Full Circle 2025

Full Circle CASTILLEJA SCHOOL MAGAZINE • SPRING 2025

Women Learning, Women Leading

INTERIM HEAD OF SCHOOL

“The same things that drew me to Castilleja continue to be points of huge pride for the school.”

Dear Castilleja Community, I have been working in schools long enough to know that every year seems to move more quickly than the last, but I have to admit that this year was even more fleeting—perhaps because it is my only one as Interim Head of School.

A LASTING IMPRESSION Since I began my work in girls’ schools in the eighties, I have always admired Castilleja, and I’m not alone. The school is known far and wide for its inspiring faculty, innovative programs, vibrant traditions, and incredibly engaged students who graduate to make an impact in their communities. It was one thing to know this from afar, but another thing entirely to see it for myself every day. I am truly amazed by our students’ initiative, sense of community, support for each other, optimism, and ability to infuse joy into everything they do. Most of all, I am impressed by their capacity to hold and examine the full complexities of the issues that matter most to them. They are truly remarkable people and this moment around the Circle with them has made a lasting impression on me.

In the pages of this magazine, you will find stories about our programs this year—some new and some time-tested. You will hear from faculty who are looking forward to our modernized campus, and I have a front-row seat to the progress on Phase 1 from my home in Lockey House. You will also hear from alums who have chosen to go into education themselves.

Schools with compelling missions like Castilleja create leaders, and they also inspire graduates to return to education based on their own positive experiences as students. It’s another meaning of the phrase “Full Circle” to read about how this school has informed and shaped their pedagogy and leadership in their schools now.

A CHERISHED CHAPTER I understand their perspective because my time at Castilleja has played a meaningful role in my final professional chapter. Throughout this year, I have felt welcomed and supported by the faculty and staff every step of the way. Being able to share my experience guiding students, faculty, and communities through times of transition has been an honor that I will cherish forever. The same things that drew me to Castilleja continue to be points of huge pride for the school. I feel lucky to be able to contribute to preparing this special school for the arrival of the new Head of School Dr. Betty Noel-Pierre this summer and I look forward to visiting campus from time to time, including the moment when we will cut the ribbon on our new campus!

Sincerely,

Julia Russell Eells Interim Head of School

CONTENTS Welcome Interim Head of School Julia Russell Eells 24

Q&A with Christine Nawas Courtney ’02

ALUMS GIVING BACK

25

Bourn Lab Middle School STEM Experiences

2

Alums in Education Sarah Vander Ploeg Beck ’02

26

Global Week Bridging Divides: Listening and Learning

3

Student Art

30

Come As You Are DEIJB: Building Belonging

4

Alums in Education Aleia Carr McDaniel ’96

32

Visual and Performing Arts Helen JohansenHA

5

Alums in Education Christie Westly ’18

34

Athletics Basketball

6

Student Art Ceramics

36

Around the Circle Middle School

7

Alum Arborist A Passion for Trees

38

Around the Circle Upper School

8

Alums in Education Castilleja Employees

40

The Next Wanderers Celebrating the Class of 2025

9

Casti Connect A Whole New Circle

10

Reunion/Alum Day Alum Awards

NOW

SOON 42

On Spieker Field Casti Village

43

New Campus Dedicated Spaces for Programs

46

Retirements Dan ChapmanHA and Ann GreysonHA

12

Special Guest Dr. Betty Noel-Pierre Visits

14

Student Art Portraits

15

Arrillaga Speaker Scott Harrison

ALWAYS

16

A Legacy of Listening Katherine Hass ’14 Fellowship

48

Reunion/Alum Day Celebrating our Alums

18

Middle School Community Action Day

50

Class Notes Alumnae Updates

20

Upper School Advanced Topics and Leadership

55

Student Art Fantasy Land

22

Library Services Supporting Research

56

In Memoriam Forever in our Circle

23

Q&A with Alexis Richardson Pagnia

57

Castilleja Leadership with Full Circle Notes

Spring 2025 | 1

ALUMS IN EDUCATION

“The strength of community is more essential than ever.”

RECOGNIZING THE POWER OF EDUCATION, SARAH VANDER PLOEG BECK ’02 FINDS HER CALLING IN SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Sarah Vander Ploeg Beck ’02, who has recently been appointed the Head of School at Windward School in Los Angeles, credits Castilleja and her parents for her lessons about the power of education. “My family and Castilleja faculty made me believe that I had the ability to make the world better, whichever path I chose for myself,” Sarah says. “I left Castilleja believing I could be a leader.”

Sarah’s family is deeply connected to the school. Her sisters, Anne Vander Ploeg ’06 and Kate Vander Ploeg McCracken ’04, both graduated from Castilleja, and Kate returned from 2020 to 2023 to serve as the Director of Counseling. Her mother Jeanne taught economics at Castilleja from 1998 to 2001, and her father Mark served as a trustee from 2004 to 2010.

After Castilleja, Sarah earned a degree in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and worked in the private sector. Eventually, she decided to pivot to her true passion: education. Sarah got a master’s degree in secondary education in Washington, D.C., where she lives with her family.

“My dad was the first in his family to graduate from college, and education was a transformative force in his life,” Sarah explains. “My mom, too, was an inspiration. She pursued an MBA at a time when very few women did, and she was always committed to learning, whether through formal education or informal avenues.”

Sarah started her career in education as a 7th grade history teacher, eventually becoming Director of Student Services at Glasgow Middle School in Falls Church, Virginia. During this time, she earned the title of Fairfax County Public Schools’ Outstanding Leader of the Year and the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from George Washington University. Later, she joined The Langley School, where over time, she served as Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Lower School Head, and Assistant Head for Programs.

She is currently Interim Head of Upper School and Assistant Head for Academics at The Potomac School.

To Sarah, school administration feels like a true calling. It’s where she can support students and teachers alike. “Right now it seems like communities are harder and harder to come by,” she says.

“Schools have become some of the strongholds where communities are intentionally created and cultivated. Kids can thrive, and families 2 | Castilleja Full Circle

can feel connected, and faculty can do purposeful and impactful work. From the upheaval of COVID to the political divisions and the wildfires in Los Angeles, we’ve seen how vulnerable communities can be during times of crisis,” Sarah adds. “The strength of community is more essential than ever.”

At Castilleja, Sarah drew inspiration from teachers, who were her educators, role models, and mentors, too. She found special meaning in her “Coming of Age” English class, taught by Cissy LewisHA, where she was asked to connect assignments to her own life. She also remembers reading complex texts in 8th grade history class, taught by Joseph MitchellHA. In college, she was surprised to see that her classmates were encountering these texts for the first time.

Sarah also cherishes her Castilleja friendships with classmates and with girls in different grades, which she cultivated while carpooling with older students, working on the school newspaper, and playing on the soccer and softball teams.

At Castilleja, she also learned to encourage others to share their stories and speak out. As an administrator, Sarah regularly hosts panels and professional development sessions dedicated to practicing asking difficult questions and developing listening skills.

These skills are foundational for learning and for building school communities, she says. “It connects to civil discourse. If you can slow down and listen and really understand people’s stories, it can break down stereotypes during this polarized political moment in our society.”

People have different motivations for pursuing leadership careers.

“Some people get into leadership to fix something they had a bad experience with,” Sarah says. Others encounter the opposite. “I’m lucky enough, because of Castilleja, for it to be the latter. I had such a positive experience as a student. To be able to offer that to students, families, and faculty feels like a real gift.”

STUDENT ARTIST Chloe You ’25 Spring 2025 | 3

ALUMS IN EDUCATION

“It started with Castilleja.”

FROM STUDENT LEADER TO EDUCATOR AND COMMUNITY ACTIVIST, ALEIA CARR MCDANIEL ’96 JOINS THE ALUMNAE BOARD TO HELP STEER THE FUTURE OF CASTILLEJA When Aleia Carr McDaniel ’96 talks about Castilleja, her eyes light up. The school equipped her with the tools to become an accomplished educator and a community activist. For 25 years, Aleia has been teaching and leading educators from Chicago to Dallas to Newark, empowering students and teachers when they need it most.

“The teachers really saw me in ways that I didn’t see myself,” says Aleia as she looks back at the faculty and staff, who helped her feel like she belonged. The adults in her life—from the former Director of Admissions Jill LeeHA to Spanish teacher Flaurie Imberman to the head of the theatre program Bear CapronHA—supported and encouraged her to participate in the many activities the school offered. Mr. Capron convinced her to audition for a theatre production. “No, you are going to be in the musical!” he said when she tried to get out of it, unsure of herself. Señora Imberman served as her advisor, coaching her to be fearless and work through adversity.

Aleia thrived at Castilleja, even though the Circle did not always feel like home to her. “At times, Castilleja was a mixed bag for me.

It was really difficult in many ways,” says Aleia. “We had very few teachers of color. And I was going through so much personally— there was family addiction and poverty backgrounds for a lot of us.

There was no space to acknowledge that and to feel psychologically safe,” she says. “I was very thankful for the administrators and teachers who may not have had the language themselves, but were intentional that we felt seen.”

“One of the coping mechanisms for me was to be busy,” explains Aleia. “Those things helped me feel empowered at a time when I felt out of control in other ways in my life. It catalyzed so much of who I was. I learned to have courage and confidence.” She embraced every leadership and student government opportunity that she could. She started the African American Student Union (now Black Student Union) and served as its president. She was the founding member of Rainbow Alliance, the gay-straight student alliance. She was the class Vice President and also the Student Body Vice President. She spent her summers tutoring girls in the Peninsula Bridge program and working as a counselor at Casti Camp. She was even a student teacher for a freshman health class on campus.

She carried that confidence with her beyond the Circle, sitting in her Engineering Calculus class as a college student at Barnard, where none of the young women raised their hands. No one except for Aleia, that is. “It was so bizarre to me. I saw the power of having this 4 | Castilleja Full Circle

strong foundation. Who else was I going to be except for a Castilleja woman?!” she exclaims.

After college, Aleia took a bit of a detour to teach before continuing her studies later in Educational Policy and Social Analysis. She spearheaded an educational program for girls in East Palo Alto and then served as a Teach for America Corps fellow. And there was no going back.

“I fell in love with teaching,” says Aleia. “The teaching bug bit me!”

Her resume is illustrious. Aleia has taught middle school history and high school English nationwide. She is now Managing Director of Uplift Education, a nonprofit public charter school network in North Texas, where she oversees five schools.

“I started this work because I wanted to ensure that we had the best teachers in the classrooms. We have to have leaders in order to develop and sustain schools. Having a seat at the table is really powerful and it’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly.

Having a voice in the decisions and the direction we get to go truly is revolutionary,” she says. There are many issues schools are grappling with, from COVID-related learning loss and trauma to shrinking budgets and political changes.

Over the years, Aleia has maintained close friendships with former classmates and last year, she joined the Castilleja Alumnae Board, helping steer alum engagement and participate in the life and the future of the school.

“One thing that has always been near and dear to my heart is Castilleja doesn’t always get it right, but we’re always trying,” says Aleia. “The school has always been willing to be introspective around what we are getting right, and what we have to face and reconsider and adjust.”

Looking back at her career, she says it was her community of East Palo Alto and Castilleja that ignited her passion to serve. “It didn’t come out from the ether,” says Aleia. “It really started because of work that I had done as a student leader. It started with Castilleja.”

ALUMS IN EDUCATION

“The teachers and staff cultivated community.”

AS SHE FULFILLS HER LIFELONG AMBITION OF BECOMING A TEACHER, CHRISTIE WESTLY ’18 FINDS INSPIRATION FROM HER OWN TEACHERS

Christie Westly ’18, always knew she wanted to be a teacher.

“My inspiration started very early in my life with my kindergarten teacher,” Christie says. “She instilled the love for learning in me.”

As Christie grew, so did her childhood dream, especially when she realized how deeply her family was invested in education. She heard stories about her great-grandmother, who was a kindergarten teacher, and about her grandmother’s experiences as an art docent at Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. Even her father, who worked in the private sector, decided to become a college lecturer.

Now as an adult, Christie regularly visits the kindergarten teacher at her old elementary school. Except now, instead of explaining the ABCs and shapes, that teacher is Christie’s beloved mentor and professional peer. The two enjoy talking shop and discussing new educational trends.

Christie currently teaches 3rd grade at Springer Elementary School in the Los Altos School District, just a few miles from where she grew up. Third graders captured her heart right away when she was student-teaching: so much so that Christie has never considered working with other ages. “They’re still at that age when they love going to school, they love learning and arts and crafts and also rich discussion,” Christie explains.

She knows that a good teacher doesn’t only impart knowledge, but also forms character and confidence. It’s a lesson she traces back to Castilleja, and it happens to align with the school’s 5 C’s: Conscience, Courtesy, Character, Courage, and Charity.

“When I came to Castilleja, I was on the quieter side and I still am, but it also opened a horizon of ’Hey, I can really do anything I want.’

And I had a lot of friends who also felt that way. Nothing was really stopping them. They were pursuing whatever passions that they had,” Christie remembers.

Castilleja is also where Christie learned about the power of the school community. “The teachers and the staff cultivated community among their classes and among their grade level,” remembers Christie. “It wasn’t an experience I had before I got to Castilleja. It was very intentionally planned with advisories and a support system in place.”

Since leaving the Circle, she’s noticed that this support structure doesn’t always exist at every school. That’s why Christie works hard to change this every day in her own classroom. For example, she loves getting students excited about math and science, yet she is also aware of the enduring—even if implicit—bias against girls in these disciplines.

“I am more cognizant of looking out for the female students in my class, especially around those STEM subjects,” says Christie. She tries to strike a balance: whenever she calls on two boys in class for an answer, she will also call on two girls. “Hey, you can enjoy that too! It’s not just something that the boys get to do!” is the message she wants to send.

When her students undertake a group task, she’s noticed, the boys often tend to take control of the projects. However, “if you change the task a little bit or make the group sizes smaller, you can see the shift. The girls are a lot more engaged,” explains Christie.

She also loves studying educational approaches and new technologies, as well as seeing how students learn math through interactive apps and educational websites. Christie is involved with choosing the science curriculum for her district. She encourages students to ask questions and to engage with hands-on projects, videos, and with each other, be it about how magnetism works or how much weight a bridge can withstand.

“My teachers at Castilleja were knowledgeable and dedicated to their subjects. The high quality of teachers and their own educational background and experiences are very unique and special to Castilleja,” Christie says. “It helps me strive to be the best I can be, so that I can teach in an effective and engaging way.”

Spring 2025 | 5

CERAMICS Student sculptors studio work showcases meticulous detail and form.

6 | Castilleja Full Circle

ALUM ARBORIST

A Passion for Trees Deanne Ecklund ’96, has a special connection to the trees at Castilleja, not only because she is the arborist of the campus modernization project, but also because she’s a Castilleja alum.

FINDING NATURE “It was exciting to return and to be asked to join the team,” says Deanne, owner of Calyx Tree and Landscape Consulting.

The gym is new, she noticed, and the Gunn Administration building was updated, and the turf on the Circle has changed. Yet the campus feels familiar in many ways. “I remember spending many lunch times and free periods on the grass in the sun on the Circle,” she says. One of her most memorable Casti experiences happened the summer before senior year, when two teachers led six rising seniors on a week-long backpacking trip in Yosemite. “It was my first true immersion in nature, and the experience was formative.”

In college, Deanne majored in math, but she was still ambivalent about what to do next. “I’ve always loved nature and being outdoors has always been my sanctuary. I love plants, so ultimately I decided to follow my passion for trees,” she says. Deanne then earned a horticulture degree and became an arborist. She soon joined the City of Palo Alto’s Urban Forestry department; later, she worked for an arboricultural consulting company, and finally as an independent consultant.

Because Deanne knows Castilleja’s landscape architect and the City of Palo Alto’s arborist from previous projects, they work well as a team. She is responsible for inspecting all the trees at Castilleja, making sure the roots and the canopies are not impacted by construction, that they’re being watered appropriately, and that the utilities aren’t placed too close.

Deanne helped with the temporary “rolling” relocation of two oaks and two strawberry trees with the use of inflatable rollers and a crane, performed by a specialized contractor company. She also works closely with the general contractor, ensuring construction activities do not encroach on tree protection zones or result in over-pruning of the canopies.

TREES FOR WELLNESS Trees don’t only beautify school campuses; they also impact student well-being. “There’s so much interesting research about how nature at schools can benefit students,” says Deanne. “Trees reduce anxiety and boost mood. Being in nature improves focus and mental clarity, and students perform better on exams if a window has a view of trees or parks. Most of my projects are development related, and in a lot of cases, the developer would rather remove all the trees and replace them because it’s faster and easier.” However, she adds, “the nice thing about this project is it’s clear that Castilleja has prioritized the trees and is willing to go the extra mile to make sure that they survive.”

TREE HUGGERS Castilleja Superintendent Dan ChapmanHA and Arborist Deanne Ecklund ’96 manage the removal and safeguarding of campus trees which will be replanted after construction.

Spring 2025 | 7

ALUMS IN EDUCATION

Coming Home

CASTILLEJA ALUMS RETURN AS FACULTY AND STAFF

Many Castilleja graduates take what they have learned about teaching and learning and apply those lessons in other schools. And some alums return to work at Castilleja and apply those lessons to make this community stronger. A few of our current alum employees have shared what they appreciate most about joining Castilleja in a new role and what continues to surprise them about Castilleja after all these years.

Liz Babb ’82 Director of Alumnae Engagement

Emily Bender ’89 Visual and Performing Arts Faculty, Vocal Teacher

The biggest surprise has been rediscovering how deeply Castilleja’s traditions, values, and connections endure beyond graduation. I knew our alum community was strong, but seeing the enthusiasm, generosity, and willingness to support one another in action has been even more inspiring than I expected. It’s a testament to the lasting impact of a Castilleja education.

I love seeing the ways Casti has grown and changed. The Middle School, as a distinct entity with a rich culture and curriculum of its own, serves our youngest students very well! I also really appreciate that the school invests time and energy into shifting dynamics around implicit bias, challenging students and faculty to reflect on our own positionalities and how we can be part of creating change.

Ellen Stewart Moore ’80 Director of Events and Parent Engagement Honestly, the biggest surprise was to learn the depth of thought and care that goes on behind the scenes to ensure Castilleja functions at its best. As a student and even as an alum, one truly has no idea about all the work that goes on to improve educational programs, foster innovation, and create meaningful experiences.

8 | Castilleja Full Circle

INTRODUCING

Casti Connect: A Whole New Circle This year, Castilleja has launched a powerful new way of bringing our alum community together: Casti Connect (alum.castilleja.org). Whether you’d like to reach out to a fellow alum, join a group discussion, or give back to the school by helping current students, this platform makes it easy. Eli Thornburg ’16 found an alum walking buddy in Alaska using the platform; Erin McLaughlin ’10 found advice and mentorship on her career from other alums after a move back to the Bay Area; Allison Marston Danner ’89 offered mentorship to Maddie Park ’27 on a career in law.

Join over 700 alums who have already created an account on Casti Connect to:

Caroline New ’01 Director of the Capital Campaign and Major Gifts I truly appreciate the opportunity to give back to a place that had a pivotal role in shaping who I am and taught me lessons like how to navigate friendships, how to keep my hand raised, and how to play a team sport. Little things like the piles of backpacks, walking by my old classrooms, or the Carved Doors can suddenly remind me of decorating lockers or conjugating Latin verbs…I get glimpses of myself as a student and smile at how far I’ve come.

BUILD MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS • Network with alums in similar industries, find mentors, explore job opportunities, and collaborate professionally.

• Reunite with classmates, teachers, and peers.

• Start a social group based on location, grad year, or shared hobbies.

• Share your milestones and stories to remain connected to lifelong friends.

EXPLORE RESOURCES • Access our Alum Small Business Directory and our Alum Authors List.

• Stay informed about reunions, webinars, and regional event gatherings to remain involved with the community.

ENGAGE WITH THE SCHOOL • Volunteer to mentor students, join committees, participate in initiatives that support the Castilleja student and alum community, and donate.

• Access the latest school updates, achievements, and community stories.

Heather Allen Pang ’84HA P ’17 History Faculty and Department Lead After 25 years of working here, I love that no matter how many things change, some fundamentals stay the same. My high school self couldn’t have imagined the technology we have today or how the uniform is not so uniform anymore.

But she would recognize the strong relationships students have with one another and with their teachers and see how much every adult here cares about students and learning.

Check out Casti Connect.

It’s a whole new Circle! alum.castilleja.org

Spring 2025 | 9

CASTILLEJA ALUMS

Reunion/Alum Day Alum Awards Last fall, our alum celebration brought together tradition and innovation. Alums enjoyed a performance by the Upper School Rock Band, and rather than a formal luncheon of years past, guests and their spouses mingled at a cocktail party. The event was made even more special with 12 Honorary Alums—those who worked at Castilleja for over a decade—in attendance. The friendships Castilleja students forge with their peers are incredibly strong, but their relationships with beloved teachers also withstand the test of time long past graduation.

GOLDEN CIRCLE Alums marking 50 or more years since graduation attended a Golden Circle Luncheon. This year, they were 28 strong. Celebrating her 75th reunion was Joan Aubineau Livingston ’49, who proudly wore her class ring and sang her senior song.

Award winners Judy Lawrence ’69, Heather Allen Pang ’84HA P’17, and Jessica Hazlett Kaplow ’04

This year, three alums received awards. All alums can submit nominations, which are reviewed and voted on by the Alumnae Board.

DISTINGUISHED ALUM AWARD Judy Lawrence ’69 received the Distinguished Alum Award for consistently demonstrating the 5Cs—Conscience, Courtesy, Character, Courage, and Charity— in personal, professional, and community life.

CASTILLEJA SERVICE AWARD Middle School History teacher Heather Allen Pang ’84HA P’17 received the Castilleja Service Award for her exceptional commitment to Castilleja.

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME ALUM AWARD Jessica Hazlett Kaplow ’04 earned the first-ever Alum Athletic Hall of Fame award for outstanding contributions to sports before and after graduation.

10 | Castilleja Full Circle

Director of Alumnae Engagement Liz Babb ’82 and Joan Aubineau Livingston ’49

2024 Reunion by the Numbers

115

ALUMS AND HONORARY ALUMS ATTENDED

33%

MORE ALUMS ATTENDED THAN LAST YEAR

43

GRADUATION YEARS REPRESENTED

104

REGISTRANTS FOR CHAPEL SYMPOSIUM, THE MOST ATTENDED EVENT

2004

GRADUATION CLASS WITH THE MOST ATTENDEES

CELEBRATING ALUMS IN NONPROFIT SECTOR The event also featured a panel discussion with alums making an impact in the nonprofit sector, including: Nancy FlowersHA P’87 ’88 who taught English and World Religions at Castilleja from 1973 to 1995 and then thrived in a new career: human rights education at Amnesty International.

Pamela Hawley ’87, the founder and CEO of UniversalGiving™, an award-winning nonprofit that helps people give and volunteer with vetted opportunities all over the world.

Dayna Li ’10, an actor and director focused on human rights and social justice. She is a Fellow at Young Professionals in Foreign Policy and Director of its Rising Experts Program.

The Class of 2004 won the Castilleja Cup, awarded during Reunion/Alum Day to the milestone class with the highest number of donors leading up to Reunion, bringing in over 30 donors! You can find more pictures from the event beginning on page 46 and on Casti Connect at alum.castilleja.org.

Mark your calendars for the next Reunion/Alum Day on Saturday, September 27, 2025 on campus. All years are welcome!

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: Top left: Claire Traum ’17; Top right: Casti Cup winners Class of 2004; Nancy FlowersHA P’87 ’88; Pamela Hawley ’87, Dayna Li ’10; Coralie AllenHA; and Jeannine MarstonHA, Elyce MelmonHA, Peggy McKeeHA, and Nancy FlowersHA

Spring 2025 | 11

VERY SPECIAL GUEST

Feeling Right At Home Dr. Betty Noel-Pierre, Castilleja’s Next Head of School, Comes for a Visit

When students emerged from their first period classes onto the Circle for morning break in early March, they saw a familiar face: Dr. Betty Noel-Pierre, their incoming Head of School, was back for another visit.

A group of 7th grade students immediately approached her and offered reassurance about her upcoming move. “Don’t worry about beginning new here. We’ve all been new to Castilleja at some point,” one of them told her. Another added, “You’ll feel at home really quickly.” Their comfort and confidence in sharing their own experiences were proof enough.

In many ways, Dr. Noel-Pierre already seems to be completely in her element at Castilleja. As other Upper School students crossed the Circle, they stopped to talk with her, laughing as they shared details about their classes and what they like to do after school.

Dr. Noel-Pierre took in their insights and asked questions.

From there, her schedule included a whirlwind of back-to-back meetings. Over the course of five days, with her signature warmth and genuine curiosity, she reconnected with students and employees, attended the annual retreat for the Board of Trustees, took to the Chapel Theater Stage for not one but two fireside chats with board member Jeff Wong P’24, and even cheered for the Gators at the basketball play-off game in San Francisco.

At the fireside chats, Jeff Wong, who was a co-chair of the Head of School Search Committee, reminded the audience that Dr. NoelPierre was the unanimous choice among a field of international and domestic candidates. And now as the Chair of the Transition 12 | Castilleja Full Circle

Committee, he asked her to share a bit about what drew her to become a scientist, a teacher, and a leader in girls’ schools. “I draw my best stories and most of who I am from my family,” said Dr. NoelPierre “I’m from a big family and everything was about education or about church. With school, part of the emphasis was about making a better life for yourself. It was a practical matter, right? But it was also the pursuit of knowledge, really and truly. My family wanted me to think about what interested me and how I was going to give back in this life.”

From when she was very young, Dr. Noel-Pierre was interested in science, and her mother supported this passion in every way possible. “My mother understood that Chapin was the right school for me.” Dr. Noel-Pierre added that outside of school her mother let her have an ant farm—a true stretch for someone who wasn’t entirely keen on welcoming a multitude of insects into the house. Even with her natural pull toward STEM, Dr. Noel-Pierre still appreciates how her Chapin teachers opened her mind to other disciplines.

“I still remember going outside to a park across the street from our school with one of my high school English teachers to read and write poetry.”

As she pursued her PhD in Microbiology, she had her first exposure to teaching, and it changed the trajectory of her life. “I loved the research, but I also loved thinking about science and answering questions, which happened most often when I was working with my students.” This desire to be in active conversation with students shines through, and the Castilleja students who swarmed to her around the Circle could clearly feel it.

After attending a girls school from Kindergarten to 12th grade, Dr. Noel-Pierre’s understanding of the power of the single-gender learning environment became more clear to her when she began teaching in co-ed classrooms. “I think there’s a certain joy and power of being that working in a girls’ school provides—where everyone understands each other, and where the whole focus of teaching is how do we get girls to learn even more deeply?” After years of holding leadership roles in some of New York City’s most prestigious schools, she says, “Believe it or not, I consider myself rather introverted, and the girls’ setting allowed me to develop my confidence to speak up and enter different spaces. I think it’s still necessary today to create those spaces where girls can just be themselves as they find their voices.”

When asked what her first impressions of Castilleja were, she said, “The students.” Then she stopped speaking for a moment and raised her open palms in wonder, adding, “They’re so amazing. I was really struck by their kindness. I genuinely felt that between grade levels, between divisions, there was this camaraderie and ability to be happy with and for each other.”

She has also developed an appreciation for their leadership. “They’re excellent project managers. I met with the Upper School student government, and they said, ’Alright, we’re going to start by telling you our goals for the year, and then we’ll tell you where we are currently.’ And then they pulled out the spreadsheet! They were so on top of it and clear about their goals. Learning. Leading. You see it on the website, but then you meet these kids and you understand what it really means.”

At the close of the fireside chats, Jeff Wong admitted that every time Dr. Noel-Pierre comes for one of these busy visits, he said, ’People ask me, ’How is she doing; how is this transition?’ I tell everyone, ’She’s exactly the same.’ She’s been herself, and continues to be herself every step of the way, which makes me so excited for her leadership.”

Dr. Noel-Pierre acknowledged that being able to be authentic as she learned about the school helped her understand that this was the right place for her. “As the conversations went on, I always felt free to continue to be myself, so I knew this was the right community for me. I feel so lucky to be here now. I’m really looking forward to diving more deeply into all areas of school life. I feel like I’ve found my home.”

Over the summer, Dr. Noel-Pierre and her family will relocate to Palo Alto, and, according to the 7th graders who greeted her around the Circle in March, they will feel at home in no time.

Spring 2025 | 13

FACE TO FACE Visual artists explore dimension and texture with multi-media portraits. Artists clockwise from top left: Emma Ping ’27, Belle Chen ’27, Katrina Huang ’27, Ellie Kang ’27, and Christine Ryu ’25.

14 | Castilleja Full Circle

ARRILLAGA SPEAKER

Work with No End CHARITY: WATER FOUNDER SCOTT HARRISON PROVIDES SAFE DRINKING WATER TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD As a child, Scott Harrison intended to become a doctor to cure intractable diseases. His mother struggled throughout her life after carbon monoxide poisoning, and he wanted to help people like her.

Then, at eighteen, he discovered New York City. He spent the next decade as a nightclub promoter, “chasing status and hanging out with celebrities, until I woke up one morning and realized I had done nothing for anyone else,” says Harrison.

A YEAR OF GIVING AND DISCOVERY At that point, Harrison, this year’s Arrillaga Speaker, decided to start his life over by volunteering for a year, but he was rejected by a long list of organizations. “They weren’t looking for former nightclub promoters,” he explained.

Eventually, one group offered a role as a photojournalist in post-war Liberia—if he paid them $500 a month.

He boarded a hospital ship, and his original life goal, to cure diseases, resurfaced. Twenty-eight of the illnesses he saw on the ship were caused by drinking unsafe water. He also learned that back on land, the education of young girls in particular was cut short for the same reason. “You see girls walking for hours to bring water back to their families. And half the schools don’t have toilets, so teenage girls drop out after they hit puberty—they fall behind after staying home five days every month.”

CLEAN WATER: A SOLVABLE PROBLEM He was inspired to take action. “I realized this was a completely solvable problem,” says Harrison. “We have the money. There’s not a single human being on earth right now who needs to drink dirty water.” The challenge was creating the will to allocate the resources.

This was when his seemingly irrelevant experience as a promoter came in handy. He returned to New York and invited everyone he knew to his own birthday party with one hitch—to enter, they had

“If you can embrace that there is no end point, you can look back one day and realize you have done more than you ever imagined was really possible.” ­ SCOTT HARRISON, – FOUNDER, CHARITY: WATER to put $20 in a box. Afterward, he returned to a refugee camp in northern Uganda, where 31,000 people were living, and gave the proceeds to local leaders to use to build a well. Then he sent videos back to everyone who had donated to show them where 100% of their money had gone.

CHARITY: WATER His organization—charity: water—was born, and in the ensuing 18 years, with the help of more than 1 million donors, they have raised over $1 billion, funded over 171,000 projects in 29 countries, and provided 19.2 million people with safe drinking water.

“These projects,” he explained, “are led by local experts. We bring the money, but they are the heroes because they know better than we do what needs to be done. We help build their capacity to solve their own problems.” This is a familiar concept for Castilleja students, who are encouraged to listen as they lead—taking cues from others as they learn to effect change.

Harrison closed his talk with a quote from Avot d’Rabbi Natan: “Do not be afraid of work that has no end.” He encouraged students to think about the idea of endless work and the value of service.

“If you can embrace that there is no end point, you can look back one day and realize you have done more than you ever imagined was really possible.”

THE ARRILLAGA SPEAKER is funded by an endowment established by the Arrillaga family in honor of Frances Arrillaga, mother of Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen ’88 to ensure that students have the opportunity to learn from speakers who can share new ideas, insights, and experiences. Each year, current students are invited to nominate and host speakers they believe will inspire our learning community.

Spring 2025 | 15

A LEGACY OF LISTENING

Listening Tours The Katherine Hass Fellowship for Exploration and Empathy was established in Katherine’s memory by her parents Tracy and Eric Hass P’14 in 2018. Since then, classmates, friends, family, and Castilleja employees have also made contributions to honor Katherine’s model of leadership through listening. This fall, the Class of 2014, in honor of their 10th reunion, joined together to devote their milestone giving to the Fellowship. While the initial proposal for the Fellowship was intended to underwrite one student per year, due to the broad support of Katherine’s legacy, the fund can now sustain two recipients, opening up more opportunity for growth.

During the summer following her junior year, Katherine lived with a family in a Maasai village in Tanzania, and she wrote eloquently about the understanding she gained—of them and of herself—through her quiet listening. Now, through this Fellowship, each year one to two seniors receive a grant to study a question that inspires a deeper understanding of the world. The topic should be one that the student would not be able to engage with through other avenues. Some recipients have worked with people on the other side of the world and others have worked within 16 | Castilleja Full Circle

Katherine Hass ’14 in Tanzania, 2013

KATHERINE HASS ’14 FELLOWSHIP FOR EXPLORATION AND EMPATHY

the Bay Area, but they all seek to learn as they listen.

Each year, as the fellows conclude their work, they share the understanding they have gained with the Castilleja community, but the impact of the Fellowship does not end there. Read on to learn about three alums who received the Fellowship during their senior year and learn how their discoveries still shape their work today.

THE HASS FAMILY Tracy and Eric Hass P’14 attended the presentation given by this year’s Hass recipients, When asked when asked to share their thoughts about the impact of the Fellowship, Eric said, “Listening is so much of learning. It’s a lost art in so many ways, and seeing the students understand the importance of listening, it makes me feel hopeful.” Tracy added, “People have talked about the ripple effect of Katherine’s legacy, and I see that in the work these fellows are doing.

Katherine would have been really proud of them.” When asked about their longterm hopes for students who receive the Fellowship, Eric replied, “I hope that they continue to pursue these passions to make a difference,” and Tracy answered, “I hope empathy will guide their lives.”

LEADERSHIP THROUGH LISTENING “I hold strongly to my belief that listeners, not only speakers, serve a purpose in our world, and I proudly lead with a more quiet presence...listening to people participating in a discussion or activity allows me to explore someone else’s perspective within my mind and thus fulfills my curiosity for the unknown.

And thus, my passion for leadership was sparked by my desire to create action from others’ voices rather than from my own.”

– KATHERINE HASS ’14

The Hass Fellowship Experience: Alum Impact Updates Yaiza Fernandez Munoz ’23 researched the effects of health inequity in the U.S. on cancer

survivors after remission. Yaiza, born and raised in Spain, is a cancer survivor herself. “I was really lucky to be able to have treatment in Spain, where healthcare and all payments are public. After living here, I realized how unjust our system is and how difficult it is for patients to get healthcare insurance and payments.” Most of the survivors she worked with self-identified as Hispanic or Latina and were in debt after treatment. “As someone who is also Hispanic, I wanted to utilize this learning opportunity, because they are the ones who tend to be the most underrepresented in our community.”

Yaiza is now studying Molecular & Cell Biology and Political Science and plans to go to medical school. While in college, she also interned in a study of healthcare disparities among Latino and non-Latina mothers and currently volunteers to take blood pressure among minority populations in the Berkeley area.

She credits the Fellowship for showing her different ways of making an impact. “Doing the Hass Fellowship allowed me to not be scared to talk to patients and form connections. It inspired me to look at public health and healthcare policy. There are so many routes in medicine, and I’m excited to keep exploring them.”

Sophia Nesamoney ’19 went to India’s Telangana State to study gender-based violence.

She spoke to women in shelters and survivors of domestic violence, child marriage, and human trafficking, both in rural and urban areas. In many cases, she worked with a translator and got to attend a training course at a local emergency response center.

“I was always really interested in the intersection between medicine and humanities,” says Sophia.

“The Fellowship was an opportunity to bear witness to some really devastating things. I had a black and white view of the world back then,” she remembers. “I learned to go in with an open mind and just to listen. It cemented the fact that I want to help people who are in really vulnerable situations.”

Sophia recently graduated with an interdisciplinary Human Biology degree. While studying, she researched gender, infectious diseases, and violent conflict and worked at a neonatal metabolic health lab. She also taught anatomy to high school students and human biology at the university, later serving as an emergency healthcare volunteer in NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn.

“The Fellowship really gave me a desire to teach and mentor people,” she adds. Currently, Sophia is pursuing a master’s degree in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology and wants to be a neonatologist or pediatric surgeon, inspired by what she learned and witnessed during the Fellowship.

Anushka Srinivasan ’22 researched the way the City of San Francisco communicated with

transgender people of color who were experiencing homelessness during the COVID pandemic.

Many struggled with addiction and had no access to phone and email, thus missing critical information and appointments. “They lost a lot of hope,” Anushka remembers. For this project, she shadowed a researcher and her patients at Ward 86, an HIV clinic and research center at the University of California, San Francisco. The Fellowship galvanized her multidisciplinary approach to learning: she took classes at Castilleja across a variety of subjects and read about San Francisco history on her own time.

Anushka is currently studying computer science and history with a minor in math and remains passionate about social issues, recently taking a class on History of Inequality. She also spent the summer volunteering at New York’s Legal Momentum, a legal advocacy group for women, where she helped advocate for essential workers, survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and those struggling with addiction disorders.

“I learned how to think in two very different ways: qualitative and quantitative, to hold multiple truths, and feel comfortable in a wide range of situations,” says Anushka about the Fellowship.

“It was truly one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.”

Spring 2025 | 17

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Community Action Day One morning last November, over a hundred Middle Schoolers boarded buses bound for nonprofit organizations across the Bay. On this first-ever Community Action Day, all students were headed to volunteer off campus and learn about local issues, from ecology to food insecurity, hands on and in person.

The goal of Community Action Day was to connect classroom and real-world learning and to challenge student thinking, explains Head of Middle School Laura Zappas. “It was important to show our students that they can make a difference. Voting isn’t the only way to take action,” Ms. Zappas says, noting that this activity took place just two days after Election Day. Real-World Learning Students visited organizations whose missions are directly linked to what they’re learning in the classroom and in advisory this year. Plus, some of these topics surfaced on the ballot measures during the November election, such as SNAP benefits and water protection.

Students returned to these organizations again in the spring and got to evaluate how their views had changed and what tangible action they can take now.

Meaningful Connections “Our students worked hard and came back energized— not just from what they accomplished, but from the meaningful connections and collaborative experiences they shared,” says Becca Winslow, Director of Leadership and Community Partnerships. “It was so powerful to see.”

18 | Castilleja Full Circle

Increasing Biodiversity in Palo Alto A group of 6th graders volunteered at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve with Grassroots Ecology, a nonprofit caring for public lands and waters across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

Our young ecologists moved mulch, watered native plants, and collected native seeds to increase biodiversity around the preserve.

Restoring Native Habitats in Mountain View The rest of the 6th graders learned why it’s important to protect the local baylands and native plants at Shoreline Park in Mountain View. Also guided by Grassroots Ecology, they restored the marsh-upland transition zone, an area which offers a safe space during flooding and high tides for endangered wildlife.

Sorting Donations in East Palo Alto Some 7th graders volunteered at the Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP) in East Palo Alto, which helps people experiencing economic and personal hardship. Students spent the morning sorting food donations, packing food boxes, and assisting with clothing distribution.

Bagging Meals for Food-Insecure Communities in San Francisco Other 7th grade classmates headed to Project Open Hand in downtown San Francisco, which provides meals and groceries to people battling serious illnesses, isolation, and aging challenges.

Our student volunteers sorted and bagged groceries and assembled meal packages.

Decorating a Dining Room in Menlo Park Another subset of the 8th grade class headed to St. Anthony Padua Dining Room in Menlo Park, which provides food, clothing, and medical care for vulnerable populations. After a tour, students made Thanksgiving dining room centerpieces and decorated bags.

Building Intergenerational Bonds in Mountain View A third student group visited Avenidas Rose Kleiner Center, an adult day health care center. Students created an intergenerational art project with the seniors and did puzzles together. They also attended a career panel, learning about professions in senior care.

Touring Murals in Downtown San Jose One 8th grade cohort took a guided walking tour of downtown San Jose to learn about artivism and public art as a means of social change. In the fall, the 8th grade explored murals in Washington, D.C. and in Maryland.

Spring 2025 | 19

UPPER SCHOOL

Advanced Topics and Leadership AT courses foster a deeper understanding of ideas, leading to more confident leadership.

Designed with Castilleja students in mind, our Advanced Topics (AT) courses were first piloted over a decade ago. The science faculty were concerned that the Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum had not kept pace with scholarship about 21st-century science instruction, adolescent cognition, and girls’ education in particular. Therefore, they created new courses with ambitious goals—among them cultivating a deep understanding of the content and encouraging student agency. All of our departments have followed suit, and many of the classes now involve a Literature Review, a type of long-form scholarly writing that is often first encountered later in college, “Lit Reviews,” as the teachers and students call them, are a form of scholarly conversation that explores a question generated by the author or authors.

Throughout our program, learning is an open-ended journey rather than a well-worn path to a foregone conclusion. Similarly, leadership is a mindset supported by a set of skills rather than a fixed role. Ultimately, at every grade level, we understand that learning and leading are intertwined—deep understanding of complex ideas allows one to become a confident leader, and true leadership calls upon both curiosity and wisdom. To invite students into this nuanced view of learning and leading, we have created a series of intentional and scaffolded Leadership Competencies: Collaboration, Curiosity, Embracing Ambiguity, Empathy, Problem Strategizing, and Purposeful Reflection. By the time students enroll in AT classes, they have been practicing these competencies for years.

Advanced Topics in Biology: Development, Ecology, and Human Systems Dr. Elaine Middleman invites students to deepen their knowledge and skills as biologists through collaborative and student-directed investigation. Curiosity and Problem Strategizing play important roles. “Students have multiple opportunities to choose what they want to learn more about,” Dr. Middleman explains, “and their independent research project involves a Lit Review around a biological question they are curious about. Then they design and propose an experiment that would help answer their question.” This project requires them to problem strategize in multiple ways, including determining the best method to tackle the copious amount of earlier research and developing an approach to their research.

HA

20 | Castilleja Full Circle

Advanced Topics in Research and Writing In this class, Dr. Christy StoryHA hopes that students not only follow their passion through the writing process, from a Literature Review to an original monograph, but that they also develop foundational skills that will propel them through any subject in college. The Lit Review process, along with other projects in this class, involves peer review, an extended Collaboration between the peer readers, who offer productive feedback, and the researcher, who needs to respond.

“Purposeful Reflection,” Dr. Story says, “is essential in this class because you can’t be an effective researcher unless you are constantly pressing up against the things you don’t know.

This allows you to move through your current opinions to discover new ideas.”

Advanced Topics in Spanish: Language and Culture Doctora Emma Garcia hopes that students not only learn about the language, but also about the people who speak the language, appreciating the richness of their cultures. This naturally builds Empathy. Dra. Garcia explains, “Whenever you are studying a community that is not your own, you have to be able to see things from a different perspective and learn to value those experiences.”

And learning another language is an exercise in Collaboration.

Dra. Garcia says, “When they are trying to make meaning of the language, they are working together and helping each build a shared understanding.” They also work together on group projects, such as seeking solutions for UN Sustainability Goals in different countries.

Advanced Topics: Statistics Rachel Tucker hopes that her students begin to see statistics in the world around them and identify what conclusions they can— and cannot—draw with data. The students embark on a year-long investigation of a question, so Ms. Tucker encourages them to use their Curiosity to explore questions that will sustain extended research. The categories range from social justice to personal well-being to business to athletics. The students practice Embracing Ambiguity because, as Ms. Tucker says, “Stats doesn’t have defined answers, so I tell them I’m looking for a justification, not an answer. It’s a more nuanced and complex way of thinking about data.”

Advanced Topics Seminar in French In the first semester, Marie Martine Shannon explores French thinkers to encourage students to consider abstract concepts, especially the tension between how we see ourselves in the gaze of others and how we maintain our values in the face of adversity. Then, she challenges students to question their assumptions about women’s experiences throughout the French-speaking world. She counts on Purposeful Reflection “to help students find the space to step back from conversations about culture, remove themselves from the equation, and begin true critical thinking.” She explores Embracing Ambiguity, explaining, “The line between how we believe we see the world and how we really feel can be in conflict.”

Spring 2025 | 21

LIBRARY SERVICES

The Deep Dive SUPPORTING ADVANCED TOPICS (AT) RESEARCH, THE LIBARY SERVICES TEAM ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO ASK QUESTIONS THAT SET THEM UP FOR SUCCESS The Margarita Espinosa Library at Castilleja does so much more than loan books—it hosts baking contests, murder mystery parties, cultural celebrations, and even live music. With all of this happening, it might be easy to forget the role that librarians are often most known for— supporting deep scholarship. But the students enrolled in Advanced Topics (AT) Statistics, AT Biology, AT Research and Writing are here to remind us otherwise.

All of these courses ask students to conduct a “Lit Review,” and Programming Librarian Tasha Bergson-MichelsonHA and Director of Library Services Jole SeroffHA are vital to this process.

In partnership with the classroom teachers, they help students identify a researchable topic, create original questions, put together an annotated bibliography, engage in a conversation with scholarly sources, and hone an academic argument. Many students encounter these types of assignments for the first time in college, but because Castilleja students can take this dive into deep research as early as junior year, they can transition with greater confidence to college-level courses. Above all, though, they learn to value inquisitiveness and scholarship—ideals that will stay with them for a lifetime.

Of her ongoing AT work with students, Ms. Bergson-Michelson says: “When students share that their AT research coursework led to them teaching college classmates these same skills, winning research positions with professors, and getting jobs in their colleges’ writing centers, I know that we are onto something important and unique.”

Sara Baulder ’23, who took the Research and Writing class in her senior year, says, “The course was a foundation for my work in college.

I learned how to identify experts and understand how their ideas built off or away from each other. Every good academic paper builds upon the previous literature in the subject, while introducing new arguments, analyses, perspectives and perhaps even evidence. Even if you don’t create a formal literature review for every paper you write, I’ve found that even creating a ‘casual’ lit review—a list of scholarly experts, their viewpoints, and how they interact—improves my writing because it informs me about the already existing academic conversation and its holes.”

“For me, it’s a privilege to push our students to challenge their own assumptions and stretch their capacities, and a profound pleasure to see them grow in their skills and confidence.”

– JOLE SEROFFHA, DIRECTOR OF LIBRARY SERVICES

RECENT QUESTIONS EXPLORED IN LIT REVIEWS IN AT COURSES What effect do chlorpyrifos have on the reproductive systems of adolescent female farmworkers? What can the farmworker community do to protect themselves from health risks?

How are fathers with APA (advanced paternal age) impacted by and informed about the risks of their age on pregnancy outcomes?

Is there a relationship between an organization’s success in accomplishing its mission and its employees’ self-reported levels of job satisfaction?

Is there a correlation between a country’s GDP/ country’s GDP per capita and their medals at each Summer Olympics?

What factors lead bicycle crash rates in Palo Alto to be higher than in other California cities?

What caused the Chinese Communist Party’s perception of feminism to shift between the UN Women’s Conference of 1995 and The 2015 Detention of the Feminist Five?

22 | Castilleja Full Circle

Q&A

Get to Know Alexis Richardson Pagnia QA& with Castilleja’s new Upper School Dean of Students

Favorite part about working with Upper School students?

Our students have such a deep love of learning that it’s contagious. I’m learning something new from our students every day, and that’s definitely my favorite part of working with them.

A life lesson that you hope to share with students?

Take your time figuring out who you are and what you want.

There will always be outside pressure from people who want to make those decisions for you, but your inner voice is the one that matters most.

Which of the 5Cs do you feel you identify with most?

(Conscience, Courtesy, Character, Charity, and Courage) Courage is the value I identify most closely with. I believe when you have courage, all of the other Cs organically fall into place.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee. A vanilla latte, to be exact.

Favorite Casti lunch?

Tacos! I could honestly eat them every day.

Most recent book you have read and what you thought about it?

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It’s an international love story that touches on issues of race, class, and cultural tradition. I love it because it offers a positive perspective on what it means to have African heritage.

Do you have any pets?

I have a 4-year-old dog named Onyx. She is a border collie mix with the cutest underbite!

Something you plan to learn more about in the next year?

My husband is a native French speaker, so I want to become fluent in French in the future.

That probably won’t happen within the next year, but thanks to Duolingo I’m making progress.

Tell us about a teacher who made a big impression on you?

My mom was a teacher for seven years and an administrator for 12 years. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from her is how to meet students where they are.

Your superpower?

I’m a very observant person.

My superpower is that I notice almost everything.

What perspective do you bring to Castilleja?

I think I bring an equity perspective to my work at Castilleja. I view everything through the lens of inclusivity.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

My little sister. I’m inspired by her bravery. She always dares to be different.

What was your favorite subject in school?

Well, it was math until I got to trigonometry…that’s when things started to get a little dicey!

What is a perfect weekend morning for you?

Sleeping in, snuggling with my dog, and a smoothie bowl for breakfast.

What is a goal you’re hoping to achieve in the next 5 years?

I want to travel more. I have family in Europe and Africa that I’ve actually never met in person, so spending time with them is my goal.

Something we might not know about you?

I have a photographic memory!

Early bird or night owl?

I’m a night owl, for sure.

Share a favorite hobby?

I have two—yoga and pilates.

What’s your favorite place on the Casti campus?

The library without question. I’ve always been a bookworm.

What is the best surprise about working at a girls’ school?

The best surprise about working at a girls’ school is the strong sense of community that the girls have. They really look out for each other and that’s a special aspect of the culture here.

Who is one of your heroes?

My dad is my hero. He’s one of the smartest people I know, despite the fact that he never earned a college degree. He taught me that you don’t need to have a bunch of titles and accolades beside your name to make a difference in the world.

Spring 2025 | 23

Q&A

Get to Know Christine Nawas Courtney ’02 Q&A with Castilleja’s Science Faculty and Middle School Dean of Students

Favorite part about working with Middle School students?

Their creativity! My students knock my socks off every day with their creativity. I see it in their artwork adorning the walls in the Middle School building, in the games they play in Middle School meetings, and in their science experiments for Explo.

Which of the 5Cs do you feel you identify with most?

(Conscience, Courtesy, Character, Charity, and Courage) Conscience. I love that Castilleja has challenged me as a learner, a professional, and a human. I have the privilege to reflect on who I am and how I can be a leader. As I continue to grow in empathy and compassion through all of my stages of life in the Casti community, I am grateful to be challenged and supported in creating and living my personal values.

Favorite Casti lunch?

Latkes! I had never had them before coming to Castilleja as a student, and I absolutely love them with sour cream!

24 | Castilleja Full Circle

Most recent book you have read and what you thought about it?

I’m reading the young adult book series by Misa Sigiura.

She writes stories for a teen audience that feature female protagonists of color. Her books involve many different family arrangements, ways to love, and explore one’s identity. Her latest series, Momo Arashima, is an adventure fantasy.

A life lesson that you hope to share with students?

Try stuff and make mistakes— that’s how you learn.

Tea or coffee?

Neither. I prefer sparkling water like LaCroix. (I think that coffee tastes like dirt.)

Do you have any pets?

Yes! I have three Newfoundland dogs, one crested gecko, and a goldfish.

Something you plan to learn more about in the next year?

The usage of AI in learning spaces and crocheting (I just bought a Woobles kit).

What is a perfect weekend morning for you?

Being active with my family.

Tell us about a teacher who made a big impression on you?

Eryl Barker, my 8th Grade Science teacher, had an incredible sense of humor and brought life science to life for me. She also gave me the opportunity to have my first TA gig. It’s no surprise that I am now the Middle School life science teacher.

What was your favorite subject in school?

Spanish. I love how speaking another language opens up connections with more people.

I also really love how my Casti teachers brought cultural appreciation into the classroom through music, stories, and art. My children now go to a Spanish immersion school because I believe in the power of bilingualism.

What is a goal you’re hoping to achieve in the next 5 years?

I would like to start a new hobby that is regenerative and relaxing.

I’m open to suggestions.

Your superpower?

Sleep. I can go to sleep in any location and position no matter how well-rested I am! This was especially helpful when my children were little.

Something we might not know about you?

I play water polo on the Menlo Masters Water Polo team. I’ve played water polo every year of my life since I was 13, except for the year I was doing my master’s degree. In fact, my husband is our coach, and we met on the team.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

Temple Grandin. She is an amazingly accomplished person who is not only an innovative scientist, but an activist making a difference for those with unique abilities and empowering the neurodiverse community.

Her creativity and leadership come from compassion for others—animals and people.

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl. I fall prey to bingewatching TV shows.

Share a favorite hobby?

Singing. I enjoy singing loudly alone in the car to show tunes and pop music, but also love going to karaoke nights with my friends. My go-to song is “9 to 5”

by Dolly Parton.

What’s your favorite place on the Casti campus?

The middle of the Circle. There are unlimited memories that come to mind whenever I look around the Circle.

What is the best surprise about working at the school you attended?

There is an essence to Castilleja that never changes.

BOURN LAB

Design Thinking, Learning, & Making MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS BUILD SKILLS AND INNOVATE SOLUTIONS THROUGH STEM EXPERIENCES. This past year, Bourn Lab Director Bridget Rigby and Head of Middle School Laura Zappas have expanded their strong partnership to continue to work together toward an ambitious goal. To ensure that every student who attends Castilleja’s Middle School, they’ve decided, should leave with a foundational exposure to making, design, and coding with new classroom collaborations, exploratories, and enrichment activities at every grade level. “We know that everyone can benefit from these relevant experiences that challenge us to imagine creative solutions, innovate with new materials, and iterate when their predictions fall short of their initial plans,” says. Ms. Rigby.

Collaborations with the Bourn Lab have long been a part of the Middle School experience at Castilleja, and the Tinkering Nook and Middle School Gatorbotics have piqued the curiosity of countless students over the years.

Now, these lessons have become the core of the Middle School program, says Ms. Zappas. “We are trying to expand their perspectives on the world around them, reinforce the value of play in learning and building relationships, and support leadership by helping them develop a sense of purpose. Expanding the opportunities for hands-on creative problem solving and collaboration supports all of these key goals.” The skills and habits of mind that were once discrete are now revisited and expanded throughout the year and across grade levels. Here are just a few of the ongoing and new projects: 6TH GRADE – BUILDING PROJECTS TO BUILD CONNECTIONS Building Project: Science and Math partner to build relationships and confidence with power tools while creating new wooden furniture to be used around campus.

Pollution Solution: Earth and Environmental Science and the Bourn Lab build on a physical computing project when students build an interactive night light to use the Fun Theory to come up with sustainability solutions.

Circuit Board Mural: The entire grade works together to create a piece of light-up artwork with personal symbols from each student, similar to the Senior Quilt.

7TH GRADE – SOCIAL GOOD AND PERSONAL WELL-BEING Wellness Bots: Wellness and the Bourn Lab collaborate to create responsive robotic creatures designed to make you spark joy.

Vertical Gardens: Science and the Bourn Lab partner to design and build vertical gardens that beautify the classroom and reinforce the positive impacts of gardening.

Design for Casti Social Good: English and the Bourn Lab practice the design thinking process and create practical ways to strengthen the Castilleja campus and community.

8TH GRADE – REFLECTION THROUGH DESIGN Making History: History and the Bourn Lab work all year to create silhouettes, build functional telegraph machines, and design unique monuments to historical figures who are not represented on the National Mall.

Set Design and Props: 8th grade theater and Bourn Lab build sets and create various props; this year they created alien technology for the play Aliens vs.

Cheerleaders.

“We are trying to expand their perspectives on the world around them, reinforce the value of play in learning and building relationships, and support leadership through helping them develop a sense of purpose.” ­– LAURA ZAPPAS, HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL Spring 2025 | 25

GLOBAL WEEK 2025

Bridging Divides:

The Art of Listening, The Journey of Learning After the winter break, while the junior class was away on Global Investigator Trips in Indonesia and Morocco, all other students were welcomed back to the Circle for our 19th annual Global Week, with the theme of “Bridging Divides: The Art of Listening, The Journey of Learning.” Students got to hear four renowned speakers and participate in dozens of workshops guided by faculty, staff, their own peers, and special guests.

26 | Castilleja Full Circle

Empathy

Psychology Professor and Author Dr. Jamil Zaki Explores Empathy

Psychology professor and author Jamil Zaki, Ph.D., led students in a discussion about the power of empathy in a polarized world. “In our culture, the loudest voices aren’t always the kindest,” pointed out Dr. Zaki, who is also the Director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory. Fortunately, empathy can be learned, and our communities will be stronger for it. He said, “Empathy, like any skill, is all about practice.” Dr. Zaki also addressed the entire Castilleja community in a virtual presentation, moderated by Head of Middle School Laura Zappas and Head of Upper School Peter Hatala, where he shared research about cultivating empathy in ourselves.

Unity

Journalist and Author Atia Abawi Urges Unity

Atia Abawi, author and former CNN and NBC journalist who has reported from across Asia and the Middle East, gave a heartfelt talk to our students. She discussed her career and the traits of a foreign correspondent: a commitment to truth, fearlessness, and empathy. Ms. Abawi also shared her moving story as a refugee and reminded us about the dangers of prejudice and of “othering” those who are different. Ms. Abawi encouraged students to start conversations, join community-action projects, and contact elected officials about issues they care about. “Quite often, during the worst of times is when the best comes out in people,” Ms. Abawi said. "They might be strangers, but they become family.”

Communication

Stanford Scholar Dr. Alice Siu on the Power of Conversation

What happens when people across the political divide come together to discuss issues that are important to them, in a judgment-free environment? They may agree on much more than they’d thought, explained Alice Siu, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Deliberative Democracy Lab and Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law at Stanford University. This discussion and debate among citizens in small groups is known as deliberative democracy. “We have to recognize the fact that our lived experiences dictate who we are and share those experiences with other people in order to understand each other,” Dr. Siu urged.

Hope

Author and Environmental Researcher Dr. Elin Kelsey Recommends Hope

“Because I’m choosing to be hopeful, I find myself looking for evidence of things that are having positive impacts,” said Elin Kelsey, Ph.D., an award-winning author and environmental researcher, who has worked with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Rachel Carson Center for the Environment and Society, and the Stanford Graduate School of Education. “If we reframe our focus, we’ll be more likely to believe we can effect change and to do something about it,” Dr. Kelsey said. She then discussed solutions journalism, a stream of journalism that offers responses to social issues, and shared positive, data-driven solutions with the community.

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Global Week is all about taking a deep dive into global issues and exploring new ways of seeing ourselves, our communities, and the world. In addition to engaging with speakers, every grade got an opportunity to practice the art of listening and bridging divides.

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SIXTH GRADERS DELVE INTO THE MAGIC OF SHADOW PUPPETRY

Our 6th graders learned about the ancient art of storytelling using shadow puppets with a local theater, Firelight Shadow Theater. Students saw a performance based on a poem by contemporary poet Joy Harjo and tried their hand at shadow puppetry using only a display board, sketch paper, a light source, and two-dimensional puppet characters.

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SEVENTH GRADERS LEARN THE ART OF FAST-PACED COMMUNICATION WITH NEO-FUTURIST THEATRE

7th graders journeyed into the universe of contemporary theatre, Neo-Futurism. Students worked with performers Geulah Finman and Jordan Williams from the SF Neo-Futurists collective, exploring what it means to always be authentically in the moment.

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EIGHTH GRADERS LEAD CASTILLEJA IN ARTIVISM

With the help of dedicated faculty and staff, our 8th graders designed and led a community art project. They chose their medium—over 400 ceramic tiles—and their theme, the Golden Gate Bridge, to symbolize Global Week’s focus of bridging divides. Finally, Castilleja students painted their own tiles to create a gorgeous mosaic that is a reflection of our community.

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UPPER SCHOOL: FROM UPLIFTING UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES TO LEARNING IMPROV

Upper School students honed their listening skills and practiced empathy during various workshops. In one, they learned about the global refugee crisis from alumna Anne Dolan ’79, who has dedicated her career to helping refugees worldwide.

History faculty Dr. Chrislaine Miller and Dr. Brigitte Charaus introduced students to environmental history and performing arts.

Theatre Teacher Tannis Hanson and student leaders designed an interactive storytelling workshop, guiding peers in fun improvisational exercises.

“When you’re willing to listen to one another and put aside differences, you’re able to come to consensus and learn more,” one Upper School student rep summarized at the closing ceremony.

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DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, JUSTICE, AND BELONGING

Building Belonging at Castilleja CASTILLEJA GREW STRONGER WHEN OUR COMMUNITY GATHERED FOR OUR ANNUAL DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, JUSTICE, AND BELONGING EVENT. Since its inception in 2018, this gathering has become a highlight of the year for our students, parents and guardians, and employees alike. This year’s event was spearheaded by Director of Student Equity and Inclusion Mame Diarra Dioum and student leaders from our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Council (DEILC) and our Awareness, Compassion, and Engagement Organizations (ACE Orgs). Together, they co-created a space for sharing, listening, and learning.

The celebration began with a performance by the Upper School Rock Band, which fittingly included a rendition of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are.” Then came lunch—a potluck of delicious dishes that were personally meaningful to the community members who brought them. There was Korean Kimbap and Caribbean Pineapple Upside Down Cake. There was Indian Mango Souffle that a 6th grader and her family prepared with sweet Alphonso mango pulp.

There was Persian Nazook pastry, Ashkenazi Jewish Kugel, and Eritrean Himbasha Sweet Bread that a student’s grandmother

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baked for the occasion. The room buzzed with conversation as guests bonded over a shared meal and beloved recipes.

“We can truly come as we are at this gathering,” said Interim Head of School Julia Russell Eells in her welcome remarks. “This is our time to create together and learn more about each other.”

The guests also enjoyed a fireside chat featuring a Castilleja alum and climate startup co-founder Mimi Tran Zambetti ’16 and artist and community organizer Lou Jimenez. The two shared insights into climate justice and social change.

The afternoon culminated in discussion groups and workshops, including hands-on activities, with the support of Castilleja’s Bourn Lab. Each activity was rooted in Castilleja’s leadership and antiracism competencies. “The students took what they learned from their ACE Orgs and Affinity Groups and their DEILC experiences, and I just couldn’t be more impressed and proud of their work,” Ms. Dioum said. “It gave the families an opportunity to get a little glimpse of the deep thinking that these students engage in.”

“This is our time to create together and learn more about each other.”­ – JULIA RUSSELL EELLS DISCUSSION GROUPS AND WORKSHOPS CREATING A CULTURAL TAPESTRY We let our creativity shine in a mosaic-decorating workshop, which was planned with the help of students from Brushbook, our arts ACE Org. Participants painted tiles to represent an aspect of their identity. One tile featured a warm beach sunset, another a Korean flag, and another a Chinese calligraphy character representing family. The tiles will later be displayed on our campus to celebrate the community.

CELEBRATING NATIVE PLANTS In a workshop about indigenous plants and people of Palo Alto, our Gators for the Bay and Green Team ACE Org members invited everyone to paint wooden planters and fill them with indigenous flora—from Wild Strawberry to California Lilac. Workshop participants also crafted their own colorful zines dedicated to a sustainable topic, from salad recipes to the lives of penguins.

ADVOCATING FOR MEDICAL ACCESS Leaders of our Engineering for Equity ACE Org guided the community in a design project. Everyone was given cardboard, cutting mats, straws, super glue tape, and craft sticks to use to

design a prosthetic hand. The activity sought to encourage creative thinking and to raise awareness of equity and access, as prosthetics can be prohibitively expensive for many people.

FINDING AFFINITY THROUGH LISTENING Student leaders of this workshop asked participants to examine various markers of their identities and to bond over the ones they have in common. Building such affinity spaces is critical, said one of the student leads, to bring people together and celebrate their identities and backgrounds. Having these affinity spaces also allows the community to notice whose voices may be missing from the conversation.

LEARNING ABOUT INTERSECTIONALITY The community also learned about intersectionality. After a short presentation at the beginning of this workshop, participants connected with one another in groups formed around the aspects of their identity that are most—and least—significant in their lives.

This activity encouraged community members to share their experiences and to learn about the experiences of others, in a safe and scaffolded environment.

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VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

The Beauty of the World ART TEACHER HELEN JOHANSENHA INSPIRES STUDENTS TO FIND THE "WHY" BEHIND THEIR WORK Castilleja’s Upper School art teacher Helen JohansenHA is fascinated by seeds and pods. “I’m rather obsessed with the beauty of the world, the things that are about to transform and become something else,” says Ms. Johansen as she dabs green paint over a collage. “When I became a junior class dean, I created a whole box with dozens of sculptures of these tiny little pods to represent all the students in my grade.”

Transformation is at the core of Ms. Johansen’s art and story. During her 21 years at Castilleja, she has taught every art subject—from studio art and ceramics to photography and stained glass, and served as a class dean. She’s headed the Visual and Performing Arts department for many years and has her own art studio. “I still get excited every day to come to work. I just feel like I’m the luckiest person to do what I do!” she says.

Although she started out as a math and science kid, she found her calling in high school in the North of England, going on to study art and design at the University of Wales and the University of Leeds and teach at the college level.

Then came another transformation: immigration. Ms. Johansen moved to America as a brand-new mom. “It was absolutely bonkers,” she remembers. “Just because we have the same language, I underestimated what it’s like to live in a completely different culture.”

This culture shock turned out to be a blessing, empowering Ms. Johansen to pick and choose the best of both worlds. She’s embraced the direct communication style that defines the American experience. “In the north of England, you don’t usually give a compliment,” she says. “You give cloaked compliments. So one of the things about living in the U.S. is being able to say it as it is, like ’This is working, and this is awesome!’ I found it really stifling to always read the subtext.”

Still, two things remind her that she’s a Geordie Girl from Newcastle at heart. “I definitely kept my dry British sense of

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humor,” she remarks. Soccer is the second one. She’s a huge Newcastle United fan, always looking for someone to support her team, The Magpies, if there’s a game during lunch.

Ms. Johansen encourages students to grow mindfully and to provide peer critiques in ways that are constructive and helpful. “It’s always about the ’why’ behind your work. It’s getting kids to make connections between what they’re doing in other disciplines or in other parts of their lives,” she says. “Because I come from a different culture, I think I’m quite attuned to that. The importance of bringing your culture into your art is something to be celebrated.”

“Instead of rolling it skinny, roll it back thick,” she tells a young artist working on a clay model. Ms. Johansen rolls out a slab of clay the color of coffee with milk. “When the clay stops moving, that’s when you know you got it.” The student nods and gives it a try.

“The energy here is just spectacular,” she says to another student by an easel. “I’m wondering if you could push that out a little more. Come and stand back with me, you’ll see what I’m talking about!”

Ms. Johansen has added a large table in the center of the Anita Seipp Gallery and cubbies along its perimeter, to inspire creativity and community. She encourages everyone to use the space, even if just to do homework. She loves hearing from alums who, when stressed in their day jobs, do ceramics at night after taking her class.

“Cut yourself a little bit of a break,” she advises. “Be kind to yourself and to everybody else. Be creative. And take up soccer!”

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ATHLETICS

Casti Hoops From Middle School first-timers to Varsity champions, Castilleja basketball picks up steam—and wins “The team is doing historic things this year!” exclaims Jaclyn Brode, Castilleja’s head basketball coach, when asked about the Upper School Varsity team. She takes out a binder filled to capacity with hand-written practice notes, game stats, and team rankings—her treasure trove of data. “I’ve done that for every year I’ve coached.

I have binders in my house of every single season!” she laughs.

A TEAM OF CHAMPIONS The coach’s steadfastness and player camaraderie across grades is what makes the Castilleja’s basketball program so strong. Just recently, in 2021-2022, the team had only 10 players as athletics programs across the board were recovering after COVID and the lockdowns. The following year, that number dropped down to eight players, mostly freshmen. As a brand-new team, they grew together and gained momentum. Now, they are 16 members strong. This season, they clinched a victory in the CCS Division V Championship and advanced to the CIF State Basketball Championships NorCal Semifinals, a first in the school’s history.

This success did not happen overnight, says Coach Brode. The players show up for practices consistently and on time and do their best. “It’s a credit to the girls. We can say what we want, but they have to actually do the work—and they have,” Coach Brode says.

MENTORSHIP ON THE COURT The strength of this team, however, is not about the numbers. It’s about their mutual support.

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“We strive to make each other better players,” says Antonia Vlahos ’25, who’s been on the team since freshman year. “When team members have different experience levels, it’s important for the older players to step up and provide support to the younger ones.” Antonia helps break down concepts and explain plays to the more junior teammates, building up their confidence. “We have such a fun dynamic, whether we’re joking around before practices, or listening to music and playing video games on our way to games,” Antonia adds. “The strong relationships we’ve built off the court have definitely translated to better teamwork and success on the court. I wouldn’t want to be on this team with anyone else!”

During the season, Upper School players visited Middle School meeting to talk about the sport and get the Middle Schoolers excited about athletics. On top of that, several Upper School students coach Middle School basketball, regardless of whether or not they’re currently on the Varsity team.

“I help them with their basketball fundamentals and improve their game, but most importantly—and why I do it—is to support their growth as people,” says Middle School basketball coach Kailee Kuan ’25. “My favorite part is when my players say hi to me throughout the school day. Their excitement is what I enjoy about being a coach and mentor.”

At Castilleja, students are encouraged to participate in sports no matter their grade or skill level. Their interest is so pronounced that the Middle School has three basketball teams.

PUT ME IN, COACH! During the 6th grade team practice, the court buzzes with energy and laughter, multiple balls bouncing crisply against the floor. Many players here are brand-new to the sport. One girl hits the rim and tries to corral the rebound as her ball rolls away.

Another girl is eager to take a shot, but the first girl is in the way of the basket. The coach stops her until it’s safe to go.

“Hold the ball, stay in the lane, stay in the lane!” says JVB Head Coach Kenny Cox. He demonstrates the proper stance. “Let’s do it again. There you go!”

RECORD NUMBERS With 15 players, this is the largest team he has seen in his near-decade of coaching 6th grade at Castilleja. “I always tell the girls, I’m not in it about winning or losing. I’m in it to teach you skills,” says Coach Cox, who also works in the Buildings and Grounds Department at Castilleja.

2024-25 VARSITY CHAMPIONS This season, Castilleja’s Varsity Basketball team won the CCS Division V Championship and advanced to the CIF State Basketball Championships NorCal Semifinals, a first in the school’s history.

“What does a guard do? What does a forward do?” he quizzes them.

“We all have good days and bad days, but now that you’re all here, let’s have some fun,” he reminds them with his signature enthusiasm and patience.

“I like the morale and the spirit that everyone brings,” says Audrey Cohen ’31. Audrey wanted to get better at the sport and to spend time with friends after school, so when her classmates signed up for the team, she did, too. It’s been a nurturing learning experience, she says. “A lot of people are trying new things for the first time, and if you make mistakes, the stakes aren’t very high.”

ORDER ON THE COURT Fast forward to the Upper School Varsity team practice, and the progress is palpable. As the players arrive on the court, their movements are swift and purposeful. They hydrate, pull their hair back up in ponytails, stretch, then run lengths, sneakers squeaking against the floor.

This growth is what Coach Brode loves about her job. “It’s the realization that you can do hard things,” she says. “They come in timid or sometimes look at me like, ’What do you expect of me? I can’t. I can’t!’ I’m not coaching you to who you are. I have to coach you for the player I know you can be, who you don’t even realize you can be yet. And then it all comes together and it clicks. And then they’re tough, and they’re playing hard, and they’re sprinting up and down, and they’re hitting big shots. Yeah, we always knew that was there, but for them to actualize, to realize that, that’s the fun part.”

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AROUND THE CIRCLE — MIDDLE SCHOOL

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AROUND THE CIRCLE — UPPER SCHOOL

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T HE CL ASS OF 2025

The Next Wanderers

“I don’t think I could have gotten luckier in the friends department. Words could never characterize these past few years together. And they give me the strength to love myself for who I am.”

— RAEVA PARIKH ’25, ASB President, Senior Speech Excerpt

“Growing up, I didn’t see many Latinx individuals who had successfully gone to college. But the few I did see online were proof that it was possible. What I didn’t have, though, was anyone in my own family showing me that going to college was within reach, especially as a first-generation Latina from East Palo Alto. I need to be that proof. I need to show my younger family members and all the first-generation Latinas listening right now, that it is possible.”

— JACKIE CABALLERO ’25, Senior Speech Excerpt 40 | Castilleja Full Circle

SENIOR CELEBRATION—VOLLEYBALL

SENIOR CELEBRATION—WATER POLO

SENIOR CELEBRATION—GOLF

SENIOR CELEBRATION—TENNIS

SENIOR SIGNING DAY

VARISITY BASKETBALL—2025 CCS CHAMPIONS

“The truth is, we have deceived ourselves into thinking that we are small, that systems are larger than us, that we are at the mercy of our governments and that fate controls us all. But I will tell you this.

A country can’t think, it can’t come up with ideas, and a country can’t even cry. It is the individuals who think, feel, and make those decisions that will change the world.”

— KELSEY SWEETLAND ’25, Senior Speech Excerpt

“I am not gifted. And I am glad. Since many of the things I’ve done did not come easily, I have learned that drive always wins. I have learned to work hard no matter what is going on around me. I have learned that even if I don’t reach my expectations, knowing that I put everything I had into my task is what matters, and I am proud of the work that I have done.”

— NOELLE MADDEN ’25, Senior Speech Excerpt

“Teaching infants to teenagers the mechanics of swimming, such as blowing bubbles underwater or side breathing, is actually not hard. The challenge is creating an environment where my students feel comfortable with me so that they will trust my teaching and guidance.”

— CALLIE KOCHER ’25, Senior Speech Excerpt

“You never know what someone else could be going through, so choose to be kind. Even simple things like a compliment or saying you’re proud of someone can make all the difference. You have the power to have an impact on others.”

— BRIANA PEREZ, ’25, Senior Speech Excerpt Spring 2025 | 41

ON SPIEKER FIELD

It Takes a Village CASTILLEJA’S TEMPORARY CAMPUS PLANS

We broke ground on Phase 1 of our campus modernization, the underground garage, last fall, and when we return to the Circle next fall, we will kick off the school year as usual with the Tie Ceremony on the Circle, and classes will take place in the spaces we use now. Then, after construction of the garage is complete, Phase 2 will begin, and daily life will move to Casti Village on Spieker Field, as shown in these renderings. As we plan for that transition, we are committed to: • Continuing to deliver an outstanding program inside and outside the classroom • Prioritizing the student experience by: • Honoring long-standing traditions • Creating new ways to celebrate and build community • Listening to what matters most to students • Understanding that different grades will have different needs

THE SPIRIT OF CASTILLEJA Casti Village, shown in these concept renderings, will preserve the unique way our students and faculty work and interact together with inviting open air hallways and terraces.

CASTI VILLAGE In addition to the classrooms, the plans for Casti Village include a hub for the Middle School and another for the Upper School, a Maker Space to house the equipment from the Bourn Lab and the robotics lab, a Middle School Tinkering Nook. the Library, the ACE Center, studio art rooms, science rooms equipped with everything we have in our current labs, the Learning Center for Academic Support, and many offices for employees who directly support students every day, like deans and counselors. We will also have a kitchen onsite and a dining room for gathering for meals and events. Meanwhile, it is important to remember that the gym and the Chapel Theater will remain open the entire time, and most of the administrators who currently work in the Gunn Building will move off-site so that those spaces can also be used by faculty to support our programs.

CELEBRATIONS AND TRADITIONS Castilleja administrators and student leaders will work together to plan for and reimagine celebrations and traditions. There are big events that are already accounted for, like Commencement, which will take place at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton for 2026 and 2027. Then there are smaller moments like Ringing and the Middle School Sleepunder that we will think through together as the time draws closer. Casti Village will be different from the campus as we know it today, but the people and the programs will remain the same, and we will continue to work together to center the student experience.

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Please note: these renderings are for illustrative purposes only and subject change.

NEW CAMPUS SPACES

Rooms to Grow When we think of what truly defines Castilleja, we first think about the people and the programs.

Our community of engaged and inspired educators, many of whom spend their summers learning more about their craft or creating new courses and collaborations, model lifelong learning. And they continue to marvel at their students’ curiosity and creativity. The relationship between teachers and students becomes an ongoing conversation, with everyone bringing new questions and observations to the table. As we see our modernized campus closer on the horizon than ever before, we have a new factor to consider when we imagine what’s possible at Castilleja—how will these spaces open new opportunities for these people and programs. Here are just three perspectives, crossing divisions and disciplines, that share exactly how the new campus will advance their already ambitious hopes and goals for their students.

Un Espace à Eux

(A SPACE OF THEIR OWN) WORLD LANGUAGES, FRENCH WITH EVELYNE NICOLAOUHA

Evelyne NicolaouHA began working at Castilleja as a substitute French teacher in 2006 and became full-time soon after. She has primarily focused on teaching Middle School and 9th grade students, alongside the other World Languages teachers on the second floor of the Arrillaga Family Campus Center.

During the summer of 1996, the Arrillaga Family Campus Center was renovated. Among other projects, the dorm rooms on the second floor were turned into teaching spaces. Mme. Nicolaou has called one of the smaller rooms her own, making frequent use of her SMART Board, decorating the walls with images of France, and finding creative solutions for when her students need to break into groups and find quiet spaces to make recordings for class projects.

Most often, this involves planning ahead with her World Languages colleagues to ensure that the central community lounge is open.

“It’s been working, and we are all used to checking in with each other, but it will be nice to have more distinct spaces and more than one class can be working on this type of project at the same time,” says Mme. Nicolaou.

The Language Lane, as the new dedicated space for the World Language Department will be called, is meant to feel like a

separate world. Throughout the rest of the modernized campus, our architects have worked to create more porous spaces, where the interdisciplinary connections are often just a few steps away. But for World Languages, the faculty wanted to create an immersive experience, helping the students feel like they are walking into a new realm where they speak a different language and experience something akin to a culture shift.

“Every student at Castilleja takes a World Language class, so being slightly apart from the other classrooms doesn’t isolate us at all.

Instead, it helps students feel that they are crossing a threshold into a different way of communicating and maybe even a new way of thinking about the world,” she explains.

One final benefit she’s anticipating is the team work stations for faculty. “As someone in the World Languages department, I see those colleagues all the time, but since I’m not located in the Middle School, I have to make more of an effort to stay connected to my 6th grade team colleagues,” explains Mme. Nicolaou. The new campus helps strengthen those bonds by making spaces where faculty can collaborate as grade-level teams. “All of these changes will help us be able to collaborate to do our best for our students.”

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The Impact of Flexible Spaces Dr. Chrislaine Miller focuses on ancient world history with her 6th grade students, but she also emphasizes current events. “I can help bring the ancient world to life for them by revealing how many themes and patterns are still relevant today,” she says. One of the most engaging ways she achieves this is through Model United Nations. Upper School students have participated in Model UN— a where student “delegates” from different countries gather to solve real-world challenges—for many years at Castilleja. But there wasn’t a formal program for Middle School students, so Dr. Miller created one.

Last year, her first year at Castilleja, she introduced her curriculum to the 6th grade, with Upper School Model UN students as mentors. The 6th grade students worked in small groups, representing 59 countries. They simulated two legislative bodies: either the UN Environmental Assembly, promoting developing economies while preserving marine habitats, or UNESCO, seeking affordable education in developing countries.

Her students embraced this process with so much enthusiasm that 42 of them signed up for a weekend-long Mini UN conference for middle schoolers in Monterey.

This year, Dr. Miller will host the first-ever Mini Model UN day for Middle Schoolers on the Castilleja campus in two of the 6th grade classrooms. “It’s a great start,” she says. “We’ll have two different topics in the different rooms, and Upper School students will be able to lead the process as chairs of the committees.”

She’s hoping to grow the program, offering more topics and eventually inviting a keynote speaker. “The Middle School hub space on our new campus will be a perfect setting. Students from the entire Middle School can gather there to hear from the keynote speaker, and then we can break out into the adjacent rooms to explore even more topics.” It takes time for a program of this scale to develop momentum, and Dr. Miller sees her work evolving at a pace that will be well-timed to take advantage of the modernized campus.

Dr. Miller is impressed with the leadership role that the Upper School Model UN students have taken in the Middle School program.

“I asked them if they wanted to come talk with the girls, and the

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6TH GRADE HISTORY WITH DR. CHRISLAINE MILLER

next thing I knew, they had prepared a presentation with slides and resources; they walked in ready to show the younger students everything they have to look forward to when they do Model UN in high school. I couldn’t believe how thorough and thoughtful they were.”

This year, even more Upper School students want to be involved.

“Everyone who wants to join us is welcome. It’s incredible to watch how much my students grow from seeing the older students lead,” says Dr. Miller. This type of mentorship is exactly why we choose to keep 6th through 12th grade on one campus as we modernize.

Studies show that women in particular need strong mentors to grow into and remain in leadership roles. Asking for help can be hard to do, but at Castilleja, students learn early and often that finding the support of a mentor can be the boost that moves you from being a learner to being a leader.

“I love this school,” Dr. Miller says. “I love how these girls show up to learn and to support each other. I tell my 6th graders every day that they matter—that they might be the ones to solve the remaining mysteries of the ancient world or the ongoing global challenges we face today. When I think about the fact that they are learning in spaces that haven’t been renovated since the sixties, I want this new campus for them.”

Space for Science

ADVANCED TOPICS (AT) CHEMISTRY WITH BETHANY BLACKWELLHA

Bethany BlackwellHA teaches a year-long AT Chemistry class open to juniors and seniors, but the drive to keep learning seems to last much longer. Recent graduates are noticing a trend: taking AT Chemistry with Ms. Blackwell seems to be a predictor for choosing to study chemistry in college and graduate school. Of this link, Anja Peterson ’22 believes Ms. Blackwell inspired deep curiosity and perseverance. “She taught me how to enjoy and embrace confusion.

AT Chemistry was a really hard class, but I think for all of us in it, the way Ms. Blackwell taught made us hungrier and more excited to understand concepts rather than give up because they were too hard,” says Anja.

such as Astronomy and Global Climate Change, run in rotation. “With organic chemistry in particular,” she says, “colleges often see it as a weeder class, and the material is incredibly challenging. I teach the subject with a different focus that helps students see the relevance of organic chemistry in their daily lives, from food science, to dyes and textiles, to the pharmaceutical industry.” She also hopes that by providing a solid foundation in the tricky aspects of the content, this introduction to organic chemistry in high school will help students succeed in their college courses.

At Castilleja since 2013, Ms. Blackwell has taught Chemistry, AT Chemistry, and a semester-long elective in Organic Chemistry. Her approach to teaching all of her classes certainly makes a compelling case for further study. “I see chemistry everywhere every day, and I want my students to be able to see how all of the things we are doing together in class apply to their everyday lives.” And as far as gaining confidence to work through hard material and ideas, she says, “I really hope they leave my classes understanding that science is a collaborative endeavor. As I reflect back on my journey as a student, I realize that I was too focused on figuring things out on my own. I hope I can help my students see that asking for help and hashing out your ideas with other people is expected, and just another part of the process of science.”

“As Department Lead this year,” Ms. Blackwell says, “I am more aware of the range of opportunities students want to make for themselves and pursue outside the classroom, and it will be interesting to see how this space could allow for that. I can see how it will support the longer projects students do for Explo in the Middle School, as well as provide more space for Enrichment groups.” The modernized campus will facilitate these kinds of collaborations and conversations with glass walls and doors between and around science classrooms and a new research lab space.

The spaces themselves are going to make a difference, but what they make possible is as important to Ms. Blackwell. The new spaces will allow us to offer more programming. “I’m excited to have more students in the Upper School because it means we can run our electives more frequently.” Right now, Ms. Blackwell can’t always offer her Organic Chemistry class every year, and other electives—

As much potential as she sees in the new campus, Ms. Blackwell’s sense of new possibilities for students who want to pursue the sciences begins before the new spaces are completed. “It’s really exciting that our new Head of School is a scientist, and I think she’s going to be a great resource for the faculty and another important role model for the students,” she says.

Girls’ schools are known for graduating women who choose to pursue STEM at higher rates than women who attended co-ed high schools, but even so, Ms. Blackwell’s influence seems to push past those numbers to inspire a lifelong curiosity about both the subject and path of becoming a scientist. And that is the case for Anja: “In college, I keep the resilience I learned from taking Ms. Blackwell’s class as well as that idea of finding fun in challenges,” she says, adding. “I hope to be making her proud as I continue my career in Chemistry.”

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RETIREMENTS

Dan ChapmanHA SUPERINTENDENT OF BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS

WITH IMMENSE GRATITUDE, WE BID FAREWELL TO THE MAN WHO HELPED SHAPE OUR CAMPUS FOR 34 YEARS Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds Dan ChapmanHA, who began ringing the bell at the Tie Ceremony in 2023, an honor reserved for the employees who have been at Castilleja the longest, will retire this June after 34 years. When he joined the Castilleja community in 1991, his son Brandon, who joined the Maintenance Team in 2018, was only two weeks old, and the campus was very different from the one we know today. First of all, Melville Avenue continued into what became Spieker Field, and he was charged with removing the road and transforming the space into a softball field. Now, he is back where he started, partnering with the construction team that is building a parking garage beneath the same field.

“I trained to become an architect,” Mr. Chapman says, “but pretty quickly I realized that I wanted to be working with my hands.” He has been able to fulfill that wish. During his time around the Circle, he oversaw updating the Gunn Administration Building, remodeling the Elizabeth Hughes Chapel Theater, turning the former dorm rooms into classrooms in the Arrillaga Family Campus Center and creating the new library and makerspaces there, partnering with the team that built the gym, updating the Ely Family Fine Arts Building, renovating the Middle School, and leading the creation of the Osaka Pool. He even replaced the Circle itself, when the grass surface was too damp and muddy for much of the year, was replaced with the turf we enjoy now. Most recently, he has been planning for the campus modernization, which broke ground in September.

Mr. Chapman will also be remembered for his attention to detail and appreciation for tradition. The mural of the 5Cs that hangs in the Gunn Administration Building lobby is there because he had the foresight to salvage it. When he thinks about what he will miss most, he responds quickly with only one word, “Troubleshooting.” And he has been doing that steadily for decades. Of Mr. Chapman’s impact, Associate Head of School Kathy LayendeckerHA says, “In his 34 years at Castilleja, he has been instrumental in shaping our campus, overseeing the construction or improvement of almost every corner of the campus, developing a highly effective team that supports our day to day activities and special events, and keeping our school community safe. His contributions have not only built and maintained the physical foundation of our school but have helped our program grow and flourish for generations to come.”

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1993

2007

Ann GreysonHA COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER The fact that there were very few women in her computer science program in college didn’t discourage Ann GreysonHA. “My impostor syndrome wasn’t related to being female,” she says, “it was related to knowledge. I didn’t have as much prior exposure to computer science as my classmates.” This experience has been a driving force in her work at Castilleja. “I want to help students develop a solid foundation to feel confident in their college CS courses.” Ms. Greyson began her career in industry, working at Apple as a software engineer. Her shift to education came after she began volunteering in her own children’s classrooms, and she made a career change, arriving at Castilleja in 2012 to teach one computer science course. Within two years, through the leadership of Cindy and Evan Goldberg P’17 with the Goldberg Computer Science Chair Endowment, the school created a new Computer Science and Engineering Department, and by the fall of 2019, computer science was a graduation requirement and several department electives were being offered. “More than anything, by increasing access to computer science and engineering courses, I wanted to spark interest in these subjects and normalize their study.” When thinking about what she will miss most about Castilleja, she answers, “The students. I admire Castilleja students’ intellectual engagement, and it has been deeply fulfilling to support and guide them.”

By Artist Reagan Raphael ’25

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CASTILLEJA ALUMS

Reunion/Alum Day CELEBRATING THE 9s AND 4s

In September 2024, we celebrated Castilleja alums from milestone years at Reunion/Alum Day. Thank you to all the alums who came out to celebrate.

Read more about our reimagined annual event on pages 8-9.

SAVE THE DATE Mark your calendars for this year’s Reunion/Alum Day on September 27, 2025. While we will celebrate the years ending in 0 and 5, all alums are welcome.

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CLASS NOTES

We’d love to hear from you!

Help us stay in touch by sharing your new contact information and exciting updates on life, work, family, accomplishments, travel, hobbies, and more. Submit your Class Note (75 words or fewer) to appear in the next issue of Full Circle Magazine at: alum.castilleja.org/community Questions? Ideas? Please contact: (650) 470-7744 alumnae@castilleja.org

1960s 1961 Barbara Leep ’61 shares: “I had fun traveling to New Zealand, Portugal, Rome, and the United Arab Emirates this year, meeting interesting people and seeing a few places I had not been to before. In 2025, I plan to visit France and Italy again and maybe the very Far East.

Let’s go!”

1963 Virginia Smedberg ’63 shares: “I’m still playing violin with Opera San José and West Bay Opera, freelancing, teaching, and coordinating the Palo Alto School of Chamber Music. Two of my students are now Casti students! Last month, I saw Itzhak Perlman. I also spent two weeks in the Sierra this summer, at Tuolumne Meadows and Clair Tappaan Lodge on Sierra Club service trips—enjoying the mountains and giving back.”

Gail Wilson Zetter ’64 shares: “The Class of ’64 celebrated 60 years last September in Carmel.

Cary Golub Lurie led the planning, hosting at her and Laura Golub Overett ’68’s ocean-view homes. Maria Cristina Lerche de Balestra, who lived with the Wilsons senior year, joined from Argentina. Highlights included Michaele Roth Thunen’s crafts and cooking, a private Monterey Bay Aquarium tour, and walks on the beach. As Bonnie Eggink Allen said, it was magical—a gift to reconnect, reminisce, and laugh together.”

Photo: Some of the Class of ’64 who celebrated their 60-year reunion in Carmel.

1950s

1952 Joyce Adams Hanna ’52 notes that daughter Katie Hanna Dickson ’80 and granddaughter Allison “Ally” Dickson ’20 occasionally say to each other when they face a challenge, “Remember, we’re Casti girls, we can do this!”

Photo: Joyce celebrating her birthday with her grandchildren, including Ally.

1959 Marcia Macurda Anderson ’59 shares: “I live in a 100-apartment senior building, nine blocks from the beach on the third floor. I have a view of a park and a church. I had to give up driving and miss my beautiful 20-year-old Camry. My daughter Tina and her husband Kirk live in Cave Creek, Arizona, with two granddaughters in Colorado. I am a threeyear-survivor of severe long COVID! Any 1959s, please be blessed and stay in touch.”

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1964 Sarah Morris Pullen ’64 shares: “A few years back, my high school class started Zooming from all over the world, so I am delighted to see all those lovely faces again several times a year. As a recovering enthusiastic community volunteer, I continue to be in the Guild of our local Broadway Rose Theater for my 14th year, attending their plays and helping out. A 2025 toast to you and yours: May you find your bumper full to the brim, wisdom and verve present in equal amounts, joints well oiled, and your heart full of passion for whom and what matters most to you. Toast well and embrace each day. Skål!”

Photo: Sarah on her cycle.

1969 Diana “Dicy” Apperson ’69 shares: “Still in Prescott, Arizona with my wife, Ski, of nearly 29 years. We retired early and dedicate time to nonprofits like Big Brothers and Sisters, Meals on Wheels, a cat adoption home, and the arts. We’ve visited 48 countries and all eight continents and are planning a 9,000-mile RV trip to British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska this summer with friends and our dog, Stella.

Our granddaughter is turning 13! Life is good, with more adventures ahead.”

Photo: Dicy with her wife, Ski.

1970s

1972 Joyce Bogner Bohn ’72 shares: “Last spring, Susan Sundby Nicholas and I traveled to Japan where we tried out kimonos and wooden sandals. So proud of my grandkids; Sophie is a pre-med major at Southern Oregon and Jack got his pilot’s license at age 17!”

Photo: Joyce in Japan with Susan, Spring 2024.

Diane Kimball Jacob ’72 shares: “Living in St. George, Utah, gives us easy access to four stunning national parks within a few hours’ drive. I’m staying active with a new knee (it’s not the same as the one I was born with, but close.)

We love being away from the winter snow and traveling to our little cabin near Bryce National Park to escape the summer heat. Sending love to all my classmates—stay safe!”

1974 Kathleen “Kit” Wertheimer ’74 reports: “I have a ranch with a small horse boarding facility on the edge of Garland Park which has miles of amazing trails. A dream come true for me. I’m still playing piano and trying to paint!

Or vice versa! And...50 years! Really?”

1976 Tinsley Place Lockhart ’76 shares: Trying semi-retirement after my risk and compliance banking role ended in July. Still am a lawyer, but joined the Scottish Society of Artists and exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy. I live in Edinburgh. I am a grandmother, but don’t see my family, who live in Dubai, much. Missing old friends who have lost touch, including Mary Boyd—do reach out! Happy 2025!”

Photo: Tinsley Place Lockhart.

1983 Robin Haber Kallas ’83 shares: “After transitioning from the Emergency Department setting, I am currently working at a Kaiser Hospital urgent care, caring for the pediatric patients. Sandra Pruitt Ney, Kim Roberts, Valerie Rice Prainito, Jennifer Ritter Brill, Sheila Hoffman Lee and I recently got together in Montecito for a Castilleja reunion. Several of us then met up again for a 60th birthday party.

Time flies, but friendships remain so very important.”

Photo: Left to right: Jennifer Ritter Brill, Sandra Pruitt Ney, Robin Haber Kallas.

1980s 1980 Claire Kirch ’80 shares that she still lives in northern Minnesota and is a news reporter for Publishers Weekly magazine in New York City.

Claire “spent almost a week in the East Bay in early January, checking out apartments with 27-year-old Rachel, who is moving to Berkeley from San Diego. Shout out to Jennifer “Jenny” Burns Pope ’81, who has lived in Oakland for most of her life, for all the advice and tips and leads.”

1975 Cassandra “Casey” Lewis Keeshan ’75 writes: “I’ve just moved back with my husband to New York City from Nashville and we are very happy to be back. We just returned from a trip to Bangkok where we visited our son. He has lived there for a year now teaching English as a second language.”

Katherine “Kat(hy)” Koppett ’83 shares: “I am busy running an improvisational theater company with my husband and a consultancy specializing in expanding performance range through theater and storytelling from my home in upstate New York. My daughter is graduating college this year and moving on to a PhD in History in the fall.

Photo: Kat Koppett

1981 Angela “Anne” DiVecchio Foster ’81 shares: “I retired in February of 2024. Two of our boys live in Florida and the youngest son is in Colorado, so we spend our time in both places.”

Photo: With Paula Melnikoff Quinn boating in southwest Florida

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1980s CONTINUED

1990s

1999 Dominique “Dominique-Chantale” Johnson Alepin ’99 had an exciting year combining her passion for sustainability and human rights with her expertise. She joined Salesforce as a senior lawyer on sustainability and social impact, shaping impactful strategies.

Dominique also joined the board of the Future Climate Collective, focused on increasing climate literacy and resilience in high school students. Through these roles, she’s making significant contributions toward a sustainable and equitable future.

2000s 1988 Catherine Zerboni Popovici ’84 shares: “I am happily semi-retired in Houston, Texas, playing tennis and enjoying my five adult kids—two married with jobs and grandkid plans, and three in college or post-graduate studies.

I attended the last reunion and had a blast reconnecting with Heather Allen Pang ’84HA P’17, Georgia Bernhard, and Sidney Varian Scott. I’m grateful for my Castilleja education and how well it prepared me for college.”

Photo: Catherine with husband of 28 years, Alexander Mihai Popovici.

1989 Tara Desautels ’89 shares: “On May 14, 2024, after a hearing before the Commission on Judicial Appointments comprised of California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, Attorney General Robert Bonta, and Presiding Justice Jim Humes, I was confirmed as an Associate Justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Two. In attendance was fellow alum Hilary Howell McAvoy, and sending good wishes remotely from her daughter’s college graduation was Allison Marston Danner.”

Photo: Tara at the California Supreme Court.

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1990 Joanna Busza ’90 shares: “I moved to The Gambia in January, excited to explore West Africa after years of working in Eastern and Southern Africa. I’m based at the Medical Research Council, a facility working to tackle infectious and chronic diseases, supporting social science research and mentoring local researchers. I’ll be here for at least three years, though with a palm-lined beach 10 minutes away and fresh fish at sunset most evenings, I’m thinking I may never leave!”

Photo: Joanna and husband in Gambia.

2000 “Claire” Anine Cummins ’00 reports: “I have been in the United States for the past six months, visiting from Australia. My partner and I have done up a van to live in, and have seen lots of Casti alums, including Talia Jacobson, Lauren McGeoch Porensky, Elizabeth “Liz” Graves ’01, Leah Davis, Yasmin Elayat, and Jocelyn Roux ’04.”

Photo: Anine and Liz on a sandbar in Bar Harbor, Maine.

2001 Shawna Seth ’01 shares: “Shawna finished a didactic year at Emory University and is in the thick of clinical rotations for physician assistant school, with family medicine being the highlight so far. Since moving to Atlanta, visits and regular phone calls from Emily Heddleson and Alexis “Ailey” Crow have been the best support and motivation!”

1996 Aleia Carr McDaniel ’96 shares: “I’m excited to reconnect with the Castilleja community as a member of the Alumnae Board.

I’ve been living in the Dallas, Texas metroplex for over 10 years, working as a school systems manager for five schools while also running a spiritual life coaching business and serving my community in various ways. When I’m not working, I enjoy traveling and exploring with my blended family: 16-year-old daughter Amaya, wife Salim, and our co-parent. Grateful for this journey!”

Photo: Aleia and her family.

2002 Whitney Brown ’02 and Casti classmates Katherine “Katie” Gunderson, Neela Penumarthy, Kathleen Parkes, Sara Bowling, and Caitlin Kelly Hannon gathered in Seattle in June 2024, for the first time in almost 20 years, to celebrate their 40th birthdays. “It was a laughter-filled weekend of reminiscing and gratitude for their enduring friendship.”

Photo: Katie Gunderson, Neela Penumarthy, Kathleen Parkes, Sara Bowling, and Caitlin Kelly Hannon in Seattle.

2000s CONTINUED

Raelyn Jacobson ’02 continues as a Partner at McKinsey & Company, focused on improving healthcare access and launching new services for populations in need. She and her wife Manuela have two girls, Sole (4) and Adele (2) and split their time between Seattle and Italy.

Photo: Raelyn’s children.

Cristina Quattrone ’07 shares: “I’m currently writing and advising for a project at Duke Marine Lab called "Ready, Set, Resilience." This program is entirely teacher-created and aims to connect ecological resilience to personal resilience (plus, there is a new puppet component, which is absolutely delightful.) Other things that fill my cup: hanging with my toddler, swimming, and crying over beautiful picture books. Come say hi if you are ever in Coastal North Carolina!”

2006 Margaret “Meg” York ’06 shares: “My husband Zandy and I welcomed daughter Natalia Southwick Cucharale on March 29, 2024. A Casti girl at heart, she is spirited, curious, and not afraid to use her voice! Natalia shares her middle name with Meg’s sister, Catherine York ’08. We can’t wait to celebrate our baby girl’s first birthday soon.”

Photo: Meg and Zandy’s daughter, Natalia.

Lucy Strand ’08 writes: “I made the big move to New York City this past year and am loving every minute of it! Luckily, I was able to take my work with me as an online licensed therapist.

Recently, I decided to expand my practice to help even more women by creating an on-demand life coaching business. I’m excited to reach more people this way and make a greater impact! I feel so fulfilled in my work and grateful for the Castilleja teachers who recognized my natural talents and encouraged me to follow my interests and passion.”

Photo: Casti girls unite! Andrea “Andie” Navarro Sobrato visiting Katherine “Katie” Wang and Lucy in New York City.

2008 Lauren Brown ’08 has written a debut novel, Society of Lies, published by Penguin Random House in August 2024. The novel explores what happens when a young woman of color takes on a corrupt secret society on her college campus.

2004 Jessica Hazlett Kaplow ’04 shares: “It was wonderful to reconnect at our 20-year reunion and be back on the Circle, reminded of this amazing community and the talent of our class. A personal highlight was receiving the Alum Athletic Hall of Fame award—such an honor! My husband and I live on the Peninsula with our two kids (Robbie, 3 and Emma, 1), and we feel fortunate to be close to family and enjoy the beauty of this area. Looking forward to staying in touch!”

Photo: Jessica and family pictured at the Castilleja Reunion.

2007 Sarah Karp ’07 and her husband, Chris, welcomed their little girl, Charlotte, in September. Fellow Casti alum Andrea Godoy and Christina Liou helped celebrate with a beautiful baby shower in August. Sarah also visited alum Adriana “Adri” Mujal in New York City this past summer.

Photo: Sarah, her husband, and baby Charlotte, 2024.

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2020s

2000s CONTINUED

2020 Anna DeVitis ’20 shares: “I received my Bachelors degree in Psychology from Westmont College this past May. I now plan to continue my education with my Master’s in Clinical Counseling in San Diego, beginning this January. I would love the opportunity to connect with any Castilleja alums in the area, especially as I look for work in my field.”

2009 Stephanie Leung ’09 shared: “For our ’09 Class Gathering, Kennedy Flanders and I planned our dinner. Ten of us and some of our partners met at the British Bankers Club for bites and drinks. We had such an awesome time sharing what we’ve been up to since we all last saw each other.”

Photo: Class of ’09 gets together at the local watering hole, British Bankers Club, in Menlo Park.

2013 Olivia Nicholls ’13 writes: “At my wedding in the Spring of 2024, we had 21 Casti alums from seven different graduating classes.

Unfortunately, we did not succeed in gathering everyone for the group photo and Casti song singalong, but we got a good number!”

Photo: Top row from left to right: Hannah Hsieh O’Neel, Charlotte Jones, Natalie Sherer, Nina Vaswani, Elizabeth Johnson, Claire Bostrom, Caoimhe Macrunnels ’15, Jordan Fowler Bull, Alinna Brown ’14. Bottom row left to right: Sophia “Sophie” Levin, Sydney Molano, Julia Nicholls ’17, Olivia Nicholls, Hannah Gropper, Rachel Gropper ’17.

Moorea Mitchell ’20 reports: “I just graduated from Duke with Latin Honors and finished 19th in the country for the hammer throw at the NCAA National Track and Field Championships. In July 2024, I will be continuing my studies at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, earning my Master in Management Studies.”

Photo: Moorea competing at the 2024 NCAAs.

Rebecca Wang ’09 shares: “I got married in April 2024 and was happy to celebrate with so many of my Casti classmates. My husband and I live in the Bay Area and run a board game cafe in downtown Mountain View. Stop by Next Level Board Game Cafe and say hi if you are in the area!”

Photo: Rebecca and Casti classmates at her wedding in April 2024.

2021 Ariana “Ari” Kertsman ’21 brings her passion for the arts to the stage as the lead singer of VUP, a funk/R&B band in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Performing there and in San Francisco, she’s experienced music’s power in building community. A senior at the University of Michigan studying Afroamerican and African Studies and Social Theory and Practice, she is writing a senior honors thesis on how expressive arts and trauma-informed teaching foster belonging, safety, and agency in classrooms.

2010s 2014 Sanah Imran ’14 reports: “I was sad to miss the reunion but I was getting married the same weekend at Filoli!”

Photo: Sanah and husband, Filoli, Woodside, California, 2024.

2010 Eve Zelinger ’10 shares: “On July 27, 2024 in Healdsburg, CA, I became a Mrs.! The day was made even more special having many of my Castilleja friends there to celebrate with us.”

Photo: Eve and her husband at their wedding.

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FANTASY LAND Student artists explore time, discovery, and human connection. Artists from top left, clockwise: Flo Correa Agazzi ’25, Winnie Hui ’25, Ava Kwok ’26, and Kira Libby Robertson ’25.

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In Memoriam

FOREVER IN OUR CIRCLE ALUMNAE Barbara Adams Gideon ’61 Marka Davis Hemphill ’56 Susan Fenn Moreland ’63 Katie Harris ’87 Daughter of Nancy FlowersHA; Sister of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Harris ’88 Margot Heersema Phillips ’52 Kathleen Johnson Eyring ’58 Sally Kuechler Debenham ’52 Mother of Susan Debenham ’77; Sister of Sue Keuchler Harris ’52 and Nancy Kuechler Enright ’65; Aunt of Elizabeth Harris ’77, Sally Stewart Harris ’76, Kathryn Harris Robbins ’81, and Mary Kuechler ’84; Great Aunt of Katharine Booher ’09, Sarah Booher ’18; Grandmother of Catherine Debenham ’21 and Ella Debenham ’24 Elizabeth Lucas Haines ’54 Mother of Lindsay Haines ’80 Sylvia McNamara Hovorka ’55 Joanne Meyer Hayes ’61 Barbara Petersen Wilson ’54 Shirley Potter Chambers ’45 Suzanne Sickel Taylor ’57 Marilyn Steward Grier ’46 Barbara Tantau Barrett ’50 Lorraine Wilbur Dicke ’49

FAMILY Forrest Anderson Former Trustee, Father of Lisa Anderson Hill ’86 Robert Coen Father of Andrea Coen ’99 Terry Morrow Guice Mother of Elizabeth Guice ’91 Mark Lieberman Father of Robyn Lieberman ’82 and Elana Lieberman ’84 Ronna Widrow Mother of Leslie Widrow Derbin ’78 and Debbie Widrow Sklarin ’81 Richard “Dick” Wray Former Trustee, Father of Michele Wray Khateri ’87 and Christina Wray Olmsted ’89

EMPLOYEES Jospeh (Jay) Milnor Interim Head of School, 1986 - 1988

FRIENDS Janet Carol Redding Richardson

Artists from top: Saige Sefcik ’27 and Ayda Gokturk ’25 56 | Castilleja Full Circle

Artists from left to right: Nikitah Ganesh ’27 and Jackie Caballero ’25

Leadership Team

Board of Trustees

Julia Russell Eells Interim Head of School

Zac Zeitlin, Chair Odette Harris, Vice-Chair Raj Agrawal Ed Chan Stephanie Chen Chi-Hua Chien Mahooya Dinda Rachelle Doorley Steve Dowling Julia Russell Eells Nate Gallon Megan Jones Bell ’00 Bob Kocher

Kathy LayendeckerHA Associate Head for Finance and Operations Christina GwinHA Dean of Faculty (Fall Sabbatical) Peter Hatala Head of Upper School Sue KimHA Director of Advancement Claire Ledwith Director of Admission Emily McElhinney Director of Communications and Community Relations Karen Strobel Dean of Faculty (Covering Fall Sabbatical) and Director of Institutional Research and Teacher Support Laura Zappas Head of Middle School

This issue of Full Circle was written and produced by Emily McElhinney and Masha Rumer with contributions by Tanya Campbell Temple, Sue KimHA, Liz Babb ’82, photography by Sam Petersen and Sara Coburn, and graphic design by Kris Loew P’18 ’20.

Many thanks to Castilleja alumnae for their updates, notably Sarah Vander Ploeg Beck ’02, Christie Westly ’18, Aleia Carr McDaniel ’96, Anja Peterson ’22, and Sara Baulder ’23. Thank you to Eric and Tracy Hass and to Global Week speakers Atia Abawi, Daniel Barash, Anne Dolan ’79, Geulah Finman, Dr. Elin Kelsey, Dr. Alice Siu, Jordan Williams, and Dr. Jamil Zaki. Thanks to the Arrillaga Family Foundation for sponsoring speaker Scott Harrison and to Come As You Are guests Mimi Tran Zambetti ’16 and Lou Jimenez. Thank you to the faculty, staff, and students who contributed to the stories and shared their artwork.

Allison Koo ’98 Jamaica Kreps Yidrienne Lai Lindsay Austin Louie ’98 Shweta Mehta Rah Mansoor Jennifer Newstead Olivia Nottebohm Suzanne O’Brien Mia Rocha Mike Schroepfer Andie Navarro Sobrato ’08 Jeff Wong

Alumnae Association Executive Committee Lindsay Austin Louie ’98, President Anisha Bhalla ’06 Claire Fischer Fluhr ’95 Anjali Rani Jotwani ’08 Michele Wray Khateri ’87 Aleia Carr McDaniel ’96 Carol Patel ’93 Melissa Riofrio ’85 Kimberley Morris Rosen ’98 Claire Traum ’17

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Full Circle CASTILLEJA SCHOOL MAGAZINE

Castilleja School Foundation 1310 Bryant Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 castilleja.org

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