The best part of Episcopal has always been the people. In their own words, devoted faculty and staff members who have been here for over 20 years share their “why they stay” stories.

Ellen Albers

When I first arrived at Episcopal in the fall of 2005, I couldn’t have imagined the ways this place would become woven into the fabric of my life. I’ve grown up here alongside my students — celebrating life’s milestones from marriage to raising three children, and now to being a parent of a 10th and 12th grader at EHS. Over the past twenty years, I’ve shared countless moments of joy, challenge, laughter, and learning — each one reminding me how deeply this community shapes all of us.

There is a rare and enduring sense of connection at Episcopal — between students and teachers, colleagues and families — that makes this community feel more like an extended family than simply a school. The college landscape continues to evolve, but what has remained constant is the privilege of walking beside students as they discern their next steps and begin to imagine their futures. The joy of seeing who they become — and staying connected long after they leave — has been one of the greatest rewards of my career. Episcopal’s deep sense of purpose and unwavering commitment to community make it an extraordinary place to work and live, and I am grateful to be a part of it.

There is a rare and enduring sense of connection at Episcopal.

Nothing warms my heart more than being called “Coach.”

Steve Castle

I don’t think it will surprise anyone, especially not my former wrestlers, but nothing warms my heart more than being called “Coach.” When I started here in 1988, I quickly found a home in the Bocock Wrestling Cage, and to this day, when a former wrestler returns and simply says, “Hey, Coach,” I know that I chose the right place to spend my career.

I’ve been so lucky that every seven or eight years, Episcopal has allowed me to pursue something new. I got to coach varsity football; I took on the role of head wrestling coach five years after I started; I became the head of the Hummel Dorm; I took on the role of sustainability coordinator; and I’ve enjoyed so many other roles that have filled my metaphorical cup.

The community is special. For those who live on campus, Episcopal is not just a neighborhood. It’s a group of people who share similar values. Boarding school life is not for the faint of heart, and to be surrounded by so many dedicated adults every day is a blessing.

At the end of the day, if I were to highlight a moment, it would likely be sometime during the 1996-97 school year. The Class of 1997 is special to both Susan and me — perhaps because they were ninth graders when we were newly married or because we went through a number of challenging moments with them or because it was a large class of wrestlers. Whatever the reason, we connected with them and have kept lifelong friendships with a number of them. Those connections are rewarding, and a large part of what has kept us here.

Susan Castle

It’s cliché, but for me, it’s not about my job at Episcopal. It is about the community. It’s what I wanted for my daughters. What I saw early on that the faculty children had. Their relationships with the adults in the community, the other children, and even the students. In our first few years here, we were lucky to live on Hummel Dorm in the apartment above Marty and Jim Fraser. While Jim was teaching and coaching, Marty became “Nana” to countless faculty children, including ours. At 24 and 26 years old, Sarah Gray and Kate still refer to Marty as Nana. As a baby, Sarah Gray would sometimes cry when I came home from work at the end of the day and took her from Nana’s arms. That stung a little at first, but made me realize what a gift it was to have someone like Marty in Sarah Gray’s world. She was our first call when I went into labor with Kate, and she came right upstairs to be with Sarah Gray until Steve’s mom got here. I ended up taking time off to be home with the girls for a couple of years, but we still leaned heavily on Nana and “Big Jim” for support until Jim retired and they moved to Pennsylvania, and the girls cherished their time with both of them.

Also living on Hummel was one of our best babysitters, Brandon Gay ’04. He was over one night and Kate (who was maybe one year old) woke up crying, so he called me. I told him she may want some milk and would then go right back to sleep. I didn’t hear from him again, so I assumed that Kate would be sound asleep when I got home. When I came in around 11:30 p.m., there was a group of boys — and Kate, happily sitting on the sofa with them, drinking her milk and watching football. I could have been mad, but all I could think was how lucky Kate was to have these “big brothers” hanging out with her.

Two years ago, we were in Philadelphia for our nephew’s wedding, and we went to visit Marty Fraser. The girls hadn’t seen Nana in many years, but when they walked in it was like greeting family. Nine months later, Kate celebrated her fifth reunion and got to see her old babysitter Brandon who was back celebrating his 20th. And now here we are, with our girls’ favorite childhood toys stored in our basement, ready for the campus children to play with when they come over. It’s the people who have kept me here.

David Douglas

As a lifelong Alexandrian, I had always admired Episcopal from afar. One fateful day, I ran into John Lisanick, an old family friend who taught art here, at a Blockbuster (that’s a very vintage sentence). He asked me what I thought about replacing him here as he prepared to retire, and I ended up starting just a few months later.

Life on campus inspires me so much.

I wasn’t new to teaching; I had taught adults for a decade. But after a week of new faculty orientation at Episcopal, it felt like I was drinking water through a fire hose. The first day I had to be in front of students, I felt like I was going to throw up. John laughed and said, “David, you don’t look so good. Just be yourself. You’ll be fine.” I always go back to that when I feel frustrated or overwhelmed.

When we first moved in with our 6-year-old and 4-year-old, I wondered briefly how Max, who has Down syndrome, would be welcomed into the community. Fast forward a few weeks later, I’m sitting in Laird Dining Hall and see Max doing “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” by himself outside the window. I crane my neck a little bit to see who he is laughing with, and I see 20 students cheering him on and doing it alongside him. It was that moment that I thought, “Yes, this is the place for us.”

I’ve been so lucky throughout my time here to continue my work as a full-time artist. Life on campus inspires me so much, and I don’t think the views, the trees, or the cast of characters will ever get old. This place is incredibly busy for all of us and at times, we tend to complain or find what’s wrong with it. The reality is that we’re all very blessed to be here.

Stacie Galiger

I clearly remember the night before I started my first school year in the fall of 2004. I was an assistant dean, a math teacher, and the Harrison dorm head, so needless to say, there was a lot happening that night. I remember panicking and thinking: “What would happen if I just packed up my Honda Accord right now and drove away?” I ultimately didn’t (surprise!), and I started to get the rhythm of life here with the help of so many colleagues and friends. John Walker, who was so patient, kind, and wise, Tim Jaeger, and Jackie Maher mentored me throughout my early years here. On the worst or hardest days, they always made me feel everything would be okay.

I’ve been through so many phases of my life on this campus (fiancée, wife, mom, widow, and now Episcopal parent), and they all have somehow worked. You would think other places would be a good place to land for a few years or only feasible for a certain life stage, but Episcopal has remained my constant throughout. I’ve been supported at every single step, and I’ve had the chance to support others. Over the years, there have been countless students who have played a huge part in our daily lives. Edith Amason ’17 would come do her homework in my apartment on Harrison so I could go to the grocery store. Hunter deButts ’12 would volunteer to babysit while I went to seated dinners. And my girls loved it. They wouldn’t even think “Oh, Mom’s got to go to work now;” they were just excited to spend time with their friends Edith and Hunter. And now, in the true circle of life fashion, my girls have babysat Hunter’s two children. Looking back now, with one daughter in college, one daughter at EHS, and one daughter in middle school, I can say I’m so glad I didn’t pack up that Honda Accord 21 years ago.

On the worst or hardest days, they always made me feel everything would be okay.

Joey Halm

What brought Joe and me to EHS in the fall of 1996 was the feeling that the teachers and coaches here were all in. These adults clearly loved being with kids on dorm, in the classroom, on the playing fields, in the dining hall, in Chapel, and even in their homes. It was so satisfying to see a group of adults who, across the board, wanted to be part of students’ lives in the most holistic way. We had found our people.

First teaching English, then starting the instrumental music program and directing the orchestra, and finally moving into a counseling role, I have been the recipient of a school unyieldingly committed to my own growth and development.

Even more, this institution has helped bring up my own children in the most meaningful of ways. My kids have had the good fortune of having surrogate aunts, uncles, and cousins from Sesame Street and beyond. From long afternoons of shark and fish at the pool, early morning sprints to the bus stop, and games of capture the flag on warm summer nights, to trick-or-treating all over the campus without the need of their parents, sledding for hours behind Penick and the Crosland Alumni Cottage, and putting on backyard plays with a whole gaggle of faculty kids, our children had the most special of childhoods. When they eventually joined the student body, they discovered and cherished EHS in new ways. My children cannot yet fathom calling any other place home.

We had found our people.

I never imagined in those early days on campus that our family would face the hardships that followed many years later. But when those tragedies did strike, I knew with certainty that this community would keep us afloat. And it has.

It has always been the students.

Rocio Mendizabal

Episcopal is not only the place where I work. It is where I live, where I have raised a family, and where I have memories well beyond the classroom. As I focus on my career and what has made Episcopal High School my chosen workplace, I can speak only of the one constant: the students. It has always been the students.

I remember so many faces and names, so many brighteyed, open-minded, genuinely intelligent young men and women. Some were funny; some I watched mature academically right before my eyes; some loved to learn; some learned to love to learn; some tested my patience; some became friends through the years. I rooted for all of them, every year. And that makes 32 years pass rather quickly.

Eleanor Moore

There are many aspects of life at EHS that encouraged or prompted me to stay, ranging from the people to the opportunities, challenges, projects, and missions. The list goes on. When I boil it down to its essence though, it really is all about the people and the relationships. If it hadn’t been for the people early on who “brought” me here from my school in South Carolina and encouraged me to inquire about working and living here, I wouldn’t have found this home and community for my family and me.

Number one on that list were Joey and Joe Halm — I am so grateful that they put me in touch with Rick Dixon, John Walker, Jackie Maher, and Rob Hershey to go through the interview process. Then, my colleagues and mentors, some of whom have become my close friends, who sustain and support me along the way and over time, some even after they have gone, have been invaluable.

The School has generously offered resources to help me grow professionally and to provide me with ways to remain inspired, curious, and engaged as a lifelong learner. That is a real treasure to be offered throughout one’s career. And, of course, and most importantly, it’s the students — every. single. year. There are students who keep me here, who keep me coming back to teach, to learn, to play, because they are really why I am here and why I do this. Over these years there have been a large number of individual students and groups of students, whom I’ve gotten to know in the various ways we walk through life on The Holy Hill. Their energy, perspectives, ideas, life experiences, questions, and causes are the reasons I love being here. They are why I stay.

Whit Morgan

I’m a product of a boarding school myself, so I suppose my choice to come to EHS back in the fall of 1987 was driven, in part, by my deep conviction that what happens at places of this sort can matter. My experience at McCallie School had mattered for me, pushing me intellectually but also providing a group of friends I still count as some of the most important people in my life. I believed in the boarding school model because I was living proof of its value.

After a year teaching in a North Carolina public high school, I jumped at the opportunity to teach smaller classes of more motivated students. I also loved sports, and Episcopal allowed (actually expected) me to be involved athletically. Since my arrival, I’ve coached basketball, football, baseball, golf, and squash as a head coach and as an assistant on both junior varsity and varsity teams. Like so many coaches, I’ve enjoyed the chance to forge relationships outside the classroom. Also, it’s nice to have hung a few banners in Centennial Gym.

Primarily, though, I’m still here because I love teaching. I discovered early on that there was power in sharing a passion for literature with teenagers, and the classroom moments I’ve had over the decades that stick with me are almost uniformly connected to watching a student have an intellectual epiphany — a realization that literature, especially Shakespeare, can be cool! Not just cool, really. Lifechanging! Sharing my enthusiasm for Shakespeare’s plays is, hands down, my favorite professional duty, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that over the years. At least the students who reach out to me from the past tell me I’ve done so, and my “love language” is words of affirmation. I know of no other job I might have chosen that would have allowed me such a steady stream of affirmation, both in terms of thank yous from past students and in watching my former scholars leave this place and accomplish so many wonderful things beyond our gates.

My long-time mentor Perry Epes ’65 also played a part. He modeled patient devotion and care in all his interactions with his students and advisees. Watching him in action, I knew that what he did was worthwhile, was truly appreciated, and I wanted to do the same. While the financial rewards might not have measured up to those of other professions, the feeling of making a real difference in a student’s life was immeasurable. Truly, all my colleagues, especially in the English department, have been phenomenal. Who else gets to go to work every day surrounded by such capable, interesting people? Not many.

Finally, this place has been home for a long time. To live here, on this beautiful campus, surrounded by so many bright, engaging colleagues, to let my children run amok with other faculty kids wherever they wanted (pretty much), to have as my commute a five-minute walk up the hill to my classroom — well, what’s not to like? I love the people here, faculty and students alike, and I’ve known for decades that I’d never leave. It’s a blessing to have been able to do what I love for so long in such a special place.

TIM ROGERS  ’79

Every first day of school in September, I tell each of my classes that I’m nervous to see them. I haven’t slept; I’m sweating; I’m not sure that what I have planned will work. I know that I have no real reason to be so other than I’m stepping into four new little communities for the first time (and six if you include the sports teams I’ve coached over the years).

So that is the reason I stay: the idea of getting to know and work each year with different groups — their idiosyncrasies, their senses of humor, their complaints, their tempers — and most of all, their stories. I think of all the thousands (that’s accurate!) of stories I’ve heard now over the years, and I consider myself lucky to have had a career like this. The very best times come when I’m working one-on-one with kids, when we get real and honest. That’s when I feel that this has been the right choice for me.

My wife Rocío and I love to watch a British show called “Taskmaster” where seasons are built around 10 or so episodes with the same five contestants (usually comedians or actors), who are asked to do silly things. They laugh (a lot) and give each other a hard time, showing vulnerability and the occasional mean side — but it’s the camaraderie the small group builds and the closeness we the audience develop with this ‘family’ over the course of 10 shows — I know, it’s just television! — that reminds me of why I like going into the classroom, too. I like the time I spend with this group of actors over the short term, and I love the time I spend with a given class over the course of a school year.

MIRANDA THOMPSON ’00

Episcopal is more than a school; it’s a lifelong community. I accepted my first position in the Alumni Office shortly after celebrating my five-year EHS reunion. The energy of that weekend — being back on campus — reminded me how special this place is and inspired me to start my career here. I never imagined I would stay for 20 years, but as I reflect on my time, I realize I’ve remained because of both the work and the people. The Advancement Office — and my role within it — has continually evolved to better serve the School and its community. Over the years, our work has become more strategic and collaborative, deepening our ability to connect alumni, students, parents, and friends in meaningful ways that strengthen Episcopal’s mission and spirit. That sense of purpose, combined with the warmth and dedication of this community, is what makes this work so fulfilling. I especially love driving up Front Drive each day, seeing students and faculty engaged living and learning together — it’s a daily reminder of the focus, energy, and commitment that make Episcopal so special.

Working with alumni from every decade has been a constant source of inspiration, and the EHS bond is strong no matter where you come from. From being silly with the Evans girls on dorm duty in the mid 2000s to helping bring Mega Reunion to life in 2022, the moments that define my career all center around bringing people together and celebrating the heart of the Episcopal experience.

And really — who knew just how much maroon and black I’d end up with in my wardrobe?

Episcopal is more than a school; it’s a lifelong community.

Patrick Thompson

When I look back on my EHS career, it is hard to imagine it having been over two decades of being a part of this community. Sometimes it feels like yesterday when I was working with that first set of advisees. So the time, it flies; I suppose I must be having fun. The parts I love haven’t changed much — hosting Math Parties, laughing and cheering with a climber as they fall off that route awkwardly but get right back up and send it, or having the advisees over for dinner and laughter. Each year brings the same, but each kid I get to work with is different. It’s that dichotomy — the old and new, tradition mixed with progress. Lately, getting to experience all of that joy and learning with my children Bruce ’25 and Renny ’27 at school has been amazing. Next up, I guess I will just continue walking this same old road with each new years’ set of companions. It’s a pretty fun gig, and wow, do I feel lucky to get to keep doing it.

It’s that dichotomy — the old and new, tradition mixed with progress.

It has been an honor to preserve and tell the story of Episcopal.

Laura Vetter

I was an archivist at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and was expecting my first child, Killian. The museum had provided artifacts for a documentary about the kindertransports “Into the Arms of Strangers” and my department was invited to a pre-release screening at the museum. Prior to this screening, I had always considered myself to be an even-keeled person and given my undergraduate research into the reproductive policies of Weimar and Nazi Germany, the collection felt like a natural fit. However, that documentary absolutely broke me and I decided I should open myself up to other opportunities.

Looking at Episcopal’s website, I was curious to see if they had an archives program. Not only was that the case, but the position was open. Since I had not been looking for a job until that moment, my resume was out of date. I updated it that night, put it in the mail the next day, and came in for an interview the following week. Having attended a boarding school myself, I was smitten to be on campus and felt at home.

When I received an offer, I immediately accepted. It has been an honor to preserve and tell the story of Episcopal High School. While I was already hooked, being invited by members of the history faculty to support their efforts to incorporate the EHS archives into their students’ research has been particularly gratifying. Through this element of my job, I am introducing our students to archival research and the archives profession, while sharing Episcopal’s rich history.

Liz Vorlicek

Professional development at EHS allows me to do work over the summer and throughout the year to learn new skills, collaborate with my colleagues and attend conferences. Maintaining my own studio practice as an artist gives me the perspective and hands-on experience to make learning more engaging for my students, as I can recreate the wheel each year and design innovative projects for use in the classroom. My artist’s life also helps me in my work to bring the spirit of renewal to my curatorial projects in the Angie Newman Johnson Gallery and in the teaching spaces. Research is also a big part of my job in all spheres of my work at EHS, and that challenges me to learn and look at things in new and exciting ways.

My dad, a lifelong educator, always said that my work with the students at EHS keeps me young, as I search out fresh, creative approaches to teaching the fundamentals in art and craft. While I may now be approaching a more “wizened” era in my career as a teacher, I learn something new everyday that makes the joy of learning and discovery a space that I need to come back to every day.

My work with the students at EHS keeps me young.

This campus has been an incredible place to pour your heart into your work.

Damian Walsh

It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of this community. Many years ago, I was introduced to a place that would be one of the transformative experiences of my life. Coming to campus each day to work with Ed Rice and George Harris as a member of the track and field coaching staff was my initial introduction, and how the student-athletes interacted with all members of this community was refreshing. As years passed and different opportunities presented themselves, I was always impressed with the depth of the amenities and support that EHS students were provided. It was almost staggering how warm and welcoming this faculty and staff were to all those who came inside the gates each and every day. Every year is different, of course, and the dynamic challenges from getting to know new students every year always keep me growing and wondering how I can best support them through their short time here.

Many years later, my children can boast an education from Episcopal High School that spanned more than four years after countless experiences with the student body from their first steps to their final steps across the graduation stage. From leaving our first born with a colleague while we traveled to the hospital to welcome our second born, to looking for our two children around campus and finding them playing in the infamous Castle’s basement, this campus has been an incredible place to pour your heart into your work while having your family right next to you every step of the way.