Strength| Fall 2017

STRENGTH The Magazine of Annie Wright Schools | Fall 2017

HEY YOU

ANNIE WRIGHT SCHOOLS

Contents 6

Pioneering Moments

9

Exceptional Donors Achieve Unprecedented Campaign Success

16

A Pioneer in IB Education

24

Class of ’21 Yellow Ties Pioneers Upper School for Boys

31

Annual Philanthropy Report

43

Remembering Bob Klarsch

STRENGTH Fall 2017

Senior Leadership Team Christian G. Sullivan, Head of Schools Susan Bauska, Assistant Head of Schools & Director of Upper School for Boys Jake Guadnola, Director of Upper School for Girls Bill Hulseman, Director of Middle School Victoria Ball, Director of Lower School Mike Finch, Director of Athletics Mary Sigmen, Director of Finance and Operations Jennifer Haley, Director of Institutional Advancement Rex Bates, Director of Business Development Board of Trustees John Parrott, Chair Michele Cannon Bessler, Vice Chair Kelly Givens, Secretary Tom Hanly, Treasurer Percy Abram Sally Atherton ’66 Sarah Brand ’93 Cathy Close Stephanie Cook ’88 Robert Crist Jim Defebaugh Laura Edman Tony Escobar Suzanne Hattery Lisa Hoffman John Lantz John Long Marcia Moe Jamie Murray Chris Sakas Pamela (Hyde) Smith ’63 Aliya (Merani) Verali ’96

Editor Lisa Isenman Graphic Designer Cristiana Ventura Photographer Oona Copperhill Contributors Malcolm Davidson Grace Finch Donald Sidman Emily Stokes Shelli Strate Christian Sullivan Class of ’21 students Nelson Athow, Parker Briggs, Mac Bryant, Eli Connolly, Thinh Dang, Eli Dugan, Philip Greene, Carter Nelson, Kian Russell and Owen Satoris Submissions Strength is published twice a year by the Annie Wright Schools communications office. Submissions of story suggestions, articles and photos are always welcome and may be sent to news@aw.org. Please submit class notes and photos to aw.org/connect or alumni@aw.org.

Annie Wright Schools 827 North Tacoma Avenue Tacoma, Washington 98403 P: 253.272.2216 F: 253.572.3616 www.aw.org

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THE STARSHIP ANNIE WRIGHT a letter from the Head of Schools

Dear Annie Wright Community, I am going to admit something that I have never made public: I am a Trekkie. Although I had a brief foray into subsequent generations of the sci-fi series, it is the original Star Trek, à la William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy et al, that I found most compelling.

Their space-age technology seems almost quaint now (just compare Skype or FaceTime to their fuzzy video conferencing), but the themes of exploration, risk-taking and making their way as a community, often isolated and far from home, speak to me of the theme of this issue: Annie Wright's pioneering spirit.

As you know, Annie Wright, like Tacoma and other Wild West cities, has a rich history, and our schools' challenges, triumphs and constant drive toward excellence shape its story. From the beginning, strength, scholarship, community and forward thinking defined this institution. These

values remain strong and feature prominently in Annie Wright’s mission and key characteristics. One of these characteristics, “Annie Wright Schools value our pioneering traditions while looking toward the future,” is truer than ever but may be redundant; our pioneering traditions by definition look toward the future. The families of the first students, pioneers who traveled to the Northwest in search of the promise of a better life, epitomized forward thinking. And it is our job to continue this tradition.

I have written to you in the past about how proud I am that Annie Wright is counter-cultural. I would like to take credit for that ethic, but it began way before me or any of us, when pioneers in the dusty Wild West town that is now Tacoma made rigorous education a priority and created Annie Wright Seminary. School leaders, faculty, students and families continued to drive the school forward, often bucking trends or setting them. Today

I am honored to help Annie Wright carry on its pioneering traditions. It is part of our identity and mission, and it is a valuable and essential part of my leadership charge.

I believe that the current and past leadership of our school has engendered the pioneering spirit that propels Annie Wright from strength to strength. Enjoy the stroll down memory lane, and join us in celebrating the exciting new developments at school, which are the latest example of Annie Wright’s 133-year history of bravely forging ahead. Catch the pioneering spirit!

Warmly,

Christian G. Sullivan Head of Schools

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English author Rudyard Kipling, who visited the Wild West city of Tacoma in 1889, described the inhabitants as “furious men all actively engaged in hunting drinks,” and the original Annie Wright Seminary, pictured here at its original site near Wright Park in 1886, as “tall, gaunt and red.” Conversely, Mrs. Sarah K. White, Annie Wright’s headmistress 1889-1899, described Tacoma as being “on the top wave of prosperity,” and Fannie Paddock Hinsdale, daughter of Bishop Paddock, described the school’s “impressive portals” and “myriad windows with which to view the scenery.”

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CATCH THE Pioneering Spirit! !

Do a Google Image search for pioneers and you will, unsurprisingly, find covered wagons, scrubby prairies, primitive cabins and grim faces of dogged settlers.

True to this portrait of the Wild West, Annie Wright Seminary, founded in 1884, opened its doors before Tacoma had a municipal water service, electricity, telephones, paved streets or even a state to call home. The first students traveled from as far as Alaska and Hawaii to attend Annie Wright. According to Lemuel H. Wells, Bishop of Spokane and husband of Annie Wright’s first headmistress, “One girl came from Alaska in wagon train and was nearly a month on the way, camping out at night.”

These first students and families embodied the pioneering spirit

that still defines Annie Wright today. Even back then, however, it was so much more than settling the land and providing a basic education. Charles Barstow Wright, who funded the school’s original endowment of $50,000, proclaimed that its students would be “developing from strength to strength; contributing to the righteous upbringing of the great country.” Wright, along with the Right Reverend John Adams Paddock, embodied the vision, imagination, strength and determination that still define Annie Wright today.

Annie Wright Schools continue to honor our pioneering traditions, while, like our founders, look toward the future. Read on to catch Annie Wright’s incessant pioneering spirit.

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PIONEERING

MOMENTS

1884

1924

Annie Wright Seminary, founded in the Episcopal tradition and located near Wright Park, opens its doors with a total enrollment of 46 students from the Washington Territory, Oregon, British Columbia, Alaska and Hawaii.

After the original building became too small and fell into disrepair, the current campus opens on Tacoma Avenue.

1972

1983

1986

1990

Annie Wright Seminary is renamed Annie Wright School as the co-educational model extends through the Lower School.

Bob Klarsch (read about Mr. Klarsch on page 43) becomes the 16th head of Annie Wright School.

The Kemper Center Gym and Theater open.

Annie Wright Middle School graduates its first class of boys

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1942

1947

1949

1957

Headmistress Ruth Jenkins begins her tenure, charged with raising $50,000 in 48 hours to keep the school afloat. The school also welcomes it first international students – from Estonia and Latvia – beginning a tradition of international-mindedness.

Headmistress Jenkins works with the Bishop to reform the school’s religious curriculum with the belief that chapel attendance is for all faiths and forms of worship.

After an earthquake damages nearby Lowell Elementary School, Annie Wright builds an outbuilding on 10th Street to temporarily accommodate boys in the early elementary grades, naming the school Charles Wright School. After Charles Wright moved to a permanent campus near Lakewood in 1957, the structure becomes an art studio.

The Ruth Jenkins wing and Bishop Bayne Library open.

2003

2009

2011

2017

Klarsch Hall opens, providing Annie Wright a new dining room and Upper School classrooms.

Annie Wright becomes an IB World School. The Upper School awards its first International Baccalaureate Diplomas two years later.

The name changes again slightly to Annie Wright Schools to help differentiate between the co-ed Lower and Middle Schools and single gender Upper School. The schools reinstitution 5-day boarding, attracting students from Seattle, Portland, surrounding towns and the islands.

James Memorial all-weather field replaces the 1924 field. A new single gender high school division, Annie Wright Upper School for Boys, opens. Annie Wright becomes the only IB Continuum School, offering IB programming for students from age three to Grade 12, in the state of Washington.

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PIONEERING PHILANTHROPISTS MAKE ANNIE WRIGHT SURVIVE AND THRIVE

by Grace Finch, Philanthropy Director

Annie Wright Schools were founded in the spirit of philanthropy when Charles Wright, a man who had accumulated his wealth through banking and the railroad, asked how he might support Tacoma. Throughout our history this community’s philanthropy has pulled the school out of its direst straits and pushed it forward in times of strength.

Many high points in the history of Annie Wright Schools feature the philanthropy of our community resulting in growth and expansion.

The successful From Strength to Strength Campaign is a shining reminder in both name and success that the school is never complacent; During World War II, Annie Wright’s foundation board acquired the foreclosure deed in times of stability and financial security, we for the school to keep it afloat. forge ahead. Those efforts built the school that we know today, but it is the stories of hardship that may be most indicative of the importance legacy of one of those philanthropists, L.T. Murray). The of philanthropy to our history. These stories are of a final $1,000 was a pledge by Miss Jenkins on behalf of school in debt and on the verge of closure. the faculty.

She had only 48 hours to raise $50,000 or the school would be repossessed.

In 1942 Ruth Jenkins, then the newly named headmistress, was informed that the school was in such a state of debt that she had only 48 hours to raise $50,000 or the school would be repossessed. With Annie Wright on the brink of closure, the headmistress called an assembly and shared news of the situation with the students and faculty. Students rushed to collect their change and empty their piggy banks. They donated money they had collected to hold a dance and all they could manage from their accounts for a total of $2,000.

The next day Miss Jenkins attended a meeting of friends at the Tacoma Club to share the situation and the story of the girls’ efforts. She compelled this generous group of philanthropists to support the effort, and they added another $47,000 (see page 46 to learn more about the

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During World War II the school was still in debt, without hope of raising the $260,000 needed to keep it afloat, so the Seminary Foundation Board acquired the foreclosure deed on the school. The school paid a rental fee for some years to fund an endowment. Later that fee was canceled, with the school’s responsibility becoming limited to the maintenance and improvement of the physical plant. It was not until the tenure of Bob Klarsch, Headmaster 1983-2001, that the deed was signed back to the school.

The students, families, community members and alumni that rushed to Annie Wright’s rescue did so inspired by the conviction that Annie Wright Schools must continue, in strength, for the improvement of our community and world. We are the beneficiaries of their philanthropy, and generations to come will benefit from ours.

EXCEPTIONAL DONORS ACHIEVE

unprecedented campaign success Annie Wright Schools’ capital campaign to enhance athletic facilities and grow the endowment surpassed its goal of $12 million by nearly 50 percent, enabling greater scholarship opportunities along with fulfilling these two essential strategic goals.

From Strength to Strength: The Campaign for Annie Wright Schools, launched in 2014 to preserve and bolster the strength of one of the region’s most treasured institutions and to make a transformative difference in the lives of students today and in the future. The success of this historic fundraising effort marked the end of the campaign last August.

“Our donors’ leadership, philanthropy and passion for Annie Wright Schools have been tremendous,” said Head of Schools Christian Sullivan. “This exceptional community has come together to support students who will go on to make a lasting difference in the world.”

The all-weather James Memorial Field, a major component of the plan to enhance athletic facilities for sports, fitness and play, opened last spring, replacing the field built in 1924.

This ambitious project involved expanding the existing footprint, building a substantial retaining wall, and adding elaborate and environmentally sound drainage. Other improvements will include an additional gym and new competition-sized swimming pool to support the schools' growing athletics program for all ages.

Scott Moody, father of Red Tie Amber Moody, captured this photo of James Field when the Upper School for Girls took on Seattle Academy in September.

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Endowment gifts, critical to both current educational programming and the long-term financial stability of the school, will support scholarships, learning support, faculty and department chair positions, professional development, visual and performing arts, and athletics.

The campaign exceeded its goal before a further estate gift from Class of ’82 alumna Suzanne Patrice Smith (1964-2016) enhanced the campaign’s success and enabled the school to create its largest-ever endowed scholarships. Suzy, who attended Annie Wright in Grades 8-12, directly impacted the education of many family and friends. She is remembered for believing in the potential of every person and the power of education to help them reach that potential. The Suzanne Patrice Smith Scholarship Fund will benefit students in Grades 9-12.

A total of 344 donors participated in the Strength to Strength campaign, with 10 percent of gifts at $100,000 and above and seven gifts at $1 million and above. The campaign total currently stands at $19,773,761.

The campaign steering committee, chaired by Annie Wright parents Lynne Parrott and Deedra Walkey, comprised a range of community members including trustees, alumni and parents of current and former students.

Suzanne

PIONEERING PHILANTHROPIST EMBODIED EMPATHY AND ACTION

Suzanne Patrice Smith ‘82, who died last year after a valiant fight with recurrent breast cancer, was one of Annie Wright Schools’ most pioneering and generous philanthropists.

Suzanne attended Annie Wright Schools for Grades 8 to 12. “Her biggest passion was her appreciation of the education and sense of community she experienced at Annie Wright,” said her mother, Mary Alice Flynn Smith.

“She often reminded me of the impact it made on her life and wanted to enable others to benefit from Annie Wright’s mission.” True to her word, Suzanne left an estate gift that enabled the school to create its largestever endowed scholarships. The Suzanne Patrice Smith Scholarship Fund will benefit students in Grades 9-12.

Generous monetary commitments were only a part of Suzanne’s philanthropy. She invested herself wholeheartedly in people and projects she believed in, especially in education and the arts. Guided by her passions and undaunted by risks, details, practical constraints or formal procedures, she unleashed her extreme generosity and abundant energy to the benefit of close friends and complete strangers in need. “She was there for others, and had a deep sense of empathy and actually acted on it,” said her sister Megan Smith.

Beneficiaries included her employees, her friends and their children, actors, orphans, families in need, arts programs, film projects, radio stations, educational institutions, shelter animals and more.

This extreme generosity and desire to help people started from a young age and took several forms. “Suzanne treated everyone she knew with such beauty,” said Karen G. ‘82, her roommate at Annie Wright. “She had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the world.”

Endowment gifts support current and future students. Like all Annie Wright students, Yellow Tie Class of ‘17 graduate Bella Eisenhart, a boarding student from Florida who is currently a freshman at Tufts University, experienced excellent programing and instruction made possible by a strong endowment.

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The stories are many and varied. She ran away from home for a night at age 11 to try to save a friend who was being abused. She flew to Alaska to help a friend pack up and move. She kept a business open to provide paychecks and health care for her employees. She visited an orphanage in the Bahamas, and though she realized she could not

Smith '82 support its corrupt administration, bought all the children beds and basic amenities before she left.

One of the many ways Suzanne gave back to Annie Wright was by attending the annual auction. After a legendary bidding war, she scored tickets to the Grammy Awards with Grammy member and Annie Wright music teacher Liz Gettel. The two met in Los Angeles and became close friends. “She loved and appreciated people,” said Gettel, “and I loved her wonderment at anything and the way she saw things through the lens of a child. She was never jaded, and her family was everything to her.” Gettel referred specifically to Suzanne’s special connection with her niece and fellow Annie Wright alumna Virginia Walkey ’16.

“The sisterhood Suzanne fostered among all of us Annies has become stronger and our ties to each other more precious and dear,” said another classmate, Annette Lefebvre, who spoke at Suzanne’s memorial service. “Suzanne was an extraordinary person, a loyal and unwavering friend with the most generous, magnanimous heart, always.”

I wanted to take a little time to find the right words for such a beautiful soul. It's not easy. Those of us who were blessed to be part of her world were so fortunate. She touched so many people’s lives.

Starting out at Annie together, we became best friends. I was from Alaska and she lived on Bainbridge Island. We began in the 8th grade as boarders. My sister was a 6th grade boarder.

My sister and I had lost our mother. Suzanne was not only my best friend but also accepted that my sister needed someone too, so Suzanne was both of our best friends.

We grew up together at AWS and became friends for life.

We grew to appreciate the support we had from teachers and faculty. They loved us and guided us through our high school years, instilling values and hope. If it were not for teachers such as Diane Soucey, Jim Timson, Señora Rossi and Bev Brown and their excellent knowledge of the world, who knows where we would be.

Suzanne looks glamorous at music awards in Los Angeles.

Suzanne celebrates her graduation from Annie Wright in 1982 with her parents Frederick (Ricky) Smith and Mary Alice Flynn Smith.

Suzanne and I also attended UPS together, and she was maid of honor at my wedding.

Life got busy. She was living in Cabo and I was in Alaska raising a family. A few years back we came together again – stronger, more mature – with uncanny similarities. We did a lot of things together over the last few years and we were there for each other always.

I had the honor to be with her while she was going through the most difficult time. We laughed, we cried, we hugged and we prayed. It was during this time that she offered my son the gift of education. I could not believe it! Always thinking about others – always! Unbelievable? Yes, but that was Suzanne...the most selfless, beautiful friend a person could have! I am forever grateful to have shared our lives together...From Strength to Strength.

Karen G. ‘82 THE MAGAZINE OF ANNIE WRIGHT SCHOOLS

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ANNIE WRIGHT DEVELOPS AND ACTUALIZES AMBITIOUS MASTER CAMPUS PLAN Emerging from a comprehensive strategic planning process two years ago, the Annie Wright Board of Trustees and administration resolved to develop a master campus plan. As both guardians of this historic building and grounds, and advocates for current and future students whose families expect excellent programming and facilities, these school leaders needed to understand the possibilities and limitations of the current campus.

After soliciting bids from several well-regarded firms, the school chose the Seattle-based design firm Mithūn, whose mission, which includes the design goal “to positively change people’s lives,” and a culture of “constant curiosity and discovery,” strongly aligns with Annie Wright’s.

Mithūn’s project list includes several non-profits and educational institutions, locally and nationally. “They are a collaborative, creative firm of planners and architects who understood our needs,” said Head of Schools Christian Sullivan.

It was only from a place of strength, with record admissions, a strong culture of philanthropy and stable leadership, that the school was able to both develop the master plan – and follow through with the hard part – making it happen. The school achieved significant campus enhancements this year, with more exciting building projects to come.

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2017 projects James Memorial Field Last spring, a new and expanded high school regulation-sized allweather field replaced the 1924 field, which was small and often unplayable due to wet weather and poor drainage. Students of all ages use the field for physical education, playtime, sports practices, competitions and tournaments. The field honors the generosity of Rex James Bates, grandfather of alumnae Gabrielle '12 and Amber '11MS Bates and father of Director of Business Development Rex W. Bates, and is the first physical feature of the successful From Strength to Strength Campaign to come to fruition.

10th Street Entrance Upgrade The 10th Street entrance, used by most Lower and Middle School families, for many years felt like a side entrance and faced challenges of traffic and parking congestion. Improvements to this area, completed in time for the first day of school in August, include beautification, additional parking required by the city and better drainage. The expanded area includes 13 parking places, a small sitting area and newly constructed, handsome and welcoming entrances with double doors. Significant landscaping is ongoing. The longer drive accommodates more cars during drop-off and pick-up times, absorbing traffic from the street.

4th Floor Dormitory Renovation To accommodate the growing residential student population, the 4th floor of the dormitory in the main building, originally used as student bedrooms but unused for the last several decades, was renovated last summer and opened in September.

The project involved window replacement, new flooring, new sinks and new bathrooms.

Lower & Middle School Art Room Enhancement The Lower School art room is one of the few spaces in the Annie Wright building that is still used for its original purpose.

Resources raised by the 2017 Annie Wright Auction Fund-A-Need helped restore the beautiful bones of this room while updating it with modern equipment, lighting and technological capabilities. The art room re-opened in the fall.

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new buildings to open in 2019

Upper School for Boys Building The new Upper School for Boys, which opened this fall, will have its own academic building by the start of the 2019-20 school year. This building will located at the corner of North Tacoma Avenue and Tennis Court Road, defining the corner of campus from the southeast, to the right side of the main entrance. Lower than the current building, it will contain its own separate entrance, and a courtyard will separate the new and existing structures. Learn more about plans for the new building on page 26.

Gymnasium & Pool An additional gym, connected to the current gym in the Kemper Center, will provide further space for sports and play for students of all ages. In addition, a new 25-meter swimming pool on the ground floor of this structure will replace the current 1924 pool. From developing comfort and security in the water for students as young as three to accommodating competitive swimmers, the new swimming pool will offer year-round opportunities for fun, fitness and learning. Annie Wright is also committed to sharing this space with the community outside of school hours, especially with families who would otherwise not have access to swimming lessons.

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cholar Annie wright

earch

Upper School for GIRLS

eekend

Annie Wright girls are unique. They pursue their passions and always strive for more. They utilize their resources and seek to explore all the world has to offer. They support their peers and build lifelong friendships.

Sound like someone you know?

Join us for Scholar Search Weekend for girls interested in Grade 9.

the February 9 & 10, 2018 REGISTER ONLINE & LEARN MORE

www.aw.org/scholar-search

FIND YOUR YEARBOOK This Annie Wright yearbook cover from 1906 features a period art nouveau print. The oldest yearbook in our archive, then called The Hyak, was published in 1902. Renamed The Shield and published continuously since 1931, the yearbook is one of our most precious historical documents. The entire archive is available to you at www.aw.org/yearbooks.

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A PIONEER IN IB EDUCATION

by Lisa Isenman

In September the International Baccalaureate Organization officially authorized Annie Wright Schools to deliver the Middle Years Programme (MYP) to Grades 6-8, making Annie Wright the only school in the state of Washington and one of fewer than 20 schools in the entire country to offer the full continuum of IB programming from Preschool to Grade 12.

The MYP, which provides a framework for curriculum and assessment, focuses on understanding the concepts behind facts and developing lifelong approaches to learning. Both inquiry-based and transdisciplinary, it emphasizes strong communication skills, challenges students to think analytically and creatively, and provides opportunities to solve problems and make decisions in real world contexts.

“Watching students engage the MYP is so exciting, not just for the concepts and skills they are learning, but for how it challenges them to take action and enhances their capacities for empathy and reflection,” said Director of Middle School Bill Hulseman.

Along with traditional subjects, language acquisition (a choice of Spanish or Chinese at Annie Wright)

and design are important components of the MYP, and collaborative, actionoriented projects are common to every subject. In the last issue of this magazine, for example, you read an article by a Grade 8 student, who inspired by the needs of her grandfather who was in long-term hospital care, collaborated with classmates to develop a concept for an app to share medical patients’ information with family and friends. Their concept won the Verizon Innovative Learning App Challenge competition for the state of Washington earlier this year. This project is part of the Design curriculum that is a hallmark of the MYP.

“We are thrilled to receive final accreditation for this gold standard of education, but more importantly, we are proud to offer programs that inspire students to solve problems and make the world a better place.”

Annie Wright Schools gained accreditation to deliver the Diploma Programme in its Upper School in 2009 and the Primary Years Programme in its Lower School in 2015. See page 29 to learn how the Lower School, like every division of Annie Wright, integrates the IB in a way that is unique to our school.

The Middle Years Programme bridges

the gap, providing consistently rigorous, inquiry-based and internationallyminded education throughout Annie Wright.

“Over the last decade our faculty has worked hard to implement the IB program across the school,” said Head of Schools Christian Sullivan. “We are thrilled to receive final accreditation for this gold standard of education, but more importantly, we are proud to offer programs that inspire students to solve problems and make the world a better place.”

Originally developed for children of diplomats, IB program, currently offered to more than one million students in nearly 150 countries, provide a framework to assess performance according to world standards and promote a more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

Learn more about Annie Wright Schools’ IB programs at www.aw.org/ib.

Middle School Assistant Director and Design Teacher Clare Wagstaff works with Grade 8 students in the design lab.

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All students speak and gesture in AIM routines, maximizing their practice in sentence construction, vocabulary and grammar.

NEW SPANISH CURRICULUM GETS STUDENTS TALKING

by Emily Stokes, Upper School for Girls Spanish Teacher

Walk into an AIM classroom, and it will probably look nothing like the language classrooms you remember from your school days. Gathered in a circle, students and their teacher are laughing, gesturing and speaking in unison. Sometimes they dance and sign; other times, they oink like pigs or huff and puff like the big bad wolf.

You may wonder what is going on, and why.

Annie Wright has long prided itself on excellent language teaching with passionate teachers and admirable results. Like language programs nationwide, however, we struggle with two perennial conundrums: students who perform well in class but are too timid to carry their skills out into the real word, and students who are eager to use Spanish out in the streets, but for whom traditional book-learning proves a frustrating obstacle.

Determined to tackle this challenge, AWS Spanish faculty formed a focus group in 2016 to explore the true objectives of our program and best practices for realizing those goals. After a year of reflection, as well as observations and interviews at nearly a dozen U.S. and international schools, we adopted two crucial initiatives.

The first of these is a unifying, purpose-driven mission statement for teaching Spanish: “to cultivate confident and competent verbal communicators who are eager and empathetic participants in intercultural exchange.�

This bold vision purposefully emphasizes verbal and cultural competencies over traditional language teaching.

In a major step to fulfill this mission, we adopted the second initiative: an exciting new methodology called AIM (Accelerative Integrated Methodology). Developed in Canada, where it has seen tremendous success in

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Middle School Spanish teacher Angelica Calcote incorporates choral speaking and gestures into her Grade 6 classroom.

French core and immersion classrooms, AIM differs radically from traditional, book-andpaper language teaching in its emphasis on four fundamental principles: gestured language, choral speaking, high-frequency vocabulary and a performance-based curriculum.

In the AIM classroom, students do not merely listen or speak; instead, all spoken language is accompanied by gestures that indicate not only the meaning of a word (such as with American Sign Language), but also important grammar information about that word, such as tense, gender, number and mood. Kinesthetically energizing and just plain fun, gesturing boosts student confidence and improves memory by engaging multiple learning modalities and by lowering the affective filter that so often impedes language acquisition. It also provides gentle feedback and reminders for students as they learn to speak independently.

AIM differs radically from traditional, bookand-paper language teaching in its emphasis on four fundamental principles: gestured language, choral speaking, high-frequency vocabulary and a performance-based curriculum.

AIM’s innovations extend beyond the kinesthetic.

In a traditional classroom, when a teacher speaks, students listen silently. As individual students answer the teacher, the rest of the class listens silently. Even when working in partners, only half the students in a classroom are talking at any given time. With AIM, students speak along with the teacher and with one another simultaneously (enabled by the accompanying gestures), so that in addition to listening, they are actively producing the language. Choral

speaking radically increases the amount of time every student speaks Spanish in class. Paired with an emphasis on high-frequency vocabulary and repetition, it gives students who struggle with abstract grammar rules the practice they need to master language inductively, and offers quieter students a means of overcoming their fear of speaking.

AIM’s final innovation is a performancebased curriculum where student learning and classroom activities center around a narrative core, building toward a final performance.

This year, for example, Grade 4 thespians are throwing themselves at a rousing rendition of “The Three Little Pigs” en español. Performancebased curricula engage students’ natural love for story-telling, increase comprehension through recognizable plots, enliven students’ imagination, and create a fun and playful classroom environment where students feel safe to take linguistic and theatrical risks.

In this pilot year, elements of AIM methodology can be seen in classrooms across the schools, with Grades 4 and 6 diving into the full, performance-based curricula. At each level, AIM serves as a tool for increasing students’ confidence and empowering verbal fluency, the bedrock of language acquisition. In doing so, it embodies and enables the AWS Spanish program mission to cultivate strong speakers who are inspired to participate in intercultural exchange.

Bring on the big bad wolf. Here at Annie Wright, safe within our beautiful brick home with its rich linguistic legacy, we know with full confidence that pioneering methodologies like AIM will continue to light a fire for language learning.

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UPPER SCHOOL

CLASS OF ’21 YELLOW TIES PIONEER UPPER SCHOOL FOR BOYS

by Thinh Dang and Philip Green, Class of '21

NEW ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN CLASS FOCUSES ON PROCESS OF CREATING

by Parker Briggs and Eli Dugan, Class of '21 Annie Wright Upper School for Boys launched a new class this year called Architecture & Design, taught by librarian and faculty member Joe Romano. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the boys take it as their last class of the day at the downtown campus.

“I really look forward to the class,” said Carter Nelson, a day student who has attended Annie Wright since Preschool.

“It gives me a great break in the day from normal academics.”

The pioneering Yellow Tie Class of ’21 all wear their dress uniform on the first day of school.

On August 30, 2017, the Grade 9 Yellow Tie Class of ’21 joined the Annie Wright family. These 15 boys are pioneers of the new Upper School for Boys, which began with Grade 9 this year and will add a grade each year.

subjects in their program including fencing and Architecture & Design. “Fencing is great. It’s my first time trying fencing and I love it,” said Kian Russell, a day student who moved to Tacoma nearly two years ago from the UK.

“I’m honored to start a new tradition for Annie Wright and I will do my best for my following years at the school,” said Owen Satoris, a five-day boarder from Gig Harbor, Washington.

Five domestic five-day boarding students and two international seven-day boarding students live in newly renovated rooms on a separate floor and wing of the main building. While their rooms and lounge area are separate from the girls, they have the option to mix with girls in some activities and public spaces.

The year started with a camping trip to the Waterhouse Center Ropes Course in Snohomish to help build relationships between boys and also with their teachers.

“I think that this event brought us together and also taught us how important teamwork is when we were in trouble,” said Eli Connolly, a five-day boarder from Arlington, Washington.

During the academic day the boys are separated from the girls. The boys have a downtown campus, and some different

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Some people may speculate as to why the school started this “non-traditional” class.

There are many reasons. “In our lives, people continually encounter opportunities where they need to create something for another person. This might be creating a meeting if you are a supervisor at a company. It might be that you are actually designing a coffee mug, or an ice cream scoop, or an event,” said Romano. “While the first word in the course title is architecture, and that’s very focused on the experience of creating the building, the second, design, probably has

Jeremy Stubbs, Dean of Students for the Upper School for Boys as well as math and physics teacher and dorm parent, is hopeful about the future of the new division. “I hope that we’re going to have full enrollment and a great new building, and I hope that Annie Wright will be successful for not just the next few years but the next few decades and the next century,” he said.

Architecture & Design teacher Joe Romano focuses on the science, skills and mindsets that fuel creativity.

even more emphasis. It’s the science and the abilities and the skills and the mindsets that are related to the process of creating.”

During the next couple of years, the boys will work with the architecture firm Mithūn to design their own building on the Annie Wright campus. During the early stages of planning with Mithūn, Susan Bauska, Assistant Head of Schools and Director of the Upper School for Boys, saw an opportunity to engage in collaborative, hands-on learning. This inspired her to create the Architecture & Design course.

The class kicked off the year by focusing on the use of urban space. After studying the use of positive and negative space, the boys participated in a worldwide event called Park(ing) Day in which local residents set up mini parks in public parking spots to call attention to the need for more and better urban space. The Upper School for Boys brought sofas and chairs from their downtown Tacoma campus and built a ping-pong table for passersby to enjoy in their space.

In late September the boys visited the Mithūn office in Seattle, where they brainstormed ideas and got to know the plans for the school building a little bit better. They met the architects and had indepth conversations about their visions for their future building.

NEW UNIFORM HONORS TRADITION WHILE SETTING BOYS APART

by Eli Connolly and Carter Nelson, Class of '21

On the right seven-day boarding student Thinh Dang models the formal uniform. Day student Eli Dugan sports the everyday option on the left.

The new Upper School for Boys has two main uniforms. The dress uniform may be worn on any day, while the daily uniform is acceptable on most days and gives students a more comfortable option.

The dress uniform includes khaki pants and a white button-down shirt with black socks, black dress shoes and a blue and yellow tie.

Also optional most days but required on dress uniform days is a navy blazer.

The tie has special significance to Annie Wright’s tie color tradition. This year, since the Class of ‘21 students are Yellow Ties, their ties have navy and yellow stripes. The Class of ‘22 will have navy and red ties, the Class of ‘23 will have navy and green, and the Class of ‘24 will have navy and lighter blue. Then the colors will repeat, as they do for the girls. This year fellow Yellow Ties from the recently graduated Class of ‘17 presented the boys with ties with their initials embroidered on them.

Some students prefer to wear the daily uniform, which consists of a white polo shirt with the Annie Wright arches on it and khaki pants or shorts (student’s choice). Students may also wear an Annie Wright sweatshirt. On certain Fridays called Spirit Fridays, students may replace the polo with any shirt with an Annie Wright graphic on it.

The results of a poll of the class about which outfit they liked more were about half and half. “I like the daily uniform better,” said Eli Dugan, a day student who recently moved to the area after ten years in Singapore. “It’s easier to put on and more comfortable to wear.”

“I like the dress uniform because it looks more formal, and I like looking formal,” said Diego Chavez, a five-day boarding student from Seattle.

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STUDENTS COLLABORATE WITH ARCHITECTS ON NEW BUILDING Q&A with Mithūn architects

by Mac Bryant and Kian Russell, Class of '21

Mac Bryant: Would you describe the layout of the building for us?

On Friday, September 22, the Annie Wright Upper School for Boys visited Mithūn, the architecture firm that is designing their new building on the main campus on North Tacoma Avenue. Mithūn was founded by University of Washington architecture professor Omer Mithūn in Seattle in 1949. With another branch in San Francisco, Mithūn uses the motto “Design for Positive Change.”

Brendan Connolly: During the planning process our team explored a very wide range of options. We had very thoughtful conversations about impact to ecology, cost and visibility. The space the building landed on was the most sensible for a lot of reasons, and the shape of the building is also defined heavily by the city's regulations of height and zoning. That said, what's great about the new building is that it's a very efficient layout in terms of having great sunlight to the classroom space. It has a variety of innovative spaces like the maker space. We have science labs downstairs that have access to indoor and outdoor spaces. I would say that the overall role is meant to be as open and as flowing as possible.

We spoke with lead architects Brendan Connolly, Lana Lisitsa and Nathaniel Smith about plans for the new building and how it will be integrated into the current campus. Below are some excerpts of the interview.

Kian Russell: A lot of people have been interested in the building since it's a new part of Annie Wright. Could you give us an idea of plans for the size and dimensions of the building?

Lana Lisitsa: The new building is close to 150 feet long along Tacoma Avenue and probably in the range of 60 feet wide.

It's actually a great proportion because the long side of the building is either predominantly north or south, and those are the best orientations for good lighting and protecting spaces from glare.

Mac Bryant: How will you incorporate the movement of people from the sidewalk or parking areas to the building into your design?

Brendan Connolly: I think one of the most important things for us with the new building is that it's a respectful and deferential element to the main building to create an experience of arriving at the campus. You feel like this is a window to the soul of the school but not a new front door to the school.

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Kian Russell: When we were looking at the designs we were noticing how little pieces of Annie Wright were being placed into the building, for instance the red brick. So you're going to have a brick exterior?

Brendan Connolly: Predominantly brick. We have glass, some natural wood, some metal, fiber cement. The height limit with the city means there's no real way to make the building look exactly like the old building, and that wouldn't be our intention anyway, because the old building is so special and magical in its history and legacy, to try to copy it wouldn't be right. We think that the best idea is to represent a new chapter in the school's history: that of you as pioneers.

So a lot of what we've

been doing is trying to take the DNA of the old building and infuse it in a new and modern way, and that involves the materials, so the same kind of brick, the same kind of patterning, there's a lot of metal trim... also the random window. If you look at the old building there's a lot of really interesting variation in the window sizes, and that's a tool we've been using.

Kian Russell: Why all the windows?

Lana Lisitsa: Light is a super important element of design. The space is going to create an environment that's very different depending on time of day and time of year and whether it's raining or sunny. It's also very important as a way to save energy.

Below: Annie Wright students Kian Russell (left) and Mac Bryant interview Mithun architects in their Seattle headquarters about plans for the new Upper School for Boys building.

SPACE TO LEARN

by Nelson Athow and Owen Satoris, Class of '21 Annie Wright Upper School for Boys occupies a space in downtown Tacoma at the former Children’s Museum on 936 Broadway. The space, which is one and a half miles from Annie Wright’s main campus, is situated near the farmer’s market and Pantages Theater.

The downtown campus features a spacious, open plan, with flexible spaces for group activities, individual study, technology, movement and breaks.

"Having a building in the heart of downtown Tacoma and seeing Annie Wright's male students walking around brings the evolution of Annie Wright into the view of the community."

The space comprises two large primary rooms divided by a curved archway, as well as a smaller kitchen area sectioned off from the inner room. The inner room contains a ping pong table built by the boys for use during free time, as well as comfortable sofas and chairs and rows of study carrels lining two walls.

The three classes held in the downtown building are English and World Issues, both held primarily in the outer room, and Architecture & Design, which makes greater use of the inner room due to teacher Joe Romano’s wacky activities.

Annie Wright Communications Associate Cristiana Ventura, who designed much of the interior including the Upper School for Boys graphic and the faux brick wall using a photo of the actual brick from the main campus, said that the boys’ school is a big thing for Annie Wright’s relationship to the people of downtown Tacoma. “Having a building in the heart of downtown Tacoma and seeing Annie Wright’s male students walking around brings the evolution of Annie Wright into the view of the community,” she said.

Annie Wright Upper School for Boys will use the downtown campus until their new building on the main campus is ready.

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UPPER SCHOOL

Students in Honors Physics with Donald Sidman learn about Newton’s laws of motion by measuring the magnitude and angle of force vectors.

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Upper Schoolers Learn Physics First

by Donald Sidman, Upper School for Girls Science Teacher

Annie Wright Schools' pioneering history is evident in our Upper School science curriculum. When the school was founded in 1884, the traditional science sequence included biology, chemistry and physics, in that order. Over the past 133 years, many things have changed in education, but surprisingly, that sequence has not changed for the majority of high schools. For the past 10 years at Annie Wright, however, all students have been learning physics in Grade 9.

This is my ninth year teaching Honors Physics to freshmen at Annie Wright, and although I was skeptical at first (for maybe a week or two), there are many advantages to this "Physics First" approach. Perhaps most importantly, physics is accessible and relevant to ninth graders. Indeed those who come through our Lower and Middle School programs have already engaged in developmentally appropriate physics labs, and such concepts as motion, waves, light, and sound are easy to visualize and demonstrate.

Furthermore, physics requires the use of math on almost a daily basis. Algebra is our friend in the classroom and helps cement math skills that are so important for students’ future education. Finally, a background in physics is necessary for a solid understanding of chemistry and biology.

Consistent with the IB philosophy and best practice in general, Annie Wright science teachers use hands-on learning as much as possible. Whether this is called “laboratory-

based learning,” “inquiry-based learning” or “modeling-based instruction,” students seem to learn best by experiencing and testing concepts, rather than listening to the teacher talk about them. Our Grade 9 physics course emphasizes the laboratory-based approach.

Students participate in group lab activities several times each month – which is also true in chemistry, IB Biology, Marine Science, and IB Physics, I might add. According to a study at Cornell University, however, success in ninth grade physics seems to be directly linked to “modeling-based” (or hands-on) instruction.

The "Physics First" paradigm is still somewhat rare in American high school education, as far as I can tell. Even in Tacoma it is not the norm. Charles Wright Academy, Bellarmine Preparatory School and Tacoma Public Schools all teach physics in Grade 10 or higher. I frequently have conversations with teachers from other schools who ask about this "strange" curriculum shift. I am nonetheless convinced that “Physics First” is the future of high school science education, and the benefits of beginning with physics far outweigh the challenges.

I have frequently witnessed students proudly announcing to their friends from other schools or to their parents and relatives that they, as ninth graders at AWS, study physics. I always smile when I hear this, and I know these confident young people are getting the right tools for future success.

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STUDENTS LEAD MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM The Upper School Model UN/Global Action activity group, led by social studies teacher Katherine Everitt, organized a forum for the Tacoma mayoral candidates, Victoria Woodards and Jim Merritt, in the Great Hall on October 12. The student group presented key issues affecting Tacoma residents in developmentally appropriate ways to all three school divisions the week before the event, then solicited questions from students of all ages to include in the moderated discussion. Issues included immigrant rights, environmental protection, infrastructure, crime, education, the rising cost of living in Tacoma and more.

Audience questions and a short reception followed. Inkwell, the Upper School newspaper, interviewed both candidates the weekend before the event for an online background article (read it at anniewrightinkell.org), then live streamed the forum on Instagram.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

Middle Schoolers Make History Personal

by Shelli Strate, Middle School Language and Literature Teacher I have loved stories since before I can remember, and the opportunity to share stories is, at the core, why I became a Language and Literature teacher. It is also why I believe in the power of our Oral History Project, a hallmark of the Grade 8 experience at Annie Wright that shapes our students’ understanding of history in a way no secondary source can.

This project evolved from the much beloved Ancestry Project, which invited students to learn more about their own family histories and celebrate their ancestors’ journeys. Though many students valued this family-based history project, some felt anxious about the necessary research. Some, due to family dynamics beyond their control, did not have access to family members who could share stories of their ancestors’ pasts.

Adopted students sometimes found this project painful, as it made them wonder about and feel isolated from their birth families.

With those students in mind, we set out to create a project with a broader scope – one that would allow students to interview family members if they so desired but that would also encourage students to step outside their family boundaries and interview new people. We also aimed to provide a focus for these stories so that students would illuminate and personalize an important historical event or movement, bringing it to life. Thus, the Oral History Project was born.

An interdisciplinary project in our IB Middle Years Programme Language and Literature, Individuals and Societies, and Design classes, the Oral History Project begins as all authentic research does – with each Grade 8 student formulating a guiding question driven by interest. Guiding questions from years past have included: •

•

• •

•

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What was life like for children in Cambodia during the reign of the Khmer Rouge?

How did Seattle’s Nihonmachi district change during WWII, when Japanese-Americans were interned on the West Coast?

What is the refugee experience really like?

How did 9/11 change the experience of Muslims living in America?

What was the India-Pakistan Partition and how did it affect families on both sides?

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In order to answer their question, students engage in a multi-faceted research process.

First, they read secondary sources and watch a documentary so they understand the historical and geographical contexts for their guiding question.

Then they dive deeper. They conduct two recorded, inperson interviews with at least one individual with first-hand experience relevant to their guiding question, they read an autobiography or memoir written by another individual whose stories help answer their guiding question, and they find additional pre-recorded interviews online which will help them find the answers they seek.

Their ability to engage with their material thoughtfully, critically, and creatively impresses me every year.

The most challenging part of the project comes next, as students work to synthesize information from all sources and distill it into script form. This step in particular showcases the development of their critical thinking and writing skills over their time in the Middle School. After multiple drafts of the script, it is time to allow their public speaking, recording and editing skills to shine. Their end product – a podcast that asks their guiding question and then aims to answer it for their listeners in less than 10 minutes – is a real challenge when they typically have over four hours of relevant information from which to choose. Their ability to engage with their material thoughtfully, critically, and creatively impresses me every year.

LOWER SCHOOL

LOWER SCHOOL WEAVES IB INTO UNIQUE CURRICULUM

by Lisa Isenman

Middle School Language and Literature Teacher Shelli Strate works with Grade 8 students on podcasting for their oral history projects.

Ultimately, I hope that as our students engage in this kind of authentic research, listening to the stories of other generations and exploring different perspectives from varied sources, they begin to see storytelling not only for its value as entertainment and escape but also as a powerful tool to help them better comprehend the world around them.

After all, storytelling is at the heart of understanding the history that shapes our world, the universal experience of being human, and perhaps most importantly, the ability to recognize and connect to our shared humanity.

Visit www.aw.org/Grade8 to hear an excerpt from a podcast on the Iranian revolution by Class of ‘21 student Katherine Christensen.

Since the Lower School officially adopted the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) two years ago, the curriculum and programs continue to evolve. The faculty, who are constantly balancing the very openended skills proscribed by the PYP with elements of Common Core standards, various published curricula and texts, and original projects and resources, create a program that is unique to Annie Wright.

"We felt good about adopting the PYP because we could be flexible within it," said PYP Coordinator Jennifer Bills.

According to Director of Lower School Vicki Ball, a key element of this flexibility is a culture of professionalism, responsible independence and celebration of creativity. “We have cultivated an environment in Lower School where teachers feel safe to take risks,” she said.

“Then, with support from the administration and collaboration with their colleagues, their creativity is able to go to a higher level.”

At the same time, although the Lower School is now entrenched in IB, the administration still recognizes and embraces the community’s high standards and expectation for academic rigor. “I

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know the program is moving forward to exceed standards of other public and independent schools,” said Ball. She emphasized the need to attend to skills not specifically defined by PYP, and to regularly measure and evaluate these using external and well-established inventories.

Particularly exciting and inherent to both IB and our mission is the cross-curricular nature of the PYP Units of Inquiry, which always incorporate skills-based learning at Annie Wright. An example is Grade 3’s music and story project.

Students start with the central idea “Music expresses feelings and ideas” under the transdisciplinary theme “How We Express Ourselves.”

"I know the program is moving forward to exceed standards of other public and independent schools," said Ball.

The project incorporates a number of disciplines and a team of faculty. Grade 3 teachers Jan Buennagel and Lorraine Clare teach students about writing and storytelling, including essential components such as plot, character, theme, setting, point of view, cultural traditions and mood.

They also emphasize the power of music to evoke feelings and explore what qualities create feelings or moods such as

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joyful or suspenseful. This latter effort includes a trip to the Symphony Tacoma to hear a classic work geared to children such as Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker or Prokofiev’s Peter & the Wolf.

A team of specialists also gets involved. Music teacher Joffrey Hammond explores sound with the students and teaches them to compose using GarageBand software.

Science teacher Robin Menke teaches the anatomy of the ear and engages students in labs that show how sound is a vibration that travels. Educational Technology Director Angela Heath helps students record their stories and integrate music to produce their final project.

The music and story project is just one example of inspiring Units of Inquiry throughout the Lower School. By holding themselves to internal and external standards of excellence but operating in a culture of constant growth, creativity and collaboration, Lower School teachers are pioneering a unique program that continues to evolve and nurture students to become active problem-solvers with the skills, inspiration and tenacity to make a profound contribution in the world.

Visit www.aw.org/Grade3 to hear examples of original compositions.

ANNUAL PHILANTHROPY REPORT

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2016-17 Year in Philanthropy by the Numbers Thank you to all of our donors and

volunteers who make Annie Wright thrive.

Your generosity is Annie Wright’s strength.

For the full report, including donors and details of giving, please visit www.aw.org/annual_report.

REVENUES AND EXPENSES

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WHO GAVE TO ANNIE WRIGHT SCHOOLS?

24.2%

6.5% 11.8% 27%

24.4% 4.5%

GIVING HIGHLIGHTS

28.6% 30%

25%

18%

ALUMNI DONORS

BY TIE COLOR

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FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH CAMPAIGN Annie Wright Schools’ capital campaign to enhance athletic facilities and grow the endowment surpassed its goal of $12 million by nearly 50 percent, enabling greater scholarship opportunities along with fulfilling these two essential strategic goals.

From Strength to Strength: The Campaign for Annie Wright Schools, launched in 2014 to preserve and bolster the strength of one of the region’s most treasured institutions and to make a transformative difference in the lives of students today and in the future. The success of this historic fundraising effort marks the end of the campaign.

$1,000,000+

$25,000-$49,999

Scott and Laura Moody

Shirley Anderson '52

Anonymous (x2)

Luther Moyer and Stephanie Acierno

Anonymous (x2)

Auto Warehousing Co. (The Seher Family)

Jamie and Sandra Murray

Sally (Peterson) Atherton '66 and Robert Atherton

Ruth Bishop '63

Amy Paulose '95

Rex J. Bates & Bates Family Foundation

Dave and Cappri Boitano

Ann Rubin and Raymond Kao

Suzanne P. Smith '82

Janna Bushaw

William Rutherford

The Bamford Foundation

Kirsten Carlson and Chris Allen

Ruey-Shan Sheu and Man-Fang Hsiung

Emily (McFadon) Vincent '49 and Bob Vincent

Tenley and Eric Cederstrand

Jason and Courtney (Degenfelder) Stockton '81LS

$250,000-$499,999

Douglas and Kathleen Dorr

Clay Zhang and Diane Bai

Vivian Anderson

James and Sharon Firn

Anonymous

Randall Holland and Rebecca Benko

$7,500-$9,999

Betty Lou (Ervin) Broderick '53

Kelly Ann Brown Foundation

Loren and MaryAnn Anderson

Drs. Manuel and Silvia La Rosa

David and Jan Haley

$100,000-249,999

Dianne and Fred Matthaei

Siyi Huang and Na Li

Anonymous

Harold Matzner and Shellie Reade '63

Yong Shu and Lin Zhu

Susan and Barry Bauska

David Overton and Katherine Steuart

Ben B. Cheney Foundation

Lynne and John Parrott

$5,000-$7,499

Robert Bessler and Michele Cannon Bessler

Merrill (Wagner) Ryman '53

Elizabeth Dunn Andreini '81 and Brian Andreini

Forest Foundation

Christian Sullivan and Lisa Isenman

Chad Burrington and Lia Knight-Burrington Julia and William Cho

KELCIN: The Givens Family L.T. Murray Family Foundation

$10,000-$24,999

Carole Fuller '66

John and Sara Long

Rex and Angela Bates

Gayle and Judson Gray

Peggy Lou (Stebbins) Roberts '35

Steve and Wendi Cook

Jennifer Haley '89

Jaime Lee (Colyer) Sebrell '95

Dimmer Family Foundation

Suzanne and David Hattery

Sequoia Foundation

Bill Driscoll and Lisa Hoffmann

Zheng Jiang and Rong Zhou

Songtao Shi and Yao Yao

George and Laura Edman

Joshua and Dana Johnston

Jay and Peachy Smalling

Jake Guadnola '90MS and Stacey Guadnola

Yao Wang and Fang Jiang

Nick Malden and Barbara Headley

Yong Liu and Yinan Peng

$50,000-$99,999

Holly Bamford Hunt '89 and John Hunt

Laurie McCoy

Anne (Murray) Barbey '38

Islam Family Foundation

Nicole McDonough

James Defebaugh and Kristina Maritczak

Harpreet and Ritu Jaswal

Andrew and Divya McMillin

Judith (Yengling) Forkner '63

Hongkuk and Soojeoung Oh Kim

Salvador Mungia

Anne (Fisher) Hofius '55 and William Hofius

Brody and Chanda Kunz

Shengyu Qi and Tong Dai

Delinda (McCormick) Mix '50

Joan (Robertson) Lamb '69

Wilfredo Rapoport and Edessa Bello-Rapoport

Yu Chin Pan

John and Patricia Lantz

Chris Sakas

Catherine Close

Jian Li and Xiaohong Zhang

Aaron Stewart

Mary and Gary Sigmen

Xin Liu and Meiyi Ma

Wei Min Sun and Nan Er Teng

The Edward E. Ford Foundation

Kin Chung Mak and Pui Kwan Lee

The Driscoll Foundation

Camilla Titcomb

Warren and Elizabeth Martin

Chi Xu and Yan Huang

Wheeler Charitable Trust

Jane (Weyerhaeuser) McFee '60

Go to www.aw.org/annual_report for a complete list of our generous campaign donors.

Forrest Miller and Linda Sferra

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GATORS GIVE! Annie Wright Schools Annual Fund November 28–December 31

Whether it is excellent academics, inspiring teachers, or simply a desire to nurture students who go on to make the world a better place, there are many reasons to join our community effort to support the Annual Fund. Your gifts have immediate impact in every facet of Annie Wright Schools.

GIVING IS EASY Your participation in any amount by December 31 supports Annie Wright’s programs, inspires teachers to dream big for their students, and bolsters your iconic institution.

>> Visit www.aw.org/give >> Send a check written to Annie Wright Schools: >> ATTN: Annual Fund Annie Wright Schools 827 N Tacoma Avenue Tacoma, WA 98403

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ALUMNI

our way! n o W e’re

We are working to schedule alumni events in the following cities in February and March 2018:

Boston Charlotte Chicago Los Angeles Phoenix Portland San Diego San Francisco Washington D.C. Would you like to attend? Help plan?

Even host? Please contact Grace Finch at 253.284.8604 or grace_finch@aw.org to learn more.

Save the Date

May Day Reunion Weekend June 1-2, 2018 Save the date for May Day Alumni Reunion Weekend at Annie Wright Schools. This year we especially honor the class years ending in 3 and 8, but all alumni are encouraged to attend. Interested in reunion planning or getting in touch with classmates? Contact Jennifer Shafer at 253.284.8611 or jennifer_shafer@aw.org.

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CLASS NOTES 1940s Grace (Rexroth) Seaman ’48 I loved all of the sports I participated in at Annie Wright. My

Shirley Andersen ’52

favorite was field hockey, which I switched to golf when I went to college (Stanford). I never would have come to AWS except for a phone call from Miss Jenkins urging me to go there. I also loved every minute at Stanford and I met my wonderful husband there too. Thank you for a fantastic learning experience.

1950s Delinda (McCormick) Mix ’50 Delinda’s son, lepidopterist Steve Mix, wanted to give his mother a unique gift for supporting his love of butterflies, so he named a moth species after her. A white moth discovered in the dunes of White Sands National Monument in New Mexico is now known as Givira Delindae Metzler.

Shirley Anderson '52 Over the summer, Shirley had a special visit from Grade 4 Class of ’24 student Leah Palmer. Leah and her mom, Ellen Palmer, were in Philadelphia to visit family and decided to drop by to see Shirley.

Despite their year age difference of more than 70 years, Shirley and Leah have become fast friends and penpals.

Elizabeth Anne Birbeck ’55 Elizabeth and her family visited Annie Wright over the summer while they were in the area from Florida. Sara Pelster ’15, working as an intern for the Advancement Office, took the family on an impromptu campus tour. Elizabeth shared with Sara what an impact Annie Wright had on her life.

1960s Virginia (Martin) Butler ’66 Ginny and her husband Dan Butler led a drive to open a Boys & Girls Club for their community in Dayton, WA, housed in a former bowling alley they bought on the west side of town. Their efforts led to winning a national Neighborhood Assist grant of $25,000 from State Farm. Their goal is to open the club in September 2018.

1970s Derek Gale Derek, who went to Annie Wright in Kindergarten and Grade 1 in 1960-61 and graduated from high school in 1972, recognized

t

himself in the photo (3rd row on the left) on this whimsical holiday card from 2015, which was published on Facebook. “I was age five at the time and I thought I would never see this photograph THE MAGAZINE OF ANNIE WRIGHT SCHOOLS

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posted on the school’s Facebook page. I recognize myself and

Bess (Goodson) Hayhoe, Deanne (Turlis) O’Connell and Walt Wadlow

remember my school friends in the photo too. I would love to know if any of my classmates are still around, have seen this 1960 photo, and are on Facebook, and would love to get in touch with those close buddies back then. My sister, Lawrie (Gale) Sale, attended Anne Wright like me, while my father, Dr. D. A. Gale, worked at Tacoma General Hospital and my mother, Joyce Gale, was a housewife and mother.

Those early years of my life and my education in Washington were my most memorable. I currently have three British university degrees in drama and theatre studies, a BA in fine art and MA in fine art and I am presently living in the United Kingdom, with my partner and husband Paul Hennessey.”

Bess (Goodson) Hayhoe, Deanne (Turlis) O’Connell and Walt Wadlow Lower and Middle School alumni Bess, Deanne and Walt, who were in town for their Class of ‘77 high school reunion, visited Annie Wright for a tour last summer.

Hélène LaCaille ’77

Leslie Frerking ’82

Hélène LaCaille ’77 Excerpts from a letter for her 40th May Day celebration in June: I can't believe it’s 40 years. I'm shocked. I am richer for having been a part of Annie Wright. I'm passionate about the environment, critters and am an artist at the core. I'm actually tearing up writing this as I remember the hope and wonder for my future, of that last night at Annie Wright in my dorm room, last room end of the hall, SW corner. I had no children, and no, no regrets. I'm as fiercely independent as I've always been. I identify with the solitary life of Georgia O’Keefe, the love of nature of John Muir, and the simple beauty with which Ansel Adams viewed life. I will be youthful, I will reinvent myself, and I will live out

Cristina (Findlay) Walters '82

loud, boldly until my last breath well into my 90’s, like [former Annie Wright history teacher] Ms. Brown. I will find joy in the simple things, and I will be grateful and always try to live in the present moment.

My memory is sharp. The Quebec (where I'm from) motto is “Je me Souviens,” and indeed I do, like it was yesterday. I am here, always, for my Annie Wright extended family. Love to all; I am with you in spirit.

1980s Cristina (Findlay) Walters ’82 Just wanted to send this pic along of a chance meeting on a flight from Beijing to Seattle. Cindy Liang was traveling in her Annie shirt, and it caught my attention! Not too many Annies in the world! We were able to chat, and Cindy and Vivian were able to catch me up on the latest news of Annie Wright. I wish I could have done more for these great young ladies, but the flight was full! P.S. I fly for Delta Airlines & go to China a few times a month.

Leslie (Smalling) Frerking ’82 Leslie married David Frerking in June 2017, and they currently live in Las Vegas, NV. Jennifer Haley ’89 Jennifer, Annie Wright’s Director of Institutional Advancement, repelled off the Hotel Murano to raise money for the Habitat for Humanity in September. In October she was featured on the front cover of the October issue of NonProfit Pro magazine and in an article about Annie Wright Schools’ successful From Strength to Strength capital campaign.

Read more about the campaign on page 34.

Jennifer Haley '89

Angela (Wemyss) Sarmiento '89

Angela (Wemyss) Sarmiento ’89 Angela, who was voted most artistic in her Annie Wright senior yearbook poll, is CEO & founder of Urban Chalet, a women owned and operated interior design firm based in Northern California with commercial and residential projects around the country.

After finishing her undergrad at University of Washington and working for an investment banking firm in Menlo Park, she turned to her passion, interior design, and started Marrakech Designs.

Major back surgery resulted in doctor-ordered bed rest for a year, however, so she and her husband sold their house in San

Lynn Liu '91

Francisco so she could recover while traveling around the U.S. in an Airstream. During this time an unexpected opportunity enabled her to start Urban Chalet, and she went from working out of her home to a 16-person predominantly woman-staffed office in Mill Valley, California. The firm has recently specialized in designing health and wellness spaces, including 60 doctor’s offices for the primary care health company One Medical, and the Apothecarium, a medical cannabis dispensary that was named #1 Best Designed Dispensary in the country by Architectural Digest.

1990s Lynn Liu ’91

Regan (Armstrong) Lamb '92

While visiting family in Seattle, Lynn and her family stopped by Annie Wright last summer to tour campus and visit with Assistant Head of Schools Susan Bauska. Lynn, accompanied by her two daughters (Lauren, 13, and Ariel, 11) and her mother, reminisced about her years at Annie Wright.

Regan (Armstrong) Lamb ’92 Regan shared a beautiful class photo from her 25th reunion during May Day weekend last June. Front Row: Karen (Smith) DeBolt, Nazinine Wahab, Sarah (Warn) Jellen, Rebecca (Uffelman)

Logan (Love) Forehand ’92 and Christine (Smith) Griffiths ’95

Strong, Nami (Yoshida) Ogawa, Claire (Gruenwoldt) Zaner. Middle Row: Jennifer Combs, Dawn (Burger) Brisset, Carol Hagen, Maria Estrada-Harris, Sheri (Loska) Deer, Regan (Armstrong) Lamb, Carole (Koza) Varghese, Kathryn (Hendrickson) Jurus. Back Row: Logan (Love) Forehand, Hannah Burdge, Sonia (Morales) Rodriguez True, Merritt (Klarsch) Pulliam.

Logan (Love) Forehand ’92 and Christine (Smith) Griffiths ’95 Annie Wright Upper School Admissions Director Alyssa Harvey ‘06 (left) met up with fellow alumnae Logan (Love) Forehand ’92 and Christine (Smith) Griffiths ’95 in Portland in October.

Dominique (Godderis) Chouzenoux ’97 I've been living in Europe since 2004 (Germany, Belgium and now in France). I can only say that I treasure deeply my time at Annie

Dominique (Godderis) Chouzenoux ’97

Wright. I often think about how lucky I was to have attended AWS, how much I owe to the incredible staff and all those years of attention, generosity and critical thinking! I work as a performing artist and translator for visual and performing arts.

I'm married to a wonderful Frenchman and have a 5-year-old daughter.

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Mini me!

Annie Wright Lower School teacher Jan Buennagel taught Joshua Turnipseed ’94MS, Jake Guadnola ’90MS and Kate Dorr ’96. Now their children, Class of ‘2027 students Rachael Turnipseed, Gus Guadnola and Lee Dorr-Churng, all have Mr. B. as their Grade 3 teacher.

Adrienne (Ottum) Peterson ’04

Gillian Wood ’98 Gillian, who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and women’s studies from Middlebury College and a Master’s Degree in international public health from New York University, has written policy advocating for rights for sexually exploited youth and has worked for Child Protective Services in Seattle and Denver. Gillian was also featured in this magazine three years ago for her advocacy for victims of the autoimmune disease Myasthenia Gravis, with which she was diagnosed in 2013. She wrote to Annie Wright about both the intense challenges and the feeling of “coming home” in starting the non-profit Resilience Rising this year: “After five long years and so much support from

Talmage Edman ’01MS

our village, Resilience Rising is officially licensed as a residential child care facility in Colorado and will be welcoming our first youth next week. Resilience Rising is a program for American youth who have been sexually exploited through trafficking, prostitution, survival sex, pornography, and child marriage. We have beds for 10 children, including a mutual care program for teenage mothers. Using an evidence-based model of therapeutic care and recovery, we provide opportunities for safety, healing, and empowerment to young survivors.”

2000s Adrienne (Ottum) Peterson ’04 Adrienne, who teaches Preschool at Annie Wright, married Daniel Peterson last July.

Talmage Edman ’01MS Tal is engaged to Allyson Stoker, and their wedding is set for May 19, 2018. Tal is vice president at The Edman Company and Allyson is a nurse practitioner at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.

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Leigh (Stringfellow) Aiyer ’05 Leigh and her husband Anant are proud

Leigh (Stringfellow) Aiyer ’05

parents of Savi, born June 24, 2017.

Henry Nettleton ’02MS Henry and two classmates from the University of Michigan launched the Really-Really Theatre Group in Seattle earlier this year. Henry directed the company’s first play, Much Better, which played August-September at 12th Avenue Arts in Seattle.

2010s Colleen Dimmer ’11 Colleen is recently engaged to Baldur Asch Tangvald.

Laura Grace Brown ’12 After college graduation I landed in a temporary marketing position in the business school at William & Mary, my recent alma mater, and then found myself in a permanent role in alumni engagement for the business school.

I'm adoring it, especially because I am in a role which gets both breadth and depth and offers many learning experiences each day.

Cassie (Nagel) Chapa ’12

Cassie (Nagel) Chapa ’12 I am currently living in Merrill, Wisconsin, with my wonderful husband, Matt. We got married last December, and we are doing well! I am also currently attending nursing school at Rasmussen College. I am enrolled in their Accelerated Nursing Program and I will graduate with a BSN in December 2018. It is so nice to be able to keep up with all of your lives on Facebook, and I hope that all of you are loving life and changing the world! Go Blue Ties!

Ashley Pham ’08MS and Amber Bates ’11MS An unexpected get-together at Fujiya in Tacoma! Ashley is second from right and Amber is second from left. They are pictured with Amber’s father and Annie Wright Business Development Director Rex Bates, Executive/Artistic Director of Tacoma City Ballet Erin Ceragioli, and Izumi Akiyama-Davis, all of whom performed in TCB's Nutcracker.

Ashley Pham ’08MS and Amber Bates ’11MS

Margaux Arntson ’14 The American Volleyball Coaches Association awarded Margaux, a senior at Claremont McKenna College, NCAA Division III All-America first team for women’s volleyball. Her Claremont-Mudd-Scripps volleyball team went on to win its first-ever Division III title, defeating top-seeded Wittenberg University 3-0 in November.

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Paris Cal ’14

Paris Cal '14

I was fortunate enough to take a small study abroad trip with Northeastern University to Greece. For a month, we traveled all around, learning about its history and experiencing its culture. I rode donkeys, ate many gyros, learned some of the Greek language, and much more. These photos were taken in Athens, Greece, atop the Acropolis. What I liked the most is that wherever you went you could look around and see an ancient structure or site right in the distance, something you cannot get in America. Greece is beautiful and I highly recommend the trip!

Gracie Orr ’15 Guten Tag meine Damen und Herren! After graduating Annie Wright as a Green Tie in 2015, I am continuing my studies in beautiful and sunny Malibu, California, at Pepperdine University. Although I miss my beloved plaid skirt, I am appreciative of frequent trips to the beach and wearing flip-flops instead of tall white knee-high socks. Last

Sara Pelster '15

year I participated in Pepperdine’s year-long study abroad program in Heidelberg, Germany. This historic and quaint town located along the Neckar River is famous for its castle dating back to the thirteenth century. As part of the program, I lived with 52 other Pepperdine sophomores in an old mansion 300 meters from the castle. The historic house, Moore Haus, was once used to shelter residents whose homes were destroyed during the bombings of World War II. Shortly thereafter, the CIA purchased the home to interrogate and monitor former Nazi activities. Today, the home is full of life with students studying, practicing German, and traveling to nearby countries each weekend. During my year abroad, I was fortunate to travel to 23 countries, immersing myself in the history, food, and sights of Europe. As I reflect back on my year abroad, I am reminded of the many wonders and rich cultural history of the world. This year I am continuing my studies with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Marketing. In addition to going to the beach almost daily, I serve as Pepperdine’s International Programs Heidelberg Ambassador, assisting students through the process of studying abroad in one of seven yearly programs offered through the university. As I look back on my 13 years as an Annie, I am thankful and appreciative of the memories, traditions, friendships and teachers.

Sara Pelster ’15 During my freshman year at the University of Southern California, my fellow classmates and I traveled to China, where we performed and presented market research to executives at a large manufacturing company. On that same trip, my class visited several companies, including Bloomberg and Lee Kum Kee, and had the opportunity to attend a gala where we met various artists, business executives and politicians, including the former Prime Minister of Australia. Last summer I had the opportunity to work in the Advancement Office at Annie Wright, learning the importance of alumni outreach. (Sara, center, is pictured here with fellow Annie Wright alumnae Alyssa Harvey ‘06, Upper School Admissions Director, and Jennifer Haley ‘89, the Director of Institutional Advancement.)

Samantha Weeks ’15 Samantha is one of three Hamilton College women’s tennis team members to be recognized by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for academic accomplishment.

Maya Arigala ’16 Maya, who attends Reed College in Portland, is a student-activist supporting the College for All bill introduced by Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. The legislation, aimed to decrease student loan debt and increase access to affordable higher education, would eliminate tuition and fees at four-year public colleges and universities for families making up to $125,000 and make community college free for all.

Jagmit Dhami ’16 Last summer I interned for Whatcom County Councilman Satpal S. Sidhu for a project named the Arch of Healing and Reconciliation. This is a new community project in Bellingham, WA, honoring the early immigrants from India, China and Japan by building a monument. This monument will commemorate the sacrifices of immigrants in the Pacific Northwest, especially in Whatcom County. Along with the monument we are creating a scholarship fund for first-generation students and creating a museum exhibition. We are hoping to raise $2 million by the end of December 2018.

Learn more at archofhealing.org.

Natalie Nygren ’16 The University of Portland was a dream come true in my first year! I discovered my passion for marketing, lived right down the hall from my best friends, and worked in the same office Terry Porter, ex-Trail Blazer in the NBA, at my on-campus job. I also had the exciting opportunity to come back and work at Camp Wright for a few weeks in June and July as both an intern and a camp counselor. It was a great experience helping the program in several different capacities for my 9th summer in a row!

In Memoriam

Robert Klarsch July 3, 1940–August 30, 2017 Bob Klarsch, who died at age 77 last summer, was the iconic

Beyond his impact at Annie Wright, Bob was a leader and

and beloved headmaster of Annie Wright Schools from 1983 to

mentor to the educational community, serving as President of

2001. He touched many lives with his wisdom, warmth, humor,

the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (now

passion for education, and love for Annie Wright.

Northwest Association of Independent Schools) and as board member of the National Association of Independent Schools.

Born and raised in Danville, PA, Bob received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University in Providence, RI, and master’s

Bob’s late wife, Barbara, was a beloved Grade 5 teacher in Annie

degree from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. He began

Wright Lower School 1988-99. His daughter Merritt (Klarsch)

his career in education as a teacher and coach in Massachusetts

Pulliam ‘92, now based in Houston, was at Annie Wright for

at The Winchendon School and Cushing Academy before

Grades 4-12, matriculated to Princeton University and pursued

returning to Pennsylvania and becoming Dean of Students at

a career in multimedia communications. Bob also leaves behind

Wyoming Seminary in Kingston in 1972. In 1974 Bob built a

Merritt’s husband Travis and their daughter Georgia, as well

summer house in Eagles Mere, PA, where he, his wife Barbara,

as his wife Ellen (Toole) Klarsch, whom he married in 2004.

and daughter Merritt became ingrained in the community.

Bob and Ellen returned to Pennsylvania and moved into the summer house in Eagles Mere before relocating to a retirement

The family moved to Tacoma in 1983 when Bob became

community in nearby Lewisburg.

Headmaster at Annie Wright. During his 18-year tenure, he oversaw dramatic growth of enrollment, the endowment,

A memorial service and reception, led by the Reverend Canon

faculty salaries and diversity, and greatly improved academic and

Rebecca Kirkpatrick ‘97 and attended by family and friends

co-curricular programming, morale and Annie Wright's positive

from across the country as well as many local Annie Wright

reputation in the community.

community members, was held in the Raynor Chapel on Saturday, October 7. Speakers included former Executive Director

Bob also oversaw dramatic changes to the physical plant, most

of the Northwest Association of Independent Schools Meade

notably the addition of the Enid Jackson Kemper Center in 1986.

Thayer, Annie Wright faculty members Susan Bauska and

Klarsch Hall, constructed in 2003 to house the dining room and

Malcolm Davidson, family friend Richard Bennion, and Merritt.

additional classrooms, honors Bob’s important legacy.

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Farewell Mr. Klarsch

by Malcolm Davidson As he himself would have likely put it, Mr. Klarsch “earned his wings.” Long before I knew Bob as Headmaster Klarsch, he was Big Bad Bobby. He and my dad were roommates at Brown University. Theirs was a friendship that continued long after graduation, and one that drew me in.

My family visited the Klarsch family while he was the Dean of Students at Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania. Bob, having the master keys to the pool, let us swim there one evening. To the kids, the regular diving board seemed sky high, but Bob climbed the towering three-meter board, and with a horrific yell, struck a perfect Olympic caliber cannonball, displacing massive amounts of pool water. If the cannonball were a sanctioned dive, Bob would have medaled. From an early age, he was larger than life.

I had never set foot in the Pacific Northwest until the day I landed at Sea-Tac to start my freshman year at University of Puget Sound. The three people in Tacoma I knew resided at 820 North Tacoma Avenue: Merritt, Barbara and Bob. Throughout my undergraduate days, their door was always Bob, Merritt and Barbara Klarsch on Merritt’s Annie Wright graduation day in 1992

open to me; dorm food was nothing compared to Barb’s cooking, and Barb happily let me use their washing machine.

Bob and I enjoyed watching football, and through him I learned to yell at poor coaching decisions, that there were always more cashews, cold beer and snacks in the kitchen, that Seahawks’ Coach Chuck Knox’s nickname was “Ground Knox” for good reason, and that the “N” on the Nebraska football helmets actually stood for “knowledge.”

I didn’t recognize it at the time, but spending time with the Klarsch family taught me about the “school business” as Bob put it. One theme resonated: do what is best for kids.

He had a soft spot for kids, knowing that the path to being a responsible adult was tough. One student he coached and taught years before Annie Wright was nicknamed “JV Johnson” because, while a talented athlete, he forgot plays so often that the exasperated head coach lamented, “You keep lousing up and you’ll be on JV forever.” The nickname stuck. According to Bob, JV often tried stupid things off the field, and when the faculty would be ready to drum him from school, JV’s mom would plead for another chance. Seeing

one of Bob’s infamous madras jackets

Mr. Klarsch in 1983

potential, Bob regularly went to bat for JV, and, in the end, JV didn’t let Bob down. Watching the Super Bowl one January,

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Bob beamed at the halftime commercial for the

after he moved away from Annie Wright, Barb

global online employment site Monster.com. That

Klarsch passed away. After Bobby remarried and

was JV’s company–he made it. Today you could fill

moved back to Eagles Mere, PA, I spoke with him

auditoriums with Bob’s other former students like

by phone and saw him on his infrequent visits

JV Johnson. That is Bob’s enduring legacy.

to Tacoma. As his health declined, Merritt kept me in the loop. Last fall, as the new field was

In 1997 my relationship with Big Bad Bobby

being built, I made a video to share with him.

changed; he became Mr. Klarsch, my boss, when

In it families and faculty who worked with and

I started my tenure at AWS teaching Grade 5.

knew Bob sent their best wishes. I was on the

In the summer of 1997, Barbara was diagnosed

playground for recess duty on the first day of

with ALS, incidentally by a former student of

school, when Rex Bates pulled me aside to deliver

Bob’s, a neurologist at UPitt Medical Center. Jan

news of Bob’s passing. While not unexpected, it

Buennagel (“Mr. B.”) became my new teaching

hurt. Ever since, I have been thinking of all Bob

partner, but I had huge shoes to fill, stepping in

shared with me and the Annie Wright community.

and replacing Barb. All the Klarsch family was

We will miss you, Bob.

immensely supportive, especially at Halloween.

Barb gave me permission to raid Bob’s wardrobe for my Halloween costume. I borrowed one of Bob’s ties (which I still have) and one of his more hideous madras jackets. I drew the line at wearing his glasses, as a thicker and more powerful prescription likely does not exist. I was easily recognized by students, complimented by faculty, and Bob called me “Mr. Headmaster” when he saw me.

Bob was a showman. 10th Street parking has been a perpetual headache for every Annie Wright head; neighbors since before Ruth Jenkins’s tenure have complained about parking along the narrow street. One fall, during the opening faculty meetings, Bob thought he’d put an end to faculty scofflaws parking there. In his gruffest, scariest Bob voice, he growled “don’t park on 10th Street.” It was the only faculty meeting I can recall where everyone sat silently and ramrod straight. Knowing Bob as I did, his

Malcolm Davidson (center), a Grade 5 teacher in Annie Wright Lower School since 1997 and winner of the Bev Brown Excellence in Teaching Award in 2016, enjoys a lobster dinner with his siblings and family friends Bob and Barbara Klarsch during the 1980s.

tough guy performance was fun to watch. Those who didn’t know Bob as I did were quaking. Later he cackled with laughter and asked me how his act was received. I let him know his 10th Street ogre performance was a stretch, but he nailed it.

I didn’t yet know how well he could play sadder roles, too. I will never forget the hastily called faculty meeting where Bob stood beside then Board Chair Martha McCravey and announced he was stepping down as Headmaster. Not long

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In Memoriam Lowell Thomas Murray, Jr. January 2, 1926–July 5, 2017 Lowell Thomas “Tom” Murray, Jr, who died on July 5, 2017, was a successful business executive and entrepreneur who was passionate about family, timber, trains, fireworks and fishing. He was also a member of an exceptionally philanthropic family. Tom’s parents, Lowell Thomas “L.T.” Murray and Helen Bailey Murray, bought a significant portion of Annie Wright’s debt in 1942, when the school was in danger of closing its doors. Their leadership inspired the community and helped save the school. Both individually and through their family foundation, the Murray family has bolstered Annie Wright through their philanthropy and service for nearly a century.

Tom earned a bachelor of science in engineering from Yale University and a master’s degree in forestry from the University of Washington. He launched Silver Creek Logging Co. in 1951, the same year he married his wife, Cathy. They had three children: L.T. “Toby” Murray III, Elizabeth “Liz” Murray and James “Jamie” Murray, and were married for 60 years until Cathy’s death in 2011.

Tom took over his father’s company, West Fork Timber, in 1969 and diversified it, adding steel, exports and more, renaming it Murray Pacific. Later, combining his passions for trains and timber, Tom founded Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and Logging Museum, a railroad with a working steam train that takes visitors to a museum housing the world’s largest collection of steam logging locomotives.

Several of Tom’s family members attended Annie Wright, including his sisters Amy Lou (Murray) Eckstrom '36 and Ann (Murray) Barbey ‘38, Ann’s daughters Anita Murray Barbey ‘66 and Helena (Barbey) Lankton ‘68, Tom’s daughter Elizabeth (Murray) Mirante '72, son Jamie for K4, and granddaughter Julia ‘12. Jamie is currently an Annie Wright Schools trustee. In 2013 the Murray and Barbey families were awarded the Bishop Paddock Award for their service to the community and Annie Wright Schools.

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Tom Murray, third from right, with, from left, son Jamie Murray, daughter-in-law Sandra Murray, niece Helena (Barbey) Lankton ‘68, sister Ann Barbey ‘38, niece Anita Murray Barbey ‘66 and granddaughter Julia Murray ‘12, in the Great Hall in 2013, when the Murray/Barbey family received the Bishop Paddock Award. Helena holds a frame with some of the original bonds that Tom’s father, L.T. Murray, and others bought to save Annie Wright in 1942. Learn more about this extraordinary philanthropic effort on page 8.

Elizabeth (Doud) Hyde '38 January 23, 1921–July 25, 2017 Elizabeth “Betty” Doud Hyde died on July 25, 2017, in Gig Harbor, WA. She was 96. Betty was a devoted wife to her husband of 72 years, William Beaton Hyde, who died in 2014, a wonderful mother to her daughter, Pamela (Hyde) Smith ’63, and a loving grandmother of Catherine Ebert and Marian Smith.

Betty attended Annie Wright Seminary and the University of Washington. She and Bill, childhood friends, married in 1942 and lived in Olympia until 1957 before moving back to Lakewood and then Gig Harbor. Betty cared deeply about Tacoma and supported many local causes, especially those benefitting disadvantaged people and animals, education and the arts. The Hyde family were exceptional philanthropists

to Annie Wright Schools, and that tradition is continued by Pamela, who is an active trustee, donor and alumna.

Elegant, warm, perceptive, generous, fair, fun and true, Betty was an enormous influence on her family and a cherished treasure to them and her friends. Her sense of beauty and taste moved her to create memorable, gorgeous homes and gardens.

She was happiest cultivating the beautiful environments her talents made possible.

Betty’s sense of adventure sparked an interest in travel –golfing vacations with her husband, explorations of Europe when visiting Pamela on her Foreign Service postings, and family trips of many kinds in the U.S. A life-long athlete, she excelled at tennis, golf and, during teenage years in Los Angeles, surfing.

She also liked quiet evenings by the fire with her beloved dogs, a good book or needlepoint, and great musical voices in the background.

Dim Set July 3, 1975–July 15, 2017 Dim Set, mother of Annie Wright students Amelyna “Inya” Set-Heit (Class of 2019) and Amira “Mia” Set-Heit (Class of 2024), died on July 15, 2017. She is remembered for her strength, mentorship, unconditional love, calm demeanor and warm smile, with “the heart of a true warrior.” An avid athlete, she completed the Seattle to Portland bicycle race twice as well as several other races and triathlons. She is survived by her daughters as well as her husband, Lo Heit; son, Aron; parents, Set Chranh and In Poeurn, and loving sisters and their families.

Mary Ann (Ellison) Ball '41

Kaye (Klopfenstein) McKerchar '47

Harriet (Felten) Bissell '54

Derry Ann Moritz '53

Edith (Brown) Chambers '66

Lowell Thomas Murray, Jr.

Melvinnie Christian

Beverly (Howe) Nielson '41

Charlotte (Anderson) Ellis '58

Audrey (Gay) Raymond '36

Louise (Wilbur) Fletcher '41

Dim Set

Elizabeth (Doud) Hyde '38

Olive (Lee) Waters '51

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Corsets to Campbell plaid: 133 years of Annie Wright style 1880s

1920s

The earliest senior photos from the 1880s show high necklines trimmed with white frills and fitted bodices with pleats.

The graduating Class of 1925 wore straight chemise dresses, pearls and garden hats over their bobbed hair for May Day.

1890s Students played tennis in masculine styled boater hats and leg o’mutton sleeves, both on trend in the late 1890s.

1930s Sailor dresses for Lower Schoolers in 1939 are not so different from today’s.

1900s Large bows tied at the neck, long skirts that flared at the bottom and loose pompadour buns brought students into the Edwardian age.

1910s Middy sailor blouses and voluminous bloomers were typical for physical education during the 1910s.

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1940s Peter Pan collars, crested blazers, bobby socks and saddle shoes arrived in the 1940s.

1950s Plaid jumpers and narrow ribbon ties became standard uniform in the late 1950s.

1960s

2000s

During the 1960s, as in previous decades, boys dressed like mini men.

Girls model their choice of campbell plaid skirts or navy pants.

1970s Cue the plaid bellbottoms and maxi dresses. Students dance in the Great Hall during the 1970s.

1980s Heavy bangs, oversized sweater vests, and the first personal computers defined the 1980s.

2010s Looking sharp in 2017.

1990s Basketball jerseys were large and layered in the 1990s.

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827 North Tacoma Avenue Tacoma, Washington, 98403

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO The Annie Wright student body poses in front of the original seminary near Wright Park in 1917.