85; brother Don Woutat; stepson Tracy (Francine) Dethlefs; and his grandson Keon.
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Remembering Henry Zietlow '18 Henry Zietlow ’18 died on January 14, 2019, when the car he was driving was struck by another vehicle on a rural Wisconsin highway. SPA Magazine is grateful to Henry’s family—parents Sarah and Nathan and sister Nina ’16—and several of his SPA teachers for sharing these remembrances of Henry.
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“...Never forget that your siblings are your truest allies and your truest friends. Remember to savor all of your time together, and strive to actively find moments to make memories. Watch movies and make meals and go camping together. Look past meaningless conflict, and don't let it dictate the course of your relationship. Let your siblings know that you love them, and make sure to give them all the attention and support that they deserve, because they truly are among the most important people in your life.”
Excerpt from Henry's Senior Speech
Henry—A tall, gangly, headband-wearing, mop-headed genius with the fullest, unabashed, effusive grin atop a bouncy frame— Somehow tamed while gliding over water. Poem by Beth Seibelhunt, Henry’s SPA chemistry teacher
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“I spend at least a month each summer canoeing alongside rocky shorelines and dense clusters of Jack pines. I love the exhilarating feeling of steering a fully loaded canoe around rocks and wakes, as well as the contrasting serenity of a still lake on a clear day.”
A description of Camp Widjiwagan, from Henry's college essay
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“I’ll admit that I have a hard time associating Henry with the sadness I’ve felt over the past week. He was fun, and goofy and earnest and just himself all the time…I see him in his oversized flannel and floppy hair being honored at the Cum Laude dinner, and I smile…I see him pestering me to order ladybugs for his 10th grade plant experiment, because “who doesn’t love ladybugs.” I see him running into the Science Olympiad club and yelling “Nerds” before running out, probably to do his own science project because he only had love for his people. I will never forget—I’m not sure I have even forgiven—Henry and Emilia Topp Johnson for using every last bit of my lab tape to stencil the word NERD into the windows of my lab in 10th grade. Who am I kidding? That was hilarious. “…As a science-brained person, I think Henry would agree with me that when it comes to accidents, deserve is a word that shouldn’t apply. I can’t help but feel that the accident that took his life all too soon, though, couldn’t have happened to a less deserving person or family. But I wouldn’t trade this pain for all the happy memories I have of you, so thank you. And thank you all for letting me share as an adult in Henry’s life how fun and funny and bright this young man was.”
Excerpt from remarks at Henry’s memorial service by Ned Heckman, Henry’s SPA Biology teacher and advisor
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>> PERFORMANCES
Middle/Upper School Jazz Concert April 25, 2019
Middle School Musical: Seussical! The Musical March 8-9, 2019
Upper School Vocal/ Orchestral Concert & Community Chorale April 27, 2019
Upper School Musical: Into the Woods May 17-19, 2019 On May 18, alumni/ae who had previously performed in the Upper School musical “Into the Woods” (1997, 2001, 2006) were welcomed back for a reception to celebrate the fourth time the show has been produced at SPA. Current student performers and alumni/ae performed the “Whether the Weather” warm-up before the show and the alumni/ae were recognized at the conclusion of the show for their past performances. Great to see so many alumni/ae performers back on campus!
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Middle School Student Showcase May 23, 2019
Middle School Spring Instrumental Concert May 29, 2019
For more photos from SPA’s student performances, visit stpaulacademy. smugmug.com/studentlife
Middle School Spring Choral Concert May 30, 2019
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Upper School Fall Play: Every(man)
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Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage
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Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 3400 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105-2194 Change Service Requested
TO PARENTS OF ALUMNI/AE: If this is no longer the current mailing address for your alumni/ae child, please let us know at alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1318.
Reunion Weekend 2019 Reunion Weekend 2019 kicked off with the dedication of the Bill Boulger Math Commons. See page 32 for more about Reunion 2019.
Save the Date for Reunion 2020: September 11-12, 2020