Cultivating a Culture of Care
Buzz at Burke’s: Events and Happenings on Campus
Burke’s Magazine is produced by Burke’s Advancement Office
YUKIKO MEADOWS Director of Advancement yukiko.meadows@burkes.org
MELISSA STERLING Annual Giving & Alumnae Engagement Manager melissa.sterling@burkes.org
MONICA HERNANDEZ Advancement & Database Associate monica.hernandez@burkes.org
MIKAELA MARTINEZ
Family Relations & Special Events Manager mikaela.martinez@burkes.org
DIANA SCHNEIDER Director of Communications diana.schneider@burkes.org
JEWEL DEVORA Communications Assistant jewel.devora@burkes.org
LISA LAI Communications & Advancement Assistant lisa.lai@burkes.org
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Nauheim Gandolfi ’54
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Anne Tolpegin ’84
Hilary Magowan ’86
Olivia Marwell ’15
Greetings
from the Head of School
A MESSAGE FROM MICHELE WILLIAMS
This has been an exciting and expansive season of growth for Burke’s—on campus and well beyond. As Head of School, I’ve had the privilege of leading our vibrant community while also representing Burke’s in broader educational circles. These efforts continue to strengthen our voice and amplify the values that define us, positioning Burke’s not just as a school of academic excellence, but as a leader in the independent school landscape.
On the alumnae front, I’ve had the joy of connecting with graduates in New York and other cities, fostering relationships that span generations and geography. These interactions remind me of the power and legacy of the Burke’s community—and how vital our alumnae are in telling the school’s story. Whether you graduated recently or decades ago, your continued engagement and advocacy help sustain the mission and spirit of Burke’s in powerful ways.
We had a wonderful Reunion Luncheon last March with more than 100 guests and with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan ’76e, who was our 2025 Distinguished Alumna Award Recipient. I encourage you to read her speech on page 42—I hope it will inspire you to reflect on some of your own Burke’s memories! Our 2026 Alumnae Reunion Luncheon is planned for Friday, March 6, honoring class years ’6 and ’1 at the Marines’ Memorial Club in San Francisco. I look forward to seeing many of you there. Please reach out to Melissa Sterling, Annual Giving and Alumnae Engagement Manager, at melissa.sterling@burkes.org with any questions.
We continue to make progress on our Strategic Plan and are thrilled to spotlight how we have deepened our commitment to student wellness through a dynamic and growing partnership among administrators, trustees, and parents. In addition, our feature article, “Cultivating a Culture of Care,” details a curricular unit grounded in our “Sustainability for Education” work. In a world often driven by the convenience of replacement, Burke’s third graders learned something profoundly different: the value of repair.
These pages can only hold a small slice of all that happens on our vibrant campus—follow us on Instagram or browse our Newsroom (burkes.org/newsroom) to keep up with our traditions, events, and academic explorations! Thank you for your support and engagement as we continue to educate, encourage, and empower our students.
Sincerely,
MICHELE WILLIAMS Head of School
STRATEGIC PLAN in ACTION Deepening a Commitment to Student-Centered, Real-World Learning
As part of our Strategic Plan’s vision to prepare students to be thoughtful, engaged citizens, Burke’s is proud to announce the new role of Civic Engagement and Learning Coordinator. This new role reflects a deepening of our commitment to student-centered, real-world learning and the power of meaningful community partnerships.
Elizabeth Charnas, who has been teaching fourth-grade social studies and supporting civic engagement efforts, brings a background in urban studies and equity in education, as well as classroom experience from preschool through high school. She will be the first person to hold this title, marking an exciting expansion of work that is already deeply embedded in Burke’s mission to foster leadership, responsibility, and active citizenship.
“This is work that helps students connect their learning to the world around them,” Ms. Charnas explains. “It teaches critical thinking, empathy, and the ability to see multiple perspectives—skills essential for shaping young people who will contribute thoughtfully and meaningfully to their communities. When students are excited about what they’re learning and feel connected to it, they grow in every way—as readers, writers, mathematicians, citizens, and as people.”
A long-standing partnership with The Richmond Neighborhood Center has helped anchor this vision, offering students opportunities to reflect on issues like food insecurity while contributing to the local community through handson support. Looking ahead, Ms. Charnas will collaborate with faculty to align off-campus civic engagement opportunities with the classroom curriculum and Burke’s SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) framework.
Associate Head of School Alice Moore noted, “We found in our research and conversations that having a dedicated person makes a huge difference in the ability of teachers to get kids off campus doing meaningful work. We are excited to see how this develops in the coming year.”
The shift from “service learning”to“civicengagement andlearning”reflectsamore holisticandcollaborativeapproach. Ratherthanpositioningstudents solelyashelpers,thefocusis onsustainedpartnerships, sharedlearning,and thoughtfulaction.
2025-26
Board of Trustees
Like all other NAIS member independent schools and CAISaccredited independent schools, Burke’s is governed by an independent, selfperpetuating Board of Trustees.
The Board determines Burke’s mission, strategic goals, and policy positions. The Board also acts as fiduciary for future generations of Burke’s students—exercising oversight of the school’s financial health, approving the school’s annual budget, and overseeing the school’s endowment, physical assets, and fundraising. Importantly, the board selects, evaluates, and supports the Head of School. The Board does not get involved in the day-to-day affairs of the school, disciplinary or personnel issues, or admissions decisions, which are the responsibility of the Head of School. In short, the trustees act as stewards of the school, while serving as ambassadors of Burke’s mission.
Executive Committee
James Franzone, President
Stephanie Withers, Vice President
Thayer Meicler, Secretary
Gabe Santos, Treasurer
Johanna Calabria, At-Large
Rahul Chandarana, At-Large
Nisba Husain, At-Large
Trustees
Gil Barrett
Michael Bascus
Chris Corio
Lauren Dillard
Zoe Duskin ’97
Claudine Emeott
Sasha Fahimi
Darby Gaynor Glickman ’98
Max Boyer Glynn ’94
Jennifer Jarrett
Dawn Rosenberg Jha
Abraham Martinez
Liz Meyerdirk
Star Plaxton-Moore
Muhammad Nadhiri
Michael Neruda
Jeremy Scherer
Rachel Skiffer ’88
John Wang
Annabelle Wong
Ex-Officio
Members
Michele Williams, Head of School
Karyn Barr, President, Parents’ Association
Mira Hui Cheung ’95, President, Alumnae Board
New Trustees 2025-26
Michael Bascus
A long-time software engineer, technical staff member, and startup co-founder in the Bay Area, Michael Bascus currently works at Google. Throughout his years in the tech industry, he has guided and enabled software teams in developing infrastructure for products ranging from hardware to cloud computing, with a particular focus on DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering. He enjoys facilitating cross-functional teams to resolve technical challenges and the continual learning that comes with working in a dynamic field. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Michael holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University, and began his career in consulting at Accenture. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two daughters.
Chris Corio
Chris Corio is an experienced software engineer and entrepreneur who has developed technology that is used every day across the globe. He brings over 15 years of practical experience managing businesses across various stages, primarily focused on IT and enterprise software development. He is currently the CEO of Engineered Care, Inc., a healthcare technology innovation firm.
Chris previously served as a board member and board chair of the Calvary Nursery School, overseeing its first director transition in 25 years. He earned an undergraduate degree in computer science and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Darby Gaynor Glickman ’98
Darby Gaynor Glickman, a proud Burke’s alumna (class of ’98) served three years as the president of Burke’s Alumnae Board. In that role, she was dedicated to fostering meaningful connections among alumnae of all ages and strengthening their ties to Burke’s. Additionally, Darby served two years as the co-chair of the Burke’s Benefit, where she helped lead all planning and fundraising initiatives for this event.
In her professional life, Darby is the founder and principal of a successful strategic PR and events business based in San Francisco. She consults for a number of high-profile brands operating in the area, leveraging her expertise and extensive network. Originally from San Francisco, Darby spent nearly a decade in New York City, where she managed public relations for Gucci across North and South America.
After graduating from Burke’s, Darby attended Lick-Wilmerding High School and earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Northwestern University. Darby resides in San Francisco with her husband, Andrew, their daughter, a rising third grader at Burke’s, and son, who will begin kindergarten in the fall.
John Wang
John has two children, a daughter, Ella, in the Class of 2030, and an older son, Tyler. His wife Jennifer is an active member of the Burke’s community. John grew up on the East Coast and moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA where he received a B.S. in applied mathematics. He continued his education in Los Angeles, attending Southwestern Law School for his J.D. John is currently a partner at the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where he is head of Orrick’s global finance business unit and is a member of the public finance practice group. He also enjoys working on financings with cultural institutions, waste-to-energy developers, and other energy developers and public utilities. While John is a resident in the San Francisco office, he also works with clients in Hawaii, Guam, Nevada, and Texas, among other places. At Orrick, John enjoys spending time mentoring junior attorneys at the firm. In his spare time, John enjoys spending time with his family and rooting for the UCLA Bruins, the New York Yankees, and, unfortunately, the Oakland Raiders.
Annabelle Wong
Annabelle Wong has worked in the hedge fund industry for 26 years. She brings extensive experience in business analysis, portfolio management, and short-selling. Since 2016, Annabelle has been the Co-Chief Investment Officer at Blue Lawn Asset Management, a hedge fund specializing in public small-cap equities. Prior to Blue Lawn, Annabelle was the co-founder and managing member of True Bearing Asset Management for 12 years, responsible for investments. She was also a portfolio manager and financial analyst at Cannell Capital for six years.
Annabelle currently serves as a Burke’s Annual Fund Ambassador and a member of the Annual Fund Parents Committee for Phillips Academy Andover. She previously co-chaired the Annual Fund and served on the Development Committee at Cathedral School for Boys, in addition to helping out as the co-service coordinator at Calvary Nursery School.
Annabelle graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in molecular and cell biology. She is a San Francisco native and lives with her husband, daughter, and son.
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THE POWER OF PLAY: Athletics at Burke’s
At the heart of our athletics program is Burke’s childcentered approach to education, which prioritizes healthy relationships, emotional well-being, and the unique needs of every girl. Through sports, students are encouraged to push their limits, strive for personal bests, and develop critical life skills—especially learning how to turn setbacks into comebacks.
“You will make mistakes,” says Director of Athletics, Ashling Bryant. “But if you make a mistake, that’s not the end of the game. Sports give our students a chance to experience failure and resilience in real time. It’s a live experience.”
Each school year, sixth through eighth graders can try out for League-level competition in cross country and
volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter, and soccer and futsal in the spring. Fifth graders have their own teams, with the opportunity to participate in volleyball or cross country in the fall, soccer in the winter, and basketball in the spring. Those interested in League play may try out for Varsity or JV teams based on skill level and team dynamics, ensuring a developmental approach that supports both the individual and the group.
Capping off the year is the Upper School Sports Celebration, a student-led event honoring Burke’s athletes’ accomplishments. It’s a festive evening filled with highlights, awards, and wisdom from the previous year’s “Outstanding Athletes,” who are now thriving in high school.
HAIR-RAISING SCIENCE
The Upper School science program brings classroom concepts to life through experiments. Our fifth-grade scientists explored the wonders of static electricity with a hands-on Van de Graaff generator demonstration. The classroom was filled with laughter and curiosity as students watched their hair stand on end, styrofoam dance, and invisible forces come to life. By exploring how electrical charges interact, they didn’t just learn the science—they felt it.
HONORING
HERITAGE
Last fall, with the thoughtful collaboration of the Latinx Parent Affinity Group, Lower School students experienced a new tradition during assembly: a flag ceremony celebrating Latinx and Hispanic heritage. As each Latin American country was announced, students with ties to that nation stood proudly, holding up their country’s flag. Participants also shared reflections on Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month and the importance of recognizing the cultures and histories it honors.
BIG SIBLINGS, LITTLE SIBLINGS, AND BIG IMPACT
In a heartwarming blend of tradition and service, Burke’s fourthgrade Big Siblings and their kindergarten Little Siblings teamed up for a special community event in Lincoln Park. Partnering with The Richmond Neighborhood Center, students created festive Year of the Snake crafts—each bearing messages of luck and joy—to be included in 250 food packages for Lunar New Year. With over 70 students and families in attendance, the event was a joyful celebration of community, connection, and compassion.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WITH CYNT MARSHALL
Burke’s had the honor of hosting Cynt Marshall at our annual International Women’s Day Assembly. As a dynamic force in business with over 36 years at AT&T and almost seven years as the CEO of Dallas Mavericks, Ms. Marshall embraced this year’s theme, “Accelerate Action,” in her inspiring speech.
Sharing the many challenges she has overcome in life, she expressed gratitude for her mother, educators in her life, and the colleagues and friends she found along her journey.
She closed out her speech by having the students take an action pledge and gifted each student a tiara with the message, “I want you to know, for the rest of your life, that you are the queen of the castle. I think girls and women can do anything.”
FOURTH GRADERS SHINE
IN “THE SUFFRAGIST PLAY”
As part of a longstanding tradition, the Fourth Grade Play centers on a woman or a movement that has significantly shaped culture and society. This year, students immersed themselves in the world of the suffragists, beginning their journey in the Library where their research laid the foundation for the script. They studied pivotal figures, historical milestones, and the social context of the era—all of which informed the storytelling on stage.
This original production was a true ensemble effort—students contributed to every stage of its creation, from building sets and crafting costume pieces to managing transitions and set changes. Students acted as full collaborators by pitching scene ideas, writing dialogue, choreographing movement, and blocking scenes. The result was a powerful, student-driven performance that honored the legacy of the suffragists while showcasing the creativity, intellect, and passion of tomorrow’s changemakers.
VOICES FROM BURKE’S, SCENES FROM THE CLASSROOMS
This year, we celebrated the launch of Educate, Encourage & Empower, a podcast series produced by the Burke’s Communications Office.
Each episode dives into our classrooms and campus spaces to share stories, insights, and experiences about what makes the Burke’s school community unique.
Walk into the Kindergarten classroom or learn more about the Lower School Specialist classes in Art, Makery, Science, and Music! Listeners can also learn about the rich offerings in the Burke’s Library and how Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is woven through the K-8 academic curriculum!
THE MAGIC OF ASEP
Over the last five years, After School Enrichment Program (ASEP) offerings have increased by over 50%, with enrollment numbers quadrupling. This expansion is in part due to adding more variety in the music program (guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, drums, and singing)—now supervised by a dedicated music manager—as well as increasing program offerings for Upper School.
For Cyndera Quackenbush, her favorite part of the day as the ASEP Director is telling stories! On days with good weather, Tree House spends ten minutes in the garden “playing the story,” where Ms. Q. narrates a story and students act out the characters of old folk and fairy tales. “The twists to the old plots and the way the students play the parts differently all make for a fun and joyful daily experience! Sometimes, we’ll just all laugh together, and I feel the great happiness of being in after-school at Burke’s.”
EIGHTH GRADERS USE MATH
TO TACKLE HOUSING CRISIS
At Burke’s, real-world learning took center stage as eighth graders used mathematics to explore one of San Francisco’s most pressing challenges: the housing crisis. As part of the school’s Education for Sustainability initiative, students participated in a two-week project that required them to apply mathematical reasoning to issues of housing equity and affordability. Drawing on data about rent prices, household income, and homelessness over time, students used both linear and exponential models to analyze trends and propose solutions.
In the first week, students analyzed rent and income data across different cities and years, using systems of linear equations to map the widening gap between earnings and housing costs. As they dove deeper, they uncovered a more complex relationship—exponential growth—between income and median rent in San Francisco. The shift challenged their thinking and stretched their mathematical skills. In the final phase, students synthesized their findings into advocacy letters
addressed to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, recommending innovative policy ideas such as housing cooperatives, land trusts, and the more effective use of public land. One student reflected, “We could apply this mathematical thinking to problems involving climate change, inflation, and food insecurity by thinking about both our history and where we’re headed.” Through data, equations, and bold ideas, our eighth graders showed that math isn’t just a subject—it’s a tool for change.
CONSTRAINTS DRIVE CREATIVITY
In a hands-on interdisciplinary project, students teamed up to design, build, and code interactive robots for a “Robot Petting Zoo” installation that was presented at the Arts Festival. Using only recycled and repurposed materials salvaged from the classroom, students brought their animatronic creatures to life with touch-and motion-responsive behaviors, powered by Hummingbird robotics kits.
Throughout the unit, students explored foundational concepts in robotics while practicing the engineering design process, from brainstorming and prototyping to testing and refining their designs. Enthusiasm ran high as teams collaborated, problem-solved, and celebrated their successes together. Even when challenges arose, thoughtful check-ins and guidance kept students moving forward.
The final robots not only met project goals but also reflected the students’ creativity, persistence, and pride. Displayed at the school’s art festival, these quirky, responsive creatures delighted visitors, and now live on as cheerful mascots in the classroom.
THE “ELECTRIC
GUITAR”
PROJECT
Armed with wood, guitar strings, electrical components, hand tools, a “can-do” spirit, and elbow grease, eighth graders explored the science of sound and engineering by constructing working guitars from scratch. The project blended physics, art, and problem-solving skills in a fun and engaging way.
The heart of the project was understanding how vibration creates sound and how sound waves send information. Students began by studying the basics of waves, sound, and electromagnetism, culminating in an understanding of how electric guitars utilize generators,
also known as pickups—typically magnets wrapped in coils of wire—to convert string vibrations into electrical signals.
Then, using materials from the Upper School Makery, they created their versions of these pickups. In the process, students learned how to use the laser cutter to create the body and many other woodworking tools to shape and modify the neck of the guitar. The strings, made from metal wire, are stretched over the laser-cut wooden body. Ultimately, students plugged their creations into mini amplifiers or speakers. The project centered around perseverance and teamwork, encouraging students to collaborate and troubleshoot like real engineers.
“On an engineering level, the project demystifies how much of our day-to-day world works—transforming mechanical energy into electrical energy, and electrical energy back into mechanical energy. On a pedagogical level, I want my students to gain practical skills— building with woodworking tools and developing a sense of craftspersonship that fosters confidence, creativity, and care in their work,” said Dr. Tone Rawlings, the Upper School Science teacher.
“The students embodied a growth mindset as they took on a complicated project that required many new skills and offered challenging problems to navigate. It wasn’t always easy, but they persevered!” said Jesse Swagerty, Upper School Makery teacher.
SNAPSHOTS
Together We Can
Fourth graders led the creation of a powerful piece: Together We Can Create Change as part of a humanities project and the global GivingTuesday SPARK movement. Students envisioned a world filled with kindness, clean oceans, and safe homes for all and invited the entire Burke’s community to join in!
THE “Wisdom Keepers”
Eighth grade advisors led the Class of 2025 through a symbolic tunnel of “Wisdom Keepers” to kick off the school year.
Festival
Festival is a beloved and long-standing tradition. We welcome over 2,000 people to our school campus to build something bigger than ourselves, to feel the spirit of Burke’s in our hearts, and to take time off from our busy lives to connect with our community. Celebrate with us on Saturday, October 18, 2025!
A ripped stuffed animal? Mechanical issues with a clock? Come find Burke’s third graders—they are repair professionals-in-training!
In a world often driven by the convenience of replacement, Burke’s third graders learned something profoundly different: the value of repair.
As part of Burke’s Strategic Plan work focused on education for sustainability, Lower School Makery Facilitator, Jimmy Santosa piloted an innovative and handson unit designed to instill a culture of repair— and with it, a deeper sense of environmental responsibility and care for the things we use and love. This pilot program took inspiration from Vita Wells, founder of The Culture of Repair Project, who facilitates school-based repair clinics throughout the Bay Area. “Nurturing a mindset for repair emboldens people to care more deeply about the world, our belongings, and the systems in which we are all interconnected,” says Mr. Santosa. Through the unit, students not only learn technical skills but also develop empathy, agency, and a commitment to sustainability.
The unit unfolded in three parts: disassembly and exploration in the “Breakery,” storytelling and reflection on the meaning of repair, and a community-based Repair Clinic where students brought broken items back to life.
Cracking Open Curiosity in the “Breakery”
In the fall, the Class of 2030 turned into hands-on investigators in a space affectionately dubbed the “Breakery.” Armed with screwdrivers, pliers, and plenty of curiosity, students dismantled everything from robotic dogs and cell phones to printers and even a flat-screen TV donated by Burke’s Tech Department.
As they worked, students posed thoughtful questions—What does this part do? Could we put this back together?—and documented their findings. Charlotte ’30, after pulling apart a toy piano, excitedly reported, “These pieces are just hotglued together! I can rip them out easily!” These moments of discovery were empowering; they allowed students to see themselves as capable of understanding and manipulating the systems around them.
Learning from Experts, Reflecting on Repair
Midway through the unit, students met guest speaker Paul Marshall, a Burke’s parent and professional piano technician. Mr. Marshall brought in piano parts, shared his craft, and gave the students a glimpse into the intricate mechanics of a piano.
But more than just sharing technical expertise, Mr. Marshall emphasized the broader significance of repair. “Repairing is meaningful work,” he told the class. Students quickly made connections between repairing objects and mending other forms of brokenness, like relationships. One student reflected, “Repairing can mean mending something that was once whole.” These discussions reinforced that repair isn’t just about tools and glue—it’s about care, thoughtfulness, and restoration.
Repair as a Pathway to Sustainability
Repairing with Purpose: The Clinic
The culminating event was a December Repair Clinic, where the classroom transformed into a bustling hub of restoration and storytelling. Students arrived with items from home—beloved stuffed animals, broken jewelry, and worn-out toys—and shared the stories behind them. With the help of a dozen parent and grandparent volunteers, students diagnosed the damage and strategized repair solutions. Each completed repair was celebrated with the ringing of a bell and the proud display of a “REPAIRED” sign.
Hazel ’30 particularly embraced the clinic’s mission. She not only sewed a teacher’s torn pants pocket but also reconnected the pieces of her favorite keychain. “You don’t have to throw old or broken things away,” Hazel beamed. “You can repair them and use them again. It’s a good thing!”
This third grade project was more than a creative learning experience—it’s the strategic goal, “Connection: Caring for our Community and Planet,” in action. By teaching students to repair rather than discard, the unit emphasized environmental stewardship while fostering a mindset that values resourcefulness, resilience, and care for our shared world. With screwdrivers in hand and hearts full of purpose, Burke’s third graders are reminding us all: sometimes, the most powerful lessons come from piecing things back together.
Recognize any (or all?) of these special events?
LION DANCE
GRANDPARENTS’ & SPECIAL FRIENDS’ DAY
MAYPOLE
DASH
OPENING ASSEMBLY
LOWER SCHOOL PICNIC
CHALLENGE DAY
STEPPING UP CEREMONY
LOWER SCHOOL HOLIDAY SING
The holiday season wouldn’t be complete without the Lower School Holiday Sing—a joyful celebration that has brought together generations of Burke’s students, families, and educators.
More than just a concert, the Holiday Sing is a cherished ritual—both carefully prepared and joyfully spontaneous— where teachers, staff, parents, and members of the broader Burke’s community gather in the spirit of unity, singing songs that reflect the diverse traditions of winter celebrations from around the world.
This treasured event is shaped yearly with creative input from fourth graders and guided by Lower School Music Specialist, Lisa Mandelstein. True to tradition, the program blends time-honored favorites with new selections that honor the vibrant cultural mosaic of Burke’s. Last year’s celebration featured songs in seven languages—English, Swahili, Arabic, Latin, Yiddish, Tagalog, and Hindi—underscoring the inclusive spirit that has long defined the Holiday Sing.
The Holiday Sing is also a rite of passage for the fourth graders. They help shape the concert by voting on and advocating for repertoire, developing leadership skills, and practicing collaborative decision-making. They rise to the occasion on stage—narrating, harmonizing, and playing instruments with poise and heart. They also model social-emotional learning for younger students, courageously stepping into the spotlight and supporting one another throughout the process.
PANSY DAY 2025
Wednesday, June 4 marked our annual Pansy Day, a day to celebrate the outgoing eighth graders and welcome our rising fifth graders into the Upper School!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2025 PANSY DAY AWARD WINNERS
May Hickey Award
By vote of the class, for care and concern for the younger students in the school.
Eloise Young
Patricia Franklin Swanson Writing Award
To honor a girl who, as Pat did, shows not only talent in writing but also a love of writing.
Ayla Cashman
Sarah Babcock Award
Established in 1992 in honor of Sarah, this award commemorates Sarah’s spirit and her love of photography and the arts.
Visual Arts - Lija Walcott
Performing Arts - Kendall Wickliff
Julie Song Award
Established in 1998, this award recognized the eighth grader whose kindness, good humor and generosity of spirit makes every day a better one for all around her.
Eloise Gannon Hayward and Skye Sacerdoti
Head’s Award
For generosity of spirit, appreciation of others, and strength of leadership.
Iris Margaret Wynne
The Head’s Cup
For seriousness of purpose, devotion to excellence, and citizenship which best exemplifies the ideals and purposes of the school.
Lucia Franzone
COMMENCEMENT 2025
We bade a fond farewell to the members of the Class of 2025 on Thursday, June 5 with joy, music, and cheers. We wish them the best of luck in high school and beyond!
Congratulations also to the members of Burke’s Class of 2021, who just completed four years of high school!
A list of some of their college destinations is included here.
CLASS OF 2025 HIGH SCHOOL DESTINATIONS
Bay School
Branson School
Cate School (CA)
Convent of the Sacred Heart
International High School
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Loomis Chafee
Lowell High School
Marin Academy
CLASS OF 2021 COLLEGE DESTINATIONS
Bowdoin College
California State Polytechnic
University, Pomona
Colby College
Community College of San Mateo
Duke University
Harvard College
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Occidental College
Pitzer College
San Diego State University
Stanford University
Marin Catholic
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory
High School
San Francisco University High School
Saint Ignatius Preparatory High School
The Thacher School
Tamalpais High School
Urban School of San Francisco
Texas Christian University
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Michigan
University of Oxford
University of Tampa
University of Vermont
University of Washington
Wake Forest University
Washington and Lee University
Yale University
Alumnae Board
CONNECTING AND ENGAGING BURKE’S 4,257 ALUMNAE WORLDWIDE
The Burke’s Alumnae Board is a dynamic group of alumnae dedicated to strengthening connections between Katherine Delmar Burke School and its vibrant alumnae community. Through meaningful engagement, the Board fosters lifelong ties, celebrates shared experiences, and champions the continued growth and success of Burke’s.
Serving as ambassadors for Burke’s, Board members help nurture alumnae relationships and inspire support for the school’s mission and future. The group meets four times a year and actively engages with the broader alumnae
network throughout the year—sharing updates, gathering feedback, and building community.
Board members are also active participants in alumnaesponsored events like Burke’s Festival, the Holiday Cookie Decorating Party, the Alumnae Reunion Luncheon, and more!
If you’re interested in joining the Alumnae Board for the 2025–26 year or want to learn more, please reach out to Melissa Sterling at melissa.sterling@burkes.org. We’d love to hear from you!
2025-26 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Mira Hui Cheung ’95 President
Jewel Devora ’09 Vice President, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Natalie Jamison Tiret ’98 Vice President, Development
Natalie J. Engmann ’01 Vice President, Governance
Sinclaire O’Grady ’09 Vice President, Events
Sara Poole ’10 Vice President, Mentorship
Class Representatives
BUILDING CONNECTIONS
ACROSS GENERATIONS
Class Representatives are vital alumnae volunteers who help strengthen the bonds between classmates and Burke’s, as well as among fellow alumnae.
Ideally, each graduating class has at least one Class Representative who serves as a liaison—sharing news about alumnae and school programs, encouraging support for the Burke’s Annual Fund, and gathering updates and contact information for our annual Class Notes.
Not sure who your Class Representative is? Thinking about getting involved? We’d love to have you on board!
Reach out to Melissa Sterling, Annual Giving & Alumnae Engagement Manager, at melissa.sterling@burkes.org to learn more.
Darby Gaynor Glickman ’98 At-Large
Talia Seidman Rhodes ’03
Secretary MEMBERS
Olivia Cannell ’11
Jenna Friedel Collins ’12
Lisa Harada ’03
Tiffany Miller ’08
Tiana Rideout-Rosales ’97
Katy Congdon Williams ’96
Katya Yudin ’08
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Burke’s Distinguished Alumna
Each year, the Katherine Delmar Burke School Distinguished Alumna Award honors a graduate who exemplifies the values at the core of our mission—to educate, encourage, and empower. This individual leads a life marked by curiosity, purpose, community service, and the confidence to make a meaningful impact in the world.
Nominated by fellow alumnae and selected by the Alumnae Board, each recipient reflects the spirit and strength of a Burke’s education.
We are now accepting nominations for the 2026 Distinguished Alumna Award. Nominations will remain open through mid-November 2025, and we look forward to celebrating our next honoree!
To submit a nomination or learn more, please contact Melissa Sterling at melissa.sterling@burkes.org.
Alumnae
UPDATES
A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear Burke’s Community,
It is a true honor to step into the role of Alumnae Board President. As a proud member of the Class of 1995 and a board member since 2021, I’m continually inspired by the strength, spirit, and generosity of our alumnae community.
We’re proud to share this issue of Burke’s Magazine with you. One of the highlights is our continued “Inspirations” series, this year of which celebrates Alumnae in the Arts—a dynamic continuation of the alumnae storytelling we launched last year. I hope you’ll take a moment to read these stories and be reminded of the diverse and creative paths our graduates take.
Looking ahead, our top priority remains deepening alumnae engagement. We want to foster more meaningful connections between Burke’s and our incredible alumnae— near and far, recent and longstanding. One of the ways we’re doing this is by making the Alumnae Reunion Luncheon on Friday, March 6, 2026 the must-attend event on the alum calendar. If you haven’t been in a while, we hope you’ll come experience the joy and energy for yourself.
Another key goal this year is to grow our alumnae database by collecting email addresses from graduates we’ve lost touch with. With your help, we can ensure that all alumnae receive Burke’s news, invitations, and updates—so they can stay involved and feel the connection that makes Burke’s so special.
Let’s work together to build an even stronger alumnae network—one that honors our shared history and keeps us connected to the school that shaped us.
Warmly,
MIRA HUI CHEUNG ’95
P.S. We want to hear from you with your life updates, so please don’t hesitate to share your news and stories with us. Reach out to melissa.sterling@burkes.org.
INSPIRATIONS
Q&A WITH ALUMNAE WORKING IN THE ARTS
Gail Nauheim Gandolfi ’54
Gail Nauheim Gandolfi is an artist (still at work) who has had a long career in the arts, ranging from showings in galleries and book illustrations to teaching art at the local grade school.
Nancy MacLean ’62
Music and performance were always a part of Nancy MacLean’s life—she sang in every kind of choir and even participated in a memorable Latin class production of a Roman Banquet staged in the Lower School auditorium.
After college, Nancy began actively pursuing a career in theatre and in her early twenties, she started reading audition notices in the San Francisco Chronicle. Her first performances were with the Lamplighters, San Francisco’s beloved Gilbert & Sullivan troupe. “Psycho: The Musical” was one of her flops (though Sir Ian McKellen did come to the cabaret after-party!), and another was an original musical about Emperor Norton, which opened with the scenery falling down on opening night and closed a week later. Special highlights included singing the National Anthem in celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge 60th Anniversary and singing “God Bless America” with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra at the Democratic National Convention that included Corretta Scott King and President Jimmy Carter. But singing with Opera San José for five years and performing earlier with Beach Blanket Babylon were among the most fulfilling and joyful moments of her career.
Can you share a specific experience or teacher at Burke’s who inspired you to pursue a career in the arts?
I was fortunate to have several inspiring teachers at Burke’s who helped shape my path toward the arts. Ms. Carrington, our music and choir teacher, and Miss Hughes, our drama teacher, nurtured my early love for performance. I was Captain of the Collars. School Spirit was my thing and I made Ms. Waddell an honorary Collar and wrote her a tribute song. Ms. Lodeeson, my Latin teacher, challenged me to think deeply and expressively, a skill vital in any artistic pursuit. But perhaps the most unexpected influence came from Miss Andreason, my typing teacher. That skill led me to a flexible day job as a secretary for the Golden Gate Bridge District and, later, to an even more surprising role: working as one of the first female deckhands on their Ferry Transit system. It was not easy breaking into a male-dominated field, but the confidence I gained at Burke’s and from those teachers gave me the strength to persevere.
Burke’s gave us an anthem—and a purpose—to live up to: “Honest work, sincerity, let kindred feelings bind us, to our own selves be true... Let courage be undaunted.” That line became a guiding principle for me. As one of the first women on the San Francisco Waterfront, I faced a lot of prejudice. But Burke’s girls know how to stand their ground—on stage, on a boat, or anywhere life takes us.
I dedicate my story to my mother, Virginia Coghlan MacLean, a proud Burke’s alumna herself. She believed deeply in the power of a good education.
What advice would you give to current Burke’s students who are considering a career in the arts?
Consider applying to an arts-focused school after you graduate from Burke’s or high school. It’s a great way to hone your craft and connect with others who share your passion.
Also, find a flexible day job that supports your artistic goals. You’ll need time to audition, rehearse, and
perform. My job on the waterfront helped me stay financially stable while pursuing acting.
Remember this advice from my acting teacher Ray Reinhardt at A.C.T.: “If you audition ten times, you only need to land one.” Keep your confidence high—you’re doing what you love. Believe in your talent, be yourself, and follow your artistic soul. And never forget the old theater truth: “There are no small parts, just small actors.”
Do you have any anecdotes about your time at Burke’s to share with us?
I’ll never forget Miss Andreason’s typing class. She had us type to the rousing tempo of Sousa marches! It might seem silly, but that rhythm taught me discipline, speed, and focus. Thanks to her, I learned to type 70 words per minute, which opened the door to jobs that supported me while I pursued my passion for acting. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most unexpected lessons can shape your future.
Alexandra Schilling Friedman ’65
After working several years in an architectural office as a model builder among other administrative tasks, Alexandra Schilling Friedman took an evening weaving class at the Boston “Y” and quickly became fascinated with this age-old craft. Eventually, this led to an important opportunity to weave shaped tapestries for the bulkheads of a fleet of jumbo jets.
Since then, she has maintained a studio for over 40 years wherever she lived: Hartford, Connecticut; London, England; and currently, Sausalito, California. Being able to create something beautiful from colored yarn and a spool of cotton warp is magical and the perfect expression of her artistic passions. She has executed commissions for corporate, private, and liturgical clients and continues to exhibit widely.
She is active in many Bay Area-based fiber organizations and continues to promote tapestry through lectures, workshops, and exhibitions. She has served as the President and CoDirector of the American Tapestry Alliance, and currently serves on the board of the Textile Arts Council at the de Young Museum. She welcomes visitors to her studio in Sausalito.
Can you share a specific experience or teacher at Burke’s who inspired you to pursue a career in the arts?
There were two teachers I remember well. One was Ms. Akins, who taught art and sewing in the attic room. I have always liked working with my hands, so this was a very inspiring class for me. We worked a lot with the design elements to understand the foundations of good art. The sewing class involved making three dresses, one in cotton, one in wool, and one in silk. The class celebrated by wearing a dress and taking Ms. Akins out to lunch at the end of the year. The second teacher was Ms. Hughes, who taught the Iliad and the Odyssey. She required extensive homework on these two tales, and much of it has stayed with me.
What advice would you give to current Burke’s students who are considering a career in the arts?
My advice to art students would be to follow your passion. Don’t be afraid to try new techniques. Explore, experiment, and once you find a creative process you love, stay with it and play with all its possibilities. For me, it has led to teaching, running workshops, lecturing, and meeting many people all over the world through exhibitions. As an artist, it was important to believe in myself and promote my art as best I could. No one else is going to do it for you! Of course, you can develop relationships with art consultants, curators, gallerists, and other artists working in the same medium who can help/guide you.
How do you incorporate the principles of leadership and empowerment learned at Burke’s into your work?
Burke’s supported leadership roles all along. I think an all-girls school was important for me to find my way. I grew up with brothers who seemed to receive more career focus than I. In the 1960s, all of this was beginning to change with women demanding more opportunities and recognition for their contributions. Women were finally able to use credit cards in their own name in 1974! It was a time of dramatic change. I think I was better prepared than many because of my education.
Do you have any anecdotes about your time at Burke’s to share with us?
One memory that sticks in my head is the first day of fifth grade. We had just moved to San Francisco, and my mother delivered me to the school entrance on Jackson Street. I walked and tried unsuccessfully to find the fifth grade. I soon found out that class was at the Seacliff campus, three miles away, and that I had to get on the bus to go there. Of course, when I arrived at the Lower School, I had no idea where to go. It was a terrible start for the new school year, but soon I made friends and school life got to be much better.
Even though I was only at Burke’s from fifth through ninth grade, I made good friends with whom I have remained in contact over the last 60 years. I think that is a good commentary on my Burke’s education.
Bettina Devin ’69
Bettina Devin is an actor in theater, film, and television, a recording artist, a performance coach, and a producer. Producing credits include “The Family Planner” (winner of over 25 festival awards including Best Film), “Doggie B” (winner of Audience Favorite, Sonoma International Film Festival), “A Normal Life” (winner of Narrative Feature film at the Knoxville Film Festival), and her most recent film “Lox” in which she also stars. A veteran actor/singer with over 50 years of experience in theater, TV, film, commercials, and concerts, Bettina remains a working actress and a busy coach, as well as a casting director for commercials, shorts, and feature films.
Can you share a specific experience or teacher at Burke’s who inspired you to pursue a career in the arts?
Without a doubt, Myna Hughes, our Upper School drama teacher, was instrumental in getting me to follow what was already in my heart. She cast me in several lead roles in school plays. She was a delightful director with a wicked sense of humor. I’m positive the confidence I gained from her approval helped me to think I could actually get somewhere in what I now know is a crazy industry. I remember her so fondly! I also remember watching one of the toughest girls in school with her (forbidden) mascara running, crying like a baby when I performed the final scene of Peter Pan as Peter. Figured I had something to be able to crack her shell.
What advice would you give to current Burke’s students who are considering a career in the arts?
If you have the slightest bit of doubt, DON’T DO IT. You must want it more than anything and be willing to face constant rejection before, in between, and after the big wins. Remember, it’s called show “business” for a reason. It takes discipline to remind ourselves that art is totally subjective, no matter how strong the urge to make it our fault if not chosen. We can never know what goes on in the minds of the critics. In fact, it’s a waste of time. Don’t waste that energy. Put it back firmly (and with kindness to yourself) into your art.
How do you incorporate the principles of leadership and empowerment learned at Burke’s into your work?
Burke’s taught me (and gave me the space) to think for myself. This is probably THE most important quality for someone who has their own business, which is exactly what any artist has, whether they see it that way or not. Our “art” is our “business.”
Do you have any anecdotes about your time at Burke’s to share with us?
I hesitate to admit this, but... always being the mimic, I remember having my classmates howling while doing my impressions of different teachers (who shall remain nameless) often DURING class.
I still recreate those, and my old friends from Burke’s days still do me the favor of howling.
Miranda Smith ’77e
Miranda Smith is a museum planner, exhibit content developer, and writer. Her first museum job was at the California Academy of Sciences, where she was lucky enough to land after deciding that a career as a college science professor was not for her. She loved every day at Cal Academy, which was revelatory to her. Although she had spent a lot of time in museums as a kid through Burke’s fieldtrips and having a mother who was involved in both SF MOMA and the DeYoung—it never occurred to her that there were people behind the scenes writing labels, making decisions about what and how to display art and objects, and crafting the displays. She had landed her dream job as a liaison among scientists, artists, and the design team, and getting to greet the dolphins every morning on her way into work.
That initial experience led to a job offer from Ralph Appelbaum Associates, a New York museum planning and design firm. She had the chance to work in Europe and Asia, as well as the US, for museums like the American Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum of Utah, Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Bishop Museum in Hawaii, National Museum of Scotland, Natural History Museum London, and Taiwan’s National Museum of Prehistory. Miranda is currently working on the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD) in Washington, DC.
Can you share a specific experience or teacher at Burke’s who inspired you to pursue a career in the arts?
I had many memorable teachers at Burke’s. The three who inspired me most would have to be Mary Swope, Myna Hughes, and Nancy Clark. I remember Miss Swope’s elementary school art classes as places to explore and experiment, always with positive feedback. Miss Hughes (she will always be Miss Hughes in my mind) taught me how to write concisely and correctly and how to construct an argument. Nancy Clark gave us the gift of history as a narrative of people and context, not just a list of dates and events. Her enthusiasm for history and her storytelling ability helped us make connections between our lives and the past.
We were lucky enough when I was in middle school to have an intersession program, which I think was something of an innovation at the time. I chose a figure drawing class taught by Eleanor Dickinson (well-known artist and Burke’s parent). I was one of the youngest in the group, and the experience of being in an artist’s studio and working alongside older students and Ms. Dickinson affected me deeply. I think it was the first time making art was taken seriously, and I realized you could have a career as an artist.
What advice would you give to current Burke’s students who are considering a career in the arts?
Keep your Burke’s boldness, and don’t forget your teachers’ confidence in your abilities.
How do you incorporate the principles of leadership and empowerment learned at Burke’s into your work?
My days at Burke’s instilled in me a sense that I could do anything. I might not excel, but I could definitely achieve. I rely on that self-confidence every day. We were encouraged to find our own strengths and, along the way, also learned to recognize the strengths of others. The ability to recognize your strengths and those of others is very useful; I’ve always worked in teams, and assessing the best using your and others’ abilities makes for better outcomes.
I also learned to be a good listener, which I rely on daily at work. Listening to clients is essential to understanding their needs, and listening to co-workers empowers them and helps solve problems.
Do you have any anecdotes about your time at Burke’s to share with us?
In eighth grade English, Miss Hughes assigned us an “onomatopoetic art piece”—one that expressed the technique and design of the meaning of the word depicted. I chose “ooze,” which I rendered in puddles of grey-brown. Miss Hughes was very critical, deeming it ugly, but I wasn’t bothered by that (which, given my usual M.O. as a good student, is a bit surprising). I think my reaction was partly due to my classmates taking my side, and partly to a nascent inner critic affirming that I had not only executed the intent of the assignment but done a nice job of portraying the essence of ooze.
Isabella Hutchinson ’77e
Isabella Hutchinson began her career in the arts in 1986 at Sotheby’s New York in the Latin American Art Department. At the auction house, she held senior managerial roles including Director of the Department and Senior Vice President.
Originally from San Francisco, Isabella has also lived and worked in Paris, France, where she was engaged with Sotheby’s sale of the estate of Juliet Man Ray. She holds a B.A. in art history from Tufts University (1985) and a M.A. in the history of design and curatorial studies arts from Parsons School of Design, The New School (2011).
Isabella serves on the boards of Studio in a School and The Association of Art Museum Curators. She is a member of the Arts of the Americas Circle of the Americas Society and ArtTable, a national organization supporting professional women in the visual arts. She has participated in panels and lectures internationally.
Can you share a specific experience or teacher at Burke’s who inspired you to pursue a career in the arts?
Mary Swope was the art teacher during my time at Burke’s, and she had a huge and positive impact on my life. Her classroom was a very happy space for me. Miss Swope helped me realize, even at a young age, that playfulness and humor could be powerful forms of freedom, opening the door to greater creativity.
At the time, I wasn’t yet thinking about a future career, but her art classes—along with a calligraphy course taught by Bruce Hinton, an animation class with Madame Pickering, and a silkscreen workshop— sparked something in me. They helped me understand that I wanted to be an artist. As it turned out, I became an art historian.
What advice would you give to current Burke’s students who are considering a career in the arts?
My first job out of college was at Sotheby’s in New York, where I was surrounded by art every day—ranging from glorious to mediocre. By studying a wide range of work, I began to train my eye and develop my own idea of quality in art.
Just as important was listening to collectors, curators, artists, and experts. Each perspective added to my knowledge and shaped my thinking. Over time, all of those experiences led me to open my gallery, Hutchinson Modern & Contemporary, in New York City.
Kim Roberson ’81
After graduating from Burke’s in 1981, Kim Roberson attended Santa Catalina for high school and got an M.F.A. in illustration from Parsons School of Design in New York City. She began her career as an illustrator, creating editorial art for newspapers and magazines. One of her drawings caught the attention of an art director at Nickelodeon, who thought the style would translate well to animation. She was hired to design characters for a series of short animations, and that experience fueled her love for cartoons. She soon moved to Los Angeles, where she has spent the next 20+ years working as a character designer and storyboard artist for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Television Animation.
A few years ago, she joined the writing team at Disney for the animated series Phineas and Ferb . She contributed to the original series run as both a writer and storyboard artist but now focuses solely on writing. The team is gearing up to start work on season six of the show!
Can you share a specific experience or teacher at Burke’s who inspired you to pursue a career in the arts?
I wasn’t exactly the strongest academic student during my time at Burke’s, even though my teachers were always supportive and did their best to help me succeed. But I always looked forward to art period—that was where I felt I could truly shine. It was the place where I could do what I loved most: be creative.
I had two art teachers while I was at Burke’s: Miss Swope and Ms. Rowe, and I really loved them both. One project I remember especially well was painting a four-legged stool however we wanted. Ms. Rowe brought in stacks of magazines for us to flip through for inspiration. I was drawn to the cover of a New Yorker magazine and decided I wanted to replicate it exactly on my stool.
Ms. Rowe told me about Saul Steinberg—the artist behind the cover, whom she adored—and taught me how to use a grid to break down the image so I could match the proportions perfectly. I remember getting completely lost in that project—time just disappeared. I still have that stool to this day! Maybe that moment planted a little seed in my brain that maybe I could be an illustrator in New York, too.
What advice would you give to current Burke’s students who are considering a career in the arts?
To any current Burke’s student dreaming of a future in the arts, my advice is this: keep creating. Seek out people who inspire you and who share your creative spark. Believe that your unique take on the world can be a great asset to a creative career. Working in the arts can be challenging—sometimes even heartbreaking—but for me, it’s brought more joy and meaning than almost anything else. As a writer on Phineas and Ferb, I get to dream up wild scenarios and hilarious predicaments for our amazing characters every day. And collaborating with other writers and artists is not only rewarding— it’s genuinely fun. I feel incredibly lucky to be doing this work.
How do you incorporate the principles of leadership and empowerment learned at Burke’s into your work?
Pursuing a career that’s a little “outside the box” can be intimidating. But my time at Burke’s gave me a strong foundation. I grew up in a time when opportunities for women—especially in animation—were limited. Burke’s nurtured a sense in me that there wasn’t anything I couldn’t do, and that belief carried me into young adulthood and beyond. I’m deeply grateful for that early encouragement. It helped shape the path I’m on today!
Anne Tolpegin ’84
Anne Tolpegin grew up in San Francisco and started school at Convent of the Sacred Heart, transferring to Burke’s in the fourth grade. She attended Northwestern University for college, where she majored in theatre, with a focus on performance studies (the analysis and interpretation of literature). She began her professional acting career in Chicago, moving to NYC about five years later. Anne made her Broadway debut in “Les Miserables” and was part of the Original Broadway Company of “A Tale of Two Cities.” Off-Broadway, Anne was in “Carrie” and “Sweeney Todd.” She has traveled across the United States, Canada, and Mexico with the following Broadway National Tours: “Ragtime,” “Mamma Mia!”, “Billy Elliot,” and “Kinky Boots.” Some favorite US Regional credits include: The Premiere of Sting’s “The Last Ship” (Peggy), “Next to Normal” (Diana), “Murder on the Orient Express” (Helen Hubbard), “The Prom” (Dee Dee), and “Passion” (Fosca). She toured Japan singing with the Tokyo Philharmonic and can be seen on USA Network’s “Mr. Robot” and in “Iron Fist” on Netflix. Anne remains a faithful 49ers fan, still thinks SF has the best food anywhere, loves her pooch Sherlock, and is married to the actor Blake Stadnik. Anne will be returning to The Orpheum in February 2026 with the Broadway musical “The Notebook.”
Can you share a specific experience or teacher at Burke’s who inspired you to pursue a career in the arts?
All my Burke’s teachers were phenomenal in one way or another. But three stand out to me as having inspired me with my career: Nancy Clark, James Bell, and Toni Wagner. Nancy was so joyful in her excavation of history with us, and so fully committed to our learning and researching; it was incredibly contagious to all of us. When she knew that I was interested in acting and singing, she encouraged me to dive deeply into the craft and to dive with joy. Jim Bell inspired me by opening the creaking, mysterious door of literature to us all (I’m remembering “Beowulf” specifically) and all that could be discovered there: the danger, the excitement, the knowledge. He was a fantastic reader in class, bringing so much drama out of every book we studied. He and Madame Wagner helped spark a true love of languages that has lasted my whole life; Mr. Bell with Latin and Madame Wagner with French. Toni taught us that French was akin to singing, and the musicality and flow of the language made sense to me as a young singer. It is known as a “legato” language, emphasizing smooth, sustained sounds as well as a “euphonic” language, meaning it’s very pleasing to the ear, much like singing. All three of these teachers helped me understand early on what it means to “study the human condition,” which is at the heart of what professional actors do.
What advice would you give to current Burke’s students who are considering a career in the arts?
My advice would echo Nancy Clark’s—to dive deeply into what it is that you love about the arts, whether it is singing, acting, painting, or photography. It is vital to enjoy the adventure of discovering what creativity means to you, and how it evolves with you naturally: in song, in prose, or in creating sculptures! What brings you joy, what do you love doing? Follow that love and that instinct madly. Never judge yourself while you are playing and creating. The path of discovering what works for you artistically will not lead you astray, and the skills you learn as a young artist will help you in any field you choose! Storytelling is an incredibly powerful tool, and a vital one today.
How do you incorporate the principles of leadership and empowerment learned at Burke’s into your work?
“Educate, encourage, and empower!” As a professional actress, I take great joy in sharing both career and personal advice, helping young artists make connections within the industry, and guiding them to become the strongest, brightest versions of themselves. There is nothing better than giving back—or paying it forward, for that matter—in the arts. It is so wonderful to be able to pass along the mentoring that
was given to me as a young student. If I am playing a principal role in a show, I try to set the best example I can to everyone: that acting and performing is a team effort, no one truly is “the lead,” and that everyone should feel empowered—and excited—to use their voice.
Do you have any anecdotes about your time at Burke’s to share with us?
When I was in eighth grade, I was playing Alice Sycamore in Kaufman and Hart’s comedy, “You Can’t Take It With You.” We were performing on the lovely stage in the gym, and on one night, I had a particularly energetic entrance. I must have come in with quite a scurry, because as I stepped forward onto the set, I accidentally kicked my shoe right off of my foot and across the stage in a wide arc. Everyone saw it fly across the set—happily not hitting anyone— and totally amazingly for a 14-year-old—I did NOT laugh. I finished my line, walked over, picked up my shoe, and exited the stage. I was so proud of myself for “staying focused” and not “breaking.” This was a very important skill set to learn early; because as we know, things go wrong in live theatre all the time! (That’s one of the joys of live theatre, isn’t it?)
Anne Tolpegin (left) and Tracy Nagle (right) at graduation.
Hilary Magowan ’86
Hilary Magowan is the Associate Director of Exhibitions at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Hilary received her B.A. in art history from Connecticut College, and her M.A. in humanities with a concentration in art history from New York University. She began her art career in New York City at Christie’s, working in various departments including Old Master Paintings & Drawings, 19th Century Paintings, and Japanese and Korean Art. After receiving her MA, she worked as the director at the art gallery Sebastian Izzard Asian Art. In 2005, she returned to her hometown of San Francisco after over a decade working in the art world in NYC. In San Francisco, she was the director of Addison Fine Arts, a private art gallery, and she later founded her self-named art consulting company, where she advised private and corporate clients on purchases and sales of fine art. Hilary began working at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in 2012, and is responsible for organizing temporary exhibitions from the early planning stages through implementation, and has helped plan over fifty major exhibitions in various media, ranging from ancient to contemporary art. Hilary attended Burke’s from 1978-1986.
Can you share a specific experience or teacher at Burke’s who inspired you to pursue a career in the arts?
I loved humanities class, which was taught by Ann Perez in 8th grade. We studied the Renaissance, and I remember learning about the artistic and scientific genius of Leonardo da Vinci. We studied his drawings, paintings, and sculptures, and what was especially illuminating was learning that on top of his artistic achievements, he was also an amateur scientist, architect, and engineer, who experimented with flying machines and other inventions.
Mary Swope’s art class throughout Upper School made a big impression on me. Making art was a nice break from the rigorous academics at Burke’s, and my favorite class. One challenging and fun assignment was to create a bust from clay and then make a plaster cast of it, which was a complex, multi-step endeavor. The assignment took weeks to complete and taught me a lot about artistic process.
My mother, sister, and I moved to Paris, France after graduation, where I spent my ninth grade year. I visited many art museums and took a painting class after school when I lived in Paris. I did this in large part because of Ann Perez and Mary Swope’s influence on me.
What advice would you give to current Burke’s students who are considering a career in the arts?
I encourage students to be open-minded about the many different careers in the art world. For art jobs at non-profit institutions, museum internships are a great way to get experience and break into the competitive field. Art museums have many different departments such as retail, public relations, marketing, business, education, finance, exhibitions, design, registration, and more. Although curators are the museum job most people think of, they actually comprise a very small percentage of a museum’s staff.
In the for-profit art sector, auction houses, galleries, art fairs, and art advisories range from huge companies to small businesses, so try something out and see what kind of environment you enjoy. Try to be outgoing and curious, and strive to make a few strong professional connections as you are exploring various career paths. Put in the effort to sustain the professional relationships that are important to you even after you’ve moved on to another job.
For the artists out there, you can gain a lot by closely examining art from the past, which might inspire your own creativity. Participate in group exhibitions when the opportunity arises, and be resilient when receiving critiques from peers, teachers, or anyone whose opinion you seek as you continue to hone your craft.
How do you incorporate the principles of leadership and empowerment learned at Burke’s into your work?
I appreciated the excellent teachers and rigorous education at Burke’s that prepared me well for college, graduate school, and my career in the arts. Students were strongly encouraged to participate in class, share their opinions and ideas, and also to listen and ponder. While planning exhibitions at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, I work collaboratively with many different departments and a diverse group of colleagues. I encourage my co-workers to speak up, including staff who are just beginning their careers, since we can all learn from each other.
Do you have any anecdotes about your time at Burke’s to share with us?
The Burke’s campus is spectacular, and I loved participating in after school athletics—I played on a few sports teams. My favorite P.E. activity was when we held the “Olympics” on the blacktop outside of the Lower School and the field. We competed against our classmates in different events and it really brought out my competitive side!
Olivia Marwell ’15
Olivia Marwell is a sculptor from San Francisco, CA, working at the intersection of textiles and industrial materials. Influenced by her background in political science, feminist theory, photography, and fashion, Olivia’s work revolves around exploring the structural exploitations of the female body through the lens of domesticity as a complex economic and political institution. In 2019, Olivia moved across the country to attend Yale University, where she graduated Cumm Laude with a B.A. in fine art, was distinguished as a 2023 Swenson Scholar in the Arts, and received the 2024 Jonathan Edwards Arts Prize. She is a Norfolk School of Art alum, and currently serves as the Deborah Buck and Hilla von Rebay Foundations’ Studio Arts Fellow at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Olivia’s work has been exhibited across the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Connecticut, and New York. Notable exhibitions include “Think of Salad Days” at Morgan Lehman Gallery in Chelsea, along with her solo show “Decorum and Demolition” at Poon Family Gallery in Harford, CT. Olivia has received scholarship awards both from the Metal Museum in Memphis, TN, and from the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen, CO.
Can you share a specific experience or teacher at Burke’s who inspired you to pursue a career in the arts?
While I didn’t start actively pursuing the arts until I was in high school, I had a number of experiences during my time at Burke’s that nurtured my creativity. I served on the yearbook committee, starred in the eighth grade play, and spent a lot of time doodling in my notebook. However, I think the most formative creative experience I had at Burke’s was in sixth grade when I took my first photography class. To be honest, I don’t remember too much from the course, seeing as I took the elective over a decade ago, but I do remember that this is where I first developed an interest in cameras—an interest that ultimately led to a career as a professional fine artist. Though sculpture is my primary medium now, I began my journey as a photographer.
What advice would you give to current Burke’s students who are considering a career in the arts?
When I signed up for an art class in high school, I was tasked with choosing between painting, sculpture, and photography. Despite ranking photo as my first choice, I ended up in painting; however, remembering how much I loved taking photography at Burke’s, I decided that I was not ready to give up just yet, so I pleaded with the Dean of Students, who ultimately caved and was kind enough to rearrange my schedule so that I was able to take photography that year. From there, I began seriously pursuing the discipline, winning a number of national awards, and later moving to New Haven to study photography at Yale under some of the most renowned contemporary artists in the world. Had I never taken that photography class back in sixth grade, it’s not unreasonable to think that my trajectory over the past decade may have looked very different.
How do you incorporate the principles of leadership and empowerment learned at Burke’s into your work?
While my early introduction to photography was certainly critical, Burke’s commitment to instilling values of women’s empowerment in its students was even more influential to my artistic journey. I still remember my many research projects on trailblazing women, celebrating International Women’s Day every year, and reading the words “educate, encourage, and empower girls” on the gymnasium wall nearly every day for nine years. Burke’s storied commitment to uplifting women sparked my passion for feminist advocacy and intellectualism from a very young age, interests that have underpinned my creative practice since its birth.
Today, my work revolves around exploring structural exploitations of the female body through the lens of domesticity as a complex economic and political institution. Fundamentally, I’m interested in interrogating the hierarchies we have created as a society to systemically devalue women’s physical, spiritual, and intellectual contributions to the world. As such, I believe that being raised in an environment centered around fostering women’s excellence without any limitations has been foundational to the development of my objectives and identity both as an artist and as a woman.
What advice would you give to current Burke’s students who are considering a career in the arts?
On that note, my advice to students contemplating a career in the arts is to be interested in everything! Great artists are not just interested in art—they are deeply curious about the world around them, and they pursue these curiosities to no end. Being a great artist is not just about how well you can paint, draw, act, or sing—it’s about cultivating a nuanced and authentic perspective about the world, and to do that, you must care about it deeply.
We welcomed more than 130 alumnae from 1955 through 2012 to the annual Alumnae Reunion Luncheon, honoring milestone graduation years ’5 and ’0. This year, we had the privilege to hear from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan ’76e, the 2025 recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award.
The lovely luncheon room at the Marines’ Memorial Club was filled with a palpable sense of joy and excitement, reflecting the deep connections and cherished memories shared among us. It was a testament to the strong bonds that tie us together as members of the Burke’s community.
The event featured remarks from Head of School Michele Williams, the Alumnae Board and Luncheon
Chair Katy Congdon Williams ’96, and student speaker Morgan Pollak ’25, who shared her seventh grade speech about true happiness being found through appreciating and cultivating personal relationships.
We are grateful for your continued support and participation in our alumnae events. We look forward to seeing you at future gatherings and continuing to celebrate our shared connection to Burke’s.
If you are interested in becoming involved in planning the 2026 reunion, please email Melissa Sterling, Annual Giving & Alumnae Engagement Manager, at melissa.sterling@burkes.org.
Reunion Luncheon Photographer Valeriia Burkatov @gusevaphoto
2025 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AWARD: JENNIFER EGAN ’76E
The Katherine Delmar Burke School Distinguished Alumna Award is given each year to an alumna who embodies the values at the heart of the school’s mission to educate, encourage, and empower girls. The recipient exemplifies a life of learning, service to community, individuality, and the ability to make a difference in the world. The awardees are nominated by the alumnae community and voted on by the Alumnae Board.
Jennifer Egan ’76e is the author of several novels and a short story collection. Her 2017 novel, Manhattan Beach, a New York Times bestseller, was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and was chosen as New York City’s One Book One New York read. Her previous novel, A Visit From the Goon Squad, won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was recently named one of the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Her newest novel, The Candy House, a companion to A Visit From the Goon Squad, was named one of the New York Times’s 10 Best Books of 2022 and one of President Obama’s favorite reads of the year. She has served as President of PEN America and twice as Artist-in-Residence in the English Department at the University of Pennsylvania, where she has taught courses in 19th and 20th Century literature. Her year-long reporting on street homelessness and supportive housing in New York City was published in The New Yorker in September of 2023.
The following is from the speech given at the Alumnae Reunion Luncheon on February 7, 2025.
Hello to all of you: my fellow Burke’s alums, friends and family, and Burke’s icons spanning several generations. It’s such a pleasure to join you in celebrating a school that I am guessing lives powerfully in many our psyches. Now that I’m 62, which would have seemed a truly unfathomable age when I was a student at Burke’s from third to eighth grade, I find myself reflecting on the outsized presence
of those early memories: their deep influence on my imagination and my thinking. I’ve come to feel that childhood books and landscapes and experiences end up braided together inside each of us into a kind of individual mythology whose elements reverberate through the rest of our lives in much the same way that shared myths and stories operate on generations and millennia of human beings.
The sensory landscape of my origin myth includes an impression of fog moving among cypress trees; the particular crack a wooden stick makes against a field hockey ball; the feeling of walloping a tetherball or bouncing a big rubber ball across a two-square court. I have not played tetherball, field hockey or two-square in more than 50 years, but those sensations are viscerally present for me, and they make me
grateful, from an adult and especially a parent’s perspective, for the sheer beauty of the Burke’s campus and surroundings, and the amount of time we spent outdoors in the years I was there. I’m really struck by that in retrospect, as a New York parent: I was outside a lot at Burke’s, and I loved that.
But the interior landscapes I experienced at Burke’s are equally central in my memory: sitting crosslegged among rows of little girls in assembly, moving back one row each year as we got older. In fourth grade, for reasons I cannot recall, we were all in awe of an older girl named Heather, and we whispered and craned our necks to see where Heather was sitting in the row behind ours during assembly. It was in that Burke’s assembly hall— which I remember as being vast—that I encountered my first living writer, a woman who wrote children’s books. I had no thought of being a writer at that point—I wanted to be a doctor, like my grandfather, and I actually got in trouble from Mr. Hinton, my fifth grade teacher at Burke’s, for passing a note during science class complaining that I wanted to learn more about “the human body.” You can imagine how I liked it when Mr. Hinton caught me passing that note and read it aloud to the class.
But even though I had no conscious wish to become a writer, I was transfixed by this visiting author— whose name and works I sadly do not recall. She was probably in her thirties, a slight brunette, and she sat on the shallow steps leading down from the stage and talked to us. The appearance of Zeus or the President of the United States could not have astonished me more than this normal-seeming woman who had written a book. It seemed beyond belief—an actual miracle. And even though the one piece of advice I remember her giving us was “Write what you know,” which turns out to be the one thing I never really do, my memory of that encounter is so vivid, so seismic, that I can only think it must
have roused something in myself that I was not yet aware of.
I wonder whether any of my classmates would even remember that author’s visit, just as I wonder how many thousands of moments they remember that are completely lost to me. There is so much mystery around the meaning and impact of these childhood encounters that their power is often unknowable even to ourselves.
I’ll give you an example: When I was working on A Visit From the Goon Squad, my fourth novel, I struggled to find a way to conceptualize its structure—to understand what I was trying to do. That book and its more recent companion, TheCandyHouse, consist of individual stories written in very different styles, as if they were parts of different books—but I wanted them ultimately to cohere into a single whole that would snap into focus as one thing. In trying to picture the effect I wanted, I found myself remembering a project that I did at Burke’s in art class with our teacher, Miss Swope, a beloved art teacher of thirty years at the school, who has thrilled me to no end with her presence here today!
In this project, Miss Swope took a photograph—I think it was from a magazine, I don’t recall the image— she blew it up and drew a grid over it. Then she cut the blown-up image into squares and gave each of us one gridded square from the image and a larger square of blank paper that she had gridded proportionately. Our job was to sketch an enlarged version of our section of the image, using the grid to maintain its original scale so that our square would eventually realign with the ones around it. I remember working hard on my square, although I don’t remember what it contained. What I do remember was the surprise and delight of seeing our individual squares reassembled into a mural-sized version of the original, now rendered in an array of totally
different styles—because of course we had each drawn our square differently. It was magic. That process, and my excitement over the result, was the model I kept in my head as I worked on AVisitFromtheGoonSquad—and it may be why I ended up including a minor character in that novel who recognizably attended Burke’s, and still has one of her old uniforms in her closet. I think it was my unconscious way of acknowledging a debt: I have Mary Swope—I’m trying out her first name, more than 50 years later—and the school that brought us together, partly to thank for that book.
Even in almost 15 years of blabbing about AVisitFromtheGoonSquad and TheCandyHouse, I’ve never told this story before. It’s a little complicated to explain, it’s hard to picture—I’ve given you these details only because the anecdote involves a place and a teacher that we know and love. Impacts like the one I’ve just described are too subtle—too mysterious, frankly—to be measured, and hard to describe even if we’re aware of them, as I am in this case. And yet experiences like mine with Miss Swope contribute primally to that texture of personal mythology that is with each of us for the rest of our lives.
We in this room are lucky—we’re here because we know that and are grateful. So I’m going to close with a reminder to all of us, myself included, to support Burke’s, and arts education generally. So many kids get almost none, and that number is not likely to grow in the next four years. But I can promise you this because I know it firsthand: future artists and writers and creators and citizens are hungry for those moments of childhood revelation, and our future vitality as a culture—our richness—will depend on how well we’re able to satisfy their appetites.
Thank you again for this honor, and for your company.
Save the Dates!
Alumnae Reunion Luncheon 2026!
Friday, March 6, 2026
Marines’ Memorial Club & Hotel | 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Get ready to reconnect, reminisce, and celebrate! Our next Alumnae Reunion will honor milestone graduation years ending in ’1 and ’6, with special festivities planned for all classes. Which class will have the most in attendance? Could it be the Class of 1976 as they mark their Golden Reunion Year? We can’t wait to find out! Join us for a not-to-be-missed day filled with connection, school memories, and Burke’s spirit.
Interested in serving as a Class Rep and reconnecting with your classmates? Reach out to Melissa Sterling at melissa.sterling@burkes.org to get started or request a class list.
Alumnae Holiday Cookie Decorating
Friday, December 5, 2025
Burke’s Campus | 3:30-5 p.m.
Come celebrate the holidays at Burke’s at our annual cookie-decorating event. Burke’s alumnae and family members are welcome! An invitation with more details will be sent out in November.
Four School Alumni Happy Hour
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Harper & Rye | 6-8 p.m.
This multi-school Happy Hour is always a hit! Save the date and join alumni from Burke’s, Town, Hamlin, and Cathedral.
CLASS NOTES
Alumnae Updates From Burke’s
While our Inspirations | Alumnae in the Arts feature includes several alumnae making waves in the arts, many more are creating, performing, and shaping the cultural landscape in extraordinary ways. You will find them listed in the Class Notes below—and they are every bit as inspiring!
Class of 1951
ANN POTTER TAYLOR lives on her ranch in Woodland with her three horses and two dogs. She is a member of the Rotary and serves on the board.
Class of 1956
DR. SUSAN ROTHMANN SEELEY is blessed with ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She still enjoys substitute teaching.
Class of 1958
LYNN ARIAS BORNSTEIN has served as the 1958 Class Representative for 66 years. She would like to pass on that honor to anyone in her class who is interested.
Class of 1962
NANCY MACLEAN gives a shout out to her two best friends from Burke’s, Vicki Richards Burris and Betsy Hass Eisenhardt, whose friendships were so important to her.
Class of 1964
KATHERINE ASHLEY COBB says, “Wishing the class of 1964 a good year! Hoping all are well!”
SUSAN THOMPSON DIEDERICHSEN still lives in Palo Alto, and would love to hear how others from her class are doing.
CISSY MOORE HARRIS is still at Lone Mountain Children’s Center and loving it. She is a part-time instructor but has been teaching there since 1988.
LOUISE “LULU” KLEINSORGE
WILLIAMS is a visual artist who has written two books with illustrations, Squatters in 2016 and The Silver Lining, A Beastly Bagatelle in 2017. Her website features galleries and more to see: louisewilliamsimages.com.
Class of 1969
DONNA WAGNER works for a company that downsizes, organizes, and moves clients to smaller living spaces and assisted living communities. She also met up with some Burke’s alumnae: Carolyn Kenady ’70, Melissa Kenady ’69, Catherine Berl Deutsch ’69, and Bettina Devin ’69.
Class of 1974
JUDY KING-EDMEADE just retired from education. For her joint birthday-and-retirement celebration, she went to Toledo, Spain, Portugal, and Ghana with her family. She says simply, “I’m living and loving retirement!”
EVE ERICKSON QUESNEL’s book, Snow Fleas and Chickadees: Everyday Observations in the Sierra, has just been published by the University of Nevada Press. It will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. She has also written two other books, one of which she co-edited and another that she co-authored.
Class of 1967e
ELENA BOWES is a writer and podcaster. She runs a biweekly podcast, Elena Meets the Author, where she interviews authors whose books are neither “too low brow” nor “too high brow.” She also manages her own website, elenabowes.com, where people can read about her latest updates.
Class of 1978
VICTORIA TATUM WILSON is excited to announce that She Writes Press will be publishing her novel, More Than Any River, in January 2026.
Class of 1981
GILLIAN HERMAN NATHAN shares, “For those of you who remember Miss Swope, our wonderful art teacher, she lives at Rhoda Goldman Plaza, where my mother lives. They made friends the first time we visited. She is 91 and delightful. She insists I call her Mary, which took a while to get used to. I had such fun memories of her as a teacher. I visit her every week, and it’s always wonderful. She has a sumo wrestler on her walker and lots of silly hats. Mary is still making art and creating community.”
Class of 1984
DEIRDRE VISSER finished teaching a woodworking class at the Randall Junior Museum. With an M.F.A. in mixed media, she has taught at CIIS and the school formerly known as Mills College. Deirdre has curated galleries at CIIS and two woodworking exhibits in Philadelphia. Her 2022 book Joinery, Joists and Gender: A History of Woodworking for the 21st Century is the first publication of its kind to survey the long and rich histories of women and gender non-conforming persons who work in wood.
ANNE TOLPEGIN performed in “Being Alive: A Sondheim Celebration” at Silicon Valley Theatreworks last spring. Several Burke’s Class of ’84 alums came to support her!
Class of 1997
SAMANTHA “SAMMY” GOLDFIEN just moved back to the Bay Area. After graduating from NYU, she worked as a photographer, photo retoucher, and graphic designer for almost two decades in New York. Sammy recently relocated back to San Francisco to start her new job as a software image quality engineer at Apple, evaluating photos and image adjustments for creative apps. “It’s been a fun ride and so great that I’m back in my hometown, where I can still see my Burke’s friends on a regular basis,” she says.
Class of 1998
VIRGINIA RUSSELL is now a postdoc at UC Berkeley in microbiology. Her interest is in magnetic bacteria. She earned her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley last year.
Class of 2006
NEENA HOLZMAN is a painter whose first solo exhibition, “Just A Moment,” at Moth Belly Gallery ran last December through January. The exhibition boasted 26 new acrylic paintings.
Class of 2008
KATYA YUDIN just graduated from Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and looks forward to being a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Planned Parenthood.
Class of 2010
JULIA NEMY was married in Switzerland in December 2023. Celebrations were held in Truckee, CA and Erlach, Switzerland in September 2024.
Class of 2012
ALLTON VOGEL-DENEBEIM received her master’s degree in law and diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University in May 2024.
Class of 2014
SARAH MAHNKE-BAUM is an administrator for the SF Dental Society. She loves being back in San Francisco.
Class of 2022
RACHEL KIRK continues to pursue a life in the arts through her studies at the American Conservatory Theater and Saint Ignatius High School. She earned a 2025 Sara Bareilles Awards Nominee for Outstanding Supporting Performer for her role as Kitty in the Saint Ignatius production of The Drowsy Chaperone. She was also accepted into two highly competitive summer study programs, one at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and another hosted at Loyola Marymount University.
Edie Fleishacker Rindal, Ann Tolpegin, Tracey Nagle-Carlson
Anne Tolpegin, Emily Hobin Janowsky, Vaughan Woodson, and Lisa Guggenhime Hauswirth
In Memoriam
Burke’s is proud of its legacy of graduating strong, confident women. We sadly report the loss of these members of our alumnae family.
Elizabeth Boardman Ross ’38
Mary De Surville McDuffie ’41
Marie Wiley Ross ’47
Elna Gray Kusa ’48
Eleanor AndersonMiles ’69
Marcia Hart Swanson ’72
Judith Haas Stein Rehfeld ’75
Elizabeth Lyman Potter ’33
Marjorie Leonette Prince ’35
Shirley Fagan Banks ’43
Corinne Witt Wiley ’44
Elinor Trobbe Carol ’46
Whitney Lucas Stolich ’57
Lori Heatley Draper ’59
Laurie Westdahl ’60
Barbara Anne Neukom Bohn ’57
Grace Herrington Richard ‘53
2025-26 ANNUAL FUND
Support your alma mater, fellow alumnae, beloved faculty and staff, and generations of Burke’s girls.
MISSION Statement
HOW are the funds used:
Student Experience
Funds support our dynamic educational program, enhanced materials, technologies, and new learning experiences for our students.
Burke’s mission is to educate, encourage and empower girls. Our school combines academic excellence with an appreciation for childhood so that students thrive as learners, develop a strong sense of self, contribute to the community, and fulfill their potential, now and throughout life.
Faculty & Staff Support
To recruit and retain the best educators in the country, we must provide competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and excellent professional development opportunities.
Collaborative Tuition
This year Burke’s has awarded more than $3.1 million to almost 28% of our students. Your gift helps support Burke’s commitment to socioeconomic diversity.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Burke’s continues to invest in equity-minded professional development and inclusive, educational programming for students, families, and alums.
2024-25 ANNUAL FUND CO-CHAIRS
Jen Jarrett
Aurelie MacDonald
Michael Neruda
Maxine Raphael
ANNUAL FUND AMBASSADORS
Adam Ballew
Alex Barza
Greg Clapp
Austin Clark
Antonia Cohen
Jess Denning
Nikesh Desai
Hilary Exelrod
Jamie Ford
Michelle Harris
Mohammad Hirmand
Jann Jeung
Lindsay LaSalle
Sydney McDowell
Ben Portnoy
Tina Robertson
Jeremy Scherer
Inne Soemartono
Justine Van Buren
Annabelle Wong
Tom Yu
GRANDPARENT CHAIRS
Jeffrey Gaynor
Jessica Gaynor
2024-25 Annual Giving
Burke’s Annual Fund and 8th Grade Class Endowment
The Annual Fund directly and positively impacts the lives of our students, faculty, and community every day. It is the largest source of non-tuition revenue, comprising around 10% of the current operating budget. This critical support enables us to provide our students with extraordinary opportunities that enrich their educational experience.
The success of the 2024-25 Annual Fund is a testament to the dedication and generosity of our supporters. With an impressive 100% Board participation and an exceptional 99% parent participation, the fund surpassed expectations. We are proud to announce that we raised $2.1M, thanks to the commitment of our community members. These outstanding results are a clear indication of the value our community places on a Burke’s education and the desire to ensure its excellence for future generations.
A highlight of the 24-25 Annual Giving is the generous gift from the 8th Grade class of over $374,000, which will contribute to the growth of our endowment. This contribution will have a lasting impact, ensuring Burke’s continued excellence for years to come.
We are immensely grateful to all our donors, volunteers, and supporters for their generosity and commitment to Burke’s. Your contributions make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students, faculty, and the entire Burke’s community.
Thank you for supporting Burke’s and helping us thrive.
Scan the QR code to view a list of our generous Annual Fund supporters!
24-25 ANNUAL FUND | PERCENTAGE BY GRADE
Building Community Through Giving DONOR PROFILES
SUPPORTING BURKE’S MISSION WITH JOYFUL GIVING
Val Burkatov
Parent, Mom to Lia ’33
For Val Burkatov, becoming part of the Burke’s community meant more than just enrolling her daughter Lia in kindergarten—it meant stepping into a mission she deeply believes in. “I gave my first gift to Burke’s because I thought it was so important to be part of the giving community,” Val shared. “I want to help all the girls attending Burke’s.”
As a first-year parent, Val found creative ways to give back. By rallying friends and neighbors, she fundraised within her own community to make multiple small gifts—proof that every contribution, no matter the size, can have a powerful impact.
“It brings me happiness,” Val says of giving to Burke’s. “It’s a unique place that gives an incredible education to young girls.”
When she talks with others about supporting Burke’s, her message is clear and heartfelt: “It’s so important to help Burke’s and to make the community—and our world—a better place.”
To Val, Burke’s stands out for its deep commitment to girls’ growth and empowerment: “Everyone should know that Burke’s is a very special place. It’s empowering young girls to build identity and intelligence through a program of sharing, learning, and development. It’s very unique—and a very successful program with a long historical record of success.”
Investing in the Full Burke’s Experience Adam Ballew
Parent of Olivia ’29 and Audrey ’31, Husband of Rebecca Ballew
Adam Ballew’s connection to Burke’s began during an extraordinary time—Olivia’s kindergarten year in the midst of COVID. Despite the many limitations, Adam quickly came to understand the two-fold nature of a Burke’s education: one part shaped by its dedicated faculty and staff, and the other powered by an engaged and thoughtful parent community. Watching parents of older students step up to organize meaningful events for his daughter’s class inspired Adam to get involved however he could—most memorably by leading classroom camping trips and championing community-building events.
“For me, giving to Burke’s—both financially and with time—is about strengthening the whole experience for my daughters and everyone in the community,” he says. “Whether it’s hosting a parent social or encouraging Annual Fund participation, it all adds up to something bigger: a stronger, more connected community.”
Adam’s philosophy on giving is simple: do what you can, where you can. “Burke’s does an amazing job educating our daughters, but the full experience depends on families too. Donate your time. Donate what you’re able. Volunteer to lead tours, pitch in at events, or get to know your daughter’s class community. That’s what keeps the Burke’s magic going.”
He recalls a class picnic at Crissy Field during Olivia’s first grade year as a pivotal moment of reconnection after pandemic disruptions: “It was incredible to see the joy in the kids’ faces and to finally feel like we were building a community. That kind of experience reminded me why involvement matters.”
For Adam, Burke’s is more than a school—it’s a vibrant community that thrives when everyone contributes. “The amazing, diverse, interesting families who come together here are what make this such a special place. The more we invest in that, the more our daughters get out of it.”
Gratitude for Nurturing and Growth Angela Coo
Grateful Grandparent of Audrey ’29
For Angela Coo, supporting Burke’s is a way to say thank you—for the care, the community, and the impact the school has had on her granddaughter, Audrey.
“I feel incredibly fortunate that Audrey is part of the Burke’s community,” Angela shares. “It gives me such comfort to know she’s in an environment where she’s not only receiving an exceptional education but is also being nurtured and encouraged to grow into her full self.”
Angela sees the impact of Burke’s every day—from the thoughtfully designed curriculum to the deep relationships formed with teachers and peers. “It’s clear that Burke’s goes above and beyond to create an enriching, inclusive, and safe environment where girls are truly seen and supported.”
Her gift to the school is a reflection of that gratitude. “This is just a small way to say thank you—to help sustain the programs, resources, and experiences that are making such a positive difference in the lives of students like Audrey.”
Ways to Give
CASH, CHECK, OR CREDIT CARD
Gifts of cash, typically payable by check, and credit card gifts are tax deductible and provide immediate funds to the school.
The easiest way to give is online at www. burkes.org/give.
You can also send a check to: Katherine Delmar Burke School Advancement Office 7070 California Street San Francisco, CA 94121
CRYPTOCURRENCY
Burke’s now accepts select cryptocurrency donations at www.burkes.org/crypto. Donating cryptocurrency directly to Burke’s is a non-taxable event. Your gift will be larger because instead of paying capital gains taxes, Burke’s will receive the full value of your contribution. If you are interested in donating a cryptocurrency not listed on the website or have questions, please contact Yukiko Meadows, yukiko.meadows@burkes.org.
MATCHING GIFTS
Many companies offer their employees the opportunity to double — or in some cases triple — their gifts to certain programs or organizations by matching them. Please check with your employer about their Matching Gift Program.
SECURITIES & PROPERTY
Gifts of stocks, other securities, or property have two significant advantages to the donor — they are tax deductible for the full fair market value of the gift when it is made, and the donor does not pay capital gains on the appreciated value of the stock or property. Contact the Advancement Office for more information on making a gift of securities or property.
PLANNED GIVING
The Barbara Burke Legacy Society honors alumnae, past parents, grandparents, current parents and friends who have remembered Burke’s by bequest in their estate plans or who have made a life income gift or other type of planned gift. You can become a member by:
• placing Burke’s in your will
• making Burke’s the beneficiary of a retirement account
• making a gift of a life insurance policy
(a gift of life insurance can result in tax savings and can be made through an existing or a new life insurance policy)
• establishing a charitable trust
• making a gift of real estate or other tangible property
Each of these gifts can result in substantial tax savings for the donor. Please consult the Advancement Office or your tax adviser for more information.
Please notify the Advancement Office if you have made a deferred or planned gift to Burke’s so that you will be included in The Barbara Burke Legacy Society.
OTHER DEFERRED GIFTS
It is possible to make gifts of property that may allow income tax benefits for the donor during his or her lifetime, may be used during the lifetime of the donor, and which would revert to Burke’s, with possible estate tax savings. Institutions can achieve stability and growth through planned giving. Contact your tax adviser for specific advice that relates to your particular circumstances.
GIFTS IN KIND
Burke’s welcomes donations such as classroom supplies, athletic equipment and other items related to the educational program, as well as donations of auction items to the annual Burke’s Benefit. Gift value is determined by the donor through appraisal or a record of purchase. Please contact the Advancement Office if you would like to make a gift in kind.
For more information about making a gift of any type, please contact Yukiko Meadows, Director of Advancement, at 415.666.3204 or yukiko.meadows@burkes.org. To make a gift online, please visit www.burkes.org/give.