Cate School 2017 Fall Bulletin

CATE Fall 2017

THE DESIGN ISSUE

2016-17 REPORT ON PHILANTHROPY

Design Phillip Collier Design Studio Copy Editor Jeff Barton Writers Jeff Barton, Kate Bradley ’19, Emily Calkins ’20, Paul Denison ’79, Joe Gottwald ’10, Hallie Greene, Frank Griffin, Selena Mone, Monique Parsons ’84, Wade Ransom, Camille Robins ’08, Dave Soto ’08, Ginger Williams Photographers Joe Gottwald ’10, Jenny Lee ’18, Alanna Morris, Ashleigh Mower Multimedia Coordinator Ashleigh Mower Marketing & Publications Coordinator Joe Gottwald ’10 Headmaster Benjamin D. Williams IV Assistant Headmaster, External Affairs Charlotte Brownlee ’85 Archivist Ginger Williams Director of Advancement Lindsay Newlove Cate Fund Director Colin Donovan Director of Alumni Relations Andrew MacDonnell Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving Chris Giles Retraction Frank Sykes passed away on May 12, 2017 (not on April 1, as reported in the summer 2017 Bulletin). We apologize for the error.

The Cate Bulletin is published three times a year

by Cate School and is distributed free of charge to alumni, parents, and friends of the School. Send correspondence and address changes to: communications@cate.org The Cate Bulletin is printed by V3 on Topkote paper.

MISSION STATEMENT Through commitment, scholarship, companionship, and service, each member of the Cate community contributes to what our founder called “...the spirit of this place...all compounded of beauty and virtue, quiet study, vigorous play, and hard work.”

TA BL E OF C ON T E N T S

IN EVERY ISSUE 2

FROM THE ARCHIVES

3

FROM THE HEADMASTER

4

ON THE MESA

108 CLASS NOTES 122 IN MEMORIAM 124

ENDPAGE

THE DESIGN ISSUE

In its broadest sense, design permeates every aspect of our lives. Our students, alumni, and teachers are thoughtfully and carefully designing with end users in mind.

26 A VISION FOR DECADES TO COME

36 DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

As the School prepares to break ground on a new dining hall, Monique Parsons ‘84

delves into the design process.

Some of our favorite alumni and student designed products and where to find them.

28 THE NATURAL CHOICE Q AND A WITH LI WEN '78

The Gensler architect is taking the lead on

the School’s new facility design.

ON THE WEB

32 CURRICULUM DESIGN: RAISING QUESTIONS & CONSTRUCTING KNOWLEDGE

 Peruse the event calendar and look up

old friends at www.cate.org/alumni.

 Find the latest Cate news at www.cate.org/news.

Explore the modern Cate classroom, rife with inquiry-based learning and innovative faculty.

38 DISPATCHES

From fashion to engineering to historical

preservation, we check in with five alumni

and two students who are designing the world

around us.

48 REPORT ON PHILANTHROPHY Recognizing the School’s ample contributions

to their growth, members of the Cate

community give back year after year.

 SMUGMUG: Explore Cate in photos at

cateschool.smugmug.com.  LINKEDIN: Join our LinkedIn career

networking group “Cate School Alumni &

Friends” at cate.org/linkedin.

 FACEBOOK: Befriend Curtis Wolsey Cate

and become a Facebook fan of Cate School.  TWITTER: Follow updates on Cate’s twitter profile “Cate_School.”

Front Cover: The students of Monica Furmanski’s Advanced Digital Arts class show off their laser cutter projects in front of the Hitchcock Theatre. Turn to page 30 for “Through the Lens”, which explores these projects up close.

 INSTAGRAM: Follow @cate_school on

Instagram for your daily dose of life on the Mesa.

W W W. CATE . O R G

1

F ROM T H E A RC H I V E S

Some of the most interesting records housed in Cate’s archives provide a glimpse of ideas and designs that never came to fruition. Master planning documents show building concepts that were discarded soon after the “What if?” phase, such as a dormitory complex where the current Sprague Gymnasium is located, and an administrative building on Pizza Lawn. One such idea made it so far past the brainstorming phase that it was part of an overall design that actually won a prestigious national architectural award.

The award was presented in 1958 to architect George Vernon Russell by the national Church Architectural Guild of America for his design of the Katherine Thayer Cate Memorial Chapel, which would begin construction the following year. Russell’s design included a circular front plaza featuring a campanile (or bell tower) which the architect described as “eccentrically located to avoid blocking the view and to add interest to the combination of plane and elevation forms.”

What happened to the bell tower?

We are all familiar with the circular front plaza, and many of us remember the three Italian cypress trees that grew in the plaza where a bell tower might have stood. In January of 1961, nine months before construction was completed on the chapel, Headmaster Francis Parkman, Jr. expressed in a letter to Curtis Cate that he was still hopeful that the bell tower could be built, despite the fact that funds available for the project were nearly depleted. Five months later, work on the chapel continued and writers from El Batidor reported that the bell tower would be constructed “in the future.” In November of 1961 the chapel was dedicated, without the bell tower.

2

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

Above: Architect’s preliminary elevation showing chapel with bell tower.

Top: Artistic rendering of the George Vernon Russell chapel design as submitted for the 1958 Church Architectural Guild of America Competition.

The story has a disappointingly unromantic conclusion, as records suggest that the bell tower fell victim to continued funding constraints. Minutes from trustee meetings show that the School had to do some belt-tightening in the years following the completion of the 50th Anniversary building program, of which the chapel was the final project, so this last piece of the design was abandoned.

Had the bell tower been built, the list of iconic symbols that we all associate with Cate might read this way: “Macbeth” the bell, the row of eucalyptus trees down the Day Walkway, the Nelson D. Jones ‘48 Stables, Schoolhouse and Commencement Lawn, and … the bell tower.

Ginger Williams

F ROM T H E H E A DM A S T E R

A Future We Are Designing Every year there are words that become conspicuous on the Mesa, usually because of some topical issue in the world, a compelling inquiry question, or simply a nuanced social or cultural dynamic within our community.

There are a couple of words this year. Truth is a big one, because our inquiry question for the year concerns the potential universality of truth. If you want to get Cate students intellectually riled up, just ask them to find some idea or concept that everyone can agree on. In fact, this is the first year we have seen fairly broad debate on whether the inquiry question itself is fair and reasonable. And already we are seeing rather remarkable and diverse definitions of “truth.” Fortunately, education is a journey, and it appears we are in for an exciting ride this year.

But truth is not the only pervasive term

who inhabits them, or how we build the

science that is intrinsic to any definition of

power and purpose of the work we do. We

design. To construct anything meaningful

coloring the year. Design is here too. It’s in

are designing experiences, engagements,

and enduring requires the creativity to

the obvious stuff, like the effort to imagine

intentions, and hoped-for outcomes.

imagine something that hasn’t been done

Cate’s new dining commons and student

Education has historically been an

before and the discipline and vision to know

center, or the re-imagination of Raymond

intractable industry, but not on this Mesa.

how to get there from here.

Commons as the intellectual (rather than

Foundations are partnering with us to

That is the story not simply of this

social or nutritional) center of the campus.

imagine new pedagogies and practices. We

Bulletin but of this School, to a future we are

It’s in the flow of campus life that these

are re-orienting our curriculum around the

designing with each passing day.

facilities and structures will influence.

power of inquiry, the well-crafted question,

It’s even in the partnership with our lead

and the open-minded posture so critical to

architect from Gensler – Li Wen ’78. Who

productive learning and exchange. And we

better than a Cate alumnus to help us

continue to use objective-based design as

design the evolving campus that future Cate

we craft our lessons and courses, so that we

students will know?

can be intentional about the skills we are

But in truth (no pun intended) the design process we are engaged in has relatively little to do with buildings. It’s more about what we do within them, or

Servons,

building and the outcomes our students can ultimately realize.

Benjamin D. Williams IV

Perhaps most heartening and exciting, all of this work reflects the blend of art and

W W W. CATE . O R G

3

ON the MESA ECLIPSE IGNITES A COLANDER CRAZE

Faculty, students, and staff gathered outside the Seeley G. Mudd Science Building for the best view on campus of the August 21 eclipse.

“We’re not gonna see it,” thought Cate Science Department Chair Craig Bouma. The eclipse on August 21

families descended upon the terrace just

currently offer an astronomy elective,

before 10:00 a.m.

Bouma says events like this are important

For those viewing it through the

for science education. He says that the

would only be partially visible (⅔) from

solar telescope, the sun was a red-

methods used to predict and model the

Carpinteria, plus the weather called for

orange marble with a portion cut out.

movement of heavenly bodies “are being

heavy morning fog. “We didn’t have a full

However, the image from the telescope

used to investigate global warming.

student body, so as chair I thought I’d

did not inspire the group as much what

Those same methods are also being

probably check it out on my own.” But

could be seen with some of the cruder

used to explain evolution.” Bouma sees

he underestimated the level of interest

instruments. The colanders and a

a relationship between this event and

on campus during those early days of the

cardboard wall Bouma had poked holes

this year’s inquiry question: “Is truth

school year.

into “turned out to be a hit because it

universal?” He says, “Some people often

Several faculty with young children

blows you away that all those holes are

think of science as finding truth, but we all

on campus began inquiring about what

producing an image of the sun.” Bouma

know there are levels of uncertainty. And

Bouma had planned. After some cajoling

explained that the crescent-shaped

science always communicates how certain

from his wife Christine, Bouma admits,

beams streaming through the holes are

we are of our data sets. We need to be

“Out of guilt I went and got the solar

a result of light from the sun hitting

skeptical without being science deniers.”

telescope out and brought out some tools

earth in parallel rays, unlike in indoor

that helped see shadows and produce

environments, for example, that are full

images.” He also did some calculations

of scattered light.

and found the north terrace of the Seeley

4

Light streams through a kitchen colander casting moon-shaped beams on Diarra Pouye ‘18.

“What was so cool, and what was

G. Mudd Science Building to be an ideal

really special about that moment, was

viewing location. That morning in a

that we all got to be together and witness

moment of serendipity, the clouds parted

something unique and share in the awe

and a group of students and faculty

and wonder.” While the School does not

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

Joe Gottwald '10

ON T H E M E SA

ROUND SQUARE: CHANGED PERSPECTIVES

SUNSET CEREMONY

A guide explains a poster recognizing the 1989 Purple Rain protest to Cate students in Cape Town.

August 28, 2017 “With this ceremony we acknowledge our place in history and, in a certain way, introduce issues that are going to be important to us over the course of this particular year at Cate,” said Headmaster Ben Williams. The ringing of the School’s bell, “Macbeth,” begins the Sunset Ceremony each year, which marks the beginning of school on the Mesa.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…,” read Headmaster Williams. His second reading was from the novel Peace Like a River. “In it the main character has just woken up from a very bad dream. He’s twelve years old.” On his way to the outhouse he encounters his father pacing, praying, and “walking on air,” which makes the character recognize “how buoyant was his faith that night.” The character chooses to relieve himself in a nearby willow thicket rather than disturb his father, who’s “walking on the hand of God.” The third and last reading was a letter written by alumnus William Shepard Biddle ’18, in commemoration of the School’s 50th anniversary. “It speaks to the connection we all share with the people who came before us here and with those who will ultimately come after us,” said Williams. He read, “The essential quality of the School, its aims, its impact upon the student, its approach to the broad problems of education, has not changed. Indeed there is a kinship, a fundamental continuity of tradition between the old school and the new.”

After the readings the underclassmen formed the traditional receiving line; then the seniors passed through it, greeting each underclassman personally.

After two twelve-hour flights (and a

much from the taxi driver as I did from

ten-hour layover), we arrived at our final

the speakers who came to talk to all of us

destination: Cape Town, South Africa. We

at the conference. Our driver had been a

were immediately thrown into the exciting

political prisoner, and one of the teachers

chaos of the Round Square conference.

at the conference had been involved with

Soon we were meeting people from

the Purple Rain protests. It seemed as if

around the world, reconnecting with some

I had stepped into a living history book.

familiar faces, enjoying South African

We passed important places, like the

music, and trying interesting new foods.

balcony where Nelson Mandela made

The whole trip was a blur of new faces,

his first speech after being released from

experiences, places, and ideas.

prison. From our host family’s house, we

The first culture shock I had on this

could see Robben Island from the balcony.

trip came when we hired a cab to take us

We could hardly take five steps without

back to the private, all-girls St. Cyprian’s,

confronting the past – and its continuing

the host school for the conference. We

effects on the present.

were downtown, and the school was

The Round Square conference

only fifteen minutes away, but the taxi

brought together the youth of the world,

driver had never been to the school’s

and over the week we realized that the

neighborhood before. In Cape Town

future is in our hands. We understood

there’s a gap between rich and poor, and

that we have the power to create positive

between black and white, that I had never

change in the societies around us. As

seen before. You can turn a corner and see

one of the speakers said, “It all depends

the houses suddenly go from mansions

on you.” We walked away from this

out of Sunset magazine to little plywood

conference with changed perspectives. We

shacks. The experience changed my

had confronted the past, experienced the

perspective and made me very grateful

present, and become inspired to stride into

that I feel comfortable and accepted going

the future determined to take action and

anywhere I choose in my own city.

make change.

While in South Africa I learned as

Emily Calkins '20

W W W. CATE . O R G

5

ON T H E M E SA

A MISSION-DRIVEN SUMMER CATE SUMMER INSTITUTE (CSI)

Cate Summer Institute campers spend the day sailing in Santa Barbara harbor.

Rising seventh and eighth graders

interactions with potential future

While Digital Photography students

from as far as Vietnam and China, and as

students, the chance to practice their

worked with portraiture, panoramas, and

near as Carpinteria, gathered on the Mesa

passions, and also opportunities to test

encaustic wax on photographic panels,

during the second half of June to enjoy

classroom pedagogy, collaborate with

the Digital Explorations class learned

what Curtis Cate called “the spirit of this

colleagues, and explore new methods of

how to 3-D print and designed graphics

place.” Beauty met them immediately, as

inquiry and interdisciplinary practice.

for their own skateboard decks. The

it does any visitor winding up Cate Mesa

For the Science of Sailing course, team-

Outdoors faculty, led by Peter Bonning,

Road. And it would continue to greet

taught by Joshua Caditz and Craig

helped develop leadership skills through

them with each hiking, biking, kayaking,

Bouma, this meant taking advantage

physical activity and an exploration of

and surfing trip they took with their

of Cate’s unique location on the Santa

the natural environment surrounding

Outdoors classes throughout the week.

Barbara Channel to introduce students

Cate School, which provides a beautiful

Virtue infused itself into class lessons

to a rich science curriculum and how

backdrop that can encourage students to

in Leadership and Design Thinking

it can be applied to explore the ocean.

step out of their comfort zones and push

and Social Discourse, where students

Cece Schwennsen and Jessica Block

themselves to grow. Our faculty, along

discussed important global issues and

conjured a magical collaboration for

with the stellar group of young Cate

worked on their own styles of leadership

The Literary and Chemical Alchemy of

alumni who worked as counselors and

and community building. Students in

Harry Potter, introducing their students

teaching assistants, made CSI a window

each of the CSI classes learned to balance

to an interdisciplinary exploration of the

into our culture for prospective students.

quiet study and hard work with vigorous

Potterverse, complete with potions and

play, all supported by teachers and

a game of Quidditch. Monica Furmanski

counselors committed to providing them

offered two courses each week, teaching

with a true Cate experience.

her students how to use the professional-

For the Cate faculty who chose

6

In the class The Literary and Chemical Alchemy of Harry Potter students fashion their own wands.

grade platforms of Adobe Photoshop

to remain on campus to teach CSI

and Adobe Illustrator to create and edit

courses, the two weeks provided positive

their own photographs and designs.

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

ON T H E M E SA

ADAMS ELEMENTARY AT CSI

CATE SPORTS ACADEMY school students. Athletes arrived on the Mesa with a variety of experience levels; they were organized during the first day of training based on ability. Athletes who were particularly enthusiastic took part in the EXOS strength and conditioning program each morning before breakfast; EXOS gave them an additional opportunity to develop proper exercise habits and techniques.

While students were separated by sport during the day, the program maintained a community feel through combined warm-ups, shared meals, and planned evening activities. Coaches emphasized having fun while helping individuals to reach their personal goals. As one athlete remarked, “The knowledge I’ve gained here is something that high school JV coaches don’t usually provide.”

Tennis was a big hit this summer at the Cate Sports Academy.

Cate School has always been a place where outdoor play is a normal component of each day. As Cate’s summer curriculum grew, the need to have a program that focused on developing kids through sports and other outdoor activities became obvious. The Cate Sports Academy (CSA) was created to provide a holistic approach to training, and its success is due to its focus on hiring individuals who are true professionals in their sports fields, and who also care deeply for the growth and development of young people. In 2017 CSA wrapped up its second summer on the Mesa with a 62% increase in participation over the previous year.

CSA offered seven options over the summer: basketball, water polo, baseball, lacrosse, tennis, softball, volleyball, and outdoor adventure. The coaches were a mixture of former professionals and AllAmerican athletes – all with a keen interest

CSA introduced two new programs this summer: softball and outdoor adventure. Softball coach and Cate alumna Sara Hayes ’91 was ecstatic to be back on the Mesa to pass along her knowledge of the sport she loves. Cate alumnus Nick Brown ’09 took six middle school kids on an outdoor adventure for a week, exposing them to Carpinteria’s natural beauty through surfing, hiking, biking, stand-up paddle boarding, and kayaking.

Beyond athleticism, CSA coaches and staff emphasize the importance of being a team player, of always putting forth your best effort, and of inspiring others to do the same, both on the court/field and in daily life. Our hope is that students who leave Cate Sports Academy will not only have a larger appreciation for their sport but will also be better team members.

Campers use teamwork to pass through a spiderweb without making contact with the ropes.

A private institution with a public purpose, Cate School continues to find ways to serve the local community during the summer months. This year Cate partnered with Santa Barbara Unified and the Audacious Foundation to enroll 29 sixth-graders from Adams Elementary School in the Cate Summer Institute. Connecting students from SB Unified with kids from across the country and around world was an exciting experience. Adams students interested in CSI had to meet certain standards throughout the school year, such as achieving high citizenship grades and meeting their math and English goals.

At CSI, students learned to talk and collaborate, and for many this was the first opportunity to meet people from other walks of life. As a teacher put it, “In one of my CSI groups, we had a pair of shy girls from Adams who at first wanted to stay hidden and talk only to each other, but when it was clear that everyone was expected to participate, they gradually lent their voices to the projects and activities. It was great to see. Everyone, in each week that I taught, was open to getting to know others. I really enjoyed watching this unfold.” Outdoors instructor Peter Bonning absolutely loved the diversity of background, which brought a fresh perspective to the experience for both instructors and students; their warmth and enthusiasm was contagious throughout the whole program, according to Bonning.

As one student from Adams Elementary pointed out, “At first I was nervous, but right from the beginning I felt welcomed, and I ended up spending more time with kids I didn’t know. I loved staying in the dorms and taking part in the evening activities.” Not only did students from Adams enjoy the community aspect of CSI, but they also completely immersed themselves in the classes and activities offered.

As one parent mentioned, the quality of the projects was consistently impressive. The poster her daughter made in her Digital Explorations class is now framed and hanging in their living room.

in working with middle school and high W W W. CATE . O R G

7

ON T H E M E SA

THE PYLES TRADITION their initial transition to boarding school with the clear mountain air at Pyles. For some, it’s their very first outdoor experience.

Pyles Camp Started in 1949 by Robert M. Pyles, an oilman from the Bakersfield area, the camp sought to help “at risk” young men turn their lives around by learning to value hard work, depend on others, and overcome uncomfortable experiences in the outdoors. Junior high and high school kids were identified through various county agencies in Southern and Central California and given the chance to go to camp for free (thanks to private funding). In 1992 President George H.W. Bush honored Pyles The freshman class strikes a group pose at Pyles Camp during Outings Week.

with a personal visit and selected the camp for his Thousand Points of Light Program, recognizing outstanding non-profits who make a difference in the lives of our youth without any financial assistance from the federal government.

The camp sits at 5600 feet in a forested valley along Freeman Creek, just north of the Kern River, about 50 miles north of the city of Kernville.

Coincidentally, it’s about 25 miles south of the site of the junior trip – Henry Brown’s camp at the corner of Sequoia National Park and the Golden Trout Wilderness.

Equally important to our own kids’ experience is the mission of Pyles Camp.

Frank Griffin presents the Pyles Boys Camp with a plaque commemorating its long-standing relationship with Cate.

(and location) piqued Bob’s interest enough

“youth at risk,” the camp is staffed with, for

for him to inquire if next year Cate could

the most part, alumni of the camp itself.

introductory question in the summer of

use the camp in September for a class outing

The counselors are remarkable men who

1985 is how retired Cate science teacher

week trip. Though they don’t generally share

have a strong attachment to the camp, an

Bob Bonning began his first visit to Pyles

or rent their camp to school groups, they

enthusiasm which invariably rubs off on

Boys Camp in the Southern Sierra Nevada

were willing to take a risk and do so on a

our kids. Having their input, perspective,

Mountains. He was on a family backpacking

trial basis. This gesture led to a thirty-plus-

and energy is an integral part of the Pyles

trip near the Kern River, saw the sign to the

year association between Cate School and

experience, and one of the big reasons

camp and the location on his topographical

Pyles Boys Camp. In 1986, a first group of

why this trip seems to be so popular with

map. Walking toward the cabins among the

ninth graders spent the week at Camp. Now,

Cate students. The staff members all have

tall pines, he encountered some of the staff,

four decades of Cate freshmen associate the

nicknames to represent the new identity

who explained their program. The facility

beginning of school, their first friends, and

they assume while in the mountains. Cate

Beginnings “Who are you guys?” This innocent

8

Founded as a camp to redirect inner city

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

ON T H E M E SA

students are assigned to one of three hiking groups, and each student rotates through a core set of hikes. These hikes are designed to expose them to the extraordinary beauty of the California wilderness, to introduce them to the basics of hiking skills, and to push students outside their comfort zones far enough – yet safely enough – that their notion of their own capabilities is expanded.

In particular on one of the hikes (“The Teacups”), which involves significant rock scrambling, it is only through the shared, cooperative involvement of the entire group that the hike is possible.

Evening activities are designed to intermingle as many different groups of students as possible, as well as to expose the students to the staff at Pyles, all of whom have a special connection both to the camp and to the outdoors. The culminating students have interacted with Shotgun,

Class of 2005 will recall being at Pyles on

fireside activity, an opportunity for students

Beaver, Hulk, Billy Bear, Grizzly, Panda, and

Tuesday, September 11, 2001 when we first

to reflect publicly (and often emotionally)

Thunder. Former boxer and staff member

learned of the terror attacks.

on their experience of the week, is usually a

Juan “Dolphin” Hernandez has been one of the mainstays of the Cate experience, keeping in contact with many students

good indicator of the success of the trip.

The Current Trip Pyles Camp is the perfect entry-level

Honoring Pyles

and faculty over the years and serving as a

trip in our Outing Week sequence. Using

This September with the Class of

tremendous model of personal resilience.

the camp facilities and staff allows us to

2021, we had the chance to honor the camp

introduce kids to the outdoors with a

by giving the staff a certificate recognizing

Our Tradition, the Rescue, and 9/11

minimum of discomfort. Kids sleep on cots

the Cate-Pyles association. Directors have

Over the years, the trip has been led

in cabins, where they’re assured of being dry

come and gone and Cate trip leaders have

by a number of Cate faculty, including

in inclement weather. Food is prepared by

evolved but a special bond continues to exist

drama teacher Jane Maxwell, and Sandy

the camp staff, eliminating another logistical

between the two organizations. Though

“Mama” Ellis, who directed our Human

difficulty. In addition, there are hot showers,

Cate is a selective co-educational school and

Development Program. Currently Paul

games, and plenty of gathering spaces for

Pyles recruits “at risk” boys, both places care

Denison ‘79, our outdoor program director,

large groups of people. The trip is designed

greatly about the futures of their students.

and math teacher Frank Griffin organize

to facilitate new students’ transition into a

The socioeconomic status of our students

the experience, maintaining many of the

boarding school environment – and to the

may be different but the goals for growth

traditions while adding modern touches. In

Cate community in particular. Emphasis is

are similar. The motto of Pyles is “Daring

1994 when Cate spent much of a day and

placed less on exposure to the outdoors and

boys to become men,” while Cate stands

night locating two lost juniors from the Kern

more on activities designed to help students

for “Servons.” Both institutions continue to

trip, the staff at Pyles launched into assist

get to know one another better.

serve their constituencies faithfully, and each

mode as if they were helping their own and

Students are assigned to cabins designed

set up a rescue command center that led to

to break up newly formed cliques and to

a successful reunion with our students the

expose students to peers with whom they

next morning. Many of the faculty and the

might not normally interact. Likewise,

is lucky to have found the other years ago in the wilderness.

Frank Griffin

W W W. CATE . O R G

9

ON T H E M E SA

METHERELL '87 SERVICE CHALLENGE: AN ABILITY WE SHARE

With funding from the Mark Metherell '87 Service Challenge Award, Kate Bradley '19 spent her summer installing drinking water systems along the Thai-Myanmar border.

Last spring I was lucky enough to

relegated these Shan refugees to a life of

still had to be solved. Throughout

receive the Mark Metherell '87 Service

destitution, abysmal labour conditions,

my two visits to Fang, I went to the

Challenge Award. I spent my summer

and poor health.

homes of many of the BWW students

along the Thai-Burma border helping

Through this grant, I hoped to mitigate

collecting water samples that I could

students at the Ban Wiang Was School

the effects of their adversarial environment.

test. With every sample I gathered, I

(BWW) to enrich their vocational

In the months leading up to my trip to

found hardness levels that were five times

education and improve their health

Thailand, I had been fervently emailing a

the Environmental Protection Agency’s

and livelihoods. The students and their

man called Phuevin Chokchat, the head of

drinking water guidelines in the US – a

families live in Fang, an agricultural

the Provincial Health Office of Chiang Mai,

result of pesticides and other chemical

landscape full of super-farms, and are

about the number of ingested pesticide

runoffs – and was able to grow E. coli in

all part of the same demographic – an

poisoning cases in Fang and the dire need

bacteria vials from the water. Because

ethno-linguistic minority called the Shan

for government intervention. After about

Fang is heavily focused on orange and

people, forced to flee across borders from

ten bellicose exchanges, I told Chokchat

lychee plantations, agricultural chemicals

Burma to escape acts of ethnic cleansing

that I would be visiting Thailand in the

are abundant in the groundwater. To

by rogue military units in the Burmese

summer to do what I could to help. Much

combat this, I installed five charcoal,

army. In Thailand, their basic human

to my surprise, I arrived on the BWW

sand, and ceramic filtration systems

rights are undefended. Years of neglect

school ground to find a groundwater pump

and distributed large water bottles for

by the Thai government and the inaction

fifteen feet above ground in their backyard.

students who didn’t have any. The school

of peacekeeping organizations have 10

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

The problem of filtration, however,

could then be used as a fill-up site for

ON T H E M E SA

Funding from the Metherell Grant gave over 1000 people access to drinkable water.

Bradley '19 connected with children at the Ban Wiang Was School this summer.

potable water.

advantage of the new pump. The school’s

with the kids at recess, or when a girl

Next, I conducted surveys at

agricultural teacher taught kids about

(who had never seen an ocean) gave me a

students’ homes to see what necessities

plant cycles and how diverse crops can

seashell as a parting gift on my last day.

they were unable to buy. If they or their

be grown without the aid of pesticides,

families go into town, they run the risk

something they had yet to learn growing

Mark Metherell ’87 Service Challenge to

of deportation back to Burma if caught.

up on single-output super-farms. The

assist a community of people. The service

Using the survey results, I used part

products were either sold to the school

challenge was initiated to help dozens

of the grant to restock and refurbish

cafeteria under a government subsidy or

of communities. Through the challenge,

the store. The students ran it with the

sold at the school store.

I’ve thought of service not as a principle

teachers, giving them an opportunity for

Service projects are always hectic;

I applied for and completed the

or an ideal, but as an ability that we, at

vocational education. I taught them how

it’s very easy to become results-focused

Cate, all share. To date, there are still

to keep track of all store data and pay

and forget about the humanity behind the

over 783 million people without access

attention to the inventory. Their revenue

reports. This year, the Metherell Grant

to drinking water and 1.3 billion people

statistics started to trend upwards,

helped an impoverished refugee school

living in extreme poverty. There are still

giving the school more funds to spend on

of 400 people sustain its own funding

countless problems to solve, and still so

student-related initiatives.

and gave over a thousand people access to

much that we can do every day to help

drinkable water. The accomplishment is

those in need.

With some of the grant still unspent, the teachers and I built a

apparent. Yet the moments I remember

small hydroponics-focused farm to take

most fondly are the times I played rugby

Kate Bradley '19

W W W. CATE . O R G

11

ON T H E M E SA

MCBEAN ADVENTURES 2017

Students conduct a lionfish experiment in an attempt to control this invasive species.

Science teacher and Director of the Outdoor Program Paul Denison ‘79 spent time with his family during his trip to Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

A bridge crosses a mangrove swamp and connects CEI and the Island School campus.

Denison ‘79 takes the plunge during his stint at The Island School.

marine ecology excursion with the hope

which incorporates a major component of

of making this an annual trip for students

experiential learning into its curriculum.

(CEI) in the Bahamas to investigate a

interested in oceanography, biology, and

The kids there spend a semester quite

potential partnership with CEI for future

environmental studies.

literally immersed in the Caribbean,

Craig Bouma I visited the Cape Eleuthera Institute

Cate marine science programming, and also to expand my own knowledge of marine ecology and outdoor education. CEI is

12

doing hands-on research above and below Paul Denison ‘79 Over the last spring break I used

the water. Craig was there to explore the possibility of taking Cate students to

a unique place and was born out of the

McBean funds to accompany Craig

the program over future spring breaks.

growing need to expand both research and

Bouma to The Island School and Cape

In my role as Director of the Outdoor

sustainable systems initiatives operating

Eleuthera Institute on the island of

Program, I am particularly interested

under the auspices of The Island School,

Eleuthera in the Bahamas. I learned of

in trying to find more ways that we

a distinguished educational semester

the Island School from Pete and Renee

can support our core curriculum by

program. After a productive visit and a

Mack, who spent part of their sabbatical

supporting research and/or field studies

wonderful experience, I will guide a group

there year before last, and who raved

in our current courses. Similarly, I am

of scuba-certified students to CEI this

about the experience. I am fascinated

really hoping to find ways to leverage

spring (March 3-10) for a one-week tropical

with the school’s academic program,

our natural outdoor resources to provide

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

ON T H E M E SA

unique academic experiences. In

village of Padstow. Our route across the

particular, our access to the Santa Barbara

Cornish peninsula is called “The Saints’

Channel and the Channel Islands has

Way,” and was originally defined by a

some wonderful potential to make our

vague trail taken by Irish drovers and

marine program a distinctive academic

priests who wanted to get to the south

feature at Cate. The Island School

coast while avoiding the dangerous sea

provided a wonderful launching point to

journey around Land’s End. It turns out

consider ways we might continue to use

British footpaths are more of an idea than

the Outdoor Program to enhance our

actual trails, and The Saints’ Way took us

students’ academic experience. I’ve been

through pastures, along creeks, across wheat

fortunate to benefit from several McBean

fields, over Tors, and into beautiful, rural,

grants over the years, and as always, I

nautical England. For the better part of a

am extremely grateful to the McBean

week, we stayed in farms and pubs, ate a

family for providing me with these

lot of Cornish pasties, and finally ended up

incredible opportunities for personal and

in the ancient town of Fowey, where they

professional growth.

are still very proud of contributing a ship to fight against the Spanish Armada. It was

Taylor Wyatt & Colin Donovan Colin and I were able to travel to

perfect. For the rest of our British adventure

Katheryn Park fires her cache of ceramics during her “Pottery Boot Camp.”

we visited Edinburgh and got to spend a

the U.K. for our honeymoon, thanks to

day with Kaitlyn Gulock '13. We were

“Pottery Boot Camp.” The instructors

McBean funding. We started with several

also able to spend time at two Round

weren’t kidding. We’d change playlists

days in Bath, where I got to be really

Square schools: Gordonstoun in the far

and clay weights every hour or so –

nerdy about Jane Austen and also do

north of Scotland (where students serve

Trombone Shorty might kick off an hour

some hill walking in preparation for our

as the local firemen and coastguards) and

of three-pound cylinders, followed by

big upcoming hike. From Bath we wound

Felsted in Essex, where Avalon Swanson

classic rock for the four-pounders, and

our way into the southwest, to Cornwall,

'19 was on exchange. It was lovely to find

on to a Tejano boost for the fives. We

and began our walk in the iconic fishing

ourselves on a boarding school campus in

worked our way through cylinders, mugs,

each case, since we immediately felt right

bowls, and a grab bag of pitchers, lidded

at home. Our journey finished with stops

jars, and plates, interspersed with demos,

in Cambridge and Windsor, where we

slide shows, and evenings of YouTube

were also able to spend time at the Round

favorites of throwing demonstrations.

Square Headquarters.

The instructors, David Delgado and Sam Lopez, were talented and patient with the

Katheryn Park

various levels of the ten students in the

The gas kiln glows red around the

workshop, and the facilities were rustic

peep holes and along the edges of the

but complete. My goal was to reconnect

door. An outlandish line of kiln gods

with a creative impulse that sometimes

squats on top, the figures formed by hand

gets lost in the busy daily round of

with fervent wishes for a good firing – and

teaching, grading, and checking folks into

because it’s fun to make things with clay.

dinner. I was recharged and excited by my

And fun was what I had for a whole week in July. I spent at least twelve hours

week away, and I’m grateful to the School for funding my McBean request.

every day in the studio, slurping down coffee from the always-open machine and Taylor Wyatt and Colin Donovan are all smiles at the historic English town of Fowey.

throwing bag after bag of porcelain. The workshop, at Idyllwild Arts, was titled W W W. CATE . O R G

13

ON T H E M E SA

STUDENTS BRING HOME BIG HAUL OF ART AWARDS

Of The Body by Tommy Liu '17 won a gold key.

Twenty-six Cate students were recognized for their artistic talent in the 2017 Scholastic Art Awards, the oldest and most prestigious art competition in the United States. Organized by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, the awards honor the nation’s most promising young artists in grades 7 through 12.

Arts Department Chair Patrick Collins says, “I was truly impressed to find that Cate had both substantially broader participation than our peer schools… and that we had a remarkable number of students recognized with single and often multiple awards.”

The competition is judged by leaders in the fields of literary and visual arts.

Former jurors such as Robert Frost, Judy Blume, Paul Giamatti, and David Sedaris are credited with identifying early promise in some of history’s, and today’s, most prominent artists and writers. Alumni include Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Lena Dunham, Robert Redford, and Ken Burns. Last year, there were a record 320,000 entries in the competition’s 28 categories, which range from architecture to jewelry, from video games to poetry.

Collins says that entry to competitions

level of accomplishment is really gratifying

like this fall outside the curriculum of

for our students and for the teachers who

art courses at Cate. “This combination of

work with them.”

initiative, breadth of participation, and 14

Eucalyptus by Eva Herman '17 received an honorable mention.

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

ON T H E M E SA

Heart (Triptych) by Tessa Denison '19 won a silver key.

Self Portrait by Kaiser Ke '19 won a silver key.

W W W. CATE . O R G

15

ON T H E M E SA

Blues by Angie Meneses '17 received an honorable mention.

Shadows by Serena Soh '17 won a silver key.

16

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

2016-2017 SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS HONORABLE MENTIONS Alyssa Queensborough ’20 Golden Glass Heart • Flash Fiction Nicah Driza ’17 Why “My Immortal” is Immortal • Humor Rovenna Armi ’19 Roller Skate • Charcoal Drawing Self Portrait with Biba • Charcoal drawing Christopher Bennett ’18 Burned Book • Bookbinding Sailboat • Graphite Drawing Emily Burns ’18 Jordan • Charcoal Drawing Yearbook Chair • Charcoal Drawing Tessa Denison ’19 Bones • Ink Drawing Darling Garcia ’18 Double Portrait • Graphite Drawing, Mixed Media Still Life with Plant • Acrylic Painting Eva Herman ’17 Eucalyptus • Acrylic Painting Fabric Mountains • Charcoal Drawing Figure in Paris • Charcoal Drawing Study of a Woman’s Back • Charcoal Drawing Sophie Johnson ’18 Converse • Charcoal Drawing Emily Zhang ’17 Abstracted • Charcoal Drawing A Fabric Body • Charcoal Drawing Nicah • Pastel Drawing Laura Vences ’18 Portrait of Mari • Charcoal Drawing Tommy Liu ’17 Nike • Charcoal Drawing Lauren Lokre ’17 Silk • Charcoal Drawing

Ruby McCullers ’18 Everything Must Go • Mixed Media Bamboo • Acrylic Painting 5-Minute Figure • Charcoal Drawing Angie Meneses ’17 Atrium • Digital Photography Blues • Digital Photography Isabel Sorenson ’18 Julia • Charcoal Drawing Sideways Chair • Charcoal Drawing Light & Dark • Charcoal Drawing Shelagh Morphy ’18 Flower • Digital Photography Swim • Digital Photography Maisie Oswald ’18 Self Portrait • Printmaking Grace Sahani ’17 Play • Digital Photography Charles Shi ’18 Flowers • Acrylic Painting Serena Soh ’17 Glass • Digital Photography

Kevin Ha ’17 Contextualize • Digital Photography Ruby McCullers ’18 This Is Drawing • Ink Drawing Dissociated • Charcoal and Ink Drawing Kaiser Ke ’19 Desert Chair • Charcoal Drawing and Collage Self Portrait • Charcoal and Ink Drawing Jenny Lee ’18 Blank Slate • Digital Photography Just a Formality • Digital Photography Lauren Lokre ’17 Beach Cliffs • Acrylic Painting Parker Matthews ’18 New Bow • Digital Photography Spectators • Digital Photography Grace Sahani ’17 White Ribbon • Digital Photography Emily Zhang ’17 Desmond • Charcoal Drawing

GOLD KEY

Kate Bradley ’18 Broken Souvenirs • Poem Longing for a Brother’s Return • Poem

Tommy Liu ’17 Of The Body • Ink Drawing

SILVER KEY

Lauren Lokre ’17 Fragmented • Charcoal Drawing Also received a National level Silver Key

Kate Bradley ’18 Discipline • Personal Essay She Was a Fallen Nightingale • Short Story Home Visit • Digital photography Hilltribe • Digital Photography Serena Soh ’17 Shadows • Digital Photography Tessa Denison ’19 Heart (Triptych) • Ink Drawing Sophie Eskenazi ’18 Skewed • Collage

Julia McCaw ’18 1923 Millennial • Digital Photography Charles Shi ’18 Bicycle • Ink Drawing Serena Soh ’17 Venue • Digital Photography Isabel Sorenson ’18 Teeth, One Row Above • Bookbinding Nicah Driza ’17 Danse Macabre • Poem

W W W. CATE . O R G

17

ON T H E M E SA

FALL SPORTS ROUNDUP

William Deardorff '21 pushes the ball upfield during a game against Laguna Blanca.

Bella Hillyer '19 and Zoe Hale '19 round the second lap at the Carpinteria Valley Invitational at the Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve.

Fritze Mayer '21 volleys a shot back to her opponent.

Sebastian Sak '19 winds back for a goal.

For those in the world of academics,

everything they have accomplished. More

coming to a talented San Marcos team.

fall means a new beginning. We’ve said

important than wins and losses are the

The Rams finished with a similar record

goodbye to the latest graduating class and

lessons learned while playing; in some

last season, pushing them into Division

we welcome in a new crop of smiling,

cases they are lessons that can be learned

1 in the upcoming CIF Southern Section

sometimes nervous, faces. The excitement

only while playing. Regardless of the

playoffs. Cate will be going up against the

that comes with starting fresh permeates

scoreboard, we want our students to enjoy

best of the best, but the Rams are game

all parts of campus, especially the athletic

their time playing and discover something

for the challenge.

fields. Fall means a chance to correct

about themselves they otherwise wouldn’t

previous mistakes while enhancing

have known.

everything that brought success in the

best win-loss records on campus over the last few years. Sometimes though,

past. Fall means everyone is back on an

this season on the Mesa. At least two

you need to look past the varsity level for

equal playing field.

of our teams will see postseason action

some of the best stories of triumph. Prior

This fall has been a fruitful one for

18

We accomplished some great feats

Girls tennis has posted one of the

this fall, with one of them competing

to this year, our girls thirds volleyball

the Cate Rams. Our student athletes have

against the best competition in Southern

program hadn’t won a game in some time.

worked hard on the court, field, and in

California. Our girls varsity tennis team

That changed on Tuesday, October 10

the pool all season and we are so proud of

finished the season at 13-1, their lone loss

when the Rams beat Villanova in three

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

ON T H E M E SA

2016-2017 ATHLETIC HIGHLIGHTS

Emily Burns '18 bumps to the setter during a game.

sets. The hugs and smiles that followed were as good as those of any league championship or rivalry win. This group of girls had fun working together and accomplished something that hadn’t been done at Cate in recent memory. That’s what it’s all about.

Whether teams have made the playoffs or not, it was a successful season.

Our students, regardless of level, went out and accomplished something they can be proud of. They either learned a new game or enhanced their skills in one they were familiar with already. They got to know new teammates or created deeper

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS Girls Tennis Boys Tennis Girls Track and Field Boys Track and Field

Isabela Montes de Oca ’18, Rovenna Armi ’19, Elle Smith ’19, Sarah Polowczak ’19 School Record 4x400 Relay

CIF QUALIFIERS Girls Tennis (Division 2 Quarterfinalist) Football Boys Cross Country (Division 5 Finalist) Girls Cross Country Boys Water Polo Girls Water Polo (First-round Winner) Boys Swimming Girls Swimming Girls Lacrosse (US Lacrosse LA Region Runner Up) Boys Track Girls Track Boys Tennis (Division 3 Semifinalist)

Isabela Montes de Oca ’18 SBART Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award

INDIVIDUAL HONORS Musa Hakim ’17 Boys Track League Champion 100/200 Marko Pliso ’18 Boys Track League Champion Triple Jump Kyril Van Schendel ’18 Boys Track League Champion 1600/3200 Baker Fox ’19, Colin Browne ’17, Drew Anastasio ’19, Musa Hakim ’17 Boys Track League Champions 4x100 Rivers Sheehan ’19 Girls Track League MVP; League Champion Long Jump/Triple Jump/4x100/4x400; Frontier League Meet Record Triple Jump; School Record Triple Jump; County F/S Champion Triple Jump/ Long Jump

bonds and even more lasting memories.

Our students learned from victory and defeat, and for that we are proud of them.

We say goodbye to the fall season, which means a third of the athletic year is done. The good news is that our

Elle Smith ’19 Girls Track League Sprints MVP; League Champion 100/200/4x100/4x400; County F/S Champion 100/200; Russell Cup F/S Champion 100/200

Brie Walker ’18 Girls Lacrosse Santa Barbara County Athlete of the Week

Summer Christensen ’17 SBART Scholar-Athlete of the Year FIRST TEAM ALL-LEAGUE Kyril Van Schendel ’18 Boys Cross Country Julien Maes ’17 Boys Water Polo Delaney Mayfield ’17 Girls Volleyball Grace Blankenhorn ’20 Girls Volleyball Jackie Cai ’18 Girls Tennis (League Doubles Champion) Carol Cai ’20 Girls Tennis (League Doubles Champion) Grace Fuss ’20 Girls Tennis Summer Christensen ’17 Girls Tennis Sarah Polowczak ’19 Girls Tennis Marko Pliso ’18 Boys Basketball (League MVP) Mason Mackall ’17 Boys Basketball Christian Herman ’17 Boys Soccer (League MVP) Ryan Borchardt ’17 Boys Soccer Amber Thiery ’17 Girls Basketball Isabela Montes de Oca ’18 Girls Soccer Neema Mugofwa ’20 Girls Soccer Halie Straathof ’17 Girls Water Polo Ella Hendriks ’19 Girls Water Polo Joel Revo ’17 Baseball Jack Deardorff ’19 Baseball Theo Mack ’20 Volleyball FIRST TEAM ALL-CIF Pierce Lundt ’17 Football Ryder Dinning ’17 Football Christopher Bennett ’18 Football Marko Pliso ’18 Boys Basketball

Musa Hakim ’17 Boys Track League Sprints MVP; League Champion 100/200/4x100

students have two more opportunities in the winter and spring. If the fall is any indication, it’s going to be a fantastic year.

Kyril Van Schendel ’18 Boys Track Distance League MVP; League Champion 1600/3200; County Runner Up 1600; County Champion 3200; Russell Cup Champion 3200; Runner-Up 1600; Cross Country County Championships Runner Up Sarah Polowczak ’19 Girls Track Russell Cup F/S Champion Long Jump W W W. CATE . O R G

19

ON T H E M E SA

OUT OF RETIREMENT INTO THE HALL OF FAME

In exchange for a CIF title in 1985 Bob Bonning agreed to shave his beard.

Bonning also coached the Cate girls team for five years during his time on the Mesa.

“I really liked coaching the girls a lot.

They were fun to work with, they worked really hard, and road trips smelled a great deal better than with the boys,” said Bonning with his ever-present wit.

His work on the court didn’t go unnoticed by his peers, as Bonning was a member of the CIF Southern Section Tennis Advisory Committee for five years and served as director for the CIF Southern Section Boys Individual Tennis Northern Regional.

All of those championships and successful seasons were memorable for Retired science teacher Bob Bonning and wife Ellen at his induction into the CIF-ss Hall of Fame.

Bonning, but his favorite part about coaching at Cate went beyond great serves

In 1976, Scott McLeod was

coaching leads to an impressive resume.

and wicked backhands. “The first day of

transitioning to become the school’s new

Bonning finished his coaching career

every season was always my favorite day of

headmaster, freeing up the head coaching

with an astounding 527-190 record.

every school year,” he said. For Bonning,

position for the boys varsity tennis

His teams reached the CIF Southern

the joy of coaching went far beyond the

program. What would follow would be

Section semifinals twenty times, finished

win-loss record. It was the time connecting

the start of a remarkable and legendary

runners up five times, and won the title

and mentoring the student athletes that

coaching career. Robert “Bob” Bonning

three times. While he was at the helm,

made it all worthwhile.

filled that coaching vacancy, and for the

his teams were a model of consistency,

next 39 years, Cate had their boys varsity

winning league championships in 30 of

able to work with great student athletes

tennis coach. Bonning’s long coaching

his 39 years coaching. In fact, the Rams

every season all forty years. It was really

career received one of the highest possible

won 16 straight league titles from 1984 to

an amazing experience every season,”

honors on Wednesday, October 16, as

1999. One of those CIF Southern Section

Bonning said.

he was inducted into the CIF Southern

championships came in 1985; that season,

Section Hall of Fame.

the Rams went undefeated to bring home

As one might imagine, 39 years of 20

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

the School’s first ever CIF championship.

“I was extremely fortunate to be

The pleasure was all ours, Mr. Bonning.

Dave Soto '08

ON T H E M E SA

NEW FACES ON THE MESA

Don Barry

Tracey Calhoun

Don Barry has a BA in philosophy from Carleton College,

Growing up in Southern California, Tracey developed an

an M.Div from Yale Divinity School, and a math major and

appreciation for the outdoors from an early age, spending summers

certification from Southern Connecticut University. He taught

and weekends hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains and camping

mathematics for seven years in Turkey, first at Tarsus Amerikan

in the Angeles National Forest. At fourteen, she made her first trip

Lisesi and then at Robert College (a high school), followed by

to Yosemite National Park, backpacking the Red Peak Pass. She has

34 years at Phillips Andover. At Andover he coached JV2 boys

returned to Yosemite nearly every year since, both on solo outings

basketball, boys and girls cross country, and golf. He taught in

and leading students on wilderness expeditions.

the SYA program in Rennes, France in 85-86. He retired to Northfield, MN in 2014.

Throughout his career, he has been a major writer of

Kingston, Jamaica. In 2001, Tracey returned to her native Los

problems for school, state, regional, and national math contests.

Angeles to serve as an AmeriCorps volunteer working with the

He was the head author of the American Regions Math League

LA Gay & Lesbian Center on anti-violence programs in local

contest (ARML) from 1995 to 2008 and he is still concocting

schools. Her time in classrooms inspired Tracey to pursue a

problems for a variety of contests. He delights in providing

career in education. After earning an M.Ed. at UCLA, she taught

students with the opportunity to discover their own creativity

high school for twelve years in East Los Angeles and La CaĂąada.

in mathematics. He is also vitally interested in the history of

At Cate, Tracey is a member of the English Department and

mathematics. Don is at Cate for one year to free up time for

coaches Ultimate Frisbee. She lives in Carpinteria with her wife

Cate’s math teachers to enhance the inquiry portions of the

and daughter.

curriculum. He and his wife, Roxy, have three children, one of whom (Ivan) teaches history at Cate.

22

Tracey studied English and anthropology at Ithaca College, and spent a year abroad at the University of the West Indies in

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

ON T H E M E SA

Natalie Jackel Natalie is a graduate of the University of Colorado. After

Kyle Jones Kyle was born and raised in Franklinville, NJ where he

receiving her BS in nursing, she began her career at Cottage

first developed his passion for athletic training due to a host of

Hospital in Santa Barbara as a certified pediatric nurse, caring for

sports injuries he suffered in high school. Kyle went on to pursue

children in the pediatric ward, floating as needed to the Neonatal

a degree in athletic training while participating in collegiate

Intensive Care Unit and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. After

football at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. While completing

ten years, she decided to expand her skill set to include school

his degree at Rowan, he spent time working with multiple high

nursing at Cate. She began as a staff RN and is now Director of

schools, the women’s basketball and track teams at Rowan, and

Health Services.

the Philadelphia Flyers.

Natalie is a Certified Pediatric Nurse accredited by the

In August 2017 Kyle received his graduate degree in Sports

Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. Natalie is certified in basic

Pedagogy at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC.

life support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. In 2014, she

Kyle served primarily as the graduate assistant athletic trainer

received the Nursing Excellence Award, given annually to the top

for the Runnin’ Bulldogs Division I football team, but cared for

nurses in the Santa Barbara community, awarded by the Bialis

a majority of the athletic programs, including women’s soccer,

Foundation. She lives in Carpinteria with her husband, Ingo, and

softball, men’s and women’s tennis, cheerleading, and many

their two children, Ingo and Quinn.

more. Kyle lives on the Mesa in Lido.

W W W. CATE . O R G

23

ON T H E M E SA

NEW FACES ON THE MESA

Troy Shapiro

Cassia Sonderleiter

Troy is a graduate of Brown University, where he studied

Cassia comes to Cate with fifteen years of experience in

organizational sociology and economics. As an undergrad, Troy

secondary education in both independent and public schools.

coached wrestling and lacrosse for the Moses Brown School, where

Following completion of her BA in chemistry at Occidental

he recognized his passion for working with teenagers. He joined

College, Cassia taught a wide variety of courses in science, math,

the faculty at the Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts

and engineering to students in grades 6-12 at Camino Nuevo

upon graduation; while there he taught physics, chemistry, and

Charter Academy and The Archer School for Girls. She earned

engineering. Troy continued to coach wrestling and lacrosse, lived

an MA in Secondary Education from California State University,

in the dorm, and came to love boarding school life.

Northridge and completed the coursework for her doctorate in

Troy comes to Cate after three years at the Jay Pritzker Academy in Siem Reap, Cambodia, a small independent school

Educational Leadership at UCLA. A strong believer in a constructivist, student-centered

serving rural Cambodian families seeking a western-style

approach to education, Cassia developed an innovative 21st-

education. There Troy was the Science Curriculum Coordinator

century STEM program while serving as the Science Department

and continued to teach physics and chemistry.

Chair and STEM Coordinator at Archer. Cassia later took

An avid outdoorsman, Troy is eager to join the Outdoor

on the role of Director of Science Instruction for Alliance

Program at Cate and will be coaching rock climbing in the fall

College-Ready Public Schools, where she developed the science

and winter seasons, in addition to lacrosse in the spring. He lives

curriculum and trained teachers for Alliance’s 26 middle and

in Parsonage with his dog, Tabasco.

high schools. Most recently, Cassia worked as the Founding Principal for the middle school program at Citizens of the World Charter Schools in Los Angeles. In her spare time, Cassia loves cooking, gardening, and spending time outdoors with her husband, Aaron, newborn son, Milo, and golden retriever, Masa.

24

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

ON T H E M E SA

Lisa Spengler

Li-Jung Tsai

Lisa Spengler has been an educator for nearly thirty years,

Li-Jung was born and raised in Taiwan. After graduating

working in both public and independent schools. After completing

from Chihlee University of Technology in Taiwan, she moved

her bachelor’s degree at the University of Wyoming and student-

to Carpinteria, where she lives with her family. She has been

teaching and coaching in Cody for a time, Lisa headed back to

teaching Mandarin Chinese since 2013. She also volunteers at

Illinois, where she was born and raised, and spent the next ten

Canalino Elementary School for community service learning.

years teaching high school history. For the past ten years of her

She graduated from Antioch University in Child

career, Lisa served as the High School Counselor and Assistant

Development and Education, and she plans to pursue her

Director of Upper School for Student Life and Leadership at

teaching credential at Antioch.

Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco. It was in this

Li-Jung is honored to be part of the Cate community. She

capacity that her relationship with Cate School began; she was sold

enjoys learning and working with students from different cultural

on life on the Mesa after her first visit in the spring of 2007. Ten

backgrounds.

years later, Lisa is thrilled to be leading our admissions team and living with her wife Alanna in Cook House East.

Before moving to Cate, Lisa and Alanna spent a year traveling throughout the western United States in their Winnebago motor home, which they now consider their vacation home on wheels! In addition to traveling and camping in the Minnie, Lisa enjoys hiking and most any other outdoor activity.

She also loves Alanna’s cooking, as well as exploring farmer’s markets and restaurants. An avid reader of both fiction and nonfiction, Lisa quickly found the McBean Library and is quite happy that it’s located on the walk between CHE and ’85 House.

W W W. CATE . O R G

25

A VISION FOR DECADES TO COME

By Monique Parsons ’84 Since the days when Mr. Cate presided over all-school assemblies inside its woodpaneled walls, the Johnson Library has

something along the lines of, ‘I’m excited to

the lower campus.

be a part of this. And although I will not get

Architects from the Gensler

to enjoy the new facilities, I know those to

hosted thousands of meetings, from student

architectural firm led the workshops, which

come will.’ It hit me: it wasn’t about me or

study sessions and faculty meetings to Board

were designed to help the community

my feelings. It’s about making the school a

of Trustee proceedings, guest lectures, and

grapple with Cate’s vision of itself and

better place for others to make memories of

alumni receptions. The group that met one

imagine the Cate of the future. Alumna

their own.”

morning in late January, however, was unlike

Vanessa Lizárraga ’12 admits she started

any that had gone before.

There were four visioning sessions in

the day with mixed emotions. “Part of me

all, with the group becoming slightly smaller

A virtual microcosm of the Cate

was excited to be involved in the committee

each time. The input from the sessions

community – a cross-section of students,

responsible for deciding all the new changes,

helped the team at Gensler focus on the best

parents, alumni, trustees, faculty, and staff

but another part of me was sad because Cate

site for the dining hall and create designs

– met for an unprecedented “Visioning

would no longer be what I remember it to

that would be most useful for Cate, now and

Session” designed to help architects embark

be, and that would be my doing,” she says.

in the decades to come.

on one of Cate’s most ambitious projects to

Her words captured the feelings of many

date: repurposing the Raymond Commons

alumni who have fond memories of the Cate

free-flowing. It included moments of

and McBean Library into much-needed

they experienced as students. But Lizárraga

brainstorming, art projects, and cross-

learning spaces, and designing a new dining

says a student helped shift her perspective.

generational conversations, all of which

hall/student center for the School. Raymond

26

Theatre will serve as a community hub in

“One of the seniors participating in

The first session was the most

helped Gensler to understand the Cate

Commons, designed by celebrated architect

the workshop said something that really

community. Anyone who peeked in that

Reginald Johnson, will be preserved and

stuck with me, and also displayed a level

morning might have seen Nick Firestone

fully renovated and will continue to be the

of maturity that I was not exhibiting

’07 cutting shapes out of construction paper

anchor of the historic upper campus, while

because I was so caught up in my own high

beside Headmaster Ben Williams; Flora

a new dining hall adjacent to the Hitchcock

school memories,” Lizárraga says. “She said

Hamilton ’17 interviewing Casey McCann

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

V I S ION I NG S E S S ION S

’97 about a pivotal educational memory;

Open a cafe in town? Or, as one student

of history and tradition, championed by

Wyatt Gruber ’93 talking about classrooms

posed, replace the dining hall with dorm

students and older trustees alike, that was

with English teacher Stephanie Yeung; or

kitchens and have the students cook for

“easily matched by a sense of opportunity,

Ya’Kuana Davis ’17 telling the group about

themselves?

a need for innovation, a desire to create

her love for Cate’s intimate spaces, from the

None of those ideas gained traction, but

something that will fit with the rest of the

historic Johnson Library to the recording

others resonated and uncovered common

campus but, at the same time, serve as a

studio tucked away beneath the Hitchcock

needs and frustrations. The group learned

building to propel the school forward. It was

Theatre.

that many students love to cook, value

beautiful to see those two forces colliding.”

Gensler architect Li Wen also brought

informal time with teachers as much as

Trustee Casey McCann ’97 participated

his own perspective as an alumnus; he’s a

classroom time, and that many, unable to

in the visioning sessions as well as on the

member of the Cate Class of 1978. “In my

find intimate yet social indoor spaces on the

design task force that met with architects

days I don’t think there would have been any

Mesa, flee to coffee shops in Carpinteria

throughout the fall to hone in on a design

students in those visioning sessions,” Wen

to study. Faculty spoke of needing more

for the new dining commons. The project

says. “That was a big change, and I was glad

collaborative spaces to work with colleagues,

is estimated to cost $20 million. The final

to see that. [The School] is certainly not

and most agreed the current Wiegand

design, along with an update on fundraising

monolithic the way it was when I was there,

Community Center is underused.

for the project, will be presented to the

which quite honestly is very refreshing.”

Lizárraga also enjoyed the diversity

Joel Weiss, parent of Elijah ’17 and

Board of Trustees in January. Repurposing

Natasha ’20, was impressed with the way

the Raymond Commons and McBean

of the group: “We all remembered Cate

the architects fostered group dynamics

Libraries will be the second phase of the

differently, yet we were all coming together

and introduced big design concepts. “As

project.

to decide on a new and improved Cate for

with a high-functioning class, you can’t just

prospective students to love.”

dive into the hard stuff; you must develop

integral start to the dining hall and Raymond

a cohesive team and actively build trust,”

repurposing process,” McCann says. “ It was

the format was unexpected. While some

Weiss says. “And with so many adult voices,

important that different cohorts from the

arrived anticipating that they would pore

it could easily have been intimidating for

Cate community contributed their voices

over building plans, the architects instead

the students. But that was not the case.

and opinions towards the project. Li Wen

encouraged the group to share big ideas;

The students were so excited, so devoted to

and his team have been very responsive to

they’d put pencil to paper only after seeking

Cate School, so passionate about preserving

our ideas, and I believe they are committed

to understand Cate, build empathy among

certain key aspects of the Cate experience,

to getting this right. I have been impressed

its constituents, and uncover a shared vision.

and so darn articulate.”

with their creativity and thoughtfulness,

She and others acknowledged that

Some questions pushed boundaries: Should Cate students grow their own food?

Weiss, the headmaster of Crane School in Santa Barbara, said he saw a rich sense

“I thought the visioning sessions were an

as well as their attention to Cate’s architectural tradition.”

W W W. CATE . O R G

27

L I W E N ‘78

THE NATURAL CHOICE Q&A WITH LI WEN '78

Li Wen '78 is design director and principal at Gensler in Los Angeles and the lead architect of the team designing a new dining hall for Cate.

Once it’s fully funded and approved by the Board of Trustees and the County of Santa Barbara, the new dining hall will sit between the Hitchcock Theatre and the Kirby Quad, bridging the upper and lower campuses, offering new student spaces and outdoor dining options, as well as modern kitchen and food service areas. Monique Parsons '84 caught up with Wen during the design process this fall.

Name: Li Wen '78

Life-changing Cate teacher: Mrs.

Favorite teachers: Without question,

(Annemarie “Marty”) Sykes told my mother,

James Caldwell and Mr. Allan Gunther.

“I haven’t taught your son, but I see he

Mr. Gunther because of how strict he was

Beijing, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

has talent. You should sent him to RISD’s

in the classroom but how humane he was

Came to Cate as a junior.

(Rhode Island School of Design) summer

outside of it. That duality really stuck with

program.” If it hadn’t been for her, neither

me. He’d get so mad in the classroom – he’d

Education: After Cate, Wen attended

my mom nor I would have known that

get beet red – but he was one of the sweetest

Rhode Island School of Design, Wesleyan

program even existed. Afterward, I had an

guys. James Caldwell, in the way he incited

University, and Yale School of Architecture.

internship at Skidmore Owings and Merrill.

discourse in the classroom. He was my

Holds a certificate in Architecture and

Everything that came after that wouldn’t

English teacher. I had never been in a class

Urbanism from the Institute of Architecture

have happened. That one meeting changed

where people could do that so effortlessly.

and Urban Studies, along with a Certificate

my life, and I wasn’t even in the meeting!

His classic trick of looking at one person and

Backstory: Grew up in Santa Barbara,

in Cultural Studies, from Beijing University.

Cate Magic: I took a friend to see Cate

of the room, when I first saw that, I just said,

Cate in the ’70s: My dad taught at

about 10 years ago. She said, “It’s like Harry

“Wow.” It was very clear he wasn’t looking

Berkeley and I spent a lot of time on the

Potter.” I said, “It’s nothing like Harry

for an answer; he was looking for your point

Berkeley campus. I was very used to

Potter. Harry Potter has castles.” She said,

of view. It was a perfect preparation for

Telegraph Avenue in the ’70s – multi-

“No, not literally.” Seeing it through her

being an architect or anybody in a creative

cultural, multi-ethnic. Cate was all boys and

eyes, it snapped back into perspective. I

field, for that matter. For Mr. Gunther, I

I was one of two Asian students. I never felt

look at those years as being very special

learned how you could be a different person

that was a problem, however; Cate was a

because it was this sacred time. You didn’t

and still be the same person. From Mr.

very egalitarian place, but the demographic,

have distractions. You could focus on your

Caldwell, I learned how you could have a

the ethnic mix, was much more monolithic.

friendships, talk big ideas.

debate without having an argument.

It made me desire to have a more expanded geography.

28

asking a question of someone in another part

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

L I W E N ‘78

On change: If there’s one thing that will never change it’s that change will always be happening. It’s much more constructive to manage change, and more importantly to manage it with a vision. Buildings are like people; we go through different stages of our lives, and buildings do too.

MONIQUE PARSONS '84: We interviewed several architecture firms before choosing Gensler for the project. Most of us didn’t realize you were an alum until you walked into the room. How did you end up on the team?

LI WEN '78: Our team got an email from [Co-CEO Andy Cohen] about a dining hall project for this private school called Cate School. It said it’s a pretty cool little place, is anybody interested? And I almost fell out of my chair.

MP: Moving the dining hall to a new location is a big change for Cate. Decades of Cate alumni have fond memories of sharing meals in Raymond Commons. As an alumnus and an architect, how do you approach that change?

LW: I think that empathy allows me to sit on both sides of the table relative to that issue. I think it’s an opportunity to speak to the Cate of today and where it sees its future. Cate has many cultural events now, which is great. The only one I can

With the more international and multicultural student body that Cate has, how do we see ourselves through the architecture that we inhabit? That’s my question. approach that project?

LW: It’s a great opportunity. It’s a historic space, and I remember spending time in there. It was a great space to contemplate in; you could be with your thoughts and look out at the ocean. You don’t have that much glass; the windows are very specially located to frame the ocean. It’s presented more like a picture frame. The Raymond Commons repositioned into a learning center is an opportunity to reshape our interior experience. It’s a very axial bulding, with sequential rooms where you move from one room to the next, which in many ways makes it very adaptable. (The renovation) could speak to a more inclusive type of culture, which is the culture we are living in now.

MP: What was your favorite space at Cate?

LW: My favorite space was the Art Loft. To look back at the school and see everybody come down that staircase and look out at the mountains, to have a perch. I spent a lot of time there.

(Editor’s note: When Annemarie Sykes came to Cate to lead the Arts Department in 1977, she found that the Art Loft was usually locked except during classes, to prevent mischievous boys from making a mess up there. She insisted it remain unlocked, so students could spend more time practicing art and so she could get to know them. This is how she noticed Li Wen and his work. “Li always had a great vision,” Mrs. Sykes recalled in a recent phone call.

“He had a really natural gift for drawing and detail, I remember, and that’s why he must have gravitated to it. I’m so pleased to hear he’s working on this.”)

MP: Any other favorite spaces?

LW: The other one I always felt a special kinship to was Schoolhouse, facing the senior lawn. That brick patio, you have to step down one brick. Those eight feet, under the trees, hearing the students upstairs playing the Beatles or something like that. It was pretty cool. You got breezes, the ocean in front of you, transparency behind. It’s hard to describe what I mean.

MP: I know exactly what you mean. Thank you, Li.

remember from my time is the Cate Fair.

There’s a looking outward now. I think the architecture could maybe start to reflect that outward-looking perspective that Cate has moved towards. It’s not about the style so much as it’s about how it is experienced. With the more international and multicultural student body that Cate has, how do we see ourselves through the architecture that we inhabit? That’s my question.

MP: The Raymond Commons will be restored and renovated into new library and learning spaces. How do you

The Gensler team presents a model of the new dining hall site, which will sit next to the Hitchcock Theatre.

W W W. CATE . O R G

29

4

1 THROUGH THE LENS The following are photos of student projects that were made with Cate’s laser cutter, generously donated by David Horowitz P’94, P’99, ‘P02.

Photographers Jenny Lee ’18 and Ashleigh Mower expose the accuracy, delicacy, texture, and rhythm of these works by reframing their compositions into near-macro photographs.

5

2 3

30

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Sean Zhan '19 Joe Silva '18 Sean Zhan '19 Luke Laurence '19 Jake Nelson '19 Ella Hendriks '19 Kyril van Schendel '18 Janice Ng '18

7 8

W W W. CATE . O R G

31

CURRICULUM DESIGN: RAISING QUESTIONS & CONSTRUCTING KNOWLEDGE

by Camille Robins '08

32

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17 16

C U R R IC U LU M DE S IG N

You’re sitting in a classroom on the second floor of the Seeley G. Mudd Science Building, sun streaming through windows to the east. Wrapped around desks to the left and right are a dozen classmates – in this case, juniors – and your teacher. It’s 8 a.m., and biology has just begun.

“Good morning, all,” says science teacher Joshua Caditz.

You’re starting a new unit on macromolecules, about to begin an experiment that used to be placed at the end of the unit, rather than at the start – so before knowing much about enzymes, you jump in.

At this point in the trimester you likely don’t know how enzymes are affected by temperature or pH, so you start generating testable questions: How will an increase in temperature affect, say, a sucrose molecule? What will a drop in temperature do?

Caditz won’t give you answers, but instead will ask you to construct an experiment that will lead you to some conclusions.

So you break up into groups, formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment, and execute it. After an hour goes by, you reconvene as a class and present your findings on the whiteboard, comparing and contrasting results. Are there themes? Did you all follow the same procedure? Did you find out what you wanted to know?

“This kind of lab diverges from the ‘cookbook lab’ that we and countless other schools have used in the past, which outlines specific steps and has students follow them,” says Caditz, whose current aim in the classroom is to “engage before explain.” He, like others in the science department, uses the “5 E’s” to craft his lesson plans: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate.

“Doing this lab first thing in the unit gets students to that Aha! moment at the start, which emotionally connects them to the subject,” says Caditz. “From moment one, they’re invested and want to learn more.”

His students will jump into their textbooks that night, starting to fill in the gaps in their knowledge. And because they now have context, the information will stick better.

Meanwhile, in the math building next door, students run through a similar investigatory process: a teacher presents a scenario and asks them how they’d make their way through it. As they learn the tools they need, they journey toward a solution. There’s little memorization involved – if any.

From the art loft to the Humanities building to the language classrooms in Schoolhouse, Cate faculty members are employing new ways of getting students to think more creatively and innovatively, and students are responding by asking question after question after question. Now more than ever, they’re acting as active participants in their own learning, following threads of curiosity until they find the answers they seek.

Student-centered learning isn’t new at Cate; since the School was founded in 1910, curiosity has ranked near the top of the values list, and the greatest learning of all students has been the priority.

The inquiry methods now employed by the School – and other institutions across the nation – are extensions and new expressions of that very aim. Together they form a student-centered pedagogical approach that encourages students to ask useful, meaningful questions, casting aside the idea that a teacher’s job is to impart knowledge to eager pupils. At its heart is the belief that students learn most effectively when they have agency and can act as architects of their own education.

“Our students learn best when constructing knowledge and building skills that are of self-evident worth and value to them,” says Curriculum Committee Director and Arts Department Chair Patrick Collins. “They’re capable of doing better work and developing higher-order skills when inquiry – rather than teacher instruction – shapes the nature of the work being done.”

The first major expressions of structured inquiry at Cate can be traced back six or seven years, when faculty in the Humanities Department decided to start class periods by presenting a primary source that represented the spirit of an age – for example, an artistic, literary, or musical piece. They guided students through an open-ended investigative process, designed to spark a student’s sense of wonder. Today, that process is outlined in handouts and on posters on the classroom walls: first, it instructs students to observe and respond; then to ask questions and make connections; and then to infer and interpret. From there, it has them make assertions, research, analyze, and connect back.

“I invite students to ask questions as they notice certain details in the source, especially concerning anything they find intriguing or puzzling,” says Humanities teacher Lauren Jared, who did some of that initial foundational work in changing the Humanities W W W. CATE . O R G

33

C U R R IC U LU M DE S IG N

By this point, the initial work done in the Humanities Department has filtered across all departments at Cate. It’s become clear that inquiry certainly has a core set of guiding principles, but that its particular execution looks unique from discipline to discipline. Now, members of each department are developing and testing various methods via prototyping, meeting regularly to discuss new practices that work well for them in the classroom.

They present what they find to other departments as it’s relevant, in designated meetings. It’s an exploratory, active process aided by current research in the field of education.

Supporting the effort to structure inquiry squarely within the Cate curriculum is a grant the School received last year from the E.E. Ford Foundation, which awarded just two grants in 2016 to independent secondary schools. As a matching grant, it has afforded curriculum. “I ask them to turn their interpretations into questions

the School a total of half a million dollars, allowing the School the

for further exploration. I’m turning more of the responsibility of

time and staffing to focus on developing an integrated, cohesive,

asking questions for class discussions and essays over to my students,

inquiry-driven curriculum. The design and implementation effort

even to the freshmen, to ask the questions they want to discuss or

will be funded for three years.

write about. They’re open to thinking about the complexity and

committees reporting to the head of the effort, Frank Griffin.

asking questions over the course of the year. I love it when they find

This year, Griffin is attending classes and assessing where inquiry

an issue to write about that they really care about.”

is already happening at Cate, while inspiring faculty to integrate

“As freshmen, we’re told that no question is a bad question,” adds

it further. The committees reporting to Griffin are made up of

Natasha Weiss ’20. “But we learn to identify the types of questions

appointed members and fellows, who are tasked with specific

we ask, and ultimately to ask smarter, higher-order questions.”

duties: Patrick Collins chairs the Foundations of Inquiry Research

Questions are the jumping-off point to further investigation,

and Design Team, which researches inquiry and presents helpful,

and students learn to distinguish between the types of questions

relevant ideas and findings. Rebekah Barry chairs the Inclusive

they’re asking as they ask them. Are they factual, getting at “who

Teaching Design Team, which works to ensure that all students at

what when where”? Are they analytical, attempting to compare

Cate are appropriately challenged and supported by the curriculum.

and contrast, categorize, illuminate a cause and effect, or show an alternate perspective? Or are they higher-order questions that judge, rank, recommend? … predict or hypothesize? … imagine or invent? ... connect to a broader significance?

“There’s an element of metacognition in all this,” remarks Humanities and history teacher Rebekah Barry, who ensures that her students know when and how they’re engaging in the inquiry process so that they can replicate it anytime, anywhere. She reminds students that inquiry is both a mindset and a skill set.

As students progress through their educational experience at Cate, they ask increasingly nuanced questions that lead them to ever-more complex information and analysis. By the time they’re seniors, they’re conducting entire individualized inquiry projects on their own or in the context of senior electives – with the support of mentors – in which they explore one big question. A handful present their findings to the School community on Inquiry Day in the spring.

34

An Inquiry Collaborative has been formed, with four staffed

dimensionality of historical development, and they get better at

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

C U R R IC U LU M DE S IG N

Next year, class periods will be longer (65 or 70 minutes, instead of 45) to accommodate the new format.

“Ultimately,” adds Griffin, “this process honors every single mind in the room – not just the teacher’s.” (When those minds are coming from roughly thirty states and eighteen countries – as they do this year – discussions are intrinsically compelling.) “Students learn from each other, classes are more interesting, and thinking is more active and creative.”

He admits that teaching is less predictable, too – which demands that teachers stay flexible and agile during class time.

In his book A More Beautiful Question, Warren Berger claims that the most successful people are expert questioners who’ve mastered the art of inquiry, raising questions that no one else is Cece Schwennsen chairs the Senior Inquiry Design Team,

asking and finding powerful answers. Google’s chairman claims the

supporting seniors pursuing their own projects. And Joshua Caditz

company “runs on questions,” and Tim Brown, chief executive at

focuses on the Senior Inquiry Program as a whole. Annalee Salcedo

IDEO and author of Change by Design, believes that “mastering the

and Erin Hansen chair the Assessment Design Team, which works

art of asking questions is essential to creativity and innovation.”

to qualitatively improve the School’s formative and summative

In an age when answers can be found at the click of a button,

assessments to ensure that they accurately reflect the new learning

it’s imperative that students ask questions – the right questions:

being done.

those that challenge assumptions, poke at established conventions,

Designated fellows are released from a portion of their

identify new opportunities, produce knowledge, and inspire

traditional academic and residential duties in order to create,

meaningful change. Questions that take them to new places and

implement, and document the inquiry processes, models, and systems

open them up to the world.

that are working best. They ensure streamlined communication

“Inquiry prepares students to meet the challenges and

and coordination across Cate’s key curricular initiatives. And all

opportunities of the information age with confidence, energy, and

teachers are given the tailored resources they need to integrate the

agility,” says Headmaster Ben Williams. Its ultimate objective is

methods in their own way. So far they’ve been afforded on- and

to empower Cate students to be lifelong learners, wherein they

off-campus workshops, presentations, and professional development

possess the mindset and the skills to be passionate about their own

opportunities, as well as ongoing mentorship.

learning and to know how to pursue that learning in a manner that is structured, disciplined, and effective.

In this process, faculty members have come to be considered

“I want my students to have a process for exploring the world,

not just teachers but also designers: They ask, How can I craft a

for seeking knowledge, for following a line of questioning and

classroom experience that inspires students to ask compelling questions

making connections,” reflects Barry. “I believe that when armed

that get them closer to the answers they’re searching for? Along the way,

with a clear process, they find greater success.”

how can they learn the content and develop the skills that are important for them to mature as scholars?

They know that inquiry is much more than encouraging students to ask questions. It’s getting them to ask better questions, in

“We have a very aspirational student body,” adds Director of Studies Lisa Holmes, “and it’s incumbent upon us to be as intentional as possible as we craft their learning experience.”

Based on the lively buzz around campus, they’re doing just that.

a structured way.

“I love having the students asking a lot of questions and seeing where that process takes us when we study the material,” says longtime Cate history teacher Karl Weis. “I’ve become less worried about reaching a specific content outcome at the end of a class and more excited about seeing what they come up with. I especially like the way that inquiry creates curiosity and initiative on the part of students.”

W W W. CATE . O R G

35

D ES I G N H I G H LI G HTS Cate alumni are involved in so many types of design, from fine art to furniture.

We’ve highlighted some of our favorite pieces and where to find them.

1.

4.

1. Freckled Shino Globe

Young Su Ko '18 2. Crocodillo Lavender Scarf

Ashley Ashoff Toledano ’00 www.ashleyashoff.com

36

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

2.

3.

5.

3. Backgammon Trunk

Isaac Thompson ’09 www.isaackeelerthompson.com 4.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking Jean Pettigrew Whelan ’86 On Instagram @paintcooklove

6.

5. Real Good Chair in copper

Maurice Blanks ’83

co-founder & COO of www.bludot.com 6. Untitled

Brett Diemer ’10

On Instagram @rediemer

W W W. CATE . O R G

37

DISPATCHES Design is at the center of the lives of these alumni and students. We check in with movers and shakers in varied design professions. complicated,” Atre built and led a team of robotic engineers, coders, designers, and computer visualization experts “to give visitors a view into the inner workings of…these voluminous, visually arresting gowns.” The end result was “an austere grid of exotic garments,” each paired with a set of robotic instruments and an LCD screen. The robotic instruments scanned the dresses in different ways, projected crosshairs onto the fabric, and produced analytic imagery on the LCD screens.

The goal was to explain the dresses, i.e., “how they were put together and supported.” He says that regular attendees are mostly young woman, but that year the uncommonly large number of men

AT THE INTERSECTION OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY AND SPATIAL PRACTICE

“really engaging with the content … felt

KUMAR ATRE '03

SFMOMA exhibition titled How Wine

The decision to go into architecture was intuitive,” says Kumar Atre '03.

media and installations,” often through

While a student at Cate, during the

collaborations with other creative

School’s Getty Center field trip he says,

professionals. “The thread that unites

“I remember being in awe at the scale

it is this insistent focus on research and

and the conceptual cohesion of that place

discovery.” Atre says he has no desire to

and just thinking, in that way an eight-

design “skyscrapers or big infrastructure

year old boy thinks, ‘I want to do this.’”

projects.” He views architecture as “less

The Cornell grad now splits his time

[of a] central authority” when it comes

between the internationally-renowned

to designing our world, due to what he

interdisciplinary design firm Diller

sees as a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary

Scofidio + Renfro (The High Line, The

nature of design work.

Broad) and Studio Miller Atre, which he

In 2014 Atre’s team at DS+R

Other projects Atre has worked on include a pavilion made of blue jeans in Milan for Salone di Mobile and a Became Modern. “A curator approached us with this curious set of questions around the relationship between wine culture and design culture over the last 40 years.” Atre says the team dealt with anthropological issues, material culture in the process of globalization and modernization, as well as “design becoming a more commodifiable or more exploitable ingredient within the wine world.” The question then was how to represent the intersection of these ideas in a gallery setting. For many of the exhibits, there were no conventional

partnered with The Metropolitan

artifacts available to help tell the story –

Museum of Art in New York for their

so they had to be invented. In one part of

of sorts” within the 100-person firm.

annual fashion exhibition, which

the exhibit, to represent shifting thinking

His work includes, “production design

coincides with the annual celebrity-

about terroir, the French viticultural

for performing arts, exhibition design

studded gala. “Charged with exhibiting

concept of site-specificity, the team

and curatorial work for museum

the work of a fairly esoteric designer…

displayed 20 soil samples from around the

contexts, research and publication

whose work was extremely technical and

world above bottles of wine made from

co-founded and co-partners with his wife.

At DS+R Atre runs a “skunkworks

38

projects, and photography, and new

like a success.”

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

DISPATCHES

grapes grown in that particular territory, along with a live weather feed of each region.

His projects for Studio Miller Atre are more focused on residential renovations for private individuals. Atre and his wife work mostly on “projects for modest young people who will actually live in the space and so it’s an extremely intimate way of practicing, where you really know what you’re doing is going to have an impact on their lives; and you open a dialogue with them on a very personal basis so it gives a more personal meaning to architectural practice.”

That same sensibility is found throughout his work at DS+R. He says his passion lies in the “intersection between individual psychology or social life and spatial practice,” which is why his projects take place in public spaces such as galleries and urban spaces. When someone engages with and reflects on an installation, an intimate connection is formed between the designer, albeit in absentia, the content, and the spectator.

Just like the personal interactions Atre values with clients, spectators and attendees develop a unique relationship with each of his installations. Their reaction to, and their engagement in the experience makes them active participants. This is precisely what, in the context of Studio Miller Atre, he refers to as “effect[ing] meaningful change at a human scale.”

Joe Gottwald '10

W W W. CATE . O R G

39

DISPATCHES

ARTFUL ASPIRATIONS BIBA DUFFY-BOSCAGLI '19 Biba Duffy-Boscagli ’19 is talking a mile a minute – she’s obviously very

Biba says that she was always around art

YOUNG SU KO '18 This Cate senior has a full course load:

excited – but she’s making sense.

while growing up and her parents often took

Japanese, Computer Science, Art History,

Everything seems to make sense about this

her to museums. “I remember I would go up

English, Statistics, and Orchestra; but today

scenario: a young woman with a passion,

and think, Why is that art placed that way?

we are talking Ceramics. It’s S-block (a

actively pursuing it. We are downtown

or even Why is the name tag positioned like

free period for him) and Young Su Ko ’18

at the Carpinteria Arts Center for Biba’s

that?” She realized at a young age that the

is at the Firestone Ceramics Studio with

first curated gallery. “Since middle school

arrangement of artwork in museums “was

a handful of other students. Faded jeans,

I knew I wanted to be a museum curator,”

either detracting from or adding to the art.”

sweatpants, clay-spotted tees is the aesthetic

says Biba. She often paints and makes ceramics, but Biba is also fascinated by “the business of art and of art museums.”

She picks one wall to explain her process in the placement of pieces: “In this one, I went for a lot of

on this breezy but sunny fall day.

Young Su is just starting his second year of ceramics classes at Cate and yet teacher

symmetry. As you can see, the two charcoal

John Swain says, “He is the most devoted

Program at Cate, colloquially referred to

pieces are made by the same person, Kate

ceramicist here at the moment.” Young Su

as “Varsity Art.” She says enrolled students

Tunnell ’19. Darling [Garcia] ’18 made

says, “From an early age I was exposed to

have the option of developing their own

this as a diptych. It’s called Me and My

a lot of art” – his grandmother painted, his

projects through the program, which runs

Sister. You can see the connection in color

mother played the violin, and his aunt was a

during the same time as sports block. “Some

between the softer reds; and I thought it was

theater actor.

kids will do painting, some will do music.

interesting to put that in the center – as you

My [project] was to open this gallery.” Biba

turn around that’s the first thing you see.”

arts, Young Su’s first taste of ceramics came

says the first step was to find her venue. She

In a way, Biba is making this artwork

freshman year in Foundation Arts, “but we

The junior is in the Independent Art

40

as well as from home-schooled students.

A PURPOSEFUL (IM)PERFECTION

Despite his early introduction to the

praised the Carpinteria Arts Center for their

make sense, together. In her gallery, her

just made a bowl.” Since then he’s moved

willingness to help with her project, as well

thoughtfulness is apparent on every wall –

on to making large rounded vases with

as for their kindness and encouragement.

blues in one corner; a row of portraits bleeds

quarter-sized openings. A bevy of them

With the venue secured she designed a series

into masks. Biba says, “I’m so grateful for this

line the tables in the ceramics barn. His

of promotional flyers and reached out to

opportunity.” It’s clear that her first curated

most recent project is a series of Japanese

students in the community. She ended up

exhibit has only reinforced her middle school

tea bowls. “They have a unique shape. They

with over 100 submissions from students

aspirations and has energized her for a future

almost have a purposeful imperfection” – a

from Cate, Carpinteria, and Santa Barbara,

in museums.

“specific aesthetic” Young Su says he is still

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

DISPATCHES

researching and working on. “Because I’ve

it was the interiors, Bridges found, which

lived with Western culture all my life, I don’t

captivated and spoke to her. Only eight

think I fully understand every detail of it.

years old, she was already able to recognize

I’m trying to experiment.”

how the aesthetic of a home can affect the

His tea bowls were in part inspired

experience of the family who lives in it.

by his host dad during the 2016 Cate in

Though a day student for most of her

Japan program. “He was telling me about

time at Cate, Bridges spent a few months

a Japanese aesthetic, where sometimes

as a boarder, and she recalls the importance

imperfections are a good thing – and that

of wanting to make her room feel “homey

really got me thinking about Japanese

and comfortable.” A rug to cover the bare

ceramics,” a subject he was free to research

floors, a matching quilt, and a just-the-

and practice in Advanced Ceramics this year.

right-height wicker bedside table – the

“The class is really awesome,” says Young Su, who enjoys the freedom teacher John Swain affords students. “He lets us pursue our own projects as long as they’re

ideal blend of simple touches that, Bridges

AN INSIDE JOB

admits, had visitors laughing that her space was more “dialed in” than those of longtime boarders. Her time on the Mesa,

structured. If we want to make something

HAYLEY BRIDGES '04

we’re interested in, he lets us do that.”

We’ve all had that moment when we enter a

blending of various pieces – scholastic and

room, glance around, and immediately forget

extracurricular – that later solved the puzzle

researching ceramics is just one aspect of the

why we walked in there in the first place.

of deciding on a major. Bridges thought back

experience. And while he excels at making

But not everyone strolls into a room, sees a

to some of her favorite classes, including

all sorts of pottery, he says on Saturdays he

blank wall, and knows what color it should

English (with Mrs. Edwards, Mrs. O’Malley,

enjoys spending a couple hours in the barn,

be painted. Design, for some, just comes

Mr. Robins, and Mrs. Smith), which calls

throwing clay, and enjoying the quiet.

naturally; the vision it takes to tie a space

for one to be simultaneously creative and

together crystallizes into a clear picture of

analytical. It was in these classrooms, Bridges

home. Hayley Bridges '04 discovered that

found, that she felt most “at home.” No

she possesses this vision when her family

surprise, then, that she graduated Magna

first moved to Santa Barbara. She enjoyed

Cum Laude with a degree in English from

exploring the houses they looked at; and

Loyola Marymount. (Later, she earned a

For this senior, learning about and

in general, was likewise characterized by a

W W W. CATE . O R G

41

DISPATCHES

master’s in Interior Architecture from the

tasks like site meetings with clients or

including emerald green, shadowy purples,

UCLA/Cal Poly Pomona joint program.)

showroom visits. And striking that balance

and black. While taking notice of what’s

between necessity and luxury is a challenge

gaining popularity helps Bridges to stay

Semple, in particular, that allowed her to

that has crept from the workplace into home

current, she’s savvy enough to recognize

intuitively navigate that intersection of

life. “Using technology in home design is a

that “people appreciate fresh ideas as well as

design and process, much the way she does

huge new field,” Bridges confirms. But, she

learned wisdom.” Still quite young, Bridges

with her work now. As Bridges explains, “It

elaborates, so is the accompanying desire to

has found ways to make her wisdom known

was quite the experience to shoot a roll of

escape from it all, as “this trend is causing

and respected. Often intimidated entering

film, not really knowing what you captured,

people to create technology-free rooms with

the fancy LA showrooms when she was

and then watch the images come to life

simple, clean design that facilitates being

just starting out, Bridges quickly learned

in the dark room.” Designing a space, she

present in the space.” Presence: a concept of

that talking the talk spoke volumes. Asking

says, can feel like that sometimes; carefully

what it means to feel at home that is unique

“designery” questions like, “Does this chair

selecting fixtures, finishes, and other

to every client, and which Bridges strives to

come COM (customer’s own material)?”

elements, Bridges has a picture in her mind

let shine through in concert with her own

allowed her to be taken seriously, and for her

of what it should look like, but doesn’t know

ideas for them.

inherent creativity to speak for itself. There’s

But it was Film Photography with Mr.

how it will all come together until the final installation.

Trusting in her vision – for both herself

42

Those ideas are often informed by her

a reason clients trust Bridges to help take

personal aesthetic of, quite fittingly, clean

their house and make it a home; and as they

coastal California vibes highlighted with

open that front door to see the vision come

and her clients – has brought her back to

eclectic touches. Combining elements,

to life, Bridges admits, “It always feels great

Santa Barbara, where she is the owner and

says Bridges, continues to exert influence

when I exceed their expectations.”

principal designer of Hayley Bridges Design.

throughout the interior design world,

Now those interiors she admired so much as

especially when it comes to mixing metals

a kid are in her own capable hands, juggled

in both hardware and lighting. Just as with

among countless other aspects of owning

fashion, too, certain styles are making

a business. Her days are as nuanced as the

a groovy comeback. Large knits, woven

spaces she transforms; “beige,” understated

furniture, and natural wood finishes are

responsibilities like invoicing and handling

bringing the 1960s back, offset by a deeper

emails are punctuated by far more colorful

color palette that Bridges is seeing a lot of,

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

Selena Mone

DISPATCHES

the 400-plus miles between LA and San Francisco in two hours and forty minutes.

119 miles of the route are already under construction in the Central Valley. About 80% of Callery’s job these days involves her work on the project – specifically two stages of it: Bakersfield to Palmdale, and Palmdale to Burbank. Those are three of the fourteen stations that Phase I will comprise, eventually connecting Anaheim to San Francisco. It’s expected to be operational by 2029. Phase II will add service from LA to San Bernardino, and south to San Diego; at the northern end, it will extend from Merced to Sacramento. The state hopes to finish Phase II by 2039.

“Since Amtrak is the only rail service

ON THE RIGHT TRACKS

that most Americans have ever used, it’s

SHAUNA CALLERY ’01

high-speed rail will be like,” Callery says.

When asked if her Cate education had much

and from three locations to ten, spread up

to do with the career she chose, Shauna

and down the state.

Callery ’01 is quick to respond. She credits

From her office in San Luis Obispo,

two classes in particular – AP Biology and

Callery has worked on dozens of projects

Environmental Studies – and one teacher –

during that time, most of them related

the legendary Cheryl Powers – for sparking

to additions and improvements in

her passion. Callery also mentions her

infrastructure – roads, bridges, pathways

experience in the Outdoor Program, which

for cyclists and pedestrians, transit stations,

offered the perfect complement to her

and parking structures, to name a few. She

academic interest in the natural world.

oversees the planning and preparation of

Her path to becoming a Senior Project

technical studies, environmental impact

hard for them to picture what California’s But people who’ve been on fast trains in Europe or Asia should be able to envision it. The trains will ride on both new and existing tracks – in some places, where as many as six sets of rails will run side by side.

It’s not yet clear who will manufacture the trains themselves.

A project of this scale is dizzying to contemplate, even if you can hardly begin to consider what it entails (and that’s all most of us can do). But it’s well underway!

And with Governor Jerry Brown acting as a

Manager at Rincon Consultants, Inc., an

reports, compliance documentation for

environmental consulting firm, was a bit

regulatory agencies, sustainability forecasts,

circuitous, but Callery loved every step of

and a host of other complex matters

her journey. At USC she studied social

that, in this litigious society, can turn the

sciences, psychology, and international

construction of a footbridge over a creek into

relations, gaining knowledge and expertise

a multi-year enterprise. So try to imagine

optimistic that the project will continue as

that she uses on a regular basis in her job.

what’s involved in the California High-

scheduled, and she’s excited to be a part of it.

But it was at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,

Speed Rail Project – that pipe dream (in the

where she earned master’s degrees in City

opinion of critics) you’ve been hearing about

sipping a drink while streaking through the

and Regional Planning and in Transportation

for decades now.

California countryside at 220 mph – maybe

driving force behind it, everybody involved is trying to move forward as quickly as possible before Brown’s term in office expires. Our next governor may not be such a vocal and enthusiastic supporter. But Callery is

A dozen years from now, when you’re

Well, Callery is actually helping to

even wishing your trip would last a little

field she works in today. Since joining

make it happen. We really are going to have

longer – you can toast Shauna Callery for

Rincon Consultants in 2008, she’s seen the

a state-of-the-art rail system, with trains that

helping to put you in your seat.

company grow from 50 employees to 220,

can travel at 220 miles per hour and cover

Engineering, that Callery focused on the

Jeff Barton W W W. CATE . O R G

43

DISPATCHES

De Rachewiltz refers to him only as “Pound.” As a humble and accomplished man in his own right, de Rachewiltz, it seems, likes to keep his distance from his grandfather’s legacy. However, I can tell he’s proud of the archived letter to Pound from Hemingway, a check Pound made out to T.S. Eliot, and letters from James Joyce. De Rachewiltz says, “These were all contemporaries and friends of Pound whom he helped and so on. And I remember as children we were always scared by these pictures that Hemingway sent; basically I think they found a human arm inside of a shark,” pointing to a grainy black and white photograph.

In the next room, his study, he shows me some of the books he has authored – one about Tyrolean bread, another about speck (think juniper-flavored prosciutto).

He also has a copy of the Mesan here.

KING OF THE CASTLE SIEGFRIED DE RACHEWILTZ '65 “Don’t be alarmed,” says Siegfried

one year as a senior. Friends of the School who were enamored by his mother Mary’s Italian translation of Robinson Jeffers

and sort of rebuilt it.” When the castle

arranged for his year abroad. He flips

de Rachewiltz ’65 as we make a sharp

fell into ruin for the second time,

through the yearbook and says, “This was

left turn off the paved road. He tells me

de Rachewiltz’s parents bought and

my favorite teacher then, Mr Caldwell.

summer storms have washed out the

rehabilitated the property with help from

I think he was the one responsible to a

main route to our destination, Schloss

his grandfather, the poet Ezra Pound.

large extent for my interest in literary

Brunnenburg, so we 4x4 up a ravine, what

De Rachewiltz '65 lives in the castle,

studies.” From Cate, de Rachewiltz

could be the scenic route if only every road

but he also hosts Americans for study

attended Rutgers, which he enjoyed but

here didn’t have breathtaking views of the

abroad programs. There is an agrarian

admitted his choice “was based a little

Italian Alps and of lush green valleys of

history and ethnology museum on site

bit on a misunderstanding on my part,

apple orchards. Perhaps it was a pretext

and, like all of the hillsides in this region,

because I had read ‘the Garden State’ and

to drive through his majestic grove of

there is a vineyard here, surrounding

imagined that it would be very green.” He

chestnuts. Many years ago the trees had

the property. He tells me the vines are

went on to earn his Ph.D. in comparative

succumbed to a blight. De Rachewiltz has

hybrids, developed at the university in

literature at Harvard and teach at Vassar

spent the last fifty years restoring the grove

Fribourg. Fungus resistance means that his

and the University of Innsbruck.

to what it once was – a theme of his life’s

son, the vineyard manager and winemaker,

work: restoration and preservation, with

can employ more traditional farming

room in the sprawling castle, a gallery.

Brunnenburg Castle at the heart.

methods; an entire room in the museum

He shows me a photo exhibit, of

is devoted to plows, sickles, scythes, and

“irretrievable moments.” There’s a

other antiquated farming instruments.

“woman pulling a plow, open hearth,

Brunnenburg was built in the 13th century but eventually fell into disrepair.

“At the turn of the 19th century, some crazy rich Swabian bought this ruin 44

De Rachewiltz came to Cate in 1964 for

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

In another part of the museum there is a room dedicated to the poet ex-pat.

From his study we enter another

fields of flax, which is hardly grown anymore.” He sounds wistful, the same

DISPATCHES

tone he takes when he tells me about the heritage breed of goats he raises “that have gone out of style,” and are now endangered, or the black netting slowly covering the valley to protect the apple orchards from increasingly frequent hailstorms. “It’s going to be one big net.

Which is not going to be terribly nice for the landscape.”

In his castle, de Rachewiltz is keeping a small part of a very long history alive. And regardless of the march of time, he still wants people to learn about the cultural history of this place. He’s made small concessions, like solar panels for the student building, his fungus-resistant vines – even the ground the castle sits on has been retrofitted to stop natural erosion; but all of these “modern” changes allow for the continued celebration and study of lost traditions.

And for all of his work, just a few people remembering the past may be enough for de Rachewiltz.

Joe Gottwald '10 W W W. CATE . O R G

45

DISPATCHES

THROWING HER SCARF INTO THE RING

patterns and drape and seeing every step

ASHLEY ASHOFF TOLEDANO '00

compared to “how many hands went into

It was raining and Ashley Ashoff

amongst the hundreds of people outside.”

Toledano ’00 couldn’t get a cab at her usual

She ran up the red carpet and was invited

haunt, the eponymous L’Hôtel, Paris’s

to stand on a photographer’s platform. “I

smallest five-star hotel. The study abroad

probably had the best view in the house

student recognized an eccentrically dressed

because I was at the end of the runway.”

man she had seen around town during

a dress.” She realized that what she was learning was only a small component making each of those gowns and doing that makeup and hair, designing the catwalk and every detail that went into it.” She was in tears by the end of the show, energized to finish her degree in textile and apparel design, which she managed to do early – avoiding one more notoriously brutal Ithaca,

fashion week getting into a cab – she knew

models seemed to be walking straight

they were heading to the same location

toward her, “and at first it didn’t look like

based on their respective outfits. Toledano

much because they were coming out in just

knocked on the car window and, after a few

these black dresses and bleak makeup; but

words of introduction and intent, she found

they came to the end of the catwalk and

herself riding to the 2002 fall Galliano show

they would turn and it was like a dust or

painted and oversized metallic bow tie to be

with NBA superfan James Goldstein. She

glitter that flew up in the air and decorated

paired with a silver-sequined top hat. The

didn’t have a ticket to the show, but was

the entire catwalk in colors. Underneath all

bow tie was so large that when unfolded it

thrilled to join the throng of spectators and

that black powder that was over their dresses

was scarf-size, and Toledano says, “That’s

photographers outside the venue. In another

were these vibrant colors and designs and

what started my business.” She saw the main

stroke of fate a security guard pointed at

textiles that were just spectacular.”

scarf offerings from fashion houses Hermes

Toledano and said, “‘Vous, mademoiselle, rentrez,’ and I was the only one he let in 46

From Toledano’s vantage point the

of the process of just making a t-shirt or

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

Toledano had spent the previous two years at Cornell “learning how to make

NY winter.

Years later, a request from James Goldstein, with whom she had remained friends, was the spark for her current business. Toledano made a custom hand-

and Pucci as conservative and limited. She says customers wanted “something a little

DISPATCHES

[handled by eight independent nonnas], the print, the quality of the fabric.”

That exquisite work has attracted clients like Steven Tyler, Taylor Swift, and Bruce Willis. She recently made scarves and jewelry for the cast of HBO’s upcoming drama Sharp Objects. Toledano also designs bowties, ties, leather goods, drapes, pillows, and jewelry, and one can make an appointment at her showroom on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. These days, more often than not, Toledano is on the road for private shows, primarily for charitable organizations. At these shows Toledano showcases a selection of scarves and jewelery.

She enjoys the personal interaction with clients and and the flexibility these types of events afford her – she often brings brand new designs for instant feedback.

Toledano donates around 25% of her sales to the organization that hosts her.

It’s her business acumen that allows her to share her success with many charities.

“Having a strong background in math, physics, and biology” gave her the tools to successfully run the business portion of her enterprise. For that, Toledano credits three Cate teachers, “Plummer, Powers, and Pierce.” She also praises Cate teachers from all disciplines for supporting creativity as well as encouraging analytical thinking in their teaching. The marriage of the two is the foundation of her success in fashion, an industry that “is pretty frivolous’’ where “some people take themselves a little too seriously.” Ever the realist, Toledano says, “I think my goal with my business is about more graphic, a little more fun, a little more

markets dominated by China. After some

personal, and also more custom.”

initial shakeups and hard lessons, Toledano

Toledano covers those four bases by

settled into a longstanding relationship

hand painting her scarves. It’s a multi-step

with her current supplier near Lake Como.

process that starts with the design, a drying,

“They do exquisite work for many different

steaming, and washing. Her original is then

brands… and they can do just about

reproduced in Italy. Toledano was adamant

anything when it comes to fabric. Everything

about sourcing European cashmere and silk,

is always perfect, the colors, the fraying

giving people more beauty in their lives, and sharing my creativity. It gives me great joy to be able to do that for people.”

Joe Gottwald '10

W W W. CATE . O R G

47

C L A S S NO T E S

in Memoriam JAMES F. CRAFTS, JR. June 16, 1926 - August 8, 2017

George James receives the School's highest honor, the William New, Jr. '59 Servons Award at Commencement in 2010. Here he is pictured with this wife Beverly, and two of his sons, Geoff '84 and Christopher '83.

GEORGE JAMES May 25, 1937 - August 25, 2017 George James was a gentle man whose impact at Cate is almost too vast to measure. His reassuring presence was accentuated by the measured cadence of his voice, which sounded like water flowing slowly over rocks. The conviction behind the sound was even more memorable.

I worked on two Cate capital campaigns that George led and I have never encountered a more compelling, earnest, or productive fundraiser. There was simply no length to which people would not go for this man. And there was such sincerity in George’s intentions that inevitably we gave even more generously than we intended.

George just made it seem like the right thing to do. And if, by chance, we were inclined to stall for time, George would happily be diverted for a few moments, before returning with a not so subtle, “So, can we put you down for …?” It wasn’t really a question.

It is relatively easy to list George’s particular accomplishments on the Mesa.

He was the driving force behind annuity programs for faculty, housing and dormitory projects, numerous endowment initiatives, and the renovation of our visual arts facilities. But it is far harder to capture his impact, for the fruits of George’s efforts will be manifest well beyond his lifetime – or ours. Every generous action of the Board during his tenure was graced with George’s telltale fingerprints: appreciation for his fellow man, humility in service, and unshakable faith in human endeavor. Such virtues form the very basis of this community, just as they inspire our continuing work.

For that reason, I like to think of George James as the fulfillment of a promise made years ago when the Cousins Cate first imagined this school. In that moment of conception they must have trusted in the fact that special people, memorable people, would find it somehow and help to make it great. “If you build it, they will come.” George did, and he made Cate a better school, me a better Headmaster, and all of us better people.

We are and have been blessed.

-Ben Williams

122

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

Jim Crafts was a man of extraordinary rectitude who served Cate’s Board of Trustees as its éminence grise for over forty years. He was the person to whom the board looked for all things legal and on whom it relied when it came to matters requiring thoughtful judgment and plain good sense.

As former Headmaster Scott McLeod recalls, while neither effusive nor given to expansive discourse, whenever Jim spoke, “everyone listened, and often what he said was the last word on the matter.”

Jim joined the board in 1970, the year his son James F. Crafts III graduated from Cate. He remained involved as a past parent long after most past parents took their leave, participating on multiple committees, including the search committee that named Scott McLeod headmaster, the Finance Committee and the Long Range Planning Committee. Ultimately, he served as Treasurer and Vice President of the Board and was elected a Life Trustee by his fellow board members in 1992.

Jim’s brilliance was unmistakable, as was his ability to focus the board on what really mattered. During the many discussions that led to the decision to change Cate from an all-boys school to a co-ed school, it was Jim’s behind-the-scenes argument and reasoned opinion that persuaded other board members, uncertain or indecisive at the time, to vote in favor of the change -- a change that’s made all the difference in the health and success of the School.

Smart, generous, and wonderfully kind, Jim Crafts served Cate and its Board of Trustees with distinction over many years. He will be sorely missed and long remembered. Servons.

-Rick Baum ’64

TIREY ABBOTT JR. '50 October 31, 1931 - November 6, 2016 Tirey C. Abbott, Jr. passed away in Beverly Hills after a stroke last November, a week after his 85th birthday.

He was born on Halloween in 1931 to Tirey Abbott, Sr. and Margaret Hunt Abbott at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA. He grew up on the family lemon and avocado ranch in Carpinteria. Tirey was accepted by Cate School (SBS) in 1943, and graduated in 1950.

Curtis Cate described Tirey as “a little fellow at the Crane School, having difficulty with his lessons… who turned out to be a genius in physics, but even he cannot make me understand how computers work.”

After Cate Tirey attended MIT, graduating with degrees in electrical engineering and business administration. While at MIT he married Tita Mitchell, from Santa Barbara, with whom he had two sons, Larry and Mitchel. He pursued his computer interests, first working for NCR in Philadelphia, and then later for his own company, Ultra Micro Fiche in Los Angeles. He and consultant friends from MIT were the principals at the company.

Tirey held several patents developed at UMF. After several years, he retired, but kept up his interests by working with other computer-related optical recognition companies, including Information International Inc. His last retirement, when in his seventies, was from Agfa Inc. His other interests and hobbies included skiing (water and snow), wind surfing, raising orchids, electronics of course, and old Dixieland records.

Tirey was divorced from Tita in the early 1960s and married his second wife, Helen, in 1972. Together they had two children, Elizabeth and Greg. Tirey is survived by Helen and his four children. He is also survived by his brother, Duncan H. Abbott ’54, niece Whitney B. Abbott ’90, nephews Robert H. Abbott ’95 and William B. Abbott ’95, and cousin Dr. William M. Abbott ’54.

C L A S S NO T E S

WILLIAM W. BLISS '43 July 7, 1924 - July 11, 2017 William W. “Bill” Bliss passed away on July 11, 2017, at his home in Carson City, NV surrounded by his loved ones. Bill lived an extraordinarily rich and full life and at the time of his passing, at 93, was one of the oldest living Cate School graduates. With an ever-present twinkle in his eye, a gift for wry humor, and a gentle warmth, he was adored by his family and by countless friends. He will be missed by many.

Bill spent his early life in Piedmont, California before moving to the Mesa as a member of the Class of 1943. During his time at Cate—then the Santa Barbara School—Bill was captain of the soccer team, a devoted friend, and, after forgetting his chore of raising the flag one morning (and subsequently being reprimanded by Mr. Cate), a diligent member of the community. Bill cherished his time on the Mesa, so when it was time to send his son, William T. “Billy” Bliss, to high school he thought there could be no better place. Billy Bliss (Class of '89) had interests beyond academics and left Cate after his sophomore year. But he retained many fond memories of Cate and encouraged his two nieces to attend, Madeline Wheeler ’11 and Eliza Wheeler ’14.

In a tradition started long before attending Cate, Eliza called her grandfather every Sunday to tell him about her week. Bill took pleasure in knowing that, during her time at Cate, Eliza had enjoyed the same campus he had and was particularly impressed that they managed to live in the exact same dorm room in School House. After his time at Cate, Bill went on to serve in the Navy, graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, marry his wife, Rudy Wheeler, have his son, Billy Bliss, and gain three step-children, of whom he was very fond.

Bill spent his later years pursuing his passions. He painted extensively, collected Western art and artifacts, wrote a book on the family history at Lake Tahoe, and received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. He built a museum at his residence to house the trove that chronicled the Bliss family history in Nevada going back to the 1860’s. He cherished his time at the lake, especially the July and August visits of the Wheeler clan.

Bill was predeceased by his first wife, Rudy, second wife, Barbara Witter, and his dear son, Billy ’89. He is survived by his grandchildren, Madeline ’11 and Eliza Wheeler ‘14, and many members of his extended family. Bill’s memory will be treasured by all who were fortunate enough to know him. His generosity, affection, grace, good humor, and direct manner will forever be missed.

-Eliza Wheeler ’14

JANET W. DAVIS June 6, 1920 - July 20, 2017 Janet W Davis died at her residence at Valle Verde Retirement Community on July 20, 2017. She was born in Minneapolis, MN, but spent her childhood in Montreal. In 1938 she entered Vassar College, which she attended for one year.

In 1938, she married S. Boyer Davis, Jr., who was a teacher at Lenox School for boys at the time. During World War II, Janet raised her two sons while Boyer served four years in the US Navy. In 1946 Janet and Boyer and their two sons moved to the Sierra foothills town of Dunlap, CA, where they raised cattle. In the summers they operated Bar Seven Pack Trains in Kings Canyon National Park until 1962. During those years, Janet bore another son, attended to the family and household duties, maintained all the business records, shopped and cooked for hired help, worked cattle, and was the face of the pack station to customers. In 1962 Janet and Boyer moved to Carpinteria, California, where both began extended employment at Cate School until they retired to their avocado and lemon grove in Summerland. In addition to her job in the alumni office at Cate School, Janet volunteered for 25 years with the Santa Barbara Visiting Nurse and Hospice organization.

Veteran Cate English teacher Gaby Edwards wrote, “Janet had earned her spurs in a man’s world (in the wild West!), and I think the preppies and Easterners on the faculty were a little intimidated by her. At the same time, she had a refined, naturally elegant demeanor, and true warmth. She was devoted to her own boys and affectionate and fun with the Cate kids, though she took no guff and hated whining -- from either kids or faculty! She worked as an assistant in various administrative offices for two decades, when she probably could

have run the whole school – she was that smart, savvy, sensible, and articulate. She loved the school and she loved us all.”

In 1998, Janet and Boyer moved to Valle Verde, which became her home for nearly 20 years. She was very active in the community, and she included the members of the staff among the many friends she made while living there. She is survived by two sons, Samuel Boyer Davis III '59 of Santa Rosa and Michael Davis '62 of Grand Junction, Colorado.

ROY HOWARD EDER '77 July 1, 1959 - January 19, 2017 Roy Howard Eder, 57, passed away on January 19, 2017 after a two-year battle with a brain tumor. Eder was born in Marin, CA and attended Cate for high school. After graduating from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, he worked for Jack Nadel & Company before starting his own company, Eder Marketing Group. He had many interests, including tennis, lacrosse, motorcycling, and car racing.

Roy is survived by his wife, Andrea Kutsch, and his three children, Cami, Beau, and Kendal. Donations can be made in Roy's honor to the Scripps Health Foundation for brain cancer research.

RAYMOND SAINT '51 October 31, 1933 - May 13, 2016 Raymond Saint ‘51 passed away on May 13, 2016 in San Diego. Saint graduated from Cate in 1951 and from Yale in 1955.

He received his LL.B. from the UC Berkeley School of Law in 1960 and his LLM in Comparative Law in 1965 from NYU. He was part of the American Foreign Law Association, American Law Association, and UK Representative Licence to Deal in Securities. He practiced international law for large firms such as Aramco Financial Services and Casey, Lane & Mittendorf. He traveled extensively internationally for work. He was barred in California, New York, and Nevada. Saint spent two years of active duty in the US Marine Corps as a company commander. After spending eighteen years with his family in England, Saint returned to the States in 1988.

He enjoyed tennis, golf, skiing, and Oriental studies, and was described as a kind gentleman. His loving partner of fifteen years, Jane De Shazo, said, “He told me many funny stories about his buddies at school. He was proud of being at Cate.” Saint received a military burial and was interred next to his wife, Joan, who passed in 2001. He is survived by three children and four grandchildren.

KOFI APPIAH WASHINGTON '11 March 23, 1993 - August 26, 2017 Kofi Appiah Washington was born in Los Angeles, California on March 23, 1993 to Michelle and Medicus Washington, III. Kofi was the eldest of three brothers; he attended Grandview Elementary School and Palms Middle School before graduating from Cate in 2011.

At Cate, Kofi was a talented and enthusiastic member of the track, basketball, and water polo teams. After Kofi left Cate he pursued his undergraduate degree in liberal arts at Occidental College, where he completed a year’s study.

What began as a mild interest in music blossomed into a true passion for Kofi, and he applied that enthusiasm into performing with a local band. He also discovered and very much enjoyed the creative arts, as well as the spoken word.

W W W. CATE . O R G

123

E N DPAG E

Beach Cliffs by Lauren Lokre '17 received a silver key from the 2017 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Fabric Mountains by Eva Herman '17 received an honorable mention from the 2017 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Pennies is true, it means that the land below

Rockies fall, new grasses sprout along the

a winner in the School’s annual Writing

the Rockies is the weak spot on the

brick walkway the day after a heavy rain.

Contest last April; it was read aloud at the

plate—the soft underbelly of the North

Purple flowers weave in between aloe

Family Weekend Celebration of Writing.

American. That’s the first time I’ve ever

plants next to stairways, and a beehive

heard someone call a mountain weak.

drips honey from the rafters outside

This piece by Apple Lieser ’18 was

In science class, I learned that the mountains we’re currently on are

classroom windows. I’ve woken to the

created by subduction: the denser North

considering. Permanence, to me, has

gentle cooing of an owl, hidden by fog

American plate rides over the Pacific

always been a given; some things just are.

hanging in eucalyptus boughs. On sunny

plate, forcing the Pacific to bend beneath

They’ll remain constant even if left alone,

winter mornings, the ocean is sprinkled

it. Since it’s difficult to conceal a tectonic

even if trod upon. But if a mountain isn’t

with white light, and (with a bowl of

plate, however, the Pacific plate does not

permanent – if the very ground we stand

sweet strawberries in hand) I watch the

go easily into that good magma below

on swallows itself, like a dog chasing its

waves spin.

the Earth’s crust; instead, it writhes and

tail – then permanence loses its potency.

pushes up against the old bones of the

I read that when Annie Dillard was a

I’ve been searching for my own pennies – small examples of

North American, which arches its scaly

child, she’d hide pennies in cracks in the

impermanence, beautiful moments that

back like a pouncing cat and creates the

sidewalk, and then lie in wait to watch

will be gone too soon. Stopping to pick

mountain ridges we see and live on. My

people’s excitement as they dropped to

them up is the only way I know to stop

science teacher explains that it’s like a

their hands and knees to pick them up.

geologic time; somehow every time I see a

carpet being pushed up: smaller, initial

So small and hardly noticeable -- it can be

bird preen its wings on the hedge outside

ridges being the mesas and Montecito

easy to miss pennies if you forget to look

of English class, it makes the mountains

Peaks; secondary folds the Cascades and

for them.

seem a little higher.

According to geologic time, the

Scientists may be right: the tallest

Rockies. In between the Sierras and the

Rockies will eventually collapse. Glaciers

mountains may be crumbling, weak when

Rockies are the deserts and canyons that

will melt. The swivel of the North

faced with permanence.

snake through the flats before erupting

American will pull the continent apart.

into the Colorado Plateau, which at one

The Pacific will stop pushing waves

time, long ago, reached 28,000 feet tall

through Rincon’s beaches, and one day

– as tall as Everest today. If this theory

I’ll have to leave this Mesa. But as the

Sierras; finally, the larger furls are the

124

Geologic time is a question I’ve been

CAT E BULLET IN / F ALL 2 0 17

Maybe the strongest mountains are built out of pennies.

CATE SCHOOL 1960 Cate Mesa Road Post Office Box 5005 Carpinteria, CA 93014-5005

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Santa Barbara, CA Permit #1020