Chandler 60th Anniversary
Up Close with New Board of Trustees President Christopher Rising ’83 As Chandler School celebrates its 60-year milestone, its history of strong family commitment never has been more evident. Christopher Rising ’83 became Chandler’s Board of Trustees president this year. Rising’s mother, Sharon, served on the Board herself when Rising’s younger brother, Matthew ’99, was a student at Chandler. Their sister Corrine ’85 also attended Chandler. In addition to being an alumnus of the school, Rising and his wife Anna-Christine have two kindergarteners, Arianne and Annelise, enrolled at Chandler. There currently are 28 alumni who have their children enrolled at Chandler – an all-time high and a number that is expected to increase as Chandler continues to the next decade. According to Rising, Chandler has a way of keeping families connected to the school. “Chandler gets parents involved through the Board and the CFA… It’s not just the child’s experience; it’s the family’s experience,” he said. Rising and his family began their history with Chandler in 1978. Sharon researched independent schools from the San Gabriel Valley to the Westside and finally selected Chandler. “I think what drew her to the school was that it was small and focused on academics, and she loved the campus,” said Rising.
“As a student, the thing I liked the most was the sports program,” added Rising, who fondly recalls his interactions with Chandler coaches Clyde E. MacQuoid, Mike Cotton and Paul Korn. “We had a really athletic class and won a lot of championships in every sport.” Despite Chandler’s robust athletics programs, reminiscing always comes back to the core of the school: academics. “By far the biggest impact that anyone had on my life was my seventh-grade history teacher (and current trustee) Steve Morrison. To this day I credit him with igniting a passion in me for history and learning. I think that’s what led me to major in history and political science at Duke,” he said. After graduating from Chandler, Rising attended Loyola High School and then Duke University on a football scholarship; he was a starting linebacker on their 1989 ACC championship team. After college Rising taught U.S. history and Western civilization at Loyola High School for two years and then went to Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he earned his law degree. He practiced real estate law for several years before starting his own real estate investment firm. In
2008, the same year he was asked to join the Chandler Board of Trustees, he joined his father at Maguire Properties, but left in August 2010 to form Rising Realty Partners. He also serves on the Loyola High School Board of Regents, the Duke Athletic Advisory Board, the Rose Bowl Legacy Committee, the Finance Council of St. Andrew Parish and the Children’s Hospital Men’s Guild.
Rising continually extols the benefits of alumni remaining involved in the Chandler community. “You spend more time at your K-8 then you do any other school, and it’s the most formative years, so the relationships you develop are real… Our class [1983] became particularly close. All of us stayed in touch. And now, many of our kids are sharing their own Chandler experiences together. I have great confidence in the longevity of the School and its mission and the willingness of alumni and parents to stay involved,” said Rising. As for his daughters, he says, “They are thriving. They don’t like weekends because they miss school.”
“I think it’s a dream come true for my mom to now be on campus for Grandparents’ Day. I think it was something she envisioned and hoped for back when I was a student here,” said Board of Trustees President Christopher Rising ’83 Shamrock FALL 2010/Winter 2011
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