Alumni Association Highights

Veterans Day in the Upper School

Growing up in a military family, CA Junior Helen Blake wanted to mark Veterans Day in the Upper School. She organized a Town Hall Meeting featuring two CA alumni who were veterans. Together they shared their experiences serving our nation. Corporal Austin Lee Carpenter ’05 served in the Presidential Salute (GUNS Platoon) Battery Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd US Infantry Regiment, and Sergeant Colin Gumm ’94 served with B Co. 2/327 INF, and 324th Tactical PsyOp Company. The two alumni enlightened students on what it means to be a Veteran.

“To me, Veterans Day marks the kinship among those who have served,” Gumm said. “It is a time to say ‘thank you’ to people who have been willing to risk their safety, health, and lives for a job, whatever that job is around the world.” “When you enlist, you give the government a blank check,” Carpenter added. “On Veterans Day we remember the honor, duty, selfless service, and sacrifice required to protect the Constitution and what it stands for.” n

Austin Carpenter ’05 Colin Gumm ’94

Alumni-Student Multicultural Meet-Up

Alumni-Student Multicultural Meet-Up

In the wake of the racial tension and civil unrest that has taken place, both alumni and students have asked for more communication from the school on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion topics. Alumni have stepped up to help. The first Alumni-Student Multicultural Meet-Up, hosted by Sarah Wright, CA’s Director of Inclusivity, featured Upper School students meeting alumni on Zoom in November. The goal was for alumni to empower students, and create an affinity space to support them, as they navigate Colorado Academy and the college process. Our hope is that these connections will last well past CA and college. Ultimately, one goal is to develop a multicultural network for CA alumni.

Thank you to Brooklyn Batey ’12, Anshu Bhatia ’06, VJ Brown ’11 (Alumni Board Member), and Ulysses Estrada ’13, who participated in the first Meet-Up. Also important was an alumni conversation in April with current CA faculty and staff during a professional day. Trier Bryant ’02 joined Brooklyn Batey ’12 and Ulysses Estrada ’13 in speaking about their experiences as students and challenging CA’s teachers to develop more inclusive curricula for their courses.

Alumni Board Members who are involved with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are Caroline Cramer ’11, Isabel Gary Harper ’09, Emma Harrington Kane ’07, and Elsa Woolley ’11. n

Alumni Enjoy Virtual Get-Togethers

January Book Club

March Book Club February Book Club

April Book Club

Alumni-Former Faculty Book Clubs

With in-person events on hold, the Alumni Association pivoted to a virtual platform to offer a venue for alumni to gather. Keeping in mind the mission statement of the Association to provide alumni with significant opportunities for intellectual enrichment, the Alumni-Former Faculty Book Club was born. Three retired CA English teachers stepped up to lead discussions on books of their choosing: Paul Krajovic (1974-1994), Linda Plaut (1973-1982), and Anne Strobridge (1981-2017). Alumni joined from across the U.S.: D.C. to Los Angeles, and Jackson Hole to Brooklyn. In addition to reading and discussing each novel, alumni were able to reconnect with their former teachers and each other. Some had not attended an Alumni Association event in years. Expect Book Club to continue when the pandemic is over, and look for a Writers Workshop. Hope to see you online! n

Top Row, (L to R): Adam Dorsheimer ‘19, Justin Bassey ‘16, Story Wolf-Tinsman ’19. Bottom Row: Jane Doherty ‘19, Liam Caplan ’18. College Alumni Panel

In December 2020, Senior Class Dean Gabe Bernstein, along with CA’s College Office, hosted a virtual alumni panel on Zoom for the class of 2021. Many thanks to the five CA alumni who joined for this fun and informative event: Adam Dorsheimer ’19 (College of Charleston), Liam Caplan ’18 (Wesleyan University), Story WolfTinsman ’19 (Colorado College), Jane Doherty ’19 (Georgetown University), and Justin Bassey ’16 (Harvard University). (Editor’s Note: Justin was Story’s CLT leader back when he was a Senior!) Insights and wisdom shared covered many topics, including how to choose a college, the transition and separation from family, unexpected struggles, thoughts of transferring, and life skills. n

Inspired Dinner for the Class of 1989

BY MISTI ALDERS ’89 & AARON DALLAS ‘89

On a seemingly ordinary Sunday at the end of February, a group from the Class of 1989 gathered on a Zoom call with the pretense of making a Chilean Pastel de Choclo and Ensalada de Cebolla to truly (re-)connect and have a fun time together. Despite Wi-Fi signal glitches and no access to water, Peter Stout (and Robyn Russell Stout ’88) joined to touch base, laugh, and watch; Emily Hobbs Wright ‘89 also dropped in to chat and partake in the lively exchange. The other dinner guest chefs were Srael and Nicole Boruchin, Lisa Grout Cabot and her husband Len, Michael Garnsey, Michael Lazarus, Michele Forstot Nadel with sous chef husband Darren, and Melanie Schutt. We literally spanned the continent with participants in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, New York, and Texas! It was magical. When the Pastel was cooked, we sat down to eat together, and undoubtedly wondered silently, while talking, if each of us was the only one to have undergone an out-of-body experience. How was it possible that the food we were eating was created, constructed, and built with our own hands? We have enjoyed the steadily increasing numbers of CA alumni who have joined us for dinner, along with spouses, other family members, and friends from our “other worlds” outside of CA. There is something blatantly glorious about creating a meal someone else will enjoy with you, something utterly addictive about having one less meal to plan each week, and not having to think as you chop, mix, and cook. Join us! You are invited. n

Despite the miles, classmates cook together.

Misti Alders ’89 is the Chief Creative Officer of Copper Cork Cookery, which she founded in November 2020 after taking a leap of faith to prioritize family and move across country. Aaron Dallas ’89 is the Moral Support Officer.

Virtual Wine Tasting

During pandemic protocols, many alumni events changed their venue to virtual. With a nod to Alumni Back-to-School Night and Happy Hour, CA alumna Maia Parish ’92 delighted guests with a Virtual Wine Tasting evening. Full of humor, honesty, and common sense regarding wine, Maia spoke in general about wine and then took everyone on a guided tour of three wines she had selected for the tasting. How do you evaluate a wine? What do you smell, taste? What does the color tell you about the wine? As a trained sommelier, Maia fielded questions on pairing wine with food and how to properly save leftover wine. She spent time describing many states and countries where wine is produced and offering to help connect alumni from Tennessee to New York with local producers. For those who live in Colorado, we are in luck, as our state has an up-and-coming wine industry on the Western Slope. Alumni who attended invited their own cohort to join them. Parents, roommates, significant others, fiancés, spouses, and friends came to the wine tasting Zoom room. Alumni in attendance were from five states. Those attending from outside Colorado were Emily Cohen ’06 (Chicago); Justin Connerly ’15 (Mojave, Calif.); Carrie Fritzinger ’15 (New York City); and Ginger Tallmadge ’06 (Knoxville, Tenn.). Metro Denver alumni included Lauren Kenney Berv ’06, Jessie Chrismer ’00, Katie Cordes ’03, Caroline Cramer ’11, Courtney Ergen ’13, Jack Fritzinger ’11, Ben Hock ’07, Erika Mori ’03, Nicole Hoffman Myers ’92, Kurt Oleson ’11, Jill Boat Rakowski ’92, Julie Beattie Reeves ’90, Andrew Seaton ’92, Charlie Woolley ’72, and Elsa Woolley ’11. With our Zoom format allowing more participants from across the country to be able to attend events, look for more alumni virtual activities, even after the pandemic has passed. n

Find Your Path

Learning from alumni career journeys

One key session of CA Senior Launch Week is the Alumni Career Panel. Seniors hear stories from CA graduates, focusing on their college experiences, career exploration, career path choices, and navigating the “post high school world” of jobs, professional opportunities, and life. This year six alumni provided the Senior class with unique perspectives on their personal career journeys. They included a college transfer, six relocations in five years, work in the Virgin Islands, eleven years of postgraduate work, a career change to the U.S. Navy with three deployments, expanded opportunities in a tech start-up, and civil service. The wisdom and insights were powerful.

Key takeaways for Seniors:

n Explore in college. n Enjoy college, but don’t make poor decisions that could affect your future. n College is filled with trade-offs, friendships, studies, and sleep. n A great college professor may inspire you to change your major. Listen. n Don’t be afraid if college is challenging. n Associations bring about assimilations. n Immerse yourself in a different part of the country or the world. n It’s okay to learn on the ground. n Opportunities to grow are supposed to be hard. n A growing start-up business expands your opportunities. n Means are the ends in themselves. n You will know when it’s time to change careers or jobs when means and ends diverge. n Before going off on your own, it’s okay to make mistakes when someone else is paying your salary. n Reach out to speakers at conferences or on podcasts. They might enlighten you about career paths you haven’t considered. n Surround yourself with a broad spectrum of friends who emulate how you want to live. n Hobbies can fulfill other interests. n Don’t chase the money. Experience is your currency. The money will follow. n Integrity is crucial. Find people you trust, and treat other people well. n Don’t burn bridges, and learn to navigate tenuous relationships. n Take advantage of team relationships and opportunities. n Take control of your own journey.

Top Row (L to R): Senior Dean Gabe Bernstein, Sheila Kumar ’06, Cazes Martin ’98. Second Row: Allison Kaptur ’05, College Counselor Cathy Nabbefeld, Jordan Sedlacek ’05. Bottom Row: Steve Chan ’98, Murphy Robinson ’06, Director of College Counseling Sonia Arora ’01.

Thank you Alumni Association Board!

The Alumni Board administers the activities of the Colorado Academy Alumni Association and upholds its bylaws and mission statement. The Alumni Board helps plan alumni events, raises funds for the Alumni CA Fund (annual campaign), and represents CA and the Alumni Association in the community. A special thanks to our officers: President Elsa Woolley ’11, VP of Development Georgia Grey ’08, VP of School Relations Brian Parks ’96, and Co-VPs of Special Events Jared Harding ’97 and Ben Hock ’07. n

Lessons learned at CA:

n I was given the permission to fail. n I didn’t realize the value of CA until I left.

Embrace where you are. It’s just a process.

Enjoy the experience. n My first two years were challenging. I had to learn how to learn. n I learned it’s okay to struggle. n CA is where I found my closest set of friends, including my wife. n Teachers and coaches were always supportive, always encouraging. Thank you to this year’s alumni panelists: Steve Chan ’98 (data scientist), Allison Kaptur ’05 (software engineer), Sheila Kumar ’06 (broadcast media producer), Cazes Martin ’98 (architect), Murphy Robinson ’06 (Deputy Mayor, City & County of Denver), and Jordan Sedlacek ’05 (veterinarian and medical writer). n