JESSICA DONOVAN
BALANCING TRADITION AND INNOVATION
Chadwick School Magazine // Summer 2023
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Jessica Donovan
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Barbara Najar
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPASS EDITOR
Michael Balsley
MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER
Patrick Record
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Tami Seeger
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Xavier Proctor
ART DIRECTOR
Susan Piper
COPYWRITING
Michael Balsley
Sabrina Cohen
Tami Seeger
PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Patrick Record
PHOTOGRAPHY
Marie Chao
Glenn Harris
James Kao
Xavier Proctor
Nick Toren
Stuart Wieten
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ON THE COVER
Head of School Jessica Donovan photographed at Malaga Cove Plaza
Photographed by Patrick Record
It’s difficult to believe this day has come. It seemed impossible to imagine on the seemingly endless nights we were studying for math tests, and yet inevitable in the speed with which we all knew it would ultimately arrive.
Like many in our graduating class, I recently went on the three-week Senior Outdoor Education Trip, which provided me the opportunity to sit alone in the woods for three days. This was a long but convenient time to reflect on my life — where I came from, where I am now and where I want to go.
Freshman year was an adjustment for all of us … but especially challenging for those who were new to Chadwick, as I was. We faced steep learning curves and recognized the true weight of Chadwick’s academic performance expectations. The most important lesson I learned in my first year was to never be afraid to ask for help. I used to think that asking my teachers for help meant that I wasn’t as smart as everyone else who understood the concepts the first time around. Once it became clear to me that most of my classmates were, in fact, smarter than I was, asking for help became a lot easier. I learned to see it not as a sign of weakness, but rather of courage, determination, and in my case, survival!
We ended freshman year and began sophomore year virtually. This era of online school was unknown territory for us. Our class learned to make sure our mics were actually muted on Zoom and to never use the chat box for personal gossip, because, as it turns out, teachers could read it all. More importantly, that year taught us that tough times are a part of life and
eventually pass … that we can, and we must, persevere.
Junior year was a big one. We learned that it wasn’t always worth it to leave campus early, since most of us didn’t know how to do it without getting caught. The most important thing I learned was to surround myself with people who love and support me, unconditionally.
Finally, we reached senior year. We learned to never, ever sleep on the football field without triple-checking the sprinkler system. An even more valuable lesson was to slow down, take it all in, and enjoy the moment. It goes by too fast.
As with everyone in our class, my four years at Chadwick have been filled with love and laughter, struggle and accomplishment, victories and losses. We have all made mistakes, learned and grown tremendously in the process. Some of these lessons have been painful and difficult to digest, some were paired with tough moments and others with unforgettable stories, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Regardless of when each of us started our Chadwick journey, we owe our growth to the Chadwick community, which not only provided a supportive, nonjudgmental environment when we stumbled or fell, but also celebrated our big victories and small successes with equal enthusiasm.
To the landscaping, cafeteria and facilities staff — thank you for creating such a beautiful, clean and manicured space for us to learn, enjoy and grow. Thank you to all the parent volunteers who have selflessly given so many hours of their time to drive, support, fundraise, open their homes and to serve the community. Thank you to the faculty, to our advisors, counselors and coaches. I have been blessed with teachers who have been inflection points in my life, supporting me far beyond the classroom. They have encouraged me, mentored me and cared for me more than I deserved. Special thanks go to our amazing Interim Head of School Tom Sheppard for your dedication to Chadwick and its students, and best of luck to incoming Head of School Jessica Donovan.
Most importantly, thank you to our families and to our support groups, in whatever form they might take, who give us energy and encouragement. Special thanks to my mom and dad, to my sister, and my grandpa and grandma: “Dede yev Yaya, tsezi shahd ge sirem.” We know how lucky we have been to have such an amazing network to support our lives.
Leaving the idyllic Chadwick bubble, we now enter a world riddled with inequality, injustice and hardship — a world changing faster than ever, with vast unknowns and uncertainties. We are also entering a world filled with incredible opportunities in which thoughtful, creative, adaptable and caring people will not only be able to succeed, but to thrive. Chadwick has prepared us to tackle challenges, to solve problems and to seize opportunities. Chadwick has taught us to be kind, caring and thoughtful. The imperative now falls on us to execute these lessons in our own ways and in our own ultimate realms of diverse expertise. Thinking, doing and leading doesn’t end at Chadwick — it starts here.
“I KNOW WE’LL ALL BRING THAT SAME COMMUNITY-BUILDING STRENGTH TO WHEREVER WE GO FROM HERE — IN COLLEGE, WORK AND THE REST OF OUR LIVES.”
STUDENT BODY
PRESIDENTSENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT
The task of defining Chadwick is something difficult for anyone sitting here today. Some might cite their extensive work in community service, others perhaps a sport they enjoy playing or maybe even performing in school productions. I would say none of them are wrong, but that is what I find beautiful about the school I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of for the past four years. So how would I define this curious school on top of a hill? Well, I could not supply a simple answer to that and would rather say one would have to come here to fully understand what makes Chadwick, Chadwick. I would say you should come to experience the Homecoming festivities. Watch Ella bob for apples and help build the pirate ship fort. I would say to maybe join in on one of the inspirational email threads after someone loses their phone. I would say to check out the numerous activities you could participate in at the Clubaganza. I would say to join the play and the musical, maybe orchestra or dance. I would say to play a sport or maybe try out yoga. I would say to visit Chadwick International in South Korea or go on a week-long backpacking trip in the Sierras. I would say that to define Chadwick, you’d have to experience every part of it.
Personally, I wouldn’t say I could give an all-encompassing definition of Chadwick, because Chadwick is defined by its students, every single one of us. Every one of us is driven in our own unique ways, and being a part of such a community is invaluable.
Now we sit here prepared to commence our lives separate from this haven. We’ve finally received our diplomas and solidified ourselves as Chadwick graduates. The short acknowledgments can only scratch the surface of our vast number of experiences here, yet, soon you won’t find any of us in the Roessler classrooms or on Vanderlip Lawn playing spike ball. Instead, you’ll find us scattered around the country and the world thinking, doing and leading to better our society and world. We might forget exactly how to integrate or what the green light meant in “The Great
Gatsby,” but the values we absorbed and the bonds we created in our time here will never fade. Wherever we go, we will bring the Chadwick spirit and the love of every one of the people here today. When looking down into this amphitheater, most would see a group of students sitting here having just received the reward for their four years of hard work. That’s not what I see. I see the finishing touch on a masterpiece we’ve been vigorously painting. This day doesn’t mark a sudden fruition of one’s goals, but rather a final celebration of our time here. The days we spent cramming for a test, getting hosed by the sprinklers while we tried to sleep, or caring deeply for our fellow classmates make up the rest of that masterpiece. I only wish that we could zoom out to fully appreciate our work — a piece that every single one of us gave our all to complete. We began this journey during freshman orientation, sailing in Marina Del Rey, the boys slept in the gym and the girls slept in the library. Now, we begin a different journey, a new orientation, a new reality to become accustomed to. But nonetheless, we spent those four years painting the piece we celebrate today, and inside of us we will continue to add to our painting, always remembering our experiences here.
What once seemed so far away, is now here. We come here to celebrate our completion of high school. I distinctly remember my confusion when I saw the seemingly arbitrary 2023 at the end of my email in elementary school, but at this moment it defines the spectacular group of people about to embark on their journey of life. The Mission of Chadwick is to “develop global citizens with keen minds, exemplary character, self-knowledge and the ability to lead.” And I can confidently say that everyone sitting here with a diploma in hand has met and exceeded that Mission. Our names will forever be engraved on the bricks leading up to Vanderlip Lawn serving as a definition of our Chadwick, the Chadwick class of 2023.
“CHADWICK IS DEFINED BY ITS STUDENTS, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. EVERY ONE OF US IS DRIVEN IN OUR OWN UNIQUE WAYS, AND BEING A PART OF SUCH A COMMUNITY IS INVALUABLE.”
Baseem Husam Abusneineh
Marielle Francoise Alden
Mia Elizabeth Alvarado
Cyrus Blue Amiri
Alec Anthony Baker
Jack Quinn Barrett
Ella Stevenson Bjerre
Robert Stevenson Bjerre
Micah Adonis Breaux
Skylar Dawn Campbell
Nathan Rui Cao
Ryan David Hong-Yu Chen
Ann Catherine Cushman
Liam Alexander DeJong
Sean Kai Dempsey
Naya Diana Dermenjian
Gretchen Ava Deutsch
Brynn Heather Drye
Isabella Mai Dunlap
Raine Orian Dunn
Daylin Kynette Enriquez
Hannah Rose Franklin
Kailey Isabella Freedman-Setaro
Siena Noel Giacoma
Jadynn Imani Gilmer
Syona Rose Goel
Carlos Emiliano Gomez Vazquez
Gael Maximillion Gonzalez
Anna Miwako Gu
Sydney Dahbeen Han
Hayden Micah Handler
Skylar Tomlyn Hartman
Selena Danfeng Huang
Ella Carolina Farris Hughes
Kory Tyler Jackson
Gabriel Alexander Burnett Jones
Atma A. Joshi
Alexandra Marie Keating
Austin Latimer Keesey
Andrew Yu-Guang Kie
Evelyn Sooah Kim
Brooklin Bella Laird
Jake Edward Lee
Allison Lena Letsinger
Amanda Lauren Liaw
Janet JuHyun Lim
Victoria Lowe
Shiyao Lucia Lu
Luc Michel Mainvielle
Grace Marie Mangali
Annabelle Lucille McCulloch
Sam John Menzelos
Dylan Aleksei Mercer
Joshua Stephen Mercer
Madeline Grace Mester
Shay Escher Moskowitz
Jada Yukiko Nakagawa
William Sean Padian
John Lee Palsberg
Hanna Park
Guy Alec Phillips
Joseph Frederick Reichardt Pullara
Max Masao Radmilovich
Caleb Alexander Rivas
Avery Chiyon Roth
Ryan Mae Rothman
Alexandra Christine Saket
Samuel Nathan Barreiro Santos
Laney Kathleen Saye
Amartya Setty
Sage Ashley Silberman
Cole Aidan Slocum
Richard Allison Smith, III
Samuel Isaac Socol
William Emanuel Spangler
Zoe Bella Stephens
Annabel Blaivas Stone
Max Andrew Sweeney
Evan Jungsup Tall
Gabrielle Riley Tangen
Liam Edward Taylor
Connor Mozart Tell
Anabelle Xin-Yi Teng
Ryan Michael Theberge
Joshua Tyler Thomas
Heather Cheuk-Yi Tong
Peter James Turpanjian
Meagan Marin Wolfe
Becket Lo Wren
Members of the Class of 2023 received 495 offers of admission from 170 different colleges and universities. Our Class of 2023 will attend 57 different colleges and universities. Last updated September 1, 2023. Information subject to change.
CITIZENSHIP AWARD
Ryan D.H. Chen
Ann C. Cushman
Liam E. Taylor
HEAD OF SCHOOL AWARD
Naya D. Dermenjian
Jadynn I. Gilmer
Victoria Lowe
Grace M. Mangali
FOUNDERS’ AWARD
Marielle F. Alden
Alec A. Baker
Gabriel A. Jones
Joshua T. Thomas
UNSUNG SERVICE AWARD
Baseem H. Abusneineh
Daylin K. Enriquez
Anna M. Gu
LEE-STEPHENS AWARD
Graham Galusha
Audrey Y. Lin
Lizbeth Lopez
ART PURCHASE AWARD
Gael M. Gonzalez
PERFORMING ARTS AWARD
Ryan D. H. Chen
THE FRANK QUINLIN JOURNALISM AWARD
Parker J. Albarian
Ryan M. Rothman
ROUND SQUARE KING CONSTANTINE AWARD
Sage A. Silberman
William E. Spangler
Gabrielle R. Tangen
MODEL UNITED NATIONS AWARD
Ryan M. Theberge
BINA MANDAL SWIMMING AWARD
Alexander W. Davies
SARTORIUS AWARD
Shiyao Lucia Lu
Amartya Setty
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Janet J. Lim
Joshua T. Thomas
MIDDLE SCHOOL AWARDS
JOHN FISKE AWARD
Phoenyx Buchanan
Isabelle Lee
Nia Pak
Landon Park
Sophie Zhang
WOWs CLASS OF 2023
Baseem Husam Abusneineh
Skylar Dawn Campbell
Ryan David Hong-Yu Chen
Sean Kai Dempsey
Gretchen Ava Deutsch
Francesca Grace Gautreau
Syona Rose Goel
Hayden Micah Handler
Skylar Tomlyn Hartman
Kory Tyler Jackson
Atma A. Joshi
Austin Latimer Keesey
Andrew Yu-Guang Kie
Jake Edward Lee
Allison Lena Letsinger
Amanda Lauren Liaw
Dylan Aleksei Mercer
Joshua Stephen Mercer
Shay Escher Moskowitz
Joseph Frederick Reichardt
Pullara
Cole Aidan Slocum
Richard Allison Smith, III
Evan Jungsup Tall
CUM LAUDE SOCIETY
CLASS OF 2023 MEMBERS
Marielle Francoise Alden
Alec Anthony Baker
Robert Stevenson Bjerre
Nathan Rui Cao
Ann Catherine Cushman
Kailey Isabella
Freedman-Setaro
Syona Rose Goel
Sydney Dahbeen Han
Atma A. Joshi
Alexandra Marie Keating
John Lee Palsberg
Hanna Park
Ryan Mae Rothman
Alexandra Christine Saket
Samuel Isaac Socol
William Emanuel Spangler
Liam Edward Taylor
Peter James Turpanjian
CLASS OF 2024 MEMBERS INDUCTED IN 2023
Isabel Grace Eddleston
Graham Galusha
Reina Jasmine Jo
Meredith Reilly Kenney
Caleb Kim
Audrey Yi-Ying Lin
Griffin Henry O’Gorman
Sydney Reyburn Spangler
It is an unusually bright summer day without the typical lingering marine layer chill. In contrast to a normal school day, today is fairly quiet, with summer campers laughing on Vanderlip Lawn and a few classrooms active with Summer Programs.
Donovan is just a few days removed from a cross-country journey that took her and her family from Washington, D.C., to Palos Verdes, California — a 3,000-mile trek that would leave most people weary and ready for a vacation. Donovan, on the other hand, is energized and ready to get to work.
“Every time I come to California from D.C. I have a feeling of peace. Beginning this job is so exciting, and there is so much to do, and this trip, it feels like coming home.”
Having served as Head of School for the past eight years at Sheridan School in Washington, D.C., Donovan has established herself as a dedicated educator, a transformative leader and an advocate for innovative educational programs. Her professional journey encompasses more than 26 years in the field of education, during which she has garnered extensive experience in teaching, school leadership and curricular development. Now, she’s ready to apply that experience to leading Chadwick into the future. While there are many changes happening all at once, she exudes optimism and calm.
“This is the time for thoughtful innovation. Chadwick is a school incredibly well situated to succeed because of its commitment to curiosity, community and child development. People can feel all kinds of anxiety about the unknown, but we need to know that we have everything we need to succeed. If we can keep a mindset of readiness, a mindset that prepares for future scenarios, even while knowing we cannot predict all the changes that lie ahead, Chadwick will remain in the best position to lead.”
In these first few weeks on campus, unknowns seem to be commonplace. Most of her family’s belongings are still in transit, and she and her fiancé Ed Han, along with their dog Pippin, are living out of a handful of suitcases. Their future home on campus — the Head of School house — won’t be ready for another month. With all the moving pieces of this transition, she remains grounded and ever-optimistic.
“I love to work,“ she says. “My family and my job are my two great joys and so I spend so much of my time reading and learning about child development. The work excites me and I enjoy being around a team of educators who get excited about the same things. I always find myself in the front row
IT IS MONDAY, JULY 3, 2023, AND JESSICA DONOVAN HAS ARRIVED FOR HER FIRST DAY ON THE JOB AS CHADWICK’S 14TH HEAD OF SCHOOL.
at conferences, or booking an educational tour when we are on vacation. I love reading about cognition and education and brain science. I love learning and that is the environment I enjoy being a part of.”
Starting her career as a sixth-grade teacher in San Jose, California, she recalls essential lessons from her first years as a public school teacher. “I began teaching middle school, and I just love that age. Sometimes seventh- and eighth-graders are so ready to keep adults at an arm’s distance because they think adults don’t like them. But once they sense that you do like them and they trust you, they are capable of amazing things.”
“When the position at Chadwick came up, I had been very familiar with the school because of what struck me as a fascinating global education model with the founding of Chadwick International in South Korea. I knew that in my next position, I wanted to get back to a school with an upper school. In my first headship, I chose a K-8 because I knew as a parent I could not do the job of an upper school head well and still be present for my teenage kids. So much of the work in upper schools demands time after hours when you really need to be present for your students. Now, at this time in my life, with my kids either in college or out of college, this Chadwick opportunity was perfect for me. The school needed someone who was ready to make it their home.”
She pauses for a moment, and adds, “I also knew my school would have to have kindergarten. I just love love love the littles. They bring so much joy to my day. If you are ever feeling down, visit a kindergarten classroom.”
With an extensive background in child development, brain-based learning and pedagogical theory, and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership, Donovan is focused on the value of trust and putting children first.
“There is a lot of research that tells us the greatest predictor of success for a child in school is having an instructor who believes that child will be successful. Every child — really, every person — needs to have a trusted adult who believes in their potential, who can celebrate their success and who can help them push through the challenges that always come up.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time developing teams, and I have always tried to
keep in mind how diversity plays a role in forming these circles of trust for kids. Chadwick has such an amazing faculty and staff with a balance of scientists, artists, language-based learners and hands-on learners, with a mix of new and experienced educators. I think we can lean on our strengths and our shared goal, which is our commitment to putting children first.”
“When I first interviewed, I can’t remember laughing so much as I did over those three days. It was a joyful (and exhausting) experience. But when I visited the classrooms, I saw exceptional teaching, and I met with kids who were so passionate about their school. I left that three-day interview experience — we are on the plane — and I told Ed ‘This is the place for me. This is where we are going to be, and we are going to help make a difference.’”
“Of course, I see the rough spots, but they are not scary rough spots. There is work to do. But if everything was perfect, this would not be the job for me. I like the work, and the work here is exciting. It is an exciting time for Chadwick.”
As the school moves ever closer to the 90th anniversary of its founding in 1935, Donovan has often thought about the significance of its founder Margaret Chadwick. “I would like to think if we sat down together today, we would share a cup of tea and nerd out about education. She was such an influential figure: to see the value of outdoor education, core values and the impact experiential learning can have on a young person’s development. I think she and I have a lot in common.”
“I recently met a Chadwick alumna. I believe she graduated in the 1960s and is now in her 80s. She told me she believes Chadwick made her who she was, and that she felt so connected to Mrs. Chadwick — she felt that Mrs. Chadwick truly cared about her. So when we are talking about a trusted adult, I think that’s it.”
“Mrs. Chadwick believed in children, and that’s what we get to do every day here at Chadwick. How do we make sure that we create an environment where the children are at the center, that we remember we’re doing this because we love children? Of course, nothing is that simple, but when you start from that place, the foundation is solid.”
“I think even young adults need a trusted adult in their corner. They need to know that somebody believes in them. They don’t need somebody to tell them what to do every day, but they need wise counsel, so they can make their own wise decisions. When my kids were teenagers, they usually made good decisions without me, but it was my job to be their wise counsel.” She then adds, “I am a grown person, and I still bounce things off my dad. Being geographically closer to him in California allows him to be a part of my life, too. We all need wise counsel.”
Highlighting the importance of having different sounding boards, Donovan adds, “I think it is great for students to have different kinds of leaders. Leadership can look like a lot of different people and it’s not always loud and direct. Sometimes it’s listening.”
One week after her arrival, new boxes are still appearing in the Head of School office that overlooks the entrance to Chadwick. Donovan’s photos, books and personal items have been added to her shelves, and her calendar is filled with meetings and deadlines for the upcoming school year. Over her days on campus, she has been busy meeting with
”Leadership is not always loud and direct. Sometimes it’s listening.“
a steady parade of faculty, staff and parents — notably, welcoming them with her warm smile and with her door wide open. In spite of the newness of her role at Chadwick, she exudes calm and comfort, as if this is exactly where she is supposed to be.
One of her first priorities is to learn about the Chadwick culture and to connect with members of the community. She is already doing that with faculty and staff over the summer. “During one of my visits, the faculty and staff asked great questions, which meant to me that they were engaged and they cared about children and education. For those of us in education, the world is changing dramatically in so many ways and very quickly. We’re in a time where we can either choose to be incredibly anxious or incredibly joyful about what the future holds. This Chadwick community is so full of hope despite all of the recent changes. I want to harness that hope and the caring nature of everyone who works here.”
With the rise of technologies like ChatGPT and increasing pressure on students to stand out, Donovan notes that there have been many changes affecting how we teach, and there are other areas that remain the same.
“If you talk to 10 different experts they’ll tell you 10 different things about artificial intelligence (AI) and how it will impact education. So planning for AI in the curriculum is difficult. Instead, we can experiment and build scenarios, so the teachers who are really good at project-based learning might not use AI, but teachers who are really good at managing technology in the classroom will incorporate it into their lesson plans and share their learnings with others.”
“This is experimentation in a thoughtful way. One of the speakers at a recent conference said that the world is going to change more now than it did with the internet. We can’t predict these changes, but we can embrace them.”
While teaching has changed with technology, teachers who really care about children have not. Donovan notes that, “I think the biggest recent change for young people is the spike in the levels of anxiety and depression. As educators, we don’t have a choice but to engage with that, and because we are not trained as psychiatrists or therapists, we don’t all have the skills needed to address mental health, and that’s challenging. There is so much pressure, and since children don’t yet
know how to embrace the unknown, we have to reverse that for them. Having a team of trusted adults so students can embrace the unknown helps them lean into the changes and to see that everything is possible. The end result is that children are reaching their potential. As an educator, that is what good work and success look like.”
“I was visiting the robotics room last fall and I asked one of the Upper School students to describe what he was doing, and he just lit up. He showed me everything, his journals and the equipment, and spoke for probably 20 or 30 minutes! As students get older, they are discovering their passions and our teachers have to be great at reflecting that passion back to them.”
“I am really looking forward to the Upper School campus events. I love attending games and student events. You can hear me when I’m there, because I’m always yelling words of encouragement. Even at theater events and assemblies, I’m an excellent fan. I think great teachers care in that way: we care about who our students are.”
It’s mid-July on Chadwick’s campus now and Donovan is already a visible and recognizable figure. While Donovan’s work takes up much of her time, she still makes time for family during a busy month.
“Ed and Pippin are unpacking right now, and we have plans to explore the local hiking trails, beaches, museums and so much more. On our drive to California, we couldn’t really go to any museums because of Pippin. My dad has come to visit recently, and my kids are coming to visit over the summer, and it is so wonderful to share my new Chadwick home with them.”
“By the start of school, we will move onto campus to be closer to that Chadwick School energy. We are going to love it and we can’t wait to host events in our Chadwick house!”
“This community has been looking for someone in this office who is ready to stay in one place. I am so excited and hopeful about what we have ahead of us, and we have everything we need. You can feel the deep love of learning, hope and promise at Chadwick. My role is to harness that and keep that alive. It just feels like the right place to be, and I am excited to get to work.”
“The greatest predictor of success for a child in school is having an instructor who believes the child will be successful.”
As ubiquitous to Chadwick students as the Core Values, Outdoor Education (OE) is a major component of the Chadwick experience. Key to this program are the dozens of outdoor educators who make these meticulously planned experiences so life-changing. Integral to this staff are Co-Directors, Danner Bradshaw and Emily Hargraves.
Meeting these two leaders is like meeting someone you have known before. Like the air after the rain, the smell of a campfire at night or a chorus of songbirds in an otherwise silent forest, they are familiar. They have been living and breathing the outdoors their entire lives.
Cheerful but grounded, Bradshaw and Hargraves are salt-of-the-earth naturalists and careful adventurers — refreshing in a world obsessed with speed and ever-expanding technology. Leading this kind of program, which begins in kindergarten and builds experience upon experience through the Middle School and Upper School years, requires vision, passion and quite simply a love for the natural world.
Bradshaw grew up in Alabama where he spent most of his childhood roaming the forests and beaches along the Gulf Coast. At the age of 15, he studied in the mountains of Vermont and went to college in Washington State spending several seasons in the Grand Tetons and Acadia National Park doing fieldwork as an ornithologist. Hargraves grew up in the Northeast and experienced outdoor education as
early as preschool and later as a camp counselor in her teen years. Today, she runs her own adventure company “Backcountry Babes” in her spare time. Both co-directors seem born for this kind of work.
“We take great care in making sure the experiences our students have are authentic,” notes Hargraves. “We do not need to build in the challenges that help shape the value of the outdoor experience, they just happen naturally. Whether the water is glassy or we see one-foot swells, we trust that nature will provide the perfect setting for what the students need.”
Expanding upon years in the field and hundreds of student adventure trips, Bradshaw and Hargraves are adding nuance and innovation to the kinds of experiences students can have in the outdoors. This includes adding more choices and a greater variety of experiences to the 10th-grade Outdoor Education program. This past year, students were given six different options about where to spend their spring trip. Choices included canoeing the Colorado River, winter camping in the Sierra mountain range, hiking in the wilds of Catalina Island, or braving the high desert of Joshua Tree National Park.
Similar to all other Chadwick academic programs, Outdoor Education’s highly trained and deeply passionate staff are essential for elevating mere trips into life-changing experiences. Maintaining a staff of over 25 outdoor educators is no small feat. While many work for several programs throughout
the year, it is not uncommon for Bradshaw and Hargraves to have worked with the same outdoor educators year after year. Bradshaw notes, “As we see students progress through the program, they get a variety of experiences because of the interactions they have with different staff members over different trips. We have some staff members who have been with Chadwick for 10 years or more, as well as some who are new. Our instructors work all over the world, but they are excited to come back to Chadwick every year.”
For Bradshaw, he has participated in nearly every Chadwick course for the past 10 years, and reflects upon his own experiences as a student learning about the outdoors. “I went to an outdoor school as a kid. We milked cows and chopped the wood — all the things you take for granted — but I had never backpacked until my first week of school. I still remember bonding on that first trip with this group of students and leaders, and their positive outlook impacted my passion for the natural world. I hope our courses have that kind of lasting impact on Chadwick students. All of these experiences can add up to make students passionate about conservation and our community. Plus, you have great adventures all the time, so that helps!”
Danner’s back country cameraessentials: and coffeeCo-Director of Outdoor Education, Danner Bradshaw
Hargraves notes that the program has room for innovation, but the program is proven. “No day of Outdoor Ed is a wasted day. You get exercise. You have an adventure. One great thing about OE is that Chadwick already has decades of tradition and history and it works. What we want to do is add different types of outdoor adventures. We can offer biking, canoeing, snowshoeing or visiting a field monitoring station. Even yoga! The base skill will always be backpacking, but these other experiences are exciting additions.”
As technology advances and the challenges of academic and professional life weigh heavy, there is beauty and simplicity to the essential experience of “getting out there.” According to Hargraves, “It is all about finding balance while exploring the edge of the next challenge. Educational trips at Chadwick range from examining marine environments, hiking anywhere from one to 16 miles at a time, cooking meals and overcoming the elements. Central to these challenges, are the quiet moments of reflection and solitude built into the curriculum.”
Bradshaw adds, “You have to work through things in life. You can ignore them for a certain amount of time, but when you are outdoors, you have to solve these little problems in order to survive. Nature has its own plans, and we have to be able to adapt and practice existing in spaces we don’t have control of.” While many feel the pressure to do more, unplugging in nature allows students to just be.
Bradshaw notes that students today are similar to the students from a decade ago but there are differences. “Parents are tied so closely to their kids through technology, but as students get out there, they play and laugh and can be kids without distraction. Sometimes Chadwick kids do not know what they are capable of, but we get to watch them discover their own power. That is huge and incredibly rewarding — for both us and them.”
The Chadwick OE curriculum starts in kindergarten, with trips in Middle School building duration and complexity toward the Senior Trip. Seventh- through ninth-graders will encounter fiveday trips, 10th- and 11th-graders experience six-day trips, and the Senior Trip is a full 21 days. Uniquely, each of these experiences build in solo periods of “Rest and Reflection” that start with thirty minutes and ultimately end with a three-day solo experience on the Senior Trip.
As iconic an experience at Chadwick as any other, this three-day solo is supervised within eyeshot and earshot of instructors, but seniors spend that time largely on their own practicing existing.
The duration of the experiences really makes a difference and is something worth protecting. Says Bradshaw, “You could do 20 different week-long trips and you would never have the same outcomes as one three-week trip. Early on I learned that not every kid has the skills they need, but every kid can learn. Part of the advantage of the longer experience is that
it allows students to practice, fail and ultimately find success. It builds a mindset that builds to the solo experiences as a senior.”
Hargraves has seen students thrive in these circumstances time and again. “Every student has a moment where they question if they can do it. But once they get past it and they can see the finish line, those opportunities for growth are the most meaningful. We meet once a month to add innovations, creating systematic progressions and trials, but trying to keep it simple for the students is the end goal.”
Adds Brandshaw, “We get great joy seeing students connect with the natural world, and Chadwick students can do a great deal to protect our world as they leave school. That is exciting for me and gives me inspiration for what I do. Perspective on ‘what do I absolutely need’ is valuable. Chadwick students can sit with the thought of how can I make a softer impact on the natural world.”
While outdoor adventure might feel intimidating to some students, it is an even greater challenge for parents. How will my child survive without their phone? Can kids today go without constant connection for any period of time? Will my kid rise to the physical challenges of deserts, mountains and snow-covered hills? For Emily and Danner, the answer is always, quite naturally, an emphatic “yes.”
“NATURE FURNISHES US WITH STRIKING EXAMPLES OF THE IMPORTANCE OF AN UNHURRIED AND UNCLUTTERED EXISTENCE.” – Margaret ChadwickCo-Director of Outdoor Education, Emily Hargraves
An essential aspect of Chadwick’s Mission is developing global citizens. This year, students in grades 6-8 experienced meaningful international exchanges with Chadwick International. Going beyond simply traveling overseas, Chadwick students experience global citizenship by taking part in teacher exchanges, student exchanges, collaborative project-based learning with international cohorts, and even international athletic competitions. This one-of-a-kind global education is only possible through the shared commitment of Chadwick School and Chadwick International in Songdo, South Korea.
Chadwick International’s “Mr. Vee” Vaulton Reece on teaching English in Palos Verdes
“Cross-campus collaboration requires just a little thought and a willingness to step out of one’s comfort zone, but the results are invaluable and uplifting and enhance the quality of the learning experience.”
“Through this experience, I felt like our campus and the CI campus have a very strong connection! To be able to study in Korea as a seventh-grade student just makes me more excited to do it again.”
– Meklit, Chadwick Class of 2028Chadwick International students spent Spring Break going to school in Palos Verdes, reading to Village School students, attending classes and exploring the Chadwick campus.
Middle School students competed internationally at the Songdo-7’s tournament, the largest international soccer tournament in South Korea.
“When students see and interact with a teacher from the other campus, it is confirmation of the ‘One School, Multiple Campuses’ relationship, and that they are part of something bigger than their own bubble.”
Seventh- and eighth-graders experienced one-week courses of study at CI, “diving” into group projects focusing on food, business or fashion with Chadwick International students. Chadwick PV Spanish instructor Angie Nevarez greets students arriving on campus with Chadwick International Head of School and President of the Roessler-Chadwick Foundation Group Ted Hill.
Something wicked this way comes, as students haunted the campus in the Village Halloween Parade! Skeletons, unicorns and superheroes alike walked the haunted runway. Village students later enjoyed the “Spooktacular Halloween Carnival,” and some even dared to check in to the “Sixth-Grade Haunted Scareiott Hotel.”
Grandparents, parents, siblings and friends got an up-close look at what it’s like to be a Chadwick student at Family Open House Day. The day included a flag ceremony led by Village students, heartwarming musical and vocal performances, and art shows from K-12 students. Family members were also welcomed into Village classrooms to view projects that students had completed throughout the year. STEM makerspace stations in the Innovation and Design Building featured student presentations on robotics, coding and woodshop skills that they learned throughout the year.
The Eco Club works hard on many projects throughout the year in the Chadwick Canyon. This past year they worked on maintaining the presence of the California lupin, an indigenous plant native to the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Homecoming Week was a joyous kickoff to the school year with all the old classics and some new favorite activities. The Upper School brought their game faces to the class-colors games, Family Feud and Hungry Hippos, So You Think You Can Do Something Cool, the Lip Sync, dodgeball, the “Dolphin Classic” and the “Mother-of-all-Tugs-of-War.” The week was full of victories, large and small, as the Dolphin spirit radiated across campus.
Our very own Dr. Dijanna Figueroa co-authored her first book, “STEAMPowered Series: Engineering.” The book is part of a series of children’s books which each focus on a different aspect of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) and related career paths. Aimed at grades K-5, this book series is notable for its inclusive, illustrated representation of children and scientists of color. Dr. Figueroa read an excerpt and spoke to Village School students about her book and the book series. Maria Madrigal Orozco, the author of the “STEAM-Powered Series: Marine Biology,” joined Dr. Figueroa for the reading and other authors and scientists participated via Zoom.
Eleven Chadwick Model United Nations delegates traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, to participate in a Model United Nations conference hosted and organized by the GLASMUN program at the University of Glasgow during Spring Break. The Chadwick delegates were among the only high school students at this event, primarily competing against members of the university program. For their efforts, they earned the “Best Delegation” award for the event, and the following students were awarded special honors in their committees. Congratulations to Josh Goodman ’24 for Best Delegate, Owen Foldesy ’25 for Most Improved, Chloe Smith ’25 for Outstanding Delegate, and Forrest Steele ’25 for Best Delegate.
This year, the Friends of the Library’s Visiting Author program brought two accomplished authors to speak to Chadwick students on campus. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Edward Humes visited during Earth Week to discuss his nonfiction book, “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash,” and the dangers of microplastics that end up in our food and water. The Village School was visited by author Oliver Sims Jr. who read his book “Introducing Ollie Tamale,” about the importance of being brave and resilient. Students also tried tamales themselves, many for the first time!
We are extremely grateful to the Chadwick Parents Association for their tremendous help in funding Phase I of these Outdoor Living and Learning Space improvements by donating $266,000 in proceeds from their 2022 Denim and Diamonds Spring Event.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced Chadwick 12th-grader Syona Goel ’23 is a National Merit Finalist. More than 1.6 million students entered the competition, and over 15,000 were selected as National Merit Scholars. This puts Syona in the top 0.9% of all 11th-grade students who took the PSAT in 2021. Congratulations to Syona!
What do you love most about teaching?
I enjoy encouraging students to be better critical thinkers and better people. Class discussions about literature and film help us collaborate to achieve these goals. I just love guiding students to new realizations about the world and about themselves.
How do you connect with your students and keep them engaged?
I enjoy asking students thought-provoking questions and then listening to their responses. By using active listening, I can formulate even more thoughtful questions and keep the conversation going in new and better directions. Most people want to be heard by someone, and I think students in particular appreciate the opportunity to be heard. I also keep students engaged by including interesting and timely topics in my curriculum, and I try to pick readings and films that will hold their interest.
What have you learned from your students?
By being a part of their lives, I learn about our current world. I did not grow up with the pressures and the technologies that they have. By listening to them talk about what they experience every day, I stay up to date with the state of their world, and thus I can seek new ways to teach and help them. They also keep me young! We talk about movies, music, TV shows, and social media, and so I’m not as clueless about contemporary society as I otherwise would be.
What do you love most about working with Upper School students?
Upper Schoolers can talk about real issues in the world. I believe that education should be practical. We don’t learn just to receive information but to act. Upper Schoolers have real concerns about the world and can process ideas at a sophisticated level. I enjoy talking about the real world with them.
How do you ensure your classroom is inclusive and all students feel that they belong?
I have evolved a number of strategies. I have an intuitive sense of how often students have volunteered to participate in a class discussion, and I always ensure that my introverted students have space and time to contribute. Also, I usually don’t come to class knowing what we will talk about; instead, I have taught my students to ask questions that get discussions started, and we take the discussion where they want to go. By welcoming everyone to ask questions of any type, I hope to give them a sense that the class belongs to them. I also rarely make judgments about what a student has to contribute; each question and idea has value for pushing the group to think critically, so hopefully my students feel comfortable sharing whatever they have on their minds. Of course, I’ve been teaching a multiracial, multicultural curriculum the entire time I’ve been at Chadwick. My goal is for students to see themselves reflected in the people and stories we encounter in the class each semester so that their identities feel validated.
FIVE QUESTIONS WITH EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR UPPER SCHOOL TEACHER
Barbara Eghan is an experienced school leader and educator at Georgetown Day School (GDS) in Washington, D.C., where she has served in a variety of leadership roles since 2014. In her current capacity as Director of Strategic Partnerships, Eghan spearheads external and internal strategic initiatives around neighborhood relations, community partnerships and school-wide diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Previously, she served as Founding Executive Director of the Civic Lab at GDS, building programs to equip young people regionally and nationally with essential civic leadership skills. Eghan first joined GDS as the Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid, a role in which she oversaw significant increases in enrollment demand and lent her expertise to various regional and national professional associations. Eghan previously worked at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California, as the inaugural Director of Community Outreach and started her career as an admissions officer and English teacher at Groton School in Massachusetts. She also served as a board member at Oak Meadow School in Massachusetts. Eghan received her Ed.M. in school leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and her A.B. in history and literature from Harvard University.
Siri Fiske is the founder and Head of Mysa School, a small innovative laboratory school with locations in both Washington, D.C., and Vermont. She is also the founder of the Micro Schools Network, a membership organization that supports families and school leaders in small schools across the nation. Fiske has recently designed a unique student information system (SIS) that tracks and maps the skills and concepts students have mastered, along with the skills and concepts they still need to learn. The platform is being piloted at several public and charter schools across the nation. Before moving to Washington, D.C., Fiske worked at Chadwick School as an administrator helping with research and collaboration between Chadwick School in Palos Verdes and Chadwick International in Songdo, South Korea. Fiske earned an M.A. in teaching from the University of Southern California, an M.A. in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College. Fiske is the parent of two Chadwick alumni, Zoe ’11 and Kai ’12, and Wyatt, who also attended Chadwick.
Andrew Wooden has dedicated his career to service within independent schools, leading top schools across the country through critical inflection points and propelling their growth. Serving in a variety of roles, including Head of School, Executive Director, Trustee, Senior Dean, Dean of Admissions and teacher, Wooden brings a unique perspective to his role as an Executive Search Consultant identifying top talent to lead independent schools into their next chapters. Most recently, his leadership positions included Interim Executive Director at Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools, Interim Head of School at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks and St. James’ Episcopal School in Los Angeles, and Interim Upper School Head at Laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara. Previously, Andrew served as Head of School at Marymount of Santa Barbara, leading the school to record-high enrollment and tripling the size of its endowment over his seven-year tenure. Wooden earned a master’s degree from Yale Divinity School, an honorary doctorate from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and a B.A. in English from the University of Maine.
FALL
CROSS-COUNTRY
Prep League Champions
Girls Varsity Team
Individual Prep League Champion
Josh Thomas ’23
First Team All-Prep League
Avery Ertman ’25
Grace Mangali ’23
Josh Thomas ’23
FOOTBALL
All-CIF First Team
Josh Goodman ’24
Dylan Mercer ’23
Thomas Rosso ’24
All-CIF Second Team
Kory Jackson ’23
Daniel Rosenzweig ’24
Prep League Most Valuable Player (Offense)
Thomas Rosso ’24
First Team All-Prep League
Josh Goodman ’24
Kory Jackson ’23
Will Padian ’23
Daniel Rosenzweig ’24
Thomas Rosso ’24
GIRLS TENNIS
First Team All-Prep League
Maddie Gottlieb ’26 (singles)
GIRLS GOLF
First Team All-Prep League
Janet Lim ’23
BOYS WATER POLO
Prep League Champions
Boys Water Polo Team
Prep League Most Valuable Player
Alec Baker ’23
First Team All-Prep League
Cyrus Amiri ’23
Alec Baker ’23
Max Sweeney ’23
WINTER
BASKETBALL
First Team All-Prep League
Micah Breaux ’23
GIRLS BASKETBALL
First Team All-Prep League
Sophia Azzam ’26
BOYS SOCCER
First Team All CIF
Becket Wren ’23
First Team All-Prep League
Robbie Bjerre ’23
Austin Ransford ’24
Becket Wren ’23
GIRLS SOCCER
First Team All-Prep League
Madeline Park ’25
Zoe Stephens ’23
GIRLS WATER POLO
First Team All-Prep League
Natalie Bernstein ’25
Julie Sweeney ’26
SPRING BASEBALL
First Team All-Prep League
Gabe Jones ’23
BOYS GOLF
First Team All-Prep League
Lucas Ro ’26
Evan Tall ’23
LACROSSE
First Team All-Prep League
Natalie Bernstein ’25
Meredith Kenney ’24
SOFTBALL
First Team All-Prep League
Grace Garciaparra ’25
Sam Santa Ana ’25
SWIMMING
First Team All-Prep League
Abigail Davies ’26
Alexander Davies ’24
BOYS TENNIS
First Team All-Prep League
Zach Chen ’26
TRACK AND FIELD
Prep League Most Outstanding Athlete
Josh Thomas ’23 (Running)
Prep League Champions
Max Radmilovich ’23 (High Jump)
Josh Thomas ’23 (1600m, 800m and 3200m)
Micah Breaux ’23
Kory Jackson ’23
Max Radmilovich ’23
Chad Sawyer ’24 (4x100m Relay Team)
Graham Galusha ’23, Paul Mainvielle ’24
Malik Sims ’26
Josh Thomas ’23 (4x400m Relay Team)
1. Sixth-grade and Upper School sustainability students reminding drivers not to let their cars idle. 2. Middle School service leadership students participating in an eighth-grade event.
3. Care packages for service members at the Heart of the Village (HOV) Veterans Day Assembly.
4. The HOV annual Valentine’s Day Bake Sale supporting local organizations. 5. During the Upper School service trip to Nepal, students supporting an orphanage outside of Pokhara. 6. Upper School students take time for beach cleanup during one of the weekend service opportunities.
7. Community Service Advisory Board hosts the annual Red Cross Blood Drive. 8. Program for Upper and Middle School Partnership (PUMP!) Buddies quiz game. 9. Families packaging meals at the Hunger Banquet. 10. Students give back on the eighth-grade Day of Service at Shared Bread in Redondo Beach. 11. Students decorating cards for the local community for adults in convalescent care.
1. Upper School students hiking in the Annapurna Conservation Area in Nepal 2. Upper School students enjoying a vista in Ecuador. 3. Visiting Chadwick International students take part in a scavenger hunt as part of their Spring Break trip to Palos Verdes. 4. Upper School students participating in the Round Square Conference in London. 5. Upper School students browsing a Nepalese street market. 6. Upper School students getting a lesson in South Korean cooking in Songdo, South Korea. 7. Students from the Upper School tour the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea.
8. Students in Model United Nations participated in an international conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
9. Upper School service students visiting ornate structures in Kathmandu, Nepal. 10. Led by Dr. Dijanna Figueroa, students hike near a waterfall in Ecuador’s Cloud Forest. 11. Middle Schoolers at the Hyundai Museum in South Korea. 12. PV Middle School students competing in the Songdo 7 Soccer Tournament in South Korea. 13. Upper School students snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands.
1.Tenth-graders at the Mojave Desert reserve. 2. Seniors checking their gear to prepare for the Senior Trip. 3. Sixth-graders preparing to board the ferry to Catalina Island for the CIMI Trip.
4. Students on the Senior Trip in the Sierras. 5. Fifth-graders honing archery skills on the Pali Mountain Trip. 6. Tenth-graders backpacking on Catalina Island. 7. Tenth-graders canoeing on the Colorado River. 8. Tenth-graders snowshoeing in the Eastern Sierra Mountains.
9. Seventh-graders hiking at Montaña de Oro. 10. Eighth-graders celebrated Halloween with rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park. 11. Enjoying the sunset on the Senior Trip.
1. Upper School Fall Play “Peter and the Starcatcher.” 2. Upper School Musical ”Fame.”
3. Upper School students in the Winter Dance Concert “Home Base.” 4. Grades 6-12 Spring Vocal Music Concert, “Can We Sing the Darkness to Light?” 5. Sixth-Grade and Middle School students participating alongside Upper School students in the Fall Dance Concert.
6. Second-Grade Play “The Parrot Tico Tango.” 7. Middle School Musical “The Addams Family.” 8. Students in the Upper Village took the stage and performed for the Lower Village at the Village School Talent Show. 9. Upper School Vocal Music performed at Carnegie Hall over Spring Break. 10. Upper School Spring Orchestra Concert.
1. Kindergarten scientists examining insects. 2. Middle School students studying Robotics in the Design and Innovation Lab. 3. Upper School Robotics Team 2150A competed at the VEX State Championships. 4. Middle School students using coding to make music.
5. Upper School Marine Biology student catching a sample on the Catalina Island marine biology USC Field Study trip. 6. Sixth-Grade “Mission to Mars” project. 7. First-graders construct animals using digital and analog tools, transforming computer images into cardboard creations. 8. Middle School students in the chemistry lab. 9. Sixth-graders testing Mars Rover parachutes with egg drops. 10. First-graders learn about weight distribution and the strength of eggs. 11. Ninth-grade biology students in the woodshop studying animal locomotion.
1. Upper School Spring Art Show 2. Ceramic bowls created by students at the Empty Bowl fundraiser. 3. Upper School Art Open Studios brought students, parents and faculty together. 4. Ninth-grade ceramics collaborative quilt using the “sgraffito” carving technique. 5. Students watch a Media Arts video during US Spring Art Show. 6. Village School art. 7. Wick Media covering Pride Day. 8. Scholastic Arts Gold Key and American Visions nominated artwork by Audrey Lin ’24 9. A ceramics student works at the pottery wheel with art teacher Annie Webster looking on. 10. Video and sound editing in the Wick Media lab. 11. Fourth-grade art class.
Like the Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms he helps engineer, Andrew Wan ’96 is driven by an innate hunger to solve problems. Though the nature of his work is undeniably linear, his path has been guided by a sense of fluidity, a love of learning and a healthy approach to tackling the unknown.
When Wan was a student in Chadwick’s Upper School, the internet boom was unfolding and computer science was just becoming a new subject to study.
Two decades later, Wan is now on the precipice of another paradigm-shifting tech boom. As a Machine Learning Engineer in the Perception Division of Snap (parent company of the instant messaging app Snapchat), Wan is devising ways for AI to understand the world so Snap can create and recommend content that better serves users.
It wasn’t a path Wan could have predicted, but it is very much in line with his natural tendency to explore uncharted territory.
Early on as a Chadwick WOW, Wan reveled in the freedom of exploring different subjects and indulging curiosities. He engaged in a variety of interests, such as Russian literature, writing, yearbook, music, pep band and basketball, and he recalls Dr. Spalding’s physics class, where he first encountered that deeper spark of curiosity for the sciences. Learning for the sake of learning was a core tenet Wan held at Chadwick, and one that drove key decisions at pivotal points throughout his life.
“Chadwick really encouraged me to look broadly for things to do and be interested in. To try different activities and be well-rounded. That definitely had an impact on me.”
After Chadwick, Wan earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and economics from Columbia University. His first year out of college was spent working at an internet startup as a web programmer, where he learned his way around a computer and coding. After a year, he felt the call to dive in more deeply with continuing education classes, first at U.C. Berkeley and then back at Columbia.
“I quickly got into the math and theoretical areas and decided to attend graduate school at Columbia. I was drawn to the material which I thought was really interesting, creative and elegant. I also liked the people and culture a lot. Unlike a lot of other mathematical fields, ours was very collaborative. Some of my favorite times were working on problems with my advisor and fellow students or other coauthors.”
Wan mostly studied proof-based math at Columbia and went on to earn his Ph.D. there in Theoretical Computer Science. He was then recruited to work at Tsinghua University in Beijing in an institute founded by Turing Award winner (referred to as the Nobel Prize in computing) Andrew Yao. There he became an Assistant Professor teaching theoretical computer science and math at what was the most highly regarded math and science university in China. He humbly recalls the thrill of working with some of the brightest young minds in his field.
Wan’s thirst for learning continued, and he immersed himself in research as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University and as a Google Research Fellow at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing at U.C. Berkeley.
After 18 years of formal education and research, in 2016, Wan again jumped at the chance to learn something new and accepted a position at Snap.
As someone driven by curiosity and a hunger to solve new problems, Snap was an exciting opportunity to be on the cusp of the technological revolution. “It was almost like a startup within a startup. We were working 10-hour days, but it was fun. I liked being able to build something and see it work. The industry values youth and the ability to grind. There is a lot of inherent risk, and you always have to be ready to look for or take a new job.”
Wan’s initial work focused on creating models to generate and manipulate images based on things like age and gender, before moving into content ranking, which focuses on what might make a user stay engaged with content. His work changed the machine learning (ML) models used to rank content in Snap’s Discover feed to optimize for view time instead of views themselves. In the years since, he has moved to a range of different ML teams within the company, resulting in his current role on the Perception Team.
In that role, he focuses on building AI that understands visual content on the phone and camera in real-time. As a tech-lead, he spearheads small-team collaborations on targeted projects, where he thrives on working in tandem with his colleagues to solve ever-changing problems.
Wan has held a variety of positions within Snap, and is intentional about prioritizing his passion for exploring new intellectual territory over the pursuit of fancy titles. “I think broadening your range of knowledge, in general, can always be useful for one’s career.”
“It’s best to work with the technology rather than try to fight it. Play around with it, understand its limitations, and look at what you can offer to fill that gap. Look at how you can work with it to be more productive and create new things.”
He notes that the field has already undergone remarkable transformations since his entry, and he admittedly finds it tough to keep up with the deluge of papers coming out daily on new types and uses for AI models.
Referring to artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) as a paradigm shift, Wan enthusiastically points out the two core uses that make the technology so effective.
“AI not only mimics human tasks (like image recognition), but it can do so on a much larger scale; AI finds patterns in data that people might not be able to see. As a result, AI not only performs tasks more efficiently, it aims to predict future behavior.”
Despite the recent rise in popularity and publicity of large language models like ChatGPT, Wan astutely notes that AI has been ingrained in our everyday lives for years. From credit scoring and loan approvals to personalized content recommendations on platforms like Netflix, its omnipresence is undeniable.
“It has sort of crept up because the earlier models were doing things that were less reflective of human behavior. I think it’s taken a lot longer for people to realize how pervasive it is.”
Even with his heightened awareness on the matter, he has admittedly experienced the drawbacks of device overuse firsthand. “Our most precious resource is our attention, and that happens to be what those models optimize for.”
Looking ahead, Wan remains optimistic about how AI can shape the future. While he won’t presume to make predictions, he expects that AI/ML will permeate and revolutionize various industries, and notes that there are already exciting advancements in the works —
particularly in the medical sciences — that aren’t as highly publicized as the language models.
“There will be lots of applications in biology for discovering drugs and physics, and those are very good things. For example, AI was used in a recent protein folding breakthrough that shows extraordinary promise for making and testing drugs. Using the internet in general will be more efficient, empowering average people who aren’t versed in coding or engineering to do more with ease.”
While celebrating the tremendous potential of AI and ML, Wan can relate to common concerns, such as their ownership by a select few large corporations. He notes that balancing progress with the protection of mental health and privacy, particularly for young users, is an ongoing challenge that should be navigated with care. While he can’t speak to other platforms, from his vantage point, Snap’s internal teams are actively and purposefully committed to the care of its users. With regulations varying globally, Wan acknowledges that more widespread universal regulation is warranted.
Does Wan think AI will overtake our jobs? While some industries might undergo significant shifts, he emphasizes that there will always be space for human creativity, nuance and storytelling. By staying curious, adapting and embracing change, individuals can position themselves advantageously amid the evolving landscape.
“It’s best to work with the technology rather than try to fight it. Play around with it, understand its limitations, and look at what you can offer to fill that gap. Look at how you can work with it to be more productive and create new things.”
“Chadwick really encouraged me to look broadly for things to do and be interested in. To try different activities and be well-rounded. That definitely had an impact on me.”Andrew Wan ’96 in his office when he was a professor at Tsinghua University 2010-2012 Track team senior year.
He adds that even though the breakthroughs are happening quickly, the collective change should be gradual. People will have time to adjust and figure out how to harness their value amidst the changing technology.
For students interested in AI as a career path, Wan sees prompt engineering growing in popularity but suggests building a solid general foundation (e.g., stats; linear algebra; algorithms) rather than trying to predict the trends. With virtually every profession expected to use AI/ML eventually, Wan preaches to young people what he, himself, practices: “Invest in educating yourself.”
Wan also ensures he remains aware of the philosophical side of AI, pointing to the bigger questions about how we learn, how we produce work and perhaps the changing nature of work itself.
With so much screen time in his work as part of his daily job, Wan tries to stay connected the old-fashioned way — offline and in person. The value of human interaction isn’t lost on him, and he notes that his Chadwick relationships — particularly within the alumni community — are some of his most valued. “I still keep in touch with so many people from Chadwick. It’s a tight network. I definitely see that it’s been an important, useful community.”
He’s also diligent about doing what he can to stay grounded. “Getting outside and seeing some sun has a big impact on my mental and physical health. I got a puppy last November, and that really helps me stay present.” He also credits time with friends and family, hiking, walking, traveling, watching movies and taking his new pup to the ‘dog club’ as wellness outlets.
What’s next for Wan? He hopes to one day use his AI/ML expertise to make a lasting societal impact. As he attempts to stay ahead of the curve like the rest of us, he envisions harnessing AI to solve problems on a much larger scale, perhaps in the realms of science and biology.
In the meantime, he’ll continue pushing the boundaries of learning for AI — and himself. Like the field in which he works, the future seems wide open for Andrew Wan.
ANDREW WAN’S RECOMMENDED READING LIST
READ: “Does ChatGPT Pass the Turing Test ” (https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/06/25/a-sort-of-buzzinginside-my-head/)
READ: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s “The Chinese Room Argument” (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ chinese-room/)
READ: Stuart Russell’s book, “Human Compatible”
WATCH: “Waking Up With Sam Harris #53”
WATCH: “The Dawn of Artificial Intelligence with Stuart Russell ” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHI0qwZjBuA)
LEVERAGE aggregators like Cornell University’s open-access archive called ArXiv (https://arxiv.org/)
EXPLORE Andrew Yao’s extraordinary contributions to the theory of computation.
“Invest in Educating Yourself.”
On Oct. 26, 2022, over 60 attendees, including Chadwick and CI Alumni from the classes of 1963-2022, gathered at the Metropolitan Club in Washington, D.C., for an evening of reminiscing and hearing about current events at Chadwick from Interim Head of School Tom Sheppard and Director of the Upper School Mark Wiedenmann. It was a pleasure to reconnect with Chadwick and CI alumni!
Thank you to Cameron Knight ’80 for hosting the alumni gathering at The Metropolitan Club.
Chadwick School Alumni
Director Monica Buck and Director of Institutional Advancement Trent Jackson enjoyed dinner with alumni in the Denver area on March 30 at Briar Common Brewery + Eatery. This inaugural event was a wonderful way for alumni to reconnect with one another and to meet fellow Dolphins in the Denver area — many of whom are new to the city! Plans are underway for another alumni get together. If you would like to update your contact information with the Alumni Office to receive notifications for future events, please email Alumni@ chadwickschool.org.
The 10th Annual Chadwick Professionals Holiday Mixer had approximately 70 attendees on Dec. 1, 2022, at the Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach, California. With a record number of current Chadwick parents at this event, a class of 1995 impromptu reunion, former faculty members, alumni and alumni-parents, this was truly a celebration to kick off the 10th anniversary of this networking mixer. There were some alumni who traveled a great distance to attend, including an alumnus who flew in from Denver, Colorado!
Not only did guests come to network, reconnect, mix and mingle, but they came together to support the Chadwick Community Service gift drive by bringing a small toy, gift or gift card for children between the ages of 8–15. Donated gifts supported families who are served by The Poverty Program in Wilmington, California.
Thank you to Director of Community Service Becky Noble for partnering with the Alumni Office to help make this event a success.
Save the Date for the 2023 Holidy Mixer.
Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, at Tin Roof Bistro, Manhattan Beach, CA
On Oct. 8, 2022, we welcomed classes ending in “2” and “7” back to Chadwick’s beautiful campus to celebrate their class reunions. We had alumni from 1962-2007 join us for a campus tour led by Bob Rule ’76, followed by a festive night of food and music. Thank you to the reunion captains for their efforts to encourage their classmates to join in the fun!
We appreciate you and all who attended.
Thank you to the members of the Classes of 2012 and 2017 who gathered for a fun evening at R10 Social House in Redondo Beach, California, on Dec. 22, 2022, to celebrate their 10 and 5 year reunions. There was a great turnout, and a highlight of the evening was having many current and former faculty members in attendance. Chadwick School is grateful to the many reunion attendees.
On June 7, 2023, the Chadwick Alumni Association welcomed the Class of 2023 as the newest class of alumni Dolphins. Alumni Board member Anthony Fadil ’13 was the guest speaker. Anthony talked to the class of 2023 about ‘life after Chadwick‘ and the power of connecting with people to advance professional and personal relationships. Anthony also urged the recent graduates to stay involved after leaving Chadwick by connecting with other alumni through the alumni social media channels, regional receptions, reunions, Alumni Athletic Day and other networking events.
We are so happy to welcome our newest class of alumni!
1. Class of 2023 alumni enjoy Inauguration Dinner speeches.
2. Alumni speaker Anthony Fadil ‘13
3. Student speaker Jadynn Gilmer ’23
4. L to R: Tom Sheppard, Paris Fadil (wife of Alex Fadil), Joyce Fadil (mother of Anthony ’13 and Alex ’08), Anthony Fadil ’13, Mark Wiedenmann, Salim Fadil (father of Anthony ’13 and Alex ’08), Bob Rule ’76, Jeff Mercer, Monica Buck, Alex Fadil ’08.
On Thursday, April 13, 2023, keynote speaker Crystal Coser ’08 presented to a group of alumni, current parents, alumni parents, faculty, staff and former faculty and staff on “The Power of Networking.” Crystal Coser not only oversees the Professionals Task Force on the alumni board but she is the founder and CEO of Bites & Bashes, one of the top catering companies in Los Angeles, whose clients include Fortune 500 companies and countless A-list celebrities.
Approximately 50 people were in attendance — alumni ranging from 1965-2018, including an alumna who traveled from Montana to attend the event. It was a wonderful evening of networking for all members of the Chadwick community.
If you are interested in participating in the Chadwick Professionals speaker series or networking events, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Monica Buck at alumni@chadwickschool.org.
On behalf of all the students and teachers at Chadwick, thank you for your participation in Chadwick’s annual Day of Giving on Feb. 14, 2023. The day was a tremendous success! Together we raised more than $83,000, and with gifts from 403 donors, we handily surpassed our goal of 350 donors needed to earn a $10,000 matching challenge gift for financial aid. A special congratulations to the members of Chadwick’s Class of 2022, who won our Day of Giving Young Alumni Challenge by bringing in the highest number of donors among the classes of 2013–2022. Congratulations also to the Class of 1990 for winning the “Best of the Decade” challenge with the highest number of donors on that day.
Thank you for being a part of this partnership and for supporting the educational experience of hundreds of students each and every day.
On Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, the 11th- and 12th-graders had the opportunity to hear from several Chadwick young alumni about the transition from the Upper School to college. Topics included the college application process, joining extracurriculars and clubs, mental and physical health habits and resources, freetime activities, and finding on-campus jobs and internships. Thanks to Andrew Salzman ’22 (Carnegie Mellon University), Ellen Carter ’22 (Georgetown University), Charlotte Suh ’21 (Barnard College), Alanna Zhang ’21 (Brown University), Josh Goodloe ’22 (Santa Clara University) and Allison Yun ’22 (Stanford University) for sharing their experiences and wisdom with the classes of 2023 and 2024!
If you are interested in serving on the annual alumni college panel, please contact Monica Buck, Director of Alumni Relations, at alumni@chadwickschool.org
The Alumni and Athletic Departments would like to thank everyone who came to campus for the 2022 Alumni Athletic Day Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. Over 100 attendees participated in flag football, cross country, volleyball, soccer, water polo and basketball. Everyone enjoyed the friendly competition, a delicious lunch and everyone went home with some Chadwick swag!
The Chadwick Alumni Board was formed to cultivate and build relationships among Chadwick Alumni; to promote a network of fellowship among graduates and past students of Chadwick; to strengthen the relationship between Chadwick and its alumni; to advise, discuss and organize the activities of the Association; and to serve as a catalyst to promote Chadwick’s global mission.
The Alumni Board will be co-chaired, beginning July 1, 2023, by Lucy Brown Jones ’02 and Austen Peterson ’13. The Alumni Board meets quarterly and has three task force groups: Professionals, Giving and Engagement. All members of the Alumni Board meet to outline and execute their goals/mission for the year.
Get to know your Alumni Board members by visiting the Chadwick website, the Alumni Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts to view their profiles.
If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Alumni Board Co-Chairs Lucy Brown Jones ’02 and Austen Peterson ’13 or at alumni@chadwickschool.org.
Lindsey Buttles ‘94
David Cohen ‘03
Crystal Coser ‘08
Conor Dawson ‘11
Anthony Fadil ‘13
Deborah Herzik ‘72
Lucy Jones ‘02, Co-Chair
Harrison Kidd ‘11
Nikki Lane ‘09
Celia Myers ‘17
Sarah Nguyen ‘95
Austen Peterson ‘13, Co-Chair
Morgan Peterson ‘11
Marc-Lloyd Ramniceanu ‘10
Bob Rule ‘76
Erica Thompson ‘89
Andrew Werts ‘92
Andrew Wolstan ‘03
On Nov. 1, 2022, parents of Chadwick alumni currently in college came back to campus to help put together care packages for the college students. It was a fun opportunity to reconnect and send good wishes from the Chadwick Alumni Office!
Dating back to his first days as a history teacher, Wiedenmann has influenced school culture in innumerable ways and served as the Director of the Upper School for the better part of three decades. This fall, he will begin a new chapter as a Special Assistant for Alumni Relations through Chadwick’s Office of Institutional Advancement. As “Wieds” prepares for his new role, he shared some thoughts with the Chadwick community.
What are you looking forward to with your new position?
I am most looking forward to making all kinds of connections with so many alumni! On the one hand, this is because I want to renew old relationships. On the other hand, I am also interested in discovering how the goals of Chadwick’s Mission have been realized in alumni’s lives after graduation.
What do you think you will remember the most about this past year?
My fondest memory from the past year is the wonderful group of students I taught in AP U.S. History. Working with those students brought home so deeply why I got involved in education in the first place as well as what I will miss most in the coming years — the daily connection with students. So what I will most remember from this past year was working with individual, wonderful students!
How have students today changed from when you first started teaching?
There has always been a tension within students between “being,” on the one hand, and “becoming” on the other.
“Becoming” means focusing on future outcomes — for example, college admissions, graduate school, a career, an income, a home, etc. Focusing on “becoming” can result in being extrinsically motivated, where behavior is rooted in what others believe is important, valuable and meaningful.
“Being” means discovering one’s own gifts — the treasure chest of gifts within one’s self. “Being” also involves living in the present and less so in the future. Another way to say this is that students focused on “being” tend to be more intrinsically motivated: their actions are rooted in what they themselves find true, inspiring and meaningful.
I believe over the past 30 or 40 years, there has been a general tendency for students to become more focused on “becoming” rather than on “being” — more extrinsically motivated and
less intrinsically motivated. This is not all bad, and I believe students are attempting to make adaptive responses to a national phenomenon that often involves an imbalanced pressure on college admissions. Social media has also contributed to the pressure on students to “become” as opposed to “be,” too often projecting a completely unrealistic image of what it means to be a teenager, and to negate themselves when they deviate from those images.
Students are best served by discovering who they are in the present (the “be”) by developing their wonderful gifts and also a balanced investigation into “becoming” through a focus on Core Values — Chadwick’s best promise for future success.
Students are the same in that they, as they have in the past, continue to embody a variety of terrific gifts, many of which they have no idea they possess. Students are the same in that they possess an inherent idealism that comes with youth. They have a wonderfully low tolerance for insincerity — there is no righteous indignation like that of an adolescent who has discovered hypocrisy in high places, and this is a good thing! Students also continue to have a tremendous degree of resilience, an inspiring degree of hope, an inherent curiosity and sense of wonder. Students are refreshing in that they are so capable of seeing problems and solutions to problems in new ways.
Students are also so inspiring in their capacity simply to have fun. There is an exuberance, an excitement and an anticipation that students continue to exemplify at this age. It is for this reason that, although our world faces unique challenges that sometimes appear insurmountable, I am optimistic about the future with each new generation of Chadwick graduates.
“Being” means discovering one’s own gifts — the treasure chest of gifts within one’s self.
80s “Higher Love” by Steve Windwood
90s “When Love Comes to Town” by U2 and BB King
00s ”I Will Not be Denied” by Bonny Raitt
10s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by Prince, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynn and others
20s “Take What You Want” by Def Leppard
“My father thought that I needed more academic challenge, and he turned to our next-door neighbors in Compton, the Armstrong family, for advice. Basically, I followed Danny (Armstrong, Class of 1980) to Chadwick,” said Sykes.
She said the transition was a shock, starting with the lengthy 10th-grade summer reading list she received. “The first three days of class were filled with discussion and testing on all the reading. The level of expectation at Chadwick was something I hadn’t experienced before.”
Sykes soon learned to love the “exuberant culture of learning” at Chadwick. “There was no division of ‘geeks’ and ‘non-geeks,’” she said. “Everyone was expected to perform at a high level, and we did. It was an incubator for learning, and we had superb teachers. They were highly educated and passionate about their subjects, and that spilled over to us.”
Spanish teacher Señora Elvira Romeri became a beloved mentor to Sykes, instilling in her a lifelong love of Spanish. “She validated me and encouraged me to pursue my love of languages,” she said. Sykes received the Upper School Spanish Language Award as a senior.
According to Sykes, two of the most important effects of her Chadwick education were developing excellent skills in writing and reading, and learning to do whatever it took to master difficult subject matter.
“The abilities to analyze, communicate and persist that I gained have served me well throughout my life, particularly in college and law school,” she said. “It gave me confidence when facing new challenges. I also appreciated the way we were encouraged to try everything. The teachers supported us in attempting new things and made us feel that we could accomplish anything.”
Following graduation, Sykes received her bachelor’s degree in English from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Law school beckoned, and she went on to receive her J.D. from the City University of New York’s School of Law. A tip from a bar review course classmate, current Vice President Kamala Harris, helped Sykes land her first legal post.
“Kamala told me that the Black Prosecutors Organization was having a conference nearby, so I took my resume over,” Sykes explained. “That led to my joining the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office as a Deputy District Attorney.”
Sykes later served as Compton’s City Attorney and then as a Deputy District Attorney in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Sykes was appointed as an Orange County Superior Court Judge in 2010 and re-elected in 2012 and 2018. She is now in her third judicial term, which runs through 2025. Her first assignment was to the West Justice Center, where she conducted felony preliminary hearings and jury trials. Over the past nine years, she presided over divorce and paternity cases. Currently, Judge Sykes serves on the Dependency Panel hearing child abuse and neglect cases. While deciding such cases can be difficult, Sykes finds the work rewarding. “As a Family and Dependency Court judge, you have to be comfortable with emotion and people expressing emotion,” she said. “You’re dealing with people making bad decisions, people at the worst time in their lives. In addition to strong legal analysis, you need to have an appreciation — even a reverence — for the human condition.”
Sykes’s commitment to the law extends beyond her official role. She has volunteered in the Orange County Superior Court’s law clerk internship program, Peer Court, and county-wide mock trial competitions. She has also served as a law library trustee and on the grand jury selection committee. Sykes also co-founded the Thurgood Marshall Bar Association.
An avid proponent of community service, Sykes mentored incarcerated girls during her early days as a lawyer. She also taught tai chi to teenage girls in foster care, and she has been certified by the American Red Cross to teach HIV and AIDS awareness. Her proudest accomplishment as a volunteer, she said, was founding a public ballet program in Compton while serving as Deputy City Attorney there in the 1990s. She has received multiple honors for her legal and community work and was named one of Orange Coast Magazine’s “10 Most Exceptional Women” in 2014.
Sykes seeks to strike the delicate balance between caring for her teenage son and extended family, contributing to her community, and maintaining a steadfast commitment to the law, informed by integrity and compassion. She embodies the qualities celebrated by Chadwick’s Distinguished Alumni Award, and the world is better for her efforts.
“The abilities to analyze, communicate and persist that I gained at Chadwickhave served
me well throughout my life.”
Bill Belding, Class of 1963, came to Chadwick as an eighth-grade day student. According to Belding, he arrived “kicking and screaming. I wanted to stay with my friends.”
Belding soon found his niche at Chadwick, thriving academically, athletically and socially.
Though a “baseball fanatic,” Belding joined Chadwick’s eighth-grade swimming team “because it was the only sport where eighth-graders were allowed to compete with other schools. Frank Rodecker was such an extraordinary coach and motivator that I stayed with swimming throughout high school, into college and even during my military service.”
Belding’s swimming brought tremendous success. A varsity swimmer for four years, Belding set multiple school records and served as the team’s captain for two years. He was the Prep League champion in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley four consecutive years. An All-CIF honoree as a sophomore, junior and senior, Belding was a National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association AllAmerican as a sophomore and senior.
Belding received the Yale Book Award in his junior year and was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. He also served as Chadwick Lettermen’s Club President and Student Body President during his senior year.
Looking back, Belding said he found Margaret Chadwick, his senior AP English teacher and Chadwick’s founder, particularly inspiring. “She created a remarkable environment with superb teachers and individual attention to every student,” said Belding.
Belding went on to excel at Yale University, where he competed in varsity swimming and received his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1967.
He next joined the U.S. Navy. He served as Combat Platoon Commander on SEAL Team ONE from 1967–72, completing three tours of duty in Vietnam and receiving numerous citations for his service.
In 1972, Belding entered the University of California’s Hastings College of Law, receiving his J.D. in 1975. He launched a successful 25-year legal career specializing in complex real estate transactions. Belding also headed Harrison
Realty in Bangkok, Thailand, from 1997–2002, supervising international real estate transactions throughout Asia.
The 9/11 attacks and subsequent Iraq war caused Belding to rethink his career.
“With all that was going on in the world, negotiating contracts didn’t seem important. I wanted to do something that would benefit my country, although I wasn’t sure what that would look like,” he said.
Belding shifted his legal, international and “boots on the ground” expertise to the nonprofit world as the Chief of Staff at Common Cause in Washington, D.C.
From 2003–2007, Belding was President and CEO of the Vietnam Veterans Association of America Foundation (VVAF), an international nonprofit organization conducting humanitarian work in support of war victims and co-winner of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. He found the VVAF work deeply rewarding. In addition, Belding taught part-time as an Adjunct Professor at the New School in New York.
Belding joined the faculty of American University’s School of International Service in 2008, where he taught for 14 years and was honored with an Outstanding Teaching Award. He is an authority on asymmetrical warfare, counterinsurgency operations and post-conflict development. He retired in July 2022 as a Professor Emeritus.
Belding continues to be an active member of the California State Bar and the UDT/SEAL Association. He also serves on the Leadership Council of the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution and is a board member of VoteVets, and Talbot Mentors and Scholars. In his free time, he enjoys openwater swimming, baking and writing. Belding and his wife, Margel, live in Oxford, Maryland.
“Mrs. Chadwick created a remarkable environment with superb teachers and individual attention to every student.”
Dylan Brown, Class of 1993, attended Chadwick School from seventh through 12th grades, enriching the school community with his athletic prowess and creativity.
A varsity basketball player for three years, Brown was a key contributor to Chadwick’s back-to-back Prep League basketball championships in 1991, ’92 and ’93. An All-League honoree as a junior and senior, Brown was also the team’s captain during his senior year. That year saw Chadwick’s basketball team play deep into the season, ending as the CIF-Southern California Region runner-up. Brown also ran varsity track at Chadwick.
“Chadwick’s athletic and outdoor ed programs taught me so much about teamwork, persistence and responsibility,” said Brown. “I think of those programs, plus the emphasis on character and the importance of community — valuing your community and contributing to it — as the ‘secret sauce’ of the Chadwick educational experience. It gives you the foundation for a meaningful life.”
While Brown was brilliant on the basketball court, his defining superpower is his gift for storytelling. According to Brown, two ninthgrade video projects for his science and English classes ignited his love of writing and film.
“I was only 14 years old, but I immediately knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” said Brown. “In English, in particular, I first developed my passion for writing. The words just poured out of me. Dr. Biedenweg (science) and Mr. Jarvis (English) set me on my path with their creative ways of teaching.”
After graduating, Brown followed that path to U.C. Berkeley, where he received his bachelor’s degree in film in 1997. He’s never looked back.
As President of The Yard Entertainment, his content production company, Brown has written, directed and produced more than 100 projects. His work ranges from branded content, music videos, live shows, feature films and television to short films and unscripted videos. He counts such companies as Netflix, Lionsgate, HBO, BET, Universal
Music Group and 20th Century Fox among his clients, as well as several famous musicians.
In 2006, Brown received a BET Hip Hop Awards Best Picture nomination for writing and directing the film “Boss’n Up.” His feature film “Mac and Devin Go to High School” was released by Starz/Anchor Bay Films in 2012 and subsequently licensed to Netflix.
Brown received three prestigious awards for conceptualizing, creative directing and producing the Tupac Hologram for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Coachella Festival performance in 2012. Those awards included the Grand Clio Award, the Producers Guild of America Digital VIP Innovation Award and the Cannes Lions Titanium Award.
Since 2019, Brown has been a writer and coproducer of “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” on STARZ. Concurrently, he is writing the video game script for “Valiant Hearts: Harlem Hellfighters” for Ubisoft.
During the pandemic, Brown wrote, directed and produced the eight-episode podcast series “#Matter” with partners Shondaland and iHeartMedia. He noted that working with his younger sister, producer Lucy Brown Jones ’02, on “#Matter” was a project highlight.
Brown’s Chadwick relationships are woven throughout his life. He often collaborates on creative projects with longtime Chadwick friends Ted Chung ’95, Founder and Chairman of Cashmere Agency, and Derrick Lee, J.D. ’95, Director of Business and Legal Affairs at All The Time Entertainment, Inc. He also plays golf with Joe Giaconi ’93, Eric Dyson ’90, and a U.C. Berkeley friend every weekend. Brown’s Dolphin pod includes his brother, Dennis ’90, Lawrence Williams ’90, Lucy and many other Chadwick friends.
“Chadwick’s athletic and outdoor ed programs taught me so much about teamwork, persistence and responsibility.”
1990 HOLLY JONES GUITERAS
Hi Class o’ 90 peeps! I’m in my 17th year as a school counselor. I also am an adjunct instructor of sociology. I married last June on the Big Island. My husband (Quinn) and I live in Murrieta with our blended family of three boys (Mather, Ty and Ethan). My oldest, Ty, is off to the University of San Diego (my alma mater) in the fall. If you’re ever in the Inland Empire, let me know! I hope all is well with everyone.
’60s
1961 JEANNIE LIPPETT PFAELZER
Delighted to share that my book, “California A Slave State” (Yale Univ. Press) will be published in June of this year. This is the history of human bondage in California, from the time of the Spanish missions, Alaska Natives transported by Russia for the otter hunt, enslaved African Americans who marched across the plains for the Gold Rush, indentured Native Americans, kidnapped Chinese girls sold in caged brothels in San Francisco, child slavery at Indian Boarding Schools, up through human trafficking in the marijuana grows. Everywhere were slave revolts — it is a rebel story.
1964 JOHN PETERSON
We moved to Montana in 2021 to join our daughter, son-inlaw and grandchildren in Darby. We are enjoying the peace, joy and wildness that is all around our corner of the earth. We have 55 acres of delightfully remote land with Trapper Creek running right by the house, and we have daily visits from a variety of wildlife, including deer every day, elk most days, and occasional visits from mountain lions, bobcats, bears and eagles. We are still working, but remotely from our office here at the house; the commute is a pleasure. Those of you familiar with the series “Yellowstone” would recognize Chief Joseph Ranch, where much of it is filmed; that facility is between our home and Darby.
1965 RUSSELL COPELAN
Russell Copelan, MD has been appointed subject matter scholar at the American Association of Suicidology.
1970 FRED FULD III
My latest book, “Artificial Intelligence — What AI Is and How You Can Use It to Make Your Life Easier: A Guide to AI for Beginners,” was just published in April. The book is designed for those with very little or no knowledge of artificial intelligence, and how to find out more and learn how to use it.
1979 DIDIER OPOTOWSKY
Didier Opotowsky reports that after 36 years of Air Force Service, he has transferred over to the US Space Force in December 2022. Didier is in charge of Civilian Training Policy for America’s newest military service. He continues to work at the Pentagon once a week while residing with his wife of 18 years and two cats in Hagerstown, MD. For those who remember, he still has Maurice (his 1974 orange VW SuperBeetle convertible)! In addition, he and Kathleen will become great-grandparents in August.
1988 MICHAEL SHELDON
New restaurant in the family! Nancy and I decided that four kids and two dogs weren’t enough of a drain on our finances, so we opened a restaurant called LOCAL in Montecito. Come by if you’re ever in the Santa Barbara area. Otherwise, things are good: Max is at UCSB, Kate is at Princeton, and we have a junior in high school and a seventh-grader. After six months of rain we can use some sun!
1988 LISA BURELLI
I recently joined Hudson Pacific as their Global Chief People Officer after several years leading People & Culture in the entertainment, media and technology sectors. I hope my fellow class of ’88 alums are thriving, and I look forward to staying connected to this wonderful community. Email: LKB315@yahoo.com
1988 SIOBHAN WILSON
I just recently joined USAID’s innovation, research and technology hub, focusing on promoting ethical and sustainable digital investments in lower and middle-income countries. I specialize in making sure government and other digital systems protect privacy, are inclusive of traditionally marginalized groups, and support US Government values of transparency among others. Happy to connect with students and alumni interested in how to use technology to help improve the world!
1989 ERICA THOMPSON
I started my home organization/interior stylist business, Organized by Design, five years ago. Today, I work with families and businesses primarily in the South Bay. The pandemic brought a sense of urgency to containing clutter. Even though the kids are back in school, many of my clients continue to work from home and have no plans to change that. I also specialize in working with teenagers, often the least organized people in the home. I saw a recurring theme in my work: parents realizing that, yes, while grades and test scores matter, teens also need to learn that critical life skill of organizing their possessions and priorities. https://www.organized-bydesign.com/
1994 SEAN KENNEDY
In addition to my role as Co-Director of College Counseling at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, NC, I was recently named President-Elect for the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling. The Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC), a nonprofit, professional association, was founded in 1966 as a chartered affiliate of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). Over 2,200 members from secondary schools, colleges and universities, independent educational professionals, and community based educational organizations work to promote high professional standards in the college admission process by exchanging ideas, sharing common goals and preparing counselors to serve students in the transition from high school to college. The SACAC region spans the Southeast in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as the Caribbean. I have been a member of the SACAC Board of Directors for the past five years, co-chairing the association’s Communications, Admission Practices, and Strategic Planning committees.
1996 ANDREW ENRIQUEZ
On March 8, 2023, classmates Reed Hecht, Grant Littman, Keith Koyano and former Chadwick Coach Marmelstein attended my promotion ceremony where I was promoted to the rank of Captain in November 2022.
1998 ANDREW GREIF
As life long Californians, we never thought we’d leave. But Texas has been calling us for years, and in March of 2023 my husband Greg and I finally made the jump. We couldn’t be happier! We bought a gorgeous home in Irving (Dallas Fort Worth area) and are enjoying everything North Texas has to offer. In August of this year we celebrate our 30 year anniversary. Any alums in the DFW area?
In September of 2022, with my cheer squad in full force in 55 degrees F and steady rain conditions, I competed my fifth Ironman race, and my fourth Ironman Wisconsin. Fourth time must be the charm as I finished 4th in my age group of 166 other 40-45y/o men, and 17th overall out of 1400 athletes. I earned a spot to the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona Hawaii where my family will go in 2024 to soak it all in.
2007 DON ROWE
I’m a staff software engineer at tvScientific, an ad tech company. As a staff engineer, my job is to design and build exemplary software solutions in the cloud, hold the rest of the engineering team’s work to that same exemplary standard, and mentor and develop junior engineers. I live and work at home in Huntington Beach as tvScientific is fully remote with team members across four continents and nine time zones.
2010 IAN ORNSTEIN
The play I wrote, “A Virgin Death,”had its debut production at the Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture in Chicago in October 2022.
Last Nov. (2022), seven “Mariners” from the class of 1962 gathered for dinner at Q Sushi in Westlake Village, Ca. to celebrate its 60th reunion. Attending were Carleen Copelan (Somis, Ca.), Jenni Jackson (Petaluma, Ca.), Judy Jenkins (Las Vegas), Judy Reynolds and Buck Newell (San Marino, Ca.), Rick Learned (Kenwood, Ca.), Bob Given (Ashland, Or.), and several patient spouses. The following afternoon, the group reassembled at Carleen’s farm in nearby Somis. After a brief visit with Carleen’s dogs (she raises therapy labradors), cats, pigs, goats and about 100 chickens, the “62’ers” savored cocktails in a beautiful country setting. Following a tasty dinner, the class gathered closely together for an intimate discussion about personal Chadwick experiences (including the profound impact of interacting with Ed Ellis, P.G., Mr. Holland, the Quinlans and, of course, Maggie and Commander). Classmates also shared their now considerable life experiences and observations. The group concluded that they are looking forward to at least one more reunion and urge their classmates to “save the date” for some time in 2027. On a final note: Rick Learned is still tall!!!
2010 CAITLYN CALFAS
After graduating with my masters degree in classical acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) last fall, I was awarded a Global Talent Visa and moved back to London for the time being. I started a new job as the Development Manager at LAMDA while I continue my acting career. Living abroad is a challenging yet fulfilling experience. I am grateful to connect with artists from all over the globe, experience new traditions and deepen my selfawareness as a global citizen.
2013 KRISTEN PARKS
After graduating medical school in May 2023, I am now a first year Emergency Medicine resident physician. I am completing my training at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI. I am honored to be part of this residency program, and I’m looking forward to serving my new community!
2016 JESSICA HALE
I will be attending the University of California, Davis School of Law as I was awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Service Scholarship Award. I will be moving to Davis in the fall where I will start my 1L year and start a research assistants position as a part of the scholarship program.
2016 DUVAL COURTEAU HANSEN
My husband, Jorgen, and I welcomed our first child, daughter Eleanora Sorena Hansen, on March 23, 2023! We are in love with her sweet spirit and are excited for this new addition to our family!
2018 CONNOR TOUPS
I just finished my masters program at Stanford; I most recently was affiliated with the Center for Research on Foundation Models, where my work was advised by Percy Liang and Dan Jurafsky. My research focuses on identifying potential societal harms that could arise from the widespread deployment of machine learning and developing new methodologies to quantify those harms in applied settings. In particular, I research homogenous outcomes, a type of harm whereby models all fail for the same users because of correlated outcomes in machine learning models, in MLmediated decisions. We recently submitted a large-scale analysis of homogenous outcomes in deployed machine learning systems to NeurIPS, and we are preparing to publicly release our findings in preprint. I’m currently working on a study examining the impact of ML hiring systems on homogeneous outcomes in labor markets.
Cindee Bailey ’75
Courtney Kempe Campbell ’47
Jennifer Clark ’59
Sheila Cottle, Former Faculty
Gregory Dunn ’73
Charles Duyckaerts ’70
Terry Hensley ’61
Eric Hyman ’81
James Jones ’52
Anita Bullard Kermode ’57
Christopher McGranahan ’66
M.D. Miguelez, Former Board of Trustees Member
Dandi Cress O’Connor ’93
Chris Thiel ’70
Robert Wilson ’66
Chadwick alumni in the Southern California area have plenty of opportunities to connect with friends old and new. Here are some events taking place this fall.
Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023
Chadwick Professionals Holiday Mixer, Tin Roof Bistro www.chadwickschool.org/CPMixer2023
Friday, Dec. 22, 2023
Alumni Athletic Day Chadwick School www.chadwickschool.org/AthleticDay2023
Friday, Dec. 22, 2023
Young Alumni Reunion 2013 & 2018 www.chadwickschool.org/YoungAlumni2023
Chadwick alumni are spread all across the country and across the world! Here are some events that connect the people of Chadwick with our community across the country. For alumni on the east coast, Head of School
Jessica Donovan will be visiting Boston and New York City as she gets to know the broader Chadwick community.
Look for more dates in the Alumni Newsletter!
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023
Alumni brunch reception at the home of Diana Kutlow ‘76, Cardiff, CA www.chadwickschool.org/SD2023
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023
Alumni Reception at the California Tennis Club, San Francisco, CA, Hosted by Peter Swartz '89 www.chadwickschool.org/SF2023
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023
Alumni Reception at The Langham, Boston, MA www.chadwickschool.org/meetJessica2023
Friday, Nov. 3, 2023
Alumni Reception in NYC www.chadwickschool.org/meetJessica2023
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024
Atlanta Alumni Reception with Bob Rule ’76
Registration information shared via email later this fall.
Monday, Oct. 23, 2023
Chadwick’s 14th Annual Golf Tournament
Palos Verdes Golf Club
Please log on to www.chadwickschool.org/golftournament to confirm your sponsorship, foursome and much more! If you are interested in volunteering, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact Hailey Morris at (310)377-1543 ext. 4033 or hmorris@chadwickschool.org
Chadwick School's Alumni Office is pleased to announce the 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees and the Distinguished Alumni of the Year. Please join us to celebrate and congratulate these outstanding members of the Chadwick community.
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023
Distinguished Alumni Awards
The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. to honor: Dr. Susan McNary Johnson ’65 (Distinguished Alumna of the Year)
Lawrence Williams ’90 (Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee)
Sean Amberg ’94 (Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee)
Diane Webber ’99 (Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee)
Register online: www.chadwickschool.org/alumniawards2023
Friday, Oct. 6, 2023
2 p.m. — Varsity Football Game at Commander Field
6 p.m. — Classes from the 1960s Reunion Kick-Off Dinner at the Sonesta Hotel
6:30 p.m. — Class of 2003 Reunion Kick-Off Dinner at the home of Samantha Nadella ‘03 and Davy Cohen ‘03 (Palos Verdes Estates)
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023
10 a.m. — Alumni Awards Brunch
4:45 p.m. — Alumni Campus Tours (Meet in front of Roessler Hall)
5:30 p.m. — Class Photos
6 p.m. — Alumni Reunion Weekend Cocktail Reception for all reunion classes (On campus)
7 p.m. — Alumni Reunion Weekend Dinner and Drinks for all reunion classes (On campus)
Online registration is now open: www.chadwickschool.org/ reunions2023. Please reach out to the Alumni Office with any questions about this year’s reunion weekend festivities at alumni@chadwick school.org.
Village School Learning Specialist
Penny Chau and her husband Luke are excited to welcome baby Lana Skye Chau. Lana was born on Saturday, July 1, weighing 6 lbs., 5 oz.
Upper School Science Teacher
Owen Kiely and his wife Chloe Adler welcomed their second child, Wesley Kiely, into the world on Wednesday, March 22, at 3:46 a.m. Wesley weighed 8 lbs., 8 oz. at birth, and joins his two-year-old brother Luc!
Upper School Dean of Students
Patrick Wallace and Middle School Science Teacher Samantha Wallace (née Henry) welcomed their first child, James Henry Wallace into the world on Wednesday, June 28. James was born at 12:56 p.m., weighing 8 lbs. and 15 oz.
In the years leading up to the founding of Chadwick School in 1935, Margaret Chadwick and her family moved from Palo Alto to San Pedro to Denver before making their way back to the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Many might not know that Mrs. Chadwick owned and operated a successful nursery school from 1927-1932 in San Francisco. Shades of her approach to early childhood education can already be found in the day’s schedule as shared in a promotional flyer for The Margaret Chadwick Nursery School. The fee was $25 per month!
9-10 Music and Play
We listen
We sing
We beat time
We march and skip
10 Mid-morning Lunch
We drink our juice
11-12 Literature and Play
We listen
We tell stories
We read
Margaret Chadwick’s Nursery School flyer.26800 South Academy Drive
Palos Verdes Peninsula I CA 90274-3997
www.chadwickschool.org
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